#Get love back Specialist in London

[drabiukiblackmagic7]

+2349013415187 REAL QUICKEST DEATH SPELL / REVENGE SPELL CASTER IN AUSTRALIA, NORWAY ,ZAMBIA, Canada USA UK , KOSOVO, Netherlands. Norway Austria, Philippines Real

[siddharthastrologer]

Seek astrology help to get ex love back in Nottingham.

What happens when your partner leaves you for no reason? Your life becomes hell, and you can’t discriminate why it happens to you. But astrology has all the answers to your question. You can consult the most famous astrologer, Prem Kumar Ji, to get ex love back in Nottingham.

[bananaactivity]

Im not finished with Carlos fully but he looks good enough for right now ( he’s 22 in this picture here)

I changed Carlos and Evie up, so now Evie is a vain witch like her mother who is fashionable but she doesn’t sew her own stuff. ( which is for the better cse wtf was that ugly ass dress she made for Mal in D2???)

Carlos considers himself to be a very expensive person and can be pretty big germaphobe. He hates getting anything on his clothes and he refuses to wear the school uniforms at Auradon Uni because they’re ugly. He wears lots of black white grey and red, with gold accents usually. He does theme around dog associated items like gold bone cutlets, paw print lapel chains, and a tennis ball brooch. He often wears red gloves and his favorite shoes are his collection of red bottom dress shoes. He likes hiding red on the interlining of his clothes too, such as his jackets and hats and vests.

A lot of his own person style is derived from 1990s London fashion ( as the artist that means I get my references from the 1996 101 Dalmatians live action movie, the styling of Cruela in that movie is ICONIC AND IMACULATE, and I MUST reference her for Carlos.

PURRRR

Of course he wears REAL animal print. And he’s not a weak touch me not prick like some think. He’s still tech savvy and does Anyalitics and specs for the core four. He also loves GUNS 😄. Think of him like a sharp shooter who stays in the back of turf wars and snipes people. The isle doesn’t have many marks men ( they all really like swords for some reason) so he’s pretty dangerous. He builds his own weapons too.

His passion started out as a way for him to collect his own furs but Harry gets him most of what he needs plus he always needs Carlos to redo his wardrobe ( he gets… messy… after a couple days work) Carlos hates that Harry ruins his creations so fast but he pays him well and gifts him rare fabrics and samples from Auradon.

Because Carlos has no magic Mal always underestimates him. She sees him as only a stylist and ranged weapon specialist. Even tho she acknowledges him for his wit and tech skills she still doesn’t listen to him. Sometimes he wishes he could stay with Harry but then he’d have to do more work up front. Harry understood what Carlos was capable of and respected him a lot. What Harry doesn’t understand is that not everybody likes to be covered head to toe in hot sticky blood 24/7. Harry had also promised him a suite on his boat that nobody else was allowed to occupy, but even if Harry’s crew feared HARRY they wouldn’t mind having an attitude with CARLOS for preferential treatment, even if it is what he deserves 🙄

Harry and Carlos’s relationship is the definition of there are two wolves inside you. Carlos smokes and drinks but he’s more of a Marlboro and Merlot type of guy and Harry’s a Rum and Cigar kinda lad. ( I’m using cartoon logic and say that those habits are purely aesthetic based of iconography from the original Disney moves, Cruella smokes and Capt. Hook smokes two cigars at once)

Carols isn’t really scared of dogs anymore but when he arrives at Auradon he “befriends” his roommate Chad ( now an animal lover like his mother) who has pet rats and a entourage of wild animals constantly in their dorm, and threatens to shoot and skin them all every single day to make a new line of coats ( when Chad rebuttals that his rats are too small to make coats, Carlos says they’d make the perfect fuzzy gloves 💀) He also uses Chad as a living mannequin for his designs. They have a goofy relationship with each other, Carlos does make Chad do all the dirty work of skinning and draining the animals he hunts but despite how traumatic that is Carlos is a fun sweet guy so it’s okay 💀💀💀.

Jay is jelly of Carlos due to his closeness with Harry. ( I guess the way to Jays heart and respect is by holding him at sword point and threatening to gut him and hang him by those very guts over shark infested waters and watch them nibble away at him 💀)

Next I’ll find up Carlos and do some fit designs then I’ll redesign Jay and tell that gutting story 😛

[sitp-recs]

Hello, do you know Drarry fics that contain Draco having a boyfriend or dating someone? I just look through the jealous!Harry and pining!Harry tag but not all of them that specific "the person I want is already with someone else :( " angst im looking for

Hi there! Jealous!Harry is such a juicy trope. I don’t often read them with other people in the same fic (I especially avoid OCs because I hate feeling conflicted between ships 🤣), but I think you might enjoy these:

Stay by @kbrick (M, 5k)

Life is all about what we do with the opportunities we're given - the ones we miss and the ones we refuse to let pass us by.

To know the pain of too much tenderness by @cibeewastaken (T, 6k)

Harry is in love with Draco, and Draco sometimes goes on dates with other people, but it’s not like Harry could be bothered by it when he never told Draco about his feeling, right? Right. So Harry isn’t that bothered by Draco’s dates, what bothers him is when one of those dates knocks Draco up and doesn’t want the baby.

Constellation Prize by @andithiel (E, 12k)

Harry’s been pining for his friend and Auror partner for almost a year. But despite what his friends say, he and Draco aren't an old married couple...Draco has a boyfriend, there's no way he'd ever be interested. Right?

Friends? Is That What We Are? by @l0vegl0wsinthedark (E, 33k)

What the hell is Harry even supposed to do when he finally realises that he loves Draco? He's an idiot and it takes him a while but he gets there. They get there.

Here's The Pencil, Make It Work by ignatiustrout (M, 49k)

Harry thinks "Why is Malfoy working in a coffee shop in muggle London?" is a much simpler question than, "Are you going to accept that auror offer and, if you don't, what will you do?"

Modern Love by @tackytigerfic (E, 61k) - Draco doesn’t date anyone else but Harry’s jealous of a specific person (more info in the tags) so I think this fits your ask!

Harry Potter, of all people, knows that life isn’t always fair. And no one gets to be happy all of the time. But surely there’s something more—something better—than a rubbish Ministry job, and a lonely old house, and that feeling that everyone out there is doing a better job of living than Harry is.

Left My Heart by emmagrant01 (E, 85k)

Auror Draco Malfoy has disappeared, and Harry Potter has been sent to San Francisco to find him.

Level Two: Series One (E, 113k)

By Ashii Black (ashiiblack), blamebrampton, Catsintheattic, dustmouth, epithalamium, incandescent (lmeden), josephinestone (orphan_account), leveltwo, nerakrose, raitala, Romaine, Vaysh, Writcraft

Witches and wizards are disappearing in a seemingly random fashion. Coincidence? Abductions? But no one is claiming ransom. The Aurors are not even sure the disappearances are connected, then one of the missing turns up dead. Meanwhile, Auror Harry Potter is thrown into the infamous Sirius Black Muggle murder case from 25 years ago. Given a chance to clear his godfather's name for good, Harry is not above accepting even the help of magical specialist Draco Malfoy.

Grounds for Divorce by Tepre (E, 122k)

Malfoy finds a coin. Harry finds a letter. A story about histories, a story about families. A story about a lemon tree somewhere in Upper Egypt.

Close Behind by @oflights (M, 134k)

To rescue Draco from the Underworld, Harry has to look forward. Unfortunately, Draco has to look back.

Can't Sit Still by wilteddaisy (E, 193k)

Five years after the war, Harry finds himself drawn to Draco Malfoy by memories that aren't his own. Or, in which Harry hates his Auror partner, Draco flips houses, Pansy sleeps around, Hermione is a magical creatures’ justice warrior, Blaise is getting married, and Ron is just along for the ride.

A Secondary Education by Thunderbird587 (E, 234k)

Fleeing the aftermath of his recent divorce, Draco Malfoy takes up a post as the new Potions Master at Hogwarts. At first he believes his hopes for a fresh start are dashed when he sees that a certain boyhood rival is on staff there as well. But Harry Potter is being weirdly nice to him, leaving Draco no choice but to play along.

[aziraphales-library]

Heya!

I've read a LOT of GO fics in my time, but I can't remember if I've seen crossovers/AUs of the following movies with Aziraphale/Crowley, can you help please?

So my favourite rom coms of all time are the following, and I'd love GO versions (if they don't exist I may have to write them)!

French Kiss (Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline)

You've Got Mail (Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks)

When Harry Met Sally (Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal)

Runaway Bride (Julia Roberts and Richard Gere)

Never Been Kissed (Drew Barrymore)

I won't bother asking about Pretty Woman because I've read so many versions with either of them in either role lmaooo (and I have loved Every. Single. One.)

Or basically any late 80s/early 90s rom coms with Meg Ryan (except Sleepless in Seattle because I find it incredibly boring) or Julia Roberts!

Thank you so much for everything you do! You've helped me discover so many amazing fics and writers and it is much appreciated!!! 💖💖😇😎

Hello there!

Did you know there is a whole collection from the Good Omens Rom-Com Event that was run a couple years ago? You might find what you're looking for there! (Some of the fics are unfinished so keep that in mind)

We have previously recommended a bunch of You've Got Mail/She Loves Me fics HERE, so check those out.

As for the other ones you've asked about:

French Kiss AU:

A Bit of Crumpet by Fyre [E]

With a handsome, successful fiance and a respectable home in Manhattan, Aziraphale Fell thought his life was more than adequate. He never expected to be jilted in a long-distance telephone call and so he sets out for England to find out exactly what's going on and gets a lot more than he bargained for.

When Harry Met Sally AU:

it had to be you by curtaincall [M]

“What I’m saying,” said Aziraphale, looking fixedly ahead, “and please don’t take this as a personal insult in any way, is that an angel and a demon can’t be friends.”

“Why not?”

“Because,” said Aziraphale, firmly. “It’s against the order of things. You’re supposed to tempt. I’m supposed to thwart. We can’t go being friends.”

*

A canon-divergent AU inspired by When Harry Met Sally.

I don't know of any fics with your two last wishes but there is also:

Notting Hill AU:

Soho by Lurlur [E]

Aziraphale lives a quiet kind of life, running a quiet specialist bookshop in one of the liveliest districts of London. He's content with his lot, happy with his friends, tolerant of his probably-human housemate, living vicariously through the gossip pages.

One day, a chance encounter with Anthony Crowley, lead singer of wildly successful rock band The Demons, threatens to turn his whole world upside down.

Music and Lyrics AU:

pop! goes my heart by attheborder [E], WIP

When has-been musician Anthony Crowley is recruited by pop singer Anathema Device to write a song for her new record, he jumps on the chance to resuscitate his career with a hit. There's only one problem: he can't write lyrics to save his life.

But a chance meeting with a stranger by the name of Aziraphale, with a poetic streak that's a perfect fit for the song, changes everything for Crowley. Together, they'll create something beautiful, fight the forces of the music industry, and perhaps even find a way back into love...

A Music and Lyrics AU for the GO Rom Com Event, complete with all-new original songs written and recorded by the author!

Kate & Leopold AU:

Until by Nadzieja [T]

“I don’t want to go home.” Half-asleep Aziraphale murmurs into his ear and Crowley's heart clenches. His grip tightens reflexively around the warm soft body in his arms, around the smell of old books and sandalwood.

“Then don’t.” He’s trying not to sound like he's pleading, but his throat is tight and his voice hoarse.

*

Crowley lives his average life, working in a high-end advertising company at London that pays just enough to get him a room in a shared accommodation. That's just his luck that he ends up living with a literal witch. One day she brings home an even more eccentric man that has a taste for 19th century fashion, as if Crowley didn't have enough things to worry about. Little he knows that the man will turn his world upside down. Literally. And that's just the beginning of his problems.

~Mod N

[starleska]

I am definitely here to find out more about your OC Harper if you wanna share 👀👀👀

oh my god yes yes yes thank you so much Jam i would LOVE to gush about Harper Spiel and their bizarre backstory, thank you so much 🙈💖 Doctor Who OCs are so fun to make!

my dear Harper's story begins right after the events of The Giggle! Harper Spiel is a 26-year-old ludologist, or games specialist: a former world champion in several board games who turned their fascination with games into a lucrative career. previously they worked with the British government investigating high-profile gambling rings and other criminal operations which involved gameplay mechanics! 👀

following The Giggle, UNIT wanted to find out all they could about the Toymaker, and so they hired Harper to create a full report on him...against The Doctor's wishes, and without his knowledge. during their research, Harper discovers that the Toymaker is not an isolated incident: he has cropped up in gaming lore and texts throughout history as a godlike entity no one can win against. most people would steer well clear...but Harper takes this as a challenge 🔥 so, they begin a series of experiments with the Toymaker's Toybox. Harper spends weeks trying to engage the Toymaker without opening the box, attempting to coax him into a game, but comes up short. until they have a mad idea! on their birthday, Harper brings a sand timer to the Toybox, and challenges the Toymaker to emerge before the sand runs out. they have no way of knowing if the game is accepted... until a bang!! then, a flash of light...and the vague image of a grin with far too many teeth, beaming through the fog. when Harper awakes, they are no longer in their own timeline. they are in 1984, in an empty lot where the UNIT building hasn't even been constructed yet! 😱 it takes a few days for the Doctor - specifically the Sixth Doctor - to find Harper, and it's because the TARDIS has become absolutely fixated on London in 1984 and he can't work out why. this leads him to Harper, who the Doctor recognises as a temporal anomaly: a living entity displaced in time who should not be able to exist in this reality, but has been rejected by their own. according to the Doctor, Harper's birthday - originally March 22nd, 1998 - is now March 22nd, 1956...which would make them 65 years old according to their original reality!! if not...that means they're minus 40 💀 the Doctor, horrified by this mess, takes Harper into the TARDIS and tries to bring them back to 2024...but the TARDIS nearly implodes! he then tries every workaround he knows, but something about the game Harper opened up with the Toymaker has caused their own timeline to shun them. like it or not, the only safe place for Harper to exist (at least without increasing timey-wimey shenanigans) is within the TARDIS 😉 so!! Harper gets stuck with the Sixth Doctor, to his chagrin and their delight. Harper is familiar with the Doctor, but only his most recent regenerations, and they take delight in playing off his bombastic, arrogant personality. they're always getting stuck into some part of the TARDIS they shouldn't be, or wandering off and nearly causing a category 5 space-time event. they're a magnet for disaster and time distortion, and it drives the Doctor mad! 🙈 but as funny as their relationship is, there is real grief here. the Doctor soon recognises Harper to be somewhat like him: a scientist whose fascination often overrides their emotions, so the process of understanding that they will never see their friends again (as they have no family to speak of) is tough. it doesn't take long for the Doctor to soften towards Harper...after all, Harper is something which the universe itself is trying to reject. who can relate more to that than the Sixth Doctor, whose regeneration was characterised by fear, anger and feeling like an alien in his own body? aaaand that's Harper Spiel!! unwitting companion to the Sixth Doctor and challenger of the Toymaker 🥰 their adventures would be characterised by them attempting to find some way back to Harper's original timeline safely, with Harper insisting they need to find the Toymaker to make it happen...😭

[rocknroll7575]

The Soldier & The Knight: Part 1

Chapter 1: How Soldier met Knight

"Be gentle love my bones may be made of metal but I've a heart made of glass" - Dally London

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She was with her grandfather as they looked over the city of Atlas and she thought it was the most beautiful sight as she also saw the snow fall from the sky.

"It's beautiful Grandfather," She said with a smile.

He smiled and gave her a nod, "It is," He said, "Your mother tells me You want to become a huntsman, is that true?" he asked.

Hearing his question, she looked down sadly, "I also want to join the military," Winter said, "Are you going to try and stop me like my mother? Or are you going yell at me like my father?" She asked.

He shook his head as he smiled, "No, I'm not going to do anything of the sort," He told her, "I'm going to support you,"

Hearing him say that, her eyes widened and she turned back to him with a shocked expression, "You... you are?" she asked him.

"Of course," He said, "On the condition, you can answer two of my questions,"

Winter looked at him, still confused, "What are they?" she asked.

He smiled, "The first question, why do you want to join the military and be a Huntsman?" He asked.

"I... I want to get out from under father's influence, I don't want him controlling my life, I don't want to be the damsel people see me as," she told him, "But I... I want to protect people, I don't care who they are, human or Faunus, I just want to protect them, as you did," She told him.

Those words hit his heart more than she could ever know, and he smiled at his granddaughter with a bright and proud smile. "That's a good reason, my dear, and I can't tell you how proud of you I am to hear you say that," He said.

She blushed and became bashful at her grandfather's words, "Grandfather..." She groaned while she hid behind her hands.

He laughed at her bashful behavior, "I'm sorry my dear, but it's true!" he cried with laughter, "You've made this old man proud,"

She removed her hands from her face and looked back at her grandfather, "Thank you," She replied, smiling brightly.

"Now then, my second question," He began, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" he asked.

Her expression returned to confusion, "Huh?" She asked, "Grandfather, I just told you that I-"

Her grandfather shook his head, "No, no, no," he cut her off, "That is what you want to do, I am asking you what you want to be, what kind of a person do you want to become?" He asked her once more.

She thought about what he asked and she was stumped. What did she want to be when she grew up? What kind of person did she want to become? Her father was ruthless and manipulative, he only cared for his image and the business he stole from her grandfather and mother. What about her mother? Did she want to become a woman so torn down from her marriage that she didn't even bother with her children, and escaped through a bottle?

No... no she didn't like any of those options. She despised those paths.

But she looked to her grandfather, a man who she admired since she heard about his great deeds to the people of Atlas and Mantle, how he fought for the rights of the Faunus in Atlas, and how he cared deeply for everything in the city. He was the purest and kindest man she had ever known.

And just like that, she had her answer.

She smiled at her grandfather, "Ask me again, grandfather, I have your answer," She told him.

He smiled at his oldest granddaughter and gave her a quick nod. "Winter... what do you want to be when you grow up?" He asked her.

Winter smiled softly at her grandfather, "Kind," she replied.

It had been years since that conversation, and now, Winter was a full-fledged Huntress as well as given the rank of Atlas Specialist, and she was proud of what she had accomplished, however, she wished that her grandfather had seen what she had become. She was sure she had made him proud.

Currently, Winter, along with Penny Polendina walked the halls of Beacon, looking for a room that belong to Penny's... friend. However, the question was, why was Winter with Penny?

Well you see, General Ironwood had tasked her to watch over Penny at her team, team COPR (Copper) in order to watch how Penny acted and blended in with humans and Faunus, and to make her job not seem so suspicious, Ironwood tasked other Specialist and Huntsmen in Atlas over other first-year teams.

She had already let Penny out of her sight and she had caused some damage at the Bullhead Docks, but thankfully the blame wasn't fully on her as Penny had managed to slip her watchful eye, which was quite embarrassing for her. She was furious with the android and wanted an explanation from her, but after Penny explained why she had left without telling her, Winter could not stay mad at her, after all, she had once done the exact same thing when she was younger and still under her father's thumb.

Another reason she was with Penny was that it appeared that the friend Penny wanted to see, a girl named Ruby Rose, who Penny had met when she slipped past Winter, appeared to live in the same room as her younger sister, Weiss. Winter quickly figured out meant that Weiss was a teammate to this Ruby girl, so she agreed to tag along, wanting to catch up with her sister, since it had been months since they had seen each other in person.

Penny walked gleefully down the hallway with Winter behind her. "You're gonna love my friend Ruby, Specialist Schnee!" Penny said with glee.

Winter smiled at Penny's joyous attitude, which she would admit was rather infectious. "I'm sure I will, Penny, and I hope to properly introduce you to Weiss," Winter told her.

Penny nodded with a smile, "Yes, and hopefully she'll be my friend too!" Penny said.

"Hopefully," Winter said, still smiling. 'Hopefully, she is not as... uppity as she was when she left, gods know she needs to ease up, she's not in Atlas and isn't a soldier' Winter thought to herself.

Penny looked at the doors and saw the numbers and quickly realized they were getting close to Team RWBY's Dorm. "Oh! We're almost there!" Penny cried and ran ahead of Winter.

Winter watched as Penny quickly ran ahead of her. "Wait! Penny!" Winter cried as she reached after, but let out a sigh and followed after her, she was just thankful that she didn't try to blast through the hallway with her rockets.

Eventually, after running after the Robotic teen, Winter saw Penny stop at a door, and knew that Penny must have found the door to Ruby and Weiss's room, but must have waited for Winter to arrive to knock, and once the oldest Schnee daughter reached the door, Penny squealed and decided to knock on the door but nobody answered.

Penny knocked once again in case someone was inside and didn't hear it the first time, or because they couldn't reach the door at the moment, but nobody answered the second Knock.

"Perhaps they aren't here," Winter said.

Penny's expression turned to disappointment as her head slowly turned to look at the floor, "Maybe..." She said.

Suddenly, the door behind them opened loudly and they turned around only to see a male blonde teenager with dull white armor and a sword strapped to his side, coming out into the hallway, and he closed his door behind him and then he turned, and his eyes locked onto both Penny and Winter, who were looking back at him, much to his surprise.

"Oh, uh... hi," Jaune greeted with a small wave.

"Hello," Winter greeted with a nod.

Penny seemed to perk up at seeing the boy and waved at him, "Hi! I'm Penny Polendina! Nice to meet you!" Penny greeted

Jaune smiled at her, "Nice to meet you too," Jaune greeted back, "I'm Jaune Arc, short, sweet- ah... forget I said that," Jaune replied with an awkward smile.

Winter felt like was going to try and flirt, but realizing it wasn't proper, or embarrassing, or he actually lacked the confidence, he decided to stop himself, but she decided to ignore that and gave him a kind smile. "I'm Specialist Winter Schnee, very nice to meet you, Mr. Arc," Winter said, holding out her hand.

Jaune shook her hand, "Nice to meet- wait... Schnee?" Jaune asked with a raised brow.

Hearing him asking about her last name, made her raise a brow in suspicion, and began to question if he was going to try and hit on her again or be rude to her. "Yes," She said with a hesitant tone.

But the young blonde looked surprised, "Oh so you must be related to Weiss!" he asked.

Winter nodded, giving him his confirmation, "Yes, I'm her older sister," She replied, "Do you know my sister?" Winter asked him.

Jaune rubbed the back of his head and let out a nervous chuckle, "Kinda," he said, "Her team and mine hang out a lot, though I don't hang around her much... not that I blame her," Jaune muttered the last part.

Winter heard what he muttered and raised a brow at him, and was about to say something, but Penny interrupted her.

Penny moved in closer to the boy, intruding on his personal space, "Are you friends with Ruby!?" Penny asked with a smile and wide eyes.

Jaune was a bit taken aback by Penny's outburst and at how close she was, but he recomposed himself and nodded, "Y-Yeah, I and Ruby are friends," He said with a smile.

Penny gasped, "Ruby is my friend too!" Penny cheerfully cried, "Can we be friends as well!?" She asked Jaune.

Jaune nervousness disappeared and he gave her a genuine smile and nodded, "Sure," he replied, "Any friend of Ruby is a friend of mine!" he said proudly.

"Sensational!" Penny cried as she hugged Jaune tightly.

Jaune let out an oof as he felt like the wind was nearly knocked out of him and Penny's hug felt like he was being hugged by an Ursa. To his shock, the girl before him was putting Nora to shame, but it still felt nice...

Ok, now it was getting harder to breathe.

"P-P-Penny...! To tight! Can't breathe!" He cried.

Penny then quickly broke the hug and apologized before she looked back at him. "Oh, do you know where Ruby is!?" she asked.

Winter nodded in agreement with Penny's question, "Yes, we came here to visit Ruby and my sister, but they aren't here," Winter told him, "Do you know where they might be?"

Jaune thought for a minute, "Well... If they aren't at the dorms, they might be in the library playing games or studying, or they could be at the Combat Class, they train there sometimes,"

Winter nodded with a small smile, "Thank you, Mr. Arc" Winter said as she turned around to walk toward the Library to see if Team RWBY were there, and then check the Combat Class. However, Winter stopped herself and Penny and turned back to Jaune, "Would you mind guiding us there? I nearly forgot that I am not in Atlas anymore," Winter told him.

Jaune nodded with a soft smile, "Sure, and don't worry, I've lived here for a month but I'm still getting lost," Jaune told her with a chuckle.

Penny chuckled with him, as she and Winter followed the young knight as he led them in the direction of Beacon's Library.

As they are walking toward the combat room, Jaune turned to Winter. "I don't think I've ever heard Weiss talk about you," Jaune told her, "Well, at least not around me or my team," he clarified

Winter looked at him, "I don't blame her, many have tried to court me through her or they simply try to get to know Weiss only to get her money," Winter said, "We tend to not try and get to close to a lot of people for those reasons,"

Jaune nodded, "Ah, I guess that's a good reason why she- uh...! N-Never mind! Forget I said anything" Jaune said with a bashful expression.

Winter shook her head, "No, please go on, what do you mean that was a good reason?" She asked him.

Jaune rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, "Well uh... I may have tried asking her out a few times," He chuckled nervously.

Winter peered at him, "Really?" Winter asked with a raised brow.

Jaune realized he might have screwed up telling her that and quickly tried to straighten it out. "I didn't know who she was before, I uh... I just thought she was a really pretty girl and I thought I-I could ask her out, you know? I just needed to have confidence as my dad said, but well, she said no, but I tried a couple of more times because I thought I actually had a chance, but after a while, I finally got it through my head that she wasn't interested so I stopped," Jaune told Winter, "I wanna try to be friends with her now and make up for how annoying I was, though, I don't think she wants to try and be friends, and I can't say I blame her," He replied with a nervous smile.

Winter examined his mannerisms closely, a habit she was forced to pick up when too many people tried to get close to her for their own gain, but Jaune seemed genuine. He seemed to be sincere, which really surprised her because most people she and Weiss had met were after their fortune or worse, they wanted something more physical... but that was Atlas, this was Vale. So just maybe... it was possible that the people here were a bit different than in Atlas, and from what Weiss wrote about her teammates, they seemed to genuinely care about her as a person, and not care about her last name. Perhaps, Jaune was also one of those people, she hoped he was, but she could never really know, she has been tricked before...

However, Winter shook her head away from such thoughts and still looked at Jaune. "I'm sure she'll come around, give her some more time and I am sure that she will accept your friendship... she just needs time to let her guard down," Winter said.

Jaune gave her a nod, "I hope so," He said glumly

Penny then turned to him with a look of confusion on her face, "Why do you look sad?" She asked

"I-I don't-"

"I can see it on your face, I'm very good at reading people's facial expressions," Penny told him, "So why are you sad?" She asked him once more.

"I... I feel bad for asking Weiss out so much," Jaune said, "I know that I annoyed her a lot with my attempts of asking her out, and I know I came off as a creep, so I just have a good feeling that I kinda ruined my chances of being friends with her..." Jaune told her.

Penny looked at him for a bit, but she wasn't just scanning his facial expression, she was also monitoring his heartbeat for any signs of lying, but she found none, so she knew he was being honest about his feelings. Penny then gave him a smile, "Don't worry Jaune, I think Specialist Schnee is correct, she simply needs time to... Get the stick out of her butt?" Penny said.

Jaune tried not to laugh but he couldn't help himself, Penny just said that with a straight face, and based on how she sounded, it was just so funny to him.

"PENNY!?" Winter cried in shock as she turned to the robotic girl, "W-Where did you hear such a phrase!?" She asked.

Penny turned to look at her, "Oh, Neon!" Penny said, "She said it was another way to say that someone needs to loosen up, why? Is it wrong?" She asked the specialist.

Winter sighed, "It's... It's correct, but it's a crude phrase," Winter told her.

"Oh!" Penny said with shock, "Sorry..."

Winter just smiled softly at Penny, "It's alright, just try not to say that next time,"

Penny nodded and Jaune regained his composure and continued guiding them to the Library, and continued chatting with them.

Jaune chuckled at her and nodded, and he felt a little better, "Thank you, Penny," Jaune said with a soft smile.

XXX

XXX

XXX

After a long walk, they arrived at the library and looked for four female teens, unfortunately, team RWBY was not there, so they left to check the combat class, and eventually, after another very long walk from the Library to the classes, they arrived at the Combat class.

"Here we are," Jaune said as he turned to Winter and Penny.

Winter gave him a soft smile and a nod, "Thank you, Mr. Arc," she said.

"It's no problem Win-Mhm, Specialist Schnee," Jaune replied with a nervous smile, "And please, Jaune is fine," He said.

Winter opened her mouth to protest, but she realized that Jaune was simply trying to be nice, so she simply let it go and gave a nod in reply.

Winter, Penny, and Jaune entered the combat class to hear the sound of the fighting occurring, and they walked closer to the arena and saw Team RWBY fighting a 2-on-2 battle, and the girls were with their respective partners. The three watched the fight, and Winter finally got a look at the entirety of her sister's team, and she wanted to know a little bit more but didn't want to stop the fight, so she decided to look for information from Jaune.

Winter turned to him, "Mr-... Jaune, can you tell me a little about my sister's team?" Winter asked

Jaune looked away from the fight and looked back at Winter, "Well, Ruby's the team leader, though she's pretty young, managing to get into Beacon only at 15, she's one of the best fighters of our year and she has this way of Inspiring people," Jaune said with a soft smile.

Winter saw the smile on Jaune's smile and she could tell it was one of admiration, it reminded her of how she smiled when she thought of her grandfather.

"I see," Winter said, "What about the brunette?" Winter asked.

"Her name's Blake Belladonna, she's team RWBY's ninja so to speak," Jaune replied, "I don't know too much about her, she's kind of quiet and not so social,"

Winter nodded, "And the blonde?"

"That's Ruby's older half-sister, Yang Xiao-Long, she's the brawler and a heavy hitter of the Team, she's funny and overall someone fun to be around with, though... she's got a bit of an anger problem," Jaune said with a smile.

Winter nodded, as she turned back to the fight, and as she did, the fight had come to an end, the winners were Yang and Blake. Winter, along with Jaune and Penny, walked down and into the arena, and Winter looked toward Weiss with a smile. "You did well, Weiss," Winter told her

Hearing her Voice, Weiss turned around and saw Winter, as did the rest of her team. Seeing her older sister, Weiss smiled brightly and made her way quickly toward her sister.

Weiss looked at Winter, still beaming with a smile, "Winter, it's so good to see you again!" Weiss said with glee.

Winter still smiled at Weiss. "Yes, it's good to see you again as well, Weiss," Winter replied.

"Hello there!" Penny said.

Weiss looked at her with a shocked face, but before she could reply, a squeal could be heard and it came from Ruby herself as she saw Penny.

"Penny!"

"Ruby!"

The two girls collided and hugged each other as if they were long-lost sisters, however, Ruby lost her balance and the two fell to the floor, and Ruby let out an oof. While that had happened with the two, Weiss turned back to Winter with a bit of a forced smile, trying not to show her embarrassment.

"That is my leader," Weiss replied.

Winter nodded, "Yes, I'm aware," she replied, she then gestured toward Jaune, "Mr. Arc has told me about your team, and I am please to hear how well your team is doing,"

Hearing this, Weiss turned her head away from Winter and toward Jaune, and gave him a peered glare, "Why are you here?" She asked.

Winter was a bit taken aback by her sister's expression and her tone when she addressed Jaune.

Jaune scratched the back of his neck uneasily, "I-I showed Winter and Penny here since they were unfamiliar with B-Beacon's layout," Jaune replied, his tone a bit lowered.

"Well at least your good for something, but I hope you didn't try to hit on my sister," Weiss told him.

Jaune's entire body shrunk in and he shook his head in response.

Yang chuckled as she approached Weiss, and stood behind her but looked at Jaune. "Strike out on the older hotter sister, eh VB?" Yang asked.

Jaune looked down, embarrassed and feeling put on the spot, "I didn't hit on her Yang," Jaune replied.

Winter could tell by Jaune's body language that he was tense, and when she saw his face, it spoke volumes of how embarrassed and uneasy he was, and for some odd reason, recognized the look on his face. She shook away those thoughts and looked at her sister and Yang. "Mr. Arc has made me aware of his attempts to court you, Weiss, and he's expressed to me that he meant to harm in it," She told them.

"I'm sure he is, but still Winter, he was too persistent," Weiss told her, "It really greatly annoyed me, and it took him what felt like forever to get it through his thick skull that I was not interested," Weiss said.

For some reason, Weiss's attitude and words irked Winter, and when Winter thought about why, she realized that it was due to how she wasn't easing up on Jaune despite her letting her know that he feels terrible for annoying her with his attempts of asking her out, and another reason was that Weiss was acting like their father, demeaning someone right in front of them without regard to their feelings... as he did to them many, many, many times.

"Weiss!" Winter cried with a stern voice.

Weiss stopped talking and turned to her sister with a stunned expression, even her teammates were taken aback by her raising her voice.

Winter looked at Weiss with a disappointed expression, "You are being disrespectful to a fellow student that, not only you, but your team may rely on at some point in the future, he's already apologized for inconveniencing you, Weiss," Winter told her, "But worst of all, the way you've talked... reminds me of father," Winter said, her tone slightly angered.

Hearing the last part of that sentence made Weiss shocked and her expression turned to that of sadness, and she looked down in shame, "I'm sorry... Winter," she replied.

'I'm not the one you should be apologizing to,' Winter thought, a little angry that Weiss didn't apologize too she sighed and closed her eyes for a split second before opening them and looking back at her, "Weiss, I'd like to have some time to catch up, when you've cleaned up, give me a call,"

Being told that, Weiss lightened up and smiled back at Winter softly with a smile and a nod, and she quickly made her way toward her dorm room leaving the rest of her team hanging out with themselves.

Winter turned around and looked at Jaune and saw his composure relax, letting out a sigh. She walked over to him. "Mr. A- Jaune," Winter called to him.

Jaune looked at her, and Winter saw that a forced smile came to his face, "Yeah?" He asked.

Winter looked at him with a glum expression on her face, "I'm sorry for my sister's harsh words," Winter told him

Jaune quickly waved it off, still with a forced smile on his face, "I-Its alright," Jaune said, trying to sound normal, "Like I said, I'm pretty much used to it, so I just brush things like that off now," He replied with a chuckle.

Winter was cleaning herself up in the locker room as one of her teammates kept watch for the girls that dumped their drinks on her. "Winter... I'm sorry that they did that,"

"It's alright... I'm used to it" Winter replied with a sad tone as she changed her uniform.

"And to be fair, I kind of deserve it," He said.

Winter sat in her room with a bruise on her left cheek and a busted lip, she turned to the mirror of her vanity and her lip quivered, and tears began to form in her eyes. "You're an idiot for asking, you knew he was going to be angry but you still had to ask," She told her reflection. "You deserved it..." She told the mirror reflection once more.

Winter shook the memories away as she looked at Jaune, "No, you... you don't deserve it," Winter said.

Jaune looked at Winter and when he did, she noticed she looked a bit dazed, "Um, Specialist Schnee? Are you ok?" he asked.

Winter appeared to be taken out of her daze and looked at him and gave him a quick nod, "I'm Fine," She replied, "I was just, lost in thought," She said.

"Oh," Jaune replied.

Winter nodded, "It was good meeting you... Jaune, I hope we can meet again," She said with a soft smile.

Jaune slowly began to form a genuine smile on his face, "Same here, Specialist Schnee," Jaune said.

Winter still smiled at him, "Please, you can call me Winter, You're not a soldier of Atlas so there is no need to address me by my rank," Winter told him, "Now, please excuse me, I and Weiss have some catching up to do," She said.

Jaune nodded, "Of course," He replied.

She gave him a nod, and a small wave, "Goodbye, Jaune," She said as she walked away.

"Goodbye..." Jaune began as he watched her walk away, "Winter," Jaune finished with a smile.

Yang then rested her hand on her fellow blonde's shoulder, and Jaune looked at her and he saw the expression she wore, which was a smug one as she wiggled her eyebrows.

"What?" He asked with a confused look.

Yang chuckled, "You, Jaune D. Arc, got the hots for the older sister, am I right?" She replied with an amused tone.

Jaune glared at her but had a small blush on his cheeks, "I-I do not!" He told her.

"Sure you don't~" Yang replied in a sing-song voice, "But I can't blame ya, I mean Weiss's sister looks like the full package~! Bow chicka bow-"

However, Yang was cut off when Blake struck the top of her head with her book, "That's enough Yang, you already embarrassed him enough," Blake said.

Jaune looked at the brunette, surprised she kind of stood up for him. "Thanks, Blake," Jaune said with a smile.

"Mhm," Blake replied as she walked off, opening her book and reading.

'Though she still seems to be the quiet one,' Jaune thought.

Yang followed her partner and Jaune watched them walk away, and he was about to leave, but before he could, Ruby called out to him.

"Hey, Jaune!"

Jaune turned around and looked at the two girls, one of who was now a new friend. "What's up Cretor Face?" Jaune asked with a smile, teasing his friend.

Ruby smiled and rolled her eyes and her fellow leader, "I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with me and penny, Vomit Boy," Ruby said, reminding him of his own nickname.

Jaune chuckled, "Sure, I don't have anything else to do,"

Penny looked at the two, "Why did you two refer to each other with "Cretor Face" and "Vomit boy"?" Penny asked the two.

Jaune and Ruby chuckled together, forgetting Penny was not used to their nicknames.

"It's just our nicknames," Ruby told her robotic friend. "I call him vomit boy because he threw up on my sister's shoes," Ruby told Penny.

"It was motion sickness!" Jaune cried with a smile, "And the reason I call Ruby Cretor Face is that she caused an explosion in the court year by sneezing," He told the ginger-haired girl.

"It was an accident!" Ruby said with a smile as she elbowed Jaune.

Penny couldn't help but giggle at her two new friend's antics, "Such amazing stories! You have to fill me in on everything!" Penny said with joy.

Ruby nodded, "No problem!" She cried, and then she realized what had happened only last night, "OH! You guys won't believe what I just learned about Blake!"

The three left the combat class as Ruby told the two (mostly Jaune) about the fight at the shipping docks and what she had learned about her own teammate, however, a part of Jaune's mind couldn't help but think about Winter and how she was a lot kinder than when he first met Weiss.

'She's very kind,' Jaune thought with a smile as he walked with Ruby and Penny.

[thewritingofspencerrose]

Freefall Masterlist

The Contract

"You... you want me to what?" I ask lowly, looking up at the group across from me from under my lashes.

It really wasn't fair that they all get to have each other, and I'm on the other side of the table, on my own.

I should have had my father's public relations specialist come with me.

"We would like you to, as a part of your job here with Scuderia Ferrari, pretend to date Mr.Leclerc for a six month period, with a one month soft launch period and a five month relationship, which would then end on 'mutual terms'. During the time, you will be compensated while completing your classes, with the promise of a position on our engineering team," Frederic Vasseur is the one to explain, his position as team principle known to the entire room, including his driver, who sits to his left, reading over the paper that outlines this whole mess.

"I- I don't understand why- how this would be beneficial to you all? I'm just a university student."

He laughs. Frederic Vasseur laughs at me. "Ms.Earnhardt, you're not just anything. Your father is and your grandfather was motorsport legend. You're a well known name," He explains.

"Exactly, my father and grandfather, no one gives a damn who I am unless I'm with them," I try to explain.

"We don't need you to be the next Kardashian," Vasseur assures, "You would be most to fix Charles' reputation with female fans and overall."

"Have you seen social media?" I can't help but question, turning to Charles for the first time. "You are basically every woman's one true love right now."

"But he still needs a boost in the reputation department," Ferrari's PR strategist reminds. "And being seen as a good man? Good boyfriend? The perfect move. So, what do you say?"

How can Charles be ok with this? He and his most recent woman of the hour just broke up last month, and I also look nothing like the others.

"It's up to Charles," Is the response I give, making Vasseur and Charles look up to me in surprise. "If you want to spend the entire season being fake together, if you think it'll help, then I'm in. Anything for the scuderia."

"That's what we love to hear," Vasseur practically cheers, wrapping an arm around Charles' shoulders. "So, you in Charles?"

And he pauses, looks down at the papers in front of him and back to me, looking me over, and then back to his boss. "Of course."

"Great! We would like this to start immediately, so if you could both fill out these surveys about yoursel-"

"Absolutely not, Pri," I interupt Prianka, the PR woman's eyes growing triple in size. "If we're doing this, we're sitting down for coffee and getting to know each other. No 'favorite color is' and 'favorite animal is'."

"I love the idea!" She nearly hollers. "This morning, directly after this meeting, you two can go out to coffee in the city. Lynleigh, I assume, being from the area, you know a spot?"

"I'm from Nashville. That's in Tennessee, not Florida, Prianka," I find myself having to correct, reminding myself that she's from London and has no reason to know. "But I can text Logan and see? Or go find him in the paddock, I'm sure as a local he has some idea," I offer, her nodding brightly.

"Perfect!"

liked by dalejr, charles_leclerc, diana.mae and 257 more

lynleigh03 me: how do you like your coffee? him: with you

victoria.ham baby, call and tell mama who that handsome hand belongs to

will_hamlin mom don't support this

alexander_hamlin ma, get off of instagram

marcus.hamlin if you don't want to call mom, call me instead lynnleigh. i know where to find you

dalejr i actually agree with your mother here lynn

f1fan ...what is charles doing here???

lesainzlver babe, she is the next up and coming engineering candidate, every f1 team has been trying to lock her in for months and she doesn't even graduate till June!

f1fan damn, girl's impressive

liked by lynleigh03, scuderiaferrari, maxverstappen1 and 824,757 more

charles_leclerc a perfect way to bring in the first race of the reason with my favorite person

carlossainz55 that's not my hand... am i not your favorite person

f1fannn OH MY GOD IT'S A WOMAN'S HAND

ferraritime who who who is it?? we need to knowwwww

fav.earnhardt wait a minute...

[hdowlpost]

OWL GIFTS for @uncannycerulean

"Dining with the Devil" - The Daily Prophet Summary:

THIS JUST IN!!

Harry Potter was Spotted with none other than the dazzling reformed advocate, Draco Malfoy inside a seedy cafe at Diagon! Is this just another case-related meeting? Or is there something more brewing under the surface!? Find out more on page two of our latest issue, along with Rita Skeeter's new scoop on the mysterious mistress of Mr. Marington (page 17).

Don't miss out on the exclusive, brought to you by the greatest wizard magazine in the UK!! Art Medium: Digital Art Rating: G Contains: Exclusive article, advocate!Draco Malfoy, newspapers Notes: It is safe to say that I've had the greatest time of my life creating this piece! XDD To dear @uncanny_cerulean, I know this is not fully in line with the specific prompts you gave, but you mentioned you like our boys with unusual jobs and my mind just went with it. While Auror Harry is no new trope, I know for a fact that we have rarely seen advocate Malfoy in action, so I thought why not? I hope you like it! Merry Christmas and happy holidays! I'd like to take a moment to thank my amazing beta L, who came to my rescue at the very last moment with their very detailed insights and constructive suggestions to improve this piece as a whole. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversations and in general, am excited to continue our newfound friendships over fics and art! A big thank you also goes to the mods for being the most understanding and helpful people I know. You guys are frankly the reason why I keep coming back to this fest every year. Know that you all are amazing!!

A Missing Mug and Mysterious Memos Summary: Draco is already dejected about the prospect of not spending Christmas with Harry. He did not need his favourite mug to go missing too. Word Count: 800 Rating: G Contains: Established relationship Notes: Dear uncanny_cerulean, I couldn’t go past your first prompt, ‘Who keeps stealing Draco's mugs from the ministry kitchen?’ I had lots of fun planning and writing this little mystery for you. Hope you enjoy the cryptic clues! Thanks to the Owlpostmasters for their enduring patience and my beta B for saving my behind.

From Antarctica, Love Draco Summary: Draco had known that he would be gone for an extended period of time in the remote wilds of the Antarctic circle without any way to contact home. He wouldn't get to enjoy any of the comforts of his cozy London flat, with its adjustable heating and cooling charms or king sized bed with silk sheets and a dozen pillows for even longer. Draco had been fine with that. Welcomed it, even. Yet Harry’s eyes haunt him, even in the most remote of places. Word Count: 2.3k Rating: Mature Contains: climate specialist Draco, Antarctica, Antarctic expedition, lovable scientist ocs, getting together, pining, Harry falls first, Draco falls harder Notes: For uncannycerulean, I hope you enjoy this little science meets magic fic from one biologist to another. I honestly quite love this universe, and may have to write more! Happy holidays! Huge thanks to Teii for the beta and additional research! And as always, thank you to the mods for all you do!

[jamiesfootball]

more Leverage au nonsense-

after messaging back and forth with @izzyspussy and noodling on it a bit, I've figured out how to slot Nate (Ted Lasso) into the Leverage AU.

He is this universe's Sterling. Sort of.

Nate, gifted fucking Nate, had a plan when he was younger. He wanted to do something with football. Not play - he was never any good - but he could... manage, maybe? There was something there, something in the intricacies of the play and the people and the rules of the game that called to him.

Football was always his chess; chess never had enough moving pieces to keep him interested.

Then life happened. He went to university, and under pressure and wanting his father's approval, he studied finance. Which was fine, since he figured he could always pivot into one of the football clubs from there, and he'd still be near the sport he loved, but then life happened again and again and again and before he knew it he was working for the IYS London Branch under the financial auditing department. It was nothing he ever wanted as a job, but it supported his love for his actual passion for football and puzzles and whatever niche interests he curated that month.

Not to mention, a lot of the club owners worked with IYS, so occasionally he'd get comped seats! He even got assigned to work on the accounts of Rupert Mannion - the Rupert Mannion.

And then Rupert Mannion got divorced and shortly thereafter his ex-wife disappeared.

After that things got a bit... odd.

See Nate wasn't just an audit specialist - he was the audit specialist. He's who you turned to when things got funky. He had a mind for patterns, and for understanding the people who made them.

Rupert Mannion got divorced, and then suddenly people he knew - people Nate had worked with regularly for years - started having...strange things happen to them. So Nate did what Nate does - Nate followed the money.

Nate found Ted.

No one was more surprised than Nate when he found Ted Lasso, the ex-IYS investigator who disappeared a while ago. The one Nate had worked with a handful of times when one of Ted's American clients had business 'across the pond.' The one who always sent him Christmas cards, the printed kind with a photo of himself, his wife, and his growing family. Nate didn't get a card last year. Nate heard rumors of what happened with his son, how Ted disappeared off the map after all of that, but those are just rumors, and Nate never put any stock in those.

Nate goes to Ted to hear it from the man himself.

Ted trusts Nate. He likes this bright kid who was always so nice when he had occasion to visit, who showed him around to all his favorite restaurants and indulged Ted when he wanted to catch a museum that 'had nothing to do with what anything that'd been stolen.' Nate was always a good egg.

Ted tells Nate everything. He tells him about how he's been helping people that don't have anywhere else to go, and how he's teamed up with some of the people they used to chase, and how they're aiming to put a little good in the world.

But that's not what Nate hears. Nate hears that Ted, a good man, has changed sides. He's the one directly responsible for Nate's clients' misery. He's responsible for why IYS has had such a bad quarter, that four of Nate's coworkers have been let go just in the past few weeks.

"Roy Kent," he tells Ted, hoping to wake some sense in him. "You're working with Roy Kent. Do you have any idea what that man has done? What he's capable of?"

Ted gives him a sad, knowing smile, "I know enough."

"He's a bad person, Ted."

"Well on that I'll have to disagree."

Nate doesn't understand it. He doesn't understand why Ted would throw everything away - and for these people. And he knows these people. Ted was not as clever as he thought he was when he covered his tracks. Rupert Mannion's ex-wife, who got an astronomical amount of money in the divorce and somehow still wants more? The thief Keeley, who's stolen millions of dollars in art and statues - pieces of history that civilization will likely never get back? Roy Kent, who even the mafia considers a liability to have walking around breathing? Jamie Tartt - this new kid with a reputation that isn't nearly as bad as Roy Kent's was back in the day, but it was getting there. Even though he bafflingly seems tied to cyber crime these days--

--Nate cuts himself off mid sentence.

Before he leaves he tells Ted, sincerely, that he's glad to see he's doing okay. Really he is. But he does not condone what Ted is doing.

The team is understandably livid to hear that Ted met with an IYS agent and told him everything. Ted's only defense was, "I didn't think it would go so bad. Nate's always been a straight-shooter. Not a blind-spot to be found in that guy. Still, I think it'll work out. He's a good person who's had a shock. Maybe just give him some time."

Nate has a mind for patterns, but also for names, and he'd seen one of those names before, or something like it, in a place it shouldn't have been.

James Tartt. Paid a tidy little sum by Rupert Mannion for security work. It's neither a common or uncommon name, and it takes very little work for Nate to run background on the guy. He's not the young hitter Nate was thinking of, but he's older and he's got a kid who'd be the right age.

The plan is in motion before Nate recognizes he's made one.

Because from Nate's perspective, these people aren't solving anything. These people are part of the problem. No one made them choose to be thieves, no one made them decide to hurt people and call it justice. No, there's a right way and a wrong way to do things, and if Ted's chosen the wrong way then Nate has to stop him.

It's not until he's watching on the TV as the Crown and Anchor goes up in a loud fiery explosion that his knees give out.

His supervisors applaud him for bringing down Ted Lasso.

Interpol hires him, offers him a better job. Field work. No more sitting at a desk and crunching numbers. It's bittersweet, how well it suits him to be in the thick of things, to be chasing down the people who are actually bad people. To be putting some good in the world.

Maybe if he puts enough good into the world, he can make up for the good he took out of it.

It's not all sunshine and roses. The longer he's at Interpol, the more he realizes how complicated things really are. How there are agents who work alongside him who don't really play by the rules - or any rules. How there are just as many shady backroom deals being done at the top as the bottom.

Everyone at Interpol knows Roy Kent, by reputation if not by experience, and they tell Nate stories that make his gut churn. The more he learns, the sorrier he feels for the man he never knew -- he never stood a chance.

Nate does his job, what's always been his job: he studies the patterns and the people.

Nate learns that in one of the web of lies is a pit of vipers, and that the leader of that web is Rupert Mannion. The man who put a hit on his ex-wife shortly after she divorced him. The man Nate tried to help when he took Ted down. The man Nate sold Ted's life for.

Nate has changed. Nate is not on the good side he thought he was. A good man died, and there was never, ever going to be a price for that that Nate could live with. Nate is irredeemable, now, in his own eyes.

He could really use some advice, but there was only ever one man who answered his calls.

Numb, he goes home to his apartment. On the wall is a framed print of Van Gogh's Cafe Terrace at Night that he got with Ted on one of their museum jaunts. On his table is a takeout menu for A Taste of Athens, a place he hasn't been back to since after the funeral, when he realized baklava would forever taste like ashes in his mouth.

On his counter, neatly stacked with the rest of his mail, is a Christmas card he's never seen before.

It looks like the kind of thing you'd find at a gift shop in an airport. Bright pink graffiti letters spelling out 'Happy Christmas' over the image of a local pub. A familiar local pub. It's the pub around the corner from his flat.

Nate grabs his coat.

[sassysophiabush]

I can only describe the calling I felt to join the 2:22 A Ghost Story company as a spiritual one. The pull toward this story & this cast was perhaps was the most intense I’ve felt in my career & the reward of being up on the boards every night was greater than I could have anticipated.

I’m gutted that it’s come to an end. Last month several members of our company were hit with a virus & in the following weeks everyone recovered except for me. After weeks of being intermittently pulled off stage & visiting multiple doctors, specialists, & an all nighter in the ER, I’ve been advised by my medical team in London & America to stop performing in order to get this under control & to do so in the country where I reside under the care of my own doctors. I’m crushed to not be able to finish my run, to have to leave my incredible cast mates & company & to miss the nights on stage with our audiences. It’s been a pleasure to perform for you all on your most special occasions. I’ve loved reading your messages about birthdays & anniversaries spent with us & I wish I could do more. I’m not one who ever leaves early. It’s devastating to say goodbye to an experience that’s been so incredibly fulfilling, both artistically & personally. Being a part of this company put me back in my body and in my soul. I was reminded, on a cellular level, of why I do this job & how much I love acting. I crossed an ocean to come home to myself.

I owe so much gratitude to my incredible cast mates. @jaimewinstone@rickychamp2@cliffordsamuel you are alchemists, healers, confidants, & just the most fun & talented people I know. It’s been a privilege. I feel the same about Andie, Philip, Tan, Lottie, James, and every other member of our incredible company who became fast family. You all have been so supportive through this. I will never be able to express enough gratitude for your care. From ensuring I made it through shows once things got dicey with everything from medicine to flat sodas hidden backstage — even packing my feverish body in ice packs from head to toe on more than one night — you made it less terrifying to be struggling thousands of miles from my home & my family.

To all of the fans who came along, thank you. You made my Lauren journey feel like a party. A wild, joyous, invigorating rush, night after night. I loved making you scream, and making you laugh, and hearing your stories at the stage door. It means the world to me that so many of you traveled to see the show. If you’re booked for future nights, please go support my incredible costars. They will blow you away! I know Frankie Bridge will be incredible through the rest of this run.

I’m sad. Happy. Immensely grateful. There is no greater creative experience than the stage. I miss it madly. I love it deeply. I cannot wait for the next one ♥️

[cacaesar]

is it ok if i ask what a-levels you did to study classics at oxford? or what was your academic journey in general thx

Heya!! Of course it is! And thank you for the ask! I'll start with A-Levels and GCSEs (the ones I did, and the grades I got), and then I'll probably yap about how I came to studying classics/Oxford in the first place, and how school was for me (not easy, let's put it that way!) A-Levels: Biology - A Classical Civilisation - A Law - A Extended Project Qualification - A* (My EPQ was on Homosexuality in Ancient Greece and was 12,000 words... I really put everything into it lmao!) GCSEs: English Language - 8 English Literature - 8 Biology - 8 Chemistry - 8 Religious Studies - 8 Maths - 7 Geography - 7 History - 6 (first paper sat the day after a funeral lmao) Fine Art - 6 French - 6 Physics - 6 (we didn't really have a teacher for nearly 2 years...)

So...not the most impressive grades when you compare it to the straight 9's and A*s of people I got my place over! There are a couple of things to contextualise some of the grades - in that we unfortunately lost my grandad in the middle of GCSEs (and so my mum had to be away at hospital a lot, meaning I was cooking and caring for myself for the most part), and then for A-Levels I was in the Covid years (sat them in 2021). Our college decided it was a really good idea to make students sit full A-Level papers at the end of the year and have our entire grade depend on those, despite not having provided online lessons for a large part of the 10 or so months we were out of education; even when we were "back", the amount of absence through isolation etc was insane. Making us sit full papers when other colleges took grades over the whole year was, imo, deeply unfair...but anyway. I also unfortunately lost my nan and nearly lost my mum to Covid during the run up to those papers... all while working 20 hour minimum weeks - so it was more than a little stressful! On top. of that, I'm also AuDHD (Autistic and ADHD), but was undiagnosed until Uni... which meant I was flailing about desperately trying to succeed in a system very much not built for a brain like mine! The relief that came when Oxford finally gave me an answer to what was going on with me was immeasurable! But how and why did I get my spot in the first place? I've been obsessed with ancient cultures and history/mythology since I was tiny, and that basically just became a bigger and bigger obsession. My honest answer is that I got my place through a hell of a lot of hard work, a touch of luck, and blind unashamed confidence. If you sit in the interview thinking that you're supposed to be there, that these tutors will be the ones teaching you, and you're wanting to learn from them, there is not much you can do wrong! I did a LOT of research into my specific college - I wanted to study Homer's epics, so I chose the college with my favourite Homer and Hexameter Poetry specialist! And what would you know, genuinely loving that subject and yapping his ear off about my (informed and evidenced) opinions of Achilles and his characterisation (why he's actually a deeply sympathetic character, especially through the ancient lens, how he's the prime example of war trauma on a young person, etc) is what got me in!

I think I'll probably do a full post on education history at some point - and a series on applying to Oxford - but if you have any more questions, lmk! There should be a video on my TikTok covering some of the Oxford basics, though it might be quite the scroll down now! (gotta hit that 10k over there to make you guys playlists of the vids!) For now I'm on the way to london for a girlies getaway trip!

[grandmaster-anne]

The King’s cousin David Linley on his new career

The Times article by Lisa Grainger | Published 25 January 2023

The Earl of Snowdon talks to Lisa Grainger about his book on English crafts, and mentoring future creators at his furniture-making college at Highgrove

There aren’t many people who’ll admit that crafts can reduce them to tears. The Earl of Snowdon is one of them. At one event, he recalls, musicians including Jeff Beck, Mike Rutherford and the Clash were invited to meet and interact with “incredible luthiers, who make violins and guitars and cellos”. It was “just magical”, he says. “It really did bring a tear to the eye . . .”

Since David Linley, King Charles III’s cousin, became the first royal to follow a vocation — producing handmade furniture — and set up an eponymous business, he has been one of Britain’s most vocal champions of crafts. Which is why he wrote a book, Craft Britain: Why Making Matters, co-authored by Helen Chislett, to bring attention to extraordinary craftspeople around the country.

The glossy tome, with an erudite introduction by the design writer Stephen Bayley, is not only a directory of all the key crafts organisations from Cornwall to the Hebrides but a compendium of some of our nation’s most remarkable makers. It takes in embroiderers based in Hampton Court Palace and chair craftsmen from Orkney, leather sculptors and cobblers, marquetry specialists and even a whip-maker.

Sadly, Chislett says, some crafts were left out of the book because the skills have died out. For instance, England no longer has a cricket ball manufacturer even though the game was invented here, “and we probably won’t make bats for much longer”. Hand-stitched kilt-making is on the Heritage Crafts Association Red List of Endangered Crafts, as is neon sign-making; even bell-making is on its way out, with churchgoing declining.

On the other hand, there are crafts that are growing. Ceramic-makers, for instance, have sprung up in the southwest of the country. In Newcastle metalworkers whose families previously might have made ships are constructing metal furniture. Chislett adds that crafts fairs are becoming increasingly popular, particularly with the younger generation. “They’re a lot more into sustainability . . . and you are less likely to throw something away if you know who made it.”

There’s a growing appreciation of bespoke objects at the very high end of the market, Linley says. At his furniture company (from which he resigned in November) clients loved coming in to commission bespoke pieces with little quirks: a secret drawer with a martini shaker in it, or an inkwell filled with a specific colour of ink. “You can fantasise about what you like and get someone to bring it to life,” he says.

His own London home — “a little flat, which I am very lucky to have” — is filled with handcrafted items that have meaning: a pair of candlesticks that belonged to his theatre-designer uncle Oliver Messel; cushions embroidered by British seamstresses; tables turned by fellow carpenters; a pair of bespoke British shoes made “in precisely the colour and style and shape I like”. Each of them feels special, because “there is something rather lovely about a piece that’s come from the hand of a human”, he says. “It resonates with the human spirit.”

The next part of Linley’s professional journey, he says, will be nurturing others who want to work with their hands. At Street Farm at Highgrove, the Gloucestershire home of the King, an old barn has been converted into the Snowdon School of Furniture, where Linley is going to help to mentor the next generation of furniture-makers. “I am 61 now,” he says, “and it’s time to step back and allow the young people at Linley do things how they want. I have worked all my life creating a brand. And I can now do things for the Prince’s Foundation that are enjoyable and freeing.”

Having made furniture for almost 40 years, Linley says he’s relishing the fact that crafts are becoming more mainstream. “Today you’ll hear Tracey Emin talk about craft, and even sportsmen. This morning on Radio 4 a commentator was talking about a footballer as a craftsman and comparing him to Picasso. That might have been a comparison too far — but there is now far more recognition of the skills needed to do something well. And that can only be a good thing.”

[arsenalgbt]

I cannot write the stripper Ben fic but I can let it consume me. Wrote a little bit today, I don't know what it is but I'm obsessed, I see this au so clearly

"He requested you" Kalvin told him, swirling a cloth around the glass he was pretending to polish. They didn't work in an establishment classy enough to attract the kind of patrons that cared about clean glasses but their boss liked to pretend they did so Kalvin did the same "Why'd you sent the kid?"

"Fabio needs more practice" Ben told Kalvin, reaching over the bar to pick up a glass and the bottle of vodka that Kalvin hadn't put back yet. He poured himself a quick shot and necked it at a speed that impressed the bartender, Kalvin was hypnotized by the movement of Ben's Adam's apple as he swallowed, dirty thoughts swarming his mind "Plus he's hardly a kid, he's only two years younger than me"

"He seems younger" Kalvin mused and Ben nodded. Fabio's slender frame did make him seem much younger, a lot of the customers who requested him for private dances seemed to love that fact. Ben wondered how Willo would feel about it, if he'd like Fabio more than he liked him. Ben didn't know why he felt jealous at such a thought. Willo had spent ten minutes talking about his school teacher fiancé the last time he had paid for Ben's attention and that hadn't bothered him as much as the idea of Willo liking Fabio "It's nice of you, looking out for him like that"

"Its really not' Ben shook his head, pouring another shot of vodka in the hopes the buzz woild make him forget Willo. It was a Wednesday night meaning the mumbling scottish man who couldnt make eye contact with Ben till he had downed his third drink would come in. Maybe Ben would give him a free dance tonight, ease his conscious for continuously charging Willo double. He was surprised the owner Jorginho had yet to question him for the extra money on the books "You know me Kal, I'm as pretty as as I am selfish"

"Then you must be the most selfish man in London"

"Then you must be the most selfish man in London"

-💙🤍 KT anon

YO WHAAAAAAT??????????? TWO (2) STRIPPER!BEN FICS IN ONE DAY??????????????

YOOOOOOOOOOO my good deeds writing arsenalmpreg been rewarded by the rpf gods yoooooooooo kt anon!!!!!

FABIO

these two queens taunting new meat the serious, reading glasses wearing, office worker fantasy specialist, jurrien iktr

fucking hell dude.............. ben x Fabio duo..... please tell me u have seen Fabio's dancarina video.... my kryptonite...... idw to link the video cuz I always get so scared by Fabio's potent twinkyness like............ u get me..................

KALVIN

OWNER JORGINHO. U KNOW THE DEAL YEAH? reissy as his fave employee....... Jorginho being so overprotective of his most prized meat........... you KNEW I will demand---I mean ask to put reiss in this... oh wow

willo as ben's regular............................ my baby darling.................. not the groom then. came once and couldn't resist..................

free dance for stressed repressed kieran

damn

keep them coming yo!!!!

[philcoulsonismyhero]

Help, my flatmate roped me into a DnD group and I'm going to finally get to play a character I've had slowly cooking in my brain for about six months and I can just Feel the brainworms taking root

So, here's many and various fun facts about Benjamin Larkwright, war wizard:

He started out as a combo of Thomas Nightingale and Obi-Wan Kenobi, and ended up with a decent dose of Sam Vimes in there as well which is very fun (weld Vimes' arc on to the end of Obi-Wan's story instead of him dying and you basically end up with Nightingale, which is something very fun I only noticed when I thought about all three of them at once)

He's aroace

He's a moustache guy, of the early 20th century soldier sort of vibe, and one of those folks with brown hair whose facial hair is noticeably more ginger

He's got. Nineteen (19) total hit points at 4th level, I rolled like Garbage, he's terrifying squishy

(But I took War Caster and Spell Sniper as feats so ideally he'll be raining death on his enemies from Very Far Away from all that melee nonsense)

His arcane focus is the engraved metal cap on the end of his quarterstaff, and he made it from scratch himself as part of his magic training

We started with extra gold since we're starting at level 4, and he's ended up being the 'Pack Full of Random Useful Items' Guy (also the only one with land vehicles proficiency, so he'll end up being the Designated Driver, and why do I always end up playing the Party Dad Friend...)

Highlights from The Pack of Everything include a crowbar, a scroll case, a bullseye lantern (with oil flasks for fuel and also throwing with the spell Catapult, an option I'm very excited about), a shovel, a bag of caltrops and one of ball bearings, manacles, and a grappling hook

He learned his magic in the army as a young man, but quit after his specialist unit of wizards was almost entirely wiped out. His whole military pension and his entire inheritance goes towards supporting the families of his dead comrades and paying the medical bills of the survivors

He's also the last surviving member of his family (wiped out by the war he fought in) and technically he has a title that he inherited from his father, but he Never uses it

The man's got So Much survivor's guilt, poor chap

He took a job with the City Watch so he could afford to eat, and then spent about a decade in a holding pattern not really looking after himself and not doing any magic and just generally being Pretty Miserable and trying to pretend to himself that he wasn't (see: Vimes, pre-Guards! Guards!; Obi-Wan between trilogies; and Nightingale pre-Rivers of London, and you see what I mean about their stories overlapping?)

Until one day he got dragged into Shenanigans by a nobleman he was guarding who turned out to be a gentleman spy, and he ended up using his magic for the first time in years in order to save the day

And it turned out picking magic back up again and using it to help people was the purpose he'd been trying to pretend he didn't need in his life

So he dug his staff out of the back of a cupboard, cleaned the cobwebs off it, set about relearning all the magic that he gave up when he destroyed his old spellbook back in the day, and quit the Watch to become an adventurer

Personality-wise, he's Obi-Wan but stiffer and with significantly less people skills, and Nightingale at his most brisk and soldierly. The Vimes influence is more in his backstory than personality, but he's got shades of the temper and the Strong Opinions as well. He's polite, respectful (unless someone proves they don't deserve it, in which case he is Very obvious with his disapproval), formal, got a bit of a temper but also nerves of steel, stubborn as all hell, likes to solve his problems head-on, got a strong sense of duty and obligation, and got a surprisingly sly sense of humour.

And he's got a moustache. I've mentioned that already but it greatly entertains me so I'm pointing it out again.

I love him a lot, I'm excited to get to actually play him. (We're starting next week!)