#we made it to 2021!!! i'm so proud of everyone

[exitrowiron]

Final Farewell

My mom passed away last October and my father in November, 2021 - both were cremated but Catholics aren't allowed to have their ashes spread, they must be buried. As a matter of fact, a Catholic may only be cremated after the funeral mass. The rules seem silly to me, but my parents were faithful Catholics so we followed the rules.

The burial in Ste Genevieve, MO, my father's home town, was originally envisioned as a very small affair, but we learned that many people who hadn't been able to travel to the funerals in Evansville, IN wanted to attend the burial. Thirty people attended the burial which included a bag piper and military honor guard (my Dad was an Army officer); the whole affair was presided by the local priest.

Ste Genevieve, located ~ 90 miles south of St. Louis, is Missouri’s oldest permanent European settlement. The village of Ste. Geneviève was settled by French Canadians around 1735 on the west bank of the Mississippi River. It is a small town and the Koetting family name is well known. When I introduced myself to the cemetery caretaker, he mentioned that he had been a classmate of my father, as were two members of the honor guard. The ceremony lasted 30 minutes, ending with the military salute and playing of taps, followed by the presentation of flags to my sister and me, perfectly executed by two, young active duty women.

We hosted a luncheon after the burial in the town's 'fancy' restaurant - the buffet was simple but tasty and I offered a short toast to my parents. My sister brought more wine glasses and other textile crafts of my mother and everyone had the chance to take a remembrance.

As I said in my toast at the luncheon, it is a bit odd to have the burial so long after the funeral but in some ways it is helpful. The funeral comes so quickly after the death and there are so many practical decisions to be made, one doesn't really have the opportunity to fully digest the passing. Now, six months later, my memories of my parents have distilled and crystallized a bit. Now I'm left with the very best of our relationship, the sugar and salt so to speak. They were excellent spouses, friends and parents and even their flaws were instructive to me. I was very fortunate to have them as parents.

I'm happy to have completed this final step for my parents and I believe they would have been happy and proud.

[maxverstappendefender]

Hi I was wondering if u can make an imagine with max verstappen where the reader is an athlete also (tennis player please 😮‍💨😮‍💨😭😭🥹🥹) and she is also from Netherlands

her and max were like in the same school or neighbors or even Victoria’s friend and her and max used to be dating since they were young teenagers but they broke up because of their careers (more like she broke up with him lol🤭) and they meet again at a gala or a wedding when they are at the top of their game her being world no.1 and many grand slams winner and him being world champion and then they have a confrontation with a lot of angst and yelling and max being heartbroken 💔💔🤌🏻🤌🏻

other part to this request: "Also about the max and athlete reader like if u can make it inspired by “call out my name” by The Weeknd 🥲"

a/n: this is such a good idea, i love some good angst. i made it a smau and also written parts (more towards the hend). i don't know much about tennis but i tried. the google translate dutch is probably bad but that's fine. hopefully i did your idea justice <3

warnings: profanity (?), alcohol

my masterlist !

The Dutch Athletes

yourusername posted on instagram!

liked by maxverstappen1, landonorris, and 933,481 others

yourusername and that's a wrap on the lovely game of tennis, back to training for next season :)

view all 91,029 comments

user PROUD TO BE DUTCH BC OF THIS LADY AND THIS LADY ONLY

liked by yourusername

landonorris you're serving! (do you get it? im so funny)

-> yourusername ty lan (the tennis jokes are never funny)

-> landonorris not even a pity laugh.

user i see a certain someone hiding in the likes

-> user 🤺🤺🤺 be gone sir

victoriaverstappen cannot wait to see you next week!

-> yourusername i miss my favourite dutch person

-> user max is punching the wall rn

user wait, im new. why is everyone hating on max verstappen here?

-> user y/n dated him a while back but they ended it in 2021 for reasons no one knows. lots of speculation but they never confirmed or denied anything. he still has loads of pictures of them on his insta but she deleted hers, probs wasn't a mutual breakup in that case. she's still good friends with lando, charles, and max's sister!

-> user he probably cheated or something

-> user they both seem happy so we shouldn't make assumptions :)

liked by yourusername

liked by f1fan1, vstppn, y/nflowers, and 14,912 others

y/nmaxupdates still no new content of our favs together so we are doing a little throwback thursday to one of y/n's posts from 2015 (she has removed the post).

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yourusername posted a story!

yourusername posted on instagram!

liked by landonorris, charles_leclerc, and 791,492 others

yourusername vegas baby! vv thankful lando is okay. congrats on the podium charlie!

view all 83,001 comments

charles_leclerc You say congrats but you wear a McLaren hat

-> yourusername only because lando invited me, not you!

user max being cropped out has me CACKLING

user we were so so close to some y/nmax snippet by her posting him but she fucking cropped him out

landonorris i'm so mad i crashed, my helmet was so sick for this race. do you think i can wear it to the clubs tonight?

-> yourusername lando istg if you wear your damn helmet anywhere tonight. you are supposed to be staying at the hotel with me anyways?

-> landonorris i don't see a doctor that will stop me from leaving. but my helmet looked sick right?

-> yourusername eh

landonorris we literally spent like 3 days together before the race and you still chose that ugly picture

danielricciardo VEGAS BABYYY. tonight we party.

liked by yourusername

yourusername posted on instagram!

liked by landonorris, maxverstapen1, and 701,831 others

yourusername 'VEGAS BABYYY. tonight we party.' ~daniel ricciardo (and don't worry, i didn't let lando leave the hotel looking like that)

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it had been a wonderful night so far. lando couldn't drink due to the drugs the doctors gave him so you didn't drink either out of solidarity. lando had gone off to do lando things, probably finding a way to the dj booth or socializing with whoever he can. you were just sat at this couch in the vip area. you were talking to charles for a while before he went off to do celebratory shots. you were so tired from the timezone difference, vegas compared to the netherlands was messing with your system. you had your head leaned back against the couch, your eyes were just looking at some of the drivers having a lot of fun and celebrating in one of the best party cities in the world.

you felt someone sit down next to you on the couch. you didn't know who it was at first but you quickly smelt the cologne and knew. max. you two hadn't really spoken since 2021, when you ended it. it wasn't the prettiest of breakups but we were both stupid kids and in love back then. you both should've known it wouldn't work out. you tried, though. you tried with every single thing you had in you but at the end of the day, fate would always be stronger.

"hey, y/n. haven't seen you in awhile," max finally said, breaking the silence. he sort of had seen you though, on instagram. had he missed you? every fucking day. you broke up with him though, and you seemed happier. if you were happy, he would accept that.

"sure," was all you said. that was your telltale sign that you did not want to talk. but let's be honest, max verstappen not having a conversation when he wants to sounded impossible. he wanted to fix things, he wanted to fix it all. why wouldn't you let him? "any chance we can talk?" he asked you. he wouldn't really take no for an answer. he would just talk to you while you listened, but even that would be stretching it.

you stood up from the couch, careful to not look at him. if you looked at him, you would be a goner and would do just about anything he asked you to. you were a strong person except when it came to max. "see you around," you muttered to him before leaving the vip area. you would infact not be seeing him around, not if you can avoid it. maybe not drinking was a bad idea. you had spotted lando who was busy chatting away to someone. "fuck," you whispered under your breath, realizing that the person who you had to make sure got home safely was still having a good night. you wouldn't want to cut his night short, especially when his night started bad with the race.

you felt some hands wrap around your waist and before you could protest, these hands were pushing you out this door to the club's back alley. you knew those hands though. you knew them all too well. "max, what the hell?!" you shouted at him as you felt the cool night air hit your face. it felt better than how being inside that club felt.

he knew this was probably too far. but when has 'too far' ever stopped him. he was so done with this all. 2 years of not having more than 10 words shared between you two. you two used to talk every single day, where did it all go wrong? he knew this one was his fault. he was the one who had lost you, all for racing. he gave up you for racing. he was a royal idiot for that. "i am so done with you not even talking to me!" he shouted to you. he was thanking god that you two were in an alley and not somewhere public for this.

"i don't want to talk to you," you said to him. not many people held their ground against max, but you always did. you never wanted to talk to him again, not since your breakup. you were happy and had a great life, you didn't need the mess that was max verstappen. "you never do!" he said back. that was true and you both knew it.

"you're right! i never do! because you fucked up," you shouted to him, putting your finger straight to his chest. the breakup was infact not mutual like the media made it seem. you two broke up because you were trying to support him in racing while still building a life in tennis for yourself. you could see the stress eating away at max that year and he still wouldn't let you help. even if it was help from afar. you tried to be there. he didn't even try to be there for you and your goals either.

"i know i did. believe me, i know i fucked it up," he said to you. there had been quite a few sleepless nights where his brain just wouldn't turn off. he had only been thinking about you. tonight was just his breaking point. he was done acting like he hadn't been thinking about you.

there was a moment of silence as we just looked at eachother. we had grown up a lot since we last got close like this. "so then why? just why?" you pleaded to him to just give him a real answer. 2021 had been a hard year for him and you knew that. but you were his girlfriend. you were meant to be there and help him but he wouldn't let you. he pushed you away at any chance he got. then you were alone. it was an endless cycle of you trying to help max with his stress, him pushing you away, and then you also getting lost to your own stress.

he put his hands on either side of your face. he knew he couldn't give you the answer he had given you when you asked this question 2 years ago. he couldn't say "just a tough year" because although that was a part of it, it wasn't the entire truth. and you deserved the truth. "i pushed you away before you could push me away," he said to you as he looked into your eyes. he felt like an idiot for saying that but it was the whole truth.

you gave him a slightly confused look. that had been a different answer than what you got 2 years ago. how could he even think you would push him away? you loved him so much and you had for years. you would have clung to him, even in death. "if i wouldn't have won in 2021, there was that thought that you would be gone," he admitted.

"i wouldn't have left. i wouldn't have ever done that," you quickly said. you had to say that really quickly before he spoke again. clearly your words took him aback a little. he really felt stupid for ever thinking that you would leave, let alone leave simply because he won a championship. mentally, you said 'fuck it', and just kissed him. you pulled away for a second to whisper, "je bent een idioot, max verstappen (you are an idiot, max verstappen)". then you kissed him again.

he smiled in the kiss, his hands in your hair and yours in his. your words were true, he was an idiot. he would probably have to kiss you a million times to make up for him pushing you away. and that was a price he was willing to pay. he felt you pull away and as desperately as he wanted to pull you back into him, he knew you had some more words to say.

you pulled away. "but you left. you left when it got hard and i will never put myself in that position ever again," you said to him. your lips stung with how much desire you had for max. but you had to make smart decisions, you could not get hurt again. and deep down, you knew he would leave if it got hard again. him leaving again would hurt too much. you had a good life now, he had a good life now.

he felt his heart shatter at your words. but he knew you were right that he had left when it got hard. he had taken the coward's way out. he wanted you to be happy and you seemed so happy with your life now. he couldn't take that from you. he nodded his pain away and spoke softly to you, "i hope you have nothing but happiness in life". then he walked away. he walked away but this time for your sake. he knew you wouldn't walk away from him so he walked away from you. he really did hope you had nothing but happiness in life. he could hear all about your happiness from the bits that victoria shared with him.

liked by y/nlover, heartsfory/n, mvfan, and 19,254 others

y/nmaxupdates NEW CONTENT!! I REPEAT NEW CONTENT OF MAX AND Y/N!! that kiss?? oh we are SO back.

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#f1 #f1 x you #f1 x reader #max verstappen #max verstappen x you #max verstappen x reader #max verstappen fanfic #max verstappen imagine #max verstappen smau #formula 1 #f1 blurb #f1 fanfic #f1 imagine #formula 1 smau #f1 smau

[12-seconds-to-live]

What If?

Pairing: F1Grid2021! x reader driver!

This is the story of how neither Max Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton became F1 Champions in 2021. 

A girl did.

“What does it feel to be the villian of this season?” “This villian is going to be a world champion”

Abu Dhabi, december 12th - 16:30

"Are you scared?” 

Tik tok, tik tok

I was able to hear the clock tickling on my motorhome. 

A breathe

The eyes of George looking at me

“No, I’m not”

Yes, you are

“You got this and If you don’t...” I sigh

“Please don’t  finish that phrase”

“Sorry, it’s just...”

“I know, there’s a lot on the plate but you know. I don’t have many options right now”

George take my hand “You’re really talented and the best option is winning and you’re making the impossible, like, in a Williams. You’re more clever that all those who want to see you fall. And for next year, did they called you?”

“Not yeat, I guess they’re waiting for the race”

“They’ll look like fools If they don’t call” We share a small laugh

“Thank you for this year, Mercedes is lucky to have you, Lewis will” He smiled

“I’ll still see you from the other side” We stand from the sofa and share a hug “Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What’s important is the action. You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow”

Abu Dhabi, december 12th - 17:50

"Radio check"

"Loud and clear"

"We are all with you... whatever happens at the end, you're our champion, Williams is back thanks to you and George"

"Thank you, I need to hear that"

"Formation lap in one minute"

LAP 35/58

"Gap at 0.4 behind Lewis. So let’s just…"

"Why is Verstappen pushing me off-track"

"Yeah, yeah copy we aren´t happy with that. They're investigating"

"I'm gotta go menu dash position two. Tell them that he can't have the position back"

LAP 45/58

"Hamilton 26.8, 26.8. And let us know about the tyres for a Safety Car"

"How many laps left?"

"13 when you cross the line, 13 when you cross the line. Gap to Hamilton at 13.9"

"Copy. I'm ok with a set of hards. Do we have a chance?"

"I know you do. Stay still kid"

LAP 50/58

"And we’ve seen Norris with a front-left puncture, so just be careful on the kerbs"

"So we think the problem might be just turn 15, turn 16"

"I’m off kerbs"

"Okay, copy"

"Lewis still has free air"

"The gap is seven seconds and there’ll be eight to go when you cross the line"

"Copy. Status of Lando?"

"He's out of the car and well"

LAP 58/58

I crossed the line and saw all the fireworks over the finish line. I felt different, something like never before, not like winning in Monaco or Monza. I'm a world champion, the first woman of many.

I watched the people in the crowd weaving at me. I heard the screaming over the radio and while I was slowing down I felt tears runing down my face.

"I'm absolutely speechless. YOU DID IT! Thank you, we love you. Our world champion!"

"Oh, my God yes! Yes, yes! Oh, my God! Oh my God!"

"Y/N! I TOLD YOU SO! You are the world champion, the world champion!"

"GEORGE!? This is ours! WE DID IT!

"You absolutely deserve it, kid. Even if you're not going to stay with us next year, we owe you everything! What a year working alongside you"

"They haven't called so..."

"Are you kidding? The news dropped before the race. You're going to be alongside Max next year"

"No freaking way!"

"We are so proud of you. We always will"

"Oh, my God guys. I love you so much. From my teammate, my race engineer and everyone at the factory"

"You have driven like a champion all year. You deserve that. We needed a bit of luck. You got it. You made it happen. And we love you. We absolutely fucking love you" said George and the whole screaming in the garage was getting louder

"It is unbelievable guys. Can we repeat this If you guys want me in the future?"

After the whole podium celebration with Lewis and Max, one thing was clear. Max didn't win his first championship and Lewis lost his eight. My phone was blowing with messages from social media and my family and friends. But my eyes we're locked with Anthony Hamilton chat.

I knew that Lewis wasn't ok. He hugged his dad and even I can't see his face, he cried. He remains stronger on the podium but I can't look at him in the eyes.

I walked to the Mercedes motorhome. Toto was talking to George and stand up at the moment he saw me.

"I'm sorry"

"You don't have to. You drive so well this season that all of us knew that maybe we could lose"

"Oh. Did you guys talk?"

"Yeah, a few words. We have time"

"I'm gonna see him, it's just... I don't know"

"Go, y/n"

I knock at his door and his dad pat me in the back and let us alone. Lewis was laying down in the sofa with a towel covering his face. When he heard the door closing he remove it.

"Hi" I said

"Hey" He smiled

"I'm not going to make dumb questions, just, I'm happy of how this season went. You're been in the sport longer that I've been alive and even if the feeling of losing it's here, don't let it stay. You're still eveeryone's champion, even mine"

I sit down next to him and he took my hand

"I wanted you to win, you know?"

"You what?" I..." I gasp

"Yeah, you've been so amazing. You have the hunger of a champion and now that you made it, well, you're my idol now"

"Lewis..." I felt that I was going to cry

"Don't cry, baby. Go celebrate. I'm fine, I still more seasons ahead to beat you" I smiled to him and give him a hug

"Let me know when you're in London. To spend a day with you, all right?"

"That's a promise"

He hugged me again and I leave the room. A few people of Mercede's staff were around and congratulate me. As I was walking to my car to go to the hotel, I heard a text.

A thank you from Lewis.

Yeah, he's going to be back.

And maybe in the end ... We are all superheroes.

Each of us with a tragic back story

Specific sets of attributes

Some of us fly

Some of us read minds

And maybe some of us-

Are stronger than others,

We all have potential.

I believe the only difference

Between us all is ...

Who will stand up and fight?

#lewis hamilton #Mercedes Amg f1 #mercedes formula one #Formula 1 #Formula One #formula one x reader #Red Bull Formula 1 #Max Verstappen #f1 imagine #f1 x oc #Esteban Ocon #George Russell #Lance Stroll #mclaren #charles lecrelc #carlossainz #ferrari #Pierre Gasly #yuki tsunoda #Zhou Guanyu #valteri bottas #daniel ricciardo #formula one x oc #formula one x you #oscar piastri #lando norris #lando norris x oc

[pandorasword]

Chaeri as the 8th and youngest member of BTS.

Chaeri's Masterlist

Take it too far

❒ words: 1.1k+

❒ summary: In which Namjoon is concerned about Chaeri's health

❒ prompts requested: 29 "When was the last time you ate something?"

❒ warnings: Weight loss; neglecting

Early 2021

Chaeri stepped off the scale, pleased with her results. She had never been fixated on being very thin; she had always eaten healthily and exercised often to achieve a body that she was proud of. But due to her role as the lead in the TV series 'My Name,' producers asked her to lose a few pounds. 'Our leading character neglects herself and is obsessed with revenge. Her physical appearance should reflect this idea' they said. Chaeri thought it was fair; actors frequently take drastic measures to best portray their characters, such as shaving their heads, gaining weight, slimming down or growing beards. Shedding some pounds wouldn't hurt her.

But as the filming began, she realized that losing weight wasn't the only thing she had to sacrifice for the role. Long hours on set coupled with her busy schedule as an idol left her with little time to eat. She often forgot to have meals or skipped them altogether, and it wasn't long before she started feeling the effects of it.

Yet, she refused to acknowledge the impacts of her actions as if ignoring them would make them go away.

She had lost count of the number of times they had rehearsed Butter's choreography, but it didn't matter because they still weren't perfect. Sweat poured down her face and stuck to her neck as she took a swig from her water bottle in the corner of the practice room. She couldn't believe how tired she was, and they hadn't even been there for two hours yet. 

"Let's break for lunch and then try again" Hobi suggested as he picked up his gym bag from the floor and grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat from his face.

Chaeri nodded, her stomach growling as if in agreement. At that moment she would've eaten anything.

"I just hope all this sweat doesn't fall into the bowl" she joked, taking a playful swipe at Taehyung, who was walking past her.

Taehyung playfully dodged Chaeri's swipe, laughing. "Don't worry, we'll get you a bib" he said, grinning. 

As they made their way to the cafeteria, Namjoon walked up beside Chaeri. "Hey, you okay?" he asked, noticing the tiredness in her eyes and the way her hand rested protectively over her stomach. 

Chaeri offered him a smile "Yeah, just a little hungry." 

Namjoon raised an eyebrow, "That's all?" he asked skeptically, knowing that there was more to Chaeri's exhaustion than just hunger "You have been working very hard lately. Don't tire yourself out"

"I'm fine, really. Just need some food and I'll be good to go"

Namjoon didn't look convinced, but he didn't push her further. Instead, he decided to keep a closer eye on her from then on.

By then, Chaeri’s meals were often interrupted by someone from the staff reminding her of her obligations. She would apologize to everyone at the table for having to leave, insist they save her plate, only for it to be thrown away the next day. This became a frequent occurrence, as did being woken up at all hours by her manager since most of her TV series filming started before sunrise due to her grueling idol schedule that kept her active until late into the night.

"How long have I been asleep?" he had heard her say sleepily to her manager.

"Forty minutes sweetie. I'm so sorry to wake you up, but we have to go."

"Don't worry, just give me a couple of minutes."

Namjoon watched as Chaeri struggled to keep up with the demands of her busy schedule. He noticed how she had lost weight since filming began, and her energy levels seemed to be at an all-time low. He had to help her.

As they rehearsed their routine, Chaeri stumbled and nearly tumbled to the ground. Namjoon caught her in time, and her frame leaned into his body. "I'm sorry," she spoke weakly. As he clasped her arm to hold her upright, Namjoon felt a deep sensation in his gut upon feeling how light she was.

"Let's take a break, ok?" 

Chaeri nodded, following him as everyone dispersed to make the most of those minutes of break time.

She sat on the floor, resting her back against the huge mirrors in the room, her breathing laboured. Namjoon crouched beside her, his hand resting on her leg. "Chaeri, have you been eating well?" he asked gently. "Because if you're only eating what I see, I'd say you're really not"

Chaeri bit her lip and nodded slowly, her eyes cast downward. "I have been trying to," she admitted in a voice barely above a whisper, "but it's hard with everything going on."

"When was the last time you ate something?" he asked gently

Chaeri furrowed her brows, trying to remember. "I had half a sandwich yesterday morning" she said after a few moments.

Namjoon frowned, concern etched into his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped himself as he watched Chaeri’s fatigue deepen with each passing moment. In that moment, he knew what he had to do "That's not enough" he began, squeezing her leg reassuringly "You need to take care of yourself, Chaeri. You can't keep going like this"

Chaeri sighed, leaning her head back against the mirror. "I know, but it's difficult. I don't always have time to sit down and eat a full meal. And when I do, it's usually something quick and easy, like a protein bar or cup noodles."

Namjoon took a deep breath, watching as Chaeri's eyes began to droop and her body grew even more tired. He knew he had to do something to help her before things got worse. 

“I’m going to make sure you’re eating better, okay? I’ll bring you food and make sure you have time to eat properly. You can't keep going like this. It's not good for you." He spoke with a firmness that belied the warmth of his gaze as he made his way towards the door. "I'll bring you something to eat right now," he promised, "and after we finish rehearsing, we'll sit down and have a proper meal together."

Right as Namjoon was about to leave the room, a man from Chaeri's staff came barging in. Without skipping a beat, Namjoon turned and pointed his finger at him, "Don't you dare try and bother her. She's on a break."

The man seemed startled at first, but then regained his composure. "I apologize, Namjoon-ssi, however we must speak with Chaeri urgently."

Namjoon's eyes narrowed as he took a step closer to the man. "Whatever it is, it can wait. Chaeri needs some time to rest and eat."

The man hesitated for a moment, but then nodded reluctantly before leaving the room.

Namjoon slowly shifted his gaze to Chaeri. Her face was tired, her eyes were rimmed in a deep red, and there was a look of deep appreciation in her expression. "Thank you, Namjoon," she said softly. "I'm not sure what I would do without you."

He smiled reassuringly at her "You won't ever have to find out, I'm here for you now and always"

taglist @alixnsuperstxr | @bts-dream | @ycuvi

#bts 8th member #bts imagines #namjoon imagine #namjoon drabble #bts scenarios #bts drabble #namjoon #namjoon x reader #kpop female member #bts female member #bts eighth member #kpop female oc #bts female addition #bts x reader #bts addition #bts

[pitiplush]

Hi, I know I've been MIA for a while, but since the news about the cancellation of Shadow and Bone broke I've been sad and I need to let it all out. I've come to think of my blog here like a safe haven, so there's no better place for this.

These photos are of the very first original amigurumis I've ever made (sorry for the first photo, I hastily put it together just for this post because none of my photos seemed good enough). As you can see they are some of the characters of Shadow & Bone: Alina, the Darkling, Inej and Kaz. This was back in 2021, when the show premiered. Back then I had never heard of the Grishaverse, but when I saw the teaser my curiosity was piqued so I gave the books a chance and I LOVED them. After so many years on a reader's block and at a time in my life where I was struggling to get by, I had something new and exciting to look forward to. I loved the show (watched it twice in a row, actually), I loved the cast and I loved everything surrounding the Grishaverse. I even convinced two of my friends to read the books (and I regret nothing) 😂

I was so thrilled I HAD to do something, to create something new inspired by the Grishaverse. At that moment I had been crocheting only for a year but I thought I could try and see if something came out of it. That's how I crocheted Alina, my very first bookish amigurumi. It's not my best work, sure, but till this day I'm so very proud of the result. This was my first attempt at designing an amigurumi, I felt like I was improving my craftsmanship while honouring one of my favourite fantasy sagas. So I kept going, I crocheted the Darkling, made changes to get a better design, started putting more effort into my photos, even replicating the show posters. I kept growing my collection, adding Inej and Kaz and taking fun photos of all of them.

I didn't get far in terms of interactions and likes with them but I didn't care that much, I was just genuinely elated that I was creating something new with my bare hands and that was my priority.

And after them, I stuck to the book amigurumis. Created new patterns and characters, got more involved in photography and photoedition, and strived to do better with each new amigurumi. I got happier too, the thrill to create and share not only my craft but the books I love the most has been the best part of these last three years. And none of that wouldn't have existed without Shadow & Bone, without Leigh Bardugo and her universe, without that amazing cast and all of the writers and staff that have worked tirelessly to bring the Grishaverse to life.

So yeah, I'm heartbroken it has come to this abrupt and unfair end, especially when there was just a season left. In a way it feels like putting an end to a part of my journey as an amigurumi artist, this first part in which I was fumbling to learn and create something new. And as sad as it is, I want to say thank you too. It's not much, but it feels right to use my small amigurumi kingdom and reach to say thank you to everyone involved in the Grishaverse. You've made me unbelievably happy in so many different ways that I have trouble putting it into words.

Thank you as well to everyone who has taken a bit of their time to like, share and leave comments about my Grishaverse amigurumis. You helped me believe in my work and gave me strength to keep crocheting.

I will always remember the first time I showed Alina and the Darkling to my best friends and we talked about how I could crochet the rest, and which ones they wanted to see the most and "omg what if one of the actors noticed your work?????". It will never happen, but imagining the possibility still makes me feel a bit giddy even after two years.

If you've read this far, thank you to you too and sorry for my silly ramblings ♥️ If you love S&B too I'm free to cry together about all of the things we will never see on screen anymore.

P.S.: who would've thought that little me having a crush on Prince Caspian (aka the great Ben Barnes) would have ended in crocheting plushies inspired in book characters??? Not me for sure 😂

#amigurumi #crafts #pitiplush #artists on tumblr #fiber art #yarnblr #shadow and bone #grishaverse #six of crows #alina starkov #the darkling #inej ghafa #kaz brekker #jessie mei li #ben barnes #amita suman #freddy carter #bookish #leigh bardugo

[vioartemis]

The queen of hearts

(Emma Myers x fem! reader)

Summary: You, a well known actress, joined the cast for the second season of Wednesday. A well-executed magic trick and a questionable pick-up line later, you find yourself kissing one of your co-stars. Warnings: none (?) (English isn't my first language, I'm sorry if there are mistakes or if something doesn't make sense TvT)

As far as you could remember, you always wanted to be an actress. You starred in some adds on tv when you were 12, before auditioning for the role of C/n Henderson in the first season Stranger Things.

You were 14 when the series was released, and you didn't expect it to make you famous. But since then, you played in several movies such as Fear Street 1978 and 1666, or the last two Star Wars - for which you symbolized the new generation of the upcoming trilogy.

You favorite genre to play was fantasy. Sometimes you wished you were born in the 90's so you could have a chance to play in the Harry Potter movies.

Of course, you continued the 'Stranger Things Adventure', as you called it, all the way to season 5, which had yet to be filmed. You were proud to see that the series was on top of the most watched Netflix series.

But recently, the series rank was in danger due to the new series Wednesday. You resisted a whole month before binge watch it with Sadie. Since you met on the set of Stranger Things season 2, you were best friends.

"It's not like we're betraying anyone if we watch it, right? They can't fire us for that, right?"

"I don't think so, Noah and Mille watched it already and nothing happened. I think it's safe"

You put the pop-corn bowl between you on the couch before Sadie pressed play. Being a big fan of the Addams family, you were a little scared to watch it. But everyone seemed to say it was really good so... why not giving a try?

You liked it so far, Enid being your favorite character. You found her really cute, and her bubbly personality was a great contrast with Wednesday's cold self.

On TikTok and other social medias, you saw everyone simping for Wednesday, and honestly, it was understandable. But Enid. The wink.

You were full on gay panic. This wink, along with her smile, got you simping for her throughout the whole series.

"So, what do you think? I liked it" Sadie asked you when you finished watching

"It was great! Let's hope season 2 will come out soon!"

"So you can see who's the stalker? Or maybe more of a certain blonde?"

"I don't know what you're talking about"

"As if you didn't spend the last hours simping for her" she teased you

"Who wouldn't? She's so adorable!"

After that, it didn't take long until you where googling who played her, and in what other movies she played. You watched all of them, from 2010 Crooked, to 2021 Girl in the basement.

You quickly became a Emma Myers fan, which meant you started following her on Instagram.

When she noticed it, she couldn't believe her eyes. The Y/n L/n, her favorite actress, knew who she was? If that wasn't a dream coming true...

One of her favorite genre of movies / series was fantasy. She watched almost every work of this category, which meant she saw multiple of your roles.

Her favorite one was your Star Wars character. It was the first time she saw you on screen. Since then, she had watched everything you played in. You had something that attracted her, something special that made her want to meet you.

Not just like every other celebrities she'd love to meet. It was something different, something she couldn't quite explain.

<><><><> ♡ <><><><>

"Are you kidding me?? You're really part of the cast of Wednesday season 2?? That's awesome!"

"I know, that's crazy! But don't count on me to tell you anything"

"Come on, we're best friends, right? You can just tell me little things, no one will know..."

"Nope, sorry. I have to go, I'm in front of the studio"

"I hate you"

"Love you too bestie"

You smiled as you hung up, putting your phone in your jacket's pocket. You were excited to meet the cast and to know what happened next.

Totally nothing to do with a certain girl you were impatient to meet.

When you entered the studio, you were greeted by Jenna, whom you had already met at the auditions as she was producer of this new season.

"Y/n, hey. It's nice to have you here" she smiled

"The pleasure's mine"

She led you to where the others were, gathered a little further.

"Oh, before you meet everyone, Emma's a big fan of yours so don't be surprised if she's a little shy"

"Really?"

You couldn't help but smile. You were fan of each other. Interesting.

You walked up to the group, Jenna in front of you.

"I told you we would have a new addition to the cast, right? Well, here she is"

She stepped to the side to reveal you. You waved at them with a smile that got wider when you spotted Emma next to Hunter. You felt inexplicably drawn to her the moment your gaze met hers.

"Hi"

Like every other Saturday night since the beginning of the shooting, you were gathered at Georgie's for a little party. Apparently, it was a little tradition they had since season 1.

It was really fun to see some of you try to do your scenes the next morning when they drank a little too much. Not that the scenes were poorly acted, no, it was the behind-the-scenes face in a bucket that was the most fun.

You weren't one to drink much, so you never had the problem. But Hunter did quite a lot even though he doesn't drink a lot either.

This night however, you found yourself drinking more than you should, which doesn't go unnoticed by a certain brunette.

"Is everything okay?"

"Of course. What makes you think otherwise?"

"I don't know, maybe the empty bottle next to you? Or the other one in your hand? You can talk to me you know?"

You knew that, but the words got stuck in your throat every time. You were ashamed to admit it, but you were jealous. Jealous of Georgie and Emma's relation.

They were just friends, yes okay, but the way he looked at her made you think he wanted more than that. You couldn't blame him for that, being in the same situation.

What you blamed him for was... what was it again? Ah, yes. You had no reason to blame him. Emma and you were just friends too.

"It's... nothing really, just- just a bad day"

"You sure?"

She wasn't blind, she saw how you looked at Emma, how you acted around her. But what she saw too was how Emma looked at you. And that you didn't see.

"Yeah, don't worry. I'm fine"

"Okay then..."

She didn't believe you, but let you alone, taking the bottle with her as a precaution.

A little while after, you were joined by Emma who sat next to you on the couch. You had sobered up by the time Jenna left.

"How you doing?" she asked gently

"Great, you?"

"Georgie tried to show me a magic trick, ended up with my shirt being stained with his drink..."

"You should change, or you'll get cold"

"Yeah, but I don't want to leave... Plus it's dark outside, I don't feel like going alone..."

"I can come with you if you want"

"Shit, I think I forgot my keys at Georgie's..." Emma mumbled, looking in every pocket she had while you were standing in front of her door

"We can go at mine if you want, you can borrow a dry shirt, we'll go back later for your keys"

"I don't know what I would do without you"

You missed the blush on her face as she said that, too busy taking your keys out of your pocket.

"Get a cold probably. Here, come with me"

You walked side by side, shoulders brushing every now and then, until you arrived. You opened the door and let her in, before heading to your closet to find something to give her.

Meanwhile, she looked around at your room. She had no idea what it would look like, but it really screamed you. And exactly like you, the room was to her liking.

She spotted a deck of cards on your bedside table.

"Do you play card games?"

"Uhh not really, I only know poker, and am very bad at it"

"Why do you have a deck of cards then?" she asked as you emerged from the closet

You gave her the shirt with a smile.

"Want me to show you some real magic trick?"

"Sure! I love magic tricks"

You grabbed the cards and sat on the floor on the other side of the room, giving her time and space to change.

"Oh oh okay, I have to pull out my best trick then"

You shuffled the cards as she sat in front of you.

"Here, take a card, look at it, and don't tell me anything"

She obeyed, looked at the card, and kept it in hand, waiting for your instructions.

"Okay, now I'm gonna make a pile of cards randomly, for example here I put like three cards, then six, then two, etc. You tell me to stop whenever you want"

You started to stack the cards, looking at her with a smile.

"Stop!"

"Okayy, now put your card on top"

She did as you told. You put the cards you had left on top of her card and took the deck in your hands before spreading the cards on the floor in a swift motion.

In the alignment of cards, one was face up. 3 of spades.

You took the card out, letting a hole in the line of cards.

"Is it your card?"

"I'm sorry to disappoint, but it's not"

"Oh really? Maybe it's a sign... 3 of spades, so maybe three cards before..."

You counted to three starting from where the card was, and pulled a new one out, showing it to her.

"Is this one your card?"

"Oh my- Yeah it is!"

You smiled widely, before turning the card to look at it.

"The queen of hearts huh? Funny when you're the queen of mine"

You didn't mean to say that. Absolutely not. You felt your face heat up.

"Shit I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

You stopped, noticing she was as red as you were.

"That sounded better in my head..." you finished, still embarrassed

"... Do you mean it?" she asked after a moment of silence

"Depends. What would you do if it was the case?"

"Well..." she got on all fours and got closer to you to the point her nose was almost brushing against yours "I think I would really want to kiss you..."

"Y-yeah?" your eyes flickered to her lips before going up to her oh so beautiful eyes "My heart is yours since day one, Emma”

A smile made its way up to her face as her cheeks reddened.

“Can I kiss you?” she whispered

You leaned forward as an answer, pressing a soft kiss on her lips. She was quick to cup your cheeks and sit on your lap as she kissed back, making you tilt you head up a bit.

As your hands found their place on her hips, pulling her closer to you, the soft kisses turned into a passionate make out session that left you both breathless.

After you pulled away, she rested her forehead on yours. You were both smiling like idiots in love - which you were, actually.

"If you had told me I'd get to kiss the Y/n L/n - and that she would be romantically interested in me - I never would've believed you"

"Well, if you had told me I'd get to kiss the Emma Myers and have a romantic relationship with her, I wouldn't have believed you either"

"You're such an idiot" she chuckled, cheeks reddening again

You couldn't help but smile and placed another kiss on her soft lips.

"True, but I'm your idiot now"

#emma myers #emma myers x reader #emma myers x fem reader #wednesday #wednesday netflix

[ouiouibaguettt]

Not so secret now?

Ingrid engen x Vera Nilsson (oc!)

warning: none i think / just slight kiss 

not so sure about this, leave request if you want!!!

Masterlist

─ ⋅◈⋅ ━─┉┈◈❖◈┈┉─━ ⋅◈⋅ ── ⋅◈⋅ ━─┉┈◈❖◈┈┉─━ ⋅◈⋅ ─

Narrator’s POV:

Vera Nilsson, our 22 year old Swedish prodigy, arrived at FC Barcelona in the 2020/2021 season and played her magic and won the hearts of the fans and the team.  She was a great help for the victory in the Champions League having made 2 assists and a goal but this one was offside.

//

The 18th of October 2021, is a very important date for Vera and Ingrid. The Swedish and Norwegian youngsters have become very close since Ingrid joined the team this summer. After two months of flirting they talked and got together on this date.

They were like a couple of teenagers. Soft kisses, shy caresses, they showed their love in private but when they went out with the team they were just best friends in the eyes of everyone. But looks don't deceive, they weren't as discreet as they seemed. For example, when a guy or girl comes up to Ingrid and flirts with her, Vera will stare at the person and automatically force a smile and say that everything is fine when Mapi and Leila decide to question her about the looks.

//

On 21st May 2021, it is the Champions League final in Turin. Vera was really nervous, as tonight's match was against Olympique Lyonnais. This team has already won the competition 7 times. As she and Ingrid do their a pre-match ritual, Vera sat in front of the Norwegian who was sitting in her seat, Ingrid did the young Swedish girl's hair. It was a way of expressing their sweet words like "I love you, and you're going to be amazing on the field" or "no matter what you do, I'll always be proud of you".

//

Vera couldn't believe it, the team had lost. She was frozen, that's what the rest of the team thought when they saw Vera sitting on the floor with her eyes fixed on the goal where she missed her shots that were so precious. According to her, it's all her fault if she had managed to put them in tonight would have been different. Still staring at the goals, she paid no attention to Ingrid, who came to land in front of her.

//

Vera's POV:

"It's all my fault, I let the team down, I didn't do the club and the shirt justice, I'm a disgrace" I said through my shirt while holding back the tears.

"No, you're not, Min kärlek, you did the best you could, okay? I’m really proud of you. You don’t have to carry the whole weight of the team all by yourself you know. And we're a team, as we often say, we win together and we lose together so don't worry, we'll get the trophy back next season. " Ingrid said, putting her hands on my cheek so that I could finally meet her gaze, a gaze filled with love.

"Stop looking at me like that" I say, turning red. "Like what?" she said. "Like you want to kiss me in front of all these people, and you know very well that I won't reject you” I say. “Vera?” she says. “Yeah?” I say. She look at me before she leans in and her lips met mines. After what seemed like an eternity, we pulled away to put our foreheads together.

“Not so secret now are you?” we heard Mapi and Leila ask.

“I guess not” I say locking eyes with Ingrid. “jeg liker deg” says the norwegian. “jeg elsker deg også“ I say with a little smile who had appeared taking the place of the frowns on my face.

We did loose tonight, but I ended up winning the love of my girl. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise. Lyon we'll see each other again don't worry.

─ ⋅◈⋅ ━─┉┈◈❖◈┈┉─━ ⋅◈⋅ ── ⋅◈⋅ ━─┉┈◈❖◈┈┉─━ ⋅◈⋅ ─

Min kärlek (swd) = my love (eng)

jeg liker deg (nwg) = i love you (eng)

jeg elsker deg også (nwg) = i love you too (eng)

#ingrid engen x reader #woso x reader #ingrid engen #barca feme #barca femeni x reader #woso x oc

[theonethatyaks93]

HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY ANIMANIACS!!!!!

I just want to say how truly amazed I am with this show. There are very few words that can describe it. I put a few in the picture seen above, but this is barely anything compared to everything I've said. Animaniacs has changed my life in ways that many shows can only dream of. And I'm thrilled to be here today to celebrate its legacy.

I wasn't born in the 90's. I didn't grow up with this show like I know a ton of people did. I was exposed to it, mainly through the Hub Network ads for reruns, the once-in-a-while YouTube video reference, and even in fifth grade when my teacher showed us a clip of "Wakko's America" for our state capital test (which by the way I passed). I didn't acknowledge this show's presence, at least until 2020. That was a rough year, not only for me, but for everyone. Online school sucked. I couldn't see my friends. I was always crying myself to sleep and staying up late just watching videos to wash away my sadness and hurting. It was hell. I didn't have any comfort. At the absolute worst of times around October, I saw that one of my favorite channels posted a video on the trailer for the reboot of a show called Animaniacs. I was curious, mostly since I'd never heard about it before (well, I thought I hadn't). But the way the characters looked and the amount of people talking about it got me interested enough to click on the video. I listened to the reviewer's thoughts, not really understanding much, yet still being enticed to continue. I watched the actual trailer afterwards and...the rest is history.

I instantly fell in love. I watched the trailer on repeat before the reboot's release, laughing and singing along. I researched the show more and discovered a ton of voice actors I knew. I loved the characters, especially Yakko, I listened to the songs, I watched the interviews, and I talked about it constantly to my family and friends. While I didn't have Hulu, I still kept up with the reboot quite heavily. For Christmas, I got my first piece of merch, a T-shirt, and I got the first 25 episodes of the original show. I watched them on repeat with my sister and we both laughed, sang, and danced around whenever the show came on. After taking a fandom break, I got back into the show in 2021, which came with a new appreciation for Pinky and The Brain and fanfiction. Around this time, I was finally able to watch the reboot and entire original series since I got Hulu. My merchandise collection expanded, my knowledge of the show grew exponentially, and my desire to contribute to the fandom was intense. Not much has changed since then. Granted my merchandise collection is bigger, I can do impressions of a few characters, I met some of the voice actors, I joined the community on Tumblr, I actually wrote some fanfiction, and I've seen so many Animaniacs episodes now that it'll make your head spin. I'm so proud to be a super fan.

My appreciation and adoration for the Animaniacs franchise knows no bounds. It changed my life in amazing ways. And I can't believe its thirty years old today. I'm struggling to keep my emotions in right now, it's all so surreal. So, to all my followers I encourage you to give this show all your love today. It deserves it. Thank you Animaniacs. Thank you so much for everything you've done. You have made me a better individual and have fueled my love of animation for nearly three years. I hope you continue to inspire many more like me to laugh, be silly, and sing "Yakko's World" to pass a geography test. Animaniacs is the greatest show of all time, and I'll never stop saying that. (Ps. this isn't the last Animaniacs Anniversary related post I'm making! The next one will be long! And I'll also be showcasing my Animaniacs merch collection! Stay tuned!) Goodnight Everybody!!

#animaniacs #animaniacs 30th anniversary #this show is everything to me #i'm so happy it has lasted this long #pinky and the brain #I love this show so much #I hope y'all love it too!!

[nctyena]

Fan's Favorite Moments of YenaxMembers #7

YenaxHendery

🎶 Room Playlist 🎶 (feat. Warm Winter ❄ Snacks 🍞🌰)

Yena was seated next to Hendery. And towards the end the cutest moment between them happened.

"Can I?"

"Hm?" He looked at her and understood what she wanted. Because she was already leaning her head down on his shoulder and getting more comfy under the blanket. He didn't say anything but lowered himself a little more on the couch. She then shared her blanket with him ,tucking him under it with her.

"I like it here." Her sudden comment made him laugh and looked at the camera with a wide smile on his face , looking shy for the rest of the live.

NCT 2021 [UnCut] "Beautiful" MV Behind The Scenes

While some members were talking directly to the camera and chatting with each other at the back the duo could be seen. They were sitting on the ground, facing each other, looking at something on Hendery's phone. And at the same time they laughed at the content on the phone throwing their backs on the ground. And it was kinda loud that some members approached them to see what was so funny.

Since they don't have many moments on camera , fans enjoy the smallest moments as much as they can. And even though this one is not a big one they love it.

230602 WayV Instagram Live

A fan asked about awsaz and who would be on it the most. While they were discussing another comment got their attention.

"Hendery and Yena next episode"

Hendery looked offended immediatly.

"Hey! We are not awkward around each other."

Other members agreed saying that even though they are not the closest, they still spend time comfortably with each other. After the live Yena shared a picture with him on her bubble account. Calling him cute for getting sulky after the comment.

YenaxRenjun

Part Of Renjun Fan Club

"Renjun is the prettiest today. Why?"

"Look at him sleep. Everyone, you just saw an angel sleeping. How was it?"

"Renjun-ah! Please sing this part for me. I'm gonna record it."

She doesn't do it for fun though. She does it so nonchantly that Renjun always gets flustreted by her comments. And other members are kinda jeaolus because he always accepts her hypes and returns them.

221009 Yena Instagram Live

She invited Renjun and when he accepted it, she gasped.

"Oh my, are you here?"

"Open the door please, my hands are full."

He logged out and they kept the live on her account only.

"I was bored. Let's cook together."

"He always does that guys. I'm not the biggest fan of cooking but if that's what makes him happy."

"Don't act like you don't have fun cooking with me."

"I love the results and eating them."

"It's a win-win then."

NCT Dream Vlive [ 7x7=49 💚 ]

She was sitting next to Jisung on the ground and technically in front of Renjun. He kept playing with her hair the whole time and neither she or the fans didn't think much of it. But later he patted her shoulder.

"I braieded your hair."

"Really?"

He opened his phone and took a picture of her hair to show her.

"Woah, I like it. Let me show off to everyone."

Honestly it wasn't anything big but how she was so happy and proud about it made the moment more special.

NCT Dream Tour "The Dream Show2 In Your Dream"

She performed the Smile for her solo stage. And on one of the fancams a moment went viral. At the end of her song and greeting the fans she ran towards the end of the stage. And members were waiting for her, watching her performance. Renjun waited her with his arms open. She realised him quickly and led herself fall between his arms. They hugged for seconds tightly. And the proud and love was all could be seen on Renjun's face the whole time.

#nct female member #nct 24th member #nct addition #nct female oc #nct female addition #nct added member #nct yena #nct dream #nct u #nct 127 #nct #nct wayv #wayv #kpop female addition #kpop female member #kpop female oc #kpop oc #kpop addition

[welcometololaland]

Hi, how many WIPs are you currently working on? Would you like to tell more about it?

hello anon 💜 first up, i noticed you sent this to a few people and i just want to say thank you on behalf of everyone for getting behind writers and asking about their projects! that's really sweet of you and i know most people love talking about their writing so i'm sure you made a lot of people happy with this initiative :) using the anon function for good!

storytime but i have really been struggling with writing the last couple of months, mostly because i've been crazy busy with work (actually performing weirdly well but fuck capitalism) and social stuff. it's finally starting to quiet down - i think next weekend is the first weekend with free time since christmas, so i'm super keen to just...chill. maybe then i can actually work on writing!

as for wips...i have many but only a couple i'm actively working on right now.

Eurotrip (aka. When in Rome) - RWRB. i really wanted to finish this before may, but it's going super slow. I'm currently writing chapter 8 or 17, and my aim is to write at least 10 (but probably more like 14) chapters prior to posting. i'm really proud of myself for not giving up on this one because it's a mammoth and i started writing it in...2021 :/ but there's still a long way to go. i have art by @stardisnight to go with it, so that gives me precious motivation. also, the timeline of this fic vaguely resembles a lone star season right now so i need to work that out before i post.

Call Me (By My Name) - Lone Star. a co-write with @rmd-writes, it's just chugging along but as per usual we put no expectations on ourselves so there is no real timeline for completion.

10 Things I Hate About You AU (aka. Not Now But Soon) - Lone Star. i keep thinking about this and not writing it, but every now and then i get a strike of inspiration and go back and add to the doc. i actually DNF'd this ages ago, but i keep going back to it, so hopefully it gets done before the new season airs.

The Ring In 2.0 - Lone Star. calling this a wip because technically i have about 3k in the doc, but i swore myself off starting this before eurotrip is finished. i'm chomping at the bit though, the original ring-in was one of the easiest fics for me to write because it's so silly and fun and the chat with @dustratcentral is everything to me.

A Random Idea I Got From A Writing Prompt and I Pitched to @celeritas2997 - Lone Star. okay. hear me out. it could be short. 10k MAX. i have time for this. i promise. it's an austin au with a super stupid premise and i just. think. it. would. be. funny!!!! let me live. take me back to the ring in days where i didn't have any expectations of myself.

(other projects currently on the back-burner until inspiration rears her beautiful head again - product placement (tiktok 2.0 - LS), crossover, reddit au (LS), cause of action (TGM)).

thank you for asking 💜 and yeah, i take requests on any of these so tell me what you think everyone and don't hold back lmao

#lolaland answers #wip list #911 lone star #tarlos #rwrb #red white and royal blue #tgm #top gun maverick #hangster #firstprince

[pebblysand]

Is My Heart Still In It? (and further reflections ahead of the Page Pals Project)

Hey everyone, I hope that you're doing well. I am back in Ireland now, and just wanted to come on here to remind you of the castles re-read project that will be starting tomorrow (more info here if you want to join). I am very excited about this and look forward to receiving your thoughts and to talking about each chapter as we progress!

Additionally, as a lot of you also saw last week, I received a not-very-nice anon about chapter 21. At the outset, I want to state that my intention writing this isn't to revive the issue, or to stir shit up again. Anon apologised and even if they hadn't, they're allowed to think whatever they want to think. I know a lot of you were very upset on my behalf, and a lot of you DM-ed me last week, which was very kind, but I also think that anon was very well within their rights to have disliked the chapter. Word-vomiting it to my face probably wasn't the most productive way to go about this, and that was typical URL-badman behaviour, but it is a free country.

I haven't had a chance to re-read the chapter, but I also think it's pretty clear what this person disliked about it. There is a change of tone in chapter 21, and a change of pacing, that may have felt rushed to this person, which is probably why they didn't enjoy it. Again, that's not really the question, here.

I think the part of this anon that really stuck with me was the allegation that my heart wasn't "in it" anymore. Firstly, because at a very, face-value level, it's not true. I don't want to seem like I'm being full of myself, here, but I think it is pretty much acknowledged that I am someone who has a very strong work ethic. I spend hundreds of hours on each chapter, I edit, publish, edit after I publish, answer anons, answer comments - like, if there's one thing you cannot actually fault me on, it's the amount of dedication that I have put in this project. I can accept that maybe, when it comes to chapter 21 specifically, I did a little bit less editing than I usually do, which may have caused it to be a bit clunkier, but that was mostly because I was very keen on giving you a chapter before going on holiday, not because my heart wasn't "in it". My heart is in fact so "in it" that I wrote and published 43,000 words in less than a month, so stop it.

But also, on a different level, one that this anon probably didn't even anticipate, they were right. Because, I mentioned their message to my therapist, earlier this week, and said: "Do you think they can tell?"

To be fully transparent with you all, when it comes to castles, I've definitely had many moments of fluctuating motivation in the past four years. I think that when you are writing a story this size, for that much time, it's natural that you will experience ebbs and flows. The summers, I've noticed, have always been particularly hard. The summer of 2021, when everyone was coming at me about my characterisation and, afterwards, about the contents of chapter 8, made me want to give up more times than I can count. So much so that I didn't publish anything for six months after that. I can state very clearly that my heart was very much not in it, then. The summers of 2022 and 2023, when I basically wrote myself into the ground and burnt out by August because I was sleeping four hours a night for months, trying to manage writing and work, were also awful. Those who were here last summer will remember the post I wrote about how much I'd sacrificed for castles, and how much I considered giving up. My heart also wasn't in it, then.

By contrast, now, I'm feeling a lot better about this story. Its end is in sight and I'm so very proud of what I have achieved and what I have managed to pull through. I'm also about to embark onto writing a series of chapters that have literally existed in my head for years, and which I can't wait to share with you. Whilst I am a bit nervous about how the end will be received (which, again, is normal when you have poured that much of yourself into something), I can't wait to finally show you all where I was going with this. I'm so excited for us to finally be able to discuss Everything, and for this fic to be complete. I think that paradoxically when you look at what this anon was saying, I am on "high" when it comes to castles, at the moment. I am more motivated, and my heart is more "in it" than it has been for a long time.

So, why do I say that anon was also right? Well, because I'm grieving. Because like a parent who is watching their child age and move out for college, I'm watching this story edge closer and closer to being finished with a mixture of joy and pride, and grief. I've always felt that once a chapter is published, and once a story is finished, it no longer belongs to me, it belongs to the readers. And, right now, there are only three chapters left, which are my own. Soon, this story will have grown up into its own thing and it will belong to the people who read it for as long as there is a Harry Potter fandom, for as long as the internet exists, but it will no longer be just mine. And, so, when I say "Do you think they can tell?" I mean that. Can they tell in my words on the page that I'm saying goodbye, too? That maybe I am slowly trying to distance my heart from this thing that I've built little by little, because I'm hoping that the grief will hurt just a little bit less, when the time comes?

I love this story so much. I know that it means a lot to a lot of you, and I don't mean to diminish that reader experience in any way, but it means a lot to me, too. Probably in a very different way. This story has been my refuge, my baby, my best friend, my enemy, my lifeline, for four years now. And, I love the community it has brought together, stupid anons included, so I worry. About what it'll be like not having that. About whether people will be interested in my writing in the future. About the possibility that I might never experience this level of connection again. And, so, of course, I am happy and keen, and so excited to finish and share this with you. Also, I'm not going to lie, I'm very much looking forward to getting some of my free time back (haha) for the first time in years. But, I'm also grieving. And, maybe, like this anon accidentally suggested, you might be able to tell in my words, or you might not. Either way, I'm telling you: my heart is very much in it. It's just - learning to say goodbye.

So: join me on the re-read, starting tomorrow. Join me as I say goodbye. And, I can't say I won't cry, but I hope we'll all get where we need to be in the end. ❤️

#castles

[diezmil10000]

2023 art summary + thoughts on my own art progress under the cut!!

(template by HedgeCatDragonix on deviantart)

so i've been doing this for 10 years :P

i'm not posting these pics in high quality, they're somewhere on the internet if you want to scavange for a bit. i didn't start taking art seriously until late 2015 and i honestly don't like looking back at old drawings. i still like my 2022 art summary but it wasn't until this year that i'm proud of all my finished artworks.

my art journey is complicated. i'm not one of those artists who can say they've been drawing for all their lifes. i used to trace pokémon in my school agendas but that was it. around 2013, a couple of friends invited me to their Skype server where we used to draw each other's ocs and make art memes and stuff - it was fun and cringe in the most positive way i can say it :] i didn't know shit about art and i took pride in drawing on MS Paint with a mouse just because it was hard.

(all of my drawings until may 2018 were made with a mouse)

when i was 15 yo i got into Love Live! and i decided to get better at art because i didn't want lesbian fanart to be made only by creepy cishet men. at some point i watched this video from Sycra and it rewired my brain. i understood that i needed to actually practise and understand what i was doing, and that i wasn't going to improve just by observing. its follow-up video also helped me a lot, i remember watching it on the day it was posted jskhfdjdfd.

and so fast forward until 2021 approx. i spent all of those years practising drawing in my traditional sketchbooks, so my improvement was steady. the only problem, and in retrospective i see it as a Big Problem, is that i was grinding mindlessly. by that i mean that i copied artists i liked and i drew again and again stuff i was bad at, but i didn't think too deeply about it or analysed my own art to look for faster ways to improve it. i also don't take feedback well so i didn't ask for it either, which further slowed down my progress.

on top of it, that just made me better at drawing, not at illustration. i firmly believe that a good drawing is hard to ruin but i could have made my illustrations way more interesting if i had started going wild with colors and effects way earlier. i don't exactly regret my choices because at the end of the day it's just my hobby, and i've been praised for drawing a lot and for challenging myself to practise drawing traditionally, so i want this to be read as introspection rather than complaints!!

the reason why 2021 was a big change in my art is because in november i did this monstrosity:

i got an Android tablet to be able to draw in class and took the challenge alongside my friend Nico, who also did their own Huevember. hola si estás leyendo esto Nico, aunque lo dudo :) i can't say that any of the drawings made me better at anatomy, or composition, or colors. i can't say that they solidified my knowledge, either. but they planted a seed in my brain that would fully bloom in late 2022, which is the seed of hating the finished result of some pieces so much that i forced myself to improve.

everyone has their own motivation to get better at art and i've always thought that mine was a healthy one (i want to draw more lesbians, that's all). however, i've had a very solid 2023 and now i don't cringe at any of my pieces, plus i can notice any mistakes they have without wanting to delete them from existence - and i could only get there because at the end of 2022 i told myself i wouldn't make any more ugly illustrations. like, period. i didn't want to get anxious every time i had to look back on my own art.

i also learned that no ammount of compliments from others would magically make me like a piece i see as mid at best. of course, i appreciate every single nice comment i get (genuinely, i get very happy knowing that other people love my work), but gratitude doesn't fix a skill issue.

so, late 2022, many things happened. first i got cancelled on twitter over a drawing of my beloved mizuki from project sekai (this info will be relevant later). then i spent a whole month doing this other monstrosity that is to this day the best thing i've ever done. i haven't peaked it (yet):

this comic actually made me improve and solidify my skills. it wasn't a class assignment, or a collaboration, or anything more than a headcanon i shared with a friend - it was pure brainrot over Revue Starlight and it made me put all my cunt into it. this was also the point at which i started filling in blacks with the bucket tool instead of picking a very dark color, which is a big part of my current style :3

the thing about people cancelling me is that i had to distance myself from fandoms and eventually change accunts, which also affected how i perceived my own art. even if i draw for myself, at the end of the day i still draw characters that are loved by many people, so i disabled comments and stopped interacting with other artists of my fandom circles. that led me to go on hiatus at the start of 2023, knowing that it was time for a fresh start (my art accounts were 5 years old anyway).

that period of time made me think a lot about my finished pieces. since i wouldn't post them until i had a new account, i would stare at them for longer than ever or make small changes even if days had already passed. letting my mind rest from illustrations i had been working on and knowing i could change them whenever i wanted was a big step forward.

i realised that for the past years i had been in a hurry to post my drawings as soon as i was done with them instead of appreciating them. that was a turning point for my mindset. this was also past the time i decided to stop making ugly art, but i hadn't really taken any measures to get better. so i changed the wording of the challenge: i can make ugly art but i can't post it if i don't like it.

it doesn't sound epic, but for some reason it worked. every time i was in the middle of making a drawing that looked kind of ugly, i changed it until it looked right. not perfect, but good enough to avoid cringing in the future. some times i had to redraw it from scratch with a more interesting pose. some times i needed to add a background or a graphic element to make the characters pop. and somewhere on that period, i went wild with colors and effects, and a lot of times that saved a piece that would otherwise be boring.

i have to thank Revolutionary Girl Utena and Revue Starlight for making me experiment a lot during my hiatus. both pieces of media, one being the daugher of the other, give artists so many visual metaphors and interesting topics to work with. the revstar brainrot had been there since the junnana comic, but rgu was something i had been meaning to rewatch for a couple of years and it hit me like a fucking train. it also made me create one of the comics i'm the most proud about:

then i got into homestuck and my art got. well. stuck!! >D< but it was okay because i wasn't making ugly drawings anymore. i was putting into practise a lot of things i had been learning or experimenting with, especially regarding colors and character interactions. and the yuri was delicious hmmmmmmm.

the rest of 2023 was very linear in terms of art but not so much in terms of fandoms (?). which is fine, honestly, but i was also glad to get back into Fire Emblem: Three Houses in late that year because when i first got into it in 2019 i didn't have the skill to draw everything i wanted to draw. and i still haven't drawn all the yuri scenarios that i've been cooking in my mind, but i have until forever to do it!!

so for 2024 i want to study some stuff i feel i'm still lacking in. i think i've always had a good eye for composition, but i've never actually pushed it in my finished illustrations - they depend a lot on the poses because i've always been prioritising drawing over everything else. that needs to change this year.

i also want to get better at drawing characters from extreme angles. i've always felt like my poses are a bit flat and i think i can study photos taken with wide angle lenses to improve at that.

and of course i still want to draw faster, which is something i've always struggled with. i think i have a good rhythm of "producing" art (excuse me for the poor wording), but i'm still too slow for the kind of artstyle i want to achieve, which includes having a looser lineart and less details in irrelevant areas of the drawings. i think that overdoing the lineart actually hurts my illustrations, because everything ends up pulling the viewer's attention with the same energy. i also think messy artstyles are neat.

i promise i'm not crazy and i don't hate what i do. in fact, it's precisely because this year i managed to make some pieces with that kind of feel that i know where i want to aim. special mention to the junnana comic because i haven't been able to replicate that lineart ever since.

examples:

as for the stuff i like about my current artstyle, i definitely want to keep the way i color!! and by that i mean the method i have for applying filters that make my colors pop. i could maybe play more with textures too.

i also like the way i depict intimacy, and people have praised it too. thank you for noticing. it's the yearning that's doing it, not me. but i don't think i'll ever change the content (?) of my art, i eat breathe and speak in yuri. if anything, there are still some ways of conveying feelings that i haven't been able to draw because i lack the skill to do so, but i'll keep trying ;)

i honestly didn't expect this post to be this long. i've been writing for hours now and i'm not sure my thoughts are coherent for anyone that isn't me. i also can't grasp the idea that some people know me from fanart i did in 2016 while others started following me last month, time is wild and it's an extra dimension of complexity that i don't know how to account for when i write stuff like this.

but again, as i do with art, i've written this for myself. it's been nice to put my thoughts in order. i think i've only talked about art in depth with like 5 people and it's always been in casual conversation. no creo que estéis leyendo pero Nahia y Henar os amo y he aprendido mucho de vosotras.

thank you for reading until the end if you have. i hope you have not only a nice day but a nice year. let's meet again in the future.

#my art #i guess¿? it's literally my art but nothing new #art explanations #<- art tag for when i explain art /srs

[0alanasworld0]

Hidden connection (Yassine Bounou x reader) *request

Request: "Hey 👋, okay first of all I’ve saw your fics and they are brilliant, so I’ve would like to request you a fic on Yassine Bounou where the reader is the is the daughter of Walid Regragui and they met during the World Cup. Thanks in advance ❤️"

Warnings: none

“Please don’t take unnecessary holidays just for this tournament, habibi” your father says over the phone while looking over the team training. You’re not entirely sure why he’s so nonchalant about the whole ordeal. He’s the coach of your country’s team, the big reason for why so many retired players decided to make a return. A beacon of hope for Moroccan football with a glittering vision for the team that no other coach has had the courage to pursue.

“You can’t be serious, dad. It's your big moment and I’m coming. It's bad enough that you convinced me to miss out on the qualifiers.” you remind him, with a tut. You can miss a few weeks of work for this. Absolutely worth it. you can feel it in your bones that it's gonna go well. He hums with slight disapproval but is relieved internally. Should anything big come from this, he wants you there with him.

Thankfully, your bosses were only a small bump in the road. Being Moroccan themselves meant that a single implication of your father’s name had their ears perking up, when they realised anyway. 

“Hmmm, we can’t just give out holidays Ms. Regragui” he states, not bothering to look up from his laptop.

“I understand that! Trust me, I do! but since my father is helping out, I would really like to be there to support him.” you reply, trying to hint at the reason without fully going down the nepotism route.

“Helping out? Ms. Regragui, that's hardly specif-” his eyes widen in realisation.

“You know what, maybe I'm being too hasty. 3 weeks is good, right?” Bingo.

“Thank you, sir I-”

“Yes yes it's fine! Great even! Just get a shirt signed for me, yeah?” He looks at you expectantly as you nod your head vigorously.

“I really appreciate it, sir!” You say, walking out of his office and sighing a big breath of relief. 

The perks of your father’s status means that you’re in the stadium earlier. You have some time before the match as the team squeezes in a final training session, nervously awaiting their big debut. They're revived with a new sense of hope and excitement that they haven't felt in far too long. The weights of resentment and general discontent are lifted and there's a burning desire to make their big chance count, to make everyone proud.

You’re on the grass just daydreaming with your music, admiring the beautiful day, looking out at the team every once in a while. One of those glances, lands you on someone familiar. Sevilla vs Real Valladolid. March 2021, the 2nd ever goalkeeper in La Liga to score a goal himself. You also know that he has some impressive stats to match that goal. He’s practising some basic footwork with one of the younger players, stopping to give him some advice every once in a while. You zone back in to see him smile at you. You feel butterflies in your tummy already and you haven't even spoken to him. He has a gorgeous smile, in all fairness. The rest of him is gorgeous too so you shouldn't be too shocked at that: he’s got thick, dark hair that swoops over his forehead, dark brown eyes that are slightly obscured by his heavy brow, an adorable mole on his cheek, a small scar on the other and lord help you that dimple on the apple of his cheek- enough. you cut the rambling thoughts off short as you wave back with your brightest smile, hoping that the pause wasn’t as long as you were imagining. You don’t see it but as you’re scrolling through your phone he asks Hakim about you, gaze never leaving.

“Oh that's Walid’s daughter. Mashallah, she’s a sweetheart. So talented too!” he praises, eyes narrowing as he notices Yassine continuing to stare at her. He hums in vague acknowledgement with a smile on his face and soft eyes. Hakim rolls his eyes playfully, leaving Yassine to collect his thoughts.

You made it to your seat in the stadium with little fuss. You’re behind the Moroccan goal post and close enough to the pitch to discern some faces. Admittedly, you’re a little disgruntled that you can only see the keeper’s back but you can’t complain, It's still your father’s world cup debut.

The match has been frustrating, some clear opportunities that were just short of a goal for your home team and some close calls by Croatia to score. Yassine does well to hold them off. He certainly lives up to his legendary La Liga status, that's for sure. 

The game ends after what feels like years, the score remaining at 0-0. It's not ideal but given the competition, you consider it to be quite impressive. Not a moment of celebration necessarily but your father brings you onto the pitch anyway so you catch up with some of the players. You have a good friendship with Achraf in particular.

“You were pretty impressive out there huh?” you smile at him, it's been a while since you both spoke. Both of your schedules are packed as ever. You know that his career has blossomed quite spectacularly over recent years and you couldn't be more proud.

“Could have been better, thank Allah that Yassine was okay for this match!” You both laugh together. His name makes your eyes light up a little bit, what is wrong with you?! You hug again as he leaves to talk to one of the coaches.

You make eye contact with Yassine again but this time, without the bounds of his training, he jogs up to you. Your heart starts beating quickly again as you try to come up with something to say. C'mon be cool be cool be cool be cool-

“You’re really living up to that Zamora trophy, huh?” you joke, wanting to kick yourself for being so forward but thankfully he chuckles.

“I try my best. Not easy when Luka Modric and co. are coming at you with full force.” you hum and giggle a bit in agreement. There were certainly some close calls and having to face such a strong attacking force must have been one of the most nerve-wracking moments of his career.

You both begin walking together as he continues to make you cackle with his corny jokes. You’re stood very close and he goes to nudge your shoulder every once in a while, trying to coax more laughs out of you. He’s absolutely smitten. You're gorgeous with an infectious personality that he feels compelled to be around. And the feelings are mutual. He’s obviously mesmerising but he’s so unbelievably sweet and down-to-earth. You feel all warm and cozy in his presence. Not to mention that you absolutely love the way he towers over you. 

In the midst of enjoying each other’s company, your father, among a couple of other players is keeping a watchful eye on the pair of you. The chemistry is palpable already and Yassine is the picture of a complete sweetheart but your father is naturally a little weary. However, he keeps quiet. Maybe this is a one-off moment that will pass.

It was not a one-off moment and it certainly wasn’t passing. He enters your bedroom to see you knocked out cold at normal hours in the night and hears your hotel room door opening at odd hours in the morning. He thinks he can hear you laugh and mumble quietly about something? Weirdly early for a night owl like you but he doesn’t want to pry. You've always loved exploring so perhaps it was just the excitement of being in Qatar that began waking you up early. It's a good habit to maintain, far more productive and healthy than waking up in the afternoon with no coherence for a good few hours. He's had enough stern talks with you throughout your teen years for that.

He really should have trusted his intuitions from observing the first encounter because the early mornings were in fact the only times you could spend with Yassine before training began. And you had learned to adapt to a normal sleep schedule so you could make it work. It was nothing too wild, just a couple of friends walking through the streets of Qatar… hand in hand… or an arm around your waist. You've shifted your sleep schedule and adjusted your body clock to a healthy one after years of being told off for the opposite. "Friends."

The pair of you had exchanged numbers after the Croatia match and couldn’t stop texting/calling/facetiming each other since. Every free minute he had, he rushed to his phone; eagerly checking his notifications and hoping to see the emoji he picked out for you pop up. His friends have began to notice the wide smiles whenever he checks his messages. Yassine, one of the most focussed and dedicated people they know, is all of a sudden counting down the minutes until he can look at his phone again.

“What has gotten into you, man?” Nayef asks, incredulously. Yassine returning from break about 5 minutes late.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Sure, and I'm the queen of england. C’mon, spill.” Hakim retorts. He has a good idea of what's going on but is eager to be entertained by Yassine’s explanation.

“It’s nothing! Look, I’ll check my phone less often. This game is just a little addicting, that's all.”

“I sure hope that this is more than just a game to you.” Hakim smirks, narrowing his eyes as Yassine widens his.

“Huh? In what world does that make any sens- OH MY ALLAH YASSINE YOU LITTLE SNEAK! HOW COULD I FORGET YOU AND-” Yassine shushes the outburst quickly, panicking as he looks around and hoping that no one, especially Walid, has caught wind of that.

“Can you calm down for a second?! Fine, we’ve been talking a little bit here and there, nothing too serious.” he sighs with exasperation, so much for keeping things quiet.

“Please, you’ve practically been glued to that screen since the Croatia match. And this is you we’re talking about! You might as well start buying flowers already!” The boys cackle as Yassine blushes.

“I mean that's just stupid when she’s got a pollen allergy” He mumbles to himself with a small smile. He recalls one of your early morning walks together, opting to walk through one of the botanical gardens. 

Your pinkie intertwined with his, you were talking about a show that you thought he would like and in the middle of your excited chatter you paused with a gasp. Your hand leaves his to cover your mouth and nose.

“Everything oka-” You sneeze, he doesn’t think anything could compare to how cute it was. You manage to pause for a second, hurriedly grabbing the medication from your purse and taking a couple of pills, you cover your nose with a tissue, sneezing again.  His head is cocked to the side and he’s really trying to hold his smile off.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying my misery(!)” You jokingly cry out as you wipe the tears from your eyes. You sigh as the sneezing fit settles.

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart. Would some flowers make it better?” You smack his arm as you laugh together. When you both calm down, he looks at you with a soft stare and you blush under it. He doesn’t mean to but there’s an intensity to him that has blood rushing to your cheeks whenever you make eye contact.

He dips his head down to press a sweet kiss to the tip of your nose and the blush darkens.

You respond by kissing his chin. He follows by kissing your forehead. You peck his cheek and he finally ends the suspense by kissing your lips. He originally intended for it to be quick but the second he makes contact, he can’t let go. They’re so soft and he’s addicted to the taste of the cherry lip balm you applied within seconds. His arms snake around your waist and your hands play with the hair on the back of his neck as he lifts you up in the air. You squeal in surprise and he smiles into the kiss. You reluctantly part to catch your breath but he holds your forehead to his, barely a second passes before he joins your lips again.

He wishes he could live that moment again and again and again…

“Earth to Yassine? Hellooooooooo? Anyone there?” Achraf calls, snapping his fingers and successfully pulling Yassine out of his flashback.

“You’re whipped already and it's been just over a week, man.” Hakim nudges him playfully as a blush returns to Yassine’s face. He’s not wrong.

You’re now sitting at the edge of your seat, smile widening as the extra time against Portugal comes to a close. 

That morning, you had managed to sneak Yassine into your room. Your dad decided to give the boys some time to themselves, opting to run the final training session before the match a little bit later. He wanted them calm and well-rested before the most difficult competition they’ve had to face so far. Walid did not have this luxury and had to spend his time confirming all the necessary paperwork for the match. That proved advantageous for you as 

You were sat up, with his head resting on your thighs. He relished the softness, loving the feeling of your fingers through his hair and lightly scratching his scalp and you felt comforted as the ache was settled by the weight of his head. You stayed quiet, allowing Yassine to vent all of his concerns about the match ahead. Somewhere in between, you lifted his hand up to your lips and kissed the bandages in an attempt to reassure him just a little bit. He pulls away from the warm of your thighs, lifting himself off to be level with you and pressing a gentle kiss to your lips. When you part, his eyes don't leave your own. 

“Thank you” he whispers against your lips.

You can see the players pretty well from your seat. The tension was thick in the air as the Portuguese players flowed through the Moroccan defence with more ease than the preceding teams had managed. You see the pass that you’ve been dreading. Felix now has a hold on the ball and is quick to make a shot. You feel the tension leave your body and breathe out a heavy sigh as Yassine comes through with one of his world-class saves. The crowd cheers almost as if Yassine had scored himself. He probably could, knowing him. You can see your father sigh out in relief too, quietly celebrating with the other coaches; there was still a chance. You’d never felt more stress in your life than this. 

Half-time is ticking to a close and you don’t have the best view of the free kick from your seat so you make do with squinting. The corner kick looks to have been miscalculated as Costa moves for it but you tense again, a smile making its way onto your face and eyes widening. There's no way.

He’s a second off the mark and you think you can see En-Neysri jump for the chance. The crowd erupts into cheers and you feel the electricity of the moment move through your body as the ball buries itself in the back of the net. You may not see the celebration from that end but you can see Yassine fall to his knees in relief. You can’t wait to see him when it's over.

There have been a couple more anxiety-inducing moments in the second half with Felix and CR7 himself taking multiple shots. You beam with pride as Yassine saves all of them.

One moment has you particularly stressed, however. A collision very similar to the one in that qualifier match has him tumbling to the ground. Your heart stops as you think about how you’re going to jump the barrier if he’s hurt again. The worries simmer down as Yassine gets up quickly, going to comfort and cradle the head of the man who caused the collision in the first place. You laugh with the crowd at the faux-intimate moment and the game continues.

The minutes are now running thin as the defence holds off the Portuguese attack until you finally hear the beautiful sound. The Moroccan team pours onto the field in exuberant celebration. They’ve just made history, done the impossible, and brought pride to so many people. Morocco are the first African nation to make it to the world cup semi-finals. Holy fuck, they've done it. Holy fuck.

You jump and scream with the crowd as the realisation settles in, they did it. Your father immediately races to you, requesting that the guards let you through the barrier as he wraps you in a tight hug. You’re both crying as your father’s hard work has finally proven to be worth it. All those days where your heart broke at his exhaustion, even apparent from the facetime that he’d been losing sleep over this. Those moments have been vindicated finally. Walid brings you onto the pitch to celebrate with the rest of the team. You go to hug Hakim and then run to Achraf who’s still laying on the ground, stunned by the moment. As you walk back to hug your dad once more, your eyes catch Yassine’s and you smile brightly. All you want to do is hug and kiss him but you know better than to make your blossoming relationship public before it's even begun. You also would prefer for your dad to find out before the public rather than with.

When you’re in the bunker, you manage to catch Yassine alone for a second and run over. There are still people around so you know you need to be careful but you have to talk to him. You tap his shoulder and his face breaks into a joyful smile the second he sees you. 

“You were amazing out there, you know?”

“It feels so much better hearing it from you, sweetness.” You blush as he bends down to give you a quick peck on the cheek. 

He’s then pulled by one of the coaches to the locker room so they can all get the celebration videos they need. The feeling of his lips lingers on yours as he leaves.

The party is buzzing with the excited chatter of players, coaches and family members celebrating the victory. You’re quietly admiring the surroundings and a certain someone brings an immediate grin to your face. He walks up to you and takes your hands in his.

“You look gorgeous, sweets.” a blush appears on your face as you rub little hearts into his palm.

“Could say the same about you” his smile is wide and bright and you wish he could stay this happy forever. You reach to adjust his tie and his hands wrap lightly around your wrists. he looks at you with a sappy, love-drunk haze glossing over his eyes. 

Walid and Hakim are once again observing the moment.

“How could this even happen?” Walid asks, utterly confused by the scene unfolding. He may have had suspicions but this is very different. 

“Your guess is as good as mine, coach” Hakim replies, amused by the events unfolding.

He feels a phone ring in his pocket, realising that he forgot to return it to you after making an emergency call. He sees the phone background and sighs out loudly in frustration. Its annoyingly adorable: Yassine’s head resting on top of yours as you both smile brightly for the camera

“I ought to talk some sense into him.”

“I get it but anyone can see how happy they look. And Yassine is probably the most reliable and harmless person we know. Maybe it’s worth a chance?” He hates to admit it but Hakim is right. His daughter deserved happiness and if that's with someone as lovely as Yassine, who’s he to stop it from happening?

“I can’t believe this is still going,” Walid comments.

Your relationship with Yassine has stood the test of time. you still look at each other in the same way, he still tells awful jokes, you still laugh and everything is just how it should be. Currently all wrapped up in soft boutique decor and the most luxurious dresses that Yassine insisted on you trying for the upcoming wedding. Walid doesn't catch exactly what Yassine has said but you're doubled over in laughter, the dress you're trying on crumpling on the floor as you try to catch your breath. All of the to-be bridesmaids are laughing too.

Walid would never admit but he’d grown very fond of the relationship himself, it brought him great joy knowing that his beloved daughter was so happy in such safe hands.

“C’mon, you have to admit that its kind of sweet.”

“Whatever” he holds back a smile shaking his head softly at the two of you. Completely and utterly content with each other’s presence.

And thats another bounou fluff complete! sorry that its a bit of a long one, i hope u enjoy anyway my lovelies xxx

#yassine bounou #yassine bono #yassine bounou x reader #yassine bounou imagine #footballer fic #footballer imagine

[sweetmariihs2]

List of inspirations that I noticed in ✨️The Amazing Digital Circus✨️

an almost-essay (PART 1)

When I watched the first episode for the first time I started to notice several similarities to other subjects that I also like and know, other fandoms and popular things on the internet, and I soon thought about sharing them on Tumblr (which I'm doing now).

I know there will be things that other people have noticed that will be missing from the blog, but I will try to include all the things that I remember recognizing at that moment. Feel free to share them, though!

I don't know the formal names of some things I'm gonna mention, and also my english It's not the best, I'm trying to practice my writing <3

I'll have to divide this blog into two parts because Tumblr doesn't support more than 10 images per blog. grrgrrgr I really wanted to put everything together but I can't. At the end of the blog I will put a link to part 2 and you can continue reading [when i finish the part 2 of course]

1 - Popee the Perfomer

Popee the Performer is a low-budget animation made in 2000, at the time when 3d animation was still a new technology. It's a collection of shorts and they talk about three circus performers' interactions. People found this on the internet in 2021 and they started a new fandom on top of it. What makes this show talked about it's the disturbing situations the characters put themselves through. There are a lot of violent scenes and sometimes the characters die by the end of the episode, but when we go to the next one they're just alive again, and that makes us question if they are living stuck in an eternal loop with no way of getting out of that small circus setting.

The 3d is pretty simple, mostly because it's old, but that makes me think about the connections between PTP and TADG are the aesthetics, the whole "disturbing adult cartoon about serious topics with a children's colorful aesthetic" thing, and also those connections with the Nintendo 64 graphics. I'M GONNA MENTION IT TOO!!

And a part of this fandom also it's part of Raggedy Ann and Andy's fandom. They were pretty close in 2021.

2 - Raggedy Ann And Andy

Ragatha, next one

I'm kidding there's more

Their fandom started around 2021 because the YouTube algorythm just decided that it was time to recommend a video about Raggedy Andy to EVERYONE! And that's how I discovered them too <3 (I WAS THEREEE I WAS THERE). Andy got the main focus and he was everyone's dream boyfriend lol

Also that's completely unrelated but I wanted to say that I'm one of the people whose video was recommended to everyone through YouTube algorythm and helped the fandom to grow even more (I'm so proud of myself guys I'm sorry awnqbehdjwndbwjdnh)

I believe that if that first video that helped me (and more people) to discover them were never recommended to us, maybe Ragatha wouldn't even have that design!! It's alright that Ann is a doll from the 1900s, but the whole "Raggedy Ann And Andy" thing wasn't a fandom topic, they were just normal ragdolls and they were recognized only by grannies and "the anabelle doll" (this one makes me pissed)

3 - Nintendo 64 (and old 3d art)

And this recognition that it is a fandom united this subject to other famous fandoms, leading to the same audience, and this audience is also TADG's audience. I'll talk more about this at the end of the blog! (Edit: Part 2 of the blog. *silently cries*)

And there's this blog:

That low budget 3d aesthetic it's turning really popular recently. I'm not much of an expert on the subject since I don't know much about games, but I recognize it from the old graphics and my biggest reference is Mario 64. There's a good explanation for it being so popular, I have a theory that it's related to liminal spaces, but I'm not sure. Still, it's worth mentioning.... and also that bubble character really looks like chain chomp!!

They're besties

4 - liminal spaces (backrooms and the "dreamcore" aesthetic)

happy balloons because the backrooms scare me (i hate it)

I think if you're on Tumblr it's very likely that you already know what the backrooms are. A part of our reality, but outside of it. There are floors and floors of eternal levels, where you wander in the same place and don't go anywhere. As if you had broken the matrix and were trapped outside, in a bug. This has become very popular on the internet and it's interesting that it is being used as inspiration for creating a show.

Furthermore, there was also the popularization of aesthetics such as dreamcore, traumacore and weirdcore, which consist of images that look like they came out of a dream. Things that you recognize, but don't know where they came from, like a deja vu, which makes you uncomfortable. It's extremely linked to the backrooms, since it's the same feeling. Many of the images are things that take us back to childhood, to the past, but they are not right, as if they were corrupted. Old 3D is also used a lot to make some of these images, like the example I gave of the Nintendo 64. The fandoms are all interconnected!

In this whole concept they also like to be inspired by childhood characteristics, such as old images of toys, empty birthday parties, playgrounds, and it also takes us to that famous sensation on the internet that I don't remember the name of, but it is basically feeling afraid of a place where people should be going, but they aren't. Abandoned places. The fear of being alone. All those topics revolve around each other. They makes us question abour reality, "do I even exist?" (I know I do, but writing characters that way and exploring the possibilities is kinda nice)

I know a brazillian youtuber that made a good video about it, her name is Replai and in the video she talks about how Poppy Playtime's art was made, but I know that most of the people reading this don't know how to speak in portuguese so... yeah. It's a good video.

5 - Children's aesthetics (but something's off)

This gif speaks for itself. It's that traumacore/dreamcore/weirdcore thing that I was talking about.

Still talking about that empty feeling of knowing that something it's familiar but don't knowing where it came from, childhood memories can be related to this, as they are vague, distant and sometimes carry a feeling of sadness. I'm not a great expert on the subject, but somehow the way that's explored scares us, I know there's a good explanation on the internet. This reminds me of the reason why people are afraid of clowns: they wear this fixed smile on their face and try to appear friendly, but it's this frozen, empty expression that leaves us afraid that there are other intentions underneath. And the fact that they are so related to childhood and children's innocence makes us fearful, because we don't know if they can do any harm to them. (of course, this all happens subconsciously, you don't think about it that way but your brain activates this instinct of fear) (not you YOU, people with that phobia)

I refuse to believe that these things are not interconnected. There is a strange feeling that can be explored from this childish aesthetic and connection to childhood.

Many media are using this aesthetic as part of their stories, especially horror ones. Five Nights At Freddy's was a pioneer, exploring this in the early 2010s, and then there were other franchises like Poppy Playtime, Bendy And The Ink Machine, other FNAF games (and there are also discoveries of things that do this unintentionally and that were created before this popularization, like Popee the Performer. In music we also have great examples like Melanie Martinez's old albums, during the Cry Baby era. There are also other aesthetics who like to explore this childlike-creepy vibe, and they're a little unrelated to all this stuff, like Morute/Dollcore). Whenever I talk about this I remember FNAF SB Daycare, as it is the result of all these topics we have talked about so far. The Security Breach DLC "Ruin" decided to explore this fear of empty, abandoned places, but which once had happy children walking through the corridors. This feeling is very scary.

Do you remember when I gave clowns as an example? The circus is also a way to explore this scary+childhood feeling. A place where there should be lots of games, but which only causes fear, as in the case of those scary clowns. It's quite common in the media for the circus to be used as a focus of terror, however in the internet version we were talking about just now, it doesn't have to be directly a horror circus, just feeling that childish sensation and feeling that something is wrong is enough. Enough to make us feel uncomfortable. It's like the characters were suffering, but they can't scream for help, and it's a disorted vision of how a circus should look like. Hi Pomni!!

The Daycare Attendant also explores that.

6 - Bendy and Fnaf (for the same reasons I already told you all, but one more)

Jax it's Bendy's and William Afton's lost son. We don't need no DNA test.

(I'm obviously just kidding btw, his design was probably inspired by them, MOST ESPECIALLY BENDY and maybe the Cheshire Cat from Alice because of his smile??? Idk)

stay tuned for part 2 <3

#tadg #the amazing digital circus #pomni #ragatha #zooble #jax #gangle #kinger #bubble #caine #backrooms #liminal spaces #raggedy ann and andy #popee the performer #five nights at freddy's #fnaf #weirdcore #dreamcore #traumacore #poppy playtime #bendy and the ink machine #clowncore #spamton

[im-immortal]

2023 Writing Wrap-Up

I'm a little late this time around since it's already 2024, but I haven't done a writing wrap-up since 2021 and I thought it would be fun to bring back!

So this year, I was on quite a roll for the first half of the year. And then July rolled around and I started slowing down until it came to a screeching halt. Not sure what happened. Maybe it's my ADHD and constantly shifting hyper-fixations to blame. But I gradually managed to come back around just in time to post something for Christmas, which I'm still working on finishing. However, my hiatus doesn't take away the pride I still have for what I was able to write during the year. And I look forward to writing more in 2024! So here's all I managed to finish/get a good start on and post during 2023.

A Kiss For A Drink: 6,740 words; one-shot I actually started writing this back in 2020 or 2021, intended to be posted on Valentine's Day. And then I got a point where I couldn't finish it and let it sit for about 2 years. I finally came back with some inspiration and motivation and finished it just in time to post for Valentine's Day 2023! I'm really happy with how it came out. It was a fun idea that turned into a fun fic with a few laughs included, even if it is one of my least-viewed fics lol I had fun writing it too, which is all that really matters!

Lunacy Fringe: 62,690 words; 8/8 chapters To say this fic suddenly came out of nowhere would be an understatement. I literally got inspired out of the blue while listening to an episode of the Therapy Gecko podcast and the next thing I knew, I was balls deep in a psychological thriller. I actually managed to write it in just over a month or so!! Which is really incredible for me, especially considering I didn't step away from it at all or lose inspiration before it was finished. I'm really proud of how it turned out, and I haven't really told anyone, but I am working on converting it into an original story and possibly self-publishing. It could end up being my very first original novel :) the feedback I got was far more positive than I'd expected, especially considering how I portrayed Beth. I'm overall so so happy with how it turned out!!

Longer Than A Heartbeat: 157,289 words; 29/29 chapters Now this... this fic is one of my proudest pieces by far. I'll never get over how happy I am with how it turned out, and how I was actually able to finish it. For the last few years, every time I rewatched "28 Days Later," I couldn't stop thinking about how it would make such a good Bethyl fic, and how I wanted to convert it into a Bethyl fic that included Rick and Judith. I finally did it!! Technically, I wrote it in 2022, but I didn't completely finish it and post it until 2023. When I say I write for myself... this fic really proves it, because I go back and read chapters from it all the time just because it's so fun and I love how I wrote it. I was also pleasantly surprised by the reception and how people who hadn't ever watched "28 Days Later" enjoyed it! Not to mention, @boltthrutheheart made some incredible custom manips for me that I can never get over!!

hot girl summer (playing by the rules); 167k+ words, 16/30 chapters Ah yes, here she is... the companion piece to the first 3 fics of "in for a penny, in for a pound" that I've been planning/contemplating ever since I did that first fic from Beth's POV for the series. I always wanted to show Beth's POV for all the major moments in the series, and then once I got started, I figured why not go all in and just do her POV for the entirety of the series thus far? It gives a little more insight into how she's feeling, why she does the things she does and says the things she says, and we also get to see exactly what she was doing all those times that Daryl couldn't help wondering about her (because I already knew in my head, but I thought it might be fun to share with everyone else). I also thought it would make the set-up for the next fic a little better, so we could try and understand Beth's motivations better and where she's at in her head. Of course, I got pretty into it and then hit a speed bump and then suddenly, lost all ability to write. It'll come back soon, though. I can't wait to finish this fic and move on to the next in the series, and eventually conclude Beth and Daryl's tumultuous journey in this fun little AU.

Small Miracles; 39k+ words, 6/10 chapters This is the fic that finally pushed me back into being able to write. I had no plans of writing for BHF 2023, and then I suddenly had this strike of inspiration for a very weird idea and decided to go with it and try and finish it in time to post for Christmas. I did manage to finish about 1/3rd of the fic in time, but I'm still writing it and haven't lost motivation yet, so that's a good sign! It's also just really fun and kind of cathartic to do a new exploration of Beth's journey through the eyes of an older Beth who survived Grady, with that fun little supernatural twist added to it. I can't wait to finish this one, because I've had a lot of fun writing it and really look forward to seeing what people think of her entire journey and the way it will conclude.

To everyone who's read my fics, left feedback, kudos, bookmarks, or even helped me bounce ideas off and come up with plans for fics... thank you so much! I appreciate everyone in this little fandom so, so much. Y'all mean the world to me, and I am so grateful that we have this wonderful community in our own little corner of the internet. Happy New Year to you all, and I hope 2024 brings you nothing but blessings!

#bethyl fanfiction #2023 wrap-up #writing #my year in fanfic #SquishyCool

[thissying]

NOS interview with Daniel, Australian GP, 1 April 2023

And more in-depth in this article:

With the characteristic wide grin, shining white teeth and his roaring laugh, he is prominent in the paddock, Down Under at the Albert Park circuit. For the first time this year Daniel Ricciardo is present in the guest house of Max Verstappen's team Red Bull Racing. Not as a teammate, not even as a substitute. Although he is a reserve driver, the 33-year-old Australian is mainly used as an advertising pillar and marketing gun.

It looks a bit painful, but Ricciardo is not the type to be taken aback. "I think it's especially cool to be here. A race weekend without stress is quite nice," he says on the track in Melbourne. "Of course it feels double and all feelings come up here, but I also enjoy this life. I have more time for hobbies, friends and family. It's also nice to break fewer days on the plane. It feels less uncomfortable than I feared."

For many years Melbourne was the scene of Ricciardo's home race; now he's standing by the line and everyone wants something from him. An interview, an autograph, a selfie or a chat. But also: team discussions behind the scenes about the optimal set-up of the car. "It's business as usual, really. I'm busy in the paddock all day. My cockpit has been traded for a seat by the pit wall, but the fans give me a warm bath. They still treat me like one of the drivers. Very nice to meet you."

He doesn't like to admit it, but of course it immediately tickles when Ricciardo sees the RB19 of Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez. Especially now that the car is outflanking the entire field. "It's an exciting car, exceeding all the team's expectations. Nobody expected us to dominate like this. Of course I want to get in and race straight away, but I don't feel any frustration."

Of course, the eight-time grand prix winner is immediately ready to fill in if something unexpected happens to Verstappen or Pérez. "I think he only needs ten minutes to get there," assures team leader Christian Horner. "I make sure I'm fit and ready and if the opportunity arises I will give everything to help the team," added Ricciardo. "Of course the devil in me would like to put something in Max or Checo's shakes so that they get sick for a while, haha. Nope. Just kidding!"

What went wrong with Ricciardo? When did his career decline? For that we have to go back to August 2018. Ricciardo was teammate of Verstappen and was able to extend his contract, but made a surprising switch to Renault. When that team's plans turned out to be much bigger than the results, he moved again in 2021 to a team with mountains of gold: McLaren.

That's where things went terribly wrong. Ricciardo was outclassed by Lando Norris, there was no click with the team and the results were abysmal. The team terminated Ricciardo's contract last year and signed his young compatriot Oscar Piastri. Although Ricciardo touched an impressive transfer fee, he was left empty-handed. No team showed serious interest.

"Of course there is a dent in my confidence," admits Ricciardo. "I felt that even when I got into the Red Bull simulator for the first time recently. I was a bit nervous, felt the pressure and hoped I was still good enough. But I felt in my place again very quickly. I'm home again."

Ricciardo says he has no regrets about his failed transfers. "I'm not like that. Everything happens for a reason. You learn from wrong decisions and setbacks, you grow and you become stronger. That also applies to the two rotten years at McLaren." "But what if?"

What if he had not fled - as team boss Christian Horner put it at the time - with his tail between his legs to avoid the internal duel with Max Verstappen? Would he now be the proud owner of a world title? Probably not. After all, Ricciardo left because he noticed that he was no longer the dream number one of Red Bull Racing. "I noticed that the relationships in the team were changing. Max was the future. That was noticeable in everything."

The team had embraced a new apple of their eye with the still very young Verstappen. The team was built around the Dutchman. The will of the driver, his father Jos and his management became law. And Ricciardo didn't want to play second fiddle. As a grand prix winner, he also felt too good for it, but only managed one more grand prix victory after his departure. His F1 career fizzled out, but Ricciardo is still brooding on a return.

Around the summer he will make a decision about his motorsport future. Options are legion. The driver is so beloved that teams in Nascar, IndyCar or endurance races line up. But for now, 'Dannyric' is holding off and seems to be one more aim all arrows at an F1 seat. "I don't want to compete for the sake of competing. Fighting in the middle or the rear doesn't motivate me. I'm only interested in a fast seat and I don't feel like starting from zero again."

"I made a well-considered decision to take a break to recharge myself. I still support that. I'm not actively looking for a cockpit yet. My feeling is that I want to return to Formula 1 next year. All sorts of factors come into play, but it doesn't feel like I'm retired from F1 right now. I'm still hungry. The fire hasn't gone out yet."

The 41-year-old Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso is Ricciardo's example. "It's great that he gets a podium two times in a row. I'm enjoying the resurrection of the old man. He's eight years older. I want a revival like that too."

#daniel ricciardo #f1 #i was a lazy ass and mostly google translated that article tbh #my post