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aoioozora · 3 months

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Simon.

Part 3

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 - Part 9

Character: Simon Riley / Ghost Content: Biker! Ghost x Fem! Reader, strangers to lovers, fluff, civilian au

Note: Here's part 3! This one's a little shorter, but I think you'll like it ;) Likes, reblogs, and comments are encouraged and appreciated, so feel free! Enjoy :) Image credit: mr.ghostcos TW: scars

It had been a week of utter silence since giving your phone number to Simon, and you were starting to give up hope.

The lovely Sunday morning sunlight streamed through your open windows as you worked on the manuscript of your second book in the comfort of your little apartment. Your phone was on your desk right next to your laptop, and you found yourself glancing at it repeatedly, still having an inkling of hope that he would call. Lately, any unknown number that called you would be greeted with exuberance, only for it to deflate when it was not him. You even followed him back on Instagram, but he hadn't accepted your follow request yet, as his account was private.

Your fingers tapped away on the keyboard unenthusiastically, nearly turning yourself into a factory of sighs. Even your friend Lindsey, the same one who lived in those dangerous streets and knew of how you had been saved, was worried that you wouldn't finish your manuscript in time for the deadline. Your well meaning friend would try to encourage you to move on from him, but it would just make things worse. You still couldn't help but hold on to that hope, because if he and you met a second time just out of pure chance, then that would mean something, right? And so you stubbornly held on.

You made things worse for yourself too, and you snatched your phone to stalk his Instagram account and whatever you could see of it. He went by the username “ghostriley”, and his profile picture was his gorgeous black motorcycle. There was his full name “Simon Riley” and his bio was non-existent, except for the Union Jack.

You mindlessly gazed at this profile, and let your mind wander back to last week when you met him the second time. You couldn't help but replay that moment over and over and over again.

The way he approached behind the man, and put his gorgeously rugged hand on his shoulder and frightened the wits out of him just with his voice was worth fangirling for, even though he was no celebrity himself. You recognised him immediately, just by looking at his eyes; those same dark, black hole-like eyes. With only a couple glances at the first meeting, you already memorised its shape with how keenly observant you were.

It was a welcome surprise to see him without his helmet, and to learn that his hair was blond, styled in a low tapered fade that looked freshly cut. Now the only thing that shrouded him in mystery was the mask he wore that had the lower part of a skull printed on it. It made him look a little frightening, but maybe that was the point; it worked well to scare others if needed, along with how tall and broad-shouldered he was.

Your ringtone blared out loud. You flinched at the sudden noise, nearly making you drop your phone on the floor. But you managed to catch it in time, and upon looking at the screen, it was another unknown number. You rolled your eyes.

“Hello?” You answered flatly.

“Hello, am I speaking to ____? This is Simon.” came the familiar gruffness that you recently learnt was a Cockney accent.

You immediately sat up in your chair like you were a jack-in-the-box that had been opened. So unexpected was this call that your heart nearly stopped, and you found yourself opening and closing your mouth, struggling to find the words like you were a deer caught in the headlights.

“Yes, you got the right person,” You finally answered with a wide grin, feeling your cheeks burn, hoping you weren't sounding too excited. You had to admit to yourself that you secretly missed his voice, which left your ear feeling tingly from the proximity.

“I'm so sorry,” he apologised immediately, his words now tumbling out of his mouth, “I know you asked me to call you, but I had been on a road trip and a hike with my friends, and I didn't have a jot of static in the mountains anywhere to call you. We've been away a week, and I'm finally back.” He paused to sigh and collect his breath, “But I had your novel with me, thankfully, and I read a bit of it,”

You were relieved to hear that he hadn't done this intentionally. “Don't worry about it. How did you like my story?”

“I've only read a couple chapters, but I'm hooked. I'm no reader, but I'll be damned, you're turning me into one.”

You raised your eyebrows with a smile. “Oh? But didn't you tell me the other day that you were a voracious reader?”

There was a brief silence, and then a very quiet, “Fuck!” Apparently, Simon didn't keep track of his lies, and didn't expect you would remember.

You giggled triumphantly. “Caught in a lie?”

He could hear you smirking and he sighed, a little embarrassed. “Caught in a lie.”

Before you could say anything else, you could hear loud yet muffled music playing on his end. “Kinda noisy there,” You commented.

“You can hear it?” Simon remarked with surprise. “My friends crashed at my place after our trip. They're…” he paused, looking over his shoulder to look inside his living room from the balcony he was standing on, “They're busy dancing; no idea why. Got endless energy, these lads.”

You chuckled. “Don't you want to join them?”

“Not my cup of tea, ye ken?” he said.

“ ‘Ye ken’? What's that?”

Simon groaned when he realised what he said. “It means ‘you know’ in Scottish. My friend is Scottish, and all his words are rubbing off on me.”

You had heard snatches of the Scottish accent before, but hearing him say a Scottish phrase in his British accent sounded both funny and endearing. “You two must be close then,” You chuckled.

“We're practically brothers, he and I. We've known each other for a very long time.” Simon said, trying to sound nonchalant about his long friendship with Johnny, but the brotherly tenderness found an opening to slip out a little.

You could hear the regard Simon had for his friend in his voice, and it made you smile. It gave you the impression that he cared deeply for his friends, and it appeared to you sweet. “Is he the same friend you told me about that day in the cafe?” you asked.

“Yeah, his name's John. John MacTavish.”

Just as you were about to answer, you were interrupted by the very subject of your conversation on Simon's end. “Oi mate! Wit ye doing there outside? Cut the call and dance with us!”

Simon groaned and answered Johnny unenthusiastically, “Coming!” He then turned to the call to tell you, “That's John, by the way. And I think I have to go.”

“I can tell,” You chuckle, “Have fun dancing?”

“I don't plan on dancing. I'll be reading your novel… hopefully.”

Him saying that gave you a flutter in your chest. “Keep me posted on your thoughts.”

“Okay,” he nodded, his voice now lowering slightly, as if whispering, “You'll hear from me very soon.”

Something about what he said and the way he said it sent a tingle down your spine strong enough to force the wind out of your lungs.

Simon, concerned about your momentary silence, asked, “You there?”

“Yeah! Yeah, I'm here. Sorry, I got a little distracted.” You scrambled to say. Little was an understatement.

“It's alright,” You could hear him smiling, “I'll be hanging up now.”

“Sure, I'll talk to you soon.”

“Oh, before I go, I was wondering…” he paused, hesitatingly running his hand through his undercut.

“Yes?”

“Do you want to see the pictures we took on our trip?” he asked, and quickly added with, “Maybe they could help you with writing?”

“Oh yeah! That would be great. Thanks a lot.”

“Right then, I'll send them right after this call.”

“Perfect. So, I'll see you later?”

“See you later, love. Take care.”

You could practically hear the gentleness oozing from his voice and you shamelessly wished you could have a recording of those very words so you could hear them over and over. You answered, “You too, Simon. Bye.”

“Bye.”

You kept your phone down on your dinner table you sat at and sat for a moment in silence. Pushing your laptop aside, you held your face in your hands and squealed like an excited piglet, kicking your legs under your chair.

“He called! He called!” your thoughts screamed as your entire body went on celebratory mode. The echo of his gruff yet sweet voice reverberated in your mind, and you couldn't help but think of using his voice as the voice of the male lead in your second book.

You held your flushed, burning cheeks in your hands and exhaled heavily. “Oh, calm down, calm down,” You patted your chest where your heart was, as it was throbbing wildly with excitement.

And then, to make things worse, your notifications went off chiming. It was Simon sending you the photos from the trip, and you immediately took your phone to take a look. He had sent photos of distant mountains, streams, and a couple photos of the backs of his two friends hiking on a beaten trail.

A particular photo of a row of trees in the forest that shaded the grassy ground was captioned, “This reminded me of your book cover”. You smiled, feeling a little fuzzy that something reminded him of you; not a feeling you were used to. You replied to it:

You: It really does look like the cover!

As you scrolled down the chat screen to see photos of mountains, flowers, and bugs, which were all beautiful, but the last photo took the cake. It was a candid picture of him walking across an aged stone bridge bathed in the tree filtered light of the evening sun, making his face and clothes speckled with golden yellow. He was looking over his shoulder with a look of surprise in his eyes like he had been called out of the blue. The entire photo was beautiful enough to take your breath away. It was captioned, “Don't mind me. I thought you'd like the bridge. The place is beautiful… would make a good book cover.”

You wrote in reply:

You: you're so right

You paused for a moment, looking at the pictures again. “So this is what the world looks like in his eyes.”

Mountains, nature, bridges, his two friends, and the reminders of your book were in his field of vision that week. You knew for a fact that people take photos of what they cherish or something interesting, a snippet of time forever frozen into a memory. You felt your cheeks flush again.

“Maybe…” You found yourself thinking, but you shook your head, telling yourself not to be delusional.

In the meantime, Simon stood leaning his back on the balustrade of the balcony, staring at your messages of approval for the photos with a relieved smile.

Author Girl: Thanks for the pictures! They're so beautiful. You guys must've had a lot of fun

He typed back.

Simon Riley Biker: We did, it was great

Simon Riley Biker: I'll text you soon ok? Have to go

Author Girl: okay tc :)

Simon Riley Biker: you too. Cheers

Author Girl: cheers :)

Simon shoved his phone back in his pocket, exhaling. The music inside the apartment had died down as his thoughts wandered. He wanted to ask you if you would come on a hike one day, but he didn't want to come off sounding like a serial killer. He was already aware that his size and his voice were intimidating to most.

But you seemed to be mesmerized by it.

Simon walked back inside the apartment where his two friends, Johnny and Gaz, were found fallen over each other on his sofa like dominoes, tired from all the dancing. Johnny had fallen on one of the cushions, while Gaz had his head resting on Johnny's thigh, and his legs hoisted up on the arm rest. These two sure were comfortable.

“Done dancing?” asked Simon, standing over the two.

“Done talking to your missus?” asked Gaz, who was a handsome, lean, and dark skinned fellow whose real name was Kyle. He was also an Englishman.

Simon, who was normally unmasked in front of his friends, scrunched his nose in a sneer. “She's not my girlfriend.”

“That's not what Johnny told me,” smirked Gaz, glancing at Johnny who was already half-asleep, having spent his energy. Johnny grunted sleepily at the mention of his name, and went right back to sleep.

“Mate, she's not my girlfriend,” insisted Simon, “She's a friend that I happened to save twice by pretending to be her boyfriend.”

Gaz raised a brow. “A friend? Thought you never wanted any girl friends.”

That reminder got him thinking. He didn't, really. But maybe he wanted to change that.

“She's nice,” he admitted quietly, not wanting to come off sounding enthusiastic.

“Go on and steal her heart then, lad!” Gaz exclaimed, as if it was the easiest thing in the world to do.

Simon thoughtfully ran a hand over his left cheek, his fingers running over his stubble, but more so over the groove of an old scar that reached from the corner of his lip to his cheekbone, one of the many that told a story of a troubled youth.

“I doubt she'll want her heart stolen when she sees this,” replied Simon, pointing to the scar as he pushed Johnny's head aside and sat down on the sofa.

Gaz now sat up. “You're telling me you'll let a scar– a scar, of all things, hinder your chances at finding a girlfriend.” He looked at Simon with raised eyebrows and rested his fist under his chin, looking at his friend like a disappointed parent. “She even gave you her number. That's a massive green light!” he motioned to the novel the novel on the coffee table with his hand exasperatedly, “She's clearly got more balls than you.”

Simon looked back at Gaz, and a momentary staring match ensued. “What if she's just being friendly?” asked Simon, raising an eyebrow to challenge Gaz.

“Just shoot your shot, lad,” Gaz shook his head, now growing a little impatient, “Life's too short to worry about being rejected. Don't wanna have regrets now, do we? What if she gets taken by someone else? What you gon’ do then, huh?”

Simon was still unsure but Gaz did have a point. He sighed, relenting, “Fine. I'll try.”

Gaz smiled proudly. “That's my boy!”

Simon retreated to the bathroom to think. He stood in front of the mirror and stared at his rugged face. While he was only in his late twenties, he easily looked thirty-five thanks to his pale skin, the dark circles under his eyes, his strong cheekbones, and his untrimmed beard; he was a lifeless thing sometimes, and that's why he earned the endearing moniker of 'Ghost' from his friends. The scar on his face stood out like a sore thumb and he rubbed the base of his palm over it, a vain attempt at trying to remove the ugly thing.

He looked at his hand, another rugged thing, calloused more than anything from holding on to knives and people too tight. More scars peeked from under the sleeve of his jumper, numerous and woeful pale lines crossing over each other like scattered toothpicks, all of them staring at him under the intersections of his black tattoos.

His vision blurred as he thought of her smile, that beautiful grin which would crinkle her nose and the corners of her beautiful, shining eyes; she appeared to him the personification of purity and sweetness; that was his deduction of her from their short acquaintance, and he felt like he could not be mistaken.

He could see how she looked at him, stared at him even. He could hear how happy and excited she sounded when he finally called. Practically everything was telling him to respond to her advances without fear.

And yet standing before him was a seemingly insurmountable wall that he erected to keep himself out of the world's notice. His distant eyes focused on the scars on his hand and then at the one on his face. "Would she really want all of this?" His thoughts swirled like cesspools as he continued to stare at himself. He didn't know the first thing about her, and yet his insecurity condemned him, saying that he was no saint compared to her.

Of a truth, he wasn't a saint, but must it hold him back? Gaz and Johnny would beg to differ.

“Just shoot your shot, lad,” his friend's voice echoed in his thoughts.

He murmured, now standing up straight, "I hear you, Gaz."

End of Part 3.

Part 4

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animehouse-moe · 1 year

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High Card Episode 2: Make a Choice

So, admittedly, not as action packed and cool an episode as the first, but super interesting for two main reasons. Kingsman and Cards.

So let's look at that first one, Kingsman. I'm fairly certain the majority of people out there know of the Kingsman movies (which were originally comics). They know of the sort of rough around the edges underdog being picked up by a suave and sensible mentor to help with some top-secret spy stuff. They know of the Kingsman suit store, of the classic spy tropes. They know of that bar/pub scene in the first movie.

A lot of it is in this High Card episode. Of course, they can't give it all direct and literal references, but stuff like Wizardsman really makes the comparison clear as day.

Anyways, the cards. This episode confirms it. They all have "themes". We sort of knew with the diamonds, but it could have been a simple coincidence. Today though, we got another heart card so can properly confirm (you can cheat if you use the opening). So, what are the "themes"? Well, we know 3 of the 4 themes for sure. The heart suit is constitutional, or "enhancement", cards. Chris' 5 of Hearts is effectively immortality, and the bad guy's 3 of Hearts this episode was Rocking Rock which made his body super strong and durable. So how about diamonds, which we already know of? Well, now that we know how broad the themes can be, I would assume diamonds to be able to exert control over reality. Lucky Lunchman and his ability to effectively gamble and luck out on existence, and Bobby Ball's ability to turn people into marbles. Additionally, because of this theme, we can assume the talk about human combustion is another diamond suits player. Regardless, moving on, thanks to the opening, we know of the suit (and ability) of Wendy's card. She possesses a spade, and is able to create a katana (or potentially more specifically a Nodachi given the size), and has leather gauntlets instead of gloves. This means that the spade suit is used for weapons, though I would assume with a twist given what we know of Finn's two of spades. This leaves Clubs as the most unknown, the only person possessing one being Vijay (thanks to the opening). Vijay's clubs makes use of vines-slash-nature, but since we don't have any other one to compare to, it's hard to give an answer as to what the theme of clubs may be.

More in terms of the abstract of the episode, I really enjoyed the direction of it. They continue to provide a wide range of style that really sells the appeal of the series. It's got swagger, it's got a strong sense of self, and above all it sells the personality of each character. They keep shots wide with several characters, they have plenty of low angle shots to sell the scale and grandeur of them, and the list continues. The lighting and overall color palette of the series helps a great deal with it though, it provides a great deal of contrast and allows them to go all out with the feel of certain scenes.

As a side note I love this one, because the little tea filter or whatever it is (sorry, not well versed in tea stuff!), is symbolism for the filter through which the cards select the player, and that last little drop is the example of the bad players that would abuse the cards slipping through.

I think my point's been made, so moving on. The last little bit I'll speak about is the exposition. It's always great when there's a character that genuinely doesn't know of the comings and goings of what's behind the curtain, and they don't miss a beat in capitalizing on that to explain things and sell us on Finn. We learn a great deal about the X-Playing Cards, and about the nature of the world. They give some hints as to how the cards might choose their players but there's nothing set in stone. And lastly, I really enjoyed seeing Finn's mentor/adoptive father Lindsey again this episode. I believe it's really important to include those characters when possible within stories like this, particularly when it's a foundational aspect of a character like Finn. The whole piece about choices and decisions with this episode, due to Lindsey's involvement, was really solid.

So, not quite the first episode by any means, but it makes the most of the typical cadence and flow of a fresh series as it goes through the motions of explanations and recruitment. Looking forward to what they do with the next episode now that the playing field has opened!

#high card #anime recommendation #anime review #anime original #ハイカード #anime #anime and manga #finn oldman #chris redgrave

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radiowallet · 10 months

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WIP WEDNESDAY

Thank you for the tag @whatsnewalycat 🖤 I don’t have much in the way of fic but I do have some original stuff I’ve been plucking away at.

Betty stands silently for another two minutes, long enough for the record to flip over to Don’t Stop. Lindsey Buckingham is just getting to the first line of the chorus when the door just behind the bar swings open, the broad shape of a man backing through, thick arms bracing a large metal keg on his shoulder. He grunts with the effort, dropping the keg at his feet before turning around to face Betty for the first time, wiping his hands down the front of his (too) tight t-shirt. It’s at that very moment that Betty loses her train of thought.

“I…um…Earl, he,” she points weekly behind her, brown eyes glued to the bartender’s bright blue ones, her mouth suddenly very dry. Whoever this guy is, he at least doesn’t look like an axe-wielding murder. He seems so at ease, his smile is soft and his stance relaxed where he leans against the bar, watching Betty patiently while she stutters her way to an explanation.

She shakes her head and licks her lips before trying again. “Earl sent me over. Said to ask for Jackson.”

NP tags: @blueeyesatnight @magpie-to-the-morning @wyn-n-tonic @pebblesmustard @psychedelic-ink @whataperfectwasteoftime

#wip wednesday #original writing?

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cryingbreaskfastfriends · 7 months

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Queer story time

When I was a young adult or an old teen, I went to some pride thing on the green.

The rhyme was unintentional and I don't think it will continue.

And I wasn't really out then not even to myself. My friends older brother had told me (and also all the Bi girls in my grade?) That all women are bi. And dispite any evidence to the contrary I believed that until I 30. Because, to quote Lindsey Ellis, "heteronormativity is a hell of a drug."

So I was at this event and I saw a broad shouldered, ripped guy. In a gorgeous Disney princess like ball gown. With a beard long enough to touch his collar bone when talked and a thick carpet of chest hair.

And my first thought was "He doesn't pass. He's not trying to pass. He's doing something else. Something very deliberate. I have no idea what he's doing."

And this image has stayed with me. When I stated coming out of the closet last year. The closet is such a great metaphor. It was like I opened the door and suddenly there was light in the closet and I had all these gay memories stored like photos in cardboard boxes that I could finally see properly.

It was like this guy was singing a song, loudly, publicly about his experience. A song of celebration and joy, of freedom and euphoria. Of radical action against systemic shame and gender rigidity.

Because pride is a celebration but it's also to help young people feel safe by being publicly vulnerable and authentic.

I couldn't understand what he was doing at the time, like a song in a language I wasn't fluent in. But that song was a gift for me and I kept it all these years, safe in a dark closet, waiting until I was ready, waiting until I had learned that language.

And now I hear the singing all around me and every once in a while, like now, I try to sing a little bit of the melody. I try to be vulnerable, for my own pride and joy and also to model for others that song we sing together as a community to let others know. We're here. We're queer. Get used to it.

#my art #writing #queer #pride #gnc #bi #nonbinary

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kiragecko · 1 year

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Hey Lingblr/linguists of Tumblr, does anyone have recommendations of Youtubers/otherwise auditory media that discuss Canadian linguistics? (Especially in contrast to other dialects?)

I really enjoy Tom Scott and Dr. Geoff Lindsey, but Canada, with its relatively few people and weird in-between state (between British and American pronunciations) gets very little direct mention by either. Which makes sense, when doing broad overviews of the world's Englishes, or focusing on what the majority of people speak.

But I want to hear about me! (And also get some experience listening for the differences I've only seen in charts and text.)

I know about Lingthusiasm, but I think I need to listen to an episode that actually focuses on Canadian stuff to get hooked. (Any recs for that would also be appreciated!)

#linguistics #lingblr #canadian linguistics #canadian dialects #canadian english

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winderlylandchime · 8 months

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I am trying my best to just write honorable mentions bc if i wrote everything he said that made me question our sibling dna this would be an essay. But i do want everyone to know: he watches the show as if he’s watching a sports game, elbows on his knees, legs shaking at times, palms all over his face and a lot of ‘ugh!!!’ And every so often he hits me/grabs my shirt and yanks it bc i sit next to him while making some type of a noise. Anyway: ‘oh god, is this what i look like to you while i watch this show? Is this a call out? Am i being called out? Oh my god am I emmett? Nah I’m more fun’ ‘HE IS GETTING A HERO AWARD? Why? Oh Justin. HELL YEAH HERO! Yeah bitch, listen to Emmett, you saved Justin’s life!’ ‘awwww He is rushing home to Justin bc he gets scared! HERO!…a hero in love..can he already admit that he’s in love ffs this is taking forever, I mean what has to happen for him to say ily to Justin?!’ ‘Ew. I mean i know the gay friends sometimes kiss each other and i get it but i don’t like Michael..*long silence while he watches* maybe i should kiss my homies too sometimes, let them know i care’ ‘WHAT DOES HE MEAN LESS DESERVING?! Ohhh lover!! I like the sound of that. Cmon just tell him you love him! It would make my life SO much easier’ ‘oh he is so totally not going to that comic con hahahhaha’ ‘oh damn he really did forget about comic con, i was just messing. Damn..OH HE REALLY SAID FUCK THE POLICE’ … ‘they want to take away his award?! Oh hell no! I will not allow this *looks at me scared* if i hate these two does that make me homophobic?’ ‘I need Mike to stop being annoying bc him and Justin could be a cool duo! OKAY DEBBIE STOP BLAMING BRI BRI FOR EVERYTHING! Why do they keep doing this? I am tired, and i am all alone here defending him and it’s getting hard bc theyre on the other side of the screen’ ‘DEBBIE KNOWS BRI BRI LOVES JUSTIN!!! HELL FUCKING YEAH DEBBIE! Now help me get him to admit it to us all! And by us, I mean me’ It’s at this point that he looked at me and just flapped his arms all over the place and then went back to watching. ‘Oh my god! He is walking with him and holding hands! In broad daylight! Better chance seeing you date a dude than Brian holding hands on a walk. EXCEPT *points to paused tv* HE IS DOING IT RIGHT THERE! HE SAID NO HANDS! look at Bri Bri hugging him and GOD DAMN IT!’ He is currently groaning while flapping his hands in the air ‘he clearly loves him! Why is he making things so complicated for me!!’ ‘OH MY GOD JUSTIN! His teenage lover! FUCK YEAH! Oh my god, sweet sweet boy please never change! I need him to stay like this. WHAT has he stolen from Justin?! SIR I WILL FIGHT YOU MYSELF’ ‘THAT GUY FUCKS RAW?! AND HE JUDGES BRIAN?! I guess everyone IS a critic’ ‘yeah give him the fucking award! See, mel and lindsey can be cool, they don’t suck so much when they’re not as uptight..would it kill them to be like that more often?.’ ‘I KNOW THIS SONG- OH MY GOD JUSTIN IS HIS BOY! AND HE IS WALKI- COME ON SONNY BOY!!! HE! I! HIM! I CANT WITH THIS! LOOK AT HIM REACHING HIS ARMS OUT! LOOK AT THAT SMILE! HE KNEW HE COULD DO IT! And the kissing! BRIAN JUST ADMIT IT ALREADY! *pauses on the kiss* So there’s the Brian that Michael knows or thinks he knows and there’s the Bri Bri that Justin and I know. AND HE IS LOVELY! And I am better than Michael’ ‘yes Justin tell him! He is a hero!…it has to be killing them to speak nicely of Bri Bri. Oh HE DIDNT SHOW UP OH THATS FUNNY! Ffs can Mel be on Brians side once? I need a reason to like her’ ‘i guess Michael got his dynamic duo dream back.. he needs a better dream and life, this is sad and that’s coming from a 36 yr old dude who is drugged out of his mind in his sisters house..wait that sounds bad..fuck oh god am i michael?’ After this he went outside for a smoke and just stared into the sky and when he came in he went ‘it was cute and calm. I think that means im finally watching it normally and not going crazy’

ANON! I do not want your brother to have to find out what it will take for Brian to tell Justin he loves him (and yet, I definitely do).

"Oh he really said fuck the police" is gold because that is my EXACT response to that scene.

His response to "my boy walks down the street" is correct and accurate and all of us. Also his analysis of Brian and Michael and the Brian Michael knows and the Brian Justin and fandom knows is so spot on.

Look, anon, when this is over your brother is going to need to be set up with a tumblr and an AO3 account. Those are just facts at this point.

#ask winderlylandchime #dear sweet anon #queer as folk #a straight man watches qaf us 2000 in the year of our lord 2023

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ausetkmt · 9 months

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One snuck glances at news sites throughout the day. Another stayed up late to watch Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ press conference. A third went to bed early and woke up to dozens of text messages.

That’s how three of the Fulton residents who served on the special grand jury that helped Willis examine evidence of interference in Georgia’s 2020 election found out that former President Donald Trump and 18 others had been indicted on racketeering and other criminal charges.

In exclusive interviews with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the three jurors, who requested anonymity out of concern for their safety and privacy, described the surreal experience of watching Willis and her team announce the charges late Monday. The 98-page indictment heavily references evidence and testimony the special grand jury had heard firsthand behind closed doors last year, they said.

“I’ve tried to just move on a little bit, but last night definitely put into perspective how different this indictment is compared to every other one that’s come across,” one juror said Tuesday. “I think it made me realize I was a part of something really unique.”

The special grand jury met for almost eight months beginning in May 2022. It approved subpoenas and legal summonses and also heard testimony from nearly 75 witnesses, including former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Gov. Brian Kemp and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham. Unlike the separate, regular grand jury that voted on a “true bill” of indictment against Trump and others on Monday, the special grand jury essentially functioned as an investigative body for Willis solely focused on the 2020 elections investigation.ExploreEXCLUSIVE: Behind the scenes of Trump grand jury

At the end of its service late last year, the special grand jury authored a final report, which made a series of indictment recommendations to the DA. The bulk of its suggestions were sealed by a Fulton Superior Court judge early this year after Willis asked for time to make indictment decisions.

In the months since, the special grand jurors collectively decided not to speak publicly about their recommendations, even though they were technically allowed to do so under Georgia law. In a previous interview with the AJC, five jurors said they didn’t want to jeopardize the work of Willis and her colleagues, whom they said they immensely respect.

But in interviews on Tuesday, three jurors suggested the charges announced by Willis largely fall in line with what they had recommended.

“This is pretty on point,” one juror said.

Each said they were satisfied with the resulting indictment and Willis’ approach using Georgia’s sweeping racketeering law.

“When I woke up this morning and started looking at the news it was relief that I was feeling,” said another special grand juror on Tuesday. “It was like, ok, what we did and the time we spent meant something because (the DA) agreed with us. And now another group of people looked at all the facts and the information and they all came to the same resolution that we did.”

Said another, “I’m really proud of the work that we did and I can see the opinions and feelings of the jury in this indictment.”

It is the AJC’s policy not to publish the identities of jurors without their permission.

The jurors said they were mostly familiar with the information included in the indictment. But one said he was surprised at the extent to which the DA incorporated events that took place outside of Georgia to argue there was a broad criminal conspiracy. Another expressed surprise that only 19 people were charged in the indictment given the volume of evidence the jury heard about others.

“A lot of people aren’t named,” said the juror. She added that over the course of the special grand jury’s service, “we talked to a lot of people, so I’m actually impressed at how they got down to a list of this many people.”

The indictment makes reference to 30 unnamed, unindicted co-conspirators.

In the seven months since their service officially ended, the jurors have taken various levels of interest in the case. Some have disconnected, telling other jurors that they wanted to move on and didn’t want to be contacted. Others say they’re emotionally invested. Some stay in touch via a group text to share headlines and reaction.

The three jurors said they hope their final report will be released to the public soon. Not only so that the public can see what they recommended, but so they can refresh their own memories.

“Come on,” one juror said. “The indictments are out. Let’s show the work that we did.”

A coalition of media organizations led by the AJC has been pushing to unseal the full contents of the report, which it has argued is in the public interest. On Wednesday, the coalition renewed its push in a new filing in Fulton Superior Court.

“For the same reasons the Indictment is a public record, the Final Report should be published to permit the public to understand the scope and scale of the investigation that informed the Indictment’s charges,” the coalition argued.

Looking ahead, the jurors said they would like to see the legal system play out in this case.

“I just want to see justice done,” one said.

“I want it to not be ok to go on TV,” another said, “and spew lies to the media about fake elections... (so) people can have some sense of trust in the elections system again.”

#EXCLUSIVE: Special grand jurors pleased with Fulton RICO indictment #GEORGIA #Fulton County Grand Jury #vote tampering #trump RICO indictment #DA Fani Willis #Fulton County

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beardedmrbean · 1 year

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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Lindsey Lundholm looked out over hundreds of people at the Utah State Capitol last year and felt a deep sense of healing. Abuse survivors, religious leaders and major party politicians were all gathered to rally for an end to a legal loophole that exempts religious clergy from being required to report child sexual abuse once it comes to their attention.

Lundholm, one of the rally's organizers, recalled telling the crowd how, growing up as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Idaho, she told her bishop about her painful abuse only to see it go unreported.

Unearthing the trauma wasn't easy, but back in August she hoped reforms could be forthcoming so others would not face what she did.

“There was really a lot of momentum," said Lundholm, now a teacher in northern Utah. “Everyone we were talking to was like, ‘This is a no brainer. This is something that needs to be changed.’”

It hasn't.

Pressed by Lundholm and other survivors, Republicans and Democrats announced plans last year to reform laws that exempt religious clergy from reporting child sexual abuse cases revealed in conversations with parishioners. Despite initial momentum, religious groups in several states have blocked those efforts, doubling down on lobbying tactics they've used for years to defend exemptions.

That's the case in Utah, a deeply religious state where the majority of lawmakers are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known widely as the Mormon church. State law requires most professionals — therapists, doctors and teachers among them — report abuse, yet clergy are exempt from alerting authorities about abuse they learn of through confessions.

Behind-the-scenes conversations between legislative leaders in Utah and what Senate President Stuart Adams said was “a broad base of religious groups” helped thwart four separate proposals to add clergy to the list of professionals required to report child sexual abuse. None received hearings as lawmakers prepare to adjourn for the year.

“I think they have First Amendment rights and religious protections,” Adams, a Latter-day Saint himself, said, noting fears among religious leaders that clergy could be punished for breaking vows of confidentiality.

Each proposal was introduced or announced after an Associated Press investigation found that the Utah-based faith's sexual abuse reporting hotline can be misused by its leaders to divert abuse accusations away from law enforcement and instead to church attorneys who may bury the problem, leaving victims in harm’s way.

In lawsuits detailed in the investigation, church attorneys have argued clergy-penitent privilege allows them to refuse to answer questions and turn over documents about alleged sexual abuse.

Church officials declined to comment about the stalled legislative efforts. The Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City did not respond to requests for comment but campaigned against them, saying in January that priests and clergy were different from others mandated to report sexual abuse, including doctors, teachers and social workers.

“Legislation that would require a priest to (report sexual abuse) violates our right to practice our religion,” Bishop Oscar Solis, of the Salt Lake City Diocese, wrote in a Jan. 25 letter to parishioners.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox last month said he “had no problem with the bills moving forward” and receiving consideration in the statehouse.

“I think it’s an important conversation to have. We’ve encouraged the Legislature to look at this and make sure that our model is the right model,” he told reporters.

Marci Hamilton, chief executive of the abuse prevention nonprofit Child USA, said churches have maintained the same playbook for decades in opposing more disclosure.

Routinely it involves a two-pronged approach, defending clergy-penitent privilege in statehouses and using it to avoid damaging disclosures in court cases, said Hamilton, also a University of Pennsylvania law professor.

"They have not veered from it. Both institutions are hoping that time will simply let everybody start trusting them again," Hamilton said, referring to Catholics and Latter-day Saints.

But, she added, "by preventing the public — and especially the sincere believers — from getting the full story you don’t create the accountability that these organizations should be held to and the secrets continue.”

“The problem in the United States — and this is particularly acute in state like Utah — is that the lobbying power of these religious organizations is so extraordinary,” Hamilton said.

Laws in 33 states exempt clergy — regardless of religion — from laws requiring professionals such as teachers, physicians and psychotherapists to report child sexual abuse allegations to authorities. Religious leaders have systematically fought efforts to expand the list of states. They currently oppose efforts from Vermont to Washington, where a proposal advanced through the state Senate Tuesday.

Kansas lawmakers introduced multiple proposals on penalties for not reporting suspected child sexual abuse, including one in the state Senate that would have added clergy to a list of mandatory reporters. It faced especially fierce public rebukes from Catholic leaders because it didn’t exempt confessions. No proposal received even a hearing before an initial deadline this year.

In the wake of the AP's investigation last year, Republican state Rep. Phil Lyman and Democratic Rep. Angela Romero announced plans to reform Utah's clergy-penitent privilege loophole. Lyman, who served six years as a Latter-day Saints' bishop, said at the time lawmakers should want to reexamine the loophole “regardless of religious or political affiliation.”

“People should be able to go and confess their sins to their bishop without fear of being prosecuted up until when they are confessing something that has affected someone’s else life significantly,” he told the AP in August.

Lyman ultimately released a proposal that broadly affirmed clergy's exemption from mandatory reporting. It didn't advanced or received any hearing as lawmakers prepare to adjourn Friday. He did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Proposals from Democratic Reps. Romero and Brian King, and Sen. Stephanie Pitcher to close or narrow the loophole have also not moved forward amid opposition from religious groups.

Both Pitcher and Romero, who is Catholic, said they planned to reintroduce their proposals next year.

“With AP uncovering what they uncovered, you'd think this would be a matter of urgency for this Legislature and for Legislatures across the country. But again we are allowing these institutions to dictate what we mandate,” Romero said, referring to the Catholic Church.

Several Utah lawmakers told AP that opponents of limiting clergy-penitent privilege regarding child sexual abuse had circulated research that they claimed suggests mandatory reporting reform doesn't result in more confirmed reports of sexual abuse and may deter perpetrators from speaking to clergy.

“What most of the research shows is that if people aren’t able to come to them for fear of being reported on, they’re not able to provide the help and support they need,” Sen. Ann Milner said.

However, conclusions drawn from the study, which the Catholic Diocese also circulated in opposition to a similar bill from Romero in three years ago, have been challenged by its authors.

University of Michigan law professor Frank Vandervort and his co-author, Vincent Palusci, a pediatrics professor at New York University, told the AP last year the study was limited, partly because churches often wouldn’t give them access to relevant data.

“A single article should not be the basis for making policy decisions,” Vandervort said. “It may be entirely the case that there’s no connection between the changing of the laws and the number of reports.”

Lundholm said Utah lawmakers adjourning without having a “true public discussion” on any clergy-penitent privilege reform proposal provoked eerily familiar feelings for survivors. Though she never expected political change to happen overnight, she said survivors like her who had abuse go unreported — once again — feel unheard.

“Maybe the worst part is that this is something that survivors experience often, and unfortunately, it’s rare when their stories are heard,” she said.

#nunyas news

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thesimpsonsultimateshowdown · 1 year

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This Nearly Crashed My Browser: Finding All 120+ Competitors

the current list

The Simpsons is known for it's utterly mind-boggling amount of episodes and characters, with its wiki having more than 5K entries in the character section. My job was to sift to through and pick out as many relevant characters as possible, while making some exclusions and exceptions. Here's how it went down:

The wiki's home page has a character tab with a dropdown with five category; Simpson Family, Krusty, At the SNPP, At Springfield Elementary, and Kids

Clicking on each tab will bring you to a page with all characters relevant to the category

-The Krusty tab is literally just Krusty, so I just found Channel 4 myself

In Simpson Family, I grabbed the core family, Snowball & SLH, Abe & Mona, Patty, Selma, and Ling

In Channel 4, I grabbed Krusty, Kent, Bumblebee Man, Sideshow Bob & Mel, Mr. Teeny, Itchy & Scratchy, and later I decided to expand it to celebrities, adding, Marvin Monroe, Troy McClure, Rainer Wolfcastle, Drederick Tatum, and just decided to stick Kang & Kodos here

In SNPP, I grabbed Mr. Burns, Smithers, Lenny & Carl, Blinky the Fish, Charlie, and the people's champion, "Just Stamp the Ticket" Man

In Springfield Elementary, I grabbed Skinner, Edna, Otto, Hoover, Largo, Willie, Chalmers, Krupt, and Doris

And in Kids, I grabbed Uter, Richard & Lewis, Database, Baby Gerald, Milhouse, Nelson, Wendell, Martin, Ralph, Rod & Todd, Sherri & Terri, Janey, and the Spuckler & Nahasapeemapetilon kids

I didn't find the bullies, Jimbo, Dolph, and Kearney in Kids, so I made a throwaway category, "Townies". After these three and over the course of tracking other characters, I grabbed Barney, Sam & Larry, Hans Moleman, Snake, Bleeding Gums, Julio & Grady, Jebediah Springfield, Disco Stu, Squeaky Voiced Teen, Cletus & Brandine, and the City of Shelbyville.

Next, I decided to look for Senior characters, which eventually evolved into the aptly named "Olds" category. This was pretty broad, but here I grabbed Ned & Maude Flanders, Kirk & Luann Van Houten, Marge's Mother, Jasper, Mrs. Muntz, Old Jewish Man (which is his title, apparently), Ruth Powers, Mrs. Glick, Crazy Cat Lady, Sarah Wiggum, Agnes, Manjula, and Matt Groening.

Researching this category, characters such as Apu and Fat Tony came to mind, but were excluded since they do stuff. So then I made the final category, "Career", characters who are most defined by their career. This was the largest category, with me grabbing Apu, Reverend & Helen Lovejoy, Lionel Hutz, Moe, Dr Hibbert & Nick, Fat Tony, Legs & Louie, Johnny Tightlips, Frankie the Squealer, Judge Constance, The Salty Sea Captain & The Rich Texan, Mayor Quimby, Cookie Kwan, Blue-Haired Lawyer, Lindsey Naegle, Roger Meyers Jr, Gil, Comic Book Guy, Chief Wiggum, Officers Eddie & Lou, Herman, Italian Chef (not calling him f-ing Luigi Risotto), and Duffman.

Finally, the characters I forgot or couldn't originally fit, being Herbert, Allison, Rabbi Krustofsky, Artie Ziff, Shauna Chalmers, Kumiko Albertson, and Raphael the Wisecrack.

Exclusions and the Vaguest of Vague Rules

While constructing the list, at the start I avoided adding Allison, Herbert, and the Rabbi. In my mind, these were one-time guest stars, like Hank Scorpio and Frank Grimes, but I decided to include them as Allison became a Janey-like figure, Herbert got a follow-up episode in Season 3, and the Rabbi appeared on occasion with speaking roles. Characters I will never add would either be real-people, with the exception of Matt Groening, one-off guest stars, and set-dressing characters that don't impact main characters, such as Martin's parents, the other workers at the nuclear plant, and Sideshow Bob's wife and child.

Of course, I can bend the rules. If you think of a character that could be included, tell me in anyway you can and I'll decide on it or create a public poll. Why, just typing this up I thought of Flanders' parents, the Vegas wives, and Princess Kashmir, who could all be argued for or against!

Thanks for reading, and look forward to deciding polls and soon enough, a bracket! Asks always open!

#the simpsons #polls #disgruntled goat

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aoioozora · 9 days

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Simon.

Part 9

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8

Character: Simon Riley / Ghost Content: Biker! Ghost x Fem! Reader, strangers to lovers, fluff, civilian au

Tags: @cmbghost @gluttonybiscuits @paintlavillered @eatingtheworldsoffanfiction @keiraslayz

@iimichie @mxtokko @chocolate-noodles @akurab @xoxobooksstuff

The waterfall, as expected, was a small one, but no less delightful to see. The falling water cascaded in a white, bubbly froth over the mossy rocks that naturally arranged themselves in steps, and spilled into the large plunge pool below. The rush of water, the chirp of birds, and the rustle of trees in the breeze relaxed everyone…

Except Johnny.

Restless as he was, he immediately threw off his t-shirt and cannonballed into the water to have a dip, making a splash that almost rivalled a meteor falling into the sea. The ladies, who were washing the sweat off their faces by the banks, were victims of this mini tsunami.

“John! Stop splashing around so much!” screeched Lindsey, her face flushed with annoyance as she watched him doggy paddle in the deeper part of the plunge pool.

But that only provoked him to splash around some more and laugh at the annoyed look on her face. “C’mon, dinna fash yersel. It's a braw day, have some fun!” he chortled as he dove and resurfaced, mimicking a shark.

Simon watched Johnny's antics in the water and wanted to get in for a swim too, but hesitated. If it weren’t for the ladies, his shirt would be off and he’d be in the water in an instant.

“Are you gonna swim, Ghosty?” asked Gaz, who had also taken off his t-shirt and was doing a couple stretches before he could take a dip.

“No, I’m fine.” Simon shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“You sure, mate?” Gaz’s eyes flickered briefly towards the ladies as he leaned close to whisper, “You know you can show off those guns to her, right?”

He glanced at ____, who was now sitting on some rocks next to Lindsey, having their feet dipped in the water. He could take Gaz’s advice and he knew his body was impressive, but other things about his torso made him conscious.

“Come on, don’t be such a pussy,” Gaz nudged Simon’s arm, smirking, “She’ll like it. And besides, you don't want her to be taken by someone else, do you? Might as well show her that body and secure her, yeah?”

That flipped the switch for him.

“Right then, fuck it.” He instantly took off his shirt and threw it aside.

The two then climbed up the rocks by the banks and dove into the water to join Johnny. While Lindsey was busy now secretly giggling watching the Scotsman, ____ got her once in a lifetime opportunity to see Simon with far less clothes than usual.

Except for the pair of his knee-length shorts, he was naked. His skin was pale except the slight tan on his arms and upon his pecs were etched a few more tattoos similar to the sleeve tattoo on his arm. His body was built and muscular like that of an active soldier or a firefighter, with broad shoulders, well built pectoral and abdominal muscles, and built arms. All his muscles were built to be usable and not for display, and he actually looked strong.

She stared, borderline ogled even, scanning every last bit of his exposed torso, wondering about how strong he was and how much he could carry without breaking a sweat. Of course, all of this was precious information that Frederick would inherit.

“Babe, look at them!” Lindsey nudged ____ out of her reverie to direct her sight to the fun that the men were having.

Simon and Johnny managed to find two large sticks and, pretending to be mediaeval swordsmen… or gladiators engaged in a duel, both screaming “En garde!” and “you fool!” at each other as they clashed sticks. Gaz was busy filming it all and egging them on to fight.

“Boys will be boys,” remarked Lindsey with a chuckle as she too took a video of them. “Men find stick, men play with stick, men happy,” she added, looking at her friend to hear her thoughts.

But ____ didn't hear a word Lindsey said. She was far too busy storing her mental database with the sights of the men frolicking, stick-fighting, and throwing water at each other.

The sight that took the cake was Simon's smile. It wasn't his usual polite little smiles or his teasing smirks, but a full-blown grin of pure enjoyment and happiness. She watched the way his cheeks, flushed with exertion, raised up to his eyes; how his nose crinkled. His laughter was a loud roar, surprisingly, louder than those of his two friends. Pulling her legs up to her chest, she rested her chin on her knee and watched Simon with a dreamy eye, completely taken in by how handsome his genuine laughter made him, yet another thing for Frederick to inherit.

“I caught a fesh!” came Johnny's scream after some minutes of brawling in the pool. The two ladies looked and indeed, the Scotsman was found standing in the middle of the water holding up a huge, writhing fish in his hands like it was a trophy. “Oi Gaz, take ma picture! I need tae put this on ma Instagram.”

“Bruv, did you catch that with your bare hands?” exclaimed Gaz as he came up with his camera, taking a couple photos while the Scotsman waded towards the banks, posing with his prized catch. Johnny announced that he did, and then explained his unorthodox process.

“Your bum’s out the window,” Simon, who now joined them, decided to let Johnny know that he wasn’t making any sense.

“Say it in a Sco’ish accent, mate,” Johnny piped, smirking, “It’s ‘yer bum’s oot the windae’,”

“Right then, it looks like we're having fish and chips for lunch today.”

“Fuckin’ pussy,” Johnny teased, rolling his eyes.

The men decided to emerge from the water and call the ladies to prepare to return to the cabin. As they trudged back, Johnny excitedly showed off his catch to Lindsey, who he found out wasn't very keen on fish. The Scotsman, taking full advantage of it, would try to sneakily touch her arm with the cold, wet fish, making her squirm and shiver. Johnny and Gaz lightheartedly teased her for being averse to a dead fish, but she didn’t find it funny at all.

After they reached the cabin, Simon immediately hit the shower, and Johnny and Gaz helped the ladies unload the car. Johnny had the ladies take all of their personal belongings inside the cabin and encouraged them to explore when they were done. And so they did.

The interiors were filled with the pleasant scent of aged wood mixed with the musty smell of dust, which made Lindsey open the uncurtained windows to let in some fresh air. The small living room had two plastic covered couches in the center, facing each other. Across was a clean furnace and mantel made with stone, empty, clean, and undecorated. On their left was a moderately sized kitchen equipped with basic tools and vessels, and on their right were two empty bedrooms which the ladies wandered into. One king sized bed sat in each room, and one bathroom united both the rooms in the middle. The bathroom was occupied by Simon, who was busy washing himself inside after the swim.

When he had finished and was dressed in fresh clothes, he threw his bath towel over his wet head and was about to step out when he overheard the ladies talking.

“Oh, where is my camera when I need it?” he heard ____ exclaim.

There was a pause, and then a surprised quip from Lindsey, “What’s this, why’d you bring your Little Simon?”

Bigger Simon had to do a double take.

Deathly curious to know what this ‘Little Simon’ was, he cracked open the door slightly and peeked out. He saw a stuffed toy in Lindsey’s hand, a skeleton plush, the very one he won for ____ at the arcade.

His eyes widened slightly. His heart picked up speed. “She calls it Little Simon?”

He wasn’t sure what to even feel, but he definitely felt a flurry of butterflies in his stomach. “But why?” And then he remembered that it was probably because of his skull printed mask, the motorcycle gloves, and his tattoos.

“I kinda can’t seem to go anywhere without him,” he heard ____ say softly in response to Lindsey, sounding a little shy as she took the soft toy from her friend’s hand and stuffed it back in her backpack and continued looking for her camera.

“You have the real man himself, and you’ll be around him until tomorrow morning,” Lindsey answered with a teasing smirk.

“I know, I know,” ____ chuckled, “But still, I have a bit of an attachment to this little guy.”

“Because he gave it to you,” Lindsey playfully shoved her friend’s shoulder. “You know, I might be a little reconciled to you two being a thing, especially after he helped you hike today.”

____ smiled at that. “I’m glad to have your approval, mum.”

“Oh, shut up,” Lindsey rolled her eyes, also smiling.

Simon, in the meantime, had to keep himself from punching the wall to keep his joy at bay. Although he shouldn’t have eavesdropped, he still gained valuable insight on ____’s feelings for him. His cheeks flushed red, his chest felt like it was going to explode, and an uncontrollable smile tugged his lips until the muscles in his face felt sore.

“Let's fucking go!” Simon clenched his fists, smirking triumphantly, “Alejandro, you absolute fucking loser.”

The ladies soon found the camera, took their photos and then stepped outside the room. Only then did Simon finally step out, exhaling heavily and pressing his damp bath towel on his warm face to cool it down.

He gingerly stepped out of the room, pausing to hear if the ladies were still around. It was silent. Exhaling again, he promptly stepped outside to find out what everyone was up to. Johnny and Gaz were setting up the tent, and the ladies were helping them secure the pegs in the ground.

“Ghosty!” Johnny called as soon as Simon was out the front door, “Can ye chop up some wood? We need tae get the fire pit burning.”

“Aye,” Simon nodded, giving his damp hair one last ruffle to dry it before hanging it up on the drying rack on the porch and turning around the corner to go to the woodshed at the back.

Gaz decided it was his turn to take a shower and left the tent with Johnny and the ladies. Johnny, feeling a little cheeky, told ____, “Why don’ ye help Simon out with the wood? Lindsey and I can pitch the tent by ourselves.”

She immediately picked up the hint. “Alright, then,” she said with a half-smile, leaving the two by themselves.

As soon as she was gone, Johnny asked, smirking as he pretended to adjust the tent cloth on the rods, “What’s the craic, hen?”

“Nothing much,” she answered, shrugging.

“I’m offended ye didn’t like ma catch,” he said playfully, enjoying her reactions to him just existing.

“I don’t even like fesh!” she exclaimed, her own Scottish accent unexpectedly slipping in between her normally spoken RP accent.

Johnny was pleasantly surprised by the slip. “Yer Sco’ish?” he asked, sounding amused.

Her fair face flushed red with embarrassment, which confused Johnny somewhat. “Yeah, what’s it to you?” she asked, glaring at him.

“Nothin’,” he answered, unable to suppress a curious smirk at her reaction, “Ye hid it well. Pretendin’ tae be Sassenach, are ye?”

“No, I was raised in England.”

“An’ ye dinnae have no Sco’ish accent at all? From your parents?”

“I got rid of it.”

His patriotic self raised a brow at this. “How so?” He asked, “Are ye embarrassed of it?”

She sighed heavily, crossing her arms. “Yes.” He begged her to tell him why this was so and she answered with, “I got made fun of very early on,” she absentmindedly twirled a lock of her wavy hair around her finger, “and so I shed it and spoke in RP.”

“Who made fun of ye?” Johnny demanded with a raised brow, sounding offended for her.

“Oh, just some lads back in school.” She shook her head and waved her hand dismissively.

Johnny growled under his breath, annoyed. “They’re aff their heid!” he exclaimed, “Fuckin’ eejits dinnae ken how bonny our accent is.”

Lindsey had to admit that she felt a little warmed by how offended he was on her behalf.

“Many of them played with my feelings too, especially if they noticed I had a crush on one of them. They made fun of my red hair and me being Scottish, and mimicked my accent. I have no idea why they didn't like any of it,” she added, suddenly feeling the odd, tingly feeling of anxiety a closed-off person gets when they open up unexpectedly.

Johnny was positively furious. “Tha’ so?” he said, crossing his arms, “Then ye don’ need tae be runnin’ after those bloody twats, ye ken? Whit ye need is a real Sco’ish man. He wouldnae take the mick outta ye.”

Lindsey blinked in surprise at this speech, feeling another bout of warmth in her chest. She chuckled and asked, crossing her arms, “And where am I to find a man like this?”

A smirk tugged the corner of Johnny’s lip. “Right in front of ye, pet,” he said, putting a hand on his puffed chest, “I’m yer man and I ken how tae love ye.”

“Bold words,” answered Lindsey, impressed by his confidence.

He shook his head. “If only a Sco'ish man can appreciate a bonny Sco'ish lass like ye,” he flirted, sizing her up and down to bask in her beauty, “then he sure as hell can love her.”

The lady couldn't help but blush and smile at this. She had to admit that he was winning her, but not quite yet.

“I'm not convinced yet. How will I know for sure you'll treat me right and keep it that way?” she challenged, smiling playfully.

“I’ve been askin’ ye tae go oan a date with me, but ye just want tae talk, talk, talk first.” He sarcastically rolled his eyes and flapped his joined fingers to mimic yapping. “I think it’s enough talkin’, yeah? Time to go oan a date an’ see me in action. Whit ye say, pet?”

“Alright, fine,” she relented, “But I have high expectations, so don’t disappoint me.” The smile lingered as she crossed her arms.

He returned her smile, happy to be challenged. “Yer wish is my command.”

To keep his wet hair from troubling him, Simon pulled out a black bandana from his pocket, folded it up oblong and tied it around his forehead. Just as he was about to enter the woodshed, he heard ___ call as she emerged from behind the wall.

“Simon, do you need-” Her words stopped in their tracks when she saw him sporting the bandana, clearly a new look she hadn't seen on him before.

“Need what?” he asked, turning to face her.

She gulped harshly and then croaked out, “...Help?”

“I don’t, but do you want to help?” He turned back to the woodshed and pulled out a log of wood and a splitting axe.

“Yeah,” she answered, watching him place the log of wood on a tree stump that functioned as a chopping block.

He turned back to the woodshed and brought out a small wooden stool, which he handed to her. He then pointed slightly afar off, smiling. “You can sit still over there and look pretty for me.”

She chuckled, “So far away?”

“I’ll be swinging an axe, darling. It’s not gonna be safe for anyone to stay nearby. If you want to watch, it’s best if you stay far away.” He rested the axe head down on the grass, allowing the long handle to lean against his leg while he rolled up the sleeves of his flannel shirt above his elbows, revealing his sturdy forearms.

She took his advice and the stool, and sat across from him, far away for her safety but near enough to talk to him. She watched as he adjusted his sleeves, spread his legs apart slightly, and wiped his hands on his jeans before taking hold of the axe. Placing one hand below the axe head and the other at the butt end, he raised it over his head, twisting his torso slightly and brought it down with all his strength, splitting the wood in half with a satisfying thwack.

She watched him both carefully and dreamily, observing his motions and form as he split the wood; it would be useful information. A sigh escaped her lips, marvelling at his range of vocations; he was a car mechanic, a gardener, and now a lumberjack, and who knew what else was in his repertoire of practical talents. A plumber? An electrician? Her attraction towards him was increasing at an alarming rate, and even Simon could see it in the way she stared at him.

He exhaled, feeling another flutter in his stomach. Every single instance of her interest in him convinced him further and deeper that she preferred him over anyone else, all of it now piling up into a heap in his mind.

The silence was thick, and her staring relentless, and he felt suffocated (in a good way). He wanted to start a conversation but felt his throat go dry. What would he even talk about? He began to sift through the recesses of his mind for a conversation starter.

“Your skelly plush,” he finally began, his voice a little too unstable for his liking, “You seem to like it a lot. I always see it on your Instagram stories.”

“Yeah, I do, it’s cute,” she admitted.

As he split the loose piece of wood with his hand and tossed aside the smaller piece, he couldn’t help but smile at this indirect compliment she was unknowingly paying him.

“He’s your emotional support plushie then?” Simon asked teasingly as he adjusted the larger piece of the split wood on the stump to split it down again.

“He is,” she answered, gazing again as he swung down the axe. “He motivates me to write.”

“Does that mean I motivate you to write?” he wondered as he threw aside the split wood and placed the next log on the chopping block.

“Speaking of writing,” he began, swinging the axe down, “How’s the novel coming along? You said that there were problems with the male lead.”

“Yeah, there was…” she answered, but her voice trailed off when she watched as he yanked out the axe head lodged in the tight crack of the log, dug his fingers in the said crack, and with a grunt, split the wood with his bare hands, letting out a heavy sigh at the end of it.

A delightful tingle coursed through her lower regions, making her press her thighs together and her cheeks flush. Did she just ovulate? If societal norms didn't exist, she'd already be asking him to split her legs apart. Maybe she was in the ovulation part of her cycle.

“This is juicy,” she thought, covering her mouth slightly to hide the embarrassed smile creeping on her face. Frederick was going to be one hell of a man.

Simon in the meantime, not looking at her, turned the split log of wood around to land another blow on it, all the while thinking, “Did she see it?” But when he stole a glance, she was looking elsewhere. He sighed, raising the axe one last time to split the last log of wood they needed.

“What were you saying, love?” He remembered that she stopped mid-sentence.

“Oh,” she blinked, now gulping harshly to keep her sudden spurt of lust at bay, “Yeah, the male lead. I've thankfully gotten a nice fitting model for him to base his character off of, and so far, it's coming along great.”

“Who's the model, then?” he asked, now gathering the pieces of wood and keeping them aside.

She struggled, looking this way and that as she tried to think of someone’s name to say. “Uh, Alejandro,” she spat out. “Fuck, why did I say that?!”

Simon froze for a split second. “Oh, I see,” he said through his teeth, feeling the full force of disappointment and jealousy hit him like a train. Even the delightful little pile of evidence of her interest in him felt like they were given a harsh, vigorous shake as if to say in warning, “Don't get your hopes up.”

He was glad that his back was turned to her because he felt a painful twinge in his chest strong enough to make his eyes narrow and his lips to frown. “Why'd I even bother?”

Swallowing down all his ill feelings, he collected his composure and the wood in his hands and tucked some under his arm. “We're done here. Let's go,” he said, his voice a hint icy and sharp, though he tried to sound casual and normal.

He did a good job at hiding it, because she didn't notice the subtle shift in his tone.

“Let me carry some,” she offered, now standing and walking up to him.

“No, you might get a splinter,” he reasoned.

She frowned. “Come on, please? Let me help,” she begged.

Simon usually could refuse anyone’s help point-blank, and he could be petty and refuse her rudely, but at the sight of her pleading eyes staring at him, he nearly melted. Though he felt bitter, his tender regard for her didn't falter in the slightest. He still didn't want her delicate hands to get hurt, so he turned back to the woodshed again and brought out a pair of gloves. “Wear these first,” he instructed.

Her face beamed as she took the gloves and put them on. Only when she did did he give her a lighter load of the split wood to carry.

He was silent as they carried the wood to the fire pit, but only one thought filled his mind, “Why am I jealous? She's the author. She can choose whoever she wants as a model for her characters. Maybe the male lead is like Alejandro.” And yet, he couldn’t help but feel disappointed and embarrassed by the fact that he thought himself highly enough to be a model for any character in her work. After all, “she went to Alejandro first to discuss the male lead. It’s not any wonder she would choose someone like him.”

By the time they had dropped the wood into the fire pit, they found nobody outside. After starting a fire, the two entered the cabin and found Lindsey and Gaz in the kitchen, prepping the ingredients for lunch while Johnny's bathroom concert made nice background music.

They joined in and Johnny joined soon after. Johnny was in such high spirits that he couldn't stop singing, either under his breath or out loud. He very openly flirted with Lindsey, who was both flattered and offended by it, since she would've preferred him to be more discreet. Gaz and ____ egged Johnny on simply because they wanted to be entertained, but Simon was by himself, silent, sullen, and annoyed by all the noise.

When ____ had her fill of fun, she leaned over to Simon who was busy dicing up some tomatoes. “Simon,” she called.

“Hm?” He responded, his eyes fixated on the tomatoes, not willing to meet her eye.

“You told me that Johnny was a bit of a womaniser,” she said, her voice quiet and a hint worried as she took a bottle of dried peppercorns and tried to open it.

“Yeah, I did.” he answered, watching her trying to pry the tight lid open.

“I'm a bit worried about Lindsey. I hope Johnny won't raise her hopes up too high and break her heart. She seems to really like him.” She grunted, shaking her aching, red hand, still unsuccessful.

His jaw clenched slightly. “You're worried about her and yet you openly support them,” he quipped, taking the bottle from her and twisting the tight lid open easily. He handed the bottle back.

She smiled gratefully at him as she took the bottle and poured out a couple of peppercorns into a small mortar. “Yeah, I kinda do support them, and I think they look great together, but I'm still worried about how Johnny will treat Lindsey long term.”

Simon was silent for a moment, now staring back at the tomatoes that he mindlessly turned into a mush from dicing too much. “What do you want me to do, darling?” he asked.

“I want you to find out if he genuinely likes her,” she said, now in a whisper, now crushing the pepper into a coarse powder with the pestle, “Lindsey… she's more delicate than most people even if she doesn't show it, and she's easily swayed by her emotions too. I would not tolerate it if he broke her heart just for shits and giggles.”

Simon could hear the bitterness in her voice, and from the look on her face, he could tell that she was reliving some experiences. He was tempted to be petty again, but decided against it. He bumped her shoulder gently with his arm in an attempt to reassure her.

“Don't worry, darling. I’ll find out.”

End of Part 9.

Part 10 coming soon :)

This chapter was so hard yet so fun to write. I hope you enjoyed it! As always, leave a comment if you want to be added to my taglist. Thank youu xoxo

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