Vincent Van Gogh // John Keats

a little bit ?

His own hands were firm and cool as he adjusted my mask for me, and then his own. “By Jove, old boy,” he whispered cheerily, “you look about the greatest ruffian I ever saw!” - A Costume Piece

im a day plus two weeks late but i thought it might b fun to start posting doodles along with each letter from bunny! accidentally fully lined and colored this one but yk how it goes

Ahem... Now that's Valentine's Day pray for Reader because their schedule for the day is packed.

The whole club organized soooo many activities or gift for them (and they fought at least 30 minutes for people's order)

Here's someone I thought about:

Breakfast prepared lovingly by our Cinnabae (Imagine a heart shaped pancakes something or like that)

Cuddles or a romantic dance with Hamel either in our dorm or hers

Afternoon with Bai Yi and karaoke (only for you two so she can show off her skills failing)

Lunch with Eirene and Dinner with Chelsea that rent a WHOLE restaurant for us (bonus point if they put some piano music on the background)

Spending the night with Stargazer looking and admiring her the starry sky

-🐾

HELP. POOR READER’S SCHEDULE IS SO JAM PACKED 😨

As an introvert, this is super intimidating but ykw, ILL DO IT FOR THE PTN WOMEN. I’m gushing over Cinnabar making Reader heart shaped pancakes tbh ��� I think she’d even drizzle some of the syrup/honey across the stack like a love arrow through the heart…

Also Eirene and Chelsea renting out a whole restaurant just for them and Reader is so extra, but they’d definitely do it. Same with Cabernet and the other rich women, though I can see Cabernet just skipping past dinner and devouring Reader instead for Valentine’s Day.

Besides that however, KARAOKE WITH BAI YI. Imagine her drunkenly singing you love songs while looking at you with that dumb, yet smitten look in her eyes. All the PTN women are just so…in love with you. You truly make them happy and they want to spend as much time with you as they can. (Before the other women get to you first)

When Carole Lombard tackled anything it was with all her heart and soul — and that's the way she fell for Clark Gable, in a way that could have been worked only by the miracle that makes hearts beat faster on Valentine's Day. Everyone who knew Carole loved her; everyone loved Gable, too — and when they loved each other it was a romance fit for the gods. - Hedda Hopper, "Three Loves That Thrilled the World" (Modern Screen, February 1949)

learn Chinese to open up new communication possibilities and strengthen the mind:❎

Learn Chinese to be able to read gay novels without translation problems:✅

with all the side quests the man has completed at this point, it’s a small wonder no one’s made a les miserables video game rpg where you play as jean valjean trying to accomplish various increasingly minor and buckwild tasks while avoiding the main plot with a passion

The whole discourse about the privacy/secrecy/support thing has been sitting with me for a few days (I mean other than it always does to a certain degree) thanks to all the excellent discussion happening and I know I'm not saying anything that hasn't been said a million times before, but I think what we're seeing and what we're going to learn (e.g. from TTPD) is that it wasn't just the support issue, but how it was shown/handled.

We've all gone out of our way to show that introversion =/= lack of support. Someone can be shy, reserved, etc. and still show up for their partner, whether in public or at home. To chalk any of the differences up to the clash between introversion and extroversion is unfair to folks who count themselves among either tbh.

@thisisctrying said something the other day that hit the nail on the head about how if that support had been offered in private, there very well may not have been a Joever to begin with, or at least not at this point in time. (Sorry for loosely paraphrasing, and for namedropping you! Long time listener, first time poster.)

If this were a case where the "shy" partner said, "I am really uncomfortable with the spotlight personally and do not want to court it, but I will support you in your ambitions and offer you whatever you need to make them happen and make the glare bearable," I suspect that would have gone a long way to making Taylor feel seen and comfortable in pursuing her goals in the way that she now has. Again, that might have been more akin to the balance that seemed to have been struck around 2019 from what we can see, but even speaking in a general sense, there are lots of couples out there, celebrity or not, that have similar approaches where there are highly driven people and busy careers involved.

(A famous example being Dolly Parton's marriage. Tbh I know next to nothing about her and Carl, but she's always heralded as an example in this regard, because her husband is famously uncomfortable with the spotlight and hasn't accompanied her to public events in decades, but she's said that she never minded that because that was always work to her, and what was important was that he supported her in pursuing all her career goals and basically ensured she had a place to call home to return to at the end of the day.)

We're kind of in a brave new world with her current relationship because it felt like, at least at the start, we were maybe watching her figure out her boundaries in real time as to what she was comfortable with or not and adjust accordingly. Like so many have said, I fully believe the extreme privacy thing was initially driven by herself and her experiences in 2016, and she needed that quiet time to recover from all of the things and figure out how to exist in the world again.

Stating the obvious, it seemed like eventually privacy was equated with secrecy, turning the relationship and the celebrity into the elephant in the room and something to never be spoken of to the outside world. People are free to choose whatever works best for themselves and their relationships, and for some the separate public lives might work, but the “kept me like a secret but I kept you like an oath” theme is all over her work and it’s clear that it’s a sore spot for her, because she’s been made to feel shame just for the life she leads so many times in the past.

What I’m trying to say is that it’s pretty obvious something Not Great was happening behind the scenes, which didn’t just amount to “she wanted to be a public celebrity and he wanted to be a private hermit.” (Also, in case anyone forgot, this is a person who also chose a public-facing career who also has to engage in press for it, but I digress.) As her career reached new heights post-folklore, if she had the support at home to do all the things without judgment and with encouragement, and in turn offer the same support to her partner, she may have very well lived just fine with that, not unlike Dolly Parton’s case.

By reading between the lines in all the press since, as well as comments on tour and general ~vibes~ with TTPD teasers, it seems like one of the issues was that that was likely not the case. There was all the stuff that we saw — the reticence to acknowledge each other in the media (particularly on one side), the lack of public support even at events at which they were both in attendance for their respective jobs, the great lengths they went to not to be photographed together at events they attended yet no problem taking pictures with other friends and coworkers, the jobs that separated them, the withdrawing from the public even for work accomplishments, etc. Which could all be manageable if a couple chooses to do so together and are not inherently a sign of trouble in themselves.

But what we’re seeing now I think is a reflection of the things we weren’t seeing then, and it seems to indicate some very deep hurt. (I know, call me Captain Obvious.) And like so many have been saying, it feels likely that that part of that hurt is rooted in that very lack of private support where a person would expect it from their partner. Obviously as a Taylor fan blog I’m going to be more inclined to understand her side of a story, but tbh, it’s also because… this is sooooooo common, and something I’ve experienced in my friend group. (@taylortruther is right when she says most breakups are the same one way or another lol.)

One partner is resentful of the other’s success, or resentful that the other’s priorities begin to evolve as new experiences unlock new goals, or feels the other’s ambitions are not worthy of pursuit, and coupled with perhaps their own struggles in the same domain, it’s easy to see where that can chip away at the other partner’s morale and faith in the relationship. I know I’m just speculating here, but I also don’t think it’s totally unfounded. (Again, because a) I’m picking up what she’s putting down and b) it happens to sooooooo many women even among us dull normals.)

With all the pointed mentions about how much Taylor feels supported in her current relationship and how she in turn loves to offer the same show of support to not only her partner but other loved ones, how she’s stepped out more in the last year to a whole host of events, how she’s mentioned feeling like she locked herself away for years and she’s just proud of her partner and happy she can show up for him even if the chaos around it is unsettling, it paints a picture of what perhaps was happening before last year.

To feel like you’re all alone in carrying the weight of the relationship (or burden of it), of twisting yourself into knots to accommodate the other person’s boundaries (or insecurities) but not feeling reciprocity for your own has to be so painful. (The idea that it may have been even darker and to have a partner not only be unreceptive to your own needs but even perhaps resentful/dismissive/belittling of them is even more painful to think of. I guess we’ll find out when TTPD comes out if that was the case, too.)

At a certain point, that lack of acknowledgement will force your hand to be able to reclaim yourself. And it feels like the further removed Taylor in particular is from it, the more she moves from being sad about the life she felt she gave up by leaving, to angry at the life she felt she was giving up by staying. Especially being in a relationship now where it seems like everything comes much easier, where she can be open about the person she’s with and show up for them, all the stuff that seemed as challenging as climbing Mount Everest in her past is nothing more than a molehill at best in her current life.

TL;DR: I don’t think it’s privacy that inherently spells doom for a celebrity relationship like this; it’s the mutual support and respect that does. If Taylor had felt that in the later years of her previous relationship, I think we could be seeing a different, though not necessarily unfulfilled, person right now in 2024, who’d be happy on tour but whose personal life would look a little different. But it seems like by losing that support she lost parts of herself, and we’ve seen her reclaim that in spades in the last year, and perhaps to degrees she didn’t even realize she could from before all the Bad Stuff started happening in her young adulthood.

I know this was extremely long-winded and unnecessary, especially about total strangers we only know through scraps fed through the media, but I just always bristle at this idea that issues like these boil down to “personality differences,” as though one person wants to live in a city and the other on a remote island, or some shit like that. The whole support (and gender tbh) issue is one that’s just very close to my heart because again, I have seen it play out with so many of my friends in long term relationships and marriages and I just think people in relationships (and women in particular in some circles) deserve better than to feel like they’re being, well, tolerated.

Okay my crack theory for Lucy’s god situation:

What if instead of dying Lucy’s god became an archfey and fucked off, forsaking all of their followers. I could see that as justifiable for a minor god—maybe you don’t want your personality and existence to be dependent on a group of people small enough for a really big hurricane to wipe them out. Maybe you want to try your hand at self actualization, which you can’t really do as a god. Whatever.

But that would still mean Lucy’s grades would be screwed for the year, and the whole group would be switched to pass/fail.

Whatever god they’re trying to bring back seems like they want to stay a god, but would also only have a single living cleric so their nature would be heavily influenced by who that cleric is, and could still be controlled. Bringing back an established dead god with living followers probably reduces the risk of the god immediately dying or completely sucking ass/not being powerful like what happened with YES!(?), and we know the Ratgrinders LOVE minimizing risk. And choosing a dead god that represents something Lucy is actually passionate about preaching and proselytizing would make her work as a cleric much easier for her emotionally than, say, switching to Helio and just going through the motions, and bringing back a god would probably look good on college resumes.

Idk, that’s just an alternative theory to Lucy’s god dying based on what’s been established this season.

Ooh so close🤏🏼

Till this day I don’t understand how he didn’t figured it out on his own🤦🏻‍♀️

you ever realize you never properly learned how to say a character's name, so by the time you finally HEAR it, you have no idea who they're talking about? cause I feel like I keep doing this and it's very confusing to keep being corrected like that

I think there should be a little app on your phone or a magic journal and every time a friend or loved one thinks something nice about you it should get written in there just for you automatically no matter how far apart you are.

ok no im so tired but ive had this Thing a Laughingstock Concept Thing in my Brain for Days Now and its.... basically what if Barnaby adopted a lil caterpillar. like it's not sapient or anything its literally A Wriggly Puppet Prop. but he finds it in his home and it reminds him of Howdy and he keeps it. he carries it everywhere. he treats it so tenderly and names it and everything. his delusional smitten subconscious is like "omg... mine & howdy's <3" he and Howdy are not even together at this point

so Barnaby cares for this lil caterpillar and Howdy ends up getting attached as well, because he's on the same shit as Barnaby. and eventually the lil caterpillar pupates, and they watch over the chrysalis So Excited to see what lil wormie will look like as a butterfly. and it emerges and they're so proud and weirdly emotional. the butterfly takes off on its first flight and lands on a flower patch

just in time for Eddie to trip and fall on the patch, instantly crushing it And the butterfly

This one’s for farm Clexa (and I’m sorry if it’s been asked/answered before) but!!! What was their reaction seeing the baby for the first time in an ultrasound? And what was their reaction when they got to listen to that tiny lil heartbeat for the first time?

Lexa and Clarke have been very patient when it comes to having children. They always knew they would not be able to provide a lavish lifestyle for their kids, but they knew they had enough to bring up a baby happy, clothed and feed. And when the time to finally make that baby dream become a reality it was like they had been waiting for years - nearly five at that point, from the moment they got married.

The moment the pregnancy test showed a positive, Clarke was calling her mom and telling her to make the appointment. Clarke sobbed the moment the ultrasound technician said "here they are". It was a blob on screen, barely human but its theirs. Lexa stares at the screen with tears in her eyes, amazed that little life is growing inside of her - finally. She barely takes her eyes off of it when Clarke kisses her forehead. Their little baby. Theirs.

Even with the scans in hand tho, it is hard to believe the small dot on the screen is their baby. It feels surreal. It doesn't feel real. No matter how much Clarke kisses her tummy or how much Lexa caresses her still flat stomach, it is not until the heartbeat scan that it finally hits them that their baby is here.

The clinic in town is always calm. Lexa, with her slight dislike for doctors, seems to enjoy it this way. She's much calmer, anxious with the prospect of hearing the baby's heartbeat, but she feels at ease. Clarke, on the other hand, paces the room like a ball of energy, and did Lexa not share her excitement, she would have been annoyed with her wife. Instead, she rubs her barely there yet bump, slowly growing accustomed to the thought of their baby growing there.

The technician makes small talk, one Clarke participates in far more than Lexa, who offers only nods and the ocasional smile. Anxiety building, as the desire of hearing the baby's heartbeat mixed with concern that something could be wrong grows.

They check, moving around Lexa's stomach. Their baby is bigger. Oh how bigger they've gotten. And stronger too. Lexa smile only grows as the technician praises the baby's growth, how everything is exactly as it should be. Clarke's face red from smiling, this proud look on her face as she looks between her wife and how wonderful she's been so far and their baby on the screen.

"Want to hear the heartbeat?"

There is a deafening silence in the room as the ultrasound machine picks up the heartbeat. And then, it's there. Filling the room with the rhythmic tu tum. Over and over again. And then, a muffled sob. Lexa's hand on her mouth as she tries to no interrupt the sound of their baby's heartbeat, but she can not stop herself. Clarke, crying too, of course, it's all she ever does when she steps into this room, cradles her pregnant wife's face, and kisses her. One her forehead, on her cheek, on her nose, on her jaw. On her lips.

"That's our baby, my love. That's our little angel." Clarke whispers to Lexa, who can't do more than nod as she cries, smiling as she looks between Clarke and the screen, so much love and adoration in her heart she feels like she might just explode.

Before they leave, Abby forces them to take a Doopler with them. For the next few days, every down moment that used to be filled with the radio or silence is instead filled with the sound of little Madi's heartbeat, as Lexa and Clarke cant do much more than marvel at the little life they made.

You have managed to come up with a fic where you get to play around with as many F1 duos as your heart desires. Which is your favorite? Is it also your favorite to write about?

Anon you've got me there because how am I supposed to choose? As Icarus now stands it has covered platonic Maxiel, Charlos, Brocedes, Slagclaren, Princess Cake, Dando, Carlando, Galex, Yukiel, Sebdan, Martian, Sewis, Valewis, Webbonso, and Buttonso, and that's not to mention dozens of other references to other driver duos.

I think my favourite to write is somewhere in between the top five there but in the end what makes F1 so fun to write about is this:

That is your teammate. That is supposed to be the first guy you beat; your closest enemy. But your closest enemy eats with you; you laugh with them and spend more time with them than your own family. You are one of twenty drivers who can drive the fastest cars in the world. Nobody understands what it is like to drive a current season Formula One car except those nineteen others. But the only one who understands what it is like to drive your car is your teammate. The only one who can understand you is your teammate. But they are supposed to be your enemy. In Icarus Maxiel says I would rather not be your teammate than to hate you. Charlos says I would rather be your teammate even when everyone else says I should hate you. Princess Cake says we might not have been teammates but we understand what it is to have been hurt and loved by Lewis Hamilton. Slagclaren says we were teammates, but I (Jenson) knew I could never be what he was to you. Brocedes is I missed you more than I hated you, and I realised this too late.

So how, Anon, am I supposed to choose?

“i don’t know how you guys live with yourselves.” “one day at a time.” it’s always sunny in philadelphia - season 1