#study-tati

[tatilustra]

Second part of my OC mini sketch dump, I drew his partner last time so I had to draw him now or else I couldn’t rest

It sucks the only thing I now about them is the story I want to portray and even so I don’t know where to start but bringing them to life (finally) is definitely a start!

First part here!

instagram | art tag

#oc #original character #original character design #character design #character #character studies #study #sketch #sketches #character sketches #royalty #squire #digital art #art #krita #tati ilustra

[aloharyda]

the more i design clothes for Tati the more she leans towards grunge/punk fashion now and less goth/punk like i originally had her

#though tbh she switches up her styles depending on mood #Tati is the girl you'll see studying in the library while listening to death metal

[therecordconnection]

Some Thoughts Regarding James Somerton

I know I'm rather late to the conversation and some of these points may have already been talked about in some form elsewhere on the site, but if you don't mind, I have some thoughts of my own regarding the subject of hbomberguy's latest video and I would like to take time to voice. This blog is normally dedicated to music and music writing, not posts about disgraced Youtubers, so I apologize for the detour in regularly scheduled programming.

First, I think it's important to make the distinction that Somerton isn't just a case of "problematic Youtube guy got owned... twice" but rather a genuine case of academic dishonesty, which is several grades above youtuber drama. This isn't something like Tati Westbrook getting angry at James Charles for sucking dick and cock at a birthday dinner. This isn't Ethan Klein and Trisha Paytas or whomever having beef. It's not Charlie Critikal talking about some stupid drama of the day or someone just using Youtube videos to say a bunch of gross and problematic stuff. No. This is a fucking grifter who not only lied, cheated, and stole his way to the top, but also did it by using a vulnerable community that has long had their voices snuffed out and their history completely rewritten or wiped from existence altogether. What history he didn't plagiarize, he twisted and outright lied about. He just made shit up to suit his own gross agenda.

A lot of things about James Somerton left me absolutely livid, and I admit that I didn't even know who he was until hbomberguy's video. I think what makes me the most mad is that I went to undergrad and grad school with a number of jackoffs that were just like him. People that didn't give a shit about the art of writing and research and just treated academia and the pursuit of knowledge and how to critically engage with art and media into a stupid game that only chumps take seriously. Somerton pisses me off because I AM a writer. When I write the Ranting and Raving series of posts on here, that stuff doesn't just fly out of my ass. I have to sit with a song, study it, research it, and make sure I know what I'm talking about so I don't look like a clown. I also have to make sure that I link and credit where I'm getting information from. It's not just important for my own satisfaction, but it's important for anyone who stumbles upon a post on this blog and takes time out of their day to read it and/or reblog it.

I think that's the part that makes me the most mad. That he and Nick Hergott have so little respect for the work that goes into researching and writing about a topic that other people are really passionate about. Spending time with something, studying it, and figuring out an interesting and unique perspective on it is a great feeling. Sharing what you find or how you see something with others and having them either like or reblog your work is an even greater feeling. That's my writing that somebody enjoyed and thought was worth sharing with others. Fuck fuck fuck Somerton for thinking you can take a million little shortcuts to get to that result.

While I'm on the topic, I don't think Hergott gets a pass for Somerton's actions. I've seen some people make the argument that he isn't complicit and there's a chance that he genuinely had no clue that Somerton was doing this... but I don't buy it. There's no way he didn't know and wasn't in on it in some capacity. Even if he wasn't, as Todd in the Shadows pointed out in his video on this situation, Nick is, whether you like it or not, an accomplice to Somerton's lies and he is complicit in the blame, due to his name being included in the "Written By" credit of a lot of those videos with Somerton. The way I see it, I find it hard to believe that he couldn't have known. I imagine part of Hergott's signing on with Somerton was that in the event that shit hits the fan, Hergott would be used as a fall guy to help deflect accusations of plagiarism.

To return to Somerton, in a way, he's almost worse than AI/Chat-GPT because, really, an AI has no morals. It can only do what someone punches in and tells it to do. Somerton is a guy who does have genuinely insidious ambitions and knows fully what he's doing. That shit about "only the boring gays who didn't mess around in the eighties survived the aids crisis" is the wildest and grossest accusation I've seen about gay people in some time. The wild takes about the Nazis (especially all the wrong things he said about fitness relating to Nazis) should also raise a lot of red flags. I'll say this though, I don't blame anybody in the slightest for not fully realizing Somerton was saying shit like that or doing all of what he was doing until hbomberguy and Todd presented it a certain way and made it all very clear. It's easy to not notice it when Somerton buries it by ripping stuff off from other, better writers. So, if you were someone who was a big fan and was genuinely shocked by the things Todd had to fact-check and debunk and worried that you're a bad person for having not caught any of them, trust me, you're not. Nobody should blame you for not catching it. <3

While I'm ranting about this, I want to say that Somerton's patreon grift was really gross to see exposed as well (through Dan Olson's really great thread, which can be read here). I understand the allure of wanting to buy expensive gear and thinking that's somehow needed in order to make Good Content™️, but there's a stark difference between someone saying "I think I need to shell out a little money in order to get something of higher quality" and "I need to have the appearance of looking like my stuff is being made with high quality stuff." As someone who has been experimenting with trying to turn his writing into video, I did some audio tests this weekend and realized that maybe (just maybe) the old Turtle Beach microphone my brother left behind when he moved out isn't going to cut it. If I want to record something I can be happy with, I'm gonna have to bite it and look at getting something decent, but somewhat affordable from a Best Buy or something. You don't need the best tech in order to make something great, but you can't use copper tools forever if you have the means to be able to enjoy using iron ones, you know?

Somerton's grift reminded me of guys like Onision and Spoony. Grifters who looked to Patreon and other creator donation sites for an easy pay day and would bitch and cry and complain that it's your fault when they don't get it. Somerton making poor financial choices ON TOP of it being money that he scammed from a community of people that were looking to invest in a voice that they genuinely thought was speaking for them in a meaningful way, only makes the grift more disgusting and foul. Even if he's just "some Youtuber," Somerton still had a responsibility to his audience to present queer topics in an ACCURATE manner. He didn't and we all have the right to be angry with him about it. This isn't just silly youtuber controversy, this is academic dishonesty in it's purest form and if it gets you expelled from any college program, it should get you expelled from being able to show your face on Youtube as well, which is how Somerton's story will end.

I've been on the internet for many years. I've seen some of the worst, most problematic creators of all time find a way to bounce back from all kinds of controversy and find some kind of success again. I don't think that will happen for Somerton. Not one bit. What he's done is something you can never come back from, no matter how much you try to reform. If two different youtubers can make two completely different videos about why you suck, I don't think there's any recovery. What happened this weekend is a now classic episode of World's Most One Sided Fist Fights Caught on Film.

This post has gone on for a while, so let me wrap it up. I mean this without hyperbole and without exaggeration: James Somerton is a disgrace to both media criticism and the art of video creation. I genuinely hope he remains propped up as a cautionary tale of what can happen when you fully decide you have absolutely no respect for the Humanities and decide that lying, cheating, and stealing your way to the top, all while scamming and being incredibly shitty towards a community that has long suffered and is STILL suffering greatly to this day, is better than any kind of academic honesty. I understand that Somerton is just "some youtube fraud" to some people, but the problem lies more in what Somerton's actions and motivations represent. I really think hbomberguy's video on plagiarism is going to do a lot of good. It's going to help a lot of people avoid doing it as well as help people become more aware of what it really looks like and all the damage it can do.

Thank you for your time.

P.S. It doesn't really need to be said at this point, but make sure you support the queer voices and writers that did the work Somerton thought was good enough to just copy and paste into a video. They're the ones that suffered the most through all of this and my heart goes out to them, from one writer to another. <3

#original post #plagarism and you(tube) #james somerton #hbomberguy #todd in the shadows

[angelsmist]

JUST ONE NIGHT

HBCU!SHURI X READER

prompt: your roommate convinces to go out for once with a few “friends” who aren’t exactly fond of you. unfortunately, they take it a bit too far…

contains: drinking, crying, fluff at the end, partying, anxiety

disclaimers - this is not my idea!! all credits to @/ vargskelegore for hbcu shuri. it is an amazing idea. however, the storyline is mine. also, i would prefer if only black people read this story, simply because it is a reader insert specifically for us. thank you <3

this got sooo long but i don’t feel like splitting it into two LMFAOOO and if u can’t tell i started rushing by towards the end 💀

“come on, girl. it’s a good chance to get to know other people.”

“i’m cool with the people i know now,” you told tati , resisting her grip on you. “plus, i need to-”

“study?” she finished for you. “we not doing that today. it’s a friday night and that excuse is overused.”

“overused, but good.”

“just go out this one time, and if you don’t enjoy your night, then i’ll never ask you again,” tati bargained, tugging your shoulder.

“parties are crowded, sweaty, and loud,” You began. “all of which are things i don’t like.”

“pleaseeee…” she dragged out, tugging on your shoulder even harder. tati was relentless, and you knew going out with her at some point was something that was inevitable.

“i don’t have anything to wear.”

“oh, girl. you know i always have something for you.”

you wore a black, strapless, sparkly dress that hugged your body in ways that you weren’t entirely comfortable with. regardless, though, you looked amazing. as much as you hated to admit it, tati may have been right.

along with your dress, you wore black heels with black lace swirling around your leg, stopping below your knee. tati had supplied you with some perfume that came with body glitter, so you were glimmering, literally.

“quit being shy,” tati complained, rolling her eyes at you pushing up your dress. she squinted her eyes, a teasing smile on her face. “show them titties.”

a laugh escaped your lips, but you tried your best to remain still since she was doing your makeup.

she finally stopped, turning you back around to the lit up mirror so you’d see what she did. “alright, all done-” the doorbell rang, grabbing her attention easily. “that must be them! meet me outside when you’re done.”

tati was inviting her girlfriend, along with her girlfriend’s friends. you liked her girlfriend, syniah. she was a kind person. you couldn’t say the same for her friends, though. you didn’t hang out with them often, and that was intentional. they didn’t like “outsiders” or some shit like that, so whenever you hung out with them, they’d be closed off. you never really cared, though. you always had tati with you whenever you were around them, and it’s not like you liked them, anyways.

that’s why you were skeptical about going to a party with them. but, as long as you had tati, you were sure you’d be fine.

your phone dinged, snapping you from your thoughts. it was shuri.

princess 💕

hey, do you mind if we study tonight? that history test we have on monday is stressing me out a bit

with smile on your face, you texted back.

you

while i would much prefer to do that, i promised my roommate that i’d go out with her and some other people. i’m probably gonna end up bailing within an hour, though. so if you’re not asleep by then, i’ll text you fs

princess 💕

you? going to a party? what kind of universe have i been transferred to?

you

ha ha😒. i’ll send you pictures as proof if ur not convinced

princess 💕

i’ll be counting on that 😪

you grabbed your black purse, placing your phone in it while walking out of your dorm. waiting for you, was tati, syniah, and her three other friends.

“took you long enough,” one of them, who you remembered as kendall grumbled.

“beauty takes time,” tati spoke for you, moving from beside her girlfriend to grab your hands. “and by that, i mean i did her makeup and picked out this outfit, so y’all better hype her up.”

“you look amazing,” syniah complimented before turning to her girlfriend. “and you, you are doing my birthday makeup.”

“as if that was ever a question,” tati replied, placing a kiss on her lips.

your face twitched and scrunched up in fake disgust. “don’t forget about the other four people here.”

tati broke the kiss, cutting her eyes at you. “this could be you and you-know-who if you wasn’t so scary.”

you cut your eyes right back at her. before you could scold her for even mentioning shuri, another one of syniah’s friends, madison, beat you to it. “who? the princess?”

you and your roommate exchanged looks, sharing the same irritated expression. you replied to her first. “nah. me and shuri just friends. why?”

“i just be seeing y’all around campus laughing and stuff, so i thought you two go together,” she explained. “if not, though. you can put me on, right?”

you refrained from lunging at the girl. she barely looked your way, now she was asking you to put her on with the girl you liked? “i’ll try, but shuri don’t go for that stuff. you gotta get to know her, you know? just say hi to her on campus or something. i’m not a messenger.”

“it sound like you feeling her, but ight.”

“okay, we’re gonna be later than we already are,” syniah interjected, seeing that you were getting visibly upset. “we should get to the car.”

everyone agreed, going towards the exit of the place. tati stayed behind, waiting for you so she could say a few words. “let’s not cause a stir tonight, alright?”

“then tell that girl to mind her damn business,” you retorted, getting a bit heated. “she talking like she know shit.”

“you know what? just stick by me for the rest of the night. i’ll make sure none of them come near you.”

you breathed in and out deeply, attempting to calm yourself. you were going out, and causing a fight, whether it be physically or verbally, was not on your list. “that’s the plan.”

well, you can proudly say that tati was right. maybe too right.

you were actually having a really good time. you didn’t think you’d be drinking that might, but you got a bit cuaght up and did a few rounds of shots.

even syniah’s friends were fun. they were assholes most of the time, but they knew how to have a good time. maybe they weren’t so bad.

you could not be more wrong.

“hey, do you guys know where tati went?” you inquired, realizing that she was nowhere to be found. she had been by your side all night, so you didn’t blame her for wanting to have fun on her own. you were just growing worried.

kyah turned to you, looking around. “uhh, i don’t know. she’s probably with syniah.”

your nerves were eased for only a moment, when you saw syniah approaching from a distance. and tati nowhere to be found. you became worried, once again.

“oh,” kyah frowned, sitting up from the couch you all were on. “i guess not.”

madison sat up. “i think i heard tati say she was going to the kitchen for another drink. you can check there.”

you picked up your purse from your lap, hanging the strap of it on your shoulder, and stood from the couch. you weren’t too fond of the idea of getting lost in a sweaty crowd looking for your friend, but tati could be in the same situation, and you didn’t like the idea of her being by herself considering the fact you told her that you didn’t wanna be alone. you began to walk, but you were stopped by kendall who had stood up as well.

she looked apologetic for some reason. you were too intoxicated to care at the moment. “maybe i’ll come with you. you’re drunker than all of us, so-”

kyah interrupted the girl, handing you a bottle of water. “she’ll be fine. i need your help with something. remember, ken?” she turned back to you.

you shook off their weird behavior because, well, you were drunk. “i’ll be fine. just check your phones in case i call.”

with that, you walked off, beginning to search for your roommate.

you knew calling her name aloud would do no good, seeing as lil baby was blasting in your ears and everyone else’s.

you made your way through the crowd, constantly apologizing for bumping into others until you made it to the kitchen.

much to your dismay, tati wasn’t there. you figured she had left, but after asking a few people, she apparently hadn’t been there at all.

you decided to go back to the couch, to question the girls, but they weren’t there either. the thought of them setting you up flew into your mind, but you didn’t think they’d go that far.

although, it did make sense. why kendall seemed sorry before you left to find tati. still you held out hope that all the fun you had that night with them wasn’t just to get you by yourself.

in the middle of the never-ending crowd, you opened your water bottle, only to have it thrown to the ground because of someone bumping into you. stupidly, you squatted down to retrieve the only thing that could sober you up just a little, but you were knocked off your feet by the mindlessly swaying guests at the party.

you tried to shout to get someone to stop and help you up so you wouldn’t get tramped alive, but the music seemed to increase every time you spoke. you couldn’t tell if that was actually happening, or if your brain created that illusion.

thankfully, a stranger noticed you and helped you up from the floor. after muttering a quick thank you, you departed from them, still in search of the people you came with.

you dug into your purse, frantically searching for your phone. once you found it, you firstly dialed tati’s number. voicemail.

then syniah’s. voicemail.

then kendall’s. voicemail.

you didn’t bother with the other girls. there was no point and you had figured it out already, even though you were drunk and your brain was slowly shutting down. you had been set up. you had nothing to wake you up, and the effects of the drinks you had were already starting to weigh in even more.

your eyes began to water and you felt a lump forming in your throat. your fingernails dug into the palm of your hands as you bit back a sob. “shit, shit, shit, shit.”

this place was too big, and truthfully, you were too scared to start looking around. you could find yourself in places that you wouldn’t wanna be.

you were hurt. that tati could be in on something like this. she made a promise to ensure you enjoyed your night, now she was apart of the very reason why it was ruined.

you let your tears fall freely, not wanting your vision to blur even more than it already was beginning to. not a single person in the crowd noticed your sobs over the loud music. you continued walking until you were outside of the house and away from the property as a whole since there were still people outside.

you stopped a few blocks away, plopping down on a curb. you cried the entire time while walking there, but you let your loud sobs out once you knew you were alone.

pulling out your phone once again, you dialed the number of the one person you even felt like talking to anymore. she didn’t answer either. which didn’t shock you, since it was almost two in the morning. you left a message, hoping she’d somehow receive it. your only alternative at this point was to walk home, and you were absolutely that it would result in you getting kidnapped.

you tried to keep your cries down so you could speak, but it just resulted in annoying hiccups that wouldn’t go away.

“shuri, i’m gonna send you my-“ hiccup. “-location. my friends, err, not friends, they-“ hiccup. “-left me behind. i don’t know where they-“ hiccup. “-are. and i’m scared because i’m alone on this curb and the only light here is a streetlight-” hiccup. "-which keeps going on and off. but i’m scar-” hiccup. “-ed to go back into the party because i don’t feel safe i-” hiccup. “in there with a bunch of strangers either. i’m also drunk asshitso i’m barely-” hiccup. “-thinking straight. i hopeyoucan understand what i’m-” hiccup. “-saying.”

you hung up the phone, only praying that she’d be there soon. in the meantime, all you could do was wait. unfortunately, you were growing tired. but falling asleep in a place like this…not the best idea.

you had finally stopped crying, but being alone in your thoughts only restarted the cycle. you felt so betrayed. you knew syniah’s friends were low, but this was another low. if something bad happened to you, it’d be their fault, and there’s no way they weren’t aware of that. the fact that they knew the risks and still went through with a plan like this one made you sick to your stomach sickened you. you were hurt by tati the most. you never thought her to be apart of something like that.

your heart felt heavy, and so did your head. you buried it into your knees that were pressed to your chest. you just wanted to close your eyes for a second.

just for a second.

you didn’t even realize you had snoozed off for a few minutes until you heard the sound of someone shuffling behind you. the effects of alcohol were still heavy, but you were alert.

maybe you were stupid to be alone in the street in the middle of the night, but you needed a place that was quiet and wouldn’t result in you passing out.

you tried to keep the fear from being detected in your voice. you threw your purse a few feet away, planning on making a run for it. “my money’s in there, please, just leave me alone.”

you felt deeply relieved when you heard a small chuckle erupt from behind you, one that you actually recognized. “i don’t think i need money, but thank you for the offer.”

you looked up, placing your hand above your eyebrows to see the person and block the streetlight from ruining your view. relieved would be an understatement at this point to describe how you felt when you saw her face. shuri went to pick up your purse before walking back up to you and offering her hand.“let’s get you to my car.”

shuri gingerly wrapped one of your arms around her shoulder and held your waist to make sure you didn’t fall. carefully, she guided you to her vehicle. once you were inside, she put your seatbelt on for you and shut the door.

as shuri walked around the car and entered the driver’s seat, you realized she had parked near the party, meaning a lot of people saw the princess placing you in the car like some kind of girlfriend. you didn’t care though, since you were more concerned about other things. tiredly, you turned away from the window so you wouldn’t have to look at the gawking partygoers and rested your elbow on the side of the car.

shuri handed you a water bottle silently, prompting you to mutter a small “thank you” and taking it from her hands.

you felt embarrassed. you looked a mess. your makeup was smeared and ruined completely because of how many tears you had shed, along with the aftermath of you wiping them away carelessly.

“shuri, i-”

she heard your voice crack just a bit and held up a hand to stop you from speaking. “it’s okay. just rest for now. we can talk when we get to your dorm.”

“no,” you choked out. the last thing you wanted to do was see tati later or in the morning when you woke up. “i don’t wanna go there.”

the princess didn’t have any further questions. “alright. we can go to my dorm if you want.”

you hummed in acknowledgment. you couldn’t find the energy to speak anymore, feeling your eyelids suddenly grow heavy.

about twenty minutes later, you were woken up to feeling someone shaking your shoulder softly and whispering your name.

“don’t make me carry you bridal style,” shuri teased.

you offered a sleepy smile, still pretty much half asleep. “you won’t.”

she did.

the next few minutes were spent by shuri actually staying true to her words despite the odd looks she got from the people on the first floor. she kept having to tap you awake to make sure people were aware that she wasn’t carrying a dead body to her room.

once you two actually arrived to her room, she placed you on the right side of her bed. kneeling down to bring her face to your level, she spoke. “yam uthando, i know you are tired, but you need to shower.”

your eyebrows knitted together. “what does that mean?”

she let out a quiet snicker because of the fact that the name she called you was all you picked up on. “don’t worry about that. i have a spare towel in the bathroom and i will set some clothes for you, okay?”

you frowned, slurring your words. “i’msotired, though.”

“i know, (name).” she brought her face closer to yours, placing her hand on your cheek. “but you must shower. i’ll set a bath for you. try and wake up a bit.”

with that, she trotted into the bathroom, turning on the water. you knew it’d be on the colder side rather than the warm one, making you dread it even more. you sat up from the bed slowly, rubbing your eyes.

finally rising from the bed, you made your way over to shuri’s vanity to take in your appearance. you sat down on one of the two chairs near the vanity. your smeared makeup just reminded you of what had taken place earlier that night. all you could think of is the worst. the worst that could’ve happened being alone in a place like that. or if you were forced to walk home by yourself or hitch a ride with a stranger from the party. the worst could’ve occurred if shuri wasn’t awake and able to pick you up.

you could see her enter the bedroom behind you through the mirror and concern flooding her features when she noticed your teary-eyed look in the mirror.

she sat next to you on the other seat that was near the vanity. she reached into one of the drawers, pulling out makeup remover. had this been anyone else, you’d refuse because you would think it’s out of pity. but, for shuri, you just knew that wasn’t the case. and because of that, your nerves were easing.

“i didn’t even know you did makeup.”

shuri flashed her teeth. “yeah, no, i usually take drunk girls to my dorm to remove their makeup and set a bath for them.”

her attempt at making you smile was successful. “and here i was thinking i was special.”

the grin on her face faded after a few moments and she becomes serious. “are you okay with telling me what happened yet?”

she uses her finger to bring you closer to her face by your jaw and you suddenly felt weak again.

you close your eyes as she drags the wipe across your eyelids. “to tell you the short version, my roommate convinced me to go out with her, like i told you earlier. i was having fun, up until they all decided to play some stupid joke on me where they leave me by myself at a party with a crowd of strangers and no protection. that’s when i left and called you.”

“so that’s why you didn’t want to go to your dorm,” she said, more of a statement rather than a question. you nodded, anyway. “i’m so, sorry, (name). i don’t usually like to do this, but i’ll use my privileges if i have to do they get proper punishment for what they did. it was messed up, and imagine what would’ve happened had i not been able to pick you up. i’ve never heard of people being so reckless like this.”

the princess tossed the pile of makeup wipes in the trash and grabbed your wrist to guide you to the bathroom. as you two walked, you cleared your throat. “thank you once again, shuri. i keep thinking about what could’ve gone wrong if i didn’t have you. you have saved me and helped me in more ways than i could imagine. i’m incredibly grateful for you, and trust me, when i sober up in the morning, i plan to prove my thankfulness.”

“you probably can’t do that.” she shook her head. the curly-haired girl handed you a white towel from the bottom of the sink. “you’ll be too busy reeling from a hangover.”

“oh, right. the day after that, then.”

she beamed and then pointed to the bathtub. “shower first, plan later. i’ll get some clothes for you that i can find since you have nothing else to wear.”

you felt very much refreshed after the shower, regardless of the fact that it was cold as hell. you were still tired, but you felt a lot less dirty.

once you had changed, shuri supplied you with a head wrap since you didn’t have a bonnet with you either.

you had collapsed into her bed incredibly easily. you just wanted to put everything that had occurred to rest, at least for the night. you were so drained that you could barely function.

shuri joined you in bed after shutting off the lights and plugging in your very dead phone. as soon as she entered the bed, she faced you. “once again, i’m sorry for everything you endured tonight.”

“it’s not your fault, shuri. you don’t need to apologize. you’re not responsible for their actions,” you reassured her. “oh, and one of the girls wanted your number, by the way. just in case you’re into that.”

“oh, shut up,” she teased, letting out a breathy chuckle. “you can let her know that i’m not interested in people who purposely hurt my friend.”

that definitely cheered you up a bit, although the friend title stung just a little. it was silent for a few seconds after that, and because of that, you mind wandered elsewhere. you didn’t have much willpower because of how tired you were, so your eyes innocently flickered to shuri’s lips. you found yourself staring. her lips looked so kissable.

shuri furrowed her eyebrows, an amused smile tugging at her mouth. “what?”

your eyes widened. did you say that out loud? “what?”

“you just said-”

“oh! my bad, i didn’t mean to say that out loud. i wasn’t thinking it for like a long time, though! it was like an intrusive thought, and it just popped up.”

she laughed again. “i know. it’s alright. just rest.”

you closed your eyes, but something felt off. “can you do that thing where you rub circles on my hand whenever i’m trying to sleep? i think i need it tonight more than anything.”

she didn’t reply, but simply just began to do so. you fell asleep soon after that, but shuri, however, couldn’t. she was just admiring you and your beauty. bast, you were perfect in her eyes. even a drunken mess, you looked amazing. she truly was falling for you. even when you made that comment about her lips, she wanted to ask you to kiss her, but this was not how she wanted your second kiss to be. the first one was already forced, courtesy of your family, but she wanted the next to actually be special.

and how could she forget about her plan to invite you to wakanda for winter break? there was no christmas in wakanda, so she feared that you’d say no for that reason. once again, it was her obliviousness talking. unbeknownst to her, you’d say yes the second she asked because the thought was in your mind as well.

just when the princess started to drift off, your phone began to ring loudly. she was scared that you’d wake up, so she immediately reached her hand over your body to grab your phone. she was going to decline because of how late it was. that was until she saw the name.

tati.

she had a lot of words to say to your roommate, none of which were nice. angrily, she answered.

“hello?”

“hello, (name)! where the hell are you, girl? you haven’t been answering any of my texts or calls, and i’ve searched this house like a million times! you’re scaring me, dude! can you please confirm that you’re okay and safe and tell me where you are? i can’t find you, and the girls are saying that you ditched them for some girl, but me and syniah don’t believe that because you’re awful at flirting and you’ve been attached to me the entire night. syniah said you left as she was walking up to you and the girls and she hasn’t seen you since. i’m on the verge of passing out. please say something.”

well, that certainly caught shuri off guard. she looked over at you, completely knocked out. waking you up was off the table, but shuri knew she couldn’t leave tati in the dark.

“hey, tati. this is shuri.”

shuri could hear her gasp through the phone. “shuri? why do you have (name)‘s phone?”

“because your friends were the ones that ditched her. she was alone, and i had to get her myself. i don’t want to be invasive, but you should seriously reconsider who you hang out with. they didn’t have a problem with leaving (name) by herself, knowing what could’ve happened, especially since she was drunk.”

“i knew i couldn’t trust those bitches! they’re not my friends, by the way, and i’ll make sure syniah drops their asses. but just to make sure, (name) is okay, right?”

“yes. she’s asleep,” shuri confirmed. “she didn’t want to come to the dorm because she thought you were involved in this incident as well.”

the hurt was evident in tati’s voice. “oh. well, can you clear things up with her when she wakes up, then? the last thing i need her to do is be mad at me right now.”

“of course,” shuri agreed. “goodnight, tati.”

“goodnight, shuri. and thank you so much for being there. you truly do care about her more than anybody who has ever come into her life since i’ve known her.”

tati hung up after that, leaving shuri udaku in silence, beaming like a complete idiot.

#shuri x reader #black panther fic #fanfic #shuri udaku #shuri x f!reader #shuri x you #shuri x black!reader #shuri x fem!reader #hbcu!shuri

[carolmunson]

Omg! Mini background for gareth and tatianna(I think that’s her name?) his gf? She’s such a standout character in my mind and I love her not only individually but also her + Eddie’s platonic soulmate connection

(sorry if this is all over the place, i can barely breathe and the brain fog is brain fogging)

Tatianna my OC princess. She's loosely based off of one of my close friends. Tatianna is a kindergarten teacher who met Gareth on Tinder one bored night swiping at a bar. The bar Tati is a regular at just so happens to be the bar Robin is the main bartender for, so it felt very kismet to her that in some way, she was already connected to him.

He messaged first, not expecting a response considering Tatianna is decently out of his league and offered to take her to the bar she was already at because 'he knew the bartender'. They met the same night and ended up talking until close -- the chemistry was off the charts. Tati was smitten and sick over it -- this stupid drummer boy with a corporate job that he has to cover his tattoos for. But his eyes sparkled when he looked at her and he really thought she walked on water.

Gift giving is his love language so he'd get flowers sent to her classroom and take her out to dinner, he studied her. He had a folder in his phone listed with all the things she likes and checked in every few months to see if she still liked them -- because there was no way he was going to lose this hottie with senegalese twists (at the time) who has every reason to not be with him. Some drummer in a band that doesn't even have an EP out that makes his main incone as a cubicle drone. But what really is the glue for them is Eddie. Tatianna met Eddie a few months into dating Gareth and at first they were both very skeptical of each other until one night they decided to bite the bullet and hang out. They shared a blunt and talked -- Tatianna is one who doesn't like to sit in discomfort, she wants to know why it's weird between them. And what a better way to do that than share a blunt and hash it out. In my brain, they met near the end of Eddie and Chrissy's relationship and she could understand that Eddie was just protective of Gareth. Especially since Tatianna seemed too good to be true. Literally beautiful, kind, a teacher like him, runs a side business (I feel like she has a side business like jewelry or accessories. Whenever I picture Tatianna she always has gold dainty accessories on or like, big hoops in the summer. Loves a head scarf or wrap. She's so hot in my brain and deeply fashion forward), knows what she wants out of life, and just all around is good. Like, what would she want with a guy like Gareth who he's known since he was 10 and watched eat a bug off the ground in middle school?

But the couple is not without it's faults. They still get into arguments and fights like every other couple -- finding that every 'big fight' was a hurdle that helped them get closer together and move forward in their journey. Having Eddie be close with both of them was helpful because Eddie has always been a listening ear for Gareth (as well as a 'why are you being an idiot?' voice in his head) and because he's close with Tatianna he's not afraid to tell her about herself (and vice versa. Also in my brain, they both have Taurus placements). Eddie is so often the mediator in any argument because he knows them both so well, especially with where we're at in their story when LGDW starts (they've already been together for a few years). I don't know where to end this but I love them as a couple because they are so different but so the same. Tatianna loves watching Gareth perform and Gareth loves going to her kindergarten class's mini performances for holidays. He likes helping her make work sheets and coming up with ideas for crafts. She likes surprising him with jewelery and new sticks, with matchboxes from old restaurants (that he likes to collect). She also designed Corroded Coffin t-shirts with Robin to make for a concert they had that was at a bigger venue than normal.

Idk, I feel like there is so much more to them. But this is what I have so far.

#lgdw #lgdw lore

[niymue]

day one: welcome to the villa  —  meet the contestants below!

REBEKAH

the hot shot detective who’s ready to settle down

CHERRY

a sulani native plant sim looking for someone to share the sun

RONNIE

after a mermaid attack, he’s reconsidered his priorities in life and is looking to fall in love

BEE

behavioural observer 0-026, bee for short, is studying the society of marshmallow’s planet and has yet to learn what a dating show is

TATI

death metal singing daemon signed up for the show by their bandmates - they think its time tati put themselves out there

LIAM

a recently cured vampire looking to share his regained mortality

TWEN

an alien accidentally taken from her home planet and raised by scientists, twen is hoping to reconnect with her alien roots

#the sims #sims 4 #ts4 #mallowbachelorette #bachelorette challenge

[lizzybeth1986]

Wordlessly

Book: The Royal Romance

Pairing: None. Kiara & OC (Céleste, her cousin).

Rating: G

Summary: There is a lot on little Kiara's mind as she goes biking with her cousin Céleste. Can Céleste help her?

Word Count: 3, 191 words

Tagging @kiaratheronappreciationweek for Day 4: Family, @choicesficwriterscreations for FotW, and @choicesmonthlychallenge for the prompt Warm Hugs

A/N: This fic takes place two months after Queen Eleanor's death. Joëlle and Kiara (7 years old) are in Orleans, Loire with Joëlle's sister Jeanette. Jeanette has an older daughter, Céleste (9) and twins Céline and Cédric (6). Kiara is closer to Céleste, Ezekiel is closer to Céline, and Cédric is actually quite close to both siblings and to their cousins in Morocco (Hakim's side of the family). This fic also has a lot of connections to Ch 3 of Eleanor's Kitchen, which shows Joëlle and Queen Eleanor as best friends.

It will be a fine summer morning at the main square of Place du Martroi, Kiara's cousin promises her. Just the perfect time, and weather, to gear up for an hour-long bike ride. Maman can spend some time alone with Tatie Jeanette, and seek some of her much-needed solace at the cathedral nearby. And they can spend fifteen minutes cycling around Kiara's favourite thing to see in Orléans: the Jeanne d'Arc statue.

The Maid of Orléans sits mounted on her horse, sword in hand, proud and determined. Her bronze frame, stained a rusty blue-green from centuries of heat and dust and oxidisation, is cast into an alluring interplay of light and shadow against the morning sun. Joan of Arc, a heroine of France, the woman her aunt Jeanette was named in honor of. Kiara remembers a similar statue - of Captain Guard Val Greaves - at the Capitol square...not too far from the royal palace...

...Kiara instantly loses her smile. Then she shakes her head and tries to concentrate on something else.

"Cette statue gravement endommagée au cours de la duexieme guerre mondiale a eté restaurée en 1950 grâce a la générosité des habitants de la Nouvelle Orléans." She reads the plaque at the foot of the statue slowly, mentally substituting some of the all-too-familiar words into another language, as she always does. It's not easy - some of them are too big for her...like "inhabitants" and "generosity"...but she thinks she can understand the essence of it.

There was a Second World War, the war ruined the statue, and people from New Orleans helped make it look better than before. She knows already - from a map of the United States of America in her father's study desk - that New Orleans is a city there, near the Mississippi river. Baba told her lots of people speak French there too, but a different kind of French.

She tries to remember the bigger words she read on the plaque, but already they're slipping from her memory. Zeke would laugh and call this an exercise in futility, if he were here instead of at Orphys with Baba, Céline, Cédric and Tonton Henri - after all, weren't you raised on both French and English, Kiki? Haven't you been doing this your whole life? It can't be that challenging for you anymore.

But Kiara no longer deals with languages for just the challenge. Now she does it for the sheer joy of playing around with words that mean similar things in different places.

Céleste brushes away a stray leaf that has landed on her head, covering one of her tightly-coiled, intricately-braided cornrows. For perhaps the fiftieth time, Kiara admires the back of her cousin's head, where the braids form the shape of a heart near the nape of her neck. Silently she makes a promise to ask Maman to try it out once on her. When Maman feels more herself again.

Kiara traces a nervous finger over her own braids. They're perfect now - tiny coiled cornrows on her scalp, thicker braids raised high by hairbands that looked like a cluster of grapes, a side parting that took Kiara time to get used to but that she cannot help but admire now. But oh, how much Maman must have suffered today to get it right.

One slip of her hand. Then two. A braid hanging looser than usual, a thin cornrow looking slightly thicker and uneven, a stray curly strand winding out of an arrangement so meticulously planned and designed. It was so unlike Maman, who could do more intricate styles than this blindfolded and with her arms behind her back. The unfamiliar, puzzled frown between Maman's eyes was now threatening to become permanent.

By the sixth mistake she let out a rough growl, fisted her hands and paced agitated to the other end of the room, leaving an entire section of Kiara's hair half-done. When Kiara turned to look, Maman's back was facing her but her shoulders were shaking.

Tatie Jeanette, who had just completed her final touches on Céleste's cornrows, moved over to Maman, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Take a few minutes off, Joli," she said gently, "Renée has made some chamomile-spiced apple tea. That's your favourite now, right? It's in the kitchen. Still hot. It should calm your nerves. Go."

Kiara froze, wondering if her aunt had made a mistake by mentioning the tea was apple-flavoured. The last time Maman had such a drink was the last time she was with...with...

She winced. A very vague image of the late Queen as Kiara remembered her - raven-haired, gentle, smiling, a faint rose smell emanating from her wherever she went - floated at the fringes of her memory. She was grateful she didn't have a memory of what that face looked like in death. It was already painful, watching her funeral procession from a distance that day, Princes Leo and Liam walking behind her coffin, heads bent, steps measured. The older prince's jaw was tight and his eyes reddened and blazing...but the image that would forever stay with her, was the blankness on the face of the boy she often called her playmate. Every time she thought about his dark, unfocused gaze, an odd chill slithered through her spine.

If this was how she felt about that funeral, she can't imagine just how painful it must have been for Maman. Biding her goodbyes at the coffin, her voice at the Mass trembling midway through the late Queen's favourite hymn. After the adults from the Great Houses poured earth from their hands towards the lowered coffin at burial, Baba tightened his hands around Maman's shoulder, her sobs muffled in his jacket.

"It's going to take a while for Maman to go back to being Maman again," he'd whispered in Kiara's hair just before their flight to France, "But she'll get there. I promise you."

She'd felt less nervous when Baba said that. It was now two weeks since that flight, but on more days than not, Kiara didn't feel so sure.

When Maman took longer than usual to return, it was Céleste who saw the look on her face and convinced her to check on her in the kitchen.

"But what do I say?" Kiara whispered worriedly. These days everything she'd tried to say to comfort her seemed to have the opposite effect. Oh, Maman was very lovely about it, running an affectionate hand through her hair and smiling down at her, but the smile never seemed to reach her eyes like it always did.

Céleste shrugged. "Who said you had to say anything?"

Easy for Céleste to say. Everybody always said her oldest cousin gave the best hugs in the family. Soft, light ones for the kids younger than them, tentative ones for adults she didn't know, the tightest ones reserved for her parents. Kiara on the other hand always felt her body too awkward for good hugs. All knees and elbows poking at softer flesh. She felt uncomfortable giving them, and the leaving of an embrace always felt so odd on both sides. It was why she was so fond of talking her way through comforting people.

Only, this was a time where that kind of comfort didn't seem to change anything.

Thankfully, Maman's shoulders were no longer shaking when Kiara's feet padded their way to the kitchen. Her arms were gripping the counter, shoulders slumped, tired. The teacup was still full, all the steam in it long gone.

Kiara gulped. "It's okay, Maman," she said softly, "we don't have to go out today. It's always nice to have one whole day to just rest and do nothing, no, Maman?"

Again that look. Again that soft hand on her head. Again that smile that didn't reach Maman's eyes.

Kiara had struggled through 5 languages so far in her young life. Each time she failed to get things right, her chest felt tight and her shoulders heavy. But all that suddenly felt like nothing to the failure she experienced now.

Maman did Kiara's braids. Perfectly, meticulously, not a single strand out of place. But Kiara felt none of the victory they always experienced when Maman nailed a hairdo. In place of the joy and anticipation they both always had while braiding her hair, was a steely determination, a mechanical sequence of movement. As if Maman was thinking of something else and wanted not to, really badly.

"T'es prête?" Céleste says, her foot on the pedal of her cycle, waiting for her cousin to join her on their hour-long ride to Parc Floral de la Source. It's not where Céleste would have liked to take her, but it's still a beautiful place and she's sure her cousin would love the butterflies there.

"Yeah," Kiara says softly, "I'm ready." She runs back to her own cycle, bought two years ago the moment she'd seen Céleste on a bicycle, so connected to the act of riding it that the vehicle almost seemed like an extension of her. This beauty, bought by her aunt, is black and silver and deceptively fragile-looking, but very sturdy. Just like herself, Kiara would like to believe.

--

The sun is kind to them today. Its light streams silently through the trees and glistens over the Loire river, so it turns molten gold from the limpid blue of the early morning. The Loire à Vèlo path is a sandy white expanse of road, empty except for the few cyclists dotting the horizon.

Kiara presses her feet to the pedals as hard as she can, the light breeze turning into a sharp burst of wind when she picks up speed. The spaces in her scalp feel the cool kiss of fresh air as she struggles to catch up with Céleste.

She envies her older cousin for her speed and ability on a bike, but not too much. They all have their passions, after all. Céleste never had the knack for languages that Kiara did, or the love for animals that Zeke did, or even the raw artistry that her baby sister Céline was already beginning to show at age 6 - but by God did she work her magic if you gave her a bicycle!

It was the first birthday present she'd ever asked her parents for, and there was never a day you'd see her without it. Already the family was in awe of how she managed to cycle the entire Loire à Vèlo route last year, at the tender age of 8.

Already she had her answer ready for every school exam paper that had the question: "Qu'est-ce que tu veux faire quand tu seras grande ?". When I grow older, I will be tête de la course at Le Tour de France.

Tête de la course. The head of the race.

It's never going to be a matter of can, or maybe, or even should. Not for Céleste. It's a matter she has already had settled in her head. She will never imagine her future another way.

Kiara presses down on the pedals, even harder, enjoying this little race with her cousin. Even if it's one she's sure to lose.

--

Royal blue. Butter yellow. Purple at the center with orange fringes. The butterfly enclosure at Parc Floral de la Source has papillons in colours Kiara can't even begin to imagine.

Yet somehow, it is the black-veined, white-speckled, flame orange Monarch butterfly that most fascinates her. Kiara is almost tempted to touch its wings, to see if she'd find her fingers stained in fiery-hued dust as she'd always dreamed would happen. But she won't. She doesn't want to scare the poor thing away.

Lots of butterflies come to our garden. Come sometime in the morning, you'll see loads.

Kiara jerks her hand away as if stung. She isn't sure why these words, in the gentle tones of the young prince who used play tag and soccer with her, would give her a feeling of unease, rather than the usual mild fondness. Maybe because it has been almost a year since she last visited the palace gardens; perhaps because - if her parents' urgent whispers in the study were anything to go by - it is doubtful she would ever get to visit it again.

The last she saw of it, Her Majesty's (Call me Tatie Eleanor! she would hiss if Kiara ever tried to be formal around her) plans to create a hedge maze in the gardens had just begun to take form. There was very little to show of it back then, and Maman had whispered to her when they drove home that it would be roughly five to seven years before the maze looked anything like "Ellie's plans".

"Will it be fun?" she'd asked Maman when they'd reached half of the way back to Castelserraillan.

"Oh, very!" Maman said, a big grin on her face. "Ask your auntie Eleanor next time if you don't believe me. She used to spend all her time playing in garden mazes when she was a child."

Kiara frowned a little, suddenly remembering something.

"I thought Tatie Eleanor got the idea from that visit to Château de Villandry we took with her, two years ago!"

"That too!" Maman responded, grinning. "She loved visiting that place so much because it reminded her of her childhood." Her smile was now sweet, and a tiny bit conspirational. "We gave her that, ma fée."

Shivering, Kiara follows Céleste's lead outside to the open space that holds the spicy, woody, slightly-vanilla scent of purple irises.

Their housekeeper Renée packed them an enormous, sumptuous lunch before they left home; the cycling and the walking have made Céleste and Kiara ravenous enough to devour almost every spare morsel. Except, of course, one solitary baguette, which Céleste insists they keep so they can feed the flamingoes.

The birds make noises that sound like a cross between a loud honk and a piercing screech, scrambling to lay their claim on the pieces Céleste tosses their way. Kiara laughs, her fingers absently sweeping over the calm waters of the little Loiret tributary.

"I really wanted us to go to Château de Villandry today," Céleste's tone is that of a slight whine. "You always loved running through the garden labyrinth there."

Absently, Kiara pouts and throws another piece of the baguette to the birds.

"It's okay if we don't," her voice is almost a whisper, so soft Céleste has to strain to hear it. "This place was quite lovely!" If there is a false brightness she notices in her cousin's tone, Céleste doesn't allow herself to dwell on it.

They sit like that for a while - exactly how long Kiara can't recall - but when they're about to leave she calls out to her cousin. "Where would Maman and Tatie Jeanette be now?"

"Waiting for us at the canal," Céleste murmurs. She stops as she notices Kiara tense. "Don't look so scared, Kiki. Tatie Joli won't be sad forever."

Almost immediately, Céleste bites her tongue in a tacit apology. She's never been one to be very good with her words, and oftentimes - like this one - they come out sounding all wrong.

"Oh well," Kiara says, sighing, "It's not like anything I say will help. The more I talk, the sadder she gets. Maybe I should just..."

"Just what?"

"I don't know. Stop talking?"

The two girls are silent as they make their way back to where they'd kept their bicycles. It's only when they're about to mount that Kiara thinks to ask her.

"Céleste..."

"Hmm?"

"How do you know what kind of hugs your Maman wants?"

Céleste gives her a funny little look, like she's about to say I thought you'd never ask. But she shrugs instead.

"I don't always know, really. Sometimes I just try it and see if it works. Sometimes Maman doesn't want to listen to anything... sometimes she just wants someone to hold her tight. She lets me know."

"And if she doesn't like it?"

Céleste smiles. "I try something else. At some point I'll find something she likes!"

That's what I do with Maman too. Kiara thinks. But with words. Never with touch.

Kiara doesn't say a word after that. Not when they mount on their cycles, not when they exit the park, not when they reunite with their mothers at the canal, not even when they're back at the foot of the Jeanne d'Arc statue. Maman and Tatie Jeanette take turns to stare oddly at how unnaturally silent she seems, but Céleste's hand lightly touching her elbow reassures her. Lets her know that she doesn't need to talk until she feels like it.

Before they head to Tatie Jeanette's house, Céleste turns to her mother. "What about Château de Villandry next weekend, Maman? Kiki always liked the maze gar-"

She stops abruptly, noting with regret Kiara's panicked gaze and the terrified shake of her head.

Her voice is lower, more incoherent than a mumble. Her hands are folded in front of her, the perfect picture of a contrite child. "... we'll find another Château to visit, Maman. Sorry."

Too late. Maman holds it together, somehow, for a few minutes, before she excuses herself to her sister's study.

"I'll make you both a mug each of chocolat chaud... you'll like that!" Tatie Jeanette's voice seems falsely bright.

It is now Céleste who says nothing, as she gives Kiki one last, tight hug before she retreats to her room. Strangely, that action calms her a little.

Maman isn't at the desk of Tatie Jeanette's study, or even seated on one of the sofas or chairs. She is a crumpled figure on the floor, her body enfolding into itself, trying to look as invisible as possible even if she knows there is no one else in the room.

Kiara almost opens her mouth to speak, then snaps it shut. She stares at the lonely, defeated figure of her mother, remembering every scrape of knee that she had patted and every tiny arm-bruise she had given a little kiss to. Wordlessly.

Wordlessly, Kiara bends to her mother's eye-level. Lightly, tentatively, she wraps her arms around Maman's shoulder, keeping a small distance between their bodies.

After what feels like an age but must have been only two minutes, she feels something shift. Her mother angles her body more towards the circle of Kiara's arms, allowing them to tighten. Slowly, ever so slowly, Maman's hands make their way to the center of her spine, burrowing her daughter closer into her space. Against her cheek, Maman's own feels a little wet. But her body is more relaxed, the stress lines on her face receding.

Before this, Kiara had juggled with many possibilities to show comfort. Bringing up Queen Eleanor's name, never mentioning Queen Eleanor's name. Trying to talk more about this tragedy, trying to talk about literally everything else. Nothing had worked so far before this. Who knew that silence and touch could accomplish in 20 seconds what all the hours of talking couldn't?

Maman's hand rubs rhythmically along Kiara's back. Whether it's to return the gesture of comfort, or as an apology for not being the kind of mother she wanted to be for Kiara these days...Kiara has no idea.

What she does know, is that she hopes they get more chances. To share silence. To share comfort. To share - mother and daughter - the blanket-heavy warmth of these wordless embraces.

--

NOTES:

Two bits of foreshadowing here:

1. New Orleans: this was a bit of foreshadowing I included, because my TRR MC Esther hails from New Orleans.

2. The Monarch butterfly is the sigil of Krysanthe, the duchy that eventually Hana becomes the Duchess of.

Translations and additional notes:

1. Tonton - Like Tatie for aunt, Tonton is a nickname used to address your uncle.

2. Huge thanks to @thecapturedafrique for her suggestion of the girls wearing cornrows in summer! She'd also recommended styles, two of which I'd zeroed in on for Céleste and Kiara. The first one is Céleste's, the second Kiara's:

3. T'es prête? - Are you ready? (when said to a girl/woman)

4. "Qu'est-ce que tu veux faire quand tu seras grande ?" - What do you want to be when you grow up?

5. Tête de la course - Head of the race.

6. Papillon - Butterfly

Places mentioned in France:

The fic is largely set in Orléans, a city that's situated close to the Loire River.

Place du Martroi: The Martroi square is the main square of the city of Orleans, where stands the equestrian statue of Joan of Arc carried out in 1855 by Denis Foyatier.

Loire à Vèlo: La Loire à Vélo is a unique, 800km cycle route. It forms the western section of the EuroVelo 6 route (linking Black Sea to Atlantic) (basically you get a great view of the river through this cycling route).

Parc Floral de la Source: a French garden situated to the south of the River Loire, in the La Source neighbourhood of the town of Orléans, in the département of Loiret. The source of the Loiret tributary can be found at the center of this park.

Château de Villandry: The Château de Villandry is a grand country house located in Villandry, in the département of Indre-et-Loire, France. It is especially known for its beautiful gardens and has an intricate labyrinth/maze garden arrangement too.

Orphys: This is a country in the Cordonia universe which is home to the princesses Lerato and Lesidi.

#kiara theron #kiaratheronappreciationweek #KTAW #the royal romance #the royal heir #the royal finale #KTAW Day 4: Family #lizzybeth1986 #content: fanfic

[thehopelessslacker]

Hmm, I'm posting this just because I felt like sharing this:

I'm finally ending my long hiatus.^^

Here's the link to the new chapter of my fic:

Well, a lot happened in almost one year that I was on hiatus. I went to university, made some friends, struggled with studying, and... lost someone very, very precious to me.

There was also the incident about someone 'translating' my fic without permission...

Anyway, it was a long, long year for me.

Hope you enjoy reading my fanfiction.

#lout of count’s family #lout of the count’s family #lcf #trash of the count's family #trash of the counts family #tcf #cale henituse #raon miru #omniscient reader's viewpoint #orv #crossover #fanfiction #fanfic

[uhlatcha]

A PLACE CALLED YOU - MASTERLIST

WATTPAD | AO3 | PLAYLIST

SUMARY:

Yunho is going through a difficult time. After his roommate and best friend had to move, Yunho finds himself buried in work and studies, spending most of his time away from the empty apartment full of memories that doesn't feel like home anymore since Mingi's departure.

Tati's life was practically perfect. She was finally going to debut in her first show as an official member of the ballet company she had spent her entire life preparing to join, and that alongside her best friend. But the girl sees it all fall apart right in front of her, literally. After her apartment roof collapses while she was at a rehearsal, Tati finds herself hopping from house to house among her friends. But after discovering that it's impossible to get back the apartment that has been her home for so long, the girl realizes that maybe it's time to find a new place to be her home.

FANDOMS: ATEEZ, STRAY KIDS

GENRE: FANFIC, ROMCOM, NON IDOL AU, COLLEGE AU.

CHAPTERS::

CHAPTER ONE | CHAPTER TWO

#ATEEZ #A PLACE CALLED YOU #UHLATCHA #ATEEZ FANFIC #ATINY #KPOP #KPOP FANFIC #NON IDOL AU #YUNHO #original character

[warwickroyals]

9-11, 41, & 59 for jack and coraline (runners-up sam and/or tati if you feel like it) ✨

sixty more OC asks 📝✨ -> Receiving

Dearest N., thank you so much for sending me so many asks about characters I don't always get questions about.

JACK (she's appearing soon, I'm excited)

9 | Do they cheat to win or play by the rules?

Jaqueline Warwick? One of the most senior nepotism babies in the country? A woman who was basically gifted clothes from the Versaces with her name hand-sewn onto them at sixteen? A woman whose father gifted her a 1.7 million dollar estate as a wedding gift? Her? Play by the rules? Don't make me laugh.

10 | What do they fantasize about?

At the moment? The French Rivera. Perusing spice markets in Marseille. The glitzy Parisian skyline. She's sick of Sunderland, really, she needs a vacation.

11 | Who’s the most important person in their life?

Signlar person? Probably her mother. After James died they became inseparable. If they're not together physically, they're always talking on the phone.

41 | What do other people love most about them?

Jaqueline has a sharp tongue and is often just plain rude, but supporters of the monarchy have re-framed that as her being direct. She tells it as it is, she doesn't bullshit people, yet she's still generally jovial and snarky enough for people to feel that she's not too stuck up. That's the most popular thing about her.

59 | What motivates them?

The main thing that motivates her to continue working within the royal family is her family. With James dead and Phillip AWOL, she's compelled to continue to her duties to ease the burden on her parents, who are getting older. Plus, Nicholas needs all the support he can get without his father. Even if Jaqueline's direct family is outside of the institution, she continues to make a living within it for that reason.

CORALINE

9 | Do they cheat to win or play by the rules?

Coraline is comfortable bending the rules to get her way. She'd be left behind otherwise. She's seen people waltz into positions they didn't earn just because they knew the right people, is she really the one cheating by being a little over-zealous?

10 | What do they fantasize about?

Creating. Creating art, creating beauty, creating joy. Creating life. She's a creator at heart, she just doesn't want to do it for a profit anymore.

11 | Who’s the most important person in their life?

Her agent, in the sense that she has the most control over Coraline's professional life and image.

41 | What do other people love most about them?

Probably how eloquent and intelligent she is. Her activism has garnered a great deal of respect for her, as well.

59 | What motivates them?

Just the hope that someday she'll get through this slump in her life. Things won't be like this forever, surely.

SAM

9 | Do they cheat to win or play by the rules?

See Jaqueline for that whole nepotism speel. It's the same deal with Sam mostly. Phillip pays for basically everything he has, and his last name does allow him to cut some corners. However, he's more likely to turn down the more obvert benefits. As an undergrad, there were plenty of people who offered lucrative job positions he was vastly underqualified for. But he turned them all down, he wanted to work for his degree.

10 | What do they fantasize about?

Finally snapping and giving all the people in his life a Reasons You Suck Speech while they're too stunned and dejected to argue with him. It's always way cooler in his mind, mostly because he knows that if he tried that in reality it would end with a massive screaming match and lots of tears on his end.

11 | Who’s the most important person in their life?

Robin D'aureville, his semi-abusive ex. Outside of that, probably Daddy.

41 | What do other people love most about them?

Unlike his parents and brother, Sam doesn't seem to cause all that much trouble. He is usually out of the spotlight, studying hard at school. People appreciate that there's a member of the family not constantly in the media for unflattering reasons.

In the family, however, he's very deadpan and often has people in stitches of laughter without even trying.

59 | What motivates them?

Getting his degree, making his own money as a teacher's assistant, just the idea that he'll be able to make his own way in life without his father's legacy boring down on him. He knows the Woodbine Duchy is his inheritance, but he wants to establish himself first.

TATIANA

9 | Do they cheat to win or play by the rules?

As a royal spouse, she really did not place a foot wrong. She was more by the book than Irene, even. She never made a fuss where people could see, she always held her husband's hand even when she was mad at him. She gave birth to two sons in quick succession and maintained every regressive/toxic standard expected of a royal wife. She played by her rules for her whole marriage. And look where she is now.

10 | What do they fantasize about?

Returning to the stage. She's been thinking about performing more and more lately.

11 | Who’s the most important person in their life?

Her sons are always her top priority, always.

41 | What do other people love most about them?

Her compassion and thoughtfulness. As a royal, she never came off as entitled or conceited. She never shows up to food banks or charity drives empty-handed and she always leaves fruit baskets and handwritten notes for her personal staff and members of the public. Personally, she hates that this is her personal image, it leaves little room for her to make mistakes.

59 | What motivates them?

In the long term nothing really, she just drags herself from one day to the next.

#warwick.answers #nexility sims #long post

[endlessly-cursed]

𝑾𝑰𝑵𝑩𝑶𝑼𝑹𝑵𝑬'𝑺 𝑴𝑶𝑫𝑬𝑹𝑵 𝑮𝑬𝑵𝑬𝑹𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵

Lawrence Somerset. b. 1933 d.tbd

The firstborn son of Vincent and Margaret Somerset, he was the perfect gentleman and the ideal heir to the viscountcy. He was sorted into Slytherin and was made Prefect and Head Boy, which led him to a great path. He was top student and was Winbourne's delight: no scandal, no succession issues. He stayed away from Wizarding politics and went on to marry...

Millicent Abbott b. 1934 d. 1997

Witty, beautiful, she minded little that Lawrence was half-blood and was the third daughter of the Abbott family. She was a Ravenclaw and a year younger than Lawrence; she was smart, witty, creative and with a gift for people. They fell in love during WW2 and were soon betrothed. Millie and her mother-in-law Margaret got amazingly great, educating her to be the next viscountess. They had three children...

Charles Vincent Somerset, b. 1953

The first-born son and heir of the house, he was quite the rebel and wanted to marry outside the wizarding and muggle peerage. He was dutiful and dedicated to the estate, but a bit too much of a romantic. He was sorted into Hufflepuff and went on to marry...

Ismene Fazilet, b. 1955

Incredibly beautiful, witty, brave and independent, she was a Turkish woman who had emigrated into the UK avoiding conflict in her country at the age of 23. She studied at St. Paul's university and got a Psychology and a Master's in Classical Studies. She met the viscount by accident when her beloved cat, Esma, who had ran away chasing a poor rat, had instead chased him and his takeout. She apologized profusely but he laughed it off, petting the cat and giving him treats. He escorted her home and the two of them dated for three years until Charles proposed in Istanbul. She said yes and the two of them had their daughter, Camille.

Tatiana "Taty" Somerset, b. 1956

A small, tomboyish girl who was often overlooked because of her 'plain looks', she picked up her ancestor's love for horses and fencing and soon began winning champions and medals, filling a wall with them since the age of 7. She also spoke several languages and decided not to wear the Winbourne jewels and instead bestowed them to her youngest, most perfect sister, Meghan. She was sorted into Gryffindor and was soon a blast, impressing the Marauders themselves, whom she often joined for pranks. She was also the first woman to be openly a lesbian and get not one, but three university degrees in Law, Political Science and Sports. She didn't marry well until her 60s when it was socially accepted for her to marry a woman and had a small ceremony.

Meghan Marie Somerset, b. 1958

The perfect daughter, she was incredibly beautiful, shy, demure and obedient, things that her sister Taty was not. She was soon made to be the perfect girl in the 1960s England, always dressing neatly and girly, and did her duty by marrying into a Sacred Twenty Eight, the Ollivanders to be exact. She supported her sweet and loving husband who was very much infatuated with her. She was the one to bestow the jewels to her sister-in-law Ismene and was also the godmother to their child, Camille.

#i will pester you with winbourne women until I either die or deactivate #about winbourne #winbourne estate #riddle era #marauder's era #oc: lawrence somerset #millicent abbott #charles somerset #ismene fazilet #tatiana somerset #meghan somerset

[dancing-under-the-moon]

You Can Let Them Go:

A/N: This fan fic is based on the song matilda by harry styles. I think this song perfectly fits Gabriel and his journey as he learns to move on from his broken family with the help of his brother and friends. Anyways I hope you all enjoy!

Gabriel cried out in frustration as he crumpled up another piece of paper. He had been in the study all day trying to write a letter to his sister Tatiana. He wanted to invite his sister to his wedding to Cecily Herondale, which was to take place next month. He wanted to send a personal and heartfelt letter inviting her to the wedding instead of just some impersonal invitation. The only issue was Tatiana seemed determined to rip Gabriel and their brother Gideon from her permanently, so it seemed impossible to write any letter to his sister that might be strong enough to convince her to come. Still he replaced the crumpled piece of paper with a new one and tried again.

Dearest Sister,

I would like to formally invite you to my wedding to Cecily Herondale. I know we haven’t spoken in what feels like ages, but I would greatly appreciate it if you would attend our wedding. I would very much like to make amends of our past and perhaps rebuild the relationship we once had. I would also like to extend the invitation to young Jesse as well. I’m sure he has grown a lot since I saw him last at Will’s wedding, and I would be ecstatic to see my nephew again. You could even meet the newest addition to the Lightwood family, Gideon’s daughter Barbara. She is nearly one year old and yet when I look at her I am reminded of mother everytime I look at her. Tati our family is not complete without you in our lives and I would greatly like to have my sister back in my life again. Please consider attending. I will leave a seat open for you and Jesse at the wedding. Seats I hope will be filled by the two of you. I love you, Tati.

Sincerely, Your Brother, Gabriel

Gabriel crumpled the piece of paper once more, letting his head fall onto the desk as he gave up. No matter what he said, it would never be good enough for Tatiana. He knew she blamed him for the death of their father and her husband, Rupert Blackthorn.

Gabriel didn’t even bother to look up as he heard the door creak open. He had no clue who might be at the door, but at that moment he didn’t care. All he wanted to do was to hide from the world.

“What’s wrong brother?” He heard a voice ask him. Gideon, he thought as he closed his eyes, sighing audibly. Gabriel didn’t want to explain his horrendous failure to his brother. Especially not when this was meant to be the happiest months of his life. After all, he was getting married to the woman of his dreams in mere weeks.

Gabriel could feel Gideon drawing nearer. He then heard the sound of rustling paper and looked up as Gideon opened the latest of Gabriel’s failed letters.

“‘Dearest Sister, I would like to formally invite you to my wedding to Cecily Herondale. I know we haven’t spoken in-’” Gideon cut off abruptly from the letter. “Oh Gabriel.” he said, now understanding the pain in Gabriel’s expression.

“I just wanted her to come, but nothing I write seems to be good enough.” Gabriel said, his voice shaky as he let the tears fall from his face.

“This letter is not the issue, brother,” he started. “Unfortunately our reality is just that father raised us all to be loyal to a fault. A loyalty that Tatiana has twisted to fit her own narrative. We may never change her mind.”

“I want our sister back, Gideon.”

“I do too. That is why I shall never stop reaching out to her, even if she never responds. And you shouldn’t either. One day she may realize we have always been here for her. Perhaps one day she may seek our help just as you sought out my help once.”

“You mean the day I killed father?”

“You didn’t kill father Gabriel.” Gideon knelt to meet Gabriel at eye-level. “The only thing that killed him was his own selfish and ambitious nature.”

Gabriel reached out as his brother wrapped him up in a tight embrace. Gabriel stayed there for a long time, just crying in Gideon’s arms as he reassured him that everything would be alright.

Eventually Gabriel sent a letter to Tatiana, inviting her to the wedding, and to his surprise, she responded. She requested to meet him at Hyde Park a week before his wedding. So now here Gabriel sat in the middle of Hyde Park, trying as hard as he could to calm the anxiety he felt building up inside him.

His breath caught as he saw her. She was still wearing the same pink dress she had worn the day of their father’s death. She was holding a sleeping boy on her hip, Jesse.

“Hello Tati,” Gabriel smiled.

“Hello Gabriel.” Tatiana said bitterly, her mouth formed in a straight line. The smile quickly faded from Gabriel’s face as he saw the disdain on his sister’s face. “So am I to understand that you are marrying William’s younger sister and you wish for me to come?”

“Yes. I would love nothing more than for you to be there.”

“Well, I regret to inform you that I have no interest in going to the wedding of a traitor of my family, seeing as you are responsible for the death of everyone I have ever held dear to me.”

“Tatiana, please, I didn’t kill Rupert, or father for that matter,” Gabriel pleaded. “Please come to my wedding. Meet Cecily and Sophie, Gideon’s wife. Meet Barbara. Let me and Gideon have the chance to meet our nephew. Let us make amends with you.”

“Well perhaps I will consider going but let me make it clear, I have no intention of making amends with you or your brother. I despise you Gabriel, so never for a second believe that I will do anything for the benefit of you or your family or your friends. You are all dead to me.” And with that Tatiana stormed away, leaving Gabriel alone.

Gabriel now sat in the drawing room with an expression one could only describe as pure anguish. He had failed, his sister hated him. He thought perhaps that the conversation would have gone well and he could have a future with his sister in it, but now he realized Gideon was the only one from his family he had left.

“I didn’t know you were home!” He heard an excited Cecily say. He didn’t even realize she had come in, but as soon as he heard her he turned to her. He saw as her face turned from one of joy to one of deep concern as she gasped, “Oh Gabriel, what’s wrong?”

Gabriel began to cry and Cecily immediately ran to him, wrapping her arms around him and holding him in a tight embrace until he was able to calm down. She drew circles on his back with her fingertips and whispered various I love you’s and You’re okay’s in his ear.

As soon as he had stopped crying, she pulled back, looking into his still bright green eyes and she smiled sweetly before pulling his face to hers and gently kissing him. He immediately melted into the kiss. He let his fingers bury themselves into her dark locks of hair. Her small hands on his cheeks, her thumb idly brushing against his cheekbone.

It was in that moment, for the first time that day, that Gabriel felt loved. Gabriel finally felt as though he belonged to someone. It was then that he realized he wouldn’t be alone because he had Cecily. Cecily was his family. In just one week they would be married and she would be a Lightwood and his life would feel complete because he had Cecily and his brother to help him.

Gabriel pulled away from the kiss first. He had a small smile on his face as he whispered, “I love you more than anything in this world Cecily Herondale.”

“I love you too cariad.”

Later that night, Gabriel sat in his room reading the mundane papers. He heard a knock from the door and shouted, “Come in!”

Gideon appeared through the doorway. “I heard things didn’t go the best with Tatiana this morning. Are you alright?”

“I’m getting there. I guess I’m just starting to realize how different my definition of family has become these days. We lost our mother, father and now Tatiana. I used to believe that that’s what family was. Flesh and blood. And I suppose I am still having trouble seeing it as anything different.”

“It is a hard lesson to learn Gabriel. To let go of the things we were once taught to be true. But you must. Family is not blood, it’s love, which is a thing that our family hasn’t shown in a long time. Father and Tatiana never showed us love. Especially not you. You were raised on the values of loyalty to those you’re related to, but you never were taught the true meaning of family. Brother, you are loyal to a fault. It’s one of your best traits. But father was not loyal and neither was Tatiana. We must find a way to grow past the faults of our family and start anew.”

“I don’t think I know how to let go, Gideon.” Gabriel’s head fell.

“It’s not easy by any means. But you mustn’t be sorry for growing up. You don’t have to stay the young boy you once were. You have grown so much and as you continue to grow I don't think time will change how you feel about father or Tatiana. They can’t hurt you anymore so long as you can learn to let go of the past that holds you captive. You have talked of you’re trauma’s for so long as if they are alright, but you don’t have to accept it. I know that a piece of you died with our family, so rather than dwell in the pain of what might have been, start a new family. One that will always show you love and loyalty. That is something you never should feel sorry about.” Gideon smiled at his brother, and Gabriel smiled back. He finally realized he never lost his family, he simply gained a new one.

“You’re right brother. You are my family, and I will always love you. But now I have so much more. Sophie is your wife and therefore my family. A woman who has shown me so much kindness and love despite knowing my past. Tessa is my family. She has shown me mercy when I have not deserved it. Charlotte and Henry are my family. They are the people who took me in when I had nowhere else to go. Cecily is my family. She is the woman I love and will soon marry. She has loved all of my flaws and has always encouraged me to grow. Hell, even Will is my family. He hated me and somehow we have found a way to work past our differences.” Gabriel laughed. He was truly happy with the family he had let into his life and couldn’t wait to marry Cecily and build a family with her in it.

Once Gideon left the room Gabriel finally allowed himself to dream of the family he would build with Cecily one day. A family built on love and loyalty, not fear. He imagined what their kids might look like. He hoped his kids would come to him when they needed him. That they would feel loved by him and that they would build a relationship off of mutual respect and love. And in that moment, Gabriel learned to let go of his past.

#gabriel lightwood #gabrily #cecily herondale #gideon lightwood #lightwood #harry styles #matilda #fanfic #cassandra clare #the infernal devices

[mrckobchamp]

excuse me did you see JACOB ELORDI hanging around palmwood studios? oh no, that was MARCO BEAUCHAMP, the TWENTY - FIVE  year old ACTOR who plays DANIEL SALVAVAL on THE VAMPIRE BOOKS. yeah, you know rumour has it they're - RESERVED, and - BAD TEMPERED, but their fans all say they’re + BRUTALLY HONEST , and + RESILIENT. around palmwood studios they’re known as THE PHOENIX. ( CISMALE, HIM / HE ) ( ITS YA GIRL TATI, SHE/HER, 23, EST )

marco beauchamp came into the world as a happy kid, his goofy smile evident during his school pictures but that all changed once he was old enough to realize that his mom tended to fall down a lot, though it was always after a heated argument with his father. christopher beauchamp  was the ideal family man, devoted and caring but behind closed doors it was a completely different story. his mothers lessons ( as his father liked to call them ) became much more frequent, the smallest comment would set him off in the most powerful rage. his mother wasn’t safe and neither was he, as cruel as that may sound. 

after the aftermath of his fathers brutality, he would sit down next to his mother curing her wounds and never blaming her, always by her side. the more he leaned towards his mother, the worst thing got for him. his father became enraged and the bruises began to appear on marco, though no one could believe that the matriarch of the beauchamp family could ever do something so vile, marco spoke out but no one truly believed him and if they did, his father had everyone in his pocket. made everyone believe that this was just marco lashing out and being a teenager . 

weeks turned into months and months into years and the more that time passed, the more marco changed. more  closed off he became and more violet towards some situations. one day coming home, he hears pleading and the commotion of things being thrown. he doesn’t have to speculate what’s going on, the help in the kitchen minds their business, but the worrisome look on their features is evident. he walks right past them and his mother is on the floor of his father study, bloody and lifeless. his father taunting him, his anger gets the best of him and everything just turns black. 

once he regains consciousness, he feels a pair of hands holding him back. his mother is on the floor, barely breathing. he doesn’t realize the amount of blood that’s covering his hands, his hands on the phone but its taken away by his father security. telling him that they needed to play this as a burglary and that’s exactly what happened, they played the grieving wife and son  part quite well, putting up a face for the world to see that the fall of the doting father , had caused a void in their heart . 

for marco his nightmare wasn’t over because in the back of his mind, he has flashbacks of the incident, his fist repeatedly pounding his fathers face and his fathers taunting prose ; you’re a monster just like I am .  those words echoed in his mind and played on a constant loop, maybe his father wasn’t wrong and marco  would be just like his father if not worse. destroying whatever he had in his wake , never being able to live anyone and destroying everything that he touched . 

his father ran a miltu-miliion dollar PR company  ( the same company that had strong ties to palmwood studios ) and ever since marco could remember, he loved being able to be different people. anything was better than who he truly was. though hollywood  world took a shine to him, labeling him the golden boy . a few failed relationships but severely private with his private life, not really allowing the camera's to catch him with anyone, though his life right now revolves around the vampire books and nothing else. 

after taking a break from acting and moving to alaska to help with a refugee for penguins , he was happy but not completely , he loved mia but they’re romantic relationship had died , instead it had flowered into a loving friendship and he couldn’t have asked for more . the vampire books were struggling in casting someone else for the role of daniel and what better way to come back into the spotlight , then by rejoining the show , watch out PW STUDIOS , they’re in for a loop . 

#pwshqintro #here we go again <3

[ogdencollegerp]

MEET GREER’S FRIEND/FRENEMY -  THE FEMME FATALE.

{ FACECLAIM, AGE, GENDER, (SHE/HER, SHE/THEY, THEY/THEM) } Is that FIRST NAME LAST NAME? A SCHOOL YEAR originally from HOMETOWN, they decided to come to Ogden College to study MAJOR on an ATHLETIC / ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIP (remove if character is not a scholarship student). They’re THE FEMME FATALE on campus, but even they could get blamed for Greer’s disappearance.

ABOUT THIS SKELETON: It’s easy to love - or pretend to love - THE GOLDEN GIRL like the rest of campus, then to really express the truth. And yet, THE FEMME FATALE is a master of seduction, but less a master of hiding her true thoughts. At least when it came to Greer. Majority of the time, they’d be arm in arm, but every so often, they’d be going toe to toe. Most would back down, not wanting to be seen at odds with someone like The Golden Girl. But The Femme Fatale never backed down from anything.

MAJOR PLOT POINTS THUS FAR:

THE FEMME FATALE was one student who, during a campus wide black-out, wandered the campus and thought they spotted THE GOLDEN GIRL - or at least someone who eerily resembled her. Read more here !!!

SUGGESTED FCS:

Sydney Park, Tati Gabrielle, Cailee Spaeny, Khadijha Red Thunder, Yandeh Sallah, Sharmin Segal, Kawannáhere Devery Jacobs, Melissa Collazo, Bruna Marquezine, Zion Moreno, Simay Barlas, Inde Navarrette, Valentina Zenere, Banita Sandhu

CHECK OUT OUR WANTED CONNECTIONS !!!

SUGGESTED CONNECTIONS BELOW THE CUT

THE FEMME FATALE has a way with…everyone, but how embarrassing for THE COOL LOSER that she manages to be a soft spot for them as well? Nearly everyone gets it though, including THE GOLDEN GIRL. Seems The Cool Loser really is more like everyone else than they want to admit.

With all their ups and downs, THE GIRL NEXT DOOR often had to act as a neutral bridge between THE GOLDEN GIRL and THE FEMME FATALE, even though the years of friendship from growing up with Greer didn’t prevent her from growing closer to The Femme Fatale at Ogden.

Every so often, there’s a friendship that just doesn’t make sense to people. THE CLOSET GAY is….close with THE GOLDEN GIRL, and THE FEMME FATALE was Greer’s biggest frenemy. But the two managed to make it work anyways - we can only imagine what went on with them behind closet doors. Oops! Meant to say closed doors.

THE GOLDEN GIRL wasn’t the only person THE FEMME FATALE butted heads with - but who she butted heads with may show why she and Greer got along usually, because The Femme Fatale also often ended up at odds with people like THE GO-GETTER GIRL.

Well, they aren’t called THE FEMME FATALE for no reason, and despite their loyalty to THE GOLDEN GIRL, even THE PROUD ELITE couldn’t resist them. Poor Greer, with her brother’s previous unfailing loyalty wavering in the face of a hook-up.

THE FEMME FATALE may have started hanging out with THE ICE QUEEN whenever she was on THE GOLDEN GIRL’s bad side, but they did genuinely become friends. With Greer gone, they have only grown closer, thanks to their rivalries being on pause.

THE HEDONIST and THE FEMME FATALE are kindred spirits, and rather tumultuously, on-and-off significant others, with plenty of public fights and equally public make-ups. While things are increasingly more complicated, they also turned to each other for protect from the ever increasing drama around THE GOLDEN GIRL’s disappearance.

Is THE FEMME FATALE going to try to replace THE GOLDEN GIRL? It’s a hard standard to live up to, and Greer was certainly never phased by the competition. But The Femme Fatale would have to win that spot over plenty of others who may want it with Greer gone…like THE INFLUENCER?

Without THE GOLDEN GIRL’s guidance, it’s possible that THE CLOUDCUCKOOLANDER began to seem....a bit lost. Luckily, THE FEMME FATALE has no qualms about stepping in and taking Greer’s spot, morphing The Cloudcuckoolander into their project now. 

#skeleton rp #the femme fatale #university rp #lsrpg #oc rp #original rp #established rp #plot rp #semi appless rp #mature rp #dark academia rp

[ethelarcangelkawaii]

proyect files: rabbit presentation

proyect files:

español:

hola a todos se que no debo estar aqui por mis estudio pero he decido hacer mi segundo proyecto creo que su historia si sera contada en youtube pero no como comic o posiblemente si no se como sera pero quiero hacer bien la sinopsis:

raz and friend es un restaurante que sirve de todos desayuno, almuerzo, pizzas, helado, etc. un dia tatiana (la protagonista) vio un comercial del raz and friend y le parecio ver una niña traslucida en el comercial. Esa noche entro a un tipo de zoom y le cuenta a sus amigos lo sucedido todos deciden hackear el sistema de raz and friend y encontraron un archivo de video con todos los comerciales que hubo y se dieron cuenta que nada es lo que parece en raz and friend.

datos del personaje: Raz la coneja

Raz se basa en una coneja de raza lot frances, es la cantante de la banda, va acompañada de un gato y un mono, original iba a llamarse carry pero decidi cambiarlo. Raz es alegre y energetica pero hay algo mal dentro de ella

aviso: el orden es asi ... Raz - amigo de tati - el mono - amiga de tati - la gata - amigo algo afeminado de tati - animatrico colega de Razen el restaurante - marioneta - tati

english:

Hello everyone, I know I shouldn't be here because of my studies, but I've decided to do my second project. I think its story will be told on YouTube, but not as a comic or possibly if I don't know how it will be, but I want to do the synopsis well:

raz and friend is a restaurant that serves all types of breakfast, lunch, pizza, ice cream, etc. one day tatiana (the protagonist) saw a commercial for raz and friend and thought she saw a translucent girl in the commercial. That night he entered a type of zoom and he tells his friends what happened, they all decide to hack the raz and friend system and they found a video file with all the commercials that were there and they realized that nothing is what it seems in raz and friend.

character data: Raz the rabbit

Raz is based on a French lot breed rabbit, she is the singer of the band, she is accompanied by a cat and a monkey, originally it was going to be called carry but I decided to change it. Raz is cheerful and energetic but there is something wrong inside her.

notice: the order is like this… Raz - tati's friend - the monkey - tati's friend - the cat - tati's somewhat effeminate friend - animatric colleague of Razen the restaurant - puppet - tati

[inapat17]

Traditions in transition: cinematic perspectives on the modernization of post-war societies (2/4)

The following article is the second in a four-part series looking at how cinema depicts post-war societies’ transformations, and more precisely the transition from a traditional society to a modern one. You can read each article separately, so there’s no need to worry if you haven’t read the previous one yet. Just know that if you are eager for more, you can find it HERE. 

In order to examine our topic from all angles, every article of this series will be dedicated to a separate movie, each originating from a different country. Since context is essential to better understand what lies beneath images, and thus propose an in-depth analysis, I will always start by introducing the director and the significant historical events surrounding the films’releases. 

Kitchen Stories, Bent Hamer (2003)

This new installment aims to study how social and environmental impacts of the Norwegian post-war industrial boom are depicted by Bent Hamer in his long feature Kitchen Stories (2003).  

Part 2. Kitchen Stories (Salmer fra Kjøkkenet, Bent Hamer, 2003) 

For a long time, nordic countries’ economies relied on cultivation, livestock farming, forestry operations and fishing. In fact, the mechanization of agriculture and manufacturing did not begin until the end of World War II. Therefore, although technological advancements and mass production boosted productivity, they simultaneously standardized productions, environments, and social behaviors. It should be noted that some nordic countries were more affected by the industrial boom than others. In that regard, Norway’s industrial revolution occurred later than Sweden’s, primarily due to its politico-economic circumstances. As a result, by 1950 Sweden had achieved a much higher level of industrialization than Norway, which still relied on handcraft and rural activities. It is within this context that Kitchen Stories unfolds. 

At its core, Kitchen Stories is a tale of two lonely individuals whose lives intersect in unexpected ways. Isak Bjørvik, a sour Norwegian farmer, and Folke Nilsson, a meticulous Swedish researcher, find themselves thrust into a peculiar social experiment. 

Kitchen Stories's Trailer

In order to improve kitchen efficiency, Swedish researches visit Norway to conduct an observational research on Norwegian unmarried men’s cooking habits. With the promise of getting a horse, Isak begrudgingly agrees to participate in the study undertaken by the Home Research Institute. This strange premise was inspired by a post-war research on Swedish housewives routines. 

Fig. 1 . Kitchen Stories, Bent Hamer, 2003 / Fig. 2 & 3. Playtime, Jacques Tati, 1967

Like French director Jacques Tati, Bent Hamer uses visual gags as a vehicle for exploring deeper societal themes. The standardization of manufactured items is displayed in the minimalist and uniform aesthetic of the caravans driven by the Swedish observers. As they parade one after another, they contrast sharply with the rural Norwegian landscapes in the background. The framing of certain caravan shots and the extreme geometric uniformity of the diegetic space occasionally resembles Jacques Tati’s depiction of urbanity in Playtime (1967) and My Uncle (1958). 

Fig. 1. Playtime, Jacques Tati, 1967 / Fig. 2. My Uncle, Jacques Tati, 1958

Wider shots accentuate this impersonal aspect of the setting, in which we find the same patterns, shapes, structures, and clothing. Moreover, the colors of the urban space are cold and desaturated, with a predominance of black, green, gray and brown. 

Kitchen Stories, Bent Hamer, 2003

In the film, Norwegian and Swedish interactions mirror the historical tensions between the two nations. Actually, there are several instances where they make playful jabs at each other. While the Norwegian fought against Nazi Germany during World War II, the Swedish remained “neutral observers”, a stance that echoes throughout the storyline. As exemplified by Folke’s assignment to “observe” his subject without engaging in any interaction. It can also be seen as a metaphor for the scrutiny to which individuals are subjected in the name of progress. Bent Hamer masterfully addresses the dehumanization associated with such endeavors. Later on, Isak spies on Folke through a hole in the ceiling, thus blurring the lines between observer and observed. 

Central to the narrative is the notion of communication, or lack thereof. Two people confined to the same space for the duration of the film, yet initially unable to overcome the gap between them due to their pre-constructed perception of each other. It is only through shared moments, such as simple tobacco exchange, that barriers begin to dissolve, paving the way for genuine connection.

Thank you for taking the time to read my article. Your interest is very valuable to me. In my next installment, We’ll be making a stopover in France with Jacques Tati’s My Uncle (1958). 

Ruth Sarfati

#Bent Hamer #Kitchen Stories #nordic cinema #norwegian cinema #post war #modernity #industrialization #ruth sarfati