#we finally got new red carpet pics we WON!!

[dazedpisces]

smosh at the streamys: 2016 vs 2023

[pleasereadmeok]

A Goode Year 2022

I’m doing this a bit early coz I won’t be around much over the holidays.  Every year I sit down to write these thinking - hmm - we didn’t see enough of Matthew Goode this year.  [NEVER enough]  But then each year I’m surprised by how busy he is. 

January was all about season 3 of A Discovery of Witches. 

[📷 Sky]

Sadly it was a shorter season due to Covid but we got to see Matthew Goode back in the suit and cashmere for Prof Clairmont once more.  And he held babies.  😁

Stop animation ‘The House’ was released on Netflix - 

[📷 Nexus]

...  and we all watched and wondered what the hell it was all about.  Matthew played this guy called Raymond - 

Coz you just look at Raymond’s felty face and your first thought is ‘Matthew Goode’? Nope.  Anyway this got quite a following from the stop animation fans and won some noms and awards so all goode. 

Also in January we got our very first glimpse of Matthew Goode in ‘The Offer’ when this little teaser dropped - 

[📷 Paramount +]

There he is - BOB!  

More promos appeared later in January including this gem - 

[📷 Miller Mobley]

February gave us more of Matthew Clairmont in his sharp jackets and cuddlesome cashmere. 🤤

We also got the amazing trailer for ‘The Offer’ and all of our hopes were fulfilled when we got our first look at Matthew’s awesome portrayal of Robert Evans. 

The best thing was that other people noticed it too and at last Matthew got some love for his acting skills from the critics.  

In other news - The Wine Show moved to it’s new home on AcornTV AND Matthew surprised us by attending the London Premiere of ‘The Duke’. 

He was obviously excited to be there and we loved seeing him in the flesh again. 

‘The Duke’ was just what Brits returning to the cinema needed - an old fashioned Brit comedy drama.  Matthew shone as ‘star’ barrister Jeremy Hutchinson and he was so convincing that he��d definitely be the one I’d call if I needed representing in court - 

 In March we said a final farewell to ‘A Discovery of Witches’ 😢 but not before we got to see some adorable Matthew outtakes - 

Meanwhile Matthew was clearing out his wardrobe and putting a lot of goodies into the ‘Auction for Ukraine’.  It wasn’t until later that we found out that the idea and most of the organising had been started by Matthew and that he roped in some high profile friends to help. 👏 

April was wall to wall ‘The Offer’ promotion.  We haven’t seen Matthew do so much promotion for a project since 2014 so this was heaven for Goode fans -

 So many funny and engaging interviews to enjoy but I swear if I hear him say ‘timbre’, ‘cadence’, ‘YouTube’ and ‘wormholes’ ever again I might have to scream.  

Better still - Matthew attended the LA premiere for ‘The Offer’ so we got another red carpet interview and even more new pics of him - 

[📷my edit from Extra TV youtube]

When ‘The Offer’ premiered on the 28th April - OMG Matthew was incredible as Robert Evans.  A stunning performance in every way. 

The Bob show continued through May and we got more goode interviews and articles to enjoy.  Just going to highlight this one in the LA Times - https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2022-05-05/the-offer-paramount-cast-matthew-goode-robert-evans   coz of the gorgeous pictures by Dania Maxwell

[📷 Dania Maxwell/LA Times] 

Matthew and Sophie were also invited to the London premiere of ‘Top Gun’ - presumably by Miles Teller?  Anyway - he gave us a little wave on red carpet TV - 

[📷 screenshots from Red Carpet TV and Tristan Fewings]

At last we saw Matthew do another chat show!  In June he was a guest on NBC's ‘Late Night with Seth Meyers’ and joked about getting into American Football and trying to get X [R] rated movies from his local store as a kid ....  

Matthew attended the New York Premiere of ‘The Offer’ the next day - 

[📷Michael Loccisano/Getty Images]

Paramount + launched in the UK later in June and Matthew introduced ‘The Offer’ to the audience - 

[📷 Mike Marsland/Dave J Hogan] 

Matthew’s amazing work on the Auction for Ukraine was finally revealed in a fun guest appearance on The Chris Evans Radio Show.  We also got the first hint about his next project - with an acting hero 🤔  

[📷 Virgin Radio]   

One of the top auction lots was a lunch hosted by Matthew and friends at Hide restaurant - 

[📷 Hide Restaurant]

Before Matthew headed off for his summer holidays in July he found time to guest on ‘This Morning’ with Alison and Dermot.  

He talked about how he nearly missed out on getting the part of Robert Evans due to visa issues 😱 and he confirmed that acting hero he would be working with was indeed Anthony Hopkins!

Matthew headed off to Greece for a family holiday but found time to take a selfie with some fans - 

[📷 Paul and Kerry Hulme - cropped for privacy] 

July also brought us the official trailer for ‘Medieval’ and we got to see Matthew swaggering about in lavish cloaks and that glorious ginger hair - 

Matthew turned up with Hugh Bonneville at a Coldplay gig at Wembley arena in August - 

Medieval was released in September so we saw more of Matthew’s spectacular costumes and THAT hair - 

What happened in October?  Not a lot but in November we did get confirmation that Matthew would be working with Anthony Hopkins on the movie ‘Freud’s Last Session’.  

The movie will be based on the play by Mark St. Germain and Matthew will play C.S. Lewis.  

So I think that brings us up to date.  It’s been a Goode year for showcasing Matthew’s superb acting skills with his perfectly crafted role as Robert Evans in ‘The Offer’ and watching him actually enjoy promoting a show has been a highlight for me.   But if I have to choose the best part of the Goode year - Matthew’s work in getting together the Auction for Ukraine needs a special mention - coz he sure won’t mention it.  He obviously worked really hard on calling in favours and getting things moving and as a result the Auction raised £838,900!  So well done Matthew and all of your friends who helped! 👏

[mctherofdragons]

In the Afterglow | 3 | F.W.

moodboard by @minty-malfoy​.

Summary: The reader is married to George Weasley, and for all intents and purposes, he is the perfect husband. But, despite her best efforts to resist, Fred presents temptation she never knew she’d fall for.

Pairing: Fred Weasley x Fem! Reader; George Weasley x Fem!Reader

Alternate Universe: No Voldemort AU

Rating: Mature, Future Chapters will Feature Explicit Content

Trigger Warnings: ANGST,  mentions of extramarital affairs, cheating, mentions of infertility/miscarriage, mentions of sex, cussing,  i think that’s it 

Author’s Note: I have to give a HUGE shout out to @starlightweasley because oh my gosh, she has been my sounding board for SO many ideas for this fic and i’m so thankful for that. I hope you all love this chapter, but I will say it’s a bit of a filler. Chapter 4 will be much more in depth and have action between the reader and Fred (including fluff). Also, please note the TWs for infertility and miscarriage, which were not TWs in previous chapters. XO. PS: If your name is in bold, i couldn’t tag you. 

Taglist: @oh-for-merlins-sake @sunflowernarry @vivianweasley @haf-the-trash-panda @obsssedwithjustaboutanything @msmarklee1213 @n3ssm0nique @satellitespidey  @michaylahpfan27  @girl22334 @starlightweasley @minty-malfoy @theweasleytwinsgirl @louist-pics @pigwidgexn @snehkaaay @slytherinbth @laurrrtyyy 

*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:

December 25th. 

The Weasleys didn’t have all the money in the world for a lavish Christmas, but somehow, it was better to celebrate in their simple way. You sat on the sofa, your legs tucked beneath you comfortably. Taking a small sip of your hot cocoa, you watched as George stoked the fireplace. 

“Happy Christmas, y/n,” Molly said as she entered, opening her arms wide. You gave her a warm hug, feeling the happiness simply radiating off of her. But inside, your stomach was in knots. Last night’s kiss with Fred was still fresh in your mind. He, on the other hand, was still sleeping. 

You watched as Albus played on the floor with his new toys, looking over as George sat next to you. “Maybe next year...we’ll have another little Weasley on the way?,” Molly gave you a wink and you forced a smile. George put his arm around you. It made you feel ill. 

“Mum,” George sighed. “You know we’re trying.” “Ah, well, getting there is half the fun I always say,” Arthur chuckled, sitting down with his cup of coffee. 

“Arthur Weasley!,” Molly gasped. Again, the room filled with laughter. You snuggled further down into the sofa, glad to be distracted by the marshmallows swirling around in your mug. 

_______________________

5 years earlier, November. 

Gryffindor had won again, in no small part thanks to the Weasley twins. You took off running, your robes catching the wind behind you. You were practically bolting toward the twins as fast as you could. For a moment, Fred found himself smiling, allowing his mind to think you were running toward him. His forlorn face wasn’t apparent to you as you leaped immediately into George’s arms. You practically knocked George over as he twirled you around. 

He laughed, taking in the scent of your perfume. “Hi, poppet,” he laughed, setting you down. 

“My favorite beater,” you giggled, giving him a playful kiss. Leaning forward, you stood up on your tippy-toes to give his nose a little kiss. His whisper met your ear and you giggled. Fred had heard it, though, and he was sure George wasn’t even trying to be quiet. 

“C’mon up to my room, love,” he whispered. Then he turned to his twin. “Hey, Fred, make yourself busy for a while, eh?”

George grabbed your hand and you took off toward Gryffindor tower, your stomach bursting with excitement for some alone time with George. Fred felt his stomach sink, jealousy brewing somewhere deep within him. He threw his broom down, eliciting a shocked look from the keeper next to him. 

____________________________

Fred came down the stairs eventually. His red hair was tousled and you couldn’t help but bite your lip. You caught yourself quickly, snuggling in closer to George. 

“Mornin, all. Happy Christmas, mum,” Fred gave Molly a little kiss on the forehead, heading over to pour himself a cup of coffee. 

“Well now that Fred has decided to arise from his slumber, we should get around to opening the rest of our presents, yes?” Ginny seemed annoyed with her brother, but that was not too unusual. 

Fred sat down on the floor, busying himself with sipping his coffee. Neither of you dared to look at one another. It occurred to you that maybe last night had been a dream, but then you felt the tiny rug burn on your lower back and knew it was real. Your sweater had lifted up while on the carpet with Fred, giving you a small scrape. 

Everyone busied themselves with opening their presents. Molly practically cried over every gift her children got her, including a framed photo of everyone from last Christmas. Meanwhile, George and Fred had gotten each other expensive bottles of whiskey, nearly dying in laughter that they both got the same thing for one another. 

Finally, George handed you a small black box and your heart fluttered. “For you, princess,” he grinned, giving you a small kiss. Something behind his eyes still felt distant, but you pushed your doubts away. You opened it up slowly, revealing a stunning vintage locket. It was eighteen karat gold and engraved with floral detail. It was no doubt madly expensive. It was stunning, the lights from the Christmas tree glinting off of its surface. You clicked the locket open, feeling yourself tear up at a picture of you both from your school days. 

“Oh,” you put your hand over your heart. George took the necklace from you and turned you around, fastening the clasp for you. Once he was back in front of you, he pulled him into a kiss. “I love it, George.” 

“Again, happy Christmas, love,” he gave your hand a squeeze. But you found yourself reaching up to touch the cold medal around your neck, secretly wishing a photo of Fred was inside. 

You looked up and caught eyes with the other twin. You stared for a moment, his brown eyes burrowing deep into yours. Fred broke his gaze. “I need a moment,” he mumbled, quickly rushing outside. 

“What’s got his goat?,” Ron said, stuffing a cookie into his mouth. Everyone shrugged, except for you. You felt your heart crack just a bit as you looked at the door which had just swung shut.

“I’ll go check on him,” you offered. No one suspected anything, of course. You were always kind to Fred. Each member of the family had assumed Fred was just stressed about the shop, as was usual, and needed some calming down. 

You headed out the back door, rounding the corner behind the Burrow. Fred was leaned against the small shed out back, tears streaming down his face. He saw you and buried his face into one of his hands, his other arm pulled across his abdomen. 

“Go back inside, y/n,” he sighed, using the sleeve of his sweater to wipe his eyes. 

You dared to step forward, moving his hand away. “Fred.”

“Please, go back inside,” he gently moved you away from him. 

But you pushed your luck again, stepping forward. He spun you around, kissing you with your back pressed against the cool wood of the shack. “Go back inside,” he repeated, the clouds of his breath floating up into the freezing air. A few tears remained on his cheeks, but they’d know somewhat rubbed off onto your cheeks. The winter breeze stung as it met the dampness. You kissed him again, and nothing about it was soft. When you and Fred kissed, it was as if you’d completely devour one another given the chance. Close was never close enough. He cupped your face in his hands, his forehead pressed tight to yours, your noses touching. “Go. Inside,” Fred repeated finally, and you slipped beneath his arms to head back toward the door. 

“You’d best come in before they start to worry,” you said quietly, thankful you had decided against wearing lipstick that day. 

*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･

December 28th. 

George sat across from Fred, counting that day’s deposit. Fred had poured them both glasses of the whiskey from Christmas. This was something they occasionally enjoyed, basking in the happiness of just being brothers together. Usually, they talked about nothing in particular. World quidditch scores, or the latest movie they’d watched. But today, George seemed tenser. Fred hadn’t admitted it out loud, but he was partially nervous that George had suspected something. 

Fred tipped the bottle to top off his glass, taking a strong sip as George placed the deposit into the lockbox. He took his own swig, setting down his glass as he looked at his twin. 

“She’s driving me bloody mad, Fred,” he said finally, shaking his head. Fred raised an eyebrow, realizing George was about to start ranting about you. 

“Is that right?,” Fred adjusted his shirt a bit, undoing the top button. He was already nervous for what was to come, knowing any ill word against you would make his anger spark. 

“I mean, fuck, we’ve been trying for months now to get pregnant and she can’t. I know it isn’t her fault but, hell, it sucks, you know?” 

“Oh, yeah,” Fred said quietly, swirling his ice cubes around in his drink as he moved his glass. 

“And don’t even get me started on her being piss poor in bed, lately, neither,” George slammed back what was left of his whisky. He filled up his glass halfway again. 

Fred felt his blood pressure hit the ceiling as if someone had set a Whiz Bang off in his brain. 

“Ya know, I haven’t told anyone this, but she did get pregnant, a few months ago.” “How do you mean?” “Well, you know it….came away,” George frowned, feeling his throat get tight. “I just, ever since then, Fred. She doesn’t want to try anymore. I...I hate to admit this but, I’ve been...feeling less in love with her lately.” 

Fred stayed quiet, unable to form a coherent sentence that wouldn’t give himself away. You were perfect to him, and imagining you curled up on a bathroom floor, experiencing profound loss, broke his spirit. 

“It’ll all work out,” Fred gave George a friendly pat on the back. “C’mon, lets go down to the pub for a few with the boys, eh?” “Sure.” 

Fred left the conversation there, forbidding himself to venture any further. Two can keep a secret, but he tended to be rubbish at it.

He felt his phone buzz and he pulled it out of his pocket, smiling down at the screen. Your name had popped up with a short text message. 

Miss you. Meet tonight someplace?

[fanboysfangirl]

This is my first post on tumblr and it’s from my Wattpad so enjoy!! If you wanna follow me on Wattpad the user is sophiac0864

Our Little Secret- Riley Green

summary- reader and riley green recently just announced their engagement after hiding the fact that they were dating for 3 years. There's just one thing. reader is pregnant and they decide to keep it secret. reader is a country singer. she performs on the CMA awards and has to reveal that she's pregnant. y/hs- your home state y/ht- your home town

—

I stared at myself in the mirror. I had a long black dress on and my hair was curled to my shoulders.

"You ready to go?" I looked behind me to see my fiancé in a suit. This was the one rare occasion that he actually wore one.

"You look pretty good." I said complimenting him.

"I'm nominated for an award tonight. I had to look good. You look beautiful by the way."

"I had to look beautiful. I'm nominated for an award. And I'm preforming." I said mocking him. He gave me a quick kiss before we both got into his truck.

"Riley, you know our little secret isn't gonna be a secret anymore right?"

"I know. You know it's kinda your fault." I laughed and gave him a look.

"Why is it my fault!"

"Because your performing. If you weren't performing then we could've stayed at home and if we won an award we could've just sent in a video." He said with a smirk.

"Your an ass hole."

—

We drove from our hotel room to where the awards were being held.

"Here we go." Riley grabbed my hand and we walked the red carpet where the paparazzi and the reporters were.

A reporter came up to us.

"Here we have Y/n Y/ln and Riley Green. Looking fabulous guys." I smiled at her and the camera as it took a picture.

"I just wanted to say congratulations on your engagement and your pregnancy?" She asked. I nodded.

"Congratulations. I'm sure you both will be great parents!" We smiled and kept walking until we were in the actual building and in our seats. Needless to say we were stopped multiple times beforehand.

—

An hour later one of he bodyguards came and escorted me to the back of the stage to get ready to perform with one of my best friends. Gabby Barrett.

"Please welcome to the stage Gabby Barrett!"

She walked out and I heard the music start playing.

"He's a phone call to his parents

He's a Bible by the bed

He's the t-shirt that I'm wearin'

He's the song stuck in my head

He's solid and he's steady

Like the Allegheny runs

He knows just where he's goin'

And he's proud of where he's from!

One of the good ones

He's one of the good ones!"

After making sure my earpiece and microphone were working I walked out. Gabby smiled at me but then her face turned into a shocked expression.

"A love me like he should one

Like he wrote the book one

The kind you find when you don't even look one

Anybody can be good once

But he's good all the time

He's one of the good ones

And he's all mine

He's one of the good ones." I began singing my own verse.

"You'll know him when you see him

By the way he looks at me

You'd say he hung the moon

I'd say he hung the galaxy

Nobody does it better

Oh, the way he pulls me in

I've known a couple bad ones

But they all led me to him." Gabby sang making her voice sound louder.

"He's one of the good ones

A love me like he should one

Like he wrote the book one

The kind you find when you don't even look one

Anybody can be good once

But he's good all the time

He's one of the good ones

And he's all mine

He's one of the good ones

We should all find us one

They're out there, minus one

Some of the good ones

Yeah, I got a good one." We finally sang together.

"A love me like he should one

Like he wrote the book one." Gabby sang softly leading into my part.

"The kind you find when you don't even look

Anybody can be good once

But he's good all the time." I sang before going into the last few lyrics with Gabby.

"But he's good all the time

He's one of the good ones

And he's all mine

He's one of the good ones

And he's all mine."

The music stopped and I went over to give her a hug.

"Congrats." She whispered in my ear.

—

10 minutes later the award that both Riley and I were nominated for was getting presented. Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley were the ones presenting.

"The nominees for best collaboration are- Jesus And Wranglers by Riley Green featuring Y/n Y/ln, half of my hometown by Kelsea Ballerini featuring Kenny Chesney, One Too Many by Keith Urban featuring P!nk, Famous Friends by Chris Young featuring Kane Brown, Undivided by Tim McGraw featuring Tyler Hubbard, and Only Thing Thats Gone by Morgan Wallen featuring Chris Stapleton." Carrie said reading the names out.

"And the winner is... Jesus and Wranglers by Riley Green featuring Y/n Y/ln!" Carrie and Brad read out together. I gave Riley a quick kiss before we both got up to go to the stage.

"Congratulations!" Carrie said giving me a hug.

"For the baby and the award. And the engagement."

"Thank you."

They left leaving us on the stage together.

"What can I say? This is my first award and I could not be more proud of not only myself but also Riley. You know coming from y/ht in the middle of basically nowhere in the good old state of y/hs I was always told I wouldn't make it anywhere in the world as a female who wanted to be part of the music industry. So I'm dedicating this award to all the ass holes who said I couldn't do it!" I said before letting Riley take the microphone.

"I can't believe I'm standing here by myself yet alone next to the person who I love the most in this world. I can't thank the fans more than enough. We love y'all so much! Thank you for this amazing opportunity to do not only what I love but what we love. Thank y'all!"

—

Hours later I was sitting on the couch in the hotel scrolling through Instagram.

"Ry come here!" I yelled out. He walked out of the bathroom.

"What's up?"

I showed him my phone that showed the news story and paparazzi pics with the headline "Y/n Y/ln and Riley Green surprise fans with pregnancy announcement right after they announced their engagement."

"Guess our little secret isn't so secret anymore."

"Guess not."

[bigmafluff]

Unreal Love Story “Henry Cavill” chapters 1-3

Sequel To My Story “Tom Hiddleston”

Summery

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

Chapter 1 

Numbness,& NASCAR

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

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

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

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

Chapter 2

Something New

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

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

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

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

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

Opening Night!!!!

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

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

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

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

Lois Lane never Got Superman this way Ha! 

Chapter 3

Don't jump! One moment @ a Time.

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

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

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

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

I exploded because of SuperMan!

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

[softspiderling]

swanky fortune - part seven | t.h.

Summary: life keeps you apart, Tom has a rotten morning and you return to your life

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Song I listened to while writing: Dance Monkey by Tones and I

Author’s Note: I did it y’all. I hope you’re proud of me, because I honestly did not think I would pull through. This part had me squealing, will you squeal with me? Also, trying some new pics, gif is not mine! Make sure to leave some feedback :’)

Warnings: cussing and swearing

Word Count: 3,6k

Masterlist

Teaser | Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine | Part Ten

Your eyebrows shot up in surprise. What could he possibly want from you?

“Yes. I am. And you are…?”

The man nodded and gave you a polite smile.

“You can call me Felix. I am here to pick you up for the airport.”

Wait, what?

Your smile faltered and you frowned at him.

“You are? But Tom said that he was going to drive me to the airport,” you pointed out and the man- Felix, ducked his head.

“Mr. Holland was called away, he has some important business to take care of and he asked me to escort you to the airport.”

You couldn’t help but feel disappointment wash over you. Of course you understood, honestly you were really surprised that Tom was able to spend so much time with you as he already did, but if you had known, you would have said good bye properly the last time you saw him. Hell, you couldn’t even remember when you saw him last.

“Oh, yes. That makes sense. Uhm. Just let me grab my stuff real quick,” you told Felix, your tone much more subdued and you went inside to grab your luggage.

“Get a grip, Y/N,” you mumbled to yourself and shouldered the backpack, dragging your suitcase to the doorway where he was waiting for you.

“Let me take that for you,” Felix said and grabbed your suitcase, before making his way over to the elevator, leaving you to follow him.

You were flipping over your phone in your hand as you walked over the marbled floor to the elevator, your phone blinking, an apology text from Tom already waiting for you.

Tom: I hope you read this before Felix comes to pick you up, but I can’t drive  you to the airport. I know this sucks because we couldn’t finish our conversation from last night, but my agent is really on my arse about this and I wouldn’t cancel on you if this wasn’t important. I’m really, really sorry and if it helps, I haven’t had the best morning anyways. I promise I will make it up to you.

Tom: Have a safe flight love, let me know when you land xx

With a sigh you locked your phone and slipped it in the pocket of your backpack. You were way too emotional to form a reply right now, you were going to wait until you calmed down to text him back. You followed Felix out of the hotel and clambered into the backseat of the car.

“Do you want to stop for breakfast on the way to the airport?” Felix asked, looking back to you after he’s got in the driver’s seat.

You shook your head, buckling up.

“No, I’m fine. We can go straight to the airport, thanks.”

He nodded and turned his eyes back on the street before he started the drive towards the airport, with the radio providing the only sound in the car.

You leaned your head against the window and watched buildings pass by in a blur, before you closed your eyes.

“Good bye Los Angeles,” you mumbled under your breath when you opened your eyes again, but the only thing you were seeing was Tom smiling at you and his warm, brown eyes.

A couple hours before, across the city…

“Mate, you gotta wake up.”

Tom whined in his sleep and turned over in his king-size bed, huffing a breath out of his nostrils before his breath evened out again, small snores filling the room.

Harrison hesitated. Tom had stumbled into the apartment pretty late the night before and he had only muttered out a quick ‘Argument with Jeff’ out, before he disappeared into his bedroom.

Harrison had wanted to go in to cheer his best mate up a bit, but standing outside the door, he had heard muffled talking, Tom’s soft voice and he knew that someone else was already taking care of that. It was why it was so much harder for him to wake him up now, knowing how upset Tom was going to be with the change of plans.

“Tom, seriously, wake up,” Harrison said gently and shook the brunet by the shoulders.

“Whatttt?” Tom groaned and covered his eyes with his hand, his other reaching for his phone.

“It’s not even time for me to get up to drive Y/N to the airport, bro.”

“Jeff is here,” Harrison told him and Tom sat up, blinking at him in confusion.

“Here here?”

Harrison gave him a look and Tom sighed, throwing the blanket back and getting out of his comfortable bed. If his agent really showed up in person at his place, it wasn’t a good sign.

He headed into his bathroom to brush his teeth and scowl at his reflection in the mirror, before he slipped on some sweats and a t shirt.

“Morning Jeff,” Tom yawned while he padded to the kitchen where Jeff was talking to Harry and Sam.

“Look who’s finally awake,” Jeff said sarcastically and the twins quickly disappeared into the backyard with Harrison as the tension rose in the room. Jeff was a great agent, Tom was really thankful for everything he’s done. But he’s also a stickler to the rules. If it was Jeff’s call, Tom was pretty sure he wouldn’t get any time off anymore and just spend it getting interviewed, doing photoshoots and making sure his image was clean as slate.

It was safe to say that they got along greatly professionally. Personally? Not that much.

Tom rolled his eyes and grabbed a mug out of the cupboard before pouring himself some coffee. “It’s not even nine am, cut back the sarcasm. Do you want some coffee?”

Jeff shook his head and crossed his arms across his chest, his eyebrows furrowed. So Tom was right. His agent was not here to congratulate him for the premiere the day before.

“So, what’s up?” Tom asked, sipping on his coffee while he stared at Jeff.

Jeff stared back at him, his forehead creased. “You’ve been slacking off the last few days, Tom. I can’t believe you blew off the photo shoot with Cosmopolitan on Friday.”

“I was tired, Jeff. And it was the day before the premiere, did you really expect me to have time to do a photo shoot on top of everything?” Tom sighed and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. It really was too early for all of this.

“But you had the time to hang around that fan who won the Brothers Trust ruffle?”

Tom narrowed his eyes at Jeff. He didn’t particularly like the direction Jeff was steering this conversation to. “Her name’s Y/N.”

“Y/N,” Jeff hissed, massaging his temples. “The reason why you almost got mobbed at the Four Seasons if it weren’t for me?”

“It wasn’t her fault, I wasn’t being careful,” Tom pointed out and Jeff snorted, leaning on the counter with his hands.

“That’s exactly my point. She’s distracting you. I have never seen you out of your game like this before, she’s messing with your head and it’s not good, Tom. I thought you always prided yourself on being focused and always giving your best when you’re working,” Jeff taunted and Tom slapped a hand on the counter, feeling anger simmering up in him.

“Do not turn my words against me, Jeff,” He snapped out. “You know I’ve never liked doing so many photo shoots, I’m an actor for god’s sake, not a model.”

“It was a promotional shoot. For your new movie, remember?”

“Don’t patronize me.”

Tom downed the last of the coffee before he put the empty mug in the dishwasher, sighing. In the end, he knew that Jeff just wanted the best for his career, and Tom really owed him a lot of his success.

“Why are you here, Jeff?” he then asked, his voice milder than before. He was tired and the more he fought, the longer this conversation was going to be (and the longer you had to wait for him).

“I’m here to accompany you to the Cosmopolitan photoshoot. They agreed to a second shoot to make up for the one you ditched,” Jeff said and Tom’s eyes widened, he was shaking his head vigorously.

“No no no, I can’t. I’m supposed to bring Y/N to the airport, and this wasn’t planned, I- What the fuck, Jeff?” He argued agitated and Jeff only held up a hand, uncharacteristically calm.

“Zendaya and Jake are also going to be there. There’s no way you can get out of this.”

Tom stared at his agent in disbelief before he threw his hands up, cursing. “Fuck, I can’t believe you’re doing this Jeff,” he muttered, his heart sinking when he thought of you. “Y/N’s going to be so upset.”

Jeff clasped Tom on the back, his face sporting a grin. “If she really is that amazing like you’re painting her to be, she’ll understand buddy. Now get dressed.”

oOo

“Ahhhh! I can’t believe you asked Zendaya how her kiss with Zac was!” Luisa yelled and pulled you in for a hug.

“Geez, is that really how you greet me?” you snorted and patted her back before you pulled away, shouldering your backpack. Even though the flight was quite pleasant, it still was rough to spend nine hours in a cramped up seat.

She shot you a beaming smile and wrapped an arm around your neck as you made your way to the exit of the airport.

“Can’t have you get all cocky just because you walked the red carpet with some celebrities,” she teased and you rolled your eyes fondly, heaving your suitcase in the trunk of Luisa’s car, getting in the passenger seat.

“So, I ordered some pizza and we’ll just pick it up on the way home. I figured you wouldn’t want to go out for food after your flight,” Luisa said and you gave her a grateful smile, buckling up as she started her car.

You turned your phone on, and waited as the apple logo lit up, before the phone pinged excessively.

“Jeez,” you muttered, swiping through your notifications.

Messages: Tom: yeah yeah, I’m fine. Just got into a little spat with my agent, nothing big 😅

Messages: Tom: You’ll see, Y/N. It’ll be great, I swear 🤞🏼

Instagram: tomholland2013 liked your post.

Instagram: tomholland2013, hazosterfield, paddyholland2004 and five others started following you.

Instagram: tomholland2013 liked your post.

Instagram: tomholland2013 liked your post.

Instagram: tomholland2013 liked your post.

Instagram: tomholland2013 liked your post.

Messages: Tom: Have you landed yet? x🤔

Instagram: tomholland2013 liked your post.

Instagram: tomholland2013 liked your post.

Messages: Harrison: hey did u land yet

Messages: Harrison: tom thinks that u r mad at him

Messages: Harrison: pls text him back, he’s starting to annoy me

Instagram: tomholland2013 liked your post.

The corners of your mouth ticked up. This was a bit excessive, even for Tom. You swiped right on Harrison’s text, letting him know you landed, before you opened Tom’s texts:

You: it’s okay. Not going to lie, I am a little bit disappointed tho. How will you make it up to me?

You: Why would it help to hear that you haven’t had a great morning? Are you okay?

THREE UNREAD MESSAGES

Tom: You’ll see, Y/N. It’ll be great, I swear 🤞🏼

Tom: yeah yeah, I’m fine. Just got into a little spat with my agent, nothing big 😅

Tom: Have you landed yet? x🤔

Frowning, you pursed your lips. It seemed like Tom was really having trouble with something lately, but it was obvious that he did not want to talk about it, so you just let it slide.

You: Yep, just got off the plane 😊

You: Did you go through all of my insta posts?

You then opened Instagram, just to see red hearts blinking at the bottom of the screen, indicating the number of posts Tom had liked. Shaking your head, you dropped your phone in your lap and leaned your elbow against the window. What a dork.

Luisa glanced at you and raised an eyebrow at your serene smile, before turning her attention back on the road.

“What’s gotten you all smile-y?” she wanted to know and you shrugged, pursing your lips. You hadn’t told Luisa anything about what has happened between you and Tom yet, you weren’t even sure why.

“Just glad to be home.”

Luisa scoffed and as the car rolled to a stop by a red light, she poked your thigh. “Are you trying to tell me you’d rather be home than with Tom Holland? Girl, don’t even try to fool me.”

You flushed and turned away, clearing your throat.

“Jeez, the last time you were this red was when Julian from biology kissed you.”

She eyed you when you kept silent at her jab and her eyes widened comically as it dawned on her.

“Holy shit, did you kiss Tom Holland?”

“What? No, of course not,” you lied and Luisa cackled, shaking her head.

“Oh my god you totally did. Fuck, I deeply respect you, Y/N,” she laughed. “I can’t believe you haven’t told me, I need details!”

“I’ll tell you at home, for god’s sake keep your eyes on the road!”

Luisa laughed gleefully, but luckily, she didn’t mention it for the rest of the drive. After having picked up the pizza at your trusted Italian, you finally headed home and you nearly cried in relief when you tossed your luggage in the corner of the living room and dropped down on the couch. It’s been a long day.

“Hey, get up or the pizza will get cold,” Luisa said, kicking your foot that was hanging off the couch. “Don’t think you can get out of telling me all about that smooch with Tom Holland.”

Groaning loudly, you propped yourself up and dragged yourself to the table, opening the pizza carton all the while Luisa was staring at you with expecting eyes. You knew she was not going to let it go until you gave her every small detail about you and Tom.

Picking the mushrooms off of your slice, you let out a sigh before diving into your story and Luisa was clinging to every word that left your mouth.

“I can’t believe it,” she said after you’ve finished. “And you guys didn’t even have a chance to finish that conversation?”

You shook your head and she made a ‘yikes’ face. “I wouldn’t want to live through that cliffhanger.”

“Tell me about it,” you muttered and pushed your half eaten pizza away. Your stomach was full and you knew there was a bunch of assignments waiting for you to start on them, it couldn’t wait any longer.

“Thanks for the pizza Lu,” you said and kissed her on the head. She smiled cheesily at you and waved her slice in your direction.

“I’m here if you need to talk!”

Sending her a thumbs up, you lugged your suitcase in your bedroom and cracked it open, tossing most of its content into the hamper for laundry later, before you sat down at your desk to get some work done.

As the sun set over the horizon, you had managed to check in with all of your professors to get the assignments you had to catch up on, contact fellow students for the material from the classes you had missed and outline an essay that was due the next week. Your eyes were drooping and you shut your laptop before pushing it away from you, stretching your arms with a yawn.

Reaching for your phone, you rubbed over your eyes as you scanned your notifications, your heart thumping in your chest when you caught sight of Tom’s name.

Tom: what? How’d you know?

Tom: oh shit I liked all of them 🤦‍♂

Tom: sorry, that probably creeped you out

Tom: how was your flight? what’re you up to right now? x😊

Biting on your lip, you let out a snort and swiveled in your chair. How can one be so Instagram inapt? It wasn’t like he was of a different generation, either.

You: it’s fine. I think it’s kinda cute, you’re like a fifteen year old with a crush

You: It was okay. I got plenty of sleep even though the person behind me kept jabbing their knee into my seat. I just caught up with everything I’ve missed from university. What are you doing? Something more exciting, I hope?

You exited the text chain and checked the time, pursing your lips. It’d be eleven pm in Los Angeles right now, but honestly, you weren’t even sure if he was still in the States or not. If you were honest, this was another part that held you back from throwing yourself into a relationship with Tom. The contrast between your lives could not be any more different. How would a relationship with him even work out if he was travelling most of the time and you were stuck back in your apartment, getting your degree?

The sound of your phone chiming a couple of times distracted you from your depressing thoughts and when you turned your phone to look at the notifications, you were surprised to see that Tom had already messaged you back.

Tom: trust me, I was much much worse when I was fifteen. Believe it or not, this is progress 🤷‍♂

Tom: I’m in South Korea!! Just finishing up the press tour before I finally head home

South Korea, huh.

You looked up the time in South Korea – around three pm – and wrinkled your nose. You returned to the textchain and his name was staring at you from the top of your phone screen. He must be in the middle of interviews and press meetings, you wondered how he found the time to text you. Tapping your finger nails against the side of your phone, you formulated the text message in your head, not wanting to type mindlessly on the keyboard before erasing all of it again.

Do you not have to do interviews? No, that sounded too harsh.

What are you doing right now? L a m e.

You groaned and pressed the phone against your forehead. Why was this so hard? You just made fun of Tom and his incompetence around Instagram and now you were sitting here, taking forever to reply to a simple text.

You: Press tour huh? Aren’t you supposed to, you know, actually do press instead of texting me? 🤔

Looked good enough.

A vibration announced of the arrival of a new text from him and you didn’t even have the time to exit the text chain. Damn that boy was a fast texter.

Tom: I am doing press. For myself. On you. Is it working?

Was it working? Judging by the smile on your face, it definitely was. But you were certainly not going to tell him that. As you were typing your reply, his text was pushed up by a new one.

Tom: I actually have to go now. Talk to you later? x

You pressed your lips together, forcing the ever growing smile on your face to shrink a bit, before you deleted what you had previously written and replaced it with a one word reply.

You: definitely. 

Inhaling deeply, you felt your heart hammer against your rib cage and you smiled widely at the ceiling. Wow, you definitely were smitten with him. But he made it so easy. Why did he have to be so endearing and cute and nice? It was not going to be easy to resist him. Not that you had been doing a good job so far anyway.

oOo

The next couple of weeks flew by and next to the life crushing work you were doing for university, you had found your rhythm in your daily routine again. The daily routine that now apparently included a nightly phone or video call from Tom, because that was just how life worked right?

You glanced at the time stamp on your phone as you jogged up the stairs of your apartment building, breath coming short. It was nearing the time Tom was usually calling and you weren’t even home. Your calculus had class had run late and your stomach was grumbling since you hadn’t eaten anything yet.

Even though Tom’s texts that day were a lot more sparse than usual, you had blamed it on a probably packed schedule on his side, rather than throwing yourself into the pit of self-doubt. He was finally back home, surrounded by his family and friends, you were glad that he wasn’t constantly on the phone to text you.

Nevertheless, he’d always called you. Every night. So you wanted to get home, shovel some food in and burrow yourself in your bedroom by the time Tom called, because Luisa had this annoying habit  of eavesdropping and giggling during your phone calls with Tom.

You let out a sigh of relief when you finally reached your floor, keys already dangling in your hand. A delicious smell of tomato sauce wafted through the air and you were crossing your fingers that they were coming from your kitchen; Luisa really made a kick ass Spaghetti Bolognese if she got off of her ass.

Unlocking your door, you dropped your backpack unceremoniously by the wall and your whole apartment was smelling like an Italian restaurant. It was almost like heaven.

“You’re a godsend Lu!” you called towards the kitchen where you could hear her tinkering with the pots. You kicked your shoes off and slipped out of your jacket, before stumbling into the kitchen.

“I’m starving, I only grabbed a banana before I left for class and I forgot my wallet at home so I-.”

Your words died in your throat when you saw Tom standing in front of you, dressed in grey sweats and a white t shirt with a red stain on it. He was holding a spatula in one hand and was staring at you with wide eyes, his mouth pulled into a sheepish grin.

“Hi darling. Hope you’re hungry.”

Bolded means I couldn’t tag you for some reason. If that is the case with your user, please shoot me a message so we can figure out the problem! Also, please interact with my fic, especially if you’re in the taglist, it would mean the world to me ❤

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[writingsbychlo]

Can you do something like you’re Dylan’s girlfriend and it’s the first time you’re going to one of his movie premieres and you’re kinda nervous

you would be super nervous, actually. everything between the two of you has been pretty lowkey, the occasional fan had snapped a pic of the two of you together, but you hadn’t exactly posted any pictures together, and you really hadn’t confirmed anything with the media.

it had all been speculation before, most just assuming that you and Dylan has been friends, but it wasn’t until someone had snapped a picture of Dylan kissing your cheek at the beach one day that rumours had gone wild, and you knows you finally had to come clean.

you had been perfectly happy with just letting Dylan tweet something, knowing just how fast it would spread with the rarity of his tweets, and so he’d he. his agent, less so. they claimed it needed to be something bigger, and more public, to ‘appease’ everyone, and so that was exactly how tlu found yourself nervously tapping your foot on the floor of the rented car as you were both driven to Dylan’s latest premiere.

your heart felt like it might actually burst right out of your chest, and you wondered if you were visibly shaking. you were hoping that the professional makeup you’d had done was going to hide just how pale you were sure your face had gotten. Dylan’s hand sat in yours, his thumb stroking across the back of your hand reassuringly, but he’d long ago given up trying to mumble things to calm your nerves to you, knowing it was just making you more anxious.

you felt like you might actually throw up as you approached the building, watching as the car rolled to a stop and you peered out of the tinted window. you could do this.

30 metres to the door.

15 of fans, 15 of interviewers, and then you were inside and safe and out of view, mostly.

you could already here the screaming of the fans, the sounds only amplifying as Dylan got out of his side of the car, the hoards of people here to see him finally getting a glimpse and they lost it. the interviewers all seemed to get themselves ready, checking their cameras and their mics as the lead of the movie they were interviewing for finally arrived.

stopping in front of your door, he gave you an extra moment to calm yourself, before he opened up the door, the sounds only getting louder and louder as you stepped out, his hand offered to help you. you didn’t fall over in your heels, despite how weak your legs felt.

Dylan had an arm wrapped firmly around your waist, and he pressed a kiss to your cheek, another one to your jaw as he whispered to you jusy how incredible you looked, and how proud he gets to stand next to the most beautiful girl here all night. that brought a smile and a blush to your face, and you knew cameras were going off in places to campfire the exchange as the car behind you left and drove away to park.

taking your first few shaky steps forward, you rolled your shoulders and held your head high, look straight forward as Dylan waved and mumbled hi to fans as the two of you approached what you were mentally nicknaming the first barrier.

you had two demons to face tonight. you had to win over the fans, and you had to win over the paps. first up, fans, and Dylan didn’t seem like he was going to leave your side anytime soon, despite all the phones, pens and pictures, being held out to him,

pausing, you placed a hand on his chest, swallowing thickly as he looked down at you in concern, and you tipped your head to motion to the loud crowds around you. “go do your thing, go see your fans.” his eyes widened and he looked around, licking over his lips before looking back to you.

“are you sure?”

“I get to see you all the time, this will be the only chance for some of them. I’m sure, i promise. I’ll go wait over there.” you pointed ahead to the interviewers who were watching curiously. “I’ll play temple run on my phone or something until you’re done with interviews.” he gave you a fond roll of the eyes at the mention of the game, pressing a swift kiss to your lips before turning away to greet as many clamouring fans as he could.

you took a deep breath, calming yourself before continuing on, making your way further up the red carpet to stand off to the side as he did what he did best, and won over the hearts of every person there.

“hey! hi! excuse me!” your head whipped around, your eyes finding a younger girl and guy, they could only be late teens, on the edge of the crowds, and you have them a little smile, glancing once at the door before you made your way closer to the barrier they stood behind and they seemed to light up as you did. “oh my goodness, we didn’t think you’d answer! hello!”

“Hi, are you sure it’s me you want to talk to? Dylan will be along in a moment, I’m sure. I can’t give you any spoilers for the movie, i don’t know any.” You grinned, finding it surprisingly easier to talk to people than you had expected.

“No! No, it’s just that, we run a blog, you see. we run a news blog for Dylan, and an instagram! and we were maybe hoping you would answer a few questions? then we would have something exclusive and our ratings would shoot up!” you cooed are them, barely glancing at your boyfriend before nodding, and the girl fumbled in her bag for a notepad, the boy holding his phone camera to film you as best he could.

they set off with their questions, excitedly jotting down notes and giggling as you responded, and when they’d finally finished, they told you just how much it meant to them that you stopped to talk with them. It made you feel good, and you weren’t nearly as anxious as you had been.

when Dylan finally caught up with you for interviews, he pressed a long kiss to your cheek, his face flushed as his nuzzled his nose along your cheekbone for a second before pulling away to talk to you. “Who were you talking to?”

“Just some kids who run a blog about you. They’re sweet, so I answered some questions about us.”

He beamed, his flushed cheeks only reddening as he watched you with adoration. “You did your first interview.”

“I did my first interview.”

You leaned into his side, knowing you could tackle the rest, as long as you had Dylan, because he made it all worth it.

[mirohed]

kim seunghun | love me, love me not

pairing: kim seunghun + gender neutral reader

wc: 3.7k

genre: hanahaki au + angst 

synopsis: daffodils represent unrequited love. is that why you keep coughing them up?

warnings: implications of suggestive content, descriptions of illness (and mention of surgery), mention of alcohol

playlist: love me, love me not.

a/n: happy birthday to me!! im glad i finally got to finish and post this (its,,, been in my wips since at least february LMAO) !! they prob wont read this but i wanted to thank my irls for dealing w me and my kpop bullshit (esp bc none of them stan ygtb 😔)

It's getting worse.

Your knuckles turn white, gripping the porcelain of the toilet. Tears and blood alike fall into the bowl, disturbing the gentle peace of the water. You pound at your chest, the action causing you to hack up yellow daffodil petals stained suspicious red. It's a monotonous process at this point. Pound. Cough. Pound. Cough. Repeat until the damned coughing stops.

It takes ten minutes before you return to normal. Or at least as normal as you can get. You got lucky this time.

You watch the petals spiral downward into the gaping hole in the toilet and get flushed away.

Being with Seunghun wasn't always accompanied by a tightness in your chest and petals tickling your throat.

june 19, 2005; 2:52 PM.

"I wanna grow up," you had grumbled, your hands squeezed around the chains of the swingset. You and Seunghun had been riding your bikes for the first time since getting the training wheels off. You had sped down a hill ("First one down’s a rotten egg!") and lost control, falling off and scraping your knee on the pavement. He rushed you to your parents' house, supporting your weight with an arm around your waist. The two of you had settled for playing on the swingset in your backyard instead.

"Me too," he said. "I think." He'd been rocking forward and backward on the swing, eyes focused on the blades of grass underfoot.

"You think?"

"I don't know." You stayed silent, trying to gain as much height as possible with your uninjured leg. "I don't wanna grow up and stop being friends." That got you to stop right in your tracks, your leg planted on the ground.

"What?" You sent an incredulous look his way. "Why would we stop being friends?"

He had let go of the swing, his hands finding his lap. "Some of the older kids stopped being friends when they grew up," he mumbled. "I don't wanna stop being friends, but neither did they..."

You got off the swing, limping over to him and wrapping Seunghun in the biggest hug your six-year-old arms could muster.

"We're gonna be best friends forever. Don't forget that."

"Best friends forever." If he wrapped his arms tighter around you then, you didn’t pick up on it.

[09:54 PM] huniebee🐝: i had fun today :^))

[09:54 PM] huniebee🐝: i wanna adopt a puppy!!

[09:55 PM] huniebee🐝: will you promise to help me take care of it

You brighten as the messages come in, your phone's vibrations distracting you from the way your throat clogs.

[09:56 PM] you: ofc

[09:56 PM] you: well be the best puppy parents the worlds ever seen

[09:57 PM] huniebee🐝: wait i need to send the pics from the pet shelter

[Attachment: 8 images]

You save each picture, cooing over the puppies you got to meet. This time, you only get a precious few minutes of relative clarity before things get too distracting to ignore. You return to the bathroom with a resigned sigh that devolves into a fit of coughs.

You cough and retch and cough some more. By the time you're done, there are less petals and more blood in the toilet bowl. Your chest still feels full of something you can't quite spit out.

Then you hack up something new: a bloody stem with wet flowers still attached.

There's nothing left to do but cry, your whole body wracked with pain both physical and emotional.

august 29, 2011; 3:15 PM.

"Today was fun," you said, making yourself right at home on Seunghun's bed. Your new backpack hadn't lasted more than a couple minutes in his house before getting neglected on his carpet. Your best friend hummed in acknowledgement, already sitting at his desk with his workbook out. "I'm glad we got to meet some new people," you continued, "but that Hyunsuk guy? Seems like a major pain in the ass."

"Give him a chance."

"I know, I know. I will. But still," you huffed, “it was his first day too. No need to act like a know-it-all."

"I know. But it's the first day. Maybe he'll even himself out with time."

The conversation ended there, and you spent some time staring at his ceiling fan, the blades going round and round in a big, beautiful blur. Before long, you had grown bored, looking over at him only to see his pencil flying across the paper.

"Hey. Let's go to the mall and get pretzels." Seunghun spun around to face you, a foot stopping his chair from going too far.

"Sure," he gave a placid smile. "Do your work first."

You groaned as loudly as you could, sounding much like a petulant child straight out of elementary school. (Which was more or less the truth, but you thought you were better than that.) After a few minutes of uninterrupted whining and failing to get Seunghun to break, you spoke up. "Why do I need to do my work? You're Mr. Hardworking, Mr. Teacher's Pet."

"We're in middle school now," he had said, and you remember thinking you were in for a long lecture, "and pretty soon, we're gonna have to go to high school and take entrance exams and decide which university we want to go to and..." He averted his gaze, put down his pen. "We need to start growing up."

"We're still young," you reasoned, sitting up and letting your legs dangle off the side of his bed. "If anything, this is our time to experience things and, you know, make mistakes before we become adults!"

He was silent for a few long, agonizing moments, long enough to make you think you'd won. The pretzels were within reach; all you had to do was ask for them.

"I call a compromise."

Shit. Compromises were common in your friendship. Seunghun was always a little too good at stopping you from making stupid decisions. The worst part was that you could never argue with them. "We go to the mall to get pretzels—my treat—if, and only if, you do your work. We don't go until we're both finished. Deal?"

You opened your mouth, determined to pick the proposal apart, but his reasoning was (unpleasant, yet) bulletproof. Instead, you reached for your backpack with a heavy sigh. "First of all, fuck you. Second of all," you said, tugging your own workbook out, "you're impossible."

"I know. Do your work."

"Fine."

The math problems had been difficult, definitely harder than you were used to, but doable. If anything, the greasy mall pretzels that were way too salty to be healthy made it all worth it.

Seunghun gets understandably very worried when you text him from the hospital, but he comes to see you nonetheless. In his arms is a bouquet of daffodils.

"They symbolize friendship," he says, setting it down on the table next to you. You stare at the pristine yellow petals and flatten your lips in a tight smile. How ironic, you think, that he doesn't know they also symbolize unrequited love.

"The doctors wouldn't tell me why you're here. Classified information, they said." That much is true; nor much is known about the disease outside of shitty romance movies with unrealistically happy endings. Seunghun always believed in them. You never did.

You don't think your story's gonna have a happy ending.

You didn't want him to know anyway, lest he worry. (And you don't want to think about what would happen to your friendship if he found out he was the cause of it all.) "You don't have to tell me," he begins, sitting himself down on one of those rigid hospital chairs, "I just wanna know if it's bad. Like, well...you know.” He lowers his voice to a whisper. “Terminal."

"Like if I'm gonna die?"

"Yeah," he rubs the nape of his neck, a bit abashed, "more or less."

"I don't know. Sure hope not," you chuckle. That brings on a coughing fit, and Seunghun looks on, brows knit together. He moves close to offer what little comfort he can, but you hold your hand up to stop him; having him near will only make things worse.

Petals threaten to spill out of your mouth, and panic bubbles in your chest when he asks if you're okay. Your doctor, bless her, chooses that moment to enter. She shooes him out "to speak to you in private." Seunghun, to his credit, obliges and flashes you a smile and a thumbs-up as he goes. You try to mirror his expression (and hope your smile isn't more of a grimace).

The door closes behind him with a soft click. "Friend of yours?" the doctor asks.

You spit the blood-stained petals into your hand, your doctor graciously looking the other way as you toss them into the trash. "You could say that."

october 4, 2013; 5:11 PM.

You tugged at your clothing, feeling more than a little uncomfortable as you waited for your best friend to show up. The DJ, a former student, was already hard at work inside the gym. You heard the bass-boosted beginning of the Cupid Shuffle and shot a frantic text to Seunghun.

[05:11 PM] you: holy shit theyre playing the cupid shuffle can you PLEASE hurry up

[05:12 PM] you: idc if this is our first homecoming you better get your ass over here

[05:12 PM] huniebee🐝: give me like two minutes!!

[05:12 PM] you: THE SONGS GONNA BE OVER IN 2 MIN

"Are you waiting for Seunghun?" Hyunsuk had asked, tie already loosened. You two had gotten close—not as close as you and Seunghun, of course—this year as a result of having classes together. You wondered why you ever hated him.

"Yeah. He won't be too late, thank God, but I'm pissed we're missing the Cupid Shuffle. What about you? I remember you bragging all week about 'flexing your dance skills in front of the ladies.' Or are you all talk, as usual?"

"You know, it's almost like you don't want me to wait with you."

You had laughed, knocking your shoulder into his. The chatter kept up for a minute or two before he made his leave. ("Well, it's time for me to flex my dance muscles in front of the seniors," he chuckled, giving you a salute as he walked off.)

"I'm here! God, I can't believe I missed the Cupid Shuffle," Seunghun said, head hung low. You began to feel a little self-conscious; you were feeling out of place in your semi-formal outfit, yet he looked right at home in his dress shirt.

Chasing those thoughts away, you grinned. "You're here now, aren't you? Come on." You took his hand and dragged him into the gym.

You don't talk to Seunghun or to Hyunsuk after that. You're not sure if you should tell Hyunsuk about the whole situation when he texts you. Seunghun must have told him something was up, of course, and he's insightful enough, sensitive enough (when he wants to be), but you worry. You're afraid he'll open his big mouth. Instead, you send a few messages to your best friend.

[04:29 AM] you: hey

[04:29 AM] you: i just wanted to say in advance that im sorry

[04:29 AM] you: im so so sorry for everything ive done and for what im about to do

There's one last message in the text box, daring you to send it. "I'm sorry I love you," you whisper instead, deleting the message before you do something you’ll regret. To seal the deal, you tap through a few menus until you reach his contact. The picture you've assigned to him is one you took; he's about to take a big bite of cotton candy bigger than his head.

With a heavy heart (though you hope it’s just the weight of the daffodils in your chest), you block his contact. It's better this way. It has to be.

Your doctor said you could get rid of the thick, thorned vines with a vicegrip around your heart and lungs, could pluck the flowers that threaten to spill out at the mere thought of your best friend.

The biggest side effect of it all, she told you, was that you'd forget all about Kim Seunghun. So you steel yourself.

The last thing you think about before they insert the thin needle of anesthesia in your veins is Seunghun's smile, and how you'll never see it in person again.

And how even if you did, you wouldn't remember it as the grin from the boy you love.

october 4, 2013; 9:16 PM.

The frenetic strobe lighting in the gym slowed to a stop, having been replaced with a spotlight making lazy rounds through the gym.

You knew that marked the beginning of a slow song, and dragged Seunghun off the floor in search of some punch. He seemed to have different plans, tugging you back on the floor and pulling you flush against him.

"Where are you going?" he had asked. "You're the one who wanted to dance the night away." His hands found your waist, yours instinctively folding behind his neck. You had wanted to say something about how that claim was void now; he was the one that made you miss the Cupid Shuffle, but the words get extinguished when you look at him.

It was just like that time you practiced in fifth grade, but you swore there was something different about tonight and the way you swayed. You thought back to your practice session in fifth grade, how you had stepped on each other's feet, how you spent the whole time laughing. (For the record, it wasn't for any lack of balance; you started it, laughing as he cried out before he stomped on your toe.)

There was no laughing during the song. Everything was vibrant and deafening and there all at once. But at the same time, it was like everything had been stripped away. Everything but you and Seunghun.

Things changed after that. You were left with a dizzying, free-fall sort of feeling that picked up with each glance at your best friend. Almost every butterfly in the world was taking current residency in your stomach, making you feel light as your body moved to the music. Before long, there was something lodged at the back of your throat, nudging its way forward.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom real quick," you said, a particularly heavy cough bringing the mysterious lump to your mouth.

Running your tongue along the smooth texture of the lump (okay, so not phlegm), you spat the offending object into the sink: a single yellow petal, coated in saliva.

You blinked.

Blinked again.

"Oh, what the fuck," you muttered, unlocking your phone. One quick Google search later—why the fuck am i coughing up flowers—you found an answer.

Flora mortem. You were loath to believe WebMD, of all things, but you found yourself tapping the link regardless. There was another term for the rare disease: Hanahaki.

Revising your search query was a mistake. The first result was the "hanahaki" tag on Tumblr, which showed nothing but models with tears in their eyes and bloodied flowers in their mouths. Yikes.

You made your way back to the party after that, but lingering in the back of your mind was the cause of the disease: a severe case of unrequited love.

There is only one definite cure for Hanahaki Disease: having the object of the afflicted's affections return their feelings.

You almost manage to purge the petal and the stupid WebMD page from your mind for the rest of the night.

Almost.

You wake up hours later. It's a little disorienting, sure, to come to with little memory of what landed you in the hospital. You peek under the oversized hospital gown to see bandages over your chest, get tempted to rip the IV drip from your arm. The doctor comes in right before you make a move on the needle. She tells you all about how the flowers in your lungs are gone for good.

"You're saved. But the final test," she says, pulling a phone from her pocket, "is this. Do you recognize the people in this picture?"

You recognize yourself next to a boy you don't know. His hand's around your waist, pulling you close. You wear matching grins. Given the way you're both dressed, you suspect the picture's from your freshman year's homecoming dance. Weird. Memory's kinda fuzzy from that night.

"Yeah. Myself. I don't know the other guy. Am I supposed to?"

"No. You're not. Congratulations," she smiles, placing a hand on your shoulder. "You're cured."

You look through all the old messages and pictures when you have some time to yourself. You reach out for the memory, the feeling of knowing Kim Seunghun. You get nothing, and while your brain knows something's wrong, you're more concerned about being able to breathe easy.

You move to a new city, far, far away from the place you grew up in. You finish your last year of high school, get a job, start college. You make new memories with new people. You forget all about Kim Seunghun.

It gets easy to forget that you weren't born with the ugly faded red scars that run up and down your chest. It's your only remaining tie to the man you loved so much you almost let yourself wither away. You think it's a good thing you cut him off; why stick around, why force yourself to suffer, for someone who doesn't love you back? Why be with someone if it physically hurts to stay by their side?

But sometimes you wonder. What happened? What happened to him after his best friend walked out of his life for good with no explanation?

Those days are never good. You distract yourself then, often with the familiar kick of alcohol burning in the back of your throat. You've never been much of a drinker, but you figure it's never too late to start.

Sometimes, the distraction comes from being in the arms of another.

(One of your favorite distractions, a young man named Byounggon, had run his fingers along the angry lines one night, jotting them down in his map of your body.

"Do you regret it?" he asked then, eyes half-lidded with drowsiness. You cupped his cheek, ran a thumb along the planes of his face.

"I wouldn't be here if I regretted it, now would I?" He let the corners of his mouth turn up just so, pressing his lips to yours.

You don't talk to him much nowadays, your interactions reduced to likes on Instagram, views on Snapchat. He's moved to a bigger city. "More opportunities," he said. You keep up with his dream of being a musician, always. There was a time when you were his number one supporter, after all.)

"Will that be all?" the cashier asks, jotting your order on the plastic cup. When you nod, he asks for your name. He jots that down too.

But then his eyes widen and he looks at you with renewed interest. "I'm sorry?"

"Is there a problem?" you asks, peering at your name (spelled correctly) on the cup. His eyes search for an answer within yours, some sort of explanation you can't seem to give. He averts his gaze, shakes his head, places your cup in the queue of orders.

"I'm sorry," he says. "Just thought you were someone I knew. Have a nice day." You parrot the phrase, catching a glimpse of the young man's name tag.

Seunghun, it reads in cheerful yellow. There's a doodle of a puppy in the top right corner. You think it's rather cute.

Two weeks later, you meet Seunghun again. This time, you're out for a morning jog. The crisp autumn air greets you as your feet meet the pavement and let out a satisfactory crunch under the burnt orange leaves on the sidewalk.

You both get stopped at the crosswalk, waiting for the light to change. While you catch your breath, you don't miss the way he flinches, as though he didn't expect you to show up. He schools his expression into something friendly within no time, and you wonder if you imagined the whole thing.

"The weather's nice, isn't it?"

"It is," you pant. "On your way to work?" He raises a hand to tug at the strap of his backpack with a small smile.

"Yeah. You should come by, give us business," he grins. "On mornings like this, I recommend the hazelnut latte." You hum in agreement, not yet recovered enough to converse. "Tell you what, you come and get one when I'm working, I'll make sure it's on the house."

"Really? Maybe I'll swing by." The light changes, and you leave Seunghun behind, waving goodbye as you do.

You come in later that day, ordering a hazelnut latte as promised. Seunghun's manning the register, same as two weeks ago, and when he takes everything down, he smiles. You miss it as you pay, but there's something extra on your cup.

As you take a sip of the (delicious; his coworker Yedam must be some sort of brewing prodigy) latte, you catch a glimpse of the extra writing.

Along the side of the cup is his phone number.

[10:58 PM] seunghun!: more than anything i want to adopt a puppy

[10:59 PM] seunghun!: or rather another one

[10:59 PM] seunghun!: i named this one after an old friend

[Attachment: 1 image]

The picture of Seunghun and his dog brings a smile to your face. You've been spending more time with him recently, whether it be going on coffee runs ("Are you sure you're not just using me for my employee discount?") or complaining about life as a broke college student ("My card got declined trying to buy a bag of chips last night...").

It's nice. Spending time with him is...nice.

It's more than a simple distraction, somebody to hold close on nights your decisions try to haunt you. It’s friendship, something to hold onto when you lose your way in the dense forest of your mind and to cherish when you manage to make it to a clearing and bask in the sunshine.

You've caught a cold recently (probably from that bastard Seo Changbin in your communications class). Seunghun's given you some homemade tea, swearing on its usefulness. It certainly tastes good, the sweet honey chased by tangy lemon. Unfortunately, the tea isn't able to stop the persistent cough you've been plagued with.

Feeling phlegm start to come up, you turn the bathroom lights on, hacking it up and spitting into the sink.

Huh. That's weird.

There's no phlegm.

The only thing in the sink is a single golden petal, coated in saliva.

[nautiscarader]

Lumberzacked

I wrote this story, thinking how promiscuous Veronica would be, after I commission @thepanza a pic with her . Also, this story takes the idea from my old prompt about Melissa discovering something very useful in such raunchy stories.

Veronica/The Lumberzacks, E, Very E. 

Everyone is aged up, of course.

==================

- You know... some girls made fun of me, when I said I was your fan... I wonder what would they say now...

Veronica's head was spinning, and not just because because she was being gently, but steadily turned around by four pairs of hands. The combination of their cologne, the strong, but not unpleasant, musky smell of their bodies, as well as the impossible to mistake carnal fragrance of sex nearly made the college graduate drop to her knees... which she wouldn't mind doing anyway.

When Veronica received a letter that she won the private meeting with the Lumberzacks, the boyband she was fangirling about when she was, admittedly, way past the usual age of infatuation about such groups, she couldn't say no, even though the boys have disbanded five years ago, after their leader left and they had to change the name. She expected a private, unplugged concert in a small cafe, some party afterwards, maybe something dirtier with one of the member's member, but not a fivesome in a hotel room with no proceeding music whatsoever.

She wasn't complaining, though.  

And as if her smell and sight wasn't overwhelming already, then came the sound. Four male, husky, but melodious voices, harmonizing around her with soft chorus made her weak in the knees and wet between her legs. Veronica didn't know if she was dreaming, or not, but if she was, she didn't want to wake up.

Around her, the four remaining members of Lumberzacks took care of her, caressing each inch of her body with their fingers, gently disrobing her of her dress, blouse, and finally her underwear. With each slow spin, the boys - though now they should definitely be called men - wore less and less as well, carefully removing their trademark plad shirts and jeans, always behind her, in order not to ruin the illusion, as she expected after the showmen.

- Ooooh...

The four joined voices of Max, Sean, Lyle and Melvin burst into another round of gentle chorus, though now Veronica knew very well what they were gonna sing about. Their hands explored her now naked body, and soon her soft cries joined their song, just like they wanted.

- Oooh, baby...

Veronica closed her eyes. Two of men around her, she wasn't sure which, had the same idea, and joined their hands between her legs, letting the remaining fingers explore her soaking folds and pussy, trailing unpredictable routes around her sex and clit. Veronica threw her head back, just in time for four more hands to grab her and lift her from the hotel carpet into the air. If she was feeling light-headed before, now she was properly off the ground, spinning around.

- Oooh baby... With my gentle touch, I'll make you fly away...

Four voices sang a capella, their hands working furiously to cover every inch of her exposed body, now lifted effortlessly between them.  

- ...with my strong arms, I'll make sure you're safe...

Step by step, they slowly moved towards the bed, gently rocking the woman trapped between their bodies in the cradle of their arms that constantly stimulated her. Veronica was wriggling and writhing, not to signal her escape, but because she simply couldn't contain the pleasure from the quadruple foreplay she was experiencing

- ...with my lips on yours, I'll hear you say... - Oh, yes!

Veronica cried amongst the wave after wave of pleasure, when one of the singers's voices silenced, just so his lips could close around her clit. With three fingers - each belonging to a different member of the group - brushing the insides of her pussy, her body shook, and Veronica disrupted their vocals with her orgasmic cry, hoping her flailing legs wouldn't kick any of her lovers that brought her to her peak with nothing but caresses and singing.

And then, she was falling, while their voices became weaker, but only for a few seconds. Veronica landed on cozy bedsheets, jut like the men lowering her wanted. Gasping and breathing, she opened her eyes, and looked up, marvelling at the sight of men surrounding her. Four smiling faces gawked at her naked, wet body, but it wasn't their handsome facial features that gathered Veronica's attention. While they were disrobing her and themselves before, she purposefully didn't look down, to not spoil herself the surprise, but now, when the four men were surrounding the bed, it was impossible not to notice it.

Four magnificent cocks were presented to her from every side of the bed, partially obscuring the men to whom they belonged, and the perspective only made them look bigger. If Veronica wasn't wet already, she'd be flooding the sheets, with the same intensity as the saliva building up in her mouth, while she stared at their penises with hungry stare. She kept looking from left to right, and up to down, unable to savour the sight of the men ready to pleasure her, and the tools they will be using.

She let out the most girlish squeal she could, and her body shook in anticipation, almost as if another orgasm was tearing through her.

- Be gentle, boys... - she asked with a would-be-timid voice - It's my first time being gangbanged...

She got onto her knees, and the former boysband approached her, taking a synchronised step forward, creating a tight cocoon around her. Then came the kisses: first was Max, the now-leader, then Melvin, then Sean, and Lyle... and then, Veronica lost count and orientation and gave in to the madness. She was once again moved back and forth, shared between the four, the men making sure to create a seat of their arms  to move her around, and when she opened her eyes again after third or fourth round of being passed and kissed, she found herself straddling Max, while Lyle and Sean stood in front of her, presenting their cocks in front of her her face. By process of elimination, that left Melvin to be the man behind her, brushing her thigh and waist with his hands, and his cock already between her buttcheeks. Something cold and slippery around her butthole made her shiver, though she knew her lover simply knew how to handle this particular entrance.  

Veronica presented each man with a smile, licked her hands and closed them around Sean's and Lyle's manhoods, wriggled her ass, just to feel the erect cocks of Max and Melvin next to her holes, and opened her mouth.

- Shall we begin? - Not yet.

A new, fifth voice she knew ever better, answered, as the missing member of the eponymous Lumberzacks emerged from the shadows. Veronica opened her eyes and nearly let out another ecstatic giggle when naked Zack Underwood approached her, cupped her face and leaned in to give her a kiss.

- Zack! - What kind of reunion would that be without the lead singer? - I was wondering where were you... - Just a surprise guest. - Max replied from underneath her - I take you like it?

Veronica looked at the new, big cock in front of her, once again trying to prevent her mouth from salivating too much at the mere sight of Zack's penis. Needless to say, she failed when she opened her mouth and her voice quivered, dripping with lust.

- Oh yes.

And she closed her lips around his swollen head, letting the first note escape from Zack's lips.

- I know you're pining...

Veronica closed her eyes, letting her other senses supply information of the world around her. And in a split of a second, she was flooded with emotions from each of them; she breathed in the carnal, musky smell of cock in her mouth, accompanied by two more just inches away from her face, she moaned when two other cocks entered her holes, and she shivered when two pairs of hands caresses her thighs and butt, as she was trapped between their owners.

- But every cloud has got a silver lining...

With their slow, but steady pushes, she expected the men's voices to crack, creating a broken melody, and yet, they were harmonizing perfectly in sync, adding a completely new layer of lecherous experience. Whenever she could, Veronica always played some appropriate songs while having sex, but she never expected to have her partner, or rather partners, be capable of making love and music at the same time.

- The leaves are parting now the sun is shining...

Occasionally, as her body rocked slowly back and forth, engulfing more cocks in her back and front, Veronica would open her eyes and marvel at the room's decor. The two lamps on the side of table were the only sources of vibrant, erotic, red light, and yet, despite that, in the half-dark room she was seeing everything she needed, most especially the hungry gleams in her lovers' eyes.

- And you're in my arms so the planets are aligning...

Like a well-oiled machine, the three men filled her with their cocks, synchronising their pushes and pulls with the lustful melody they were creating. Though there were only seconds between them, she anxiously waited for another beat, knowing she will experience the utter fulfilment in her needy holes, as well as taste the musky fragrance of Zack's cock in her mouth.

- My heart is strong, like a tree!"

The first synchronised, stronger push at the end of the verse made her squeal, so much so she had to temporarily leave Zack's cock unattended, but she corrected her mistake at once, giving him the attention he deserved, swirling her tongue around it. Max lying underneath her wasn't just filling her pussy; occasionally, his lips would close around her nipples, letting his voice vibrate through her ample breasts, while his hand caressed the other mound bouncing back and forth in front of him.

- And you belong, baby you belong to me...

There was no questioning that, she was their playtoy, and she didn't mind it one bit. With that thought came a reminder: she made sure not to leave the other two men in front of her alone. Though she had no more holes to offer to them, she has untangled her long braid, and now, her magnificent hair was split in two, each golden locks coiled around one of the two remaining cocks, to at least give them the extra element of claiming her as theirs, aside from her skilled hands. Lyle and Sean helped her stroke their cocks, now wrapped in her golden hair, and when she granted them a quick, flirtatious glance, she was happy to hear their voices dipping in at the sheer pleasure that was overwhelming them, giving her first sign of things - and people - to come.

- Without you, I'm tied to the ground...

Strong hands of their lovers made Veronica effectively immobilised, but that didn't stop her from moving her ass and thighs in sync with the thrusts of the men behind her, responding to each of their ravaging moves.

- And if I fall, do I even make a sound?

Their rising voices gave Veronica a quick moment to prepare herself for the chorus. She knew the words well enough to know what was going to happen, and it was that knowledge that excited her the most.

- Chop! Chop! Chop! Chop away at my heart...

With each word, the men pushed their hips forward, filling Veronica to the brim, further than at any moment before, much to her delight. The slow and languorous rhythm suddenly became quick and violent; they boys lingered inside her at the end of each word, and even though she knew it was impossible, she felt they were diving deeper and deeper into her each time.

- Chop! ... Chop! ... Chop!...

She was losing it. The amount of pleasure took over her, but she wanted to make her performance as admirable as theirs. Her toes curled, and if she could move, she would be once again writhing and quaking, if not for Max and Melvin keeping strong grip on her tights, and Zack clutching her head while he rammed himself into her mouth.

- Chop, chop, chop... - I can feel it falling!

Veronica felt it too, and she knew well why the boys weren't singing one missing word from their song. The pleasure was burning her from the inside, fuelled by each and every inch of their cocks stretching her, and she was praying to finally hear that word. She looked up at Zack, and the sight of her seductive, begging eyes has made it. She let go of him and opened her mouth, bringing the swollen cocks of Sean and Lyle as close as possible and stuck her tongue out.

- Timber!

Veronica closed her eyes, and let it go. With three cocks in her mouth, her orgasmic scream was muffled, but she was more than audible, joining the boys with her moans. But of course, she couldn't rival five men roaring as they came in unison, pushing themselves inside her at the same time: three simultaneous cumshots delivered strand after strand of thick, sticky, creamy sperm into her mouth, pussy and ass, and they were joined by two more, covering her facial features from left and right, mixing her pristine golden hair with more and more white.

With her body immobilised, her orgasm was even stronger, as she couldn't simply rock it away, sealing it within her twitching hips. The waves kept coming back, making her let out cry after cry, while the boys supplied her with more of their seed.

- Chop! Chop! Chop!... - Chop away at my heart!

As men kept and kept cumming, Veronica nearly started singing the words herself, though the amount of jizz in her mouth made the song distorted in the dirtiest and most shameful of ways. Though their voices were tired, they didn't cease harmonising: with each word, they delivered more of their sperm in and onto her. She knew how long the chorus was, but the Lumberzacks evidently liked making changes to the lyrics, as they gladly flooded her with long ropes of their cum, prolonging heir song. Her muffled cries and moans quickly turned into gargling noises when Zack overfilled her mouth with his seed, and the fact that her face was being plastered with Sean's and Lyle's didn't help. Very soon Veronica lost herself to the pleasure again, as the smell and taste overwhelmed her, and the single brush of Max's hand across her folds set of her orgasm anew, rocking her body again.

After what seemed like eternity, the voices died down, though and the three men in front of her took a step back, marvelling at the sight in front of them. Sandwiched between the bodies of Max and Melvin, on shaky and tired legs, lied Veronica, her face covered in sticky, white make-up, mixing with the long blonde strands of dishevelled hair. She opened her mouth, and the boys heard the most beautiful of melodies: a series of deep, guttural noises when she swallowed the mixed loads of Zack, Sean and Lyle, one thick scoop at a time. She fought bravely, and in the end, she felt prouder than ever before, showing the three men her empty mouth, which soon became full again, when a few strands of sticky cum from her forehead dropped inside, only to be swallowed again.

Sean passed her the damp towel, and though Veronica didn't mind the mess in the slightest, she cleaned herself up from most of their lover's work, while two of them were still deep inside her.

- Thank... thank you...

She couldn't say anything else, and soon she fell onto Max, giving him a long kiss. But then she was brought back and she was kissing Melvin, then Sean, Lyle and Zack again, and when she moved up, she felt the avalanche of cum leak from her pussy and ass, once her entrances were no longer blocked. The sheer feeling of her lovers' virility was nearly enough to bring her onto the straight road to an orgasm.

- Ready for encore?

Suddenly, Veronica turned her head towards Zack, unsure if she heard it right, half-afraid he was reading her mind.

- A-Again?! But-

She looked around, and sure enough, the cocks that just a moment ago were limp, stood now proudly in front of her, just like they were fifteen minutes ago. In disbelief, Veronica looked back and forth at her lovers, both in front, behind and underneath her; she had no problem believing the young, virile, athletic men would be able to do so, but not in such short time, and not after what felt like having their balls emptied completely...

- I see you're surprised by the Lumberzacks being ready again, Veronica.

A new, female voice startled her, and the three men in front oh her parted, revealing another shadowy figure sitting on a swivelling chair by the desk, though as it turned around, the light showed more and more details. Melissa Chase wore her unmistakable smug smirk, which oddly fitted the lab coat, and definitely worked well with the plushie platypus she was holding in her arms and stroked it in a menacing manner.

- Me-Melissa? You're behind this? - Veronica stuttered, partially due to the leftover cum in her mouth - Well, I was about to ask Zack if he was going to tell you later about this...

She tried composing herself, but with the presence of five horny men around and her equally horny friend in control, it was a futile attempt. And then, it hit her.

- Wait, is that a revenge for that feud we've had? - Veronica suddenly realised - Because I hate to break it to you, my boobs are still bigger.   - Mhm! - Max mumbled, licking her cleavage. - Oh, I can't dispute that. - Melissa stood up - But I can test that boast of yours from when we spent that night with Zack... - she stepped closer and put her arm around her boyfriend - You said you could take on the whole boyband... but you never specified how many times.

She smiled, and began circling the bed.

- You see, two years ago, we've had discovered something... by accident, Milo and his girlfriend was with us, of course, so that's why it happened... But the short story is, that I am certain we have created the most powerful aphrodisiac known to mankind.

Melissa turned around, and met Veronica's half-frightened face.

- With its help, men can make love longer, more often, and be so, so much more plentiful and potent...

She dragged her finger across still uncleaned part of her face and tasted the boys' combined seed, letting out a mumbled, but loud praise.

- And now we'll see how good you really are. - Oh yeah? - Veronica rose slightly, and grabbed her lovers' cocks - Bring it on.

The wide smile on her face didn't make the one Melissa was wearing disappear; she took a step back, sat on the desk and began taking notes in her clipboard. Meanwhile, Veronica was spun around again, while the five ready men switched positions. In a blink of an eye, she was now facing Melvin, Max and Sean, while Zack's cock pushed against her creampied pussy, and Lyle was already in her ass.

- Hit it, boys.

Very soon Veronica was able to see how powerful Zack and Melissa's discovery was. Her holes were filled with new cocks again, while her mouth pleasured three at the same time; Lyle wasn't satisfied with just taking her ass, he jumped onto his feet and pounded her, syncing his moves to his solo in "The splinter in my heart". Veronica also learned that Melissa wasn't lying; the men were as virile now, as then, flooding her and painting her features with their cum again and again. What started as every teenage fangirl's dream, quickly became a scene from a porno movie that didn't have to rely on cuts and special effects.

Though the men were in charge of her, Veronica was trying to make sure each of the singers were treated equally, and it seemed that Melissa was in favour of that highly scientific approach. Time after time, each of the Lumberzacks were given privilege of claiming her pussy, ass and throat, as well as left and right palms, progressively covered in more sticky cream. Orgasm after orgasm, Veronica was proving herself, accepting more of boys' juices in and on her, while they, in turn rocked her world at least twice per song, to the point were her orgasms were as predictable as the lyrics about love and lumber industry.

Though she tried to hide it, she was running on fumes, though. Her body, covered and filled with cum, was tired, but the sight of smirk on Melissa's face only fuelled her passion.

- Come on, boys! Gather around!

Veronica suddenly cried in the middle of their sixth song, broke out of their lovers' locks and lay on the bed, next to Sean who was now having his second turn in her pussy. She looked around at them, and was not surprised to see the same mischievous gleam in their eyes.

- You know what to do...

And they knew. The sight of Veronica lying on the bed, with her arms and legs spread, her ass and pussy leaking cum from combined five previous rounds, there was only one way to end it. Her hands already closed on two nearest cocks, she opened her mouth welcoming third one down her throat, and she even tried using her feet to stroke the remaining two, though it was easier said than done, and she had to rely on the two Lumberzacks using their hands.

Their interrupted song turned into a mess of groans, moans and wails, while the men had their cocks sucked or stroked, with even more ferocious speed than before.  

But her work, and her depraved attitude has achieved the desired results: once again, the five singers came in unison, in one crescendo, with one intention on their mind. Five, ten, fifteen, twenty... more and more synchronised, simultaneous streaks of seed covered Veronica's breasts, belly and face, until the horny girl was buried under the layer of warm, gooey cum thick enough to finally prove her worth.

She was shocked that even after all this time, they were virile enough to do so. For a moment, she was sure it is a lie, some sort of trick, but the warmth, as well as intoxicating, powerful smell and taste of it proved her wrong, and at the moment of that perverted realisation, Veronica's body shook again, bringing her orgasm count to double-digits. Yet, despite her tired and utterly destroyed state, there was one more thing to settle.

- And, Melissa? - Veronica looked up, scooping the cum that covered her eyelids with her hands, having to restrain herself from the urge to drink it. - How did I go? - Well, I must say, I'm impressed. - the red-haired girl approached her - You really can take any man, or men, on a wonderful journey with your skills. - Told you. - Veronica smiled - Though, I think we should thank our boys for their... admirable performance.

She decided not to hide her hunger any more, and licked her palm, tasting the potent, creamy spunk in her mouth.

- And we thank you - Max continued - For letting us be a part of this, heh, experiment. - Yeah, once this hits the market, guys will have no problems at all! - Yes, yes, but I was talking about that... singing and moving... and... - Veronica stuttered, lost for words, gesturing wildly, dripping cum sticking to her arms - All that synchronisation. That was a spectacle worthy of your concerts, boys.

She looked around at the men she adored in pure, genuine amazement, almost as if they have only done singing and not ravaged her multiple times.

- Well...

Melissa suddenly put away her clipboard and with a single move of her shoulder, she dropped the lab coat to the ground, exposing her naked body underneath it. 

- You do realise there are these things called "rehearsals", right?

Before Veronica could react to that revelation, Melissa was on her, pressing her pristine, smooth body against her sticky one, and her clean lips to her cum-covered ones, letting her fall into another well of pleasure she didn't expect. Only when she felt their men's hands on her, lifting their sandwiched bodies, glued with their cum up into a familiar position, Veronica regained her senses again and broke the unexpected kiss.

- How... how much of that... thing did you give to them? - she asked with a half-frightened, half-amazed look, watching in disbelief as their cocks become hard again, despite everything that happened in the last hour or so. - All of it.

Melissa answered calmly, while the five men swarmed around them, already aiming at her holes.

- We're doing a stress test today.

[killianmesmalls]

FINALLY!!! My con recap is... long. And I’m wordy. And it’s long. BUT IT’S HERE! Below the cut for anyone who is crazy enough to read it all. 

Friday:

By the time the weekend really got started, I had already had the chance to meet up with @lillpon Wednesday evening for a last-day-at-work happy hour and then again when she, @justmilah, and @fraddit came over to my place to hang out, watch Once, and put the totally last minute touches on my Tilly cosplay. (Also, BTW, yes I am using nicknames because 1) I figure it’s easier for people to follow along and 2) I don’t know how much some people want their real names to be attached to fellow crazies and sent into the ether.) We ended up venturing down to pick up the car from my father-in-law, and on the way found a meeting place for @queen-mabs-revenge to gather with us. Now, we couldn’t find her, kept checking to see where she might be, when LO, HERE COMETH A TINY ITALIAN IN A BIG MCFRIGGIN HAT. Yes, she was indeed sauntering down 8th Avenue in her Lt. Jones hat, which was probably the 18th weird thing most passing New Yorkers had seen in the two hours since they had woken up.

We then all tackle each other and me, @fraddit, @justmilah, and @queen-mabs-revenge continue on to meet my FIL for the car, where Mabs was super on board with helping him trek stuff from the trunk back to his apartment after seconds of meeting him. Such a polite. Without much ado, we make our way to the middle of friggin nowhere New Jersey, aided by the very comforting fact that Mabs navigates the way I need to be navigated to. Much thanks. Many appreciate. Wow.

Our first stop once we go around in circles a few times since driving in Whippany itself is a damn adventure was to meet up with @thesschesthair. While Mabs is confusing the front desk dude with her hat, Chesty over there gives us a call and I sneak out, lock eyes across the dingy parking lot of the Red Carpet Inn, by its derelict diner, and leap into her arms. She then comes over to attack Milah and Fraddit before properly grabbing Mabs so hard they were close to osmosis.

I’m not going to lie, it’s at this point through to Monday evening where things sort of blur. Mabs and Chesty requested rooms beside each other and GUESS WHAT. Yep, you guessed it, they had rooms that actually were connected by a door that was hidden behind Mabs’s oversized fridge. Oh! And there was a random toilet just hanging out outside their rooms. Because, why not? When Puh Pah has to go, he has to go. Also, it’s here that Mabs gives us all Alice-themed totes from Poundland (YES, LAUGH, IT’S GREAT) and then we do roundabouts again to get to the Marriott where the rest of us are staying.

Registration was a breeze, and then we collapse into the lounge area where we meet up with @theonceoverthinker and an already-registered Chesty, where she and I are off to the side making inappropriate jokes and then deciding it’s time to wine o’clock this con. Guys? The pub in the Marriott got some play by the Pirate Crew (thank you, @freifraufischer for dubbing us all as pirates), we tried their Poisoned Apple sangria, shot the shit, and then went about checking in and getting ourselves settled while at various points meeting up with @captregina, @lillpon, and @freifraufischer.

At some point (again because all is a blur) we went to Chris’s Q&A where I asked him a couple of questions and honestly blanked on most of the experience because OMFGITALKEDTOSMEE. Then Jared came on, was very much however you’d imagine Jared being, and I was still very much focused on Chris saying how much Smee would love Alice and knowing that Colin and Rose day was tomorrow.

Afterwards, we got autographs, where Mabs’s delightful totes came in handy and I had Gil, Chris, and Jared sign the back of the Alice tote. Gil was nice and I complimented Jared on how much him being open about anxiety meant to people, but it was Chris that, to me, was the MVP. He was incredibly personable, funny, and a total teddy bear. I asked him about the blooper he was in where it seemed like Smee was trying to convince Hook to not duel with Ahab (the one where Colin spat in his face) and Chris said he honestly forgot what was happening in that scene, but he would ask Colin. Still, the one thing he did remember was when he knelt down in front of Colin in the post-duel “Congratulations, Captain, you won!” scene, he split his pants. The camera was to his back, but his treasures were on full display in front of Colin.

I also asked Chris for a hug because, I mean, YOLO, and he obliged! Honestly, he’s a damn pumpkin and I adore him.

Now, there was karaoke night after this, but some of us were bad idea bears and decided to say “f--- this” and went into the pool with some sea salt gin Mabs had brought over. We’re super classy, guys.

...What happens at the pool, stays in the pool. :P

Saturday:

OMG COLIN AND ROSE DAY! COLIN AND ROSE DAY! COLIN AND ROSE DAY!

I was legit saying this and hopping up and down I don’t know how many times. I focused most of the morning trying to make sure I had myself together, getting my tights ripped just right, getting my hair done, venturing to @captregina’s room so I could do her hair (where I met @brave-lassie), doing her eyeliner, doing my makeup, meeting up with everyone, and trying to contain my feelings about COLIN AND ROSE DAY!!!

I missed most of the Wild Bunch Q&A in my efforts to get ready and in waiting for Rose’s photo ops. I lined up with Capt just by where the actors enter into the room they do the photo ops in and got my very first in-person look at Rose.

Guys.

GUYS.

That precious angel GLOWS. I cannot say enough how adorable and lovely she looks and is in person, but I will try my best. She’s insanely precious. Honestly, I was probably a walking hearteyes emoji. I try to keep my cool as I wait for her in line, where I’m set to get a picture with her than a shared picture with her and Capt, and the moment she sees me in my Tilly cosplay she exclaims, “NAILED IT!” Then, like a spastic idiot, I told her I couldn’t help myself since she’s my favorite, and she said, “You’re my favorite!” Bless her. She’s insanely personable and tilts her head to you, and is a personified cupcake.

After that, I brought Capt in for a shared picture with her, where we handed her my bunny mask and Rubik’s cube I had made with the help of Lill as we (plus Milah and Fraddit) had lounged on my couch Thursday night. She geeked out a bit over them, I asked her which one she wanted to hold, and she chose the Rubik’s cube, I held the mask, and Capt and I held a pillowcase she had gotten a while back that said, “We’re all mad here.”

Rapid fire they then did Colin and Chris photos followed by Colin and Rose, where all of us collectively lost our minds throughout. There are some pretty stellar ones people got with Colin and Chris, and then OMFG KNIGHTROOK.

Not going to lie, I kind of blanked on it a bit. I just remember saying “hi” to them both, taking a photo in the middle of them, and then ushering in PERFECT TACO HAT LT. JONES MCMABS in for the second photo, where I pulled a crazy face and she pulled that cheesy salute in that pic of him and Bernard.

Then was Rose’s Q&A, and as you can tell she’s still the embodiment of sunshine with a dash of silliness. I must have had a massive smile on my face the entire time in between bouts of laughter.

Before her panel ended, they called for Colin photos, which I needed to get to early because I had Rose’s meet and greet, but HELL NO WAS I MISSING ANY OF ROSE. Nope. So I stayed, then dashed out, and totally thought I’d be fine because…hey, I had already met and touched the man, how hard could this be?

BEING A NORMAL HUMAN AROUND HIM IS IMPOSSIBLE. I just hope I didn’t sound too much like an idiot when I said another hello and asked, “Do you mind if I give you a hug?”

Tired panda just opened his arms and we took a quick picture, and his face was SUPER CLOSE TO MINE and I didn’t know what to do with myself and suddenly that scruff was AGAINST MAH FACE. I think I entered a new plane of existence at some point but remembered I had feed and managed to use them to walk out and not completely venture to a new reality.

It was probably a good thing I didn’t have time to transcend to nirvana because ROSE’S MEET AND GREET WAS NEXT. It got off to a late start since Emilie was still in the room when we got up there, but I’d wait howmstever long for her.

SHE IS AN ANGEL. I mean, absolute, 100%, grade-A, undiluted angel. She makes an effort to engage with everyone and really make eye contact with you, speak to you for as much as she can, and is just naturally her sweet and funny self. She then took selfies with everyone, where I told her my name was “Carrie, like the movie” which is my default at Starbucks because then people know how to spell it. She fake scared and pretended like she was ducking her head and going to walk out, which we shared a laugh at before our picture.

I missed most of Karen David’s panel, but right afterward was COLIN!!! Tired panda did his best to wake up and be his silly, smartass self, bless his heart. I’m so glad he said he wished there were more to the KnightRook story because he feels like there’s more to explore with that and HARD AGREE, COL! Also massive, MASSIVE shoutout to Overthinker for her crazy awesome questions!!! You are indeed worthy of being his favorite!!! Also, props to @the-girl-in-the-band-tshirt for her original question about craft services. Dudes, the things we don’t think about!!! I need to try a grilled cheese with pickles now, that sounds AMAZING. OH! OH!!! AND HE DID THE WORM! AND SANG! How were we this #blessed?!?!

We then had a hot minute (or roughly 30) before KNIGHTROOK PANEL!!! Guys, those two and their dynamic will never not kill me. THOSE TWOOOOOOO!!!! HOW PERFECT ARE THEY?!?! I think their humor together is priceless and she’s like a damn coffee bean to him. It’s a good thing I like odd things because I CAN’T EVEN WITH THEM. (:smirk:) AS IF THAT WEREN’T ENOUGH he goes and kills us with his Millian answer and I see Mabs and Milah vibrating into the ether.

After that is almost immediately autographs, where they had us line up for Colin then head over to Rose. They tucked tired panda behind this black curtain, and Mabs, Capt, and I coordinated getting various things signed for us and others. When I told him something was for someone who had contributed to the Whitecaps charity, he replied, “Oh! Very good.” Then he got my spyglass and went all childishly curious, peeked inside the box, then raised his eyebrow and gave me a smirk.

Then it was off to see Rose, who was taking more time to talk to fans, which is understandable given the fact that Colin had a longer line and Rose also can’t seem to help herself. Chesty gave me her badge so I could get a second autograph, like a friggin champ, and I had Rose sign the spyglass and also had the title page of the manuscript I’ve written (I NEED TO FINISH EDITING IT) and told her it was a 1920s Alice in Wonderland retelling, and I thought having her sign it would be a good luck charm. She sounded super enthusiastic about it and wrote a long note for me on it, which I will for sure cherish forever!!!

OH! And on my way to get into the Rose line, I hear someone say my name and LO AND BEHOLD, IT’S @leiandcharles!!! HUZZAH!!! I probably sounded like a spaz because I was on a Colin and Rose high and was all over the place but she pretended to not be terrified of the insanity that was me… ANYWAY!

It was then time for dinner. With the pub PACKED TO THE GILLS, especially after there was a bomb scare at a nearby hotel so the people there had to come over to ours for a bit, a group of us went up to Capt’s room to hang out and get pizza. I’m probably going to blank on everyone that was in that room, but I do remember dragging Leia there, meeting @coaldustcanary, Overthinker kicking over my drink and being roasted about it by Chesty (still makes me giggle!), and generally being a nuisance with Capt, Mabs, and Milah while Fraddit, and Lill went off to introduce Chesty to Chipotle. It has since changed her life.

At some point we declare we should hang out at the pub again, and a group of us went to go shoot the shit until Mabs passed out right there in the booth (CALLIN’ YOU OUT, POPS!) and everyone was sufficiently either toasted or tired. Some of us then venture up to my room, and shenanigans ensued. THUS ENDETH COLIN AND ROSE DAY!

Sunday:

While I was sad this seemed like a less crazy day for us, I was also a bit relieved because hot DAMN was I tired after the day before. Still, we didn’t have much time to really collect ourselves because the Mills fam gold panel started at 10, so a group of us wandered down to breakfast.

We then get in to see Andrew, Lana, and Bex, where Lana and Bex were of course hysterical together, Andy looked cute, and you could feel the collective vibrating of all Regina and Zelena fans which was adorable. I mean, I love Regina, but there was some LOVE in that room from her Evil Regals. I do wish Andy had gotten a bit more attention or had been a bit more vocal, but it’s got to be hard to not just let Lana and Bex own the stage.

There was then a decent break before Bex’s panel. That woman, as you all likely know, is HYSTERICAL. She kept the room laughing through most of her panel, and you can see she has nothing but love for her fans and her costars.

After her panel, I don’t have anything I’m too fussed about until 2 (MILAH WAS ROBBED IN THAT VID CONTEST, BTW, JUST SAYING) and so some of us gather together for lunch in, you guessed it, the hotel pub! Dudes, our options were limited and it looked like a library and had loaded potato soup. What more do you want?

It’s then time to MEET LANA, where me, Mabs, and Capt try to strategically settle ourselves somewhere out of the way but close enough to the side door to get a good look at the queen as she walks in. And, DAMN, that woman is gorgeous! Me and Capt then leap into the line where she proceeds to get two very adorable photos done and then I get pulled in to get hugged by Lana (!!!!!!!!!) while Capt hugs her from the back. She was super sweet and patient the whole time with everyone, and you could really see how much she loves spending time with her fans.

We then decide some of us need shots because some of us (*cough* Capt *cough*) are about to pass out from being so near Her Majesty’s presence, and then we wander into the ballroom for Henry Squared’s panel. Andy was adorable, Jared was typical Jared. I’ll be honest, I don’t have anything from that panel that seems to stick out to me as a solid memory, though maybe that was the whiskey shot’s fault.

Then comes Lana’s panel and, once again, you can feel the energy of the Evil Regals in the room. For however silly Colin, Rose, and KnightRook panels are, HOLY DAMN Lana panels are just filled with all sorts of emotions! It was like a damn rollercoaster! I laughed, I teared up, I was generally all over the place. SO MANY FEELINGS, GUYS. It was delightful but also made me just desperately need to laugh about fart jokes with my fellow Colin heathens. WE DON’T KNOW EMOTIONS.

Sadly during the following break, it is time to say farewell to the spun sugar that is Lillpon. I console myself knowing I’ll see her again, but it’s depressingly others’ last time with her, but ONLY FOR NOW. Yes? Yes.

Next up is autos with Andrew and then Lana. Andrew was a sweetheart. I was standing next to Capt and Mabs, where we proceeded to tell him how great we thought he was in season 7 and how much that season and his performance in it meant to us and brought back some love for the show. He seemed genuinely touched and said it meant a lot to him to hear that. Bless that boy.

We then wait a bit for me, Capt, Mabs, and Milah to venture up for Lana’s autos. By the time we got to her, we had this whole strategic thing planned out where I’d bring up S7 Hooked Queen, Capt gets her Hooked Queen picture signed, and Mabs gets the word for Capt’s tattoo. Lana says she did expect when they started that she thought Hook and Regina were going to be a thing but alas. Oh! And Mabs tells her that they’ve got family from the same area of Sicily, where Lana proceeds to say they do kinda look alike, and it is now confirmed #fam.

With everything over, we head once again to, YOU GUESSED IT AGAIN, the hotel pub. Chesty and Fraddit have already settled in and eaten, and me, Mabs, Capt, Overthinker, and Milah get ourselves all ordered up where we both mourn the end of the weekend and still buzz from the high the last three days had given us. A series of more shenanigans ensues, and none of us are ready for the weekend to be over. I’m pretty sure we collectively tried to drag it out for as long as possible.

For one last hurrah, we then venture to the pool again and meet up with @reginamotherfuckingmills and @agntreginaskywalker, where we all debrief and collectively laugh about the weekend, in addition to getting all into our feels about how Swan Queen fans and Hook fans are being all chill and friendly with each other. WHO KNEW PEOPLE COULD HUMAN?!

It was a fantastic end to the weekend, and there were more days ahead that involved ridiculous conversations in the car (Thicc Lady and Pointy Boi! Is this Central Park?! etc), meeting Mabs’s ENTIRE FAMILY, hearing Chesty lose her mind several times, enjoying super Long Island experiences with them, Milah, Overthinker, and Fraddit, and so on. Some of us also went sailing on a tall boat later, where we hoisted the main sail and felt like proper pirates! Then there was just general hanging out, but I won’t bore you further with that.

Instead, I’ll bore you with shoutouts!

@lillpon DESCUSTANG!!! You’re such a damn delight. Both sharing a bed and hoisting the main sail with you was brilliant and I love you forever. YOU MET COLIN!!!

@queen-mabs-revenge What are words? I have none. And if I started I’d probably turn into a mess so FARTS BELLY PT CRUISER POINTY BOI FARTS! I’ll probably emotion at some point and send it to you in private and then go run off to watch bloopers or something to get back to some sort of state of normal.

@fraddit SEVEN?! WHAT’S IN THE BOX?! Resting judge face or no, you’re fantastic, I love you, and you’re forever welcome in my apartment! Or basically anywhere with me.

@thesschesthair You funny asshole, I don’t know what I would have done without you to be there to say jokes as foul as mine. You were such a good sport about me being an annoying shit. I’m keeping my fingers and toes crossed we can celebrate your birthday with a Captain Charming shindig!!!

@justmilah You’re so sweet and so funny and just damn precious. I LOVED going to the American Girls store, traipsing around Rockefeller Center, exploring actual Central Park, getting Millian and Knightrook feels in the AMNH, and wasting time at Johnny Utah’s with you. You’re always welcome!!!

@captregina Mah darling! I’m so glad and relieved that you had a good experience! You earned it, and I’m excited to talk about it over brunch with you.

@theonceoverthinker YOU FAVORITE PHD GENIUS! Stellar questions from a stellar person. It was amazing to hang out with you and we should do it again soon!!!

@the-girl-in-the-band-tshirt You’re a precious angel and it was delightful to meet you! I’m so glad you felt welcomed into the fold. But, of course you were! You’re wonderful!

@brave-lassie From one “mom” to another, thanks! Also, you’re a sweetheart and YOU MAKE AN AMAZING RED!!!

@leiandcharles @freifraufischer @coaldustcanary @reginamotherfuckingmills and @agntreginaskywalker IT WAS LOVELY TO MEET YOU ALL! And thank you for being so patient and awesome with some of the shenanigans.

[zoebechtle-blog]

Unlikely Chapter 12

“You know what my favorite thing about your face is?” Random thoughts from Zoe. Niall turned his eyes from the football match on the TV (against my own will, he had turned me into a Derby Rams fan). It was late on a Saturday night. Willie and Hannah were out of town and Deo had been relocated for the weekend. We hadn’t seen much of one another over the last week - he was finishing things for his upcoming charity golf tournament and gala, and sliding into the studio to write as often as he could. He claimed he'd had a stroke of inspiration lately and wanted to get back to making music. I was busy finishing up work on a big research project with a few other therapists, and hadn’t been home before 9:00 anytime recently. As of next week, his schedule was the most insane thing I’ve ever seen for an unemployed musician (as I liked to remind him): golf tournaments, fundraisers, charity games, concerts and festivals, and an extended trip to the U.S. to write and record more. Therefore, we had sequestered ourselves in his house and were having a grownup sleepover. Last night I’d insisted we make a fort out of cushions to eat pizza in - once I’d convinced him it was an amazing idea, he’d gone in with full gusto, choosing blankets that were sturdy. He fancied himself a fort engineer by the end, and was a little pissed when we knocked it down after the dinner during more active pursuits that resulted in an impressive patch of rug burn on my back. We took a long bath, with bubbles that I’d smuggled in, and I’d dozed off with my back resting on his chest, at ease with pretty much everything. He turned on some late 90s dance music this afternoon and we danced around like idiots, then tried (unsuccessfully) doing the tango (I have two left feet). I was trying to convince him to let me braid his hair, but he wasn’t there yet. It’d been the best 30 hours ever, and I was kind of buzzed off my love of him. Well, and the bottle of wine I’d been sipping on.

“What’s that, baby?” He took a long drink of his beer and I watched him swallow, enthralled. “Z?”

“Huh?”

He started laughing. “You have the attention span of a mouse. What’s your favorite thing about my face?”

“Oh yeah!” I was sitting on his left side on the ginormous sectional sofa in his living room, my feet across his lap. I scooted my butt closer until I was almost sitting on him, and turned his chin so he was facing forward and I had a perfect profile shot. “This. This is my favorite.”

“You’re poking my cheek!”

“No! I’m poking your eye dimple. It’s the cutest thing ever.”

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about - don’t have a dimple on my eye.”

“Right under, not ON your eye.” I rolled my eyes for emphasis. “Here.” I grabbed my phone from behind me and pulled up a picture of him I’d taken that morning. He was sitting on his countertop in his tightie whities, laughing at my impressions of various Food Network chefs while I made French toast. He looked so utterly perfect, laughing so hard he ended up getting the hiccups when I discussed Wonder Bread and Egg Beaters as Sandra Lee, his hair falling over his brow and fingers grasping the overhang of the counter. Who knew the members of One Direction loved cooking shows? I’d promptly walked over the kissed the living hell out of him after I snapped the pic. Such opportunities could not be wasted. “See? It’s a little dimple and it only shows when you’re genuinely smiling. Everytime I see it I want to buy a house and retire there because it’s the most perfect place on Earth.” Okay, maybe I’d had closer to a bottle and a half of wine. He looked at me with wide, adoring eyes, and caught my lips with his own.

“Know what my favorite part of your face is?”

“I’m guessing my lips because, blah blah, sucking you off,” I gave him a cheeky grin, expecting the usual male answer.

“You underestimate me, Zoe,” he replied, wrinkling his forehead and pushing his pretty lips out into a tiny pout. He actually looked a little hurt.

“I’m sorry, boo.” I traced his chin dimple with my thumb, pacifying him. “What’s your favorite part?”

He kissed my brow bone. “This. Can tell everythin’ you’re thinkin’ by your forehead and brows. You can’t hide a thing. Explains why you can’t play poker for shit.”

“I’m not THAT bad.”

“Babe, Nick took forty quid off you in one hand.”

“He cheats.”

“Sure he does.” He’d pulled me back against the cushions with him and I cuddled up to his side. “Love you. Bad poker face and all. Best thing that ever happened to me.”

I felt my emotions bubble up as they always did when he said something like this. “Love you more.”

“Impossible.”

“So possible.”

“Nope.”

“Shut up, shamrock.” In order to ensure his silence, I climbed over his lap and kissed him stupid. He upped the ante by slipping my t-shirt over my head, and I won by pushing his shorts down and sliding down on his cock.

His stylist, Ellie, and her favorite tailor showed up Sunday early afternoon to fit Niall for his fundraiser suit one last time. He was leaving soon for a golf tournament in Northern Ireland so all final preps needed to be now. I adored Ellie-she’d helped me find a dress (not even a dress, a fabulous creation of nature that was the most perfect item of clothing I’d ever had on my body) for the upcoming Horan Rose event. And to Niall’s chagrin, I’d paid for it myself despite his requests otherwise and whines to the stylist. I would be there not only in girlfriend capacity, but also representing the clinic and its autism research efforts. Luckily, my boss was coming as well, as Niall’s guest, so he could field all the tricky questions. An administrator I am not. When I’d shown Hannah pictures of the miracle dress, she’d been shocked.

“It’s pink.”

“‘tis.”

“You don’t wear pink. Ever.”

“I like pink!”

“I know, but 90% of your wardrobe is black! And it’s light pink at that!”

“Because pastels make me look dead. But this looks good.” I showed her the next pic in the roll of me modeling for Ellie.

“Holy shit.”

“Right?”

Hannah sat back, obviously proud of herself, “Love looks good on you, Zoe Jane.”

I threw a shoe at her, intentionally missing. She wasn’t wrong.

I laid on the bed while Niall pranced around in his underwear. His good mood was infectious, and Sam the tailor was having none of it.  The older gentleman who had twice whacked him on the back of the thigh for screwing around. He’d earned my adoration quickly.

“Zoe, will you look at these ties?” Ellie had plopped down next to me, holding up a large box. “I can’t decide which one.”

“Lord, she’ll put me in a bow tie, don’t let her choose, El!” I stuck my tongue out at Niall as I sorted. Damnit. He was right. I loved bow ties. They looked dapper.

“How about this one?” I held up a navy one for Ellie’s inspection.

“The peaches? You think?”

“Yup. In honor of his little peach bum.” He shook said bum at us, earning another smack from Sam. Too cute for words.

I was nervous about the fundraiser. Besides it being my first official event as Niall’s date, I was also going to meet the whole Horan clan - he was flying a boatload of people over from Ireland for the party. In negotiations with him and Kim, I’d gotten out arriving with him and doing the red carpet thing (the mere idea gave me hives). He wasn’t aware that I wasn’t going to be “arriving” at all - at my request, Kim was going to arrange for me to come in the back door of the facility. I knew I’d be photographed at some point or another, but I wanted to avoid it as much as possible. I agreed that I’d sit at his table and be on his arm instead of eating with Willie and Hannah nearby or my boss and his wife in the back of the room. He knew I was terrified of the attention, and tried to talk me down as much as possible.

“I know it’s a lot, babe.” We were FaceTiming as he got ready to head off to a rugby match with Rory.

“No, it’s fine. I just don’t want people paying attention to something that isn’t a the reason for the night,” I tried to explain. I started playing with my bracelet, twirling it around my fingers.

“Put the bracelet down, ya liar.”

“What?”

“Get on me about my nervous hands, and ya do the same damn thing.” He pulled his shirt over his head. “Kate is next to Justin, so why wouldn’t ya be with me?”

“Um, because she’s his wife.”

“Is that all it takes then?  Ok? Wanna get married? Let’s go.” Wha? I knew my mouth was gaping.

“No! I mean...no, shut up.”

He knew he had me and smirked. “Just gotta say the word.”

I rolled my eyes. “They’ve known one another more than three months. They weren’t outed on the The Daily News and Sun out partying. Twice. The fangirls of the world don’t hate Kate. I don’t want to cause problems for you.”

“Z, are ya ever gonna realize that I don’t give a fuck? Yeah, I try to keep as much of me life private as I can, but I’m not going to hide ya. Ever. And I’ll protect you.” By this point he was pointing his finger at his laptop in a rant.

“God you’re a pain in the ass.”

“Likewise, pretty girl. I gotta go, car is here. Love you.”

“I love you, too, Nialler.”

Niall got home late Thursday night, and the Irish contingent starting arriving by the planeload Friday afternoon. I’d stayed late at work to get ahead since I’d be off Monday and Tuesday for the golf tournament and the inevitable aftermath-I’d been training my liver for this weekend since I was sixteen. After work I’d planned on going home, leaving Niall to his own devices with his guests. But in true Niall fashion he had his dad text me that he expected to see me when he landed. The little bastard had pulled out the Bobby Horan card.   When I finally left, a black Range Rover beeped at me from the curb and Basil waved.  I let out a sigh and muttered to myself.  “So much for taking the tube like a normal goddamn human being.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Picking you up, obviously.”

“He really doesn’t know how to take no for answer, does he?” I buckled into the passenger seat as Bas tossed my bag in the back.

I wasn’t one hundred percent on board with this uncomfortable hour drive and silently shook my fist at my boyfriend. I was still trying to figure out where I stood with Bas. While I was sure he didn’t hate me, my relationship with Niall and what it meant for his security (and heart) were still unknown. We both routinely got some nastygrams, and lately he’d been getting his phone hacked on the regular and spammed by little shits. I was anxious and had skipped lunch today because my stomach was going nuts with nerves. I was facing an entire long weekend filled with people who loved Niall and were going to be watching me. I didn’t work well under pressure. So I filled the car with awkward conversation until Bas’s eyes basically begged me to shut up. Rightfully silently chastised, I leaned my seat back and closed my eyes until we arrived home (shit, did I just refer to Niall’s house as home?). I didn’t even get my buckle undone when the door was opened.

“Ni, Jes-,” Oh. This was not my blonde bombshell. The older man with rosy cheeks beamed at me.

“Zoe! Aw, love, it’s a pleasure!” The legend himself, Bobby Horan, pulled me out of the car and into a gigantic bear hug. Unlike when I met Harry, however, I didn’t mind. I may have squealed a little bit.

“Back off, old man!” Niall elbowed his dad. “I haven’t seen my girl all week.”

“Whose fault is that, youngster?” Bobby gave me a grin, and I squeezed him again.

My quick confidence shot from Bobby quickly diminished when I walked into a house full of strangers. I knew it was coming but still was not prepared. Before I could blink, I’d met Eoghan, Bressie (hello...I was never going to be able to make eye contact with him), Bobby’s girlfriend Aoife, another Niall, and various other guys whose names I was going to spend the whole weekend trying to remember. I was passed from person to person - the Irish were huggers. Sensing my discomfort, Deo slid a Jameson in my hand. I mouthed a thank you to him and downed it only to have it replaced by a beer. After being appropriately introduced, I excused myself to go to the bedroom and change. And have a minor panic attack in the bathroom.

“Babe?” Shit, I’d been gone for almost half an hour.

“In here.”

“Decent?”

“Totally depends on your definition. But no, I’m not pooping.”

His head poked through the door, giving me a look. “Hiding, huh?”

It was useless, he’d figured out my M.O. “There are just so many of them. And they all love you. If you haven’t noticed, I tend to make an ass out of myself when I’m nervous.”

“I know. Still waiting for those strokes you promised me.”

“I hate you.”

“C’mere.” He pulled me up to him, wrapping his arms around my middle. “I missed ya. Didn’t even get a proper kiss. My da’ cock blocked me.”

“I’m assuming not for the first time.”

“You have no idea.” He’d finally worked a smile out of me and gave me a warm, gentle kiss that I felt down to my toes. The beer he’d been enjoying was obvious, but there was a slight mint to his taste as always. “Missed you, pretty girl.”

“I missed you, too.” I rested my head on his collarbone as an someone beat on the window in the closet, causing us to both jump a foot.

“Quit molesting the lady, Horan, and get your ass out here!”

“Fuck you, Eoghan!” he shouted back. “Hey,” he whispered, pulling my attention up to him. “Everyone out there is so excited to get to know you. You’re all I’ve talked about for months. Babe, they love you already. I promise.”

The Irish could party, let the record reflect. Aoife, Hannah, and I ventured out late Sunday morning for manicures and to get last minute supplies, including buy a new tie for Eoghan, who had insisted his could double as a headband the night before, requiring me to cut him out of it. None of Niall’s ties matched the intricate pattern of his suit, he claimed (Niall was positive he just wanted me to feel the fabric) and I’d been tasked. Once I’d gotten over my initial shyness, I realized why every one of these people were special to Ni. It made me feel even closer to him, and pondered introducing him to my family eventually (then promptly took a shot to chase that crazy idea away). The only stone left unturned was Maura. She and her husband were meeting us at the event. Willie and Deo privately had told me that she’d guilted Niall into the invitation - something she routinely did when there was something she was interested in. In the time we’d known one another I had never witnessed her interacting with him in any way. I had developed an attitude about her, and he was aware of it. I didn’t know Niall as a small child, but the idea of willingly leaving him was foreign to me. I didn’t know her side of the story, it was true. But even how she treated him now pissed me off. Plus, I’d bore witness to the affects of her abandonment, and that made me pull out my momma bear tendencies.

Over the last two months I’d observed Niall pour over details with planners and Justin, his co-host. He’d really put his heart and soul into it, and I was full of pride. So proud that I’d risked my perfect hairdo (okay, so it was Hannah and her masterful use of a flat iron and bobby pins) to give him a blowjob in the closet before he’d left. Right against his perfectly organized hat collection, near the mirror so he could watch in full detail as I swallowed him whole wearing nothing but a strapless bra (ouch) and lace boyshorts.

“Christ, if that’s the reaction I get for helpin’ people I’m gonna sign over my whole bank account.” I’d just nuzzled my cheek against his thigh and cleaned him off with a satisfied sigh. Then I  did something so positively dirty that when my rational brain returned I couldn’t believe it. I dipped my finger in a tiny trickle of come on his thigh, and, eyes locked with his, and dabbed it behind my ears like perfume. Then licked my finger.

“So I have a little bit of you with me all night.” I loved philanthropic men, what could I say? He hauled me to my feet and was about to maul me when his phone rang. “That’s your car.”

“Fuuuuuck. I’m going to think of that all night.”

“I know. That’s why I did it.” I kissed his lips pertly and rubbed his nose with mine. “Go, I’ll see you in a bit. I’ll be the one falling down in heels.”

“Don’t worry,” he turned to grin at me as he picked up his suit jacket, “I’ll catch ya.”

The ballroom at the private golf club was madness. Ellie and I had ridden from the house together, and were both bouncing with excitement. Swanky events weren’t my thing, but I knew the night promised to be amazing. We had shuffled in through the kitchen, and observed Jamie Freakin’ Oliver yelling out directions. El didn’t give me time to adequately fan girl. Probably for the best. I’m sure I would have ended up stealing a carrot. We spotted Bressie and Eoghan and huddled with them. My inner matchmaker decided that Ellie and the single Bressie would be adorable, and I made a mental note to mention that to Niall later. He was still working the green carpet, and would be for a while. I’d spied him outside of the ballroom doors and felt giddy inside - he looked amazing (god, Ellie was good at her job) and in his element.

We sipped Horan Shamrock Spritz cocktails and the obvious jokes about Niall being in our mouths were shared. I privately gloated knowing he was more than just in my mouth. Eoghan eventually made a face, “Of course she’d show up to this - rich and famous folks.” We all turned in unison and Bres groaned. I recognized the tiny (seriously, I’m short - I would tower over her) woman as Maura. Not wanting to be obvious and being a huge fan of avoidance, I excused myself to go to the charity section and spend some time mingling and discussing the clinic with guests, most of whom had no idea that I was anything other than a practitioner attending the event. My feet ached by the time dinner was announced, the royal blue shoes that matched some of the gem detail on the top of my cocktail dress not being designed for long term wear. I mentally patted myself on the back for tossing a pair of flip flops into my bag.

“Excuse me, excuse me,” a familiar Irish voice interrupted my conversation with an older couple about vaccines (for the nine millionth time in my career). Niall put his arm around my waist, “I need to steal this one to meet a few people. Have you all seen the silent auction tables? We’ve got some great prizes. Glenn,” he patted the man’s elbow, “there’s a package to play with Rors this fall. It’s got your name written all over it.” Like that he slid me a way.

“I owe you. So hard.”

“Your eyes were screamin’. I know when my girl needs help.” He kissed my cheek as we navigated the crowd, being stopped by every other person for Niall to chat. “You smell fuckin’ amazin’.” We raised our eyebrows at one another.

“Musk.”

“You’re going to kill me, woman.”

We were interrupted by a high pitched, loud voice, “There’s my baby boy!” I knew I couldn’t avoid her all night.

“Mam, I was lookin’ for ya. Wanted to introduce you to Zoe, my girlfriend. Zo, this is my mam, Maura, and step dad, Chris.” I could see Maura eyeing me up and down, and I felt everything from my hair to my toes being judged. I slapped on a huge smile and reminded myself that he loved her despite the shenanigans she’d caused, so I owed it to him to try.

I extended my hand, “It’s lovely to finally meet you.”

“You, too, dear. I didn’t know you had a young lady, Niall.”

He cleared his throat. “Yeah, for a couple of months.” The tension was thick and I was uncomfortable.

“Did the two of you have a nice trip?” It was lame, but it was something. We stood and talked awkwardly (Niall had his arms crossed over his chest with his hands tucked, a sure sign he was uncomfortable) until dinner was announced. We were all at the same table, but luckily were joined by Bobby and Aoife as well, and Deo and Martin. Willie, Hannah, Eoghan, Bressie, and other friends were behind us, and at the next table were Justin and Kate (whom I had grown to quickly adore) and their family members. There were plenty of people to chat with so I could avoid direct conversation with Maura, who, to be fair, didn’t seem all that interested in talking to me. Luckily, the wine was flowing.

Shortly after dessert was served, some big shot came over and Niall introduced us all. As they left to start the speeches, the gentleman complimented Bobby and Maura on raising such a fine young man. Having sat back and watched her bask in Niall’s glory all night (and watching his jaw tense and him clench his fist when she did), including claiming him auditioning for XFactor was her idea (it wasn’t, and any fan with internet access knew that) and how she always knew he’d be special, my irritation grew, I couldn’t control myself. The cat was out to play.

“Yes, Bobby, he’s right,” I reached over and grabbed “the father-in-law” (as he’d dubbed himself the night before)’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “You really did a fabulous job with that one. Thank you.” I knew Maura caught what I’d done, and frankly I didn’t care. She glared at me and I gave her the eye right back. Deo watched us in amusement.

“Zoe, would you like to go to the powder room with me?” She was throwing down a challenge, and emboldened by liquid courage, I took it.

“Certainly.” Aoife looked at me with wide eyes, and stood to come along. I waved my hand at her, and she grabbed it. She had my back.

“Aoife, I think this needs to be a talk between Niall’s mother and his fling,” Maura said, giving her a withering look. Oh fuck no. Those were fighting words. I pushed my chair in with a little more force than I’d intended, and the table shook. She might be little, but I had rage and a little country in me. I would take her on for insulting me, her ex-husband’s girlfriend, and abandoning her sons. With pleasure.

“Well, let’s go have this talk, shall we?” I turned on my heel and walked off to the private toilets, not looking back to see if she’d follow me. I knew she would. And I knew whatever I said would be turned around to make her the victim. We all knew women like her. I leaned against the toilet wall and waited.

“Listen, missy,” she’d barely cleared the door. Normally I hated confrontation, but this was different. This was standing up for Niall. “I don’t know who you think you are, but I am his mother and you will not undermine me. I am just as responsible for his success as his father!” She was feisty, I’ll give her that. “You don’t know anything about me and how dare you embarrass me in front of these people. You’re just a slag using him for his money and connections.” I just let her rant. Also, project much?

My voice was much more calm than I’d anticipated. “You’re right, Maura, I don’t know you. I don’t know what you went through when you abandoned your sons, but I’ve seen first hand the damage it’s caused. I’ve had to deal with the complex Niall has about women leaving him, and it almost ruined our relationship before it started. Forgive me if I underestimate your contribution to his life beyond birthing him.”

“You have some nerve!” The door opened and Aoife and Hannah walked in just in time to hear her shriek at me.

“I do. You’re right. But, I’m not ‘some fling’. If you were an active part of his life, you’d know that. Everyone else from Ireland knew. I love your son. Desperately. And I apologize,” that hurt to even say (sorry not sorry), “if you feel that I haven’t adequately respected you. But please quit taking credit for something you had very little to do with. Niall is the amazing person he is in spite of you, not because.” My peace being said, I brushed past her and walk out of the bathroom, my hands shaking and went straight to the bar.

The night proceeded on, but I felt uneasy. It probably wasn’t my place to tell his mother off, even though she richly deserved it. Especially on a night like this. I tried to put it out of my mind, but I couldn’t. My stomach rebelled against me and I was anxious as hell. I’d seen her approach Niall afterwards and the two of them venture outside, their heads bent towards one another. Shit. Before I could check with him, however, the performances started.

Hannah had shared the highlights (greatly exaggerating, as to be expected) with the boys, and Eoghan had declared me his hero. Bressie jokingly offered to pay my tab for the evening. Bobby very obviously called me daughter multiple times in her earshot. At least some people were on my side.

“Hidin’ so I can’t have a dance with ya?” I’d be standing at the bar, sipping another Horan cocktail, and his hands rubbed my hips. He dipped his mouth close to my ear and whispered, “Gotta be careful kissing your neck tonight. Not big on the taste of myself.” I laughed and turned around, wrapping my arms around his neck.

“Hi, bugaboo.”

“Hi.” He kissed my nose. “Heard you’re causing trouble.” My stomach dropped and my face flamed even more. I bit my lip, hard.

“Sorry, I ran of-”

“Don’t apologize,” he stared at me. “No one has ever called Maura on her bullshit before. No one ever stood up for me like that.”

I exhaled, the weight of the world lifting off my shoulders. I pulled on a little piece of hair on his neck. “I could have picked a better venue, though.”

“Probably. But this is twice you’ve proven you’re a fucking bad ass in public.” He kissed me and lead me onto the dance floor as “Fix You” by Coldplay blasted. Appropriate.

[roguerebels]

Sal’s Personal Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Here we are.

The zero hour.

The last stand.

The beginning of a new era of Star Wars.

Everywhere you look Star Wars, Star Wars, and Star Wars. For someone like me it’s the stuff of dreams. For old and new fans alike the excitement is building. Some people have been waiting for this moment since the announcement of Star Wars: Episode VII on October 30th, 2012.

But then there’s me.

One of the people who have been waiting for this since May 25th, 1983.

I’m of that first generation who grew up not remembering the first time they saw Star Wars. It just always was. I’m the generation that was left at the end of the story without knowing if there would ever be more. I was there when the Expanded Universe began to fill the void in our world with new Star Wars. From Heir to the Empire and Dark Empire to Crucible and Star Wars Legacy, I was there.

I was there on May 19th, 1999, when I was able to go back to the beginning and experience the untold stories of the saga. I brought my daughter to see Revenge of the Sith when she was too young to remember. It was the only Star Wars movie I thought she’d ever see in a theater (although I was able to bring both kids to see The Phantom Menace in 3D.) I was there through The Clone Wars and our family even now watches Star Wars Rebels.

Such a drastic change from the late ’80s of having nothing but three wonderful movies. Now, when even if you only count canon stories, we have six movies, six seasons of The Clone Wars, one-and-a-half seasons of Star Wars Rebels, ongoing comics series, new novels, and lots of short fiction from insider and various other ebooks.

On my journey here I’ve tried to stay spoiler-free but I’ve consumed every story thrown at me.

I keep up with the comics,

I read all the novels, and I love all-new stories, new characters, new adventures. All in my favorite galaxy.

With the Internet and social media being what they are it’s tough (but not impossible) to duck spoilers. If I see a link that looks fishy I don’t click it. I take part in a podcast where spoilers are discussed and I jump off when it’s that time. Not for anyone else but for myself. I want to sit in a theater for the first time since 1983 and not know where the story is going.

Finally, we are going into uncharted territory. I watched the prequels but we all knew where it was ending. Same with The Clone Wars and while the Rebels characters are new, their setting is in a familiar place. But now we finally journey forward. After anything we’ve ever seen. I can’t wait to step into this new age with fresh eyes and see it for the first time.

It’s so soon it’s scary.

I’m not scared of it being bad or anything like that. From the pieces and glimpses we’ve been afforded it feels right. I’m so happy to see my old friends and meet some new ones. I want to see the looks on my kids’ faces when they see the power of a new Star Wars film in a theater now that they’re old enough to appreciate it. I’m looking forward to it just like everyone else.

And it’s happening tonight.

I’m ready.

-Sal P. 12/14/15

So how did I get here…

To tell you the truth I don’t really know where to start. I was a lifelong Star Wars fan? I won the Star Wars lottery? Simple tricks and nonsense?

I certainly was only afforded this opportunity through being an official member of the Star Wars costuming charity groups. My wife decided to join the Rebel Legion group specifically for Resistance Pilots and was given the honor of representing the Rebel Legion as one of the costumed pilots on the red carpet. Me? As a dedicated trainer, performer, and show creator for Saber Guild I was lucky enough to score a seat. But it was only through our hard work on costumes, many charity troops, and representing the best of what Star Wars means to us that we somehow had this opportunity to be a part of history.

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to share this experience with our younglings. As you can imagine the space is very limited. We told them the news. They took it as well as someone can I suppose.

After quite a bit of hard work and sleepless nights we finished Liz’s Resistance pilot (modeled after Jessika Pava so we can’t wait to work on a helmet)

Then we were there. Everything started happening. We saw things. Familiar faces. Friends. It was freezing. I can’t even properly describe what happened (kinda like Shmi.) Suffice to say the experience was unforgettable, full of wonder, and nothing less than magical. I have a few pics that may help piece together this experience…..

  And then we went in.

We walked up the red carpet ourselves and ascended towards what we’ve been waiting for. We found our seats and got comfortable.

Well, mostly.

I was pretty much on the edge of mine.

Then Iger walked out. There were introductions and speeches.

J.J. thanked both George Lucas and Steven Spielberg (who were a mere 5 or 6 rows back.)

We saw the entire cast and the people who helped put this together.

They exited the stage off a small set of stairs that led them straight down our aisle.

Well…

Liz’s aisle, as she was right on the edge and shook everyone’s hand as they walked by.

Then the theater went dark and it happened.

After the Awakening Review?

Well.

I saw it.

I saw The Force Awakens.

What can I say?

What did I think?

I’m not sure I’m quite fully functional again but I’ll try to say something.

I loved it.

Without being horribly descriptive it had humor, action, tension, and heart.

And hope.

The film MOVED.

I mean it really moved. I never had time to catch my breath. I was careening off the walls I moved so fast.

The familiar faces?

It felt like seeing a friend I’ve missed for so long. The kind of friend who you can see again and pick up right where you left off.

The new generation?

Spectacular. Endearing. Fascinating. The kind of people who you spend time with and leave just wanting to know more about them.

… and waiting for the next time you’ll see them again.

The story?

It was driving and unrelenting. The journey takes you to places you’ve never been and brings you back to places you’ve seen before.

It felt like Star Wars. The intangible something that’s so hard to catch. It’s here. The magic that started this whole journey way back on May 25th, 1977 is liberally sprinkled throughout.

I can’t wait to see it again. With the whole family this time. I’m still reeling from the experience. I don’t know if it was the film itself or the magic of the night but I do know that I left the theater both feeling satisfied AND wanting more. I feel like there’s so much more I want to analyze after a few more (probably less mind-blowing circumstance surrounded) viewings.

I have questions.

And I have answers.

It definitely feels like the start of something new while still having unbreakable bonds to the previous legacy of saga films.

It feels right.

And that’s really the best thing I can say about it right now.

All good things must have an ending…

We walked out of the theater still not quite put together. More things happened.

Like, unreal things that you never could imagine happening.

Like, I went to the Men’s room and ended up next to John Williams.

Yeah… that’s not a thing that anyone could make up.

We walked down to the reception and ate some fancy food. That was pretty awesome. I joked that if anyone asked me if I liked The Force Awakens I was going to tell them the food was AWESOME!!

We enjoyed the reception for a bit before having to finally call it a night. Everything was such a blur of friends, hugs, and memories. It feels kinda like a really intense Force vision. You can remember things vividly but can’t quite put them into context. I have a few pics that might help us put things together.

      Well, I guess not but I can’t wait to see this movie again.

-Sal P. 12/15/15

  If you have a chance feel free to follow our local groups!!

Saber Guild Temple Prime Facebook page

Twitter: @SGTemplePrime

IG: @SGTemplePrime

Rebel Legion: Sunrider Base Facebook page

Twitter: @SunriderBase

IG @SunriderBase

Star Wars The Force Awaken World Premiere! Sal’s Personal Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens Here we are. The zero hour. The last stand.

[helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog]

‘Project Runway’ Winners: Where Are They Now?

Project Runway has been a guilty pleasure for fans since 2009. After living on Bravo for five seasons, the show found a home on Lifetime, and so did the esteemed judges Heidi Klum, Tim Gunn, Nina Garcia and Zac Posen. 

Over 16 seasons, fashion designers from all over the globe have gotten the opportunity to find their voice, including designer Christian Siriano, who was just 22 years old when he won season four. Ashley Tipton was the first designer to use all plus-size models during season 14, and Kentaro Kameyama, the 38-year-old designer from Los Angeles, has been busy working on a new line since his win during the most recent season 16. 

After a bit of a hiatus, Project Runway will be returning to Bravo for season 17, with Klum returning as host. Although we don’t have a definitive premiere date just yet, it’s likely it will air this fall.

“Project Runway is coming back where it all started, it's coming home on Bravo," Andy Cohen announced during NBCUniversal’s upfront presentation last month. This is in addition to the Project Runway spinoff, Project Runway: All Stars, which has been renewed for a seventh season. 

While we wait for season 17 to grace our television screens, here's what the former winners have been up to since their last appearance on the show.  

Jay McCarroll, Season 1 McCarroll is known as one of the few Project Runway winners to never win a single challenge until the final runway show. After winning the show in 2005, he appeared on Project Jay, Eleven Minutes, and VH1’s Celebrity Fit Club. For a while, he was running a blog and online fashion boutique, but the site hasn’t been updated since 2014. He is still active on his Instagram page, though, with a bio stating, “I like colors and stuff.”

streamers. #streamers #confetti #mylar #celebration #sidewalk #happynewyear #color #multicolor #shimmer #shine #plastic #squiggle #squiggly #bushwick #brooklyn #ny #newyork

A post shared by Jay Mccarroll (@jaymccarroll) on Jan 14, 2018 at 12:26pm PST

Chloe Dao, Season 2 After winning season two of Project Runway, Dao went on to executive produce and judge the first season of Project Runway: Vietnam, which ran for three seasons starting in 2013. In 2008, she debuted her own line called DAO Chloe DAO, which is now a boutique in her hometown of Houston. She’s also active in Houston-area philanthropies including Susan G. Komen and the Salvation Army of Houston. 

Jeffrey Sebelia, Season 3 Sebelia was portrayed as somewhat of a villain on his season of Project Runway, and many fans were upset when he won. Since then, Sebelia has worked on multiple projects designing kids clothing. In 2013, he participated in Project Runway: All Stars, where he placed seventh out of 11 contestants. 

Christian Siriano, Season 4 Known as one of the most successful Project Runway winners, Siriano was also the youngest person to ever win the show. He launched his namesake “Christian Siriano” clothing line in 2008 and now regularly dresses some of the biggest names in Hollywood like Victoria Beckham, Taylor Swift, Rihanna and even Kim Kardashian West.  

When @kimkardashian looks reallllyyyyy stunning in a Siriano red silk coat for @vogueindia ❤️❤️❤️ #happyfriday #christiansiriano

A post shared by Christian Siriano (@csiriano) on Mar 2, 2018 at 11:46am PST

Leanne Marshall, Season 5 Marshall has had huge success since winning Project Runway in 2008. She's most notably known for her feminine wave-inspired collection in shades of turquoise and ivory, which impressed judges week after week. She launched her own bridal collection in 2011, which is carried in over 35 boutiques internationally and online.

Spring is coming... someday 🌸 #nottodaythough / beautiful @stephanie_danielle in our Lea #dress shot by @annaperevertaylo

A post shared by Leanne Marshall (@leannemarshallofficial) on Mar 18, 2018 at 7:32am PDT

Irina Shabayeva, Season 6 Following season six of Project Runway, Shabayeva developed couture collections of gowns and wedding dresses, as well as a lingerie line. She got sixth place on season three of Project Runway: All Stars in 2013 and even launched a bridal line exclusive at Kleinfeld’s in 2011. 

#tbt #tbs #nyfw #irinashabayevacouture @fgnyfw @tedgibson photo by @stevienaysayer

A post shared by I R I N A S H A B A Y E V A 🕊 (@irinashabayeva) on Mar 13, 2018 at 11:13am PDT

Seth Aaron Henderson, Season 7 Henderson was the first Project Runway contestant to win both a regular season of the show as well as season three of Project Runway: All Stars in 2014. He’s known for his sustainable designs using organic fabrics and recyclable plastic bottles, and even recently created a line of iPad covers for the brand Maroo. Last fall, he worked with the brand Feetz to release the first pair of 3D printed shoes.

@ProjectRunway winner @SethAaronPR7 launches custom-fit, 3D-printed shoes in collaboration with @FeetzShoes 👏👟 https://t.co/nzBAantDGQpic.twitter.com/8C6MroYyT1

— Electric Runway ⚡️ (@Electric_Runway) October 30, 2017

Gretchen Jones, Season 8 Jones may be the most controversial winner of Project Runway ever. She won after a heated debate between the judges, who eventually chose her over fan favorite Mondo Guerra. This year, she graduated with an MBA in fashion from the University of London College of Fashion. She’s spoken publicly at SXSW, Columbia School of Business and Princeton University, and has been featured in numerous fashion magazines like Refinery29 and Elle. 

Not casual Friday.

A post shared by gJ (@gretchen_jones) on Jun 1, 2018 at 10:04am PDT

Anya Ayoung-Chee, Season 9 Ayoung-Chee has launched both a boutique, Exhibit A, and a lingerie line, Anya de Rouge, since winning season nine of Project Runway, and even worked with Gunn on the reality show Under the Gunn in 2014 to mentor other designers. In her spare time, she’s also a travel ambassador for Trinidad and Tobago, where she currently lives.

Consistently in awe of the beauty of this country, and in despair over its struggle to find peace. . 📷: @wyattgallery

A post shared by A N Y A A Y O U N G C H E E (@anyaayoungchee) on Sep 30, 2017 at 5:02pm PDT

Dmitry Sholokhov, Season 10 Sholokhov won season 10 of Project Runway as well as season four of Project Runway: All Stars. Since then, he has worked as an instructor at the Parsons School of Design (his alma mater) and has his own label, where he creates high-fashion yet wearable designs. 

Love this set🔮#marieclairemagazine #tbt #dmitrysholokhov #collection #designer #fashion #style #design #model #photoshoot #loreal #nyc

A post shared by Dmitry Sholokhov (@dmitrysholokhov) on May 17, 2018 at 9:07am PDT

Michelle Lesniak, Season 11 Season 11 of Project Runway gave Michelle Lesniak the opportunity of a lifetime. Despite her lack of formal training, her daring looks gave her an edge in the competition. She now lives and works in Portland, Oregon, and has a studio in the city, where she does clothing and costume design, called Michelle Lesniak Boutique. 

365 day dress. Day two. 70's shag carpet inspiration. #365daydress #pdx #pdxnow #costumedesign

A post shared by Michelle Lesniak (@michelleiswell) on Jan 3, 2018 at 11:44am PST

Dom Streater, Season 12 After Streater won both season 12 of Project Runway and season five of Project Runway: All Stars, she returned to Philadelphia to focus on her designs, launching an online-only womenswear brand. She was even named one of Nicole Miller’s "Most Fashionable Women of Philadelphia."

Sean Kelly, Season 13 Kelly's iconic color-changing dress for the "Rain" challenge helped him win season 13 of Project Runway. Gunn even called Kelly his favorite contestant by the time the season came to an end, so that’s a win in and of itself. Now, the New Zealand-born designer lives in New York City and has designed for clients like Klum and been featured in Marie Claire magazine. 

Ashley Nell Tipton, Season 14 Tipton was the first contestant on Project Runway to win by using all plus-size models. “This industry puts a bad view on plus-size women and the way we dress, and it’s because we don’t have options,” she told Buzzfeed during her season. Following her win in 2015, she designed a line with JCPenney and last fall launched her own plus-size line of apparel and eyewear called the ANT Premier Line. 

Pairing the old with the new. Yellow lace tank from my collection with JC Penny a couple seasons ago and the cutest wide legged pants from @forever21plus 💛

A post shared by Ashley Nell Tipton (@ashleynelltipton) on May 31, 2018 at 6:47am PDT

Erin Robertson, Season 15 An alum of Massachusetts College of Art and Design, with a degree in both fashion and fiber art, Robertson returned to Boston following her Project Runway win and now has a studio space in the city, where she still designs. 

One way to get over seasonal depression is to make summer clothes! Getting ready for a pop up shop happening April 5th at @dewolfe_leather_goods shop on Newbury St! Wiiiiiiiuuuu pic by my lil raspberry @chloeagnesl

A post shared by Erin Robertson (@an_erin) on Mar 16, 2018 at 9:06am PDT

Kentaro Kameyama, Season 16 In a surprising finish to season 16, Kameyama pulled out a win, shocking even the most stone-faced Project Runway judges. Posen went so far as to say that Kameyama “knocked his socks off.” Known for his expertly tailored clothing, the classically trained pianist even had his models walk to one of his original scores during the final show. Now, he’s living in Los Angeles and perfecting his new collection that premiered during Fashion Week earlier this year. 

#NYFW #mewyork #designerkentaro @hayleysforsblom

A post shared by Kentaro (@kentarokameyama) on Feb 16, 2018 at 12:04am PST

 RELATED CONTENT:  

Heidi Klum Addresses Harvey Weinstein Scandal After He's Stripped of 'Project Runway' Executive Producer Title

‘Project Runway’ Returns to Bravo After 10 Years on Lifetime

'Project Runway' Alum Christian Siriano Marries Brad Walsh

[demitgibbs]

Adam Rippon Talks Finding His Gay Power, Fetish-Inspired Costumes

Being yourself can take you places. If you’re Adam Rippon, born and raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania, it can take you all the way to Pyeongchang, South Korea, where the 28-year-old set fire to the ice last February, becoming the first openly gay male athlete to win a medal — a bronze — for Team USA in a Winter Olympics.

Rippon’s mere existence as a brazenly gay global inspiration with a tongue as sharp as the blades on his skates is notable. Writer Peter Moskowitz recently celebrated Rippon in a piece for Splinter titled “The Faggy Magic of Adam Rippon.” And at a Stars on Ice show in Detroit, Michigan, in April, Rippon garnered by far the most enthusiastic response, winning applause from tween girls, a squadron of proud queers, and suburban moms, alike. Reese Witherspoon loves him. So does Elmo. And like any good mother, Sally Field tried to set him up with her gay son.

Rippon would make his Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) debut a couple weeks after our call, slaying a Vogue-fortified cha-cha to RuPaul’s “Sissy That Walk.” I caught up with the phenom via phone as he put on his face inside the locker room of a Rhode Island arena (a Stars on Ice stop). Rippon opened up about how booze kills his wit game and what he tells guys on Tinder who want a second chance, all the while, being his irresistible self.

WATCH:

[Editor’s Note: This issue of Hotspots went to the printer before ABC’s live DWTS finale, so as you may know, Adam Rippon and his partner Jenna Johnson won the Mirrorball Trophy]

I want to give you a phone hug and say thanks for giving this 35-year-old man a new level of realness to aspire to.

I’m hugging you back.

You stood next to Britney Spears at the GLAAD Media Awards recently for a pic. I hear she liked the way you smelled.

Yes, she did. I congratulated her on her award, and she was like, “You smell really nice,” and I was like, “Thank you so much, ’cause that’s so important to me.”

Your fellow gay Olympian, [freestyle skier] Gus Kenworthy, kissed you on stage that night. How exactly would you describe your relationship with Gus at this point?

Umm [laughs], so, I mean, we’re just friends, obviously. His boyfriend was backstage laughing at him, and so he was just trying to be funny. Gus is a nut.

But you’re so close. And both of you being gay Olympians, it seems you’ve really bonded.

Oh, absolutely. We’re just like brothers — brothers who kiss, I guess. But no, I love him. He’s so nice, and we’re very good friends.

What was it like competing against Tonya Harding on Dancing with the Stars?

It’s not a super big deal, but I think she’s got a lot going on, so I’m just gonna let her do her own thing, probably. Probably best.

Team Tonya or Team Nancy?

Well, I mean, Tonya tried to kill someone, so I’m Team Nancy, probably.

What did you think of I, Tonya?

I loved it. I thought Margot Robbie [who played Harding] was great. Amazing.

Who would you cast as Adam in I, Adam?

Well, Margot did so well. So, maybe Margot Robbie?

Who inspires your on-ice style?

The skating world inspires it a little bit, and then…  you’re gonna know that I’m trashy. I look at like, um, sex stuff and stuff people wear — harnesses and stuff — and the design is quite amazing. I bring [stuff] to my costume designer, and we make them more appropriate for a competition.

For a PG audience?

Yes. Actually, it’s not for that audience. But I make it for them.

That harness you wore to the Oscars in March: Where is it?

It’s in [fashion designer] Jeremy Scott’s office. The suit was by Moschino, so it was from Jeremy’s office and he lent it to me. I’m obsessed with Jeremy. He’s amazing.

Do you get to keep these costumes?

I keep my own costumes. Because, like, I bought them, outright. But the Oscars outfit was for the runway — so, from the red carpet back to the office.

Hard to give that up. So many opportunities to wear something like that.

I know! Like to a wedding. The grocery store.

Were you a sassy kid?

I don’t think I realized how sassy I was till I was at the Olympics and people were like, “Ahahaha, you’re so sassy.” And I was, “Ahahaha… you think so?” And they’re like, “Oh yeah, you’re, like, sassy.” And I was like, “I just thought I was fresh?” And they’re like, “No, you’re sassy.” Oh. OK.

Who inspires your sassiness?

The person who inspires me to be sassy is my mom.

So it’s in the blood.

[Laughs.] Yeah, it’s definitely in the blood. It’s something I can’t control.

Born this way.

Born this way, for sure. Genetics.

Your future: What’s off the table? Where do you draw the line?

Like, I’m not gonna do porn. That’s drawing the line, I guess. I don’t think I would do a reality show — I mean, I did Dancing with the Stars. That’s a reality show. I’m not gonna do, like, Big Brother or anything.

You’re getting a lot of offers. What percentage are you turning down?

I’m talking a little bit to everybody. But honestly, my schedule’s so crazy right now, I barely even know where I am.

The media loves getting you drunk.

Here’s the thing: I don’t drink a lot. Barely anything. And so everyone’s like, “Haha, come on the show and just have drinks!” And I’m like, “OK.” So, I’ll have a little bit, but I feel like I’m way funnier not drunk. I’m not as sharp, I’m not as witty; I’m not myself when I’m drunk. I mean, I like to be in the moment. If I’m in the moment, I can focus, and then I can be quick and witty.

You’ve been on this wild ride: the Olympics, Stars on Ice, Dancing with the Stars. How will you spend a day off when you finally get one?

Um, probably napping.

The whole day?

The whole day.

You have a new man, Jussi-Pekka Kajaala. He’s very good-looking.

I do. He’s super cute, but more than that, he’s super nice and funny.

Before you met, what criteria did you have for a boyfriend?

I really wasn’t looking for anybody. I was on Tinder just for fun. If you’ve ever been on Tinder, you know how you swipe left and right, and it basically turns into this game?

Oh yeah. It’s like the new Hot or Not.

It’s absolutely that. My criteria for a good boyfriend would be somebody who has passion. Passion is super important to me because, no matter what you do, if you have passion for it, then that’s kind of what life is all about — that you have passion for something. [Laughs.]

I’m being so serious. Usually when I get asked this question, I’m like, “a job, goes to the gym” — which is also important.

How many people on Tinder believed you were really Adam Rippon?

Nobody gave a shit that I was Adam Rippon. But I can tell you that everyone I ever matched with who ghosted on me has messaged me since the Olympics. My favorite is, “Oh, it’s been a while. How ya doing?” And I’m like, “Bye.”

You give them more than they deserve, honestly.

Usually I don’t answer.

Do you expect there will be a day when an openly gay figure skater can just be a figure skater?

Yeah. And I hope there’s a day that an openly gay Olympian will just be an Olympian. But I think right now it’s important to share your story.

For me, it’s not being gay that I share; I share my coming out. It’s not like, “Oh, I’m gay and I’m powerful” — which is, like, so true. It was [during] my coming out experience when I started to really own who I was and that’s where I found a lot of power. I was always me, but I didn’t always own it. And when I owned it, that’s when I found I was my strongest.

Have you had any particularly moving exchanges with young queer fans?

Yes. There’ve been many. I’ve run into a few young people who told me they tried to kill themselves at one point, which is incredibly hard to hear, especially from really young kids.

It’s bizarre to be thanked for just being who you are, and for someone to tell you that you really helped them, it’s incredibly humbling. I was not expecting that kind of response after the Olympics.

Do you feel pressure to act or be a certain way because of that?

No more than the way that I’ve been acting.

Good. To end, which Golden Girl are you?

Probably Blanche. Isn’t everyone Blanche? And I’m a little — OK, I’m mostly Dorothy.

It’s the snark.

It is the snark.

from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2018/05/24/adam-rippon-talks-finding-his-gay-power-fetish-inspired-costumes/ from Hot Spots Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.tumblr.com/post/174210916115

[cynthiajayusa]

Adam Rippon Talks Finding His Gay Power, Fetish-Inspired Costumes

Being yourself can take you places. If you’re Adam Rippon, born and raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania, it can take you all the way to Pyeongchang, South Korea, where the 28-year-old set fire to the ice last February, becoming the first openly gay male athlete to win a medal — a bronze — for Team USA in a Winter Olympics.

Rippon’s mere existence as a brazenly gay global inspiration with a tongue as sharp as the blades on his skates is notable. Writer Peter Moskowitz recently celebrated Rippon in a piece for Splinter titled “The Faggy Magic of Adam Rippon.” And at a Stars on Ice show in Detroit, Michigan, in April, Rippon garnered by far the most enthusiastic response, winning applause from tween girls, a squadron of proud queers, and suburban moms, alike. Reese Witherspoon loves him. So does Elmo. And like any good mother, Sally Field tried to set him up with her gay son.

Rippon would make his Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) debut a couple weeks after our call, slaying a Vogue-fortified cha-cha to RuPaul’s “Sissy That Walk.” I caught up with the phenom via phone as he put on his face inside the locker room of a Rhode Island arena (a Stars on Ice stop). Rippon opened up about how booze kills his wit game and what he tells guys on Tinder who want a second chance, all the while, being his irresistible self.

WATCH:

[Editor’s Note: This issue of Hotspots went to the printer before ABC’s live DWTS finale, so as you may know, Adam Rippon and his partner Jenna Johnson won the Mirrorball Trophy]

I want to give you a phone hug and say thanks for giving this 35-year-old man a new level of realness to aspire to.

I’m hugging you back.

You stood next to Britney Spears at the GLAAD Media Awards recently for a pic. I hear she liked the way you smelled.

Yes, she did. I congratulated her on her award, and she was like, “You smell really nice,” and I was like, “Thank you so much, ’cause that’s so important to me.”

Your fellow gay Olympian, [freestyle skier] Gus Kenworthy, kissed you on stage that night. How exactly would you describe your relationship with Gus at this point?

Umm [laughs], so, I mean, we’re just friends, obviously. His boyfriend was backstage laughing at him, and so he was just trying to be funny. Gus is a nut.

But you’re so close. And both of you being gay Olympians, it seems you’ve really bonded.

Oh, absolutely. We’re just like brothers — brothers who kiss, I guess. But no, I love him. He’s so nice, and we’re very good friends.

What was it like competing against Tonya Harding on Dancing with the Stars?

It’s not a super big deal, but I think she’s got a lot going on, so I’m just gonna let her do her own thing, probably. Probably best.

Team Tonya or Team Nancy?

Well, I mean, Tonya tried to kill someone, so I’m Team Nancy, probably.

What did you think of I, Tonya?

I loved it. I thought Margot Robbie [who played Harding] was great. Amazing.

Who would you cast as Adam in I, Adam?

Well, Margot did so well. So, maybe Margot Robbie?

Who inspires your on-ice style?

The skating world inspires it a little bit, and then…  you’re gonna know that I’m trashy. I look at like, um, sex stuff and stuff people wear — harnesses and stuff — and the design is quite amazing. I bring [stuff] to my costume designer, and we make them more appropriate for a competition.

For a PG audience?

Yes. Actually, it’s not for that audience. But I make it for them.

That harness you wore to the Oscars in March: Where is it?

It’s in [fashion designer] Jeremy Scott’s office. The suit was by Moschino, so it was from Jeremy’s office and he lent it to me. I’m obsessed with Jeremy. He’s amazing.

Do you get to keep these costumes?

I keep my own costumes. Because, like, I bought them, outright. But the Oscars outfit was for the runway — so, from the red carpet back to the office.

Hard to give that up. So many opportunities to wear something like that.

I know! Like to a wedding. The grocery store.

Were you a sassy kid?

I don’t think I realized how sassy I was till I was at the Olympics and people were like, “Ahahaha, you’re so sassy.” And I was, “Ahahaha… you think so?” And they’re like, “Oh yeah, you’re, like, sassy.” And I was like, “I just thought I was fresh?” And they’re like, “No, you’re sassy.” Oh. OK.

Who inspires your sassiness?

The person who inspires me to be sassy is my mom.

So it’s in the blood.

[Laughs.] Yeah, it’s definitely in the blood. It’s something I can’t control.

Born this way.

Born this way, for sure. Genetics.

Your future: What’s off the table? Where do you draw the line?

Like, I’m not gonna do porn. That’s drawing the line, I guess. I don’t think I would do a reality show — I mean, I did Dancing with the Stars. That’s a reality show. I’m not gonna do, like, Big Brother or anything.

You’re getting a lot of offers. What percentage are you turning down?

I’m talking a little bit to everybody. But honestly, my schedule’s so crazy right now, I barely even know where I am.

The media loves getting you drunk.

Here’s the thing: I don’t drink a lot. Barely anything. And so everyone’s like, “Haha, come on the show and just have drinks!” And I’m like, “OK.” So, I’ll have a little bit, but I feel like I’m way funnier not drunk. I’m not as sharp, I’m not as witty; I’m not myself when I’m drunk. I mean, I like to be in the moment. If I’m in the moment, I can focus, and then I can be quick and witty.

You’ve been on this wild ride: the Olympics, Stars on Ice, Dancing with the Stars. How will you spend a day off when you finally get one?

Um, probably napping.

The whole day?

The whole day.

You have a new man, Jussi-Pekka Kajaala. He’s very good-looking.

I do. He’s super cute, but more than that, he’s super nice and funny.

Before you met, what criteria did you have for a boyfriend?

I really wasn’t looking for anybody. I was on Tinder just for fun. If you’ve ever been on Tinder, you know how you swipe left and right, and it basically turns into this game?

Oh yeah. It’s like the new Hot or Not.

It’s absolutely that. My criteria for a good boyfriend would be somebody who has passion. Passion is super important to me because, no matter what you do, if you have passion for it, then that’s kind of what life is all about — that you have passion for something. [Laughs.]

I’m being so serious. Usually when I get asked this question, I’m like, “a job, goes to the gym” — which is also important.

How many people on Tinder believed you were really Adam Rippon?

Nobody gave a shit that I was Adam Rippon. But I can tell you that everyone I ever matched with who ghosted on me has messaged me since the Olympics. My favorite is, “Oh, it’s been a while. How ya doing?” And I’m like, “Bye.”

You give them more than they deserve, honestly.

Usually I don’t answer.

Do you expect there will be a day when an openly gay figure skater can just be a figure skater?

Yeah. And I hope there’s a day that an openly gay Olympian will just be an Olympian. But I think right now it’s important to share your story.

For me, it’s not being gay that I share; I share my coming out. It’s not like, “Oh, I’m gay and I’m powerful” — which is, like, so true. It was [during] my coming out experience when I started to really own who I was and that’s where I found a lot of power. I was always me, but I didn’t always own it. And when I owned it, that’s when I found I was my strongest.

Have you had any particularly moving exchanges with young queer fans?

Yes. There’ve been many. I’ve run into a few young people who told me they tried to kill themselves at one point, which is incredibly hard to hear, especially from really young kids.

It’s bizarre to be thanked for just being who you are, and for someone to tell you that you really helped them, it’s incredibly humbling. I was not expecting that kind of response after the Olympics.

Do you feel pressure to act or be a certain way because of that?

No more than the way that I’ve been acting.

Good. To end, which Golden Girl are you?

Probably Blanche. Isn’t everyone Blanche? And I’m a little — OK, I’m mostly Dorothy.

It’s the snark.

It is the snark.

source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2018/05/24/adam-rippon-talks-finding-his-gay-power-fetish-inspired-costumes/ from Hot Spots Magazine https://hotspotsmagazin.blogspot.com/2018/05/adam-rippon-talks-finding-his-gay-power.html

[hotspotsmagazine]

Adam Rippon Talks Finding His Gay Power, Fetish-Inspired Costumes

Being yourself can take you places. If you’re Adam Rippon, born and raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania, it can take you all the way to Pyeongchang, South Korea, where the 28-year-old set fire to the ice last February, becoming the first openly gay male athlete to win a medal — a bronze — for Team USA in a Winter Olympics.

Rippon’s mere existence as a brazenly gay global inspiration with a tongue as sharp as the blades on his skates is notable. Writer Peter Moskowitz recently celebrated Rippon in a piece for Splinter titled “The Faggy Magic of Adam Rippon.” And at a Stars on Ice show in Detroit, Michigan, in April, Rippon garnered by far the most enthusiastic response, winning applause from tween girls, a squadron of proud queers, and suburban moms, alike. Reese Witherspoon loves him. So does Elmo. And like any good mother, Sally Field tried to set him up with her gay son.

Rippon would make his Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) debut a couple weeks after our call, slaying a Vogue-fortified cha-cha to RuPaul’s “Sissy That Walk.” I caught up with the phenom via phone as he put on his face inside the locker room of a Rhode Island arena (a Stars on Ice stop). Rippon opened up about how booze kills his wit game and what he tells guys on Tinder who want a second chance, all the while, being his irresistible self.

WATCH:

[Editor’s Note: This issue of Hotspots went to the printer before ABC’s live DWTS finale, so as you may know, Adam Rippon and his partner Jenna Johnson won the Mirrorball Trophy]

I want to give you a phone hug and say thanks for giving this 35-year-old man a new level of realness to aspire to.

I’m hugging you back.

You stood next to Britney Spears at the GLAAD Media Awards recently for a pic. I hear she liked the way you smelled.

Yes, she did. I congratulated her on her award, and she was like, “You smell really nice,” and I was like, “Thank you so much, ’cause that’s so important to me.”

Your fellow gay Olympian, [freestyle skier] Gus Kenworthy, kissed you on stage that night. How exactly would you describe your relationship with Gus at this point?

Umm [laughs], so, I mean, we’re just friends, obviously. His boyfriend was backstage laughing at him, and so he was just trying to be funny. Gus is a nut.

But you’re so close. And both of you being gay Olympians, it seems you’ve really bonded.

Oh, absolutely. We’re just like brothers — brothers who kiss, I guess. But no, I love him. He’s so nice, and we’re very good friends.

What was it like competing against Tonya Harding on Dancing with the Stars?

It’s not a super big deal, but I think she’s got a lot going on, so I’m just gonna let her do her own thing, probably. Probably best.

Team Tonya or Team Nancy?

Well, I mean, Tonya tried to kill someone, so I’m Team Nancy, probably.

What did you think of I, Tonya?

I loved it. I thought Margot Robbie [who played Harding] was great. Amazing.

Who would you cast as Adam in I, Adam?

Well, Margot did so well. So, maybe Margot Robbie?

Who inspires your on-ice style?

The skating world inspires it a little bit, and then…  you’re gonna know that I’m trashy. I look at like, um, sex stuff and stuff people wear — harnesses and stuff — and the design is quite amazing. I bring [stuff] to my costume designer, and we make them more appropriate for a competition.

For a PG audience?

Yes. Actually, it’s not for that audience. But I make it for them.

That harness you wore to the Oscars in March: Where is it?

It’s in [fashion designer] Jeremy Scott’s office. The suit was by Moschino, so it was from Jeremy’s office and he lent it to me. I’m obsessed with Jeremy. He’s amazing.

Do you get to keep these costumes?

I keep my own costumes. Because, like, I bought them, outright. But the Oscars outfit was for the runway — so, from the red carpet back to the office.

Hard to give that up. So many opportunities to wear something like that.

I know! Like to a wedding. The grocery store.

Were you a sassy kid?

I don’t think I realized how sassy I was till I was at the Olympics and people were like, “Ahahaha, you’re so sassy.” And I was, “Ahahaha… you think so?” And they’re like, “Oh yeah, you’re, like, sassy.” And I was like, “I just thought I was fresh?” And they’re like, “No, you’re sassy.” Oh. OK.

Who inspires your sassiness?

The person who inspires me to be sassy is my mom.

So it’s in the blood.

[Laughs.] Yeah, it’s definitely in the blood. It’s something I can’t control.

Born this way.

Born this way, for sure. Genetics.

Your future: What’s off the table? Where do you draw the line?

Like, I’m not gonna do porn. That’s drawing the line, I guess. I don’t think I would do a reality show — I mean, I did Dancing with the Stars. That’s a reality show. I’m not gonna do, like, Big Brother or anything.

You’re getting a lot of offers. What percentage are you turning down?

I’m talking a little bit to everybody. But honestly, my schedule’s so crazy right now, I barely even know where I am.

The media loves getting you drunk.

Here’s the thing: I don’t drink a lot. Barely anything. And so everyone’s like, “Haha, come on the show and just have drinks!” And I’m like, “OK.” So, I’ll have a little bit, but I feel like I’m way funnier not drunk. I’m not as sharp, I’m not as witty; I’m not myself when I’m drunk. I mean, I like to be in the moment. If I’m in the moment, I can focus, and then I can be quick and witty.

You’ve been on this wild ride: the Olympics, Stars on Ice, Dancing with the Stars. How will you spend a day off when you finally get one?

Um, probably napping.

The whole day?

The whole day.

You have a new man, Jussi-Pekka Kajaala. He’s very good-looking.

I do. He’s super cute, but more than that, he’s super nice and funny.

Before you met, what criteria did you have for a boyfriend?

I really wasn’t looking for anybody. I was on Tinder just for fun. If you’ve ever been on Tinder, you know how you swipe left and right, and it basically turns into this game?

Oh yeah. It’s like the new Hot or Not.

It’s absolutely that. My criteria for a good boyfriend would be somebody who has passion. Passion is super important to me because, no matter what you do, if you have passion for it, then that’s kind of what life is all about — that you have passion for something. [Laughs.]

I’m being so serious. Usually when I get asked this question, I’m like, “a job, goes to the gym” — which is also important.

How many people on Tinder believed you were really Adam Rippon?

Nobody gave a shit that I was Adam Rippon. But I can tell you that everyone I ever matched with who ghosted on me has messaged me since the Olympics. My favorite is, “Oh, it’s been a while. How ya doing?” And I’m like, “Bye.”

You give them more than they deserve, honestly.

Usually I don’t answer.

Do you expect there will be a day when an openly gay figure skater can just be a figure skater?

Yeah. And I hope there’s a day that an openly gay Olympian will just be an Olympian. But I think right now it’s important to share your story.

For me, it’s not being gay that I share; I share my coming out. It’s not like, “Oh, I’m gay and I’m powerful” — which is, like, so true. It was [during] my coming out experience when I started to really own who I was and that’s where I found a lot of power. I was always me, but I didn’t always own it. And when I owned it, that’s when I found I was my strongest.

Have you had any particularly moving exchanges with young queer fans?

Yes. There’ve been many. I’ve run into a few young people who told me they tried to kill themselves at one point, which is incredibly hard to hear, especially from really young kids.

It’s bizarre to be thanked for just being who you are, and for someone to tell you that you really helped them, it’s incredibly humbling. I was not expecting that kind of response after the Olympics.

Do you feel pressure to act or be a certain way because of that?

No more than the way that I’ve been acting.

Good. To end, which Golden Girl are you?

Probably Blanche. Isn’t everyone Blanche? And I’m a little — OK, I’m mostly Dorothy.

It’s the snark.

It is the snark.

from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2018/05/24/adam-rippon-talks-finding-his-gay-power-fetish-inspired-costumes/