HS3 Era Fashion Pt. 4

goth and metal-eurory x f!reader (use of y/n)

brothers best friend‼️ (euro is 19 in a high school type band, reader is a senior) idk how norwegian school works sorry

warnings‼️ smut, drinking and drugs, making out, ass slapping, fingering, oral f!receiving, p in v, gagging, creampie, the L-word, a meer couple sentences that have just a wee bit of degration and exibitionism

(this is based off sum random pic i saw on here and my love for my bauhaus vinyls and obsession w my set up 💪)

thank you all for being so sweet frrr, i’ve been an anonymous rory lover and all of these fics are from the archive of my notes app over the past few months :)

Y/N is jan axels sister who doesn’t listen to much metal music, she’s more into gothic music. her brother had two friends he started a band with, she only knew the guitarist, oystein, since he was jan’s friend for a while. she stayed upstairs most of the time but around 9 she got sick of all the noise and decided to go downstairs.

As she approached the basement the music grew louder. she opened the door and the music stopped, all of their eyes hit her, making her feel a little embarrassed in her sleep shorts and a sweater.

“jan, can you keep it down or like, idk go somewhere else becuase i am just trying to have some peace of mind…”

the other members looked at jan who said “yeah, yeah we are almost done.”

“thank you” Y/N said leaving and going back upstairs.

“you really let your little sister boss you around like that?” oystein asked, he was a long time family friend and he knew Y/N for a while. they were friends when they were younger but he just kind of changed. “she’s not bossing me around, i just respect her, i mean, she usually is tolerant when we practice at my place.”

oystein looked pretended to be offended “what do you mean tolerant? she should be moved by my amazing guitar skill.” the bassist snickered, “in your dreams” jan replied, making oystein blush a little and the chuckles to grow louder.

oystein sighed and set down his guitar, “im getting a drink,” he states plainly before running up the stairs. he goes to the fridge and retrieves a cold glass of beer. when he closes the fridge door he finally noticed Y/N is also in the kitchen. she is reaching up high to grab a mug from the top shelf but she couldn’t seem to reach it. the sweater she was wearing rode up on her torso, exposing her flat stomach and thin waist which contrasted her full behind, the shorts hugging them well, leaving little room for the imagination. oystein shuttered, he couldn’t tell if it was because he was seeing his childhood best friends little sister all grown up, or because he was overflowing with desire. he will admit it, he has longed for her for at least a decade but nothing ever came of it. she was out of his league and off limits because of her brother, they had hung out a lot as friends but,

(a/n: idk why but when i wrote this i made the back story from euros first person, idk just imagine culkin like narrating idek, good luck.)

“i knew jan protected her with his life. one day when jan and i were in our last year of secondary school, about to graduate, i actually told him how i was feeling. that was unusual to say the least, we didn’t put our emotions into words very often. i told him how i wanted to ask his sister to the prom and how she had caught my eye in the past. he seemed suspicious and hesitant but eventually got the idea and gave me his blessing. i went to the store to get flowers, but they were sold out, i didn’t want to spend gas going to a different store so I just went home. but after that i lost hope, i never went to get the flowers or ask Y/N to prom, i guess i got caught up in the senior work and eventually i graduated, and now i only see her when im at jan’s.”

(okay it’s over, back to third person <3)

he pulled his eyes away and searched for a bottle opener but couldn’t seem to find one anywhere. he held the bottle up to Y/N and she nodded, she swiftly grabbed a spoon. oystein had his hand by the cap and had the bottle set on the table so she swiftly held his hand in place with one hand and with the other, used the spoon to open the bottle. oystein flinched and shook his hand, Y/N laughed, “it didn’t hurt that bad! and look your bottle is open,” oystein just smiled a little, and Y/N almost melted, his smile was beautiful but he never wore it. “you should smile more.” she she stated facing him. oysteins smile dropped almost immediately but the blush stayed on his cheeks and he reddened as Y/N inched closer to his face.

“you look nice when you smile,” she says, beaming and brushing a stand of his hair behind his ear smoothly. she walked away, giving oystein a second to breathe and hide the massive boner inside his pants. Y/N had abandoned the mug and grabbed a beer bottle from the fridge and opened it. “aren’t you too young to drink, Y/N?” oystein asked, he was 19 but not that new to alcohol. “no” she replied, “well, yes and no…” she said taking a hearty sip. “how old are you these days?” oystein asked slyly, Y/N replied with her honest age, “i’m graduating in a couple months.” “wow, you are mature beyond your years…” oystein states, smiling. “maybe you are just behind,” Y/N laughs and then drinks more. they are both about halfway done but the weather was kind of nice out. it was a summer dusk so Y/N and oystein went outside to finish beers and while they were out there, oystein couldn’t help but retrieve a rolled blunt from his pocket.

Y/N was a little nervous because they think smoking weed with someone is very vulnerable but they agreed to oystein and they smoked the joint. “i’ve always wanted to do this with you…” oystein admits, “do what?” she laughs, “idk, smoking together, drinking, talking, anything… i’ve always wanted to know you better.” she looks down, “i wanted to know you to, but you always seemed to push me away when i got to close, you never opened up to me after middle school you know…” oystein feels devastated a little hurt hearing this, he keeps smoking. “i’m so sorry if i made you feel unappreciated, Y/N. i really liked you, like really really liked you,” he chuckles. “i promise,” she smiles, still looking down, “really?” she asks. he goes on, “really! you know i was going to ask you to my prom last year, gosh i remember like it was yesterday. i asked your brother for his permission, it was the scariest shit i’ve ever done. and i was going to ask you but the store was sold out of flowers and i guess i just psyched myself out…” he admits, kind of laughing at the story.

Y/N is surprised since he never talks about his feelings this deeply. “wow, i never knew. why did you get psyched out?”

“i don’t know, you were almost two years younger than me but i was a nobody at that school. you were pretty and had good friends and were nice to everyone. i figured another lucky guy had already asked you, i wouldn’t want it make it weird.”

“wow, oystein i wish you told me, i would have gone with you.” Y/N said, he was kind of in disbelief at that.

Y/N smokes the blunt and smiles, content with oysteins confession, “i forgive you, cheers…” she says and holds up the bottle, “cheers to what?” oystein questions. “cheers to confession…” she laughs and they clink the bottles. “i confess that i really liked you too, well before you slammed the door on your emotions… but i know the oystein i knew is still in there.” Y/N says, seriously, almost in a stern tone. oystein was frozen for a moments time but in that moment he felt like he had gained the wisdom of centuries.

oystein finished the blunt and tossed it, and that quickly he grabbed her jaw and pressed his lips to hers for their long awaited kiss. their lips locked together, so perfectly they thought they would get stuck and never pull away. oystein even ran his tounge over her lips, meeting her in the middle when she got brave enough to try a french kiss. she was a little hesitant kissing someone she had known for so long, it almost felt wrong, but also so so right. her hands tangled in his wild hair and he held the back of her neck, his other hand subconsciously creeping up Y/N’s soft thighs.

after another moment which seemed like centuries, they pulled away catching their breath. they began to arrange their clothes and hair back to normal. “oystein?” Y/N asks, “yes?” “does this mean… that you still you know, like me?” oystein blushes “what makes you think that??” he states quickly. “well, you just kissed me like your in love, and… it’s just- also, i could see your boner the whole time.” Y/N admits, oystein was flustered but they laughed it off, his icy eyes locked on hers and he promised-not said, promised, “the second I laid eyes on you I was yours, yes, Y/N, I do like you.” she smiled and put herself in his arms, “good, i like guys who like me…” and then they both started laughing in each others arms like they used to.

“i have to get back,” oystein says getting up and holding the door back into the house open for Y/N but they eventually speak, “have fun with your death metal,” Y/N says, “its black metal, norwegian black metal…” oystein says smiling, “either way, my bauhaus vinyl is easier on the ears.” she smiles. “well maybe i’ll come up to your chamber and we can listen to it together, how does that sound?” he asks, she responds quickly, “grood… i meant to say great and good, i’m sorry i-.” he had already walked away thinking about how was he going to get rid of this raging boner.

later in the night, the guys had packed up their things, oystein was the last to leave, “hey do you want to stick around and watch a movie or something?” jan asked oystein, “umm, no” he remembered he promised he would go to his sisters room, “sorry man i’m just tired, see you.” and oystein quickly left with his guitar case and pretended to be going out the door but in reality he went to the next floor and knocked on Y/N’s door.

she had been waiting patiently for oystein to come upstairs and when he knocked she started the bauhaus vinyl, hoping he would be impressed with her music taste.

when Y/N opened the door oysteins jaw dropped, she had changed from her pajamas and into a lacey black top and thong that was covered by a sheer robe, tied around her small waist. he couldn’t believe it, she looked so different, so beautiful and enticing, he didn’t know what to say.

“does jan know you are here?” Y/N questioned, oystein shook his head, still in disbelief, “um- can i come in?”

she let him in and he sat on the end of her bed which also was the best place to listen to the vinyl. “do you like it?” Y/N asks. “yes” oystein says smiling, he puts his hands on her waist and begins to inch upwards towards the lacey bra, his hands still over the robe. “i think it’s really sexy…” oystein says continuing, “no,” Y/N laughs taking his hands in her own and interlocking them. “i meant the vinyl, oystein.”

oystein blushed from embarrassment and arousal, “oh- yes that’s really good too.” he nods. she laughs.

she leans into him and their lips meet, his hands returning to her body as the kiss intensified. she reached under his shirt, he felt electrified when she touched his skin and peeled his shirt over his head, quickly reattaching their lips.

the gothic music blasted through the speakers, him still sitting on the bed, she backed away and he bathed in all her glory. she gave him a small tease, untieing the robe and slowly peeling it off her body, revealing her smooth pale skin that shined in the moonlight flowing through the window. the black lingerie contrasted her complexion and he had a sudden urge to strip it off her.

oystein stood from the bed quickly, pulling her in for another kiss, rubbing his large ringed fingers up and down her torso, he reached behind her back and unclipped the bra, letting out a sigh. he pulled it off her, staring for a second at her chest before grabbing her in his hands and fondling her breasts in his hands. “you are so beautiful, god you have no idea what this does to me.”

Y/N moaned at his words which only encouraged him, he latched to her neck and slurped at it like a vampire, letting his teeth graze her soft skin before sucking a hickey onto her throat. “sorry babe, your brother might get mad about that…”

she sighed, “forget about him.” she said, running her hands into his hair. he moved his lips down her body to her chest and began to suckle and kiss her breasts, Y/N continued moaning as she held his face to her, he bit down a little on her nipple causing her to flinch a little and pull oystein by the hair, but he just let out a low moan and the vibrations ran from his teeth to her bud, making her pussy wetter every second. she had to hold on to the desk so she wouldn’t collapse right there.

he got down to his knees, leaving a trail of kisses down her torso. his ringed fingers pulled down her thong effortlessly. he stared at her, but then slid his finger through the folds and penetrated her hole. Y/N let out a lewd noise but oystein didn’t stop, he kept fingering her, making her moan harder and her legs feel like jelly. oystein placed a hard smack on her asscheek and then brought his lips to the clit, kissing and then sucking on it. she felt close already. “oystein!! i’m gonna- please i’m going to cum”

oystein was suprised that she was going to cum this fast but her pussy leaked all over his hand and he lapped the juices up with his tounge. he stood up and pulled her into a kiss, her cum mingling between their lips, and right then, she came on his fingers- hard, his hand was still on her ass and it held her up since her knees had completely buckled under her.

oystein took down his pants and boxers swiftly, Y/N was suprised at his length, “oystein, that won’t fit!” “i’ll be careful baby” he replies. while he took his pants off Y/N flipped the vinyl which is very important. then he was ready. he took her by the waist and pressed her back to his chest, his hard member pressed between her legs, precum was oozing from the tip of his cock. oystein sat back in the bed, right between the speakers and set Y/N on top of him, spreading her legs. “are you ready?” oystein asks gruffly in her ear, nibbling at the lobe. she nodded and he groaned and his cock twitched between her legs so she wasted no time and grabbed it. she pumped it a few times, lubing it with pre cum and her pussy juices. then she pushed him into her, his cock filled her to the brim. “oh my god,” she muttered, he continued pushing in, inch by inch. she didn’t know if she could take the feeling at first. oystein wrapped his arm around Y/N and grabbed her tit roughly, he began moving her up and down his length. “you are doing so good.” oystein praised as he began to speed up, pounding into her messy cunt. she began to moan louder, over come by the feeling. “let me hear you,” oystein says, “they can’t hear you over the music, unless you want them to you little slut.” he laughs, “yeah, i bet you would like that, if your brother came up here and walked in on his best friend pounding his innocent little virgin sister.” Y/N couldn’t respond more than pornographic moans. “i’m-im” she utters, “oystein, cum-“ she speaks and has and orgasm on oysteins cock. he reaches his other hand around her and puts his fingers deep in her throat, pulling her down on him roughly. she was gagged and fucked into oblivion, his hand squeezing her chest. her moans echoing louding through the room with bauhaus music.

oystein finished inside her, he grunted and spurted cum though her. she was oozing and when he pulled out she sighed roughly and let cum drip and bubble from her hole. oystein left a harsh slap on her ass, almost squeezing it like he was milking her pussy. the whole time serenading her with compliments and love that he had for her. “you did so good, baby, god if i knew that pussy was so good i would have gotten it in grade school.” kissing her neck.

then he left, getting a washcloth from her bathroom to clean them. he got dressed and she pulled on the robe, “are you leaving?” Y/N asks, “i’m sorry- i thought that’s what you wanted, i mean, i would have to leave early tomorrow.” oystein responds. “that’s okay,” Y/N says, “do you want to spend the night?”

oystein couldn’t believe it, it’s not like he had never slept over in the house before, he had hundreds of times, but never in your bed. he nodded and got into the bed. they kissed a couple times before he pushed her hair back and stated, “i love you,” it seemed early but they really did love eachother, and they had for years. she blushed and tried to cover her smile with her hand. “i love you, too, oystein, i never stopped once.” she states, cuddling up into oysteins chest and falling asleep.

So…. I know im never here anymore but. I gotta tell you guys that I wrote this lil book and it comes out in 10 days and I would love it if anyone wanted to maybe give it a read.

It’s not porn I’m sorry, I know that’s kind of ~my thing~ but it is a faerie romance between a little waifish fae and an oversized half wolf lug of a man so I hope that gets you guys on board 😂 i wanted to make a warm fuzzy thing, it’s mostly a hug made of words, but it’s also about being a minority someone in a majority world because I guess that’s what I know and I can’t untangle that from the things I make. I hope that resonates a little, with some of you. And if not still come along for the love story!

Anyway this all feels very strange and vulnerable and scary, most of my friends and family actually don’t know about it but I thought if anyone might buy my silly little book it’d be the friends I keep in my pocket. So, and with complete respect that money is hard and not everyone can throw cash at yet another book, here are the links if you want to:

US

UK

Another UK one that has international shipping

This hecking random Finnish site I guess how do I have a Finnish distributor and not an Australian one I’m so sorry to my home country peeps anyway it’s in euros so that’s good?

I’ll post again in a few weeks when I get my author copies but yeah if anyone reads this please let me know because that would really just make my year.

Nervous fidgeting, a lot of love, etc.

RAT'S BIGASS LIST OF (TRUE AND CORRECT) BSB HEADCANONS

i've listed most of these before in previous posts but since i added onto that via reblog additions they aren't in the main tag. however, i want to make as many people look at these as possible, so i am making this absurdly long post compiling them.

kyojyu trans.

after the events of v-force, zeo went on to pretty much start a new life with a new identity. during this process they Also transed their gender (i'm not sure on the specifics of this one admittedly, but as you might have noticed i do hc zeo as using they/them pronouns that much i'm sure of)

speaking of post-season antics, brooklyn retired from beyblading after g-revolution and is now focusing on ornithology

speaking of which. points at brooklyn. autism

honestly. i think the entire main gang is also neurodivergent i'm not even exactly sure what but i refuse to believe they're neurotypical.

i think at some point i hit rei with my aro beam i'm not even sure why (i probably just wanted to hit Somebody with the beam) but he's aro now why not.

so those top euro bladers right. ralf, olivier, giancarlo, and johnny. them. they're in a polycule.

ok these last two are gonna be fucking stupid so bear with me here. first i joked about this one before but steve got hit by the down with cis bus before the start of g-rev and that's why he's in the hospital (kyojyu and zeo were on the bus obviously)

daitenji is divorced from zagart. he is also divorced from soichirou. maybe throw in volkov for good measure why not. every time this guy gets a divorce the other person goes on to commit atrocities this man is a fucking menace to society

you know how like with ghost stories sometimes it's like if you try to take a picture of the ghost the picture gets all messed up. it's like that with sacred beasts too, though the world tournaments probably have some way of getting around that.

it's also effectively random who can see sacred beasts! like there's Some factors i guess but there's no specific big one other than "if you have a sacred beast you can see them no matter what". but yeah this leads to.. a LOT of debate over whether they're real even outside of beyblading discussion. takao vs yuriy either settled this debate or made it even worse.

judy ABSOLUTELY knew what she was doing when sending genbu's bit to max. i don't know how she ended up with it but i wouldn't be shocked if it was through her work with the PPB and honestly i'm still kind of 🤨 about them so it's probably for the best this Literal God ended up with some preteen

i think during the bega arc while the main gang was figuring out how they'd handle all of that king and queen were probably getting into so much shit. like obviously the focus is more on these Former World Champions (and Current World Champion) but in the background there's also just these two other decently strong bladers who are completely unaffected by bega's monopoly on parts because they've never been getting parts legally in the first place AND YOU CAN'T REALLY TRY TO RUIN THEIR REPUTATION EITHER BECAUSE THEY JUST DO NOT GIVE A SHIT

kai, rei, and daichi all out here in the getting sensory overload gang. congrats daichi you’ve gotten 1 (one) headcanon.

boris and sergey sound like 4kids sword knight and blade knight. the thing is that who sounds like who constantly switches so at any given time one of them will be near incomprehensible and there’s no way of telling which. it’s not like they have much if any personality in the first place so i can make up stupid shit

kyojyu has pretty much become hiromi’s semi-reluctant partner in crime, except the crime is powerpoint presentations detailing the most well thought out but also utterly stupid (and illegal but like. this is the BBA team we’re talking about with their track record they’ll be fine) plans any of the other team members have seen in their life. atleast one of these either has already gone through or will be executed in the future

takao has also kickstarted some stupid shit albeit it’s generally more akin to #clayisoverparty if you've heard of that

i think bakuten shoot might be the first piece of media i’ve had a significant number of lgbt headcanons for. anyway mao is bi and emily is an aro lesbian.

after the events of g-rev the entire situation surrounding bega is just generally considered an absolute shitstorm. like we’re talking like community lore here if that makes sense. someone probably wrote an r/hobbydrama post about it well over a decade later.

you know how they mentioned that like thirty years prior to the events of the show zagart had stolen that one sacred beast rock and then they never explain what happened to it. that's how zeo like, Exists despite the question of "how the hell do you create a replica that perfect of a human being in two thousand fucking two". mf is basically held together by sealed away sacred beasts

this one i mostly thought of because i was looking through the manga version of the battle tower stuff. in the animeverse i feel like zagart and volkov possibly knew eachother at some point. quick note here whenever i think abt v-force i generally just. pretend psykick Isn't There. I Do Not See Them. since they're basically just a middleman but ANYWAY. honestly this idea is very funny to me because like you have these two guys trying to create artificial sacred beasts right? and Child Soldiers McWar Crimes over here is doing animal experimentation n shit, still fucked up of course but then over on the other hand. the guy who's trying to bring back his dead son ends up basically just straight up brainwashing people

another very much canon-contradictory v-force one, actually i know i was talking about this one a few days ago. anyway yeah kane, salima, and the other two guys had very much taken interest in zagart's research on sacred beasts! they looked up to this guy! and this motherfucker went "yeah i'll take advantage of these literal teenagers" can you TELL i like leaning into the concept of zagart just being an absolute shit person even if his motivation was sympathetic

DEDICATED KAI SECTION BECAUSE I THINK HE'S NEAT :3

he is ABSOLUTELY the kind of motherfucker to wear shorts in cold ass weather

also this guy knows hand to hand combat. probably beat up atleast one person during his time as a Whole Ass Gang Leader tbh

speaking of which i think that time period is probably where like. almost all of his experiences with social settings before the world tournament came from. also he probably got updogged around this time i think

so you know how i brought up the daitenji's divorce shenanigans? going by that kai really out here being the focus of the world's most batshit custody battle huh

kai was NOT having a good time with the whole celebrity (or atleast. in terms of whatever the scope for beyblading is) thing. you throw this very much traumatized teenager with a sketchy ass past into the spotlight it’s not gonna go well

i was just talkin abt this one earlier but he is gay and ace.

and of course. last but most.

Want to write some more on the Vienna Translation. It was changed since the first recording back in thie 80ies. Here are mostly comments on the new translation. AGAIN very subjectiv, influenced by my personal background and intertextual understanding etc. etc.

During Jellicle cats there is the line “Hast du Pu, dem Bären, das klettern gelehrt?” which translates to  “Did you teach Pooh the bear how to climb?” It’s sung by Jenny, Vicky and Admetus and I find it kind of random. Don’t know why they translated it like that. The English line they translated that from is “ Familiar with candle, with book and with bell?” So yeah, no idea why we need Pooh in the german translation here but it’s kind of fun.

Also fun: “Warst du Schüler bei Faust?” (Were you Faust’s understudy) instead of  “Were you Whittington's friend?” This was changed cause of cultural background I would say. As an Austrian I have no idea who Whittington is but I know Faust. Faust in German folklore and literature is mostly known for making a deal with the devil so yeah and Kunze knows these texts and legends, I’m sure of that. (Okay, now I want to reread Goethe’s Faust, I love the first couple of pages where Faust has a crisis and meets Mephistopheles, they just slap in every possible way)

Also not so fun fact but the original translation didn’t use “Rabinische Cats”, they now use it. I have my own theories on why they didn’t use it in the 80ies.

I have the most problems with the translation of the Tugger chorus, tbh. They sing: “Niemand zwingt einen, der wie ich gebaut ist.” Which translates to:  “No one forces someone built like me.” I know what they mean and I get why they translated it that way. About and gebaut rhymes and the actor can sing his auauauauau but it’s just a weird lyric to me (an propably the reason why the made Teckelnburg Tugger the strong man). But the german lyrics kind of mean something like he is so strong so nobody can force him to do anything or something and that’s just weird to me but I get it: It’s difficult to translate and I kind of got used to it over the last couple of months.

I wrote about it before but no terrible bore in the current translation. Misto sings: “Der Rum Tum Tugger bringt Bewegung ins Haus” which roughly translates to: “The Rum Tum Tugger brings movement into the house” and means something along the lines of: It’s never boring with him. When he is there, there is always something happening. He is a very lively fellow. For me personally this has a positive connotation and it was always a little bit fun when Misto sung it so offended. But maybe he doesn’t like Bewegung im Haus and wants it quiet and chill. I think it fits the character better than the terrible bore because Tugger isn’t really boring in my opinion. That may be the reason for why they changed it cause in the original they used to sing that he was boring (”fad”).

Also love Demeter’s lines during Grizabella because they are quite close to the original and very poetic. (And I love Demeter so here you have it).

Some fun facts about Rumple and Mungo: “It’s that horrible cat” is translated with “Das war das grässliche Vieh.” which roughly tranlates to: “That was the horrible beast.” Vieh has more meanings and I always use it for Cats that misbehave (Mistviecher (bastard)) so yeah.  Thank you for giving me that translation. They also use “boshafte Vieh” which translates “mischievous beast”.

 Also they sing “Die Frage ist nur: war es der oder die?” Which translates to: “The question is: Was it him or her?” So Vienna Rumpleteazer and Mungojerrie are a boy and a girl by lyrics too, while the english lyrics doesn’t really gender them.

The Policedog in the Vienna Lyrics is a Schäferhund, a German shepard, a breed commonly trained in Austria to do police dog work. The word Police is not used in the Vienna Translation. 

I think with the Pekes and Pollicles one of the biggest changes is the dog out of every nation part because it uses national stereotpyes a lot (yeah, we Europeans love us some good national stereotpyes). They sing:

Der Setter ist irisch geraten Den Scottish erkennt man am Geiz Neufundländer sind Diplomaten Bernhardiner neutral wie die Schweiz

So, the Setter is from Ireland, the Scottish dog is greedy, the Canadian dog breed is a diplomat and the Swiss dog breed is neutral. They also use the word Bosnickel later for a dog that bites. A Bosnickel is an old Austrian term for a very mean person. I’m not the biggest fan of the usage of national stereotypes in texts but Europeans tend to use them a lot.

I think the rascism that’s also still there is much worse. They still use the heathen. They sing “Pekinesen sind Heiden vom östlichen Meer. Sie denken nicht britisch und kämpfen nicht fair.” which translates to “Pekinese are heathens from the eastern sea. They don't think British and they don't fight fair." The text clearly tells the audience that the British dogs are better because they are fair during battle while the pekes are not. The text also still talks bad about the Chinese language by saying: “Mit Geknurr und Gebell haben sie nicht gespart auf chinesische knarrende, schnarrende Art. Doch ein Pollicle fürchtet sich nicht vor Geplärr.” which translates to “They didn't skimp (?) on growling and barking in their Chinese creaking, snarling way. But a pollicle dog is not afraid of bawling." The adjectives used to describe the barking of the Pekes are very negative and derogatory. 

I think that the Vienna Lyrics are somehow even worse and they didn’t bother to change it at all in 2019. Same with Growltiger but I won’t go into depth with that because I’m just not very interested in that song and I do not know the English lyrics to compare it to. Growltiger at least clearly tells the audience that he is evil so when he sings stuff like: “Die fremden Katzen hasse ich. Die jag ich fort von hier. Wer anders ist und anders spricht, darf nicht in mein Revier.” which translates to “I hate foreign cats. I chase them away. Anyone who is different and speaks differently is not allowed in my territory.” you know that this is the opinion of an evil cat.

So moving on from the racist and xenophobic lyrics.

The Ball:

Only want to point out Misto’s and Cassandra’s line here because I like them very much.

Misto sings: “Wir zeigen uns von unserer besten Seite” which roughly translates to “We are on our best behaviour” which I love because that was also one of his characteristcs especially when played by Allan (not so much by Sinisi thou).

Cass sings: “Jellicle Cats sind mondvernarrt.” which translates to something like Jellicle cats LOVE the moon. Yeah, they do!

Also Tugger sings: “Ihr könnt uns mal!” which is very Tugger of him and which is an idiom you could propably translate to “kiss our asses”.

One of my fave parts during Gus always was: “Was heut inszeniert wird hat höchstens Niveau, aber wir machten damals die Menschen noch froh.” which google helped me translate to “What is staged today is of the highest standard, but back then we used to make people happy.” I just love it and I think it’s so wholesome that making people happy is an important part of theatre for him. I felt this line during the last performance.

Nothing much about Skimble apart from: he drinks Whisky and not Scotch here.

I discussed Macavity here already. All in all @munku-collar s post inspired me to ramble about the lyrics a little more.

To Mistoffelees I need  to say that I fucking love the intro so much in German because Kunze looked at his name (again referencing the Faustian legend and Mephistopheles) and said, yeah, that’s a demon cat. The intro is:

Vielleicht hilft uns Mr. Mistoffelees, der Kater, der zaubern kann. Hey, die Geister stehen in seinem Bann und keiner durchschaut, wie er es macht, all seine Tricks, hat er selbst ausgedacht. Kein anderer hat, seitdem es Katzen gibt, die Schwarzkunst je besser als er geübt. Heute gilt er unter den Okkultisten als der größte der Illusionisten.

Rough translation by deepl:

Maybe Mr. Mistoffelees, the cat who practices magic, will help us. Hey, the spirits are under his spell and no one sees through how he does it, all his tricks, he made up himself. No one else has ever practiced the black arts better than him, ever since cats have existed. Today, among occultists, he is considered the greatest of illusionists.

So yeah, Vienna Misto practices dark magic, summens spirits (demons) and has something occult about him and I love that for him. I personally do not understand the concept of a cryptid (thou my roommate was so kind to explain Kryptozoologie to me) so my cryptid version of Misto is just a cat out of hell who is friends with demons. Also I know some hc that Misto brings Old Deut. back from the dead (not my personal hc) but necromancy would also be considered dark magic.

That lyrics just influenced a lot how I view the character: Typical case of using the dark arts for good only (I love generic characters sue me).

Another lyric is: “Darin liegt der klare Beweis seines Bündnisses mit dem Geheimen.” Which translates to: “Therein lies the clear proof of his alliance with secret powers”. To further prove my point he also has some control over the fire because when he sits on the roof, it won’t break out.

Also love how the Vienna translation uses “Abrakadabra” in the lyrics. Fits so well and is so cute.

Honestly, that’s all I wanted to write about.

Anthony's Stupid Daily Blog (664): Wed 10th Jan 2024

Up early for a surfing lesson in the beautiful 26 degree sun. I got picked up at half eight by the instructor who was coughing his guts up. Doesn’t exactly scream that this guys surf school is doing well financially if the guys who owns it needs £55 that badly that he perseveres to fulfil his obligations even if he’s got COVID or worse. There were about eight of us in the class this morning which kind of sullied the whole experience because the instructor was continuously whistling at us and telling us to spread out to make sure we didn’t collide with one another. I only managed to stay up once on the thing for about half a second but that does technically count as surfing. I will need to bring some goggles next time because the salt water started effecting my vision straight away and I was squinting like a….no actually I can’t say what I had in my head but you can probables imagine. I had a really good time today but for 55 euros I assumed it would last about six hours but we were told to follow the instructor back to the hut after two hours which is what I get back at the South Shields Surf School for twenty quid. I read more of Mr Mercedes at the pool once I got back. The eponymous Mr Mercedes get angry that Detective Hodges isn’t giving him enough attention so decides he’s going to kill the cops dog with a poisoned hamburger then leaves it in the fridge if the house he shares with his mother…and what do you think happens? Yeah that. There’s also a really graphic recollection of how the killers baby brother ended up brain damaged after an accident and the killer and his mother ended up killing him because he was causing them so many financial woes. Some would say that I probably should have taken a more lighthearted book with me on a surfing holiday but I like the fact that whenever I look back in this holiday I will also remember Mr Mercedes just because that happens to be the book I was reading on the trip. I love stuff like that, how two random things can be linked forever in people's memories just by pure chance.

Verlangen

Ikevamp

Pairings: Theo x MC

Comments: Eeeeeeeek! ikevamp exchange!!!! 🥰🥺❤🌈My sweet little victim for this ikevamp exchange was none other than the very lovely @dear-mrs-otome.🥺❤Hehehe just in case the first two didn't tickle ya fancy, I wrote one last one🥺❤ Thank you again @ikemenlibrary for setting the whole exchange up! Getting to know you has been a joy!❤❤❤❤❤

TW: Alcohol and drinking, a lil angsty

*:・’ﾟ:｡.*:ﾟ･’ﾟﾟ:。’ .*:・’ﾟ:｡.*:ﾟ･’ﾟﾟ:。’･ﾟ｡.*:・’ﾟ: ｡.*:・’ﾟ:｡.*:ﾟ･’ﾟﾟ:。’

"Howdy," a voice whispered directly into his ear, leaving a shiver to run down Theo's spine. The dutchman's head whipped up from the tattered pages to glare.

"What," he grunted out, face-pulling sour at the interruption.

"You come here often?" She asked with the sway of the hips and an all too dazzling smile that creased at her eyes.

"No," and with that, his attention was drawn back to his bookmark littered book.

"What's your name?" She tried again—insistent— this time poking his shoulder repeatedly, and when he didn't move an inch or respond in kind, she moved closer to him.

Relentless, the little thing was, bouncing to the other side of him with a toothy smile. "Is that a book about poetry? I love poetry!"

She reminded him of the curious rabbit he and Vincent had come across once, springing around the meadow without a care in the world. It, too, had come closer to investigate him and his brother, being so bold as to even climb into their picnic basket and steal whatever vegetables they had to offer.

"Good for you," he said dryly, repeating the process of before, but this time with the addition of a sip of his wishy-washy whiskey.

"THEODORUS VAN GOGH, you are terrible at this!" She sighed out dramatically, making a big show of rolling her eyes and throwing her hands in the air as she collapsed her back against his. She leaned her head back into the crook of his shoulder and neck.

It took everything in his power to bite back the smile that wanted so desperately to escape its confines. But releasing that grin to the world would mean she would win, so instead, Theo turned his head in the opposite direction, resting his chin on the palm of his hand. The best offence was defence.

"You are hopeless, a complete basket case, and even worse! You cost me 10 euros," she continued to rant with upturned eyes.

"Serves you right for betting against Arthur," he quipped back, not able to hold back his grin any longer. Afterall when it came to her, he was never able to hold that hard exterior of his, no matter how hard he initially tried.

"You are a horrible best friend, you know that," she said with a sigh, straightening herself and signalling for a drink. He missed the warmth of her back against his, and the faint smell of lilies from her hair.

"Who said we were even friends," he shot her a bored look and rolled his eyes. Heaven knows he didn't want to be her friend; he hadn't for a while now. However, under the facade of friendship, things were easier. Under this guise, he could keep her at arm's length and maybe, just maybe, it would not hurt as much when she would finally walk through the door and say goodbye to the world she had stumbled into.

"You know, that face of yours might attract a girl, but you seriously need to work on your people skills if you want to keep her hooked," she ignored him, rambling on with her back now leaned up against the bar while hopeful eyes scouted the dimly lit jungle.

"You need to stop hanging around that klootzak; besides, I don't want some random pup yapping at me," because you are the only one I could and will ever love, he completed in his head.

"What about blondie, 6 o clock," she pointed out with a tip of the chin.

"Too loud," Theo said without even looking. He often humoured her and Arthur when they would try and set him up. He would humour, but never act. And today was no different.

"Brunette, with the pretty blouse," she nudged him with her elbow until he turned his head to look.

"Yeah, not my type. Try again," he deadpanned with a sigh, and this time she threw her hands up in defeat. A small part of him had always hoped that it was because she also loved him, in some small way. That she didn't want him to be snatched up by one of these Parisian pompouses with wolfish grins.

The night progressed, they drank their fills, and it wasn't long before the barman called the last round.

She had long ago tapped out for the night. What started off as a simple "rest her eyes" turned into soft, delicate snores and gentle mumblings.

He poked her marshmallowy cheeks in an attempt to wake her, but she only groaned in response, burrowing further into him. "Hey! Wake up! I know you can hear me."

Nothing

He finished his drink while the bartender moved to the door to close, lock and flip the sign. Theo was regular enough for the man to know he was on his way out, no matter how drunk.

Had she been awake, she would have seen the way those gentle blues kissed the shore. But had she been awake, he might not have been as bold; he might not have crumpled under that soft, adorable trusting expression she wore. A pang shot through his heart as his fingers reached up and ghosted over her cheek.

"Please," the words came out in a pleading whisper.

"Please stay," he managed, the world's weight seemingly lifting from his shoulders.

From the boulder being lifted to the mountain crashing down, her heavy eyes fluttered open and met his.

Shit shit shit he repeated over and over in his head, hoping she hadn't heard him, hoping he could play it off as a dream.

The silence stretched before her eyes closed once more, and her head fell heavy onto his shoulder.

Theo held his breath.

Despite her now sealed eyes, she snuggled closer, breathing lightly against his neck, and had he not been a vampire. Had he not been reborn with excellent hearing he might have thought he misheard. But, even if he had, he would forever remember those words. Forever ingrain this memory into his mind. He would cherish it in his heart forever.

"I will never leave you Theo; you are my forever." her voice was as gentle as the summer breeze planting the seeds of hope.

Releasing a shaky breath, Theo secured his arms around her and effortlessly lifted her into the air, cradling her against him like a precious painting.

He pressed his lips to her forehead, a silent promise, a hoping heart, an adoring memory.

SorLato Week- Day 1

(A/N: Unfortunately this may be my only entry for SorLato week, going for the first time NSFW prompt. I tried to write for the other days but never got around to it. I may try to get another prompt done later on in the week but no guarantees. In the meantime, enjoy this total smut)

NSFW 18+

The small French town, somewhere in the vicinity of the Italian Border, does not have much of a night life. It’s population is old and, even at this early time of night, largely asleep.

A notable exception to this rule, is the two young men who roam the empty street of the shopping quarter hand in hand. It should be noted however, that neither of these men are aware that they are in a small French town somewhere in the vicinity of the Italian Border, because neither of them were awake for a majority of the bus journey they picked at random to get here. Well and truly, these young men are lost.

“Sorbet, where the hell are we?” one of them asks, looking up at his companion, whose breath becomes mist in the autumn air.

“To be perfectly honest Gelato I haven’t the faintest clue. Though I will say that the French sound a lot more French-like here than they did where we were this morning, so I gather we were travelling away from the border.”

“Figures,” Gelato responds. He wavers on his feet, though how likely it is he would have fallen over entirely were it not for his boyfriend’s grip is hard to tell. “Sorbet, I’m tired,” he complains.

“I can tell,” Sorbet notes, glancing at his watch. “I suppose it is time we found a place for the night. How about we find a hotel for a change? We certainly have the money for it.”

Gelato clicks his tongue.

“Who knew handing down a beat-down would pay so well?”

“I did, Gelato,” Sorbet smirks. “It was my job for over a year, remember?”

The pair spot the flickering lights of a small, unbranded hotel at the end of the street. They start towards it eagerly.

“Think they’ll want ID?” Gelato asks.

“Probably not. The unbranded ones don’t usually.”

“Fuck yes, an actual bed!” rejoices Gelato. Sorbet squeezes his hand in acknowledgment and smiles.

It is exactly 5 minutes later that the lovers find themselves alone in a rather dire looking reception, sans even the young receptionist, who has gone into the backroom to look for a room to give them.

“I beg your pardon,” she begins, returning to the pair. “But all we have left tonight are couples’ rooms. Would-”

“We don’t mind!” Gelato interrupts her a little too eagerly. She takes a good look at Sorbet, a good look at Gelato, and it seems to click for her. She puts a key on the desk.

“Alright then, 20 euros please.”

“Thanks. We won’t be staying for breakfast,” Sorbet informs her, sliding over the money. “And if anyone calls, we’re not here.”

“Noted, enjoy your stay,” the receptionist says. Gelato waves her goodbye and the couple depart for their rooms.

It is roughly another 10 minutes after that, that Sorbet finds himself sitting alone on the bed as Gelato tries his luck with the shower. This is followed, quite predictively, with the sound of screaming.

“There’s no hot water!” Gelato screeches. Sorbet chuckles lightly.

“I did warn you this was hardly a 5 star hotel, darling.”

“Sorbet I’m cold!” Gelato whines.

“Then come back to me darling. Let me warm you up.”

Gelato wastes no time in hurrying back out the bathroom, clad in nothing but his underwear, and throwing himself at his boyfriend.

“My poor darling,” Sorbet tuts, rubbing his arm soothingly. He presses a kiss to his Sorbet’s temple and laughs, teasingly.

“You’re so mean to me,” Gelato complains. Sorbet isn’t fooled. He sees the blond’s little smile.

“Oh, I’m downright evil, aren’t I?”

Gelato’s eyes suddenly go a bit wide. He perks up, settling his hands on Sorbet’s shoulders as he straddles his lap.

“Sorbet, you evil, malicious thing? When are you going to have sex with me?” he asks.

Sorbet coughs.

“Sex?”

“I’m just wondering, is all. This isn’t the first time you’ve held me like this, and to be perfectly honest it kind of makes me sad it never goes anywhere,” Gelato teases, touching his nose against Sorbet’s.

“I suppose the opportunity never presented itself, did it?” Sorbet comments. He’s trying to play it calmly, but Gelato can see how flustered he is. “D-does this turn you on?”

“Maybe. Is this an opportunity?”

Sorbet looks at the man in his arms. The beautiful, gorgeous creature he’s crossed a country with for the last month and a half, whose life he would lay his own down for in a heartbeat. He looks at the soft, blemished skin, the bare chest he’s touched so many times but never done more with, the messy, curled hair he strokes whenever his anxieties hit him. Sorbet comes to a decision.

“I don’t see why it can’t be.”

Gelato makes a little noise of excitement and dives in, pressing merciless kisses all over Sorbet’s lips. Sorbet does his best to keep up, but deep down he knows he doesn’t stand a chance. Not when his boyfriend is this eager to claim him.

“Fuck, you’re eager aren’t you?”

“How can I not be?” Gelato giggles. He pulls back with an air-headed smile. “So,” he begins. “What do we actually do?”

“We follow our instincts, I suppose,” Sorbet answers him, giving his hips a little squeeze.

“Yeah, okay. But you do actually know what to do, right?” Gelato checks.

“I know what I’ve heard, I’ll say that much.”

Gelato looks at him with shock.

“But- I’m not your first boyfriend right? There were others?”

“There were, but I never slept with any of them,” Sorbet admits. “I felt too… vulnerable, with them.”

“Oh,” Gelato enunciates. “So if you haven’t done if before, and I haven’t done it before… how do we figure this out?” he asks.

“Well, as I said before, I suppose we just go with what our instincts tell us,” Sorbet suggests, pecking him reassuringly on the nose. As Gelato watches, he unbuttons his shirt and slips it off, leaning in again to kiss him once more. His hand drifts to the inner part of Gelato’s thigh. “How about I start with touching you? Down here, I mean?”

“That would be fine by me,” Gelato answers breathlessly.

Sorbet slips a hand past the elastic of Gelato’s underwear and paws gently at what he finds. Taking hold, he begins to stroke it gently.

Gelato’s sex drive didn’t suddenly jump into existence when he met Sorbet. He’s touched himself before and liked it, but that doesn’t change the fact it feels so much sweeter when Sorbet does it for him. Already, he’s biting back the urge to moan.

“Does it feel good?” Sorbet checks.

“Mm. Can I- return the favour?”

“By all means.”

Gelato eagerly fumbles with Sorbet’s zipper and undoes his pants and underwear. Sorbet isn’t quite, hard yet, but he’s getting there. Regardless, Gelato thinks he can help him along. He takes hold of the thick shaft and strokes it roughly. He knows this isn’t exactly a competition, but he wants to win regardless.

“Fuck, just like that,” Sorbet praises him. “That’s just perfect.”

“My brain is telling me to put it in my mouth, should I do it?”

“If you want to, go ahead,” Sorbet permits. “Just watch your teeth and don’t push yourself, or you will retch.”

“I know what to do,” Gelato tuts, getting down on his elbows. “You wouldn’t believe some of the shit you overhear working in a bar.”

“Is that so?” Sorbet smirks. “Well, by all means enjoy yourself then.”

Gelato wastes no time. He sticks the tip into his mouth and starts to lick roughly, closing his lips around the first couple inches off the shaft as he uses his hands to keep the rest occupied. He mildly regrets that this position doesn’t allow Sorbet to get him off as well, but he’s too turned on by his current activities to care for the time being. Gelato swallows about another inch, so that the tip presses against the upper far edge of his mouth. He isn’t quite brave enough to push it any further, but Sorbet seems happy enough, so he’ll settle for this.

Gelato licks and sucks at Sorbet’s cock until his tongue starts to go numb. He starts to wonder how much longer this is meant to last, until Sorbet places a hand on his cheek to stop him.

“I don’t imagine you’d enjoy it very much if I shot down your throat just yet, so how about we save that for another time?”

Gelato pulls himself off, gulping strongly to try and return some feeling of normalcy to his mouth.

“Yeah that’s probably for the best,” Gelato agrees. “So what next? We fuck for real?”

“I suppose so. Would you rather top of bottom?” Sorbet offers him.

“Do what now?”

“Fuck or get fucked.”

“Uhh, get fucked. Having you inside me sounds hot as hell,” Gelato decides.

“Alright, I’m good with that. I’d think I’d prefer to top, so it works well,” Sorbet accepts. He pauses. He suddenly curses as though having realised something. “We don’t have lube. We can’t have sex without lube.”

“Sure we can!” Gelato insists.

“Gel, you will bleed, and you will cry, and you will hate me. We aren’t having sex without lube.”

“Fine,” Gelato concedes. “I’ll see what’s in the bathroom.”

Gelato disappears into the side room and Sorbet hears the sound of rummaging. Something makes him pause.

"Holy fuck I found some!"

"Really?" Sorbet asks.

"Yeah, there's a bottle in the bin, they must have forgotten to change it. There's still some inside!" Gelato affirms. Sorbet chuckles.

"I would normally be concerned about the hygienic implications of that, but fortunately for you I am very horny. We'll give it a shot."

“Right, let’s try this,” Gelato mutters excitedly, returning to the bedroom. Sorbet takes the cue to wriggle out of his pants. He takes Gelato’s hand as he sits beside him.

“So, how do you want to do this?”

“Not sure. But I want to kiss you lots.”

“In my lap then?” Sorbet suggests. “It’s probably best if you control the pace anyway.”

“Sounds good to me,” Gelato says, straddling Sorbet’s hips once more. He pours the lubricant awkwardly onto them both. He grabs both of Sorbet’s hands, and pauses.

“I’ll admit… I’m kind of nervous,” he confesses.

“You’ll be fine, just don’t push yourself,” Sorbet assures him. “But if you need to stop at any time, just say so. I’ll understand.”

“Okay. ‘Love you,” Gelato mutters.

“I love you too,” Sorbet smiles. They both lean forward. They kiss, and Gelato allows himself to sink down.

There’s an immediate tension in Gelato’s body the moment Sorbet enters him. He lets out a little noise of shock, or maybe pain, before settling his head on Sorbet’s shoulder. His boyfriend pets him reassuringly.

“Gel, are you alright?” Sorbet checks. Gelato nods. “Does it hurt?” Another nod. “We can stop if you want. We can always try again another day.”

“No,” Gelato insists, meeting his eyes again. “I can do this. I want to do this,” he promises. “I just- can’t move.”

“I can take over, if you’d like,” Sorbet offers. Gelato nods. “Alright, I’m just going to lie you down gently,” Sorbet explains, before putting an arm around Gelato’s back and carefully laying him down on the mattress, positioning himself over him. “There, shall I try moving now?”

“Please.”

Sorbet begins to gently thrust the first few inches of himself back and forth inside Gelato, the blond grunting slightly as he adjusts to the stretch. After the first few movements, his body relaxes, and all other signs of pain disappear. He eyes Sorbet with a look of relief.

“How does it feel?” Sorbet asks.

“Kind of neutral, now? Doesn’t hurt any more but it doesn’t really feel strongly in any other way? If that makes sense? Sorry.”

“Don’t apologise! It’s important you’re honest with me. It might not feel good yet because I’m not very deep in. I think the spot I’m looking for is further up. Mind if I try and find it?” Sorbet offers. Gelato is quick to accept. Sorbet slowly pushes the rest of his length through Gelato’s entrance and the blond feels the difference at once. He moans, stretching his legs and rolling back his head as he grips Sorbet’s hands for dear life.

“Oh god, you’ve found it. Right there, just keep doing that,” he pleads. Sorbet just can’t help but chuckle.

“Anything you say, darling.”

The next few minutes go by in a whirlwind of bliss. Gelato quickly gives up on any hint of dignity as he moans without care, and even Sorbet feels his grip on control start to fade. They start to forget that there’s anyone else in the world except themselves, and each other.

It occurs to Sorbet he probably can’t hold it much longer without cumming. Eager not to leave Gelato unfinished, he starts to rapidly pump Gelato’s cock to spur on his climax. A moment later and they’re both spent, lying in a breathless heap on top of each other as Gelato feels his insides becoming filled.

Sorbet kisses Gelato on the forehead, then climbs off of him. Excusing himself, he heads into the bathroom for a drink. He hears his lover calling to him.

“Sorbet, my legs aren’t working!”

“Just stay there my love,” Sorbet says mirthfully. “I’ll clean you with a towel, and you can wash properly in the morning.” He returns to his side with the promised item. “Hey, you did wonderful,” he assures him. He leans in close as though to kiss him again, but Gelato gets their first and nips his lip.

“You know what you’ve done now, don’t you,” Gelato smiles.

“Oh? you’ll have to tell me.”

“I’m going to need that every night now, otherwise I’ll be unbearably needy.”

Sorbet tuts.

“However will I survive?”

Their lips meet once more.

Hello resident Belgian expert. Can you explain a little about the Kot situation please? People keep theorising about Younes and Sander being roommates or whatever. But from what I gather Younes studies Communication Sciences right? Which wouldn’t be taught at the same art academie where Sander is surely and if so why would they share a dorm? Or do they not get allocated roommates based on where/what they study? Or is it taught there and I’m just dumb

Help me understand 😄😄

Hello anon, waw ✨resident Belgian expert✨I feel honored.

If you're studying at a uni or uni college, you basically have three common living conditions:

1. You stay at your home and commute each day. This is cheap, convenient and easy. It'll only cost you the (public) transport each day and the hassle that goes with it. A lot of students do this if their place of education is in the same city, region or province and/or they don't want to pay for accommodation. If your home is 20min away by bus, why pay, right?

2. You live in a uni / uni college residency. Not every school has this option, as the buildings take up a lot of space. All kinds of students of that school are basically grouped together in one person dorm rooms, a few central cooking areas / lounge rooms and communal hallway bathrooms. The school cafetaria can be used during school hours. Some dorms might have their own facilities ('studios' - more expensive) and others just have the bedroom with a sink. It's a great if you don't want to walk / bike / commute some distance to the campus. A lot of the time, it's the most expensive option though. And you can't choose your hallway / building neighbors. But nice if you're an international or Erasmus student, you get to know everyone faster that way.

3. You have a 'kot'. A 'kot' can be anything. It's basically an private rented accommodation. Often in the same city or in the proximity of the campus and regulated through (safety) rules by the government / schools. There are some students who live in a 'kot' in one city and still commute to another city (just to have the independent experience), but these are exceptions. The rooms vary a lot in their facilities, prices and proximity. It's just a bunch of random students of any school (or maybe your friends) put together into one house and/or floor. Just like the flatshare in wtFOCK. I know people who lived in a small bedroom plus shared kitchen / bathroom and paid 600 euros, others who had a big studio close to uni and only paid 250 euros. It all depends on the contract with your private renter, the city and what the uni / uni college helped negociate in rules or set prices.

- Sidenote: even though some students live in a 'kot' or student accommodation, Belgian students often go home during the weekends and breaks to see their parents, do their washing, steal some leftovers, do their hobbies, see their hometown friends, ... -

But yeah, these students can mix together, because a lot of uni / uni colleges mix their study courses at the campus too, due to lack of space. Big student cities like Ghent, Antwerp or Leuven have multiple, seperated campuses for their university faculties. But smaller or crowded cities? Like Mechelen, Hasselt or Brussels? All mashed up. I studied my Bachelor of Tourism and Recreational Management at the same campus as Business Management, Nursing, Office Management, Education, Information & Design Management - and their international versions.

I hope I cleared that up for you 😄

Baku 2012 – Semi-Final 1

Host: Azerbaijan Slogan: “Light Your Fire!” Participants: 42 Voting method: 12-point system (50/50 system - combined) Format: 2 Semi-Finals / Grand Final = the top 10 of semi 1 & 2 + the Big 5 + host General Overview: 2012 sees Eurovision return to Eastern Europe! But there was one major issue with Azerbaijan hosting – they did not have a venue large enough to facilitate the contest. So the government funded the construction of building one – the Baku Crystal Hall. Also, there was all kinds of human rights violations and political tensions in the lead-up to this contest, because of course there was.

The presenters this year are Leyla Aliyeva, Eldar Gasimov (the “Ell” of Ell & Nikki) and Nargiz Birk-Petersen. And oh boy, this is one dry and awkwardly unfunny scripted hosting team. This year sees the return of Montenegro after a 2-year absence, while Poland takes a break. Armenia also skips this one for obvious reasons.

The 2010 and 2011 contests experimented with allowing televoting during the performances, but this year the voting window reverts back to its “normal” slot. Albania won the jury vote in this semi-final, while Russia dominated the televote, which was enough to win SF1 overall. In other news, the juries stopped Switzerland from qualifying, and we get Hungary instead. The interval act stars the Natig Rhythm Group. It's a showcase of Azerbaijani cultural music and dancing, featuring lots of high speed hand drumming. There's also some cuts to the artists dancing in the Green Room.

During the results reveal, the hosts carry a golden ticket to the stage to reveal the final qualifier for some reason (which was Ireland). This lead to Jedward cartwheeling their way to the main stage. × Montenegro: Rambo Amadeus - Euro Neuro Yeah... file this one under the long list of “try-hard” joke entries I don't find amusing. I've heard that “Euro Neuro” drawing first is why the EBU ditched randomized running orders after 2012. I can see why because this is not a good opener. An eccentric, politically-charged novelty entry with horrific rapping isn't going to hook an audience in. The performance begins with Rambo acting as a cloaked, dark wizard casting a spell. Then the song becomes an anti-conservatism rant, where Rambo talks in a drunk voice and completely disregards following the beat. Seriously there's no coherent melody or flow to this. It's also accompanied by a tepid funky bassline. The chorus involves some folksy strings and background chants, but it's not that effectively catchy. The staging is also weird. There's a Trojan horse and a bunch of slogans written on banners, which are eventually used to mummify a band member. The song's message, meanwhile, advocates for a more altruistic government agenda. The lyrics contain some funny wordplay, where Rambo shoehorns the most awkward rhyming choices (“analphabetic” “dialectic”, “bicyclism” and “reumatism” in particular). The “always stay cool like a swimming pool” line is pretty ridiculous too. But musically speaking, “Euro Neuro” is a clumsy mess. Even if that's the intention, I have little reason to seek it out. ✓ Iceland: Greta Salóme & Jónsi - Never Forget Jónsi returns from 2004, as he teams up with Greta Salome, who will reappear in 2016! “Never Forget” is a melodramatic entry. The song's atmosphere is ominous and chilling, kind of like a ghost story. The booming percussion in the verses is like a thunderstorm striking or waves crashing. It's tense and turbulent. While the pre-chorus builds nicely to the climactic “free-eee-eee-ee” hook. The violin solo is another highlight, where Greta gets quite into it. And the dark blue aesthetic, as well as Jónsi serious looks into the camera, completes the haunting vibe. The chorus, meanwhile, is powered by the duet's firm harmonies. It's somewhat theatrical though, which undercuts the dark atmosphere. But Greta and Jonsi's contrasting vocals blend well together. He's more solemn, while she's more wistful. And the song is still emotionally intense overall. The lyrics tell the story of a separated couple, both of whom are dwelling on memories at night, as they await to reunite at dawn. It's a powerful performance and a polished arrangement... and it's my winner of SF1! I wish it did better at the GF. ✓ Greece: Eleftheria Eleftheriou - Aphrodisiac The song that broke Greece's top 10 streak (which started in 2004), although it did finish 9th in the televote. Perhaps “Aphrodisiac” sounded too dated and unoriginal. It encompasses an early 2000s Euro-dance rhythm, with a bouzouki thrown in for good measure. Which basically describes Helena's entries. I also get J Lo vibes at certain points. But what truly brings this down for me is how Eleftheria sounds like she's suppressing a giggle when she says the word “aphrodisiac”. It makes the song seem immature. The lyrics are pretty lazy as well. That all said, “Aphrodisiac” does deliver some dominant and irresistibly catchy hooks (thanks to the Swedish songwriters involved). Namely the thumping build-up of “over and over I'm falling”, the “oh oh oh... oh” refrain, and the bouzouki riff itself. A bop is a bop! Moreover, the song follows a highly energetic pace, as the imposing dance-pop production steamrolls by. It never becomes annoying or monotonous though. And the choreography is serviceable, with all those hair flips. The staging also goes for a beach theme, with the oyster shell in the background and the dress colours. × Latvia: Anmary - Beautiful Song This just seems so amateur. Like....what are these lyrics? The song describes Anmary's aspirations to become a famous musician. She mentions Johnny Logan's name and proclaims she'll be the next ESC winner. And that her song will be heard everywhere... yeah, so about that. I assume “Beautiful Song” is referring to itself in a meta way. The second verse is even more of a "WTF", where she says she's can't take Mick Jagger's phone call because she's too busy writing songs for Paul McCartney. It's such a hilariously bizarre lyric. She's setting the bar high for herself. But the delivery is too earnest for it to be a joke. Also... what is this staging? The backing singers just walk around aimlessly with hammy reaction shots, as if they each had a glass of wine beforehand. Anyways, “Beautiful Song” contains an easygoing, inoffensive, unmissable melody. But in an annoyingly, nursery rhyme way. The instrumental is rather plain too, but I do like the victorious synth after the “make this a worldwide hit” part. The vocal performance is alright though. This is an obvious NQ, but it gets a laugh from me. ✓ Albania: Rona Nishliu - Suus This is Albania's best result to date (5th). It's the big moment for the most underappreciated country in the contest. “Suus” is such a unique entry. Rona delivers a stunning, emotionally raw and sincere vocal performance. Her long, explosive belting notes and her high-pitched screams are polarizing for sure; and while this is a difficult song to put on repeat, I do think she delivers a highly compelling performance. Just the way her voice rises and sharply cuts. It holds my undivided attention. The piano and the strings move at a depressing, methodical pace, allowing Rona to focus on every single painful word as she feels each present moment pass by. She's on the verge of tears, sounding broken and devastated. The bridge is a great climax too – with the descending piano notes, the swelling orchestra, and her whistle note. Lyrically, “Suus” sees Rona mentally process her heartbreak. The words are bleak and hopeless, and she concludes that crying is the only response she knows. And she does just that by yelling “LET ME CRY” over and over. Rona also keeps her eyes closed a lot, while standing hunched over, displaying weakness and vulnerability. Her dress, the hair bun and the hair strand snaking onto her chest is a memorable look too. “Suus” isn't the most melodic song, but there's so much emotional depth to it. ✓ Romania: Mandinga - Zaleilah I'm sorry, but this song is too cluttered and boisterous for me to fully enjoy. That “Za-la-la-la-la-lee everything everybody” hook (which I always misheard as “sudden-en-en-enly”) gets on my nerves. While the instrumentation is on the rambunctious side. There's marching band drums, bagpipes, and an accordion all moving to an antsy rhythm. And all three are noisy instruments in their own right. I also want to note that this entry came in the wake of a series of Romanian dance-pop hits sweeping across Europe at the time. Namely “Stereo Love”, “Mr Saxobeat”, and those Inna songs. “Zaleilah” is in a similar vein, with the summery vibes, the foot-shuffling rhythm, and the accordions. Although this one has Latin American music influences (including Spanish lyrics), and it sounds more like a World Cup anthem. It's like a party song performed in the streets. Still, the instrumentation is pretty dynamic. I like the drum section during the bridge and the accordion riff is hook-y. The choreo is well-executed too, where the instrumentalists provide joyful energy. There's lots of pyro on this one too lol. × Switzerland: Sinplus - Unbreakable Why does the lead singer sing like this? It's like he's channelling Alex Band of The Calling or Scott Stapp of Creed (without the brash early 00s rock instrumentation thankfully). I'm not sure if it's his accent or if he's making this funny gargling voice on purpose. Either way, it's distracting. So the song is about inspiring someone to not be their own barrier in achieving their goals. It's basically a supportive statement of “you got this”. The words themselves are pretty cliche, but the frantic chorus exudes some uplifting, invigorating energy. The rapidity of the “swim against the stream” line and the repetition of “following your wildest dream, your wildest dream” makes for passable hooks. Staging-wise, the guitarist on the right is a bit, but not in a cringey way. And there's lots of flashing lights. Ultimately, “Unbreakable” isn't the most remarkable rock song but it's endearing enough. × Belgium: Iris - Would You? BORRRRRRRRING. “Would You?” tells the story of how Iris has packed up, left her lover behind, and moved to someplace secret. And now she's wondering if he'll even care to go looking for her. Which, just sounds like she's playing mind games. She later claims it's a “two-way street”, and resigns to finding him instead. I dunno, maybe she should just accept he's not that into her? Some of the lyrics are grammatically awkward too. Beyond that, the arrangement falls flat. It's just a lukewarm piano ballad with a slight hint of country texture. It tries to build into that final chorus (with that “still I wonder...” bit), and Iris tries to make that “any other guy would do” hook land. But it all feels so underwhelming. Her performance presents a personable approach, but her vocals are too unrefined to solidify the emotion or the melody. I'd prefer something more bitter instead of this blandness. She seems shy as well? × Finland: Pernilla Karlsson - När jag blundar I can understand how this entry was overlooked, since “När jag blundar” eschews modern ESC music styles. But the song has such a peaceful, romantic and heartwarming texture to it. It's like a cozy embrace by the fireplace. The staging correspondingly involves a fire red colour scheme, as the cello and the twinkling bells set the mood. The melody (and the Swedish phonetic sounds) flow in an effortlessly pleasant way. Incidentally, I believe this is the only ESC entry of the 21st century to be in the Swedish language. The verses are more gentle and sporadic, while the chorus floats in a more continuous melody. The lack of a bridge allows that final chorus to grow, and to end on a subdued note. And the song takes me back to the older era of Eurovision. Lyrically, “När” involves Pernilla articulating what her relationship means to her via some metaphors of things that complete each other. It's a sweet sentiment, and it's a well-composed song that sounds pretty. × Israel: Izabo - Time So Israel dropped a “WTF” entry on us this year. “Time” is a psychedelic rock song that channels a bygone era. Both the song and performance feel like a slurred, hazy hallucination that warps your perception of time. In particular: the strings; the eerie chorus harmony; and the drawn-out “zmaaaaaan” hook which gives a sinking feeling. There's also a trippy visual effect where the background zooms in and out whenever the camera cuts to the dancing couple. And the LED screens feature some Salvador Dalí-esque liquid clocks. This quirky staging is completed by a lackadaisical keyboardist, an animated guitarist, and water drumming. Lyrically though... “Time” is a bit disturbing. The singer asks for more time as things are happening too soon. Between the “you're the man in my playground” line, the “I will obey” and “why are you pressuring me” comments, and the second verse suggesting he's being used.... the implications seem very dark. The singer's voice also sounds demented. Otherwise, the song has a consistently moving forward pace, and it's kinda catchy. × San Marino: Valentina Monetta - The Social Network Song (Oh Oh – Uh - Oh Oh) The birth of PC music? Lol. This song's production is filled with scratchy, digitized computer sounds to seem less human. The studio version also uses excessive auto-tune. The lyrics, meanwhile, address modern-day Internet addiction and how it's changed our communication habits; among other issues. The track was composed by Ralph Siegel, but the execution is too campy to render this as an “old man doesn't understand youth” situation. Instead, it's a harmless joke entry and Valentina has fun with it. She literally types on a laptop on stage (LOL). And the computer references are laughable, like “do you wanna play cybersex again?” or “click me with your mouse” or “you're loggin' in...”. The backing members are also dressed in random costumes from cheerleader to doctor to airplane captain. And then there's the camera and phone props, and floating profile pictures on the LED screen. The song itself has a bubblegum-pop flair to it as well, namely in the “uh oh” hook. It's one of the better joke entries this year. We will see Valentina three more times after this, including the next two contests.... a true sign that San Marino has limited options. ✓ Cyprus: Ivi Adamou - La La Love The production on “La La Love” is as 2012 as it gets. It sounds like something RedOne would've given to J Lo around this time. Although I should note that it was co-written by Alex P (along with some other Swedish songwriters), who was working closely with RedOne back then. But yeah, this type of commanding, robust dance-pop was a guaranteed recipe for a banger in 2012. From the squeaky beat in the verses, to the percussion claps that build anticipation in the pre-chorus, to the bustling, water-sloshing beat in the chorus... this song's arrangement is pretty standard. The drum breakdown in the bridge is a nice touch though. And there's no shortage of hooks here. From the “i-i-i” stutters; to the perk-ups of “in the air / take it there”; to the “oh-OH-oh” bit in the pre-chorus. And of course the titular “la la la la la”s... which there are plenty of. The choreography involves Ivi swaying on a bench made of books. But the dance moves during the bridge is the best moment. She has confident stage presence too. ✓ Denmark: Soluna Samay - Should've Known Better “Should've Known Better” is like a homage to late-90s soft rock/adult pop. It's sonically reminiscent of Paula Cole or Jewel or Lisa Loeb or something. Plus the “like Sahara misses rain” lyric seems oddly similar to that line from “Missing” by Everything But The Girl. Anyways, the melody flows smoothly. The backing vocalists add a sense of comfort, while making the melody sound richer. And the song exudes a bittersweet tone. Lyrically, “Should've Known Better” offers an introspective and mature perspective, where Soluna is sad her relationship is over but she accepts that it can't work anymore. Her lover is living aimlessly and lacking in stability, which leaves her feeling neglected and stranded. It's too one-sided to be healthy. The “Sometimes we have to lose a part of us to find the truth” line sticks out to me. The staging is weird on this one though. Soluna is dressed like a sea captain mixed with a Marshall? The cellist is casually wearing a purple hoodie. And the drummer overdoes it with her fake playing, although her enthusiasm kinda sells it. It's another entry I wish did better at the GF though. ✓ Russia: Buranovskiye Babushki - Party for Everybody After 3 years of middling results, Russia is back in the top 2! They also match “Dancing Lasha Tumbai” as the highest that a novelty entry has placed in Eurovision. It's easy to see why though. “Party For Everybody” is so memorable and adorable. It involves six Russian grannies dressed in traditional attire, lightly dancing to a modern dance-pop beat, while looking forward to a visit from their children, as a giant oven spins in the background. It's just so wholesome yet absurd. Their harmonies aren't the cleanest, but the “amateur” vocal adds charm, and they're having the time of their lives on stage anyway. Including some banter in the bridge. Although it bothers me when the one granny grabs the cookie tray without wearing oven mitts. Musically, “Party” begins as a Russian folk song, but then it abruptly switches to that heavy dance-pop production. It's such a stark contrast to the traditional vibes of everything else, but that's kind of why it works? Because it's unexpected. Although there is Russian instrumentation present still, most noticeably during the bridge. The beat is a little too abrasive and eager for my liking (particularly those cutting transitions into the chorus). It's arguably overproduced. But the chorus is effective, thanks to the pauses that follow “come on and dance”, and the “boom boom”s. And the verses use repetition well, culminating in that “žon žon žon” hook. ✓ Hungary: Compact Disco - Sound of Our Hearts Looks like we're in the dubstep era of pop music now. For a genre that can sound very harsh and unpleasant at times, I generally prefer when it's used in a more subtle, unobtrusive, brooding way like it is here, or on Muse's “Madness” to reference a non-ESC example. The background dub creates a dark atmosphere for “Sound of Our Hearts”, matched by some black outfits on stage. The beat moves at a firm and taut pace, with the production peaking in the second verse. The keyboard notes, the stadium rock chorus, and the “oh oh” climax are some other highlights on this track. It's almost like a Coldplay single. But the overall song is lacking something. It comes off a bit... uneventful? The melody doesn't really build to an anthemic moment until that aforementioned “oh oh” ending. And lyrically, “Sound of Our Hearts” is a cliche message about peace, unity, and the power of love. The modernized production prevents it from seeming corny or contrived, though. And the singer does deliver that “zeal” mentioned in the chorus. × Austria: Tracks**ttaz - Woki mit deim Popo This is so trashy. I'm not surprised Austria placed last in the semi-final. The song involves two dudes rapping in a German dialect, as they walk into a strip club and get horny over the ladies shaking their “popos” (bums). They're more presumptuous than flirtatious though. And the lyrics are too... unabashed and objectifying to be sexy. The amount of hubris and self-importance is something else. They really think they're the s**t. The name “Noodle Soup Gang” will stick in my mind though. Also the staging is a bit shocking. There's three ladies pole dancing and twerking, while the ballcap guy gets distracted by them. It also goes for a night club aesthetic, including some glowing light strips on everyone's clothing. As for the music, “Woki” incorporates a “jittery motor” dance-pop production, similar to the Klaas remix of “Infinity 2008”, alongside some squeaky synths in the verses. More notably, the audience gets to shout along “OOH OOH” during the chorus, alongside a double percussion clash. Everything about this entry – the production, the rapping, the staging – is so aggressively in-your-face. But I don't entirely hate it? ✓ Moldova: Pasha Parfeny - Lăutar Moldova delivers a zany and engaging choreo routine here. Between the robotic marionette limb movements, the fist shaking, the slithering like a worm on the floor, and the mini-tantrums... the backing dancers are hilarious to watch. They supply the appropriate campy energy. Their lampshade-shaped dresses stand out too. As for the song, “Lăutar” channels a carnival entertainer theme in its instrumentation and lyrics. Pasha is a trumpeter who's entranced by fiddler girl he met a wedding (the song's title literally translates to “fiddler”). The lyrics imply that there's a significant class/wealth division between the two, but his trumpet playing charms her anyway. The instrumental correspondingly includes a trumpet riff, as well as a fiddle moment in the bridge. Moreover, the “YOU... HAVE NEVER... BEEN TO MY SHOW” hook is pretty instant, with that stop/start trick. And the chorus employs a bouncy rhythm. Otherwise, the line “...how looks the trumpet” is another example of awkward English grammar tonight. But yeah this entry is lighthearted in the best ways. ✓ Ireland: Jedward - Waterline So Jedward closes out another semi-final. Last year the twins finished in 8th place, but this time they will fall 11 spots lower than that – which is a sign of diminishing returns. I mean, the boys just repeat the exact same gimmick from 2011. They energetically jump around the stage as if on a sugar high while wearing the gaudiest outfits imaginable (this time it's silver and gold plated armour) and subject us to their limited vocal skills. Except this year there's a water fountain on stage to represent a lyrical metaphor (there a bunch of water metaphors in this one). But also, “Waterline” is simply a weaker song than “Lipstick”. The latter became a guilty pleasure bop because of its heavy, intimidating synths making a strong presence. But the melody on “Waterline” is so bland and flat. And the chorus ends on an anticlimactic hook (ie. the “down as the big one” part, which lacks emphasis). The rapid, jogging dance-pop beat maintains some energy, but it's not enough to compensate for Jedward's vocal flaws. They were never THAT funny of a joke act to begin with though. My Ranking: 01. Iceland: Greta Salóme & Jónsi - Never Forget ✓ 02. Albania: Rona Nishliu - Suus ✓ 03. Denmark: Soluna Samay - Should've Known Better ✓ 04. Finland: Pernilla Karlsson - När jag blundar 05. Cyprus: Ivi Adamou - La La Love ✓ 06. Moldova: Pasha Parfeny - Lăutar ✓ 07. Russia: Buranovskiye Babushki - Party for Everybody ✓ 08. Greece: Eleftheria Eleftheriou - Aphrodisiac ✓ 09. Hungary: Compact Disco - Sound of Our Hearts ✓ 10. Switzerland: Sinplus - Unbreakable 11. San Marino: Valentina Monetta - The Social Network Song (Oh Oh – Uh - Oh Oh) 12. Romania: Mandinga - Zaleilah ✓ 13. Austria: Tracks**ttaz - Woki mit deim Popo 14. Israel: Izabo - Time 15. Latvia: Anmary - Beautiful Song 16. Ireland: Jedward - Waterline ✓ 17. Belgium: Iris - Would You? 18. Montenegro: Rambo Amadeus - Euro Neuro The 10 qualifiers all make sense though.

Hey riya! Happy birthday I hope you get to celebrate with your loved ones and have a great, and safe, time! Is it OK I join your event? I would like bokuto, the colour pink, and I would love to spend my birthday in either Italy or Cuba!

hellooo!! thank you so very much<33

hehe I did italy bc i’ve been and it’s so beautiful and AHHH good choice :D

“i mean what do we see first? there’s like a thousand places to visit.” you both stare down at the map you had taken from the hotel earlier that morning. it’s splayed across the small coffee table of the cafe as you both take slow sips of your drinks.

“whatever you want to see, i will make sure we see!” bokuto smiles down at you, “let’s start here," he points down to a random point on the map, "then kind of make a circle. we can hit most of it today and visit the other stuff later on this week.”

you reach up to brush back his hair as he leans into your touch, “yeah, let’s do that.” finishing your drinks, you both pack up and head towards your first destination.

when bokuto said he would make sure, he truly meant it. he dragged you to any and every tourist location you could think of; the colosseum, vatican city, trevi fountain (where he threw at least 6 euros worth of coins into the fountain because he 'has so many wishes!').

he made sure you went to the best restaurants, trying the best food that rome had to offer- you both had enough pizza to last you a lifetime- and always ending every meal with desert. his favorite being the gelato shops on every corner. he made sure to shout a 'grazie!' to anyone who helped making everyone who encountered you two enamored with bokuto.

on your last night and the day of your birthday, he had taken you to a fancy restaurant, decorated with lights, lots of music and a slight breeze blowing through the outdoor seating.

"thank you so much ko, this was the most amazing birthday gift i could have asked for." you reach for his hand across the table to grab his, interlocking your fingers.

he beams at you, giving your hand a squeeze, "happy birthday baby, im glad you enjoyed it! but i have one more gift for you."

"because a trip to italy wasn't enough?" you giggle out as you follow his hands reaching into his backpack. he pulls out a small bag, unfolding it and pulls out 2 matching keychains.

you gasp, "ko, this is adorable! when did you have the time to get these?" you reach out to grab the two keychains, admiring how they connect once put together.

"that's not the whole gift," you see him start to avoid eye contact and he reaches into his backpack yet again, pulling out a house key. "i thought maybe its time we move in together?"

you can't help the way your jaw drops as you spring out of your chair to go to bokuto. "id love to!" you lean in to kiss his lips pulling back with a big smile on your face. he laughs before sliding the key onto the key ring.

he pulls the keychains up, sliding his house key onto his keychain. he pulls them together, watching how they jump to each other and he smiles. he really can't wait to spend the rest of his life by your side.

If you ever wrote a Griomer fic set in modern times, what job would Grima have? What car would he drive? What kind of beer or wine would he drink? Where would he live? What would he do to relax? How would he and Eomer meet? Curious minds would love to know :)

A BEAUTIFUL, BOUNTIFUL THOUGHT. 

May your crops be watered and your cows plentiful. 

Ok so the first real question is setting. I’m going to go with Portugal. Lisbon, to be exact. Because I don’t know any modern AU that takes pace anywhere other than America and England. With a few exceptions that just prove the rule. 

Grima works for the government in the legal department of one of the ministries. Maybe Foreign Affairs or Finance - something in that vein. Is he on the take? Probably. Can you get things done by shoving him a handful of dirty 100 euro bills? Yes. 

He was also absolutely was running a book during the dust up between that one anti-masker judge and the director of police over Covid. When the judge challenged the police director to hand to hand combat saying that if he won the police director would have to publicly state “I’m an idiot, a puppet and the government’s bitch.” 

Grima LIVED for that whole hot mess. He also absconded with all the funds from running the book because Grima is here for that sweet sweet cash money.

But yeah, he works in a government legal department and people just refer to him as “Grima from legal,” as if there are other men with his name running around. Mostly people avoid him, yet somehow he keeps climbing up the ladder and no one understands how or why this is happening. 

He is a riot to have on calls though because when people are like “if we pass this legislation would that contravene the constitution” he always answers “I can make it so it won’t”. 

Examples of a day with Grima at the office: 

Grima: I’m not sure I like this language in the contract as it stands - it makes it seem that we would be liable to pay the local municipality a bucket of money. And we’re not going to do that. 

Random civil servant: That language came from the city’s mistrust of us at the central government. 

Grima: Completely fair, I don’t trust us either. But we’re taking it out. The municipality is on their own. Shame them with their bad fiscal planning if they kick up a fuss. 

[...]

Civil servant: Can we even do this? Like, are we actually allowed to pass this kind of legislation?

Grima: I mean you can. The courts will hate you and you will have judges out for your blood. But you can. Theoretically, government can do anything. 

Grima: Anyway, there are regulations already in place to support the legislation’s implementation. We’re cart-before-horsing it here but trust me. It’s fine.  

Civil servant:

Grima:

Civil servant: 

Grima: I mean, I do maintain that it was a mistake to pass the regulations so quickly but uh .... things got out of hand. Which is typical. 

Civil servant: Got out of hand? The regulations are a mess. 

Grima: They’re a mess because we’re just making it up as we go along. 

-

As they’re in Lisbon I suspect Grima takes public transit or walks to work on the average day. Also, I don’t know enough about cars to have an opinion of what kind he would drive.  

Grima, as a contrast to other Portuguese people, prefers wine to beer but will drink whatever you put in front of him. I enjoy head-canoning that his preference is for rose and he tells people who judge him about this to go suck a metaphorical dick. That said, I suspect his table wine/what he always has in the house is red. Probably from the Duoro region. Also your bog-standard liquor collection.  

That said, those little 15cl glasses that beer comes in Portugal. He finds that acceptable. 

I think he’s a snacker. Like he just snacks through the day instead of eating real meals. Five minutes between meetings and he’s casually eating a sandwich. Where did he get the sandwich? Who knows. Why is there a bag of chips suddenly appearing? Magic. 

I head-canon, in both universes, that Grima a) likes pickled things, b) hates asparagus and walnuts, c) consumes vast quantities of coffee and d) has a serious sweet tooth. How many pastéis de nata can this man consume in a single sitting? So many. 

For how he spends his free time - he does like the football and has many spicy opinions about everything relating to it. Especially the latest fiasco in the UK. Also, the UK in general. 

Grima: England was a mistake. Shouldn’t have happened. 

Eomer: Guess we’ll just visit Ireland and Scotland. 

Grima: Why would we do that? It’s cold up there. I want to go to Croatia or Naples.

Eomer: We went to Naples last year. 

Grima: ... Your point?

Though he pretends to be disinterested in it for Reputation Reasons, I suspect he’d be a big fan of Eurovision and does one of those March-madness style betting pools with his siblings over it. It’s the only time he talks to his brothers. 

Christmas? No. Civic holidays? No. World Cup? No. Eurovision? Yes. 

Eomer thinks this just demonstrates that Eurovision is the solution to most problems. 

In terms of day to day hobbies/way to spend spare time - lots of reading. Many books. Eomer is like “One day we’re going to be eaten alive by your books. There are so many of them.” 

As it’s Grima, he has a chaotic organizational system for them that makes sense only to him. Also, he never re-shelves them so there are very neat and precise stacks of books around the flat which he finds rather soothing. He makes upset noises whenever Eomer tries to tidy up. 

Eomer believes in de-cluttering. Grima does not. 

Puzzles - I firmly believe Grima likes puzzles. And those crazy ones too, like 7k pieces of the moon. So it’s all white and grey. 

Also strategy board games and trick-based card games. 

And for where he lives? I assume a flat - one bedroom, nothing too fancy those he has Aspirations and Dreams of being filthy, stinking rich one day and being able to spend money like an American. 

-

Oh man, how did they meet? I feel like they’re on opposite sides of some legal issue or argument. Like Eomer works for the Lisbon government and there’s a jurisdictional dispute and Grima’s representing whatever Ministry is involved and it’s all knives out. 

Then afterwards they keep running into each other because Life is Full of Trouble. Grima’s like “can a man not drink his coffee and eat his pastries in peace?” and Eomer slides into the chair across from him, “How’s my favourite corrupt government lawyer?” Grima gives him a rude gesture. 

Grima’s all, “Excuse me, I’m busy.” Proceeds to take out a deck of cards to Very Visibly play solitaire. 

Eomer is thinking, Oh my god what a freak. What comes out of his mouth is, “So you want to grab dinner or something?”

Grima, “No.” 

Eomer, “Drinks? Go for a walk?” 

Grima: 

Eomer, “.... I know a book store with a cafe in it that sells really good croissants and does like an overly fancy charcuterie board”

Grima, “I’m free next Friday at 8.”  Immediately goes back to his cards. 

Oh he’s also permanently attached to his cellphone. Like it’s probably glued to him at this point. An additional limb coming out of his left hand. 

Eomer: We’re on holiday. 

Grima: government never stops babe. 

-

Thank you so much for this ask. I love them so much they’re both so dumb. 

<3 <3 

Booked

Diego x reader (the whole family is present at the beginning but as time goes on becomes more Diego-centric)

Summary: You have a summer house that is far away from any big cities, you’ve inherited it from your great-great-parents and you want to prove to your friends that you cannot possibly make an income out of it. So you submit the house at booking dot com for the lowest price possible. Your plan was working for years and you’ve been happy and content just by growing your own food and participating in the village’s community, completely forgetting about the offer you presented on booking. Until one day, seven siblings arrive at your place, saying they reserved themselves the whole house for the eternity of summer.

Warnings: gender-neutral reader, swear words (? but just a couple, mainly from Five)

Wordcount: 3.7k

A/N: settling is post s2, so everyone looks accordingly. umbrella academy gets back into the timeline where no umbrella nor the sparrow academy exists, yet the world is still ending. mostly written out of nostalgia for my own summer house that my family sold years ago and i will never come back there, so i want it to live on at least somewhere

Summers were always hot in this little village that you lived in, especially with the climate change looming over humanity’s ignorant heads.

So you were actually relieved that you finally persuaded a local technician to help you fix the fridge that stopped freezing its insides for good two weeks already.

You just handed her the cash and waved her goodbye, also giving the lady a basket with apples and peaches that grew in your garden. You don’t have enough people eating your fruits and most of it goes into jams anyways.

You waited a little until her car disappeared into the horizon of the bumpy road near your house, seeing as it even got blurry in the end, as the air was literally melting the reality in front of your eyes.

With a swift movement you adjusted a cap on your head, went out of the creaky gate - which green color was peeling off into the original black metal that it was made with - and closed it behind yourself with a happy hum.

It was a twenty minutes walk to the nearest convenience store and it gave you just enough time to ponder about the recent weird thing that happened to you.

About three days ago you just got a random payment come to your bank account.

15 Euros. That was it.

No note, no name.

You decided to let it be, even though it did stir your mind in various ways.

Normally, when something like this happens, the bank realises the mistake in the recipient and takes the money back within 24 hours.

Either the person who sent it didn’t care that it went to the wrong place or bank decided to be generous with you.

Whatever the reason was, those 15 Euros could be used now to buy yourself a little more sweets than you usually do.

You never had to complain about how little money you actually have from living here and being more or less self-sufficient, but some random extra cash will make anyone smile in this capitalistic hell that you tried so hard to escape from.

.

.

After you came home you started sorting out groceries that you’ve bought, putting them into the right places.

Upon finishing you just plopped yourself on the bench near the big abandoned table in the room, looking around.

This house used to be alive. With a lot of your family members running around, making noise, sometimes fighting, but always generally just enjoying the good time at this place.

At the end of the extended room was a window, showing you the rest of the garden that you lovingly cared for every single day.

Under the window was a spacious kitchen counter, with a fridge and shelves for ingredients next to it. Then there was the entrance to one of the unused bedrooms with one bed pushed against the wall, which in turn was covered by a red hanging carpet. On a wall, yes.

You stopped tracing the room around with your eyes as you heard some rummaging coming from the outside.

After easily springing to your feet you saw black dots in front of you and your head was spinning. Damn you, iron deficiency!

A few seconds passed and you were collected again, rushing out towards the gates to the property.

You stopped in your tracks as you saw five people literally barging through your piece of land with suitcases and bags, bickering with each other.

Oh, nope. They were six, actually. A very tiny figure closed the gate after all of them made it in and started clumsily going forward on a tiny tartan road that lead all the way to the summer house.

“Klaus, stop fucking pushing around and help me with the bags, maybe?” said a man with longer curly hair and a goatee, clearly agitated at another person, who wasn’t holding anything except some bottle in their hand.

“Oh cut it, you two! We’re almost in the house, come on,” said a woman with straight black hair in the flowery dress and then she noticed that someone blocks their way.

Her eyes landed on you.

“Um... hello?” she said with an awkward smile, attempting a wave in your direction and continued, “are you the owner? We booked your house until the rest of the summer like.. a few days ago.”

Your eyes widened and your mouth hung open in the “o” shape, trying to grasp the reality.

So.... someone really booked your summer house after several years of no traction from booking and you had no clue.

That’s what the payment was for!

But..

“Oh,” you said, not knowing how to proceed about the situation, “well, you see.. um... I have nowhere to stay? This is my only home,” you started timidly, rubbing your hands together.

“Oh,” the woman seemed surprised and confused but quickly collected herself, “well, if you have enough beds to keep us all in then it’s no problem, I guess?”

“Yeah? Alright, great!” You smiled at the whole “squad” and looked at them all.

“Uhm.. my name is y/n! Welcome to my summer house, I guess,” you put your hands into the back pockets and shook your head a little into the direction of the house.

“Allison, nice to meet you,” the woman you talked to said, smiling invitingly.

“Diego,” almost spat the guy with the goatee.

“Klaus, darling,” said the person with the bottle in their hand, widening his arms in an invisible hug.

“Luther,” mumbled a big man in the back of them all.. he looked like he’s been through something.

Actually, they all do.

“Vanya,” chirped a girl behind the big- Luther, the corners of her lips lifting ever so lightly.

“Five,” said a child in the front, looking unusually angry, suddenly shortening the distance between the two of you, “as long as you’re out of our business you’re good to stay,” he literally sneered at you, pushing past you and going inside.

That left you kinda shook, but then Allison just apologised for “their brother”, so you decided to ask another question:

“So you’re all a family?”

“Yes, we’re all siblings. Adopted,” she said, actually following you inside, not as the little guy before who let himself in without even knowing the place.

“I think my place is not the best for so many people to sleep at though..” you said quietly, biting your lip.

“That’s why it was so cheap..” Luther wondered, looking around.

You had to calm yourself so you didn’t snap at your guest. You didn’t even know anyone would ever book your house, damn! What were you supposed to do?

In the end you spent some time showing them the rooms, starting with the first one that contained an old-fashioned sink and the water tank near it, which you needed to manually fill up with water, and the drain led to the bucket under it.

Very simple.

In the back of the room there was a dining table, on one side surrounded by the bench and the other with some mismatching chairs.

From this space you proceeded into the extended “hallway” that you stared at before your peace and quiet was ruined.

There was also an ancient literal furnace, on top of which you could actually lay on, you know, as in all the fairytales.

After that, there was another room entrance that contained two beds on each side (one of them pushed under the window), similar to the other room and a coffee table in the middle of the area.

When you all went back to the first place, there was a wooden staircase that led to the second floor.

There were two rooms. One had a king sized bed in the middle of the space, with a closet and various tables around the whole area.

The other one had a working table and a bed in the corner.

“And that is the end of the tour!” you proclaimed, as everyone got seated by the big table in the extended room, while you were making everyone tea and preparing some snacks.

“Great, I sleep on the furnace!” Klaus exclaimed, putting his hands in the air animatedly.

“I guess we can fit all of us in here, actually,” Allison was clearly thinking aloud, counting the members of the family and available sleeping places.

“You’re gonna take one of the beds, right?” she said, pointing at you.

“Uh.. yes! Upstairs, I think. The one with the small bed and a table,” you smiled at her and she nodded.

“Then I’ll be sleeping with Vanya in the king-sized bed and you guys can fight for who’s going to end up sharing the room,” Allison concluded, clearly enjoying herself.

“Funny of you to think I’ll have enough time to sleep, in our situation,” said Five, suddenly coming out from the doorframe into the room.

You didn’t even mention that he wasn’t there when you were explaining the plan of the house.

“What situation? There should always be time to sleep,” you chipped in, carefully smiling at the boy.

“Stay the fuck out of our business, I said,” he gritted through his teeth at you, which left you blinking in surprise as he went away again, out of sight.

“How... old is he again?” you asked with the confusion that a kid would be so rude to a stranger like this.

All of them kind of nervously laughed or mumbled something that you couldn’t understand.

“It’s complicated,” said Vanya, smiling at you reassuringly.

How the fuck an age of your own brother is complicated?..

You heard the fancy-looking woman - Allison - sigh heavily and turn to you, shrugging.

“It’s just.. when our parents adopted him, he freshly got into the orphanage so he didn’t even have any documents about his birthday, blood type or anything. Apparently, he was really abused by his biological parents. Or whoever else, we don’t even know.”

“Oh.. I’m sorry,” you apologised quickly, biting your lip. Didn’t expect to poke into any painful subjects.

“It’s okay, really, we’ve learned how to take proper care of him,” Allison said, putting her hand on your back with a smile.

When you excused yourself to continue with gardening and went outside, Allison just shook her head.

“Who says ‘it’s complicated’ when someone asks you about their sibling’s age, Vanya?” said Allison in disbelief.

“I’m sorry, I thought it would settle the matter..” she muttered, playing with her fingers anxiously.

“It’s okay..” she smiled at her sister and then looked around the whole table, “look we’re here for the whole summer, so I think it would be better if we somehow told the owner at least partially about our powers so we’re not hiding all the time. We came here to have a safe space where we could train after all, am I right?” she looked expectantly at Luther who immediately started nodding along, agreeing.

“Or maybe,” started saying Klaus, already getting up from his seat and trying to crawl onto the furnace, skinny legs already dangling in the air, “we can just tell them we’re the umbrella academy, don’t you think?” he concluded, facing a wall with his face.

“But we checked that the umbrella academy doesn’t exist in this universe.. nor any other replacement of us,” reminded her siblings Vanya, fingers still intertwined on the table, firmly put together.

“I’m sure we’ll tell them one way or another,” said Diego, getting up just like his brother, making his way a bit further though, his objective clearly being the fridge.

He opened it and smirked at the beer present there, taking one can with him. His eyes then wondered to the window at the end of the room and he stepped closer, inspecting what is outside.

Apparently it was still their new home’s property, as he saw y/n working in the garden, repotting some plants under the tree.

His gaze stayed on them as he thought about various topics in his head, but then he decided to go out of the house, jumping down the wooden stairs leading to the tartan road, framing the whole garden.

You heard steps behind you, turning your head away from the the plants, only to meet a tall man in front of you, with a can in his hand.

“Hey, uhm..” he nervously put his hand on his neck, scratching it, “I just wanted to ask if it’s cool if I take some beer from the fridge?” he lifted the other hand with the mentioned item, giving it a little shake.

“It’s cool,” you replied, smiling softly at him, and then getting back to work, grabbing the plant by the root, moving it to another hole in the ground.

“Okay..” he retorted, biting his lower lip and scanned the area with his dark eyes.

There was an abandoned greenhouse with broken walls, greenery growing all around it, just next to the fence of the property. To its left was a wooden toilet booth with a typical round-shaped hole in the higher part of the door.

“I’m really sorry, by the way,” you started talking again, now finally done with your objective of the day, now plopping yourself next to Diego on the bench that he was chilling at, the surface creaking from the added weight, “I really thought nobody would *ever* rent this place,” you shrugged with a smile, now looking in front of yourself, closing your eyes and letting sunshine illuminate your face.

“Well.. uh.. then why did you put up on that website anyways?” he asked, clear confusion in his voice.

You sighed, shifting your body a little, getting into more comfortable sitting position, “It was a bet I made with my friends back in the day. A few years ago they told me I could actually rent this place and get income from it, not having to work a day in my life! Yet i told them that it’s not possible, and I wanted to prove that I was right by putting the advertisement,” you finished, finally opening your eyes, tilting your head at your new acquaintance.

You caught him staring at you, so he quickly turned away, now getting quite a violent sip out of the beer can.

“You should’ve put some timing on that bet then.. Let’s say, if it doesn’t get traction after two years you’ll finally delete the posting,” he said, after gulping some liquid.

That made you laugh and you couldn’t look away from him. His features were so.. delicate.

“Yeah, you’re actually right!” you admitted, slapping your thighs in excitement.

“Diego, my precious brother!” you two suddenly heard from the entrance to the house.

You lifted your eyes and saw a slender confide getting closer to you both, the man walking barefoot.

“Five said we’re all needed for a ‘family meeting’,” the guy literally put an air quotes with his free hand that wasn’t holding a glass, saying it in the mockingly serious tone, “so you better come with me and stop bothering this lovely person, alright?” he then proceeded sweetly, extending a hand towards Diego with a wide smile.

“God.. alright,” he answered and to your surprise took his hand, now brothers going away into the house, Diego briefly looking back at you, “Let’s talk later.”

You just nodded, finding yourself still smiling long before they were gone.

What is this funny feeling in the pit of your stomach?..

And why is one of their family members called by a number instead of a name?!

.

.

It was only the second day of your coexistence with the Hargreeves but it was already a wild ride.

Normally your morning looked like this;

You would wake up at a reasonable hour, maybe like.. 9am. You would go down the stairs from your room and make yourself some breakfast. While eating you’d either read a book or just listen to some music from your phone.

Then you’d do daily tasks, so taking care of the garden or some house maintenance, or both.

Then you’d do everything special that needs to be done only once in a while: a meeting with a friend, grocery shopping, attending a meeting with your neighbours where you decide on further upgrades of the village.

Then you’d draw some commissions, if there were any and after all of this you’d have late lunch that normally turned into dinner, concluding your day with doing your hobbies or rarely taking out your laptop and browsing the internet.

“Rise and shiiine!” you heard somewhere from downstairs, for some reason that person was also ringing a bell, making you immediately sit up in your bed.

You turned your head towards the mirror that hung across your sleeping space on the wall and you could see your hair standing up in different directions, cowlick upon cowlick.

You also felt tired, kind of not used to that feeling and shifted your half-closed eyes to the alarm clock near you.

It was... a bit past 7am. Who are those people to wake up that early?!

You lazily got up from the bed, yawning and stretching your arms up, feeling a few cracks here and there.

“Good morning!” first half of the sentence was muffled by the closed door to your room, but that quickly changed as it burst open, Klaus marching right in, his voice now uncomfortably loud for your sleepy ears, “I thought it would be nice to have breakfast all together and make you feel a part of the family, wouldn’t it?” he said with a genuine smile, looking at you.

You were sitting on your bed in pyjamas, hair all over the place, most unamused expression on the face, eyes half opened.

“Not a morning person?” he mused, tilting his head at you, “well, feel free to join or sleep more, I wouldn’t judge,” he continued and you saw in literal slow motion as he lifted his hand with a bell in hand, shaking it hard as he marched out of your room just in the same manner as he came in just seconds ago.

“BREAKFAST!!” he yelled with at least two octaves lower at his siblings, still ringing the bell that now was resonating in your brain in a highest pitch possible, making your head hurt.

Great morning.

But despite the general morning grumpiness you did find it endearing that Klaus decided to include you in their activities, making you feel less alone and - quite funnily - welcomed in your own house.

You slowly went down the stairs, hearing the lower floor full of different voices and it made your heart clench. You immediately thought of your family that made it feel alive like this in the past and a warm smile appeared on your face, as the Hargreeves huddled up around the smaller table in the room you descended from the stairs into, all making your appearance feel natural.

“Good morning,” you passed Luther that nodded in your direction alongside the phrase, as you went into the bigger room, seeing Allison cooking by the stove, window open.

“Oh hey, you’re up,” she said with a smile, “can you pass me some milk?” she asked, extending her hand into the air, already expecting said item.

“Sure!!” you hurriedly opened the fridge, giving her the thing she requested and she continued cooking.

You slowly looked around, seeing a blanket and some different things like cigarette boxes and teddy bears on top of the furnace, which made you realise that someone from the family has clearly claimed it to be their place for sleeping and you found it adorable.

“You can go sit with the others, I’ll bring it all in when it’s ready, Allison said, adjusting her black hair so it didn’t get in the way of preparing food.

“Oh.. okay!” you chirped, with a smile going back to the first room, and finding an empty seat between Diego and Klaus.

You almost sat already when Klaus sprang to his feet and took you by the shoulders, making you freeze on the spot, eyes wide.

“Klaus?” you asked, confused, “is that seat taken?”

“By Allison,” Diego quickly responded before his brother had any chance to and then the skinny man sat back on his chair, nodding with an awkward smile on his face.

“Yes, exactly. Sorry y/n,” he sighed and shrugged, clearly playing along Diego’s words, but you just let it go.

Instead you sat next to Luther, whom already opened his mouth but Vanya looked at him with a forced smile, raising a brow. At that, the big guy closed his mouth again, without making a sound.

Something.. is weird here. You shifted a bit in your seat, biting your lower lip.

The kid wasn’t here at all, you just noticed.

Then finally Allison came with the food and your anxiety lessened, as everyone started cheering for wonderful pancakes that she made.

She already wanted to sit on the seat that the guys told you was reserved for her, when suddenly Klaus did the same to her as he did to you.

“Klaus,” Diego hissed in a low voice.

Allison just looked at her brother, expression just as confused as yours was.

“What?” Allison deadpanned, putting a hand to her hip.

There was a brief second of silence until Klaus just burst into an emotional speech.

“Look, I know we’re all pretending that we’re normal in front of y/n but you all know that Ben always sits next to me and he’s sitting here right now, yet you all wanna make it seem like he doesn’t exist? I’m sorry that he’s a ghost, I’m sure he didn’t want to die either!” then after a moment he added, “Right, brother dear?” looking at an empty space near him.

Your brain clearly wasn’t catching up to what was just being said.

Pretending to be normal?..

“Great. Just fucking great, Klaus. I bet Ben would move, understanding the situation!” Allison waved her hands at him and the chair next to him with an annoyed voice.

“We just blew our cover, guys,” said Diego with pursed lips, looking absentmindedly at the table filled with food.

Soon enough they all started arguing and only when there was a sudden blue light in the room, and the kid appeared literally out of the thin air in front of your eyes, everyone fell silent, looking at him.

“Guys, I just did a search around the neighbourhood and—“ his blue eyes met with yours, full of shock and denial of what you just saw, “shit.”

He clicked his tongue and frowned and that was positively the last thing you remember before losing consciousness, everything around you turning black.

Too much of supernatural for one morning, that’s for sure.

Precious taglist:  @radcloudenthusiast​,  @spacenerdpascal​

NEXT PART→

Sink Or Swim

tag list: @cleocc @feeling-kinda-so-so @hopelessromanticvirgo @dreamy-slytherin @adora8 @lockerfivethreefive @painfully-oblivious @poeticinemaa @jjustonemorething @saraben00 @wedarkacademia @coolguyssyndrome @hischbabe @suckerforsobbe @tayspots @starmansander @theah0lt @zoenneforever @invisibleme @chibibanane

~^~

Thursday, 17:02

Song: David Bowie - Rebel Rebel

Lucas skims his gaze over the books in front of him consideringly, with only half-hearted attention. His mind isn’t really here. It’s stuck in his room from last night, in today’s lunch period, just an hour ago. When Jens had caught him in the courtyard and walked halfway home with him, joking and teasing and acting like he had been Lucas’s best friend for years.

Lucas understands, because he also feels that simplicity in their relationship, that easy connection. The effortless flow, the familiar back and forth. It had been a startling realisation the night before, when Jens had called him out of the blue, almost giving him a heart attack at first. What wasn’t even supposed to be a call in the first place had turned into an hours-long conversation, both of their voices turning hushed and their laughter muffled as the night wore on. Lucas falls back into a state of disbelief, thinking about it now. He kind of can’t believe his luck.

He’s also beyond worried, and just a little mad at himself. Since when does he let himself get so attached so quickly?

He wants to believe that it isn’t a problem. That Jens seems just as invested in the friendship as him. That things are going well with the rest of the boys, who seem to have accepted Lucas into their circle without an ounce of hesitation. Lucas is unbelievably lucky. He should be ecstatic.

He shouldn’t be spending so much of his time thinking about just how ecstatic he is that Jens was the one to take him in.

He really, really shouldn't be spending so much of his time thinking about how pretty Jens is.

It's just his luck that the boy would have to look like that.

He needs to get his mind off of it for at least a little while, in some way, or he’ll do something completely stupid. Like call Jens again. Even though he’s just seen him. He can’t be trying to get all his happiness here from a single source. He can find ways to be happy on his own.

Which is the only thought that has brought him to the small art shop a few blocks from his apartment, only a couple-of-minutes cycle away. It’s convenient and quiet and seemingly good quality. He’s been itching to explore it since he first got here, but there’s been so much to see and so little money in his pocket. He’s simply been biding his time and reminding himself of it.

Now that he’s here, though, it’s a little hard to be interested. His gaze wanders over the supplies, unseeing, and he plucks a random book off the shelf he’s standing in front of in hopes of looking less lost. He flips it around and skims the back of it, barely registering, unable to even remember the cover. Distracted, still.

This is what makes him jump a full foot into the air at the sudden voice at his shoulder. “Ahh, one of the greatest gay icons to ever live.”

Lucas whips his head around to find that the deep voice belongs to a tall guy with a leather jacket, an easy smirk, and a startling shock of white hair. He runs his gaze over the stand, as well, not even looking at Lucas as Lucas drops his gaze back to the book in his hands, taking in Leonardo’s artfully sculpted face with furrowed brows.

“Da Vinci was gay?” Lucas finds himself questioning, unsure, twisting to look at the blonde as he finally gets his attention.

The boy shrugs, still smirking slightly as he nods at the book. “I guess we never really have any way of being sure but a lot of historians and critics are pretty sure. I can see why you’re considering the book. It’s probably all in there.”

Lucas’s brow remains furrowed as he looks at the cover again. Huh.

“You’re not an art student then?” The boy asks it lightly, his smirk having smoothed into a small smile, and Lucas simply shrugs.

“No, just...a hobby. You’re definitely an art student though.”

The boy huffs, smile widening. He holds his hands out to the sides and asks, “What gave it away?”

Lucas laughs, shaking his head slightly. The boy sticks his hand out to him and says, “Sander, by the way.”

Lucas shakes his hand, the name bouncing around in his head, sounding familiar but distant—until it suddenly clicks into place. Beautiful and blonde and artsy, with a particular amount of knowledge on the sexual orientation of a dead man. “Wait. Robbe’s Sander?”

Sander’s face brightens instantly and Lucas knows he’s gotten it right. “You know Robbe?”

“Yeah, I’m in his year. I mean, only recently though.” When Sander only continues to look at him in confusion, he realises he hasn’t even introduced himself yet. “Sorry, I’m Lucas.”

Sander’s expression brightens further, though this time it’s with recognition. “As in Jens’s Lucas?”

Lucas almost drops the book in his hands as his heart gives a particularly violent thump in response to those words. He feels heat rush up his neck and into his cheeks in the space of that heartbeat, feeling a bit like a deer in headlights. What is that supposed to mean? How is he supposed to react to it?

Realising Lucas’s hesitant surprise, Sander adds, “From the party? The guy in the bathtub?”

Ah. Of course. Lucas nods with a smile and a small huff. “Interesting nickname, but yeah.”

“Sorry,” Sander laughs. “I still just find it funny, finding Jens just sitting there all chilled out. I know you’ve integrated into the rest of the group this week though right?”

Lucas nods again. “At least, I think so.”

Sander gives him a reassuring smile and a shake of his head. “Robbe already talks about you as one of them. And I gather Jens is a big enough fan, too.”

Lucas flushes again, and there’s a glint in Sander’s smile that’s just a little too knowing to make him comfortable. He clears his throat and looks back down at the book, eyes widening slightly as he catches sight of the price tag before setting it back on the shelf. “Well, I think I have a good enough education on him now to go without that.”

Sander snorts, easily adjusting to the subject change, and Lucas decides that he likes him. “You’re into photography too, right?” Lucas nods and Sander hums, doing a slow scan of the shop. “What to teach you next then, dear protégé,” he muses to himself.

Lucas raises his brows, smiling slightly. “Are you taking me in now, too?”

“What, with all that atrocious lack of knowledge on such important history? Of course. Those boys will never teach you that.”

Lucas laughs quietly, knowing he probably isn’t wrong. He has happily accepted Jens as his Antwerp guide, but an artistic, older, non-straight mentor doesn’t sound unappealing. Lucas suspects that Sander fits quite well into his preferred vibe, into his idea of a friend, and he knows the boy surely comes as a package deal anyway. Lucas feels a little like he knew him already, before this chance meeting, with how present he is with the Broerrrs. From the beginning, Lucas hasn’t expected to be friends with Robbe without eventually having the chance to befriend Sander, too.

“If that mural of your boyfriend is any indication of your skills, I’ll gladly be your protégé, if you’ll have me,” Lucas agrees.

Sander flushes now, but his smile holds a quiet pride and an overwhelming amount of love. Lucas’s heart twists at just the sight of it. “Gladly,” Sander returns. “You might even fix Jens up a bit while you’re at it.”

Lucas just huffs a small laugh and tries not to let the words affect him, again. He doesn’t need to stop thinking about Jens entirely, but he really needs to stop thinking about Jens like that. Like he’s even a possibility. “Should I refer to you as my mentor from here on out then?”

“Ugh, mentor makes it sound so formal,” Sander wrinkles his nose. “Just think of me as your...guru, or something, yeah?”

Lucas huffs again, shaking his head as he grins. “Alright, guru. Can my first lesson be on what I can get in here for less than ten euro?”

so it goes

Summary: When Alex moves in across the hall, Rio knows he’s in trouble. A good girl like her would never want anything to do with him, or so he thinks. 

Word count: 2k

Chapter 3

“Best boss ever!” Hope said as she took a cup of coffee from the tray Alex had brought in for them and then a donut from the box she had laid out. It was around nine am, she had decided to grab some breakfast for everyone before heading to work. 

“Best employees ever!” Alex laughed. Julia and Allie grabbed their share. 

They talked a little and finished their food before they all set out to do what needed to be done for the day. Alex was keen on doing some deep cleaning today so she went about the place wiping down things and dusting. The music was on and she didn’t shy away from dancing and singing, occasionally the other girls joining her. A few regulars would walk in and Alex pulled them in to dance, even a few older ladies who all left with big smiles and handfuls of flowers. 

“Alejandra!” Alex turned to the front door to see her favorite regular come in. He was an older hispanic man, in his late sixties named Fernando. He was always coming in to buy flowers for his wife, Carmen. Alex had met her a handful of times when Fernando wanted the two of them to meet. Alex had known him since she opened the shop, he was one of the first few to shop with her and ever since then they became close. She admired the man so much. He was kind and always giving her advice when he could tell something was wrong with her. Sometimes she’d even give in and talked about whatever was going on with her and he’d listen and comfort her. He reminded her of her grandpa when he was still alive. She enjoyed his company and loved him as if he really were her family. 

“Fernando! Hace tiempo que no te veo!” Alex pulled the man in for a hug. 

“Yo se, lo siento, mija.” She waved off his apology. She was glad to see him again. It had been two weeks since she last saw him and he usually stopped in one or twice a week to say hi and to buy flowers. 

“Does Carmen like sunflowers? We just got them in again.” Sunflowers usually went out quickly, the ones that were delivered from the local farm were big and vibrant so it made sense that people snatched them up right away. She would even take some home to have on her kitchen table at times. 

“Carmen loves all of them.” He said, his Spanish accent coming out. 

“Well, I can wrap some up for you right now.” Alex excused herself and the girls flocked to Fernando to say hi. They all loved him and Fernando was keen on them learning Spanish so sometimes he’d try to teach them. Alex wrapped up a bundle of sunflowers in brown paper and then tied them with a yellow ribbon. It was the same simple look she always did for the sunflowers, the flowers themselves already popped so they didn’t need detail on the packaging. She walked back out and handed Fernando the flowers. 

“Gracias, mija. How much?” 

“For you, fifteen.” He rolled his eyes at Alex knowingly. Alex always gave him a discount and he both loved and hated her for it. He handed her a twenty, knowing she wouldn’t take more than that. Alex knew if her dad was here he would scold her for lowering the prices left and right. But Alex simply did not care, she thought of it more as a membership deal for her loyal customers. Besides, it’s not like she did it often. 

Alex continued talking to Fernando and when he mentioned that his and Carmen’s anniversary was coming up she led him to the back room where she showed him a few bouquets she was working on. 

“Hey, Alex, your neighbor is here.” Allie wiggled her eyebrows as she came to inform Alex. She couldn’t help but blush as she realized Allie was talking about Rio. They had hung out a few more times since she first asked him. Nothing too special, just a quick bite to eat for dinner again the other night and then some drinks at the bar around the corner from their apartment. She found herself really enjoying his company, even though he’d never give her too much, he gave her just enough to feel like the communication was working both ways. Besides, he’d open up more when he felt comfortable. She was patient. 

Alex cleared her throat and spared a glance at Fernando who was eyeing both girls. 

“Um,” she didn’t want to be that girl but, “how do I look?” Allie laughed.

“You look beautiful as always.” 

“Hmm, maybe I’ll consider that raise after all.” Alex joked. 

“You never told me about a boyfriend.” Fernando said, Alex ignored Allie’s laugh. 

“Not a boyfriend, Fernando.” Alex couldn’t help but flush under his gaze. 

“Hmm, well you look as pretty.” She smiled at his words.

Although Allie and Fernando said she looked fine, she still couldn’t help but take off her apron and straighten out her dress. They made their way to the front of the shop and Alex smiled at him when he leaned up off the counter when he saw her. Fernando assessed him for a few seconds and before Alex could introduce the two of them, he was bidding goodbye.

“Vamos la próxima semana por un cafecito.” Fernando suggested to Alex and she quickly agreed and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He spared one last look at Rio and said bye to the girls before walking out. 

Alex turned to look at Rio who seemed amused at the interaction. 

“Hey, mama.” Rio’s voice always got to her. She found herself wanting to hear him talk more often.

“Hey, Rio. Come back for more flowers?” She asked.

“Nah, I was in the area. Thought I’d stop by, maybe take my friend to lunch?” Alex knew the girls were in the back room totally listening in on their conversation. She knew how it sounded, but she didn’t care. She was starving and she did want to spend more time with him. 

“I have things handled here, don’t worry about it.” Julia came from the back, waving Alex off. The other girls came out and said just about the same thing. Alex was going to kill them for being so nosey. 

Rio smirked at Alex knowing she couldn’t say no now, she had no excuse. Besides, he had a feeling Alex wanted to see him as much as he wanted to see her. 

“Okay, yeah.” Alex nodded her head and grabbed her purse and phone from under the counter. They gave Alex smirks as her and Rio walked out the door. 

“Where are we going?” Alex looked up at Rio. 

“You like greek food?” She nodded her head.

“There’s a place up here that has the best euros in town.” Rio explained as he nodded up the street. It was a really nice day to walk and she got to spend time with him so she was happy. 

“Your workers seemed…”

“Nosey?” Alex finished his sentence. Rio laughed.

“They are. Any man even gets within a five foot radius and they’re planning our wedding.” 

All the girls were like that. They were Alex’s closest friends and that directly meant they were very interested in her love life, or lack thereof. They had tried to set her up numerous times but Alex didn’t give in. She figured she’d find someone when she did. Maybe it was the hopeless romantic in her thinking that they would come to her but she stuck by that. 

“You get a lot of men getting close to you?” Alex wasn’t stupid, she knew the underlying question there. A question that surprisingly hadn’t come up in their recent meet ups. Then again, they never got too serious, they would just talk about random things, movies, shows, her flower shop. 

“No, my last relationship was about a year ago. I haven’t really dated since.” They had arrived at the little greek shop and placed their orders. Rio quickly paid, telling her that he invited her. Alex couldn’t argue with that logic after she used it on him the other night.

“What happened?” Rio couldn’t help but ask. He wanted to know if she was still getting over someone, if she was open to someone, if she might be open to him one day. 

“He thought it was stupid to waste my degree and open a business, let alone a flower shop. So I left.” Alex shrugged. She harbored no harsh feelings toward him anymore, that relationship was long gone. 

Rio didn’t know where to start first, that Alex had a degree or that her dumbass ex-boyfriend was lucky he wasn't around anymore. He only knew Alex for a week and already he was protective over her. Besides, what kind of asshole doesn’t support their girl? 

“He’s an idiot. You seem to be doing just fine.” Alex smiled at him. 

“I am, it was a long time ago, I’m over it.” She waved it off and he knew she was serious. 

“And the man?” Rio asked her. He hoped he didn’t seem too forward with the questions but they were both already comfortable with each other now, he hoped she wouldn’t mind. 

“Fernando. He’s been a regular since we first opened up. He’s basically like my grandpa.”

“He seems protective.” Rio didn’t miss the way Fernando was eyeing him. He understood why now, he cared for Alex. 

“He is and I love him for it.” 

Their order was ready before he could talk and they both grabbed their euros and drinks and headed outside to sit on one of the tables in the sun. 

“Let’s talk about this degree.”

“I went to school for English, which my ex and my father had something to say about.” She had talked briefly about her father the other night, just that she didn’t talk to him much and then she left it alone. Rio wondered if this had anything to do with why she wasn’t close to him.

“English?” 

“Yeah, I love literature. I love to read, so I went with it.” A girl who loved books and flowers, Rio was sure they had to seem like an odd pair. Her books and flowers to his guns and tattoos. They were a damn walking cliche. But they got along just fine and they did have things in common. 

“How about you? Did you go to school?” Alex asked as she took another bite of her euro. Rio wasn’t lying when he said they made the best.

“Nah, I graduated high school and was glad to be done with school.” 

“What do you do?” Rio clenched his jaw. He knew it would come up, hell, he was surprised it hadn’t come up yet. But damn, he didn’t want to lie to her but he had to. And that was the point he had been trying to reason with, he would always have to lie to her. She was too good for him and if she ever found out she would run the other way. But again, Rio couldn’t help himself. If he had to lie to her just to get a chance with her, he had to do it. Maybe, maybe, she’d see that he wasn’t what everyone made him out to be. Yeah, he did fucked up shit but he wasn’t all bad, at least that’s what he’d tell himself when he’d lie down at night. Maybe, just maybe if she got to know him then she’d understand. Maybe she would come to terms with what he does. Rio felt like he was kidding himself though, a girl like Alex would want nothing to do with the kind of life he led. Yet here he was, smiling at her and making her blush. He had no self control around her already. 

“Freelance,” Rio felt so fucking stupid saying it but he couldn’t think straight when she was looking at him like that. 

Alex pegged him for the type to have no boss but freelance was the last thing she would have thought of.

“Doing what?” 

“A variety of things, boring stuff.” Boring was definitely not a word to describe what he did but anything to make her uninterested would do the trick.

“Anyways, lemme hear more about this fancy degree you got.”

Taglist: @thickemadame

(i’m doing tags for this so let me know if you want to be tagged!)

So I decided to do a totally random Kalvin Phillips one shot ... those who don’t follow football he is an English footballer, he plays for Leeds united and recently played for England in the euros. He is absolutely gorgeous! And such a little sweet heart!, so yes this is my one shot of Kalvin 🥰

**I got you**

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Football had always been a huge part of your families life, from being small you remembered going to the match with your father and your older brother, the memories of the atmosphere and the ringing in your ears from the crowd chanting, it all added to the experience of attending a football game. It gave you goosebumps back then and now, as you was four days shy of your 28th birthday walking up the stairs and looking out over the pitch it still took your breath away.

You knew the stadium like the back of your hand, I mean you practically grew up there!, your father had been the teams physio for the last 30 years, up until 6 months ago when he had to take early retirement due to his bad back, he still visited most training days. This meant you knew the players first hand, they were a lovely bunch of guys, and their wife’s were even sweeter, they invited you in like you was one of them, deep down you knew you cared more about the game than they did but it was nice of them to involve you in their pre game drinks.

As you sat in your seat waiting for the game to start the players began making their way into the stadium, your seat was just behind the players benches so as they headed over the players began noticing your father, you and your brother, then you locked eyes with the new midfielder, number 23 Kalvin Phillips, he looked at you with a coy smile before whispering something into team mate, Luke Ayling’s ear, you looked away and began looking on your phone.

After a few moments of your father talking to the players he made his way down the stairs to “look” at a players reoccurring injury with the new physio, you smiled at your father, he had always been the go to guy for the players and this was his happy place.

Right then your thought was interrupted by Luke Ayling calling your name, “Y/N, hi, how are you?”, he asked as he leaned on the railing just in front of you, you smiled up at him being polite, he had a strange smile on his face, “I’m good thanks Luke, how are you?” You asked him, knowing he was going to ask a favour, he usually did, something like ‘do you have any gum’, he looked at your father the back at you, “yeah I’m good, I have a question though”, he admitted, you rolled your eyes at him before replying, “of course you do!” With a light chuckle, he smiled back at you before leaning in and saying “have you seen our new player Kalvin”, you looked to the right to see Kalvin peaking from behind the players box, “you mean the little cute one hiding over there, yeah iv seen him”, you told him, “that’s all I needed to know” Luke smiled and winked at you before walking off.

You never thought anything else of your chat with Luke you just enjoyed the game, it was a fantastic game, Leeds won 3-1 moving them up the table.

After the match finished you always went to the players bar, usually just to accompany your father and drive him home after, your brother always went out with his friend after a game so that left you as the designated driver, you didn’t mind as it meant your father could keep his match/drinks/home routine and that’s all that mattered to you, to see him happy again.

Your father was in full conversation with players/staff etc so you just took your self off to the bar for a soft drink, “il just take a Fanta please” you told the girl behind the bar, “is that all your drinking” you heard coming from behind you, you turned around expecting to have to yell at someone but it was then new player, Kalvin Phillips, “hey, oh uh ye, can’t drink I’m the designated driver”, he licked his lips and nodded his head before sitting next to you, “can I sit here?” He asked you politely, you smiled at him before telling him “oh ye of course, how you finding it at Leeds?”. What he did next sent butterflies to your stomach, he looked you up and down before saying “yeah seems great so far”, something tells you he didn’t mean to let you catch him starting because he looked away straight after.

“PHILLIPS!!” You heard being called from across the room, you both knew the voice and like in sync you and Kalvin rolled your eyes, before long Luke came bounding through the crowd, “ah! Here you are Kalv!, with Y/N none the less”, he was a little drunk, Kalvin just simply nodded at him but Luke wasn’t a discrete kind of guy, you learnt this a long time ago, “so Y/N, has Kalvin confessed his undying love to you yet?”, you just looked between the two of them not wanting to say anything and upset anyone, luckily Kalvin spoke up first, “man come on, go get some air”, Luke just brushed it off and began walking away, not without calling out “your in anyway she said your cute”, he winked at you, laughed and staggered off.

The two of you looked at each other and began laughing, “shall we go sit outside?” You asked him, “sounds perfect” he said and smiled at you. You began grabbing your bag, phone and drink but Kalvin grabbed your drink and helped you off the high stool, “I’ve got you”, he told you, somethin told you that he meant that. He held out his hand for your tiny hand to fall inside as he guided you through the crowd and out into the little garden area outside.

You and Kalvin talked for about an hour, about everything, music, movies, your career and families, it was perfect ..... until the heavens opened and the two of you got soaked, Kalvin grabbed your hand as you both ran towards the door. You soon realise that you couldn’t open it from the outside, luckily there was a small roof over the door, Kalvin pulled your hand an guided you to the corner where you both squeezed in to keep dry. He put himself in the corner and you stood in front with your back to his chest, it felt very intimate, very soon but also very natural.

After a few moments the rain began getting faster, Kalvin put his hand on your hip and pulled you closer to his chest to keep you dry, without thinking you let out a small moan as his hand touched you, the second you realised what you did you turned to face him, he had a huge smile on his face as you looked at him in shock, “I ... uh... I...” is all you could get out, Kalvin grabbed your hip again and pulled you closer but this time you were face to face, “don’t explain” he said, then at that point you don’t know what took over you but you pushed your lips against his, Kalvin pulled you even closer to him, as his hands were roaming all over you, caressing your face and rubbing your hips, his mouth tasted like mint gum.

The two of you kissed for what felt like forever but was only about 5 minutes, you only pulled apart when you heard what sounded like thunder, only it wasn’t. There were 28 Leeds players banging on the window above you, they started singing “THERES ONLY ONE KALVIN PHILLIPS!!” you hid your face in Kalvins chest and laughed.

I hope you Kalvin Philips fans enjoyed this! I loved writing this.