#I swear the universe wants me to hate the French | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

equallyshaw · 1 year ago

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presidents daughter x Jack hughes

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slow burning little blurb😌

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Warnings: angst, juvenile delinquency (but really a national emergency lol) swearing. nothing else.

Word count: 5.08k

bit choppy!

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ophelia grace kennedy paced up and down her room, as she went through her foreign government flashcards. she was studying for her winter finals, now a senior at rutgers university in new jersey. she was getting a bachelors in international relations and a bachelors in french. ofcourse she'd go down this route, just like her family before her. it was now December 9th and her time here in new jersey would be coming to a close in a mere 6 days, before heading back to the white house for christmas and winter break with her parents. maria her roommate stormed into the room breaking the girl from concentrating and sighed. "what now?" ophelia asked, stopping in her step and watching her best friend grin. "we've been invited to a party in the city!!!" she said. ophelia growled, "yeah like my dad would say yes." she hummed going back to her flashcards. maria snatched them out of her hand, "screw the cards, screw pops and get your ass out the door in 20." she said without waiting to get a response. ophelia stood there torn, she knew she should not go but another part of her wanted an excuse to head up to manhattan. "but isn't it a 2 hour drive???" ophelia yelled out the door and maria only laughed. "that's why timmy is driving us." she hummed and ophelia cringed. maria had had a massive crush on timothy, her personal secret service agent since sophomore year. personally speaking, he was attractive; ophelia would not deny it. but she also knew she would never allow that to happen. besides, maria was always joking that timothy had a crush on opehlia and not one for maria. ophelia pulled herself into the washroom and quickly got ready.

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35 minutes later the two hopped in the car that was waiting for them. "hi timmy. hi oswald." maria said looking at ophelia. "miss mendez, miss kennedy." timothy said looking through the mirror at ophelia. "good evening timothy and oswald, sorry for the last minute drive." she said honestly but he waved it off. as long as she got their safe, he didn't mind. the four drove about an hour and a half before making it to the swanky manhattan apartment. well, penthouse. "thankyou timothy." she said as oswald opened the door for the two of them. "ill be up soon." he said looking back at her and she nodded before stepping out. the three of them walked into the complex, and hurried up the elevator. "okay penthouse b." maria said looking at the text message. "and how did we get an invite?" ophelia questioned maria and maria giggled. "i might know somebody." and ophelia now smirked. "is he the one from 2 weekends ago?" and maria blushed as the elevator opened. "let me call him." maria pulled out her phone and the guy quickly picked up. "hey we are here, can you come for a moment?" she asked and the respondent quickly said yes. the three walked up to the door, and waited. oswald stood in front of the two, and the dude was shocked. "oh my god its ophelia kennedy." he said as he looked from maria. ophelia nodded softly, hating that he recognized her. "sorry." he said realizing how he was acting, and ophelia nodded. "sir, i am going to have to search the premises before miss kennedy can be let it." and ophelia sighed. "uh let me go get the owner, but that wont be a problem." and oswald nodded. the elevator dinged and timothy walked into the hall, coming up behind ophelia. "well ill leave you to it!" maria said as john pulled her inside, just as the owner came out. jack did a double take at the girl, knowing he knew her from somewhere. the secret service agents at his door, gave it away. oswald explained what he needed to do, and jack opened his door widely for them, his gaze continuously going back to the girl. "sorry about all of this." she said sheepishly, and she could feel two sets of eyes on here, making her feel small. "not a problem miss kennedy." jack said smiling. she looked up and met his eye, "ophelia." and he smiled wider, "jack." and he held out his hand. she blushed, taking a hold of it and shaking it. oswald came back out and took the first shift outside, and so timothy and her entered the penthouse after jack.

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maria pulled her best friend towards the windows, shoving a drink in her hand. "thanks." she hummed quickly throwing it back. maria watched trying to hold back a laugh, as soon as ophelia finished it she went to go look for another. "don't follow me." she said to timothy who was about to follow. this was one of the few times where she demanded they let her disappear without following. "I'm not leaving." she added before walking off to the kitchen. some recognized her, 90% of the americans at least did. nobody bat an eye otherwise. she searched the kitchen looking for a seltzer or something and she smiled once she found on. "seltzer type of gal, huh?" she heard jack announce as he entered the kitchen. she stood back up from the cooler and nodded, watching as he strutted towards her and grabbed the drink to open it. smooth, she thought. "why thankyou." she smiled, and she leaned into the kitchen island. "ofcourse, you're american royalty, i might as well do my duty of being a good host." and she waved her hand in front of her. "no no, that's my dad not me. don't act any differently please. you don't have to!" she said and he nodded. "oh my god so it is true!" a tall guy said from the doorway. "if i recall we had to a project on the Kennedy family junior year of highschool and you were featured in it." the guy said causing jack to laugh at his brother's forwardness and then saw that ophelia was cringing. "that's uh that's nice. good thing we didn't do that." she smiled softly before drinking her seltzer. "oh yeah right...sorry." luke said feeling bad and ophelia just nodded. "well i should get back before one of my agents call my dad." she huffed as jack was about to say something. "who are you here with?" he asked walking out with her. "my best friend maria, who i think is seeing somebody named john. i have no idea though." she said walking towards her spot before. "oh yes! he did mention it. well at least he's american so he knows who you are and everything that comes with knowing you?" he asked and she laughed at his attempt to make a joke. "haha very funny." she smiled as the two walked up to maria and john. "such a nice place dude, thanks for letting us crash." maria said and jack nodded. "ofcourse, pleasure is all mine." he smiled looking down at ophelia briefly. "well if you need anything ill be making the rounds." he said to the group and then back at ophelia who nodded. he looked at her for a few more seconds before leaving. ophelia and maria stood side by side with john for the next two hours, getting to know him and learn more about his profession and who half these people were at the party.

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ophelia found herself around 1 am walking out to the balcony that accompanied the penthouse and took in the frigid temperature. it was becoming too confined and a bit warm for her inside and this seemed like a welcoming idea. jack had been watching her all night as she interacted with john and a few others who had made their way over at some point. he took in how she laughed, how she interacted with maria but through it all she seemed guarded and somewhat closed off. but who wouldn't be when they had a pair of eyes on them at all times. he waited a few minutes after she stepped out to step out with her. "party boring ya?" he questioned as he shut the door, and she turned around and giggled. "not in the slightest, i think nico and i had a good 10 minute conversation in french so this is at the top of house parties for me." she joked as she came up next to her. "oh really?" he said quirking an eyebrow and she blushed. "john tells me that you guys are seniors at rutgers. what are you studying?" he asked looking down at her, giving her his full undivided attention. "hah, i think you can google it." she joked swirling her seltzer. "well but yeah i could, but i wanna hear it from you." he said sweetly and ophelia felt herself smile against her better judgment. "well just like every other member in my family I'm studying some sort of government. but mine is in international relations and then another major in french. i plan to work at the embassy after graduation." she explained and he felt himself smile. "my dad just about shit himself when i told him my plans. he was expecting me to do something else, let alone move to france." she added causing the both of them to laugh. "wanna run away from the u.s?" he grinned and she shook her head. "shhh my dad doesn't need to find out." she grinned leaning into him just a bit, placing a soft hand on his arm. "your secret is safe with me." he whispered grinning, and she recognized it as a sincere one. one that made her warm inside. "say, have you ever been to a hockey game?" he questioned, her hand not leaving his arm as they turned towards one another. she shook her head no, "oh wait! i did go to the 2018 stanley cup playoffs when my dad was a senator!" she said remembering now. "or whatever year it was." she laughed uncertainly. "i think you're right, but you and maria should come to our next game in two days." and she sighed. "good thing I'm done with finals then." she said through somewhat gritted teeth, knowing that she would not be going home as decided by her dad but she'd be staying in jersey just a bit longer. against his wishes ofcourse. the sliding door opening but she didn't move back from jack. "hey girl, we are going. timmy's being an ass." she said before timothy came into view and ophelia sighed. "well thankyou for the invite and a great party, jack." she smiled. he nodded, "ill make sure john gives maria my number so we can situate the ticks." he said and she nodded before walking back inside.

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ophelia threw her overnight bag into the fire escape as maria watched from the ground. two floors up and ophelia could put her fear of heights away and hop down. she grabbed her second phone and walked down. the two looked at one another, as if to say 'are we really doing this?". ophelia grabbed maria's hand and pulled her towards the uber that was waiting for them. she had had enough of the two agents for two years and decided that she wanted to ditch them. besides, she had had a lovely argument this morning with her dad which untimely led to her hanging up one him; not wanting her to stay longer in jersey after her last final that early afternoon. so, this was going to work or not work, she didn't know but that was thrown out the window as the two sped off towards newark. maria texted john that the two were on their way there, and to not say shit to anybody besides jack. nobody could know they were coming. "lets hope this works and i don't get shot in the process." ophelia said shutting her eyes. "lets hope it does work." maria said squeezing her best friends hand.

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the two drove into the underground parking garage and saw john waiting for them with jack. the two hopped out and maria quickly hugged john. "hi jack." she said sheepishly and he smiled, pulling her in for a hug. "where can we put our stuff?" maria questioned the two and john smiled beginning to walk the four over to the car. "thanks man, appreciate it." ophelia said. "wheres the entourage?" john asked shutting his trunk and maria smiled. "she ditched em for the night!" she cheered, throwing her hands up in the air. "hahaha. funny." ophelia said rolling her eyes. "lets just go before people see us." ophelia said pulling the three back towards the door. "lets get margaritas!" maria said as soon as the two were alone on their way towards a box that was filled with executives for the team and one that was smaller so they could blend in easier. "fine, only one though." ophelia hummed.

the game was in full speed an hour later, and opehlia found herself enjoying it immensely. oh, how she adored grown men throwing each other around, searching for the tiny black object on the ice. she made note to go to more hockey games because they were entertaining. she shamelessly watched jack throughout the night, feeling her attraction towards him grow. she hadn't been able to get him out of her mind for two days and this was only going to add to it.

and throughout the night, she thought not once of the outside world and who might be looking for her. back at the whitehouse, her parents were terrified of what could have happened. agents and police personnel on high alert throughout the east coast. she knew ultimately she shouldn't have done what she did, but now it was done. the game went a little too quickly for her liking, and the two stayed back in the box waiting for the two guys to come out. john had the idea of ordering in and the four of them hanging at jacks penthouse for the evening. the two came in with one trailing behind them as he was on the phone with somebody. "great game guys!" ophelia said smiling widely, feeling the two margaritas pulsing through her veins. "oh my god, she was loving it! she was so into it it was so funny." maria said laughing at the fact that she misread a call and got upset about it. "hey, its not my fault the dudes microphone went out." jack and john picking up on the situation. "ill need to hear more, but should we get going?" jack questioned and the two nodded. the five of them headed out towards the two cars, "wanna ride with us? were going straight to my place. they are picking up chinese." and ophelia nodded. "i swear to go if timmy or oswald or your fucking father call me one more time, i'm gonna scream." maria said as she turned on her phone. she flashed ophelia her phone and saw 35 missed calls. "turn it back off, they can track it." ophelia said and maria nodded.

jack and luke watched as ophelia grew quiet, as soon as they entered the car. "do they not know youre here?" luke asked and ophelia nodded. "oh god, please tell me were not gonna go to prison for harboring the presidents daughter?!" luke panicked.

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it was around 1 am after many boxes of chinese take out and a comedy movie, they were all exhausted. maria and john moved to his place on another floor offering ophelia to come with them, but she said she wanted to finish the movie. luke headed to bed after they left, and so now it was just jack and her. "so why did you not tell them you were going out?" he questioned, turning towards her on the couch. their knees brushing one another for a split second. she sighed, thinking of what reasons he was going to give. "i wanted to be normal again just for the evening. i wanted to have a good time without feeling my agent's eyes on me at all times, you never feel alone. ever." she said looking at jack in the eyes. "did you feel normal?" he asked and she smiled softly taking in how his eyes softened as he looked at her. she took in how comfortable she felt in his presence and the warmth that he oozed, "i do now." she hummed before closing the small distance between them by pressing her lips to his. it caught him by surprise but he melted into it, finding the base of her back quickly; his arms wrapping around her. their bodies quickly not getting enough of one another, jack pulled them down the hall to his room. making the most of her night of freedom.

it was around 5 as the two found themselves wide awake talking, laughing, kissing, and falling for one another. jack pulled her closer to his chest, not wanting this moment to end. "when do you come back?" he questioned and she shut her eyes. "the 7th, i start classes the 10th." she said. he nodded, "how about we do something during my by week in feburary?" he questioned and she smiled. "its a good thing my classes are all online. ill talk to my mom and have her convince my dad." she hummed looking up at him. "its a good thing, she's got a soft spot for me." she hummed before pecking jack again.

as the two were starting to fall asleep, their breathing already mimicking one another they heard a big boom at the frontdoor. more like a crash. she quickly sat up in bed, pulling the blanket to her chest, gathered her discarded clothes and slammed the bathroom shut, locking it behind her. she knew who was here. "ophelia?" jack questioned as the master bedroom opened, to reveal timothy. jack threw his hands up, as more agents filled the room. "jack?" he heard luke call out, as they pushed him into he hallway. jack sighed, knowing his brother was ok. "is she in here?" timothy asked pointing towards the bathroom and jack nodded, apprehensively. "i swear to god if you touch the door, you'll regret it." she yelled, knowing he was about to or at least attempt to open the door. she slid on her socks and stood up, taking in her appearance. she sighed stepping out of the washroom, timothy inspecting her to make sure she was not harmed. "im fine, tell him oswald." she said looking at her most trusted person in the world, who nodded. "you're dad will be happy to hear we found you but he wont be happy where." timothy said grabbing her arm and began to walk her out. "let go of me!" she screeched, ripping her arm from him. she'd never seen this side of him and she did not like it. they made it to the front door and saw maria standing outside with john, "can i at least say bye?" she asked looking at timothy. he looked down at her, knowing that if he did so, there would be no chance with her selfishly. he'd been battling two years of feelings and knew she was slipping from his hands. he sighed, and nodded. "alone." she added and timothy sighed again nodding for the agents to get out. as soon as they did, closing the broken front door behind them she turned around. "im so sorry, i didn't think they'd come here." she said panicking. jack shook his head, "no no, don't worry. you didn't know." jack said softly putting his arms around the girl. he rubbed her back, "yknow id still like to see you after you get back." he said and she smiled. "didn't scare you away?" she questioned and he smirked. "not even close." he said before quickly pecking her. timothy opened the door, letting her know air force 1 was ready. "bye jack." she said before walking out and past timothy. she gave maria a quick hug before she was whisked away.

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jack hadn't stopped thinking of the girl as christmas rolled around, and the texting the two did was nonstop. the two could not get enough of each other, respectfully. ophelia was a wreck as she was locked away in her ivory tower, not daring to speak to anybody but oswald or her most trusted assistant. the president took notice of everything, and i mean everything. he would go up to the personal quarters for the family throughout the day and would hear his daughter laughing, talking in hushed tones and sadly, sobs. she was only allowing oswald and her assistant to see her, as she didn't want to be anywhere near her parents. with the reprimanding he did once she got back, he understood. but he knew the history of the family and his panicking was warranted. theo kennedy walked towards his and his wife's bedroom to talk, he needed to confirm his suspicions. "is she really seeing that hockey player?" he said and his wife was taken back. "uh...i believe so. at least that's what kelsey said. the two haven't stopped talking since the night she was found. well actually before that too." she responded, and he nodded sitting down at the edge of the bed. "would it be wild to invite him to the christmas party?" he questioned and his wife smiled. "are you getting soft?" she smiled coming up behind him and wrapped her arms around him. "i think that ship sailed years ago." he huffed and she laughed. "she's our only child theo...don't push her too far and give her reasons to never come back." his wife whispered. "i get she messed up and made a dumb mistake, but we both know either one of us would have done the same in her position." and he knew his wife was right. they both would have done it. "ill let kelsey know." he announced, standing up and walking out.

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though kelsey never told ophelia, knowing it would be a lovely surprise for her. ophelia smoothed down her silver dress that donned a bow at the back of her neck. kelsey inspected her hair and makeup, smiling at how perfect it was. "you ready?" she questioned and she nodded. she walked out of her room in what seemed like days. oswald smiled down at the girl, putting his arm out for her. she smiled looping her arm in his. "absolutely beautiful miss ophelia." he hummed and she smiled widely. "thankyou oswald." and the two were on their way downstairs. "ill be right down there, take your time." oswald said stepping aside and walked down the grand stairs that would lead them to the grand room where the party was. she sighed running her hands down her dress once more, as kelsey fixed the bow that went down halfway revealing the rest of her back. "knock em dead, sis." she smiled and ophelia nodded. she needed a drink, and pronto. especially after the amount of pictures that were going to be taken as she made her entrance. she rounded the corner and stood for a brief few seconds at the top looking down at the groups of people mingling about. oswald nodded at her, speaking into his earpiece. she slowly stepped down the stairs hoping to not fall flat on her face. as she looked around briefly at the people realizing she was walking down, she caught a familiar face. scratch that, four. and then it was as if more and more kept popping up. she whispered to oswald that she was going to greet the group of people, and as she looked over, she saw jack already making his way over. "ofcourse miss ophelia." oswald said standing back into position. "hi jack." she smiled widely, pulling him in for a hug. "hi opehlia." he whispered, a bit stunned by the forwardness. "what are you doing here?" she questioned pulling him to the side of the stairs. he shrugged, "your dad called me four days ago and asked me if i wanted to come. and that i could invite anybody i wanted to-to come along." he said and he saw the confusion wash over her features. "he did?" she asked in disbelief and he nodded. "is it too soon?" he asked growing nervous, and she shook her head quickly. "oh no! not at all, I'm just stunned a bit that's all." she said smiling widely. "I'm really glad that you're here jack, truly." she said inching closer to him. "ill meet up with you guys soon, i need to find my dad." she said and he nodded, placing a kiss to her cheek. her cheeks became crimson red, jack noticing immediately. she watched as he walked back towards the group, and then she slipped into a secret door towards the oval Office.

"ophelia!" she heard her name from behind and she knew who's it was. she stopped to look back and saw timothy walking quickly down the desolate hallway. "yes?" she questioned, and she saw that he was upset. "what is that guy doing here?" he asked and she was taken back a bit. "why does it matter to you?" she huffed, before starting her descent again. he grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "are you two together?" he asked and her face became stern. "why would it matter to you, huh?" she spat while yanking her arm back. "why would it? have you not recognized anything?" he asked and he saw confusion wash over her. "what-what are your talking about timothy?" she asked growing irritated. "you musn't think that everything I've done for you has been just for my job. you really don't think that right?" he questioned searching her eyes. she shook her head, "timothy-" he cut her off. "have you not realized my feelings for you?" he asked and she felt dread wash over her. "oh fuck no, this isn't happening." she said taking a step back, putting her arms out to create distance. "don't go do this route timothy, please." she begged but he shook his head. "ill put in my notice, then then-" she cut him off. "if you think that i have feelings for you, you are certainly mistaken. what the actual fuck, timothy? don't follow me" she ordered, beginning to walk towards the oval office. she made it to the office, and shut the door behind her. her dad was at his desk, going over some last-minute items. he quickly looked up and was shocked to see his daughter back in the very room he berated her a week back. "first thing's first, please get timothy off of my service. secondly, you invited jack?" she said walking up towards his desk. he sat back in his chair smiling, and nodded. "okay." he said nodding towards his agent behind him and the agent left the room. "i had to meet the guy who's had nonstop communication with my daughter." he said and she softly smiled and then it dropped. "was it to make amends?" she said quirking an eyebrow and he laughed. "you're mother is quite the convincer and knows how to fix situations. good thing she's in my corner and nobody else's." he said and she nodded, knowing full well the angel (and devil) that she was. she sat down in front of her dad. "i do really like him, i think you'll like him too." she smiled and then there was a knock on the door. oswald appeared with her mom and somebody else. jack walked into the room nervously looking around, and then he found ophelia. he instantly calmed down, and she smiled widely.

"so you must be jack." her dad said standing up and jack swallowed hard, putting out his hand for him to shake. "ye-yes, jack hughes." he said nervously. "hear you're a pretty good hockey player, jack." her dad said and jack shrugged. "i'm alright." and ophelia smiled at his modesty. "heard you're good enough to make the olympics team and represent our great country." and jack was confused looking over at ophelia. "he loves hockey." ophelia said and her dad chuckled. "yes, nhl network is always on. just recently caught a segment on international play coming back so that's why I'm excited for 2028!" he explained walking back to his desk and shutting the small desk lamp off. ophelia made her way over towards jack and straightened his bowtie. "calm down, you're fine." she whispered for just him to hear. jack watched as he did so, a feeling of calm washing over him.

"who'd you bring tonight?" her dad asked breaking their trance with one another. "uh my parents, brothers, and a couple teammates." he said sheepishly, "great! we get to meet the parents, hun." her dad mused as the two walked out in front of them. ophelia rolled her eyes, "he hasn't been this excited in a few years i apologize in advance." she hummed and he smiled, holding out his arm for her. she looped her arm in his, and the two walked out.

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the two made their way up to the personal quarters for the family a few hours later, showing him around the white house for a personal tour. "and this here is my room." she said sheepishly allowing him to walk in. she shut the door behind them and started to pull off her earrings that were beginning to throb. jack turned around halfway to see what she was doing, and she was making her way back towards him. he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her inclose and rested his chin on her head. "thankyou for coming tonight, I'm so glad that you did." she smiled. "ofcourse, i had to see the girl im absolutely mad about." he hummed, and she felt her heart swell. "and where she got her snooty attitude." he added joking and she rolled her eyes. "haha very funny." she said pulling back a bit to look up at him. "will you be my girlfriend?" he asked off the cuff and she threw her head back laughing. "points for throwing me off guard, but yes. i would love to be your girlfriend." she hummed and he smiled widely. he closed the space between them, placing his lips on hers. ones that tasted like whiskey and the comforting smell of sandalwood and cedar plagued her nose. she began to untie his bowtie, and as soon as it was undone she began to push him back towards her bed. she giggled as he fell back upon the bed, not knowing it was as close as it was. "oops." she said placing a hand on her lips. he smiled, pulling her to his chest, not being able to get enough of her.

ahh! i hope you enjoyed this lengthy and somewhat slow burning blurb, i kinda wanna make a follow up? probs will lol. but please like and reblog if you enjoyed!

#jack hughes #jack hughes x oc #jack hughes fic #jack hughs blurb #jack hughes imagine #luke hughes #new jersey devils #jack hughes x presidents daughter #jack hughes au #john marino #New Jersey devils fic

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thedeviltohisangel · 9 months ago

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MUSTANG ON A PRAIRIE

Ok. Completely self-indulgent post me attending a rodeo thing. Yellowstone/Cowboy AU that was originally a Cass/John AU but seemed to fit Austin? Let me know if you guys would be at all interested in something further with this pairing and universe 🤠💕

Willa put her car into park and looked across the expanse of land that all fell under the name of the Strickland Ranch. God was it intimidating sometimes. It was daunting to see the green grass stretch even further than her eyes could see. Daunting to watch the way her father ached over every head of cattle and every horse and every cowboy. Daunting to think that anyone truly expected her to run this place one day. She was having a hard enough time getting through her first clerkship.

The sound of hooting and hollering had her looking to the right at one of the pens at the front of her family’s property, closest to the stables. It looked like that new mustang had just been let out of the trailer he’d been trying to kick his way through for a couple days. He looked beautiful in the Montana sunshine. His hair so black it looked like a rainbow when the light hit it just right. She hated when they brought back a wild horse to break. She knew the feeling all too well.

“Evening, boys,” she called as she strolled over to the fence. They all tipped their hats and greeted her with a chorus of ma’am’s before turning their attention back to where the newest ranch hand had pulled the short straw and was sat on the back of the mustang as he bucked. “Our resident bull rider didn’t want the honor?”

“No, ma’am, he’s getting ready for the rodeo tonight.” As if he sensed they were talking about him, Willa looked towards the bunkhouse and saw his figure leaning in the doorway. She swears he smiled at her.

“Right. Well don’t keep Chris up there so late he misses the rodeo. Want to be able to laugh at him later.” They all laughed. “See you all tonight.” She threw the blonde cowboy in the distance a parting glance, he was already watching her, before disappearing into the house to get ready for tonight.

She held her friends hand as they took their seats on the bleachers. Willa had a clear view of her father in row one, no doubt ready to castrate his ranch hand that was competing tonight, and was perfectly in line with shoot four where her handsome cowboy would be.

“You didn’t give him a good luck kiss beforehand?” her friend asked.

“No. He hates that shit on rodeo days. I barely even looked at him this afternoon.” Willa munched on a French fry.

“I’m surprised your dad would let him ride. Hard to be a good cowboy if you break your back on a bull.” The elbow in her side was sharp.

“Don’t talk like that.” Her father hated that Austin rode bulls. Had threatened to fire him the moment he got hurt. If he even got sore. But James Strickland hated the way he looked at his daughter even more. “My father doesn’t own him.” She couldn’t look her in the eye when she said it.

When his name was announced as the next rider, Guns N’ Roses blaring through the speakers, everyone cheers except for Willa. This was where her nerves settled in. It was only ever 8 seconds. 8 seconds of holding on tight and then it would be over.

The shoot opened and people cheered. The bull bucked and bucked but he stayed on. Held tight and looked like it was nothing. Like it was Sunday morning and the sun was shining just for him. Down to the toothpick lazily hanging from his mouth.

The buzzer rang at 8, the crowd erupting as Willa simply exhaled. The bull being chased around the pen as the cowboy in question cheered himself and faced the adoration. She spared a glance at her father, stoic and no trace of anything to give his feelings away.

“Willa! He’s coming this way!” It was her turn to be elbowed as her friend was frantically trying to grab her attention. Oh no, not something public. Whatever it was between them had been so good. So good because it was in the shadows. Truck bed nights. Sunrise rides. Sneaking out to the bar three towns over where hopefully no one would recognize her or her name.

“Ma’am.” Gracefully, he placed his signature cowboy hat on the top of her head. With a wink and a searing smile he walked back the way he came like it was nothing at all.

Regardless of her constant blush and the jealous stares of the all the women at the rodeo, she kept the hat on all night.

They did their best to keep a healthy distance to not invite any scrutiny, Willa picking at her funnel cake and Austin smiling for photos and autographs with the younger children that considered him a local hero.

Slowly but surely couples were breaking off towards the band that was playing an acoustic song. Something soft and slow about falling in love but questioning if it was worth the risk. The irony wasn’t lost on her. “Excuse me, Miss Strickland, but might I borrow you for a dance?” She swallowed the piece of fried dough in her mouth and nodded silently as he offered her a hand, kissing the back, and let her to the open patch of grass where everyone else had paired off.

“You were amazing tonight,” she whispered as they found a slow rhythm.

“I’m happy you decided to come. Know you don’t like it.” He wanted to steal a kiss but knew better. The money in riding could be good if you were good enough. Austin was more than good enough, sponsors already sending out feelers and trying to get him on the national circuit. The money would be to build a little house somewhere on the acres of property for them to live in one day, something all their own. A ring for her finger.

“You seem so inspired when you’re up there. Makes me want to get back into racing.” Willa had been quite the prolific barrel rider before she was sent off to law school. Barrel racers got into too much trouble for her to keep up with it.

“You should race again. Should let me take you for a ride tomorrow. Sierra can stretch her legs and-“

“I want to ride the mustang in the front paddock.” He paused their dancing.

“Wills, he’s not ready. Needs a few more days.”

“He doesn’t need to be broken. He’s fine just as he is.” Austin laughed and composed himself, pulling her closer and brushing his nose against hers.

“You want to ride the wild thing, you can ride the wild thing. We’ll see how that goes as soon as the sun rises.” His lips ghosted over hers but didn’t quite kiss her.

“Want to win me a teddy bear?” she whispered.

“Let’s go get you the biggest teddy bear this side of the Mississippi.”

#Austin butler #Austin butler fanfiction #austin butler x oc #Willa #cowboy au

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beadelmare · 4 days ago

Note

6 year slowburn warrior💪🏻

so basically ill yap some more because who doesn’t love to talk about their drs??

my dr is like a cross over of star wars and harry potter but its not really ?? i just have anakin, obi-wan, padme, ahsoka, han, luke, and leia in the same school because my friend whos in my dr wanted luke to be with her and i ran with it

my mc traits is crazy because why am i part veela because im literally just a girl guys!! 😍

i shift in my 5th year on the train, and i already know regulus, sirius, barty, evan, pandora (panda&evan are twins), and dorcas.

so i get to hogwarts, i get sorted into slytherin because im literally just a little guy. and sirius is mad because slytherin bad 😡😡

so hes like “no yaa i dont even fw her like dat yaaa..” in his french brit accent to the marauders and they’re just.. “ok?🧐”

so im with my other huzz before i get bumped up into 6th year potions with them cus im literally a genius 😍 but i get paired with remus and hes like “shes not that bad guys .. 🥰” but the muzz (marauder huzz) are still HATING.

so i decided, “you know what? quidditch? hell yaa😈😈” and im serving flying around and then i somehow get hit with a ball.. 🧐

JAMES FUCKING HIT A BLUDGER AT ME.

so then im pissed at him and NOW he wants to be nice.

“im sorry i hit a ball at you and broke your arm.. 🥺”

“AAAAAAA MY ARM AAAHHHHHHH ITS AT A NINETY DEGREE ANGLE HEEEELLLLLPPPP”

so. now trying to make me forgive him and sirius is like “shes the devil mate 😨” and james is just trying to be nice and all of a sudden..

peter is nice to me now. sirius is pissed off. all three of his friends like me ?? like what tha fak brah i thought it was bruzz before huzz 😔

and so now its forced proximity because im magical and amazing and sirius is being passive aggressive towards me

“can i borrow that quill?”

“i dont know, can you?”

“.. im telling remus.”

“IT WAS A JOKE”

eventually he decides that im not allat bad. THE YEAR HE FUCKING GRADUATES?? i deal with his shit because i love him i swear 🙄🙄(i do this to myself)

so after hogwarts im friends with all the huzz, and we are going to like a university (because i don’t understand how ur supposed to get a job without the education for it? what the fak?) and so i get the huzz even more!!

there’s honestly too much to talk about this fucking dr its craazy because i didn’t even yap about the slytherin huzz 😔

BYE THIS IS REAL SHIT i always make up such elaborate drama ur so real😭

HELP TELL ME ABOUT THE STAR wARS CHARACTERS ?? i can't imagine han solo walking around hogwarts what are their houses and all💀 AND SAME IM PART VEELA IN LITERALLY EVERY HP SCRIPT IVE EVER HAD... we're just girls frfr

girl i would've swung at him and he used to be my man😭 genuinely idk how you're gonna be friends w that hoe ID HAVE SLAPPED THAT BITCH ALR

the marauders are actually kinda fucking goofy idk how i've never thought abt this but they're literally teenage furries...

UM ANYAYS TELL ME ABT THE SLYTHERIN HUZZ I DIDNT CONSUME ENOUGH MEDIA ABT THEM BACK IN MY MARAUDERS PHASE AND I GOT TO LEARN EVERYTHINGG

#shifting blog #reality shifting #shiftblr #shifting antis dni #shifting community #desired reality #reality shift #reality shifter #shifting realities #shifting #hogwarts dr #marauders dr #hp dr #harry potter shifting #anon asks #ty anon <3 #bea yaps

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frevandrest · 11 months ago

Note

There had been a number of questionable takes recently regarding the Frev in the past few days that came in succession . Do you reckon if works in the past decades or so that were published in France and were made available to English readers would it may have at least mitigated such thing to ever happen or is the black legend so ingrained that even with the idea of an era where works by Belissa et Al were in circulation in English to people outside France, the result would be the same?

Before I reply, I need to make a disclaimer that I am not the best person to answer this question. I arrive from a very different educational tradition (neither Anglo nor French), and I actually discovered embarrassingly late about the whole black legend and the fact that, among some, the French Revolution was considered a horrible event (that failed). I was taught it was an event that changed the world forever (and helped shape the world today, mostly in a positive sense) and that it has to be studied to understand our world. So I am not the best person to judge the effect of the black legend vs new historiography. If others have more informed takes, please tell us; I am super interested. Now, the bad (as in, incorrect) takes we get here. They happen periodically, and they tend to be very similar, often by people claiming (and I have no reason to doubt them) that they are taking history courses on frev, typically in the USA. So these takes tell me about the state of teaching frev in the USA (Anglo?) sphere. Which is not necessarily the same as "what experts publish in academic articles", because - not sure if people are aware of it, so I need to emphasize - you do not have to be an expert on a topic to teach it at the university level. You typically need a PhD in the discipline, but not necessarily on the topic of the course you teach. I can imagine that they won't give a frev course to someone with a PhD in, say, antiquity, but "early modern period" is good enough, even if you are not an expert on France or the revolution.

Sorry for this preamble; I swear it is related to your question. What I mean is that these specific takes we saw here seem to me (though I could be wrong) not necessarily a product of current English-language academia on frev, but what students are taught. So yes, it is a good question on what kind of books students are given on the mandatory readings list, and if those teaching are even aware of the most current English-language books on the topic (let alone French). I swear most of this stuff is so dated and proven to be incorrect over and over again. We had someone a few months ago saying they read Carlyle for their frev class. ?? This is really strange to me, especially in the North American academia, where even books that are considered new-ish elsewhere, are seen as old, so why teach something published in early 19c? Unless you want to demonstrate changed attitudes about frev and discuss historiography, propaganda, etc. which doesn't seem to be the case. Those assigning such readings are teaching what they feel is true. So I can only guess that they never bothered to read newer stuff. Look. I am all for authors not liking the French Revolution or specific things in it (I am critical of many frev stuff myself), but you have to use current sources that go through earlier misconceptions. We can't still be stuck at "dictator Robespierre who ruled France", a thing that was disproven so long ago and no credible historian believes in (even if they hate Robespierre).

Now, this is about teaching history at the university level and not about experts in academia, because I do think most incorrect takes we get here on tumblr are from students. Experts sticking to the black legend and "horrible horror of the revolution that failed anyway and didn't achieve anything" are a different group. Though I am not an expert on the current historiography to judge it in detail. So, if someone reading this knows more and can explain, please share!

#ask #anonymous #frev #french revolution

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gingernut1314 · 3 months ago

Text

Welcome back to Gingernut's After-Show Debrief

This is the show where this gingerbread girly completes another series that completely WRECKS her mental stability and she'll never recover

Before I crash out I'm gonna throw a spoiler warning up here real quick because the show I'm about to talk about is...

Arcane: Season 2 Act 3

I actually.....I just feel like....this was....😭😭

So 😭

And 😭

I am actually stunned that this show is over.

I didn't know figure out that is was ending for real for real until the last ep of Act 2 so I'm kinda new to this just distraught feeling and then...then.....

😭

I really enjoyed ep. 7 it was the cutest fucking thing to come out of this whole show. To know that there is a universe out there where they get to be happy, even if it means Vi is dead, is nice.

And Himerdinger's little song was too cute (and he's not dead. I saw someone on tiktok say he wasn't because he's a yordle and you know what I'm gonna believe it because if I don't?? its not gonna be a good time. Also I really thought he turned invisible then because I SWEAR I heard his little footsteps walk away som maybe I'll go with that)

Clogger and Milo being back!!!

SILCO WITH THE GOLD EYE EHEHEHEHEEHEHEHEEHEHEHEHE

If I were to get my hands on that man omgggggggg ✋😩 the fanservice was fantastic this season I was very well feed.

BENZO 😭 I sobbed when Ekko just attacked him in a hug like yesss he gets to have his goodbye moment and I'm happy for him

But I am UPSET for Ekko because what do you mean he's all alone sitting on the same ledge he was sitting on with Powder??? Why isn't he with friends??? WHY IS HE ALL ALONE SOMEONE GO CHECK ON HIM PLEASEEEEEE

The French song when Ekko and Powder were dancing was wonderful and I love both Stomae and POMME!!

I am upset that Sevika didn't get more screen time then she did, but I am SO happy that she 1) lives and 2) is on the council now!! She deserves it and she IS ZAUN she everything that Zuan stand for and she'd been there since day 1 and just UGHHHH I love that woman let me marry her right here right nowwwww

Piltover and Zuan teaming up to fight against a common enemy was wonderful. I loveee a good war/battle/invasion scene and that whole ep FED ME

Ambessa was badass and I hate her AND love her?? Like I have very mixed feelings on her and that's okay because that's what the writers want.

I'd let her completely annihilate me on the... battlefield....and that's all I'll say on the Ambessa topic.

Well actually that Shadow Black Rose mage was LeBlanc right?? I slowly trying to learn all the League lore and I read a bunch of people saying it was her but I really don't know enough yet to be like oh yeah. That's her.

ALSO MEL YOU BADASS BABE YES GOD YES GOD

Stunning, beautiful, let me sit on your lap as you rule over your kingdom pleaseeeeeeeeee

The creators of Arcane want to do other tv shows right for League? I know they are working on Penelope of Sparta but we've GOT to get some more for Arcane seeing different stories and stuff there are too many characters NOT to do it, Noxus and whatever Mel is gonna do with it being one of them

CaitVi being end game was wonderful. Caitlyn was looking scrumptious these last few eps and unfortunately, I've been a big Cait hater but she's....okay now....i guess....got played HARD by Maddie though like fuck that girly omgggggg Maddie was horrible even those she really didn't get us a reason to dislike her till last ep.

Talking about end games

JAYVIK

WE GOT JAYVIK!!!!!!

I LOVE that that was the victor in the PfP Jayce Wars from tiktok just stunning. 10000/10 right there. Yes, go be little space partners for all eternity love you bothhhh

MACHINE HAROLD WAS AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH SO GOODDD

I like how they changed it to be more in line with the lore for Arcane like the look of those Arcane creatures very nice very good love him would join his cult I don't need free will pffffttttt

And VIKTOR BEING THE GUY WHO SAVED JAYCE WHEN HE WAS A BABY LIKE YESSSSSSAHSGHAGHDGAHGDH they will be together forever and always I love those two

Ekko and Jinx entrance to the battle was perfect and they both were so good and--and--and--

SHES NOT DEAD

NOPE

She just got teleported to a different area in Runeterra like she's with her girlfriend Lux she's okay....😭

I will deny deny denyyyyyy that's dead like I won't even let the thought cross my mind and the ending of the show I think allows me to do so perfectly

The ending, after some thought and not just going off of my instant reaction which was to scream and cry and pull my hair out, was perfect for the show.

I honesty like how it gives you that feeling of I guess unfinished, like you know there should be more because that's what they want us to feel. The arcane world is so big and there are hunters of stories to be tole and even though I'm sad Vi and Jinx's story is done I know it's not really done, done which is in a way comforting.

This show really was beautiful.

I liked the mix between magic and reality. It really has set a high standard for any animated TV shows that I really doubt anyone will be able to replicate.

But I'm pumped for Penelope of Sparta because greek mythology AND stunning animation/storytelling??? Yes please sign me up I will eat it up.

.......now I'm just gonna...sit in my room....in silence for a good while because even though this show was stunning I'm sobbing

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mrsbsmooth · 2 years ago

Text

Future Islanders: My thoughts

My predictions about the Islanders we haven't seen yet, based on their character designs. This information will be 100% accurate, guaranteed*

*Not at all guaranteed

Spoilers under the cut. 18+. Contains gratuitous swearing.

Love his style, love his vibe, love his earring. He's so cute, and seems like he's gonna be really fun and flirty. But dear God, when I saw his surprised face, I just:

Those eyes - those fucking eyes. They are lifeless. Like this man has seen either seen some shit or had some serious plastic surgery, and I worry about him. I just… oh god, I got the ick so fast it's not even funny. And then I realised he got the same as Ozzy and got the Rocco flirty face which ends up looking like this emoji specifically

Definitely has a cool job though - maybe a runway model, artist, or some other artistic profession. Definitely from a cool part of Inner London.

*Editing to add:

It’s been brought to my attention that the way I worded this criticism is rather offensive, and I want to clarify what I meant. When I mentioned Andy’s eyes, I was referring to the way they were drawn. Usually when animating a character you’ll give them smile lines or crinkles to show a smile “reaches their eyes” etc, but this looks like they just slapped a shocked mouth on him and nothing else. My intention isn’t to make fun of his eye shape itself, or of any aspect of his ethnicity, it was a poorly worded/thought out criticism and I’m sorry 🤍

Villain. Calling it now, she's a villain. Her pose is too cool and confident to be anything other than a villain, because GOD FORBID Fusebox give us a strong, confident WOC that doesn't have some deep, unbridled desire to get her claws into whichever man we tell her we want.

I LOVE her design though. She's got super cute outfits, and isn't afraid to show a bit of skin (THAT CORSET TOP GIVE IT TO ME!) so definitely great style. I'm calling it now - she's a model. Might even be French. If she's French and a complete and utter bitch I might just fall in love with her, give me the pain, urgh.

SNAAAAKE SNAAAAAKEEE AHHHH IT'S A SNAAAAAKE

Don't let the glasses fool you. This man is a snake. I knew it from the second I saw him, and it's only been confirmed in the Casa postcards that @oliverslove posted. Never trust a blonde man (except Lewie, trust him with your life and ass).

Judges you on your book choices, but hasn't read one himself in years. Namedrops philosophers but has never had a unique thought in his life. Thinks some of Jordan Peterson's ideas "aren't actually that bad, when you think about it".

This is a man who looks innocent on the outside. "Oh, look at me, I'm a cute little nerd who reads books and plays D&D". But I guarantee, he's a fucking asshole. The kind of guy who thinks women owe him something, so treats them like dirt when they don't give him what he wants.

THAT SAID, his daywear is super basic but very cute, and he's wearing Versace underwear, so he's probably loaded. Jobwise - I'm putting my money on marketing or some other office-type job.

Okay, yeah, she cute. But I am suspicious of her too. Something about her screams Lily from S3 to me, like she's gonna come in purely to take my man. And what's worse, in the Casa postcard she's in bed with a girl, so she might even be taking my girl too!!!!

Love her style, but don't love her vibe. I can't even develop any thoughts outside of wild jealousy.

🤢 sorry, let me just *throws up in my mouth*, 🤢 Felix 2.0, God, I hate his character design so much. When I saw him briefly in his daywear I got SO EXCITED because I thought we might be getting a dadbod, but no, apparently the guy who walks around in the camel-hair woven poncho has a FUCKING EIGHT-PACK (FUSEBOX IN WHAT UNIVERSE?!!??!?!??) Then I thought he might be an environmentalist type, you know, vegan, save the animals and that. But then I saw his LEATHER JACKET and SHARK TOOTH NECKLACE and God damn it, I've lost all faith. This guy wants so bad to be Rocco it's not even funny, at least Rocco was decent looking, this guy has a pig snout for a nose and a smooshy face, don't ask me to elaborate, I hate him, and don't get me started on the fact he's wearing SANDALS with his FORMALWEAR

Smokes so much weed he can't get it up, will disappoint anyone who comes near him. Stay away, 0/10.

Gold diggers come get your man! It's Lucas Beresford-Smug the third. If this guy doesn't have a double-barrelled last name and a numeral in his name I will buy a hat and fucking eat it. Absolute guaranteed 100% arrogant FUCKHEAD, giant twat, thinks he is God's gift to women until he inevitably meets MC and falls so desperately in love that he changes his ways to show her he's the man she deserves. Yeah, okay, the storyline's predictable. Yes, he's likely an insufferable, sheltered, self-obsessed pig. But does that make me want him any less? ... No it does not.

Already posted it in response to @rebelrayne's husband's thoughts but what kind of spoilt little asshole wears a US$20,000 watch IN THE FUCKING SHOWER!!!!!!!

I don't care that it's water resistant to 100m you don't wear a $20k watch IN THE SHOWER and expect people to not think you're a complete and utter fucking asshole. He's a Jasper/ Lucas / Tom hybrid, with Taron Egerton's body and face, I'm getting a short king vibe but maybe that's just from the way his suit is way too big through the shoulders for him, making him look like a 1920's gangster. Works in finance or medicine, I will stake my life on it.

Blindfold this man, kidnap him, and handcuff him to the bed in the hideaway, he may very well be the death of my loyal Lewie route. He is so fine I can't breathe, it's something about the beard. Bearded men are the death of me. And if he's Ozzy's older brother, sorry, suddenly I can't breathe.

I have very few thoughts about him other than the fact he's a fucking stunning piece of artwork that, if real, I would physically need to take a bite out of. I am barking at him, god fucking damn. The arrogance and confidence and big dick energy required to wear an all-cream outfit is just... urgh, someone splash me with water.

Unfortunately, like his brother and Andy, our beloved and holiest daddy (Marshall) also got the Rocco treatment for his flirty face

It's not as bad because his beard covers the smirk, but holy shit, Fusebox, do better. I don't want to be doing a steamy scene with the boys and they whip out THIS. It makes me want to punch something. DO BETTER.

What an absolute waste of a hot-guy name. This dude looks like John Travolta had a child with Littlefoot from The Land Before Time. His mouth looks like it was slapped on his face as an afterthought, his eyebrows are too thick, and the only hot face he has is his angry one, which I'm going to be trying to elicit as often as possible. He looks like he's been to prison, Wentworth Miller vibes but not in a sexy way. Tried to join the skinheads but they didn’t want him. Tried to get a teardrop tattoo to look hard but everyone just ignored him. Strongest of strong dislike, 0/10, I will slander Toby until the day I die. Boooo. BOOOOO.

#litg s6 #litg season 6 #litg dt #litg doublte trouble #litg character review #litg andy #litg chloe #litg elliot #litg flo #litg francis #litg #litg marshall #litg toby #litg hamish

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dollywheeler · 2 years ago

Text

September 3rd, 1996

Dear diary,

I survived my first day as a Junior. Not that I am surprised because I'd planned everything perfectly. Almost everything.

I woke a few minutes before my alarm as I always do - I don't even know why I set it anymore, other than the fact I know the universe will screw me over the one time I won't. I went down to have breakfast with dad before he had to leave and went up to get ready after he'd gone at 7:15.

Whitney was late as usual when I went to pick her up, but I'd accounted for that so we were still out of her street by 7:50. We pulled into our parking spot at exactly 8:00. I don't know why that brings me so much joy.

Anyway, we went into homeroom together as Whit, Dylan and I all have Mrs. Haywood again. I hate that we only get our schedules during the first day - I never know what to prepare for. I know it's mostly introduction anyway and we won't need more than a notebook but it still irks me.

Today was the perfect example as to why. As usual, I'm one of the last to be handed paperwork - stupid double u - and everyone was already skimming over their classes and their teachers. At first, I assumed the murmuring was just the recognition of my last name on some people's rosters, but Whitney turned to talk to Dylan instead of me so there must have been something else going on.

Once I got the roster, I understood why.

My third period today was art.

With mister Byers.

Of course, he'd be here too. I mean, why else would they both come back? But did they both have to get jobs in Hawkins?

At least it distracted people from English with Mr. Wheeler, which I have seventh period - joy! Luckily, Zombie Boy returning is more noteworthy than Holly's weirdo older brother - small blessings I guess.

I don't get the hype though - he's just Will. Just one of Mike's lame friends.

And now he's going to teach my art class which used to be my one moment of peace during the week.

Ugh.

Dylan asked about my brother when we were walking into our next class. She apparently has him fourth period which sucks because it means I can't keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't befriend Mike behind my back. She has a tendency to lull teachers into personal conversations, which everyone loves because it means a distraction from the coursework but I know only means we have more work at home later. It's not really her fault she's just so damn likeable, anyway. Her chattiness is exactly why she's one of my best friends.

It became apparent that Dylan wasn't the only one who'd recognized Mike's name, either. After my second period French class I caught Daniel's eye in the hallway. I swear his smile brightened upon seeing me and for a second today was perfect - until he asked about Mike. Apparently we both have him seventh period. I want to be happy we're finally sharing a class but what kind of sick joke is it that Mike will be there?

He couldn't be present for any of my birthdays but he's going to be watching every second of me hanging out with the guy I like? The universe is clearly out to get me.

I managed to smile and shrug through an explanation though, and I don't think it came off too weird. He continued smiling at me so that's good. We compared schedules and other than English we don't share any classes at all, which put even more of a damper on today.

We reached Mister Byers' classroom, but luckily he wasn't greeting students outside the door so I could send Daniel on his way before Will saw us. I took a deep breath and forced myself to walk in and find a seat without looking in the direction of his desk. I don't know why my heart was pounding - it's not like I thought he was going to single me out or anything. It was just unsettling I guess, to be near this person you used to know, who probably knows more about you than you do about them.

Or think they know you - I'm not six years old anymore.

When he finally started the class I was able to look up at him now I knew his attention wasn't on me. He honestly hadn't changed at all. He still had a bowl cut, which possibly endeared him to me a little bit. It was more mature now, of course, shorter, and overall didn't look too out of place. Maybe just because he's Will. He's always been Will. I don't know how I would have felt if he'd didn't have the bowl cut anymore. Mike probably would have thrown a fit. He always hated change - until he didn't, I guess.

There was something sad about his posture as he started his class though; Like his excitement had dimmed. He didn't sound like he used to when talking about his favorite colors or arguing crayon against pencil. I felt bad once I caught him glance at me before quickly redirecting his gaze and realized why.

None of this is his fault, after all, and I always used to like him most of Mike's idiot friends. He was always nice to me, and now I was being childish.

So after his class was over I hung back a little and went to say hi. He looked surprised but pleased to see me standing at his desk and it immediately made me feel a lot better. I apologized for not saying anything earlier but he said it was fine and he understood this must be weird. He said he was glad I still liked art and we talked about that for a moment before he sent me on my way to my next class.

Nevertheless, it was actually nice to talk to him, even if it was only briefly, and he didn't bring up Mike, which I'm sure was intentional.

Of course, seeing Mike was inevitable.

I tried the same tactic as I had with Will's class - just keep my head down - but of course Mike can't take a hint. He actually tried to catch my attention and greet me as I was walking in and I couldn't really ignore him in front of everyone - in front of Daniel - so I just forced a smile and nodded before sitting down as far away from him as possible. At least he wasn't wearing a nerdy t-shirt as I'd feared but a button-up and slacks - proper English teacher attire. Mom would have approved.

I tried to take notes even though I hate sitting in the back of the class, and as my attention was slipping anyway I had to try harder not to look at Daniel. Mike is not allowed to catch me staring at him.

Not that it's any of his business.

When the bell finally rang I already had my bag packed and was ready to bolt, but of course so was everyone else. Seriously, back of the class is not the most efficient seating arrangement.

"Hey, Holls, wait up!" Mike called me back, and I had to do my best not to visibly cringe. At least he didn't call me 'Holly Dolly' again. The room was still emptying and some were curiously glancing over at us so I just forced a smile and moved closer so they couldn't listen in.

He asked if I'd received his letter and if I wanted to have dinner tonight. I told him I had cheer practice and went home.

He probably isn't stupid enough to believe me but maybe he'll get the hint.

Anyway, mom was waiting on me when I got home. She asked about Mike. I didn't have anything to tell her, which made me feel strangely guilty. It's not my job to play telephone, but mom just looked so disappointed... I couldn't help but feel like it was my fault even though it clearly isn't.

I hope she won't ask again tomorrow. Or the day after that.

Love, Holly

#holly wheeler #mike wheeler #byler #the third wheeler #fanfic #stranger things

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glowstar826 · 1 year ago

Text

20 Questions for Fic Writers!

Let’s get this baby started! Thanks for the inspo @gracelesslady23!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

60 (blame my HP and AoUAD obsession lmao).

2. What is your total AO3 word count?

471,017. That’s…insane.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

At the moment, mostly for All of Us Are Dead. But of course, I can’t forget the whopping majority of HP fics I have! They really defined the beginning of my fanfic-writing journey.

4. Top 5 fics by kudos?

The Filthy Half-Blood Spy (777)

A Meaningful Sacrifice (490)

Albus Potter and the Journey Through Time (481)

The Bravest Man I Ever Knew (277)

My Old Friend, Minerva (267)

As you can see, I really love HP. The second one is AoUAD.

5. Do you respond to comments?

Of course I do! I appreciate everyone who takes the time to leave them.

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Oh, I’ll take a quiet life for sure. It’s a canon divergence of A Meaningful Sacrifice, and hoooo boy, that’s probably the single most saddest thing I have ever written in my life. (Never again, Glow. Never again.)

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Pretty much all of them have happy endings, so if I were to pick a few, then they would probably be The Bravest Man I Ever Knew, A Miracle in the Midst of September, and Come Back to Me.

The second fic is Downton Abbey while the third is AoUAD.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not really, but when I was writing A Meaningful Sacrifice, I got a lot of spam.

9. Do you write smut?

Not explicitly, no. There was one fic I posted (that I since deleted) which features non-graphic smut between Snape and Lupin. (I deleted it because it was too embarrassing to keep on my profile.)

10. Do you write crossovers?

I have one, Finding My Way Back to You (Again)! It’s a crossover where Oh Joonyeong of AoUAD is a doctor in the 20th Century Girl universe who helps Poong Woonho overcome amnesia sustained in a plane crash.

Other than that, I prefer writing AUs where I put characters from one show into another show’s universe. My Duty After School AU with AoUAD characters, Reluctant Duty, is a great example of this.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Thankfully, I have not.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yup! Albus Potter and the Journey Through Time in Portuguese on Wattpad (which is unfinished, unfortunately).

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

I have! Of Apologies and Food Fights: A Glimpse Into the Afterlife was an awesome collab with the amazing @glitterfairy-21225!

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Oh Joonyeong/Jang Woojin, for sure. Since February 2022, these boys have been living in my head rent-free. Honorable mentions include Lee Cheongsan/Nam Onjo, Yang Daesu/Seo Hyoryung, and Lee Junho/Woo Youngwoo. The first four ships are from AoUAD, and the fifth is from Extraordinary Attorney Woo.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

Probably Albus Potter and the Journey Through Time, even though it won’t take much longer to finish it. Every time I go back to it, I immediately feel discouraged from writing it because it suddenly seems like too big of an undertaking. However, I will never stop trying!

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue, descriptions, and AU ideas (God knows how many are floating around in my head right now 😭).

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Having too many ideas. I swear, if I could just commit to finishing one project, then I would have way more completed fics.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language?

It would be all fine and dandy if it uses the Roman alphabet (think French, Spanish, German), but if it was a language like Korean or Chinese, then I’d rather write the transliteration since my writing would be targeted towards English readers/speakers. But obviously, I’d try my best to write other cultures authentically.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Though they’re all deleted, I first wrote for Detroit: Become Human. That was what got me into fanfic in the first place because I reasoned that, since the game had 99+ endings, fanfiction was fair game (I really hated fanfic at the time).

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

A Meaningful Sacrifice, hands down. That was probably my single best piece of writing in terms of characterization, setting, worldbuilding, and cohesiveness with the original show. Additionally, I ended up creating two very important OCs which had significant influence in the main character’s life.

Writing that fic inspired a whole lore which is present in my other AoUAD fics like Washed Down the Drain, Us, Withering Under the Sun, and Reluctant Duty. I also gained an awesome friend from it in @glitterfairy-21225, so yeah. One of my best fanfic-writing experiences to date.

On that final note, here’s your tag to do this, @glitterfairy-21225! <3

#all of us are dead #harry potter #extraordinary attorney woo #downton abbey #fic writer questions #long post

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wrenrogue · 2 years ago

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Generally Canon Compliant Kuroken AU where they end up going to the same university. They also see each other as nothing but friends and somehow were able to became roommates. One night, Kuroo drags Kenma to a party.

It's all good for the most part, but then some of the party goers are like "let's play some high school party games for the nostalgia!!" and so they do, and of course the first one is "seven minutes in heaven" and kuroo and kenma are the lucky bastards to be chosen to go first.

They both sheepishly shuffle themselves into the closet, Kuroo being like, "hahah guys we're friends this is weird nothing will happen," before they get locked in. In the closet, both boys are a bit awkward about things, both wondering if anything will happen and after 30 seconds, Kuroo finally speaks. "So, how should we approach this?"

Kenma stays quiet for a bit and then goes, "I don't mind actually going through with it, we're friends, what's the worst that can happen?"

"I dunno Kenma, you might traumatize me by being a bad kisser"

"You say that like you're any better."

"How do you know my kissing skill level?"

"Kuro, you've only kissed one (1) girl in your whole life and that was your grandma"

"All I'm hearing is that you wanna challenge me to a kiss-off"

"Fine, best kisser wins something."

"If I win, you will stop playing video games at 3am on blast and actually sleep"

"And if I win, you will clean the whole apartment for an entire month without my help and without blasting marina and the diamonds"

"Not Marina!"

"I said what I said"

"Fine, you're gonna lose anyway"

So they get closer to each other and they're chest to chest (?) when-

"Kuro, you have to lean down I can't reach your face"

"Oh right, gotta help the little guy someti-OW, was that kick to my shin really necessary?"

"Yes."

"You're so romantic, Kenma. I'm falling in love already"

"Please don't, that would be a nightmare."

"Agreed, I would hate to fall in love with slouchy mcgee"

"Just lean down and fucking kiss me already you gee-" Kenma never has the chance to let go of that last voiceless velar plosive because Kuroo has effectively leaned down and caught Kenma's lips in a soft kiss. He's stunned at first, but then Kenma closes his eyes and kisses back, or at least they stay connected, but don't actually move their lips.

Kuroo is the one to break the kiss. "That one sucked, we can do better." Kuroo says before cornering Kenma and leaning down again, this time Kenma is more prepared and kisses Kuroo back with more intensity, wrapping his arms around his neck.

Their lips glide against each other as Kuroo places his hands on Kenma's hips. Kenma's giving it his all and so is Kuroo, because they cannot lose to the other dammit. Kenma bites on Kuroo's bottom lip and Kuroo thinks, why the fuck not, and opens up his mouth just a bit, which Kenma immediately takes as the okay for him to slip his tongue in.

They have never french kissed anyone before, so theyre kinda not sure what theyre doing, but they're eager to one-up the other so they keep kissing to the best of their ability. Kuroo gets bold and gives Kenma a butt squeeze as he nibbles on his lip and shut up, Kenma did not moan, that was probably some cat outside, he swears.

Kenma wants payback as he drags his fingers through Kuroo's surprisingly soft hair, tugging it, Kuroo groans and Kenma takes advantage of this and pulls again, because he can't lie, that was pretty hot.

They're very much into their snogfest and they don't notice when someone opens the closet door and exposes them to everyone outside. It isn't until someone awkwardly coughs that they stop and come back to the mortal realm.

They immediately break up and are like "good time, it's time for us to leave, bye" and rush out. They are mortified for many reasons but mostly because they were kinda into the sloppy makeout session they just had, and also because they don't know who won the bet. They get home and are like, "haha yeah that happened, we should talk about it tomorrow"

Tomorrow comes and they sit across from each other on their lil kitchen table.

"So"

"So."

10 minutes pass as they twiddle their thumbs, UNTIL-

"Um, so should we just leave it as a draw?"

Kenma, not wanting to think about how he really liked kissing Kuroo is like "Uh, okay, yeah."

They try to go back to normal as best they can and treat each other like usual for the most part, but they're both kinda thinking about kissing the other 95% of the time. Kuroo would be like, "this pillow is so soft" and his mind would provide, "just like Kenma's soft pouty lips." And Kenma would stare at Kuroo's hair and think about how he would groan if Kenma tugged just right.

They were having lunch at some random restaurant one day and while Kuroo was digging into his ravioli, Kenma was thinking, was Kuroo actually attractive this whole time??? Likewise, Kuroo was like Was Kenma always this cute???, when he walked into Kenma scarfing down a bag of cool ranch doritos.

It got worse as the days passed to the point that their usual routine of bickering and slap fights were replaced with "sorry, I didn't mean to brush my elbow against your elbow, I will try not to think about how nice and soft your skin felt against mine, since that's scandalously lewd of me" and "I was not breathing in your general direction, I swear. I'm not a pervert!"

The last straw was when kenma woke up after having a wet dream about kuroo and had the epiphany that "I'm fucking Gay for Kuro why does god hate me so much????" He decides to talk to his bestie about it the next morning because this was going too far.

Kuroo, like usual, was making breakfast by the stove and noticed how tense kenma was as soon as he appeared in the kitchen. "Is everything okay, you look more tired than usual?"

"Kuro, we need to talk."

"Talk about what? Did something happen?"

Kenma sighs as he sits on the kitchen counter. He wanted to look relaxed enough so that kuroo wouldn't worry.

"Kenma, you're worrying me. What did you need to talk to me about?" because of course Kuroo would not fall for Kenma's antics.

Kenma took a deep breath. It's now or never. "Kuro..."

"Yeah?"

"I think..."

"Go on"

"I think I...hmm..."

"Use your words, kenma"

"Shut up I'm trying"

"Sorry."

"I think..."

"You sure do think a lot"

"Kuro, I swear to god-"

"I'm sorry, I'll stop, I swear"

Kenma glares at kuroo for a minute and then takes another deep breath. "I think...I like you," he says, immediately hiding behind his hair. He shuts his eyes and waits for Kuroo's reaction and he hopes to everything that is holy that he doesn't regret what he just did.

"Kenma, hey." He feels a hand brushing his hair away from his face, but he refuses to open his eyes. "Kenma, it's okay, look at me." Kuroo speaks so softly that kenma decides to look at his friend. He's holding on to the counter so intensely that he feels his fingers hurting.

When he looks at his friend, he's taken aback by how tenderly Kuroo is looking at him.

Kuroo gently cups Kenma's cheek with his hand, ghosting his thumb against his lips. "I think I like you too," He confesses.

Kenma stays silent, processing what kuroo had just said. Everything seems to click into place as they stare at each other in their kitchen, no thoughts, heads empty, just gay.

"Should we do something...about it?" Kenma finally says.

Kuroo shivers at how Kenma's lips brush against his thumb. "I think so...yeah."

They lean forward and their lips meet once again, but this time, it wasn't for a bet. Their feather light kisses eventually became a bit more eager, a bit more passionate. Kuroo found himself in between Kenma's legs in an attempt to get closer to him on the counter.

Kuroo had moved on to leaving open mouthed kisses up the column of Kenma's neck, while kenma had his hands up Kuroo's shirt, when they smelled smoke.

"Oh fuck, the bacon!" Kuroo immediately turned around to turn off the stove, leaving kenma kiss bruised and a bit disoriented.

"Fuck, fuck, the bacon didn't make it."

"Kuro."

"Oh god, why didn't the fire alarm go off. There's so much smoke."

"KURO" Kuroo stopped to look at kenma.

"Yeah?"

"Open a window, we can make more bacon, and I'd rather we continue where we left off."

Kuroo looked surprised at Kenma's boldness, but then his bastard energy kicked in and a smug grin appeared on his face. "You want me that bad, huh?"

"Yes."

"Kenma, I'm the one that's supposed to be smooth," Kuroo says, definitely NOT blushing.

"Just get over here and kiss me already."

"Only because you want me so bad."

"I'm having regrets."

"You don't mean that."

"I wish I did."

"You don't mean that either."

"Kuro, I'm waiting."

"You're so hot when you're bossy"

"Kuro-"

Kenma never finishes his thought and he's okay with that as long as Kuroo keeps kissing him, and Kuroo isn't one to disappoint.

#kuroken #kuroo tetsurou #kozume kenma #meow #2020 #ficlet #this one's like 1.5k words #I should probably post it on ao3 at this point ashjdkasdsada

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florasvenus · 1 year ago

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About Me ⋆.˚ ☀️

“𝓛𝓮𝓽 𝓾𝓼 𝓵𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮 𝓯𝓵𝓸𝔀𝓮𝓻𝓼...

𝓦𝓲𝓵𝓭 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓫𝓮𝓪𝓾𝓽𝓲𝓯𝓾𝓵 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓭𝓻𝓮𝓷𝓬𝓱𝓮𝓭 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓾𝓷”

– 𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓽𝓽

Hi ! You can call me Camélia. Or just Calla for my moots 💕 I am 20 years old girl with a Neuroatypic Mind and Personality ☺ Yep

My everyday favorites : Watching Sunsets, looking at the stars, eating food, listening to calm and peaceful nature sounds

My hobbies : Painting, drawing, cooking (any kinds of food), reading, watching movies, going for a walk, poetry, writing

My favorite foods : I love asian foods and actually every savory food in the world ! I am an epicurian girly ☺ If I have to say something it would be ramen🍜, tea, butter chicken, fresh fruits 🍓 and veggies, pumpking soup and layer cakes! 🍰And Macaroons !!! I obviously don’t love them.

My comfort Books/ Movies and TV shows : Anne d'Avonlea, The little prince, Maxime Chattam Book series, How to train your dragon, Avatar 1/ 2 (James Cameron)

⭒₊ ⊹ 🌕 ₊ ⊹⭒ Some random facts about me :

I love using emojis, I hate coffee, I find the nature elements fascinating, I enjoy rainy weathers as much as sunny days (but hey! Don't get me wrong. I would rather choose a warm day), I have a slug phobia (they disgust me behond imaginable. Childhood trauma hello 😬😆), I adore the wind, I am obsessed with the harmony of life and the universe and I am in love with the flowers, the sun and the world in general :)

INFP-T / Scorpio

Sings (Lyric, pop, Jazz) ⤹˚˖ 𝅘𝅥𝅯 ୭

I listen to the Silk Sonic Album and Classical Music way too much (Bruno Mars and Anderson.Paak). It's just too good ngl.

I am French and German (Fun fact : I am only 17% Egyptian, but don't look as much European).

I enjoy : Writing, reading (75% of my time), playing video games (contemplative games), eating (Savory and sweet foods) and decorating rooms, ...

I love : Cuddles/ hugs/ snuggles (My boyfriend breathes approximately 50 % a day | Joking of course. Not so much oops) I am weak for those things I swear, landscapes, nature, birds, meditation, jazz, the universe, hiking, drawing/ painting, watching movies/ going to the cinemas, hanging out, silence, the universe, the sun, ...

So if you enjoy my atypic and bit weird personality or you just want to hang out and read horny fluffy fics, you are of course, welcome ! 💞

Warm hug and love to you, smooch 🌸✨

#𝓒𝓪𝓶𝓮𝓵𝓲𝓪 𝓕𝓵𝓸𝓻𝓪 🌸💕

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diary-of-a-recovering-party-girl · 1 year ago

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listening to ALLEINE by B3000 over and over again until I feel a bit okay [12.10.23]

I woke up tired but happy to be back in my city. My room still smells like something I can't put my finger on, not unpleasant.

Going to university again was a great refreshment. Being in my office there already makes me productive and in control. I sit down on my desk and I am ready to start achieving things. That the computer is working again since my colleagues fixed (aka put the cables in the right ports) it, is a big blessing. Working on a big, fast computer, I feel even more productive.

In the lunch break, I ate with A and I really enjoyed my first meal at the cafeteria again. We talked about science and the month at the office while I was away and like with everyone at my office, I felt like I have at least 10 IQ points less than them, but A is very kind and it's still enjoyable to talk to him. I can't stop thinking about the fact that he eats dry French fries every day at the cafeteria, though.

On the way home, I sent all 3 film rolls into development. Then, I found my bike where I locked it over 3 months ago and carried it to the repair shop. Bike repair guys are people from another planet, I swear. The guy told me that repairing my bike would basically cost more than double it's value and in that moment, I decided to finally lay it to rest after 6 years. I thanked my bike for all it's efforts these years and then just put it on a bike stand without locking it. The city will do the rest.

At home, I finally gave in to my hyper horny urges and took some pictures for reddit/gonewild. Listening to Slut Pop by Kim Petras and drinking coconut water while taking half- naked pictures on my room floor gave me another kind of confidence.

I met with B to have a big debrief of my trip to Portugal. I can understand a lot of her dislike for Brazil a lot better, yet, I'm even more excited to go there now. The place we went to was kind of fancy for this city, I think it was a French restaurant. The waiter was so nice I wondered if he was flirting with me but he was just doing his job, lol. B was apparently sick for the last 3 weeks and then also got stomach issues again from the desert there and have to leave.

I'm still so tired, physically. I feel also like I'm still processing Portugal now.

After B, I went to C's place. I thought I was late but actually, everyone was still there; Y and even G! I ran towards everyone screaming and hugging them so much and I the hallway I said to myself "You're home" Being with everyone was like always; everyone is kind of constantly talking, sometimes over each other, everyone wanted to know about Portugal, I tried to get drunk on the wine there but failed. I felt like I wanted to talk to everyone individually in peace but it was too full, too loud, too chaotic for that.

Also, S had canceled me for the weekend. Last minute again, of course. It was the third time she canceled a long planned thing one day before now and I didn't see her in 10 months by now. I decided to not put any effort in our friendship now, I don't wanna bother with someone who keeps canceling like this. Of course, it ruined my mood for a bit. Then I tried to ask one of the others to join me for the birthday party tomorrow so I can take a friend there like I said. Y said she wanted to come but she is also not completely cancel - free and I will feel nervous about it until I see her there. I hate that I am so not chill about meeting friends. I wish I could actually be spontaneous, actually not care when people cancel, actually be okay with people coming or not coming. Instead, I await the meeting half eagerly half anxiously. I might meet G on the weekend as well, if M agrees to go to another place Saturday. I should be happy I have so many amazing friends to do things with but not having security about people coming makes me nervous and I'm still tired from the holiday with my parents or Portugal or both or because it's winter or because I'm tired in general.

I wish there were more comments on my gone wild post.

#diary #diary1 #d #portugal #lisbon #come back #friends #friendship #saudade #miss

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sapphiremcguire · 2 years ago

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miraculous movie live reaction (its mostly negative tbh so just scroll away)

I already hate marinette

IS THAT THE FRENCH VOICE ACTOR? either way thank god they god someone else to sing bc I was so scared about chats song I can't wait

then again its so out of place like why is this even a musical. idk I'm already complaining too much.

"get rid of that sash" and it disappears???

I am hating the popular girl stereotypes for Chloe

THE LIGHTING IN ALYAS GLASSES

I THINK YOU AND I WERE MEANT TO BE PLS I LOVE ALYA SO MUCH

why'd the recorder make mic feedback

WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK

omg juleka and luka look so good

GASP ITS THE LIBRARY FROM THE PILOT

why is he talking like that

NATALIE BEING NATALIE FUCK YEAH

long hair gabriel is cursed

oh shit

NOOROO SOUNDS SO INTENSE

not enough Gabriel angst there is no room for empathy

ROSE IS SHINY I LOVE HER

oh my god. plagg. oh my god. PLAGG. i. i don't even know. PLAGG????? plagg.

omg I love tiki so much shes so quirky here she's like og tinker bell

"i wet the bed !!!"

tiki can sing and mari cannot lmao

FORCED TRANSFORMATION???

WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THIS? MAKE TEA?

is he being voiced by two actors while he not even singing what is going on

the yoyo is alive?

THE WORD "SHERO" MAKES ME WANT TO PUKE WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL ALYA WOULD NEVER SAY THAT IN MY HEADCANON

oh how I wish I were a citizen of paris in the miraculous universe

don't you dare play careless whisperer

I like Fu giving them their names instead of them just being uncreative.

this is a completely different melody I'm so sad

She... [Flatulence]

nvm about plagg.................

THE OTHER GUARDIAN ?????? WHAT DO YOU MEAN GUARDIAN

why are they making plagg fart what are they doing to him

omg Natalie has a house?

GABRIEL SONG IS THE BEST SO FAR

"wait! I can explain!" girl no u can't hes stalking you

god this is just boring it really should not be a musical

they don't even have motivations they're taking all of the origin out of the origin story

I love a classic "ooh shiny" adhd representation

"the louvre, good point" I LOVE HIM

they're selling Volkswagens

OKAY THE PLAY FIGHTING IS ADORABLE THIS IS THE FIRST SCENE I ACTUALLY ADORE

what in the high school musical is going on

HE'S STILL FARTING I HATE THIS MOVIE

gabriel is being hot

setting the city in flames is cool as hell, they haven't had a setting this actually scary since chat blanc

what

we haven't even established what cataclysm is and we're using it as this big moment. who is this movie for? it's not taking the time to explain anything for a new audience but it's not doing nearly enough for the old one either.

since when does hawkmoth have telekinesis

gabriel has been in this situation before but he didn't give a shit that adrien was chat. why does he now?

ohhh my GODDD i hate this. i swear if the actual show tried to do some cheesy happy ending bullshit like that I will throw up.

:( I'm so sorry I just hate it so much

I'm so disappointed :,(((

are they teasing a sequel rn please don't make a sequel I'm so sad

#miraculous #miraculous movie #ladybug & cat noir: the movie #my post #liveblog

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insertdisc5 · 2 years ago

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The tumblr q&a is over, but I was curious! I love all the different phrases the characters in isat/sasasa:p use--If it's something you can say, where did inspiration for "gems alive" and other phrases come from?

THANK YOU FOR ASKING BECAUSE I GET TO TALK ABOUT WORLDBUILDING AND SWEAR WORDS AND BRANDON SANDERSON

long post ahead

ok so when I was figuring out the world, I found this lecture on worldbuilding by Brandon Sanderson (go watch it, and also go read his books), and (im gonna paraphrase heavily here) one thing he mentioned is that, to make a memorable world, one thing you can do is pick a couple areas of culture, and go real deep with it. So like, pick fashion, and architecture, and interior design, and develop those a bunch, and bam! you convinced people you have a whole dang world, even though you only developed 3 areas of this world. hollow iceberg everyone thinks is a real iceberg.

he also mentioned the idea of like... getting weird with it? and develop based on a weird detail? for example, in his book The Stormlight Archives, one detail is that women have to hide their left hand at all times. ok, so what does that mean, whats taboo about a left hand? is the left hand shameful, or lewd somehow, the same way ankles were for us? what about fashion, what does women's fashion look like? and how do you live your every day life, knowing you can't show this hand, can you carry things the same way? etc

SO, for me, one of the Big Worldbuilding pillars i picked was, uh, swear words lol. or language and common expressions, more generally. i went on a whole journey where i was like... ok swear words in a LOT of languages (including french and english, both languages i speak fluently) are either sexual, or about gross bodily discharges. you know what words i mean!!!!!

and, well, i also didnt want the game to be full of those words, mostly because i think its a tightrope to use those words without seeming cringe, and also because i have a Core Memory of showing a comic to a colleague and she said "well i wouldve liked to show it to my kids, but you said fuck 12 times in there" and i didnt show my face to her for a week. family friendly family friendly family friendly

so what swear words should my characters use, that arent the same ones we use? and could those swear words actually tell us something about the world they live in? could i actually use those swear words... to show the characters come from different cultures???

and what COULD swear words be like, if theyre not about sex or body stuff? well irl they're usually about religions or belief. "oh god", "goddamnit", etc. as a sidenote, stuff like "oh my god" or "geez" arent used, because jesus christ is not canon to the ISAT universe. alright

i decided very early on i wouldnt have those in the game either, but i COULD have them be about the religions specific to this world. and for insults, i could have them be about stuff those beliefs would see as lesser.

anyway instead of talking about "gems alive" lets talk about "crab"

isabeau+mirabelle+bonnie use "crab" as a swear word because they follow a religion all around change, bettering yourself, evolving, and, the crab meme,

for those who dont get the joke, its about carcinisation, and about how a bunch of non-crab-like forms somehow evolved to a crab-like form. which would be horrible, for a religion all based around change!!! you mean we change and evolve, but theres a chance we might all become crabs??? CRAB!!!!!!!

anyway having "crab" kinda reads as 1. swear word 2. thats funny and weird (sets the tone) 3. tells you they know what crabs are (world not that different from ours, AND means they live close-ish to the coast, aka not land locked) and 4. crabs are somehow hated/feared, even if as the player you dont get why, it shows this country has its own culture (even if you dont get the crabs joke, which uuuh apparently doesnt work as well in countries that dont have this specific meme. WHATEVER!!!!)

(a few people came to me saying "heh, i get it, because crab and crap are very similar words" and um actually i did not think about that. crab is just a funny word on its own, and also i am a comedy genius without even trying)

anyway tldr: swear words as a worldbuilding tool. soon in theaters

#in stars and time #start again start again start again #'adrienne isabeau says 'oh geez' 1 time in the prologue'#quite honestly this is a mistake and im retconning it. he said 'oh change' instead. will fix whenever i get around to making a new build #reference #also yeah canonically bonnie swears all the time #everyone has just given up and lets them curse like a sailor. bonnie has won #i added a cut but actually no you WILL read this whole post #long post

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racinggirl · 2 years ago

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illegally good || Charles Leclerc 16

part of the 700 celebration drabbles!

words: 3k Oh my god, I know I said drabbles, but I promise it's good! I had such a blast writing this, I am in love. Mafia / confident / boss Charles is absolutely my favorite! also, excuse my French, this GIF? URGH. Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy reading! Please let me know your thoughts about this fic below! I'd love to hear your perspective on it :) warnings: mafia, swearing, mentions of murder, kidnapping, abuse (nothing major), all with a fluff ending because you know me

(as a part of my 700 followers celebration, I'm taking requests for drabbles, check this post for more information)

One thing you absolutely hated? Taking care of other people’s dirty jobs, especially when those people were getting the credits for it. Credit you should get, because those people did not deserve a single compliment about their efforts.

It happened to you, and you were tired of it, tired of the fact you were not getting any promotions – if you could even call it promotions in the business you worked at – or credits for the things you did. So, you quit. You said goodbye to your old life, after months of trying to sneak away, to disappear from the radar entirely, before coming back as a new you.

New name, check. New hair, check. New house, new identity, check.

All those things happened when you were just 12, growing up in the business your father, who was a leader of the mafia, built, hoping you’d take over that same business one day. But things changed, and especially for being a woman, you knew people wouldn’t listen. They weren’t moving with the years, they weren’t modernizing. No. They were old school, old fashioned and would think of a woman as a side job, someone who’d do all the dirty work, take care of the kids, be safe at home while the men would do the real deal.

Your father wasn’t happy, at all, when you ran away at the age of 19. You moved countries, all on your own. Away from everything. You had promised your father you wouldn’t tell anyone about his business, about his secret life, if he’d leave you alone. You were the daughter of a mafia boss, after all. You knew how to get the things you wanted.

Fast forward 3 years, in which you were a ‘normal’ university student. ‘Normal’ because, even though you were just 22 years old, you were rich. You were able to rent an apartment in the highest possible level, in the fanciest country of Europe. Monaco.

That’s why, you and your friends, who were studying fashion in Italy, were now wandering the crowded streets of your country. The Formula One weekend was here, which created thousands of people exploring the streets you called home.

Loads of celebrity’s called Monaco their home as well, why? Taxes. Money. Living in Monaco meant life was expensive, but it also meant you could afford the expensive lifestyle due to the low taxes. Something that made the decision to moving to Monaco even easier.

‘’This is amazing.’’ One of your friends exclaimed when you were walking through the paddock of the Monaco Grand Prix, of course you had tickets, you wanted them, so you’d get them.

‘’It’s quite impressive, indeed.’’ You replied, your hands in the pockets of your jeans as you looked around, the colorful motorhomes of each team slowly appearing in front of you. However, one motorhome stood out, and not because of the color, but because of the person in front of it.

Charles Leclerc, 25 years old, born and raised in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Formula One driver and loved amongst many. However, that’s not how you knew him. Aside from his job in the motorsports industry, he also was part of a group, and not just a normal group.

Your father had warned you about them, but you knew it was just so you wouldn’t be sloppy with your work and to make sure you’d deliver the best possible outcomes. You had never met them, the Italian mafia, but you had heard stories. Rumors, about this man in front of you in particular.

The Formula One career was a perfect cover up for the things he did, since nobody knew about it, and nobody would even believe the stories about Charles Leclerc being a member of the mafia. How could he, he was so innocent, so sweet and gentle.

‘’Oh, my goodness that’s Charles Leclerc, come on, we should say hi!’’ You mentally strangled your friend the moment she started walking to the Ferrari driver, dragging the rest of your friends along with her. Just perfect.

‘’Hi, Charles! It’s so nice to meet you, could we get a picture?’’ Charles listened to the ladies, as the gentleman he is, and took the pictures. However, you weren’t going to take one step closer to your enemy. Okay, he wasn’t technically your enemy anymore since you left your fathers business, but you couldn’t betray your family like that.

‘’Come on y/n, join us for the pictures!’’ Your friends were standing next to Charles, as his racing suit was lowered to his hips, revealing the red fireproof top that fitted him like a glove.

‘’I’m fine, thanks.’’ You weren’t taking your eyes off the Monegasque, feeling the need to keep an eye on whatever he did, every sneaky movement he’d make would be something you’d see. And he knew, he knew who you were, he knew what you were doing as well.

However, he didn’t mention it, he didn’t put his active attention on you, knowing it would cause people to become suspicious. However, you weren’t stupid. You knew he knew, and that made you even more careful about your actions.

‘’Goodluck on the race.’’ Your friends cheered on the driver, who returned a smile. ‘’Thank you, ladies, have fun watching the race. I’m sure you love some action.’’ And you knew those last words were directed towards you, that it was just a sneaky way of letting you know he knew who you were.

Two months forward, and it was summer in Monaco. The sun was shining, people were swimming in the ocean, tanning on the beach, and you were one of them. As much as you told yourself the things from your past would stay in the past, you couldn’t help but keep thinking about him. Trying to track everything he did whenever you saw him walking through the streets of Monaco, driving his Ferrari, greeting fans. He almost looked innocent. Almost.

It was late, almost 3 am, when you were walking through the dark streets of Monaco. Maybe you had a little too much to drink, but you for sure weren’t going to stay the night at the club. You were tired and wanted to go home. Your friends, however, were still having the best time of their lives, so you gave them the spare key to your house, not feeling the need to spend 3 more hours in that club.

You were making your way home, humming slightly to yourself as you suddenly felt two hands gripping your waist, a little tighter than a friendly person would do. The action made you scream, but it was quickly muffled by another pair of hands on your mouth, preventing you from screaming even more.

Your eyes were wide open, as you tried to identify the two men that were holding you. But it was dark, making it almost impossible for you to see who were hiding under the black beanies and mouth masks.

‘’Silent, pretty, you’re coming with us.’’ And that’s when you knew. You recognized that voice, not because you’ve heard it live before, but because you heard it over the phone multiple times whenever your father had another heated discussion over the phone.

‘’And what if I don’t want to, Niccolo.’’ You groaned, but the sharp metal leaning against your side made you clench your jaw, a sigh escaping your lips as your eyes closed to think.

‘’I don’t think you have a choice, bambina.’’

‘’You know I quit 3 years ago, I have nothing, I know nothing.’’ You said as you felt the rope against your wrists, looking up at the right hand of Vincenzo, Niccolo. Before you could speak even more, the big metal door on the left opened, a big man, typical Italian, typical mafia boss, came walking through the doors.

‘’Vincenzo, we found her, capo.’’ Niccolo spoke up, stepping aside to give the man full access to you.

He grabbed your jaw, tightly, as he moved your face left to right, checking out your delicate features. ‘’No microphones, no cameras?’’ He grunted, harshly releasing his grip on your face the moment his workers told him you had nothing on you.

‘’I fucking told you. I quit. I have nothing to do with my father anymore. I guess your minions aren’t the best at keeping an eye out for the competi-‘’ A harsh slap across your face made you shut your mouth, a burning sensation running through your cheek.

‘’Shut up.’’ Vincenzo glared at you, pacing back and forth as he thought, about you, about your father, about the entire situation in front of him.

You slowly turned your gaze forward again, moving your jaw left to right to try and get rid of the painful sensation. You stayed silent for a few more seconds, but again, you were the daughter of a mafia boss, this wasn’t the first time you got slapped in the face.

‘’ You won’t get anything out of me, you know that.’’ You muttered, narrowing your eyes as Vincenzo appeared in front of you, the biggest smirk on his face as he rubbed your still burning cheek.

‘’I know, bambina, I know, but I’m sure your father would hate to see his precious little daughter on the edge of death.’’ He whispered; the smirk still apparent on his face. You couldn’t help but feel shivers over your entire body. Maybe it was the fact the alcohol was getting out of your system, or maybe it was the intimidation you felt from the man in front of you, but you weren’t going to let them win.

‘’You should brush your teeth, asshole.’’ You replied, watching the smirk disappear from Vincenzo’s face, followed by a black screen in front of you, the consequence of a harsh smack across the back of your head, causing you to pass out in the uncomfortable wooden chair.

‘’She’s with me, yes.’’ You heard a faint voice on the other side of the room, the bright light from the sun outside being too much for your eyes to bare now, so you closed your eyes again, slowly.

‘’No, she’s no longer part of the group. Listen to me, Vincenzo. You stay away from her, understood? If I ever see you near her again, I’ll make sure you won’t…’’ That’s all you could hear, the faint voice kept speaking, but you weren’t listening since you passed out again, but this time in a comfortable soft bed.

You woke up hours later, it was dark outside, and there was a soft music playing in the background, piano music, to be precise. You tried to adjust to the environment for a few seconds before slipping your feet out of the bed, your toes running through the soft carpet at the sides of it.

You weren’t wearing your party dress anymore, but instead, you were dressed in an oversized shirt, which for sure wasn’t yours.

The headache at the back of your head was making it hard for you to focus, but you could swear the piano music was live, and not from a random radio station. The flawless melody paired with the fine tunes sounded like magic to your ears, and you followed the sound of the music till you found yourself in a room with the one man you for sure weren’t expecting.

The music faded, until it completely stopped, but you didn’t move. You watched the back of the man as you leaned against the doorframe, your arms crossed in front of your chest.

‘’Did you take the painkillers?’’ Was the first thing he said, without even turning around to face you.

‘’No.’’ You saw them, but you weren’t going to take random pills on the nightstand in a room you didn’t know.

‘’Are you feeling better?’’ The man asked again, this time slowly turning around to take a decent look at you.

‘’Why am I here?’’ You asked. ‘’I already told Vincenzo I know nothing about the business my father has right now. So, what the fuck do you want?’’ You were annoyed, mostly by the fact you got kidnapped in the middle of the night, twice. You had lost track of time, not even knowing what day it was right now.

‘’I’ll take that as a yes.’’ The man said, reaching for the cup of water which was standing on top of the piano. He handed it to you, to which you rolled your eyes. He then took a sip himself, and handed that same cup to you again, which, this time, you accepted.

‘’Sit down.’’ He said, looking over to the couch after watching you take a sip of the water.

‘’I’m perfectly fine standing where I am.’’ You replied, playing with the cup of water in your hands.

‘’Whatever you’d like.’’ The man responded, taking a seat on the couch as he looked at the table in front of him.

‘’I’d like an explanation, Charles.’’ You spoke. ‘’First, I’m being kidnapped by Niccolo at fucking 3 am after a party with my friends, only to be brought to Vincenzo, who’s not even hesitating a second to murder me. Then he beats me till I pass out, and I wake up in I assume your apartment, after I heard you talk to Vincenzo. What are you going to do to me, Charles, kill me? Hold me hostage? Torture me? I wish you luck, because I’m not giving you a single piece of information.’’

Charles sighed, heavily, his gaze moving from the table to you, before getting up from the couch. He walked closer towards you, lifting your chin up carefully to watch the bruises across your face.

‘’I’m not like that anymore, y/n.’’ He started. ‘’I left the group once my career became serious when I got to Formula One. I’m not your enemy anymore.’’ He mentioned, and at first you didn’t believe him. But once he started to explain everything, from the way he had more power than Vincenzo, how his career in Formula One had become one of the most important things in life, and mainly how he followed you those last couple of months. He knew you were in Monaco, and he quickly found out you were no longer part of your fathers’ group. He almost felt obligated to keep an eye on you, to keep you safe from any of the things he knew Vincenzo would do, but he knew that if he told Vincenzo to stay away from you, he’d only give insight in the fact you were in Monaco, and Charles preferred to keep that a secret.

However, when they found out you were currently staying in the country, they stroked, and before Charles could even do anything, they had captured you. The only thing Charles could do was demand Vincenzo and his group to bring you to his place, which he immediately did. He saved your life, and why? Because he knew you were innocent, you were just like him, someone that had been thrown at this life, but chose the right path instead of the wrong one.

Now, years later, and you were walking through that same paddock where you saw him for the very first time. Only this time you weren’t just a stranger anymore.

‘’y/n! y/n! Over here! This camera!’’ You smiled sweetly at the cameras, flashes lightening the way in front of you as you saw the man standing at the exact same place he was 4 years ago, only this time, he was your man.

‘’Ciao bella.’’ Charles wrapped his arm around your shoulders, his lips pressing a delicate kiss against your temple as you closed your eyes for a brief moment. ‘’Hey handsome.’’ You responded; a smile painted on your lips as you looked up at your boyfriend.

‘’Charles! Y/n! such a lovely couple, can you look at this camera for a second?’’ Photographers were slowly gathering around you, at which Charles’ arm wrapped around your shoulder even tighter, in order to keep you safe, to protect you from anything out there. Not that it was needed anymore, because Vincenzo had been arrested, along with the rest of his group.

‘’Let’s go inside, hmm. I heard we have pizza inside.’’ Charles whispered in your ear, at which your smile grew even wider. ‘’Well then, come on, what are we waiting for?’’ You exclaimed happily, your hand intertwining with his as you walked inside the hospitality.

But once you walked inside, you were disappointed with the fact there wasn’t a single slice of pizza to be seen. ‘’Charles!’’ You exclaimed, turning around to watch your boyfriend step closer to you. ‘’There’s no pizza…’’ You whispered as his arms wrapped around your waist, your arms resting on his shoulders as you played with the hair at the back of his neck.

‘’I know, love, I just wanted you to myself.’’ He whispered, placing a few kisses at the corners of your mouth. ‘’And I’ll get you as much pizza as you want tonight.’’ He added, at which the corners of your mouth turned upward almost instantly.

‘’I love you, Charles.’’ You whispered, closing your eyes as you felt his fingers tucking a single strand of hair behind your ear.

‘’I love you too, my love, more than you can ever imagine.’’ And with that, he pressed his lips on yours, slowly, softly, but oh so illegally good…

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