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renthony · 12 days

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In Defense of Shitty Queer Art

Queer art has a long history of being censored and sidelined. In 1895, Oscar Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray was used as evidence in the author’s sodomy trials. From the 1930s to the 1960s, the American Hays Code prohibited depictions of queerness in film, defining it as “sex perversion.” In 2020, the book Steven Universe: End of an Era by Chris McDonnell confirmed that Rebecca Sugar’s insistence on including a sapphic wedding in the show is what triggered its cancellation by Cartoon Network. According to the American Library Association, of the top ten most challenged books in 2023, seven were targeted for their queer content. Across time, place, and medium, queer art has been ruthlessly targeted by censors and protesters, and at times it seems there might be no end in sight.

So why, then, are queer spaces so viciously critical of queer art?

Name any piece of moderately-well-known queer media, and you can find immense, vitriolic discourse surrounding it. Audiences debate whether queer media is good representation, bad representation, or whether it’s otherwise too problematic to engage with. Artists are picked apart under a microscope to make sure their morals are pure enough and their identities queer enough. Every minor fault—real or perceived—is compiled in discourse dossiers and spread around online. Lines are drawn, and callout posts are made against those who get too close to “problematic art.”

Modern examples abound, such as the TV show Steven Universe, the video game Dream Daddy, or the webcomic Boyfriends, but it’s far from a new phenomenon. In his book Hi Honey, I’m Homo!, queer pop culture analyst Matt Baume writes about an example from the 1970s, where the ABC sitcom titled Soap was protested by homophobes and queer audiences alike—before a single episode of the show ever aired. Audiences didn’t wait to actually watch the show before passing judgment and writing protest letters.

After so many years starved for positive representation, it’s understandable for queer audiences to crave depictions where we’re treated well. It’s exhausting to only ever see the same tired gay tropes and subtext, and queer audiences deserve more. Yet the way to more, better, varied representation is not to insist on perfection. The pursuit of perfection is poison in art, and it’s no different when that art happens to be queer.

When the pool of queer art is so limited, it feels horrible when a piece of queer art doesn’t live up to expectations. Even if the representation is technically good, it’s disappointing to get excited for a queer story only for that story to underwhelm and frustrate you.

But the world needs that disappointing art. It needs mediocre art. It even needs the bad art. The world needs to reach a point where queer artists can fearlessly make a mess, because if queer artists can only strive for perfection, the less art they can make. They may eventually produce a masterpiece, but a single masterpiece is still a drop in the bucket compared to the oceans of censorship. The only way to drown out bigotry and offensive stereotypes created by bigots is to allow queer artists the ability to experiment, learn through making mistakes, and represent their queer truth even if it clashes with someone else’s.

If queer artists aren’t allowed to make garbage, we can never make those masterpieces everyone craves. If queer artists are terrified at all times that their art will be targeted both by bigots and their own queer communities, queer art cannot thrive.

Let queer artists make shitty art. Let allies to queer people try their hand at representation, even if they miss the mark. Let queer art be messy, and let the artists screw up without fear of overblown retribution.

It’s the only way we’ll ever get more queer art.

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#original essays #original post #media studies #queer history #queer media #queer issues #fandom issues

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chuwenjie · 11 months

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Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse comes out later today so I wanted to write a post reflecting on my journey and experience working on this movie. So many people have supported me through this and I am so thankful to each and every one of you!

Text version of this post under the cut:

Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse comes out tonight. It feels really weird to be typing that out right now. I worked on the movie as a visdev artist for the last 2.5 years, from 2020 to 2023. Long post incoming.

There are a lot of reasons why I'd consider this film to be one of the most ambitious animated films to ever be made. As artists, we were asked to push ourselves far beyond our comfort zones and do things that had never been done before in animation.

Every time we reached a point where most people would say "this must possibly be as creative and weird as it gets," our entire team of artists and animators would smash right through the ceiling. The driving direction for the visuals of the film was to push the limits of every single frame; to challenge audience expectations and make something truly original.

The best thing about this film was that there wasn't a single boring day working on this movie. The hardest thing about this film was also that there wasn't a single boring day working on this movie.

There were times while working on this where the imposter syndrome hit me hard. This was my first big movie, and what a hell of a first movie to get thrust into.

I came in only a few years out of school with absolutely no idea what the hell I was doing. I constantly feared that someone had made a mistake in bringing me onto this film, and I was going to let everyone down. There was a solid chunk of those 2.5 years where I wasn't sure if animation was the right path for me.

If there's anything I could tell my past self it would be this: there are so many people who love you and believe in you. There will be a time when you get to stand on the other side of it, look back on everything and see how far you came.

I'm still working on self-acceptance every day (it will be a lifelong struggle, I'm sure), but I'm glad I didn't give up on myself. I'm proud of myself and my contributions to this film, and I'm certain that this movie will continue to change and shape the animation landscape just as the first one did. That's truly a special feeling to have been a part of. I am so incredibly grateful to every single person who helped me along this journey.

Here come the thanks:

To the ENTIRE visdev & art crew- it's been an honor getting to work alongside each and every one of you. My jaw is literally still on the floor from seeing your incredible talent day after day.

I want to thank Tiffany and Felicia especially for being there for me through tough times- I admire and respect you both so much as artists, and even better than that, my life is greatly enriched for being able to call you my friends.

Thank you Patrick and Dean for taking chances on me, teaching me so much about art and what I'm capable of, and encouraging me along the way. To Aymeric, your art is one of the reasons I initially became interested in animation and you have been one of the kindest & most empathetic mentors I could ever have asked for.

I want to thank my wonderful parents for believing in me always and raising me into the person I am today: everything I do in life is to make you proud. To my brother Andrew who is perpetually awake at 3 AM when I need someone to talk to- thank you for always picking up the phone and making me laugh.

And finally to my partner Luke for making me grilled cheeses on all of the difficult days, for never getting sick of me even when all I would ever talk about was work, and for patiently and steadfastly loving me throughout this entire thing. I don't think I could've done it without you.

Starting tomorrow I will begin posting and sharing some of the art I made for this movie; I'm looking forward to sharing some of my personal favorites with you. I hope each and every one of you enjoys Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse when it hits theaters later today!

#visual development #visdev #spiderman: across the spiderverse #spiderman atsv #gwen stacy

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gentlyweeps-world · 5 months

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The “It Girl”

summary: Being a rookie in the world of Formula One comes with challenges, added on with the fact you’re a girl, American and racing for Red Bull doesn’t help. While you do have your “guard dogs” and “it girl” tendencies, it doesn’t help that you’re also trying to figure out romance.

pairing: 2021 grid x fem! driver, romantic interest tbd

warnings: sexism, alcohol consumption, toxic environments, uncomfortable situations

LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO

Many had said the 2021 grid was the best, the most exciting grid yet. While that was true, it wasn’t fun as a rookie in Red Bull, better yet, a female rookie in Red Bull. But that wasn’t the end of it, an American female rookie racing for Red Bull.

Least to say PR had a field day when they announced you would be replacing Checo after his retirement in 2020.

At only 21 years old you were making history, and you were once again today. Finishing P1 on home soil at the circuit of Americas.

Now here you were, alongside Max Verstappen, your teammate, and Lewis Hamilton, the break in between the two Red Bulls.

“Y/n how do you look so good after a race?”

“Y/n what makeup do you use?”

Only ten minutes ago did the end of race press conference start, and only five minutes did the most sexist and offensive questions start. And only seconds ago is when you were put out of your daze from the most infuriating question you had received.

“Y/n? How do you race while menstruating?”

Suddenly knocked out of your daze, your face contorts into one of shock and annoyance from the question.

“E-excuse me?”, You ask out shocked, not sure if you had heard the question right. I mean after all this was a post race conference, and not one question was about racing.

You glance over to Lewis and Max, who both look equally upset and disgusted.

The interviewer looks at you and smiles while he asks once more, “Can you tell us about how racing while having to deal with menstruation affects race strategy in your car?”

Max and Lewis still have a confused look, while Max looks at the interviewer like he will rip the guy’s head off.

The interviewer smiles and says, “Don’t be offended L/n, but girls and women on their period don’t think as fast or as clearly.” He then pauses for a moment to think about what he’s just said, and he adds, “Of course, it doesn’t matter anyway, women don’t belong in F1.”

You can feel your face contort to bewilderment, taking a moment to realize this interviewer was from DTS. Then you hear Max slap his hand on the table.

“She just got fucking P1 and you expect her to answer these ridiculous questions? Treat her with some respect, she’s done more than you have!”, Max says sternly, his eyes shooting daggers at the interviewer.

The interviewer grows visibly intimidated by Maxs reaction. He swallows twice and his tone visibly changes

“I-I’m sorry, I just had to ask.”

Lewis then speaks up and says to the interviewer, “I want you to listen to what you just said and think about what you just did. Women aren’t allowed to drive just because they are on their period, do you even hear yourself?” Lewis sounds genuinely sad.

Max remains silent, but his eyes are still angry. Instead of adding anything onto the conversation you just sit there, shock still on your face.

You let out an awkward cough, drinking some of you Red Bull, you clear your throat and look up towards the interviewers, annoyance clear in your eyes.

“Could we please move on now? Maybe ask a racing related question”, You say, showing no interest in being there.

For a few seconds, there is complete silence. Then a new interviewer finally manages to speak.

“Of course, a new question. So, Y/n, how do you feel about being the second woman to win a Grand Prix in Formula One?”

A faint smile appears on your face as you hear the question, “About time, a normal question”, You hear Max mumble out, a grin tugs at your lips, thankful Max has your back.

“It feels great, I’m super grateful for my team and engineers”, You say, “But very thankful to win, glad to have proved all of the doubters wrong”

Another reporter then pipes up and asks, “How did you feel about the backlash from a lot of people who didn’t want a woman in F1?”

You take a moment to think on how to respond, taking a moment to consider how much trouble you could get in if you answered honestly, but that was PR jobs right?

“Uh..well I think they’re fucking stupid, and they clearly don’t know who Desiré Wilson is”, You state, a small smirk on your face as you answer, knowing DTS will eat that up.

For a moment everyone is silent, until Lewis breaks out laughing, “I think this would be a great way to end this conference”, He says with a grin, getting up from his seat and moving out of the room. Max soon follows behind, and you’re quick to follow Max, not sure what to do afterwards.

As Max and you make your way back to the garage you hear chants and jeers thrown out, but it wasn’t enough to wipe off the smile on your face.

Finally reaching the Red Bull garage, Max and you get there and are immediately bombarded with cheers, laughter and applause from the Red Bull team.

After a good hour of celebrating with the team, you feel your phone vibrate in your hand, “Who is it?”, Max asks, curious to see who texted you.

Checking the notification it’s from an unknown number, asking if you wanted to go and celebrate with them, you look up at Max with confusion, but his face shows the opposite.

“Didn’t know he would be asking you so soon..”, Max says with a look of shock.

———————————————————————

radio: Hope this was a good one, im quite excited to work on this series!! I’m leaving it up to you guys to pick a love interest in the comments, keep in mind the grid is 2021 not 2023 💙💙 (send in any requests and leave any comments)

next part

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randomgods · 6 months

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who’s your favorite slugcat and why?

The Hunter is definitely my favorite! You can’t get better than this lil guy :)

I connected so much with their story when I first played Rain World. Their selflessness, their battle with terminal illness, how they spend their last moments doing everything they can to save someone. It was so cool seeing a slugcat that was so involved in the lives of the iterators for the first time. And on top of that the gameplay was amazing! It was so much fun to challenge myself to learn how to fight and move through the regions quickly and efficiently in the face of danger. Just such an awesome experience.

But I also ADORE The Rivulet! I actually made an OC back in 2020 named Seven Speaks who followed The Rivulets story to a T. The story of an aquatic, salamander-spliced slugcat repairing Looks To The Moon which then allows her and Five Pebbles to reconnect was something that was very meaningful to me. So seeing it actually play out in the game almost exactly how I imagined it years before was incredible! It was everything I could have ever wanted for a continuation of the story! I definitely cried lol.

The Spearmaster is also a big favorite :) I love their story, their gameplay, and the broadcasts! I really really loved how their campaign fleshed out the iterators and their relationships. It’s so sooo cool. They’re kinda like an easier version of The Hunter to play which is fun when I don’t want to race the clock. I usually play as them nowadays.

And AHH THE SAINT! THE STORY! When I first realized what The Saint was my mind was blown. And don’t get me started on the chimney canopy change… I honestly think that was the most effective part of the entire game as a whole. You start in an area of the game where your first instinct is to go “oh I should go to Five Pebbles first, I’ll climb the wall.” You have this whole idea of exactly how you’re going to get there, I mean at this point you’ve done it so many times before. You make your way through Sky Islands and run across the top of chimney, everything is going great, and then the final screen changes. It’s gone. It’s all gone. The confusion of it all before the realization sets in. Five Pebbles collapsed. AH! I don’t think I’ll ever experience something like that again. It was so effective.

I’m going to stop myself before I start writing an entire essay on everything about this campaign. The Saint wrapped up the story of Rain World in a way that was very emotional and fulfilling to me. The only thing I would change is the dialogue between Moon and Pebbles at the end… It fell flat for me when it should have been such an impactful scene.

But ultimately The Hunter is the best!!! Love this freak!!!!!!

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oofthwoods · 3 months

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INTRODUCTION! ── ˙ ̟ the echo !!

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 :: get to know porsche's bet for the newest legend in the making in formula one, dubbed as the echo.

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 :: i've been absolutely hooked in @disneyprincemuke vettel reincarnated's series and i have always loved fem!drivers so i decided to give my own take on this <3. | can definitely be read as a reader insert, but the driver will driver under a specific flag and related to a famous driver! even so, physical descriptions will not be given, so you can definitely picture yourself

our fem!driver has a few titles to her name! the most well known, echo, comes from her championship winning f3 & f2 seasons, where she was consistently the fastest driver in the grid, leaving behind only a faint trace of her presence for the other drivers to see.

other nicknames include "lightning" due to her great performances on wet races (as the media says, the only thing faster than the rain is the lightning.), "pg" (stands for both princess of the grid, which is an old karting nickname, and parental guide, given due to her young age), and the legacy.

she is the daughter of ex- formula one driver, rubens barrichello. she drivers under the brazilian flag. i picture her as the middle child, so that would place her date of birth between '01 & '04.

has a streak of four consecutive championship winning years: the italian formula 4 in 2019, freca in 2020, formula 3 in 2021 and formula 2 in 2022.

art grand prix girlie! has been with the french team for both her f3 and f2 seasons.

she was a red bull junior, but was suddenly cut from the team after her formula 3 season. helmut mark claimed that she wasn't consistent enough to justify a contract renewal, which was clearly bullshit as she had literally won the championship.

competed in formula 2 without an academy, but was in talks with porsche to join their team.

committing to her lightning nickname, she chose 95 as her number!

grew up in the paddock! her dad loved to take her around the world with him, and she became a familiar face to all crew and drivers. although she is the youngest of the current grid, she is closer to the oldest guys due to knowing them since she was very young.

outside of formula 1, her closest friends are gabriel bortoleto, felipe drugovich, frederik vesti, liam lawson and clément novalak.

within formula 1, she is closest to fernando alonso, lewis hamilton (both who met her when she was a baby), mick schumacher (her teammate at porsche), lando norris, alex albon and oscar piastri. but she is friendly with everyone, and tries to know them better — it does help that she is a social butterfly who could talk to the walls even if they don't answer.

about porsche: have been in the talks of joining the grid for a long time, and finally got their approval for 2023. they could go for veteran drivers but decided against it, placing their bets of mick schumacher, who had just been dropped from haas, and y/n barrichello, the f2 champion.

when the news dropped, it was the talk of the town! not only she would be the first female to compete in formula one in several years, but the duo barrichello-schumacher would be present again in the grid!

actually loves doing grill the grid and other challenges. some people think it's the rookie rush, but she has always loved playing those games.

has the biggest fat girl crush on susie wolff. would kiss the ground she walks if she could.

still needs a lot pr training due to amount of cursing and off-pocket things she says. apparently saying "i'll throw myself in front of verstappen's car and change the trajectory of his entire life" is not socially acceptable, neither is saying that she's plotting his accidental death.

sponsored by vivienne westwood, which she claims is probably the coolest thing to happen to her.

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thinkwosolife23 · 6 months

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She needs you, Alessia Russo

Today was one of the biggest games, if not the biggest game of the season.

As an Arsenal player, playing Chelsea has to be the most fustrating game to play. More importantly as a defender, you have the task of keeping Sam Kerr quiet. Even with Leah by your side, it can be extremely difficult. Despite being your rival, you have the upmost respect for the Chelsea team and all of there players, they are a talented side but that means they bring out the best in you. But it's got to the point where everyone almost expects Arsenal to lose, like we don't even put up a fight against them.

You've played Chelsea many times over the 3 years you have been at Arsenal, your win ratio isn't exactly ideal. You can count on one hand how many times you've actually beat them.

However, Arsenal have made some big changes and improvements this season. With the new signings and players returning from injury, you were hopefull, really hopefull that you could win,

One of the new signings just happened to be your fiance. You and Alessia had known each other since you were about 13 through the England youth teams.

When you were 18, you had made the venture to move to America to go to University and play for North Carolina Tar Heels. Alessia had also made the move, meaning the two of you became a lot closer. Eventually that lead to a relationship when your were both 19.

In 2020, you signed for Arsenal and Alessia had signed for Manchester United. The distance was difficult for the both of you, it definatly challenged your strength as a couple. But it mad you cherish the time you did have together even more.

You had proposed to Alessia in the iddle of Wembley stadium when you had just won the Euros, you couldn'y have thought of a better time to do it. Thankfully, she said yes.

You were over the moon when your soon to be wife decided to join Arsenal. Obviously, you knew that the choice was difficult for Alessia and you knew how much she loved her United. But you couldn't be happier knowing that for both club and country, you get to play alongside the love of your life. You had the hope that Alessia was exactly what Arsenal needed to beat Chelsea.

Anyways, the Arsenal coach had just arrived at Emirates Stadium.

Before your warm up, you had chance to go onto the field to do the pitch check, to speak with some of the Chelsea players and have time with your own teammates.

After talking to Millie and Lauren, two of your fellow Lionesses, you and Alessia began walking around the pitch looking for your families in the quickly filling stadium.

"How you feeling, love?" You asked Alessia as she began tracing patterns on your hand whilst you were walking along, somethin she usually did when she was nervous.

"I'm good." She told you, her voice not at all convincing.

"C'mon Less, you know you don't have to lie to me."

"I'm just a bit nervous, that's all. It's a big game, there's so much pressure."

"Forget about the nerves, the pressures. I have no doubt that you'll be amazing because you always are. My stargirl."

By now, the two of you had stopped walking around. You had pulled Alessia into a hug, lightly kissing her temple, her head resting in your neck.

"I love you"

"I love you too"

Before long, you were stood in the tunnel waiting for both teams to walk out. You always were last in the line, it became an almost ritual for you now. You and Katie were messing around as usual, laughing at something one of the mascots had said.

Arsenal Starting 11:

GK - M. Zinsberger LB - K. McCabe CB - L. Williamson CB - Y/N. Y/LN RB - S. Catley CDM - L. Walti CM - K. Little (C) LW - C. Foord CF - V. Meidama RW - B. Mead ST - A. Russo

Chelsea Starting 11:

GK - Z. Musovic LB - A. Lawrence CB - M. Bright (C) CB - J. Carter RB - N. Charles CDM - S. Ingle CDM - E. Cuthbert CAM - F. Kirby LW - G. Reiten ST - S. Kerr RW - L. James

The game was fairly even at both ends. You and Leah had an amzing partnership at the back which the Chelsea frontline were currently struggling to get by.

At the other end of the pitch, our fowards were doing a really good job of testing Musovic in goal but nothing had managed to get past her.

Until…

45+2' Alessia Russo Goal (A: Y/N Y/LN)

You had sent a long ball from the halfway line, which managed to go ever the Chelsea back line and reach Alessia who kicked it into the back of the net.

She ran over too you and jumped, wrapping her arms around your neck and her legs around your waist.

In the second half, Chelsea brought a tougher energy. The players were acting way harsher towards the Arsenal players, way harsher than they were in the first half. Their tackles were higher, the shoulder barges were stronger and the shirt pulls were far more occurent.

However, even by the 80th minute, you still were in the lead. You and Leah had made no mistakes at the back, the Chelsea frontline couldn't even get a proper shot off without one of you making the crucial tackle or block.

Leading to this moment. Chelsea had a corner in the 83rd minute due to you blocking a Sam Kerr shot.

At Chelsea, you knew that they either aimed for Sam's head or Millie's. They would always aim for one of them two.

You were currently in the main mix of people in the box. You were glued to Millie's side, doing your upmost to mean that the ball didn't go in the back of the Arsenal net.

Guro's delivery was impeccable, the ball heading straight fo the mix of blue and red in the box.

You jumped up to try and deter the ball when you felt something a lot harder than the ball in the side of your head.

Everyone in the stadium watched as Sam Kerr's Boot connected with the side of your head, sending you limp on the floor.

The Arsenal players in shock when you didn't get back up like you usually did. Play was immediatly stopped when you were face down on the ground, not moving.

Your teamates headed in multiple different directions. Some members of both teams gathered round your unmoving state to give you privacy whilst waiting for the medics. Alessia and Katie headed stright for Sam's direction in an angrily manor, whereas Leah and Steph wher among some wsho where straight by your side.

Leah, slowly and carefully began to roll you over so you were on your back. Players faces screwed up in horror as your face was covered in blood, which was now all over your shirt.

"C'mon Y/N, I need you to wake up now." Leah said, whilst scanning your face to see if there was any sort of response.

Alessia's fustration towards Sam had took her attention, her mind thinking you would be up by now. In the midst of it all, she hadn't noticed how you were still on the ground.

Your eyes slowly flickered open, shocked at the amount of light you were faced with. The pain in the side of your head was unlike anything you had ever felt with.

"Less?" Your voice barely scraped a whisper as all you needed was your lover by your side.

"Give us a minute, love. She's on her way."

Leah darted her eyes to Alessia's direction, to see her still going at Sam, emphisizing her fustrations and anger.

Katie had now noticed your state, realising it was way more serious than anyone had anticipated. And was now trying to help Beth steer Alessia away from Sam. Alessia wasn't ever the type to get in shouting matches but everyone knew that you were each others weak spot.

"Less, stop! You've had your say, now leave it!" Beth's unexpectedly firm voice slightly startled Alessia. Meaning her and Katie could pull her away.

"Alessia, she needs you." Katie's words made her turn around to realise that you were still on the floor, blood dripping from your head, with Leah and the medics by your side.

Alessia made little time in rushing over to your side, guilt swarming her as she let her anger overwhelm her.

"Baby, i'm sorry. I'm here now." Alessia said, taking your hand in hers. Watching on as you drifted in and out of conciousness.

The medics were quick to get you on the stretcher and off the pitch to get you properly treated.

The players and stadium erupted in claps as you were took off the pitch and down into the tunnel, towards the medical room.

There was a significant amount of extra time in the match due to your injury, but the players concentration wasn't on the match anymore. It was on whether or not you were okay.

Alessia couldn't even think straight, let alone play a match. As soon as the final whistle went, Alessia disregarded all the usual expectations of post-match and ran down the tunnel to find where you were.

The confusion flooded Alessia as she approached the medical room. Your laugh could be heard from the outside of the room.

Alessia quickly swung the door open to be met with sight of you on the medical bed with pading and bandages covering the side of your head.

"Oh my, Babe your awake." Alessia said as she saw you, her body instantly relaxed a bit.

"Babe?" Your face crumpled up in confusion and so did Alessia's as your reaction to her wasn't what she expected.

She quickly directed her look to the staff on the room who were fast to reassure her that you were quite dosed up on medication.

"I have a wife, you know." You told her factually, crossing your arms over your chest.

"Ohh do you now?" Alessia had to hold in her laugh, but her eyes also softened at what you had just said.

"Yeah, she's so beautiful. The most beautifulest girl ever."

Alessia did now actually laugh at the word you had just created.

"Can you tell me what your name is? Just so I can go and get your wife, I'm sure she would want to know that your okay." Alessia tried to go along with your words, hoping you'd eventually realise that your fiance was stood in front of you.

"Y/N Russo." You told Alessia confidently.

Alessia eyes watered at your confession but she soon thought that the best thing was to just turn around and show you the back of her shirt.

"So you stole her shirt and now your trying to steal her wife."

"Right, love, listen. I am Alessia. Your my fiance, we're not married yet."

"Ohhhhh." You said, the realisation of your confusion finally hitting you.

Alessia came and sat on the bed next to you. You moved over so she could lay down meaning you could rest your head on her chest. Your hands wrapping tightly around her waist as hers lightly rubbed your back.

"I quite like the sound of Y/N Russo, though."

#woso #woso imagine #woso x reader #woso fanfics #arsenal wfc #arsenal women #awfc #lionesses #alessia russo #leah williamson #engwnt #woso soccer #woso community #engwnt x reader

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mysticfalls01 · 5 months

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Soulmates

(Alessia Russo x reader)

Everyone knew that you and Less were soulmates, they could see the love that you guys have for each other through a simple look.

You met Less when you were only 5 years old. She was playing soccer with her older brother when she accidentally hit you with her ball. You started crying and she immediately went to console you, she didn’t understand why but she felt the necessity of making you smile. The moment you lifted your head she saw your green eyes, magically in that moment green became her favorite color and you guys became inseparable.

When you guys were 12 Less started to feel butterflies each time, she saw you in the stands when she had a match.

When you were 15 she asked you out in a date as she realized that she liked you as more than friends and in your third date she asked you to be her girlfriend.

“y/nn I know that it’s our third date and I can’t wait anymore to ask you. Would you like to become my girlfriend?” Less asked with a nervous voice.

“Yes Less! What took you so long baby? I've been waiting for years for you to ask me” you said with a playful voice

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

You liked football but let’s say that you didn’t have the skills so, you left the playing part to Less while you liked more the behind the scenes. You loved how much the stats could say a lot of a team and even there were times when the stats weren’t reflected on the final score of the game.

When Lessi turned 18 she decided to go to the States to play for UNC, that was the first challenge of your relationship as you feared her finding someone better than you. She reassured you that you were the only one for her so, you guys stayed in a long-distance relationship.

While she went to UNC you decided to go to Barcelona to study sport analytics. You were one of the best students of the program and that called FC Barcelona attention. You went and did a kind of internship for them for their women’s team, your job was to work with the other analysts, explain the reports to the head coach and then explain the numbers to the players.

In 2020 Less came back to the UK while you stayed some months more in Barcelona to finish your degree. During your time there you became friends to the girls of the team, specially to the older members as they understood the importance of your job. When you got your degree your time with them ended and you went back to England. Even if your time ended Barcelona still would hire you to be their analyst for the big games.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

You moved back to England, more specifically to Manchester as United signed Less for three years. You were static to be back with the love of your life, your soulmate. Having been separated from Lessi was the hardest thing that you had ever done and you didn't wanted to do it again.

In 2021 Less with the help of Mary and Tooney asked you the big question. She rented out a restaurant just for you guys, she brought you your favorite flowers and after the most perfect date she got down in one knee. Mary and Tooney were hidden capturing the moment as she wanted to remeber it forever.

“y/n I’ve loved you even before I understood the meaning of love. I’ll forever be grateful to my brother as the day I met you he convinced me to go to the park. That day green became my favorite color. You are my number one supporter, and you never missed a game until I went to UNC. Even if I decided to go there, we stayed in a relationship and you don’t know it but you became my rock, with your support I knew that everything was possible. You could have perfectly stayed in Barcelona and work for one of the biggest clubs in the world however, you came back because of me. I remember telling my mom the day I met you that I would marry you before I fully understood what that meant but now, I do and I plan making those words true. y/n l/n will you marry me and make me the happiest woman alive? “

“Yes Lessi! I’ll marry you!”

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

In 2022 after the Euros and before the start of the new season you married your soulmate. Your wedding was full of friends, families, and football legends in the making. Your friends from Barcelona came to the wedding and even Aitana was your maid of honor while for Less it was Tooney. That day couldn't had been more perfect, you had everything you wanted.

In 2023 Arsenal became interested in Less, they even offered you a contract to join them as an analyst. They knew that Less wouldn’t join them if she had to leave you behind.

Now you and your wife work for the same club even if sometimes Barcelona still hire you for some matches. It was the beginning of a new chapter in your journey but you knew that with your soulmate beside you everything was going to be alright.

You met your soulmate by accident and everything because of football ball that she had hit too hard.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

It was about time for me to write something, even if it's short, for my favorite player <3

#alessia russo x reader #alessia russo imagine #woso imagine #woso x reader #woso fanfics #woso community #woso one shot

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sunshine-theseus · 3 months

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Media Day | Platonic!Aitana Bonmati x Reader

Words: 1.2k Summary: everyone hates when you two get paired up on media day – please I know they didn’t score against Wolfsburg in the particular game mentioned, pretend they did Requested by @onandkfk - i'm sorry this isn't as good as i was hoping it to be but i hope you like it!

Media days could be tough. Interviewers or challenges could be awkward and sometimes you just don’t click with the people around you. Obviously all of the team worked well with each other, but if there were bad vibes from the visitors it threatened to ruin everything.

That’s why you and Aitana paired up whenever you could. And people hated it.

The two of you were rather respectful, reserved in comparison to the general Barcelona Femení image. Well that was before you discovered how much you enjoyed each other’s company.

You joined Barcelona from Atletico Madrid in 2020 as somewhat of a ‘child prodigy’. It left a sour taste in many people’s (fans) mouths, leaving one of Barca’s biggest rivals of the time only to join the ‘enemy’. You were too nervous to put yourself out there in a team like Barcelona, not knowing many of them despite having just had your first national team, so the first week or so was rather lonely. When not training, your head was buried in a book with headphones perched over your ears, or homework resting on your lap.

Eventually Aitana extended a hand to you in training, taking you under her wing. Being 16 at the time, you became basically stitched to her side. Jona tried to separate you when he first became head coach, despite having been witnessing your sibling like relationship as assistant coach for months beforehand, but quickly found there was no use. You worked well with everyone, often spending time with Mapi and Alexia or Clàudia when Aitana had something else to do, but you always found your way back to her at the end of the day.

It was a similar situation on media days. Everyone got paired up or rotated between a few people, you and Aitana included, but you always managed to find a way to pair up or sit and watch each other for majority of the day.

“Please don’t pair me up with them again Jona, please. Put Keira with them, it’s like a group of siblings when they’re together.” You let out a giggle as Patri begs to be switched out for the game.

“It’s just a little ‘who knows who better’ challenge, how bad can it be?” a hand lands sympathetically on her shoulder before he takes his leave for a press conference about tomorrow’s UWCL game against Benfica.

The midfielder takes a seat to the left of Aitana, and jokingly wipes her hands against her shorts.

“Estoy muy nervosa entre estas dos” (I’m very nervous between these two) she lets out a breathy laugh, looking down the lens of the camera as a silent plea of help as our voices muddle together in protest.

“¿Por qué? ¡Nosotras somos como ángeles Patri!” (Why? We are like angels Patri!)

“No hay razón para estar!” (there is no reason to be!)

“You will find a way to traumatise me I swear. But let’s get this over with!”

“Hola culers! I am Patri.”

“I’m Y/N.”

“… and Aitana Bonmatí?” laughs break out from the whole crew, including you and Patri, as Aitana’s face twists in confusion toward you.

“Well I wasn’t going to say your name for you was I?”

“I thought you were saying both… let’s go again.” A chuckle slips out before you try to redo the intro.

“Hi! I am Patri Guijarro.”

“I’m Y/N L/N”

“And Aita-” she cuts herself off and begins to laugh again, falling against your side.

“Qué poco profesional, verdad?” (so unprofessional right?) you stare directly into the camera before looking for a joking confirmation from Patri and the camera crew, who all nod in agreement.

“Sí, stick to fútbol.” You pat her on the back before trying the introduction again. Four more times.

“What was Y/N’s first start for Barcelona? And when?” you send Aitana a playful look as Patri reads the question off the card.

“You better know this Tana or we may have a problem. We had our first link up on the pitch during this game, it was a banger goal.”

“No I know. Of course I know.” She scribbles something down on the whiteboard.

“3, 2, 1. Times up, I hope you know the answer for your own sake Aitana.” Patri glances over at the older girl’s board and snickers.

“Ay she got it wrong heh? She has very poor memory.”

“I do not! Stop lying to everyone.”

“Okay okay Aitana what did you write?” shamefully, she flips her board around.

“Real Madrid, January 2021.” Your mouth falls open and your eyes bulge out of your head.

“Tana! My first start was against Wolfsburg in the UWCL semi-final in August 2020. You lobbed the ball from the mid-line and I headed it straight passed the goalie. I can’t believe you don’t remember that! Your age really is making you forget things.” A poor replication of a solemn expression is plastered on your face while Aitana tries defends herself.

“I have many of your achievements and milestones to remember hermanita! It is hard when you are such a successful player.” Despite Aitana referring to you has her little sister for quite some time, it manages to pull at your heart.

“I suppose I can excuse it this once.” With a roll of your eyes, you move onto the next question.

“How many major trophies does Aitana have? Country, club and junior and senior teams combined.”

“Dios mío, which ones doesn’t she have? You know I have to deep search our apartment once a week for her Ballon D’or so I can put it on display because she’s too modest to let everyone know how good she is?”

“It gets hidden right beside your 4 ‘TOTY’ player trophies from since you were 16.”

“I told you I would display them if we got a cat and you said ‘no I’m allergic’ so who’s fault is it really?”

“I cannot control my allergies, you bring half of Mapi’s cat back every time you visit them anyway, there is no need for our own cat.”

“I hate you.”

“Hermanita you say that every time I say no and yet you still make Miguelitos once a week because you found out they’re my favourite dessert.”

“Are you calling me a pushover Tana?”

“I’m not… not saying that.”

“Culo.” (ass) Aitana gasps dramatically and places a hand over her heart.

“You wound me Y/N.” you poke your tongue out at her then turn back to your whiteboard, writing down the answer.

“There is no way she knows this.”

“You doubt me Aitana?”

“Yo tambien para ser honesta.” (me too to be honest) the girls laugh to each other as they wait for you to finish with your suspiciously long answer for the question at hand. You don’t waste time in turning the board around to show the two midfielders and the cameras.

Jaws drop as they all read your answer.

“Thirty-one, and she named each of them. Aitana you need to step up your knowledge, this is crazy impressive.”

“How on earth do you know all that?”

“I care deeply about my friends, so much so that I’d get them a cat if they asked.” You glare at each other as Patri tries to end the video.

“Our winner is Y/N, with 5/5 questions right. Aitana you only got 3/5, you are a bad friend.”

“You tell her Patri!”

“What do I need to do to make the boasting end?”

“Make me fabada when we get home.”

“You hate me.”

“And yet you’ll still make it for me as I make your Miguelitos, so either both of us win or lose.”

“Bien hermanita.” She sighs but gives me a smile despite it.

“Gracias… loser.”

“I swear to go-”

#woso x reader #woso #womens soccer #woso fanfics #wwc 2023 #spain wnt #barca femeni #barcelona femeni #aitana bonmati #aitana bonmati x reader

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itsprashimusic · 2 months

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Hot Sauce and Rice (ln4 and cl16)

A/n - based off of 5 seconds of two different tiktoks i saw on insta reels. ik there are some reel haters out there but don't judge me, tiktok has been banned in my country since 2020.

Warnings - just some fluff with these two 'kitchen nuisances'. not very long, i just had to get this out of my system. like two bad words, two suggestive comments, not proofread.

Happy reading🩵

Hot Sauce

Before she met Lando, he was the type of guy who lived with one of every utensil in the house. Though now after having been with his girlfriend for a while, things have changed. Laundry is done properly, he learned how to handwash his white clothes and always cleans the lint filter from the dryer.

She had been scrolling through reels for hours, bored out of her mind, but had nothing better to do to pass the time. That's when she came across a new trend, seeing if your partner knew how to clean hot sauce off of the kitchen counter.

Knowing her boyfriend, she pulled herself out of bed and made her way to her boyfriend, the subject of yet another tiktok trend. "Landoo" she yelled while trying to find him, "I need you for something."

Lando, who was sitting in the living room just sighed. He knew what that yell meant. His girlfriend entered the room and stood in front of him. He said her name, "I'm not doing this" "Oh, come on, baby" she whined.

"Nuh-uh. Last time I did a tiktok trend with you my face was stained red for a week. Everyone called me tomato." She let out a small giggle at the reminder of what happened last time.

"This one isn't that bad." He gave her a look. "Please," she said with a face that he couldn't resist. His walls fell and he grumbled under his breath, "fine." She celebrated by grabbing his arm and dragging him into the kitchen. He whined out her name the entire way there.

She opened her camera, pressed the record button, and propped her phone up against a bottle. Lando stood there looking tired, rubbing one eye with his hand, the other in his hoodie pocket. He was really clueless on what she was planning on doing.

She took out the hot sauce, honey and the container with flour. She then proceeded to pour small globs of the hot sauce and honey on the counter and scattered a bit of the flour as well. She then stepped back and looked at him. He looked at her, "What?"

"Can you clean those up for me?"

He kept looking at her. "I guess you don't know how to clean up messes-" This was a trap, she knew he would fall for it. "Hey!" he said in mock offense, "I can clean up messes." She just shrugged and took a step back. The McLaren driver picked up the kitchen cloth and tried cleaning the hot sauce first, which went as smoothly as she knew it would (not smooth at all).

The mess just spread. "What the-" the tired look on Lando's face was swapped with confusion. He finally seemed wide awake. He tried cleaning it again with the same dirty cloth which only made it worse. "Whatever," he said under his breath and moved on to the honey hoping it would be easier. It was not.

His girlfriend stood behind him, covering her mouth with her hands trying to contain her laughter. Both of their faces were visible on the camera, meaning she could see his reaction to when the paper towel he took got stuck to the honey.

He tried picking the tissue up but was surprised when it came up with a hole in it and some of the paper stuck to the counter due to the honey. The woman was finding it harder and harder to keep her laughs quiet.

But it really became a challenge when instead of cleaning up the scattered flour with a dry towel, he added water thinking it would help. It very obviously did not. The flour turned into a sticky paste which was just as bad as the honey.

"Fuck it, I give up. How do people clean up these fucking messes." he threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. His girlfriend was nearly howling with laughter. "Baby how sleep deprived are you?" she asked him while hugging him from behind. "But how did- why did the flour turn into a paste?" he turned in her arms and looked at her.

"Maybe because you added water to a powder." She said with a teasing smile. "but ho- oh that makes sense." His face of realisation sent her into another fit of laughter, though this time the racer joined his girlfriend.

"Huh, this tiktok was not that bad."

Rice

She had a busy day ahead of her. A few online meetings and multiple errands to run. Her partner was home for the week, and she wanted to get as many errands out of the way as she could.

"Ange,"(angel) Charles peeked his head into their shared room where she was finishing up with her hair for the day. "Yea babe?" she replied while unplugging the straighter from the socket. "What are you cooking for dinner?" "Chicken, beans and rice."

He nodded, "What were you thinking for dessert?" She locked eyes with him in the mirror, her eyes sparkling with mischief, she said with a cheeky smile, "You know what I always want for dessert."

His eyes widened for a moment, "Aye, not that. You want cake or ice cream?" he tried to hide his smile, but his red cheeks betrayed how he really felt about what she said. "Ice cream. It's too hot for just cake." He nodded again. She got up to leave, and grabbed her bag, "I should be out for a few hours, but I'll try to get back before it gets too late." The couple shared a short kiss before she left.

A few hours had passed, and she was running late. She picked up her phone and sent Charles a text.

-I'm gonna be late, can you wash and set up the rice on the stove?

She got a reply within seconds.

-👍🏻

40 minutes later she entered the house, thinking that the rice would have been close to being done by then. The scene with which she was about to be greeted with when she entered the kitchen was not what she would have expected.

Charles was still washing the rice, with a toothbrush in one hand and a singular grain in the other. There was a very small pile of wet rice grains in the cooker and a dry pile in a bowl next to the sink. Her fiancé was hunched over the sink very focused on his task of washing the rice.

"Baby," she said with an amused smile. "Ange, you are home already?" his attention remained on the grain of rice as he ran it under the water, put it in the pile in the cooker, and picked up another grain from the bowl.

"Yes I am, baby what are you doing?" this caused him to look at her, still hunched over.

"Washing the rice like you said." He said it so innocently, it made her want to wrap him up in bubble wrap and keep him tucked away safely in her pocket.

"Cha, that's not how you wash rice." "It's not?" he looked at the grain he was cleaning. She could no longer take it and pulled him into a hug, a big smile plastered on his face. One hand was around his back while the other was threaded in his hair.

"Then how do you wash rice?" his voice was slightly muffled.

She kissed him with a smile on her face. After pulling apart she showed him how to wash rice and got it set up on the stove. Dinner was ready within an hour and was delicious, though dessert was even better.

#itsprashimusic #lando norris #charles leclerc #lando norris x reader #lando norris imagine #lando norris fic #charles leclerc x reader #charles leclerc imagine #charles leclerc fic #f1 #f1 x reader #formula 1 #formula 1 x reader #f1 imagine #f1 fics #formula 1 imgaine #formula 1 fics

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beatrice-otter · 1 year

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completely unsurprising to see you out here whipping up a harassment committee to try and force the otw to let you harass people on AO3 into deleting fics for ships you don't like. don't you have anything better to do, you ridiculous anti?

This is the sort of thing you get as a white person when you try and point out racism in fandom. Imagine how much worse it is for people of color, especially Black people.

But also, let's note the irony here.

There is a long and extremely well-documented pattern of racism in fandom, and fans of color being harassed by white fans, that goes back ... pretty much as long as fandom has existed. For a lot of fans of color, they have exactly two choices: they can swallow down all the racism (from microaggressions to major in-your-face aggression) and allow it to continue ... or they can point it out as a problem. In which case white supremacists in fandom will try to destroy their lives for daring to challenge them.

AO3 is not the primary place where such harassment happens (because communication between people is so limited), but it does happen, and AO3 has historically been really really bad about dealing with such harassment when it gets pointed out to them. AO3 was founded by a majority-white group, and they had a massive blind spot about fandom racism. AO3 has historically not made any distinction between "this fic is about a harmless kink that someone got offended by, but this other fic is active and targeted harassment designed to hurt people." These two things are not the same, and shouldn't be treated the same.

In 2020, AO3 admitted that they had a problem, and announced that they were going to change some things to do better. Those things included practical tools like muting and blocking (which they have since rolled out the first stages of). The promised changes also included things like hiring a diversity consultant to help them figure out what of their organizational culture and policies should change, and looking at the Terms of Service and abuse policies to see what could/should be changed.

AO3 put out the practical tools, but has not addressed any of the other things they admitted were wrong.

A bunch of people think that AO3 should keep their word and want to know what they've done in the last three years. Notably, that is the extent of the pressure. @end-otw-racism has explicitly said multiple times that they are not advocating for any specific policy, whether censorship or banning people from AO3 or any other, they just want to know what AO3 has spent the last three years doing, and what conclusions they've drawn, and what their plans might be going forward.

I reblogged their posts a couple of times, and made one (1) post that had a summary of why this is an issue, with links to a couple of other people who had done much deeper dives into the issue of fandom racism and racism on AO3 specifically. In that post, one person was referenced (but not named) with a link to some discussion of things that they had done. This person was referenced solely as an example of why the policies and procedures needed to be looked at, because they were in charge when those policies got written. I included no details about them or what they had done, and certainly nothing saying people should go harass them; I just linked to enough information for people to decide for themselves if that was a person whose judgment they trusted to come up with fair policies. And said, "hey, it's messed up that people get harassed over this, if fandom were less racist and if AO3 had better abuse policies, fewer people would be harassed."

You come into my inbox on anon to harass me with all sorts of blatantly and obviously untrue things (including that I'm trying to stir up a hate mob to harass people), for daring to say "hey, there's a racism problem, we should do something about that."

Thank you for proving my point! My entire point was that there is a racism problem in fandom, and racists harass people who dare to talk about it, and you showed up immediately to harass me!

If anybody is wondering why the lovely folks behind @end-otw-racism haven't linked their fannish pseuds to the blog pushing for accountability, nonny here is why. If one post brings people out of the woodwork like this, imagine what organizing the effort would do.

But also, if you're wondering "well, nonny has a point, why did you link to a place where someone could learn the name of the person you're accusing of racism if you didn't want to harass them?" here's why:

When people in fandom talk about racism and don't specifically name names and link to publicly available facts, there is a wave of people who don't believe, many publicly. "If that were true, I would have seen it!" (you didn't want to see it and/or your whiteness insulated you from it.) "If that were true, they wouldn't have vagueblogged, they'd have named names!" And then people harass you for stirring up trouble when there's no proof of anything wrong. If, on the other hand, you do name names and link to publicly available facts, you get a wave of people like nonny here claiming that pointing out racism is the same as harassing the people who said/did the racist thing. There is nothing you can do (short of being silent) that will prevent people from harassing you. But if you do name names and post links, then at least some of the people who follow those links will go "hey, you're right, that is messed up."

On the subject of censorship, it's important to remember that there's a difference between free speech (which usually doesn't harm actual people or incite harm and should be protected even if you don't like it or find it gross) and hate speech (which is harmful to actual real people and thus should not always automatically be protected). The people most invested in calling it censorship when you reject/limit hate speech, and making hate speech have exactly the same protections as other expressions of free speech which do no harm, are racists and fascists.

But I also want to talk about the irony of you calling me an anti. Because that's the thing that tipped your harassment attempt from annoying to funny (as someone who rarely receives hate).

Antis are "anti-shippers," (aka "feelings yakuzas"). When they see something they don't like in fandom, they want to stop it and drive the people out of fandom who do it. But they know that if they name accurately the thing they don't like, the vast majority of people will not support them. Usually because the thing in question is harmless. So in order to get people on their side, they do two things. First, they find a way to twist the thing they don't like until they can conflate it with something that is harmful (like pedophilia). Second, they take that harmful thing and accuse anybody who disagrees with them of being that thing. So, if you don't agree that shipping a 17 year old and an 18 year old is wrong, you're a pedophile, and they are perfectly justified in harassing you and spreading lies about you because they are saving children from a pedophile.

As for whether I am an anti, a cursory search through my blog will reveal regular and frequent reblogs of stuff about how absurd and harmful anti rhetoric is, and why censorship is bad. And why people can ship whatever they want regardless of whether I personally like it.

You saw something you didn't like (a request for accountability for how AO3 is working towards anti-racist policies). You knew that if you honestly named what I was doing, people would not agree with you that it was bad. So you twisted that into something else that is harmful (a call for harassment and censorship of people who shipped things I don't like and being an anti). Then you used that as an excuse to harass me.

It is exactly the anti playbook. Step By Step.

You, kiddo, are the one using anti tactics.

#fandom racism #racism

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nba24highlights · 1 year

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youtube

BIYOMBO BLOCKS Westbrook! Must be related to MUTOMBO! #biyombo #blockshot #westbrook #nbaedits

#I think somebody during COVID (in 2020) actually challenged him because we had a ph #and (he) said #‘Give me a couple months #I just need to get in shape. I don’t need to run and all that #but just a couple months #and I’ll be ready for one-on-one.’ I wouldn’t suggest anybody to do that (laughs).” Biyombo said he's learned from Jordan's mentorship with #whom he calls his #including their All-Star LaMelo Ball. Biyombo gave his perspective about Jordan's rebuilding process centered around Ball #who's now in his third year #but is doubt against the Suns (right wrist soreness #left ankle soreness). Charlotte entered Tuesday's game 14th in the Eastern conference standings #losing eight of their previous 11 games #including Monday to Utah. “It’s a young team #obviously #and they’re trying to build around LaMelo #“ Biyombo said. ”It’s always from a younger guy perspective when you’re in the league and you’re in that position #you want to get better and you want to continue to get better. Obviously #they’ve gone through a rough time #so to speak #not winning as many games as they want to.#BIYOMBO BLOCKS Westbrook! Must be related to MUTOMBO!#biyombo #blockshot #westbrook #nbaedits #nba #fight #basketball #brawl #funny

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dessertgeek · 6 months

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The Mari Lwyd Twitter saga (2020 - part one)

This is part of my efforts to transcribe @seananmcguire's holiday Mari Lwyd Twitter threads. The hashtag for now is #Mari Lwyd Project, the first post is here, the thread's source is here.

(Many thanks to @dor-min on finding and linking this one, along with linking the amazing Mari Lwyd fanart by Sue Rankin Pollard.)

2020 is going to take a bit to work through, as there were even more challengers and single replies and I'm trying to find them all, but I'm working on it! This round is Seanan + @kbspangler, with Sue's support/cheesing.

As always, credit to the authors/poets/cheese protectors and sharers. CWs for food and a confused Mari Lwyd getting cheesed.

Seanan: (Am I planning to randomly yell at my mutuals in skeleton horse until someone plays along? What else was I doing today?)

K.B.: Gimme.

Seanan: Hello new contender! You've asked me to play! Today is the solstice, I seek cheese today. I don't really care if it's vlaskaas or brie: I know you have cheese, so please give it to me.

K.B.: Sorry, o mare with your thousand-yard stare There's cheese in this house it is true But we shop at Target Instead of Fresh Market We've Kraft pre-wrapped singles for you.

Seanan: You know it's quite rude To placate the Mari with processed cheese food, But it's better than nothing, we are not denied, So pick up your singles and place them inside.

K.B.: Okay, so...logistics For a mare quite so mystic I've found a huge problem with that The bony heuristics of your characteristics Means you must wear this sliced cheese as a hat

Seanan: My new hat is fetching, so lovely and fine, I give you my blessing, new good friend of mine!

K.B.: Bid you good year with holiday cheer and happy to see you now leave This skeletal mare processed cheese in her hair An omen for Conjunction Eve.

Sue Rankin Pollard:

Seanan: Yes. This is correct.

#Mari Lwyd Project #Mari Lwyd #seanan mcguire #KB Spangler #Sue Rankin Pollard #That art is EVERYTHING #The expression #The cheesing #Magic #And also a round where everyone wins!#food #food tw #skull

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jwirecs · 10 months

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RECOMMENDED NCT FICS OF MAY-JUNE 2023💖

hello, hello! here are my nct recs of may-june! hopefully these beautiful stories get more recognition as well as the writers 💝

** anything in parentheses and bolded are my thoughts that can be disregarded if needed **

🔞smut || 💔angst || 💕fluff || ✅completed || 🔄ongoing || 💯favorite

After All These Years || @neolovesneo💕✅

↳ (there wasnt a summary but think about it, skaterboy!mark. alexa play sk8ter boi by avril lavigne)

Cave Me In || @haespoir💕✅

↳ haechan introduces you to his dealer friend, and mark lee makes it so hard to keep the relationship strictly business. not that you minded anyways.

Head Over Heels || @febtoapril💕✅

↳ jeno couldn't hide his feelings for you any longer. so what was the next step? confess.

Hey Angel || @jjsneo🔞💕✅

↳ you're jaemin's bestfriend — so of course he loves to call you up late at night and hear your voice. he's definitely not calling because the sound of your voice turns him on — yeah definitely not that.

Going For The Gold || @sehunniepotwrites🔞💕✅💯💯💯

↳ 10,305 individual athletes participating in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Games. 10,305 frustrated athletes trapped inside the bubble they called the Olympic Village with no means of leaving the grounds or releasing their pent up stress. Amongst the almost indestructible cardboard beds that were rumored to prevent athlete contact and the condom supply they supposedly cannot use, the message the Olympic organizers tried to send were mixed. Many athletes saw this as a challenge, one athlete being Team Korea’s one and only, John Suh. The famed swimmer was ready and willing to take on this challenge but he couldn’t do it alone. He needed a partner for it and you—best friend, fellow teammate, and competitive swimmer—were the perfect match. (*INTERNALLY SCREAMS INTO A PILLOW* < me when i read this at night in bed. AH. ily.)

My Best Friend Is No Longer my Best Friend! (He’s My Boyfriend) || @ilrjsm💕✅

↳ You’ve known him for most of your life. And truth be told, who wouldn’t have a (major!!) crush on this pretty boy? Out of all the instances you’ve fallen in love with Huang Renjun, you’ve never once regretted it.

Puppy Love || @writemekpop💕💔✅💯💯💯

↳ When your boyfriend Jeno wakes up cuddly and horny, you know something is wrong - he's switched bodies with your dog Lucky! You finally realise why he's been so cold. Can you forgive him?

Room For Two || @mochidoie🔞💕✅💯

↳ It's Johnny Suh's birthday trip and as your childhood best friend, Johnny books a hotel room with only one bed for you and Doyoung to share. The catch: you're completely head over heels for Kim Doyoung.

These Secrets That I Have || @prodbymaui🔞💕✅💯💯

↳ Joking that your best friend is the infamous superhero bitten by a spider has been a habit for the group. It was all a joke, until it wasn't.

Whatcha Packin’ || @jjsneo🔞💕✅💯

↳ the idea of you walking in on him naked is one that would typically get doyoung hard as a rock in an instant. but after a freezing cold wet snowball fight — when his dick is not at it’s full potential — the idea becomes his nightmare. and now he’s determined to prove to you that he has a huge cock.

Give Me The Greenlight || @fadedncity 🔞💕💔✅💯💯💯

↳ (there wasnt a summary but growing up i was waaaaaaaaay too into the movies of street racing aka fast and furious so like soft spot for these aus.)

Bet || @tqmies💕💔✅💯

↳ "why are you mad?” “i’m not mad, i just think you can choose better people to kiss.”

Cold Brew || @xiaojunsmintchoco💕💔✅💯

↳ at the coffee shop you work at, there's always this regular who comes and orders the same cup of cold brew coffee every morning without fail. you end up having a rather rude interaction with him one morning when you accidentally spill his coffee on him before his job interview – which turns out to be for the very same coffee shop you're working at. it doesn't matter to you that he got the job, but the fact that he's always on the same shift as you never fails to get on your nerves. Will the two of you sort out your feud, or will the both of you continue to brew these cold feelings towards each other?

Ultimate Spider-Man: Spider-Mark || @onyourhyuck🔞💕💔✅💯

↳ Wherein one night you were saved by Spider-Man from a bunch of men harassing you and you find out it’s your enemy all along.

10:46PM || @nctsplug02🔞💕✅

↳ Anon Req: mark lee smut wherein he's a soft dom who praises you for studying hard for your final exams. (also can you please add a sweet gesture). i sorta feel he's that type. thank you!

Blackout || @springseasonie 🔞💕✅

↳ The powerful storm outside knocks your power out even though Doyoung assured you it would be fine. Luckily, he bought candles the day before just in case this happened. But even with the candles to light the dark house, you were still a bit anxious about the storm, so Doyoung decided to distract you for a bit

Floating To You || @lelengerine💕✅💯💯

↳ The time when your boyfriend had to resort to alternative methods just to make sure you stay safe while shopping

Let Him Look || @catboyieejeno🔞💕💔✅💯💯💯

↳ The boys invite you and Yuta on a trip for Mark's birthday, but when Jaehyun makes a few too many plays at you, Yuta reminds you that you belong to him.

Nail Painting || @tywritesxpop💕✅💯💯💯

↳ (the most softest yuta drabble/fic that i have ever read. i love it)

Promise You || @ethereal-engene💕💔✅💯

↳ The first and last time your boyfriend answers a call from a sasaeng who keeps calling your phone.

Weekly Food Shopping || @m-arkmywords🔞💕✅

↳ Friday evening spent grocery shopping and then cooking that leads to... other things as your boyfriend comes to spend the weekend.

Xoxo || @yeow6n💕✅

↳ in which, your little niece has a crush on your boyfriend.

Energizer Bunny || @smileysuh🔞💕💔✅💯💯💯

↳ You’ve heard about predator hybrids having prey fetishes-with bunnies being an often glorified playmate option-but you’ve never truly witnessed it firsthand, not like you have tonight

Big Bear & Bee || @smileysuh🔞💕💔✅💯💯💯

↳ You swallow thickly, leaning back against Johnny while you gain your courage. You know he’s not the type to force anything on you, and something tells you that if you don’t make this first move, you might just miss your chance. Turning in his arms, you look up into the bear hybrid’s chocolate brown eyes. Then you’re kissing him, putting all the passion that’s been brewing into the meeting of your lips. You thread your fingers through his soft hair, eager to get close to him, closer than you’ve ever been before. (AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. i love it.)

Broken Melodies || @zchnlswrld💔🔄💯

↳ watch NCT Dream navigate their love lives as they figure out how to lose someone, accept someone and get someone back. it can’t be that hard, can it?

Boy’s A Liar || @writemekpop 💔✅💯

↳ One day, your nudes show up everywhere in college. Did your boyfriend Haechan share them?

Candy || @sixzeroes💕🔄💯💯

↳ huang renjun, lee jeno, lee donghyuck, and na jaemin are a couple of buds in their senior year of high school. not a single one of them is taken and all of them probably have questionable rizz. but that’s alright, because love is love and having good rizz does not correlate with scoring a romantic relationship. (that’s why all four of them were able to find a girlfriend by the summer after graduating.)

Chasing Stars || @prodbymaui 🔞💕💔✅

↳ When your relationship got announced, it made noises louder that anyone could've imagined. Of course it will, a pair containing a supermodel and a CEO of one of the most successful enterprise that made a name in both the fashion and business industry. But soon enough, everyone witnessed how the perfect relationship they had been envying crumbled down into tiny pieces until there's nothing left to pick up.

Kisses || @writingzen💕✅

↳ type of kisses with dojaejung

Laser Pointer || @multifandom-02💔✅

↳ While performing, Boyoung momentarily loses her eye sight.

Manifesting Mayhem || @suhnshinehaos💕✅

↳ the one where all of haechan’s friends is in a relationship and yn just happens to know how to manifest romance

Perfume || @onyourhyuck 🔞💕✅💯

↳ Where you are a witch who makes potions and you get werewolf!Jaehyun obsessed with your perfume scent.

Pull Up || @writemekpop💕✅

↳ Tough boy Chenle assumes that you're his girl, but what if he's wrong?

Rent A Boyfriend || @onyourhyuck 🔞💕💔✅

↳ You want to make your ex boyfriend jealous so you end up renting your ex boyfriend Kim Doyoung to be your new boyfriend.

Sunshine || @bangbangchanie 💔✅💯💯💯💯

↳ You’re the sunshine of the group, and Donghyuck hates it. (i know for a fact that if i need to cry, this will be my go to fic to re-read and to cry to. pt 2)

Sweet Life || @ningningsdream 💕🔄💯

↳ a collection of roommates-to-lovers with ot7!dream

The Marriage And Baby Project || @tyonfs🔞💕💔✅💯💯

↳ mark lee has had the biggest crush on you for years, so, naturally, he’s over the moon when you’re both partnered for a group project. however, he underestimates just how close two people can get when they have to pretend they’re married for a month while taking care of a fake baby.

The Walls Are Thin || @springseasonie 🔞✅

↳ both Jaemin and Jeno have always had a thing for you and were never shy about it either. You always play hard to get, but all of your playing was going to catch up with you sooner or later.

Work It || @ofjunemoment🔞💕✅

↳ Jaemin can’t quite keep a part time job; every time he gets hired, he somehow fucks up enough to be fired straight away. But he just can’t get fired from his job with you, not until he successfully asks you out on a date, anyway.

NCT 127 Reaction || @thatsseonini💕✅💯

↳ reaction to you in a fight (stop haechan is literally all bark but no bite. but thats okay cause hes still a cutie. man fights with words, not fists)

NCT Dream Reaction || @yangtaros💕✅💯

↳ reaction to you kissing them to shut them up

NCT Dream Reaction || @j0hnj4ej3n💕✅💯

↳ reaction to you sleeping on the couch

Treacherous || @suhnshinehaos💕💔✅💯

↳ after a couple of instances of accidental matching clothing, yangyang finds himself in a dating rumor with possibly the most famous person on campus : yn, the bassist of an up and coming band. yangyang doesn’t seem to have a problem with it. unfortunately yn, who has also built up a reputation for being cold as winter, does.

The Villain In Your Story || @ningningsdream💕💔✅💯💯💯

↳ girls’ code prevents you from liking the guy your friend likes right? (its been a while since i’ve read an nct smau and im glad that i’ve come across this one. highly recommend if someone is looking for a new nct smau to read thats completed!)

Cant Handle This || @hannie-dul-set🔞💕💔✅

↳ how are you supposed to explain that you and na jaemin started dating just to prove each other wrong and ended up catching feelings.

Golden Hour || @onyourhyuck🔞💕💔✅💯

↳ You’re a waiter and Mark Lee the local biker and infamous bad boy loves the eggs your diner makes, but now he wants a taste of you.

Love Jones || @lisired🔞💔✅

↳ After breaking off your engagement to your fiance, you move to Los Angeles to pursue a modeling career. There in the fairytale land where stars go to shine you meet Haechan, an aspiring photographer with a penchant for mischief and flirtation.

Who’s Bad? || @haechrry 🔞💕💔✅💯

↳ Lee Donghyuck saw you while you were on your working hours, with a pretty frown on your face, and decided to shoot his shot disturbing the peace of your mind. But one thing was sure: he found something to sink his teeth into, and you were on the same page as him.

Wi-Fi || @dongfuck🔞💕💔✅

↳ (there wasnt a summary but if i didnt have wifi, i would honestly steal wifi from my neighbors if its not pw protected..🤡)

Mark BF Texts || @ohdudehesflirting💕✅

↳ (name says it all, its cute af)

NCT Dream Texts || @hugs2doie💕✅

↳ COMFORTING/COMPLIMENTING YOU WHEN YOU’VE HAD A BAD DAY

NCT Dream Reactions/Texts || @fullsunstrawberry🔞💕✅

↳ ACCIDENTALLY SENDING RISKY TEXT TO THE GROUPCHAT (i cackled a lil too hard that i choked on my spit)

Thanks For The Flowers Prank || @ohmygs-blog💕✅

↳ Anon Req: ok this is my first submission on tumble in a looong time hi!! since reqs are open, what are your thoughts on pranking tje dreamies with that flower prank? when they didn’t send you any flowers but you send a photo of a bouquet and are like thanks for the flowers babe

Text Prank + Dreamies || @yongislong💕✅

↳ fake break up prank on nonidol!dreamies

12:07PM || @gyeomsweetgyeom💕✅

↳ dad!johnny

6:17PM || @febtoapril💕✅

↳ one bed for two

8:06PM || @nctmiami🔞💕✅

↳ evenings with taeil

9:26PM || @yoonmeowzz💕✅💯💯💯

↳ (no summary but WHEN WILL IT BE MY TURN TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP LIKE THIS)

Do check out all of the other NCT Fics that i have reblogged as well!!

** if there is any fics that you guys would like to recommend, please do! i am slowly running out of fics to read **

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sea-wolf-coast-to-coast · 7 months

Text

7,935 total entries were submitted in 2023!

This includes all entries that were submitted via the Google Form, including late entries (and excluding duplicate entries).

Which brings us to 50,656 total recorded entries since we began this challenge in 2017!

And, we had 109 volunteer artists in 2023!! Which means that there are 109 prize-winners!

A breakdown of the stats + announcement of the Participation Prize winners are below the cut ~

Want to see all public entries? Here’s a link to the Master Spreadsheet. This omits entries that people requested to keep private between them and I.

There's a lot to be gleaned from the data this year. Firstly, this is the first year where we see a real dip in participation, numbers dropping to the pre-2020 range. There are a couple of probable causes for this dip: this year, I chose, a) not to promote the challenge in any discords, b) not to repost any prompts to twitter, and c) not to post reminders throughout the challenge for folks to submit their links.

I was curious to know how much my own direct participation effects the challenge these days, and the numbers seem to point to "quite a bit!" So, that's good to know.

Secondly, we have finally approached the "data visualization salad" limit in which there are enough data points to confuse the visualization of the data overall, rendering them a little tough to understand at first glance. So, next year will probably see some fine-tuning of the data so that it's easier to digest.

Now, onto the good stuff!

Total Participation Year to Year:

Prompt Participation by Year:

NOTE: The big dips are Make-up / Extra Credit Days. Lots of folks choose to take a break over writing Extra Credit. Legit!

Prompt Breakdown by Week:

Submissions by Day:

NOTE: Day 7 was the day before the 24-hour deadline went into effect. Hence, the big ol’ spike.

Submissions by Platform:

Participation Prize Winners

Winners were selected via a random raffle dice roll made by Moen and span all online writing platforms, including Tumblr, Ao3, Google Docs, and others (like Twitter). This writing challenge is not a contest - no one’s work was being judged for length, skill, etc. The prizes are based on participation only! The more entries that you wrote and submitted within its 24-hour deadline, the higher your chance of winning a prize.

Prizes are a simple black & white portrait of the winner’s character. Most are shoulder up but the artists are free to take liberties if they’d like. Prizes are not commissioned work, so ultimately it’s the artist’s choice for what they’d like to do for the piece. Some artists (not all) accept commissions and might be open to colorizing a prize piece, after it’s been posted, at their normal rates.

Due to recent changes in Discord's username format, this year (and this year only) all winners will be notified by yours truly (MoenMoen) via a friend request and message in Discord. Next year I'll be teaming up with some folks to find a better, more streamlined process for informing and connecting winners with their volunteer artist.

So, keep an eye out for me in your Discord friend requests/inbox over the next week or so (it will take me a minute to get to everyone):

As always, there are a few winners whose artists may need to drop out for personal reasons, and that’s ok! In those cases, the winners will be carried over into 2024′s pool of winners where another artist will pick up their prize and complete it.

Congrats to all 109 winners, and I'll see you in September 2024 when we do it all again!

#FFxivWrite2023 #FFxivWrite #FFxivWrite2023 Results

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bl00dst41ned · 7 months

Text

*.·:·.✦ timeless redamancy ✦.·:·.*

pairing: kóstas tsimíkas x female reader

summary: in which you and kóstas' relationship evolve through each yearly interview

author's note: greek scouser been looking a little too yummy lately. had this idea from a kóstas fic by @curiousthyme but also trent’s interview for channel 4 sport and the pregnant presenter

word count: 1072

2021

“Hello everyone, welcome to a new interview. Today, we are joined by Liverpool’s Kóstas Tsimíkas as he recently celebrated his first year at the English club. Hello Kóstas”

He responded with a quick “hello” as you continued the interview’s introduction. Out of the corner of your eye, you could feel his eyes set on the side of your face. His strong gaze unsettled you as you tried your best to keep your composure in front of the lens.

“So, back in 2020, you joined LFC. How do you feel about this first year at this new club?”

“Well, it has been a great start. I’m enjoying myself with the team. We work hard everyday and try to improve ourselves each day so…it’s good”

With each question, Kóstas didn’t look away from your eyes. Throughout all the years, he would always lose himself in your iris, drowning in your pupils. Every part of you fascinated him and he showed it, regularly gazing.

“Moving on, I’ll go back to your first year in Liverpool and I’ll get a bit more personal. How did you get used to the city and overall new life?”

“Well…it was hard at first but now it’s okay” You watched as he thought of what to say. “My family is a bit far but I still have people here. My teammates, my girlfriend so I’m good”

It was hard to keep a straight face as he mentioned you. He never talked about your relationship but he thought it was a good opportunity to destabilise you.

“Oh, your girlfriend ? Nice”

You both shared a smile before going back to the interview.

2022

“Hello everyone, welcome to a new interview” You smiled at the camera, sitted on the comfortable chair, legs crossed “Today, we are joined by Liverpool’s Kóstas Tsimíkas. Hi Kóstas, how are you?”

“I’m good, thank you, how are you ?”

“I’m great, thanks for asking. So first, I’d like to know how life has been recently ?”

No matter how much professionalism you gained within the year, interviewing your boyfriend was still the hardest challenge you had to face. You still felt the butterflies in your stomach just from him looking at you in your eyes. Kóstas knew about it and loved teasing you in public, trying to make you break character at each interview. Just like he did now.

“I had to face hard moments, but life has been good. I’m still enjoying myself at the club and yeah…I love it here”

As you asked your questions, your right hand played with your ring finger where sat a shiny diamond ring. You twisted it from time to time, stopping once you noticed your producer’s widened eyes, wordlessly warning you about your unnecessary movements.

“How do you try to improve your performances each game ?”

“By training, keeping a good diet and a healthy lifestyle in general. At the club, we always try to do better than the game before so the team’s mentality influences my determination”

You opened your mouth to ask your next question only to be interrupted by your partner.

“I see you got a ring, you’re married ?” Kóstas asked, a smirk on his face.

You blushed, struggling to find the words to answer.

“Yes I just got engaged. I didn’t know you were so observant”

“Yeah, I proposed to my girlfriend recently so my mind is set in that mood”

You quickly moved on since you knew any more words on it would distract you from your job.

You silently mouthed as he answered the question you just asked: “You’re the worst”.

2023

“Hello everyone, welcome to a new interview” You smiled at the camera, a hand on your hard 7 month-old pregnant belly, body slightly inclined on the armrest for comfort. “Today, we are joined by Liverpool’s Kóstas Tsimíkas as he signed a new deal with the club, hi Kóstas, how are you?”

It had become a known fact to the public that you were his wife but you loved to play it off during interviews and never be straightforward.

“I’m good, I see that you're expecting, congratulations. How are you?”

“It’s a tad tiring but my husband’s always there to help if I need” You winked at him discreetly as his smile got wider.

“I’m sure, he’s a great man” He added, making you chuckle at the way he praised himself.

“So tell me, what made you want to extend your contract?”

“I just feel comfortable here at the club and in the city. I don’t think there’s another club that’ll make me feel like this right now. And with things happening in my life, I’d rather be somewhere I’m settled”

He eyed your stomach while answering, seeing it move as your baby pushed it. He tried his hardest not to be disturbed and keep his focus on your questions.

The two of you had gone through a lot. You grew to go from a simple relationship to being married. And after all of these years, Kóstas always seemed to be amazed by you.

Your beauty had never changed

“So, last time we saw each other, you had gotten engaged, now you’re a married man, how does it feel ?” As you read the question, you turned to the producer behind the camera who wrote the question.

“It’s the best feeling ever” Kóstas held the biggest grin on his face as he looked into your eyes. “I have the greatest wife ever so taking this step was evident, you know. She’s my biggest supporter, always there for me so I’m glad to be able to call her my wife”

Your heart fluttered at his words. He rarely talked about you publicly but each time he did, he never forgot to praise you. And it made you blush each time. But today was different as your hormones were all over the place. And as much as you tried not to cry, tears brimmed up in your eyes.

“Oh my god, that is too cute” You waved your hand to dry the tears away.

“I know I’m the luckiest man ever”

You calmed down before going back to your questions and succeeding to finish it without another emotional excess.

“Well, we’ve come to an end with this encounter. Thank you to you guys for watching and a big thank you to you, Kóstas for your time”

“Your welcome, Mrs Tsimíkas” He winked at you, earning a laugh from you.

like and repost for support

putting my grades in jeopardy just for this

masterlist for more

#written by bl00dst41ned #football #football fic #football fluff #football imagine #football x reader #kostas tsimikas #kostas tsimikas fic #kostas tsimikas fluff #kostas tsimikas imagine #kostas tsimikas x reader #liverpool #liverpool football club #liverpool fc #lfc

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