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brightlight-dazzlingeyes · 1 year

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the french exit | chapter 04

kylian mbappé x original female character [+18]

synopsis: alice is a lonely rich girl whose biggest fear is to become a lonely rich woman. ever since they moved to paris, her fiancé doesn’t seem to be interested in her anymore. so alice decides to find comfort in the arms of another man. warnings: cheating; angst; smut; i have never been to france; minors dni.

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Chapter 04 | Cherry

“I fall to pieces

when I'm with you,

I fall to pieces”

“Hello, chérie!” Rose and Robert McConnell, David’s parents, were visiting. Rose was wearing a red bonnet hat and a beige Celine trench coat. They were meeting at a tourist trap bistro that Rose loved. Alice and her fiancé arrived early, the bistro was filled with people, but there was a palpable sense of loneliness that hung in the air. The couple sat together, but their eyes were empty, their conversation forced. Even after the future in-laws sat together, the younger couple’s smiles were strained, as if they were struggling to find joy in the melancholic atmosphere.

“So… How’s life in Paris?” “How is the business doing?” Rose and Robert asked at the same time, respectively. David was playing with his food and didn’t bother looking up, Alice answered then.

“Life is good. Business is good.”

David giggled at that and every other eye at the table turned to him, who sat straight upon realizing he shifted the attention to himself.

“Everything is great.” He reassured his parents. “Now tell us about you guys, is this a second honeymoon or something?”

Rose and Robert looked at each with worried expressions.

“Something like that, yes.” Robert said, still looking at his wife.

Rose McConnell and Caroline Fischer have been best friends since they were 13. They have never lied or hid anything from one another. They raised their children together and when Alice and David inevitably fell in love, they planned a big spring wedding and a long line of grandchildren. They were over the moon when David finally proposed a few years later. So when Alice called her mother complaining about feeling lonely, Caroline would immediately call Rose to relay the gossip. The incessant complaints worried the two friends and they decided the best thing to do was to pay a visit to the young couple and assert just exactly how big the issue was.

“We’re worried about the two of you. You look so… So sad.” Rose said carefully. “What is happening, kids? I can barely recognize the two of you!”

Alice feels a chill down her spine and her mind hurries her to give an excuse. She remembers how she used to be. How they used to be. Young, in love and overly optimistic. They had the whole world and were ready to take it.

“It’s just…” She starts, stuttering. “It's France! Everybody is always either angry or sad here, or both. I guess we just need some time to get used to it.” David had an unreadable look on his face, he held out his hand in Alice's direction, who immediately took it. He kissed her hand and held it for the rest of the brunch.

“Yes, we’re having a hard time adapting to the culture. I didn’t want to admit it, it’s a bit embarrassing.” David spoke in a monotone voice.

“Nonsense!” Robert said, laughing. "That 's normal, son. But once everything is settled with the company, and after the wedding, you guys will go back home. Where you two belong.”

“I hope you didn’t come all the way here just for that.” David says to his father.

“Oh, no!” Rose laughs, feeling relieved already after believing Alice’s lie. “We are having a second honeymoon, yes! We’re going to Nice tomorrow, and then Monaco!”

The rest of the brunch went smoothly and Rose hugged both of them tightly before saying goodbye. David and Alice stayed at the bistro for a couple more drinks before deciding to go back home. Their shared apartment looked bigger and colder each passing day. Neither of them was spending much time there recently, it was almost like nobody actually lived there.

“So,” David says, throwing his coat on the couch. “You think we need some time to get used to France?” He’s smirking but his humor doesn't meet his eyes.

“What are you implying?” Alice feels angry, standing tall by the doorway in her Jimmy Choo heels and tightly holding her Hermès handbag, as if she’s ready to run away at any moment.

“We have to talk at some point, Alice.” David sits on the couch and taps the seat on his side, motioning for Alice to sit beside him. She refuses and continues to stand by the door. They’ve been like that for a couple of weeks. It’s hard to remember the last time they shared the same bed.

“I don't want to talk.” Tears start streaming down Alice’s eyes.

“So we continue to ignore what’s happening?” David had his hands on his face, his voice muffled, when he looks back at her, his face is red and he’s crying too.

“You heard your parents.” Alice feels her voice sounding like a little child. She cries harder at that. “Once everything is settled with the company, and after the wedding, we’ll go back home. And everything will be fine.”

“You’re in denial” David yells.

“You don't love me anymore?”

“Of course I love you! I just don’t know how to make you happy.” He’s still yelling and Alice drops to her knee in front of him, she holds his hand and looks deep into his eyes.

“Come home, David. Stay with me. Spend time with. That’s how you make me happy.” She’s desperate, Alice feels like she’s going crazy, begging him for something she’s not even sure she wants.

“Okay. Okay, love. Don't cry.” David kisses her forehead hoping to calm her down. They take deep breaths in each other's arms. “I’ll come home. I promise.”

He doesn't. He continues to spend his weekends and off days everywhere but home. They continue to avoid each other, only speaking when extremely necessary. So Alice went back to Kylian, as she got used to, and turned his bed into her personal oasis.

"Which one?”

Kylian shows her two different pairs of sneakers and Alice picks one. He’s dressing up to a marketing event for the club and the blonde woman lying in his bed watches him in admiration.

“You’re beautiful.” Alice says, smiling.

“Don't say things like that.” Kylian laughs, throwing a pillow at her. “You know I can't stay.” He goes to her on the bed and gives her a peck on the lips. “I’ll take care of you when I come home, I promise.”

He always kept his promises. Alice waited for him on the couch, watching some random tv show, and as soon as he walked in the door, late at night, he carried her to bed. Kylian got rid of their clothes before they reached the bedroom. He’s hard and Alice puts her hand on his member, feeling him, how big he is. She feels desperate to have him inside of her.

“With your other hand.” Kylian says, moaning.

“No, can’t. The ring is going to hurt you.”

“Then do it slowly. I want to see.”

The bedroom is being illuminated by the moonlight, making her diamond ring shine bright on her hand. As she touches him, her fingers become coated with his precum. They both admire the view. The sigh is filthy, obscene. It only makes them hornier, hungrier for each other. It doesn't take long and they’re kissing again, Kylian holds her in his lap and Alice guides his cock, having him where he belongs. Inside of her, fucking her.

“So deep.” She’s moaning incoherently.

“Yeah? Keep talking, baby.”

Kylian is focused, his eyes glued on where their bodies meet, his hands on her hips, pushing her into himself.

“You’re so big, Kyky. I feel so full.”

“You like it?” He kisses her neck, her ear. “Is my baby happy?”

“Yes. Yes.”

Their movements become faster, erratic.

“I want to…” Kylian closes his eyes, trying to focus. “I want to.” He doesn't know how to ask for what he really wants. “Alice, baby, you’re…” Mine. Mine. Mine. Is all he can think of. She hears it, somehow, she’s thinking about it too.

“You can do whatever you want.” Alice says in between kisses. “Whatever you want.”

Kylian bites her. Her lips, her neck, the side of her breasts. He turns her and she’s lying on her stomach. He enters her again and slaps her ass. He’s trying to mark her, trying to show her. Mine. Mine. Mine.

“Good girl. That 's right. You’re taking me so well.”

She’s on all fours and Kylian continues his mission, distributing love bites all over her back. She cums hard, her legs shaking. Kylian has to hold her up as he continues to fuck her. Alice tries to say something, but she can’t find the right words. Her brain and body feels like gelatin after her orgasm.

“What is it, baby?” Kylian pulled her closer, listening carefully. “Just ask me and I’ll give it to you. Anything."

“Cum on my face, please. Please.”

He has to hold back, stopping abruptly, not to cum right at that moment. Kylian grants her wish with great pleasure. Painting her beautiful face in white. Mine. Mine. Mine. The next day Alice wakes up with Kylian giving her soft kisses. From the bed, she looks out the window. Winter is dying outside and that realization worries her.

“The weather is changing.” She speaks, still half asleep. There’s something left unsaid. Spring is coming.

“We’re running out of time.” Kylian says and Alice feels like she’s been punched in the gut. He sees the pain in her face and looks worried at her. “What?” He gives a dry laugh, humorless. “You don’t expect me to continue this after you marry another man, do you?”

Alice takes a second to process what he said. Suddenly, she becomes enraged. She gets up, pointing a finger to his face.

“You…” She’s seeing red. “You don’t care about me, do you? Fuck! You never did.” She’s accusing him, even though she doesn't know exactly what crime he committed that she didn’t commit as well. “You’re just using me!”

“How can you say that?” Kylian sits up on the bed, not fully understanding what’s going on.

“You’re so… You’re so… Selfish! Fuck you, Kylian.”

“What the fuck. Don't talk to me like that. You don’t get to call me selfish. Everybody else in the world says that about me, but you can't. Not you. I was never selfish with you.”

They stare at each other in disbelief, both yelling.

“This was always some sort of kink to you.” Alice looks disgusted at him. “Some sort of twisted one sided competition that you created in your head and you actually think you’re winning.” She feels like her head is about to explode. She closes her eyes trying to collect herself.

“I'm winning.” Kylian yells harshly. “Look at where you are. I won already. And it’s not one sided, baby.”

“He doesn’t even know about you.” Alice whispers, crying.

Kylian takes a deep breath and stares at his phone, he’ll be late to practice if he doesn't get up soon. He doesn’t know what to do, or what caused the fight.

“I’m taking a shower.” He gets up, speaking softly now, no longer angry. He tries to touch her shoulder but she recoils. “We can talk when I come out.”

When Alice hears the water running she puts on her clothes and walks out. For a while that’s all she does, just walking and walking and walking. A couple hours later, when she’s tired and out of breath, she sits at a café. On her phone there’s a notification. Alice lights up a cigarette as she reads the messages.

k.mbappe you have been using me too this whole time it’s not just me don’t act like you’re better than me alice answer me you don’t get to just walk out like this answer me

...

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mickstart · 4 years

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what do you think are some iconic/memorable schumi moments? i just got into f1 and would like to know more about him bc somehow i can’t really find anything like that about him.... just stats which are incredibly impressive but i can’t find anything about how he behaved or just anything about his personality..... thanks <3

:) Hi anon, thank you for unleashing the beast.

Ok I love you for asking me this thank you SO MUCH. Welcome to the circus I’m glad you’re here! Also yeah, Schumi is often talked about in terms of statistics and not as a human, Which is a shame bc like! Schumi is fascinating and the dynamics on the grid in late 90s F1 is so much fun! Also, this is mainly going to be late 90s -> early 2010s stuff bc I was born in 98 so uhhh I didn’t properly witness ANY 90s stuff and had to learn about it.

OK so I got super carried away but I’ve divided this into 3 sections: Drives/races that I think showcase some of his talents, human moments we need to talk about more, and Chaotic Little Bitch moments. The key thing to remember w/ Schumi is that he personally tends to be nice but as soon as you put him in a competition, Bastard Mode activates like a cat’s pupils going wide.

I am so sorry for the following short essay. Also some crashes are briefly mentioned but only ones with absolutely no injuries and there’s no details.

Chaotic Little Bitch Moments

Schumi debuted as a SUBSTITUTE driver for Jordan when one of their drivers was in police custody (yes. really.) The highest a Jordan had qualified all year was 10th and in his DEBUT at SPA, one of the toughest tracks, in the middle of the season, Schumi qualified that Jordan 7th! THEN his clutch failed before the first lap was even complete, but Benetton and Jordan WENT TO COURT to fight each other to sign him for their team before the next race in Monza. He couldn’t debut normally he HAD to cause a scene and set the tone.

The Red Strings of Fate: He qualified 7th, his iconic 7 starred helmet, his first victory next year was ALSO at Spa - his first complete race would be at Monza, Ferrari Holy Ground, and he finished 5th which 👀 1) he was immediately racing with The Greats. 2) Mr 5 Championships With Ferrari.

Winning a race by taking a stop and go penalty on the last lap, crossing the finish line in the pits, and making such a complicated argument about said penalty that in a hearing that was SUPPOSED to be Mclaren protesting the race result the stewards scrapped the entire penalty and the 3 who awarded it handed in their licenses??? Iconic.

Austria 2002 where Rubens was ordered to give the win to Michael. And then Michael fucking made him stand on the top step on the podium like “oh no no no RUBENS deserves this” and made a big SHOW out of it and its like “Michael stop you’re not making it heartwarming you’re making it WORSE Michael STOP” The Tension of germany 2010 podium VS the theatricality of THIS podium.

Team orders were banned because of this which also makes this indirectly responsible for Fernando Is Faster Than You having to be a coded message. You can’t escape him,

Blocking Alonso in Monaco qualifying and then, years later in 2010, overtaking Alonso technically illegally at Monaco (the race was ending under safety car, but the safety car doesn’t lead them over the line it pits and they’d crossed the safety car line and the regulations were NOT specific about the rules) and getting a 20 second penalty bc Damon Hill was a steward. Haunting FERNANDO specifically at Monaco like the ghost of christmas past? Getting a harsh penalty because ANOTHER driver he’d fucked over was a steward? Forcing the FIA to rewrite the rulebook to account for his nonsense when he was in his FOURTIES? I don’t know another chaos king.

Winning the 1995 championship by crashing into Damon Hill, getting AWAY with it for some reason, and then trying to do the same thing in 1997 to Villeneuve, failing to do so and simply rebounding off of him harmlessly, almost COMICALLY, and beaching his own car in a gravel trap at which point the FIA said “I have had ENOUGH of you Wacky Races Man!” and disqualified him from the entire championship

Forcing Mika off the track so bad at Spa 2000 that Mika realized the only way he was gonna be able to get past him was to re-invent the overtake and go for it whilst they were passing a backmarker. (The overtake itself is at 2:05 in the video but the build up to it is Important bc the key part it’s not just badass, it only happened bc Mika knew who he was dealing with.)

Spa 1998 was a Ridiculously Chaotic race it truly was the Mugello 2020 of its year, and after a crash at the start that took out almost the entire grid Schumi accidentally collided with Coulthard later in the race. (The teams used to have a spare car at every race then, so the race was able to continue after a restart.) This wasn’t a racing thing, Coulthard was getting lapped. So something in Schumi SNAPS, and he storms down the pitlane and tries to fight Coulthard while the mclaren and ferrari mechanics both hold him back and finally drag him away. He projected into the future, saw Coulthard was gonna talk non-stop shit about Seb, and acted accordingly.

Monaco 2012 Pole don’t talk to me about this I still can’t believe the audacity of this man to get the only pole of his comeback, at MONACO, at the ONE RACE where he had a 5 place grid penalty to take!!

In general, I know Cheating Bad but. I HAVE to admire the brainpower it must take to have the rulebook so memorized that whilst driving an F1 car Schumi could spot a loophole the size of the eye of a needle and then dance through it, forcing the FIA to add ANOTHER page to the rule book specially for him bc nobody else even REALISED that loophole existed.

Human Moments

A quick rant about Mika and Schumi’s entire friendship. After Spa 2000 Mika goes up to Michael, says something like “Don’t ever do that again” then they’re friends again. They had this mutual understanding that Racing was not Reality. This goes all the way back to their F3 days they were rivals AND friends for their entire career. They truly were the Sewis of the era if Sebastian was like 50% more evil. Their entire dynamic is “You’re the only motherfucker in this pit lane who can handle me”. Schumi would do some bullshit and every other driver would throw up their hands in frustration and Mika would just go “Okay” and drive better to put him in his place bc he was the only one who could keep up, and Schumi very visibly LOVED that he’s grinning after Mika owns his entire ass with that overtake at Spa. They were unstoppable force meets immovable object and I’m so sad their rivalry isn’t more talked about bc the way Mika is the only driver who can get him to behave like a normal human being is SO entertaining.

This is a sad one so I won’t link it but he started crying in the 2000 Monza press-conference with his brother and Mika when he equaled one of Senna’s records. The press kept trying to ask questions about it and Mika just has this death grip on his shoulder and tries to get them to stop or let them take a break and it’s so sad but also important to know about.

Once said he didn’t want Mick to race in F1 bc the pressure of his name would put Mick under so much stress and he wanted his son to be happy. (He fully supported Mick in his endeavors! But only after making absolutely sure it was what Mick wanted, and making sure he knew he could just race for fun if he wanted and it didn’t have to be F1)

This whole interview just after Mick was born with the Schumacher family. Special shout out to Gina on his head the entire video and also Corinna talking to the press while Michael is captivated by Mick. Me too Michael.

Once allegedly pleaded to take a stray kitten home from the track?

I reblogged this yesterday but. Sticking like glue to Sebastian at an F1 test and immediately being like “This is my new son he’s gonna go far”. There’s a lot of pictures out there also of Michael being a guest at the karting races Seb went to as a kid and baby Seb visibly losing his fucking mind at being given a trophy by his idol. Every day of my life I think about him trying to ruffle Seb’s hair through his helmet at Brazil 2012

WInning the championship in 2000. Him thanking the entire team individually and pausing mid-celebration to kiss his wife Corinna so tenderly it’s in the F1 opening. Also, the way it literally cuts from the rest of McLaren looking like they’re attending a funeral to Mika grinning at him and hugging him fucking SENDSSSSS me.

Schumi was a little shit in all the 2010-12 press conferences like, lowering Lewis’ chair, playing with a microphone wire, but ESPECIALLY corrupting baby Seb and getting him to mess with Nico Rosberg.

He’s just GOOFY! Like I refuse to let him be remembered as a terrifying force of nature he was so goofy kind of similarly to Seb. PLEASE watch this incredibly awkward interview he did with Coulthard on a golf buggy where they both had to pretend they hadn’t thought about murdering each other at least once. I think Sky F1 should force Brocedes to do this when covid’s over. “Do you mind if I drive?” “Yes.”

EDIT: I CANNOT BELIEVE I forgot the 1999 Canada press conference where Eddie Irvine and Mika Hakkinen get into a water fight and Schumi immediately grabs a towel and hides behind it and is like “I had NOTHING to do with it” 🥺 adorable, actually

A lot of people at Ferrari, including Rob Smedley (who was on the other side of the garage with Felipe Massa so not in his inner circle) have said that a lot of the success of the team came from Schumi’s LEADERSHIP more than anything, that he’d make the team get together to bond all the time. When Schumi moved to Ferrari in 1996 they were NOT dominant. He did the same thing Lewis did - went to a team that everybody said would be a huge mistake and helped build them up behind the scenes.

THIS bit of the Canada 2011 Rewind where his engineer gives him the strategy and he’s like “... OkaAaAaAay?” and then when it turns out to be the wrong strategy he cheerfully tells them it’s too late. Little shit.

Speaking of Mercedes I also wanna say that like. They were a MESS in 2012 and his car DNF’d because of a failing on their part MULTIPLE times. (In Canada qualifying his DRS was stuck open and they couldn’t close it.) He did not say a single bad word about them EVER even though the press used this to attack him non-stop as washed-up and bad without Ferrari to cheat for him. At Ferrari he was the exact same with the team, any bastard antics Schumi had for his rivals did not extend to the engineers and crew.

OK this one is soured bc Top Gear is trash BUT if you were like, a kid in England who followed motorsports? Schumi’s fake reveal as The Stig on Top Gear was like the coolest, sickest thing,

Please view this image of Schumi and Mika when they were young and stupid

Iconic Races

ok so I have limited myself to a few races that show off some of his key strengths!

Hungary 1998 / France 2004 - STRATEGY/SPEED - Schumi switched to a 3 stop strategy in 98 and a FOUR STOP strategy in 04 and won both races. In order for the strategy call to work he’d have to basically make every single lap a qualifying style ‘flying lap’ and you best fucking believe he DID THAT. God I fucking miss when Ferrari was the king of strategy.

Argentina 1998 - has it all. Talent, battling Mika, pit lane mind games with mclaren, and bullying coulthard xxx

Spain 1996 / a majority of the wet races - RAIN - One of Schumi’s nicknames was Rain Master bc he was so fucking good in the wet. If it started raining and you were a Schumi stan you were cackling evilly before the red lights even went out. I single out 1996 bc it was his first win for Ferrari and it was unexpected but in most wet races, even Canada 2011 post comeback, you can see Schumi thriving.

Malaysia 1999 - Schumi missed pretty much the entire second half of the season with a broken leg, came back for the last 2 races with everybody murmuring about whether he would struggle, and immediately put the Ferrari on pole. Also worth noting is that he was the number 2 driver for these 2 races bc his teammate Irvine was fighting Mika for the championship and he went along with that without complaint, allowing Ferrari to win the constructor’s championship if not the driver’s.

Monza 2002, 03, 04, or 06 just because it has the energy of the tifosi kneeling at the feet of an idol to their red god.

Brazil 2006 - Fuck All Y’all - Schumi’s last race for Ferrari. He got a puncture and ended up almost lapped, and then drove his way back from that to 4th bc he couldn’t go out without reminding us he’s a bad bitch.

Monza 2012 - Defending - Don’t tell F1 Twitter that there’s actual footage of Lewis and Michael having a genuine lengthy battle on track but DO watch Michael defending like a motherfucker and Lewis breathing down his neck for half the race we need to talk about this more.

Valencia 2012 - This isn’t necessarily anything special but I cried in my living room over the only podium of his comeback so it goes on here. It doesn’t have the same impact if you haven’t been watching him struggle with the car for years, DNF-ing from car failure most of 2012, and having BBC F1 telling you he’s washed up every single weekend, but you can just enjoy one of the best drives of FERNANDO’S entire career as he DRAGS that Ferrari by its hair to a home grand prix win and then watch the crowds embrace him like jesus and also Schumi being happy on the podium. Also, the very start of this clip from the press conference: him forgetting what language he’s supposed to be speaking

Basically, Schumi was a hyper-competitive ambitious bitch who turned into a goofball as soon as he switched the engine off. This is by NO MEANS everything if I was making an exhaustive best races guide I’d do more research and another post but I hope this is what you were looking for?? THANK YOU SO MUCH for letting me go MAXIMUM SPECIAL INTEREST and I apologize.

#asks #Schumi #Mika #Alonso #long post #god I'm so fucking sorry #Anonymous #This is not comprehensive bc I didn't want to accidentally turn this into a whole research project especially if you're new to it!

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shachaai · 3 years

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I don't know... Could you do a post with some of your favorite Fanfictions? (your Hetalia Fanfictions ❤️ I really like to read your work) thank you 😘

This is a bit all over the place and there is a lot of (fem!)England-centric fic, because apparently I’m a messy one-trick pony. =w=;;;

...

Gods AU

First and foremost I want to say some of my favourite hetalia writing has been done for the Gods AU that is/was a shared baby between Hoof, Eden and myself (with a few pieces by some very kind babysitters over the years as well). It’s a heavily engport-centric AU, where Portugal (Lusus) is the God of the Underworld and England (Albion) his somewhat volatile spouse. It’s an ensemble cast and most of the characters are deities of some kind, and is heavy on pretty scenery, stupid families, and tragic love. Also there’s a bunch of fluff and ancient historical/mythological-style smut - in both writing and art. (The art, obviously, is Very Not Mine.)

Nationverse

No Quarter: A bet tumbles the four of them into bed. (They would've done it even without the bet.)

England/Portugal/F!England/F!Portugal

Historical, Fluff and Smut, Nationverse but if both the regular cast and nyos existed in the same universe

Chapters 1/4, 2,739 words

Ok, this one is a WIP, but the single chapter that there is so far can actually standalone, and contains four idiots being both Incredibly Sexy and Incredibly Stupid. I really like how I handled their dynamics here, and the ebb and flow of control between them.

Small But Golden: France and England watch a meteor shower together.

France/England - though it can be read as either friendship or romance (or both)

Oneshot, 1,285 words

Honestly, this one just made the list because it’s got one of my favourite stupid endings to a fruk fic I’ve written. These two old farts will bicker about anything, and they’re both so smug whenever they feel like they’re ‘winning’ - it makes it even more fun to write about them cocking up.

For A Muse of Fire: I’m cheating, because this is my F!England Nationverse collection, but all of its works are very dear to me one way or another. Particular favourites for me though are:

Sweet Dear Tempting Mischiefs: Whitehall, England. May, 1672. Two young people, Nations, so in love they're ridiculous. And, fancy clothes be damned, romantically having sex up against a tree.

Fem!England/Portugal

Oneshot, 13,851 words

This is my fic where there is a lot of pretty clothing and flirting, and f!England and Portugal are very, very soft and smitten with each other. And also they go horse-riding and then fuck up against a tree.

One of my tags on AO3 for this fic is ‘there’s a war on in the background and you wouldn’t be able to tell’, and that’s about everything you need to know about this fic after the pretty clothes, outdoor sex, and fluff.

Queen of the Golden River: Hong Kong, Peking, Calcutta, Suez, Paris and London. 1859-1861. It shouldn’t be so difficult to throw a grand Christmas party for everyone, should it, not if you are the glorious empire that rules the world?

Chapter 1 features F!England and France (implied fruk) with a young Hong Kong, in Hong Kong, discussing the Opium Wars and China

Chapter 2 features F!England and Scotland with a young Australia and New Zealand, in Victoria (Australia)

Chapters 2/?, 9,591 words

Another WIP, but I think both of the chapters that already exist stand well as individual timestamp pieces, and I think they’re worth a read for the historical dynamics at the time.

A stupid amount of research went into just these two chapters, and I think they’re great if you like imperialistic conniving, awful romances and seriously dysfunctional families.

Fruits of Immortality: France, England, and apples through the ages.

France/England, also featuring young America and Sealand

Oneshot, 2,800 words

This is just a series of snapshots of England and France through the eons around the theme of ‘apples’ - originally written as a gift for suddenlyapples. XD;;; It’s very soft and sweet, and features young England and France bickering about a dragon that eats shoes. (One of my favourite arguments that I’ve written for those two.)

AUs

A Star Is Moving Somewhere: Elaine has unexpected leave for the holidays. Julia didn’t expect Elaine to offer to spend it with her.

F!England/F!Prussia, F!Germany, Germany’s dogs (F!England/France and America mentioned)

A human AU featuring: Christmas nonsense but if the background is a futuristic space opera? (F!England is the captain of a spaceship.) Open relationships (the fruk in this are engaged to be married as a power alliance, but F!England is dating/sleeping with F!Prussia, and France is sleeping with America. Everyone knows and consents to this).

Oneshot, 4,195 words

Sob, I just think this is a really good piece of my own writing? Plus the ~sexy moment~ descends into funny chaos, and I personally love wrecking a potential sex scene like that.

The Little Fox and its sequel Kitsune-mochi

A supernatural AU based upon a switch of canon Halloween costumes between Japan and England.

Vampire!Kiku adapts to suddenly becoming a vampire, and befriends baby kitsune!Arthur.

I don’t have a wordcount for these because I’ve not crossposted them to AO3 (yet) but they’re both just short pieces of fluff.

Nothing Can Hurt You Here: a spaport oneshot I wrote as a gift for Trevo and Lunie for their Game of Thrones AU. Lunie has since wiped her stuff, I think, but Trevo’s tag for the AU still exists.

Oneshot, no word count available

IDEK, I just like how I wrote about the scenery and their wordplay. Hedonists.

Wealh: The sharp thegn Coenwulf has just wed an uncanny wife, everyone agrees, a strange, competent but difficult woman. How vexing it is then, to be the foolish slave that loves her.

A human AU set in 7th century Anglo-Saxon England

F!England/F!France with incidental F!England/Netherlands, Belgium, Liechtenstein, Monaco and a few others

Oneshot, 31,006 words according to my notes on this (but I haven’t counted again since then)

Head’s up, this one was written for an event where I was assigned to write a tragedy and it deals with some serious topics such as slavery, but it’s seventh century femslash, I’m still so proud of it? I wanna add more to this story before it ever makes it to AO3, but it’s very far down my priorities, and I am intensely proud of everything there is for it already. (Also I think the NedEng parts are hot. /SHRUG)

#calhau-defumado #Shacha fic #I really hope the formatting on this works; it's taken a long time to sort out #ETA: nope - the formatting broke

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cravingmarvel · 4 years

Text

Roman Nightmare - brullo [3]

Pairing: Mob!Bucky x Fem!Reader

Warnings: A little stalking behaviour, deception of unfaithfulness

Summary: It all started with a hook up, then another one and then Bucky was done for. He fell in love headfirst, no warning and no end to it anytime soon. But Y/n has a boyfriend and a secret and a wedding to go to in Rome. Despite giving him enough reasons to stay away, the two of you are like magnets, always finding their way to each other, wanted or not.

Have fun reading!

Chapter Three - brullo

Y/n’s alarm went off at nine in the morning sharp, but while her phone was peacefully chiming, she rolled over onto her stomach groaning loudly. Y/n had forgotten she agreed to lunch with Harry and after the night she had, it turned out to be even more difficult getting out of her warm bed.

Y/n turned the alarm off cursing herself for waking up later than she wanted to, dismissing all the other alarms in hopes to rest more. She stared at her phone reading the mass number of messages she received in her slumber. Her friends asking how her night was after explaining that Chelsea threw up on the side of the street.

Y/n laughed to herself replying to the messages. She received a few texts from Harry, asking if she’s ready or not.

She dragged herself out of bed, getting ready as quick as possible and so she was out the door, down two flights of stairs and knocking on Harry’s apartment. He opened the door with a wide smile on his face, y/n couldn’t miss the golden tan he had gotten from his vacation. Y/n stepped forward hugging him tightly, whispering ‘missed you’ in his ear.

She entered his apartment and the mess that came with it. Clothes scattered everywhere; his suitcase thrown onto the couch. Y/n watched as Harry collected different items from the floor. His light brown hair had gotten a lot lighter over the time he spent abroad, a few highlights in the front. Harry sure is an attractive man, broad shoulders, eyes dark brown but golden when the light shines through them at a certain angle. He really is attractive. But also, gay.

“How’s Jack?” Y/n took a few steps around the living room.

“Good, we were so busy with wedding planning that I feel like I couldn’t relax properly.” Harry spoke from a room over. “He’s staying in Monaco for the next few days visiting his aunt, then he’s coming back to Manhattan.” Harry re-emerged into the living room, ready to leave.

“Got everything?” Y/n asked, and Harry nodded. “Ok, let’s go.”

“I should warn you,” Harry locked the door and walked down the stairs next to Y/n. “My mom’s coming too.”

“What?”

Harry and Y/n arrived at the restaurant, spotting Tamara – Harry’s mother – instantly. She stood next to the table, her Pomeranian laying next to her feet. They greeted her with a hug and sat down to order their lunch.

Harry took Y/n’s hand on the table smiling at her as the conversation flowed. Tamara smiling ever so brightly at her son. “How was Rome?” She asked.

“It was wonderful, I met up with my friend Jack and he showed me all the places tourists usually never see and the food, ugh, amazing.”

Y/n couldn’t help but giggle, knowing full well what happened in Italy. She squeezed his hand unaware of Bucky sitting two tables away from the three.

Bucky watched curiously as she looked at Harry with loving eyes, unsure of what to make of the sight in front of him. Was it anger? No. Hurt? Maybe. But Bucky wasn’t ready to admit it. The only logical thing his brain could come up with, was getting up and walking towards the three.

“What a surprise to see you here, y/n.” Bucky stood next to her, watching as she looked up to his face, surprise forming on her features.

Y/n looked up to him, panic flowing through her veins. “Harry, Tamara, this is Bucky, a friend of mine.” She cleared her throat watching him shake Harry’s hand and then Tamara’s. Y/n’s face glowed red with embarrassment hoping for him to go back to wherever he came from.

Bucky stayed for a while chatting with Tamara who was enchanted by him, eating up every word he spoke, talking about his travels around the globe. He glanced over to y/n every now and then, but she held her head down. Bucky felt a sharp pain flowing through his chest, not for her but for Harry. She had been cheating on him and as he came to find out, Harry had been in Rome for the past month.

Sure, Bucky has had his fair share of women in his bed, but he would never cheat and to find out this information about the woman he had been thinking about too much now, hurt. He would never admit it, but he had been enchanted by her, for whatever reason it might be.

Bucky left the three alone, signalling to Steve that he wanted to leave. Both exited the restaurant and Steve couldn’t help studying his best friend. This wasn’t just new to Bucky, but also Steve. He couldn’t figure out his emotions, due to the hard face Bucky put on.

As they arrived back at the house, Steve followed Bucky into the living room, sitting down on the grey couch.

For a mafia boss, Bucky had a rather obscure home compared to what one might imagine the house to be. Lots of windows adorned with dark grey curtains, on every couch and armchair around the house were yellow pillows, candles all around for a warm atmosphere and due to the small size of the mansion, everything felt more like a family house than that of a mob boss.

But that’s how Bucky likes it. He doesn’t want marble floors, grand staircases and useless gold ornaments laying around. Deep down he was hoping to bring a family into this home, a wife and kids. But Bucky knew that his lifestyle scared most away from marrying him instead of running into his arms at the thought of it. All the women wanted was his body, not necessarily what’s underneath. Did it hurt sometimes? Yes, but he would never admit it.

“Are you upset?” Steve asked cautiously, knowing that anything to do with love was a dangerous territory to talk about.

Bucky fiddled with his fingers. “Maybe.”

“Look, you have a tendency to sleep with a lot of women, that she has a boyfriend shouldn’t be upsetting to you. Of course, it’s shitty, but you have no right to interfere into her life like that.” Steve tried to scramble his thoughts carefully, looking over to Bucky who had his head hung low.

“I haven’t slept with anyone else, Steve.”

“So, you like her?”

“What? No!”

“Then what is it?”

Bucky stood up, pacing around the room. His heart was beating fast and the heat creeping up to his face. “We - I mean - maybe I do. But I don’t know why.”

“Sometimes there doesn’t need to be a why, sometimes we just feel that way.” Steve walked over to Bucky firmly grabbing his shoulder. “Just don’t be an ass.”

Y/n walked around in her apartment, getting pillows and blankets laying them on the ground around the coffee table. A few snacks and a bottle of wine laid out; candles lit for atmosphere. She opened the door as a knock echoed through the room, revealing Chelsea and Harry behind it. They sat on the blanket pouring out wine as another knock erupted.

Nina and Franzi walked into the apartment sitting down on the blankets as well. It was nice having the gang back together after Harry being away for so long. Each had a glass of Pinot in their hands as they.

“How was your date, Nina?” Chelsea asked and Nina smiled in return.

“To be honest, it was quite alright. He’s a lawyer from Connecticut and he was very polite.” She said in her ever so soft voice. There’s always something so innocent and sweet about Nina that all of them feel a need to protect her from the cruel world.

“But just because he was polite doesn’t mean anything.” Franzi said raising her eyebrows.

“C’mon, at least it wasn’t miserable, and it doesn’t mean she’ll go on a second one.” Harry turned to Franzi. Nina nodded her head. “And besides, we can all say that Nina’s love life isn’t as tragic as Y/n’s!”

Y/n whipped her head around, her jaw dropping. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Everyone’s head turned to Harry as if he were about to reveal a deep dark secret.

“That guy at the restaurant today? What was that about?” Harry chuckled; everyone’s attention still focused on him.

“Wait, what happened?” Chelsea asked.

“Y/n, my mom and I went out for lunch and this guy comes over introducing himself and everything and this bitch was so embarrassed!” Harry laughed hysterically throwing his head back.

Now the attention shifted to Y/n. “Bucky was at the restaurant and he saw Harry and I, I don’t know what he was thinking.”

“I sure do! He likes you.” Franzi said excitedly.

“No way! We slept together twice that’s it.”

“What?” Harry shook his head, eyes wide and a playful grin on his face.

Y/n couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. Once said out loud this whole situation seemed silly. She hasn’t thought about him in that way, but maybe there is a reason they keep running into each other.

“I don’t want to burst your bubble, but Bucky isn’t at all what you guys think.” Chelsea spoke. “Y’know, my colleague talked about him yesterday saying that he owes Bucky money and he said that Bucky’s part of the mafia.”

Y/n, like everyone else, looked at Chelsea with disbelief. “You always take everything as fact, just because a colleague said so doesn’t mean it’s true.” Y/n said, taking a sip from her wine.

Was she defending him? Y/n thought but denied it quickly. She hates assumptions and doesn’t condone gossip about people. Sure, she doesn’t know Bucky, but still, saying that he’s part of a Mafia is a big statement to make.

Bucky didn’t know what had gotten into him. Standing in the kitchen making pancakes to distract his mind. He furrowed his eyebrows together, concentrating on the pancake, flipping it to the other side, revealing the gold brown colour. It was necessary, he thought.

Y/n got out of the shower, drying off her skin and putting a soft robe on she had stolen from a hotel she stayed in on a business trip to Hawaii.

She made herself a cup of tea, relishing the evening glow the sun provided, flowing through her windows. Y/n was giddy with excitement, having a nice relaxing evening. She seated herself on the couch turning the TV on as a knock on the door disturbed her. With a groan she got up and opened the door.

Harry stormed in, pushing past her. Y/n closed the door with confusion turning around to him. “Can you tell your boy toy to leave me alone?” He said, anger laced in his words. Harry threw an envelope on the dining table and Y/n walked over, picking it up.

As she emptied the contents, her jaw dropped. Pictures, text messages and a note that said: I thought you should know. It wasn’t just evidence of Bucky and Y/n’s affair, as he put it. But also, some other men she had texted and gone to dinner with. He was clearly trying to expose her for cheating, being unfaithful to her boyfriend.

“Oh my god.” Y/n said under her breath. She looked over to Harry who had taken a seat at the table. She was furious, this could not only ruin Harry’s life, but also Jack’s.

Y/n ran to her room, throwing on an outfit, grabbing her purse and putting on a pair of sneakers. She ignored Harry as she ran out the door, calling a cab.

She told the driver where to go, getting some turns wrong, resulting in the route stretching out. Y/n tried to remember the way as best as she could, but the time she went to his house, she was drunk. After a few more failed attempts, the cab pulled up at the gate.

She stated her name and the purpose of her arrival and was let in. Y/n got out, asking the cab driver to wait, there wasn’t much she wanted to say, so this ordeal shouldn’t take that long, she thought.

With every step she took up the stairs, she worked up the courage she needed, reciting the words and what she wanted to say to him as one of his guards led her to his office, knocking on the door for her.

The door opened and there he sat, behind his desk, Steve standing next to him leaning over the desk. Y/n tried her best to not lose any of the confidence, seeing as the room had more people in it than she wanted. Y/n wasn’t expecting an audience.

She threw the envelope on his desk, looking over to recognize Sam and Clint. “What is this?” Y/n spat, keeping a stern expression as she looked at Bucky.

He leaned back in his leather chair. “It’s what I needed to do.”

Y/n turned around, pacing around the room running her hands over her face. It was quiet in the room until she stared laughing lightly. Sam looked at Bucky and both looked as confused as can be. Y/n turned back to him, still chuckling.

“Harry’s gay.” Bucky’s jaw dropped. “It’s a cover up for his family.”

Bucky still didn’t quite get it, his mind running a mile trying to piece the puzzle together. Y/n explained as much as she could. “Basically Jack, his boyfriend, and Harry have been dating for three years, but his family is… how do I say this… difficult.”

“So, you don’t have a boyfriend?” Bucky asked, breaking the awkward silence.

“If by that you mean that I’m not cheating on my boyfriend, then yes.”

Y/n took this as her que to leave, but as she started walking down the stairs, she heard Bucky calling her name. Y/n didn’t stop though. Bucky stopped her as the front door opened, holding on to her wrist, turning her around in one swift move.

Bucky stared at her for a few seconds, trying to collect his thoughts. “Y/n, I’ve never felt this way about anyone, even though I don’t exactly know what it is. I- I don’t know how to act!”

Y/n broke her hand free from his grip, glaring at him. “Then figure it out!” She climbed back into the cab, driving off the property.

“That went well.” Sam said behind him. Bucky turned around, glaring at him before walking upstairs back into the office. There must me something he could do and all he needed to do is figure this out.

***

Masterlist || Next

#bucky #Bucky Barnes #mob!bucky #mob!bucky x reader #mob!bucky x you #mob!bucky barnes x reader #bucky x you #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky fluff #bucky barnes fluff #bucky fic #bucky fanfic #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes fic #roman nightmare

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tabloidtoc · 5 years

Text

Us, March 18

Cover: Luke Perry Gone Too Soon

Page 2: Red Carpet -- Monique Lhuillier -- Emmy Rossum, Keri Russell, Isla Fisher, Ashley Madekwe

Page 3: Linda Cardellini, Kaley Cuoco, Regina King, Elisabeth Moss

Page 4: Who Wore It Best -- Hailee Steinfeld vs. Lupita Nyong’o, Kate Walsh vs. Shay Mitchell, Gina Rodriguez vs. Amy Ryan

Page 6: Ivanka Trump vs. Marisa Tomei vs. Kirsten Dunst

Page 8: Thandie Newton vs. Irina Shayk vs. Amanda Peet vs. Clemence Poesy

Page 10: Loose Talk -- Sophie Turner on her costar Maisie Williams, Kelly Ripa on answering Andy Cohen’s FaceTime naked, Katy Perry on her proposal from Orlando Bloom, Idris Elba on DJing at Prince Harry’s wedding, Mila Kunis on Ashton Kutcher bringing home parakeets instead of lovebirds

Page 13: Contents

Page 14: Hot Pics -- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Page 15: Kate Middleton and Prince William

Page 16: Hugh Jackman, Bella and Gigi Hadid, Angelina Jolie with all 6 of her kids

Page 17: Yara Shahidi, Kevin and Joe and Nick Jonas

Page 18: Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger

Page 19: John David Duggar and wife Abbie, Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard

Page 20: Karlie Kloss, Whitney Port, John Legend and son Miles

Page 21: Matthew McConaughey with mom Kay and wife Camila Alves and three kids

Page 22: Puppy Love -- Glenn Close with Pip, Julia Roberts, Kate Mara and Jamie Bell with Lucius and Bruno

Page 23: Ireland Baldwin, Please adopt don’t shop

Page 24: Working Out -- LeBron James, Kat Graham, Lorde

Page 25: Justin Bieber, Kendra Wilkinson, Brooke Burke

Page 26: Stars on Set -- Jude Law in The New Pope, Drew Barrymore, Sienna Miller and Russell Crowe as Roger Ailes and his wife Beth

Page 27: Jason Mewes and Dominic Burns, Jason Lee, Kevin Smith

Page 30: These Stars Got Their Starts on Reality TV -- Kesha, Lady Gaga, Jon Hamm

Page 31: Lucy Hale, Cameran Eubanks, Jamie Chung

Page 32: Stars They’re Just Like Us -- Nikki Reed, Ben Affleck

Page 33: Gwen Stefani, Olivia Munn

Page 34: Love Lives -- Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost talking marriage

Page 35: Courteney Cox and Johnny McDaid brought closer by music, how Cobie Smulders and Taran Killam met, the secret to Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance’s marriage

Page 36: Ellen Pompeo and Chris Ivery are each other’s biggest cheerleaders, Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis are both really social people, David and Jessica Oyelowo go big for date night

Page 37: Pete Davidson and Kate Beckinsale have great chemistry

Page 38: Bradley Cooper has moved on from the chemistry of A Star Is Born but Lady Gaga has a harder time letting go

Page 39: Khloe Kardashian and Kylie Jenner’s revenge on Jordyn Woods for cheating with Tristan Thompson, Amanda Bynes seeking help

Page 40: Nikki Bella and John Cena both moving on, Stars caught embarrassing their kids -- Jennifer Garner, Kourtney Kardashian, Jay-Z and Beyonce, David Beckham, Barack and Michelle Obama

Page 41: Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler’s new normal, VIP Scene -- Olivia Palermo, Emma Roberts, Amanda Seyfried, Ed Westwick, Krysten Ritter, Alex Rodriguez, Carlos Santana, Johnny Galecki, Marisa Tomei

Page 42: What’s In My Bag -- Sheinelle Jones

Page 44: Cover Story -- Luke Perry gone too soon

Page 50: Inside the Bachelor Colton Underwood’s heartbreaking choice

Page 54: Royal families from around the globe -- The Windsors, House of Wangchuck in Bhutan

Page 55: House of Bernadotte in Sweden, House of Arigbabuowo in Nigeria, House of Hanover in Germany

Page 56: House of Hashemites in Jordan, House of Glucksburg in Greece and Denmark, House of Grimaldi in Monaco

Page 57: House of Austria-Este in Belgium, Eligible Bachelors -- Jean-Christophe Prince Napleon, Crown Prince Hussein, Louis Spencer Viscount Althorp, Prince Abdul Mateen

Page 58: Style -- Sophie Turner and Priyanka Chopra Jonas

Page 60: Beauty -- Tessa Thompson, Nina Dobrev, Lucy Boynton, Laura Harrier, Kate Bosworth, Brie Larson

Page 62: Mark-Paul Gosselaar on The Passage

Page 65: Cruel Intentions turns 20, the Buzzzz-o-Meter -- Katy Perry, Kate Middleton, Lauren Conrad, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian

Page 70: Fashion Police -- Rita Ora, Zoe Kravitz, Tommy Hilfiger

Page 71: Tessa Thompson, Riley Keough, Maya Rudolph

Page 72: 25 Things You Don’t Know About Me -- Lauren Cohan

#tabloid #luke perry #prince harry #duchess meghan #meghan markle

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thearrangment-phff · 6 years

Text

LI. Three of Them

October 2017

She was 8 weeks pregnant. Just about a couple of weeks behind Kate who was due in late April meaning Isabella would give birth about a month later. The first doctor seemed to have gotten the weeks wrong which was a surprise to the royal couple. It was then explained that the newest royal babies were quite large compared to other twins at that stage.

"Charles and Albert or Mary Astrid and Elisabeth. Or we could do Charles and Mary Astrid. What do you think?"

"I think they're good names," replied Harry.

"You don't like them, do you?"

"I like what you like," smiled Harry.

"I picked them because both our fathers bare the name, Charles. Mary Astrid was for my mother and great-grandmother. I thought it would be a touching tribute. We can change them if you hate those names so much."

"No. Don't do that. You are far better at names than I am. Besides, we agreed to these name ages ago. I'm sorry."

"I use to be the one to say sorry now you've picked up the habit," observed Isabella.

"I have more to apologize now than you."

"I think we should include your grandfather the Duke and my grandfather the Grand Duke in Charles' name."

"I agree," replied Harry.

"And for our daughter has to have the name Zita for my great-grandmother and Christine for my sister. Do you agree?"

"Of course," smiled Harry.

"Should we already be thinking of godparents? I have but I also think it's a bit too early."

"You do what you think it right."

"Are you just agreeing with me simply because I'm carrying your child?" Asked Isabella.

"Of course. That, and you are my wife. I know that you will pick good names that would honor both of our families and you are much better at this than I am," smiled Harry as he kissed her cheek.

"I wanted to name our daughter Victoria. But nooooooo, Gabriella picked that name for her daughter months ago. She's due in 2 weeks you know."

"Are you going to stay with Gabriella for a couple of days like you did with Adelaide?" Asked Harry.

"I think so but not as long as with Adelaide. I told Emily that I wanted at least 3 nights off to visit her in Switzerland. Henri is in Copenhagen but he'll take a couple weeks off for the baby from the university for her sake."

"What is he studying?"

"Law but he isn't one of the good guys. He’s trying to become a corporate lawyer and they do little good," replied Isabella.

"You believe that?"

"Believe it? I know it. The rich do little good even if they try. Their money is made off the suffering of those they employ. Royals do the same thing. Why do you think I spend my own money on a majority of things?"

"Because you want to look better than Kate," muttered Harry. He went wide-eyed regretting what he said immediately, "I shouldn't have said that."

"You aren't wrong. She's the future Queen of the United Kingdom and I'm the wife of the spare it's a narrative that would have happened if you married me or not. But the image I'm supposed to portray is the dynastic humanitarian wife of the most popular member of the British Royal Family who spends less than 30,000 pounds a year of clothes. While Kate is the commoner wife of the future king who cares little for the work she is doing that she probably spends 30,000 pounds on one outfit alone. Who do you think will win in the end?" Smiled Isabella.

"Kate will be Queen alongside my brother."

"If the monarchy lasts that long," replied Isabella with a little laugh.

"You don't think the monarchy will last that long?"

"The monarchy itself perhaps, there is small chance it will survive, but William as King of the United Kingdom? I doubt that. Your father is the one who married his mistress whom he cheated on his beloved first wife on. I would be surprised if he got a coronation beside Camilla because more than half the country still hates her. Your brother is an ignorant buffoon who wants all of the glory but none of the work. Besides who wants a Queen whose ass and lady bits have been shown all across the country. Then there's George who despite still being a young boy has been so sheltered that his role as a future King will be tarnished because of his parent's obsession with keeping the press at fingernail length. Democracies show monarchies they do not need us to survive that is why the press, especially good press is needed. You can only keep the media away for so long before it comes back to ruin you," explained Isabella.

"I find it to be the exact opposite. The press and the people think they are entitled to everything in our lives when they are not and-"

"We live on taxpayer money. We are at that mercy. You only see the press in a bad lighting because you blame them for the way your parents were both treated during the divorce and you blame them for killing your mother."

"I'm not going to argue about this anymore. You had no right to mention her," said Harry in anger.

"You hold a grudge over your mother's death but that's the only excuse you and brother have to continue acting like children," bit back Isabella.

"I'm going over to William and Kate's apartments. I can't be here right now or I will say something I regret," said Harry as he immediately got up and headed towards the door as fast as he could.

"Like what? Incest? Because there isn't much you can say about my family!"

"How about giving up love for a title? You all seem to do that more often than not!" Yelled Harry.

"My family understands sacrifices! Maybe if yours did then they wouldn't all be getting divorced and have scandal after scandal."

"You're going to lecture me on divorce? Isn't Louis getting a divorce?"

"One cousin! One of twenty-two! Your aunt, your father, and your uncle Andrew all divorced. How is any of that comparable? If your brother wasn't a future king then Kate wouldn't have married him we all know that. That's probably the only thing that's keeping her by his side!" Yelled Isabella.

"Stop! Why is it that you have to take digs at Kate almost every serious conversation we have? You constantly insult Will and Kate while somehow taking, even more, digs at my family. You need to stop that Isabella or none of this is going to work. I'm am tired of you calling them names or pointing out their flaws. Everyone has their flaws, even you, so stop it."

"Name them."

"What?"

"Name my flaws. Go on," taunted Isabella.

"I am not doing this with you."

"You brought it up," replied Isabella.

"You can't look past your own arrogance about your family. You boast about being a Habsburg-Bourbon any chance you get. You thrive off of showing your family to outsiders. You have all this so-called guilt but you continue using your titles and brag about your family any chance you get!"

"First off, I don't brag I simply tell because in case you haven't noticed, my family is very large and have a tendency to repeat names multiple times in a generation! I did for your sake, you stupid baboon."

"I can't handle this right now I'm going to Will's for the night and then we can talk when we aren't yelling at each other."

"She is insufferable when she gets like this! I can't handle her, I don't think anyone can! Isabella is nothing but a spoilt child who believes she is the most important person in the world because of her title," yelled Harry as he paced back and forth.

"Are you done? You've been yelling for the past hour I've been here."

"No, I am not done-"

"Then I'm going to stop you right there. You complaining has made you insufferable. Look, you and Belle have been together how many years?"

"3 give or take," answered Harry.

"Well, I've known her for 25 years in November once her birthday comes. You love her I assume, but I can more than guarantee you that I've loved her longer-"

"You don't need to remind me of that because I would rather forget that little detail. Why did I ask you to come here again? It's slipping my mind faster than you can move your lips," interrupted Harry.

"Because you want my opinion. You know that I know her better than you do and probably even better than Belle does herself. Now, will you let me speak?" Asked Joachim.

"Go ahead."

"Isabella is spoiled but that isn't her fault. Otto von Habsburg wanted all his brothers to marry dynastically. Some did, some didn't but when Isabella's grandfather married a Princess of Ligne things got a bit complicated. Then Isabella's father married a Princess of Luxembourg which was very important to the Habsburgs. Do you have many reigning families have Catholic princesses?"

"Luxembourg obviously. You know I really hate how you, Isabella, your brother, and everyone in your damn families giving me this information then asking me questions as if I'm some child that needs to resuscitate his school lessons," said Harry.

"Well, I grew up with my family history. I knew about my Italian family from my grandmothers, I know about the Habsburgs from my father, and obviously my Belgian side from my mother. Because Isabella and I are double second cousins we know our history, you don't. That's why I'm doing it."

"Whatever," mumbled Harry.

"There are five by the way. Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Belgium, Monaco, and Spain, but Liechtenstein barely has any princesses and Monaco are barely considered princes so that is never a choice for a Habsburg or a Bourbon. Therefore, Habsburgs marrying dynastically is high because of following older customs. Uncle Otto and his wife Regina had clear favorites. Marry a Catholic princess and your children will be loved, marry anyone else then, don't expect much from them," explained Joachim.

"That's horrible."

"Comes with the name. Women don't have the same standards but it's common for them to marry a man without a title but with royal blood or marry someone with a title," added Joachim.

"Let's get back to Isabella. We're going off topic."

"Right. Belle is spoiled and she's complicated. She has been since we were children. She has Marie Christine ambitiousness, Imre's devotion, Christoph's acceptance, Alexander's creativeness and Gabriella's loyalty. They are utterly devoted to each other because we were always taught the importance of family. She's more like Alexander than anyone else and makes rash decisions. She changes her mind constantly but I know that while she changes her mind every few weeks, in her head it's like she changes her mind literally every second."

"She loves too much and too fast," added Harry.

Joachim had smiled and nodded at his statement, "Belle has been surrounded by love her entire life because our family is big but because we also treat friends like family."

"My family does that too you know."

"I'm not saying anything to degrade yours I'm stating from my experience which is closer to Belle's than you could ever understand. Our family functions differently. Doesn’t help we marry second cousins or marry the cousin of our cousin,” joked Joachim.

“Who are you going to marry?”

“Hopefully my girlfriend Victoria when the time is right, but I always thought I was going to marry Belle up until you came along so I can’t really say anything now.”

“Why did you love her?” asked Harry.

“She was the constant. She was always around but I think it was because her grandmother Josephine Charlotte just wanted her to marry either Amedeo or I. A Habsburg marrying another Habsburg in the main line hadn’t happened in some time.”

“You loved her because she was a backup so to speak?”

“Belle was never a backup she was really the only choice. I ran her into the arms of other men when we would fight I would advise you to not repeat my mistakes,” answered Joachim.

“We’re getting somewhere now. Elaborate,” demanded Harry.

“She would get into one of her moods like she is now. Belle would be happy, smiling, laughing, almost as if she is the happiest person in the world, then it all comes crashing down. She stops eating, stops talking, and her mundane way of life is halted until she can find enough energy to get out bed in the morning. Next, come the anger and aggression. She goes through stages. First is the anger towards others then it’s the anger towards herself and it’s a vicious cycle until she has no more will to fight herself in her own mind.”

“Has... Has Isabella ever gotten mental help before?”

“Never. She was sent to Sevenoaks with my brother and sister when she was quite young then went to Sidwell Friends School in the states before leaving to Yale University. The anxiety and stress were blamed on school. Every parent wants to believe their kids’ mental health is as normal as any other teenager,” answered Joachim.

“She’s showing clear signs. Isabella needs professional help,” replied Harry.

“She won’t accept it because she’ll believe there’s nothing wrong with her. You won’t get help from her family or friends since they are one in the same. You’re talking about a Catholic royal family. We’ve already had enough people poke at our mental health and health just for baring the name Habsburg. She won’t agree to it.”

“I don’t care if she agrees to it. She is my wife and she is caring my children, the three of them need to be protected at all times even if it means saving them from themselves now or in the future,” fought Harry.

“Fine. When you drive her into the arms of another man you should reflect how you treated her now and blame yourself.”

“Drive her into your arms you mean?”

“No, but the fact that you think I would go after her while she’s married is repulsive. You don’t know me but I’ll tell you now to your face, I would never go after Isabella as long as she’s married to you.”

“Who else would I have to worry about?”

“Are you sure you want me to answer that? It would simply be all speculation. No truth at all. I wouldn’t know if Belle ever had feelings for these men or vice versa,” replied Joachim.

“Tell me,” demanded Harry.

“Michel, Henri’s brother maybe their cousin Philip. Henri Antoine of Ligne or Rafael of Orleans-Braganza but Belle wouldn’t have an interest in them.”

“She had an interest in you so I can’t rule them out.”

“Are you really playing the jealous husband right now?” asked Joachim.

“I’m not the jealous type but like you’ve said before I wouldn’t want to run Isabella into the arms of another man. I am one of the most popular royals in the world, a cheating wife isn’t good for my family again.”

“You think Belle would really cheat on you?”

“Why wouldn’t she. Temptation is a devilish thing,” answered Harry.

“Clearly you weren’t listening before. Belle has Gabriella’s loyalty. You don’t know Belle or our family that is showing to me right now.”

“Don’t you find it repulsive that you refer to Isabella’s family as your family yet you wanted to marry her?” asked Harry.

“In your family perhaps it does, but not in mine. What’s going to happen if your children marry second cousins? Would you deny them, love, because it’s taboo in your family?”

“It would never happen in the first place.”

There was a minute of silence where it was clear Joachim was thinking. Harry had thought Joachim was trying to find something snarkier to say but instead, “Did you say the three of them? She’s pregnant? Belle is carrying two babies?”

Harry cleared his throat regretting his words. He was brash because of his clear distaste for Joachim, “You must’ve heard something wrong.”

“Belle is pregnant?” repeated Joachim.

“You will not tell a soul,” threatened Harry.

“Of course. How far along is she?”

“Not much far along. Family will be notified later this week then friends. I’m leaving the time of the press release to Isabella.”

Joachim let out a little laugh, “Never could I had imagined Belle or anyone in my family marrying you.”

“Well, it happened. Nothing is going to change that.”

#PHFF #Prince Harry Fanfiction #Prince Harry Fanfic #Royal Fanfic #Royal Fanfiction #Fanfiction

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your-dietician · 3 years

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History presents 'Fight the Power'; 'Us' on 'Masterpiece' | Arts & Entertainment

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/entertainment/history-presents-fight-the-power-us-on-masterpiece-arts-entertainment/

History presents 'Fight the Power'; 'Us' on 'Masterpiece' | Arts & Entertainment

NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hosts and co-produced “Fight the Power: The Movements That Changed America” (7 p.m. Saturday, History, TV-PG). This one-hour survey offers a brisk glance at protest movements, from the Labor Rights struggled between the 1880s and the 1930s; the battle to give women the vote; the modern Civil Rights movement that emerged from the Montgomery, Ala., bus protests and the murder of Emmett Till; the fight for gay recognition and rights in the post-Stonewall era; and the recent uprisings protesting police violence against men and women of color. Each of these historical currents could fill a documentary of its own, if not miniseries treatment.

A fascinating figure who defies category, Jabbar was a perennial All-Star during his playing days with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. At the same time, he studied martial arts with Bruce Lee. In his retirement, he has emerged as what used to be known as a “public intellectual,” a writer and spokesperson unaffiliated with academia who has been vocal in his support of social justice movements. He’s also a widely published author. Similar to many famous people, he has written his memoirs but also has co-written several ruminations on Sherlock Holmes and World War II.

“Fight the Power” is one among many commemorations of Juneteenth, recalling June 19, 1865, when Black residents of Galveston, Texas, were informed of the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. History will repeat “Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre” (8 p.m., Saturday, TV-14). Other notable cable offerings include “12 Years a Slave” (6 p.m. Saturday, Sundance, TV-14) and “Selma” (7 p.m., FXM, TV-14). CBS will air “Selma” (7 p.m., Sunday) as well, its network broadcast debut.

• Nothing quite announces a couple’s comfortable semi-retirement like a European tour. Unless, of course, you’re on the verge of splitting up and have a miserable teenage son tagging along.

That’s the gist of “Us,” a “Masterpiece” (8 p.m., Sunday, PBS, TV-14) presentation based on a novel by David Nicholls.

Douglas (Tom Hollander, “The Night Manager”) awakens one morning to his wife, Connie’s (Saskia Reeve, “Luther”), announcement she wants a change. Not a divorce as much as a separation. With their moody son, Albie (Tom Taylor), about to enter university, she thinks “their work is done” and can’t face the prospect of empty nesting with a man who can’t communicate.

Or so she says. This bombshell coincides with their long-planned grand tour of continental capitals, an expensive one at that. Douglas insists they call it off, but Connie persuades him it might offer one last chance for him to bond with his sullen offspring.

So, don’t go expecting an amusing travelogue similar to “The Trip” franchise with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon. The spirit here is more akin to “Two for the Road,” the wistful 1967 anti-romance starring Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney.

Happily, it’s about this time “Us” offers prolonged flashbacks to the first encounters of young Douglas and Connie (Iain De Caestecker and Gina Bramhill), when he was a socially awkward biochemist and she a budding artist surrounded by a gaggle of pretentious friends.

Both the grand tour and the misty reminiscences unfold with a great deal of walking and talking, not unlike the charming and highly chatty 1995 Richard Linklater romance “Before Sunrise,” starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. At its best, and perhaps its most obvious, “Us,” suggests this long wander is about to enter a new juncture.

It’s a bit of a shame “Masterpiece” should offer this series during two Sundays in two-hour dollops. Sixty minutes of this talky and often heartbreaking story is more than enough in one sitting. Who tunes in to British TV to listen to characters talk about their feelings?

SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS

• 2021 U.S. Open golf championship (6 p.m., NBC).

• Auto racing (7 p.m., CBS).

• A pregnant woman vanishes in the 2021 shocker “Secrets of a Marine’s Wife” (7 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14).

• Both clans face peril as “Meerkat Manor: Rise of the Dynasty” (7 p.m., BBC America, TV-PG) continues.

• Scheduled in the U.S. Olympic trials: swimming (8 p.m.); track and field (9 p.m.).

• When circumstances keep an event planner from attending her friend’s destination wedding, she turns to an old correspondent in the 2021 romance “Her Pen Pal” (8 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G).

SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS

• Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (6 p.m., CBS): A profile of the Minnesota prosecutors in the George Floyd case; the Oath Keepers’ role in the Jan. 6 terrorist attack on the Capitol; Japan’s baseball phenom Shohei Ohtani.

• The Braves host the Cardinals in Major League Baseball (6 p.m., ESPN).

• U.S. Olympic trials (NBC) include swimming (7 p.m.) and track and field (8 p.m.).

• “Kevin Can FK Himself” (8 p.m., AMC, TV-MA) migrates to cable.

• Sessions continue on “In Treatment” (8 p.m. through 8:30 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).

• Kiesha enters labor on “The Chi” (8 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA).

• Unfinished business on “Little Birds” (8:30 p.m., Starz, TV-MA).

• Dan wants to coach on “Flatbush Misdemeanors” (9:30 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA).

— OK, that was weird. The least expected story of the week was the scandal involving Felicity Huffman (“Desperate Housewives”) and Lori Loughlin, star of “When Calls the Heart” (7 p.m. Sunday, Hallmark, TV-G), in a bribery/cheating plot to get their respective daughters into elite universities.

This is obviously an ongoing case, and all sides must have their say, or day, in court. But the motivation at the center of this story is worth discussing. It involves some overwhelming need to do anything to get children into elite schools. As if anything “lesser” were unthinkable.

Television plays no small role in this insecurity. I can’t remember how many times I’ve had to describe an ABC legal drama where every single character hails from only the most exclusive Ivy and spends most of the pilot bragging about it.

There was a time, not that long ago, when John Grisham wrote best-selling books about young, barely accredited lawyers from no-name institutions who took on impossible cases against massive corporations and eventually won. And got the girl, to boot.

So, our current era’s neurotic obsession with elitism and inequality is hardly hard-wired.

If anything comes of this sordid affair, it’s an appreciation that shoddy efforts at snobbery are always essentially pathetic. Or on classic TV, comedic. Watching “Gilligan’s Island,” we identified with Mary Ann and the Skipper, and pitied the millionaire and his wife.

— CNN launches the four-hour documentary “Tricky Dick” (8 p.m., Sunday), profiling the life and times of Richard Nixon’s public career, which spanned the decades from the dawn of the Cold War to the Clinton years.

SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS

— An anxious new mother joins a group for solidarity and support, only to discover that it has darker plans on its agenda in the 2019 shocker “Mommy Group Murder” (7 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14).

— The Thunder and Warriors meet in NBA action (7:30 p.m., ABC).

— An old kidnapper returns to form on “Ransom” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14).

SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS

— Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (6 p.m., CBS): Embassy workers in China and Cuba complain of mysterious ailments; AOL founder Steve Case and his plans to invest in the future of overlooked American small towns and cities; a visit to Monaco.

— The duels begin on “World of Dance” (7 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).

— Auditions continue on “American Idol” (7 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).

— Lex Luthor is on the loose on “Supergirl” (7 p.m., CW, TV-PG).

— Mr. Wednesday prepares for battle on “American Gods” (7 p.m., Starz, TV-MA).

— After learning about her royal lineage, an adopted 10-year-old becomes a little tyrant in the 2019 shocker “Mommy’s Little Princess” (7 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14).

— A secret room holds dangers on “Charmed” (8 p.m., CW, TV-14).

— Hidden secrets revealed on “The Walking Dead” (8 p.m., AMC, TV-MA).

— A new trial is pursued on “The Case Against Adnan Syed” (8 p.m., HBO, TV-14).

— Axe is determined to destroy Taylor on the fourth season premiere of “Billions” (8 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA).

— Ulysses pursues a conspiracy theory on “Now Apocalypse” (8 p.m., Starz, TV-MA).

— “Unsung” (8 p.m., TVONE) profiles the Jets.

— Pacific overtures on “Madam Secretary” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).

— Tensions rise on “Good Girls” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14).

— Mo’s past is revealed on “Black Monday” (9 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA).

CULT CHOICE

— St. Patrick’s Day inspires many traditions. Syfy offers a marathon of “Leprechaun” movies, from “Leprechaun 5: In the Hood” (4 p.m. Saturday, TV-14) to “Leprechaun 2” (8 p.m.). TCM takes the traditional approach, ladling out the Technicolor blarney of director John Ford’s 1952 romance “The Quiet Man” (7 p.m. Sunday, TV-PG).

SATURDAY SERIES

“Dateline” (7 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) … “NBA Countdown” (7 p.m., ABC) … The kids are all right on “MasterChef” (8 p.m., Fox, r, TV-PG) … “48 Hours” (9 p.m., CBS) … A vintage helping of “Saturday Night Live” (9 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14).

SUNDAY SERIES

A visit from an old friend inspires Miles on “God Friended Me” (7 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … Homer can’t leave Bart’s virtual realm on “The Simpsons” (7 p.m., Fox, TV-14) … Empathy for all things on “Bob’s Burgers” (7:30 p.m., Fox, TV-14).

A walk down the aisle on “NCIS: Los Angeles” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14) … On two episodes of “Family Guy” (Fox, TV-14), Meg’s winter Olympics (8 p.m.), fighting over a dowager (8:30 p.m., r) … Aches and pains on “Shark Tank” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).

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chmergess4ever · 6 years

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The Chmerkovskiy’s (Part 8)

Hey Guys! Thanks for being so patient! Here is the next part to my story!! Hope you enjoy it! Let me know if there is anything you would like to see happen to either couple in the next few chapters. I think I know what end goal I’m working towards now. Enjoy!!

A few weeks later, everything was back to normal. Sharna had been over the house a lot and her and Val’s relationship was progressing.

“I know babe, I know.” Peta laughed loudly as she tried to balance the phone between her shoulder and her ear as she folded laundry for her family.

“I’m just saying. I want to take you out to a nice dinner. Shai will come with. We’ll give the two lovesick fools some time alone.” Maks said to her from the other end of the phone.

“You really think that’s a good idea.”

“For our mental sanity. Yes.”

Peta laughed again. “Ok, alright. Let’s do it.”

“Alright, babe. Get dressed up. We’re going fancy.”

Peta giggled as she shook her head and ended the phone call. She lifted her laundry basket and began making her way down the hallway. She was nearing the living room when she heard a vibration. She put her basket down and pulled her phone out of her pocket, which had no new notifications on it. Then she spotted Val’s phone on the end table by the couch. She moved to get it so she could bring it to him but as she picked it up, the light came on and she couldn’t help but see what was on his phone screen. A text from Kelly Monaco.

She rolled her eyes as she took the phone, picked up her basket and knocked on his door. Sharna answered it, dressed in one of his dress shirts which ran down to her knees.

“P!” She said excitedly.

“Val here?”

Sharna looked confused, “Um, yeah.” She looked behind her and called for Val before turning back to her best friend, “You ok? You seem upset.”

Peta nodded modestly, “Yea, I’m ok. I’m just really tired.”

“Understandable. Ya feel me?” Sharna threw her head back in laughter.

Peta smiled. “Yea, you two seem to be having fun.”

Before they could continue their conversation, Val approached the door and Sharna had receded back into the bedroom.

“What’s up, P?” He had a towel tied around his waist, and appeared to have just gotten out of the shower.

Peta put his phone in his palm, “You should consider turning previews off for your text messages.” She then turned and started down the hallway. He called after her but she didn’t want to hear it.

They went out to dinner that night but the atmosphere wasn’t right. Peta hadn’t been in the right mood since she found his phone. She knew this was a mistake. She knew that the two of them dating was just a call for disaster. She loved her brother-in-law but that didn’t change who he was as a person and his reputation regarding relationships. She deep down knew inside that he would somehow hurt Sharna. She didn’t think it would be by cheating but now she knew she was wrong. She didn’t want to see her friend get hurt and she was watching it happen before her eyes.

After dinner was over and the night dwindled down, Maks sat in their bed reading the newspaper. They had put Shai to sleep and decided that they were going to download a movie. Peta came out of the bathroom and climbed into the bed beside him.

“So are you going to talk to me?” Maks put the newspaper down and looked at his wife.

“About what?” “I know you’re upset about something. You can’t fool me.”

“It’s ok. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Well, I do.” He stroked his hand through her hair. “I don’t want you to be upset. Ever.”

Peta sighed, “Ok. Well. Lemme start by asking you a question.”

“Anything, Love.”

“Your brother. He dated Kelly Monaco, right?”

Maks chuckled, “Don’t know if I’d call it dating. But all the other stuff. How’d you even know that? It wasn’t public.”

“One would have to be stupid to think that something wasn’t going on there.”

Maks laughed again, “Yea, well, He was very much in love with her. There is no denying that.”

Peta nodded, knowing she was right. “Maks, Your brother is cheating on Sharna.” It had just blurted out and she was unable to control it.

Maks sat up straighter and took his hand away from Peta. “What?” He shook his head.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say it like that. I’m just upset.”

“What do you mean, he’s cheating on Sharna.”

“I saw his phone today. He had a bunch of texts from Kelly on his screen-”

“You read his phone?” Maks raised his voice ever so slightly.

Peta started to get worked up, “I mean, it was an accident. But that doesn’t change what he’s doing.”

“Well you shouldn’t be reading anything that has to do with him! It’s bullshit. You don’t know what those texts are for? You don’t know anything.” Maks yelled louder.

“Are you fucking kidding me, Maks! I’m trying to talk to you and all you’re thinking about is defending your brother.”

“Yea, because he’s my brother.”

Peta yelled louder now, “and I’m your fucking wife!! He’s doesn’t walk on water just because he’s related to you by blood.”

“Peta you need to calm down.”

She was now standing out of the bed and making her way to the door, “Don’t you dare tell me that I need to calm down.” She left the room and he followed her, making the situation even worse.

Val and Sharna were sitting on his bed when they heard them start yelling at each other. They couldn’t hear what it was about but they knew it was bad. As they made their way down the hallway they could start to hear clearer.

“Peta, you’re acting like-”

“Acting like what? Acting like what, Maks?” She yelled back.

“Fucking crazy!!”

“Crazy because I’m trying to protect my friend?”

“Yes!! You’re making these wild accusations and you don’t even know the story!”

“I know one thing’s for sure. I can’t talk to you about anything real!”

“I’m going to go out there.” Val turned to Sharna.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“I need to help.”

“How are you going to do that?”

“I don’t know but I’m going to try.” Val got up and walked to the door of his room, he opened it and they were standing right outside of it. He walked out and put his hands on Peta shoulders gently pushing her backwards away from Maks. She swatted his hands away as they approached the living room, “Get your hands off of me! This is your fault.”

Val raised his eyebrows and raised his voice, “My fault?”

“Yes, you cheating liar!”

Val stopped talking. So did Maks and so did Peta. Sharna was standing in the doorway of this room watching the whole thing unfold.

“Peta, what the hell are you talking about?” Val spoke to her as calmly as possible.

“Talk to Kelly Monaco lately?” Peta said sarcastically.

Val went quiet, unable to respond with anything. He scrambled his head for the words but before he could answer her, Sharna was standing beside him and talking for him.

“Peta, It’s ok.”

“Sharna!! It’s not ok! He can’t treat you like that.”

“No Peta, it’s ok. I saw it, we talked about it and it’s ok.”

Val turned to his side to look at his girlfriend, “Sharna-” “Val, it’s ok. Let’s just go.” She took Val’s arm as they walked back to his bedroom but before walking in she looked over her shoulder, “Thank you for caring about me, Peta.”

That left Maks and Peta standing the hallway silently. Shai started to cry and Maks moved to get him. Peta moved to the kitchen to get a glass of water and then slowly made her way to the nursery. She stood in the doorway and watched her husband and her baby. Easily, the two most important people in her life. He wasn’t looking at her but she wanted to talk anyway.

“I’m sorry.” She spoke aloud to him.

Maks was quiet, soft spoken as he tried to get Shai back to sleep. “You have nothing to be sorry for. You were right to accuse him. You were right.”

“No, I wasn’t.” She moved to stand next to Maks, “I wrongfully accused your brother of something he apparently didn’t do.”

“She never said that. She said they talked about it.” Maks shook his head, “and by his reaction, I’m really not sure what the truth is.”

“Can we re-establish one truth? One that we definitely know?”

Maks put Shai in his crib and stood face to face with Peta putting both his hands on either side of her, “And what may that be?” “I love you.”

Maks closed his eyes and took a deep breath in, “I love you too. And Peta, about what you said earlier. About you being my wife-”

“Maks, It’s ok. I get it. He’s your family.”

“But you’re my forever.” Maks cut her off before she could finish.

Knowing she wasn’t going to win, she receded, “And you’re mine.”

Maks pulled her in for a hug and they stood like that for a long time.

Sharna moved to sit on the edge of the bed as Val paced back and forth before sitting down next to her. He looked at her and then back down to the floor, “Why’d you do that?” He asked her.

“Do what?”

“Lie for me. You didn’t see any text. And we definitely didn’t talk about it.”

Sharna sighed and nodded, “Yea, I didn’t. But I know I have a boyfriend, who I love and who I trust.

Val shook his head, “I’m not. I’m not cheating on you.”

Sharna put her hand on Val’s shoulder, “I know. Hence the trust.”

“But, I do want to explain to you.”

“You don’t have to.”

“But I want to.” He turned to face Sharna and looked her in the eyes. “I loved Kelly, a long long long time ago. And there was a moment where I thought she was the one for me. That dwindled fast, but we’ve always stayed good friends-” “And I know that, Val. I know that. You’re allowed to have friends. Look at me and Sasha.” Sharna rested her hands on his thighs.

Val swallowed and then continued, “Regardless,that reasoning is not why I’ve been in contact with her.”

Sharna nodded allowing him to continue.

“I- I’ve been talking to Kelly because she knows someone who has been doing me a favor.”

Sharna looked confused.

“She knows a Private Investigator that has been keeping tabs on Paul for me. So I know when he is coming and this way, ’m prepared to protect you.”

“Val-” Sharna said exasperatedly.

“I love you, Sharna. And not one thing can happen to you. Because- I- I don’t know if I’d be able to live without you.”

A tear escaped from Sharna’s eye. He wiped it away and continued speaking, “I’ve never ever in my life been this serious about someone before. And I’m sure that’s what scares Peta. Because she knows my track record and she knows my past, but I love you. And this time it’s different. I want you to know that.”

“I do, babe. I do.” She said through tears. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For being you.”

#chmergess #Chmergessfanfic #chmergessfanfiction #chmergatroyd #chmergatroydfanfic #valandsharna

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itsiotrecords-blog · 7 years

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http://ift.tt/2rIm4Vy

World famous, semi-retired Formula One commentator Murray Walker once said about the sport, “Anything happens in Grand Prix racing, and it usually does.” But you’d be forgiven for thinking he was talking about taking a bend at 180mph and hoping for the best. The bare truth is the sport has always had a mildly debauched and on-the-fly image reportedly managed by conniving accountants and mechanics paying lip service to overpaid and oversexed racing drivers. What’s more, the impression we have of the sport hasn’t really changed since the open wheel Fiats and Bugattis of 1907. The antics of “playboys” like James Hunt, Juan Fangio and Jensen Button only seal the deal for the sport’s hedonistic image. But is that really fair? Well, to be honest, yes; the sport is a cut-throat multi-million dollar business with lots of national prestige involved, plus lots of rich people, and lots of living it up. It isn’t exactly Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. On and off the track the teams themselves play a dangerous game against each other to gain a psychological or technological advantage over their rivals; whether on race day or in the run-up, or by engineering accidents and throwing races. It’s just most of us don’t hear about it when we sit down to a 190-mile blitz of some high-performance engines. So let’s change the status quo; without further ado here are the 15 dirty secrets the F1 execs hoped you’d forgotten about.

#1 State-sponsored racism Sad but true, racism is an ongoing problem for any sport and despite stronger sentences in the UK for the handful of spectators who prove to be bigoted good-for-nothings some European countries are a little more lenient. The world of F1 is no exception. Most famously at the Spanish circuit in 2008 some F1 fans showed us how dumb some people can really be. A group of them stood up with blacked-up faces and taunted and abused Lewis Hamilton every time he pitted. As if it couldn’t be any worse they had “Hamilton’s Family” written on their t-shirts. The apparent germ of this filthy onslaught comes from the long-standing rivalry between Hamilton and Spanish driver Fernando Alonso and an out-and-out simple-minded hatred of the first ever black F1 champion. The track abuse was only the tip of the iceberg as the shameful hate was picked up with glee by the Spanish press. Was anything done about it though? Seemingly not.

#2 Flavio Briatore – Fraud Before disgraced business magnate Flavio Briatore was offered a place as commercial director for Benetton in 1988 it was well-known to insiders that he had been convicted in Italy on several fraud charges in the earlier years of the decade. He was in fact convicted of multiple counts of fraud in the 1980s and received two prison sentences then, in 1986 was sentenced to three years for fraud and conspiracy for his role in an elaborate system of rigged gambling games using fake playing cards. The presiding judges described these as confidence tricks and outlined a secret scheme by which unsuspecting punters were “ensnared” by fixed games and fictional characters. Briatore and his fellow conspirators made a great deal of money from these scams. Briatore’s ways weren’t wholly dedicated to scamming unsuspecting card players though. His dangerous antics as Renault’s team principal played out in the 2008 race fixing scandal between Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet Jr, the inception of which Briatore played a pivotal part. Let’s face it, a leopard rarely changes his spots especially when there’s money involved. Following stringent denials, Briatore eventually resigned shortly after the scandal quoting his reason for leaving as, “Just trying to save the team”, “It’s my duty. That’s the reason I’ve finished.” We’ll hear more from him later.

#3 McLaren vs Ferrari – Espionage Let’s turn our attention to the curious case of Trudy Coughlan, wife of Michael Coughlan, chief designer of McLaren’s Formula One racing team. In 2007 she appeared in a copy shop in deepest darkest Surrey with a raft of around 780 secret bits of paperwork (including technical information concerning F1 cars, plans and finances) from none other than Ferrari. Let’s be honest, no one would have known any different if the guy behind the desk wasn’t such a big fan of the sport and an avid supporter of the prancing horse. Naturally, one call to company’s Formula One sporting director Stefano Domenicali sealed the deal on a high-level investigation of a leak from inside the Ferrari camp and a serious accusation of industrial espionage, if not more than a little amateur. The end result was an indictment of McLaren, plentiful penalties left, right and centre and a record $100 million fine. It can’t have been a warm and cosy Christmas in the Coughlan household after that, but let’s face it every action has a consequence. After it had all blown over it was downhill fast for the team and presumably the guy who leaked the documents to the Coughlans.

#4 The Mugging In November 2010 F1 Supremo Ecclestone was mugged in front of his Brazilian girlfriend Fabiana Flosi. He was wrestled to the ground in front of his Knightsbridge penthouse and left with a black eye and £200,000 less in jewellery. One of several victims of the “Millionaire Muggers,” Ecclestone chose not to go down the route of victim support like the rest of us but seized the chance to make a little back on the escapade. He had his injured face photographed for an advert with Swiss luxury watchmaker Hublot. By the oddest quirk of destiny, Hublot had at the start of the year agreed a deal with Formula One Management (FOM), the sport’s commercial rights holder to partner with F1. The company deny Ecclestone was paid for the advert, but it must have provided him with some fantastic rates of pay for advertising.

#5 Doping Allegations Now, we’ve all heard of drug-use in the fields of cycling, athletics and golf to name a few, but F1 has never really been afflicted by doping scandals. That’s not to say that there hasn’t been the odd space cowboy. According to Marc Sanson, former head of the French anti-doping council, F1 drivers have been known to take performance enhancing drugs before races. “For many years,” he is quoted as saying, “drivers have used tacrine, a product used in the treatment of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, in order to remember the circuits more easily.” But when it comes to drug abuse rife in the current sport, Sanson is less sure. What’s more, his comments back in 2013 were vehemently rebuked by former F1 doctor Gary Hartstein. In any case, the FIA is well known for its zero tolerance of banned substance use and runs an education service for drivers about the dangers of mixing high-speed driving with drugs.

#6 Rascasse Gate, 2006 It was the final qualifying lap for the Monaco Grand Prix; if Fernando Alonso could finish his storming lap 0.064 ahead of Michael Schumacher he would reach pole – the vital position for the Circuit de Monaco. With the German’s chances of the position slipping from him by such a minuscule margin, his driving became “a touch too much”; he got it all wrong at Rascasse, locking up his front right tire and veering off across the exit of the right-hander. An innocent mistake you say but let’s not forget Alonso driving his last qualifier on a cert to see him at the front of the grid. But because of where Schumacher ended up, the qualifying session was called to a halt denying Alonso his pole-winning time. Coincidence or foul play? To this day the latter is denied but suspected by just about everyone in F1. In reality, only the most idiotic could avoid the conclusion that Schumacher had crashed deliberately to delay his rivals, yet he protested innocence. Ferrari’s anger at the stewards’ verdict – which saw him demoted to the back of the grid – put a downer on Schumacher’s final year in the sport.

#7 BAR Honda’s fuel tank, 2005 FIA regulations are sometimes hard to interpret but on other occasions, it’s fun to interpret them the way it suits. In 2005, constructor team BAR (British American Racing) were brought in front of the headmaster to explain why their cars weighed 594.6kg when completely emptied, rather than the sport regulation minimum of 600kg. Having taken Jensen Button to the podium and Takuma Sato to fifth in the San Marino Grand Prix of that year, stewards waited with baited breath for an explanation. None really came comprehensively, although when pressed the BAR team line was that their cars’ engines required a minimum of 6kg of fuel stored in a special collector to function. That the stewards’ inquiry accepted the verdict was a great relief to BAR but didn’t stop the FIA vetoing the result and requested BAR serve a year’s ban. Fortunately for BAR at a hearing in Paris, the FIA’s counter – although agreed upon by the Justices – did not result in a ban because a positive intent to cheat could not be proved. So let’s face it, why make something like that public? Until now.

#8 Senna vs. Prost Now, Hamilton and Alonso aren’t the only pair whose tiffs were unconvincingly covered up by the bosses. Take the curious case of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost back in 1989. With the Japanese Grand Prix approaching, Prost made no secret of the fact he thought the 29-year-old Italian’s driving tactics were a little suss. Come the race at Suzuka, Prost got the better start of the two, jettisoning the Brazilian’s pole position advantage. But by lap 46 Senna had caught the Frenchman and as he overtook at a chicane Prost deliberately turned his car into Senna’s, taking them both out. Although Senna was able to re-join the race, he was disqualified soon afterwards, leading him to believe there was a conspiracy to make Prost champion. In 1990, Senna got his revenge as the pair collided yet again at Suzuka’s chicane. Running Prost off now ensured that Senna’s French rival couldn’t achieve a greater number of points and although speculation was rife the accident was still put down to just one of those things!

#9 Max Mosley – The Cover Up Hey, sex scandals happen; there’s probably one happening right now that we’ll only hear about in a year’s time. It doesn’t matter if someone is rich or poor there’s always a chem-sex party behind a closed door. Of course, the key to responsible partying is, as always: know your boundaries and stick to them. But back in 2007 then FIA president Max Mosley had another mantra in mind: and according to the press, it was last heard in a bunker in Berlin 72 years ago. Mosley became entangled in a bizarre sex scandal which execs of the sport again tried to cover up. No luck though because the News of the World got hold of a video which “allegedly” showed president Max enjoying Nazi-themed fun with some prostitutes. Mosley successfully sued the paper but didn’t argue about the authenticity of the tape; he just didn’t like the label of a Nazi-themed sex party. So, maybe National Socialist Leitmotif would have been more appropriate… and $92,000 cheaper.

#10 Bernie Ecclestone – The Sexist Let’s climb right to the very top of the F1 ladder and talk about Bernie Ecclestone, the recently usurped CEO and President of Formula One Management. A former racer and team owner, billionaire Ecclestone is one of the most prominent and well-known faces in F1 with his shock of silver hair, round glasses and occasional black eyes. The former F1 Supremo worked hard to bring success and money to the sport but he hasn’t been without scandal and controversy. To some, his behaviour has demonised himself against women, to others he is a boy-done-good saviour of the sport and all sins are forgiven. Either way, there is no denying some of the opinions of this 87-year-old have landed him in hot water. In 2005, Bernie showed us a glimpse of his brilliant mind when he suggested that “women should be dressed in white to match the appliances” and not satisfied with saying it once he said it again, causing just as much consternation. What’s more, in 2009, the Times quoted Ecclestone saying that “Hitler was a leader who could get things done”. Anyway, take from that what you will; we can only imagine what else he’s saying behind closed doors.

#11 Twin Chassis Lotus 88 – Circumventing The Technicalities Back in 1981, Lotus’s Colin Chapman, Peter Wright, Tony Rudd and Martin Ogilvie had a rather unique idea. According to Wikipedia, the twin-chassis design that supported their ongoing efforts to maximise the downforce produced by ground effects and could run a car to take corners faster than any other in the paddock. Chapman’s plan was simple: the inner chassis held the cockpit and was independently sprung from the outer one to take the pressures of ground effect, while the outer one was basically one big ground effect system from nose to tail. It was a clever idea and one that legendary designer Chapman argued fell within the strict technological guidelines of the F1 regulations, but rival teams did not agree with his optimistic naivety and protested. Lotus’ competitors were rightly incensed by the way in which Chapman was circumnavigating the regulations. Protests were lodged on the grounds that the twin chassis idea broke rules. Without much further discussion, the FIA banned the car and it never got the chance to race.

#12 Crash Gate 2008 Here’s a little more on Briatore’s staggeringly dodgy career. One of the most unforgivable and frankly reckless controversies in recent history was called ‘Crashgate’. It was a secret that execs managed to contain for only a year until Nelson Piquet Jr announced to the world that his Renault managers had instructed him to crash during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. Despite the arrogance of the top order assuming the motives for the crash would never be found out it became common knowledge that the subsequent safety car period following the crash helped promote team-mate Fernando Alonso to first place and claim the win. It was only after German-born Brazilian Piquet Jr was dropped from Renault mid-way through 2009 that he revealed he had been asked to deliberately sabotage the race. The team did not contest the charges; how could they? Renault F1’s managing director Flavio Briatore and the team’s executive director of engineering Pat Symonds left; the former given a lifetime ban from the sport, the latter banned for five years, although later overturned by a French court.

#13 United States Grand Prix, 2005 A Max Mosley foul-up back in 2005 made F1 a laughing stock in the heartland of American road racing but so too damaged relations with hugely influential Michelin. It was discovered only too late by main tire provider Michelin that the banked final turn of the Indianapolis circuit caused the side walls of its tires to collapse. Too late to do anything about and with seven teams relying on rubber, Mosley stepped up in absentia with masterminded idiocy and instructed drivers to take the corner at a snail’s pace. The better suggestion of constructing a makeshift chicane to bypass the corner was opposed although on what grounds no one is really sure, even after the Michelin-supplied teams offered to start from the back of the grid. In the end, Mosley’s terminal decision to bring the cars’ speed right down on the last bend was a sure sign that the sport was being governed by people who cared not one iota for the safety of the drivers, spectators or for that matter the techno partners.

#14 Minimum Weight Rules Against the rules, or just economical? This was the big question for execs in 1982 after a weight issue reared its head for constructors who realised that racing well against turbo-powered rivals was going to take more than a little tweak. A lighter car even without a turbo was the answer, but how to cheat the weigh-in was the question. It came down to Lotus’s Colin Chapman (familiar?) who devised a reserve water tank which when full at the pre-race weigh-in would provide the correct regulation weight. During the race, the water could be dumped and afford the car the advantage and before post-race weigh-in could be as easily topped-up as a kettle. Excellent results followed. However, when execs discovered the secret to their success their positions were disallowed. To some, this was an unfair judgement and politically motivated. The British teams boycotted the San Marino Grand Prix…and now you know why.

#15 Schumacher Returns Notwithstanding the controversy surrounding Rascasse-gate, Michael Schumacher is no stranger to on-track confrontation. The question is how much of it is team-led? We could be forgiven for thinking most of it is. With both drivers seeking the F1 crown at Adelaide in 1994, the German crashed into Damon Hill as the Englishman was overtaking, forcing the two of them to retire from the race. The race was won by Nigel Mansell but Schumacher won the championship… by a single point. Then again, in 1997 in Jerez, a repeat of the same manoeuvre against Jacques Villeneuve assured the cynical among us of Schumacher’s team’s tactical motivations. However this time the strategy backfired spectacularly as Villeneuve became F1 world champion and Schumacher was thrown out of the championship, discredited and sanctioned by the FIA.

Source: TheRichest

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