#(and the age order changed a tad based on the boys' birthdays
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all the fics i read and loved this month, in order from longest to shortest!
For As Long As I Can Remember (It’s Been December) by green_feelings @greenfeelings 128k
After recovering from a severe accident that causes Harry to lose his memory of three years, he moves to London to start his life over as a star chef. Little does he know that when he falls in love with Louis at first sight, it’s not the first time they meet.
Featuring an unintentional game of hot and cold, Harry chasing memories that won’t come back, Louis burying himself in work to try and forget what he can’t forget, Liam being torn between two of his best friends, Zayn as a moral compass and Niall saving the day with good music and brutal honesty.
got the sunshine on my shoulders by hattalove 124k
five years ago, harry styles left his tiny home town to make it big as a recording artist. he didn't have much regard for what he left behind - a life, a family, and a husband, who woke up one morning to find him gone.
now, harry has everything he could possibly want: he's rich, famous, and adored by everyone he meets, including his boyfriend. but when said boyfriend proposes to him, he's forced to face the uncomfortable facts of his past - and louis, who's spent the last five years returning every set of divorce papers harry sent him.
(or, an au based on the movie sweet home alabama.)
Tired Tired Sea by MediaWhore 113k
As a B&B owner on the most remote of all the British Isles, Louis Tomlinson is used to spending the coldest half of the year in complete isolation, with his dog and the sea as sole companions. Until, one day, a mysterious stranger on a quest to rebuild himself rents a room for the winter.
nothing worsens, nothing grows by soldouthaz @soldouthaz 102k
and he sits there quietly with harry’s headphones in his ears while his eyes begin to close, totally unaware that he’s listening to the soundtrack of harry falling in love with him.
or, another roadtrip au featuring harry as the misunderstood hipster, louis as the bitter psych major, liam as the one with the secret boyfriend, and niall as the one who just wants everyone to be happy.
& more under the cut!
Follow Your Arrow by bitter_leaf @bitter-leaf 78k
Harry was the golden child, blessed in every way; Niall was the charming miscreant, a bad boy; Liam was the future-son-in-law parents of daughters dreamt of, and Zayn was the kid parents wished was their son. But Louis, Harry thought, Louis was the special one.
It's senior year and everything is about to change.
somethin’ bout you by missandrogyny @missandrogyny 59k
Of all the government agents in the world, Louis had to go and land the most charming one.
The Recklessness in Water by LarryOn @larryonsimon 50k
Louis Tomlinson is miserable. He's stuck on a family vacation at a lake cabin in New Hampshire when all he wants to do is bemoan his sorry existence and wallow in his sweatpants. As if the humidity and mosquitos weren't bad enough, he becomes the singular target of an obnoxious lifeguard named Harry.
Missed Connection by littlelouishiccups @littlelouishiccups 39k
Soulmate AU where your soulmate’s first words to you are tattooed on your skin.
With a boring and generic soul mark like Hi, Harry is pessimistic he’ll ever find his soulmate or that he’ll realize it when he meets them. But he could always have it worse, like his new friend Louis who had a drunken one night stand with his soulmate a few years ago and woke up the next morning alone.
before we knew by falsegoodnight @risthebrave 39k
“C’mon Lou,” says Zayn after a moment, He sounds even more exasperated than before. Louis sort of has a knack for exasperating people, especially people like Zayn who aren’t usually bothered by his brattiness. “Can’t you give this guy a chance? Harry Styles? Aren’t you curious about him at all?”
Despite his best efforts, Louis still flinches at the name. He really shouldn’t be so affected after all these years. He’s seen the name printed down the curve of his waist in obnoxiously and uncommonly large loopy letters every single day since his sixteenth birthday eight years ago. He’s very familiar with the name Harry Styles.
It sounds pretentious and Louis hates it.
He hates everything about his supposed soulmate.
He hates his large handwriting that stands out like a claim on his skin whenever he’s walking around shirtless. He hates his pretentious name. And now he hates his supposed curls and green eyes and dimples.
-
Or Louis has been skeptical of soulmates for years so it seems like fate when he finally bumps into the owner of the obnoxiously large signature printed into his skin since age sixteen: Harry Styles, a human rights attorney who is firmly against soulmates.
what’s mine is yours to make your own by soldouthaz @soldouthaz 39k
sometimes, the closest harry ever feels to home is louis. it's their shared hotel rooms on tour, their shoes toed off in the doorway next to each other, jackets hung on the same post.
it's everything he doesn't notice until it's been taken away from him.
And Touch Me Like You Never by runaway_train @runaway-train-works 35k
“Lets move back a bit yeah?” Harry clutches at his waist with a free hand and tugs him to move through the crowd until they are almost at the back of the group and settles them both beside the far wall. “There. That better?”
Louis looks up at him, as if he’s a tad dazed. “Uh, yeah, thanks. Can’t really see much from back here either though.”
Harry lifts a shoulder and grins at him, placing a hand on the wall behind Louis to pen him in. “We’ll just have to create our own fireworks then, won’t we?” He says it jokingly with a wink, and Louis laughs but he seems nervous. He must know that Harry is harmlessly flirting. Harry flirts with everyone after all, including Louis.
“Do you think this is a good idea Haz?” Louis asks quietly, almost too quietly in the clamour of the room, his head bowed as he scuffs his shoe on the carpet.
“Stop over thinking it Lou, it’s one kiss. What’s the worst that could happen?”
Or
The one where Harry and Louis agree to be each other's New Year's kiss and it ends up being a lot more than they bargained for.
last blues for bloody knuckles by creamcoffeelou @2ofusmp4
Styles was a name everyone knew. It had evolved into something of a fairy tale, a far away problem that normal people didn’t have to deal with. Louis never thought he’d find himself falling in love with him. When he finds himself pregnant with Harry’s child, he knows he has to leave the life, and Harry, behind. For her sake.
He never expected Harry to show back up on his doorstep five years later.
A mob au.
like it’s a game by soldouthaz @soldouthaz 32k
there is little harry hates more than truth or dare.
and louis.
gathered on wings by Brooklyn_Babylon @twopoppies 32k
As Harry lay by Louis’ side, covered in sweat and come, he knew he should feel ugly, messy, ruined, like the life he’d left behind. But something about the way Louis looked at him, the way his eyes stared at him with want and awe, made Harry wonder if he’d ever feel this beautiful again.
Harry rolled his eyes at himself for his momentary romantic dreaminess. As good as this was, he knew it was nothing more than sex. He literally couldn’t afford to fall for just anyone, no matter how fit they were.
-----
What Harry Styles wanted was to be taken seriously as an artist.
What he needed was a new sugar daddy to pave the way.
Louis Tomlinson is an artist who isn’t what Harry is looking for.
Somehow he still manages to turn Harry's world upside down.
let’s make a thing of cream and stars by missandrogyny @missandrogyny 24k
It doesn't explain why he's lying on the floor, with Harry Styles, of all people, planking on top of him.
As in, seventeenth most influential person in London, pop-star-turned-rock-star Harry Styles. The same Harry Styles who has had countless model girlfriends, left, right and centre. Also the same Harry Styles who has been the subject of Louis' wet dreams since he was about eighteen.
(Or: Louis is a Radio 1 DJ and Harry is a pop-star he interviews.)
Strong Enough by jacaranda_bloom @jacaranda-bloom 21k
The biggest obstacle is still in place, firmly ensconced as a roadblock, cemented in their path and preventing them from moving forward. The thing is, it’s not actually Harry that’s the problem. Harry, for all his faults, for whatever decisions he’s made to lead to him to where he is in his life right now, would move heaven and earth and all that’s in between to help Liam, to support him. No. It’s Louis. He’s the one that has to reach out. He’s the one that has to let go and get the fuck over himself. It’s been five years for Christ's sake. It’s time to move on and suck it up.
“So…” Liam starts, and Louis instantly knows where this is going. He’s actually glad that it’s Liam that drags the subject out from the shadows and into the world. Louis turns to face him, mirroring his position on the couch and nods, ready for him to continue. “Have you spoken to Harry recently?”
Five years after Vertigo goes on hiatus, the band comes back together for a benefit concert. Can Louis and Harry work through their complicated past, or are some wounds too deep to be healed?
you flower, you feast by stylinsoncity @aliensingucci 18k
He's King of the Underworld, but don't assume Louis has it all. He could stand for some excitement in his monotonous, eternal life and maybe, even.....a soulmate.
(Despite not having a soul.)
And along came "Harry".
The Orchards of Jessop by jaerie @jaerie 15k
At age 40, there isn’t much excitement in widower Louis Tomlinson’s life, but wasn’t that the reason he’d moved to Jessop Island in the first place? Back then he hadn’t thought retiring before he reached 30 and moving to the countryside would mean that he’d be doing it alone. Now, just to fill the space, he welcomes lodgers into his home that pass through working as temporary labourers at the orchards just up the road. They’ve all been young adults eager to start lives of their own after one last summer of freedom.
All of them have been much the same, coming and going from Louis’ house with just enough social interaction to keep the house from feeling so empty. But when a global pandemic shuts down the world, being quarantined with a quiet twenty year old who keeps to himself might turn out to be an awkward arrangement. By the time the restrictions have been lifted, their relationship has developed into something Louis isn’t quite ready to give up. With their twenty year age difference, Louis has to be prepared for the inevitable outcome when the reality shatters the private world they’ve been living in. He’s not sure he’ll be able to let it go.
if i had the chance, the things i would do to you by missandrogyny @missandrogyny 14k
Niall sighs. He leans forward, pushing his mug of tea carefully to the side, before bracing his elbows on the table, chin in his hands. It makes him look like some sort of bottle-blonde cherub. "You have quite the fanbase, Harry. I'm not denying that. And you've done a good job of popping out every once in a while in the past two years, just to make sure you're still talked about. But that's all you've done, and I'm not satisfied. I want more." He blinks at Harry. "Don't you want more?"
(Or: AU where Harry and Louis compete in the Lip Sync Battle)
One Way Road To Something Better by femstyles @femstyles 12k
Four years ago when Louis and Harry moved in together, Louis promised Anne that he’d take care of Harry no matter what.
But things don’t always go as planned, and sometimes risky choices have to be made.
Inspired by Don't Let It Break Your Heart
baby look what you’ve done to me by ballsdeepinjesus 9k
The next day kind of turns everything upside down, though. Louis gets another lingerie catalogue addressed to Harry. He’s about to toss it when he sees a personalized note stuck to the front; it thanks Harry for his previous purchases and offers him a complimentary six-month subscription to their magazine free of charge. It’s a unisex lingerie catalogue. Lingerie specifically designed to allow for the existence of penises, apparently, judging from the bulging cocks covered in lace that he sees as he flips through the pages. His breath catches in his throat at the thought of a faceless Harry -- mysterious, odd Harry -- dressed up in his purchases, whatever they may be.
He thinks he needs a lie down, to be honest.
[louis moves into harry's old flat. harry gets a lot of mail.]
golden hearts (light their way back down) by fairytalelights @lookslikefairytale 4k
“..So, top or bottom?” Louis asks when Harry tunes back in. And... what? Harry knew he should have been paying more attention but he has no idea how in the hell Louis explaining camp rules to him could have led to discussing sexual preferences this quickly. He must have smiled and nodded at the wrong place one too many times.
or, the one where Harry’s first day as a summer camp counsellor doesn’t go quite as planned.
Still, Somehow, You’re Perfect Now by FallingLikeThis @fallinglikethis 3k
Harry Styles is Captain of the footie team and all-around popular dude-bro-pal to the entire senior class. He’s kind to everyone from what Louis Tomlinson can tell, and kinder still when he thinks no one is looking. Of course, Louis has been looking. Ever since he transferred schools at the beginning of the year and noticed Harry for the first time, it’s been hard to look away.
All My Friends Are Here by abrighteryellow
He is about to decline, though. If he has to sit through forced merriment, the least he can do is avoid participation at all costs. He is about to, but then the guy with the microphone is looking out into the crowd. He’s saying things, too — about rules and prizes and team names. At least, Louis assumes so. He can’t really hear him over the ringing in his ears.
“Alright, mate. I’ll play.”
A pub quiz has invaded Louis’s favorite dive. Fortunately, it comes with a charming host.
Front porch and one more kiss by Femstyles @femstyles <1k
A goodnight kiss on a front porch
BONUS: (rereads)
Unbelievers by isthatyoularry @isthatyoularry 136k
It’s Louis’ senior year, and he’s dead set on doing it right. However, along with his pair of cleats, a healthy dose of sarcasm and his ridiculous best friend, he’s also got a complicated family, a terrifyingly uncertain future, and a mortal enemy making his life just that much worse. Mortal enemies “with benefits” was not exactly the plan.
Or: The one where Louis and Harry definitely aren’t friends, and football is everything.
Close to Nowhere by angelichl @angelichl 34k
“I will kill you in your sleep,” Louis threatened as he quickly stepped out of his jeans.
“I don’t think that would work very well baby, seeing as you talk to dead people all the time.”
“I’ll kill you in your sleep and ignore your ghost. And don’t call me that.”
Louis and Harry are psychics who kind of hate each other. They go to Tennessee to investigate a haunting.
led by your beating heart by missandrogyny @missandrogyny 24k
Nick leans over. "Oh," he says, his voice smug. "Who is that?"
Harry just blinks at his phone. "Um," he manages to stammer out.
"Who's that, Harry?" Nick asks again, but this time he raises his eyebrows and smirks. Harry knows Nick is just teasing, and that he's not really looking for new Harry Styles gossip, but, um. He might have found something. Accidentally.
Harry opens his mouth to speak, but all that comes out is another 'um'. He really needs to work on translating his thoughts into words. But then it probably wouldn't be any helpful right now, would it? His mind is as blank as a newly erased etch-a-sketch.
"Oh," Nick says again, this time gleefully, seemingly having picked up on Harry's distress. "Looks like we've got a story here! Are you going to call or delete her number?"
Her number. So Nick thinks it's a girl. Well, Harry can't blame him: 'Lou' is kind of an androgynous nickname. His stylist's name is Lou.
But this Lou, well, Louis, he's kind of, really, really not a girl. He's really pretty though, which, is something.
(Or: AU where Harry's in One Direction, Louis isn't, and they reconnect over a game of 'Call or Delete'.)
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Michael Gray x Reader - Intertwined - Part 3
Hey! Sorry it took so long for me to post part three, but I wanted to rewatch season two and that took a little longer than expected due to school and the holidays. Hope you had a great new years day and Christmas (if you celebrate that), and enjoy!
Based on: season 2, episode 4
Part 2 < Part 3 > Part 4
A few days later, you found yourself standing in Tommy’s office, waiting for him to arrive to your unplanned visit. You had been working in the Blackwood office for a day now, already dissatisfied. The office that your father had given you was quite nice though, it had a window with a view – well, as much of a view you could get in smoke filled Birmingham. You’d stayed in the house that your father had bought in small heath. It wasn’t very grand, but it was convenient if you had to work late and perhaps a place to crash after late night strolls about pubs.
You had just made your way over to the window when Tommy walked in, his eyebrows raised as he caught sight of you. ‘’(Y/N), wasn’t expecting you here.’’
‘’Didn’t think I would walk in here either when I woke up this morning, but I had an epiphany, Tommy, when I drew open the curtains,’’ you grinned, raising both your hands as if surprised.
He walked up to his desk, sitting down behind it after offering you a seat which you gladly accepted. ‘’So, what brings you here?’’
‘’I heard you ran into some trouble with Darby Sabini down in London.’’
‘’How’d you hear about that, Polly?’’
‘’Oh no, no, I have a friend in London whom I made a deal with. I pay a pound a month and he keeps track of business there, giving me information. Thought it might come in handy.’’
You took a swig from the glass of whiskey that he had put out in front of you, the liquid burning in your throat, before continuing your story. ‘’Anyways, he told me about a club that was taken over by none other than the Peaky Blinders, not forgetting to mention that it used to be Sabini’s. Then you ended up in the hospital, and not too long after that I hear about Solomons having a new friend. Wasn’t too hard to piece together. Not sure if Alfie Solomons is such a reliable partner though, heard some stuff about him back in Amsterd- ‘’
‘’You didn’t just come here because you missed the fresh air in Birmingham now did you, (Y/N)?’’ Tommy looked you in the eye, one of the corners of his mouth twitching up slightly.
You sighed, shaking your head. ‘’Amsterdam got boring. I got a position regarding finance in the company, but soon realised it was just checking if the numbers added up – any idiot could do that job. Now, I love my father, but he’s a tad bit old-fashioned. Said woman shouldn’t run businesses. Unfortunately for him, I want an equal share in the company, to make sure that my asshole brother doesn’t one day decide to show up and take over like nothing ever happened.’’
‘’So you want to impress him huh?’’
‘’Not just that. I want to make sure that he can’t do without me.’’
‘’Going to be tough. Seems to me that the Blackwood Company has been doing just fine without you.’’
You nodded slowly, ‘’I haven’t worked out the master plan yet, but that’ll come later.’’
He emptied his glass, setting it down softly. ‘’What do you propose we do?’’
‘’We scratch your back, you scratch ours. Your new club is in the same street as ours, and I bet Sabini wouldn’t dare hit either of them knowing retaliation is just across the street.’’ Father had decided that he didn’t want to just produce engines and such in factories, so he opened a new, fancy club in London. And now that you had access to the books, you saw that he was spending a ridiculous amount of money on security. So, you hoped that by working with the Shelby’s you could cut that, perhaps even expand on business in London.
‘’Are you saying we should merge the clubs?’’
‘’Not exactly. Give Sabini the impression that they are merged, but it won’t change anything in, well, let’s just say the bookkeeping.’’
Tommy lit a cigarette, taking a drag on it while looking out of the window, contemplation showing in his eyes. ‘’Allright, bring over the documents with the details if you can convince your father.’’
You smiled with closed lips, telling him it was a pleasure doing business, before you turned on your heels and walked out of his office with proud strides. Perhaps, you thought, you could actually pull this off.
—-
You had run into Michael when leaving Tommy’s office. He had a look of determination on his face and was holding a newspaper, a circle drawn with a red marker on it. You exchanged glances and a smile instead of saying hi, and when you had seen what exactly he had marked you wished him good luck, resulting in a laugh from him. Before you managed to reach the exit however, he called out your name, telling you he was turning eighteen on Friday and inviting you over to the Garrison, where Polly had planned something small. You accepted, and so you were now on your way there.
You walked into the golden pub, the smell of cigarettes and alcohol and the warmth being a pleasant change from the chilly evening. You couldn’t spot any of the Shelby’s in the main room though, so you asked the barman if any of them had showed up yet, to which he pointed you to the snug in the corner.
You weren’t sure if it would be intrusive to just walk in there, you had actually hoped to run into Michael or Polly before entering the Garrison. You moved aside your worries though and decided to just walk in there. With a scotch whisky, one that your father had recommended, in your hand, you opened the glass door of the snug with the other.
They must have thought it was Michael coming in, since John and Arthur started cheering. They stopped as soon as your figure showed up in the opening, still greeting you happily, however. Your eyes met Tommy’s first. He grinned, obviously not having forgotten about the little deal the two of you had made. There was still some space at the edge of the booth next to John, where you sat down after he moved over slightly, making room for you.
The group talked and laughed, waiting for Polly and Michael to show up. Finally, after thirty minutes, the door was opened again and Polly, followed by Michael, entered the now packed snug. This time, Arthurs and Johns cheers were in order. You locked eyes with Michael as you stood up and hugged him – a little awkwardly, congratulating him on his birthday and handing him the bottle you had brought. Everyone did their congratulating and then Tommy welcomed Michael to the business, telling him he got the job. Soon, glasses were being filled up with whiskey and beer and malt, everyone standing up to toast to the birthday boy - man. You picked up the glass of whiskey that Arthur had poured you, only for it to be snatched by Polly who gave you her wine instead, murmuring something about you not being eighteen yet and alcohol percentages. You laughed, not minding it. You didn’t like the amber liquid that much anyway.
—
The day after the party, you went back home to the estate after work, where you had worked on the ‘Sabini Plan’. You were ready to have a bath, get comfortable in bed with a good book and get a full night’s rest. Your father, however, had different plans. When you walked into the front room, hair slightly damp from the light rain, there were three girls about your age standing in front of you busily talking with your father, who made a sound acknowledging you and raising a hand. With that, the girls turned around, all three of them engulfing you in a hug.
‘’(Y/N)! It’s been so long!’’ one of them said.
You weren’t sure of what to do, not remembering them at all. They must have been some girls you played with when you were a child. An awkward smile forced itself upon your face as you tried greeting them in the same, excited manner.
‘’We thought you’d want to come out with us tonight. We are going to the Marquis, it’s a great place for a drink and a dance.’’ The blonde girl said, winking at the brunette to her left who let out a giggle at the words.
You locked eyes with your father for a split second, enough for you to see that he was nodding. ‘’Uum yes sure, why not.’’
‘’Fantastic! Go get dressed then, we’ll wait in the living room.’’ The three of them walked away, leaving you and your father alone in the hall. You let out a sigh, hoping they didn’t hear it, before walking up the spiraling staircase to get dressed. Behind you, footsteps followed.
‘’Dear I’m sorry they came over and I thought you might enjoy spending some time with old friends.’’
You stopped halfway up the stairs, turning around. ‘’Old friends? I don’t even know their names. You can’t expect me to remember them after all those years.’’
‘’Well, the blonde one is Sarah Darby, the brunette is her sister Lana, and the short red head is Anne. They are the daughters of some of my friends.’’
You huffed, again. There went your plans to do nothing tonight. ‘’It’s fine father, but please, don’t make plans for me again next time.’’
You planted a quick kiss on his cheek before sprinting up the last few steps and walking over to your room. With a quick look in your closet, you decided upon a silky red dress which you quickly put on and looked in the mirror. Content with the clothing you decided not to bother with make-up and hair, the work you had done in the morning would have to do.
-
After a short drive into town, you arrived at the Marquis. It was a busy, new-looking pub. It was nice, you thought, before your group settled on the small sofa’s in the corner. Before too long, some guys had joined your three new friends, making you resort to the bar for social interaction.
Michael and Isaiah were making down their way towards the Marquis too, deciding to celebrate Michaels first day at Shelby Company ltd. They were laughing, making silly jokes as they entered the pub, immediately making over their way to the bar, ordering themselves a drink. Waiting for their drinks to arrive, they turned their backs to the bar, leaning on their elbows. A hand was laid on Michaels shoulder, making him look to the side.
‘’Hey there.’’ you smiled.
‘’Oh hey, I didn’t see you.’’ Well, he had seen the lady in red at the bar, he just hadn’t realised it was you. He turned to Isaiah. ‘’Hey mate, this is (Y/N) Blackwood.’’
Isaiah looked you up and down, making Michael slightly uneasy and making you raise both your eyebrows.
He extended his arm, ‘’nice to meet you, I’m Isaiah Jesus. My father is the preacher around here.’’’
You took his hand, gave it a quick shake and released it again. ‘’Nice to meet you too.’’
Behind you all, a tall glass filled with clear liquid was put on the bar, which you took and then turned around again to face Michael. ‘’Well, guess I’ll be going off to my friends again. Have fun! ’’
Michael followed her gaze, his eyes resting on the small group of people in the corner. Something about the way she said it, and the look on her face, made him think she’d rather get out of here as fast as possible.
Michael’s eyes, however, didn’t leave her figure as she stalked off. He was only brought back to his conversation with Isaiah when he had pulled on his sleeve. ‘’Got your eyes on her huh, Michael. She’s not bad-looking at all, I don’t blame you. Filthy rich too, those Blackwoods. Think their company has been around for a hundred years now, a shit ton of factories carry their name. Wouldn’t mind marrying into a family like that ey.’’ Isaiah laughed to himself, Michael only giving him a tightlipped smile.
Their fun was cut short though, when some guy showed up and said he wouldn’t drink in a pub where blacks were served. This, resulted in a fight, in which Michael found out that he could actually throw a decent punch. He saw you out of the corner of his eye, sitting back with your gin tonic watching the chaos unfold. When the bartender shared his worries, telling the troublemaker that he was beating a Shelby, Michael felt something he hadn’t before. Some kind of power, like he mattered in this city. He was someone, someone not to mess with.
After the fighting had died down, they finished their drinks and left, Michael stopping in front of the door calling your name, to which you looked up and saw him waving you over. You didn’t need to think too long about his invitation, as you grabbed your coat and mumbled a goodbye to your company, quickly making your way over to Michael, who locked arms with you as you walked out.
‘’First night out on the town and you already managed to fuck up an entire pub, Gray.’’ You said, making the three of you laugh, as you made your way over to the Garrison.
— Tag List — (if you want to be added, just ask in the comments!)
@baker151910 @slothblogger
(Repost because it didn't show up in the tag woohoo)
#michael gray x reader#michael gray#finn cole#tommy shelby#peaky blinders#intertwinedseriespb#peakyblindersff
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[ diego boneta, cis-male, he/him, twenty-six ] MEXICO EN LA PIEL by LUIS MIGUEL? whenever i hear that song, it reminds me of MAXIMILIANO HERNANDEZ. maybe because they’re CAPTIVATING but also HOT-HEADED. they’ve been living at mulberry apartments since MARCH of 2014 in APARTMENT 314 and have 1 ROOMMATES.
... i have no explanation for this. i love diego boneta, i love tragic stories, i am mexican and proud... so here you have this, it’s a wild ride (i keep telling you guys that but.. i mean, it is wild alright) so without further ado.... here it is, max:
he was born and raised in mexico city and moved to baltimore 4 years ago (he also did high school in usa tho js)
his estranged father is a wealthy mexican politician whom he’s never had any type of relationship with, on the other hand, his mother is a hardworking seamstress whom he adores and they have a very close relationship.
growing up, he always had to work to help his mom sustain their little family, he worked as busboy and packing groceries, on his free time between school and work he would sing, which sometimes would get him money.
at the age of eleven, advised by a friend, max entered a talent show in a big mexican tv network, although he didn’t win, doors opened to him since he made it to the finals. (i might’ve based the talent show part on DIEGO’S REAL LIFE don’t judge that’s how i met him and ive been in love with him since)
max got to star in some novelas and even recorded some albums and bought a better house for him and his mother, he was living the dream, but quickly the boy grew tired of his life in the spotlight and decided to retire to live a normal life.
he quickly realize his love for cooking and food, and decided he wanted to become a chef someday
years later, when he was in high school, max met natalie and he fell in love with her from the moment he first met her. they were meant to be and married the day after they graduated high school and moved back to mexico together, despite natalie’s wealthy family disapproval of the relationship (and many failed attempts to break them apart)
a few years later, on natalie’s twenty-first birthday, she surprised max with the news that would change his life: they were expecting their first child. he immediately got a job on one of the fanciest restaurants in mexico city as a sous-chef while natalie continued studying to become a lawyer and they prepared for the arrival of their first born.
on june 6th, 2013 arturo gonzalez gimenez was born.
the family lived their first year happily, loving each other unconditionally.
for max’s 23rd birthday, natalie planned a massive party on the restaurant he worked in, however the night went sour when natalie’s family showed up and created a big scene that ended up in a car chase and finally, a car crash where natalie sadly was killed, max’s whole life fell apart (especially since he was driving and under the influence)
in order to provide for his son, max decided to contact one of his old bosses who said he could get him a job in a restaurant he used to work at in baltimore, and max did just that
max and arturo moved to baltimore three months after natalie’s death
although he adores his kid and is the only reason why he even tries to get up in the morning, he can’t help but feel responsible for natalie’s death, not to mention he hasn’t been able to deal with her death accordingly, so he has a bit of an alcohol problem he keeps mostly to himself
his biggest dreams are centered in arturo’s future and development, he also wants to open his own restaurant or even a food truck, he is fascinated with the idea
personality wise, he tends to be a tad closed off about his past since it hurts him and is a bit immature since he never got to truly live his childhood (reason why loves being so involved in arturo’s life and childhood and would do everything to give him what his son wants), can also be hot-headed.
however, despite all the hurt he’s endure, max is a hard-working, caring and easy-going young man who really just wants his little boy to be happy and wants to see everybody happy. also a bit flirty? he hasn’t had a relationship since natalie because it’s hard for him bc he is a dad and he is still very hurt about his wife’s death.
oh yeah he is v mexican and v proud, js
i love y’all and i am sorry for this and all my characters but if y’all wanna plot hmu or like this and i’ll come to you soon PROMISE ily all sm tho u have no idea
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title: so eden sank to grief [1/2]
fandom: xiaolin showdown
summary:
“Chase Young was once training to be a Dragon of Fire. Kimiko tries to make amends.”
Come slowly—Eden
Lips unused to thee
Bashful—sip thy jasmines
As the fainting bee.
i.
She is not yet nine when her father makes her sit down before - no, not next to - him, and not quite daring to meet her eyes, says:
"Kimiko, your mother has died."
As most children do not, she understands the definition of death - it is a sort of passing. And as most girls do, she is the cruelest to herself.
Thus she crosses her small arms and forces herself to be brave. Her voice is a tad bit louder than the usual;
"How?"
Tohomiko Toshiro looks at this strange child whom he does not feel being his own at all. She is tactless and wants to have everything.
Too much wildfire, is what this girl is - an emotional bomb, ticking to explode. Already burning herself up.
"My dear" the father says. For a moment, he cannot recall her name. "She killed herself."
Kimiko orders herself not to cry.
ii.
It is a relief, a redemption to leave the paternal house at the age of thirteen. Tokyo is suffocating - her father distant; her private school a prison. The fire in her soul hums low, starving - striving for a real family.
And this is what Kimiko finds;
The bond is not based on blood, but loyalty. It is but formed on one house and one greater purpose, heroic and ironic by any other name. She finds joy and she finds family, and these two somehow connect - cause and consequence - and Kimiko laughs and cries and feels more than she has since forever. She shapes herself and loves her siblings that are not of blood.
Clay, the ever-tower, firm and calm and her constant.
Raimundo, the light-hearted rebel; her first sweetheart.
Omi, the one who asks and answers his questions and others' too, always searching for parts of himself in the sharpest of shards. Even when very young, he is conscious of his place as a chosen oddity.
They all have their faults - and she loves them for these, truly.
iii.
Again, this is an old tale - perhaps the oldest there is -, but the girl falls for a boy. The daughter of fire thinks she loves the son of air, Raimundo with his tanned face and light eyes and his treacherous, endless heart. And when Rai leaves with and for Wuya, the witch from an older time, an evil time - only and only then, Kimiko does weep. Mostly without shame.
Raimundo arrives home in the first day of autumn, when the leaves are turning yellow and nature is turning towards rest. Although only a year older than Clay, he looks weary and somehow ragged and much, much older than his fifteen years.
When he reaches the gates of the temple, he holds his hands up high; a sign of surrender. His fingers are coated with blood, flashing brown under the sinking sun. His hands are empty. So are his hopes.
"Please" he pleads.
Clay wastes no time to hug him while Omi bows and accepts. But Rai is looking to catch her eyes, both desperate and daring, and she should love him as in the tales, yet she turns her face away.
Betrayal for a betrayal. Measure for measure.
Kimiko, under all that makeup, is still a child.
iv.
Omi turns fifteen in the summer Kimiko celebrates her sixteenth birthday. But unlike her clumsy attempts, Omi has territfying strength. And like her, he has a pride to match it.
The seas and the rivers and most people they meet along their travels adorn and bow before his every step. The rest of them, the three other monks, are well aware just how minuscule their roles are compared to the youngest among them. Yes, people respect him. Think him a legend.
But they are the ones who protect and tend for him, careful and watchful and loving.
It is such a long fall, Rai confesses to her one day, that dreamlike summer Omi turns fifteen. He is somber, a rarity. An easy fall. Easiest there is. Here I am, struggling to become an Apprentice while you are already on the way to becoming actual dragons, all because I was too cheap to resist temptation. And now I am here, always falling behind.
Behind them, Clay is teaching Omi the basics of playing the guitar. Dojo is there too, to argue, and be bossy. The air is light and the smell of the sun blinds the shadows on the ground.
Kimiko will remember Rai's words for a long time.
v.
Indeed, she will remember, for from the myriad of people they encounter, one man - half-beast, half-human - stands out, dark as the promise of death.
His name is Chase Young.
And Kimiko can almost taste the longing in his eyes; not for Omi himself, but rather, the potential he represents. Chase Young is infinitely proud and endlessly jealous, a reflection of Omi by a thread.
"He used to be a monk too. A pure soul." chides Master Fung. Omi and Clay nod.
But Rai and Kim know way too much about temptation to put a good face on. To let this slide. They are well aware just how much pride cost and how heavy the price for ambition. They can see right through Chase Young, straight into his old and black heart. Dry as shriveled leaves.
Rai knows this. He lived and fought and paid the prices, thrice, for his mistakes.
And Kimiko has long learned this lesson, this lesson of pride, simply through experiencing these falls through the other eyes and skins of the other monks.
Fire, after all, feeds on and from the other three elements.
vi.
Upon realizing Omi would never join the Heylin, Chase - this thing wearing the mask of a young man - simply vanishes.
And thus, the four of them grow in strength and beauty, and the years pass like seconds. Courage in their hands, hope in their hearts.
Fools, all of them.
Shaolin apprenticeship requires purity in the form of celibacy and so they deny themselves the means of physical love. It is an abstract, a passive way of life, something Kimiko would scorn were it not for the fact that the boys she is living with are siblings to her, and it is enough. It is everything.
Still, still. She catches Rai's eyes sometimes, in the early mornings when they can't quite control where their eyes shift. His expression is shy and open at once, all yearning.
Kimiko has forgiven him a thousand times and back again.
Still. She pretends she does not notice.
vii.
Not long after turning eighteen, on the brink of winter, Master Monk Guan requests their presence at the Northern Shaolin Monastery, to allegedly aid the residents fix the bell tower. Omi and Rai are very excited - they had not seen Guan for years now, and idealism still runs strong in both their veins. It makes Clay chuckle and Kim roll her eyes fondly. Some things do not change, even with time.
Dojo takes more time than usual. Even dragons grow old and Dojo is Dashi's age, older than Guan himself. So when they begin to ascend with a speed like none before, the monks know it is not accident or Dojo's will that pushes them to fall into the thick depth of the Lulang forest.
Scrambling to their feet is not easy while having a moutful and handful of dirt - Omi is the first to manage, but Clay is the one who begins speaking.
"Was that good old Jack?"
Then a voice, low and polite and more of a hiss, behind her, but in front of the boys.
"Please, do not jest."
Of course.
Omi is dumbstruck and Rai's scowl is a surly sight. Kimiko doesn't have to turn around to know who is behind her.
"I only wish to talk with one of my long lost apprentice here." How it resembles a soft symphony, this voice. Like a reassurance.
She only dares to turn around slowly, as if calculated.
Although he is stroking Dojo's head gently, the dragon goes rigid - the terror is apparent in their eyes. Kimiko knows well that Chase wants them to witness this mock-gesture. For him, their dragon owes up to a three-course meal and a nicely-shaped dessert. How many years has it been since that? Thousand and five-hundred?
"I am not your apprentice." snaps Omi with a great deal of condescension.
"Get away from our dragon, Mister" Clay's voice is polite, but his hands on his lasso on his side.
The closest standing to the warlord is Kimiko. Chase is standing but five feet away from her, but she is strangely void of fear. A challenge, a revolt. He is somehow greater than her, much taller and wider, all the armor and the ambition feeding him since centuries. His face is proud, vanity clear on the sharp angles near his mouth and she could not remember his hair being this long, this shining. It falls down like a regal mantle on his shoulders, till his narrow waist and sturdy hips.
He is truly beautiful. Deadly, with a terrible, black heart.
She has a terrible feeling, one that fumbles in her throat and struggles to pries open her mouth. With great difficulty, she resists the urge to lick her lips - to lick his, a voice whispers but she shuts it out. Instead, Kimiko bites her tongue. Blood oozes in and it tastes morbid and metallic. Good. This will sober her up.
Meanwhile, Chase's gaze grazes the boys - her boys, her blood - who all turned strong and stately yet remained stubborn. He even bows a bit towards Omi, as if submitting. But this is a lie. Young bows to no one.
Then, if it is possible, Rai grimace is worsening by each minute they spend here. Chase smiles his predatory and his bitter smile, sudden and pearl-white and harsh. The hole where her heart is grows narrow and all too small as this mythical nobody (he, after all, changes his names as his skin) looks directly ahead and drinks in the sight of her.
She is next and she knows herself. Knows him as well, how she might look through his eyes.
Small but strong, Kimiko has grown proportionately, her eyes the ocean, her lips the hue of blood. She has grown out her hair and dyed it not and put on no wigs to cover. Facade-free, Kimiko beams internally for she is exactly aware just how beauty born and bred she is, knows this from the faded photos of her parents that are ill-bound as of today.
It has been more than five years since they met. And she is a child no more. She is not afraid.
Yet when he looks (really, truly, genuinely stares into her eyes), she trembles.
His face is taken aback in his own manner. There is a certain softness passing over his expression now, the reptilian pupils grow dark and unfocused. And Kimiko's insides jump and there is something ancient and primal pooling down her stomach and through the vertebrae of her spine too. It makes her head spin and her breath hitch and she is getting lost and surely, if she would step anywhere now, she would stumble and fall. And oh. He trembles too, slightly, solemnly, subtly. Not of fear, and matching her tremors.
Oh.
It is such a long, long fall.
So this is what desire is.
Dissecting yourself alive.
viii.
"I have an urgent matter to discuss with Guan." As if hours or days passed between the previous sentence uttered. "It would be a verbal spar exclusively, I assure you."
Chase is acting nonchalant again by wearing the mask of total impassivity. Kimiko has never resented him more.
"Come with us to the temple then" her temper flares, wanting none of his bullshit. Fire is impatient and does not bear deferment easily.
Then she looks at the others, her boys. All of them are gaping at her.
"What?"
"Kim!"
"Helloooo" waves Rai. "He is E-N-E-M-Y. Gonna throw us off our own dragon at the first possible chance."
"I can wait for him here, palermo" Chase's laugh is silent. "Lest you die from fright."
Kimiko tears herself away from the sight of his mouth
Which turns out to be a grave mistake. Not even a second passes and the warlord is already heading towards Omi.
Immediately, Kimiko spins around and blocks his way. Behind her, Rai unsheathes his sword. The sound it makes is flat like a caress. They have long learned to fight as if making love.
"No" she prides on her voice to be strong and unwavering. "You cannot talk to him. At all."
Chase has to lean forward to be able to properly face her. He smells of smoke and blood and something utterly cold; the bronze tint of his shielding plate hurts her eyes, but she wills herself not to blink. Ultimately, this is a survey of power, a battle of discipline.
"Tohomiko" he murmurs. There is a clear crack in his mask now which can be clearly heard in his voice. "Your licence is not needed."
It is the exact moment Clay chooses. With an unnaturally blunt force, he reaches them, slamming himself into Chase who seemingly begins to roll, but is actually drawing the Dragon of Earth with him. Then, the nauseating sound of a bone or two breaking.
Clay bellows.
ix.
"Enough" screams both Omi and Kimiko. A great gust of wind mutes them - Rai has called his element for help and the trees crack under the boy's effort.
Not wasting any time, the tibetan monk launches himself to grab Chase by his hair, but he throws him over effortlessly, right onto Raimundo's face who swears something in Portuguese.
Kimiko jumps over both of them, at the collar of the armour, the other near Chase's face. The fabric of the cuirass starts to smoke at once. This is no threat, but direct action. It could easily melt too. The Star of Hanabi twinkles around her neck, pulses like a second heart and makes her hands too hot to touch.
"Enough" she repeats. She has become softer too, somehow more tender. Chase has a shadow of a smile playing around his lips, feral and full of scorn.
"Come to the temple, if you only wish to talk."
He shrugs his shoulders, an action much too light juxtaposing his expression. There are infinite depths to him. Then. He places his hands on hers but does not clutch. It is far from a violent move; it is just sudden. Lovely. Intimate. An alarm, shrill and shrewd, goes off in her head. But she doesn't let go.
Even through his gloves he is tangibly cold.
"If I go to Guan's temple, I will die." his eyes are shockingly yellow and not humane at all. This should scare her.
"Don't be dramatic" Rai sounds astounded as he helps Omi up. He adds, "Asshole."
"Yes. Guan would not hurt you" adds Omi. "Not a single skin on your hair."
"Hair on your head" this is from Clay, a muffled grunt behind the boy duo.
Chase stares at their group, all dirty from wallowing on the ground and hoarse from screaming. And he begins to laugh. It is more of a snarl - his canines are way too sharp. And he still hasn't moved his hands away.
This is a dream, decides Kimiko, I have eaten too much strawberries before dinner and now I have kamikazecrazy delusions in my bed. And: Omiwill wake me up soon.
Instead, the dragonlord cuts her narrative. Back to reality.
"The place itself is too cold for me." he explains, slow and languid. There is a lightness at the edges. He finds this - them - amusing. "It is far too high, above the valleys. Unlike your temple."
"Pneumonia?" guesses Omi.
"Acrophobia?" suggests Clay.
"Your heart" Kimiko whispers, dawning on her. "Your heart would stop. You are half-reptile."
Chase catches her gaze.
"Dragon."
She snorts.
"Whatever."
x.
While Omi and Clay go to find and bring Monk Guan with them dragonbound, it is Rai's and Kim's responsibility to guard Chase Young. It feels ridiculous.
They are eyeing each other silently, all peril, if it comes to that.
Or rather.
The boy watches the girl, the girl watches the creature. The man.
"I don't like this at all, Kim." Rai stands very close to her and his voice is low and careful. "We both know that even if he came with peace now, it is all part of a bigger and definitely bad plan."
Yes, reckons Kimiko, observing this pale face, and dark hair. She reaches for Rai's hand, squeezes it as if to collect courage. Despite Master Fung's and Omi's optimism, this fair face hides impure intentions.
It pains her that she needs to remind herself.
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29
TARIN
“I’ve met someone.”
Over the strident screech of a nearby truck coming to a hazardous halt, I was able to hear my juvenile admission loud and clear; brooding in me was a sense of guilt that I interpreted as betrayal. Developing feelings for someone else knowing good and well my heart still remained with another. At a young and impressionable age, I’d fallen for the lanky boy with deadpan eyes I met at Coney Island the previous summer. At twenty-three I made the effort to understand the unhealthiness of this devotion manifested by permissive teenage love and memories I’d repressed after his death. The person who held possession of nearly all of me had been gone for years and yet I couldn’t find myself to work up enough courage to move and to let go.
The blistering summer sun began to beam onto my back, prompting me to shift in my guarded stance. The pin-striped poplin top I donned grooved against my shoulders as I reached upward and rubbed the back of my neck. “This isn’t easy for me. It feels like I’ve been unfaithful to you,” I cleared my throat, “Time has passed and still, it feels as though you have this sort of hold on me. I want you to let me go. Or just let up a little bit, will you? Because I don’t wanna carry this guilt with me all my life and restrict myself because somehow I still feel like I’m yours.”
My breathing picked up and suddenly I found my hand toying with a lone coil that had fallen from the flat twist I sped through an hour ago. On cue, my vision became blurred from an onslaught of tears beginning to gather. With the same hand that tugged on the kinky tendril by my ear, I wiped away the thickened stream in an attempt to compose myself, but there was no use.
The damage had already been done.
“His name is Hill; he’s the someone that I’ve met, but you probably knew that already,” Light laughter escaped me the longer I pondered on the statement. “I think there might be something there -- something there between us. But I’m scared to do anything about it because, as crazy as it sounds, I’m still very much in love with you --” I paused, thinking over what I had just uttered. “Maybe it isn’t you who needs to let me go. Maybe I’m the one who needs to do the letting go.”
For what seemed like an eternity I remained standing by the gravesite, grasping the fact that this had been my doing all along. Not only was I blocking my own happiness but I was blocking encounter -- whether good, bad, or indifferent-- that I should’ve experienced after Richie’s passing.
I could’ve put myself out there just a tad bit more.
Instances where Jani begged for me to accompany her one of her infamous nights’ out, I didn’t have to decline.
Those evenings where I talked myself out of the deep longing for male companionship, I could’ve made myself more available to the suitable dudes who weren’t looking to waste my time.
I shouldn’t have hidden behind the armor of being a single mother or being under the impression that men wouldn’t want me, either.
Spanning from Richie’s passing, I had become a repeat offender of getting in my own way; the epiphany sticking with me throughout my train ride back into Manhattan.
****
“...Now you can be completely honest with me, okay? Are you sure you’re alright? Because if you need someone to confide in, I’m all ears...”
“That won’t be necessary Cheyenne,” I muttered, attempting to maintain a little bit of professionalism, “but thank you anyway.” Just as I was about to momentarily bury away my thoughts from this morning and devour the slice of cinnamon swirl coffee cake I’d gotten from Starbucks, the office phone lit up. With the push of a button, Cheyenne’s voice pervaded the space yet again. “What is it now?”
“Victoria Meyers is here to see you.”
“Vickie?! I mean, Victoria Meyers?”
Pushing the coffee cake aside I retrieved the leather encased daily planner sitting by the iMac’s keyboard. “She had an appointment with me?”
“Yes.”
“That was never run by me. I know that for sure. I would have penciled that in somewhere. I can’t seem to find it written down anywhere.”
A gasp escaped Cheyenne. “Oh gosh! I thought I relayed that message before you left Friday afternoon. She phoned in when you were still in your office. She asked about your availability and left a message that was looking to stop by early next week.”
“...And you failed to mention that up until she enters the office.”
“I had every intention of giving the note to you but--”
“It’s Monday, Cheyenne,” I left out a huff.
“Know what? Let me escort her to your office.”
“No! No. I’ll come and meet her in the waiting area and show her back myself.” I picked up the receiver, put it back on its base and rose from the desk chair, smoothing out the length of my pencil skirt.
Her poppy red hair hung over her shoulder in loose waves, reminding me somewhat of Ariel the mermaid. She gave a faint greeting to Cheyenne and scooted by the massive coffee table.
A simple wave on my end wouldn’t have sufficed due to the way she enveloped me in an embrace as if we were a pair of long-lost relatives. “How’ve you been?”
I shrugged inside the hug. “Hangin’ in there. You?”
“I’m hanging in there, too. I believe the last time we saw each other was at Madison’s birthday party.” She pulled back and glanced at me, her longing stare starting from my metallic double-banded sandals and ending at the week-old braid out I tried to salvage. “Is it just me or do you look drastically different from the last time I saw you?” She tore away the rose rimmed oval shaped sunglasses as if the showy choice of eyewear was preventing her from determining a suitable answer.
Like a predator staking out its prey, she circled around me.
Once.
Twice.
Were it not for my continuous shift from one foot to the other, she would’ve proceeded longer than I anticipated.
“You’re like, glowing. You seem to be a lot happier than the last time we were around each other.”
“I dunno,” I replied with a meek shrug, “I feel like the same old’ Tarin. I mean, a lot has changed since Madison’s birthday.”
“Oh, I bet.” She grinned, wiggling her narrow eyebrows. “Hill told me about you’ve gotten an apartment right there by the High Line. Kudos to you for landing a spot over there.”
Part of me wanted to prod and ask what else Hill had told her, but decided against it.
“He also told me that you’re now planning your own events, which is why I’m here. Well, part of the reason why I’m here.”
“And what’s the other part of the reason?”
“To give you this,” she unzipped her rather large taupe satchel, searched through it momentarily before retrieving a folded up printout paper that listed order information. “Happy housewarming! I would’ve saved you the trouble of having to go to 5th and 57th to pick it up, but I didn’t know your address. It’s nothing major, just six five-piece place settings.”
“Place settings? You didn’t have to do that --”
“But I did.”
“But six of them? I mean, c’mon. You could’ve got me a cheaper set from Macy’s or something.”
“Eh. I wasn’t in a Macy’s type of mood today. Believe me, if I didn’t have to stop by and speak to you about this luncheon I needed help with putting together, I’d still be in bed.” Her fingers found their way to the root of her hair. She attempted to toy with her ends but hesitated, stopping thereafter. “Anyway, I need you. I feel like you’d be a great help for this gathering. It’s nothing extravagant. Maybe fifteen...twenty guests at the most. The vice-chair and I are still bumping heads on whether it should be on the Upper East Side to accommodate must of the guests or at another location.”
“How big of a time frame do we have to work on this?”
“The end of this month. I figured if I came to you before Hill’s fight we could at least scout some locations.”
“We could seek out a bunch of locations by the end of this week depending on how free your schedule is,” I remarked, my eyes narrowing into slits. “And what does Hill’s fight have to do with anything?”
“Oh come on Tarin. You are going, aren’t you?”
“Well, no. It wasn’t exactly in the plans for me to go.” I muttered, ushering her into my office. I closed the door and motioned for her to take an empty seat as I trudged towards the tufted desk chair. “What has he told you?”
“Nothing. Trust me, Hill hasn’t ever been the type to divulge much. He’s the king of saying things without actually saying them. If there’s nothing else I’ve learned in all my years of knowing him it’s that reading in between the lines is key.” Vicky said. “That is why I go directly to his. He hasn’t come outright and told her he’s pretty infatuated with you, but she knows. And when Bri has a hunch about something, usually never proven to be wrong.” She added. “He likes you,” her utterance was followed by mellow sigh, “Sounds pretty juvenile to simply put it that way, but I’m almost certain he does.” She took a long breath. “So what do you plan to do about him? About you and him.”
I laughed. “Are you his friend or his wingwoman?”
“His friend, first and foremost. Perhaps I’m his unofficial wingwoman too, in this case. So be it. You also didn’t answer my question. Do you like him too?”
“That wasn’t your question. You asked what do I plan to do about him.”
“There’s nothing to do until you determine if you have developed feelings for said person.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
“Tuh. You so do have feelings for him.”
“You sound so sure.”
“If you haven’t caught feelings you would’ve put a pin in this entire conversation the minute I brought Hill up. Oh, and you smiling every time I say his name speaks volumes. That’s a dead giveaway. This is such a textbook definition of crushing if I’ve ever seen it.” She giggled, cupping her hands together. “Anyway enough about Hill. Let’s talk more about this luncheon. Do you happen to know which orchids are in season…”
As she went off into her massive spiel on the delicate flowery theme she desired to play up for the lunch and the lone massive dining table and wait staff she expected me to weed through all by next week, my body sank against the desk chair crafted into the shape of an hourglass, sorting through what I considered to be my first healthy and positive sentiments that I’ve felt for a man -- any man-- in a while.
I interjected once Vickie began segueing into elaborate centerpieces. “Hill, he’s a good guy.”
And handsome as hell, I so desperately wanted to add but kept my composure.
Her daughter’s godfather did happen to be the topic of discussion for crying out loud.
“I can’t place my finger on it. But there is something about him that just clicks with me. We haven’t known each other for that long, but we gel pretty well together. At least I think so. Then again, I could be chalking it all up to me being deprived of this form of male attention. I don’t know.”
“Would I be prying too much if I were to ask why that is? Have you looked at yourself? You’re a total fucking knockout.” She blurted out. Both hands shot to her mouth with a quickness. Immediate regret flagged over her face as her cheeks warmed a deep shade of crimson. “Granted we aren’t good girlfriends who sit around and tell each other our deepest darkest secrets over drinks, but is there something about you that I’ve overlooked?”
“Nothing that I’m up to get into at the moment. So, let’s keep it light for now. Please. I’ve had a long day.” I muttered, recalling my jam-packed morning. Following my rather sporadic trip from Brooklyn, I returned back to the office and met with the manager to a potential client.
After a very brief meeting with the manager that came off to be more of an interview than a business-related conversation, I learned of the potential client’s alias. His name was Haneef Parker, reformed R&B playboy initially catapulted into the spotlight by way of TV-sitcoms.
“Will do.” Her faint smile withered into a look of indifference the moment we proceeded to teeter on the basis of my sentiments -- feelings towards Hill that I had yet to vocalize to him, let alone myself.
“What do you plan to do?” She queried, her palms clasped together, allowing both of her index fingers to meet.
A simple shoulder shrug became my initial response until my lips parted. “Something. That’s for sure. I just don’t know what ‘something’ is at the moment.”
“Perhaps I could be of some assistance.”
****
The Caledonia -- even the name sounded nothing shy of stush.
If my brain worked itself into overdrive and allowed that familiar hint of insecurity to fester, I wouldn’t have mustered up enough courage to make it past the doorman every day, let alone get through my first weekend inside the pretentious building. As another work day neared its day, I hurried by the stocky doorman named Darius, my hand laced with Ayla’s. Idle chitchat was nixed completely as we commuted home together on the train. Often Ayla tended to wind down from her active days at the Brooklyn day camp I enrolled her in shortly after school let out for the summer. A curated playlist equipped with hours’ worth of songs from her favorite TV shows occupied her well throughout the train ride and all the way home.
Subsequent to entering the cool lobby and taking in its typical sight of tenants and their furry four-legged companions Ayla and I made a beeline for the elevators adjacent to the massive zen waterfall.
Still I was getting used to skirting by it, or the lush open-aired garden a mere ten feet away from the concierge desk. Once inside the elevator, I released a sigh of relief, hearing Ayla resistant demand for my attention. “Here,” she murmured while returning the rather dated iPod touch along with its earphones, “Can we have pizza for dinner?”
“Oh no. Not again. You’ve had pizza for dinner two nights in a row already.” I replied, huffing inwardly at the thought of her not eating home-cooked meal back to back on account of me being swamped with work I brought home. If Mama Sarah caught wind of her precious little Ayla eating junk for two nights straight, she’d haul her right back to Brooklyn herself. “I took ground beef out to thaw overnight and it’s in the fridge. Does Spaghetti sound good to you?”
An automatic pout curled her lips into a disgruntled look of disgust. “Granny Sarah makes spaghetti all the time! I don’t wanna eat spaghetti tonight, mommy.” Ayla huffed, resting against the elevator’s interior.
“What about house burgers?”
Ayla shrugged, “What about them?”
“If we’re not having spaghetti, burgers are on the menu tonight then, kid.”
Groaning, she exited the elevator the moment its doors parted and stomped in the direction of the third door on the left.
“Lose the attitude before you come in.” I scooted back to the door, watching her aggressive demeanor shift the moment her hands fell to their sides. Per my timely request whenever the two of us stepped foot inside the still apartment, Ayla removed her shoes, placing them into one of the wall hutch’s designated cubbies. With haste, she slipped into the tiger slippers embossed with raised ears, next. Long after she ventured down the hall, hurrying towards the pile of toys I dreaded stepping on in the dark, I unpacked her backpack; the assorted crayon box that were just a few shy of a full box, doodles of various puppies and a paper bag containing the uneaten apple slices I packed away for her earlier this morning. Simultaneous to placing the ribboned navy blue backpack onto the hooks and zipping into the kitchen to recover the thawed out ground beef from the refrigerator, Ayla muttered, “I heard Granny Sarah and Nana were talking --”
I placed the minced meat on the counter and proceeded to wash my hands. “Were you eavesdropping? Because you know it isn’t good to be nosey.”
“I wasn’t being nosey!” She insisted, obtaining the oversized Barbie doll she’d gotten as a gift last Christmas. From the living area, she dragged the massive styling head into the kitchen. “Nana said you have a boyfriend.”
“Nana doesn’t know what she’s talking about. I do not have a boyfriend, okay?” I clarified, searching the stocked lower cabinets for the brand new cutting board Mama Sarah purchased last weekend. She vowed to sit out of at least two of her weekly card games with the other matriarchs of the neighborhood and insisted on purchasing all of the basic kitchen necessities that I would need for my own home. Pyrex prepware, glass-lid sets, cooking utensils and bakeware still remained in their respected packaging since II hadn’t found the time to actually put them to use.
“That’s what I thought, too.” Her head nodded in agreeance, causing the tiny gold hoops adorning her ears to shakes from one side to the other. “Boys are icky anyway!”
“Eh. I wouldn’t say that. All boys aren’t icky,” I lectured, placing the cutting atop the flat surface. I didn’t want her to follow suit with the old adage that boys were gross and that the cooties were transmitted through close contact with those of the opposite-sex.
“Daddy wasn’t icky.” I stated matter-of-factly. At the mention of her father, she halted in her movements; the section ragged doll hair she was adamant about braiding fell from her grasp. There was a twinkle in her eyes, but as quickly as it appeared, it vanished. “He was cool. A tad bit quiet at times -- I think that’s where you get it from.” I murmured, grabbing an onion from the copper wire bowl in the counter’s corner and a dicing knife from the knife block. “I wish I didn’t have to tell you things about your father and how he was. If I were to have things my way, you would’ve known him.”
I would’ve given anything for them to have a relationship.
Though we were practically children ourselves, I often dreamt of how our life together would’ve been had he not passed. In a perfect world, his corner kid days would’ve dissolved shortly after, if not the moment I found out I was expecting. We would’ve married years later after we both fell into the destined career-paths of our choosing. In a perfect world, we would’ve had more children -- enough to occupy positions of an NBA team’s starting lineup, as men often joked. We would’ve grown old together and retreated to one of the best old folks home money could buy where we’d spend our last days, still immersed in one another and looking forward to loving each other in the afterlife.
My love for him ran that deep, knowing no bounds, no limits.
It was, without a doubt, unconditional love in its truest form.
The combined aroma of handmade patties and sauteed onions simmering on one of the four stove top burners wafted into the air. As we waited for the oven to preheat so the crinkle cut french fries could be placed in, Ayla and I rummaged through a box of old photos I placed inside of the hallway closet on move-in day. Memorable outings from my early upbringing, parties, my horrendous school portraits I wanted to never see the light of day, and Polaroid snapshots I’d taken of Richie all rested inside, separated from the pictures taken of Ayla. While still contained in the box I skimmed over the photo collection, removing pictures of Richie Ayla still had yet to see. Photos capturing our summer excursion beyond the Brooklyn borough where Richie and I journeyed to Manhattan’s Forbidden Planet flagship for additions to his impressive comic book collection as well as nights that I chose to accompany him to idle the grim housing projects over on Euclid Avenue provided background to many of the poorly shot optics.
Pictures I bedecked her room with as a newborn lined the bottom of the box. In pictures frames scattered around her bedroom were snapshots of him -- of him and I together placed for her to later identify the man she’d never have the pleasure of knowing. Though they were present for her sake I inevitably removed them when Ayla was just a month old.
Simultaneous to removing a random stack and placing them on my lap, Ayla scooted over, grabbing a few of them. Giggles fell from her lips as she scanned the picture. “Daddy’s pants were huge!” Ayla emphasized.
“That they were.” I chortled, cringing at the memory of fashion of the mid-2000s. “And then he’d have the nerve to sag his pants...with a belt on!”
Soon, our shared laughter settled.
The slightest bit of contentment I attained vanishing within minutes.
“I see him in you, all the time.” My voice low, as audible as a whisper, “From the way you scrunch your nose up out of confusion to the slight raise in your eyebrows whenever you find something amusing. You’re the spitting image of him, in almost every way.”
She smiled, an uncertainty as to how to respond was easily detectable.
“Your room at the old house used to be filled with pictures of him. Believe it or not, we took a lot of pictures together. I had this old digital camera I took everywhere with me. Before that, I used a Polaroid camera because of the film. When you were born, I put them in pretty little pink frames that had bows in the corners of them. There weren’t around for long.”
“Why?”
“Because there came a point where whenever I looked at these pictures I started to cry. But, I wish I hadn’t kept them up from you. I’m sorry for being so selfish.”
In an attempt to console me her small hand patted over my hair, quelling the emotions that were leading me to a peak of an emotional tailspin.
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Best New Horror Movies on Netflix: Summer 2017
I know there's an overwhelming amount of horror movies to sift through on Netflix, so I've decided to take out some of the legwork by compiling a list of the season's best new genre titles on Netflix's instant streaming service.
Please feel free to leave a comment with any I may have missed and share your thoughts on any of the films you watch. You can also peruse past installments of Best New Horror Moves on Netflix for more suggestions.
1. Clown
Before Spider-Man: Homecoming swings into theaters, watch director Jon Watts' feature debut. Beginning as a faux-trailer that went viral, Clown was essentially willed into existence with the aid of genre favorite Eli Roth (Hostel, Cabin Fever) as a producer. Andy Powers (Oz) stars as a dad who comes across an old clown costume to wear to his son's birthday party, only to find that he physically cannot remove it. He then develops an insatiable hunger for children, soon learning that he must sacrifice five kids in order to remove the suit. Laura Allen (The 4400) plays his wife, while Peter Stormare (Fargo) provides the ancient, demonic history of clowns. Not your typical killer clown movie, Clown combines classic monster movie motifs, body horror elements, supernatural undertones, and gallows humor into one coulrophobic package. Read my full review of the film here.
2. Beyond the Gates
Beyond the Gates was clearly made by horror fans for fellow fans. The 80-minute romp can best be described as Jumanji meets The Beyond. Estranged brothers Gordon (Graham Skipper, Almost Human) and John (Chase Williamson, John Dies at the End), along with Gordon’s girlfriend, Margot (Brea Grant, Halloween II), find and play an old VCR game. They must obey the tape’s host (Barbara Crampton, Re-Animator) in order to solve the mystery of their father's disappearance. It's slightly hindered by a limited budget - the set-up is slow and the ending is a tad anticlimactic - but it's so spirited along the way that the faults barely register. First-time director Jackson Stewart taps into the VHS nostalgia to create a film that would feel perfectly at home on a mom-and-pop video store shelf in the late '80s. Read my full review of the film here.
3. The Eyes of My Mother
The Eyes of My Mother is too pensive for horror fans look for typical blood and scares, but those who appreciate arthouse fare are likely to get wrapped up in its unsettling tone. Writer/director Nicolas Pesce makes an impact with his debut, utilizing stark black-and-white photography to explore a character study illustrating the repercussions of murder. The story is told in three chapters, which each one showing a significant familial moment in a woman's life that shapes her into the disturbed individual she ultimately becomes. It’s a slow burn, even at a mere 76 minutess, but every moment is spent ruminating in its dark tone.
4. Backcountry
Backcountry is based on a true story of a black bear attack. The predator doesn't show up until two thirds of the way through the film; the rest of the time is spent developing the relationship between Alex (Jeff Roop) and Jenn (Missy Peregrym, Reaper), who embark on what's supposed to be a romantic and relaxing weekend hike through the woods. Tensions first rise upon the introduction of an Irish backpacker (Eric Balfour, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), then again when the couple gets lost in the dizzying forest. It finally takes the form of a suspenseful survival thriller when the ferocious bear begins attacking their campsite. The investment in character development is worthwhile, as it causes the viewer to care about them, thereby making the final act even more harrowing. Real bears were used during production, adding to the ripe intensity.
5. Dig Two Graves
The first act of Dig Two Graves could be mistaken for a coming-of-age drama - not only thematically but also stylistically - as a young girl (Samantha Isler, Captain Fantastic) from a podunk town attempts to reconcile with her brother's death. Things really heat up when a trio of creepy men tell her they can bring him back to life... but someone else has to take his place. The story is structured in an interesting way, sprinkling in flashbacks that contextualize the actions taking place in the present. Isler delivers a brilliant performance, as does Ted Levine (The Silence of the Lambs), who plays her grandfather, the town's sheriff.
6. XX
XX is a horror anthology made up of four segments written and directed by females, each one strong and unique. “The Box” by Jovanka Vuckovic adapts a Jack Ketchum short story about a boy who's forever changed upon seeing the contents of a mysterious box. “The Birthday Party” by Annie Clark (better known as musician St. Vincent) is a darkly comic tale about a woman who finds her husband dead on the day of her daughter's birthday party. “Don’t Fall” by Roxanne Benjamin (Southbound) turns a serene hike into a blood-thirsty creature feature. “Her Only Living Son” by Karyn Kusama (The Invitation) finds a mother learning a deep, dark secret about her son. There's not much of a through line outside of them all being female-led (3/4 of which are maternal roles), though neat stop-motion animation wraps around the tales. Several familiar faces populate the cast, including Melanie Lynskey (Heavenly Creatures), Natalie Brown (The Strain), and Mike Doyle (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit). It's no secret that we need more female voices in film, and XX is a potent declaration that's impossible to ignore.
7. Stake Land II: The Stakelander
Despite a terrible title that could be mistaken for a joke, Stake Land II: The Stakelander is a sequel to Stake Land, Jim Mickle's impressive 2010 vampire film (which you should watch first; it's also on Netflix). Mickle resigns to executive producer, but his co-writer, Nick Damici, returns to pen the script. Damici also reprises his role as Mister, reuniting with Connor Paolo as Martin. The vampire slaying duo embark on a journey across a Mad Max 2-style post-apocalyptic wasteland infested with ferocious vampires, which resemble zombies more than your traditional bloodsuckers. As is often the case, it's the other humans that prove to be the real threat. Like its predecessor, the film finds a rare balance between drama and intensity. It's not as effective as the original, but fans won't be disappointed by the follow-up.
8. Tag
Tag (also known as Riaru onigokko) is not for everyone, but it's too gleefully weird not to warrant a recommendation. Written and directed by Sion Sono (Suicide Club), the Japanese film opens with a bus full of school girls getting sliced in half in one fell swoop. It only gets stranger from there as the infinite possibilities of multiple universes are explored. One girl survives each time, continually awakening in different realities after watching all her friends get killed in gory fashions - including a teacher mowing down her class with a mini-gun. I thought it might be adapted from a manga, as it has that bizarre, fantastical feel to it, but it's instead based on a novel. It's dreamlike and absurd but not without heart.
9. The Windmill
The Windmill (formerly known as The Windmill Massacre) is a slasher film from the Netherlands, although it's (mostly) in English. It follows a guided bus tour of Holland that breaks down near a mysterious windmill. One by one, the passengers are picked off by a cool-looking killer armed with a scythe. With glossy production value and a dark tone, it feels more like a throwback to late '90s slashers rather than the golden age of the '80s - but there's still some solid gore and practical effects. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but the film offers a slightly more involved plot than the average slasher, including flawed characters and supernatural elements. It's also gleefully mean-spirited to the very end.
10. Man Vs.
As you may have guessed from the name, Man Vs. uses a survival reality show as the framing device for a creature feature. Doug (Chris Diamantopoulos, Silicon Valley) is the survival expert/host, filming himself in the Canadian wilderness - only to learn that he's not alone. It would have been cheaper to make a found footage film, but it's more effect as a traditional movie - though there are some shots from Doug's gear. The set-up is a bit slow, however you may learn some survival tips along the way. The story essentially becomes Survivorman vs. Predator in the final act. Unfortunately, the CGI creature is Syfy-level bad, preventing the big reveal from having much impact, but Diamantopoulos delivers a solid performance nonetheless.
11. Abattoir
Abattoir is directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II-IV, Repo! The Genetic Opera), based on the same named graphic novel he created. It follows a real estate journalist (Jessica Lowndes, 90210) and a detective (Joe Anderson, The Crazies) as they investigate a series of houses in which tragedies occurred having the offending rooms torn out. They end up in a Twin Peaks-esque town where a local (Lin Shaye, Insidious) tells them of Jebediah Crone (Dayton Callie, Sons of Anarchy), an enigmatic reverend attempting to build a gateway to pure evil. Although set in the present, the picture is an unabashed love letter to film noirs of the 1940s and ‘50s. While the execution of the fascinating concept is lacking, Bousman manages to create a wonderfully imaginative neo-noir universe rife with spooky atmosphere. Read my full review here.
Bonus: The Keepers
If you were among the throngs of viewers morbidly captivated by Making a Murderer, The Keepers will be your new true crime fix. The Netflix original documentary series is every bit as compelling and frustrating as Making a Murderer, but the heinous crimes are even more stomach churning. The story revolves around an unsolved murder case of 26-year-old nun in 1969 and her then-students who have teamed up decades later to try to get to the truth. There appears to be a cover up that involves sexual abuse at the hands of a priest. The show consists of seven hour-long episodes. It probably could have been shaved down to five, but it's structured in such a way that make you want to keep binge watching.
Bonus: Riverdale: Season 1
Riverdale is like Twin Peaks meets Pretty Little Liars by way of Archie Comics. It reinvents the classic Archie characters for a modern audience with an interesting murder/mystery plot. I'm admittedly beyond the key demographic for the trashy teen drama that ensues, but the first season is fun enough, albeit inconsistent, to hook me. Several of the younger actors deliver great performances, given the heavy-handed material, but it's even more fun to see the parents played by '90s stars like Luke Perry (Beverly Hills, 90210), Mädchen Amick (Twin Peaks), Robin Givens (Head of the Class), and Skeet Ulrich (Scream). If you enjoy MTV's Scream, you'll likely get a kick out of this one as well.
#netflix#beyond the gates#riverdale#the keepers#the eyes of my mother#best of netflix#list#review#article
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buy baby clothes online
If you do not discover any drawback on this, you possibly can go for used baby clothes also. There presents some extra reasons why on-line shopping for clothes is consider being one of the best ways to shop for all kinds of baby things. So how a lot do it's worthwhile to spend on buying a snowsuit for a child or a toddler? Designer baby clothes, child equipment, baby sneakers and toddler gadgets are not the one merchandise obtainable in superstar trend wear for infants. If you don't need to get a one piece, then you would select to get separate snow pants and ski jackets to your baby or toddler. This is excellent news for those of you desirous to snag Depp’s model, as you will get your arms by yourself Che Guevara canine tag with one fast Google search. You will get wide number of kid’s t-shirts, sweaters, shorts, pants, hoodies and rather more.
I will likely be off to find out. So, it's best to check out clothes which are made from bamboo, lycra, or natural cotton. Must you be looking for 2016 New Arrivals Child Clothing Rompers Baby Lady's Newborn Sleeveless O-Neck Vest Type Climbing Cotton Fashion Clothes with probably probably the most profitable price. In case you might be looking for 3pieces youngsters set 0-2y cotton newborn child boy clothes Children's Set baby shirt jacket pants baby cotton set boys clothing set with probably the most successful value. Bottles, bibs, blankets, cribs, and newborn baby clothes are just some important articles. You can clearly try the clothes you've gotten ordered in your youngsters and if there is an issue related to dimension or such, most shops have the provision of changing your order with one which higher fits your needs. Humorous factor to we are in WA it tends to be wet and partly cold durring the holidays yet within the stores arround right here most are quick sleave and what not ..
When that is finished I will submit the sample and put it on here. You may also request different people for reference some reliable on-line put which promote nice clothes for babies. Caterer - Lots of individuals want meals for his or her occasions. I simply need more to do. While Gymboree clothes are usually barely costlier, their quality and design are completely well worth the buy! There are so many options as of late in fashionable child clothes. Sara Dresses is ranked amongst the best baby clothes online in ladies trend clothes and the voguish dresses they make seems to be exquisite. The comfort of the baby must be of utmost priority and SARA DRESSES makes certain that they don't compromise even a tad bit on the comfort factor. From yummy smelling child physique care products, gorgeous bicycle bells to your toddler's bike and story books to keep your baby entertained, designer baby and child merchandise have all of it. The mom must also see to it that the products are durable and might last long and also will fulfil the wants of the child and wont become pointless. The sizes- Infants can develop quick within the blink of an eye, so buying in bulk might not be the best choice typically as they'll outgrow.
Another great benefit of shopping for merchandise from baby shops is that you could select branded products for a similar at discounted prices which would make your purchase an inexpensive and luxurious expertise. One of many dependable wholesale child cloth dealers recommended shopping for low cost baby clothes on-line is Smooth Bebe. Lollipopmoon is the right choice to stock on adorable trendy child clothes and online child clothes at a discounted worth. FREE 3D SCAN WITH Each PRAM Package deal High Manufacturers Low Prices, Come and see us we're simply off the A470 to Nelson, High-quality Prams at Discounted Costs Makes Like Icandy, Silver cross, Quinny, Baby January Sale Begin Now! If you're looking to purchase child boy clothes, the web is a great place to start. Banbyno is the best place to buy child clothes without breaking the financial institution. The distinctive clothes properties, which are made by Pinocchio, enable the product to look perfect even after quite a few washings. Some of these stores focus on baby clothes.
For example, the baby boy seems actually cute in a checker shirt and so does a woman in a lovely checker skirt. For baby boys, in addition to the standard blue shade colours, you can go for earthy tones, gray, green and beige colours. David Jones supplies a variety of merchandise for Australian buyers including a very important child section! Notonthehighstreet is a singular online marketplace which brings together high quality products from smaller inventive companies. Providing music lessons for others could make a great house based mostly enterprise. Music Lessons - Did you're taking years of piano, guitar, or violin? It is a enjoyable beach accessory or it may be given as a gift at the subsequent birthday celebration you attend. You're welcome. I'm glad you need to use the free patterns. Meladora's site is a newer site, however she has numerous free patterns already and she is including new ones on a regular basis. They should go away their house and wander about various kinds of shops, which can waste lots of time and energy. This may provide her some level of confidence to look fashionable on day outs with you. Besides, with out going out, you is not going to be trapped into traffic jams and parking problems.
20 Things You Need to Do to Prepare For a New Baby
A wholesaler is a business entity that sells pre-pwned or new goods in large quantities along with other firms or individuals. In essence a wholesale business connects suppliers with retailers, commercial and industrial companies, and others in need of merchandise or recycleables. Wholesalers can concentrate on sourcing a unique good or material or provide a various goods with an industry, by way of example retail toys.
Therefore it is smart for the budding entrepreneur to consider opening an outlet that provides the needs of newborns. There will always be children born each year so there's no chance of running out of prospective customers. Also, because of how quick a child grows within the novice of the life, she or he will need to acquire all new wardrobes repeatedly in that fresh.
The entire above can squeeze into a big diaper bag. We are now carrying a baby in his or her infant carrier, a big diaper bag stuffed packed with baby clothing and changes of diaper, and enough milk and cereal to feed the kid for weeks. Parents are big on planning ahead! Baby clothing must be soft warm and cuddle some.
Securing suppliers is often a key activity in a very wholesaling business. Without reliable, quality suppliers, a wholesalers business is not successful. The internet is invaluable in sourcing suppliers, but nothing comprises web hosting contact and research. Be sure to investigate any potential supplier carefully and take necessary choose to ensure they will make a suitable business partner.
Purchasing your bamboo shoots at a nursery often means you are restricted to the alternatives supplied by that nursery. When you can decide upon a wholesaler you might have more options when selecting the types of plant as well as the size and chronilogical age of the shoots or adult plants you want. By selecting young plants and shoots you need to wait for them to mature but as bamboo is a fast growing plant you may not have long to way in any case. Deciding best places to plant and the way much to order may be driven by the wholesale costs and exactly how they're distributed.
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buy baby clothes online
If you don't discover any problem in this, you can go for used baby clothes also. There presents some extra the reason why on-line buying clothes is consider being the easiest way to buy for all sorts of baby things. So how much do you have to spend on buying a snowsuit for a child or a toddler? Designer baby clothes, child accessories, child shoes and toddler objects usually are not the only products accessible in celeb vogue wear for infants. If you don't need to get a one piece, then you can select to get separate snow pants and ski jackets on your child or toddler. That is good news for those of you eager to snag Depp’s type, as you can get your arms on your own Che Guevara canine tag with one quick Google search. You'll get extensive number of kid’s t-shirts, sweaters, shorts, pants, hoodies and far more.
I shall be off to search out out. So, it is best to take a look at clothes which are made from bamboo, lycra, or natural cotton. Must you be looking for 2016 New Arrivals Baby Clothes Rompers Child Woman's Newborn Sleeveless O-Neck Vest Type Climbing Cotton Fashion Clothes with most likely essentially the most successful value. In case you're trying to find 3pieces youngsters set zero-2y cotton newborn baby boy clothes Children's Set baby shirt jacket pants baby cotton set boys clothing set with in all probability essentially the most profitable value. Bottles, bibs, blankets, cribs, and newborn baby clothes are just a few important articles. You may clearly try the clothes you could have ordered on your children and if there is a matter related to dimension or such, most shops have the provision of replacing your order with one which better suits your wants. Humorous factor to we are in WA it tends to be wet and partly cold durring the holidays yet in the stores arround right here most are quick sleave and what not ..
When that is completed I will put up the sample and put it on here. It's also possible to request different folks for reference some reliable online put which advertise good clothes for infants. Caterer - Lots of individuals want meals for their events. I just want more to do. Whereas Gymboree clothes tend to be slightly dearer, their quality and design are completely definitely worth the buy! There are such a lot of options today in fashionable child clothing. Sara Dresses is ranked amongst the highest in women fashion clothes and the voguish dresses they make looks exquisite. The comfort of the youngster needs to be of utmost priority and SARA DRESSES makes sure that they do not compromise even a tad bit on the comfort factor. From yummy smelling child body care products, gorgeous bicycle bells on your toddler's bike and story books to keep your child entertained, designer youngster and child merchandise have it all. The mother also needs to see to it that the products are durable and can final long and also will fulfil the needs of the baby and wont grow to be unnecessary. The sizes- Infants can develop quick within the blink of a watch, so shopping for in bulk may not be the suitable option sometimes as they'll outgrow.
Another nice advantage of shopping for merchandise from baby stores is you could select branded products for a similar at discounted costs which would make your buy an inexpensive and luxurious experience. One of many dependable wholesale child cloth sellers really useful buying low cost child clothes on-line is Comfortable Bebe. Lollipopmoon is the baby bodysuits right selection to stock on adorable trendy kid clothes and on-line child clothes at a discounted price. FREE 3D SCAN WITH Every PRAM Package Prime Brands Low Prices, Come and see us we're simply off the A470 to Nelson, High-quality Prams at Discounted Prices Makes Like Icandy, Silver cross, Quinny, Baby January Sale Start Now! If you're looking to buy baby boy clothes, the internet is a great place to start out. Banbyno is the best place to purchase baby clothes without breaking the financial institution. The unique clothes properties, that are made by Pinocchio, enable the product to look excellent even after quite a few washings. A few of these stores concentrate on child clothes.
As an example, the child boy seems to be actually cute in a checker shirt and so does a woman in a lovely checker skirt. For child boys, in addition to the standard blue shade colours, you can go for earthy tones, grey, green and beige colours. David Jones supplies a variety of merchandise for Australian buyers including a really important baby section! Notonthehighstreet is a singular on-line market which brings together high quality merchandise from smaller creative businesses. Providing music classes for others can make a terrific home based business. Music Classes - Did you're taking years of piano, guitar, or violin? This can be a fun beach accessory or it may be given as a reward at the subsequent birthday party you attend. You are welcome. I'm completely happy you need to use the free patterns. Meladora's site is a newer site, however she has numerous free patterns already and she is including new ones all the time. They should leave their residence and wander about different types of stores, which will waste lots of time and energy. This can supply her some degree of confidence to look trendy on day outs with you. Besides, without going out, you won't be trapped into traffic jams and parking problems.
How to Make Your Little Baby Girl Stand Out?
One thing you can count on is your baby will quickly outgrow their entire wardrobe and require more! Babies need diapers, nightgowns, pajamas (using the feet in them please), blankets, undershirts, socks, booties, mittens, bonnets, romper suits, and some type of bag to tote about all of their belongings whenever you get them. They require softness, resilience, and warmth inside their wardrobe and you also, the parent, must insure they're comfortable constantly. Buying this all plus much more is usually a trying task but parents typically count on the aid of friends, often with the shower that is certainly thrown for mom at her place of work or perhaps a relative's home. Gifting coming from all that a baby requires is well appreciated because very often the costs associated with a newborn could be overwhelming to your budget.
Historically wholesaling was an exceptionally personal business, heavy on relationships and in-person contact. The internet has changed much of this dynamic as business priorities shift to real-time supply and 24/7 availability. A successful online wholesaler requires a sharp business sense, organizational skill, and intuition to achieve success. Here are the true secret activities for setting up a successful venture.
One: Product and industry choice. This may appear to be an understandable starting point, but one must decide on which they want to wholesale. Many successful wholesalers started wholesaling goods and service they knew well, or had good connections in the specific industry. Another approach is to research upcoming products or materials and search to go into early.
A fun project that I assembled with all the baby bodysuits was creating matching monthly iron-on designs that I could take progressive photos of the person in. I found a lovely image and added her name higher than the image and her age in months below the look. I printed one for every month around the iron-on paper that work well using your standard ink jet printer. They used in the child bodysuits effortlessly which is so fun looking back on the photos to see how she gets grown. One little tip though, wait to transfer the photos on the bodysuit until closer for the time for each photo. That way you know what size baby bodysuit will fit your baby best.
Step Three: Locate suppliers. The internet has transformed the wholesaling business there a wide range of sites, both general and specific, that match suppliers and wholesalers. These are beneficial to initial research, yet it's vital that you speak in greater detail to potential suppliers to make certain they are able to deliver.
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baby clothes stores
If you don't discover any downside on this, you'll be able to go for used baby clothes additionally. There presents some more the explanation why online shopping for clothes is consider being one of the best ways to shop for all kinds of baby issues. So how a lot do you need to spend on shopping for a snowsuit for a baby or a toddler? Designer child clothes, child equipment, child sneakers and toddler items usually are not the only merchandise available in celebrity style put on for infants. If you don't want to get a one piece, then you possibly can choose to get separate snow pants and ski jackets for your child or toddler. That is excellent news for those of you wanting to snag Depp’s model, as you may get your fingers on your own Che Guevara dog tag with one fast Google search. You will get extensive variety of kid’s t-shirts, sweaters, shorts, pants, hoodies and much more.
I can be off to seek out out. So, you need to take a look at clothes that are made from bamboo, lycra, or organic cotton. Do you have to be looking for 2016 New Arrivals Baby Clothes Rompers Child Girl's Newborn Sleeveless O-Neck Vest Type Climbing Cotton Style Clothes with in all probability the most successful worth. In case you're looking for 3pieces children set zero-2y cotton newborn baby boy clothes Youngsters's Set baby shirt jacket pants child cotton set boys clothes set with probably the most successful worth. Bottles, bibs, blankets, cribs, and newborn baby clothes are only a few important articles. You'll be able to clearly try the clothes you may have ordered on your children and if there is an issue related to dimension or such, most shops have the availability of changing your order with one which higher suits your wants. Funny thing to we are in WA it tends to be wet and partly cold durring the holidays but in the stores arround right here most are short sleave baby clothes for girls and what not ..
When that is completed I am going to post the pattern and put it on here. You may as well request other individuals for reference some reliable on-line put which advertise nice clothes for babies. Caterer - Tons of individuals want meals for their events. I simply want more to do. Whereas Gymboree clothes tend to be barely costlier, their quality and design are completely definitely worth the buy! There are so many options today in fashionable baby clothing. Sara Dresses is ranked amongst the best in women trend clothing and the voguish dresses they make seems to be exquisite. The comfort of the baby should be of utmost precedence and SARA DRESSES makes sure that they don't compromise even a tad bit on the consolation issue. From yummy smelling baby physique care products, gorgeous bicycle bells in your toddler's bike and story books to keep your baby entertained, designer baby and child products have all of it. The mom also needs to see to it that the products are durable and might final long and will also fulfil the needs of the child and wont turn into unnecessary. The sizes- Infants can develop fast in the blink of an eye fixed, so buying in bulk might not be the suitable choice generally as they are going to outgrow.
Another nice benefit of buying products from baby stores is that you would be able to choose branded products for a similar at discounted prices which would make your purchase an inexpensive and luxurious experience. One of the dependable wholesale child cloth dealers really helpful shopping for low-cost child clothes on-line is Mushy Bebe. Lollipopmoon is the proper alternative to stock on adorable trendy child clothes and on-line baby clothes at a discounted worth. FREE 3D SCAN WITH Each PRAM Bundle Top Manufacturers Low Costs, Come and see us we're simply off the A470 to Nelson, Top quality Prams at Discounted Costs Makes Like Icandy, Silver cross, Quinny, Baby January Sale Start Now! If you're looking to buy baby boy clothes, the web is a great place to start. Banbyno is the very best place to purchase child clothes with out breaking the financial institution. The unique clothes properties, which are made by Pinocchio, allow the product to look perfect even after quite a few washings. Some of these shops specialise in baby clothes.
As an illustration, the child boy appears to be like really cute in a checker shirt and so does a lady in a lovely checker skirt. For baby boys, apart from the standard blue shade colours, you can go for earthy tones, grey, inexperienced and beige colours. David Jones offers quite a few products for Australian shoppers together with a very significant child section! Notonthehighstreet is a singular on-line market which brings together high quality merchandise from smaller artistic businesses. Offering music classes for others can make a terrific home based enterprise. Music Classes - Did you take years of piano, guitar, or violin? This is a fun beach accessory or it can be given as a reward at the subsequent birthday party you attend. You are welcome. I'm pleased you can use the free patterns. Meladora's site is a newer site, but she has numerous free patterns already and she is adding new ones on a regular basis. They must leave their home and wander about different types of shops, which can waste loads of time and power. This will supply her some stage of confidence to look stylish on day outs with you. Moreover, with out going out, you won't be trapped into traffic jams and parking issues.
Buying Boots and Spanish Clothes for Your Wardrobe
Children love pampering. You may make your sweet little heart look fabulous by looking into making her wear beautiful children costumes and classy shoes. There are a variety of places to find these products. But it's easier to do your homework relating to this issue before making the offer. Before choosing anything for your kid, ensure it is certain it's great in quality. Many things must be considered while selecting anything for the children. From shoes, accessories, clothes, you have to choose everything after enough considerations. In addition to the budget factor, additionally you must give due importance on the comfort and ease.
For a fashionable entrepreneur, there are many reasons to consider this method. For instance, annually you will find 4 million children born within the United States alone, and every new child ensures that parents, relatives and buddies will all be thinking about purchasing infant apparel. Additionally, the average age of very first time mothers has increased from 21 inside the 1970s to 25 today. This is because couples are waiting a couple of years until these are inside a better finances before beginning a household. With increased financial security comes increased spending money, to ensure that parents tend to be interested than any other time in locating chic, trendy clothes for infants. Thus, there's always a niche for outfits for newborns.
Evaluate the site to achieve a better idea of how trustworthy the company is. Does owner list an unknown number, e-mail address, and location information in a readily available area? Also, make sure that the vendor isn't selling retail baby clothes while claiming to charge wholesale prices. Some "wholesalers" price their merchandise at retail prices but report that it is discounted in order to sell to na?�ve bargain hunters. A legitimate seller of wholesale baby products will have restrictions in position so that only retailers can purchase their goods.
Cotton and hemp will be the two fabrics most associated with organic clothing. In both cases, the organic seal refers to the growing practices and material finishing. This can cause confusion in the matter of hemp. The vast majority of hemp is grown organically since it is naturally pest resistant so pesticides are hardly ever used. The process in which hemp is made into fabric can negate this organic label if chemicals are used to break up the fibers. This also goes for bamboo and soy fabric. Marketers of the fabrics tout the eco-friendly nature and growing sustainability with the plants (which is true). But again, the method where the plants are turned into finished fabric might be filled with chemicals. The bottom line on this is usually to be a brilliant consumer. Be sure to make sure labels when choosing to be sure the clothing is really certified 100% organic.
Current retailers beware: despite a lovely and cuddly appearance, the newborn and toddler retail industry is in the same way competitive every other. Just as fashion and elegance designs constantly evolve each season for adults, today's moms are keeping tune with fresh and funky trend reports because of their babies. Businesses experiencing a reasonable or drastic decline in sales are a good idea to consider doing a thorough evaluation of current inventory items, and maybe a brand new up-to-date approach. The basics of infant apparel have not changed. Parents still depend on classic baby bodysuits, ensembles, and accessories to swaddle their little bundles of joy. However, they prefer to do this with style! Struggling retailers apprehensive about investment, even if a reinvention is important, are suggested to slowly introduce new items, softening the first blow while increasing profits immediately. Recovering lost customers is totally possible if the genuine effort was created to accommodate the ever-changing preferences of moms, dads, grandparents, and gift buyers. Several people in a very child's life will give rise to their wardrobes, attend showers and kids birthday parties, or splurge through the entire year on adorable outfits which can be just too sweet and charming to resist. Considering newborns grow out of clothing sizes faster than another department of retail, a lack of steady and predictable flow of infant garment sales needs to be something a retailer can rely on.
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