#Boxing Day in UK and England

[dansnaturepictures]

26/12/2023-Views and sky scenes on Boxing Day walks at Lakeside and at home. It was a classic winter day with the sun sitting behind clouds creating creamy sky scenes as the rising full moon is doing as I write this, and great bits of light. Impressive layered clouds created enticing sky scenes from start to finish with nice reflections enjoyed on the lakes. It was notable how the temperature had dropped a bit for my second walk of the day in the late afternoon and a bit of mist began to come in at Lakeside.

[fght-ff-yr-dmns]

Quintessentially British

[rileychester]

Question for people who live in the UK.

What exactly is a modern celebration of Boxing Day, Dec 26, for the average person in the UK?

I know a little of the history back in the 1900s, but in current times nope. I believe it was a time for the master of the house to treat the servants. Also for those who were better off to give to those who were without.

My best guess for what goes on now is that it's just a chill day where most people are off from work, the banks are closed, eating Christmas leftovers in a sandwich. Probably hanging out on the couch in front of the telly.

As a kid growing up in America I just always really liked the name, but it was more when stuff went on sale to clear out after Christmas.

[judecole]

caught on film. cp20

pairing: you x cole palmer

summery: you’re a famous retired footballers daughter and have been dating cole for a few months. the media hasn’t caught on to your relationship just yet but your appearance at the euros final in a certain players shirt causes quite the stir.

word count: 2114

authors note: idk

THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION.

You’re not exactly sure what you did in your past life to end up here, in this beautiful grand hotel in central Berlin. Despite your luxurious lifestyle, being born with a silver spoon in your mouth and having everything you ever wanted, you never took a single thing for granted. The hotel foyer is vast and grand, great marble columns dwarfing everyone in sight and traditional historic paintings in huge gold frames hanging on every wall. It’s beautiful. You stay in these kinds of hotels regularly but they never cease to amaze you. Your family PA is checking you and your family into the hotel as the several concierges begin collecting your luggage. You smile warmly at them and thank them before the manager greets you to show you to your suites. As soon as you enter your room you lay flat out on the bed, exhausted from your day travelling. You’d been flying back and forth from the UK to Germany for the last month. Any major footballing tournaments were a big deal in your family, you’ve been to pretty much every one since you were born. You can remember being a small child, wearing a shirt with your father’s name and number on the back and feeling so proud every time he stepped on the pitch. However now, things were a bit different. Your family were now invited as special guests and given all the best treatment, a private box in the stands where members of staff would meet your every need. You did truly feel blessed and very appreciative for everything your parents had done for you and your siblings.

You pull your phone out from your trouser pocket and check for any messages. Nothing. You bite your lip and open up iMessage and clicking on Cole’s name. You had been dating Cole for about six months. Things were going very well for the two of you, your parents loved him, especially your dad who was amazed by his talent on the pitch. You’d initially met him when he played at Manchester City after being invited to watch an U21’s match. You loved his laid back style and calm manor when he was playing. You smile as you remember the first time you spoke to him, all sweaty after the game. You’d gone down with your dad to congratulate the boys on their win and chatted with them. You swear you’d fallen for him right then and there, not being able to get his stupid grin out of your head. You begin typing a message to him when your younger sister walked into your room, plopping herself next to you on the bed. “You texting Cole?” She asks, a smirk on her face. She loved to wind you up about your relationship with the football player, often saying that the pair of you made her feel sick. You roll your eyes before replying, “Yeah, I’m gonna see what he’s doing after training.” You type out the message, “I know ur probably training rn but what are u doing tonight? I wanna see youuuu.’

You place your phone down on the bed and lay back, resting your head on the soft pillows. “Are you nervous about tomorrow? I hope Cole gets to play.” Your sister says, actually not being mean or sarcastic for once. “Yeah. I hope he does too.” You hear your phone ding. Picking it up, Cole’s name flashes on the screen. ‘Defo getting an early night but i can see you in the afternoon. Love ya.’ You smile at the words. You know how serious he takes his job, but he never fails to make time for you too. You text him back quickly and lay back again, smiling. “You’re so in love with him it’s gross.” Your sister playfully hits your arm causing you to slap her back.

A few hours later you’re getting ready to head to the England Squads hotel, a little trip planned by your father’s management team that conveniently lined up with your plans to meet Cole that afternoon. Your mum comes in to your room as you’re putting on some makeup and compliments your outfit, a simple pair of jeans and a top that was sent to you by a company that no doubt cost more than a night in the hotel itself. You smile and thank her, pulling her into a gentle side hug as she kisses your head. Your mum was definitely surprised when you told her about your relationship with Cole. Given your previous dating history he would never had been your type. But there was just something about him that instantly pulled you in, you still don’t know what it was to this day but you weren’t complaining.

Arriving at the squads hotel you check your hair and makeup in a compact mirror, brushing a few stray hairs into place with your nails. Your sister rolls her eyes, something that had now become the norm and makes a comment under her breath you can’t really hear. You get out the car and are greeted by some of the staff who lead you in through the hotels modern entrance. The hotel looked more like a spa than a hotel, every piece of furniture placed exactly, in a way to promote relaxation. You follow through the entrance into a board room, filled with players, staff and other prolific footballing legends and their families. You scan the crowd, looking for Cole. It doesn’t take you long as you see your dad pulling him in for a hug and patting him on the back, obviously congratulating him on reaching the finals. You grin as lock eyes with him, quickly wrapping your arms around him. He places a kiss to the top of your head, surprising you. He wasn’t the biggest fan of PDA, even the smallest things like holding hands made him panic. Maybe it was the fact you were one of the most famous people in the world which constantly occurred to him but never to you. You noticed some eyes laying on the pair of you which made you release him. You quickly returned to your professional manner and wished him good luck before finding your mum. She nudges you and gives you a cheeky smile when you reach her. “You two are silly. Why does it matter if anyone finds out?” She says. “It’s not that. I want to be public with him but not now. I want him to focus on football and I don’t want the media circus for him right now.” You say and give her a small smile. “Well that’s very thoughtful of you but make sure you’re public before Christmas because I’m not editing him out of the Instagram pictures.” She wraps an arm round you as you approach more people and chat about the final tomorrow.

Later that night after an expensive dinner in a posh restaurant near the squads hotel, you text Cole and tell him you want to see him before he goes to bed. He replies almost immediately and you ask your driver to wait outside the hotel and that you were just going to take a quick walk. You could see his tall figure on approach which made you speed up, not wanting to waste any more time not having his arms around you. “Hey.” He says softly when you reach him, extending his arms out and enveloping you in them. “Hey.” You almost whisper. “Wanna go for a walk?” You nod your head and begin walking hand in hand. It was dark now but the city of Berlin was still bustling, what with the warm weather. You walk past busy restaurants and bars packed with what you could only assume were England fans based on the noise. Cole squeezes your hand every so often, he can feel his palms become clammy when you look up at him. He still couldn’t believe his luck. After the first time he met you he couldn’t get you out of his mind. He was glad you made the first move though, otherwise you probably wouldn’t have been in this position now. Once you reach somewhere quieter Cole lets go of your hand and wraps his arm around your shoulder, pressing a kiss to your temple at the same time. “Are you nervous about tomorrow?” You ask him. You almost knew what he was about to say, “Not really. You know me.” He cracks a smile.

“I hope Southgate plays you, Cold Palmer.” You joke and poke his side playfully. “Me too. Hopefully I’ll get some time.” You end up sitting on a bench overlooking a river, the hustle and bustle far behind you now. “It’s really pretty here.” You mutter. “Not as pretty as you.” He winks as you roll your eyes. You continue talking for a while before Cole regretfully tells you it’s getting late and he probably needs to head back now. He places a quick peck on your lips and stands up, offering you a hand. “I’m so excited for tomorrow. Are you gonna score a goal for me Palmer?” You tease as you approach the hotel. He shakes his head at you and smiles. When you return to the hotel entrance he turns to face you, you look up at him and he swears his heart starts beating a hundred times faster. “I’ll see you after the game, okay? I love you.” He places a soft kiss on your lips making you blush. “Good luck babe. I love you too. You’re gonna smash it.” You wave him goodbye and open the door of the car, getting in and thank your driver for waiting.

You wake up the next morning with a nervous feeling in your tummy. It sticks around for pretty much the whole day. You feel especially nervous when getting dressed. You grabbed your England shirt that you’d hung carefully in the hotel wardrobe and put it on, turning around in the mirror to see the back. You’d always wanted to wear his shirt to a game. You snap a quick picture and keep it for later, maybe to post on Instagram. You knew the absolute carnage that would take place when you did. You arrive at the Olympiastadion Berlin in your families usual fashion, through the back in all blacked out vehicles with staff waiting for you at the other end. The nerves had well and truly kicked in now. You check your phone to see if Cole had texted you. You knew he wouldn’t be nervous, very sure in himself and the team’s quality but you wanted him to text you to ease your nerves. Your dad shook the hands of the staff that greeted you and you thanked them as they took you all up to your private box. You were sharing with a few other well known people, you eagerly greeted them with big smiles.

(We all know how the game went so we’ll just leave it at that.)

A devastating loss for England. You were gutted. But also immensely proud of Cole. He’d been subbed on in the seventieth minute and scored only three minutes later. The only goal for England that game. You headed down to the pitch once everything had calmed down and spotted Cole in the stands with his family. His eyes were glassy with tears as he spoke to his dad. You approach slowly and he notices you, standing up immediately and wrapping you in a tight hug. You could hear the snapping of cameras behind you but neither of you cared in that moment. “I’m sorry baby.” You spoke quietly as you pulled away, cupping one side of his face with your hand. “You were amazing.” He sniffled slightly, trying not to cry in front of you but failing miserably as he pulled you in again. You rubbed his back reached up to kiss his cheek. His dad walked towards the both of you and pats Cole on the back before sitting with Cole’s mum. “I can’t believe we lost.” He reaches up to dry his eyes as you pout and rub his arm. You turn around slightly hearing his sister call your name. “Love your shirt.” He smirks a bit, it clearly cheering him up. He wraps his arm around your shoulder as you begin chatting with his sister.

You’re on your way back to your hotel when your phone begins to blow up. Story after story about your relationship with Cole, using the picture they clearly got when you were consoling him after the game. You save the picture, setting it as your lockscreen and then posting the picture of you in his shirt from earlier to your Instagram story.

[mapileonxputellas]

Beckham II: 2 That Day

Part 2 is here!!!!!

Short one for this part but I think some context is needed before I bring us back to the present day!

Hope you enjoy! Also in this the third place game doesn't exist.

(Part 1 can be found here x)

2nd July 2019, England vs USA, World Cup Semi-final

25th minute – 1 - 1

“This is a real battle out there isn’t it Sue?” Jonathon Pearce broadcasted to the UK, all eyes on the England team trying to defeat the US. Though they had gone behind very early on, an Ellen White leveller had brought them back onto even terms.

“It certainly is, you can see how much this means to all the players out there. None of this England team have ever experienced an occasion like this before but they seem to be carrying that emotion well.”

Out on the field it felt like an out of body experience. Before this the biggest game you’d played in would have to be a substitute appearance in an FA cup final, now you were starting the semi final at a World Cup. You were 19 and felt like the whole world was watching you.

At the start of the tournament you hadn’t been expecting to start but when Jill Scott picked up an injury in the round of 16 you’d stepped into the starting position next to Keira and never looked back. Receiving praise back at home for the level-headed game you played but still managed to bring out that touch of David Beckham in you.

It was a free-kick in the quarter-final that really brought you to the forefront of the nation. A slick ball which soared into the top corner of the net leaving their goalkeeper stranded and left everyone open-mouthed at home. You were never a nobody but now you were here to stay. Your Instagram following doubled and whenever you left the hotel in the past week the camera had never left you. The pressure was on.

“Fucking hell.” You swore coming up to take a corner for England nestled into the corner of the ground flooded with US fans.

“Nepotism trash!” “Daddy not here to hold your hand!” “Can’t even kick a ball!” “Weak!” “Spineless!”

The insults were flying in from every angle, everything was covered in the thirty seconds you had to wait to take the corner, of course your dad was mentioned but so was your appearance in the media. Newly turned 19 and yet it seemed like you were still the five-year-old girl who had her father carry her everywhere. Everyone just presumed you were an innocent little baby who couldn’t put in a tackle, you hated it.

But now was not the time to let that frustration out. Now was game time when nothing else mattered.

Your in-swinging corner found Millie on the edge of the 6-yard box but she couldn’t quite get the connection on it to trouble Naeher, instead giving her an easy catch but you could feel it coming.

The only problem is now there was now a break on. A quick release from the goalkeeper had set Lavelle free, Keira had stayed back but you couldn’t leave her one on one with Morgan in the centre.

You had one second to make a decision.

One second to work out how to stop her. You could try and get further back but you knew you had to stop it at source.

You were known for your pace so you had no trouble getting back to her but Lavelle was known for her trickery and skill.

In your head you made the best decision you could. You followed the rules you played football by and trusted your instinct.

That was where the world as you knew it slowly began to fade away.

“Oh that’s a nasty one from Beckham there and Lavelle seems seriously hurt.”

You thought it was clean, in fact you were sure of it. The contact with the ball was clear sending it flying out of play, you didn’t touch her other than her leg coming into yours as she came over the top of you and yet as she rolled around on the floor it was like the opposite had happened.

Suddenly you were surrounded by players in red, all screaming at you. “What the fuck did you do that for?” “Learn that one from your daddy did you?”

Millie came to stand in front of you, trying to block you from the players as Steph and Lucy surrounded the others at the referee.

“She didn’t touch her.” Millie defended you. “Tell your own player to stop cheating.”

You thought that would be the end of it. Tempers flared, emotions were high and you would get on with the match again. When the referee reached into her pocket you were convinced it was to calm everyone down, a booking usually helped to send a message out but when you saw it was red and it was flashed in your direction it was like time stopped.

“It’s a red card for Beckham, just like her father that name has once again come back to haunt England.” Jonathon commentated. “It’s a long way back for them here.”

You couldn’t believe what was happening. “Go and have a look yourself.” Millie shouted at the ref to overcome the noise in the stadium. “It was a clean tackle, she didn’t touch her.”

“The contact was enough to endanger the opponent. It’s reckless, dangerous and that it is a red card.”

“VAR has got to overturn this.” Sue Smith pointed out. “She’s nowhere near her opponent, it’s not even a yellow card.”

“When you make a challenge like that you bring about a decision from the ref.”

“But that’s what VAR is here for, to show the referee what actually happened. Beckham has arguably been one of the players of the tournament and yet she could be remembered for just this moment.”

It could have been minutes, it must only have been thirty seconds that you stood there. Waiting for some to tell you it had all been a big mistake. Apologies would come and you’d be able to restart the game.

Instead VAR confirmed the red card. You’d been sent off in the most important game you’d ever played in, maybe would ever play in.

This time though it felt like the impact hit you immediately, looking back it was probably the reason you hated showing any emotion now. Your teammates tried to comfort you as the tears started to come but the guilt was already too much, you couldn’t bare to be around anyone right now so pulling your shirt over your face you walked back inside. Every step towards that sideline felt like you were wading through quick sand, the boos from the US side ringing in your ear as you tried to head to the tunnel.

Before the match had begun your brother had FaceTime’d you, at the time you imagined looking up at them at the final whistle, perhaps celebrating with them. Now you couldn’t face looking where you knew they would be sat. The disappointment from yourself was too much to handle right now never mind disappointing your idol, your father.

You can vaguely remember Karen Carney coming out to meet you on the touchline, a kiss being pressed to your head and a little muttering of “keep it together” in your ear. Maybe it was for the best that everyone else was busy trying to reshuffle the pack a few sympathetic faces were thrown your way but you knew football didn’t have time for sentiment. Maybe it was also for the best that Phil didn’t even look your way, your favourite kitman met you to head back into the changing rooms with you but the rest didn’t even bat an eyelid at you.

It was only when you got inside, when you were all alone that the emotion fully came out.

The anger, the pure sadness, the hatred you felt towards yourself. It started that day and it felt then like you’d received a life sentence. A life sentence hating yourself.

……

“Phil, a lot happened out there today. Can you tell us your overriding emotions right now?”

“Oh I’m just proud of every dingle girl out there who competed to the very end. They gave it their all tonight and this result shouldn’t tarnish their pride in themselves or in each other. They stuck in the game when it seemed like other people threw it away.”

“We can’t shy away from Y/N Beckham, what were your thoughts?”

“As football players we know that every tackle we put in can lead to a card and she made that decision. It’s hard because I know the talent is in there but talent can’t be everything.”

“Do you think it should have been a red?”

“Like I said the referee was put in a position where she had to make the decision. We can all wish for different outcomes on the pitch but sometimes we just have to accept them.”

“How is she doing now?”

“As a team we are all very disappointed right and I think it’s the team we should be focusing on right now.”

“Fucking bullshit.” If this was your own bedroom perhaps you would have thrown the remote at the TV, instead you calmly had to just turn it off.

Maybe it wasn’t the best decision to turn on the TV when you got back to the hotel room. England had lost in the end, going 2-1 down to an Alex Morgan winner, they’d given it there everything but it just wasn’t enough.

In the two hours since the game finished you couldn’t count the number of times you’d cried. Firstly on your own, then with some of the girls, then on your own again on the bus and yet not a single word had been said. You knew you’d never be able to say sorry enough times and they knew it was no use telling you anything right now. Though you were crying it was almost as if you were blank inside, you couldn’t take in anything else right now. Your usual spot on the bus next to Keira was left vacant, instead you found a little corner and tried to kid yourself and other that you were asleep when how could you be with all the thoughts swirling in your mind.

Your phone lay switched off on the other side of the room, that interview being the first real insight you’d got into any opinions on the matter. He was right, he might not have said it outright but it was obvious he blamed you. When Phil brought you in for your first senior camp fans were concerned about favouritism but if anything it was the opposite. He had this almost saintly view of your dad and you would never be anything compared to him.

You knew he would be worried, he tried to protect you from everything growing up but now he was powerless. Yet even knowing that you couldn’t bring yourself to switch the phone on, answer any of the messages or calls you’d received before you turned it off on the couch.

It was all too much.

…..

The plan was always for you to spend the 2 weeks you had off after the weekend in the south of France, a quaint villa in the middle of nowhere which you’d had since you were a child. This place was one of the only true places you could just be yourself. You could vividly remember the holidays there once a year being the only time you felt truly free. Your father would spend every second of the day just being a father and your mother could show you her true self, the fun and carefree woman she was away from the pressures of the public eye. This was the place where yourself, Brooklyn and Romeo would spend hours on the beach with a ball and jumpers for goalposts, where you all taught Cruz to ride a bike and Harper to swim. This place meant so much to you.

It felt wrong to tarnish this place with the thoughts you had right now.

That’s why when you touched down in London the following day instead of rushing back to your apartment to pack and meet your family at the airport, you sat, staring at the clock. Time passed, they would have waited for you to arrive and slowly realised you weren’t coming. They would probably be worried and it was for that reason only that you finally turned your phone on. The messages flooded onto your lock screens, dozens of missed calls came through but you ignored them all simply sending a message to your mum claiming you were fine and didn’t want any company right now, only one of those statements being true.

Maybe you should have expected the phone call that immediately came up from your father but they also should have expected your immediate response, decline.

You always thought you were quite strong about the media. You’d grown up with famous parents, you sadly were used to comments about every aspect of yourself from your appearance to the way you spoke. In your time at Chelsea you’d had your fair share of stick from the fans about your place in football but before this you’d proved everyone wrong.

People called you dumb, you passed all your exams and were studying part time for a degree.

People commented on your appearance, your friends and family’s comments opposed that.

United fans taunted you in an FA cup match, you stuck the ball in the top corner and celebrated right in front of them.

All those times you’d known they were wrong and could do something about it. All that media training and yet in that moment you broke the number one rule and opened Twitter.

The results were more horrendous than you ever could have imagined. Not only were there comments about your performance, but they also came for your family, your friends, yourself. The death threats were constant, every other comment on an article link were suggesting this was punishable in unimaginable ways.

Instagram though more concentrated felt worse when you checked a post from your best friend outside of football, comments were left under her post for even just being associated with your name. Taunting her, taunting you and threatening the both of you. Not only had you disappointed everyone but now you were putting those you loved in danger.

Leaving Instagram, blurry eyed and shaking like a leaf, twitter was opened once again. You couldn’t stop and the more articled you read, the more the panic started to set in. People knew where you lived from media pictures, it wouldn’t be long before they came here again. You lived in a gated community but they’d find a way in. You’d never be alone.

Your throat was closing in, it was becoming harder to breath as you panicked more. The only thing you could do was phone the only person who would understand.

“Dad…. dad I need you.”

……

Everyone probably thinks they have the best family but in this moment you knew yours were the best. Thirty minutes on from that phone call you were in your old family living room, curled up in blankets next to your mum and dad, eating homemade chocolate cake and listening to your sister talk you through her week. The biggest drama in which being a girl who took the last apple juice carton and left her with orange juice, which to an eight-year-old felt like the end of the world.

You hadn’t even said another word on that phone call before your dad was ordering you to pack a bag and promised he would be with you in less than ten minutes.

“Why didn’t you go to France?” Your thoughts came out. “We were meant to go.”

“Like we were ever going to leave you here alone,” Your dad chastised you. “I know you well enough to know you might not have needed us in that moment but we were always going to be there when you did.”

“I didn’t mean to do anything, I thought I made the right decision and now people are threatening me. They’re going to find me.”

“They’re not.” Your mother immediately comforted you. “I’ve watched enough football over the years to know tackles like that are made every week and they never get punished. Football is a game, you live for it but it’s a game and people sometimes forget that. You were a big reason England even got to the semi-final and people need to remember that.”

“What did your teammates say?” Brooklyn asked from the next sofa with my other brothers.

“I haven’t spoken to them.”

“What? You flew home with them this morning.”

“I can’t look at them. They’re all sad because of me, everyone knows it, they were always on the back foot because of me and now they’re going home.”

“Millie messaged me this morning.” Brooklyn said. You were of course very close to the Chelsea girls and they’d met your family more times than you could count. You remember they exchanged numbers before you went away on a summer camp one year just in case they needed to contact your family. “She asked me to look after you, they’re not upset.”

“They’ll never admit it, at least not to my face but how can I play with them again after all this.”

“They’re your friends.” Your mum implored and she was right. You were the youngest in the world cup but yourself Leah, Keira and Georgia had formed a little England squad bond. Your sensible and often shy nature balancing out their craziness.

“They’re better off without me. I need to get out of here.”

“Out of where?”

“Out of England, I can’t stay.”

[mrs-saturday]

🏹 The Archer (LS2)

♥ my masterlist!

♥ pairing: Logan Sargeant x Reader

♥ synopsis: The aftermath.

♥ a/n: Im so upset. Im broken. This is my grieving process

Combat, I'm ready for combat,

The pre-race ritual has always been the same for Logan and you. In front of the mirror, your hands slipping around his toned midriff, nails tracing the evidence of gym sessions beneath his race suit, his helmet on its stand, air at a standstill, as his head falls back onto your shoulder with a shaky exhale.

He knew it, and you knew it.

Zandvoort was the last one, and even though no one knew that for certain, and Vowles hadn't called the meeting, hadn’t thrown down the gavel on the blonde’s dream, you both knew it and it sat in your stomachs like a weight.

He picks his head back up, and turns to face you, planting a small kiss on your nose, and you do the same.

His nose is awfully cold, but you watch him slip the helmet on, and pray that it warms him through.

I say I don't want that, but what if I do?

Watching him spin out was like the nail in the coffin.

Watching orange tongues lap at the rear of his car was enough to drive you to a Hamlet-like state; to jump in his grave, pull the casket lid wide, and scream to the onlookers your love. 

When he’s back from medical, he looks at you, a silent acceptance of the end of his career quite literally going up in flames. He runs over, head buried in your chest as silent sobs wrack through his trembling frame. “Logan…” you mutter into his hair, about to ask what he thought would happen to his seat.

“I don’t even want it anymore…” he cries

“But, what if you do?”

'Cause cruelty wins in the movies,

He was told he was out 2 days before they announced it. The young Argentinian with his head hung low in the meeting room, unable to look at Logan. The cold fist of Vowles telling him what he’d been expecting, but the thought of him ruining this young boy’s career filled him with rage. 

How dare he do this again. How dare he do this to another bright star, to ignite his explosion all too short of a supernova. 

I've got a hundred thrown-out speeches I almost said to you

You try to get him to stop for a moment, but he’s sat furiously typing. He has to get it all out, he says. Too many thoughts, he says. He types and types as you hold him. Every frustration, every late upgrade, every lost nugget of feedback, every false promise, the results of which spilled into the American’s notes app like he was a teenage girl, feeling her heartbreak through lines of shower thoughts and ill-placed rhymes.

When he finished, he exhaled, and looked at you, with a weak smile, and hit delete on the note. 

Easy they come, easy they go

You two don’t stay in the UK long. The boxes are full the day it’s announced and the flights to Florida only a few days after. 

“Home” he had begged on that night, “If the track can’t be, I want to make home with you”

And you agreed, you packed up your life in England alongside him, the helmets and trophies of past delegated to a manila coloured box labelled “FRAGILE: HANDLE WITH CARE”

They would stay there.

For a while, at least.

I jump from the train, I ride off alone

The last thing he does is visit Oscar. Or at least, he tries to. His rosy knuckles tap on the Australian’s door one last time before he realises Oscar is not answering, despite the party going on inside the house. He is far too busy living their dream to remember to answer to the door to a boy delegated to a photograph on his mother’s refrigerator. 

I never grew up, it's getting so old, Help me hold onto you

It’s like he’s 11 again, in his parent’s living room, watching ‘Top Gun’, and eating popcorn. No one has bought it up. Not you, not his parents, not Dalton, it hangs in the air like the wheel had clung to his car by a wire’s length. Instead, you all ignore it for the simple pleasure of family. You laugh as he throws popcorn at his brother like they’re children. And you smile to yourself.

He never got to be a kid, really so why not hold onto that freedom now?

I've been the archer

He’d been the winner

I've been the prey

He was the prey

Who could ever leave me, darling?

You could never leave him, darling.

But who could stay?

Home always stayed.

[alotofpockets]

From dreams to diapers | Alessia Russo

Pairing: Alessia Russo x Arsenal!Reader & Lotte Wubben-Moy x Best Friend!Reader

Prompts: "Twins? We're having twins?" & "You're great with kids."

Warnings: Pregnant Alessia, morning sickness, and a whole lot of fluff :)

Masterlist | Woso masterlist | Words: 2.3k

You had met Alessia when the both of you made the squad at UNC. You found comfort in being surrounded by a piece of home in both her and your other teammate Lotte, the three of you being the only girls in the squad that were from the UK. The connection with both girls was great, over time Alessia had become your girlfriend, and Lotte your best friend. 

The three of you made it to the England U15 squad together, and continued to grow up together moving up all the way to the seniors team. While you all played together for country, you had signed with different clubs in the UK. Lotte was the first that signed with Arsenal, you followed a few years later, and Alessia had signed for the club last year. Playing for the same club, and all living in the same city was such a great feeling.

Ever since you started dating Alessia, the two of you had talked about wanting children together in the future. Alessia made the move to Arsenal, when the talk of starting a family started to get more real. Sure, it had always been real but now you both felt like you were ready to actually start a family. The talking started to be less about the general idea, and more about the practical side.

After many consults, and conversations between the two of you, you had decided that Alessia would carry. The striker was more than happy to put her career on hold to get your little family started. You had started the process of getting pregnant a few months ago now, a box of pregnancy tests always present in the house. So far you had only gotten negative results, you both knew it wasn't likely for her to get pregnant right away, so you patiently waited for the day that a test would show a positive result.

A couple weeks later, you wake up to Alessia running to the bathroom. You quickly follow her, and hold her hair up as she’s leaned over the toilet, your hands rub soothing circles over her back. Your wife leans her back against the wall, relishing in the coldness of the tiles against her back. Before you get up to get her a glass of water, you place a soft kiss on her forehead. “Should we check?” A question you had asked her many times over the past few months. 

While you wait for the pregnancy test to be ready, you cuddle up in bed together, holding your wife close. Your alarm lets you know that the test is ready to be checked. Alessia grabs the test from her bedside table, the result face down. “Ready, baby?” You smile at her, before you lean in and kiss her, “Now I’m ready.” Alessia slowly turns the test around, it feels like time stops for a moment when you read the word positive. You slowly lift your head up to look at your wife, who looks at you with matching teary eyes. The both of you are too overwhelmed with emotions to speak, so you just fall into each other's arms. “We’re going to be parents.” You say still in disbelief, when you finally find your voice again. “We’re going to be parents.” Alessia says back, the smile on her face growing.

The two of you stay in the bed a lot longer than you usually did on days you had training, neither one of you wanting to end the moment. But as training got closer, you knew you had to. “Do you feel okay going to training? If not I can call Jonas.” Alessia pecks your lips, “I’m okay to go, thank you though.” She could already tell that you were going to be very protective of her during this pregnancy. 

You kept exchanging love sick glances with Alessia, while the both of you were basking in the moment of the two of you being the only ones in the world that knew that Alessia was pregnant. However, the love sick glances didn’t go unnoticed to your best friend. “What’s up with the two of you?” She asks as the two of you walk up the water bottles. “Nothing.” Your reaction was way too quick for Lotte to believe a word that was coming out of your mouth. “Oh, something is going on.” Her mind starts going over the list of things that her two best friends could be up to, until her eyes widened with a possible explanation for your quick response. “Omg, are you preg-” Your hand was on her mouth before she could finish her sentence, sending her a warning look before you slowly removed your hand again. You weren’t able to hold back the smile that was forming on your face, enough proof for Lotte to know that she was right. She pulls you into a hug, “I am so happy for you both.” She whispers in your direction before joining the rest of the girls again. 

Lotte went with the both of you to all of the doctors appointments, she declared herself the videographer of your journey, and you accepted her role glady. That’s how the three of you found yourself in the doctor's office one morning, ready for an ultrasound. You sat by Alessia, holding her hand, while Lotte stood to the side with her phone ready to film. The doctor applied the gel to Alessia’s belly, and started moving the machine around. Both of you look at the screen in awe, trying to figure out what you were looking at, but knowing that it was a little miracle whether you were able to figure it out yourselves or not. 

“So, here we have the baby.” She points to the screen. Tears start filling your eyes, it was still early in the pregnancy, so you hadn’t seen the baby on the screen just yet. You give Alessia’s hand a squeeze and kiss her forehead. “And then here we have another baby.” Your jaw drops, "Twins? We're having twins?" The doctor smiles at the two of you, “Yes, you’re having twins.” Alessia’s emotions get the best of her as well, as her tears start flowing as well. “I’ll give you all a moment.” The doctor says as she hands you the sonogram. You both stare at the pictures in disbelief. “We’re going to have two babies.” Alessia says in a whisper. You nod with a big smile on your face. The two of you share a long hug, meanwhile Lotte is filming the interaction with tears in her eyes. She was overjoyed for her two best friends, having been along on this journey between the both of you since day one.

The next day at practice you had told the team, and showed them the sonograms. Everyone was overjoyed for the both of you, hugs and congratulations were shared in big numbers, and you couldn’t be happier. After you had told both your families, there was only one more thing to do, and that was to tell the world.

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alessiarusso99 and y/nrusso posted

Liked by lottewubbenmoy and 94,558 others

alessiarusso99: We've got some exciting news to share. I can't believe our dream of starting a family is finally coming true❤️

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y/nrusso: So ready for this new adventure with you❤️

lottewubbenmoy: I'm gonna be an autie!

↳ alessiarusso99: The best auntie :)

↳ leahwilliamsonn: Already playing favoritism...

↳ lottewubbenmoy: Best friend privileges😋

user1: WAIT TWO BABY OUTFITS, ARE THEY HAVING TWINS??

Liked by y/nrusso

↳ user2: OMG y/n liked

leahwilliamsonn: Congrats to the both of you 😘

arsenalwfc: more baby Gooners!

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The response to your announcement was incredible, the overwhelming amount of love and that was thrown your way enough to make you tear up. 

After talking with your OB-GYN and with your own trainers, you had set up a schedule for Alessia. She could continue her training for a while longer, but since soccer was a contact sport, the OB-GYN recommended to stop playing matches two weeks from now, and that in the meantime, Alessia could still play, but not a full match.

That’s how you found yourself the next week, the last match Alessia would play before the twins would arrive. After consulting with the trainers, you had decided that Alessia would start and play only the first half. You were happy to walk the field with Alessia by your side, knowing that was going to be something you were going to be missing dearly over the next few months. You walk up to the side line of the field and wait for Alessia and Lotte to join you. You stand in the middle of them and link your arms with them, jumping over the line together. A pre-game ritual the three of you had started back in college, followed by national team matches, and since you all played together for Arsenal, the ritual was brought there too.

The match was going well, you were glad it wasn’t a very physical match so far, for the sake of Alessia and the babies. You manage to intercept a ball and run towards your opponents goal with it, lifting your eyes to see who was with you, when you saw that Alessia was running forward as well. With a calculated kick, the ball goes flying to her feet. You watch as she kicks the ball to the back of the net, running her way to celebrate the goal with her. After a quick hug, you fall to your knees, and place a kiss on her belly. The first goal you ever dedicated to the babies. Alessia pulls you back in for a hug, before you are met with your teammates from all angles. 

Just five more minutes left in the first half when your team earned a corner. Katie takes it and the ball comes flying your way at the back post. You jump up and head the ball into the goal, just slightly out of reach of the goalkeeper. Your eyes met Alessia’s and you knew what you needed to do. You slide down and place another kiss on her tummy, now both babies had a goal dedicated to them. The rest of the match went great and you ended up winning 4-1. All in all, a great match for Alessia to end on. 

While you continued training and playing matches, you were also taking care of your wife, and getting the house ready for the twins. The girls came over often, helping you out. You were forever grateful for them, helping you paint the nursery, and helping the two of you to gather all the stuff that you would need. 

Amidst all the shopping you kept stumbling on pictures of dad’s on baby products, parenting books for fathers, at first they were just things you noticed, but eventually it started to get to you. You didn’t want to bother Alessia with your emotions, as she was literally growing two humans inside of her but being the amazing wife that she is, she noticed your change in behaviour instantly. “Baby, what’s going on?” She asked softly. “It’s nothing, love.” Alessia knew all your tells, so she knew you weren’t being truthful. “Hey, none of that. If something is going on, you can always tell me, baby.” You cave in after she brought out the puppy dog eyes. “I’ve just been in my head about not being related to the twins. What if my maternal instinct won’t kick in? What if I won’t have a connection with them the same way that you will?”

Alessia takes your hands in hers, “Sweetheart, you already have a connection with them. You talk to them, sing to them, and read to them every single day. These kiddos know your voice by heart already. You’re going to show up for our babies, and you’re going to love them, you’re going to care for them, and that is all they will need. You are great with kids, baby, you might not realise it but I think that your maternal instinct kicked in the moment we saw the positive result on the test. You are going to be the most amazing mother to these two little nuggets.” Alessia always knew the right words to say. “Thank you, my love.” You place a kiss onto her cheek. “I needed to hear that.”

The day your baby girls were born was one with many emotions, all of the best kinds. When you held them for the first time, everything you had been worried about faded away. Their little hands holding onto your fingers, and you had never felt more ready to take on motherhood. Alessia was tired but so in love with the two little bundles of joy. Ever since you had found out that you were going to have two girls, you had known what you wanted to name them, and Alessia had loved your idea.

Lotte, Beth, and Viv were the first of your teammates to come visit your family in the hospital. You hadn’t told anyone the names yet, saved for this special moment. After the four of them have admired your girls, you take one of them from their little crib. “This is Mia, named after Alessia’s middle name, since I’ve always loved it so much.” You hand Mia to Beth, Viv is quick to snap a picture. Then you picked up your other little girl, and walked over to Lotte, handing her the baby. “And this little girl was named after our best friend.” Lotte’s eyes quickly shoot up to you. “Meet Mae.” Lotte could not believe that the two of you had named your child after her, as tears started rolling down her cheeks. “I’m so honoured, thank you so much.”

In small groups the rest of the team, and your families came to meet the little girls. You were so grateful for having such a big group of people you called family, knowing that the girls had so many bonus aunties warmed your heart.

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y/nrusso and alessiarusso99 posted

Liked by viviannemiedema and 87,458 others

y/nrusso: Mia and Mae Russo. Welcome to the world, my sweet girls, I love you both so much. P.S. My incredible wife is doing well❤️

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lottewubbenmoy: Like I haven't cried enough yet.. Forever grateful to have one of your little girls named after me. Love them both so much already!

viviannemiedema: The best mama's! 😍

bethmead_: The cutest!

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You quickly got used to life as a family of four, and you were loving every single moment of it. The gallery of your phone was filled with pictures and videos of the twins, wanting to capture every moment, so you could hold onto the memories forever.  

The twins were very loved, not only by Alessia and yourself, but also by your friends and family. Your home was often filled with visitors, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

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y/nrusso posted

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y/nrusso: Life lately 🥰

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[gh1dd]

CATNIP

(HybridCat!Ghost X Reader)

You adopted ghost when you go throw the trash, He can’t change back in human

//Eng is not my first language sorry if my English is broke 🫡//

You just finished university in the UK, you don't want to go back to your country because your family is a... difficult childhood place, don't you know that it is because of the above reasons that you are determined to study architecture practice and strive to get out of that place.

You tried to get a full scholarship and now you’re in England. It can be said that you study very well, you don't have many friends and you also don't like going to crowded and noisy places because you are an introverted person. Looking inward and outward at work and life becomes dull, you don't know what to do anymore.

You work at a small convenience store here to help you pay for your miserable apartment.

Today is another bad day at work, feeling tired because your co-worker is really an asshole he leaves everything to you from mopping the floor to taking out the trash. He knows that those things have to be done in the morning but still leave it to you and you surely have revenge on him later at least that much.

You work from 7pm to 4am and then you finish your work. Why the hell are there so many people buying things today and you don't finish your work until 4.36am? Sighing in frustration and looking at the work to be done, feeling uncomfortable and tired.

More than an hour has passed, you've finished cleaning up the store, and now all that's left to do is throw away the trash, you walk over to the trash bags. There are two big bags in total so you pick it up off the ground and walk towards the back door.

When the door opened you felt the smell of rain and dirt entering your nose, your breathing felt choked.

Being silent and not saying anything, you just sighed and inhaled this smell, perhaps you were familiar with it. When you went to the trash cans, you noticed that there was a set of clothes lying on the ground. You weren't sure if that was an outfit or something because the surroundings were too dark.

You feel strange because your area is especially like a place behind this convenience store where almost no one will go in regardless of that, you go to the trash cans and in your head at this point you are only thinking about what the morning shift worker left for you. While still lost in your own thoughts, you heard strange noises coming from those clothes, and you began to feel worried about whether you should... come check or not?

The voice approached the clothes and carefully lifted it up and...Ohhhh it was just a gray cat. You breathe a sigh of relief, why is there a cat here? You ask yourself why is there a cat lying here?

The cat was weak and felt like it was about to die.

You see that inside the clothes, more specifically a tactical outfit, there is something shiny, you immediately pick it up and realize it was a dogtag with the name Simon"ghost"Riley engraved on it, maybe Is this the name of its owner?

And the cat was seriously leg injured, the blood has dried, but if it continues to be left outside like this, this cat will definitely get infected and die. You check a little and realize it is still alive. You looked around for a moment to see if anyone was there, then you picked up the cat, its body moving a little instinctively when it felt the warmth of your body enveloping it.

You stood up with the cat in your lap, your hand still holding the dogtag before putting it in your pocket as you carried the cat inside the store.

You walk through the door and now you are in the warehouse, you take a temporary seed and put it in. Before going back to the cashier area and getting the first aid box under the table, you went back to the warehouse and started giving first aid to the cat. When you finished, you breathed a sigh of relief. It moved a little. The little bit only emitted weak roars.

“At least the machine is fine now”

“Hsss..but why are there such cruel owner’s ?? Would you leave your pet in the landfill?"

You grumbled while petting the cat, realizing that it was just like you in a place like this which made you feel protective over the cat.

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/59162365/chapters/150855010

[footballerimaginess]

Fluff Alphabet | Trent Alexander Arnold

Here is my fluff alphabet, give it some love and feedback please. This takes me a long time to make, so will really appreciate the love on this fic. Let me know what players you want more fluff alphabets on. Word Count: 1,334 ANNIVERSARY - "Happy Anniversary" you smiled as you read the text and sighed also, knowing that you weren't with him today as he was in Europe. You were so upset but when a bunch of flowers arrived at your door, they instantly made your day even better.

BABIES - Whenever you saw a baby, you were so broody. You and Trent had always spoken about babies and how you would love children in the future. You knew he would be the most perfect father whenever you decided to have babies. When the time was ready of course. COFFEE - "We haven't had a coffee date in ages, come on" you smiled as you suggested to Trent as your eagle eye saw a starbucks in the distance and you knew you needed an iced coffee. "You are the worst, anytime we drive past one you need one" you smirked. "Alright, guess you aren't getting one" you laughed as Trent's brow furrowed. "Well we are here now, so I suppose" he teased. DATE NIGHT - Date nights were rare when you dated a footballer, but Trent always had the best ideas for what you did on date night. It was always so special because he put so much effort into your dates it meant so much to you. EXPLORE - One of your favourite things to do was exploring new places, it had been one thing you loved to do. There was so much on this list that you'd both wanted to explore and made sure it was your mission to do so. FLOWERS - One of Trent's ways of showing love was buying you flowers, not really having a reason behind why he got them. But they were always so beautiful whenever he bought them back or got them delivered whenever he wasn't here due to football. He always knew how to brighten up your day even when he wasn't here. GAMES - You loved going to games, whether it was England or Liverpool, you love going to away games on your own and being in the middle of the crowd. It just felt so special supporting your man. HOLIDAY - Holidays were one and the only time seeing Trent in the summer, he always made sure that you would do a lot to try and make up for how much time you missed when the season was happening. You were so excited to spend time with him and having ICKS - The one thing you hated about Trent and was one of your few icks in the relationship. "If you slurp that drink one more time, that straw may be leading somewhere fucking else" you gritted your teeth as he coughed, your comments taking him by surprise. "Woah okay okay" he holds his hands up before gently pushing the glass away from him. JUMPER - "Have you stolen one of my jumpers again? I can't find it anywhere" you turned around as you spoke to him as you had the jumper on. "Oh so you do have it, good job I love you because this is taking the piss now. I love that jumper" he asked you sternly with a straight face. "Well you're not having it back now" you shrugged. KITTEN - You had told Trent that you had wanted a pet, desperately. So when Trent came home with a huge box, you were confused as he placed it in front of you. "Open it" you smiled as you opened the box to reveal the cutest black and white kitten. "Oh my gosh, she is so cute" you whispered as you placed your cat on your chest. LIVERPOOL - You were the biggest football fan before you started dating Trent, so when you would go to games you were just so excited anyway to watch him at Anfield and travelling around the UK and Europe watching the team play. MEETING - You and Trent met at a bar as you walked straight into him, say it was love at first sight. In your mind obviously, not Trent's. But you were too shy to say anything when you bumped into him. But you gradually worked your way over to talk to him more and more. NAME - "So when are you going to be y/n alexander arnold?" the boys asked as you blushed. "I dunno, one day i hope" you shrugged as you watched Trent's facial expression. "Guess you'll just have to wait, gotta keep you on your toes" you laughed as the boys all smirked. "So much love from you there Trent" he laughed. OCEAN - "Come swim with me" you shouted to Trent who was laying on the beach whilst you were standing in the ocean which was looking so beautiful. "You go, it looks so pretty" Trent smiled, shouting away as the beach was so quiet as it was still pretty early.

PAMPER NIGHT - You and Trent were having a pamper night, phones were off (not even allowed to do a sneaky photo for social media because Trent would kill you within seconds that was uploaded). Face masks were always your favourite especially when you had a full collection of them on hand. QUESTION - When Trent popped the question, you thought he was joking when you were on a beach on holiday one summer. You were so shocked when he opened the ring box, taking you completely by surprise. Saying yes of course as you jumped straight onto him as you looked at the ring and grabbed him as tightly as you could. RAIN - Of course the British weather being as awful as it is as always, you stupidly decide to go out for a walk which meant the heavens opened as it usually would. You were absolutely soaked as you ran as fast as you could in the rain. SUNSHINE - You were laying in the sunshine as it hit down onto your chest as hot as he could be. "I could get used to this heat, it feels so glorious. It is a shame that we don't get this weather in England. But it seems lovely" he mumbled as he barely raised a look up as he was enjoying the sunshine.

TRENT - Life with Trent was amazing, working your job was something special you loved working on your photography and getting to do it within football was amazing also. You knew you were so happy with Trent and couldn't wait to experience more life with him. UNDER THE STARS - You and Trent were laying under the stars in your garden, watching the night sky. "I love this, with you" you smiled as you rolled over to talk to him closely. "Me too" Trent whispered gently as he stroked your hair. VICE CAPTAIN - You were so proud of him when he told you that he was becoming vice captain. This was huge for him, especially as he has been at the club for so long. When Trent posted it on his instagram, you were so proud of him and all the fans were too which especially warmed your heart. WEDDING - The wedding wasn't for a while. but you were planning it all and had been for months. It had been a crazy few months, Trent was convinced that you were slowly turning into bridezilla. "We've had so many deliveries, how many things have you got. We are only having one day" you laughed as he was right. But you wanted it to be special. X - The kisses he left you whenever he texted you were always adorable, he was just so cute. YELLOW - "That dress is so beautiful on you, yellow is your colour. Ready" he smiled as he laced your hand in his hand as you headed to the car. You were going to the award ceremony Zzzz - You and Trent were having a lazy day on the sofa after Trent had been having a busy week of training and a midweek European game. All he wanted to do was have a chilled day, laying on the sofa snoozing in and out of sleep.

[dansnaturepictures]

Cold moon rising through the Boxing Day evening cloud 26/12/2023

[vanessalocke]

UK Sisters

Ok here are some of my headcanons and fanon designs about UK Sisters

Nyo!Scotland

Abigail Kirkland has a straightforward, decisive personality, is an explorer and a pioneer. If she is locked in one place she will become depressed and sad.

Contrary to first impressions, she rarely gets angry. She is much gentler and more altruistic than she appears.

She is good with bow and arrow, has 11/10 eyesight, but usually only shoots people when necessary. Whenever she aimed to shoot at others, she would aim at places that did not pose a danger to life.

Abigail's nickname is Abigail the Virgin, because she made a vow that she would always remain a virgin. She is a close friend of the unicorn herds in the forests of United Kingdom. Unicorns allow her to get close to them because she is a virgin, and her soul is "completely pure".

She is Abigail the Virgin, the guardian of the unicorns in the deep forest.

Nyo!Wales

Among the four sisters, this one has the demeanor of a true lady. (Abigail is too reserved, Clover is too dusty, and Alice is too crazy)

She doesn't often stay at home, but often wanders in the forest.

Her nickname is Dwynwen the Dragon's Bride. The spirits rumored that she was betrothed to a dragon.

Nyo!Northern Ireland

Clover is the third/fourth of the sisters. She also has a twin sister, but that sister does not live in the same house as her. Clover and Abigail are the same height, but Clover often wears high heels, so Clover is the tallest in the family.

Her personality is liberal, optimistic and cheerful. Compared to her first two sisters, she is an extremely modern woman. She is a salaried office worker, extremely lazy to do housework (btw, when the four sisters live together, Abigail is the one who do all the housework) and is quite messy. She actively participates in social activities instead of living in isolation like the rest. Of all four people, Clover has the most typical lifestyle of a modern girl: following idols, shopping, doing beauty treatments, watching romantic movies, and watching dramas. Thanks to her group of female friends at work, she often catches news very quickly.

Her nickname The Optimist is not without reason. She smiles a lot, she can find the humor in almost anything. That's why she always looks happy and active, except for the days when she's drowning in alcohol.

Clover's bad habit is that she often turns to alcohol when she's sad. There was a time when she was an alcoholic. When she gets drunk, she becomes irritable and unbelievably difficult.

She is like the complete opposite of Alice Kirkland, but strangely she is the closest to Alice among the sisters. She is often Alice's love advisor. However, she is also the person who has the most disagreements with Alice.

Nyo!England

Alice's personality is tough, steadfast, and sometimes rigid. But her dry exterior is actually a cover for her crazy love of fighting. Besides that, she's secretly mean, often judgmental, nitpicking, and sarcastic.

Alice's mind is complex and overlapping. Even her sisters sometimes don't understand her. Among her acquaintances, only Francis could guess what she was thinking.

Talking about Alice's crazy love of fighting, it's not without reason that Alice is called the Brave Lion. Even in modern times, Alice often goes to boxing without missing a single lesson. Among the sisters, only Alice uses a rifle. Clover (Nyo! Northern Ireland) uses pistols, while the other two sisters do not use modern weapons. When she was young, Alice fought people across the four oceans, and when she was old, she became an office worker running KPIs. Alice has the eyes of a hawk, so she can aim very well. When she was a robber, Alice's eyes were especially sharp. In modern times, she stares at the computer too much, so her eyes are nearsighted = ))))))))))))

In contrast to Clover, who is lucky, Alice is an unlucky person. If she plays dice, she always gets 1. People often say that Clover took all of Alice's luck.

Main colors include green, blue, and red.

[theunderestimator-2]

Pearl Gates (before her days as Pearl Harbour) performing at the Mabuhay Gardens with Leila and the Snakes in 1978 as captured by Chester B. Simpson.

Back in the '70s, Pearl had won a local SF contest as a tap-dancing boxer and was singing background vocals for glam rockers The Tubes while tap-dancing in boxing outfits. The band was part of the mid-'70s underground scene with a stage show unlike any other, a Rocky Horror Picture Show/Saturday Night Live combo of rock, satire and subversive routines.

It was during that time that Pearl "…joined a local band called Leila and the Snakes where she would sing while hula-hooping. As fun – and knackering – as that sounds, after a couple of years she became desperate to do her own thing and so Pearl Harbour and the Explosions were born. They released a tight, talked-about new wave album and toured with Talking Heads but soon Pearl felt the pull of the up-and-coming rockabilly movement. The rest of the band weren’t too sure, so Pearl broke away and moved to the UK to focus on her new sound. Music wasn’t her only reason for heading to England. Pearl had married The Clash’s bass player Paul Simonon and made a whole new gang of British pals, including Ian Dury, who gave her a gift of a British rhyming slang dictionary to help with her lyrics and who she joined onstage at The Hammersmith Odeon before many tours with The Clash…." ( thefortyfive.com/ )

She's been following a solo career since 1980 and is still active and rocking to this day.

(via & via)

[jflemings]

I have a few hcs/questions about Piper:

Piper going to Jessie and not R for things (something small like doing her hair or asking her to help tie her shoes) and R being really happy that Piper is accepting of Jessie but also a little sad cos that’s her baby and she used to just come to R for those things

Piper going to camp with Jessie instead or R for whatever reason (maybe Jessie’s camp is in the UK/Europe for once so it’s shorter travel for Piper)

Piper making 2 Mother’s Day cards at school (one for R and one for Jess) and Jessie is just in absolute tears - like sobbing - and Piper is like what’s wrong??? And Jessie is just like I’m so happy and it’s a big family cuddle day/weekend

Jess and Piper catching on that R is feeling stressed/tired/ill etc and forces a cuddle day where R does absolutely nothing and is just looked after by her girls

1. i have gotten another ask about this so it’ll be a fic :)

2. canada are set to play england in a friendly in london so piper stays with jessie whilst you go with the matildas. the kit crew make a mini fleming jersey for piper and she loves it!! she walks around so proudly in it and with jessie and your permission, the media team do a video where piper interviews jessie.

it goes a bit viral and everyone is melting at the way piper and jessie interact with eachother because although she isn’t biologically jessie’s, they are eerily similar.

piper clings to sabs and cloe through camp and a lot of great candids come out of it.

piper follows bev around like she does jonas or tony and every so often bev just blindly hands her a snack or a drink whilst yelling at the girls on the pitch. piper is completely unfazed by this because of how tony is on the sidelines.

the first thing piper says to jordyn is that she reminds her of rapunzel because she’s got long blonde hair and she’s pretty. she then asks if she’s got a pet chameleon.

jordyn and her boyfriend dress up as rapunzel and flynn rider for halloween that year, it’s adorable

3. sam and kristie take piper the friday night before mother’s day weekend because you and jessie hadn’t had a date night in soooo long. sam lets her have dino nuggets for dinner and choc chip ice cream for desert as long as piper promises to get into bed at the right time.

they draw and colour and sam puts on alvin and the chipmunks because she’s never seen it ???

kristie then pulls out a plastic tub full of craft supplies and sam is like ??? where the fuck did that come from ????

“you had nothing here for her so i got her some crafts”

“when?????”

“like a month ago”

“where did you put the box”

kristie is in disbelief because the box is kept in the back of their closet underneath all of sam’s coats that are hanging up, there’s no way she hasn’t seen it

sam does one of those paint by number things and kristie suggests making you a mother’s day card and piper immediately is going through the different coloured paper and the fancy scissors and stickers that she can use

she hands a piece of pink paper and a piece of yellow paper to kristie to fold and kristie asks her if she’s gonna make you two cards

“no silly, one’s for mama and the other is for mummy”

piper decorates yours with butterflies and jessie’s with ladybugs

the next day the two of them go to the florist to get you both a little something whilst sam heads to the bakery to grab you a cupcake each (she offered to just make them but kristie knows she can’t cook, let alone bake to save her life so store bought was the best option)

sam drops piper back home with a smile on her face. you open the door puzzled but spot the gift bag with the flowers and know that something’s up

sam leaves and piper rushes into your bedroom where jessie is putting away clean laundry with a big smile on her face, carefully putting down the bag and getting out the flowers to hand to jessie

jessie just assumes the flowers are for you because the two of them had planned something for you for mother’s day but then piper stomps her foot

“open the card!!!!!”

you walk into the room just in time to see jessie open her card whilst piper gives you yours

she’s tearing up and piper quickly becomes concerned and is worried that she doesn’t like the card. jessie assures her that she loves it and that she loves the little ladybugs she drew on the front

the three of you spend the day together, going for a picnic like originally planned and cuddling in the big bed watching movies. jessie cooks your favourite meal and gives you a necklace that piper had helped pick out and a good travel mug since you’d been meaning to get another one for ages

you look at her sheepishly and pull out a book that she’s been wanting and a photo of the three of you in a nice frame. it’s from piper’s fourth birthday party when she was blowing out the candles. you and jessie are sat beside her and there’s a clear shot of macca, alanna and caitlin in the background stuffing their faces with party pies

jessie tucks piper in that night and then comes back out into the living room balling her eyes out because she wasn’t expecting any of today. it wasn’t her first mother’s day with you and piper but she still had plans to make it all about you, so for piper to make her a card and think about her made her really emotional

you two spend the night cuddling until it’s time to go to bed and it’s the best nights sleep jessie’s had in a long time

4. jessie catches on that you’re ill as soon as you wake up. you’re groggy and don’t seem to be all with it as you trudge around the bedroom looking for your slippers that are sat by the door like they always are

she just watches you though to make sure she’s not overthinking it. you’d played a pretty rough game the night before and it had rained all week so maybe it was all just catching up to you

she knows she’s not overthinking it when piper climbs up onto her lap at the dining table

“what’s wrong with mummy?”

“you noticed that too, huh?”

“is she sick? she was coughing last night when she put me to bed”

that’s all jessie needs to hear before she’s dragging you back to bed and tucking you under the covers before literally throwing piper onto the bed next to you. piper giggles as she lands and ticks herself under the covers and snuggles up next to you just as jessie comes back with some medicine, a bottle of water and a cup of tea.

you protest because piper starts preschool regularly on the following monday and jessie can’t get sick either because she can’t miss training. neither of them are having a bar of it and force you to cuddle with them.

you fall asleep in less than half an hour after jessie turns on a documentary about safari animals. piper follows suit quickly and falls asleep snuggled in between the two of you. jessie isn’t a napper but she also falls asleep combing her fingers through your hair

[farmerbebop]

Can you talk more at all about Mcgoohan and The Prisoner, I followed you for the art but now I want the tea. Admittedly, I know zero about Mcgoohan or his work outside of recognizing him from TCM reruns.

Thank you for the question and for enjoying this blog.

McGoohan was an enigma, and so was The Prisoner. Almost everyone who has ever tried to explain The Prisoner ended up saying more about themselves than about its creator.

Generally, everyone agrees that McGoohan was a rebel, but no one really knows when it started. Probably very early, because his daughter once mentioned he got a scholarship to a prestigious school in England called Ratcliffe (he was from a working class background and grew up on a farm in Ireland) and then immediately said "He hated it, but he went, because he had to." The only good thing about it was that he learned boxing there.

The official story always starts with something like: He worked multiple jobs before becoming a self-taught actor (he was the stage manager and one day the actor was sick) when it should start with his childhood in the countryside. Even though he always seemed like someone who could hold the sky up if it fell down, it's also well-known that he was a hopeless romantic, and his childhood was probably responsible for that.

Anyway fast forward to a rainy night in England, when the Lyric Theatre was dead silent after his performance of Brand because the audience forgot how to breathe, or to clap. He got off stage and told his wife his performance wasn't good enough and she agreed. His co-star later said those two people were the only ones in the world who could see something wrong in such a performance.

He soon moved on to TV. He agreed to do this spy show, even though he disliked the whole James Bond thing. The producer realized that too late. He was already changing scripts on the spot. No womanizing, no kissing, no gun (well, in a few cases there were guns but they hardly did anything). Some big boss from the US flew over to tell him they wanted more sex and violence. He told the guy to fuck off.

That was Danger Man. If I get a dime for everytime a woman fainted over John Drake, I would be a millionaire. At some point during my first watch of it, I started hearing music when he walked. Literally.

John Drake was a spy with a moral standard. It was McGoohan's work. He gave the public a hero in every sense of the word. But he made sure John Drake was always interesting. After all, he happened to be one of the greatest actors ever lived.

Then he got tired of it. Of course that was not good for the network. He was the biggest TV star in the UK.

So he told them he could do another show. And it was The Prisoner.

Oh before that, I must mention that he got married early in his life, was in love with his wife until the day he died, wrote her love notes everyday and occasionally got soft meat thrown at him during their fights.

So he made The Prisoner, basically did almost everything. Was very angry at times, probably slept like 4 hours a day, went through several nervous breakdowns. His co-star Leo McKern didn't go through "Once Upon a Time" unscathed either. According to McGoohan: "He'd truly cracked."

The Prisoner was McGoohan's baby. No one in the crew was allowed to mention the word television. He wanted it to be more than that. He made sure it was of the highest quality. It was his vision that carried the whole show.

It was about an ex-spy called Number Six. No one knows what he did, only that he resigned. People still argue whether or not he is John Drake. To me, no one really knows who John Drake really is, and so Number Six could as well be John Drake. After all, what is the difference beside that Number Six has a past and John Drake doesn't?

Number Six was kidnapped to the Village, where the Village authority (the Number Twos) tried everything to extract information out of him. They wanted to know why he resigned. And he wouldn't tell them that.

And then there's Number One, who gives out order to the Number Twos, hires and fires them at will. No one knows who Number One is. But in order to get out of the Village, Number Six will eventually have to face them.

This show gives you complete freedom from the very start. It will ignite your imagination. It was a marvelous feeling.

It doesn't coax you into liking Number Six, it doesn't even tell you who he is. But when you see the fire burning in his eyes, when you hear the thunder in his voice, when you see him walking up and down his room like a lion in a cage, you will understand why you are here with him.

The Village is a mirror of our modern world. The Prisoner predicted so many things we are seeing now. And yet, it feels so new, so strange, so fresh. It was like seeing the inner workings of McGoohan's mind laid out before our eyes, the beauty of its dreams and the horror of its nightmares.

I think you need to watch it completely open-minded, let it change you, and it will let itself be changed by you.

Its conclusion drove some people mad. They couldn't accept it, they wanted a Bond-like ending. They couldn't handle McGoohan's 'absurd' ending. He went from being the highest paid actor in the UK to someone who hid from the angry public in a place with no telephone.

Fame. Money. Status. All of that gone over night. But we know by now that he wasn't someone who cared about that.

But I think he wanted it to reach its audience, to reach future generations. He wanted to leave something behind for eternity.

He was so ahead of his time. And if he was still alive, he would still be ahead of our time.

I could go on forever but I only slept like 4 hours last night so I'd better stop before I start talking more nonsense. All of my followers know they should take whatever I say about McGoohan with a grain of salt. My only motto is: the only ones I shall make fun of on here are McGoohan and myself.

[ralfmaximus]

The NHS has sounded an alarm with a 10-day Covid warning, calling for vigilance as the number of cases climbs. According to recent figures released by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), there's been a 17.8% week-on-week increase in Covid infections in England and a sharp 27.3% rise in related fatalities.

Do you long for the early days of 2020?

Do you miss the uncertainty & fear of impending pandemic?

Well... miss it no more! We're probably ramping up for COVID 2024: The Re-Re-Pandemicking Part II / Electric Boogaloo!

Note however that this is entirely a UK problem, since here in AMERICA we know that viruses are a hoax, banning masks in public reduces mass shootings, and God hates furries for making students shit in litter boxes. Sigh.

[stephensmithuk]

The Hound of the Baskervilles: First Report of Dr. Watson

Watson's letters would have likely reached Baker Street the following day by the overnight mail trains that ran from Exeter to London.

Dartmoor contains the largest concentration of Bronze Age remains in the UK; the prehistoric settlers were more farmers and livestock grazers than hunters though.

It's generally not a good idea to eat raw lamb; lamb tartare is a thing, but generally needs to be prepared well.

A groom is a person responsible for looking after horses and/or their stables. The etymology is different from bridegroom.

A tor in this context is a free-standing rock formation, created as a result of erosion of the land around it.

In England and Wales, rights of way only exist where they have been designated or can be designated. Private landlords can designate easements through their land as rights of way. It's a rather complex subject, not helped by the fact that the "definitive maps" might be rather old (1971 in the case of Havering):

Choleric means "bad-tempered"; it comes for the humour theory of medicine, where choler is yellow bile or stomach acid. Too much yellow bile makes you bad tempered. It also makes other people bad-tempered when you've had too much to drink and vomit it over someone's shop entrance.

Dartmoor's remoteness and lack of light pollution make it a good spot for astronomy.

Exhumation from a known grave today requires permission from the Ministry of Justice and usually some other people like the cemetry owner. It certainly needed permission in 1889, but I am not sure how that applied to a barrow in unconsecrated ground.

A box-room is a very small room used for storage or a bedroom.

One assumes Barrymore was using a candle holder of some form as otherwise, that's a good way to get hot wax on your hand...