#the pandemic it was obviously the pandemic of course

[rodatirhaalo]

Man... I've been really wanting to get back into martial arts classes to help fight off The Depression, but it seems that covid really did kill them all off in my area... :(

[luciferspartner]

CW covid & ableism, rant incoming

getting more frustrated by the day at the lack of any kind of covid precautions in public spaces. masks gone from buses. mask policies gone from Uber/Lyft/taxis and any other kind of transit too. masks gone from fucking healthcare. masks and social distancing gone from grocery stores and pharmacies. outdoor spaces back to being crowded and maskless. no ventilation improvements. cleaning protocols getting dropped. getting dirty looks as the one masked person in the area (meanwhile strangers think it’s ok to touch my mobility aids which means an extra round of sanitation when I get home). even in medical settings where masks are required the staff don’t offer masks to the unmasked. or if masks are “strongly recommended” the staff saying “oh you don’t need t wear that anymore!” my fucking immunologist with single layer mask that doesn’t fit and falls below the nose. being at the ER waiting area sat next to families who are saying they’re all covid positive but masks pulled below their chins. the safety risks of asking other people to wear a mask while around us and the risks of saying nothing. isolation of losing access to spaces again. even disability support groups and disability events going in person only and maskless and no testing or vaccines and overcrowded with poor ventilation in physically inaccessible places. I have been so so so lucky and privileged to be alive this far into the pandemic but how the fuck are we supposed to survive this shit without totally reconstructing what community care means in the time of covid

[freepassbound]

Late Present from Nature!

[boreal-sea]

Look.

I have made you a chart. A very simple chart.

People say "You have to draw the line somewhere, and Biden has crossed it-" and my response is "Trump has crossed way more lines than Biden".

These categories are based off of actual policy enacted by both of these men while they were in office.

If the ONLY LINE YOU CARE ABOUT is line 12, you have an incredible amount of privilege, AND YOU DO NOT CARE ABOUT PALESTINIANS. You obviously have nothing to fear from a Trump presidency, and you do not give a fuck if a ceasefire actually occurs. You are obviously fine if your queer, disabled, and marginalized loved ones are hurt. You clearly don't care about the status of American democracy, which Trump has openly stated he plans to destroy on day 1 he is in office.

EDIT:

Ok fine, I spent 3 hours compiling sources for all of these, you can find that below the cut.

I'll give at least one link per subject area. There are of course many more sources to be read on these subject areas and no post could possibly give someone a full education on these subjects.

Biden and trans rights: https://www.hrc.org/resources/president-bidens-pro-lgbtq-timeline

Trump and trans rights: https://www.aclu.org/news/lgbtq-rights/trump-on-lgbtq-rights-rolling-back-protections-and-criminalizing-gender-nonconformity

The two sources above show how Biden has done a lot of work to promote trans rights, and how Trump did a lot of work to hurt trans rights.

Biden on abortion access: https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/08/politics/what-is-in-biden-abortion-executive-order/index.html

Trump on abortion access: https://apnews.com/article/abortion-trump-republican-presidential-election-2024-585faf025a1416d13d2fbc23da8d8637

Biden openly supports access to abortion and has taken steps to protect those rights at a federal level even after Roe v Wade was overturned. Trump, on the other hand, was the man who appointed the judges who helped overturn Roe v Wade and he openly brags about how proud he is of that decision. He also states that he believes individual states should have the final say in whether or not abortion is legal, and that he trusts them to "do the right thing", meaning he supports stronger abortion bans.

Biden on environmental reform: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/10/07/fact-sheet-president-biden-restores-protections-for-three-national-monuments-and-renews-american-leadership-to-steward-lands-waters-and-cultural-resources/

Trump on environmental reform: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/climate/trump-environment-rollbacks-list.html

Biden has made major steps forward for environmental reform. He has restored protections that Trump rolled back. He has enacted many executive orders and more to promote environmental protections, including rejoining the Paris Accords, which Trump withdrew the USA from. Trump is also well known for spreading conspiracy theories and lies about global climate change, calling it a "Chinese hoax".

Biden on healthcare and prescription reform: https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2023/06/09/biden-administration-announces-savings-43-prescription-drugs-part-cost-saving-measures-president-bidens-inflation-reduction-act.html

Trump on healthcare reform: https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/07/politics/obamacare-health-insurance-ending-trump/index.html

I'm rolling healthcare and prescriptions and vaccines and public health all into one category here since they are related. Biden has lowered drug costs, expanded access to medicaid, and ACA enrollment has risen during his presidency. He has also made it so medical debt no longer applies to a person's credit score. He signed many executive orders during his first few weeks in office in order to get a handle on Trump's grievous mishandling of the COVID pandemic. Trump also wants to end the ACA. Trump is well known for refusing to wear a mask during the pandemic, encouraging the use of hydroxylchloroquine to "treat" COVID, and being openly anti-vaxx.

Biden on student loan forgiveness: https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-announces-additional-77-billion-approved-student-debt-relief-160000-borrowers

Trump on student loan forgiveness: https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamminsky/2024/06/20/trump-knocks-bidens-vile-student-loan-forgiveness-plans-suggests-reversal/

Trump wants to reverse the student loan forgiveness plans Biden has enacted. Biden has already forgiven billions of dollars in loans and continues to work towards forgiving more.

Infrastructure funding:

I'm putting these links next together because they are all about infrastructure.

In general, Trump's "achievements" for infrastructure were to destroy environmental protections to speed up projects. Many of his plans were ineffective due to the fact that he did not clearly outline where the money was going to come from, and he was unwilling to raise taxes to pay for the projects. He was unable (and unwilling) to pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill during his 4 years in office. He did sign a few disaster relief bills. He did not enthusiastically promote renewable energy infrastructure. He created "Infrastructure Weeks" that the federal government then failed to fund. Trump did not do nothing for infrastructure, but his no-tax stance and his dislike for renewable energy means the contributions he made to American infrastructure were not as much as he claimed they were, nor as much as they could have been. Basically, he made a lot of promises, and delivered on very few of them. He is not "against" infrastructure, but he's certainly against funding it.

Biden was able to pass that bipartisan bill after taking office. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan that Trump tried to prevent from passing during Biden's term contains concrete funding sources and step by step plans to rebuild America's infrastructure. If you want to read the plan, you can find it here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/build/guidebook/. Biden has done far more for American infrastructure than Trump did, most notably by actually getting the bipartisan bill through congress.

Biden on Racial Equity: https://www.npr.org/sections/president-biden-takes-office/2021/01/26/960725707/biden-aims-to-advance-racial-equity-with-executive-actions

Trump on Racial Equity: https://www.axios.com/2024/04/01/trump-reverse-racism-civil-rights https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-37230916

Trump's racist policies are loud and clear for everyone to hear. We all heard him call Mexicans "Drug dealers, criminals, rapists". We all watched as he enacted travel bans on people from majority-Muslim nations. Biden, on the other hand, has done quite a lot during his term to attempt to reconcile racism in this country, including reversing Trump's "Muslim ban" the first day he was in office.

Biden on DEI: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/06/25/executive-order-on-diversity-equity-inclusion-and-accessibility-in-the-federal-workforce/

Trump on DEI: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-tried-to-crush-the-dei-revolution-heres-how-he-might-finish-the-job/ar-BB1jg3gz

Biden supports DEI and has signed executive orders and passed laws that support DEI on the federal level. Trump absolutely hates DEI and wants to eradicate it.

Biden on criminal justice reform: https://time.com/6155084/biden-criminal-justice-reform/

Trump on criminal justice reform: https://www.vox.com/2020-presidential-election/21418911/donald-trump-crime-criminal-justice-policy-record https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/05/trumps-extreme-plans-crime/678502/

From pardons for non-violent marijuana convictions to reducing the federal government's reliance on private prisons, Biden has done a lot in four years to reform our criminal justice system on the federal level. Meanwhile, Trump has described himself as "tough on crime". He advocates for more policing, including "stop and frisk" activities. Ironically it's actually quite difficult to find sources about what Trump thinks about crime, because almost all of the search results are about his own crimes.

Biden on military support for Israel: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/biden-obama-divide-closely-support-israel-rcna127107

Trump on military support for Israel: https://www.vox.com/politics/353037/trump-gaza-israel-protests-biden-election-2024

Biden supports Israel financially and militarily and promotes holding Israel close. So did Trump. Trump was also very pro-Israel during his time in office and even moved the embassy to Jerusalem and declared Jerusalem the capitol of Israel, a move that inflamed attitudes in the region.

Biden on a ceasefire: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2024/06/05/gaza-israel-hamas-cease-fire-plan-biden/73967659007/

Trump on a ceasefire: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-israel-gaza-finish-problem-rcna141905

Trump has tried to be quiet on the issue but recently said he wants Israel to "finish the problem". He of course claims he could have prevented the whole problem. Trump also openly stated after Oct 7th that he would bar immigrants who support Hamas from the country and send in officers to American protests to arrest anyone supporting Hamas.

Biden meanwhile has been quietly urging Netanyahu to accept a ceasefire deal for months, including the most recent announcement earlier in June, though it seems as though that deal has finally fallen through as well.

[persephoneflouwers]

The hypocrisy in the fandom goes both ways tbh. For so many things louis gets blamed but not H and the other way around. Like during the lockdown everyone came for H (including me) for being careless and travelling and not wearing a mask. But when we got louis in mexico iirc I didn’t see the same reaction (i mean some people did call him out). When it comes to stunts, mainly bbg, everyone get mad at louis like its somehow his fault, calling him a baiter and whatnot. I hate the double standards.

Everyone has their weak spot, I guess. Nothing wrong with it, but sometimes it just annoys me because they make it very obvious lol

[hedgehog-moss]

I want to know all the scandalous gossips of your village. Is that weird?

It's understandable! I'm not into gossip except when it's animal-related but as a frequent library-goer (a place mainly frequented by elderly women) I end up overhearing a lot of stuff and some of it is somewhat fascinating.

One of my favourite pieces of local gossip is about the Cursed Inn—not the main street inn which is very loved as are its owners, but another inn just outside the village, whose owners keep changing and always seem to meet a tragic end. There have been drownings, kitchen-related accidents (? I don't know), incredibly dramatic divorces, the Fire of 1982, and so on, but the inn is very well-situated (on a hilltop so all the rooms have amazing views) so it always finds new owners.

The new buyers never believe locals about the curse, of course. The people who currently run the inn bought it just before covid started (which is obviously curse-related) (well, people aren't claiming the global pandemic was caused by this modest local curse in the French countryside but you have to admit the timing is suspect), and their son's bakery in another village has recently gone out of business, which is obviously due to the fact that his relatives run the cursed inn. Why else would a bakery go out of business.

Anyway—why is the inn cursed? Because it was built with Resistance money. During WWII, Allied forces would sometimes parachute coffers of money in specific locations for resistants in the mountain maquis, to buy weapons and supplies for sabotage operations, etc, and one day this random cow herder in the village suddenly had enough money to buy this nice plot of land and start building an inn. Everyone strongly suspected he'd stumbled upon some of that parachuted money while herding his cows, and most locals shunned him and his inn (though it still prospered thanks to tourists.) The guy ended up hanging himself for unrelated reasons (family drama) (but still), then the next owners went bankrupt after trying and failing to start an additional fruit tree business on the property. Locals didn't dislike the new owners, who weren't related to the original one, but the reaction was along the lines of "of course they went bankrupt, no one's going to prosper in that place" because of cosmic justice or something. It's been 70+ years and people are still vaguely ill-disposed towards the inn that was built with resistance money and whenever something bad happens to the latest owners the general sentiment is "they live in the cursed inn, what did they expect."

[livingformintyoongi]

Misunderstanding | Kim Taehyung

a/n: I'm so bad with titles lol. At least you get the idea a bit :). In one part it is mentioned that Y/N is not a public figure like Taehyung, even though she is a chaebol. This is because her family is somewhat like that of Samsung's owners, they keep their children's identities secret until they make their own place in the company.

Summary: It's basically your reaction to hearing about the dating rumours between Taehyung and Jennie while the two of you are still in a relationship. And obviously, he is trying to fix things as quickly as possible.

wc: 2.9k (I didn't think it would be so long honestly).

When you started dating Taehyung, you never thought it would be a big problem. You knew that his schedule was complicated, but you didn't have any drama with that because yours was pretty much the same. You also knew that you wouldn't be a public couple because of the criticism you might get, but that was even better for you because you didn't like being in the public eye either. Problems on tour? Phones were there for a reason, not being able to have children? You were too young, can’t go out in public? Loved the cozy, private dates, little quality time together? Even better! Every moment with him would feel even more special because of how exclusive it was. Yes, you were willing to accept all these disadvantages because you never saw them as an insurmountable problem. At least until now.

You and Taehyung started dating in 2020, during the pandemic. You met him at the concert in cooperation with Lotte Duty Free, one of the companies your father founded, because yes, you were the youngest daughter of the Shin, the family in charge of the Lotte company and all its subsidiaries.

The two of you got along very well while preparing for the concert, so you decided to exchange numbers to keep in touch. It only took a few months before you started dating him officially, and you were very happy at first. 

His schedule was busy, of course, but he had time for you. He would greet you with a big smile, hug you from behind, and take you to the dining room where he had a whole show set up for you. Jazz in the background, scented candles, rose petals everywhere, and two plates of food of dubious origin that you would enjoy anyway because your boyfriend made it. 

You were willing to put up with all those cons if he gave you moments like this every chance he got, moments where it was just you and him. 

Once the pandemic was over and your schedule returned to normal, things got complicated.

And no, time, work, dating, none of that was the problem, because it didn't even have anything to do with you two as a couple.The problems were caused by a third person. Kim Jennie, one of the members of Blackpink and one of the most beautiful women you will ever meet.

You never had any problems with her. You had bumped into her once or twice in the hallway on your way backstage, but obviously she wouldn't recognize you, you were always covered from head to toe.You thought that your friend had the same relationship with her, something casual that couldn't even be called a friendship because you barely said hello to each other when you were together, in fact Taehyung never looked at anyone when he was with you.So why did this happen now?

Your boyfriend was on tour and it was the time of his concert, so you couldn't just call him and ask him about it. You looked at the screen of your cell phone for the sixth time, the headline in big, dark letters seemed to mock your feelings.

"Dispatch confirms, V of BTS and Jennie of Blackpink are in a relationship," you muttered to yourself, trying to get your brain to catch the words, to process them, to react. It didn't.

You scrolled down the page until you stopped at the myriad of photos they had as proof. None of them looked doctored. 

You saw the blue short-sleeved shirt with flowers that Taehyung was wearing in the photo and put your phone down to go to the closet you shared. You pulled out all of his clothes until you found it. You grabbed it and crumpled it in your hands. 

Only then did you burst into tears. You covered your eyes with your shirt and screamed until you felt your throat couldn't take it anymore. Your heart hurt so much that you even had trouble breathing. 

You looked around the room you both shared, trying to understand why he would do this to you. You thought you were fine, everything seemed fine, so why were there hundreds of videos and pictures of your boyfriend with another girl? You felt like all these people were making fun of you by being happy for them. What about you, why don't they think about his real girlfriend who had to put up with years of being locked away in secret while these two were fearlessly dating?

The sadness soon turned to anger, and it wasn't long before you got up and grabbed the biggest suitcase you could find, whether it was his or yours.

You stuffed it with as many clothes as you could, taking your time because you knew he wasn't coming. You lifted the suitcase as high as you could and carried it into the living room. You looked at every single picture of the two of you as a couple. Another few tears fell from your eyes and you let them out as you took the frames and threw them away. 

You threw out everything you could. Mugs, matching pajamas, pictures, rings, absolutely everything. When you were done, your eyes were dry and your head hurt too much, but you didn't care. You grabbed your suitcase and headed for the door.

The only thing that stopped you from leaving was Yeontan, who stood in the doorway, staring at you while wagging his tail from side to side.

"Tannie, mommy has to go do something, okay?" you nuzzled behind his ear and sobbed softly. You knew he wouldn't understand. "Don't worry, I'll visit you every day until your owner comes."

You stood up, took a breath, and walked away. You didn't know where you were going, but that apartment was no longer an option. 

You stood in front of the buildings where you lived and watched for taxis to pass by. Just then you received a phone call. For a moment you thought it would be Taehyung, but no, it was just Jimin's girlfriend, Soyeon, to whom you had become very close over the past years.

"Yes?" you mumbled hoarsely.

"Honey, it's me, Soyeonie," she said in a much calmer voice than usual. She was probably aware of your situation. "I read the news, are you okay?" You opened your mouth to reply, but she interrupted you so quickly that you didn't have time to say anything, "Of course you're not," she sighed, remaining silent for a few seconds, "Look, I know maybe I shouldn't pry, but I understand that you're hurting and the last thing you want is to be in a place full of... him."

You sob softly, wiping your cheeks as quickly as the first tears came.

"I haven't sold my old apartment yet, it has some furniture, enough to live decently, why don't you stay there for a few weeks?"

"Soyeon-ah," you cried, wanting to hug her until you fell asleep. That's what you needed, a long nap.

"Relax, everything’s gonna be okay, Unnie will come and see you there, I'll send you the address, just wait."

"Okay," you nodded, even though you knew she couldn't see you, "thanks."

"It's nothing."

And she hung up.

You looked around. It was full of cars and buildings that looked too big. 

You felt so stupid as you mentally wished that Taehyung was here to comfort you.

You saw a taxi coming your way and you made it stop. You weren't sure if this would be the end of your relationship, you were willing to hear his side, but you weren't willing to have to live with him or a place filled with his presence.

This was best for you.

Taehyung called you the next day, about twenty times, not counting messages. You didn't answer any of them, mostly because you were asleep until 4 pm. You had a hard time falling asleep. Every time you closed your eyes, you could see the two of them holding hands, together in the car, on a date to some kind of zoo. You cried every time your brain projected those images.

Your phone rang for the 21st time. You were still a little groggy from sleep, but you answered it anyway.

"Y/N!" You turned the phone away from your ear. It was too painful to hear his voice so loud with the headache you were feeling, "Oh God, I was so afraid something bad had happened to you. I called the girls, but none of them knew anything about you, so I got worried and..."

"Why did you call me?" you asked curtly. You thought maybe you were being a little cruel, but you didn't care. Answering him like that wouldn't make him feel a thousandth of the pain you felt and still feel since last night.

He was silent for a few seconds. You'd never answered him like that before, you guessed that's why he was so quiet.

"I..." he cleared his throat, sounding a little more tense than when you answered him, "I was a little worried, my manager told me about the news and I thought maybe you were feeling a little depressed-".

You interrupted him again, but this time with a mocking laugh, "A little depressed? Is that how you think I felt? A little depressed?" you laughed again. You had completely woken up this time, "Tell me, Kim, how would you feel if overnight it was all over the news that I was dating an idol? Huh? What would you do if this news came to you on the fucking Dispatch, while I was on the other fucking side of the world enjoying a concert? Would you be a little depressed? A little hurt? Would you even have taken the fucking trouble to answer my calls?" you began to raise your voice with every word you said. You didn't even notice at what point your voice broke. "You have no idea what I'm going through, and you never will, because unlike you I'm not a public figure! I could be fucking any man in Korea and you're never going to see an internet media outlet post it and 'celebrate' my relationship, you're never going to see any fan of mine go on social media and celebrate my relationship with someone else while you're behind the curtains" You sobbed, wiping your cheeks awkwardly.

"Honey, I know it's-"

"Don't you dare call me like that" you growled, clenching your jaw, "I don't even want to hear you say my name, do you understand?"

"Y/N" he muttered, his voice trembling. You assumed that at some point in your verbal vomit he had started to cry, "Just give me 1 minute, I'll explain everything, I promise."

You tried to control your anger by taking a big breath of air, it worked enough to stop you from sending him to fuck off... for the second time.

"Do you want me to listen to you?" you mumble, looking down at your hands, remembering all the times he came home late, wondering if all those times he was at her house, doing god knows what while you tried to stay awake just to see him before bed. 

"Y-yes, please, I just need a minute".

"Fine," you smiled half-heartedly, "then come and explain it to me in person. If you're really sorry and say it's a misunderstanding, come here and tell me."

Your more conscientious side chided you for your request. It was his job, you couldn't just order him to make a trip from the United States to Korea just for you. Maybe that's why you gave him that condition. You knew he wouldn't come all this way just for you.

The line went silent, you could barely hear his breathing. You ended your conversation.

"I thought so," muttering much calmer than at the beginning, "I guess Soyeon was right in saying that the only one who would have to make sacrifices for our relationship would be me."

And you cut the call short.

You put your phone on airplane mode and plopped down on your bed, ready to go back to sleep for the rest of the weekend.

It had been a day since you heard the news, barely 17 hours since you last spoke to Taehyung, because yes, you counted the hours. You hadn't eaten anything, you'd barely had a glass of water, and the only thing you felt like doing right now was taking a very long shower and then crying yourself to sleep. Yes, it sounded like the perfect plan to try to get over your ex, if that's what you could call it.

You got in the tub at 10am, didn't get out until 12:30, and when you did you could barely feel your fingers and toes. At least your muscles had finally relaxed.

You dressed more slowly than usual, in just your pajamas, the only ones that weren't your partner's, and went to bed.

Until the doorbell rang.

You changed direction, confused. You were sure that no one besides Soyeon knew you were here. It crossed your mind that maybe she was worried about you and that's why you'd decided to open up and politely turn her away.

Except she wasn't the one waiting for you on the other side.

"Y/N," Taehyung said, trying to regulate his breathing. "You really were here," he whispered, entering the flat and closing behind him. It wasn't until the door rattled that his arms wrapped around you so tightly that you almost stopped breathing. "Why did you leave home? I got so worried when I saw our stuff in the trash and the wardrobe almost empty" he cupped your cheeks, inspecting your face.

You didn't understand what exactly was going on.

"What are you doing here?" you mumbled, letting him search your face. 

"You told me to come" he looked into your eyes and, almost instantly, his eyes began to fill with tears. "I couldn't let you because a misunderstanding made you hate me to the point of breaking up with me, I... I don't want to be without you, at this point I don't think I can be," he bent down until he could place his forehead against yours, his thumbs caressing the skin of your cheeks, "You're the best thing that ever happened to me, I don't plan on losing you over something stupid like this."

You looked at Taehyung, still not understanding what he was trying to say. 

"The pictures are real" he exhaled deeply, "but it's not like you think" he pulled his phone out of his trousers pocket. His hands were shaking slightly. You wanted to hold them, but you completely erased the thought, "We dated for a few months, it was a very short thing, about two or three months before we met".

He showed you some conversations from a few years ago. He was asking her to bring him the shoes he had left at her house last time, and that he would appreciate it if she would bring the leash they had bought Yeontan. You also saw the last messages they sent to each other, it was only a few days ago.

Jennie told him that someone had hacked into her phone and most likely found the pictures they took the time they went to the zoo. She apologized and sent him stickers of crying puppies, saying that the lawsuit against the hacker had already started and that she would try to speed up the process so that he wouldn't be affected. 

"I totally understand how angry you were, and obviously I also understand that you want to talk about this face-to-face, so I took the first flight I could find so I could come talk to you and-".

You didn't let him finish. You couldn't do that, not after everything you've been feeling the last few days. So you did the only thing you could think of since he came into the flat. You kissed him.

It was much more awkward than your kisses usually are, but you didn't care. You were so relieved that it was all a misunderstanding that no matter what kind of kiss it was, it would still be amazing to you.

He followed your kiss as soon as he came out of his surprise. He clung to you as if his life depended on it. He was the one who deepened the kiss and lifted you off the floor so he could kiss you better.

"I'm so sorry" you whispered in the middle of the messy kisses he was giving you, "sorry for doubting you" you sobbed softly, hugging his neck with all your strength.

He shook his head, holding your cheeks, "Don't apologise, it was a normal reaction, you said it yourself, I wouldn't have even answered your calls if I had been in your place" he kissed your shoulder softly, letting out a soft sigh. It felt so good to have you with him after all the tension he experienced during the flight.

"You were right about everything you said" he murmured, pulling away enough to look you in the eye, "so please don't apologize to me".

You nodded a little calmer, closing your eyes as you felt Taehyung's nose on yours.

"Now let's go get your things, I don't want to go back inside the house and not see your things in it."

Masterlist.

[atiglain]

Nothing will make you more aware of gender as an instrument of social control than being intersex. In high school there was a persistent rumor that I was a trans woman and/or a hermaphrodite (I am not the former). This got me physically and psychologically bullied to hell and back, and I spent a lot of my time meticulously trying to present as feminine as possible to curb this treatment; training my voice, changing the way I dressed and walked, etc. But the interesting thing was, during the pandemic (and even before then) I started to experiment with masculine presentation and speaking in lower tones and those same people who had told me that everyone could tell I was faking it, that i was obviously a man, were suddenly backtracking, telling me that they had always seen me as a woman, why was I doing this, I could never hope to be masculine. The through line, of course, was control. They wanted me pitiful and subdued, begging for scraps while they laughed in my face for being a freak. But if I embraced myself, if I no longer denied what they accused me of, suddenly they had no instrument of control and so they flipped the script: obviously I had always been feminine, obviously they had always seen me as a woman. They didn’t actually care, at the end of the day, whether I was a man or a woman. They cared that I was exercising agency over it, and in turn showing that the membrane between them was permeable.

[richiehugs]

Chris

An old friend of a friend.

Chris is your average 5'11 / 180cm Middle European guy with a remarried mom and a rich father. He used to spend his summers with friends and family in exotic places, or at some local beach.

He was a skinny boy in the early 2010's when he had just turned 18. He was a sporty guy, playing football and doing karate, and of course, he liked to party.

After his graduation, he got a job at an airfield as a security guard, and let's say, it wasn't as active as he might have expected.

Because he started piling on the kilos. He was exercising less, but still going out with his friends and traveling with his family and his girlfriend. He was enjoying life, but life had some unexpected turns for him. He was becoming less and less active on social media, he wouldn't post anything shirtless anymore. He wouldn't take his shirt off anymore even around friends. He knew he got chubby, and he was feeling embarrassed (though it wouldn't stop his beer-bellied friends to mock him - what are friends for, right?).

But then, in 2017, he met a girl at his workplace. The circumstances of the end of his previous relationship are unknown to me. But he was starting to look happier. And rounder.

He must have passed 100 kilos around 2018 - and 110 around 2019. His girlfriend was obviously pampering him, living at his parents house, they didn't have to worry about the slightest thing. Only his weight and his figure. His clothes were dangerously tight, showing every curve of his swollen body.

So he married her. He became a father. And then the pandemic happened.

For anyone he knew from before, he got unrecognizable. From 2020 to 2023, he must have been bounced further up to 120, or even 125 kilo / 280 pounds. His double chin was covering his entire neck. His moobs were resting on his belly, which formed a round ball under his shirt. Sucking it in wouldn't help anymore.

Due to the pandemic, he had to leave his job as airports for closed. He started a job at IKEA as a sales manager. Must have been the stress and the IKEA food that turned even him to a meatball.

But sadly, before turning into Nikocado, another turning point - his wife left him. The reason is again, unknown, but my bet would be his ex gf.

His ex was starting to spend more time with him, and boom, they made up. The girl had become a fitness coach - some sort of freak running marathons and such. Well, Chris has never run a marathon - but he has tried running before.

He started off 2023 with 120+ kilos, beautiful, obese, an aspiring superchub, growing uncontrollably 20 pounds a year - by the end he must have dropped around 20 kilos. So at around 100 kg / 220 lbs, he remains thick, he still has a dadbod, but sadly his best days have faded away. His ex, the old-new gf changed him, his lifestyle, his perfect shape, but he is happy.

This was the story of Chris, a friend of a friend. From 75 kilos to 125 kilos - and then back to 100. The pictures are from 2011 (18yo) to 2023 (30yo).

Not an influencer. Not sharing any names or socials. Please, don't reuse any of the pictures.

[writtenonreceipts]

Rowaelin Month Day Five: Birthdays @rowaelinscourt

Month Masterlist // AO3 // Find Part One Here (not necessary to read)

Summary: Forced to live together during covid, Rowan and Aelin have their own series of misgivings while trying to get along.

Warnings: references to covid, but really it's fluff ~1.8k words

.*.*.*.*.

Level of Concern (tell me we're ok)

If she hadn’t expressed it enough already: Aelin hated the pandemic.  She hated isolation.  She hated separation.  She hated the unknown.  She hated all of it.

Yes, she knew it was important and key to seeing lower number spikes and she knew this was all she could do aside from getting vaccinated and it was all very important to take seriously.  Sure.  Fine.

But why did it feel so lonely?

She sat at the kitchen table staring at her breakfast of granola and milk wishing it were a triple decked pile of Nutella pancakes.  Her groceries were running low and since money was tight, she had to wait until her paycheck cleared on Friday before she could go to the store.  It was Monday.

Aelin glanced at her phone.  Again.

No messages.

It was only eight, earlier than her family knew she would ever get up.  Especially on a day like today.  Still.  She would have expected at least one text from Aedion.

A small shuffle down the hall told her that Rowan was awake.  Of course he was.  Aelin was pretty sure he woke up by five-thirty so he could still work out in the living room.  It really pissed her off that he wasn’t getting fat.  She’d gained two pounds since quarantine began.  Not that she could really tell…honestly, she knew it didn’t mean anything and who the hell cared what her body looked like.  If she didn’t have to worry about money she’d be eating her weight in cake right now.

“Are you alright?”

Aelin looked up to see Rowan standing in the kitchen entryway.  She hadn’t noticed his entrance, only thinking he was moving from bathroom to bedroom.

“So good,” she said.  She took a bite of now soggy granola and hated her entire existence.

Rowan, dressed in his usual slacks and neat button up, went to start a pot of coffee.  His pine scented soap permeated the air and Aelin tried not to sniff too loudly.  Why did he have to smell good too?

After the entire incident with the cookie dough weeks ago, Aelin had tried to put some much needed distance between the two of them.  Well, much needed for her.  He didn’t need her being awkward and fluttery around him.  Because she wasn’t.  Obviously.  He was just attractive and she was an idiot.

Rowan took a seat at the table across from her, bowl of premade overnight oats and bowl of berries set before him.  How much did he make that he could afford fresh fruit?  In this economy?  Maybe, maybe, once a month did she indulge on some nicer foods.  But after the “great egg famine” she relied a bit too heavily on cheaper items.  She should try working out.  Maybe that would help her slump.

“You’re staring at me,” Rowan said.  He was looking at his phone with some news app opened. 

“Am not.” Another soggy bite of granola.

“Sure,” he replied, drawing the word out.

Aelin rolled her eyes and stood.  She wasn’t going to finish this food, no matter how painful it was to waste it.  Besides, she had to prepare for her day.  She’d managed to snag a few jobs for the week that would hopefully keep her busy enough to ignore the fact that this birthday was going to be the worst she’d ever had.

#

The rest of the day passed by uneventfully.  Which Aelin had built herself up for, really.

Elide was a travelling nurse and with Covid, she’d been busier than ever.  Aedion was still stationed overseas doing something that was uber classified.  He could just say he was training with the SEALS and be done with it.  Lysandra had launched a new clothing store right before lockdown and was doing everything in her power to keep the little shop up and running.  Aelin spent a decent chunk of her paycheck on items from the store and most of her Insta feed was just reels Lysandra created.

She couldn’t be mad at any of them, not really.  Not even her own parents.  Her father had been leveraging to retire from his company but that hope had been shot out the window and her mother was helping to care for some relatives that were also struggling.  No one was immune to the chaos the last several months had caused.

Aelin was finally able log off her personal website having finished the long list of assignments and editing jobs.  Now she just needed to hear back from her clients and their re-edits.

Out in the kitchen Rowan was already bustling around.  She could hear pots banging and already a delightful aroma was permeating the air.  It was only five-fifteen, he must have finished up his day early, a first for him.

Scrubbing a hand down her face, Aelin grabbed one of her oversized flannels and tugged it on over her graphic tee, Read Banned Books was printed over the front.  It probably needs to be washed but she couldn’t be bothered with laundry.

As she shuffles out of her room she tried to decide what she has left to eat for dinner.  A frozen dinner or maybe ramen.  Which sounded terrible if she were being honest.

“I’ll be quick—” she began to tell Rowan as she entered the kitchen.  But she came up short when she saw the table was made up with two place settings.  And the stove was full of more than enough food for one person. 

She frowned.  Rowan was adamant over the rules of social distancing, his parents were older and at a higher risk of getting infected, so he wouldn’t have anyone over—the vaccine hadn’t rolled out for their area yet anyways.

Rowan glanced up at her, kitchen towel slung over one shoulder, his sleeves were rolled up leaving his forearms on display and bits of his tattoo peeking out from the fabric.

She was definitely staring.

“Happy birthday,” he said when she didn’t finish her thought. He gestured a hand around the messy kitchen then the table. “I was expecting you to take a little longer, so it’s not quite ready.”

Aelin blinked. “I don’t understand.”

“I know it’s your birthday Aelin,” he said, “and I’m sure it’s been hell for you today.  I wanted to do something nice for you.”

Something…nice?

“You made me dinner?” she asked, trying desperately to ignore the way her heart gave a flip in her chest.

“Yeah,” he said simply.  He glanced back at the stove. “It’s only a Tuscan chicken and bread.”

It was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her in ages.  She looked over his shoulder as the chicken in its cream and sundried tomato sauce as it bubbled happily away, a pot of pasta behind it.  There were dishes scattered in the sink (she’d never seen him make such a mess before) and Rowan did have a mildly frantic look in his eyes.  It was the most disheveled she’d ever seen him.

“Thank-you,” Aelin said.  She brushed a hand through her hair unsure why she was feeling so frazzled.  “Can I help with anything.”

Rowan shook his head. “We’re almost done anyways.  Have a seat and I’ll bring it over.”

Following his direction, Aelin settled into her chair, still trying to figure out if she’d stepped into a different reality.

“How’d you know it was my birthday?” she asked as he finished getting everything together.

“Elide texted me,” Rowan told her, “told me that she didn’t know her schedule to give you a call and your family is…busy.”

“Right,” Aelin agreed.  Elide was dating one of Rowan’s friends, Lorcan, so it wasn’t completely strange that she would at least know of him.  “Where’d you learn to cook anyways?  You’re always whipping something up.”

“My ma,” Rowan said.  He dished a plate of food and returned it back before her.  Heavenly scents wafted up to her and Aelin realized she was salivating. “She always said she wanted to make sure I could take care of myself.  And I liked it, so I kept cooking after I went to college.”

It was the most she’d ever heard from him.  And now…now she wanted to hear more from him.

Rowan dished his own plate and sat in the chair opposite her. “I hope you like it.”

“It smells amazing,” she admitted.  She got a forkful of all the bits of the meal; chicken, basil, sundried tomatoes, parmesan cheese, all drenched in sauce.  Unable to wait for it to cool down she stuffed it into her mouth.  Rowan watched her with mixed bemusement (mostly concern).

“Oh,” she moaned, ignoring the look he was giving her.  “This is the best thing ever.”

“You’re going to burn your mouth to hell,” he said, slowly readying his own bite.

“Too good,” she replied.  She was only on her second bite and planning on seconds.  If he was going to cook for her, she’d eat every last bite.

Rowan muttered something under his breath that she couldn’t make out but she didn’t care.  It had been ages since she’d had a decent homecooked meal and this was more than decent.

“Was your day alright, all things considered?” he asked, passing her the garlic bread.

Aelin finally managed to slow down and take a drink of water and some of the proffered bread.  She took a moment to consider her answer.  If she told the truth he’d probably pity her more.

“It was okay,” she said.  “Same old.  I got a few new clients so it was keeping me busy.”  She wouldn’t see payout from these jobs for at least another three weeks which was why she was banking on this Friday’s payments to come through. “What about you?  No big ‘ol problems for you?”

She was teasing him, mostly.  He’d given her enough grief about her English degree in this economy that she didn’t being a little snippy right back at him.

Rowan rolled his eyes.  He took another bite to furlong his response.  “Same as always.”

Aelin quirked her brow. “So that f-bomb this morning was…what? Catharsis?”

“Yes.”

He responded too quickly that Aelin knew she had him.

“Right,” she drawled. “It’s alright to hate your job you know, no one will judge you or your fancy degree for it.”

“Aelin.”

She shrugged, mouth quirking in a smile. “Last one, promise.”

“I don’t trust you on that,” he said.

Aelin wasn’t offended.

They finished meal companionably, which shocked Aelin more than Rowan cooking for her.  And she helped him clean the dishes, because really, she wasn’t that terrible a person.

“So, no chocolate cake?” She asked as she dried the last pan.

“I cook not bake,” he said, “you’re on your own for that, princess.”

She resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him.  As he turned to head back to his room for the night, Aelin garnered the last amount of courage she had for that day.

“Rowan,” she said, calling him back.  “Thank-you for tonight.”

He offered her one, rare smile. “You’re welcome.”

.*.*.*.

thanks for reading!! reblogs and comments appreciated. my blog @writtenonreceiptswrites is my fic only blog where i reblog all updates!

[chucktaylorupset]

ohhhh tashi's going to be so mad postcanon they start fucking patrck because obviously they start fucking patrick, they have that game that delivers on the innocent promise they made as teenagers and understood each other completely of course they start fucking patrick and it's a big juicy steak of enrichment chucked in a tiger's enclosure.

Tashi is raring to GO she's writing their press timeline she's writing their individual press talking points oh this is patrick we happened to overlap with him at a tournament and it had been a while but he and Art had been such good friends! we wanted to reconnect! Slowly ramp up the contact the public eye with Patrick and Art being hitting partners whenever they have downtime in the same city Tashi watching their matches with rapt attention

But for now. Tashi is buying adjoining hotel rooms reserved under separate names. She's getting herself new lingerie she's getting ART lingerie, she is thinking of a dozen things to piss patrick off on purpose and a hundred responses for when he is absolutely going to do the same she is making Schemes and Plans and instead it's the 2020 pandemic start and Patrick just moves in with them

[daughter-of-sapph0]

I can't believe we're having the egg prime directive debate all over again.

look, I know this doesn't apply to everyone, but it applies to me

my first boyfriend was a trans boy. I'm not gonna say his real name, so let's call him Jack. we dated in my sophomore year of high school, and at the time I thought I was a gay boy. he was the first trans person I ever met. of course I knew what being trans was, I had learned that they existed through being active in queer communities online. but everyone online felt so distant. like I could never be them.

but Jack was the first trans person who was like me: a nerdy high school kid who liked playing video games and listening to punk music and was stressed about his upcoming history paper. like a normal teenager, like me, could just be transgender. he helped me through my own dysphoria, and I came out as nonbinary, and then a trans woman a few months later early in my junior year. even though we broke up, we still remained friends and cared for each other and supported each other, being two of only a handful of trans kids at our high school.

I sometimes think how my life would be different if I never met Jack. I probably wouldn't have discovered I was transgender until much later in life, or even at all. and given that a year after I came out, the pandemic hit and I went through a major depressive phase... if I had to deal with gender dysphoria and not knowing why I was feeling that way and the stupid belief that I wasn't allowed to be trans on top of everything else... I honestly believe I wouldn't be here today.

I'm not telling you what you should say to other people. if they're a complete stranger, then obviously mind your own business. but if your friend is expressing genuine concern about their dysphoria and they feel like they don't belong in their own body, then maybe let them know that it's okay if they're trans and you'll support them instead of not saying anything.

best case scenario, you'll save their life. worst case scenario, they try transitioning and eventually realize it's not for them and they come out of it with a newfound understanding and appreciation of what it means to be transgender.

[lionlena]

Headcanon: Who will be ready to kill for you? From most willing to least... (Pedro Pascal characters) 🔪💀☠️🩸

1. Oberyn Martell

There is no doubt here. He will kill for you without hesitation.

He has a hot temper, he is used to killing, he is highly trained, and... madly in love with you. You are his Queen.

If someone insults you, looks at you wrong, or hurts you, Oberyn will not hesitate to spear him or challenge him to a duel (and spear him.)

Be sure, he will make a show of killing for you. He will proudly show off his skills, and if the victim is unlucky, he will even torture them.

Oberyn really won't have any doubts. This is the world he lives in. He is a prince and is not afraid of consequences. For you, he will always be able to kill an entire army of people.

2. Jack Daniels (I wasn't sure here but my sweet @creedslove helped me)

Jack will do anything for his Sugar. If your safety or good honor is at stake, he will not hesitate to kill.

Let's be honest, Jack has no remorse about this. If someone threatens, hurts, or insults you, they are bad. And bad people deserve to die. Easy.

Good manners dictate that he must take care of and protect his Sugar.

Of course, he may not do it in a very spectacular way, but he will definitely use the skills he acquired in the agency.

If necessary, he will falsify evidence and suddenly your ex-boyfriend will turn out to be a dangerous terrorist who had to be eliminated.

Jack has no qualms about threatening others with death in his typical Southern way ;)

3. Dave York

He won't hesitate to kill for you either. For example, your abusive ex-boyfriend.

But of course, he will do it secretly. After all, he is a hitman.

If you know about his profession, he will probably confess to the murder, but it may also be that he will withhold this information for your good.

But let's face it, when you find out that your ex-boyfriend drowned (and you know he was a great swimmer), you'll figure it out.

But can you be mad at Dave? After all, he did it for you. When you tell him about your guesses...

"He'll never lay a hand on you again." Dave will whisper into your hair and kiss your forehead.

But there are also murders you don't know about. For example, that guy who was aggressive in the bar...

4. Joel Miller

Here it all depends on which Joel we are talking about. After the outbreak Joel or no outbreak Joel.

Post-pandemic Joel is of course willing to kill for you. Mainly to protect you.

It's obviously not something he's proud of, but that's the world you live in. Sometimes there is no choice. If he doesn't want you to be raped or killed, then he has to reject humanity. And he does it for you, he kills without blinking an eye.

If someone insults you or is aggressive, Joel may not kill him, but he is definitely ready to break the guy's jaw or stab him in the knee.

As for no outbreak Joel, the situation is different here. Joel won't kill for you... Not that he doesn't want to, but it's clear that he doesn't want to go to prison.

But you can certainly count on the fact that he will often scare someone who behaves inappropriately towards you.

5. Din Djarin

Well, Din is a bounty hunter. He knows how to kill and if necessary, he will kill for you too.

But it won't be something he will enjoy and he won't do it for a trivial reason.

If you are in serious danger, he will definitely not hesitate to use his blaster. But don't count on him killing someone for you out of revenge.

Of course, this doesn't mean he won't threaten other people. He's good at making threats.

So if someone is bully or aggressive towards you, he will definitely hear Din's icy modulated voice:

"You can leave this place being warm... or you can leave this place being cold."

6. Javier Peña

Javier is ready to kill for you, but because of his job, he knows he can't do it.

However, he won't hesitate to threaten your ex-boyfriend with a gun if he doesn't understand that you don't want to be with him anymore.

Javier can be aggressive and won't hesitate to use his fists to make sure no one hurts or insults his cariño.

However, the situation may be slightly different if the person who threatened you was a sicario. Javier may not kill him directly, but he will use all his connections to neutralize the threat.

And of course, he won't hesitate to kill if you're in danger. If someone kidnaps you, Javier will put the entire DEA and CIA on their feet and get a military helicopter to save you.

And when you're safe in his arms, he won't regret what he did, not even for a moment.

7. Frankie Morales

This is another man who has killed before. Frankie knows how to pull the trigger, but... He's in serious trouble because of it. He dreams of dead people at night and wakes him up with nightmares.

That's why Frankie would be willing to kill for you, but only if there was no other option. If your life was in danger.

He is also not a fan of making threats. He prefers to avoid conflicts, but of course, that doesn't mean he can't look menacing and throw a murderous look.

Of course, you will always be safe with him. Frankie knows how to fight and in case of trouble, he is always ready to use his military skills.

8. Marcus Pike

Marcus, of course, is not very willing to kill someone for you. He's an FBI agent, of course, he knows how to kill and has seen death more than once, but that's why he does everything legally.

He is also not a fan of making threats. Of course, you can feel safe with him.

It's not that Marcus can't be aggressive and combative. He just always tries to think things through and doesn't get emotional.

If your ex-boyfriend harasses you, Marcus will encourage you to report it to the police.

But of course, in a situation of danger, Marcus is ready to take out his gun to stand between you and the threat. And if it's absolutely necessary, he'll shoot.

9. Javi G

Javi is sweet, we all know that. But he's also not afraid to defend you, but killing someone is definitely out of his league.

He may threaten someone with a gun because he can play a dangerous role, but he would really be the last one to kill for you.

If you were in danger, Javi would simply hire an army of bodyguards and never leave your side. And of course, he would carry a gun. However, if he had to shoot, he would probably aim for his opponent's legs or arm.

Pernament tag list: @harriedandharassed

[miaoqing]

not to bring this up AGAIN but genuinely WHAT IS IT with mxtx fans and reading comprehension 😭 binghe is NOT a rapist! he says in the extras that he would never hurt SY. i think we established a long time ago that SY is an unreliable narrator and what he says doesn't always correspond with what he feels/does. literally his entire life as SQQ is a performance and obviously that affects ALL his actions. did none of you ever learn to read between the lines/draw your own conclusions? just because it isn't said outright that SY's complaints are just for show doesn't mean that he is being RAPED omg. idk i know a lot of people in this fandom are quite young and grew up on the internet bc of the pandemic but have you never been in a situation where you've gone "hahah staaaahp...." at someone without actually meaning it?? consent is, of course, very important, but when you're close enough with someone you can often joke around/tease quite a lot without them being uncomfortable whatsoever, even when explicit consent isn't expressed. obviously this isn't exactly the same thing as consent regarding sex but you'd think that with as close as bingqiu are (!!!! MARRIED !!!!!) they'd know each other's limits. SQQ is an immortal cultivator and he is more than strong enough to get away from binghe if he wanted to. so. just. please learn to read with your eyes and think with your brain thank you

[skepticalarrie]

hi! last year i'm not really updating on the fandom and i can't seem to find this on your blog. what's with the louis and harry and italy? they seem to be spotted there a lot and i think harry also have a house there or smth? is there something special about italy? sorry if you already explained it before.

Hi, dear. Yeah, it seems like they love Italy and don't like to waste any opportunities to be there together. I think this may have started in May 2019 when Harry went to Rome for Gucci and on the same day Louis showed up with Eleanor in Portofino for a pap walk and literally no other reason to be there.

It was so out of nowhere and such a big coincidence that even tabloids picked up and made crazy rumours about a 1D reunion. Pretty sure there is also a receipt from this time.

Harry went to Italy a lot of times, even during the pandemic, he they definitely has a house there. In June 2021 , when Harry finished shooting My Policeman in Venice (IIRC their last scenes were there) he stayed a few more weeks, precisely when Louis was MIA, which lead people to believe Louis also joined him and they spent a little time there together. Louis, of course, showed up with a beautiful tan and an Italian hat a few days later:

In September 2022, Harry went to Venice for the premiere of DWD the very same week Louis was there doing promo for the release of FITF. They were both incredibly busy at the time, so desperate times call for desperate measures, I guess. All the blue and green is just a plus. The following week they were both also in NYC (twice in the same week, yes), they had shows on the same night. So they obviously planned things around this and went from Italy to NYC together. The timeline is great

And lastly, Harry will be done with LOT 2023 in July, in Italy. Louis will bring AFHF to Italy just a few weeks after that and he's not back on tour within a couple more weeks. Since they're both on tour they're probably going to spend a while away from each other and already planned their little annual Italian vacation. So I will not be surprised if one of them is completely MIA during this time while the other is in Italy.

[onlyhereforthestories]

Pretty In Pink (Niamh Charles x Reader)

Happy Birthday Little Hermana! I hope you have an amazing day and the football goes the way you want! I hope you enjoy this little fic

You were both excited and nervous for today. It was your girlfriend and her teams game for the semi-finals of the women's world cup which is why you were so nervous. You were excited because it was your birthday and you were finally in Australia at least close to your love.

Niamh had no idea you were here, her parents had managed to get you a ticket in the family section and helped you sort out flights and accommodation last minute something you were extremely grateful for. It had been over a month since you had last seen her in person and if you were being honest it was starting to wear on you.

You had first met to woman when she had transferred from Liverpool to Chelsea in 2020 but it had taken a god year for anything to happen between you two due to the pandemic. When you eventually got the courage to ask the full back out, neither of you looked back and the relationship has blossomed over the last 3 years.

Just before Niamh had left she had asked you to move in with her and you had of course agreed which had been what you have done in the time she had been away. Taking the time and space you had alone to get your life integrated into her space, well your joint space now. you were still on break since the WSL season was obviously over and that meant your media duties were pretty limited and the stuff that was needed to be done could be done by some of your amazing team.

With the selling of your single bed apartment, you had sent what rent money you needed to Niamh and the rest was spent on the flights and accommodation for where you were currently sitting in a hotel room in Sydney Australia. You had been here for 2 days now and that meant you had managed to semi acclimatise to the time zone changes and were ready for this evenings match.

Gearing up in your number 3 Charles jersey, you received the text from her parents that they were outside your hotel ready to head to the stadium with you. Taking a few breaths and sending a good luck text to your girlfriend you headed out to meet them. You had been trying to make sure you texted Niamh at times you would have been if you were still in your home country so she didn’t have any idea you would be there today. The woman was not too happy she was missing your birthday and had spoken about her disdain for not being with you on your day, something that had not happened yet. Little did she know it wouldn’t happen this year like she thought it would.

As your car approached the ground you could feel your nerves building, your girlfriend had only played a few minutes this tournament but being English yourself meant that it wasn’t just her you were nervous for. Football has always been a passion of your hence why you pursued a career within the profession so watching players represent your country meant a tot. you also knew a lot of them from your time as one of Chelsea's main media personal. So yeah you were bricking it.

You got to your seats in time to watch the girls warming up, the family section was right by the pitch but a little away from the bench so you knew unless Niamh looked for her parents she wouldn’t spot you. What you hadn’t expected was for all the English girls to head for the family section after their warm ups were done, before heading into the tunnel. You could see Millie spot you first, her eyes shining with mischief as she spun around obviously in search of your girlfriend.

They were too far away to hear what the blonde had said but whatever it was had Niamh looking frantically at the family section. Her eyes locked with yours and you felt at home once again, the time a part melted from your mind and you were once again content with life. And that might sound cheesy but that’s just the way she made you feel, safe with one look.

You met her at the railing and were happy to be pulled into a bone crushing hug. Her head buried its way into your neck and you felt her press a few kisses there as she soaked you in. You rubbed your hand up her back closing your eyes to commit this moment to memory, you were in a beautiful country on your birthday about to watch the love of your life and her country women compete for a place in the biggest final there is in woman's football. It honestly doesn’t get any better than this.

“Happy birthday baby.” Niamh didn’t wait a second to say it as her eyes locked with yours once again. You beamed at her in response trying to convey with your eyes how much you loved her.

“Best birthday gift ever is being here to hear that and see you in pink in person. Need to make sure I thank your parents again for getting me here.” The eye roll was worth the teasing, you don’t think you have ever seen our girlfriend in anything pink before so you were soaking this in. You saw Niamh glance in the direction of her parents and reach out for them. You heard her thanks whispered to them in the hug she shared with them and you felt your heart burst at how much you being there meant to her too.

“Soak it in baby, I know I look good but you won't see it often. Pink really isn’t my colour, ruins my cred.” You giggled at her obvious joking before pulling her back into a tight hug having missed the contact.

As she pulled away from the hug, you saw most of the other girls leaving the section and knew it was game time. You reached out to brush your hand on the woman's cheek which she melted into before kissing your palm and starting to pull back to walk back to the field.

“Oi babe. No matter what happens today it is the best day ever because I get to be here with you but if it's possible a win would be the icing on my birthday cake” you sent her a cheeky wink as she muttered no pressure then under her breath before running to catch up with the rest of the girls.

You knew that no matter the result you would be proud of every one of them out there, but no one more than your girlfriend who did look mighty fine in pink.