#places to visit in england in 5 days

[futfemfantasies]

For kyra, r isn't famous, doesn't play football, but start to work at the café kcc and all the girls goes to. Since the first time she see her kcc is down BAD, is all an awkward and shy mess around her and the girl at first are confused cause they never seen her like that but then they understand what is going on and after making fun of her help her in ask r out ecc

Hope you like it! Also thanks to @russo-woso for the help when I had writers block :))

Café crushes \\ Kyra Conney-Cross x reader

5:25am. It’s too early for anyone to be awake, let alone working. I reluctantly get out of the car and make my way into work. Work is a little cafe that my older sister and her wife own. They opened it about 3 years ago after moving over to England from Sydney. I initially came over for a holiday to visit but fell in love with London so I decided to move over and study over here as well. I unlocked the door to see your sister restocking the little pastries in the window while her wife was getting the coffee machines ready. I give them a quick hello before getting my apron on. As you finish tying your apron on, your first and regular customer comes through the door. 

A few hours later, a big group rocks up to the cafe and I smile knowing it’s the Arsenal girls coming in after training. 

“My favourite team, the usuals right?” I ask but notice there’s a new girl with them.

“Our favourite barista and yes the usuals. Oh Kyra, what do you want?” Steph asks, causing Kyra to pull her head from her phone. 

I look at the new addition to the team and give her a soft smile. Kyra seems to be shy as she kind of hides behind Alessia. 

“She’ll have a hot chocolate”

“No worries girls, I’ll bring those out to you soon”

Meanwhile, the girls go and sit on the long table outside in the sun and Kyra keeps looking at her phone. The girls keep talking while Kyra messages her best friend Charli.

Kyra: I need help

Cha cha: What’s wrong, you ok?

Kyra: No, some girls and I went to a cafe after training and we went to order and the girl behind the counter was so pretty. I froze when she asked me what i want

Cha Cha: Oh ky, you just need to woman up and ask her out! 🙂

Kyra: It’s not that easy, you haven’t seen her…

Kyra’s focus moved from her phone and to the hot chocolate that was being placed in front of her.

“And a hot chocolate for the newest member of the team” Kyra blushed and managed to get out a thank you without making a fool of herself. 

Over the next few months, I noticed the Arsenal girls coming in more than usual. Not that I’m complaining, Kyra can be a sight for sore eyes when the day has been unbearable. The girls again moved to the long table in the sun and I see Kyra and Alessia making their way to the counter. 

“What can I get my star striker and midfielder today?”

“I’ll have a hot chocolate and a muffin, what about you Ky?” Alessia asks Kyra. 

“Uh yeah, j-just a latte th-thanks” Kyra manages to get out. 

“Alrighty I’ll bring that out to you soon cutie” I wink at Kyra and her cheeks instantly turn red. 

Kyra immediately excuses herself to the bathroom and Alessia spills.

“I think Kyra has a crush on y/n and vice versa”

“How do ya know?” Katie asks.

“Everytime we come here and order, Kyra always gets all shy and awkward around her, not to mention the countless times she’s blushed over her. And y/n called her a cutie, with a wink!”

“So we try and help Kyra ask y/n out?” Leah asks.

“That’s exactly what we do”

Kyra comes back into view and makes her way to her seat. Everyone’s looking at her weirdly so she decides to bite the bullet. 

“Why is everyone looking at me weird?” Alessia tells Kyra and ultimately, Kyra confesses to her not so little crush. 

I brought out Alessia and Kyra’s order and added a little something to Kyra’s napkin. I walk behind the counter and see if she notices the little note on the napkin. An arm went around my shoulders and followed where I was watching. 

“Someone’s got a little crush huh?” My sister teased.

“Yeah well I put my number on the napkin hoping she’ll text or call but she probably has a more beautiful girl at the club or somewhere. Plus I don’t even know if she likes girls”

“Hey, you are beautiful too, don’t you forget it” My sister says holding my two cheeks before kissing my forehead. I turn out of my sister's hands to see Kyra leaving her table, wiping her eyes like she’s upset. 

Kyra leaves the napkin on the table and blamed that she felt sick, hence the sudden urge to leave. She walked down the street, wiping away tears until Kyra felt a hand on her shoulder. Kyra quickly wipes her tears before turning around to see someone who she didn’t expect.

“Are you okay? I saw you leave” 

“I- honestly no. I saw you with your girlfriend and - it doesn’t matter. I’m just going to go home” Kyra explained and started to walk away again, feeling as if the explanation was useless. I stood there confused for a second as I backtrack to my previous actions and realised where Kyra got confused. I jog after her and grab her hand, giving her a sweet smile before standing in front of her. 

“I think you got a bit confused. That’s my sister in the shop and she’s happily married to her wife” Kyra instantly found her shoes interesting as her cheeks turned a crimson colour upon hearing the explanation. 

“I feel like an idiot” Kyra mumbles.

“Hey no it was a misunderstanding. If the roles were reversed, I would’ve thought the same” I say giving her hand a squeeze and a small smile. 

“Let me take you out, as an apology?” Kyra offers with that cheeky smile of hers.

“I get off in about an hour, we can go after if you wait?” Kyra nods and I walk her back to the team. I ask her teammates if they want anything else and they all decline, claiming to have an early morning tomorrow with a gym session before training (or so you thought). 

A short while later I see the group start to split off and Kyra comes into the shop looking for a place to sit. She sits at a small booth that’s tucked into the corner, which turns out is my favourite seat. My sister built it for me when she first opened the shop so I had somewhere kind of quiet to study and have breaks. A nudge to my ribs pulls me out of daydreaming and I look over to see my sister’s wife. 

“Go bring her this, you can finish early” She says, sliding a cup with a neatly decorated milk foam heart on top.

“I only have half hour to go, plus I need rent money”

“Don’t worry about that. Just go talk to her”

I kiss her cheek before taking the apron off and carefully taking Kyra her latte. The saucer makes a small clinking sound on the table makes Kyra look up from her phone with that adorable small smile she sports. 

“A latte for the prettiest girl in the room, on the house” I say as I sit down and turn the love heart art towards her.

“I want to apologise again” Kyra starts but you stop her immediately, putting your hand on hers.

“You need to stop that or I’ll leave right now”

“Okay okay”

We talk for hours until I realise the shop is closing in ten minutes. Both of us say goodbye to your sister before walking down the streets of St Albans in the mid afternoon.

“Do you want to come back to mine? Movie and takeout night?” I offer, secretly hoping Kyra says yes.

“That would be good”

I arrive at the apartment building and intertwine Kyra’s hand with mine, making the Australian blush slightly out of sight. Eventually getting to your apartment and Kyra stands in the doorway, kind of awkwardly. I take her hand back in mine and pull her gently inside. She takes in the aesthetic and decor of the apartment and walks over to the photo collection of your friends, family and local soccer team championship wins. 

“I’m just gonna get something, I’ll be right back” I mention and Kyra nods before showing that adorable smile again.

I come back down the hallway and move over to Kyra. I saw her holding a photo of my parents and sister when they visited from Sydney last year. 

“That’s mum and dad, obviously you know my sister” Kyra giggles and puts the photo frame back on the little table. 

“Are we starting our movie night?” Kyra asks.

“Of course but first, we can’t have a movie night without a pillow fort”

Kyra and I spent at least an hour making the fort and it turned out perfectly. I quickly gather all the snacks from the kitchen my phone to order the takeout. Kyra gets settled in the fort first before I crawl in next to her. I suggest for Kyra to pick the first movie and she scrolls through and selects the Bratz movie. I roll my eyes at the selection and settle in for the movie. 

Throughout the movie both of you steal glances at each other, taking in each other's features and all the little details. Like the way Kyra’s hazel eyes shine in the fairy lights I hung up or how the freckles that line her nose and cheeks popped out due to the sunny day the past few days. I attempt to pay attention to the movie but feel eyes on me and glance at Kyra who looks like a deer in headlights. 

“Sorry” She mumbles, not taking her eyes off the screen. I put a hand on her cheek, moving her to look at me. 

“I really like you Ky, will you go on a date with me?” I ask nervously.

“I believe I asked you first” I look at her in confusion then remember back to the café and Kyra was right. I laugh and shake my head before realising Kyra is starting to lean in. I lean in the remainder of the way and our lips connect together in a soft kiss. Loud knocks on the door make us both pull away and move out of the fort to get the pizza and sides before returning quickly, the smell of pizza spreading through the fort. 

“This is going to be the start of something special” Kyra whispers as we both pick up a piece of pizza.

“I agree” I lean over and peck Kyra on the cheek and think that your life couldn’t get any better. 

[vanishingcherry]

BIRTHDAY BOY

pairing: ollie bearman x reader

words: 1.2k

a/n: a (late) birthday post for our favourite species of bear. i have a week's break before my next final, so heres a little something. the gift's kinda stupid just ignore it i couldn't think of anything else.

masterlist

๑ ⋆˚₊⋆────ʚ˚ɞ────⋆˚₊⋆ ๑

University had kept you busy with finals, which meant constant studying till, finally, they were over. Ollie was nothing but supportive, calling to check up on you and sending reassuring messages. He had even managed to convince a friend to drop off a bouquet of flowers on his behalf on the day of your final test, along with a handwritten note that ended up alongside all the other in your mini collection.

Originally your plan was to fly to Baku the night they ended, making it in time to see the sprint and feature races. However, Ollie had insisted you stay home instead. He had wanted you to celebrate the end of finals with your friends, partying in clubs rather than sitting on a 7 hour flight.

So you did, after much persistence on his part.

His weekend in Baku had been amazing. For the first time in the history of F2, a driver had gotten P1 in everything. Absolutely everything!

You had called him the moment the feature race ended, jumping up and down your dorm room in delight, congratulating him over and over. Just minutes before you had been watching the livestream, watching him get drenched in champagne, gleaming as he celebrated his well deserved win.

He sat there for almost half an hour, just speaking to you, forgetting about everything except how animatedly you were talking.

"AND THEN- when everyone crashed at the restart it was so scary but I'm so glad you managed to get through."

"Yeah, it was a bit of a battle with Fred for P1 but I managed."

"You did, baby, and I was so happy. My roommate is definitely annoyed with me now, she was working and she said I almost gave her a heart attack."

He only ended the call when the team started packing up, realising he was still wearing his champagne covered fireproofs. Still, he called you the moment he was in the hotel, the both of you talking and enjoying each other's presence for hours.

Before saying goodnight, he said to you that he would see you after his trip to Malta, when he would be coming back to England for a week following his birthday. You nodded, trying not to smirk and give it away. It always was really hard for you to keep secrets.

You were going to be taking a flight to Malta to surprise him. You knew you wanted to see him for his birthday. There was no way you were going to miss the big 1-8. Ollie was always amazing to you, giving you gifts and surprises, this was your chance to do the same for him.

Which is what led to right now, you sitting in a plane as it flew to the small island nation of Malta.

After landing, you directed the taxi to the hotel he was staying at, antsy and excited to finally see him again. With you busy studying and him busy racing, it had been weeks since you had seen each other in person.

You had already talked to his sponsor, whose headquarter he was visiting, and they had agreed to bring him back to the hotel for a few hours so you could surprise him.

After getting they key from reception, you head up to his room, taking out the gift you had packed in your suitcase and placing it on the table. You then sat on the bed, waiting for him to come back.

Not 5 minutes later, you heard the lock click.

His eyes widen when he walks in. Seeing that, you give him a shy smile, that breaks out into a larger one when he runs over to hug you.

HIs arms wrap around you completely, holding you tight to his body. You reciprocate, tucking your face into his neck as he whispers.

"I can't believe you're here."

"Happy birthday, my love." you whisper back, gently squeezing his waist. "I wouldn't miss this for the world."

You look up and him when he pulls away, both your eyes sparkling at the sight of one another. He lets out a small laugh, still trying to comprehend the fact that you were actually there before engulfing you with another hug.

Grateful as he was to be in Malta for his birthday, he was slightly disappointed that he wouldn't get to celebrate with his close friends and family, especially since 18 was a huge milestone. Now that you were here, all those thoughts vanished without a trace.

The two of you spend the next few minutes catching up. Him asking you about your exams and you asking him about Baku.

"You can finally drink the champagne next time you win a race." You say to him, after explaining what happened in your English exam.

"I do drink the champagne, just not in front of the cameras."

"Fine. You can finally legally drink the champagne. Oh that reminds me-"

You pick up the gift from the table, handing it to him with a bashful smile. He takes the box from your hands.

"Darling, you didn't have to get me anything."

"Oh this isn't your only gift, the rest are at home." you reply. "I could only fit one in the suitcase."

"Fine, but don't complain when I get you a bunch of gifts for your birthday." he says as he unwraps the paper. Opening the flaps, he lets out a small gasp when he sees whats inside.

A small stuffed bear, holding a crocheted bottle of champagne. You look at him, waiting for a response. Although you had found thousands of bears in the shop, not one was holding a bottle of champagne. Which is why, during study breaks, you managed to crochet together a small bottle. It was by no means perfect, but it was the best you could do.

"I love it! Oh my god its perfect. I love y- it so much!" he exclaims, smoothly getting past the slight stutter.

You blushed at the comment. "I know the bottle isn't that great, but it's the best I could do."

"Its perfect, you're perfect. Thank you so much, my love."

Although he already had a growing collection of bear memorabilia, he knew immediately that this would be his favourite forever. Unless of course you decided to contribute even more, in which case everything you gifted him would hold the spot of P1.

He gets up, placing it on top of his open suitcase. "I'll take it everywhere with me." he promises.

The two of you are interrupted by a knock on the door, and a voice calling out saying that it was time for lunch.

Grabbing your hand, he leads you out, but not before quietly murmuring to you. "You've made this the best birthday ever."

Smiling in response, you get in the elevator, standing next to him, the both of you heading out to find a restaurant.

"Now tell me, why is it that you do amazing the weekend I'm not in the paddock?"

liked by olliebearman, f2updates, yourfriend and 208,357 others

yourusername happy birthday to the cutest guy i know ❤️

view all 7,868 comments

arthurleclerc cutest guy? thats an insult, you know me!

↳ yourusername and?

olliebearman thank you my love

↳ yourusername ❤️

prema_team guy? I think you mean bear... just look at that second picture.

↳ yourusername you are absolutely right

olliebearman do you really have no better pictures of me?

↳ yourusername i do... i think ill gatekeep for now though

[bignaz8]

D-DAY ANNIVERSARY

“You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you…” With these words, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the “Order of the Day” just before the 1944 Allied assault on Normandy Beach. It’s been 80 years since that historic day, and less than one percent of Americans who served in WWII are still alive. However, the impact of their service and sacrifice will live on forever.

Code named Operation Overlord, planning for D-Day began after France fell to the Nazis in 1940. It involved Allies from several countries and was the largest amphibious invasion in military history. As H-Hour approached (5:30 a.m. local time) on June 6, 1944, demolition teams had already blasted out underwater obstacles planted by German forces. Rangers were already scaling the cliffs to knock out coastal guns, and American and British airborne divisions had been dropped in hedgerows behind the beaches overnight. Soon, the first waves of Infantry would hit the beach.

Leonard T. Schroeder, Jr. served in the 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry, Fourth Division, where he was the commanding officer of Company F. 

He has the distinction of being the first man ashore at Utah Beach, the first beachhead, landing fewer than 60 seconds after H-Hour. Recalling the day, Schroeder said that Allied aircraft had bombed the beach heavily, creating craters that could be used as cover. Some of those craters were offshore and hidden by water. When Schroeder’s landing craft pulled ashore, he jumped off and into a water-filled crater six feet deep. He came up sputtering and struggled to rush ashore. Working his way up the beach, he was wounded by shrapnel but continued to fight. He commanded his company for three hours before collapsing into unconsciousness. He woke up at an aid station and was later evacuated to England. Schroeder received the Silver Star.

Pvt. Carlton W. Barrett served in the 18th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division and participated in the Normandy Invasion. His unit was in the third wave of Allied soldiers to come ashore at Omaha Beach, landing at about 10:00 a.m. Germans had planted mines on the beach about a foot apart, and the beach was strewn with bodies of soldiers. Barrett landed under heavy enemy fire, wading through neck-deep water. He noticed fellow soldiers around him floundering in the water and rushed to save them from drowning. Once on the beach, Barrett carried dispatches back and forth along the exposed beach while under heavy fire. He also carried wounded soldiers to an offshore evacuation boat. For his dauntless courage, Barrett was awarded the Medal of Honor.

The Allies landed over 160,000 troops on June 6, 1944, with an estimated 10,000 casualties, more than half of which were American. Today, a visit to the Normandy American Cemetery is the final resting place for 9,387 Americans and a sobering reminder of selfless service and the ultimate sacrifice made 80 years ago. 

[smolvenger]

One Bed (Professor! Tom Hiddleston x Student! Fem! Reader)

Summary: You're on a trip for a research project with your sexy professor...and the Air BNB has only one bed.

Warnings: SMUT ! SMUT! This is one of my mostly smuttier pieces! (loss of virginity, use or professor/student relationship as a kink kind of, some oral sex and p in v sex, a bit of dirty talk and it's unprotected, whoopsies). A mild plot in this one but some sweet, fluffy moments.

Word Count: >2 K. A blurb/smaller oneshot (Prof! Tom just does something to me, okay?!)

Dick-tionary: Smut starts at "Take me. Take me good,” you said" and ends at "Here…let me hold you, YN, please…”.

A03//My Ko-Fi//My Etsy Shop//Masterlist//Wattpad

Taglist: @asgards-princess-of-mischief @jennyggggrrr @five-miles-over @fictive-sl0th @ladycamillewrites @villainousshakespeare @holdmytesseract @eleniblue @twhxhck @lokisgoodgirl @lovelysizzlingbluebird @raqnarokr @holymultiplefandomsbatman @michelleleewise @wolfsmom1 @cheekyscamp @mochie85 @fandxmslxt69 @skittslackoffilter @mischief2sarawr @jijilaufeyson @steasstuff @anukulee @kimi01985 @goblingirlsarah @foxherder @giona45-5 @goddessgirl43

There had been a mistake.

There was your special trip. School funded. To research the historical context and life of 19th-century romantic authors. One you would take with Professor Hiddleston. The days would consist of visiting old houses and attending lectures in between stuffing yourself silly with sandwiches in tea shops. 

All while trying not to secretly oogle the Professor in his suit.

The first day, after a long day of traveling, you attended the first series of lectures. You fought to keep your head from drooping. Both of you ambled down the cobblestoned streets and checked into your stay for the week.

 But there was a mishap in the Air BNB. But the location, no- it was still a cozy, comfortable cottage. One of those in England that seemed like a country house that plopped into a city. 

The problem was that there was only one bed in that room.

The cottage itself was furnished moderately. The chairs were wooden and rickety. The living room had no sofa.

Professor Hiddleston was going to be a gentleman and try to sleep on the floor or the chairs. The picture of his tall body trying to curl himself up to sleep on one made you almost burst into laughter. He was going to find the host and talk to them. 

“It’s big enough! We can just roll away, give each other some space!” you encouraged, gesturing to it.

Before you knew it, you were both in your night clothes. In the bed. A blanket over you.

The beat of your heart raced too fast for sleep. Not to mention your mind for having him near. Seeing him so relaxed. His long curls freed. His glasses were folded in the case on the desk. How his long legs just brushed yours. It was everything in you not to bump your feet flirtatiously to him. Or to even just feel his skin.

It shouldn’t feel this….this…this wrong.

Wrong, wait, you thought, what was wrong?

You both were of age. He was single. You were single. You got along well, incredibly well in fact. He was funny, incredibly kind, wise, and smart as a whip. Not to mention, he was delectable. The way he read Shakespeare out loud would make you wet in a 10 am class. You’d be squirming in his seat as he adjusted his glasses.

When you sat at that lecture, you could see him, Secretly taking glances at you. Your hands just brushed as you took notes. The heat in you jolted you awake and the content of the speech, the reason you were brought here in the first place, seemed like distant white noise compared to his presence close to you.

His breathing was hitching. You heard a rustling. His voice made low and husky, whispering your name.

You turned around.

Before you could process anything, he at once adjusted himself on top of you. Heart beating even harder, feeling his weight pinning you, you began to tremble.

“Pro-Professor?” you asked.

“I don’t care anymore-” he rasped.

He pressed your lips to his. A sound came out of you- you could taste the mint of his toothpaste. He pressed further onto you. Your arms wrapping around to deepen it. He released it, his breath heavy.

“Do you even know what you do to me?” he asked.

You swallowed back the snarky comment that you could feel exactly the effect you had on him brushing against your stomach. Though he was still clothed in his loose white shirt and shorts for sleep. His curls over you. His beard scratches against your skin. Heat rising all over you.

You felt his hands touch you. Tracing down from your breasts to your stomach. And further down. You began to tremble and the pooling sensation was happening between your legs. He reached your neck and pressed a kiss there. An involuntary moan flew out of you. His cock in his pants seemed even more pressed.

“I’ve held back, back for so long, darling, please-” he whispered.

His hand stopped when it reached the hem of your shorts. It released and you nearly whined.

“What…what is it?” you asked.

“I’m waiting for your permission to let me have my way with you,” he whispered.

You were a mess of lust now. You wanted him so badly, and here he was. But yet there was the unknown. The precipice.  

“I’ve never…never been with a..a..a…I’ve never-never done this, professor” you stuttered.

He kissed your cheek. His eyes were soft, a smile on his face.

“I’ll make be gentle, my dear,” he promised.

You were shaking and wet and ready. 

“Take me. Take me good,” you said.

He kissed your neck again, and you let out another moan.

“No one’s here-you can make a sound, darling. It’s only you. And me…don’t be afraid, I’ll make you ready,” he rasped.

His kiss traveled to your chest. Then his hand worked each front button of your shirt. Ceremoniously. Sacredly. He pushed it slowly away to show your breasts. He kissed down your chest and onto one. His lips traveled your stomach and then his hands slif off both your shorts and drenched underwear.

He kissed you and swung you over. Already you felt yourself arch at him.

“Beautiful….you’re fucking beautiful…” he whispered, seeing your bare form. The moonlight slipped through the curtains giving a silver sliver in the room.

The clothes were thrown aside. You were naked. But he was still donned. He held up your leg, arching your back, grinding air. Your arms dangled before the bed and making sure he heard your whimpers, knew how badly you wanted him. He began kissing the inside of your thigh, held up in his large hand. His eyes shone at what lay between your legs.

“Hear my soul speak…” he murmured, reciting Shakespeare.

His lips traveled up. Closer, and closer. 

“The very instant that I did saw you…”

You felt his hot breath right before your soaked entrance.

“My heart did fly into your service…” 

 His tongue gave a lap. You writhed against him. You couldn’t remember being this turned on. His mouth gave little licks. You held onto the bedrail for life. You were going to burst- but you needed him. It was not enough. You wanted more.

“Please…Please, fuck me, Professor…I need your cock…” you began to beg.

He took off his shirt and you were in near shock at his lean, muscular body.

Your heart jumped at his erect, large cock dripping already. You would make it fit. You wanted it to. 

He leaned down, positioning himself right at your entrance. He held a forehead to yours.

“Tell me now you want this…tell me now…and I’ll be slow…”

“I want this…” you confirmed.

You lay down, and his hand flew over yours, holding you in place. He groaned as he entered. He slowly slid in, you were gasping.

“Professor…professor-I…I-oh! Oh god!” you cried out.

The pain came to you and fizzled out. You were gasping aloud. Somehow… you adjusted. 

“I’m going to move,” he announced.

He then thrust in and out of you. A slow pace. His breathing was hard. His cock hitting the right spot. You put your hands up onto his chest. One hand of his left yours and lifted your leg to feel the deeper position.

“God-god, yes-yes..” you were groaning.

“Tell me-Tell me, darling, if I- I need to-to be slow- you’re so-so good, doing so good-” he rasped in between them.

But you were craving it. The release. The ravishment.

“Professor-please-harder- faster- fuck me- fuck me-more-please!” you were begging. Already new and you were his whore and you wanted him. In every way possible.

He complied. He brought up the pace. The board of the bed hits the wall gently, and it creaks beneath your weight. His grunts above you, his curls undone. No more Shakespeare now. He went faster, going deeper.

His hand reached down. He found your clit and began to circle it. You leaned back and moaned.

“Yes- professor-there-”

“That noise- that look- you’re going to make me- make me- you’re going to-”

He traced faster. You felt the spinning rise up. He kept murmuring filth to you.

“God, you’re going to make me-make me cum- look-look in my eyes- so you see me- cum, go on-cum darling, yes-fuck, cum- already- cume for me-”

You were spinning, reaching there-

“Yes-fuck, darling- be a good girl- cum for me- I’m going to-I’m-cum for me-I want-want my little student to-to cum- yes-cum for me, cum for me-I’m cumming, darling, I-”

Heaven entered that little cottage as you cried out his name, oblivion breaking on you between those sheets. He arrived there too, flushed and panting hard with his last groan.

“Here…let me hold you, YN, please…” he offered.

You cuddled onto him, feeling his seed drip somewhat on your skin. And your own release pouring out too. He was warm, sweating, and yet soft, comforting as you cuddled him.

“I…I didn’t know…you just…you’re the type to quote poetry during sex…” you breathed out in a joke, your haze.

“You’re poetry itself,” he said with a last kiss on your forehead.

[onceuponatown]

The history of Christmas traditions kept evolving throughout the 19th century, when most of the familiar components of the modern Christmas including St. Nicholas, Santa Claus, and Christmas trees, became popular. The changes in how Christmas was celebrated were so profound that it's safe to say someone alive in 1800 would not even recognize the Christmas celebrations held in 1900.

Washington Irving and St. Nicholas

Early Dutch settlers of New York considered St. Nicholas to be their patron saint and practiced a yearly ritual of hanging stockings to receive presents on St. Nicholas Eve, in early December. Washington Irving, in his fanciful History of New York, mentioned that St. Nicholas had a wagon he could ride “over the tops of trees” when he brought “his yearly presents to children.”

The Dutch word “Sinterklaas” for St. Nicholas evolved into the English “Santa Claus,” thanks in part to a New York City printer, William Gilley, who published an anonymous poem referring to “Santeclaus” in a children’s book in 1821. The poem was also the first mention of a character based on St. Nicholas having a sleigh, in this case, pulled by a single reindeer.

Clement Clarke Moore and The Night Before Christmas

Perhaps the best-known poem in the English language is “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” or as it’s often called, “The Night Before Christmas.” Its author, Clement Clarke Moore, a professor who owned an estate on the west side of Manhattan, would have been quite familiar with the St. Nicholas traditions followed in early 19th century New York. The poem was first published, anonymously, in a newspaper in Troy, New York, on December 23, 1823.

Reading the poem today, one might assume that Moore simply portrayed the common traditions. Yet he actually did something quite radical by changing some of the traditions while also describing features that were entirely new.

For instance, the St. Nicholas gift giving would have taken place on December 5, the eve of St. Nicholas Day. Moore moved the events he describes to Christmas Eve. He also came up with the concept of “St. Nick” having eight reindeer, each of them with a distinctive name.

Charles Dickens and A Christmas Carol

The other great work of Christmas literature from the 19th century is A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. In writing the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, Dickens wanted to comment on greed in Victorian Britain. He also made Christmas a more prominent holiday and permanently associated himself with Christmas celebrations.

Dickens was inspired to write his classic story after speaking to working people in the industrial city of Manchester, England, in early October 1843. He wrote A Christmas Carol quickly, and when it appeared in bookstores the week before Christmas 1843 it began to sell very well.

The book crossed the Atlantic and began to sell in America in time for Christmas 1844, and became extremely popular. When Dickens made his second trip to America in 1867 crowds clamored to hear him read from A Christmas Carol. His tale of Scrooge and the true meaning of Christmas had become an American favorite. The story has never been out of print, and Scrooge is one of the best-known characters in literature.

Santa Claus Drawn by Thomas Nast

The famed American cartoonist Thomas Nast is generally credited as having invented the modern depiction of Santa Claus. Nast, who had worked as a magazine illustrator and created campaign posters for Abraham Lincoln in 1860, was hired by Harper’s Weekly in 1862. For the Christmas season, he was assigned to draw the magazine’s cover, and legend has it that Lincoln himself requested a depiction of Santa Claus visiting Union troops.

The resulting cover, from Harper’s Weekly dated January 3, 1863, was a hit. It shows Santa Claus on his sleigh, which has arrived at a U.S. Army camp festooned with a “Welcome Santa Claus” sign.

Santa’s suit features the stars and stripes of the American flag, and he’s distributing Christmas packages to the soldiers. One soldier is holding up a new pair of socks, which might be a boring present today, but would have been a highly prized item in the Army of the Potomac.

Beneath Nast's illustration was the caption, “Santa Claus In Camp.” Appearing not long after the carnage at Antietam and Fredericksburg, the magazine cover is an apparent attempt to boost morale in a dark time.

The Santa Claus illustrations proved so popular that Thomas Nast kept drawing them every year for decades. He is also credited with creating the notion that Santa lived at the North Pole and kept a workshop manned by elves. The figure of Santa Claus endured, with the version drawn by Nast becoming the accepted standard version of the character. By the early 20th century the Nast-inspired version of Santa became a very common figure in advertising.

Prince Albert and Queen Victoria Made Christmas Trees Fashionable

The tradition of the Christmas tree came from Germany, and there are accounts of early 19th century Christmas trees in America, but the custom wasn’t widespread outside German communities.

The Christmas tree first gained popularity in British and American society thanks to the husband of Queen Victoria, the German-born Prince Albert. He installed a decorated Christmas tree at Windsor Castle in 1841, and woodcut illustrations of the Royal Family’s tree appeared in London magazines in 1848. Those illustrations, published in America a year later, created the fashionable impression of the Christmas tree in upper-class homes.

By the late 1850s reports of Christmas trees were appearing in American newspapers. And in the years following the Civil War ordinary American households celebrated the season by decorating a Christmas tree.

The first electric Christmas tree lights appeared in the 1880s, thanks to an associate of Thomas Edison, but were too costly for most households. Most people in the 1800s lit their Christmas trees with small candles.

The First White House Christmas Tree

The first Christmas tree in the White House was displayed in 1889, during the presidency of Benjamin Harrison. The Harrison family, including his young grandchildren, decorated the tree with toy soldiers and glass ornaments for their small family gathering.

There are some reports of president Franklin Pierce displaying a Christmas tree in the early 1850s. But the stories of a Pierce tree are vague and there doesn't seem to be contemporaneous mentions in newspapers of the time.

Benjamin Harrison's Christmas cheer was closely documented in newspaper accounts. An article on the front page of the New York Times on Christmas Day 1889 detailed the lavish presents he was going to give his grandchildren. And though Harrison was generally regarded as a fairly serious person, he vigorously embraced the Christmas spirit.

Not all subsequent presidents continued the tradition of having a Christmas tree in the White House. By the middle of the 20th century, White House Christmas trees became established. And over the years it has evolved into an elaborate and very public production.

The first National Christmas Tree was placed on The Ellipse, an area just south of the White House, in 1923, and the lighting of it was presided over by President Calvin Coolidge. The lighting of the National Christmas Tree has become quite a large annual event, typically presided over by the current president and members of the First Family.

Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus

In 1897 an eight-year-old girl in New York City wrote to a newspaper, the New York Sun, asking if her friends, who doubted the existence of Santa Claus, were right. An editor at the newspaper, Francis Pharcellus Church, responded by publishing, on September 21, 1897, an unsigned editorial. The response to the little girl has become the most famous newspaper editorial ever printed.

The second paragraph is often quoted:

"Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS."

Church’s eloquent editorial asserting the existence of Santa Claus seemed a fitting conclusion to a century that began with modest observances of St. Nicholas and ended with the foundations of the modern Christmas season firmly intact.

By the end of the 19th century, the essential components of a modern Christmas, from Santa to the story of Scrooge to strings of electric lights were firmly established in America.

Source

[galadrieljones]

Zabel Interview, Team Delusional Round-up, re: the past few weeks (months?) 💫

(Based on an ask from @natural-blue-26! This post contains spoilers, pertaining to the script leak. If you don't want them, turn back!!)

First, let me say that @twdmusicboxmystery has posted an excellent video covering this topic over at her youtube channel. This post is jumping off of that, with some additional takes and analysis by me!

Also, note that I wanted to wait to post or to talk about this too much publicly until today, as I think there are a lot of genuine shippers who might be let down right now. Not all c*rylers are unhappy, unruly people. Many are shippers just like us, and even though I don't ship it, I support them. I am only putting this in the Team Delusional tag, so anyone who sees this is seeing it either because they follow me, follow the tag, follow someone who follows me, or they went looking for it themselves. I am not making drama or inciting a "ship war." If you're here out of anger, I suggest you turn back. I am just going to go over what I see.

The Facts

There has been a recent spate of events that have lead Team Delusional to a rare and more than modest resurgence. Until now, we were mostly just working with templates and symbolism, with a healthy dose of informed meta and speculation: We were seeing how the season 4/5 template was beginning to unfold toward the Grady arc, which includes Carol in a major role.

BUT. Let's check in with what's been going on over the past six months. A lot of this new resurgence starts with Emily's multiple trips to Europe for TWD cons in the past six months, integrated with her (yet unrealized) insinuation that she has been in studio recording one or more songs that Beth sang on TWD. Massive financial burdens aside, these are unusual undertakings for Emily. While she has done many fan cons over the years, visiting Europe twice in a four month period is bizarre (as well as expensive). She also talked openly and excitedly in the panel at French comic-con about how cool it would be if Beth returned. Further, Emily's "re-recording" of "Parting Glass" and possibly other TWD songs was a fairly big announcement for us at the time, but we haven't seen any more on it since. Speculation went everywhere from "She'll be singing in a flashback in Daryl Dixon season 2" to "Her songs will be part of the soundtrack" to "She'll actually BE in season 2, singing, in the present moment."

A lot of these things, if they were spread out over a 5 year period, wouldn't matter at all. But the fact that they're all taking place in the six-month run-up to Daryl Dixon s. 2, when we've already been able to speculate her tenuous return based on templates and other tells, is exciting. It's been almost ten years to the day of Beth's *death.* Why now? The timing on all of this is very suspicious.

Now, a few weeks ago, there was a LEAKED SCRIPT excerpt, which was claimed to be the final scene of DD 2.6. In the script, we learn that Isabelle has died and is appearing to Daryl in the form of a hallucination while he fights walkers in the Chunnel. This was confusing for many reasons. First, we already know, given their ruthless advertisement of the fact, that season 3 is already being filmed in Spain. So why are they headed to England? Also, where the hell is Laurent? Further, Isabelle's death, while unsurprising to many of us, creates some new questions. Many members of a certain *other* ship were ecstatic to learn about Isabelle's death, as Daryl/Isabelle ship rumors have been rampant in the fandom basically since season 1. Forget the fact that the same ship FREAKED out over Daryl/Leah three years ago (a clear nothingburger). Any time another female character even comes into contact with Daryl, a notable portion of fans must make their "displeasure" widely known.

Moving on. Yesterday, an article came out summarizing a yet-unreleased interview with David Zabel in SFX magazine. You can read it here. In the interview, Zabel makes the following comment about "C*ryl":

"The obvious thing to do, and the easier thing to do would be, 'Okay, now they're falling in love and they're a couple.' But I always felt like that would be a mistake, because it would feel like you were going into the TV book of tricks," he explains. "To me, there was never a question that [their connection] was something other than what it is, and what it seems to want to be, and why it works so well."

Zabel then goes on to hint at a highly-contentious romance with Daryl and Isabelle:

"What happened in season one was that you could see a connection forming, for sure," he says. "We didn't manufacture that but we left room for it. A lot of season two is about the development of that and where that relationship goes, and that little surrogate family of Isabelle, Daryl and Laurent."

Now, the full interview doesn't come out until September 4, at which point, we may get a clearer picture of what's going on. However, it seems that Zabel is politely declining the "C*ryl as romance" narrative. In the quote, he uses the excuse of wanting to avoid TV tropes; however, he then goes on to say (in a portion of the quote that is being wildly misinterpreted among the c*ryl ship) that "To [him]," there was "never a question that [their connection was something other than what it is." He then equates "what it is" with "what it seems to want to be" and "why it works so well." The misinterpretation is coming with that second part. "What it is" = friendship. Zabel is clearly saying that c*ryl "seems to want to be" exactly "what it is," aka: a sacred friendship and nothing more. He's basically saying that this already "works so well," and so why fix what ain't broke? Why create a romance between two characters who are clearly just very, very good friends when he could go another, more interesting direction?

Certain c*ryl accounts have misinterpreted that section of the quote. They seem to think he's saying that the c*ryl ship "seems to want to be" something else, something other than what it is. But if you follow the grammatical logic of the sentence, you can see that they're wrong here. It wants to be what it already is, which is friendship. Of course, to c*rylers, what it already is = romance, but that isn't canon. There's no proof of this. In fact, there's more proof to the contrary, that they're best friends. They're family. Carol was married to somebody else, raised a child with him, still holds a contentious relationship with the other man, allowed Daryl to toil away in the woods alone for five years because she needed to stay with her husband...

In addition to factual evidence from the show, the C*ryl Friendship Campaign has been going strong on social media for MONTHS. In her video this morning, twdmusicboxmystery also goes over quasi-recent comments from Angela Kang which are UNSUPPORTIVE of a c*ryl romance. The notion that this perspective is coming out of nowhere, which some fans are claiming as a way of blaming Zabel for either lying or betraying his fanbase (and the actors), is, frankly, absurd.

Please note that I'm not saying that nobody should ship c*ryl just because it isn't canon. That would be silly. I ship non-canon ships all the time. BETHYL is a non-canon ship! I've written whole fanfics for Beth and Daryl (well, I've tried lol, but most remain unfinished). It's one of the funnest parts of being in a fandom.

What I'm saying is that c*ryl is NOT CANON. It never has been. And the people who get angry about this, who want to get professionals fired over this, who think that they're entitled to getting exactly what they want, lest the show perish, are wrong. They're doing it wrong. It's totalitarian and, frankly, obsessive. This is not how you be in a fandom, and my interpretation here of the Zabel interview in conjunction with the C*ryl Friendship Campaign is that they are TRYING to let this highly volatile and frankly unpleasant faction of the fandom down lightly in an effort to get them off tptb's AND the actors' backs. They don't want to deal with this shit anymore. And by the way, they're actually not leading anyone on. They've been insanely clear here, in their rebranding of c*ryl to a platonic ship, as to what's happening and what's going on, and while I really do feel for the good people who may feel let down by this, I am GLAD to see that the showrunners aren't going to heed the demands of one tiny, loud faction of a giant fandom, and that despite the haters, they're going to tell the story they want to tell.

ANYWAY.

Over the past 48 hours, things have gotten...weird. Zabel's interview dropped less than a day after the TWD Skybound social media accounts appear to have...posted a Bethyl edit out of nowhere. @sweetz1919 also posted early this morning, bringing together a few more Beth-related posts on either official accounts or *near* official accounts, which post promotional material, and which are followed by AMC TWD. One of these posts is a repost on twitter by Scott Gimple, who so rarely posts on social media, that any time he does, it's like a unicorn, symbolically notable and certainly important.

Now, pertaining to the Zabel interview, another wide complaint taking place in the c*ryl camp is that Zabel is likely LYING or he is being taken grossly out of context, because if c*ryl isn't happening, AND Isabelle is going to die, then how could Daryl POSSIBLY get his happy ending?

THIS is where Team Delusional comes in. Of course, we have our theories. Most people think WE'RE the delusional ones. And maybe we are! Lol. I don't really care. Most of our theories are crafted through a TON of hard, circumstantial, pattern-driven, and symbolic evidence, evidence taken from IRL sources, and hypotheses made after paying very close attention to what's been going on and making LOTS and LOTS of connections over a period of many years. Me, myself, I've only been here for four, but some of you guys have been doing this for almost ten, and for that, I salute you! As I said earlier, TD has been theorizing Beth's "return" in DD2 based greatly on symbolic and template-driven evidence alone for a while. A lot of what we're seeing now on social media is playing directly into our hand.

Emily in Europe multiple times in a 4mo period, including a trip to Paris, with her latest stint being just a week before "official" filming for season 3 was set to begin? Emily re-recording tracks from TWD? Leaked script pages in which Daryl mentions Beth specifically AND suggest that Isabelle is going to die? Romantic!C*ryl = not happening? HOW could Daryl possibly get his happy ending now? The rest is TD theory, ie: WHY we think Beth will come back to manifest Daryl's "happy ending." Speculation and theories on how she could come back, the connection to Spain/England/France, that's basically all we talk about lol, each of us with our own interests and niche perspectives, all arriving at the same point.

SO while there is still no proof that she is coming back, all of this is a Good thing, actually. For us. Because while everyone is looking around, freaking out, wondering what's going to happen next, we are seeing and able to read a LOT of signs that others ignore. And rightly so! There's no reason the rest of the GA needs to think that Beth is legitimately coming back. That would overshadow Carol's role in season 2, which is significant. It's just important that the GA REMEMBERS who Beth IS, that she was important to Daryl, and that hey, people used to really like Beth, and they liked Beth and Daryl together, and that was hopeful, and nice for him, and he hasn't had much "hope" or "niceness" since, and wouldn't it be nice if he could have that again...? All of these things are really there to do just this: let the c*ryl ship down easy, and remind people that Daryl once held a very strong connection to a woman whose life "ended" too soon, and who has really never been mentioned again.

While I really have no idea what's coming next, I wonder if we'll begin to see more astroturfed discussion on Beth's *death.* How weird it was, what the hell was going on at Grady, etc. If we don't see it in promotional material, we may hear about it in-show. Because if Daryl is casually mentioning Beth (along with Merle and Glenn) to Isabelle's ghost/vision in episode 2.6, then this likely implies that he's told her about Beth before, and that he's talked to her about what happened. It implies that Isabelle knows who Beth is, which would be a truly insane development, since he's literally never talked about her to anyone, including Carol, as far as we know.

So anyway, as usual, we should all just keep our heads down, chins to our chest, keep hope alive, but with a balanced sense of anticipation. We still really don't know what's going to happen, so it's important to be rational, but it also won't hurt to have a little faith 💫

[fluffytheocelot]

Hello it’s extremely late oops. Did not realize how long this thing would take (28 and a half hours apparently according to procreate lmao) but finally, here it is!

Carmen Week Day 8: La Femme Rouge

Holy crap that was a lot of characters! For day 8 I wanted to draw all the ways I've drawn/imagined Carmen over the last 5 years! There are many I didn't do for one reason or another, but it mainly boiled down to space lol. These 10 (11 including canon Carmen) are (most) of my favorites of my AUs :)

this turned out so cool im putting it in a frame when i get a chance lol

Info and solo drawings for each under the cut! it is. so long lol

as usual, i'll gladly answer asks about em :) i have plans to write a few for sure, but it's gonna be A While for them lol

Cat:

Both a Warriors AU and also just my "_____ as a cat" style!

This ones a lot less fleshed out so just bear with me lol. (ATM there might only be 2 clans, ACME and VILE, idk yet lol. idk what to name em either cos stickin "clan" on the end don't feel right XD)

In the Warriors AU, Sheeppaw grows up learning 2 contradictory versions of the Warrior Code: The true one from Shadowstalk, and the VILE version from older warriors. She gets made an apprentice a couple moons early, but is relegated only to camp duties until shes 6 moons old.

She trains alongside Cracklepaw, Tigerpaw, Molepaw, Goatpaw, and Silentpaw. At her first gathering she meets another apprentice, maybe a few moons older, from the other clan: Jewelpaw. The two hit it off and become good friends (and develop little mutual crushes). Sheeppaw also sneaks out and meets a kittypet: Player, who she also becomes very good friends with.

When her mentor, the deputy, Shadowstalk fails her on her final warrior assessment she pretty much has most of the same reaction as the show, just in the WC style.

After witnessing a murder, she hightails it out of there and encounters the newly named Crackletail. Panicked, she hastily and vaguely tells him she saw something and needs to Leave.

She makes it to Players yard and lays low for a while, and he introduces her to the neighbor cats, a sibling pair named Zack and Ivy. The four brainstorm and Sheeppaw is renamed Carmen. They know they cant let VILE keep doing what they're doing. So rogue Carmen and her kittypet friends start figuring things out from behind the scenes.

Pirate Cat:

Exactly as it says, bipedal cat world. Black Sheep was dropped off at a random orphanage in England, with a small stuffed black sheep (where she got her name). Since everybody are cats, Black Sheep isn't that atypical of a name. Sorta a mix of normal people names and cat names.

She grows up there alongside her self-appointed older brother Graham. When she's about 10-11ish she meets the princess: Julia Argent. Childhood friends to lovers letsgoo (its a recurring theme in these lol. its cute i like it).

The two eventually get together (in secret, yay homophobia and also societal status) It doesn't help that Black Sheep had a habit of getting in trouble so she could see the princess her princess.

The two get caught one night, and Black Sheep is nearly executed for "corrupting royalty", but Julia manages to talk her father down from that. Instead, she is exiled. If she ever sets foot in the kingdom after dawn, she WILL be killed this time.

Julia visits one last time, and Black Sheep promises to return someday when she finds somewhere where they can be together freely. She gives Julia her stuffed sheep to look after while she's gone, and asks her to take care of Fuega while she's gone (on one of their sneak-outs, they found a baby dragon that Julia managed to convince her dad to let her keep). Julia gives her the triangle choker. yay tearful goodbyes ;-;

Black Sheep and Graham (because no way is he letting his little sister go into exile without him) go from place to place, stealing when they need to and end up accidentally stowing away on a VILE pirate ship.

VILE pirate training to avoid death, they escape. Graham appoints the newly named Carmen Sandiego captain of their little ship, and they also pick up Zack, Ivy, and Player along the way. Carmen becomes very well known around the globe: civilians/lower class people see her as a Robin Hood hero (correct), while most royals and nobles see her as nothing but a filthy pirate (incorrect).

A few years go by when suddenly the crew gets word that the King of England is trying to marry off his daughter, who has recently come of age. Cue panicked race home + childhood lover reunion.

Daughter of Poseidon (Carmen Sandiego and the Olympians):

Percy Jackson AU! Replace Percy with Carmen, Grover with Player, Annabeth with Julia, and switch/move around some plot points and that's about it lol. I keep telling myself I'll do some scene rewrites of this one so we'll see. Includes PJO and HOO acting as prequels for Carmen Sandiego. Def wanna do dome rewrites for the canon show for this AU too lol

Dino Squad:

I'm out here combining one obscure kids show with another lol. If you haven't seen it, Dino Squad is this early 2000s animated show about these 5 teenagers that get mutated and can turn into dinosaurs, and go around stopping the bad guy from turning everything into dinosaurs. (I think the entire series may be on youtube lol. its goofy but man i loved it as a kid. i wanted dino powers so bad)

This is basically a high school au but most of Team Red has dinosaur powers. :P

In this, Dr. Bellum is experimenting with bringing dinosaurs back, but instead of just cloning them, she figures out how to mutate already-existing organisms into others.

(in the OG dino squad, the bad guy IS a dinosaur that evolved into a human--long story--and believes everything should still be dinosaurs. hes technically right, tbf, if the meteor hadn't hit they prolly still WOULD be dinosaurs. why does bellum want dinosaurs? because she's Bellum and she Can lol)

Carmen Wolfe and her twin brother Graham (they're fraternal twins. why? bc i thought it would be funny. yes he still has his accent. its my world i do what i want) are raised by Carlotta and Dexter Wolfe in Kittery Point, Maine. Carlotta is a paleontologist/biologist and Dexter is a history and geography teacher at the high school. They do know of VILE and what Bellum was working on and have been monitoring it in secret from the kids.

Carmen and Julia are those friends that met bc they were both hiding under the slide in like. Preschool and just stayed friends lol. They're the kind of best friends that will just. Show Up. usually Julia at Carmen's house because "You have better snacks" also Julia's parents just Don't Like Carmen. (Why? idk bc i said so. idk they think she's a bad influence. she's really not lol) Literally Julia has like a spot on the couch and a table setting. She's basically the third twin these three have known each other essentially their entire lives.

Zack and Ivy joined the group in middle school, when Ivy had the same class as Carmen, Julia, and Gray. Zack joined via association. (Zack and Ivy, on the other hand are not twins. again. bc its funny. each sibling pair thought the other was like them. zack and ivy thought Carmen and Gray were just normal siblings, and Carmen and Gray thought Zack and Ivy were twins. Julia had to explain to all of them it was not the case lol)

Player is Carmen's online friend that the whole group includes. they all game together and he gets ALL the public school tea. hes about the same age as Zack, so about a year-ish younger than Carmen, Gray, Ivy, and Julia.

At the end of their freshman year, Carmen and Julia start dating. Their friends and Carmen's parents know, they keep it secret from everyone else. At the end of the summer everybody (aside from Player) go to the beach for one last day of freedom before school starts. They swim through the mutant goo, and over the next few days discover their powers.

Carlotta IDs each dino: Carmen is a (large/person sized) pyroraptor, Gray is a T. rex, Julia is a troodon, and I still cant decide on Zack and Ivy's dino forms lol. Carlotta and Dexter explain the whole VILE thing and the group just kinda simultaneously goes "welp guess we're superheroes now. cool"

so yea dealing w highschool and also mutant dinosaurs and superpowers. this ones fun bc they can just be stupid kids lol

The Last Wolf:

My werewolf AU. The one that started all this mess and my love for making AUs of this show. It was my first fanfic i ever wrote, and it is very near to my heart. it's also gotten out of hand and become a franchise at this point it's ridiculous. (Seriously i've got a prequel of her parents planned and also a series of shorts set in the universe) It's gonna be a long ride, boys. Hope people still like CS by the time it's done lol

A Thief's Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse:

Zombie apocalypse AU! Talked about this one a bit for AU day, and also as of this post I have ~1k words written of the first chapter! I also have a bunch of the major plot points outlined too ;) I wouldn't expect anything soon tho lol.

She wears a wetsuit under the coat bc it's really hard to bite through, especially with rotten jaws. She's got some boots she probably scavenged or traded for, and of course: the Walkman she probably found looting some abandoned building. She collects cassettes to listen to. Gotta keep sane in the end of the world.

How is this one a literal apocalypse and its still more lighthearted than the one based on FNAF lol

Redd Wolf (Five Nights at Redd's):

FNAF AU. I've truly lost it lol. I have this one completely outlined, nothing written but a lot of things are VERY clear in my mind. This ones uh. a lot more intense than even Thief's Guide. It's FNAF. its immense violence and child death. Seriously, Carmen, Player, Gray, Ivy, Zack, and Julia all end up possessing animatronics at some point. It ends happily, but it is based off a horror thing so if that's not your thing b careful <3

its supposed to be more of a mystery that gets unraveled, but if anyone wants specifics of it u can drop an ask :) i only have animatronic designs for Carmen, Julia, and Gray so far tho. I have ideas for the others too.

This is one I wanna share with y'all at some point. its probably the shortest of the AUs I have outlined so far, so yk. maybe in this lifetime lol.

Carmen and the Age of Wonderbeasts:

Mega Jaguar Carmen. This ones more of a ~vibe~ than an actual plot but i like drawing mega jag carm :)

Plushie Dragon:

This one's not an AU, but actually based on doodles of these 2 plush dragons! Matching red/gold and blue/silver dragons named after carmen and julia lol. I'll get around to posting more drawings of em cause they're cute

the plushies <3 (they have spikes u just cant see em:

ik they look goofy i lov them anyways

Wings of Fire:

Wings of Fire AU! Carmen is a rainwing/skywing hybrid (rainwing dad, skywing mom) She can camoflauge, fly decently fast, and has a prehensile tail. She can't breathe fire or use typical venom, BUT she figures out her venom, while not face-melting by itself, IS in fact flammable. again, more of a ~vibe~ than a story and plot, but I like drawing dragons.

Canon Carmen:

She's front and center, the one that started all this.

Way back in 2019, the autism and ADHD departments in my brain came to an agreement: This show is the greatest show of all time.

It was the first fandom I actively contributed to/interacted with. (I still read fics from other fandoms before, but had never been active in a fandom) Like I mentioned with Last Wolf, I had never actually written fanfiction before, and definitely never posted it. I love writing and telling stories (and boy howdy do I have A Lot of stories rolling around my brain). between all of the AUs ive come up with, I've gotten to practice so much worldbuilding and characterization. English classes usually focused on expository stuff, with like. a brief fiction writing thing. So I've definitely gotten to stretch my creative writing muscles with this show, and hopefully I can put em to use on original projects someday <3

I fell in love with the first season, and got ridiculously excited for every new season and the interactive. (heck, i played every possible option for the interactive the day it came out, and binged every subsequent season the day they aired.)

This show has been a big part of my life the last five years, and the original show will always be special to me. It's the reason I started learning to draw people lol, I have a drawing of Carmen from 2020 that I'm still really proud of. It's hung on my bedroom wall to this day.

So thank you, Carmen Sandiego. For everything.

[twilightsagasworld]

Garrett x Reader part 5

Tags: @scuzmunkie

The crisp, wintry air nipped at (Y/n)'s cheeks as she and Garrett strolled through the dimly lit streets of Forks. Flurries of snow danced around them, a stark contrast to Garrett's icy, marble-like skin.

"So, England, huh?" (Y/n) mused, her fingers intertwined with Garrett's. "I have to admit, I didn't peg you as the type to settle down in one place."

Garrett chuckled, his crimson eyes flickering with a hint of nostalgia. "It's not so much about settling down as it is about... finding solace in the familiar," he explained. "England is where I just took to after I was “killed”, guess its the thirst for revenge ." His expression darkened slightly. "During the Civil War, you see. I was turned while fighting those Red Coats."

(Y/n) felt a shiver run down her spine, and she squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I can imagine that's not exactly a pleasant memory."

Garrett nodded, his gaze distant. "No, it's not. But England is where I've always found myself drawn back to, even if I can't quite stomach the English these days." He flashed her a wry smile. "Old habits die hard, I suppose."

As they continued their stroll, (Y/n) couldn't help but notice the way Garrett's attention seemed to drift, his eyes scanning the surrounding area with a subtle alertness.

"Is everything alright?" she asked, her brow furrowed in concern. Garrett's lips curved into a faint smile. "Oh, it's nothing to worry about, my dear," he assured her. "I'm just mindful of our proximity to the Cullen territory, that's all."

(Y/n) tilted her head, her curiosity piqued. "The Cullens? I thought you said you tried to avoid them." "It's not that I'm scared of them," Garrett clarified, his tone thoughtful. "We've had our fair share of... disagreements over the years. But the truth is, I'm more concerned about drawing the attention of the Volturi."

"The Volturi?" (Y/n) echoed, her brow furrowing. "Who are they?"

Garrett's expression darkened. "They're the closest thing our kind has to a ruling body," he explained. "And they have a particular interest in one of the Cullens – the psychic, Alice. I'd rather not get caught up in that kind of drama, you understand?"

(Y/n) nodded, her gaze searching his face. "So, we're staying on the outskirts of Forks to avoid the Cullens and the Volturi?"

Garrett chuckled, his fingers caressing her cheek. "Precisely. I may have a complicated history with the English, but I'd rather not add the Volturi to my list of adversaries. Especially not with you by my side."

(Y/n) leaned into his touch, a soft smile playing on her lips. "Well, then, I trust your judgment, Garrett. As long as I'm with you, that's all that matters."

Garrett's eyes burned with a fierce intensity that made (Y/n)'s heart race. "And I'll always be here, protecting you," he murmured. "No matter what."

Garrett's grip on (Y/n)'s hand tightened slightly as they walked through the snow-dusted streets of Forks. The crisp, wintry air swirled around them, a stark contrast to the vampire's icy skin.

"You know, (Y/n)," Garrett began, his crimson eyes glinting with a hint of mischief, "I've been thinking about taking a little trip. Back to England.”

(Y/n) felt a surge of excitement at his words, but she couldn't help the hesitation that crept into her voice. "England, huh? I've always wanted to visit, but..." She trailed off, her gaze wandering.

Garrett's lips curved into a warm smile as he gently cupped her face in his hands. "Ah, my dear (Y/n), that's the beauty of it. This won't be a short trip – I'd love for you to come with me, for as long as you'd like."

(Y/n)'s eyes widened, a mix of excitement and uncertainty swirling within her. "You mean it? You really want me to go with you?"

"Of course," Garrett murmured, his thumb caressing her cheek. "I can't imagine exploring my old hunting grounds without you by my side. And who knows, maybe we'll even stumble upon a few new adventures along the way."

(Y/n) couldn't help the smile that spread across her face, her apprehension slowly dissipating. "Okay, Garrett. Let's do it. When do we leave?"

"How about in a week?" Garrett suggested, his fingers gently tracing the curve of her cheek. "I've been itching to get back, and I'd much rather have you with me."

(Y/n) nodded enthusiastically, her eyes shining with excitement. "A week from now it is, then. I can't wait!"

* * *

Weeks later, as (Y/n) and Garrett explored the bustling streets of London, their peaceful getaway took an unexpected turn.

The entrance door to the backpacker's lodge suddenly opened, and three figures stepped inside, their movements graceful and deliberate. (Y/n)'s breath caught in her throat as she recognized Garrett, flanked by two strangers – a man and a woman, both with the same striking golden eyes and pale, marble-like skin.

"Carlisle, Esme," Garrett greeted them, his tone polite but reserved. "I appreciate you meeting me here."

The woman, Esme, offered him a warm smile. "Of course, Garrett. We're always happy to see you."

(Y/n) watched, transfixed, as the trio made their way towards her, Garrett's gaze meeting hers with a reassuring nod.

"(Y/n)," he said, his voice soft, "there are some people I'd like you to meet. This is Carlisle and Esme Cullen – they're old friends of mine.”

Carlisle's gaze shifted from Garrett to (Y/n), his expression one of mild surprise. "Garrett, I must say, I didn't expect to see you with a human companion."

Garrett placed a protective hand on (Y/n)'s shoulder, offering Carlisle a slight nod. "Ah, yes. Carlisle, Esme, this is (Y/n), my... mate."

(Y/n) furrowed her brow, the unfamiliar term catching her off guard. "Your mate? What does that mean?"

Carlisle's expression softened, and he offered (Y/n) a reassuring smile. "In the vampire world, a mate is a lifelong companion, someone with whom a vampire forms an unbreakable bond." He glanced at Garrett, his tone turning more serious. "I must admit, I'm surprised to see you've taken a human as your mate, Garrett. That's quite... unconventional.”

Garrett's jaw tightened slightly, but his grip on (Y/n)'s shoulder remained gentle. "You should understand, given your circumstances… (Y/n) is special to me. And I intend to protect her, no matter what."

Esme stepped forward, placing a comforting hand on Carlisle's arm. "We're not here to judge, Carlisle. We're simply glad to see Garrett has found someone he cares for so deeply."

Carlisle nodded, his gaze shifting back to (Y/n). "Of course, my dear. And I'm afraid the reason we've come to see Garrett is a rather serious one. The Volturi are gathering witnesses against my family, because of our... unique circumstances."

(Y/n)'s eyes widened, her heart racing. "The Volturi? What's happening?"

Garrett pulled (Y/n) closer, his crimson eyes filled with determination. "It's a long story, but the Volturi believe that Bella and Edward's daughter, is an immortal child. They're gathering witnesses to go against the Cullens… likewise Carlisle is doing the same, he’s asked me to be one of them."

(Y/n) looked up at Garrett, her own resolve hardening. "Whatever you need, I'm here to help."

Carlisle and Esme exchanged a relieved glance, and Carlisle reached out to gently squeeze (Y/n)'s hand. "Thank you, my dear. Your support means more than you know."

As the four of them sat down to discuss the impending confrontation with the Volturi, (Y/n) couldn't help but feel a mix of trepidation and determination. She may not fully understand the intricacies of the vampire world, but she knew that she would stand by Garrett's side, no matter what challenges lay ahead.

… 3 days later….

As (Y/n) and Garrett settled into her small house on the edge of town, the weight of the impending confrontation with the Volturi hung heavy in the air. Garrett could sense the underlying tension in his beloved's demeanor, and he pulled her into a tender embrace, his lips pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Don't worry, (Y/n)," he murmured, his crimson eyes filled with unwavering devotion. "I'll keep you safe, no matter what."

(Y/n) nodded, though a part of her couldn't help but feel a pang of nervousness. Garrett seemed to understand, and he tightened his hold on her, determined to provide the comfort and reassurance she needed.

They spent the evening in quiet contemplation, both lost in their own thoughts about the challenges that lay ahead. Garrett's mind raced with strategies and contingency plans, he couldn’t hide that he was semi excited for a fight again.

As the night wore on, (Y/n) eventually drifted off to sleep, her head resting on Garrett's shoulder. He watched over her with a mixture of adoration and protectiveness, his gaze never wavering.

In the silence of the cottage, Garrett made a silent vow – he would do whatever it took to ensure (Y/n)'s safety, even if it meant facing the fearsome Volturi head-on. She was his world, his everything, and he would never let any harm come to her, no matter the cost.

With a renewed sense of determination, Garrett gently scooped (Y/n) into his arms and carried her to her bed, where he lay beside her, his keen eyes vigilantly scanning the darkness for any sign of danger.

[olympic-paris]

THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY

based on: The White Crane Institute's 'Gay Wisdom', Gay Birthdays, Gay For Today, Famous GLBT, glbt-Gay Encylopedia, Today in Gay History, Wikipedia, and more …

September 17

1730 – Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben (d.1794), also referred to as the Baron von Steuben, was a Prussian-born military officer who served as inspector general and Major General of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He is credited with being one of the fathers of the Continental Army in teaching them the essentials of military drills, tactics, and disciplines. He wrote the Revolutionary War Drill Manual, the book that served as the standard United States drill manual until the War of 1812.

In Germay, in 1776, he was alleged to be homosexual and was accused of improper sexual behavior with young boys. Whether or not Steuben was actually intimate with other men is not entirely known, but the rumors compelled him to seek employment elsewhere.

On September 26, 1777, the Baron, his Italian greyhound, Azor (which he took with him everywhere), his young aide de camp Louis de Pontière, his military secretary Pierre Etienne Duponceau, and two other companions, reached Portsmouth, New Hampshire and by December 1, was extravagantly entertained in Boston. Congress was in York, Pennsylvania, after being ousted from Philadelphia by the British advance. By February 5, 1778, Steuben had offered to volunteer without pay (for the time), and by the 23rd, Steuben reported for duty to General George Washington at Valley Forge. He served as George Washington's chief of staff in the final years of the war.

Two of the General's soldiers, William North and Ben Walker, were to von Steuben's liking. He legally adopted both men, and they lived together until the Baron's death, at which time they shared in his estate.

The Lafayette Park Memorial

Many places are named in his honor, including Steubenville, Ohio. His monument by Albert Jaegers in Washington, DC, across the street from the White House in Lafayette Park, is perhaps one of the most homoerotic sculptures in America. Make sure and pay a visit the next time you're in town. You will not regret it.

1904 – Sir Frederick Ashton (d.1988) began his career as a dancer but is largely remembered as a choreographer.

Ashton was born at Guayaquil in Ecuador, in the artistic neighbourhood called Las Peñas, the original founding site of the city. When he was 13 he witnessed a life-changing event when he attended a performance by the legendary Anna Pavlova in the Municipal Theatre in Lima, Peru. He was so impressed that from that day on he knew he would become a dancer.

In 1919 he went to England to attend Dover College and then to study under the famous Leonide Massine and established a working relationship with the ballet troupe belonging to Marie Rambert and Ninette de Valois. Rambert discovered Frederick's aptitude for choreography and allowed him to choreograph his first ballet, The Tragedy of Fashion in 1926, starting a tremendously successful career as a choreographer.

He began his career with the Ballet Rambert which was originally called The Ballet Club, but he rose to fame with The Royal Ballet, becoming its resident choreographer in the 1930s. His version of La Fille mal gardée was particularly successful. He worked with Margot Fonteyn among others. His broad travesti performances as one of the comic Ugly Stepsisters in Sergei Prokofiev's Cinderella were annual events for many years.

The choreographer's emotional life focused on the unattainable and the unsuitable, and it often wreaked havoc in his ballet company, as when, in the case of the heterosexual Michael Somes (Fonteyn's principal partner), the beloved enjoyed and exploited favoritism to the point that other dancers signed a petition of protest.

Ashton, like so many other famous gay men of his epoch, including Cecil Beaton and Noël Coward, was necessarily discreet, but he was not closeted. The British high society in which he moved enjoyed the scintillating company.

Ashton was a member of the circle of gay men who surrounded Queen Elizabeth, the late Queen Mother, whom he taught to tango. When she heard that Ashton, a formidable mimic, did imitations of her, she allegedly retaliated by imitating his own queenly manners.

In 1962, he was knighted for his services to ballet. He died in 1988 at his home, Chandos Lodge, in Eye, Suffolk, England.

1926 – Curtis Harrington (d.2007) was an American film and television director whose work included experimental films, horror films, and episodic television. He is considered one of the forerunners of New Queer Cinema.

His memoir, Nice Guys Don’t Work in Hollywood, was recently published by Drag City. The original manuscript was disinterred from a special collection in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and carefully edited by Lisa Janssen, a Chicago-based poet, archivist, and film buff.

For Harrington, the romance with movies began early. He was stirred as a child by the sight of Mr. Death wilting a bouquet of flowers with his breath in Death Takes a Holiday (1934).

Growing up in Beaumont, California, with parents who gave him leeway to pursue his creative interests, Harrington discovered a soul mate in Edgar Allan Poe, and began his film career at 14 with an abbreviated version of “The Fall of the House of Usher.” The director plays both the death-haunted Roderick and his twin sister, Madeline.

Greatly influenced by Maya Deren, co-creator (with Alexander Hammid) of the trance classic Meshes of the Afternoon (1943), he completed a cycle of 16 mm shorts, several of which – Fragment of Seeking (1946), Picnic (1948), On the Edge (1949) – are now regarded as prime examples of West Coast experimental filmmaking. His friendship with Kenneth Anger, director of Scorpio Rising (1963) and author of the notorious bestseller Hollywood Babylon, fueled an appreciation for the mystical and provided occasion to participate, if only peripherally, in the Southern California occult explosion.

Although he enjoyed unfettered creative license during this period, the pressure to conform weighed heavily on the young filmmaker. The conservative postwar climate was an unlikely breeding ground for the deeply personal, highly stylized "film poems" created by Harrington and his contemporaries. His status as an outsider was no doubt intensified by his orientation as a gay man – a subject on which Harrington remains subdued throughout the memoir. "This seemed perfectly natural to me," Harrington writes of his teenage attractions. "It did not occur to me to attach any sense of guilt or shame to my activities." A screening of Fragment of Seeking and Anger’s Fireworks (1947) stunned an audience of Los Angeles intellectuals with its potently surreal evocations of homoerotic desire. "Everyone in the room was too shocked to say a word," Harrington recalls.

The true turning point in his career was the extraordinary Night Tide (1961), a gently haunting fable about a sailor (an uncharacteristically shy Dennis Hopper) who falls in love with a mermaid impersonator (Linda Lawson). Night Tide was distributed by Roger Corman, who in due course offered Harrington two directing assignments: Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet (1965) and Queen of Blood (1966). Harrington was given the task of repurposing a couple of Russian science fiction films to which Corman had acquired the rights.

In the following years he went on to direct a series of B-movies in the horror genre TV series and Made-for-TV movies including The Killer Bees (1974).

At 75, he managed to summon the remainder of his creative vigor to make Usher (2002), a self-financed short film that brought his career full circle. "I went all the way back to the story that had haunted me so early in my life,"

1928 – Roddy McDowall (d.1998) was born in London on to a Scottish father and an Irish mother. His mother, who had herself aspired to be an actress, enrolled him in elocution lessons at the age of five; and at the age of ten he had his first major film role as the youngest son in Murder in the Family (1938). Over the next two years he appeared in a dozen British films, in parts large and small. McDowall's movie career was interrupted, however, by the German bombardment of London in World War II. Accompanied by his sister and his mother, he was one of many London children evacuated to places abroad.

As a result, he arrived in Hollywood in 1940, and the charming young English lad soon landed a major role as the youngest son in How Green Was My Valley (1941). The film made him a star at thirteen, and he appeared as an endearing boy in numerous Hollywood movies throughout the war years, most notably Lassie, Come Home (1943), with fellow English child star and lifelong friend Elizabeth Taylor, and My Friend Flicka (1943).

By his late teens, McDowall had outgrown the parts in which he had been most successful. Accordingly, he went to New York to study acting and to hone his skills in a wide variety of roles on the Broadway stage.

McDowall was praised for his performance as a gay character in Meyer Levin's Compulsion (1957), a fictionalised account of the Leopold-Loeb murder case; and he won a Tony award for best supporting actor as Tarquin in Jean Anouilh's The Fighting Cock (1960).

After a decade's absence, McDowall returned to Hollywood, and over the last four decades of his life he appeared in more than one hundred films, encompassing a wide range of genres from sophisticated adult comedy to children's fare, from horror to science fiction, usually as a character actor. He also made regular character appearances on TV in such series as the original Twilight Zone, The Carol Burnett Show, Fantasy Island and Quantum Leap.

His best known appearances include those in The Subterraneans (1960), Midnight Lace (1960), Cleopatra (1963), The Loved One (1965), Inside Daisy Clover (1965), Planet of the Apes (1968) and its various sequels, Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), The Poseidon Adventure (1973), Funny Lady (1975), and Only the Lonely (1991). His last film role was the voice of Mr Soil, an ant, in A Bug's Life (1997).

Although McDowall never officially came out, the fact that he was gay was one of Hollywood's best known secrets. It is a tribute to his characteristic discretion and the respect with which "Hollywood's Best Friend" was regarded by his peers that his homosexuality was never really an issue or used against him in his six decades in the entertainment business.

Roddy is offered a hot sausage by Tab Hunter

McDowall died of cancer at his home in Studio City, California, on October 3, 1998. At the time of his death, he held several elected posts in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and was a generous benefactor of many film-related charities.

1965 – Bryan Singer is an American film director. Singer won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and is especially popular among fans of the sci-fi and comic book genres, for his work on the first two X-Men films and Superman Returns.

Singer was born in New York City. He was adopted by Norbert and Grace Singer and grew up in a Jewish household in New Jersey. He attended West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, then studied film making at New York's School of Visual Arts and later the USC School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles. Actors Lori and Marc Singer are his cousins.

Singer is openly bisexual, and has said that his life experiences of growing up as a minority influenced his movies. In October 2014, it was confirmed he was expecting a child with actress Michelle Clunie. The couple's first son was born on January 5, 2015.

Singer is also executive producer and directed the pilot and first episode of highly regarded TV medical drama House.

Singer is said (or rumoured) to be involved in a number of possible or 'in development' projects at present including: a Superman Returns sequel; a remake of Logan's Run; a Warner Bros. film called U Want Me 2 Kill Him? about a 14-year old British boy who was charged with inciting his own murder, a reimagining of Battlestar Galactica, and a film of Augusten Burroughs' Sellevsion.

In April 2014, Singer was accused in a civil lawsuit of sexual assault of a minor. According to the suit filed by attorney Jeff Herman, Singer is alleged to have drugged and raped actor and model Michael Egan in Hawaii and Los Angeles in the late 1990s. On May 22, 2014, Singer's attorney presented evidence to Federal District Judge Susan Oki Mollway stating that neither Singer nor Egan were in Hawaii at the time. In early August 2014, Egan sought to withdraw his lawsuit.

In May 2014, another lawsuit was filed by attorney Jeff Herman on behalf of an anonymous British man. Both Singer and producer Gary Goddard were accused of sexually assaulting "John Doe No. 117." According to the lawsuit, Goddard and Singer met the man for sex when he was a minor and engaged in acts of "gender violence" against him while in London for the premiere of Superman Returns. The charge against Singer in this case was dismissed, at the accuser's request, in July 2014.

1975 – Jade Esteban Estrada, born at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, is a successful Latin pop singer, comedian, choreographer, actor, political commentator, and human rights activist. Out Magazine called him "the first gay Latin star."

As a young boy, he participated in extracurricular school activities and sang in the school choir, where he first noticed that his talent captivated audiences. Through the encouragement of his choir instructor he began to take voice lessons and eventually moved to New York where he worked as an assistant to Tony award-winning actress Zoe Caldwell.

Estrada appeared in the German production of Starlight Express and also worked as a dancer for Seventeen Magazine. After two popular appearances as a transgender singer/dancer on NBC's The Jerry Springer Show, he won the attention of Latin TV personality Charo and worked as her choreographer and lead dancer. He gained international recognition in 1998 when he released his first Latin pop single, "Reggae Twist" on the Brooklyn-based Total Envision Records label. He later turned his attention to solo theater and stand-up comedy.

His recordings include Fabulous Gay Tunes Vol.2, and Being Out Rocks.

1991 – Scott Hoying is an American singer, musician and songwriter who came to international attention as the baritone of the a cappella group Pentatonix and one-half of the music duo Superfruit. As of June 2021, Pentatonix has released eleven albums (two of which have been number ones) and two EPs, have had four songs in the Billboard Hot 100, and won three Grammy Awards as "the first a cappella group to achieve mainstream success in the modern market". As of November 2021, Superfruit's YouTube channel has over 2.4 million subscribers, and over 444 million views.

Hoying is openly gay and resides in Hollywood. He began dating model Mark Manio in 2017. They got engaged in the Bahamas on April 13, 2022, and were married in Santa Barbara, California on July 7, 2023. Their wedding was officiated by singer-songwriter Christina Perri.

2001 – Paul Holm, the partner of Flight 93 hero Mark Bingham is presented with the folded American flag.

[maraschinomerry]

You and Me

Pairings: George Karim x gn!reader

Summary: five times George didn't know he had a crush on you, and one time he did

Content: fluff, first kiss, canon-typical danger

A/N: I've been working on this for ages and am so relieved it's finally done! A lot less angsty than most of my stuff, just tooth-rottingly sweet for a change 💕

Word count: 3.2k

Taglist: @neewtmas @marinalor @ettadear

5.

George hovered in your doorway. You'd left it ajar, your secret signal to each other that you were up for company, but it was almost 2am and he'd never visited this late.

"Hey Georgie," your voice whispered from the dim lamplight within. "Couldn't sleep?"

He shook his head before realising he couldn't actually see you and there was a chance you couldn't see him either. "No, I, uh… no."

Suddenly your head popped up from behind your bed, blinking groggily, and you waved him over. He pulled the door shut behind him.

"How did you know I was there?"

"Because I know you, silly," you elbowed him playfully as he sank to the ground beside you, your backs resting against the bed. You tried to ignore how scratchy the sheets were against your neck.

You'd both joined Fittes about the same time, and as the two newbies and joint youngest you quickly became inseparable. Everyone else was alright, you were a team after all, but between the elitist mindset and regulation living quarters the place never really felt like home. It had quickly become apparent that 'home' for both of you was each other, and now nearly 6 months in you spent most of your free time in one of your rooms or tucked away in a corner of the British Archives. Much like tonight, shoulder to shoulder in the soft orange glow.

You sat in companionable silence for a while, occasionally being pulled from your thoughts when your fingers would brush his and it felt like a spark ran up the whole length of your arm.

Eventually, George spoke. "Do you ever think about leaving?"

You turned to him with a frown. "Leaving Fittes? Duh."

"Fittes, London, agents' work, all of it!" His voice held a hint of the animation it did when he was telling you about a particularly exciting artifact, but there was something sombre about it tonight too.

"I mean, yeah," you considered, "but it's not that simple. Wherever we go, the Problem will follow. And we had a plan, Georgie."

A month after you'd joined, the first time George had been in your room, the two of you had made a contract. Pass your Grade Four, leave Fittes, establish your own agency, become the best in London (in England, even) and have your weaselly team leader Brookes begging you to come back or better yet hire him. But you wouldn't, because you wouldn't need him. It would be you and your rapier, George and his research, against the world. You and him.

"You and me," George murmured. You smiled warmly at him, draping and arm around his shoulder and pulling him close.

Something shifted deep in his chest.

Oh.

4.

It had been the worst year of your life.

Your best and perhaps only friend in the whole world had been fired, sent packing in the middle of the night with no chance to leave you a contact number or tell you where he was going. When you found out the next morning, Brookes had had to give you the rest of the day off because you couldn't stop crying long enough to achieve anything. How could you focus on training when a piece of your soul had been torn from you?

It only got worse from there. You were sidelined for countless opportunities, used as bait like you were nothing, and to top it all off you were reassigned to the team of one Quill Kipps, who you thought made Brookes look like a saint.

One day, in late summer, you reached your limit.

You quit.

"Where will you go?" Kipps had asked. You wanted to think he was mocking you, telling you that nowhere would accept some Fittes reject, but truth be told he was genuinely concerned.

You didn't know the answer to his question, but you refused to stay for a day longer. Measly bag of belongings and rapier in tow, you made your way round London to every agency you could think of. No luck. This was such a bad idea. George would be horrified by your lack of planning.

Not for the first time, you wondered where your friend had ended up. Maybe he'd gone north. Maybe he'd opened his own agency. Maybe he'd given it all up like he said. Surely he wasn't still in London. He'd have looked for you, right? Right?

You flopped dejectedly onto a bench in Hyde Park. It was close to nightfall, and you'd need to find somewhere to stay. A newspaper lay abandoned beside you, half falling through the gap in the wood. You thumbed through it to the ads section, hoping to find a boarding house or even a late-night pub.

Your eyes lit up.

"A.J. Lockwood & Co. Prestigious agency hiring junior agent. 35 Portland Row."

With trembling hands you tore the advert from the paper and tossed the rest aside, sprinting for the nearest taxi rank.

The door to 35 Portland Row was opened by a tall boy with dark hair and equally dark circles under his eyes.

"Hello, I'm looking for Mr Lockwood."

He offered you a smile. "That would be me. How can I help?"

You hesitated. He barely looked older than you, let alone old enough to be the head of a prestigious agency. Then again, you had no other prospects and nowhere to go. You inhaled, preparing yourself.

"I'm here about the job." You held up the newspaper cutting with a slightly trembling hand.

"Splendid!" His smile widened. With a flourish, he gestured for you to step inside and guided you through the door on the right into an eclectic living room. "Have a seat, my colleague has just gone to brew a fresh pot of tea if you're interested?" You nodded. It had been such a busy day you hadn't even realised you'd skipped lunch and your mouth was dry as a bone.

While you waited, you dug out your hastily constructed CV and handed it to Lockwood, who skimmed over it with interest. As he turned the page, a door behind you creaked open and he lowered the paper as he looked up.

"Ah, perfect timing. Another candidate, thought I'd wait until you got back," Lockwood explained to the mystery figure as they moved around the edge of the sofa, before he turned to you. "Allow me to introduce my colleague-"

You barely registered what he was saying. Your focus was entirely taken up by the curly haired, bespectacled boy holding the tea tray.

"Georgie."

The tray clattered unceremoniously onto the coffee table, and before Lockwood could register what was happening you were on your feet, being tackled into a bear hug that almost knocked George's glasses straight off his nose. Your arms wrapped around his waist as you buried your head into his shoulder, tears already formed and soaking into his orange plaid shirt. Lockwood watched in fascination as his friend, who had well established in his year with the company that he did not enjoy physical contact, scrunched his eyes shut and brought his free hand (the one that wasn't gripping your shoulder like a lifeline) up to tangle in your hair.

"Hey, you," he murmured into the top of your head, blinking back tears of his own.

"You two know each other." It was more of a statement than a question from Lockwood, who you had quite forgotten was still in the room. Blushing, you extricated yourself from George's embrace, and felt your pulse skip when the hand that loosened from your shoulder trailed down to link with yours.

"We were together at Fittes," George stated. He must have told Lockwood about your time together, because the other boy just smirked knowingly.

"Very well then, I suppose we can dispense with the tests, if George will vouch for you?" He looked to George, who nodded so hard he thought his head might fall off. "Welcome to Lockwood and Co. Do please have a biscuit."

3.

"George?! George!" you yelled, voice hoarse with dust and nerves.

You'd been fleeing the basement of a decrepit haunted house when, with a sickening crack, the bottom half of the rickety wooden staircase collapsed right behind you. George had pushed you to leave first. He'd been right behind you. On those steps.

You crouched at the edge of the shaft, terrified of what you were about to see. Your mind filled with visions of your best friend, laying prone or ghost-touched on the cold concrete below. Relief and adrenaline flooded your veins when you saw him, from the chest up, clinging to the remaining steps and legs dangling above the debris. Lockwood and Lucy, the newest member of the agency, were nowhere to be seen, but the ripple of a reforming Type Two behind George was all too noticeable. Bracing yourself as best you could, you reached down and gripped him by the forearms. You weren't sure you could lift him alone, but as soon as his knees cleared the now-bottom step he was able to scrabble his way onto his feet. He scampered up the remaining steps and slammed the hatch closed with an echoing finality.

Your hands were on him immediately - brushing hair from his eyes, turning his head side to side, adjusting his glasses, running down his arms and across his torso, anywhere you could think of to check for injuries.

George was perfectly unharmed, he knew. Nothing more than a couple of splinters embedded in his T-shirt and a slight lack of breath from where his chest had slammed into the step. But he said nothing, more than content to let the accident disguise the real reason for the quickening of his breath as you worked your fingers across almost every inch of him. As they came to rest on his chest, he prayed you would think his racing heartbeat was just from the narrow escape, his flushed face just from exertion. This really wasn't professional, any other agency would have him on a disciplinary, but he was too far gone to care. Still, probably best if Lockwood didn't find out. He wouldn't be mad, of course, but he would be so smug.

2.

You woke up in a cold sweat, barely even aware of where you were. Weeks had passed since the Bone Glass was destroyed, but you were still plagued with nightmares. Sometimes it was Lucy, hanging unconscious from the Skull. Sometimes it was Lockwood, bleeding out on the catafalque. Mostly it was George, in any number of horrifying scenarios. Tonight, you'd watched rigidly, unable to move to help no matter how much you yelled at your dream self to save him, as Joplin pressed her knife closer and closer to his throat. His echoing cry as the blade dug into his skin had flung you awake with a jolt.

A gentle tap at your door pulled you back to reality.

"Yeah?" you called, voice catching.

The sight of a familiar mop of curls, attached to a very much alive George, began to soothe your speeding heartbeat.

"Hey, is everything okay? I thought I heard you scream." Oh my god. How were you supposed to explain that away? Lockwood and Lucy were away on a case, you two were the only ones in the house and it definitely hadn't been him imagining things.

"I'm fine," you said with a smile that didn't reach your eyes.

Falteringly, George stepped further into your room as though there was an invisible barrier he wasn't sure whether to cross. "Are you sure? You don't seem fine. You're shaking." You'd dropped your gaze lest he scrutinise it, so you hadn't seen how close he'd come until he was on his knees in front of you, reaching for your trembling hands. When you didn't pull away, he took them ever so gently, grounding you. You bit back a sob. "Hey, hey," his voice softened further, "I've got you." He moved to sit next to you on the bed, bringing the hand nearest to you up to rub circles into your back.

"I'm sorry," you mumbled between sobs, "I didn't mean to wake you. It was just a stupid nightmare."

The hand left your back, then it was on your cheek, turning you to him. His thumb brushed away your tears.

"Listen to me, (name). You have nothing to be sorry for, you understand? I know what it's like, I get nightmares too sometimes and they feel so real, so don't dismiss it as stupid. And I hate the thought of you suffering in silence. You're the most important person to me, I'd do anything for you, so please let me?" He had no idea where the words came from, but he meant every single one. You nodded, still teary-eyed, and he opened his arm out to allow you to curl into his side.

It was impossible to tell how long you sat like that, but eventually your eyelids began to droop. George noticed and gently manoeuvred you to lie down, drawing the sheets up over you. You gave little protest, too exhausted to mind, until he made to move away, when he felt his hand tugged back.

"Wait." You looked up at him, a blush painting your cheeks. "Will you stay? Please?"

He gave you one of those laughs he only seemed to do around you, more of a sharp exhale through his nose accompanied by fond eyes and a soft smile. "What did I just say? I'd do anything for you." You felt the mattress shift as he settled onto the other side, keeping a respectful distance but making sure you could still feel his presence. At last, you drifted off, knowing he was there.

1.

"You look rough," Lockwood commented when George slouched into the kitchen the next morning. George wanted to bite back that he didn't look much better, hair a mess and eye bags deeper than ever, but he'd only just got back from the case with Lucy so he had a reason to be tired.

"Didn't get much sleep," George muttered, shoving a couple of slices of bread into the toast and clicking the kettle on. Normally he'd start the day with tea or juice, but this time only coffee was going to be strong enough.

Lucy appeared from the basement, looking more dishevelled than Lockwood. A huge smear of dirt coated her cheek and her shirt was torn. She'd heard the conversation. "Are you okay?" She knew George had barely slept for the first few days after the Bone Glass, and his words made her worry he was slipping back into that bad place again.

He realised what she was implying. "Oh, I'm fine. It was (name) who had the nightmare, I just stayed up to make sure they slept okay after it."

Lockwood and Lucy exchanged a glance, fighting to suppress the grins that were beginning to form. George squinted at them.

"That's very chivalrous of you," Lucy said with twitching lips.

"Oh absolutely, you're such a good friend," Lockwood continued. Lucy snorted.

"Well yeah," George frowned, "why are you saying it so weirdly?"

They stared at him like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Because you don't seem to realise how much of a crush you've got on them."

Heat rose in George's cheeks. That was ridiculous; you were his best friend.

"Look," Lucy said gently as she settled at the table, "would you come and check on me if you heard I was having a nightmare?"

"Of course. I've done it for Lockwood before too." He'd visited the other boy's room so many times during his first few months in Portland Row.

"But did you stay up all night with me? And I'm guessing you weren't on their desk chair." Lockwood raised an eyebrow.

George opened his mouth and closed it again. They were mad, they had to be. Sure, he wanted to keep you in his life forever now he'd found you again, but the same could be said of the other members of the agency. As for the need for physical contact, the butterflies it created in his stomach, the way a single smile from you could fix even the worst days, that was just… oh hell.

0.

George felt like he was in shock. All this time, all those funny little feelings he had around you, it was a crush. He could have been with you all this time if only he'd realised. Wait. That was assuming you liked him back, and surely you'd have said something, right? So there was no way you felt the same. But Lockwood and Lucy knew him so well, they would never have brought it up if they didn't think there was more to it. If they didn't know. God, this was complicated.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Your voice in the doorway made George jump. How long had you been standing there? How long had he been lost in thoughts of you, of finally telling you how he felt now he had the words?

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," you apologised sweetly as you moved to join him on his bed. "It just looked like you were thinking about something very serious, is it anything I can help with?" Yes, it absolutely was. You had no idea how much it was.

"I'm an idiot," he blurted.

You frowned, placing a hand on his knee and unwittingly sending a burst of electricity through his entire body. "You're not an idiot, Georgie. You're the smartest person I know and I love that about you, don't ever downplay it."

"No, (name)," he turned to you, gaze intense and bursting with emotion, "I am. I've been in love with you from the very beginning and it took Lockwood and Lucy intervening for me to realise." He could barely look at you now, terrified of what he might see - confusion, disgust, pity, disappointment. It wasn't how he'd planned on telling you, either. It was supposed to be so much more romantic, but he'd wasted this much time figuring it out that he couldn't bare to waste a second longer waiting for the right moment to come along. "I don't expect you to reciprocate, and it doesn't have to change things, I just wanted you to know."

Whatever reaction he was expecting, a laugh was not it. The sound was light and pure, like wind chimes in a summer breeze. "You are an idiot… for thinking there was any chance I wouldn't feel the same."

The spark from your hand on his knee reached his chest, igniting the fireworks he'd been storing safely in his heart. Colours, beautiful colours, burst before him: the rich centre of your irises, the highlights of the sun on your hair, the flush of your cheeks, the rose of your lips. Your lips.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked quietly.

"I'd be an idiot if I said no," you laughed again as you wound an arm around his waist, pulling him closer and bringing your lips to his. The lingering scent of lavender and old books blended with the taste of tea and biscuits to create a sensation that you knew was completely unique. 'You and me', you'd agreed. And here you were, you and him. You kissed him deeper, relishing in the taste. George tasted just like you'd always imagined he would. Like home.

[reigningqueenofwords]

You Deserve the Best

Pairing: Gabriel x Reader Word count: 2,227 Warnings: Unprotected sex Request: Anonymous. could I please have a Gabriel fanfic. I have been really down lately and I would love a fic where the reader is treated like a princess/goddess/royalty by him after she has a really bad day. Like she goes to bed upset and crying but wakes up in a place she always wanted to visit in a 5 star hotel. Lots of fluff and some gentle lovemaking

Read on AO3

“You could have gotten yourself killed!” Dean screamed at you as he paced the motel room. You were leaning on the headboard of your bed, while Sam patched you up. “How could you be so reckless?” His eyes were blazing with fury.

Wiping your eyes, you stared at your legs. “It’s okay for you to jump in the line of fire to protect someone, but not me?” You asked quietly, not wanting to keep up the yelling. You heard Sam sigh, but he kept out of it. He knew that the two of you were beyond stubborn, and there was no use speaking up. “Time and time again, you’ve taken the blow for Sam and me. Yet, I try to protect you, and suddenly I’m reckless?”

Dean stared at you, hands on his hips. “Yes.” He snapped. “I can handle my own, Y/N. I don’t need to worry about you dying on a case. News flash- we tend to come back from the dead. You? Not so much. So, I would appreciate it if you’d stop being so damn stupid and think.” He turned and stormed out, slamming the door. You jumped slightly.

Sam finished patching you up and sat back. “He’s just angry. It’ll pass. I think he was more scared than anything.” He told you gently. “He’ll come around. Get some rest. You need it, you worked hard out there.” He patted your leg gently and you nodded. “See you in the morning. We’ll get ice cream on the way out of town at that place you pointed out.” He smiled at you.

You smiled back, grateful that at least Sam didn’t look down on you. “Thanks, Sam. Sleep well.” You told him before he walked out, shutting the door much quieter than his brother had.

After he left, you curled up on your uninjured side and cried. Your body shook with sobs, and your eyes burned after awhile. Finally, you cried yourself to sleep, your pillow wet with your tears.

Gabriel could tell that something was wrong with you, and was hurt that you didn’t pray for him. He’d never told you how much he loved you but tried his best to show it. He popped himself into your motel room and he felt his heart break. The look on your face told him that you had been crying, and that it wasn’t over anything silly. This was a full on meltdown.

He moved to your side and suddenly the two of you were in a five star hotel in England. For the most part, you figured that he never listened to you. Oh, but he had. He was riveted by how passionate you got about travel, never letting your hunting life squish those thoughts. Now was his chance to show you that he was listening, and that those dreams weren’t out of your reach. Seeing as he didn’t need to sleep, he paid a visit to the wonder twins.

“Wake up!” He yelled at them, making them jump. Dean scrambled for his gun until he realized that it was just Gabriel.

Dean rubbed his eyes. “What the hell is wrong with you?” He snapped, laying on his side, propped up on his elbow.

“You two are really something.” He started. “I just popped into Y/N’s room, because I knew that something was off. Do you have any idea what I found?”

“Her….sleeping?” Dean asked, wanting to get back to dreamland himself.

Gabriel shook his head. “No. I found her cried out. Her pillow was soaked. And, I just know it had to be your two.” His was pissed.

Sam sat up and yawned. “She was fine when I left.  A bit upset with Dean after he stormed out, but I promised her ice cream tomorrow.”

“Oh, yeah, because that makes up for whatever you did.” He snapped.

Dean swung his legs out of bed. “I’m going to see what the hell is going on.”

Gabriel stopped him. “Don’t bother. She is currently resting in a five star hotel in England. I’ll bring her back to the bunker when she wants to go back.” With that, he snapped his fingers and was gone, leaving the brothers to look at each other, confused.

When you woke up, you sat up, blinking. You had no idea where the hell you were, or how you got there. Your side no longer hurt, and all your injuries were gone. Lifting up the side of your shirt, there was no sign that you had ever been injured. “What the hell?” You muttered to yourself.

“Not hell, sweet cheeks. England.” Gabriel smiled at you.

“England?!?!” You gasped, shoving the blankets back and rushing to the two glass doors. Opening them, you stepped out, looking around. You could see the double decker busses, Big Ben, and you smiled. Turning to him, your eyes lit up. “How in the world did you know this was the first place I wanted to visit?” You moved back into the suite, gently closing the doors behind you.

Gabriel chuckled. “I listen.” He gave you that heart stopping smile. “England, Italy, Tokyo, and then a few odd places, but those were the top ones.” You stared at him, in complete shock. “What?”

You rushed over, hugging him. “I don’t know why you did this, but thank you.” You told him as his arms wrapped around you.

“You don’t see it, do you?” He asked quietly.

Pulling away you shook your head, giving him a confused look. “See what?”

He gave you a sad smile. “All the ways I say I love you.” Okay. You had to be dreaming. There was no way that this beautiful angel just told you he loves you. “Showing up when I know you’ve had a bad day with your favorite movie, some candy, and fluffy blankets? Popping in on a tough hunt, just as you’re about to get hurt, and getting you out of the way? Leaving little gifts in your room for when you get back to the bunker? You think I do that for all the pretty hunters?” He smirked, making you roll your eyes. “Nope. Just for you.” His thumbs moved gently on your back, as neither of you wanted to break the hug. “So, until you decide you want to go back to those to idiots, you will stay here, with me. And you shall be showered with all the love, gifts, praise, and goodies you could imagine.” You chuckled. “Basically, I’m going to treat you like royalty.”

“Well, what do you get out of this? Huh?” You teased him.

“I get to see–” You cut him off, pulling him into a loving kiss. His arms tightened around you slightly as one of your hands ran through the back of his hair. When the two of you broke the kiss moments later, he had that goofy grin on his face. “Well, I guess I get that.” He laughed. “Now. You are going to start your day with a luxurious bubble bath. Complementary champagne and chocolate covered strawberries will be provided.”

You moved your hands to rub his chest lightly. “Will I also have an angel accompany in this bath?” You asked, looking up at him through your lashes.

He pecked your nose. “As much as I would love to, this is about you. You need to get some time in to relax. Besides, I need to hunt down some clothes for later. We’re having a night on the town, my beautiful huntress.”

Shaking your head, you moved out of his arms. “I think I’d prefer to stay in, to be honest.” You shrugged. “Watch movies and hang out. I just don’t feel like dealing with people right now. They’re kinda shitty in my mind right now.” He chuckled at that. “Except Sam. He’s not.” Gabriel rolled his eyes, earning a playful slap on the arm.

“Go get that bath.” He told you, motioning to where the bathroom was.

Walking in, you gasped. Never in your life had you seen such a gorgeous bathroom. There were gold accents on almost everything, and the white was actually sparkling. It certainly was a major change from the dingy motel bathrooms you were used to. Gently shutting the door behind you, you stripped out of your clothes, which you just realized weren’t even your own. They were a pajama set you didn’t recognize. After adding some bubbles, you turned on the water and stepped in. It was rare that you got to actually take the time to relax like this. The tub was a couple inches from the top when you turned off the water, letting your head fall back.

You had lost all track of time before you heard a knock on the door. Looking over, you smiled when you saw Gabriel walk in with a tray. There was a bottle of champagne, a wine glass, and a bowl with chocolate covered strawberries. “Why, thank you.” You shifted to sit up a bit, the bubbles blocking everything from view.

That didn’t mean that Gabriel didn’t find it extremely erotic. “You deserve this all the time. Seeing you in here is like it’s where you’re meant to be.” He brushed a piece of hair behind your ear, making you blush.

“That’s sweet, but I belong out there.” You motioned behind him to the door. “Saving people.” He nodded, knowing that was what you felt you needed to do.

“Join me whenever you’re ready.”

Twenty minutes later you emerged. All you were wearing was the fluffy robe, as you really hand nothing else to put on. You blushed as Gabriel looked up at you. “That was amazing.” You smiled. “However, you failed to leave me any clothes…” You pointed out bashfully.

Gabriel was lounging in one of the chairs when you came out. He got up and walked over to you. “I meant to do that, beautiful.” He told you. His thumb brushed your cheek gently. “What better way to relax than not confining yourself?”

You laughed, shaking your head. “There are other things we can do as well.” You suggested, moving so that your chest was touching his. The movement caused your robe to shift, giving him a slight view.

He wiggled his eyebrows at you. Grabbing the back of his neck, you pulled him into another kiss. Without pulling away, he moved you so your legs hit the bed. He kissed down your jaw as his fingers untied your robe. His fingers felt like whispers almost, as he slid his hands to your shoulders, letting the robe fall to the ground. You could feel his grace on your nipples, making you moan slightly. He smiled against your chest as he kissed downwards.

When he reached your core, he lifted one of your legs to his shoulder, his hands holding you up. Gabriel leaned forward, licking you slowly, gently. One of your hands moved to his hair, relishing in how soft it was. Suddenly, you felt his grace enter you, making you gasp at the sensation. He continued licking your clit, smiling when he felt your grip on his hair tighten. “Oh, Gabe!” You moaned, almost there. He pulled away, making you look at him, silently asking if he wasn’t wanting to do this.

Gabriel snapped his fingers, exposing him to you completely. He snapped them once more, and you were laying in bed with him. He was resting between your legs, looking down at you. Your hands rested on his biceps, enjoying the feeling of his muscles moving slightly. Gabriel moved down and kissed you as he slowly entered you. It felt like the two of you would melt together at any moment. It wasn’t about a quick fuck, or just getting off. This was him showing you how loved you were, enjoying the moment together, and simply being.

As he rolled his hips, you moved your arms so that one hand was on his shoulder blade, and the other was on the nape of his neck. You playfully bit his lip, making him groan. He kissed your neck before biting it, making you arch your back, your nails digging into his back slightly. “I’ve always wondered what you sound like.” His voice was husky in your ear. It went straight to your core. “It’s better than anything I could have imagined.” He moaned, rolling his hips harder.

You shifted just slightly, and snapped your eyes shut. “Gabriel…” You moaned, feeling yourself on the edge again. He leaned down, taking a nipple in his mouth and swirling his tongue around it. Gabe!“ You cried out his name, clenching around him, holding him close.

He wasn’t far behind you, burying his head in your neck, you could feel his breathing quicken. His left hand moved down, grabbing your thigh and pulling it up. He started thrusting, and on the last one, he cried out your name, pulsing inside you.

Gabriel let your leg down, kissing you once more. Smiling, he rolled off of you, holding you to his chest. You traced small circles on his chest, both of you trying to catch your breath. Smiling up at him, you simply watched the way his eyes seemed to be taking in every aspect of you. “Hey, Gabriel?” You whispered.

His eyes locked with yours. “Hm?”

“I love you, too.”

[pulisicz]

have we been here before? - mason mount

i guess things have come full circle

summary - you and mason used to “date” back in middle school, which then led to a more serious relationship in high school, but due to mason pursuing his football career, you two spilt.

now, years later, you two are reunited.

♡︎

pairing - mason mount x fem!reader

song inspo - n/a

warnings! - none, this is straight fluff

word count - 1.5k

note - i will 100% be making a part 2

-

mason had had a long day. getting back into the season had been hard, especially after the heartbreak of what happened at the world cup.

another loss…

it was hard on all of the guys, but that doesn’t mean that they could just be all sad and not give it 110% for their club teams.

it was, however, nice to get back with the team.

mason had missed all of them a lot, but mainly his two best mates, christian and ben.

“i hate to be the one to say this, but there’s always next time. we had a rough fight, but we did well, lads”. harry maguire says as they all get situated in their plane seats.

after the long plane ride, the boys were finally back in england. yes, loosing the world cup sucked, but being back home was nice.

mason’s sister, stacey, and his mom, picked him up from the airport.

“oh my god, stacey, what are you doing here?” mason said, being more shocked than ever.

his sister lives in australia, and after she and her family came to see mason play, she was supposed to go back to australia, at least that was the plan. but stacey had wanted to surprise mason by visiting england for a little.

the car ride home was nice. he got to catch up with his sister, which was much needed. he also got a moment of peace from all of the craziness in his life, which was very refreshing.

mason didn’t have to go back to chelsea training for another week, so he got to rest and do whatever he wanted for a good while. although mason was excited to spend time with his family and friends, the only thing he could think of at the moment was getting into his bed to take a much needed nap.

-

you were almost done with your errands, the only place left to go to was the grocery store. you went over your list to see what you needed and headed into the store, list and pen in hand.

apples

grapes

saltine crackers

lemonade

lettuce

tomato’s

shredded cheese

caesar salad dressing

croutons

granola bars

you didn’t need much so it shouldn’t be a long trip.

you were almost finished with your list, only a couple items left when you realized you needed to grab more bread.

you are carefully going over your list and assessing what you had already gotten as you turn to the bread aisle, not paying attention to your surroundings. you collide with someone else’s cart, which shake you from your focus.

“oh shit, i’m sorry! i wasn’t looking where i was go-ing…. mason?”

you stand there, unable to think, but trying to think at the same time.

what is he doing here?

“what are you doing here?” you ask, as if it’s not the most obvious answer. he’s obviously getting groceries.

“i’m getting groceries, and you?”

your mind is racing. it had been 5 years since you last saw him. 5 years since the two of you were dating. 5 years since you were your happiest self.

“doing the same. um. how have you been?”

you really had no idea what to say. for someone you used to know so well, you’re acting as if this is your first time meeting.

“i’ve been good. i just back into town today and wanted to run out to get some things. nothing much though. what about you? are you still into photography?”

photography… he remembered

“yes i am! i’m actually studying photography at oxford, along with english. it’s been a really cool experience. — and what do you mean by not much, didn’t you just get back from the world cup? that’s insane mason! you did amazing!”

“thank you. i tried”

-

mason couldn’t believe he ran into y/n. all the memories flooded him.

she still studies photography…

mason remembered everything about her. he remembered how she always wanted to be an author, but had the biggest passion for photography. he remembered how oxford was the only school she wanted to go to. he remembered that she had started writing a book their senior year.

her book.

“did you end up finishing your book?” mason asked remembering about her book.

the book was something y/n had put all her time into. she was not passionate about writing it, and mason was ecstatic for her, but she was still in the very early stages of it when they had broken up, so he never got to see it really come together.

“my book?” y/n seemed puzzled. did she forget about it? did she finish it? does she have no idea what i’m talking about? masons mind started wandering. was it weird that i asked?

y/n stood there think for a few more seconds before her eyes lit up.

“YOU REMEMBER?!”

“how could i forget? you poured your entire heart into that book. i never got to see it come together. did you end up finishing it?”

y/n’s smile faded just a little.

“sadly not. i had to put it on the back burner to focus on my studies, and even now i only work on it from time to time. i still want to finish it though.”

this made mason smile a little. hearing that she was still working on her book made him happy. it was like nothing had changed. y/n was still y/n. the only thing is, is that mason is now a world famous footballer, and y/n is a student at oxford.

“i hate to break this reunion up, but i have to finish my grocery shopping and get back to my dorm. my roommate is going to kill me if i’m not home soon. it was so nice to see you mason”.

no.

no.

mason couldn’t just let her leave like he did to her 5 years ago.

“y/n?”

y/n turned back around before leaving the asile.

“can i get your number? i have gotten a new number since senior year and i really want to get together with you some time”.

y/n walked over to mason and he gave her his phone so she could put in her number.

“i’ll see you later, mason”. y/n said, putting a little emphasis on his name.

the second y/n walked out of the aisle, mason did a little celebration dance before composing himself to finish shopping.

—————————————————————————

“would you want to go to the 49 cafe for brunch tomorrow?”

mason had typed and retyped his text about 5 times. why was he so nervous? is just a date. it’s not even a proper date, it’s just brunch, nothing fancy.

delivered.

-

you were at your desk studying for your upcoming exam in your psych class when your phone lit up.

mason was the name on your screen and your heart skipped a beat. you had hoped he would text sooner than later, but certainly not this early, although you weren’t complaining.

as you read the text you couldn’t help but blush. you pull your knees up on the chair to lean your chin on as you text mason back.

“i would love to! what time?”

you saw the three dots show up almost immediately, which only made you blush more.

“does someone finally have a little boyfriend?” your roommate, emily, asks in a giddy, yet, sarcastic tone. emily has always pushed you to go out more, but being the introvert you were, chose to stay home writing, studying, or editing photos from your photo shoots.

“hmm? oh, no. i just saw a funny video”.

lies.

you had never ever lied to emily, but you couldn’t tell her that you were going on a date with mason mount.

“you’re lying, i know you too well”.

emily hops off her bed and makes her way towards you. you knew you were a bad lier, but no matter how good the lie was, emily would always see right through you.

“so, what’s his name?”

“mason”

emily starts smiling and jumping up and down.

“y/n finally has a boyfriend” emily says in a sing-song type voice while skipping around in a circle like a 5 year old.

“i don’t have a boyfriend, em. it’s just brunch”.

well, i did have a boyfriend.

you hadn’t told emily about mason yet, and you weren’t ever planning on telling her, but being reunited with mason might have to bring you to tell her, but that was a problem for another day.

you look back at your phone to see if mason had texted back the time for tomorrow, and as expected, the blue bubble has appeared.

“11 AM?”

you look at your schedule to make sure you definitely don’t have any classes at that time, and after seeing you have nothing, you text him back.

“works for me”

“perfect. i’ll see you tomorrow, y/n”

[this-daydream-is-dangerous-13]

Taylor’s use of 7 is Haylor, including seven: a thesis

Buckle up, friends. Ever since hearing the seven poem aloud on the Eras tour—with its explicit link to Wildest Dreams—it confirmed my long-held suspicion that *seven* is Haylor.

Some data:

- all track 7s post Red seem to be Haylor

- 7 is Harry’s number (added to hers you get 20, hence all the references to 20)

- seven is track 7 on folklore, the album Taylor released on 1D’s 10th anniversary. What? Harry had released Fine Line on her previous bday (#30, Dec 13/19) and she’d missed his Feb 1st day already.

But bestie, you might ask, how is it possible? Let me explain, drawing from details of the song.

We know that Anne and Des Styles divorce when Harry is 7. Anne has primary custody of H and Gemma in Holmes Chapel, but they remain close to Des whom they see on weekends.

But then, there is a period in their lives that no one knows much about and no one speaks about. Even this gem (which I am currently citing) - a 1D origin story has very little.

Harry has another stepdad whose last name is Cox (which was Anne’s name during 1D X factor time). His name was John. They family move to Great Budworth in the Cheshire countryside where Anne is landlady in a pub (and Harry talks fondly of ice cream runs and first girlfriends).

But then when H is around 12, Anne and the kids are back in Holmes Chapel. Anne eventually dates and gets serious with Harry’s beloved, now late stepdad Robin Twist. And Harry sometimes mentions his overwhelming desire to protect his Mom and Gemma at all costs.

No one ever mentions this guy. Ever.

Fast forward a few years to the magical December of 2012. After work commitments, Harry and Taylor spent 4 or 5 days in the north of England. They stay with Anne, and they Christmas bake and go on double dates with Gemma and her then boyfriend, and grocery shop and hang out with his friends. He takes her to the Lakes, where she’s dreamed of going.

It’s her 23rd birthday and be showers her with surprises and 23 thoughtful gifts (she’s not writing The Moment I Knew on his watch!). He gets her food from his childhood fave Chinese place and the bakery where he worked! He is showing her his life. It’s documented here…

Including their visit to a pub in Great Budworth and a drive around the area.

We have no idea what happened, but maybe Taylor does?

Taylor never got to take him to Pine Tree farm in rural PA, as far as we know. But in the depths of the pandemic, when no one could go anywhere, she paints him a picture of her PA childhood.

And in it, we find a fictionalized friend who has a difficult and maybe scary father figure. One from whom Taylor wishes she could save and protect her friend, despite crossing her heart and promising not to tell.

What a gift, to affirm the struggle this child went through, and to show her care and desire to *be with them in it*.

She wanted to scoop him up and take him away from the closet tears to play pirates and “run away to India”. What kid in rural PA wishes to go there? Come on! 😭😭😭

And then, here are the lyrics she pens:

“Passed on like folk songs, the love lasts so long”

“And just like a folk song, our love will be passed on…”

And most significantly - *love you to the moon and to Saturn* 🌙🪐 !!!!!

She wasn’t kidding in Gold Rush - “my mind turns your life into folklore, I can’t bear to dream about you any more.”

[blackswaneuroparedux]

“France is in the throes of violent birth”: Thomas Jefferson and the 1789 French Revolution

"The deputies retired, the people rushed against the place, and almost in an instant were in possession of a fortification, defended by 100 men, of infinite strength..."

• Ambassador Thomas Jefferson report on the events on 14 July 1789.

The excerpt shown here is from a letter in Jefferson’s own hand to Secretary of Foreign Affairs John Jay. In great depth, he describes the events of July 14, 1789, including the storming of the Bastille in Paris. The Bastille was a symbol of the old regime, and housed arms, gunpowder, and prisoners.

On 14 July 1789, the U.S. Ambassador to France, Thomas Jefferson, was a witness to the events of  a day in Paris that is commonly associated with the beginning of the French Revolution. Jefferson recorded the events of the day in a lengthy and detailed letter to John Jay, then Secretary of Foreign Affairs.

The American Revolutionary War began as a conflict between the colonies and England. In time, what began as a civil disturbance turned into a world war drawing France, Spain, and the Netherlands into the hostilities. France would send troops, ships, and treasure to support the American effort.   During the war, one of the first priorities of the French government and its allies was to raise funds to fight the war.

When the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, France was virtually broke and on the edge of social catastrophe, the result of decades of war with England and other countries. The poor suffered hunger and privation. By 1789, revolution would come to France.

In 1785, Thomas Jefferson arrived in Paris to replace Benjamin Franklin, who was retiring as ambassador to France. At the age of 81, Franklin returned to the United States where he would serve as President of the Pennsylvania Assembly and also participated in the Constitutional  Convention of 1787.

John Adams was reassigned to London where he would be the first American ambassador to the Court of St. James. Jefferson remained on duty in France until late 1789 when he returned to the United States. While in France, Jefferson reported on developments at the court of King Louis XVI, the country at large, and the rest of Europe.

Jefferson was sympathetic to the revolution, opening his home in Paris to its leaders and assisting his friend the Marquis de Lafayette with drafting the Declaration of the Rights of Man. As the first Secretary of State under the Constitution and George Washington, his support for France and the revolution continued.

His friendship to the Marquis de Lafayette, who served in the War of Independence and lived almost 10 years in the USA, became very important in the beginning of the French revolution. The Marquis was the General of the french forces 1789 and tried to prevent a civil war and turmoil. He corresponded with Jefferson, who came from a country with the same experiences. Jefferson and the Marquis agreed that France was not mature to become a republic but a constitutional monarchy, like in Great Britain. However, this was the decision of the national assembly, of which the Marquise was a member. Jefferson went daily to Versailles to inform himself about the decisions. During Jefferson’ s visits, they passed the following laws:

1. Freedom of the person by habeas corpus 2. Freedom of conscience 3. Freedom of the press 4. Trial by jury 5. A representative legislature 6. Annual meetings 7. The origination of laws

This totally fit to Jefferson’s principles. In addition, there was passed a bill, which was prepared by Lafayette and Jefferson and which abolish any title or rank to make all men equal.

Thomas Jefferson also helped his friend Lafayette to bring the different opinions in his party about the constitution to an agreement. France should become a constitutional monarchy.

However, after this, Jefferson recognised that he is not allowed to interfere in the French domestic affairs and that he should be neutral and represent his country. He left France in the thinking that the Revolution was over and that France would grow to a constitutional monarchy. Jefferson was proud of the achievements in France and after his return to USA he declared: “ So ask the travelled inhabitant of any nation, In what country on earth would you rather live? - Certainly, in my own where are all my friends, my relations, and the earliest and sweetest affections and recollections of my life. Which would be your second choice? France."

For all his francophile fervour, as the chief American diplomatic representative, Jefferson’s Enlightenment had been a conventionally English one, dominated above all by John Locke. And Jefferson’s first impressions of America’s principal ally in the Revolution were not positive ones. “The nation,” he confided to Abigail Adams in 1787, “is incapable of any serious effort but under the word of command.”

The stars of the French Enlightenment - Voltaire, Diderot, d’Holbach - were frivolous and useful only for manufacturing “puns and bon mots; and I pronounce that a good punster would disarm the whole nation were they ever so seriously disposed to revolt.”

The events of the spring of 1789 soon changed all of that before Jefferson’s very eyes. “The National Assembly,” he excitedly wrote to Tom Paine, “having shewn thro’ every stage of these transactions a coolness, wisdom, and resolution to set fire to the four corners of the kingdom and to perish with it themselves rather to relinquish an iota from their plan of a total change of government” had excited Jefferson’s imagination as nothing before.

Even when the Paris mob seized the Bastille and beheaded the hapless officers of the Bastille, Jefferson shrugged it aside as a mere incident, since “the decapitations” had accelerated the king’s surrender. As Jefferson would write later, “in the struggle which was necessary, many guilty persons fell without the forms of trial, and with them some innocent.” But rather than seeing the French Revolution fail, “I would have seen half the earth desolated. Were there but an Adam and an Eve left in every country and left free, it would be better than as it now is.”

Jefferson’s admiration for the French Revolution seemed to increase in direct proportion to his distance from it. And once he returned to America at the end of 1789, one of his chief motives for taking the post of Secretary of State was to observe and encourage the French eruption, when the National Assembly seized and redistributed the lands of the Catholic Church, when the king foolishly attempted to flee France, only to be captured, placed on trial and executed.

And when a Committee of Public Safety began a national purge - the “reign of terror” - Jefferson continued to describe the French Revolution as part of “the holy cause of freedom,” and sniffed that “the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.”

There is no question that Jefferson’s influence in the beginning of the French Revolution was very important. His initial moderate counsels and ideas helped in the beginning to prevent a civil war. His opinion that France was not mature to become a republic is probably right, because after 600 years of monarchy and aristocracy they people were not used to have any rights or take part in political matters. Jefferson thought that a republic had to develop from a constitutional monarchy. When you look to the cruel end of the French Revolution, Jefferson’s assessment was right up to a point.

Jefferson’s time as Secretary of State coincided with the most explosive phase of the French Revolution. What started as an attempt to dismantle the Ancien Régime and institute a constitutional monarchy blossomed into a radical experiment in creating an entirely new republican society. As his correspondence with Minister to France Gouverneur Morris and Minister to the Netherlands William Short during the emergence of the Jacobin Terror reveals, Jefferson responded to the violent radicalisation of the Revolution with enthusiastic support.

His advocacy for the French Revolution did not signify his emergence as a disruptive insurrectionist in favour of purposeless violence, anarchy and unbridled populism. Instead, he advocated for recognition and support of the Jacobin government as a successful international analog to the republican project he wanted to pursue at home at the expense of the “monarchical” aspirations of Hamilton and the Federalists. 

In practice, the parallels he imagined between the ideal Jeffersonian and Jacobin republics were usually more apparent than real, as Jefferson often ignored the reports of Morris and Short in favour of fanciful idealising of his French counterparts – a problem Jefferson would only come to grips with in retirement.

Despite these dilemmas, Jefferson’s impassioned advocacy for the French Revolution proved effective, emerging as a cornerstone of the burgeoning Republican Party’s foreign policy and remaining important well into the early nineteenth century, until the Revolution ceased to be an important political issue. It was not until he became President in 1801 that Jefferson’s views toward France began to cool and became more pragmatic, highlighted by the Louisiana Purchase Treaty.

[boatem-probler]

Lizzie LDShadowlady Has the Weirdest Day of Her Life So Far in... Tokyo Soul!

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / You Are Here! / 7 / 8 / 9

I was pretty excited for this one, since I, like many other people, am Very Intrigued by the idea of one of the people in the Life Series having known C!Grian during this part of his life.

It might seem a little underwhelming, since no really big plot things happen in these episodes (inasmuch as Tokyo Soul has a plot), but think about it from Lizzie's perspective.

To the trio we've been following, and to someone like me who has been watching this whole trainwreck for 21 episodes, this is a normal day at school. To Lizzie, she just went to visit a friend who moved away and all of a sudden she's meeting The Actual Chupacabra.

She gets just a thin slice of the fever dream that is Grian's life, and no context for any of it, and I think that's fun to think about.

Anyway, let's actually get to it.

This report contains mentions of: blood, knives, stalking, harassment

Previously on Tokyo Soul:

“This is the most I’ve learned since we’ve been at this school, to be honest.” – Taurtis

This Time...

Episode 22 – QUEEN OF ENGLAND!

Grian and Taurtis barge into Sam’s room, waking him up. They need to pick up Lizzie, Grian’s friend from back in England!! Sam is insistent that they are about to meet the Actual Queen Of England.

Taurtis just has a giant anime sword in his hotbar for some reason. Not either of the giant anime swords Jason had, and also I think not the demon sword Igbar found in the dump, a completely new giant anime sword.

They meet Lizzie at the train station and Sam bows and hands her a cup of tea. Lizzie immediately picks up on what he’s doing and agrees that she is, in fact, the Queen. Grian is annoyed.

Taurtis gives her all the Taurtis clone blood he still has in his pockets for whatever reason. Lizzie is thrown a bit off guard by this.

Grian: “If I’ve learnt anything hanging out with them, it’s that you need to go with what they’re doing, otherwise they slightly lose it.” Lizzie: “Okay, I’m going with it. Who wants to rub blood on themselves?”

Lizzie claims she’s never had detention in her life.

Sam introduces Lizzie as the Queen of England to everyone at the park and wonders if they should have a welcoming ceremony, and Lizzie tells him people usually have a red carpet prepared for her, but she understands that this trip was on short notice. Grian is protesting this in the background.

Geode’s face is melting again. He is once again confused by Grian and Lizzie having similar accents.

They take Lizzie to Señor Loro’s office so she can wrestle for her class schedule. She seems to take this in stride. Also, no one has updated the class schedules since Tori died.

Someone wrote “Unloved Child” on Grian’s locker.

Mr. Chupa is going to teach his class the practical life skill of How To Hide A Body! He wants Grian to volunteer to act as the “body”. He then tries to demonstrate how to find a convenient place to stash the body, such as a closet, but Igbar is already in the closet.

He then announces that sometimes in life, people will just want to kill you, and proceeds to barricade the door, pull out a knife, and tell everyone to run. He chases the class around an obstacle course he built on school grounds. When they reach the end, he tells them they all get As.

Episode 23 – THE CREEPY MAN!

They go into Dr. Nurse’s classroom. Taurtis stole Sam’s teddy bear out of his locker again. Sam tells Lizzie to smack Taurtis upside the head for him. She smacks Taurtis upside the head. Taurtis tells Dr. Nurse that Lizzie hit him. Sam corroborates. Dr. Nurse gives Lizzie detention.

Dr. Nurse takes them all up to the rooftop to learn how not to get hurt. This involves jumping onto an inflatable bag on the ground below that is surrounded by fire. Grian jumps immediately and somehow lands it perfectly.

Igbar falls into the fire and has to run over to the pond. Sam pushes someone off. Taurtis throws Sam’s teddy bear into the flames and Sam jumps in after it. Once everyone is on the ground, Dr. Nurse tells them to “battle and push each other into the flames”. Even Sam is forced to admit they aren’t really learning much.

On the way to lunch, Grian and Lizzie discuss Cheeky Nandos, and how you have to live it to understand it.

Señor Loro shows up to collect Lizzie for her detention. He’s mad at her for dishonorably crying for mercy and then punching him out of the ring when she was wrestling for her schedule. He pulls out a FOURTH, DISTINCT GIANT ANIME SWORD.

Sam tries to blackmail Señor Loro by threatening to tell the principal that he was playing Minecraft on his office computer instead of working. This fails, because the principal is Señor Loro’s brother-in-law. Grian tries to get Señor Loro to give Sam detention. Instead, Señor Loro sends them all to the corner. Taurtis objects, on the basis that he hasn’t done anything, he’s a good student, he almost does his homework somet–

There is a very abrupt cut, after which Dr. Nurse, Mr. Chupa, AND Geode are all in the room, implying that Taurtis has been arguing for a WHILE. Just kidding this show isn’t that sophisticated. But I’m imagining it and it’s funny.

Señor Loro tells Sam and Lizzie to get in the ring and wrestle each other, because he’s bored. Meanwhile, Taurtis tries to get Grian to give him his ramen noodles, and Grian says he only has one noodle left but they could Lady-and-the-Tramp it.

Lizzie wins the wrestling match immediately.

In gym class, they play dodgeball, which means Jerry makes Sam, Taurtis, Grian, and Lizzie stand on a red line while everyone else throws toilet paper at them, because the school didn’t have enough budget to get basketballs. This quickly devolves into utter chaos.

In the confusion, Old Kurokuma sneaks into the girls’ locker room and emerges wearing Lizzie’s clothes.

Episode 24 – RUN LIZZIE!

Kurokuma has fucking vanished, so the boys offer to get Lizzie some new clothes. First, though, they have to go to Geode’s class. The boys leave their gym uniforms on in solidarity.

There is a huge pile of dirt and trash in the middle of Geode’s classroom.

Geode makes Lizzie stand in front of the class and answer questions about how many organs she has. She claims she has two hearts because she’s a Time Lord. Geode pulls out a knife. Lizzie runs back to her seat. Geode is Very Confused.

Geode wants the class to build beacons around the school so he can contact his superiors. Er, he means his Aunt.

He accidentally hands Sam a book with a “List of Chosen Ones” in it. His list of criteria must be seen to be believed.

Sam spots Old Kurokuma scuttling around the school hallways, and they all chase after him to get Lizzie’s clothes back. They follow him back to his house. Naturally, they break in.

He has an LDShadowlady shrine in his house. They read his diary. It says he wants to think of a way to lure Lizzie to his house and trap her there, which Lizzie finds a somewhat alarming thing to read while she’s actually in his house.

They spot Kurokuma outside, so they all hide in a room with chains in the basement, as you do. Then they bolt while Kurokuma is upstairs looking for his diary.

There sure are a lot of beacon beams around the school now, and they sure are visible from a good distance away!

The episode ends rather anticlimactically, with the gang just sitting down to pretend to watch some cartoons in their house before Lizzie has to catch her train back to England.

Grian Trauma Count!

Traumatic Events:

Physical well-being is put in danger in half his school classes today.

His friend being creeped on by the same creepy old man who's been stalking him and his other friends since they got to this town.

Also some random person he doesn't even have any beef or history with just decided to write "unloved child" on his locker.

And Special for This Report, Lizzie's Weird Fucking Visit to Tokyo Count!

Within minutes of arriving, she is handed a whole bunch of blood by someone she only knows as Grian's Friend.

Grian lightly implies that his friends are some ambiguous idea of "crazy".

On the way to school, Lizzie is introduced to: "Jerry", who looks weirdly like Grian's friend Taurtis but with a grotesquely swollen head, which she is informed is because Jerry is a clone of Taurtis who almost exploded but didn't. A creepy old man who Grian's friend Sam says is their friend who works at the panty shop, but who they all still seem really uncomfortable around anyway. And Professor Geode, whose face is melting off and who doesn't know what an English accent is, which is apparently normal.

At school, she has to wrestle the guidance counselor to get a class schedule.

The first class is taught by The Chupacabra, who chases them around the school with a knife. The teacher of the second class gives Lizzie detention and makes them all jump off the school roof into a fire pit.

For her detention, Lizzie is threatened with a giant sword by the guidance counselor and then made to wrestle Grian's friend Sam.

Gym class is taught by "Jerry" and consists of everyone throwing toilet paper rolls at each other.

The creepy old man from earlier steals Lizzie's clothes out of her gym locker.

The next class is taught by the melting face man, who asks her about her organs and pulls a knife on her, then gives the class a completely nonsensical task that he's really evasive about and that Grian seems really apprehensive of.

Instead of doing the class activity they go chasing after the creepy old man, break into his house, find out he has a shrine of Lizzie in his room, hide in a Chain Basement, and get out by the skin of their teeth.

Grian takes Lizzie to the train station.

That's kind of a lot to take in, ya know?? And that's not even getting into the many ways you could headcanon that she got from Relatively Normal England to the Minecraft Multiverse (especially if you know what happens at the end of Tokyo Soul. There's a lot of room for fic ideas here). Personally, I'm having a lot of fun imagining her as some kind of Isekai Protagonist.

Next Time... Everyone In the Comments of This Video Is Saying It Aged Poorly Specifically Because of the Guest, So That's Just Real Nice