#weeklywrapup

- Misbehaving Honeys by @thinlines on ao3, 29k words

“Hey, since we’re on the topic of newbies… Don’t you guys feel like,” As casual as possible, Louis, you can do this. “That Styles kid has it out for me?” He kept his tone as neutral and unperturbed as possible, but judging from the startled looks he was getting, the comment must have taken his teammates by surprise.

“Styles? You mean Harry?” Liam asked, hands on his hips as he frowned.

Louis nodded and for a second Liam stared at him before bursting out in laughter.

In which Omega Louis can't figure out why the alpha newbie on their footie team seems to hold a grudge against him.

- Why Didn't We Make Out the Night We Met? by @berzerkshires on ao3, 52k words

Louis and Harry meet in an alley outside the hotel Louis is staying for the weekend. Harry introduces himself as Ed, and Louis is completely clueless. They have a relationship through text messages, phone calls, shared pictures and Facetime calls.

Is a cell phone being the only source of communication enough? Will Louis ever learn that he's really talking to an international popstar? And what happens when the world is shutdown due to a wide spread virus?

- The Journal by 4ureyesonly28, RecycledStardust on ao3, 14k words

When Harry finds himself purchasing an antique journal in the ancient bookshop of a town he's never heard of, he doesn't exactly want to admit that he has no idea how he got there. A myriad of odd coincidences and a few kind smiles from the shopkeeper have the two of them working hard to solve the mystery of this strange journal that seems to have been waiting for Harry for almost a hundred and thirty years.

- Lost & Found In Oblivion by @thinlines on ao3, 75k words

Everything wasn’t at all like he had planned. He was supposed to answer the door calmly and coolly, like a proper experienced adult dressed in protective hoodie and joggers. Not like this. But this was what he had and he had no choice but to roll with it.

“I fucking paid for this, didn’t I?” Louis muttered to himself and took a huge inhale.

OR Omega Louis decided to hire an alpha for his heat to ease his touch deprivation, but little did he know everything would grow into so much more.

- Here You Come Again by @Neondiamond on ao3, 22k words

A year after taking over his family’s peach orchard, Louis thinks he has it all figured out. His routine on the farm is mundane, yet familiar, and his dog Clifford is more than enough to keep him company. It isn’t until Harry, his ex-boyfriend who broke his heart and left their small town a decade ago to pursue a bigger, brighter future in the city, comes to stay on the farm that he realises just how badly he was lying to himself.

- No One Like You by @myownspark on ao3, 20k words

Dear Niall,

I was glad to have the chance to talk with you again at the AHA conference. Your idea that the Musee D’Orsay Tomlinson painting is in fact not a self-portrait is an intriguing one, and I may have discovered something that will have a bearing on that theory.

Some background: as you may remember, I’ve been researching for a book I’m writing about Harry Styles. I’ve been in communication with Styles’ last living descendant, who is in possession of a trunk that her family believed to have belonged to Styles himself. It held some personal items she presumes to be his, including two unmounted paintings and a small collection of letters.

Upon spending the last few days in Provins studying these items, I believe there to be a connection between Tomlinson and Styles, and I would very much like your opinion.

Are you up for a trip to France?

Sincerely,

Liam Payne

Where Liam and Niall are art historians discovering the truth about two nineteenth century painters on opposite sides of an artistic divide.

- Right down the line by @Poopish_scoopish on ao3, 61k words

Louis knew what was coming before Amanda even opened her mouth. He turned down towards his plate and pretended not to have heard their conversation, begging in his mind for her not to say anything.

"Louis lives in South Village!"

Bollocks.

He kept his head down. Don't notice me, don't notice me, don't notice me.

"Louis!" Amanda called across the distance between their round tables.

Fucking hell.

Louis tried his best to seem surprised at the sound of his name, uttering a reluctant, "Yeah?".

"Harry here has gotten his car damaged and has to take a taxi to work every day." Harry seemed to shrink in his seat, head hanging down a bit as if to cover himself. "Says he lives in South Village. Can't you pick him up on your way?" she asked with a smile, oblivious to both Louis' and Harry's apparent discomfort.

"Sure, I can pick you up."

I was really looking forward to TV & Film Production Week! It's the area I'm most interested in and even though I came in knowing absolutely ZILCH about how it all works, I finished the week having learnt soooo much. I couldn't be more grateful, this was exactly what I was looking for before trying to get my foot in the door. I'm feeling so much more pumped and excited to start applying for schemes/apprenticeships/jobs!!!

Day 1 - BBC

I learned about how to pitch a potential news investigation on this day and how the process looks like. You have to fill out the BBC News Commissioning Form, which I'd never even heard about.

I pitched an idea about investigating the often awful conditions of council flats, which was inspired by personal experiences, the recent ITV investigation into a mould-infested Croydon council flat and of course, Grenfell. The presenters gave me advice on how I would be better prepared to pitch this idea by gathering my own evidence of photos/videos and testimonies from residents. I hope that through a news story given by the BBC, a trusted media source, more awareness will be brought to this issue by giving residents a platform to voice their concerns. Those that live in council housing can be disregarded for being poor or BAME, so I hope more will be done in the future to avoid housing conditions becoming urgent or disastrous again.

One phrase I especially like that was said was: "Just because you can’t tell EVERYONE’S story, don’t stop it from telling SOMEONE’S story".

We also heard from Vinnie Shergill, a producer from Strictly Come Dancing! It's crazy to get to learn from someone that worked on a show I LOVEEEEEEEEED when I was younger. The outfits, the dances, the judges, Bruce Forsyth (rip <3)! An amazing opportunity to listen to someone that had to work from the bottom all the way to where she is now - mega inspiring. Some of the advice she gave that I'll try to take on board were to be tenacious and hardworking, to ask lots of questions and to have a good work ethic. Overall, great day - it's a 10 from me!

Day 2 - Warner Media

I really liked getting to see the sets of The Repair Shop. It was really refreshing to learn about the production from a more practical standpoint. My favourite part from this section was learning about the cameras and the different shots used - the presenter was very informative and interesting.

I also liked the Food Unwrapped sessions, especially having to come up with a food you've always wondered how was made. As a team, we came up with Scorpions and Snakes in Your Alcohol? Found out some CRAAAAZZZY facts about how they gut the snake so it will stay coiled in the bottle to show that it was fierce in spirit. Sickening... also I don't know about y'all but I'm not too keen on the idea of another pandemic so please, ppl, stop eating things that shouldn't be eaten.

I found the presentation given by the Production Coordinators especially useful as that's something I've been interested in and it was great to learn how you're involved right from the beginning to the end - meaning longer contracts andddd getting to know all the gossip :P

Day 3 - Docs with Matty Groves

Great, great, GREAT session delivered by Matty Groves. He was SO informative and I feel like this was such a great opportunity I would never have had access to before, so I'm really grateful to MediaTrust.

I loved watching the example docs, they were sooo good. They were able to deliver such powerful or heartwarming messages in a short amount of time. My favourite probably has to be Pockets, Oor Selfie and Treasure. I loved the idea behind Pockets, the wholesomeness of the elderly couple in Oor Selfie and the brilliant editing and filming style of Treasure, it looked like a really professional doc!

It was so lovely to hear everyone's story behind their treasure item and I have to admit I got a bit emotional. It really was such a unique and special session to have after the past few weeks, so of course, Day 3 was my highlight of the week.

Day 4 - UKTV

I was amazed at the amount of research that goes on behind the TV industry. It just never crossed my mind that Science would be used in an industry like this, but I learnt how important it is to learn about the viewing behaviours of the country to shape content.

They use neuroscience to learn what kind of content is best to keep a viewer engaged. For example, watching someone going away from the camera triggers conceptual closure, which makes your brain lose interest because it thinks it's the end. Therefore, it's better to keep such clips until the end to maintain interest - amazing.

Day 5 - Channel 4

I lovedddddd the session from Channel 4. Although it's been a while since I've watched Channel 4 on a TV, I definitely remember it being one of my top channels to turn to when there was nothing else to watch. So I could really appreciate the fact that they are built on TAKING RISKS. The video montage given on this was really, really powerful.

I also never knew they don't produce their own shows, it's all commissioned. I'm definitely going to be applying for the Production Training scheme - it's paid and is open to those who have basic experience.

After learning more about Channel 4 as a company, I definitely feel like they stood out to me more than the other companies. I was impressed with how much they've invested in their diversity (The TV Collective which gives opportunities to ten BAME-led production companies). I also rate all the schemes/apprenticeships/work experience they have on offer to help newbies into the industry.

I also LOVED the "Complaints Welcome" video, such a good laugh. Absolutely brilliant stuff.

Since I am apparently rubbish at posting across platforms during the week, I think I might start trying to do some brief weekly wrap-ups to share what I’ve been reading, what’s going on my blog, etc. So, we’ll start with the blog!

Monday - Review: They Mostly Come Out at Night by Benedict Patrick Tuesday - Top Ten Tuesday: Books By My Favorite Authors That I've Yet to Read Wednesday - Can’t-Wait Wednesday: A Winter’s Promise by Christelle Dabos Thursday - Review: My First Mangas: Fullmetal Alchemist & Fairy Tail Friday - The Friday Face-Off: A Cover Featuring Eyes

Also, if you’re wondering what books are coming out next month, my monthly ‘Anticipated Releases’ post is also up! I’ve been reading a few things off and on, though I’m slowly coming out of a reading slump so it’s been slow going lately. I was also super busy last weekend, so of course that meant I was stressed during last week (yay anxiety), which also contributed to not reading, haha. Nonetheless, I finally started A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne yesterday and I’m loving it so far. I’m also finishing up Smoke & Iron (The Great Library #4) by Rachel Caine--and I think it’s the best of the series so far-- and The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker, which I’m also enjoying.

What a week it has been!

It was so nerve-wracking and intimidating to be in a cohort of such talented and interesting people but once we broke the ice, I realised how lovely everyone was and that we're all in it together (can't believe my very first post starts off with a HSM ref but we move).

Day 1 - Rules & Tips / Agencies

We went through some ground rules to help us get the most out of the course, but I think the most important one and the one I struggle with, is to just ENJOY it! My perfectionism and constant need to take notes of every sentence said is the bane of my existence but I will continue to work on it so hopefullyyyyy, I'll be able to let loose and have fun with everyone else.

We learned about the different agencies, which was all very new to me, so it was interesting to learn about what goes on behind the adverts we see everywhere.

Day 2 - Mindfulness / Mental Health / Confidence

Day 2 was pretty overwhelming for me as we covered so much but it was such an important session to have - our mental health is a hidden battle each one of us fights every day so I'm so grateful to Simone and Tangina for bringing in awesome people to help us through it.

I enjoyed Holly's mindfulness exercise because it taught me the importance of being present so I'm going to do my best to meditate more.

We were blessed with the presence of Ore Ogungbayi and she imparted to us so much wisdom. Her honesty and strength inspired the group to open up and I know I'll be going back to her teachings to get me through tough times.

Chris Forrester kindly came in to help us build confidence and it was really interesting to learn the concept of your thoughts being in the past/present/future. I learnt that a lot of my anxiety comes from not living in the moment - my head is worried about something in the future that 99% of the time, is probably not going to happen.

Day 3 - Cultural Tribes

This day was the highlight of my week because I couldn't stop smiling at everyone's cultural tribes, they were so funny! I was sooo nervous to say my one since I knew it'd be controversial (but I stand by my statement: Nando's is still overrated). Once it was over tho it wasn't so bad. I ended up connecting with the group through our mutual love for dogs and anything Korean!

Day 4 - Personal Bios & Vision Letters

I completely flopped on my vision letter because, for some reason, I couldn't wrap my head around having to write a letter... to myself... that I will open a year later... and reading about things that have happened... yeah, I still don't get it :')

BUT I love the idea, and I'm going to try again because you can never predict life and it'll be really amusing to read back next year :)