#one of my few actively liked dutch songs

[parasocialpixlriffs]

duurt te lang by davina michelle my shining star

[mylifestylearedilfs]

⇢ ˗ˏˋ joost klein x friend (with benefits)!reader ࿐ྂ

ੈ✩‧₊˚ LUNCH : not smut ; a bit of angst (but not really) ; fluff ; imagine ; all is fictional ; english is not my first language

part two

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_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐ YOU WERE FRIENDS with joost for few good years, you two met at the set of his song ‘ome robert’, since then you became inseparable. you never thought that this acquaintance would last for that long and you also never had in plans to care that much for this crazy little dutch guy. sometimes other people was saying that you two were clones, who shared the same sense of humour and even the same clothes from time to time. long story short you were acting like an old sweet couple.

you have always founded each other attractive, at first it caused some awkwardness, even if you both tried to ignored by typical for you jokes. but after one party, when you both were a bit of drunk, but still capable of thinking rationally, you finally decided to do something with that sexual tension that was between you. that was the moment when he proposed you to start kind of friends with benefits type of relationship.

, , ,

right now we are in the present times, when joost was chosen to represent the netherlands. you were extremely proud of him, you knew the whole story, about how he watched eurovision because of his parents. that’s why you also wanted to make this whole event special and memorable for him, and with help of apson and martijn by your side it was super easy to achieve.

you always thought that the whole contest wasn’t that exciting, because people who worked as their social media management wasn’t that creative. that’s why all of you wanted to make it a bit more interesting, because let’s be honest, all the contestants were great people and they had such a potential to advertise eurovision with their personalities not only with their songs.

it was you who recorded all iconic joost’s clips, sometimes you even were taking part in some videos, as a ‘interviewer’ for example. it was a lot of fun for not only you, but everyone; by other contestants and of course by viewers. people quickly became interested in your persona, because you have never been active on social media, that’s why when you finally started getting more attention online, joost’s fans were simply curious who you were and what kind of relationship you had with dutch man.

it was a moment when you started to ask yourself, who you really were to joost. of course you were aware that you both cared for each other, but officially it was in friendly way. on the other hand let’s be honest, in privacy you didn’t acted like friends more like a lovers. but the truth was that you were tired of being just friends (with benefits but still friends). you wanted to be officially couple and the fact, that his career was developing in unbelievable fast way, wasn’t helping.

you understood that having casual relationship was convenient for him, because he didn’t have to worry about how busy he sometimes was. but you started to feel that sex that you shared, wasn’t that sweet and special, it was kind of opposite you felt that he only treated it like a stress reducer, which hurt your feelings. you weren’t selfish though, that’s why you kept it all for yourself, because right now it was about joost and eurovision, there wasn’t room for unwanted drama.

but maybe someday he will find out that you didn’t want to be just friends anymore.

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⇢ ˗ˏˋ thank you for attention! do you guys want a part two?

[hopelesslyromanticshark]

⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ˚ Dutch Luv-ers

content: mortal! broista! leo valdez x reader fic warning: language and then tooth rotting fluff author's note: THIS FOR MY WEST COAST BABIES YALL DO NOT THINK I FORGOT ABOUT THE BEST COFFEE SHOP WHILE ON THE EAST COAST YOU ALREADY KNOW- okay okay i am so sorry to everyone who is not an west coast american, this is gonna be so confusing for you but this was self indulgent so i don't care lmao- also, for the confusion that i am sure is to come, the main plot point in this is the straw theory at dutch bros. it's since been debunked but i still think about it every time i go there lmao. basically, the color of the straw is what the broista thinks of you. you can google it and find the like exact 'translations' so to speak! ugh, i love this so much. like, it's messy and sloppy and makes no sense, but i love it so much!! might turn the texts at the end into texts like i did for smau but probs tomorrow!!

dutch bros - the REAL happiest place on earth. the central hub of people of all ages and points in their life. one car could have an exhausted father getting smoothies for his hyper active children with a double shot nitro cold brew for himself and the next will have teens pregaming a football game, begging the broistas (yes, that's their names, shush) to shotgun one of their rebel cans. and leo loved each of them. he loved that he got to see so many different people with in a five hour shift, loved that he basically got paid to yap and tap away at tablet screen.

but, on this lovely morning, leo had the great pleasure of serving you. he knew it was gonna be a great shift before he even came in, but he never could have predicted you. he was with his crew that morning, such an iconic crew that they had been dubbed 'the seven.' and they worked like a well-oiled machine, and leo would know as a engineer major. him and percy were the runners, leaving the comfort of the stand with their tablets to take orders and laugh brightly with customers. piper and hazel were mainly in charge of aux, ensuring lovable and well-known pop music blared from the hidden speakers. addtionally, they had the job of stocking as items ran out. frank, annabeth, and jason were typically the ones making the drinks, the perfectionists eager to follow a recipe they had memorized.

it was rather early in the morning but it was never not rush hour. but, right now, the lanes were empty and leo was leaning against the window, talking with piper as she cued up the next few songs.

"and then i told her that she was being a massive cunt-"

"no, you didn't!" piper cut in with a laugh, shaking her head at the latino boy.

"you weren't there, yes, i did!" insisted leo, rolling his eyes at the girl.

"well, i was there. and he didn't," jason added as he breezed past, twisting a stirring spoon around on his fingers with a smirk. leo sharpened his eyes on the boy, pointing over at him.

"snitch."

"liar!" piper hissed, shoving at the boys shoulder.

"no-"

"car!" annabeth called, giving a pointed look. he leaned into the window, reaching around until he found a tablet, basically falling out of the service window.

"this conversation isn't over," bit out leo, pointing at jason and piper, who rolled their eyes at the boy. leo walked backwards for a few steps before spinning around and walking towards your car. your windows were rolled down as it was summer, the heat even affecting the mornings now. you were digging around in your purse as leo walked up, mouthing along to 'party in the u.s.a' as it played from the shops speakers.

"morning!" leo cheered as he leaned into your window, your pretty looks not lost on him. you looked up from your purse, beaming a smile at the boy as you moved your sunglasses up from your eyes into your hair.

"good morning! love the music, as per usual," you laughed, doing a few limited dance moves in your car. leo laughed, trying his best not to drool at the moment. gods, could you be anymore perfect? and he'd just met you.

"i'll make sure to tell the dj. she'll scream, don't worry," leo winked and enjoying the way your smile widened at the action. "what can we get started for you this lovely morning?"

"hmm. normally i'd get an iced mocha but i'm in the mood to try something new. any recs?" you asked, tilting your head at the boy, leaning out of your car and into his space ever so slightly.

"so, you like the mocha?" leo asked, pretending to think intensely about what to offer you. really, he just wanted to talk to you for longer. you hummed in response, nodding your head for added confirmation.

"you cool if i surprise you?" offered leo and once again you were nodding.

"perfect. you'll love this. it's my fav and i got my buddy, jason, hooked on it, too. which, if you knew the guy, you'd know how big of an accomplishment that is," yapped leo, tapping away at his computer, glancing up at you with a toothy grin. once more, you beamed your supernova smile at him, which nearly had the boy crumbling to his knees.

"can't wait. i hope it's good..." you trailed off, biting your lip as you hoped you didn't over step by basically begging for his name. but, he was cute and sweet and funny, and that was the perfect trifecta to get your number.

"leo. for if you ever want to do one of those survey things," leo joked, winking, as you giggled.

"alright, leo, what do i owe?" you questioned, holding your card out to the boy.

"on the house," replied leo, instantly, waving you off and shoving your card back in your direction.

"really? what's the occasion?" you pestered, putting your card away with a tiny smile. he surely knew the way to your heart already - free coffee.

"oh. pretty girl's always drink free when they come through my line," mused leo, smiling as you bloomed red. you cleared your throat, shaking your head gently at the boy.

"very smooth, leo," you admitted before raising a brow at him. "and how many drinks do you give out for free in a day?"

"from here on out, none."

"why?"

"i highly doubt i'll see another girl as hot as you again."

now, you were surely the color of a aftershock rebel. and it simpley seemed to encourage leo more, the boy resting his arms against your car door and putting his face meer inches from yours. but you weren't really one to back down, letting him get close but never touch.

"i'll pull up to the window. see ya around, leo," you teased, throwing a wink at the boy before pulling away, his arms slipping off your car as you drove the short distance to the window. he shook his head as you went, basically running to the small shop and jumping through the window, using frank's shirt to pull himself through, which sent him tumbling to the ground.

"you're blocking my pathway," frank stated, stepping over the boy, who quickly scrambled up to his feet.

"we've got a code pink straw! i repeat: code pink straw!" leo hissed, grabbing hazel and shaking her by her shoulders, causing the girl to nearly drop the jugs of milk in her hands.

"what?! no way!! that girl in the red car??" piper interrogated, peeking out the window to get a better look at you. "ooh! she is cute! if you don't ask her out, i will!"

"back off! i called dibs!" leo cut in, glaring at piper, who stuck her tongue out at him.

"is this a code pink straw like the one last week?" percy asked, sitting on one of the counters, his sneakers swinging through the air. "what was her name?? cal-poly or whatever??"

"firstly, she did not get a pink straw, she got a green straw for being a legendary bitch. secondly, i've never used my code pink straw before, i'll have you know," leo listed, nearly shivering at the thought of the mean girl from the previous week, who bitched him out and then asked for his manager without even letting him ask her order.

"alright, alright, fair enough," percy hummed before smirking over at annabeth, who squinted her eyes at him. "you're the only girl getting my pink straw, annie!"

"that sounds so wrong but so sweet at the same time," piper laughed and percy then caught onto the sexual implication, shoving at the cherokee girl.

"everyone shut up! shut up! my moment has come!" leo hissed, basically shoving jason to the ground as he took up post at the window, leaning out of it as you pulled up. you smiled up at the boy, folding your arms on your car as you looked up at him with a raised brow.

"you again?" you asked with a teasing tone and leo flashed his teeth at you.

"i knew you missed me."

"awww, and here i thought i was being all mysterious," you fake pouted and leo laughed, shaking his head as his fingers drummed against the counter.

"here you go, leo," piper mused with a bright smile, sliding your drink into his hold. leo subtly shoved her away as he took it, widening his eyes pointedly at her before spinning back around to you with a dazzling smile that basically had you swooning.

"one coconut mocha for the pretty girl. you need a straw?" leo asked, like he was supposed to, his fingers crossed behind his back that you didn't give a flying fuck about turtles.

"yeah, a straw would be great," you replied, smiling up at him as you inspected the drink. he silently cheered to himself, inspecting the cup that held the straws and making sure to grab a pink one. he blushed despite himself, presenting it to you like it was the most precious of metals.

"here."

"thanks!" you cheered, a little too excitedly, as you stared at the pink straw in wonder. you didn't even like the color pink, but knowing the connotation it held you couldn't help but internal squeal.

"anything else i can get you for today?" offered leo, hoping you'd ask for the world so he could give it to you.

"your number would be great," you replied, your confidence shocking the both of you. leo gapped for a few seconds, only coming back to life as his hands slipped and he would have gone falling out the window had jason not caught the back of his shirt.

"that's leo for yes. here," jason cut in, saving the poor boy as he handed over a napkin with leo's number printed on it. you laughed slightly, gently taking the napkin from the blonde boy.

"thanks! i'll be texting you later, leo," you told the boy, hoping to get at least one more response from him before you drove off.

"i won't leave my phone ever again, my pink straw girl," leo mused, basically melting onto the counter. you beamed a blushing smile at the boy and gave him a salute as you drove off, leo leaning out of the window to wave you off.

"get back to work, fireboy! we've got a ten car pile up, you lovesick fool!" percy barked into the shop, nearly dragging the boy out by his collar. and leo couldn't find it in himself to care as his phone buzzed, his hands desperately racing for it despite percy's pull on him.

you have one new message!

(822) 993-1670: hey, leo, it's yn. well, i actually don't know if you ever caught my name. the girl from dutch bros! like...two minutes ago. anyways, let me know if you want to catch a bite to eat sometime. based off this drink recommendation, i know you've got good taste!

new contact added: my pretty pink straw girl 💖

leo (cute broista🤭): yes! i'd love nothing more. how's tomorrow?

my pretty pink straw girl 💖: tomorrow's perfect!

leo (cute broista🤭): it's a date then!

my pretty pink straw girl 💖: i wouldn't have it any other way.

[outlaw-apologist]

The Gang as Fathers (RDR2)

This was an anon request :D Characters: Arthur, Hosea, Dutch, Charles, Sean, Kieran, and Micah TW: Micah’s contains graphic/violent themes Requests are always welcome~ feel free to request anything hehe AO3 link here ___  Arthur - He always pretends to be stern with his child but gives in almost immediately. “You can’t have candy before bed….” He puts on his best mean face that only lasts a few seconds. “Fine, just one piece.” - His baby will learn how to ride a horse before learning how to walk. Arthur will hold his child while caring for the horses or will cradle them in his lap during trail rides. - “I heard a little alcohol was good for babies. Makes ‘em sleep better.” He’ll stick his pinkie finger in some whiskey and will let the baby suck on it to calm down, but only during fitful crying or when his baby won’t sleep.

- As his child grows older he’ll try hard to give them a good education. Not city folk education, but enough to know about the world. There’ve been many times Arthur wished he had gone to school as a kid. - When his child draws for the first time Arthur is SO proud! He shows EVERYONE and keeps the drawing tucked safely in his journal for many many years to come. It doesn’t matter how old his baby gets, he keeps every drawing no matter what. - If Arthur had a daughter I think he would try harder to learn more about women’s rights. He might even visit the protesting lady in Saint Denis and ask her a few questions. He’s seen how the world treats women and he wants to raise a strong woman of his own who will always believe in herself and love herself no matter what. - Also- Daddy daughter dates!!! He would go to all the nice little cafe’s and bakeries with his daughter or would take her on special little picnics. - Camping trips!!!! Every weekend Arthur is packing his kiddo(s) up to go camping. He doesn’t like fishing but he’ll take his kids forging and teach them how to live off the land. When they’re bigger Arthur teaches them how to hunt small animals, like squirrels, with a bow and arrow. At night he cooks dinner over an open fire and sings trail riding songs or tells stories of his days as an outlaw. - If his child ever goes through a tween or teen phase of hating him Arthur WILL cry himself to sleep every. damn. night. wondering what he did wrong. Even if he knows it’s just how kids are at times, it really hurts his feelings. That self loathing part of him mixed with old family wounds never leaves him. - Sorry to any wife or husband of Arthur’s out there – but Arthur would save his child before all else in ANY dangerous circumstance. He’ll save his spouse next but the kid(s) come first. - “When you’re older I’ll give you my hat. It was my daddy’s hat, and now it’s your daddy’s hat. One day it’ll be your hat.” “Hey! Stop playing with my hat!” “Di’ju take my hat to school?  Don’t do it again.” - Even if his children are around people he trusts he will still watch them like a hawk, almost afraid someone will snatch them away. - He really hates being away from his children so he sends letters about his great adventures to them until he can return. - Arthur really doesn’t want his children walking in his footsteps, BUT he does wish they could experience true adventure and freedom. Because of this he’ll plan elaborate activities. Sometimes he creates treasure maps and will take his children riding around the state to find a ‘hidden treasure’ Arthur himself buried. - When his child turns 13 he’ll take them out to find a wild horse of their choosing, then he’d teach them how to tame the horse as a right of passage. It’s an amazing bonding experience between the both of them, and he thinks horses are special animals. Growing up with your horse is a must. - “Seriously gimme my hat!” -- Hosea - Hosea’s always secretly wanted a little one of his own. It doesn’t matter if he has a daughter or a son, that baby will be in his arms 24/7 - Literally wants to raise his child as a mini him – in the most positive way possible. - Bedtime stories were chapter books and his children learn how to read fairly early-on in their childhood. - Every few years Hosea gifts his child a new fishing pole that matches how big they’ve grown. Fishing is very important to him and he makes a point to have a special spot where he camps with his kids and fishes for days. Playing in the rocks and trees, hiding in the fields around the camp when not catching fish. Instead of campfire stories he reads books out loud or retells old memories he finds amusing. - “I want you to understand, the outlaw life is not for everyone.” Hosea is torn. He doesn’t want his children to become outlaws like him… However there’s a part of him he can’t deny where he wishes his child would be there with him no matter where he was. If his child became an outlaw he wouldn’t fully protest it. He’d feel guilty, I think, but he doesn’t want to be away from his kid(s). -That being said, his kid is raised with the Van-Der-Linde gang. Whenever Dutch or Susan tries to parent his child Hosea will always stand up to them. He puts a lot of emphasis on Arthur and John to protect his babies; mostly because he views Arthur and John as his children too, so they should act like good brothers. - He would LOVE taking his kids out to see plays or to the circus whenever the circus is in town. He’ll take them to films too though he prefers the performing arts (theater) first. However, he loves exposing his children to any and all types of art. If his child ever expresses an interest in acting or writing he’d swell with pride and do anything to support them. - Hosea is a smart man. He know he’s living on borrowed time. Making it to your 50’s as an outlaw was no minor feat. There’s money no one knows about, not even Dutch. Money that can set his children for life. He makes sure to bury it carefully and made arrangements for his child to receive a map of its whereabouts in case of his death. - “And that is ursa major and ursa minor.” Star gazing with papa Hosea! - He is firm but empathetic. Hosea will uphold any punishments that he thinks fits the crime. However, he’s never spanked or laid a hand on his kids. He’s more interested in life lessons. If he catches his child stealing then he’ll force them to donate something of theirs to the poor, ect. - If his baby is sick he’ll stay up all night by their bedside checking their fever and making sure they’re okay. He refuses to leave their side and won’t sleep until he knows his baby is okay. - Hosea’s biggest fear is losing his child.   He’s big on teaching his kid safety from a young age, even if that means using a knife or a gun. - For their 18th birthday he’ll gift his child a very beautifully engraved pistol. The engraving will be a quote or a saying that is personal to him and that child. Something with meaning only they would understand. - Even if his child is a full grown adult, Hosea will come read with them at bedtime. It’s something that makes him feel loved and cherished and he hopes his child feels the same way. - You cannot convince me this man would not put on a play with his children. He encourages the gang to act excited or amazed while watching. He’ll shoot a glare at Dutch whenever Dutch acts a little too excited. --- Dutch - Let’s be honest, Hosea raises any and all of Dutch’s children. - No kid friendly books, his children learn how to read philosophy like men. -Will completely destroy his children in any and all board games. He’ll never let them win no matter how young they are. If his kid starts crying he’ll say something snarky like “Aww go cry to mommy/papa Hosea.” - He is definitely the fun parent though. (At least in his opinion). His 10 year old is robbing trains. He’ll rob a candy store too for shits and giggles, just so his little one thinks he’s cool. - He really does love when his child sits on his knee or rides on his shoulders. It makes his heart swell with happiness. - I don’t think Dutch really knows what to do with children. He just treats them as tiny adults. - He will ALWAYS introduce his children with pride. Because of that there’s this… unspoken pressure for his children to always be at their best. They always need to be well articulated or ready for action. Otherwise there might be a dreaded “I thought I taught you better.” speech. - Dutch really did try hard to make sure his children grew up smart and capable. However, if that ever turns them against him or if they question him he immediately gets upset/angry. - His children will grow up calling him daddy and Hosea papa. Dutch might try to correct them a few times. “It’s uncle Hosea-” But he gives up rather quickly. - Dutch does mean well. He tries to take his children on special or fun outings. Unfortunately it always ends up about him or the mood is ruined with a long philosophical rant/speech. - He is not a completely useless father though. If his child is hurt he’s the first one there to scoop them up and console them. He would bandage them up and kiss their boo-boo’s better…. Up until near the end when the gang starts splitting apart. Around this time it seems as if he’s not fully present and so it doesn’t register to him that his child is hurt or injured. He starts to see it as their own personal problem no matter what age they might be. - His children are brought up seeing him as this wise, smart, powerful figure. They view him more as a savior than a loving parent. Basically they’re brought up to view Dutch the same way as the rest of the gang sees him. He provides shelter, clothes, food, and safety. He is the reason they have a free life. And because of this I do think they would have a lot of love for their father, but, they’ll never feel like they’re good enough. - If anyone ever touched a hair on his child’s head… Without fail they’ll end up filled with bullet holes or burnt to a crisp. He’s not great at showing his love but his children are his everything. ----- Charles - Charles is the type of parent that loves his children SO much he doesn’t even need to say a word. His love is always shown through his actions. He’ll gently sweep their hair out of their face or he’ll rub their back. When they’re little kids Charles will always press a little kiss to the top of their heads. - He doesn’t give in as easy as Arthur does. No candy before bed. Eat your dinner before dessert, drink more water, don’t go off alone, ect. He’s never mean about it. Charles tries to make sure his children are as healthy and well looked after as possible. - What if he’s not here one day? What if his past catches up with him or something bad happens? This is always in the back of Charles’ mind. Because of this he teaches his children how to be self sufficient from a young age. He makes a game out of cleaning up and chores become a family activity. He tries to keep it fun for them since they’re still kids. - Children are the future in Charles’ eyes. He teaches his kids everything he knows. They’re taken on hunting trips and out forging or fishing. Charles teaches them how to make bows and arrows. He’ll tell stories about his mother or his experiences. Most of all he teaches his children respect. Respect for nature and all of the animals they may meet. - When Charles’ child is an infant or a baby he will ALWAYS be holding them. Doesn’t matter what he’s doing, that baby will be on his back or in his arms. He LOVES holding his children. It helps ground him and reminds him they’re really his and life can be good. - He won’t admit it but he loves dressing his children up. He likes to make or buy clothing and accessories he thinks would suit them. During winter his favorite part of the day is bundling them up in their coats and scarves. Charles thinks they look adorable toddling off to play in the snow. - HE WOULD BE SUCH A GOOD GIRL DAD! Charles goes out of his way to learn different hairstyles so he can do his daughter’s hair different every day. I think he’d make jewelry for his daughters and would always be singing with them or playing with them. Charles would be very protective yet respectful. He’d still teach his daughters how to track and hunt, ect. - Charles carries pictures of his children everywhere he goes. On the rare occasion he’s drunk he takes out the pictures to show everyone like “Look at my babies!” - He would be that annoying parent who’s children becomes their personality. He doesn’t talk much but if he’s with someone he’s friends with he’ll casually work his children into all of his small comments. “I need to get some fresh meat for my family.” “My children would love it here.” “I would never let a man like that around my children.” - Charles would totally call his child ‘baby’. “Hi baby!!!” “What do you need baby?” “Oh no, don’t cry baby.” He wouldn’t do it in public but in private???? He is soooo unbearably loving and mushy with his kids. It doesn’t matter how old they are, that’s his baby. - Charles didn’t really have parents while growing up. He wants to show his children as much love, kindness, and compassion as possible. The world is cold and cruel. If he can be the light and warmth for his kids then he’ll do it. - When his children grow up, if they decide to pursue goals/dreams Charles doesn’t fully understand, he will go out of his way to educate himself on that topic just to show them support. -Charles is one of those parents that really don’t want their children to move away from him. If they chose to he’ll respect their wishes but you bet that man will be crying DAILY because he misses his kids. - For the same reasons, Charles can’t be away from his kids more than two days without feeling heartbroken. - Charles would honestly do so well as a single father if he ever becomes one. - He’s a huge fan of gentle parenting. He keeps his voice calm and talks his children through anger/sadness with patience. It’s important for him that his children feel seen and heard. - Charles is the type of father that’ll beat the SHIT out of anyone who messes with his baby. - He’ll play dress-up with his kids. If his children want him to be a princes… he’ll be a mf princess! ------ Sean - God… Sean as a father? The house will be burnt down immediately the first time he watches his kid(s) alone. - He’s the fun parent. He’s also the unsafe parent. He really doesn’t see anything wrong with bringing his 3yo with him on a robbery. “They had a blast, it was great!” - Let’s be real, Sean is more of a friend to his child than an actual parent. He’ll never reinforce any rules. He’s always down to clown. He’ll be your best buddy but he won’t help you with your homework. - It’s fine to give kids alcohol sometimes in his eyes. “Go on, you can have a sip of my beer. It’ll put some hair on your chest.” - If his child isn’t as bubbly or loud as him he’ll be a bit disappointed. If his child matches his energy he’ll be 10x worse. They’ll be working off of the same brain-cell. - Sean loves to dress his children up to look like him. He thinks it’s hilarious. He even calls his baby ‘Baby MacGuire’. “Hello there baby MacGuire.” “D’ju have a good day today little baby MacGuire?” “This is my wee baby MacGuire.” - He has dropped his baby on the head, probably more than once. He felt really bad about it. - He will make his kids do the “two children in a trench coat” thing to rob a store. He literally pisses himself laughing when it actually works. - Half of the gang will end up raising his child while he pops in sometimes to have fun outings with them. -Is he a good parent? Fuck no. But his children will LOVE him and I think they’ll always have a good relationship with him. - Sean has tried to get John to teach his kids how to swim. He doesn’t understand John can’t swim…. - He never forgets a birthday because he loves eating sweets with his kiddos but he WILL forget every other important event. ------ Kieran - I think Kieran would be a really good father! He’d never raise his voice. His punishments are very light, yet he’d make sure his children would know what they did wasn’t right. - He’s not great at socializing with his children, but he LOVES to listen to them. It fills him with so much happiness when his children confide in him. He doesn’t always know what to say but he’ll be there whenever they need him. - If he has a baby he’ll be so afraid of making any noises while the baby is sleeping. If he’s holding his baby as they sleep, Kieran refuses to move in case it wakes them. - He writes the names of his children on the tags of their clothes so they don’t get lost. - Kieran is a doormat for any teenage children. He hates disappointing or upsetting his child, so if he has a teenager who tests his boundaries that teen will win every time. - However, I think his children would love him more than anything. Even if they did do bad things to Kieran I think they’d feel guilty and wouldn’t do it again. - Piggy backing off of that – The best ‘punishment’ Kieran could give his kids is disappointment. If daddy Kieran is disappointed in you then you KNOW you fucked up. Because of this his children end up pretty well behaved. - All Duffy’s grow up around horses. He loves bringing his kids to the stables. Letting them pet and brush the horses. He holds them up so they can feed the horses treats. - He likes fishing even if he isn’t the greatest at it. He’ll take his children fishing or would let them work on arts and crafts while he fishes. - While most kids walk home from school, Kieran always waits outside for his kiddos so he can walk with them. - He always wishes his children “sweet dreams” before going to bed. Every. Single. Night. He’s never missed a night EVER. - I think Kieran would take his children to visit Ireland. Maybe to see his father’s extended family. - Holidays are very special in the Duffy household. Even if Kieran and his kids have to hand-make decorations he’ll do it! Anything to make their childhood special. - He takes special walks with his kids. During the autumn he’ll make his children catch a falling leaf each before they can go home. He hopes it helps them feel the magic of childhood. - Kieran is terrified his children would be orphaned like he was. Because of this he works long hours when he can. He saves up a decent chunk of money and hides it. Only his children know where it’s at and understand it’s only for emergencies. ------ Micah - God forbid Micah ever has a daughter. There is a chance he would decide to raise her as a boy BUT I honestly think he’d either kill her, make her a dumpster baby, or would pawn the child off on someone else. In the even that the child is raised by someone else Micah would probably visit once every six months and probably stick around until that child is old enough to ‘work’ for him. - If he had a son tho…. Micah Bell the IV. - He’s a very cold father. Nothing his child does will ever be good enough for him. Because of that his child would probably try to win his favor until they’re old enough to realize they’ll never have it. - “One day this empire of mine will be yours.” and he owns NOTHING! - Micah definitely has shaken his baby. He probably spanks them or whips them with a belt whenever they’re bad. - His children grow up to take care of him and do things for him. They do all the chores. If Micah needs a beer one of them always has to go get it. - If one of his children ever becomes attached to an animal (cat, dog, horse) he would shoot that animal dead to teach them a lesson. And that lesson is to ‘not be soft’ and ‘attachments are useless’. - He doesn’t do anything to take care of them. Child rearing is a woman’s job. Micah makes the money. He comes home expecting a hot meal then he fucks off. His children are probably relieved that he’s gone so much. - Once his oldest is in their late teens Micah would gift them one of his guns. He doesn’t love anything more than those guns so it’s symbolic of how much he does care for his child. Micah can’t love normally, nor does he know how to show it. His oldest will understand the weight of the gesture and it may even make that child feel indebted to him. - He’s the very old fashioned type that thinks he automatically should have respect from his children. - If no one is willing to take care of his children, every night would be “fend for yourself night” in the Bell household. He’d never lift a finger to cook for or take care of them.

[black-arcana]

“To protect your freedom, you have to be active": How Within Temptation's new album Bleed Out was inspired by a world in crisis

Within Temptation's new album Bleed Out is their most fired up to date, proving there's much more to them than just being "the symphonic band"

(Image credit: Tim Tronckoe)

In September 2008, Within Temptation visited Kherson, a port city in the south of Ukraine, just north of the Crimean Peninsula. The Dutch metallers were nearing the end of a year-and-half-long tour for their fourth album, The Heart Of Everything, and it was their first time in the Eastern European country. 

Two days later, they would play a show in the capital, Kyiv, but it’s Kherson that sticks out most vividly in their minds: a former Eastern bloc city on the rise, the beautiful tree-lined streets, the wide Dnieper River. During their stay, they were treated to a ceremonial tour with the mayor and invited, poignantly in hindsight, to plant a tree for peace. 

“They put us in national clothing and gave us traditional food,” vocalist Sharon Den Adel says, remembering the warm welcome. “We had an amazing few days.” 

When Russian president Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Kherson was the first major Ukrainian city to fall. Russian troops occupied the city from March to November, before it was recaptured by Ukrainian forces. “The resistance there was really strong,” says Robert Westerholt, Sharon’s husband and Within Temptation co-founder/studio guitarist. 

“Every night, they would come out and literally slit throats of Russian soldiers, [come] out of corners and attack them in every way they could. They were really paranoid, the Russians, they never felt at ease there.” 

That staunch defiance inspired the band to write Cyanide Love, one of several songs on the band’s new album, Bleed Out, about the Ukraine War. ‘Sunflowers will soon be growing over your grave,’ sings Sharon over tense synths and downtuned guitars, a reference to a viral video on the first day of the invasion: a Ukrainian woman offers sunflower seeds to a Russian soldier with the harrowing wish that they bloom in his pocket after his death. ‘You’ll take it, you’ll face it / The barrel of my smoking gun.’ 

“We really hope to go back [to Kherson] one day,” says Robert, and his voice aches with sadness.

We’re sitting in the stylish but homely kitchen – all high ceilings and tall windows – of Sharon and Robert’s house in a pretty, peaceful countryside town, 40 minutes from the manic tourist bustle of Amsterdam. 

The couple have lived here for 15 years, and it’s very much their haven. As we talk, their two sons are next door playing a videogame on the TV. Their friendly black labrador, Charlie, demands a head stroke, and gold balloons strung across the front door celebrate their daughter Eva’s recent high school graduation. 

But it’s also Within Temptation HQ, the base where they’ve masterminded the band’s shift from ethereal, dark-edged symphonic royalty to a powerhouse of modern heavy metal (see: 2019’s Resist). We’ve been invited here for a world-exclusive playback of Bleed Out, the band’s eighth album, which, at the time of our visit, hasn’t even been officially announced. 

As Robert leads us through the house, we pass a rail in the hall that holds several leather jackets, and an enormous canvas bearing the artwork of The Heart Of Everything. Inside the white-walled studio, art and guitars hang on one wall above a low sofa. Sharon and Robert seem relaxed and excited to talk about the new album, although even now they’re still making last-minute changes. 

Up until yesterday, the album had a different title; on the few tracks we were sent in advance, it was The Ultimate Sacrifice. The new name, Sharon says, is stronger, and more representative of the real-life struggles that have inspired some of the songs. 

She was in Sweden when she heard about the invasion of Ukraine. Her immediate response, like many others, was one of shock and fear, admitting that the old-fashioned method of warfare – troops and tanks on the ground – was not something she had expected to see in her lifetime. 

“Maybe that’s naïve, but not in Europe,” she says, curled up barefoot on a nearby armchair. “Kyiv is only a two-and-a-half-hour flight by plane [from the Netherlands]. It’s the same distance as Spain, where I’m going in a few days.” 

Before they press play, they show us the artwork, which depicts a hooded figure in shades of black and red. “It’s dark,” Sharon notes, “because the album is dark.” 

While Within Temptation’s last record, Resist, blew their sound up to supercharged proportions, just one listen of Bleed Out is enough to confirm that this is Within Temptation’s biggest, heaviest record so far. Stepping things up a level was necessary to match the severity of the source material. 

Opener Go To War sets the tone with a colossal guitar part and an apocalyptic choir, a chorus dripping in grandeur, and a marriage of synths with the unmistakable mechanical judder of tech metal. The latter influence, Robert says, has filtered into the band’s sound not through bingeing on Meshuggah albums, but because its cold, almost cruel, mechanical nature best helped to paint a picture of a universe in crisis. “Somehow this [sound] resonates with that.” 

The title track follows in the same vein, anthemic and cinematic, with hints of the epic symphonic and gothic doom of their earlier material. It all sounds huge – built to fill the massive rooms the band have become accustomed to playing these days. “Certain elements have come back in, that made us in the beginning,” says Robert. “They still inspire us.” 

When we suggest it’s a culmination of every step in the band’s sonic evolution, Sharon agrees: “But with an extra layer of heaviness.” 

“We have been searching for this for quite some time, to have a sound that is heavy, but still has this melancholy and beautiful storytelling lines,” she continues. “And finally, it happened on the very last few songs [we wrote]. Sometimes you have just one song that opens the door.” 

It would be easy to draw parallels between Within Temptation’s current approach and a band like Sabaton, who have made a career out of songs that go big on bombast and heroism. Robert is quick to shut the comparison down. “We’re not making war songs. We’re not doing history lessons,” he says, arguing that the band didn’t find inspiration in the grim reality of the battlefield. “It’s more the drive of people and their personal stories. We won’t be going onstage with a tank.”

Within Temptation are reluctant to call this a “political” album, but there’s no doubt it’s their most socially aware yet, far removed from the fantastical tendencies of old. For our listening session we’ve been joined by the band’s manager, Martijn, perhaps a sign that, while Sharon and Robert are keen to discuss the inspirations behind the album, they’re cautious about the sensitivities involved.

Go To War, Cyanide Love, Worth Dying For and Wireless directly reference the invasion. The latter talks about the danger of propaganda. “I remember that I was in Russia once and saw something on my own social media,” says Sharon.

“I asked someone sitting next to me, ‘What are they saying?’ And the guy said, ‘Yes, these Americans, blah, blah… completely the opposite of what I’ve been reading on social media where I’m living. If you don’t go deeper, if you don’t search for more information that tells you the story from different perspectives, then you will believe the state television. So that’s why it’s important to tell stories, to give counterweight.”

The band almost called the track Mark Of Cain, a reference to Cain murdering his brother Abel in the Book Of Genesis. “Russia sees their neighbour country as… something that belongs to them or like family,” continues Sharon. “It’s like you wear the Mark Of Cain, everybody knows you killed your brother.”

Meanwhile, Sharon says the title track was written about Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for allegedly breaking hijab rules and died in the custody of the country’s morality police. Her death sparked nationwide protests.

“It’s inspirational that some people are willing [to protest], knowing when they take off their scarf, what’s going to happen to them,” she says. She viewed the protests as a generational conflict: “There’s a lot of women taking a lot of risk to do that, but also men from their own generation supporting them and also getting into trouble… the older generation are trying to keep things how they are, and the younger generation are ready [for] change.”

We haven’t heard Within Temptation this fired up in ages, but their initial intention wasn’t to make an album. They had spent the last two years releasing singles – Entertain You and The Purge in 2020 and Shed My Skin in 2021, all of which appear on the record – and enjoying the off-cycle immediacy of being able to write, record and upload. Following the outbreak of war, though, writing between their home and the Swedish studio of long-time collaborator Daniel Gibson, the remaining material came together over six months. 

Other topics are discussed on the record, too: Ritual is a tongue-in-cheek, double-entendre-heavy paean to female sexual expression. Shed My Skin is about living by your own rules, free from the judgement of others, while Sharon describes Entertain You as “a song for the misfits”. It was inspired, she says, by a video she saw on social media. 

“There was a trans woman who was walking in England, and she was bullied by three young guys. She’s not there for their entertainment, but they’re using her for entertainment because she’s different. I wrote that song [to say] we’re beautiful in our own way. To share some love.” 

While some of the tracks were written and recorded almost three years apart, what holds the album together is the theme of freedom. “To protect your freedom, you have to be active,” says Robert. “If you’re passive, then you’re going to lose it. It’s about personal freedom, but also freedom for your country, for your friends, family… everything.” 

“It’s a record about the unbreakable desire of humans to live free from tyranny and oppression,” agrees Sharon. “How many also are willing to give so much to achieve this not only for themselves, but for others and future generations. As an artist you have this platform, and we can talk about bubblegum. But I can also talk about things that matter.”

Having listened to the album in full, we decamp to a nearby brasserie for lunch, and to continue the conversation. Sharon drives, and as we cruise through the cool shade of the forest next to their home, she motions towards a large sand dune that meets the trees – a bizarre natural phenomenon where the cover art for her 2018 solo album, My Indigo, was shot. She’d like to record more solo work, she later tells us. 

“One day, but not at the moment, because I need a little time. It’s been a rollercoaster. I have been writing songs since the war started, before that we had the pandemic, and after that we had to do all the shows that we couldn’t do during Corona.”

Once at the restaurant, we are shown to a table in a private corner outside, tucked away beside the hedges, where Robert and Sharon order us food and drinks. Clearly well-known, several members of staff come over to greet them during the rest of our interview. 

Our conversation takes us all over: to Taylor Swift, an artist Sharon respects, and whether they would ever do Eurovision given the rise in metal acts (the answer is no, although Sharon was once on the Dutch judging panel). 

We soon get back to the album – whenever an artist wades into the kind of matters discussed on Bleed Out, someone always complains that politics should be kept out of music. Have they received any backlash? “I deleted a message yesterday on Facebook,” says Sharon, explaining that a fan/troll had taken umbrage with the band’s song Raise Your Banner, from 2019’s Resist, which Sharon has taken to dedicating to Ukraine at their live shows, often waving a flag onstage. 

“He said, ‘You’re preaching about freedom and then you preach war. You slut.’” She pauses to let the language sink in. He had complained about the lyric, ‘Blood for freedom.’ “It means you would give your life to have freedom,” she argues. “So, if he had put five minutes of effort into reading the lyrics, then he would know Raise Your Banner is taking a stand.” 

“What annoys me a lot is that people say, ‘Don’t talk about politics’,” adds Robert. “It’s not even politics. It’s your opinion as an artist. Artists have opinions. That’s what art is for. That’s what makes it interesting.” 

In 2021, Sharon was invited by Kerrang! to write a comment piece for International Women’s Day, and chose to argue the importance of access to abortion. Her research for the piece revealed vastly differing approaches across Europe. “There were people who didn’t understand my point of view,” she says of the response to the essay, as lunch arrives at the table. “Not everybody is in the same place at the same time when you write an article like that. But backlash is also a good thing, because then it gets the attention that it needs.” 

The track Don’t Pray For Me from the new album makes the argument for bodily autonomy: ‘I don’t need your absolution, so don’t hold that sword over me / For my confessions I don’t need a church / I don’t need salt to know where it hurts.’  

“We were fighting for that and talking about it [when I was in my teens], and we’re still fighting the same battles,” she says, explaining that the issues facing women are increasingly at the forefront of her mind, especially given her own daughter’s coming of age. “It doesn’t seem like we have stepped forward yet.”

Within Temptation have always been equally fascinated and horrified by the human predisposition for destruction and harm, whether it be towards our planet or fellow man. As far back as 2004’s The Silent Force, the haunting Forsaken painted a desperate picture of the end of days. ‘Our time has run out, our future has died / There’s no more escape… We’re the last of our kind.’ 

They also grappled with the futility of war in 2007, on Our Solemn Hour, from The Heart Of Everything, which interspersed symphonic excess with excerpts from Winston Churchill’s Be Ye Men Of Valour speech. 

In 2020, they had started planning a stage production worthy of their grandiose vision, although the pandemic put their plans on ice. Instead, their blueprints became The Aftermath, a CGI livestream in 2021 which took place in a post-apocalyptic world. It depicted the band performing in the remnants of a ruined landscape, escaping to space as the planet burns in a fireball below – a sobering statement on the man-made challenges facing us today. 

“It was a thought experiment of what would be very possible in the future,” says Robert of his sci-fi vision. “There were two thoughts behind it. One, we are getting more aware that we’re really destroying our planet and ourselves. That’s pretty obvious right now. But the second thing is the big perspective – it’s quite logical that people, at a certain point, will definitely [abandon Earth and] go into space.” 

Another subject the band are interested in is the increasing, perhaps dangerous, control modern technology has on our lives. They’re huge fans of Charlie Brooker’s Netflix series Black Mirror, while a similar narrative rippled through 2019’s Resist. Their live shows have become increasingly futuristic in theme, while the video for recent single Wireless was made using AI. We mention that Black Mirror actor Aaron Paul voiced concerns about AI, and that soon we might not be able to tell what’s real and what’s not. “I think that’s already the case,” says Sharon.

We ask about the rise in AI-created music online, and if they worry about the artistic implications. Robert is dismissive. “Music is not just about listening to something, it’s the whole story around it, where you are at a certain place,” he says. “We’re very interested in what it can do. It’s one big experiment.” 

How would you feel if someone used AI to make a Within Temptation song, and people thought it was an official track? “What I could find difficult is they could make lyrics, that are offensive, that I didn’t write, and people might think I did,” says Sharon. 

Robert shrugs. “But then you can tell them you didn’t.” 

“But if they can’t tell the difference…” Sharon perseveres. 

Robert is still unconcerned. “If it’s not on your official website… it’s really no issue at all.” 

Sharon looks at us with a wry smile. “So even we have our discussions about that.”

When Within Temptation were able to resume touring after the pandemic, they brought The Aftermath to life. Rescheduling their long-postponed Worlds Collide UK arena tour with Evanescence, suddenly they were operating, conceptually and visually, on a whole new level. 

Their pyro-packed stage production even included a huge humanoid head. They cite Iron Maiden, who they have toured with several times over the years – the most recent outing being on 2022’s Legacy Of The Beast run – as their main inspiration. “Those bands who do something special visually have always inspired us to do the same,” says Sharon. 

And while they’ve been a bona fide arena band in mainland Europe for years, it felt like, finally, they’d cemented the same status in the UK. “I think everywhere the venues will now be a bit bigger,” smiles Robert. “We felt it was a milestone in our career. We didn’t care too much about what we were making [financially] with the show, but just to make it the most memorable show that we could. We never thought that we would reach this far.” 

Sonically, too, it feels like Within Temptation could go anywhere. While Bleed Out is littered with symphonic elements, it’s a musical label that now feels uncomfortable, something they’ve long outgrown. “We don’t feel like a symphonic band,” says Robert. 

Sharon agrees. “But I don’t know what to call ourselves now either. I don’t have a new box to put ourselves in.” 

And even as they’re making the final changes to Bleed Out, their minds are fixed on the future. As hectic as the last year has been, the process of making the new album has got their creative juices flowing. 

“It’s so funny. As soon as we finished [Bleed Out] we were like, ‘We want to make another album.’ But we’re going to take our time for the next one,” she insists. “We were working full force from our house [during the pandemic]. I loved what I was doing, but at the same time I was also very tired. So I can’t wait to have a little bit of a break. This summer, we have a few festivals and then I have some time to really get both feet on the ground.” 

She won’t take her foot off the gas for too long, though. After 27 years of constant innovation, Within Temptation don’t know how to stand still. “What I feel like now is actually writing again,” she laughs, shaking her head. “It’s very strange and positive!”

[notafraidofredyellowandblue]

Flake's podcast - Stars (Sterne)

podcasted 2023-01-10

This edition of Flake's podcast is about Stars, both in the astronomical object, and the famous persons way (and coincidently the word 'Star' is also a particular kind of bird in german (which in english is called Starling), which is the most seen bird so basically the Star (bird) is the star (famous) under the stars (heavenly objects) 😊 (if i may add a note by myself which Flake maybe would appreciate, it's that the german word for 'star' is 'stern', and in dutch a 'stern' is another kind of bird, a 'tern' in english, in german that one is called 'Seeschwalbe, so that's where the wordfun ends 😄).

Anyway, no elaborate anecdotes this time, but a couple of snippets.

At 0h07 he plays 'Die Ärzte' song 'Zu spät' which is about one day becoming a star, a really early Ärzte song (Flake says 1981, wiki says 1984, so let's go with early 80's), and Flake mentioned they also sang it at the time when on tour in their broken-down van (must be Feeling B era). And like the song Flake also knows ladies who he liked back in the day, but who didn't notice him at all, and now they want to get tickets to shows, claiming they liked him all the time after all (Flake never noticed it). Unlike the song Flake doesn't think about taking revenge though, because revenge always hurts both sides. 🌺

Another variety of 'seeing stars' is in comics when a character gets a blow on the head and stars pop up, well, Flake has experienced that too (0h44): in school they used to have really slippery floors, and Flake let himself be pulled, on his socks, by a classmate gliding across the floor, which was fun, until they came near a wall, and Flake didn't quite make the turn and crashed with his head against the wall, and yes, that made him see a whole lit of gold stars falling down from above (he describes it extensively, clearly a vivid memory for him).

After that anecdote he plays Depeche Mode, and their 'DM' sign leads him to musing on commercials, eventually ending up (0h53) with and old commercial (when he had a tv after 'Die Wende') he liked with the Ukrainian boxing brothers Klitshko, who he likes anyway, but thought especially funny in this commercial (for chocolate bar Milchschnitte), and whenever Flake wants to take a break, he still says "Pause Vitaliy" 😊

Tiny mention of Rammstein (1h06) at the very start of their career being send on a couple of concerts for musicbusiness representatives with a few other bands, the biggest name at the time was the band 'Die Schande', and a very active announcer trying to get the audience excited about the bands (at 1h08 you can hear Flake mimicking the announcer 😊).

Flake talks about the movie 'A fish called Wanda' (from 1h31), and a particular scene with a german play on words. Flake always watches movies in the German version (the original voices are replaced by German speaking voice actors) because he wants to know what a movie is about. Some of his band-colleagues tell him off for that, saying that you can only understand the emotion of a movie in the original language (note: i can think of more than one bandmate who'd argue with him about it 😄), but Flake thinks understanding it is more important and if they watch french movies, they don't watch the original either, so there (Flake 'huh huh's them at 1h32 😊)! Anyway that movie was very important (apart from a entire generation of guys being in love with Jamie Lee Curtis), at the start of the movie one of the actors says 'Ich bin entäuscht' (I'm disappointed) and that phrase actually made it into a Rammstein song: Bück Dich. 😊

and on that note...see if you can spot the 'Ich bin entäuscht' (any excuse to share a Rammstein live video 😄)

🎹

More of my takes on Flake's podcasts

[spctlights]

(—) ★ spotted!! WREN JACOBS on the cover of this week’s most recent  tabloid! many say that the 27 year old looks like EMMA CORRIN, but i  don’t really see it. while  the MAKE-UP ARTIST is known for being A  VISIONARY my inside sources say that they have a tendency to be   DISTRUSTING i swear, every time i think of them, i hear the song MOTION SICKNESS by PHOEBE BRIDGERS

BASIC INFORMATION:

name: wren alex jacobs.

nicknames: wennie.

pronouns: they/them.

gender: non-binary.

age: twenty-seven.

date of birth: august 24th.

place of birth: chicago, illinois.

astrological sign: virgo.

orientation: panromantic, demipansexual.

APPEARANCE:

height: five foot eight.

build: slim.

hair colour: brown, but currently bleached blond.

eye colour: green.

wardrobe style: they go from summery dresses to blazers and corderoy pants depending on how they feel, but they usually make sure to have some pops of colour.

tattoos: none yet.

piercings: double earrings, helix, nipples.

HEALTH:

physical ailments: had scoliosis, but has had surgery for this.

mental ailments: depression and anxiety.

alcohol use: rarely drinks, is a complete lightweight.

drug use: none.

addictions: none.

PERSONALITY:

positive traits: visionary, creative, empathetic..

negative traits: paranoid, distrusting, slow minded.

ACTIVITIES & SKILLS:

skills: sfx, stage and film make-up, sewing.

weaknesses: public speaking, networking.

languages spoken: english & dutch.

FAMILY:

father: johan jacobs ( deceased, aged fifty - nine )

mother: renee jacobs polinski ( alive, forty )

foster siblings: tba.

CAREER/LIFE DETAILS (tw child abuse, foster care, prison, cancer, death):

1995: wren was born alexandra winnifred jacobs, to a dutch father (43) and an american mother (22) in chicago, illinois. they were not an expected child –– and their parents got married out of necessity rather than love. their father worked in a factory and their mother stayed at home.

2003: when wren was eight years old, they found their mothers makeup collection for the first time and immediately enjoyed playing around with the colors. when their mother found out - she was furious. there had been some strain on the family for many years and their mother’s makeup was one of the few nice thing she still owned, and although wren had been careful, according to their mother, it was now ruined. their parents had always used corporal punishment ( mainly spanking ) as punishment, but this is the first time the belt came out.

2008: at 13 years old, wren takes their first job delivering newspapers in the early morning before school so they can save up for their own, good quality make-up. that year, they received a second-hand sewing machine for their birthday – though it had been smashed by their father after misbehaving before christmas.

2010: after a particularly heavy beating from their mother, they appeared at school with serious bruises, child protective services were called and they were separated from their parents, their mother sent to prison for abuse and neglect. their father, however, only got 350 hours of community service. wren begins bouncing around various foster homes.

2011: finds a more permanent foster home, though it is not much better than their family home as they do not accept wren’s wishes to stop going by alexandra and go by alex instead. just after their 16th birthday, they get the news that their father is terminally ill. wren does not reach out. he dies before christmas.

2013: as soon as they turn eighteen, they are moved out of their foster home. they had been saving up for a years and enroll in the cinema makeup school in los angeles, while also picking up some work as a bridal make-up artist at the same time. their mother is also released from prison, but neither reaches out.

2018: they officially change their name to wren, though keep alex as their middle name, as well as keeping their last name. they have picked up steady work and are living with a partner.

2021: their partner cheats on them with their best friend and wren is forced to move out. luckily, their work has been going well, working on some high grossing movies and even on a movie that was nominated for best makeup and hairstyling, and they buy their own place just outside the city.

WANTED CONNECTIONS:

ex-partner: their partner cheated on them after a 3-year relationship, with their best friend. they are quite obviously, not on good terms.

ex-best friend: were best friends from 2013 until 2021, when they had an affair with wren’s partner at the time.

regular clients: wren has various regular clients for hairstyling and make-up, and also works with various actors for film and tv.

foster siblings: wren lived in a foster family for 2.5 years, where they lived with some other fostered siblings, as well as biological siblings from the foster parents. the foster parents were not particularly accepting of wren’s gender identity.

[alsjeblieft-zeg]

326 of 2022

General Stuff To Start With What name do you go by most often?

Jelle.

Is that your real name or a nickname?

A nickname. My real name is Joeri.

Has your birthday come yet this year?

Yeah, it has.

Where is your mom right now?

Probably in her apartment.

What were you doing at 4pm?

It’s 9:15 at the morning, so nothing yet.

Are you a good speller?

I’m trying to be.

Who was the last person to give you a ‘high-five’?

One of my workmates.

Would you consider yourself a shy person?

Not really, just a little bit.

Can you play the guitar?

Sadly, I don’t. You need two hands for that :( but I’d love to play the 7 strings electric guitar.

Three things you ate today?

I didn’t eat abnything yet. Just drank coffee.

What did you do last Sunday?

I was sick and in bed, I guess.

How many orange shirts do you own?

None. Surprisingly, my inner Dutchie doesn’t approve.

Are you currently taking any prescription medications?

Yeah, Keppra for epilepsy.

Do you like skim milk?

I hate it. It tastes like water, so why bother if you can use water instead?

How did you bring in the New Year?

In the hospital.

Are you missing anyone right now?

Yeah, those two guys I like. We’ll see who’s there today so maybe I can see one of them. The other one I’m not gonna see anymore :(

If you could relive one moment in the past week what would it be?

Yesterday, I’ve visited one of my friends in the hospital.

If you could spend 30 minutes with someone who is gone, who would you pick?

My grandma.

Biggest mistake to date?

Trusting a person who turned out sexually harassing me. It happened this year.

Where did you go to grade school at?

Oostende.

Have you ever lived in Tennessee?

Never lived in the US.

Idaho?

Nebraska?

Maryland?

Texas?

Does anyone in your family smoke?

Yeah, both my parents.

How many of the people you live with are over 21?

Is 21 any special age or something? Not in Europe, and certainly not in Belgium. Anyways, just onre person. We’re both over 21.

Who do you wish you could talk to right this moment?

I think there is someone like that, I’d love to see him. Also I would like to talk to Nielsje because he’s very understanding and caring and always willing to listen, but I don’t want to pour all my worries over him, he’s too sweet for that. Talking to him helps, but he’s a person, too.

How many clocks are in the room you are in?

Two, I think. Neither of them works.

Do you use MSN messenger?

No, never did.

What time will it be in 6 hours?

Since now it’s 13:30 (I continue after coming back home from the hospital), it’s gonna be 19:30.

Have you kissed anyone in the last week?

My husband, every day.

Do you enjoy classic rock?

I don’t. I like a few songs, but do I actively enjoy the genre? Not at all.

Have you ever been told you looked like someone famous?

Yeah, sadly not the person I wanted to be compared to.

Are you anemic?

Quite so, but not severely.

At Christmas, do you have a fake or a real tree?

Fake, we have a tiny one and it’s enough.

Do you usually go watch fireworks on the 4th of July?

Europe doesn’t even celebrate it. I doubt I’d be able to see your fireworks across the Atlantic Ocean.

Do you remember when the game Oregon Trail was really popular?

Pretty sure there wasn’t such a thing in Europe.

Does anyone have your heart?

Yeah. We’re married.

What did you do last Valentine’s Day?

Existed. Both me and my husband find this day cheesy.

Can you count to 20 in any other language?

My native language is Dutch, go figure. We learn French and English in schools. My mum is half-German, so. I have Romanian friends. Yeah, I can count to more than 20 in more than one language.

How old were you in 2001?

I was 11.

In 1973, how many years was it until you were born - or were you born?

17 years until I was born.

Have you ever had a crush on someone, and found out they liked your friend?

No, not like that.

Have you ever been liked by someone you didn’t expect would like you?

Yeah, unfortunately. He claimed he was hetero. Except that, Nielsje. I didn’t expect him to fall for me, ever. Definitely not as much as I fell for him.

Who ended your last relationship?

It was our mutual decision.

How do you feel about that?

I’m still sad sometimes that it didn’t work, but I’m happy that we’re still friends.

Do Mondays get you down?

Nah, Mondays are my favourite days, along with Fridays.

How long have you been at your current job?

Nine years.

Have you ever been fired?

Once, but I came back next year and suddenly I was a good worker. Long story, though.

How many times have you been pulled over by the cops?

Zero.

What is your mood like right now?

Better, but an hour ago it wasn’t that good.

Where did you go today?

To the hospital.

Do you know anyone who is pregnant right now?

No.

Do you cut the crusts off your sandwiches?

I barely eat sandwiches at all.

Do you prefer sweet or unsweetened tea?

I prefer no tea. I just can’t stand it.

Who did you last embarrass yourself in front of?

I don’t remember minor things, but I remember the bigger thing from months ago, in front of the guy I liked.

Would you rather meet the president or win $500 dollars from the lottery?

Who cares aboput the president if you live in a kingdom? Who cares about dollars when you live in the euro zone?

What was the reason you last smiled?

I’ve seen three handsome guys at rehabilitation today. I couldn’t resist smiling.

A Little About Your Friends List 8 Good Friends:

Marc

Johan

Kenny

Julie

Frauke

Jurgen

Caroline

Jasmine

#1 (Marc) Are you related to this person?

No, I’m not.

What did you do the last time you hung out?

It was at work, so we checked on the table and made lots of silly jokes as usual.

Would you trust this person to keep a secret?

Sure. He’s great at that.

Who is this person dating?

He’s been married to Els, long time already. They have a son, Hans, who is 33 years old now.

Do you live in the same town?

No, he lives in Oostkamp. It’s the neighbour city of Bruges.

#2 (Johan) Are you dating this person?

Lol no. He’s married as well. We’re great friends, though.

Would you consider this person attractive?

Fairly. I kind of like his eyes.

What is this person’s full name?

Do you really think I’m going to share that?

Is this person taller than you?

No, he’s slightly shorter.

Do you go to the same school?

We don’t. He doesn’t go to any school.

#3 (Kenny) Is this person engaged?

He’s married.

What color is this person’s hair?

Completely grey. Which is funny knowing he’s just 34 years old.

Where does this person work?

In the same place as me.

When did you last call this person?

We texted each other last week or so.

Have you ever been drunk together?

No, he doesn’t really drink.

#4 (Julie) What is this person likely doing right now?

She’s at work or out with her friends, I guess.

Does this person have any children?

No, she doesn’t.

How did you meet this person?

She’s my sister.

Have you ever had a crush on this person?

Ew no. Having a crush on your own sibling?? Abominable.

Where was the last place you went together?

Pizza place or sushi place, I think.

#5 (Frauke) What is this person’s middle name?

I don’t think she has one.

Does this person like rap music?

I don’t think so. I guess I’m the only one of my friend circle who actually likes rap.

Has this person ever been arrested?

Nope.

Is this person older than you?

Yeah, one year older.

When did you last see this person?

Long ago. I can’t get to the right moment somehow. Bad luck, I guess.

#6 (Jurgen) Have you ever met this person’s parents?

No, I haven’t.

When is this person’s birthday?

Somewhere around now.

Is this person still in high school?

No, he’s almost 50.

What color are this person’s eyes?

I’d say hazel, but I might be wrong.

Do you work with this person?

I do indeed, but he’s a different profession than me.

#7 (Caroline) Do you and this person share an ex?

No, we don’t.

Where was the last place you went to eat with this person?

We never went to eat together.

What color is this person’s car?

Grey, if I remember well.

Can this person play the piano?

I don’t think so.

Does this person like scary movies?

I don’t think so either.

#8 (Jasmine) How long have you known this person?

4 years or so.

Does this person have hair past their shoulders?

She typically keeps it short, like a bob length.

Does this person have any tattoos?

No, she doesn’t.

Have you ever kissed?

In the cheek. She’s married to another friend of mine :D

Did you go to grade school with this person?

No, I didn’t. She’s older than me, too.

Finish the Sentence My hair is: too long for my tastes.

I wish I was: less insecure.

The only thing I can’t stand: people who act like know-it-all.

There is no way: I could have sex with a woman.

Someday I am going to: feel better.

I couldn’t live without: my cats.

I hate when: my body is acting up.

I love it when: I hang out with my friends.

Sometimes I can be: irritable.

I am not interested: in fame.

[alphabetsoup-blogposts]

How much was attributable just to browsing history?

I don't know. Some things, I think, were not. Quoting my diary back to me was not...but that was later on.

You should know, however, that one thing I did in 2017 on the institutional wifi in my breaktime was a comprehensive search for a Hebrew tutor on behalf of a third party keen to learn Biblical Hebrew. In the end I could only source Modern Hebrew tutors and we went with that (and it was a great success, btw). It might explain quite a bit. I cannot be certain whether I was using the recreational wifi—possibly not. (I may have decided it was a de minimis, one off activity that no one could object to.) Of course, when I entered into correspondence with prospective tutors I would have done so via my personal email but the first contact is always made via the online platform, isn't it? Anyway, I always found there were not enough hours in the day and it was efficient to do some things over lunch rather than at home in the evening. (I might add, however, that this fact—the search for a tutor—was also a matter of common knowledge and passing reference in my particular little corner of the building—no internet tracking necessarily needed if there is gossip across silos.)

Later on, when I was spending time with my more news-related hobbies, I stuck rigorously to the recreational wifi and my own devices. I did look up ISIS satellites repeatedly, trying to distinguish between Dutch and US-Canadian initiatives.

This has been an unmitigated tragedy for me and mine but the idea that a lapsed Anglican single mother from Tunbridge Wells may have unwittingly entered into a world of codes and death threats by dint of the fact that a very young family member developed a overwhelming passion for the Aleph Bet song on YouTube (brings back memories to this day...) while she was simultaneously pursuing an interest in space technology has me smiling ruefully today. It's all very "Burn After Reading" isn't it?

But also WTAF???!!!!! was that particular institution doing with its recruitment and hiring policies...not to mention its surveillance practices?

What. The. Actual. Fuck?

PS. The aforementioned tutor mentioned Galgalatz radio and "Alexa, play Israeli Radio station Galgalatz" was a popular instruction in our house for years. Or, no, hang on, I may be projecting this onto our lovely tutor when really it was just coincidence. (Sorry, interpolation. I just assumed the most natural explanation without dwelling on a detail I didn't think would be important.) Actually, I think it was the only station we could make work via the Alexa app—that's it. We cycled through the few Israeli stations available trying to make an instruction work and found that it was much harder than cueing up French radio. We had to add extra words in to the instruction and got very frustrated. This was about 2017-2019 and the only station we could get to work even half-reliably was Galgalatz, so we stuck with that. Anyway, for sure, I literally only discovered that the station was affiliated with the IDF in or around 2021. I then initiated a switch to a different station but still feel very ambivalent about having done so because foreign language radio listening entirely dropped off as a result. The point really is that all this was just in the privacy of my own home. But, when the Ghouls went through a phase of asking what radio station I listened to—to which the consistent but baffled answer was "Magic Radio", because true—I retrospectively interpreted it as having something to do with Galgalatz. And, again, like how? But it was all of a piece with everything else, from dead birds, through the way the word Lebensraum tracked doggedly across my devices in flashing black and red, to a hot-tempered quiz about whether I would choose to restore the Pahlavi dynasty in Iran (eh?) and quite a bit more—a story I'll tell in whole one day.

PPS. If, by any chance, you are coming to this story for the first time—which I don't think you are--please bear in mind that, although Hebrew was the greatest overall success, I also supported basic or introductory tuition in a dozen or so other languages including Greek, Arabic (MSA and Egyptian), Russian and several others that I hesitate to mention for data privacy reasons.

[a-god-in-ruins-rises]

palm tree, papyrus, camellia?

this one got a little long, sorry.

palm tree ⇢ do you have a fictional villain you shouldn’t like but love regardless?

lmao oh yeah. i've always been prone to sympathizing with villains. and i'm gonna use the term villain here pretty loosely as just a "bad guy" (or someone who is portrayed as such), regardless of whether they're the protagonist or antagonist or a side character.

but a few "villains" i love: vader/palpatine/dooku/thrawn, light yagami (or L to a slightly lesser extent), azula (and zuko before his turn), kuvira, lelouch, itachi uchiha, silco, gendo ikari, griffith, walter white, littlefinger, dany, general hummel, general shepherd, captain ahab, dutch (he was a good man! a man with a plan! manipulated by a rat.), hans landa, judge holden, ozymandias, homelander (what can i say? he's literally me. thank you patriots!), satan, etc.

papyrus ⇢ if you put your ‘on repeat’ playlist on shuffle, what’s the first song that comes up? what do you like about it / associate it with?

lmao "endzeit" by heaven shall burn. it's not hard to tell what i like about it. first, it's high energy and aggressive. but the lyrics are what really get me. i used to listen to this song back in my "anarchist" days in high school, back when i had dreams of violent revolution and martyrdom. ah, youth! but the energy and the lyrics still resonate with me today. it gets me hyped whenever i listen to it. man, i haven't listened to this in a minute. brings me back. memories of listening to it in the locker room before football practice or walking home from school under the orange glow of the autumn sun. it reminds me of all those other anarchist and punk kids i used to hang out with. i can't believe that was over a decade ago.

camellia ⇢ what were you like when you were younger? do you think you’ve changed a lot?

i mentioned a bit about my siblings in another ask last night and how different i am from them. that should give you an idea. i was basically the opposite of them in almost every way. as a kid i was "the quiet one" or "the strange one." was always a running joke in my family that i was adopted or that i was secretly an alien or something. i was content being alone, i read a lot of books, i loved animals and catching bugs, i looked at things through my microscope and the stars through my telescope. my brother had posters of models and celebrities and dirt bikes. i had the declaration of independence and old glory hanging on my wall, and posters of dinosaurs and spartans and romans.

my brother had shelves full of trophies he got from playing a variety of sports. my shelves were full of books or random trinkets or oddities i've collected and displayed or science experiments or terrariums/jars of different insects and animals. my brother had a lot of friends and he was always going to parties. i had no friends except imaginary ones. i often attribute my very active, vibrant imagination to the fact that i spent so much of my childhood playing "pretend" all by myself. i was a very curious child. always a curious child, exploring and going on lonely adventures and doing experiments and reading books.

do i think i've changed a lot? not that much. i've gotten bigger and stronger. i used to be a small, scrawny little thing. i've also become a lot more confident/aggressive. as a child i was shy and timid. but for the most part i think i'm very similar. i'm look at my computer desk and my bookshelf and it looks much like my room looked as a child. i still have many of the same passions/interests, just deeper and more expanded. i'm still the strange one.

[youroriginaltimemachinestudent]

How Old Is DD Osama? Real Name Age Birthday 2023

In This Article we cover how old is DD Osama . We Cover everything about this dutch music producer its age and how old he is in 2023 .

How Old Is DD Osama?

Dutch DJ and music producer Don Diablo, whose full name is Don Pepijn Schipper, was born on February 27, 1980. He will be 43 years old in 2023. One of the most skilled and prominent producers in the music business, Don Diablo is renowned for his groundbreaking and genre-defying musical creations.

Don Diablo has collaborated with a wide variety of musicians from various genres over the course of his career, including Justin Bieber, Gucci Mane, Diplo, and Kygo. He has also released a number of popular songs. He has played at some of the biggest music festivals and venues throughout the world, and his music has appeared in movies, TV shows, and video games. Don Diablo is known for his charitable activity in addition to his musical career. He has supported causes like cancer research and programmes for mental health. Additionally, he supports environmental causes and has taken action to lessen his carbon footprint by using eco-friendly touring methods. Don Diablo has established himself as a renowned figure in the music business and a role model for young musicians and fans alike because to his distinctive musical style and commitment to having a good impact on society.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetailsFull NameDon Pepijn SchipperStage NameDon Diablo or DD OsamaDate of BirthFebruary 27th, 1980Place of BirthCoevorden, NetherlandsNationalityDutchOccupationDJ, music producerRecord LabelHexagon, Spinnin' Records, Columbia RecordsGenresFuture house, electro house, progressive houseNotable CollaborationsJustin Bieber, Gucci Mane, Diplo, KygoAwardsDJ Mag Top 100 DJs - Highest New Entry (2013)Social MediaInstagram: @dondiablo, Twitter: @DonDiablo

DD Osama Early Life

DJ and music producer Don Diablo was born in the Netherlands on February 27, 1980. He was only six years old when he first picked up the piano, but he grew up in a musical family! He started writing his own music when he was a teenager after becoming particularly interested in electronic dance music. https://youtu.be/CoAad6p_hGY Hip hop, rock, and techno were just a few of the musical genres that Don Diablo enjoyed. Artists like Daft Punk and The Chemical Brothers really influenced him. Don Diablo established his own record company at the age of 15 to advance electronic dance music in the Netherlands. To demonstrate his abilities, he also started playing music at local bars and gatherings. Don Diablo rose to fame in 2006 thanks to the success of his song "Blow," which was especially well-liked in Europe. He has since produced a tonne more excellent songs and collaborated with some of the biggest stars in the music business. He is currently regarded as one of the world's top DJs and music producers!

How much does DD Osama earn?

For a well-known DJ and music producer like Don Diablo, a $200,000 yearly salary is a rather small sum. It's likely that he made a lot more money in 2022 than this.

Don Diablo’s Career

The very popular Dutch DJ and music producer Don Diablo, also known as DD Osama, has been involved in the music business for more than 20 years. In the late 1990s, he started his musical career by creating electronic dance music and putting out his own records. Don Diablo has established himself as a major player in the dance music scene over the years by putting out numerous chart-topping singles and albums and working with some of the greatest names in the business. His songs "On My Mind," "Save A Little Love," and "Bad" are some of the most well-known. Don Diablo was ranked number 30 on DJ Mag's list of the Top 100 DJs in 2013, making him the highest new entry. He has consistently been listed among the top DJs, with his peak position of number 6 coming in 2018. In addition to his flourishing music career, Don Diablo founded his own record label, Hexagon, which has evolved into a venue for both up-and-coming and seasoned musicians to display their work. Don Diablo is renowned for his exuberant live performances and has appeared at several of the biggest music festivals in the world, including Coachella, Ultra Music Festival, and Tomorrowland.

Body measurements

Based on some sources, Don Diablo's approximate body measurements are: MeasurementValueHeight5 feet 7 inches (1.70 meters)Weight154 pounds (70 kilograms)Hair ColorBrown Please note that these measurements may not be accurate, and it is important to respect an individual's privacy and not focus solely on their physical appearance.

Don Diablo’s Achievements

Don Diablo is a well-known DJ, music producer, and owner of a record label with a long list of accomplishments in the music business. Some of his significant accomplishments are listed below: - In 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019, the DJ Magazine list of the top 10 DJs in the world included Don Diablo. - He has put out a number of hit singles, including "On My Mind," "Save A Little Love," and "People Say," all of which have reached the top 40 worldwide. - Additionally, Don Diablo has created remixes for a number of well-known musicians, including Ed Sheeran, Rihanna, and Coldplay. - He created his own record label, Hexagon, in 2015, and it has since flourished as a venue for the distribution of dance music. - Major music festivals like Coachella, Tomorrowland, and Ultra Music Festival have included performances by Don Diablo. - His single "Starlight (Could You Be Mine)" earned the International Dance Music Award for Best Electro/Progressive House Track, among other honours. - Don Diablo has worked with a number of well-known musicians, including Gucci Mane, Ty Dolla $ign, and Diplo. These are only a few of Don Diablo's accomplishments; with his own style and cutting-edge method of music production and performance, he continues to have an impact on the music business.

Don Diablo Family, Girlfriend & Relationships

DJ, record producer, and musician Don Diablo, actual name Don Pepijn Schipper, comes from the Netherlands. Although he hasn't revealed a lot about his private life, the following is what is known: Family: Little information has been made available regarding Don Diablo's family. He has, however, revealed in interviews that his mother was a nurse and his father was a photographer. GirlFriend:Don Diablo has not made any mention of his current girlfriend or their relationship in the media. He has kept his personal affairs highly secret and hasn't given the press or his followers any details about his love life. Relationships: Don Diablo hasn't made any mention of his dating or previous relationships in the media. He hasn't disclosed any details about his previous relationships or kept his personal life private.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Don Pepijn Schipper is the real Don Osama, a well-known DJ and music producer. It's important to notice that his birth name is quite different, even though he might be more well-known by his stage name. He did, however, select a stage name that is distinctive and catchy for his admirers, like many others in the entertainment world. Whatever his stage name, it's obvious that DD Osama has had a big impact on the electronic dance music world and is still a well-liked and respected person there. Read the full article

[soyouthinkucanwrite]

The money thing (part 1/2) - Daniel Ricciardo

It's always the little things, isn't it? The smallest stupidest things make almost no difference and then make all the difference in the world. They make everything special, but they also have the power to tear everything appart.

You and Daniel fight about money for the thousand time and he's had enough of it.

Warnings: super angst, but with a happy ending :)

Guys, this turned out WAY BIGGER than I expected, so I'm just gonna do a part 2, okay? Okay, thanks for understanding!

Song that inspired me: A list by HVOB

You and Daniel had been dating for a couple months now, having met through a common friend and hitting off almost instantly. You lived in Amsterdam and he, well he lived all over the world really, but his "time off" (meaning not racing) was spent between Monaco and London (for work), and Amsterdam now too, of course.

The changes were small and subtle at the beginning, like your weekends being spent traveling to meet him wherever in the world he was and consequently spending almost all your savings on plane tickets. You never complained to him (you planned on spending the money traveling anyway, so you didn't see the point), but didn't accept when he offered to buy your tickets, either. There's been some awkwardness around the subject but it usually died on its own.

*beginning of flashback*

"You’d have gotten here in time if you'd gotten the early flight like I told you" you remembered him saying that time you got in the paddock after the qualifying session had begun and couldn’t kiss him good luck.

"Baby, I told you. It was crazy expensive! Absurd even!"

"(y/n) for god's sake! What are we saving money for? I told you, you have my credit card number, I've offered to get you one, this is ridiculous, I can't believe I literally earn millions and my girlfriend wasn't there with me because the ticket was too expensive! I'll fucking fly you private if I have to!" he was almost yelling in his driver's room. You could only stare from the corner.

He took a deep breath running his hands through his hair. "Sorry. It's just... it was crap out there. I needed you" you grimaced at his words.

"Sorry. I really am..." you tried to approach him. "I'm here now?" you touched his arm. "It can't have been that bad, you're still on the top 10 and we both know what you can do from the 8th car..." you smiled at him.

*end of flashback*

He started to spend much more of his time off with you at your place, so you decided to get a place by yourself (having a roommate was great for company and splitting the rent, but having a roommate there while you guys just wanted some much-needed privacy was not working). Then there were more traveling to meet him, furniture for the new place, clothing for all the events (GPs or not), uber rides here and there... all of that without mentioning that you weren't being able to get the freelance jobs you used to get to make some extra money, so yeah, to say things were tight was an understatement. You tried to do all your shopping alone, so he wouldn't offer and you wouldn't refuse or be awkward about it, but Daniel seem to be glued to you whenever you were in the same city (not that you’re complaining).

He started to spend much more of his time off with you at your place, so you decided to get a place by yourself (having a roommate was great for company and splitting the rent, but having a roommate there while you guys just wanted some much-needed privacy was not working). Then there were more traveling to meet him, furniture for the new place, clothing for all the events (GPs or not), uber rides here and there... all of that without mentioning that you weren't being able to get the freelance jobs you used to get to make some extra money, so yeah, to say things were tight was an understatement. You tried to do all your shopping alone, so he wouldn't offer and you wouldn't refuse or be awkward about it, but Daniel seem to be glued to you whenever you were in the same city (not that you’re complaining).

The thing is, you always had trouble dealing with money. Sure, you liked to pay for your own stuff so as to not owe anything to anyone (especially boys), but it was so much deeper than that. Ever since a kid, you hated asking for money from your parents, and sometimes even the thought of buying stuff that was a bit more expensive made you sick. You couldn't explain why, you just felt guilty having so much and knowing that most people have never even seen that amount. It's not that you didn't want to spend it and save for the sake of it, you just didn't handle the idea of money very well. Needless to say, dating a millionnaire was bound to cause trouble in the relationship for you.

You were currently at his place in Monaco. It was the summer break and you had decided to spend some days just chilling at home, just the two of you - which you were glad since going out means hair, makeup, clothes, accessories, shoes... and, let's be honest, the kind of places he usually took you is not the kind of places you just throw something together last minute (the Instagram models and other driver's girlfriends looking you up and down were enough to make you think about spending money you did not have to hire a stylist or something like that). The whole situation was really stressing you out and you knew you would have to be honest with him eventually, instead of only dodging the subject and refusing most of his offers to pay. You tried to. You kind of tried. You suggested staying at home, in bed, most of the time, and he gladly agreed, but that strategy wasn't gonna work forever. You had to be honest with him. But at the same time, you knew what he was going to say and do, and the thought of him spending money on you, even if just by handling the restaurant bill, wasn't something you were much more comfortable with. Besides, it was only a matter of time before the "gold-digger" term starts to fly around in the small world that was the F1's.

You were laying on his couch, the Olympics playing on the TV but you were too busy overthinking the money thing to pay attention. Daniel was laying with his head on your lap, absently caressing your thigh and watching the TV. His phone went off and he moved to pick it up.

"Hello?" you watched as he answered the phone. "Hey mate, how's it going? Uh nothing, we're just chilling at home. Getting some rest... Yeah, I'm getting rested, you dirty-minded son of a bitch" you rolled your eyes while he laughed out loud on the line with someone. "Yeah, I know... the 19th is it? No, it's fine. Yeah, yeah. I'll be there. Alright, mate. Thanks for calling. Have a good one! Bye!" he hanged up and leaned in to peck you on the lips.

"Good news?" you asked him.

"Not really. Just wanted to kiss you" he shrugged, smiling. You smiled back and hugged him, pulling him in for another kiss. He was always so caring with you, always finding an excuse to kiss or touch you. You knew some people didn't like it, but you loved it. Physical touch was definitely one of your love languages.

"What's happening on the 19th then?" you asked him once you guys set apart from the kiss.

"Gotta be in London. Gonna run some testings and other boring race stuff..."

"Hum..." you hummed in understanding.

"You know what would make it less boring though?" he asked and you just looked at him, you already knew what he was going to ask you and it wasn't that you didn't want to spend every minute of the day with him, but you simply couldn't afford any more traveling, especially not in such short notice. "If you came with me. Huh? What do you say? A week in the Queen's land? Then we can fly together to Spa and after the race, I can go with you to Amsterdam. The next one it's the Dutch GP anyway, I'll just get there sooner" he laughed. It was crushing you, the man of your dreams was literally beaming at making plans with you, talking about spending the next few weeks glued together and you couldn't say yes.

"Dan, I have to work" you smiled sadly.

"Can't you work from distance? Or, I don't know, I mean... I know it's tiring, but you could come to London and fly home a bit early, then just meet me in Belgium?" great, his solution includes even more flying. And the thing is, you really didn't mind the flying. You always slept during the whole thing anyway, so you never got tired and the jetlag was minimal. You could work from distance, sure. Your boss wouldn't mind, as long as you got there eventually to check in on everything. But the whole logistics were just too expensive. There was no way you could afford it.

"I... sorry, I don't think I can" you said sadly and watched as his face dropped.

"That's fine, baby. I get it. I'm asking too much, all this traveling... don't worry about it" he tried to mask his emotions but you knew better. He knew you could in fact work from distance, so he was probably thinking the reason you couldn't do it was because you didn't want to.

He got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen. Meanwhile, you couldn't help but bury your face in your palms. This was so frustrating!

"You wanna go for a run or something? Maybe get something to eat?" he called from the kitchen, already moving on from the subject. You knew this whole thing was only gonna keep build up till he got tired of your excuses or you blowing up, probably the former, but you just keep going.

"Yeah, sure" you answered, getting up from the couch.

You and Daniel were both very active so going for a run, hiking, riding bikes, or whatever in the middle of the day was really routine for you. The Monaco summer weather was as beautiful as always and the sun was shining bright. You enjoyed the rest of your afternoon racing each other, kissing in the harbor, and just taking in the views, spending quality time together. Money wasn't even a thing in your bubble for a while.

"I'm getting hungry" he said on the way back home.

"Me too, and I'm super hot. I could go for a juice or something right now" you were all sweaty from the running, but you didn't care, he was too.

"You're always hot baby, I don't think juice gonna help with that" he grinned at you and you just rolled your eyes at him.

You passed by one of his favorite spots for food, nearby his place and he suggested getting some take-out, to which you agreed.

"Green juice, and a chicken wrap?" you tried to decide while the both of you waited in line.

"I'll never understand how you drink that"

"I've seen you drink that too, it's actually very refreshing"

"Because I'm forced to, I'm a high-performance athlete baby. But I'm on a break, so I'll have a coke, thank you very much" you laughed at him. He was holding your hand and tried to kiss you, wrapping his arm around you, you didn't dodge his kiss, you would never, but still laughed at the fact he wanted to kiss the sweaty mess you were right now.

"I'm gross, only you" you laughed.

"That's my baby, with no makeup she a ten" he rapped shrugging and grinning.

"Alright Lil Wayne, I know that one, don't even finish the verse" you laughed at him, making him laugh out loud, getting everyone's in the restaurant's attention.

"It's true, though"

"Sure..." You just shook your head smiling. Then you heard someone call his name.

"Hey! Daniel!" you both turned around to see Charles and Charlotte sitting in a corner, him waving at you two. You had met Charles a couple of times before but never spoke too much to him. They seemed to be leaving anyway, so they walked towards you guys, instead of towards the door.

"Hey mate, how's it going?" Daniel greeted him with a handshake. "Hey, Charlotte! You know (y/n) yet?"

"Hi! I don't think so, hi! How are you?" she greeted you smiling.

"Hi! Nice to meet you. Hi, Charles!" you said.

"Hey, (y/n). You're keeping him in line during the break? Char won't let me cheat my diet either" he laughed.

"Oh, that ship has sailed long ago! Daniel will just roll into the paddock if it's up to him" you laughed back.

"Hey! I think I've earned the right to some extra calories, we've been working out extra hard lately" Daniel said waving his eyebrows suggestively, making Charlotte giggle, Charles rolls his eyes and you go even redder than you were from the actual workout, while he just laughed out loud.

"I don't even want to know" Charles said. "Always great running into you mate" he was getting ready to say goodbye.

"Are we seeing you guys tomorrow?" Charlotte asked you.

"Tomorrow?" you asked her.

"Stefano's birthday" she said like it was obvious. Stefano Domenicali was the President and CEO of Formula 1, but you didn't know that yet - still, her tone made it seems like it was someone Daniel knew, so you just looked at him. He just rubbed his neck, looking a little embarrassed. "Oh, wait. Please tell me I didn't just said something I shouldn't" she looked at Charles.

"No, no. He invited me. Us, actually" Daniel reassured her. "I don't think we're going though, forgot to mention to you" he said looking at you.

"Uh mate, I wouldn't skip that if I were you. He didn't even invite all the drivers I heard" Charles said. "Maybe just stop by to say hello?"

"Stop by... a yacht... at the sea?" Charlotte said grinning at him. Daniel looked at you.

"You feel like going? It should be fun" he asked you.

"Sounds fancy... I mean, I don't mind if you go" you said.

"Common... I’m not going alone" he nudged you.

"I don't even have anything to wear, Dan" you told him.

"Oh! We can go shopping together!" Charlotte said and you had almost forgotten they were still there.

"Perfect!" Daniel answered for you. You could only imagine the types of stores she shopped.

"Tomorrow morning, then? Daniel can text your address to Charles for me? I'll pick you up!" she was being really nice about it.

"I thought you wanted to go today?" Charles said.

"That's when I thought I would have to go shopping with you, so I could use the extra time since you're the worst shopping partner ever!" she laughed at him.

"Burn!" Daniel laughed.

"His fashion taste is not the most reliable, let's face it" she laughed and kissed his cheek. "It's a date then (y/n)?" she looked expectantly at you. You didn't want to let her down, it was so hard to make friends with the girlfriends of other drivers, they were usually so... not nice. You could always just help her and find something to wear in your own stuff later.

"Yeah, sure! See you tomorrow, at 10?" you said simply.

"Perfect!" she beamed.

>>> end of part 1 <<<

[cosmicfurby]

Judging the songs that made it into the final because i am full of rage*

*not to be taken seriously

Armenia: you know what? good for her. good for her. the song didn't strike me as a qualifier at first listen, but the performance convinced me. it's really cute! the vibes here are impeccable. rosa dealt with a mild inconvenience when tearing down those post-its that might have ruined her performance otherwise and i think that's the mark of a good performer (sunny stop saying "perform" challenge). it's giving "indie coming of age movie soundtrack", and i mean this as an absolute compliment. they've dealt with the fact it's a ballad giving the scene a dynamic gist and that's very smart of them actually. go rosa!

Greece: alright miss Billie Eilish go off. i actually like this song a lot? it has a very pop sound i enjoy. i feel like the jury will appreciate it. the performance is a bit underwhelming, to be honest –not for Amanda's voice, her voice is excellent– but the stage is very empty. the chairs are cool and all but i hope they can bring something else before the final because they could get a really good result

Iceland: i am sorry cowgirl sisters but this is one of the songs you use to get a pee break. it's SO boring. who voted for this. like i don't wanna be excessively mean but this puts me to sleep and ballads in Eurovision need to die. i guess it's sweet if you squint. idk Iceland usually produces my favorite hits and this is pretty much sleepy time. it's going to place terribly in the final and I'm gonna be sad for them but i don't think they should've qualified

Lithuania: :/ at least we get to hear Lithuanian right? because this is boring as all hell. at least it's different to what we usually see. sorry Lithuania i love you guys but this ain't it it's sleep inducing i don't like it at all :( bring back the discoteque

Moldova: HEY HO LET'S GO FOLKLORE SI ROCK AND ROLL i love my folk grandpas and their violin. oh this song is so fun i like it so much. so Eurovision. they're unapologetically fun and i love that for them. this is the kind of song i like for Eurovision, folklore and fun. anything else doesn't keep me engaged. honestly Moldova always puts out the BIGGEST hits i don't know how they do it but I'm so proud of them for this!! it may not do extraordinarily well in the final but they're going to be a blast and that's what matters

Netherlands: Dutch is SO beautiful but ballads make me want to actually block my ears with wax. I'm here to have fun and forget, not to cry my eyes out. if i have to make a concession, though, this is definitely the best ballad this year. her voice is incredible and so is the song. the jury is going to eat it up and leave no crumbs

Norway: YUMYUMYUMYUM PEAK EUROVISION YES. GOOD. always trust Norway to go fucking insane and keep the spirit of the contest alive. i love this song it gives me so much serotonin and the little dance is so ridiculous i LOVE it. the Spanish commenters having to say "they come from the moon and were founded two million years ago" was the embodiment of Eurovision energy and spirit. we're here for shits and giggles! give us the shits and giggles! congrats norway, this is a top 10. also if subwoolfer unmask themselves in the final and they're the Ylvis brothers in disguise I'm going to be INSUFFERABLE about it

Portugal: lesbian rights okay but what the FUCK is this doing in the final. actually what the hell Portugal you know i love y'all, you're my neighbors and i cherish you but. well at least it's something different. i love the song but not for Eurovision, at all. despite its lack of life, it's very elegant and very very beautiful and heartfelt. like i said i love it but. what's it doing here

Switzerland: Christmas song why are you here. as one of y'all said in my replies, "it's giving Salvador Sobral but like. bad" and you're SO right its message is necessary but it's BORING. one of the few songs i actively dislike. c'mon Switzerland baby you're better than this. i know you. last year the formula was perfect, with a ballad that had rhythm and you ALMOST WON. why did you send this next. ballads *clap* need *clap* to DIE *clap*

Ukraine: STEFANIA MAMO MAMO STEFANIA literally the best fucking song by FAR it's going to win by a landslide and i am going to yell the chorus every time it plays. not to be dramatic but i love my mom so it makes me cry as well as bang my head incessantly. what a song. dare i say, a winner. they seem to have repeated the Go_A effect, which i felt they weren't going to be able to do easily, but they passed with flying colors. Slava Ukraini y'all they've got this in the BAG

Extra:

Italy: talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference, put it in a blender THIS SONG. this song gives me the CHILLS (get it, because its title is Italian for "shivers"). this is how you do a ballad in Eurovision. god it's excellent. oh my god. i am obsessed? i have been since it was chosen in Sanremo. i won't get over it. ti amo Mahmood e ti amo Blanco bellissima canzione and all that my Italian is shit but just enough to scream this song out like it was the ANTHEM of my COUNTRY (which has no lyrics but anyway)

France: go Breton witches go! i am legally forbidden from admitting France ever does anything right (/j) but this song is SO cool. very important of them to send a song in Breton! this is what Tanxugueiras would have been if sent to Eurovision, but a bit better. their voices are fascinating, the male singer is hypnotizing, the rhythm is VERY Celtic which, as a person from a fellow Celtic region, i appreciate immensely; but also NOT boring and very dance-able. i love it with a passion. this is what Eurovision should be: putting our culture in display, celebrating our diversity and differences. one of my top songs for this year, but don't let the french find out >:)

anyway justice for latvia

[amorgansgal]

How the VDL Gang Members would react to Pregnant Reader

So here we go @selahshits, I’ve gone with the Pregnant Reader hc, because I don’t have a huge amount of time on my hands right now and would want to do ADHD or PTSD headcanons justice through proper research. I’ve gone with my favourite boys Arthur, Charles and John and also thrown Sadie in the mix. Thank you for your request!

Arthur

Arthur is shocked and certainly needs some time to adjust to the news. He may even leave camp for a few days just to get his head wrapped around everything.

He doesn’t want a similar situation to happen to you as it did with Eliza and Isaac, so he’s very determined not to repeat his mistakes there, but he also is convinced that he would not be a good father for the baby.

Hell, he’s struggled to come to terms with your love and affection for him, so he may even try to push you away or convince you to leave the gang. Do you have friends or family you could stay with? Ideally within a town or city? Arthur will do his best to persuade you to go to them if you do.

But if you don’t, or if you insist you’re not going anywhere, then overly protective father mode will activate! And my goodness, you can’t bend down to pick up a sock or brush your horse, without Arthur either demanding her do it himself or nervously hovering nearby!

At some point you may even get into an argument that he’s being too controlling. It may take a good talk from Hosea to get him dial it back!

Arthur might even get into some arguments with Dutch around the situation, as he begins to go out on fewer jobs because of his concerns for you… and who knows, maybe he begins to think about leaving the gang and having a peaceful, contented life with you and the baby.

Charles

Charles is pleased for you both, the loss of his family means he’s always wanted to have a family of his own one day and protect you both.

But he is worried. The life in the gang is dangerous and he doesn’t want to disappear from his baby’s life like his own experience with his mother and father. He knows how heart-breaking that can be and how much it weighs heavily on his mind.

As he’s only been with the VDL gang for a short time, he may be quicker to suggest leaving, though he still finds it a difficult idea to stomach as he has grown to like and respect so many people in the gang.

But the safety and well being of you and your baby are his top priorities from that moment onwards.

Charles is definitely one to rub your back when you need it and when you’re both alone to talk gently to your baby bump.

He’ll tell the baby how much he loves them and how excited he is to meet them, but he also whispers all the stories and songs his mother taught to him, and plans to continue this when your baby is born, so the baby will know all about their heritage.

Sadie

Sadie would immediately be protective and caring, literally any request you make large or small would be no bother to her.

She doesn’t find it weird when you request pickles/beef jerky/tinned peaches mixed with tinned salmon at two in the morning! Hell, she’ll wake up the store owner and demand he open shop.

She would be an absolute star at making sure you were comfortable and had all you needed, but she would be a little concerned about the role she could play in the baby’s life.

She wouldn’t say she’s naturally maternal or deals well with whininess, but she has some experience in looking after kids and likes it when they get a little older and are more independent.

She’s excited about the future and being there for you and your baby. But you may have to convince her that the baby needs a proper home to grow up in, rather than dragging them along either in a gang or sticking them in a hotel room while she’s bounty hunting.

But she will see the practicality of the suggestion and the idea of building a warm, loving home with you and your baby is something she likes the sound of.

John

Uh-oh!

I’m kidding. It really depends with John. Are we talking a Jack-esque situation or a more settled epilogue John situation?

If it’s the former, he’s hard-pressed to ignore his old instincts to run for the hills. His main concerns are actually what Dutch and Hosea will think.

He’s already had a tough enough time with the lectures from both, the resentful or frustrated sighs, and the disappointment he caused when leaving the first-time round.

He may even try to hide how he’s really feeling from you and pretend everything’s fine, though he’s a poor actor and you can see all too clearly that he’s worried.

It’ll be difficult to get him to speak openly about how he is feeling and you may need to be strong to not feel the sting of rejection if John may even admit to not wanting another baby at all. This will stem more from his own concerns about failing as a father with Jack.

If it’s the latter, then he’s nervous, but delighted. His concerns may actually lead him to wanting to be better.

He was distant and emotionally unavailable when dealing with Abigail’s pregnancy, so in this instance he’ll do his utmost to be supporting and loving.

He’s not as willing to wake up in the middle of the night to get tinned peaches and if he’s working hard on the ranch may feel a bit aggrieved that he won't get his feet or back rubbed, after he offers to do that for you!

There may be a few grumbles, but get him to feel the baby kicking and he’ll be in absolute awe, to the point where he’ll ask you to ‘Do it again!’ and you’ll need to point out that’s entirely up to the baby!

[levithestripper]

Awww! This is such a cute idea! I haven’t seen Charles play the harmonica before, so I’ll do my best with it! PS: Its friends to lovers and a slight slow burn 😳😳 I definitely strayed a bit from your original idea but all of it’s there i promise! I may have not given you headcanons but instead a 6.5k fic- I really hope you enjoy!

✩ Requests are open!! Read the rules first! Gender neutral reader! ✩

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✩ Warnings: None! ✩

✩ Ao3 Link! ✩

Charles x GN Reader- Sweet Love Songs ☀️✨

The camp up in Colter was cold and unforgiving compared to the almost desert like weather of Blackwater. The snow came up to your knees and froze you to your core whenever you went outside. You kept your long maroon colored coat on all the time, even when you slept. It was a rather expensive jacket as well, with fur lining the inside. Dutch had given it to you for your birthday. You mostly stayed in the cabin with Abigail and Mary-Beth, fixing the holes in the men’s clothing or doing the laundry. 

You had been running with the gang for a good couple of years now, becoming an integral part of having the camp run smoothly. You tend to pick up the slack when the other girls don’t do all of their chores, or go hunting if Arthur or Charles aren’t around. You were a good enough shot to bring home a few turkeys and maybe a doe on a good day. Charles had taught you how to hunt while the gang was still down in Blackwater. 

You could hear Charles playing his harmonica sometimes, along with Javier’s guitar and Pearson’s concertina. You loved to sit and listen to him play. He seemed so peaceful when he played, so concentrated with what he was playing. Other times, Charles will be singing along around the campfire if it was warmer that night. You enjoyed watching him sing, too. He didn’t do it often, but when he did, it was beautiful. His deep voice was easy to pick out from all the rest. It sounded smooth like honey; it could lull you to sleep from how comforting it sounded. 

The both of you enjoyed spending time together, but he had such a busy schedule you never got time to hang out. After leaving Colter, Charles and Javier left to go find Sean, so you haven’t seen him in a good couple of weeks at most. You missed his gentle singing and the soft smiles he’d give you across camp. It made you blush more often than not, seeing him excited to see you. Charles is a man of little words, so when he actively seeks you out in his free time, it makes you feel special, in a way. Loved, wanted even. You knew that he and Arthur were close, so if he was gone for a long time sometimes you’d ask Arthur if he had heard anything from Charles. Most of the time he just replies with a “’fraid not. Sorry,” and continues with his chores. 

The day Charles came back home was a normal one. You were over by the horses, helping Kieran feed and brush them. You looked up when horses could be heard riding into camp and relief washed over you when you saw it was Charles. A wide smile positioned itself on your face as you tapped Kieran’s shoulder to excitedly get his attention.

“Kieran! Kieran! Charles is finally home!” You point over to him and his horse, getting a soft smile from Charles. “I’ve missed him!”

Kieran chuckled softly, smiling at you when you turned back to look at him. “You sure are sweet on him, ain’t ‘cha? Just tell him already! It’s obvious the guy likes you too.” He shook his head when he saw you blush deep, shaking your head furiously. “C’mon, it’s pretty obvious. No one can be that close and not like each other. Y’all share everything!” 

Your blush deepens, spreading to your ears and the base of your neck. “Nuh uh! I just missed him is all!” You rebut, crossing your arms over your chest. 

“Oh yeah? So you won’t freak out if I tell ya’ he’s coming over here now?” Kieran said with a smirk, crossing his arms right back. You wanted to prove him wrong but failed. You fixed your hair and clothes before turning away slightly so it seemed like you hadn’t noticed him yet. You busy yourself by brushing Branwen’s mane, pretending to not notice Charles as he walked up to you.

Charles walked up behind you, tapping your shoulder gently. “Hey, sidekick. Miss me?” He asked softly, opening his arms for one of his famous warm bear hugs.

You turn around quickly, wrapping your arms around his waist tightly. “I missed you!! I’m so happy you came home safe! Blackwater is so dangerous right now! Tell me all about it!” Charles had his arms draped over your shoulders, keeping you close. He returned your hug with a tighter one, keeping you close to his broad chest. Branwen neighed happily at the sight of Charles, tail flicking with interest. He rubbed the top of Branwen’s head gently, earning a soft smile from Kieran.

“Don’t worry. I’ll tell you all about it. Say, if Kieran can spare ya’, would you get us some stew and meet me at my tent? We’ll eat lunch and I’ll tell ya’ all you want to know, sidekick,” Charles said sweetly, looking over at Kieran for approval to steal his stable buddy. Obviously, the stable boy said it was okay for you to go, waving you off to go get his food. Charles smiled at you again before walking off to his small tent, making you blush.

Eagerly, you ran over to the campfire with two bowls in hand, filling them both up to the brim. After you set them down in his tent, you ran back over with his favorite mug, brewing fresh coffee for him. You knew how much he liked it when you made him coffee, he says that no one else can make it just right. You fill the mug all the way up to the brim and walked it carefully back to where he was waiting for you. 

Kieran watched you run over to Pearson’s cart, a stupid grin on his face. He shook his head fondly and went back to work. It was so obvious that the both of you were sweet on each other, y’all were just to oblivious to notice. It seemed to him like even the horses were in on the joke. Kieran could read you like an open book, even though he hasn’t known you for that long. 

The afternoon sun slowly started to drift lower in the sky, casting a soft golden glow over the camp. As it got darker, the others slowly went to bed one after another, leaving you and Charles the only ones awake. A cold breeze flew through the air, making you shiver and scoot closer to him. He looked around for a moment for his jacket, pulling it over your shoulders and draping an arm on top of it. Empty bowls were pushed to the side with a mug in one of them, bordered by Swanson’s empty whiskey bottles. The sun had cone down completely now, washing the camp in a darkness, which was only interrupted by the lanterns placed around. 

You had your head resting on the side of Charles’s chest, listening to his quiet voice tell you all about his time down by Blackwater and Sean’s rescue mission. Even his hushed speaking voice was soothing to you. You did your best, trying to stay awake to hear the entirety of the story, but you ended up falling asleep on him. He didn’t notice you had fallen asleep until he felt the slick slide of drool down his arm. He gently pulled you off of him and laid you down on his bedroll, tucking you in with the only blanket he had. Charles made sure you were as comfortable as possible before standing, cleaning up the mess they made during the night. After that was done, he walked back to you, sitting down next to you and kept watch for a while before he went to sleep too. 

Night passed quickly snuggled up against Charles, he was like a mini furnace. He slept with his arms wrapped around your waist tightly, your face nestled in his chest. His chin rested on top of your head, basically protecting you from all angles. He made sure you slept on the side furthest away from Javier. It’s not like Charles doesn’t trust Javi, but he’s the only one allowed to see how you look while you sleep. 

He woke a couple hours before you but didn’t move, not wanting to disturb you. Charles knows he’s sweet on you, but refuses to bring it up because he doesn’t want to possibly ruin the friendship he has with you, it’s to important to him. So until you confess to him or he grows balls and does it himself, he’s fine with it staying the way it is for now. He brought a hand up to your head, running a hand through your soft hair. His fingers got tangled in the knots scattered through it, so he gently started to brush it out with his hands. He understood the trouble of having hair long enough to tangle and how hard it is to take care of sometimes, especially in this line of work. 

The feeling of the your hair being played with caused you to stir slightly, waking you up. You yawn and stretch, body shaking when you do. You open your eyes slightly, decide that it’s too goddamn early to wake up, and close them again. Charles chuckles softly as he watches you wake up. “C’mon, sidekick. Time to get up, rejoin the world. We got stuff to do,” He said softly, hand moving down to stroke your cheek sweetly. “C’moon, wakey wakey.” You groan stubbornly, shaking your head no. He cups your cheek in his hand, gently nudging you awake. 

Eventually you agree, opening your eyes to look at him tiredly. “Charles… I’m still tired…” you yawn, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes. You try and snuggle further into him, wiggling close but failing as Charles pushes you away and sits you up. “It’s too early!” 

“It’s not that early, it’s almost noon.” Charles kept his hand on the side of your face since you both were sitting so close still. His thumb stroked over your cheekbone, slowing down when he felt you lean into it. “C’mon, sweetheart, lets get going…” He wanted to swoon when he looked at you, his heart pounding out of his chest. He was just so incredibly smitten with you, it’s unbelievable. You both were so close, all he had to do was lean in a bit closer to kiss you. Charles looked down at your lips then back up to you eyes, debating if it was worth the risk. He was going to go for it, but was cut off when you yawned again and stretched. The hand left your face slowly, returning to his lap. “There we go, awake and ready to start the day, sidekick?” 

You nod slowly, still a bit tired. Your hands went up to your eyes, rubbing the sleep out of them. A cold breeze brushed past you, making you shiver and scoot closer to the large man sitting in front of you. Looking around, you got up onto your knees and moved to sit on his lap, pressing your head against his broad chest. “You’re too warm, lets just stay here all day! I much rather cuddle you than do stupid chores.” You pulled his arm into your lap, hugging it close to your chest. “You’re much more fun than ol’ Grimshaw anyhow.” You look up at him with a cute smile on your face. Charles chuckles down at you softly, wiggling his hand around to mess with you a bit. 

Charles thought for a moment before replying. “Hmm, now if you get dressed and do all your chores, I’ll play you something on my harmonica. I know how much you enjoy it.” He ran a hand through your hair, parting it gently. “Maybe if you do it quickly, I’ll sing you something too.” 

A grin spread across your face, making you giddy a bit. “Really?! You’d sing for me?” You didn’t realize that he had noticed how much you enjoyed listening to it. It was obvious to the others how much you enjoyed listening to him. You found out that everyone knew from Kieran, surprisingly. That boy hears all of the camp gossip so he passes it along to you if it was interesting enough. You were so embarrassed when he told you, which made him laugh softly around the cigarette hanging out of his mouth. “I’ve missed hearing ya’ play around camp when you were gone.” 

“You missed hearing it?” He blushed but it was barely noticeable. “Just give me enough time to find it, that is. I seemed to have lost it somewhere in my bag.” Charles took his hand away from your grasp, slowly getting up after you had gotten off of his lap. “I really hope I didn’t loose it.” He looked around his shared tent, flipping open his satchel to rummage through it again. The satchels contents was poured on the ground into a little pile. Money clips and stolen jewelry were on the bottom with wrapped up leftover provisions on the top. Other miscellaneous stuff could be found in it, but they weren’t of much importance to you. 

Standing up, you brushed yourself off and began to get dressed for the day, pulling on your most comfortable clothes. “Of course I missed hearing it! You play so amazingly! Probably as good as Javier.” You lean in closer, whispering to him sweetly, making the man blush again. “Probably even better, but that’s between us.” Pulling a colorful shawl around your shoulders, you help Charles pick up the contents of his bag and put it away. “I’m sure you’ll find it, you’re never one for losing stuff. I bet you just put it in one of your saddle bags instead of your satchel.”

Charles nodded solemnly, looking over at you with one of those small heart swelling smiles he loved to give you. He pulled you close for another hug, wrapping his arms around your shoulders. “If I can’t find it, I promise I’ll sing to you when I get a new one, okay?” You wrap your arms around his waist, hands barely able to touch each other. The side of your head rests against his chest, sinking into his embrace happily. His hand slowly made its way down to yours, locking your fingers together. “I’ll do something else though, but whatever it is it’ll be a surprise, sidekick.” You nod, sighing softly. 

“Well, I should get to work if I want to get my surprise.” Charles nodded, squeezing your hand before you pulled away from the hug. You wave goodbye to him, smiling when you saw Kieran tending to his horses. “Mornin’, Kieran! I see Mr.Branwen is doing well today.” You dig out a sugarcube out of your pocket for him, giggling when he ate it out of your hand. Leaning down to whisper in the horses ear, your giggling turning into quiet laughter. “Don’t tell Kieran, it’s our little secret!” 

Kieran set down the brush in his hand when he saw you walking over. “So, how’d your night with Charles go?” He asked with a smirk, crossing his arms across his chest and chuckling. “It was pretty quiet around here, I’m assuming y’all didn’t do nothing exciting.” That earned him a smack on the arm from you out of embarrassment, but it wasn’t hard enough to cause any damage. Branwen swished his tail in amusement, turning his head to search your pockets for any more snacks you may have brought for him. “Hey, I’m just sayin’! But I’m glad y’all had fun together. I like seeing ya’ happy,” he said, opening his arms shyly for a hug.

It was a tradition for both of you to hug in the morning. Neither of you remember how it started, but it seems like Kieran loves it as much as you do. You gave the horse a final pat on the head before walking around him to give him a hug. You know he doesn’t get enough love, so you’ll give him big tight hugs when you can, not including the daily ones. He wrapped his arms around your waist after your arms went up around his neck. You squeezed him tight before letting him go, smiling up at him. “And I like seeing you happy! Speaking of that, when are you gonna ask out Mary-Beth! I know y’all’re sweet on each other! She’ll write about you in her journal sometimes, she showed me one of ‘em.” He blushed deeply, sputtering in embarrassment. “It was super cute too! She thinks you’re adorable! Probably more than I do, which is a feat in of itself-” 

Kieran cut you off, blubbering embarrassingly. “N-N-N-No she ain’t! S-She ain’t thinkin’ I’m c-c-cute…! T-That ain’t p-possible…” He covered his flushed face with dirty hands. “I-I’m the one that’s s-supossed to say that ‘bout the l-lady…”

You giggle, bouncing around excitedly. Mary-Beth could be seen just outside of her tent, holding her novel as she debated on starting chores or reading more. It looked like she had decided the ladder, sitting down on a chair near Tilly. “You’re so sweet I think I’m gonna die! Just go talk to her! That can’t be too hard! I’ll get started on chores so you can go be sweet on her some more! You need some lovin’ too!” You look up at him with a sweet smile before turning around to hoist a dirty saddle up onto your shoulder. “I know you can do it, cowboy!” You whisper yell encouragingly. 

The man sighs, slouching over. “Okay, okay! I’ll go talk to her. But you ain’t allowed ta snoop!” Kieran hesitantly looked over at brown haired girl, visibly melting when he saw her. If his eyes could have hearts in them, they’d be there permanently by now. “Oh, how is it possible for a lady to be so pretty…?” He mumbled to himself quietly. He looked down and fixed his clothes, brushing off any dirt that may be on them. His hands were sweating bullets in his jacket pockets, clenching and unclenching nervously. He gathered up all the courage he could, psyched himself up and walked over to her shared tent, shyly asking to sit down next to her. “M-Miss? I just want-wanted to say you’re really pretty… I don’t mean’ta be to forward…” Kieran pulled his hands out of his overheating pockets, anxiously pressing them together as he waited for a reply. 

Mary-Beth looked up from her novel, looking around before her eyes settled on him, a soft smile appearing on her face. She closed her book and set it to the side. “Hi, Kieran. That’s mighty sweet of ya’. What caused you to come over?”

He froze up a bit, ransacking his brain for a reply but the words didn’t want to form in his mouth. The moment a pretty girl he was sweet on possibly showed signs of affection back, it was over for the boy. “O-Oh, I, uh, I was around, and I saw how pretty you looked… so I came over and… told ya’…” That was the last thing he expected to say. He’s glad it was a good response, but oh good lord he just called her pretty! To her face! He’s having a crisis, a panic attack! His face turned a deep, vibrant shade of red, almost darker than Molly’s expensive lipstick.

When she saw how flustered the poor stableboy got, Mary-Beth giggled a bit, leaning to put a hand on his knee. “Calm down, Kieran! It’s alright, don’t freak out!” She said, giggling more when Kieran sputtered from the unexpected touch, his face seemingly glowing neon red at this point.

Now, you promised him that you wouldn’t snoop, but hearing Mary-Beth’s quiet chuckles and a giggle here and there made it so hard. But, you managed to control yourself, cleaning almost all of the saddles and dragging the oversized hay bales to the horse’s feeding areas. Their chatter faded into the distance as you worked around the camp, soon replacing it with fantasies of what Charles’s surprise for you was going to be. You almost hoped that it would be some sort of jewelry, or something fancy that he had picked up along his travels near Blackwater. You always had a thing for rings and bracelets, they always had something special about them that you couldn’t explain.

The late morning sun shifted into afternoon, along came with it free time now that you had finished all of your assigned chores for the day. After you had finished them, you looked around for Charles, but couldn’t find him, assuming that he was just running late with his hunting. You went back to look through his tent, still failing to find his harmonica. Since Charles was still out of camp, you needed someone else to give you a ride into town. Arthur is always available, so you go over to his tent and carefully woke him up, shaking his shoulder. “Hey, Arthur? Arthur wake up.” You backed away a bit, giving the man room to sit up.

He huffed, sitting up in his cot. “What’s so important that you had’ta wake me up for, huh?” He ran a hand through his bed head, messing up the side part he had going on. His hand rubbed over his face, trying to wake himself up more. “Okay, what is it?”

“Can you take me to Emerald Ranch please? I need to get something from the Fence there. There’s no one else around to take me!” You ask desperately, hands clasped together in a pleading motion. “Please please please!” You pull your shawl back up around your shoulders. “Charles lost his harmonica back in Blackwater, so I want to surprise him with a new one. Please take me, it’ll be quick!” 

He sighed, mulling over his options. He stood up and walked past you, digging his signature worn hat out of the clothing trunk seated at the end of his bed. “Alrighty then, lets get going now if we want to make it back before supper. I don’t think Charles would like ma having ya’ out so late either.” He motioned for you to follow behind him, leading you to his black shire, Wilbur. Arthur laid a blanket down before turning around, placing his hands on your hips and lifting you up onto the back of his horse, sitting you sidesaddle. “Comfortable?”

You nod. “Thank you for setting a blanket down first. Very kind of you.” Your warms went around Arthur’s waist loosely, safely securing yourself behind him. “How long do you think it’ll take to get there? I’ve never been before. Is it nice there?” 

The shire started a lazy trot that went into a slower canter once they got out of the camp’s boundaries. “Oh, shouldn’t take too long. Wilbur here is a strong one. He’ll get us there in no time. I’ve been there a few times, the place is weird. You got a shut in woman, an old bloodstained saloon, and the resta ‘em are a bunch of dumbassess. You could probably rob ‘em pretty easily, you’re just like Hosea in that respect.” The scenery changed from luscious and green with trees everywhere, to tan and beige with desert like bushes and cacti. “The Fence there is a creep Hosea and I met, when we stole that stagecoach. Looks like a pervert,” Arthur said with a chuckle, slowing Wilbur back down to a walk as he approached the ranch. 

“A pervert you say? Well I’ll keep my guard up then.” You roll your eyes and give him a playful smirk.

Arthur led Wilbur up to a hitching post, tying him to it before helping you get off. “There you go. Now, go do your shopping and come back here when you’re done. I won’t go nowhere.” He looked down at his satchel, pulling out a cigarette and his journal. “And try not ta draw any attention to yourself.” He leaned on the wooden fencing next to his horse, beginning to sketch the landscape. Sliding down onto his butt, relaxing as he waited for you. “Other than that, have fun.” 

You waved goodbye to him with a smile on your face as you walked away, only turning around after you saw him half wave back at you. You looked around for a moment, watching others walk by and the farm hands doing their chores. Looking to the left, you saw the little storefront you came here for and started your trek over there. People greeted you as you walked past them, some asking if you were new around here. It seemed like it was a nice little town on the surface, but you could hear couples arguing in the distance and a creepy vibe came off of the big house in the center of town. But you had things to do so you did your best to ignore them. 

Shopping went by quickly. The Fence had a harmonica almost exactly like the old one Charles had. It was a deep syrupy brown mahogany wood base with gold plating around the edges. Except this time, you got his name engraved in the side of it. It was written in a fancy cursive font, making it feel expensive. The ‘C’ had a few curls in the top before it swooshed down into the rest of his name. Real gold was hard to come by nowadays, so it cost you almost all of the money you had saved up. You just hope that Charles likes it as much as you do. Since you spent basically all of your money on it, you didn’t know what you’d do if he rejected it. You bought a small leather pouch to put it in to keep it safe on the ride home. Fumbling for the opening, you set the instrument into its bag and set the bag in your pocket.

By the time you and Arthur returned to camp, the sun was sinking into the ground, casting a soft violet glow across the sky, making the stars glimmer brightly. Lanterns lit up Dutch’s tent from either side, the flaps drawn up high on either side. His gramophone was playing soft romantic songs in what it sounded like was Spanish. Everything is how you both had left it. Charles could be seen with a beer in his hand and laughing along to something John said. His hair was tied back in a sloppy man bun, obviously done without the help of a mirror. Strands of hair was falling out in the back, draping themselves around his shoulders. The glow from the fire radiated off of his dark skin, somehow making him look even more gorgeous than he already was. 

Arthur helped you off of his horse and wished you good luck. He suck by Wilbur for a while, tending to him since Kieran didn’t get a chance to yet. You thank him before walking off to your tent tiredly. The moment you get to your cot you flop over onto your stomach, letting out a long drawn out groan. You get up after a while and change into your pajamas, too tired to go mingle with the guys right now. You make sure to place the leather pouch on your side table so it would be less likely to get broken. The chatter around the camp had gone down. The newfound peace and quiet made you drowsy, pulling you under the covers laid on top of your cot, snuggling into them. Sleep overcame you easily, whisking the rest of the night away. 

Morning came and went without you. Luckily, Tilly had woken you up before Grimshaw had, for sure she would’ve yelled you awake instead of the sweet wake up call Tilly had given you. Busy with your chores all day, you almost had forgotten to sneak the harmonica into Charles’s bag. But, since Javier shares a tent with him; you asked him to plant it for you, which he agreed to happily.

The day seemed to drag on and on, it felt like every five minutes was an hour. You had already completed all of your chores, helped Kieran finish all of his, and the girls didn’t need any more help washing clothes so there was nothing for you to do. Even Pearson didn’t need anything. For once, Arthur brought back enough game for a good weeks worth of meals which means you couldn’t busy yourself with hunting either. Charles went out to Valentine with John to get more medical supplies and ammo. Since it’s John we’re talking about, you don’t know when he’ll be back. Hopefully he’s in one piece this time.

You’re just so excited for him to come home and ask you if you were the one that gave the harmonica to him. Deep down, you hope that when Charles finds out it was you he realizes how stupidly in love you are with him. You thought that you made it obvious given that even Kieran had picked up on it, but evidently Charles had a thicker skull than you thought. It was almost selfish, in a way. He’s your best friend, you do everything together and now you want him to agree to take it further than that. You want to tell him about your hidden feelings for you every time you see him, yet your nerves hold you back. You so desperately want to pull the man down by his collar and kiss him until you both run out of breath, until it feels like you’re the only ones left in the world. Hopefully seeing Charles with your present will give you the courage you needed to confess to him properly. 

Laying out in the sun on the outskirts of camp with your arms raised above your head and stretched out behind you. Light scattered down on your face, warming your skin. The trees provided enough shade for you not to burn, keeping you comfortable underneath them. There wasn’t a breeze today, making it just warm enough to be comfortable without needing a heavy jacket. Birds could be heard singing their love songs to each other drowned out the sound of woodpeckers pecking away at trees. Bunnies hopped along, running off to wherever they needed to go. 

You had been here for an hour or so, having closed your eyes about halfway through. Quiet footsteps came closer to where you were laying, but you ignored them in favor of continuing your relaxing. The crinkle of grass alerted you when someone sat down next to you, making your eyes open in curiosity. Sitting back up, you look over and a smile plastered itself on your face seeing that it was Charles. “Heya, Charles! How was your huntin’? Catch a lotta stuff for dinner? Pearson needs better stuff to cook with.” 

“Hey there, sidekick. I caught a buck and a few turkey, Pearson requested them. What about you? You enjoying your free time?” You nod. “I found a nice surprise in my bag this morning. Would you maybe know what it’s about? I don’t remember buying myself a harmonica recently.” Charles asked with a smirk, holding the harmonica out in his hands for you to see. “It’s a beautiful piece of artwork, really. Only someone who really knows what I like would’ve been able to buy it for me.”

“I’ve just been relaxing in the shade here, trying to pass the time while I waited for you to come home,” You said, a grin forming on your face. “Nope! I know nothing ‘bout that!” You shake your head back and forth no. Your giddy smile gave it all away, not like it was hard to figure it out in the first place though. “Whoever got that for you must care about ya a lot, since I don’t think you told many people about loosing it.” Scooting closer to him, you lean on the side of his arm and look up at him. It’s glaringly obvious that you were the one who bought it for Charles, no one else could have found one with such a resemblance to his previous instrument. “Maybe Tilly got it for you. You know how she has an eye for things like that.”

He nodded, humming a reply. “Mmm, I see.” He set the instrument back into its pouch and set it on the ground, turning to sit directly in front of you. His hands found a place in your smaller ones, holding them between the two of you. “So, you sure you know nothing about this?” Charles asked again, an eyebrow raised this time. 

“I’m sure!” 

One of his hands moves up to your face, cupping the bottom of your jaw. The tips of his fingers brushed the side of your neck. He scooted closer, moving his legs so one is bent with the knee up and the other tucked underneath. Charles leaned in close, staring deep into your eyes. His intentions were obvious. You could see the hearts bouncing around in his dark brown eyes. He whispers, “I love you, too,” before closing his eyes and pressing his lips against yours in a gentle kiss. Both hands were resting just under your jawline, keeping you close. His thumbs were just in front of your ears, far back enough to still be able to stroke the tops of your cheekbones. He pulled you close to him by your head. A hand moved its way into your hair, holding the back of your skull, cradling your head.

Shock went through you for a split second before you started to kiss him back eagerly, hands coming up to his shirt. Your head tilted to the side, giving him more room to make out with you and as an excuse to press your cheek into Charles’s warm hand some more. Your draped your arms around his neck, hands tangling themselves in his long hair. You felt Charles’s hand that wasn’t in your hair move down to your waist, aware of it going all the way down your side. Your cheeks were a deep crimson, making your whole face appear flushed. Confessing to him went a lot easier than you had hoped, considering you didn’t have to do it. 

A large ray of golden sunshine cast down on the both of you, making the experience feel even more magical than it already was. It passed through the leaves, making patterned shadows on the ground around the both of you. The woods reacted as if it were in a fairy tale book, flowers blooming and glitter shimmering off of everything. A butterfly landed on the top of your head, making you seem even more ethereal than you already are. The bird songs grew sweeter, pairs of birds started to line the branches of the trees. Doe’s and their fawns sat down a distance away from them, visible but far enough to be safe. A chocolate brown baby bunny hopped its way into your lap, snuggling into your stomach. 

It felt like you both had been kissing forever, but in reality it probably had only been a minute at most. Charles’s thumb caressed your face soothingly. Both of his hands returned to their original place on your face, holding it gently. That one simple action almost showed how much he loved and cared for you, but it will always be more than he could ever express in actions or words. He gently started to pull away from you, noses brushing in passing. Charles didn’t move too far away, you were still able to feel his exhales against the bottom of your chin. He opened his eyes to look at you, searching to see that you enjoyed it as much as he had. “I hope that was okay, sidekick.” Charles mumbled softly, thumbs stroking over your cheekbones again. “…Your lips feel even better than I imagined they would…” He took your chin in between his thumb and forefinger, making you look him in the eye. “You're so beautiful… I can't believe I haven't done that sooner… Please tell me you enjoyed that as much as I did.”

You snuggled close and kissed his cheek sweetly. “I've only been waiting for that for like, ever. I wanted the way I confessed to you to be a surprise, like an expensive gift or something. It seemed like it was good timing, .” You move your hand up to the one still stationed on your cheek, covering it with your own. 

Charles held you close, a wide grin on his face. “So I’m not crazy for wanting to kiss you again? Or for wanting to take you out on a proper date? Take you out to dinner, or see a show together? Please let me kiss you again.” He leaned down and kissed you again softly after he saw you nod your consent. It was a shorter kiss than the first one you shared. It was sweet and simple, so Charles pulled away quicker this time. He moved his hands away from your face after that, deciding that holding your hands would be the better option. 

“Y-You want to actually take me out on a date?” Your face was blood red with embarrassment, making you look small and cute. “You’re definitely not crazy, I really want to go out with you too.” Your hands were tiny compared to Charles’s hands. You could fit most of your hand in his palm, fingers not even passing up his second knuckles. He wrapped his fingers around the tops of your hands, warming them up. “I’ve liked you for a stupidly long time. I never thought you’d figure it out, though. Didn’t know you saw me in that way.” Looking up at him, you could see the udder adoration that was plastered all over Charles’s face. 

Charles gently pulled away from his grasp on your hands, moving down to your waist and lifting you up to sit on his lap, which was much more comfortable by the way. He was a comfortable distance away from your face, a dumb, lovestruck smile on his lips. His thumbs rubbing soft circles just above where your hip dips would be. “How could I not see you like that? You’re sweet, and funny, kind, smart, beautiful. Everything I could ever want. You’re my best friend. Why wouldn’t I be sweet on you?” Charles brushed your hair out of your face, kissing your cheek.

You giggled softly, looking down at your lap then looked back up again when you were settled on his lap. “I really like that you’re sweet on me. It’s cute.” Your blush went down a bit, but your face was still glowing red. “Did you know that I was sweet on you before this? Kieran said that he could tell clear as day my feelings towards you.” You ask, leaning your head on his warm chest, listening to the steady thumping of his heartbeat. The rhythmic beating of his chest kept you grounded in reality. Feeling his chest go up and down with his breathing was very comforting for some reason, making you nuzzle in deeper. 

“It may be obvious to Kieran, since he knows you so well. But to me it wasn’t obvious.” Charles looped his arms around you, resting his chin on top of your head. He kisses your hair gently. “But I’m glad that you’re sweet on me too.”

Fun fact that I learned while writing this: the knuckles in the base of your hand are actually your first knuckles, and the first ones on your fingers are your second knuckles.

I have now written the word knuckles so many times it makes want to punch the fucking sonic character

[germanlang]

Second Hot Language Immersion Tip

Lovies, I've got another one for you! 

This time: Audio Immersion, specifically finding Audiobooks! 

On Spotify, search "unabridged" in your target language (german: ungekürzt; dutch: onverkort; spanish: íntegro, ...)  if you don't find much/anything, try "chapter" in your target language and to help even further, put a number behind (f.ex. "chapter 27" - to filter out some more songs, it should be reasonable though! aka not "Chapter 12492, few books are that long)

Here's my personal experience and some audiobook-tips:

I've got an advantage comprehending my target language (dutch) because it is (to an extent) made out of my two main languages (english and german) and most of it's idioms and weirder words are quite similar to their german counterpart. This being said, I was still quite unsure of listening to an audiobook of all things, that's scary! So despite having one at the ready, it took me a while to start listening.

Here's why audiobooks are great language input:

- The focus on listening - when watching videos or shows you can help yourself by using context clues from everything that is on screen and understandable from just visual input; with audiobooks you are limited to audio input which strengthens that skill!

- You're not limited to the audio - while it might be hard to easily get your hands on it in your country, there's a good chance you can get the book in the target language and read along; this can be a crutch if you feel more comfortable simultaneously reading the words but it can also generally help identify written words with how they're spoken 

- The pace is not too fast - since this isn't a podcast or a conversation between friends or a recording made on a busy street, the narrators talk slowly, emphasizing speech, mimicking some sounds (like sighing) and all this in their quiet studio - perfect for getting used to just hearing the language

-  It is interesting - An important thing about language immersion (in my opinion) is that you care because if you don't, it easily becomes a chore. The audiobooks on Spotify tend to be more interesting than the made-up pharmacy conversation you have to listen to in class.

- It's a whole, well-written story for real people - These were not made for language learners, so they're not easier or more comfortable, but instead try to tell a good story, instead of one with x amount of new vocab-words. And since it is a whole story that doesn't actively shy away from "easy" sentences in order to challenge the learner, you get all types of sentences and there OUGHT to be one that gives you enough context to go on

And here's how I listen to an audiobook:

(Spoiler alert: it's much  more time consuming than just a listen-trough) Like I said, I was wary of staring an audiobook with only half of Duolingo done (PLUS my advantage) so I had to give myself some rules and a push: 

1. Listen to at least 10min at a time, do not stop, do NOT look anything up. This maybe sounds drastic - 10min of constant input even though I might not understand a word? Yes.

If you've even considered maybe listening to an audiobook, chances are you know a couple words in the language - so you WILL understand something! Might that be only the pronouns? Maybe, but then you can already tell whose perspective the book is written in. Might you only understand every 10th sentence? Maybe, then you have a basic story-structure (1. He goes somewhere, 2-4: ???? 5: He fights a pig) which you can then fill later (Where’s the pig from? Why are they fighting?) The first listen of a 10min-sequence has the following goals: 1) Get used to the narrator 2) Hear the words being said (they're new and strange now but you will recognize them in the second listen - they will not be as strange anymore) 3) Recognize the protagonist or names involved (MAYBE gather basic information (where, who, when, what)) 

2. Listen to the 10min again, do not stop, do NOT look anything up. Again? Yes, sorry. You can't argue "it's boring, I know what happens already!" ;) Listen again, you will recognize things you've already understood, you might then be able to hear words you did not even perceive the first time around, and you will for sure understand one sentence or more that you didn't before. Part of that is that you've listened to 10min already. Chances are that those 10 minutes spanned two or even three chapters so you will not be stuck on the first page of a book, but you will already have heard content 5 or 10 pages in. This is your key: context through time. If in chapter 1 a kid goes to the store and you hear that a BUNCH happens and a lot of words are being said but you have no clue what was going on, you'll be quite lost if you try to just listen to it again and again. But if in chapter two you then hear that the child is now at the police station, you can listen to chapter one again and you'll recognize the signs of chapter 1 leading to chapter 2 (police officers, arguing, phone call, stealing,...)

3. Keep notes of the chapters.  Wasn't this supposed to be listening input? You can keep the notes in your mothertongue or your TL, whichever you feel comfortable with (You can also mix them, using TL words in MT sentences or the other way around) I've realized that if I jot down what happens in my notebook and leave some space below, I can concentrate on the listening better because I don't have to always remember the whole story - it's written down. I also leave space for my 2nd, 3rd, 4th listen through so I can add/correct notes when I've understood more. 

4. Tackle the next sequence Just like Step 1, except I advise you to also listen to the last part of the first sequence again just to get back into it. Making them overlap helps not lose track of what happened, get back into the language and helps with context!

After that it is just a matter of rinse-and-repeat. After the 3rd of 4th listen when I notice that I get most of it but that one word throws me off/is missing, I look it up! And that's a-okay. I listen to the chapters over and over again even though I'm at only 1/3rd through the whole book and I start listening from the start every once in a while - every single time I hear something I didn't hear before, I understand something I didn't understand before or I get the chance to appreciate the writing itself - all of it feels magical!

I admit, this way it takes a long-ass time to get through a book, but you WILL notice improvement and the more you listen (and listen to the same stuff over and over) the faster you will improve your listening! I promise! 

 I'm curretly 3h into my 8,5h book and I have listened to it 12h in total (if not more) and at this point, I go in 20-min sequences and don't listen back as much as I did at the start and - most importantly and beautifully - I'm loving the story and I am understanding it!!!! 

It takes courage to start a listening-focused exercise and if you find that you are not ready yet that's okay! You can also use an audiobook as just sound-input, not to understand but to just get used to the sound of the language. Use audiobooks the way that they help you in your goals and if you need to read along - perfect, you'll hear the words AND read them, that has other great benefits!

________ For German learners: I know for a fact that Spotify has a lot of Sebastian Fitzeks books; they’re mostly thrillers/crime novels and they’re quite good! For fellow Dutch learners: One of Fitzek’s books is also available in dutch - “Geschenk (onverkort)” ;)