#i'm glad the correct option won

[sunrizef1]

big reputation pt 3

Pairing: Logan Sargeant x fem!reader

Warnings: Kelly piquet? Slight violence, canon divergent (Logan has a seat lmfao)

Authors Note: from now on every fic I post will be considered a period piece because I am NOT taking Logan out of that seat.

Pt1 Pt2

yourusername

📍Cardiff, Wales

liked by lewishamilton formulaone and 25,888,007 others

yourusername Cardiff, you were wonderful!!!!! We had never played a show in Wales before but we will definitely be back again! We all had a great time ✨ Thank you so much for coming out and having the night of your lives with me, I'm so grateful for every single one of you! 🖤 I’ll see you soon, Edinburgh…📸

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user1 I love you queen

user2 guys… I miss the drivers

user3 they miss one show like every two weeks and y'all say this every time 😭😭😭

user3 and they'll probably be back next week in Hungary anyway! 😭

user2 but that's like only one or two drivers or just their girlfriends or just f1-related people, its not the same 😭 I need them all together again 😭🙏

user4 my show 🥰

user5 we need more shows in wales…

yourusername ...✌️

user5 TWO??? AS IN LEG 2??? MORE CARDIFF SHOWS NEXT YEAR???

user6 RATATATATATATATATATATATA

user7 the camera emoji after Edinburgh??? And the dots?? …Ready for it? Music video announcement in Edinburgh???

charles_leclerc ✨🖤

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user8 Logan going out of his way to make it to Cardiff... Not beating the boyfriend allegations

user9 THIS WAS MY SHOWWWWW

fernandoaloofficial Very good!!! 👍 🖤

yourusername thank you, Nando 🫶🏻

user10 🐍🐍🐍

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oscarpiastri

damn he really is down bad

I'm assuming you mentioned the flowers once and he immediately bought them for you?

yourusername

That would be correct, yes

oscarpiastri

thought so 🙂‍↕️

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TWITTER

INSTAGRAM

yourusername

📍Antwerp, Belgium

liked by landonorris killatrav and 15,888,777 others

yourusername Antwerp!!! This was one of the greatest shows of my life, the crowd was absolutely electric!!! We also got a rain show, which are always my favorites ☔ We also introduced my new favourite idea, mashing-up surprise songs, which is something I am so excited to continue and you all seemed very excited so I am thrilled!! 🫶

Next up, Amsterdam ☝️ 🇳🇱🇳🇱

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user11 WOOOOOOO

user12 I was there 🙂‍↕️🙏

landonorris ✨

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user13 guyssss I got mine x stay stay stay!!!! We won! 🥰

user14 I 🫶 rain shows

user15 guys notice how there's three exclamation marks… twice… 3… 3… 33… max’s old number… and then the ☝️ emoji… its a 1… max’s current number… Netherlands is next… she uses two exclamation marks at the end… two Dutch flags… Logans number is two…

user16 are you mentally okay

user15 no

user17 no drivers… what if I kms

user18 but we got the wags!!! 🥰

user17 and if I said y/n was the one true wag

user17 what then

user18 you would be correct 🙂‍↕️ 2️⃣🇺🇸

user19 wait the surprise song thing is so cute!!!!

user20 she's so prettyyyyy

lilymhe 💋💋💋

liked by yourusername

user21 I was here!!! When I tell you everyone gasped so hard when she started singing stay stay stay in the middle of mine, we were all screaming!!!

user22 LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO

alexandrasaintmleux ❤️

yourusername ❤️

user23 girl I did not know mash-ups were an option 😭

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alexandrasaintmleux

The best trio 🥰

yourusername

Correct 🤭🙂‍↕️

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lilymhe

I'm so glad you're here 😭😭😭

yourusername

Me too 😭😭😭

lilymhe

I need you back in Williams ☹️

yourusername

Soon…🤭

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logansargeant

Repping Ferrari today….

Betrayal doesnt look cute on you

yourusername

you'll be okay darling 💋

logansargeant

No ☹️

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fernandoalo_official

Stay safe mija

you're going behind enemy lines

yourusername

Lol, thanks Nando

I'll be safe

fernandoalo_official

Just look out for anyone in orange….

They're a suspicious bunch

yourusername

I will 🫡

fernandoalo_official

Good 👍

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MESSAGES

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yourusername

📍Amsterdam, Netherlands

liked by alex_albon alexandrasaintmleux and 21,008,008 others

yourusername Amsterdam, you were so lovely!!! I'll admit I was a little nervous for these two shows but you all showed me so much kindness and these crowds will definitely go down as two of my favourites of all time 🫶 I had a really great time and I really felt so connected to every person in that stadium, I can't thank you enough for everything 🤍

But these shows made me realize how much we've grown this past year. Reputation was such a scary project for me and the reception from you all was so much better than I expected. Its been a year of love and I'm so thankful that you've stuck by me, you don't know how much it means 🤍🫶

So thank you to the drivers, to my friends and family, to the crew, to Jack, to Lewis, Charles and Logan and, most of all, to you, the fans. I love you 🤍

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user24 wait night one was wild

user25 as someone who was night one, the atmosphere when people found max was crazy 😭😭😭 so much yelling 😭

user26 RIGHT like I was upper bowl and had no idea what everyone was yelling about 😭

user27 IS THAT LAST PICTURE HER BF

user27 FOLLOW UP QUESTION: IS THAT LOGAN

user28 LMAO the middle finger in the last picture, she really hates max 😭

user29 why did she talk about love so much during the show and then in the caption…

user30 conspiracy theory: its their anniversary

lilymhe 💋💋💋

liked by yourusername

user31 that second pic is so cute 🥹

lewishamilton thanks for the shoutout 😎

yourusername thank YOU for everything lew 🤍

user32 out of all the drivers she chose to name three specifically: Lewis (who featured on the album and also has producer credits), Charles (who featured and has all the piano credits), and Logan, (who…. Was the muse for the album???)🫣

user33 wait why is no one talking about how crazy the max thing is

user34 yeah every ones talking about Logan but the m*x appearance is actually insane behaviour

user35 girl I read jack and fully thought she meant doohan 😭

user36 WAIT who did she mean??? I also thought she meant doohan 😭😭😭

user35 jack antonoff girl 😭

fernandoalo_official proud of you mija ❤️

yourusername thank you Nando 🤍

user36 I adore them 😭

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yourusername

📍Las Vegas, Nevadaa

liked by logansargeant charles_leclerc and 32,008,998 others

yourusername about a year and a half ago, I thought my life was over. I was betrayed by the very same people I thought were my forever.

But, after months of hiding, I ran into you at a dive bar deep in the city of Miami and suddenly my forever was you. You were in your buzzcut phase and I had just bleached my hair. You recognized me, of course. We'd met a couple of times and I'd always thought kindly of you. We started to talk and hours passed without us even noticing. I'm not sure where your friends had gone but looking back at it now, I'm glad they left because I can't imagine the conversation we had being joined by other people. It was already vaguely awkward enough.

I wasn't exactly lighting up the room that night. It had been a rough couple of months and I'd only gone out in hopes of finding a sliver of happiness. Thank god I did because it brought me to now, where I'm the happiest I've ever been. It brought me to you.

You, my love, are so wonderful and beautiful and talented and I honestly can't believe you're mine. Thank you so much for sticking beside me and becoming my forever muse. I could go on and on about the lyrics I've written about you but I think I'll just keep that for the next album 🫣

We went from hiding out in hotel rooms, curtains drawn tightly so paparazzi couldn't see and taking back roads to the studio to avoid anyone who might recognize us to you coming to every single show and me getting to sing to you and every single night.

From the new years parties in New York to the bouquets in Dublin and to the rings in Las Vegas 💍, I love you forever, Lo 🤍

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user37 AWWWWWWWWWW

user38 THIS IS INSANEEEEE

user39 the hardest of hard launches!!! 🥰

user40 WAIT WHAT

lilymhe congratulations love! No one deserves this happiness more than you 🤍🥰

yourusername lilyyyy 🥹🫶

user41 IM SOBBING MY PARENTSSSSSS

user42 THE CLIP OF CHARLES CRYING AFTER SHE SHOWS THE RING?????? MEEEEE

charles_leclerc congrats ange, so happy for you ❤️

yourusername forever grateful for your super secret spy work last year, none of this could’ve happened without you 🤍

charles_leclerc 🫡

user42 OHHHHH Charles was digging for info on max that’s why he was friends with him last year 😭

lancestroll 🥳🥳🥳

liked by yourusername

user43 this is adorable 🥹

alexandrasaintmleux me and Lily are planning the bachelorette party as we speak 🥳🎉

yourusername as long as you guys are there it will be perfect 🥹🤍

user44 AWWWWWWW OMG

carlossainz congrats!! 😎💍

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landonorris LETS GOOOOO

liked by yourusername

oscarpiastri now that you're engaged I can finally yell you that he's legit had a crush on you for years. I couldnt get away from the sound of him playing Fearless over and over and over again

yourusername he's adorable. And it sounds like you're… complaining????

oscarpiastri nope ofc not, fearless is great, aoty for a reason, best country album of all time, I'd never complain 🙂‍↔️🫡

yourusername thanks osc 🤍

alex_albon did u like ur proposal…? 😽

yourusername I've been informed of your involvement and am pleased to tell you that the proposal was wonderful. Thank you Alex 🫶

alex_albon well flowers can't arrange themselves 🫡 congrats y/n

alex_albon we’re grateful to have you in the Williams family 🤍

user45 my forever muse 😭

user46 the parallels between this caption and the five year one for m*x 😭

logansargeant you’re the love of my life and I’m so grateful for the time we’ve had together 🤍 I love you so much darling and I’m so proud to get the honor of calling you my wife 🤍🤍🤍 😊

yourusername love you lo 🤍🥹

user47 oh my god they’re so in love, I’m so happy that y/n got to have this relationship after everything with max 🥹🤍

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logansargeant added to their story

yourusername

My forever boy 💍

logansargeant

I love you baby 🤍😊

yourusername

I love you too 🤍🥹

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[ceruark]

Hi ! Dont worry about not being as active, health and happiness comes first, and there is always someone whos willing to wait for you.

I just found the entwined au which i loved. I also had my theory for the follow up, that it was Robin who sabotaged Sunday. Because they have the same intentions but go about it differently. Probably she was the one who noticed Sundays obsesion the most and wanted to free you from that future.

As for Ratio, we are lucky he is on our side and cares for us, because, like you said, he isnt unwilling to use our trust to his benefit. Also Im guessing he was orphaned young but actually has royal blood? Probably his kingdoms court threw him out because they were corrupt? Those are my theories. Hopefully he doesnt find out or else we will be in trouble haha.

Also loved that Gepard was the best option among the suitors, is he not yandere? Hes like a puppy.

Finally the whole time i was imagining Himeko as my late mother but her dying would make me sad so Im wondering what the rest of the astral express is up to.

These were a few of my thoughts while reading! You wrote the scenes so well, when sunday won my heart dropped after all the tension. I was really hoping he would lose haha.

(entwined au masterlist)

Thank you so much for your kind words, it really means a lot to me :) <3

I'm so glad you like the Entwined AU! As for Robin, she's an interesting figure here, for sure. She cares deeply for both you and Sunday, her childhood friend and her dear brother, but even she can't turn a blind eye to Sunday's unhealthy obsession with you. She knows him better than anyone else, and she knows that his love is going to destroy the both of you if it goes unchecked. She loves her brother and wants to see him happy, but not at the cost of anyone else's prosperity and freedom.

I wouldn't say Robin is bold enough to cut the sash herself, but who's to say she wouldn't conspire against him? If beloved Princess Robin was seen talking in hushed whispers to Imperial Advisor Ratio before the dancing started, it's anyone's guess as to what they were discussing.

Yes, we're certainly in a lucky position when it comes to Veritas being on our side and being unknowing of his past— it'd be far too easy for him to seize your hand marriage if he knew the truth. You already trust him so easily, what reason would you have to deny him?

But yes, your guesses are correct: Veritas is a prince by blood, but was thrown out of his kingdom the moment he was born. His father had long since perished in a terrible war, and his mother perished in childbirth. It was far too easy for some corrupt advisors to get rid of him and say that the prince passed on with his mother. It was easy to hand the throne off to a different prominent family who promised them riches unfathomable if they managed to pull it off.

Queen Ruan Mei's advisory court are awfully nervous in your presence when it's Ratio at your side instead of Welt, though you and the queen herself cannot possibly imagine why.

Gepard is not yandere in this AU... I personally cannot imagine him being yandere in any capacity, so he is by default the best option of all the suitors. He's such a golden retriever, he'd treat you right and would protect you! Hopefully. Belobog's forces could stand against Penacony's... right?

I could never kill off Himeko, that would break my heart! I hadn't really thought about the other express members besides Welt, but now you've got me thinking... Maybe after the Entwined incident with Sunday, it's finally time for you to start gutting your advisory court and get rid of those who don't respect your wishes.

Welt is quick to recommend Himeko, a military strategist with a sharp mind and flawless record. After some more searching, you manage to also recruit March, a young but optimistic and sociable woman who's very in touch with the common people. You also recruit Dan Heng, a reserved but dependable political and economic analyst who plays the advisor role oddly well despite claiming to have no prior experience. (You'll have to look into those rumors about him having been a Xianzhou advisor. The last thing you need is Jing Yuan slithering his way into your business.)

It's so good to hear that you enjoyed the main story. I never could have imagined it would spawn into an entire world/AU like this! Your support means so much :)

[chiskz]

▶️ [RACHA LOG] Ep.03 리치빈 : Lee Know X CHICHI X Changbin

♡𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭: @alyszaen , @smh-anon , @neohyxn , @stealanity , @alixnsuperstxr , @kimcheon-sa , @hafsa-hoofsa-heefs , @qtnoaly

[ xxx ] - editors' notes

《 ♡ 》

The video begins with Ichi walking down the street. She corrects the camera and waves to it briefly.

CHICHI: Hey! So I was out for a little shopping and saw a poster advertising a.... a certain place. [secret already in the beginning?] The place looks really cool and there's something I haven't done before, so I think it will be fun to try it. But of course I won't go alone! [Loneliness is never an option?] I think I know who I would most like to go with. I'll go find them and ask them.

Ichi turns off the camera. The next shot shows her tentatively entering the gym in the label building. Minho is boxing on a punching bag and Changbin is warming up before lifting a barbell. Minho glances at her and stops working out.

Lee Know: Here comes trouble!

Changbin looks back and smiles at the sight of her.

Changbin: I already thought you were going to skip today's training!

CHICHI: I'm here today for something different.

She waved her hand apologetically.

CHICHI: I'm glad you two are here. A new place has opened up where I'd like to go with you and have some fun.

Lee Know: What kind of place?

CHICHI: It will be a surprise. Will you trust me?

Changbin and Minho look at each other, then Minho returns his eyes to Chichi.

Lee Know: I don't generally trust you in anything.

Ichi lowers her eyebrows and sticks out her tongue, then looks at Changbin.

CHICHI: Then at least how about you?

He nodded immediately, and Lino rolled his eyes amusedly.

Lee Know: Okay, let's go. I'm too curious now.

Ichi leads both of them by the hand to this "secret place", they are blindfolded.

Lee Know: I'm letting you to hold my hand for so long already, so it better be worth it!

CHICHI: Oh hush now!

Finally they reach the place, which turned out to be.... paintball playing center. The boys were able to take off their blindfolds.

Changbin: This is not what I expected!

Lee Know: I can shoot you guys and it's legal? [Lee Know, the main menace]

All three get the proper equipment, clothing, safety vest and special protective helmets with go-pro cameras. An employee of the paintball field also explains the rules that must be strictly adhered to - a shot is fired from a distance of MINIMUM 6 meters, a player's hit is scored when his body or his paint gun is hit.

The game conducted by LeeChiBin will look as follows: there are three rounds of 10 minutes each. In each round, a different player will start it with a red flag. The players' task is to take the flag away from the opponent. The round is won by the person who will own the flag at the end of the round. The whole game results from the person with the most wins. In case of a tie, the player who has been shot the least number of times wins.

All three go to the playing field built outside the building.

Changbin: Let's let tradition take its course and agree that the loser bets dinner!

Lino looks on, after carefully examining his paint gun.

Lee Know: Do you have too much money and want to put it to good use or what?

Ichi parries with laughter while covering her face with paint gun and Changbin looks tiredly at the camera. [it's impossible to have fun with them...]

Everyone goes to their positions, the first person with a flag is Minho. He waved it vigorously, as if making sure it's real. [Lee Know, please don't break the props]

Lee Know: I won't give it up so easily. I have a big craving for meat.

He said to the camera at his helmet. Then the signal could be heard starting the beginning of the round.

Changbin (to camera): Lee Know is unpredictable.... I wouldn't want to run into him, but since he has a flag.... I have to find him.

CHICHI (to camera): I don't want to meet Lee Know. I hope Changbin will be the first to take the flag from him, and I can take it from him in peace. [Changbin is an easier opponent???]

[however, to everyone's surprise... Lee Know runs to the middle of the field!]

Lee Know (to camera): It will be boring if everyone hides. So I'll wait for them here.

Changbin walks between the walls looking around.

Changbin (to camera): It's too quiet... It's suspicious.

Chichi creeps slowly behind him then touches him in the back with her gun. Changbin jumps back, but breathes a sigh of relief when it turns out it's not Minho.

CHICHI: Do you want to form an alliance, Binnie-ah?

Changbin lowers his eyebrows suspiciously for a moment.

Changbin: I don't know if I can trust you... This is war, after all.

CHICHI: We can't defeat him separately, but together.... Together we can have it all.

Ichi puts her hand on his shoulder and with her other hand makes a sweeping gesture as if showing him the world that could belong to them. [CHICHI's power of perspiration will work?]

Changbin finally agrees and they both quietly continue searching for Lino. He, however, finds them first and shoots each of them once, standing at a safe distance.

Lee Know: Is that all you can afford? Have you joined forces because you are so afraid of me?

Changbin and Ichi look at each other briefly, then return their eyes to Minho.

Changbin & CHICHI: Yes, actually... yes.

And for that answer they got another shots. [Could it be that Lee Know had them in a huff?]

But then, unexpectedly, Changbin started running toward him and Ichi fired from her position. Lino started to run away laughing loudly. [A happy cat finally having entertainment!]

Changbin finally caught him, hugging his back and lifting him slightly.

Changbin: Give back the flag!

Lee Know: Never!

CHICHI: GIVE THE FLAG!

Called Ichi even louder, running up to them and hugging Minho from the front. [This is not how to handle the enemy!]

However, neither of them managed to take the flag from him, at which Lino smiled triumphantly and waved it aggressively. [Winner of the first round - undefeated Lee Know!]

Minho became the winner of the remaining rounds as well, easily taking the flag from Changbin twice - in the second round, when Ichi had it first, and in the third round, when he owned it himself.

All three returned to the building to change back into their clothes and return all their equipment.

CHICHI: Lee Know is the winner, I really don't know how he did it...

Lee Know: How? You have to have cleverness and good physical conditions.

He said as if it was obvious. Ichi was declared the loser on the basis that she was shot the most times. She glanced sadly at the camera. [Someone's wallet is about to get slimmer...]

All three unanimously decided that they would eat out today. So they headed to their favorite food truck selling the best burgers in the area. After picking up their orders, they sat together on the sidewalk, away from the hustle and bustle. [LeeChiBin, for the first time quietly]

Changbin: It's too rare for us to go out together like this...

CHICHI: Yes, let's do it again sometime.

Lee Know: What about no?

《 ♡ 》

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

Me, last year, when Ahir Shah won Champion of Edinburgh: Yes! I knew I was right to think his show was the best one! This proves that I have correct taste in comedy!

Me, this year:

Really, guys? Really? You checked all 500+ shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and Josh Glanc's show was better than all but six of them (minus the ineligible ones, I guess, like people who've won it before, which is too bad because I think they gave it to Jordan Brookes too early, the won he won it for in 2019 is on NextUp and his show this year is better than that)? Because I have heard Josh Glanc's show, admittedly not under the best circumstances for appreciating comedy, but still. You're telling me that was better than Laura Davis? Emma Sidi? Lou Wall? Dan Rath? Marjolein Robertson? The thousands of comedy shows I've not seen this year? Better than all of them? Holy hell, when you put it in those terms, it's almost like the entire concept of awards for something this size are absolute bullshit.

I mean, I don't even think I'll disagree with the actual award. If they give that award to Natalie Palamides, I'll entirely agree that probably no one has done anything more impressive than that, in terms of creative work, for at least 100 years. Sarah Keyworth was Champion of Melbourne and would probably deserve being Champion of Edinburgh too. Three of the shows on that list - Delightful Sausage x2 and Catherine Bohart - I've not watched yet, but will in the next couple of days as they've gone on NextUp, so I can't comment. Maybe they are better than every single other show in the entire festival, aside from a few. It just seems like such a wild claim to make, about anything. "We've checked 500+ and none are as good as this, according a workable aggregate of all subjective tastes."

I also find it slightly funny that I just finished listening to the Peacock & Gamble FUBAR Radio stuff, during which my comment was... I mean, with a field the size of every compere in the entire UK, surely there are so many options that which names you choose to nominate for a Chrotle Best Compere Award is fairly arbitrary, surely Steve Bennett had options besides pitting two members of a double act against each other to see if he could ruin it. I think I may have said something along the lines of, "Has anyone checked whether Ian Boldsworth slept with Steve Bennett's wife in 2014?" Because why else would you do that to someone?

So I do find it funny that the Champion of Edinburgh people seem to have decided to one-up that by putting members of a(n ex-?) double act against each other, as well as just exes. This is probably the first time two exes have been nominated for the same award, just due to the historical dominance of straight male comedians in that category. So... progress, I guess. Well done on the progress.

I mean, I knew that already. I just got really excited about Ahir Shah last year. I am glad we have so many NextUp streams from Edinburgh this year, having more comedy to watch is helping to ease the comedown from the excitement of actually being in Edinburgh. I was planning to spread Chris Cantrill, Amy Gledhill, and Catherine Bohart out in my NextUp watching schedule, as those are the shows for which I was most excited and figured I'd put them around the ones for which I'm less excited, but now I might watch them all in a row so I can have an opinion on the nominees before awards get announced. The only one I've not seen is Ruben Kaye, I mean I've seen bits of Ruben Kaye before but not that current show as drag isn't really my thing, which is further proof that you can't give one award for all of comedy.

Only saw one of those newcomers but obviously Jin Hao Li is better than all of us at everything.

[rjalker]

Made with speech 2 text because I'm on my phone, sorry if there's any random typeos or wrong words.

well I'm late to the party, but they have literally no right to demand that. You cannot copyright a pattern, and the person creating the final product is most likely putting in hours of their time, and money to buy supplies, nobody gets to say that this person cannot then sell their hard done labor.

I'm glad the correct option on this poll won

Edit okay people in the notes are really confused. You cannot copyright a knitting or crochet pattern, because a pattern is nothing but the idea of putting one kind of stitch after another for a certain amount of blah blah blah. You cannot copyright that, because then you would have to be able to copyright basic recipes like, literally any sandwich in the world. McDonald's would have copyright over the concept of a hamburger. KFC would have copyright on the concept of putting breading on chicken.

You cannot copyright the concept of putting a certain number of a type of stitches after another. Because that would make the entire world unusable. No one would even be able to make shirts anymore because the basic pattern for creating a shirt would be protected by copyright.

Even if you buy a crochet pattern or a knitting pattern, it's the specific document or any photos or extra commentary included with that pattern that is protected by copyright, not the basic concept itself.

You can sell anything you make whether you bought a pattern or not, whether the person who created the pattern gives you permission or not. You can share that basic pattern with anyone you want, even if you paid for it, Even if the person who created the pattern says it's illegal. It's not. They are lying.

Patterns cannot be protected by copyright law, because if they could, no one would have any clothes at all, because only one company in the entire world would be allowed to make the concept of pants, and everybody else would have to be out here reinventing the wheel 50 million times a day just to make a pair of pants that is not protected by copyright law.

just sincerely curious as to what people think about this

[astralaffairs]

think of it as like an au or something, but I'm just curious to see how president thom would react to seeing someone forcing themselves on mc at like a state dinner if they're not together, i feel like he'd try to stand up for her but also it'd be kinda sus of the president standing up for some press figure who's been talking shit abt him

i love this concept omg. i got an ask similar to this a while back, so i’ve been sitting on a lot of ideas for it. tbh thomas would hardly be able to restrain himself from fucking throttling whoever’s harassing mc, but he isn’t gonna refrain from stepping in. anyway, his standing up for her then makes the media hail him as a feminist icon for like the next 3 weeks

this broke my heart to write tho lowkey </3

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"You're… you're Y/N L/N, aren't you? With the Washington Post?"

Y/N had been sour all night. Her feet were cramping in her heels, the tag on her dress was starting to itch, and worst of all, her editor had forced her to take the invite Alex had extended her to the state dinner. She’d had no plans of interacting with the Jefferson administration — in fact, her plan had been to stay as far from them as possible so that she could focus on work, but she mentioned the state dinner offhandedly to a coworker, another had overheard, and the next thing she knew, her boss had found out.

Moreover, she was fairly certain that Thom– no, President Jefferson had only invited Alex to antagonize him, so it was no wonder he didn’t want to go. However, when he gave her the invite, she protested that, since it wasn’t addressed to her, she couldn’t go, and she certainly couldn’t go without him, but both Alex and her editor had insisted it’d be fine. There would be enough people present that she’d slip under the radar, so what was the harm?

And slip under the radar she did. As Vice President and Second Lady, James and Dolley were unattainable company for the evening; they were busy with the heads of PACs, with senators, with members of the State Department. The latter group included Lafayette — he’d been promoted not long after President Jefferson took office, which ruled him, too, out of her options for who she could hang out with. He was off wooing foreign diplomats.

So, there she was, standing alone at the side of the room with her expensive champagne (there was an open bar, thank god) and the small-but-growing pile of business cards she’d collected throughout the night.

At least, she was alone until the anonymous man in question approached her. She turned to him with her eyebrows raised.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m Y/N,” she said, surprised that she’d been recognized. “I’m not with the Post, anymore, though.”

“Of course. My mistake,” he apologized, and when he extended to her a hand to shake, she stuffed her newly-acquired business cards back into her purse “I’m Richard Lestrade. I work in the Department of Defense.”

“Nice to meet you.” She had little interest in chatting with him, but she politely shook his hand. “What can I do for you?”

He laughed softly, but it made Y/N raise an eyebrow. “I don’t have some kind of agenda. I just recognized you from your time as a news analyst and thought I’d come introduce myself.”

“Of course.”

She only responded so as to placate him, and she thought that how curt her reply was would deter him from trying to strike up a conversation. She met his eyes with an expectant eyebrow raised as she took another sip from her champagne.

“So how’d you get an invite here tonight?” he asked after a moment. “I mean, I was invited because I work for him, working on naval strategy and all, so it’s just a perk of the job, but I’m surprised to see you. With how much you’ve done to keep President Jefferson from being elected, I wouldn’t think you’d end up on the guest list for state dinners.”

She shrugged. “Alexander Hamilton invited me, actually.”

“Secretary Hamilton was invited? Really?” At that, the disbelief in Richard’s expression was almost patronizing. “Wow, I didn’t hear that he and President Jefferson had buried the hatchet. I always thought they were rivals, or even enemies.”

“Oh, make no mistake, they hate each other,” she said coolly.

“So why would Secretary Hamilton be invited?”

“So Jefferson could rub it in his face that he won the election.” She shrugged, turning back to face the room before them, but Richard seemed surprised.

“No, no, he wouldn’t be that petty,” he scoffed, but his tone was condescending, as though her theory had absolutely no foundation. “He’s the president. I think he has higher priorities than antagonizing someone who’s old news.”

Y/N resisted rolling her eyes at his calling Alex ‘old news,’ as though Richard was somehow a higher calibre of invitee to the state dinner. “You underestimate how catty politicians are. Jefferson included.”

“President Jefferson,” he corrected her, and she gave him a sidelong glance, eyeing him warily.

“Sure.”

“But anyway, I suppose I’m glad President Jefferson invited Hamilton, if it means you’re here, too.”  Richard raised his glass to her as though in tribute, and she was sure the smile she offered him came off as more of a grimace. She had little appreciation for his heavy-handed advance.

“That’s nice of you to say,” she replied mildly before draining the remainder of her glass. She turned to him with a nonchalant, nearly-blank expression. “And as great as it’s been to meet you, I think I have to run. I’m heading out soon and need to say a few goodbyes.” Truthfully, she had no intention of leaving. Her editor would have her head if he found out she cut bait so early in the night, and if she fled before Jefferson addressed the entire room, she wouldn’t be able to provide her boss with the synopsis of the presidential address. She only wanted to leave that conversation.

“You’re leaving so early? Why’s that?”

She shrugged. “I suppose the Jefferson Administration isn’t really my scene. I’ll see you around, Mr. Lestrade.”

“Please, it’s Richard,” he corrected her. “But you should stay longer. If you leave now, you’ll miss President Jefferson’s address.”

What was it with this guy and using Jefferson’s full title? “Please, consider for a moment that missing it may be entirely the point,” she said dryly, and Richard gave a light laugh.

“Oh, please. I’m sure that even a democrat like you can appreciate a good speech.” ‘Even a democrat like her’? What was that supposed to mean? “As a journalist, this should be right up your alley.”

“I’m sure I’ll be able to find the transcript online in a few hours. I’ll survive.”

“It’ll have a much greater impact in person,” he countered, and she sighed. “So, please, stay. Can I get you a drink? What are you drinking?”

“Thanks, but I’m okay,” she said. As though she was about to let a man she’d met only minutes before handle her drink. That would be a recipe for disaster. “I really should get going.”

“No, wait,” he protested, and when she began walking away from him anyway, he caught her by the arm, pulled her back. She turned back to him with an expectant expression, trying to quell the anger building in her chest. “You can’t leave yet; dinner hasn’t even been served.”

“I can fend for myself on that front,” she assured him, and although her teeth were clenched, she plastered on a smile. “So if you’d kindly let go of my arm, I’m going to be on my way.”

“I was hoping to get to know you, actually.” He released her, but her immediately marching off toward the center of the room caught him off guard. “No, wait!” She stifled a groan when she heard him hurrying after her, and as he came to a stop in front of her, blocking her path, she narrowed her eyes. “Come on, Y/N. Come sit down with me and some of my friends; it’ll be a nice time, okay? I’m a nice guy.” He wore a hopeful smile, apparently convinced of his words as she folded her arms.

“I’m sure you are, but I need to get back to my table to retrieve my coat,” she said apologetically. Her anger didn’t show on her face, thankfully. “So I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

“Oh, sure you can; you’re just being stubborn,” he insisted. He took a step forward toward Y/N, and she took a step back. “Now, I know we’re from opposite parties, and all, but I’ve been a fan of your reporting for a long time, and I’d really appreciate it if you just came and sat down with us for a few minutes. You and I have a lot in common. I have a feeling we’d hit it off.”

The coy smile he wore made her want to grimace, and when he added a wink, she did grimace, visibly. “This is nice and all, but I’m not really interested.”

“Sure, because you don’t know me yet,” Richard countered, and he took another step toward her, grabbing her by the elbow as he came to stand next to her. Y/N could feel her heart pounding as he forcibly turned her, pointed out his table. “Let’s go. We’re sitting right over there.”

“No, really, I’d rather not,” she repeated, and as she tried to pull her arm away from his grip, he pulled her toward him with an arm around her waist — it was then she realized she couldn’t do nearly anything about it without making a scene. And given her history, a scene was the last thing she wanted. “Please let go of me.”

“You don’t have to stay long; I’m not asking much.” It was then that he began leading her toward the table, and as she stumbled alongside him, panic was rising in her chest. She was looking around for some way out, some familiar face — Dolley, Lafayette, someone — but nobody appeared. “Just have a seat. Let me get you a drink.”

And there he was, repeating his offer. No matter who it was, the insistence on drinking with her would make her wary, but this man already had worry building in her throat, so the feeling only compounded with his words. “I don’t want to come with you. Get your hands off of me.” He didn’t stop, though, and she finally had to dig in her heels, trying to pull back from him. She knew he was stronger than her, but her resistance to him dragging her along certainly grabbed his attention. Richard frowned.

“Oh, come on, don’t be such a–”

“‘M fairly sure I heard her tellin’ you to let go of her.” The voice was stern, and it made both her and Richard freeze, and for entirely different reasons. Y/N would’ve been able to recognize it anywhere, the southern drawl, the lazy enunciation, and her pulse was then spiking for an entirely different reason. Richard turned immediately toward the sound, releasing her, but Y/N stayed put.

“Mr. President,” Richard said breathlessly, his eyes wide. “It’s an honor to meet you; I–”

“What’s your name?”

“Richard Lestrade, sir.” He sounded excited to have courted Jefferson’s attention, apparently oblivious to the undertone of anger in his voice. Y/N recognized it clearly, though, too clearly, and it made her sick to her stomach. She resented the familiarity.

“D’you work here, Mr. Lestrade?”

“I work for the Department of Defense, sir. I’m a naval strategist. Graduated top of my class from the US Naval Academy; I actually helped plan the–”

“I don’t remember askin’ for your resume.” Then, the annoyance Jefferson exuded was clear, unmistakable in his snarky interjection. Y/N had to purse her lips to keep herself from laughing, especially as she glanced over at Richard and found him pale as a ghost.

“Of course not, sir. I’m sorry.”

“I don’t think I’m the one you should be apologizin’ to, now,” Jefferson said frankly, and Y/N didn’t see him watching her until she reluctantly turned, glancing between him and Lestrade. “Ms. Y/N L/N, correct?” he asked, and she nearly winced.

“Yes, that’s me.” Her strained smile was fooling nobody, but when he saw it, Jefferson’s composure didn’t waver.

“Did I hear you tellin’ Mr. Lestrade not to touch you?”

When he addressed her, she forced herself to shake her nerves, he jumbled emotions, off for the time being, and she pushed her shoulders back, presenting a front of confidence.

“You did, as a matter of fact.” She looked up tentatively to meet his eyes — and she immediately wished she hadn’t. While his expression exuded nonchalance, his casual authority over the situation, she knew him well enough to recognize the concern in his eyes: his forehead was creased almost imperceptibly, one eyebrow was quirked up, and one corner of his mouth twitched down. Her jaw tensed as she swallowed her heartache.

She was grateful that he then turned back to Richard. “Care to explain yourself, Mr. Lestrade?”

The interaction had stirred a bit of a crowd around them by then; the others in their immediate vicinity had ended their conversations at once upon hearing the confrontation, but the hush seemed to be spreading further across the room, and Richard was glancing left and right as he gaped at Jefferson. “Oh, no, it was just a misunderstanding. Look–”

“I’m not sure it was,” Jefferson cut him off, and his tone was biting. “Forgive me if this is too presumptuous, but I don’t think there’s anything unclear about a woman tellin’ you to take your hands off of her.”

“We were just chatting.”

“That wasn’t what it looked like,” Jefferson said, folding his arms. “From where I was standin’, it seemed like you grabbed a woman against her will, and you refused to let go. ‘S that accurate, Ms. L/N?”

She wished desperately that he’d stop addressing her. Her throat went dry as he all but admitted he’d been watching her, and she could only nod, unable to find her voice. Thankfully, he took that as enough of an answer.

“I never meant to hurt Y/N, sir. Honestly, I’m so sorry if I did–” Richard turned to Y/N. “I’m so sorry if I hurt you, but my intention wasn’t–”

“You blatantly ignored me telling you to stop,” she said. His speaking to Y/N once again made her blood boil, and she couldn’t help but snap at him, despite how lightly she felt herself to be treading in present company. “Don’t pretend like this was some unfortunate accident.”

Lestrade went from gaping at Jefferson to gaping at her, then. “I… I’m sorry, again, but come on, you know I was just trying to be friendly,” he defended, and she rolled her eyes, getting tired of his excuse. The edge of aggression in his tone made her take a wary step away from him, though. “I invited you to–”

“You said you work for the Department of Defense, correct?” Jefferson cut him off, diverting his attention from Y/N, and she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, silently thanking him for bailing her out.

“Yes, sir.” Lestrade offered a weak smile, but his fear was obvious in how he was holding himself. Jefferson regarded him with an air of disgust, looking him up and down.

“Well, you don’t anymore.” Y/N’s eyes widened at the declaration, but President Jefferson paid her no mind. “ I’ll be in touch with your supervisor to have you dismissed.”

“What?” Lestrade asked, “but, sir, that’s my job. I need to–”

“Not anymore, it isn’t.” President Jefferson’s words were firm. “Now, please, I’d like to ask you to leave now so it isn’t necessary for me to have you shown out with a security detail.”

Lestrade froze, and for a moment, Y/N expected him to protest, but when he saw all the people around them watching him, anticipating his next move, he turned on his heel, flushing bright red, and started toward the exit. Y/N and Jefferson were both scowling as they watched him leave.

However, it wasn’t long before Jefferson turned to Y/N, although she hadn’t turned back to face him.

“Are you alright, Ms. L/N?” he asked mildly, and she was sure her surprise pertaining to the whole situation was written across her face when she met his gaze. She nodded hesitantly. “I’d appreciate hearin’ you say it.”

“I’m just fine,” she assured him, voice shaky, and his tense shoulders relaxed, although he didn’t look fully convinced. “But thanks for your concern, really, Thom– sorry, Secretary– I mean, President Jefferson.”

She saw the corners of his lips twitch up when she almost called him Thomas.

"Of course. Let me know if there's anything I can do." His words were wary, careful not to cross any lines or to impose upon her, but she smiled.

"I think that firing Mr. Lestrade on sight was quite enough," she said, and when a grin split Thomas’s– President Jefferson's worried expression, her stomach turned; her smile was strained. Everything about him felt too familiar, painfully familiar.

"Fair enough,” he acquiesced. At how ill-at-ease she appeared, though, his smile wavered. “Hope I didn't go overboard."

She shrugged. "He deserved it."

Thomas Jefferson laughed, and the sound was as warm as she remembered it being. She hadn’t heard it in person in nearly three years, and for her to have come across him so suddenly, it was jarring. She was quite sure she was going to be sick.

“I s’pose you’re right.” By then, those around them had begun to disperse, so after glancing left and right, he took a step closer to her, furrowed his brow, and every muscle in her body tensed. Yet, she didn’t move away. His voice was soft, gentle when he asked. “You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” she insisted, swallowing hard. “Don’t you have some politicians to get back to?”

He pursed his lips, and she was sure the tense grief in her expression wasn’t hidden as well as she’d have liked it to be. “I guess so,” he finally said, but he didn’t move, looking her over, and his voice was quiet when he said, “‘S good to see you, though. You look good.”

“Yeah, you too,” was all she could manage in response. He gave her a sad smile, nodded, and the silence between them stretched on Just as she thought he was about to turn, head back to where he’d been previously, he stopped himself.

“Will I see you around?”

The hope in his voice made her throat tighten, and she took a deep, shaky breath. She shook her head, and her voice nearly broke when she answered, “I don’t think you will.”

[thatssonanii]

Night Cap

A/N: Alaina goes to see Charles

The security detail rushed Alaina out of the blacked out SUV, into the hotel and up to Charles' room within minutes. She looked around the Presidential suite, laughing at the irony, as she waited for him. She wasn't sure why she had come but it beat sitting in the house crying over Mitch. Unbeknownst to Alaina, Charles stood in the door frame of the bedroom watching her every move. He smiled at how timid she was about touching things, reaching out but barely letting her fingertips graze the object.

Charles walked up behind her, his hands behind his back, as she stared at his many cufflinks that set on a dresser.

"See a set you like?" He asked.

Alaina jumped at his voice, rolling her eyes when she turned and caught him laughing.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, beautiful."

"Lainey," she corrected as she moved away from him.

He studied her body language, noticing that she was nervous. It made him happy knowing he wasn't the only nervous one. Gesturing to the sofa, he sat beside her his hands folded in front of him.

"How old are your children?"

She showed him the lock screen of her phone. "My daughter is 3, almost 4 and baby boy is ten months."

"Precious, they're beautiful," Charles complimented, "Where are they now?"

"With family."

"Their father," he asked carefully.

She shook her head, locking eyes with him. "We're not together but my daughter thinks he's superman."

"You don't?"

She smiled, flashing her dimples. "I wouldn't be here if I did, Charles."

"Hope I'm not overstepping but I'm glad you don't. I can't tell you how heartbroken I would be if you did."

"I see how you won the election," she laughed.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that beyond that smile and good looks, you're extremely charming."

He shrugged trying to hide the smile on his face then held his hand out for her to take which she did. "It only matters if it's working on you, Lainey."

"I'll let you know."

Their conversation straddled the line of funny and flirty. Alaina had finally relaxed and let her guard down. She didn't move away when Charles moved hair out of her face or when he touched her arm or her leg.

"Excuse me, sir. May I have a word with you?"

Charles rolled his eyes making Alaina giggle. "Yes, Landen? What do you want?"

"I know you said you didn't want to be bothered but this about that information you asked for," Landen said eyeing Alaina, "It's sensitive information."

"Leave it on the table, I'll look it over in the morning."

"But, sir."

"What is so important that you're trying to pull me away from this beautiful woman, Landen?"

Alaina pushed Charles arm playfully at his compliment. "I can go, Charles. I know you're busy."

"That'd probably be best, ma'am," Landen sneered.

"That's not necessary, Lainey," he assured her softly. "Say what you need to say and leave."

"There seems to be a prostitution sting coming and there is an informant who is giving information on you."

Charles felt Alaina starting to get up and put his hand on her knee silently telling her to stay.

"There is nothing tying me to Candace except her words. And if she wants to try me, we have all the evidence we need to bury her. Understood?" He asked calmly. Landen nodded and excused himself from the room. Charles rolled his shoulders trying to get rid of the tension. "I promise I don't engage with prostitutes. She tried to extort me and got embarrassed. Please don't leave."

"I believe you. I know Candace far better than I'd like to admit," Alaina explained, "I'm surprised nobody has put a bullet in her yet."

"Damn." Charles whistled "You do know her then?"

"Uhuh but let's not talk about her. Get comfortable and I'll help with that tension."

"How comfortable," he asked unbuttoning his shirt.

"Shirt is optional, pants are not," she laughed.

[rationalisms]

okay for the record i'm glad the objectively correct opinion won out here. but also: to the people who voted for the first option, i hope you find peace and let go of the catholic in your head. stand by your opinions! you don't have to carry this shame around. i'm here for you

hi tumblr

no nuance button. make a decision

[cutebutalsostabby]

Ngl I'm glad the first option won, because although I think the latter is technically correct (in a "Nokia phone" / "Windows computer" sense), I hate it. Sheikah Slate and Purah Pad it is.

I have a fanfic-related moral dilemma. Please help.