#singapore housing explained

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

We had one of Steff's comedian friends staying with us on the weekend, lovely lad called Sam from Singapore. He had never been to Wales before, and he requested that we take him to a Welsh restaurant so he could try Welsh food

That's surprisingly difficult, actually. Like a lot of Welsh culture, our culinary traditions have not exactly been applauded over the years, so you don't really see them. But a lucky Google search revealed a brand new one has just opened in SA1 called the Welsh House, so great! Away we went.

Fuck me, they went all in.

It wasn't just the menu (though fuck me, what a menu - one of their 'for the table to share' options was little mini leek and cheddar Welsh cakes with salted butter and they were paralysingly good). It wasn't just that every alcohol was Welsh, even including the wine (surprisingly good btw, called 'Naturiol'.)

The table centerpieces were daffodils. All signs for the toilets were Welsh only. The walls had photos of Wales, modern and historical; the windows had the fleur de lis; the specials board (pork belly in Welsh cider and damson sauce with honey and wild garlic glazed carrots) had dragons on. I realise this is probably normal for country-themed restaurants, but I've never been to one for Wales before.

But the best bit, see, was the music

I clocked, when we walked in, that they were playing If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will Be Next by the Manic Street Preachers (you always clock the Manics). Ah, I thought. A Welsh song! In a Welsh restaurant! Ho ho ho.

As they seated us, it became What's New Pussycat. Ah! I thought. Another Welsh song! Fu fu fu.

Then they played Monster by the Automatic and I was like my god are they only playing Welsh music?? That's so cool! What an eclectic mix that's going to be. We should suggest to them they should look into Welsh language music too, really mix it up.

And then they played Anrheoli by Yws Gwynedd and lads, Steff and I lost our shit. We lost our fucking shit. Sam's sitting there, utterly bewildered. The staff are nervously edging away from us. We don't care. It's the first time I have ever heard a Welsh language song played outside of a Welsh language setting. We're so excited.

"They're playing Welsh music!!!" says Steff. "Holy shit!!!"

"Imagine if they played Sebona Fi!" I say, humorously.

"Nah," says Steff. "You can't in a restaurant. There'd be a riot, it's faerie music."

"...what?" says Sam

We explain the cultural phenomenon that is Sebona Fi. The song changes: Primadonna Girl, by Marina and the Diamonds.

"She's Welsh??" says Sam.

"She's from Abergavenny!" we beam.

"I don't know what that means," nods Sam, who is from Singapore.

Next: The Bartender and the Thief, by the Stereophonics. We're in high spirits. The extraordinarily Welsh wine arrives, as does the rarebit on sourdough starter. Sam, a gay man, delightedly orders the faggots and peas.

They play Ben Rhys by Gwilym Bowen Rhys, and we lose our shit again. Sam is now used to this, because comedians are adaptable. "They even have daffodils!" I say, misty eyed. "Is that relevant?" Sam asks, fascinated.

They play Hiraeth, by PLU. Hard to explain that one. Very hard to explain the effect it has when it's played in a restaurant, but Sam looks around the suddenly muted room and whispers "Are we in church?"

"It's about Hiraeth," whispers Steff. "So kind of."

Next: the Masses Against the Classes, by the Manics. Utter tonal whiplash. This playlist is not remotely restaurant appropriate. It's perfect.

"You'd think they'd pick like... a genre," Sam says dreamily. "We just went from church to the barricades."

The faggots arrive. "I forgot it would be a western sized portion," Sam says morosely, of what to me is a normal sized plate of food. He tries one, and brightens.

They play Sebona Fi.

The place erupts.

#I am going back there #going to try the rarebit next time #and the popcorn cockles #WALES! #closed for cleaning on mondays

[marlenesluv]

Uni to Paddock. (CL)

summary: reader is a beloved wag, but she keeps private for the most part. her socials are public, but she’s usually unable to visit her boyfriend, charles, during race weekends…but one weekend, she decides to show up and support her boyfriend.

pairing: charles leclerc x fem!college/uni!reader

fc: alysia loo (alysialoo on insta)

note: charles is 26 rn, so i’m imagining reader as 20! not a huge age gap, but it’s there. also isa is back for this, i miss her sm rn. and, the grand prix that this is taking place in is Singapore. reader goes to uni in Monaco and lives with Charles in his house there.

warnings: none!

masterlist here -> masterlist link

^ check my list for all posts! ^

liked by: charles_leclerc, francisca.cgomes, and 461,234 others

y/n.user: slumped era

view comments…

y/nsogfanpage16: our mother posted guys!!! AHHHH

charles_leclerc: i miss you more than words can explain, mon chéri 😘

↳ y/n.user: i miss you more, char ❤️

user3: my study motivation fr

f1wags: i love when y/n posts, because it feels so rare these days 🥲

lewishamilton: roscoe misses you!!

↳ y/n.user: i miss roscoe so much🥹

user9: the way she’s casually friends with lewis hamilton?

↳ f1updates: well, her and charles have been dating for almost two years and i think she hangs out with the grid a lot when she’s not in school

papayabrofp: i love our ferrari wags frrr

isahernaez: can’t wait to hangout again💜

↳ y/n.user: 💜💜

ferrarifriends55: i love them, your honor

user2: missing her at the paddock rn :((

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

twitter:

F1 Wag Updates @f1wagupdates • 3hr ago

Y/n Y/l/n has been spotted at the Singapore Changi Airport this morning, Tuesday, around 7:30am, getting off a flight from Monaco. Rumors think that Y/n is here for the Grand Prix this weekend, which we also think is true. We are so excited to finally see one of our favorite Ferrari Wags!!

↳ Y/n’s Fanssss @fpy/n16 • 3hr ago

Omgggg mother is gonna attend the gp?!?! Everyone STAY CALM AHHHHHHHHHG

↳ Papaya Posts @papayafpppp • 3hr ago

Y/n is literally so stunning. This outfit is soo cute!! If I could pull it off, I would be purchasing right now

↳ Ria @rialovesf1 • 3hr ago

The way that if it wasn’t for paparazzi we wouldn’t have known about Y/n coming to Singapore because she’s so secretive

↳ Lando Norris Fanpage!! @landoofp4 • 2hr ago

Ugh I loveeeee her fits sm, she’s so slay

↳ Formula 1 Posts @f1post • 2hr ago

Can’t wait for her to post with Charles again, I missed them so much

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

your instagram story:

seen by: charles_leclerc, lilymhe, and 403,138 others

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

liked by: y/n.user, arthur_leclerc, and 1,027,234 others

charles_leclerc: let’s start the singapore weekend right👏

view comments…

y/n.user: my handsome man🖤

↳ charles_leclerc: ma belle fille

↳ author: translation-> my beautiful girl

user3: we need more face pics of y/n!! has she even face revealed to us?

↳ f1updates: she has! i think like 5ish months ago but you have to dig

↳ arianasf1blog: check my twitter, i’ll post the ones i have saved!!

arthur_leclerc: you got singapore in the bag🔥

*liked by creator*

f1wags: y/n knows his angles so well, she knows we love these pics

↳ y/n.user: damn straight i do😘

↳ f1wags: MOTHER REPLIED TO ME⁉️❤️🥹

maxverstappen1: i would actually like picture credits for that middle picture. thank you

↳ charles_leclerc: you’re welcome

↳ maxverstappen1: 🤨

user8: we are fed 🤲💓

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

twitter:

Ariana @arianasf1blog • 2hr ago

In order of appearance, top left to bottom right, I will explain where I got these pics from!!

Top left is from Y/n’s Instagram story a few months ago when Charles’ mom, Pascale, did her hair. The next one is from Daniels Instagram when she went on a hike with him, Scotty, and Charles. The third is from the Valentino Instagram page when she went to an event. Bottom left is from Landos Instagram story after a race last year in Monaco and they went to a party. The next one is from one of Lilys Instagram dumps. Y/n went to lunch with her, Alex, and Charles. The last one is from Kika’s Instagram Post when they went to a Beyoncé concert with Isa and Lily!! I have some more but here’s some for new fans :))

↳ Piasstri Fp @oscassfp • 2hr ago

Omg thank you sm for sharing!! I’ve been a McLaren fan for years but I never got involved with Wags until recently. She’s soooo pretty!!!

↳ Devin @devsblab • 1hr ago

I love Y/n, she’s so down to earth👏 Her and Isa are the cutest friends!!

↳ F1 Updates @f1updatepage • 1hr ago

Loving the Y/n appreciation. Her and Charles are so sweet together. The rare paparazzi pics we get of them, I cherish bc they are so cute

↳ Sarah @sarahlara8 • 1hr ago

Do I wanna be Y/n…or be WITH Y/n?!?!

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

your instagram story:

seen by: isahernaez, charles_leclerc, and 401,148 others

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

liked by: charles_leclerc, carlossainz55, and 462,144 others

y/n.user: missed studying in the paddock❤️📚

view comments…

charles_leclerc: my lucky charm🍀❤️

↳ y/n.user: i love you❤️ you’re going to do amazing

↳ charles_leclerc: i love you too, amor❤️

f1wags: shes baaacckkkkk🙏

user4: our studious wag!!!!

dtsedits81: does y/n have a job or is she j a student rn?

↳ y/nsogfp: i think she works part time in monaco at a bookshop :)

isahernaez: can’t wait to hangout more :) i missed you so much

↳ y/n.user: i missed you too isa!! :)

scuderiaferrari: great to have you back!!🏎️

*liked by creator*

user9: we need content mom!!!

ferrariwagpage: she’s soooo prettyyy

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

liked by: charles_leclerc, isahernaez, and 458,130 others

y/n.user: heard you missed me?

view comments…

charles_leclerc: 🔥❤️

*liked by creator*

user3: YES WE MISSED YOU OMGGGGG

y/nfp16: we got pictures guys- OMG

ferrarifppp: mottherrrrr🙏🙏

charandy/n4: she’s barbie and he’s j ken

↳ user1: studious barbie and vroom ken

landonorris: didnt miss you, j saw you an hour ago

↳ y/n.user: boooo loser

user6: we missed you so much queen

isahernaez: marry me

↳ y/n.user: let’s go

16vroom55: carlos and charles are shaking in their boots 😭 y/n and isa are too cuteeee

wagfits: holyyyyy. mother is mothering

lilymhe: i miss you!!🙋‍♀️

↳ y/n.user: i miss you!!😘

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

twitter:

F1 Wag Updates @f1wagupdates • 4hr ago

Update on Y/n Y/l/n and Charles Leclerc!! Y/n has posted with Charles in Singapore a few hours ago. She captioned it “heard you missed me?” And yes, yes we did miss her!!!

There have been a few new photos as well of Y/n with Isa at the Ferrari Paddock during qualifying and practice. The pair are practically inseparable, getting food together, posting pictures, and supporting their boyfriends together.

We are so happy to see more of Y/n after a few months of her at university. Hopefully she will post again soon. We all missed you, Y/n!!!❤️

*comments have been turned off*

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

(reposts, comments, and likes are appreciated!^-^)

#formula 1 #f1 #formula one #charles leclerc #charles leclerc instagram au #charles leclerc smau #charles leclerc x female reader #charles leclerc x y/n #charles leclerc x you #charles leclerc fluff #charles leclerc x reader #charles leclerc fic #f1 smau #smau #fluff

[ghostofhyuck]

NCT Dream on their honeymoon!

AN: someone requested this one. GASP, THANK U. Mentions of sex lol because what's a honeymoon without sex. (Implied that you two already did it, but the first night meant having sex as a married couple, why am I explaining this jksdfkjsdk)

Mark Lee

Mark would probably take you somewhere in America. Probably LA or Miami, somewhere in the coastal area. Just you two enjoying the beach and spending the day at the carnival or fair land. You two are young lovers enjoying the night life in America! It'll be full of alcohol, giggles, and just spontaneous foodtrip! You two will book an airbnb with the cutest and coziest interior design. Also the first night would probably be more intimate and you two are nervous but at the same time, clumsy because you two wouldn't stop laughing ?? as if you two didn't fucked before lol. 

Huang Renjun

Since your wedding with Renjun is during the summer or spring season, he would definitely take you to Japan for the honeymoon. It'll be during the cherry blossom season! It's cute and something about seeing the first bloom makes it exciting for both of you. You two will book a nice expensive hotel room and just spent the duration of the honeymoon sightseeing and of course, taking pictures around cherry blossoms trees. The first night with him is just like the first time you two had sex, but this time, you two are now married and much experienced. So it's much more special!

Lee Jeno

Jeno would take you to Japan too because he knows how much you love the culture there. He'll book a nice traditional house, (for the vibe he said.) and just take you to places like Tokyo Disneyland and Ghibli museum because you're a child at heart! He'll enjoy it too of course! You two also did A LOT of shopping. Also his looks are so exquisite, very tourist husband vibes with the shades and camera. OKAY so the first night with him is VERY much intimate, like you two just sitting in front of each other before you tell him to please take care of you. And he'll just smiles and say the same thing.

Lee Donghyuck

I like to think that you and Haechan probably fucked after your wedding, and that's because you two were so drunk after the reception LOL. But despite having a beach wedding, Haechan will still have a beach destination for your honeymoon. Bali, Palawan maybe. Anyways, you two will book a room in an expensive resort that's overlooking the beach. It's just a honeymoon full of beach activities, playfulness, and just you two being lovey-dovey!! Will kiss you under the sun set at some point. Also the first night will be much more romantic compared when you two were drunk. 

Na Jaemin

Jaemin would probably take you to Europe for your honeymoon. Somewhere in Amsterdam or Paris because he's a romantic. Definitely a city tour especially during night where the city's much alive, filled with people and just bustling with noise??? yeah, you two would be holding hands giggling as you two venture out the city. Will also be that photographer husband who takes cute photos of your cute fits. He'll book an expensive hotel room for you two and for the first night, he was very very careful of you, like he was such a gentleman because he wants to show how much he loves you. 

Zhong Chenle

Chenle would think that it's fun for you two to stay within each other's comfort place, so he'll probably take you to Shanghai or maybe Singapore city. It'll be city tour too! Since he's very confident with talking with locals, you two will have underrated food trips and just take you to interesting places that he found while canvassing the area. He's the type to hold your hands because you tend to get lost in the crowd. You chose the accommodation, so you found a cute airbnb that suited each other's taste. The first night with him is full of playfulness! Chenle would constantly tease you but it was still lovely nevertheless.  

Park Jisung

Jisung would also bring you to Europe because he thinks that the 'honeymoon' vibe is just there. Probably in Rome or Barcelona. You two would book a nice hotel that overlooks the entire city, it was breathtaking when you two entered the room. You two would go sightseeing, try local foods, and just take pictures of each other. Jisung has his arms around your shoulder when you two are walking, and both your outfits coordinate! Also he likes to steal kisses from you. The first night would be romantic Like Jisung prepared EVERYTHING and you just lay there and be pretty for him. 

#nct dream #nct imagines #nct dream fic #nct fic #nct #nct x reader #nct dream imagine #nct scenarios #nct fluff #nct dream reactions #nct drabbles #nct dream imagines #nct mark #nct jeno #nct renjun #nct haechan #nct jaemin #nct chenle #nct jisung

[magicfootballstuff]

Finalist (alessia russo x reader)

Summary: World Cup fluff. Alessia has no idea you're on your way to Australia to surprise her before the final.

———

“Did you watch the game?” Alessia asks, calling you at the earliest opportunity after the semi final ends. You know she must still be at the stadium and you can hear the sounds of her teammates celebrating in the background.

“As if I’d miss a match as important as this one,” you reply. “Your goal, baby - that was something special.”

“Really?” Alessia asks, the giddiness apparent in her voice, even over the phone.

“Yeah, it was. It was incredible. You’re incredible.”

“I wish you could be here,” Alessia says.

You glance up at the departure board and read the words “Sydney - gate opens in 20 minutes” before you sigh and reply, “Yeah, so do I. I’m sorry.”

Because what Alessia doesn’t know is that you watched her semi final match from an airport lounge in Singapore, where you have a layover between flights on your way out to Sydney.

“Don’t apologise,” Alessia reassures you. “I know how hard it is for you to get time off work.”

It has been hard, you’ve been so busy at work recently that you were forced to stay in England while Alessia competes on the other side of the world. But after the Lionesses won their quarter final, you knew you had to fly out to Australia for Alessia’s final match, whether it was the final or the third place match, just to get the chance to see your girl play in a World Cup. And now that you know it’ll be a World Cup final that she’s playing in, you’re extremely glad that you managed to persuade your boss to let you have the time off.

“Anyway, it means a lot to know you’re supporting me, even from so far away,” Alessia continues.

It takes all the effort you can muster not to confess everything and tell her that you’re not as far away as she might think, but you’re determined to keep this a surprise.

“Always supporting you,” you promise her. “All the way to the World Cup final.”

You can practically hear her beaming down the phone, and you can picture the way her face scrunches up in delight as she replies, “It doesn’t feel real yet. I don’t think it’ll feel real until we actually step out on the pitch.”

“I’m so proud of you,” you tell Alessia.

You hear the opening bars of ABBA’s Mamma Mia followed by a shriek down the phone, then the distinctive sound of your girlfriend’s laughter.

“I’m sorry, baby,” Alessia apologises. “Ella wants me to dance. I’m gonna have to go. But I love you and miss you so much!”

“Love you too! See you soon!”

You only realise the slip of your tongue when Alessia has already hung up, by which time you can only hope that she’s too distracted by the dressing room celebrations to notice and ruin the surprise of your impending arrival in Australia.

———

For reasons you can’t explain, you’re nervous as you wait by the Sydney harbour, against the backdrop of the opera house and the famous bridge. You only landed in Australia this morning, and though it’s now early afternoon, it feels like the middle of the night to you. 

You’re about to see your girlfriend for the first time in six weeks and Alessia has no idea. Maybe that’s why you’re nervous, afraid that your sudden appearance on the other side of the world to where Alessia currently thinks you are will somehow distract her from her preparations for the biggest football game of her career. 

You check your phone for the millionth time in the last twenty minutes. Your most recent message is one from Luca, who is in on the surprise, telling you that Alessia insisted on stopping for coffee and that they’ll be with you in ten minutes. 

That was fourteen minutes ago.

You turn around, leaning back against the harbour railing, and glance down at the bouquet of flowers in your hand. What if this was a silly idea? What if your arrival in Australia two days before such an important game is a distraction for Alessia? What if she has other plans for her last day off before the tournament ends and you’re taking that away?

But then you glance up and you see her in the distance, walking towards you with her brothers on either side of her, laughing at something that one of them has just said, and your heart stops in your chest. She’s changed out of the England tracksuits you’ve become so accustomed to seeing pictures of her wearing and into a pair of dark trousers and a white crop top, a pair of sunglasses perched on the top of her head that pushes her blonde hair out of her face. Maybe it’s the sun kissed glow from spending more than a month in Australia, maybe it’s the fact that she looks so relaxed and happy, maybe it’s the fact that you haven’t seen her in person for so long, but she looks like a goddess as she strides obliviously towards you.

You push yourself off the railing and try to straighten up your own appearance, fully aware that spending thirty hours on planes and in airports and your current state of jetlag probably means you resemble a zombie more than your normal human self, certainly not somebody worthy of Alessia, but you can only hope that doesn’t matter.

She continues to come closer, still unaware that she’s walking towards you, until she’s close enough that you can hear the familiar laughter as she jokes around with her brothers. 

And then her blue eyes find yours and being the clumsy girl that she is, she actually stumbles slightly when she sees you, doing a double take as she recognises you.

“Oh my god,” Alessia says, and then she’s running towards you.

You hold your arms out wide as Alessia launches herself at you, knocking you slightly off balance as she wraps her arms tightly around you and buries her face into your neck. It feels so strange, yet so familiar to have Alessia in your arms after so long apart, and you’re never going to take spending time with her for granted again.

“But … but you’re in England?” she says, her voice muffled by your hair.

“I’m pretty sure this is Australia,” you reply lightheartedly, squeezing her tighter.

“What are you doing here?” Alessia asks, pulling back and cupping your head with a hand on each side of your jaw, staring at you in disbelief, as if she still isn’t completely sure that you’re not a figment of her own imagination.

“Sightseeing,” you tease her. “No, I’m here to see you, silly. My girl’s playing in a World Cup final on Sunday - do you really think I’d miss the chance to see that live?”

“But we talked yesterday,” Alessia says, her face scrunching up in a cute frown. “You were at home.”

“I lied, I was in an airport in Singapore,” you confess.

Alessia’s eyes widen in surprise, then she says, “You sneaky little… I can’t believe you’re actually here.”

“These are for you, by the way,” you say, untangling your arms from around Alessia so you can present her with the bouquet of flowers you bought - red and white for England, obviously - before they get too squashed.

“They’re beautiful,” Alessia says, as she accepts the gift and admires the flowers.

“Beautiful flowers for my beautiful girl,” you say cheesily. “I’ve got something else for you too.”

“Yeah?”

“Uh huh,” you nod, as you place your hands on Alessia’s hips and pull her closer, pushing yourself up on your tiptoes to close the height difference and press your lips against hers.

Alessia’s lips are exactly as soft as you remember them and she gasps at the contact, before pulling you in even closer with her free hand. You try to savour the moment, enjoying the way that Alessia’s aura surrounds every part of you, her lips pliant beneath yours as you fit together like it hasn’t been over a month since you last got to kiss her.

It’s a special kiss, one that you wish could last forever, but a kiss that is ultimately ruined by a raucous wolf whistle followed by fake retching noises from Alessia’s brothers nearby.

Alessia pulls back with a groan, then turns to her brothers to scold them.

“Okay, you two can get lost now. I want to spend my day off with my girlfriend.”

You turn to Luca and Giorgio and give them an apologetic shrug.

“Sorry guys, Lessi makes the rules.”

You endure a bit more teasing, Luca continuing to gag while Giorgio makes a comment about you being whipped, but that’s quickly forgotten as Alessia pulls you in for another kiss, and by the time you break apart again, the Russo brothers have got the message and left you alone with your girlfriend.

“This is the best day ever,” Alessia says, reaching for your hand and threading her fingers through yours as you start to walk side by side towards the Sydney Opera House. 

“Are you sure about that?” you tease her. “I mean, you scored a goal that helped your team get through to their first ever World Cup final yesterday. That sounds like a pretty hard day to beat.”

“That was good but this is better,” Alessia answers without hesitating. “I might have to reconsider on Sunday though. You know, if we…”

Alessia trails off without saying the word win, and you know probably still can’t quite get her head around the fact that winning the World Cup is a possibility.

“Whatever the result, I’m so glad I can be here to support you,” you tell her, bringing your joined hands to your lips and pressing a kiss to the back of her fingers. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

You’ve travelled halfway around the world for Alessia, and you’d do the same journey a hundred times over, just to see the smile that spreads across her face at your words.

#woso x reader #woso imagine #alessia russo x reader #alessia russo imagine #established relationship #fluff

[manicpixiefelix]

Reader and Oliver in the adopted au meet Felix at Oxford still, maybe

Reader owns their natural it factor so they're more outgoing, having that dazzling magnetism that people cannot resist. They and Ollie are considered a package deal, the L/N heirs recently spotted partying in France with their good friend Nick Young (yes, those Youngs)

Farleigh doesn't know what to think of Ollie

been thinking so much about this and about the Crazy Rich Asians AU intertwining

the first year Oliver lives with your family, your parents don't explain why they're taking him to get his passport photo taken. he doesn't even know what a passport is or why he'd need one. you, sitting next to him in the town car (because oliver becomes restless and agitated and shuts down if your parents take him anywhere without you. he will grow out of it soon, but not quite yet), you tell him it's so you can go visit your bestest friend Nicky. your father makes a face like he's bitten a lemon and your mother raises her voice pointedly to ask the driver how much longer.

all you know is that your grandmother is the one who always insists that both you and oliver are brought to singapore too.

("because your father won't let your mother go alone," she shakes her head with an exasperated noise, but doesn't elaborate when you ask her about it, instead continuing, "and i'm not letting them leave the two of you here by yourselves," she paused, adding, "since i couldn't babysit you, because i'll be in singapore too, i've always loved it there, and loved the Youngs." oliver is nine, with his head in nana's lap as she strokes his hair; you are ten, looking up from your gameboy to give her your attention.)

Nick Young is your bestest friend in the whole wide world for the four-to-six weeks a year you get to see him. you spent several summers as the fourth in games between he and his cousins, more often than not becoming his teammate against them, no longer allowing the obnoxious eddie and alix to gang up on him. astrid had always seemed just a bit too old for the horseplay you all engaged in, but she was never unkind to you. your parents don't spend much time at the Young home, especially not your father, who walks around the grand space with an expression like he was holding back sick, but apparently the master of the house, Nick's father, had given express permission for you all to stay there as long as you liked. this essentially meant you and oliver lived there for several weeks, as did your grandmother, while you'd learn much later on that your parents spent their time arguing at various picturesque locations around singapore.

sometimes your mother would join you, and in those moments she smiles at you and oliver, dotes on you both, sits at the table between her two children as you're all taught how to make dim sims by Nick's family. she laughs, and compliments your attempts, and jokes sweetly like you think a mother probably would. in these moments, you catch nana smiling at her, but it's always tinged with a little sadness.

nick's mother can't bring herself to be in the same room as your mother for more than ten minutes before claiming to feel faint, and retiring to her room for the rest of the day, every time. it doesn't seem to bother your mother too much, who gets on famously with nick's father. she calls him Jamie and he makes her laugh so hard she snorts. you've never heard her do that around anyone else.

("nick's father and your mother were best friends too," your grandmother tells you when both you and nick come to her with questions that your parents pointedly avoid. both of you are eight. oliver is seven and hovering by the door, watching you and nick with wide, blue eyes. you and your current best friend share a confused look, and ask her when; "when they were your age," nana answers, like it should be obvious.)

oliver finds someone new to cling to when he's in singapore. when nick and his cousins get too rough and oliver starts to get overwhelmed, for the first time you're torn. you only get a very brief amount of time to spend with nick, but this is your new little brother and you have to protect him at all costs. except then astrid is at the sliding doors to the villa, scolding the boys for playing too rough with oliver, and he looks at her like she hangs the stars in the sky. oliver, who'd pouted the entire plane ride over and wouldn't say why, tentatively asks you that night if he was allowed to be astrid's bestest friend while you were in singapore.

"because you- you're meant to be my bestest friend, but here you're nicky's bestest friend -" and you realise what he'd been so upset about since he'd gotten the news. you give your blessing, knowing it was a good thing for him to get more comfortable around people who weren't you. astrid is hesitant at first; she was too old for you and her brother's shenanigans, and oliver's even younger, but he's polite and he clearly thinks the world of her, and follows her around like an obedient little duckling, listening patiently to whatever appeared to take her fancy at any given moment. for the first few summers that he does this, she seems rather unsure of what to do with him, ending up treating him kindly and sweetly, but rather like a pet; oliver doesn't complain. as the years and summers go by, the brief age gap seems to matter less and less, and soon you, Nick, Oliver, and Astrid become a tight unit as teenagers, exploring the city together, sharing in the highs and lows of being the social and financial elite.

but as you grow older, nick's mother seems less and less able to look at you. you overhear her speaking to your grandmother about things you will not understand until years later - "your grandchild has their mother's smile" is not spoken like a compliment.

back home, it's the summer after you've turned sixteen, and you will hear your mother and grandmother arguing down the hall from your room.

"you want to force them into the very thing that you fought against at their age- that I fought against on your behalf, by your side, against your father - god rest his soul - when you were their age?" you'd never heard your grandmother shout like that before. still, you crack the door open and peer out. they're at the end of the long corridor, but their voices carry well.

"Wanting to secure a legal partnership and future between our families was never an inherently bad idea," your mother argued back, "just because back then James and I weren't right for each other doesn't change that. Nick and Y/N -" your mother tried.

"I'm not having this argument again," your grandmother sounds so tired, "you're just like your father with those poor children; I can't have this fight again, I just can't."

The next summer, your parents go to Singapore without you or Oliver, and you're given both free reign of the house, or the world if you prefer. It becomes the first of many world tours you take with your brother. Occasionally you stop in and see Nick and Astrid, but both you and Oliver, and the Young siblings, leave the rest of your families at home. None of you talk about why, but you have a feeling you all know.

("we could have been siblings," astrid jokes when you're all at the tail end of your teens and drinking in some bar along the coast of Chile. the other three of you all look at her rather bewildered, "father was telling me he almost brought great shame on the family for not marrying your mum like all our grandparents had been pushing them to do." she laughs like it's an absurd idea, and goes on to say how glad he was that the woman he chose, the woman who became the mother to your two friends across from you, worked so hard to become the matriarch the family needed her to be. you and nick share a long, dubious look. oliver sighs loudly and complains about being hungry, immediately turning the discussion towards food. under the table, he gives your knee a comforting pat.)

also, yes; in their very first meeting, farleigh condescendingly pets Oliver L/N on the knee after being twenty minutes late to their two-person tutoring session, because he didn't think to look the man in the face before touching him so casually, and then only after the damage was done did he realise who was sitting next to him. so now, looking at Oliver, thinking about Oliver, or even seeing you, makes Farleigh feel the entire spectrum of human emotions all at once at full force, and he wants to hide like an actual child. which is to say that he hates oliver l/n for making him feel this way. which way? all of them. any of them. bastard's been in vogue and now he's in farleigh's tutoring sessions acting like a righteous dick half the time.

he hates the man. he's had parasocial crushes on both him and his sibling(you) since he was fifteen that still haven't actually gone away. two things can be true.

#head heart hand fic #felix catton x reader x oliver quick #oliver ln au #cra au #it shouts back

[hungriestheidi]

ao3: holidayblues

i think we're kindred spirits (so don't you dare walk away) (4.1k) - sebchal. ambiguous relationship. pwp / porn with feelings.

never complain, never explain (on-going, 2/4 chapters out) - galex. royal au. seemingly unrequited love. pining.

of other people's love (1.9k) - lewis x sebastian x hanna. ambiguous relationship. set before Austin GP 2023.

the house by the sea (on-going) - sebchal. bodyguard x prince au.

kinktober 2023 - three complete works, each under 2k.

romance by the fractures (43k) - sebchal. established relationship, not racing drivers au.

in your car, i'm a star (and i'm burnin' through you) (5k) - sebchal. secret relationship. set after Miami GP 2023.

he chose me (as his burial ground) (8k) - oscarmark. dead dove do not eat. non-con/dub-con, prostitution, corruption.

died all the way back to the root (now i grow again) (6k) - sebchal. written for sebchal secret santa 2022. secret relatiionship, fluff and angst. set in the 2022 F1 season.

in beds of flame, how often was i tried (2k) - sebchal. unhealthy coping mechanisms. set in the 2022 season (between Singapore and Japan).

monachopsis (43k) - sebchal. teacher au, infidelity, age gap.

real gods require blood (3k) - sebmark/martian. cover up for a murder. set after the Turkish GP 2010.

stick by me, close by me (1.3k) - sewis. casual sex. set after the French GP 2022.

you could kill me (and you should) (1.6k) - sebmark/martian. mildly dubious consent. hate sex.

#hi this is for archival and easy linking access! #myfic

[dreamingofspring]

Her giggles come unbidden, brought about by an idle thought and hastened with the fizz of the seltzer in her Singapore Sling. She presses the cards to her face, nearly leaves lipstick stands on her full house before resurfacing. "Sorry, sorry, a funny thought just came to me," she explains through her chuckles. "Before we were going steady, Beej let me guess what his name meant, and the very first name I tried, you'll never guess." She doesn't give them a chance to, giggles increasing as she leans over and squeezes Hawkeye's hand. "Benjamin John! How funny is it that in the end, I got a Benjamin and a John after all, hey?" (X)

happy holidays and happy new year to my best friend, @remyfire!! A small little moodboard for my favorite quad in the world with the silliest name, McPunnihawk. Thank you for letting me play in the Some Things Are Evergreen sandbox with you!

#mine: graphics #mine: edits #some things are evergreen #mcpunnihawk #peg hunnicutt #bj hunnicutt #hawkeye pierce #trapper john mcintyre #for those curious: bailey de young is my personal fan cast for peg from my roleplay days #hence why i used her instead of her actual actress #honestly im so proud of this #they're partially anachronistic and i didn't use like an proper coloring psd #but still it's cute and fun and I like it and I hope you do too rems!!!!

[loveforlandonorris]

2023 Season

Discussions:

○ Lando discussing his career:

● Lando on the highlights of the 100 races in his career

● Written interview with Lando on reaching 100 races in his career at Austin

● Lando on McLaren's turnaround in 2023

● Lando on his first F1 race & first two seasons with Carlos

● Lando on his first podium in Monaco in 2021 + calling his mother after

● Lando on the experience of Silverstone '23

● Lando on his love for competing with McLaren & his hopes for the future

● Lando joking about retiring after his first win (featuring George)

● Lando & George on the significance of Silverstone

○ Lando discussing mental health:

● Lando on the importance of mental health

McLaren Instagram:

○ Lando returning the favour for the sticker Mercedes put on his P2 Austin trophy by putting one on Carlos' P3 trophy

○ News - Lando has extended his contract with McLaren

Others on Lando:

○ Team Principal Andrea Stella on Lando & his partnership with Oscar

○ Team Principal Andrea Stella on Lando after Qatar

Unboxed:

○ Singapore GP

With Oscar:

○ Games:

● Lando's 'Race Against The Clock' attempt

● Lando & Oscar doing a chipping challenge

● Lando & the Three Lions being tested on Aussie slang words by Oscar

● Lando & Oscar doing the Drill Bike Challenge

● Lando & Oscar playing Cornhole ahead of the Austin GP

● Lando & Oscar guessing US sports teams' logos

● Lando & Oscar playing 'Who's Most Likely To...'

● Lando & Oscar making a house of cards

○ Other Content:

● Lando & Oscar trying Japanese snacks

● Lando & Oscar with flowers in Singapore

● Oscar recreating Lando's Instagram photos

● Lando recreating Oscar's Instagram photos

● Lando & Oscar before the Vegas GP (for Jack Daniel's)

● Lando's wig (from the the Jack Daniel's video before the Vegas GP & from Oscar's IG story for Lando's birthday)

● Lando & Oscar answering high speed questions (for Salesforce)

● Lando & Oscar doing the Magic Eraser competition for Google Pixel

○ Clips:

● Lando drawing Silverstone with the distortion goggles on (featuring Oscar)

● Lando being playful with a football (featuring Oscar)

● Oscar opening a bag of Japanese crisps for Lando

● Lando + his love for the Japanese chocolate mushrooms

● Lando & Oscar explaining matcha Kit Kats in terms of F1

● Lando & Oscar answering who's most likely to sleep in

● Lando & Oscar answering who's most likely to get a tattoo

● Lando & Oscar answering who's most likely to get a pet

● Lando & Oscar answering who's most likely to be on a reality TV show

● Lando & Oscar answering who's most likely to be the quickest to eat their meals

#lando norris #landonorris #ln4 #oscar piastri #oscarpiastri #op81 #mclaren #McLaren Content

[leclerced]

Ooooooh this idea of a third boyfriend is fueling my Carlos-Oscar beef thoughts.

I’m just imagining after Singapore Bunny, Lando, and Carlos spend the night together, and one of them accidentally butt dials Oscar in the midst of the evening.

Oscar picks up, thinking Bunny or Lando were going to tell him where to meet them at a bar or club, and instead he’s greeted by the sounds of Bunny and Lando moaning, with Carlos just domming the two of them. Carlos is telling Bunny things like “you know you and Lando want me more than just one night, mi cariña, let him hear how good I make him feel you and let him feel it as you moan against his cock”

Oscar is literally gripping his phone as he listens to the way Carlos teases his girlfriend and boyfriend, making sure they’re begging for more time with him, just a little more till they reach the edge when Carlos sees Oscar is on the phone, knowing that he’s with them and Oscar isn’t. Oscar would be furious at first, knowing it’s his rival making them feel this way and not him, but he’d find hishand slowly wandering down when he hears Bunny’s moans and the rough huff of Lando’s breath when he knows they’re close, he’s ready to plot and show them he’s the only one they need.

Though Carlos loves returning to that place of comfort where it was once just the three of them when he was on McClaren, he’s drawn to express this sentiment of it just being the three of them and talking about the nights they spent together even more knowing that he’s taunting the rookie who took what he views as his place in their bed. It makes him want to edge the two of them more and more so Oscar has to hear how they beg for him to let them cum, how good he makes them feel.

After it, Carlos is telling them to imagine what if it was like this every night, what if they could all go home together and if he was Bunny’s boyfriend, because who else knows their bodies so well and cooks them their favorite foods, whose parents looks at Bunny and Lando like they’re family already.. it only makes sense that they would just finally make it official. It’s coming from a sincere place but also one where he feels he’s putting the rookie in his place, reminding him that they were his before Oscar’s, that Lando was his best friend and the one who has spent holidays at his beach house with Bunny in her skimpy little bikinis skipping along the beach as they watched and waited to take her to bed. After examples upon examples, Oscar hangs up the phone, a man on a mission.

And when they get home the next day? Oscar is waiting at the door, ready to fully veto it, and can’t help but take his frustrations out on Bunny and Lando. After hours until he feels like he’s shown them why they chose him, he’d then have them FaceTime his parents to “catch up because they missed them” over a breakfast that he cooked himself “just because”. And that because? Because no one could make them feel more loved, more known that him— even fucking Carlos. -🐝

this is so perfect i could CRY i love this.

the ending about calling his parents 😭 imagine his mom crochets/knits and she’s like omg you guys! i’m working on blankets for you for christmas! and is showing them all the bunches of yarn she picked out for each one, explaining the reasons behind the colors. his parents are promising to fly out to a race to see them as soon as they have the time, and bunny promises that she’ll fly to visit them after the next race bc it’s easier for her to travel! they’d melt at that and immediately oscar’s mom is making spa reservations so they can have a girls day. oscar’s watching as lando and bunny almost cry as the call ends bc she’s so sweet and they can’t get over how much she loves them. they’d have forgetten about carlos hours before, but after that phone call all they can think about is how perfect oscar is and how perfect his family is and how they welcomed them with open arms and love both of them so much.

#ask #🐝 anon #blindfold universe

[courtjester69420]

hello can i ask about aubergine i'd love to hear about him. what's his deal what's his backstory what's his love life like how evil is he on a scale from 1 to 10. do you have any pictures of him you're fond of

Hello yes absolutely I love talking about aubergine so much I’ve been insane about him for 7 years (I also kept meaning to message u and then woe the illnessTM)

Local man actually not local at all, from a different universe entirely, he never talks about it because it’s simply not relevant to the situation at hand. He’s the half-elven bastard son of the third daughter in a middle level elven noble house, and because he’s the only child in the family (and because his family does love him so so much) he is the heir. Everyone else fucking hates this (bastard + not even a full elf + just really annoying to be around). To me they are from fantasy Singapore where it’s a small self autonomous island state that is in name only attached to a larger empire this isn’t relevant I’m just insane.

His dad is a human adventurer, both him and his mom love aubergine lots but are also low key absent. His dad because you know how it is with adventurers, his mom because as it turns out trying to manage an entire noble house with all the networking and trying to influence the emperor and militaristic expansion (don’t worry about it) with three (3) people is a little demanding.

He got shuffled off to a wizarding academy and got like 80% the way to becoming a first level wizard when his draconic lineage kicked in (Chinese people will relate their dnd characters to dragons etc etc). His whole relationship to his peers can be summed up as that one buzz feed unsolved image that’s like “I’ve met a lot of insufferable people but hey they also met me”

OKAY BACKSTORY COMPLETE (ish)

In bg3 he is dating Halsin but unfortunately his addiction to men who so sucks. Imagine being expelled from baldur’s gate for saying what he did to that mind flayer. Sorry his naturally slutty nature… He does like Halsin a lot though, he reminds Aubergine to be a nicer person than he is naturally inclined to be.

Which brings me to explaining how despite letting all those slaves in the forge die and not really caring when other people die Aubergine is like. A solid 5, God’s most neutral soldier. He’s very much a care for your own person, his own being everything he considers part of his hoard (his friends, coworkers he spends a considerable amount of time with, any child he comes across, his 30k gold <- perpetuating stereotypes), and anyone and anything else outside he literally couldn’t care less about. His moral compass is influenced solely by the compasses of the people around him ❤️

Additional extremely important Aubergine note is that he will imbibe whatever people hand him and tell him to consume. It never processes through his brain that he shouldn’t. This has killed him several times.

pichures:

this wip ive had for the past like 2 years that remains the only time ive capture Him Face and this game screenshot from when i finally found red dye in the city and got so excited i scrempt

#also also his Chinese name is 凯鉴 (victory - mirror) #HI SORRY FOR THIS. ENORMOUS POST. im insane #aubergine kai #;w;; <3 fank u for asking about Him... my boy... #didnt know where this fit in the post but he is also gods most possessive asshole. like oops youve spent about 10 days in my company and #ive mentally categorized u as mine! i will now need knowledge of ur location and wellbeing at all times. #his deal with gale is like. we sorta dated for like a week and then i broke up with you but i will be SEETHING the entire time you speak #to your other ex.

[chenghui-lim]

Nudging all the way in Policy Design

The reading was particularly helpful when thinking about the design of an effective nudge. Regardless of whether the nudge is mindful, mindless, externally or internally imposed, it serves to encourage a change in an individual behavior towards a more desirable outcome (e.g., Gym Pact nudging individuals towards more exercise and better fitness). We often see nudging used in government policies that aim to create more social good, yet policies are a mix bag of successes and failures.

Two components that may explain this outcome (a) the persistency of the nudging before behavior shifts more permanently to a “new normal” (b) the need to align other initiatives with the nudging. In Singapore where the government uses nudging to address low birth rate, it has not had as much success. One such tool is the accessibility to public housing. Subsidized public housing are mostly build-to-order and requires 3 to 5 years of construction time. Many young couples find themselves accelerating their timeline towards marriage, because without a marriage certificate, they will not be able to get the keys to their apartments. Unmarried or single individuals are not allowed to purchase public housing until they are 35. These individuals will then have to either rent or buy from the private market that is often so expensive that only the top percentage of income earners qualify. The path towards owning an affordable home now becomes a part of the broader nudging initiative for more families and births. However, this likely contributed to weaker marriages and more annulment, as couples run on an externally imposed clock to seal the deal.

Birth rates not only remained stubbornly low but also fell in recent years because the bigger obstacles such as rising cost of raising a child and competing demands from work are not addressed. Here, we observed that while nudging leads towards behavior desirable for the nation and the government, the other initiatives were not aligned for the eventual goal of more births to be reached. The restriction on singles to buy public housing since 1964 clearly shows the longevity of this nudge because it can be done, but not necessarily the success of shifting mindset towards wanting bigger families.  

#MITSloanBranding2024B

[maximumwobblerbanditdonut]

Sam already knew the 2023 New York World Wine and Spirits Competition winners when he was in New Orleans. This interview was only to confirm in person about his whisky 🥃 But, the curious thing is his Wild Scottish Gin does not appear on the list, How can explain that gold medal? The Singapore World Spirits Competition 2023 list was sent in June to The Tastings Alliance and it’s not available on the internet. Now he’ll include his boozes for the upcoming 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Now, All know Where SH’s medals come from. 🏅 Interesting commemorated with champagne Rosé and not with his GIN. 🤔

SH and @thetastingalliance are in Shutters On The Beach at Beach House Suite.

$6.537.25 = £5239.02 per night 😴🌚🌟

$45,760.75 = £36,686.85 a week

Wow- It seems like he sold all his gin bottles to his fans because he's been paying this daily amount for several days 😳

[eveneechan]

The Color Concept on Little Women (2022)

Part 2: Earthenspoon and Nospoon

Earthenspoon and Nospoon is refer to Injoo and Hwayoung's conversation (in Korean dialogue; in Eng sub it was changed) at 1st ep

Injoo call her social status as "Earthenspoon"

Hwayoung call herself as "No Spoon"

This Earthenspoon and Nospoon conversation even become the title of one of Little Women OST

At South Korea, there's "spoon" term to differentiate each socioeconomic classes (highest class is diamond spoon; lowest class is dirt/earthen spoon)

Those social status were shown in series through color pallete of clothes

***

Earthenspoon = Earth Colors: Injoo's main color pallete

Of course it will be hard if i am collecting all Injoo's clothes from 12 episodes, so i will give some sample only from some episodes lol

As you can see, most color of Injoo's clothes (mostly at her home country South Korea) are Earth colors:

Various shades of Brown (and little bit greenish)

Those earth colors symbolising Injoo's social status: the earthen/dirt spoon

In some special occassion, mostly if relate to Hwayoung, Injoo wears Green color more dominant:

When Injoo investigate Hwayoung's apartment

When Injoo went to auction at Singapore (and in hope could met Hwayoung)

When Injoo save Hwayoung from Sangah

The Green color probably refer to unbloomed color of Princess of Thieves: which is dominated with green color

Green also color of Robinhood, the most known legendary thief

Meanwhile at Singapore (on climax scene) and when Injoo "playing" rich, Injoo's color pallete changed from earth color into pink; which is part of color of the bloomed Princess of Thieves

It's like symbolising how the earthenspoon and unbloomed Injoo is bloomed into pink part of Princess of Thieves

***

Nospoon = Colorless: Hwayoung's main color pallete

Hwayoung's color pallete (mostly when she's at South Korea) is colorless/no color, such as: Black, White, Grey

It's symbolized how Hwayoung is not belong to everything; she is excluded from any social class (no spoon)

The color also symbolized how Hwayoung is neither good or bad (no color/colorless)

At Singapore, Hwayoung's dress color is Purple, the part of color of Princess of Thieves. On 1st episode, there's a little glimpse of purple color on Hwayoung's clothes, like indicated she's secret part of Princess of Thieves

One of Hwayoung's name meaning is Shadow of Flower. The colorless pallete probably also refer to how Hwayoung is the shadow part of the flowers:

Princess of Thieves: to Injoo

Blue Ghost Orchid: to Sangah

(See more explaination in Part 1: Princess of Thieves)

***

The Color Swapped Between Earthenspoon and Nospoon

Interestingly, there's color pallete swap between Earthenspoon's Injoo and Nospoon's Hwayoung, during great aunt's house scene

Hwayoung's color pallete become earth color (earthenspoon), while Injoo is black (nospoon)

If try to look back at some scenes on previous episodes, actually it's not first time their color pallete were swapped, and it happen on certain scenes:

Injoo's earthenspoon color pallete become nospoon color pallete, when she's with her sisters, with Hwayoung, or when she's alone

Hwayoung's nospoon color pallete changed into earthenspoon, when she's talk to public and when she's opening up to Injoo

Injoo daily life color is earth, but when she want to act though, Injoo become colorless

Hwayoung daily life color mostly colorless, but when she opened herself, Hwayoung become earth color

***

The Earthenspoon and Nospoon on Shoes Exchange

The color swapped meaning also visible on the shoes that Hwayoung and Injoo exchanged on Singapore climax scene on ep 8

On this series, shoes have meanings:

Heels = rich life, but there's danger and risk

Sneakers = simple, but comfortable life

(See more explaination on Shoes Exchange lore)

But the sneakers, that symbolized comfortable and simple life (injoo's earthenspoon), have no spoon color: black, instead of earthenspoon color

Meanwhile the heels, that symbolized rich but there's risk (hwayoung's nospoon), have earthenspoon color: earth, instead of no spoon color

It's like symbolising on how Injoo's earthenspoon and Hwayoung's nospoon, how their fate got swapped, through their ritual of shoes exchange

#little women #tvn little women #little women 2022 #little women korea #kim go eun #choo ja hyun #jin hwa young #oh in joo #youngjoo #choo jahyun #kim goeun #ggonekim #작은아씨들 #추자현 #김고은 #sapphic ships #화영인주 #진화영 #오인주 #little women analysis #little women theory #hwayoung x injoo #tvn drama #kdrama #netflix series

[remyfire]

Her giggles come unbidden, brought about by an idle thought and hastened with the fizz of the seltzer in her singapore sling. She presses the cards to her face, nearly leaves lipstick stands on her full house before resurfacing. "Sorry, sorry, a funny thought just came to me," she explains through her chuckles. "Before we were going steady, Beej let me guess what his name meant and the very first name I tried, you'll never guess." She doesn't give them a chance to, giggles increasing as she leans over and squeezes Hawkeye's hand. "Benjamin John! How funny is it that in the end, I got a Benjamin and a John after all, hey?"

(this did actually happen in our DMs and it's before I had ever once mentioned Trap's or Hawk's birth names to Christina and I have the screencap to prove it and it's extremely funny. Anyway, this is a self-indulgent, plotless character study with fun, fluffy quad building, so THANK YOU)

The laughter, golden as sunshine, makes BJ smile before Peg says a word. In theory, they keep their hands to themselves when they're playing—there's a 50/50 chance that if any of the four around the table reaches for someone, there'll be claims of attempted cheating or fraternizing with the sole purpose of distraction—but he's tipsy enough that he can't stop himself from reaching to lightly cup her forearm, thumb brushing over her wrist.

He's still getting used to how natural it feels, having Hawk's foot resting on his own beneath the table. Hawk's got one of Peggy's silky robes tucked snug around his lean shoulders, one of Trap's tanks on under it. Beej hasn't made it easy on the man across from him since his late arrival to the house, but with just enough bourbon in his blood, he can even admit that the table doesn't feel right without Trapper's money being tossed into the pot.

He studies Trap's face, tracking the faint quirk of his brow as he considers his cards before finally raising the pot, and BJ files it away.

When he starts catching Peg's words again, he rolls his eyes affectionately. "Oh no," Beej murmurs, almost drowned beneath Hawk's sound of delight. It's an old story, but one he hadn't quite put the significance together about until today, and he chuckles as he studies his hand yet again. When Peg's chips join the pot, BJ chucks in his own.

"You're not serious?" Trap asks with a laugh of his own.

"It's not the first time she was a little psychic." BJ finally claims one of her hands and presses a kiss to the back of it. "Maybe one of the more regrettable times in the end, though—"

Trapper leans slightly over the table. "Y'know, Hunnicutt, if I didn't know better, I'd think I wasn't welcome here."

"Only took two months of living here rent-free before you started picking up on my tone," Beej drawls. "Impressive."

It really is a sign of how things are shifting that Trap just smirks, that for one of the first times in recent memory BJ is the one to break the contact instead of holding it in an adrenalizing game of dominance.

"It makes a weird kind of sense, doesn't it?" Hawk points out. He lazily rests his chin on his palm, the game briefly forgotten—now that they no longer have to play just to survive the long and aching hours of imprisonment, there's room for these languid chats. Erin's tucked in bed. They've got hours to kill yet, a whole weekend ahead of them, and only BJ's due in at the hospital late tomorrow night.

"What does?" BJ asks.

Hawk grins at him, eyes sparkling. "That you found her first." He gestures vaguely to him with his cards, glancing over at the other two. "Beej always takes first pot, the lucky bastard,"

The words warm something in his chest. There are nights like this when BJ can't even remember who 15-year-old him was, that kid with an aching hole in his chest, skittish in his family home, keeping his distance from anybody who wasn't on his athletic teams so he wouldn't lose his chance at college by getting distracted.

There's a lot that can be said about how he and Peggy Hayden collided in that high school drama class. He's not sure either of them will ever be able to truly plumb into the depths of how inextricably they tangled their sense of self around each other at such a young age, nor does he know how long it'll take for them to loosen their orbits until the sight of Peg looping her pinkie with Trap's as she leads him down the hallway to his bedroom no longer fills Beej with that primal desire to reclaim her.

But he's also not sure how that anxious, angry kid would've made it out alive if he hadn't had her light illuminating that long, dark path until he was forced to discover how to make his own without her.

Now, he knows he can. He could glow all on his own without her, without Erin, without Hawk.

He simply doesn't want to.

BJ gets lost in Peg's eyes as he rests their joined hands against his cheek to the tune of Hawk's chips joining the pot. "Maybe I took first. But we've all got a pretty equal share now, don't we?"

Just as the soft words leave his mouth, he catches that edge of her smirk, and he knows. He knows before she even puts down the full house.

As Hawk howls in irritation and Trap tosses his own hand down, BJ shakes his head with a heavy sigh. "Okay, fine, I take it back. She always wins everything in the end."

"But you love me," Peg teases, and Beej loops back into her orbit just for a taste of her lips before she starts gathering the chips for sorting.

"I do." He tucks her hair behind her ear, pleased as punch. "We all do."

"Son of a bitch," Trap murmurs as he gets to his feet. He grabs his empty glass, then Hawk's, stealing a quick kiss from him as he walks behind his chair. "You want another, Peg?"

"I'm good!" She all but wiggles in her seat as she stacks. "This is fun~"

"You say that every time, you cute, little hustler." Hawk leans across the table, and she meets him in the middle with a quick smooch of her own. He chases her when she tries to pull back, and as she squeals and grins against his mouth, BJ shakes his head and picks up his own empty glass.

He meets Trap by the bar, their arms brushing as Beej reaches for the bottle of bourbon.

"Hey." When Trap speaks, they lock eyes. Trapper leans into the counter, his body nearly cupping BJ's own. "What does it stand for, anyway?"

A month ago, he would've been inclined to tell him to go fuck himself. Maybe even a week ago. But something's different on his tongue tonight—something he blames entirely on the bourbon, nothing else.

So when BJ lets, "Anything you want," slip off his tongue, it's more fluid than the last time he said it. Looser. Sweeter. And as he departs the counter, he feels the faint tug at his shirt.

Instinctively, he twists out of Trap's loose grip, and the other man lets him go. As BJ backs up three slow steps, he lifts his brows in silent question. Trap doesn't fill the silence. Doesn't come after him either.

They watch each other, long and hard, before BJ disappears around the corner with an oddly fluttery heart.

#i had fun with this THANK YOU #satisfies myself with writing late late late late series stuff as bite-sized pieces while i wrestle with this behemoth of a chapter #mcpunnihawk #some things are evergreen #my writing

[yuniemaki]

15 questions for 15 mutuals

Targeted by @cadriona 💀

1. are you named after anyone?

No, my mum just decided that she wanted this name but she wanted a cool twist to it so she swapped a letter or two around and said "yeah that works"

2. when was the last time you cried?

Watching this fanmade FFXIV short film /emote like.... STOP.... WHO TURNED ON THE WATERWORKS 😭😭 (its good you should watch it)

3. do you have kids?

Yeah, adopted online on a discord server. I even have a grandkid, he's a bird

4. do you use sarcasm a lot?

Way too often. Sometimes I have to say "slash sarcasm" irl just so people know I'm. You know. Being sarcastic.

5,  what sports do you play/have played

Golf but on my phone.

6. what's the first thing you notice about people?

It's hard to explain, but it's their aura. I don't see it, but I feel it. I can tell if this person has issues... or not.

7. what's your eye color

Brown

8. scary movies or happy endings

Scary movies but not the horrifying ones where people actually died on set like those are a different breed. I'm just a weenie who likes horror, okay?

9. any special talents

I always burp twice after a full meal.

10. where were you born?

Singapore

11. what are your hobbies?

I change hobbies every other month (thanks adhd!) but uh I have materials on standby for scrapbooking, beading, watercolour, painting, drawing, playing piano, gaming, journaling, pastel art, but then I end up gaming or writing half the time because that's easy and I get the occasional stink eye from my partner when I say "ooh [insert new hobby] looks fun!!" and he points me in the direction of my rolley trolley with 1938574 abandoned projects ig 😣

12. do you have pets?

NO BUT I WANT A CAT AND I WILL ADOPT A CAT ONCE WE MOVE HOUSE

13.  how tall are you?

I forgot. I think I'm either 163 or 165cm...

14. favorite subject in school?

Literature and biology

15,  dream job?

Hah, if you turn something you love into a job you ain't gonna love it anymore... but if I set aside that cynism, I'd love to be a published author.

I now pass on the honour to @daily-nicotine @dreamerinsilico @aurilium @sappy-af @angelic-nymphia @angelasscribbles @brostwriter @bitternessofsweetlife @bloodravensarecommies @huggablefiresquid @narcoticwriter @canonical-transformation @glauconaryue @bleedinginkxiii

#tag game #thanks cadri hehe #justyuniethings

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

#15yrsago MMORPG Tycoon: a video game about running a video game company https://web.archive.org/web/20080619175716/http://playthisthing.com/mmorpg-tycoon

#15yrsago South China Mall: the largest (ghost) mall in the world https://web.archive.org/web/20080618001435/http://www.thenational.ae/article/20080612/REVIEW/206990272/1042

#15yrsago Hollywood wants to infect all next-gen video with DRM https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/bit-player/story/2008-06-12/more-on-movies-going-to-cable-before-dvd

#10yrsago Why you should care about surveillance https://www.theguardian.com/technology/blog/2013/jun/14/nsa-prism

#10yrsago Durian McFlurry at McDonald’s Singapore https://donaldandcathy.typepad.com/ma_vie_trouvee/2013/06/our-newest-mcflurry-form-mcdonalds.html

#10yrsago Xbox One will divide EU into different markets https://web.archive.org/web/20130621012434/http://copyfight.corante.com/archives/2013/06/14/msft_to_regionlock_xbox_one_on_launch.php

#5yrsago Cambridge Analytica’s key staffers formed a new company that’s working on Trump 2020 https://apnews.com/article/north-america-technology-ap-top-news-elections-donald-trump-96928216bdc341ada659447973a688e4

#5yrsago Stephen Colbert explains Jesus’ position on ripping children from their parents to Jeff Sessions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4KaLkYxMZ8

#5yrsago Eye tracking and fMRI confirm that we don’t even perceive security warnings before clicking past them https://web.archive.org/web/20180606114714/https://neurosecurity.byu.edu/media/Vance_et_al._2017_MISQ.pdf

#5yrsago GDP vs human thriving: a “healthy” economy means debt-haunted people, desperately searching for housing https://www.vice.com/en/article/qvnmj5/people-cant-pay-rent-debt-is-insane-and-the-economy-is-somehow-great

#5yrsago Danish anti-piracy lawyers stole millions from their clients, sentenced to years in prison https://torrentfreak.com/anti-piracy-lawyers-sentenced-to-years-in-prison-for-defrauding-copyright-holders-180612/

#5yrsago The UN’s top free speech expert just denounced the new EU copyright plan as a “potential violation of international human rights law” https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4516209-OL-OTH-41-2018.html

#1yrago Boy, gig companies sure hire disastrously sloppy lawyers: $100m flushed down the drain in Massachusetts https://pluralistic.net/2022/06/15/simple-as-abc/#a-big-ask

#pluralistic