#english courses sydney

[turbulenthandholding]

Sydney's polka dots and Yayoi Kusama

I wrote about it a little bit here, in a reblog of @thoughtfulchaos773's really excellent post (and ongoing thread) about Carmy's polka dots in his sauce but I have wondered since my first watch of S3, if there is some reference in all of the polka dots (Sydney's except for Carmy's sauce) to the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama.

Pumpkins and Fruits (1993)

Kusama is an artist who works in a number of mediums, including sculpting and painting, but who is primarily known for her works featuring polka dots, both paintings as well as installations of polka dots in mirrored rooms (as well as even live art installations with naked people painted with polka dots).

There's two threads in her art that I think are particularly interesting, if all of Sydney's polka dots are at all referential to Kusama's work: mental health and sexuality.

Mental Health

The genesis of polka dots in Kusama's art came from her childhood, where as early as age 10 she had hallucinations of spots.

“I translate the hallucinations and obsessional images that plague me into sculptures and paintings."

And from Wikipedia:

Kusama has been open about her mental health and has resided since the 1970s in a mental health facility which she leaves daily to walk to her nearby studio to work. She says that art has become her way to express her mental problems. "I fight pain, anxiety, and fear every day, and the only method I have found that relieved my illness is to keep creating art," she told an interviewer in 2012. "I followed the thread of art and somehow discovered a path that would allow me to live."

I think Sydney's polka dots, viewed through the lens of Kusama's art, could be an indication of the healthiness of using creativity and collaboration in the kitchen as a way to process and work through past trauma as well as anxiety. As Kusama's art has given her a path allowing life, as she said, Sydney's polka dots could represent that Carmy has a path to improved mental health and a better place through his collaboration with Syd and their mutual inspiration. Carmy spends a lot of season 3 doing things for Sydney instead of with her, and his reflection of her polka dots in his sauce stands out as a reflection and a growing recognition in him of the full depth of her importance to him.

Sexuality

Which brings me to the second potential reference to Kusama's work in the polka dots, which is a reference to sexuality.

Sexuality has played a very complicated and, even at times disturbing, role in Kusama's life and she has used her art as a way to process it and reconcile her sexuality with herself. She was traumatized early by an abusive mother who sent her to spy on her cheating father as he conducted his affairs, which led to a reaction towards anything sexual filled with a lot of disgust (understandably). Over the course of her career, she grappled more and more with her feelings on sexuality in her art, with many representation both of female and male genitals in her work. As one article says:

Her works often depict phallic shapes and repetitive patterns, which she has said are meant to represent the human obsession with sex and desire. Kusama’s art also explores themes of self-obliteration and the loss of self in the face of infinite repetition.

Phalli's Field (1965) - first mirrored room installation, filled with phallic shapes made out of fabric and cardboard, covered in polka dots.

From Stir World:

While the work circled back to the phallic motif, the design intervention of using mirrors created an architecture of infinite space. This was the beginning of what revolutionised her career so much so that in 2016, she was chosen as one of the world’s most influential people by TIME magazine. Since then, her exhibitions of infinity rooms like Love is Calling have had waiting lines of over five hours for a few seconds of viewing time. 

Especially when Kusama combines polka dots with mirrored infinity rooms as she calls them, there is very much a sense of both reflectivity and reflexivity that happens. An interesting example in terms of this discussion, Infinity Mirrored Room - Love Forever (1966/1994), the polka dots in this room being represented by round, colored light bulbs:

A description of the installation (emphasis mine):

Infinity Mirrored Room—Love Forever is an iteration of the second mirrored environment Kusama created. Sculptural, architectural, and performative, the installation blurs the lines between artistic disciplines and is activated by audience participation. Hexagonal in shape and mirrored on all sides, Love Forever features two peepholes that invite visitors to peer in and see both themselves and another participant repeated into infinity. 

Kusama used her polka dots, especially when integrated into more phallic shapes in reflective rooms, to process and come to grips with her sexuality. And if there was an intentional reference being made to her art in Sydney's proclivity towards polka dots in season 3, I think it's in Carmy's coopting of the imagery in his sauce. The reflective and reflexive gesture indicates his observation of her (in that he noticed her repeating the pattern over the course of months in her clothes and scarves) as well as his desire for her. At their best, they are vibrantly collaborative and we see each of them let the other in more than anyone else. And this isn't entirely comfortable for Sydney, seen in the way she deflects his questions about her parents and her apartment at different points. But she does eventually tell him more and let him in more - and I think the polka dots could also be a representation of her coming to grips with her feelings and ultimately desire towards/for him, as well as the importance of their collaborative relationship, especially with the difficulty of Carmy in S3 as well as her offer from Shapiro.

(Also as an aside, Yayoi Kusama's art comes up as a rather regular inspiration/collaboration in food and fine dining, so it feels like her art may at least have been on someone's radar as they thought about Syd's polka dots this season. See here and here and here and here and here - as created by a former chef from the French Laundry.)

Sources for info and pictures:

Yayoi Kusama's website

Understanding Sexuality in Yayoi Kusama's Art

Accumulation (MoMA)

Wikipedia

The Alchemist of Polka Dots

Love Forever

[roxy-o0]

Hello! This is the reason why I haven't been able to post Dol fan art for a while! I was very late because I was working at the same time. Of course, my drawing speed was very slow too…!

Those of you who have subscribed to my Twitter account have already seen this! I wanted to convey the content better, so I asked someone who is good at English to translate it. As soon as I received the results, I quickly edited the dialogue! Thank you to the kind @ CmJejen!

The theme was Sydney and Ivy's (Ivy is my PC!) first meeting, but somehow I ended up drawing a scene where the two check each other's feelings. Based on the in-game script, I adapted some parts to fit my PC's narrative and personality. I also included my friends' PCs this time. They are quite noticeable in the serious scenes, which is amusing. I like it!

I prepared hard with as much love as I have for Dol. I learned a lot from this work. I hope you enjoy it:///3

If anyone is curious about the Korean version, please check out my Twitter account!

[aboutchriss]

walk with me

Pairing: idol!BangChan x fem! reader

Genre: fluff

Warnings: chan being a cutie patootie with berry, reader is 22

Author notes: idk, okay?. i'm bored trying to avoid my relatives that are here for the chirstams holidays...please save me...i wrote this to...escape from this house, i hope you appreciate it. i'll probably do a part 2, it's 2:30 a.m here so yeah, and of course it's not proof read! (i'll read it tomorrow) oh and wear sunscreen my kids!!

💌

remember! english it's not my first language, please be gentle with me! let me know if there's any mistastake

💌

requests are open, especially on Christmas!

It's the perfect day in Sydney; the temperature is on point—not too cold, not too hot. It's the right temperature to wear a sundress and a little jumper that you probably won't use because you want to tan before the holidays, even if you want to tan though, you put sunscreen on and lay down on a beach towel in a public park, the grass is green and you can hear kids screaming and laughing while they're playing with a big grasshopper and any sort of insects, you have a book inside your purse, and cold tea, it's a daydream.

As you lay on the grass, something warm and wet touches your cheek—once, twice. When you open your eyes, you find a small, maybe a little fat dog with a smile on it's face (yes, dogs can smile). You sit down, looking around to find the dog's owner, and there he is the most beautiful, gorgeous man you have ever seen in your entire existence, is it possible? Are you having a heat stroke? He has dark brown curls, the kind of curls you can touch until you fall asleep, he's trying to hide a smile but you can see dimples on his cheeks, he has broad shoulders and big hands, and he looks like a damn Disney prince, are you daydreaming? What the fuck it's happening? "I am so sorry miss" He says in a muffled laugh

did he just called me miss, how old is he? 44? no, that's not possible, he's too beautiful to be this old

"oh, no worries -you giggle- i don't mind kisses from a gorgeous dog like her? are you a she or a he mh?" you say, now talking to the dog that is laying comortably on your lap

"oh uhm, she, her name it's berry" he says touching his ear

"Berry huh? what a pretty name" you rub her hear

"well i guess she's comfy there, 'm sorry, she's old and when she lays down somewhere well...umh - he touches the nape of his neck- she stays there for a while" he says looking right into your eyes

"oh, no worries...if you're free we can wait till she gets up" you say patting the place next to you on the beach towel

he smiles and you can finally see his dimples, and boom we're so fucked up y/n.

"your mom didn't teach you to not talk to strangers? i might be a serial killer" he says sitting down next to you

"what about your mom? -you echo- maybe i'm the serial killer" you smile at him

"touchè" he laughs

"i'm Christopher by the way, you can call me Chris or Chan" he says offering his hand

a veiny and big hand

"i'm y/n - you grab his hand and shake it- nice to meet you Christopher" he laughs

"are you from Sydney?" he asks caressing Berry that is still sleeping on your lap

"oh no, i work here, nothing more, what about you?" you say

"I was born and raised here, but i work in Korea, i'm here for the christmas holidays" he explains (not that you can hear something since your too focused on his thick lips, thanks god you're wearing sunglasses)

"Korea mh? and what do you do? CEO in a company? Actor? or you cook kimchi for stray cats?" you ask caressing Berry

he laughs and it feels like the sun just exploded

"I- uh- i'm an idol, nothing special" he shrugs

"an idol?" you echo

"mhmm, i have a group and we sing and dance and stuff like that" he says smiling

oh this dude really loves his job

"stuff like that mh? and are you famous?" you ask caressing Berry's head

"what about you? what do you do?" he asks

"uuuh, you're avoiding the question...is that a yes? you're famous!" you say giggling

"shhhh, i'm not, i promise i'm not that famous" he says

"oh...okay..." you look at him trying to see his eyes through his sun glasses

"so...what do you do?" he asks again, caressing Berry's head

"i-uh i work in a library, i own it actually...it's not that interesting" you say

"so you read a lot?" he asks

"i do, actually" you say smiling

"and what's your favorite genre?" he asks caressing Berry's body, his fingers brushing against your thigh

"i-do you want the real answer or?" you giggle

"of course i do!"

"smut"

"smut?" he echos

"yes, porn in books, smut, call it how you prefer" you say shrugging

"interesting" he nods

"do you want to grab a coffee with me?" he suddenly asks

"mh? you want to grab a coffee with me?" you ask

"yeah, with you and well berry, even if she might be the third wheel" he giggles

"okay"

"you don't have if you don't want to, i just asked because you're really cute and yeah i want to know you better" he spits out in one breath

"Christopher i said okay, let's go. I need to know more about your job and i won't leave Berry 'till you make me listen one of your songs, but before we go can i put sunscreen on your face? you burnt your nose" you try not to laugh

"oh? really?" he touches his nose

"mhmm -you nod- may i?" you asked

"sure, go on" he says lifting up his sunglasses

"tell me if i hurt you okay?" you say as you squeeze sunscreen on the tips of your fingers, putting it on his nose in the most delicate way possible

"you're kind you know?"

"i know" you smile

"i feel like a kid...wait i -he grab your hands gently- how old are you?" he asks

"old enough Christopher, don't worry" you smile

"i'm serious how old are you?" he asks

"i'm 22, and you?"

"i'm 27" he sighs and let go of your hands

"damn, what a sigh" you giggle

"i feel like a grandpa" he says

"you're not a grandpa Christopher, not with this body"

"oh-...thanks" he says is it the sun or is he blushing?

"okay, let's go, and by the way, you can't threat me with my dog" he says, getting up, grabbing berry from your lap and offering his hand to you

"what a gentleman! and that wasn't a threat, i just want to...listen to what you do okay?" you say grabbing his hand to get up and fuck he's also tall, and bigger than you expected

"of course i'm a gentleman. and yes, she's my baby, i would do anything for her, even embarassing my self in front of the most beautiful woman in this park with my songs" he says looking at you

"oh-" he giggles

is he flirting?

"come on, i know a good place for a coffee and maybe lunch?" he asks

"i'm right behind you" yeah right behind you staring at your fifty pounds of ass

"you know that my eyes are up here right?" fuck

"no, yeah i know, i was looking for my...purse...yeah my purse"

"liar" he says laughing and you push his back

"shut the fuck up, you've been staring at my boobs the whole time!" you say and he turns around to look at you

"i-did not- okay maybe a little okay? wait...you can see my eyes through the sunglasses" he asks looking down at you

"i do...you can see mine?" you ask

"i do"

"good than we're both idiots"

"maybe a little" he giggles

"come on, let's go we have a 10 minutes walk and berry is heavy"

"ugh, big arms for nothing" you mumble

"i could pick you up with one hand and throw you around if i wanted too" he says walking straight, he and his stupid fucking aura

"damn okay, sorry"

-

ten minutes later you're at the cafe, it's cute and cozy and the sandwiches on display looks yummy, and the man in front of you looks yummy; he took off his sunglasses now and you can finally see his eyes in a decent light, simply brown boba eyes, and you can clearly tell that he is a good man just by looking at his eyes. his eyes are also eating you alive, but again this is another story.

[pitchsidestories]

After Midnight II Sydney Lohmann x Reader

romantic masterlist | platonic masterlist | word count: 1377

summary: Sydney wants to confess her love to reader as the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve. requested

author's note: thank you, anon for sending us the request, enjoy. ❤️❤️

The New Year’s Eve party was well underway in the picturesque old flat which offered a wonderful view of Munich. Dance music was blasting from the speakers. 

The balloons with 2025 printed on them were either on the floor or the ceiling.

Laura Freigang had set up a little photobooth in the corner of the living room where the guests could take photos with a Polaroid camera. 

“Tonight, I’ll tell her.”, Sydney Lohmann thought.

The Bayern Munich footballer only realised that she had said it out loud when the Frankfurt player replied to her sentence. An unconvinced laugh left the forward’s lips: “Sure, Syd.”

Her doubtful reaction only made it clearer to Sydney that tonight was about telling you about her feelings for you or keeping quiet about them forever.

“What? You don’t believe me?”, she asked the German national teammate.

With an amused twinkle in her blue eyes, Laura shook her head: “You’ve been saying that for months.”

Each of the Bayern Munich players who attended the New Year’s Eve party had an opinion on Sydney’s crush. The crush which was you was the only guest who hasn’t arrived yet.

“Literally. It got to the point that it was annoying.”, Klara teased her.

In a jokingly tone, Georgia added: “And that’s coming from Klara herself.”

“Excuse me? So rude. Maybe I should consider joining Barcelona in the summer.”, she pouted.

“No, you won’t do that.”, Sydney observed smiling.

Excitedly, the Scottish Sam Kerr intervened: “Girls, Syd’s crush is coming!”

“Perfect time, we can finally continue drinking.”, the English midfielder remarked in good spirits.

“I’ll get us a new round.”, Laura announced cheerfully.

You entered the room slightly ashamed, knowing full well that you were the last to arrive, even though it wasn't your fault. While you apologized your cheeks turned hot: “I’m so sorry, I know ‘m late, you can blame the MVG for that, but at least I got the dessert to make up for it.”

“Oh, no problem”, Sydney waved it off before helping you take off your winter coat and revealing your New Year's Eve outfit underneath.

The fellow football player admired the view, then she cleared her throat awkwardly: “Just glad you’re here.”

Her truthfulness caught you off guard, so the next words tended to stumble out of your mouth.: “ Me too. What I mean is.. I’m glad to be here with all of you.”

“Uhm, would you like a drink?”, Syndey offered, licking her lips nervously.

“Yes, please.”, you agreed.

With a silent nod she turned towards Laura who was in charge of the drinks that night: “Lau, can you make her one too?”

“Of course!”, the Frankfurt player replied happily, getting up to start mixing another drink.

“Thanks.”

A few moments later, she came over to you with your finished drink. As Laura handed you the glass, she winked and whispered: “Do everything I would do too.”

“That’s horrible advice.“, Sydney chuckled.

“Honestly.“, you agreed, taking a sip of the sweet drink to hide the blood rushing into your cheeks.

Sydney shook her head with a dismissive hand gesture: “Ignore her, she already had a few drinks.”

You watched as Laura retreated and sat back down with Klara and the other Bayern players: “Laura sounded pretty sober to me. How are you?”

The midfielder seemed to be surprised by your question, her eyes widened slightly and she blinked a few times: “I’m fine. Why?”

“You look a bit nervous. Don’t you like fireworks? Klara said we can do some sparklers later…”

“I’m not nervous, I’m totally fine.”, she said but she started to look even more horrified at your assumptions which made it hard to believe her.

“Okay.”

“Anyone wants some snacks?”, she suddenly changed the topic and your heart dropped at an instant, hoping you didn’t offend her.

“I do!”, Klara yelled from the other side of the room.

You watched quietly as Sydney disappeared into kitchen, followed by a concerned looking Laura.

While Sydney plated some pre-made snacks on a tray, Laura watched her with her arms crossed in front of her chest: “The operation Truth isn’t going too well so far, right?”

“I can’t do it right now, that would be weird.”, Sydney replied with her back to her German teammate.

“Weird? Why? For how much longer do you want to wait, Syd? Forever or until midnight?”

“Laura!”

“You know it’s true.”

Finally, the Bayern midfielder turned around and sighed: “I will tell her at midnight, don’t worry.”

Laura gave one satisfied nod, her facial features relaxing: “Good.”

“Here, take those snacks outside.”, Sydney said and put the tray into the Frankfurt players hands.

“Okay, but it’s getting closer to midnight.”, Laura reminded her.

One more frustrated sigh from Sydney made clear that she didn’t want to talk about it: “Laura, I got it all under control.”

That was the only thing you heard from their conversation.

“Under control? Kitchen emergency?”, you grinned as you walked in.

Sydney quickly shook her head: “No, all good. Would you like Laura to make you another drink?”

“Oh, I’m fine.”, you assured her.

The midfielder sighed relived: “Okay, great.”

“But can we talk?”, you asked her, nervously playing with a strand of hair and waiting for her answer.  

She looked at you, taken by surprise: “Now?”

“I guess it has time until after the countdown.”, you bit your lip.

“Are you sure?”, Sydney raised an eyebrow at you.

“You tell me.”, you replied and passed the ball back to her.

“Okay, let’s talk about it in the new year.”, the blonde decided and ran a hand through her loose hair.

Suddenly you heard yourself speaking your inner thoughts out loud :”Do you think it’s better to be quiet than to speak up?”

 “What do you mean?”, she frowned in confusion.

You shrugged your shoulders, slightly frustrated: “Doesn’t matter, let’s join the others on the balcony.”

To your great surprise, Sydney held on to your upper arm with her hand so that you couldn't go on to the other women, who could hardly wait for it to be 2025 and for them all to start a new chapter in their lives.

“Why are you being so secretive tonight?”, she wanted to know from you alarmed.

You glance calmly into her blue eyes: “I’m not, you’re so weird tonight too.”

“I’m not weird.”, the midfielder huffed.

Your heart sank as you questioned: “When what is it what you’re not telling me?”

“Who said I do?”, Sydney returned the question.

There was a touch of helplessness in your voice while your friends counted down the minutes until it was midnight in the background: “Syd..”

“Fine. I like you, y/n. I really like you.”, she admitted.

You gently framed her face with your hands and confessed: “Sydney, I like you the same way.”

“Wait, you do?”, the light-haired woman mumbled in astonishment.

Your mouth felt dry once you confirmed: “Yes.”

“You mean, not just like friends.”, Sydney pressed on.

“More like lovers.”, you clarified, your heart pondering hard against your chest.

The blonde sheepishly smiled at you: “Can I kiss you?”

A nod of the head was enough to make her do exactly what she had asked. The lights of the fireworks outside and the one inside you caused by the kiss rang in the new year.

“Happy New Year.”, you heard Georgia yelling.

The two of you were in your own world. “Y/n, Happy New Year.”, Sydney whispered into your ear, giving you chills all over your body before kissing you again.

“Oh my God, Klara, get the champagne out”’, Laura first spotted you two, her voice filled with excitement. 

A loud laughter escaped the younger forward’s lips: “Laura, the champagne is already out.”

“Yes, but now we’ve to celebrate Sydney’s confession.”, the Frankfurt player explained smirking.

Sydney tried to sound nonchalantly:” Girls, it’s not a big deal.”

“Yes, please ignore us so we can go back to kissing.”, you added with a mischievous smile.

Klara observed delighted about what just has happened: “Great start into the New Year.”

“We agree.”, Sydney and you said at the same time, each of you erupting into a warm laughter as the sparklers were lit mirroring the lightness you felt when your lips touched hers.

gif source: https://www.tumblr.com/glimmerofawesome/691962444197855232?source=share

[cheriladycl01]

My Job is Beach ... - Valtteri Bottas x ItalianOlympicBeachVolleyball! Reader

Plot: You spend time with your boyfriend after the Australian GP doing what you do best, Beach Barbie and Beach Ken

Valtteri had an incredible race, him and Lewis both in a fantastic car as fantastic drivers. And you’d luckily been there to celebrate with him.

You loved going to Australia with him, it was so warm at the time of year the race was and it meant you got to go to the beach.

Which of course was one of your favourite things. Growing up in a small coastal town in Italy, meant you were at the beach pretty much all the time. You went there before school, after school, on the weekends. Even during school, your school was right next to a beach which is where you picked up your sport.

At first it was just for fun, like most hobbies start of as.

But after playing in some matches against others schools across Italy, your teacher and parents realised there was something special there.

You didn’t see it or get it, you just loved the beach do anything you did there was fun to you.

So of course they ended up getting you a coach. Someone who was willing to privately train you and get you into better teams in Italy.

In 2016 you competed in Brazil. Rio De Janeiro was an incredible place and it’s actually where you met Valtteri.

He and a few of the drivers had ended up coming to watch some of the Olympics and you’d bumped into him on the beach with Lewis.

You’d recognised both of them straight away, and struck up a conversation with them.

“Oh! Your Valtteri Bottas! And Your Felipe Massa!” You’d exclaimed at the men and they’d awkwardly nodded thinking you were a fan wanting a picture or autograph.

“What are you guys here for?” You ask, knowing that the race this year wasn’t until November. They were in summer break right now.

“Oh, we are here for the Olympics. We got invited” Felipe admits and you grin.

“Oh, I’m here for them too!” You grin.

“Oh yeah, you here to watch any sport in particular?” Valtteri asked.

“Watch? No im one of the beach volleyballers! Team Italia” You smile.

And the rest was history after that. You and Valtteri got together and he got a promotion to Mercedes after Nico Rosberg left the sport.

It was early the next day, the Monday after the race and you and Valtteri were still shacked up in Australia. You wanted to spend some more time here travelling to your favourite Aussie beaches.

So you took the 1hour flight from Melbourne to Sydney so that you were on Bondi beach. You guys had rented out a place close to the coast for easy access.

You guys were with a few friends, some of Valtteri and some of yours. Somehow your friendship groups just mixed together well. You were both apprehensive at first but realised after a house party that it was fine, the language barrier at first was a little awkward but English being a common ground for most of the group worked.

“Amore mio, please come join us! Then I promise you we will go on a bike ride!” You say cuddling up to him… you’d just finished unpacking and he was laying on the bed cuddling up to you.

“Im no good. And I just embarrass myself Rakas” he sighs pulling you into him and kissing all over your face affectionately making you giggle.

At first Valtteri was very shy when it came to showing you any level of affection and your overly affectionate side thanks to your large Italian family upbringing was very overwhelming to him at first.

But soon he learnt it was your love language and the more confident he got, the clingier he got.

“It’s meant to be for fun! You don’t have to be good at it” you giggle running your finger through his hair as he looks up at you.

“But all your friends are so good!” He exclaims sitting up.

“Mmmm and now you know how I feel when you take me karting!” You laugh knowing you have the bruises to prove just how bad you were at the sport.

“Okay okay fine. But just because I love you!” He says in that gruff lower voice.

You guys play beach volleyball for the majority of the morning until the suns at full peak.

“Barbecue sulla spiaggia?” One of your friends suggest whose English wasn’t great, especially when she was tired after a long morning of playing volleyball, in the sand and under the hot Australian sun.

“She suggested a Rantagrilli?” You say trying your best to translate for Valtteri and his friends who wouldn’t have understood the Italian.

You weren’t allowed to do this on Bondi but closer to where your beach Villa was, you knew you’d be able to cook on the beach there as it was private to the Villa.

They all nod eagerly and before you know it, you guys are using two barbecue for the amount of people you are cooking for. One that’s on the back garden of the beach villa and then one that was already in the sand.

You guys spent lunch munching on burgers and salad, and chicken and hot dog. It was for sure a chest day for all of you, most of you guys being athletes and being on strict diets.

After you’d spent the afternoon cuddling with Valtteri on the beach letting lunch go down, you both went out for a bike ride. He of course had chosen the longest and steepest route to take, meaning you came back drenched in sweat and cursing at Valtteri for making you endure that.

"I want a Dolce Sorpresa!" you groan your head leaning against him and he looks at you.

"A what?" he asks. You'd learnt a little Finnish for him but he still struggled with some of you little idioms.

"Sweet Treat, I'm craving Boba, I saw a shop on the way back!" you grin, kissing him before taking his hand to drag him to the Boba Tea shop!

"Then, can we go to the beach again?" you ask.

"You just love the beach don't you!" he smiles.

"Mmmmmm, my job is literally beach..." you giggle.

y/user

Liked by valtteribottas and others

y/user: Beach, Bike, BBQ and Boba all in Bondi

Tagged 2 people

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valterribottas: nice alliteration hunny!

-> y/user: thank you baby! Thought it was very funny!

fan1: say hello to our resident beach Barbie and beach Ken.

-> fan2: no because the way her job is literally beach and his job is literally car 🥲😅

->fan3: yeah not an f1 driver and Olympic Silver Medalist lmfao 🤣

Instagram Story Caption:

We attempted … we fell lots!

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[billybob598]

Teasing (Alessia Russo x Reader)

Just ignore how absolute shit this is. I told everyone I would write this, so I actually had to write it sadly. This was requested by an anon so hopefully this is what you wanted. I'm sorry for how short and terrible it is. Next fic is Sydney Lohmann x f1 reader so hopefully that will be better than this. Again any feedback good or bad is welcomed! So, please enjoy this absolute shitshow this fic is.

Word Count: 979 (Omg this made me sad)

“Y/N? Any chance we could leave this century?” Alessia calls up the stairs. You roll your eyes, continuing to straighten your hair. The sound of feet stomping against the carpet gathers your attention, Alessia wraps her arms around your waist while nuzzling her head into your neck.

“Love, if you don’t move your head I’m going to burn you,” you say gently, trying your best to move the hair straightener away from your girlfriend. All you get in response is her mumbling some incoherent words into your neck. The pout on her face makes your heart melt, but for everyone’s safety, you stand your ground. 

Ten minutes later, the two of you are heading out to the bar Ella and some of your teammates had decided to meet. With the World Cup coming up soon, the Manchester United team was trying to spend as much time as possible together.  It was a fact in your relationship that Alessia was the driver and you were the passenger princess. As she settles into the driver’s seat, you connected your phone to the car and decided on a playlist. For the excruciatingly long five minutes, it takes to get to the bar, you and Lessi are singing your hearts out to Adele. When your girlfriend parks the car, she rushes out over to your side and opens the car door for you.

“Ever the gentlewoman,” you say with a slight tease in your voice. She blushes as you get out. 

“Y/N/N!” A booming voice startles you, but you grin widely as Tooney approaches you happily. The midfielder links your hands and pulls you into the bar, not before you grab a hold of Alessia and drag her with you. The blasting music hits you like a shit ton of bricks. You were not prepared at all for the EDM blasting at full volume. Tooney says something about getting drinks so, you and Lessi search for any teammates that are already there. A few of you guys find a booth while Tooney brings over some shots. You sit close to Lessi while handing her a drink. She smiles gratefully at you before turning her attention back to the story Millie is telling very passionately. For about an hour everyone is talking and laughing, you were even able to get Alessia to dance with you for a few songs. In Alessia's fashion, though, she tripped on both her own feet and yours multiple times. After some of the team had calmed down, the five or six of you that were sitting in the booth fell into an easy-flowing conversation. Soon, the conversation turned toward the impending World Cup. Of course, you were on the USWNT and Alessia had made the Lionesses squad. Both of you had avoided talking about the fact that you would be away from each other for around two months and that there was a chance that you’d play against each other in the final. 

“So lovebirds, are you excited?” Mary Earps asks jokingly. Alessia laughs lightly.

“I’m ready, I don’t know about the US though. They better be ready to get their ass whooped,” she mocks, watching you out of the corner of her eye. To your credit, your reaction is controlled and measured, to the naked eye you don’t have a reaction, but Alessia knows you too well. The way your jaw clenches slightly and your hands closing into fists just the tiniest bit are all telltale signs that you’re pissed. Even if she didn’t know, you turn to look at her with raised eyebrows, cementing the idea that you were not pleased with your girlfriend. For the next few hours, all of the English girls continue to poke fun at your American ass. Again, to your credit, you hold your tongue and take the jibes with ease. It’s only when Katie Zelem makes a particularly harsh joke about the England v USA game back in October, that you snap.

“Man, you guys are talking a big game for a team that got knocked out by us in the last World Cup,” you retort. Your words catch everyone off guard. They all look at each other before bursting into laughter. The look of confusion on your face only making them laugh harder. 

“Damn Lessi, your girl’s got some bite,” Maya Le Tissier laughs out. Alessia smiles at you, but the smile soon turns into a smirk as she thinks of a comeback.

“Your talking a big game for a team that lost three games in a row,” the English player teases. As you narrow your eyes, you realize that neither of you are going to let the other off the hook with talking trash about their national team. 

“Mhmm I am, maybe ‘cause we’re 4-time world champs and you guys haven’t even made it to a final yet,” you say cheekily. While you both know it’s just fun and games, you’re determined to not let the other get the upper hand. For the rest of the night, your teammates watch in amusement at how the two of you continue to bicker. The banter being thrown around some might consider as being over the top mean, but to the two of you it’s perfectly acceptable. 

That night, as you settle into bed alongside of Alessia, you sigh loudly.

“You’re going to be sighing that loudly when we destroy you in the finals,” she snickers. You sigh again, this time in annoyance. 

“Seriously Less? It’s much too late for this and I’m much too tired to do this again,” you grumble, dragging one of your girlfriends arms across your waist. The blonde chuckles quietly and gently puts her face into the crook of your neck, kissing it softly. 

“I’m sorry, love. You just go to sleep now, and don’t forget…the USA is going down in the World Cup.”

[this-is-me-trying-girlie]

When i search Victor Vale on tik tok it always appear to me the same video saying that Victor wasn't a bad person only bc he treated well Sydney in the first book and it gets me so fucking angry i just want to throw my phone across the room. I mean, Victor was kind of protective with Sydney in the first book but fully knowing how manipulative Victor can be, don't you think Victor was only using Sydney (and Mitch of course) for his own benefit? Sydey was (and always will) his life insurance and in Vengeful, when Victor found out a way to live without his power killing him, he just runaway because he didn't need them. Sydney will always wait for Victor because he was the only person that showed her """"respect"""" and """""affection"""" but Sydney will never have a true family that loves her except from Mitch. Victor was and never will be a "caring father" for Sydney, he was a shit with her treating her poorly when he doesn´t need her for his plans.

I hope Sydney and all the people saying that Victor is good with her thinks about this and realise that its an unfair and manipulative relationship!!

PD. sorry for my spelling and grammar mistakes, english isn't my first language.

[intimacyequalsdeath]

Hiya! Have you ever gotten a platonic request? If not then this could always be your first! I wanna ask for headcanons of stu macher's sister x billy loomis (if you have the time)

I wanna see the headcanons of how wpuld stu macher deal with the fact that his younger sister (same age as billy, just younger by a few months) is dating his friend who is also a serial killer like hinself and of course she wouldn't know that but still-

Stu would threateb billy to not lay a knife on her or else-

Stu loves her obviously, he's protective. Well you should be if your sister is dating your friend who is also a killer! ^._-.

Now that I can finally get back to doing requests I have chosen you lucky anon as my first! Thank you so much for sending this request in, I love this idea!

Notes: Minors DNI, SFW, This request obviously has a AFAB female presenting reader in mind. She/Her pronouns used.

+ First and foremost I see the relationship as something you and Billy would probably keep a secret at first. Billy has a good thing going with Stu and even though he loves you I could see him not wanting to ruin that.

+ When Stu finally does find out, he's not furious but he's definitely not happy. Out of everyone in school you JUST HAD to pick Billy Loomis, even if him and Billy are friends.

+ Cue a lot of angry Billy and Stu fights both in front of you and behind your back when their out doing Ghostface stuff.

"Billy what the hell man? Out of all the people in school it had to be her?"

"I didn't fuckin do it on purpose Stu! I just really like her ok?"

+ You knew Billy and Stu were friends but you had no clue about Ghostface. I wouldn't be surprised if Stu would think that you dating Billy would put both you and Ghostface in jeopardy.

+ Billy would treat you amazingly though, at first Stu would be apprehensive cause he's seen Billy with how he treats his girlfriends but Billy would prove him entirely wrong with you.

+ Whenever Billy would have any free time from school or Ghostface you could probably find him holed up in your bedroom, laying on the floor and staring at the ceiling. Now that he's dating you he really doesn't have a reason to leave the Macher household, ever.

+ Since your Stu's sister you've probably been around to see Billy go through the situation with his parents. You know him better then 99 percent on anyone else, even sometimes better then Stu.

+ As time would go on I think Stu would slowly but surely warm up to you and Billy being a thing. Billy would have to prove himself though don't get me wrong.

+ Now that your fully into the lives of both of them, close calls with Ghostface would happen. You'd slowly start to get suspicious as to the strange times and places you would see both your boyfriend and brother.

+ They would of course write it off though.

"Sis Me and Billy had that English project we had to do at the library"

"Babe we literally talked on the phone all night"

+ If you ever came to them with your fear of the Ghostface they of course would assure you that they would protect you. You of course none the wiser and comforted by their words would go along with it.

+ Behind the scenes though of course Stu would make sure Billy was 100 percent for you and this wasn't another Sydney situation. Stu swears that if Billy EVER threatened you like that, that it's over.

+Your the only thing Stu would ever end the Ghostface shit over, especially when it came to him not fully trusting Billy at first, and no matter what Billy says there will always be a part of Stu that doesn't fully trust him.

+ Stu, of all people, knows how unpredictable Billy can be. So for however long you two date he will always have a guard up.

[onlyhereforthestories]

Pretty In Pink (Niamh Charles x Reader)

Happy Birthday Little Hermana! I hope you have an amazing day and the football goes the way you want! I hope you enjoy this little fic

You were both excited and nervous for today. It was your girlfriend and her teams game for the semi-finals of the women's world cup which is why you were so nervous. You were excited because it was your birthday and you were finally in Australia at least close to your love.

Niamh had no idea you were here, her parents had managed to get you a ticket in the family section and helped you sort out flights and accommodation last minute something you were extremely grateful for. It had been over a month since you had last seen her in person and if you were being honest it was starting to wear on you.

You had first met to woman when she had transferred from Liverpool to Chelsea in 2020 but it had taken a god year for anything to happen between you two due to the pandemic. When you eventually got the courage to ask the full back out, neither of you looked back and the relationship has blossomed over the last 3 years.

Just before Niamh had left she had asked you to move in with her and you had of course agreed which had been what you have done in the time she had been away. Taking the time and space you had alone to get your life integrated into her space, well your joint space now. you were still on break since the WSL season was obviously over and that meant your media duties were pretty limited and the stuff that was needed to be done could be done by some of your amazing team.

With the selling of your single bed apartment, you had sent what rent money you needed to Niamh and the rest was spent on the flights and accommodation for where you were currently sitting in a hotel room in Sydney Australia. You had been here for 2 days now and that meant you had managed to semi acclimatise to the time zone changes and were ready for this evenings match.

Gearing up in your number 3 Charles jersey, you received the text from her parents that they were outside your hotel ready to head to the stadium with you. Taking a few breaths and sending a good luck text to your girlfriend you headed out to meet them. You had been trying to make sure you texted Niamh at times you would have been if you were still in your home country so she didn’t have any idea you would be there today. The woman was not too happy she was missing your birthday and had spoken about her disdain for not being with you on your day, something that had not happened yet. Little did she know it wouldn’t happen this year like she thought it would.

As your car approached the ground you could feel your nerves building, your girlfriend had only played a few minutes this tournament but being English yourself meant that it wasn’t just her you were nervous for. Football has always been a passion of your hence why you pursued a career within the profession so watching players represent your country meant a tot. you also knew a lot of them from your time as one of Chelsea's main media personal. So yeah you were bricking it.

You got to your seats in time to watch the girls warming up, the family section was right by the pitch but a little away from the bench so you knew unless Niamh looked for her parents she wouldn’t spot you. What you hadn’t expected was for all the English girls to head for the family section after their warm ups were done, before heading into the tunnel. You could see Millie spot you first, her eyes shining with mischief as she spun around obviously in search of your girlfriend.

They were too far away to hear what the blonde had said but whatever it was had Niamh looking frantically at the family section. Her eyes locked with yours and you felt at home once again, the time a part melted from your mind and you were once again content with life. And that might sound cheesy but that’s just the way she made you feel, safe with one look.

You met her at the railing and were happy to be pulled into a bone crushing hug. Her head buried its way into your neck and you felt her press a few kisses there as she soaked you in. You rubbed your hand up her back closing your eyes to commit this moment to memory, you were in a beautiful country on your birthday about to watch the love of your life and her country women compete for a place in the biggest final there is in woman's football. It honestly doesn’t get any better than this.

“Happy birthday baby.” Niamh didn’t wait a second to say it as her eyes locked with yours once again. You beamed at her in response trying to convey with your eyes how much you loved her.

“Best birthday gift ever is being here to hear that and see you in pink in person. Need to make sure I thank your parents again for getting me here.” The eye roll was worth the teasing, you don’t think you have ever seen our girlfriend in anything pink before so you were soaking this in. You saw Niamh glance in the direction of her parents and reach out for them. You heard her thanks whispered to them in the hug she shared with them and you felt your heart burst at how much you being there meant to her too.

“Soak it in baby, I know I look good but you won't see it often. Pink really isn’t my colour, ruins my cred.” You giggled at her obvious joking before pulling her back into a tight hug having missed the contact.

As she pulled away from the hug, you saw most of the other girls leaving the section and knew it was game time. You reached out to brush your hand on the woman's cheek which she melted into before kissing your palm and starting to pull back to walk back to the field.

“Oi babe. No matter what happens today it is the best day ever because I get to be here with you but if it's possible a win would be the icing on my birthday cake” you sent her a cheeky wink as she muttered no pressure then under her breath before running to catch up with the rest of the girls.

You knew that no matter the result you would be proud of every one of them out there, but no one more than your girlfriend who did look mighty fine in pink.

[digenerate-trash]

Yeah. Yandere Robin is exactly that type of insidious. Robin guilt tripping and gaslighting, not having enough money to pay Bailey so the player will come running to the rescue, poisoning themself or the player so the player will cancel any plans. Robin doesn’t need to fight the others because they know the player the best. There is no way anybody can prove that Robin is being intentional. Besides, why would the player believe their bully, the quiet kid in their English class, or the teacher’s kid over Robin.

Right???? You'll believe he's innocent right?? He's just a little guy! He's never hurt a soul and more importantly he's been hurt by so many people already! He couldn't handle it if you hurt him too!!

Definatly gets sick selling hot coco and comes home with the worst cold so you dote on him.

Provokes whitney so when he gets punched in the gut he can cry to you and you'll stand up for him. You of course don't think whitney means it when he says robin "deserved it" whitneys just a bully after all. He thinks everyone "deserves it"

And oh no!! Robin is failing history. He'll need your help every day at lunch!! You're just so good at the subject and he's just so dumb! He doesn't know why he's failing. Only for sydney to come by and ask why you haven't seen him in a week. Your helping Robin of course. Your sorry you can't help at the library more. But Robin needs your help.

It's a little strange when Robin and kylar in an actual fight in the field out behind the school. You imeaditly jump to Robin's rescue and shove kylar to the dirt. Kylar is crying upset his lip is busted and you can berley hear him though the tears. It's not like you would listen anyway as you berate him from picking a fight with sweet Robin! You don't even notice Robin shoving a beat up sketchbook into the back of his bag before he's hugging your arm. You lead him away from kylar making sure to comfort him.

You can't believe this school has it out for your sweet childhood friend.

[kimbappykidding]

Imagine your boyfriend Joshua getting jealous when you gush over Australian  accents

You were on a variety show with your members when they all decided to throw you under the bus when accents came up. 

"See we think the American accent sounds cool but y/n doesn’t" your ;eader said boldly. The hosts turned to you and you held up your hands "in my defence I was raised in England and American accents aren't big there". "Do you think they sound annoying?" your host asked and you shook your head "not all of them" making them laugh. "So what accents do you like?" they asked. "Australian or Scottish" you explained. The hosts suddenly got excited because Stray Kids were there. "Aren't two of you Australian?" the host asked. The members pointed to Bangchan and Felix who smiled politely. "Speak for Y/n!" they cried. Both members said hello to you in English and you replied back to them before turning back to the hosts. "No come on more than that!" the host cried and you looked at them "what are you trying to do?". The hosts insisted and you gave in "so what part of Australia are you from?". "I'm from Sydney" Bangchan said and Felix smiled "me too, what part of England are you from?". "Manchester" you smiled "have you seen any sharks?". "Sharks?" they both asked laughing and you paused at the accent. "I'm sorry" you said and looked away blushing, making the hosts burst out laughing. "What was it?" the hosts asked and you laughed "nothing just they got a lot more Australian when they said sharks" you said refusing to look in their direction. The hosts were loving it "well why don't we move on for Y/n's sake?".

Of course your interview went viral and you headed to Joshua’s house that night. The members let you in greeting you with terrible Australian accents telling you they'd watched the interview. You cursed them all before asking where Joshua was. "He's in his room" Scoups said "go on up". You did so hitting Dk and Hoshi as you passed before knocking at Joshua's door. He called come in and you smiled "you're a sight for sore eyes". He smiled and opened his arms. You dove into them and hugged him breathing in everything you'd missed. Joshua chuckled as you shuffled getting comfy. "So I saw your interview" he said and you nodded "yeah?" listening closely to the tone of his voice. Joshua nodded "I never knew you were so into Australia accents". You blushed "I'm not into them I just think they sound nice?" You shrugged. "Better than mine?" he asked. You pulled away "of course not! I love your voice". Joshua looked unsure "really? I'm not beneath you with your lovely British accent?" he asked imitating an English accent. You smirked at his attempt "no" and Joshua seemed to thaw. "And so you don't find the deepness of the Australian accent hot? You weren't blushing when they spoke to you?". You blushed under Joshua's playful gaze and shook your head "nope". Joshua smirked "I can tell you're lying but it's okay I'm sure I can make you blush too" and he finally kissed you. 

He more than proved he could and you forgot all about the hot Australians. 

______________

So again this one is kinda based on my experience with Kpop. I’m British and here American accents are not hot at all! So it was rather amusing seeing people gush over American Kpop idols speaking English but i’ll admit Joshua has one of the best American accents I’ve heard so I get it...for him 

[leennaan]

It's the anon that requested the Klara fic I loved and definitely would love more fics of her maybe another one like an enemies to lovers one

Sorry that it took me so long to write this.

It was definitely harder as I first imagined and a challenge for me.

I hope you like it even tho I struggled at some parts😬

It is not proofread as I just wanted to get this one out😅

So enjoy ☺️

I hate that I love you/ Klara Bühl

You had met Klara for the first time while on international duty. She playing for the German U15 national team and you for the English.

Her position as a left forward and you as a right back meant that your paths crossed on various times during the match.

The game wasn’t going after your liking with Germany being 2:0 in front in the 80th minute and when Klara once again made a run into your own box you dived into a tackle you knew was ill timed. You completely missed the ball and instead crashed into Klara with your studs up,

who almost instantly screamed in pain.

You were quick to apologize but were almost immediately pushed back by a furious looking Sydney.

Once the medics were on the field and tending to Klara the referee turned her attention to you and showed you a red. Normally not someone to accept a referees decision easily this time you made your way off the pitch instantly. Not caring what your teammates said to you you made your way back to the changing room as fast as you possibly could.

Once inside you kicked the bench hard, angry tears leaving your eyes.

You never wanted to hurt her or any one. And you did just that. Not only did you severely injure another player, you also caused your team to loose 3:0 as they had to play one player down.

After the game you tried to apologize once again but the German players said that Klara was already brought to the hospital as she had a few bad cuts down her leg that would most likely need a few stitches.

So you tried to apologize via Instagram leaving a message in her DMs but she never replied to you. As there was nothing else you could really do you left it at that.

——————

The next time that the two of you met was at the U17 World Championship 2016 in Jordan. After loosing 3:0 in the quarterfinal against Japan you and a few of your teammates decided to have a little get together in the common room of your hotel.

Only the thing was that you were sharing said common room with the German team which had a similar idea after loosing their own quarterfinal match against Spain.

You yourself had almost forgotten about the incident that happened almost two years ago but Klara clearly hadn’t.

As soon as she saw you a scowl appeared on her face. She turned to Sydney who was walking behind her and started to say something to the brunette. Now Sydney also looked over to you and you instantly looked in a different direction.

Over the course of the night the two teams mixed together, everyone enjoying the night and having fun. Everyone expected you.

You often felt the eyes of the younger German player on you hard and angry eyes starring at you.

Later on in the evening Klara appeared next to you effectively scaring you as she growled into your ear.

“You know I was surprised to still see you play for England. I wasn’t expecting them to need someone who isn’t even able to perform a clean tackle.”

Her words hitting you hard as you praised yourself for staying on your feet most of the times.

“What do you want? I know the tackle was bad. I apologized instantly, I was punished for it and I learned to do better. What else do you expect me to do?” You scowled at her. Fed up with Klaras behavior.

Before she could respond you had left the room.

Not knowing that the two of you would meet again later on in life in one of the most important games in both of your careers.

——————

Fast forward you were walking out into a sold out Wembley Stadium in the final of the Euros 2022.

Taking place on the bench next to your best friends Lotte and Alessia, you took it all in.

Goosebumps appearing on your arms as the anthems were played.

When you looked at the players that were sitting on the German bench you couldn’t help but be drawn to the women that obviously hated you even after all those years.

Nonetheless you felt bad for her, not wishing anyone to miss out on such an important match.

For a few seconds your eyes met. You send her a sympathetic smile and for a moment it looked like Klara had forgotten who she was looking at as she send you a half smile back before she released what she did and a scowl that you knew too well appeared again on her face. Still you couldn’t help but think that she was beautiful.

——————

A few weeks after England had won the Euros you were sitting next to Georgia in a plane on your way to Munich. The both of you had signed with Bayern just before the start of the Euros.

“What if they don’t like me? Yo know that Klar hates my guts since that one game and we just won against a majority of them in the final. This was a really bad idea. I should have never signed.” You were fiddling with your rings.

“Stopping worrying. You know you are a good player and a good person. Bayern wouldn’t have signed us if they didn’t think we were that good. And just because Klara is a b*tch for still hating you for a silly mistake you made when you were fifteen does not mean they all are. And you still got me.”

Georgia pulled you into a hug and you relaxed slightly, not quite able to stop worrying entirely.

The first thing you heard when you stepped into your new changing room

With G was Klara. “What is she doing here?”

The players weren’t informed of your guys signing to surprise them but while most of the team looked excited to have you and G here Klar most definitely wasn’t.

You instantly felt bad, once again second guessing your transfer.

Luckily for you, your new trainer Alexander

interfered.

“Y/n and Georgia have signed a contract for the next few years and we are really lucky to have them play with us and not against us. I want you all to be friendly to each other. That includes you Klara.”

Klara grumbled slightly before she murmeld a quiet apology.

Against your hopes Klara still hated you even after almost a whole month that you played at Munich now.

You often caught yourself staring at her. And more than once did you find that the younger girl was already looking at you.

You hated to admire that she was really beautiful.

Which made you even sadder that the girl would not talk to you besides the necessary football talk.

She would run into you by ‚ accident’ or push you over in training always accompanied with sneer in your direction. „I am so sorry Y/n I totally misjudged how fast I was.“ Her sarcastic words hurting more than you admitted.

While you had made friends with a lot of your teammates Klara was obviously not one of them. But what surprised you was that Sydney had become one of your best friends.

So one evening when Sydney had invited you and a few other teammates, Klara not being one of them, to cook together you asked her why Sydney’s best friend still hated you.

“ I can’t help you Y/n. I have known Klara for a very long time and she is normally one of the sweetest human beings I know. I only know that she had a few problems with her leg after you tackle. She had to miss a few games and after she was cleared to play again she was scared to go into 1 v 1 which resulted in her being benched and only having a few minutes of game time for the reminder of the season but i can’t imagine that she hates you only for this.”

You nodded along to what Sydney said, once again feeling angry at yourself for misjudging the tackle.

“I never wanted to hurt her. I felt so bad that day. I was benched for the next four games even tho I was only suspended for one. I tried everything to apologize to Klara but she ignored me completely so the only thing I could do was to learn from my mistakes.”

“And you did. You are a remarkable defender. I don’t think I know another defender who stays on her feet and still recovers the balls as often as you.”

The slightly taller girl pulled you into a side hug. Never one to just accept a compliment you blushed.

“Leah thought me that. She took me under her wing when I first joined the senior squad. If you ask me she is one if not the best defender there is right now.”

That evening you decided to find out why Klara hated you so much.

The next day at training you waited for Klara in the changing room, as she was the last one to finish after having to stay on the pitch because Alexander wanted to talk for her.

„Why do you hate me so much?“ You asked her once she entered the room.

Totally surprised Klara just stared at you. „What?“

„Why do you hate me so much?“

You asked me again.

„Why do you care so much?“ she asked back and you couldn’t believe her.

„Because I don’t understand it. Yes I made a mistake but for crying out loud that was almost ten years ago! I apologized multiple times and you still hate me!“

You shouted. Sick of Klaras behavior. Yes she was the the one physically hurt that day but that didn’t mean that the way she treated you didn’t hurt you.“

„For you it was just a bad day. For me it was bad years that followed.“

She growled. Her face had turned red and she looked furious.

„That’s not true! I now that your season did not end as you wished for but mine did not as well. I was out for four matches afterwards and I refused to go into any sort of tackle the next games I played wich resulted in me being dropped to the second team at my club so don’t tell me you were the only one affected.“

You shouted at her now angry yourself.

Klara was still looking at you with so much hate in her eyes that you had to swallow a lumb that had formed in your throat.

„You know what. I don’t care anymore. Hate me all you want. I had seen some of your games before we played against each other. I thought you played amazing and hoped that maybe we could become friends. Even now I still had hope that maybe we could still become friends but I clearly thought wrong. As long as it does not affect my football I don’t care anymore.“

With that you started to leave. But just before you could walk out of the door Klara stopped you.

„Wait. I…I don’t hate you.“ she whispered and you couldn’t believe what you just heard. „I am sorry. What?“

„I don’t hate you.“ she repeated.

„I hate my self for how I treated you. Yes at first I hated you. I blamed you for my season and also the teasing I received in school for the scars. But then I was just scared to stop hating you. I didn’t want to accept that I was wrong in the way I treated you.“

Now Klara was crying and you heart broke a bit for the younger girl.

„But why? I always just wanted you to stop hating me.“

Slowly you had walked to Klara and had rapped your arms around her. At first her body tensed, before she relaxed into you.

„Because I.. because at some point I stopped hating you and… I… I started to watch your games and I saw how amazing you played and I.. I thought that you looked beautiful and suddenly I was scared what others would think and than I saw you again at the euros and I said to my self that I’ll apologize to you but than you won and I was just so heartbroken and sad and angry at my self that I couldn’t play so I once again started to hate you for it. And the you stood in this room and I just I couldn’t see you so soon and my thoughts were all over the place.“

You watched as Klara started to rumble about her feelings.

„Hey hey. Breath, everything is fine. Just breath“ Trying to calm her down you looked into her brown eyes, trying hard not to get lost in them.

„And I hated that i stared to fall in love with you.“

Your heart stopped when you heard Klara say those words to you.

„You what?“

„I started to fall in love with you. I am in love with you.“

And before Klara could start her rumbling again you kissed her.

The kiss was full of passion. Butterflies erupted in your stomach when Klara pushed you up against the wall. A moan escaping your lips when she slightly bit down on it.

When air became necessary she pulled away, your bodies still tightly pressed against each other.

„I hated that you hated me. Because I think I had a crush on you from the moment I saw you. That is why I cared so much.“ You said slightly out of breath and with blushed cheeks before you pulled her into another searing kiss.

You were interrupted by Syd, who came into the looker room looking for Klara because they where supposed to drive home together.

„Finally I am sick of this whole fake hate between the two of you. It was almost painful to watch you two love sick puppies steeling glances at each other and not realizing that you were undressing each other not hating the other.“

[aboutchriss]

Horses of Sydney

Pairing: Chan x fem!reader (we call him Chris in here)

Genre: fluff, crack

Warnings: spiders, like big spiders, the ones that you can find only in Australia, slightly arachnophobia

Author note: I wrote it last night, I don’t know what is this, it just came out after I saw a video on instagram lmao, hope you enjoyed it.

💌 remember! english it's not my first language, please be gentle with me! let me know if there's any mistake(s) 💌

Are you wearing a towel in a hotel lobby? Yes do you have shampoo in my hair? yes do you look weird? probably but there's a reason behind this

"uhm, Miss can i help you?" a voice with a thick australian accent asks

"y-yes, oh my god yes" WHY THE GORGEOUS RECEPTIONIST WHY?

"is there something wrong with your room?" he asks

"no, no the room is perfet it's just that i have a big guest in my room and i can't handle it, not big things like that, i can handle small things, but not that"

"there's condoms of every size on the bed side table miss”

"what? NO, NO. tha-that's not what i mean oh my god; as you can tell i was taking a shower, without my glasses, of course, because who takes showers with their glasses on? my blind ass can't see shit okay? i was washing my hair, music blasting from the shower speakers then boom a giant black-ish thing is on the wall, i thought 'am i losing that much hair?how does my hair ended up there?’ so i put my glasses on to grab it, AND THANKS GOD I DIDN'T DO IT, there was a huge, big, enormous spider in the shower with me, so i grabbed a towel and run here" You say walking back and forth, looking at the man with his stupid fucking glasses, and he's trying not to laugh, the hot dude at the recption is trying not to laugh at you.

"i'm sorry, i'm making such a big deal out of this and i know that big spiders are common in here but...that thing was not a spider...it was but with the dimensions of a horse, i could ride and do a fucking promenade on the beach with it!"

and this bitch is laughing, hands on his stomach, dimples out and eyes closed

"i'm sorry miss, it's the first time that someone describe a spider like this, do you want me to take it off the wall for you?" he asks

"please, i'll do anything, i'll pay an additional, another room please i'm begging you" You say desperate

"okay, okay, let's go, show me the horse...i mean the spider" he says walking out of the recption, with a plastic box

the two of you start walking towards your room, once you're inside you let him go into the bathroom

"oh hello buddy...come here, c'mon here in the little box. we don't look at women without they're consent buddy, especially if they're naked, come here...oooh such a good boy" is he talking to the spider? is he teaching consent to a fucking spider? what the fuck? "and we're done" he said closing the plastic box and walking outide the bathroom

"were you talking to...him?" you ask

"yeah...his not poisonous...just a curious spider...trying to get ladies attention" he says smiling

"thank you really..."

"Christopher, call me christopher" he smiles and once again his dimples are out

"y/n, and thanks again i own you something" you say looking at him

"you don't own me anything...maybe a drink...in the city center? downstaris at 8 p.m?" he asks looking at the spider

"i- damn that was smooth...okay, see you tonight" you say smiling

he opens the door to get out and then he stops

"i prefer light blue panties" he winks at you and get out

“You saw her naked before me, you lucky bastard”

He says to the spider

"what?" you ask your self entering the bathroom and there they are a pair a light pink panties.

[maretinelli]

CAPTAIN HEART⁵

Ollie Bearman X Player!fem!reader

Summary: Summer vacation in Europe, and Ollie decides to visit Y/n in Sydney to ask the long-awaited question.

Words: 3.2K+

Warnings: Sydney landmarks, Y/n's parents being kind always, couple in love and couple officially dating.

Author: English is not my first language, so sorry for any mistakes that may be in the story. And I'm loving it, too bad it's ending. I really did a lot of research before posting Sydney's tourist attractions, I'm not from there, and I've never been (I hope to go) but I hope there's nothing wrong.

MASTERLIST

CHAPTERS: CAPTAIN HEART

Two months later.

Two months had passed since Y/n and Ollie started getting more seriously involved, even though they weren't officially a couple yet.

They kept in constant contact, whether it was through late-night phone calls that lasted for hours, video calls filled with smiles and conversations about their day, or messages exchanged during breaks in their busy routines. And whenever they had time off, they didn't hesitate to catch flights to visit each other, even if it was just for two days together, before returning to their respective lives.

During this time, Bearman met Y/n's parents during a visit. He was greeted with curiosity and sympathy, but also with that appraising look typical of caring parents. And approved.

On the other hand, Y/n had the opportunity to spend a weekend with Ollie's family in London, who welcomed her warmly. She realized how close he was to his family and how this reflected in his sweet, caring and polite way of being.

The discreet relationship between the two began to attract the attention of fans when, on that night of the celebration of Y/n's achievement, a photo was posted by Lando.

In the image, Ollie was next to Y/n, with his hands casually on her waist, in a gesture of closeness that did not go unnoticed. Fans quickly began speculating, investigating Y/n's social media. They discovered that she was a talented athlete and fell in love with her outgoing personality and the posts she shared about her routine, both in handball training and in her private life.

To Y/n's relief, fans received the alleged relationship with affection, showering her with compliments and messages of support. This made her more comfortable posting photos that implied that Ollie was present in her life in a special way, without confirming anything directly.

But of course, amidst all this excitement, Y/n remained focused on what she had been doing since she was little. She was immersed in her preparation for the last game of the championship, which now had a greater weight. It was not only the final of the tournament, but also a chance to prove that she deserved the offer from the Italian team.

Nervousness was inevitable, but Y/n knew that every effort would be worth it the moment she stepped onto the court to do what she loved. And of course, she had the support of her parents, Ollie and the McLaren couple.

The summer – that was supposed to be in Europe. I brought Ollie to Sydney. He had taken advantage of the holidays to visit Y/n in Australia before the championship.

Now, as she drove through the sunny streets, the cool ocean breeze wafting through the open windows of the car, the two of them seemed perfectly at ease in each other’s company. Sydney had a charm all its own, but at that moment, to Ollie, the entire city felt even more special with Y/n behind the wheel.

The car glided smoothly along the avenues, and Ollie, sitting in the passenger seat, watched the palm trees lining the sidewalks and the bustling movement of the city.

"I feel like a lady here in the passenger seat." He leaned back against the headrest, letting out a playful smile, before looking at Y/n.

She let out a hearty laugh, the one he loved to hear. Stopping at a red light, she turned to him, a teasing smile dancing on her lips.

"I hope the princess is comfortable, because the driver does not offer massage services."

Ollie laughed out loud, shaking his head in mock indignation.

Soft music played in the background, and conversations ranged from funny childhood stories to plans for the day. Ollie, leaning back in the passenger seat, looked completely at ease. He already knew Y/n's parents and, unlike other occasions, there wasn't that usual tension of making a good impression. He just smiled, excited about the idea of the ride and what else was to come.

When they entered the condominium, the difference from the busy city center was evident. The streets were tree-lined, quiet, and there was a cool breeze passing through the car windows.

"You know what's weird?" Ollie looks at her.

"What, love?" She says sweetly, making Bearman's heart melt.

"It's strange to see you at the wheel, while I, a Formula 1 driver, am sitting relaxing in the passenger seat." He didn't deny it, he loved driving. Both his Formula 1 car, and any car they gave him the keys to.

Y/n lets out a low laugh, turning a corner.

"I'm giving you a vacation." She smiles. "But speaking of weird things. The way you sleep is weird!" She confesses and Ollie looks at her with amusement. "Yesterday morning I woke up to get a drink of water and you were next to me in bed, sleeping with your sweatshirt hood up over your head and the blanket over your face." She laughs remembering the scene. "It looked like a crime scene."

Ollie laughs. "Hey, a discount. I went from European summer to Australian winter in a matter of hours. I was shivering with cold."

Y/n laughs. "You could have hugged me," she shrugs, smiling mischievously at him.

As they approached the house, the view was impressive. The large, rustic wooden building stood out in the neighborhood. Imposing palm trees flanked the entrance gate, creating a welcoming, almost paradisiacal aura. Y/n drove a few more meters until she parked in her parents' spacious garage, turning off the engine of her car with a smile.

"Oh, look there. The monster is home!" She takes the keys out of the ignition and nods toward her father's truck.

Ollie turns to her and frowns, smiling. "Monstrous?"

Y/n laughs. "Yeah, we call the truck that. Because it's tall and spacious." She gets out of the car and Ollie laughs at the confession. "Don't tell me you DON'T name your cars!"

"Definitely not!" He exclaims with a smile, reaching around to hold her hand.

Outside, Y/n's parents appeared at the door to welcome them. The mother, with an apron tied around her waist, waved enthusiastically, while the father remained more reserved, but with a warm smile that made clear his joy at seeing them.

"Hey, you're here at a good time. I'm finishing baking a cake!" The player's mother goes down the several steps to find the two.

Y/n's father was standing on the porch, waiting for them to go upstairs so they wouldn't have to go down the millions of steps his wife had begged to have put in the house when they bought it.

Ollie and Y/n greet her parents and exchange quick conversations, unable to reject a piece of the fresh cake that came out of the oven.

"Hey dad!" Y/n says, as the four of them are in the kitchen, enjoying the delicious chocolate cake that Y/n's mother had made. "Can you lend us the truck? My car is small and we're taking some things for the picnic." The player turns to take her hands and the older couple turns to Ollie, with a smile on their face, knowing what he had planned.

Ollie knew that this moment would be special, and had planned everything down to the smallest detail. From the decision to visit Sydney to the idea of the picnic, nothing was left to chance.

In his jacket pocket, the small velvet box weighed heavily, not in literal weight, but in symbolism and importance. He had spent hours choosing the perfect ring and, before doing so, he made sure to call Y/n's parents to ask for their blessing. The conversation was easy, with both of them agreeing immediately, touched by Ollie's sincerity and care.

"Sure!" Her father smiles. Y/n turns around, wiping the water off her hands and smiles sweetly. "Ollie, do you want to drive?" He grabs the key from the hook in the kitchen and hands it to Bearman.

"Sure?" Ollie asks with a smile on his face. Taking the keys that were held out in front of him.

Yin's father approaches Ollie with a calm smile on his face and lightly pats his shoulder.

"I'm sure, Ollie. I trust you to drive my truck. Plus, I know you're taking good care of my girl, so I think she's in good hands... just like my car."

Ollie laughs, a little embarrassed, but grateful for the words. He takes the keys and looks at Y/n, who is also smiling, realizing the affection and trust his father already had for him.

A few more conversations were exchanged between the little family, until Y/n slapped her hands on her pants and looked at her parents.

"Well, we need to go" Y/n starts to leave the kitchen, with her parents and Ollie following.

"Where are you going for a walk today?"

"Let's take a walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Ollie suggested the idea yesterday and I thought it was awesome." Y/n smiles.

They nodded smiling. Y/n started walking down the hallway to the front door, telling them about what she and Ollie did yesterday and what they were going to do today at the park.

The father of the player, who was further back with Ollie, turns to the pilot, who was smiling when he saw his almost-girlfriend talking so excitedly to her mother.

"I know she can be chatty and a little too outgoing..." He said with a half-joking tone, but soon softened his expression. "But she's a good girl."

Ollie laughed, nodding in agreement. "I know that. She's amazing."

The father then placed a firm hand on Ollie's shoulder, looking him straight in the eyes. "You know... it's not easy to hand over your daughter to someone. She's always been independent, never letting anyone get too close. But with you..." He smiled slightly. "With you, it seems like she finally found someone who understands her. She feels happier."

Ollie nodded, touched by the words and the confidence. "You can be sure, Sir. She means a lot to me."

With that, her father patted her on the back, and the younger couple walked out onto the porch, with Y/n saying goodbye to her family and heading down the stairs to the truck, to put the things from her car into her father's borrowed car.

"Are you guys going to stay there and talk or can I take Ollie with me?" Y/n asks, closing the truck's back door and looking at her parents and Bearman with amusement.

They laugh. Ollie says goodbye to his almost-girlfriend's parents and then walks down the garden stairs, unlocking the car and getting into the passenger seat.

Ollie settled into the truck's seat, gripping the steering wheel tightly. He glanced quickly at Y/n, who was absently adjusting the radio, oblivious to what this day would mean for them.

The F1 driver started the car and left the garage with Y/n's father's car, smiling as the player was in the driver's seat and gave him information on which streets he should drive to.

When they arrived at Sydney’s Bullet Bridge, the view was breathtaking. The cold winter wind swept across the bridge, bringing with it the fresh scent of the ocean. The sky was clear, with a few clouds scattering on the horizon, and the sun shone softly, casting golden reflections on the water below.

Y/n was clinging to Ollie's arm, the two walking side by side at a leisurely pace as she pointed out the sights around them.

"That's the Sydney Opera House. Maybe we could have our picnic nearby, it's a great place to watch the sunset," she suggested, smiling. Her eyes were bright with excitement as she considered the possibilities.

Ollie smiled sideways, feeling a wave of affection at seeing her so excited. She spoke so passionately about the places, but he could barely pay attention. The weight of the little box in his jacket pocket seemed to increase, and he knew that this afternoon would be decisive. He was nervous, but also excited.

The idea of making their relationship official made him smile involuntarily. She had already won his heart some time ago, and he saw no point in postponing that moment any longer.

As they walked towards the park, the cold breeze seemed to intensify, but the weather only made the walk more cozy. The leaves on the trees swayed gently, and some stalls selling crafts and typical foods were scattered around the place, bringing life to the environment.

"Ah, look at those tents!" Y/n pointed out excitedly. "We can get something for the picnic. But first, how about some ice cream?"

Ollie looked at her, his eyes full of amusement and one eyebrow raised. As they hugged each other on the side to keep warm from the cold.

"Seriously? Ice cream? Did you forget it's winter and it's windy? Soon they'll think we're trying to defy the laws of survival." He jokes, looking into the player's eyes.

Y/n laughed out loud, giving his arm a light shove. "Oh come on. It's just an ice cream! Let's share it then, so no one freezes alone."

They approached the ice cream stand, where Y/n quickly began to analyze the flavors available on the menu, her face lit up with excitement.

Ollie, on the other hand, kept his arm around her to shield them from the wind, chuckling softly as he watched her indecision. The scarves they wore fluttered in the chilly breeze.

"How about pistachios?" Y/n suggested, turning to him. With a smile that brightened Bearman's days.

"Pistachio? Who chooses pistachios when there's chocolate right here?" He pointed at the menu, arching his eyebrow again in mock indignation.

After a brief negotiation and laughter, they decided on a mixed cone, half pistachio and half chocolate.

The pilot held the cone while Y/n took the first lick, laughing at the cold wind that made her nose even colder. Then he imitated her, mockingly.

"Nothing more logical than ice cream in winter!"

"He complains, but he's loving it!" Y/n teased, laughing as they shared the ice cream and walked side by side.

They finished the ice cream as they walked back to the car, where Ollie opened the truck bed to get the picnic basket and towel. He also removed the two folding chairs, as the grass in the park was damp from the freezing weather.

"Let me take that," he said, picking up the basket with one hand while intertwining the other with Yin's. He placed a soft kiss on the player's cold cheeks.

She held the chairs tightly and pointed to different areas of the park.

"And that corner over there? It looks very quiet," He suggested, but then looked away to another spot. "Or maybe closer to the trees, so we can be protected from the wind..."

Ollie just followed her, a calm smile on his face. "Should we come here every day, to go everywhere you point?"

She rolled her eyes, laughing, and finally pointed to a small hill that was further away and looked perfect.

It was empty, with a privileged view of the bay and the sky starting to take on orange tones as the sun began to dip towards the horizon.

When they reached the top, he spread out the blanket and adjusted the chairs so they were comfortable and facing the view. The silence around them, broken only by the distant sound of the waves and the wind in the trees, created the ideal setting.

Ollie watched Y/n kneeling on the towel, concentrating on taking things out of the basket and organizing everything with charming care. The wind gently ruffled her hair, and he couldn't help but smile.

His heart beat faster with her every movement, anxiety growing as his hand slipped into his jacket pocket, touching the small velvet box.

"It must be beautiful in Italy in the winter. Does it snow there? I don't know, but if it does, it must be ten times more beautiful." She muses, taking all the things out of the basket on top of the checkered tablecloth.

Bearman chuckles softly as he listens to his girlfriend being so chatty and lively. Making Ollie's heart warm in the cold. And at all times.

He knelt silently behind her, holding the little box carefully. His eyes never left hers, taking in every detail of the moment. The way she spoke softly to herself as she arranged the fresh food made him chuckle inwardly.

Y/n finally finished, arranging the last few items and giving a satisfied sigh before standing up and sitting in the chair next to her.

Still engrossed in the conversation, she turned her head to Ollie, ready to ask a question, but stopped mid-sentence.

Her eyes widened as she saw him there, kneeling on the grass beside her, the little box open in his hands. The silver ring reflected the light of the setting sun, shining with simplicity and beauty.

"I was starting to think you'd never turn around," Ollie joked, chuckling softly, but his eyes were full of emotion.

"Ollie... what... what are you doing?" Y/n brought her hand to her mouth in surprise, a huge smile taking over her face.

He took a deep breath, looking at her with all the sincerity he had.

"Since the day I saw you on that court in Melbourne, I felt something light up inside me. You are such a radiant, beautiful, and enlightened girl. You make me want to spend every second of my life by your side. You are the person who challenges me, who makes me laugh, and who makes me want to be better every day. I want to travel, see new places, experience new things and with you by my side, discover the world... and I want to do it as your boyfriend. Will you be my girlfriend?"

Y/n blinked a few times, still processing what was happening, but her expression softened, transforming into pure happiness. She got up from the chair, and kneeled next to Ollie, holding his face with both hands, and with her eyes filled with joy.

"Yes, Ollie! Of course I do!"

He laughed in relief, pulling Y/n into a hug and making them both fall backwards onto the grass. Making the player burst out laughing, warming Ollie's heart every time he heard that sweet sound coming from her. His smile widened, squeezing his girlfriend tighter in the hug.

"You make me the happiest man in the world!" They stood up, still sitting on the grass. Not caring that the grass was damp and could freeze them.

Ollie stood inches away from Y/n, as he saw the player's wide smile on her face. In a gentle gesture, he brought their lips together for a passionate, calm and gentle kiss. Making Y/n smile between the kisses and melt at his touch.

After they separate, Ollie tucks a strand of her unruly hair behind her ear, taking the ring from the box and placing it on her finger. While she still had the silly smile on her face.

"It's official now," he said with a mischievous smile, and she laughed, pulling him into another hug.

The sun continued to set on the horizon, dyeing the sky in golden and orange tones as the two remained together, on top of the hill, celebrating the beginning of a new phase.

[theblurbwitchproject]

Weyward by Emilia Hart

Published: February 2, 2023 Publisher: HarperCollins

The Author

Emilia Hart is a British-Australian writer. She was born in Sydney and studied English Literature and Law at the University of New South Wales before working as a lawyer in Sydney and London. She is a graduate of Curtis Brown Creative’s Three Month Online Novel Writing Course and was Highly Commended in the 2021 Caledonia Novel Award. Her short fiction has been published in Australia and the UK. Weyward is her debut novel. She lives in London.

˗ˏˋ ´ˎ˗

The Story

In Weyward, the narrative intertwines the lives of three women spanning five centuries. In 2019, Kate seeks solace in Weyward Cottage, escaping from London and her abusive partner. She slowly unravels a mystery hidden within the cottage's history, hinting at secrets from her great aunt's past and the 17th-century witch hunts. In 1619, Altha faces trial for a murder she didn't commit, relying on her unconventional nature magic to defend herself against accusations of witchcraft. Meanwhile, in 1942, Violet feels trapped by societal constraints and the prison of her family's estate, yearning for freedom and the memory of her mother, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only remnants of her mother's existence are a locket marked with a mysterious "W" and the word "weyward" etched into the bedroom's baseboard. This novel masterfully weaves these women's tales together, revealing a compelling narrative of strength across generations and the transformative influence of the natural world.

˗ˏˋ ´ˎ˗

The Vibe: family lineage, nature magic, self discovery, witch trials, feminine strength, betrayal, forging your own path

The Style: historical fiction, magical realism, multiple povs, part epistolary, part narration, emotive

Trigger Warnings: imprisonment, domestic abuse, spousal rape, car accident death, entrapment by pregnancy, emotional abuse, suidical ideation, mention of stillbirth, “hysteria”, hysterectomy, abortion, misogyny

˗ˏˋ ´ˎ˗

The Review

I picked Weyward up on a whim and am so pleased that I did. Historical fiction mixed with magical realism and a dash of incredibly rich writing made it a real pleasure to read. The narrative weaves between three women across five centuries, deftly showcasing the myriad ways in which women demonstrate resilience and bravery under difficult circumstances.

Being totally honest, I often struggle with split narrative timelines in novels. I can’t be the only one who has found themselves bored with one section of a book, willing the boring chapters to end in order to get back to the characters I am invested in… right? Thankfully, Weyward’s leading ladies are all so fabulous and their stories so engaging, that I was invested in each timeline equally. This actually sped up my reading as the story progressed, as I wanted to find out how each character was doing in their timeline more and more desperately. If you want to read a moving story with wonderful characters that emphasizes the transformative power of nature, please pick this up!

Witch. The word slithers from the mouth like a serpent, drips from the tongue as thick and black as tar. We never thought of ourselves as witches, my mother and I. For this was a word invented by men, a word that brings power to those who speak it, not those it describes. A word that builds gallows and pyres, turns breathing women into corpses.

One thing I will say before really digging in to the review, is that there are a lot of trigger warnings for this novel (see above for a summary). Reading through the list, it may seem that this is a tome of sheer doom and gloom, but it actually didn’t feel that way to me. Obviously, a lot of the trigger warnings may be Hard Nos for some people, and that’s totally fair, however I found this story so engaging and the characters so strong, that the TWs didn’t beat me down as much as they could have. Being set across five centuries, this book explores a number of methods by which patriarchal societies abuse women.  From the outright cruelties of the 17th Century to the more insidious offences of modern society, there is a lot of violence and misogyny at work here. It can get difficult in parts, but I found myself uplifted by the women’s strength in the end.

Now, I’ve discussed how strong the characters are; let me properly introduce them to you! Kate, living in her 2019 timeline, wants to escape a violent partner and discover the truth about her family. Violet, in 1942 and the midst of the Second World War, wants to escape the societal confines and expectations of femininity and live a life she chooses. Altha in 1619 just wants to survive. I loved them all. I cared about them all. I may have even shed a tear or two over them (and books don’t make me cry super often). I particularly loved Violet and her sheer determination to live her own life. I really appreciated seeing her as a teen from her own perspective, as well as from Kate’s perspective looking back at Violet as an old woman. (I want grow up to be an eccentric old lady with the witchiest house in the world just like her!) The interlacing of their stories is so well conceived, it really feels like you’re seeing a cohesive timeline rather than random sections plonked together.

Perhaps one day, she said, there would be a safer time. When women could walk the earth, shining bright with power, and yet live.

There is so much witchcraft detail in this book, dropped in so sneakily and creatively, I just loved it! All the leading ladies have Witch Marks (which definitely need to be used in witchy stories more frequently), but they’re not overly emphasized… they’re just there and mentioned in passing in various subtle ways. The way the Familiars work is also super cool; not every animal can be a familiar, and they aren’t necessarily easily controlled, but they provide emotional support and do their witches’ bidding when needed. I especially loved the constant presence of the crows, which at first seem wild and dangerous, but eventually become as important to the plot as the leading characters as symbols of power. And I love, love, love how the magic stems so much from the witches’ connection to the natural world. It just felt so right to me.

One notable factor in Weyward for me was how deftly Emilia Hart wove historical facts into the narrative. From the Lancashire Assizes to the Pendle Witch Trials and King James I and his obsession with Witch Hunts, Altha’s timeline felt so based in history as to be almost visceral. This sort of thing really happened to living women. I was especially impressed by the use of the Great Comet of 1618; Hart definitely did her research in order to place her story firmly in the real world, with an additional magical touch.

There was something about us – the Weyward women – that bonded us more tightly with the natural world. We can feel it, she said, the same way we feel rage, sorrow or joy. The animals, the birds, the plants – they let us in, recognising us as one of their own. That is why roots and leaves yield so easily under our fingers, to form tonics that bring comfort and healing. That is why animals welcome our embrace. Why the crows – the ones who carry the sign – watch over us and do our bidding, why their touch brings our abilities into sharpest relief.

Weyward has become one of my favourite reads for 2024, and has 100% got a solid seat in my Top Ten of the Year. It is endlessly impressive to me that is was Emilia Hart’s DEBUT NOVEL. Seriously, my hat is off to her for creating a story that felt so real and so magical at the same time. I will definitely be reading more of her work as it is published. If my recommendation isn’t enough, Weyward also won Goodreads’ Best Historical Fiction title in 2023. And if you buy a physical copy of the book, you get a neat little flip book of a crow flying in the page corners. If all that doesn’t sell it to you, I don’t know what will.

[sgiandubh]

What he said...

@bat-cat-reader has graciously asked me for a transcript and Spanish translation of the video posted by @samheughanswife from the Sydney Hublander and I think she didn't have time to check her DMs.

The one where S couldn't help but bring up C, the very first moment he was on stage. Check it out here, with all credits given to SHW, of course: https://www.tumblr.com/samheughanswife/743154023637614592/straight-up-in-the-first-question-from-the?source=share

I tried my best, sound was calamitous and yelling, well... worse than an MMA match.

English transcript:

It’s hard to not have fun, when you’re working with people like Mr. Lacroix, unless he’s in one of those like moods, you know, when he like just wanders off and does not speak to anyone. But uhm…over the years, we’ve got amazing cast we’ve worked with and everyone has just a good time. I mean, there’s not always much time to mess around or play pranks or anything like that, but we do tend to have a good time… Caitriona Balfe is an amazing co-star, she’s got a terrible habit of corpsing, so if something goes wrong, her shoulders start to go (mimicks laughter). She would turn around in the scene, so no one can see her face and just leave me to deal with a lot of questions. Yeah, it’s a lot of fun, we get all… I’ve got my groomer, Wendy, I’ve been with from the beginning, she is also a ridiculous human being, and just a lot of fun, so we can go along, just not much as did in Season 1, not so fun (?).

Traducción en Español:

Es difícil no divertirse cuando trabajas con gente como el Sr. Lacroix, a menos que esté en uno de esos estados de ánimo similares, ya sabed, cuando simplemente se aleja y no habla con nadie. Pero uhm… a lo largo de los años, hemos trabajado con un elenco increíble y todos se lo pasan bien. Quiero decir, no siempre hay mucho tiempo para perder o gastar bromas o algo así, pero tendemos a pasar un buen rato... Caitriona Balfe es una coprotagonista increíble, tiene un hábito terrible de morirse de la risa, así que si algo sale mal, sus hombros empiezan a moverse (imita la risa). Ella se daba vuelta en la escena, para que nadie pudiera ver su cara y simplemente me dejaba lidiar con muchas preguntas. Sí, es muy divertido, nos ponemos a todos... tengo a mi peluquera, Wendy, con quien he estado desde el principio, ella también es un ser humano ridículo, y muy divertida, así que podemos seguir adelante, simplemente no tanto como en la Prima Temporada, no tan divertido (?).

Funny how idioms like 'ridiculous human being' do spread in the family, only to resurface, years after Sis coined it. But hey, always bring Wendy in (remember Madrid, LOL?) and dilute, dilute, dilute.

Also funny how the 'best informed, most neutral blog' EVAH did not use SHW's footage, so as not to credit her (petty, I know)?

To make myself very clear, here is what I think about all that overtouted neutrality. Remembering that she used this tune in a very early S mudslinging video she created and put on Youtube:

(Irrespective, this is a great remix and Freddie - never been a fan, but deeply appreciative - is simply TOP)