#like why do you hate your own country to the point you wish people to almost die

[braindamagedgoods]

He did it.

Trump has won.

(EDIT) Before I begin, it appears to be critical I say this. In no way, shape, or form do I support Genocide in any way, shape or form. What Benjamin Netanyahu is doing is despicable. It needs to end, and it needs to end soon

(EDIT) Please stop weaponizing my words as a way to prove Democrats are wrong. Or weapons my words. I merely wished to push a vent into the abyss. I am saddened by his Victory. Shame on you for weaponizing this post. I am very politically centralist.

(EDIT) Some of yall in the comments prove my point of ignorance. My points have unfortunately passed way over some heads.

(EDIT) To the conservatives who have weaponized this post. Why? You’ve already won.

To the people who voted against her in protest. Are you happy? Are you happy that millions of people are losing their rights?

There is a reason we put our plane mask on before our kids.

You have to save yourself before others.

Your protest, to save Gaza, has led to the dismantling of our democracy.

Protest in the streets. March and make it known. I HATE the war. I hate both sides of it (Hamas, Netanyahu’s regime)

Harris has NO ability to do ANYTHING relating to what is going on there. A simple Civics textbook can tell you that. But many can’t be bothered, and stay in an endless cycle of online algorithm.

But to dismantle your rights? To dismantle the rights of our queer, non-white, disabled friends? That’s too far. Worry about our own issues first. Your vote? It means nothing.

You have voted, in essence, for Russian Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine. You have voted for someone who has bragged about Sexual Assault. You have voted for someone who has made it clear that if you’re not cis, Straight, and aryan, you do not belong in our wonderfully diverse country

Incredibly bright young students will not be able to afford school. People who can solve major issues in our world. But anti-Netanyahu is more important? Yea. Sure

I did not like either candidate. In a heartbeat i will vote for Harris. Should the DNC have pushed a different, less left candidate? Absolutely

I am scared for what the future holds. The nuclear weapons.

Please stop using personal social media blogs for your research.

Thank you for reading this.

God bless you, the reader, god bless this country, and god please have mercy on us.

[niuniente]

Dear people over America. I woke up to this current political news which is devastating to say the least to minorities, women and the trans community on the other side of the globe. I wanted to do what little I can to help and ease your minds.

I'm a psychic. I have been doing divination (oracle readings) for 25 years. I've got a high success rate and my reviews on my store are 5/5 (you can see this for yourself). I asked the cards for clarification for all this; why is HE the president now, and how does the nearby future look for women and trans communities.

Please note that these are collective readings of the topic and might not correlate with your own personal experiences or how things are in your home state! So take only what resonates with you and ignore the rest. (If you wish to have a personal reading, that is possible; in that case, click here)

Why Trump is the president?

This result didn't surprise me because for the past 3 years I have heard many American people, who have had a near-death experience (NDE) to say that if they have gotten a view of America's future, Trump has always appeared as being elected for the 2nd time - but only for the 2nd time.

The Spirit tells me that Trump's personal lesson is to learn to see other people's points of views. That's why he chose such a position in society, where he would need to consider many different people from different backgrounds and life situations. He needs to understand how his actions affect others.

However, he is miserably failing with this personal lesson (unless something happens and he somehow completes it now in the next 4 years). Instead of going for harmony and seeing everyone's point of view, his priority is Power. With a capital P. That's what he desires, that's what he wants (MAGA movement is based on this; power back to America, America needs to be a powerful, unyielding boxer in the global ring - only a win matters).

I asked why he wishes for this Power and it's simply because of the power's sake. He loves to be in control. He loves to feel powerful. You all are asked, as much as possible, to detach from this drama he is causing because it indeed seems like he is close to a cult leader and loves to bask in this power. He loves the idea that he can command nukes and one of the most powerful countries in the world. To get this, he is ready to cause any kind of a shitstorm - after all, he has not learned to consider others, except maybe only his own family members.

This correlates with his views of an autonomic power, where he gets all the power and can be a dictator. There's no one more powerful person alive in the world than a dictator. Anyone following him is likely learning this same lesson of empathy and understanding, and failing in it. They all want to be the King of the Hill and by following someone who already is, makes them feel like they are, too. This is all drama for dramas sake because it makes them feel more powerful.

TL;DR: Trump's life lesson is to learn to respect and honor everyone despite their backgrounds and views. What a better way to do that as a president of a nation with so many nationalities and stories of people in it. But so far he has failed miserably in this lesson and has chosen blind worship of power instead. Stirring drama is his tactic to gain more power and followers. Detach from his and his followers' drama as much as you can; block, ignore, move on. His reign will eventually come to an end.

Future for Women in The US?

A toxic masculine energy wishes to control women of America and this is not related to any single individual. The rise of misogyny is real and tangible, and women are part of this "other party" the power hungry men do not want to contemplate. It's His way or No Way at all.

This will make women turn more and more away from men, which HOPEFULLY make these men see that in order to actually have a woman and a family they so much yearn to have is to love women. Not to hate them as they now do. Not to see them as assets or items or rewards of a job well done of being a man. More and more women will choose not to have kids, choose not to date or get married, and they will choose even more carefully men who are on their side, walking next to them as a unit.

In a way or another, women WILL fight and take their power back. Peace will not be an option. If this fighting can't be done visibly, it will be done in secrecy; helping other women out, warning them of bad men and risks, aiding others to better safety and to a better life. Mind you that this also covers trans women; there are trans women and trans allies in cis women who will be willing to help. Women will turn towards one another. Men who follow this old paradigm of controlling women will be met with women's bare teeth but other women will be met with peace. I don't see anything particularly related to women who follow misogyny but I imagine with this much mental energy here, women will not abandon them but educate them. It is possible some of these women, who support this kind of regime, will later change their minds when they see how it negatively affects them, their parents, sisters, aunts, friends, cousins, coworkers etc. Some women will die in order to wake others up.

Women will turn their nurturing energies - the one this regime wants to turn towards men and babies - towards themselves. Artistic expression and expressing their feelings through any form of art will be significant. Pay attention to what kind of art women do now - it's going to be directly reflected in what's going on now. Women seem to also be looking more after their bodies, keeping themselves safe. This low level energy of control and forcing women is echoes of the past and women of America, collectively and mainly, wish not to partake in it any longer.

When it comes to men, these men who have thought that Trump will deliver them a woman to look after them and have their babies will see that it's not the case. And, if it is, the marriage is not happy and many women will fight like a trapped wild cat, scratching the eyes out of any of the people who want to trap them. This will be genuinely boggling to them and might make them angrier but their lessons are to understand what human rights are and what it means to respect others as your equal.

TL;DR: Women will turn away from misogyny and forced motherhood more and more, turning their attention and care towards themselves and other women (trans included) and leaving misogyny men angry because they have not learned to love women (not your job to teach them this, sisters!). Artistic expressions in all forms among women will be very high as it will be a way to express and deal with these current energies. Women will be even more pickier with the men they date and get married with, or even interact overall with - as they should. Anyone who wants to rip you off from your human rights is not your ally or a good partner. This will not be a shocker to anyone else but the men who believe in misogyny, as they will not get wives or girlfriends any easier - it only gets harder.

Future for Trans People in the US?

Trans people in the USA (not every state, mind you) need to "erase" their existence. Like I saw someone saying here; if you know a trans person in the USA now, no, you don't. True identities will be hidden for the safety's sake and people will flock more into underground, smaller communities. Those communities will continue to exist and support one another. This is not a total erasure but it's erasure in a way that it is better to choose carefully who really knows your true identity and who are the people to whom you are performing the identity of your physical body. So trans men will pretend to continue to be women on the outside, trans women will pretend to continue to be men on the outside but in their own safe spaces and supportive communities, they can be who they truly are.

Now, trans communities and rights will not be erased. There can be a momentary setback and time when trans people have to carefully hide their identities for their own sake but it will not be permanent. Trans people, like women's collective, WILL FIGHT. Trans people will NOT allow themselves and their fellow trans people to be erased. The time when "transpeople didn't exist because this is woke idealism", as red-wing misogyny says, WILL NOT return. People who wish for these times to come back have fallen from the evolution of humanity. Trans people will not stop existing. They will fight for their rights till the end of the world. Liberation seems to be near and this looks, in America, to be the final dark hour before the new dawn. Hang in there!

The Spirit and the cards promise that trans people will get their freedom. There's no returning back to the time when their existence was forbidden. There's a flow of prosperity and lots of freedom in the future cards so any trans person there reading this - DO NOT GIVE UP. This is temporary. This will pass. You need to play with these nasty rules for a little while but it will pass.

There's a promise of balance in work and home life, so acceptance of trans people both in private areas of their life (home, friends, communities, online blogs etc.) as well as in public (school, work, society, hospitals, other people). That kind of a future is coming, also as we move more into the Era of Aquarius, which supports human rights, different gender and sexual identities without judgment, liberation of gender and sexuality and thus the human expression itself.

TL;DR: Trans people need to lay low for now and hide their true identities for their own safety. If you know a trans person, no, you do not. They will find the support they need in their own communities but trans people will not be erased. Trans people WILL fight and there is going to be a time in the future when they can openly (once again) be who they truly are, both at home and outside home. Flow of prosperity and freedom is in the cards as a promise of the future and these energies are massive. This is only the old paradigm's final efforts to stay alive as it croaks and is forgotten. American humanity will evolve to respect trans people's human rights, too.

EVERYONE SCARED IN THE USA, KEEP GOING! This is only a temporary moment of night.

[autistichalsin]

"What is it like to be so uncaring? I wish I could spend a day being as unempathetic as them. (Unspoken: What's the point of having empathy anymore?")

This is a sentiment that I've seen so many others express, and myself have kinda had to work through too, in the past 24 hours.

And it's a damn good question, isn't it? The people who care for no one but themselves- and worse, who actively want to hurt others not like them- won. They got everything they wanted. Meanwhile, good, kind people lost, and are now being mocked. "Triggered, liberals?"

So what's the point, then? Why should we care anymore?

It's one of those questions where you really have to be your own guide with that. We live in a world that punishes kindness and tries its best to beat it out of people, and sometimes it's tiring to do so.

But I answered that question myself and maybe my answer will help some of you.

In a world like ours, kindness is an act of defiance. Becoming cruel/callous/selfish feeds in to the reality they peddled to steal American democracy for good. By being kind, you remind them that not everyone is like them. And believe me, under their taunting, under their cries of "own the libs", this unsettles them. Kindness is an act of resistance. Love is an act of resistance. You are telling them that they will never change who you fundamentally are, they won't take away the things that make you better than them. And there is nothing evil people hate more than reminders that not everyone is evil!!! Do you remember that scene from The Dark Knight where the Joker had a group of prisoners and ordinary citizens on two ferries with bombs to blow up the other's ship, expecting them to hit the button- but no one did, because they wouldn't take the others' lives? And how utterly baffled he was? Your continued compassion enrages fascists.

You are gaining so much more from remaining kind and empathetic than you can understand. Yes, the ones who lack it won and will get to abuse people, but they lack human connection, and most of theirs are shallow. Alpha male types don't enjoy close friendships; Matt Walsh himself said he never had a friend say he loved him, Tucker Carlson's mom hated him so much that she left him $1 in her will, and Donald Trump's wives only ever married him for his power and status. The few connections they have lack depth and care and genuineness. Sure, they have families, sometimes, who love/care for them. But it is a very different kind of love because it is conditional. That's the only kind of love they know. "Be like me, espouse my values, and then I will love you." They disown their queer children, they fear their wives being independent or their husbands being 'soft.' The instant they become "wrong" in some way, they'll be discarded. You, in seeking relationships with people who genuinely love you for you- and offering that in turn- are never going to know that terror.

You deserve to be loved. You deserve to get to continue to feel the full range of human emotion, which does and should include compassion and empathy and love. You don't deserve to have to give that up just to survive this dystopian hellscape. You deserve better and if this country has failed too much to give you better, you should still at least hold on to what scraps of better you can find.

Things are about to get worse in nearly every aspect; financially, socially, geopolitically, I could go on. Staying your authentic self- loving and compassionate- is one of the only ways you are going to be able to survive what's coming, because you'll need support, and so will those around you.

Not going to numb to what's happening is the literal only way we can fix this. And I'm going to be blunt here, no fix is coming in our lifetimes. We're going to try and salvage something in the future we aren't ever going to see here. But that makes retaining your fundamental kindness even more important, because when there's nothing in it for you, the only way to keep going is to retain a love of humanity, no matter what flaws it has, because otherwise you'll get discouraged and give up. We won't get out of this, even in a few generations, without radical acts of altruism for people who are going to live here after us. They deserve your help even if they're not here yet. They NEED you.

Don't let this change who you are. Who you are is good. Who you are is perfect. You're a normal person in an utterly insane world, and this insane world won't become sane again without people like you.

[ultimatebottom69]

No it won't. This is the USA. Last time they boycotted an election we got Trump, but alas you all really want this country to be more disrespected then ever, and for everyone's info, the only margin you all have is Kamala Harris (love the idea she is the one manipulating Biden like guys he has a wife for that) and the Spanish Gal (she is in congress and is overall interesting worldview points) are funny as fuck. And Biden is 81 and Trump is 77 so heh. Just elect a dead guy or the one who has a worm in his head (frankly...Knowing this fuck ass country you might as well.)

Boycott doesn't work in the USA, Look at what happened to BLM.

The economy and shitty entrepreneur can be boycotted but you know what will happen if you just go :

"You know what I disapprove this whole gist I am not voting this election-" THAT'S HOW YOU GET TRUMP, IT'S LITTERALLY WHAT HAPPENED IN 2016 THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO VOTED FOR HIS FUCK ASS WERE PEOPLE THAT WERE LIKE :

"Oh wouldn't it be funny if we voted for the guy who was a TV reality star because WOmEn can't lead and oooooooh she going in them sheets with the Russian says the Orange Guy Epstein's best buddy looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool" and "YES THAT MAN RIGHT HERE COMMITING MORE TAX FRAUDS WITH BUILDINGS EVERYWHERE IS WHAT TRULY REPRESENTS AMERICAAAAAAAAA MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, WIFE LET'S GET THIS RED BASEBALL HATS-" oh and let's not forget our all time FAVORITE fuck of course

"I mean she problably cheated to get where she is so I am going to vote for the duck face guy who talks like a failed drag queen and just hope he doesn't fuck up too much..."

Now...Guess how it went. Remember his terms were 2016-2020

I need you to connect the two neurons you have available and ask yourself "What am I doing with my life ?"

Now that Eurovision is over, I want you all, especially the Americans, to take a good hard look at how the voting results turned out when people boycotted the event.

In the UK, the viewing figures were down about 2 million people compared to last year. Up to 2 million people made the conscious decision to not watch and not vote because of Israel's inclusion.

The final results of the public vote, Israel came in first place in the UK and got 12 points. Because the only people watching and voting were people who backed Israel or at least didn’t care one way or another.

This doesn't matter. It's a music contest. The boycott was still the right thing to do because it is just a show at the end of the day, and the viewing figures have more impact than the results.

But it is also a good object lesson to show you what happens if you boycott a vote over something that does matter. Choosing not to vote in, let's say, a presidential election will have similar results.

[ofoceansandtombsanew]

Real Talk: Ace Didn't Need to Ask For Help, It's On Garp

i always hate when i see comments about how ace was an idiot or ace should have just asked garp for help because, no? like dawg wtf do you mean?

the one thing we have been told repeatedly across the manga and anime is that ace could have lived his entire life being perfect and he still would have ended up on that podium

he could have become a marine, a police officer, a teacher, a chef and all of that would have been reduced to nothing the moment his parentage was discovered

yes, ace became a pirate of his own volition, but sengoku never mentioned his piracy

he never mentioned all the criminal activity ace did as the captain of the spade pirates or even later as the second division leader of the whitebeard pirates

you know what sengoku did bring up though the moment he got on that damn podium? ace's parentage

he mentions nothing that gained ace his bounty to begin with when he gets that den den mushi in his hand. why?

because it doesn't matter that ace is a pirate. what matters is that they are eradicating the last gol d roger's bloodline

bear in mind that they were killing pregnant women and young children who could have even had the slightest possibility of being roger's lover or kin

akainu deadass says that he doesn't care if every other pirate at marineford escapes as long as ace and luffy died and he would ensure their deaths personally. and for what? not their piracy. none of their crimes. not even for ensuring that the truth that certain countries and lands that were actually saved by pirates instead of the marines never got out

but because their fathers were gol d roger and monkey d dragon respectively

solely because of that, he deemed neither of them deserved to live

and as far as garp goes - i love garp as much as the next person but garp has never done anything for ace to trust him enough to ask for help even if he felt he deserved to ask

garp's negligent parenting coupled with the abusive words ace grew up hearing led ace to believe he didn't even deserve to be born. when he even asks garp if his being born was a good thing, garp can't even tell him 'yes'. he just says 'time will tell'. my brother in the blue seas, that is an elementary schooler questioning his right to exist

ace is defeated by blackbeard in episode 325 (chapters 434-441), luffy hears about his execution being set in episode 416 (chapter 522) and then finally ace is killed in episode 483 (chapter 574). that is 158 episodes and 140 chapters total and in that time what ace receives from garp are conversations that boil down to

"you did this to yourself"

"i just wanted you to become a fine marine"

"i don't have sympathy for criminals but i do have sympathy for family"

and garp actively preventing those who wish to save ace from reaching him. yes after akainu strikes ace, garp does react viscerally with instinct to protect his grandson, but that's too little too damn late at that point

garp having his moral dilemmas mean nothing when, however long ace spent in impel down, he isn't trying to help him

garp having his 'wishing things had been different' thoughts mean nothing when garp is preventing people from saving his grandson

there's a reason garp lets dadan beat and berate him when they reunite in windmill village and it's because he knows she's right

over the course of 20 years, garp has consistently chosen work over ace and luffy. as much as i love dadan and co, bandits are not a good choice to have raise your grandkids and then be the surprised pikachu meme when neither of them wish to become marines

garp's inability to see past the system he disdains yet clings onto actively shoots him in the foot

prevents him from seeing that ace is right when he says he never could have become a marine

luffy could have never become a marine. i do hear arguments saying that luffy might have had a fair chance considering garp is biologically his grandfather but i say that's truly up in the air considering how, even with that knowledge, akainu still wants to put luffy on a poster

but that's all to say, asking why ace never asked garp for help is ridiculous

the fuck would ace look like asking the man who has done nothing but

unintentionally fostered ace's resentment towards luffy in their early childhood

told ace it was his own fault he landed where he did

falcon punched marco halfway across marineford

for help?

and that's not even mentioning the fact that up until that point, ace didn't believe he deserved to live. he didn't think he had the right to exist. the only thing that kept him going up until that point was hoping he'd find an answer that justified his being born and his love for luffy and sabo. ace tells luffy in his dying breaths if it weren't for the two of them, he would have gave up on living a long time ago

yes, garp loves ace and luffy

he loves them both dearly but he is also incapable of putting them before work, before his ideals of justice. these two truths can coexist at the same time. garp's stubborn to a fault and his moral dilemma resulted in both inaction and the prevention of ace's escape

so to say that marineford would have gone differently if ace had asked is seriously undermining the character work. because in reality, it's up in the air on whether or not that would have done anything. ace asking garp for help could have gone either way and that's the beauty of the gray area regarding garp's actions during the summit war

and yes, i can get why it's frustrating that ace turned around to fight akainu when he could have just left and got it back in a blood a different time

but aside from ace having a temper about specific topics, we do get an answer as to why he couldn't bring himself to runaway when we finally are able to dive into his past with luffy and sabo:

he doesn't want to run away from any situation because ace is deathly afraid of losing something if running away ends up being the bad call

and in that moment, luffy was behind him

even if akainu hadn't talked down whitebeard, ace would have inevitably turned back around because he wouldn't have been able to shake his fear of losing something or someone he cared about

as long as there is something precious for him to potentially lose, ace will never run

he was doomed from the start

his being the son of gol d roger doomed him from the start

and that's what makes ace so tragic

[racinggirl]

promise

Lando Norris Fic - requested

My inbox for requests

a/n: Oh my godness I'm back y'all! It's been so long! It's the first request of hopefully many to come. So far my inbox is empty again, so don't hold back to send in some requests, one, or more. You can even send some anonymously! I hope you will like this story, and keep reading to find some little extra's I added, because I loved making AU's as well. Let me know your thoughts, tips, tops, anything really. It keeps me motivated to write more, so any form of feedback is very welcomed! Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy this fic 🧡

‘’Promise.’’ You linked your pinkie finger with the 5-year-old curly haired boy, giggling as the both of you were running around the playground, hiding from his mother.

‘’Come on, I’m nearly 25 already! I can easily go on vacation on my own!’’ You had always wanted to go on a road trip, preferably with a partner on your side, but that hadn’t been the case yet. So, you decided to go alone, because why not? You were old enough to look out for yourself, even though your parents weren’t too keen on the idea of their daughter traveling around Europe on her own.

‘’The world has changed, Y/N, it’s not safe to go on your own.’’

‘’But-…’’

‘’No, you’re not going on your own, end of story.’’

You groaned at your parents’ reaction and went to your room, frustrated, upset, but somehow you got their point. They weren’t wrong, the world had changed, and wasn’t that innocent anymore. Wherever you were watching the news, reports about murder, drunken drivers, kidnappers, it was all out there.

‘There’re more crazy people out in the world than there are behind bars’ was something your father would say, and he wasn’t wrong.

However, you wished you would have been able to do what that curly haired boy did. Sometimes you were jealous of him, jealous of how he travelled all around the world, going from one country to another, flying from Finland to Australia to Bali and back to his new home, Monaco.

Him and you met when you were karting in Bristol, the both of you loving the sport more than ever. However, karting wasn’t a girl’s sport, at least not to the world at that age. That’s why you moved on from it, where he pursued his dream career, you were only there to cheer from the side lines.

You hated learning, studying, it’s something you never were good at, or at least, not in school. Whenever you saw the data on the karting track, you’d spent hours trying to understand every piece of data that was coming through.

You begged your parents to let you go to engineering school, university. They didn’t want you to, it wasn’t a ‘girl’s thing’ to do, but after you refused to do anything else, they eventually agreed on letting you go to engineering school.

4 years later, and you had your engineering degree. You couldn’t be happier, because right now it meant you might do something you’d actually enjoy. Even if it wasn’t a ‘girl’s thing’ to do, you loved it.

‘’Hey’’ you smiled as you brought the phone close to your ear, lying in bed as you checked the time.

‘’Hey, did you see?’’

‘’Oh yeah, I did.’’ You laughed, looking up at the ceiling. ‘’You were flying! Pole position baby!’’ You giggled, smiling even harder when you heard him on the other side, repeating the final three words of your sentence.

‘’You still have to come for a race someday, you know?’’ His deep voice was ringing through your ears, and it immediately made your chest feel warm, it always did, he always did.

‘’Mhm.. I know, and I will, when my parents finally let me.’’ You sighed, playing with the ropes of your hoodie.

‘’You’re almost 25, when will they ever let you do your own things?’’

‘’I don’t know,’’ you sighed heavily, ‘’when I’m 40?’’

The sound of his laugh made you sit up straight, your cheeks turning a light shade of pink as you heard his laughter.

‘’Nah, I’ll have you kidnapped by then.’’ He smiled, causing you to giggle next. ‘’They’ll destroy you when you do that.’’

‘’Good thing I have my bodyguards, then.’’ And that made your heart feel a thousand times warmer. He was never one to brag about his success, never. He always was very modest, very gentle, and never liked it whenever people talked about the amount of money he had, or how famous he was. That’s why you clicked so good. You knew each other from when you were 3 years old, and he knew you liked him as a friend, and not because he was a driver.

‘’I asked them if I could go on a road trip, alone.’’ You quietly said, hearing how he fumbled around on the other side of the line. A soft ‘hold on, I’m busy’ made you smile, knowing he told whoever was there to wait, because he was talking to you.

‘’And let me guess, they wouldn’t let you go alone because the world is dangerous.’’

‘’Yep, exactly.’’ You sighed but sat up straight when you heard him gasp.

‘’Lando, what did you do?’’

‘’Nothing.’’

‘’What are you thinking?’’

Silence…

‘’Lando?’’

‘’Come with me.’’ You could hear his grin through the phone, and he could hear your brains working overtime because he immediately started to explain himself. ‘’You won’t be alone, you’ll be with me, my team, my crew.’’ He said. ‘’You can travel the world with me, I might even be able to work around some things here to have you here for some sort of internship, so you won’t have any expenses, and you’ll be able to come to the races with me. Your parents know me, I’m not a stranger.’’

You wanted to say yes, you wanted to give in because honestly, it was a great idea.

‘’But, and these aren’t my worlds, but you’re famous, Lando, and you-…’’

‘’I’m still the same Lando from 20 years ago.’’

‘’I know, I know that, but my parents don’t, you know how they are…’’

You hated the fact you just basically told him you couldn’t go with him because he was famous, and you hated that word as much as he did. Your parents were always so fond of him, they loved him, but they also always made sure to tell you that he had a lot of money, was very well known around the world and that most famous people weren’t the same people they were before they had the money. They’d say that the fame got to their heads, but it wasn’t the same with Lando. He had always been that giggly, funny, sweet, and caring boy, but simply because he wasn’t around during Christmas dinners, or the traditional ‘start of spring’ picnic, they assumed he felt too good for those kinds of things. You explained to them that he was just busy, that because of his job, the start of spring was in the middle of the start of the season, and that he simply couldn’t make it. But they were your parents, stubborn as always.

‘’Y/N?’’

‘’Hmm, sorry, what?’’ You said, hearing him chuckle on the other side of the phone.

‘’Let me talk to them, okay? Let me try to convince them, because honestly, you wouldn’t be the only one to benefit from that decision.’’ He whispered, causing your cheeks to heat up again.

‘’Okay.’’

‘’Lando?’’ Your parents were surprised to see him at your front step. He promised you he’d come to talk to your parents, and he always keeps his promises.

‘’Y/F/N, Y/M/N, it’s been a while, it’s good to see you again.’’ He was always very polite. Calling your parents by their first name was something you always did; you did the same with Adam and Cisca.

It was a good conversation, you occasionally tried to mix yourself into it. A reassuring smile from the curly haired boy made you confident enough to speak up to your parents, and this time, with success, because only a few weeks after your conversation you were packing your clothes.

One year. For one year you’d join Lando with his journey around the world. You had no idea how he did it, and especially this fast, but he had managed to give you an internship position at McLaren, meaning you could come along to the races, the dream scenario for every Lando-girl out there.

‘’You’re the best, you know?’’ You laughed, placing your phone on the bed as you zipped up your suitcases. Instead of living here in London with your parents for a year, you and him both decided it would be the best if you would live in his apartment near Woking. It was still close to home, and to the factory.

He was the best one could imagine, and you knew he was, because he was always there, and he always kept his promises.

You put your phone away and collected the things you had to before ordering a taxi to head straight to the airport. You had been living in his apartment for almost 2 weeks now, and things were good, they were great. He occasionally came to Woking for work, but also to spend time with you. You were best friends ever since, and nothing could ever change that.

The moment you arrived on the airport you felt it again. Those feelings you have been trying to ignore the moment they appeared again, the moment your brain wandered off and thought of him. He always made you feel that way, but you ignored it, always. It might sound cliché, and you hated thinking about it because in every romance book it got romanticized. Having feelings for your best friend never worked out great, except in those books.

But reality is, you’re not living in a book, you’re living in the real world, and it was dangerous. Feelings weren’t mutual all the time, and you didn’t want to find out if it was the case this time because you didn’t want to get your heart broken, so being friends made you be close, feel good without the heartbreak ending it.

It went quick, you got in the jet and 1 hour and a few minutes later you were already back on the ground. He was right, it was faster. Of course he was right, he always was, and that made you fall for him even more, how silly it may sound.

He had texted you, saying he was waiting in his car because of the fans wandering at the airport. Someone spotted his car on the way here, and the FBI agents they are, they immediately put one and one together. He was picking up someone, or his girlfriend, something most fans would say.

‘’Hey.’’ You smiled as you embraced him in a tight hug, he smelled good, he always did. A mix of Dior Sauvage and his own scent made you inhale his scent deeply. It felt like home. You explained him that mixing 3 very expensive perfumes wasn’t making him smell 3 times better, he used to mix most of his perfumes until you made that comment. He asked which one you liked the most, and ever since you mentioned Sauvage all he wore was that. But you never noticed the reason was because you mentioned it, you always thought he simply liked that fragrance the most.

‘’Hey, how was the flight?’’ He opened your car door after helping you put the suitcase in his trunk, the real gentleman he was, and hopped in the driver’s seat.

‘’Amazing, the most relaxing flight I’ve ever had.’’ You sighed, putting on your seatbelt before looking over at him, how he started the car and drove out of the parking garage.

You talked more, about the flight, about how things were at the apartment, his apartment here in Monaco, you even talked about your plans these next upcoming days.

‘’We’ll go to London tomorrow.’’ He whispered. The both of you were laying on his couch in his apartment here in Monaco. Instead of watching TV, you had moved the couch so you both could see the harbour, and the sun setting in the ocean.

The couple of weeks you had been here were the best you ever experienced. You did many things, from shopping to karting in Italy, a day at the beach in France, simracing and even streaming. You made chat very clear you were best friends and nothing more, but when people in chat started to ask about his feelings, and about yours, he told you, quietly, to not answer and ignore them, whatever that might have meant.

‘’Really?’’ Your smile grew wider when he mentioned that. It would be your birthday in 2 days, and you always spent your birthday at home, with your family and friends. Last year he couldn’t make it, as the season started the day your birthday was, but this year he made his way around it. Your birthday was on Tuesday, so Wednesday you’d both fly with his jet to Bahrein for the first race of the year.

‘’Mhm, I wouldn’t want to break your birthday tradition.’’ He smiled, his lips placing a tender kiss on your temple. You were lying when you said your feelings towards him hadn’t grown these couple of weeks with him in Monaco. Everything he did gave you tinglings in your stomach and you couldn’t help ignoring them anymore. You surrendered to the fact you had a crush on him, you liked your best friend, and it was the best feeling ever.

‘’Happy Birthday!’’ Your parents were waiting in the living room when you entered the house. They decorated the entire room with balloons, garlands, and pictures from your first till your 24th birthday.

‘’Smile!’’ They held the camera out in front of you, and you immediately felt an arm wrapped around your shoulder. This caused your smile to grow even wider.

‘’Happy Birthday, beautiful.’’ He whispered in your ear, pressing a kiss to your temple as his scent immediately went through your nose.

‘’Thank you…’’ You whispered, looking into his bright eyes and immediately looking down after, trying to hide the fact you were blushing because of his actions.

Later that evening, after you spent time with your family and friends, you and Lando went back to his apartment. You got many gifts, and you couldn’t be happier about this day.

‘’How was your day?’’ You felt the vibrations of his deep voice going through your entire body, leaning against him as you were seated on the couch of his apartment.

‘’Amazing.’’ You smiled. ‘’Couldn’t be better.’’

‘’Oh, but I think it can.’’ He reached for something in his bag, and once he got the box, he handed it to you. ‘’Happy Birthday, beautiful.’’ He whispered again, watching how you opened the box slowly.

You pulled the black coloured leash that was hanging from the side of the box and gently placed it on the table in front of you. You lifted the lid and grabbed the small bag inside of the box.

‘’Lando.’’ You gasped, touching the velvet bag and opening it slowly. Tears were burning in your eyes at this point, because you realised he made all this effort to get the perfect gift for you. And he succeeded because it was more than perfect.

‘’This is way too crazy.’’ You whispered, feeling how he moved your hair to the side, helping you clipping the silver Swarovski necklace around your neck.

‘’Look inside.’’ He said, tucking some hair away from your face with his fingers, causing your nervousness to grow even more.

You opened the necklace and smiled when you saw the picture inside. It immediately gave you flashbacks, because even though you were only 4 and 5 years old, it was the brightest memory you had from the two of you.

FLASHBACK

‘’Dating is stupid! Kissing is stupid!’’ You laughed when you were seated on the swing, holding tightly when Lando pushed you carefully.

‘’I know! My mommy and daddy kiss when daddy comes home from work and it’s so weird!’’ He laughed, making sure you wouldn’t fall from the swing.

‘’Lando! Y/N! Come on, it’s time to go home!’’ You heard Cisca calling for the both of you, and you jumped off the swing immediately.

‘’Come on, run!’’ He held your hand and while the both of you laughed, you ran to the playground, hiding from Lando’s mom. ‘’Shhh..’’

You stayed there for almost 5 minutes, which seemed like an eternity when you’re just 4 years old. ‘’I have an idea.’’ The curly haired boy smiled and held your hand tightly.

‘’Okay, tell me!’’ You giggled.

‘’When we’re both 25 and we’re still single, I’ll ask you to marry me.’’ He smiled, causing you to giggle and laugh, him doing the same. ‘’Okay!’’

‘’Lando! Y/N, come on we have to go, it’s getting dark!’’ You ran away again, running around the playground as you linked your pinkie finger with him. ‘’Promise’’.

END OF FLASHBACK

After he clipped the necklace around your neck, he took a hold of your hand and grabbed the second box in his bag. He kneeled in front of you, a smile on his lips as he opened the box with one hand.

‘’Marry me.’’ He whispered. ‘’Not now, don’t worry. But one day. You know I am a man of my word, and I still remember that day so well.’’ He smiled, looking at your necklace and then back into your eyes. He always maintained eye contact with you, and it made you feel safe and secure, because you know you can trust those eyes.

‘’I’ve been counting the days till your birthday, knowing that the day you turned 25, I was able to ask this question. I’m lying when I say I was hoping you wouldn’t find someone to be by your side, because, and maybe I’m being selfish, but I want to be that man. It’s too fast to immediately ask you to marry me, because I can’t force you to say yes, but God… Y/N. See this as a promise ring. See this as a promise ring that we’ll be together, that I’ll be the man in your life that makes you the happiest you’ll ever be.’’

Tears were streaming down your face as you listened to every word he said. Every word chosen so carefully yet so chaotically, because this is the moment you knew you weren’t the only one feeling this intense love for him. He felt it for you, too.

You answered him by cupping his cheeks with your hands and doing the one thing you have been dreaming of doing for almost 22 years. You kissed him, his lips moving on yours almost instantly caused you to smile against his lips, him following your movements. This kiss was something else, something that made all the butterflies in your stomach explode with fireworks, like they were all holding a fairy light and lighting them all at the same time.

‘’I love you, Lando, I always have, and I’m so glad I can finally say it out loud now.’’ You giggled, feeling his hand reaching for yours and the ring slipped around your finger so effortlessly.

‘’I love you too, and I promise I’ll get you a proper engagement ring.’’ He whispered before pressing his lips on yours again, firmly, full of love.

2 years later

[artdcnaldson]

Can you do arts reaction to reader just not inviting him to her next "dance" because she thought he wasnt interested so she didnt say anything please?

Maybe he saw a picture on myspace or something

Rating: T

Warnings: None really, just angst and Art being heartbroken over losing his best friend

Summary: Spring 2008. Art wishes that he had thought to unfriend you on MySpace.

A/N: ok I’m ngl I saw specific words and ran. The words in question: “Art’s reaction” and “MySpace.” Unedited

MySpace was in its death throes. You had to have been the last active user by that point, happily posting collections of photos like it was your own personal scrapbook.

He didn’t even use it himself, not really. He had when he was sixteen— filled it with pictures of him and Patrick and the shitty music he’d liked. Lately, he’d been logging in just to check on you.

Not often. He wasn’t a creep, or anything. He just wondered, sometimes. He knew you had a boyfriend, or something— you posted cryptically about seeing someone plenty enough. Art just wanted to know who the asshole was— if he knew him, if he deserved you.

Most people had switched to Facebook— including Art. He knew Patrick had an account, but he didn’t feel like adding him, and apparently the sentiment was shared.

That night, he pulled up your MySpace page, decorated in the same pink and green shades as your dorm room. It was a normal routine— look at the music you were listening to, read your blog posts, look at your photos. Casually, of course. This time, though, he froze.

Because he did know the asshole you were with— not hidden behind cryptic posts, no longer shrouded in mystery. Clear as day, in photos you’d taken on your digital camera.

Patrick Zweig.

For once, the brunet was in a nice suit, with a bow tie and everything. The first picture was of him, flipping off the camera with a smile in the middle of a formal dining room. The next few were of both of you sitting on an empty tennis court, drinking champagne straight from the bottle, and sharing cigarettes.

Look who needed a date to a “boring, formal rich people thing” after months of me going to his “boring tennis things” <3

That was all you’d said about the pictures. Art swallowed, opening up the photos to take a closer look. You were wearing pale yellow silk, like moonlight. You posted a close up of you in the dress, of pretty silver jewelry against your skin, then a few scenery shots— flowers, a fountain, the putting green at night.

That was the country club he played at when he was 15 and stayed with Patrick for the summer, the type of place that it was best to be seen and not heard. He knew that Patrick’s family were wealthy before, but that summer had put things in an entirely new perspective.

Patrick hated shit like that— the pomp and circumstance. The Patrick who had been his friend wouldn’t have been caught dead at a… he squinted to read the signage in the background of a photo— Benefit for Children of… whatever, he couldn’t make it out but he knew it was stupid.

It wasn’t Patrick. He knew it wasn’t Patrick even if they hadn’t spoken for a year.

Sometimes he asked himself why that was. Tashi dropped out, transferred to a school closer to her family. Being at Stanford had been too painful, which he understood, but he missed her. They kept in contact, which was good, because he had a suspicion he’d die if she wasn’t somewhere in his orbit.

It wasn’t lost on Art that he’d chosen Tashi over Patrick. He didn’t regret choosing Tashi, but he might regret it more had it not been for that night.

He couldn’t prove that it had been Patrick in your room, but he had a feeling.

It had gnawed at him as he sat on the floor outside of your door, nursing a beer long after you and whoever it was had finished and fallen asleep. He caught the tail end of it, even over the blaring music— the slamming headboard, the pretty noises you made when you got close.

He’d been sexiled enough by Patrick before to feel a twinge of familiarity in the muffled groans on the other side of the door. But it made no sense. Or it made perfect sense, and Patrick rarely did and that’s what made it so hard.

Art had chosen Tashi, Patrick chose what was Art’s. Tied everything in a nice little bow.

He’d been missing him. Of course he missed Patrick, in the same way he craved a cigarette after quitting. He knew it was bad for him, he wanted it anyway.

Or maybe Patrick wasn’t bad for him, and he was the one who cleaved him out of his life with a rough, messy slash. He loved Patrick, but he needed him as much as he needed a burst appendix that was poisoning him from the inside out.

If he thought about Patrick Zweig for too long, he’d get a sick feeling in his stomach, all hollow and achey. He itched to call him, to ask how he’d been, and how the tour had been, and if he was doing okay.

He let the phone ring once, twice before he hung up, feeling like an idiot. There was a thick, strangling feeling in his chest like he might cry, which was stupid.

It was all so stupid, how much he missed Patrick. Patrick, who had you, and a tennis career, and his rich parents who he suddenly wanted to be around. Maybe Patrick was better off, but it didn’t make him feel much better.

His phone buzzed on his bedside table, ripping him violently from his self pity. 

Patrick [1:26 AM]: was that an accident?

Art didn’t respond, even though he wanted to. It was probably for the best.

Sorry I made this mostly about Art missing Patrick instead of Art missing R but … alas it felt true. If I think too hard about the twelve years they spent apart I feel insane.

[yanderes-galore]

19. “That’s where you belong. Worshipping me on your hands and knees.”From starbabytea yandere prompt list, for yandere Crocadile with a darling who keeps trying to escape from him.

Oogh, my favorite villain, here you go!

Prompts Here

Yandere! Sir Crocodile Prompt 19

“That’s where you belong. Worshipping me on your hands and knees.”

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Manipulation, Possessive behavior, Controlling behavior, Dehumanization, Violence, Isolation, Kidnapping, Forced relationship.

Sir Crocodile is infamous in the seas. He's a Warlord, the leader of Baroque Works, and yearns to be a king. Not only that, but he is a wielder of a Devil Fruit.

Sir Crocodile is a master of manipulation. Others may view him as a hero, others may view him as a villain. It's all in perspective... but both sides agree that he is strong.

How do you view Crocodile?

He's more than a villain to you. To you, Crocodile is your captor. He's a tyrant who picked you to be the closest one to him. Sir Crocodile does not trust many.

You doubt he even fully trusts you, if anyone at all.

Despite that, Crocodile treats you as though you two are closer than you are. You can't tell if Crocodile intends to view you as a lover... or some sort of toy. Regardless...

You always feel sick when the people of Arabasta view him as a hero.

He's no hero. As someone who's been trapped beside him below Rain Dinners, you know what he is. He's still very much a pirate... and a crime boss with many under him.

While you hate his guts, you could care less what he does. What you don't understand is why he dragged you into it. You don't know what Crocodile truly wants from you.

Are you useful to him? Are you a hostage? Does he just want to be entertained? Are you meant to be a good servant?

There's no way he's keeping you because he likes you... right?

You wish Crocodile just let you leave. You wouldn't tell a soul about his true nature. You'd live your own life, alone, happily.

It's never that easy.

In fact, you should've known it wouldn't be when you made your escape attempt.

Crocodile never leaves you alone. He usually keeps you on his lap during paperwork or meetings. That or he gives you something to do while he watches you and smokes.

It really felt... wrong that he left you unattended.

Yet you're desperate.

The moment you were given a chance to leave Rain Dinners, you took it. You knew you should've hesitated, built more trust with Crocodile. Unfortunately...

There's no building trust with Crocodile.

It was an obvious trap. Crocodile is no doubt used to your escape attempts, running out of your 'home' like a curious dog every five seconds. You were always defiant.

So he got used to it... always ready for your next move.

It was a pattern your desperation always made you fall for. Crocodile always managed to find you. Yet he made when he found you take longer and longer...

Making you think you'll get away this time... Only to find you once again.

Just to see the hope in your eyes shatter.

To show you your place.

Crocodile never likes to let go of what's his. In his mind, you belong to him. You're meant to respect him... to praise and bow to him.

So he'll catch you as many times as he needs to... Just to make sure you get the message.

"I'd think you'd learn by this point...."

Sand always managed to catch you in the end. Really, there was never anywhere you could go. Crocodile has power over the entire country... Even if you made it out of one city, let alone got to sea...

Crocodile would always find you... and obliterate anything in his path to drag you back.

Yet, as fun as that would be for him, he never lets you get that far. He likes to stop you once you realize your efforts are futile. He likes to use his powers to hold you in place... as he approaches with a smile on his face.

"This is exactly why I don't trust you... You disobey, you run, and I'm forced to take time out of my day to hunt you down." Crocodile clicks his tongue, smoke leaving his mouth from his cigar.

You stare blankly at him when you are eventually dragged back to his underwater base. Sand still seems to bind you at his will as he speaks. He looks disappointed... but not surprised.

"I don't understand you. You escape and for what? You act like you'll get far. The heat will kill you if someone from Baroque Works doesn't find you... You never seem to learn your place."

Crocodile urges you closer and you reluctantly follow. His large golden hook wraps around the back of your neck before yanking downwards. You gasp, falling to your knees as Crocodile chuckles, sitting in his chair in front of you.

"That’s where you belong. Worshipping me on your hands and knees." Crocodile hums, watching you as he uses his hook to force you into staying bowed.

"Is this life so hard to get used to? I can give you anything you want. I can spoil you, yet you fight me. All I ask for is your adoration... your devotion..."

You feel his other hand tilt your chin up, just to make you look in his eyes.

"You crave freedom over what I can give you? It's foolish. The faster you accept me as your ruler, the faster things will be easier for the both of us." Crocodile scoffs, his thumb stroking your chin and cheek gently.

You try to pull away, yet Crocodile merely pulls you forward with his hook. You're soon hoisted onto his lap despite you're struggling. You hear him laugh again... and he holds you tighter.

"You are such an annoyance..." Crocodile sighs, yet grins down at you. "But you entertain me. Someday, I'll break you. Someday you'll accept your place as mine... and when that happens..."

Crocodile leans closer, his lips ghosting your ear even as you try to pull away.

"I'll relish the day I make you mine... we'll both enjoy it, you'll see, sweetheart."

With that, you feel the warlord kiss you...

Which only seems to make you think of other ways to make his life hell... just like he did to you.

[corriganatheart]

if he was MINE / João Félix x reader

Synopsis: You’re secretly in love with your best friend, who is in a toxic relationship.

Pairings: João Félix x fem!reader

Genre: One sided romance, sad story

December 10 2022: Right after Portugal’s Elimination.

Breaking News: Magui Corceiro is spotted clubbing with a mysterious man while boyfriend João Félix gets eliminated from the World Cup.

With an unfazed eye, you scroll through the comments.

He deserves so much better.

At this point bro is doing this to himself because this is getting old.

Isn’t this like the 4th time? Lol

Magui doesn’t give a shit about João Félix's feelings; she knows he’ll forgive her no matter what.

People continue to type out their opinions, which worsens as you scroll down. You are watching from home and is very aware that Portugal got eliminated. When the camera pans to João’s face, your heart shatters from his expression. He was in as much pain as CR7, and you know he was very excited to play for his country but was only disappointed. You wished you could’ve been there, especially now that the news is out, but you thought Magui would be there, so you turned down his offer.

You and João are both aware that Magui doesn’t like you, mainly because you’ve been friends with him since middle school, but you’ve never done anything to harm his relationship. João has had a couple of girlfriends, and all seem insecure because you know him better than them, but he has always chosen you. This was, of course, until she showed up and had his undivided attention.

Magui Corceiro is one of the most beautiful women you’ve ever seen and, quite frankly, João’s ideal woman. He has always gone for blue eyes and blonde hair, but something about this girl was different; he was actually invested in her and was smitten by her. Your best friend was in love and overly blind too. Their relationship is not healthy, and everyone agrees on that, but João is stubborn and refuses to accept the truth.

When he first introduced you to the girl nearly three years ago, she was very sweet, and you thought for the first time you’d be friends with his girlfriend. But as time passed, she became more possessive and controlling to the point where you went almost a year without speaking to him. Magui was jealous of your friendship with João, and it was the one thing that she couldn’t control because he had told her several times that you’re a long-time friend. And since she can’t ask him to leave his friends, she manipulates him with breakups and male acquaintances of her own. Everything about his feelings for her was real, but she saw it as a tool to manipulate one of the best upcoming players. However, still, João is responsible for how he gets treated, and so far, he has allowed every gaslighting, manipulation, mental abuse, and cheating into his relationship.

You hesitate on whether to call João or not while watching Morocco celebrate their win in the quarter-finals. Your eyes drift to your friend, Hakimi, who looks as happy as ever to win the match. Although you’re upset that Portugal didn’t win, at least one of your friends can continue on the next game.

Your phone dings from the numerous messages from your friends to your family about the video. It was no mistake or misunderstanding. The video showed that she intended to grind on the guy and didn’t care that the camera was on her. You’re sure by now someone has told João of the allegation, and this would only make him more upset. She was supposed to be there for him, cheer him on, and that’s why you didn’t go, but instead, she was in another country with another man.

You go on Instagram, hoping his comments weren’t filled with the scandal, but you should’ve known by now that everyone was on João’s case. His latest Instagram post was filled with Magui’s allegation and how João would never learn his lesson. Even with the hate he gets for staying with her, it has become clear that he won’t leave her. You’ve tried to convince him before, and that only ended with him losing contact with you for months, but your friendship was much more important than your feelings, so you remained silent and helped him when he needed you.

Leaning on your couch, you wait for an incoming call. Morocco had just finished celebrating with their people, and by now, João was probably heading to his hotel. He might even take a flight early to avoid getting crowded the next day at the airport. People can be brutal, and he was trending on Twitter for the wrong reason, and some even blamed his relationships for Portugal’s loss. It was ridiculous, but that’s how the internet works, and sadly his girlfriend added more fuel to the fire, and you can only hope that dancing with the guy was the only thing she did. Groaning from the anxiety, you decided to go for it and dial his number. He picked up on the third ring, and you relaxed a little.

“Hey,” you softly said. You hear a bag zipped before he responds, “Hey you.” You lay down on the couch, saddened by his voice that sounds so broken. “You played well. You gave it your all. I’m so proud of you, João.” He doesn’t respond to that, but you hear stuff being shoved into a bag, and you can only imagine how frustrated he must be and probably wants to come home immediately. “We almost had it, Y/N; I just wanted a chance,” he says, his voice cracking. You imagine being there, pulling him into a hug, and whispering that everything will be ok like you always do. “Why don’t I make you your favorite comfort meal when you return? We’ll have movie nights like usual,” you suggested. You hear another bag being zipped up, and that is it. He was ready to come home. “Yeah, that would be nice.” You smile and refuse to bring up Magui’s situation because this moment is perfect, with no mention of her, just the two of you. “I wish you were here,” he mumbles. You softly smile, cherishing the way he says it. “Yeah, me too.”

Your best friend texts you that he has arrived back early in the morning and is getting some sleep. You smile, excited to see him because you haven’t seen him since he left for Qatar. Many of his teammates were disappointed that you weren’t there, and Georgina has called and threatened numerous times for you to be there, but you had to decline because of Magui. But it was a wrong call on your part because, in the end, she ended up leaving early. You weren’t sure why she wasn’t there for the last game, especially since the Quarter Final is so important, but whatever happened affected his gameplay. You know João more than he knows himself, and you sensed something was wrong with him. During the game, he was off so many times, and his mind was battling between the game and his personal life. Whenever that happens, it is because of his girlfriend, and that’s why his teammates don’t like her. Many of them have expressed their concerns for João because she was such a toxic person, but your best friend is stubborn; he does whatever he wants.

“Hey! Congrats on your game!” You said while making a list of groceries for your movie night. “Hey, hey! Thanks, bud!” Hakimi says, and you notice his kids and wife are in the background as he stables his phone on something. “Hey, how’s João Félix?” He asked, his voice hinting at curiosity and annoyance. “Oh, Ahum, he sounded fine when I spoke to him last night,” you mutter. Hakimi rolls his eyes and lays his head on the couch. “If he stays with her, he will be football's laughingstock.”

You awkwardly laughed, remembering that Hakimi knew your crush on João. It was a drunken mistake that happened during a karaoke night. You, Hakimi, his wife, and a couple of your other mutual friends were celebrating a promotion that ended up with you spilling your deepest secret. Luckily everyone was passed out, and only Hakimi was the only that remembered your words. At first, he teases you about the crush, but after seeing the pain that you go through because of the secret crush, he stops joking about it. “I just don’t understand what goes on in his mind. I mean, he has you around him all the time, and he still chases the one person that is bad for him.” You sighed, hating where the conversation was going. You don’t want people to pity you because you already pity yourself. After spending your entire life being João’s best friend, you’ve realized that you’ll never be anything but a best friend. “Just leave it, Hakimi; I’m sure he already feels like shit,” you mumbled. Hakimi gives you an apologetic look before he glances off somewhere and immediately smirks.

“Hey, my offer still stands, you know,” he said. You rolled your eyes, remembering his offer of setting you up with his best friend. You’ve declined several times, but apparently, his best friend was very persistent and really wants to meet you. “If I were to date someone else, it would have to be outside the football world,” you said, causing him to roll his eyes. “Come on, Y/N, just give him a chance. And I’m sure it’ll also get João Félix thinking,” he wiggles his eyebrows. You thought back to the time João was jealous, which was never since you’ve never been involved with any other guy, so it would be an exciting thing to do. “You know this is your only idea that doesn’t involve me getting sent to jail.” Hakimi gasped and dramatically placed his hand on his chest. “When I told you to teach Magui a lesson, I didn’t mean full-on murder; I meant sending her to a mental hospital because she needs one.” You roll your eyes and tear the sticky notes off and start grabbing your things to go out. “We’ll, Mr. Scandalous, I look forward to your match against Argentina! Good luck!”

You walked down the pasta aisle, trying not to eavesdrop on the people next to you. They mentioned João’s name, so it was pretty hard for you to ignore them. “I heard from a family friend that Magui is dating a soccer player from another team,” the shorter woman tries to whisper. “Poor João Félix, he’s going to end up ruining his career if he keeps involving himself with her.” You frown at the mention of your best friend's career getting damaged. He has to work his ass off to get where he is, so it would be a shame if his reputation gets ruined. “But isn’t João Félix also having an affair with another girl? I heard that Magui only started cheating after he was caught sleeping with his best friend.” You immediately froze, the can in your hand almost falling. It wasn’t news that people know João Félix has a female best friend, but they never speculate about your relationship further than that. João has mentioned several times to the media that you’re his childhood friend, nothing more than that. Eventually, it got old, and people didn’t care about it anymore and became invested in his other private life. “That’s fake news. Would he cheat on a gorgeous actress like Magui with a regular girl? He has standards.” Clenching the can in your hand, you slam it into your cart, causing the women to jump and turn to you. Without looking at them, you push away from them.

Breaking News: João Félix actress girlfriend Magui Corceiro confirms break up with the Portugal football star with an Instagram post of her and a mysterious man.

You read the article Hakimi sent you, eyes glued on the mysterious man. You know the man, who wasn’t mysterious, he was João’s long-time friend. You aren’t sure why she was doing this publicly, knowing damn well people would be judging and talking. Every time she gets caught, she makes an Instagram post denying everything, but this time it was apparent she intends to hurt him. Closing the article, you text Hakimi a shrugged emoji and a good luck text before focusing on making your best friend his comfort meal. By now, João must’ve seen the news and probably been getting numerous calls and texts from his nosy friends, but you know he won’t speak up because he doesn’t want to ruin her already ruined reputation.

Smiling at your preparation, you text João to come over. You’ve made his favorite pasta dish and have some refreshments for the movie nights. You’ve also tried to look good and were excited about seeing him again.

10:30 p.m

Breaking News: Chelsea star João Félix spotted leaving a restaurant with a model. The athlete was thought to be going through heartbreak after girlfriend was spotted clubbing and hanging out with another man, but he had a nice date with a new beauty. Is the Portugal football player finally moving on?

Staring at your phone, you see a couple of tears landing. The pasta you’ve made had been sitting for 3 hours, untouched. When he didn’t read the text or answer your calls, you assumed he turned his phone off due to the scandal. Still, after not hearing from him for two hours, you were scared that he might’ve done something stupid, but just as you were about to flee to his house, the paparazzi photos of him with a girl were everywhere on your newsfeed.

Embarrassed for yourself, you got up and threw the dishes away, and started cleaning up. Out of all the things he could’ve done to get revenge on his ex, he went with this. It was already enough that Magui tarnished his reputation, but he had to make everyone think he was as bad as her. João Félix could’ve told people that he was over this and focused on his career, but instead, he had to be trapped in a toxic relationship that would never leave unless he let go. And from the looks of it, he was not over his relationship with Magui; he wanted her to feel jealous, he wanted her to beg for him to come back, and he still wanted her. Despite being hurt repeatedly, he still wanted her and would never want you.

Slumping down on the cabinet, you hugged your knees and cried. You cried because years of unrequited love had expired, and you needed to move on. He was everything you ever wanted in a guy, and he deserves so much better, but he would never have that respect for himself. You’ve liked him the moment you laid eyes on him when you were 14 and loved him the moment he stood up to the bullies when you were 16. But sometimes you must let go; even if it tears you apart, you must let go.

20 missed calls from The Golden Boy

The Golden Boy: I’m sorry pick up.

The Golden Boy: Pick up please Y/N, I didn’t mean to not show up.

The Golden Boy: what can I do to make it up to you?

The Golden Boy: don’t do this please….

“Y/N! Open the door! It’s been two days; you have to speak to me!”

Rolling your eyes, you glance at the pounding door. João has been banging on your door for seven minutes now, and you’re sure the neighbors will call the cops, but what can you do? He has already ruined his reputation; he might as well go to jail. “Come on, don’t be childish!” Ignoring the remarks, you scroll through your Instagram, filled with nothing but João Félix and his new beau. “Fine, I’ll just have to call your parents,” he threatens. You frown and immediately stand up and head to the door. “Don’t you dare!” You screamed.

“Oh, she’s alive,” he sarcastically says, and you can imagine the smirk on his face. Rolling your eyes, you open the door to reveal your best friend in a hotass outfit. “Hey,” he smirks, but you walk off before you check him out further. “Why are you mad? Look, I forgot, ok?” He said. You aggressively turn around and glare at him, “Well, thanks, João; it makes me feel so much better that my best friend forgot that he made plans with me.” João glares at you, clearly disliking your attitude, as he leans on the wall. “You’re being dramatic. I went out with a girl; wouldn’t you do the same if your ex was fucking your friend?” Crossing your arms, you said, “no, because I would’ve left them when they did it in the first place!” João’s face immediately turned red, angry about your comment. You knew damn well that his insecurity was being cheated on, yet you slapped it in his face. “I don’t deserve your bitchy attitude,” he warns. That only made you angry because he has done much worst. “And I don’t deserve being stood up!”

João glares down at you, frustrated that you aren’t forgiving him like usual. He had stood you up many times before, and you’ve forgiven him every single time. It makes no sense why you would be upset with him all of a sudden. “Look, I’m the one that got cheated on like a piece of trash. I should be the one upset. You’ve told me numerous times to move on, yet you’re getting upset that I was out with someone last night? What kind of friend are you?” Taken aback by his sudden manipulation and no common sense, you frustratedly walk to the kitchen. “I spend so much time cooking for you so you could feel better, you asshole!” You screamed.

“I have been by your side since day one! How can you treat me like an invisible wall? How can you only come to me when you need me?” João stares down at you, upset with your sudden outbursts and confused about your questions. “As a friend, you should fucking understand where I’m coming from!” He yells, “you know how much I love Magui! And if fucking someone else takes the pain away, so be it!” Your eyes roam his, tears filling yours, and only anger was in his. “You don’t have to do this alone. You don’t have to ruin your reputation. Someone out there loves you with all of their heart.” João chuckles as he tilts his head back. “Who in this fuck up world could truly love me?”

You stare into his eyes as he stares intensely into yours. In a quick moment, the realization was finally sinking in, and his eyes went from anger to disbelief. “You don’t mean you-“ he pauses and straddles back. Rows of tears start flowing down while staring at him; all these years, he had never thought that you might love him or even thought of being with you. The disbelief and shock only show how little he thought of the chances of you two being together. And once again, he has broken your heart. “I need you to leave,” you mumbled, voice cracking along the way. “Y/N, I didn’t-“ you didn’t let him speak any further because you pushed him away from you. “OUT!”

You cried the rest of the day, embarrassed and disappointed in yourself for being so stupid. You’ve let yourself fall in love with your best friend who had never shown interest in you. João had always treated you as a friend, and you kept hoping he would change his mind or miraculously fall in love with you, but his heart belongs to someone else. And even if he were to accept your heart, his wouldn’t be yours fully. You were selfish to yourself and him, and you needed to move on, even if it meant losing him as a friend.

Wiping your tears, you open your message app and find Hakimi’s name. With a heavy heart, you decided it was time to move on.

1 month later

Breaking news: João Félix's best friend Y/N, who was once caught up in cheating allegations with him, has moved on. She was caught dining with PSG star Kylian Mbappé and was seen leaving the restaurant together, holding hands. Mbappé, best friend of teammate Hakimi, was seen cheering when Morocco beat Portugal in the quarter-final. Could Mbappé hang out with Y/N to add more fuel, or could this actually be a true romance?

Part II: https://www.tumblr.com/corriganatheart/712468039657996288/when-will-you-publish-the-next-part-of-if-he-was

[tarnishedxknight]

Princess, Interrupted || closed with tarnishedxjudgement

@tarnishedxjudgement

“Because... if you are going to sell me to the enemy, then you should at least grant me the comfort of a friend whilst I’m there, father,” Ashelia said firmly, staring the old king down.

“Ashelia... Sir Ronsenburg is needed here and at war’s front,” Raminas said wearily. He was already dealing with immense guilt over the arrangement for his daughter to be held in Archadia’s capital to ensure Dalmascan loyalty, and Ashe’s resistance to it was not helping. 

“Why? My being shipped off to Archadia ensures the fighting will stop,” she shot back.

“Because this arrangement is a precarious and delicate thing, my dear. You do not understand,” Raminas replied.

Ashe huffed. “If I do not understand, it is because you forbade me to be in your war room while it was being discussed! Also, I do understand, because unlike you, Basch does not think women so fragile of mind that they cannot learn of such things.”

“Then understand that your duty and your place right now are to do this in Dalmasca’s name and for her people. Please... do not make this more difficult than it must be,” the king sighed.

“I’ll need guidance,” Ashe said.

“You will be alright, my child,” Raminas said.

“I’ll need protection,” she tried again.

“They’ll not harm you,” Raminas insisted.

“You don’t know that!” Ashe exclaimed, feeling a pang of something in her chest. Was it panic? No, she wasn’t going to be a scared child. “I don’t know that.”

Raminas sighed again... because she was right.

“Grant me Basch and I will do my duty, as you put it, without further objection, father,” she challenged. As strong as she knew she was, the idea of going to live in Archadia alone without a single familiar face when she had never even been outside of her own country before had Ashelia beyond terrified. Basch was her dearest friend, her rock, and her voice of reason. She needed him with her. Her gaze turned a bit vulnerable, much as she wished it wouldn’t. “Please, father.”

Sending Sir Ronsenburg to Archadia would make a serious dent in the leadership of the Dalmascan military. However, he knew it would affect the knight captain’s performance to have the princess abroad with the enemy, whether the man admitted to the distraction or not. And perhaps it would ease some of the old king’s worries as well to have someone like Basch looking after Ashelia. “Very well. He will accompany you there,” Raminas said, not speaking as to whether he would stay.

- - - - - - - - - -

It was hours to Archadia by airship, especially the Durga class cargo and passenger ship they had been granted for this particular trip. Something unmistakably civilian was needed to avoid any and all aerial misunderstandings. Even so, the ship bore Dalmasca’s banners on its carapace. As they neard their destination, Ashelia emerged from her room and came to stand with Basch to see the empire on the horizon, its capital coming into sharper focus. 

A quivering sigh, forced out through her nose, caught Basch’s attention. He turned to see Ashelia’s wide eyes welling up with tears, even as they gazed out the large window at Archadia. He watched as her expression otherwise remained unchanged save for a thick swallow, and she blinked repeatedly to rid herself of the tears she never allowed to fall. Basch’s own eyes fell for a moment, and then he turned back to the view past the glass himself, not calling attention to her moment of fearful vulnerability. She hated when someone pointed out that she was crying.

“Steady,” he whispered to her, and out of his peripheral vision he saw her turn to look up at him. “You represent Dalmasca here. Show them her strength through your own, my lady.”

Ashelia smiled softly and nodded. This was precisely why she had needed Basch with her. His words had already replaced the terror and despair in her heart with resolve and pride. As the ship slowly docked, Ashelia tried to prepare herself for anything and everything that might greet her once they were boarded...

[redditreceipts]

i wanna say thank you for making this blog,in the past couple months I've swayed away from this whole gender ideology thing thanks to you, I've always been weirded out by some of the shit that I've heard from these people be it that trans women should be included in conversations about biological women or the whole genital preference thing or that head canoning gnc characters as trans isn't deeply sexist, the last one was especially weird cus it seemed so obvious and as someone who lives in a country where being gnc can get you killed,jailed or abused idk why people were so violent whenever you pointed that out lmao,and was deeply frustrated that disagreeing with such sentiments would get you labeled transphobic and harassed,Idk why but I decided to scroll through feminist posts here and found myself agreeing with some of the radfem ones,I ended up finding your blog and while I was kinda uncomfortable about the whole "terf" thing,I found your open mindned and calm personality was quite welcoming and as such I was willing to listen to your points,and scrolling through your blog is what made me eventually made snap out of that whole trans ideology thing lol,I appreciate that you encourage people to always question things, be open minded and do their research and that it's okay to not agree with you on everything!! Really important since humanity had always had a problem with radicalization and internet did not help at all since people nowadays will doxx you for liking harmless shit lol,I won't call myself a radfem since I haven't done any activism yet, (or a transphobe,i still support trans people who don't subscribe to this BS and feel really bad for them) and I don't agree with every single radfem belief but I appreciate y'all for being one of the few actual feminists left lol, love from a sudani young woman 💞💞🇸🇩🇸🇩

me reading your message:

I'm so happy you're here! And yeah, I try to be respectful because people who believe in gender have been told that you can make out a "terf" because we are supposedly hate-filled and evil. I'm really happy you're here now and also have some of your own ideas. If there are any feminist struggles in Sudan that you think are a topic there, but not discussed on the internet enough, you can also send me a DM :) (if you want to)

also, here is a collection of fried dinosaur-shaped baked goods ❤️

wish you a good day and sending love to Sudan or whereever you are right now 💕

[another-clive-blog]

au where clive runs for prime minister just to try one-upping b*ll h*wks

Anon, I want you to know this may be my favorite ask so far. The AU itself is amazing, but the censoring Bill Hawks' name ? Priceless. I feel like Socrates himself has come to enlighten me with incomparable wiseness-

Alright so sketches and writing under the cut ! =) No trigger warnings for this one. I had fun, I'd love to do more about this AU whenever I get the time !!

When you didn't think things through 😔 Which leads us to the fanfic-

"Professor, look !!"

Hershel Layton put down his cup of tea, anticipating the moment his apprentice would shove his newspaper in his face. With a patient smile, he took the paper in his hands and let Luke point out what piece of news had caused such excitement.

"'Clive Dove as the new prime minister' ?" Layton read out loud.

The article was front page and there was more about it in the following pages : it only made sense, with the agitation this news had caused. Bill Hawks had been prime minister before, and was the favorite candidate for this next mandate : him losing was quite surprising- quite surprising indeed.

"He doesn't look too happy," Luke said, tiptoeing to see over the professor's arm.

Layton looked at the picture in the middle of the page. On it, a shockingly young man was visibly upset, turned away from the journalists : he seemed to be yelling at someone on the side, cut off from the photo. "That is one way to put it." Layton hummed, his eyes staring at the young man a moment longer, before going to read the actual article.

"I'd be happy, I think, if I had just won the elections," Luke mused out loud. He couldn't even imagine it happening, actually : running for Prime Minister was so much work on its own !! Always giving speeches, moving around, discussing boring things- oh, and it must cost so much money too !! It must be so difficult just being a candidate.

Yeah, he'd probably be happy if he won after all that. This Dove guy was just weird.

"Say, Professor, don't you think he looks like me ? Maybe this is a sign I'll be Prime Minister some day !"

The professor didn't answer, focused solely on the paper in his hands.

-_-_-_-

"I am not doing it," Clive Dove said firmly. "I am not running this country. I quit."

John, his new personal assistant, a guy here just to listen to his every word and give him the attention Bill Hawks was desperate to get, protested loudly. "No offence Sir, but you have been prime minister for 47 minutes. The people want you as head of the country and you therefore deserve this post, especially after all the hard work and money you invested to get it."

"I don't care about the money or the people," Clive snapped. "I don't actually want this stupid job."

John was quiet for a moment, and Clive hated how unsurprised he looked. He didn't even seem disappointed or concerned, simply... irritated. It made sense for a government official : they only ever cared about things going smoothly, not making any disruptions, following the protocol.

Too bad, because Clive only cared about making their lives as difficult as they had made his.

"Well," John finally sighed, "you can always resign if you really wish to."

"Great." The faster he got out of this agonizing office, the better it would be. Clive took his coat in one hand, pushing the chair back with the other. He had no time to waste, because he was supposed to give his first speech as the new Prime Minister in about fifteen minutes.

He therefore only had fifteen minutes to leave this pathetic building and get as far away from this despicable life as possible.

Clive had his hand on the door handle when John spoke up again. "If you go through with your resignation, you'll need to sign the official declaration first."

Clive let out an exasperated sigh. Why were there declarations for everything ? Would he need a declaration to slam the door on his way out ?! "I'm leaving, what more is there to say ?!"

John was still facing the office, rearranging the files Clive had left behind : he seemed oddly calm for someone who'd have to announce both the nomination and resignation of the new prime minister. "Plenty, actually. But the more important part, the one we should focus on, is naming your successor."

Clive scoffed. "Why do I have a say in this ?"

"You don't," John simply answered. "But you'll have to confirm your official resignation, therefore leaving this post to the next best candidate. I believe Bill Hawks was the people's second choice."

Clive froze. That scum would actually get the job ? After everything he had done to keep him from it ?

Clive didn't want to rule the country- he had only run for the job to keep Bill Hawks from getting it. And he had succeeded ! But quitting now would give Hawks both the job and the pride to come out on top.

He couldn't do that. He didn't want to run the country, wasn't fit for it. He had no idea how to do it and he didn't want to learn. He hated this government, never cared about its people.

John was still rearranging the papers on the office, a peaceful smile on his face. He knew he had won, because winning was all that these miserable people cared about.

Well, Clive wouldn't let any of them win- not as long as he was head of this country. "Come on," he said, putting his coat on. "I have a speech to give."

[aloneinthehellfire]

Chapter 4: The Russian Dilemma And Other Problems

Season One | Season Two | Season Three

[Raining Hellfire: Season Three]

Word Count: 2991 words

Warnings: swearing, mentions of blood, steve being adorable bc that deserves its own warning, some fluff, mentions of break-up

[A/N: reader starting to get a little fed up with having to take care of everything all the time and like, same girl. same.]

The Russian Dilemma And Other Problems

Dustin’s tape played over and over and over again, your mind screaming for release from this torture. You might as well be fluent in Russian at this point.

The tape ends once again and rather than repeat the recording, Dustin shifts in his seat. You were thankful for the silence.

“So?” Dustin looks to you.

You frown, glancing behind you like a Russian translator was going to be there. “Why are you looking at me?”

“Yeah? I could know stuff?” Steve mumbles through the banana he’s eating, hand on hip. Dustin slowly nods.

“Yeah… anyway, Y/n?” Dustin says and Steve scoffs in offence.

“Look, Dustin, I took Russian for like one semester, okay? If that little Russian handbook doesn’t know it, neither do I.” You turn in your chair to squint at the whiteboard, “And I don’t know, the alphabet just looks wrong to me.”

“No, it’s right.” Dustin assures and you shake your head.

“Nah, I don’t think so.”

Dustin stops to ponder that for a moment before leaning forward and replaying the tape. You instantly groan, slumping further into your seat. You just wished someone would listen to you for once.

“Steve!” Robin’s voice calls out from the counter but Steve is too invested in the tape to notice. He had left her in charge once Dustin called this impromptu meeting and you couldn’t imagine she was happy about it.

The tape finally ends and Dustin shuts it off, looking to Steve this time

“So, what do you think?” He shrugs, risking a glance to you as if your language abilities suddenly strengthened from the last recording.

“It sounds familiar.” Steve comments and you frown.

Raising an eyebrow, you fold your arms across your chest. “Spend a lot of time in Russia, do ya?”

“No.” He sends you a scowl before shoving another section of the banana into his mouth, mumbling through the food, “The music. The music right there at the end.”

“Why are you listening to the music, Steve?” Dustin complains, looking at you both like you had disappointed him. You hated it when he did that.

“Maybe because neither of us know Russian!” You snap, sighing when Dustin looks to you with wide eyes. Even Steve looked surprised. “Sorry. It’s been a long day.”

“Just listen to the Russian! We’re translating the Russian” Dustin points a look at Steve as he leans across the table again.

Steve shakes his head in defence, “I’m trying to listen to the Russian but there’s music-”

“All right,” The door swings open as Robin pokes her head through, “Babysitting time is over. You need to get in there.”

She enters the room, pointing an ice cream scoop at Steve who backs away like it’s a weapon. Judging by the look on Robin’s face, it could be.

She looks around the room, noticing the board Dustin had wiped away despite your objections. She sends you a startled look and you raise your hands in surrender. The scoop was definitely a weapon.

“Hey, my board! That was important data, shitbirds.”

Dustin shakes his head slowly, “I guarantee you, what we’re doing is way more important than your data.”

“Yeah?” Robin suddenly smirks, leaning against the table, “And how do you know these Russians are up to no good anyway?”

Dustin and Steve look at eachother in shock as you giggle to yourself.

“How does she know about the Russians?”

“I don’t know.”

“Guys.” You interrupt their panicked whispers, “You are both the loudest people I know. I think the whole mall heard you. Hell, they probably heard you in Russia.”

Robin nods, crossing her arms, “You think you have evil Russians plotting against our country, on tape, and you’re trying to translate but haven’t figured out a single word because you didn’t realise Russians use an entirely different alphabet.”

“I knew it!” You stand from your chair with a grin, pointing a finger at Dustin who smiles sheepishly. You glance at Robin, an idea striking your mind. “Wait. You.”

“Me.” She smiles, straightening as you join her side.

“The language overachiever herself.” You remember and she smirks, winking.

Robin’s eyes drift towards the tape player and after a beat of silence, she reaches out to grab it just before Steve snatches it away.

“Whoa! What do you think you’re doing?” Steve cradles it protectively like she would break it. In his defence, Robin was a very clumsy person at times.

You pinch the bridge of your nose, too tired and stressed to be dealing with this right now.

“I wanna hear it.” Robin states with a small pout.

“Why?” They both ask and you frown.

“Cause maybe I can help.” She shrugs. They just look at her, doubtful.

“She’s fluent in four languages.” You announce and Robin bows.

“Russian?” Dustin’s ears perk up, leaning toward her.

“Ou-yay are-yay umb-day.” Robin says and you chuckle.

Sure enough, the boys fell for it as both Steve and Dustin share looks with eachother, impressed.

“Did you hear that?” Dustin asks you, grinning while Steve nods approvingly.

You try to hold your laugh, pursing your lips. “The Pig Latin? Yeah, yeah I did.”

“Idiot.” Steve scoffs, whacking Dustin with his banana peel as if he wasn’t just as gullible.

Robin stares at you with a raised eyebrow, “You know Pig Latin?”

“I’ve dabbled in a few books.” You smirk, earning a smile and a nudge.

“But,” Robin looks back to the boys, leaning across the table, "I can speak Spanish, and French, and Italian, and I’ve been in band for 12 years.”

“Her ears are like little geniuses.” You nod, impressed.

“Uh…” Steve looks hesitant.

“Come on, it’s your turn to sling ice cream, my turn to translate.” Robin slumps against the table. “I don’t even want credit, I’m just bored.”

The bell starts to sound from the other side of the divider and Steve sighs, looking at you.

“I guess you’re gonna help her.” He assumes, grabbing the ice cream scoop from Robin’s hand and replacing it with the tape recorder.

You tighten your lips, already hearing the objections sound before words even leave your lips. “Actually…”

“What? No, come on. I thought you were gonna help.” Dustin pouts and you pinch your nose again. You loved the kid but he did expect a lot from you.

“Dude, give her a break.” Steve says, lightly shoving the boy.

“I’m meeting my uncle. I can’t.” You sigh, the look on his face only making you feel guilty, “But I’ll be back to help as much as I can.”

Dustin finally flashes a grin that you always loved and you ruffle his hat, moving away from the others.

“Try not to get caught by Russians.” You call back as Steve follows you out of the employee room.

You lean against the counter as Steve serves ice-creams, looking out into the mall for Jack to appear. The noise of chattering from the booths in the background faded out as you willed yourself to stay calm. You just had a funny feeling that the nightmares of Hawkins didn’t end with El closing the gate last year. You just didn’t know why you were the only one that ever felt it.

“Hey, uh…” Steve walks over to you when the line of customers end, shoulder brushing yours, “What did you want to talk about?”

“Huh?” You move your head to his direction, snapping out of your distraction of just watching people walk around the mall.

“Earlier. You said you wanted to talk.”

“Oh, that.” You shift your feet, suddenly feeling nervous, “It-It’s not important-”

“Look, whatever the hell Dustin is getting us into this time shouldn’t be on the top of your priority list.” Steve holds his hand up, silencing the thoughts that made you feel like a burden, “Just tell me what’s on your mind.”

A smile almost creeps its way onto your lips as you look at your best friend, someone actually wanting to listen to you.

You take a breath, looking up to meet his eyes. “I think something’s seriously wrong with Hawkins.”

“No shit.” He laughs, shutting his mouth when he saw the anxiety behind your eyes, “Like a ‘this town needs to get its shit together’ deal or a ‘we’re about to go to war with something we aren’t prepared for’ kind of deal?”

You just tighten your lips and Steve steps back, running a hand through his hair. “How do you-”

“I saw something.” You say with a quiet voice, shaking your head. “And… I don’t know. I don’t know anymore. One moment, I think everything’s completely fine and I’m just being paranoid and then the next, I’m having a vision and Billy’s acting weird-”

“Billy?” Steve frowns, wondering what that guy had to do with anything. He was still far from being on his side.

“Last night.” You sigh, trying to remember how it all played out. Why did he look different outside of the Upside Down?

Steve stops his small little pace, snapping his head to you, “Last night? I thought you were with Nancy?”

Your heart falls a little at her name. You really were looking forward to seeing her. “She didn’t show.”

“She didn’t- okay.” Steve took a breath, squeezing his eyes shut and pinching the bridge of his nose, “So how does Billy come into the whole new terrifying thing we’re probably gonna have to deal with?”

“When my car broke down, I found his Camaro at the telephone box-”

“Your car broke down?!” His eyes widened as he took a step closer to you, “What- why didn’t you call me?”

You frown, shaking your head, “Because you were on a date.”

He inhales sharply, some sort of guilt washing over his face. “Right… yeah. But I still… I still would have come picked you up.”

You smile at his comment, shaking it away as you look out into the mall again.

“I never got the chance to use the phone anyway. I found Billy’s car pretty beat up and when I got closer…” You swallow the fear bubbling in your throat, “… I was in the Upside Down.”

Steve freezes. “How is that even possible?”

“If I knew, I’d tell you.” You lower your gaze, staring at your shoes, “I don’t why it keeps happening to me but every time it does, something bad happens. I saw Billy. And- and he looked scared, Steve. He was bleeding and then suddenly I was back in reality and he… he wasn’t the same.”

“How?”

You looked up, “His eyes. It didn’t… feel like him. And this morning at the pool, he just looked terrible.”

“How does Billy fit into all of it, though?” Steve wondered, frowning when Dustin’s voice callS out for Steve once again. “Yeah, okay! I’ll be there in a second! Jesus.”

He looks back down at you, patiently waiting for you to continue and ignoring another sound of protest.

“You should probably...” You tilt your head to the employee room but Steve shakes his head.

“No, I wanna hear-”

“Y/n!” Jack’s voice called out at you and you spin around, seeing your uncle stood at the counter with a smile, “Hi, Steve.”

“Hello, sir.” Steve raised his hand, straightening up and fixing his uniform. No matter how many times you tell Steve that he doesn’t have to impress your uncle, he still won’t listen.

“You ready to go?” Jack asks, glancing between you and your best friend.

You turn to Steve, taking a breath before releasing it slowly. “I’ll see you later.”

“Y/n-” He tries but you’re already walking away, greeting your uncle with a hug.

“They seriously came to you because they thought their car was going to explode?” You laughed, taking a bite of your corn dog.

“I had to assure him that the car was meant to make that noise when he turned it on. And he still didn’t believe me.” Jack shakes his head, wiping his hands on a napkin, “And to think he was trying to tell me how to do my job.”

“They always do.” You chuckle, finishing your food and wiping your mouth.

You look out into the mall from the bench you both sat at, eyes bouncing between the heads of people moving around. To imagine that if Dustin was right, if there were Russians in Hawkins planning something, then they could be in that very crowd.

Your eyes shifted to see the flash of a familiar, heart-wrenching grin. In the corner, just outside the small comic shop, a group of people in matching t-shirts stood together, laughing.

“This mall isn’t half as bad as I thought it’d be.” Jack commented, nodding, “Still draining people of all their money, though.”

He looked to you with a sigh, noticing that your eyes were focused on something else. Following your gaze, he shifted in his seat with a small smile.

“It’s always hard.” He says and you glance at him.

“What is?”

“Losing our first loves.”

You quit your staring, looking to your uncle with wide eyes.

“What. No- no. That’s not…” You sigh, “He’s not my first love.”

“Yes he is.” Jack said with a knowing smile, chuckling. “Tell me that you felt that way for someone before. Regardless of if you were dating or not.”

You frown, realising he was right. Eddie was your first love. You and Billy never had something like that. Even dating, you never really felt anything strong. You had loved him, sure. But it wasn’t the same as being in love.

“How do I even move on from that?” You groan, head in your hands.

Jack watches as Eddie and the rest of the Hellfire Club walk away, out of sight. “You don’t.”

You look up, tilting your head to see him “Wow, thanks for the advice.”

Jack chuckles, shaking his head. “I just mean that… our first loves are always something special. It makes us realise that we were more capable of love than we thought. And when that relationship ends, we don’t ever really let go of that feeling. Because that person was the first to make us feel human.”

You contemplate this for a moment, gnawing your bottom lip. “Surely it stops hurting after a while?”

“It will.” He nods, smiling, “It’ll actually turn into a happy memory. But it takes some healing first, kid. And you can’t do that until you accept that it’s over.”

“I- I know it’s over. It’s been months, I’ve moved on.” You insist but he just stares at you, eyes creased in silent amusement.

“Time doesn’t heal things by itself.” Jack shifted closer to you, resting his elbows on his knees as he leant forward, “Trust me on that. No matter how someone we love is removed from our lives, we are always conditioned to feel guilt. To feel like we should have done more.”

“How did you make peace?” You ask quietly and he smiles, thinking of your aunt.

“I realised that I wasn’t alone.” He smiled softly, laughing, “Because I will always have those memories. I’ll always feel that love. To feel something is what rids us of loneliness sometimes. And I had this pretty great kid who made me realise that love has a funny way of showing up when you need it the most.”

You smile, “You’re not too bad yourself.”

He chuckles, bumping your shoulder, “I should let you get back to your friends.”

“You working late?” You ask, discarding your paper tissues in the trash bin beside you.

“Not sure, depends how many kids keep breaking down in the middle of the road.” He stands up, walking with you to the parking lot, “Oh, and your car’s all fixed. Left the keys on the table.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” You jump, hugging him as he laughed.

“Okay, I gotta get back to work. Have fun and don’t be too late getting home.” He turned back just before he left, “And tell that Harrington kid he needs to stop trying to impress me so damn much. I already like him.”

“Will do.” You smile, walking back to Scoops through crowds of teens enjoying every last second of their summer.

You pass the GAP when something catches your eye. Tilting your head, you get a better view. You stop and stare for a moment before walking into the store and towards the scene you never expected to happen.

“Uh… hi?” You say, catching their attention.

El and Max both spin around, laughing.

“Y/n! We are shopping.” El says giddily, referencing her jumpsuit.

“I love it.” You smile, looking between the two. “Okay. When did this happen?”

“When Mike decided to be a boy.” Max rolled her eyes and El copied her, making you chuckle.

“Boys lie.” She states and you sigh, nodding.

“They do, don’t they.” You purse your lips, realising you were distracting yourself, “Uh, by any chance have you two seen anything… weird?”

They exchange looks and Max frowns at you, already sensing something off with you. “No? What kind of weird?”

“Just, like…” You glance at the girls before you, changing your mind. “Never mind. You guys should just have fun shopping. Oh, and I will consider it a crime if you don’t show me every single outfit you buy.”

“Can we stay over?” Max asks, grinning while El’s face lights up at the idea. With everything happening, it actually sounded really nice.

“Yeah, obviously. We’ll have a girl’s night.” You smile.

“A girl’s night.” El slowly nods before frowning, “Hopper won’t like that.”

You just shake your head, a plan already forming, “I’ll take of it.” You assure, grabbing a pair of red sunglasses from the stand next to you.

“Here.” You hand them to Max before walking away, glancing back to see her trying them on in the mirror and smiling to herself.

As much as you wanted to stay with them, you had other matters to get to.

the next chapter will be posted a little earlier since it's only a short one so be sure to check out updates schedules from the RH masterlist.

Chapter 5: Leave A Message ->

taglist: @gnnnne / @beepisbeep / @paintballkid711/ @eddiesbirdie/ @livasaurasrex/ @darktimelegends / @jackierose902109 / @mvrylee / @chervbs/ @eternallyvenus

[itspdameronthings]

in Loving memory

Summary: here is my entry to@triplefrontier-anniversary celebration. This is a really sad one. sorry about that. this is a tribute for one of our own ,@aellynera who is now with the angels. She was one of a kind . Hope she loves this. she loved Oscar. Most of us knew she loved Triple frontier ,and anything with oscar. ha ha!

the fic deals with him mourning his love.

Wish people would stop asking how I am doing. Want to be alone! Let me fucking be! Let me grieve in my own way! Others never lose the love of their life like me. My Alleycat. One of a kind. Talented writer . Yeah. She loved to write short stories. Did that to take her mind off her illness. I found out about it four years ago when she would get sick a lot. Doctors ran test after test. Until … she was in a coma! Scared me half to death. Prayed for more time with her. Wishing Columbia never happened. Took me away from her! God! Why ! Why you called her home so fucking soon! Took my dad ( Which I didn't have to say goodbye to!) Took me years to get past the hurt. Feel so alone! What now!? 

Haven't left our room since the funeral. That was the hardest thing to do. Say bye to my heart. Others are part of me. My Ying to my Yang. Treasure the moments we shared last year from going to a Broadway show in New York that stars her favorite actor. Okay, I saw why she likes him. Told me he looks like me. Smile at the memory. Oh Ally girl, wished we had more time together. Make even more memories. I’ll treasure them always. No matter what. I'll never find anyone like you darling. Promise you that. 

I'm watching Revenge of Jolly right now. Try to laugh. Haven't been able to do that. I remember coming home from a horrible day. She  was watching it. Okay.. kind of corny. 

I watched it,and oh shit! Was so corny.

After the movie.  I play some of her music. Oh how she loved the 70’s and 80’s. Her taste was all over the place! Like Dan Reed network. Played it a lot. Some country. Oh how she loved when I sing. Even with Benny. Speaking of him. Oh how he misses her. Like his big sister. Always teaming up to tease the shit out of me. Will and Frankie too loved her as well. 

Her family gave me space that I needed. Mention if I need anything to let them know. That's sweet. Even Benny's girl, Paige comes by with food ,and tries to clean the house. Which looks like inside my head. She is grieving like me. Both of them were close. Like the same things. Same kind of sass. Which is comforting. On this day Paige brought me a note Ally wrote before she passed. Said for me to read it. Cant! Cant fucking do it! What can she possibly tell me that I already know! Paige told me it would help the healing process. Putting it on my nightstand for the time being.

Few days later Will texted me to come over for a surprise get together at his place. Others will be there. Too soon! Not ready to go out! Oh got a text from Paige: 

Paige: Look, I know what you are going through. Been in your position when my dad passed away. Couldn't function. Took me awhile to realize that my dad didn't want me to wallow.

Santi: wallow? Think I'm wallowing? 

Paige: a little. Have to get out at some point okay? Ally wouldn't want you to be sad forever. Have a lot of people in your corner. Besides, I need you at the gathering. So does Benny. 

Santi: Oh.. the gathering has to do wop,ith you two?

Paige : maybe. 

Maybe she said. Just like Ally . So secretive. Guess I have to bite the bullet,and read the letter. Sitting in my worn out, black leather chair. Starting to read: 

My Santi baby( hot sauce) ,

Wrote this before my condition got so bad that I couldn't communicate anymore. Wanna tell you I love you soo much. Have been the love of my life for a long time, baby. Sorry for worrying you so much about my illness. Always there when I told you about it. So grateful for that. 

Have a request for you. Live life to the fullest,but first thing first. 

Get your knees checked out! Don't let it go too long! Hate to see you in pain. Do it for me. Secondly, it's okay to love someone new. Want you to be happy. It's okay to love someone else. Thirdly, let the others take care of you. I mean it! Have been a leader far too long. Let them take some of the slack okay? 

Last thing my love I treasure all of the time we shared in our short time together. Never in my wildest dreams we found each other. Be strong . 

Hold the note close to my heart. Tears fell again. Thinking about what I have to do. First thing. Time to get cleaned up. Meaning shaving my scruffy face. 

Took a breath as I knocked on ironhead’s door. Benny opened the door. Hugging me so tight I couldn't breath. Others hugged me. Even Paige. Asked me if I was okay. Squeezed her tiny hands and told her I read the letter .  Told her I'll do what she says. 

Benny made his special announcement. Him and Paige are getting married. So happy for them . Hope both of them have a wonderful life together. Looking up at the evening sky knowing she is in heaven watching. Guiding not just me,but all of the people she cares about. 

[stheresya]

Ulla sometimes dreamed of a life in distant waters, of finding other sea folk somewhere who would want her, who would not care what she looked like or who had sired her.

But mostly she dreamed of becoming a court singer— venerated, valued.

...

Ulla thought for a moment of an easy melody, something that would end this humiliation quickly. Then she shoved the thought away. She hated Signy for being so afraid to be paired with her even briefly, hated her classmates for their stifled giggles and sly eyes, but mostly Ulla wished she could kill the thing inside herself that still longed for their approval. [...]

...

"Hungry Ulla," he had taunted. "Why do you work so hard? I can smell your ambition like blood in the water."

Ulla didn’t know why those words shamed her. Song was all she had and so she clung to it, honed and perfected it, as though if she could only sharpen her skill to a fine enough point, she might carve a place for herself in the world.

Beneath the sea, Ulla was an outcast, like her brother and bio mother were outcasts on earth. But while the latter were cast aside through violent means for being born with special abilities, Ulla had to deal with rejection for her appearance through microaggressions: the giggling from her classmates, her mother's barely concealed disgust while brushing her hair, her friendless childhood until Sygny came along. Ulla spent her entire life longing to be truly accepted somewhere by her own kind, and every action she took was in service of that goal. She is similar to Aleksander in the sense that they both see power as a shield against discrimination. But while Aleksander sought power for the collective betterment, Ulla's quest for power was centered on her individual person. Aleksander wanted his people to be treated as human beings, while Ulla wanted to be treated with respect, to not be sneered at for her appearance. And she was only "accepted" into the merfolk when she showed them just how exceptionally powerful she was, and therefore useful for their royal disputes, just like grisha were only partially tolerated in Ravkan society when Aleksander showed them how useful they could be for the otkazat’syas wars.

But they were "not made to please princes" as Aleksander put it, and Ulla eventually came to see the truth of his words. They were born exceptional, and they were hurt and taken advantage of by people in power for their uniqueness. Now both siblings have risen to Sainthood, they became legends associated with devastation. Sankta Ursula of the Waves is the saint who split an island after sinking an entire city beneath the waves, and the Starless Saint is the one who split a country after bathing towns in darkness. This is what resulted of two exceptional individuals who just wanted the world to not hate them for being different.

[kaoticspoonie]

Ok debate thoughts under cut

Ok first question and Harris didn't answer it but I do like her non answer at least? I think she avoided answering about the current economy.

Tariffs on other countries? That's not how that works. Trump claiming he had no inflation? And it's the worst ever? Worse then the great depression? And back to the insane asylums... Asylum seekers aren't from asylums.

I like the moderator calmly saying that immigration isnt the current topic.

And she did good pivoting back!

Trump hasn't read project 2025???? Ummmm. Also saying they did a phenomenal job while talking about the people died??

She just keeps pivoting back to the economy instead of rising to the bait.

Talking thru the muted mic.

Her facial expression. (She just said how her plan would work)

Ok I think I like this moderator.

Took a break to fact check!

The hand on the chin. Like even if her estranged father is a Marxist? I literally don't care.

And back in immigration.

'she doesn't have any policy' 'her policies are the worst for America' ummmm

Abortion!

Oh cool after birth abortions! And when did Walz say any of that?? The majority of ppl don't want abortion at state level. The issue wasn't tearing the country apart until roe v Wade was overturned....

Oh the other moderator being like yea no. That's not legal or happening.

Love that she pointed out that it went after the exceptions despite what he says. I love her passion about this.

And talking before his time and interrupting the moderator.

'would you veto' 'well it won't happen' that's very much not an answer.

I do love the moderator.

And still not answering. It's a yes or no question.

Her taking notes. Why does he call IVF fertilization? Like it's not incorrect but... Gross?

She lost her cool a little bit. She answered the question I thought? She doesn't think a restriction for late term abortions is necessary bc those abortions are almost always medically necessary.

Immigration

I love that she is bringing up the border bill, because I still haven't seen a single good reason for it to be killed.

His face with 'fictional characters like Hannibal lector' do you think anyone has told him he isn't real?

More concerned about the rallies then immigration. Just showed how smart she is, able to get him off track right during immigration which should be his strongest debate topic.

Eating the dogs and cats? Wtf?

'I've seen ppl on TV!'

I.... That's not proof??? He should probably stop trusting main stream media?

'i fired all of them!' ummm turnover isn't great.

Didn't the guy responsible for those deaths retire?

'its much higher' back to who doesn't have a policy?

'oh we care about crime do we?' I like her.

I hate that ppl belief the weaponization. Did he even say he is innocent of all the crimes?

She's going to force ppl to learn what context means.

And talking with the mic muted. Again.

Bullet to the head... Ummm..

I wish she would ban fracking.

I also don't think ppl grasp that values can remain the same while policies change.

Him trying to say 'im talking' is hilarious.

Wtf? Trans illegal surgeries?

I need fact checking and a transcript bc what is even happening?

'go back to windmills and solar'????

And over time again.

January 6th!

Oooo I love the regret question.

'out of control police officer'

'we'!!! Freudian slip?

And back to the border?

'rally or whatever you want to call it'

Is it a good idea to say you can't even control your own rallies tho?

'the question was about you not previous speaker' yes!

Charlottesville! Proud Boys. Good point to bring them together, and show pattern.

'its debunked!' umm is it tho??

Still claiming he won. Great.

'clearly he's having a hard time processing that' yes, yes he is.

'we don't have the temperament or ability to not be confused about fact' yes, thank you.

This one guy said other ppl were afraid of me tho!! :( okay...

And now onto the not understanding how the DNC and RNC work

And quick pivot to the genocide.

'how would you do it?' I still don't love her response to that. How is she going to get the ceasefire? Two state solution! Don't love that she glossed over the horror for Palestine. It's not just death!

'it would have never started!' and now Russia?? 'she hates Israel' no she doesn't? She's literally losing votes bc she is 2 soft on Israel.

All of those terrorist organizations have existed before Trump and exist still?

And into Yemen?

Still no answer to the question.

'they can manipulate you' good word choice.

First time over time for Harris (by more then a few seconds)

And interrupting again.

Do ppl like the keystone pipeline?

and cutting him off again!