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hellogirlslikegirlslikeboysdo · 5 months

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And the lights are not fluorescent, and there are no words on the page. - Voice/Rough Draft Essay

Author's Preface and Ch. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7

Description: My final portfolio for one of the creative writing courses I took based around exploring the creative nonfiction essay in its many literary forms, with any and all identifying names or signifiers censored out.

During my many travels, I have found sticking a man and his daughter in a hot car for approximately 116 miles, radio on low, murmuring music she likes and he doesn’t, homemade food in Tupperware in insulated beach bags in piles of slowly unfolding clothes in the back of the trunk, will, against or with their collective will, bring about conclusions. Asinine, podcast-y, “This action will have consequences“ conclusions. Some the father’s already decided and convinced the daughter of (and vice versa).

You’ll get them in a wide variety of (recurring) topics too! The entertainment industry, capitalism, education, and, if you, the reader, happened to be a stowaway on my last return to college, my mother’s own gradual and uncharitable concussion:

That she, at the ripe old age of 50-something, is done growing as a person.

It checked out when consulted her track record, like it was fact-checking for an intervention: Her slow-roasted resentment in my grandmother’s miserly recognition of her overwhelming lifelong achievements (and, subsequently, her brother for slurping up all the motherly attention grandma served up, like the part eched little thing he was), barely abated by her (1) confrontation of my grandmother’s behavior. The following mourning period, shared with me and my father for two months at best. Her go-to apology: “I guess I’m a bad person then!” said in the most patronizing voice she could muster (and believe me when I say she has plenty of experience).

My mother is a firecracker more than she is a woman, raw, rich personality stuffed inside what looks like Barbie-laminated plastic, engineered at initial creation to shoot off into the sky quicker than the strike of a match. To burn out, quietly, like the star that she is, following the promise of a thunderous boom. A great disappointment you only understand in adulthood.

Of course she saw life, her life, as just sorta…like that. Nothing to be done about it, you could figure she figured. Best to hang that soggy pit of sadness on the coat rack and hope to god it dries in time for work tomorrow.

I wasn’t grown up though, despite my age of 20 whole years. At least, not enough to understand how anyone else could think like that. Could find something tucked away in the recess of their life that just wasn’t quite right, and go “...Mmmm that should be good enough.” The best explanation, the one meant for someone so young and hopeful in their delusions, was found in the very first conclusion I managed to bulldoze my father into coming to that evening: Ever since man first inhaled the emancipating power of creativity and survived the exhale, there has been art born out of someone, somewhere, going “...Well, it looks like the picture in the book”, and calling it a night.

You may be surprised to hear this, considering this little article of mine is (arguably) fairly coherent and, at the very least, not actively killing your brain cells, but my favorite television show of all time is one of the laziest, thoughtless, and most exhaustive pieces of media 14-year-old me had ever seen in her measly little life. It was a 15-minute serialized animated cartoon named Breadwinners running on Nickelodeon's spinoff channel, Nicktoons, at the time, aired only two seasons, and if you value your time and self-respect, you will not watch it. All you need to know about the show is the words of its co-“creator” (the term, of course, used in the most ambiguous sense possible, within the confines of human minds) Gary Di Raffaele on his and Steve Boris shared writing process: “I think, when you watch a Breadwinners episode, it feels and it sounds like no other cartoon because it’s, it’s got that, that constant drive, that constant beat.“ (“Meet The Creators”), an unofficial elaboration on the previous statement, “The way we produce our show is pretty much unlike anything else that’s been produced.” (“Meet The Creators”).

What follows these sentiments are only a few more words on the animation process and the collaborative angle the show’s crew takes, but Gary’s tone (and the show itself) is so clear and obvious that the second part of that sentence, I feel, can barely be classified as an inference. “Unlike anything else that’s been produced”, because that’s what makes the show so unique, so fun and wacky and zany!

So good.

The filming of this interview (with the help of fevered, extensive consumption of both every decent video essay critiquing this show and every episode of the show I’ve gotten my hands on) has only confirmed my suspicions. Sometime after the greenlighting of their pilot and the subsequent order of a first season, Raffaele and Boris had come to the reasonable observation that one of the many redeeming qualities used to defend a show’s quality is its supposed uniqueness, its fresh ideas or concepts. Even its ability to introduce familiar archetypes and plotlines and tropes in a new and exciting way, or with a twist or subversion of sorts! They then, despite now having contact with at least a few of Nickelodeon's experienced and accomplished writers now within contact, stumbled down one of the many historic writing pitfalls of overeager amateurs and seasoned veterans who have lost their touch over time: The assumption that because their writing looks like some of the quality art they’ve seen before, it simply must be of just as high a quality.

This artistically stunting philosophy grows in many familiar places, the way mold grows on trash bins left on the curb on a hot summer Tuesday. You may find it in the 12-year-old who is just beginning to explore their artistic capabilities by tracing screenshots of anime characters they found online, or the burned-out cartoon writer, a fast-approaching deadline for the shipment of an episode’s storyboard hanging over their head, and a hastily downed Starbucks coffee hanging off the side of their desk. You may even find it trapped within the inner workings of your own creative work (though I do hope you never do). Either way, you will find the same outcome in every new example you find yourself confronted with:

The writer eventually mistakes their work’s resemblance to the type of art they aim to recreate, whether that be in the way said example tugs at the heartstrings or gets its viewer’s blood pumping, for proof that their work accomplishes these feats too, simply due to its traceable proximity to its inspiration.

The stand-up comic throws in jokes that don’t land because they have identifiable setups and punchlines, the romance novelist adds a sex scene even when it grinds the plot to an unnecessary halt because her favorite book has one too, and the writers behind Breadwinners use an inventive new production strategy to make the zaniest, off-the-wall scripts their network had ever seen, in hopes they would help the show stand out amongst all the other wacky competition in each week’s programming block and ensure each episode shocks and surprises 9-12 year olds everywhere. That Breadwinners would be innovative, eye-catching, and above all else, unique.

This inherent “uniqueness”, of course, was presumed to come neatly prepackaged with the intended goal of their solely comedy-focused cartoon: Making the viewer laugh. In any way possible. If you’ve ever seen an episode of Breadwinners, you know fully well that it did not.

“But [REDACTED],” You cry. “Haven’t you ever written something in the style of the things you like? Who are you to judge?” Normally, I would recount the “Appeal to Hypocrisy” fallacy in detail, but this article is already long enough (I would also question why you are talking to an online article as if it can hear you, but I digress). I will instead surrender my own early work, “Body Swichers” (I invite you to ignore the spelling, if you can), as tribute, and instead call your attention to this excerpt from a twelve-year-old me with a cliche plot line and far-too-early access to Microsoft Word: “Instead of the cheerful, spike-haired boy, he saw his sarcastic, witty friend, Gretchen in the mirror…Megee raced toured the closet and pulled out an antique, dusty, enormous book.” (Sacristan 1)

Notably bad grammar and sentence structure aside, this quote is a direct result of my ongoing journey as a writer. The first thing I had ever written, the first chapter of a romance/adventure story, was an attempt to recreate the magic I’d found in the many, many novels I had gotten lost in as a child. It was, predictably, not successful. Every line held the bland and awkward hallmarks of a child’s first draft, despite both my parents’ insistence on how it didn’t. Instead of falling back on the idea that it was good by virtue of it sharing an intended style with works I had deemed good, however, I opened up my laptop a few weeks later, pulled up Internet Explorer, and set out to find why that chapter didn’t intrigue me as much as the writing in my favorite series.

This process soon led to the discovery that the books I liked had big, descriptive words in them, words like “sarcastic” and “antique” and “enormous”. The incorporation of these words in my next work led to the question of why everything I wrote sounded so clunky and redundant all of a sudden, which led to learning about effective word choice, and then good sentence structure, and then impactful tone and atmosphere, and countless other improvements! Most importantly, however, is how it highlights the difference between my approach and Boris and Raffaele, despite still sitting at an amateurish level myself.

They took inspiration thinking it would ensure quality work, to somehow magically copy and paste its greatness into their own writing. I took inspiration to learn what made it so great in the first place.

So, there. That, I figure, is how someone could look at something in their life, whether it be art, a personal flaw, or even their entire self, and assume it resembles what it's supposed to look like well enough to “pass”, whatever in god’s name that’s supposed to mean. (One way, at least.) And I’m sure this theory could apply to other aspects of issues I’ve touched upon in this article. The dire need to push yourself as a writer and avoiding the comfort of creative complacency in your work, the way this type of thinking directly informs the prevailing disrespect children’s television writers holding in their audience, mistranslating “silly and childish” as ��good enough for kids”, even how that reflects a wider disrespect for children in society as a whole!

I hope, however, the single grain of wisdom you and I both take away from this literary exploration is the same one I found detailed in Stephen King’s autobiography, On Writing, in his mother’s disappointment upon realizing that that the little hand-drawn comics he’d been showing her were direct tracings of someone else’s work. IN the novel, she dismisses the original works, citing them as “junk” and insisting that she “...’bet you [he] could do better. Write one of your own.’” (King 28)

Can you imagine, truly, if King (a young child who’d never written an actual story in his whole life and could have very easily done so!) had disregarded his mother’s advice under the guise that nothing could be better than something identical to one of his favorite things to read, that drawing something that looks like them was good enough on its own? If we were forced to live in a world where this advice didn’t lead him to publish so many of the literary classics we know and love today, like “It”, or “Carrie”, or “The Outsider”?…I can’t, since I haven’t actually read any of his books, but this world has been gracious enough to let me bear witness to Carrie (1976), the Carrie musical’s off-broadway cast album, and some of the loveliest It fanart I’ve ever seen, So I imagine that world, in the kindest of words, totally blows. It stands to reason, then, that we, as writers, have a creative duty to keep growing and improving both ourselves and our work, to make sure we never come to see it.

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sweetestberryofthebunch · 2 years

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The one where One Thing goes wrong

The anatomy room was dead silent. No one spoke a word, no one even dared to sneeze. The only sounds were the scribbling of pencil and coals on paper and their professors instructions for the model in front of them. It was some middle aged guy, nothing too interesting of a motif to sketch. Also nothing Crystal hadn’t sketched before. Of course, their professor tried to hire models of a variety of sizes, age and ethnicity, but if most of the people who volunteered for the job were guys from the nearest city looking for the easiest way to gain some cash, there was only so much they could do.

Crystal knew Bosco had applied for the part at least three times, but Thorgy (the eccentric lady let her students use her first name) had turned them down each time, reminding them that while she would certainly let them, it was against school guidelines. Bosco always gave in, not without complaining to their friends over a joint or two though. It was kind of funny, because Crystal was well aware how some of the sketches in Willows portfolio were definitely Daya and Bosco posing for her, even if she didn’t put much detail into their faces.

The memory of that project forced a little sigh out of Crystals mouth. She had meant to ask Gigi if she would pose for her final project of junior year, but each time they had sat together at lunch Crystal had freaked out over it. In the end she had sketched Nicky, for two reasons: It was a safe option, they were close enough friends to stay remotely serious as Crystal sketched and two, they had smoked multiple joints before and Crystal had kept making Titanic jokes, cracking up at herself more than Nicky did. The sketch turned out well, Thorgy had been very impressed, but Crystal still couldn’t help but wonder what might have happened if she had just asked Gigi …

A sharp, short lived pain in her ribs brought Crystal back to reality. She looked up from her sketch to glance over at Willow, who had rammed her elbow right between her ribs. The shorter girl nodded towards the desk, shaking her head at Crystal. Between the two of them was a little notebook, a messy little note written in the corner of the page. Crystal checked whether Thorgy was looking over at them before pulling it closer. Heavens, she always forgot how bad Willow‘s handwriting was.

Stop daydreaming and draw Mr Santaclaus here, we have like 40 mins left.

Biting her bottom lip in frustration, Crystal quickly scribbled an answer.

Wiiiillow :( I wanna go to Lagoona’s partyyyy

Furrowing their eyes in confusion, Willow shot her a questioning glance.

Why? Barely anyone is going, it’s mostly for her rich music friends. We chasing clout now?

Rolling her eyes, Crystal shoved Willows elbow, earning them a sharp hiss from Thorgy. Quickly, both of them leaned back over their sketches, playing innocent until they were sure the professors eyes had trailed off again.

I know Gigi is going though :(

Willow took her time with the answer, actually adding a little bit of shading to her sketch first. For Crystal, that was not an option right now, her mind was too filled with Gigi. She wondered if Symone was going too and if they’d wear matching outfits. Handmade of course, maybe even something Gigi had made in her design class? Sometimes, when the others were out and it was just Gigi and Crystal in the Lake House, Crystal would come over to Gigi‘s room and they’d both work on their projects. Gigi sitting at her desk, the sewing machine rattling along as Crystal laid on her bed, legs kicked up and her sketchbook in front of her. More often than not would Crystal find herself using the same colours of Gigi’s fabrics, or asking for scraps to make a collage out of them. They were some of her most cherished works …

Another shove into her ribs. This time, Crystal gasped out in surprise. Again, Thorgy hissed at them, this time raising a finger in a silent warning. Crystal nodded apologetically before looking back down onto the notebook.

Ask Denali if she has a Plus One. I know she got invited because Olivia won’t shut up about it in the dorms.

Thinking about it, Crystal furrowed her brows.

Are you sure? I haven’t really talked to her …

Willow had to visibly suppress a laugh, wincing as if Crystal was making her physically upset. They wouldn’t stop shaking their head as they worded their answer.

Crys, did you take in a word I said? Barely no one from school is going and Nali swears she would rather chew on her own foot than spend the night with Rosé. She’s gonna be glad for every familiar face there. You’d totally help each other out!

Willow let her read the whole thing, barely able to contain their grin as she finished up her sketch. Thinking about the idea, Crystal tried to save her own drawing, which was still in a way too early stage when they had to hand them in. It was okay though, because she totally had a plan now.

„Jesus Christ“, Denali gasped when they climbed out of the Uber. She stared up at the rows of clean white walls and window fronts climbing up to the stars in front of them. Not only did the three sisters live in the middle of downtown, they also lived in one of the few penthouses around. Bright, neon lights flooded the sidewalk through a full glass wall on of the upper floors, long shadows of the people upstairs.

Crystal stayed silent, but she felt Denali‘s awe in her core. However, the buzzing of her fluttering heart was stronger. Pulling down the skirt of her tight, frilly dress, Crystal tippy-toed her way to the front door. „What name?“, she asked as she scanned the two rows of shiny little golden door bells.

„Sport“, Denali answered, „Like Jan“.

The ride in the elevator was silent. While Crystal wasn’t sure why, Denali seemed just as nervous as she was, if not more. As if she had any reason to. In her pale pink, velvet mini dress and two little braided buns, she looked just like the fancy models and influencers that Crystal expected to see tonight, if not better. The two of them kind of clashed, Crystal in bright red frill with stiletto boots and her hair curled and Denali a vision in pastel. It didn’t stop Denali from interlocking their arms as the elevator came to a halt. „Okay“, she mumbled, „We’ll look for people we know and for booze, right? Liv said Mik and her arrived early …“

Nodding along, Crystal was left to wonder if Gigi had already arrived. She did not have the courage to text her, neither earlier as they got ready in Denali‘s dorm or right now. Willow had sent them off with a roll of her eyes, declaring Crystal useless and the wishing them a good time. God, she loved that little gremlin.

The apartment of the three sisters was just about as opulent as the outside of the place. White surfaces, fancy art on the wall, a whole collection of guitars and a remarkable sound system that blasted Christina Aguilera as the two of them walked in. The open kitchen had a bar, an actual bar, crowded by people and with a tall, dark haired girl with pitch black eyeshadow behind it.

„Adore Delano“, Crystal whispered, „Got her record deal before even graduating.“ Denali‘s eyes were wide, staring around the room. „I know her Crys“, she mumbled, „I watched American Idol.“

„Sorry“, Crystal quickly replied, „I‘m just nervous.“

„Hey“, Denali suddenly looped her arm out of Crystals, „How about I go get us something to drink and you look for Liv or someone? Or Jan maybe, so they know we’re here?“

Sure, that made sense. Olivia or Jan, or maybe Gigi. With a nod, Crystal dove head first into the crowd.

Finding specific people in an apartment packed with strangers turned out to be a lot harder than it sounded. Before she knew it, Crystal had not only lost sight of Denali, who had disappeared somewhere in the little crowd around the bar, but she also couldn’t find anyone else either. For a few minutes, all Crystal did was stand there, somewhat awkwardly, not quite in the center of the room but far from the corners as well.

Then, a single tap on her shoulder. Crystal turned around and almost choked on her own breath. Gigi. And she was gorgeous. Several inches taller than her, even more so now in her stilettos, platforms higher than anything Crystal could ever walk in. She had been right with her assumptions, Gigi did indeed dress matching with Symone, who was talking to some other group of older girls just a few steps behind her sister. Symone was clad in babyblue silk, matching shoes and butterfly clips in her hair, while Gigi was a vision in pale green, perfectly complimenting the rosy blush on her face, the deep forest of her eyes and the sea of autumn cascading down her back, perfectly straightened into one shiny curtain, almost reaching her hips by now. She had a gentle shine on her, and it was not just Crystals heart shaped vision. There was highlight gently tapped onto her cheeks, under her brow, the tip of her nose and all over the length of her collarbones. She looked absolutely ethereal, otherworldly. The most beautiful thing Crystal had ever laid eyes on. And she smiled. Gigi smiled at her.

„Hi“, her eyes crinkled up in her excitement, two perfect rows of teeth flashing at Crystal.

„Hi“, was all Crystal managed to reply, her grin so wide, she must look absolutely dumbfounded. But it didn’t matter right now, it wasn’t like she was capable of changing anything about it anyways. For several seconds, all they did was stare at each other, one smile wider than the other. And Crystal probably would have continued like this for the rest of the night. Eventually, though, Gigi‘s eyes wandered down to where their toes were almost touching, clearing her throat. „I didn’t know you‘d be here! Why didn’t you tell me?“

„Oh!“, Crystal tried her best not to stare at Gigi as she talked, but the mossy green shimmer on her eye lids and the pale pink of her lips were just so nice to look at…

„I’m here with Denali!“, she finally spluttered out, „She needed a plus one!“

„Oh“, Gigi seemed surprised, „I didn’t know you were that close.“

We’re not! Crystal felt like screaming it, but no words left her mouth. Instead, all she managed was an oddly robotic shrug, mustering up a smile. Gigi chuckled, vaguely gesturing over her shoulder. „We were just about to go check out the dancefloor. Monét said the AAA Girls are here tonight! Are you coming?“

„I-“, Crystal seriously struggled to form a sentence, her eyes scanning the bar area. „I really shouldn’t leave Denali like that, she wanted to get us drinks … But we’ll follow you guys right after, okay?“

Something fizzled out in Gigi’s eyes, and Crystal was close to panicking. Did she say something wrong? Was everything alright? She could take it back-

„No okay, that makes sense.“ Gigi smiled at her, but it was less bright than before. Crystal felt her heart sink. The other girl gave her another smile before taking a step back. „See you around, Crys!“ She was swallowed by her group swarming into the next room before Crystal had the chance to answer.

Denali did not come back. Neither did Gigi, and there was still no sign of Mik and Olivia. Crystal couldn’t help but sigh, leaning against a bar stool. The only person who had acknowledged her since Gigi had been Jan, giving her a quick hug and promising to send Denali her way if she saw her, as well as a little wave from Lagoona, before the blue haired queen of the night disappeared in the other room where the music was blasting. She was accompanied by Adore Delano, whose movements had begun to get sloppy and voice was loud and slurred, even in the room full of people. Crystal waved back awkwardly, hesitating a moment before leaving her spot to follow them. If Denali hadn’t come back now, she wasn’t going to. So why not have some fun of her own? After all, Gigi said she would be on the dancefloor …

And she sure was. The room was less crowded than the kitchen, everyone having at least some space to move around. Lagoona stood behind a little DJ table, a tall, lanky blonde by her side waving her arms around to the music. The face seemed familiar, but this time Crystal couldn’t put a finger on it. Right in front of them, amidst the swaying and jumping people, Crystal spotted her favourite redhead, a little taller than most people around her, just like in class.

But she immediately wished she hadn’t. Gigi was dancing, moving her hips around, hands over he head. That wasn’t the problem, no that alone would have been marvellous actually. Sadly, it wasn’t the whole picture. No, the whole picture was way, way worse. Because her front was pressed against some slimy, wide-chested guy with slicked back hair and a smile of such satisfaction, Crystal felt the urge to throw up. Her heart sank into the deepest pits of her stomach and the room seemed to spin around her, the only thing in focus was Gigi. And him.

His hands snaked up Gigi‘s sides, over the silky green fabric Crystal had just stared at a while ago. Gigi didn’t look at him, but her arms found their way around his neck, the two of them swaying around in sync now. And then, as if it wasn’t enough already, the slimeball leaned forward. And kissed Gigi.

Crystal didn’t know what ran first, her legs towards the exit or the tears down her face.

#SORRY GI #you wanted crygi #i gave you angst #berry’s writings #academia au #crygi #adore and Alaska cameos!

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katnisshawkeye · 1 year

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#2022SpotifyWrapped

It’s one of the most waited appointment of the year, and also this year Spotify released it’s #2022SpotifyWrapped, which is a global marketing campaign that, since 2016, allows users to visualize their “Year In Music” on Spotify Platform.

The first time @spotify thought of making a leap into the past to its users was back in 2013, when the marketing ideated a webpage called “Year In Review”.

However, the #SpotifyWrapped creates both a sense of community and belonging and a sense of sharing, comparison and competition analyzing the data visualization of each platform user, giving the results with a winning and pop graphic.

Spotify’s design director Bruno Borges, Spotify’s global head of design and their team worked on a user-centric campaign from months ago to have a final outcome of the data visualization that seems simple and easy.

Monograms, which are the real heart of the campaign of this year, was designed within a 16-by-16 grid to make them feel cohesive, even though they each incorporate distinct layer combinations. The goal the team was looking forward to achieve was to work everywhere in the world and in every size, so they studied shapes and to make a visual reference to the diversity and variety in people’s listening habits. This allowed them to arrive to 48 combinations of shapes and colors to make original articulations so that none would feel the same, even if coming from the same place.

Central in this year wrapped was the motion design as well. The goal the team wanted to achieve was to make the designs dynamic and full of life, so they worked together with the New York-based production studio Hornet. Each monogram has so a personality and a behavior different from one another, telling that we’re all unique and special.

Once the identity was build and tested countless times, the creative toolkit was spread around Spotify’s global teams agencies, and only when the ideas for billboards around the world are perfect it comes the fun part of the campaign: seeing it go live.

The graphics used for the #SpotifyWrapped, so captivating, contemporary and pop, are so visually impactful that they are even used by other online communities to convey their messages. This does nothing but increase the popularity of Spotify and, especially, of the long-awaited Wrapped.

The power of Spotify Wrapped is so big that even other important music streaming platforms started to create their “wrapped”: Apple Music called it “Replay”, and the graphics are simple and minimal as the brand is.

Useful links:

How Spotify’s Wrapped campaign for 2022 came together

Marketing Espresso: Spotify Wrapped

Lorenzo Ferrari thanks about Spotify Wrapped 2022

will_ita: Spotify Wrapped used to convey a message

Federazione Italiana Nuoto: 2022 “playlist”

Cose Brutte Impaginate Belle: “Uncomfortbleness Wrapped”

If this article was useful, stay updated by following me on Instagram, on Facebook, and on LinkedIn! And, have a look to my portfolio too!

Are you curious to see my “Spotify Magazine”? Here it is! I’ve only listened 6,821 minutes on Spotify, but it still 65% more than other listeners in Italy.

I’ve also listened 1,412 minutes of music on Apple Music, and this is my Music Replay:

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miralbulk · 2 years

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Vidi space

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Follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. VIDI SPACE is FREE but there are more add-ons 6.99 MONTHLY Subscription 69.99 YEARLY Subscription App Screenshots App Store Description Brought to you by Elizabeth Saint, Nick Groff and Justin.

VIDI SPACE ANDROID

In the near future, VIDI SPACE will also be available through iOS / Android mobile, Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV applications. We believe that the future holds an environment where entertainment is not just watched - it's experienced. Īccording to Elizabeth Saint, "As a company we believe in our slogan that We Saw The Future. They are welcoming submissions on their website,, or via email to. VidaSpace was founded to create a designer-centric experience, raising the bar for choice with its range of fashion-forward, responsibly sourced wood flooring and other interior finishes. is also branching out into acquired content through a selective process where independent and documentary filmmakers in all genres can showcase their works on the platform. VidaSpace provide New Zealand’s most extensive portfolio of unique and innovative timber wall and flooring solutions. Additional channels will be released over the next couple months covering a large range of different genres and topics including, but not limited to, documentaries, science fiction, crime, UFOs, adventure, horror, cyptozoology, music, and travel.Īside from their original programming, VIDI Space Inc.

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Note that other drivers with versions greater than 398.26 and less than 411.31 may also work. Cognex recommends installing version 399.24. All live streaming content will be available for VOD after the initial airing. The show is currently available exclusively on Amazon TV in the UK and Ghost Adventures Nick Groff and Elizabeth Saints Haunted Space via the VIDI platform. Nvidia CUDA drivers with version 411.31 or newer may not be compatible with ViDi Suite 3.2. The platform will be publicly released January 8th with the first live episode airing January 27th.

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We want a platform where people can really be seen and take these great ideas to their full potential." Quick Look: VIDI SPACE is a subscription-based streaming video service with original shows and films covering a variety of topics and genres with an emphasis on. At some point you get tired of having concepts and talent you're really passionate about get pushed aside, because the industry doesn't believe in them. Nick Groff states, "I've been producing and pitching shows for over 10 years.

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If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Elizabeth Saint and Nick Groff. The visuals become transparent automatically, making it simple to explain START FREE TRIAL Book a demo Brand your Space Brand your Space Add your name, title, and company logo along with a side background strip START FREE TRIAL Book a demo Point at the item Position your visuals Feel free to move, scale up and down, rotate, or flip the images. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show ()Īllswell - Your Dream Bed Starts Here Free delivery on your first order over $35.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

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VIMEO ON DEMAND: Rent the Afraid of Nothing documentary here: PRIME: Watch the documentary on Amazon Prime and please leave a positive review.QOSM (a new paranormal streaming platform): Use the coupon code AFRAIDOFNOTHING which gives users 10% Off of ANY content on the website (i.e., tiered subscriptions, rentals and purchases). BE SOCIAL…īe sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.Īllswell - Your Dream Bed Starts Here Free delivery on your first order over $35.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. HydroElite VIDI, which is the top model from Hydroware, is an integrated drive and control system for hydraulic lifts. Your gracious donation here () will be shouted out in an upcoming episode. Visit Vidi Space at and use the promo code (all caps) I LOVE SPACE to get 50% off the first year's subscription. An actress, model, paranormal investigator, electrical engineer and empath, Elizabeth does it all and brings a unique perspective that blends science and spirituality. VIDI.SPACE is an online streaming platform and production company that launched in 2018 as a niche streaming service initially focused on content within the paranormal and horror genres. Elizabeth Saint, one of the founders of the paranormal subscription channel Vidi Space, joins us to talk about her experiences on Ghosts of Shepherdstown, Paranormal Lockdown and some of her scariest investigations. WEIRD WORLD ADVENTURES We can never say it enough, but we sure do live in a weird world, dont we Think.

#Vidi space

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newmusicradionetwork · 2 years

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RD1 Spirits Team Up With The Les Masters Band and George Stearman

Lexington-based RD1 Spirits is excited to officially announce and welcome The Les Masters Band and George Stearman as their newest partners and Brand Ambassadors. RD1 Spirits will have unique, specialty cocktails at each of the band’s performances, along with promotional posters. “We are excited to team up with another Kentucky great,” said Vice President of Marketing for RD1 Spirits Chris Tetterton. “We like to say we are Kentucky born and raised, and we take pride in our roots. It means a lot to partner with great talent from the Bluegrass state.” The Les Masters Band is composed of five talented individuals with a crowd-pleasing spirit. The band plays a variety of genres including country, classic rock, motown, and dance. “There’s nothing more Kentucky than sipping great whiskey, while enjoying some great music. We’re looking forward to taking RD1 spirits along with us for the ride,” said Lead Singer Les Masters. For a full list of The Les Masters Band’s tour dates visit: www.facebook.com/people/The-Les-Masters-Band. “I try to bring out the flavors of Kentucky in my music and to be able to partner with a local Kentucky brand is fantastic,” said acoustic one-man-band, George Stearman. “Good music and good bourbon, what’s more Kentucky than that?” For a full list of George Stearman’s performances visit. A notable similarity between RD1 and these talented bands is their genuine passion for what they do. RD1 Spirits is inspired by Lexington’s first federally registered distillery, which was registered in 1865 on Manchester Street. With award-winning whiskeys like Wm Tarr Manchester Reserve 96.4 Proof and Wm Tarr Manchester Reserve 114 Proof, RD1 Spirits delivers a portfolio that’s worthy of Lexington’s legendary whiskey heritage. The company’s rare, small-batch Kentucky whiskeys are available for sale throughout Kentucky as well as the RD1 tasting room (1170 Manchester Street, Suite 190 Lexington, KY 40508). For more information of the performances with RD1, visit https://rd1spirits.com/pages/rd1happenings. About RD1 Spirits Based in Lexington, Kentucky (1170 Manchester Street, Suite 190 • Lexington, KY 40508) RD1 Spirits was inspired by Lexington’s first registered distillery. The brand has several rare small-batch Kentucky whiskey releases to-date including Old Wm. Tarr Manchester Reserve 114 proof and 96.4 proof. RD1 Spirits is committed to the principles and foundations laid over 150 years ago by William Tarr, one of the bourbon giants of the Bluegrass. To learn more visit www.rd1spirits.com or @rd1spirits on social. Read the full article

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prestigegiftingdelights · 2 years

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Best Rakhi & Gifts for Brother in Raksha Bandhan

Whether it is through planner Rakhis, return Rakhi gifts for sisters or unique Rakhi shocks, kin tries to explain their most genuine feelings during this bubbly festival through sweet badges of affection. his Rakshabandhan now is the right time to give extra The Kid Brother: If your sibling is a young man, and buy Raksha Bandhan hampers online thoughts for a more youthful sibling, then, at that point, you can gift him a fixed bin loaded up with varieties and extravagant erasers and pencils as an ideal Rakhi gift. You could likewise add a shading book or a storybook. A milk mug with his image on it or a sipper would interest a youngster as well. His most loved hero can likewise be an extraordinary gift. Also, a computer game would take the little one leap all over with delight! Remember an exciting animation Rakhi to add to his pleasure.

The Teenage Brother The Teenage Brother: For a teen, passes to a close by entertainment or water park could excite him tremendously and, surprisingly, better, in the event that you can incorporate one of his companions. You could likewise give him extras of his number one game, similar to a football or a cricket bat. Or on the other hand, even an enormous banner or a T-shirt of his #1 Rock band, every one of these rakhi gifts for siblings would get the job done!

The College-Going Brother The College-Going Brother: If the youthful fellow in your family is school-going, the best Rakhi gift would be a cool device. Your sibling could love you for the most recent adaptation of the Playstation or Xbox 360, and assuming he as of now has the hardware, you can provide him with the CDs of the most recent games that anyone could hope to find for that specific gaming gadget. Aside from that, a planner brand's shirt, a shrewd rucksack, shoes or a cool armband, which he can flaunt among his companions, everyone is a great rakhi gift for siblings who set off for college. Or disaster will be imminent, a decent shaving unit is likewise a decent Raksha Bandhan gift hampers.

The Working Brother The Working Brother: For a functioning proficient, nothing satisfies in excess of a decent tie or sleeve fastener for one of his extraordinary gatherings. A brilliant portfolio or a PC pack that he can haul around would likewise be convenient. A trinket for his office table, a wonderful photo placement (an electronic casing is an excellent gift, on the off chance that your spending plan permits), and the best sibling cup for his quick rests will continuously make him grin with each taste as he ponders you!

The Married Brother The Married Brother: If your sibling is hitched, most likely, it would be more chivalrous to incorporate his significant other as well. You could gift them a couple of spa meetings; a superb camera for him to record all his delightful recollections; or a handcrafted customized collection of old and new pictures which will help him to remember his lifelong recollections. You could likewise get them a home-style thing or a little household item to effortlessness their home. Ensure you pick a shining Lumba Rakhi for Bhabhi as well as to make an ideal Raksha Bandhan second.

The Traditional Brother The Traditional Brother: Anything purchased with adoration and finished off for certain desserts would satisfy your customary sibling, particularly when introduced alongside a carefully beautified Rakhi Thali. Joined with a dry natural product box, it would make an extraordinary gift. A music assortment of old tunes and ghazals or talk CDs of a few veritable profound masters for their psychological harmony can likewise be given as gifts for Raksha Bandhan to siblings. So this Rakshabandhan, ensure you pick an incredible Rakhi gift for your sibling and make your Rakhi good tidings significantly more exceptional and endearing.

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qubemagazine · 2 years

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New Post has been published on Qube Magazine

New Post has been published on https://www.qubeonline.co.uk/evergreen-malcolm-clocks-up-50-years-at-well-known-cleaning-product-supplier/

Evergreen Malcolm clocks up 50 years at well-known cleaning product supplier

NEWS FEATURES FIRE & SECURITY SUBMISSIONS RESOURCES

Loyal Malcolm Cross has clocked up 50 years working for one of the country’s best-known manufacturers and suppliers of cleaning and hygiene products. Despite being aged 78, evergreen Malcolm still works three days a week in an advisory role at family run Cleenol on the Beaumont Business Park in Banbury, Oxon. The workaholic has no plans to hang up his overalls and even after a hard day’s work he can be found caring for a neighbour’s walled garden or looking after the village green near his home in nearby Hornton. Malcolm’s marathon stint at Cleenol started in 1971 when you could buy a pint of milk for five pence or a pint of beer for 16 pence. He started out as a driver before working his way up to warehouse manager and then works manager – a role he held for 40 years. In recognition of his steadfast loyalty, Cleenol’s MD and fourth generation owner Sam Greaves recently rewarded Malcolm with a memorable gift – a dream trip to be taken with wife Linda to the Balearics Islands with Saga Holidays. Describing his strict daily routine, Malcolm said: “I rise around 6.30 am every day, and have a cup of tea but no breakfast. From Monday to Wednesday I’m at Cleenol’s site by 7am. I take a sandwich with me for a 10.30 am break but then have nothing to eat until my evening meal. “I get home from Cleenol around 4pm when Linda gives me a ticking off for staying out too long. We settle down for dinner at 5.30pm and after that I will go outside and undertake various gardening tasks before returning home by 9pm to watch some football or horse racing on TV or even some Irish Country music. I’m in bed by 10.30pm”. Malcolm – who reached 50 years of service at Cleenol on December 23 – has acquired so much experience over the years that even now, as almost an octogenarian, he is playing a vital role organising staff, planning, checking goods inwards, helping with production and driving a fork lift truck, among other duties. He married Linda 52 years ago and became stepfather to her sons Mark and Julian who, amazingly, have also worked at Cleenol in a variety of roles for 30 years and 40 years respectively. The couple also have a daughter, Jo, and six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Malcolm, who says he has “no retirement plans whatsoever”, has a few words of advice for others who want to work past retirement age: “Stay engaged, keep active and look for things you enjoy at work. Having an active mind and bags of energy is also really important”. He added: “Staying so long at Cleenol is one of my biggest achievements in life. I love the dynamic of the business and its family ethos. I have now seen the fourth generation take on the ownership – quite a surreal turn of events considering my wife used to change the current MD’s nappies at one time”. Sam Greaves, Owner and MD of Cleenol, said: “Malcolm is that rarity in the modern workplace – someone who has stayed with the same employer for more than half a century. He is still going strong and playing an important part in our success. He richly deserves our gift of a luxury holiday and, at the same time, we expect to see him as part of the Cleenol workforce for some time yet!”. Cleenol, which can trace its roots back to the early 1700s, has customers all over the world and has a client portfolio comprising local authorities, government departments and appointed distributors throughout the UK and worldwide, as well as wholesalers and stockists in a range of marketplaces. ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME: Malcolm proudly receives from Sam Greaves details of the Saga holiday. https://cleenol.com/

Evergreen Malcolm clocks up 50 years at well-known cleaning product supplier

NEWS FEATURES FIRE & SECURITY SUBMISSIONS RESOURCES

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ghost-party · 3 years

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Pairing: Erwin Smith x Reader (Modern AU) Word Count: 2.6K Warnings: alcohol, age gap, flirtatious touching, implied sexual activities A/N: This is for @boston-bakedbeans’ Las Vegas Collab. Most of the details come from my trip to Las Vegas for CES 2020. Because of that, this feels like a more self-indulgent fic. (And I know the last line is cheesy. I just couldn’t resist!)

It’s your first time in Las Vegas, and you can’t wait to leave.

As you collapse into a chair that’s more stylish than comfortable, one of many that line the crowded hallways of the convention center, you reluctantly admit that you’re probably not doing Sin City right.

Instead of hitting the casinos or taking in the sights, you’re spending your days at CES, one of the biggest tech events in the country. That, in itself, should be exciting.

But all you can think about is how crowded it is, how overwhelming it is, how lonely it is. You’ve watched groups of coworkers walk ahead of you through the exhibit halls and wished your workplace had sent at least one other person to keep you company.

And when your days are over and the nightlife consumes the town — all neon lights, loud, pulsing music, and tourists stumbling down the sidewalks, colorful drinks in hand — you hide away in your hotel room halfway up the iconic Luxor glass pyramid.

It’s nothing like the movies. You usually enjoy traveling for work, seeing places you never thought you would visit. And yet, the idea of exploring a city that never sleeps all by yourself has you longing for home in a way you never expected.

You’re scrolling through emails on your phone, idly listening to nearby conversations about blockchain and cryptocurrency, piezo actuators, wearable haptic interfaces, and what the South Hall food court is serving for lunch.

“Is this seat taken?”

Startled out of your stagnant thoughts, you look up to find a man standing beside you, pointing at the seat next to yours. He’s striking — tall and fit, with light blond hair and blue eyes. Dressed in a crisp, white button-down and charcoal pants, it would be easy to overlook him in a crowd.

Until you looked at his face, that is. He’s handsome. Very handsome.

Realizing you’ve likely been staring for too long, your cheeks warm as you shake your head. He simply smiles and sits down, setting his leather satchel on the floor. As he leans back, he sighs, those sky blue eyes drifting shut for the briefest moment before turning back to you.

“First time at CES?”

You huff out a laugh, still feeling embarrassed. “It’s that obvious, huh?”

He smiles again, more reassuring this time. “We’ve all been there. But it’s only the second day. It gets easier, I promise.”

You think back to yesterday, waiting to enter the main hall. Countless bodies pressed tight against one another, heads craned back and smartphones raised high in an effort to capture a photo or video or Facebook Live shot of the impressive array of flexible LED screens arcing above you, displaying footage of vibrant ocean life and lush, green jungles.

“You sure about that?” You give him a skeptical look, and he chuckles.

“Well, at the very least, you get used to it.” He leans forward and offers you his hand. “Erwin Smith.”

You tell him your name and try to ignore how nice his hand feels, large and warm. When he pulls away, he glances down at the badge hanging around your neck.

“So you’re an engineer?”

You frown and self-consciously touch the thick paper, printed at a busy kiosk and practically thrown at you immediately after you arrived at the airport. “Uh… No. I still need to find the right help desk to get a corrected one. I’m just a conference planner.”

When he raises an eyebrow, you clarify, “Not for this. God, no. This is… insane.” You go on to explain that you work for a mid-sized company that plans and hosts educational events in a variety of industries. It just so happens that your portfolio is rather tech-heavy.

As you speak, Erwin leans even closer, propping an elbow on his knee as he rests his chin on his hand. He seems genuinely interested in your work, even asking questions and nodding along with your answers.

Talking to someone — anyone — after two days of feeling like just another body in the crowd is such a relief. But more than that, talking to him feels easy, as if you’ve been doing it for years rather than minutes. You can feel the tension you’ve been carrying in your shoulders begin to ease as he tells you about his own job, managing the business development division of an R&D lab.

Soon enough, the two of you are continuing your conversation while wandering through the automotive exhibit hall, pausing now and then to look at self-driving cars and transportation innovations for smart cities. There’s almost too much to see, but to your surprise, you don’t feel so overwhelmed.

Erwin is intelligent and thoughtful, easily moving from one topic to the next while walking alongside you. When his hand brushes against the small of your back, guiding you away from a crowd of people waiting for a demonstration to start, your stomach does a little flip. And every time he smiles, it feels like lying in the sun, warm and comforting.

Hours later, the two of you head back towards the main doors. You plan to catch an Uber back to your hotel, while he’s on his way to meet up with some colleagues at the outdoor exhibit space. When you tell him you’re staying at Luxor, he looks pleasantly surprised.

“I’m over at Mandalay Bay.”

Recalling that the two hotels are connected by a small shopping center, you shake your head. “What a coincidence. I guess Vegas is a small world — or at least the Strip is.”

He stops and reaches into his bag, pulling out a business card. “The bottom one’s my cell number.” You swear he looks almost sheepish, glancing away as he says, “If you find yourself in the mood for late night pizza or something, let me know.”

“You won’t be out hitting the town?” you tease, and he rolls his eyes.

“Very funny. I’m too old for that.”

You scoff. “Impossible. What are you, 35?”

At that, he laughs, loud and sudden, and you can’t stop yourself from grinning. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting that.” He gifts you with another warm smile. “42, actually.”

You nudge him with your elbow. What you say is, “Still young enough to party.” But what you think is that it shouldn’t be nearly as much of a turn on as it is, knowing he’s twelve years older than you.

Somehow, you manage to suppress your inappropriate thoughts and meet up with him that evening for the promised pizza. It’s nothing special. More of a tourist trap kind of place with cheap, greasy slices and strong drinks. But sitting in a small, cozy booth with him, now wearing a t-shirt and jeans rather than his work clothes, a pair of glasses resting on his slightly-crooked nose… It feels right.

As you banter back and forth and people watch through the windows overlooking the miniature mall, you realize that, for the first time since your plane landed on the tarmac, you’re actually enjoying your time here.

• • •

The next morning, Erwin walks over to Luxor and meets you at the Uber pickup point. You both agreed it made sense to share a ride to the Venetian, where you’ll be attending separate seminars for most of the morning.

You gave yourself a pep talk — or, really, some stern reminders — while getting dressed. He’s a friend. You only just met. Don’t make things weird.

But it’s easy to forget when the driver makes a hard right turn, and even with your seatbelt on, you find yourself leaning against Erwin’s broad shoulder. It’s hard to find the words to respond when he looks down at you and asks if you’re okay.

Or when the two of you exit the car and he somehow makes it around to your side before you can even reach for the handle, opening the door for you. Not to mention when you part ways and he briefly clasps your shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze as he suggests you meet up for lunch when your sessions are over.

As you sit in a stiff banquet chair and watch the first PowerPoint of the morning, a presentation on a wearable device that helps to regulate your body temperature, your mind wanders.

There’s no ring on Erwin’s finger. You’ve checked. And plenty of people have flings while out of town on work trips. It’s not unusual by any means. But you’ve never been a one-night stand kind of person. And Erwin… It’s silly, having only known him for a day. But he strikes you as the kind of man you settle down with, introduce to your family, take on domestic outings to the farmer’s market or garden center.

And as silly as it may be, you want that. It’s not the loneliness of Las Vegas hitting you hard. It’s the loneliness you’ve been feeling for a while now, the unwavering desire to finally find someone you connect with, who understands and accepts you completely.

You hardly know Erwin. You realize that. And yet…

That afternoon, as the two of you discuss your respective seminars over a shared plate of bruschetta at a restaurant overlooking the famed Venetian canals, you start speaking before you can talk yourself out of it.

“So, uh… It’s totally fine if you say no.” You shift in your seat, forcing yourself not to look away. “But I have an extra ticket to a show tonight — KÀ by Cirque du Soleil. I thought another coworker would be here, so I bought two… And if you’re not busy, maybe you could… go with me.”

Erwin smiles. “At the MGM Grand, right?” He pulls his phone from his pocket and opens his calendar app. “What time?”

You give him the details, and he says he’ll meet you there. On the way back to your hotel, alone since he had several meetings lined up at ARIA, you try not to replay the conversation over and over in your head.

But the way he had looked so excited, the feel of his hand briefly resting on your back before you parted ways outside the Venetian… It’s hard not to let it go to your head, those soft touches, the hints that maybe, just maybe, you’re not the only one feeling like this.

Later that evening, you wait in the theater lobby, holding a huge, boozy slushie one of the concessions workers had somehow talked you into buying. Erwin is ten minutes late, and it’s making you nervous. But when your phone buzzes with a text, you see that he’s on his way, just stuck in traffic.

Deciding to leave his printed ticket at the counter, you head inside, distracted from your worries as you marvel at the size of the theater, as well as the ushers’ dedication to their show-themed roles.

The one who leads you to your seat, in the front row to the right of the stage, introduces you to the very wholesome-looking family sitting next to you.

“These are the Millers,” he says with gusto, his faux accent thick, rolling the r with a trill. “They’re from Indiana!”

“That’s... great,” you say, trying to sound cheerful as you glance between them and the cup holder that is somehow too small to hold your enormous plastic cup.

The parents nod politely, until they’re distracted by another usher offering to take their photo. You sigh with relief and resist the urge to check your phone again. The show’s going to start soon. At least if Erwin bails on you, you can find solace and a hopefully-decent buzz in the sugary mistake now wedged between your thighs as you grapple with your purse.

You nearly jump out of your seat when a large hand settles on your arm, but the familiarity of it instantly eases you. “I’m so sorry.” Erwin’s frowning as he sits beside you, folding his tall frame into the small space. But he lets out a laugh when he sees your drink. “You know, I’ve always wanted to try one of those.”

You immediately offer it to him. “Please, have some. I don’t want to be the only one looking ridiculous tonight.”

He takes a long sip, his blue eyes fixed on you. When he licks his bottom lip, your heart nearly stops. “You don’t,” he murmurs. “Look ridiculous, I mean.” He glances away, rubbing the back of his neck as a voice comes on over the speakers, reminding the audience to keep the aisles clear and silence their phones.

The show is incredible, like nothing you’ve ever seen before. Both you and Erwin have to recline in your seats to see everything. But being in the front row has its perks. You can feel the heat of the flames on your face, see the actors’ expressions up close, and hear the drumbeats so loudly, the sound vibrates through you.

Halfway into the performance, the two of you have finished your shared drink and are leaning back, watching the acrobatics right above you. The thrill of it is heightened when Erwin’s hand touches yours, and when you turn your head to look at him, he’s already gazing at you, his smile soft and loosened with drink.

Your fingers find his, tracing them down to his knuckles and then ghosting over the back of his hand. It’s too loud to hear it, but you can see his breath catch, the sharp inhale as he turns his palm face up to meet your wandering wand, tentatively taking hold of it.

And there it stays, until the show has ended and the audience slowly begins to exit. You both sit there, unwilling to break the moment until you absolutely have to. But even then, as you walk side by side towards the parking deck, an Uber already on the way, his hand finds yours again.

It’s not until you’re standing outside Luxor that you tell him, “I don’t do… this. This isn’t…” You squeeze his hand, at a loss for words but hoping that, as with most things, he knows what you mean.

“Neither do I.” Erwin’s thumb rubs across your knuckles. “I don’t have any expectations, just to be clear. If we said goodnight here, it wouldn’t change anything — how I feel about you.”

Reassured by his words, you step closer, your skin slightly chilled in the January air. “And how do you feel about me?” you quietly ask.

He closes the distance between you, the hard planes of his body suddenly pressed against you, and you let out a small gasp. “I like you,” he murmurs. “More than I should, considering we only just met.” You see a hint of pink in his cheeks, and you smile at the sight.

“But I’m fascinated by you.” His hand lifts to caress your cheek, his touch gentle as he traces the line of your jaw with his fingertips. “Your intellect, your kindness…” He hesitates, gaze darkening. “Everything.”

Neither of you asks where this might go, what any of this means, not as you lead him up to your room, or as he pushes you against the door, kissing you with tender desperation. You’ll figure it out later.

And you do. You spend the few remaining days of the conference together, having lunch with his coworkers, visiting as many exhibit booths as you can, finding time to explore some of the famed sights of the city, staying up late, learning one another’s bodies with eager hands and mouths.

By the time you board your flight at the end of the week, you’ve already booked another — one that will take you to Seattle next month. Erwin is already making plans, texting you ideas of places to go and things to do together.

It’s his last text before takeoff, however, that leaves you smiling even brighter: a photo of the two of you in front of the Bellagio fountains.

You know what they say. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. But you’re more than happy to have found an exception to that rule.

#boston's las vegas collab #attack on titan #aot #erwin smith #erwin x reader #erwin smith x reader

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eagles-translated · 3 years

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Answering Eagles questions before the season 3 finale (Part 2/2)

I've received a bunch of questions since 3x08 and 3x09 dropped, so I compiled all the questions into two posts. I had to split them up because Tumblr only allows 10 images per post. Anyway, keep reading to see my answers and enjoy! 👇

There might be some kind of collaboration between Amie and Ludde like last season—we have only heard snippets of Ludde's song submission to the music school and it wouldn't surprise me if we saw Amie perform the song in its entirety in the last episode. I touched on this a little in part 1 of answering these questions.

It seems like Amie singing at the end of the season has become kind of a recurring theme. She performed “Follow” in 1x08 and “Second Sight” in 2x10 (on the radio, but my point still stands). I wouldn’t be surprised if they followed this trend by having Amie perform a new song in the season 3 finale.

I'm not sure if she'll recommend Ludde to the record label, though. I honestly still feel like Amie's whole storyline with sending in a rather basic demo written by two teenagers with little to no experience and then getting praised on it with comments such as "it's going to be a real summer hit" felt so unrealistic to me. Maybe they only said that so Amie would accept their offer or something, but that's still very strange because she would have still said yes without a doubt.

I can understand that they thought Amie was marketable as a person and there was this bonus with her having gone viral before on Felicia's Instagram, but that demo did not seem good enough for me to be immediately released as a single and then have them decide on the spot that Amie would be given a contract.

I mean, come on. It never felt earned because we never really saw Amie struggling with her songwriting journey to achieve this dream. Sending in one demo to one record label and having them immediately want to make a whole album with you just doesn't happen in real life unless the song is extremely good or you have a very unique voice. Amie is really talented but there are hundreds of people just like her, if not thousands. I was never convinced by her getting signed so quickly in season 2.

I understand that they wanted to establish her as a successful artist, but that felt so rushed. I was so sure that the record label would screw her over and steal the song rights to record it with another artist who was already established, and that we'd have to see Amie work even harder to achieve her dreams. But we didn't get that at all. Where was the struggle?

Anyway, I'm getting a little off-topic here. To be honest I have a lot of problems with the writing sometimes, even if I still love the show and its characters. Of course I wanted to see Amie achieve success (and I was happy when she did), but the journey there was so bizarrely easy.

She didn't start to seriously work on making her music career become a reality until season 2. Amie had dabbled in music prior to that, like when she auditioned for the school band and did that performance of Follow, but she didn't truly start to work towards it until season 2 when she decided to have her work sent to professionals in the business. And then, just five episodes later, she gets contacted by the record label in Stockholm.

To put this into context—season 2 took place somewhere around March, and episode 5 around three weeks into April. So when Ludde first started helping Amie it took less than two months for her to get signed. You could argue that the song was just that good or that Amie is just that talented, but it never felt like a realistic storyline to me.

So, back to your question! I need to stop getting so sidetracked while answering these haha. I don't think it would be realistic for the record label to hire a teenager with no professional songwriting experience, likely a very small portfolio of his own work in both size and variety, having a criminal record, and on top of that being infamous in the press for abusing his ex-girlfriend. If Amie offered the ultimatum to her label that she'll only return with Ludde, who has an incredibly bad reputation right now, it feels like she would be running the risk of losing the contract entirely.

There's only so much her label can put up with. We've seen Amie ignore their calls with no intention of reassuring them that she's coming back soon. Honestly, with the way things are looking right now it makes the most sense for the contract to be dropped. By Amie or by the label, I don't know.

The episode description for the season finale says that Ludde will get some sort of justice and it could be about his music (or something related to whatever Andreas is doing).

I believe Amie will be doing a live performance of Ludde's song at a New Year's Eve party in episode 10 but I doubt that Ludde will be picked up as a producer. If he actually does I would find that to be a very unrealistic plot point, to be completely honest with you.

This is an issue I had with 3x08 and 3x09 as well. I had a hard time actually enjoying the moment between Felicia, Klara, and Amie knowing that her family was getting increasingly worried for her and even thought for a short moment that Felicia was lying dead at the bottom of the ocean. All that could've been avoided.

To add, it didn't make a lot of sense to me that when Klara finally decided to call someone she called Amie instead of Elias. An ex-friend of Felicia's instead of her brother who could've helped a lot more. What was Amie supposed to do when she showed up at the hotel, exactly?

I know there was the thing with Klara only knowing Amie's number off the top of her head, but there is no reason why she couldn't have gone down to the reception while Felicia was sleeping and asked to use a computer just to get a quick message to Elias. Like, "hey, Felicia attempted something bad but she's safe with me, we're at this hotel in this room but she didn't want me to call anybody, I don't know what to do". That would've been so much better than keeping quiet about the situation for nearly 24 hours.

I know that Klara probably has trauma from leaving her dad at the hospital after his suicide attempt and that she probably didn't want to go against Felicia's wishes. I understand the first part 100%. But Felicia was in a very bad place emotionally and was thinking that her whole family hated her when that wasn't the case. I feel like in a situation like that you kind of have to be the bad guy just to ensure the family that Felicia was safe. Even if everything turned out alright in the end, it could've gone so much worse if Felicia had wanted to be kept hidden for longer.

The ending of 3x08 was super tough to watch and I can't imagine the feeling of thinking your only daughter/sister drowned herself after you just yelled at her and showed no support. Klara couldn't have known any of this, but I feel like she should've at least contacted Elias if she wasn't taking Felicia to a hospital.

Elias calling Amie would've been an easy solution to this whole debacle but we would've lost the drama. It's still somewhat of a plot hole though, like you said.

Thank you for reading that whole post @detectivejulesohara!

The clip you're referring to was posted on Yandeh Sallah's Instagram account, so not in a trailer for this season.

I think that was either just fanservice or it will appear in season 4 since it was posted in May of this year, and I believe the filming of season 3 had already wrapped by then.

It might indicate that Elias and Amie will be a couple by season 4 (this actually seems very likely regardless if this is actually part of a scene or not).

I think Elias is getting increasingly frustrated with hockey and the fact that he doesn't really have any other ambitions to strive for. He was raised with nothing but hockey surrounding him and it's in his blood. Elias got drafted to the US at around the same age as Mats, but Elias left after a year because he just wasn't progressing.

That must feel like a huge step back, and on top of that Mats was probably thriving in his successful career around the age that Elias is now. It's a tough difference in success to have weighing on your shoulders when you're in a team that's second to last in the rankings.

There's even the accusation in the press that Mats paid for Elias to advance in the rankings, and I'm sure that's going to affect his career negatively.

I think Elias overworking himself could also be the result of him feeling like he has to prove that returning to Eagles—a small club that is probably having their worst season ever—was in fact the right choice and not the death of his elite hockey career. That choice was very questionable from the very start and his agent advised against it. Even Mats found it strange. Elias said that he didn't really have a choice most likely because of the clause in his contract, but then he also claims to Mats that things just turned out that way.

Ludde: You don’t regret coming back [to Eagles]? Elias: I didn’t really have a choice.

The idea that he didn't have a choice in the matter doesn't seem accurate. His agent told him there were other alternatives like Jokerit (a professional ice hockey team based in Helsinki, Finland) and that they could find something better than Eagles. Elias seemed kind of defeated already and the decision to return to Eagles didn't feel thought-through at all. It's almost like he just didn't care.

Agent: [...] Jokerit has called and I’ve had a great conversation with them, so they’re on. Elias: You know what? Let’s skip all the trouble. Let’s go with Eagles, it’ll be great. Agent: What? Elias: I’m so tired of moving all the time anyway, plus I’ll be close to my family. Agent: Wait, I thought that you— Eagles has big economical problems, and… Sorry, but their season started awfully. We can get a better team. You understand, right? Elias: Yeah, but we can’t get a team that needs me as much. Plus— If they say they want to see development, I’ll give them that. Agent: Wait— They’re under the line. We’re talking about qualifying down directly. You can’t in earnest believe you’ll change that on your own. Elias: It’s perfect. I’ll only go up, as you like to say.

It also seems like he's maybe realizing that hockey isn't everything and that there are other things he might want to explore and pursue in his life. I think Elias is feeling kind of stuck right now. He's been training his whole life for one purpose which is a professional career in hockey, and maybe he feels like Mats wouldn't allow him to quit. That option doesn't exist to him.

Like you said, Mats had that comment where he labeled Ludde a "quitter" and Elias stressed the fact that there shouldn't be anything wrong with losing interest and deciding to pursue something else.

Mats: Can you imagine that he’s just quitting? I mean, I’m completely— He really didn’t strike me as a quitter. So fucking close. [...] Elias: [...] Ludde, he’s… He’s not a quitter, he’s just didn’t want it anymore. That should be fair.

However, quitting is seen as failure to Mats. Mats dropped everything when he got drafted. He left his relationship with Petra seemingly without a second thought, because hockey comes before everything for Mats. Felicia even mentioned back in season 1 how her father was just a voice in a telephone for most of her childhood. He barely had any presence in her life because he was busy with hockey.

When Klara tells Elias that he's always putting hockey first, he gets angry but he doesn't outright deny it. In fact, he kind of changes the subject to shift attention away from Klara's claim.

Klara: This— You haven’t changed at all. You’re always putting yourself first. Elias: Excuse me? Klara: Yes, it’s either you or hockey. Elias: Stop! What the— Klara: I can’t take this. Elias: Are you leaving now? I wasn’t the only one you dumped. You’ve been acting like shit to Felicia. Yeah, and Amie and Ludde too, for that matter. You haven’t thought about that? So don’t come here and say I’m the egoist.

This is kind of an interesting thought—that maybe Elias subconsciously knew that was Klara is saying is true to some degree and that he has been putting hockey first. He decided to get on the train to the draft combine in Seattle instead of staying with Klara, and a year later he realizes that things didn't turn out the way that he'd planned and he returns to Eagles.

Maybe Elias is trying so hard to be someone who he just isn't, and it's affecting so many aspects of his life negatively. He lost Klara, he had to repeat almost his whole last year in high school because of moving to the US, and now he seems to be stuck in Oskarshamn. He's previously expressed to Amie that this isn't necessarily where he wanted to end up.

Elias: [...] Hey, is it just me or is there something about this town that… It sort of feels like no matter how much you try to get away, it… It pulls you back somehow.

It's kind of strange that he doesn't want to be in Oskarshamn, and yet he was the one who chose to return. Maybe he somehow feels like he has some purpose there because it keeps pulling him back. He just doesn't know what that purpose is.

Elias tried coming back to Eagles to turn things around for them, and they did win a game against the Capitals but that victory was later tarnished by the fight that broke out between the two teams (and to add to this, the loss of Ludde who used to be one of the star players and Klara as a sponsor). That kind of overshadowed their whole victory. Elias was very determined to do something to help and it very much feels like he needs Eagles to succeed—he needs to sort of "redeem" himself.

Elias: [...] Can I do anything? Can I go talk to— I could go talk to the sponsor. Mats: Let’s deal with it later. I’ll solve this. You have to go to school now. Elias: But we can finish talking— Mats: You can— No. Try to think of something else. Alright?

I think that Elias's desperation for Eagles to do well could absolutely lead to him eventually deciding to be a coach. He doesn't really seem to want the life that Mats had after seeing how success turned out for him—a broken family that he barely cares about because hockey occupies his mind more than caring for his children or repairing the relationship with Leila.

I think Elias being a hockey coach could suit him, but I would also love to see him exploring things outside of hockey—maybe even his interests outside of sport entirely.

I kind of agree with you on this. Klara has apologized to Felicia and been forgiven, but we've never seen her properly apologize to Amie for filming that video of her and posting it on social media. Amie and Ludde were in the wrong, yes, but that video being posted was humiliating for both of them. They had to deal with the ramifications of that for months after with the whole school judging them in silence.

To be fair, the video was posted a long time ago in the show's time frame (nearly two years ago if I'm right?) and they all kind of moved on from it. To add to this, maybe she felt it would've been kind of awkward to apologize with Felicia in the room.

Felicia was so hurt by that video being posted and I think it would feel very weird for her that Klara would apologize for posting the video when it's the sole reason Felicia found out what had been done to her. Without that video, she would've probably gone a few more months without being told what happened at the Halloween party.

I'm waiting for a Klara and Amie reconciliation in this season finale. I feel like this is something that should be discussed between just the two of them, and maybe they'll sneak in some blessing from Klara with the whole budding Elias and Amie relationship? I'd be happy with just a reconciliation, though, but I'm unsure if we'll get one. I have a feeling they'll start the season finale with a time jump and I don't know if Klara is even going to be in Oskarshamn by that time.

If we don't see them reconnecting in the season finale I will be pretty disappointed, to be honest.

Thank you! I really appreciate you too @lunawedlers (your gifsets are absolutely magical)!

This question was sent in a while ago but as season 3 had just started airing I was very excited to see the development of Elias and Amie, mostly because the director had been hinting on Twitter that something would happen between them this season. I've been really interested in them ever since 1x03 and so far the wait has been worth it.

I think all episodes have great visuals, but if I had to pick one I would probably say 3x06. All those shots of Elias and Amie on the walk through the park, the drone shots, and then the view from that bench spot were so gorgeous visually. That answer is more of a scene rather than a whole episode haha, but I think they really made the beauty of Oskarshamn stand out in those shots.

I think Amie will have some sort of performance in the final episode of a new song and that Elias will be watching her! After reading the episode description for the final episode and seeing that there will probably be some New Year's Eve party going on, I have a feeling that Amie will be performing. She's always had a performance of a new song in every season finale and this one should be no exception.

They tricked us a little in the season 3 trailer with us thinking that Elias would be at one of Amie's concerts in Stockholm, but now I'm sure that this scene fits in at the New Year's Eve party.

I think we should keep our expectations low for a kiss between Elias and Amie. They just started developing their relationship, and I like the slow pace they're going in. They're not rushing anything. I also have this feeling that their development has deliberately been so slow because they're sort of "saving the best for last".

Elias and Amie are fan favorites and their relationship has been very talked-about from the beginning. I can see the writers maybe having decided to push their relationship more towards the end of the show, which is why we haven't really gotten any Elias and Amie content until now. That's frustrating if you're impatient and I've seen some people thinking that maybe Elias and Amie won't happen at all, but I don't think we need to worry at all. The fact that Elias and Amie's development has been so slow should indicate that they're much more likely to be endgame.

A kiss in episode 10 could definitely happen, but I don't know. Maybe they'll drag it out further. As I've said before, if they don't get one in season 3 they will absolutely be getting one in season 4. I've noticed that it's always best to keep your expectations low when it comes to this couple.

The episode description for the season finale said this about Elias, which some have interpreted to be about Amie.

New Year’s Eve is here. [...] But is Elias brave enough to say what everyone else already knows?

This could mean anything, really. I'm actually leaning more towards this being about an individual thing rather than Amie being involved. It could be about Elias admitting that he's been overworking himself and not eating properly, or coming clean about the fact that maybe he doesn't want a career in hockey. This is something that everyone else already knows, so I think it might be about hockey.

Felicia has observed the overworking, Mats has told him to stop with it, and Ludde might've had some inkling about it while he was still on the team. Even Amie has probably also noticed that he's been spending a lot of time at the gym lately.

I could absolutely be wrong about this though.

Thank you for the question @lunawedlers!

This is a hard one because season 3 has had so many strong episodes already, and usually my favorite episode ends up being the season finale because it's basically the culmination of the whole season. I really loved 2x10 for this very reason since the ending montage was so well done.

If I had to pick between 3x01 - 3x09 though I would probably have to say it's a tie between 3x04 — Date night and 3x05 — Wounds! These two episodes showcased what Eagles should be all about so well, which is relationships plus the struggles you go through as a teenager in a small town, and then of course hockey. The hockey game episodes are really good, even if I don't think 3x05 topped 2x05 (the game where Ludde got tackled and knocked out).

I loved the contrast in Date night of the budding relationship between Elias and Amie and then that fight between Felicia and Ludde on the cliff. That whole scene between Felicia and Ludde on the cliff was actually really beautiful, especially when the sun had gone down.

It was interesting to see how this sweet gesture from Felicia turned into a fight between the two of them. I thought that was very realistic, because no matter how big of a gesture Felicia made to apologize there were still underlying problems that they needed to talk about.

I also loved the "non-date" between Elias and Amie in this episode. It was cute to see them goofing off before the movie started and then talking about it on the way home. I liked how Elias could connect to her on how they had both returned to Oskarshamn.

The recent episodes that dropped last week (3x08 and 3x09) were very strong and discussed some important subject matters, but I had a few problems with them that I discussed in a question above. They were dark, but not necessarily bad because they needed to happen.

However, I have to say that I prefer Eagles when it's about hockey and teenage relationships. 3x04 and 3x05 made me kind of nostalgic for season 1 and I liked the vibe they both had.

I agree, but I think we could maybe get a combination of both! Relationships can have all these romantic and sweet traits like you described, but also be more passionate and show public displays of affection.

I think Elias and Amie fit the more laid-back and sweet characteristics, but we have yet to really see what Amie is like in a relationship. We've seen her with a crush on Ludde and we got a glimpse of that thing she had with Robin (which was apparently a relationship but I did not pick up on that at all), but we don't really know what Amie is like in a relationship. Maybe she's never really had a "real" one, either.

Nevertheless, I'm excited to see what's in store for Elias and Amie. I'm very positive that they will eventually become a couple in season 4.

#eagles svt #svt eagles #after writing this i kind of want to do a separate post discussing the writing in eagles because i have a lot more to say about it

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96harmony96 · 3 years

Text

Chapter 14

The next morning dawned with an odd surreality. I made it to work, and then through most of my pre launch day in a kind of chilly fog. I couldn’t get warm enough, despite wearing a cardigan over my blouse and a scarf that didn’t match either one. It took me a few minutes longer to process requests than it should have, and I couldn’t shake a feeling of dread.

Lauren made no contact with me whatsoever.

Nothing on my smartphone or e-mail after my text last night. Nothing in my email inbox. No interoffice note.

The silence was excruciating. Especially when the day’s Google alert hit my inbox and I saw the photos and phone videos of me and Lauren in Bryant Park. Seeing how we looked together—the passion and need, the painful longing on our faces, and the gratefulness of reconciliation—was bittersweet.

Pain twisted in my chest. Lauren.

If we couldn’t work this out, would I ever stop thinking about her and wishing we had?

I struggled to pull myself together. Mark was meeting with Lauren today. Maybe that’s why Lauren hadn’t felt pressed to contact me. Or maybe she was just really busy. I knew she had to be, considering her business calendar. And as far as I knew, we still had plans to go to the gym after work. I exhaled in a rush and told myself that things would straighten out somehow. They just had to.

It was quarter to noon when my desk phone rang. Seeing from the readout that the call was coming from reception, I sighed with disappointment and answered.

“Hey, Camila,” Megumi said cheerily. “You have a Magdalene Perez here to see you.”

“Do I?” I stared at my monitor, confused and irritated. Had the Bryant Park photos lured Magdalene out from under whatever troll bridge she called home?

Regardless of the reason, I had no interest in talking to her. “Keep her up there for me, will you? I have to take care of something first.”

“Sure. I’ll tell her to have a seat.”

I hung up, then pulled out my smartphone and scrolled through the contact list until I found the number to Lauren’s office. I dialed and was relieved when Scott answered.

“Hey, Scott. Camila Cabello.”

“Hi, Camila. Would you like to speak to miss. Jauregui? she’s in a meeting at the moment, but I can buzz her.”

“No. No, don’t bother her.”

“It’s a standing order. she won’t mind.”

It soothed me immensely to hear that. “I hate to throw this in your lap, but I have a request for you.”

“Anything you need. That’s also a standing order.” The amusement in his voice relaxed me further.

“Magdalene Perez is down here on the twentieth floor. Frankly, the only thing she and I have in common is Lauren, and that’s not a good thing. If she has something to say, it’s your boss she should be talking to. Could you please have someone escort her up?”

“Absolutely. I’ll take care of it now.”

“Thanks, Scott. I appreciate you.”

“It’s my pleasure, Camila.”

I hung up the phone and sagged back in my seat, feeling better already and proud of myself for not letting jealousy get the better of me. While I still really hated the idea of her having any of Lauren’s time, I hadn’t lied when I’d said I trusted her. I believed she had strong, deep feelings for me. I just didn’t know if they were enough to override her survival instinct.

Megumi called me again.

“Oh my God,” she said, laughing. “You should’ve seen her face when whoever that was came to get her.”

“Good.” I grinned. “I figured she was up to no good. Is she gone, then?”

“Yep.”

“Thanks.” I crossed the narrow strip of hallway to Mark’s door and poked my head in to see if he wanted me to pick him up some lunch.

He frowned, thinking about it. “No, thanks. I’ll be too nervous to eat until after the presentation with Jauregui. By then whatever you pick up will be hours old.”

“How about a protein smoothie, then? It’ll give you some easy fuel until you can eat.”

“That’d be great.” His smile lit up his dark eyes. “Something that goes good with vodka, just to get me in the mood.”

“Anything you don’t like? Any allergies?”

“Nada.”

“Okay. See you in an hour.” I knew just the place to go. The deli I had in mind was a couple blocks up and offered smoothies, salads, and a variety of made-to-order paninis with quick service.

I headed downstairs and tried not to think about Lauren’s radio silence. I’d kind of expected to hear something after the Magdalene incident. Getting no reaction had me worrying all over again. I pushed out to the street through the revolving door and scarcely paid any attention to the man who climbed out of the back of a town car at the curb until he called my name.

Turning, I found myself facing Christopher Vidal.

“Oh…Hi,” I greeted him. “How are you?”

“Better, now that I’ve seen you. You look fantastic.”

“Thanks. I can say the same to you.”

As different as he was from Lauren, he was gorgeous in his own way with his mahogany waves, grayish-green eyes, and charming smile. He was dressed in loose-fitting jeans and a cream V-neck sweater, a very sexy look for him.

“Are you here to see your sister?” I asked.

“Yes, and you.”

“Me?”

“Heading to lunch? I’ll join you and explain.”

I was briefly reminded of Lauren’s warning to stay away from Christopher, but by now I figured she trusted me. Especially with her brother.

“I’m going to a deli up the street,” I said. “If you’re game.”

“Absolutely.”

We started walking.

“What did you want to see me about?” I asked, too curious to wait.

He reached into one of two large cargo pockets of his jeans and pulled out a formal invitation in a vellum envelope. “I came to invite you to a garden party we’re having at my parents’ estate on Sunday. A mix of business and pleasure. Many of the artists signed to Vidal Records will be there. I was thinking it’d be great networking for your roommate—he’s got the right look for music video.”

I brightened. “That would be wonderful!”

Christopher grinned and passed the invite over. “And you’ll both have fun. No one throws a party like my mother.”

I glanced briefly at the envelope in my hand. Why hadn’t Lauren said anything about the event?

“If you’re wondering why Lauren didn’t tell you about it,” he said, seemingly reading my mind, “it’s because she won’t come. she never does. Even though she’s the majority shareholder in the company, I think she finds the music industry and musicians too unpredictable for his tastes. By now, you know how she is.”

Dark and intense. Powerfully magnetic and hotly sexual. Yes, I knew how she was. And she preferred to know what she was getting into at all costs.

I gestured at the deli when we reached it, and we stepped inside and got in line.

“This place smells awesome,” Christopher said, his gaze on his phone as he typed out a quick text.

“The aroma delivers on its promise, trust me.”

He smiled a delightful boyish smile that I was sure knocked most women on their asses. “My parents are really looking forward to meeting you, Camila.”

“Oh?”

“Seeing the photos of you and Lauren over the last week has been a real surprise. A good surprise,” he qualified quickly when I winced. “It’s the first time we’ve seen her really into someone she’s dating.”

I sighed, thinking she wasn’t so into me right now. Had I made a terrible mistake by leaving her alone last night?

When we reached the counter, I ordered a grilled vegetable and cheese panini with two pomegranate smoothies, asking them to hold the one with a protein shot for thirty minutes so I could eat in. Christopher ordered the same, and we managed to find a table in the crowded deli.

We talked about work, laughing over both a recent baby food commercial faux-blooper that had gone viral and some backstage anecdotes about acts Christopher had worked with. The time passed swiftly, and when we parted ways at the entrance of the Crossfire, I said good-bye with genuine affection.

I headed up to the twentieth floor, and found Mark still at his desk. He offered me a quick smile despite his air of concentration.

“If you don’t really need me,” I said, “I think it’d be good for me to sit this presentation out.”

Although he tried to hide it, I saw the lightning quick flash of relief. It didn’t offend me. Stress was stress, and my volatile relationship with Lauren was something Mark didn’t need to think about while he was working on an important account.

“You’re golden, Camila. You know that?”

I smiled and set the drink carrier down in front of him. “Drink your smoothie. It’s really good, and the protein will keep you from feeling too hungry for a little bit longer. I’ll be at my desk if you need me.”

Before I put my purse in the drawer, I texted Cary to ask if he had plans on Sunday or if he’d like to go to a Vidal Records party. Then I got back to work. I’d started organizing Mark’s files on the server, tagging them and placing them in directories to make it easier for us to assemble portfolios on the fly.

When Mark left for the meeting with Lauren, my heartbeat quickened and a clutch of anticipation tightened my stomach. I couldn’t believe my excitement just from knowing what Lauren was doing at that particular moment, and that she’d have to think of me when she saw Mark. I hoped I’d hear from her after that. My mood picked up at the thought.

For the next hour, I was restless waiting to hear how things had gone. When Mark reappeared with a big grin and a spring in his step, I stood up in my cubicle and applauded him.

He took a gallant, exaggerated bow. “Thank you, Miss Camila.”

“I’m so stoked for you!”

“Jauregui asked me to give you this.” He handed me a sealed manila envelope. “Come to my office and I’ll give you all the deets.”

The envelope had weight and rattled. I knew from touch what I’d find inside before I opened it, but still the sight of my keys sliding out and into my palm hit me hard. Gasping with a pain more intense than any I could remember, I read the accompanying note card.

Thank you, Camila. For everything.

Yours, G

A Dear Jane brush-off. It had to be. Otherwise, she would’ve given me the keys after work on the way to the gym.

There was a dull roaring in my ears. I felt dizzy. Disoriented. I was frightened and agonized. Furious.

I was also at work.

Closing my eyes and clenching my fists, I pulled myself together and fought off the driving urge to go upstairs and call Lauren a coward. she probably saw me as a threat, someone who’d come in, unwanted and uninvited, and shook up her orderly world. Someone who’d demanded more from her than just his hot body and hefty bank account.

I shut my emotions behind a glass wall where I was aware of them waiting in the background, but I was able to get through the rest of my workday. By the time I clocked out and headed downstairs, I still hadn’t heard from Lauren. I was such an emotional disaster at that point I felt only a single, sharp twinge of despair as I exited the Crossfire.

I made it to the gym. I shut my brain off and ran full-bore on the treadmill, fleeing the anguish that would hit me soon enough. I ran until sweat coursed in rivulets down my face and body, and rubber legs forced me to stop.

Feeling battered and exhausted, I hit the showers. Then I called my mother and asked her to send Clancy to the gym to pick me up for our appointment with Dr. Petersen. As I put my work clothes back on, I mustered the energy to get through that last task before I could go home and collapse on my bed.

I waited for the town car at the curb, feeling separate and apart from the city teeming around me. When Clancy pulled up and hopped out to open the back door for me, I was startled to see my mom already inside. It was early yet. I’d expected to be driven solo to the apartment she shared with Stanton and wait on her twenty minutes or so. That was our usual routine.

“Hey, Mom,” I said wearily, settling on the seat beside her.

“How could you, Camila?” She was crying into a monogrammed handkerchief, her face beautiful even while reddened and wet with tears. “Why?”

Jolted out of my torment by her misery, I frowned and asked, “What did I do now?”

The new cell phone, if she’d somehow found about it, wouldn’t trigger this much drama. And it was too soon after the fact for her to know about my breakup with Lauren.

“You told Lauren Jauregui about…what happened to you.” Her lower lip trembled with distress.

My head jerked back in shock. How could she know that? My God…Had she bugged my new place? My purse…? “What?”

“Don’t act clueless!”

“How do you know I told her?” My voice was a pained whisper. “We just talked last night.”

“she went to see Richard about it today.”

I tried to picture Stanton’s face during that conversation. I couldn’t imagine my stepfather taking it well. “Why would she do that?”

“she wanted to know what’s been done to prevent information leaks. And she wanted to know where Nathan is—” She sobbed. “she wanted to know everything.”

My breath hissed out between my teeth. I wasn’t sure what Lauren’s motivation was, but the possibility that she’d dumped me over Nathan and was now making sure that she was safe from scandal hurt worse than anything. I twisted in pain, my spine arching away from the seatback. I’d thought it was her past that drove a wedge between us, but it made more sense that it was mine.

For once I was grateful for my mother’s self-absorption, which kept her from seeing how devastated I was.

“she had a right to know,” I managed in a voice so raw it sounded nothing like my own. “And she has a right to try and protect himself from any blowback.”

“You’ve never told any of your other boyfriends.”

“I’ve never dated anyone who makes national headlines by sneezing, either.” I stared out the car window at the traffic that boxed us in. “Lauren Jauregui and Cross Industries are global news, Mother. she’s light-years away from the guys I dated in college.”

She spoke more, but I didn’t hear her. I shut down for self-protection, cutting off the reality that was suddenly too painful to be endured.

Dr. Petersen’s office was exactly as I remembered. Decorated in soothing neutrals, it was both professional and comfortable. Dr. Petersen was the same—a handsome man with gray hair and gentle, intelligent blue eyes.

He welcomed us into his office with a wide smile, commenting on how lovely my mother looked and how like her I was. He said he was happy to see me again and that I looked well, but I could tell he spoke for my mother’s benefit. He was too trained an observer to miss the raging emotions I suppressed.

“So,” he began, settling into his chair across from the sofa my mother and I sat on. “What brings you both in today?”

I told him about the way my mom had been tracking my movements via my cell phone signal and how violated I felt. Mom told him about my interest in Krav Maga and how she took it as a sign that I wasn’t feeling safe. I told him about how they’d pretty much taken over Parker’s studio, which made me feel suffocated and claustrophobic. She told him I’d betrayed her trust by divulging deeply personal matters to strangers, which made her feel naked and painfully exposed.

Through it all, Dr. Petersen listened attentively, took notes and spoke rarely, until we’d purged everything.

Once we’d quieted, he asked, “Sinuhe, why didn’t you tell me about tracking Camila’s cell phone?”

The angle of her chin altered, a familiar defensive posture. “I didn’t see anything wrong with it. Many parents track their children through their cell phones.”

“Underage children,” I shot back. “I’m an adult. My personal time is exactly that.”

“If you were to envision yourself in her place, Sinuhe,” Dr. Petersen interjected, “would it be possible that you might feel as she does? What if you discovered someone was monitoring your movements without your knowledge or permission?”

“Not if the someone was my mother and I knew it gave her peace of mind,” she argued.

“And have you considered how your actions affect Camila’s peace of mind?” he queried gently. “Your need to protect her is understandable, but you should discuss the steps you wish to take openly with her. It’s important to gain her input—and expect cooperation only when she chooses to give it. You have to honor her prerogative to set limits that may not be as broad as you’d like them to be.”

My mother sputtered indignantly.

“Camila needs her boundaries, Sinuhe,” he continued, “and a sense of control over her own life. Those things were taken from her for a long time and we have to respect her right to establish them now in the manner that best suits her.”

“Oh.” My mother twisted her handkerchief around her fingers. “I hadn’t thought of it that way.”

I reached out for my mother’s hand when her lower lip trembled violently. “Nothing could’ve stopped me from talking to Lauren about my past. But I could have forewarned you. I’m sorry I didn’t think of it.”

“You’re much stronger than I ever was,” my mother said, “but I can’t help worrying.”

“My suggestion,” Dr. Petersen said, “would be for you to take some time, Sinuhe, and really think about what sorts of events and situations cause you anxiety. Then write them down.”

My mother nodded.

“When you have what will surely not be an exhaustive list but a strong start,” he went on, “you can sit down with Camila and discuss strategies for addressing those concerns—strategies you can both live with comfortably. For example, if not hearing from Camila for a few days troubles you, perhaps a text message or an e-mail will alleviate that.”

“Okay.”

“If you like, we can go over the list together.”

The back-and-forth between the two made me want to scream. It was insult to injury. I hadn’t expected Dr. Petersen to smack some sense into my mom, but I’d hoped he would at least take a harder line—God knew someone needed to, someone whose authority she respected.

When the hour ended and we were on our way out, I asked my mom to wait a moment so I could ask Dr. Petersen one last personal and private question.

“Yes, Camila?” He stood in front of me, looking infinitely patient and wise.

“I just wondered…” I paused, needing to swallow past a lump in my throat. “Is it possible for two abuse survivors to have a functional romantic relationship?”

“Absolutely.” His immediate, unequivocal answer forced the trapped air from my lungs.

I shook his hand. “Thank you.”

When I got home, I unlocked my door with the keys Lauren had returned to me and I went straight to my room, offering a lame wave to Cary, who was practicing yoga in the living room to a DVD.

I stripped off my clothes as I crossed the distance from my closed bedroom door to the bed, finally crawling between the cool sheets in just my underwear. I hugged a pillow and closed my eyes, so tired and drained I had nothing left.

The door opened at my back and a moment later Cary sat beside me.

He brushed my hair back from my tear-streaked face. “What’s the matter, baby girl?”

“I got kicked to the curb today. Courtesy of a fucking note card.”

He sighed. “You know the drill, Camila. she’s going to keep pushing you away, because she’s expecting you to fail her like everyone else has.”

“And I keep proving her right.” I recognized myself in the description Cary had just given. I ran when the going got tough, because I was so sure it was all going to end badly. The only control I had was to be the one who left, instead of the one who was left behind.

“Because you’re fighting to protect your own recovery.” He lay down and spooned against my back, wrapping one leanly muscular arm around me and tucking me tight against him.

I snuggled into the physical affection I hadn’t realized I needed. “she might’ve dumped me because of my past, not her.”

“If that’s true, it’s good it’s over. But I think you two will find each other eventually. At least I’m hoping you will.” His sigh was soft on my neck. “I want there to be happily-ever-afters for the fucked-up crowd. Show me the way, Camila honey. Make me believe.”

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viriditic · 9 months

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⠀⠀ ⠀⠀﹒ ★﹐tags.

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skullsandwineglasses · 4 years

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Yang Zi and Deng Lun

So I’ve been having a hard time trying to move on from Ashes of Love, and what I’ve been curious about is the lack of IRL interactions between Yang Zi and Deng Lun despite them being long-time collaborators, if not friends. They both participated in a lot of variety shows, just never together.

They’ve only appeared together publicly on 5 occasions (or at least 5 that I’ve seen): on Happy Camp in 2013 to promote Flowers in Fog, at 2 award shows, at an event to promote Ode to Joy 2 (though their interactions were minimal to none), and at a 2018 Oppo event.

I’ve been wondering why they didn’t do any promo events for AOL, or why they never sang a duet together on stage.

I then did some digging (using my limited literacy in Chinese) and came across the infamous instagram incident in September 2018 just after AOL finished airing, which caused fan wars that have persisted til this day. People are questioning how genuine their “friendship” really is, and their fans apparently hate each other, which makes it hard for them to even be in the same room together without being mercilessly harassed online.

The incident didn’t seem to leave any hard feelings between them though, since they seemed to be friendly and cordial enough at the Weibo awards in early 2019 (with Deng Lun even coming up to Yang Zi’s seat to playfully flip her dress to get her attention and then sit next to her), and they spoke fondly of each other in separate interviews later that year too, but their fans can’t seem to let the incident go. And being two of the biggest stars in China, the longevity of their fame depends on them being able to read the room, which in this case is their respective fanbases.

This also makes me believe that we’re not going to see them in another drama together any time soon. I’d love to be proven wrong about this, but based on the circumstances, I don’t know if they’d think that another collaboration is a good career move for them.

1. The first reason is an obvious one. Their next collaboration is unlikely to match the success of AOL. AOL is kind of like a one-hit-wonder. You usually only have that kind of runaway success once (unless you’re Yang Mi or Zhao Liying). I don’t see them being in another fantasy drama, since people would be making too many comparisons. They would have to do something different that they haven’t done before (kind of like Tang Yan and Luo Jin who have collaborated 5 times, and each time their roles and relationships were completely different).

2. I don’t see Deng Lun repeating co-stars (besides the fact that he collaborated with YZ twice already). He’s already spending this year focusing on variety shows, which means that his next drama isn’t going to be out in a while (depending on when he even decides to take on a new project). So, his body of work is already quite limited, meaning that he probably wouldn’t want it dominated by a single co-star. He also pairs up with the biggest actresses trending at the time (e.g., Sun Yi, Dilireba, Zhao Liying, Ma Sichun, etc) so I think he’ll continue this pattern and pair up with whichever rising actress has the public favour 2 or so years from now. (Unpopular opinion: That is, if he is still in demand 2 years from now. “Fresh meat” actors usually don’t stay in the spotlight for very long. They shine hella bright, but also burnout hella fast. They’re not very sustainable tbh. Lin Gengxin was similarly in a ton of variety shows when he peaked, and now I barely hear anything about him. Their staying power is fleeting. Also, while variety shows might keep you relevant in the short term, they’re not as memorable as dramas).

3. I also don’t know if Yang Zi would repeat co-stars. It seems like she’s aiming to have at least one hit drama a year, so I would imagine that she would be more picky about her projects. But at the same time, I feel like she would be more open than DL to have another collaboration with him (though since we aren’t them, we can never know what they think). She usually takes on several dramas a year, so I would imagine that she wouldn’t mind having a repeat collaboration since she already has enough other projects to diversify her portfolio.

4. As much as Deng Lun says that he admires YZ and acknowledges her hand in his success, I also don’t know if he wants to depend on her to keep his career alive (I imagine that his fans probably want to crucify me for saying this, but good thing that no one reads rants on tumblr). In both of his collaborations with YZ, it transformed his career and gave him a huge boost in popularity. So he probably wants to avoid that association. Don’t get me wrong, I think he’s a good actor and has a ton of potential (way better than other “fresh meat” actors before him), but I feel like he’s currently being pigeon-holed as an “idol” actor. And with a lack of notable acting projects in the near future, it’s a little concerning). He needs to take on more challenging and meaningful roles, like slice of life dramas, or smart historical/political dramas. He needs to diversify.

5. Top Billing. Yang Zi got top billing in Ashes of Love because she was more popular at the time, was signed first, and was the one who recommended DL for the role in the first place. But now that they rival each other in popularity, I don’t know whom top billing would go to. After seeing how heated fans got when debating who should get top billing for Love Designer and next year’s The Golden Hairpin, I feel like studios and producers would be wary of casting 2 mega A-list actors.

That isn’t to say all hope of another collaboration is lost. They were recently in a pepsi commercial together (although it doesn’t look like they shot it together), but their faces appear next to each other on advertising posters, meaning that their partnering still has marketing value.

I love them both, and I’m just trying to pull myself out of this rabbit hole and distance myself from them by facing the music and the reality of their professional relationship in order to tear myself away from their characters in AOL.

I could go on another rant about how Deng Lun is nothing like Xufeng, and how Yang Zi’s interaction with Deng Lun seems to be mostly on a professional level, especially when you compare it with her unfiltered interactions with her childhood BFF Zhang Yishan and her shy interactions with her ex-BF Qin Jun Jie, but that’s another controversial rant that I won’t get into here.

Thoughts, corrections, and addition input are welcome, thanks.

#香蜜沉沉烬如霜 #deng lun #yang zi #cdrama #unpopular opinion #邓伦 #杨紫 #rant #opinion #cdramanet #chinese dramas #fan wars #impressions #ashes of love #gossip

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bberryrach · 4 years

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who: rachel berry, kurt hummel ( @krt-hmml), and hiram berry (played by special guest @jstj) what: the one and only hiram berry reunites hummelberry through a variety of acting exercises where: rachel’s apartment when: saturday, september 5 triggers?: the letter “e”

Hiram Berry Hiram Berry was unhappy. His only child, Rachel, his precious jewel, was fighting with her best friend, his (emotionally) adopted son, Kurt. The world was off-kilter, and it was up to Hiram to fix it. He'd always planned for the two of them to grow old together, retiring to an upstate mansion, Rachel in the 'Barbra' wing, and Kurt in the 'Patti' wing. In the entranceway to the house would be a tasteful collection of Broadway relics, and the Berry's own grand piano, to remember songs once sung, and to bring music to a new generation...

Rachel had been a little vague about the details, but Hiram had heard something about 'lying' and 'secret' and 'doesn't appreciate what a good friend I am'. Nothing, in his opinion, that would end a decades-long friendship. So he'd asked Kurt to come to Rachel's apartment, under the guise of needing fashion help. He knew Kurt would understand that that was code for reconciliation -- as if he, Hiram Berry, would need fashion help. Taking a cold bottle of water out of the fridge, Hiram smiled as he heard a knock on the door, straightening up and looking at his daughter. "A knock on the door? Why, I think that's a guest for you."

Kurt Hummel Kurt had been keeping himself busy the past few days, which was a great way to stay numb. Luckily the wedding was only a few days away so between that, preparing for his position at work to be handed off to someone else, and working on his fashion portfolio, Kurt had done a great job of preoccupying himself. After getting a text from Mr. Berry #2 asking for fashion advice, he had yet another thing to focus on. He arranged a time to come over and so here he was, knocking on his former best friend's apartment door. It felt weird, as he'd never needed to knock before, but he really liked Rachel's dads. They were like second fathers to him, and if Hiram needed some pressing fashion advice, Kurt would give it. "Hi," he greeted, stepping into the apartment. "So what's this mysterious fashion emer-" His eyes caught Rachel's and he frowned. "I'm not here to help with your wardrobe, am I?"

Rachel Berry It was always a good day when Rachel’s dads were in town. And how could it not be? Every day in the Berry household was full of song and dance and theatrics, which Rachel, admittedly, missed in New York. Now, even more so, since she was no longer speaking to Kurt. Or any of her friend group besides Jesse, for that matter. But leave it to her dads to cheer her up.

Rachel has just gotten home from jazz brunch, where she officially introduced Jesse as her boyfriend— news which her dads met with excitement and, surprisingly, expectation. Leroy had whisked Jesse away to go suit shopping, and Hiram and Rachel we’re resting before heading to the theater to see Phantom of the Opera, a tradition every time her dads came to town. So it was surprising when there was a knock on the door, and Kurt walked through it. “Excuse me,” she started, a confused look on her face, “what are you doing here?” She turned to her dad and paused, trying to make sense of it. “Did you invite him?”

Hiram Berry Ah, the sweet young children were reunited, and now Hiram could begin to enact his plan. He ushered Kurt inside, holding his hands up in admission as Kurt cracked his code. "You got me. My wardrobe remains impeccable," Hiram grinned, taking Rachel lightly by the shoulders and guiding her over to the couch. "I don't know what is going on between you two, but we're going to work it out. Friendship can't be thrown away over petty things like clashing personalities."

Hiram gestured for Kurt to join them on the couch, leaning forward to survey the two kids. "We're all thespians here, so I've devised a number of roleplay scenarios to enable the two of you to find a resolution. We're going to start with a warm up. You're going to tell me the reason you're arguing with each other, but -- you cannot use the letter E. Kurt, you can begin."

Kurt Hummel Kurt sighed as he realized what Hiram was up to. God, he should have expected this to be a trap. He sat down as he was instructed, leaving room on the couch between himself and Rachel. An eyebrow raised as Rachel's dad put his own twist on the situation. "Fine." He sighed. "But you do realize I can't refer to Rachel at all, right? Her name has an E, and so does 'friend', 'she' and 'her'....Anyways," Kurt pointed at his former friend. "told-" 'me' had an E in it, so he pointed to himself. He then realized both Jesse and Jeffrey had Es in them, and immediately gave up. "It's not an argument anymore....Rachel has made it clear that her idea of being a good friend involves doing things she specifically knows I feel strongly against, and I think she could say the same thing about me."

Rachel Berry Rachel let her dad lead her to the couch, eyebrows still furrowed as she tried to understand what was going on. And then her dad spoke and it started to make sense. Rachel would have been frustrated, but truthfully, she desperately wanted to make things right with Kurt. Not to mention, she loved a good roleplay. After all, it was her dads that gave her such a penchant for the dramatic.

“Kurt, you’ve completely made light of the exercise at hand,” Rachel said, rolling her eyes as Kurt gave up on the warm up. She also found it very telling— he gave up on their friendship too, didn’t he? “Anyways, I’ll go,” Rachel started, turning towards her dad. “Kurt can’t...” She paused for a moment, thinking of a word without an E, “fathom that I would withhold information about my... untold suitor from him. But I only did it to... guard him from hurt.” She back settled into her seat, pleased that she succeeded in the game.

Hiram Berry Hiram listened to Kurt's attempts, raising an eyebrow at his attitude. "Kurt. That was a lot of Es. No director is going to want to work with you with that kind of attitude," he warned him, shaking his head. Hiram had hoped that he'd taught Kurt better over the last twenty years -- clearly, he'd been wrong. Turning to listen to Rachel as she gave her side of the events, Hiram nodded encouragingly. Of course she nailed the exercise -- she was his super star for a reason.

"Very well done. So you didn't tell Kurt about your new suitor and he didn't like that you withheld information." Hiram slapped his hands on his knees -- well, that was an easy fix. "It sounds like you just need to say sorry, honey, and then everyone can make up and we can go out for milkshakes at the Spotlight Diner and judge all the pitchy wannabes."

Kurt Hummel Kurt rolled his eyes at the criticism of him not being easy to work with. It was a mask, though. He was incredibly uncomfortable with this situation and wanted it over with. "In the process of trying not to hurt...uh-" he motioned to himself, although he had accidentally let an E pass through when he said process. "you did...and that's not a good....justification for lying. You could have - sorry, there's an 'e' in 'have', my bad - told....you could have said 'I want to talk to you about the amazing thing in my life, but I can't at this...." time, moment, presently, all had Es "I can't right now. I'll fill you in soon, though.' And that would've...I'd say that was okay, and I wouldn't pry or think you didn't want to talk to-....Kurt." He anticlimactically finished by changing the tense he talked about himself in

Rachel Berry “I said I was sorry, Kurt,” Rachel snapped, pausing momentarily to reflect on how well she was following the rules to this game, without even trying. “Dad, I said I was sorry to him.” She looked at Hiram for reassurance, before continuing. “It’s as if you don’t want to...” she paused to think for a second, “it’s as if you don’t want to swallow this truth. You don’t want to, um.. you don’t want to pardon us— my suitor and I.”

Finishing lamely, Rachel crossed her arms across her chest. This seemed so pointless— Kurt could never forgive her. Especially if he wasn’t using the letter E. “Dad, I really appreciate you trying to help us work things out. But I don’t think this exercise is going to do anything.”

Hiram Berry Hiram nodded as both the kids started putting more of an effort into the exercise. It was good to have them talk, and to think hard about their words as they said them. But they hadn't cried and hugged yet, so maybe it was time to move on. "I think it's helped," he replied to Rachel. "But let's move onto the next. Rachel, lie on the floor. Kurt, please stand. We're going to consider an awful, terrible world, where something desperately tragic has happened to my baby girl -- don't worry about holding in your tears, Kurt, they'll add to the exercise." Hiram stood up, waiting for Rachel to follow his instruction and lay where he'd gestured.

"I would begin with a heart-wrenching eulogy and a video message from Barbra, but... this isn't about me. I have a handkerchief ready, so Kurt, don't hold back. The stage is yours."

Kurt Hummel Kurt opened his mouth to tell Rachel how inaccurate her belief was, but then Hiram was interrupting. His eyebrow raised as he told Rachel to lie on the floor. Oh god, a fake funeral? This exercise was even worse than the last. Funerals always reminded him of his mom's death. "I.....don't want to do this one." He admitted. It was going to look like he wasn't trying to work on their friendship, but he didn't want to drag anything down even more by mentioning what his mind had associated this exercise with. But he had a feeling he was going to end up having to do this dumb eulogy anyways.

Rachel Berry The idea of a fake funeral piqued Rachel’s interest. She had always fantasized about what everyone would say about her when she tragically departed, and while Rachel had hoped to die with a few more awards and theater credits to her name, the drama was still intriguing to her. Nodding sagely, Rachel followed her dad’s instructions, lying on the ground and doing her best to look dead.

Unsurprisingly, Rachel immediately approved of her father’s choice plans for her funeral. They’d, of course, discussed such arrangements before. But a frown formed on Rachel’s face when Kurt refused to participate. “Do you even want to work on our friendship, Kurt?” Rachel asked, sitting up. “Do you even care that I’ve died?”

Kurt Hummel Kurt stood up and walked to the kitchen, getting a bottle of water for himself before he came back to the living room area. "Of course I care that you're fake dead. And I know how much you've always wanted to attend your own funeral. But...." He sighed, staring at the bottle in his hands. "I'm just not big on funerals. Even fictional ones."

Rachel Berry Rachel crossed her arms, visibly disappointed that Kurt wouldn’t eulogize her. But she also knew that Kurt was sensitive about funerals, and she didn’t want to push him. “Is it because I was such a convincing corpse? Because I can try less.” She looked back at her dad before lying down again in the hopes they’d continue her fake funeral.

Hiram Berry Hiram sighed at Kurt's refusal, shaking his head a little. He was starting to wonder whether the Patti wing of the mansion would even need to be built. "You play an excellent cadaver, honey," Hiram complimented his daughter, reaching down to touch her shoulder to gesture for her to get up. "It's understandable that Kurt doesn't want to imagine your ultimately death. My own heart is pounding. We all know that life is fleeting and mortality is... daunting." He paused for a moment, letting the moment sink in -- and then clapped his hands.

"We'll try something else. I want you to think how the other thinks. I want you to become each other. So, Rachel, you're now Kurt, married to the adorably naive and endlessly loyal gold retriever of a human being, Sam Evans. And Kurt, you're now Rachel, new girlfriend of a hot young Broadway star who, unfortunately, does not have a taste for older, married men." Hiram looked over to Kurt. "Rachel", he emphasised. "Please tell me how you feel about this unfortunate argument with Kurt."

Kurt Hummel Kurt chuckled at Rachel asking if she should be a more convincing corpse. He frowned as Hiram continued on the dark route about death, staring at his water even harder. He was pulled out of his thoughts as the other man clapped, causing Kurt to jump slightly. As Hiram started to describe their next exercise, Kurt sat back down on the couch and folded one leg over the other. He couldn't help but smile a little bit at the description of Sam, though he made a face at the description of Jesse. As 'Rachel' was prompted to start things off, it took him a second to realize that actually meant him. "Oh. Uh....I'm hurt. Because I knew sneaking around with Jesse would cause drama for our friend group, especially with Finn - who is days away from officially being Kurt's stepbrother - and that telling him would put him in an uncomfortable position. And he doesn't seem to appreciate the favor I did him by lying and keeping him out of everything. But I'm also hurt, because I think he doesn't actually like my relationship with Jesse, even though he isn't fighting with Jesse at all...."

Rachel Berry Rachel nodded along to Kurt’s words, only slightly annoyed with what she sensed was sarcasm at the end. For all of their miscommunications recently, they still understood each other well.

“Well, Rachel,” Rachel began, assuming the seriousness of the exercise immediately, “I’m hurt that you lied to me multiple times, even though I know you thought it was in my best interest. Which it was, by the way.”

Hiram Berry Hiram nodded at Kurt's attempt at the exercise. "Very good, Kurt. I'm glad you're turning your attitude around. I'd consider you for a call back." He listened to Rachel's, tilting his head -- his daughter was normally much more verbose. "Don't break the fourth wall, sweetheart. We'd like to hear Kurt's full feelings on the issue. And I'd also like to know, Rachel," Hiram turned to Kurt, "and Kurt," -- he turned to Rachel -- "what you each think the other can do to resolve the situation. What do you think will bring the two of you back together, from your point of view, and ensure that you remember to shout each other out at award ceremonies and post chummy instagram stories at brunch together?"

Kurt Hummel Kurt raised his eyebrow at the mention of a callback. He didn't play into these things as much as Rachel did, but he was glad he was no longer being seen as difficult and stubborn at least. "I'm honestly getting confused here...am I telling you what I think Kurt or Rachel can do to resolve the situation? ....I'm saying what I want Kurt to do, as Rachel, yes?"

Rachel Berry “Yes Kurt, keep up,” Rachel said with a sigh. She took her dads words to heart— Rachel was always one for notes, regardless of the role or the project.

“Okay. I guess I am upset because you lied to me, even if you thought it was for my best interest. Because that means we must have very different ideas regarding what is best for each other, and I don’t know if they are compatible. Or if I could ever trust you to be my friend again.” Rachel paused and looked down, beginning to get emotional.

Kurt Hummel Kurt watched Rachel with a frown. He knew that was the situation, in his own head. But hearing the words out loud....as true as they were, they sounded harsh. "Right...So, I think what you, Kurt Hummel, can do is....try to forgive me, Broadway's own Rachel Barbra Berry, and what I could do - even though this was not the assigned prompt - is promise I won't lie like that again. And if I do need to keep something from you because that's my idea of looking out for you, I'll just tell you that I will catch you up to speed when it's appropriate to instead of making up a fake boyfriend." He smiled at the end, so she knew he wasn't giving her too much grief over Jeffrey.

Rachel Berry Rachel nodded, keeping her eyes down for a moment. “Yes, I think that if I, Kurt, could give you, Rachel, one more chance— a real chance, I’ll see that you’ll never lie to me like that again. Especially not about a fake boyfriend, even if he was very convincing. And you, Rachel, can work on better ways to protect the people you love.” Rachel looked up at Kurt, wiping her eyes, and then looked back at her dad. “Can I go back to being Rachel now?”

Hiram Berry Hiram watched the children, a sly smile on his face. Finally, something was working. "I think that my work here might be done," he informed them, reaching over to squeeze each of their knees. "I'm going to text Leroy and go and join him and Jesse. We'll see whether he's changed his stance on very handsome older men yet or not." HIram leant in to press a kiss to Rachel's head, hoping that this would be the end of her tears. "The three of us will be back in time for dinner. Maybe Kurt will be ready to join us by then." Hiram got up, grabbing his jacket and then heading out of the apartment.

Kurt Hummel "Yes, the Freaky Friday moment has run its intended course" Kurt agreed. He stood up and motioned for Rachel to join him so that he could give her a hug. He watched Hiram leave, but turned his attention back to Rachel. "I'm sorry I've been so distant the last couple weeks"

Rachel Berry Rachel said a quick thank you to her dad as he kissed her forehead and headed out the door. As he left, she looked up a Kurt, biting her lip for a moment in hesitation before standing up and meeting his hug. "I'm sorry I lied to you," she responded, "I really am."

Kurt Hummel Kurt tightly squeezed his best friend. "Good. You should be sorry. And I forgive you. He pulled away, taking her hand in his and sitting down. "So, I want all the gossip. Because you and Jesse seem like you're already a great couple."

Rachel Berry "You should be sorry, too," Rachel said, letting their hug linger. She followed Kurt to the couch, pulling her feet up and turning towards him. "Jesse's perfect. We're perfect. He took me on the most romantic date last week." She smiled, glad to have her best friend back. Things would be weird for a little while longer, she was sure, but at least they got beyond the communication block between them and were on the mend.

Kurt Hummel "I'm sorry I didn't have the best reaction to you and Jesse. But, to be clear, it wasn't about you and Jesse specifically. I think you two make a great couple and, in hindsight, it's absolutely not surprising that you two ended up together." He wasn't trying to make excuses, he just wanted to set the record straight that he was excited for them. His eyebrows raised as she mentioned 'the most romantic date'. "Oh? Do tell"

Rachel Berry “I know, I know,” Rachel nodded, utterly tired of this conversation. All she wanted was her best friend back. “I’m glad you think that. I do, too.” She smiled as she thought of the date. “Well, he took me out to dinner at the same restaurant we went to before opening night of our first show together. And then afterwards we went sailing down the Hudson to paint pictures of the Manhattan skyline. It was a total surprise.”

Kurt Hummel Kurt removed the cap from his water bottle and took a drink as he listened to Rachel. "Woah, that is romantic. I'm going to have to tell Sam to step up his game." Kurt joked....painting pictures while sailing down the Hudson was a great date night idea. "Or we'll just have to double date sometime."

Rachel Berry “I would like that,” Rachel said with a smile. This is exactly what she wanted— all of the people she loved most together. Smiling at the thought, Rachel leaned against the back of the sofa and hugged a pillow across her chest. “And I haven’t even told you the best part yet...” She touched Kurt’s arm, excited to tell him everything. But they had time, she reminded herself. They had all the time in the world.

#ftf:kurt #kurt

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dearlazerbunny · 5 years

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The Ouran HSHC as Art Students Headcanons

Haruhi Fujioka: visual arts

- Sketching is what she started with as a child because it’s the cheapest; all you need is printer paper and a crappy pencil

- Never walked into a proper art store until her uni classes required it: “You want how much for this sketchbook?!??”

- Has access to fancy charcoal pencils and whatnot at school now but secretly still feels more comfortable using cheap drugstore mechanical pencils since that’s what she taught herself to draw with

- She thinks the paint and sculpture students are a bit pretentious, but she can appreciate the ceramics because they have a useful purpose (she takes pottery as an elective).

- Do not even THINK about fucking with this girl’s portfolio, even as a joke. Saying that she guards it with her life is an understatement

- Hidden in a drawer is an unfinished, photorealistic portrait of her mother. Something about it is never quite right; she’s not sure if it’ll ever be truly finished

Tamaki Suoh: literary arts

- Specialises in poetry, particularly romantic poetry, because obviously

- Literally cannot write nonfiction to save his life

- Idolizes the Bard and has multiple, incredibly expensive editions of his complete sonnets. If you pressed him to name a favorite it’d be #19

- Will spend days staring at something simple (a rose, a necklace, etc.) and finally emerge with a poem that is either incredibly poignant and beautiful or laughably bad, no inbetween

- He has a diary full of very personal poems that are only for himself, all written in French

- Despite being a literary arts major, he’s constantly being conscripted by the theatre department to play parts like Romeo and Orsino because he’s just too perfect for it

Kyoya Ootori: instrumental music/performance track

- Here is where I’d put what instrument he specializes in but uh... he literally plays all of them

- I’m not kidding. Hikaru once bet a large sum on money that there was no way Kyoya could play every instrument. He smirkingly threw an ocarina at Kyoya and the bastard just raised an eyebrow then casually played a gorgeous 30 minute rendition of the Song of Storms

- Was playing a Stradivarius at age nine

- Personally, he prefers woodwind instruments the best, followed by strings, piano, and then brass. His conductors have to bribe him to play any sort of brass instrument

- Will disappear for days into a practice room until whatever piece he’s studying is p e r f e c t. If you’re looking for him and he’s not answering his phone, that’s where he is. Will sleep in there so no one steals his room; has passed out in there from dehydration/lack of food and been carted out by medics too many times to count

- Secretly a huge fan of twoset violin

Hikaru Hitachiin: theatre/acting major

- Did you really think this Dramatic Boi(TM) would be anything other than a theatre major

- Despite his IRL demeanor, he’s incredibly serious about his acting. Professors who expect him to be a slacker are consistently surprised by his dedication

- Excels in the classics and absurdist theatre. He can be a little too intense for some of the “slice of life” modern plays

- Could probably pull off a Lear monologue flawlessly at age 12

- Always requests two scripts in any production he’s cast in: one that he can scribble on, rip up, lose pages in, etc. and one that is kept in sheet protectors in perfect condition

- He’ll be cast in a musical here and there. He’s got a decent voice and can carry a tune with a bit of coaching, but he’s got two left feet and therefore is usually put in the back in dance numbers

Kaoru Hitachiin: instrumental music, double major in music performance and music education

- Cello is his main. He was drawn to it as a kid because it’s mellow and calm; a mirror to Hikaru’s spastic tendencies

- I can also seem him liking bassoon for the same reason

- He’s quietly spectacular. You never see him practice, brag about his instrument, etc. but will somehow miraculously show up to every rehearsal with most of their pieces memorized

- Prefers ensemble and orchestral work to solos. Gets a little uncomfortable being the only one solely in the spotlight

- Has STRONG opinions on all the classical composers and one of the few times you’ll see him red-in-the-face shouting is when he’s expressing his extreme hatred for Flight of the Bumblebee

- He’s double majoring in music ed because while he loves performing and wants to work as an instrumentalist for a few years, when he’s done with that scene he’d love nothing more than to have a classroom of his own, teaching six year olds how to hold their bows and leading them through their first rendition of Hot Cross Buns

Mitsukuni Haninozuka: vocal performance

- Ya boy has RANGE. Can go from a gorgeous countertenor to a lovely baritone/high bass.

- His countertenor is his specialty though. Choir conductors across the world will literally fight over the chance to feature him as a soloist or special guest

- Is mostly fluent in just about every language, thanks to the wide variety of languages choir music features. Italian is his favorite, especially the operas

- Always has to stand in the front row of the risers and sometimes on a special-made block so people can see him amongst the other singers. His concert dress always has to be custom made for him as well

- He’s very careful to not abuse his voice, and has eliminated vocal fry in his everyday speech, though it helps that his normal speaking voice is pitched higher naturally

- Though he’d never admit it to his choir peers, he can sing pop and even rap with the best of them, though it’s saved for karaoke nights with his best friends. His favorite things to sing are holiday carols.

Takashi Morinozuka: dance major/ballet track

- He’s been in ballet classes and kendo classes since age four, and refused to give either of them up as he got older

- To him, both ballet and kendo are very similar. They both require strength, grace, and discipline. He attacks the discipline part hard. He’s the epitome of dedicated

- His height and strength makes him a perfect duet partner. All the girls pray they’ll get paired with Mori in partnering class because they know he’ll be a perfect gentleman the whole time and never, ever drop them

- Looks damn good in a pair of tights, and is never self conscious about it

- Keeps a strict athlete friendly diet 90% of the time, but occasionally allows himself a cheat day and will steal a piece of Honey’s cake out of the fridge (because of course they’re dormmates)

- Would definitely be one of the rare guys who practices pointe because A) he finds it a beautiful art form and B) he doesn’t think it’s fair that the women go though the pain of pointe shoes and he not know what it feels like

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noeliareads · 5 years

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Penpals? Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

November, 2017

After about 2 weeks of preparation (waiting for a paycheck) Arizona had almost everything ready for her box. All she had to do was write the letter.

*Dear Jinho, I don’t have words to express how grateful I am for everything you sent me. I actually feel bad because I don’t send as much. But here are a few of my favorite things from America. I really hope you like them. The SNSD mug? I use it everyday for my morning coffee. (she printed out a photo of the mug on her side table) The tea is incredible! Jinho, everything is incredible and I can’t thank you enough!

By the way, how are you? How is South Korea? I hope you’re doing ok as well as your friends. I am ok, just a little bit stressed with school. Our final exams are in about a month and believe me I am not ready. Oh! I haven’t introduced myself. As you already know my name is Arizona, I am 20 years old and I am a music major in college. That’s something we have in common, music. I wanted to become a music major because I would love to be a music teacher in a university. I feel like my acquired skills would be exploited there. I really don’t know what to say about myself. My favorite colors are moss green and beige. I cannot write with normal ballpoint pens. I know. It’s weird. Fountain pens are a blessing and they are the best thing in the world.*

***

Bang Chan was in his room working on some mixtapes when he heard Jisung yell.

“YA! We got a package for Bang Jinho. Who is Bang Jinho?”

Bang Chan threw his laptop on his bed and almost slipped on the wood floor, running to where Jisung was.

“Nae goesida!” It’s mine! He said. He yanked the… box? A box? And ran to his room, locking the door behind him, leaning on it as if one of his band mates were to break it down. It has happened before...

He clutched his chest regaining his breath. He took a seat on the floor and curiously examined the box, it had the typical shipping label. He didn’t spare a minute so he opened the box with his bare hands. Inside the box were a variety of American sweets. He found a mug with the american flag on it, post-its of the american flag… There were a lot of things with the american flag. Very.. touristy. Still, he thought it was cute. He saw a light blue envelope and grabbed it. It was time to read what she said.

Dear Jinho…

*I have no siblings, sadly. I am an only child so I grew up alone sometimes. But that’s ok. I don’t mind being alone sometimes. I find comfort in being alone. Oh! I listened to the songs you sent me. Ok, let me gather my thoughts.

Likey: It’s so catchy and I watched the video as well and now I can’t stop doing the hand movements from the beginning! My best friend Nick, laughs and teases me because I will do it without realizing it. I will have to check out more of Twice’s music, they seem very promising.

You Are by Got7: I have heard of them but never got into their music yet. This was until you told me to listen to this song. I like this song. It’s has a beautiful melody. I like how it builds up and I didn’t expect the chorus to sound like that! I know kpop involves a lot of rapping but that “IT’S A BEAUTIFUL SKYYY” Dude. That buildup. Wow.

Matryoshka: I don’t even know where to begin. Who are these people?? I mean, I downloaded Soundcloud because you mentioned it and I was blown away. They are amazing! The first rapper has such a chill flow. It’s like he’s not trying but it sounds good either way! The second one? He’s good, too good. And the third one? Oh Lord. I really hate you right now. Who the hell has that type of voice? I figured it was him who accentuated the MAAAAAAAATRYOSHKA. And wow, just wow. Thank you for showing me these amazing rappers. I have to look into them more!

Lastly, Be Lazy. I have like 2 things to say. THE BASS. THE BASS. Thank you. I like them so much. THE BASS.*

The letter was two pages long and Chan enjoyed reading all of it. She seemed like a very animated person. She seemed to be happy about the simplest things and that weirdly made him smile.

FAST FORWARD TO DEBUT ERA. Chan and Arizona have exchanged a few letters (shipping time and Chan’s schedule). But they became great friends in the short amount of time they’ve corresponded to each other. They kept trading on songs, Chan loved or dislikes the ones she sent and same went for her. In future v-lives, he would play some of the songs he told her to listen to. But, one thing was for sure. Chan converted Arizona into a newer generation K-pop lover. Chan told her that 3racha were actually part of a survival show that basically consisted of working hard to be able to debut together. He also never told her that he was Bang Chan. But, he did tell her that he was working hard in order to get a job as a backup dancer for idol groups.

March: Chan to Arizona (They just debuted)

*Zo, I am so happy! I GOT THE JOB! I wish I could tell you all about it but I can’t!*

Arizona to Chan

*No way! Jinho that is amazing! I am so happy for you! I know how much you worked for this! Whenever you get to dance on stage let me know so I can watch you.* Chan sighed as he read her response. She will see him, but she won’t know who he is.

Fastforward

Months go by and Stray Kids have won multiple rookie awards. Thanks to Chan, Arizona has gone head over heels for them. She will rant about them in her letters and fangirl with him.

*Jinho… I know I sent you your letter and you probably received it yesterday or a few days ago but this is an emergency. SKZ DROPPED ANOTHER VIDEO! BTW, You have to see the street version of Insomnia. THEY WERE IN THE US I MEAN WHAT THE HELL! This is why I hate being a college student. No money. And, 10 days later they release the street version of Question? Do they want to kill me. Changbin and Hyunjin body rolling killed me! They all killed me. I really can’t thank you enough for introducing me to them. #PROUDSTAY*

For the release of their album I Am Who, Chan sent her an album. He wanted it to be autographed but he couldn’t explain how he made that possible. Either way she has his handwriting in paper so that counts? The boys knew about her, not much but they did know he was corresponding with a girl from America. Either way, she has his handwriting. Arizona in return, sent him an ASAP Rocky album! That made Chan very very happy.

Life suddenly was brighter for Arizona. She always had a hard time seeing the bright side in life and being positive was extra effort. But corresponding with Chan helped her breathe with ease. He was her escape room. She could tell him everything and she knew that he wouldn’t judge her. He would always offer words of comfort and advice. There were times where she would vent about how hard her classes were or how her mental health deteriorates day by day. Chan wasn’t bothered by this. He wished for her to be happy and free in her own mind. He would occasionally send her various letters in the span of a few days or less. He knew she wasn’t expecting it and he hoped it made her smile, which it did.

They were so used to corresponding to each other that friendship slowly and silently became something else. Arizona once debated about it but she brushed it off. It can’t be possible and it won’t be. Letters were romantic and that is the stigma that is around it and that’s all. There is nothing more to it. Chan thought of her constantly when he wasn’t busy with producing, practicing or anything related to the group. He knew he liked her, did he have the opportunity to ask for a picture? He did. But he didn’t ask. He would feel obliged to send her one of himself and he couldn’t do that. It was enough with lying about his job.

FEBRUARY - 2019

“I am soooooooo tired.” Arizona complained as she walked into the same coffee shop she frequented with Nick over the course of their college years. Both were seniors now, graduating in May!

“All nighter?” Nick asked? She just nodded and smiled at the barista giving her their order.

“You’re a master procrastinator. What were you doing?”

“Working on my senior project and portfolio.” She mumbles taking a seat and resting her head on the table. Nick didn’t miss how she avoided his eyes.

“And probably writing J’s letter right?” Arizona looked up at her best friend and smiled. It was true, she was working on less than 2 hours of sleep, writing the letter and working on her project. “Zozo, you like him don’t you.” It wasn’t a question. It was an affirmation.

“Nick, stop.” She wasn’t ready to face this topic yet. Like him? Pff. She’s never seen him before. “We’ve never met and probably never will. Ok? Drop it.”

“You don’t have to like or love his looks.” Arizona knew that and she knew what danger she was in of falling harder and faster for Jihno. She just wasn’t ready for it.

Arizona arrived home after her evening lessons and collapsed on the couch. She was just dozing off when her mom threw some papers on her stomach. “You have mail” She said. The sleepy girl sat up and flipped through the envelopes. Phone bill, student loan information, a postcard?

“Australia? I don’t know anyone in Australia.” She turned the postcard around and smiled when she recognized the handwriting.

*Hey Zo, sorry this is going to be short. But, I am in aussie visiting family. I won’t be able to read any of your letters until I get home but I will write! Just make sure to send your responses to my normal address. I am so happy to see my family again, I actually came with a few of my friends and we are just touring around. I also heard Stray Kids are going to be here! I’ll see if I can go to their concert or spot them at the touristy sites. If I do, I’ll send photos. Take care.

Jinho.*

Her heart fluttered. He knew how much she loved Stray Kids that he would even look for them for her! The days flew by and she received an envelope. It contained a post-it and multiple photos. The note said, ‘Found them.’ The photos were of Stray Kids near the Sydney Opera House. Wait, he found them? The photos seemed to be taken from afar and the boys were with cameras? Filming a video? Arizona died right there. He went all the way to find them, take their picture, develop them and send them to her.

Chan’s Perspective

Chan asked his manager to take photographs of them as they filmed and as if they were fans who spotted them. Manager Kim (let’s say that’s his name) agreed without asking for a reason. Chan quickly developed them and sent them before going back to South Korea. He was dying to tell her who he was. After all, he was her bias. Not that it made any difference. Sadly he still couldn’t, Stray Kids were going to be extremely busy in the next month and he feared not to have time to write so he made sure he had conversations planned out so she wouldn’t feel lonely. He also had the feeling that this comeback was going to be important for their careers.

His last letter ended with; ‘Zo, I won’t be able to write as much because I will be dancing for a group for their comeback so we will be very busy practicing. But, I will try to write as much as possible. Don’t miss me.”

Hey guys this was more of a filler chapter. I hope you get an idea of how the story is going to go. There will hopefully be two more chapters, I still don’t know how I will space them out. Next chapter is going to be about the Miroh and Yellow Wood era. Arizona also graduates college and there is a big surprise that will lead to the last chapter.

Playlist?

Adios - Everglow

Teeth - 5 Seconds of Summer

Wanna Go Back - Day6

Mirror - Stray Kids

These are the pictures Chan sends to Arizona.

#stray kids #skz #stray kids chan #stray kids bang chan #stray kids imagine #stray kids imagines #bang chan #chan #channie #bang chris #bang christopher #chris bang #bang chan imagine #bang chan imagines

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