#proud to be a swede for once

[pitchsidestories]

love is everywhere II Ewa Pajor x Reader

romantic masterlist | platonic masterlist | word count: 1696

summary: Ewa and Reader have a toddler named Sophie together who loves going to Ewa's games.

author's note: Dear readers, the oneshot was inspired by this cute request here, please enjoy. 🫶🏻🫶🏻

As soon as the little girl walked into the dressing room in her oversized Barcelona shirt, all eyes were on her. The Barcelona players stopped their pre-game rituals to greet the brightly smiling toddler. Despite all their cooing and waving, the girl walked directly towards her targets.

“Frido, Ingrid!”, she called out as she launched herself at the two Scandinavian players for a hug.

Fridolina kneeled down to her: “Min älsking!”

“Oh hello.”, Ingrid said, surprised by the little girls hug.

Sophie beamed at them with big eyes: “Hi.”

Ewa watched from the other side of the room with a proud smile on her face, delighted by how much her daughter loved her new football team and vice versa.

At least until Caroline bumped her elbow into Ewas side: “Ewa, your daughter loves me more than you.”

“Sure, Caro.”, the polish striker rolled her eyes.

“At least she’s wearing a jersey with my name on it.”

Ewa sighed. Sophie already had an impressive collection on Barcelona jerseys with different players on their backs but this morning she was adamant to wear her Graham one and refused to change into a different one.

“She only likes the number ten, that’s got nothing to do with you.”, Ewa replied with a grin.

“She’ll stay delusional about that.”, Marta joked which earned her a glare from Caroline.

“She clearly loves Frido and Ingrid the most.”, Ewa noticed as she watched Ingrid braid Sophias hair.

Mapis smile grew wider as she joined the conversation. Everyone already knew what she was about to say before she said it.

“Oh yes, definitely. But I can’t blame her because same.”

Her teammates broke out into a collective groan.

“Mapi!”

The defender shrugged innocently: “What? It’s not a crime to love ones’ girlfriend.”

“No but that’s different.”, Ewa argued.

“Obviously.”, Mapi laughed.

The group went silent once the smile disappeared from Sophies face for the first time today. She looked Fridolina up and down who was the only one not dressed in her football kit. “Frido? You can’t play today?”

“Sadly not.”, the Swede confirmed.

“But does that mean you’ll sit with Mami and me?”

“Yes, we’ll sit together.”

The worried crease on the little girls forehead disappeared in an instant and she grabbed Fridolinas hand with new excitement.

“Someone’s very happy about it.”, you commented as Fridolina and Sophie joined you to walk to your seats.

“At least someone is happy about the injury.”, Fridolina joked with a shrug.

You smiled: “Alexia already promised her popcorn too.”

“She’s just trying to win her over.”, Fridolina laughed as you finally reached your seats.

Alexia appeared out of nowhere, popcorn in hand: “I’m just making sure that Sophie stays a lifelong Culer.”

“Pretty sure she’ll be that.”, the Swedish player stated with an amused smile on her lips.

“Of course it’s the best club in the entire world. So much better than Wolfsburg too.”, the team captain teased.

“Hey, without the VfL Sophie wouldn’t be here.”, you reminded her chuckling. In the background your daughter sung the Barcelona hymn passionately.

“Yes, do not underestimate the Wolfsburg connection.”, Fridolina added.

With a more serious facial expression Alexia continued to talk. “I know. Sadly, we’ll never see you in blaugrana.”

“Right.”, you swallowed hard, you missed playing on the pitch yourself, especially as you watched Ewa and her teammates lined up, anticipating the beginning of the football game.

 “Never say never.”, the Scandinavian blonde replied in an encouraging tone that eased the pain somewhat.

“The injury put an end to it anyway.”, you muttered blinking away the upcoming tears. Receiving such a horrible diagnosis back in the day was not easy for you or for your relationship, the only good thing that came out of it was your daughter who loved the game as much as you two did.

“Mami, Frido, Ale, the game has started!”, Sophie threw in impatiently, her eyes which were so like Ewa’s shining with childlike joy.

A few weeks later you’d witness something even grander, both crying overjoyed when Poland did qualify for the first time for a big international tournament. Only topped by the fact that it was your wife’s birthday. It was an historic moment forever engraved inside your brain.

But now you heard Alexia sighing satisfied as your excited daughter climbed onto her lap. “Finally.”

“I’m sure you’ve some other qualities that Barcelona could benefit from.”, Fridolina picked up on your earlier conversation.  

“I do, I’m continuing my university degree.”, you revealed to her nervously.

“They’ll talk through the whole game, right, Ale?”, Sophie groaned in annoyance.

“Hey, can you shut up? Sophie and I are trying to watch a game!”, the Catalan midfielder requested.

“No, because the news is fucking amazing!”, her teammate shook her head.

“Goool.”, your child cheered untouched by the women chatting.  

“Who scored?”, Alexia asked curiously.

“Mama!”, Sophie yelled, wearing a proud grin on her face.

“Your mami is a great goal scorer, Soph.”, she remarked.

“I know!”, the girl exclaimed in delight.

Meanwhile the Barcelona team had found their rhythm dominating every part in the match like usually, naturally the second goal was about to happen at any given time.

“And another goal.”, Alexia chirmed, swirling Sophie around who squealed cheerfully. You noticed that no one was immune to the happiness that your daughter radiated. The midfielder was watching the game through the child’s eyes and was reminded of her own childhood when she watched the games with her family.

When the final whistle blew, nothing could keep Sophie in her seat. She bounced up and down with impatient excitement, begging to go on the pitch to her mum. Luckily, Ewa already walked towards you, a gently smile on her face and the game ball under her arm. She quickly kissed you on the cheek before lifting Sophie over the barrier onto the pitch.

“Soph, did you see my goal?”, the striker asked her daughter while she knelt down in front of her.

Sophie nodded: “I did!”

“This ball is for you.” She handed her daughter the ball that she just had scored a goal with earlier in the game.

You didn’t think that Sophies eyes could get any bigger, but they did. She only stared at her mum while holding the ball in both hands, too stunned to say anything

Ewa turned to you: “Come down here too.”

“Me? I’m not a player…“

“I don’t care. Come celebrate with us.“, the striker laughed.

Sophie who had just found her voice again, sided with her mum: “Yes, come here!”

Smirking, Ewa shrugged: “You heard her.“

“Can’t say no to her.“, you chuckled.

“No, you can’t.“

You made your way down to the pitch where Ewa and Sophie were already passing the ball back and forth. As soon as your daughter saw you, she called out: “Play with us!”

“Okay.“, you agreed while Ewa played a perfect pass to you.

“You’re playing without me?”, Alexia interrupted your game, grinning.

Sophie frowned at the midfielder: “You’re injured.“

“You sound like my coach.“

You gave Barcelonas captain a one shouldered shrug: “She’s right though.“

“Yeah, fine.“, Alexia finally gave in, only slightly frustrated about her injury.

Your daughter seemed to notice her unhappiness and darted towards her for a quick hug: “We can play when you’re fit again.“

Alexia laughed, ruffling Sophies hair: “I will remind you of that.“

The stadium started to empty but you stayed on the grass, playing passes and taking shots on the goal until it got dark.

It was already past Sophies bedtime when you finally tucked her in. But even with all the excitement and the football session at the stadium, she was still awake when you finished reading her a bedtime story.

“Mums?”, she mumbled into her pillow right before you and Ewa were about to leave her room.

“Yes?”, Ewa asked, pausing next to her daughters bed.

“That was such a cool game.“, Sophie yawned, tired but content.

Ewa smiled: “It was, huh?”

“Your goal was cool too.”

“It was for you and mum.“, Ewa explained, winking at you.

“That’s sweet.“, Sophie sighed, overcome with sleep. Her eyelids dropped and her breathing began to slow.

You pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, trying not to wake her up: “Good night, love.“

Ewa closed the door behind her as you left your daughter’s room. She paused in the hallway for a moment, studying your face. “Barcelona looks good on you.“

“It does on you too. And on your goal.”, you winked.

“Thanks.”, she ran awkwardly a hand through her open hair. Attention on her solely always made her nervous, it was a team sport after all, the only thing which truly counted was winning or loosing a game together.

The Polish striker intertwined your fingers with hers while you both went to your bedroom. Amusedly you glanced at her side profile as you opened the door.  “Also, you know that we can never leave now that Sophie fell in love with the team, the club and the city.”

“Maybe that was the plan all along.”, Ewa replied half-jokingly and half-seriously.

“Oh, you mean the Wolfsburg connection has proved that.”, you raised an eyebrow.

“Actually, I was joking. I’m happy she likes it here so much.”, the forward clarified, laying down on the bed next to you, propping her head, her catlike eyes lovingly looked at you.

“Me too.”, you hummed approvingly.

In a more earnest sounding tone, she continued. “And you like it here too?”

You noticed the football player furrowing lines appearing on her forehead, the topic seemed to worry her.  

“I do, it’s the change of scenery I think I needed, what about you?”, you answered with a counter-question, trying to soothe her worries.

“Same. It was the right decision.”, Ewa declared smiling.

You whole-heartedly agreed with her on this.

And your daughter was able to see that love truly was everywhere, not just the romantic one you had with her mum, in Barcelona you did feel more comfortable exchanging intimacies in public, the family love the three of you shared, but also the platonic love the team had for one another.

Love was all around.

if you enjoyed this story reblogs, comments and likes are always appreciated ! 🫶🏻🫶🏻

[outsideratheart]

A Return Worth Celebrating (Fridolina Rolfo x reader)

A/N: Here’s a little something to celebrate Frido’s return to team training!

Monday’s had the reputation of being terrible but not this Monday. No, today was a good day. Today was the day that Fridolina Rolfö, your girlfriend, returned to team training. 

“You ready?” You ask as you walk out onto the field together. 

“As I’ll ever be” the blonde wore a smile on her face but you knew deep down that she was nervous. The two of you had spent the night previous cuddled in bed discussing what the blonde was feeling and why she was feeling it. 

Before you reach the group you wrap your arm around her waist, pulling her close as you place a gentle kiss on her hairline. 

“You’ve got this. You are strong and you are powerful” 

“What? I’m not beautiful today?” Fridolina knows the mantra well, you had made her say it to herself whenever she was having a bad day. 

“You, Miss Rolfö, will always be beautiful in my eyes. Now let’s get going. I’ve haven’t been late once this season and I won’t have you tarnishing my impeccable record” you jog off towards your team mates. 

“Right because I’m the bad influence out the two of us” the swede says sarcastically. Everyone knew it was you who corrupted her. 

The session goes better than Frido expected. Her passes were accurate, her movement fluid and much to her surprise her fitness wasn’t far off from where it was before. It did come as a shock to find your cubby empty as she entered the locker room. She assumed you had gone for a shower until she saw a note sitting in her locker. 

I had to go. See you at home. 

I love you, always. 

Y/N. 

“What no celebrations for your return?” Ingrid asks. 

“Looks like she had a meeting or something. We discussed our schedules on Friday and she didn’t mention anything. It must be something last minute” Frido defended your actions even if they had hurt her. 

She had been so excited to be back on the pitch for numerous reasons but being able to play with you again was top of that list. You seemed so happy for her this morning and she automatically assumed you would do something together to celebrate. 

Little did she know you did have plans to celebrate. Your celebrations were a little bit more intimate than what was planned with the team. 

As on queue, Frido walks into your shared apartment just as you finish setting the table. 

When the blonde walked through the hallway she smelt home, more specifically a home cooked meal. Then, as she turned the corner, she saw you standing next to the candle light table. 

“Baby, i’m so proud of you” 

She was rendered speechless. 

“Say something, please” you ask politely. 

She says nothing. She lets her actions do the talking and you don’t complain at all. You loved moments like this when it was just the two of you. When you could express your love with kisses and other displays of affection. 

“Is that my —“

“Kött” you pull away from her hold to read the name of the meal of your hand “Köttbullar” 

Frido pulled your hand towards her to see if you had really written down the name of the meal. Lo and behold, you had. 

“I think I did it right. I was this close” you pinch your thumb and index thumb very close together “to going to Ikea and buying some” 

You follow to the take and pull the chair out for her. 

“For you, m’lady” 

“Why thank you” she kisses your cheek as a show of appreciation. 

You watch nervously as she takes a bite of the meatball. It mimicked the nervous energy you feel as you watch a team mate take a penalty. She takes her time and it feels like she chews it 100 times before giving any indication of whether it’s good or not. 

“5 stars” Frido does a little happy dance in her seat “who knew this is what you were preparing for when you ate my Mamma’s Köttbullar by the bucket full” 

“It was all apart of my master plan” you raise your eyebrows playfully. 

“Is that right? What else does this master plan entail?” Frido asks curiously. 

“Stick around and you’ll find out” 

You had a lot planned for you and Fridolina. Some things had been ticked off, some were in motion and others were due in the future. 

[katelynnwrites]

You Look So Pretty (Pretty Like The Sun) | Sydney Lohmann

warnings: not proof read

word count: 2557

summary: after making your own name, you realise it's not enough because you are still missing your sunshine

a/n: i wasn't going to post this but i'm on a mission to leave all my bad writing behind in 2023 so here's part two of this fic

It’s with a certain amount of trepidation that you walk onto the Bayern Munich training pitch.

Both you and the facility have undergone a major change in the years that you have been away but one thing is the same.

You know when the love of your life is near.

It seems that the blonde can still sense your presence too because she looks up and visibly pales the second she sees you.

‘Sydney.’ You breathe but she shakes her head.

The German player’s eyes are wide and panicked.

You are torn between staying where you are, on the very edge of the pitch or making your way to her.

This is the closest you have been to her since the day she broke up with you.

Luckily or unluckily, your new manager spares you and calls your new teammates over so that you can meet them.

Seeing Magda and Pernille again is a welcome distraction.

The older women had practically adopted you as their own when you were at Chelsea and you sigh contentedly as they wrap you up in a hug.

‘I missed you two so much.’ You mumble.

‘I hope you’re prepared for dinner at our place tonight. You can tell us all about why you didn’t tell us you were coming to Munich.’ The Swede says.

Pernille gives her a fond swat, ‘Oh don’t sound so serious love.’

Conspiratorially, she turns to you and loudly whispers, ‘Magda just wants the chance to mom you again.’

You giggle at the defender’s immediate protests.

******

Meeting the rest of your new club teammates goes smoothly.

All except for one.

Magda and Pernille help with the introductions, easing you back into the Bavarian team.

For all your fame, you’re still shy so you are grateful for the help.

They’re not all new faces, most are familiar.

You grew up playing for the youth teams with Klara and Lea. Some others you know from international games or as opponents that you once played against in the Frauen Bundesliga.

It’s with laughter that you reunite with Lea, the older woman teasing you that you’re still shorter than her.

Your introduction does not last long but by the time you have properly met all of your new teammates, Sydney is nowhere to be seen.

And you hate how awful that makes you feel.

Maybe you didn’t make the right decision in coming back to Munich.

******

Sydney is still Sydney. That much you have come to realise. The blonde has grown up but at her core, she’s still who you fell in love with.

You are content to watch forever as she shines on everyone. There is never going to be anyone else like her. Sydney Lohmann is a singularity.

She shows up to training sessions just a fraction of a second early and drinks far too many coffees for her own good.

Her fancy footwork on the pitch puts everyone else to shame.

The sound of her laugh still makes you happy and her smile brightens up every room that she is in.

Unlike before, none of that is directed towards you.

These days, all she has for you is indifference and silence.

She doesn’t even look at you and from the only interaction you have had so far, the one from your introduction, the midfielder has made it clear that she doesn’t want you back at her club.

You try not to let it affect you or your performance.

The faking it till you make it must be working because you are all set to be a starter just two weeks after rejoining the Bavarian club.

******

Syd doesn’t start that particular game and it gives you an overwhelming sense of relief.

It’s already stressful enough to have to prove yourself good enough to start without adding on your standing with your former girlfriend.

You’re doing well against Köln and you’re proud of how you are adapting back to the German style of play, if you do say so yourself.

There is only about a half hour left of playing time when the blonde is subbed on.

She doesn’t look at you and you keep your gaze down.

Unfortunately, for her, her playing time is cut short. It is like a bad deja vu of her previous injury against Köln, a few years ago.

One second she’s jumping up for a header and the next she is on the ground, holding her ankle.

You hear her cry out and then you are sprinting.

Lina is already at her side and just before you reach her, you freeze.

Sydney doesn’t want you anymore.

So you stay away from her but just far enough that you can still see how she is.

It doesn’t look good.

The medics come on and it is agonising for you to have to listen to Syd’s pained whimpers and do nothing about it.

You are trying your hardest not to flinch when Lea comes up to you.

‘Go to her. She needs you even if she doesn’t know it yet.’ She quietly says.

‘Schülli…’

‘Go. I know you want to.’

Hesitantly, you approach the injured midfielder.

Sydney’s eyes are tear filled and when she sees you, she immediately stretches out her hand.

It is instinct for you to put your hand in hers.

‘You’re gonna be okay.’ You murmur soothingly and she closes her fingers around yours.

The blonde shuts her eyes, more tears escaping despite her best efforts.

You keep holding her hand until the medics signal that she needs to come off.

Your ex girlfriend cries even harder at that and you help her get to her feet.

The German woman stifles a whimper as she does so and you worriedly ask, ‘Do you want a stretcher?’

‘No! Please no.’

‘Okay. Lean on me then.’ You whisper and Syd nods.

She puts her arm around your shoulders and you wrap your arm around her waist, supporting her weight.

‘I got you.’ You assure her, as she limps towards the sidelines.

Once there, it is with great reluctance that you let her go, the medics taking over.

You look over at the bench where your manager is preparing the subs and you signal for you to be replaced.

‘I’m coming off too.’

‘No.’ The blonde snaps.

‘Syd this is not up for debate.’ You insist.

Your meaning and intentions are clear, making Sydney let out a frustrated noise.

‘No. You are going to stay on and be a star. Okay? Go be a star and play for us both.’

She squeezes your hand tightly, wanting you to know how much she means her words.

‘Are you sure?’

Your ex nods, ‘Go.’

‘Okay.’

Syd’s hazel eyes are filled with tears and she looks so vulnerable that you can’t help touching your lips to the side of her head.

‘I’ll score a goal for you. Promise sonnenschein.’

In running back onto the field, you miss the way she lets out a soft sob.

She doesn’t know if she cries harder because of the old nickname, the feel of your lips back on her skin or because of the way the pain in her ankle practically doubles once you are gone.

******

You keep your promise to the German midfielder.

Scoring not just one goal but two before the referee blows the whistle for full time.

Then you rush straight to the medical room where you had been told Sydney is.

You slow down, the clicking of your studs becoming quieter as you approach. Tentatively, you knock on the door before you open it.

Syd’s all alone, sitting on the bed with her knees drawn up to her chest.

Her injured ankle has been fitted with a moon boot and her face is pale.

‘Sydney?’ You ask softly.

‘Why did you come back?’

‘Because I wanted to check on you.’ You answer immediately.

The blonde scoffs, ‘Not here here but Munich.’

‘I don’t understand.’ You murmur even though your stomach drops because you understand perfectly.

Sydney’s eyes narrow with anger.

‘Don’t give me some bullshit answer. You were doing so well for yourself over in Barcelona so why come back? You left before so why return now?’

Her words are clipped, filled with more than just resentment.

You sigh. She still knows you too well.

‘You. I came back for you.’

Sydney’s face goes blank.

‘No. You came here to win the league. You have won the English and Spanish leagues. The Champions’ League and Euros too. This is just one more thing on your list.’

Wincing audibly, you take a step forward.

‘I came back for you. You and you alone Sydney.’

‘No.’ The blonde adamantly says, even as her bottom lip starts to wobble.

‘Syd…I came back for you. I promise I came back for you.’

You are pleading with her now, almost begging for her to believe you.

The midfielder searches your face for traces of lies, tears spilling down her cheeks as she does so.

‘No. No. You chose to leave and I wasn’t enough to make you stay before. Why would I be enough for you now?’

‘Sydney I never wanted to leave you. It broke my heart to leave Germany with how things ended between us.’

Raw pain is evident in your admission and now it is your ex’s turn to flinch.

‘Why didn’t you come back earlier? You could have played for Germany. We could have played together just as we promised to all those years ago.’

You shrug.

‘I was eligible to play for England too and you made it clear that you didn’t want to see me anymore. I know me being here is the last thing you want but I just couldn’t stay away from you anymore. Not when I never stopped loving you.’

Sydney loses the little composure she has left.

Harsh sobs wrack her body and she covers her face with her hands.

‘I’m sorry. I-I’ll go now.’

You turn to leave but the blonde chokes out your name and a plea for you to stay.

‘What?’

‘I never meant for us to break up. I never meant to push you away. Fuck I am so sorry. S-So sorry.’ Syd stammers.

‘Sydney what are you talking about?’

Your words aren’t unkind, just genuinely lost. The German player’s actions have been plain and constant ever since you left. They have been nothing short of obvious in recent times.

Sydney doesn’t want you.

The midfielder wrings her hands, her voice barely a whisper as she says, ‘I love you too. There’s not been a fraction of a second where I haven’t.’

You are floored.

Literally because you have to sit down.

You stare at her silently and the only sound in the room is your ex’s quiet cries.

Eventually her tears slow and she sniffles, looking up at you.

‘Say something.’ She breathes after the painful silence continues.

You don’t know what to say so you go over to her and sit down beside her on the physio bed.

Sydney is trembling but she tentatively wraps an arm around you, getting you to lean your head against her shoulder.

After a few minutes, you curl completely into her side and the blonde sighs in relief.

It is how the rest of the team finds you later, Lea smiling a secret smile to herself.

******

You end up going with Syd back to her apartment. She gives you her address and you drive her there in your car since she can’t do it herself due to her injury.

The blonde keeps stealing glances at you as you drive, wondering if she is dreaming.

She thinks it would be too much if she puts her hand on your knee the way she used to, when you were hers and she yours.

Sydney is so busy overthinking it when you slip your hand onto her knee.

You keep your eyes on the road the entire time but a smile forms on both your faces as Syd covers your hand with hers.

Neither of you have said a word to each other but that’s okay cause there will be time for that.

******

It’s after you have helped the blonde onto her couch and brought her a mug of tea that you realise whose jersey is framed on the wall of her living room.

The three lions crest is familiar, the last name and autograph even more so.

‘Sonnenschein that’s mine.’ You murmur.

Your former girlfriend sets her tea down and nods.

With growing curiosity, you inspect the match worn jersey.

‘From the Euro final in 2022.’ Syd confirms when glance at her.

‘How?’

‘I bought it at an auction. I think it’s the one you wore during the first half.’

You remember now, the England staff had got the team to sign the jerseys before sending them off to some charity organisation.

‘Why do you have it? I would have given it to you for free if you’d asked.’ You question.

You have so many of them that this is as good a place to start as any.

‘Because I was so proud of your achievement. Even if you had to beat me to win that gold medal.’ She explains, picking up her mug again just so that she has something to fiddle with.

‘And I didn’t ask you because I was afraid.’

‘Of me?’

You try not to sound hurt but it bleeds through anyway.

Syd’s hazel eyes gloss over.

‘Not of you. Never of you. J-Just how you would react I guess. Nothing like your ex girlfriend coming up to you after you’ve won your first piece of silverware for your country to spoil the mood.’

The midfielder lets out a strained laugh.

You frown, ‘You wouldn’t have. I wanted to approach you that day too but I didn’t know how. I thought you hated me.’

‘I could never.’

‘It felt like it.’ You softly say. She's, after all, been point blank ignoring and avoiding you ever since you resigned for Bayern Munich.

The blonde grimaces, ‘I’m so sorry.’

‘You said that I made you feel like you weren’t enough when I left for Chelsea. I’m sorry for that.’

‘You needed to leave. I get that now. Leaving Munich was the best thing for your career. Bayern might be my home but it wasn’t yours. I couldn’t see that at nineteen and I can’t tell you how sorry I am for letting my selfishness ruin us. I treated you the way I did all these years because of how guilty I felt.’

‘Sydney…you didn’t ruin us.’

‘Didn’t I?’ She hopelessly asks.

‘I played a part too. It wasn’t entirely your fault.’

The German woman looks defeated and sad. Her hazel eyes are downcast and her usually healthily pink cheeks are pale.

You sit down next to Sydney and take her hand in yours, ‘We’re not ruined. You are still here and I am still here.’

She squeezes your hand in hers, ‘A-Are you saying that you want to give us a second chance?’

‘Only if you want to.’

Your former girlfriend doesn’t need a second to consider it. Her mind is made up.

******

Sydney is pretty like the sun. You’ve always thought so.

Now that you have your sunshine back, you’re not leaving her again. She’s not letting you go again either.

German Translation:

sonnenschein- sunshine

[andiatas]

H.R.H. The Crown Princess's speech at a reception at the Swedish residence in Abuja

Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure to be here in Abuja to celebrate the close ties between Nigeria and Sweden. Thank you for joining us this evening at the Swedish residence. What a beautiful setting for this special occasion!

Next year marks 65 years of diplomatic relations between our countries. Over the decades, our bond has grown stronger, particularly in trade and economic cooperation.

Today, our collaboration spans many sectors, from renewable energy and sustainable transport to digital solutions. A testament to this deepening partnership is Sweden’s new trade office in Lagos, which I have the privilege of inaugurating tomorrow.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am delighted to be joined by our Nordic friends tonight. Nordic cooperation is thriving in Nigeria, demonstrated by initiatives such as the joint business event Nordic-Nigeria Connect and the visit by the five Nordic Foreign Ministers to Nigeria last August.

I am also pleased to see members of the Sweden-Nigeria alumni network with us. Your experiences of living, studying, and working in Sweden contribute to the close partnership between our nations. Building cross-border relationships is more important than ever, and your connections are powerful examples of how personal experiences can strengthen ties.

Another sign of our deepening relationship is that high-level visits between our countries have grown more frequent in recent years. Just six months ago, I had the pleasure of welcoming your Vice President, Kashim Shettima and your Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusef M. Tuggar, to the Royal Palace in Stockholm.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Our strong bond is also evident in the rich cultural exchange between Nigeria and Sweden. This is reflected in art, music, fashion, film, and literature.

Many Swedes have gained a deeper understanding of Nigerian culture through the works of Nobel laureate in literature Wole Soyinka.

I am also pleased that the Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare’s Wind Sculpture in bronze was acquired and donated in 2022 to Princess Estelle Sculpture Park in Stockholm. In the winter, its purple batik prints from Nigeria create a beautiful contrast with the white snow in Sweden. The sculpture also captures the lightness of the air, despite being crafted from solid, heavy bronze, which is quite amazing. Seeing this artwork in the heart of Stockholm makes me both happy and proud!

Ladies and gentlemen,

In the coming days, I look forward to learning more about the fantastic country of Nigeria, and about ongoing initiatives between our countries.

I am confident that our partnership will continue to deepen and to prosper. The physical distance may be vast between our nations, but the gap between our peoples grows smaller, as our relations continue to flourish.

I am excited about the journey ahead and grateful for the warm welcome we all have received.

Once again, thank you.

Speech held by HRH Crown Princess Victoria at the Swedish ambassador's residence, Abuja, Nigeria, on April 7, 2025.

[weirdthoughtsandideas]

20 fanfic author questions

I got tagged by @drowninginredink and I thought it was fun to do!

1. How many works on AO3?

97!! I constantly get self-conscious about this, and I have technically written over 110, but I have deleted and orphaned a lot... but I also need to realize that I've written that many for a reason. The ones I've deleted and orphaned have been ones I've disliked, so the fact that I still have kept so many... yeah I should be proud of it.

2. Total AO3 Word Count?

1,250,049

3. Top 5 fics by Kudos

Glee, but it's another chatfic - 659 kudos

The chaos at Mckinley - 246 kudos

Fuck it, I'm rewriting Glee - 203 kudos

What lucky loser parties are for - 160 kudos

The Quagmire Sixtuplets AU - 129 kudos

4. What fandoms do you write for?

Mainly dcla! Occasionally asoue, and even more occasionally, Glee.

5. Do you respond to comments?

Often if I feel like it's something I can respond to. I do know that if you reply to comments, people are more likely to give you more. It's just that I'm this socially awkward swede and, OF COURSE I appreciate getting comments, but there are times where I just feel like... I have NO IDEA what to reply to this. I have nothing to add. Thanks for the comment though. It's also that, I myself never expect a response when I leave comments. I know they'll still read it and appreciate it, because I know I will.

Maybe it's some Nordic mentality thing, because most of my nordic friends are like this too. We do appreciate comments a lot, but we don't always respond unless we feel there's something we can respond to. It's also that many of us just think it's silly if we write a "thank you!" under every single comment too. Obviously it's for politeness, but like... yeah I guess what I'm saying is that I might need to be better at responding to more comments, but sometimes I just don't know what to say? Especially if the person has commented on some specific scene, character or plot in the fic, then I can't just write "thank you for reading" I want to acknowledge what they were commenting on specifically, but idk what to say about it.

6. Angstiest Ending?

Oh, the asoue murder mystery fic for sure.

7. Fic with the Happiest Ending?

That one is hard. Many of my fics end very happy.

8. Do you get hate?

The funniest thing is that, when I get hate, it's either in another language, as if they don't think I can just google translate it... or it's someone who just does not like me treating a character badly because they like them, or I have... another sexuality headcanon than them. But they're very few.

9. Do you write smut?

I have done that, yeah.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Since I write mainly dcla shows, crossovers tend to happen very naturally there due to the shows taking place in the same universe.

11. Ever had a fic stolen?

Not really. I of course have seen people with similar plots to mine, and I have guessed that they might have taken inspiration, but it's not so much that I have felt "oh, they STOLE this for me".

It's also like... a fic? It's not an original work to begin with. And if you're in the same fandom, regardless if they got inspo from you or not, similar ideas might arise when you dig from the same source material.

I myself have also been accused of "plagiarizing" someone's fic when I hadn't (we weren't even writing the same characters, it was just the plot that sounded similar on paper, but I would argue it was pretty different once you read it), and no one even wanted to hear me out cause they had already decided that's what had happened, so I am very careful to not do the same thing to someone.

I'd call it them "stealing" my fic if I have seen them literally uploading it beat for beat, but if it's just a fic with a similar plot to mine? Unless they have explicitly said they've taken inspiration from me, who am I to say anything? I'll happily read it, knowing they might be intrigued to explore the same ideas I'm interested in!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

I haven't. It does sound intriguing sometimes, because I've read fics that have been co-written and it was so fun seeing the differences in chapters, and the different author's writing styles.

However, I am so much of a "I wanna do it all myself!!!" type of writer, that if I'd ever co-wrote a fic, it needed to be an idea we both could agree on everything on.

14. All time favourite ship?

THAT is a hard question... because there's a lot of ships that live in my heart, but for it to be an "all time favorite" I feel like it needs to have passed almost a decade, or at least I need to have still liked it in adulthood.

So I think it might be Leonetta. 11 year old me fell for them HARD and never left.

But Rilaya could also be a good candidate, because Rilaya is the literal blueprint to why my favorite wlw ships are besties to lovers. The thing is though, I never watch GMW anymoe and realized how much problems it has, but when I watched it, it was ONLY because of Riley and Maya. I completely missed all the shipping drama the fandom had, completely missed people apparently finding Riley annoying, because I just focused on the two girls. And they were in EVERY EPISODE, so I got fed to the bones.

15. WIPs you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Oof, many. My glee rewrite is stuck in S2 and has not left for many years. I still have the document though, and type a sentence occasionally, but at this rate... yeah no.

Many chatfics, too. I start chatfics, they go on for a bit, then I abandon it. The only one that has worked is my biggest glee chatfic with 80 chapters. People were so MASSIVELY engaged too so I just continued forever and ever.

I also got some asoue fics that I write a sentence on every half a year so. Yeah there's that.

16. Writing strengths?

The thing is every time I answer stuff like this I'm unsure if that's actually the case? Like maybe I think something about my fics but my readers absolutely don't agree.

Anyway. I think a strength is pretty consistent style - even when I write in different genres, similar themes, dialogues and descriptions slip through. I'd think most people, if they have read a fic by me before, and read another fic before seeing who wrote it, they'd definitely recognize it was me by the style.

17. Writing Weaknesses?

Endings in general. My endings, especially endings of chapters in a multichapter fic, can be very generic and past paced because I just don't know how to end it well

18. Thoughts on mixed language dialogue?

Hey I'm writing mainly for series that they speak spanish in. Sometimes I kind of have to include spanish, as some words and phrases just don't sound good in english. Plus, there's characters canonically speaking other languages (italian especially), so there's of course gonna be a lot of that. The thing is though, they're speaking spanish the whole time, the english is just a "translation" of what they're saying

I am also swedish and a lot of especially millenial and gen z swedes would randomly throw in english words and phrases when they speak. So whenever I write a fic in swedish, I do that. Or, when I wrote a Young Royals fic that WAS in english, but I decided to let them randomly speak swedish. This was not them switching language, they spoke swedish the whole time and I just "translated" it... but not all of it, because some sentences just worked better in swedish lol

19. First fandom you wrote for?

If we're technical, PHINEAS AND FERB. I wrote a fanfiction in my notebook when I was 10, drawing pictures to it and everything.

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

I can't decide on that! Especially as I've written fics for several fandoms, they all have strengths and weaknesses. I love some fics I wrote years ago, but they're also not as well written due to me being younger. I loved a fic I wrote last month, but how will I feel about it in a year?

It's really hard to say!

Alright, I'm tagging some people, but no pressure to do this, it's a lot of questions.

@d0vegum @countessofravenclaw @iridescentis @homosandhomies

[edvinception]

30 min!! I'm so proud!

30 min is alot more than I expected and if that's the case (not saying they are lying just that time can be hard to estimate and I guess things can change?!)

I've been to a preview of a movie once and we got to write down our opinions about it. Never watched the complete movie but I suspect they made edits afterwards

Hopefully all of them wrote "More of the Swede" lmao

[tvshowspoilers]

OFMD episode 7 thoughts

Already know I want that robe Ed has! Dude it’s beautiful and I love the blue

Ed getting the breakfast ready is the cutest thing ever

I’m forever going to be crying that we didn’t see them cuddle! DAVID WHY

Also Ed’s little hum as he’s going down the stairs is precious

Aww Stede being so sweet about the twine on the tray when Ed is so nervous about it (you can hear it in his shudder breath when he says he panicked) (Taika why are you so good at making me feel emotions lol)

“you know that night that I died?” ED. BABY YES HE KNOWS

Still dying about Izzy coming in while they are in dead and his fucking smirk and AGH And Ed is just like, yep saw that coming

AND I AM NEVER GOING TO FORGET THIS LINE “ it’s good to see that it’s not just a ship that’s been good and truly….docked”

Oh yes on second viewing that clock is fucking sus….Zheng Noooo

I actually love Auntie

Also ED IS A CONFIRMED OPEN MOUTH CHEWER lol

Ed’s reaction the the letters “I love that you did that” awww…I hope he finds them! And Stede’s little self deprecating laugh, aw he needed Ed to say that

Dude you can totally tell Ed has never been skipped over…look at the little scoff he does and disbelief

I love love goofy Ed and Stede so much

Also this (Ed’s little speech about drinks tattoos and paps) is something I could totally see Taika saying to a newly famous person??

The revenge boys!!! I love it and Jackie’s little “the Swede will be happy to see ya!” Hehe

Ed’s so nervous for Stede like Stede was for Ed

So Ed’s soft look (outside) was him looking at the fish basket and thinking of a simpler life…so at this point he was already thinking about leaving and Stede and stuff? Expecially after the convo with Izzy? Cause his eyes get really sad.

I still don’t know how to process the fight with Zheng…just that I agree that he was double upset about loosing his found family

I know the little moment of Stede saying “you don’t sound that happy” hurt me cause Ed’s face is like nope and flashbacks to “what makes Ed happy is you” OOF

But, I don’t think it was a full breakup…but it was a discussion that was bound to happen at some point and I’m proud of Ed for explaining he and Stede went over the boundaries he tried to set, for realizing he wasn’t ready for this relationship yet and that he doesn’t know what he is……And that Stede was open to their relationship being “whatever” until Ed is ready

But god I’m still upset about his word choice and it’s been almost 24 hours since this episode dropped “last night was a mistake” still hurts very bad cause like I said…pipeline in Stede’s head to “I was a mistake”

I think it was an alright conversation until Ed said he was leaving (leaving Stede first so he doesn’t get hurt which is what I expected in s1 but figured would happen this season…tho not like this and this close to the season finale…yikes)

And Stede’s reaction about the fish, damn Ed was so proud of that fish…but my two cents, he wasn’t being malicious I think he was just saying one fish does not make one a fisherman

Oh but the “fishermen and pirates are nothing alike like” damn

Steak Knife is lovely

I think laughing at the guy was part drunk Stede and also him covering up the pain of his other kill…idk how to explain

Also we can still hear the ROP screams and stuff during the first part of the credits

Once again, love freaking fang and that roach made mud baths a thing

So yeah, rewatching this episode…it was alright and then got painful toward the middle and definitely second hand embarrassment worthy at the end but I thought it was a decent episode. Of course it had pacing issues but that’s MAX’s fault, not David’s

[skwigelfskwisgaar]

More HC's that no one asked for. More under the cut, totally disorganized right now, will get to organizing it and whatnot later.

very long post ahead

Skwisgaar still keeps in touch with Týr. The one man who still gave a shit about him and actually gave him a sense of normalcy that he craved, Týr is listed as a frequent contact on his phone with text messages going as far back as the 2nd day they lived together with Serveta. It's just Skwisgaar making sure that the man who was stepdad to him for a few weeks feels appreciated, despite what his mother did to wreck their marriage. It gives him a sense of normalcy to hear and talk with Týr, often visiting him when they're on tour in Sweden.

Skwisgaar, despite being from Sweden, hates the cold.

He rocks out to anything. He really enjoys music of the metal variety but isn't opposed to other genres. If he dislikes it, he quickly makes sure to take note of the genre and will cycle it out of his recommended music playlist. He goes from listening to Dragonforce to Children of Bodom to Evanescence, down to Metallica, Primus, and Avenged Sevenfold.

He started listening to more music when he first met Magnus who insisted he try listening to Led Zeppelin at least once. Magnus introduced him to 'old grandpa's music' once he got Skwisgaar to listen, and Skwisgaar remembers and thanks Magnus for expanding his musical tastes.

He is the least 'brutal' member of the band - his aesthetic, his tastes, and even his taste in music and women seem to indicate that he follows along with what Pickles and Nathan say and is more of a copycat. And between the starstruck awe of seeing Pickles of Snakes 'n' Barrels fame and making friends with Nathan, he really leaned in on what they thought was brutal, carrying with him these sentiments through his career with them. Evidenced by his original all white outfit, his choice in partners, and even his room, this man is more glam diva than ABBA.

Skwisgaar probably enjoys and plays in Dethklok because it's the genre of music in which he can be the fastest and the best - all others either failed to really push his talents to their limits or didn't make use of them. Brutal isn't something he would use to describe himself, but would definitely use it to describe his playstyle. Furthermore, he does try to hide that he fears he isn't brutal enough for the band by insisting that whatever they do as a band is brutal and metal (often hiding it by saying 'we' as in the band instead of saying 'I' as in just him).

He's narcissistic in that he views Toki Wartooth and William Murderface as extensions of himself on stage, often taking pride in their talents or shame in their failures. It's often why he gets so obsessive with them not playing or practicing their parts and making them redo them in the recording studio - a bad riff or note reflects badly on them, and thus badly on Skwisgaar. While Toki takes his role more seriously than Murderface, neither really try as they know whatever amount of work they put in will be met with disapproval from the Swede.

That said, Skwisgaar also knows that the guitarists are also their own people when his anxiety and stress have worn off and will show them cool tricks or make alterations for live performances as his way to apologize. Unlike Nathan though, he does know when he's screwed up big time and isn't to proud to say an apology where needed.

While it's often said he 'dotes' on Toki more than Murderface, it's not a rare sight to see the lead guitarist and the bassist sharing drinks and talking shop about new pedals or amps for Murderface to use on stage for the 'right tone'. Both love to talk about their side projects together, with Skwisgaar placing both of his on hold while he finds the right talent, while Murderface focused more on Planet Piss merch than actually making music. Despite this, they often clash heads in court when Murderface asks for more residuals; Skwisgaar often gets cited as the one who plays and writes the parts for the recordings and usually has proof of it too.

Skwisgaar's closest friendship is Toki - hands down. It's an odd day to see them heated at each other, but they know that they'll 'kiss and make up' and be right back to their shenanigans soon enough.

Skwisgaar hates to admit it, but he truly cares for all of his bandmates, but it's much more obvious with Toki. Having seen each other at their best and their worst even amongst themselves, it's nice to be able to say he can trust Toki to disappoint him but never to attack him or his insecurities, unlike other band members. Like wise, Skwisgaar never uses Toki's scars, abuse, or insecurities against him and will immediately fight someone who tries to despite his noodle arms.

With Pickles, he shares a more angst filled friendship, leaning on one another when their mothers have driven them to the point of anxiety or a near breaking point. For Skwisgaar, it really humanizes the drummer when they find themselves hidden in a closet or some dark room.

It reminds the Swede sometimes that despite still getting starstruck when Pickles busts out into some SnB era dance moves or sings a few lines of their hits, there is still a man behind the legend - and just like Skwisgaar, even superstar legends like Pickles (and himself) can have and do have problems too. Pickles is the only one Skwisgaar trusts enough to play his signature Thunderhorse guitar.

Skwisgaar has made designs for guitars, but I imagine he was the driving force on Toki's signature Flyin' V Snow Falcon creation especially knowing how Toki was very willing to abandon one of their sponsors if it meant he got a signature design of his own - which for Skwisgaar, would have meant an end to guitar designs and free guitars. Skwisgaar, wanting to keep Gibson and Epiphone, refused more guitar designs until Toki got his own and eventually getting their way - getting Toki his own all-white guitar some time later. And while he isn't a fan of the Flyin' V design himself, he likes that both guitarists now have signature guitars that they both play on stages across the world.

His next venture is to get William Murderface his own signature bass, but with the wild designs Murderface has requested or wanted to add, he's had a hard time finding a reasonable compromise with both Murderface and any sponsor wiling to carry their name. It doesn't help that Murderface has wanted to drag Planet Piss into it, further complicating any business side negotiations as most if not all sponsors want the Dethklok brand association.

Skwisgaar is the tallest of the band, a staggering 6'8 inches, 2 inches taller than Nathan (canonically standing at 6'5-6"). He wasn't always a graceful presence, as he was a lanky tall kid and rather thin during his childhood and early teens. He constantly hit doorframes, car roofs, and would sometimes complain when leg room was nonexistent.

[sanacore-wp]

PAIRING. cornelia jakobs x fem!reader

SUMMARY. cornelia is picked to be sweden’s representative in eurovision and decides to take her girlfriend to italy with her.

WORD COUNT. 1,154

Y/N WAS SURE that if someone told her a year or so ago that she would be in Italy for 2022 Eurovision with her girlfriend who was a contestant, she would not have believed it at all; not because she doubted Cornelia but because she hadn’t attended the contest or even traveled much outside of Sweden. She had the occasional trip here and there but it was nothing too special.

She was thankful for the opportunity that was given to both her and her girlfriend. She had been there every step of the way for her blonde lover and she was beyond proud. For the time that she’d known Cornelia, she was always hardworking and she deserved all of the credit and love. Being chosen to be the Swedish representative for the contest was something that many people dreamed of.

It had become a reality for the Jakobs but she was still processing everything as each day passed by since things were moving so much faster than anticipated. It genuinely did feel as though yesterday was when she was selected, but that was months ago. The time proved to be something that the two of them needed to enjoy since Eurovision was not going to last forever, no matter who had wanted it to.

There was a level of stress but Y/N being there helped tremendously with the blonde’s varying degrees of emotional drainage. With each interaction Cornelia had, the more she needed some quiet time in the hotel with the woman she loved. Feeling emotionally and physically drained was not something that she experienced often but it always took its toll on her when she did, but it honestly was to be expected in some capacity.

Eurovision was a very social heavy event, which was understandable but Cornelia just needed those small moments alone with her girlfriend to recover from the stress. She did want to do well, just like everyone else she’d met over the span of a month and a half. For her, this contest was such an important and exciting experience, so she attempted to get that thought into her head more; she wasn’t going to take it for granted.

The L/N watched as Cornelia finished the process of getting ready for rehearsals. She was amazed by the backstage preparations and questioned if she should change jobs or not; it was a question that appeared often in her brain but she never once acted on it. To be completely honest, she wasn’t sure if she would do well, so she resorted to watching it instead. Her girlfriend was so invested and it was quite the sight to see.

She didn’t realize she was staring until the Jakobs brought it up with a smirk, “Angel, if you take a picture then it’ll last longer.” Each word was teasing and gave more reason for the H/C haired girl to blush at her girlfriend’s tone.

“You can’t blame me,” Y/N spoke truthfully as she went to sit down on a nearby couch. She grew tired of standing around so she’d chosen to rest her body, but still paid close attention to the Swede.

Cornelia smiled at the simple sentence as she expected the L/N to say something like that. “I’m pretty, I know.” She was messing with the other female since she was always told about how pretty she was. They would often have compliment battles and that was a normality for the couple; of course, it was started by Y/N and stuck around over time.

“Yes, you are! You’re the prettiest person I have ever seen.” Y/N complimented Cornelia without much thought or hesitation.

The Jakobs gave her a pointed look when she began speaking. “I think you are talking about yourself. Also, I have to do some voice warmups, so you can’t distract me. The last time, you were making me laugh too much. I love your humor but rehearsals are in seven minutes.”

“Got it, boss.” The H/C haired woman saluted her partner as a way to tease her before leaning back on the couch, listening to Cornelia’s vocal warmups once she had started them.

Cornelia rolled her eyes before starting to warm her voice; the process took a couple of minutes but finished quite quickly. With a minute or two left, she could feel some slight nervousness creeping through her since this was the last rehearsals before the second Semi-Final. She was hoping that everything turned out as it should and that she would end up qualifying when the show actually started.

She heard her girlfriend stand up and the sound of her footsteps neared. Y/N was very aware of the signs Cornelia’s body gave in her times of fear and anxiety, so she could tell that her lover was feeling one of those, if not both. She yearned to help as much as she could whenever this happened since the blonde would always do the same for her. It made things much easier as they were both in tune with one another’s emotions.

“Hey, you’re okay. You are going to kill it, both at rehearsals and the Semi-Final. The people love you and your song. You’ve got this! I believe in you completely.” Y/N didn’t stop talking until she was sure that Cornelia was feeling a bit better.

The L/N didn’t always know what to say if she did not understand what something felt like, but she would comfort her lover even if she didn’t understand to the fullest extent. She would try her best regardless of what was happening. She wanted for the woman she loved to know that she wasn’t alone and that she would always have support, both of those being truthful.

The Swede made eye contact with Y/N, a small smile overtaking the anxiety because of the comforting words and presence. She was beyond thankful for her girlfriend and it was always something she’d tell her often in their daily life. How could she not? She was absolutely in love with Y/N.

“Thank you, lovely. I truly don’t know what I would do without you in my life. You’re very beautiful and sweet. I could go on about my admiration for you but that’ll have to be in private, later on. For now, I’ve got to make sure everything is perfect for tonight.” The blonde leaned forward and her lips met her girlfriend’s for a short but loving kiss.

The two had to break apart for Cornelia to leave but Y/N wished her good luck for what seemed to be the hundredth time already. It would be a lie if the blonde said she did not enjoy it or find it to be cute. Whilst the Jakobs ran through her performance, Y/N L/N watched with nothing but fondness in her eyes since she adored seeing Cornelia doing what she loved; it was one thing that she could witness forever if she were allowed to.

[xoxoemynn]

lol I started this the morning before we got word of the teaser and then PROMPTLY forgot about it. But here we go! I was tagged by @oatmilktruther, @bizarrelittlemew, @ghostalservice and @petrichorca, who are all equally amazing as people as they are writers. 💖

Rules: Share the first lines of your ten most recent fics and tag ten people.

The day began, as they always did, with a kiss. (all of these lines across my face) The infamous Grief Fic™, post-canon, Ed and Stede are in their 80s, I promise it is more uplifting than it sounds. I'm very proud of this one, but please mind the tags.

Dear Tooth Fairy, My name is the Swede and I am 42 years old. (A Fairy Tale) Ed is history's greatest tooth fairy, Stede is an eccentric flower fairy, and they have a magical adventure on the wings of my personal favorite OC, Arthur the rosy maple moth. Potentially the cutest thing I've ever written.

"Bye, Bonnet!" (Here's to the Night) It's Y2K, and Stede is stuck at the office making sure his father's company doesn't collapse at midnight, and Ed is the sexy IT consultant who calls him every 30 mins to flirt I mean, check in on things. There's romance. There's silliness. There's heavy 90s nostalgia. No Neopets were harmed in the creation of this fic.

There’s nothing Edward Teach loves more than a big, beautiful clock. (Clock Strikes One) Unhinged, clock-themed porn, this time with spanking. It's both filthy and educational! It's the follow up to Witness Marks, and there will be more.

It’s been four days since the former crew of the Revenge reappeared, and Ed’s hiding in his cabin. (Choose Your Own Adventure: Reunion!) By far the COOLEST fandom project I've ever been a part of! So many writers and artists took part in creating this, and it is magnificent. If you haven't found all paths yet, here's your reminder to do so. There's something for everybody.

There was something to be said for being married to one of the world's most sought-after fashion designers. (Pretty and Stiddies and Gay!) Inspired by this incredible art by @buumbaby. Ed and Stede are ridiculously in love and have hot sex, including once in public while Stede's in a gorgeous evening gown.

Stede sat on a bench in the lobby area of the office building and took a hearty sip of his very berry smoothie. (A Day in the Life of Model Employee S. Bonnet) Stede is the world's worst postal worker, who blows off his job to flirt with famed hair model Edward Teach. Possibly my favorite Stede I've ever written.

Loudly did the muses sing of the sea god Edward and his mortal lover, Stede. (forever is our today (who waits forever anyway)) What it says on the tin. Ed and Stede are cursed for defying the gods' orders to part ways. I'm really proud of how this one turned out. Like, really proud.

"Maaaa." (To Get to the Other Side) Short, sweet, silly, smutty.

There's a moment when you're deep into a long drive when your mind begins to wander. (Where the Daylight Begins) My baby. My child. My pfp. My 115K magical realism modern AU that was heavily influenced by The House in the Cerulean Sea. I hope it leaves you feeling like you've been wrapped up in a big gay hug.

Not tagging anyone because this has been sitting in my drafts for so long I'm certain everyone has already done it, but if not, consider this your tag. 💕

[sergeifyodorov]

fuck it, give us calle for the character ask thing anyway! inspired by that gorgeous pic of him!

I think really the first time i heard his name was during the BoA last year’s playoffs -- a strange thing, but yeah, this guy used to be a Flame. I’m like 90% sure he scored a goal that series? Either way, heard his name, didn’t think much of it. That’s Some Guy. I also remember having a similar ??? reaction once he signed as a free agent with Toronto. A Preds forward… I bet he’s defensively capable!

IMPRESSION NOW

catboy milf… definitely defensively capable (great on the pk!) and a surprisingly good sniper, but enough about his on-ice skills let’s talk about how GORGEOUS he is. Beautiful symmetrical face and those tiny teeth and his feathery hair I feel like a judge at a cat show talking about his good countenance when i think about him. Nice wide set furnished ears and long straight whiskers. Tonight he is my second best cat

Also it’s always great to have more of the swedish contingent hanging around,,, Calle (at least last year before we got klinger) is obviously older than the rest of them by a few years, as well as having more NHL experience, so he’s like the swedish vet… typically that would make one captain of the swedes but that is first and foremost willy nylander’s role. Also calle is a lot more mild-mannered and meek than willy and certainly more than willy’s then-alternate captain rasmus sandin… he’s got that calm to him. Not a leader but he’s very there.

FAVOURITE MOMENT

Not to return to on ice stuff but he has just the most BEAUTIFUL shot… a finisher by trade, which is great because toronto is like mostly setters with no finish (this is their biggest prawblem and also why players like willy and auston are so valuable to the team). Calle snipes are always a highlight… also because i livewatch with taylor and he LOVES calle and i love calle by proxy (and by the normal way but even more now)

IDEA FOR STORY

now. hear me out. i dm vomited this whole thing a few days ago about. like.

unbonded omega calle who’s proud of himself for getting this far and being like this capable self-sustaining creature who doesn’t need no alpha and fighting through the nhl’s anti-omega discrimination. and then he signs in toronto and gets put onto auston’s line and auston is this unbonded alpha and.

like. auston doesn’t want calle as his linemate because he is aware of the optics of having an unbonded alpha + an unbonded omega on a line together and how that’s kind of taboo. but they do work well together, and calle is just there to do his job and win hockey games and stuff and is trying desperately not to think about how auston gets him all hot and bothered because aus doesn’t seem interested.

auston Is interested.

Etc etc

UNPOPULAR OPINION

have you guys seen long hair calle? Young long hair calle? Obvi he is beautiful but young calle was somethin else man

I don’t think there are really a lot of Opinions on calle out there… he’s quiet and seems quite nice and doesn’t cause drama. He’s just there to look pretty and finish chances

FAV RELATIONSHIP

whatever he and auston have going on. That

FAV HEADCANON

he knows he’s pretty but he is also a 3 in 1 user definitely. The sort of pretty man who puts no effort into it. Rolls out of bed and rubs water on his face and goes. That is my face wash routine. He’s obviously not a greasy mess of a man but if you asked him what his skincare routine is he’d just look at you, completely oblivious to the fact that that is something that you can have

[adzeisval]

Last Person Standing

The last crewmate and Izzy leave the world. Major character death of course. Thank you so much to the people who read this! Also on AO3.

Jim continued living as best they could. They enjoyed the little things in life and reminisced on times gone by. There was always one of the young ones around that wanted to hear Jim tell stories of the old days of being a pirate. And Jim loved telling the stories. 

The story of how they had all come together and been a family. The romance of Ed and Stede, their own romances over the years, and Pete and Lucius. They told the young ones about how sweet Fang had been and how talented a cook, and torturer, Roach was. Jim talked a lot about Olu and how important it was to find someone that would always be there for you and be your best friend. Jim talked about Archie even when it hurt. There were so many tales to tell about their time as a pirate. 

And Izzy. Jim told the young ones about the namesake of the Unicorn Inn, the protector of the crew even when he was dead. It was a legend that grew beyond the crew, that if you were ever in dire straights and needed help Izzy Hands would come and help the best he could. Jim was sure that once they were dead Izzy would be gone too, but it was nice to know that he would live on a little longer in the imaginations of the young ones. They were pretty sure they only ones who could really see Izzy were members of the crew when Izzy had died. Even the Swede never mentioned seeing Izzy and Spanish Jackie didn’t either. They were both gone of course.

Jim was the only one left, but they were hardly alone. 

Jim walked slowly and stiffly out to the graveyard. They tried to get out there every now and then to visit with the crew. They never imagined they would live so long as an orphan raised as an assassin who turned into a pirate, there was no reason they should have expected to  have made it all the way into their nineties yet here they were. 

Jim had a feeling though that their life was almost at an end. Things had slowed down and the world was starting to dull around the edges. Jim wasn’t scared. They had lived a long life and they knew the entire crew would be waiting for them and that Izzy would be the one to come for them. 

The Inn would be in good hands and there wasn’t really much to worry about. Jim was taking it one day at a time. 

“I have a feeling I’ll see you all soon,” Jim said. 

A few days later Jim was sitting out on the porch in a rocking chair, another thing they never imagined doing, when they heard someone come up on the stairs. 

“Hi Jim,” Izzy said. 

Jim smiled, “Today’s the day?” Izzy nodded. Izzy sat beside Jim and Jim's body started to feel heavy and strange. Jim let it happen, there really wasn’t any choice in the matter, but they embraced the coming end and it really wasn’t so bad. 

Suddenly everything was light and Jim felt young again, or at least didn’t feel so old. 

“It’s really good to see you Izzy, fuck, I missed you.” 

“Missed you too.” 

“Thank you for being here all these years it was really nice for all of us to know you were with us.” 

“Of course. I wish I could have done more but I tried my best,” Izzy said. Jim followed Izzy down near the graveyard. They were a little nervous but very excited to see everyone again and see what came next. 

“Ready to go Jim?” Izzy asked. 

“Yes,” Jim said, “Let's do this Izzy.” 

*****

Sixty years. 

Izzy had been guiding the crew of the Revenge through life and death for sixty years after his own demise. He had felt the pull from beyond the veil many times now and he was finally going to cross it. 

Izzy was actually a little nervous about that. He had upheld his part of the deal and now he would rest. He had guided the crew in life as best he could and he was there for each and every one of them when they died. They had all lived longer than Izzy had and he was proud of getting them to that point. It was a little funny even after all these years he was afraid of some sort of punishment for not doing his job right. But he had done it right and his family was waiting for him and it was time to rest. 

Jim crossed first and Izzy turned back to look at the Inn. He had done his best to guide his family and keep them safe but his time was done. He had hope that the Unicorn Inn and other places like it would be there to take in the straggles and the lost people in search of a home and a family. 

Izzy had left his family too soon, but they were all waiting for him now. He was going to see Eddie again and he very much longed for that and for peace and rest. Izzy was the first to die, but the last to leave the mortal world. He stood on the threshold of the veil and sighed. He’d done his best and he needed and very much wanted to go to his family. 

Izzy took one more look at the world then turned to cross the veil and join his family.

[amorecrea]

Of Valour

Of Valour Behold! I said, as time conspired,To kindle hope, where words once fired.Call not the Royal Swede unfortunate,For kings in memory’s halls resonate. Young England, where is your spark of old?Have flames of valour grown faint, gone cold?By the brook, where poets yearn to speak,Or in the castle, proud yet bleak. A parsonage veiled in Oxfordshire’s green,Holds whispered tales of what has…

[iris-writesx]

shifting eyes and vacancy, vanished when i saw your face | gentlebeard

read it here or read it on ao3 <3

i’m not kidding i got the idea, wrote my entire plan, wrote it, and posted this all in the span of like 12 hours. i got the idea and was basically foaming at the mouth until i wrote it

i’m posting this as a one-shot for now, but i feel like i has potential for more chapters so if you’re interested to see more please let me know!!!

ed is so fine he’s all i can think about akdkwkf

title is from “enchanted” by taylor swift x

2.5k words — meet-cute, angst, threats, masquerade ball

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

Stede hadn’t been somewhere so exquisite in years.

The ship that himself and his crew were on was marvellous. From the crystal chandeliers down to the golden trim of the carpets, whoever had designed the ship knew their stuff. Stede could only hope that one day, The Revenge would be so delicately beautiful.

It was a couple of weeks ago that they had found the letter for the masquerade ball on one of the many vessels that they had raided — on that particular raid, Stede had come back with some lovely potted plants that he had displayed around his room. He had discussed the opportunity with the crew, and after Frenchie and Olu had discussed some pyramid scheme that they wanted to put to work, it was decided that the crew would go- well, some of the crew. Jim, Wee John, Roach, and Buttons had all opted to stay behind and keep watch of the ship, so Stede, confident that the ship was left in good hands, had opted to join his crew to the ball.

And although the types of people who would be there undoubtedly made bad company, he was actually excited.

He had dressed himself in a quite exquisite teal suit, paired with a beautiful mask that was tied around his head with white silk. The mask itself matched the clothes he wore, though had golden vines woven over the mask, a detail he loved to see. Although Stede always prided himself on his appearance — he had to build up an image for himself as The Gentleman Pirate after all — he felt particularly wonderful in his masquerade get-up.

He had helped the rest of the crew dress for the occasion, too. They had all lined up outside his quarters, and one by one he had given them an outfit that, in his proud opinion, made them all shine.

Lucius, who was stood beside him at the drinks table whilst the rest of the crew had disappeared to mingle in with the crowd, was dressed in a lovely burgundy, it really brought out his eyes. For once, the boy didn’t have his book in his hands — Stede had promised him a night away from his work, just to enjoy himself… as long as he noted down the key points from the night once they had gotten back to the ship.

“We all stick out like a sore thumb,” Lucius pointed to the Swede, whose suit was a little mismatched as Stede didn’t have trousers for him that fit that matched the shirt he was wearing. “Are you sure they won’t realise we weren’t actually invited, Captain?”

Stede waved his hand as a dismissal, sipped from his glass of wine. “All these people care about, Lucius, is one-upping each other in the who’s more posh game. As long as you don’t offend their fragile pride, they won’t notice a thing.”

It was almost overwhelming, the amount of people there that Stede had promised to never end up like. He could imagine they all had considerable wealth; mansions and ships and jewels beyond his own property, and all they cared about was showing it off. He didn’t intend to strike a conversation with any of them, he was content spending time with his crew-

“I’m gonna go find Pete, Cap.” Lucius pat him on the shoulder before he disappeared, weaving into the crowd.

Well, he was happy to spend time by himself, too.

He finished his drink — the wine just had that taste of expensiveness — poured himself another, and with the wine-glass in hand, he started wandering around the giant hall in the centre of the ship.

As he passed the partygoers, he admired each of their attires; everybody was dressed up in masks, even the butlers who had been pacing the room serving delicacies. That, in turn, meant he didn’t recognise anybody that he might’ve known there — any men from his past, from that damn school — and, more importantly, nobody recognised *him*.

It was exciting, being hidden in plain sight whilst he was making his name as The Gentleman Pirate. Stede figured that nobody on the ship would take well to hosting to pirates. The masks certainly made the visit more exhilarating.

He wandered the outskirts of the hall for some time, just observing whilst he sipped his wine, and after some time had past and he had finished his drink, he began to realise that he hadn’t actually seen any of his crew in quite some time. Stede paused his walk, by one of the many doors out to the deck of the ship, and turned to face the masses of people there. His gaze flickered between them all, tried to find a familiar face within the crowd, but fell short. Where had all of his crew disappeared to?

He was jolted out of his search by somebody who had bumped into his back, and flinched, immediately turning to see who had walked into him.

“Oh fuck- sorry, mate,” the stranger gestured to the patio doors behind him. “Didn’t see you when I came in.”

“Oh no, that’s quite alright, I was a little in the way.” Stede let out a slight laugh, waved the stranger and his apology off.

The man who had bumped into him was, he had to say, one of the best dressed in the room. His suit consisted of a deep purple fabric, which had been woven with gold thread. The same purple matched the man’s mask, trimmed with lace and tied back with a fine velvet. The stranger’s hair, which he could see was quite long, had been pulled back and out of his eyes, spare two loose strands which framed his face, and the full beard which he had no way of getting rid of, Stede supposed.

There was no denying that this man was gorgeous.

But there was just something about him, something Stede couldn’t quite place, that left him at an odd place out. Something in him was telling him that this man didn’t belong here, either.

“I have to say, your suit looks marvellous,” Stede commented before the stranger could walk off to where he had originally been directed, because he really did. “I hope you don’t mind me saying so.”

The man himself clearly didn’t mind — in fact, Stede watched as the corners of his mouth lifted into a slightly bashful smile, like he hadn’t been expecting any compliments. “Oh- no, thanks mate. It’s pretty neat, huh?” He stretched his arms, flapping a bit to show off the loose lace of his sleeves by his wrists. It was just a little too long, like it wasn’t his. “Got it off of a ship I was on a couple days ago.”

“Oh, a merchant vessel?” Stede asked, curious. “You’ll have to point me in their direction, all of my suits come from land.”

The stranger hesitated, blinked a few times, before he nodded. “Right, yeah,” he cleared his throat. “A merchant…”

“Well I’ll keep an eye out,” Stede nodded, before he smiled, and extended a hand to the stranger. “I’m Stede, Stede Bonnet.”

The man took his hand with a strong grip and shook; Stede noticed, upon looking down at their joined hands, that a tattoo of a spider was inked into the back of his hand. Which, he definitely thought was odd. Most people there, he would assume, would’ve been under the impression that tattoos were sinful. “Ed, nice to meet you.”

Ed certainly wasn’t supposed to be here.

Stede hoped that it wasn’t obvious that he shouldn’t have been there, either.

“So what do you do, Ed?” Stede asked once their hands had parted; his curiosity had taken a hold, now, and he couldn’t help himself. If the story was interesting enough it would certainly be great for Lucius to write down.

“Oh, just, y’know,” Ed waved his hands a little. “Fancy shit, just like everyone else here,” he shrugged, but Stede was still looking at him, so he tacked on. “I’m a… I’m an accountant.”

“An accountant?” Stede raised his eyebrows. “Finicky business, that.”

“Oh yes yes, very… uh, tough,” Ed nodded. “What about you, Stede Bonnet? What do you do?”

Stede paused. He hadn’t thought of his lie yet, it was quite fun. “I’m a… well, I’m a trader of goods, I suppose you could say. I came here with my crew…” at the mention of his crew he remembered that he had been looking for them, and glanced back to the crowd again, scanning. Still nothing. “Who have appeared to disappear,” Stede sighed, looked back to Ed. “I’m sorry, will you excuse me? I’ll just check to see if they’re outside,” he gestured to the door, before hesitating. “Would you… I mean, when I’m back, would you like a drink?” Stede gestured back over towards the drinks table, flushed pink, and he hoped Ed couldn’t see it underneath his mask. “They have some fine wine here.”

Ed smiled, nodded. “That’d be great. I’ll be here.”

“Amazing, yes, great,” Stede nodded, smiled, felt a glow in his chest. “I’ll be back in a tic.”

He gave a final smile to Ed before he left through the patio doors, and upon his deep inhale of the cool sea air, he realised how hot he felt. God, when was the last time he’d flustered himself up like that?

He cleared his throat and tried to focus on finding the crew. His heels on his shoes clicked against the wooden boards as he walked up and down the deck, scanning the faces of the people there — none of which were his crew. Stede knew that nothing bad could have possibly happened to them, the worst that they would experience on the vessel was a terrible conversation. But part of him just felt… uneasy. Like there was something wrong, something he wasn’t seeing.

He huffed out a breath as he came to rest against the railing of the ship by the doors he had just exited from. Stede stared out at the open ocean for a moment, admired the pink swirls in the sky from the sunset, before he reached up to take off his mask. The cool air felt amazing on his face, and for a moment he just took some breaths of the air, tried to calm his uneasiness.

Everything was fine. He’d go inside, share a drink with Ed, his crew would show up, and all would be good.

Stede had been so distracted by just breathing that he hadn’t heard the patio door open behind him, but he was quick to register the presence against his back, the breath he felt against his neck. His eyes widened, swallowed, and was about to ask who was stood there, but was beat to it by,

“The Gentleman Pirate?”

The breath from the words hit the back of his neck, and it took too long for his brain to catch up with his ears, because- that was Ed’s voice.

Ed didn’t know about his piracy. He didn’t know who Stede was. He had just met the guy.

“Wha- Ed?” Stede asked. “How do you-”

So much happened at once that it took a moment for him to process it all.

Ed’s hand had pressed against his lower back, harder and harder until he was pinned against the railing in front of him. The surprise made him drop his mask, and he heard the porcelain shatter against the wooden flooring beneath them. But the loss of his mask was the last thing on his mind when he felt the sharpness of a blade pressed to his throat, cold and dangerous

Oh god.

“What- what are you doing I-”

“Shh shh shh,” Ed’s breath was still hitting his ear, and it made Stede shudder beneath him. “Calm down, mate, I don’t want to have to hurt you,” his voice was so smooth as he spoke, it made Stede’s head spin. What was happening? “Took a while for us to track you down, y’know. I was asking myself, what’s so special about a pirate like you? But you aren’t just like any pirate, are you Stede?” Ed clicked his tongue, pressed his hand firmer. “No, fancy fucker like you shouldn’t even be a pirate… and here you are.”

Ed’s hand gripped his hip, then, and the knife was momentarily pulled from his throat, allowing Ed to spin Stede around to face him. Whilst his hand never left his hip — which Ed gripped tightly, fingers digging into his hip bone, pushing to keep him pressed to the railing — the knife returned to his throat.

Facing him, Stede was able to see that Ed, too, had rid his mask. And he hated to admit it of the guy who had him at knife point, but he was even more gorgeous without the mask.

“I don’t- I don’t understand- Ed-”

Ed leaned in closer, until his breath spread out over Stede’s face, until all Stede could smell was the rum that he had obviously been drinking. “Since I know your alias, Gentleman Pirate,” Ed fucking smiled, gripped his hip tighter. “Think it’s only fair you know mine, huh?”

There was a pause, so Stede forced himself to nod, shakily, too afraid to say the wrong thing to speak.

“Name’s Blackbeard.”

Stede’s eyes widened, felt his face pale, his breath rushed in such a deep inhale he thought his lungs might fucking explode, his heart was thumping so quickly he could feel it. “Bla- Blackbeard?” He choked, “Oh god don’t kill me, don’t- you- you can have anything you’d like, my ship is just over-”

Stede didn’t register that his hand had left his bruising grip on his hip until it had clamped over Stede’s mouth, effectively silencing him.

“Already said I didn’t want to hurt you, didn’t I?” Ed- Blackbeard smiled at him. “And anyways, as oh so kind as it was for you to offer, I already know where your ship is,” he nodded over in the distance. “Look over there.”

Despite the instruction, Blackbeard curled his fingers into Stede’s jaw until he had no choice but to turn his head to the side, saw The Revenge in the distance where it had been anchored. But when he looked closer, he saw a dingy on its way towards the ship.

“My men, the kind fuckers that they are, have escorted all of your crew back to the ship. Why don’t we join them?”

Stede, unable to say anything, just stared at Ed with wide eyes.

“Been wanting to talk to you for a while, why don’t we do it back on your ship?” Blackbeard suggested, as much as it could be considered a suggestion with his hand clamped over his mouth and his blade pressed to his throat. “I’d love to see the place,” he paused, and leaned in until the loose strands of his hair tickled Stede’s face, “and me and you need to have a little chat, hm?” He grinned. “You still owe me a drink.”

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

comments would mean the world <3 requests are open!

[cryingyetcourageous]

From the moment Peter began explaining the strains of parenthood - the exhaustion, the responsibility, the gag-worthy messes - he began to smile. It was small at first, a little unsynchronized twitch at both corners, one ever so slightly after the other as though his face stumbled over the reaction, but as he kept going and Raivis saw where his little rant was heading, it only grew.

Perfect. All children were. The most human thing in the world was to protect children, to see to it that the next generation was safe. Cultures differed in their approaches to how best to ensure their safety, whether to teach them about the world or shield them from it, whether to instill ethics and discipline early on or offer the space to develop one's own sense of direction, over how much to tell them: endless were the ways in which people could argue about parenting, but it all came down to a deep-seated, primal drive to nurture.

And Peter would. Raivis had full faith in him. He didn't shy away from the less-than-pleasant bits, but rather relished in them. He embraced the struggle of meeting the needs of a little one who did not yet have a way to express herself beyond making sounds and faces. He practically glowed, in Raivis's eyes, as he spoke of it all. Through this tiny new life, he found a new life of his own. His love for Sadaf radiated and warmed Raivis to his core.

Well, mostly. There was still part of him, deep down, that panged with an icy sort of ache. One was more lukewarm, in a sense, and that was the acknowledgment that Peter was growing up. How could he be so proud of him yet so desperately wishing to turn back time? There was a little boy in a sailor suit, the one that he could dote on and fret over, one that he could joke with and teach, one that he could take care of before a certain Swede stepped in and filled all caretaking roles. That boy now sat beside him, towering over him like everyone else did, starting a family of his own, embracing his coming mortality. How did it change so quickly? Why did decades have to feel like months? He was proud of him and it hurt.

The other was selfish. Perhaps the first was selfish, too - longing for days when Peter was little despite knowing full well that he was happy now - but it was selfish in a different way. Part of him, beneath all the joy and pride and warmth, wondered why it couldn't be him. Everyone aged past him. Nations half his age outpaced him and treated him like a kid, those who had once been his peers moved on. To say he wanted to be a father, given how he looked, would sound ridiculous. Was that part of why he clung so closely to Peter in the first place? He called himself a 'big brother', but was that only because the alternative would have been laughed at?

...It didn't matter. Even his insistence on being a big brother probably came across as laughable or outright condescending, to humor himself into believing he in any way had a right to be a guiding older figure in Peter's life at this point, that someone stuck as a teen had any right to give advice or reassurance to a full grown man. Besides, what kind of "brother" didn't know he had a "niece"?

And that was why, when Peter offered to let Raivis meet her, he was floored. "Y... You mean it?" he asked. It was only video call, sure, but that was still a massive leap from accidentally seeing pictures on a phone, especially when he wasn't supposed to know she existed in the first place. Jumping on the offer was the first instinct, but it was ignored in favor of skepticism.

"Are you sure it's okay?" he asked slowly, shifting in his seat to find an outlet for the pounding in his chest. He should take the chance, leap for the opportunity to meet her and be part of her life, because that was what he wanted, but "I-If... If I see her, I'm going to get attached." A gentle warning in a soft voice, barely more than a whisper. If he saw her now, interacted with her through the screen, and then wasn't allowed to be part of her life? It would fuck with his head. She was too young to remember him, but Raivis would undoubtedly remember her.

He took a deep, shuddering breath. It didn't matter what he wanted right now when it would only complicate things in the long run. "Are y-you certain you want her to know me? I don't, um - you have this whole thing planned, and if I ruin it, or if I..." He trailed off. 'The only ones even close to stable are my fathers and uncles.' That was what Peter said, and he could hardly disagree. Did he really want Raivis in her life to be a bad influence and another added stress?

"I want to meet her. I want to meet her very badly," he said, hand curling into a fist over his chest, "but I also want to be sure that you really, truly want me to. If I meet her, I... I would want to be a part of her life for the long run, y-you know?"

At this point, Peter was no longer going to let his guard down in this apartment until he left, because clearly Raivis wanted to push this issue, no matter how much he tried to cover it by coddling Peter. Or how much emotional damage he was willing to take to push a matter that didn't need pushing. He has to be a glutton for punishment, Peter mused, wondering how much of that was a joke.

“Oh, I’d tell her about them," Peter said plainly. It was yet another thing Peter had thought about as he plotted his and Sadaf's "escape" from this life. "I mean, as ideal as it would be to hide every single aspect of this existence from her, I know that she'd pick up on immortals existing eventually. Especially since it's damn near impossible that her family will become mortal in her lifetime." Of this airtight plan Peter had of entering a human life with his daughter and leaving no trace of their immortality, this aspect was the only one Peter would allow some leeway. "It would simply be like any other mortal being close enough to know about the existence of their type. "There are plenty of humans who are close to you nations to know of immortals' existence, right? It won't be any different for her if I told her that her granddad is an immortal who got bored and wanted to raise a couple kids."

And that was the beauty of micronationhood, that Peter had realized too late, but had finally realized nonetheless: it can be thrown away. Nothing, micronations especially, is permanent. Sure, maybe some of the conventions of a micronation falling is the same as a full nation, that the government has to fall and the land annexed or totally cleared of inhabitants, but all Sealand would need for that is its princes dropping this fort like a kid selling his trading cards or a magic kit collecting dust in a closet. It was easy for Peter to be detached because, really, what else was there to Sealand?

Forget being kicked out of the table or turned away at the door for not being a real nation; forget constantly being mocked or, worse, being humored while patted on the head; forget being put in the back of his birth family's mind half the time until they needed some amusement. Sealand simply had outlived its purpose. No war was being fought that Sealand could be used in, nor was there any illegal radio that needed broadcasting after the advent of podcasts. The royal family had no plans to renovate Sealand into a "floating" city when sea levels climbed too high and made most of the land uninhabitable, so there was another avenue closed to them. The only purpose the fort had now was to keep Sadaf alive long enough to get stronger. And when it seems safe enough, they can leave. They can leave all the nonsense behind like Hutt River and Niko, and Peter can finally have the human life he so desperately craved.

The detachment came with hope.

So, Peter wanted desperately, through his smoldering frustration, to assure Raivis that there was nothing to worry about, but with the way the conversation had gone to shit so far, Peter was certain his friend would take it the wrong way. Besides, there was more important stuff to talk about.

"It's tiring!" Peter laughed, throwing his hands in the air. "Oh, god, feedings all day, diapers all night, crying every hour on the hour because she doesn't know how to pass gas on her own yet. And when I do change diapers, I don't know if I'm gonna get an easy clean or the grossest, nastiest, soupiest diaper known to man. She cries if I make the bath too hot, she cries if I make the bath too cold, and she cries if I make the bath just right but she needs to voice an opinion, anyway.

"And I love every minute of it." Peter leaned back and folded his hands over his stomach. He stared off across the room, smiling to himself. "Every day that I have her, I find something new to love about her. I love the funny faces she makes when she's trying to pass gas or try to voice her discontent. I love how her cheeks get rosy like mine when she giggles, and her toothless little smile. I love watching her sleep, and feeling the peaceful dreams she has because she knows that I and her mother are there to keep her safe. And her fingers and toes! They're too small, because she's too small, but they're so... perfect."

He lifted a hand, only to let it fall back down on his lap. "She's so... perfect."

And there it was: a way for Peter to squash this whole talk of keeping this awful secret away from his child. He looked over to Raivis. "I'm supposed to be having a video call with her in a while. Do you want to meet her?" What harm was there, since Raivis knew about her now?

[northernmariette]

Bernadotte, a traitor? A personal opinion.

It's still Bernadotte's birthday for a few minutes as I start this, so here is my offering for today's birthday boy.

Here is my inexpert, insufficiently researched opinion about Bernadotte being, or not being, a traitor. Right off the bat, a traitor to whom, to what? To Napoléon? To France? In my opinion, he was a traitor to neither. I might be all over the place with this, so please bear with my disorganised rambling.

Someone much wiser than I am wrote something, somewhere, that there are no unmixed motives. So did Bernadotte act from completely noble motives? I doubt it. Were his actions justified after he became heir to the Swedish Throne? In my opinion, yes.

Because there are some people who think that it was inappropriate for Bernadotte to marry Désirée Clary, I will put this to rest right from the get-go. Napoléon had dumped Désirée. He had *dumped* her. He had done so when it was much more serious to break up an engagement than it is now. So Napoléon had no claim at all anymore on Désirée. At the time of her marriage to Bernadotte, Napoléon was certainly more politically and socially prominent, but Bernadotte was no slouch himself.

Personally, I suspect Napoléon was not too proud of the way he had treated Désirée, and this is part of the reason he went easy (sort of) on Bernadotte, a general he disliked, if not more. Similarly Bernadotte had no great affection for Napoléon. These two never got along. Napoléon did not like rivals, for one thing, and Bernadotte had had a successful military career himself and was politically ambitious.

Anyway, enough about the early days. It is well known that Bernadotte had treated his Swedish prisoners well during the napoleonic campaigns, and that this created a very favourable impressions at the Swedish court. In 1810, when Bernadotte was asked to become the Crown Prince of Sweden he was in disfavour with Napoléon and perhaps felt that there was no future for him in France. The Swedish offer must have seemed a gift from Heaven. As I see it, here was his chance to get out from under Napoleon's thumb, acquire some elbow room and satisfy his own political ambitions. Still, he sought Napoleon's consent before accepting the offer. I hardly see any traitorous action yet.

Bernadotte was not naïve about the reasons for the Swedish offer. Russia had just wrested Finland from Sweden, and the Swedes wanted a military man to wrest it back. Bernadotte chose another path: he came to an agreement with Russia, and increased Sweden's territory by seizing Norway instead.

Here is where we get into the whole treason business: it was expected that once Bernadotte assumed de facto rule In Sweden, which happened immediately as the King was no longer fit to reign, he would remain faithful to the interests of France. Bernadotte looked to the interests of Sweden instead. In other words, he refused to keep one foot in each camp and brought both feet into the Swedish camp. In my opinion, this was the right thing to do.

Let me offer this metaphor : suppose you have this legendary sports team. Just for the heck of it, let's say the Montreal Canadiens hockey team. It includes many star players, one of which spent his long career on this team, all the while with a coach who just loved to browbeat him. Then the star player gets a dream offer to become a coach himself for a less prestigious team, but with carte blanche to mold it according to his own ideas and principles. Would this new coach act properly if he enjoined his players to go easy on his former team, just because he owed his fame to his time there as a player? My answer is no, no, no, no! The new coach's loyalty has to be to his present team, the one who wanted him as a coach; anything else would be wrong.

This is an oversimplification, of course, and I have no doubt that jealousy and resentment played a part in Bernadotte's choices. However, on the face of it I am convinced Bernadotte acted properly by protecting the interests of his new country. If the interests of Sweden lay with joining a coalition against Napoléon, then this was the proper decision for Bernadotte to make.

If I were to study Bernadotte's life in greater depth, something I would like to do, I might come to another opinion. In the meantime, I see no treason in his putting Sweden's interests first.