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swiftgreatest · 1 year

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More Than This | Warren Rojas x Reader

request by anon: "22. “You’re not going to settle for that. Not if I have anything to say about it.” with warren and fem reader?? where warren is jealous of readers bf (now ex) cause she leaves him for warren. kinda got inspo of nicky and daisy’s fight and then warren steps in to help & defend her"

a/n: hello babe!! i love write for Warren, thanks for request, i hope u like and let me know your opinion about.

prompt: 22. “You’re not going to settle for that. Not if I have anything to say about it.”

words: 1.5k

Warren was always a peaceful man, nothing annoyed him easily. It was as if he was shielded against everything, either he didn't know what was going on or he didn't care enough to do anything about it.

But this changed when you brought your boyfriend to spend some days with you on tour. You're a photographer of Daisy Jones and The Six, you always loved to photograph, since when your mother gave you a camera as a birthday present when you were a teenager, it was like starting a fire, a passion. After it you have invested in your career as a photographer and there you are, photographing the world's biggest band.

Actually the band was doing the Aurora tour, it was your first tour with them, you started working with the band as soon as the album started to be created. Since then you became very close to the band members, more to some than others, like with Warren, the relationship you had with the drummer was totally different than the one you had with Billy Dunne. You were very close and connected to each other.

You two are so close that Warren was the member you most liked to photograph, you've a lot of photos of him, during the concerts, practices, parties, on the bus or photos of you and him. Sounds strange but he was the first to make a friendship with you, you understand each other so well and always took care of each other.

For this reason Warren was so worried with your boyfriend, he try to be nice with the guy, but he couldn't trust that guy, everything on him looked so fake and the drummer feels that someone perfect as you shouldn't even talk to such a man. This could be confused with jealousy, and maybe it was, but the drummer ignored it, because the only thing that matters it's your girl's happiness.

You and your boyfriend "John" start dating before the first concert of the tour, you just had some dates when he asked you to be his girlfriend, you were surprised but accepted because you feel that this could work and could love him the same way he loves you.

In the beginning that was good, he calls you everyday, asks about your day, listens to you, and says how much he loves you and you do the same. It was all beautiful and perfect, but over time things were changing, he didn't call you like before or didn't answer his calls and when he answered he said he was too tired to talk. In a fight he said all this situation is your fault and said you are doing this to get him away from you.

You felt guilty, you felt that you weren't paying much attention to him, that you were neglecting your relationship and must have driven him away. You even thought about going home to be with him and work it all out, but the curly-haired drummer wouldn't allow you to go.

You always talk with him about it, he listens and advise you, he always say that all of this is not your fault and sometimes he blame John for it, but you were always fighting with him when he talked that way about your boyfriend, you knew him, he wouldn't be pulling away on purpose, he loved you.

Oh but if you only knew how crazy Warren got when you talked about this guy, he was a fucking asshole, he could see it clearly, the guy was the king of assholes, and deserved everything bad for making you suffer like that. He couldn't believe it, what a girl like you was doing with a guy like that?

You were like a angel in the earth for him, gracing everyone with your charm, you deserved so much more than that idiot could give you and Warren was not a perfect man, he was not perfect for you, in fact the drummer faithfully believed that no one was perfect for you, but he sure could do better than that.

He was so outraged and nothing could change his mind about John, he knew a taker when he saw one and all he wanted to do was open your eyes, make you see who your boyfriend really was, but every time he pointed out the guy's mistakes you defended him, he didn't understand, you knew he was wrong and kept accepting the shit he was doing to you.

So when he sees John with you at the concerts he did everything to not hit him with a champagne bottle. Besides that, he made it clear that he didn't like John.

That night there was a pool party at the hotel given by Eddie. Graham, Karen e Daisy was there, but you don't, you were in your room because you were feeling down. So Warren didn't go to the party, a party isn't a good party if your favorite person wasn't there, and also he couldn't party while you were unwell.

But your boyfriend doesn't think the same, because he went to the party, left you alone in the bedroom, when you called the sweet drummer to be with you. When Rojas heard about it he almost went to the party just to hit that asshole, that idiot would regret it all, of course he wouldn't do anything in front of you he didn't want to scare you, it would be better to settle it somewhere hidden where he could take all his anger out on John.

While he couldn't do it, you and him were playing games and talking. In truth the drummer was telling dirty jokes to you, he loved how red your cheeks became with it or the way you laugh, he loves everything. Your fun was cut when John entered the room. He had a bottle in his hand, drunk, in terrible shape, and had a lipstick mark on his neck.

"What are you doing here? Y/n I said to you I didn't want you around this guy" John pointed to Warren and walked in your direction.

"And I told you I wouldn't stop talking with Warren, you are talking shit, stop with this!"

"How can you talk to me like that? I am your fucking boyfriend you owe me respect"He shouted in your face as he threw the bottle on the floor, Rojas pulled you away from the glass shards, for the first time you were afraid of him.

"You talk with her in that way again and I will kill you" Warren was holding back from hitting this guy, he didn't want to be violent in front of him.

"I didn't owe anything to you John, and if you want to know? It's over, all this shit it's over now, I'm tired of this shit" You push him to the door, so he pushes you back and that's a drop of water for Warren, he went off the guy and started to hit him.

You stared at the scene in front of you, Warren beating your now ex-boyfriend. You were in a trance until you went to the drummer and pulled him off the other guy. John looked horrible, all bruised and bloody, and he didn't even try to fight back, he just slammed the door.

You felt so overwhelmed that all you could do was cry. You weren't crying because you were going to miss him or anything, you were crying because you were so tired of feeling guilty and inadequate, look what you did, you got Warren into this mess because you couldn't leave that guy.

"I'm so sorry Warren, I didn't want this to wappen, you're hurt now and it's all my fault"

"This is not your fault, that guy is a shit, he don't deserve you, he doesn't deserve anything from you" He held your face, cleaned your tears and looked deep into your eyes he said.

“You’re not going to settle for that. Not if I have anything to say about it.”

So he hugs you and you two stay in that way for a few minutes. Hugged in a messy bedroom, while he cuddles your hair and you release all your fears in that hug, being in his arms makes you feel safe.

"Y/n?"

"Hum?" You moved away a little for look him in the eye.

"You will never take anything like this again, I won't let anything hurt you, I may have failed with you now but if you let me and want it I will take care of you" He put a lock of your hair behind your ear " I can't promise that I won't make mistakes and I can't promise that I will be perfect because that would too little of what you really deserve but just let me love you, even if you don't feel anything right now, I want to take care of you, I can give you more than this. Anything you want and allow me to do for you..."

You smiled, a real smile, nothing of fake smile, rejected calls, distrust, insecurity or guilt, no more. That things could not work, that relationship might not work, but everything would be new now. Because you deserve more than this.

– – – –

hellooo, if u like reblog and like. my requets are open

masterlist

#daisy jones and the six #djats #warren rojas #request #warren rhodes #warren rhodes x reader #swiftgreatest's write #warren rojas x reader #warren rojas imagine #warren rojas one shot #warren rhodes imagine

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exsqueezememacaroni · 4 months

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Sure, I'm over-tired and over-caffeinated and procrastinating on work, so here are my official thoughts on my image edits/gifs getting reposted on IG, pinterest, etc.:

These thoughts are for me and MY posts ONLY

I post self-made gifs and de-watermarked pics here mainly because i want these things to be seen, but seen outside of my public self. The relative anonymity of a tumblr blog is perfect for me. When 'content' I have worked on migrates to IG without credit to me that is actually preferable to me. To see gifs that I've made get lusted after on IG honestly gives me great satisfaction, a little smirk to myself, and it's not exactly that'd I'd be embarrassed to be outed as the gif-maker, but like....it's not like that's what I want to be known for in the larger world, you know? Like of all the things I create - gifs and mostly illegal photoshop edits fall to the very bottom of the list of things I make for credit.

And not to sound nauseatingly self-righteous but like....are we not just here to enjoy Mike's beauty as a person/muscian? Are we not just here to appreciate the actual creatives behind the content? The video makers, the camera operators (and I think it's a crime that those folks are often not credited), the photographers? Hell, even the concert bootleggers? At this point in my posts I try my hardest to track down the originator of the actual image, etc. Because lord help me, is the hypocrisy of wanting my own credit for images that I am literally removing visual creator credit from not clear enough? I understand that there is labor involved in curating/finding these things in the sea of otherwise grainy and lackluster imagery, but at the end of the day I put in that labor as a service to myself...so that something I love that someone else has ultimately created is out there in the world...and my only regret is that when it gets transferred the metadata/og photocredit is sometimes lost.

For those that DO feel a sense of injustice over their curated/scanned images being reposted cross platform...I really am open to how we might address this? Is there something to do other than feel slighted/angered? I'm not saying that feeling isn't valid, but feeling it alone doesn't keep it from happening and I'd rather you live your life free from it.

Let's have this conversation....I'm not saying I'm right here...I'm saying I've made peace with my own posts...let's get you to make peace with yours in a way that makes sense with you.

#not mike #exactly #mike adjacent #please excuse my cuntiness and incoherence #im on puppy hours and im a right bitch #this is a topic i see quite a lot in the mike fandom and im serious when i say i literally did not encounter this in the phil fandom???#like what is happening??

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albentelisa · 9 months

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Favorite headcannos about Jim and Claire

Jlaire, my beloved.

Some of my headcanons:

Claire is clearly more proactive when it comes to showing affection physically and putting it in words. Jim is more reserved - not because he loves her less, but because he has a different love language;

initially, Jim idolized Claire - and it's the main reason why he couldn't talk to her. Once he learned she was also just a normal girl with her own flaws and insecurities, the problem disappeared. And I like to think that it was what transformed a crush into true love;

Claire actually dislikes guys trying to pick her up with some dumb lines - she has experienced too many of those. That's why Jim's confession in Unbecoming failed;

Claire went with Steve to the concert not because she found Steve nice, or enjoyed his company, or something, but because it was her fave group. She'd go there with anyone - even with a literal goblin;

Jim giving everything to save Enrique meant a lot to Claire. It impressed her even more than if he went to the same extent to save her;

probably, an unpopular opinion, but I believe that if Claire hadn't tried to find the truth herself, Jim would have never told her about the supernatural. I feel there were high chances for them to end dating anyway, but with Jim keeping trolls secret just to protect Claire's peaceful world. Claire would learn it in any case eventually;

I like to headcanon that Jim came to like some things Claire enjoys, like theatre and Papa Skull;

on the other hand, Claire learned cooking from Jim - I feel that initially, she couldn't cook (not to the level of Barbara of course);

the point I absolutely adore is that both Jim and Claire entered each other souls and managed to free each other from a mind-controlled state. I feel that they had touched each other's souls, creating an unbreakable bond. By unbreakable, I mean unbreakable - it survived the time travel (and I'll die on this hill);

Barbara obviously likes Claire, but I feel that both Ophelia and Javier came to like Jim eventually too, despite their initial not-that-good impression;

I also strongly believe that Claire's worries for Jim played a huge role in the development of her shadow magic during Wizards. Like come on, her lover was seemingly dying - and she couldn't do a thing. If despair isn't a negative emotion, IDK what counts;

I also feel that Claire would stay with Jim, no matter what form he took. Yes, it includes even if he stayed full troll. Though, I bet Jim would most likely attempt to convince her to give up on him. It wouldn't work;

despite liking Romeo and Juliet, Claire is someone who'd rather fight and survive for her love, even though she's willing to sacrifice herself if there's no other way;

a bonus dumb headcanon is that Jim was constantly questioning if he was worth Claire's love. In his head, Claire's type looked suspiciously like Douxie, so he genuinely freaked out after seeing Douxie in close vicinity. It was an absolutely delusional view as Claire would gladly befriend someone like Douxie, but that wasn't her type.

#tales of arcadia #my headcanons #jlaire #jim lake jr #claire nunez #text post #ask box #theslayerbrother

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teenytinyjimin · 14 days

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je ne sais pas (j. hoseok)

dans mon esprit tout divague, (in my mind everything goes wild)

je me perds dans tes yeux (i lose myself in your eyes)

je me noie dans la vague de ton regard amoureux (i drown myself in the wave of your loving gaze)

je ne veux que ton âme divaguant sur ma peau (i only want your soul going wild on my skin)

summary: in which two strangers spend an unforgettable day together without actually getting to verbally understand each other.

pairing: hoseok x reader

word count: 2.8k

tags: fluff, language barrier, idol!hoseok, quebecois!reader, strangers to lovers, im bad at this tagging stuff

warnings: none, just enjoy some sweet hoseok fluff <3

author’s note: im really excited about this one yall 😭 i love the idea of language barrier romance because just think about it... u love someone so much that talking to them doesn't matter as much as the memories u create with them.. god ok ill stop speaking please please enjoy!

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

The province of Quebec is often quite peaceful for about 85% of the year, with the exceptions typically being one of two things. First, there's always the typical influx of tourists that happens during peak times of the year like summer, Christmas, things like that. However the second exception is typically related to whatever artist is in Montreal for the Canadian leg of their world tour. It wasn't uncommon for there to be a little bit of buzz around the famous singer in question, however no one seemed to go harder than kpop fans when their group or soloist of choice was coming for a show or two.

You weren't really a fan of kpop in the way that many of your friends were. Sure, you've listened to some songs before, but you never felt the desire to get invested in any of the artists or the lore that came with them. It would be nice to hear your friends babble on about a new song that was released or a new tour that was announced, however you were absolutely not expecting the absolute freakout that was to come when BTS announced that they'd be doing a show in Montreal.

"Can you believe it?" One friend asked you with excitement. Yes, you could. They were famous. Of course they were going to come to Canada for a world tour. It's not that you weren't excited for your friends, who called themselves 'Army', but you just weren't as invested so it didn't mean as much to you. It also didn't help that a lot of their discussions with fellow fans and the things they'd post relating to BTS on their social media profiles were in English.

The majority of Quebecois people were able to communicate in English as well as their native language of French, but for some reason your family lived under a rock and you didn't learn anything beyond basic greetings and conversations in English. You felt rather left out because it felt like you were behind your friends and everyone else around you, however as you grew older you tended to not let it bother you that much. Since French is a prominent language in Quebec, you weren't bothered about language barriers and knew you could get around and live life normally without worry.

Since your friends were much deeper down the Bangtan rabbit hole, they were able to secure floor tickets to their Montreal show and were extremely busy completely overthinking the event and what they wanted to wear. It was now the day before the show and they were last-minute panicking, roaming the stores of downtown Montreal to put together outfits that were both cute and appropriate for the vibe of the concert.

Given that they were rather busy with this, you decided that this would be a weekend to yourself where you could peacefully do whatever you wanted. The quaint cafe you work at full-time decided to close for the weekend given the occasion (apparently the owner was also an Army), so it was a perfect opportunity for you to go down to the local park and do some reading on a bench.

And that's exactly what you did. You found yourself parked on the lawn of Mount Royal Park, right next to the lake. You brought some light reading with you, a small romance novel that involved the typical coffee shop trope, prepared to do some reading but also some people watching in between. It was absolutely perfect, and you couldn't have asked for a better way to spend the weekend. As you peacefully read your cliche novel, cup of iced coffee from a local coffee shop in-hand, you thought the day couldn't get any better. Until it did.

"Hey, excuse me, can you help me?" You looked up from your book to see a boy standing a short distance away from you. He had the warmest smile on his face and his eyes were bright with cheer. You tilted your head slightly, not too sure what he was asking. After a minute of silence, his smile dropped slightly.

"Uh... E-English?" He asked. It was clear that he was struggling with his words as well, even though you didn't speak the language. You shook your head, a slight frown on your face. "Français?" You ask in response, to which he mirrors you and shakes his head in return. The boy looks down for a second, clearly stumped as to what to do at this point. Part of you thought that he was about to walk away, however his feet didn't move from where he was standing.

After a second, he looked back up, his sweet smile once again appearing on his face. With his phone in hand, he pointed at it, then pointed at himself, then pointed at you. Was he asking for your number? Raising an eyebrow, you started to shake your head, however you watched as his smile dropped again and he shook his head rapidly. "No! No!" He said frantically, before mimicking the act of taking a photo, making a little 'click click' noise. He wanted a photo!

Finally understanding what he was saying, you grin and nod, causing him to squeal in delight. He approached you briefly to hand you his phone before backing up toward the lake a little more. You start to turn his phone landscape before he shakes his head and lets out a little yelp, indicating that he wanted the photo to be in portrait mode. You giggle at his antics as he attempts to pose in the way he wants, admiring his efforts to not only have a good photo but also to communicate with you.

Once it seems like he's ready for you to take the photo, you begin clicking the photo button and watch as he begins to move a little bit to hit different styles of poses. And wow, this man was incredible at modeling. You watched in wonder as he effortlessly moved his body in all kinds of directions, going from casual to silly to cute and back to casual. He was absolutely gorgeous, there was no denying that. A ten in a world of fives.

After a couple minutes, he stops posing and giddily bounces back over to you. When he takes his phone back to look at all the photos, he makes a couple of 'woaaahhhh' noises, clearly impressed with your photography skills. You turn away as a blush creeps to your cheeks, flattered that he's happy with the photos. When you look back you watch him slightly bow to you in thanks before pointing to himself. "Hoseok," He says, making sure to enunciate each part of his name in the correct way so that you know how to say it.

You smile and nod, offering your name back to him, to which his smile grows into one of the most beautiful smiles you have ever seen. If it weren't for your impeccable self-control, you probably would have fainted the very first time he smiled at you, given how absolutely charming he was. However, this most recent smile made you a little weak on your feet. You were able to tough it out and stay strong, but God, he was just stunning.

You go to sit back down on your spot in the grass, but before you get the chance to you feel a gentle hand grasp your wrist. Face hot with shyness, you peer back over to him and notice his smile has dropped. You watch as he points toward the exit of the park and into the main city, and gives you a 'come on' motion, indicating that he wanted you to come with him. If this would have happened a few minutes ago when he first approached you, you might not have taken the offer. But now that you've gotten to somewhat know this breathtaking stranger, it was an offer you couldn't turn down. Grabbing your book and iced coffee from off the ground, you decide to follow him out of the park.

As you step back onto the streets of Montreal, walking with this random man, you watch as he turns to you and thinks for a second. You can tell he was trying to figure out how to communicate his next thought, so you remain silent and patient. After a second, he points at his eyes, and then gives this huge gesture with his arms, almost like he's expressing something blowing up. Letting out a soft giggle, you tilt your head slightly, resulting in a laugh coming from his own mouth. His laugh was so loud, sweet, and full of joy, and it was like pure honey dripping from his tongue. He retries his previous charades, now acting like he is looking at something with his hand above both of his eyes. He then goes 'woahh!!' and gives an amazed look, and you realize that he's asking to see some of the highlights of the city. With a soft nod, you take his hand, watching a soft blush creep to his cheeks as you pull him along the street and show him everything he needs to see in your beautiful city.

˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

After spending hours with Hoseok, showing him about everything in Montreal and taking a picture of him with it, you found yourselves once again back in the park where you first met. It was a rather chaotic day, pulling the boy around and watching his face light up at absolutely everything, but what seemed to be weirder was the fact that multiple times during your tour you guys received a few looks and even whispers. Every time that it happened, Hoseok would indicate to you that he wanted to move on and go to the next spot while also pulling up the light scarf that he had around his neck to cover his mouth and nose. You thought that it was rather bizarre but dismissed it as people being disrespectful since he was a rather loud and excited tourist.

Now, though, it was just you and him, sitting in the grass in front of the lake as you ate a late lunch/early dinner. He asked you to go with him to a local store where he went around and picked out a bunch of ready-made food as well as a bottle of champagne, paying for it all and implying that he wanted to eat it with you back at the park. Considering this stranger was doing more than anyone had ever done for you in the last twenty-something years of your life, you were beyond flattered and at this point you were hardcore swooning for him.

You half expected your meal to be quiet and consist of you guys looking at the lake, looking at each other, and silently eating your meal. But this was Hoseok, the man you had learned was anything but quiet. Even though he couldn't speak your language and you couldn't speak his, he was telling you all kinds of stories through the power of charades and sound effects. For most of the time, he had you in tears, laughing at his impeccable sense of humor and all-around silliness. But he also provided you with moments of peace so you could eat without choking, which was rather respectful of him, you thought.

After a while of fun storytelling, you two fell silent. You gazed over at the lake, watching as the sun made the water shimmer, and let out a sigh. When you looked back over to Hoseok, you caught him staring at you, causing a blush to creep to your cheeks. Raising an eyebrow, you nudged him as a way to ask 'what are you looking at?'. Shaking his head, he hesitantly stretched out his arm to wrap it around your waist. Just by looking at him you could tell he was internally freaking out, his eyes wide with nervousness. You smiled softly and inched your way closer to him, accepting his embrace as you rested your head on his shoulder.

There was something about this man that was so much different from anyone else that you had ever met. His charisma, his kindness, his energy – all of it was so attractive. It was the fact that he wasn't just a pretty face, he was a pretty human. You could tell he was raised right with a heart of gold and you felt beyond lucky to have ever met him in the first place. For him to have asked you of all the people in Montreal to take a picture of him made you feel extremely lucky, because had he not approached you, the two of you would have never met.

He pulled back a little bit to prompt you to remove your head and look at him. You watched as he pointed at himself, then cleared his throat before singing a little bit of a song. His singing voice was as sweet as can be, and you were about to just sit there and admire him, until you realized that the song he was singing was familiar. You didn't quite know what the name of the song was, and he wasn't singing it in quite the right tone, but you knew it was by BTS. The kpop group that was currently in Montreal and about to perform the following day.

Your mouth gaped open as you realized what was happening. You didn't even realize that you had been spending the entire day with a member of BTS. The people looking and whispering throughout were probably people who recognized him, not people who were judging him. And he was hiding his face because he didn't want to be recognized. He just wanted to spend the day with a beautiful girl and feel like a normal human being. You didn't blame him for not telling you sooner, though. It's not like you're a diehard fan of his group, but you probably wouldn't have looked at him the same way had he told you immediately.

After processing what was happening, you closed your mouth and smiled, giving him a vigorous nod. Once he gave you a smile in return, you went back to resting your head on his shoulder and grabbing your glass of champagne to hold. You wanted to show him that it was cool, everything was fine, and things weren't going to change. You liked him as Hoseok, the boy he introduced himself as when he eagerly asked you for a picture earlier. Not the kpop idol that stands in front of thousands on a stage and performs for them.

As time continued to pass and the sun got to a point where the day started to become sunset, you two sat in blissful silence while enjoying one another's presence. After a while Hoseok once again nudged you, causing you to look up at him. You watched as he once again admired your face, a blush creeping to your cheeks as you became shy from the eye contact. Just as you were about to look away he reached his hand over to brush a strand of hair behind your ear, and then rested that hand against your cheek.

At this point there was no need for charades because all you needed to do was look into his eyes and he told you absolutely everything you needed to know. He dipped his head down slightly as you both pulled each other in for a kiss, his sweet lips meeting yours in absolute harmony. Your stomach did about five thousand backflips as adrenaline coursed through your veins and your brain went fuzzy. Whether you wanted to admit it or not, this was a moment that you were waiting for practically all day. Little did you know, however, this was a moment that he had been anticipating even before he spoke to you for the first time. It all started when he saw you from a distance and his heart almost beat out of his chest because he was so enamored by your beauty.

As you both pulled away from the kiss, you watched as his mouth curled into the sweetest heart smile and he leaned in once again to peck the tip of your nose. You knew that today was going to be absolutely perfect, but your new romance made it about ten times better than perfect if that was even possible.

It's safe to say that the next day you were at barricade at the biggest concert of the year in Montreal, courtesy of BTS' resident rapper and dancer, J-Hope. Or, as you knew him, your smiley Hoseok.

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streets-in-paradise · 2 months

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By Duty and Chance - Hector x (Fem) Reader

Troy (2004) Oneshot

Requested by Anon

" (...) Soo basically anything you write about Hector is gonna be greatt. But i was thinking maybe that hector and reader are in arranged marriage ( yk enemies to lovers) but they end up falling for each other. "

YES, YES, YES!! ( ok, I'm gonna calm myself down now).

Just because I'm a simp, the enemy vibe was reduced a bit and the core conflict happens more on them falling at different paces. She was once on the geopolitical enemy side, cause she is a greek, but the marriage happened as a first step of negociations with another greek kingdom acting as nexus before the peace mission in Sparta.

Warnings: arranged marriage, reader starts fancying Hector before he gets into her. Pre war, but it adresses the political situation going on in Greece at the start of the movie and includes mentions to some Iliad characters that weren't in it because she is from Pylos and the movie showed nothing of Nestor's kingdom.

Summary: Your concerted political marriage to Prince Hector of Troy starts as a total disaster. Ashamed of your growing interest on him while the sorrow of a lost love keeps him distant, you focus on proving him you are a fitting wife to deal with his domestical problems before the conclussion of the peace mission started with your union would signal your first political act together.

Back in Greece for a diplomatical trip to Sparta, you come across a souless marriage product of another arrangement and the impact of that meeting calls you to redefine your relationship.

Note: Inspired by the arranged marriage prompts by @creativepromptsforwriting

" My love for one person could never trump the love I have for my people."

Tags: @g-m-kaye @thorsslxve

Sailing away for marriage so nobody else would have to do it for war was a noble act, but you were given the most abnormal circunstancies for the development of the plan.

King Menelaus of Sparta had had finally convinced his brother of creating an alliance with Troy, but the sons of Atreus weren't trully well versed on the language of peace. For so, King Nestor of Pylos offered himself to start the arrangements hoping to accomplish better results. As the only of his daughters available for a political marriage, you were selected to represent the first collaborative gesture of the greeks.

Once Prince Hector of Troy would have made you his wife, he would be in optimal conditions to deal with the Atreides and pact peace as a royal with bonds to he land already established. You father and his were of similar ages, they knew and respected each other despite of standing in opposite sides of the world. It made perfect sense that you would be given to them as a good will present to start the negociations.

The journey was too long and the advice of Nestor was required by the mycenaeans for the ongoing war on Thesaly. Without him, Agamemnon wouldn't be able to persuade Achilles to do his part in the way it would be commanded for him to do. Since your father couldn't split himself in half to attend the needs of each king, the leadership on the diplomatical mission was given to one of your brothers. Antilochus, favorite of the king and your people, delivered you to Troy doing his best to provide a supportive company for you in the difficult time. However, knowing that your father wouldn't be there increased the transactive feeling of the situation.

It was all a bargain between nations, and you were an object being moved from one place to the other.

Bonded for the rest of your life to a man your parents didn't even bother in meeting face to face.

Fame spoke wonders of your future husband, so worthy of trust that your father felt relieved and genuinely happy when the news of Priam's acceptance for the proposal reached Pylos. Hector was claimed to be the sort of man that any father could want for his daughter, that all mothers would feel proud to call their new son, and any respectable lady would dream of marrying. You got sick of being congratulated for having to move to the opposite corner of the world for him. While they were celebrating, you were aware to be essentially loosing your family to live arround strangers for the future chance to share a throne you never wanted.

You hated it and you thought you hated him, untill you saw him for the first time.

Hector was the most handsome man you ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on, but he advanced towards you with the calm resignation of a man sentenced to death. He did a great job restricting himself to the formalities, but that was all. In fact, it could be said the meeting had subverted expectations. Charming him on that occasion was your task as the lady of the couple, but he managed to awake a bit of your interest without even trying. While Antilochus noticed how your complaining reduced after meeting your fiance, Paris was struggling to get a smile out of his brother by doing cassual jokes about your beauty.

Polite indiference was all you got from him, even in the day of your wedding. His kiss after sweeping off your veil felt like a handshake to seil the political deal. Logically, you weren't expecting him to hold any feelings for you, but stumbling with his coldness was frustrating. At least in a surface level, you were starting to like him, but you didn't want to humillate yourself trying to make him like you.

Nightfall brought the end of the first day of celebrations, and for the first time, you were meant to be all alone with him. Trojans had similar customs for their hymenaeus, only that the choir of girls following you with torches to light the way to the thalamus was more espectacular than what you would have pictured back in Greece.

It was a magnificent display, romantical sight that contrasted with what was about to happen in that bedchamber.

Lookwise, you were very proud of yourself once the maids finished to prepare you for him. You hair was perfect, your smooth skin impregnated with a delicious perfume, and the thin white nightgown you were wearing was the perfect balance between coverage and exposition of your body. Enough to guess what awaited underneath, but discrete enough to not present yourself naked in front of him.

The color simbolized the purity you were meant to give away for the prince's consumption in the consumation of the marriage. Many greeks would have claimed they wanted to switch places with him, it would have been a joke in the friend group of your brother if they would have seen your transformation and you chuckled to yourself thinking of that as you nervously awaited.

The arrival of your prince changed everything. Amazement of him was strong in your virginal perspective. His toned body was considerably more exposed than before, since he was then only wearing the skirt typically matching his armor, and the perfumed oil freshly applied was giving a subtle shine to his skin. You could have started to feel lucky despite your understandable nerves, if he wouldn't have appeared to be so unaffected by the sight of you in comparison.

A brief look and a smile from afar before proceeding to sit on his side of the bed was all he had for you while your eyes unwillingly feasted on his image. His feet were still touching the floor and he seemed absorbed in some contenplative thinking while staring at the opposite side of the room.

Desperate to break the awkwardness, you attempted to get his attention hoping to help him relax. As a start, you kneeled behind him to caress his neck an shoulders.

" This isn't working. " You commented in a friendly mock. " Normally, the woman is the doubtfull one and it's the man's work to talk her into it. "

Hector was perfectly able to feel the squeeze of your front against his back, how you played with him in a convincing performance of your duty as wife.

" We have to be married, but we don't have to pretend a passion for each other that is clearly not there. "

His warning didn't work to completely dissapoint you.

"I'm just trying to be nice." You excused yourself in a sweet tone. " If it works as consolation, I was the only option Pylos had to offer. I have seven brothers and two sisters: one is already married and the other one is twelve years old. Father convinced me to get here only so none of my brothers will ever have to fight you. "

That simple reference to your family life evoked something stronger than mercy. A memory of someone he loved.

Andromache was a princess and once a sister of seven brothers that had fallen in battle. The reminder that you were just trying to stop the same tragedy from falling upon yourself acted as small comfort for his crushed heart.

She would understand.

" It's not your fault, I accepted the sacrifice. " He vaguely explained. " … My love for one person could never trump the love I have for my people. "

In that simple sentence, he let you know there was someone else in his life before the arrangement and that was the cause of his distant demeanour.

You hugged him from behind with comforting gentleness.

" I was starting to wonder why the brave trojan warrior that almost all greeks fear to face seems so afraid of facing me. " You teased as reply. " Nobody would expect Hector of Troy to flee from the touch of his wife like he has never done for the strikes of the enemy. "

The provocation didn't cause the wanted effect, slnce he didn't mind to live up to his legend in the intimacy of the room.

" I think this is a space safe enough to leave my pride behind. "

He had a point, but he would have to listen yours.

" All I'm going to ask you is to accept you are stucked with me. It's not much, ladies all over the world pretend for husbands they don't like all the time. "

You gave up, collapsing on the matress to bitterly claim your side of the nuptial bed.

" … They fake ecstasy while the strangers on top of them lascerate their virgin insides with their careless thrusting. Women can hold their pain perfectly pretending it's pleasure. You, my friend? All you had to do was giving me a decent kiss for the public to cheer, and you couldn't even do that because you are just so heartbroken. Do you get the cruel irony here? "

Hector followed you, watching you closely as he meditated in your words.

" I have nothing to reproach, you were a flawless bride, but I broke a third fraction of my moral code today. This marriage confronted two of the three rules in it and I had to choose which one I could still follow: to defend my country, I had take a woman I don't love."

He approached a bit closer to kiss your forehead.

" I'll allways respect you, but ríght now I can't be the husband you expected. You have my word, I will do my best, but for a while I believe my company won't be much comforting. "

You turned arround so you could be the one avoiding him.

" I never said I wanted you, I just hoped we could resemble a marriage. "

That wasn't how things were supposed to be like. Despite you weren't a hopeless romantic, you never imagined you would end up with a man who didn't feel the most elemental attraction towards you. Lack of desire in an arranged marriage wasn't supposed to flow in that direction, but the other way arround.

A wife shouldn't be seeking the attention of an indifferent husband instead of commiting to his desires. That wasn't what you were prepared for, since you always guessed it would be expected of you to be sexually required even in a loveless marriage. Rabidly denying your discovered attraction for the heartbroken prince was all you could do to protect your pride after realizing you were useless to him on the most bassic function of your union.

During the week of partying you foud out you weren't the only greek struggling to capture the trojan sensibilities. Antilochus fancied the cousin of your husband, but the girl rejected his every attempt of flirting with frustrating disdain. Keeping the peace mission in mind, your marriage was the best possible outcome. If Briseis would have been to Pylos as your new sister in law instead, her attitude would have caused a political disaster.

The royalty of Troy habitated one strange reality in which their princess freely rejected men with amusing harshness while the youngest prince seduced the most beautifull women arround free of commitement during the celebrations for the heir prince being forced to marry you. It was as if Hector had to assume all the sacrifices so everyone else could live how they wanted. He was the warrior prince so Paris won't have to fight, he had lost the chance to marry the woman he wanted to get trapped with you in an arranged marriage so Briseis could remain a virgin as she had choosen.

The man was a sacrificial bull whose fate was never being questioned, as if he existed to save everyone else.

As his wife, at least in title, you were going to take his side. When the first voices of concern from his relatives started to raise given the obvious fact that he wasn't happy on his marriage, you were not afraid of speaking up.

" I have been going to the temple of Aphrodite every night to pray before reaching my bedchamber. " Briseis was once commenting to him, with sweet naivety. " We need a miracle, but I don't loose the hope for you. "

She meant well and you knew it, but you didn't care. Hector límited himself to thank her and smile, but you couldn't let it pass.

" How about some gratitude instead of your condescending prayers? Are you aware this could have ended up the other way arround, ríght? Under the rules of my world, you should have married my brother. Hector is stucked with me so you won't have to marry one of those warriors you look with pity. "

He couldn't believe what he had witnessed, and he felt relieved it was late enough after dinner for his father to have already retired to his bedchamber.

" You have no reason to scold her for seeking to comfort me. "

Briseis raised up from her seat.

" It's alright, cousin. I understand she is under a lot of pressure. "

If you would have to hear one more pityfull comment, anger would have made you burn on the spot.

" You wouldn't survive in Greece, girl! The life of wives there would slap you in the face and get you off your high horse. " You cutted her off. " Maybe your cousin knows it, and that's why I'm here. "

Paris almost choked in his struggle between drinking wine and stiffling chuckles, what made him an easy target.

" What's so amusing? In greek standards, you aren't even suitable for marriage. No father would give his daughter to a coward archer that only shows off his weapon for hunting. " You inmediately called him out. " I think you know that and marriage terrifies you. Charming the girls is way easier than proving their fathers that you are a man, and if the woman you sleep with is already married you don't even need to worry because the position is occupated. "

Hector slowed you down before your brutal honesty could bring chaos.

" What do you think you are doing?

" Being your wife. " You simply explained. " I couldn't help noticing that your family is a mess and I want to help you fix it. You need a rest, and some acknowledgement of your daily sacrifices ... not like any of them notice. "

The preoccupation sounded sincere and that impressed him. After all, he showed no early emotional investment in you justifying such loyalty.

" We like the mess, but thank you for trying."

For the first time since your wedding took place, Hector gave you a genuine smile expressing real complicity.

If not the wife he loved, he discovered you were at least willing to be a support in his domestic life that was different from the kind his family could provide. You were behaving exactly like your role and rank demmanded, only reproaching your surroundings because you two were the only ones submitted to such thankless pressure.

When Antilochus returned to Pylos with the crew that brought you to asian shores, Hector took the day off to be with you. The last reminiscense of your old home had left on that ship, so he conforted you by actively helping you to slowly build a new one. It was agreed that once you would be established, you would accompany him and his brother on a diplomatical tour bringing you back to Greece, but for that you had to be well adjusted to the new city and your husband.

Under that pretext he convinced himself for seeking to take you out in order to get to know you more. Excuses would pile up whenever he would decide to break the routine and show you some new wonder of his country you could experience together. The wound of his unfullfilled love story from the past remained fresh for a while, so he couldn't admit to himself that there was some interest for you already growing.

However, that didn't stop his father from trying to cassually interfere whenever he could against your mutual resistance.

Priam often approached you by himself to give you history lessons, advice, and all sort of support helping your cultural adaptation. He wanted you to autentically feel as his new daughter and, for the most, he was succeeding.

After one particularly stressfull morning Hector was returning to the section of the palace complex that belonged to both of you since the wedding and found you attending a visit of his father. The servants rushed to welcome him, but he commanded you shouldn't be disturbed.

The King of Troy was asking you news about the heroes emerging in Greece and you were storytelling for him.

" That is a complete misconception. " You were cheerfully correcting him. " Achilles isn't our strongest warrior, that's Ajax of Salamis. He is like a mountain made a man. So strong that a swing of his battle hammer can easily pierce shields."

Priam's curiosity got stronger after the correction.

" Rumours have come to my shores saying the Pelide is the greatest threat Greece has for my kingdom … What is then the cause of such notoriety? "

" He is the fastest: an hurricane bringing devastation wherever he is unleashed. " You completed the tale. " You will never see the lethal blow of Achilles coming before it's too late. King Agamemnon has conquered the majority of Greece by the edge of his sword, but they don't get along. The man holds loyalty to no country. "

The last part didn't surprise the king as much as it should.

" I guess greek heroes just can't compare to my son. "

His comment of pridefull parent purposedly encouraged you to ramble about the virtues of your spouse.

" At risk of ignoring some evidence, I think i will agree. Hector is the best warrior Troy has ever seen, but also a wise, noble, … magnificent man. Of such kind heart, and beautifull as an artwork of Apollo. "

You didn't realized of your mistake after delivering the last part of the sentence and covered your embarassement with laughter.

" … I'm so sorry! That was totally innapropiate!! "

Priam was smiling, easing you with his complicity as if you had given him exactly what he wanted to know.

" I can't blame you for rejoicing of your husband, that's how things should be. "

At that precise moment, Hector revealed himself to make you aware of his arrival.

" Most people would say Paris is the pretty one. "

Your shame was such that you would have wanted earth to swallow you.

" I was merely pointing out you perfectly fit the idea of masculine beauty preferred in Greece. "

" Are greek wives not allowed to like their husbands? " Priam teased you and glanced at his son with amusement. " I haven't visited the country in decades, but I was never aware of that. "

You tried to joke your way out of the situation.

" We are forbbiden from liking them in advance. "

Hector gave a few steps closer in your direction before replying.

" I'm not blind: I can perfectly see i'm married to a beautifull woman. "

Despite he had probably thought about that before, it was the first time he was saying it out loud.

The trip to Greece was a crucial point, not only for the mission started by your marriage, but but for your relationship on itself. It was meant to be structured in two phases. First, you were going to Sparta, where Menelaus would receive you and give you news of Nestor and Agamemnon. If the war against Thesaly was over and the rulers had returned to their kingdoms, you would continue travelling on land to visit Pylos. There, Hector would meet the rest of your family and your father would later accompany you to Mycenae for the hardest part of the tour. After Agamemnon would have accepted the terms of the concerted peace, you would return to Sparta and finish to settle the deal back where you started.

Frightening news for Troy was getting to hear Menelaus saying his brother had conquered the last corner of their country. Suddenly, Hector felt that the inconvenience of being married to a greek that was once a stranger seemed very small in the big scheme of things.

Only once he had the oportunity to dive into greek politics in person, the eldest trojan prince had fully realized what meant to be a son in law of Nestor. The eldest rulling king In the country was highly respected by everyone, and specially the Atreides. He was probably the onlyone whose opinion was completely trusted by Agamemnon, besides from his own brother, and that anecdotic detail was shared by the spartan king himself.

Relaxed on the political front, Hector found time to notice other things.

As intended welcome, Menelaus offered a great celebration that was an autentic show off his fortune. You were drinking, eating and dancing like you didn't properly do during your own wedding party. The promise you made when on the sea of keeping an eye on Paris so Hector could do the deals got sidelined by the mutual discovering going on between you and your husband. Too absorbed in each other to care, being an actual couple instead of an institutional facade.

For a brief instant that disrupted the cheer, he glanced at Helen quietly observing from her seat how everyone else had fun while her husband fooled arround careless of her. Then, Hector looked at you and realized how far you had made it together.

The woman he had in front wasn't the same he awkwardly danced with to keep the appearances on that farse of a wedding celebration. Lonely observant like the spartan queen, only daring to engage in the fun if dragged into it by her brother because she clearly felt she didn't belong there.

You have trully become his wife, his princess.

The realization came to him in the most unexpected moment, on a loud place very innapropiate to talk about feelings.

" Was that what you had in mind when you told me you wanted us to resemble a marriage?" He teased you in whispers, subtly pointing at the royal couple while purposedly leading you into taking a prudential distance from the dancing people. " I see them, and i'm so glad we didn't turn out like them."

It made you chuckle.

" It wasn't them specifically, more of an idea of how a loveless marriage works. "

Hector smirked and pulled you closer, attempting of letting you give in for a hug.

" I understand now what went wrong from the beggining. " He teased the reveal of his conclussion. " … You desired me that night, but noticed I didn't feel the same and that confused you. The uses of your home prepared you to give yourself to a man you wouldn't want, never to not be wanted. Or even less, to find yourself wanting the man rejecting you. It wasn't your fault, as it wasn't mine, but you closed yourself for self preservation after the embarassement you must have felt … And you shouldn't had to feel that way. "

You pressed one hand on his chest as a measure of distance.

" Is this some sick test, Hector?" You called him out, distrustfull. " I'm not the wife you wanted, so I should never want you. I can't do it, that's not how the world works. "

Hector grabbed your wrist softly, gesturally inciting you to accept him.

" Then our world is upside down, but that's fine." He calmed you. " I thought I was respecting the honor of my maiden bride, only to find out she was the one waiting for me. "

You groaned with exasperation, unsure of how to make him understand the real problem going way deeper than that failed episode.

" … You have no idea of how frustrating it is to love you knowing I will never match your lost love. "

The exposure of your hushed suffering made him feel a bit heartbroken for you, but you were also confessing your love for him and that was enough encouragement.

" We needed time … I was not ready to love you, but I am now. "

His metaphorical use of the phrase merged all the possible forms of love he was feeling into one. To make your amazement complete, he grabbed both of your cheeks so you won't be able to escape the passionate public kiss he once couldn't give you on the wedding.

No choir of singing girls guided your way to the bedchamber that time, but you were following Hector and your hearts were beating as one.

#troy 2004 #troy #hector of troy #eric bana #hector x reader #eric bana x reader

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sakurangelll · 1 year

Text

Intuitive message: Why do you have to be proud of yourself?

it's a general message so take what resonates and what doesn't just let it go.

choose the image with which you feel most connected/attracted

pile 1

Feel proud and thank yourself for having made the decision to be more free, for giving yourself the opportunity to be yourself. i feel that you have come out of a very negative atmosphere, you came out of a mental environment where you cared a lot about what others thought of you. you freed yourself from all those people who hurt you in the past. one day you just woke up and said “you know what? i'm gonna live my life in the way i want to. my life, my decisions”

I notice that you are a person who is a party person haha and i am not saying this as something negative, your energy is like the energy of a concert. the vibes you give me:

Be proud that you have learned to be your best company. you understood that there is nothing wrong with being "alone" (i don't know why at this exact moment i had a deja vu🤯maybe it's a sign for you)

I feel like you go on dates with yourself. you are not an introvert but you are not an extrovert either. i feel like you started going to a lot of concerts/festivals/parties since you decided to get ahead of that negativity. feel proud because with each step and decision you make, you are growing more.

The angel numbers of this intuitive message:

★ Angel number 1133. the number 13 is the number of lunar cycles that take place each year. Angel number 1133 indicates that we may benefit from aligning ourselves with the feminine power as an example for our conduct.

★ Angel number 145. your angels want you to realize that the changes you’ve been hoping for are about to happen. you are about to receive the rewards of your hard work. angel number 145 calls on you to make certain changes to your way of life. you have to let go of the old so that you can create room for newer, fresher energies.

Things that may resonate with you:

disco ball . maneater by nelly furtado . sexyback by justin timberlake . without my by eminem . blond hair . roller skates . y2k music . ibiza . spain . los angeles california . pay hard by david guetta . britney spears .

pile 2

You give me a loooot of vibes of being a witch, you don't necessarily have to be one, that's just the energy you project. you like to go to nature, you talk to flowers? you like to dance in the forest, your aura can be orange or purple. you have black or wavy hair, you wear a lot of long skirts, you wear a lot of rings with quartz/stones and you generally have your nails painted black. if you are a witch, you work a lot with plants, herbalism comes to mind. the vibes you give me:

You have to be proud of the magnificent style you have when dressing. i feel like you already know that haha. (personally I want to dress like you🖤) you are working on having and projecting an image that you feel proud and comfortable with and you are achieving it.

Also feel proud to be growing magically and spiritually, for growing your powers and talents. you like astrology, you work with the phases of the moon? (btw, today January 6 is world astrology day)

The angel numbers of this intuitive message:

★ Angel number 444. the number 4 is associated with determination, professionalism, and hard work, as well as completion and totality.

★ Angel number 234. go ahead and learn as many new things as you can.

Things that may resonate with you:

stevie nicks in general but specially her song edge of the seventeen . bohemian rhapsody by queen . 🦦 . the name “sam” . arctic monkeys . call me by blondie . 1973 . rosemary . rock music . abba .

pile 3

I feel like you're working on your shyness, and creating new habits? you are starting to do yoga/pilates, to eat healthier, to connect more with your inner self, to have a more peaceful mind. you have to be proud that you are creating healthy habits.

I feel that you are a person who likes poetry? you like to read, you like rain. you really like going to places that are surrounded by nature. you like lakes, rivers or waterfalls. the vibes you give me:

If you are working on your shyness i don't think you are doing it to be an extrovert, you are doing it to embrace your shyness/seriousness. you are realizing that there is nothing wrong with not being as open or sharing much of your life. you are at peace with yourself.

Angel numbers of this intuitive message:

★ Angel number 1234. this is the message guardian angels are sending you, to elevate your spiritual life. seeing angel number 1234 is a wake-up call for you to expand your comfort zone, to be brave and courageous for claiming what you desire.

★ Angel number 222. it is a number that guides you to move forward in harmony and faith as you build toward your soul’s desire.

Things that may resonate with you:

watermelon . mystery of love by sufjan stevens . “call me by your name” movie . fairy . european jazz . un bacio a mezzanotte by quartetto cetra . ain’t that a kick in the head by dean martin . alors on dance by stromae . je te laisserai des mots by patrick watson .

pile 4

You have to be proud because now you see your studies/school in a different way and by that i mean that you are giving the seriousness and the necessary/correct working hours to your studies. i like that despite that you are also taking time for yourself, you are not saturated with your studies, you know how to manage your time very well… although it was hard for you to be patient with yourself and not demand so much at work, you also know that a grade does not define how smart or good you are. you are beginning to have new strategies for studying?

You study business, history or tourism. the vibes you give me:

The angel number of this intuitive message:

★ Angel number 333. the number 3 is a highly creative and joyful number that signifies every aspect of the creative process, from inspiration and growth, to manifestation and completion.

Things that may resonate with you:

teddy bear . orange . everytime by ariana grande . wine . tennis . stupid love by lady gaga . ddu-du dud-du by blackpink . new jeans . kpop . 2007

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hwaightme · 1 year

Text

Your fan, Mingi (part 2)

(part 1) (your fan ml)

🎤 pairing: mingi x rapper!reader 🎤 genre: slice of life, mix of fluff and angst, music and the industry, slow burn 🎤 summary: a bulletpoint-style wordstream of what it would be like if mingi was stanning you 🎤 wordcount: 3.3k 🎤 warnings/tags: language, reader is a rapper, reader is a tattooed queen, mingi and reader collaboration, album of the year, big concert, toxic fandom (but it is overcome:)), mingi support, reader is a shining star, comfort, celebrity, hongjoong is proud dad, studio energy, write angsty rap, power couple, new future, new home 🎤 a/n: Hi <3 this is part 2 for Your fan, Mingi!! Part 1 can be found here. From the bottom of my heart thank you so much for your support and care, and as always, I greatly appreciate any asks, reblogs and likes!

You trusted Hongjoong. He was one of the only idol artists who you clicked with and remained connected to, and you had no regrets. He never pushed any subject you were not comfortable with, nor did he really mention idol life outside of music, composition, production and lyric writing.

Through him you had gotten to know more about the idol life, and just what it took for such a talented and prominent fourth generation group to do world tours, to do fansign events, to always be there for fans and create fantastic music.

There had been a couple of times previously that Hongjoong had implied that it would be interesting to collaborate with you, but you had brushed it off.

You had no idea whether you, having the standing that you did in the music industry, would benefit or suffer from such a collaboration. For you the thought of potentially having to have official big-scale promotions and delving into the political side of the industry was more than unpleasant.

It was clear that had you signed any contract for officially making a track with Hongjoong, you likely would have had to play by his company's rules, maybe even have had to fit a particular concept.

This time, however, Hongjoong had unknowingly hit you in your weak spot. He mentioned Song Mingi.

When Hongjoong and you had a listening session together, with him and yourself sharing some tracks, both released and in the works, you had fixated on the other rapper's voice and flow.

He had a unique tone, and a way of incorporating off-beats and delays that made you inadvertently shake your head and make the classic 'damn this shit is good' face. The highest level of approval.

You had not hesitated in informing your friend that Mingi was a gem in his team, and that you were grateful to have had the chance to listen to him.

And of course Hongjoong was going to remember that until the end of time and employ that information against you.

The text was simple, but did not leave much room for negotiation. Not that you would have refused anyways.

<MC MINION> hey Mingi loves you and wants to record a cover of your track Dum Spiro Spero. You cool with that + got instrumental?

You had to admit, you had been hopeful that a day would come when you could meet Mingi, especially after you had spotted him in the audience at your recent concert.

You were too cool to let your glee show, instead launching into one of your more challenging openers. Did you want to impress him? Yes. Did you want to spell out that you liked him? No.

It was lucky that your fans did not recognise him, or were polite and respectful enough to pay no mind, nor alert anyone on social media. So, in peace you could enjoy giving him the occasional glance throughout the show and let your inner fangirl perform a victory dance as you noticed he was completely enchanted.

So without any further thought, you sit send on an offer for them to come over to your studio and to make something completely new together. Bureaucratic shit could wait for a second, you had some self-wingwoman-ing to do.

They had arrived at record speed, much to your delight. And to say that your heart skipped a beat when you locked eyes with Mingi would be an understatement. You were envious of the unbelievable boom-bap that it had produced, barely being able to contain yourself.

Mingi was the same. Shining like a thousand suns, he stretched his hand out to you and once you did the same, could not help but admire the tattoos that were peeking out from under the sleeve of your oversized hoodie.

In a spur of emotion he blurted out a series of compliments, his hand still holding onto yours, him melting as you chuckled and sent warm words right back.

While deciding what the track was going to be, Hongjoong had suddenly decided to volunteer himself into an exclusively producer role, saying something along the lines of "the track will just sound better that way trust me"... which could be taken two ways.

Mingi swooned a little at the thought that Hongjoong was literally waving a green flag for him to make a RAP DUET with you.

While you, interpreting it as a subtle jab at your productions skills, clasped your hands together, uttering a low, "1v1 me dude I dare you"

Never before did Mingi see Hongjoong so unsettled, his hands flittering over your equipment as he laughed nervously. But in a matter of seconds a sweet smile returned to your face as you leaned back in the chair and said "you know that we are both control freaks right? Wait- Mingi? You a control freak or just freaky?"

His face slowly started turning beet red as he looked to his captain for reassurance. It did not help that you addressed him informally, catching him off-guard completely. But he did not mind. In fact, he liked it. A lot.

And with that buzz motivating you, you Hongjoong and Mingi began to write lines, lay down beats, nearly crash Ableton a couple of times, hold a mini-concert on some Launchpads, and made sure to include a catchy hook, credit to Hongthoven being in the house.

It was totally different seeing you work. Just as you were sweet and mellow when chatting away to him or Hongjoong, you were the world's energy personified both in the booth and while guiding Hongjoong if there was something he could not find, since the set up was slightly different.

Mingi could not take his eyes off you as you were recording your parts. The way in which you were fully immersed in the story spoke volumes about your professionalism, and how well you added vocals to his parts made his heart flutter. He could not help but imagine how this could sound live.

He wanted to take this out of the booth and into the world. To be that rap duo that everyone wanted to hear. So once it was his turn, he gave it all.

You were in awe. He was even better than before, and matched you impressively well. He had even used some of your beloved techniques, and took a rhythmic pattern from your part to emphasise its importance. You could not help but lean over to Hongjoong, who was looking awfully similar to a Cheshire cat, and whisper:

"I need an album with this guy."

"He's all yours. Trust me, he'll break KQ down if you tell him."

Now it was your turn to blush. Who were you? A school girl? Maybe. Maybe on the inside there was a little school girl. You didn't mind though. Not one bit. You liked it. And though you were still one to want to keep that tough girl persona, you admitted you had a soft spot for the gentle giant.

After the first day of working on the track had gone incredibly well, Hongjoong and Mingi had taken straight to management to convince them that this was going to be a hit. Later that same night, on an hour-long zoom call with you, your agent, Hongjoong, Mingi and their management present, you had all agreed on terms and were ready to make the track official for future release.

You knew that this was likely going to involve a lot more publicity, and was going to be something new, but Mingi had highlighted, when the topic of promotions came up, that he did not want to follow a hardcore route, instead opting more for the few but highly sought after appearances. Hongjoong simply agreed.

It was obvious to you that Mingi was doing this out of consideration for you, and it did make you think that maybe he saw you as weak, but that evaporated once the call was done and he messaged you privately.

<MC Mango> Hey Y/N! Just wanted to say that I am so excited to be able to actually make this track with you! Feels like a dream haha

<you> Hi Mingi, likewise :) super cool stuff, you coming to the studio @ 10am tomorrow right?

<MC Mango> You know it! Also, what's your favourite food?

Well that was random, but you decided to answer anyways

<you> Nachos are life.

<MC Mango> RESPECT! Okay thank you :D

<you> You mysterious man... O_O

<MC Mango> See you tomorrow Y/N :) <3

<you> haha see you :) <3

His addition of the heart made your heart do flip flops. You really were getting too soft. So you put on your noise cancelling headphones, and in your best nature, turned up an aggressive hiphop and trap playlist.

And yet, thoughts of him did not want to leave, so instead, you returned to tweaking what you had recorded today, listening to his wonderful voice many times over.

After a few more days of the two ATEEZ members basically living in your studio (and Mingi bringing nachos for you because of that one text you sent), you were officially finished with the preparation of the track, having mastered it to the highest quality attainable, and after that, it was a big time rush to tie up all the loose ends for the set release.

The way that this one song scaled in terms of production was unprecedented, and compared to your lonely nights in the studio or at most, five people working on an album, you could not help but feel like you did not deserve this.

You felt like everything was being taken out of your control, and there were moments when you, quite literally, had no idea what was happening, neither with your song nor with what the bureaucrats had lined up for you. It was all simply too much. Too loud, too much like a hive.

So walked right into your studio, and got to writing.

The words came naturally to you, and it was your fingers that were struggling to keep up as you let loose on the pages in front of you. The message was simple enough, but it resonated. The feeling of realising that you will never really quite know a person, or the wide network of people who are connected to you.

Just as you were finishing up, you noticed that the second verse seemed to have a slightly different voice. One that was too similar to a certain tall rapper. Oh you were in deep.

You were alerted by a soft knock on the door, and looked up to see none other than Mingi, poking his head in, evidently worried. You could not be happier to see him.

"Hey, you weren't at KQ so I figured I could find you here. What's up? Can I come in?"

He asked, ever so gentle. As he ambled across the room upon shutting the door behind him, you noticed he had a plastic bag in his hands. After seeing your line of vision stop at the object, he raised it a little, explaining:

"I brought some fuel. There were these cool new fusion kimbap rolls launched, and I wanted to try them with you."

With you. The words repeated in your head. You thanked him, and patted the seat beside you. There was no need for you to explain why you were taking some time out, Mingi understood in a heartbeat.

The only thing that mattered to him was that you were still here, smiling, and more than happy to see him. Be with him.

You slid over the lyrics you had written for a still untitled rough idea, asking him for his opinion. Brows furrowed, he leaned over, closer to you.

"Oh this flows... nice... oh I really like that line. Wait why did you write 'Fix On'?"

"Guess."

"Wait, no way. Is this us?"

"Well... it could be?" you left the question hanging in the air. Silence fell upon the room as he looked deep into your eyes.

"This... is going to be THE BEST ALBUM EVER LET'S DO THIS!" he almost deafened you with his scream for joy as he jumped up from the chair, taking you with him and wrapping you up in a tight hug.

At first you were frozen, unsure of what in the world you were supposed to be doing, but as seconds passed and he was not planning on letting go, you chuckled and returned the embrace, rocking just a little.

Another spark passed between you as both of you felt that this was definitely going to be much more than just an album.

As days turned into weeks, and one song turned into a mini album, your interactions with Mingi also changed. Instead of just staying in the studio to work, you now spent hours on end in the space just staying together to chat. Initially sat opposite one another, but recently, intertwined in a cuddle on the couch, both of you looking at either your phone or his.

When Hongjoong was in the studio too, he was constantly eyeing both of you with a cheeky smirk.

It had already been five times that the rest of the members, led by Yunho, crashed the studio 'to see how things were going' and to 'see Mingi because they have not seen him in so long'. Soon enough that had also changed to 'you know what just take him forever he doesn't stop talking about you anyways'.

Though you had not made it official yet, everything was progressing in that direction. Both him and you were evolving thanks to your collaboration, and had only one wish: for this to never end.

Mingi had helped you familiarise yourself with official photoshoots, and you had given him freestyling tricks for 'the future'.

Once the mini album dropped, it seemed that everything you knew combusted.

Initially, your fans, those fans who you held so dear and worked tirelessly for, were pouring in with nothing but disappointment and hatred. You were appalled. It was also obvious that they had not listened to any of the tracks, and they were just displeased that now you were 'searching for the mainstream, sucking up to popular culture and losing yourself'.

It would be a lie to say you did not spend nights after the release in tears, instead of celebrating. Hiding in your beloved studio, you could not stop yourself from composing sad track after sad track, trying to find an outlet for your anguish. You knew you should not have done this. You knew you should not have loved.

You did not answer Mingi's calls, nor his messages, but when he bust through the door, misty-eyed and crying out your name, you collapsed into his arms as he comforted you, promising you that he would always be there. No matter how hard things seemed.

Once you had calmed down, he took out his phone and started showing you some screenshots. Then went on Twitter, and then even searched up articles related to your collaboration. He wanted to show you that there was a different side to the story.

And oh how bright it was.

ATINY were overwhelmingly positive about this surprise release, praising both Mingi's and your talents, and diving into searching for more of your content.

You read the critics raving about each track, especially the first one, which you had made into the title track.

The public was calling for this to be in concert. On a show. Anywhere where they could feel this live. You took Mingi's hand and slipped your fingers through his, and he responded by bringing you closer, kissing your cheek.

"And finally, take a look," and he showed you one more page. Your social media page. With the follower count unlike anything you have ever seen before, even though you had experienced a crash just a few days ago. And a flood of comments of appreciation and gratitude. In that moment, you returned to Mingi, and pulled him into a hope-filled kiss.

It was interesting doing promotions as a new couple. Though you had not revealed the relationship, multiple public figures had commented on your 'unique chemistry' and 'what seemed to be musical telepathy'.

On a couple of shows onto which you had agreed to go, (given the condition that Mingi would be there too) you shined. Initially you were irked by their requests that you covered up your tattoos, but as it turned out, long-sleeved, form fitting turtlenecks and modern cyber and industrial wear quickly became your signature.

Your agent was ecstatic at your rise in popularity, and was now almost always on new phone calls, even negotiating with some brands who wished to do advertising with you.

And Mingi, well, he was falling in love with you more and more, as you shined brighter and brighter. During a small break in your promotions to accommodate ATEEZ's pre-filming, he continuously messaged you and even invited you onto the film set, where you had the chance to mingle more with the staff.

You had gotten to know a lot of them closely, even recognising some from the time of initial preparations for your album with Mingi, and took no time to present them with small thank you gifts, and helping them out when you could.

Their attitude towards you also softened, with one of the younger interns admitting that initially, she had perceived you as a much scarier and stricter figure, and after hearing some rumours. To this, you responded with a light-hearted laugh, and thanked her for the honestly.

How glad you were that Mingi had snuck out to see you that day, and that serendipity had brought you a friend in the form of Hongjoong.

Fast-forward a couple of months, and you were having the largest-scale concert of your career. Before, it used to be within the hundreds at most, the highest profile one having approached one thousand.

But now, there were a few thousand voices, all chanting your name. The venue was sold out in record time, and the first batch of merch that you had designed, with Mingi cheering you on in the background, was nearly sold out. The concert merch too, had been swept off the stalls.

It was exhilarating. You were alive. Before, it was you breathing life into the audience, sharing your energy with them, connecting to them and lighting up the room. But now, the exchange was mutual, and in some moments, you were flabbergasted at the pulsating force of the crowd. They were there for you. They were cheering for you. They knew your words by heart and were overjoyed to be in this time and space with you.

You were on the extended platform connected to the main stage that went further into the audience. A peninsula, surrounded by a sea of shimmering glow and the wonderful people attending. It was time for you to perform the title track of your and Mingi's album. You were seated on one of the two stools that were right in the centre of the 'peninsula'. One single spotlight on you.

The crowd roared, signaling Mingi's approach in the darkness. You felt his back press against yours, his heartbeat steady, giving you rhythm, giving you reassurance. While your microphones were still off, but he moved his away just in case, you heard him whisper to you quick words of adoration, and a cheerful 'let's do this'.

In this wide world, you had always thought that keeping your circle small, your fanbase small, and your music inaccessible was the only way to preserve identity. But you had grown. You had now understood that you had been selfish, denying those who wanted to dream the opportunity to do so.

Now on the stage, together with the love of your life and with the universe surrounding you, you were truly alive, and truly an artist.

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baniigattsuu · 3 months

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100 REASONS TO STAY ALIVE:

1. to make your friends proud

2. to conquer your fears

3. to see your favourite artist live

4. to listen to music

5. to experience a new culture

6. to meet new people

7. to inspire

8. to have your own children

9. to adopt your own pet

10. to make yourself proud

11. to meet your idols

12. to laugh until you cry

13. to feel tears of happiness

14. to eat your favorite food

15. to see your siblings grow

16. to pass school

17. to get a tattoo

18. to smile until your cheeks hurt

19. to meet your internet friends

20. to find someone who loves you like you deserve

21. to eat ice cream on a hot day

22. to drink hot chocolate on a cold day

23. to see untouched snow in the morning

24. to see a sunset that sets the sky on fire

25. to see stars that light up the sky

26. to read a book that changes your life

27. to see the first flowers in the spring

28. to travel abroad

29. to learn a new language

30. to learn to draw

31. to tell others your story in the hopes of helping and inspiring them

32. puppy kisses

33. kitten kisses

34. swear words, and the release you feel saying them

35. trampolines

36. stargazing

37. cloud watching

38. taking a shower and then sleeping in clean sheets

39. receiving thoughtful gifts

40. "i saw this and i thought of you"

41. the feeling you get when someone says "i love you"

42. the relief you feel after crying

43. sunshine

44. the feeling you get when someone is listening to you / giving you their full attention

45. your future wedding

46. your favorite candy

47. new clothes

48. completing goals / a milestone

49. the kinds of dreams when you wake up and can't stop smiling

50. the sound of rain

51. the feeling you get when you're dancing

52. the people who mean the most to you

53. trying out new recipes

54. the feeling you get when your favourite song comes on the radio

55. the rush you feel when you step into a concert

56. sharing your voice, talents and knowledge with the world because they're so valuable

57. breakfast in bed

58. forgiveness

59. fireflies

60. birthdays

61. realizing that someone loves you

62. spending the day with someone you love

63. eating a whole pint of your favorites ice cream

64. floating on your back in warm water, staring at the sky and thinking

65. first dates (even the bad ones make for funny stories!)

66. bonfires n smores

67. coming home to someone you love

68. singing at the top of your lungs with your friends (or on your own!)

69. cuddling

70. being wrapped up in a warm bed

71. someone's skin against yours

72. holding hands

73. road trips

74. spontaneous adventures

75. the feeling when the ocean wave rolls up and envelops your toes and ankles

76. peaceful thunderstorms

77. trips to disneyworld

78. the child-like feeling you get on christmas morning

79. the day when everything finally goes your way

80. compliments and praise

81. making someone laugh

82. taking care of yourself

83. sleepovers

84. waking up on summer mornings

85. creating

86. therapy

87. feeling like reality is finally better than dreams

88. relationships

89. friendships

90. good hair days

91. feeling confident, like you can openly be yourself

92. creating ambitions and aspirations

93. putting yourself first

94. memes and funny jokes

95. writing

96. aesthetics / visuals

97. learning to love yourself

98. falling back in love with living

99. feeling genuinely at peace with yourself

100. looking back at this moment in the future and thinking "i made it"

#mental health #healing

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the-hinky-panda · 6 months

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The Gin Blossom: Part I

Title: The Gin Blossom

Rating: Explicit

Pairing: Gilly Lopez x Reader

Summary: You thought you had your life all planned out until everything changed. Finding yourself a young widow, you turn an Airstream trailer into a food truck and tour the southwest. You met Riz and Songbird (from @bullet-prooflove's stories) and when they invite you to visit the revitalized town of Santo Padre, you find that maybe home isn't out of reach for you.

Big things were happening in Santo Padre.

You had heard about the revitalization of the quiet bordertown through the music and cultural festivals that you traveled to throughout the southwest. So it didn’t surprise you when Songbird contacted you about bringing your food and gin truck to her hometown. She was going to be doing a small concert with a couple of local bands and wanted to throw you some business.

Honestly, you were just happy to see her and Riz again. You had friends on the road but there was something different about them. They were real, warm, and good people. You could see the love they held for each other. Some people that are in love tend to close others out of their world, but they never did with you. Often after musicians would do a set, you would offer them a free meal and gin blossom special cocktail and Songbird was given the same treatment. Riz of course joined her and you got tired of leaning out of the open window to carry on the easy flowing conversation. You did something you never did and invited them into the trailer with you. The three of you spent hours sitting in the galley kitchen of the rehabbed Airstream trailer, eating, drinking, and laughing into the morning hours.

The third time you ran into them, it had been the anniversary of Dylan’s, your husband’s, death. You were in a bad way mentally, emotionally. Riz hung out with you until Songbird’s set started. He must have said something to her after the concert because as you were packing up the food and cleaning up the small kitchen in the airstream, she came to you, took your hand.

Come with us tonight.

So you did. They took you back to the plush hotel room that the concert sponsors paid for their performers. The room was twice the size of your airstream with a full size kitchen, living room, and large bedroom. You brought your favorite gin, a pale purple lavender infused bottle, and the three of you sat around in the living room area drinking and sharing the things that had broken your hearts. Songbird talked about her ex, Riz about growing up in an orphanage. You spoke about Dylan, your handsome, brave, kindhearted Dylan who had lost his battle with depression and PTSD.

They take you to bed with them that evening. You had never done anything like that before but the shared pain, the hope of finding something that helps glue the pieces back together, created a spiritual bond between the three of you that night. You wake up the next morning between the two of them, a tangle of legs and arms, the scent of cigarette smoke, Songbird’s perfume and Riz’s aftershave surrounding you.

It was the first time in two years that you hadn’t felt lonely.

You ran into them a few more times after that night until you heard that Songbird had canceled her tour and returned back to her hometown. It didn’t surprise you. One of things that you two frequently talked about was the concept of home and what it meant. She had found hers with Riz, in Santo Padre. You, you were still looking. So you pull up to the bar on the outskirts of town, park the truck and Airstream trailer in the back like you had been instructed and let out a long sigh. The moment of peace quickly evaporates as Songbird and Riz appear in front of the truck. Songbird is making her smiling way to the driver’s side while Riz hits the hood of the truck a couple times.

“I’m hungry. When’s the food going to be ready?”

You get out of the truck, give Songbird a hug and Riz the middle finger.

“We are so happy you’re here.” Songbird gives Riz a mirthful glare. “Contrary to other’s greetings.”

And you wonder if this is what it feels like to come home.

***

The local concert is a hit.

Hundreds of people come out to Joanna and EZ’s bar and they truly have something for everyone. The bands range from folk and acoustic to heavy metal. Although most of the heavy metal musicians are teenagers who have relieved parents in the audience, thankful that the screaming is not happening in their garage anymore. They’ve given you space in the family friendly area so you can get a wide range of foot traffic. The desert days are hot but the nights are still chilly so you choose for the menu this evening a gourmet toasted cheese sandwich that you cut into cubes and put on skewers to go with plastic cups of creamy tomato soup. For those looking for a drink other than on tap beer, you have a special orange blossom honey gin that pairs nicely with the cheese.

Riz brings members of the MC over to meet you as you pass food and gin out of the open bar window of the food truck. You tell them that the first drink is on you, something you frequently do when you want to be asked back at a venue. You meet Bishop, Taza, and Hank first. All three are polite and gracious in their welcoming. As the three leaders of the MC, they’re consistently moving through the crowd, making an appearance and their presence known. You have a feeling this is keeping the crowd polite and manageable.

Riz takes to leaning against the side of the airstream and waving at certain people he knows, introducing you to more club members as they wander past. You briefly meet Felipe Reyes, EZ’s father, when he brings you a plate of ribs from the smoker he was manning. You trade him some soup, sandwich, and gin in return. A few minutes later, you hear Riz whistle off towards the left to an area where you can’t see. He knocks on the side of the trailer to get your attention.

“This is a cool group of people,” he says before stepping out to greet the newcomers. It’s a trio of people that are ushered over to you, a thin man with his hair in braids, and two young women, a petite blonde and a dark haired girl with the same eyes as the man. Riz slaps the shoulder of the man. “This is Coco and his daughter Letty, and this,” he gives the blonde a one-armed hug, “is Stitches our medic. And rumor has it-“

“Don’t,” Stitches shakes her head.

“She and Coco eloped a couple weeks ago.”

The man chuckles as he blows out a steady stream of cigarette smoke. “How do you find this shit out, man?”

“I have eyes everywhere.”

You roll your eyes but pass two glasses of gin down to Coco and Stitches. “Congratulations!”

Letty also reaches for a glass but Coco slaps her hand away. “Uh huh. Not in public.”

Letty perks up. “So at home?”

“Nope,” Stitches answers. “Not there either. And if you think about sneaking something here, I will spend the rest of the evening with my arms around your neck yelling ‘This is my daughter and I looooooove her.’”

Coco laughs. “And I record it and put it up on TikTok.”

Letty crosses her arms. “I hate you both right now.”

Stitches gratefully accepts the grilled cheese and soup. “How’s that different from any other time?”

You and Riz laugh. “I told you they were fun.”

“They could have their own sitcom,” you comment.

There’s a lull after Coco, Stitches, and Letty move off into the crowd. Songbird is getting ready to do her set so Riz steps away to watch it. You can see the stage from your truck and notice she’s wearing that black silk dress that always seems to make Riz and her disappear for twenty minute intervals at venues like this. It makes you chuckle but also wonder if you’re ever going to find the love of your life, someone that looks at you the way Riz stares at his Songbird when she’s on stage. It’s pure adoration and affection and it makes your heart long for someone to feel that deeply about you.

You thought you had it once upon a time, and you did for a few months. You and Dylan had met when you were both stationed in Fallujah. You were a Marine tank mechanic and he was a gunnery sergeant. It was a match made in heaven. Or so you had thought. It had been great the first few weeks back stateside. You eloped two months of being back home. Your sister, the only living relative you had left, was happy but unsure of the quickness. You had explained to her that meeting someone in a combat situation tells you everything you need to know about someone.

You wish you had been right.

The nightmares started soon after you married. Dylan would scream and thrash around, fighting ghosts that had followed him home. In the first week, you had bruises all over your ribcage and down your legs. Dylan slept in the guest room after that but his screams still woke you up. You would cry yourself to sleep in an empty bed, helpless to soothe him. He went to therapy for a short time but found alcohol soothed the demons better than anything else. Once he fell into the bottle, there was no saving him after that. There was almost no saving you either.

A boisterous laugh pulls you from your memories and you see another MC member approaching the trailer. He’s a large man with an even larger smile. Tattoos decorate his arms, even across his knuckles. There’s the edges of a rose peeking out of the collar of his t-shirt. But it’s his smile and his eyes that you notice the most. His grin reaches all the way to his warm dark eyes.

“I see the greeter is otherwise engaged,” he says, hands shoved in his kutte pockets.

“Yeah, once Songbird starts singing, he kind of loses focus on everything else.”

He extends his hand towards you, a wide, strong grip. “I’m Gilly.”

And you’re a goner.

#gilly lopez x reader #gilly lopex x you #gilberto gilly lopez #gilly lopez fic #gilberto gilly lopez fic

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hadesoftheladies · 6 months

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sure, the agony of awareness of how wide and vast and deep misogyny goes and the betrayal of the trusted men in your life is painful when it comes to radical feminism. the awareness of the brutalization and violence women and girls face around the world is devastating 100%

but it’s so so worth it for the POWER that you get. knowledge is power. it’s like how menacing shapes in a shadowy room look until you turn on the lights. once you know what it is, you’re just less scared of it.

I’m way more wary of men but I’m also way less scared of them. The evil in the world is no longer a mysterious metaphysical force. I know where the oppression, war, and savagery are coming from. I know why it works like this. Knowing why men and society behave how they do also makes anticipating individual’s actions and cultural shifts easier. I’m not afraid of the future. I’m not uncertain and I’m not unsure about myself.

Women and girls are gaslit from day one about what it means to be a woman under patriarchy. But radical feminism cleared the noise from my head until I could see my experiences clearly. My memories were less fractured, my thinking less scattered, because I recognized how REAL my experiences were and how accurate my impressions of them were. it’s like the pieces are now a whole. My mind is now quieter, with less noise. I can think clearer, which means I can’t be easily bullshitted.

Also, for all the atrocities I’m now aware of, I’m also far from hopeless. I mean, I’ve given up on men. I don’t think they’ll be normal or well adjusted for many more generations way past my lifetime, but I also 100% believe that women and girls don’t have to wait until then to create for themselves lives full of joy, love and freedom. I do think we gain freedom, even in the face of pushback. The funny thing is, the more men try to punish women for resisting, the more aware other women and girls become, the more fuel is added to the resistance. consciousness-raising is probably higher than it’s ever been because of the internet and globalization. women everywhere are able to talk to each other way more about our experiences. men simply can’t keep punishing that without getting pushback. and they can’t kill us all because they’re angry :), they need us more than we’ll ever need them. can’t kill us without killing themselves.

Idk it’s like I’ve gotten rid of the viruses and now things are running better. No makeup, no self-policing, no pressure to conform to femininity, knowing where all the societal disapproval is coming from . . . Less mental distortions and less self-esteem issues and more confidence and more inner peace and more energy and hope than ever. Because im not intimidated by the threat anymore. the lights are on. it’s just a man-made fluke that will not survive the sweeping of time. it’s a sociological contagion, not destiny. It cant hold up forever. It’s breakable. Not in this context, anyways. Men are as malleable as mud in a stream. Programmable. They’re human beings, and like all things change and erode.

Total liberation won’t happen in my lifetime, but you know what is happening in my lifetime? Women and girls dancing to their favorite music. Falling in love, going out to eat their favorite foods and watch their favorite movies, bonding over experiences and memes, screaming at concerts, trying new things whether or not they’re male dominated, going to the gymn and arm wrestling, playing football and learning kung fu, getting paid for art exhibits, creating music that lives in the heads of billions, writing amazing stories that get distributed far and wide, getting kissed and nuzzled by animals, driving fast cars and racing on motorcycles, cutting up their clothes, getting that pregnancy terminated and living free of dread, ditching their wedding gowns and going to the club, making the people around them laugh their ribs sore, healing the past, moving forward as they’ve always done . . .

women in my lifetime are still oppressed. but that hasn’t stopped them from creating so much beauty and joy out of the time they’ve been given.

and im not just hopeful for a better future. im hopeful that women and girls alive today will experience immense joy and inner peace regardless of their past in their lifetime. and that dream comes true every new day.

#radblr #feminism #radfem #radical feminism #women #women’s history

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0eatenteeth0 · 2 months

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let's talk about something that i've come to a realization about.

some people think it's okay to be normal about music.

if i see one more cis man or anyone for that matter but mainly a cis man, sit and just tap his foot when music plays. i'm gonna lose my mind. if i see one more person be a NORMAL enjoyer of music, im going to spiral and become so deeply deranged everyone will worry about me and start showing me pictures of me when i was little to see if i remember any of my adolescence.

music is binding and creates such a sense of community that i feel no person should ignore. get the fuck up and jam dude. if you can't, sing it. fucking sing it. grab the hands of someone you know that's with you and sing it the most annoying ways you can. sing it beautifully. i don't care if you're 24, 79, 100, or 2 years old today. get the fuck up and enjoy shit man we don't have all the time in the world. enjoy that sense of community and binding.

who the fuck cares how stupid you look. it doesn't matter. it doesn't matter if you fall on your ass or face or balls what have you. it doesn't matter if you embarrass yourself. it doesn't fucking matter! enjoy it. be musics number one fucking fan dude. it doesn't matter how stupid you look. if it's special to you, fuck everyone who thinks it's stupid.

you are not excluded from this happiness. you are not left out, and if someone is avidly leaving you out.

do it anyways. force your way into that joy. because you deserve it. just because you were born into having to be steel and spiteful doesn't mean you're excluded from the community music has built around you.

no one should ever make you feel like you are exempt and excluded and left out of the love music shows to everyone.

cry, laugh, bawl your eyes out, shit yourself cackling, feel at peace, feel angry, feel so upset you want to punch a. rock. feel shit. let music make you feel this shit. that one song from when you were 12 that makes you cry every time you hear it? blast it in the car right now and cry. let it make you feel something. that song you heard at your first concert that you've never been able to stop listening to that gets you every time? fucking blast it and headbang to it. let yourself feel emotion.

music is beautiful.

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aurora-daily · 1 year

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We Are Walking Portals: Aurora Interviewed by Monica Uszerowicz

Interview for BOMB Magazine by Monica Uszerowicz (January 6th, 2023).

The music artist on giving live concerts in the world of video games.

When you play Sky: Children of the Light, a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG) by independent game developers Thatgamecompany, the first and last sound you’ll hear is Aurora. Tapped by Thatgamecompany co-founder Jenova Chen to provide the soundtrack for two of the game’s pivotal moments, the Norwegian singer, writer, and producer becomes an invisible guide, her preternaturally sweet voice navigating players through Sky’s most poignant scenes. Sky is wondrous, an inclusive game that incentivizes touch and communication with a narrative rooted in ancestral memory, communal care, and sacrifice. In addition to its foundational storyline, Sky features themed seasonal adventures, often involving unique collaborations; the last month and a half was the “Season of Aurora.”

On December 8, Sky presented a virtual concert during which a winged avatar of Aurora led an audience of nearly four thousand players on a journey of immersive music videos, call-and-response, and storytelling. We became butterflies, fish, manta rays encircling Aurora in a kind of fey, digital mosh pit. It was unlike anything I’ve witnessed, somewhere between a virtual reality, an online concert, and a cyber-choir—a brief, charged experience of togetherness. It was repeated throughout the day for the next several weeks. Aurora, who often sings and speaks about the importance of caring for each other and the planet in the face of real grief, is an apt choice for a game that emphasizes tenderness as the antidote to loneliness.

— Monica Uszerowicz

Monica UszerowiczYou care deeply for the planet, and you speak often about the magic in this world. You’re also a bit of a gamer. Do you find magic in virtual worlds too?

Aurora

Absolutely. I’ve always been a huge fan of games. I think it’s so cool to be able to live many lives and go on adventures with people. What I need from video games has changed. I’ve been gaming since I was eleven. When I was a bit younger, I found a lot of online friends and belonging in these worlds. I think I also learned most of my English from gaming. Now, I feel more at peace in my own skin, my own self, and in the world. The real world is as exciting to me as the gaming world; it’s healthy.

The themes of Sky remind me of the themes in your music. I’m curious about how you connected with Sky and came to work with them.

I connect with the soul of Sky: Children of the Light. It’s about connection and feeling at home—like you belong somewhere. I know many of the people who play Sky play it for this reason. The spiritual side of it; death, to me, is a very spiritual thing. It’s inevitable, and it colors the way we live our lives because we know it’s going to end, and that loving comes with loss. It’s just the entire soul of the game. I have a love for the people who play Sky and the creators behind it. They’re a beautiful, beautiful couple [Jenova Chen and his partner]. It’s impossible to not want to be included in what they create when you meet them. The first thing I did for them was a few years ago — the intro for the game and the ending song. I met them on tour, I think. They said hi, talked about their connection to me and how they think I would fit into this game. It was just us meeting. It was meant to be. I love them, and they love me. It’s based on nothing else: They are people, and I am people, and we like each other, and then we want to do something together. It’s very organic, this collaboration.

You’re written into the storyline as one of the ancestor spirits players get to meet. Did you design or write some of the quests that we play—set to your music—during “Season of Aurora”?

I wanted there to be someone to help in each song and chapter. There’s this reminder that you must help each other out, be good to each other, and then help yourself. I talked about what colors I think my songs have, and we chose the songs together, songs we felt had enough darkness and light. I figured out which characters and which small story fit with each song. We talked about it together and sent emails until we were happy. It’s been a very easy collaboration because we agree so much on most everything.

By the time this interview is published, you’ll have given a virtual concert in Sky.

Everyone’s going to be able to have a part in making magic. I think it’s going to be an emotional, beautiful moment for all of us. I’m very excited about it — I love the people. It’s very much about how you experience it and how it makes you feel. It’s a very individual thing, but I hope it’s going to feel like we’re a big family even though we’re all playing it from different corners of the world. I hope there will be a moment of true connection with all of us sitting in our homes and being lonely, but lonely together, which is very cool.

You’ve spoken at length about the title of your latest album, The Gods We Can Touch (2022), and the inspiration of Greek mythology. What happened in the space between your two most recent albums? What were you thinking about and researching in the quiet?

For my first album, I had space from people because I spent a lot of time alone in my house writing those songs. My second album was very full of people. It became more political because there were things I was discovering as a traveling human being, wanting to use my voice, wanting to make good warriors of light of myself and my fans. With this album, I had a break again. The biggest core of this album is playful, childish, but also divine and kind of grand. It talks a lot about religious, God-like images.

The album’s about this issue I have with modern religion, which is very modern because it hasn’t even existed for a smidgen of time. I wonder why we removed God from the earth, from ourselves, from the water, from things we could touch, and put him up in the sky far away and let him, or her, judge us for who we are. The Bible says a lot of things, and it’s up to every person who reads it to use it, hopefully in the best way they can. But when mixed with power, and the potential of having power by the way you interpret a book written by people you don’t know, there’s a lot of risk there. People have found weakness and exploited it. It’s a conundrum for the history of mankind and how we live now: what’s happening in Iran, women’s abortion rights, the way we turn against ourselves and against women again, the way that we go back and forth, in and out of progress as we please. Well, we don’t; but it seems that many of the men who rule the world choose to, and they drag us with them. It’s a complicated life, a complicated world, and this album is me just dealing with all of that, trying to remain free and playful within all the mess of how it is to be a human.

I think as long as we keep our inner child untouched as much as we can, as long as we don’t give anyone space or permission to touch what is inside of our soul, we’ll be okay. You see a lot of progress. You see people raising their voices for good for each other. There’s a lot of beauty that blossoms out of what happens in the world.

I'm glad you mentioned how important it is to maintain our inner children, that sense of self, as truthfully as we can.

The world can do a lot to us. It can hurt us in many ways. But our soul, our mind, is ours entirely, and can never be sold. It gives me strength, at least in moments, to think about what I do carry in me. We even carry the possibility of life within us, not because we should do it or have to do it, but just because we are a magical bridge between life and not existing, between new life and the world. We are walking portals. It doesn’t surprise me that the world is scared of that. It’s incredibly magical.

I do have hope for the planet, for the world, as long as we don’t get too overstimulated by the internet. As long as we remember that we do exist here together and that our ability to care goes beyond just the people we know. We are all here together. It’s a very Western-world idea to only care about your own cloud. The world is hard to understand, but luckily I can make albums and try to understand it a bit better for myself.

#aurora #aurora aksnes #collaborations #sky children of the light #season of aurora #the gods we can touch #step 1 #ioadk #step 2

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visit-new-york · 1 year

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The Mall

Here are a few attractions and activities associated with the Central Park Mall:

Horse-Drawn Carriages: Visitors can often spot horse-drawn carriages offering rides along The Mall and other parts of Central Park. It's a charming and nostalgic way to explore the park while taking in the scenic beauty.

Public Art Installations: Central Park frequently hosts temporary art installations, and The Mall is no exception. These installations can include sculptures, art exhibitions, and interactive displays, adding an artistic dimension to the natural surroundings.

Cherry Blossom Season: In the spring, The Mall is a popular spot to admire the blooming cherry blossoms that line the pathway. The delicate pink and white blossoms create a stunning contrast against the green canopy of elm trees.

Wedding Photography: The Mall is a favorite location for wedding photography. Couples often choose this spot for its romantic ambiance and picturesque setting, with the tree-lined path providing a dreamy backdrop for their wedding photos.

Historical Lamp Posts: The Mall features distinctive cast-iron lamp posts with decorative scrollwork. These historic lamp posts contribute to the park's old-world charm and are especially enchanting when illuminated at night.

Birdwatching: Central Park is a haven for birdwatchers, and The Mall is no exception. The combination of trees and open space attracts a variety of bird species, making it an excellent spot for birdwatching.

Summer Performances: During the summer months, The Mall often hosts outdoor performances, including concerts, theater productions, and dance recitals. These events are a delightful way to enjoy culture in a natural setting.

Community and Social Gatherings: The Mall is a gathering place for various community and social activities. From picnics to group yoga sessions, it's a space where people come together to enjoy the outdoors and connect with one another.

Fall Foliage: In the fall, The Mall transforms into a canvas of vibrant autumn colors as the elm trees change their leaves. The sight of golden, orange, and red foliage makes it a must-visit destination for leaf peepers.

Quiet Reflection: Amidst the activities and events, The Mall also offers moments of quiet reflection. Many visitors come here to find solitude, read a book, or simply enjoy a peaceful pause from the demands of city life.

Accessibility: The Mall is wheelchair and stroller accessible, making it a welcoming space for visitors of all mobility levels. Its wide, paved pathway allows for easy navigation.

Winter Village: During the holiday season, Central Park often sets up a Winter Village near The Mall. This festive area includes an ice-skating rink, holiday market, and seasonal decorations, adding to the charm and festivity of the park during wintertime.

Educational Opportunities: The Mall's natural setting and historical significance provide opportunities for educational programs and guided tours. Visitors can learn about the park's history, ecology, and the significance of its design.

A Venue for Proposals: The Mall's romantic atmosphere and beautiful surroundings make it a popular spot for marriage proposals. Many couples choose this location to pop the question, creating lasting memories amid the natural beauty.

Historical Preservation: The Central Park Conservancy and other organizations are dedicated to the preservation and maintenance of The Mall and its surroundings. Their efforts ensure that this iconic feature remains a captivating destination for generations to come.

Artistic Inspiration: Artists and writers have long been drawn to The Mall for its inspirational setting. Many have found creative inspiration while sketching, painting, or writing beneath the canopy of trees.

Cross-Cultural Appeal: The Mall's design and ambiance transcend cultural boundaries, making it a beloved place for people from diverse backgrounds to appreciate nature and find solace in a bustling city.

Central Park Tours: Various guided tours of Central Park include stops at The Mall, providing participants with insights into the park's history, design, and natural elements.

Iconic Views: As you stroll down The Mall, you'll encounter several vantage points that offer stunning views of Central Park's landscapes, including the picturesque Bethesda Terrace and the Central Park Lake.

Recreation Opportunities: Beyond leisurely strolls, The Mall provides space for activities such as frisbee, yoga, and picnicking. It's a versatile location where visitors can engage in a wide range of recreational pursuits.

The Mall in Central Park continues to be a beloved and ever-evolving destination within this iconic urban park. Its ability to offer a unique experience in each season and its appeal to a broad range of interests make it a cherished and enduring part of the Central Park experience. Whether you're seeking natural beauty, cultural enrichment, or a tranquil escape, The Mall delivers an enchanting experience in the heart of New York City.

In conclusion, The Mall in Central Park is a multifaceted destination that caters to a wide range of interests and experiences. Its natural beauty, cultural significance, and seasonal transformations make it a beloved and enduring part of Central Park's charm, providing both New Yorkers and visitors with a tranquil and enchanting urban escape.

#The Mall #New York City #new york #newyork #New-York #nyc #NY #manhattan #urban #city #USA #buildings #visit-new-york.tumblr.com #Central Park

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7-dreamers · 1 year

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18 January 2023, Dreamcatcher Interview with VIBE Magazine

Q. This is a ‘Special’ digital single release. What did you do to make it ‘special’?

지유(JI U) : We made it special by making it about the reason Dreamcatcher could exist so far. From the moment of our birth, nobody can live alone. We need the help of others, we learn from the wisdom of others, and that allows us to be part of the world. Dreamcatcher also exists thanks to the hard work of so many people and the special love given to us from the InSomnias.

수아(SU A) : More than anything else, the fact that it’s a song for the InSomnias makes it special. Just imagine, someone could listen to it reminiscing over the journey we’ve been sharing. Doesn’t that make it special?

Q. The title of the song is ‘REASON’. What reason did you mean by it?

드림캐쳐(Dreamcatcher) : As you can see from the line ‘Cause you are the REASON’, it means that everything we’ve been through - Dreamcatcher’s 6th anniversary, the precious win, our contract renewals - was all for the fans. We thought it was the best way to express our gratitude.

Q. Lots of musicians express their gratitude and affection for their fans. Still, Dreamcatcher’s love for your fans seem to go a step further. What kind of bond do you have with your fans? What kind of energy do you get from them?

시연(SIYEON) : First off, they give us the strength to go on. Also, above everything, they make us better people. When I feel how loved I am, I find myself working even harder so that I can return that love many times over.

한동(HANDONG) : The InSomnias are more than fans to us, they’re like family. I think the love flows both ways in our case, and I know I was able to weather tough times and grow further thanks to the InSomnias.

Q. The song also commemorates your 6th anniversary. Looking back, what do you yourselves think of the last 6 years?

유현(YOOHYEON) : Sometimes I was peaceful and turbulent in others, but looking back, I was braver and shone more brightly than ever before. It’s my youth itself!

다미(DAMI) : It was like fire. It was intense enough to burn and hurt you, but I was able to be that passionate.

가현(GAHYEON) : Lots of tough times and happy times happened in the last 6 years. But being together made me happy!

Q. During the recording, how did each member interpret their part to bring out their own charm?

시연(SIYEON) : Personally, I got lots of parts that stretch outwards. So I vowed to use energetic rock vocal tones. It’s been a while since I used my head voice this much, so it was fun. Plus, since this is a fan song, I tried to sound dependable.

유현(YOOHYEON) : I utilized the rock vocal tones I learned from being Dreamcatcher to the maximum, and tried to invoke the overwhelming, diverse emotions that we experienced because this is telling our own story.

Q. The powerful rock aspect is one of the elements that set Dreamcatcher apart.The new song also contains intense rock sounds. What does the rock spirit mean to Dreamcatcher?

수아(SU A) : It broadened our musical horizons, and made us firmer on stage. Rock as a genre became our color, our strength - and it gives us a lot of energy on stage too.

다미(DAMI) : Rock spirit, to us, is the color. Every member has different music tastes, so we could mix in different genres with rock and create something uniquely ours.

Q. The song has a part that sounds like a crowd singing along to it in a rock festival. Imagine releasing a live version of the song, or performing the song with fans. How would you do it?

지유(JI U) : The song is incomplete. It will only be completed when we sing it with the InSomnias in a live performance!

한동(HANDONG) : I think it’s a song that everyone could enjoy at a concert. We would make the performance together, mixing in parts of our old choreographies!

가현(GAHYEON) : Especially for the encores. I want to sing along with everyone.

Q. Sometimes, the momentum you build up takes you to a completely different place than where you started from. As you said, as the fans are the energy source for Dreamcatcher, you could say the global fandom completes Dreamcatcher as an artist. From your current position, what is your new driving force, your goal moving forward?

수아(SU A) : ‘Just keep it as good as it was till now’ might sound bland, but even just keeping that takes a lot of effort. My goal is to keep giving people good music while communicating and supporting each other with the InSomnias - just like what we’ve done so far - for a long time to come.

시연(SIYEON) : Thank you for that sentiment! To be honest, I don’t think our goals have changed from the beginning. Showing our fans our best selves, becoming better singers, these are dreams that don’t have an end. As always, our energy is the InSomnias, our families and the members.

가현(GAHYEON) : I want our music to console and bring happiness to lots of people.

Q. Your music videos and visual content has been very consistent and very true to your team identity. Was there something you intended to really express in this new album?

드림캐쳐(Dreamcatcher) : Through happiness and through sadness, the InSomnias have always had our backs. Their endless love brought us this far, and the tower in the music video is an allegory of that journey. Dreamcatcher heads towards the top of the tower, and InSomnias offer to take our hands. That old friendship is symbolized by the 7 butterflies once seen in the ‘Fly High’ music video, one of our earlier songs.

Q. The great camaraderie and chemistry between Dreamcatcher members is also famous. Did you learn something again about each other or get a special story from the recording?

지유(JI U) : Before the recording, we talked to each other a lot about renewing our contracts. We learned once more just how deep and firm our love for the team and for each other was through that conversation. Our unified heart really shows itself in the music, I think.

한동(HANDONG) : In my part of the song, there’s a word that really moves me. That is ‘InSomnia’. I sang it thinking about the journey and the love we shared with the InSomnias.

유현(YOOHYEON) : Before we start recording, we get to hear the song to decide on how the parts will be divided. Because our members have been together for so long, we tend to speculate and discuss which part would suit which member the best. On this album, every member showed so much growth. They were so professional, beyond my expectations. That was amazing and admirable to see.

다미(DAMI) : There’s a group singing part in this song. When I was in the recording booth, I was listening to the recordings of the members who did it before me, and realized how alike we sounded. They say love makes people look alike, and I wondered if our voices were getting similar too.

Q. You are about to take your next step towards your next chapter. What does Dreamcatcher have planned next and what musical direction will you take?

드림캐쳐(Dreamcatcher) : Dreamcatcher has always tried new things and built new paths. We’ll continue to try different and new things so that we can keep bringing diverse acts forth and live up to the expectations. We will also include diverse messages in our music, continuing on our path as artists.

Source : VIBE Magazine

Translation by 7-Dreamers HojuneTL Please do not take translation without credit

#dreamcatcher #jiu #sua #siyeon #handong #yoohyeon #dami #gahyeon #ot7 #230118 #era: reason #t: interview #t: trans

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