#Nick Boles

[eaglesnick]

101 Things You Should Know About the UK Tory Government

Thing 58

In the week before Christmas, absentee Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was asked

‘Where have you been?’: Rishi Sunak confronted by reporter over strikes and travel chaos."  (The Independent: 23/12/22)

No, he wasn’t hiding in a fridge. No, he hadn’t gone on holiday. He had been busy vetting candidates for the long vacant post of Ethics Advisor. So who did he choose?  He chose an investment banker of course, a man cut from the same cloth as himself, Sir Laurie Magnus.

But Sir Laurie Magnus isn’t just any old investment banker. He is an investment banker who has donated thousands of pounds to a Conservative MP, Nick Boles. The same Nick Boles who:

“...learns lover's language and puts the £678 cost of lessons on expenses.”  (MailOnline: 09/08.2012)

He is an investment banker who was educated at Eton, and Oxford.

He is an investment banker who had business dealings with the disgraced Robert Maxwell and Sir Philip Green.

Above all, he is an investment banker who has agreed to relinquish the power to launch his own investigations into allegations of ministerial wrongdoing. As Ethics Advisor he can only initiate a probe into alleged misconduct of ministers if asked by Rishi Sunak to do so. In short, he is a toothless lapdog.

So much for the Sunak promise:

“This government will have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level.” (Rishi Sunak: 25/10/22)

[redhoodedangel]

Okay, picture if you will…

Reader as the daughter of Lucifer Morningstar and Mazikeen…

In essence, a love child that Maze and Lucifer decided to train in combat…

When they come to Earth in LA, they decided to send her off to train with the best of the best on Earth, including Batman. There, Reader meets Jason and the two become friends, eventually dating…

Then, Joker kidnaps him after a mission at a school goes topside…

And Reader… goes… fucking… ape…

In the same way an animal goes berserk when their pack, mate or human is in danger, Reader goes twice as crazy… like Joker and Harley have some competition…

She starts using torture techniques, learned from her mother on anyone working for Joker or who sympathized with him… Looking for Jason for days and months on end…

Which leads her to Frank Boles…

In front of his wife and children, she forces the truth out of him without having to pull out a knife…

Joker is hiding Jason in the underbelly of Arkham Asylum to torture him…

Issuing a threat to Boles to not tell Joker she’s on her way or else, he’s a dead man walking, and wishing Mrs. Boles luck on separation/divorce proceedings (they gonna need it), she’s off to Arkham…

Once inside the belly of the beast, she immediately hears screams… and she doesn’t waste a second, ripping the heavy-duty door off of its hinges.

Joker has a branding tool with a ‘J’ that was still hot, Harley looking at her in shock and horror, and Jason, reddening eyes full of tears and pain with a newly branded ‘J’…

“Okay, now you’ve really pissed me off…”

(This GIF just fits… don’t judge me…)

Reader goes fucking nuts and Joker, for the first time, is genuinely terrified…

Like, he thought he could beat her up like Jason, but she managed to do the one thing that he thought impossible…

Making him feel pain without making him laugh….

It becomes clear to him that Reader is beyond human…

She was a living, breathing monster with the face of a pretty girl…

A monster fighting for her lover… and that lover was Jason…

Unlike Batman, love wasn’t her weakness… it was her weapons, the very tools she was using to deliver the same punishment he had placed onto Jason onto him…

Even Harley could tell she wasn’t normal in the slightest and actively stayed out of her way purely out of shock, for once thinking about her self-preservation rather than her clown-faced man-candy (if you can even call Joker a man or even man-candy).

With Joker nearly beaten to within an inch of his life, Reader is shaken out of her murderous stupor by a single broken word…

“B-Babe…”

Her eyes then turned towards the sight of her boyfriend, her Jason. The tape hanging off the corner of his mouth, skin stained with blood, tears and other copious substances. His eyes still pained and red now looking at her and pleading.

Without a second thought, she goes up to him and cuts him out of his bindings. Ensues a lot of tears and ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘I love you’ and just a lot of emotional shit…

Then Harley pulls out a gun from Joker’s pocket and shoots her, ruining the special moment…

Only it doesn’t kill her… the bullet bouncing off her…

Y/N had always been careful around weaponry, as she didn’t know if she was invincible like her father or at risk of being destroyed completely like her mother. She had managed to get nicked a few times during fights…

But those were before she met Jason…

She realized what was going on as she shielded Jason from the hail of bullets and shrill angry screams coming from Harley…

She was vulnerable by herself, but impenetrable around Jason…

It was a strange reversal of what was going on with her father around his detective colleague, Chloe…

Without fault, she whips around and sets her sights on Harley, grabbing the gun, twisting and breaking her arm and destroying the pistol in the process…

Flashing her demon face, Reader says to Harley, “If either of you touch him again, you’re gonna wish I had sent you both to Hell just now…”

In the midst of this, Jason passes out from the pain of his untreated injuries. With her supernatural strength, Y/N picks up Jason and turns to leave, unfurling her black and green angel wings…

Boy, Batman was going to give her a hounding and her parents were going to be singing praises…

[cuttergauthier]

Hi are you taking requests if so could you do sick Nick blankenburg x reader if not i totally understand have a good day/night

hope you love it🤍

It had been a long day, you had two classes this morning and then you had to study for an exam later during the day.

By 7:30pm I was exhausted so I made my way to Nick’s house. I was so busy with school I hadn’t had any chance talking to him today.

When I got to the house Nolan was in the living room but I didn’t see Nick

“where’s Nick?” I asked, making him look at me

“in his room, I think he was going to take a nap, he wasn’t feeling to good this morning.” He replied making me nod my head.

“thanks!” 

I made my way upstairs to his bedroom. I knocked before poking my head in, I saw him laying on his back with eyes closed.

I made my way softly in his room on the other side of his bed.

I placed my hand on his forehead to feel that it was warm. I heard nick grunting before slowly opening his eyes.

“Hey babe, you probably shouldn’t be here, I don’t feel to good” he groaned

“you look like you might have a fever, and there is no way I’m leaving… let me take care of you” 

“I love you babe, but I don’t want you to get sick” he said softly

“let’s worry about you first… did you eat anything today?”

“no…” he said making me shake my head.

“I’ll go make you some soup and I’ll bring back some medicine, I’ll be back” I said getting up and going downstairs

I went to the kitchen and grad some stuff to make some soup, while getting the medicine.

Nolan eventually joined me in the kitchen

“how’s he feeling?” he asked

“Not good, I think he might have a fever” 

“Crap, poor nick”

You finished making the soup and made your way back to nick

“here you go” giving him the medicine.

Once he takes it, you give him the soup

“thanks babe” 

“anytime” you replied sitting next to him

You ended up putting on a show on Netflix

Nick put the empy bole of soup on his night stand before looking at you with puppy dog eyes

“what?” you asked chuckling 

“can we cuddle?” 

You let out a laugh before nodding

You both ended up falling asleep to the show playing in the background.

[cantsayidont]

Mostly complete discography of the L.A. alt rock band Concrete Blonde, not including singles or "best of" collections.

Their best-known album is BLOODLETTING, with its Anne Rice-inspired title track, "Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)"; the morose ballad "Joey" (one of their few songs that got significant radio traction); and their cover of Andy Prieboy's AIDS crisis valedictory "Tomorrow, Wendy." Their best album is probably 1993's MEXICAN MOON, a return to form after the weird indulgence of WALKING IN LONDON (which sounds like an '80s Heart album), but their 1986 debut defined their sound, and in some ways they never topped it.

STILL IN HOLLYWOOD is not an album but a compilation of B-sides and non-album tracks, including their fiery cover of Leonard Cohen's "Everybody Knows" (from the soundtrack of PUMP UP THE VOLUME), and covers of songs by Jimmy Hendrix, Nick Cave, and Bob Dylan. It unfortunately doesn't include their song "Tomorrow's Gonna Be" (by Tom Boles and Mark Walton) from the soundtrack of a very obscure 1986 movie called ECHO PARK (which was credited under the name "Johnette," although Jim Mankey's guitar line is immediately recognizable), but it has some other gems, like Johnette Napolitano's implish road trip anthem "100 Games of Solitaire."

[byneddiedingo]

Cary Grant and Marlene Dietrich in Blonde Venus (Josef von Sternberg, 1932) Cast: Marlene Dietrich, Herbert Marshall, Cary Grant, Dickie Moore, Gene Morgan, Rita La Roy, Robert Emmett O'Connor, Sidney Toler, Morgan Wallace, Sterling Holloway, Hattie McDaniel. Screenplay: Jules Furthman, S.K. Lauren, Josef von Sternberg. Cinematography: Bert Glennon. Art direction: Wiard Ihnen. Film editing: Josef von Sternberg, Costume design: Travis Banton. Music: W. Franke Harling, John Leipold, Paul Marquardt, Oscar Potoker. At once fascinating and perfectly ridiculous, Josef von Sternberg's Blonde Venus is a domestic melodrama with music and a bit of road movie thrown in. For most viewers it's chiefly of interest as an opportunity to see Cary Grant before the familiar "Cary Grant" persona had fully developed. He's a little rough around the edges still, slipping from an attempt at a fully American accent back into whatever his particular blend of British and American accent is, and his gift for looking faintly amused at absurd or difficult situations -- with which he's often confronted in Blond Venus -- hasn't quite emerged yet. At this stage of his career, he was little more than a useful leading man -- or second lead, in this film -- on the order of a John Lodge or a John Boles, there to show off the real star of the film, like Mae West in I'm No Angel (Wesley Ruggles, 1933) or Loretta Young in Born to Be Bad (Lowell Sherman, 1934) or Jean Harlow in Suzy (George Fitzmaurice, 1936). Or, of course, Marlene Dietrich, who is the reason Blonde Venus was made at all. Sternberg's obsession with Dietrich is on full display here as he crafts another story about a man willing to sacrifice his own love to make a woman in love with another man happy -- the role played by Adolphe Menjou in Morocco (1930) and here played by Grant, whose Nick Townsend, a rich playboy (he's identified as a "politician" in the screenplay, but we never see him either run for office or perform the duties of one), who gives up Dietrich's Helen Faraday twice: both times to let her return to her husband, Ned, played a little stodgily by Herbert Marshall. Of course, the real man in Helen's life is her son, Johnny, played by the terminally cute Dickie Moore. I like the way Sternberg both exploits and undercuts Moore's cuteness, as in the scene in which Johnny wears a hideous Halloween mask on the side of his head that's usually facing the camera. But then the whole film is full of Sternbergian tricks, such as the two amazing narrative jump cuts. The film opens with the meeting of Helen and Ned as he and some other hikers come upon her as she's swimming nude in a pond with her fellow chorus girls. She sends him away, though he discovers where she's performing before he goes. Cut from the girls splashing in the pond to Johnny splashing in a tub as Helen bathes him. Sternberg and his screenwriters omit what might have been a movie in itself: the second encounter of Helen and Ned, their courtship and marriage. Similarly, after much ado has reduced Helen to poverty and implied prostitution, there's a scene in which she gives a fellow derelict the $1500 Ned has paid her off with and goes off to, we assume, commit suicide -- or "make a hole in the water," as she has put it. Cut to a shot of an expanse of water, but then to a montage which tells us that Helen has resumed her career as a cabaret performer and has become the toast of Paris. Again, stuff that might have been almost an entire movie on its own has been (fortunately) elided. If Sternberg's tricks had been applied to a story that made more sense to start with, Blonde Venus might have been something of a classic. Instead, it's an extraordinary but often entertaining mess.

[elysian-flame]

1. "Tu baat kare ya na mujhse, Chahe aankhon ka pegaam na le"

These lines reflect unrequited love, where the person is expressing emotional vulnerability. It shows a willingness to remain connected, despite the lack of communication or acknowledgment. It’s about silently waiting for a sign, even when none is given, a common feeling in love when one seeks validation from the beloved.

2. "Par ye mat kehna are o pagle, Mujhe dekh na tu, mera naam na le"

This line conveys the pain of potential rejection. Even if the person is distant or emotionally unavailable, the lover cannot bear the thought of being forgotten. It reflects attachment and the fear of emotional abandonment. Despite the distance, there's still a longing for recognition and a place in the beloved's heart.

3. "Tujhse mera deen dharam hai, Mujhse teri khudai"

In a romantic context, this line suggests that the lover sees their entire belief system and emotional existence tied to the beloved. It reflects how romantic love can become central to one's identity, where everything revolves around the object of affection. This kind of attachment can lead to an all-encompassing view of love, where the beloved is seen as a guiding force in life.

4. "Tu bole toh ban jaaun, Main Bulleh Shah saudai"

This reflects the lover’s willingness to lose control and go to any extent for the beloved, even to the point of madness. Psychologically, it expresses the intensity of romantic obsession, where a person may become irrational in their pursuit of love. It symbolizes the extent to which someone might be willing to sacrifice their own sense of self for the other.

The story behind these lyrics filled with love

Bulleh Shah was a philosopher, who lived around 17th century India. He wanted to reform the society and end all sorts of caste hierarchies and superstitions that existed in society. He had a murshid (teacher) whom he loved. This story is about him and his teacher. And this love is not the sexual attraction you may think of. It's pure love, of a student, for his teacher.

Bulleh would often upset many influencial people like nawabs and kings. But his murshid had good relations with them, so his murshid would save him from trouble. His murshid also believed the same things he did about reforms.

One day, all friends and family of Bulleh Shah came to him. Bulleh Shah was from a rich background so ofcourse these people were also very rich. They told him that he is an upper caste person, while his murshid is a lower caste person. The fact that he lives with a lower caste person as a teacher brings shame to their family. What would the people think? Bulleh Shah was convinced, and he decided to leave his murshid.

When he was going, his murshid told him, "tu bulleya nhi, tu bhuleya hai" as in you are not bulleya (his nick name) but bhuleya (someone who is lost.

A few days later, Bulleh realises his mistake and decides to come back. But all his friends and family members are angry. They give him an ultimatum, that if he leaves, he would get absolutely no money from them. Not even inheritance. But Bulleh doesn't care. He just wants to go back to his murshid. So that was the deal he made. His murshid in exchange for all friends and family members and all the wealth. And hence the lines, "Tu bole toh ban jau main bulleh shah saudayi", if you say I shall become a dealer like bulleh shah (and deal everything in exchange for you)

But when he goes back to murshid, his murshid is not ready to forgive him. What do Bulleh Shah do now? After trying and trying and nothing happening, eventually Bulleh starts to dance publically for his murshid. This is a time when dancing publically for someone was seen as bad as prostitution, and dancers were among the lowest of classes in society.

But he doesn't only dance, he does so with transgenders. Transgenders were considered kind of untouchable back then. But he wanted to prove that he no longer believes in caste hierarchies, something he had left his murshid for.

He does so publically, and keeps doing it non stop, for 12 long hours, without a break. And even after 12 hours, his murshid finally forgives him and hence he stops, otherwise he would have continued.

Now you know the meaning of, "main bhi naachu rijhau sone yaar ko, karu na parwah bulleya" as in I shall also dance and entertain my beautiful friend, without caring about the world, just like bulleya.

Similarly the lines "Bakshe tu jo pyaar se mujhko toh ho meri rihayi" as in, if you forgive me with love only then I would become free. This makes more sense now, doesn't it?

I can't help but share it with everyone

I cried too... isn't it beautiful

I’ve been feeling this more and more lately... this desire not to hide anything, even when I’m feeling shy, even when my heart’s racing so loud I swear it echoes in the room. But the thing is, I know I feel it deep in my bones that this isn’t fear. No, there’s no fear here.

It’s something else entirely.

It’s like I’m uncovering a secret part of myself, peeling back layers I didn’t even realize I was hiding. And as I do, it feels like my heart gets lighter and lighter, as if it's about to float away like a balloon set free in the sky. Every time I share something real, something raw, my heart beats faster—wild, uncontrollable, like it’s in on the secret, like it’s daring me to go further.

I can't even describe it properly. I don't know why people call this fear. Maybe it’s because they’ve never had their heart beat in this rhythm, in this wild, beautiful chaos. Maybe they’ve never experienced the kind of love that makes you feel like you’re bursting at the seams, like you’re dancing on the edge of something magnificent.

So, to all of you yes, you I wish you the kind of love that lifts your soul from wherever it’s been, dusts it off, and places it gently beside the soul of the one you love. The kind of love that makes your heart race, not from fear, but from a joy so pure it doesn’t need to be explained.

Let your heart beat as loud as it wants. Let it sing.

-kena

[enterprisewired]

Nippon Steel’s $14.9 Billion Bid for U.S. Steel Faces Delays as Security Review Resumes

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[Source – investing.com]

U.S. Steel faces delays as security concerns prompt the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to allow Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel to refile their $14.9 billion merger application, pushing the decision timeline beyond the November 5 presidential election, according to sources familiar with the matter. The extension offers both companies a chance to address CFIUS concerns, particularly regarding national security and the steel supply chain for critical U.S. industries.

CFIUS initially raised concerns on August 31, suggesting that Nippon Steel’s acquisition of U.S. Steel could jeopardize the supply of steel necessary for key sectors such as transportation and agriculture. With the new refiling, CFIUS now has an additional 90 days to thoroughly review the potential impact of the merger.

Political and Industry Reactions

The merger has become a politically charged issue, with both presidential candidates weighing in. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, has publicly expressed her desire for U.S. Steel to remain “American owned and operated,” echoing the position of President Joe Biden. Meanwhile, Donald Trump, Harris’ Republican rival, has pledged to block the deal if elected, citing concerns over U.S. steel production and jobs.

Legal experts, such as CFIUS attorney Nick Klein, note that pushing the decision past the November election reduces immediate political pressures but does not ensure approval. David Boling, a former U.S. trade official, emphasized that the deal still faces obstacles beyond the CFIUS review, including securing an agreement with the United Steelworkers Union, which opposes the merger due to national security concerns.

Union and Global Concerns

U.S. Steel faces delays as security concerns are raised by the United Steelworkers Union, which strongly opposes the deal, citing risks to both the steel supply chain and national security. The union reiterated its stance on Tuesday, stating that Nippon Steel’s acquisition would lead to a reduction in domestic production capacity and make the U.S. more vulnerable to global competition, particularly from China.

Meanwhile, Japan, a key U.S. ally, is closely monitoring the situation. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroshi Moriya underscored the importance of strengthening economic relations between the two countries, including increasing mutual investments like Nippon Steel’s bid.

Steel Supply Chain and Economic Implications

EU clears Nippon steel’s $14.9 billion bid for US Steel

U.S. Steel faces delays as security concerns were highlighted in CFIUS’ initial letter to the companies, noting that Nippon Steel’s acquisition could harm the U.S. steel supply chain and reduce U.S. Steel’s likelihood of pursuing tariffs on foreign steel imports, potentially impacting American industries reliant on steel. Nippon Steel, however, responded with assurances that the merger would bolster U.S. Steel’s domestic operations, pledging billions of dollars in investment and promising not to transfer production or jobs outside the United States.

As the 90-day review continues, the final decision could come in December, with options ranging from CFIUS approving the deal with conditions to mitigate national security risks, to recommending that the president block the transaction altogether.

[ulkaralakbarova]

A hard-nosed cop reluctantly teams up with a wise-cracking criminal temporarily paroled to him, in order to track down a killer. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Jack Cates: Nick Nolte Reggie Hammond: Eddie Murphy Elaine: Annette O’Toole Haden: Frank McRae Albert Ganz: James Remar Luther: David Patrick Kelly Billy Bear: Sonny Landham Ben Kehoe: Brion James Rosalie, Hostage Girl: Kerry Sherman Algren: Jonathan Banks Vanzant: James Keane Frizzy, Hotel Desk Clerk: Tara King Lisa, Blonde Hooker: Greta Blackburn Casey: Margot Rose Sally: Denise Crosby Candy: Olivia Brown Young Cop: Todd Allen Thin Cop: Bill Dearth Big Cop: Ned Dowd Old Cop: Jim Haynie Detective: Jack Thibeau Plainclothes Man: Jon St. Elwood Ruth: Clare Torao Policewoman: Sandy Martin Bob: Matt Landers Cowboy Bartender: Peter Jason First Cop: Bill Cross Second Cop: Chris Mulkey Parking Lot Attendant: Marcelino Sánchez Road Gang Guard: Bennie E. Dobbins Road Gang Guard: Walter Scott Road Gang Guard: W.T. Zacha Prison Guard: Loyd Catlett Prison Guard: B. G. Fisher Prison Guard: Reid Cruickshanks Duty Sergeant: R. D. Call Hooker: Brenda Venus Hooker: Gloria Gifford Torchy’s Patron: Nick Dimitri Torchy’s Patron: John Dennis Johnston Torchy’s Patron: Rock A. Walker Gas Station Attendant: Dave Moordigian Security Guard: J. Wesley Huston Cop with Gun: Gary Pettinger Bar Girl: Marquerita Wallace Bar Girl: Angela Robinson Witherspoon Bartender: Jack Lightsy Henry Wong: John Hauk Interrogator: Bob Yanez Leroy: Clint Smith Gang Member: Luis Contreras Cowgirl Dancer: Suzanne M. Regard Vroman’s Dancer: Ola Ray Vroman’s Dancer: Bjaye Turner Indian Hooker: Begonya Plaza Film Crew: Original Music Composer: James Horner Producer: Lawrence Gordon Editor: Freeman A. Davies Production Design: John Vallone Director of Photography: Ric Waite Editor: Mark Warner Writer: Walter Hill Casting: Judith Holstra Editor: Billy Weber Producer: Joel Silver Sound Editor: John Dunn Sound Editor: Tim Mangini Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Donald O. Mitchell Costume Design: Marilyn Vance Sound Editor: Teri E. Dorman Supervising Sound Effects Editor: Richard L. Anderson Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Rick Kline Executive Producer: D. Constantine Conte Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Gregg Landaker Makeup Artist: Edouard F. Henriques Makeup Artist: Michael Germain Supervising Sound Effects Editor: Stephen Hunter Flick ADR Editor: Mark A. Mangini Stunt Double: Terry Leonard Stunts: Nick Dimitri Writer: Roger Spottiswoode Writer: Larry Gross Writer: Steven E. de Souza Set Decoration: Richard C. Goddard Hairstylist: Dagmar Loesch Stunt Double: Vince Deadrick Jr. Stunts: Tony Brubaker Special Effects: Joseph P. Mercurio Stunts: Bruce Paul Barbour Stunts: Larry Holt Stunt Double: John Sherrod Stunts: Jerry Brutsche Stunts: Billy C. Chandler Stunt Driver: Conrad E. Palmisano Stunt Coordinator: Bennie E. Dobbins Gaffer: Carl Boles Stunts: Walter Scott Movie Reviews: John Chard: You switch from an armed robber to a pimp, you’re all set. A hard as nails cop reluctantly teams up with a wise-cracking criminal temporarily paroled to him, in order to track down an escaped convict cop killer. The mismatched buddy buddy formula exploded onto the screen here in a ball of violence, profanity and pin sharp one liners. It also launched Eddie Murphy into 1980s stardom. Directed by Walter Hill and starring Nick Nolte alongside Murphy as part of an electrifying black and white double act, it’s unrelenting in pace and bad attitude. It could have been so different though, with the likes of Stallone, Reynolds, Pryor and Hines attached at various times for lead parts, it now is written in folklore that Murphy got the break and grasped it with both hands (he was actually fired at one point mind!). Thankfully the problems behind the scenes were resolved to give us a classic of its type. A big success for Paramount it paved the way for more choice same formula pictures in the decade, but few were able to be so course and daring with the racial divide explosions. Murphy is outstanding, quick as an A.K. 47 in vocal d...

[politiciansandanimals]

Nick Boles with his Daemon Lily.

[dappercyborg]

BILL CASH: I've not seen the Bill

NICK BOLES: it's been on Twitter since yesterday, not our fault you didn’t do the homework that was set

speaker: I don’t need to comment further

(Basically)

[thrusticus]

[votenet-blog]

Tory grassroots turns on Nick Boles after resignation

Tory grassroots turns on Nick Boles after resignation

Author: Ben Quinn / Source: the Guardian

Tory voters in Grantham deny their local party has been the subject of a ‘Ukip takeover’. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

Strolling past the green where the market town of Grantham is soon to erect a statue of its most famous daughter, William Hemstell admitted to having mixed feelings about the news that the local MP Nick Boles was quitting…

[god-i-hate-shmakespear]

hello there!! i have been busy latley with starting a new job, but my search for something rotten servers was fruitless (maybe becasue i didn’t look hard enough who knows)

but it did make my friends and i to create a something rotten discord ourselves!!

so, if you love something rotten and want to hear more about my takes on it, or just hang out and talk about this amazing show, or even just looking for more spaces to ramble about your incorrect quotes. please do not hezitate to join us!

https://discord.gg/C49ezrX

[rrrusskaya]

Versace Spring - Summer 2018, photoghraphed by Nick DeLieto.

Models: Vittoria Ceretti, Rianne van Rompaey, Lexi Boling & Binx Walton.

[wetgaysocks]

If you and the boy had a 5 person pass list (5 people you can sleep with, no questions or repercussions) who would make it onto your lists?

my list is

Scott Morton

Nick Topel

Chase Stobbe

Jörg Nink

Sam Cushing

from the selection I gave him (he didn't have any inspiration)

Scott Morton

Jörg Nink

Sam Cushing

The boling twins (basically the same person anyway)

Nick Topel

[bush-viper-cutie]

“Easter Holiday Break” || YEAR 3 – Ch.31 (HP au)

                              Chapter List

<-- Last Chapter                          Next Chapter -->

Day posted: 11/10/2020

Word count: 3, 260

Relationship: EVENTUAL severus X oc (slow burn)

Rating: E for everyone

Warnings: none

-----

A/N: This is my first fan fic I’m writing mainly as a way to practice. This is a retelling of the hp books with an inserted character. Although most every character will be written about, this is mostly for the pro snape fandom. Please do not fear, although this is a severus x oc story, it is an incredibly slow burn as I do not intend for them to get together at all until after the final book events. Chapters will be posted twice a week.

This derivative work follows the events of the Harry Potter books by Jk Rowling and is intended as a fun way to practice my writing. Thank you for reading :D

-----

~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~

Heather was deep asleep early morning when her whole bed started shaking violently. Someone was banging on the girl’s dormitory door yelling her name. She sat up and groaned, remembering what Draco had said the night before. She leapt out of bed and dug in her trunk for her Quidditch uniform, hugging everything to her chest ready to run to the bathroom when she saw her stolen library books had become dislodged and fallen to the floor.

She picked them up quickly and shoved them in her trunk, locking it closed. No one else was awake, the violently shaking bed hardly made nose thumping around in its spot, and so she figured it was safe to continue getting dressed. Ten minutes later she was out in the common room with half the team waiting with Marcus as everyone else slowly came out.

“Hurry up! This is practice time you’re cutting into!” Marcus yelled into the boy’s dormitories and slammed the door.

Heather had never seen him so unraveled. He was pacing the common room, shoving furniture and pillows out of his way as his pacing circle widened. Finally, Draco and the Keeper, Miles Bletchley, came out with messy hair and half-lidded eyes, ready to leave.

They walked down to the Quidditch pitch and Heather and Draco broke off from the rest to get their brooms out of the shed. By the time they walked in, Marcus, the Keeper, and the two beaters were doing pull ups on their brooms which stayed suspended in the air, unmoving, as they raised themselves.

“What is this?” Draco motioned at the sweaty faces of Peregrine Derrick and Lucian Bole. “I’m a Seeker. I don’t need to do this, do I?”

Marcus jumped down from his perfect pull up and pointed at the empty spot next to him. “Both of you.”

“B-b-but – ”

Heather groaned and pulled a stuttering Draco along beside her. She placed her broom on the ground and held up her hand. “Up.” The broom lifted, following the motion of her hand and let her guide it up above her head until her outstretched arm could no longer guide it and it froze in place. She jumped and grabbed onto the broom, dangling from it and looked over at Draco who had done the same.

“One.” She nodded at Draco and together they heaved up. She closed her eyes and groaned, willing her tired arms to pull her up as high as they could. She felt the top of her head hit her broom and opened her eyes. “Just a bit more!” she whispered, trying to get her chin over the handle. Her arms shook and she glanced over at Draco, who was still dangling, arms fully extended, with a face as red as a tomato. She dropped down and covered her smile so Draco wouldn’t see in case he ever stopped squeezing his eyes so hard.

The cold blue morning turned warmer and pink as the sun started to rise just beyond the trees. Her arms were pounding and sore and her uniform was already soaked with sweat when Marcus started drills. They hopped on their brooms and practiced double the amounts they normally did. They went through play after play and every possible situation they could get into.

Heather was rolling, flipping, twirling, and diving all over the place until Marcus was assured she wouldn’t mess up any moves with the Quaffle under her arm. Peregrine and Lucian, whose drills normally consisted of aiming the Bludgers at apples and oranges that Marcus got from the kitchens, was now them aiming the Bludgers at each other and occasionally at Heather and Graham.

After Marcus blew the whistle, Heather touched down hard on the ground and fell off her broom landing on the wet grass like a dead fly swatted out of the sky. She couldn’t move, she couldn’t even feel her arms. At one point her braids had gone loose, probably during the diving roll where she dodged Lucian’s Bludger and almost lost her head and joined Nearly Headless nick.

“Careful!” She screamed as Draco fell down beside her and almost smacked her head with his broom.

“If it weren’t for your brother, we’d still be asleep!” He winced and groaned as he sat up. “You should have taken the broom and thrown it into the fire.” His hair dangled over his eyes as he glared at her. Whatever slicking gel he used for his hair had come off completely with his sweat.

“Practice tonight after Gryffindor’s. After dinner meet in the locker room and DON’T be late.” Marcus looked at everyone, making sure they all heard, and headed out.

Heather sat up now that she could feel her arms again and stretched as best she could. “So how’re you going to even up with Harry? The drills you were doing only help you fly steady and cut corners faster… You have to anticipate where he goes – ”

“Flint and I have it under control.” Draco pushed his hair back and looked up at Peregrine who had made his way over.

“I heard McGonagall suspended one of her Prefects from competing in the National Gobstone Championship last year for getting into a fight over what color the nose plugs should be.” Peregrine stared at Draco and raised his brow. “It’d be a shame if… Potter ended up not playing this match.”

“A real shame.” A wicked grin spread across Draco’s face. He turned to her and raised his brow. “Wouldn’t it, Potter?”

Heather looked at Peregrine to Draco and nodded reluctantly. She stood and left the Quidditch pitch, put away her broom and headed to breakfast. Her spoon shook, spilling half its contents of milk and granola oats before reaching her mouth. It took twice as long to eat and by the time she was done, Harry, Ron, and for a brief second Hermione, had arrived for breakfast.

“We’ll be at the Library,” Ron told her as she left the great hall.

She peeled off her uniform and threw it in her dorm room’s assigned hamper and took as fast a shower as possible, remembering all the essays they had been assigned over Easter break. She had one from Divination, one from Care of Magical creatures – about dragons even though all term they’d only been caring for Salamanders; two half ones from Herbology about two different sentient carnivorous plants, one long one from Transfigurations with tie-ins to Charms – Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick had decided to team up to ruin their break this time; three four-inch ones from History of Magic about the three most controversial laws the Ministry had threatened to pass should the Puddlemere United Quidditch team not change their colors from moss green to mud brown in the late eighteen-hundreds, and one from Potions. The only teacher who hadn’t assigned anything was Professor Lupin.

She should be glad that she didn’t have an essay on cursed socks or hexed pet collars to complete on top of all the other assignments, but now that she had decided Defense Against the Dark Arts was her favorite class and that Professor Lupin was her new favorite teacher, she really wished he’d give out more work than just ‘read the next chapter if you’d like’. How could she improve if all that was normally required was reading ahead and writing short essays on creatures they should be learning about in Care of Magical Creatures?

She picked up her bag and headed down the main corridor towards the library when Neville came running down at full speed towards her.

“It’s happening!” he yelled, his arms flailing behind him as he pointed and ran. “H-hurry!”

“Already? But it’s only been two months!” Heather stopped Neville in his tracks by bracing herself as best she could for Neville to knock into her. She caught his shoulders and steadied him.

“Thanks. I thought I’d keep running until I tripped or something.” Neville’s eyes brightened and he pulled out a green leaf that was slowly turning purple in his hands. “Professor Sprout says it must have been a good batch!”

“Let’s go!” Heather took Neville arm and forced him back into a run towards the third green house.

As they ran they were joined by five other students of different years who had all also heard the great news. Two months ago Professor Sprout had let several eager students help plant several chilled seeds of various living death plants from the same family. They didn’t know which seeds they had gotten to plant, but Heather guessed she had gotten the Freezing Shudder plant by the feint spidery grey veins it had. If she guessed correctly, she’d earn five more points for Slytherin, putting them one-hundred and sixty points in the lead above Gryffindors for the House Cup.

They arrived at the green house and entered to see ten different large plants ready to bloom all lined up against the windows. At the center, sitting at the tables, were twenty or so other students. She stopped Neville from sitting at the first table and pulled him along to the last where Fred and George sat whispering to themselves.

“Why are you two here?” Heather sat across from them, suspicious and amused.

Fred and George smiled at her and crossed their arms.

“We like Herbology like everyone else here.” Fred poked at the table with his finger several times, “and you can’t prove otherwise.”

George leaned in. “And we especially love that plant right there.”

Heather turned to see the one she had planted. “The Frozen Shudder?”

It had the shortest of all the stems but the thickest by a good one or two inches. The green was slowly draining from its leaves and trunk-y stem as it died, replaced by a dark velvety purple. The buds on the very top looked swollen and ready to explode with all the other buds, like a balloon stretched to the max.

“Yeah. And you’re not the only one with a charmed pot.” George wiggled his eyebrows. “Hermione told us.”

Neville turned to her surprised. “Oh! What d’you have growing! Which charms does it have? I tried making one myself with an old pot from home, but everything I plant in it catches fire or grows a single grape.”

“I haven’t grown anything yet,” she lied. “I’m waiting for something good. What’s the point in growing grass or squirting Astrophytum Asterias if it’d be just as easy in a normal pot?” She avoided looking at Fred and George who were holding back smiles as Neville nodded.

Fred mouthed ‘for shame’ at her. “What a marvelous point you have. Which is why we’re going to grow our very own Frozen Shudder.”

Heather tilted her head at them. She was curious as to why they wanted it. It isn’t deadly, it’s most common as a show plant for winning ribbons and medals, and it wasn’t used for any potions she knew of. In fact, to use it at all, a saw is needed to cut off any part of the stem which is completely frozen.

“Oh my! So many here. Alright, I have the list here of everyone’s guesses. I hope you’re all ready – and cover your eyes when it happens!” Professor Sprout shut the green house door and took her seat, taking out a ceramic plate from under her desk and held it up like a shield.

Almost on cue, a feint whistling noise started from all the buds. They harmonized for about a minute, and just as everyone eagerly looked around at the plants, the buds exploded thick juicy petals, pelting everyone in the face and back. Everyone cheered as the last petals fell off the plants and Fred and George dove under the table to collect as many Freezing Shudder petals as they could. Heather looked down at them as they stuffed them into their robe pockets and took a few extra petals at random.

“There’s nothing to be worried about technically, but I am.” Neville looked around the room again as if double checking that the only plants to have exploded were only the non-deadly ones. “I mean its Fred and George isn’t it?”

Heather laughed and shrugged.

“Well. That seems to be the last of them.” Professor Sprout went by checking the plants and awarded five points to Slytherin for Heather’s correct guess and almost forty to Hufflepuff for all of their correct guesses as well.

Professor Sprout made everyone leave so she could clean up and Heather walked back to the castle with Neville, Fred, and George. Neville guessed why they’d want to grow Frozen Shudders the whole way but he either never guessed correctly or they refused to let them in on it.

Heather yawned as she pulled the library door open and quickly found Harry and Ron at a table in the back talking to a large pile of books. She approached and sat down. “Hello Hermione, how’s the studying?”

“Will everyone PLEASE stop distracting me?”

Ron shook his head. “She’s been like this since we got here. Harry, help me make another pile of books over here, they might be friendlier than this one.”

Heather laughed and took out all her sheets of parchment and her potions book. She stared at it and frowned, shoving it back in her bag and took out her transfigurations and charms ones.

“Oh can we copy!” Ron shuffled his papers around and flattened out his started essay with one sentence on it. He had his quill ready to write as he leaned over to see what she’d already written.

“I HOPE you’re joking, Ron.”

Harry rolled his eyes and moved Heather’s started essay for him and Ron to read.

“I’m not hearing a yes.”

Ron groaned. “Oh quiet, ‘Ancient Runes Made Easy’. And tell ‘Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles’ to mind her own business.”

“Humph.”

Heather wiped the smile off her face with the back of her wrist and turned to Harry. “You have practice today, don’t you? You should tell Wood that Derrick and Malfoy are planning to get you kicked off Quidditch.”

“Kicked off?”

“At least for just this match.”

Harry looked to Ron amused. “And how would they?”

“McGonagall would sooner set fire to her office than kick Harry off and lose the Quidditch Cup.” Ron leaned in. “I think she’ll lose her mind this year. Heard Snape mention it’d be seven years of winning and she almost hexed his pants off. He burst out of the staff room with singed robes.”

Heather snorted. “Well then, when we win I hope she does.” There was a pang of uneasiness in her chest but she ignored it. It was weird to hear that kind of talk come from her own lips and not Harry’s. It made it worse that Ron and Harry were looking at her slightly shocked. “Anyways. They think she’ll kick you out if they can get you in a fight. She let the Gobstone club lose their best player over a dumb fight.”

“Yeah but… That’s Gobstones…” Harry drummed his fingers and shrugged. “No one cares about Gobstones.”

Ron nodded. “Not even McGonagall. So you’ll be fine. I’ll be your second and there’s no way you’ll lose whatever fight – ”

Hermione stood over her stack of books and glared down at Ron. “Ronald! The point is for Harry NOT to get into a fight. Not to win it! Harry if you lose to Slytherin I’ll – I’ll – I don’t know WHAT I’ll do! I’ll get expelled for hexing Malfoy’s stupid face so DON’T get in a fight!”

“Alright!” Harry put up his hands. “I never said I would. Can we all go back to studying and not talk about how at any moment between now and the match I could get cornered by a pack of giant Slytherins?”

They all nodded and Hermione sat back down behind her books. They studied and wrote all day – although Ron and Harry left several times to use the ‘bathroom’ and they always came back half an hour later with smeared chocolate on their lips – and ate lunch in the courtyard on a stone bench just to breath in fresh air.

“How’s Hermione doing it? She hasn’t eaten all day since breakfast.” Harry motioned at the empty seat next to them. “I’d be starving but she says she’ll keep this up all break.”

“Maybe I should bring her a muffin or something. If she passes out and messes up her schedule, we’ll never hear the end of it.” Ron stood and left in the direction of the great hall.

Harry pinched off muffin crumbs and popped them into his mouth. “What would you do… If Sirius Black was knocked out on the ground in front of you? Wandless.”

What would she do? She’d tell a teacher of course… But that wasn’t really Harry’s question. “I wouldn’t kill him… If that’s what you’re wondering. He deserves to go back to prison. A more suitable prison for him. One that won’t lose their most dangerous prisoner.”

Harry nodded.

She looked at him, staring at his muffin, and wondered what Harry would do. He’d say he’d kill him… and she wasn’t so sure he wouldn’t.

“He betrayed them,” Harry whispered. “He took them from us. He took our lives from us. We could have lived as wizards. Already known… EVERYTHING. We wouldn’t be staring at our friends dumbly every time they say something we didn’t already know.”

She thought about what it would have been like to live in a village like Hogsmeade somewhere. Already immersed in wizard culture and learning about muggles from their mother… She felt a hole rip open in her heart and fill with sadness. She wasn’t hungry anymore, and yet she felt starved.

“I’d make him pay.” Harry finished his muffin and stood.

Heather nodded and stood with him, punching his shoulder lightly. “And like always, I’ll stop you from doing something stupid.”

They headed back into the library and after several more hours – and at least three finished essays later – Harry left for his Quidditch practice. Ron had copied several of Hermione’s essays that she kept stacking on top of her pile of books and Ron kept sneaking and by the time it was dinner, Ron had finished two more essays.

Heather sat with her team and ate a roasted chicken leg, mashed peas, a bowl of potato soup, and left early to nap in her dorm until it was time for Quidditch practice again. She met everyone by the lockers and noticed Draco whispering to Peregrine. Marcus didn’t make them do anymore pull ups but they had to sit for at least an hour and listen to Marcus go over strategies again – which revolved around brute strength for Peregrine, Lucian, and Graham, and borderline cheating-but-not-quite from Heather and Draco. Miles Bletchley’s younger brother was there too, who had agreed to help signal Draco if he spotted the Snitch since it wasn’t cheating for the crowd to yell if they saw it before the players.

After practice, Heather dragged her feet down to the girl’s bathrooms and got ready for bed, throwing her uniform in the hamper again and didn’t bother showering. In the common room she had seen Marcus get all of Slytherin’s attention about something but she didn’t have the energy to stay and listen. She fell into bed and closed her eyes, ready to open them up soon to start the day practically all over again until Easter break ended.

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