#i want to actively engage in this little world of mine and with others and mutuals too | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lecsainz · 11 months

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my brother's friend

pairings: max verstappen x leclerc!reader

summary: the one where you're charles' sister and dating one of his friends, max.

authors note: I absolutely love writing smau!! sometimes I want to include all the ideas I have, but I'm afraid it will end up being tooooo longgggg

masterlist!

yn_leclerc

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yn_leclerc a little photo dump from this week, and let's pretend that I didn't spend this entire weekend with max away from the ferrari paddock 🤭

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maxverstappen1 blue looks good on you 😍

yn_leclerc I know! 😘

lestappen these photos are the ultimate boyfriend material

redbullwins the best couple on the grid

arthur_leclerc traitor 😔

yn_leclerc who? arthur_leclerc you! yn_leclerc no, who asked you?

charles_leclerc what shirt is that, y/n?? it's horrifying, my eyes are bleeding

yn_leclerc your problem, not mine. 🫶

lorenzotl but to grab some food, you were there in the ferrari paddock

yn_leclerc lorenzo! shhhhhh lorenzotl I'm just stating the truth yn_leclerc red bull doesn't have italian food 😭 what could I do? arthur_leclerc spend the weekend with us

leclercmoves I'm loving this

riccnorris HER WEARING A RED BULL SHIRT

yn_leclerc

yn_leclerc always a ferrari girl, and no, my brothers didn't force me to post this 😁

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lercsainz xavi out!

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arthur_leclerc why isn't there a picture of me too?

yn_leclerc cause you're annoying arthur_leclerc seriously?! just yesterday you said I was your favorite sibling charles_leclerc everyone knows it's me! yn_leclerc actually, it's enzo

maxverstappen1 I missed seeing you in my motorhome

yn_leclerc christian said I'm not allowed in there wearing ferrari clothes, love maxverstappen1 oh he did? I think I'm going to have a little chat with the red bull team

sebredbull max activating the madmax mode

cl16 I miss seeing y/n in ferrari clothing

redbullracing am I the only one who thinks that the red bull blue is her color?

scuderiaferrari no way! the ferrari red is so much better landonorris I think orange is her color yn_leclerc never lando! you forced me to wear that hoodie and I looked so ugly danielricciardo I remember max almost having a heart attack seeing her in that hoodie pierregasly I thought lando would die that day 😅

yn_leclerc added to their story

maxverstappen1

maxverstappen1 look in my eyes, they will tell you the truth the girl in my story has always been you

tag: yn_leclerc

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yn_leclerc I love you so much 🤍

maxverstappen1 I love you too, mijn schat (my treasure)

yn_leclerc

liked by leclerc_pascale, danielricciardo , and 956.384 others

yn_leclerc life has been full of surprises lately and I couldn't be happier to announce that I said YES to forever with the love of my life! couldn't imagine my life without this incredible man by my side. love you, max! and that's not all... we have an extra little passenger on board! baby leclerc-verstappen coming soon! the joy and excitement we feel right now is indescribable we can't wait to welcome our little one into the world and create beautiful memories together as a family

tag: maxverstappen1

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maxverstappen1 I couldn't be more grateful and excited for this next chapter of our lives. y/n, you've made me the happiest man on earth. thank you for choosing me to be your partner in this incredible journey. I love you endlessly, schatje (sweetheart)

charles_leclerc wow, can't believe you're becoming a mom, y/n. you've always been my little sister! it's a beautiful journey you and max are on. wishing you all the love and happiness in this new chapter. I'm here to support you always! ❤️

arthur_leclerc congrats on the engagement and baby news, though! can't wait to become the coolest uncle ever. love you

charles_leclerc let's face it, I'm going to be the best uncle yn_leclerc I think enzo beats you guys lorenzotl I think so too charles_leclerc you think nothing. arthur_leclerc I'm going to be the best uncle, end of story yn_leclerc if you say so 🤭 arthur_leclerc Y/N! yn_leclerc I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING

lorenzotl congratulations, y/n and max! so happy for you both and excited to be an uncle. sending all the love and happiness your way

leclerc_pascale oh mon petit chou, je suis tellement fière de toi et de ta belle vie! congratulations on your engagement and the upcoming arrival of our little baby! you've truly found your happily ever after, and I couldn't be happier for you. sending all my love and blessings to you, max and our precious leclerc-verstappen baby. love, your adoring maman 💕(my little cabbage, I'm so proud of you and your beautiful life!)

maxverstappen1

liked by lewishamilton, schecoperez , and 1.572.105 others

maxverstappen1 words can't express the love and joy we feel as we hold our little one in our arms, from the moment we found out we were expecting the anticipation and excitement have been off the charts. now, seeing this tiny human who carries both our love and our dreams, it's a feeling like no other ❤️ to my beautiful fiancée, y/n, you continue to amaze me with your grace and resilience. seeing you bring our little racer into this world has filled my heart with an indescribable joy. I am beyond grateful for the incredible woman you are and I can't wait to continue this incredible journey together as a family

tag: yn_leclerc

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yn_leclerc you've stolen my heart all over again with this heartfelt message, max. our little one is a true blessing, a beautiful reflection of our love and dreams. I'm endlessly grateful to be by your side, witnessing the incredible love and joy you bring as a father. I am so incredibly blessed to have you by my side on this beautiful journey ❤️

charles_leclerc I'm so happy for you both, and I can't wait for the day when the little one is old enough to choose ferrari as their favorite team!

maxverstappen1 definitely not! the baby will be rooting for redbull! charles_leclerc we'll see about that! 👀

alex_albon I think we all know who the obvious choice for the godfather is... me! I mean, have you seen my skills with the little ones? 😁

danielricciardo oh, come on, albon! we need someone with real charisma and charm to be the godfather. that's where I step in, mate. I'll bring the laughs, the smiles, and the epic shoey celebrations! carlossainz55 hold up! I'm the perfect candidate for the godfather gig. think about it - I'll bring the spanish flair, the fiestas, and the best paella you've ever tasted landonorris sorry guys, but it's clear that I'm the most qualified for this role. I'll be the cool, fun-loving godfather who introduces the kid to the world of gaming, memes, and, of course, helmet design maxverstappen1 alright, alright, boys. I hate to break it to you, but we've already made our decision, and none of you made the cut carlossainz55 WHAT?? danielricciardo we were friends, max and y/n 😭 landonorris who is better than me??? alex_albon I feel betrayed

verstlercs I'M SCREAMING, CRYING, AND FREAKING OUT

f1number1 leclerc-verstappen family, something nobody saw coming

scuderiaferrari oh, we all know this little one is destined to be a future ferrari driver! welcome to the scuderia, baby leclerc-verstappen!

redbullracing this little racer is definitely going to join the red bull family and experience the thrill of flying on the track! get ready for some high-speed action! scuderiaferrari dream on, red bull! our legacy and history speak for themselves. this baby will be rocking the prancing horse on their chest, just like their talented uncles! redbullracing talent? speed? innovation? that's what red bull stands for! This little champion will be tearing up the circuits in our car, guaranteed! charles_leclerc can I place my bet? I say the baby will race for ferrari, just like their dear old uncle charles! maxverstappen1 sorry, bro! the baby will follow in their old man's footsteps and race for red bull. it's in their blood!

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blakeswritingimagines · 9 months

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Yandere Aemond, who accidentally gets your sister instead

"Y/n should have been mine. She was destined to be mine. I had envisioned a perfect future together, one where we flew atop our dragons and ruled the world. But that was all taken away from me. All of it, gone. Now all I have are her sister. A replacement. Second pick. A consolation prize. How dare she do this to me. She dares to bring a weaker version of herself into my life and expect me to be happy. What was she thinking? I must get rid of her."

If/when he were to be with you he would make sure that you know exactly what your place is. He would make sure that you know that he is the man of the house and that you are only what he deems you to be. You'll serve him regardless of whatever he asks or how highborn you are, and that is the way it must be. He is the master of the household, and you must obey and follow. If he has something that he wants, you must provide it to him.

If all else fails, he would consider kidnapping you in order to force you to spend your time with him. After all, the obsession would be so strong, that he could not see any other option than that. This is only one scenario however.

If he were to have you replaced by your sister he would be very upset. In fact, he would likely act aggressively. This could range from merely ignoring the sister, to trying to hurt her physically. He might even try to eliminate the competition.

He does believe he loves you and he can be quite possessive of you, especially when he sees you talking to other boys. He's always afraid that you might give them more attention than you give to him. He has to remind himself that he is your one and only love, but when the jealousy gets to him, he can get to be a little bit unhinged and obsessed. It’s not something he's proud of, but it’s part of what makes him, him.

Because he has a very short temper and a habit of lashing out when he's angry. He can be very intimidating, and he doesn't like to be crossed. So if you ever do something to piss him off, well, let's just say you better be prepared to face the consequences.

I suppose he would be rather possessive and obsessive. He doesn’t take no for an answer and his love won’t allow him to accept an alternative like your sister. He would be quite persistent and would not give up until he got his way. His pride and his honor wouldn’t allow him to settle for seconds. If he couldn’t have the object of his affection then he would take no one else, and he would go to great length and lengths to ensure that. Perhaps he would even resort to drastic measures in the heat of the moment and in his passion.

If the sister continues to interfere, he might try and drive a wedge between his beloved and your sister. He might even resort to more violent methods to ensure you stay away from each other. It would have to be kept in secret, of course. He would not want you to be suspicious. He would also be sure to make you believe that you are his one and only.

Well, since your sister has arrived it would mean that you are no longer a special focus of his attention. He would likely begin to see this as an attack on him, on your "relationship", and on the way things were meant to be. His behavior might become more and more erratic. He would likely try to get you back by whatever means necessary.

If he wished to capture your attention "again", he would likely resort to more direct, but also more subtle, methods. By this, I mean he would do his best to impress you with his talents, and also try to engage you in some of your favorite activities. He would also do his best to look his best for you, since a good appearance can go a long way in catching someone’s attention. However, he would also be sure to be mysterious and elusive when needed.

It would be most vexing. If the sister continued to attempt to get his attention he would make it clear to her in no uncertain terms that he has no interest in her. He would likely ignore her as much as possible and make sure to give you more attention than ever. He would also try to keep them as far apart from each other as he possibly could. That way, your sister would hopefully learn her place.

If your sister kept trying to be with him, he would likely try to reject her at first. Hopefully, this would give you the opportunity to see what he is to you. But if this fails, he would have no choice but to eliminate the competition. It would be for you, of course.

He is not attracted to your sister, his primary goal is to obtain his beloved. He would never be content with someone else, you are the only person he wants. No one else can measure up. He would continue to focus all his efforts on winning you over. And if your sister continues to interfere, his actions may become more drastic.

It would make the situation a bit tricky if you felt you were nothing amazing compared to your sisters. If you think that you are nothing special then his own jealousy and possessiveness might not be enough to change your mind. He might try to build your confidence up, while also emphasizing the importance of your relationship and how much he values having you with him. He could compliment you and boost your self-esteem, while also making you feel that you are more special to him than anyone else.

His family would likely be concerned about his obsession. They would be concerned about him acting out and hurting you and your sister. They would likely try and intervene and get him to let you go or stop hurting you. However, he would be hard pressed to listen to them. He cares about no one but his love.

If/when he finally got you he would do all he can to possess you. You would be his, and his alone. You would not have the option of going anywhere or doing anything without his permission. He would want you to be with him 24/7. He would make you entirely dependent on him.

He would want you to be married to him, and no one else. And he would want you to have his children and no one else’s. It would be a way of keeping you by his side and tied to him by the closest bond. Children would also serve to make you more dependent on him.

It is not something that he would wish to do. He feels it goes against his code of honor and his "chivalrous" nature. He would never want to stoop to such a level. However, if the alternative is never marrying you and having children, he may not have a choice but to force himself on you and make sure you will in fact be his. It is a decision that he would have to make.

If he were to force you into marriage with him he would make sure it is no small or quiet affair. It would be a grand ceremony. Invitations would be sent to all the great lords of Westeros. He would want to show the realm that you and he were married and that he would keep a firm grip on you. He would want to impress the realm with his love and authority. He would make sure you knew who’s royal and in power because of him, that you belonged to him.

If you are in his possession, who is to say that he cannot do what he wants? Of course he would still treat you with respect and honor you to the best of his abilities. However, you would be a prize to be proud of. You would not be free to go where you please, when you please, without his say so. He would never give you to another. He would never let you get away. He would fight tooth and nail to protect what is his.

#aemond targaryen x reader #aemond targaryen #aemond x reader #hotd aemond #house of the dragon #tw yandere #yandere #yandere aemond targaryen #yandere aemond x reader #thank you to the anon that requested this!

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m-jelly · 8 months

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Tea for two - Chapter 7

Pairing: Post-war Levi x Fem!Reader

Tags and warnings: Canon world, post-war, injured Levi, scarred Levi, romance, falling in love, fluff, angst, emotional pain, emotional Levi, mentions of pregnancy, engagements, marriage talk, baby talk, suggestive talk

In this chapter: Levi and you spend a blissful together at home. Months after Levi and you started being intimate winter has arrived and Levi starts acting towards the future. You and Levi have an emotional moment at home when you reveal a possibility to him.

AO3 Link

Part 8

You hummed as you felt warmth against your naked body. You opened your eyes and saw the most beautiful thing you’d ever seen, Levi’s sleeping face. You reached over and gently caressed his cheek. Images of last night fluttered through your mind causing your heart to race. The two of you had ravaged each other last night for the first time. Levi was determined to get better during sex. He was an unstoppable love-filled beast and you adored it.

Levi opened his eyes and hummed as his body started aching. All night he was active with you which meant he would suffer today with his left leg, but it was all worth it. He looked over at you to see you were awake. A loving smile spread over his scarred lips as he took you in. His strong arms wrapped around you. Your body dragged against the bed as you were pulled closer to your man.

Soft playful giggles escaped you both. Kisses were exchanged, they were delicate and sweet at first but they soon turned heated. Bodies shifted a little and the two of you embraced each other that morning. Pleasure-filled moans and panting filled the room as you reminded each other how much you loved the other.

Exhaustion took over you both meaning you had to rest yet again. The hunger that was in you both for each other’s bodies was only satisfied for a moment before you needed each other again. However, you couldn’t spend all day in bed exploring each other because you had an adorable dog to take for a walk and Levi needed his medication for the day.

You sat up in bed and stretched your aching body covered in lovebites. A smile spread across your lips when you felt a hand run up your back and then loving lips. “Levi.”

He shifted a little. “Stay.” He kissed the crook of your neck. “Stay with me.”

“I’m just going to the kitchen. Bo needs to be let out. We all need breakfast and you need your meds. I shouldn’t be long.” You turned to face Levi. You reached over and rubbed his chest. “You should get in a nice warm bath for your leg.”

He tapped his forehead against your shoulder causing his hair to tickle your skin. “I know, but I don’t want you to leave. I feel like you’ll disappear as soon as I let you go.”

“I’m not going to leave you.” You kissed the side of his head and tried to send your love through to him. “I love you. I want to keep you.”

He lifted his head and smiled at your sweet words. “I like that. I love you and I want to stay with you.”

You gave Levi a reassuring kiss before slipping out of bed. “Do you want a bath?”

“If you join me.”

You hummed. “Last time I joined you it ended in lots of sex.”

He smiled. “I know. So, will you join me?”

You pressed the end of his nose. “No. You need to rest that leg of yours.”

He whined a little. “But…”

You got up and stumbled on weak legs. “Oh, wow, I certainly took a pounding.” You hummed a laugh. “Your legs have got to be bad if mine are like this.”

Levi looked down at his legs and hummed. “Possibly.”

You pulled on some clothes before going to the bathroom and starting Levi’s bath. The bathroom began to fill with relaxing scents from the nice mixtures. You returned to Levi to see he had pulled on some light clothes. It was clear by the way Levi was moving that his leg was suffering a little. So, you retrieved his wheelchair and moved it close to the bed.

With a heavy sigh, Levi shifted into his chair. “I think I did fuck up my leg.” He chuckled a little. “I have no regrets. I would like to do more.”

You pushed him to the bath. “You are on a ban, Mr. I don’t want to aggravate your leg.”

“You could never.” He watched you closely as you busied yourself around the bathroom. “You love me and I love you.”

The two of you worked together to get Levi undressed and in the bath without upsetting his leg too much. You gave him a loving kiss and began washing his hair. With gentle movements, you massaged your fingers in Levi’s hair to spread the shampoo. You rinsed his hair with warm water after and gave him a loving kiss on his neck.

Levi sank a little in the bath and felt his aching joints relax. “Thank you.”

You squeezed his hand. “I’ll be right back, okay? I’m gonna go see Bo and make some breakfast.”

He placed a loving kiss on your hand. “Okay. I promise to relax and not get horny.”

You giggled. “Good boy.”

Bo was excited to see you when you entered the living room. You get him a little treat before releasing him into the garden. The air was cold when you went outside, which meant winter was on its way. Winter was a wonderful time, but you knew very well that it would hurt Levi’s leg. You were going to make sure that you took extra care of Levi during the winter.

You gave Bo a fuss when he returned to you. Bo’s adorable eyes watched you closely as you cooked breakfast for Levi and you. The table was set up nicely with some freshly cut flowers from the garden in a vase. Once everything was set up you went to the bedroom to see Levi was changed, in his chair and drying his hair.

Levi lowered his towel and smiled. “Hey, everything okay?”

“Yes. How are you feeling?”

“Better. The bath was a great idea.” He offered you his towel. “Could you dry my hair for me?”

You happily grabbed the towel and started rubbing his hair. “There we go.”

Levi rather enjoyed the comb running through his hair. “That feels nice.”

“It’s lovely, right?” You leaned around and kissed his cheek. “Let’s get your breakfast and meds.”

As you wheeled Levi into the living room he thought about his life and his situation. “I hope that one day I won’t need meds.”

You stopped him in front of the table and watched him fuss a happy Bo. “I’m sure it’ll happen. It’s been a year since you left the hospital, right?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

“So, you’re still in the early days of healing from a massive injury.” You kissed him. “You’ll get there.”

“I will.”

You poured a cup of tea and placed Levi’s medication in front of him. “Eat up and enjoy.”

Levi popped his meds and felt a bit gross as he swallowed them. A shudder ran through him as the tablets went down. He enjoyed the food you’d made him and thought about what he could do for the day. The cold breeze outside called for his attention. Just by gazing outside, Levi could tell that this winter would be a harsh one. However, Levi knew he could take this winter in his stride because he had you and Bo.

“Levi?”

His eyes flicked over to your soothing face. “Mm?”

You reached over and took his hand in yours. “You worried about winter?”

“I would have been if I was alone.” He raised your hand and kissed it. “I have you now, so everything is okay.”

“I’m glad.” A long sigh escaped you. It wasn’t intentional but it made you feel better, like a weight had been lifted. “I worry about you, Levi.”

“You don’t need to. I’m well. I showed you how well I am all night and this morning.” He eyed you. “I would like to show you more.”

You leaned closer and pressed your lips against Levi’s causing him to growl. “I told you, you need to rest.” You rose to your feet. “I need to clean up and you need to cool down.”

Levi leaned his head back. “This is hard. This is the first time I’ve ever had sex and yet I’m craving it so much, but before you, I never even thought about it.”

You massaged your fingers into his hair. “I understand.”

He whined a little as he thought about all the sex you’d had. “Was it good for you?”

You wrapped your arms around his shoulders and placed delicate kisses on his cheek. “Yes. I was moaning over and over and asking for more.” You smiled against his ear making him shiver. “I loved every minute of it.” You pulled away from him and began the washing. “I am paying for it though. My hips ache.”

“Hips…” A strong blush consumed Levi’s cheeks at a twitch of arousal went through him. “Tch, damn it. I’m like a teen going through puberty and has just discovered tits and pussy.”

You laughed and handed over a nice ice-cold lemonade to Levi. “It’s cute.”

He looked you up and down. “Yours are fucking incredible.”

You purred a little. “Those are flirting words.” You slipped onto his lap and sat across it with your legs slung over the arm of his wheelchair. “I could just eat you up.”

“I would like that.”

A sweet giggle came from you as you wrapped your arms around his neck and leaned closer for a kiss. You sighed through your nose as your lips pressed against Levi’s. “I’m thinking today we have a lazy day.”

“Yeah?”

You nodded. “Cuddles under a blanket on the sofa.”

“I can do that.”

You slipped off Levi’s lap and jumped behind him. “Shall we put the radio on or would you prefer to read a book together?”

Levi gazed at you. “I adore your voice.”

You selected a book that you were a quarter of a way in with Levi. “Book it is.”

Bo jumped up on the sofa and stole your space.

Levi chuckled and gazed at you. “Looks like your seat is my lap.”

“I’m too heavy.”

He patted his lap. “You’re not. Now, sit.”

You released a long sigh before placing a blanket on Levi’s lap and sitting on him. “Okay, let’s start reading.”

Levi wrapped his arms around you and smiled. “Ready.”

You walked up behind Levi in his shop and wrapped your arms around him. “Hi.”

Levi blushed at your touch. “Hello, love.” He turned in your arms and gazed at you. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He held your hips and thought about how two months ago you took his virginity, since then he’d been unable to keep his hands to himself. He gazed at your stomach and thought for a moment before snapping his gaze up to your face. He tilted his head and kissed you. A gentle sigh escaped him as he forgot all about possibly customers seeing the two of you.

You cupped Levi’s face as a smile graced your kissable lips. “What’s on your mind?”

Love. Love was the only thing on his mind and in his heart. “You.”

“Cute.”

His lips found yours for a sweet moment before he pulled away. “I have to go out and shop. I’ll be right back. Can you man the shop while I’m out?” He realised his request was silly. “What am I saying? You’ll do incredible. It’s why I hired you.” The thick coat dragged against his white shirt as he pulled it on. Bo trotted to his side expecting to go with. “Stay here Bo. You have to protect your mother.”

“Bo! Come here, baby.” Bo wagged his trail and hurried over to you. “Good boy.” You gazed at Levi as he fixed his coat. “Grumpy? You need your scarf, hat and gloves.”

“It’s not that cold.”

You hastily made your way over to Levi and began wrapping him up. “You need to stay warm. I think it’ll snow today. Plus, there is a lot of frost about.” You presented his cane to him. “Go slow.”

With a jaw tightly clenched, Levi resisted saying something. It was clear to him you meant well by your words, but for so long he had been okay alone. Having someone care for you after years of being alone was odd. Making the switch from being independent to letting someone do things for you was a hard thing to do. Ensuring his heart was filled to the brim with love was the key thing in this situation. Being dressed up by you was an act of love, you were showing your love for him.

His gloved hands wrapped around your own. “Thank you for taking care of me as much as you do.”

“I’m sorry if it bothers you.”

Reading Levi was a difficult task for most people. Thoughts and feelings were tightly locked up even though he was a rather emotional person. It was odd at first that you read him like an open book. However, he rather liked the fact that he didn’t need to explain himself or hide anything. You understood him more than anyone has ever done before.

He leaned closer to you. “I love you.”

Your cheeks heated up. “Wh-where did that come from?”

“You don’t need to be sorry, okay? I have done so much by myself for so long that I admit it is odd to accept help.” He pulled you against him as he smiled at you fitting against him like a glove. “I love it. I love that you understand me. I love that you can read me so well. I love that you take care of me. I love that you are always thinking of me. I just love you.”

“I love you too.”

Soft loving lips pressed together as you shared an intimate moment. Little whines escaped you both when you reluctantly parted from each other. With a loving kiss on the cheek, Levi made his way out of the shop and across the frost-bitten ground to the local shops. Your loving and concerned woods echoed throughout his head. Carefully, he walked across the street to the shop he needed.

The bell lightly jingled alerting the owner to a customer. Wooden floors screaked underfoot as Levi made his way over to the glass counter with the prize he desired underneath. Stones glistened under the soft glow of the room light. There was a mix of gold and silver holding gems tightly. All were presented as if they were pleading to be picked.

A delicate green sparkle caught his eye. Green meant a lot to Levi so seeing it on a ring in a gentle light colour against silver was perfect. Imagining it on your finger was easy for him. It was an easy choice for him, marrying you. Before you, he had never thought about marriage before, but now he wanted it more than ever.

“Something catch your eye?” The seller leaned down a little and caught Levi’s eye. He flinched a moment at seeing the two different coloured eyes Levi had, along with the scars. It clicked in his head that the man before him was the famous Captain. “Captain Levi, right?”

Levi nodded in response. “Yes.”

“You own that tea shop, correct?”

“I do.”

The owner smiled. “You have that pretty lady working for you.” He clicked his fingers in thought and said your name. “Right?”

“Yes.”

The owner gasped when the realisation hit him. “You’re dating and you’re here for a ring?”

“Correct.” A dull thud echoed when Levi tapped his leather-gloved-covered finger against the glass. “This one.”

“Oh, that’s a lovely light green stone.” He opened the little compartment and retrieved the ring. He placed it on a cloth and smiled. “Pretty, right? Do you know her ring size?”

Levi started your size and carefully picked up the ring. “This is perfect for her.”

“It’s like its fate. That ring is in her size.”

Levi smiled softly as he played with it. “I would like to buy it. Could I get it in a nice box?”

“Of course!”

Levi gripped his cane as he reluctantly handed over the ring. Visions of running off with the ring and giving it to you flooded his head, but he knew he had to wait. The ring box was sweet and pretty, he was happy to present you with it. Levi handed over the money for the ring and took the box from the shop owner.

The owner bowed to Levi. “Thank you for shopping with us. Have a pleasant day.”

Levi waved to the owner, slipped outside and released a long sigh. Before you, he wasn’t too keen on winter but as he stood outside in the crisp cold air and watched his breath curl and dance before his eyes, he loved it. The concept of the future made it all the more exciting as well. Winter with a house full of children seemed like an exciting concept to Levi. He couldn’t wait to play with a little one in the snow.

The silver tip of his cane tapped on the stone floor as he travelled through the street to his next destination. Though it was winter, the flowers inside the shop were plentiful. It seemed like the owner grew some flowers in a nice cosy greenhouse. Levi could see a few flowers he wanted in a nice bouquet.

The door creaked when he pushed the door open. The gentle smell of flowers filled the air and was a delight to the senses. His gloved hand wrapped around the flowers he wanted. He carefully laid them down on the varnished countertop and smiled a little at the owner to reassure her. The scars on Levi’s face did make people worry and be cautious, so he’d learned to smile to calm them.

She grinned at Levi seeing how charming and handsome he was. “This it?”

“Yes.”

She carefully wrapped up the flowers and made sure they were arranged nicely. “Here you go, sir.”

Levi handed the money over and carefully took the flowers. “Thank you.”

She gazed at the flowers and saw Levi was a little nervous with pink cheeks. “Popping the question?”

“I am.”

She nodded as a smile grazed her lips. “Wonderful. How are you going to do it?”

He looked at the flowers. “Just ask?”

She stared at him for a while. “So…no romantic dinner…or…walk?”

He whined a little. “No…”

“Oh…”

Levi gripped his flowers. “I know her and what she likes. I don’t need advice from someone I don’t know.”

She defensively put her hands up. “Understood. Forgive me.”

“I didn’t mean to snap.” He gulped hard. “I am hoping it’ll snow because she does like it.”

“Good luck.”

He gently bowed his head before leaving the shop into the cold. He released a long sigh and thought about the woman’s questioning. He hummed in thought and proceeded to make his way back to his shop. His heart skipped a beat when he saw you talking to a cute little girl as you handed over a hot chocolate with cute toppings.

You flicked your gaze to Levi and grinned. “Welcome back.”

“Thank you.”

You hurried over to him. “Need help?”

“I uh…yes.” He handed you the bouquet. “For you.”

You felt your cheeks burn as you took the flowers. “Thank you.” You kissed Levi’s cheek. “They’re perfect.”

Levi smiled softly. “You ready to go home? It’s closing time.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll see to the last customer and lock up.”

You bowed. “I will put everything away.”

It didn’t take you both long to clear up the shop and get it ready for closing. With winter here, the shop was rather popular because you provided something that kept people going through their day. A splash of warmth on a cold day was enough to keep people moving. Plus, the shop was always nice and warm because Levi was always checking the fireplace and the heating system to make sure you, his precious lover, stayed healthy and happy.

Levi watched you closely as you approached your winter things. “Allow me, my love.” He leaned his cane against the wall and began wrapping you up warm. “I have to make sure you’re warm.”

“Thank you. You take great care of me.”

A cute blush graced Levi’s cheeks. “I try.”

“Kiss?”

Levi’s heart raced when you gazed at him with adorable pleading eyes and slightly pursed lips. He leaned close and captured your lips in a loving kiss. “Mm. Hold my hand as we walk home.”

“Okay.”

With hands tightly entwined you both walked through the cold streets with Bo leading the way. Levi’s heart was beating fast as he ran through the next moments in his head. Marrying you and having a family with you was a dream come true. So, the moment he asked you to marry him had to be perfection. He was thinking of possibly a meal and cooking it nicely and setting up candles and a table too.

“Levi!”

He was dragged out of his thoughts and looked over at you to see you to see you had released your hold on him. Snow fluttered down around you as you stood before him in the middle of the road with your hand out and pure delight on your face. Maybe it was the snow, maybe it was your smile or maybe it was something else but before he knew it he was down on one knee before you.

You turned and looked down to see Levi was down on one knee. “Levi?”

He placed his cane on the floor before retrieving the ring box from his inside pocket. The lid of the box creaked a little when he opened it to reveal the delicate green stone on the silver ring. He stated your full name. “Will you marry me?”

Tears filled your eyes as your heart was filled with love and joy. You nodded a lot. “Yes. Yes, Levi. I will!” You grabbed his hands and pulled him to his feet. “Sorry, I just need to hug and kiss you!”

Levi laughed when you jumped into his arms. “I love you.”

You crashed your lips against Levi’s. “I love you too.” You pulled back and eyed the ring. “It’s so pretty.”

Levi took your hand and slipped the ring on. “It fits you perfectly.”

“It does.” Your eyes sparkled in delight. “I can’t believe it. I’ve been thinking and dreaming of this moment for so long. I’m so in love with you, Levi.” You gasped and leaned down so you could grab his cane. You stood up and handed it to Levi. “Here.”

“Thank you.”

You nibbled your lip a little. “So, about getting home.”

“Yes?”

You gripped the lapels of his coat. “How about you make love to your fiancée?”

Levi’s cheeks burned. “I uh.” A pulse of arousal went through him. “I would like that.”

You tilted your head and kissed him. “I can’t wait.”

The snow was coming down heavily outside, so the shop was closed and most people in the town were locked up in their homes. The whole morning you’d both been in bed wrapped up in each other’s bodies. Levi was suffering a little for going so passionately and hard, but it was worth it. You were worth it. Your body was incredible and he loved exploring every inch of you and getting to explore the body of the woman he was going to spend his life with.

You glanced over at Levi to see he was staring at you. “Something up?”

He huffed and looked away from you. A faint pout on his lips. “Nothing.”

You got off the sofa making Bo whine and made your way over to your fiancé. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing.”

You placed your hands on the arms of his chair and loomed over him. “Levi Ackerman. Talk to your fiancée.”

He whined a little before looking up at you. His heart raced as soon as he locked eyes with you. “You weren’t paying attention to me.”

You hummed a laugh. “You want to snuggle on the sofa together?”

He nodded shyly. “Please.”

“Okay, I’ll get Bo down in his bed.” You walked over to your pup and guided him to his comfy bed. You put a blanket over him and smiled. “Sleep tight, my pup.”

Levi limped over to the sofa and plopped himself down with a huff. “Love?”

You hummed a laugh. “I’ll be there in a bit, grumpy. I’ll get us some tea first.”

He huffed. “Okay.”

“You’re extra grumpy today.”

“I’m not.”

You walked over with a tray of tea and snacks. “I’m surprised.”

“Why?”

You placed the tray down and smirked at Levi. “After such a fun morning together, I would have expected you to be on cloud nine.”

Levi ran his hand up the back of your leg to your bum. He firmly squeezed your behind. “You were incredible.”

You sat down and smiled at him. “You’re making me out to be this sex goddess.”

“Because you are.”

You leaned over and kissed him. “You’re cute.” You handed him his tea. “Drink up.”

Levi chugged some of his tea and then placed it down. “Okay, now cuddle time.”

You opened your arms. “Come here then.”

Levi grabbed your wrist. “No. I’ll cuddle you.”

“Oh, this is different.”

He yanked you against him and wrapped his arms tightly around you. He pushed his slender fingers into your hair and began massaging. “I do love being held by you, but this? This is incredible.” He closed his eyes for a moment. “I could be like this with you for the rest of my life.”

You closed your eyes as well as you listened to the beating of his heart. You lovingly rubbed his abs with your hand. You wrapped your arms around him and squeezed tightly. “I love you.”

Levi smiled softly. “I love you too. I love you so much.” He kissed the top of your head. “When are your parents arriving again?”

“Two weeks. Hopefully, the snow lets up a bit for them.”

Levi smiled a little. “I can’t wait. We’ll be planning our wedding with them.”

You raised your head from Levi. “Have you told the scouts about us getting married?”

Levi groaned a bit. “Not yet. I want them at the wedding, but I don’t want the madness that comes with some of them.”

You tenderly rubbed Levi’s cheek. “Invite them. The noise and playfulness will be fun.” You took Levi’s hand and placed it on your stomach. “It’ll be noisy when we have little ones.”

Levi blushed. “It will be.”

You hummed a laugh. “You do want them, right?”

He nodded. “I do, but I will admit there is a bit of a fear inside me.”

“I have that too. Will it all go well? Will I be a good mother? Will they love me?”

“Darling, they will adore you.” He leaned closer and kissed you. “We’ll do it together when the time comes.”

You nibbled your lip. “Maybe sooner rather than later.”

Levi stared at you. “What…what do you mean?”

You pressed your lips together. “I’m two months late. I thought missing last month was just…a blip. I was due two weeks ago and I’ve missed it.”

Levi gulped hard. “You…uh…”

You pulled back from Levi. “You’re upset.” You touched your stomach. “I umm…”

Levi placed his hands on his thighs. “You…you really are?”

“I’m sure of it. We’ve never used protection. In the many months, we’ve been a couple.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I know.”

You stood up. “I’m gonna take Bo for a walk.”

Levi clenched his fist. “It’s a blizzard out there.”

“I just…” You welled up. “I need to go.”

Levi reached over and grabbed your hand. “Don’t go. We need to talk about this.”

You pulled your hand from him. “What’s there to talk about? You’re clearly uncomfortable about me being pregnant.”

“I’m not. I’m in shock.” He stood up and softly said your name. “Please, don’t go out there in the fucking blizzard. Let us talk about it.”

You started sobbing. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to cry so much but my emotions are all over the place.”

Levi pulled you close. “I want this baby, I do. I just didn’t think it would happen so soon.”

You sniffed. “You really want them?”

He nodded and smiled at you. “I do. I want kids so badly and this is incredible that we’re having a baby. I’m fucking terrified, that’s true, but we can do it together.”

You nodded. “Mm.”

He released a long sigh. “I’m sorry for how I reacted. I was just…you caught me off guard.” He frowned. “That’s a terrible excuse.”

You rubbed your tears away. “No, no. It makes perfect sense.” You sniffed a little. “It is life-changing and you have experienced nothing but loss in your life. I bet you’re worried you won’t be a good dad, or I will die or the baby will.” You smiled a little. “Or maybe you will and I’ll be left alone.”

Levi nodded as he fought his tears. “Yes. You understand me so well.”

You wiped his tears away. “How about we start this moment over.”

He smiled and nodded. “Please.”

You cupped Levi’s face and smiled. “Levi, I think I’m pregnant.”

Levi hugged you tightly. “I can’t wait to meet them.” He pulled back a bit. “I’m going to work even harder on my physio so I can run around with our kids.” He kissed you and hummed. “We’ll have to start thinking of baby names right away. I would like something rather sweet, possibly a flower name?”

You rubbed Levi’s chest. “Kuchel would be nice.”

Levi stared at you and then the tears started flowing. “Mm…yes…”

You hugged him tightly. “I think it’s perfect.”

Levi smiled. “A baby, huh? That’s incredible.” He sat on the sofa and pulled you close so he could reach your stomach. “You’re going to be loved so much. I will work hard to be stronger so I can run around with you and play all kinds of games.” He kissed your stomach and sighed. “I’m looking forward to meeting you, just don’t hurt your mummy too much when you do arrive.”

#levi ackerman #levi #aot levi #snk levi #aot fanfiction #levi x you #fanfic #levi x y/n #levi fanfiction #levi x reader #jelly fanfics #captain levi x reader #captain levi ackerman x reader #captain levi x you #levi ackerman x female reader #levi ackerman x you #levi ackerman x reader #levi x yn

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sgkophie · 2 years

Text

Man's World - An Epilogue

Previous Chapter (finale!) is HERE.

Pairing: Carlos Sainz x Reader, Carlos Sainz x You, Carlos Sainz x OFC

Warnings: language, fluff

AN: LOVE how this chapter turned out. We have laughs, we have pranks, we have tears... we have Georgia being a lion. What’s not to love?

IMPORTANT: If you want to keep seeing my content, including upcoming one-shots of Man's World that I have planned, please visit your "content you see" section and toggle your "sexual themes" to show. More on that HERE. You can access those settings by clicking this link.

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Word Count: 6700

Check out the full intro synopsis + full story master list here!

Abu Dhabi – Wednesday – Georgia POV

“Carlos, have you seen my pass?” I frantically started emptying my suitcase, desperately looking for my paddock pass. Good grief, Georgia, you can’t lose this pass yet again, you’ll never hear the end of it from Lando, I muttered to myself.

“Mi amor, you’d lose your head if it wasn’t screwed on,” I heard Carlos laugh from behind me, wrapping his arms around me from behind, my paddock pass in his hand.

“Oh, thank god! After I blasted Lando on twitter in Austin for losing his pass and getting caught trying to break into the paddock, I couldn’t lose mine this week!”

“Well, to be fair love, you probably shouldn’t have told the police that he was an intruder…” I laughed at that. Lando and I had been in a prank war for a few years now, and while we’d called a “truce” after Silverstone, we both knew that wasn’t going to last long. As soon as I saw Lando trying to break his way into the paddock with no pass around his neck, it was too good not to tell security that some random fan was trying to break in.

The fact that the American security guards didn’t recognize him was even more hilarious.

Unfortunately for me, Lando returned the favor the following week when he “accidentally” told Charles that Carlos and I were secretly engaged and planning to elope over Christmas. I think if Carlos hadn’t been in a sponsorship meeting, Charles would have actually punched his teammate. But noow it was my turn to get one over on the Brit, and I had a beautiful prank in place.

“So, we’re still on for today, right?” I asked, wiggling my eyebrows in anticipation. I had finally talked my boyfriend into helping me prank Lando, and I couldn’t be more excited.

“I feel like this is too mean, mi amor,” Carlos said with a sigh. Over the last several months I had learned just how much of a softie Carlos was, especially for Lando. “I think if we actually broke up, Lando would be the only person on the planet as devastated as me.”

I rolled my eyes at Carlos, grabbing my bag from the sofa as we headed downstairs, meeting Lily in the lobby; we’d agreed to have a quick breakfast with her before we left for the paddock. For whatever reason, Lily had become a staple to Carlos and I’s driving to the paddock. For a while Charles would also join us, but after summer break, Charles went back to driving himself to the paddock.

Something felt off between Lily and Charles. It felt like they were avoiding each other, and by Austin GP, they were actively making excuses to leave the room when the other walked in, a staunch change from the beginning of the season, when I would watch them subtly flirt with each other.

Once breakfast was finished, I turned to my teammate, a smile on my lips. “Ready to go?” The Valet pulled up my Bugatti and the two of us hopped into the car.

“Carlos not joining us?”

“Nah, he’s got a different schedule than us,” I mused, taking off away from the hotel. I felt a little bad not telling Lily about Carlos and I’s prank, but I knew she wouldn’t be able to keep the prank a secret from Lando.

“So, tell me, what’s going on with you and Charles?” I could see Lily visibly stiffen up at the mention of my brother’s name, although she kept a stoic look on her face.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, nothing really… just felt like the two of you have been avoiding each other.”

“Nope, just busy that’s all. Can’t just drop everything for Charles Leclerc.” It’s as if Lily knew her words had come out harsher than she expected, so she added with a smile, “can only put up with one of the Leclerc twins this season.”

“Fine, keep your secrets, Wilson.” I could see from Lily’s face that she wanted to say something else, but had decided against it, instead opting to scroll through her phone. phone.

“So, the Netflix special went over well! Fans are just loving you and Carlos,” she mused.

“Yeah, I feel like it put the final nail in the coffin of that Daily Mail article. We haven’t had a single bad article about our relationship written in over a month, thank god.” The Netflix special, along with a second Vogue article, had been a lifesaver for Carlos and I. After I admitted I loved him over the radio, there was some renewed suspicions about us. Fortunately the FIA investigation was cleared by Monza and by Singapore, the news was basically dead – everyone having moved on to the F1 silly season.

“Well, after you win the championship this weekend, there won’t be a single bad thing the press can say. They’ll have to accept us with a female World Drivers Champion.”

“Cheers to that,” I replied, holding up my coffee cup and clinking it with hers.

Carlos POV

I felt a little bad pranking Lando, but after he told Charles that Georgia and I were secretly engaged, I had let Georgia talk me into this silly idea of hers. Pretty sure I would have been sporting a black eye for a week if Lewis hadn’t caught wind of their conversation and ran to the Ferrari garage to calm Charles down.

Charles was less than impressed about the prank, although I knew Georgia reveled in the challenge of one-upping Lando. It was one of the many reasons I loved her – she never backed down from a challenge, and Lando had just opened pandora’s box of pranks.

As soon as I walked into the paddock, I saw Lando waiting for me outside of the Ferrari hospitality suite. We had agreed to do a track walk together, get some time to catch up just the two of us.

“Morning, Carlos!” I smiled at Lando, gladly taking the cup of coffee he held out for me, my second one of the morning. Best part about dating Georgia Leclerc? The incredible coffee.

“Morning, Lando. How are things?”

“Oh you know, can’t complain. Quadrant’s podcast is really taking off, it’s taking a lot of my time, but I don’t mind. How are things with you and the misses?” I froze up a bit at his asking, trying to think through all of the coaching Georgia had given me. Her dedication to her craft (of being a prankster) was nothing short of impressive. After this weekend Georgia might F1’s first female World Drivers Champion, but I’m pretty sure Georgia would consider herself the World Champion of Pranks, too – and she might be prouder of that title than the former.

“Yeah… umm, sort of the reason I wanted to ask you to get coffee with me…” I knew that had piqued Lando’s interest; he immediately stopped in his tracks, looking directly into my eyes, concern already laced in his face.

God, Lando, what a good friend.

“Georgia and I… we decided to take some time apart during the winter break.” I knew the words were as fake as Georgia and I’s relationship had started, but damn they hurt me to even say them out loud. I said a silent prayer to the universe, begging her to not let this ever be true.

“WHAT!?” Lando screamed, spilling some of his coffee on his McLaren team polo. “Absolutely not. I forbid it.” Lando’s reaction took everything within me not to laugh; he looked as if he’d make a deal with the devil himself in order to make this statement not true. “What did you do?”

“What do you mean ‘what did I do?’” I was slightly offended that Lando had gone straight for me, assuming that I was the one who fucked up. It was logical, but still hurtful from my best friend.

“Look, mate, I’m just trying to get to the bottom of this so we can fix this.”

“She just needs a little space, it’s been an overwhelming season.” As we came to the close of our track walk, Lando walked me back to the Ferrari garage.

“Never fear, Carlos – I’m going to fix this.” Lando’s voice was full of conviction and I let out a small smile.

“Lando, I told you NOT to get involved. Promise me you won’t say anything.”

“Fine, fine…” Lando put his hands up int he air, admitting defeat, which was good because I didn’t need this prank spreading around the paddock; we’d finally gotten out of the dog house with the press; I didn’t need a fake prank circulating around the paddock like wildfire.

Lando POV

As soon as I watched Carlos walk into the Ferrari garage, I immediately texted Lily and Daniel, demanding that they both meet me in my drivers room. I couldn’t believe what Carlos had told me; those two were made for each other, but I knew if anyone would have insight, it would be Danny and Lily.

Me: Lil, Danny – meet me in 15, my drivers room, super urgent

Queen Lily: Lando some of us have actual meetings and strategy to go over…

Me: No time for that, Lil… our friends are in trouble

Queen Lily: Fine, be there in 20

Once Lily and Daniel entered my drivers’ room, I shut the door – motioning for them both to take a seat on my coach.

“Alright, what I am about to tell you cannot leave this room.” Lily and Daniel both gave me a thumbs up and an eye roll – although that I chose to ignore the latter. “Carlos and Georgia are taking a break.”

Silence engulfed my driver’s room as the two other drivers sat there, contemplating my words.

“Lando, that’s a pile pf horse shit,” Lily finally scoffed. “Is this another one of your pranks again, cause I’m not falling for it.”

“No, I’m serious, Carlos told me this morning on our track walk.” Daniel shifted in his seat, eyeing my warily.

“Are you sure you understood right? I mean, Georgia and I literally just went apartment shopping for the two of them in Monaco this weekend.” I started to feel more frustrated as Danny’s face looked entirely unconvinced.

“And I just had breakfast with them this morning…” Lily added.

I just stared at my teammate and friend for a moment, before it dawned on me – those fuckers were trying to prank me. This is why Carlos didn’t want me getting involved; he knew his terrible, poorly thought out prank would be exposed.

No, I shouldn’t blame Carlos on this one. It had Georgia Sassy Leclerc all over it.

“Those sneaky little bastards!” Lily and Daniel looked taken aback, not having caught on to what I had just realized. “They’re trying to prank me!”

“Well, I’d say you have it coming considering you told Charles that his sister was secretly engaged…” Daniel let out a laugh at that one. It probably wasn’t one of my finer pranks, but Georgia’s horror when she realized her brother was about to go beat up her boyfriend was hilarious – the look on Charles’s face? That was the icing on top.

“I only did that because Georgia almost had me arrested!”

“Well, have you ever forgotten your paddock pass again?” I rolled my eyes at Lily’s snarky comment; I knew she loved that prank a little too much. “Sounds like you learned your lesson.” She stuck her tongue out at me and I flicked her off, not amused with her response. As the season went on, I had begun to realize that Lily was actually the sassy one of the pair, her sarcastic British humor had really blossomed at Bugatti.

“Well, two can play at this game! They don’t know that I know that they’re trying to prank me… and you’re NOT going to tell them.”

“Lando, do not involve me in your little prank wars with Georgia. I am not about to start WWIII in the Bugatti garage,” Lily responded, slowly getting up from the couch. Danny laughed as well and excused himself, insisting that he didn’t want to know what we had planned. Something about undeniability being the best course of action for him.

“What!? No! Come on… Lando and Lily scheming again, we’re so good at it!”

“What can you even do on such short notice?”

“Oh, Lily… I am so glad you asked.”

Georgia POV – Friday Press Conference

After both free practice sessions, the FIA had scheduled an extra press conference for Max and I. Only a few points separated us in the championship, and I knew the FIA loved the drama, although Max and I had agreed to keep the drama on the track only, neither of us giving in to the demand that we brow beat the other out of existence. I might have been sassy to the reporters, but I’d never badmouth another driver at a press conference – ever.

As I sat down in the chair next to Max, he leaned in to me. “I hear congratulations are in order,” Max chuckled.

“Congratulating me for winning the championship already? Interesting approach, Verstappen,” I laughed, although my laughter was short lived when I saw the look of confusion on Max’s face.

“Sorry, Georgia, I get it if you aren’t telling people yet. Lando has such a big mouth, just wanted to say congrats.” Before I could give a follow up comment, the press started the press conference, diving straight into questions about the upcoming race.

******

As soon as the press conference was over, I pulled out my phone, only to see a text from Charles.

Charles: Care to explain why Carlos had a look of panic on his face during the Ferrari strategy meeting today?

Me: scared he’s going to see my rear bumper the entire race? ;-)

Charles: I’m serious, Peaches…

Me: Did he say something to you?

Charles: no, he was just… not himself. I asked what was wrong, thought you might know. He looked pale…

Me: Thanks for letting me know.

After another round in the media pen I was finally released back to the hotel so I could get some sleep in before qualifying tomorrow. When I walked into our shared room, Carlos was nowhere to be found. Instead, there was a note on the living room coffee table explaining that he’d be back later and not to wait up for him. There had been some damage to his car after free practice, so I figured he would be at the garage, trying to help with the repairs.

I waited up for him, but after room service I soon found myself asleep in our bed. When I awake the next morning at 7am, I turned over to see Carlos’ side of the bed empty. I immediately felt some panic setting into me. What if something had happened to him?

As I grabbed my phone, about to text everyone I knew in panic, I saw a text from Coco letting me know that Carlos was safe and had fallen asleep on his couch. I smiled at that – classic Carlos, he was always falling asleep on the couch. Coco informed me that he’d just take Carlos to the track that morning since he had gone to bed so late.

I was disappointed that I wasn’t able to see Carlos before qualifying, and slightly annoyed that he had only texted me good luck. I had the sneaking suspicion that he was avoiding me, but I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind, remembering our “exercise” that had taken place Thursday night. I knew he was stressed about the last race of the season; I’d see him after qualifying.

****

“Alright GG, Q3 is about to begin. You ready to take your final pole of the season.” I chucked at Mel’s radio message. I was more than ready.

I was the first one out into Q3, which was nice because I was able to get an early flying lap in with my new softs. I was able to improve on my Q2 lap time, and as the track evolution began to quicken, I made an improvement on my second lap in Q3.

“Right, GG – this is the last lap for you.” I made my way across the line with just 5 seconds to spare before the end of Q3. “Head down, GG.”

It was as if the universe had decided to offer me a small slice of forgiveness for all of the times it stuck me in an elevator with journalists, sponsors, other drivers. For once, things were on my side.

“FUCK YES!” I heard Mel scream into my ear. “Georgia Pole Leclerc, you did it again! That’s you P1, Max P2. One step closer to the WDC.”

“WAHOOOOOOOO!” I screamed back at Mel. “Let’s bring it home, ladies!”

As soon as I arrived back at the pitlane, I was greeted by my team who had all come out to congratulate me. Lily had gotten P4, a solid position for the team, with Charles in P3 and Carlos in P5. Max immediately ran over and shook my hand, congratulating me on pole position, but promising to destroy me tomorrow, causing me to laugh.

“Guess I better destroy you this season, since I won’t get the chance next season,” he laughed. Before I could respond to his weird comment, I saw Carlos waving me to me over by the Bugatti garage, motioning for me to come over. Once I entered my drivers room, I was immediately brought into a huge hub by my boyfriend.

“Congrats,” he said, picking me up gently and kissing me on the lips. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Thank you, mon amour. I was sad I missed you this morning, bed felt empty without you.” Carlos looked a little guilty, and he shifted his weight from side to side for a bit, clearly unsure of what to say. He grabbed my hands and pulled me into his lap on my couch.

“I’m sorry, cariño. I should have been there. I just panicked for a moment, but I’m going to be here for you, for the both of you.” Carlos rested his hand on my lower stomach, his gaze looking up at me with the most loving stare I think I had ever seen from the man. I paused for a moment, at first reveling in the loving look, before processing what he had actually said.

“Um… what!?”

“For you and the baby?”

“What baby? Who the fuck is having a baby?” Carlos was now looking confused, giving me a questioning look.

“Lando sai-.” Before Carlos could finish his sentence, I interrupted him, immediately jumping off his lap and sprinting towards my door, flinging the door open with such ferocity a team photo fell down in the outside hallway,

“I’m going to kill him!” Fortunately, I didn’t have to go too far to find Lando. As I turned the corner, I heard the laughing of Lando in Lily’s drivers room. I burst into the room, not even bothering to knock.

“Lando did you tell people I am pregnant!”

“I don’t know, did you tell Carlos to tell me that you had broken up!” I immediately stopped in my tracks. Of course Lando had found out. “Maybe next time you might want to sure up your lie a little better…” Lily let out a chuckle; I could see from the look on her face that she had spilled the beans to Lando. Knew I should have included her.

“Et tu, brute?” I said to Lily, letting a small grin creep onto my face. Lando had bested me on this one, and I couldn’t even be mad about it. As I turned around to look at Carlos, I saw a smile creep over on his face. So they had all planned this.

“Well, well, well, it might have been a joke that Carlos and I were taking a break… but maybe now it’ll be true!” I had wanted the words to come out fierce and determined – angry – but I couldn’t help but let a laugh escape my lips. I was impressed, and I recognized greatness when I saw it.

Takes one to know one.

“Fine, this makes us even for pranks this weekend, Lando, but you had better watch out next year.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way, Leclerc!”

I gave Lando and Lily my middle finger and then exited her drivers room, returning back to my own room, still laughing at their prank. It had been a good one, and fortunately they managed not to include my brother, less we have another Singapore incident. As Carlos entered the room after me, he pulled me in closer, capturing my lips in a kiss.

“So, why were you avoiding me on Friday?” I made sure to make my disdain known, hoping Carlos got the hint that I was annoyed about him abandoning me Friday evening.

“Oh, cariño, don’t be upset with me,” Carlos chuckled, giving me another kiss on the lips as he pulled me back into his lap. “What Coco said was true, we were up so late working on the car that I crashed on Friday… I had to stay and help the team rebuild. I didn’t want to wake you, so I stayed with him. I know how focused you get before races, and I meant what I said – I’m not going to jeopardize this win for you.”

I smiled at Carlos’ words, knowing a blush was creeping onto my face. We spent the next ten minutes chatting, before Lizzie came over to my room, letting me know that the post qualifying press conference would begin soon. As I made my way to the door, Carlos grabbed my land one last time, pulling me into him.

“I know that was a prank, cariño, but I just wanted to let you know that someday, I can’t wait until its true.” Carlos’ admission made my heart melt. Had Carlos thought about our future together that deeply?

“Me too, mon amour, me too.”

Georgia Leclerc POV – Race Day

Yesterday, after Lando had admitted that he had ‘let it slip’ that Carlos and I were pregnant to the other drivers, I promptly texted them all to let them know what an ass Lando was. –

no one was surprised. Max, apparently, was also in on the joke, which made his comments make considerably more sense. The majority of them had found it to be hilarious – although Lewis and Seb made it quite known that they were quietly pleased it wasn’t true, the two of them implying that it was too early for Carlos and I to have babies, especially before I “crushed the other drivers out of existence”. Seb definitely had a way with words.

Lewis: Good luck today, Georgie. Whatever happens – I am so proud of you. You deserve this win.

Me: Thanks, Lew. Couldn’t have done it without your support!

Lewis: Nah… this one’s on you, Georgie. All you xx

I smiled at Lewis’ texts. If things went well today, I would be crowned the first female F1 champion. Isabelle had called the entire team into the paddock early, nothing was going to be left to chance. There was more than my WDC on the line, more than the constructor’s championship.

As I piled into the conference room which was now full of the entire Bugatti garage staff, Isabelle stood up on the step stool that had been laid out for her, allowing her to be seen by the entire team.

“Good morning, everyone. I know I have called you all in here early, but I think we can all guess why.” Isabelle took a moment to pause as everyone chuckled, most of them turning to me. I had never felt awkward with the team before, but standing here now, I suddenly felt the pressure of the spotlight. The looks in their eyes showed the same desire, the same want that I felt. We were in this together – as a team, and yet, I recognized the huge role I had to play in this today. For 58 laps I had to drive better than Monaco, better than Silverstone.

I had to drive like I had a point to prove.

“I just wanted to say, before we all disperse for the season, that it has been an honor to have you all on the Bugatti F1 team. Even if the result isn’t what we want it to be, we have had a hell of a season and regardless of what happens today, I am so incredibly proud of this season. Everyone thought we would be last in the constructor’s championship, and here we are, currently sitting in the top spot. We gave them hell, ladies, and for that – we should be proud.”

As Isabelle finished the speech, I felt a tear drop down my face, causing Lily to turn to me; I gave her my middle finger as she laughed and pointed at me, sticking her tongue out back in return.

The time between the morning meeting and the race start felt like an eternity, but when Mel told me it was time to get into the car, I felt frozen in place. This was it, the last time in 2022 that I was going to get into that car; my moment to show everyone who Georgia Leclerc was.

“You got this, GG,” Mel called into the radio as I settled into the cockpit. “Let’s bring another one home.”

As the formation lap ended, I looked over to Max who was in P2. I couldn’t see his face, but I could picture the determination on it. He wanted the WDC as much as I did, and he wasn’t going to let me have this easy.

“And it’s lights out and away we go!”

As soon as the five lights went, I launched the car into the first corner, making sure to defend from Max who had decided to already be aggressive on his overtaking strategy.

So, its gloves off then is it, Max?

“Careful on tyres, GG.” I knew Mel wanted these to last, but like hell was I going to let Max Verstappen overtake me in the beginning of this race. As the race trudged on to lap 35, I was still leading the pack. Max and I had broken away from the group; he’d managed to stay within 4 seconds behind me, just waiting for me to mess up – waiting for me to do a little spin or cross a curb too early, anything to get within DRS of me.

“Yellow flag, accident close to pit entrance.”

As soon as I saw the symbol on my steering wheel I slowed down to the appropriate speed, letting the safety car guide me for several laps. Max and I had both just pitted, so neither of us wanted to lose track position for a second pit – even if it was a “free stop” as Mel always liked to tell me.

Doesn’t feel free if I have to lose P1, I reminded her.

“Restart will be behind safety car, get ready to push, Max will be right behind you.”

Of course he was. Just my luck to get a safety car. Unfortunately for me, my luck was continuing to get worse. As soon as the notification was lit green, I saw Max Verstappen fly past me, getting much better traction on his tyres as his RedBull car flew by.

“Fuck!” I screamed into the radio; Mel said nothing back to me, clearly assessing the situation from the pit wall.

Lap 42 rolled around, and I was still stuck behind Max. No doubt I would have nightmares about his rear wing for the next several years. I was within DRS for several laps, but each time I made a move, Max was able to defend and elude me, no doubt using his tyres to exhaustion – although I was quickly getting into the same sinking boat.

“Relax on tyres, GG. We think Max’s will give out before yours right now, keep diligent.”

As soon as lap 53 rolled around, I could feel my heart start to quicken, fear seeping into me. I was running out of time to turn this around – and quickly, trying to balance the tyres while not staying to far behind Max.

As soon as I began lap 55, I heard Isabelle come onto the radio.

“GG, fuck the tyres. Go for it.” I’m sorry, did Isabelle just come onto my radio and curse into my ear? I felt stunned at first, but as her words sank into me, I knew she was right. What was the point of nursing these tyres? I wasn’t going to get past Max if I didn’t push harder, so we might as well risk the puncture. I didn’t want to be on the podium in the second step.

I wanted to be on the top one.

Isabelle didn’t have to come back onto the radio to tell me twice. As soon as lap 56 rolled around, I absolutely floored it down the straight, getting within .2 of a second to Max, our cars almost touching because I had launched so hard into the straight. As soon as he second DRS zone rolled around, I knew I would have him.

And have him I did.

As the DRS flap opened, I cruised by Max’s car, quickly getting in front of him. If there was ever a time to defend, I knew it was now.

Lap 57 flew by, and I was still in first.

“Final lap, GG.”

I crossed the line for lap 58, hitting the racing line with such ease I almost didn’t recognize myself. Max had fallen back to 1.2 seconds so I was safe from DRS in the first zone. As I reached the second, I knew Max was within the one second requirement. I lunged my car in front of his, blocking his attach with such ferocity, I barely knew myself. Was it a tad more dangerous than my mother would like to see? Probably.

As I saw the checkered flag in front of me, I did what someone could also describe as ‘sending it’. It was as if in that moment nothing else mattered. Not Max, not the journalists, not even the team’s expectations of me. Everything was gone, blank in my mind. The only thing occupying my brain was the checkered flag in front of me.

As I crossed the finish line, I felt it. My tyre had gotten a puncture, but for the first time in my racing career, it didn’t matter. I had crossed the line.

It was as if time had stopped – as if my brain had stopped working as I tried to utter something into my radio. I heard someone yell into the feed, but the words were fuzzy – confusing, not registering in my brain. Nothing in that moment was registering in my brain.

“Wh…what was th- that?” was all I could utter back into my radio, as I heard distant screaming and cheering through the radio, the sound of the crowd roaring so overpowering that I couldn’t hear Mel’s voice.

But my body knew what was happening; it knew what had just happened. As I heard Mel’s voice back on the radio, I felt a rush of tears run down my face; it felt as though all of the emotions that I had held in for the last year had been released. The sadness, the excitement, the fear, the ferocity that I had bottled up inside me came pouring out.

I was F1’s newest World Drivers Champion.

“CONGRATULATIONS GEORGIEEEE!” I heard Mel scream into the radio.

“Georgia, congrats. You had a hell of a season and this is a well deserved win for both you and the team. Can’t wait to do this again next year, love.” I smiled at Isabelle’s words, the softness of her voice was refreshing and new, foreign to me, but it was nice to hear. I had a sneaking suspicion she might even be smiling.

“Lily did incredible too – we had her pit and grab fastest lap to ensure that Max didn’t get it.”

“I AM SPECHLESS!” I yelled back into my radio. “Thank you to the team. This one is for you ladies… for every last one of you; thank you! Thank you to Lily for being the best teammate I could have dreamed of, an absolute star.”

I pulled into my assigned P1 spot, not even caring that the tyre was basically dead and flat at this point. I didn’t need this car anymore. She had served me well, and she had earned this retirement.

As soon as I parked I hopped out of the car, kneeling in front her, hugging the dead tyre as I felt Max come up to me, patting me on the shoulder. I stood up and faced him, and to my surprise he picked me up and swung me around in what was probably the biggest hug I had ever seen Max give.

“Congrats, Leclerc. A well-deserved win. I’ll get you next year.” Max set me down, and I was immediately grabbed by my brother, who had managed to get P3 in the race. Charles pulled off my helmet and threw it on the ground, grabbing me closer and giving me a congratulatory kiss on the cheek, grabbing my head with both his hands as he shook it.

“I am so proud of you, Peaches, so fucking proud.”

I gave my brother a huge hug as he quickly dragged the two of us off to our family who had made it to the fencing, their arms wide open for the two of us. I immediately jumped into their arms as the five of us hugged, not a single one of us wanting to let go.

My mother was the first to let go, clearly hearing the officials who were calling for Charles and I to head to the cooldown room to get weighed. I searched the crowd for Carlos, desperately looking for my boyfriend who was seemingly nowhere to be found, but just as I was about to walk into the cooldown room, I felt an arm link around my waist, pulling me to him. Carlos grabbed my head and pressed our lips together, pulling my body as close to him as he possibly could.

“I’m so proud of you, corazón. So fucking proud of you.” As I broke the kiss, I looked up and smiled at him, letting him pull me once more into another kiss as the FIA official started yelling behind us, much to the amusement of Charles and Max.

I begrudgingly let Carlos go, heading back into the cooldown room where water was waiting for me. It was only a few minutes before we were being pulled onto the podium for the celebration. I watched Charles go out first, spying my mother and brothers as he walked out. Carlos had joined them now, his phone out filming the podium celebration as he cheered us on next to my mother. Max walked out next, waving to the crowd as he took his trophy.

And then it was my turn. The moment I had been waiting for.

I walked out of the room and into the open, looking down into the masses upon masses of people who had gathered in Abu Dhabi to watch us race – to watch me win. I waved at them as I walked onto the top step, taking my trophy from the government official before setting it down so I could take my hat off for the Monaco national anthem.

As soon as the anthem finished, I picked up my bottle of champagne to spray Charles and Max, but it was too late – they had beaten me to it, absolutely drenching me and then Mel, who was the Bugatti podium representative, with their two bottles. As soon as the bubbles died down, I took one more look into the crowd, giving them one last wave before stepping off the podium.

The moment my foot hit the ground, Lily was on me – her arms wrapping around me as she picked me up into a hug, screaming the entire time. “YOU DID IT!” Lily chanted over and over again, the two of us now jumping up and down like school girls; somehow this had become our signature move.

I walked back to the garage, trophy in one hand and bottle of champagne...now in Lily’s hand. Susie Wolff was the first to pull me into a hug, but it was short lived as the rest of the garage crew started to filter over, all of them demanding hugs, everyone wanting to see the trophy. I looked around for Isabelle, my eyes scanning the garage.

Susie clearly saw my confusion because she leaned over and whispered to me, “In the office.” I nodded and made my way to Isabelle’s office, knocking on the door. As soon as I heard the words come in, I opened it slowly, looking around the dimly lit room for Isabelle.

There in the corner of her office was Isabelle, sat on her couch, a glass of what looked like whisky in her hands. There was once a point in my Bugatti career that I thought I would never see Isabelle smile, but that seemed like a farfetched idea as I observed my Team Principal in front of me, tears in her ears.

I walked over to her and set the trophy down on the coffee table, before grabbing a glass and filling it up with the whisky bottle that was set in front of her, joining her on the couch. The two of us sat in silence for several minutes, both of us sipping on our glasses, neither of us saying anything.

“You know when I was a young girl, I loved racing. Loved it dearly. I spent every weekend with my parents in Italy, karting with my brother. But as I got older… the karting got more expensive and there was only enough money for one of us to continue. Even though I was clearly more talented than my brother, my parents chose to continue funding his karting. Apparently, there was no hope I would ever be a professional driver… that just wasn’t something in the cards for a woman, so my brother, who could barely win races, got to continue living my dream as I was forced to return to normal life.” I observed Isabelle as she told the story, setting my glass down on the counter as I poured the both of us another round.

“It was that day I promised myself I was going to start an F1 team; I decided that I was going to win this championship somehow…”

“And now that we have… it almost doesn’t seem real, does it?” I finished for her. I understood what Isabelle was feeling, deep inside my soul, I understood. I had fought so long to be here, fought tooth and nail to stand on that podium and accept the WDC trophy, and now that this day had arrived, it felt almost bittersweet. The illustrious dream wasn’t so illustrious anymore.

Isabelle smiled at me, her tears drying up as she took another sip of whisky. “And now we’ve done it. Today a female-run team did more than just win the WDC, we proved to the world that women should have an equal seat at the table in F1 – from mechanics to leadership to drivers, we’re here to stay.”

“That we are, Isabelle, that we are.”

“Next year is a new year, Georgia. New car, new challenges. You ready to do it all again?”

“How many championships do I need to win to beat Lewis and Michael’s record of having the most titles? They have seven, so I need eight?” I said with a chuckle, earning me a huge grin from Isabelle.

“Hmm… perhaps we should make it nine… just to be safe,” Isabelle countered, that sneaky gleam I had come to know so well gathering in her eye.

“Well… we have one down.” I raised my glass as I stood up, clinking it with Isabelle’s. “Here’s to another eight championships, Isabelle.”

***********

Man’s World Tag list:

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Possible Tag Issues - Tumblr tag wouldn’t show up in post.

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thethirdgenesisbooks · 5 months

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How to Put Words in Your Book - 5 Tips to Actually Start Writing

There is a problem among a great many writers and aspiring authors: so many of us never actually put any words into a Word document. Some writers will spend years developing a story idea. They’ll think of everything; the world-building, the characters, moving scenes, but never actually sit down to write the story.

Sometimes this comes from a lack of confidence. Writers think, “What if my story isn’t good enough?” These writers need to realize that the only thing worse than a bad story is the story that’s never written at all. For other writers, the reason why they can’t seem to actually get anything written is because while they know where the story has to go, they don’t know how to start. For still others, the problem is simply a matter of motivation.

Here are five tips to help you get your story rolling:

1 - Read the Opening of Someone Else’s Novel.

Sometimes, it can be hard to know what sorts of details to introduce first in your story. Do you start with a physical description of the character? A quote? A scene with characters in peril? Seeing how other authors started off their books can be helpful in this regard. I’d recommend reading the opening of a novel in a different genre from the one you’re writing. That way, you aren’t tempted to borrow too heavily, and can focus on putting out your own material.

2 - Listen to Music.

My wife and I developed this game that we sometimes play that utilizes her skills as a musician and mine as an author. I’ll sit or lie down on the couch with my eyes closed, and she’ll start playing an original, improvised piece of music on the piano. As I listen to the tune, I’ll start to describe a scene that the music brings to mind and tell a short story. Similarly, whenever I sit down to write one of my books, I listen to instrumental music that’s appropriate to the story I’m working on. I recommend that if you choose to use music to inspire your writing, you make sure it has no lyrics, as your writing may start to reflect the words you hear. I also recommend not using music that you associate with a particular scene. For example, when I tried writing while listening to “The Barber of Seville,” all I could see when I closed my eyes was Bugs Bunny shaving Elmer Fudd. You want music into which you can put your own meaning.

3 - If You are Spiritual, Pray or Meditate.

This piece of advice is pretty simple. If you are a spiritual or religious person, then before you write take a moment to stop and either pray or meditate. There’s a reason the Greeks thought goddesses called “muses” inspired art. The right side of the brain is associated with creativity, intuition, and spirituality. So, activate that side of your brain by doing something spiritual. Personally, when I was writing the first novel in my Third Genesis fantasy series, I prayed every time that “words would flow from my fingers to the page.” Most days, I wrote around 3,000 words in that book.

4 - When Stuck, Get Up and Walk.

You’d be surprised what even the tiniest amount of exercise can do for you. Do you have stairs in your home? Walk up and down a few times. Do you have a stationary bike? Ride it a little. Any form of exercise, however small, can get your mind going.

5 - Act Out the Scene.

Do you know your characters well enough to know how they speak to each other, what their goals are, and what they want out of life? Then play pretend for a bit, as you might well have done when you were a child. Improvise the scene, and pretend that you are all of the characters in the scene engaged in a discussion or struggle. You may find that you’re not good at improvising their dialogue, but that’s alright. When you say it out loud, you’ll get a better idea of what’s natural conversation. You’ll also gain some insights into what the characters would or wouldn’t do, based on what they want.

These are just a few things you could try to get the creative juices flowing. All of these have worked well for me. Good luck and happy writing!

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vahalia-cress-ffxiv · 4 months

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CRESS Claims

For all of those who know me and who have been engaging with my stories, content, and character, this post is for you!

I've recently separated myself from someone who was a friend of mine and during this friendship this person and I had created the concept of House Cress back in October 2011 before Guild Wars 2 was released. The concept of House Cress is actually older than my son as I was pregnant with him at the time that myself and this other person had fleshed out all the details of what House Cress was to be and that our characters would be -- as they were in other games aside from FF14 -- twins.

For those of you who know me from WoW, I went by Hale Cress and I RPed that character on the Alliance side on WrA for several years after Gw2 and following my leave from WoW I eventually brought my character Hale to FF14 who now goes by Vahalia Cress. It was then that this other person had not wanted to play the game or build the world alongside me since they were into WoW and there was zero interest expressed. So, I started modeling and fitting the concepts of lore and the source material to meet FF14 standards and lore.

I have been RPing Vahalia Cress and the concept I have built for four years now and I have gone above and beyond to facilitate RP for myself as well as my FC and people around me who have interactions with Vahalia and House Cress.

Three years into my RP this person/'friend' would suddenly show up, start talking to me more again and then chose to insert herself into the stories and RP I had going at current without communicating with me at length to see if that would be okay. They chose to skip all the MSQ right up to Endwalker despite being suggested not to, and boosted their jobs. They had absolutely no care for getting to learn of the lore and world of the MMO I've meticulously crafted my story around.

Additionally, coming into the story and actively trying to meet her halfway and try to include her I gave her a position as Vahalia's cousin and we collaborated on a few things only for her to later change parts of her character that are vivid parallels of my character Vahalia from changing her eye color, to having her character involved with the exact type of business Vahalia was in and tried to have the character be a family addition in Ishgard as well. Let's also touch on the fact my URL for Vahalia used to be umbral-flare-ffxiv. I later decided to change that because this person decided to use Umbral in their URL as well and that just sat poorly with me. My friends constantly told me that all these changes and choices she was actively making were looking deliberate.

She would disappear for months at a time and come back around to insert herself into FF14 again only to be around for a little bit then disappear again without word.

Despite the disappointment of feeling like attributes and things were taken from my character, I later read a story where this person's character also somehow inherits a voidsent entity (much like Vahalia and Creature for all those who have read my stories) without her knowing little to nothing about the void, Voidsent, Voidkin or the 13th. That was the last thing that occurred for me to get worked up and have enough of constantly feeling like concepts for stories and aesthetics were being siphoned from her. I had even made the mistake of sharing with her a plot concept I was working on with someone else only for her to turn around and try to write the same with a friend of mine.

Well, as long-winded as this is, I promise I have a point. Because this person and I are no longer friends. The two of us had civilly and amicably came together and decided to go on about our lives as acquaintances because I had voiced to her that the friendship was too toxic and unhealthy. I was tired of her attacking my integrity as a person, making broad assumptions against me that weren't true, on top of calling me a bad friend because I didn't always defend her when she wanted me to or if I disagreed with her. I have been lied to and emotionally manipulated and in a constant state of emotional whiplash with this person.

I cared about them, but things weren't healthy. I was tired of the gaslighting and I had sworn to myself in 2023 that I would continue to advocate for myself and speak up when I wasn't okay with something.

Anyway, We go our separate ways. I felt good about it. I thought "Wow this is nice. We both agreed to this and we can exist in the same space without having to be on a personal level with one another." Because despite everything I still really cared for her and wanted nothing but her to succeed in life and have positive blessings.

I had made the choice to remove her from my Facebook because I believed that if we were no longer on a personal level of friends, her being on my FB or having access to it wasn't adhering to what we had ultimately decided. So I removed her.

The next day I noticed Facebook had her Icon on my dash and I thought to myself, "That's not right I thought I removed her?" so I clicked and went to see if I did, indeed remove her like I thought, and I had noticed she had me blocked.

Then according to my friends and mutuals, they had told me she removed and blocked them and then proceeded to add my new friends from Discord that she's never really interacted with, friend invites. Three have come forward to me in DMs and have expressed to me how left-field and odd it was for them to get those friend requests. Red flag? Pretty sure they thought so too.

To me, a block tells me that that person wants ZERO interaction with you and has chosen to take steps in ensuring that they don't want to see you. Period.

So much for being civil and amicible I guess?

Anyways, I took it with grace and simply just removed her from everything quietly and went on about my business and life. Finally being able to sit at my PC this evening and get to blocking her on my socials, I went to her URL to block her account and I came to find she has a very pointed addition to her details and 'about' on her page claiming that she is the sole creator of House Cress and its stories over many universes.

Hence the reason for this post and the long-winded explanation. I thought it was imperative to give context and a timeline of events. Events in which I have several people who can back up my claims. People who have been in my life for 7 years or more and many who have been in my life for 13 years or within my RP circle for a decade or so. They're people who have also interacted with my characters across all platforms dating back to GW2 and have heard this Ex-friend discuss how House Cress was a brainchild of us both only to now some how claim that its not.

This ex-friend is claiming they're the sole creator, but they're not. It's a project we both worked on in the living room of my 1 bedroom apartment in 2011. It was a project we both had a hand in creating on equal avenues. We did a video about our plans and hopes for Gw2 and even spoke about our characters. It's a project that I've always seen as belonging to us both, and even now.

For this person to make this claim is perhaps one of the most bullheaded lies she's even decided to put into the ether.

For someone to claim "The person I was 8 years ago isn't the same person I am today." and then go around and do this just out of spite and malice tells me that no, this person is very much the same person they were 8 years ago.

Nothing has changed.

I was fine walking away from her and letting her do her own thing as she saw fit. I assumed that us coming together on a decision meant that we'd have no ill will toward one another.

And I had honored that.

Until tonight.

House Cress was not concocted by one person alone, despite what my ex-friend might claim or what she might try to twist. I have text snippets of this person professing to people in Discord in my FC server that the Cress stuff was a conjoined effort from us both and she would always stipulate how long she's known me and she and I would ride on nostalgia and often talk about how long we've had the Cress train going through various different universes.

With all that has been said, I don't plan on telling anyone who this person is because I don't wish ill attention on them by any means. I just wanted to stay in my lane without her sabotaging me or for some reason her feeling that she needed to get her kicks in where she could. So please don't spread hate.

The whole point of this message is to say -- I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here and I'll continue playing Vahalia CRESS as I have been for 4 years.

I will continue to build on Vahalia CRESS'S story and enjoy it. I will continue the story and stories I've built up for House Cress in the FF14 universe and enjoy it. I will continue to bring people in on the stories and help to support and facilitate RP and ideas. I will continue to collaborate with others.

I helped create this and I have a stake here and I won't let someone try to bully me out of a place I have built, earned and socially been a part of on various scenes for years.

I won't be bullied out of what's mine as I've put a lot of hard work and dedication into this, too much for someone who doesn't even have 10 hours of MSQ under their belt or can properly figure out how WHM works.

This is my space, I'll curate it how I wish and I implore all those who want to want to interact or write with me, to do so.

I'm here.

I'm not going anywhere.

Let's write!

#OOC #Really kinda tired of people doing scummy shit like this #Discourse #FF14 #CRESS #House Cress

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verslxt · 1 year

Text

radio shows ~ r. suna

“i currently have y/n miya, world renowned model. sister to msby jackal player atsumu miya. and dating ejp rajin player rintaro suna”.

you smiled at the introduction to yourself “i’m so glad you could have me on”

you knew atsumu made everyone listen to this. osamu probably had the tv on watching the livestream. and suna was most definitely listening to it.

“so do you know of anyone who is listening to the show currently” the interviewer asked

“uhm yes i do actually, and i have one correction to make to your introduction. i have my brothers listening. hi atsumu and osamu. and i have my fiancé suna listening”

suna had preposed to you at a family gathering at his families house. atsumu and osamu already knew but not everyone knew. you talked it over with suna if you could say you two were engaged or not and he said yes

“oh wow, how long have you two been dating?”

“well he was in 1st year of high school and i was still in junior high. when i finally got into high school he asked me out. to homecoming actually”

“how did he ask you out”

“a sign. oh my god this boy had everything planned out. i was a cheerleader for basketball during the time. so i helped the volleyball team by being their manager. atsumu made me to do it. i’m not that mad about it anymore because i met suna from it. he used our golden doodle to ask me out. i still remember what the sign said too ‘if my puppy dog eyes don’t work maybe nini’s will’. oh my god poor nini he put a sign on her that said ‘hoco with suna?’. i said yes because i loved nini. nini is now 6ft under”

you felt your phone buzz. you knew it was suna. you smiled a little bit

“your smile is so beautiful”

“thank you so much”

“we’re going to cut to a song. what do you think we should play, y/n”

“let’s play an inrarizaki favorite. ohmami by chase atlantic”

“with maggie lindemann or just normal?”

“normal”

you thought of suna saying ohmami. this boy loved the song. he loved doing some special activities during the song. you felt your phone buzz again

“bitch, i'm fuckin' styling yeah ooh-ooh-ooh, oh yeah whoa”

you picked up your phone

rinnie<3🥰 your doing great baby 🫶🏽

y/n ❤️ thank you baby 🫶🏽

dumbass 1 😐 ohmami really?

fucking dumbass 🥱 yea, lost my virginity to it 😶

dumbass 1 😐 EWWWWW

fucking dumbass 🥱 YOU ASKED

the song ended and the interview picked back up

“i love that song so much”

“me too. now, do you and suna ever want kids”

you smiled. you and suna have been having this conversation since you two got together “yes we would. we only want 2 of them. and if i carry the twin gene then we may have to go through pregnancy once”.

“what’s your favorite song currently”

“i have a few actually! mine by 1nonly, r u mine by arctic monkeys, problems by mother mother and needed me by rihanna”

“y/n miya a mother mother fan?”

“oh and get scared”

suna taught you all those bands. other than a handful. suna really made you into who you are today

“can you do a perfect accent?”

you start in a perfect british accent “well funny you say that”. then you switch to an australian accent “i can do a kermit one too”. and that’s when you switch to kermit “well i say where is miss. piggy. i swear i lose that girl more than i lose my mind sometimes”.

you laugh, you knew atsumu never knew you could do those. so he’s probably surprised. you and osamu yell at each other in an australian accent. and then you and suna go around the house yelling in the house in the kermit accent

“do you know…the muffin man?”

“the muffin man?”

“ThE mUfFiN mAn”

the interviewer laughs “now we know ms. miya can do accents perfectly. now if you weren’t famous what would you be doing”

“ohhhh i would either be doing cheer for the msby jackals or be a massage therapist”

“what would you name your boat if you had one”

“oh goodness, now me and suna have been wanting a boat since like forever. and we decided we would name it the beayatch”

“what’s the dumbest thing you’ve gotten injured from doing?”

“how much time do we have. let’s see i got dropped by osamu and atsumu trying to do a cheer stunt. now based on their muscles at the time you would think they could hold me up right? wrong they dropped me so hard, i twisted my ankle and now i can move my knee cap anyway i want. another time i was cooking dinner and suna was in the mood if you know you know. and he sat me up on the counter and we kinda forgot to turn off the burner”

“how is it like dating suna”

“after noon naps. i get so greatful for them sometimes. uhm this boy can cook really good, he and his mom used to cook together all the time. so he picked up recipes from her. it’s really fun, i’m glad i get to marry him”

“awww, we’re going to go to a song but don’t leave yet we still have burning questions sent in from you guys! stay tuned. now what song should we play”

“oooo problems by mother mother”

“problems coming up”

you picked up your phone and texted suna

y/n ❤️ am i doing good

rinnie 🥰 your doing great baby

y/n ❤️ love you rinnie

rinnie 🥰 love you too

the interview picked back up. and she asked you the one question you were hoping she wouldn’t ask

“so there have been a few rumors of suna cheating, what have you two done about it?”

"“oh, now the pictures that were leaked of him cheating was when we were in high school. that was his girlfriend before me. and we do some checks on our phones, we just ask each other to see mine or his phone when we feel like they are acting weird, but one day he denied me to look and then he told me after he preposed why i wouldn’t let me look. it was because he was texting osamu about it, and he was acting weird because of that”

"oh, so he wasn't really cheating"

"no, he wasn't"

you knew suna would never cheat on you, he loves you way too much. and you love him way to much to cheat on him as well

"oh that's all the time we have with ms. miya"

"oh wow that passed by quickly"

~time skip~

"mhm you smell good" suna said shoving his face in your neck as you texted atsumu

"thank you rinnie"

"what do you want for dinner?"

"anything really, i don't care. as long as its not sushi, i'm pregnant"

suna picked you up so fast you dropped your phone back onto the couch, showing that you were talking to your mom and not actually atsumu.

"oh my god are you actually pregnant?"

"yes rinnie i was just telling my mom"

"i love you, i love you, i love you"

"i love you too rinnie"

#suna x you #hq suna #suna rintaro scenarios #suna rintarō #suna x reader #atsumu miya #osamu miya #inarizaki #aran ojiro #kita shinsuke #radio station

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generalluxun · 1 month

Text

My TotK experience and how it shaped my TotK shipping.

I'm writing this out because I got static on a random post for mentioning my headcanon, and I figure my own blog is a safe place to write it all down and get my experience in one place for better or worse. I'm a mutishipper by temprement, so you can and should ship what you like. Do not think by outlining my experience and thoughts I am trying to invalidate your own. Totk and BotW are both games with amazing emergent gameplay. The written narrative is only a fraction of the tale as you write your own version of events by what you choose to do and in what order you do it.

My wife is a huge Zelda fan. I enjoy the games, but she is the one who keeps them coming in. She's got a Triforce Engagement Pendant(try putting that on a ring!) we saw the Symphony of the Fates on our wedding night(and our first not-date years before) Zelda is a thing.

So I played BotW, and I played TotK. I enjoyed them both! At the end of BotW I was sure Zelink was a cute sure thing. I was happy! (My wife was frustrated Zelda didn't tell Link how she felt 😆)

Then we played TotK. Six years later, Zelda and Link are spelunking and boom the game yeets Zelda away. Couples-time, we barely knew ye. Now, both my wife and I play our own separate saves. We generally avoid spiling for each other, and we play quite differently. (In BotW I went right for the castle, found the basement, and ended up fighting the Stalnox that protected the Hylean Shield with 4 hearts. In TotK she mapped the entire underground early on)

My TotK experience began with me making a bee-line for Gerudo town after talking to Purrah/Robbie and exploring the castle a little. I liked the Gerudo plotline in BotW and wanted to see what was going down over there these days.

The Gerudo plotline is definitely fun (uh spoilers I guess?) Seeing Riju grown and trying to be a strong leader was awesome. (I have a headcanon she's still short because she met Link. She knew exactly how tall the strongest warrior in all of Hyrule was, and so why get any taller than that?)

I completed the temple, got my first sage power, and now several things converged.

1)Okay, so Riju's crush on Link in her Diary is cute. Not unique, everyone crushes on Link!

2)I decided to explore after completing this quest. Checking out the corners, completing my map, gaining some shrines, etc. This means I spent a lot of time with Riju as my only sage. We crossed Hyrule and back time and time again, checking on people, visiting old haunts, and fighting enemies way past my weapon's abilities thanks to her lighting.

3)Riju is the most interactive of the sage powers. Activate the power, and then you have to actually work with her to trigger it. It's not temperamental like Yunobo's either. Riju will hold ready for you for quite some time. It's also very versatile. Explode enemies, blow up mining points, and one of my favorites- Light the underdark. There's something deeply intimate about being surrounded by darkness with only your partner's power to light the way for you.

It made Riju one heck of a travel companion. Just having someone *anyone* along with Link, him not being alone, felt so good after being alone in BotW. The Warrior of Light and his Sage companion. Little tales wrote themselves, like an epic saga.

Still, Zelink was still a thing, right? Then You run into Link's old home in Hateno. It's changed, definitely. You find Zelda's lab. You find her Diary. -Now, here I know the Japanese version has a very different tone, but I didn't have that version so I only got the English- reading Zelda's words painted a picture of a close bond, but also not a classical 'ship' one. Combine this with some of the other tidbits and memories collected on the journey and it just painted a very different picture for me(and my wife) There may have been dialogs we missed too, it's a vast open world game, and this is a retelling of my playthrough, not a comprehensive thesis based on all the lore available on a wiki.

This Zelda, being Aro/Ace. Or at least if not, being so immersed in her work and duty that something like a traditional relationship isn't on the radar for her. She's got her Science. She's got her Kingdom. She's got her curiosity. These things Matter to her. A romantic relationship? Just didn't feel like it did.

Link is still the most important person in the world to her. He's her Knight. He's reliable, supportive, dedicated, brave. He's as vital to her as her own two hands. A respectful Link could easily be seen accepting this role. Zelda's vital to him too. He cares for her and will always be there. It's his duty, and his passion. The two are inseparable. They're just not a *couple*

So, where does this leave us? Link and Zelda will travel together always. Riju is Queen of the Gerudo and cannot just leave her people. She's also someone who my TotK Link spent time with (in my writer's brain the sage-mirages actually sent impressions back to the Sages in their dreams, and as time went by the link between the two could be two ways, like a form of active astral projection in a crisis)

So a RiLink relationship that is built on respect and trials together, but that understands the duties placed on both just seemed cute. He's still with Zelda, she's still with her people. She'll eventually end up with a hero's child, and the one male ever allowed into Gerudo town will be able to visit his future child and maybe even pave the way for a more open Gerudo society in the long run.

Zelda and Link are still constant companions day-to-day though. She's the Queen(eventually? Still princess?) he's her Knight. Their relationship is still built on respect and shared hardships(much like RiLink) They're just not an 'item'. They're liege and retainer.

I did the 'Wait how old is Riju?' thing as this was starting to come into focus, because she was young in BotW 😅 She's 17... I think? Fantasy setting, it seemed fine to ship. I mean, everyone thinks Mipha crushing on Link is adorable, and she saw him first when he was a little tot! 🤣

So, that's it really just kind of laying out my ship and why I think it's cute. I welcome any and all comments provided they're couched politiely.

#the legend of zelda #tears of the kingdom #Link #Zelda #Riju #totk #headcanon #relatonships #emergent narrative gaming rules #tloz

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duchessofostergotlands · 7 months

Note

sorry if you’ve answered this before but how come you run a monarchy blog if you’re anti monarchy? i’m genuinely curious, i’ve never seen that before

I have answered it before but Tumblr's search function isn't great and it's probably time for an update. It's not as unusual as you think. There are a ton of people from Republics in this fandom who would never want to live in a monarchy themselves (come visit the fandom on 4th July lol). They're politically anti-monarchy, but they like the individuals. So I'm really not in any way unusual. But basically it was an evolving journey:

I became interested in monarchies at age 4 or 5. So clearly pre any kind of political thinking. I was mostly interested in historical monarchies - I've been obsessed with Anne Boleyn most of my life, I have a tattoo dedicated to her!

I started blogging about royals about 12 years ago so I was around 18 or 19. I wasn't massively politically active so I didn't have a strong opinion on the monarchy. I was at St Andrews at the time of William and Kate's engagement so I became quite interested in that but nothing serious. Then I was on my non-royal Tumblr (don't use it anymore) and I stumbled across an account who was saying really nasty things about Kate. This particular account was one of the few British people in the fandom at the time - it was mostly young Americans - and so they had an air of authority about them and they would say "this is what most Brits think" but it was bollocks. And then I would research other things they'd said about things like finances and realise that they were wrong about those too. There were one or two people who questioned her narrative but they weren't British and so after a couple of years of this I just had had enough and decided to create an account. I wasn't really a monarchist or an anti-monarchist. I liked William and Kate but I dislike people talking rubbish more! I had really just stumbled into this world and realised there was a place for someone who was going to provide evidence, who was going to challenge, and who could offer a different perspective on life in a monarchy. And monarchy as a system was something that had interested me since I was little so it seemed natural.

After a little bit of time I became more politically active and at that point I became anti-monarchist. It was a gradual shift so there was no moment where my mind changed but I didn't feel the need to leave anyway. Partly because it was fun. I liked blogging and I knew a lot about royals by this point, I didn't want to start from scratch in a more crowded fandom. I realised I can separate the institution from the people. I can like Kate but not think monarchy is a perfect system of governance. There are so many things that we find fascinating but don't necessarily endorse. I mean, I listen to a fuck load of serial killer podcasts but I don't think Ted Bundy was a great guy! I just find it interesting. If you've ever heard our podcast you'll know I am obsessed with corruption scandals. They're not good but I find power fascinating as a concept. But also this is just my nature. If I'm going to take a stance about a political matter I want to know as much about that as possible, I want to have considered the opposing argument and what their objections might be so I can counter them. And I found it frustrating when I saw friends of mine who generally shared my political views say stupid, incorrect things about the monarchy. Like this came later but a friend of mine once complained that they spent money on Meghan's wedding dress instead of the cladding on Grenfell which is rubbish.

I'm now in my 30s, I am at a very different place from when I started. Anti-monarchist is probably too simplistic but I've had the same bio and photo for like 5 years so I'm not changing it lol. My political view now is more pragmatic than anything else. But I've also done so much more research into the constitutional side of things than I had 5 years ago. My view now is if I could click my fingers and change our system of governance to a functioning, elected head of state without any issues of course I would. Just taking a step back it makes no sense to have a monarchy and for our head of state to be a symbol of such glaring inequality. But we can't just click our fingers. Ending the monarchy won't actually solve any problems in society but it could cause new ones. There are positives to having a monarchy, it does work to protect democracy even though it shouldn't, and so I would have to be presented with a system that keeps those positive aspects if I was to vote to end the monarchy. On a theoretical level I don't support it, it makes no sense, but on a practical level I think there are more important things, it won't be the quick fix people say it will be, and I would need guarantees about what a Republic would look like first as Brexit has shown us that we can only trust the Tories to deliver the worst possible outcomes if we leave it to them (which is what would happen).

#ask #anon #personal #royal fandom #faq

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runawaymun · 1 year

Note

I wish there was more fantasy books with mroe feminine female main character

All the main characters who are female "don't like drsses" or "acts more like a boy" and the author tries to make them more reliable this way but I can't relate. Because I like pretty dresses and "acting" like a girl. Also theres nothing wrong with that either. A female main character can be girly while also being interesting.

Another note I wish to see more female character in fantasy books who don't fight. They can still be a strong character without needing to wield a sword. I want to relate to characters who are girly and can't fight because if I was in a fantasy world I would absolutely suck a wielding weopons lol.

There's nothing wrong with female main characters being traditionally girly and not being a fighter. Im tired of authors using the "not like other girls" trope for their female characters.

YES YES YES

The strong female character(tm) is rooted in misogyny. There's nothing wrong with female characters who present masc or pick up swords or engage in traditionally masculine activities, but it becomes a problem when it becomes a trend that in order for a woman to be strong, she must pick up a sword, fight, be outspoken/loud/brash/assertive etc. etc. etc. It becomes a problem when we pit these characters against other female characters with more traditionally feminine traits. (Favorite personal example is the way the fandom -- not necessarily GRRM but the fandom -- treats Sansa Stark vs Arya Stark and Danaerys Targaryen, and Alicent Hightower vs Rhaenyra Targaryen)

IDK you didn't ask for these but here are some recs of books & other fiction who present actually well-rounded and and awesome strong female MCs not all of these are fantasy novels but they're just personal favorites of mine.

Ella Enchanted - Gail Carson Levine

Fairest - Gail Carson Levine

The entire everything ever that Brandon Sanderson has written. My personal favs include Navani and Shallan from Stormlight Archive.

Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (and just in general anything by Jane Austen ever)

Orlando - Virginia Woolf (and in general anything by Virginia ever)

Stardust - @neil-gaiman

A Discovery of Witches - the show, not the book. The book is kind of terrible.

Room - Emma Donoghue - both the book and the film are excellent!

Antigone - Sophocles

She Stoops to Conquer - short play by Oliver Goldsmith

A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket

A Much Ado About Nothing - William Shakespeare

Macbeth - " (strong female characters are allowed to be antagonists)

Emily's Runaway Imagination - Beverly Clearly

Ramona series of books - Beverly Clearly

A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle

Uglies | Pretties | Specials - Scott Westerfield

Julie of the Wolves - Jean Craighead George

The myth of Inanna

Naya Nuki, shoshone girl who ran - Kenneth Thomasma

A Little Princess - Frances Hodgeson Burnett

Secret Garden - Frances Hodgeson Burnett

Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery. I'm personally fond of both the old version & the new netflix show as well as the books.

Myst: Book of Ti'ana - Rand Miller

Island of the Blue Dolphins - Scott O'Dell

Coraline - also @neil-gaiman

dishonorable mention on the topic of feminist fiction: Handmaid's Tale. Fuck that.

#out of uniform #fiction #fiction recs

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talenlee · 5 months

Text

The Gliscor In A Coal Mine

Gunna talk about Smogon here. Oh, you don’t know Smogon?

Weeeeell, deep breath.

Smogon is a Pokemon fangame played with the basic components of the videogame series Pokemon, which is itself, made by Game Freak and distributed by Nintendo, which you’ll probably recognise as one of the largest privately held companies in the world. Smogon, by contrast, are a forum and some emulators and a surprisingly dense little bubble of Youtube content.

‘Smogon’ in this context refers to a bunch of related games, that form a single fandom game, a folk game. They have, in the terminology I’m fond of using, made a game out of another game, which is a super cool practice I actively encourage. It’s how we get great things like, for example, the entire Legacy subgenre of games, from its dizzying heights of Pandemic Legacy Season 1 to the shocking lows of Pandemic Legacy Any Other Seasons. I like Smogon as a thing to observe through some sort of astrolabe or other technical device. I have no particular interest in engaging with the game itself, as they play it.

I don’t want to get into a play space with these people.

Not because they’re bad or anything, though they are overwhelmingly split between the still-thinks-he’s-on-4chan shithead vs autistic trans girl social binary of internet niches and you’re never sure what side that coin is landing on when you flip it. I don’t want to partake of Smogon because the game they’re playing looks unpleasant to me to play, and because part of Being Into Smogon means looking around at the game Smogon has made and thinking: Yeah, this works. This is a good system.

The current news out of Smogon, such as it is, is that in their OU format (short for ‘overused’), just banned the Pokemon Gliscor. Gliscor is redacted information that doesn’t matter, because you don’t need to know what Gliscor is to come to understand the problem that Gliscor highlights, and the lesson you can learn about making games and control over those games.

Smogon’s banning policy reflects a truth I espouse as a game designer: Players are great at identifying problems and terrible at solving them.

Pokemon as it’s balanced and released and supported and played by GameFreak is, competitively balanced for 2v2, 4-of-6 teams, with information openly available to players through previews. This has some odd knock-on effects, like poor Zoroark kinda got pooched when they make this information public, but whatever, there are more Pokemon than that that aren’t really for playing. This is a kind of game I think of as a ‘pool game’ – the game is built ostensibly around a pool of potential pieces, and you choose which pieces you use and how. Magic: The Gathering is a pool game, Pokemon is a pool game, and even games like Dominion are pool games, because the game pieces that are in the game at the start of each contest are determined by choices outside the game.

In the official tournament context, when it comes to limiting access to Pokemon, there are ‘mythical’ pokemon where you can only have one (or two, depending on the regulation) from that category on your team. The game is broadly speaking open, where almost anything in that pool is available for use. Now, it’s hard to dig into this for hard numbers, because the pool has a lot of stuff in it that isn’t really expected to be played competitively. There are Pokemon who exist for, most likely, their place in a single-player RPG experience, like most first and second form evolutions, and some that exist as more world content. Think Unown and male Combee. Of the pool available, that means you’re looking a pool of, like, around 1,021 Pokemon, you can’t act as if all of those are going to find a place in a competitive head-to-head environment.

The stat site Pikalytics gives us numbers of about 310 Pokemon that showed up at all, and in that space, 37 Pokemon were not allowed. Some of them weren’t allowed because there’s no way to access them, but Game Freak get to make those choices and Smogon doesn’t. Now, that 310 number is a really broad net, and it’s just the stats from one tournament with over 700 players. In that space, two or three people bringing along something for a laff are going to make it show up. And if we say, limit ourselves to anything that had at least 5 people bring it (so, a representation of .71%), that gives us a list of 75 Pokemon that showed up in the tournament. And the stats aren’t telling the whole story just like that — after all, two of the most common Pokemon, Iron Hands and Flutter Mane, were played on 50% of teams.

That’s the metagame for an official tournament, broadly speaking; the full pool is somewhere around 310 Pokemon, but the core of the pool is much smaller. And importantly, when I say there are ’37 Pokemon that were not allowed,’ these are Pokemon who are very specifically set aside by the game experience and with related traits indicating that they are not for typical tournament play. You never could play with them in this format, they are not appearing and disappearing based on feedback.

Smogon doesn’t have tournament-to-tournament kind of environment like this; they instead have a tiered tournament system which cares about usage and then cultivates that usage. What his means is that the Pokemon are divided into groupings described by, well, how often they’re used. That means the main, core space, at least according to the Smogon people I spoke to about it, is ‘OU,’ for Overused. Overused is a 1v1 format. At the moment, there are 31 Pokemon legal in Overused. You can use Pokemon from a lower tier in this tier, but it generally works out badly, because those Pokemon are not strong enough for this tier. There are 19 other Pokemon that were in this tier, but have been banned out of it, sent ‘up’ a tier to the category of ‘Ubers’ for being, well, too good. Ubers, for context, has about sixty two Pokemon in it.

That is, Smogon centralises its design space around 31 Pokemon, and only after kicking 19 of them out.

In the announcement banning Gliscor from their format, there were people calling for bans to Sneasler, Samurott-Hisui and Gholdengo. That would bring it up to 22/29, which feels unpleasantly close to half the format being banned. Even at 19/31, that’s essentially 2/5th of the format banned. And when you dig into this situation, you wind up chasing details that can’t address the whole problem:

Gliscor was too powerful at setting hazards and being hard to kill.”

“Well, why was it hard to kill?”

“Because it could heal from lots of small hits.”

“Well why not hit it very hard with a big hit, since it has a 4x weakness?”

“Well nothing in the tier can hit it hard enough.”

“Well, why don’t you bring up something from a lower tier that could do that?”

“Well nothing in that tier is good enough.”

“Well why aren’t there good ice types in this tier?”

“Well we banned the one that hits really hard.”

“Why did you do that?”

“It was too good at hitting things very hard.

And like, this whole conversation is is continuing to diagnose problem after problem after problem, but never finding anything that solves those problems. Because Gliscor being banned resulted in people talking about how now, there were more problems that had to be fixed.

A lot of this is the peculiarities of what Smogon does and doesn’t allow. For example, hazards are so important because everything in Smogon is expected to swap out constantly, and hazards make that hard to endure over time, meaning that hazards pull the game towards an end state. This swapping out constantly makes some statuses pointless (like confuse) and a lot of setup moves pointless too. It means that multiple sequences of turns can happen where players don’t attack one another because they’re just swapping back and forth to jockey into position. There are whole move types that are banned (baton pass and evasion boosters), because if you didn’t, people would use them. They had to institute a 1,000 turn timer on games because some tournament games ran that far without anyone actually winning the game.

What if those 19 Pokemon were just left as it is? You got rid of the Evasion rules and the banned moves and just let the game settle, as it is, on what people can do, in that space, and see how it works. I’m told it becomes a pretty simple game where everyone does the same thing of trying to get an angry fish into play with baton pass and kill your opponent. This is apparently a bad thing, where by banning a bunch of strategies the format is instead facing a situation where the’re almost halfway through banning the entire tier, to try and capture a way the game ‘should’ be. It seems to me the point of a usage-based tiering system means that if one tier sucks, everyone leaves that tier and recognises that the Pokemon in that space push a style most of the people there don’t like, and instead they go on to play in other tiers, like Underused. The best stuff gets pressurised out of it, pushed up and out into that rarified atmosphere by the math and social pressure of the natural churn of the system, right?

Right?

But they don’t.

They want to play OU.

And they want OU to be the ‘main’ format.

There are two competing challenges here, for me. The first is that Smogon can’t actually add anything to the game. They see their place as having to exclude things. I get this problem, kinda because ostensibly, they want their version of the game to be a thing you can play ‘on hardware’ rather than through their emulator. This ‘on hardware’ play therefore can’t actually add anything or overlay new rules, like, for example, adjusting the stats of Pokemon, or instituting score-based team building or even elimination drafts. And you don’t get to go ‘hey, that’s really obnoxious or hard to do,’ because Smogon’s ruleset is not easily processed or parsed, and it is not welcoming.

The second thing is that Smogon’s process for changing the game is their idea of democratic. It’s voted on by experts who can identify the problems and supposedly make good choices going forward. This means these people need to be socially active and engaged in the forum place and capable of earning respect within the competitive and social environment that represents which, let me tell you, that’s a worrying place.

And the thing is, this is all being done with an assumption that they’re trying to carve away what’s ‘wrong’ with the format to find the right version of it. On the one hand, yeah, that’s cool, they’re making a game out of another game. On the other hand…

Says who?

They use terms like ‘noncompetitive’ and ‘unskilled’ to refer to when a strategy can present a player with an abrupt choice and if they choose wrong they’re at a disadvantage, as if games with sharp swings aren’t competitive games that require skill. The language has the familiar structure of designers discussing problems with games but without the fundamental idea of being able to actually change it. Much like Smash players who try to remove variance from a game built around it, Smogon is trying to take something designed to get out of hand with crits and failure chances and make it fit something else.

Famously, new ideas and new mechanics get introduced and Smogon tries to route around them, to preserve the way things were in earlier generations rather than adjust to what the new generation is doing. Back in Generation 8 of Pokemon, Smogon just straight up banned Dynamax entirely; a mechanic that meant any pokemon could have a big bulky tank mode for a short period of time and punch through protects. That meant they played the entire format without access to a mechanic the main game was balanced around. Anyone who played Smogon exclusively through all the years of Generation 8 is someone who has no idea what a core mechanic of that game does to the game based on their play experience.

When Gliscor went, in that same announcement, people were bringing up, again, that they need to ban Terastallize, for the whole duration of the generation. Because the current format and game’s defining special rule is something they want to ignore, which just further builds on the idea that they don’t want Scarlet Violet OU. They don’t want the Pokemon that would bubble to the top of those usage stats so they could select where else they’d rather play. The only tool is shrinking the game… and it just so happens that it means that each generation kind of slowly but surely winds up looking a lot like the previous ones. They don’t want this ‘Pokemon’ game interfering with their game. And they don’t want to take measures to address these problems,because whatever they’re aiming at, it has to be socially agreed upon, voted upon, enforced by bans only, and only validated by vibes.

It’s all said with the selfseriousness of people sitting on the sofa glaring at the TV that they know what the game ‘should’ be and not considering what the game is. Which is fair! They’re making up their own game out of this other game, after all, and that game could kick ass! It doesn’t look like it, it looks like a rat’s nest of rules corner cases, with a stone-faced defensiveness that suggests newcomers have to Get Good and Do The Readings, and if you’re not involved, you should not dare comment on their game. Any opinion about their game must show due deference, even if it’s just recognising that it exists. An absence of praise is a presence of violence.

It’s very funny when they complain about Gamefreak’s decisions, mind you. Gamefreak’s game is one of the most successful multimedia franchises in the world and Smogon is a forum for a few hundred very sweaty dorks. Like, yeah, I don’t think Gamefreak are thinking about you when they make their choices about how to continue ongoing engagement with their multinational game empire. Which isn’t to say their game is better, the game you play is the game you want to play, but acting as if ‘Gamefreak doesn’t know what they’re doing’ – they do. They aren’t caring about you and the way you play the game, and haven’t for like… fifteen years? Your game isn’t unbalanced because Gamefreak are stupid, your game is unbalanced because you’re playing in the space Gamefreak is explicitly not balancing.

But okay, let’s look at what I said up top: Players are great at identifying problems and terrible at solving them.

These players are able to identify the problems they’re having. They don’t want to play doubles, and the singles game is balanced around a kind of play they don’t like. And when you’re dealing with playtesting of your own game, you need to be able to listen to this kind of thing and accept it as entirely neutral and entirely correct feedback. Players might lie to you about how they feel but you should always trust it anyway. They have identified a problem.

As it stands, right now, Smogon’s only tool they consider acceptable for changing this game is to take things away from it, and for the process of doing those changes being entirely social, and ostensibly democratic, with a real ‘well, if you didn’t vote, you don’t matter’ kind of approach to that.

And this is what you get.

Gliscor was used in somewhere between five and one teams in the Pikalytics, by the way.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

#pokemon #smogon #Games

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cleziel-leora · 10 months

Text

Fallen

Warning: none its just pure fluff and slow burn I guess?

Pairings: Stelle/fem! reader

College Au!

Synopsis: You and Stelle were falling for each other but never really confess, because you were both scared it might ruin your friendship

She fell in love with you more during a program, you were both in engineering and you are both in 3rd year now. You guys have been friends since high school, well actually you guys know each other since you guys were kids, but you guys were never close nor talked to each other. Ever Since she started to talk to you, her world completely change, she became more engaging, more willing to hang out with her friends, She never knew that she was falling in love with you, she thought her feelings were just regular, she thought always waiting for your updates, waiting for your messages and waiting for you to be able to be by her side was normal, until she realises it wasn’t, after she asked March about it and asked for her advice.

“Stelle! Don’t you realise! You’re clearly in love with her! Waiting for her response, updates and especially waiting for her to have a time with you…alone.” March said to Stelle “Huh…I thought that was normal” Stelle replied “It is!...If you’re in love with someone! You should really take the risk, before she is taken by a man or woman!Lately there have been a lot of people confessing to her!” Stelle was a little mad, but didn’t show it. She thought to herself “March is right I should really take the risk, so finally this feeling can go away”

It was the day of your team building. Everyone was having fun, you guys were just hopping into the fun, she rested for a while, joining the fun activities were tiring her out, she was watching you, having fun, In her eyes your beautiful figure made her fall more in love. “That smile, that face…I want to see that…for the rest of my life…” She snaps out when you sit beside her tired “it's so fun seeing the others having the time of their lives doing these activities right Stelle?” “yeah…It was so fun”. When she sees you smile she always thinks that every problem she has will always disappear. When she sees you, she feels like time stops for her to see your smile, she will never get tired of that gorgeous smile, beautiful face and awesome personality. After taking a break for a while, you drag to join the activities more.

The team building was finally finished. You and Stelle change your clothes at the locker room. After that you both decided to go to a nearby cafe, afterall you both did agree to go to a cafe after the activities. The cafe was not far away but also not near. After getting there, you both sat down near a giant window. The view was amazing. The bustling city and the sunset can be perfectly seen. You both ordered your favorite drinks and pastry. After the waitress settles your order on your table, you both start to eat and drink what you order while talking to each other. You guys were just talking about stuff when suddenly you both reach the topic of love life. “I still hated that guy, He only dated me because he just wanted to pass his time while he’s waiting for someone to answer him”, Stelle chuckles “That’s why never fall in love with someone that easily, tsk if you are mine I will treat you better than any man or woman could.” You blush and giggle a little, “What not believing me? Let’s date then, starting from now on.” she said, “woah I never thought you actually wanna date. My place then let’s hang out there”. You both finally finish and go to your house, you open the door and you both hang out there. Having fun with each other’s presence. Before watching a movie you both eat dinner, made popcorn and settled to watch, in the middle of the movie, the two characters confess to each other one of the character said “I must admit, I've kept these words to myself for far too long,I am hardly able to force these emotions out while crying.It takes power I didn't know I had to pronounce every syllable.But the only thing I can say with certainty is that you are the one person I can say I love. Give me the chance to adore you forever more, if you will. And let us never be split apart again.You have my heart's sincere confession”. The other character replied "My heart literally leaped out of my chest when I saw you, I'll admit that.I admit that I couldn't help but fall in love with you because you enchanted me with your friendliness and charisma the moment I met you.I'll admit that I love you unconditionally and that you hold such significance for me.I fess up that I will always be there for you, through the good times and the bad, through thick and thin, and to the very end of my life. Will you be mine forever?”

This scene really touched your heart, it really made you believe that true love does exist. Stelle notices this and teases you a little “You love this scene huh, all of these poetic confessions and stuff like that.” You replied “Of course I love this scene, It made me believe that love is real.” She then said “I'm immersed in your warm hug as I gaze at you with longing in my eyes.You are an ever-present example of beauty, like a brilliant light in the night sky. My heart is overjoyed by your delicate embrace and your grin that shines as bright as a thousand suns. When you smile at me, I know I'm home. I could look into your gorgeous eyes forever and hold your hand forever, How about that? Do you like it? “Yeah I really like it” You said.

Stelle then said “Then you will like the other one I will tell”, “What is it?” you asked “will you be mine forever? ”She was right you will like it “I…Of course, I want to be yours and I want you to be mine too forever”. She smiles “Then it is official now then” She leans down and close to you and she caresses your face “May I kiss you my dear?” you replied “yes, yes you may….” Her lips touched yours and the kiss was so passionate. You enjoyed every second of it after a minute or two you both pulled away; smiled at each other and then hugged each other.

“I love you, my shining star”

“I love you too my dearest beloved”

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nochickensinoz · 2 years

Text

Dear New Year 12s

As someone going into their- fingers crossed- final year of A levels, I feel like I’m in a good position to play the big sister role and offer some advice and support for any sixth form newbies as I really struggled in those first few months and want to help lighten the load for anyone I can.

Like I said, I really struggled those first few months. I spent the first two weeks of year 12 crying, fighting off anxiety attacks during lessons, and threatening to drop out, but my parents (one of which didn’t go to sixth form, the other one having returned to education after being expelled from college) told me to stick it out. And I did. I grew closer to who is now my best friend- that’s a little rude of me, I’m very lucky to say I have two beautiful best friends I love very much- and our friendship helped give me the confidence I needed to be a much more active part of my school’s community.

So, point one. Try to stick at it.

The first two weeks are going to be difficult, especially if, like me, you’re in a new school with maybe one or two of your old friends (or none at all). But once you’ve done those two weeks, you can make it to half term, and once you make it to half term, why not make it to Christmas, and now that you’ve made it to Christmas, you’re halfway there- why not finish the year?

Sixth form won’t be for everyone, and that’s ok. I’ve had friends drop out or change schools and there’s no shame in it. But for some people, taking it that day, week, month, term at a time will solve (almost) everything.

Just note, there’s no real way to “make new friends”. The best thing you can do is stay open minded and maybe try being an active member of your classes; I made most of my friends through the discussions and debates we had in lesson, then we carried on talking once the bell went! But for those of us who are more shy, my now best friend was the extrovert who picked me out of the soggy ‘free introverts’ box. Sometimes you just have to let these things happen, sometimes you have to throw yourself in at the deep end.

Once I made my first friend- I’ll call them Goblin for this post- I had someone to share this turbulent time with, to sit with at lunch, to hide behind when all this change was changing too quickly. One of the most important things we did together was taking part in the sixth form pantomime. Now I didn’t just have a friend, but a community of people I routinely met with to participate in something I loved and was passionate about.

Being a drama student, I was roped into one or two after school clubs, it did me a world of good and helped me come out of both my dramatic and social shell. It doesn’t have to be stage-ish, but if you’re having trouble meeting people or finding a place to call home, try out a few clubs- You’re much more likely to meet like minded people, plus you’ll be practically engaging with your interests.

As an anxious student, I find it very difficult to cope in classroom environments, let alone new classroom environments. But I have a few tricks up my sleeve to help me when it gets too much:

Sit as close to the exit as possible. In some cases, you might want to sit closer to your teacher so if you need to get out you’re not shouting it from across the room, but I like sitting next to doors as it makes me feel less trapped.

Take it five minuets at a time. You have an hour long lesson? That’s just five minuets twelve times; 30 minuets is 5 minuets six times, and so on.

When are your free periods? Technically you’re meant to use them to get work done, but I spent a lot of mine either at home or decompressing somewhere I felt safe and comfortable (AKA karaoke in the drama studio with Goblin). That essay can be finished in a few hours, but it takes much longer to heal yourself from burnout.

Let your teachers know. The worst thing you can do is suffer in silence and as awkward as you may feel doing it, you have to speak up for your needs. Your education is important and you won’t learn anything if you spend all lesson trying to remember what an inhale feels like.

To elaborate on point 4, this is how you do it. Firstly, email all your teachers- or ask your school’s counselor or head of student welfare to- and tell them how you may need a different kind of support in school and what they can do to help. Instead of wordlessly skipping the lesson, email your teacher or write them a note for a classmate to pass on. Tell them how you feel and ask if they can email you the work covered in lesson or any research or reading that needs doing so you can do it outside of class. If you’re not feeling well during a lesson, because of those handy dandy emails you sent out at the start of the year, just ask your teachers if you can finish your work in a separate room, or tell them you need a timeout. Alevels are SOO different from GCSE, you are a grown up now and your teachers should treat you like one.

If all else fails, ask to go to the loo and come back once the lesson is over/ visit the aforementioned counselor-type professional when you’re meant to be in the loo/ just tell the teacher you need to see the counselor-type person and they should let you go.

This is probably the most important point of all. Speak up and ask for help. This is one of the hardest stages of your academic year, you have to lose every ounce of pride you have and ask every stupid question you need answered, you need to force your teachers and school staff to give you what you need to succeed- politely, of course. Maybe you don’t have any close friends to open up to, maybe you can’t turn to your family or guardians in a time of need, but you're in school now, so you have teachers and a multitude of services at your disposal. I talked about school counsellors/ heads of welfare, they’re a great place to go and I’ve never known of a sixth form or college that doesn’t have at least one. Honestly, I’m the reason my school’s head of student welfare is being paid- or at least I was :p.

You can turn to these staff members for anything and they are literally paid to give you 100% of their available time and effort and trained to know what to do, no matter the circumstance.

As well as this, there are options such as online counselling and websites such as Kooth, and for situations that may be a little more dire, you can always call Childline at 08001111.

It may seem scary at first, but you have to think long term when it comes to seeking help, your future self will thank you for it.

Now onto the lighter stuff.

Organisation. Bloody organisation. Every student has what works best for them and every teacher thinks they know what’s best for their students. I was doing back bends for one teacher in particular and all I got out of it was more bother. You’re going to have teachers that just hate your guts for no reason. She’s mine.

This is my preferred method of organising work:

Notebooks: for taking notes in lesson

Folders: for the mountain of paper that’s going to get dumped onto you

Here’s how I like to organise my folders (remember, this doesn’t work for everyone, but this is what I find easiest):

Purple: the basic outline. Red: a real-life example (my Literature folder)

The Folder

for subject: English Lit

overarching topic

19th Centuary Literature

a section for homeworks

e.g. essays

a section titled ‘general’

where I’d keep wider reading/research, sheets providing info on the topic (not modules), etc

module within the topic

A Play, by Playwrite

module within the topic

Poetry, by Poet

And so on.

Instead for my drama lessons, I organise my work by information rather than topic, for example:

General (dramatic technique, lantern types, etc)

Homeworks

Live theatre analysis

Practitioners

Script work

Set text 1

So on.

For Year 13, I also have seperate folders exclusively for coursework.

For revision, I have three folders for each subject where all my revision resources are stored, which leads me onto my next point.

REVISE EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE AN UPCOMING EXAM. Once you learn a topic, it will not be returned to. Your teachers will expect you to know the content you have been taught- this is why it’s so important to ask questions and seek out support as soon as you need it.

My top tip: once you’ve finished a topic, make your revision resources immediately and start practising while it's in your head.

In my GCSE years, all I’d do to revise was go over some flash cards, rewrite some notes, saunter away with a scattering of 8s and a pat on the head. Sixth form humbled me, quickly. So here’s how I revise now.

Flashcards. They’re a classic and brilliant for practising active recall. They work for everything; equations to chapter summaries, keywords to historic figures.

You can’t go wrong with a bit of active recall, here’s a YouTube video I found especially helpful on making flashcards: https://youtu.be/6HXJrfddvIE

Origami posters. Don’t worry, it’s not actual origami. This method is much better for reframing notes than recall, but it’s no less important.

Take an A4/3 piece of paper and write everything on a mini topic on one side (e.g. Hamlet, Act 1)

Fold it in half, condense the full page of notes into a spider diagram, or similar

Fold it in half again, now you have a booklet. On the back, write out all the keywords for the mini topic, on the front write the title (e.g. Hamlet Act 1)

Knowledge flowchart. This is another means of organising notes. The best way to explain this one is probably to show you the end product, but I’ll try my best to explain it too.

Take a plain piece of paper and write your topic title at the top.

Draw an arrow from the topic and write down the core of that topic- for example, for ‘Theravada Buddhism’, I’d start with the Three Marks of Existence. Then, elaborate on that, and elaborate again, and (especially if you’re making notes on Buddhism) you will soon find you’ve explained everything by explaining one thing in detail.

Here’s one I made earlier:

Blurting. Blurting is a great way to see how much you’ve absorbed from your flashcards, posters, etc. Put a timer on, take a blank sheet of paper and write down everything you could possibly remember on your topic of choice. Once the timer is up, use your notes and write down points you missed/ got wrong in a different colour- these are the things you now need to work on more closely.

Here’s a helpful video on blurting: https://youtu.be/CgrCo1J9A44

Some additional revision tips:

Make a timetable

Maybe you have after school clubs, maybe you just need some down time, my top tip for any form of time management is to write down what you’re doing when. For example, I go back to my dad’s on a Monday, so I usually get home a little later, I’m usually a bit tired, so I plan ahead of time so I can take it easy on a Monday- maybe do 30 minutes on one topic and get some homework out of the way. Some Mondays I was tired, so I’d go over one topic of flashcards (something is better than nothing). On Wednesdays however, I had a lot more time after school, so I might do two subjects in an hour, an hour on homework, and finish off the evening going over my lines for an upcoming performance.

Planning ahead of time is great as it limits decision paralysis and therefore procrastination, meaning you can fit in all your leisure activities on top of assignments and revision.

It is important, however, to make sure you’re not overworking yourself, if the information isn’t going in, nothing will come out. Best way to avoid this would be the Pomodoro Technique, which I’ll leave a video link to here: https://youtu.be/mNBmG24djoY

Create a good study environment

No matter what the aesthetic student vloggers may imply with their cinematic shots of perfectly calligraphied notes and lemon water, low lighting such as lamps or candle light (vampire wannabes) will make you feel sleepy and you. will. not. learn.

The best revision environment in my opinion would be:

A clear desk or table (even if you dump everything onto your bed, as long as your work space is clear, so is your head)

A chair you can sit comfortably in

A well lit room of about the right temperature (smother yourself in hoodies if you must, or the opposite)

Water, or similarly boring drink, to hand

Things that meet your sensory needs (music, stim toys, blue tack)

A note on this: I cannot function without background noise, so I listen to lofi music while doing school work, but I only listen to it while doing school work. This means I associate lofi music with productivity, so it puts me in the right mindset. I wouldn’t recommend listening to anything with lyrics however as this may muddle your thoughts.

Here is a link to a playlist of classical music I’m especially fond of: https://youtu.be/idJoHeHPrXA

And some background noise too: https://youtu.be/DLqkt4F0anA

Make sure everything you need is within reach, having to get up and down for stationary and textbooks is going to break your flow (I also recommend going to the loo before revising for this very reason)

To finish off the section, here are some videos I’ve found helpful for revision tips:

ASAPscience study tips https://youtu.be/p60rN9JEapg

Essay writing https://youtu.be/liyFKUFCQno

Making the most of your textbooks https://youtu.be/nqYmmZKY4sA

Active recall techniques https://youtu.be/1b9YRuifyYw

What study style suits you? https://youtu.be/cErgMJSgpv0

As well as textbooks and what you cover in class, there’s loads of helpful online resources too, don’t be afraid to check them out- and don’t be afraid to check your sources either.

Some general tips:

If your teacher gives you feedback, eat it up, absorb it like a sponge.

Do your homework/ assignments/ catch-up work/ whatever as sooon as you possibly can (as soon as it’s set is preferable). You do NOT want work to pile up.

Try to find a routine.

Use Year 12 as an opportunity to find what works best for you, apply it as soon as you figure it out.

If in doubt, jeans and a tshirt/jumper won’t get you dress coded (in most cases).

All this being said, the best thing you can do to maximise your time is to find what works for you, stick with it, and ask for help. You’re going to find this tricky, but that means you’re doing it right. Don’t be afraid of being wrong, in lessons and in life.

Obviously I’m no expert, but I wanted to share my experience, tips, and tricks with you so hopefully you’re given a head start and don’t feel as rubbish as I did in the beginning. Sixth form is now my happy place, and I hope it becomes a sanctuary for you too.

Like I said, I’m no professional, but if any of you need a big sister, I have left my messages open.

I wish you the best in your first year of A levels <3

#year 12 #sixth form #student life #student #academia #a level exams #a levels #a level support #study blog #studyinspo #revision tips #sixth form college #revision #how to revise #surviving year 12 #sixth form survival guide #dark academia #chaotic academia #romanticising school

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