#best places to visit in june 2024

[3nn-express]

Best Places to Travel in June 2024.

Best Places to Travel in June 2024: With the coming of summer and its longer days, tourists have an abundance of options to choose from when choosing their June destination. There are many great destinations to visit this month, whether you want to take part in an exciting event, celebrate Dad on Father’s Day, or just take a long weekend away from the daily grind.

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[multifandomgirl08]

Mini Verstappen Series Masterlist

Paring: Single Dad!Max Verstappen x Fem!Reader

At the end of 2020, Max Verstappen gets the surprise of his life when he finds out that his ex-girlfriend had given birth to a son, his son. A year and a half later Max's longtime girlfriend of 8 months finds out about his son Nico.

This is an ongoing series. I'm always adding to it. The masterlist changes often.

I do take requests for this. If there is anything that you want to see happen in this series just message me in my ask box. All of my normal request rules apply.

Reader Face Claim: Hande Erçel

Total Published Word Count: 63,217 Words

Disclaimer: This work below is fictionalized ideas and stories involving real people but does not directly reflect their thoughts, feelings, or behaviors. Please keep in mind that this is a work of fiction, so enjoy it as such.

𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑂𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑟

0.0. Prologue - [December 2020]

Max finds out that he has a son. And it changes his world.

0.1. Be Something You'll Love and Understand [December 2020] Outtakes

He knew that he should have called his mom yesterday but he was still wrapping his head around the idea of being a father.

0.5. The Moment You Smiled At Me - [November 2021]

The evening that started it all for Max and Reader.

1. Mini Verstappen - [July 2022]

You get a small surprise the first time you visit Max’s apartment.

1.5. Girlfriend? - [October 2022] Request

You meet Nico.

1.8. Caught - [June 4, 2023] 18+ Outtakes

Lando swears he knocked before walking into Max's hotel room, maybe he should have yelled before opening the door.

2. Change - [November 26, 2023 + January 2, 2024]

It’s the end of the F1 season. Some things are changing for the Verstappen's.

SMAU #1. The Secrets Out - [December 31, 2023 - January 1, 2024]

It’s the start of a new year. You and Max decide to tell the world about Nico.

3. A Lioness Protects Her Cub - [May 5 - 9, 16, 23, 2024] Request

Reporters are vultures and Max picks out a ring.

4. Day At The Karting Track - [June 15, 2024]

Nico starts karting. It opens a small can of worms.

4.5 The Engagement - [August 15 - 16, 2024]

He moved his hand over yours, moving the engagement ring that he placed on your finger, side to side.

SMAU #2. Through Max's Eyes - [March 8, July 30 - August 15, 2024]

Max’s Instagram posts about Y/N, and a small life update from the couple.

5. Something Bad, Something Good - [August 17 - 19, 2024] Request

Reader deals with the haters on Twitter, Nico calls Reader Mama. Max claps back at the haters on Instagram like the malewife that he strives to be.

5.5 Time to Move? - [August 25, September 15, 2024]

When Max had brought up moving, it was because the lease on his apartment was going to be up at the end of the year. Maybe it was time to find a new place for all of you.

6. Race Day - [October 20, 2024] Request

Nico tags along with Max during a race day in Monza, well as much as he can.

6.1 Wedding Headcanon - [February 2, 2025]

Headcanons from Max and the Reader's wedding. Social Media posts from their honeymoon.

6.5. Give and Take (Kind of Love We Make) - [February 28, 2025] 18+ Request (The Morning After)

Max had a plan in his head for the evening. He had mapped out the track before, and intended to keep to his strategy until they got home.

6.7. To Constantly Be Away - [March 10, 2025]

Second race of the season and Max is already having a tough time with the car. Missing his family only makes it worse.

7. From Three to Four - [April 4, 2025]

Reader tells Max that your expecting, he doesn't have the best reaction at first.

8. Stones To Throw At My Creator - [July 2025]

He wasn't his father. He would never raise Nico like that.

SMAU #3. The Verstappens - [January 8, February 2, May 26, December 3, 2025]

Big things happen to Max and the reader in 2025. Moving, getting married, and a little surprise that neither of them were expecting.

8.7 Give Me Eyes To See - [December 7, 2025]

Nikita's first few days at home. Flashbacks to moments from the reader's pregnancy.

8.8 Nikita's First Christmas - [December 24-25, 2025]

Nico's first Christmas with his baby brother.

8.9 Ghost of Bittersweet Memories - [January 25, 2026]

A few of the drivers visit you and Max for the day, and you end up talking with Charles about a woman that he meets at an FIA event. (This is the conversation I referenced in Part 2 of Bittersweet.)

9. Glass Houses - [February 17, 22, 23, 2026]

When Raymond had called you about going and getting lunch, you should have known that something was going on.

9.5. All That I Can Give - [May 10, 2026]

Another Mother's Day and one of Nikita's firsts.

9.7. On Sleepless Roads, The Sleepless Go - [December 2-3, 2026]

It's the early hours of Nikita's first birthday, and you can't help but look back at the day you brought your son into the world.

SMAU #4. A Year in Moments - [February 10, May 28, August 2 & 27, October 21 & 31, 2026]

10. Redline - [May 25, 2027]

"I'm sorry, mijn leeuwin. I know you were excited to announce it to everyone."

10.5. Mommy and Me - [May 31 - June 6, 2027] Request

Late one evening after dinner Y/N brought up the idea to Max for her to take Nico out for the day.

11. X3 - [July 8-9, 2027]

“Hallo, kleine welp,” Max said.

11.5. She's Not Acid Nor Alkaline - [December 2027]

Max and Reader have a night away from the kids in Santorini for the 2027 FIA Prize Giving Gala.

SMAU #5. Welcoming Another Verstappen - [2027]

12. Hey, Little Sister - [March 27 - November 20, 2028]

SMAU #6. - [2028]

13. The End of An Era - [November 2030]

The days leading up to Max retiring from Formula 1. The Article announcing his retirement. And the last race of his F1 career.

14. Right On Track - [2036]

Checking in with the Verstsppens in 2036.

15. Letters From The Past - [November 17, 2038]

Max and Reader sit down to read the letters that Amelia (Nico's birth mom) wrote.

𝐸 𝒳 𝒯 𝑅 𝒜 𝒮

Pinterest Board

Playlist

Paring Evolution

Timeline

Dividers made by @cafekitsune | Banner made by me

Mini Verstappen taglist: @karmabyfernando, @barcagirly, @sachaa-ff, @iamahallucinationnn, @musingsbyshreya, @glow-ish, @nonsensical-nonsence, @fanboyluvr, @champomiel, @gothicwidowsworld, @lighttsoutlewis, @itsalwaysgay, @minkyungseokie, @mynameisangeloflife, @ursforever129, @aundercover, @bborra, @mindless-rock, @cixrosie, @barcelonaloverf1life, @taylorslovesswifties13, @konsti081, @mellowarcadefun, @smnthnclj, @brekkers-whore, @lpab, @thedecalcomania-blog, @xoscar03, @em-gvf01, @haikyuen, @shelbyteller , @geniusalpaca, @princessria127 , @mysticalnightenthusiast , @green-thots , @leah-also-known-as-creatoronwp

[felassan]

Game Informer:

"Cover Reveal – Dragon Age: The Veilguard by Wesley LeBlanc on Jun 09, 2024 at 02:00 PM This month, Dragon Age: The Veilguard (you read that right – Dreadwolf is no more) graces the cover of Game Informer. After years developing Baldur's Gate and its sequel early in its history, BioWare struck out to create its own fantasy RPG. That series began with Dragon Age: Origins in 2009. It was followed up with Dragon Age II in 2011, and then Dragon Age: Inquisition in 2014. While the Dragon Age series' history has its ups and downs, fans have been patiently waiting for BioWare to return to the franchise, and 2024 is finally the year.  We visited BioWare's Edmonton, Canada, office for an exclusive look at Dragon Age: The Veilguard, including a look at its character creator, its prologue and opening missions, and more. We also spoke to many of the game's leads about the name change, the series' shift to real-time action combat, the various companions (and the relationships you can forge with them), and The Veilguard's hub location. You can learn about the titular Veilguard, Solas' role in the game, and so much more in our 12-page cover story for Dragon Age: The Veilguard."

"But there are plenty of other excellent reads within this issue of Game Informer! Some of us flew to Los Angeles, California, to attend Summer Game Fest and the not-E3 weekend's various other events to check out new games, interview developers, and more. Our previews section is jam-packed with new details about upcoming releases we can't wait for.  Brian Shea flew to Warsaw, Poland, to check out two upcoming releases – Frostpunk 2 and The Alters – and he came away excited about both. Jon Woodey went hands-on with Final Fantasy XIV's upcoming Dawntrail expansion (and spoke to director Naoki Yoshida, too), and as someone with 8,000 hours in the game, his words are the ones you'll want to read.  On the freelance front, Charlie Wacholz writes about how last year's Dave The Diver is one of the best game representations of the rewards and struggles of working in the food and beverage industry, and Grant Stoner spoke with Sony and Microsoft about the development of process and history of the companies' Adaptive and Access controllers. And for a lil' terror this summer, Ashley Bardhan spoke to several horror game developers about why the alluring town known as Silent Hill is a crucial location to Konami's horror masterpiece.  As always, you'll find an editor's note from editor-in-chief Matt Miller, reviews from various freelancers and staff editors, a Top 5 list (hint hint: dragons), and more. Here's a closer look at the cover:"

"Not a print subscriber yet but want this issue? Well, you're in luck! Subscribing today – or within the next few days – will net you a print copy of this issue! You can join the ranks of the Game Informer print subscribers through our new standalone print subscription! Just head here to sign up for either one or two years at a fraction of the cost of buying the issues individually! You can even gift a print subscription to your favorite gamer! SUBSCRIBE TO THE PRINT MAGAZINE You can also try to nab a Game Informer Gold version of the issue. Limited to a numbered print run per issue, this premium version of Game Informer isn't available for sale. To learn about places where you might be able to get a copy, check out our official Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, BlueSky, and Threads accounts and stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks. Click here to read more about Game Informer Gold. Print subscribers can expect their issues to arrive in the coming weeks. The digital edition launches June 18 for PC/Mac, iOS, and Google Play. Individual print copies will be available for purchase in the coming weeks at GameStop."

[source] <- they explain at the link how to read this issue.

aaah they have had a look at the character creator!!! I can't wait for this coverage.

[allwaswell16]

All the One Direction fics I read and enjoyed in June 2024. You can listen to my podcast to hear me talk about each of these fics as well as an overview of what was posted on ao3 including the fics on this month’s fic roundup [ @1dmonthlyficroundup ] which you can find here! Please let the writers know if you liked the fics by leaving kudos and comments! Happy reading!

Fanfictional Podcast #63 |  ko-fi | fic recs

- Louis/Harry -

💜 Eight Cakes and Two Eulogies (Make a Happy Marriage) by yesllliam

(M, 135k, friends to lovers) The only problem is, after his last disastrous relationship, seven years ago, he has little desire to get intimate with another woman, let alone marry one. Of course, Harry, his famous actor of a best friend, always likes to pip in that he is free to marry him and while Louis loves him to pieces, the joke is getting a bit old now.

💜 I'm Praying (that you don't burn out or fade away) by @lululawrence

(NR, 74k, soulmates) Harry and Louis are literal stars who have known they were soulmates from their creation eons ago, however when Louis came to Earth to start the next phase of their fated future, he forgot everything. Even Harry.

💜 Scarred by @allwaswell16

(E, 23k, omegaverse) When Harry inadvertently rejects him as his soulmate, Harry has no idea he's doomed Louis to a slow, painful death. Pride doesn't keep Louis from telling Harry the truth. But love does.

💜 Lost But Won by @2tiedships2

(NR, 16k, omegaverse) When Harry loses his passport after a weekend trip to see Niall, the inconvenience of being stranded in America becomes a little more bearable after meeting Louis. Or a lot more bearable.

💜 Safe place to hide us away by @lunarheslwt

(T, 12k, omegaverse) weighed down by everyday stress, alpha Harry takes up nesting in secret. It takes a load of missing clothes and unravelling lies for him to realise that his omega would love and accept him no matter what.

💜 Beep the Horn by kikikryslee / @flamboyantommo

(T, 6k, love confessions) the one where Harry dresses as Miley Cyrus for Halloween, and Louis is the tiniest bit in love with him.

💜 Take My Hand, Dumbass by LadyLondonderry / @londonfoginacup

(G, 5k, roommates) There's only alpha dorms at university, and Louis Tomlinson, omega, refuses to pay the exorbitant fees to live off campus. So, four years pretending to be an alpha it is! That'll be easy.

💜 Missed Chances by @harryanthus-annuus

(E, 5k, omegaverse) they get drunk on some expensive wine. Things escalate from there.

💜 Puppy (Baby, I'm Pawfect for You) by @yoursolosong

(E, 5k, roommates) The one where they rescue a stray puppy together.

💜 Louis and the no good, very bad day by @haztobegood

(E, 4k, soulmates) Louis collapses back into the bed with a groan. Just when he thought his day couldn’t get any worse, there’s a fucking goose stuck on his balcony.

💜 Switching the positions for you by 28sunflowers / @vintageumbroshirt

(E, 4k, omega Louis) the omegaverse AU where they decide to try a completely new position in bed

💜 Come On and Rescue Me by @kingsofeverything

(E, 3k, silver fox Louis) Louis only intends to watch his hot neighbor’s Instagram live, but he winds up with his hand down his pants.

💜 Timeless by babyhoneyhslt / @babyhoneyheslt

(G, 3k, omegaverse) After visiting an antiques shop, Harry gets transported through time, and discovers that he and Louis are Timeless.

💜 I'll Still Feel the Same Around You by @crinkle-eyed-boo

(E, 2k, established relationship) Louis finds the cure for his insomnia in the form of his husband.

💜 call me any, anytime by @disgruntledkittenface

(E, 2k, girl direction) Harry’s plans for the night are interrupted by an unexpected FaceTime call.

💜 Feelin' So Good Right Now by YesIsAWorld / @louandhazaf

(E, 1k, Vampire Diaries au) Louis, a just-turned vampire, enjoys his enhanced touch sensation.

💜 Remember Me (When I'm With You) by liberty_barnes / @liberty-barnes

(T, 1k, memory loss) the one where Louis was cast out and Harry just wants him to be happy

💜 cause you're a sky full of stars by @femstyles

(G, 1k, uni) A film student on campus randomly stops Harry and asks him to participate in her assignment. Little does he know that agreeing also means putting his heart on the line.

💜 Don’t Embarrass Me, Motherfucker by @allwaswell16

(T, 1k, parrot) Harry comes home from work to find Louis and their parrot are up to something. A Darcy the Parrot time stamp Part 2 of That's How I Know

- Rare Pairs -

💜 You Only Fall In Love Twice by @beanno28

(E, 57k, Harry/Louis/Zayn) Louis meets popstar Harry Styles while he is working at a festival and they hit it off right away. When he is introduced to Harry’s boyfriend, Zayn, Louis is invited to learn about their world of Polyamory.

💜 Third Time Lucky by @beanno28

(E, 31k, Harry/Louis/Zayn) Louis sat back, his back resting on the cushion of the sofa. Harry and Zayn were quick to lay their heads on Louis’ chest so Louis could wrap an arm around each of them. Part 2 of You Only Fall In Love Twice

💜 It's You by @allwaswell16

(T, 2k, Louis/Louis) Five times alpha Louis talks to omega Lou and one time he admits he wants more from his omega clone

💜 The Tiniest Moves by @allwaswell16

(T, 1k, Louis/Nick Grimshaw) Coffee shop owner Nick Grimshaw may or may not have come to work on his day off in the hopes that fresh-off-his-world-tour Louis Tomlinson might stop by.

💜 A Meeting of Minds (and other things too) by LadyAJ_13 / @ladyaj-13

(T, 1k, Zayn/Liam) Zayn's fed up, Liam's a bartender, and maybe they'll both get what they need.

[the-sleepy-archivist]

Blocking Ads on Mobile Devices

Blocking ads on our phones is way harder than it should be so I figured I'd make some recommendations. These are not the only options out there, just the ones that I know and use.

Please note that browser-level and system-level adblocking are complementary; you'll have the best experience if you use both of them together as they each block different things in different places. If you want a basic idea of how effective your combined adblocking setup is, you can visit this website in your mobile browser.

Lastly, there is some additional advice/info under the readmore if you're curious (EDIT: updated June 2024 to add info about sideloading altered versions of social media apps that don't contain ads on Android and iOS).

Android

Browser-Level

uBlock Origin (for Firefox)

System-Level (works in all apps, not just browsers)

AdGuard

Blokada 5 (completely free version) OR Blokada 6 (has some newer features but they require a subscription)

iPhone/iPad

Browser-Level

AdGuard (Safari extension; free for basic browser-level blocking, requires a subscription for custom filters)

System-Level (works in all apps, not just browsers)

AdGuard (requires subscription for system-level blocking)

AdGuard DNS only (this is free and does not require the AdGuard app, BUT I would only recommend it for advanced users, as you can't easily turn it off like you can with the app. Credit to this Reddit thread for the DNS profile)

Some additional info: browser-level blocking is a browser addon or extension, like you might be used to from a desktop computer. This inspects the HTML code returned by websites and searches for patterns that identify the presence of an ad or other annoyance (popup videos, cookie agreements, etc.). System-level blocking is almost always DNS-based. Basically whenever an app asks your phone's OS to make a connection to a website that is known for serving ads, the system-level blocker replies "sorry, I don't know her 🤷‍♂️💅" and the ad doesn't get downloaded. This works in most places, not just a browser, but be warned that it might make your battery drain a little faster depending on the app/setup.

Each of those types of blocking has strengths and weaknesses. System-level DNS blocking blocks ads in all apps, but companies that own advertising networks AND the websites those ads are served on can combine their services into the same domain to render DNS blocking useless; you can’t block ads served by Facebook/Meta domains without also blocking all of Facebook and Instagram as well because they made sure their ads are served from the same domain as all the user posts you actually want to see. Similarly, browser-level blocking can recognize ads by appearance and content, regardless of what domain they’re served from, so it can block them on Instagram and Facebook. However, it needs to be able to inspect the content being loaded in order to look for ads, and there’s no way to do that in non-browser apps. That’s why using both together will get you the best results.

These limitations do mean that you can’t block ads in the Facebook or Instagram apps, unfortunately, only in the website versions of them visited in your browser. It also means ads served by meta’s/facebook’s ad network in other apps can’t be blocked either (unless you're one of the rare beasts who doesn't use facebook or instagram or threads, in which case feel free to blacklist all Meta/FB domains and watch your ads disappear 😍; I'm jealous and in awe of you lol).

One note: some apps may behave unpredictably when they can't download ads. For example, the Tumblr app has big black spaces where the ads are, and sometimes those spaces collapse as you scroll past them and it messes up scrolling for a few seconds (UPDATE: looks like the scrolling issue may have actually been a Tumblr bug that they have now fixed, at least on iOS). Still way less annoying than getting ads for Draco Malfoy seduction roleplay AI chatbots imo though. And honestly *most* apps handle this fairly gracefully, like a mobile game I play just throws error messages like "ad is not ready" and then continues like normal.

One final note: on Android, you may actually be able to find hacked versions of Meta’s apps that have the ad frameworks removed. In some cases they are a little janky (unsurprisingly, apps don’t always take kindly to having some of their innards ripped out by a third-party), and they are often out of date. BUT in return you get an Instagram app with no ads whatsoever, and some of them even add additional features like buttons for saving IG videos and photos to your phone. However, use these apps at your own risk, as there is functionally no way to validate the code that the third-parties have added or removed from the app. Example altered IG app (I have not vetted this altered app, it's just a popular option): link.

It is technically possible to install altered apps on iOS as well, but Apple makes it much, much harder to do (unless you are jailbroken, which is a whole different ballgame). I'm not going to cover sideloading or jailbreaking here because even I as a very techy person eventually grew tired of messing with it or having to pay for it. If you're interested you can read more about the different ways to do sideloading on iOS here.

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

06/09/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR: Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Rachel House; Taika & Samba; Gypsy Taylor; Watch Parties; SOFMD Crew Fibre Arts Auction; AOC: Raffle Update; Articles; Fan Spotlight; Cast Cards; Our Flag Means Fanfiction Podcast; Big Gay Energy Podcast; Love Notes; Daily Darby/Tonight's Taika

== Rhys Darby ==

More photos of Rhys from To 29 and Beyond!

Source: The Girl Blogger's Instagram

Also Rhys shared this on his instagram stories-- don't worry Rhys, we're way ahead of you! Round 2 is closed! On to Round 3!

Source: Rhys Darby's Instagram Stories

== Taika & Samba ==

Taika was found responding to Samba's post yesterday, nice to see him making comments on social media again!

Source: Samba Schutte's Instagram

Taika was out with Sterlin Harjo! (Creator of Resevoir Dogs)

Source: Sterlin Harjo's Instagram

== Rachel House ==

Rachel has been out attending the Sydney Film Festival, and was interviewed on TheProjectTV about her movie The Mountain.

Source: Temaungafilm Instagram

Source: TheProjectTV's Instagram

Source: SydFilmFestival Instagram

== Gypsy Taylor ==

Some very fun looking outfits with Gypsy Taylor!

Source: PainterByNumbers / Gypsy Taylor's Instagram

== Watch Parties ==

Good Omens Season 2

Dates: June 10-14, 2024

Times: 3:30 pm PT, 6:30 pm ET, 11:30 pm BST

Episodes: M-Th: 1-4, F: 5-6

Where: RhysDarbyFaction Discord Server

Need access? Reach out to @gentlebeardsbarngrill on tumblr or @aspirantabby42 on twitter.

== Teal Oranges & Garlic Soup Week ==

TealOranges & Garlic Soup Week is still coming up on June 23 - 29! Wanna learn more of the prompts? Please visit their Tumblr!

Source: TealOranges & GarlicSoupWeek Twitter

== SOFMD Crew: Fibre Arts Auction ==

SaveOFMD Crew has announced their auction items! Lots of folks in the fandom have donated fibre-arts prizes to help benefit our Queer Elders at SAGE USA! You can check out the prizes on the saveofmdcrew website. The auction will be opening in a few days!

Source: SaveOFMD Crew Instagram

== AOC: Our Flag Means Pride Raffle ==

Raffle Update on #OurFlagMeansPride! 40 Charities already benefited! Raffle tickets are still available! You can enter on their page!

Source: AdoptOurCrew Tumblr

== Articles ==

Heyyyy, Tokyo Vice Also Cancelled on HBO Max :(

After Max Raised Its Subscription Prices, The Streamer Confirmed Another One Of Its Shows Is Canceled

10 Best Period Drama Shows of the Last 5 Years, Ranked

== Taika 2048 ==

Okay, who was going to tell me there was a Taika Waititi 2048? Thank you to @lisahafey for posting on Twitter so I can finally lose myself in this for the next many many hours.

Source: Lisa Hafey's Twitter

== Fan Spotlight / News =

= Cast Cards =

First up tonight from @melvisik is another member of the Red Flag Crew, Kathleen S. ! Second is another one of awesome directors - Katie Ellwood!

Source: @melvisik's Twitter

== Our Flag Means Fanfiction ==

Next up on Our Flag Means Fanfiction is The Dark Episode (hurt/comfort, whump, angst)! Find somewhere to listen on Our Flag Means Fanfiction Linktr.ee.

Source: Our Flag Means Fanfiction Instagram

== Big Gay Energy Podcast ==

New episode of Big Gay Energy Pod! They're talking These Thems this time around! Check them out on your favorite podcast platform!

Source: Big Gay Energy Podcast Instagram

== Love Notes ==

Hey there lovelies. Another weekend has come to an end, and we're starting another work week. Whether you got some rest, or just got some stuff done, I hope you are in a place where you feel you can face the next few days-- and if not, I hope you get some rest and get a chance to recoup. I've been hearing several folks running into some struggles--struggles brought on by others. Whether those who cause it intend to or not, I want you to know my friends, you don't deserve to be treated badly. You really don't. Don't let those people make you feel like you deserve that. You deserve to be happy, to feel safe, to feel comfortable, to feel like you, in your own skin, whatever that means for you.

I know you probably already know, but sometimes it's good to hear it from an outside source too-- you are not what other people think you are or expect of you. You are you. The ever wonderful, kind, unique, beautiful you. On hard days I know it's hard to see, but you're still there, and things will look up again. Be kind to yourself lovelies, you deserve the best, no matter what anyone says. Rest Well, I hope the start to your week turns out calm and kind to you <3

== Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika ==

Tonight's theme is...thoughtful with glasses. Gifs courtesy of kind @eaion and the fantastic @celluloidbroomcloset!

[bloody-bee-tea]

June of (minimal) Doom 2024 Day 7 - What happened?

Warning for abuse and referenced child abuse.

Satoru curses as he slowly makes his way to Suguru’s apartment. His ribs hurt like a bitch and even though by now he knows the difference between broken and bruised he still had Shoko check him out for any worse injuries. She declared him healthy apart from the bruises, and even though Satoru could tell from her look that she wanted to ask, she had kept quiet.

It had been a while since Satoru needed her to check him out after a visit to his family and that fact wasn’t lost on Shoko either. Of course she’d be curious.

Satoru hadn’t said anything though and so she had sent him on his merry way with just a few painkillers. He had already taken two at her place and Satoru was under strict instruction not to overdo it with them, but he had to admit that the rattling sounded real tempting right about now.

Breathing was hard.

Satoru really had forgotten just what a bitch bruised ribs are and he could have done without the reminder.

Still, he sets one foot in front of the other, because he’s already late to his meeting with Suguru and he absolutely refuses to cancel it outright, injuries or not.

Satoru does eventually make it to Suguru’s apartment, letting himself in with the key Suguru gave him a few years back and instantly, all the stress falls off him. His ribs barely hurt anymore, either, that’s the kind of effect this apartment–Suguru’s home–has on him.

“Welcome home!” Suguru calls out from what sounds like his bedroom and Satoru briefly closes his eyes against the traitorous stinging.

“I’m back,” he calls back, as if he was living here, as if this was his apartment too, and with how much time he spends here it might as well be.

“And only half an hour late,” Suguru says with a smile as he comes around the corner—that, too, is one well-practiced dance between them—and Satoru gives him a sheepish grin.

He wants to say that he would have been on time if he hadn’t made a detour to see Shoko but then Suguru would ask about that and Satoru can’t have that. He’s not going to explain his injuries to Suguru any more than to Shoko.

“Sorry.” Satoru says apologetically as he toes off his shoes, glad that this is completely the norm for him.

Bending down to properly untie his shoes might have just killed him today and so this really is the best he can do.

“Satoru,” Suguru sighs out, clearly disappointed but in a way that speaks of utter defeat because he knows Satoru is never ever going to properly untie his shoes.

Why would he, if he has Suguru who does it for him?

“Just leave them,” Satoru says, even though the fact that Suguru is bending down to undo the laces on his shoes and properly put them away is going to make things so much easier when Satoru has to leave again.

“I won’t,” Suguru gives back, and this is practiced as well.

Suguru has been cleaning up after Satoru for years at this point, after all, and much to Satoru’s amazement—and never-ending gratitude—he doesn’t seem to be tired of it yet.

“You’re such a mess,” Suguru then says, a fond smile on his face and Satoru allows himself to lean forward, until he can rest his forehead against Suguru’s shoulder.

It makes breathing easier for a few seconds, because Suguru is there, Suguru is warm and Suguru is slightly hugging him. Honestly, Suguru is all the good things wrapped in one and how could Satoru ever let his family bad-mouth him.

“Ready for the movie?” Suguru asks after a long moment and Satoru forces himself to move away from Suguru, covering his slight wince up with a blinding smile.

“Absolutely,” he decides because this is something he has looked forward to almost the entire day—and especially when his father had really laid it in on him—and so he impatiently drags Suguru over to the living-room.

Everything is set up already, because of course it is, and with a sigh Satoru sinks down on the couch.

“Are you okay?” Suguru asks with a frown as he sits down next to Satoru who lets out a weary sigh.

“Peachy,” he says, and since he’s not even trying to hide the fact that he’s lying, it’s no surprise that Suguru frowns at him.

“What’s wrong?” he wants to know, one hand reaching out to lightly circle around Satoru’s wrist as if the physical contact could tell him what’s wrong with Satoru.

“Just—it’s been a long day,” Satoru sighs out, and then pushes and prods Suguru until he’s scooted all the way over to the end of the couch.

“Satoru, what the hell,” Suguru complaints but he doesn’t do anything to stop Satoru and instead moves easily to where he wants him.

As soon as Satoru deems Suguru positioned enough, he carefully twists around even though his ribs protest the move vehemently, and he lays down, his head in Suguru’s lap.

“I just want to stay like this,” Satoru says, blinking up at Suguru, who puts a hand into his hair almost instinctively.

“Satoru, are you sure everything’s okay?” Suguru asks, quieter this time and Satoru closes his eyes and turns his head until he can hide his face in Suguru’s stomach.

“I’m just tired,” Satoru mutters, feels how Suguru breathes and thinks he could die happily right here.

There’s a brief silence before Suguru lets out a sigh.

“Alright, fine,” he agrees, clearly not believing Satoru, but evidently deciding against pushing it for today and Satoru is grateful for it.

He’s certain that Suguru is going to keep a close eye on Satoru for the entire night, in case he can spot anything out of the norm, but that only means that Suguru’s attention will wholly be on Satoru, which is something he absolutely doesn’t mind.

Satoru’s ribs are aching something fierce now, pounding in time with his heartbeat and Satoru forces himself to relax, to melt into the couch.

It would probably be better if he could put some ice on them, but he can’t ask for that without having to come clean to Suguru and there is no way in hell he’s going to do that.

Suguru doesn’t need to know what happened, because it would only make him worry again, it would make him beg Satoru to stop talking back to his family and that is something Satoru is not going to do.

Sure, he got good at it, taking whatever insult his family hurls at him without arguing back, without provoking them into beating him, but this is something he can’t stay quiet about.

It’s fine if his family degrades him, but Satoru won’t allow them to do the same to Suguru, there’s no way in hell. If he has to take his father’s fists for it again, then so be it, but he’s not going to stay quiet when they hurl abuse at Suguru.

“You’re going to miss the movie like this,” Suguru mutters, his hands scratching at Satoru’s scalp and if he really wants Satoru to pay attention, then he shouldn’t be doing this.

“It can be a podcast,” Satoru gives back, arching into Suguru’s touch as if he’s a cat and it makes Suguru chuckle.

“Sure, whatever you say,” he indulgingly says and continues his movement even as the movie begins to play.

“Thank you,” Satoru whispers, and he means so much that he nearly chokes on the words.

“You’re welcome,” Suguru easily replies, because for him, it really is that easy and Satoru moves, turns on his side and moves slightly upwards until he can press his face more firmly into Suguru’s stomach and sling his arms around him.

It strains his ribs badly and he’s not sure how long he’ll be able to stay like that but with Suguru’s hand in his hair and the other on his shoulder, keeping him close, keeping him warm, he thinks he might be able to hold this position for as long as he has to.

If only Suguru never lets go of him.

~ * ~ * ~ 

Satoru winces. His face hurts with every step that he takes and there’s still the taste of blood in his mouth. He carefully prods his lip with his tongue and of course that causes it to split open all over again. Just his luck, Satoru supposes.

He unsurely comes to a stop in front of Suguru’s house because going there now definitely means spilling everything, since there’s no way he can hide his injuries. Not when they are this prominent on his face. He can barely look out of his right eye and he knows it’s going to be one hell of a shiner in just a few hours.

Still, Satoru aches to see Suguru, because he always makes things better, no matter what, and Satoru is not in the habit of denying himself this comfort.

He only dreads the look on Suguru’s face and how angry he’s going to be with him once he finds out what happened.

Satoru really needs to learn to keep his mouth shut, especially in front of his family.

He takes a deep breath before he makes his way up to Suguru’s apartment and even though he has made his mind up about this he still can’t help but to be as quiet as possible as he lets himself into Suguru’s apartment.

It’s useless of course, because of course Suguru hears the door but it gives Satoru a few more precious seconds to figure out how to lie convincingly to Suguru. Not that it’s going to work, but it’s nice to pretend.

“Satoru?” Suguru calls out, clearly surprised to by his visit but his voice is followed by hurried footsteps. “I didn’t know you were–” his voice trails off as soon as he comes around the corner and his eyes fall on Satoru. “What happened?” he breathes out, immediately stepping closer, his hands fluttering as if he’s afraid to reach out to touch Satoru. “Satoru, what happened!”

“Hi,” Satoru weakly says and steps into Suguru’s hands. 

Suguru’s hands are featherlight on Satoru’s cheeks and there’s still the sting of pain, even from this, but Satoru doesn’t care about that. He steps even closer, until he can sling his arms around Suguru and he drops his head on Suguru’s shoulder. 

“Satoru,” Suguru whispers again, “are you okay?”

Tears immediately spring to Satoru’s eyes, because this is such a Suguru thing. He could demand to know what happened, could demand an explanation but he’s not doing that. He’s concerned like no one else in Satoru’s life ever has been for him and Satoru buries closer to Suguru, no matter how much his face is protesting that move.

“Better now,” he admits because being here, being in Suguru’s arms is definitely helping.

Suguru lets out a weary sigh, though he keeps his arms around Satoru.

“Do you need to see Shoko? Any other injuries?” Suguru asks after a while and Satoru shakes his head.

“It’s—all bruises,” he says, admitting to the fact that there are still more injuries on him and he can tell that Suguru realises what he just said by the way he flinches.

“Alright. Come here, we’re going to get you sorted out,” Suguru softly says and steps away from Satoru, though he does keep a hand on him as if Satoru could run at any moment.

Satoru is not going to run, not now and not ever, not from Suguru, but he doubts that Suguru would listen to him at the moment.

This is probably all about comfort for him as well, anyway.

Suguru leads Satoru to the bathroom where he still keeps a fully stocked first-aid kit at the ready. Satoru hasn’t needed it in quite a few years but he knows that Suguru keeps everything in there up to date, just in case.

And clearly he was right to do so.

Satoru obediently tilts his head when Suguru puts careful fingers to his chin and he doesn’t think too hard about the harsh breath Suguru sucks in when he sees his face in all its bruised up glory. Suguru wants to ask, Satoru can tell by the way he clenches his jaw, but for now he keeps silent and concentrates completely on Satoru’s injuries.

He has gotten good at treating them over the years and even though he has gone rusty, the skills are clearly not lost because whatever he does barely even stings.

“All done,” Suguru finally says, his voice quiet, and he levels Satoru with a look. “Any other injuries I have to take care of?” he then wants to know and Satoru shakes his head, though he does get up and lifts his shirt, showing that while there are some bruises there is no split skin anywhere.

“Some ice might help, though,” Satoru offers, knowing that Suguru always does better when he has something to do and he immediately runs off, leaving Satoru to put the first-aid kit back together.

Suguru comes back with two ice-packs, one for Satoru’s ribs and one for his eye and then he ushers Satoru into his bedroom, completely skipping over the comfortable couch in the living-room.

This is absolutely not only for Satoru’s benefit and he feels bad once he realises that he didn’t consider Suguru’s feelings on this matter at all. Of course it would leave him rattled to see Satoru hurt like this again.

They had moved past this years ago and to have all of that brought up again must be horrible for Suguru, too.

“I’m sorry,” Satoru whispers and regrets ever opening his mouth when Suguru flinches.

“Do not say that,” he hisses, glaring back at Satoru who immediately shakes his head.

“No, I mean—” he cuts himself off, taking a deep breath. He has moved past blaming himself for what his family did to him, mostly thanks to Suguru, and so he gets why Suguru would be this angry right now, but that’s really not what Satoru meant.

“I just mean—I didn’t consider how this must be for you. I’m sorry I brought all of it back here,” Satoru quietly explains and it does nothing to lessen Suguru’s glare.

“Satoru, I would rather have you bring all of this here than not knowing what’s going on, than not being able to help, however little. So please, don’t ever say you’re sorry for this,” Suguru pleads and Satoru’s next breath is a little bit wobbly and maybe a bit wet, too.

“Alright,” he whispers, squeezing Suguru’s hand that is still tightly clutched around his and then he slides into bed when Suguru nods towards it.

Suguru is right behind him and this too is familiar in a way Satoru doesn’t like to think about. Back when it was really bad with his family he spent almost more time in this bed than not. Suguru scoots close until he can rest their foreheads together and then they simply are, for a blissful moment, but Satoru knows it can’t last forever.

Suguru has questions.

“You didn’t get into a fight,” Suguru eventually whispers and Satoru gives him a wry smile.

Of course he didn’t get into a simple fight. He got pretty good at fighting, almost always comes out unscathed no matter who provokes him, but he never did quite find the strength to fight back against his family.

“I didn’t,” he simply says, trusting Suguru to fill in the gaps and going by the pained look on his face he comes to the right conclusion.

“Why?” he asks and Satoru sighs.

“I got good at ignoring that they say about me,” Satoru admits and Suguru nods because he knows that already. “I can take it, no matter what they say about me. Because it’s not true.”

The last part is more of a question than he would like but it seems as if his raring insecurities are still there.

“Of course it’s not true. Nothing what your family says about you is true,” Suguru immediately reassures him and Satoru closes his eyes because he does not want to see Suguru’s face when he speaks again.

“I can’t stay quiet when they talk about you, though,” he admits, breathes the words into the scant space between them and he feels how Suguru goes stock-still.

“What?” Suguru’s voice shakes and when Satoru opens his eyes again the look on his face is so pained that it makes Satoru’s eyes burn.

“They started talking badly about you a few weeks back,” he explains. “And while I have gotten so damn good at ignoring what they say about me, it turns out I can’t do the same when it comes to you.”

“Satoru, no,” Suguru gets out. “No! You got hurt like this because of me?”

“It’s not—Suguru,” Satoru rushes out because this is so not what he meant. “It’s not because of you! It’s just—you’re so important to me that I simply cannot stand them badmouthing you.”

“You have to! Satoru, you absolutely have to! What does it matter what they say about me? You can’t get hurt like this because of that. You need to just accept it if you can’t fight back!”

“Sorry, Suguru, can’t do that. It’s not right, what they say about you, and I will not allow it. They don’t get to do that. I don’t care what happens to me but they cannot talk about you like that.”

“I care what happens to you!” Suguru almost yells out and Satoru is taken aback by the sheer panic in his eyes. “You think I want to see you like that? You think this is easy for me? And to know that it’s because of me? Satoru, please, please don’t ever talk back to them again, don’t ever even go there again, I can’t see you get hurt like this again.”

“You know I have to go there once a month,” Satoru replies because he’s not getting out of that arrangement any time soon.

“Then learn how to fight back!”

Satoru doesn’t say anything to that because it’s been so long now and he still can’t find it in him to hit his father like he hits him. He has the strength, he has the speed and the technique, but he can never bring himself to do it. Shoko once accused him of being a sentimental bastard and for all the Satoru hates his family, she’s probably at least somewhat right.

Or maybe he just doesn’t want to be like them.

Suguru seems to interpret his silence correctly because his face falls.

“Then at least just accept it. Satoru, it doesn’t matter what they say, just take it and then leave. We can go for a spar afterwards so you can get it all out of your system, but please—”

“No.” Satoru’s voice doesn’t allow room for argument. “I will not allow them to do that.”

The things they say about Suguru—about the one person who has always had Satoru’s back—are so vile that Satoru doesn’t even want to repeat them here and he is absolutely not going to overlook it either.

That’s just not in his nature.

“Satoru,” Suguru breathes out, his voice shaking again and Satoru scoots close.

“I can’t, Suguru, don’t you understand. They are talking bad about you and that’s just—no. I won’t allow it.”

“I’m not more important than your health, Satoru,” Suguru gives back, fisting his hands in Satoru’s shirt and even like this he’s mindful of Satoru’s injuries.

“To me you are,” Satoru simply says, because it’s the truth and maybe it’s finally time that Suguru hears it. “You are everything to me. Of course this is important.”

Suguru blinks at him, once, twice, and then he lets out a shaky laugh.

“This is how you confess now? Bruised and beaten and with me scared out of my mind for you? Really? That’s the moment you chose?”

Satoru shrugs awkwardly. He knows it’s bad timing, and he knows it’s not that important anyway, because they already are everything to each other and a confession is hardly going to change anything, but since it seems that Suguru doesn’t understand—or doesn’t want to understand—it felt important to say it now.

“Better late than never?” he tries and Suguru closes his eyes as he moves even closer.

“I would take never over having you hurt,” Suguru confesses quietly and for a split second Satoru thinks that he was living in a delusion all these years, that he doesn’t mean as much to Suguru as Suguru does to him but then he realises just what Suguru said.

Satoru is so important to him that he would never address this thing between them if only it meant he would always be healthy and unhurt.

“Agree to disagree on that,” Satoru mutters and tilts his head so he can press a kiss to Suguru’s mouth.

“This is not something I’m going to let go. You are going to learn to ignore what they say about me,” Suguru tells him and it sounds so much like a threat that Satoru is taken aback for a moment.

“Or what?” he then dares to ask and Suguru gives him a wicked grin.

“No kisses when you are bruised,” is what he replies with and immediately Satoru pouts, making his lip break open again.

“Shit,” he hisses and Suguru raises a hand to cup his cheek in it.

“I’m sorry,” he apologetically says but Satoru isn’t about to let a split lip keep him back from what he really wants.

So he leans in and this time he captures Suguru’s lips in a real kiss.

“I have to know what I could be missing in the future,” Satoru says when they part and it’s enough to make Suguru snort out a breath at least.

It almost feels as if things are okay, even as his ribs continue to hurt.

“Satoru,” Suguru whispers and Satoru just knows that another argument is going to come out of his mouth so he quickly closes it up with his own again.

“Later, okay?” He’s under no illusion that Suguru is simply going to let this go but for now he’s had enough.

He’s tired.

“Alright,” Suguru immediately agrees and pulls Satoru closer, slots him against his body as if he belongs there and Satoru melts against him.

It’s the best place in the entire world, Satoru is certain of that, and he wouldn’t trade this for anything.

There will be more talks and probably even a fight or two with Suguru later but for now Satoru is safe and warm in the arms of the only person he has ever felt that way with and what more could he really ask for.

[youarebeingshaggedbyarareparrot]

Worse things happen at sea: Art in the Paris 2024 Olympic Opening Ceremony

So everyone has been sounding off about the Paris' Olympic Opening Ceremony. Mainly about the supposed 'insult to Christians everywhere' with the recreation of Di Vinci's 'The Last Supper'.

(I'd like to go on the record that 1. you pose any group of folk in a line facing the viewer with a barrier at hip height and it's gonna look a little 'The Last Supper'-y, 2. clearly the hand wringers had forgotten that the artist was Di Vinci. The man would be pointing and laughing at them and be living it up on that bridge between Nicky Doll and DJ Butch, and 3. Da Vinci painted enough portraits of Bacchus, he would have known what's up.)

Anyway, a lot of art was incorporated and celebrated but there's one piece that did featured that had me performing a mental emergency stop and NO ONE ELSE is talking about it so I need to know I wasn't the only one to spot this.

So, opening ceremony, we're following our mysterious torch bearer as they race through the the Louvre to the strains of 'Danse macabre', (French composer Camille Saint-Saëns). The eyes of the paintings occupants follow their progress until we see frames with empty back drops, the paintings' subjects having come alive to watch the festivities from the windows. But the last empty frame... my people...

Our mystery guide stands in front of this for nearly 3 seconds, at the 1hr 42min 11sec mark in the BBC coverage. Now, I can't make out the plaque at the bottom of the frame, but I am prepared to place good money that this is Théodore Géricault's 'Le Radeau de la Méduse', or 'The Raft of the Medusa'.

Completed in 1819, this piece is considered the best work of its' French artist and an icon of the French Romanticism movement. It's chuffing huge, over 16ft by 23ft, and it is stunning.

It also depicts one of the worst events in French maritime history.

In June of 1816, the French frigate The Medusa left France for Senegal on the west coast of Africa. At her helm was a captain who had not sailed in 20 odd years and got the post through connections and political clout. And he fucked it up royally. The Medusa drifted 100 miles off course and ran aground off Mauritania. After 3 days of failing to shift the boat, the 400 or so people aboard has choices to make. They were 30 miles from land and there were 6 boats, room for 250 people. Some stayed aboard the stranded vessel but at least 146 men and one woman boarded a jerry-rigged raft. The plan was for it to be towed by some of the boats, but after only a few miles it was turned loose.

For 13 days, exposure, mutiny, disease, dehydration and starvation ravaged the survivors, whittling nearly 150 down to 15. It was in my fact checking for this that I learnt the lovely little term ‘a custom of the sea’. In layman’s terms, cannibalising your crew mates to survive. They were spotted by chance, no search effort had been made by the French. A further 5 died in the days following rescue. British naval officers helped the survivors to return to France because aid from the French government didn’t appear and the captain, who had made it to land fine, was more interested in recovering the gold on board the Medusa. He was court marshalled and should have been executed, but in the end served 3 years in prison. He was the inciting incident for a law to passed that ensured that promotions in the French military would thereafter be based on merit.

Now all this came hurtling into my head because I remember reading a book called 'Severed' by Frances Larson, all about the cultural and historical fascination with decapitation. There's a section in the chapter of severed heads in art about how Géricault went hard on the research for this painting; visited morgues and hospitals, brought home specimens to watch decay rate, y'know, stuff that absolutely wouldn't blow your safety deposit. But yeah, I'm there with dawning horror and ice in my blood as we look at a very French painting, of a French maritime tragedy, brought about by the hubris and arrogance and incompetence of the higher ups who had no right being there, where comrades and crew turn on each other in a horrific fight for survival, with the spooky dancing bones classical piece playing in the background...

And not 20 seconds later we are rejoining the action of the flotilla on the Seine, 'Fraternité' writ large over the boat with Cyprus, Columbia and Comoros waving excitedly and soggily at us.

Thomas Jolly, opening ceremony artistic director, I need to buy you a drink and we need to chat. I need to study you. I have been turning this over in my brain for a week, what are you trying to say?! Was I the only one to hear it?!

[hockeyandhrsepwr]

Montreal

Je t'aime series

F1 driver reader x hockey player bf

When the Montreal GP & Eastern Conference finals fall on the same weekend, certain worlds collide….

The insta edit

Notes: Takes place in 2024 so everyone is a year older - reader is an 01 baby so 23 & all the hockey guys are playing for their respective NHL teams. (For plot purposes, Montreal is the second last race before the summer break - still takes place in mid-June though) Danny, Mick & Seb are still on the grid because I say so & I’m trying not to have a breakdown over Seb being gone gone. 

For Formula 1 driver y/n l/n, this weekend marks her return home as we head to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix. We sat down with the championship leader to talk about what that means for her.

Thanks so much for talking to us today Y/n. How excited are you to be back home in Montreal? 

I’m pretty pumped. It’s always nice to be back and have so much of my family be able to come. The track is always a special one to race on & I’ve had a few good races here before, so hopefully this weekend will add to that. The little break after means I can spend a few days here before heading into Silverstone so that’s nice. 

Any exciting plans for those few days?

Definitely catch a hockey game! It’s hard to watch games live with the travelling & living in Monaco, so while I’m here I’m definitely going to get to the Bell Centre. It worked out really well that the Habs are playing on Sunday night & it’s such an exciting game, with it being Game 7 in the conference finals. Montreal fans are absolutely incredible so hopefully the boys can bring this one home! The city’s going to be pretty wild on Sunday, and hopefully I can add to the excitement with a win here too!

I never would have known there was a game this weekend. It’s not like there’s stuff all over the city. Hopefully they can win it at home! Actually, speaking of hockey, your dad played, correct?

Yeah, so he played pro in the US and then Switzerland and Germany. So, I spent about 8 years over there before moving back here permanently, and then when I was about 14, moved back over for racing. but Montreal is definitely home. 

Did you ever consider hockey or were you always set on the formula, single seater series? And how did you settle on motorsport?

So, I played hockey growing up but once I hit 12ish I had to choose since both were getting more competitive and there wasn’t enough time. I would’ve loved to go pro in either, but F1 is where my heart is. I still play whenever I can though. Lance & I like to try finding rinks when we travel and have a little battle. I’m currently 4 wins up, just fyi. Or whenever I visit my best friend, we go out & have some fun, even though that’s not often. I’m not beating him unfortunately but it’s pretty hard to beat a pro when he’s working on his skills constantly and I’m playing maybe 20 times a year. As kids though I could whoop him. The decision for karting/single seater over hockey was hard, but I’d been hooked since I sat in my first kart. I think part of it was being able to travel all over racing & just experience so many cool things. And with Formula 1, there’s 20 spots, right? So, if you make it as a driver, you’re one of the top in the world. With hockey there are so many incredible female players already, and as we know not many in motorsport. I wanted to be able to inspire young girls in sports as well. I think I made the right decision for me. 

 My dad was a big F1 fan, so I’d been watching races basically since birth. We were living in Germany during the Schumacher era, so everyone was really into it and that definitely helped ha-ha. It’s kind of crazy that I ended up going through all the feeder series with Mick in the end & we obviously became good friends when his dad was one of the main reasons I started racing. And having him show up to watch races was insane! But yeah, once I sat in my first kart I was hooked! If three year old me who had that Schumacher Ferrari merch could see me now ha-ha. 

Ah the Schumacher era, that’s how so many people got interested. And your best friend is a hockey player? I don’t know if that’s ever come up, so can I ask about that? 

Ah so actually, our dads played together in Switzerland & bonded over being from Montreal, so once my parents moved to Germany, about two years after I was born, they still visited each other. The two of us spent a lot of time together as kids during those visits, especially playing hockey. We moved back a few years before his family, but they were always around in the summer & we stayed pretty close. We’re apart a lot but were both living our dreams so its pretty special when we can get together. he’s one of my favourite people so shoutout to Thomas. You’ll probably see him in the paddock this weekend since he’s around here somewhere. 

That’s such a great story! What team does he play for, and for anyone who’s maybe looking at which team to support, who would you recommend?

So he plays for San Jose, the Sharks, but I’m a Canadiens girl all the way. You can’t grow up in Montreal and not get support them. We’re having a great season, so fingers crossed for Sunday! But I do support the Sharks, definitely my favourite Western team, no bias here ha-ha. I’ve met a lot of great guys through Thom too who play, so I do try and keep up with their teams, but Habs all the way baby!

Alright, there you have it folks. Y/N thanks for sitting down with us, good luck this weekend! I’m sure we’ll see you soon!

You shake Natalie’s hand & thank her for having you. Exiting the media pen, you start making your way back towards the Ferrari garage, waving at Lewis when an arm’s thrown around you shoulder.

“Ready for Sunday’s game?” Lance says, “Time to kick some Devil ass and then get the cup.” 

“Yeah, I just have a race to win first” you stick your tongue out at him as he punches you in the arm. 

“Your boy toy coming today?” You roll your eyes “yes he has a pass, so he’ll be around somewhere. There’s a bunch of them coming. Not sure when though…”

“YO MCQUEEN!” you hear from down the lane. “There it is” you shrug off Lance & speed up as Thomas comes running at you. Damn he’s quick. You meet in the middle and grab him in a hug. “tu m’as manque” (I’ve missed you) he whispers in your ear, squeezing the life out of you. It’s been a while since you’ve seen each other, mid-January at least. When you were still on break and made it to a game of his where you hung out for a week before heading back across to Italy for training. You talk almost every day though

“Missed you too Bords. It’s been too long. Congrats on your run though. You guys played really well.” It sucked that the Sharks got knocked out in round 2, but they had a good team. Next year they’ll have it. His phone starts ringing and he pulls it out.

“Ah shit, the idiots are lost.’ He rolls his eyes as you laugh.

“They’re at the Ferrari garage. We should probably go before they end up breaking stuff” We start off towards Ferrari, when Lance catches up to us. “Hey man, how’s it going?” The two have met before, when you were all kids in Montreal. They catch up as you walk over, when you notice a bit of a crowd. You nudge Thomas

“Those yours?” and point towards the commotion. You get there & see a few familiar faces. You run over to give Thomas’s sister a hug before turning to the hockey players gathered. You count five, but there may be more floating around. Thomas had 10 passes altogether. 

“Sup boys” you give Brendan, Matty & Owen a hug, then do your handshake with Truss. You visited Michigan a few times when Bordy was there, so you got close with his roommates & friends. You managed to stay pretty off the radar since F1 isn’t as popular in the US, so you got some of that college experience that you missed out on. Plus, he’s brought you to the Hughes Lake house a couple of times so you got to know a bunch of the other idiots there. 

“Y/n you traitor!” Lance calls from somewhere behind me. “What did I do?” You yell in indignation as someone spins you around to see Jack Hughes making his way towards you. “Ah Fuck off Lance, we all know he has no chance!” Cheers from people around tells you that there’s quite a few Canadiens fans in the paddock right now.

“Hell yeah they don’t” You see Cole behind him along with Luke Hughes & Phil. 

“Is this everyone?” They nod “okay, come with me. Lance, I’ll see you later.” You lead the crew of hockey players into the Ferrari garage, taking them up to the hospitality area. “As nice as it is to see you all, why are all of you here?”

“Osheaga (Music festival – it usually happens in August but for the plot it’s happening in June) was last weekend, so we all just stayed, especially once Bordy told us he could get tickets. And we’re going to the game on Sunday” Briss pipes up. 

“Yeah, I know nothing about F1 But it looks pretty cool so I’m excited” Luke says. You gasp, the blasphemy.

“How much time have we spent together Hughesy, and you still know nothing? I’m wounded” Dramatically you hold your hand to your chest. Your phone starts going off, your timer that your trainer set going off as Charles approaches you. He beckons you since he has the same reminder.

“Alright boys, I’ll see you later, but I’ve got practice. Ask any of the lovely workers here if you need a hand with anything. Peace out” You walk off with Charles, making your way further into the motorhome. Once you get to your driver room you start your usual routine. About 20 minutes in, as soft knock on the door interrupts you “babe? You free?” 

You open the door & pull your boyfriend in. ‘“God, I missed you.” You press your lips to his, savouring the kiss. “ the minute I can I’m taking you out properly. I don’t care where, but we’re going out. Hopefully with something to celebrate” You wrap your arms around him and nod “sounds good. When are you leaving?” “Monday early afternoon” he pouts and he’s so cute you just have to kiss him again.

“Two more weeks then I’m all yours for the summer.”

“Deal. Now get back to it.” He slaps your ass and you continue your usual routine with the occasional commentary from him. He slips out a few minutes before you leave, heading down to the garage for practice. 

Two successful practice sessions later, you’re done for the day. You’re chatting with Charles when Thom finds you. You introduce him around since he hasn’t met many of the boys, just Lance & Mick. The other hockey boys have left but you make your way back to the hotel. As much as you’d love to stay at home, it’s a little further out so you stay at the hotel with the rest of the crew. Once you enter, you spot a crowd exiting the restaurant. Ah, apparently the Devils are staying here.

You whistle, “damn, who let some losers in?” As others laugh. Jack flips you off, but someone else comes running over

“y/n/n!!” Nico hugs you. You knew each other as kids, his dad being involved for the team yours had played for. Whenever your family would visit the Bordeleau’s, you’d see him. You & T would bug him lots since there weren’t many kids to hang around with. “Can you introduce me to Sebastian Vettel?” He whispers in your ear. “Get out of here” you push him away. 

The rest of the team us standing there, mouths open. “Sup McQueen” Luke waves. You’re going to kill Thomas for that nickname, but you wave back before dragging Thomas towards the elevator. You’ve got catching up to do & he knows that tomorrow you’ll be in race mode & not want any distractions.

“Where are the rest of the boys staying?” You ask him. Obviously, Jack & Luke with the team here, but he tells you that the rest of them managed to get 2 rooms in this hotel, so they’re close by. “My parents offered to let us stay with them, but we’ve been pretty rowdy so I thought this would be better.” 

A few hours later you need to get ready & go to bed so you’re in top form for quali tomorrow, so Thomas heads to the room he’s sharing, wishing you luck beforehand. He knows that tomorrow you won’t want to see anyone until after qualifiers. You’re almost done your routine when Ring. A soft smile takes over you face. He always calls before he goes to bed, just to say good night. You do same & most of the time you miss each other so you have lots of cute voicemails saved on your phone. 

“Hey superstar. This whole being in the same time zone thing makes it a little bit easier hey?” He chuckles “yeah babe, it definitely does. Hang on” you hear some shuffling on his end and then a door open. “Roommates kick you out?” you laugh as he huffs, “I don’t want to disturb them so I’m going to the conference room so I can facetime. How are you feeling for tomorrow?” The request pops up & you see him sitting in one of the rooms. 

“Pretty confident. It’s a good car & it’s nice that everyone was able to come so I’d love to get a win for them. Think you’ll be able to sneak out tomorrow night?”

“Are you sure? I know how much you need your routine. I don’t want to mess anything up for you.”

“No, I want cuddles” you pout “and you know I sleep better when I’m next to you” you can hear the smile in his voice as he says “I’ll see what I can do. Now you’ve gotta go to bed so you can kick butt tomorrow. I love you & I’ll be watching.” He blows a kiss. “Love you too. Tomorrow night, okay?”

“Yep, I’m all yours. Ill text you before you go out tomorrow since I know I’m not going to see you. But you’re gonna kill it.” You lay down on the bed and just look at him.

“God you’re cute. I still can’t believe you’re mine.” He blushes, like he always does when you complement him.

“You better believe it. nearly four years in and I’m never letting you go.” Damn it now you’re blushing. “Okay Casanova, I really should go. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Love you” you blow a kiss & hang up because you know from experience that you’ll just go back and forth for the next hour otherwise. 

Saturday

You wake up fired up & ready to go. Moving quickly, you and Charles meet up & drive to the circuit. There’s a lot more people here today which you love. You go through practice & then it’s time for qualifiers. Q1 & 2 go smoothly, with you landing in the top five, but you want that pole position. It’s so much sweeter especially with this being your home race. As Q3 gets underway, that’s what you’re aiming for. Unfortunately, it’s only P2, but at least its only Charles in front. You know you can get ahead of him with the right strategy.

Meeting up with Thom & the crew at the hotel, you grab a quick dinner in the restaurant. You stop by the front desk & grab an extra key, slipping it onto your boyfriend’s pocket when you’re giving all the guys hugs. After about an hour you have to excuse yourself for a team meeting, and 2 hours later you finally make it back to your room.

You’ve just closed the door & are turning around when “BOO!” & you jump a foot in the air. 

“Putain! Jesus Christ you fucker.” Your heart is racing a million miles as you take in the sight before you. Jack has half his body still in the bathroom but has fully on the floor, just about crying from laughter. “That’s not why I gave you the key, connard.” You say as you help him up. “I ha-ha couldn’t ha help myself.” He dissolves into another fit of giggles. You move towards the bed as he comes up behind you. Arms around your waist as he buries his head in your neck. 

“This is harder than I thought” “I know, let’s just get through this weekend. A couple weeks then well be back at the lake with everyone who knows & we can do this every night.” He places a kiss at the junction of your neck.

“Promise?” you turn your head and give him a kiss. “Promise. Well talk about next season too. I’m sick of not seeing you for months.” He nods.

“you’re coming to the game tomorrow, right?” “Do you even have to ask?”

“Okay smartass, but will you root for me?” He sounds a bit sad as I turn in his arms. “I want you to win, I really do.”

“Oh yeah, not your precious Habs?”

“Wow. The sarcasm is strong with this one. I want both of you to win, but since that’s not possible, I’d say I have a slight interest in Jersey winning the cup.” “Only slight, eh?” he tickles my sides.

“I know how hard you’ve worked so yeah. As much as it pains me to say, and if you tell anyone else, I’ll kill you, but I do hope you win. If only so we both get one this weekend.” 

You kiss him again before pulling him into the bathroom & running the bath. It’s your regular night before race routine, made much sweeter by him being there. “I don’t know if I ever told you, but Thomas was my favourite person that summer.” He mumbles into your hair as you sit in the tub. 

“The one we met?” “Yeah, when he brought you to the lake house for a few weeks.”

Now your confused. You tilt your head back & raise an eyebrow “when you barely said four sentences to me?” he grins sheepishly.

“I was intimidated. You were the prettiest girl I’d ever seen & you drove fast cars for a living. It took me a whole year to gain the confidence to ask you out the next summer. And then you didn’t even show up with him! I was this close to asking for your number when you turned up a week later.”

“Aw, well I’m glad you manned up.” He sticks his tongue out. “I can’t believe that was five years ago. We were babies”

“Yep and now you’re stuck with me.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way”. 

(They meet when they’re 18, but he doesn’t ask her out till 19 & now they’re 23) 

You both get out & go about your night routine with some additional commentary from Jack. When you finally settle into bed, he wraps his arms around you from behind, pulling you to his chest.

“je t’aime” He whispers and a smile creeps onto your face like it does every time he uses his limited French. “je t’aime aussi.” You whisper back as you snuggle back into him.  

Sunday Morning. 

You wake to a kiss pressed on your cheek. “I’ve got to get back to my room before the team meeting. I won’t see you before the game but go kick some ass. I love you & we’ll be celebrating tonight” Jack whispers in your ear before pressing a kiss to your lips and leaving. About a half hour later your alarm goes off & you start your pre-race routine.  Thomas stops by to wish you luck before you head to the track with Charles & your trainer. Ten minutes before you need to head to the garage your phone pings. It’s a picture of Jack & Luke with the caption ‘good luck!!!’ 

You smile before heading out to get into your gear. Soon it’s time to line up on the grid & you hop in. 

You settle in, ready to go as the countdown starts & the lights go. 

“It’s lights out & away we go here in beautiful Montreal!”

59 laps in you sneak past Charles, an early stop strategy paying off in your favour as ten laps later you take the win. After pulling your car in behind the first-place stand, you jump out & soak in the noise. Cheers from fans and your team ring out, as you spot one person in particular.

Hopping off the car, you run over to the barriers and grab Thomas in a hug. It’s the first F1 race you’ve won with him there, so you know he’s excited. After letting him go you hug your engineers & team before being pulled into a quick interview with Natalie. 

“Y/n, that was a beauty of a win, how are you feeling? What’s it like to win it at home?”

“Oh my god, amazing! Winning any day is an incredible feeling but to do it here, in front of my city, friends & family is so much sweeter!” 

“Anything to say to the fans here today? Or for anyone watching?”

“Mom, I did it!! You told me I’d win here one day & here we are. To my team at Ferrari, Merci! Superstar, merci d’etre ici ce weekend. Votre soutien signifie la monde et je t’aime. Montreal, ca c’est pour vous, et ALLEZ LES CANADIENS!” 

Cheers go up from all around as you just take it in. 

After the podium ceremony, you make your way back to the hotel to change since you’re soaked in champagne. Opening the door to you room, you spot a box at the end of the bed & a bouquet of lilies on the bedside table. You smile as you make your way over & see a note on the box 

Knew you could do it babe! Here’s a little something that I hope you wear tonight. See you on the ice ;)  xxx J

“I swear, if he put a Devils jersey in here..” you trail off as you see just that, but also a gorgeous lingerie set in the same bright red underneath. “that cheeky shit”, there’s a pair of new red converse in there too.

Putting the set on, you take a picture before finishing getting dressed & send it off to Jack, making a face. ‘Good Luck babe'. Then you finish getting ready & head down. 

You meet the boys in the lobby & make your way to the Bell Centre. Outside, you meet your mum, who’s brought you one of your old Canadiens jerseys since you didn’t have one on you. You pull it on over the hoodie & make you way in. Someone on the marketing team meets you inside. After your interview aired yesterday when you mentioned going to the game, they contacted your team to ask if you’d like to do the ceremonial puck drop, which duh you would. You split up with the rest of them and follow the guy. You’ll meet up with Bordy & his sister at your seats, but you won’t see the rest of the guys until later. You wait, chatting to various workers as warmups happen and finally its time for you to go out.

Making your way to the tunnel, you hear PK, who’s on the ice

“We have a special guest for you all tonight! She’s back in town, she goes fast and she won today, it’s your favourite race car driver Y/N L/N!!! 

You walk out on the carpet, waving at the crowd. “Well y/n, were glad to have you here to get us going here at the Bell Centre. But first, we have a little present for you. Your very own Canadiens jersey!” He holds up a jersey with my last name & racing number on the back.

“Oh my god that’s so cool. Suck it Lance, you’re not so special anymore!” you know he’s laughing from wherever he is in the arena. You take it & the puck he’s holding out. 

“Let’s get the captains please.” Pk says as Nico & Nick skate towards you and get in position for the photo.

“Nick, kick their ass.” You say to the Canadiens captain before posing and then walking off the ice. Someone shows you to your seat, where you find Thomas & Jade. The energy in the arena is absolutely electric as the anthem singing comes to an end and the crowd cheers. Thomas passes you a beer, as someone taps you on the shoulder. 

“Sorry, but would I be able to get a picture?” a young girl sitting behind you. You oblige & tell her you’ll get a better one during the intermission before sitting back down as the game starts. 

The Canadiens take an early lead with a beauty of a goal scored halfway through the period. The games intense with lots of back and forth between the goals. The Devils manage to knock one in with just a minute to go and then its intermission. You send Thomas off for snacks while you take a few photos & sign some stuff and before you know it it’s time for period two. No one scores for a while, but there’s quite a few penalties being called as the game gets a little rougher.

The second period ends still tied 1 all. You & Thomas chat about summer while you wait for the third. You’re planning on going to the lake house and you know he’ll be there at some point, but he’s staying here in Montreal for a bit first. You grab a couple more beers before the buzzer sounds and were off for the final period. Canadiens score a minute in, then Jersey gets one.

Back and forth again, shot after shot on each net with no more success. The whole crowds on their feet, cheering & screaming for Montreal as the minutes count down.

“Mon dieux its going to be OT” you whisper as the final minute hits. The crowds are practically silent as the seconds tick. Ten seconds left and all of a sudden Jack gets the puck, making a breakaway to the Canadiens net.

Go, Go, Go!!! you’re screaming internally as the defense rush after him, but not fast enough. He shoots and it flies past the goalie’s shoulder. The crowd explodes with boos & angry yells, but you’re smiling.

Thomas nudges you “he’ll be happy about that"

“Yeah, he will” you say back, a soft smile on your face as the final buzzer sounds and the Devils all celebrate on the ice. The fans are none too happy but there’s nothing you can do. You take out your phone & text jack.

That was amazing superstar!! I’m so so proud of you. I’m going out with the boys, but I’ll see you later<3 text me whenever you guys are done if I’m not back. 

“let’s get out of here” you turn to Thomas, knowing that Jack’ll be caught up for a few hours with team celebrations & media stuff. “Mick texted a while ago, a couple of them are downtown so let’s go celebrate your win” he says.

A pit stop back at the hotel to drop off jerseys & make sure you have all the boys then you’re making your way downtown to one of your favourite clubs. The drinks are flowing, drivers & hockey players are all around and lots of dancing means that a few hours pass in the blink of an eye.

About 3 hours in, you check your phone and see a message from Jack.

Got about 20 minutes left then I’m heading back. I’ll be in your room. See you in a bit xx

Looking around, you spot Thomas & Charles and make your way towards them. They’re chattering in French, but you butt in.

“Hey boys, I’m heading out in 10” Turns out most people are pretty done for the night, & you end up having a big group heading back. You all grab a couple of cabs back, and as you make your way through the lobby, you spot a piano in the corner.

“Ooh!!” say, making your way over to it & sitting down. “Is it okay if I play?” you ask one of the workers who nods. The boys follow you and stand next to the piano, staring at you. Except for Thomas. He knows that you can’t play for shit, all those lessons you took as a child being absolutely useless, so he’s laughing.

You crack your fingers and start playing la vie en rose absolutely terribly. The boys laugh as you stand up & bow. “Merci, merci! Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a sexy man waiting for me” you wink before heading to the elevator & making your way to the room. He’s not there you, so you get undressed so he can see the gift he left for you. 

The door opens a few minutes later. “Hey champ” you drawl as he comes into view.

“oh, fuck me” “I plan to” you respond jokingly. He pulls off his shoes & shirt before jumping into the bed next to you. 

“You did it,” the smile on his face is absolutely massive “I did it. We’re going to the finals. Holy fuck” 

The two of you lay there, lazily making out & cuddling until you fall asleep, too worn out for more. The next morning brings sad goodbyes with promises of more in a few weeks time. 

F1 GOSSIP

Alright folks, we all know that Y/n L/n has been romantically linked to former F2 teammate Mick, who she sort of grew up with, and Charles Leclerc, her current teammate, for a while now. The Mick theory is more likely, as we’ve seen. I’ll show the evidence that has been collected here. But this weekend, a new player entered. Thomas Bordeleau, another childhood friend of Y/n & a pro hockey player, was in and around the paddock. Now we didn’t really know about this connection until an interview that y/n herself did on Friday, where she called him ‘one of her favourite people’. Apparently, we weren’t looking hard enough. Obviously, we had to do some digging, and the team here are starting to think that he may be the real deal when it comes to y/n’s heart. Let’s break it down.

Childhood friends – we found some photos from y/n’s early karting days, both in Europe and Canada. Know who makes an appearance in a few of them? Thomas. Now there aren’t too many pictures of them as teenagers, as it appears he lived in the US & obviously y/n had moved back to Europe for racing. However, we were able to find this picture, of Y/n at a hockey game with one of his jerseys on. 

Now, here’s where things get interesting. Thomas attended the University of Michigan and based on a video out of the paddock Friday, y/n knows a few of his college teammates. So, we did some more digging and found that y/n visited Michigan no less than six times over the 2 years he was there. And if that’s not convincing, take a look at these photos we dug up. Tell me that the way the two of them are looking at each other doesn’t scream in love (Photos of the two at various different parties looking cozy). Flirty comments left on posts, photos from friends that show the two cuddling or laying on top of each other, years of appearances in the back of each other’s photos, and a few references to a boyfriend in y/ns comments by close friends. All of these point towards the two of them being together, but the most damming evidence came out of Montreal. Lance Stroll was overheard asking y/n about her ‘boy toy coming’ mere seconds before Bordeleau made his appearance.

On Sunday, Y/n fought her way to a first place, and once she exited the car ran over to him at the barriers, practically flinging herself at him for a hug. Not two minutes later, when talking to a reporter she was saying thank you to the fans, and let this slip in French “superstar, thanks for being here this weekend. It means the world to me & I love you so much.” Now who speaks French & was there this weekend? Her best friend.

But that’s not all!! They made their way to the Montreal Canadiens game on Sunday night, where they lost in the final seconds. Several other players who appear to be friends of Bordeleaus & some of the guys who were playing in the game attended, however they watched from one of the boxes. y/n and Thomas, on the other hand, were smack dab in the centre of the action, accompanied only by his sister. Photos from the official sports accounts & fans were all over social media showing the two very close, joking around & cheering passionately for their home team. They were then seen out partying in the city with some of the other drivers and hockey players. I don’t know about all of you, but I’m pretty convinced. This isn’t what we were expecting, but it actually seems the most plausible. What are your thoughts?

 

Xx

[shelikesrainydays]

// June 6th, 2024

This week I’m on vacation from work so even though I should be studying I’m trying to rest for a bit first. I’ve been so stressed these past few weeks that just thinking of taking a pause from work to study made me feel sick. Like. What kind of vacations would those be?

But yes, I’ll start today and hope for the best on the exams of next week 🫠. Meanwhile I’ve been doing all kinds of activities that would allow my mind to wander, like cleaning around the apartment, organizing my threads for embroidery and practicing my hiragana. I was able to finish learning all the hiraganas btw, so in the next step I will be focusing on dakuon and katakana.

Some time ago I bought this water fountain for H. He gets mental sometimes and tries to move it from its place (bf had to adhere it to the ground to avoid that) but that still doesn’t stop H from making a whole mess, splashing water everywhere. We’re lucky to not have wooden floors here 😅 but at least he enjoys drinking from it.

Mom made brownies for dessert the other day when we went to visit. It was so delicious that I asked for a second round, but felt like shit after finishing it. No regrets though🤰🏻😂

[maximumwobblerbanditdonut]

The Dior Resort 2025 show, held on Monday at Drummond Castle Garden in Perthshire near Crieff in Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 for the first time in 70 years attracted a lot of attention.

The Cruise 2025 collection was presented by creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri in the castle gardens, home to some of the most significant Scottish Renaissance gardens, a place so rich in history and holds this year's show in such a stunningly inspiring location combining the richness.

Dating back to 1630, these gardens bring together the aesthetics of Italian terraces with French parterres, featuring a 17th-century sundial at the centre and a beech tree planted by Queen Victoria during her 1842 visit.

The abundance of tartan patterns was especially notable, and the Scottish influence was strongly felt. It looks like tartan patterns will dominate fashion next season.

Get ready, tartans are coming in full force!

The gardens date back to 1630 and are described as "one of Europe's most important and impressive formal gardens" The gardens are described by Historic Environment Scotland as "the best example of formal terraced gardens in Scotland." It is situated in Muthill parish, 2.5 miles (4 km) south of Crieff.

The Drummond castle is now the seat of Lady Jane Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, 28th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby, the daughter and heiress of the 3rd Earl of Ancaster. As of early 2021, she was still the owner of the estate. The castle (not open to visitors) and the gardens are managed by the Grimsthorpe and Drummond Castle Trust.

Posted 5th June 2024

[richincolor]

New Releases - Week of June 4, 2024

It's pretty amazing, but we're watching for ten different books this week. 

London on My Mind by Clara Alves – Nina Perrotta translator Push

Sixteen-year-old Dayana has always dreamed of visiting London — to walk along the Thames, take pictures outside Buckingham Palace, and maybe even get a glimpse of Arthur, Prince of Wales, whose marriage has been all over tabloids. But the trip of her dreams turns into a royal nightmare when her mother passes away. Now, Day must leave Rio de Janeiro to live with her estranged father and his new family in London.

As it turns out, the U.K. isn’t exactly Day’s cup of tea. She struggles to forgive her father for walking out on her and her mom all those years ago; fights with her stepsister constantly; detests her stepmother; and she can’t even see One Direction in concert because they’ve been broken up for ages. All she wants to do is trade the rainy skies of London for the sun and beaches of Rio.

That’s when she runs into the girl of her dreams — literally: The coincidentally named Diana, a witty, funny, redhead who was in the middle of . . . escaping Buckingham Palace? Something isn’t right here, but it makes Diana all the more alluring. As time passes, and the two girls grow closer, Day can’t help but wonder if there is more than a little truth to the rumors surrounding Prince Arthur — and if Diana might be involved somehow. Is it all in her head, or could Day be caught up in a real-life royal scandal?

Malicia by Steven dos Santos Page Street YA

Four friends, three days, two lovers, and one very haunted theme park

On a stormy Halloween weekend, Ray enlists his best friends Joaquin, Sofia, and Isabella to help him make a documentary of Malicia, the abandoned theme park off the coast of the Dominican Republic where his mother and brother died in a mass killing thirteen years ago.

But what should be an easy weekend trip quickly turns into something darker because all four friends have come to Malicia for their own

Ray has come to Malicia to find out the truth of the massacre that destroyed his family. Isabella has come to make art out of Ray’s tragedy for her own personal gain. Sofia has come to support her friends in one last adventure before she goes to med school. Joaquin already knows the truth of the Malicia Massacre and he has come to betray his crush Ray to the evil that made the park possible.

With an impending hurricane and horrors around every corner, they all struggle to face the deadly storm and their own inner demons. But the deadliest evil of all is the ancient malignant presence on the island.

Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé & Adiba Jaigirdar Feiwel & Friends

Ex-best friends, Tiwa and Said, must work together to save their Islamic Center from demolition, in this romantic story of rekindling and rebuilding by award-winning authors Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé & Adiba Jaigirdar!

Let’s get one thing straight: this is a love story.

These days, Said Hossain spends most of his time away at boarding school. But when his favorite hometown librarian Ms. Barnes dies, he must return home to New Crosshaven for her funeral and for the summer. Too bad being home makes it a lot harder to avoid facing his ex-best friend, Tiwa Olatunji, or facing the daunting task of telling his Bangladeshi parents that he would rather be an artist than a doctor.

Tiwa doesn’t understand what made Said start ignoring her, but it’s probably that fancy boarding school of his. Though he’s unexpectedly staying through the summer, she’s determined to take a page from him and pretend he doesn’t exist. Besides, she has more than enough going on, between grieving her broken family and helping her mother throw the upcoming Eid celebration at the Islamic Center—a place that means so much to Tiwa.

But when the Islamic Center accidentally catches fire, it turns out the mayor plans to demolish the center entirely. Things are still tense between the ex-friends but Tiwa needs Said’s help if there’s any hope of changing the mayor’s mind, and Said needs a project to submit to art school (unbeknownst to anyone). Will all their efforts be enough to save the Islamic Center, save Eid, and maybe save their relationship?

Louder Than Words by Ashley Woodfolk and Lexi Underwood Scholastic Press

This amazing collaboration brings together two inspirational Black artists, NYT bestselling author Ashley Woodfolk and actress Lexi Underwood, for a story about the transformative power of art as protest and its capacity to change the world.

When Jordyn Jones transfers to Edgewood High, it’s her opportunity to forget everything that happened at her old school. To forget what she and her friends did. To forget who she used to be. That was a different person — this is a fresh start. Now she’s someone new, someone better.

Except it’s the very first day of school, and somehow everyone already seems to know who she is. But Jordyn soon finds a group of friends, and she even starts talking to Izaiah, a soccer star who shares her love of art. Life is good. That’s until an anonymous podcast called Tomcat Tea begins revealing humiliating secrets about Edgewood students, ruining their reputations and in some cases their futures. Jordyn and her friends know they have to do something—and this is Jordyn’s chance to prove to herself that she’s changed.

Jordyn’s plan to take down the podcast throws her into the spotlight, and as the momentum builds, so do the risks—because Jordyn has a secret of her own, one that could ruin everything . . . and that a mysterious harasser online is threatening to expose.

With riveting prose, New York Times bestselling author Ashley Woodfolk and acclaimed actress Lexi Underwood balance an insightful depiction of the power of art as protest with asking some of the biggest questions facing teenagers today—in an era where mistakes can be picked over endlessly online, who is worthy of forgiveness? Can someone ever really change?

Barda by Ngozi Ukazu DC Comics

Darkseid is…and life on Apokolips is tough—but then, it is hell after all. And no one knows this better than Barda, Granny Goodness’s right hand warrior.

But Barda has a secret…she is in love. Or she is drawn to the idea of it anyway, whether it be the beauty of a flower, her affection for her closest friend, Aurelie, or the mysterious and fierce enemy warrior, Orion, who is the only match for Barda’s strength.

But when Granny decides Barda is becoming too soft, she assigns Barda a task that might be more than she can handle—to break the seemingly unbreakable Scott Free. And as Barda questions why Scott has such hope and what he might have done to promote such hatred from Granny, she finds herself drawn to him in a way she never expected.

The only thing is, we do not speak of love on Apokolips…

Don’t Wait: Three Girls Who Fought for Change and Won by Sonali Kohli Beacon Press

Follows the stories of three young women activists of color fighting for some of today’s most pressing movements of defunding the police, environmental justice, and arts education

Girls of color have always been on the front lines of the fight for equal rights—to vote, to learn, to live—even when they are the last to benefit from the outcomes of their work. In Don’t Wait , journalist Sonali Kohli follows three teenager’s’ efforts to make their communities safer, healthier places.

Don’t Wait highlights what propelled the teenagers into their activism to their experiences organizing and incorporates Q&As with important lessons from activists who have led the way.

The three teen activists

· Nalleli has lived across the street from an active oil well in South Los Angeles and at age 7, developed serious health problems. Nalleli and her mother take on an oil company and become environmental justice activists.

· Kahlila, following the murder of George Floyd and looking to help fight back, becomes involved with Black Lives Matter movement in Los Angeles and fights to defund school police in one of the largest school police forces in the nation.

· Sonia, an accomplished singer who was grappling with finding an creative outlet in the pandemic, strove to increase access to arts education in schools across California.

As the young women transitioning from teen to adult activists, Don’t Wait reflects the powerful lessons they’ve learned in their activism while building movements in their communities that will continue to live on as they move forward.

Looking for Smoke by K.A. Cobell Heartdrum

Since moving to the Blackfeet Reservation with her parents, Mara Racette has felt like an outsider, taunted by her tight-knit classmates for growing up far away. So, when a local girl includes Mara in a traditional Blackfeet giveaway to honor her missing sister, Mara thinks she’ll finally make some friends.

Instead, a girl from the giveaway, Samantha White Tail, is found murdered.

Because the members of the giveaway group were the last to see Samantha alive, each becomes a person of interest in the investigation:

New-girl Mara, who hated Samantha for being particularly cruel.

Grief-stricken Loren Arnoux, who was Samantha’s best friend until her sister’s disappearance drove a wedge between them.

Class-clown Brody Clark, whose unreciprocated crush on Samantha is an open secret.

And tough-guy Eli First Kill, who has his own complicated history with Samantha.

Despite deep mistrust, the four must now take matters into their own hands and clear their names. Even though one of them may be the murderer.

In her powerful debut novel, Looking for Smoke, author K. A. Cobell (Blackfeet) weaves loss, betrayal, and complex characters into a mystery that will illuminate, surprise, and engage readers until the final word.

Moonstorm (Lancers #1) by Yoon Ha Lee Delacorte Press

In a society where conformity is valued above all else, a teen girl training to become an Imperial pilot is forced to return to her rebel roots to save her world in this adrenaline-fueled sci-fi adventure—perfect for fans of Iron Widow and Skyward !

Hwa Young was just ten years old when imperial forces destroyed her rebel moon home. Now, six years later, she is a citizen of the very empire that made her an orphan.

Desperate to shake her rebel past, Hwa Young dreams of one day becoming a lancer pilot, an elite group of warriors who fly into battle using the empire’s most advanced tech—giant martial robots. Lancers are powerful, and Hwa Young would do anything to be the strong one for once in her life.

When an attack on their boarding school leaves Hwa Young and her classmates stranded on an imperial space fleet, her dreams quickly become a reality. As it turns out, the fleet is in dire need of pilot candidates, and Hwa Young—along with her brainy best friend Geum, rival Bae, and class clown Seong Su—are quick to volunteer.

But training is nothing like what they expected, and secrets—like the fate of the fleet’s previous lancer squad and hidden truths about the rebellion itself—are stacking up. And when Hwa Young uncovers a conspiracy that puts their entire world at risk, she’s forced to make a choice between her rebel past and an empire she’s no longer sure she can trust.

Storm: Dawn of a Goddess by Tiffany D. Jackson Random House

Before she was the super hero Storm of Marvel’s X-Men, she was Ororo of Cairo—a teenaged thief on the streets of Egypt, until her growing powers catch the eye of a villain who steals people’s souls.

Few can weather the storm.

As a thief on the streets of Cairo, Ororo Munroe is an expert at blending in—keeping her blue eyes low and her white hair beneath a scarf. Stealth is her specialty . . . especially since strange things happen when she loses control.

Lately, Ororo has been losing control more often, setting off sudden rainstorms and mysterious winds . . . and attracting dangerous attention. When she is forced to run from the Shadow King, a villain who steals people’s souls, she has nowhere to turn to but herself. There is something inside her, calling her across Africa, and the hidden truth of her heritage is close enough to taste.

But as Ororo nears the secrets of her past, her powers grow stronger and the Shadow King veers closer and closer. Can she outrun the shadows that chase her? Or can she step into the spotlight and embrace the coming storm?

The Love Interest by Helen Comerford Bloomsbury YA

Seventeen-year-old Jenna Ray has just been saved by the world’s newest superhero, Blaze. And, in the eyes of the public, that means one thing: Jenna Ray has been cast as the Love Interest.

No. Not happening. Not if Jenna has anything to say about it (even if Blaze is actually quite sweet and cute).

But her plans to defy the HPA (the Heroics and Power Authority) and turn down this new role are thwarted when the Villains begin to take an interest in her and offer a life-changing proposition; become Blaze’s Love Interest, while avoiding catching feelings for him, to uncover the HPA’s secret plans and find her missing mum.

To make matters even more complicated, just as Jenna starts to embrace her new-found career, she discovers she might be more on the side of the superheroes than she ever imagined …

[lgbtqmanga]

New Releases June 18, 2024

Adachi and Shimamura (manga) vol. 5 by Hitoma Iruma and Moke Yuzuhara

Summer vacation is here! This is the perfect chance to get closer to Shimamura…or so Adachi thought. While part-timing at a food stall at the summer festival, she sees Shimamura happily strolling around with an unfamiliar girl. Has a new rival appeared?! 

Assorted Entanglements (manga) vol. 5 by Mikanuji

Kujo carries the weight of a friendship broken apart by unrequited feelings… Heke and Lala are afraid of their relationship changing, and neither wants to take the first step forward… Minami cries out in her sleep that she doesn’t have a place where she belongs, and Shizuku worries for her… The past makes each recall that to be together, to have a place where they are not alone, isn’t something to be taken for granted—so they must treasure the loves they have built. 

Chasing Spica (manga) vol. 1 by Chihiro Orihi

Nekozuka Serina isn’t satisfied. Even though she’s fashionable, popular, and smart to boot, she’s always found herself gnawing at the heels of the cold and condescending public morals officer Tachibana Reiko. With them now in their third year and a scholarship on the line, Serina must finally defeat Reiko and get the highest exam results in their grade. It’s easier said than done! That is until Serina snaps a photo of Reiko visiting a love hotel late at night with an unknown woman and hatches a plan…

Cheerful Amnesia (manga) vol. 3 by Tamamushi Oku

The loss of Arisa’s memories has still has her girlfriend Mari worried, but Arisa herself is cheerfully enjoying their lovey-dovey days together. That said, there are certain things couples do together—things Arisa no longer has any experience with. Can she step up to the plate and give Mari what she wants?!

Cover My Scars With Your Kiss (manga) vol. 2 by Io Amaki

Seiichi Kurusu and Nao Seto are officially dating and living together.

Even though they share a home now, their busy jobs have made it difficult for them to spend time together. When Seiichi reveals that his father has been trying to set him up with marriage interviews, Nao realizes that he doesn't want to let Seiichi go. With Seiichi's position as the eldest son set to inherit his father's company, will they be able stay together forever?

I Want to Be a Wall (manga) vol. 3 by Honami Shirono

*Final volume*

Gaku and Yuriko prepare to face the final hurdle of their newlywed life—meeting Gaku’s grandmother! But as they do, the pair are forced to consider exactly what kind of relationship they want to have and what kind of life they want to build together…

Love is an Illusion (manhwa) vol. 6 by Fargo

When Hye-sung’s name and photo are published in the news, neither he nor Dojin expect that it will bring long-lost relatives into their lives. Even though it’s been years since Hye-sung spoke to his parents, he’s forced to confront the hard truths of his troubled past. In the face of such trauma, can he endure for Dojin and Byul’s sake? Or is the terrified omega about to make another daring escape? Meanwhile, all Hye-sung and Dojin’s friends are settling down. Find out what’s ahead for the beta couples in the latest volume of the hit Boys’ Love webtoon!

Mitsuka (manga) vol. 3 by akabeko

Leo is host at a nightclub, and he always thought he had no interest in men — until he slept with Takahiro, a sex worker who introduced him to pleasures he'd never felt before. Now, sex with women doesn’t satisfy him, and after begging Takahiro to sleep with him again, they agree to a “friends with benefits” arrangement.

But just when Leo thinks he may be falling in love, one of his best customers asks him to sleep with her. Takahiro catches him in the act, and things take a dark turn…

The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter (novel) vol. 2 by Yatsuki Wakatsu

After getting accidentally summoned to another world, former office worker Seiichiro ends up becoming extremely close with the handsome knight commander Aresh—although what exactly that means remains ambiguous, even after they begin living together. Just as that’s happening, Seiichiro meets a priest who reminds him a bit of Aresh. When Aresh returns from his latest expedition, will he find a rival waiting for him?

Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn (manga) vol. 18 by Masamune Shirow and Rikudou Koushi

Now that the Bydo virus has been removed from Phobos’s system—and with it, Labrys’s brainwashing—Phobos faces Clarion again to try and regain the peaceful life she once had. Meanwhile, Poseidon’s evil tendrils are creeping closer and closer to the Korobase estate!

Senpai, This Can’t Be Love! (manga) by Shinta Harekawa

Friendly, confident, amazing at his job…All words applicable to veteran CG designer Yanase who was asked to teach the hardworking new hire, Kaneda, the ropes! Although excited about the prospect, he begins to lose heart in the face of Kaneda’s frosty indifference. However, on the inside, Kaneda’s been struggling to play it cool whenever Yanase so much as pats him on the back…

Shonen Note: Boy Soprano (manga) vol. 8 by Yuhki Kamatani

The only constant in life is change, and now the entire town of Kawami is forced to accept that reality. After the dismal results of the vote on the industrial waste disposal facility, everyone is lost in a fog of disappointment--Everyone, that is, except for the City Opera. As the saying goes, the show must go on, and the City Opera troupe hopes to lift the town's spirits with music. But will Yutaka be able to recover from Midori's shocking confession that his singing scares her…? After a long journey of self-discovery, Yutaka finally came to terms with who he was--as a boy, a singer, and a boy soprano. But now facing Midori’s words, will he gather the strength to press onward, or will all his growth come crashing down in a chaotic crescendo?

There's No Freaking Way I'll Be Your Lover! Unless… (manga) vol. 5 by Teren Mikami and Musshu

Sena Ajisai, the angel of the school, always seems to Renako like she has everything together. But this illusion is shattered during a Mai-sanctioned visit to Ajisai’s house where Renako witnesses her normally sweet-natured friend get into a fight with her family. Later, when Ajisai declares over the phone that she’s running away from home, it’s up to Renako to keep her friend from doing something she’ll regret!

This Monster Wants to Eat Me (manga) vol. 1 by Sai Naekawa

“I’ve come to eat you.” So softly utters the mermaid Shiori, as she emerges from the sea and takes high school girl Hinako by the hand. Hinako lives alone in a town by the sea, and possesses an unusually delicious body that is irresistible to nearby monsters. To ensure that she matures to the best condition, Shiori seeks to protect Hinako—all so that someday, she can devour every piece of her. What will become of Hinako’s feelings as this looming unjust death closes in on her…?

The Witches' Marriage (manga) vol. 3 by studio HEADLINE

Though the original purpose of her marriage was to open the doors of truth and reunite with her mistress, the cold and beautiful witch Melissa finds herself more and more drawn to the kindness of her partner and apprentice, Tanya. After surpassing various challenges in The WMC (Witches’ Marriage College) together, Melissa and Tanya finally reach the last trial, but then…

[wilmingtoncrp]

Join us for Wilmington's vibrant Pride Festival, taking place in midtown from Saturday, June 22nd to Sunday, June 23rd. This colorful weekend will showcase our community's diversity and inclusivity while highlighting some of Wilmington's beloved local businesses.

Saturday, June 22nd:

The festivities kick off at 10 AM with a parade starting at Nash's Supermarket and proceeding down the main street. Floats, performers, and community groups will fill the streets with music, dance, and rainbow flags.

After the parade, head to Lincoln Park for the Pride Festival. Local vendors and food trucks will line the park, offering a variety of cuisines and merchandise. Don't miss the live performances on the main stage, featuring local musicians and drag performers.

As dusk appears, join us at Soundwave for the official Pride After-Party. Dance the night away to pulsing beats and enjoy specially crafted rainbow cocktails.

Sunday, June 23rd:

Start your day with a refreshing Pride Yoga session at Fit & Toned, open to all skill levels. 

Then, fuel up with a rainbow-themed coffee at The Cozy Cup, featuring colorful lattes and pastries.

For the music lovers, visit Vintage Records for a special Pride vinyl showcase, celebrating LGBTQ+ musicians through the decades.

Cinema will be hosting a Pride Film Festival, showcasing a selection of LGBTQ+ themed movies throughout the day.

As the weekend winds down, head on to Bella & Jenny's for a Pride Ice Cream Social, featuring special rainbow flavors and sundaes.

Throughout Pride Month, local businesses are showing their support with special offerings:

TRIC will be hosting a Pride Drag Weekend, where a plethora of drag queens will be performing and working the crowds. Attendees are encouraged to present their best amateur drag 

Handmade pride t shirts/socks/bandanas will be given to anyone who stops by Enchanted Gowns and donates toward the LGBTQ+ community.

Pearce Callahan will be offering free 30 minute therapy sessions to anyone in the LGBTQ+ community from 8AM-5PM, and will donate what he would’ve made to support the suicide prevention in the LGBTQ+ community

Sinful Ink will be doing a Pride Special on tattoos and piercings from 1pm - 6pm. Half off on any piercings or pride related tattoos. Special deals for a combo available. Must be 18 or older, and have ID on hand. 

Nirvana will host a Sapphic Saturday for Pride Weekend. It is a women only event and the first drink is free. The entire Pride Weekend at Nirvana will feature famous LGBTQ+ DJs spinning on each floor of the nightclub and a brand new specialty drink menu to support the rainbow.

Midtown Fire Station 2024 calendar sales throughout the month will be sent toward local LGBTQ+ organizations + station will be offering a choice of either Fire Station Pride tee or photo op with any of our firemen and firewomen for any donation made at the station (that will also be reverted toward local LGBTQ+ organizations) (edited)

Being one of the few athletes that's been out of the closet for over a decade, Amos de Leon will be hosting a very fun-filled Beach Tennis tournament by the name BIllie Jean King's Open (named after the very first pro-tennis female player who was outed in 1981). Everyone is encouraged to join the fun as it's an amateur tourney. All proceeds from tickets, player fees and merch will go to LGBTQ+ organizations and charities.

For every purchase made at Finishing Touches during Pride Month, a portion will be donated to local LGBTQ+ charities.

Drinks at Soundwave will be half off during Pride Month.

Come celebrate love, diversity, and pride in the heart of Wilmington!

OOC

Everyone is encouraged to participate! But as it can be a hassle, please feel free to continue your previous threads.

The event will run from June 22nd at 12:00PM EST to June 29th at 12:00PM EST.

Do not create anymore event thread after June 29th, but you are more than welcomed to continue writing them.

You may tag the event under - event: pride festival 01

Have fun!

[darkelfguy]

Twenty-two years ago, on May 1st, Morrowind was released to an eager gaming and modding public, and what was at first a strange and alien land has become a home, a place we long to return to, a world we visit again and again, and though decades pass, we always come back.

But Morrowind isn't a static world, for modders have been building upon it, expanding it, improving it, reimagining it for 22 years, adding new adventures, new experiences, new lands to explore, new mechanics and new graphics, and so much more! After 22 years, not only does Morrowind still have an active modding community, but the Morrowind modding community has grown and expanded, and is now more active than ever, releasing over a thousand new mods every year!

And on this special anniversary, what better way is there to celebrate Morrowind's 22nd birthday than to continue to build upon it? As such, once again this year, we're hosting the 2024 Morrowind May Modathon Month Modding Competition, the tenth annual Modathon for the Morrowind Modding Community!

For the last 10 years, the Morrowind Modathons have served as an annual celebration for both Morrowind's anniversary and the modding community's creativity, celebrated every May 1st and lasting throughout the entire month of May! And this year, we're excited to announce, once again, that the Morrowind May Modathon Month is back for 2024, celebrating 22 years of Morrowind!

From May 1st through to June 2nd, modders can submit mods, earn achievement badges, and win prizes by using the May Modathon 2024 tag and the Morrowind Modathon 2024 header in their mod description on the Nexus! We have an exciting array of 94 achievement badges for modders to unlock with their mods, with achievements for competing in weekly themed challenges, category achievements, metric achievements, bronze, silver and gold achievements, and 27 hidden achievements - how many can you find? For a full list, check out our announcement thread over on the Nexus forums!

Over the last 10 years, 1300+ mods have been released for the annual Morrowind Modathon Month modding competitions, and with your help, we can add even more to that impressive tally, making this amazing game bigger and better than ever!

There is no better way to celebrate Morrowind's anniversary than building and releasing mods, and whether you're a modding veteran or a newbie just starting out with using the Construction Set, I hope you'll join us for the 2024 Morrowind May Modathon!

Participation is simple, any Morrowind mod released in May can be entered into the competition, just remember to include a tagline "Part of the May Modathon Month" (or the Morrowind Modathon 2024 header) near the top of your mod's description, or use the Modathon 2024 tag to enter your mod as part of the competition. You'll be automatically entered to potentially win one of our weekly random-drawing prizes, and of course, unlock achievements!

For more information, including rules, links to tutorials for first-time modders, and a complete list of achievements, check out our official announcement thread here on the Nexus forums or stop by our Discord channel!

As I always say, the best games never die! Happy modding and long live the Morrowind Modding Community!”

[emimayooo]

Emi in Japan (2024) – June 7th to June 9th

(Link to previous entry.)

Hey guys,

I've had such a fun few days! Days full of good food, nature, and animals. I can't wait to tell you all about it.

But first, here are the highlights:

I posted a new galeheart fic! It's a fairy tale au I wrote for the galeheart first times event way back in late April, but I finally posted it. It has, predictably, ballooned into a multichap lol but I'm happy with the result :)

My mum and I discovered a local café that's only opened on the weekends. We loved it so much we went both days!

Goats, cats, and even more cats, oh my! Went to an agritourism farm and an open shelter cat rescue. Very fun. Very stinky.

Anyway! Onto the details:

June 7th

June 7th was pretty chill! My mum and I went shopping in the morning. I bought a very handy dandy bag where I can store my wallet, pocket wifi and phone in, that straps around my body. Super convenient for going out with just my necessities.

Here’s a photo of me and the bag, on another day! I just love it.

Afterwards, we went to a sushi train place. Each plate of sushi cost around 100 yen. How cheap is that?!

When we got home, I think we just napped lol. I dedicated my evening to writing, which went well! I was so nervous to post fic since it had been a while, but then I got such lovely comments! I’m glad I pushed through my doubt and just posted the damn thing :)

June 8th

In the morning, my mum and I went to this local cafe that only opens on the weekends. The walk over was so refreshing, with the weather being just perfect. We walked past farms, old Japanese houses, the river my mum nearly drowned in when she was four before my grandma pulled her to safety lol, and finally, we arrived at the cafe.

We took our seat on the porch. I’m so glad we did: we were right in front of the flower garden where we could watch the little butterflies and bees do their job. It was so relaxing. I must read here sometime.

Mum ordered the soup set, which came with veges and onigiri, as well as a cup of coffee. I had the waffle set with the ice cream and red bean. For my drink I had the best iced tea I’ve ever had in my life, oh my goodness it was so good! Apparently, this cafe specialises in herbal teas. I’ve got to try it some of these days, if even their iced tea was this good! Anyway, here are some pics of the cafe:

On our walk home, we passed the local agritourism farm and decided to go in. Since it was Saturday, there were so many tourists from Tokyo. It’s quite popular among families. It’s kinda like if you as the farmer of SDV were real lol because it’s SUCH a money-maker for our town here. And the rest of us are just NPCs lol🧍

While there, I fed a scary ass goat some carrots and had a grape-vanilla mixed ice cream.

And that concludes Saturday!

June 9th

Sunday (today) was such a blast too. In the morning, we took I-san (crazy old cat lady ((affectionate)) from older entries) to the cafe we went the day before. As ever, she talked our ears off and we learned a lot about the neighbours lmao. But also, she came all dressed up with her make up done, which was adorable🥰❤️. I’m so glad she enjoyed it.

When we dropped her off, she forced me to accept 5000 yen from her (50 AUD)😭😭😭!!! You might be like “emi you could’ve just said no” BUT YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND!!! When old Asian grannies give you money you must accept it there’s no escaping their determination😭😭😭

Now I gotta think of a way to repay her, non-monetarily. I’m actually quite decent at drawing realistic portraits (especially old people for some reason lol) so maybe I’ll draw her or her late cat as a present. We shall see!

Also, we made plans for her to dress me in her kimono on Tuesday. I’m very excited!

After breakfast, we headed off to visit an open shelter/cat rescue. I’ve been here before and I was very excited to go again. There’s around 100 cats, spread across three floors (with sealed off balconies), and there are soooo many affectionate cats omg. So many will just flop onto your lap and chill there for like twenty minutes it’s great. I fell in love with so many cuties today…but none of them fell in love with me back lol they all wanted my mum instead aha😭💔

So yeah. There’s no pictures of me with the cats because they were all over my mum so I became designated photographer🤡

But in the end, I did get to pat many cutie kitties, so I still had an adorable time🥰❤️

For lunch, we ate at the neighbouring restaurant, that was cat-themed. I had the nyangherita pizza lol while my mum had a warabi-katsu set.

The pizza was disappointingly average, but my mum liked her food. So all around wins for her today😂 (though, a cat did pee on her bag, so…)

And that was my past few days! I can’t believe I’ve been here close to three weeks now. Time just flies, doesn’t it? Next Saturday, I’ll be off to Osaka. I’ll be sad to say goodbye to my grandpa’s hometown, but I’ll be back at the end of June anyway, before I return to Australia…where I’ll then reunite with my own cats, Apple Pie and Leon🥹💖

Thanks for reading my journal! See you next time.

With love,

Emi xoxo