#Danny sets up an intervention with all of his friends and family | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

k-dokja · 3 years

Note

Can you make an oneshot with danny and fem reader

I never wrote for Daniel but it should be easy since he's the main character... right? 🤡

It only took Daniel fives tries to successfully ask you out. The first three failed spectacularly because of someone else's intervention, the fourth one went into flame because of his own fault.

It took the fifth try and half a year of your friendship for him to hear you saying yes, Daniel almost exploded on the spot from excitement back then.

With that much effort, you'd have expected Daniel to pull all the stops instead of making you wait for him to arrive. It was past the planned time of your meeting, you were left standing in the street with a confusion bothering you with every minute passing.

Maybe he had problems with something, you'd not mind waiting, but a text message would be nice.

Thirty minutes, that was how long you were willing to wait when there was no other words coming for him. Half the time had passed, you were wondering if you were stupid to agree to go out with him when Daniel appeared.

You saw him running even before he made eye contact with you. However, seeing you had some special power-up, because he ran even faster then before, to the point where you had to question if it was humanely possible to run at that speed.

Daniel Park, seventeen years old, late for the first date ever in his life.

That was one for the record book. “I’m so sorry!” Daniel crouched over trying to regain his breathing, but it took him only a moment before he sprung up, eyes wide and apologetic.

“I overslept the alarm and then the clothes I prepared didn't dry and—”

Suddenly, he became conscious of his excuses when facing with your smile, Daniel calmed, smoothing the words down his throat. “I’m sorry,” he apologized again, “can I make it up to you?”

“Hm,” you glanced at your wrist watch, “fifteen minutes late, what should I do with you?”

Maybe with too much eagerness, he replied. “Anything!” Once again, Daniel noticed his behaviour and recollected himself, friendly smile plastered on his lips. “Let me apologize properly.”

“Why don't we go to...” You point at the store across the street where you both stood, the sign at the front was written in cursive and brown. “...there?”

Eager to have the chance to redeem himself, Daniel agreed readily, “Of course, I'll treat you to anything you want.”

“Okay," you nodded and offered him your hand, expecting.

Daniel stared, owlishly. Then it occurred to him again what he should be doing. You wondered how many new discovery he'd have by the day's end, seeing that he turned bashful when he realized what you wanted.

“Let’s go then,” Daniel wiped his hand on his coat before sheepishly taking yours into his. The two of you waited for the red light to cross the street, hand in hand. You swore you could feel his hand sweating, but made no comment about it.

The boy looked to be on the verge of explosion already.

Fortunately, the bakery store you were interested in cooled him down the moment the two of you walked in. With their chic interior and the expansive menu, Daniel got caught up in gawking at anything and everything at once.

“Have you never been here before?” You asked after Daniel finished his order and taking the buzzer with only a little fumbling.

He smiled with a touch of nervousness, “I only saw places like this from the outside,” Daniel explained, “I never really had the opportunity, you know I didn't really have friends before... Even the ones in our class went to places with more casual settings.”

“Sorry for picking here, then,” you said.

Immediately, Daniel noticed what he had said and backtracked. “No, no, I wanted to treat you, remember? It's a special occasion.”

You nodded, not entirely convinced but willing to go along with him. “What of your family?” You asked as the two of you picked a spot to sit down. “Mine got a cake here during my dad's birthday.”

Daniel answered, a little distracted by the search. “My family didn't have the means to it. My mom was always too busy working for me to go with her.”

You found it strange how he didn't get to enter an upscale bakery even when he always wore fancy clothes. Then again, when you connected the dots between his attire in the beginning and how he changed after he befriended Jay, his story became more plausible.

“We should go here with your mother next time,” you suggested, sitting down next to him in one of the corner booth.

“With my mom next—” Daniel looked at you, caught by surprise. “That... That sounds great.”

Once again, you saw him blushing, but this time, he didn't remain shy like before. Instead, Daniel reached across the table to take your hand into his, a warm smile was on his lips.

“I’m sure she'd love you,” he spoke softly, but far more withdrawn than before, “I’d love it for the two of you to meet eventually.”

“Is something wrong?” You asked curiously, maybe there was something about his household that wasn't easy for him to talk about. “You don't have to do anything you don't want to do.”

“No, of course not,” he forced the smile back, but you knew a fake one when you spotted one, “my situation is tricky at the moment... but I want you to know, when the time comes.”

You didn't know what to say then, it was Daniel who made you speechless. Not the first time, unfortunately. “I don't know what's going on but I want to trust that you don't do it without a reason.”

“You can,” he took your hand in both of his.

“I want to be as transparent as I can if we ought to make this works. I always found myself talking without thinking around you, and I...” Once again, he caught himself, putting a smile too manufactured on. “Sorry, it's only the first date and I'm bombarding you with this.”

Luckily for him, the buzzer went off, saving the two of you from an awkward conversation. “I better go get that,” he picked it up, already standing.

As Daniel stepped away, you couldn't help but become confused with his behaviour. Just when you thought you'd get to know him better, Daniel retreated away from you with his hoard of secrets.

You could only hope he meant what he said when he wanted to make this work. Because with all of this underlying secrecy, you couldn't help but think of the worst.

There was no choice but to trust in him, for now.

#daniel park #daniel park x reader #lookism #lookism webtoon #lookism x reader #fics

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openheartfanfics · 3 years

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WEEK 1: Some Good ‘Ol Pining

Alright y’all, here’s the masterlist for all the fics submitted for Week 1 🥳

Aurora x F!MC

You Lift Me Up - @satrangee-ray 🎭 Aurora finally faces her biggest fears, and finds courage to address matters of the heart.

Bryce x F!MC

Let The Games Begin - @kat-tia801 🛸🎭 Bryce and Erin make a bet to prove who is the better surgical resident.

Bryce x Kyra

All This Time - @liaromancewriter 🎭 Bryce Lahela wonders if it’s too late to shift the dynamic from friends to something more when Kyra Santana tells him she’s almost cancer free.

Danny x Sienna

Incomplete - @cryomyst 📚 [mini: wip] Sienna misses Danny even after three years. Feat. Ethan x F!MC

Ethan x F!MC

A New Light - @gryffindordaughterofathena 🎭 Ethan tries to let go of his rules for just one night.

All You Had To Do Was Stay - @josiesopenheart 🎭 Ethan and Josie talk for the first time after he comes home from the Amazon

An Intervention - @potionsprefect 🎭 In the days and months after returning to Edenbrook, Victoria is sad and her family are desperate to find out why

Autograph - @gryffindordaughterofathena ☁ Two times Ethan Ramsey gave an autograph and one time he asked for one.

Black Coffee - @estellaelysian ☁ Sometimes coffee isn’t just a coffee.

Blind - @the-pale-goddess ♥ The annual Edenbrook gala is all about extraordinary food, free booze, serving looks…and jealousy in every possible form. Who will crash and who will burn this night?

Burnt - @the-pale-goddess ☁ Tiffany’s looking for peace & quiet during her lunch break…A blinding realization finds her instead.

Can’t Have You - @bex-la-get 🎭 After agreeing to reset, Ethan struggles with the feelings he still has for Natalie.

Coffee and Spice - @starrystarrytrouble 🎭 What if the Ethan/Harper jealousy was set in OH2? Feat. Ethan x F!MC x Harper

Cold Inside Out - @estellaelysian 🎭 Ethan gives Alishka his jacket when they return from a party. Set in book one.

Control - @utterlyinevitable ☁ They can’t be together in real life. But what if there’s a place they can simply be? Enter Lia’s idea for a Control Room.

Crescendo - @utterlyinevitable ☁ It’s not a date. He planned on taking her out to celebrate passing her boards but it’s definitely Not. A. Date.

Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder - @headoverheelsforramsey 🛸 What would Open Heart Second Year Chapter 1 look like if it was Meera instead of Ethan that went to the Amazons?

Part 1 | Part 2

Fix It Series - @gryffindordaughterofathena 📚 [extended: wip] Open Heart 2 and 3

Hope - @monsoonblooms12 🎭 Ethan and Pooja’s thoughts before and after the first time Pooja goes to his home. (Set in Book 1, Chapter 8)

Hopeless - @utterlyinevitable 🎭 This takes place around Chapter 1 in OHSY after Ethan comes back from the stupid Amazon. There’s mentions of MC x Raf and Ethan x Harper.

Incomplete - @cryomyst 📚 [mini: wip] Sienna misses Danny even after three years. Feat. Sienna x Danny

Kung di rin lang ikaw - @izzyourresidentlawyer 🎭 Ethan returns back from the Amazon and their emotions are running high

Love the Way You Lie - @headoverheelsforramsey 🛸 Hollywood star Meera Bose is running from a scandal when she stumbles upon a stranger, Ethan Ramsey, but there is more to this man than it shows.

Missed Opportunities - @perriewinklenerdie 📚 [extended: wip] All the times when Ethan could have told Claire he loved her but didn’t, and one time he did. Told through Ethan’s eyes.

| 3. Pit in his stomach

Moving On - @lem-20 🎭 Will Ethan’s trip to the Amazon help him move on from a certain someone?

Music & Secrets - @utterlyinevitable 📚 [mini: wip]

Part 1: A Secret Shared

Part 2: The Present

Not It - @utterlyinevitable 🎭 Weeks after their first kiss they keep getting carried away. Lia wants more and Ethan does what Ethan does best.

Poco a Poco - @utterlyinevitable ☁ She accompanies him to an awards gala. It’s the first time they’re out in public together, and a certain doctor is appreciating the view.

Pretty Little Mistake - @starrystarrytrouble 🎭 MC fantasizes about Ethan, set sometime in OH2.

Puncture Wound - @the-pale-goddess 🎭 Ethan monitors Naveen overnight on New Year’s Eve. An unexpected guest keeps him company moments before the midnight strikes. Set after Miami.

Secret - @starrystarrytrouble 🛸 ☁ Ethan and MC are head of rival Diagnostic teams at Mass Kenmore and Edenbrook. They should hate each other… but they don’t.

Shattered - @sillydg 📚🛸 [mini: wip] Ethan breaks up with Liz after his return from the Amazon and completely shuts her out. Two months later, Liz finds herself in Kismet, New York for a bachelor party of her niece, when there is an attack on the crown prince. Ethan realizes that he could have lost her, and Sienna drops the Mic. [TRR Crossover]

The icy touch of two damaged hearts ♥

Singin’ In The Bar - @utterlyinevitable ☁ She’s having a grand ol’ time singing and dancing at Donahue’s with her friends. From his same ol’ stool Ethan watches desperately from the sidelines. Sometime in book 2.

Stuck In Gravity - @droppedmydamncroissant 🎭 After Ethan leaves for the Amazon, Calypso is left with nothing but a gallery of memories and the ruminating abilities of her scorned and yearning heart

Supermassive Black Hole - @droppedmydamncroissant 🎭 Ethan finally understands the game Calypso has been playing all along, the goal of her movements and power plays: jealousy.

Toccata - @utterlyinevitable ☁ Ethan’s temper got the best of him and Odette is there to patch up the wound.

Unspoken Pleas - @utterlyinevitable 🎭 Set a few days after their long awaited meeting 2 years after Becca left (FATL), they run into one another at the grocery store. Ethan can’t bring himself to let this be their final meeting.

Valentine - @lem-20 💘🎭 MC gives Ethan a Valentine card. Set during book 1.

Waiting - @takemyopenheart 📚 [mini: wip] There are thousands of miles between Ethan and Luz—which begs the question: does absence really make the heart grow fonder? [Amazon; Pining]

Part 1 | Part 2

Wave of Gray - @genevievemd ☁ Ethan deals with his feelings after the attack.

Words We Never Say - @liaromancewriter 🎭 After the events in Miami, Cassie and Ethan are determined to get their relationship back to a professional footing. If only their hearts would cooperate.

Harper x Tobias

Do I Love Her? - @adiehardfan 🎭 Tobias and Harper release their feeling for each other.

Love Triangle

Love for One - @jerzwriter 🎭 Tobias is secretly in love with Casey. Casey is happily in a relationship with one of his oldest friends. He deals with his heartache alone until, one night, he accidentally slips up to a friend. This excerpt contains his heartfelt confession. Feat. Ethan x F!MC x Tobias

_____________

admin note: if we’re missing a fic please submit via our inbox and have the summary, trope and pairing highlighted in the header.

#open heart #open heart fanfic #open heart fanfiction #choices open heart #open heart fanfics #oph trope challenge #ethan ramsey #ethan x mc #ethan ramsey x mc #bryce lahela #tobias carrick #bryce lahela x mc #bryce x mc #tobias x mc #aurora emery #kyra santana #harper emery

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five-rivers · 3 years

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(1/3) I. Uh. Have an idea for a sequel to the pep talk short? Post-Kamino, Izuku is down on himself because he doesn't feel like a worthy successo to All Might. He's in some public space when a boy (Danny) asks him what's up and Izu (trying to keep ofa secret) says he's upset about how everyone talks about AM like he's dead. Danny (hiding everything about himself including seeing the vestiges) jumps on the topic, talking about everything awesome about him that didn't come from the quirk.

(2/3) (And yes, the vestiges add a lot, especially Nana) But he also manages to work in helping Izu (by talking generally about the emerging generation of young heroes) (Btw, Clockwork warned him about not mentioning his 'quirk' because he's a bad liar and Izu would poke holes in that story in 10 seconds) What Danny wasn't warned about is that Izuku was in that public space because he was waiting to meet up with Toshinori, who heard everything and recognized his friend from middle school.

(3/3) (maybe he confronts him or maybe he's just grateful for whatever kind of divine intervention this is)

Izuku’s hands trembled. Which was. A thing. Had been a thing for a while, now, actually. Since the sports festival.

The fight against Muscular had made it worse.

Not that he regretted saving Kouda or anything! The opposite, really! It was just... He wished he had found some way to do it without shattering his arms. Again.

(Something dark within him whispered, go for his eyes. The only muscles there are in the iris, and clearly they aren’t enough. Take the prosthetic and slam it into-)

(No, he had said back, unwilling to go that far. Unwilling to mutilate another human being to that extent, even a murderer.)

He winced internally, and rubbed his palm with his opposite hand. He wondered if All Might, if Toshinori-san, ever thought like this about All for One.

Probably.

“-Kamino,” said someone passing behind the bench, taking quietly to the person they were walking with. “It’s such a shame.”

“I know. I just can’t believe he’s gone-”

This time, Izuku’s wince was external. Ever since the Kamino Ward incident, he’d been overhearing conversations like that one. More than once, he’d been on the receiving end of a conversation like that one. Especially if he was out in public and in his UA uniform.

Which he wasn’t right now. He was in a low-key All Might brand hoodie. For some reason, he’d been reluctant to wear the more... obvious ones anywhere Toshinori-san could see him. That’d just be weird, right?

A pair of feet come into Izuku’s line of sight, and he looks up, surprised, to see a Caucasian boy standing in front of him. The boy has black hair and blue eyes almost bright enough to rival All Might’s. He is, perhaps, a year or two younger than Izuku.

“Hi,” said the boy, waving. “Are you okay?” he asked in flawless and unaccented Japanese.

“Uh,” said Izuku. “Y-yeah! I’m fine. Why?”

“You looked kind of upset,” said the boy. “Especially when those two girls walked by behind you.” He tilted his head. “Want to talk about it? My sister says that sometimes it helps. She’s studying to be a psychologist.”

“I don’t know...” said Izuku.

“That’s okay,” said the boy, shrugging. He sat down on the bench next to Izuku, a thick stream of mist emerging from his mouth as he did so. He seemed unbothered by this. “We could talk about something else. Distractions are good, too.”

Izuku opened his mouth. Closed it. Frowned. Well, if there was anything he was good at, it was chasing people off.

“Oh,” said the boy. “I can sense quirks. When someone with a quirk gets close to me, my body temperature drops.” He shrugged. “You dropped my body temperature a lot. Your quirk is really strong.”

Izuku hunched his shoulders, too distracted by the last sentence to even start analyzing the boy’s (really cool!) quirk. ‘His’ quirk. If All Might had still had it at Kamino, would things have gone better? Would he still be able to do hero work?

How much had Izuku taken from him?

“I bet a lot of people tell you that, though.”

Izuku startled. Somehow, he’d forgotten the boy was even there.

“It’s like...” The boy trailed off, staring upward. “It’s like, sometimes, people don’t see each other. They only see quirks. Strong quirks, weak quirks, villainous quirks, heroic quirks. No quirk. It’s silly, isn’t it?”

“What do you mean?” asked Izuku. “Are you saying quirks don’t matter?” The first fourteen years of his life would like to disagree.

“No,” said the boy. “They matter a lot. Saying they didn’t would be like saying money doesn’t matter, or social status doesn’t matter. But they’re not everything. They’re not even the most important thing.” The boy leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees and resting his chin on his interlocked fingers. “The most important thing is what you do with what you’ve got. If someone has a quirk that can save thousands of lives, but they don’t use it, they can’t say they’re better than someone who has no quirk but saves someone anyway, don’t you think? Even if it’s just one person.”

Izuku was flabbergasted, because that speech was far too tailored to him to random.

“I mean, my sister is quirkless,” continued the boy. “Ha, you probably don’t want to hear about my family, when you’ve got your own things to worry about. Anyway, even if everyone is telling you that you have to use your quirk in one way, or they’re heaping all these expectations on you, all that matters is what you decide to do with it. Or yourself. Like, there’s this one astrophysicist I read about that has this really wild quirk that everybody said meant she had to go into manufacturing, but she didn’t want to, and she had the brains for physics, so-”

Izuku listened to the boy ramble. It was actually kind of soothing. Okay. He needed to dial back his paranoia.

“-does that make sense?” finished the boy.

“Y-yeah,” said Izuku. “But, um. What was bothering me, it wasn’t my quirk.” This would be fine, right? It wasn’t like he’d actually say he was talking about All Might. “It was... I have a friend, and he’s sick, but... Everyone is talking about him like he’s already dead, and he’s not. What they said, it reminded me of that. It’s just... frustrating.”

“Yikes,” said the boy. “I don’t really have any advice for that. It’s hard to change other people’s minds.” The boy sighed, and the sound felt much older than it had any right to be.

“Daniel Fenton?”

Izuku whipped around at the sound of Toshinori-san’s voice. The skeletal man was standing several feet to the right of the bench and had dropped one of the two ice cream cones he had been holding.

“Oops,” said the boy, on the other side of Izuku. “Guess I stayed a bit too long.”

Despite his injuries, Toshinori was at Izuku’s side in an instant, pulling him off the bench and pushing himself between Izuku and the boy. Daniel? Fenton?

The boy had jumped away as well, and was regarding Toshinori-san with something between consternation and amusement.

“Who are you?” demanded All Might. “Why do you look like that?”

“Hey,” said the boy, “that’s kind of rude, don’t you think, Toshinori-kun? You’re the one that said my name.”

“Daniel Fenton is my age,” said All Might, glaring, his hand tightening around Izuku’s wrist. Izuku activated just the barest percentage of One for All, readying himself for a fight. “What are you playing at?”

“Well, if you’re going to be technical about it, I’m way older.” He held up his hands. “I don’t mean any harm. Really. Anyway, as long as I don’t have to beat around the bush, Midoriya-san, One for All didn’t clear this beach. One for All didn’t save Bakugo-san, or Asui-san, or Kouda-kun. One for All certainly didn’t convince this idiot to take care of himself, even a little bit. That was all you.” He pointed at Izuku.

... Were those finger guns? Was this guy seriously throwing finger guns at him?

Scratch that, who was this guy and how did he know so much?!

“Are you working for All for One?” demanded All Might.

“Gross. No. Never even met the guy.”

“Then how do you have two quirk?” asked Izuku. “Longevity, and whatever you did with the mist.”

The boy shrugged, careful to keep his hands half raised and obvious about it. “The guy I actually work for can do time travel. ‘Work for’ is kind of a weird way to put it, though. It’s more like, he’s my mentor? Same sort of set up as you guys have.”

“Time travel?” exclaimed Izuku. He’d never heard of a time travel quirk before.

“I mean, there’s a reason for that,” said the boy, and Izuku blushed as he realized he’d spoken out loud. “And you will. It was really nice talking to you, Midoriya-san! And it was great seeing you again, Toshinori-kun. But I’m going to be picked up any se-”

The boy vanished.

“Um,” said Izuku after several long seconds, “All Might? Who was that?”

“I...” said Toshinori. “You know what? That’s a great question.”

#danny phantom #bnha #ask #answer #prompt #prompt fill

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wheredidhiseyebrowsgo · 4 years

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Hey! Do you know any royal!stiles with any ship? I just want to read him being a prince and/or a king

I got you.

I’ve Been Dreaming by 42hrb

(1/1 I 4,116 I Teen I Sterek)

The Sterek Enchanted AU no one asked for

(Welcome To) Far Far Away, or The Tale of Wolfskin and the Fox Prince by scarlettletterr

(4/4 I 14,716 I General I Sterek)

There's a wolf sleeping in the cabin on the outskirt of Beacon Hills, and a fox in the Prince's chambers. This is a tale of magic, of lemon cakes, and oblivious idiots falling in love in the country of Far Far Away.

---

aka. A Fairy Tale AU where Derek is Donkeyskin and Stiles is Fiona but also Aurora.

Prince of the Dead by GrimReaperlover11

(17/? I 39,111 I Teen I Sterek)

Persephone always wanted a child but hasn't been able to conceive with her husband Hades. However one day a seer tells her that she will finally be blessed with a child.

Many years pass until one spring as she strolls through a forest she comes across an abandoned infant. Taking this child to her husband the two Gods decide that they will become the parents of this mortal child fulfilling the prophecy.

Follow Stiles as he grows up in the underworld being raised as the child of the king of the underworld and the queen of springtime. witness as he tries to form bonds with mortals once he reaches the age of eighteen.

*I suck at summaries but trust me...i think you'll like it*

Missing Son of Beacon by mrdcoolblue

(4/4 I 41,298 I Teen I Sterek)

Sensing Stiles’s obvious discomfort, Peter used one well manicured hand to open a file folder in front of him and gleefully asked, “Shall I read to you these anomalies?”

“Please don’t,” Stiles begged.

Peter ignored him and slid the papers closer to read them. “Stiles McCall. Eighteen years old. Resident of Beacon Hills. Supposedly arrested for—” He hesitated with a quirk of his mouth.

“Possession,” Stiles groaned.

Peter downright leered. “What was that, Mr. McCall?” He was enjoying this way too much.

“Possession of sick abs,” Stiles finished, feeling miserable.

. . .

Beacon has three ruling families: the Martins, the Argents, and most importantly the Hales. No one really talks about the Stilinskis—who used to rule over them all—since Queen Claudia tragically died in a fire eight years ago and her only heir, Prince Mieczysław, went missing.

Of course, royal drama and unsolved arson cases were far from Stiles’s mind when he arrived at school with his brother Scott and best friend Danny like it was just a normal day. That is, until representatives from the royal palace show up looking for something.

Like Heaven Catching Lighting by weathervaanes

(1/1 I 41,519 I Explicit I Sterek)

Prince Stiles of Cor has always known, somewhere in the back of his mind, that he was never truly going to marry for love. Fighting it has only made it worse. Now, presented with a choice between two children of the Hale family of Ignis, Derek and Cora, he must make the decision to determine who will rule by his side. If only it were that simple.

-0-

“Tell me,” he says, taking a drink. “If your sister does accept me as her husband, would you be pleased for her fortune or yours?”

Derek sets down the pitcher and moves further into the room, removing his vest and setting it over a chair. “I don’t believe that’s a fair question. If she finds happiness in your kingdom, by your side, of course I’ll be pleased for her.”

“And relieved, I imagine.”

Derek turns, arms crossed over his chest. “Would you be?”

A Devotion by TroubleIWant

(9/9 I 77,076 I Mature I Sterek)

There’s a boy exiting the doors as they approach. Where Derek is tan from hours outside, the boy is pale except for a few beauty marks on one cheek. He’s dressed in fine riding clothes, and flanked by a guard wearing the sign of the royal house. A noble, then. He’s younger than Derek, but, considering his higher station, a bow would be appropriate. Despite that, Derek can’t help looking curiously at the boy, who’s looking back at Derek with just as much interest. For a moment, their eyes meet - the boy’s are a deep amber in the sunlit courtyard, ringed by long, tawny lashes.

A gloved hand smacks the back of Derek’s head and he instinctively flinches away, hunching his shoulders. He loses track of the other boy as they pass one another, and as he turns to get another look, the knight grabs his shoulder and marches him forward into the stable.

“Keep your eyes to yourself,” the knight instructs. “And next time, show the proper respect to Crown Prince Stiles.”

Or: A medieval AU that's a little Princess Bride, a little bit more Game of Thrones, and a healthy side-serving of gay erotica.

The Fox & The Wolf by Dexterous_Sinistrous

(10/10 I 79,151 I Explicit I Sterek)

The war between the fox and wolf clans has raged for centuries, ignited in a time before anyone can remember. Now both clans—tired of the bloodshed and hate—are searching for a way to end the war.

Crowned prince Stiles Stilinski—heir to the fox clan—has agreed with his father to meet with the Hales, the ruling royal family over the wolf clan. Under the counseling of the Druids, both clans are presented with a solution to the war: unite the Stilinski and Hale clans through marriage. To quell their people's anger, both Stiles and Derek—eldest living Hale Alpha—are urged to accept the other as an equal; as their mate.

For the sake of their people, both houses make the ultimate sacrifice by choosing duty over love. But, out of what was first assumed to be compromised, quickly turns to be a better match than either could have hoped for. But not all is easy for either clan, as some members refuse to believe that the war could end so easily.

A Desperate Arrangement by mikkimouse

(29/29 I 115,506 I Explicit I Sterek)

"I'm sorry, I believe there's something wrong with my hearing," Stiles said. "Because I could have sworn you just told me you set up a betrothal agreement with the Hales. A betrothal agreement involving me. Me."

Scott smiled his easygoing smile and nodded, which told Stiles no, he hadn't misheard a damn thing.

After seven years of lengthy negotiations, the treaty between the Hales and the Argents has fallen apart and the two countries fell into war.

Months later, there's an uneasy truce, thanks to the intervention of King Scott McCall, but it won't last. In a desperate attempt to maintain the peace, the Hales sign a treaty with the McCalls to marry Prince Derek to Prince Stiles Stilinski, King Scott's brother.

In the history of the world, there have been many better ideas.

Ours is the Fury by Haleofalannister

(8/? I 140,419 I Explicit I Sterek)

The Nine Realms of Westeros are united under the rule of King John Baratheon I. However, even in times of peace there is strife to be found. Bloody Civil Wars are being waged within houses; alliances are being forged through the back channels of Westeros; the ever present conflict between the Reach and Dorne is continuing to escalate; and the Targaryens are as mad as ever. One has to wonder what event will trigger the hairpin that is holding this strenuous peace together, and if one will still find a stag seated on the Iron Throne when the dust settles.

#teen wolf #sterek #stiles stilinski #derek hale #royalty #anon

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whatwouldvalerydo · 3 years

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Leila Hellebore - Year seven

A little shorter than the rest, but finally. ALL SEVEN YEARS 🎉🎉

Characters mentioned belong to @that-scouse-wizard, @kc-needs-coffee, @cursebreakerfarrier and @catohphm

Year 7 – seventeen years

- On the 1st of September Leila or her mother are nowhere to be seen at the train station, neither is she on the train or at school. Marigold also informs everyone her luggage isn’t inside their room

- While everyone is affected by this, Reuben is more distraught than anyone, asking questions left and right. No one knows where she lives and the professors will not give out her address.

- He goes as far as using his abilities and learns that an acceptance letter had been sent to Leila’s sister as well, however her parents refused to send Clarice and also would not offer an explanation on why Leila is late for her seventh year

- Almost two weeks in, her father makes an appearance for the first time, bringing Leila with him. After a lengthy discussion with the head of the Slytherin house and the Headmaster, they are greeted outside by her friends. Eric turns and asks her if she needs anything else to which Leila just sneers stating “Send my regards to Hell.”

- It’s obvious from a mile away she is hurt, she winces in pain with every step, she has a cane to help her walk and is in a very sour mood

- She doesn’t allow anyone to touch her, interactions being rushed and cold. Reuben blocks her path barely uttering “You’re hurt.” To which she just replies “And you need a shave.” Pointing a finger at him she concludes “Don’t try to read into anything, you won’t like my mind right now” before she heads to the common room, refusing help

- Not even inside the dorm does she accept it, despite Marigold having helped her with her injuries in the past

- She closes off entirely, focusing just on learning for the NEWTs exams and makes some radical decisions once she is back

- Leila quits Quidditch and the Music club, Danny tried to stop her on both counts however Leila is too set in her ways and stubborn, refusing even the smallest compromise

- Siobhan and Marigold team up in order to have an “intervention” for her after she snaps at several people, even Aloysius keeping his distance after he got almost got a black eye for trying to read her mind

- The girls get her inside the music room and Leila is having none of it, Siobhan snapping at her “You need to get away from that family, if they did this to you”, Leila cutting her off “They didn’t, not this time.” Which leaves them with more questions and zero answers

- While Reuben gives her space, he keeps a watchful eye on her from a distance and one thing is clear, she isn’t healing properly, but she is also not going to the Hospital Wing.

- At the start of October he has had enough of not understanding so he tracks her down to the boat house by the Black Lake, Leila just hiding out behind some wooden crates trying to cope with the pain. She does hear him, but before she can say anything, Reuben kneels near and asks what he can do to help her.

- She admits to him the following “Reuben, please, I know you would never do something to hurt me, but I really need you to go. I do not want you to see me like this, I cannot stand being touched.”, however Reuben isn’t backing out this time around, especially not leaving her alone in such a state “I won’t touch you if that’s what you want, but let me be here for you.”

- He proceeds to tell her how he’s been reading up on different healing potions and spells, Leila being more stubborn about it with each passing second, eventually snapping, “There is nothing that can heal this” lifting her skirt to reveal deep lacerations on her right thigh . His first thought goes to her parents, however it’s nothing like he’s seen before so he asks what sort of wild animal managed to sink its claws into her like that

- “I would call him an animal, but then again I would be insulting all animals out there.”

- It takes a lot out of Reuben to keep his cool as Leila explains to him one of her suitors decided to visit her. While normally Leila could have handled such a situation, she has never stood in front of a full fledged male demon. She barely managed to fend him off before anymore damage was done, coming out of it with fractured ribs and severed muscles. Lilith Hellebore was alerted, finishing the job, threatening that is him or anyone of his blood were to touch her daughters again she would kill his entire bloodline

- Leila blames her mother, since it was due to her trying to find a suitor for her, that a demon decided to try and take what had been promised. She refuses to speak with her family, however they also decide to give her some space

- It takes her some time to place her trust back in everyone, not necessarily because they would hurt her, but because of what other might do to them. It takes some convincing from everyone for her to fall back in a normal rhythm and apologize for her behavior.

- On her birthday they throw her a small party and that’s when she truly breaks down and cries, telling everyone what happened

- Leila doesn’t even go back home in December. By then she is healed and Reuben is also bent on not allowing anyone to hurt her. He speaks with his grandfather and takes Leila to the farm to meet his grandpa for the holidays

- Siobhan and Marigold are relentless and tease them for that

- This is the first time Leila actually experiences a normal family setting. While at first she is this awkward mess that hides behind Reuben and is afraid to cause trouble, slowly she begins to open up and learn about the customs and understands how life should be

- Post holidays her parents both come to school with her sister and what’s when Clarice gets a glimpse of what a life outside home can actually be. This is the first time Leila openly rebels against them, tells them she doesn’t need them in her life, that they can disown her for she doesn’t care about the Hellebore name – “Do not expect me to come home again, that is just an empty, cold house, I will carve my own path, no matter how hard I have to fight.”

- Her father is certain she just needs more time however by this point for Lilith it’s clear she has people making her think like that and is determined to find out who it is

- During the course of a few weekends, Leila makes a few trips to London accompanied by the head of her house. The professor helps her sell some dresses and jewelry, open a bank account and she also passes her Apparating exam. The Slytherin head of the house is also the person who helps Leila find an apartment before the end of the school year

- She passes her NEWTS exam with good grades and attends the graduation ball alongside Reuben

- Siobhan offers Leila for her to come to the mansion and stay there, however she refuses

- On the train ride home, before she reaches London, she takes the addresses from everyone, promising to write after she settles in a routine, kisses Reuben asking him to wait for her, that she will write and let him know how everything goes, but she has to ensure her family will stay away or at least not attempt anything

- She apparates before reaching the train station

#hphl profile #hphl mc #hphl oc #leila hellebore #harry potter hogwarts legacy

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tabloidtoc · 3 years

Text

National Enquirer, May 10

You can buy a brand new copy of this issue without the mailing label for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Prince Charles orders Prince Harry to divorce Meghan Markle

Page 2: In a sniveling fit of pique, scorned Alex Rodriguez has trashed former fiancee Jennifer Lopez as a dud in the sack and A-Rod is moaning J. Lo drove him to chase excitement elsewhere because she couldn't keep up with his sex demands and Alex is defending his piggish behavior by saying Jennifer pushed him into it and their spark died long ago, and they were barely intimate for the best part of a year before calling it quits -- Jennifer would pack on the PDA for the cameras, but the moment they were in private she pushed Alex away and even made him sleep in a separate bedroom and he says it was like dating an ice queen and pities the next guy she ropes in -- Jennifer thought she and Alex had a pretty good connection during their happier times, even though she'd likely admit things really petered out toward the end when the lack of trust set in so it will sting her that he's trashing her skills in the bedroom

Page 4: Robert De Niro is getting pummeled by estranged wife Grace Hightower's free-spending ways and his bitter spouse is intent on taking the aging legend for every penny as their nasty divorce drags on -- Robert's lawyers argued in court that greedy Grace's extravagant lifestyle has forced him to take every job he can snag, causing the 77-year-old to toil 12-hour days, six days a week and what's more, Robert's Nobu restaurant business has hit hard times and his tax bills to Uncle Sam are piling up but he is reportedly worth a whopping $500 million, and Grace's lawyers have countered he's pleading poverty but regularly charters a helicopter to Sunday brunch, a charge denied by his lawyer and her attorneys also claimed Robert frequently flies to Florida on a private plane and spends millions and millions on himself -- meanwhile, Robert's relationship with 66-year-old Grace has taken such a nosedive, she's spending frivolously just to punish him and she's walked into a shop a spent $80,000 in 15 minutes and she will go on vacations to the Bahamas, stop at the duty-free store and pay four times the price of what things usually cost and she has more wigs than Imelda Marcos had shoes -- Robert met Grace in 1987 when she was working as a waitress in London, and they married a decade later but they split in 1999 then reconciled and renewed their vows in 2004 before finally calling it quits in 2018 -- De Niro has forked over as much as $375,000 a month to his spouse since their split and the financially squeezed star may resort to doing product endorsements just to pay the bills -- under the terms of the couple's prenuptial agreement, once Grace and Robert are finally divorced, she's allowed a $6 million home, $500,000 cash and $1 million in annual alimony, but her lawyers have argued she should be entitled to half his fortune

* Nearly two years after Hayden Panettiere accused ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson of brutally attacking her, the bully was sentenced to serve time in Los Angeles after he pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend, and the remaining charges of battery, assault with a deadly weapon and dissuading a witness were dismissed and he was hit with 45 days behind bars and four years' probation but he'll get credit for 12 days served -- he's done his own damage and will pay a permanent price for it -- meanwhile, Hayden is now in a great place in her life

Page 5: Danny Masterson has dragged Leah Remini into his rape case, claiming her docuseries Scientology and Its Aftermath influenced his alleged victims to file police reports against him -- former Scientologist Leah offered the women inducements and benefits to report Masterson to cops, his lawyer Tom Mesereau told a L.A. criminal court -- Danny, a 45-year-old Scientologist and That '70s Show alum, has pleaded not guilty to charges he raped three women in separate incidents between 2001 and 2003 -- Mesereau also called an LAPD detective who worked a second job as security for Leah a double agent and questioned how a 2000 police report made by one alleged victim went missing, but Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller dismissed Mesereau's double agent claims as hyperbole and said the defense got a copy of the missing report and Mesereau's request to push back Masterson's preliminary hearing, a Scientology delay tactic, was also rejected

Page 6: Kelly Osbourne's shocking relapse after nearly four years of sobriety occurred amid intense family drama for the former reality show clan -- Kelly's mom Sharon Osbourne's exit from The Talk amid racism claims by co-hosts and dad Ozzy Osbourne's struggles with crippling Parkinson's disease and excruciating nerve damage frazzled her and she confessed she relapsed and she's not proud of it, but she's back on track and she's truly learned that it is just one day at a time -- her parents' problems weighed heavily on 36-year-old Kelly, who first struggled with substance abuse in her teens, and there's no doubt her mother's scandalous exit from The Talk played a big role as Kelly was crushed over the beating Sharon took in the press and retired rocker Ozzy's relentless suffering also pains Kelly and throw in brother Jack Osbourne's progressive MS and she's dealing with a lot

Page 7: Distressed Dolly Parton is ready to stage an all-star country intervention for her party-hearty goddaughter Miley Cyrus after recent photos of the troubled wild child swilling booze triggered alarm bells for Miley's family members and inner circle, including Dolly who has acted as a mentor to Miley and Dolly has always fussed over Miley like a mother hen and she's worried Miley is going to throw away her career and her life -- 75-year-old Dolly is so concerned about 28-year-old Miley that she's talked about reaching out to other country icons to arrange a meeting with the former Disney child star and help her consider her options and Dolly wants to enlist women she knows Miley truly admires, like Reba McEntire and Loretta Lynn, and organize a sit-down and Dolly knows if Miley hears from legends who achieved so much in the music industry, she's likely to understand any mistakes she makes now can affect her life forever -- every time Dolly thinks Miley's got her demons beat, she hears of another slip-up, so she feels like it's time to take action and Miley's parents Billy Ray Cyrus and Tish Cyrus, who are good pals of Dolly, are thankful for Dolly's concern because Billy Ray and Tish have tried talking to Miley, but she tunes her parents out and they agree their daughter is more likely to respond to Dolly and her legendary friends

* Angelina Jolie blamed her ugly divorce with Brad Pitt for dashing her dreams to direct movies -- she and Brad split in 2016 and the two have been locked in a mudslinging legal slugfest ever since -- Angie says she love directing, but she had a change in her family situation that's not made it possible for her to direct for a few years and Angie, who last directed 2017's First They Killed My Father, said she needed to just do shorter jobs and be home more, so she kind of went back to doing a few acting jobs

Page 8: Shamed sleaze Matt Lauer has been snubbed by his old Hamptons crowd, and it's got the scandal-scarred scumbag down in the dumps and the super-rich who live and socialize in the fashionable high-society playground won't forget how Lauer was axed from his longtime Today gig over bombshell allegations of sexual misconduct and Matt's done everything he can to regain his place in the community, from hanging out in the village to splashing money around and tipping too well and he's convinced he can make a comeback, but snooty residents turn their noses up and it must be difficult for him because it's tough for anyone who wants to get in with this crowd but for Matt it's become almost impossible -- with scandal raging, Lauer's marriage to Annette Roque collapsed and they divorced in 2019 after a two-year separation and they share three children, daughter Romy, 17, and sons Jack, 19, and Thijs, 14, and Lauer has denied any wrongdoing and insisted his reputation was wrongly smeared in a media feeding frenzy intent on destroying him -- after his divorce, Matt hooked up with public relations guru Shamin Abas and the two have reportedly been pals for years and were first linked when Matt took her to his New Zealand home in December 2019 and Matt's friends are saying he's talking about a big Hamptons wedding when he and Shamin make things official, but it would be a failure if no one attends but Shamin has a lot of connections, so maybe that will help in time -- Matt's obviously an embarrassment in the area and he's not getting much joy at the swanky country clubs he likes to frequent either and it's clear to see that doors from many A-listers, like Martha Stewart, Gwyneth Paltrow and Scarlett Johansson, who have had ample time to put out the welcome mat and Matt won't be getting invites to their homes anytime soon

Page 9: Kourtney Kardashian is packing on the PDA with new boyfriend Travis Barker and insiders said her desperate bid to compete with her sisters has gone way over the top and ever since Kourtney and Travis first went public, the oldest Kardashian sibling has made it a point to post the couple's passionate romps in racy pics and videos on social media and people in her circle feel it's beneath her to advertise her personal moments like this and even her family thinks it's unflattering, but she's getting a kick out of showing off her wild side and Kourtney has been desperate to raise her profile to keep up with internet-savvy sisters Kim Kardashian and Khloe Kardashian, who promote themselves by posting incessantly and Kourtney was always more low-key, but now she thinks she needs to be outrageous to keep up but her friends and family say it's not who she is, and she should put a lid on the steam

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Alison Brie helped tend to newly planted trees in Malibu, Chris Rock tuned out the world with a set of headphones while walking in Miami, Dylan McDermott plays a bad guy on Law & Order: Organized Crime, Dancing with the Stars pro Sasha Farber buzzed around L.A. on an electric bike, Margot Robbie skating in Malibu

Page 11: Paula Abdul is filling in for Luke Bryan on American Idol, but she's gone crazy with fillers and Botox to the point where she can barely move her face -- 58-year-old Paula, one of the show's original three judges who left before the ninth season, jumped at the chance after Luke tested positive for COVID-19, but when she showed up for work, she was far from the familiar face everyone was expecting and she must have given her co-hosts quite a fright because her face is blown up like a balloon and her forehead has no lines and her eyes have no crinkling at the corners that you would normally expect on someone who's pushing 60 and people are saying she never did know when to quit and this time she's really gone overboard and it was a shame, since it's no secret she'd love to make a comeback on the show and she's still in fantastic shape, but it's kind of sad to see her fall victim to these Hollywood trends as she's a lovely lady and should leave well enough alone -- her heart-shaped face may predispose her to a slower aging process than longer facial shapes

* Jessica Simpson has plumped up her kisser, but one expert thinks her new inflated piehole would look better on a fish because she's gone overboard with filler in her lips and the end result is an unnatural and very unattractive look because the M-shape of the middle upper lip is distorted, creating a fishy appearance she surely wasn't going for

Page 12: Straight Shuter gossip column -- James Bond will be gunning for Top Gun: Maverick on movie screens in November, and Tom Cruise isn't happy -- moving the Top Gun sequel from July to November has left Tom shaken and stirred and no one is more competitive than Tom and going up against the new 007 film starring Daniel Craig has put the fear of God into him because Tom likes to win and coming in second is not an option so get ready for an all-out box office war between Tom and James Bond and this is going to get ugly

* Just out-of-the-closet Colton Underwood has been invited back to his old stomping grounds on The Bachelor but he won't be the new Gay Bachelor, but there's been talk about him returning to help contestants through the process -- he'll literally play the gay best friend who helps the straight contestants find love

* Bridgerton stud Rege-Jean Page won't be back for season 2, but crossing the show's powerful producer Shonda Rhimes was not smart because Shonda is not used to being told no, especially by an actor no one had heard of before she cast him -- Rege-Jean was naive about the business of Hollywood, but he's learning fast but saying no to Shonda is a move he's now thinking twice about

* Irina Shayk had her hands full during a photo shoot in NYC (picture)

Page 13: Racy reality series The Bachelorette has so disgusted some American viewers, they've flooded the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) with complaints and calls to yank the sexy show from TV -- according to documents, a season 16 dodgeball game that turned into a stripping competition among Clare Crawley's suitors in 2020 especially fueled viewers' rage, even though the aired footage was blacked out to protect the men's privates but the game was not over until one team was fully naked

* Matchmaker Olivia Newton-John is itching to play Cupid for longtime pal John Travolta as her Grease co-star approaches the one-year anniversary of the death of his beloved wife Kelly Preston and Oliva would like nothing more than to bring some joy and happiness back into John's life and she has lots of beautiful, fun-filled lady friends from the U.S. and Australia she could set John up with but he may not be ready for a new romance, and John himself has admitted mourning is individual and experiencing your own journey is what can lead to healing and John still hasn't gotten over Kelly's death yet and it feels like yesterday to him

Page 15: Tiger Woods' former mistress Jamie Jungers is dishing about her doomed 18-month affair with the then-married golf great and the fallout that triggered her harrowing spiral into drug addiction in a juicy new tell-all -- Jamie, 38, said she met the skirt-chasing links legend, now recovering from a shattered right leg after a February car crash, during her stint as a party host in Sin City and she claimed they kicked off a fling behind the back of his wife Elin Nordegren and Tiger would often fly his new squeeze to his L.A. home for their secret trysts and Jamie said she even once signed for a package at the newlyweds' pad that turned out to be wedding photos of Tiger and his bride, who divorced the sex addict in 2010 -- but it was not too hard for Jamie to convince herself the couple's marriage was on the skids because Elin spent so much time in her native Sweden and Jamie confessed she loved Tiger in a way but knew they'd never have a real relationship -- things came to a screeching halt when the tightwad millionaire refused to help her find new digs and Jamie kept her lips zipped about the hush-hush affair for three years, but she claimed her ensuing media appearances, in which she was dubbed Mistress No. 4, left her feeling humiliated, triggering a $500 a day pill habit that led to her getting hooked on heroin and meth and homeless Jamie endured failed stints in rehab, went through detox while behind bars and hit rock bottom before getting clean in 2018 and now sober, she said of her former flame she's not in love with him anymore

Page 16: Picky parents Alec Baldwin and Hilaria Baldwin have found one thing that's even tougher than raising six kids: finding the right nanny -- Alec and Hilaria have high expectations for prospective carers and exacting demands when it comes to their duties and Hilaria is so involved with the kids, so she's especially vigilant and has the final say when it comes to hiring and firing though Alec definitely has his checklist on what makes a good nanny and try as they might, they realize they can't do everything themselves and need help, lots of it, but it's been a logistical nightmare getting a team of nannies organized as Alec and Hilaria are tough on them and firm and long hours and multitasking are a must and of course they must be quick on their toes and know what to do with a cranky set of children without losing their cool and a good disposition, a clean and tidy appearance and the ability to step in last minute when needed are all prerequisites to be a Baldwin nanny -- Hilaria and Alec feel guilty about using more help than they initially thought they'd need and typically have at least two nannies on duty and they're doing their best to keep their home from becoming a nuthouse and stay sane and even when Hilaria and Alec are both home at the same time, they still need help changing diapers and doing endless loads of laundry, preparing meals and snacks and assisting homeschooling for the older ones and making sure they all get plenty of exercise and playtime -- it's been a challenge and they won't settle for anything but the most skilled nannies, and their friends can see the efforts are paying off

Page 17: Britney Spears has taken to social media to insist she's OK, but there are increasing concerns over the singer's state of mind -- Britney, 39, has shared bizarre Instagram posts showing her maniacally dancing and also bellyached that she's trying to learn how to use technology in this technology-driven generation, but to be totally honest she can't stand it -- the wacky videos followed the documentary Framing Britney Spears, which cast an unflattering spotlight on her troubled history amid her fight to have her conservator dad Jamie Spears removed from overseeing her personal and financial affairs and Britney, who has not had control over her own cash or major life decisions since her notorious 2008 breakdown, said the documentary's portrayal embarrassed her and brought her to tears and she cried for two weeks -- still, Britney reassured fans she's totally fine and she's extremely happy, she has a beautiful home, beautiful children, referring to her sons Sean, 15, and Jayden, 14, and although Britney, who's been coupled up with 27-year-old personal trainer Sam Asghari since 2016, insisted she's enjoying herself, she was caught on camera in Malibu appearing out of sorts and she looked a total mess and she looked like she hadn't brushed her hair in days and the truth is she's wracked with anxiety and she doesn't trust anyone in her orbit except her boyfriend

Page 18: American Life -- Like many dads, J.B. Handley couldn't understand his teenage son, but in this case, 18-year-old Jamison Handley is autistic and has not spoken a word since he was born -- using a breakthrough strategy called Spelling to Communicate (STC), J.B. discovered his son was hyper-intelligent and now Jamison is graduating from high school and will go to college to study neuroscience in 2022

Page 19: Newly single Kanye West is in the market for someone to cuddle with now that Kim Kardashian is out of the picture and the National Enquirer has decided to help him in his quest: Amanda Gorman, Bjork, Quay Dash, Marina Abramovic, Maria Cristerna

* While Kanye West is looking for a new lady to be his creative muse, his estranged wife Kim Kardashian sees the dating pool as the source of her next career move -- Kim has not been romantically linked to anyone since she filed for divorce in February and she's not dating anyone because, if she were, it would be a career move and Kim can't date quietly; she doesn't even understand what that would be like

Page 22: Katie Holmes and her boytoy beau Emilio Vitolo Jr. haven't been photographed together in more than a month, leaving people to wonder if the once snap-happy couple's romance is cooling off -- after being constantly caught on camera packing on the PDAs, the coosome twosome's vanishing act has sources suspecting work stress is taking a toll -- they're still together but things aren't anything like they were, and Katie seems pretty down and Emilio has been working long hours at his dad's restaurant, which was hit hard during the pandemic and that's meant less time for him and Katie to hang out and their romance may have gone from full boil to simmer

* Hollywood Hookups -- Danica Patrick and Carter Comstock dating, Zac Efron and Vanessa Valladares split, Madison LeCroy is dating a mystery man

Page 23: Lizzo stripped nude on social media for an unedited selfie to promote body positivity in all its glory and the 32-year-old defied the haters by bravely going makeup-free and wearing only her birthday suit -- she said she's letting it all hang out to encourage girls struggling with their self-image and self-confidence to embrace their natural beauty

* Bethenny Frankel plans to spend a whopping $10 million on her upcoming wedding -- she is set to wed Paul Bernon after she was spotted flashing a ginormous sparkler reportedly worth over $400,000 and movie producer Paul, 43, has given Bethenny, 50, carte blanche to spend whatever she wants so she's thinking 50,000 roses, champagne, gilt-edged glasses, a garden setting with fountains, dancers and a choir and Bethenny wants it to be perfect and she expects the best of everything

* Julianna Margulies has admitted things were hot on the set of ER, and it was because she and co-star George Clooney had a crush on each other and the chemistry on the beloved TV series between Julianna, now 54, and George, 60, was organic, she gushed in her upcoming memoir -- she also said when you create an environment that people feel safe in, then you do your best work and George taught her that and she felt so safe with him

Page 25: Troubled Tori Spelling is convinced having a sixth baby is the only way to bring her rocky 15-year marriage to Dean McDermott back from the brink -- Tori, 47, and Dean, 54, have been living separate lives for months and she has frequently been seen in public without her wedding ring and lately they've been more like brother and sister than husband and wife, but Tori is under the impression that another baby will give them a fresh start -- Dean has tried to repair their romance by taking on more dad duties and he even pushed for a recent family getaway to Palm Springs, where Tori socked her husband with the ultimatum to give her another baby or hit the highway and it's true they got along a lot happier when she was pregnant, but a lot of people think she's being delusional since they still have a lot of issues to work through and having another kid isn't going to be a magic fix and in fact, it may even add to their problems

Page 26: Cover Story -- Prince Harry's desperate bid to make peace with his estranged royal family exploded spectacularly when his father Prince Charles gave him an ultimatum to divorce Meghan Markle or you're out forever -- the secret showdown came after the funeral for his grandfather Prince Philip that forced family members to reunite for the first time following a year of bitterness and shocking allegations and any hope Harry had of mending fences and being welcomed back went out the window when he broke Queen Elizabeth's heart by snubbing her 95th birthday right after the funeral because he flew back to California the day before her birthday and it was the last straw for Charles, who was furious and he was stunned his son couldn't wait just 24 hours more to show respect for his grandmother and felt compelled to rush back to his pregnant wife Meghan and it would have meant so much for Her Majesty, who was still mourning her husband and needs all the comfort she can get but instead Harry headed back to his ritzy $14 mansion and Hollywood lifestyle, callously leaving his grieving grandmother on what should have been her big day -- the word is Meghan ordered him back as he'd been gone 10 days, their longest separation since they wed, and she didn't want his family playing mind tricks on him, trying to convince him he should return to the U.K. -- Charles confronted his younger son about snubbing Her Majesty during a phone call from his country getaway in Wales, where Charles was grieving his father Prince Philip and considering the future of the monarchy and Charles didn't mince words and he called Harry selfish and blamed Meghan for ripping the family apart and he bluntly admitted he and other royals, including the queen herself, were deeply disappointed and very angry by what the couple said in an explosive tell-all TV special and he couldn't believe Harry would agree to such a devastating interview without pressure from his publicity-obsessed wife or her advisors and Charles told Harry he was ashamed of him for turning his back on his family and breaking his grandmother's heart and Charles said he didn't believe Harry's marriage can survive long-term and suggested that Meghan was so ambitious, she'd dump Harry when something, or someone, better came along then he shockingly told his son he would only be welcomed back if he divorced that American actress and Charles insisted divorce was the only way to save the royal family and Harry himself -- Harry faced a great deal of frostiness from other members of the family after he arrived for Philip's funeral: Princess Anne, Prince Edward, his wife Sophie and other relatives didn't even look at Harry, they are so angry with him and Meghan, and Prince William and his wife Duchess Kate tried to put on a united front, speaking to Harry as they walked away from the service, but it was all for show as the queen had ordered a truce in the feud to avoid another public scandal, but family feelings are running very deep against Harry and Meghan for quitting royal duties and trashing the royals in their interview and the truth is if Harry doesn't divorce Meghan, this rift will never be mended

Page 36: Ellen DeGeneres confessed she'd swilled three cannabis-laced drinks and popped two snooze-inducing pills before driving wife Portia de Rossi to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy -- during an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Ellen said she'd downed a commercial beverage containing the weed compounds THC and CBD and admitted she didn't feel anything and then she drank three, and she also took two melatonin sleep pills and she's lying in bed and realizes Portia is not in bed -- after finding Portia on all fours and in pain, Ellen claimed her adrenaline kicked in and she rushed Portia to the hospital

Page 38: Gwyneth Paltrow knows at least one person who is not a fan of her catalog of sex toys: her mom Blythe Danner -- while Gwynnie loves to bang the drum for frisky female fun by hawking vibrators, whips, handcuffs, genital-themed jewelry and even a candle called This Smells Like My Orgasm, her 78-year-old mother is always shocked by her raunchy online inventory and is very proper, but Gwyneth said even proper ladies have sexuality too -- although her mom is not lining up to purchase the BDSM starter kit or the $15,000 gold-plated dildo, Gwyneth remains committed to tackling taboos related to female pleasure, saying she thinks that our sexuality is such an important part of who we are and one of the things they really believe in at Goop is eliminating shame from these topics

* The Entourage crew might get back together, with Charlie Sheen joining the gang -- the creator of the bro show and 2015 spinoff movie said he may bring the boys back with his buddy Charlie in the reboot and Doug Elin says whether he would ever be in Entourage as Charlie Sheen or whether he would create a character for him, he would be all for it -- Charlie hasn't been seen on the big screen since a 2018 guest spot on Saturday Night Live

Page 42: Red Carpet -- Sofia Vergara

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cywscross · 4 years

Photo

From @lightveils on Twitter (free to use wherever!). I’ve been meaning to do this for a while. I definitely have enough fics to fill it lol~

-0-

A Fic You Love Without Knowing The Source Material:

I was born for this by esama (Assassin’s Creed | Altair x Desmond | M)

Juno did her best to lead him to her preferred fate, but the end is coming and Desmond has doubts.

A Fic With A Premise That Shouldn’t Work But Does:

Proposing To Strangers by moonstalker24 (Teen Wolf | Peter x Stiles | G)

At the end of a strained relationship, crime novelist Stiles chooses to hide from the world inside a bar with far too many motorcycles outside it for comfort. Here he'll meet the man of his dreams, eat food and propose marriage, all within the first five minutes.

Peter doesn't know who this kid is, but he's cute and looks like he could use a break. So he feeds him. He's not expecting a marriage proposal, but with what comes after, he doesn't really mind.

A Fic You’ve Reread Several Times:

Hooverville by twothumbsandnostakeincanon (Teen Wolf | Peter x Stiles | E)

Town to town, train to train, tent to tent.

By 1932, the dust had begun to blow and the jobs were gone.

Anonymity was a byproduct of looking for work, which made it both necessary and convenient.

Stiles had enough secrets of his own to know to look the other way when he saw something that shouldn’t be possible.

The ghost of a tail giving enough balance to disembark a moving train.

Near silent Latin whispered on the edge of a tent encampment.

A flash of burning eyes.

He had more than enough to worry about without adding the oddities of others, and besides- having unusually sharp teeth certainly didn’t make a man worse than the ones running from the wife and kids they couldn’t feed.

So Stiles kept his observations to himself. He kept his everything to himself.

Until he met a man. One with eyes so blue they seemed to glow- and then they did.

Stiles tried to look away, but for the first time he was stopped.

“Don’t be like that sweetheart. Aren’t you curious?”

A Fic You Still Remember Many Years Later:

All True-Hearted Souls by mardia (Temeraire | Laurence x Granby | G)

“For God's sake, if someone doesn't talk Laurence out of these constant heroics, I wouldn't bet a farthing on his chances; no, and not ours either.” Four times that John Granby helped save William Laurence's life. Laurence/Granby. Spoilers up to Empire of Ivory.

A Comfort Fic:

Nothing Improper by Bunnywest (Teen Wolf | Peter x Stiles | G)

“How long since someone touched you, sweet boy?” Peter asks, his voice barely a breath in Stiles’ ear. “Days? Weeks? Months?” Stiles nods imperceptibly at that last one.

“After…after everything, after Allison,” is all Stiles manages to get out.

A Cathartic Fic:

Swing by ShippersList (Teen Wolf | Peter x Stiles | T)

Stiles wants to fly.

A Fic You’d Print And Put On Your Bookshelf:

Nose to the Wind by Batsutousai (HP | Tom x Harry | M)

While Harry had been content with his second chance, that didn't keep him from thinking what he could have done different, how many people could have survived if he hadn't been set on the very specific path he'd walked. Third time is the charm, though, right?

A Fic You Associate With A Song (x2):

Strange Duet by BelleAmante, thiliart (thilia) (Teen Wolf | Peter x Stiles | M)

The past three years have been a series of shocking, or not so shocking, successes for 2018 Tony award winner and two time Grammy nominee, Stiles Stilinski. You don’t typically find classically trained opera singers singing alternative folk rock to crowds at Coachella. Nor do you find indie singer/songwriters winning best actor awards at the Tony’s for their Broadway debuts. Stilinski has made it his lifetime habit to defy and exceed all expectations.

-or-

A Steter fic loosely based on Phantom of the Opera

Full Circle by Nike Femme (FMA | Roy x Ed | T)

Edward Elric returns with amnesia. He has lived the past four years as Auric, a Gatekeeper. But there are some battles that only he can fight. Will his friends be able to awaken Ed, and what happens to Auric if they do?

A Fic That Inspires You:

Off the Line by esama (FFVII | Cloud x Vincent | T)

In which Cloud gets a Virtual Reality Dream Console – ShinRa's latest in virtual reality technology. Aaand everything pretty much goes downhill from there.

A Fic That Brought You On Board A New Ship:

Me and Mine by linndechir (Fast and the Furious | Deckard x Owen | E)

The last time they'd spoken, Deckard had told Owen that he was tired of cleaning up his messes. But the first thing he did after breaking out of prison was to take Owen to the other end of the world so they could lick their wounds and start planning their revenge.

A Fic You Wish Could Be A Movie:

Moving In (To Every Single Aspect of Danny’s Life, Including the Boring Bits like Dry-Cleaning) by westgirl (Hawaii Five-0 | Steve x Danny | T)

It felt wrong for Steve to sound unsure of his place in Danny’s life. His place in Danny’s life was at Danny’s side, driving him slowly insane. Steve should feel secure about that.

A Fic That Led To You Making Friends With The Author:

Begin and End by Rikkamaru (Log Horizon x HP | G)

This is how it begins: a boy rejected by his family, a boy reunited with his brother by his sister-in-law's intervention. A boy who found a family in an online game. But how will it end?

FREE SPACE:

Reverti Ad Praeteritum by Batsutousai (Fullmetal Alchemist | Roy x Edward | M)

Unwillingly forced to serve as a human trial for a crazy alchemist experimenting with time travel, Edward Elric finds himself standing across from Truth in the moment it takes his leg from him. Armed with the knowledge of what's to come and burdened with guilt for the choices he'd made as an adult, Ed sets out to fix every mistake he ever made and save every life they ever lost, no matter what it takes.

A Fic You’ve Gushed About IRL:

Designation: Miracle by umisabaku (Kuroko no Basket | M)

It's been three years since seven human experiments, called "Miracles," escaped Teiko Industries, alerting the world to the presence of super-powered children. Now they're finally integrating into society-- going to normal high schools, playing basketball, falling in love-- and trying to find out if it's possible to truly escape their past.

A Fic You Associate With A Place (have to self-rec for this one):

Safe Harbour by cywscross (Teen Wolf | Peter x Stiles x Chris | T)

Peter didn't think he'd find a home here. He certainly didn't think he'd find a home with two other men.

Chris and Stiles prove him wrong.

A Fic That Made You Gasp Out Loud (kind of? it was suspenseful):

Sanctuary by DiscontentedWinter (Teen Wolf | Peter x Stiles | E)

The Hale Wolf Sanctuary isn’t just for wolves.

It turns out it’s for Stilinskis as well.

A Fic You Found At The Right Time:

slow increments by Areiton (Teen Wolf | Peter x Stiles)

Peter is enigmatic, egotistical, sometimes barely sane. He's sharp and cutting and takes more time to care for the pack than anyone.And sometimes, John catches him watching Stiles.

A Fic That You Would Read Fic Of:

if you try to break me, you will bleed by Dialux (Game of Thrones | Jon x Sansa | T)

It had been a slash across her chest from a White Walker��s sword that finally ended her life. Sansa’d landed in a puddle of her own blood, and she’d died quickly, quietly.

And then she’d awoken with a gasp, trembling, in a bed that had burned under Theon’s betrayal.

A Fic That Made You Laugh Out Loud:

The Path towards Unwilling Godhood by Sky_King (Bleach | Kisuke x Ichigo | G)

Ichigo has never had the most normal life, and this latest chapter of it is no different.

"I'm not a god!"

A Fic With A Line (Or Two) That You’ve Memorized By Heart:

Atlas by distractedKat (Star Trek | Spock x Jim | T)

Between what was and what will be stands James Tiberius Kirk, in all his fractured patchwork glory. Because saving the Federation was only the beginning.

A Fic That Gave You Butterflies:

The Rest of Our Lives by mia6363 (Teen Wolf | Peter x Stiles | T)

“I don’t know, as a kid I watched a lot of movies, you know? And at first I figured like… I’d be on some great adventure that would take me away from it all, you know? Like Indiana Jones comes around and is all, ‘Hey Stiles, buddy, come with me we’ve got to go save the world.’ Then… you and… everything happened… then I just… I figured I’d die before I was eighteen.”

A Fic That Embodies Something You Value In Life:

The Boy Sleuth by Shey (Teen Wolf | Peter x Stiles | T)

Stiles is eight when he discovers a box of his mom’s old Nancy Drew Mysteries in the back of the guest bedroom closet.

A Favourite AU:

Love What is Behind You by KouriArashi (Teen Wolf | Peter x Stiles | M)

Basically what it says on the label. Hunger Games type fusion. Stiles doing way better than anyone anticipates. Peter finds him intriguing. Ruthless, devious assholes working together to ruin bad guys, as the Steter ship is meant to be.

A Fic You Stayed Up Too Late To Finish Reading:

Of Dwobbits, Dragons and Dwarves by ISeeFire (The Hobbit | Fem!Bilbo x Fili | T)

Bilba has been a slave her entire life. All she knows of the outside world is what she sees from time to time outside the gates of Moria and the stories her mother used to tell her. Stories of a place called the Shire where her mother once lived and a placed called Erebor where, as far as she knows, her father still lives. Stories of dragons a thousand times larger, and more intelligent, than the beasts the orcs rode and of a strange concept called freedom where one was allowed to live as they wished with no one to tell them what they could, or could not do.

The stories meant little to Bilba. The only future she had was to live, and die, as a slave as countless number had before her.

And then the orcs dragged an injured female firedrake through the gates, her rider screaming obscenities behind her as he fought to reach her side...and everything changed.

A Fic That Made You Feel Seen (another self-rec lol):

i am addicted to death (so remind me what it’s like to live) by cywscross (Teen Wolf | Peter x Stiles | T)

Stiles is sixteen years old. He has already died seventy-eight times.

#Fic Rec Bingo #Bingo #Misc Fanfic Rec

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spaz8550 · 5 years

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Stay

Ch 29

A week later Sinead was in Boston. She flew in on a muggle plane since Minister Flannery didn't want to risk setting up a long distance Floo connection. Danny met her at the airport and they went to her father's office to meet him for lunch. John agreed with his daughter not to alert Helen to the visit because she was still raving about Severus and the others she had met.

After settling in Sinead went to visit Maggie's grandmother and sister, Maggie had asked her to check in and make sure they were both ok. Sinead could see that Maggie's grandmother was starting to slow down and she knew that caring for the girls was difficult.

The second day in Boston Sinead headed to Salem to meet with Minister Flannery. The meeting was a long one he wanted a detailed timeline of what had gone on since her arrival in London the previous summer. The date for the council was set for two days giving Sinead some time to meet with the shop owners who were carrying her line of products. Sinead also looked into possibly having a brewing station in Salem that would supply her orders in Salem and Boston but she couldn't find someone with a high level of experience that she could trust.

Sinead met with the coven she was a part of and presented what she knew. A few of the members seemed more interested in what was going on but no one volunteered to go except Bill's son, who was moving to London with his father soon anyway. Sinead was kept busy with an invite to a ministry run ball in New Orleans two days after the panel was set to meet. The day of the panel Sinead stood in the Ministry building with Margaret, the elder who had predicted Sinead's future if she went to London.

"You will be fine, dear. Just answer their questions and stay calm." Margaret gave Sinead a quick hug. The doors opened and Minister Flannery stood before them.

"Welcome Sinead. Margaret, I'll take it from here." Margaret forced a smile as Sinead followed the Minister into the large meeting room. She was introduced to the other Ministers before she took a seat and the questions began.

The first topic of discussion was why Albus Dumbledore was removed from his position of Headmaster of Hogwarts. Several people were using bewitched quills and parchments to take notes. Sinead was shielding her mind and felt a someone try to breakthrough. She scanned the room to see a dark haired wizard she knew to be the Headmaster of the New Orleans wizarding school to be glaring at her, she knew his name was Roberto Lamas.

The next topic of discussion was Harry Potter. Sinead kept her answers vague and only reported what she knew to be common knowledge.

The Order of the Phoenix was the next topic discussed. Sinead answered questions about what the order was focused on but she refused to name members since it would be public knowledge.

The last topic was he who must not be named.

"Why not just call him by his name?" Sinead asked.

"You are a fool to do so." Sneered Roberto.

"I agree, we should call him by his name." Minister Flannery said backing up Sinead.

Many of the people in the room seemed uncomfortable and the information presented seemed to made everyone feel much more tense.

"Sinead, thank you for coming here to present this information. We are all grateful for this opportunity to hear about what is happening. Now we are going to discuss everything we have learned and hopeful come to a decision."

Sinead nodded and stood. After getting outside she let out a sigh and made her way over to the shop that was selling her items. Many people in the shop were happy to see Sinead in person and a few people asked for her to autograph their shampoos bottles. When Sinead arrived at Danny's apartment her mother was sitting on the couch.

"Hello mother." Sinead said as Danny looked away guiltily.

"Sinead, I want you to hear what I have to say. I don't approve of your relationship with Severus but I'm your mother and I won't let you push me away."

"Mom, I've put up with you trying to control me my whole life. I put up with your requests so I could do what I wanted. I'm not giving up being a witch and I'm not giving up Severus."

Danny frowned.

"Sinead, let's think about this. I'm your best friend and you know I have your best interests at heart."

"Danny, please don't do this. We always promised we'd never get involved in each other's relationships."

Danny nodded.

"I know and I want to say one thing, just think about your possible future with him. I know you want to get married and have children. He's in his mid-thirties-"

"Stop, this intervention is ridiculous. Dad was in his 30s when I was born and this topic hasn't even been brought up between Severus and I-"

"Honey, we are thinking about you. He does seem like the paternal type-"

"Mom, I'm done. Either we drop this or I'm not going to talk to you until you get over this. Daniel, I can't believe you right now. I've never once butted into your love life and I'm so hurt that you joined in on this attack. I'm going to pack up my stuff and check into a hotel until it's time to go home. Mom, don't you dare think about showing up tomorrow when I go over Uncle Gs for dinner because he is well aware of what is going on and he supports me."

Helen stood shocked as Sinead moved around the apartment throwing her things into her bag muttering under her breath. Two hours after the failed intervention Sinead lay on her bed in the hotel where she would be staying. She had contacted her father and he was beyond pissed and she was sure somewhere in Boston her mother was also at a hotel because of her actions that day. Her father seemed like he was growing tired of Helen's behavior and Sinead wouldn't be surprised if her parents actually finally split up. She knew for years her father put up with her mother for the same of the family but Sinead had been living on her own for years.

Sinead knew it would be late but she called Maggie hoping that her friend might still be awake. For the first time since her aunt and grandfather's deaths Sinead broke down and who was usually the cried listened to everything Sinead said and even offered to come back to Boston for support. Since Sinead was only going to be home for a few more days she told Maggie to stay in London but she requested that the girls come over her house the day after she got home.

In London an Order meeting was called to discuss the change in several of the Death Eaters movements. Maggie was staring off when Albus asked if she had heard from Sinead.

"Sinead presented everything to the Ministry and is going to hear the results of their discussion at a ball in New Orleans. I was going to fly there since her mother was giving her a bad time again and that idiot Danny joined in."

Severus looked down at his hands. He hadn't heard from Sinead but he felt like something was wrong.

"That poor dear." Molly said as Albus frowned not really knowing what was going on.

"Her mother is giving her a hard time because of me." Severus said as Sirius went to open his mouth but Remus kicked him under the table.

"Not know." He gritted as Sirius glared at him.

"Sinead's mother is a piece of work anyway. That woman made it difficult for her to be a witch. I was amazed Sinead was so level heaved after meeting Helen." Trent said as Sophia shook her head.

"I know she'll be ok. Sinead's the strongest person I know."

#spazie85 #stay #severus snap fan fiction #severus snape #severus x ofc #severus snape x ofc #harry potter fan fiction

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mastcomm · 4 years

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Love Saves the Day Turns 50: Hear 12 of the Loft’s Essential Songs

On Valentine’s Day in 1970, David Mancuso hosted a private party called Love Saves the Day in his loft at 647 Broadway in New York, a few blocks north of Houston Street. He was an audio obsessive with a voracious appetite for spiritual sounds and a profound sense of community, and the event was an opportunity to bring together friends in a setting unfettered by commercial demands, or the restrictions of their outside lives.

Mancuso, who died in November 2016 at 72, didn’t produce music on his own and didn’t think of himself as a D.J., preferring the term “musical host.” Yet the mix of unorthodox records played at what became known as the Loft, and the inclusive ethos that he and his devotees espoused, became cornerstones for dance music. And as one of the founders of the New York Record Pool — an organization that helped distribute promotional vinyl to D.J.s — in 1975, Mancuso was at the forefront of asserting the D.J.’s role as commercial and critical clairvoyant. The responses of the dancers at the Loft could reverberate throughout the city and beyond, reshaping the American pop charts.

Parties at the Loft were structured according to three “bardos,” a reference to the phases of an LSD trip — note the first party’s initials — which Timothy Leary took from “The Tibetan Book of the Dead.” First came “the calm,” giving way to “the circus” and finally “the re-entry.” Mancuso didn’t blend or beat match songs together, instead presenting them in their unadulterated form. But the Loft was still experienced as a succession of intertwined stories, each chapter crackling with an improvisatory energy and emotional heft. A single night might include jazz fusion, Broadway musicals, searing Latin funk, sumptuous disco, eerie psychedelia, exploratory African rhythms, shrieking post-punk and much more.

The eclectic selection of music wasn’t the only diversity embraced at the Loft. Riding the momentum of the 1960s’ progressive politics — and with the Stonewall uprising fresh in the minds of many attendees — the parties were far more mixed than most New York night life, and Mancuso’s dance floor became a comforting, transformative space that aspired to erase the racial or sexual oppression experienced elsewhere. Free to dance however and with whomever they wanted, the Loft was where many people found their chosen families.

The Loft has moved locations several times, but is still going strong with three parties a year in New York. To mark the 50th anniversary of that first Love Saves the Day event, here are 12 classics and comparatively unheralded gems that were heard at different periods on the Loft dance floor over the party’s lifetime.

Chuck Mangione featuring Esther Satterfield, ‘Land of Make Believe’ (A&M, 1973)

Many songs have lyrical messages that can be taken as mission statements for the Loft, but few match the impact of this live recording. Accompanied by the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, Chuck Mangione’s luscious arrangement surges beneath Esther Satterfield’s soaring vocals, as she references “The Wizard of Oz” and Martin Luther King Jr. The lyric “Where everything is fun, forever” reflected “the spirit everyone wanted to tap into” when entering the Loft, said Colleen “Cosmo” Murphy in an interview. (Murphy, one of the party’s current musical hosts and a longtime collaborator with Mancuso, helped release two compilations of music from the Loft via the London label Nuphonic in 1999 and 2000.) “You were entering the safe land of make believe — you could be a child, be free.”

Les Troubadours du Roi Baudouin, ‘Missa Luba’ (Philips, 1958)

This recording — of a Latin Mass in Congolese musical styles featuring a children’s choir under the helm of a Franciscan friar named Guido Haazen — wasn’t released in the United States until 1963. Mancuso had been hosting unofficial parties as early as 1966, and this album appealed to his affection both for music with an explicit spiritual message and for African percussion.

Andwella, ‘Hold On to Your Mind’ (Reflection, 1970)

Although the Loft is typically associated with disco, its audiences’ tastes were omnivorous, extending to throbbing, piano-inflected jams such as this one by the Northern Irish trio Andwella. With a sinuous guitar and a ringing, short-lived break, it’s one of several harder-edge slices of psych-rock that Mancuso played in the party’s early days, alongside less sinister outings like Brian Auger and the Trinity’s “Listen Here.”

Nina Simone, ‘Here Comes the Sun’ (RCA/Victor, 1971)

A stark, sibilant cover with abundant harp and tape hiss, Nina Simone’s take on the Beatles was a mainstay of early mornings (and afternoons) at Loft parties. Some attendees remember it always being the last song of the night during the years at 647 Broadway, the Loft’s first location, and it’s easy to imagine the regulars floating comfortably back to their lives on the strength of the hopeful outro.

War, ‘City, Country, City’ (United Artists, 1972)

The twangy harmonica on “City, Country, City,” the track that closes out the first side of War’s 1972 album “The World Is a Ghetto,” might seem an unlikely candidate for dance floor impact. But the spiraling intensity of the saxophone, percussion and organ build toward a powerful climax. “Everybody downstairs knew it from the first chord and was running upstairs to it,” the New York D.J. and Body & Soul co-founder Danny Krivit said in a 2018 oral history of the Loft on Red Bull Music Academy Daily. “When I went upstairs and I saw this explosion as it got to this busy part of the song, it was something I had never experienced in a club before that.”

Manu Dibango, ‘Soul Makossa’ (Fiesta/Atlantic, 1972)

The inescapable refrain “mamako-mamasa-mako makossa” may never have infiltrated American popular music without the Loft. Mancuso originally uncovered this track in the racks of a record store in Brooklyn, and its addictive, memorable chorus and bleating saxophone earned a passionate response at Loft parties. In 1972, Atlantic licensed and rereleased the original version in America, where it reached No. 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and gave the Cameroonian Dibango one of the first mainstream disco hits. A number of citations and interpolations, legal and covert, have kept it in the bloodstream of American music ever since.

MFSB, ‘Love Is the Message’ (Philadelphia International, 1973)

This passionate fanfare and call to action has likely been heard at every Loft party since its initial release. It’s arguably Gamble & Huff’s most direct songwriting statement, and undoubtedly what many Loft devotees would play strangers to try to communicate the party’s philosophies, musical or otherwise.

Blackbyrds, ‘Walking in Rhythm’ (Fantasy, 1975)

The Blackbyrds’ plaintive, twinkling lament for a distant lover, with its repetitions of “walking in rhythm/moving in sound,” captured the essence of the freedom found at the Loft. “The music would not stay at one level all evening long,” Ernesto Green, who has attended the Loft since 1975 and now helps organize the parties, said in an interview. “This was one of the ones played as the music started getting more intense, to start you up on the climb.”

Ashford & Simpson, ‘Stay Free’ (Warner Bros., 1979)

The ecstatic interplay of Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson was a regular presence on the New York club circuit from the time they first made their name as songwriters, and their own recorded music had a seismic impact, too. “Stay Free” is a slinky tour de force, with orchestral accents bouncing toward an instrumental peak. There are few sneakier and sadder kiss-offs than the duo’s melisma on the word “lonely,” which threatens to spin the song out of control before the rubber-band bass snaps back.

Steve Miller Band, ‘Macho City (Long Version)’ (Capitol, 1981)

“David never cut records or stopped them in the middle,” Green said. “He always felt the musician took their time to create this music, and they should be credited by hearing the entire recording played.” This was the case even with the 16-plus-minute version of “Macho City,” a slow-burning parody of American military intervention set in a psychedelic key. A riot of alien effects, dub affectations, skronking synths and an irresistibly funky bass line, it’s a laugh-out-loud indictment of a political establishment whose work could feel anathema to the Loft’s message of love and unity.

Code 718, ‘Equinox (Heavenly Club Mix)’ (Strictly Rhythm, 1992)

Released on an iconic house label, executive produced by the undersung Gladys Pizarro, written by the New York club mainstay Danny Tenaglia, and featuring piano by the future Hillary Clinton political adviser Peter Daou, “Equinox” samples the circular burble of Manuel Göttsching’s prog-ambient classic “E2-E4” and a terse Grace Jones vocal. It was a hit at the time when the Loft was operating in the East Village, on East 3rd Street between Avenues B and C, and is one of the many songs that reflects the party’s engagement with contemporary sounds.

Karma, ‘High Priestess’ (Groove Attack Productions, 1995)

“High Priestess,” a bit of Latin-inflected soulful house with ballooning bass, was the first-ever attempt by Lars Dorsch, the store manager of Groove Attack record shop in Cologne, Germany, to make music. But he wasn’t aware that the song had been getting play at the Loft — as well as other New York parties like Body & Soul — until 1998, when the licensing request came in for the song to be included on Nuphonic’s indelible compilation of Loft classics. “I was quite familiar with David’s legacy at that point already, and was totally blown away by the fact that he played it,” Dorsch said in an interview. “I’m still floored thinking that we shared a track list with music of that caliber.”

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koragame · 6 years

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The 13 Best It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Episodes FX's It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia just entered its 13th season, and over the years, the gang has done some incredible and despicable things. From exploiting the gas crisis, to getting drunk on planes, to putting on a rock opera that's just a marriage proposal ploy, the show contains some hilarious and truly memorable episodes.The show follows the owners--and employee--of Paddy's Pub in Philadelphia: Ronald "Mac" McDonald, Dee Reynolds, Dennis Reynolds, Frank Reynolds, and Charlie Kelly. Together, this group of friends is toxic and ruins the lives of everyone around them through malicious schemes and plots to try and make themselves seem like better people.In honor of the show's 13th season, the folks at GameSpot came together to debate which episodes are the best. Obviously, this is no easy task because so many of these episodes are amazing.After plenty of debate, looking at every scheme, every violent encounter, and every hilarious moment, we figured out the best 13 episodes from the series. Let us know what your favorite episodes are in the comment section below.It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia currently airs Wednesdays at 10 PM on FXX. 13. The Gang Gives Frank An InterventionSeason 5, Episode 4Frank has gone off the wagon with his drinking so Dee, Dennis, and Charlie want to give him an intervention. Meanwhile, Frank is trying to have sex with his sister-in-law, who Mac is pursuing as well. However, Frank settles for her daughter, Gail the Snail, who is simply the worst (and one of the show's best side characters, despite being underused). This episode is the point where Frank really goes off the deep end--Season 2 Frank is very different from what the character eventually becomes--and once he starts plumbing the depths of his depravity here, he'll never stop. This episode is a great example of the group dynamic, which involved getting as drunk as possible (this time with wine in soda cans) and berating each other. 12. The Gang Wrestles For The TroopsSeason 5, Episode 7 This episode has the first appearances of both Da Maniac and Ben the Soldier. Mac, Charlie, and Dennis decide nothing is more American than wrestling and decide to put on a wrestling show for the troops. They book Da Maniac, played by the late Roddy Piper, a deranged wrestler with a heart of gold who ends up getting arrested before the show. Meanwhile, Dee meets her online boyfriend Ben but passes him off to Artemis when Ben shows up in a wheelchair after spraining his ankle. One of the best moments of the episode is when Charlie, Mac, and Dennis come to the wrestling ring as "The Birds of War," singing their entrance with drawn on abs. It's one of the few times the majority of the gang actually tries to accomplish something where they aren't benefiting from it in some way and gives the viewer some hope that these people aren't all that bad. Also check out Season 9, Episode 4: "Mac and Dennis Buy a Timeshare" 11. Maureen Ponderosa Wedding MassacreSeason 8, Episode 3 This is the only episode on this list where it really helps to have watched previous episodes revolving around the relationship of Dennis and his ex-wife Maureen Ponderosa. The Wedding Massacre all takes place in flashback form as Frank, Dennis, Charlie, and Mac are telling the story of what happened at the Maureen Ponderosa/Liam McPoyle wedding, which ended like a zombie movie. It's a combination of two major antagonists in the gang's lives that haven't crossed over before. It's tonally a bit different than a traditional Always Sunny episode, as it's darker and a tad creepy, but it works. This episode is a pivotal point in Maureen's storyline, right before she begins transitioning into a cat. Plus it's always fun to spend time with the whole McPoyle clan--not least the raving mad Pappy McPoyle, played for some reason by none other than Guillermo del Toro. Also check out Season 6, Episodes 1 & 2: "Mac Fights Gay Marriage" and "Dennis Gets Divorced." 10. Paddy's Pub: Home of the Original Kitten MittensSeason 5, Episode 8 While the series had already been on the air for five years at the time, The original TV spot for the "Kitten Mittens" episode went viral, as a cat wearing socks tried to walk across a table as Charlie looked on. In the actual episode, everyone in the gang tries to develop products to market Paddy's Pub, which leads them to The Lawyer (played again by Brian Unger). This episode sets up a couple recurring gags, like Charlie believing he's a lawyer or "man of the law" and Frank trying to sell an egg dyed green as a stress ball and "jumping off point." The episode also has one of the best sight gags in the series, with Mac's "D**k towel," a crudely drawn penis on a shower towel. It's a stand-alone episode that's just moment after moment of really solid comedy writing. 9. The Gang Broke DeeSeason 9, Episode 1 For eight seasons, the gang has been brutal to Dee Reynolds, and at the start of Season 9, she cracks like the shell of an egg that she would lay (because she is a bird). Mac, Charlie, and Frank try to lift her spirits by encouraging her to try stand-up comedy again. She actually does well for herself. While this is happening, Dennis tries to hook her up with a "select," a mediocre man Dee can settle down with. The turn at the end episode is outstanding and unbelievably mean. It's so malicious toward Dee, and it ends up breaking Dennis, for very different reasons. While it's an extremely cold-hearted episode, it's amazing to see the depths these characters will go just to one-up each other. 8. Dennis and Dee Go on WelfareSeason 2, Episode 3 Right after Danny Devito joined the cast as Frank Reynolds, Always Sunny started finding its footing, as the series offered more of a variety in how the gang split up into different alliances and they began to get more depraved than ever. "Dennis and Dee Go on Welfare" is a great early example of this. As the title suggests, Dennis and Dee quit their jobs to milk the welfare system--which leads them to become crack addicts--while Charlie and Mac spend all of Frank's money in his secret bank account. This episode sets up a few reoccuring things in always Sunny, like Dennis and Dee's addiction problems and Frank's casual racism. It's actually a great starting point for the series, as it gives the audience a greater understanding of how far these characters are willing to go in order to please their own egos, even if it means turning to addiction so they don't have to work anymore. 7. A Very Sunny ChristmasSeason 6, Episode 13 Originally a straight-to-video release and added a year later to Season 6, this 43-minute episode gives the audience plenty of insight into the gang's childhood and why they're all such damaged people. As kids, Frank would buy himself what Dennis and Dee wanted for Christmas and rub it in their faces. Mac learns his family would steal gifts from other families. Charlie learns his mother was a prostitute that had sex with men dressed like Santa Claus. Also, there's a claymation sequence that is bonkers, and one of the top Sunny gags ever, involving a stark naked, glistening Frank bursting from the bowels of a saggy leather couch in the middle of an office holiday party full of strangers. While this episode tends to be overlooked, it is crucial to understanding these characters, as nowhere else do we see a better blueprint for who these characters are and where they came from. 6. The Gang Solves The Gas CrisisSeason 4, Episode 2 The gang is always coming up with schemes, none of which are good on paper nor do they play out as planned. "The Gang Solves The Gas Crisis" sees Mac, Dennis, and Charlie selling barrels of gasoline to people door-to-door in order to profit from the high gas prices at the time. Meanwhile, Frank and Dee try to besmirch Bruce Mathis (Dee and Dennis's real father) after he plans on donating the late Barbara Reynolds' inheritance. This episode starts the trend of Charlie as the "wild card" of the group, as he dresses up like a Texas oil man, tries to seduce a banker, and throws a fireball at Mac's head. "The Gang Solves The Gas Crisis" sets the trend for how the group's schemes will turn out--poorly--but it delivers the idea that they can work together, despite being despicable people. Out of all of the schemes the gang has come up with throughout the series, this one tops the list. Also check out Season 8, Episode 2: "The Gang Recycles Their Trash" 5. The Gang Beats BoggsSeason 10, Episode 1 Throughout its 13 seasons, Always Sunny had plenty of road trip episodes where the gang leaves the bar to go on adventures. The best of them all is "The Gang Beats Boggs." With Mac acting as commissioner, the gang goes on a cross-country flight in order to try and beat Wade Boggs' record of drinking 70 beers in one flight. Meanwhile, Frank wants to start "The Air Sex Society," by getting it on with someone on the flight. Where the episode shines is in the group dynamic. The gang is reved up for their plan, but as the episode goes on, one by one, they give up or find something they deem more interesting to focus on. This is a repeating trend throughout the series, and an element we've seen before, but no other episode does it as well as "The Gang Beats Boggs," as it contains this all within a tight location, weaving multiple storylines, and keeping the dialogue comedic. Also check out Season 13, Episode 3: "The Gang Beats Boggs: Ladies Reboot" 4. Charlie WorkSeason 10, Episode 4Not only is "Charlie Work" a hilarious and chaotic mess (in the best way possible), but it is shot beautifully, with plenty of long, single-shot takes following Charlie throughout the bar. In the episode, Charlie learns that the health inspector is on her way to inspect Paddy's Pub, so Charlie kicks into high gear to make sure the bar is up to code. However, while this is happening, the rest of the gang has a convoluted scheme involving live chickens, airline miles, and steaks. Charlie has to make sure the health inspector isn't wise to the scheme, all while keeping her none-the-wiser. The episode shows that Charlie is actually incredibly competent as one of the owners, and one of the best gags of the episode is set up right under your nose the entire time. It gives the audience a whole new perspective on the character, and you'll come to respect him more. 3. "The D.E.N.N.I.S. SystemSeason 5, Episode 10It's well-established now that Dennis Reynolds is a full-blown sociopath, but it was this 2009 episode that really defined how awful the character is. Dennis explains to the gang his technique for seducing women, which involves Demonstrating his value, Engaging her physically, Nurturing her dependence, Neglecting her emotionally, Inspiring hope, and Separating entirely. A good portion of this system relies on Dennis making threatening phone calls as a disgruntled neighbor. We also learn about the M.A.C. System, which is just Mac trying to swoop in after Dennis leaves these women. This episode is a big turn for the character. Instead of being a typical scumbag who uses women, we learn that he's a straight-up monster who plays a game to inflate his own self-worth. You'll never look at Dennis the same way again. Fun fact: The pharmacist Dennis dates in this episode is Glenn Howerton's wife in real life. 2. Charlie MacDennis: The Game of GamesSeason 7, Episode 7Without anything fun to do, the gang introduces Frank to a convoluted board/drinking game they created, Chardee MacDennis. Based on board games they loved as children--combined with their love of alcohol--the gang's homebrew tabletop game is pure insanity and the whole goal of the game is to belittle the losers. It's one of the more bizarre episodes and shows that this group thrives on being awful to other people, even if it's to each other. The episode expands on the relationships between the characters and delivering a really fun plot, while never leaving the bar. More importantly, it's one of the most light-hearted episodes in the series, with the endgame of the gang not being anything too crazy.Also check out Chardee MacDennis 2: Electric Boogaloo (Season 11, Episode 1) 1. "The Nightman Cometh"Season 4, Episode 13In the Season 4 finale, Charlie and the gang decide to put on a rock opera based on Charlie's song "Night Man" from Season 3. The opera's story revolves around a young boy who must stop the Night Man in order to win the heart of a princess of a coffee shop. He does this by turning into the Day Man. There's a huge turn at the end, as Charlie appears and asks the Waitress--who is in the audience--to marry him. While it's undeniably one of the funniest episodes, especially when Frank--who plays the Troll--can't get the lyrics right, it's incredibly dark when you realize that this could be the story of Charlie, as a young boy, escaping the clutches of his Uncle Jack. It's a prime example of taking a character who the audience tends to perceive as dumb and showing another side to him, as Charlie is--in many ways--a musical genius, even if the content of the music is disturbing.Also check out "Sweet Dee's Dating a R****ded Person" (Season 3, Episode 9) Source by [author_name] #games #gamer #gaming #game #play #koragame #freegames #onlinegames

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iamnotthedog · 6 years

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MORRISON: FALL 1997 / YOSEMITE: JULY 21 – 25, 2001

One night when I was sixteen, I was up in my bedroom watching Pulp Fiction for about the twelfth time, and I was up to the second-to-last sequence—the seventh sequence, which is actually the third sequence if you were to put the whole thing in chronological order (which it most certainly is not).1 The seventh sequence is the sequence after Jules and Vincent have left the apartment where they got the briefcase and Jules quoted that long passage from Ezekiel 25:17, and they killed the two young men (Roger and Brett) and were talking to the third young man (Marvin) when an unknown fourth young man came charging into the room and unloaded a round but somehow managed to miss both of them. Jules was convinced that it was divine intervention. Then, in the seventh sequence, they are in the car with Marvin in the backseat, and they are arguing about the matter (“...this shit doesn’t just happen!” says Jules) when Vincent turns to get Marvin’s opinion on the whole thing and accidentally shoots him in the face. “Oh man, I shot Marvin in the face.” I was laughing out loud at that whole scene when Mom called up the stairs with a tone of voice that I hadn’t heard for years.

“Danny,” she called. “Danny, come downstairs. We need to talk to you about something.” I had just taken a hit from my little chrome one hitter, exhaling the smoke through a small cardboard toilet paper roll stuffed with dryer sheets and out the open window. A train rolled by outside, rattling by on the tracks just beyond our yard, headed west out over the Mississippi River, through the noxious river town of Clinton, and out into the cornfields of Iowa and beyond.2

“Be down in a minute!” I yelled over the racket.

I turned off Pulp Fiction and fished through the pockets of my flannel jacket for my Visine. I put drops into my eyes, then pushed through the blankets I had nailed up over my door, and walked out, through Adam’s room, scattered with action figures—my old G.I. Joes and muscle-bound He-Man figures, and also some new ones I didn’t recognize. In the tiny upstairs bathroom I changed my t-shirt, washed my hands, and splashed some water on my face. Then I walked back through Adam’s room and plodded downstairs.

The steep and narrow back stairway in that drafty old house dumped you out into the wood-floored dining room, with its flowery wallpaper, large table and chairs, a cheap glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and the chest of drawers that Mom called a “buffet,” which was always decorated with some doilies and decorative plates with strangely vague Biblical quotes on them. To your left were the kitchen and, beyond it, the backyard and freedom. To your right was the living room. I reluctantly turned right.

Don and Mom were seated on the floor in the lamplight, leaning back against the couch and facing the recliner in the corner. They never sat on the floor. This was serious. Like they were finally going to call me out for being high all the time. Or maybe one of the grandmas died.

Mom smiled warmly and motioned for me to sit in the recliner in the corner, then put her hand on Don’s leg and looked lovingly at him. The old man looked like he was about to squirm right out of his khakis.

“What’s this all about?” I asked.

“Danny, we love you so very much and we’re so proud of you,” Mom began.

“Jesus, Mom,” I said, chuckling nervously. I shifted in the recliner—folded my right leg and sat on it. Then she looked me dead in the eyes.

“I was in love with Don before I was divorced from Jack,” she said.

I looked right at Don, who was looking awkwardly, silently, at a spot on the carpet. And of all the things I could have said right then, I think I said: “Holy shit.”

But I don’t remember, really. I may have said something else entirely. Mom was going on nervously about how Don was my real father. About how I, and not Adam, was their first offspring. Like I hadn’t understood that immediately. I took it all in. Then, instead of asking a hundred questions like I should have, I started giving orders.3

“Well, everyone has to know,” I said. “We aren’t a family that keeps secrets from each other.”4

“Of course,” Mom said.

“Who does know?”

“No one.”

“No one?!”

“No.”

“Well, everyone needs to know.”

“We can call your brother and sister now. And we can call Jack.”

“Wait, DAD doesn’t even know?!”

“No.”

“He still thinks he’s my biological father?!”

“Yes.”

“But I’ve been calling him DAD for SIXTEEN YEARS!”

“We know, Danny. We know this is tough.”

“Jesus fucking CHRIST!”

“Alright now...”

“I’m sorry, but HOLY FUCKING SHIT!” I yelled. I laughed at my own awkwardness—at everything, really. I laughed quickly, nervously. Then I calmed myself. I took a few deep breaths and forced a smile. “You know I love you guys, but I’m probably not going to change my name. At least not for a while. I’ve been a Duffy my whole life.”

“We understand,” Mom said.

“Of course,” Don said. He cleared his throat.

“I’m also probably going to keep calling Jack ‘Dad’ and you ‘Don,’” I added. “You know, just out of habit.” Don and Mom smiled and nodded. Mom had tears in her eyes. Don just looked...I’m not really sure. But he looked up at me. And I could see it. I could see the similarities in our faces, in the way we carried ourselves. Even in the way that he was sitting there—his shoulders slightly slouched, his hands folded on his lap, his legs out in front of him, the right crossed over the left at the knees. His big, flat feet. His black socks that always had holes in them.

I would think of this very moment almost four years later, on Don’s fiftieth birthday, when Mom bought him a plane ticket to come out to Yosemite and visit me for a few days. That was right around the time that Marcus and I first got the job at Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal. I suppose I should have mentioned it earlier, when I was talking about that job, and Marcus, and Chloe and my desire to get that paycheck and get the hell out of there—but I wasn’t really thinking about it then, to be honest. So I’m going to tell you about it right now:

Mom had called the Yosemite View Lodge one day while I was at the front desk. Marcus answered, and I heard his voice change immediately into that sort of innocent and cute voice that people use when talking to their friends’ parents. Then he looked at me and got this shit-eating grin on his face and I just knew it was Mom on the other end.

“Give me the phone, asshole,” I had said.

Mom went into apologetic mode instantly, so I knew something was up.

“Danny, I’m so sorry I’m springing this on you now, but I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for so long! It’s hard, you being out there in the middle of nowhere. But the reason I’m calling is that your father’s birthday is in a couple of weeks...”

“I know, Mom,” I said. Mom was always reminding my siblings and I about birthdays, and it drove me crazy. She still reminds us today, which is hilarious, because we’re all grown adults who have somehow managed to miraculously learn how to use a goddamned calendar. “I was already planning on calling him.”

“Well, you’re not going to have to call him,” she said, “because I bought him a ticket to come out there and visit you!”

Now, this was obviously my mother trying to give my father an excellent fiftieth birthday gift while also—and most importantly—setting up a perfect setting for some serious father-son bonding. Don and I had thrown around a baseball maybe twice, and we shot hoops together a few times in those beautiful Illinois summer evenings, when Don had just walked home from the hardware store over the railroad tracks and through the neighbors’ back yards, and I was out in the driveway working on my free throws, because I really was a terrible free throw shooter.5 And we also had that one weekend when Mom was on some church retreat and we watched The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly and made big steaks for dinner two nights in a row. And I worked for him at Morrison Hardware for a while, but there was very little bonding time at the store. So I guess what I’m saying is that I’m not complaining—that’s some quality bonding right there. That’s more father-son bonding time than a lot of kids get in their weird little kid lives. But the fact was that I still called Don “Don,” and—though I knew he was a good man and a more than capable guardian who was great for Mom and our family—I had never really thought of him as my true blood father or treated him as such. And Mom knew that and was trying to change it. She was trying to put Don and his first-born son in a pristine setting and a situation where, even if we didn’t talk—as we rarely did—we would nevertheless have no choice but to share some serious “moments” together. Some real man moments. Like in the made-for-TV movies, or whatever.

So I obviously didn’t tell Mom that I wasn’t getting paid for another couple of weeks and that I was flat broke and hitchhiking to work every morning because my car had no gas. And I didn’t tell her that I had no place to live, and was either sleeping by the river, or in Chloe’s bed or on John’s floor every night. I didn’t tell her anything about being caught stealing and losing my job in the valley, or hitchhiking to San Francisco, or having visions on Mount Dana, or losing my mind about loving Chloe but wanting to leave everything and just wander the country alone forever. Instead of saying anything about any of that, I said, “Aw, Mom, that’s a great idea! I’ll get us a room here at the lodge.”

“Oh, that’d be just great!” she said, in her cheery and sentimental Mom way. Then she went on and on about all the details, and about how I’d have to pick him up at the airport in Merced, and I wrote some stuff down but I was really just thinking about how I was going to have to borrow money from Chloe to put gas in the Olds. Then I heard her say, “How’s Chloe?” and I snapped out of my little panic attack long enough to make up something about getting busy and having to go back to work and thank you so much for calling and I love you and this is going to be fun, etcetera, etcetera.

Two weeks later, on the afternoon of July 20, Don came to Yosemite. I picked him up in Merced and we drove east on the 140 through that rolling golden prairie that stretches from the valley to the foothills. I could have taken the 140 straight to El Portal and the Yosemite View Lodge and we would have been there in an hour. But I really wanted Don to see Yosemite Valley before sundown—and he really wanted to see it, as well—and I wanted so badly to take him past all the grand vistas offered by the southern entrance of the park that we ended up driving about an hour out of our way. So we shot northeast up the 140 into the foothills, then turned southeast on the 49, down through sleepy Oakhurst, and then straight north up Wawona Road and into the park.6

Because of our detour, we got into Yosemite Valley as the sun was setting. Don met John and Marcus and a bunch of other park employees, and he met sweet, sweet Chloe. Don loved the hell out of Chloe, who immediately opened up to him and started telling him about the hike we were all going to take together the following day. He looked at and talked to John and Marcus and everyone else like they were a bunch of circus freaks (which, admittedly, we all kind of were). Don, Chloe and I went to Yosemite Village for pizza and a few beers, then I drove Don out to Yosemite View Lodge where we checked in and passed out.

The following morning, we woke with the sunrise and drove through the freezing cold crystal blue alpine air back to Yosemite Valley, where we picked up Chloe, loaded up our packs with all of our camping gear, bought some coffee, then drove out of the valley up to the high country and Tuolumne Meadows. After a quick breakfast at the Tuolumne Meadows Lodge, we shouldered our packs and spent the rest of the day hiking to Vogelsang—a twelve-mile hike up the pristine and alien alpine landscape of Lyell Canyon. We all hiked apart from one another, with Chloe way out in front, Don in the middle, and myself taking up the rear, and Don had it pretty rough. He was enjoying the hell out of all the views and everything, but Chloe and I hadn’t accounted for the fact that he would need some time to adjust to the altitude, and he ended up being sick for most of the day. The trail barely climbs 200 feet in the first six miles and follows a stream with crystal clear water the whole way, and he was fine through all that, but then we reached the six mile junction, when the trail climbs 2,000 feet in a mere three miles. By the time we got to Vogelsang and set up the tent that evening, he looked like a dead man walking. Chloe and I fed him some potato soup and hummus with crackers, and he made some kind of comment about how we ate like squirrels, then threw up his dinner and was passed out in the tent we set up for him, face down in his sleeping bag, before sundown.

The next day, I started to see Don a bit differently than I ever had before. He woke up before Chloe and I, and when I rolled over in my dew-dampened sleeping bag and looked at him across the bright green alpine grass, sitting outside his tent on a rock, staring into the slowly brightening blue sky, he looked young and fresh-faced, even a little naïve, as he had probably looked some thirty years before. He also looked like a man alone. But he looked resolute in his loneliness. He looked like a man who had not had the pleasure of waking up alone in a long time, and was determined to enjoy that experience for all it was worth.

Chloe woke up shortly after I did, and we made some coffee on the camp stove and ate some granola for breakfast, then started the long hike back to Tuolumne Meadows. I hiked with Don the whole way, and we made some small talk, but mostly just walked in silence and enjoyed each other’s company. Don also took some pictures of me that he gave me later, and they are some of the best pictures that anyone has ever taken of me, even though in every single one of them I am walking away.

The following day we took it pretty easy and bummed around the valley for a while, then drove down to the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias to walk among the trees. I told Don had to work the following two days—I really needed the money—and he was okay with it, but was so amped up about having made it to Vogelsang and back that he was determined to keep going—to do another big hike, and yet another one the following day, which would be his last full day in the park. Chloe had another day off and offered to take him up Half Dome the following day, so the two of them went for it and not only did it, but did it well—hiking all the way up, summiting the mountain with the hordes of other tourists, and hiking all the way back to the valley in the time it took me to work one eight hour shift at the lodge desk. We celebrated their feat with more pizza and beers, and then I took Don back out to the lodge for a much-needed soak in the hot tub and a good night’s sleep.

I figured that Don would take his final day in the park easy—maybe hang out with me at the lodge for a bit, then do some touristy things in Yosemite Valley—watch a movie in Yosemite Village, hike to the base of Lower Yosemite Falls, wander through the cemetery, watch a John Muir lookalike give a lecture in the Curry Village Amphitheater—but he was surprisingly up and gone before I even managed to get myself out of bed and over to the front desk to start work. He left me a note that he had taken the Olds into the valley to do another hike.

Eight hours later, my shift was done and Marcus and I walked up to the room to see if Don had returned and to ask him about his day, but he was still gone. Nothing about the room was any different from how I had left it that morning.

“I’m sure he’s on his way back,” I said.

Marcus’s answer was typical: “Well, come smoke a blunt with me, then.”

We walked down to the river behind the lodge and sat on the rocks to smoke while we watched the sky change colors with the sunset. Then Marcus went out to the highway to hitch a ride back to Yosemite Valley, and I went back up to the room and fell asleep on the bed in my work clothes.

I was awakened to the sound of the room’s door closing. It was dark, and I looked at the clock on the desk by the television. It was midnight, and there, standing before me, wide-eyed and delirious, was Don. He was covered in dirt up to his knees and had smears of dust across his sunburnt face, and his white polo shirt was stained with sweat.

“Where are you coming from?” I asked.

He threw down his keys and wallet, took of his belt, and tossed an empty water bottle into the garbage can in the corner. Then he sat on the bed with a grunt and began wrestling with his tennis shoes. “Weren’t you worried about me?” he asked. He pulled one of the shoes off and a cloud of dust went into the air. He waved at the cloud, then looked at me. “Did you call anyone? Ask anyone where I might have gone?”

Quite frankly, I hadn’t even thought about any of that. Not once.

“Nah,” I said, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. “I knew you were okay. Where’d you go?”

Don then got his other shoe off and proceeded to tell me that he had driven that morning to the Tamarack Flat Campground on Highway 120 and had hiked up El Capitan—an extremely strenuous, 15-mile hike with a 2,000 foot change in elevation in a relatively short period of time. And the scary part was that he had taken a cue from Chloe from their hike the day before, and he had attempted a few shortcuts. Unlike Chloe, however, he didn’t really know where he was going and he got turned around several times. He ended up hacking through a lot of underbrush, and had the scars on his legs to prove it. He also didn’t set a non-negotiable turnaround time for himself—as anyone should always do when hiking alone in the wilderness —and he had ended up hiking down from the summit of the behemoth rock in the dark without any water, which he had failed to bring enough of. Had he not run into a friendly and highly-experienced couple of hikers on his way down from the summit, he said, he may have still been up there, dehydrated and wandering around in the dark.

As Don told me the story—terrifying as it was—his face slowly transformed from this amalgamation of frustration and weariness to the face of a man who had conquered his curiosity—a man who had faced his fears and won—a man who had really done something for the betterment of his self. By the time he got to the moment in his story where he realized he was at the trailhead, and where he saw the Olds and realized he was on his way back to civilization and his first-born son and he was alive and well, he was smiling—swelling with pride, and his eyes were the eyes of an ecstatic little boy. Eyes of joy and wonderment. The transformation, I believed, was complete.

Don had a shower and immediately fell asleep. I was to take him back to the airport the following morning, and that saddened me a bit—I regretted not taking more time off for us to be together. I thought about that while I sat there and watched him sleep. And the thing was, while I sat there watching him, I couldn’t see him for seeing myself. Or perhaps that isn’t how I should word it: I could only see he and I—I could only see us as one and the same—one person—one lost and lonely person trudging along from little victory to little victory, adding each obstacle overcome up to what we hope will be the summation of a life well spent. And I knew that this was quite possibly the only chance I would have in perhaps my entire lifetime to see my father that way—to see him as me while he was also lying so close to me—I could hear each of his gentle breaths—and he was so vulnerable, and so very alive, so captivating—radiating the wilderness from where he had so recently emerged—that I didn’t stop watching him sleep until I fell asleep myself. And what I was thinking of more than anything as I was watching him sleep was that night back in Morrison when he was sitting on the carpeted floor next to Mom, and I was in the recliner looking at him and the holes in his socks and being told that it was none other than he who was my true flesh and blood father.

After I told them that night that I was probably going to keep calling Jack “Dad” and Don “Don,” I managed a smile, and we all smiled, and I think Mom was crying, and we hugged, and then Mom and I started making phone calls. We called the grandmas and Jeni and Jim and Jack, and I mostly let Mom do the talking, but I listened in to all of the conversations on the upstairs phone. When Mom told Grandma Jevne—Don’s mom—the old bird said she had known all along, and had spent sixteen years waiting for them to tell her. When she told her mom, Grandma Donalds’ reaction was similar. She seemed to already know, and she was actually happy about the whole thing—like my being Mom and Don’s first-born added more weight to their love for one another, and solidified our family even more. When Mom talked to Jack Duffy, however, I couldn’t bear to listen, and I hung up the phone and sat on the floor next to it, my head in my hands, trying to think of anything but big ol’ Jack, leaning into the phone, his shoulders heaving as he cried somewhere up there in northern Wisconsin.

I still don’t know what was said between Mom and Jack that night, but all I said when Mom called up the stairs for me to get on the phone was “Dad, you’ll always be my dad,” or something vague and cheesy like that. Then he said, “I know, Danny,” and his voice cracked, and I hung up the phone again.

Jeni was next, and I was already pretty emotionally spent, so I only needed to hear her raise her voice once before I hung up the phone. Jeni was angry—and rightfully so—but I couldn’t deal with anger in the moment. I went back into my room and smoked another one hitter. Stared out the window at the train tracks.

Some thirty minutes later, Mom called up the stairs one last time. “Danny,” she said, “your brother’s on the phone.” I walked back through Adam’s room to the phone, which sat on a big leather trunk at the top of the front stairway—a trunk that Mom kept all our old baby shit in. I sat on the floor next to the trunk, and picked up the phone.

“Hey Jim.”

“Hey brother,” he said. “What the fuck is going on?” He laughed, but I could tell he had been crying. It was a laughter through tears—a laughter that sounded like he was trying not to start coughing, or maybe he really needed to clear his throat but wasn’t for whatever reason.

“I don’t really know,” I said.

“Well, you’ll always be my brother,” he said.

“I know.”

“You and Adam both,” he said. “and that’s all that matters.” Then we both sat in silent understanding, breathing into the phone together for a minute. And that was that.

If you care about Pulp Fiction as deeply as I cared about it when I was sixteen, you’ll know that though the order of sequences in the film goes something like this: Diner Prologue > Prelude to Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace > Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace > Prelude to the Gold Watch > The Gold Watch > The Bonnie Situation > Diner Epilogue, the order of sequences if they were to be put in chronological order would be: Prelude to the Gold Watch > Prelude to Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace > The Bonnie Situation > Diner Prologue > Diner Epilogue > Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace > The Gold Watch. If you didn’t know that for whatever reason, maybe go watch the movie again with that in mind. Like, right now. ↩︎

As a child, I was fascinated by the smell of Clinton, Iowa. Whenever we drove through the town to go shop at Target or wherever, I would stare up at the smoke billowing from the factories on the southwest side of town, and I would pinch my nose and laugh and ask Mom what that horrible smell was. She never told me—she said she didn’t know—but I found out years later that the large factory on Beaver Channel Parkway, running parallel to the Lincoln Highway we would always be driving on, was actually a rendering plant. National By-Products, Inc. is a private company categorized under Animal and Marine Fats and Oils. That smell emanating from those smokestacks was actually burning animal tissue. ↩︎

Because I failed to ask enough questions that day and every day thereafter for the rest of my time spent under that roof, it would be another ten years before I and my fellow siblings learned that Mom had been in love with Don from the moment she laid eyes on him. Her relationship with Jack had been on the rocks for a while when Don had joined their little group of friends—those five or six guys and two ladies who would always meet at the bar after their respective workdays, and who would come over to our house for dinner parties, or to play Trivial Pursuit on the weekends. Because of that disconnect with Jack, and because of her instantaneous connection with Don, Mom had started seeing Don very shortly after she had met him. They had slept together very shortly after that, and I had been conceived. This was why, after I was born, Mom had been taking me up to Don’s apartment above Morrison Hardware every Sunday after church. She was showing me off to my real father. ↩︎

If I knew then what I know now about my extended family on my mother’s side, I would have never said such a silly thing. In regards to my mother’s side of the family, this statement is 100% false. In fact, I could have probably said, “Well, nearly every single one of your family members has at least one deep dark secret that they’ve been holding onto for their entire lives,” and that statement would have had a hell of a lot more truth to it. It would have been a little out of place in the context of the situation, but it would have had a hell of a lot more truth to it. ↩︎

Most of my free throws were these high-arching, knuckle ball-looking things that would fall about a foot short of the hoop. I’m talking about not even hitting the rim, the net, nothing. Total airball. Or I’d chuck the thing in a straight line drive—with no arch, and again, no rotation at all—and it would bounce off the backboard and come straight back to me. A strange phenomenon, being that my jumper wasn’t really all that bad. I think it had something to do with the pressure of the moment—standing on that line in the middle of that court with all those eyes staring at me. I was a really self-conscious kid most of the time. ↩︎

Though all entrances to the park are beautiful—the eastern entrance over Tioga Pass being the most stunning, if only for the extremity of its landscape—it is a great experience to take newcomers into the park up Wawona Road because of what is known as the Tunnel View. About twenty miles or so into the park, you have a sense of the landscape around you becoming more extreme, but you can’t really see it because of the dense forest in the way. You can only see the faint outline of the pine-covered slopes beyond the trees looking less like rolling hills and more like mountains. Then there is a clearing—a rocky slope to your left and nothing but sky to your right, and you see for the first time that you are indeed, some thousand feet above everything over there (“everything” being an absolute sea of pine). Around a wide turn, you see your first few massive rock formations off to the left. Then, off to the left in the distance, the immense pine sea builds to a head, then drops away to a sheer granite cliff which falls drastically, straight down into a valley. The cliff is El Capitan—the world’s largest granite monolith, at 3,000 feet in height. And behind El Capitan, facing you through the diffuse azure glow of the valley, the stunning Half Dome. Then you go through a tunnel that takes you straight through the mountain you’ve been traversing, and when you come out the other side you are punched in the face with a majestic, full-on view of El Capitan to the left, Yosemite Valley before you (with Half Dome in the distance), and, off the the right, Bridalveil Falls pours off the granite that folds back behind the waterfall into three stunning peaks known as Cathedral Rocks, and all of it looks unreal, like an oil painting—like you could get out of your car and touch it. ↩︎

#pulpfiction #fatherhood #motherhood #brotherhood #sisterhood #siblings #phonecalls #divorce #weed #yosemite #birthdays #vogelsang #lyellcanyon #tuolumnemeadows #yosemiteviewlodge #elcapitan #thegoodthebadandtheugly

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clifi-journal-blog · 7 years

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Loosed Upon the World I

Looking at the Saga Anthology of Climate Fiction

Introduction:

TL;DR: We think it’s not gonna happen to us. We thought wrong. Here’s our attempt at making fiction make things seem more real. Humanize the threat.

Key Quotes and what’s up:

“Welcome to the end of the world, already in progress” (xi)—focus on already in progress, see CC. There’s no clear beginning or end, but for sure we are amidst massive climate upheaval.

“Fiction is a powerful tool for helping us contextualize the world around us.” – s/o at fiction for being able to help us understand what’s up.

Foreword:

TL;DR: Lust for techno-fix—instant gratification, instant solution. Oh, how fucking human. We keep avoiding the real problem and thinking oh yeah we’ll just go to Mars or something sci-fi like that. Multiple fantasies exists; there are stories that warn you about the dangers of climate change and then there are those that will defo tell you it isn’t real.

Key Quotes and what’s up:

“If you were to live in that world…that might make an impact” (XIII) well, you think it means nothing b/c it’s not happening to you. INDIFFERENCE.

“It’s interesting that by creating a made-up world, you can show the real world more sharply and clearly” (XIV)—fiction is how we make sense of the world, ironically, forces us to empathize. A million is a statistic, one is a tragedy.

[About “feel-good technology” advertised to combat climate change] “They are, in fact, fiction, or if you really want to stick the knife in—fantasy” (XV)—less realistic than the possibilities embodied in the stories is the idea that one device can fix all these damages that we have done to the environment.

Shooting the Apocalypse, Paolo Bacigalupi

TL;DR: Timo and Lucy find trying to get some good scoop, comes across the reality of what happens when water becomes scarce. Sacrifices, fights, treason, all that BS, all about the Central Arizona Project. These people were getting ready to go to war, an army against the apocalypse—the end of the world, without water, a basic necessity.

Key Quotes and what’s up:

“All anyone wants to do is tell their story, Timo. They need to know they matter.” – the power of storytelling in community and world-building (of how we interpret the world around us)

The Myth of the Rain, Seanan McGuire

TL;DR: Climate change’s effect on the local fauna (ft. migration, tourism, and the rich getting everything at the expense of the poor, of the marginalize who suffer the most even though they didn’t do as much damage as the rich people did). God Complex, manicured nature, “the great outdoors” and by doing our job, we pat ourselves in the back and say, well done.

Key Quotes and what’s up:

“Forget the poor. Forget the disenfranchised. They were the ones who had done the least to destroy the world as we’d known it for so long, and now they were the ones being left behind.” – see CC, CWC, why are those countries that contributed the least amount of pollution the ones suffering the most? Unfair.

“When the world catches fire, something has to burn” – s/o at THG series, see: very dystopian society, see: role of government intervention, and how someone has to take the consequences of it all.

“Humanity was the architect of its own destruction” (34)—we did this to ourselves. Architect= design, artificiality, we designed our own end.

“Was it mercy or arrogance…Did we have the right?” (36)—God Complex, roots back to Adam and Eve and control of environment.

OUTER RIMS, Toiya Kristen Finley

TL;DR: Mother helps this dude who’s sick, ends up getting infected. Everyone in family dies in hospital with the rest of the others.

Key Quotes and what’s up: “No one regretted last chances unless they weren’t taken” (39)—BIG MOOD, mother nature @ us, “only know you love her when you let her go”

KHELDYU, Karl Schroeder

TL;DR: Bro and sis fight about how to save the world, b/c one lowkey doing it for his own good and sis is like wtf?? And sis’s friend works for the bro and it’s all complicated af, but in the end, basically try to contain the damages of the bro’s plan.

Key Quotes and what’s up:

“industrial logic. About what happened when the natural world became an abstraction, and the only reality was the system you were building” (71)—see Foreword and world building through fictions and the stories we tell, also see L2DIE and system mentality.

THE SNOWS OF YESTERYEAR, Jean-Louis Trudel

TL;DR: Making a business out of saving the word; rescuing the old professor. Sins of before come to haunt us now, but sorta happy ending= we aren’t as doomed after all= ISOLATED events, guy from Ontario love story lol

Key Quotes and what’s up:

“Saving the world would have to yield dividends to catch this group’s attention” (71) profitability of green tech otherwise it’s useless, no one cares if you can’t make money off it.

“The world beyond the small tent…drowned cities, burning forests, shifting sand dunes…He’d stopped loving the snow when he’d realized it was an illusion” (103) effects of yesterday not so far from us but we feel distant, safe, cut-off= ILLUSION.

THE RAINY SEASON, Tobias S. Buckell

TL;DR: Acid rain, literally. Run offs and hallucinations and coming back “home”.

Key Quotes and what’s up:“The place wasn’t the same. The place you lived no longer existed.” (112)- see CC and the ending of the pastoral, nostalgic past.

A HUNDRED HUNDRED DAISIES, Nancy Kress

TL;DR: pipelines and water supply shortage, mutiny, and the loss of dreams, of “daisies”, have to make up a new, pretend one—kinda to give hope to the younger sis. PAPER DAISIES= not authentic, but an idea. Power of what’s on paper

Key Quotes and what’s up:

“I’m not a child, and this is my future, too” (129)—affects everyone, all ages, not just the oldies. Gotta take part of changing the system.

“It will be a war, won’t it, Danny? Like in history” (140)—shortages in anything triggers violence, everyone needs water=FIGHT FOR IT

“Even our small town…has a black market” (140)—making money out of the shortage of water, still people profiting from it

THE NETHERLANDS LIVES WITH WATER, Jim Shepard

TL;DR: In Netherlands, we cope with the rising water; life built around water. Public/Private interests—who wins?

Key Quotes and what’s up:

“Henk’s class is viewing a presentation at the Climate Campus—Water: the Precious Resource and Deadly Companion” (153) 1)they actually have a campus dedicated to climate studies? Explain. 2) precious resource and deadly companion—you can say that again, the necessity of water is exactly want makes it dangerous, see previous story.

(***FAVE)THE PRECEDENT, Sean McCullen

TL;DR: law, climatologist setting the precedent in this post-apocalyptic kinda war camp, being visited by figure of death all the time. Realizing it’ll be a lot harder for him because now he’s set up these high expectations of how to live. Lots of Holocaust and Nazi references, and law & econ so BAE AF.

Key Quotes and what’s up:

“Economic growth was considered about as healthy as cancer” (177)—consumerism vs. environmental struggle.

“The world will go on, but your world has been unsustainable for a long time” (178)—see L2DIE and EOSC lectures about how it’s us dying, as humanity that scares us.

“Most were fools, not monsters.” “The fool kills just as dead as the monster” (186)—it doesn’t matter what the intentions are. Dead is dead. SHOOK.

“everyone born before 2000 is an eco-Nazi, guilty of climate crimes” (186)- ECO NAZI! WOWZA

“You look like me,” (@ Death) (196)—see L2DIE, death is a reflection of our own mortality.

“Without you (death), I will not be human” (201)—part of living, of being human is accepting death, see again L2DIE.

HOT SKY, Robert Silverberg

TL;DR: Delivering ice berg, ship encounters another ship, awks dilemma about mutiny and take these men who have gone crazy. Screen, a.k.a. sunscreen and going heat crazy. Question of conscience vs. survival. Helping others vs. helping yourself.

Key Quotes and what’s up:

“Who had asked for any of this…Not us. Our great-great-grandparents had, maybe, but not us. Only they’re not here to know what it’s like, and we are” (219)—lowkey guilt tripping this generation through voices of future possible grandchildren.

“No sense looking back. You look back, all you do is hurt your eyes.” (228)—survival of the fittest, that’s how it’s always gonna go.

THAT CREEPING SENSATION, Alan Dean Foster.

TL;DR: Super size me, NATURE edition.

Key Quotes and what’s up: “Humanity was adapting to changed climate…her only fear was that something else just might be adapting a little faster.” (239)—who will win?

#LUTW1

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mastcomm · 4 years

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Love Saves the Day Turns 50: Hear 12 of the Loft’s Essential Songs

Chuck Mangione featuring Esther Satterfield, ‘Land of Make Believe’ (A&M, 1973)

Les Troubadours du Roi Baudouin, ‘Missa Luba’ (Philips, 1958)

Andwella, ‘Hold On to Your Mind’ (Reflection, 1970)

Nina Simone, ‘Here Comes the Sun’ (RCA/Victor, 1971)

War, ‘City, Country, City’ (United Artists, 1972)

Manu Dibango, ‘Soul Makossa’ (Fiesta/Atlantic, 1972)

MFSB, ‘Love Is the Message’ (Philadelphia International, 1973)

Blackbyrds, ‘Walking in Rhythm’ (Fantasy, 1975)

Ashford & Simpson, ‘Stay Free’ (Warner Bros., 1979)

Steve Miller Band, ‘Macho City (Long Version)’ (Capitol, 1981)

Code 718, ‘Equinox (Heavenly Club Mix)’ (Strictly Rhythm, 1992)

Karma, ‘High Priestess’ (Groove Attack Productions, 1995)

from WordPress https://mastcomm.com/love-saves-the-day-turns-50-hear-12-of-the-lofts-essential-songs/

#Entertainment

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