#WILL ADD MY LINKS LATERRR 🤙

[leoward]

𝐀 𝐁𝐎𝐌𝐁𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐋 𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐕𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐀  . . .  📚😜

.  .  . dark summer grass. lightning bugs in their slow flashing. the night above you was more in you than your breath, the stars always shifting in your chest.

MUSINGS  .  .  .  VISAGE  . . .  HEADCANONS  . . .  SELF-PARAS  .  .  .  extended map.

LEONARDO “LEO” ALFRED WARD  ( cis male, he/him, kedar williams-stirling )  is 27 and a GRADUATE STUDENT from LONDON, ENGLAND. they are known as THE SCHOLAR because they are BRIGHT, but if things kick off, they can be a bit RESTLESS. they’re HETEROSEXUAL and describe their type as equally as intellectually curious and willing to wear their legs out… exploring the city ;) from their time in the villa, they’re hoping to find MONEY.  ( book bag weighed like seven bricks, thermos perpetually filled with earl grey, & an expensive desk in disarray )

+ bright, perceptive, energetic, friendly, charismatic. - restless, self-conscious, big-headed, fickle, competitive.

—  written by morgan, 23, she/her, pst .  .  .  cis bi korean woman.

prologue.

mother was an internationally popular supermodel and father was a fairly well-known television actor.

both were notoriously good-looking, though her mother more so esp due to her occupation and geographical range of fame.

relationship was highly publicized for a while until the start of their marriage when they put an iron-clad lock on their family’s privacy.

CHAPTER I.

eyes were on the family again when leo entered the picture, particularly when he didn’t shy away from social media when he went off to secondary school.

intelligent, high-achieving, boisterous, socially accommodating, good-looking, well-off, athletic, able to thrive off of inherited fame, and willing to feed curious viewers glimpses into his seemingly perfect life... he was a shoe-in for being a quasi-influencer.

he also had a habit of ghosting social media before making sudden comebacks, though this display of untouchability seemed to fuel people’s curiosity.

in reality, as much as he liked the attention, he wasn’t able to not tie his self-worth into every bit of it he got -- which wasn’t great since he knew the foundation for that attention was due to his parents’ work... leading him to become obsessive then repulsed at the attention. rinse and repeat.

to make up for it, although he was naturally curious enough to pursue all this endeavors, he tried much harder, going above and beyond to prove he was capable of being both extraordinary and self-made.

a futile attempt since he’ll never be able to change the circumstances of his birth. he knows this.

CHAPTER II.

went to cambridge and majored in literature and history.

rejected shallow monetary opportunities, feeling a little wounded that in the end, people would just see him as a to-be celebrity more than a well-accomplished individual beyond his parents’ legacy.

when approaching academia, was met with derision or passionate mentorship, depending on the professor/fellow student and their skepticism (and where that skepticism stemmed from).

nonetheless, academia provided a challenging solace.

however, he didn’t feel an acute sense of satisfaction until he overcame challenges in his master’s program too.

these challenges included the expected bigotry in academia, sussing out those who wanted to help because they believed in him vs. those who wanted to ride his coattails, and finally producing work only because he was dedicated to his work and not because of any sullying motivation to “prove” anything, whether that’s to anyone else or himself. even privatized his social media and paid little thought to it while he focused on his studies.

CHAPTER III.

however, his goals thwarted his parents’ expectations and hopes, which mainly included law school. by pursuing corporate law, he’d have a guaranteed path towards wealth so that he could continue living the life he’s used to.

he refused to give up his path towards a doctorate, leading to them cut off funding for his education.

though he does have grant-winning prowess, he unfortunately feels uneasy about adapting to a non-cushy life while embarking on an incredibly challenge that’ll take him nearly a decade to complete.

epilogue.

so, he signed up to be on love island.

even unprivated his instagram the month before airing and posted a few beach photos to earn a few brownie points from the public. just as he planned, he made some headlines.

the idea of defining his adult public image as a piece of arse makes him cringe a little. and truthfully, he’s afraid he might like the attention too much. it could really mess with his head.

but nonetheless, he’s got to pad up his finances if he wants to live his life the way he wants. he’s just got to meet everyone else’s expectations for a little longer, one last time.