#australia has the most shows and the best chance to see the show

[cowboylikedean]

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[loganswdc]

every day i learn something new about logan sargeant and his racing career, not just about his performance in f1 but in f2 and previous series, too. and every day i end up so sad because he genuinely has so so much potential and can do so much but he keeps being give a poor hand of cards. this guy out qualified his teammate in f2 TEN TO FOUR. and who was his teammate?? liam lawson. liam joined redbull’s driver academy in february of 2019 while logan only got to join an f1 team’s driver academy in october of 2021. that team was williams. which, as we know, hasn't exactly been the best performing team in recent years. oscar piastri got to join an f1 team’s driver academy in january of 2020 (the renault sport academy, later rebranded as the alpine academy). liam and oscar both got the opportunity to do f1 tests for YEARS prior to their f1 debuts in 2023. liam had 4 and a half years of experience in f1 cars before 2023. oscar had 3 years of experience in f1 cars before 2023. even if it was just testing and practice sessions, it's still something.

what did logan get? one measly fp2 session, post-season testing, and then jumped right in to pre-season testing in 2023. he already had a seat in williams then, so with the experience from before the pre-season testing in 2023 he got to do maybe 800km of testing in an f1 car. the others — in this case i mean oscar, liam, and heck even nyck de vris — had opportunities to drive f1 cars and gain experience for YEARS before logan. if you look at nyck de vris: he got signed to the mclaren young driver programme in 2010. he joined the audi sport racing academy in 2016.  granted, he left the mclaren programme in before the 2019 season and left audi after the 2019 season, too. but he then went to mercedes as a reserve driver and tester for 2020 and afterwards. this means he got just about a DECADE AND A HALF of teams putting their time and energy into training him to join f1.

logan got a year. one. single. fucking year. that is entirely incomparable to the other rookies from 2023, who had so much more experience before hand. and yet logan was jumped into f1 and the expectations were so high for a guy who hasn't had the chance to train and learn and gain experience.

and yet when we look at the 2022 f2 season, logan sargeant, a rookie, was 1 point off from his teammate —the one and only liam lawson — scoring p4 in the championship. he outqualified his teammate 10 to 4. he was the first american to win an f2 race (that is, of course, following the rebrand from gp2 to f2, but regardless, that’s still an important thing to note and an achievement of his that should be celebrated).

logan sargeant has so much potential and if only williams would show him a little more faith unlike what they’ve been doing, if only they’d give him the same upgrades as alex, if only they wouldn’t force him to drive a car 15kg overweight from that of his teammate’s car, if only they wouldn’t force him to use outdated rear and front wings from the season prior. then perhaps he would have a chance to show what he can do. perhaps if he wasn’t stuck in a team with a crap car who have shown zero faith (which has been vehemently obvious since the circus in australia) in him and made him absolutely miserable, a shell of himself — which you can clearly see in recent interviews and photos of him — then maybe he’d be able to show how good he really is. and maybe if williams hadn’t been so adamant about taking him out of f2 so quickly and let him develop for one more year, we’d be seeing headlines that say “logan sargeant, first american f1 driver on the podium since michael andretti in 1993.” and perhaps we could even see him winning races.

no matter what someone says about his current f1 performances — though most base that solely off of where he ends up on the grid rather than looking at his actual driving and seeing how good he is as a driver considering the crap circumstances he’s in — logan sargeant is a better driver than what everyone says. he is trying so insanely hard to get a car that is miles off from the rest of the field to place as high as humanly possible. no one can say that if you put another driver in that car that logan is driving they'd be doing better than he is now. the fact is, they wouldn't be. he's been given an absolute tractor and is expected to score points when that car isn't built for getting in the points. and yet logan managed to get p10 in the miami sprint race — which should be recognized and commended. because he was in an awful car and he absolutely shined that day. that was just the start of showing what he could do. but he hasn't been given the same resources as alex, those being the upgrades, so what more can he do compared to what he's doing now?

and i am actually sitting here crying as i type this because this is a driver who is giving it his all even when the entire world is against him, even when his entire TEAM is against him, and he is persevering to the best of his abilities. and i know exactly what it’s like to sit here, wanting to reach for your dreams and show everyone how good you are, but to have only your closest friends and family on your side, rooting for you. what it’s like to look everywhere around you and see everyone calling you crap and saying you should quit and that you aren’t and never will be good enough. to look around and see your closest friends and family cheering for you, yet feeling like crap because you aren't doing as well as you would want, feeling inferior to everyone around you.

news flash: logan sargeant is and will always be good enough. he just needs the opportunity to show it, and williams is ruining that for him.

and yes, i will defend him with my life. people who try to say otherwise can try to do the same hours — the WEEKS — worth of research that i’ve done about logan and his career because he IS a good driver and HE DESERVES BETTER.

any hate comments towards logan will be deleted, because i have neither the time nor the energy to deal with that and argue with logan haters. i've said all of what i know and can remember about him and his career above, and will add what i can as time goes on and i remember something else or learn something new. if you have the time to hate on logan, you have the time to do your research and examine the fact that he has the potential to do well, but is not in a position for that because of the abhorrent circumstances he is currently in.

thank you for coming to my ted talk. edit: i'd also really recommend reading this twitter thread!! it goes into some more depth on logan and his f2 / f1 career, and even a little bit about his f3 career. it's very informative and articulates much of logan's career and why he is a better driver than many believe very well. https://x.com/herrocult/status/1795747913588761027

[kyracooneyx23]

can you please do an r x kcc where r and kyra are like best friends but then r does her acl and then they don't see each other for ages and in the time they don't spend together kyra starts to realise that she feels somethinf for r and then when r comes back to camp kyra starts acting differently and then r finds out or something along the lines of that sorry if thats too confusing

Missed You More - Kyra Cooney-Cross

kyra cooney-cross x matildas!reader

summary: Your back in camp after a long ACL recovery but your best friend kyra's acting strange. warnings: injury, kind of angst ig? not really anything else except terrible writing, its just a lot of yapping

'Chelsea winger Y/N L/N has just collapsed and is holding her knee, she looks to be in a lot of pain. A stretcher is being brought on to the pitch for her now showing that this isn't a minor injury. Could she have done her ACL? If so that would not be good for her hopes of playing in the upcoming world cup on home soil for the Australian.'

Scans confirm the worse for Matildas and Chelsea star, Y/N L/N, as it has been revealed the young forward has ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament in recent game against Leicester City. Her hopes to play in the world cup next year very slight as she begins her long road to recovery.

The image of her best friend falling to the ground still haunts Kyra even now 5 months later as she sat on the bus heading to their camp in England after their disappointing loss to Scotland two days ago ending their 7 match winning streak. It was the final camp before they headed home to Australia to prep for the upcoming world cup on home soil. The words of the commentator still replay in her head constantly reminding her of the heartache she felt for her best friend. In every news article she read their was always something about how the matildas star forward, chances of making the squad for the world cup were getting slimmer as time passed, it had consumed all her social media. Her constantly reminding her of the moment you had called her after your scans tears streaming down your face as you broke the news to your best friend about the results.

Of anyone in the world, Kyra knew better than anyone just how much it meant to you to be representing your country in a world cup on home soil, you had left home and travelled halfway across the globe to play for Chelsea at only 16, giving up most of your teenage years to be the best player you could. It broke her heart to just imagine how you would be feeling during this time.

In the thousands of facetimes they'd had together you had always tried to stay positive, always laughing at something and sharing stories about your time in England. But Kyra could see through the facade, nothing would get past her, you'd been best friends since you were fifteen when you both played for Melbourne Victory together. She knew how hard it was for you, you didn't have any family with you and Kyra hadn't been able to visit you as her season with Hammarby had been to busy to have enough time of to sneak in a trip to London.

Since you had been out injured, Kyra's mood had been very down. All her matildas teammates had noticed almost immediately when she had not pulled a single prank throughout the entire cup of nations tournament. The public noticed soon after when photos of the teams celebrations were posted and Kyra was hardly smiling in any of the pictures, preferring to keep to herself in the locker rooms after wins.

Kyra is pulled out of her trance when she feels her phone vibrating from the seat next to her she grabs it and sees an incoming call from you, she answered being greeted by your grinning face.

'Hello Ky.' You called happily at her whilst you walked back from Cobham, after your first full training session back with the team. You had a coffee in your hand and had a scarf wrapped around your shoulders, dressed in a large Chelsea puffer jacket with your hair pulled up into a messy bun strands blowing around your face from the strong wind. 'Sorry, I'm a mess I have a photoshoot in just over an hour so I'm in a rush.' You tell her, but Kyra didn't think you looked a mess she thought you looked beautiful, but she thought you were always stunning she never told anyone about how she felt, she thought it would be weird to go around saying how good you looked.

Kyra hadn't told anyone, but in the time the two of you had been apart Kyra had begun to feel differently towards you but she tried to hide it not wanting it to be awkward. She couldn't stop thinking about you her thoughts often wondering back to your cute smile or your laugh which you hated but she loved. Recently she'd been prioritizing your facetime calls over important stuff she was meant to be doing and whenever you did something Kyra felt like a millions butterflies were flying around in her stomach.

At first Kyra was scared of these feelings but she'd accepted them just thinking it was because she missed you a lot and when you came back from injury everything would go back to normal. It couldn't just be her that thought you were the prettiest person alive, surely anyone in their right mind could see that right?

'Kyra Lilee Cooney-Cross? Are you still there? Helloooo earth to Kyra...' you loudly spoke into the phone, pulling Kyra out of her trance and she blushed after realising she had been staring at you all this time.

'Sorry 'bout that.' Kyra says embarrassed. 'How are you? Did the scans go alright?'

'I'm good, the scans went well. My physio said that my rehab is going really well and I'm actually ahead of the schedule and...' A huge grin spreads out on your face, 'I could even be back for the game against Leicester on the 11th which means I'm allowed to play in the world cup. But that's only if Tony choses me.'

'Are you kidding Y/N/N? That's amazing, I'm so proud of you, and of course Tony's going to choose you for the world cup if your back in time, he'd be stupid not to.' Kyra matches your energy a grin spreading over her face. 'We better start planning more pranks on the girls for when you come back. I think Steph should be our first target.' You laugh, and Kyra can't help but feel that familiar giddy sensation in her stomach as your laughter fills her ears.

You plan pranks you can pull together before you notice the time. 'I got to go now Kyra. But I just want to thank you so much for your support, I seriously couldn't have been where I am today without everything you've done for me.' Kyra grins, rolling her eyes.

'Don't be silly, I did nothing, you did all the hard work. I just did whatever any best friend would do.' She tells you brushing it off as if the hours she spent on the phone with you even if it was just you talking to her while you were doing your rehab were nothing.

'Well thanks regardless. I owe you big time' You tell her, knowing that she spent so much of her time helping you. 'But I really got to go now. I love you bye.' You tell her blowing a kiss she tells you goodbye as you hang up the phone leaving Kyra on her own again.

time skip to after the england game

'Yes Cha Cha.' Kyra says leaping on her best friends back followed by Mini who was had Harper on her back. She wrapped her close friend in a tight hug placing a joking kiss on her cheek swinging her around to celebrate the girls first ever goal for the Matildas. The trio and Harper stay a while celebrating the win against England.

Despite the adrenaline pumping through Kyra's body, she still felt like something was missing. You and Kyra had always talked about how one day the two of you would play in Wembley together and all the things you'd do once you won and it made Kyra sad that you weren't here to celebrate the win. 'You alright kiddo?' Mini asks Kyra placing a soft hand on her back watching as Mackenzie Arnold and Charli Grant chased harper around on the grass.

'I dunno, it's complicated.' Kyra says not wanting to talk about it right now, knowing it sounded stupid.

'Is it about y/n?' Katrina asked the younger girl and Kyra looks at her in shock of how she knew so quickly about what it was about.

'How'd you know?' Kyra asked slightly embarrassed.

'I'm basically your mum Kyra. I know you better than you'd think.' She says teasingly 'Plus ever since y/n's been out, you've been acting differently, everyones noticed. And we're all worried about you Kyra. I know you miss your best friend but everyone's going to get injured from time to time, you can't let that affect your game.'

'It's more than me missing her. I can't stop thinking about her, she's actually taking over my mind. And I've been getting all these weird feelings, like whenever she calls me I get butterflies in my stomach, and she's so pretty, and sometimes I'd rather be on a call with her than do anything else. I don't know why I'm feeling this way mini, it's scaring me. I don't want to ruin our friendship because I have these weird and stupid feelings.' Kyra huffs tears threatening to spill.

'Kyra, have you ever maybe considered you might like y/n?' Katrina asks the younger Aussie.

'Of course I like her Kat, she's my best friend are you stupid?' Kyra says to her mother like figure confused at her logic.

'I mean, have you ever considered you might like her more than just a friend.'

'But she's my friend, I can't like her like that. I'll ruin everything.' she speaks fast worried about if what Mini is saying could be true.

'It's not the end of the world to have a crush Kyra.' Mini says soothingly, patting Kyra on the back. 'Everyone has a crush on someone, and you don't even have to tell her how you feel if it worries you too much, but from what I've noticed I'm pretty sure she likes you too.' Mini whispers the last part before noticing harper faceplanting on the floor, running off to check on her daughter. Leaving Kyra to take in everything Katrina said. It made sense now, everything she was feeling.

time skip to pre world cup

The Matildas had started arriving to prepare for the upcoming world cup. Much to much of the publics surprise you had made a record return being welcomed back into the squad for the world cup, grateful that Tony still chose you even though you weren't even close to the form you were in before your injury. You were arriving to camp a few hours later than everyone else with Sam, meaning that when you arrived late that evening everyone was always eating dinner, you hopped out of the car, feeling gross from the long flight and jetlag kicking in.

'wait her y/n/n. I'm gonna get everyone excited for their favourite player to be back.' You only half comprehended what Sam told you but waited outside until you heard Sam shouting your name. You slowly walked into the room dragging your suitcase behind you, your mood brightening when you walked into the room filled with all your teammates clapping.

'Hey guys.' Is all you say unable to say much more from tiredness and shock that you were back so much sooner than you expected. People laugh before starting to make their way towards you. Steph's the first person to pull you into a hug, whispering how proud she is of you into your ear, everyone else shortly follows saying similar stuff to Steph. Macca is one of the last people to embrace you.

'I would like to say I'm the most excited for you to be back but I'm afraid Kyra probably wins that competition.' You laugh at her before comprehending the fact that you hadn't gotten a hug yet from your best friend. 'Where is Kyra anyways?' You ask Mackenzie, she smiled at you and it was almost like a scene from a movie the way she stepped aside to reveal a tired looking Kyra standing behind her.

No words are spoken between the two of you until her arms are wrapped around you. 'I've missed you so much.' You tell her

'Missed you more.' She responds making you laugh slightly.

'Are you ready to do the plan for steph.' You ask her a cheeky grin spreading on the two of your faces as you pull away to face each other.

'never been readier.' You both laugh before alanna pulls you away from each other.

'You've only been back together for less than a minute and your already planning something.' she says sternly ruffling your hair and you both give her an innocent smile, something you always used to do when people suspected you of something. 'well go eat something, then go to sleep. you look awful y/n.' You roll your eyes scoffing.

'Wow Lani, you're kinder than I remembered.' You laugh as she shoves you away.

'Just eat kid.' In the small time you speak with Alanna you don't notice Kyra head back to the table and go back to eating without another word.

'You ok Kyra?' Mini whispers to the midfielder.

'Yeah Ky, I thought you would want to be spending every second with y/n/n, you've been waiting for her to get back for like ever. She's all you ever talk about.' Charli basically interrogates her friend who looks visibly uncomfortable causing Mini to kick the number 22, sending her a stern glare that gets her to shut up. Kyra didn't expect it to feel so awkward to be back with her best friend, but she couldn't stop thinking about her and Mini's conversation after the England game. She didn't want to ruin their friendship because of her silly emotions so for now she planned to keep quieter around y/n and try distance herself.

i will be doing a part 2 soon

[thedovesaredying]

Monsters in the Dark | Nikto x Reader | Part 1

First "official" part of Nikto x Reader fic set in the cowboy AU originally created by @ghouljams once again staring our darling Sputnik. Makes a lot more sense if you read the prologue which can be found linked below.

A/N: Did I spend several hours watching Kevin Richardson videos with him hanging out with his hyenas while writing this? Yes. Do I regret it? Absolutely not. This also ended up a lot longer than I was expecting lmao.

Warnings: Depictions of Minor Medical Procedures.

Masterlist: CoD Masterlist

Prev Part | Next Part

When working as a rural vet there’s a surprising amount of driving involved. Travelling from the clinic to farms and huge properties miles and miles away for in-person appointments and consultations can understandably take several hours out of your day. Most of the time you don’t even have working cell service to help guide you to your destination and you’re forced to either memorise the route beforehand or turn to your old reliable map.  

You’re new to the area, having decided to spend some time travelling across the US for the potential experience it could offer you. You’ve done plenty of work on stations in the north of Australia, helping jackaroos to manage any illness within their herds, always moving from place to place, and so Texas seemed like the perfect place to start your travels.  

While training, however, you had been given an offer to travel to South Africa to work with the numerous wildlife there both on reserves and in zoos. It was the best year of your life and ignited a passion for working with exotic animals.  

Travelling the US for work was an exciting opportunity to help rural communities with their livestock and to work with the numerous native species you’ve never had the chance to encounter in your everyday life. This little town was just another step on your travels and, so far, hadn’t really stood out to you more than any other small town.  

So, it isn’t out of place for you to be driving down a lengthy driveway through the woods and pulling up to a rundown old house. What is strange, is the huge creature sitting at the top of the porch.  

The hyena is massive. It’s powerfully built with pure muscle, and no doubt would be able to tear you to pieces if it chose to. It’s so distracting that for a long time you don’t even notice the huge man standing beside your car. He looks just as strong as the hyena sitting behind him and you’re not sure how you missed his approach.  

When the lady at the front desk informed you that there was a gentleman asking for a veterinarian with experience handling exotics, you were thinking perhaps a rare lizard, or an uncommon species of parrot. What you weren’t expecting was to see an adult hyena staring you down.  

You’re more than a little reluctant to leave the safety of the vehicle, but upon receiving a jerk of the head from the man, you cautiously exit the car. Not once do you take your eyes off the predator while you quickly grab your bag from the backseat.  

Having dealt with hyenas before, you know better than to show any kind of fear, forcing your shoulders down from your ears and starting to take calm, deep breaths. You offer your name to who you presume is the animal’s owner and hold out a hand for him to shake.  

The man, “Nikto,” as he grunts to you, takes your hand after a moment and gives it a firm shake. You’re used to farmers having a strong grip, so you simply offer the man a bright grin. “I take it this is the patient?” you ask, nodding your head toward the hyena in question.  

The man is clad head to toe in all-black clothing. Typical cowboy hat, black denim jeans, and a shirt that has a high collar and sleeves that reach all the way down to his wrists where they meet with a pair of leather gloves. All regular clothing, albeit a little dark for such a hot climate, but what really sets him apart is the dark neck gaiter covering most of his features.  

You would think it odd for him to be hiding his face on his own property, but you’ve heard that there’s several other ex-military men in the town that also prefer bandanas or masks to showing their bare faces. It looks intimidating, especially given just how huge the guy is, but at the end of the day he’s your client and it isn’t your place to judge.  

“да,” Nikto nods, “this is Sputnik.” He looks you up and down, before asking, “you are comfortable with her, yes?”  

“Uh, yeah, I’ve worked with hyenas before,” you confirm. That, unfortunately, doesn’t make it any easier or less nerve-wracking to be so close to an unrestrained predator. Normally, there’s at least a fence between you and any of the wildlife you’re treating, but hopefully the animal is somewhat friendly given it’s allowed to roam free.  

At your confirmation, he lets out a sharp whistle and snaps out a harsh, “КО МНЕ!” Causing the animal to leap to her feet and sprint across the grass to her owner’s side.  

You try not to jump when Sputnik runs directly toward you but manage to keep a handle on your reactions. Much to your relief, however, rather than tackling you to the floor and tearing your throat out, the hyena starts laughing excitedly and running circles around you. She’s clearly very curious, stopping every few seconds to try and sniff at you from a distance.  

You can imagine it would be an intimidating sight for anyone who has never encountered a hyena before, but she’s clearly just excited to meet someone new. “Is she normally this excited to meet new people?” you ask, unable to resist the smile that grows on your face as Sputnik starts to playfully nip at Nikto’s legs.  

The man huffs, crossing his arms over his chest, “no.” 

You’re beginning to understand that Nikto is not one for making conversation.  

As Sputnik calms again, you watch her wander around the area. The issue becomes clear to you quite quickly in the form of a slight limp on one of her hind legs. She seems to otherwise be bright, alert and responsive, only the sore leg causing her problems.  

You run through the basic questions about the problem, how long it’s being going on, and how her behaviour has been recently. You quickly take notes on her previous medical history while keeping an eye on Sputnik. After taking down her information, you ask Nikto to bring her to one of the old sheds so you can begin the exam.  

She’s a beautiful hyena, and despite not having the behaviour of a domesticated dog, she can somewhat follow her owner’s commands. After seeing Nikto tapping the top of one of the tables, she hops up into a bench for you to more easily inspect her body.  

With Sputnik firmly restrained by her owner, you gently reach out for her hind paw. You softly palpate the area, taking note of the large amount of swelling, particularly in the area between two of her toes. After glancing up to ensure she isn’t getting too stressed, you pull apart the toes, spotting a nasty yellow lump of what is presumably infection.  

As you check over the area, you notice something black sticking out of the wound. With your trusty pair of tweezers you take hold of the object and begin to gently tease it out of the swollen mass. Sputnik’s leg twitches slightly, clearly not happy about someone touching her sore paw, but after a few soft words of encouragement she settles once again.  

Your grip on the object slips a few times, but eventually you’re able to pull it free. It’s a nasty thorn, a whole inch in length that was buried in the poor animal’s foot. Just removing it causes a flood of pus to begin squirting from the wound and you’re thankful for the medical gloves you’re wearing, because it is far from a pleasant smell.  

Sputnik whines, trying to pull her paw away again, but with your client still holding her head in place you can continue to express the rest of the fluid without causing her much more distress. With a small syringe of saline, you quickly flush out the remaining chunks of hardened infection until the liquid runs clear.  

It’s a small enough opening that she won’t need the wound packed or any stitches to keep it closed. Instead, you spray the area with a thick layer of Blu-Kote to prevent any further infection.  

“I'll need to give her a quick antibiotic injection to make sure it won’t come back, just make sure she’s restrained, okay?” You receive a grunt of acknowledgement, then provide the needed shot. Sputnik tries to turn and snap at you, but with Nikto in the way she ends up biting at thin air and growling in frustration.  

You gently rub at the hyena’s back with a loving coo, “what a brave girl, you did so well!” 

After being released she turns to regard you for a moment, before squealing happily and trying to lick at your face. It seems you’re already forgiven for your cruel transgressions against the poor girl. “Looks like this was the cause of the trouble,” you explain, briefly showing Nikto the old thorn you’d removed.  

Nikto turns his gaze to Sputnik, rolling his eyes before gently cuffing her around the back of the head. “Долбоеб,” he mutters, ignoring the way she starts to playfully bite at one of his gloved hands.  

You’re not entirely sure what he said, but no doubt it’s some sort of insult. Not that Sputnik seems to care, hopping down from the table and trotting around the barn as if the last ten minutes didn’t occur.  

“I gave her a strong antibiotic, but spotted hyenas are pretty notorious for their infections being resistant to treatment, so if she starts getting worse or isn’t improving then be sure to give me a call and we’ll look at if there’s anything we need to do,” you explain, keeping an eye on how Sputnik moves on her feet now. 

“Understood,” the man nods, standing ramrod straight with his arms crossed over his chest.  

Clearly this man still isn’t very interested in a conversation, given he has nothing further to add and almost seems to be pointedly ignoring you. It’s a little uncomfortable, but he’s certainly not the first... interesting character you’ve dealt with in your career and he won’t be the last. “Do you have any other questions about the treatment?” you ask.  

“нет,” he grunts, before quickly adding, “no.”  

You nod, offering the man a genuine smile, “well, I’m glad I could help out.” You remove your gloves and quickly start packing away the tools you’d been using, “the office will send through an invoice to your email, so you can pay online or head down to the clinic to pay in person.”  

He just nods, watching you silently as you finish up collecting your tools and placing them back away into your bag. His eyes seem to burn into you, his icy gaze piercing through your body and directly into your very soul. You’re not sure how comfortable you are having your innermost self so openly exposed to someone you’ve only just met, but quickly shake off the feeling.  

As soon as you’re finished packing, you pull out one of your personal cards, handing it to Nikto. He stares at the piece of cardboard for a long moment, and you quickly explain, “my card, it’s got my number on it in case you ever need help.” You can’t imagine how difficult it must be for him to find someone with genuine experience treating large predatory animals and you’re more than happy to offer as much of your expertise as he wants.  

Nikto awkwardly goes to reach for the card with one of his hands, only to pause midway and reach for it with the other one. He fleetingly glances over the card, then tucks it into one of his shirt pockets.  

While you make your way back to your car, Nikto calls Sputnik back over and ensures the animal walks at his heels. She doesn’t seem happy with this command, whining and laughing as she looks between her master and you. She very obviously wants to run after you and play but knows better than to ignore her owner.  

Sputnik sits next to Nikto as the man watches you quickly pack everything back into your car. She keeps looking between you and Nikto, as if silently begging him to allow her to go back to you for more attention, but he stands strong against her sad eyes. It’s cute, really, since it likely means that weaponized puppy dog eyes are an effective tool in getting the stoic man to crumble if she’s still attempting to use them against him.  

Before you hop into the car you give Sputnik a wave, laughing when she cries at you. “Bye, sweetheart!” you coo again, before offering her owner a wave and a smile.  

Looking into the rear-view mirror on your way back toward the main road, you can see both Nikto and Sputnik watching you leave. They’re an odd pair, but it’s been a while since you had the chance to work with such a beautiful animal and you can’t help looking forward to seeing both her and her strange human again sometime soon.  

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

If it is exposed that surrogates were used - still not convinced either way- how do you think M and H will spin this? Also, the BRF? Maybe for both parties if there were surrogates, it best the secret be kept because the level of outrage from the public would be beyond insane. However, I think whoever breaks the news first, does have a better chance of controlling narrative.

It's not going to make sense, but Harry and Meghan will say they had no choice, the big bad BRF made her because of antiquated "heir and spare" rules and maybe throw the race card in for good measure ("we had to have our own children because Harry's family needed the optics even though we told them we were happy to adopt instead"). If they're still together, that is.

If they're divorced, then Harry and Meghan will blame each other. Harry will say he had no idea because Meghan never talked to him or let him accompany her to her doctor appointments (which would validate some tea from their Australia trip). (This would also contradict the stories in Spare but that's a separate issue.) Meghan will say Harry forced her to lie because he was so desperate to be a father and she was too scared of his anger/temper to say no.

The BRF will claim that they had no idea because Harry and Meghan did everything themselves. There's enough evidence that they have plausible deniability - admissions in Spare of not communicating updates, the second pregnancy happening in the US, The Queen's doctors not signing the birth announcement.

Where the BRF gets into trouble is over how complicit they are. If Harry and Meghan have hard, solid proof showing that the BRF was fully aware - like emails or letters from Charles or Jason Knauf or Edward Young specifically discussing it - then Charles's goose is cooked. There's a lot of speculation that this is the case: someone at Buckingham Palace and/or Clarence House knows there was a surrogacy, and if this is the case, then it's mutually-assured destruction so it's in everyone's favor to keep it a secret: the Sussexes have their children in the line of succession and they get to use titles for the children and Charles doesn't get crucified by the public for tampering with the line of succession.

(William might see some blowback but ultimately he's safe from any fallout because he acted pretty quickly to get the Sussexes away from Kensington Palace and his staff. That it was announced in October/November 2018 the Sussexes were going out on their own means William was working on it since before the wedding, most likely.)

As for who announces, I don't think it's a case of "he who announces first controls the narrative." For me, it's a case of "he who holds the names controls the narrative." In other words, the "team" who has the proof naming someone who knows about the surrogate(s) and publishes it is the one who controls the narrative.

So if Meghan and Harry have proof naming someone in the BRF as having knowledge of any surrogate(s), then they control the narrative. But if they don't, then it's in the BRF's favor because the BRF doesn't have anything to lose. They have enough plausible deniability (plus Meghan and Harry being known liars) to keep the hot seat exclusively on the Sussexes. And I think that's where we are - if there are palace names named, they aren't senior enough and can easily be thrown under the bus but revealing surrogacy hurts Harry and that's why the BRF is keeping the secret.

I suspect that under King Charles, the BRF will keep the secret as long as Harry remains married to Meghan and/or as long as they maintain this detente in Sussex-BRF relations. If the Sussexes launch new attacks on the BRF (to include further Nigeria-like problems where they acted as royals without authorization) or if Harry leaves Meghan, then I can see the BRF nuclearizing them/her once and for all by revealing surrogate(s). (I feel like King William wouldn't hide it, but he also wouldn't reveal it either.)

On the flip side, I see Meghan keeping the secret as long as it remains more profitable for her to do so. So she will keep it until it's more advantageous to talk about it post-divorce in a memoir or revenge tour. And I suspect Meghan may try to use this for leverage in a divorce settlement to get more money.

All allegedly, of course. After all, surrogacy is only just a rumor.

[stripedstarsblueflags]

Goodbye to a World

reading between the lines of the various goodbyes and dismissals to logan sargeant

Pt. 1: Williams App

full series

i don’t have to say a whole lot about the end of july. the wait is over! our second seat for 2025! carlos’s video which was professional and respectful and obligatory. williams garage’s video, which was appalling and shameful and disgraceful. we remember, we were there. something to recall, though– you guys remember how there was NO logan announcement? like NONE? we scoured social media like we were stalking our ex and there was nothing?

so we though– or at least, so i thought. i didn’t find the official logan departure announcement until weeks later, and i’m going to have to do this off the top of my head since in the past few days it’s been taken down, but i finally fucking found it– it’s in the williams app. hard to find because you have to scroll through five or six videos first, all under the category:

every time i genuinely think okay, this time it really can’t get worse, we smash through rock bottom like it’s a chassis in australia and hit another. even looking at this old screenshot makes my blood boil. i’m not going to be very coherent so let’s just break this down and phrase all the fuck-ups in a list:

- the only way to find the message is if you have the app. if you PARTICIPATE IN MORE TEAM MARKETING/PROMOTION PLATFORMS. you have to have an account, too. sainz gets eight posts on every single social the team can admin at once, including links, but logan’s post is essentially an easter egg.

- logan’s goodbye post isn’t its own post, it’s included in the sainz category. he doesn’t even get to be an individual figure leaving the team; he’s an event, he’s a side effect, just a domino tipped by another much more important decision. the end of his entire future is a footnote. it’s causation. it’s collateral.

- his cute lil article? it’s titled Thank you, Logan: His Williams Journey. it’s not even titled about logan. it’s williams saying “hey! look at us lovely guardian angels 😌 see how we took this poor little bird under our wings 😊 we’re so philanthropic and generous 😊 read along and find out all the amazing things we did for our little buddy!” it’s promo. it’s propaganda. in the midst of their announcement that he’s being kicked to the curb they take the opportunity to pat themselves on the back for everything they’ve done for him. it’s not enough to bury him alive, they had to dance on his grave too.

- i think there’s a good chance a robot wrote this. either that or they picked the most unoriginal journalist they could find.

that’s just humiliating. a thirteen year old on wattpad describing someone’s eyes as cerulean orbs makes a more captivating point than this.

- james consonants has one quote in the article. he’s the only one who’s quoted. the rest of it is about logan’s carer in junior series with williams driver academy. the last sentence is:

this is going to be more relevant in the posts ahead, when jv pops off once again. but can i also say how revolting it is that the message comes from james? when logan gets dropped early the wording gets a little different, but in the initial announcement (if you can even call it that) it’s all about james. what james has to say to logan specifically. williams’ whole thing is that they’re a family team, birds of a feather that stick together, they have each other’s backs and love and friendship and lalala all that bullshit. one would THINK it would be in their best interest to remember who they are. but nope. instead we get james making a point to single himself out so that he alone gets to show off how kind and forgiving and gracious he is to logan and the lack of a team statement gives the implication that the rest of the team didn’t even care. didn’t even notice. of course that isn’t what’s directly communicated but how sloppy and careless can you get with the wording that that message can even be interpreted IN THE FIRST PLACE?

all in all, williams is telling the world:

logan is not even worth effort. it’s not enough that they’re going to abandon his strategy, give him the shittier car, ice him out in his own team, not give his car any upgrades until over halfway through the season… they’re going to make sure we know that he isn’t even worth good writing. the lack of respect and decency and acknowledging someone as a human being with a sentient presence in the world is so severe that even on the fucking internet, where all they literally have to do so much pr and image management, they don’t have the words.

williams is making sure we all know: logan is so worthless he’s not worth taking the time to say that he’s worthless. they talk about underperformance, and this is the way they treat their team members. their fucking drivers. the faces of the brand.

it’s almost comical. it’s unbelievable. if someone was writing this in a story and i was proofreading, i’d tell them to tone it down, because at this point the antagonist is becoming too villainous to be believable; they’re a caricature, a parody.

but no. this is actually happening.

(to be continued)

[outsideratheart]

Christmas Miracle (Alexia Putellas x reader)

A/N: This technically is not part of my advent calendar series but you guys wanted angst and who am iIto say no. To the anons who sent requests for this, i hope you like it. I know it isn’t quite what one of you asked for but I did try to use both of them to build the fic.

2022 was a rollercoaster of emotions for both you and Alexia. You had immense success with Barcelona despite failing to complete the quadruple. Then Alexia had her injury the day before your first game with England. Whilst the summer was one you will remember for the rest of your life, it is one Alexia wished never happened. 

Off the pitch you spent endless hours at media events and photoshoots, luckily you had each to lean on when things became too much. 

It was the reason why your final appearance of the year was bearable. FC Barcelona requested that the captains of the female team attend the gala so that they can talk about how the women’s game is progressing. 

By the time the event ends both of your social batteries are drained and you are ready to go home. 

“Tonight has been the best so far” you lean back against the leather seat letting the coldness of the fabric calm you. 

“That’s because it was our first one where the world knows we are together. We didn’t have to hide our love” Alexia rests her head on your shoulder. Her fingers interlock with yours as they lay in your lap. 

There were many reasons why the night was a success but none came close the one Alexia said. The summer was a test for many reasons yet despite this your relationship with Alexia grew stronger than ever. Being in a different country when your girlfriend was going through the hardest time of her live didn’t stop you from being there for her and Alexia’s injury didn’t stop her from cheering you on from Barcelona. It was during the final when Alexia asked you if you she could tell the world about the two of you. You obviously said yes having been waiting for her to comfortable enough to do so. 

“I got to dance with the most beautiful girl in the world and everyone else had to watch on in envy” you recall the moment in your head, it was one that had never happened before. The music slowed yet you and Alexia stayed on the dance floor as you swayed to the beat. The crowd around you becomes less relevant with every verse that is played. 

“We certainly stole the show” Alexia says. 

“What’s next? We are officially on winter break. I didn’t really get an off season due to AMOS cup, I’m ready for a holiday” you ask Alexia knowing that she has been working with your manager, who just so happened to be hers, to make sure you got at least two weeks off. No photoshoots, no interviews, no distractions in the slightest. 

“I’m thinking Australia. Me, you, mum and Alba fly out on the 22nd then have an open invite for anyone to join us between Christmas and new year” Alexia used the words thinking loosely. Truth is she has been planning this for a couple of months. 

“That sounds like heaven” you dip your head slightly to kiss her temple. A smile dugs at your lips when you feel her relax into your touch. 

The two of you sit in comfortable silence as the radio plays a Spanish Christmas song that Alexia seems to know all the words to. You make a mental note to ask her about it later having never heard it before.

You are calm and still in that moment, holding the woman you love but then out the corner of your eye you can see a set of car lights getting closer and closer. You think it is going to stop but when it becomes clear that the driver has no plans to do so, you do what comes naturally. You protect Alexia. You quickly shift in your seat so that your back is against the door. Alexia doesn’t have a chance to question the movement as the car is hit. 

The force of the impact causes the car to roll but enough times that it remains upright. 

All Alexia can hear is ringing through her ears, her vision is blurred but she tries her hardest to come to her senses. She squeezes her eyes shut then focuses on her breathing. When she opens them again everything is back in focus. The sight she saw filled her with panic and struck fear within her. 

“Ale” Your voice is strained and she can only guess how much pain you must be in.

“Baby, you’re ok” Alexia words are more a form of reassurance for her than you.

She is frozen. What does she do? Does she try to move you? No, in the TV shows they say never move the person as it can cause more harm. There is a deep wound on your side no doubt from the car hitting you. She reaches one arm behind your head whilst the other one applies pressures in hope of stopping the bleeding but she feels warm liquid on her hand which is near your head. When she pulls it away her hand is covered in blood.

“Can you lean forward for me?” 

You eyes fail to focus as they stare into space but you do as she says. When you do Alexia can see a cut on the back of your head. This only fills her with more panic as she knows head injuries are very serious.

“Are you both ok?” The driver, who has managed to get out of the vehicle, asks the two of you.

“I am, I think. Y/N is hurt badly, she has cut to her side and a deep cut on the back of her head. It could be worse I don’t know. What do I do?” The panic grows tenfold as Alexia says your injuries out loud.

“Alexia are you hurt?” the driver asks.

This earns a scoff from the midfielder. How could he not see the shape you are in. Why would he ask about her and not you.

“She is hurt” it is all Alexia can bring herself to say.

“I know and I have already called 112. I have told them that Y/N is injured but they asked me about you”

This made more sense.

“I’m ok, I think” Alexia looks herself up and down and repeats her words.

“You have” you cough suddenly “a cut on your eyebrow”

If the situation wasn’t as serious Alexia would have laughed at your selflessness. Here you are, clearly in pain with god knows how many injuries yet you have taken the time to check her out.

She wants to make a clever remark but when she looks back you she see’s your eyes slowly closing, as if you cannot take no more. The pain rushing through your entire body is becoming too much to bare.

“No, No” Alexia begins crying as the severity and the possible outcome of this becomes real.

“Y/N, baby, mi amor, mi alma” She uses every nickname she have ever given you in hopes that one will register.

“I love you Alexia” It was said like a last affirmation of your love for her “If this is where my story ends then I want you to know I have loved every minute spent by your side and I wouldn’t change it for the world” a single tear runs down your cheek and Alexia is quick to wipe it away.

“Don’t cry for me baby. Focus on the good times we have had, they are ours and will stay with you until the end of time” 

Those are your last words as your body succumbs to the pain. 

The paramedics arrive not long after. As they load you into the ambulance the driver, one that the team had used and who had gotten to know you and the rest of girls well, tells Alexia that he called Jonatan and he has let the team know what happened.

The hospital waiting room is eerily quiet as multiple families wait for updates on their loved ones conditions. Alexia is sat alone in the corner, her hands stained red with your blood. The white trousers she wore are now more pink. Her mind wanders to what happened. She soon finds herself angry with you, which angers her more given the current condition you were in, you chose to put yourself in harms way to safe her. It reminds her of when you were watching some action film, the name escapes her but she remembers you saying that you would sacrifice yourself for her, you said you would take a bullet for her, she never thought for a minute that you would ever prove this to her.

She is so caught up in her own mind that she doesn’t see that she has company.

“Ale” Alba takes a seat near her sister.

The feeling of comfort that her little sister brings shocks Alexia but in that moment she has never been more grateful for her.

Words fail Alexia as every negative emotion rises to the surface. Her body racks with sobs as Alba pulls her close whilst fearing the worst.

“Is Y/N —“ Mapi cannot say the words out loud in fear of getting the answer she didn’t want to hear.

Ingrid pulls her close now knowing how her girlfriend would react if the worse were to have happened to her best friend.

“No, No. Y/N is fine. She is the strongest out of all us. Tell her Alexia” Pina all but begs.

Still, Alexia cannot bring herself to face the team. She cannot look them in eye and say that she is reason why you are in surgery, all because you made the split second decision that her life holds more value than your own.

“Alexia” Leila whispers as she crouches down in front of her friend “are you ok?” 

Again Alexia didn’t expect it. Why was she getting asked about herself when you were in much worse shape. Then it hit her, the nurses must not have told them anything about your condition, they weren’t family. At least not according the the hospital. 

“It was bad Leila. There was nothing I could do. One minute she was holding me then next thing we got hit by a car. She’s hurt Leila, there was so much blood. Her side and her head” 

The team hang on Alexia’s every word as they get told what happened. 

“She is alive, yes?” Mapi asks and for the first time since entering the hospital she has hope. 

“She’s in surgery” Alexia looks up and faces her team “she was unconscious when we got here but the doctors said she had a heartbeat” 

“That’s good Ale” Alba tries to reassure her sister. 

“No Albs, you didn’t see her. She said goodbye, like she was already giving up” 

The girls listen in shock. You had never given up on anything in your entire life, you were too stubborn to do so.

“Y/N doesn’t give up and she won’t leave, not without living her life with you. She has plans for the two of you Alexia. She has told me over and over again about how she plans on marrying you and having a family with you. How one day your children will celebrate with you both as you win games and trophies. Trust me Alexia, she has plans for the two of you and she won’t leave this earth having not done any of them” Mapi uses every ounce of positive energy she has to reassure your girlfriend knowing that you would do the same if you were in her position.

“I don’t if we will get that future maps. I know this is hard for you too, I know she is your best friend and I know that you must be just as scared as I am” Alexia stands for the first time since the team arrived. She stands so that she can embrace her in a hug.

“She’ll be ok Alexia. Our Y/N doesn’t give up without a fight. She needs us to be strong because she can’t” Mapi responds.

The team sit, pace and stand in the waiting room as the doctors work on you in the operating theatre. A hour passes before they see a man, in his late 40s, dressed in scrubs approach them.

“Are you the family of Y/N Y/L/N?” the surgeon asks and everyone nods in response.

Alexia is front and centre as she listens to him explain the surgery and what is next for you.

“I know it must be scary but the surgery went well. She had a brain bleed and some internal bleeding, both of which we were able to control rather easily but due to head trauma she is in a coma” 

Upon hearing this several girls gasp in shock whilst Alexia’s face remains stoic. 

“A coma?” she needs him to confirm what she heard was correct.

“A medically induced coma. Head traumas can be difficult to recover from. You don’t realise how much we use our brain because the tasks come so easily to us. Y/N needs to heal before she come back to you, ok?” 

“She is going to be ok though? The crash was bad, I thought I was going to lose her” 

She can tell the doctor is thinking carefully about his response. The chances of recovery were high but the truth is they won’t know how well the surgery went until you wake up.

“Your girl is a fighter Alexia” 

What she does next is unexpected. She pulls the doctor into a hug, thanking him over and over again for saving you. He of course says it part of his job and that the hard part is all on you. Visitors are allowed and he explains that due to the circumstances and with it being the holidays he will allow everyone in to see you.

“You go in first Ale” Alba hesitantly pushes Alexia towards your room.

Alexia froze at the threshold almost as if she was waiting to be let in. There you laid, unconscious, helpless and unrecognisable. If you were to ask anyone who ever met you and they would say that your eyes were unforgettable yet in this moment as your eyes remain closed Alexia tries and fails to remember what they looked like. The tube that was helping you breath causes a level of panic and fear inside Alexia that she never thought possible. 

When she plucks up the courage to enter the room she doesn’t go straight to you. Instead she chooses to stand at the foot of your bed, her mind running a hundred miles an hour as flashbacks flood her mind. 

She has seen the movies so she knows that she should talk to you and that could help but in there moment she is speechless. 

Then she sees your personal belongings on the table beside you. In the clear bag was your jewellery. Some was what you wore for the gala but what she wanted the most was your everyday Jewellery. Your necklace and the ring you always wore on your middle finger. Every since you met you had these items having been given them when your grandmother passed away. 

She proceeds to place the necklace around her neck and places your ring on her finger. The small sentiment brings her peace having it feel like part of you is with her. 

“Mi alma” she takes a seat beside you bringing your cold hand to her mouth as she places several kisses on the back of it. 

”You talked about our story ending but it is only just beginning. I have so much planned for us, you have to wake up that I can show you” Alexia wipes her nose “Please Y/N”

You don’t answer her, how could you. 

Alexia is alone with for you almost half an hour. Alba knocks gently on the door as not to scare her sister. 

“They can come in” Alexia says like she knows what her sister is about to ask. 

With that rest of the Barcelona girls enter your hotel room. Some go straight to your unconscious form, others watch from afar. 

It’s when Alexia sees Mapi frozen in the door way, much like she was, does she move from your side. 

“She saved my life Maria” Alexia confesses almost like it was a crime. 

“I know” the defender nonchalantly replies. 

“How?” 

“It something she would do. She loves you and I could tell my the way you were acting that there was something more to it than just a car accident” 

“I’m so mad at her. Is that wrong?” Alexia knows that she shouldn’t be mad that you saved her live but the cost of that it sit well with her. Should the worse happen, how could she live with herself. 

“Oh I’m mad at her too Ale. When she wakes up she will have us both to deal with” Mapi tries to lighten the mood knowing that the alternative wasn’t an option. She had to remain optimistic and plan for the future. A future in which you wake up. 

Hours pass, the moon takes place of the sun in the sky and the team get told that visiting hours are over. Unfortunately these rules applied to Alexia regardless of how hard she argues. 

“Ale” Alba grabs her sister’s shoulder “you’ll go home, get showered and get some sleep then we will come first thing in the morning”

“I can’t go home. I can’t go back to our home without her” the vulnerability of Alexia’s current state is not something Alba is used to. 

“Then we will go to mama’s and the three of us will come here together tomorrow”

And that is what happens day in and day out. The Putellas women visit in the Morning, the doctor allows Alexia to stay throughout the day and then the team visits in the afternoon. 

4 days after the accident, the doctors are happy with your progress so they take the breathing tubes out. The hope that was slowly leaving Alexia get reinstilled. 

Everyday Alexia talks to you. She tell you stories about what has been happening in the world. She shares her favourites moments that the two of you have shared over the years. Mapi brings in her iPad and talks you through the tattoo designs she has come up with, even stating which ones you should get. 

When Christmas Eve comes the energy amongst the team is down. So when Jana and Bruna suggest decorating your room for when you wake up everyone agrees it’s a good idea. 

Alexia allows it but doesn’t join in. Every year the two of you decorate your house and doing it without you feels wrong. 

“Mija, why aren’t you helping?” Eli asks as she sees her daughter sitting outside your room instead of with you. 

“I can’t do it anymore” she runs her fingers through her hair in frustration “I have tried to be positive but what if she never wakes up or worse what is she—“ 

“Ale you can’t think like that. Y/N is strong. From what you and the doctor have told me her injuries are bad which is why it is taking so long for her to heal” 

“I really love her and I don’t think I can do this without her” Alexia collapses in her mum’s arms as once again her emotions overwhelm her. 

“I know you do and I know she loves you. Your story isn’t over, this is just a story you will tell your children” Eli says. 

“I will not tell my children how their mother almost died protecting me” Alexia is quick to respond. 

She hopes to never talk about this every again. Once you wake up this can be put in the past. 

“I spoke to the doctors. They said I can stay here tonight with it being Christmas Day tomorrow. Will you and Alba come visit us?” Alexia asks her mum. 

“Of course. Who needs Australia when we can come to the best hospital in Barcelona?“ 

Her mothers joke causes Alexia to laugh maybe more so than necessary. She couldn’t believe how much had changed in just under ten days. You are suppose to be in Australia right now and instead you are fighting for your life. 

When the next morning arrives Alexia feels hopeful for the first time since the crash. It wasn’t just ‘you will be ok’ hope, it’s something different, something more powerful. 

“Merry Christmas Y/N” Alexia kisses your temple. 

“I don’t know what you have got me this year or if you even had the chance to get anything but I want you to know that the only thing I want is for you to wake up. These past ten days have been the worst in my life”.

She wipes her tears for the umpteenth time. 

“I need to see your beautiful eyes, hear your infectious laugh, I need you Y/N” 

Alexia goes to her bag to get your present. The small black velvet box which she had bought almost a year prior is held firmly in her hands. 

“I had plans Y/N” Alexia opens the box to reveal the silver band with a small diamond in the centre. 

“Alba helped me pick it out so I know you’ll like it. She misses you by the way, mum too and Nala, Ay Dios Mío she has no idea what is going on” 

“I love you with all my heart and I planned to go into 2023 with you as my fiancée” Alexia pulls the ring out of the box as she plays with the diamond. 

She then places it on your ring finger, breathing a sigh of relief when it fits perfectly. 

“You suppose to ask me first” your voice is hoarse. 

You slowly open your eyes, squinting slightly due to the brightness of the lights. It takes a few seconds to realise where you are and how you got there but then you remember. 

“The crash. Alexia, are you ok?” You reach for her face. 

“I’m ok, thanks to you. You saved me Y/N” 

You see Alexia start to get emotional. A sight that doesn’t get easier no matter how many times you see it. 

“Come here mi amor” you use all of your strength to move yourself across the bed so she can fit. 

Alexia wants to argue. She wants to tell you to be careful but she is craving your touch. So she buries herself into your side. 

“Careful. That hurts” you tell her and her hand reaches to where the wound on your side is. 

“There was so much blood. I thought I was going to lose you” Alexia has told many people this but it is much harder saying it to you. 

“Hey. We don’t have to talk about it. Let’s talk about this” you hold your hand up for the two of you to look at. 

The ring was beautiful. 

“I bought it last year when we were in Dubai. I was waiting for the right time to ask you” 

“And you thought that now, in a hospital, was the right time” you tease her. 

“I never actually asked you” Alexia rises to the teasing. 

You raise your eyebrow in response. A smirk pulls at your lips as you wait. 

“I love you Y/N. I had so much I wanted to say but I don’t want to waste anymore time. If I have learnt anything in the last few days it’s like life is short and I don’t want to spent another day without you as my fiancée. Y/N Y/L/N will you marry me?”

“I will” it was the easiest answer you have ever given. 

When Alexia shifts her weight you know what is coming. The kiss is likr something you have never experience before. The passion in it makes you emotional and when you feel Alexia’s tears on your cheek you know she must be feeling the same thing. 

“I wished for a miracle and here you are” Alexia pulls away. She lets you hugs her, hold her in your arms whilst reassuring her than you are ok. 

[good-books-to-read]

Need a new haunt?

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Cas, his mum and his spirt sniffing cat travel around, his mum a kitchen witch and Cas following in his father’s footsteps hunting and killing ghost. Until a simple case goes wrong, Cas knows he should be dead but the ghost he was trying to kill Anna saves him, there’s more going on than the two realise.

City of ghosts by Victoria Schwab

Cassidy parents are ghost hunters that have their own Tv show, unlike her parents Cassidy can really see them, her best friend is even a ghost. And in this new city something different lurks, Can Cassidy save herself and those she loves in time?, the books are set in different countries the first book starts in Edinburgh.

Gap Year in Ghost Town by Michael Pryor

Set in Melbourne Australia following a young man Anton working the family trade passing ghosts on, the gentle way, unlike the new company setting up that Rani is a part of takes a more slashing approach, however there’s a massive spike in violent manifestations and the two must find a way to work together before it’s too late.

The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud

For over 50 years the country has been overrun with ghosts and agencies have popped up to deal with this ongoing threat, one such person is Lucy Carlyle who moves to London to join a notable agency however she finds herself with a ramshackle agency called Lockwood and co. With a few mishaps they find themselves with one chance to save the agency and that is in the most haunted house in England, can this ragtag group make it out alive or die trying.

Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson

Artemisia is training to be a grey sister, a nun who cleans the bodies of the deceased so they don’t come back to hurt the living, she like this life, the dead don’t talk and pry into her past. But when an unexpected attack by ghost possessed soldiers forces her to wield a high relic to save those she loves. With all knowledge lost on how to control it, Artemisia finds herself in a race against time to understand herself, the creature within the relic and to save the world.

[imerian]

Here goes little essay about everything going on with Logan bc i have a lot of thoughts that I want to organise a bit .

I'm not sure where i want to start bc there so much to this whole situation with Logan and Williams but I'll firstly discuss today's fp1.

I hate what media portraying Williams got, yes they fucked up and critique is fair but there much more than just critique online. I tend to believe that the gave logan repaired chassis not bc they disrespect him but bc his car is tuned to alex and tune new one to him is faster than redoing both of them. It may give him some disadvantages that it's too bad. The part that I'm really sad about is that Williams didn't clarify any of this and we never gonna know for sure. It all doesn't exclude possibility of this just being decision but somehow i find it unlikely.

Another part that i have a lot of emotions about is today's crash, i hate it and people's responses so bad bc firstly we never gonna know is it car or logan bc once again we can't be sure with how Williams talked about it, but even if it was logan i can hardly blame him bc amount of pressure on him js insane.

He wasn't ready for f1 when he was brought into it, everyone already said that. Plus he constantly compared to oscar which isn't fair, you can look at their cars for example (bc in this sport they matter a lot, fact that somehow a lot of people forget) or where their teams are. I remember how in f3 oscar told that he was excited to fight with Logan and that shows for me that logan can do better it's just his circumstances that are unfortunate. He's season in f2 also was really good, he obviously couldn't get first place with domination of filippe but he still did his best.

Another thing about f2 is how much pressure he had there because Williams announced him as their f1 driver even before season finished and it put Logan on a spot bc he could actually become that driver only if he finishes in top three. And he did!!

But you can see how than, in his first f1 season and eveb now amount of pressure doesn't go down, he constantly needs to prove himself or he'll get kicked out of sport, same sport that his family sacrificed all for him to get in.

I absolutely don't understand his haters, especially those that compare him to alex at least because comparing them is stupid with this big of experience gap. Same discourse i see about lando and oscar which is also stupid because at the moment lando is objectively better at least because of his experience, and oscar doesn't need to be better than him, he needs to learn and get that experience himself for any comperasing to make sense.

Big problem with Logan is that he can't get that experience to grow as a driver, even alex said that it isn't stange that he crashes that much in his first season bc Williams car is hard to work with. It was Alex that said that, same person that car was made for so i think it's pretty good evidence. Also that was ghe reason why u was very excited to see Logan this year because he would finally have car that made for him as much as it was made for alex. And then the season started :)

In first two races he couldn't prove himself in any way bc of the reasons that wasn't in his control and what happened in Australia is just horrible for him as a driver. But i really hope that his patience will help him to hold his seat for the next year. As much as it sucks right now if him helping the team can improve his chances for the seat next year than it matters most, bc even of he has shit year he could have another one to prove himself ( which i think will absolutely happen at one point or another of his career if it continues)

In the end i want to add that i believe that James have good intentions bc even knowing how negative internet going to be he made that decision in Australia for the team. As logan fan i was very sad about it but i hope that with same good intentions for team he will keep logan that already shows how supportive he is to the team and with their growth it's probably exactly who they need at the moment

[isay]

Chances are that when you think of Australia you tend to think of the beaches, Sydney Opera House, or the red centre and Uluru. Most people by and large tend not to consider that we also have gigantic forests and mountain ranges.

So anyhow, taking advantage of the Chris died for my sins public holiday yesterday, we decided to head out for a drive because Kim has had a hankering to see leaves changing colour with the advent of autumn. We'd planned to head to a place called Jamieson up by Lake Eildon, stopping on the way for lunch at Mansfield, which in winter is the gateway to the snowfields and the skiing at Mount Buller.

Now to get to Jamieson was nice and easy, about a two and a half hour drive on decent enough roads. Not exactly major roads by any means but perfectly capable and comfortable to drive on. But then in Jamieson, with about 120 kms of gas left in the tank we decided to take a 'scenic route' for the return journey.

After forcing Google Maps into choosing a route south along minor roads off we set, oblivious to what lay in wait for us. Essentially a good two and a half hours on unsealed roads, up and down mountains with the traction control freaking out constantly. Both Kim and I are terrible passengers as we both like to have control of the car, but yesterday I got to ride shotgun, which often meant staring off over a sheer drop into a bottomless gorge.

And did I mention the 4x4s that are built to do this that think nothing of roaring along those roads at 60-80km an hour, billowing up clouds of dirt you can't see through? Yeah we came across a few of them too.

Halfway through we also realised that we were likely to run out of gas before making it back to civilisation. Thankfully after about an hour or so and with 60ks of gas left in the tank we made it to a township (pop.30) called Woods Point which showed it had a 'historical gas station'. No actual gas station though.

Thankfully though it has a pub, the Commercial Hotel, which is now my favourite pub in the world. Because it also sells petrol. Just enough to get us back to the 21st century. Off we set again, leaving Brigadoon behind us, grateful that our visit coincided with it's once in a century appearance.

Another hour and a half of time travel through the land that time forgot and we finally hit sealed roads again, much to our palpable relief. Then weaving through some of the most gorgeous driving there is to be had in this world, winding roads surrounded by forest still, and hardly a soul sharing them with us. We finally made it safely home after three and three quarter hours of adventure.

So the moral of this story? There's a reason why Google Maps is sometimes reticent to send you down the road less travelled, and you might want to listen to it. Or you might not, because you'll see things others hardly ever get to, have a grand adventure and you might get to find the best pub in the world.

[poomphuripan]

Do you have any show recommendations for this weekend? Or anything catches your attention for the next couple months? My stand in has been raising the bar so much, none of the currently aired shows are worth watching T.T 4 minutes seems alright but they have like 8 episodes only, I’m so afraid to get hopes up

hi nonnie (❁´◡`❁)

fridays are so dull without my stand-in i know, also saturday too when wandee gooday ends this week (┬┬﹏┬┬). but there are some very good series about to start soon and currently airing... perhaps you can give these a try?

Century Of Love - magical realism, action, romance, comedy

Synopsis: San is faithfully devoted to his love. He has spent his life waiting for his lost beloved, Wat, to reincarnate from her death a century ago. But when the darkness of the night looms, he will be forcibly afflicted by the power of the five shades stone. If he fails to find Wat within this century's time window, he will inevitably succumb to a tragic death for eternity. The final year of the century is about to end before the stone's power turns into his eternal curse. He meets Vee, a frivolous, charming adonis who seems connected to his life. San is appalled by Vee at first sight, but this unrelated boy is actually his beloved Wat, whom he has been anticipating for almost a century.

my thoughts so far: it's really fun, quite fast paced (understandably since there's only 10 eps and there are 2 eps airing each week), the chemistry is fantastic, as expected of daouoffroad.

Meet You At The Blossom - wuxia, romance

Synopsis: Jin Xiao Bao, the son of the wealthiest man in the Jiangnan region, falls in love with icy, white-clothed beauty Huai En due to an unexpected meeting. This young woman he sees as his future wife, however, seems to have aroused a lot of enmity. When he comes to the rescue of an injured Huai En, who's tainted by an aphrodisiac, the true identity of this beauty is revealed.

my thoughts so far: i haven't caught up with the latest ep but first two eps have been fun. it's adapted from the debut novel of shui qian cheng who wrote professional body double aka my stand in novel so you can see similar traits of her typical scum ml in huai en. the actors are probably rookie so the acting leaves much to be desired and a lot of room for improvement in that aspect but supporting it anyway since it's the first uncensored wuxia bl freed from censorship limbo.

Currently these two are the only "pure" BL series i'm watching because most of the time i just end up rewatching series i already know and love. I'm always on a casual Nadao/GDH rewatch, so if you haven't seen these before, I highly recommend them, not QL but they're fun nonetheless.

Great Men Academy - magical realism, unicorn hijinks, body transformation, queer

Synopsis: Love has always been a fan of the popular guy Vier of the famous Great Men Academy but has never had the chance to meet him. One day, she sees the mystical unicorn rumored to fulfill wishes and wished for her love for Vier to get a chance. Unfortunately the unicorn interpreted her wishes in a different way and Love wakes up to find herself… as a guy?

my thoughts: i have watched this series more than 20 times in full, and lost count of the times i've casually rewatched certain eps. it's just super wholesome and TANGMO BEST BOY! watch this for tangmo best boi, you shall not be let down by scene stealer tangmo and his 5 minutes screentime.

Bad Genius The Series - academic rivalry, heist, thriller, drama

Synopsis: Lin, a genius high school student who makes money by cheating tests, receives a new task that leads her to set foot on Sydney, Australia. In order to complete the millions-Baht task, Lin and her classmates have to finish the international STIC (SAT) exam and deliver the answers back to her friends in Thailand before the exam takes place once again in her home country.

my thoughts: if someone asked me what is the most perfect thai series i've ever watched, i would choose this series in a heart beat. bad genius the series is one of the rarest case where i genuinely believe a series remake has outdone its film predecessor (worth noting that one same studio produced both). it's got the perfect amount of angst and tension and cinematography style that i adore. if you want a breath of fresh air, i HIGHLY recommend this series for a change from all the other ql series airing.

ps: if you can't find official links to watch the two series above, don't feel bad about watching them in unofficial/grey websites because the original platform they were on shut down 2 years ago ಥ_ಥ they're literally my hidden gems but i don't want to gatekeep them any longer

for upcoming series, i'm thinking of starting The Trainee and I Saw You In My Dream and 4 Minutes. But I usually try to take breaks in-between series I have huge hyperfixation on like I Feel You Linger In The Air or My Stand-In like right now and I just rewatch low stake series I already love like Lovely Writer or some series I mentioned above.

i'm really sorry if this isn't much help because you're talking to someone who rarely watch new series unless they get a random urge and motivation to sit through a 30+ eps lakorn just for one actor. but i hope you found a motivation to watch one of the series i recommended above if you've been thinking about any of them (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)

[cheesybaconflatbread]

litg s9: mc

i missed my old mc tags from s3/4 so bringing this back for a bit of fun. template is random questions I came up with if anyone else wants to use it or be inspired by it.

Belle Hughes

FC: Olivia Moore

Age: 28

Occupation: musical theatre performer still

Hometown: Kingston-Upon-Thames

Current Location: Brixton

Which season is she from?: S3 of Love Island UK where she was coupled up with Harry. After things fizzled out with him and she was single for a while, she was invited onto Love Island Australia.

How old was she on her season?: 22 for UK, 25 for AU.

What happened after she left her season of Love Island?: she went on to get a part in Waitress where she understudied Jenna, had a role as Sandy in Grease on the West End and most recently toured with Mamma Mia as Sophie and did a short stint on the West End as Sophie.

How did she leave her season?: for UK, she left with Harry but things turned pretty sour after a boat trip - and she wasn’t going to take his shit anymore so called it off after all that. And AU - self explanatory, left in a friendship couple.

What convinced her to take part in All Stars?: she lowkey thinks she’s been done dirty on her UK and AU season but does love being part of the show. Also she thinks Rohan from S1 is attractive but doesn’t see him around at many events, so in all honesty, she was hoping he’d be on there.

Is there anything she would do differently this season to her previous experience?: yeah, not take anyone’s shit and call people out on it. And if she has to take part in a tent building activity that her LI moans about, she will kick off about it.

Best thing that happened from her season?: meeting her best friend Genevieve in LI UK and quoting H2O with contestants from LI AU.

Worst thing that happened from her season?: Harry forgetting her name in LI UK and probably leaving in a friendship couple in LI AU - she did end up feeling bad over the way Stefan was dumped but didn’t have as strong feelings as he did for her, so was glad she at least got to explore another connection.

Is there anyone she wants on All Stars?: Rohan, she thinks Rocco might deserve a second chance and would love to have Chelsea in the villa.

Is there anyone she wouldn’t want to have on All Stars?: Dylan - self explanatory.

Is she still friends with any of the cast from her season?: Genevieve, Elladine, Nicky, Seb and AJ - they all still keep in regular contact and have catch ups. Genevieve and her were best friends in the villa and remained best friends.

Any hidden talents?: other than her obvious talents from being on the West End, she can do a smashing Gemma Collins impression.

Random facts:

• the public backed her a lot during Love Island UK and she gained a lot of popularity from that which is why producers invited her back for Love Island AU and All Stars.

• she briefly worked with Cherry at a musical theatre charity show.

• there were rumours of her being linked to Lucas from various news articles, but it was all just rumours - he’d simply seen her in a show and was spotted chatting to her afterwards.

• she made a very public threads of tweets about Dylan in S4 and requested producers step in to remove him from the villa.

• she’s met various islanders from different Love Island events and has openly said Oliver is one of the nicest guys you could ever meet.

• she wouldn’t mind appearing on Celebrity Hunted or The Masked Singer as other reality shows.

Current All Stars LI: Jude

Endgame All Star LI: Hamish, probably

[basicallyblank]

Australia vs England World Cup semi final; thoughts

ENGLAND ARE THROUGH TO THE WORLD CUP FINAL !!! I thought we played fantastic today, eery player genuinely stepped up and got the job done. We went into this game looked at as the underdog, people didn't expect us to win, we saw who the ref was and didn't think this game would go well, we saw that we were wearing the away kit and thought some curse was going to get us, the code to the England fans allocated seats got leaked and Australian fans bought most of them, some Australian news paper sent a HELICOPTER to spy on us... but this team blocked out every single bit of that noise out and did all of their talking on the pitch.

Our backline was a brickwall today, for the most part :) There were mistakes made with the Sam Kerr goal, but they didn't let that happen again, they regrouped and Millie Bright put her body on the line time and time again to stop Sam Kerr. Her long balls were the difference today, passing the ball down down the field which lead to the Hemp ad Russo goals which made us abe to safely see the game out and relax was one of the reasons we won. Lucy Bronze was everywhere again today, she put her body on the line (her bloody ankle says it all) and her headers which got the ball away helped us, she knows how to see out a game ;) annoying for some but she knows. Jess Carter and Alex Greenwood have saved us throughout this tournament, Jess Carter covering for Lucy Bronze and allowing her to go forward and covering that space in behind her so that opposition attackers cant make crosses or get up the pitch has saved us many times, shes been a rock this tournament. Alex Greenwood, the stats speak for themself, shes been our best player. She's created the most chances at this world cup (14) and her passing is pin point, she only made 5 incorrect passes against Australia.

We've all had concerns about our midfield throughout this tournament, it was a target area for other teams to silence, which significantly damages our play, but this team always finds a way. Ella Toone, recieved a lot of criticism this tournament, from myself as well, but in this game she showed up and reminded everyone of what she's capable of, showing up in big moments. The pockets of space she was picking up during that game which allowed passes to flow through from the backline into our attacking line were fantastic, she scored a rocket of an opening goal and overall had a great match. Keira Walsh, another outstanding tournament from her, her off the ball work is excellent, probably been marked more than she would have liked but she still manages to make it work, KW4 world cup final first england winning goal incoming ?? ;)

Our attacking lineeeeee cmonnnnnn. goals galore, probably not as many as we'd like to have seen, but they got the job done ! most of the time :) Lauren Hemp has set this tournament alight, as has Alessia Russo. Rachel Daly has been good at the front and at the back, which speaks volumes of her quality. Now that we're in the final, means that Lauren James can return to the squad following a 2 match ban after recieving a red card in the RO16 against Nigeria, curious to see where she'll fit into the plans for the final, she was having a good tournament and could've potentially been in the race for golden boot.

Mary Earps has obviously been THEE difference maker, the life saver, the game changer. England have conceded THREE times in this tournament. Three times. She's the best in the world for a reason she the least she deserves is her shirt being sold.

The Jordan not playing thing, will address my thoughts because i get a few asks lol. Obviously its disheartening that she hasn't gotten any game time, she left Arsenal to get into this squad, she really wanted to be here. Jordan will know her role in this team, she's an older player now, she's been out of the national team for a while, on the outskirts not really having a role, she's come back with a fresh mentality and new experiences to draw upon for this tournament. She's elevating this team, the younger players, Alessia, Ella ect have all said how close shes become to everyone in this team, shes uplifting them so they can perform at their best. She'll have known her role going into this tournament, obviously its sad she hasn't gotten any game time but if she lifts that trophy on sunday, i dont think she'll mind too much.

On sunday, we play in the final of the World Cup for the first time ever, we've won the Euro's (where we beat spain), we've won the finilissima, today we defeated the only team we've lost to since Sarina took over in 2021. This team are not finished yet, people underestimated us going into this tournament, they underestimated us today, on sunday we'll show them that we cant, and shouldn't be underestimated. In Sarina we trust xx

[avatarskywalker78]

It's Six Sentence Sunday and I have stuff written! First of all a Doctor Who fic I started working on a few days ago focusing on...The Master, specifically Dhawan!Master but if he had been written well, because I liked Missy's character development and I wish that had stuck and I liked the O persona - and very much wished some aspects of that had been kept rather than just making him crazy again (and also the Timeless Child arc remains one of my LEAST favourite in the entire show so I'm gonna be fixing that too.) Here he's trying to do good but obviously still has...quite a lot to work through.

O would like to say he’s never understood racism, but that’s a lie, given how Time Lords saw themselves as superior and it’s taken him far too long to get out of that mindset, so maybe it’s more accurate to say that now he doesn’t understand racism. Whether it’s between species or between members of their own species it’s just…such a small-minded approach to life, and spending years among humanity as a brown man has highlighted this. Most people have been fine with it but others…haven’t.

And humanity never fully outgrows it – there’s always one faction or another who has a problem with those who are different, and it’s a sad fact that this is a universal constant.

On the other hand, what’s also a universal constant is that there’s always plenty of people who stand up to it, and the isolated Terran colonies in the future always end badly, so that cheers him up a lot, especially on days like today where he and his fellow activists have just endured abuse simply for walking down the street.

Three decades from now Australia is returned to its rightful people. That also cheers him up.

He might be on a redemption path, but he's always gonna be a brand of chaotic. Also I'm giving a shout-out to @thirddoctor because their Master posts are amazing, their comments about O were partly what inspired this fic, and they directed me to their other Master meta posts which are gonna be a great help for writing this fic and it should be fun, if a little self-indulgent...but this will make sense once I've written the whole fic. Hopefully.

(Says the person attempting to write a non-linear narrative...)

I'm also taking part in Comfy-vember, a writing event run by the blog of the same name that started this year, and while Flufftober didn't inspire me much this one has - I've only written the one fic but my next one is for Diagnosis Murder.

Jesse was prone to getting into trouble. Steve had know that from the start, ever since the little pest had started getting involved in his investigations and he meant well, Steve knew...but he didn't have a lot of common sense and he was guillable and he'd always, always feared that he was going to get hurt one day, that one day, Steve was going to be too slow to save him...

And he almost had been. He almost had been and now Jesse had a stab wound-

Dad had saved his life and he was recovering at Community General and Steve had been assured that it was simply a matter of waiting for him to wake up - something that shouldn't take too long.

Looking at his best friend lying prone in a hospital bed, this was little reassurance - the guy was normally so full of energy and it was unnatural to see him so still.

And it was his fault, because if he'd only been quicker he'd have taken out Johnson before he ever got a chance to hurt Jesse. Instead he'd busted the door down just in time to see Jesse-

Listen, you gotta have the hurt before the comfort and if there was any character I was gonna whump like this it was Jesse Travis, so I'm not sorry.

[daisiesonafield-blog]

Review -After many a postponement, for the first time since his debut world tour in 2017, Grammy award winning artist Harry Styles touched down at Mt Smart Stadium, bringing Harry Styles: Love on Tour to Tāmaki Makaurau.

Released in 2022 and recently awarded Album of the Year at the 2023 Grammys, Harry's House, built in London by way of Hollywood, Malibu, and Wilshire, and engineered by the likes of Kid Harpoon, Tyler Johnson, and Samuel Witte has seen almost every major city of the world. It's only fitting that, at long last, Aotearoa finally got a taste of the artist's highest acclaimed album.

Decorated from head to toe in sequins, sparkles, cowboy hats and the coveted feather boas, punters, who had been lining up as early as two days before the concert itself, descended on Mt. Smart Stadium bright eyed and bushy tailed, eager to get as close to Styles as they possibly could. His charm, wit and general crowd interaction is a major selling point of the tour itself - something all 47,000 attendees were eager to get a taste of.

Aotearoa's own Ny Oh and Isle of Wight-based band Wet Leg opened the show, to a crowd that, although mixed in demographic, got behind every single beat. Seeing Wet Leg at Mt Smart was a bit of a big deal; the last time they were here, they performed to a sold-out Tuning Fork - a venue which can hold up to 300 people. Fast forward eight months, playing to a sold-out stadium, comprising a crowd who, for the most part, know every word to every song, is something to marvel at.

I always admire an artist who has an impeccable pre-show playlist - it shows that not only do they know their crowd well, but when done right, the right selection can show that they know the city, or in this case, country, well too. Classic tracks such as 'Best Song Ever' by One Direction and 'Bohemian Rhapsody' by Queen had the crowd doing vocal somersaults over one another, singing as loud as they could.

What took me by surprise was the addition of Poi E by Pātea Māori Club - released in 1983, sung entirely in te reo, now playing to a crowded stadium before Harry Styles of all people graced the stage. He knew his crowd, and where he was in the world, extremely well.

Styles is known for his on-stage outfits. Some are understated, some are extremely overstated, and most, if not all of them, end up being one of the main focal points of every performance. The last time he was in Aotearoa, he wore an all-black suit, assumingly paying homage to the All Blacks. Last night, he wore a short sleeve raglan tee with a bejewelled whale's tail adorning it, with a pair of purple dress pants. Not the most spectacular outfit compared to his recent Australia tour, but we'll take what we can get.

After all, fashion comes second when you're stood mere metres from One Direction's Golden Child.

It's always special when an artist comes to any given country and does more than just plays their show and jump on the next flight home. On his recent Australian tour, Styles immersed himself in the culture of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia, and his stop in Aotearoa was no exception.

At his first break in the show, Styles, who, earlier in the day, had spent time with Te Matatini finalists, Angitū, sang the start of 'Tūtira Mai Ngā Iwi' - written by Canon Wiremu Te Tau Huata in the 1950s.

The crowd, clearly stunned, sung the rest of the waiata back to him without hesitation while he danced around the stage. He continued to do this multiple times throughout the night, which kept the crowd on their toes. I was almost waiting for it to happen every time he got the chance to speak. At one point in the concert, he picked a Tino Rangatiratanga flag from the crowd, and put it on his mic stand - the flag found itself to be a permanent fixture on the stage for the rest of the night.

The moments of the concert I remember the most vividly seem to be the same at almost every one I go to; the times when the whole crowd is still, flashlights up, yelling the lyrics of the saddest songs back at the person singing them - and last night was no exception. At the end of the catwalk which spanned what felt like ten trillion miles, Styles performed 'Matilda', 'Little Freak', and 'Satellite' one after the other, and for all three songs, I've never heard a crowd with so much gusto.

Harry performed songs from across all three released bodies of work, such as 'Woman', to 'Golden', and even far back as a new rendition of One Direction's seminal hit, 'What Makes You Beautiful'. He even snuck in crowd-favourite unreleased weapon, 'Medicine' which went viral during the tour for his last album, Fine Line. During every song, the crowd didn't hold back. So much energy in one space - it was amazing to bear witness to.

It's crazy to think that, from Harry's end, there are 47,000 people in the same space as you are singing the words to the music you wrote back at you. Those moments stick with an artist - I feel as though they stick with the crowd for eternity.

Crowd interaction is paramount for an artist as big as Styles. Throughout his time as a solo performer, he's always placed a large emphasis on connecting with his crowds, and as he's grown, the interactions have only evolved to be more intense.

Last night was no exception. From pointing out a fan who had been throwing fruit at him (which then proceeded to him singing a two-minute-long song about people dressed as bananas, eggs, aubergines, so on and so forth), the singer, who encourages fans to bring signs with him to his shows, went back and forth with two fans. One, who allegedly sold their cats leg to be at the show, and the other, who was with her best friend going through a breakup. After finding out the now ex-boyfriend wasn't prioritising them, hence the breakup, he told the crowd to "not be a Michael, be a Romy!"

Styles also asked the crowd about the census, telling everyone that he too had filled it out prior to the show.

Finishing with crowd favourite, and aptly named, 'Kiwi', Styles had made the nights of 12-year-olds with their parents and mid-40-year-olds alike, as well as everyone in between. Harry Styles is truly an artist who transcends all levels of musical talent and incomparable wit, with a hint of charm that can't be matched.

The remnants of the 47,000 plus feather boas will live on the field of Mt Smart Stadium until Harry Styles makes his triumphant return to Aotearoa.

Admittedly, he doesn't actually know when that will be. All he knows is that he hopes it won't be too long.

[akocomyk]

Fearless Forecast, 2024 edition

With just a few hours before the coronation night, and having less than a day to prepare. ‘Coz I’m busy at work and... Empire PH just can’t finish a damn edition without f*cking something up.

Anyway. Keeping with my tradition, here are my top picks for the crown of Miss Universe Philippines 2024.

And can I just say… This year’s competition is an epic bardagulan. The quality of candidates have leveled up since the past years—which is actually good for us pageant fans and quite disheartening from the point of view of the candidates, knowing that only one woman would earn the right to wear the Philippine sash in the Miss Universe stage later this year. There are many candidates who deserve to win the crown, and many candidates who deserve at least a spot on the Top 20. And yeah, I know there are four other titles at stake, but only one will be MUPH.

My Top 5

If any of them wins the crown, I won’t question it.

Quezon Province • Taguig • Bacoor • Bulacan • UK

Quezon Province was the front-runner from the beginning and she did not disappoint. If Miss Universe is happening tomorrow, we can send her and we would still have high chances of winning our 5th crown. My only concern with her is her communication skills because other contenders could eat her up in this round.

Taguig. The veteran. And it shows. This can both be negative or positive, but it’s so evident that she’s a pro at what she’s doing and she exudes a queenly aura without having to do as much as the other candidates do.

I liked Bacoor back in 2021, and I like her even more now. When everyone’s performance feels so manufactured, she has this easy and genuine glow about her and it’s so beautiful to witness. I never thought that she’d be dangerous, but she is.

Bulacan is the black girl that deserves more attention. Really. I’ve noticed her since the pre-pageant activities, and I don’t know why people haven’t been talking about her as much. Now it feels like everyone just saw her for the first time.

United Kingdom is the best candidate from a Filipino community abroad. She speaks and performs well, and if she can’t win a crown, she at least deserves to be on the top. I never expected to put her up this high, seeing how she did in the previous activities, but I saw her growth and she now has a fighting chance for the crown.

The Next Five

Cainta • Palawan • Iloilo • Florida • Cavite

Any of these five can pull a surprise come finals night.

Iloilo is in the Top 5 of all challenges—she has the biggest fanbase, from the looks of it—so she’s definitely a shoo-in for the finals, and though I like that she toned down her walk on her preliminary performance, I still feel like it’s bordering Miss Grand.

Cainta is the beautifully manufactured barbie doll. She did well on all segments of the competition, but I kinda feel it’s not authentic.

Palawan, Florida, and Cavite are the very pleasant surprises and I don’t see any reason for them not to be in the finals.

Yet Another Five

Australia • Bantayan Island • Cebu • Baguio • Naic

Cebu and Baguio are the most popular girls here, and I was expecting a lot from them, but I was let down. Still, I think they’ve done enough to be in the finals.

Australia, Bantayan Island, and Naic are the darkhorses. People should pay more attention to them.

My Other Notable Favorites

When I tabulated my scores for the preliminary competition, I kept saying, “Oh my god,” on repeat because there were some fan-favorite girls who were left out. And then… those on 18th to 25th places were on a tie. 😅

Anyway…

Hawaii, Pasig, Tacloban, Zambales and Laguna all gave memorable performances. I wouldn’t be surprised if I’d also see Southern California, Northern California, Mandaue and Davao City in the finals.