#which is a wild set of 3 years for danny because he finds out he's a clone when he's 15 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

starry-bi-sky · 4 months

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for clone Danny, Clone Damian

I give you

Edit Clone Talia as somehow Girlfriend of Danny, just think of the comedy

nah brO BECAUSE LITERALLY I HAVE THOUGHT BOUT THAT. Literally since the conception of Clone Danny, I have thought about it. If only for, as you said, the COMEDY of it all. Plus I love writing romance.

Literally my motto for my aus is: A) is it plausible, B) is it FUNNY (and a secret third option C) is it ANGSTY)

Clone Talia would be an offshoot au of Clone^2 because idk how she'd fit into the original timeline, bUT, she'd exist. And to avoid confusion I'll call her Nasra - I thought about Tameka (which means twin) but I like Nasra better. "Talia and Nasra" just flows so nicely doesn't it?

Idk WHY there's a clone of Talia running around -- maybe the LoA made her, maybe n unknown organization who hates Batman and knows he has romantic ties to Talia, and started making a clone of her to fuck with him and then she got nabbed by a portal when she was still Danny's age and in the middle of training. She might be like Connor (??) and have memories and thus her training is more proficient than baby Dames.

Either way, regardless of how she was made, I think it's hilarious if she, much like baby Dames, immediately attacks Danny on sight. She falls into his city and Danny only has a moment to go "goddammit not agaIN" before he's fending off a very confused, very violent Nasra. Fortunately he's able to actually try and talk to her and be at least somewhat successful -- Nasra knows english. although even if she didn't, Danny would still be somewhat successful since he knows Arabic.

Also Bruce and Danny are the battinson bat because i think that is also hilarious and 'wet rat' is STILL the perfect energy for Danny as Phantom - especially in the early days when he's running around in all but jeans and a hoodie. (and god watch me go on a rant in a separate post about his outfit and reasonings for being Phantom when he has no powers later on because it makes me go FERAL. and his active choice to look as inhuman and ghost-like through his behavior as phantom and the decision to wear such a creepy mask as possible)

(like seriously, imagine walking home late at night while danny was still in his early vigilante days (and even now when he's got damian and a better suit) and seeing a skinny figure in the shadows with sunken in black-and-glowing-green eyes, and a bone white, skull-like face, crouched on all fours like a wild animal about to pounce. THAT is the level of creepiness I was going for for clone danny)

In my head, Sam offers to house Nasra and Nasra stays with her. SAm is able to convince her parents to let her stay, or she pulls a Danny and just straight up smuggles her in and her parents are none the wiser. I also think it's funny if they have unspoken BEEF with each other. Only to later become like sisters. Nasra teaches Sam the martial arts she knows, and also Danny joins in too with Damian because goddamn he needs it even IF he's learning stuff from his mom (as per the most recent snippet post I made).

OH AND DAMIAN AND NASRA. I think it's equally as funny if they ALSO have beef with each other. Nasra is a clone of his mother (of whom he might have complicated views on due to being a clone but still is his mother) and Damian is a clone of Nasra's "son". This beef largely starts from Damian's own refusal to want to share his Danny with another clone, especially with a clone of his MOTHER.

Danny and Nasra don't become lovers for a good, long while I think. They're besties first before they even consider the idea of dating -- not only just because of the whole "uhhh our counterparts dated so it'd feel kinda weird and forced if we dated" and also because Nasra, with her newfound freedom, is busy trying to figure out herself.

A big theme here in clone^2: discovering your identity and who you are as a person when the only thing you own that's unique is your name (which isn't even the case for Damian), and figuring out if your choices are your own or because you're a clone and its something your original would have done. Nature vs Nurture and the illusion of choice and whether it really is one or not.

Also Nasra also becomes a vigilante. Danny appreciates the help but is also tearing out his hair because what the fuck is up with these assassins and becoming vigilantes?! Nasra goes by "Nesha". She's similar to Red Huntress at first where she kinda does her own thing, but is lowkey forced to team up with Danny about it because she doesn't have any proper ghost hunting equipment with her.

And then a duo becomes a trio, and Danny is spending more time with her. And they steadily become friends. Very snarky friends who are very bratty to each other, but friends. Damian still doesn't like her so Danny spends extra time during patrol keeping the two of them from making insults at each other.

"Nesha please stop fighting with a nine year old. Wraith, quit insulting Nesha."

Nasra also uses like, weaponry as Nesha which exasperates Danny a little because why are you using swords??? They're already dead its not gonna kill them,,,, If you cut off their heads its just gonna piss em off, its re-attachable. Let him ghost-proof it first too. But well, its still gonna HURT he supposes. He's still a little exasperated.

And MMM i'm sorry lmao im so focused on Nasra becoming her own person than the actual romance aspect of it all. Nasra cuts her hair short for the same/similar reasons that Danny keeps his long - to try and gain a semblance of autonomy and identity that's away from their original. Danny has his alternative rock-kinda geeky look and Nasra's got, from influence from Sam, a more alternative fashion style. Although she still leans into being feminine, which is a good challenge to Sam's belief that feminity = bad, and gets her to unlearn those bad habits since her new adoptive sister is feminine while still being an unapologetic badass.

And ykw I think Nasra gets into rollerblading and loves it. She rollerblades constantly. Damian is furious because skating is his thing (even if what he gets later on is a skateboard - skater boy damian ftw. i can see him wearing flannels and graphic tees as a teenager. very grungy/skater aesthetic. He also has a much more relaxed and teen-y speech pattern compared to DW's more formal way of talking. He also spray paints as his form of artistic medium.) and he refuses to have Nasra be a copy of him.

They will sort out their differences eventually. LMao.

Anyways they eventually do get together, but not before Danny finally has his run in with Mister Wayne. Which, they only meet because Danny starts destabilizing, and thus needs Bruce Wayne's DNA to help stabilize himself. Which that meeting in and of itself is pretty chaotic on its own, but then add clone Damian and Nasra? Bruce needs coffee.. or alcohol.

Because picture this: its late at night, you're on patrol with the rest of your family. It's like, two in the morning. You suddenly get a call in from your butler, Alfred, informing you that not one, not two, but THREE children -- two of them in their late teens and the other one not even ten yet -- showed up on your doorstep. One of them is unconscious. They are all clones.

The girl and the boy are twins - and are clones of YOU - and the girl isn't even technically YOUR clone she's a clone of your clone - and also this clone of you is your college friends' kid. And then the youngest boy is a clone of your youngest SON. Bruce is running across rooftops when he gets this call and does a literal 180 degree turn and touches the ground because he basically did a figure skating turn, and sprints back towards the manor because what the fuck? He needs to check this out.

And then half a day later a clone of your fucking ex shows up on your doorstep demanding to see the clone of you - the boy that is, not the girl - and then immediately gets into a verbal lashing with the clone of your son. Like what a fucking DAY. Your kids are equally as baffled but also laughing their asses off -- except your bio son, who is very unhappy about this turn of events and keeps getting the stink eye from his clone.

Like??? I'd quit right then and there.

While Danny recovers he's staying in Wayne manor and Damian is very reportedly not leaving his side. Ellie has to leave to help take care of Amity Park with RH, and then Nasra is also very determinedly not leaving his side either. This is her friend dammit. The first thing she does when he becomes lucid is insult him, and he insults her back - they're bantering. It's how they flirt later on. None of the Bats know how to deal with this situation.

#dpxdc #dp x dc #dp x dc crossover #dpxdc crossover #dpdc #dpdc crossover #dpdc au #dp dc #dp dc crossover #clone^2 #danny fenton is a clone #danny fenton is not the ghost king #sorry this got so long and i barely even got into them falling in love with one another #satoshy you should totally reblog this so we can talk about this more i'd love to bounce ideas with you or anyone else about it 👀#this is so funny to me personally because like. im imagining nasra doesnt show up unti danny's like at least 18-19 #which is a wild set of 3 years for danny because he finds out he's a clone when he's 15 #acquires Damian at 16 and then meets nasra at 18 #like he got one grace period where it was just him and his new little brother and then BAm another clone #damian showed up by accident but i promise you nasra was specifically clockwork's doing because its hilarious to me personally #CW loves danny but also he's a little shit. i was originally gonna call Nasra's vigilante name 'revenant' but thought it was too basic #also danny not meeting bruce until he's almost 20 is very funny to me. especially since baby dames was with the league for 6 years #beforehand #like what do you mean my clone has been living unnoticed for 18 years. he's had damian for HOW LONG? THREE YEARS?#morally gray danny has my heart ever since my post where he murdered three guys for nearly killing his brother.#nasra attacks danny and yay! he doesn't hurt his hands this time around! he's grown since he met damian. that was also a large part why dee #didn't like nasra right off the bat. she could've hurt him and made his hands even worse.

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mediocrevideopodcast · 3 years

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Chicago Lightning

Summary: You and the rest of the Mud Dogs plan a heist on a bank, and end up getting into a pretty serious gun fight. It’s way different from what you usually attempt, but where there’s a will, there’s a way.

[A/N: Good evening, fellow Mud Dogs enjoyers <3 These three live in my head rent FREE and by god, I’m gonna make that everyone else’s problem.]

Content Warnings: Gunfights, mild arson, copious swearing, crime, and the fear of death. Nobody dies, and there’s a happy ending. <3

Pairing: Mud Dogs/Reader (Platonic/Familial)

Word Count: 1572

God, your ears are gonna be fucking ringing tomorrow. Whoever suggested staging a robbery is certainly going to get a verbal beating, if you even make it out of here in the first place. The deafening “crack” of a bullet tearing by instinctively pushes you further into the white, porcelain countertop, and you blindly fire a few rounds from behind cover. Your ears ring at the noise, and your legs ache dully from crouching down for so long.

“What’s the plan?” You yell, glancing nervously towards the pillar where Leonard’s taking cover.

“I don’t know!” he yells back, “Give me a minute to think!” He taps his fingers against the muzzle of the glock, eyes glancing around the building. Dust from ricocheting bullets clouds the air, sending pits of granite and porcelain dust through the room. The light filters through them, although just barely so. You hardly even recognize the building anymore, you think to yourself. Leonard fires a few shots from behind the pillar before taking cover once more, looking up at the ceiling with furrowed brows.

“Hate to burst your bubble, Loathsome,” Danny yells from your left, “But we’re already a bit behind the eight ball here. We don’t have time to spare!”

“Yeah, no shit!” Mickey yells, “And I’m not really in my element, either.” He fires off a couple shots, and the recoil from the gun is obvious despite his white-knuckle grip on the firearm. He scowls, turning to fire off a few more shots from the other side of the counter. What he lacks in experience he makes up for in pure gusto.

“Easy on the lightning, pal!” Danny calls, “we ain’t exactly armed to the teeth, here. If we run out of ammo, we’re screwed!”

“I’ve got it!” Leonard yells to you, “Grab those bottles of hand sanitizer off the counter and throw ‘em to Mickey. We’re gonna light it on fire, throw it at ‘em, and bolt for the back.”

“Then what?” You say, grabbing the bottles and throwing them to your friend.

“Steal a fucking car, I guess? What else?”

“Sounds good to me!” Mickey calls. His eyes light up as he disassembles the bottles, twisting and turning a few paper bills to create a sizable fuse that leads out of the liquid disinfectant, like the true firebug he is. If they land just right, it should spread quickly enough to get out of control. If they land perfectly, that is. But you’re not gonna have time to tell, are you? You just have to pray that it does, and if it doesn’t, that it burns hot enough to stall them. Oh, how you’re lamenting skipping out on that oxidation unit in chemistry class.

“Just tell me when!” He shouts, although you can barely hear him over the crack of yet another bullet flying by, a little too close for comfort.

You look back towards the emergency exit, steeling yourself to run. The bright red sign flickers slowly, just barely clinging to life after being struck with a stray bullet. You tear your eyes away from the door, glancing at your friends nervously. The air between all of you isn’t peaceful: not by any means. But it’s full of understanding: An understanding that if there’s any real, perfect way to go out, it would be right here. Danny’s grip tightens on his gun, and the tip of his tail twitches slightly, as though he were fighting the sensation entirely. Leonard’s eyes flit around the room quickly, scowling down the opposition on the other side of the building. Yet when he turns to the rest of you, his eyebrows soften. And Mickey’s apprehension… God, he’s doing a great job of hiding it. He smiles brightly, but the look in his eyes clearly conveys his thoughts. His fingers twitch around the plastic bottle, peeling at the wrapper as though looking for something to tether him to the world. The pops of your enemy’s guns might as well be static, for all you care.

But it’s the chipping of porcelain, the crack of a supersonic bullet whizzing past you, and the pop of yet another gun that brings you out of your stupor. The corner of the porcelain countertop chips off and falls to your feet, and you can feel your heart leap into your chest. Had you been leaning out any farther, you’d be dead. Your breath catches in your throat, and you throw yourself deeper into cover. You whip your head around to Leonard, steeling your nerves and throwing him a firm nod.

“On three!” He shouts.

“One!”

Inhale. You’re all gonna be okay.

“Two!”

Exhale. You shoot one last look at your friends and set your eyes on the door.

“Three!”

Mickey shocks the flammable paper leading out of the bottle and chucks it towards the entrance of the building the moment it forms a strong and steady flame. And for a moment, the world moves in slow motion. It arcs wildly, but the flame persists nonetheless, crawling its way into the bottle. It hits the ground with a thunk - much less grand than your traditional molotov, you remark sarcastically - and splatters. The flame jumps from puddle to puddle, quickly spreading out of control. The rest of the containers are thrown haphazardly, which only fuels the intense and wild flames: it eats at the carpet, the walls, anywhere it can reach. And with that, all four of you bolt towards the exit.

Your feet pound against the carpet, and you’re the first to reach the door. You ram your shoulder against the bar, opening it quickly for everyone to follow out. You bolt for the nearest car, looking back once to make sure everyone’s made it out. And sure enough, they have. The nearest car is an old four-door, and you pray to every deity you can think of as you race towards it. You shoot at the passenger side window, shattering the glass almost instantly, and you throw your hand through the jagged pieces to unlock the car as quickly as possible. You throw open the car door, ripping off your jacket and throwing it over the broken glass on the seat before patting around the car for a spare key. You don’t have any fucking time to hotwire the damn thing, and who the fuck knows what year this thing is from?

You breathe a sigh of relief when you find it and clamber into the car, jamming the jagged end of the key into the ignition and smiling as the car roars to life. Danny is the second to reach the car, sliding over the hood to hop in the passenger side. Mickey is the third, as Leonard runs behind him, providing covering fire for the smaller man. You reach behind your seat, pulling up the lock for him to tear open the door. And with that, Leonard runs the final few feet to the car, throwing himself in the door that’s already open and sliding in next to Mickey. You don’t waste a second, throwing the car into reverse before speeding out of the lot.

The force throws you harshly back into your seat, but you can’t help but laugh. “We made it out! Holy shit!” You put the pedal to the metal, gripping the steering wheel tightly as you floor it down the street. The buildings zip by so fast that they’re hardly more than a blur, and you revel in the adrenaline rush. The boys laugh alongside you, still reeling from their escape. You swerve off the small street and onto the highway; hopefully, you’ll be able to turn off onto the countryside at some point and find a remote place to lie low while the heat dies down. A farmhouse would be nice, you hum to yourself, although who really knows where you’ll end up this time?

Mickey leans forward through the armrest. “Dude,” he laughs, “that was the coolest shit ever!”

“We almost died,” Danny chuckles, dragging his hand along the armrest, flicking off little pieces of glass as he goes, “But I have to admit... it was pretty incredible.”

“See? I told you guys I had it all figured out,” Leonard says, “And look at all this fucking cash! Even after Big Mama’s cut, we’re still gonna be rich.”

“And did you see how quickly that fire spread? You might as well have doused the damn building in Everclear!” Mickey laughs, “Something tells me that place won’t be there tomorrow.”

The highway is practically abandoned, perhaps because of the recent events. And for that, you’re thankful. You’re sure that in a few minutes you’ll be chased down by those blue and red lights, but for now, everything is okay. You press the pedal down as far as you can, making as much distance as possible before the chase starts up once more, and you chuckle. Danny rests his arm on the window, picking up little pieces of shattered glass off of his seat and throwing it out onto the highway. That’ll be someone else’s problem then, you think to yourself. He meets your gaze with a smile, and you return it happily. Mickey and Leonard shove each other playfully in the back seat as they rifle through the duffle bags, presumably counting your earnings.

“So,” you muse, “how many days do you think it’ll take before we can go to a restaurant without getting arrested?”

#mud dogs x reader #rottmnt imagine #rottmnt x reader #tmnt imagine #tmnt x reader #not me getting emotionally attached to characters with like five minutes of screentime ertcyvbjnlhkjgc #loathsome leonard x reader #dastardly danny x reader #malicious mickey x reader #rottmnt dastardly danny #rottmnt loathsome leonard #rottmnt malicious mickey #rottmnt mud dogs x reader

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ariesnicolo · 3 years

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teacher au preview!! @of-scythia

for context: nicky is coming to the school a few days early to set everything up in his classroom and get his orientation/paper work done, and joe stops by his room to say hello and then ends up walking him to the admin offices but they make a stop at joe’s art classroom first. not exactly fluffy pining like i said before but i wanted to show what kind of teacher joe is. pls enjoy <3 (also Alessa is the name of nicky’s younger sister)

As the two of them walk down the hallway together, Nicky remembers that they’re in the hallway for art classes. Nicky never found out which room was Joe’s during his tour with Copley, and he admits that he’s very curious to find out which room is his and what it looks like. “Which room is yours?”

“Oh, this one is mine.” Joe points to a slightly open door on the left side of the hallway, stops so he can open the door more and show Nicky inside. Nicky’s first impression of the room is that it’s a disaster. Joe’s classroom was the one Nicky saw earlier with the sketchbooks and pencils scattered around, but now that Nicky can actually take in the room, he realizes it’s much more than that.

Joe’s classroom is a lot bigger than Nicky’s, which Nicky quickly comes to understand is a necessity. Where Nicky’s classroom has about thirty individual desks, Joe’s room has six big, wooden tables scattered around the room surrounded by stools. Under all the sketch books, the tables are covered in a mess of color that Nicky can only assume is from paint and colored pencils. The walls are completely plastered in the student’s work, and Nicky spots paintings, detailed sketches, photos, and a few tasteful collages. Joe’s back counters are covered in complicated art supplies that Nicky can’t even begin to understand, and the windows in his room are covered in very thin, colorful paper, designed to look like stained-glass windows.

Nicky wants to ask if it’s actually Joe who needs help setting up his room, but he keeps that question to himself.

“It isn’t normally this messy.” Joe says, a little wince accompanying his words. “I’m just organizing the sketch books to return them to any students who aren’t taking any classes with me again.”

Nicky nods, figuring that every other part of Joe’s classroom is just as chaotic during the school year. The lack of organization for the rest of Joe’s stuff would bother Nicky, but it doesn’t seem to bother Joe, who is probably used to his room looking messy at the end of the day. Nicky can’t even imagine the horror scene an elementary school art room would be at the end of the day. “Were these all done by your students?” Nicky asks, looking around and pointing to the art on the walls.

“Yeah.” Joe sighs, and Nicky looks over at Joe to see a proud shine in his eyes. “If they’re comfortable with it, I keep all their work on the walls during the school year. I hate taking it all down at the start of the new school year, but I would never have space for anything new if I didn’t return them to the students.”

“They’re all really good. You have very talented students, Joe.” Nicky says, looking at a beautifully detailed picture of a field of wildflowers at sunset. Nicky’s eyes then catch a colored drawing of a man wearing a short, white wig and black frame glasses. Nicky does a double take on the painting, looking at it again just to be sure. “Is that… is that Danny DeVito?”

Joe laughs loudly at the surprise in Nicky’s voice, but quickly confirms that it is Danny DeVito. “I assign a portrait piece in three different mediums for all my juniors to help with their portfolios, and it can be a portrait of anybody, so Marissa- that was her name, she chose to do Danny DeVito.”

“That’s not his real hair, is it?” Nicky had only seen one movie with him in it at Alessa’s insistence, something about a little girl with special powers, and even though Alessa made him watch the movie repeatedly when they were little, Nicky doesn’t know much about him. “It looks very realistic in the drawing.”

“No, he’s practically bald. I think.” Joe says, furrowing his eyebrows as if he has to think about it to be sure. “This was just from a show he was in that she liked.” Joe smiles, but it’s small and private, like he’s thinking of the student who did this portrait. “She graduated last year and now she’s at RISD.” Nicky doesn’t know if that’s good or bad for Marissa, and it must show on his face. “Oh, uh, it’s a college in Rhode Island that’s one of the best for fine arts.”

“That’s nice. You must have been really proud.” Nicky says, because it doesn’t take a genius to see that Joe carries his pride for his students and their work in his heart. From the way he talks about his students to how he treats their art with such respect, Nicky has no doubt that Joe is a wonderful teacher and loved by every student he comes across.

“Yeah, I am.” Joe says, but the way he says it and how he looks around at all his previous student’s art, Nicky feels like he’s intruding on something personal. Nicky lets Joe have his moment to think and reminisce and looks at more of the art on the walls. All of the pieces are exceptional and detailed and well thought out, but it’s the variety in the art that gets Nicky.

It’s clear that Joe assigns themes for each project, like portraits or nature or still life, but Nicky gets the impression that each student is allowed to take that theme and do what they want with it. Nicky spots a beautiful painting from an outsider point of view of a group of people looking up at a cloud with the outline of another person in it, like Mufasa in The Lion King. Nicky also sees an equally skilled painting of The Scream, but instead of having a person’s face, it has the face of a mouse and the background looks like it’s been placed in a cage. Nicky gets the sense that Joe loves, and even encourages, all his student’s weird artistic choices.

Joe claps his hands together, breaking Nicky’s train of thought and directing his attention to Joe’s hands. Nicky’s brain short circuits when he sees that Joe is wearing thick, silver rings that are engraved with something Nicky can’t make out. Nicky thinks it’s really unfair that Joe is clearly a kind, thoughtful person and has an obvious love for all his students, but he also has shoulders that drive Nicky wild and he wears rings that Nicky is endlessly curious about.

#this is my side blog that i finally started sorry if there is any confusion about that #again sorry if it cuts off weird i just didn't know where to stop and that seemed like a good place #hope you like it and that this whole thing will be worth the wait <333

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tabloidtoc · 3 years

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National Examiner, January 25

Cover: Secret Dawn Wells took to the grave: her affair with Bob Denver of Gilligan’s Island

Page 2: Best and Worst Celeb Tippers -- Katherine Heigl, Amy Schumer, Drew Barrymore, Jessica Simpson, Britney Spears, Madonna, Johnny Depp, Jay-Z

Page 3: Charlie Sheen, Ben Affleck, Sean Penn, Sharon Stone, Naomi Campbell, Mark Zuckerberg, Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlberg took the 2020 Tip Challenge

Page 4: Goldie Hawn’s movie roles

Page 6: Melissa Gilbert who played Laura Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie says if there’s one piece of unfinished business that emerged from the show it’s that she’d like to punch former co-star Shannen Doherty -- Shannen was only 12 when she joined the Little House cast for the show’s ninth and final season playing Jenny Wilder but in a couples therapy session with her first husband Bo Brinkman it came out that Shannen at 22 had bagged Bo in bed

Page 7: Country star Dolly Parton may be 75 year old but that doesn’t stop her from leaping out of bed at 3 a.m. every morning -- she’s a very very very early riser and she goes to bed pretty early but she’s up and down

* Tom Hanks has been in countless movies and TV shows but his most important role in life has been as a father of four and he has tips for how to do it right

Page 8: If you’ve soured on feeding canned dog food to your precious pooch you’re not alone -- plenty of owners are switching over to healthy people-food diets for their pets but it’s essential to get guidance from your veterinarian

Page 9: Most of your kitty’s diet should be a nutritionally complete cat food but you can give them a treat from your plate every once in a while -- you just need to know how to choose feline-friendly snacks with nutrients they need and which they should NEVER eat -- check with your veterinarian

* Why animals creep into our dreams -- we all dream about animals from time to time and here are some of the most common creatures of our nights and what they could be trying to tell us

Page 10: On his 21st birthday Matt Goodman raised a glass to his late father who had left behind the money to buy his son’s first beer

Page 11: Your Health -- the stark truth is that sleeping naked is good for you

Page 12: Top Guns -- these Hollywood stars were fastest on the draw -- James Garner, Henry Fonda, Eli Wallach, Burt Lancaster, Roy Rogers

Page 13: Kevin Costner, Yul Brynner, Gary Cooper, Clint Eastwood, John Wayne

Page 14: Dear Tony, America’s Top Psychic Healer -- a lesson from COVID-19 which is work on mentally healing ourselves, Tony predicts Miley Cyrus will struggle to overcome many of her self-destructive habits, finding strength through religion and she will be back on the hit parade come summer

Page 15: If you and your partner fight a lot here’s a great idea to grasp: holding each other’s hand is the key to better conflict resolution

Page 16: Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton might be royals but they’re raising their children just like any other parents and family is their first priority and Will and Kate are rarely apart from their three kids Prince George and Prince Charlotte and Prince Louis

Page 18: Maggie the shelter stray was twice unlucky when two potential forever homes kicked her to the curb but now she’s found her true calling as a beloved K-9 officer

Page 19: A homeless man in Atlanta put his life on the line to rescue every single cat and dog from a blazing inferno at an animal shelter

Page 20: Cover Story -- a three-hour tour that turned into a three-season laugh-fest on Gilligan’s Island made Dawn Wells a star and she took the show’s juiciest secrets to her grave including a red-hot affair with co-star Bob Denver -- Dawn who died of complications related to COVID-19 at age 82 hid a crazy sexy side which she kept under wraps because it was the exact opposite of the squeaky-clean image se presented to the world as farm girl Mary Ann on Gilligan’s Island

Page 22: This Michigan teen is a top Elvis Presley impersonator even performing in Las Vegas and the only one with Down syndrome

Page 24: Texas firefighters were hailed as heroes after they rescued a four-year-old boy who had fallen down a well

Page 25: Here’s the dirt on soil-free gardening

Page 26: Nice Work If You Can Get It -- celebs shell out stupid money for stupid jobs -- Rod Stewart travels with a room-darkening team, Lady Gaga hates to sleep alone and her personal assistant had to get in bed with her on nights when Gaga was solo, Larry Ellison likes to play basketball on his yacht and employs a person who job it is to circle it in a boat and retrieve stray balls from the ocean, Mariah Carey has a woman who stands beside her at all times holding a drink, Snoop Dogg pays a professional blunts roller, Prince Charles has a personal dresser, Justin Bieber’s entourage includes someone to hold his drink and another to hold his slice of pizza, Sean Combs has an assistant whose only job is to carry around an umbrella for him

Page 28: Burt Lancaster was one of Hollywood’s biggest stars acting in more than 70 movies during a four-decade-long career but he was also a silly practical joker says his daughter Joanna Lancaster one of the actor’s five children

Page 30: Legendary actress and dancer Ann-Marget will be 80 years old in April but she’s still stepping out and making movies -- you’re not dead when you reach a certain age said the star who shot to fame when she famously dated Elvis Presley when they made Viva Las Vegas in 1964

* Candice Bergen running wild and free at age 74 -- she recently became a first-time grandmother and is selling her hand-designed merchandise online

* What is Marie Osmond doing during the pandemic? She bought a Harley motorcycle and so did her husband Steve and they love to go riding together -- the twosome also take walks and see their kids and grandkids and stay busy and have fun

Page 42: All Washed Up -- surprising facts about bathing and showering

Page 44: Eyes on the Stars -- Ellen DeGeneres goes for a spin in California (picture), Chrissy Teigen and John Legend take their kids Luna and Miles to watch planes make the tricky landing at St. Barts’ airport (picture), Joan Collins claims she once gave Bobby Kennedy the brush off because neither of them was single at the time, George Clooney can’t bear the thought of his early film Grizzly II seeing the light of day but it is set to be released later this year, Barry Gibb the last living member of The Bee Gees says life was incredibly hard after losing his brothers and bandmates Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb who died in 2012 and 2003, Ray Liotta and Jacy Nittolo engaged, Bob Seger paid tribute to saxophonist Alto Reed a longtime member of his Silver Bullet Band who lost his life to colon cancer

Page 45: Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla show off their walking sticks outside their home at Birkhall in Scotland (picture), Tori Spelling gets some puppy love from one of their pet pooches in L.A. with help from hubby Dean McDermott (picture), Megan Fox has moved on with Machine Gun Kelly and her estranged husband Brian Austin Green isn’t moping solo -- he vacationed in Hawaii with Sharna Burgess of Dancing with the Stars, British photographer David Bailey is dishing on his storied career in his memoir -- he claims sloshed Elizabeth Taylor tried to swipe his camera and his first impression of ex-wife Catherine Deneuve was that she was short and a bit on the fat side, Phyllis McGuire who shared the stage with her late siblings Dorothy and Ruby as the McGuire Sisters died in her lavish Las Vegas home -- she found fame through her voice and infamy through her relationship with Sin City mobster Sam Giancana

Page 46: Good-hearted sheriff’s deputies surprised a woman with a vehicle after they kept getting calls about her walking along the highway in the freezing cold each morning

Page 47: These UN Ambassadors use star power to help -- Emma Watson, Danny Glover, Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie, Antonio Banderas, Whoopi Goldberg, Susan Sarandon, Liam Neeson, Laurence Fishburne, Mia Farrow, Katy Perry, Alyssa Milano

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bluedaviau · 4 years

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「 cherry. rachel hilson. cis female. she/her. 」 are you ready for the time of your life, BLUE DAVIAU? the TWENTY ONE year old FINE ART graduate from tulane is ready to HOT AIR BALLOON in DUBAI this semester. close friends would describe them as IDEALISTIC and CREATIVE, but there’s really only one way to find out. get ready for what august has in store for you, BLUE ! 「 pepper. twenty one. est. she/her. 」

ABOUT THE MUN. the 2000 claymation film chicken run radicalized me

what up, i’m pepper, i’m twenty four, and not to flex but i’ve had writer’s block for two str8 months !! but i’m hoping to change that right here right now with one ms. blue daviau so thank you for coming on this journey with me friends it’s gonna be wild. a bit about me is i’ve gone to the mall literally every day this week and honestly, i am Exhausted from it so i apologize for the mess this intro is about to be. i’m a taurus with a libra moon and libra rising so do with that information what you will. my favourite pokemon is mewtwo. growing up i had a massive crush on danny phanton and ben 10, like i loved those lanky boys that could transform to fight crime for some reason?? i can’t tell you why. also when i was a child i thought god looked like king triton from the little mermaid. alright that is enough about me, moving on to blue.

BIO. if you use my coloured pencils you better put them back in rainbow order

this is going to be the short version of her bio but if you want to see the long rambly messy version you can find my google doc/app here ! which i recommend you looking at for no other reason than to see how cute the little cherry doodle i inserted in there is. it took me so long to get that in there and looking cute. it’s baby’s first fancy google doc 😌 anyways sdjhdsjh

blue was born and raised in hawaii! her mother, stormi, was miss hawaii state at one point and her father, reggie, was a pro surfer! however before blue was born her father had a surfing accident that left him in a wheelchair. he turned to art to try to cope with the trauma of this accident and the reality of never being able to surf again, and he even opened up his own gallery! his gallery became a tourist attraction in hawaii and pretty well known in the art community and after passing down her crown blue’s mother became a news anchor. so the fact was blue was the daughter of two local legends in hawaii and the expectations were high!

not to mention the fact that all of blue’s elder siblings were amazing too. blue has five older siblings and all of them are successful in their own right and in their own niche. they’re also all named after colours funnily enough. the daviau parents had big hippy energy in case you were wondering.

so growing up blue was always just kind of the ‘other’ sibling. all her older siblings had showed their talents at a young age and grew into them pretty quickly, while blue was just kind of... there. she was an artist, but she wasn’t a groundbreaking artist. she could sing, but her voice was simply pretty, not lifechanging. she could surf, but she was average at best. to put it simply, blue was the daviau sibling who wasn’t at all special. which ironically, made her stand out like a sore thumb.

blue didn’t mind too much though, at least not when she was younger. she kept to herself anyways. all blue wanted do when she was younger was read, draw, and explore hawaii’s wild life, so she had everything she could possibly need to be happy right at her fingertips. life was good for her despite her inadequacy, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t aware of it (and wouldn’t develop a complex about it later).

when blue was six though her parents decided that they needed to have sweet, sweet, baby number seven to save their marriage. they named that sweet boy gray. he did not save a damn thing, but he sure was cute. blue was eleven when her parents finally divorced and that pretty much marked the end of blue having any kind of parental guidance.

long story short, both of blue’s parents went kinda buckwild the moment they were single and most of the responsibility to take care of five year old gray fell on blue. blue was the one to make gray’s meals. blue was the one to give gray a bath. blue was the one to tuck gray in at night and get him into his school clothes in the morning. blue was the one to help him with his homework and hold his hand as he crossed the street and honestly pretty much do everything for him until she was about seventeen. both her parents simply checked out on that front, and it the end blue was more of a mother to gray than either of their parents were.

the pressure of having to not only take care of herself but also gray when she wasn’t even legally an adult yet, was honestly way too much for blue. her anxiety skyrocketed, and the pressure she put on herself only grew. the only way blue could really cope with it and calm herself down was by 1. losing herself in nature, 2. drawing, or 3. reading, or rather most likely, doing all of the above at once. using art of an escape pretty much guaranteed that blue’s love and passion for it grew, and with that her talent for it. by that time blue was seventeen she had a full portfolio ready to send off to any university outside of hawaii that would take her. because you bet your bottom dollar your girl was getting the hell outta there!

as we all know blue got accepted to tulane. it was hard to leave gray and her family behind, but blue set her mother and father straight before she left, ensuring that gray would be well taken care of in her stead and hoping that some distance between herself and her family that was so dependent on her (her mother never new how to cook so blue made all the meals, her father never knew how to handle gray so he was always coming to blue to advice, gray was absolutely lost without her, etc) would lift that pressure off her shoulders.

it didn’t at first. the first few months were tough with all the calls blue got from home. that plus the schoolwork she had on her plate almost left her more stressed than before. however, slowly the calls began to fade and slowly blue was able to put her full focus in her art program, and later, her animation programs.

sorry folks my brain is fried, we’re gonna stop here!

HEADCANNONS. on all levels except physical i am sitting on top of the moon with my legs swinging back and forth

Blue’s father is in a wheelchair from the surfing accident that made him take up art. His past as a professional surfer is actually part of the reason why his gallery is so popular though honestly, because the accident was televised and after that tragedy many of his fans and the public wanted to support him. He just also so happened to be really talented. But yeah, Blue’s father was really talented at surfing, he was even invited to the summer olympics in the nineties! But he was also the type to refuse to go because ‘surfing should be freeing, the olympics have so many restrictions, it takes away from what surfing is!!’ dkjsd he was that type yk? I also imagine Blue’s parents were the type to be on the front lines at protests. As it is, Blue is the same, very passionate, definitely has made some bomb ass posters and t-shirts for every women's march she’s attended.

Blue can play the ukulele really well and she honestly has a really pretty singing voice. However she can’t dance even a little bit. Honestly, she could literally break a bone. Really wants to throw it back though 😔

Loves to bake and cook because they’re relaxing activities with built in rewards. Learned to bake and cook because of having to take care of herself and her brother's meals when she was younger, that is if she didn’t want them both to literally get diabetes. As it is though, now that she doesn’t have to worry about her baby brother’s diet as well as her own, she will make a whole chocolate cake just cause she’s a little stressed and proceed to actually eat it. But she will share though. Catch Blue coming to your hotel room with sweets.

All of Blue’s elder siblings are adults now, but Gray is still about sixteen. They exchanged letters from Hawaii to Tulane and Blue always spends hours decorating hers and including little snacks and cute little knick knacks in them, despite the fact that Gray is now an angsty teenager and does not find these things as entertaining as he used to. Despite that, they are definitely the closest out of their siblings for the most part.

Blue’s siblings' names are Sage, Jett, Jade, Ruby, Rose and of course Gray. Jade and Jett, and Ruby and Rose are both twins.

The type to cry easily honestly. Also the type to carry other people’s problems with her. Like if you tell Blue that someone hurt your feelings last week she will remember and she will check on you the next time she sees you. Very empathetic, almost to a fault though because she’s constantly being careful of everyone else’s feelings rather than her own. The type who’s a good listener though. Also the type to give either really good advice or really odd advice.

Art still tends to be her happy place, something she got from her father. Trying to find her own place outside of her father's shadow. She wants to get into the world of animation and cartoons but the whole task is a bit daunting. Is planning to work her ass off for it though! Spends a lot of time in coffee shops storyboarding and making animations. I think she may have a contract going on with a cartoon network of some sort, like they may have picked up a show of hers? Because I imagine her putting out some of her first shorts on Youtube and that might have gotten a bit of attention and led to her getting a deal for a show, so. She’s probably working her ass off towards that, and is honestly probably 1.doubting if they really picked up her show because of her talent or her father’s name, and 2.wondering if she can really do this.

Loves water in all shapes and forms. Since she can’t go to the beach everyday, the small bath in her tiny ass apartment??? Suddenly heaven. That said, Blue is either terrified of the ocean or loves it and I can’t decide which. Standby on that.

Makes a great coffee cake. Like it’s to die for.

Is VERY passionate about the environment. Is a pescatarian. Goes to the farmers market to pick out fresh produce. Loves to hike.

Always has the urge to sketch or paint after she reads poetry or novels. Highlights her favourite bits and has the tendency to read them over when she’s sad. The parts she loves are usually the parts that leave her wanting something.

Draws when she’s sad too. Claire Saffitz energy when she’s cooking but also just through life. Very friendly, but an introvert when it comes to gathering her energy.

Lives for libraries and bookstores, and has stacks on stacks of books in her old apartment. Loves old children's books honestly, like The Secret Garden, and poetry. Like whimsical and fantastical fiction with flowery words that just brings you to another place? Blue’s freaking jam. Falls in love with someone in fiction every five days, and desperately wants to be in love in real life, hence all the tinder dates and blind dates. I don’t think Blue ever has fallen in love though, like not really.

An absolute baby when it comes to the cold. Literally there could be a slight breeze and Blue will be acting like she’s suddenly in the arctic. Any cold destinations will be greeted by a bundled up Blue’s Clues.

Made her first painting out of her own feces at six months old. Her parents proudly framed it. It’s probably still up in the attic in their Hawaii home.

Won her first art show at six but was unsure whether it was because her art really was something worth awarding or because of her father’s name. The award got her on the front page of the Honolulu Tribune but with her father proudly at her back and the title ‘Following in her father’s footsteps’ above her head. Blue just wants to find her own footing in the art world, and be her own person.

Keeps a journal and has since she was a teenager.

WANTED CONNECTIONS. i’m the friend that needs help opening water bottles.

coming to theatres near you soon!

#august.intro #i am too tired to write any more for now but tomorrow ??? it's over for you hoes

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acryofpain · 4 years

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whump drabble: the bog #3

#1 | #2

Sage was completely unresponsive. They tried calling his name and talking to him gently, but when that didn’t do anything, they resorted to yelling and making other loud, startling noises before eventually decided that verbal stimulation would not work. Daniel pinched the inside of Sage’s forearm, then he rubbed his knuckles against his sternum, neither of which elicited any sort of response – not a grimace, or a wince, or a flinch, or even a twitch of the fingers. The group was growing all the more concerned, and Xander had opted to be the one that checked Sage’s breathing and pulse periodically since he was too scrawny to help carry him. By the time they got back to the house that they’d been hunkered down in for the past few days, the boys were all exhausted, both mentally and physically. Molly yanked the door open before any of them could even reach for the knob – she must’ve been anxiously keeping watch – and immediately hit them with a barrage of questions.

“He must’ve gotten ambushed or somethin’, he’s hurt,” Xander said shakily, following Avery and Daniel into the living area. They set Sage down on the rug and worked to remove the hoodie as carefully as possible.

“Molly, could you go grab all the first aid supplies you can find? And Xander, boil a lot of water with a tiny bit of salt in those big tin buckets, enough to fill the bathtub some,” Daniel ordered. Avery was grateful that he’d taken on the role of leader and was remaining calm and composed, despite the circumstances.

Molly was quick to return with a backpack stuffed with medical supplies, and she handed it off to Daniel, who began rummaging around inside. Xander started a controlled fire in the kitchen and got to boiling what was probably an ungodly amount of tap water. Avery removed the shirts from Sage’s torso and examined the gouges with a deep frown. They weren’t really bleeding anymore, but they were deep; he could see congealed blood, fatty tissues, maybe even some muscle, and – fuck, he wasn’t sure his twisting stomach could take this. Daniel laid out some stuff beside him: a curved needle with thread, a bottle of vodka, gauze, surgical tape, and ace bandages.

“Have... have you ever stitched a wound before?” Avery asked in a small voice. Daniel glanced at him with a helpless look in his eyes, but didn’t say anything, instead going back to searching through all the first aid supplies.

“I had to get stitches once,” he said instead, squinting at a packet of what looked like hand wipes. “I was thirteen and I’d found this skinny, sick-looking dog stuck under some rubble at an abandoned house I liked to go in sometimes. Before it got torn down, at least. It was making these screaming noises that didn’t sound like a dog at all, just panicking and squirming under the wood. I was a little shocked at first but of course I went to help it out – I lifted up a plank of wood that had some other debris weighing down on it, and when I went to pull the dog out, it just turned and tore at my arm. I got surprised and... and accidentally dropped the rubble back on top of it... fuck, I don’t think I stopped crying for days.”

Avery just stared at his friend with wide eyes, gaze flicking over the old scar on his forearm that he’d been examining while he was talking.

“... Jesus, you sure know how to lighten the mood.”

They sat there for another half hour in grim silence, Avery’s fingers never leaving Sage’s wrist; the weak but steady pulse was a sort of comfort, considering the cold slackness of his friend’s face, the stillness of his body. The imagery of Daniel’s stupid dog story remained stuck in his mind. Xander’s head of wild, ginger hair suddenly poking into the room was a welcome sight, even if the kid’s shirt was flecked with blood and dripping with water at the hem.

“I’m done. The water’s already cooled down some so it won’t burn him. Was there anything else you needed, Danny?”

“No, that’s it. Thanks,” Daniel waved a dismissive hand and tugged off Sage’s one remaining shoe before peeling off his mud-caked socks, wrinkling his nose. Avery helped to strip him down to his boxers, and then hooked his arms beneath Sage’s armpits while Daniel grabbed his legs, and the duo carried their unconscious friend to the bathroom.

“The warm saltwater will clean that filth from the swamp off him, hopefully prevent infection, and help bring his core temperature back to normal,” Daniel muttered, sort of to himself. Avery nodded and they slowly lowered Sage into the water. He was only partially submerged when his breath hitched. Avery’s own caught in his throat and he watched his friend’s face carefully, watched as his eyebrows drew inward, as the corners of his mouth twitched.

“Sage?” He ventured. His teammate’s brow remained furrowed, but he didn’t respond to his name, and Avery’s hopes fell. “I mean... that’s sort of good, right? He’s not, like... in a coma or whatever at least.”

Daniel just grunted. He probably didn’t know – hell, how could he? None of them were doctors or had any medical training. The only reason Danny knew any of this was because he’d apparently gathered up as many medical books as he could handle soon after the shit had hit the fan those few years ago. He was smarter than Avery, that was for sure; all he’d initially done was freak out and shoot at things too much. He thought about the first time he’d met the others and how he’d nearly blown a hole in Xander’s chest and gave an amused snort, earning a strange look from Daniel. Thankfully, he wasn’t that trigger-happy anymore.

Using a pair of washcloths, the two began scrubbing Sage down, erasing the remnants of swamp mud and calcifying water from his skin. They were careful around the cuts and even more so on his side, where Daniel mostly took over since his hands were a lot steadier and he was considerably less squeamish. Sage’s face eventually relaxed once more, and his breaths deepened, seeming to come a bit easier than they’d been earlier. Slowly but surely, some colour started to return to his cheeks, and his skin was no longer freezing cold, though he wasn’t as warm as Avery thought he ought to be. Was he hypothermic? Or was it solely the blood loss? ... Maybe both?

“I’m a little glad he hasn’t woken up yet,” Avery admitted as he dabbed at his friend’s forehead, subconsciously clenching his jaw in worry. “It probably hurts a lot.”

“It’s only going to get worse,” Daniel murmured back, frowning deeply. “We don’t have any painkillers, let alone anaesthetics, and there’s the suturing, sterilizing, bandaging... If those didn’t wake him up, I don’t... I...”

He didn’t continue, and Avery pretended he didn’t know where he’d been going with that. The duo finished cleaning up Sage, and when the water began to cool, the tub’s plug was pulled. They dried him off with some clean but scratchy-feeling towels, and if he’d been conscious, the dumbass’d probably be so embarrassed he’d be putting up one hell of a fight. Avery tried not to imagine Daniel with a black eye and failed, smiling briefly before they lifted Sage out of the grimy tub and brought him back to the living room, where a makeshift bed had been lain out and another towel set down to be placed beneath his wounded side. Avery folded the bottom of a blanket over his friend’s legs, then moved around to sit with his head in his lap. Daniel positioned himself over the lacerations, a bucket of pre-boiled water with a cloth at one side, needle and thread and vodka at the other.

This was going to take a while.

#whumpee #whump #excerpt #writing #drabble #lacerations #blood loss #unconsciousness #unresponsive #hypothermia #exhaustion #fatigue #surgery #stitches #caretaker #hurt/comfort

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all-the-love-harold · 5 years

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Chapter 15 - Door Knocking

Master post

Come and Talk about Harry and Poppy

Just so you know, I’ve been started writing the sequel to this series and it’s going to emotional and beautiful at the same time. I hope you’re ready for it

September 11th, 2017- 22 Weeks

Harry carried both of the bags down to the car while Poppy did one last one check around the wedding house to make sure they hadn’t left anything behind. The wedding had been everything they’d ever dreamed of, and the following two days had been filled with love and support from both Poppy’s family and Harry’s.

“Got everything?” Harry asked, as he bounded up the front steps to the house, meeting Poppy at the front door and wrapping an arm around her shoulder and placing a soft kiss on her forehead

“Yeah” she nodded, “just mum’s bags when she’s ready.” Since Harry was leaving for tour tomorrow, and Poppy had reached the point in her pregnancy where her condition could start to affect things, her mum had decided to stay with her in London, until Harry gets back.

“Will she be long?” he asked, looking at his phone to check the time “we’ve got that baby appointment this afternoon and it’s three hours back if the traffic’s good”

“Five minutes” Poppy smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder “We’re about to leave the wedding bubble H”

He placed a kiss on her forehead “the real world isn’t so bad with you as my wife.”

The front door of the house burst open and Poppy’s mum stepped out, struggling to carry her bags “Oh sorry” she blushed “have I interrupted a moment?”

“You’re fine Mum” Poppy smiled, ushering her out the door

“Let me get those bags for you Mrs Thomas”

“Harry please!” Poppy’s mum handed him the bags “call me Linda”

Harry smiled and took the bags off her and loaded them into the boot of the range rover while Poppy and her mum climbed in. They made a quick stop off at Anne’s so that Harry could say goodbye before he left for tour and headed off in time to make it back for the appointment at 3. The journey back was slow, with traffic getting busier the closer they got to London, but Poppy didn’t mind, because it gave her and her mum time to catch up on all the things they’d missed being so far away from each other and Harry the chance to get to know her a little better. They’d met a few times over the years, but it had always been brief and, most of the time, rushed, to fit in with his busy schedule and Poppy was glad to see that they were getting along so well.

“We’re going to have to go straight to the midwife love” Harry said to Poppy, checking the clock as they got closer to London

“That’s fine” she yawned, tired from the weekend “Mum can come, she’s going to have to know what’s going on anyway”

“I can just stay in the waiting room, they probably won’t want me in there”

“That’s a good point” Poppy turned in her seat to look at her mum in the back “are you alright with that?”

“Of course dear, you’ll tell me everything I need to know”

Harry pulled into the carpark of the doctor’s offices about half an hour later, stressed from the busy traffic, and ready to get out and stretch his legs.

“H” Poppy smiled sweetly as they all stepped out of the car

“Hmm” he said, stretching his arms out “what’s up love?”

“My handbag with my notes is in the boot” she pointed to the back of the car “under everything”

He rolled his eyes at her and opened the boot, moving bags around until he eventually found her handbag “Poppy” he said closing the boot, making her look up from her phone, that was still blowing up with congratulations from, friends, family and fans “catch” and he made sure the zipper was done up on her bag and threw it to her.

“Thanks” she smiled catching the bag

“Good catch” he made his way over to her, putting his arm around her “let’s go see our little man”

Poppy hadn’t yet told him about the message she’d received from Danny the night of the wedding. She knew he’d be mad, and she knew he’d try and do something about it, but she wanted to enjoy their first few days together as a married couple first, and now that her mum was here finding the right time to tell him would prove difficult too, but she promised herself that, at some point today, she would pull him aside and tell him. After checking in at the front desk they all took their seats, whispering to each other about the wedding, all giggling as they remembered all the dorky dance moves that Harry brought out as the night went on. Harry knew Poppy was nervous about this appointment and every time he caught her looking over at place where her midwife would soon appear and call her name, he’d change the subject, to keep her mind off things

“Poppy” Julie said, popping her head around the corner of the hallway that lead to the examination room. Both Poppy and Harry stood up and made their way over to her greeting her as they got close. She lead them down the hallway and ushered them into one of the rooms, closing the door behind them. “I heard on the radio this morning that you two got married over the weekend?”

“We did” Harry smiled widely at Poppy

“Well congratulations” she said “although, I must say I was a little confused, because I’m sure you told me he wasn’t the father”

“He’s not” Poppy shook her head, “But close enough” she squeezed Harry’s hand and smiled at him

“Right” she nodded “I’m sensing things are a little more complicated than they seem, and it’s my job to make sure your little guy is doing just fine in there, so why don’t you jump on that bed there, and we’ll take a look”

Poppy did as she was told, lying down on the bed and lifting her shirt up to expose the bump. Harry stood next to her and held her hand as Julie squeezed the gel onto her belly. Within seconds they heard the familiar sound of their little boy’s heart beat and Poppy’s entire body relaxed. She knew he was ok in there, because she’d been feeling him move around for the last few weeks, but ever since she had the miscarriage scare, that sound always made her breathe a sigh of relief.

“So you’re at 22 weeks now?” Julie asked, looking a little concerned

“Yeah” Poppy nodded

“And have you been feeling any movement?”

“He goes wild when Harry sings” she laughed, smiling up at Harry as he smiled back weakly, worried about Julie’s obvious concern

She smiled, keeping her eyes fixed on the screen “I bet he does”

“Is everything ok?” Harry asked, squeezing Poppy’s hand a little tighter

Julie took her eyes off the screen and swivelled the chair so that she was facing them both “He’s a little smaller than we’d expect at 22 weeks, but everything else looks healthy to me so I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about, I’ll have doctor Miller take a look at these pictures and she’ll come in a little while and discuss things with you” she pressed a few buttons on the ultrasound machine, Poppy assumed to load the images into the system for her doctor to look at.

“Thank you” Poppy and Harry both said quietly as she left the room.

Harry placed a soft kiss onto Poppy’s hand as the door shut behind Julie “he’s probably just a small baby, you’re not exactly the biggest human I know, and Danny was no giant”

“Speaking of Danny” she sat up and wiped the gel off her bump, pulling her shirt down “I got a message from him on our wedding night”

He let go of her hand and gave her a stern but curious look “What did he want?”

“Custody” her lips drew into a sharp line as Harry drew in a deep breathe, filled with rage

“After what he said to you when you told him?” he placed his hand back over Poppy’s “Not a chance”

“He’s the Dad Harry, I don’t know how much a choice we have in this”

“There’s no way he’ll get custody off you,” he placed his hand over her bump “I’ll do everything I can to stop this Poppy”

“This is why I married you” she kissed his forehead and swung her legs around, hopping off the bed and making her way over to the chair next to the doctor’s desk. Harry followed, rage still a little evident on his face.

“I’ll call my lawyer as soon as we get home and see what we can do” he said, sitting down next to her

“I’m not sure your lawyer will know a thing about family law H”

“She’ll know someone that does though”

Before Poppy had a chance to respond, Doctor Miller walked in with a clip board in her hand “So I’m told I can call you Mr and Mrs Styles now?” she smiled at them both

“You sure can!” Poppy smiled back, placing her hand on Harry’s thigh, while he pulled on his lip, still thinking about what he could do about Danny.

“Well congratulations” she nodded, taking a seat in the chair behind the desk “So I had a look at your scans, and your little boy is looking a little small, he’s measuring about 3 weeks behind, which with your condition is ok, it means he can stay in there longer without being affected the shape of your uterus”

“That sounds like a good thing” Poppy said shyly

“The longer he’s in there the better” she smiled “We’ll have to review your C-section dates now” she clicked through a few screens on her computer until she came to one that showed what looked like her schedule for November and December “right now we’ve got you in on November 10th and December 1st, so what I’ll do, is keep the December 1st date, which, if everything goes to plan, would have you measuring at 34 weeks, and we’ll book another one in for December 15th which will have you at 37 weeks.”

Poppy nodded, breathing a sigh of relief knowing that Harry’s tour ends on December 8th.

“Of course, we’ll be keeping an eye on things and these dates are definitely not set in stone, but it helps me to have dates in mind”

“Of course,” she smiled, knowing what it’s like to try and work around everyone else’s schedule

She smiled back “Now ideally, baby will stay in there until at least 35 weeks, but like I said before, we’ll be keeping an eye on things, once you reach 30 weeks, we’ll have you in for weekly scans again and I’d like you to start keeping track of all your symptoms from now on, including all of his movements”

“I can do that”

“Is there a reason he would be so small?” Harry asked

“It could be a few things, I don’t think there’s anything to be worried about, but we will keep an eye on his growth to make sure he hasn’t stopped, but all of his vital organs are developing at the right pace, so I’d say he’s just a small baby, which is not uncommon, especially in pregnancies like these”

“Good news” Harry smiled, squeezing Poppy’s hand

“I’ll get you to book an appointment with Julie for next week to check his growth, and all things going well, I won’t need to see you then”

“Great” Poppy said “does this mean I’m only at 19 weeks now? Or am I still 22?”

“You’re still 22 weeks, like I just said, everything else is developing as it should be, he’s just smaller than average, which is fine” she smiled reassuringly “Any other questions?”

Poppy looked at Harry and he shook his head “No, I think we’re ok” she said, picking up her handbag

“Great” she stood and walked over to the door, opening it for them “I’ll see you next time then”

Both Poppy and Harry thanked her as they walked out of the room and made their way to the front desk to make next week's appointment. As soon as Poppy's Mum spotted them she stood and quickly made her way over to them, worried about why it took so long but relieved to see Poppy and Harry didn’t look to concerned.

“Everything ok?” she asked Harry as Poppy spoke to the receptionist

“Yeah” he nodded, still thinking about Danny “he’s a little smaller than he should be, but the doctor said that’s normal in pregnancies like these, she has to come in next week though, for another scan to make sure he hasn’t stopped growing” he whispered, aware of other couples in the waiting room

Poppy’s mum nodded along with Harry “Next Friday?” she asked

He nodded “probably, she has Friday’s off work, so that’s when her appointments have been, besides today of course”

Poppy turned away from the front desk and slid her hand into Harry’s “Good to go?” she asked, and he pulled the car keys out of his pocket

“Let’s go home” he smiled at Poppy and her mum

***

When they arrived back at Harry’s house, which Poppy supposed was her house now too, he hurled all the bags inside and left Poppy and her mum alone while he made the phone call to his lawyer. Closing the door to his office behind him, he searched the room for his work phone which he’d left at home for the wedding because he knew he wouldn’t need it. Finding it in the top drawer of his desk, he dialled the number of his lawyer’s office and waited for her to pick up.

“Harry!” she said cheerfully into the phone “To what do I owe the pleasure”

“Uh” he sighed “how much do you know about family law?”

“Not a lot, but I can draw you up a post-nup”

Harry giggled to himself and shook his head “Don’t need one of those – this is more of a custody type thing”

“Ok” she said a little unsure of what was going on “a little out of my depth I’m afraid, but tell me what’s going on and I’ll see what I can do, or who I can refer you to”

“Right” he said sitting down on the couch in the corner “My wife is 22 weeks pregnant, but the kid’s not mine” he stopped and thought for a second “that sounds bad” he sighed “we only got married on Friday and we weren’t together when she got pregnant, I set her up with the dude”

“Does he know about the baby?”

“Yeah, that’s kinda the problem”

“This is definitely out of my area of expertise, but continue so I know who I can put you onto”

“When he was told, he didn’t want a thing to do with it, told her not to get in contact with him about child support or anything like that but now, since he knows that we’re together, he told her that he would be taking her to court for custody” he let out a deep sigh “I guess I just want to know what my rights are here,”

“As far as I could work out, since you married Poppy on Friday, you have the rights of a step- father”

“Which are?” harry asked, pulling his lip nervously

“You’ll have parental responsibility, granted that you remain married to your wife”

“And where does that leave him?”

“That’s where I fall short I’m afraid Harry, are you and your wife able to come into the office tomorrow? I can set you up an appointment with one of our family lawyers?”

“I leave tomorrow, for tour, but if it can happen in the morning, then we can make it in”

“I’ll see what I can do, I’ll email you”

“Great, thanks for your help” he hung up the phone and dropped it into his lap, placing his face in his hands and rubbing his temples with the tips of his fingers, trying to figure out what he could do next. Tonight was his last night at home with Poppy before he left for tour, and all he wanted to do is spend it watching rom coms and doing all the things that they were both too tired for on their wedding night, but he also needed to make Danny go away before he left, so that he didn’t need to worry about him trying to intimidate her. He stood from the couch, putting his phone in his back pocket and making his way out of his office.

Poppy and her mum were stood in the kitchen, discussing what the doctor had said earlier, Linda was telling Poppy that Addie, was a small baby and that there was nothing to worry about. Poppy nodded along, agreeing that everything was probably fine and quickly changed the subject to the nursery. She loved her mum, but she had always found it difficult to talk about serious things with her because she often refused to recognise the bad things that could potentially happen. Not that Poppy liked to dwell on them, but she felt it best to acknowledge that they were there. Harry walked in as Poppy pulled the paint cards out of the drawer, showing them to her mum.

“I’ve got to go tie a few loose ends before I leave tomorrow” he said picking up his keys, and placing a gentle kiss on Poppy’s lips “I’ll bring us back some dinner- the fridge is empty”

Poppy nodded accepting the kiss, but looking at him, a little confused by his sudden need to leave, knowing exactly what his last phone call had been about. “Will you be long?”

“Shouldn’t be” he said, walking out of the room towards the front door “I still like the light blue” he yelled, referring to the paint colours

“It’s grey Harold!” she yelled back, hearing him giggle as he shut the front door. Poppy looked at the time on her phone and realised that it was past 5 and there was no way he could be going to his office to tie up loose ends because his PA would have left for the day and she knew as well as he did that he was useless on his own. “I’ll be back in a sec mum”

She jogged out of the house and into the garage, finding Harry in his car, searching for the remote that opened the gate, he spotted her, and opened the window “What’s up love?” he asked, still looking around avoiding eye contact with her

“Where are you going H?” she asked shyly ‘It’s past 5, Emma would have gone home by now”

“I can’t let Danny do this” he admitted, finally looking at Poppy

“What did your lawyer say?” she asked sympathetically

“She doesn’t know enough about family law, she’s going to get us an appointment with someone who knows what they’re talking about tomorrow” he sighed “I just want to talk to him Pop, see what he wants”

She leant her arms on the window of the car, leaning her head inside “we know what he wants”

“Well, he’s not getting it” he said, frown forming on his face “he doesn’t deserve that little boy”

“Don’t say anything stupid H- don’t give him anything that he could to the media about” she kissed his temple and moved away from the car

“Promise” he said, holding his pinky up for her to shake. She wrapped her pinky around his and giggled at how childish the gesture was but admiring it just the same.

“Don’t be long either, don’t want mum to think you’re avoiding me after being married for two days”

He laughed “I’ll be a quick as I can, could you open the gate for me? Can’t find the remote”

“Yeah” she nodded turning and walking back towards the house to where the main control for the gate was “Bye H” she called as he drove the car out the driveway and she closed the gate behind him.

He sped down the quiet London street away from the house, thoughts running through his head. He didn’t know what he was going to say to Danny, but he knew Poppy was right, he had to keep it civil and respectful for the sake of his career. He could hardly release merchandise that boasts the phrase “Treat People with Kindness” if there were articles circulating about him doing the exact opposite.

Danny lived on the other side of London in a dingy old flat that Harry was only able to find because he’d been there once before, to help Danny bring some supplies to set for the photoshoot. He climbed up the stairs, opening lines running through his head “Do you really want a kid mate?”, “you don’t know the first thing about being a dad”, “You can’t just swoop in now, after everything you’ve put her through and expect to be a happy family.” None of them would do, he knew what he wanted to say, but he didn’t know how to say it – He needed Danny to know how much he’d hurt Poppy, and how much this baby meant to her, but there were no words that could express how both Poppy and Harry felt about this baby.

Harry reached the top of the stairs on Danny’s floor and made his way down the hallway to his door, a boozy smell surrounding it. He drew in a deep breath and knocked on the door, unsure what he’d be greeted with. After a few seconds, a drunken Danny answered the door, squinting at the harsh light in the hallway.

“What the fuck do you want dick head?” He slurred at Harry “Come to buy my silence or summat?”

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ace-charlie-kelly · 5 years

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now you've been asked fave episode of each season!

sldjkfds thank you!

Season 1: The Gang Gets Racist. The first season is definitely the weakest imo but the very first episode is pretty solid and got Sunny off to a good gay start.

Season 2: Dennis and Dee Get a New Dad. I started watching Sunny in 2015 and I watched it out of order so of course I already knew Frank wasn’t Dee and Dennis’s biological father by the time I got to this one (in fact, at first I didn’t even know he raised them), but I still thought it was funny as heck, especially Frank’s meltdown at Guigino’s (thank u Emmy award winning Danny Devito) and the twist at the end that he might actually be Charlie’s dad. Love it.

Season 3: The Gang Gets Held Hostage. This was one of the first episodes I remember liking a lot. The McPoyles are wild and fucking hilarious. There are so many iconic moments (Dennis, I love you; RYAN, STAB SOMEBODY; *Dee cocks gun at the gang* GET ON YOUR KNEES, BITCHES!) The pacing is great. All that insanity and SCREAMING and build up to what was looking to be a huge ending where SOMEONE was gonna get shot or stabbed to death and then the McPolyes just...leave. And that’s the end lmao.

Season 4: Mac and Charlie Die AND The Nightman Cometh: Okay LISTEN I can’t choose between THE most iconic episode (Nightman Cometh) and my personal favorite, not just in s4 but in Sunny as a whole (Mac and Charlie Die) so I’m gonna mention them both. Charlie and Mac getting up to dumbass Shenanigans™ together is one of my favorite episode setups and I could watch the car crash scene on loop for hours and still think it’s hilarious. And there’s no need to explain TNC. It’s one of the most popular and well-known episodes for a reason.

Season 5: Mac and Dennis Break Up: It’s just the macdennis of it all...

Season 6: I wanted to say A Very Sunny Christmas because it’s my favorite episode overall after Mac and Charlie Die and Wikipedia lists it under season 6. But I think it’s technically not a part of any season so that episode aside I’ve got to go with Who Got Dee Pregnant? The flashback-style storytelling. Dee becoming more and more birdlike until she’s an ACTUAL EMU. Frank dressed as “Man-Spider.” Artemis “I Don’t Remember Most Evenings” Dubois. “YOU WILL CALL HER!” The bombshell (and fake, thank god) reveal that the answer to the titular question was DENNIS, holy shit! A good, funny episode that worked in Kaitlin’s irl pregnancy perfectly.

Season 7: CharDee MacDennis: The Game of Games. Another quintessential Sunny episode. It combines my two favorite types of episode setups: a Charlie & Mac team up and a gang-centric storyline that takes place in the bar. Love it!

Season 8: Reynolds vs. Reynolds: The Cereal Defense. Again, I love gang-centric episodes, especially ones that shine a light on the gang’s intricate and surprisingly sacred internal arbitration system. Mac’s “Science is a LIAR sometimes”/”BITCH” speech is one of my top favorite scenes in the whole show.

Season 9: The Gang Gets Quarantined. Another gang-centric episode set in the bar! Nothing is funnier than Frank, hairless and mostly naked, squirming around on a floor covered in hand sanitizer (except for maybe fully naked Frank crawling out of a couch. Why hasn’t Sunny won an Emmy yet???).

Season 10: Charlie Work. There’s a reason it has the highest episode rating on IMDb! Bc it’s good.

Season 11: Mac and Dennis Move to the Suburbs: NEWSFLASH ASSHOLE, I’ve been stanning Suburbs the entire goddamn time!!!!!

Season 12: The Gang Goes to a Water Park. Rare Mac & Dee team up. Dennis being as close to wholesome as possible spending his entire day mentoring Abby on the art of scheming. That horrifying 10 second long squuueeeaaak as Frank’s back skin gets scraped off by that dry-ass slide. Mac putting his ass on the pool drain and looking me in the eye while he does it. The only thing I didn’t like about this episode was its weirdly short run time.

Season 13: This one’s hard because I haven’t rewatched most of these episodes since they premiered last year. Obviously I’m tempted to say Mac Finds His Pride, but looking back that (incredible!!!) final scene is the only big reason it stands out to me as a noteworthy episode. When it comes to which episode I enjoyed most as a whole, I think that might be The Gang Gets New Wheels. I don’t know what this says about me as a person, but I’ve never laughed harder than when Mac and Charlie beat up those children slkdjfjsdk.

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musicmixtapes · 5 years

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Halloween Mix (October 31 ‘18)

Happy Halloween to all my favorite witches, vampires and ghouls--This week's mix is pretty self explanatory but I had so much fun making it and think that it can be listened to even when it's not Halloween because we all have spooky hearts year round

Listen on Spotify

1. Witch by the bird and the bee - The beginning of this song with the xylophone sounds already sets us up for some interesting tones and makes it all the more spooky vibed throughout, which was automatically very ear catching when I first listened to it. But other than that, the entire love-lust-desire themed song of a witch entrapping someone in their spell and taking names without mercy is such a great trope for female empowered music. There are so many references to the "spells" "biddings" "conjurings" "hauntings" in this piece which makes it a classic halloween song. But I didn't find this during witching season, in fact, I discovered it over the summer which goes to show that it holds the test of time and can be enjoyed not just on this specific day (although I highly recommend it going on your own Halloween mix for sure). There is also another really cool instrumental segment in the mid part of the song where an electric guitar or string instrument of some sort is introduced followed by the step down chords of the synthesized creepy piano/string sound that is recurring in this piece.

2. Ungodly Fruit by Wax Tailor - This artist, who I have featured one other time on a previous mixtape, produces some of the the smartest and most unique pieces that I have had the pleasure of hearing with unworthy ears. There are not many words in this piece and in Wax Tailor true character, the words in the song are samples from different films. The first lyrics heard are Sampled from Professor Alexander Siletsky in the 1942 film To Be or Not to Be. The second portion of lyric is sampled from the 1934 film The Man Who Knew Too Much. Listening to the extravagant horns throughout the piece along with the interesting harp and assorted strings woven through create a vintage love/horror movie vibe that perfectly aligns with the samples of the movie lines that are showcased.

3. Black Magic Woman by Fleetwood Mac - Please for the love of halloween and all things magical, do not try and tell me that this is a cover of Santana's song because it is the other way around actually. His much popularized cover is quite fantastic, I agree, but there is something special and essential Fleetwood Mac about this piece that sets up the vibe of the band from very early on in the metamorphosis of the group. Now, if you are only familiar with the more recent group, you would be confused by this track because it sounds different and queen Stevie Nicks is not anywhere to be found. The group used to consist of Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood and Jeremy Spencer before the grouping was changed to what we know now. Honestly, this song is just a prediction about the queen witch that would later grace the band, but also a desire song about a mystifying woman.

4. Monster Mash by Bobby Boris Pickett & The Crypt Kickers - If you have been living under a rock for every October since you were born, then you don't know this awesomely spooky hit. Otherwise, I'm absolutely sure you've sung, you've danced, you've enjoyed this graveyard smash of a song that has created a rippling effect over halloweens for over fifty years. I remember being in kindergarten at my Halloween parade and walking around showing off my angel costume to this song, so yes, it has had a lasting effect on me for sure. Lou Simon, senior director of music programming at SiriusXM Radio, says, “‘Monster Mash’ has timeless appeal. The generations who grew up with it have fond memories of the song from the ’60s and again from its ’70s renaissance. The familiar arrangement is uncomplicated and delightful. It’s just one of those records that wears well and makes people happy.”

5. The Boy With The Thorn In His Side by The Smiths - Ok starting this one off with a literary definition, just in case you don't know exactly what Morrissey is referring to... To have a thorn in one's side is to have something or someone that continually causes problems for you; my definition of this is when someone will not quit pissing you off and making life hell even if they are unaware of doing so, we all have one of these and they are utterly unshakeable such is the way of life. When asked if this song was inspired by Oscar Wilde in an interview, Morrissey replied: "No, that’s not true. The thorn is the music industry and all those people who never believed anything I said, tried to get rid of me and wouldn’t play the records. So I think we’ve reached a stage where we feel: if they don’t believe me now, will they ever believe me? What more can a poor boy do?"

6. Leave Me Be by Beau - This is one of two songs on this week's mix that does not exactly conform to theme I laid out but there was no way I was going to leave it out because the sounds and emotions included in this piece is perfectly in line with the general feeling of the playlist. The singer's voice is so weird and unique, I have not heard anything like it before, but it definitely reminds me a bit of Lene Lovich's (80s singer) voice when she does those big jumps in range and pitch in the chorus of the song. I guess the voyeuristic image of someone bothering the speaker of the song and pestering her like an impetuous ghost following one around does conform to the theme of ghoulish natures and general halloween-ness. My favourite line from the song is the repeated phrase "All I ever wanted was just to be left alone/All I ever wanted was something to call my own" because me too... me too.

7. The Piano Duet by Danny Elfman (Corpse Bride) - Sitting in the piano room of my college dorm in the East Village on a Monday night a couple of weeks ago, I was exhausted of studying statistics and needed something to bring me to a peaceful state of mind. At first, I tried playing other pieces of music, but they proved too complex for my muddle mind at the time. Then I came across this simple and wonderful piece hailing from the classic animated king of Halloween, Tim Burton's The Corpse Bride. I was fascinated by the wandering notes that can be played with literally one finger which turns into this complex two handed piano piece that takes more time than I had to learn in its entirety. Danny Elfman has composed a lot of music for Burton which has become well loved and renowned but this short piece is striking and emotional for me. If you have the chance and a piano, you should play around with it because I think it is so satisfying to play. 8. Agony by Yung Lean - Originally I found this song in another version, one that was done by the alternative band Beach Fossils and I was hesitant not to put that version on the mix, but in the end decided the original needed to be heard and loved more. Coming from the Swedish hip hop/rap/emo/etc performed and artist Yung Lean, this vulnerable piece of music which describes how it feels to become unraveled is unrivalled by a lot of other songs about chaos that traps you in your own mind. What's more is that the song comes from a place of truth because the artist, Jonatan Hastard's (Yung Lean), spent time in a psychiatric facility due to mental health issues which were making him unable to live successfully. I think that it is so important that mental illness be represented in the music industry because it shows not only that having illness is okay, but that you can deal with it and get through it. So, thank you for showing us yourself, Hastard, and encouraging us to do the same.

9. Skeletons (Acoustic) by Yeah Yeah Yeahs - How fitting for this celebratory day with none other than the queen of being spooky and distorted. In this track, the speaker asks her lover to basically tear her apart, to destroy her by any means necessary because she has already been destroyed by the love she has experienced. Now, one of the most important things to remember about a song that has very few lyrics is that the ones that are there, are there for a particular reason. The phrase "frost or flame" returns more than once, and it is due to the reference to the poem by Robert Frost "Fire and Ice" in which he details which way the world ending would be better. The speaker relates this to the way that her lover can destroy her: either by burning her or icing her out. I am going to include the poem because I love it so much: Some say the world will end in fire/Some say in ice/From what I’ve tasted of desire/I hold with those who favor fire/But if it had to perish twice/I think I know enough of hate/To say that for destruction ice/Is also great/And would suffice.

10. Femme Fatale by The Velvet Underground - I'm sure you've heard of this phrase before, but do you know why and when is became such an iconic phrase? No? I didn't either until I heard this wonderful song. This phrase has actually been around since the turn of the 19th century with the mass popularization of the gothic type of novel, but it resurfaced with this song in the 60s and has stayed relevant to this day. What I didn't know about the 'femme fatale' is what I found from contributors on Genius music (I use this all the time for insightful explanations): "Edie Sedgwick was an American socialite, actress, and model that came from a very wealthy and prestigious family. She was a part of Andy Warhol’s “factory” crew, and became one his closest friends and muses as Warhol brought her to fame." I think that this tribute to a friend and inspiration makes for the perfect song and gives a deeper meaning to a tale of a heartbreaker and 'take no prisoners' woman that is depicted here. 11. I Put A Spell On You by Annie Lennox - Classic. Breathtaking. Magical. Three words that describe this song and specifically the Lennox cover of this song. Something about the way the high chords of the keyboard are struck in the beginning of the piece is so gratifying, I just knew I would be in love with listening to this in the first few seconds. Honestly, and I never thought I would be saying this but, I have to thank whoever put together the 50 Shades of Grey film because that is the reason the cover of this song exists, which is kind of annoying. Nonetheless, it thankfully exists, and tells about a man who cannot be faithful to the woman who is telling the story in the song. So, she puts a spell over the man so he will not leave her and remains faithful to her instead. Despite having such amazing music to go behind it, this is such a wicked sentiment and fits perfectly with the season.

12. Found Love In A Graveyard by Veronica Falls - This song is really, really sad. And I wasn't sure I was going to include it because it is really striking and makes me feel very emotional due to the intense meaning behind it. But, I think that music is, yes, supposed to uplift you and put you in a good mood, but not always. Sometimes, songs have a power to touch the things deep and dark inside of us that are untouchable by anything else, and this is a beautiful concept; sad, but still beautiful. The minor and eerie chords and drumbeat that start the song off with the discordant "ooohs" let us know this is not going to be one of those sunny, uplifting songs, but one of the darker ones. This piece can very well be about the literal sense of finding love in a graveyard with someone who is no longer alive, but I think it's about finding love in someone who is not present in one's life and wanting them so much but not being able to have them anymore. Listen with caution if you are already in your feelings.

13. Zombie by The Cranberries - Let me paint a picture for you: it was summertime five years ago. A thirteen year old girl who was just discovering her musical genre for singing and listening alike stepped onto an outdoor stage in mid-June. The heavy guitar of a somber rock song come on and she begins to sing; surprise, the song is this one, and the girl is also this one who is writing to you. This song particularly has had more influence over my own writing and singing style than any other in this mix, both because it is beautifully metaphorical and because it is truthful to the point of tears in some respects. The song tells about the Troubles which occurred in Northern Ireland between the unionists and nationalists, the tensions and violence which spanned over decades and literally tore families apart. Dolores O'Riordan, the writer and singer of this song said, "This song is our cry against man’s inhumanity to man, inhumanity to child."

14. Time Warp from The Rocky Horror Picture Show - Not going to lie, I first heard this song and saw the scene performed when I was 12 and discovered the wonderful television program that is Glee. After that, though, I further investigated the chaotic goodness that is the Rocky Horror Picture Show and became enamoured with the explicit messages of open sexuality, breaking social norms and utter weirdness that makes up the show. This song is the most recognisable from the show, but by no means diminishes the other pieces that are performed. If possible, I really suggest either seeing a live performance or watching one online because all of the different characters, which you can hear in the recording are produced on the stage; the visuals make all the difference in the holistic experience of listening and I think in this instance, enhances the value you will hold with the song particularly the ever shifting point of views and voice sounds exhibited.

15. Werewolves Of London by Warren Zevon - First and foremost, all credits for this song being in my life go to my father because I have been listening to this with him since before I could write, much less write about music on a blog for my friends and family. Because it was such an integral part of my music experience from a young age, I enjoy examining not just what it means, but what it means to me. The song is based on the 1953 film "Werewolf Of London" and if you haven't seen it, I recommend the viewing of this, because it's a really good movie, but either way you can enjoy the song separately because it stands on it's own. It describes and details a werewolf doing all normal human behaviour and a man meeting him and being like "wow this is really strange". Even just the first line of the song depicting a werewolf getting chinese food at the store is so funny and strange, and then talks about in the next lines a woman being mutilated by werewolves. I love the contrasting images outlined in this piece with such a simple 3-chord progression that is so catchy.

16. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) by Jimi Hendrix - The distortion of the guitar in the intro for this track is so awesome, I cannot get enough of it and it is quintessential Jimi Hendrix classic rock. Hendrix's gruff and raw rock voice comes through amazingly in this song and tells us a story about psychedelic experience of exaggeration with voodoo practice that was popularized especially during the 1960s and 1970s. The image of chopping a mountain down with the edge of one's hand presented in the first verse suggests that this is a drug induced experience in which the narrator is having an out of body vision of this happening, or so we can assume (I don't think Jimi chopped down a mountain, but who knows). As for the much iconic phrase 'voodoo child', I attributed this notion to the feeling of some of the African heritage and cultural spirituality that centers around practice of voodoo which has traced back through centuries. The intervention of God given to shamans or mediums, the servants of the spirits, results in a magic of spiritual nature.

17. Blood In The Bathtub by Bonny Doon - I think the only scary thing pertaining to this song is the title and matching phrase that is repeated in the chorus of this low key song, but otherwise it is really of a loving, sensitive nature for year round enjoyment. Again, the guitar in this song is so present and the riffs included are indicative of some blues inspiration which is really nice and adds a lot of colour. As for the meaning, I ascertained that the speaker feels bad about his actions towards the end of his and the subject's relationship and is trying to explain his feelings about their demise. The aspect I appreciate about this song is that the speaker isn't trying to get back or win the affection of the subject, but instead agree that they have the right to leave and be lost or confused, which is a really valid feeling. The blood can be many things, but I like to see it as an impurity where the goodness (water) of the relationship was supposed to be.

18. Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) by David Bowie - I often find that this spectacularly strange man can describe feelings that we all have in surreal ways no one would think to, yet do it so precisely we can't help but love it. This is a description I found online for the piece that I think is really perfect and I couldn't say it better myself: "The song title was inspired by a Kellogg’s Corn Flakes ad campaign: “Scary Monsters and Super Heroes”. It describes the feelings of an obsessive man when he gets a shy girlfriend. Though his influence on her initially works out well for the relationship, it becomes too much for her. She soon becomes a recluse, leaves the man, and descends into madness, seeing all strangers as ‘scary monsters’." I love this thought of being terrified of strangers and can relate on days in the city when I don't feel like talking to anyone.

19. Monster by ALASKALASKA - A new song for this mix, which was hard because surprisingly, not many artists cater to the halloween aesthetic genre of songs. I impose the thought that we need some bands/artists that only write for this holiday and season because I want more halloween music, not just the same old same old. This song is not about making someone else the monster, but the other way around of someone making you out to be a monster in order to place blame and flip the script. If you've ever been in a relationship where someone uses an ugly aspect of you in and twists the conversation to make you look bad, you can definitely relate to this song. The electro indie sounds in this song which are discordant and not so pretty go perfectly in line with the songwriter's intentions of meaning, in my opinion.

20. Which Witch by Florence + The Machine - A bonus track and a demo from the How Big How Blue How Beautiful album and quite possibly my favourite song from the album at the same time. This song makes so much sense coming from Welch because she exudes the witchy nature in every way and writes about pagan nature and deity folklore a lot in her music which is so outside the realm of regular music that we are used to, which makes her so likeable and a force in the music industry. This track describes a two fold witch trial: one in the realistic and historical sense of witches being put on trial for having sinister ways and doing unexpected things for women for their time period. The other is her having her heart put on trial for loving in a way that was not desirable from her lover, even though she never tried to hide what she was. Now that she is escaping from the relationship, she explains she has no regret for what has happened, no matter what the man says in retaliation to her opinions.

Thanks for listening and reading!

See you next week,

Julia

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frederator-studios · 6 years

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Derek Iversen: The Frederator Interview

Derek Iversen began his unlikely career in animation as a PA on the very first season of Spongebob Squarepants. You might say he was got by The Hook: he spent about a decade with the show, on the production staff before becoming a writer on Seasons 6-9. Since then, he’s written on countless awesome TV shows, become an elected official in the neighborhood of Valley Glen (business card and all!), and created his own Nickelodeon short, “Carrot and Stick” inspired by his dog Rosie, whose image blesses the end of this interview. In honor of his episode of Bravest Warriors premiering tomorrow (5/18), Derek and I sat down to discuss sketch comedy, time travel, and a certain absorbent (and yellow and porous) friend.

Did you always want to be a writer? What’d you want to be growing up?

First I wanted to be a fireman. Then a police officer - huge jump there. Then I wanted to be an astronaut, until I realized I get motion sickness. So I thought I should be an astronomer - a little safer, little less barfing. But in 5th grade, my English teacher Mrs. Carrol gave me high marks on a short story assignment. I got really encouraged by that; I thought, “Hey, maybe I’ve found something I’m good at!” So pretty much from then on, I wanted to be a writer.

Wow, 5th grade? Were you a wunderkind, writing a ton as a kid?

Nah, I wasn’t that ambitious. In high school I took Theater with another great teacher, Mrs. Carrick. She encouraged us to write our own scenes and monologues. So I had the opportunity to try stuff out with my fellow students, and hopefully crack them up with idiocy. Then in college at University of Arizona, I joined a group called Comedy Corner and got really into sketch comedy. I thought if I could make a living doing that, THAT’s what I want to do. There’s nothing like doing live comedy before an audience. It’s thrilling.

Did you stick with comedy after college?

Some friends and I formed our own group! The People Who Do That. We became the kings of Tucson comedy… which, shockingly, didn’t pay the bills. So some of us decided to truck it out to LA to try to make it in the big city.

Did you have a job when you got to LA?

Nope, but I got a really stupid one: phone customer service for a pager company. Let me just say, the introduction of cell phones was NOT the only thing that killed off pagers… but I had a friend working at Nickelodeon, so I managed to get a job as a driver on The Angry Beavers. This was back in the olden days, when if artists needed reference materials, someone had to actually go pick them up from libraries or - RIP - video stores. Soon after, I got a job as a production assistant on a show that Nick had just picked up: Spongebob Squarepants. At the time we all thought, ‘This is a strange little show that hopefully will get a cult following.’ It did a little better than that. So that was kind of my ‘big break’. But it took me 7 years of working on the show to become a writer on it.

How did that path look?

Long and meandering. Because for some time, I thought I wanted to do sketch comedy, and that animation was my day job. I was a PA on seasons 1 to 3 and a coordinator on seasons 4 and 5. In that time I started chipping away at animation writing, because I had to actually learn how to write cartoons. I was used to writing for the stage, and animation is a visual medium. Much more so than even other kinds of TV, let alone theater, so I had to learn to tell stories visually. And stories that kids could relate to—I’d always written for adults, so my stuff went right over kid’s heads. But I wanted to write and kept knocking on the door, and in season 6, became a staff writer. I was one until season 9.

Do you think your background in sketch comedy aided that transition?

Oh yeah, absolutely. When you do a sketch in front of a big throng of crazy college students, it’s clear when it works and when it doesn’t. Sketch taught me not to waste the audience’s time: you get in, do the joke, and get out.

How was working on Spongebob? Any stories, secrets, lore?

It was a wild ride and a lot of fun. I’ve gotta be the only one who remembers this, but I swear it’s true: back in the first season, Steve (Hillenburg, creator) had a sign on his door that read, “Have fun or you’re fired.” It sounds cruel, but it actually set a good tone. We did have a lot of fun! And there wasn't much firing—it’s not like the hatchet fell every time somebody frowned. The crew had awesome camaraderie, and I think that’s reflected in the show. I sincerely believe the environment of a show, how it’s made, affects how it turns out. If a show is made with a tense crew where everyone fears the creator, it shows on-screen. Conversely, if the crew has fun and makes each other laugh, that’s clear on-screen too.

(Season 1 Christmas party: Ennio Torresan, Carly Benner-StClair, Bruce Heller, Mica Nataami, Carl (CH) Greenblatt, and Derek with the devil horns.)

So despite the sign, no one was afraid of Steve Hillenburg?

No, no, the sign is misleading. He’s a total sweetheart. Success couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy: just a thoughtful, funny, sincere human being.

That’s exactly what you wanna hear about your heroes. What’s your favorite thing about the show?

Well Spongebob is definitely a reflection of Steve! As are the other characters, but mostly Spongebob. And to me, the greatest thing about the show, and the reason I think it’s been such a huge success, is that Spongebob is genuine. He’s without guile. He’s enthusiastic without any reservation. And I think, especially when the show came out, a lot of cartoons in the kid realm starred adults disguised as kids. And Spongebob was never that; he was always for kids, always had a kid’s spirit. That’s part of why we never defined his age: he has kid and adult qualities. He’s just sincere—and sincerity is underrated.

Do you have a favorite Spongebob episode?

Man... that’s like choosing a favorite child. But I’ll go ahead and do it. I have several favorites. One is “SB-129”. I’m a bit of a sucker for time travel - it’s part of why I enjoy Bravest Warriors so much. “The Fun Show” is awesome too, it’s a classic. Of episodes I wrote, “Not Normal” was my first and still a favorite. It’s a bit autobiographical: I was a weird kid and always felt like I needed to conform to some idea of normality. After a while, I decided that didn’t matter and I was going to accept being my weird self. And the same is true of Spongebob.

(Mr. Lawrence (aka Plankton), Vincent Waller, and Derek.)

How did you come to write for Bravest Warriors?

After Spongebob, I was a staff writer on Sanjay and Craig, which Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi executive produced. They’re great guys and a blast to work with. They'd also produced Bravest, so I found out about the show through them. I watched it and just thought it was madness in the best possible way. Last year Will mentioned they were looking for writers, so I gave it a shot. I really wanted to be part of the show and feel lucky that I got to be!

What are your favorite things about Bravest Warriors?

I love time travel and sci-fi, and you get both of those in BW. That’s a treat. But I love that it also goes right to the heart of teen angst. That’s a sandbox I don’t get to play in a lot, as I’m usually writing for kids or preschoolers. It’s a lot of fun to deal with broken hearts, romantic attraction, all that gooey hormonal stuff.

Do you have a favorite character from the show?

I like Danny a lot, because he’s kinda pathetic. I just want to help him out. But I can’t resist Catbug. He’s amazing. And I’m a big fan of Impossibear. Something about his gruffness... he’s selfish in a way that reminds me of Bender from Futurama. If I ever got to do another BW episode, I’d want it to be about Impossibear. Finding the mushy heart he hides inside.

What is your episode, “A Apple, B Banana, C Chili” about?

I did a sort of anti-consumerist screed cleverly disguised as a Bravest Warriors episode. The team succumbs to the power of marketing. They have to escape the clutches of a Costco-like superstore. It seemed like a uniquely weird challenge they hadn’t faced before. I think that’s why it was chosen from the ideas I pitched—when you’re pitching on a show with a lot of episodes, you’ve got to find the part of the floor that hasn’t been painted yet.

Aha - don’t they go in that store to grab Wallow a snack?

Haha yeah. Wallow gets hangry on a mission so they go to buy him some chips or a granola bar or something and it goes terribly wrong. I love episodes like that - we did it on Spongebob too - where it’s the simplest possible objective. The goal of the episode is one tiny thing, and then it balloons out from there and becomes ridiculously huge in a way it never deserved to be.

What would you be if you weren’t a TV writer?

Maybe a lawyer. Or a crazy activist trying to make the world a better place and not getting very far. I’d probably be quitting my job at the EPA right now out of sheer frustration. At least writing cartoons, I can express the absurdity of our world—but hopefully to make people laugh, instead of cry.

What are your favorite cartoons?

Well, Spongebob’s pretty darn good. I always loved Ren and Stimpy, the latest news notwithstanding. I’m a simple man: I love Road Runner. I couldn’t resist the simplicity of the gags. You always know what’s going to happen - Road Runner’s gonna get away and Wile E. Coyote is gonna eat it. But you don’t know how he’s gonna eat it. The magic is in the details. I’m a big fan of The Simpsons. And I enjoyed Aqua Teen Hunger Force; Master Shake cracks me up. I love how stupid and petty he is.

After writing for so long, is it ever still challenging?

Absolutely, it’s always a challenge. I think a lot of people struggle with being too precious with their ideas. It’s a collaborative medium: stories change and change and change again. You can accept compromises and look for the good in them, or you can fight against them. My view is, you have to choose your battles. Even the creator doesn’t have complete control. And the best creators and showrunners delegate responsibilities. They trust the people they’ve hired.

Do you pitch show ideas around?

I haven’t as much lately; I’m busy story editing a preschool show now called Hanni and the Wild Woods. But I made a Nickelodeon short a few years back with my friend Miles Hindman, called “Carrot and Stick,” about a pair of buddies who live in a junkyard. Their nemesis is a dog named Rosie, based on my own dog Rosie. It’s a mixed media show - a combination of puppets, live action and 2D - so we wanted her to play herself. It didn’t work out. She’s cute and all, but cute doesn’t make you a good actor…

(Rosie, sweet and perfect in every conceivable way aside from acting ability.)

What else are you working on?

Well besides Hanni, I just got back from teaching an Animation Writing class in Jamaica for a few weeks - that was amazing. It was through The World Bank; they’re trying to build an animation industry over there. I’m glad they found me, it was a ton of fun and some of the student’s ideas were really cool. I also have a YA sci-fi book I really want to write. The trick is finding the time to do it; it keeps eluding me. Earlier I said animation is very collaborative - not so with this book. I have a very specific vision, and I’m excited to tell exactly the story I want to tell. I also write as Spongebob and Patrick on their Twitter accounts - which is a tougher gig than it sounds! All of the 140 character zingers have to be contained to their universe. But it’s fun and keeps me connected to the characters, and I love that.

Thank you for the interview Derek! So much fun talking with you. Good luck on all your many projects, I’ll be on the lookout!

- Cooper

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trampisms · 6 years

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TASK 001 — DIG A LITTLE DEEPER (PART ONE / THE QUESTIONS)

BASIC INFORMATION.

What is your character’s full name? Michael Bennett How is it pronounced? Mike-al Benn-ett Is there a meaning behind it? His parents just liked the name, but Michael actually means ‘Who is like God’ which is ironic, because, not him. Does your character have any nicknames? He’s almost never referred to as Michael. He goes mostly by Tramp, a moniker given to him by his boss, Tony, who applauded how the then-teenager had ran away from home with no plan of action. When and where were they born? February 18th, 1991 in New York What’s their zodiac sign and what traits do they most relate to? Aquarius. Tramp doesn’t know much about astrology, but if he were to Google his sign and list off the traits that apply to him, he’d say that he agrees with the following: independent, runs from emotional expression, eccentric and often feeling limited/constrained. What’s their nationality? American What’s their occupation? His official title at Tony’s Italian Restaurant is dishwasher, but since he’s basically family to Tony himself, he’s sometimes allowed to make a few extra bucks bussing or waiting tables. His casual and not-so-legitimate side job is a street con artist. What gender do they identify themselves as? Cisgender male.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE.

What’s their eye color? Dark brown Do they wear glasses or contacts? Nope. Hair color? Dark brown, almost appears black when it’s all greased and slicked back. Have they ever dyed their hair or wanted to? Nope, why ruin his iconic look? Height? 5′9″. Body build? On the skinnier side, but surprisingly fit and healthy. Do they have any birthmarks? He has two tiny dark moles just beneath the lower left corner of his lips. Do they have any piercings or tattoos? Surprisingly, no. If not, do they want to get some? He’d definitely consider getting a tat or two! Do they have a healthy life style? No. He drinks and smokes excessively. How easy do they get sick? Not very, he doesn’t even seem to get hangovers. Any marks on their body ( injuries, … )? He has a couple small scars here and there from past minor altercations, but nothing major. What’s their personal style/how do they like to dress? Despite the constant comparisons to Danny Zuko from Grease, he’s more of a Kenickie. Bad-boy dress sense that’s heavily influenced by 50s Greaser style, but a little less polished. Black fitted tees, faded jeans with signs of wear and tear, Converse, leather jackets with a few scuffs on the sleeves. What is their favorite and least favorite feature about themselves? His hair is his favorite, obviously. His least favorite would probably be his... he’ll get back to you when he can think of something.

PERSONALITY.

Positive traits? He’s resourceful, independent and charming. Negative traits? He’s also deceptive, mischievous and cunning. What do they consider to be the best and the worst part of their personality? He loves his ability to get away with anything due to how undeniably likable he is despite his often rebellious behavior. The worst part would have to be his lack of motivation to chase a more fulfilling way of life, despite being unhappy with his current level of fulfillment. Are they more extroverted or introverted? Definitely extroverted! Any talents? ‘Charming’ people to get what he wants out of them, providing comic relief, and finding treasure in another man’s trash. He also occasionally sings and plays guitar, but this is just a casual hobby rather than something he takes seriously. What are their fears? Everything in his life eventually becoming boring. Do they have any phobias? Others seeing him vulnerable. What is their soft spot? Love. List 3 pet-peeves they can’t stand? Authority being taken too seriously, people with the inability to lighten up, upper-class folk looking down their noses at him.

EDUCATION.

How far did they go in school? Are they still studying? When Mike arrived in Carthay and Tony took him under his wing, he had the opportunity to go to college, but it was too much money and not really his kind of thing. Do/Did they like school? He liked high school, but it was mostly just the social side of it that he enjoyed, as well as a few classes such as Literature and Sociology. What type of student are/were they? He was the perfect combination of class clown and bad boy. The type of guy who had everyone wanting to sit at his lunch table, but would also be caught smoking and skipping class every now and then. What is/was their favorite subject? Literature. And their least favorite? Anything Math-related. What were they/would they have been voted as “most likely to…” in the yearbook? Most Likely to Defy Expectations

FAMILY.

Who are your character’s parents? Elizabeth Bennett (née Reed) and Larry Bennett. How would your character describe them? Mike resents Elizabeth and Larry a lot. They essentially kicked him out when he was still just a teenager, and that has had a deep, lasting effect on him. Despite this, he still loves his parents and misses what he had with them before they lost the ability to see eye-to-eye with him. Do they have any siblings? He has a little brother, Max, a thirteen-year-old who he has lovingly nicknamed ‘Scamp’. Tramp and Scamp are actually in contact with each other, they write letters back and forth, but have actually only met a handful of times due to the distance and estranged nature of their family. Are they close with their family? If all of that didn’t answer this for you already: no, he’s not.

ROMANCE & SEXUALITY.

What’s their romantic and sexual orientation? Bisexual and biromantic Are they seeing anyone right now? No? Maybe? It’s complicated. He’s definitely got his eye on one person only. Have they ever been in an relationship? Yes! Quite a few, actually. Have they ever been in love? He might be in love right now, for the first time — even if he can’t see it. How easy do they fall for someone? In his own words, “I never fall in love but I often fall in lust.” In their view, why didn’t any past relationships work out? Because he’s only ever treated romance as a source of validation, a way to feel wanted. What do they look for in someone? A taste for fun and a big heart. Do they believe in love at first sight and fate? Yes but also no. What’s their views on romance? Do they go after it or avoid it? He spreads romance around like a common cold, that’s for sure. But he’s starting to change now that he’s got his sights set on just one person, for the very first time. Did they have their first time already? How was it in their point of view? He doesn’t even remember his first time, he’s slept around a lot. What a hoe. What is their view on sex? People over-romanticize it. Sex is fun and people shouldn’t take it so seriously when it comes to judging others about it. What are their turn ons and turn offs? Turn ons: breathy whispers, eye contact, lots of kissing, lip biting. Turn offs: any cliches being used in dirty talk. Were they ever cheated on or have they cheated on someone? Not surprisingly, Tramp has cheated during past relationships, but he wouldn’t do it again. Do they want to get married in the future? Tramp Bennett? Tied down? Have kids? Tramp Bennett? A parent?!

QUIRKS.

Are they right or left handed? Right. What’s a word that’s always on their lips? “C’mon.” Is there a saying they keep on repeating? “It’s all ours for the taking!” Do they curse? Quiiite a lot. What’s their worst habit? Deceiving people. Do they drink or smoke? How frequently? Yes, frequently.Tramp finishes a pack of cigarettes every couple of days, and he drinks most weekends and some nights after work. Are they an early bird or a night owl? A night owl for sure. How tidy is their room? Put it this way, it’s far from perfect. His room is relatively hygienic but there’s quite a lot of clutter. How long to they usually take getting ready in the morning? Probably about half an hour, most of which is dedicated to his hair.

FAVORITES.

What’s their favorite color? Brown. Favorite movie? Into The Wild. Music Genre? Old Britpop and good ol’ rock n’ roll. Food? Spaghetti. Book? On the Road by Jack Kerouac. Favorite non-alcoholic drink? Coke. Ice Cream Flavor? Chocolate. Indoors or outdoors? Outdoors.

#carthaytask #carthaytask001 #jesus christ finally #(HEADCANON.)

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dearemmett · 6 years

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Keep Them Safe (KHS Fanfic)

It’s no secret how much I love “Keep Him Safe”, as the little snippet from yesterday should tell you guys XD BUT MY IDEAS KEPT COMING SO please suffer through my writing as I write a fanfic of a fanfic.

The original fanfic belongs to @whatwashernameagain and you can find it here: https://whatwashernameagain.tumblr.com/post/169656441737/my-first-story-oh-my-keep-him-safe

Summary:

Oliver Frey is a single father who works as a detective, alongside his close friend Dexter Knowles. He's content with the life he's built, but he still feels like something is missing. But thanks to fellow colleague Logan Sanders, he's been able to relax at a new cafe that had just recently open. That is until one day, when his childhood friend shows up looking for a job, causing Oliver's heart race and a thought of mending a broken friendship.

Redmond Drop is a down on his luck barista who is struggling to make a living. Luck just never seems to go his way, which becomes apparent when his coffee shop is torn down in favor of an apartment complex, his fiance leaves for Europe, and he gets kicked out of his apartment. In just one week. Hoping that his skill and passion for coffee lands him a job, he decides to apply at a local cafe/bakery. Much to his horror, however, he finds someone who he admittedly hoped to never see again.

Warnings:

None at the moment <3

Chapter Two

Chapter One (AO3 Link)

Blue and silver eyes opened up slowly under the harsh glare of morning sunlight. He wasn't a morning person in the slightest, and usually had a glaring contest with the sun. Today, however, the showdown between the fiery rays and himself was interrupted as a small blur burst into the room, launching itself off of the floor and promptly landing on the man's chest.

Even though he still wasn't awake he managed to slow the object's momentum just enough to stop any serious damage, although he'd still have some bruising. Squinting past the bright light, he was pleased to see the ray of sunshine in his life.

"Papa!" his son squealed, tackling the already pinned man in a tight hug. Huffing slightly with laughter, Virgil sat up, gently setting the boy on his lap, smiling warmly. He yawned, bringing his hands up to speak. "Did you sleep well, love?" he signed, getting an enthusiastic nod and an added "Aunt Rose is here! She's making breakfast for us, and they're your favorite!"

"Blueberry pancakes?" Virgil's face was hopeful. His younger sister made the best blueberry pancakes, and she was a constant in their lives since his wife had passed. His son, Danny, let a grin split across his face, nodding again. "Yep!" he exclaimed. "I also got your costume today. Today is Papa's lazy day!" Danny jumped off the bed and grabbed a pile of clothes. Being as small as he was, he couldn't see where he was going, and nearly tripped before his father caught him. Virgil signed thank you, grateful to be looked after by such a loving family. "I'll be down in a few," he gestured. "Make sure you clear out the kitchen of the monsters." The last part was added with a twinkle in his eyes.

Danny loved to imagine himself as a prince these days, no thanks to a certain co-worker of his, and would often slay the dreaded monsters that oh so terrified his dad, to protect the "king" from harm. The youngster darted from the room, yelling something about honor while a raspy chuckle escaped the older male's throat.

While he couldn't speak, he was able to make some noise. Some being the keyword, as most of the sounds he made consisted of grunts, huffs, snarls, and growls. His laughing could be described as someone struggling to breath. He didn't mind it so much anymore. It was still frustrating for him to try and explain things in-depth, or get someone's attention, but he didn't hate his inability to speak like he used. Virgil was born mute. He had been told from an early age there was no chance for recovery, so he didn't even try, shrugging every time a doctor came up with some fancy new process, because the way he saw it, he wasn't taking the chance with something that could potentially harm him further.

His eyes wandered over to the tall mirror leaning against the wall, examining himself and letting a small smile grace his lips. He had more muscle than before, something he had used to pride himself on before he had hit his depressive episode. Virgil now had an lithe, tall frame. His clothes normally portrayed him as just some lanky guy who never ate, but he took good care of himself these days. Straightening up, he laid out the clothes on his bed.

As always, his son had an eye for fashion. Today's outfit was a light pink dress shirt with the sleeves already rolled, his favorite pair of comfy, dark blue jeans, a tie with constellations on it, and, of course, his usual dark grey, sleeveless hoodie. He let his eyes wander down further, and rolled his eyes. Bright, mismatched socks; neon pink and a highlighter yellow. He got dressed, again marveling at how well Danny assembled the outfit. I find more ways he's like his mother everyday, Virgil thought. He slipped on his worn purple sneakers and headed to the kitchen, the sweet scent of blueberries making him walk even faster.

His sister heard him coming before he had even entered the kitchen. Lyana, or Rose, as she'd been known as for the past six years, took one glance at her brother's red disheveled hair and sighed, handing him the brush she always kept in the kitchen. "Brush your hair, you imbecile. I can handle your usual look, but this? This is nonsense. You look like you just got into a fight with a squirrel and it won." Virgil silently mocked her as he attempted to untangle his hair, eventually brushing it into something a little more manageable and tying it back. He had grown his hair out a bit, but he still had the long bangs covering one of his eyes, and the two tufts of hair that never wanted to stay down. His wife used to call him a devil because of it, and the memory caused him to smile. A smile that dropped once he looked at the time.

Shit, he thought, but before he could think of anything else, Rose placed a couple of boxes in his hands. "I knew you'd wake up late, so I already prepped breakfast for you guys." Virgil raised an eyebrow at her statement, which made her thrust a mug of coffee at him. "Dexter, you idiot. Now go, get to work. Danny and I have plans to go to the park to slay some dragons." She then spun around, her long dark brown ponytail hitting him in the face. He scowled at her, but it lacked anything negative towards her. It was more of him saying 'fuck you' to her, since he knew she had done it on purpose, and his hands were full.

Checking to make sure he had his wallet, keys, and phone, he headed down the stairs of his apartment building, juggling breakfast and his coffee. He nearly tripped over himself, which resulted in a loud bellow of laughter off to the side. If looks could kill, Virgil was sure that his partner would have been dead years ago.

The large man chuckled, his wild midnight blue hair sticking out in multiple directions. If Rose had thought his hair was uncontrollable, then he hated to think of what rant she would scream about Dexter's hair. His best friend didn't make fun of his little stumble any longer though, because his eyes settled on the boxes.

"Blueberry pancakes?" he whispered hopefully, and when Virgil nodded, he picked up the small redhead and swung him around, much to Virgil's dismay. He let out one of his signature snarls, his look demanding to be put down. He wasn't so lucky, however, when Dexter just shook his head and threw Virgil over his shoulder. "No such luck, Pipsqueak! My car didn't start and I don't want your pretty little feet to suffer." The quiet one out of the two huffed, the irritation clear. He swore he was going to deck Roman once they got to the precinct. He already dealt with that Prince on a regular basis, and now his son, he did not need to deal his partner and best friend being all chivalrous as well.

#keep them safe #keep him safe fanfic #sanders sides #featuring my ocs #virgil frey #rose plitsetsky #redmond drop #danny evans #dexter knowles #logan sanders #roman sanders #i'm so insecure about this #but it's over 1000 words #so it's an accomplishment?#i think?

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gadgetgirl71 · 3 years

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Top Ten Tuesday 23 February 2021

Welcome to this weeks Top Ten Tuesday. Originally created by The Broke & The Bookish, which is now hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week it features a book or literary themed category. This weeks prompt is:

Books That Made Me Laugh Out Loud

(Claire @ Book Lovers Pizza)

Rachel’s Holiday

Synopsis: Here’s Rachel Walsh, twenty-seven and the miserable owner of size 8 feet. She has regular congress with Luke Costello, a man who wears his leather trousers tight. And she’s fond – some might say too fond – of recreational drugs. Until she finds herself being frogmarched to the Cloisters – Dublin’s answer to the Betty Ford Clinic. She’s outraged. Surely she’s not thin enough to be an addict? Heartsick and Luke-sick, she seeks redemption in the shape of Chris, a Man with a Past. A man who might be more trouble than he’s worth.

Can You Keep a Secret?

Synopsis: Emma is like every girl in the world. She has a few little secrets.

Secrets from her mother: 1. I lost my virginity in the spare bedroom to Danny Nussbaum while Mum and Dad were downstairs watching Ben Hur.

…From her boyfriend: 2. I’m a size twelve. Not a size eight, like Connor thinks. 3. I’ve always thought Connor looks a bit like Ken. As in Barbie and Ken.

…From her colleagues: 4. When Artemis really annoys me, I feed her plant orange juice. (Which is pretty much every day) 5. It was me who jammed the copier that time. In fact, all the times.

…Secrets she wouldn’t share with anyone in the world: 6. My G string is hurting me. 7. I faked my Maths GCSE grade on my CV. 8. I have no idea what NATO stands for. Or even what it is…

…until she spills them all to a stranger on a plane. At least, she thought he was a stranger…

Get You Kit Off

Synopsis: Formerly Sex, Lies & Llamas From the author of the Number 1 bestseller – No Bra Required & Guess Who I Pulled Last Night? I’ve read Nikki’s previous books and loved them so I was expecting great things from her again. Guess what? She’s delivered!! The combination of humour, thrills and classic girl might- or might not-get her man is a real winner. If chick-lit is your thing Nikki is the author you need to read. Just brilliant!! – Amazon Reviewer WOW!! I loved this book. I have to be honest and say I put off reading it after I’d bought it, I loved the other 2 books by this author but football is not my thing and I thought the football theme running through it may have spoilt it for me … how wrong was I !! I can’t recommend this book or this author highly enough, I couldn’t put my Kindle down – can’t wait for more stuff from Nikki Ashton!!! – Amazon Reviewer Molly Pearson doesn’t have children, but as the Player Liaison Manager for a premiership football club, she does have twenty-two professional footballers and one jealous fiance to take care of – which as far as she can see is quite similar. With having to deal with problems from players buying zoo animals as pets, to losing their false teeth and a whole lot more, Molly can’t wait for the season to end. But, her life becomes even more complicated, when the man who broke her heart six years earlier, comes back into her life. Hail the returning hero, Joe Bennett, now one of the best footballers in the world and the club’s most expensive signing. Every woman wants him, every man wants to be him, and he’s returned for one reason only – he wants Molly back. With engaging characters, Sex, Lies & Llamas, is a humorous, yet sometimes sad romance depicting the difficulty in always doing the right thing, especially when love is involved.

Someone Else’s Fairytale

Synopsis: Jason Vanderholt, Hollywood’s hottest actor, falls head over heels for every girl, Chloe Winters, who hasn’t gotten around to watching most of his movies. It’s the ideal fairytale… for most people. The last thing Chloe needs is public attention. It brings back dangers from the past that she’s worked her whole life to escape.

The Single Girl’s To-Do List

Synopsis: Rachel Summers loves a to-do list: • Boyfriend • Flat • Great job

NOT on the list: • Being dumped

Best friends Emelie and Matthew ride to her rescue with an entirely new kind of list – The Single Girl’s To-Do List. Rachel doesn’t know it, but it will take her on all kinds of wild adventures – and get her in some romantic pickles too. And then it won’t be a case of what but who she decides to tick off…

• Mr. bendy yoga instructor • Mr. teenage sweetheart • Mr. persistent ex • Mr. deeply unsuitable

The Single Girl’s To-Do List gives Rachel the perfect heartbreak cure – and proves love is out there if you’re willing to take a chance.

Wedding Tiers

Synopsis: The path of true love never runs smooth. But for some, it’s one seriously bumpy ride! A heartwarming new romantic comedy from the bestselling author of A WINTER’S TALE. Growing up in the beautiful Lancashire village of Neatslake, Josie Gray and her childhood sweetheart, Ben Richards, always dreamt of living a life of rural bliss. And when Josie inherits her beloved Grandmother’s cottage, it seems they might just have got what they wished for. Josie throws herself into her wedding cake business, whilst Ben gains increasing acclaim as an artist. But the tranquil village turns into a hive of activity when Josie’s childhood friend, Libby Martin – now a wealthy widow – returns to the village, planning a lavish wedding to rival any celeb bash. The day goes with a bang, and soon Libby and Josie are hard at work at their fledgling wedding business, hiring out Libby’s beautiful Elizabethan home for ceremonies, with Josie creating all manner of wonderful cakes. But amidst all this romance, Josie’s fairytale relationship with Ben turns into a nightmare, and she quickly becomes Love’s number one cynic – until charming wedding photographer Noah Sephton arrives in Neatslake with a very different outlook on love! Can this hopeless romantic persuade pessimistic Josie to give romance another try? Or will it be a case of always the cake maker, never the bride!? A charming, witty and feelgood novel, ideal for fans of Katie Fforde and Harriet Evans.

The Bette Davis Club

Synopsis: The morning of her niece’s wedding, Margo Just drinks a double martini and contemplates the many mistakes she’s made in her fifty-odd years of life. Spending three decades in love with a wonderful but unattainable man is pretty high up on her list of missteps, as is a long line of unsuccessful love affairs accompanied by a seemingly endless supply of delicious cocktails.

When the young bride flees—taking with her a family heirloom and leaving behind six hundred bewildered guests—her mother offers Margo fifty grand to retrieve her spoiled brat of a daughter and the invaluable property she stole. So, together with the bride’s jilted and justifiably crabby fiancé, Margo sets out in a borrowed 1955 red MG on a cross-country chase. Along the way, none of what she discovers will be quite what she expected. But it might be exactly what she’s been seeking all along.

From acclaimed humor writer Jane Lotter comes this madcap, laugh-out-loud adventure, The Bette Davis Club.

Revised edition: This edition of The Bette Davis Club includes editorial revisions.

13 Dates

Synopsis: When Noah Wilson first encounters the quirky, opinionated and very beautiful Angel Fallon, his world is turned upside down. It’s clear she’s not his normal type, but Noah can’t stop thinking about her—which doesn’t bode well for the blind date he’s already late for.

Convinced by his friend (and self-professed dating expert) Marlon that thirteen dates is all you need to fall in love, Noah decides to give it a try with Angel. They should be incompatible: she’s impulsive and he’s a planner; he wants to settle down and she doesn’t ‘do’ relationships—or anything, for that matter—the way Noah is used to. But there’s something about Angel, and Noah can’t shake the idea that all they need is twelve more dates.

Despite some near-disasters involving rock climbing, saddle sores and jellied eels, it seems his plan may actually work. But even if they do reach the magic number, can that really mean they’ll just fall into their happily-ever-after?

The Shelf

Synopsis: Everyone in Amy’s life seems to be getting married (or so Instagram tells her), and she feels like she’s falling behind.

So, when her boyfriend surprises her with a dream holiday to a mystery destination, she thinks this is it – he’s going to finally pop the Big Question. But the dream turns into a nightmare when she finds herself on the set of a Big Brother-style reality television show, The Shelf.

Along with five other women, Amy is dumped live on TV and must compete in a series of humiliating and obnoxious tasks in the hope of being crowned ‘The Keeper’. Will Amy’s time on the show make her realise there are worse things in life than being left on the shelf?

A funny, feminist and all-too-relatable novel about our obsession with coupling up, settling down and the battle we all have with accepting ourselves, The Shelf introduces the freshest new voice in women’s fiction.

The Wish List

Synopsis: Be careful what you wish for… Florence Fairfax isn’t lonely. She loves her job at the little bookshop in Chelsea and her cat, Marmalade, keeps her company at night. But everything changes when her stepsister, Mia, announces that she’s engaged to her boring golf-playing boyfriend. That’s when Florence meets Irish love coach, Gwendolyn. …because you just might get it! When Gwendolyn makes Florence write a wish list describing her perfect man, Florence refuses to take it seriously. Finding someone who likes cats, doesn’t wear pointy shoes and can overlook her ‘counting habit’? Impossible! Until, later that week, a handsome blond man asks for help in the bookshop… But is Rory the one, or is he simply too good to be true? Florence is about to find out that her criteria for finding Mr Right aren’t as important as she thought – and that perhaps her perfect man has been right there all along…

Until next week.

#JustForFun, #Top Ten Tuesday, #TopTenTuesday, #TTT

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wazafam · 3 years

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Shooting locations can sometimes make or break a film; there are many films in which the location plays a big role in the story. A beautiful or interesting location can really immerse viewers into the movie and enhance the viewing experience.

RELATED: 10 Horror Movie Sets On Which Actors Were Nearly Killed

Some shooting locations can be so exotic or extreme that it can create a difficult or even detrimental situation for production. Here are ten movies with extreme locations, some of which helped the movie stand out, and others that proved to be calamitous.

10 127 Hours (Utah)

James Franco stars in this 2010 survival drama which takes place in Canyonlands National Park, Utah. This movie was filmed on location and director Danny Boyle hired two cinematographers, Anthony Dod Mantle, who had collaborated with Boyle previously on Slumdog Millionaire, and Enrique Chediak to take shifts for the long, grueling days shooting in the canyon.

Franco had to spend a lot of time in a very small space and was often uncomfortable and even in pain during some scenes, which made his job portraying Aron Ralston's harrowing ordeal easier in some ways despite the challenging nature of the set.

9 The Martian (Jordan)

The Martian takes place in the future year of 2035 and tells the story of an astronaut becoming separated from the rest of his crew on Mars in a dust storm and presumed dead. Matt Damon portrays Mark Watney, who must find a way to survive alone on the red planet for the next four years.

Much of the production took place in a village called Etyek just outside of Budapest, Hungary, because it had a huge sound stage that was perfect for filming interiors. For exteriors, however, the crew traveled to Wadi Rum, Jordan. Also known as 'The Valley of the Moon," this world heritage site provided the perfect backdrop for mimicking Mars' vast, alien landscapes.

8 Black Panther (Uganda)

One of the goals for the creators of Black Panther was to have it serve as a homage to several sub-Sahara African cultures while at the same time staying true to the comics. Production designer Hanna Beachler created the world of Black Panther by studying the cultures and technologies of existing tribes and brainstormed how the technology and infrastructure would have advanced had colonialism not interfered.

RELATED: 10 Ways Black Panther Changed The World For The Better

Location was an important aspect in keeping this goal in mind. Black Panther had several locations in which it was shot, including several sound stages in Atlanta, Georgia, on location in South Korea and the Rwenzori Mountains and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. The Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is part of a huge forest of the same name, and it's also named by the U.N. as a cultural heritage site and one of the most biodiverse places on Earth.

7 Predator (Mexico)

The original 1987 version of Predator was filmed in the jungles of Palenque Mexico. This location posed several problems, including extreme temperatures and wet conditions. Heat lamps had to be brought in, and many of the scenes took place on hills and uneven ground. At one point during filming, Arnold Schwarzenegger had to trudge through cold swampy water filled with thick mud and leeches while being chased by the Predator. Schwarzenegger called the experience a "survival story."

6 Monos (Colombia)

This war drama was shot on location in Chingaza National Natural Park, and at the Samaná River in Colombia. Filming for Monos lasted nine weeks in these intense but beautiful places. The jungle scenes, in particular, were unusual for a film shoot because of how remote and untouched by humans the location was.

A base camp had to be established for the crew complete with military tents, and food and equipment were carried up the mountains by donkeys. The crew dealt with heavy rainfall, elevation sickness, and scarce resources like electricity and refrigerated food as they filmed high in the mountains.

5 Apocalypse Now (The Philippines)

Production for Apocalypse Now was famously riddled with problems and struggles. One of the many woes the film cast, crew, and director faced was the difficult location. A huge typhoon rocked the Philippines two months into filming, delaying production for three months.

Even worse, some of the sets were destroyed in the storms. Much of the crew ended up flying back to the U.S. to wait out the conditions. Despite all the difficulties production faced, they eventually overcame them, and Apocalypse Now would go on to win the Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival. It's now considered by many to be one of the best films ever made.

4 Mad Max: Fury Road (South Africa)

2015's Mad Max: Fury Road was able to achieve its unique apocalyptic aesthetic by shooting in Dorob National Park, located in one of the oldest deserts in the world, The Namib Desert in South Africa. While the scenery was beautiful, the conditions were harsh; actors dealt with sand, wind, and freezing temperatures at night.

RELATED: Deadpool & 9 Other Movies That Barely Escaped Development Hell

There were also other environmental difficulties in terms of conservation. A leaked report had stated that some endangered plants had been damaged during filming. Despite the rough and destructive nature of the scenes, the claim of environmental damage was later disputed, and the Namibian Coast Conservation and Management Project said that the report was an unfinalized draft and shouldn't have been used to make a judgment call.

3 Lord Of The Rings Trilogy (New Zealand)

This epic collection of movies were made famous thanks to their beautiful scenery and stunning landscapes. In fact, New Zealand has enjoyed an increase in tourism partially due to The Lord Of The Rings, and travelers can go on "Lord of the Rings Tours" where they can visit the movie's actual locations. Over 150 locations in New Zealand were used for the movies, including the city of Matamata and Queenstown, which is a resort town on the South Island.

2 Jaws (The Atlantic Ocean)

Steven Spielberg's decision to shoot a portion of the principal photography on the open ocean caused a few different problems and delays. At one point, one of the boats carrying the cast and crew actually began sinking and had to be evacuated, and a stuntman almost drowned while he was trying to get footage of real sharks to add to the movie.

Because of these difficulties, much of the crew doubted and disliked Spielberg on the set of Jaws, but, in the end, it became the first of many successes. The decision to shoot on the water paid off as the ocean scenes were all the more realistic, evoking danger and a lack of control.

1 The Revenant (Canada)

This rugged and brutal tale finally earned Leonardo DiCaprio his Oscar. The harshness of The Revenant is reflected in its setting. The Canadian Rockies was where much of the scenes were shot, but the cast and crew also filmed in remote areas of Argentina, Italy, and Montana.

There were some crew members that quit the shoot because of intense conditions and freezing weather. DiCaprio stated that wading through freezing river waters for this movie was one of the most difficult tests of his career.

NEXT: 10 Best Movies About Taking On The Wild

10 Movies With Notoriously Extreme Shooting Locations from https://ift.tt/364jblb

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kokkoro · 6 years

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Violet Blue (3/?)

more of this cause im a sap and it’s the holidays

summary: General wolf rules for life: Eat. Rest. Rove in between. Render loyalty. Love the children. Cavil in moonlight. Tune your ears. Attend to the bones. Make love. Howl often. Clarissa Pinkola Estes

being moms is hard, being werewolf moms in the suburbs is even harder. aka christmas in the woods household (on ao3)

You hear the first soft patter of feet around three when the night is still heavy and dark beyond your window, the wind shaking the pane as the snow beats against it outside. It’s little hushed whispers, Jack and Danny’s voices unmistakable even now, and you lift your head from the pillow, blinking away the sleep to watch the shadows pass by under your door.

Beside you there is an pronounced noise of displeasure as Clarke presses further into your side, grumbling as she attempts to find another comfortable spot after the sudden and unwelcome movement in the bed. And she doesn’t stop squirming until you’ve wrapped your arm around her waist, pulling her closer.

“Your kids are awake,” you whisper, settling back in, voice rough, and at Clarke’s exasperated sigh you can’t help the smile that tugs at your lips.

“So am I,” Clarke mutters back, a bit listless. Her breath fans across you neck, long and warm, and there’s a boneless quality to her that you can practically feel. She sinks into the mattress beneath the covers like dead weight and you know nothing short of a miracle is going to get her to move.

“Unfortunate.”

“Very,” she mumbles.

“You don’t think they’ll open the presents, do you?”

Clarke sighs, rubbing her forehead against your collar. “If they do we’ll know. The odds of them being able to copy your wrapping job is slim.”

“What does that mean?”

She shrugs, and you think she uses the motion to try and scoot herself closer. “You’re impeccable with tape.”

“Thank you.”

“Not a compliment.”

You chuckle, kissing her forehead, her cheek. She grins a little despite herself and like she says, you don’t hear anything besides the wind and the snow and the creak of the furnace as it works. There’s something else too, quiet giggles and the shuffling of presents.

“I think they know better,” Clarke says after a moment. Her fingers find your skin, tracing her nails above the waistband of your sweats. “They just want to see if they can guess.”

“Too excited to sleep?”

Clarke snorts. “Like somebody else I know.”

“I’m a light sleeper, Clarke.”

“You’re telling me like I haven’t dealt with that fact for the past seven years.”

“So are you.”

“It’s a curse,” she says, and you can tell she’s smiling as she presses her lips softly to the hollow of your throat. “If you’re awake, I’m awake.”

You pick yourself up a little bit to kiss her fully, resting your weight on your forearm and dipping down. She hums and you can taste the remnants of the toothpaste on her tongue.

“Go back to sleep, lexa,” she manages when you pull away, breath soft over your mouth. You lean in and steal another instead. “We have four hours, maybe,” another kiss, “before we’re bombarded.” and another. “I kinda want to make the most of them if you don’t mind.”

“Go ahead.”

“Don’t play coy with me,” she says and you laugh. It’s a moment, her eyes searching in the darkness, but she leans forward to kiss you and you smile through it. You sink beside her with your face tucked in the crook of her neck, her pulse a slow beat just below her skin.

You get three. At 6:30 when the sun is just barely visible through your bedroom window, the door opens and the sound of tiny feet carry across your room, piling onto the bed and jostling you awake. You peek from the covers and see Lily’s face and her baby toothed grin, Jack, Danny, and Aden giggling as the drape themselves across Clarke who hides beneath the comforter.

“It’s christmas!” Jack says to the lump, plump little cheeks dimpled into a grin, Aden nodding next to him in agreement.

“Ten more minutes,” the lump answers back, but that is far from a deterrent.

“But it’s christmas!” Danny repeats, and you turn to look, Lily snuggled against you, lips quirked at the expression you find. If there was a picture next to disappointment in the dictionary it would be Danny’s face.

It’s a second before Clarke throws off the covers, hair a wild mess, and the kids squeal, a mix of laughter and screams as they scatter from the bed, Clarke hot on their heels, chasing them from the room.

You and Lily share a look and it makes you smile as you push aside the sheets. “Let’s go get your sister.”

She wraps her little arms around your neck as you sit up. You adjust her on your hip once you’re standing. “Are you excited?”

“Yeah,” she says, grinning when you lean in to kiss her cheek, her little hands curled into your t-shirt.

Lily shares a room with Madi, and you find her with her arms over the top of the (teeth-marked) railing of her crib, attempting a prison break. Sooner rather than later she’s going to do it and you’re not going to be ready for it, scrambling over so she can wrap her arms around your neck and you can use your free arm to pull her up.

“Careful.”

Madi mumbles incoherently into your neck, shaking her head and you barely make it downstairs before she starts wiggling, noticing Clarke and then the others by the tree in the living room, scouring the presents for their names. She runs that little hobbling run, throwing herself across Clarke who’s reclined on the couch and Clarke draws her up, pecking her nose with a small kiss.

You place Lily down gently and she’s quick to join the others, finding a place by the tree while you survey the chaos from the side. Madi moves away once she’s satisfied with the attention given, assessing the jump from the couch to the floor with a tongue peeking between her teeth. You can see the decision she makes and apparently so does clarke, who bolts upright at the first sign of movement. She reaches for Madi’s arm right as she’s about to leap.

“Jesus,” clarke breathes, hesitant to let go even after madi’s little feet are firmly planted on the ground. “What did we say about jumping from the couch?”

Madi shakes her head, eyes downcast. “No.”

“That’s right.” Clarke pinches her cheek. “No jumping.”

Clarke waits until Madi nods her understanding to finally loosen her grip and she’s off towards the others within seconds.

You smile when Clarke sighs, moving from your observation point to crouch near the tree with the kids, sorting through the presents and helping them with names. Aden finds his easily, prideful in the way he puffs his chest as he shows you a present from santa with his name scrawled on it. The other’s require a bit of help, and you sort through the gifts under the tree until each kid has something to open.

It’s a mess of paper once you give the okay nod and they waste no time. Jack is grinning long before he’s even managed to rip open the paper, but Danny tears through the wrapping within seconds and you watch as her face lights up the second she sees the small baseball glove, completely foregoing the other tie-in presents (a tee and a small bat and a couple of baseballs) to try it on.

She squeals when it fits, turning to beam up at you. “Look!” she says, holding up her hand. “Look, momma, Santa. Santa knew!”

“I told you he would.”

She goes back to her presents with this wide eyed wonder, pawing at the others in an attempt to open them without taking the glove off. And it works, it merely takes her a little bit.

Aden is showing Clarke the books he got, and you can tell she knows you’re staring by the way her lips curl in an almost smile. She glances your way in a moment of lull as Aden searches for something else to show off and you mouth ‘coffee?’ to which she nods gratefully.

You listen to the muffled noises and gleeful squeals and Clarke’s soft interest as you go about putting the coffee together. Setting the filter and adding the grinds. Pouring the water. The machine grumbles and you watch over your shoulder as Madi opens up a box that houses a pair of colorful light up sneakers that are actually more for you because you thought they were cute and Clarke had been too endeared with you to tell you no. She has them on her hands, stomping them against the floor to see the lights go off.

When you return, lily’s already made herself at home in her very own purple bean-bag chair, clutching her new, and rather large, stuffed animal tightly to her chest (a wolf because ironically or not they’re her favorite). You tread carefully over toys and wrapping paper, tucking yourself close to Clarke. You hand off her mug and kiss her cheek.

“A success?”

Clarke’s lips curl, and she turns from watching the kids to tilt her head and kiss you back. First softly along your jaw and then carefully on your lips.

“Sure, I’d say so,” she says, not quite pulling away, forehead touching against yours. She stays as close as she can until the kids pull her attention away, Jack face-planting into his barely unwrapped blue bean-bag, giggling insistently at the crinkling sounds it causes. “They’re not going to want to sleep in their beds.”

“Probably not one of our better ideas,” you mutter back, dipping for another kiss.

“Momma!”

You pull away to look down at Danny clutching your leg and Clarke rests her head on your shoulder.

“We need to go outside,” she states, a determined sparkle to her eye. “Right now.”

“Right now?”

“Right now.”

Your mouth quirks into a grin and you lean forward. “Why?”

“‘Cuz,” she says, tongue stumbling, “‘cuz you said we can’t play ball in the house.”

That does sound like something you would say. You glance at Clarke and she rolls her eyes fondly, picking up her weight from against you and then hauling herself from the couch with her cup of coffee. You heave a tiny sigh.

At least she listened to you.

“Okay--” and you know the moment that word is out of your mouth she stopped listening, bouncing on her feet. “Only a for a few minutes, there’s breakfast to eat and--”

Danny’s already gone. You see her sprint for the back door without shoes and a coat and you know that won’t stop her. If you were back home in the woods you might let her, but that’s neither here nor there. You put aside your barely touched mug of coffee and follow her. Luckily for you she still has trouble with the door.

You fish out a coat and her little boots from the closet in the hall and crouch beside her. “Your jacket, missy.”

She has to take off the glove so you can guide her arms through the sleeves and she’s a little sad but it doesn’t last long. You sit on the floor to help her with the boots and she plops down between your legs so you can wiggle them on, fastening the velcro and then giving a tug to make sure their snug. She clambers to her feet with the glove and a baseball and waits impatiently by the door for you to put on shoes and a coat. When you’re finally dressed, you undo the lock for the door and she’s off.

Danny makes it halfway into the backyard, stumbling through the nearly five inches of snow that fell last night, before checking to make sure you followed. “Momma!”

You smile at her, shutting the screen door behind you. The snow crunches under your boots, Danny’s footsteps tiny beside yours in the snow.

For a four year old Danny does exceptionally well. She can’t throw very far or very accurately for that matter, but (and it’s probably the wolf in her) the glove is put to good use. You start off close and make your way up to long stretches, spread out over the backyard and she catches it nine times out of ten, sprinting there and back, eyes wide and mouth in a permanent smile, breath expelling in a fog.

If she wants to, she could be great.

“Lexa.”

You turn at the sound of Clarke’s voice and the squeak of the door swinging open--the crunch of the snow under a multitude of tiny feet. Out of the corner of your eye you catch the smirk on Clarke's lips as she stands in the doorway, but you only make it three feet before you’re overrun.

You tumble into the snow, bits of it sneaking its way under your shirt and down the back of your coat. Danny must feel left out because she’s quick to make her way over to you and her siblings, adding her weight to the pile with barely contained laughter.

The cold sinks in quickly, but you don’t mind.

“Can I get you anything?”

“Mm...” you hum in lieu of a response, not bothering to pick your head up from the couch or even open your eyes. You can’t move, at least not without disturbing the five kids nestled around you, and apart from the elbow digging into your ribs you don’t want to. They’re warm, and having them all around you is a surefire way to put you to sleep. You open your eyes anyway though, peeking at Clarke’s soft smile.

You clear your throat. “Just you.”

A blush colors Clarke’s cheeks and she leans in to kiss you tenderly. “I think the capacity of this couch has been filled,” she says, shaking her head in amusement when you pucker your bottom lip into a pout. It makes her kiss you again and it’s an acceptable alternative.

“Do you need help with anything?”

Clarke stands, pushing off from her knees, and you follow her movements with tired eyes.

She brushes the hair from your face, tucking it behind your ear. “No,” she says. “Thank you, though.”

You wake up an hour or two later, the living room gone dark besides the light flickering from the fireplace. But you see the blonde of Clarke’s hair, her cheek squished against cushion from where she’s found a spot on the floor propped up against the couch. Her face is inches from yours and you can feel her breath ghost over your nose and cheeks.

You wiggle your right hand out from under stomach, reaching for her hand. Her fingers are cold against your own, but hopefully with a little help they’ll be warm in no time.

#clexa #clarke griffin #lexa #werewolf au #now i just gotta finish up you and me by sunday and all will be good

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all-the-love-harold · 6 years

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It’s a Sign of the Times - Part 8

Part 7.5

Master Post

“What the fuck do you want dick head?” He slurred at Harry “Come to buy my silence of summat?”

September 11th, 2017- 22 Weeks

Harry carried both of your bags down to the car while you did one last one check around the wedding house to make sure you hadn’t left anything behind. The wedding had been everything you’d ever dreamed of, and the following two days had been filled with love and support from both your family and Harry’s.

“Got everything?” Harry asked, as he bounded up the front steps to the house, meeting you at the front door and wrapping an arm around your shoulder and placing a soft kiss on your forehead

“Yeah” you nodded, “just mum’s bags when she’s ready.” Since Harry was leaving for tour tomorrow, and you’d reached the point in your pregnancy where your condition could start to affect things, your mum had decided to stay with you in London, until Harry gets back.

“Will she be long?” he asked, looking at his phone to check the time “we’ve got that baby appointment this afternoon and it’s three hours back if the traffic’s good”

“Five minutes” you smiled, leaning your head on his shoulder “We’re about to leave the wedding bubble H”

He placed a kiss on your forehead “the real world isn’t so bad with you as my wife.”

The front door of the house burst open and your mum stepped out, struggling to carry her bags “Oh sorry” she blushed “have I interrupted a moment?”

“You’re fine Mum” you smiled, ushering her out the door

“Let me get those bags for you Mrs Y/L/N”

“Harry please!” your mum handed him the bags “call me Linda”

Harry smiled and took the bags off your mum and loaded them into the boot of the range rover while you and your mum climbed in. You made a quick stop off at Anne’s so that Harry could say goodbye before he left for tour and headed off in time to make it back for your appointment at 3. The journey back was slow, with traffic getting busier the closer you got to London, but you didn’t mind, because it gave you and your mum time to catch up on all the things you’d missed being so far away from each other and Harry the chance to get to know her a little better. They’d met a few times over the years, but it had always been brief and, most of the time, rushed, to fit in with his busy schedule and you were glad to see that they were getting along so well.

“We’re going to have to go straight to the midwife love” Harry said to you, checking the clock as you got closer to London

“That’s fine” you yawned, tired from the weekend you’d had “Mum can come, she’s going to have to know what’s going on anyway”

“I can just stay in the waiting room, they probably won’t want me in there”

“That’s a good point” you turned in your seat to look at your mum in the back “are you alright with that?”

“Of course dear, you’ll tell me everything I need to know”

Harry pulled into the carpark of your doctor’s offices about half an hour later, stressed from the busy traffic, and ready to get out and stretch his legs.

“H” you smiled sweetly as you all stepped out of the car

“Hmm” he said, stretching his arms out “what’s up love?”

“My handbag with my notes is in the boot” you pointed to the back of the car “under everything”

He rolled his eyes at you and opened the boot, moving bags around until he eventually found your handbag “Y/N” he said closing the boot, making you look up from your phone, that was still blowing up with congratulations from, friends, family and fans “catch” and he made sure the zipper was done up on your bag and threw it at you.

“Thanks” you smiled catching the bag

“Good catch” he made his way over to you, putting his arm around you “let’s go see our little man”

You hadn’t yet told him about the message you’d received from Danny the night of your wedding. You knew he’d be mad, and you knew he’d try and do something about it, but you wanted to enjoy your first few days together as a married couple first, and now that your mum was here finding the right time to tell him would prove difficult too, but you promised yourself that, at some point today, you would pull him aside and tell him. After checking in at the front desk you all took your seats, whispering to each other about the wedding, all giggling as you remembered all the dorky dance moves that Harry brought out as the night went on. Harry knew you were nervous about this appointment and every time he caught you looking over at place where your midwife would soon appear and call your name, he’d change the subject, to keep your mind off things

“Y/N” Julie said, popping her head around the corner of the hallway that lead to the examination room. Both you and Harry stood up and made your way over to her greeting her as you got close. She lead you down the hallway and ushered you into one of the rooms, closing the door behind you. “I heard on the radio this morning that you two got married over the weekend?”

“We did” Harry smiled widely at you

“Well congratulations” she said “although, I must say I was a little confused, because I’m sure you told me he wasn’t the father”

“He’s not” you shook your head, “But close enough” you squeezed Harry’s hand and smiled at him

You did as you were told, lying down on the bed and lifting your shirt up to expose your bump. Harry stood next to you and held your hand as she squeezed the gel onto your belly. Within seconds you heard the familiar sound of your little boy’s heart beat and your entire body relaxed. You knew he was ok in there, because you’d been feeling him move around for the last few weeks, but ever since you had the miscarriage scare, that sound always made you breathe a sigh of relief.

“So you’re at 22 weeks now?” Julie asked, looking a little concerned

“Yeah” you nodded

“And have you been feeling any movement?”

“He goes wild when Harry sings” you laughed, smiling up at Harry as he smiled back weakly, worried about Julie’s obvious concern

She smiled, keeping her eyes fixed on the screen “I bet he does”

“Is everything ok?” Harry asked, squeezing your hand a little tighter

Julie took her eyes off the screen and swivelled the chair so that she was facing you both “He’s a little smaller than we’d expect at 22 weeks, but everything else looks healthy to me so I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about, I’ll have doctor Miller take a look at these pictures and she’ll come in a little while and discuss things with you” she pressed a few buttons on the ultrasound machine, you assumed to load the images into the system for your doctor to look at.

“Thank you” you and Harry both said quietly as she left the room.

Harry placed a soft kiss onto your hand as the door shut behind Julie “he’s probably just a small baby, you’re not exactly the biggest human I know, and Danny was no giant”

“Speaking of Danny” you sat up and wiped the gel off your bump, pulling your shirt down “I got a message from him on our wedding night”

He let go of your hand and gave you a stern but curious look “What did he want?”

“Custody” your lips drew into a sharp line as Harry drew in a deep breathe, filled with rage

“After what he said to you when you told him?” he placed his hand back over yours “Not a chance”

“He’s the Dad Harry, I don’t know how much a choice we have in this”

“There’s no way he’ll get custody off you,” he placed his hand over your bump “I’ll do everything I can to stop this Y/N”

“This is why I married you” you kissed his forehead and swung your legs around, hopping off the bed and making your way over to the chair next to the doctor’s desk. Harry followed, rage still a little evident on his face.

“I’ll call my lawyer as soon as we get home and see what we can do” he said, sitting down next to you

“I’m not sure your lawyer will know a thing about family law H”

“She’ll know someone that does though”

Before you had a chance to respond, Doctor Miller walked in with a clip board in her hand “So I’m told I can call you Mr and Mrs Styles now?” she smiled at you both

“You sure can!” you smiled back, placing your hand on Harry’s thigh, while he pulled on his lip, still thinking about what he could do about Danny.

“That sounds like a good thing” you said shyly

You nodded, breathing a sigh of relief knowing that Harry’s tour ends on December 8th.

“Of course, we’ll be keeping an eye on things and these dates are definitely not set in stone, but it helps me to have dates in mind”

“Of course,” you smiled, knowing what it’s like to try and work around everyone else’s schedule

“I can do that”

“Is there a reason he would be so small?” Harry asked

“Good news” Harry smiled, squeezing your hand

“I’ll get you to book an appointment with Julie for next week to check his growth, and all things going well, I won’t need to see you then”

“Great” you said “does this mean I’m only at 19 weeks now? Or am I still 22?”

“You’re still 22 weeks, like I just said, everything else is developing as it should be, he’s just smaller than average, which is fine” she smiled reassuringly “Any other questions?”

You looked at Harry and he shook his head “No, I think we’re ok” you said, picking up your handbag

“Great” she stood and walked over to the door, opening it for you “I’ll see you next time then”

Both you and Harry thanked her as you walked out of the room and made your way to the front desk to make next weeks appointment. As soon as your mum spotted you she stood and quickly made her way over to you, worried about why it took so long but relived to see you and Harry didn’t look to concerned.

“Everything ok?” she asked Harry as you spoke to the receptionist

Your mum nodded along with Harry “Next Friday?” she asked

He nodded “probably, she has Friday’s off work, so that’s when her appointments have been, besides today of course”

You turned away from the front desk and slid your hand into Harry’s “Good to go?” you asked, and he pulled the car keys out of his pocket

“Let’s go home” he smiled at you and your mum

***

When you arrived back at Harry’s house, which you suppose was your house now too, he hurled all your bags inside and left you and your mum alone while he made the phone call to his lawyer. Closing the door to his office behind him, he searched the room for his work phone which he’d left at home for the wedding because he knew he wouldn’t need it. Finding it in the top drawer of his desk, he dialled the number of his lawyer’s office and waited for her to pick up.

“Harry!” she said cheerfully into the phone “To what do I owe the pleasure”

“Uh” he sighed “how much do you know about family law?”

“Not a lot, but I can draw you up a post-nup”

Harry giggled to himself and shook his head “Don’t need one of those – this is more of a custody type thing”

“Ok” she said a little unsure of what was going on “a little out of my depth I’m afraid, but tell me what’s going on and I’ll see what I can do, or who I can refer you to”

“Does he know about the baby?”

“Yeah, that’s kinda the problem”

“This is definitely out of my area of expertise, but continue so I know who I can put you onto”

“As far as I could work out, since you married Y/N on Friday, you have the rights of a step- father”

“Which are?” harry asked, pulling his lip nervously

“You’ll have parental responsibility, granted that you remain married to your wife”

“And where does that leave him?”

“That’s where I fall short I’m afraid Harry, are you and your wife able to come into the office tomorrow? I can set you up an appointment with one of our family lawyers?”

“I leave tomorrow, for tour, but if it can happen in the morning, then we can make it in”

“I’ll see what I can do, I’ll email you”

“Great, thanks for your help” he hung up the phone and dropped it into his lap, placing his face in his hands and rubbing his temples with the tips of his fingers, trying to figure out what he could do next. Tonight was his last night at home with you before he left for tour, and all he wanted to do is spend it watching rom coms and doing all the things that you were both too tired for on your wedding night, but he also needed to make Danny go away before he left, so that he didn’t need to worry about him trying to intimidate you. He stood from the couch, putting his phone in his back pocket and making his way out of his office.

You and your mum were stood in the kitchen, discussing what the doctor had said earlier, she was telling you that Anna, your sister, was a small baby and that there was nothing to worry about. You nodded along, agreeing that everything was probably fine and quickly changed the subject to the nursery. You loved your mum, but you had always found it difficult to talk about serious things with her because she often refused to recognise the bad things that could potentially happen. Not that you liked to dwell on them, but you felt it best to acknowledge that they were there. Harry walked in as you pulled the paint cards out of the drawer, showing them to your mum.

“I’ve got to go tie a few loose ends before I leave tomorrow” he said picking up his keys, and placing a gentle kiss on your lips “I’ll bring us back some dinner- the fridge is empty”

You nodded accepting the kiss, but looking at him, a little confused by his sudden need to leave, knowing exactly what his last phone call had been about. “Will you be long?”

“Shouldn’t be” he said, walking out of the room towards the front door “I still like the light blue” he yelled, referring to the paint colours

“It’s grey Harold!” you yelled back, hearing him giggle as he shut the front door. You looked at the time on your phone and realised that it was past 5 and there was no way he could be going to his office to tie up loose ends because his PA would have left for the day and you knew as well as he did that he was useless on his own. “I’ll be back in a sec mum”

You jogged out of the house and into the garage, finding Harry in his car, searching for the remote that opened the gate, he spotted you, and opened the window “What’s up love?” he asked, still looking around avoiding eye contact with you

“Where are you going H?” you asked shyly ‘It’s past 5, Emma would have gone home by now”

“I can’t let Danny do this” he admitted, finally looking at you

“What did your lawyer say?” you asked sympathetically

“She doesn’t know enough about family law, she’s going to get us an appointment with someone who knows what they’re talking about tomorrow” he sighed “I just want to talk to him Y/N, see what he wants”

You leant your arms on the window of the car, leaning your head inside “we know what he wants”

“Well, he’s not getting it” he said, frown forming on his face “he doesn’t deserve that little boy”

“Don’t say anything stupid H- don’t give him anything that he could to the media about” you kissed him temple and moved away from the car

“Promise” he said, holding his pinky up for you to shake. You wrapped your pinky around his and giggled at how childish the gesture was but admiring it just the same.

“Don’t be long either, don’t want mum to think you’re avoiding me after being married for two days”

He laughed “I’ll be a quick as I can, could you open the gate for me? Can’t find the remote”

“Yeah” you nodded turning and walking back towards the house to where the main control for the gate was “Bye H” you called as he drove the car out the driveway and you closed the gate behind him.

He sped down the quiet London street away from the house, thoughts running through his head. He didn’t know what he was going to say to Danny, but he knew you were right, he had to keep it civil and respectful for the sake of his career. He could hardly release merchandise that boasts the phrase “Treat People with Kindness” if there were articles circulating about him doing the exact opposite.

Danny lived on the other side of London in a dingy old flat that Harry was only able to find because he’d been there once before, to help Danny bring some supplies to set for the photoshoot. He climbed up the stairs, opening lines running through his head “Do you really want a kid mate?”, “you don’t know the first thing about being a dad”, “You can’t just swoop in now, after everything you’ve put her through and expect to be a happy family.” None of them would do, he knew what he wanted to say, but he didn’t know how to say it – He needed Danny to know how much he’d hurt you, and how much this baby meant to you, but there were no words that could express how both you and Harry felt about this baby.

“What the fuck do you want dick head?” He slurred at Harry “Come to buy my silence of summat?”

And That’s part 8! Part 9 really won’t be far away, I have started writing already, but I’ll be putting it on hold for a few days, you’ll definitely have it by the end of the week! I’m going away next week, so my plan is to get part 9 up before then, and then while I’m away, I’ll post a few little blurbs and TFLN’s that have been requested and part 10 will go up once I’m home xxx

Let me know what you thought of this!

All my love, Lyss xx

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