#they last saw each other *a war ago* and so much has happened

[verstappen-cult]

HOW YOU GET THE GIRL | CL16

— 04. THE CLIFFHANGER

PREV. PART | NEXT PART — [ SERIES MASTERLIST ]

summary: in which charles has an embarrassing crush on alex's childhood best friend and everyone meddles. content warnings: faceclaim is taylor hill but you can picture her as you’d like! some cursing and a tiny bit of angst because why not.

TWITTER — JUL 11 & 12, 2023

INSTAGRAM POST — JUL 15, 2023

Liked by user98, y/n_gossip and 315,886 others

paddockgossip We have some interesting news about Charles and Y/N relationship! They both were at an event last night, but with two different people and (thanks to our insider!) we know that they didn’t talked or crossed paths, they didn’t even looked at each other! Do we know why? Maybe it was Charles’ plus one, who is, if you’ve been following their relationship, the same girl Charles was seen with back in Austria.

Trouble in paradise? We all saw the pictures of Y/N and her ex-boyfriend Andrew Garfield out and about in London just a few days ago. And now we only have this mess which seems to be following both Charles and Y/N everywhere they go.

Is this the end of a relationship that had only just begun?

view all 1,425 comments

user98 i don’t think they’re together anymore. it didn’t look serious from the beginning

user99 Charles deserves better. This girl was on a date with her ex boyfriend a few days ago, I wouldn’t forgive that so easily.

user01 okay but you don’t know what happens behind closed doors user99 I’m just saying what Charles should do. user02 but you’re not charles leclerc, are you?

user03 i’m a child of divorce

user04 I haven’t even got them over my parents divorce and now this happens

user05 They both are being sooo childish

user06 i prefer him dating his friend than this girl

user07 what friend? user06 the one he was with in Austria, i think she’s an influencer, i’m not sure user08 y/n is WAY better user09 Maybe Charles is the problem. Let’s not do this awful thing between women like you always do when shit happens

user10 I hate gossip pages so much.

user11 NOOO I loved them together 😭

user12 that was such a power couple

Y/N’S iMESSAGE — JUL 15, 2023

INSTAGRAM STORIES — JUL 17, 2023

INSTAGRAM POST

📍 PARIS, FRANCE — JUL 25, 2023

Liked by yourusername, arthur_leclerc and 892,556 others

charles_leclerc A little escapade before flying to Belgium. I haven’t slept in two days, can you see?

view all 7,478 comments

user13 someone teach him how to dress

user14 y/n was doing a good job user13 but then they broke up user15 THEY WHAT

user16 hold on ☝🏻 he’s in france??? in a fashion show?? as in y/n’s walking that fashion show fashion show??

user17 I WAS THINKING THE SAME THING user18 I think you’re onto something

user19 why is he wearing that to a FASHION show

user20 is it true he’s dating an italian influencer?

user21 Charles is dating @/yourusername user22 no they broke up user23 we don’t know that

user24 Y/N’S IN THE LIKES

user25 WAR IS OVER OH MY GOOOD JSHDVDHAJAA

user26 i’m in denial until someone confirms y/n and charles broke up

user27 you and me both user28 charles is attending the same fashion show she’s in. look at her stories!!

📍 PARIS, FRANCE — JUL 25, 2023

Liked by jennaortega, florencepugh and 77,480 others

voguemagazine Say hello to our @/yourusername opening this week’s #FashionShow in Paris.

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📍 PARIS, FRANCE — JUL 25, 2023

Liked by f1gossip_news, y/nnews, and 135,765 others

paddockgossip Alert, Alert! Charles Leclerc and his girlfriend, Y/N L/N, spotted leaving the Fashion Show Y/N walked in just a few hours ago. They’re currently in Paris, a quick ‘escapade’ as the Monégasque called it before flying all the way to Belgium for the final race before the Summer Break.

Remember that just ten days ago we were telling you how we thought things weren’t good between them and were waiting for a breakup confirmation. We were wrong! Let’s hope things are okay and we can see more of Y/N paddock’s fashion in the future. All the best for them.

view all 3,557 comments

user29 oh god no please

user30 I thought we already got rid of her

user31 i don’t like her, she doesn’t seem nice

user32 Mmh this kinda looks like PR

user33 i thought the same but idk in the pics pop crave shared they look v cozy

user34 some people feel too comfortable judging y/n just because it’s charles.

user35 like grow up girl you’re never gonna date him lol

user36 this comment section didn’t pass the vibe check

user37 charles always dates toxic people

user38 i doesn’t seem serious to me

user39 matching glasses, such a power couple

user40 i don’t like her but they look good together

user41 i hate her sm she’s everywhere 🤢

user42 if you don’t know her just search what happened between her and sebastian stan

user43 there’s a pretty long ass thread on twitter with timelines and all y’all should check it out user44 that relationship was so toxic i’m glad my boy found his way out of there user45 she has said in a lot of interviews that she regrets everything that happened between them and that they’re on good terms now user46 besides they both were so young user45 they blame her when he was the one who cheated on her a hundred times

user47 she’s ben through a lot of toxic relationships i hope this one is different

comments on this post have been disabled

TWITTER — JUL 25, 2023

TAGLIST (bold means i couldn’t tag you) — @leclerc16s. @willowpains. @berrnuu. @minkyungseokie. @1655clean. @sassyheroneckgiant. @nessacarty1. @a1leexxa. @storminacloud. @lovstappen. @littlehoneyfreak. @paintedbypoetry. @miakat9. @scott-mccall-could-lift-mjolnir. @thatoneembarrasingmoment. @lyrasconstellation. @rhythmstars. @c-losur3. @apolloxxivmin. @janeholt3. @lovrsm. @gulphulp. @thecubanator2. @dark-night-sky-99. @ssprayberrythings.

note: oh my god!! hiii <3 sorry for not posting sooner but a few things happened and… well. there’s just only one chapter left! i can’t believe this is ending. like you don’t know that i had such a good time doing this smau. i’ll probably write an extra part, like a blurb or something about the conversation y/n and charles had if that’s something you’d like to read?! please let me know (it would be posted after the final chapter). 🤍

#꒰꒰ 📁 ─ verstappen cult files ꒱꒱ #f1 x reader #charles leclerc x reader #charles leclerc fluff #f1 imagine #charles leclerc smau #f1 grid x reader #charles leclerc imagine #charles leclerc blurb #f1 fanfic #charles leclerc x you #charles leclerc angst

[matan4il]

Daily update post:

Another independent Palestinian terrorist attack happened today, it was another stabbing, much like yesterday's, and I feel nauseous that we're at the point where, when I'm looking for an online source in English, I'm struggling to find the latest one out of all the terrorist attacks reported recently. I heard an eyewitness say the terrorist entered a cafe, stood in line, then started stabbing those standing in front of him. The terrorist is a 22 years old Israeli Arab, originally a Gazan. From what I understand, his dad is a Gazan who married an Israeli Arab woman, both men got Israeli citizenship, and the terrorist has lived in Israel for the last 4 years, during which he married an Israeli woman, like his dad. On his mother's side of the family, he has two relatives who are Israeli heroes: one is a soldier, who died not that long ago fighting in Gaza, another is a cop, who saved several people from the Hamas massacre at the Nova music festival. I've heard now 2 Israeli Arab citizens from the community where he lived denouncing him. The terrorist was neutralized. At least 2 people are reported injured, one man in his 60's is lightly wounded, another is in his 50's. One man (in a white shirt with stripes in the vid below) at the cafe saw the terrorist and jumped him with bare hands. Stripes Man kept trying to detain the terrorist until he saw one of the wounded managed to pull out a gun, Stripes Man moved out of the way, the injured one shot more than once and stopped the terrorist, but outside he collapsed, and was hospitalized in a mortal state.

The global rise in antisemitic incidents under the guise of anti-Zionism continues, this time we get insane news from Australia. I'm just gonna quote the report directly: "Two pro-Palestinian activists in Australia were charged on Tuesday with kidnapping and assaulting a victim for the perceived crime of being employed by a Jew."

Meanwhile, the Holocaust memorial at the transit camp of Drancy, through which the Jews of France were deported to their extermination in the east, was vandalized. I'll say it again, the timing is not a coincidence, as we see more and more antisemitic incidents, it's clear each one will get less attention, and less resources allocated to correcting the wrong, since it's all being spread so thin.

I wrote yesterday about a pilot program, which is one of many attempts by Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza without about 60% of it being hijacked by Hamas. I'm sad to say that the pilot has failed, and the aid has been looted. Interestingly, it's not clear by whom. Which is many a good moment to add this: in addition to Hamas taking over the aid, so do existing Gazan mob families (presumably, the criminals are taking over the aid in order to sell it back to regular Gazans at exploitative prices).

A South African minister has announced that her country will be arresting all citizens of South Africa returning from fighting for Israel in Gaza. I do not recall any such announcement regarding South Africans returning from fighting for either side in any other area in the world, such as Ukraine or Syria. I think there's a chance we're watching South Africa ethnically cleansing itself of Jews.

These are Israeli-American mother Judith Raanan and her teenage daughter Natalie.

About a month after the start of the war, they were the first 2 Israeli hostages to be released by Hamas. Here is a short vid where Judith talks about their experiences, including how the nurses at the Gazan hospital Hamas took them to after they were kidnapped CHEERED at the sight of (in her words) "Israeli Jewish prey":

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

#israel #antisemitism #israeli #israel news #israel under attack #israel under fire #terrorism #anti terrorism #hamas #antisemitic #antisemites #jews #jew #judaism #jumblr #frumblr #jewish #israelunderattack #Youtube

[mrsbrookemunson]

Hi, love you’re writing! I was wondering if you were open to a Sebastian request… there’s a HC that the reason his hair is always so chaotic is due to Solomon taking sheep shears to his head, and I was wondering if you could use that to do a small fluff, possibly revealing a crush, between Sebastian and MC, in which he’s received another Solomon haircut and is feeling really self conscious about it, so MC assures him it’s not so bad/he’s still handsome

I'm not even kidding, I saw this request and immediately had to do it because I love it so much - I recently went to Universal (Islands of Adventure) and saw the Hogwarts castle and Hogsmeade... I may have cried a little. Summary: The request Pairing: Sebastian Sallow x MC (No pronouns used) Warnings: Uncle Solomon (there, I said it), angst, fluff, food mentioned, use of 'MC', honestly just real fluffy fluff which I feel like we don't have a lot of. Wrote this in one sitting so most definitely typos. If you're on a computer, the pictures might be formatted weirdly. Contains (Or Lacks): No specific house mentioned. The main plot of the game still happened, but Sebastian's side quest did not. Which means Solomon's alive, but Anne is not cured. Set in summer.

(Pictures Found on Pinterest)

The summer sun was always a lovely feeling after the long and cold winters that occurred in the Scottish Highlands. You could admit the snow was pretty, but the way the warmth engulfed you as your journey took you through fields of flowers, across crystal clear water streams, all whist surrounds by tall mountains that were accented with green. Green was everywhere - green grass, green trees, green bushes, and everything so forth. Each breath you took filled you with peace.

Then there you were.

Feldcroft.

It was only a month and a half ago since you last saw your best friend, Sebastian. The end of your 6th year left you torn. Why? Because ever since you and him met in 5th year, you couldn't deny the spark that ignited when your eyes first met his. It was almost as if Merlin himself wrote in the stars that the two of you would find each other one day. And thank Merlin you did. He was there for you during your fight in the Goblin War, he was there for you in the search to find all the answers that led to more questions, and he was there for you when you lost Professor Fig. But, there were lows that came with it.

You couldn't help him. Over the last two school years, you've tried and failed to have found a cure for his twin sister Anne. You both now knew Rookwood was behind the cruelty and not a goblin, but what good did it do when you were too blinded by the fight to have forgotten to force the answers Sebastian so desperately needed out of him? At least, that's what you tell yourself. Sebastian had to have told you a million times not to blame yourself, but you couldn't follow through. The only way to fix things was to find a cure for Anne.

You clutched the handle of your trunk as your eyes caught the all too familiar well of Feldcroft.

"Off on another adventure?"

You turned your head with a raised eyebrow toward Ignatia Wildsmith. With a chuckle, you continued forward.

"Ah! MC, good to see you again!" Bernard Ndiaye, the Feldcroft shopkeeper, called out.

You smiled and walked up to him. "Hello, Bernard. Doing well?"

"As good as one can be," he answered. "What brings you to town?"

"Oh, I'm just visiting a friend," you replied, vaguely. "Sebastian," you added.

"Ah... young Sallow. I've seen quite a bit of him recently."

"Hm?" You gave him a questionable look.

"He's been helping the folks around here with some labor. He's been a great help to me, keeping my shop tidy and stocked!"

"Sounds like Sebastian," you laugh.

He echoed your laughter. "I shouldn't have been surprised of your arrival, he's been talking about you."

"Has he?" You perked.

"Oh yes... all good things, of course." He grinned, smugly.

You furrowed your eyebrows at him in suspicion. "I'll take your work for it..." you dragged in amusement. "Well, I should probably be going, they are expecting me."

"Yes! Yes! Don't let me keep them waiting." He waved you off as he takes a sip of his tea.

You smiled and waved goodbye. You walked away toward the Sallows' house which you deemed as the most whimsical looking one out of Feldcroft, but maybe you were biased. You sighed as you took in the house. It was small, but beautiful. You took note of the new elements that have appeared since the last time you were here. A few new plants, a few new fruits and vegetables in their garden, even a new painted wood sign that claimed their residency. Everything looked perfectly tended to.

You raise your fist to knock, but before your knuckles could touch the door you heard what sounded like a grunt coming from behind the house. You froze in attempt to make it easier to hear. Your eyebrows furrowed when you heard yet another one. You took a step back from the door and set down your luggage. Your curiosity led your feet around the house, eyes bouncing around to spot the source of the sound.

You stopped over by the training dummies when you heard another sound, louder than had been before. You turned your head rather abruptly knowing you had finally found your conclusion but that backfired when you felt your knees nearly give out on you.

Oh.

Your face flushed when your attention was suddenly drawn to none other than your best friend. Your best friend that you fancied like mad, right here in front of you, skin glistening from sweat, breathing heavily with the occasional grunt as he moved large trunks of wood. Your eyes widened the more you continued to gawk at him, you didn't even notice that your jaw had dropped a little at the sight of him.

He stood up straight and lifted his hat a little to wipe the sweat off his forehead. He let out a long sigh of exhaustion and let his head hang low for a moment before shaking it off and turning his body to where you stood. You swore you saw his soul leave his body when he was smacked in the face by your presence.

He jumped and grasped his chest with a gasp. "Merlin MC, don't do that to me! How long were you standing there?" he scolded.

Your brain didn't process his scolding. You smiled and walked with vigor up to him. Without a word you threw your arms around your neck and pulled him into an embrace. He stiffened for a second before hugging you back

"I missed you," you said.

He wouldn't have admit it in that moment, but hearing your voice after haven't heard it in a while made his stomach flutter. A smile made its way onto his face. "I missed you too."

You pulled away, but not too far as you scanned his face for any changes. He did the same.

"You've grown," you pointed out.

"Have I?" He smirked.

"At least an inch." You narrowed her eyes. "And you got a new freckle... right... there." You poked his cheek.

He jokingly slapped your hand away. "I see you haven't change one bit," he teased.

You rolled your eyes. You raised a hand to block your eyes from the sun. "Merlin Sebastian, how are you wearing a hat right now in this weather?"

You didn't mention it, but you saw the way his cheeks turned a light shade of red.

"Where's your luggage?" he asked.

"At the front." You jutted your head in the direction.

"C'mon, let's get you settled then." He placed a hand at the small of your back and guided you to the front of the house. He grabbed your luggage and brought it inside, holding the door open for you.

The first thing you saw was Anne. She was standing there with a weak smile on her face. She had gotten a lot thinner since last summer when you saw her, and the dark circles under her eyes were more noticeable. It was a jab to your heart seeing her this way, knowing you couldn't control it.

"MC!" she exclaimed, happily.

"Anne!" You opened your arms and hugged the girl.

"How've you been?" she asked, moving so she could look at you as she spoke.

"I've been good - busy - but good." You hesitated at first, but asked, "And you? How have you been feeling?"

"Some days are worse than others, but today has been good. Probably because I knew you'd be here today." You laughed together. "Uncle has gone out to go get supplies for supper tonight, he should be back soon."

Sebastian behind you muttered something incoherently.

Anne looked at him. "Something on your mind?"

He glanced up from the palm of his hand which he had been absentmindedly tracing. He formed his lips into a tight line. "Nope. Nothing at all... I'll be outside if you girls need anything." He was quick to leave.

You grew a little confused at his rushed exit. "Is there anything I should be aware of?"

Anne scoffed a little. "Oh, it's - it's nothing, it's silly." She brought you to sit at the dining table with her. "He's just a little snippy because Solomon gave him a haircut," she explained.

You didn't know whether to laugh or not. "What?"

Anne shook her head a little. "Ever since we were young, after our parents died, every summer Uncle Solomon will give Sebastian a haircut if he thinks it's gotten too long to do labor with."

You grimaced at the thought of that man giving you a haircut and began to felt sympathy for Sebastian the more you thought about it. "Oh..."

"Solomon recently thought it had gotten too long... I have never seen Sebastian fight it more than he did this time. Honestly, I think it had something to do with you coming so soon."

You frowned. "I'd never make fun of him if that's what he thought."

"He knows that, it's just..."

You tilted your head. "It's just... what?"

She leaned in a little. "It's just that he wants to look his best when he's around you."

"Why should that matter?"

She looked a little taken aback. "My Merlin, do you really not know?"

"Know what?"

"You don't!" she exasperated.

"Don't know what?" You were starting to get a little desperate.

Anne looked around as if to make sure no one was listening. "Be honest with me here... do you fancy my brother?"

You nearly choked out your saliva as you gasped in shock. "What?! No! Me?! No!" You avoided her eye contact as well as her wide grin.

"Oh my gods! You do!" She began to laugh as if it was hysterical. "I knew it!" She slapped the table. "And Sebastian told me you didn't think of him that way..." She shook her head. "I should've listened to Ominis." She began to ramble off about you, Sebastian, and Ominis.

"What are you talking about?"

"You can't tell him I told you, but sister to sister you have to know... that my brother - my twin - is totally in love with you."

You blinked a few times as you attempt to process this information. "What?"

"Now before you start asking - "

"Has he told you that?! Since when?! Why has he never told me?!" you blurted.

"He - "

Suddenly, the door swung open. Heavy footsteps treaded in, the wooden floors creaked underneath the new weight. You turned your head and was met with Solomon whose facial expression hadn't changed since the last time you saw him. A deep scowl.

"You're here early," he grumbled.

Your eyes glimpsed at the grandfather clock in their house. You weren't early, in fact you were actually a little late, but there was no way you would correct him. So, instead, you gave a sweet smile. "I had anticipated some interruption during my travels, but lucky for me none came."

He gave a stiff nod and shuffled his way to the kitchen. "Hope you like Shepard's pie."

Even if you didn't, you would never admit it. "Love it!" You eyed Anne who was holding back a giggle.

"Where's that boy?" he asked, unpacking the produce and meat.

"He's outside, working in the back," Anne answered.

He glared. It wasn't directed toward Anne, but it still managed to make you two cower a little. "No manners that boy has! Invites a guest over and then - " The rest of it was mumbled as he stormed out of the house.

You and Anne could hear muffled shouting.

You turned to Anne. "Anne, about Sebastian - " You were interrupted this time by the door. However, Solomon was now accompanied by Sebastian.

So, that's why he's wearing a hat. You thought to yourself.

Solomon shoved his toward the table where you and Anne sat at. He huffed and sat down beside you.

Anne glanced between the two of you with a sly smile. "So, MC... you said you've been busy, doing what exactly?"

"I've been helping Mr. Weekes at Spintwitches Sporting Needs, he has some new ideas for broom upgrades that I've been assisting him with."

"Sebastian told me you were a good flyer, better than Imelda from what he's told me."

Sebastian had seemed to've perked up. "She's the best on the team."

You breathily scoffed. "That's pushing it a little."

"Nonsense, people think you're gonna get chosen for captain in this new year," he said.

"Don't let Imelda hear that, it'd be over her dead body would I get that position," you half-heartedly joke.

"Anything else you've been doing?" Anne inquired, resting her chin against her knuckles.

"I've been helping Mr. Hill with modeling clothes, helping Sirona at the Three Broom Sticks - cleaning and whatnot, helping J. Pippins with potion deliveries, of course running my own shop - "

"Have you been taking breaks?" Sebastian asked.

You frowned a little at his look of concern. "Of course I have been taking breaks, I''m taking one right now, being here." You could tell that didn't ease him. "It's a busy season, but I've been managing."

"But, you've been drinking enough water, right? Eating enough? Sleeping enough?"

Anne could relate this back to the 'he's in love with you' claim, but you could relate it back to the two of them. He's had to care for Anne for a while now and witnessed her downfall, it's to no surprise he'd be protective over your health and making sure you're okay.

"Yes, Sebastian," you assured.

Solomon was cutting carrots (why is that funny to imagine?), when he grumbled to himself about something. He set his knife down shook his head. "Boy! What did I say about wearing hats indoors?"

You eyed Sebastian's expression. It flickered with embarrassment.

"I am not taking off this hat," he argued.

Solomon crossed his arms and stared down Sebastian. "And why is that?"

Sebastian's lip trembled a little. "W-Well, because - " He sighed in defeat, he didn't want to argue in front of you. That was an embarrassment in itself as he learned the more he thought about the day you first met Anne. "Yes, sir."

Solomon went back to cooking. You didn't know whether to watch or not as Sebastian slowly took off his hat. His eyes casted down in shame. Some of his hair was matted down from the sweat while the rest of it had it's own mind. You had never really seen his natural hair, always tamed with gel. This was the first time you had seen the chaos that was Sebastian's hair, and oh how Solomon did not understand it.

Sebastian ran a hand through it, but it only seemed to have stirred it more. The shorter layers sticking out a little, some parts wavy, some parts straight. The longer layers uneven. You deep down hoped that one day it'd be you who'd give his hair the treatment it deserved, because you knew how much Sebastian cared about it.

"I'm just going to step away for a moment - " Sebastian started.

"No, I need your hand in the kitchen," Solomon countered.

Sebastian shut his eyes. His nostrils flared ever-so-slightly as he breathed in sharply. He stood up and walked to the kitchen.

"Due to the arguing, Solomon did haste the cutting process," Anne explained in a hushed tone

"What does he use for it?" You scooted closer toward her so Sebastian nor Solomon heard.

"Sheep shears." Anne cringed at the thought. "I've been fortunate enough to have never experienced it, Sebastian on the other hand..." she paused. "In our second year, Solomon cut it right before the start of first term, and let's just say... it ended him up with an awful nickname."

"Oh, poor Sebastian..." You sympathized.

"After that he learned how to style his hair and built a new reputation for himself, but I know it haunts him every time this season comes around. I think he's just scared you'll somehow lose interest in him all together if you see him - well... this way..."

You frown and looked at Sebastian whose energy drained in the last hour.

"I don't think that's possible," you whisper, unknowingly.

Anne grabbed your hand that laid on the table. "Maybe it's time to tell him that."

You bit your lip. Your nerves grew the more you thought about such a conversation between you and Sebastian. Where you'd reveal the feelings you've contained since the day you met him. Yes, when you met him, you thought he was attractive, but then you got to know him and suddenly he was beautiful. Inside and out, and that's what scared you.

Were you enough for someone beautiful?

You know Anne said he liked you back, but what if it was all a big misunderstanding? It wouldn't have been the first time.

Could you afford to get your heartbroken by Sebastian?

You think not. Which is why when you got your plate of food, you managed to build up no appetite. You pushed around the potato meat and vegetables until it was nothing but a pile of mush. You could feel the heat of Sebastian's gaze burn into you, but you did you best to avoid it. Eventually, Anne allowed the awkward silence to take over until everyone was done with dinner.

Sebastian stood up. "I'm gonna go get some air," he announced before leaving.

You watched him carefully as he left.

Anne picked at her fingernails. "I'm gonna go help Uncle with the rhubarb pie," she said, slowly, as if hinting toward something. "If you know... you wanna... talk." She eyed the door.

You picked it up her cues rather easily. "Yeah," you breathed. "Yeah, maybe that's for the best." You cleared your throat as the both of you stood.

Anne could read by your stance how nervous you were. She grasped your upper arm. and gave it a comforting squeeze. "Hey, believe me when I tell you that you have nothing to worry about. I know my brother better than anyone and I know... you're everything to him."

You could've argued against that, but chose to bite your tongue and nod. She smiled and gave your upper arm one more squeeze. She walked past you to the kitchen. You sighed and glanced at the door. After what felt like a lifetime you took the first step toward exiting the house until you felt the cool breeze against your face. You ventured out a little and turned your head to your right. It was where you two met up the day you first came to Feldcroft all that time ago, before you met Anne, before him and Solomon got into that fight, and before you told Sebastian all about the keepers.

You walked up the steps and to him where he was leaning against the railing. His back was still turned to you which prompted you to rest against the railing next to him. The two of you wallow in the silence.

"I'm sorry," he said, breaking the silence.

"What for?"

"For being distance."

"It's okay - "

"It's not okay..." He groaned a little. "It's stupid." He shook his head.

"What is? I can tell you, whatever it is, it is not stupid if it's affecting you this much." You knew what it was, but for you to truly understand, you needed to hear his feelings on it.

He shakily sighed. "I know you've noticed, how could you not notice?" He tugged at a strand of his hair which stuck up and out of place. "I swear he treats me as though I'm still a child."

"Sebastian..."

"Don't even lie and tell me it doesn't look bad."

"Could you look at me, please?" He hesitates but does so. "Here..." You stand upright, guiding him to do the same. Cautiously, you began to run your fingers through his hair. You don't verbally mention the way he shuddered immediately when doing so, or when he sighs again, this time of content. You smile, and continue to use your fingers to carefully style his hair. "This is the first time you've ever let me do this."

"Is it really?" He sounded absent. You noticed he had close his eyes and was now leaning into your touch a little more than before. "I've been missing out..."

"Just give me the word and I'll do this at any time for you." You smiled even though he couldn't see it.

"Careful... I think I'd tell you to never stop at some point."

You chuckle but don't respond. You finish by brushing his bangs to the side. Your eyes flickered all around his face. You were so close, you could've counted every freckle, every eyelash, every scar and imperfection that was perfection simply because it was him. Without another thought, your fingers dragged to trace the side of his face down to his jawline. During that, his eyes slowly opened. Your hand didn't leave his face as his eyes bored into yours.

Have they always looked at you that way?

"Have I told you lately that no matter what... you're beautiful... to me?" you stammered.

His breath hitched in his throat. "No," he breathed. "But, then again, I've been doing a terrible job reminding you that as well."

"We ought to really work on that together then, hm?"

He lifted up a hand and pushed your hair back behind your ear. "Yeah..."

"Sebastian?"

"Yes?"

"Kiss me."

You could only describe the moment as the stars having finally aligned. He wasted no time placing his lips against yours. There was no barrier of friendship keeping him from doing the thing he's been wanting to do for so long. You both have well crossed that safe line and now there was so turning back. Sebastian pulled you closer as he deepened the kiss. He wanted to make up for all the time he let go by without making you his. And he really wanted you to be his as much as he wanted to be yours. He wanted to memorize the feeling of your lips against his, your body pressed to his body, the tickle of your hair of his face, the feeling of your fingers in his hair. All that he wanted to consume was you.

The two of you pulled away to catch your breath. You both laughed and leaned into each other as you processed the moment as it was really happening.

You sighed, happily. "You know, your uncle is going to be wondering where we went."

"I honestly could care less about that right now." He couldn't stop smiling. He goes to lean in again but is interrupted by someone clearing their throat.

"As much as I'd love for you guys to continue your moment, I was ordered to tell you that the pie is ready," Anne said with an amused glint in her eye. "I'd also like to mention that I told you so, to both of you." She spun on her heel and began to slowly walk away.

You and Sebastian watched Anne walk away with wide eyes. Sebastian intertwined your fingers with his. "I guess we do have all of summer to spend time with each other."

"I'd like to think it wouldn't end just there," you tease as the you both start to walk back to the house.

"Don't you worry, you're gonna be stuck with me for life. Bad haircuts and all." He nudges you, playfully.

A perfect life.

Your eyes soften. "Lucky me," you whisper.

#sebastian sallow x mc #hogwarts legacy sebastian #sebastian x mc #sebastian x reader #sebastian sallow #sebastian sallow x reader #sebastian sallow oneshot #sebastian sallow fanfiction #sebastian sallow fic #hogwarts legacy fanfiction #hogwarts legacy x mc #hogwarts legacy x reader #hogwarts legacy fandom #hogwarts fanfiction #hogwarts legacy #harry potter

[acewritesfics]

Past Love: Part 01 | Tommy Shelby

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x Reader

Request: No

Fic Type: Imagine

Warnings: Angst, mentions of war, ptsd, miscarriage, assault caused by ptsd, swearing. Flashbacks in Italics.

Word Count: 1,061

PART 02 | PART 03

TOMMY SHELBY MASTERLIST || TAG LIST SIGN-UP

It's Friday evening when Y/N enters The Garrison for the first time in years. It's changed considerably since she last stepped inside the bar, yet she was still filled with a sense of nostalgia as she recalled some of her fondest memories of this place. From her first job as a barmaid when she was 18, to her first drink, beating several of the men at a game of cards, and losing her virginity to Thomas Shelby in the back room they used for storage. 

But, of course, with the happy memories came the bad ones. A miscarriage, a wedding that never happened, reuniting only to be separated by war, and then nothing could bring them back together, not in the way they both so desperately desired. 

Years have passed since she last saw Tommy, but they kept in touch through letters and telephone calls when one of them needed to hear the other's voice, comforting each other in a way that only they could. 

He hasn't contacted her in months. It was not unusual for them to go months without speaking. It just how they are, so she doesn't think much of his lack of communication. Until she received a telephone call from the last person, she thought she would ever hear from. 

"Did you know I was always jealous of you?" Lizzie questions her old friend turned foe. 

Y/N is reminded of the petty feuds they used to have when they were just girls. The beginning of it all came when Tommy began to act romantically towards Y/N. Tommy was just as handsome as he is now when he was a boy and attracted the attention of all the girls. Most of them were not surprised when he began pursuing Y/N. Everyone could see their romantic connection, the two of them only having eyes and room in their hearts for each other. 

Lizzie was the only one bold enough to risk Y/N and Tommy's wrath to come between the pair and gain Tommy's love. It wasn't until Tommy and Y/N's relationship took a turn for the worse, that she found her way in. By then, Lizzie was already getting paid for sex and her friendship with Y/N was long over.  

"You and every other girl that fancied Tommy," Y/N responds calmly, ignoring the rapid beating of her heart. "But it all worked out for you in the end, didn't it, Mrs Shelby?" 

"You do realise it's always been you, Y/N? He has always loved you and will continue to love you till the day he takes his last breath," Lizzie continues, ignoring Y/N's jab at her. 

"He needs you, Y/N. He's gotten himself into some trouble; he's not thinking clearly, he's not eating right, and he's barely sleeping. Everyone is scared for him. I'm at a loss for what to do." 

"Is he with you?" She asks, her heart overflowing with concern for her old love, the man she still loves dearly to this day. 

"No, he'll return from London tomorrow. He should be here by the time you arrive." 

"You're his wife, Lizzie. You're the one who's meant to help him," she says resisting the urge to end the call and begin packing her bag. She still loves Tommy, but she isn't his wife. Lizzie is. 

"I am not you. I know about your telephone calls and letters, and I know that when you last saw him 6 years ago before he married Grace, you fucked him. Even then, he was still yours. He's told me several times that if you returned, he'd have you again." 

"That's a good enough reason for me not to return." Those words shattered her heart. She's contemplated returning to Birmingham several times and almost did until she found out he had married Lizzie. "As much as it breaks my heart, I'm not going to let him leave you, Lizzie, because he made a promise to you. Just as he did with Grace." 

"But he doesn't love me; he loves and needs you. Whatever else you have to say is irrelevant. I'm risking my marriage by asking you to come here to help him because I care about him enough to reach out to the only person he'll listen to," Lizzie says, her voice trembling as she holds back tears. "Now, I'll see you tomorrow." She hastily ends the call before Y/N can say anything else. 

As she wanders further into the pub, she finds Lizzie and Tommy quietly conversing at one of the back tables. 

As she takes in Tommy's looks, her breathing becomes strained. His skin is pale, he has dark circles under his eyes, his face is thinner than the last time she saw him, and his high cheek bones are more prominent. He looks exhausted, and the look in his beautiful blue eyes is unsettling, reminding her of how they appeared when he returned from the war. Cold and distant. 

She recalls the night their relationship ended for the last time. Tommy had been tossing and turning and moaning in his sleep. When she woke him up, he panicked thinking he was back in France again. He had her on her back and was hovering over her, his hands firmly wrapped around her throat, preventing any air from entering her lungs. He didn't realise what he was doing until she was almost unconscious. He fled the house as quickly as he could, filled with shame and guilt. It was the first time Y/N had felt terrified of Tommy. Their relationship was never the same again. Even after he had regained her trust. 

Knowing this was all a mistake, she rushed out the door, unknowingly attracting the attention of her ex-lover and his wife. She's ready to get into her car when she hears Tommy's voice. 

She turns to face the man she can't stop herself from loving. "I apologise, Tommy; I shouldn't have come," She casts a brief glance behind him at Lizzie. 

He surprises her by pulling her in for an embrace, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist as hers run over his shoulders and around his neck. 

"I'm glad you're here." He whispers to her softly. 

"So am I," she whispered back, peering over his shoulder at Lizzie, who mouths her thanks her before heading back inside the pub, allowing the former lovers to get reacquainted. 

TAGGED: @chapter-in-my-old-diary - @hanawrites404 - goblinjnr - @halsteadbrasil - @forgottenpeakywriter - star-ggirl - @iceman-kazansky - @alexxavicry - @galactict3a - @crispynutella - @il0vebeingdelulu - @nicole-19s-world

Bold means your @ didn't come up when I tried to tag you. Here's a post I found that could help if your not able to be tagged: WHY OTHERS CAN'T TAG YOUR BLOG

Sometimes your blog will be linked after posted but I don't think you get the notification. Tags have been weird lately. I might start putting the tags in the comments. Let me know if you get the notification.

#acewritesfics repost #thomas shelby x reader #thomas shelby #tommy shelby #tommy shelby x reader #peaky blinders #peaky blinders x reader

[mayullla]

💐 Yandere Venti 🦋 please! Thank you again!

Title: Past Memories

Character(s): Venti (Genshin impact) Summary: He lost you and his friend in the past. He would not lose you the second time. Warnings/tags: Yandere themes, Fem!reader, reincarnation au

[ - A little present~! Event - Closed - ]

Venti loved you from the moment he was born from a blow of the wind. The moment he saw you as you held down your the skirt of your dress, he fell in love with you. Your lovely voice, startled by the sudden gust of wind as you held tightly the basket of food that you were carrying.

He was barely visible back then, the wisp thought to itself soon snapping out of his thoughts when his friend called him. Flying quickly towards him, the little spirit turned his head just one time more toward you before heading to his friend.

Unknown to him, you were going to be forever etched into his mind and heart.

He had watched from afar, the person that he loved. His feeling grew more and more the more he looked at you, the more he found out about you. The more lovely you have become to him, the more he watched you. The way you talk, how you laugh, how your eyes watched the sky as the wind curls around you, how your hair follows the wind softly as if dancing along with your clothes, every single thing made him fall more and more in love with you.

It was by chance that his friend became friends with you. The two of you had similar interests, if not that your personalities aligned just right to see each other every so often. It was around that time when Venti took his chance to meet you, to draw closer to you. He thought that this would be enough that everything was perfect.

Too bad nothing last forever.

As the war continued, he watched the world around him decay and destroy. His friend was killed by the enemy he wept in bitter sadness, but soon after you too had left this world with an arrow struck to your chest. Your last moments were with the little wind spirit you called him.

With your remained strength, you raised your hand as he pushed himself towards it like how a person would hold their dying loved one's hand. It made you smile as you told him how adorable he really was, something that he had heard many times from your lips. You told him to take care, you told him your regrets to leave so soon but you also told him that you were so thankful to have been given this life. It was hard for him to leave you even as your hand fell to the floor and your skin cold.

You never felt his heart even after years have passed. As Venti took the appearance of his dead friend for you, he cherished your deep inside his heart. And even after so long, his heart still has a painful thorn on its side.

It didn't happen every day maybe once or twice a year he would drink a little more than usual, a certain date that Diluc had noticed now as he watched the bard just drink, drink, and drink.

He used to try stopping the bard before when he thought that this was just too much, but he stopped at one point letting Venti drink by himself only walking up to him when Venti had called him for another bottle.

Diluc had heard Venti mumbling many times in the past when he got like this. He wanted to forget, yet when the bard passed out, Diluc could hear the name of a woman that the bard loved.

Diluc thought Venti was a heartbroken man, having lost the love of his life in death, something that even archons could not prevent. He thought that Venti would heal at one point, no matter how long it would be. He was right in some ways, but he was also so wrong....

After all this would be the last time that Venti becomes this broken, this shattered like this.

Because... because he found you.

As Venti looked at you, his eyes wide as he wondered why, why has he never noticed you before till now. As you looked at him surprised, your laughter dying out as you played under the sun. He wondered how and why you were here. He knew you had died long ago.

Yet as the wind blew and you touched his skin, wondering if he was okay or not, Venti could not help but gasped. It wasn't relief, nor was it gladness. He was breathless seeing you, but something twisted tangled in his heart too. Somthing far more twisted were hidden within those tears as he held your hand while you looked alarmed at the stranger who was crying.

The fear and loneliness for so long felt like it was finally going to suffocate him as he looked at your worried eyes. Many told him to let go of the past and look forward, yet he was unable to, clinging to the past where you were. He wondered every day if he would ever see you as he sang and rhyme tunes of love when he was alone.

To the sharp mind tho those lyrics had something darker to them, if Venti could continue on without any interruptions, the songs only get darker and darker. But he always stops because he knows that the world does not need to know these feelings they were, in some ways, a desperate fantasy.

This was the last day he would mourn for your death, for you were here now. Now with him. He will be the one to protect you and love you... the things he wanted to do in the past. He will keep you safe, and he will keep you under his watchful eyes.

After all, he lost two people he cherished much. He would never allow you to slip away from his sight again.

#yandere genshin #yandere venti #genshin venti #yandere writing #yandere scenarios #yandere imagines #genshin imagines #genshin scenarios #genshin writing #genshin fanfic #yandere x reader #genshin x reader #venti x reader #yandere venti x reader #genshin drabbles #yandere drabbles #yandere oneshot #genshin oneshots #tw yandere #yandere x you

[roses-r-rosie3]

Prank You Very Much

Jason Todd x M!Reader

Warnings: Crack, Jason & Damian being pranksters,

Summary: Jason and Damian are having a prank war and the reader gets caught in the middle of it

A/n: This is very inspired by the "Prank you very much" Episode from lab rats.

Quote: "You two have been pulling pranks on each other for three weeks straight and I always end up paying for it!"

✁ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

You didn't know how Jason and Damian's whole petty prank war started, nor did you want to know. But what you did know was that you were always caught in the middle of it. Like last week when you were hanging out with Jason. Jason was in the middle of playing some type of video game and you got up to use the restroom, leaving only Jason and Damian in the room.

"Hey Damian could you grab me a water, I'm trying to beat my high score, and if I stop this cyborg will melt me, and if that happens the colonial bomb will go off and if that happens-"

"I will get your water just stop talking" Damian said in annoyance.

But then Damian stopped and remembered the prank war that was still ongoing.

"I know your tricks Todd you're not going to fool me" Damian said confidently.

All of a sudden you came out of the hallway and into the kitchen area.

"Hey Jay, I was thinking I should make your family something to eat before we have to go" You said as you walked up to the fridge.

"DON'T OPEN THE-"

BAM!

(Btw I love this episode of Lab Rats sm😭❤️)

When you opened the fridge a mix of mustard, ketchup, and mayo blasted onto your face and body.

"Fridge.."

You slowly turned around in anger to give Jason the death-glare. Damian stood there, trying to hold in his laughter.

"Someone's getting put in the doghouse~" Damian whistled.

"Would it help at all if I said that was supposed to be Damian's face?" Jason laughed nervously.

"Jason Peter Todd!" you yelled.

Jason scrambled out of the room quicker than even the flash could.

"Well y/n because of this whole.. fiasco.. I would assume that you are taking my side in me and your boyfriend's little rivalry" Damian suggested.

Now it was Damian's turn to receive a death-glare from you, and he too scrambled out the room.

And a couple days ago when you were getting ready in your shared apartment with Jason. When you got out the shower and looked into the mirror your hair was hot pink.

"Jason!" You yelled.

Jason came rushing into your room and saw your hair and immediately bursted out laughing.

"This isn't funny! I had things I had to do today!" you complained.

"I'm guessing Damian put hair dye in the wrong shampoo bottle. HA! wait a minute.. how did he get into our apartment.." Jason said.

"Can this day get any worse" you whined as you picked up the blow dryer.

When you turned on the blow dryer, baby powder and glitter came flying out of it, causing Jason to laugh even harder. It took you all day to get the dye and glitter out of your hair. You finally decided that enough was enough, and that you were going to end it. You asked Alfred for a little favor and your plan was complete.

That day, Jason and Damian were walking upstairs from training, and the fresh scent of Alfred’s famous chocolate chip cookies filled the air. Jason and Damian were immediately alured by the smell and went straight to the kitchen. As soon as they stepped inside, a trap was set, and little did they know, they were hanging upside down.

"Hey! What is this!" Damian yelled.

"It was me, with a bit of help from Alfred, but that's not the point" you said as you revealed yourself.

"You two have been pulling pranks on each other for 3 weeks straight and I always end up paying for it!" you said.

"He started it!" Jason said as he pointed to Damian.

"Well if you didn't dye Titus pink then-"

"Enough! I am sick of your pranks so if you don't stop, for Jason, I will burn all of your pride and prejudice books" you said as you held Jason's book in your hand.

"You wouldn't dare!" Jason gasped.

"Pffft, really you're that concerned over a book?" Damian scoffed.

"And for your Damian, I will shave off all of Alfred's hair" you said as Alfred (the cat) snuggled next to your leg.

"That's evil!" Damian yelled.

"Now, will the two of you stop your prank war? Or do I have to stick to my word?" you asked.

"Yes!"

"Deal!"

You clicked the button on your phone, and both of them were let down. After that day, both Damian and Jason learned something important. Damian learned not to get on your bad side, and Jason learned to hide his books in a safer place if he ever pissed you off.

#male x male #mlm #malexmale #male reader #mxm #gay #jason todd x reader #jason todd x male reader #jason todd #jason todd x you #jason todd x y/n #damian wayne x male reader #damian wayne #red hood x reader #red hood x y/n #red hood x male reader #red hood #red hood x you #rosesrrosie3

[thewitchofbooks]

Cyril Rose ~ Facts

AN: I'm finally done with the important facts we know so far for both Cyril and Lucian, and since Cyril won, I'll post him first! Thank you very much to everyone who voted and to everyone reading this!

Warnings: All of the information is from the jp version of the game! Spoilers from Clavis' main Story, GW story sale bonus (detective), Clavis' 2nd birthday, Clavis' story events, Chevalier's 2nd anniversary winner party event story. Everything will be put under the cut:

The starting fact is his name. Cyril Rose was raised in a village in Obsidian, but when he joined the military, many said his last name sounded like he came from the country of roses.

Cyril and Clavis used to call each other "loser" when they first met during the war. Cyril did because he couldn't believe how someone can be like Clavis (putting his life on the line to save others, accepting everyone no matter what and a lot more), as well as how he could stay so calm during everything (but it turned more to teasing between them). Clavis was calling him a loser, because he didn't like how Cyril was ready to give up at that time and was able to help him regain his spirits and join Rhodolite's side.

Cyril is a very gentle and kind guy, but can also be funny with his snarky comments towards Clavis (something between two great friends)

Cyril calls Clavis an "idiot prince"

He has very bright red hair that are very noticeable and mentioned by other characters, (Chevalier, Sariel and more), including Emma.

Cyril doesn't have a lover (and Clavis made sure to remind him in the "Bittersweet Valentine" story event). Cyril told him to stop pretending as if he wasn't in the same position only a whole ago (Since Clavis' route released)

As confirmed in Clavis' 2nd birthday story, Cyril is a very fast runner and a very strong knight. He was able to run to the other side of the town with Emma in his arms (bridal style) and didn't stop at all (<- Emma was described "as light as a feather) and it was all to prank Clavis.) In Chevalier's 2nd anniversary No.1 story, we saw that he can match Chevalier in a sword fight, with fast and strong moves.

He knows how to help a woman get dressed and he can style hair buns, that look elegant and simple (Also from Clavis' 2nd birthday)

Him and Lucian are rumored as really good friends. It was said by Clavis, but he added that when they go out to drink, they're never seen sitting together on the same table. Also, Cyril was seen drinking grape juice while complaining to Rio and Emma about Clavis, while Luciam was most likely drinking alcohol (<-From the GW story sale bonus)

When that happened, he wasn't wearing any gloves (so he either took off his gloves because he wasn't working, or he doesn't wear any). He held Emma and Rio's hands in each of his, to guide them away from Clavis and he took them to Lucian's table.

According to Emma, his hands are rough from training, but very warm and safe.

Apparently, he tries every kind of new juice Clavis comes up with and that time, it was a new herbal juice (as punishment for sneaking from work). He didn't like it at all, yet he still drank it all.

They started bickering and while Emma was thinking that it looked like as if Cyril and Clavis were having fun, Lucian, after he used the mind reading skills he learned from Chevalier, nodded and agreed with her.

He is also very honest and loyal towards Clavis and the other princes (especially Chevalier)

He used to be just a third rate soldier in Obsidian, along with his friends Kai and Hugo. Hugo seems to be the youngest, since he uses honorifics to address Cyril (in the Japanese version). Cyril is probably the oldest of the three, or similar with Kai.

Gilbert wants him back to Obsidian, but Cyril refuses to betray Clavis, leaving Gilbert heartbroken.

The village where Cyril used to love was poor, but the situation wasn't as bad as the parts on the borders between Obsidian and Rhodolite, due to the corrupted nobles.

He is greatly respected by Chevalier, who saw his value. Chevalier knows his name, but prefers to use the nickname "Red head". Same with the others. Even Clavis understands that. Cyril also respects Chevalier, but he thinks he is scary.

He is the lead knight of the foreign affairs faction and he is the one training the knew knights (not the soldiers).

Chevalier trusts him enough to let him in his room and also casually speaks to him. Even though they were trying to keep it secret (them leaving their duties for the day and going for drinks), he somewhat talked about it to Chevalier. But Clavis was hiding in Chevalier's room, so he exposed them. That's why he made him drink that "juice" (<-GW bonus story)

In the "propose to you" story event (Clavis', which is coming soon in EN), Clavis and Emma were getting engaged with Chevalier as the witness. Chevalier didn't look up at them at all and only when they left, he looked at Cyril to answer that he wasn't staying and he was going home with a smirk (Clavis was sad/mad at Chevalier who wouldn't look at how beautifully dressed Emma was). Cyril called him a troublesome brother after he left.

Originally, he was mostly hanging out with Rio for said drinks, but when Emma is free, they let her tag along (<- The bar they go to is only for the court's servants, I'm pretty sure it's to talk about their employees at this point🤣)

Cyril knows that many little boys dream of becoming knights when they grow up, but he, himself, felt like the job he was doing doesn't have a purpose, because lately, he had only been collecting banana peels and cleaning after Clavis.

Just for this reason, Emma and Rio were thanking him for his hard work and looked at him as if he was their savior.

He also complains that the knights have to eat bananas all the time, but they don't keep them very full. He doesn't want to even mention the reason why they do that.

He has more than once said to Emma to use Clavis' wallet for expensive things.

Cyril actually gets very offended when he gets told that he is like a natural born knight. Clavis was the one who told him, when he was being "too sweet" towards Emma. Cyril warned him to never say that again.

He is picking up Clavis' lines. While I don't remember it being translated in the EN version of the game, in the JP this happened: (<- Clavis' route, when they met with the rebels at the borders)

Clavis:"I don't understand why they don't want to welcome such a beautiful man"

Cyril:"Please, stop saying that. It's not fashionable"

(The fashionable comment)

He is the same age as Clavis, so he is 29 years old!

AN: Thank you very much for reading until the end! I hope these facts were helpful! I personally recommend reading both ends of Clavis' upcoming proposal event for more Cyril content!

#ikemen prince #ikepri #ikepri cyril #ikemen prince cyril #ikepri cyran #ikemen prince cyran #ikepri spoilers #ikemen prince spoilers #ikepri rio #ikepri emma #ikepri cyril rose #ikemen prince cyril rose #also if anyone is wondering the reason why i draw him with long hair #is because Kachiru-sensei the original designer of ikepri characters has a character named Gilbert in her manga series 'rosen blood' #he has long red hair and since Kachiru-sensei was inspired by her own characters for ikepri i did the same😂 #thank you again for reading!

[atmilliways]

Wrong On The Money (19)

part 19 of ?? | 1018 words | Teen+

Blackmail fic on Ao3 | on tumblr

Summary:

He looks up from jamming a rag into a Molotov cocktail, both startled and completely unsurprised to see Eddie standing there. From the drawn look on his face, it must be time for Steve to finish that conversation from the woods.

I took a posting break on Sunday, but here's slightly more words than usual to make up for it.

19.

“Steve, a word in the RV?”

He looks up from jamming a rag into a Molotov cocktail, both startled and completely unsurprised to see Eddie standing there. From the drawn look on his face, it must be time for Steve to finish that conversation from the woods.

His eyes slide over to Robin. “You mind finishing these?”

She shoots him a flat look. “Oh, no, whatever will I do without your strong and manly assistance with these last two bottles?”

“Suffer?” Steve suggests brightly, and slaps both hands on his knees to lever himself up. The bites on his torso ache still, a constant background throb even after redressing them with a field kit from the War Zone. He waves towards the RV. “Lead the way, Munson.”

Following Eddie up the steps, he doesn't comment on the fact that Eddie’s boxers are riding up while his jeans, supported by barely any ass at all, are riding down. That would make it too obvious that he’s been looking. Noticing it a while ago while the guy was play-wrestling with Dustin doesn’t exactly help his case there.

Eddie’s energy is . . . strange, for him. He’s always a little restless, messing with his hair or fidgeting with his rings. But now there’s an unfamiliar, almost pained pinch to his mouth now, and the degree of fidgeting is astronomically high. Even for the guy who Steve once witnessed get detention for dropping his pencil too many times during a five question pop quiz.

As soon as the door shits behind them, Eddie wheels around and launches straight into it. “Why the fuck did you pay me, Steve?”

Those deep brown eyes settle on him, trying to bore into him to get at the truth by sheer force of will. Steve still has yet to decide for sure if he wants Eddie to look at him, but it’s happening now and it’s making his breath catch in his throat. (Even though he's pretty sure Eddie hates him on principle.) He fixes his own gaze on Eddie’s hands, twitching in agitation at his sides.

“I know it’s not because you didn’t want me to tell Robin where I saw you,” Eddie continues, “or because you had the money to throw around. So why?”

Steve frowns at the second part. “Who told you that?”

“Dustin said your dad cut you off a while ago. And some of the other kids confirmed when I asked.” Eddie’s hands flex, fingers curling hard into his palm. If there were more light in here, his rings would glitter in it; Steve’s never seen that before, because they’ve almost always met each other at night. “Answer the fucking question.”

“Alright.” Steve crosses his arms across his chest, which pulls at his injuries, but not so much that he can’t ignore it. “Dustin told me about your uncle being sick.”

“He. . . . He what?”

Steve meets Eddie’s shocked deer-in-the-headlights stare (fucking Bambi eyes that make him feel rooted where he stands) and shrugs. “Told you he’s a butthead. But, uh . . . yeah, he was all upset when he first found out, because he kinda lost his dad the same way.”

“You—” And there Eddie's hands go, flying up to his hair, one on top of his head as if to keep it from popping off and the other twisting into a clump of it. “You knew about that? This whole time?!”

Despite not having anything to hide, nothing he’s ashamed of in this, Steve’s first instinct is still to backpedal. Something about seeing Eddie all doe-eyed and squeaky and . . . he looks like he feels bad.

“Yeah?” Steve ventures, running a hand through his own hair, and worries a corner of his lip with his teeth. “Look, I know you don’t have any reason to like the guy I was in high school, and I’m not asking you to. The bottom line is that it’s shit I’m trying to make up for now, and I knew you weren’t blackmailing me just to be a dick, so . . . yeah, I just sort of went with it.”

Eddie makes a sound of objection, but otherwise doesn’t interrupt. 

“I gave you money. I helped somebody not die—" Steve ticks them off on his fingers as he goes "—and didn't even get another concussion doing it, which is a new personal record. Oh, and I figured out how to make ends meet. Which is something I really need to know, considering my job prospects since I didn’t go to college. Mutual, uh. . . .” Steve frowns, shrugs. “We both got something out of it. It’s not that big a deal.”

And the thing is, he means it. He walked into this knowing what he was getting into, accepting it right from the start.

They stare at each other for a long moment before Eddie shakes his head in disbelief and leans back against the kitchenette table like it’s a stool.

“You’re something else, Harrington,” he mutters, rubbing both hands over his face. “I can’t believe you’re a good dude, it flies in the face of everything I believe . . . and fucking yet.” Sighing, he peeks over the tips of his fingers with big, expressive eyes that, for once, aren’t glaring or squinting at Steve suspiciously.

The warmth creeps up into Steve’s face. It’s not exactly a standing ovation, but Eddie Munson isn’t known for doling out praise to jocks. 

It’s been a long day, and they’re in for an even longer night. There isn’t much time to process what’s happening. But he takes exactly one step forward, no plan in mind, only knowing that while Eddie isn’t looking he can move again—

“Steve,” Robin yells, with a bang on the side of the RV. “Your kids were playing with sharp spear-knives and had an accident, bring band aids stat!”

Sighing, he redirects to grab the first aid kit. When Eddie drags his hands down to open his eyes again, Steve offers a rueful half-smile. “We’ll finish this up after?”

He doesn’t actually wait for an answer, but it doesn’t look like Eddie has anything lined up to say, the way his jaw drops.

#steddie blackmail fic #steddie #steddie fic #stranger things fic #eddie munson #steve harrington

[filledtothebrimothy]

🦑🦇Sharing my BramCraft headcanons bc they make me ill🦇🦑

They first met way before Bram got chopped in half, so theyve known each other for centuries

They met kinda like how mermaid aus happen. Lovecraft was snoozing underwater when one day one of the fishermen living on Bram’s fief caught him

I have a hc that Lovecraft has a multitude of sizes for his monster form so he can stay relatively hidden under rocks and such as to not be disturbed, so when the fisherman caught him, he was kinda just this mass of weird green tentacles that fit in the palm of this guy’s hand

Lovecraft was actually still sleeping when he was caught, so he didn’t wake up and kill everyone on the boat

This weird sea creature was brought to Bram for inspection, who was pretty much able to see right through what Lovecraft was

In order to protect the people of his fief, Bram told them he’d handle it and brought Lovecraft to the shore by himself and awoke him

When Lovecraft woke up, he didn’t feel like attacking this random guy and just wanted to go back to sea, so the two of them made a truce

…and then Lovecraft realized he was on a completely different continent than the one he called home, which meant he had to swim all the way back

That was what they both thought would be the last time they’d ever see each other, but they’d be wrong

Several hundred years later, Lovecraft (somehow) ended up near Bram’s fief by accident once again

This time, though, he ended up accidentally protecting the fief. He was probably just strolling through the woods and was in a bad mood & some random attackers pissed him off or smth

Bram found him, and they both just kinda stared at one another. Like “holy shit how is this guy from hundreds of years ago still alive”

Bram invited Lovecraft to his manor as an honored guest bc not only did Lovecraft protect the land, but also their truce from all those years ago was still holding up

This was probably around a time of war for Bram’s land too tbh

Bram’s people were confused abt why their lord brought in this random homeless guy, especially in hard times for them, but he assured them that they could trust Lovecraft

They didn’t question each other’s immortality. They simply felt a connection between the two of them- they were similar, and that was all they needed to know

Alas war was still going on, but the two of them SWEPT the battlefield together (they just want to live in peace)

When witnessing each other in combat and each others’ abilities (well not so much as an ability for Lovecraft but ykwim), they both just thought “ahh. that makes sense”

Bram’s country won the war with these two powerhouses! Hip Hip Hooray!

Around this era was probably the peak of BramCraft. They understood each other and never pushed the other for information. They both simply wanted peace and quiet, and living together in a manor no longer engaged in war allowed that

Lovecraft, who was previously simply a guest in Bram’s land because of their silly truce and somewhat a weapon for the war, was now no longer sleeping in the guest bedroom (he was seeing what the hype of human life was all about) and was very close to Bram

The people of Bram’s land never saw much of Lovecraft, who always stayed inside the manor, but Bram was quite social with the commonfolk

Bram still behaved like a lord and knew they weren’t on his level, but he was engaged in their lives and the harvests and such

He probably used them in war by turning them to vampires to fight against the enemy before turning them back, so he kind of felt he had an obligation to treat them well as thanks

Of course, all good things must come to an end, as this was just a temporary era of theirs

They both knew this wouldn’t last forever (despite both being immortal/being able to live forever). Sooner or later, SOMETHING would force them apart, so they agreed to say their goodbyes before that could happen

Before going their separate ways, though, Bram took Lovecraft on a long tour of the entire fief

Lovecraft ended up growing a fascination with the peasants, especially the farmers and their crops as well as having a slight distaste for fishermen (this would also become the reason why he and Steinbeck become close friends)

They say their goodbyes, and the golden era of BramCraft comes to an end 💔

Things just kinda spiral downward from there, especially for Bram (curses, Fukuchi) (i also just rlly wanna know what happened with the girl that looks like Aya)

And now, Lovecraft is probably sleeping at the bottom of the ocean once more, and Bram keeps complaining about wanting to sleep in his coffin

#i suddenly got a brainblast of bramcraft #idk why #yaoi in the time of ye olde #just let them both sleep #sighs deeply #if only lovecraft stayed to help fight with his vampire husband #this is canon now #this is also just my interpretation of them #please tell me if you have your own id love to hear it #bramcraft #bram #lovecraft #bsd lovecraft #bsd bram #bungo stray dogs #bsd #bsd spoilers

[evcrgardn]

once upon a dream

jake sully x fem!navi!reader

genre: angst

warnings: mentions of death and blood, maybe a bit creepy, hurt (this was literally so painful to write)

note: first fic on this blog! <3 this is inspired by a scene that i love so much from braveheart and the jake and neteyam memory scene in atwow :(( this has been in my head for so long so i really wanted to turn it into a fic. this is very sad but i hope you guys will love it still :)) reblogs are appreciated! + will probably edit this when i have the time

.・゜゜・  Just when he was about to sleep, Jake’s ears perked up at the sound of footsteps outside the tent. He does not know why, but his gut tells him that he should check out whoever might that be. He slowly gets up, very carefully making his way out of the tent, not wanting to wake Neytiri and the kids up.

The sound led Jake deep into the forest. Along with the footsteps, the sound of flowing water from afar, as well as the chirping of the nocturnal creatures of the forest filled the peaceful night. He was unsure why he was even following the source of the footsteps, and why his heart was racing in his chest. Better be safe than sorry, he thinks. He would never forgive himself if anything bad happens to his family or his people just because he ignored this. 

He then spots a silhouette, which seemed like that of a Na’vi’s, from afar. “Hey,” he calls out. “Who are you?” he asks in Na’vi, making the figure halt its steps and turn around, yet he still could not identify who it is. He was about to ask once more when the figure suddenly starts walking slowly towards his direction.

As the Na’vi figure comes closer and closer, Jake’s heartbeat goes incredibly faster. He draws his knife for his safety, although he surprisingly doesn’t really sense any danger from this person at all.

When the figure finally comes face to face with him, Jake’s knees suddenly feel weak, dropping to the ground, as well as the knife that was previously in his hand.

It was you.

I must be dreaming, Jake thinks. If so, then he wouldn't want to wake up from this dream. You look down at him as he kneels properly on one knee in front of you as if he is a knight kneeling before his queen. "Y/N," he utters your name, looking at you straight in the eye. “Oel ngati kameie.”

You gave him a warm smile that could light up the whole of Pandora, making his heart swell in his chest, "Oel ngati kameie, Ma'Jake."

Tears were starting to form in his eyes from hearing your voice for the first time in years. The longer he looked at you, the more tears came in. The bioluminescent flora lit up your face in a gorgeous purple hue, your freckles also glowing like the stars in the evening sky. Woodsprites were floating above you, a clear sign that Eywa brought you to him. You did not change a bit, your face still radiant and youthful as it was before.

You were as beautiful as the day he met you… and the last time he saw you, which was years ago, during the war against the Sky People. He remembers how your ikran led him deep in the forest to find your body covered in blood. He embraced you in his arms as he called for your name, so many times. He waited for you to respond to his touch, wishing that you’d open your eyes and give him that smile of yours that he loved so much. But no, you did none of that.

Instead, you laid there in Jake's arms as his heart breaks into pieces, your face peaceful as if you were just in a deep sleep. He could still remember that day as if it was just yesterday. He may have led the Na’vi clans to victory against the Sky People, but he felt defeated, because he lost you.

In fact, before the battle, you two made a vow to each other: that the two of you will survive, and after that, you will become a mated pair before Eywa and be together for the rest of your lives. Unfortunately, the vow was broken by you.

"Y/N, I missed you. It's been so long," he tearfully says. He could no longer hold back the tears. He could no longer hide the pain that he's been trying to keep to himself for so many years.

"And I you," you responded, reaching down to hold his hand and pull him up so you could face each other at eye level. Jake looked at you with so much love and longing. You were his woman. His first love, and you will always be.

"How are you?" you ask, bringing your hand up to his face to wipe his tears with your thumb. You smiled as you stared at him, your hand cupping his cheek. Your eyes scanned every part of his face. He had a few wrinkles showing he’s aged and faded battle scars, his golden eyes were glistening with tears. His hair is much longer and thicker than before, his body also larger now.

"I... I'm good. I'm happy to see you."

Jake has clearly changed over time but still looked as handsome as he was in his younger years. You could still see in him the reckless skxawng that you fell in love with.

"I see you are Olo'eyktan now... and you have a beautiful family. I am very proud of you, Ma'Jake." He's come so far. From just being a nobody, he became a warrior, became one of The People, became the sixth Toruk Makto, and now, the Olo'eyktan of the Omaticaya. Jake forces a soft smile though his pain is still evident. He hides it very well from everybody, but now that you're here in front of him, perhaps he could just let it show just this once. Even the strongest men can break down and cry.

"I think about you everyday, yawne. I'm sorry–"

"Hush. Do not," you cut him off, your index finger touching his lips. "I am with the Great Mother now. I am with The People... and I am happy. What happened has happened already. It is not your fault."

Jake could only nod at your words, though in his heart, he wishes that he could have prevented it. If he could turn back time, he wouldn't have let you fight in the battle, though he knows that isn't possible. You were a fearless warrior, and you surely wouldn't let yourself be left behind while others fought for your home. You would rather die fighting than stand and do nothing.

"You must wake now, Ma'Jake," you tell him, "It is almost morning."

Jake frowns at your words, his eyes glossy with tears and his ears folding back. "But I don't want to. I wish to stay here with you." He says, his voice laced with pain and desperation. Many years have passed since he last saw you... since he last felt your touch and heard your voice. He's fully aware that this is all a dream, yet who knows when you'll come back to visit him again? If this will be the first and the last time, he wishes to stay here with you for a bit longer before he goes back.

You took both of his hands in yours, rubbing circles on the back of his hands with your thumbs as a way to comfort him. "It is not your time yet. You have a family to protect. They need you. The People need you," you say, reminding him of his duties as a father and as Olo'eyktan of the Omaticaya. "The right time will come for you to join me." You placed your hand on Jake's chest, feeling the way his heart beats. "I will always be here. I will always watch over you," you assured him.

"I love you," Jake places his hand on top of yours, expressing his undying love for you. "I will always love you,” he adds. His voice already sounds raspy from crying.

"I love you, Ma'Jake. Take care of yourself," you say, giving him one last smile before you vanished into thin air.

"Ma'Jake, wake up."

Jake wakes up to the sound of Neytiri's voice. She was looking at him, her large eyes were filled with worry. "You were crying, Ma'Jake. I was worried. I had to wake you up."

Jake sits up, wiping his eyes that were indeed wet with his own tears. It seems that he was literally crying. He turns his head to Neytiri. "I saw her, Neytiri," he whispers.

Neytiri smiles at him, fully aware who Jake is talking about. You.

Jake rarely speaks about you, but Neytiri knows that he still carries the pain of losing you in his heart. She has no hard feelings about it, really, for she has witnessed the beautiful romance that blossomed between you two. She knows Jake is true to her and their kids, but she also understands that it is impossible to forget someone you love, most especially a first love. It is the same for her and the late Tsu'tey.

Jake recalls how heavenly your voice sounded like and how angelic you looked. He smiles. "She visited me in my dream. It was wonderful. It felt so real."

He hopes you’ll come and visit him again soon.

#jake sully #avatar #avatar 2009 #avatar james cameron #avatar the way of water #atwow #jake sully imagine #jake sully x reader #jake sully fluff #jake sully angst #avatar x reader #avatar imagine #so nervous to post this but yeah

[birbwell]

Tell us about different monastery burning motifs! Would be interesting to hear how each of them work narratively

hi! this was mostly explored when @st-vesta and I were yelling incoherently about it. I also don't have a very good grasp on The Name of the Rose as I've only watched the show. tbh I'm really only confident of my interpretation of PotE SO WITH THAT IN MIND

[SPOILERS FOR THE NAME OF THE ROSE, THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH AND PENTIMENT]

Right from the get-go their burnings are very different in when they come into the narrative. It comes very early on in Pillars of the Earth, with Kingsbridge Cathedral burning down right near the start. It's the force that drives the plot. Pentiment's Kiersau Abbey goes up in flames in the end of the second act as a culmination of the long-standing tensions over the course of five (?) years. The Name of the Rose ends its story with the burning of its mountain monastery.

How do they happen? Till the last second, Kingsbridge's fate was kinda just strung on a line of bad luck and split-second decisions. A forest boy named Jack tags along with a mason's family, becomes refugees of a burgeoning civil war, and ends up in Kingsbridge. He gets the idea to burn down the cathedral to give the kindly mason a job, and isn't even fully sure of his decision as he lights the vault boards on fire. He’s just a child. 

And yet.

Fire is a catalyst. As much as it is a catastrophe, it also presents three groups of people all fucked by the hellscape of 12th century England with an opportunity to build something brighter. Aliena’s family and earldom taken by the Anarchy, Philip and his languishing priory, and Jack, coming from the fringes of society all working together to pull their futures out of the ashes of the cathedral… Kingsbridge and its town start thriving again. 

(Fire is very much a motif in PotE. Someone as powerless as Jack using this volatile force of nature to bring down something as grand and sacred and built-to-last as a stone church! The Church controlling fire to produce a ‘miracle’ and restore faith in the institution! Fire as Hell, the only thing that has ever scared William Hamleigh! Fire as hope, Philip treading the aftermath and watching the sun rise with Tom!! I;m very ill)

Kiersau and Tassing, on the other hand, have been fostering tensions that would eventually destroy the monastery. It is the powder keg’s inevitable explosion. Neither the village nor the abbey are willing to back down, so it culminates in a situation where one or the other caves in. Nobody has been having a Good Time for a Long Time. Especially not Claus. In his grief, he walks into the library and sets it on fire.

Fire is an answer. It is a terrible, terrible night. We are told that the Benedictines scattered to the wind. We don’t get to see the immediate aftermath, but does it matter? Magdalene explores the abbey and it is still the same derelict cathedral from years ago. She wasn’t there to witness it, but there its soot-stained carcass stands as a reminder of tragedy. Some saw it as a victory, certainly- the humble villagers triumphing over their Benedictine landowners. Things grew from it, though- Wojslav and Matilda find their new chapter of life here, Mathieu and Illuminata find new, loftier prospects outside of Tassing, and Andreas finds a way out of an unhappy life.

The mountain monastery in The Name of the Rose has a long-kept secret, and attempts to unearth it are met with death. It goes up in flames after a week of murders as a last-ditch effort by Jorge to destroy its library and bury its secret for good.

Fire is the end. No matter how grand and complex the library labyrinth was, it would have never held up against fire. William and Adso didn’t succeed. They couldn’t have saved the library and they couldn’t stop the deaths. Jorge did what he set out to do! The elusive Finis Africae is still shrouded in mystery and anyone who knew of the contents is dead! The monks disband and William comes out of it disillusioned. 

TBH, all three of them make use of monastery burnings to destroy some hidden truth or secret. The history of Tassing? Records largely in flames, and even given to distortion, since we, the player, are able to interpret that segment! The truth about the White Ship? Gone with Prior James’ bones! And Finis Africae. Fire, if anything, can hide and rewrite. 

TL;DR: fire do many thangs and pyromaniacs everywhere are right.

#pentiment #pillars of the earth #the pillars of the earth #the name of the rose #pentiment spoilers #pote spoilers #notr spoilers #birbwellspeaks #really my expertise is on PotE. ive only played through Pentiment once so i hope i can do this justice #though i also have lots of thoughts about how different Tassing and Kingsbridge are community-wise... #like. that response to the fire. and in general they are written v differently #ALSO SORRY FOR THAT SHITTY NOTR SCREENSHOT #i dont have the episode in good quality

[theficpusher]

Kiwi by dimpled_halo | M | 6080 The last place Louis expects to see Harry again after ten years is performing at a music festival in Chicago.

the one who stays and the one leaving you by dragmedown | M | 10315 Fuck. He had just slept with none other than Harry Styles. ⛸️ OR the stolen hoodie and lost panties AU

A Few Very Good Mistakes by louisandthealien | nr | 12172 He almost wishes there were a better story. "Fucked up pop star ends five day bender by wandering into a dive bar alone and passing out in public." That would've generated press, he thinks, and if there's one thing that's constantly on his mind (or more accurately, on the mind of everyone else around him) it's that all press is good press, and good press is good press but bad press is great press. Besides, he's 25 and trying to do the whole transition from boyband to solo pop star. He's pretty sure a press-fueled meltdown is, like, a right of passage. The truth, alas, is a whole lot more boring. --- Louis falls asleep in Harry's bar. Harry takes him home to hang out.

Prelude to Forever by AlwaysAqua | M | 13503 @StylinHarry: So I kinda fell for a boy yesterday at #ChiPride. Kissed & fireworks went off. Literally. He’s a drama teacher. Goes by “Louis” but I prefer Sunshine. Very pretty. The prettiest. Got separated & I’m a fucking idiot who forgot to get his number. Anyone know him? #helpfindsunshine Or, Louis and Harry meet at Pride in Chicago and spend the day falling for each other before getting accidentally separated.

Soup Of The Day by jacaranda_bloom | E | 19958 It had been the single minded goal for them since college and seemed simple enough. 1. Study hard. 2. Open their dream restaurant. 3. Take the culinary world by storm. What could possibly go wrong? Or the Restaurant AU where Louis and Niall are chefs, Chicago is windy, and cracking the big time is harder than they ever imagined. But when a mysterious man starts grading Louis' soups by leaving little piles of rocks, could it be just the thing they need to get them on the road to success?

i talk out loud like you're still around by vaultingus | M | 24693 photographer!louis / model!harry chicago, u.s. louis sighs into empty air and takes pictures for indie labels and promises himself he’ll be better this time. harry still has pink lips but they used to smile so much more and he does his best work when he’s in a war with the camera. it’s hard to be found when you don’t think you’re lost.

Bitter Ends Turn Sweet by allwaswell16 | E | 30164 It had been four years since Harry first heard the song his ex wrote about him and far longer since they broke up. He forgave Louis long ago, and now his life was focused on his career, his family, and especially his son, Max. But Louis was back in Chicago, after all this time, and he’s not an easy man to ignore. Or a songfic inspired by the song Chicago

You're the Light by allwaswell16 | E | 31285 Before beginning a new graduate school in the fall, Louis Tomlinson decides to spend the summer working in Chicago as an editor’s assistant for the Chicago Tribune newspaper and staying with his old college roommate. What he finds on his first day of work is a tall, gorgeous editor named Harry who has the most beautiful green eyes he’s ever seen—and who also happens to be his new boss.

In The Name of Being Honest by sunflouwerhabit, therogueskimo | M | 123563 Back at his desk, Louis closed his eyes for a moment, trying to settle into the reality of this. He was leaving the UK for only the second time in his life. Suddenly, the holiday he took to Spain three summers ago felt like it paled in comparison. He was going to the U.S. - for work, it was true, but still - alone. He’d been all for seizing the moment when his boss had been looking at him with a gaze of steel, but now he felt vaguely nauseous. Louis took several shaky breaths, feeling like the air was being sucked from the room, and opened the manila folder, laying it flat on his desk. His breath caught as he saw the destination, centered in a large, block font at the very top of the first page: Robinson Publishing - Chicago, Illinois, United States of America. ~~~ After two years of living in an everlasting cycle of work, sleep, and regret, Louis finds himself wandering brand new streets perpetually haunted by the ghosts of his past. The Chicago Fic.

#chicago #kiwi #the one who stays and the one leaving you #A Few Very Good Mistakes #Prelude to Forever #Soup Of The Day #i talk out loud like you're still around #Bitter Ends Turn Sweet #You're the Light #In The Name of Being Honest #dimpled_halo #dragmedown #louisandthealien #AlwaysAqua #jacaranda_bloom #vaultingus #allwaswell16 #sunflouwerhabit #therogueskimo

[george-the-good]

King George VI - Christmas Message (1943)

Once again, from our home in England, the Queen and I send our Christmas greetings and good wishes to each one of you, all the world over. Some of you may hear me on board your ships, in your aircraft, or as you wait for battle in the jungles of the Pacific Islands or on the Italian peaks. Some of you may listen to me as you rest from your work, or as you lie sick or wounded in hospital. To many of you, my words will come as you sit in the quiet of your homes. But, wherever you may be, today of all days in the year, your thoughts will be in distant places and your hearts with those you love. I hope that my words, spoken to them and to you, may be the bond that joins us all in one company for a few moments on this Christmas Day.

With this thought in my mind, I wish to all who are on service good luck and a stout heart; to those who wait for them to return, proud memories and high hopes to keep you strong; to all children, here and in the lands beyond the seas, a day of real happiness.

I send these words of Christmas greeting to all of you who dwell within the family of the British Commonwealth and Empire. I know you would wish me to send a message of hope to our gallant allies who fight with us, and to all who, in the loneliness of exile or the horror of invasion, look forward to our coming victory.

In this year almost passed, many things have happened, under God’s providence, to make us thankful for His mercies. The generous strength of the United States of America, the tremendous deeds of Russia, the endurance of China under her long ordeal, the fighting spirit of France re-born, and the flower of the manhood and womanhood of many lands that share the burdens of our forward march - all these have played their part in the brightening of our fortunes on sea, on land, and in the air.

Since I last spoke to you many things have changed. But the spirit of our people has not changed. As we were not downcast by defeat, we are not unduly exalted by victory. While we have bright visions of the future we have no easy dreams of the days that lie close at hand. We know that much hard working and hard fighting, and perhaps harder working and harder fighting than ever before, are necessary for victory. We shall not rest from our task until it is nobly ended. Meanwhile, within these islands, we have tried to be worthy of our fathers; we have tried to carry into the dawn the steadfastness and courage vouchsafed to us when we stood alone in the darkness.

This is not the time for a chronicle of our progress. But there is one landmark in the sombre, world-embracing battlefield which I hope and I trust may endure. Wherever their duty has called our men and women, they have gained new friends and come to know old friends better. They have learnt to share the burdens, and to read the hearts, of their neighbours; they have laid the foundations of new friendships between nations, and strengthened old ones formed long ago. As a result, there is springing up in every country fresh hope that out of comradeship in sacrifice shall come power to restore, and power to build anew.

I saw proof of this when I visited North Africa in the summer. I saw many thousands of men of the United Nations, united in action, in heart and mind and purpose. The only rivalry between them was in the service of a great cause; their only aim was the defeat of a common enemy.

In the same spirit of unity, men of diverse races have come together in the council chamber and round the conference-table: some to meet the stern, immediate demands of war itself; others to heal the wounds that war deals to all humanity - to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, mend the broken, and succour the poor. So, as we see the clouds breaking on this Christmas Day, we should take comfort from our faith that out of desolation shall rise a new hope, and out of strife be born a new brotherhood.

From this ancient and beloved festival that we are keeping, sacred as it is to home and all that home means, we can draw strength to face the future of a world riven by a tempest such as it has never yet endured. In the words of a Scottish writer of our day: ‘No experience can be too strange and no task too formidable, if a man can link it up with what he knows and loves.’¹

---

1. From Memory Hold-the-Door, by John Buchan (Lord Tweedsmuir)

#King George VI #British Royal Family #1943 #1940s #WWII

[iamhereonlytobeanunstableshipper]

(First of all, English is not my first language so sorry if there are some mistakes long essays are hard to write djhdsfs)

HELLO GOOD MORNING CHERIK FANDOM SO the other day I made this post about a very hurtful and surprisingly overlooked parallel: Cherik not being able to shoot each other. Aaaand that second scene from DOFP where Erik is unable to shoot Charles has been keeping me awake at night for AGES and I really feel like we don't talk enough about it. So, here I am. Still being pissed off because of some fictional characters not kissing in some movies made years ago lol

So, here's an extended extract from that scene:

So. Erik's plan here is to kill Raven, bc you can't use Raven to create evil war machines if there's no Raven am I right lol. Charles, before Erik can shoot his sister, puts himself in between the gun and her (btw shoutout to Charles for being brave enough to put himself in front of a gun again after what happened in Cuba and the ptsd he 100% has bc of it I love you muac).

Let's make things clear here: There was nothing stopping Erik from killing Charles in this scene. He could've done it. Erik's mission at that very moment was to kill Raven, and Charles was getting between his mission and him. And we all know how things end when something gets in Erik's way when he's completing his mission. Erik does not care about collateral damage. For fucks sake, in this very same scene, he was willing to kill Raven off just bc it was easier and faster. He doesn't give a fuck about who has to die in favor of the greater good.

And I mean, technically, Erik should be more willing to kill Charles than Raven. Raven was his right hand for a while before he went to prison and she was his canonical lover. Charles, at this point in time, was his enemy. Both of them are very powerful mutants, with the difference that Raven is usually by Erik's side, and Charles is one of the only people in the world able to stop Erik thanks to his mutation. If Erik was willing to kill Raven, he should be willing to kill Charles too, if not as much, then more.

So... Why not? Why not shoot him, and once Charles was down, kill Raven too? Why is he able to attempt to kill Raven (his former ally and EX LOVER) and not Charles?

🤨 🏳️‍🌈 ❓ 

ALSO, now that we're here: Let's talk a bit about Dark Phoenix, too.

So, let's face it, DP is a bad movie. Overall, it's boring and that's pretty sad counting the masterpieces FC and DOFP are. But, hey, I can live with a boring movie. It's fine. What I CANNOT live with are things that are out of character. Especially when my fave characters are out of character. Ok maybe I'm being a bit too over dramatic here but I'M NOT

So: Let's talk about how Erik wants to rip the world apart over Raven's death in Dark Phoenix bc he's just so destroyed bc the love of his life died or whatever. Dude. I'm sorry but I don't buy it.

Correct me if I'm wrong here bc there's been a while since I don't rewatch Apocalypse or Dark Phoenix (again, meh movies), but from what I understand Erik didn't spend more time with Raven, apart from that bit in Apocalypse? Because after DOFP, Erik distanced himself from anything related to mutant wars to create a family, and then after Apocalypse Erik created Genosha and Raven stayed at the mansion, isn't it?

Assuming that this is correct, they're trying to tell me that between the scene where Erik was willing to kill Raven over the greater good in DOFP and the scene where he was willing to rip the world apart bc of her dying in DP, Raven and Erik only saw each other once. Riiiiight.

And, look. I'm not saying that Erik wouldn't feel sad about Raven dying. Of course he would. He's not made of steel (bc most steel is not magnetic. Get it? Magnetism, Erik... Imma shut up lol). Obviously he would feel bad. And I'm not saying that love can't last that long if they haven't seen each other in a long time, bc c'mon. I'm a cherik shipper. Of course I believe it can.

What I'm saying is that I can't believe that Erik is so devastated that gets blinded enough by his broken heart to hunt down a teenager that's being haunted by something she can't control. I can't believe it bc 20 years ago, it was him who was trying to kill Raven (and almost succeeding), a time that was way closer to their partnership and relationship than when DP takes place. If anything, he should be more affected in DOFP. Instead, he goes from almost killing her himself to wanting to rip everything apart bc of her death.

It. Doesn't. Make. Sense. So, Dark Phoenix's Raven x Erik plotline can suck my dick lol. If it doesn't make sense with the character's previous actions, it's not canon. That's how this works lol I don't make the rules

Summing up: Erik willing to kill Raven but not being able to shoot Charles in DOFP is EXTREMELY fruity and romantic, and Dark Phoenix's romantic plot between Raven and Erik makes 0 sense and is forced as shit

End of rant, thanks for hearing my ramblings on these gay old men and I hope y'all enjoyed it!!

(Also, of course, happy new year!!!)

#i love making theories about 10 y/o movies sm sdjkfsfjdsksd #cherik #charles xavier #erik lehnsherr #erik lensherr x charles xavier #mutant husbands #x men #xmen #xmen days of future past #xmen dofp #xmen dark phoenix #professor x #magneto #cherik gif #cherik canon #x men movies #xmcu #james mcavoy #michael fassbender #raven darkholme

[thetorturedpoetsintern]

The longest summer in our life

Note: This was inspired by a tiktok @alwayssevvy sent me and it has themes from Gone With The Wind, hence the gif. I hope you'll enjoy my first Severus x reader oneshot 💜

Warnings: To avoid spoilers I'll only tell you one thing: TISSUES

It has been more than four months since you last saw him. He dropped you off to a secluded house in the middle of nowhere, warded every single corner of it and then disapparated as soon as he could detangle himself from your hands and lips. He didn’t even see your first tear starting to roll slowly down your face. You understood the urgency of it, the importance of your safety for him. You wouldn’t forget yourself though for not telling him while you still had the chance to about the small life growing inside of you. But you couldn’t actually bring yourself to it, to burden him even more than he already was.

That was in late April. It is September now. You’ve heard of what happened at Hogwarts and your heart broke into a million pieces at the news of Nagini’s attack on Severus. If it wasn’t for the hope of seeing his baby, a miniature him, running in the backyard of your fortress he made for your safety, you would have fled from it and tried to find him at any cost. Merlin only knows it took all the effort you could gather to make your mind into staying where he left you.

May and June were chaotic months. Uncaught Death Eaters kept causing trouble whenever they could, their attacks without any reasoning, just for their pleasure. Every newspaper and magazine had a page dedicated to the victims of the war. Dead wizards and witches who were only now found or who passed away recently in the last surge of the remaining Death Eaters’ attacks. Though his name never appeared  there, no matter how much you checked and double checked that last page. You couldn’t get your mind over what that actually meant. 

Is he dead? Harry’s declaration suggests just that. And if he’s dead then why didn’t they find his body? Is there a body left to be found? Did Voldemort hide his body? Did the other Death Eaters maim him beyond any recognition? Or is he alive? But if he’s alive why isn’t he coming to you? If he were to be alive he wouldn’t leave you without a clue of his survival. He’d send you an owl or someone will come to you to tell you he’s fine. Or even he’ll come and drag you out of the dark place your mind kept swimming to.

No owl arrived, no person to give you the news of his death or survival, no trace of him either. You were in a limbo. Waking up, checking the daily newspapers, spiraling again at the absence of his name on the last page, getting out of this state thinking of your unborn child, rinse, repeat.

August was the month where the Ministry of Magic declared the wizarding world safe once again. You couldn’t be happy about it. Instead you chose to resent it. Because if the world was declared safe, there will be no special page with the dead, no search for the still missing persons in the war, not a chance to find out what happened to Severus. It was selfish, you hated yourself for pouring your acid words on innocent people.

You took off the wards on the home Severus took you merely three months ago and for the first time since he left you there, you started making it your home. It was clear by now he wasn’t coming back, but your baby needed a place to call home.

The pregnancy started to show a little and you hated the pitiful looks on others eyes when they saw you. Like you were some poor helpless widow unlucky enough to have no one helping her during times like this. So you took on wearing dresses. The larger and flowier the better. As long as it hid your growing bump it was good. 

Another habit you developed was sitting each afternoon in a chair by the porch in front of the house, sometimes a long time into the night, watching the road ending somewhere beyond the horizon. Sometimes reading, sometimes just sipping your tea, or even talking by yourself and caressing your growing belly. It was a fruitful activity. You invited any witch or wizard who happened to pass by for a cup of tea and interrogated them about the war. There weren’t many, there were actually more weeks where not even muggles seemed to step foot on the land the house was in than the number of guests you had that month, but there were enough to calm you and put your mind at ease.

It seemed there were more missing witches and wizards than they publicly admitted. Every one of your guests had a relative, a friend, or knew someone who went missing during the war. You weren’t alone in your grief, and even though you started to accept his death with each passing day, you were more than relieved to find out everyone had good words to say about your Severus. He had shown his true self to the world with his final moments, and that was more than enough for your child when it was born into the world. 

And that’s how you end up now too, in September. A light green dress flowing out of the chair you sit in, your hands on your bump trying to feel your baby kicking as the mediwitch said it will soon, your mouth talking nonstop about Severus. You did that for a while now, talking about Severus. You reached the part of him proposing to you. Another thing the war kidnapped from you: the chance to call him your husband.

The sun is beginning to set and you can feel the chill already. Autumn really is enveloping the country little by little. You exhale, imagining what this scene would be like if Severus was alive. He’d sit beside you, a hand on your belly, reminiscing about nothing in particular. And that’s when you notice a flicker of white light in the distance and then a black figure popping in the field. Your hand instinctively grips your wand in your pocket and you sit up in a fruitless attempt to recognize the silhouette. 

It doesn’t do much, it merely sits there and watches you standing on the porch. But then it starts limping toward you, and even though its walk is barely a walk at all, you’d recognize that posture everywhere. Those shoulders and hands balancing his limp, those dark locks hidden in a ponytail fluttered by the evening breeze.

Your heart wants to believe but your mind denies it. There is only one way to figure out if you’ve gone insane or the world did a flip and brought you back your lover. You step out of the porch, steady but small steps at first, wand still gripped in your hand. The more you approach it, the more its features become more familiar. Tears begin to well your eyes with every step you take, until you stop in your tracks and your heart seems to stop for more than a second. It is him. It is Severus. He came home to you. He’s alive. He’s alive.

You drop your wand in your pocket, hands going to lift your skirt high enough for you to sprint to him. Severus instead stops in his tracks, arms opening to accommodate you once you get to him. He dropped walking the minute he saw you run to him. It was painful enough to walk even now, and with your speed you’ll get to him faster than his five torturous steps he got to make ever would.

Nothing matters anymore as you get closer and closer to him. The wind has no power. You make the wind with each movement, hair and dress all over the air due to your speed. Your lungs burn. It starts to become difficult to breathe, and you feel your heart beating in your ears and yet you don’t stop. You have to get to him. And you do.

By the time you feel his big palms on your back bringing you closer to him, you have to push him back slightly because air won’t enter your lungs, as your face seems to burn from the inside. And still one hand of his clutches on the back of your head and leans forward in an attempt to kiss you. Your palms go over every centimeter of him you can reach to make sure he’s real, that he’s there. Your eyes notice the bandage around his neck, the slightly bluish veins protruding from under the bandage, and you want to ask him what happened but you can’t momentarily. You want to kiss him with all your body, your heart thumps wildly in anticipation, and yet you can’t. The sprint took its toll on you and he doesn’t look well enough for the long kiss you both seem to be wanting, needing for what feels like eternity.

Severus sighs, understanding. He’s content only to hold you in his arms and never let you go, and he resigns in bringing both his hands and grabbing your face between his palms, trying to make his fingers remember each and every contour of it. His breath smells like medicine, and that is the culminant point in deciding you’re not insane, he’s just alive. He survived. You unglue one of his hands from your cheekbone and trace it down your body until it reaches your bump.

“This is our child, Sev! We’ve both been waiting for you to come home,” you manage to exclaim through your tears. You feel his hand tense as his eyebrows scrunch into a look of unbelievable happiness you’ve never seen on his face before. The little one moved for the first time the moment it felt his father’s touch. Severus felt it too, you can tell from his eyes who seem to search far beyond for an explanation, trying to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. But suddenly a harsh croaked and yet very recognizable voice escapes his chopped thin lips, “You never told me…” His words, of which he used to be so proud, are  failing him for the first time since you’ve met him. 

You seem locked in place for eternity and you don’t want the moment to end. Feeling Severus’ heat again against your body, feeling his breath on your face, his hands all over you as the proof of him aching for you, his dark eyes taking you in, trying to grab your essence and lock it deep within his memories, your noses caressing in the only kiss you can manage for the moment. 

“Love, let’s go home. I don’t want my two most important people in my life to catch a cold because I finally managed to get on my feet and come to you.”

#severus snape #severus snape x reader #snape x reader #prosnape #snapedom

[edeluarts]

A little analysis of this part in the Odyssey:

Reading time: ~10 minutes

Book 23, The Great Rooted Bed, Fagles' tr-n There he sat, leaning against the great central column, eyes fixed on the ground, waiting, poised for whatever words his hardy wife might say when she caught sight of him. A long while she sat in silence … numbing wonder filled her heart as her eyes explored his face. One moment he seemed … Odysseus, to the life— the next, no, he was not the man she knew, a huddled mass of rags was all she saw.

“Oh mother,” Telemachus reproached her, “cruel mother, you with your hard heart! Why do you spurn my father so—why don’t you sit beside him, engage him, ask him questions? What other wife could have a spirit so unbending? Holding back from her husband, home at last for her after bearing twenty years of brutal struggle— your heart was always harder than a rock!” “My child,” Penelope, well-aware, explained, “I’m stunned with wonder, powerless. Cannot speak to him, ask him questions, look him in the eyes … But if he is truly Odysseus, home at last, make no mistake: we two will know each other, even better— we two have secret signs, known to us both but hidden from the world.”

Odysseus, long-enduring, broke into a smile and turned to his son with pointed, winging words: “Leave your mother here in the hall to test me as she will. She soon will know me better. Now because I am filthy, wear such grimy rags, she spurns me—your mother still can’t bring herself to believe I am her husband.<...>

Telemachus is a precious baby, we've established that.

But he does act a bit like a brat with Penelope a couple times. Of course I don't think that any of that is malicious or that he doesn't love her, but he's still being a bit of a brat.

They both suffered, their pain was similar, but also very different, their experiences and the way they processed it were different as well.

Moreover, at this moment Telemachus has already spent some time with Odysseus. They already had their meeting/reunion and they already cried it out (to an extent. I'm sure there's more crying they'll do afterwards). They even had a father-son bonding activity (a.k.a. the slaughter of the suitors). Telemachus got to know his father at least a little bit over the past couple of days and at this point he processed and accepted the idea of Odysseus being back.

Penelope, on the other hand, was told about it just a moment ago. She can't immediately go "oh, you're saying Odysseus is back? Wonderful, let me greet him", no. Odysseus wasn't away on a short hunting trip or something, he was away for two whole decades, half of that time he was pretty much thought to be dead by most people (the first half wasn't that much better, as he could've still died any time during the war, but at least he wasn't lost, Penelope knew where he was).

Now she needs time to wrap her head around what is happening. We even see her thoughts as she goes to meet Odysseus:

Penelope started down from her lofty room, her heart in turmoil, torn … should she keep her distance, probe her husband? Or rush up to the man at once and kiss his head and cling to both his hands?

She wants to reunite with him, she wants this to be true, but she can't be sure of anything now. They have been apar for longer than they knew each other. Does he still love her like he used to? Is he the man she loved? Is it even the real Odysseus in the first place? She needs to process everything, as well as confirm all the information herself, and Telemachus, at least at this moment, doesn't comprehend that. He's acting quite immature, scolding his mother for not immediately believing and accepting that Odysseus is back.

This is a very interesting detail. First it once again shows us that Telemachus still lacks a lot of maturity, despite having been on his coming of age trip. He's still very young.

Yes, he definitely grew a lot in that short time, but it would've been impossible for him to learn everything at once, he still has a lot of that immaturity left in him, there's still a lot of room to grow and that's completely understandable. We, as people, grow for our whole lives and Tele is doing remarkably well, especially considering his circumstances.

Another interesting thing about this part is that it shows Telemachus', perhaps a bit childish, impatience. He is a kid, who finally met his dad (and his biggest hero), he knows that his mother was suffering and grieving for pretty much his whole life (with things getting a lot worse over the past decade). From Telemachus' perspective Odysseus' return is supposed to solve all their problems, especially since their biggest problem, a.k.a. the suitors, was just taken care of and it wouldn't have happened without Odysseus.

Telemachus just wants a happy family. His dad is back and seems to love him, the suitors are gone, now his parents should reunite, his mother will stop grieving and everything will be perfect. This is something he dreamt of his whole life and it's finally so close, but his mother doesn't immediately believe him. She doesn't immediately accept Odysseus and Telemachus doesn't understand why. He is too preoccupied with wanting things finally to be okay, that he doesn't take time to think about what Penelope must be feeling. It doesn't even occur to him. Perhaps it's also partially the need to be believed and listened to, which is also something he lacked growing up around suitors and being treated as a child, but I'm not diving into that right now.

Odysseus, on the other hand, understands what's going on. He assures his son, that everything will be okay. He pretty much does a more adult version of "mom and dad will take care of this, you go play for a bit". Odysseus understands Penelope's reaction and goes from there. Of course he wants to be in her embrace as soon as possible, but considering everything she has been through, he definitely can't just suddenly grab her and do what he wants. This is his dearly beloved wife and he wants her to take on that role voluntarily, like she did before, he wants her to accept him as her dear husband, like she did before, and for that he has to let her do it at her own pace. He tries to meet her where she's at, to do this reunion on her terms, to assure her, that he is, who he says he is and who others tell her he is.

This is just so amazing and I love their relationship so much (T▿T)♡

I also love Penelope's reaction to Telemachus' words. She doesn't react negatively, she is remarkably calm and part of it is probably the shock from what's happening, but still, she is "well-aware". I think that she knows Telemachus really well, because even though he has surprised her with how much he matured, he's still the same boy, he's still her kid. She most likely understands where Telemachus' outburst is coming from and doesn't get angry, doesn't scold him for his impatience, she reassures him. She lets him know, that he doesn't need to be scared of things falling apart and that she isn't looking to reject Odysseus. She's looking for Odysseus and she hopes she can find him in that familiar and strange man before her. She just needs time, but she will be taking the effort to search for what she's looking for, now that she has a way (she wouldn't have been able to go searching for Odysseus at sea, but now he's, supposedly, right here and she will handle it like the queen that she is).

#the odyssey #this is just my interpretation of this scene #you're completely free to interpret it differently #I wrote this analysis a while ago and now decided to share it here #hope you enjoyed #odysseus #telemachus #penelope #they all care about each other so much and they've been through a lot #just give this family all the happiness #please TT #tagamemnon #greek mythology #the “reading time” mentioned above is how long it took me personally to read this whole post properly #I just find time estimates like this helpful when I'm about to read something long #obviously not everyone's time would be the same #someone might read slower. others might read faster and that's okay #I just thought this might be helpful to someone like it usually is to me #certainly no harm in putting it here))) #odyssey rant