#denmark guy is now immortalized

[mitamicah]

Guys .....

GUYS!!!!!

That's freaking me on the official CD booklet of People's Champion!!!!

[doueverwonder]

ok I'm talking about it now: Germania had a heck ton of dogs. Four of them were immortal companions; I don't have names for them yet bc I'm trying to take like stereotypical dog names and translate them into proto-germanic (if I have to reconstruct Spot myself so be it).

But he also had dogs that weren't immortal, half of them were ones one of his kids brought home bc "he was just out there all by himself, can we keep him papa? please?" and he would grumble about it, but also was the 'your dad and the dog he didn't want' meme every time.

He was also the kind of guy to claim he only kept them around bc dogs are useful, but also he loved them very much and considering I kinda hc as the personification starts to die their animals die first and he absolutely cried when each of them did.

Also tho some of the animals that got brought home ended up being one of his kids immortal companions, Denmark's had the same dog since 300 CE, Belgium has had hers since 500 CE; so in reality they had six dogs.

[oumaheroes]

Seems like literally everyone but england is tsundere to him atleast, they're like "oh its not like we want your company or friendship, we're just going long with you uwu", grow some balls god

This ask came in a few hours after I posted this drabble about England and France, but you remind me of my Prussia anon who sent me an ask about Prussia being a dickhead.

If you are talking about France, ho ho ho not at all. I feel like he’s a very warm character who’s comfortable with himself and, more importantly, comfortable with himself around other people. A real charmer, is our Francis Bonnefoy; he can work a conversation like no one’s business and people are drawn to him like moths to a fancy, well-dressed flame. That’s not to say that he feels this confidently about himself on the inside (I keep meaning to do a headcanon post about France’s feelings of self and his personality), but outwardly he’s very much a popular and well-liked guy with a lot of friends. Maybe not a lot of deep, intimate relationships, but a lot of friends who enjoy his company immensely nonetheless.

If you are talking about Prussia then gosh nonny, what did poor old Gilbert do to you? I suppose it depends on how you feel about that personality type; I must admit that for me he’d also be a bit too much to handle (very fun to write though).

I would however disagree that everyone but England is like this with Prussia (but ‘this’, I am referring to my previous answer:

‘…for the most part Prussia is very comfortable in being himself in all the ways that entails- unsmoothed and untidied up for the pleasure of others.

This does mean that, at times, he is the biggest dickhead alive. I feel he’s a very proud person with a very (fragile) high opinion of himself and he often says things that lack tact or thought, or that are the opposite of what people want to hear.’

Spain and France certainly enjoy his company and enjoy him for who he is, alongside England. France likes, similarly to England, that Prussia will cut straight to the heart of things (France, who hides himself behind thick walls of colourful clothes and shields of a charismatic personality) enjoys being around someone who doesn’t try to make his way in the world with slippery words- someone who is happy to speak openly about how they really feel. France is used to people of his royal courts dancing clever, careful lies and so he has always found pleasure around individuals who chose not to adopt this showy elegancy to hide themselves. (Deep down, though he won’t admit it, France finds it an enviable trait).

Spain on the other hand, is a very happy go lucky person, for the most part. He is very hard to offend, either with words or actions, and views and judges people by their intent instead. Prussia may be abrasive and offensive, but he is well-meaning. By telling the truth he isn’t trying to hurt you, he believes that his opinions are wanted (out of arrogance) or will be helpful (genuinely thinks he can help), and so Spain isn’t usually offended or annoyed by Prussia’s lack of tact or overbearing energy.

Prussia is a great ‘character’, in every sense of the word, and he is happy to go and do things with no fear of being thought silly or being mocked. If Prussia finds something interesting, he’s gonna talk about it and if he finds something fun then by God, he’s going to do it. Prussia is good for an adventure and the Bad Friend Trio, and England (and Denmark, for me) often have an amazing time getting up to nonsense they really should have grown out of by now.

I like to think that this outlook on an almost immortal existence keeps them all young- Prussia is that someone who’s there at 10pm prodding you out of your house to go drinking on a work night and tempting you to do something utterly stupid that you’d never thought you’d do, but you really end up enjoying.

In my head there are many, many nations and people who find Prussia to be their perfect cup of tea, but there are also many others who actively dislike him- same as any person! Sadly, I can’t write about them all, and this is also only my interpretation- if you have one that contrasts that’s totally cool, I’d also love to hear about it!

[thetreeturnedoff]

alright! hyperfocus was on my side tonight so i compiled a list of all the caretakers from @hetalia-caretakers for them since people were asking for a list and one hadn’t been made yet (also side note y’all should totally go check out that blog, it’s amazing). i’m planning on updating this list as more people are added, too, and if anyone spots any mistakes here please let me know so i can fix them!

first, here’s the list of the caretakers with names and pronouns:

america - jerry (he/him), madeline/maddie (she/her)

china - zhang huijiong (they/them)

cuba - maria elena (that’s just a first name) (she/her)

england - bruce (he/him), alicia (she/her)

finland - adelaide (she/her)

france - michel (they/them)

germany & prussia - edith (she/her)

iceland - gabriel (he/him)

japan - naomi (she/her), hotaru (she/her)

latvia - agnese (she/her), twins aivars (he/him) and anita (she/her)

liechtenstein - ana (she/her)

n. italy - dante (he/him)

norway - eleanor (she/her)

romania - alina (she/her)

russia - maeve/maeves (she/her), irene (she/her)

sealand - harold (he/him)

s. italy - juno (she/her)

s. korea - jin ae (she/her)

spain - santiago (he/him)

switzerland - leila (she/her)

next, countries with unnamed caretakers:

all the micronations - (he/him)

belarus

denmark

greece - (she/her)

greece & turkey - (they/them)

sweden - (he/him)

ukraine

and for fun, some honorable mentions:

alina’s dog - anghel (she/her)

bruce’s mom who sends bruce off with cookies to give to england

jin’s cat - gilmack (he/him)

jerry’s cat - sugar (she/her)

below this i’m also putting the appearance and personality descriptions that we have because i’ve seen people talk about that before. i’m really just taking quotes and sometimes rephrasing them to make more sense here, but i’m also providing a link to the post it’s coming from so you can see the original context. because this is coming from multiple anon messages, it’s entirely possible that i’ve gotten things wrong, so if anyone (especially the creators) find anything i did get wrong i’d appreciate being corrected.

first, appearances:

adelaide (finland)

taller than finland, standing at around 5′8; hair is shoulder length and curly, and brown with blonde highlights; eyes are hazel [x]

eleanor (norway)

much shorter than norway [x]

5′9; dirty blonde hair and brown eyes [x]

gabriel (iceland)

around the same height as iceland, give or take an inch or two [x]

roughly 5′4; brunette hair and hazel eyes [x]

gilmack (jin)

fattest boy [x]

harold (sealand)

a “middle aged dude” [x]

redheaded with a relatively short style; average height, around 5′9; brown eyes; wears glasses even with decent vision to prevent his vision from deteriorating; a bit thin and lanky, but with a little muscle; visible signs of not sleeping [x]

jerry (america)

5′7.5, or roughly 172cm [x]

argentinian, but born and raised in new york; has brown eyes, black hair, and tan skin; wears glasses and has a “typical cute, tired nerd look”; very skinny and pretty underweight, but he’s just naturally like that, it has nothing to do with him not eating [x] [x]

jin ae (south korea)

short and brunette [x]

maddie (america)

young and 5′ [x]

filipino [x]

maeve (russia)

“has a death glare that makes flowers wilt” [x]

somewhere around 4′11 [x]

sugar (jerry)

grey with green eyes [x]

drawings of caretakers:

jerry

maeve, michel, jeremy, naomi, irene, and maddie

jerry and maddie (and alfred)

michel

maeve and irene

maeve and maddie

and now personalities (and some other facts):

adelaide (finland)

probably scared of finland because he sleepwalks with a gun or something [x]

"helps Finny with his Santa job every year and loves it" [x]

agnese (latvia)

started out sweet and outgoing, and now she and latvia are drinking buddies; keeps trying to keep up with drinking with latvia, despite him being immortal [x]

alina (romania)

"absolutely the snarkiest person you will ever meet"; "will absolutely bully romania into behaving, too varying degrees of effectiveness" [x]

ana (liechtenstein)

"[liechtenstein's] easy to lose due to both of them being easily distracted, so Ana's life is a constant game of hide and seek" [x]

anghel (alina)

"[alina's] main method of tracking romania" [x]

belarus’ unnamed caretaker

"flips between "oh you're angry don't worry I'll leave you alone for a bit" & "drop the knife belarus, don't play that shit with me"" [x]

denmark’s unnamed caretaker

“just as chaotic as Denmark himself” [x]

edith (germany and prussia)

super lax, and lets germany and prussia do whatever; gets into frequent trouble for not doing her job [x]

while supposedly watching prussia, she plays on her phone the whole time, loses track of him, or “helps him with whatever crime he’s trying to commit”; is definitely addicted to candy crush [x]

eleanor (norway)

"carry a spray bottle of water for when [norway] gets sassy with her"; "essentially “screw the rules you’re gonna do it no matter what I say”" [x]

gabriel (iceland)

he and eleanor are enemies because she feels like he’s too strict with iceland; he refuses to relax the rules he has for iceland [x]

"has threatened to quit because of how whiny Ice gets" [x]

has a long list of rules from both iceland’s government and norway that he enforces with iceland [x]

gilmack (jin)

laziest boy; “lives up to his name [name means roadblock]”; “will always be in front of your feet, or in the way, or be a bed hog” [x]

hotaru (japan)

actually enjoys her job, for the most part; “internally screams” around other nations because she only knows how to handle japan [x]

irene (russia)

“just rather confused” [x]

jerry (america)

probably has ptsd [x] [x]

has hit a point where he just kinda goes along with everything [x]

is aroace; is good at playing classical piano; "anxiety is through the roof, as are his caffeine levels"; "most unlucky guy in the world" [x]

gets random instances of super strength on occasion [x]

jin ae (south korea)

headstrong; “will thwap South Korea with a newspaper if he acts out“ [x]

leila (switzerland)

"sort of a pushover, but can be an amazing older sister figure when [switzerland] needs one" [x]

“not the interrupting type” [x]

maddie (america)

"made [america] back down with a single glance" [x]

is probably a black belt [x]

maeve (russia)

russia is the one scared of her; she doesn’t take russia’s shit [x]

“terrifying” [x]

“would just generally do questionable things, such as eating red red meat at 3 am with all the lights off”; actually volunteered for the job [x]

“small feral woman [who] can and will climb onto everything to get what she needs” [x]

maria elena (cuba)

"super chill, but super strong"; "Whenever Cuba and America get into a fight, she's usually the one to hold back America"; "She's a combo of the mom friend and the wine aunt" [x]

naomi (japan)

seems lazy or like she doesn’t care but actually just constantly gets lost; is always losing track of japan or getting turned around or distracted; probably pretty anxious too [x]

santiago (spain)

“stressed 24/7″; can’t really be upset with spain though [x]

really relaxed with spain as long as he’s alone, but things can get out of hand when he’s with portugal [x]

sugar (jerry)

mean to everyone but jerry; anything but sweet; also basically jerry’s emotional support animal [x]

sweden’s unnamed caretaker

can find sweden in ikea when sweden’s in there [x]

ukraine’s unnamed caretaker

just as emotional as ukraine is [x]

[momentofmemory]

FICTOBER 2020 - day twenty-five

Prompt #25: “Sometimes you can even see.”

Fandom: The Old Guard

Characters: Nile Freeman, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani

Words: 1937

Author’s Note: In the aftermath of a rough mission and all the philosophical questions it entails, Joe takes Nile to the Aarhus Art Museum in Denmark. All pieces mentioned were displayed in the Objects of Wonder: From Pedestal to Interaction exhibit, which ran from Oct. 2019- March 2020. Nile POV.

>> the sweetness remains

Nile scrolls mindlessly through Pinterest, wishing for not the first time that she’d been allowed to recreate her socials.

Copley had barred her from practically all of the actually useful ones, but she’d bullied him down to just having an account on Pinterest, with the argument being that no one cared about the site. Granted, she doesn’t really want to be on Pinterest either, but sometimes the comfort of an app with infinite scroll is all she’s looking for in a distraction.

And right now, she really, really needs to be distracted.

Overly photoshopped cat pics.

Memes ripped straight from tumblr or twitter.

The most white girl aesthetic imaginable.

Three slugs ripping through her abdomen and spitting her liver out the other side—

Nile breathes in sharply. Exhales.

Her thumb resumes scrolling.

Photos of downtown that feel like home.

Recipes for harvest butternut squash soup.

Tips for keeping braids fresh longer.

Nile scrolls, and scrolls, and breathes.

Her abdomen still aches every time her lungs expand, even though she knows it really doesn’t. It’s perfectly healed; not even a scar for her troubles. But it’s hard to forget how her instincts had screamed that a gut shot like that shouldn’t be survivable, even as she pushed herself towards the next target.

(She didn’t survive it.)

(She didn’t survive the next half dozen times it happened, either.)

“Did that phone of yours do something to offend you?”

“Whoa!” Joe’s sudden appearance next to her only makes her clench her phone tighter. She forces out a laugh and eases the tension out of her fingers. “Feel like you should know better than to sneak up on someone that’s part of a bunch of immortal warriors.”

“Most of them would have caught me coming long before you did.”

Nile snorts. She scrolls a few more seconds, then closes the app and opens Temple Run. The game’s ridiculously old, but she’s a millennial. Sue her for being nostalgic.

She can feel Joe watching her as she starts the round.

“Am I correct in thinking you enjoy the arts, Nile?”

It’s not the question she was expecting, and she winds up tilting the screen to the left a half second late, and her character falls off the bridge.

It’s okay though, because she can just use a gem and respawn in the same place, so it’s basically like not dying at all.

Right?

“Uh, yeah,” she says. She winds up restarting the round entirely. “The military was supposed to pay for my degree, but I don’t think I can cash that if I’m technically KIA.”

“That would present a certain set of problems,” Joe agrees. “Andy talk to you about that?”

“Yeah.” Nile’s stomach twists. “Guess it depends on how easy it is to schedule classes between firefights.”

She’s practically laying the opening for a talk out herself, but Joe seems uninterested in taking it.

Instead, he shifts beside her, propping an elbow on his knee. “What kinds of art did you want to specialize in?”

She dies again. This time, she begrudgingly uses the in-game save. "I prefer classic sculpture, but I’m not against modern.”

“You like what was modern art for me, then.”

Nile rolls her eyes. “I dread the day I become as weird as you guys.”

He laughs, patting her on the shoulder as he stands. “I suspect by that time you’ll be too busy tormenting our next recruit. But unfortunately, the exhibit we’re going to will be more in the contemporary style.”

It takes Nile a half second to register his words. “Wait, what?”

“The description said it would be 1960s to the present only. If it suits you, we could hold off on our discussion of it for another thousand years or so. I’m sure we can claim it as classic at that point.”

“What?” Nile locks her phone and zeros her attention on him, registering the mischievous glint in his eyes this time. “Museum?”

“The Aarhus Art Museum has a special exhibit on loan from the Tate Modern at the moment.” He glances down at her phone, the corner of his mouth forming a grin. “I’m told its purpose is to help move its audience’s attention from their devices.”

Nile scowls and looks back down at her phone. “I died a dozen times yesterday. I’m allowed my coping mechanisms of choice.”

And.

Whoops.

“Of course you are,” Joe says, offering his hand to her, and she’s once again surprised he doesn’t force the conversation. “But phones are portable. You can take it with you to the museum.”

Nile worries at the edge of her lip with her teeth. She doesn’t really want to go anywhere right now, but…

But Joe’s brown eyes are warm and welcoming, and his callouses help steady her when she takes his hand.

“You said contemporary sculpture?”

The grin he gives her is blinding. “For now.”

_________________

It’s a twenty-five minute drive from their safe house to the museum, and the route takes them next to the Bay of Aarhus for most of it.

Nile stares out at the water, determined to not give Joe any more ammunition for making fun of her regarding her phone.

It’s hard. She’d never considered herself a technology addict—never had enough time to be one—but she really, really wants to stop thinking about the fact that she knows what the inside of her liver looks like.

Or did look like, she guesses.

Nope, nuh-uh, not going there—

“D'you know about the Ship of Theseus?” She spits it out before she can decide against it. She figures if she’s thinking about it, she might as well talk about it. “And don’t say you were there for it. You’re not Andy and I at least know enough about you to know when you’re lying.”

The grin on his face tells her that he was very much intending to before she called him out on it. “It’s a thought experiment. The character Theseus owns a ship that, over a long span of time, has all of its parts replaced, until nothing of the original still remains.”

“Yeah, and so then the question is, is it even the same ship,” Nile finishes.

Joe weaves in and out of traffic, a pensive look on his face. “I assume you aren’t asking simply to test my knowledge of early western philosophy.”

“No.”

Nile looks down at her hands. She can still remember how horrifically mangled they were from her impromptu dive off a skyscraper, but at least—at least she’s pretty sure they’re the same ones she had before.

Though that might not last long.

“In your opinion,” she says, cautiously, “if—if there’s nothing left of the original—if you have to rebuild something that many times—”

“Nile.” The sound of the car’s turn signal distracts her spiraling thoughts. Joe nods towards the windshield. “We’re here.”

It’s a large, red brick square building, fairly nondescript but for the circular and multi-colored glass walking track at its top.

“Come on, he says, parking the car. “I find physical objects superior to mental ones for solving such issues.”

Nile doesn’t understand why the one time she wants to talk about something like this is the one time Joe decides to go full mysterious.

She climbs out of the car and follows him inside.

Despite her misgivings, she quickly discovers Joe was right. The exhibit is genuinely incredible, and there are pieces from multiple names she recognizes—Anish Kapoor, Donald Judd, Rasheed Araeen—and pieces she finds herself strangely moved by, such as Damian Hirst’s Away from the Flock, Richard Long’s Red Slate Circle, Rachel Whiteread’s Airbed II. Nile stares at that last one in particular for a long time: a concrete casting of an airbed, the artist’s presence made known in the negative space where her body had pressed the material down.

Joe, however, seems to be moving with a specific purpose in mind, and it’s not until they round one of the walls of the orange-pink room that Nile has a guess as to what it is.

In the far corner, bathed in the additional light of a single fill light, is a massive pile of multicolored cellophane wrapped hard candies.

Joe walks her over to it, an almost reverence to his steps.

“Untitled: Portrait of Ross in LA,” he says. “Are you familiar with the piece?”

She shakes her head, bending down to inspect it. It doesn’t look like much more than what she’d seen from a distance—candy, multicolored, on the floor. She looks to Joe for an explanation.

“Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s partner died from AIDS,” Joe says. The grief on his face is hard to look at. “To honor him, he made this as a portrait—one hundred and seventy-five pounds of candy, representing Ross’s weight from when he was still healthy.”

Nile looks at the pile—it’s a lot, but it’s not a hundred and seventy-five pounds worth of a lot.

Joe notices her confusion and smiles. “Take one.”

“What?”

“Take one,” he repeats. “The purpose of the work is to invite you to partake in both enjoying his presence and lamenting the lack of it. A sort of communion—choosing to take part of his body into your own. It was a powerful statement when so many were afraid to even be in our presence at the time.”

Nile looks at the pile again, and just like with Airbed II, her heart aches at what isn’t there, rather than what is. She selects a red piece and brings it out of the pile, cupping it in her hand and considering its weight.

“What happens when it runs out?”

Joe selects his own piece—a green one—and it rolls around in the palm of his hand. “It has. Many times. But that’s the beauty of it—it’s the curator’s responsibility to replenish the pile, metaphorically granting immortality and new life to the loss.”

The cellophane crinkles in Nile’s hand as she unwraps the piece. “How do they decide where to get the candy from?”

“The only firm rule is the original weight. Outside of that, there are no set instructions for the candies themselves.” He chuckles, threading his fingers behind his neck and leaning back against the wall. “Sometimes you can even see these strange combinations of greens, oranges, and purples.”

Nile considers the candy. “Not your favorite?”

“It has an almost Halloween quality to it. I tend to prefer the rainbow.”

The candy in her hand feels heavier than it did before—weighed down with the knowledge of what it represents, what it’s taking away.

She slips the candy into her mouth and her eyebrows raise in surprise. “It’s sweet?”

“It’s candy,” Joe says, unwrapping his own piece. “Did you expect something else?”

“I thought it’d be…” She pauses, trying to parse out her feelings. “Bitter. Or sad, somehow. Considering.”

“It could have been,” Joe agrees. “But the portrait isn’t meant to represent just grief and loss. Candy is a happy thing—a reward for yourself, or a lover’s gift on Valentine’s. And even when it’s gone, the sweetness remains. Still lingering on the tongue, or dwelling in the mind. It is the love of friends and partners that keeps the memory alive—and what keeps this the same portrait, even though its pieces have been cycled through many times.”

The candy melts away on her tongue, and she closes her eyes in grief for its loss, appreciation for what it was, and hope for the pieces that would come after it.

She swallows the last piece of it down.

Her stomach settles.

[despressolattes]

CONSEQUENCES | CHAPTER NINE | LEGACIES/THE ORIGINALS

BOOK THREE IN THE SIDE CHARACTER/LILAH SERIES

book one masterlist » book two masterlist

this book’s masterlist

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─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

She looked at herself in the mirror, touching the necklace dangling upon her neck. The pendant was rather large and in a noticeable and recognizable shape. The gem in the middle was made of obsidian with specks of lapis lazuli, and it glowed a light blue when it with light. She had it for as long as she could remember, Dahlia spelling it so she could walk in the sunlight when she finally came out of the cave she was desiccated in.

She only found out that the necklace had protective properties like that when she tried to take it off in public, wanting to conceal it as she walked through a village in the 1500s.

It was the only thing she had that made her her, and she didn't want to lose it somehow or get it taken. The minute the clasp was off and she moved the necklace, her skin began to burn, boil, and turn red. She put it on, wondering why it hadn't done that when she took it off while she slept. When she tried to take it off again within a building, she realized that it protected her against the sun.

All of her vampire ways she had to learn on her own.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ─── 1500s

Lilah stood slowly, confused and frightened. Her last memories flooded her mind, the spell Dahlia had performed, being stabbed in the stomach with a sword. She frantically grabbed at her stomach, but only dust fell to the ground. There was no wound, but she was dirty. Her white dressed was covered in black dirt and dust, which drifted off of her body as she moved.

There was, however, blood on the collar of her dress. She looked down on the floor, a trail of blood. Instinctively, she raised a hand to her lips, feeling the thick liquid. She took a step back, terrified of what was going on, but couldn't find a person or a body anywhere.

She slowly made her way to the cave's mouth, following the light to the outside. She looked around, noticing that her world looked unfamiliar to her. The village she had lived in was good as gone, no one living there anymore. She wondered what had happened to the settlement that her mother and father had been from, the one she had traveled so far from with Dahlia and Freya, separated. Freya had already been an adult by the time that little Lilah joined them, but the two of them were never allowed to form a bond.

All Lilah could remember about where she was, was that she was in Europe somewhere.

She had learned about control, about vampirism, about survival, all by herself. It took her a few months to even realize that she had been asleep for five hundred years. It shook her to the core, but she wondered if that meant Freya had survived like she had.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ─── 1600s

She began to be a bit reckless with her actions and her feedings as she went along. She learned she was somewhere in France where she took up the surname Desmarais, not that she really cared. She wandered around with her veins black and lips bloodied, uncaring since she tended to kill whoever was around.

In the cave she had been in where the journals that Esther made Dahlia give to Lilah. Stories of her mother and her father, Lorelle's journals. She became accustomed to village life, realizing she was in Ireland. She was able to acquaint herself with the times.

She relished in her new abilities, she was fast, strong, able to make people do as she pleased. She missed her magic, however, but decided that it was fine that she couldn't practice her craft any longer if it meant it was in exchanged for her freedom.

She tried to look for Freya for a bit. She asked about Freya Mikaelson, knowing of the immortality sleeping spell Dahlia had in plan for them, but no one knew who she was, but would ask if she was related to the Lord Mikaelsons, nobelmen who lived in Denmark with their sister Rebekah.

It was then that she realized her father and his siblings were still alive, whether by magic or by the curse she found herself under, they were alive. Soon, she'd hear others, those apart of her special community, talk about the violence and the running. The whispers in the wind she'd hear about the Mikaelson family was all she needed to become discouraged about knowing them.

She was on a blood binge when someone grabbed her, bringing her into an alley, pinning her against a wall.

"Are you trying to expose everyone?"

A girl stood in front of her in a beautiful gown that matched her flawless face. She had curly brown hair, voluminous. If there was a flaw on her, Lilah couldn't find it. She has a peculiar accent, definitely not native to France.

The girl looked at her suspiciously, before stating, "You're the Desmarais girl everyone talks about in the village."

"People talk about me?" Lilah asked.

"Yes, the young men talk about how you are beautiful and single, the young women talk about how you are kind and poised," the girl replied, before adding, "The witches talk about how you are dangerous and the vampires talk about how you ask too many questions about the Old Ones."

"About the who?" Lilah questioned.

"The Original vampire family," the mysterious girl replied. "The Mikaelsons."

"And what do you know of them?" Lilah questioned, looking at the girl suspiciously.

"I know that Niklaus and Elijah are evil."

Lilah's face perked up at Elijah's name.

"I know that they will do whatever it takes, no matter who gets hurt, for their own personal gain," she added, looking down with sadness. "I know they will kill when they are wronged."

"Is that not with all vampires do?"

"Not all have to," she replied.

"You're lucky I couldn't care less about those Mikaelsons. I'm merely looking for someone named Freya, not this Klaus and Elijah you speak of."

The girl let go of her.

"You must be careful with your actions before you expose us all and get us killed," she said, letting go of Lilah.

"We're vampires, we cannot die," Lilah said.

"They can still stake us, they can take away our daylight rings and throw us into the sun," the girl said as she began to walk away.

It was because of her that Lilah started to realize she wasn't like the other vampires. She had been staked before, while irritating the wrong person in a different town, and she had walked outside without her necklace before. She had survived both occurrences.

"What is your name?" Lilah asked her.

She turned around and smiled, "Katerina. I like your necklace."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"You're crazy, you know that?"

Josh was standing at her door, leaning against her doorframe while she looked at herself in the mirror. She turned around to look at him, sending him a smile.

"It's in my blood," she shrugged, though Josh didn't know the weight of her words.

"Roman Sienna, huh?" Josh cringed, walking into her room and sitting onto her bed. "Of course you of all people, after you start to let a guy in, you get totally lied to and betrayed. Maybe it's karma for all the good guys you turned down all these years."

His teasing manner didn't go unnoticed, and Lilah picked up one of her makeup brushes from the top of her dresser, throwing it at the Rosza boy.

"Shut the fuck up," she laughed at him, going to sit next to him. She leaned her head onto his arm, wrapping both of her arms around his. "I'm still not convinced he's a bad guy."

"You keep saying that, but why do you think that?" Josh asked her. "You used to be the most suspicious of us all, never letting anyone, even us, in. And now you're rescuing the son of the woman who killed Hayley."

"I can't explain it," Lilah replied. "It's like... It's this feeling of familiar when I'm with him, like this isn't the first time I've met him."

"Maybe he has something to do with Picture Girl," Josh said.

Lilah gave him a stern look. "You think everything has to do with that girl in the photos."

"I wouldn't be surprised if everything happening right now has everything to do with that girl," Josh admitted.

Lilah huffed, standing up and holding out a hand for Josh. "Let's go gauge the damage I've caused, shall we?" she asked.

He took her hand, letting her pull him to his feet.

"You can gauge the damage you've caused, I've got a bar to run. We still have no applicants to come work with us."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Lilah walked into the Abattoir—The Mikaelson compound—rather awkwardly. She went into the family room to see Freya, Keelin, and Nik, feeling relieved that she was the one she found. Her and Freya's bond had always been strong, partly because of how Lilah had childhood memories of the witch.

Nik was fast asleep in Freya's arms. Keelin looked between Lilah and Freya, nodding to her wife as she picked up their son and walked out. She smiled at Lilah in passing, and Lilah sat down next to Freya.

"You were like a Vampire Peggy Carter," joked Freya, her soothing and raspy voice calming Lilah's nerves as they both had their feet on the couch, facing one another. "The last time I saw you that protective over a guy, it was Elijah."

Lilah chuckled at the analogy.

"Has Josh called Roman 'Vampire Captain America' in front of you before? Is that where the Peggy Carter jokes are coming from?"

Lilah was glad that the air around her and Freya was light.

"You know, Lilah," Freya started, scooting closer to the girl. "Even though I met you when you were already a vampire, and you lived a lot of years on your own, and you did the growing up part all on your own... Whenever I see you, I see the daughter I didn't get to raise."

Lilah smiled, Freya brushing a hair out of Lilah's face.

"You came to this family as someone who looked like a little girl, trying her best to be an adult vampire in a big, bad scary world. And I know I can't take credit for the wonderful person you ended up being despite all the bad, but I like to think you're one of the things this family got right," Freya continued. "We all had our own lives taken from us, and this family hasn't done the best things, or even the right things at times, but taking you in makes me feel how I can only imagine Klaus felt taking in Marcel."

Lilah smiles at her words, trying her hardest not to be emotional.

"So, I trust you and your instincts. I know you're the most cautious out of all of us. Do you trust him?"

"There's a voice in my head telling me to," she said, repeating what she kept using as her justification for coming to Roman's rescue.

Footsteps could be heard, and they both glanced towards the sound to see Rebekah approaching.

"I see we let the traitor back into our home," Rebekah said, bringing her glass of alcohol to her mouth.

Lilah and Freya gave her a look, but Rebekah held her ground.

"What? She helped Hayley's killer's son escape from the Garden after he lied to her for a over a week about who he was," Rebekah said with her normal amount of dramatic, taking another sip of her alcohol, the ice clinging in her glass. "Lils, your taste in men is almost as horrible as mine was. Nik would've thrown Roman off the balcony by now, so don't be too upset that I merely threw him into a little prison underneath our home. Be glad I didn't board him up behind bricks and attempt to desiccate him."

With that, Rebekah smiled and walked away, back upstairs to her room.

Lilah and Freya looked at one another and couldn't help but laugh over what Rebekah had just said, in light of it all. It almost sounded like they were psychotic, but maybe they were. Maybe being crazy just ran in the family.

"So, what exactly happened? How did you guys figure him out?" Lilah asked.

"Rebekah loves herself a good gossip, and you wouldn't bring Roman around for her to meet. So she called that school he said he works for, the one that Nik sent Caroline a check for, and asked about Roman Bauer. But Caroline said that a Roman Bauer didn't work for them, a Roman Sienna does. Then Rebekah connected the dots back to the boy she saw around town during the time Hayley passed away. Then a simple locator spell on my part, and we knew where to find him," Freya explained.

Lilah nodded, chuckling softly at how nosey Rebekah could be.

"Part of it was for Hayley, and the other part was for you," Freya added.

"For me?" Lilah asked.

"He lied to you about his identity, so yeah, we were pissed off about what his mom did, and for what he was doing to you."

Lilah remained quiet. She was lying about her identity, too.

"Rebekah will come around," Freya promised her, wrapping an arm around Lilah. "I swear to you."

"Where's Lorelle?" Lilah asked. "Any updates on that front?"

Freya sat up straight, shrugging as she said, "She's been holed up in her room, seems to be a bit moody. Doesn't want to eat with us, barely talks to us. Still no leads on the White Oak coven, and I'm honestly not too sure how much we should trust her. But as someone who once had to earn the trust of my own siblings, I'm wanting to give her the benefit of the doubt that she's not here to stir up trouble."

"What about the pictures of that girl? I still have no idea who she is."

Lilah hadn't told anyone of the flashes she would see. Distorted voices and fuzzy scenes that felt like repressed memories, the feeling of deja vu she had when she was with Roman, as if she had already lived through it once before.

"It's like we should know her, but we don't," Freya nodded, but then she shook her head. "But I haven't been able to figure that out, either."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Lilah walked upstairs of the compound, going to the room that Lorelle was staying in. She knocked, hearing her mother say, "I'm not hungry, Freya."

She entered the room anyways, pausing when she saw Lorelle sprawled out on the floor with endless grimoires open, like she was researching.

"L-Lilah Rae," she sputtered out, her eyes going wide as she stood up. "I wasn't expecting to see you."

"What're you doing?" Lilah asked her, sitting down on the floor and bringing one of the grimoires towards her.

"Well, I have magic, but I never really studied it," Lorelle explained, sitting down next to her. "So, I'm trying now."

After a moment of silence, she said, "You know, perhaps we should talk about—"

Lilah raised a finger to her lips, shushing her and then pointing to her ears, then swirling her finger in a circle to motion that the others could hear them.

"Not here," Lilah told her.

She looked at the grimoires on the floor, a ring amongst them, attached to a chain. She picked it up, looking on the inside to see engraving. The words "E. Mikaelson." Lilah's eyes involuntarily closed again, another fuzzy image in her head, the eerie feeling of deja vu once again crawling up her spine in the form of goosebumps.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

She was sitting in the passenger seat of her car, her emotions felt like they were all over the place. She found herself on the road to Mystic Falls, glancing down at the ring that was dangling from her neck. That same ring. She felt angry, but the anger slipped away to be replaced with grief and disappointment.

One thought was in her mind, "But I wasn't mad at her anymore, just disappointed she was here, and he wasn't."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Lilah let go of the ring as she opened her eyes, tears falling down her face, watching as it fell back down onto the grimoire. She couldn't understand why she kept on having flashes of images and moments that she didn't remember herself. It was almost driving her crazy. She had one when she gave Roman clothes, when she picked up his bear, and now when she held onto her father's ring.

"Are you alright?" Lorelle asked Lilah, reaching forward and wiping her face.

"I'm fine," Lilah jerked away from her, wiping her face on her head. "I'm sorry, I-I have to go."

"Lilah, please don't—" Lorelle pleaded as Lilah stood up frantically. She copied her daughter, trying to step closer to her, but Lilah just pushed her arms away, using her vampire speed to run out of the room and the compound.

She got to her car, finding herself yet again trying to catch her breath. She was confused as to where this mental breakdown was coming from, but she felt it coming on since she got back from Mystic Falls. She felt off, like she was there but she wasn't fully there. Her mind was trying to make sense of everything in front of her, and while it was all normal, it just didn't feel right to her. Like it was all fake, like she was trying to wake up from a dream.

She didn't drive to her apartment, it just didn't feel right. She parked in front of Roman's apartment complex, wondering when she became the type to seek comfort from a guy. She wondered if she'd keep having those flashes of moments if she was around him more, since two out of three of them occurred with him. She wondered if he was the distorted voice and the fuzzy figure from her first flashback, when she had been giving Roman clothes to sleep in.

She knocked on the door, and the confused curly haired blond was practically tackled in a hug when he opened it.

"Desmarais?" he questioned, taking a few steps back to steady the two. "What's going on?"

She reached her hands up to his hair, running her fingers through his locks, closing her eyes, praying that something would come to her.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

She stood in front of him, watching as he looked up at her. He was still fuzzy, but Lilah was almost sure that the figure in front of her had to be him. She leaned down, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, engulfing him in a hug. One of her hands found his hair, softling running her fingers through his curls.

"What're you doing?" a distorted voice asked, his voice small.

"I'm a hugger," she replied. "And that is the fact you get to learn about me today."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"I'm a hugger," she said softly, before saying louder and more confidently, "I'm a hugger!"

"You're a hugger?" replied Roman with the same volume, but ending the sentence to make it sound like a question.

Lilah let go of him, placing her hands on his shoulders as she backed away. She stared at him in awe and said, "I think you're the key to why I woke up outside of Mystic Falls."

Roman's eyebrows raised at her words, turning his head to the side in confusion. She just smiled though, feeling like she was making a break through with this mystery hole in her life.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

CHAPTER TEN

TAGS!

@akshi8278

DISCUSSION BOARD!!

· we're at 1k! despite SIDE CHARACTER reaching over 136k reads, every milestone still feels just as exciting as they did the first time i reached them. hopefully book 3 can see the same success as book 1.

· we get to see her friendship with katherine, which i have talked at before. how do we feel? Do we want to see more of Katerina and Lilah's friendship?

· we also see more freya lilah bond, as well as her with Rebekah. everyone's opinions on them?

· what do you guys think it means that lilah only gets fuzzy memories back when she touches things or does things that have connections to either her and elijah or her and roman?

· a lot happens in this chapter. thoughts? now that lilah has sort of figured out that roman is a trigger to some of her memories—though she'll soon realize he won't be the one to trigger her memories of Picture Girl—what do you think will happen?

· writing this chapter was so fun because i almost never touch on lilah's past. sure, we hear about chicago and stefan sometimes—though i've heard that a lot of people want me to write a 1920s lilah&stefan book. might just do lots of flashbacks in this book or in book four, which might be a lilah in tvd alternate universe type thing. and yes, this is me unwilling to just create a new OC to get attached to when I and a lot of other readers already love lilah.

· writing lilah's 1000s and 1500s past is fun because in side character, i always talked about it and never really went into full detail. and i've been writing lilah's character for two years now, and i think while she is a part of my imagination, she's really grown into her own being inside of my head to the point where things just seem right. it's not me just pulling things out of thin air, they feel right.

[ebaeschnbliah]

SCANDINAVIAN  REFERENCES

________________________________________________________________

In Sherlock BBC - and also a little bit outside of it 

While writing on DISTRACTION & CONSEQUENCES and CABIN ON THE MEADOW, involving Phil with his ‘explosive’ car and the Hiker with the bashed-in head, I couldn’t fail to notice that Phil’s unmoving car is a SAAB … which is a Swedish brand. 

According to the informations given during the promotion campaingn for the Escapre Room, TheGameIsNow, Sherlock lives currently in Sweden. Since these aren’t the only occasions where Scandinavian regions are mentioned in Sherlock BBC, the suspicion inevitably arose that those references could be of some importance. Reason enough to make another little list. :)

TBC below the cut ….

Short definition of Scandinavia

The term Scandinavia in local usage covers the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. 

In English usage, Scandinavia also sometimes refers to the Scandinavian Peninsula, or to the broader region including Finland and Iceland.  x

A Scandal in Belgravia

As mentioned above, Phil’s immobile car, which ‘explodes’ and thus distracts the Hiker who, as a consequence, is killed by his own boomerang, is of the Swedish brand SAAB. 

The Empty Hearse

Mr. Howard Shilcott, the ‘train guy (and mirror for Sherlock), possesses important informations about the Underground station at Sumatra Road, which once was built but then closed before it ever opened. He wears a ‘funny hat with earflaps’ made of Islandic sheep wool. That hat becomes an object of significance when Sherlock invites his brother to play deductions with him, just like in the old days.

MYCROFT: The earlier patches are extensively sun-bleached, so he’s worn it abroad – in Peru. SHERLOCK: Peru? MYCROFT: This is a chullo – the classic headgear of the Andes. It’s made of alpaca. SHERLOCK: No. MYCROFT: No? SHERLOCK: Icelandic sheep wool. Similar, but very distinctive if you know what you’re looking for. I’ve written a blog on the varying tensile strengths of different natural fibres.

His Last Vow

The main villain of this episode is designed after Doyle’s British character Charles Augustus Milverton. For some reason, in this adaptation, name and origin of the man have been changed into Charles Augustus Magnussen, who is now from Denmark. The fact that he is ‘foreign’ is driven home explicitly right at the beginning of the episode by the dialogue as well as the accent of the man, who is played by Danish actor Lars Mikkelsen.

GARVIE: Do you think it right that a newspaper proprietor, a private individual and, in fact, a foreign national should have such regular access to our Prime Minister? MAGNUSSEN: I don’t think it’s wrong that a private individual should accept an invitation. However, you have my sincere apologies for being foreign.

The Six Thatchers

Mr. Kingsley, a client, thinks that Sherlock’s deductions, once explained, are actually dead simple. Highly annoyed, Sherlock spontaneously invents a ludicrous story and tells the shocked man that his wife is actually Greta Bengtsdotter, Swedish by birth and the most dangerous spy in the world. She secretly works for none other than James Moriarty and uses her unsuspecting husband as cover to hide her true intentions which will finally precipitate in World War III. 

The first location Mary visits on her hiatus is Norddal in Norway. That’s a small place (ca. 1660 inhabitants) deep inside the Storfjord. Here she picks up a fake passport hidden inside the stonewall of a coastal watchtower. Her new name, Gabrielle Ashdown, is taken from TPLOSH, where Holmes chooses the pseudonym ‘Mr. and Mrs. Ashdown’ for himself and Gabrielle Valladon, the woman who consulted him in the case of her missing husband but is actually Ilse von Hofmannsthal, a German spy who pretends to be Mrs. Valladon. 

The Final Problem

One of the very last scenes of this episode shows a man dressed as Viking, including the (cliched) horned helmet. He lies motionless on the floor in the livingroom of 221b Baker Street (played by Paul Weller). John bends over him and examines his left eye. 

Vikings were highly skilled Norse seafarers who raided and pillaged (like pirates) with their infamous longboats (also well known as dragonboats). They acted as mercenaries but also as merchants, who traded goods across wide areas of Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, European Russia and the North Atlantic islands. Some of them even reached the North-Eastern coast of North America. (X)

That Viking is not the only character in this story who ‘wears horns’. Furthermore, cow horns are also connected to the eye-goddess Hathor, whose other, dangerous side is represented by lioness goddess Sekhmet.

The way this Viking lays there … one leg sharply angled at the knee, the foot shoved beneath the other, outstretched leg and both arms straight beside his torso … it’s a bit odd and strangely reminds me of the ‘dancing men’ drawn on the blackboard in the shot displayed immediately before this one. It almost looks like the way this man lies there could have some meaning. 

And something else comes to mind: the way John bends over the Viking stunningly resembles the scene from Magnussen’s office in HLV, when Sherlock got shot by Mary. One could even say, there are three potential ‘pirates’ gathered in Magnusson’s bedroom in that scene ... Sherlock, John and ‘Viking descendent’ Magnussen. Interesting ...

The Game is Now - Escape Room Promotion

With the cliffhanger of The Final Problem in mind and still no official announcement regarding a fifth series on the horizon, one could come to the assumption that the ‘TheGameIsNow- EscapeRoom’ event serves as a sort of interlude and somehow resembles a ‘SherlockBBC-Hiatus’ (hopefully). Isn’t it interesting that here too, Scandinavia seems to play a role?

During the conversation with Mycroft, in the intercepted message Nr 1, Sherlock mentions that he currently is in Sweden. 

During the intercepted message Nr 2 a map of Scandinavia is shown in the background with informations regarding its natural recources: iron ore, copper, zinc, gold, IKEA and uranium. 

Additionally Mycroft confirms a second time where his brother might be found at the moment: ‘Missing, rumoured to be in Sweden’ is written below a picture of Sherlock, kept in black and white, but temporarily overlaid with pink and green  (Study in Pink and Green)

Scandinavian canon reference regarding the ‘hiatus’

In Doyle’s original story The Empty House, Sherlock Holmes tells Dr. Watson after their reunion that, for some time during his hiatus, he had stayed in Norway under a fake identity. 

“You may have read of the remarkable explorations of a Norwegian named Sigerson, but I am sure that it never occurred to you that you were receiving news of your friend.” (ACD, The Empty House)

Using Sherlock’s own words from The Great Game, one could say that, by now, the story told in Sherlock BBC as well as the EscapeRoom event have a …  ‘distinctly Scandinavian feeling about it’.  :)

Some Scandinavian side notes outside Sherlock BBC

Not Sherlock related. Should be taken with caution and humor: 

Radio Times, November 2018:  Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss reveale that Danish actor Claes Bang will be playing Dracula in their new series. ‘Hell has a new boss’ says the headline. Strictly speaking, the boss in Hell is generally considered to be the Devil (maybe also his grandma :) but surely not Dracula, who is after all just a human who desired immortal strength to protect and revenge the ones whom he loved. At least, that’s the story told in ….

Dracula Untold  (2014) -  some quotes:

"One day I will call on you to serve me in an immortal game of revenge … to unleash my wrath against the one who betrayed me."

“This is not a game!”

"Oh, what better way to endure eternity. For this, is the ultimate game. Light versus dark, hope versus despair. And all the world's fate hangs into the balance." 

Vlad Dracula meets his creator         Let the games begin

“You want me to shake hands with you in Hell? I shall not disappoint you.“  (Sherlock at Jim Moriarty, TRF)

How Dracula BBC came into being

“It came about several years ago,” Gatiss said. “We were filming  — we’d just started the third series of Sherlock, where he comes back from the dead, and we had to break off after two days to go to the RTS Awards (March, 2013) and I had a picture on my phone of Benedict silhouetted against the door of Mrs Hudson’s room. I showed it to Ben Stephenson, who was then the Head of Drama [at the BBC], and I said, ‘Looks like Dracula’. And he said, ‘Do you want to do it?'”  (RadioTimes, April 2019)

“We’re gonna go all Dane“

The same article from RadioTimes, contains an interview with Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss. When asked about their upcomming mini-series ‘Dracula’, if there will be more ‘homegrown talents’ among the cast, the producers answered the question in their most familiar way - with lots of laughter and giggling - obviously taking much pleasure in the announcement of their new ‘informations’.

“No, no ..., it’s strictly Dane from now on. We're only casting over Denmark. I don’t think Denmark’s being sufficiently represented and so we’re gonna go all Dane.”  

Strictly Danes …. well, well …. I’m more curious than ever ... and extremely exited!  :))))  

On Scandinavian name-giving tradition

It is a well known custom in Scandinavian regions to create personal names based on the given name of one’s father, grandfather or male ancestor by adding the ending -son/-sen/-søn or -dotter/-dottir/-dattir. This is called a patronymic (while the same method based on the mother’s name is called matronymic). A good example for this in Sherlock BBC is the character Charles Augustus Magnussen …. Magnus-sen = son of Magnus. 

This kind of Scandinavian name-giving tradition is based entirely on first names. Just assuming though, this method would also be applied to last names, then ... a female descendent of someone with the family name ‘Bang’ could be named ... ‘Bangsdotter’. :)))

A last funny detail:  the subtitles for Sherlock BBC, Series 4 (British Edition), display the name of the famous Swedish spy, Sherlock invents in TST, as Greta Bengsdotter. The correct spelling of the first name of Greta’s father (used here as patronymic) isn’t Beng though …. but Bengt.

Bengt (female, Bengta) is the Swedish equivalent of … Benedict.   :)))

As I said above ... to be taken with caution and humor.  :)))))

Thanks @callie-ariane for the scripts.    Related post by @tendergingergirl

Mai 2019

[jonesaf]

more soccer AU positions

(lowkey cont. from this)

America: Forward. For much the same reason as Denmark is a forward tbh. He’s a rookie playing his first season in a top-tier league, a total goober off the field, but don’t be fooled by his boyish grin --- this boy is ambitious as hell. When he’s out on the pitch, he’s surprisingly tactful and utterly merciless; he doesn’t care if they’re up 5-0, he’s gonna keep going for goal. He’s kind of a jerk on the field honestly; he’s young and his emotions get the better of him at times, and just like Den, he wants every single goal, but his style isn’t as aggressive as Denmark’s overall: his fouls are usually tactical and he’s mostly just making himself a nuisance for the opposing team --- particularly by nutmegging other players, one of his absolute favorite things to do. (It gets him in trouble. A lot.) His platforms of choice are Snapchat and Instagram, 80% of which are selfies, but also gets surprisingly political over on Twitter. He likes to hang out with kids at the park or the academy, and young fans at the stadium too, because he was one of them not too long ago and he really wants soccer to get bigger in the U.S. Much like Denmark, you either love him or hate him, there’s no in-between with this kid.

Canada: Defender (winger) Alfred’s twin brother. It’s something commentators love to talk about, because he plays in Canada, which also competes in MLS --- and I’m gonna namedrop Toronto FC here because I feel like the atmosphere suits him better than Montreal or Vancouver --- which means that the two of them are always pitted against each other, at least outside of the national team. It’s the trend we’re all familiar with: Matthew is the quieter one, keeps to himself, doesn’t do as many interviews, and isn’t a striker, so 8 times out of 10 when people are talking about him, it’s in comparison with his brother. He’s used to it, though it’s not entirely fair; Matthew is just as intense on the field as he is mild off of it, he’s just as fast as Alfred (and they are fast, holy jesus), just as skilled with the ball, and it doesn’t take long before he’s a regular in the starting lineup. This boy will shut you down. He’s the player you don’t really know anything about, but you always want him on the field, ‘cause nobody can get past this kid.

England: Coach. Previously an attacking midfielder in his playing days; all the good parts of maintaining a solid midfield, with the added bonus of scoring goals. Still young enough that Alfred and Matthew remember watching him play whenever English football was on TV, but retired due to problems with injuries; he had a rather hot-headed style of play back then that led to a lot of collisions and fouls. Tends to be hard on his players. Sometimes a little too hard --- nitpicky, one could even say, communication isn’t always his best skill --- but it’s all in the name of good football, you see. He’s not disappointed in you because you suck, he’s disappointed because what you’re doing sucks, and he knows you can be better, so what on earth was that performance? Known for getting, uh. Passionate, shall we say, on the sidelines. Probably coaching Alfred’s team. Also probably grooming Alfred to be captain one day. Maybe also putting a little too much pressure on him as a result...they’ll probably be fine...

France: Retired forward. To quote F. Scott Fitzgerald, “One of those men who reach such an acute limited excellence at twenty-one that everything afterward savors of anti-climax.” Was a star for a hot minute in his day, and probably played for a club that likes to collect star players like Paris Saint-Germain. His career came to a head somewhat early with France’s 1998 World Cup win --- that, combined with the seasons right before and after, was his best run, and something he’s still incredibly proud of. Retired early, perhaps due to injury or because he wasn’t enjoying it enough anymore, and is now in some completely unrelated industry like teaching culinary arts for kids. Still an avid football fan, however, and probably the owner of a club somewhere. A bit of a strange man, very French, but you can’t help but like him. He’s so charming... Small aside: Could perhaps be Alfred and Matthew’s weird uncle. Definitely something going on between him and Arthur. Friends? Rivals? Secret lovers? All of the above? Rumors and theories abound, but nothing has been proven.

Germany: Defender (center-back, vice-captain). This man takes “defending champions of the world” very seriously. Ludwig Beilschmidt is a one-man wall. He’s still young, close to Alfred’s age, but he’s been playing football since he was old enough to kick a ball, and he’s on his way to being one of the best defenders to come out of Germany. Would make a great goalkeeper too, and actually started out as one in his youth, but he wants to be in on the action and influencing the game. Very good at reading the situation. Also very precise, great for corner kicks, intercepting the ball, and long passes. His ambition and hard work mostly serve him well, although he does have a tendency to stress about his performance and dwell way too much on mistakes, which can trip him up and cause a cycle of frustration. It’s just really important to him. Dude is intense. Which is funny, because he’s actually pretty sweet IRL; stern-faced and awkward, but well-meaning. Isn’t on social media much, but his instagram is almost exclusively pictures and videos of his cat and dogs. He’s either a blessing or a curse, depending on which team you’re rooting for.

BONUS

Prussia: Retired defender (left-back, captain). Battled with some chronic health problems before a career-ending injury finally forced him to quit early, but still embedded in the industry somehow; coaching or working with an academy would probably suit him. He’s just as intense as his baby brother (whose praises he will sing at every opportunity as long as Ludwig’s not within earshot; despite his teasing, he’s very proud), but he’s an awesome good mentor and has a deep respect for the sport. Keeping his eye on the growing American soccer market... Small aside: a big fan of the German club Eintracht Frankfurt. There’s just something about that white&black + eagle combination that really...speaks to him...plus, how much more awesome can you get than having an actual, real live eagle as a mascot? Named Attila?! Only if Gilbert himself were playing for them could they ever be more awesome than that.

Japan: Dude is one of the best FIFA19 players you’ve ever seen. Ever. Has a degree in web design or programming, but he’s made his career out of being really damn good at FIFA. Practically an eSports legend. You think eSports is dumb? You think it’s just a video game? Just watch this guy.

China: He’s been here so long he’s played pretty much every position, and he’s not going anywhere any time soon. He’s that player who seems to have been around since the dawn of time, and yet somehow hasn’t aged a day since he turned 30. Probably immortal. May, in fact, never retire, but if he did, he’d still be breaking records for longest coaching career in the history of football.

Mexico: One of the voices urging her country to put more into women’s soccer. Although soccer is incredibly popular in South America, it’s also incredibly male-dominated; women’s soccer teams are largely amateur, and the women’s national team relies heavily on Mexican diaspora in other countries like the USA. It’s so important to her to be nothing less than absolutely outstanding, and boy oh boy, she is. I’m not sure what position she’d play, but I get the feeling she’d be very versatile on the field no matter what. This girl is out there working her ass off every single day.

[kickdownthewalls]

TOP 20 ROCK/METAL ALBUMS OF 2018

This has been a year of surprises and disappointments in pretty equal measure. Judas Priest blew me away with their latest record (and tour) and Immortal made one of the most triumphant comebacks in metal history. On the other hand, Voivod’s new one felt strangely by-the-numbers, as did the latest from Riot V and Monster Magnet. Still, the sheer amount of releases out there, just in the traditional metal and thrash scenes, is somewhat mind-boggling, and there were plenty of excellent albums to be found.

(Countries represented this year: Italy, UK, Sweden, Norway, Germany, USA, Canada, Switzerland, Portugal, and Denmark).

20. BURNING WITCHES - Hexenhammer

Switzerland is a tiny nation, but they have given the world some of the most creative and diverse bands over the years, from Krokus to Celtic Frost to Samael and beyond. Burning Witches combine elements of melodic thrash and classic heavy metal for a sound that works quite well and is perfectly suited to Seraina Telli’s powerful vocal delivery. The album has its ups and downs but the title track and “Open Your Mind” are both flat-out brilliant.

19. PERPETRATÖR - Altered Beast

This is how I like my thrash metal: fast, evil, dirty, but still well-played and composed. Perpetratör hail from Portugal and this is only their second full album, but it is a scorcher. Songs like “Extreme Barbarity” and “Terminal Possession” are brutally fast in the vein of the early Germans, but the band explore some more mid-tempo riffs here and there as well. Like all my favorite thrash bands, these guys sound like they are playing just on the edge of what they can get away with and the effect is electric.

18. ARTILLERY - The Face of Fear

These Danish thrashers are one of those bands that has always had consistently quality releases but, for whatever reason, never really made the impact others in the genre have over the years. While the line-up has changed over time, the current incarnation has done three albums together now and sounds quite comfortable here. The drum sound is a bit ‘bonky’ for my tastes, but the quality of the tunes rises above it. Bonus points for the variety of songs on offer, too, from speedy, complex thrash, to power ballads to straight-ahead heavy metal.

17. LUCIFER - II

Lucifer’s brand of retro doom rock is both obvious in its influences and original in its assembly of said influences. The jazzier side of early Sabbath is the most prevalent element at work here, with riffs that range from heavy and evil to mournful and atmospheric. Despite some line-up changes, the sound is pretty consistent with the excellent debut from 2015, with perhaps a bit more clarity in the production (though nowhere near polished-sounding, fear not).

16. WITCHING HOUR - ...And Silent Grief Shadows the Passing Moon

The number of excellent bands with ‘witch’ in their name is strangely high this year and Germany’s Witching Hour are another to add to that list. This is their third full-length and displays a great deal of maturity and talent for writing complex yet compelling songs. Elements of black and thrash metal abound, but there is a lot of other stuff going on here, too, and lots of melody. The bass playing is particularly impressive and really adds a whole extra dimension to the music, while the vocals are a potent mix of plaintive and grim and complement the dark, intricate songs beautifully. This was a late-year release and, given some more spins, it will likely rise on this list.

15. SATAN - Cruel Magic

It is rare that a band can pull together their classic line-up the way that Satan did in 2013, let alone one that can then proceed to release three albums back-to-back that fall right in line with their old material. Cruel Magic is the latest of these and has all the hallmarks that made Satan great: finely-crafted heavy metal that is speedy and complex, organic production, and an overall sound that is truly their own. They may have only caught the tail-end of the NWOBHM but damn if they weren’t one of the scene’s best and it is heart-warming to see and hear them continuing the legacy 35 years later.

14. ABYSMAL GRIEF - Blasphema Secta

Abysmal Grief are Italian doom masters that create a sound that is heavy, gothic, creepy, and relentless all at once. Most songs are in the 8-9 minute range and are usually centered around a few core riffs, but the way the band build them up and vary them throughout really pulls the listener in. Keyboards are used quite a bit and to great effect, while the vocals range from mournful to menacing. The band has kept a very consistent style since day one, with only the production getting a little better with each release, and Blasphema Secta sounds both heavier and cleaner than anything prior.

13. STRIKER - Play to Win

Been following these stalwart Canucks since their debut EP a decade ago and I’m glad to see that they have continued to evolve and refine their sound with each new album. Play to Win is probably the most ‘commercial’ release to date, with tons of melody and big choruses, but there is still plenty of heaviness on tracks like “Heart of Lies” and “Summoner” to keep a nice balance. Striker has gotten really good at writing distinctive songs that aren’t just a collection of riffs but actual, well-constructed tunes.

12. BULLET - Dust to Gold

This Swedish quintet has been bashing it out for 15+ years and still manages to release an invigorating collection of hard rockin’ metal tunes. Stylistically, Dust to Gold covers a fair amount of ground, from heavy metal in the vein of Accept and Grave Digger to more upbeat rockers ala Krokus and AC/DC. The common denominator throughout is a sense of fun that is missing from entirely too many albums these days.

11. LEATHER - II

Leather’s powerful voice was always the thing that raised Chastain from a good band to a great one and I’m pleased to report that she sounds just as good in 2018 as she did in 1988. The opening track “Juggernaut” is one of the best speed metal songs I have heard in a while and the rest of the album is consistently good, too. Shades of Dio and Priest color the wide range of tunes here and the band turn in some excellent, spirited performances. Glad to see Leather back on the scene and, as much as I enjoyed the Chastain reunion records, I think this one is even better.

10. HAUNT - Burst Into Flame

Although I enjoyed the first Haunt EP, the full-length debut really takes it up a notch. This is classic, old-school heavy metal that reminds me a bit of the first couple of Cauldron albums, with some wonderful dual-guitar work thrown in for good measure. The vocals are clean but remarkably restrained compared to some of the screamers out there, making for a nice change of pace. Songs “Reflectors” and “Burst Into Flame” have a haunting (ahem) timelessness to them and the album flows really well from start to finish.

9. THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA - Sometimes the World Ain't Enough

Despite featuring members of Soilwork and Arch Enemy, this is a long, long way from death metal, melodic or otherwise. Although the band’s first effort had a distinctly late-70s hard rock vibe to it, each record since has taken the listener deeper into the world of 80s AOR. Unlike a lot of the sterile, radio-friendly acts from that actual era, NFO bring a warmth and heartfelt approach that really brings the music alive. This is the band’s fourth album and probably their weakest, but it still stands well above the average album of 2018. Songs like “Turn To Miami” and “Pretty Thing Closing In” are immediate, timeless classics.

8. THE CROWN - Cobra Speed Venom

Although Deathrace King is still one of my top 5 death metal records of all time, The Crown never really were able to duplicate its genius. Cobra Speed Venom, however, comes damn close. It has all the brutality that the band is known for but brings back a lot of the punky/thrash energy and memorable riffs that have been missing for a while. The first three songs might be the best start to any album this year; just relentless, mayhemic brilliance. Top it off with one of the coolest and most original album covers I’ve seen in a while, along with three bonus tracks that are actually worth adding, and you have one hell of a return to form.

7. SAXON - Thunderbolt

Saxon certainly made some missteps in the late 80s, but I can’t think of another band that has remained as true to form over the years, while also consistently putting out quality albums and touring relentlessly. Thunderbolt is no Wheels of Steel or even Call To Arms, but it is still a solid record that is as good or better than the last couple. From the melodic timelessness of “The Secret of Flight” to the moody “Nosferatu (The Vampire’s Waltz)” to the raging “They Played Rock and Roll,” there is also a diversity rivaled only by Priest on this list.

6. BLACK OATH - Behold the Abyss

When it comes to true, epic, soul-crushing doom metal, Black Oath have become true masters. I have been following this band since the Portrait of the Dead single back in 2010 and am pleased to say they just keep going from strength to strength. Behold the Abyss balances a lush production, clean vocals, and plenty of melody, with dreadnought riffage and blissfully dark, esoteric lyrics. A rich, dynamic work of black art.

5. SIGN OF THE JACKAL - Breaking the Spell

This amazing Italian band has created a style that is equal parts early 80s Warlock and late 80s Judas Priest. Great, driving metal tunes that sometimes border on speed metal with plenty of screaming solos and hooky choruses. The recording, the mix, the energy, everything about this record is incredibly old-school and authentic, right down to the 32-minute running time.

4. AUDREY HORNE - Blackout

Ever since these Norwegian rockers abandoned all pretense and went full-on retro with their Youngblood album, I have been hooked. They compose hard-hitting rock tunes with tons of hooks and Lizzy-esque harmonies that give a nod to metal and punk without really being either. The first three songs - “This is War,” “Audrevolution,” and “Blackout” - are all perfectly built and give a great cross-section of the band’s diverse sound. Toschie’s vocals are as unique as his fashion sense and, as much as I loved the last two records, I think this one may be their best yet.

3. BRAINSTORM - Midnight Ghost

Brainstorm has long since perfected their style (as far back as Soul Temptation, some fifteen years ago), and each new release is really just varying levels of execution. As good as Scary Creatures was a couple years back, Midnight Ghost is truly brilliant and may possibly take the title as my favorite Brainstorm outing. All of the usual plusses are in place - great production, top-notch musicianship, catchy tunes - but the songs themselves are just a tad bit more finely honed and memorable. “Ravenous Minds” and “When Pain Becomes Real” in particular are killer and there is nary a dull moment here.

2. IMMORTAL - Northern Chaos Gods

My first Immortal record was At the Heart of Winter and it is still my favorite black metal album, hands down. The combination of raw, icy riffs with the mind-blowing drumming and just enough melody to keep it all together was/is intoxicating. Immortal has never done a bad album, but some are definitely better than others and Northern Chaos Gods is one of the best ones. The ferocity is up there with Pure Holocaust and Demonaz’s vocals, while not quite as distinctive as Abbath’s, fit the music perfectly. The band wisely took their time to put this record together and the results speak for themselves.

1. JUDAS PRIEST - Firepower

Priest has been one of my favorite metal bands since I first got into them back in ’82 and they are still right up there with Sabbath, Accept, and Mercyful Fate, with a catalog that is as diverse as it is brilliant. After the disappointing Nostradamus and good-but-not-great Redeemer of Souls, it was a real pleasure to hear Firepower, a true, all-guns-blazing Priest record. The production is 1000% better than anything they have released in the last two decades and the material is both diverse and top-notch. Songs like “Firepower,” “Never the Heroes,” “Children of the Sun,” and “No Surrender” have such a classic sound to them and Rob has not sounded this good since Painkiller. Even the weakest tracks (“Lone Wolf” and “Sea of Red”) have grown on me a bit, so I am confident that Firepower will go down in history as one of the band’s crowning achievements.

I must also mention some very impressive EPs, demos, and singles that were released this year, namely those from CIRITH UNGOL, ROUGH SPELLS, ÜLTRA RAPTÖR, PULVER, SIGNIFICANT POINT, TENTATION, ANCIENT SÉANCE, SABÏRE, and OCCULT BURIAL. If you aren’t familiar with any of these bands or haven’t heard their latest, I highly recommend getting acquainted immediately.

As usual, my list could have gone on much longer, but here are the bands that just missed the top 20: AMORPHIS, AURA NOIR, BEHEMOTH, BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB, BLACK VIPER, BLADE KILLER, CAULDRON, DIMMU BORGIR, DREAM CHILD, GOAT WORSHIP, GRAHAM BONNETT BAND, IRON ANGEL, KHEMMIS, KRISIUN, NIGHT VIPER, PRIMAL FEAR, PROFESSOR BLACK, RIOT V, SABOTER, SKULL FIST, SUBSTRATUM, TAD MOROSE, VISIONS OF ATLANTIS, VULCAIN, WHITE WIZZARD, WITCHFYRE, and WYTCH HAZEL.

What is on the horizon for 2019? Well, I am already psyched about the new ones from CANDLEMASS, DELAIN, ROCK GODDESS, FLOTSAM & JETSAM, CHAINBREAKER, SOILWORK, WITHIN TEMPTATION, MORTAL SCEPTER, HAMMERFALL, and TYTUS, plus possible releases from SACRED REICH, DEATH ANGEL, and EXCITER all have me really looking forward to the coming twelve months. The world is crumbling around us, but at least the metal scene is stronger than ever!

[starborn-souls]

Immortals with jobs, part two!

HAH  Guess thought that was it, huh?!

So, back to the jobs thing. As if I stopped thinking about it. 

Ravil’s a professional swimmer, only competes within Narova so his existence as an immortal doesn’t get revealed, although he would like to compete on the international stage at some point. 

Kurt bartends, been working at the same bar in Rønne, Denmark for a couple of years now. He hasn’t cared enough to tell his boss what he is, and isn’t exactly sociable so it’s not like it’s come up. Agnar actually convinced him to take the job to be less of an ‘antisocial shut in’ and he isn’t actually sure why he hasn’t quit yet or how he hasn’t gotten fired

Bernhard is, quite simply, a workaholic. He’s had different jobs over the years, but currently works as an accountant for a private company in Copenhagen. 

Agnar’s got seasonal job as a sailor/fisherman in Bornholm. It was originally Bernhard’s idea as a way for Agnar to get rid of some excess energy and have something to do other than fuck around at bars and clubs. He quickly grew to love it. Whether he knows it or not, he did inherit a good bit of his mothers and grandmothers inability to stay put, and the fishing/sailing thing does scratch that itch for him in a way he can’t quite describe. 

And hey, new guy! More of a background character but fuck it. 

Emrys is a psychiatrist based out of Cardiff. He’s been practicing for a few years now, ultimately decided to go through the necessary courses and what not to get the required credentials to legally practice. While he does see primary mortals, he is known among the immortal community to a degree as someone they can go to without having to resort to half truths to conceal their true nature.

[bbcbreakingnews]

England v Italy Euro 2020 final: No egos allowed makes this England camp different – Rio Ferdinand

I’ve never had so much confidence in England at a tournament as I’ve had during Euro 2020, and the same applies for Sunday’s final. I fancy us strongly against Italy.

I was hopeful about our chances before we even started this journey but, by watching each step we’ve taken, that turned into genuine belief we could go all the way – I was quite relaxed before we played Ukraine, and Denmark too.

The two biggest reasons for that are our squad depth and the culture that Gareth Southgate has created in the camp, where there are no egos allowed.

Put all that together, and it makes the difference – it’s why we are in our first men’s final for 55 years.

There’s no point looking back and wondering why we didn’t get it right in the past, including in my time with England, because I want to shine the spotlight on these players and why they are here now.

You speak to Gary Lineker or Alan Shearer and it’s the same. It’s not about what we did or didn’t do or what we didn’t have then – we didn’t win, it’s as simple as that.

We can all make excuses but it boils down to the fact we weren’t good enough.

These guys are eclipsing anything that my generation and before has done, other than in 1966. Now they have a chance to become immortal.

Beat Italy, and their names are up in lights for years to come, so what an opportunity it is for them.

An environment that allows players to flourish

Gareth Southgate admits he got carried away celebrating after reaching the Euro 2020 final

Squads always win you these tournaments, on the pitch and off it, and it is the same this time too.

England have not only got the quality they need with this group, they have got the right attitude and ambiance as well.

We’ve got more strength in depth than I can remember us having at any previous tournament I’ve played in or watched.

It means that, during matches, Gareth can bring people on to make an attacking impact or get through difficult moments without our level dropping the way I’ve seen happen with other teams in the past few weeks.

In our semi-final, for example, it was evident once Denmark started making substitutions that they were not as effective. We can go the other way, though – to up the ante with changes and find a way of winning a game, or see things out.

The composure we showed to do that in the final few minutes of extra-time on Wednesday, when there was so much stake, was just incredible.

That comes from the manager and it’s just part of the way Gareth has created a brilliant environment that has allowed these players to flourish.

I am fortunate in that I get to speak to a lot of the England players and I know why it’s working.

There are plenty of elements to it but I’d say the main one is that there are no egos allowed in this squad – instead everyone is very humble.

Everyone wants to be a part of this

We’ve got some exceptional players but Southgate has instilled a togetherness in the camp that feels different to what I’ve seen before.

The game has changed since I was with England, when it felt like the rivalries between players from different clubs were a bit more intense.

That kind of feeling probably still exists now, between say Manchester City and Liverpool players, but the way Southgate has managed this group since the 2018 World Cup, has not allowed it to have a detrimental effect on the squad dynamic.

When there have been incidents, like the clash between Liverpool’s Joe Gomez and City’s Raheem Sterling in 2019, Gareth has dealt with it swiftly, efficiently and effectively.

‘All families have disagreements’ Gareth Southgate on Raheem Sterling Joe & Gomez

With the right communication, he has made sure the players know what is expected of them and they know he won’t accept anything else.

They have bought into it because, since Russia, Gareth has given them this idea there is a pathway to a really successful period with England – they can see where he is trying to get them to.

It seems to me that they all really want to be a part of it and every single one of them is right behind him, whether they are starting matches or not. No-one is sulking if they are left out – they all want to be a part of this, I would too.

A positive relationship with the media too

It’s clear there’s a strong bond between everyone in the squad and the staff, and I love the way they are so relaxed in front of the media too because that has helped build a better connection with the fans.

Again that comes from Southgate.

I said before Euro 2020 that I don’t think I’ve seen an England manager handle that side of things as well he has, and it is such an important part of the job.

In my time with England, we almost saw the press as enemies, who were there to trip us up. Southgate would have been in squads himself where it was very prickly between us and the media and understood how it affects players, so he has tried to change things.

Having the media in and around the group, especially in Russia and since then, has built a stronger relationship. That has helped make some people’s coverage a little bit more responsible and also meant the players are less guarded in interviews.

I don’t see them sitting there with their shields up anymore, like I might have done in the past.

There still has to be some distance, of course, but because players are not trying to protect themselves they can speak very openly and eloquently. They sound informed, and are informative whether you are watching or reading at home. It’s impressive all round.

All of this is easier to do when you are winning games, of course, but having a positive atmosphere around the camp is one of the things that helps that happen in the first place.

The hard work has paid off. Now they are in a brilliant situation where there is one game to go, at Wembley, with the whole nation behind them.

After what everyone has gone through in the past 18 months, I think the public came into this tournament waiting and hoping for something to give them a lift.

Whatever happens on Sunday, England have already done that.

Rio Ferdinand was speaking to BBC Sport’s Chris Bevan.

source http://bbcbreakingnews.com/2021/07/09/england-v-italy-euro-2020-final-no-egos-allowed-makes-this-england-camp-different-rio-ferdinand/

[neneyandere]

Hello! I just discovered your blog and your writing is really good, I love it! I was wondering if you could do some headcanons about the yandere Nordics? If you can't it's okay! Have a nice day ^^

Um, I’m sorry I don’t write as many as I usually do. I just tend to write a little less for each character requested, but I promise I’ll try! 

P.S. I’m going to cosplay as Norway, and my friend is gonna be Denmark. We’re eventually going to post cosplay videos on YouTube. Eventually.

—-

Denmark:

-Viking? King of Scandinavia? You are fucked.

-As happy and cheerful as he usually is, he can actually be really vicious. Like, bloodthirsty. Bathing in the blood of his enemies.

-Oh, but that isn’t easy to get away with anymore…unless the person he’s jealous of just happens to get lost.

-You probably have no idea it’s him.

-But random people going missing has been showing up on the news a lot lately…it’s kind of freaky.

-On another note, Matthias needs you to pick him up again from the bar, considering he’s drunk off his ass.

-It’s kind of mean how his friends keep happening to leave him there. And how his friend Lukas would murder him for doing this every time. He really needs your help.

-Thanks. You’re a lifesaver. But is he really as drunk as he says?

Norway:

-Wait, Norway can experience EMOTIONS!?

-You’re probably the only person who’s seen him smile in the last century. Not joking.

-Probably uses a love spell or potion on you. He’s rather impatient.

-No need to worry about dying. His presence will extend your lifespan until he gathers the ingredients to make you immortal. Until then, here’s a charm to keep you from going insane.

-I’m not joking. He’s been prepared to keep you for months now.

-Oh, yes. Almost forgot. That boy you’re friends with? His house was set on fire. Wonder what happened?

Iceland:

-”Stay away from my family, they’ll turn you against me.”

-He thinks the other Nordics, particularly Norway and Denmark, will embarrass him to the point that he’ll never see you again, whether you’re with him willingly or not.

-Kind of skeptical about Mr. Puffin. On one hand, the bird can be used to follow you when he has to leave.

-On the other, he talks a lot. He’s going to end up telling you about the stuff he’s done eventually…

-Actually isn’t that bad. More of a low-key Yandere.

-Like, if you flirt with somebody, or somebody flirts with you and won’t take a hint then he’ll take care of it. But otherwise? Just don’t leave him, and you’ll be fine.

Sweden:

-The gentle giant becomes a lot less gentle.

-He doesn’t actually have to hurt a lot of people. His aura usually does most of the scaring away for him.

-He doesn’t kill anybody directly. Too easy to be caught. He wouldn’t be arrested, of course, but what if you found out?

-However, a few people have been crushed by faulty furniture lately. Good thing Berwald checked yours. You’re in no danger.

-Why is everybody so scared of him? You haven’t seen anything worth being scared of…

-Huh? It felt like the room just dropped ten degrees as soon as your friend sat down next to you. Does the couch feel funny?

Finland:

-Maker, save us. Why are the sweet, loving countries always so terrifying as Yanderes?

-Unlike Italy and Canada, he doesn’t wait to snap in order to become fucking scary. No. He’s sniped half the potential rivals on his list. The others? He was nice enough to decide that the guy who handed you your coffee can live.

-Of course, you have no idea. That’s the worst part. You’re alone, and scared.

-Easy prey for somebody to slip in and comfort you. Humans are social creatures. They desire some form of communication, or they go mental.

-Of course, you’ll be going mental anyway.

-Oh? Somebody broke into your house and left a creepy not covered in blood? Well, you’re more than welcome to stay with him! Oh! You could meet his family! He needed to talk to Norway anyway. Something about a ‘snail…’ or was it a spell?

[fan-writers-support-blog]

Fic Recs Part 1

This is all the Fic Recommendations by Followers, Mods or even the writers themselves. They’re from Tumblr, Wattpad, Fanfiction.net, AO3 or anywhere where the fics come from. Not all of them are Fanfictions but lovely stories made by writers from all over. (All stories are linked)

Gladiator (APH Ancient Rome)

Author: Enchanting Grace

Rating: Kids and up

Summary: A young Roman boy who dreams of being a gladiator gets his wish, but finds out it’s not all he thought it would be.

Break Down: A Historical Berlin Wall Story (APH Prussia, Germany & Russia)

Author: Hetalia-Girl-5000

Rating: Mature

Summary: Prussia sacrifices himself for his little brother, but that means he now has to live with Russia and everything and everyone else that comes with it. Historical Dark!Hetalia. Because: History! Non-Pairing! Not-completely-evil-Russia. Rated T for Violence, physical/psychological torture, respectful mentions of the Holocaust, mentions of self-harm and suicide, drugs…etc.

Higher Education (APH Nordics; Iceland-centric)

Author: Vyra Finn

Rating: Teen and up

Summary: After a brief argument with his boss, Iceland finds himself enrolled in the University of Copenhagen. Not only he is a nation but now he somehow needs to survive the student life and keep it all secret from his family. Good thing Denmark never notices anything, right?

To Die For Them (APH Nordics)

Author: Vyra Finn

Rating: Mature

Summary: They are immortals but sometimes, they get hurt and they have to die. That’s why they have their family to keep them safe and help them come back again.

How To Survive the Vikings (APH Nordics; Iceland and Finland-centric)

Author: Vyra Finn

Rating: Teen and up

Summary: Something goes wrong during their holiday and Finland and Iceland end back up in viking times. Armed with only a silly history book and DIY bow without any arrows, they go on to find the viking version of Norway and return to their own time. But the rather big cultural shocks are not the only problem–because the Scandinavians might not have been the nicest guys, exactly.

Familia Vineam (APH Ancient Rome/China)

Author: sinamor

Rating: Teen and up

Summary: As a silk merchant, Wang Yao made comfortable living along the trading routes of Sīchóu Zhī Lù. As a Roman slave, he finds himself in an unusual position tending to four unique (and very high maintenance) Roman boys and their equally unique, high maintenance equestrian father, Romulus. human AU, silk road pair.

The Swan and the Nightingale (APH DenNor)

Author: doubleox515

Rating: Mature

Summary: Underage and afraid, Lukas heads into the horror that is the frontlines of France. From 1915 onwards, there are many surprises, and Lukas’ new friend Matthias is also full of surprises. Nothing is as it seems: on the fronts or at home in London. Going through the terrors of war and when Matthias’ secrets are revealed, the pair learn that only their love will keep them together.

Number the Stars (APH PruAus)

Author: gummyboots

Rating: Teen and up

Summary: His eyes are Aryan, his hair Jewish and he speaks German as if the language walks unbalanced on his tongue; on stilts, in fear.In 1943 occupied Poland and in the shadow of murderers, Gilbert Beilschmidt, a former German soldier of the Great War, risks everything to help Jewish pianist Roderich Edelstein survive the war. WW2 PruAus, told in 60 themed sentences, 60 words each.

Jam Jars (Wattpad, AO3 or Tumblr)

Author: Yonnette Anderson

Summary: The city of Bochardess has never been kind to Vera, but by some stroke of luck she has finally managed to get herself a friend in high places, and a job.Vera has been assigned as Emma's bodyguard. Vera has never been a bodyguard before. She doesn't know what she's protecting Emma from, she doesn't know who Emma is and she doesn't know why she's so eager to help her. All she knows is the job pays well, and she doesn't have another option.Then Emma is attacked. Vera, fellow bodyguard Tsuru and Emma embark on a search to figure out what is going on, and it soon becomes clear that they are facing forces far greater than they could have imagined.Toeing the line between giving up and letting her rage loose, Vera finds her situation ever more perilous as the days go by.Can Vera, Tsuru and Emma figure out the mysteries of Bochardess before everything is lost?

[autumn-showers-bring-snowflowers]

FFT of the Week #2: The Case of Missing Morway (Warning: RANT AHEAD)

Food for thought: I think I’m going to raise some hackles with this rant, so I just want to throw out a disclaimer. Even though I try to be as historically accurate and incorporate Nordic culture and history into my characterization of these guys, I am, by no means, an expert on Nordic history, nor do I claim to be. I do, however, enjoy researching Nordic history and culture in my spare time, especially since finding out that I have Norwegian ancestry on my mother’s side last summer. I also want to make it clear that it’s not my intention to offend anybody at all; I merely just want to express my opinion based on my personal interpretation and characterization of APH Norway, as well as one particular pet peeve I have regarding how the fandom portrays him.

It’s been over two years now since I’ve gotten sucked into this fandom, and during the course of those two years, I couldn’t help but to notice how Norway’s role as a parent figure in Iceland’s life is brushed aside and overlooked in comparison to Denmark’s. Now, please don’t get me wrong: I love me some Dadmark and Sonland bonding… but not when Morway’s cut entirely from the family picture. True, Dadmark was a single father for nearly a century, but in comparison to the near millennia that Norway also raised Iceland, it’s rather minuscule in comparison. It was Norwegian settlers that first discovered Iceland in the late 9th century. Therefore, we can assume that Norway has raised Iceland since at least 900 AD, which means that he was Iceland’s parent first. The Treaty of Kiel took place in 1814. Norway gained independence in 1905. Norway’s union with Sweden lasted only 91 years. That’s it. Not even a whole century. It only seems long to us, because 91 years spans a whole human lifetime. For nations, however, it’s only a tiny chunk of their immortal lives. So to say something along the lines that Norway missed out on Iceland’s entire childhood (or even a chunk of it) is just simply not accurate. :/

I’m sorry to sound like a fuddy-duddy, since I know it can make for some great angst between the two brothers, and by all means, I’m not here to rain on anybody’s parade here with this rant. It’s just my opinion that this is inaccurate. I can’t even imagine that Iceland aged much during those 91 years, and Hima even drew official art of Denmark and Norway holding hands and raising little Icey together. He appeared to be at least five years old in the drawing, and after their reunion in 1905, I would assume that Norway resumed raising him alongside Denmark. I can certainly imagine and agree that Iceland would have been hurt at first, since back in those times, he would have really been too young to understand the politics behind it.

That being said, let’s also not forget that the union between the nations, as stated by Hima and other sources I’ve looked into, was forced. At the very least, Norway absolutely did not willingly leave his family or abandon Iceland. And it makes me sad to see some fans use that as a grounds to portray Norway as a worse parent than Denmark. Norway would NEVER willingly abandon his loved ones for whatever reason. He never abandoned Iceland. He has just as much parenting experience as Denmark does, and he’s just as good of a parent to Iceland as Denmark is. Denmark was only Iceland’s sole parent for 91 years, not his whole childhood. Of course, neither Norway nor Denmark are perfect parents. In fact, I could come up with a list of several reasons why they aren’t, but in my opinion, they’re still pretty damn great parents. Both have their unique flaws, and due to some of the difference in their personality, their parenting styles are probably very different. Which is what make them great parents in the first place; they balance each other out.

Okay, I’m done with my hissin’ and bitchin.’ I promise not all of these FFTs will be as opinionated or long. xD

tl;dr: Norway didn’t abandon Iceland. He raised him for over a millennia and has just as much parenting experience and expertise as Denmark. He missed 91 years of Iceland’s life, but 91 years =/= Iceland’s entire childhood. Both he and Denmark are fan-fuckin-tastic parents (or big brothers, if you will).

[wordfighter]

Ge mig en kaka till kaffet

Summary: Pastor A (for this story named Agatha) is enjoying a nice Danish summer day together with a friend. Type: Short story/fanfiction Words: 1134 Category: Stand Still Stay Silent Genre: Friendship Rating: K+ Characters: Pastor A, OC Warnings: Food, soccer, discussions about God and immortal souls, a light curse word

Read it here or at ff.net

Agatha looked at a blackbird that was looking for food beneath one of the bushes outside of her church and smiled. It was a nice summer day, the sun was bright, the few clouds white and fluffy and the flowers were blooming beautifully. She picked up a small round table and carried it outside, placed a couple of chairs next to it and put a white table cloth over it. It was almost three in the afternoon and her friend would arrive soon. She went back inside, started the coffee machine and took the freshly baked cake out of the oven.

She heard the sound of an old car that had seen better days arriving outside and said a short thank to her God for keeping the driver from crashing into the wall. She put the coffee and the cake in a basket together with two cups and some biscuits and went outside again. A man her age waved at her, almost dropped the laptop he was carrying and she put the basket down, hurried to his side.

”I've told you to be careful, Gunnar.”

”No roses were harmed this time either, don't need to worry about me. Look what my niece lent me.”

”How nice of her.”

”We can watch the game and still enjoy the sun now. We're facing Sweden today, wouldn't want to miss it for the world! But you still don't care much, do you?”

”You know I enjoy a good game now and then”, she took the laptop from him and he hooked her arm with his. ”I have a mission that's bigger than a few games of soccer though.”

”Know all about it, dear”, he sat down on one of the chairs. ”But Sweden – Denmark! I bet even your God is watching!”

”He could be your God too, you know.”

She made room for the laptop on the table and poured coffee for the two of them while Gunnar tried to figure out how to get the game to play. Agatha watched the flowers and the bees while he worked, hushed him whenever he cursed. He just laughed, told her to lighten up and continued.

”There, it's working!”

”Good job!” she took a biscuit and leaned back, looked at the clouds. ”How has the week been?”

”Same old, store's pretty dead. Everyone's on the beach or getting drunk in Germany so there's not much for me to do. Wife's talking about taking a week off and going to Spain, but...” Gunnar gestured to the sky. ”Your God has blessed us with this weather, would be wrong not to enjoy it while it lasts.”

”Truer words have rarely left your mouth”, Agatha smiled. ”When does the game start?”

”In half an hour”, he closed the lid and drank some coffee. ”How's stuff in church?”

”We had a wedding.”

”Someone I know?”

”Alex and Jytte. They're from the capital, but they met each other here a few years back.”

”Ah, yes, I remember them.”

”Gunnar, don't lie.”

Gunnar laughed and accepted the cake Agatha offered him, gestured to a pile of dirt.

”Moles again?”

”Yes, sadly. Luckily no one has gotten hurt this year.”

”Want me to get rid of them?”

”No thank you, they also need a place to live.”

”If you say so.”

Silence fell and they listened to the sounds of the garden, of the town. A couple stopped for a few minutes to talk with them before continuing to the hospital. At half past three Gunnar opened the laptop again, nudged Agatha.

”Wanna bet on the outcome?”

”Betting is a sign of greed and is just another sin.” She smiled. ”2-1 to Denmark.”

”Alright, loser has to make dinner. 2-1 to Sweden, they have Zlatan.”

”I was under the impression that you didn't like him.”

”Well, he's a Swede, but he's still one hell of a soccer player.”

”Gunnar, please do not curse on God's doorstep.”

”Sorry, sorry. Will he smite me now?”

”Only if you do not ask for forgiveness.”

”I bet God curses all the time.”

”I'm not taking that discussion again.”

She poured them another cup of coffee and they watched the beginning of the game in silence. Sweden made the first goal and Gunnar did a small dance around the table. Agatha laughed, told him to sit down before he broke something and he did so.

”Will you be coming to church tomorrow?”

Gunnar looked at the sky, then back at the laptop before shaking his head.

”Nah, you know I don't believe in the big guy up there.”

”You might not believe in him, but he believes in you.”

”Yeah, have you asked him to stop that? He's got more important stuff to worry about.”

”I thought you didn't believe.”

”I don't. I'm not dismissing him though.”

Gunnar waved at the sky and laughed.

”God and me, we're pals like that.”

”It wouldn't hurt you to come to church every now and then.”

”I'm here now, aren't I?”

”True”, Agatha smiled. ”No need to worry about your immortal soul then.”

Denmark scored and Gunnar lifted his hand for a high-five, but Agatha didn't comply so Gunnar high-fived himself and continued watching the game. A small bird landed on the table and served itself some crumbs and Agatha watched it until it flew away.

”One of this year's kids”, she said.

”Very cute. Watch the game, Zlatan's gonna do a penalty kick!”

They watched as Zlatan placed the ball, backed away and then...

”GOAL!” Gunnar shouted. ”Sweden 2-1, I told you!”

”It's not over yet. And stop with the gloating, it doesn't suit you.”

Gunnar laughed, leaned back in the chair again. The game continued, came to an end, but Denmark didn't score a second goal.

”Dinner's on me tonight then”, Agatha said and got up, started putting everything back into the basket. ”Will you bring your wife?”

”She'd love to, she complained yesterday that it had been too long since she saw you.”

”She is always welcome here, tell her that.”

”You know how it is. Lots to do at work, family who won't let her breathe.”

”How is she doing?”

”She has gotten worse again. It takes a lot of her.”

”If there's anything I can do...”

”Keep praying to the big man up there, put in a good word for her. She doesn't deserve this.”

Gunnar closed the laptop, bowed before Agatha.

”Thanks for coffee and company. I'll bring her around in... two hours? Sounds good?”

”It sounds perfect, I will see you then.”

She watched after Gunnar as he walked back to the car, waved when he drove away and went back inside. She noticed the blackbird from earlier and smiled as she put the basket down. In that moment, life was everything she could ask for.

[c9sneaksen-blog]

when it rains

Word Count: 2136

Wow, hello! Um… I wrote this very late into the night, from 2 AM - 4 AM and it kind of just… it’s one big blurb… so I’m afraid it isn’t very good, ahah. I’m sorry! School has been kicking my butt and I haven’t had much time to get into the Sneaksen spirit and I was just really excited to sit down and write something. So I hope you can enjoy this anyways!

—

“You can hear the thunder and the pitter-patter, soon-to-be downpour of the rain in the distance. The brontide is a weird sort of music to you– like an anthem that you cannot seem to replace somewhere deep, deep in your heart. What can you say? You are a Dane at heart and, although you don’t seem to talk much about it, you can’t replace the land of rain and just kind-of nippy cold in your heart.

But you can certainly make room for something else.”

—

A lot of things are different now.

  Like location. Let’s talk location. California sure is a change from the ever-rainy, tad-cold Denmark. Or, well, maybe it’s just you that’s cold. You and your long-sleeved shirts. But, who can blame you? You used to get rain often. And it was easier to wear shirts beneath shirts than carry umbrellas around all the time. California doesn’t get much rain, but when it does, well, god. Ever hear that phrase, when it rains, it pours?

  You’ve got a job– for the first time in your life. A job– about playing games– you get to play games– and get money for it? Wow. That’s different. And a good one at that. Cloud 9 is, of course, a dream come true– to any gamer– to any esports fan– because who doesn’t want to play games for a living? It’s on the same level as athleticism, sure, but it’s your true love– and you would not trade it for any better marks in school or any more rainy days in California.

  You fiddle with the little black box, twirling it around over and over, fidgeting over it with your long fingers. The fabric feels soft and fuzzy.

  What else is different? Your feelings. But, do any feelings ever stay the same? Does anything ever stay the same in this day, this age?

  “Hey,” he says, softly, finally, after forcibly barging into your room after banging on the thin wall that divides the two of you, shutting the door behind him, fiddling with your glasses from behind you. With lightning-speed, you shove the box into your hoodie pocket– you don’t think he noticed.

  “Hey,” is all you say back, because you’re not too sure what to say. That’s one thing that’s not changed. You still aren’t really sure what to say, even after all this time– even after 22 revolutions around the sun.

  You can hear the thunder and the pitter-patter, soon-to-be downpour of the rain in the distance. The brontide is a weird sort of music to you– like an anthem that you cannot seem to replace somewhere deep, deep in your heart. What can you say? You are a Dane at heart and, although you don’t seem to talk much about it, you can’t replace the land of rain and just kind-of nippy cold in your heart.

  But you can certainly make room for something else.

  “Why the hell’s it raining so hard today?” He comments, now fiddling around with the shutters on your window. You shrug.

  “It didn’t rain a lot in Florida?”

  It’s his turn to shrug now. “It did a lot during the summer.”

  You get out of your chair, roll it back beneath your desk, and flop backwards onto your bed.

  You can feel the box sitting in your pocket– gently making its presence known.

  “I was thinking,” you begin– and, somehow, end– within the same breath.

  He takes the hint and climbs onto your bed. Your heart does something funny when you feel it dip beneath the weight of the two of you. “About… ?”

  “We’re from two really different places.”

  “Duh?”

  “And isn’t it– you know, weird…” He looks at you, confused. “That we’re here now?”

  He does the thing where he manages to squint at you– with basically one eye– and raise one of his eyebrows– situating his body to tilt at such an angle to emphasize this– “Like… together?”

  “I guess?”

  He leans back, his soft, bronzy golden hair getting a little mussed up and brushing against his long eyelashes against your pillows. He reaches to fix it. “I guess.”

  You lean back.

  “If we never played League,” you enunciate, carefully, “we never would have met.”

  “I don’t know,” is all he says.

  “Don’t know what?”

  He turns towards you. “That we never would have met.”

  “What, you think you were going to go on some fucking trek to Denmark and bump into me at Starbucks or something?”

  He giggles– quite strangely.

  “Maybe,” he begins, then continues as he reaches out to push your glasses back into your hair, away from your face, “but we would have found a way.”

  Maybe it’s just you, but the two of you seem to be much, much closer now– physically. Not like you can tell all too well without your glasses.

  “I don’t know why,” you say, simply, “but I find that easy to believe.”

  “That’s because it is,” Sneaky says, “– easy to believe.”

  The two of you pause, just like that– for a second– his hand in your hair, pushing your glasses back a millimeter every other nanosecond, his other hand on your face, his eyes on your lips– the only thing speaking in that single frame of the great film of time being the rain on the asphalt, shaking and quaking the rooftop that holds something far more precious inside and beneath.

  It never gets old. Every time– every time the two of you kiss– it’s like– something entirely new– entirely stronger and more intense every single time your lips come into contact and you can feel him on you, and just– become somebody else, somebody bigger, better, kinder, a person that is entirely the product of you and him and everything between the two of you– that could never ever become old.

  And you find that patience also becomes easier at this time. There is little more to want– to have– than bronzy hair and blue eyes, staring back at you, only some inches away from your face– as your heart plays two halves of one song– as the rain hits the pavement and his lips, yours.  

  Is it possible that, in this time, this day and age, that you– could find solace– stability– in maybe not a situation, but a person?

  “You’re so fucking good,” is what pops out of your mouth, “every time. I don’t get how you could think you’re not a good fucking kisser.”

  His eyes trail down to the crook of your neck. “It’s probably because I have a good partner.”

  You laugh through your nose. “Right.”

  Things change– time goes on– opportunities come and go, jobs, homes, friends, families, life. People. Things will always be different. And you’re young. You’re 22. Everything is changing– everything is going to change.

  As you stare into canary blue eyes– the box in your hoodie pocket, as though making itself known to you– seems to become much heavier.

  “… Zach,” you say, feeling something lump up in your throat, feeling maybe even something sprout at the edges of your heart.

�� “Uh, yeah?” He scoots towards the back of the bed, and sits up. You position yourself to get up from the bed.

  “Things are gonna change,” you say, and you’re met by a pair of confused eyes, “and– they’re always– going to. Change.”

  “… Right,” he says, unsure of where you’re going with this.

  “And,” you continue, pushing that lump in your throat down, “I think– things change, but– the way you kissed me– the way you kiss me all the time– and– the way you look at me, and shove my glasses off of my face, and when I feel your lashes against mine and your hand on– brushing against my face– I don’t think I ever want that to change.”

  “So,” you say, the rain drifting in and out of your ears, “can you hear me out… on what I’ve decided?”

  “I– okay.”

  You glide past him– off of the bed, onto the space by him, by your bed. You stand there.

  “I’ve decided that,” you state, “that I want to listen to the rain with you, and kiss you, and have my face held and my glasses fiddled with by you– forever. In a changing world.”

  You slide down on your knee, your jeans resisting the rug burn from your floor– your foot just nearly misses the wall.

  You pull out the box, flipping open the top with one smooth motion– the silver band that would immortalize the two of you and all that lies between you forever glimmering in the dull light that hits it from the rainy outside.

  “I’ve decided that you’re my forever,” you declare, “that you’re the one I want to wake up with in the morning and that you’re the one who I can always count on to tilt me.”

  He looks at you– wide-eyed, crazy-eyed, crazy with an emotion in great similarity to love but not far from fear, and looks at you– with an intensity– and you look right back, refusing to back down.

  “I’m choosing you,” you say, “so… will you choose me?”

  He slides off of the bed, slowly, bending down to meet you– his answer hanging off of his lips like a droplet of rain just mere seconds away from dripping onto the ground.

  “Jensen,” he says, his voice coming out strained with something wonderful and something so utterly intensely emotional, that it is a surreal experience to see him in this way, “fuck yes. Fuck yes, I will choose you. Fuck. From the beginning, I– I chose you.”

  You laugh, teary-eyed– your eyes beginning to play the same anthem. “Was it always going to be me?”

  “It was always going to be you.”

  You laugh, and fall into his arms.

  The rain sings.

  —

  A lot of things are different now.

  You’re out to the world now– out-out. As in, you are really, really gay and everybody knows it. And Sneaky is bisexual, and– well, that wasn’t very surprising to anybody– then again, the two of you weren’t very surprising to anybody.

  “Oh, you guys are getting married,” Jack said, “I wish you guys would have told me before I booked you two that photoshoot. I could have arranged for a wedding edition!”

  “Oh my god, congratulations!” Lemon had said, “Not too much fun on wedding night, okay?”

  “You should have told me earlier,” Hai said, “Meteos and I were at the mall and we found this huge-ass aisle of tuxedos in one of the stores. He could have gotten it for when you pick him as best man.” And then, “Sneaky’s picking him as best man, right?”

  “Yeah,” Balls said. (And not in relation to Hai’s, Lemon’s, or Jack’s comment. Just “yeah”. A very Balls response.)

  And Meteos had smiled. Wide.

  “Tying the knot so soon, my son,” he had said, nudging you on your shoulder as you beamed, showing off the silver band, “looks like you guys are gonna be the cutest lesbian couple in the LCS after all.”

  This, amongst many congratulations from lots of your teammates, acquaintances, family, friends, even Rioters– it was crazy. That may have been the biggest wedding reception California had ever seen, all of the people there.

  “Hey,” Sneaky says, flinging open your door, “come on. We got scrims in 10. So get your ass into the car.”

  “Fuck off,” you say, as you press your lips against his, “I’m coming, okay?”

  “No shit, we don’t have a mass-produced, Danish midlaner just waiting to scrim with us,” he goes to close the door, “also, I’m borrowing your hoodie.”

  Before he can close the door, you hold it open, rushing to keep it up with your freakishly long legs– “What, why?”

  “It’s gonna rain super hard as fuck today,” quickly, to gain your approval, he continues, “it’s just the blue and black one. It’ll be fine.” Then he rushes to remove your legs and close the door. You can hear his footsteps pad quickly down the hall.

  “The one with the stripes?” You yell, to no avail, of course, you are literally yelling behind a closed door– when you’re met with no answer, you mutter to yourself, “How do you even have that one? I lost it a week ago.”

  Maybe he’s the reason you “lost” it.

  As you fiddle with the straps of your backpack, preparing to push open your bedroom door, you stop to make certain you have something far, far more valuable on your finger than any of the belongings on your back.

  You’ve only worn it– proudly– for a relatively short time. But, already, you’ve done this millions of times. You take the ring off, and flip it to check its underside, reading the engraving on the inside of the band.

  When it rains, it pours.

  Fewer things are so constant than the rain in this quickly and ever-changing world, it seems.

  “Is there a reason you took so long?” Sneaky asks you, when you slide the car door shut, slipping into your designated seat beside him.

  You lean forward and kiss him.

“Nope,” you tug on the neck of his shirt, as you pull him in for another– and listen to the claps of thunder in the distance, and the shattering of raindrops on the roof of the car.