#i took like an entire day with three breaks to type this whole thing out *is dying* | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

akkivee · 5 months

Text

there was an interview with the bat seiyuu in this magazine and i finally sat down to read it (almost two months after its release *wheezes*) and here were the highlights!!!!

it’s basically the whole thing so buckle in lol

upon being asked how they felt about bat’s anime debut, all three of them revealed they were certain they would have had a last episode cameo LOL

sakakihara-san even gave us what he thought the dialogue would be lmao so there was a lot of disappointment when they were told only rei was making a s1 appearance

needless to say, they are very happy bat’s now in rhyme anima lol

they were asked how their impressions of the characters has shifted over the years!!!

hayama-san responded when he first played kuukou, he got the sense he was a massive brat lol but that bad attitude of his stemmed from his understanding of the world. kuukou’s mellowed as the story progressed and had him experience more, eg establishing his teacher-pupil relationship with jyushi, and now understands how to navigate others weaknesses with tolerance and warmth

he’s still childish and still has a high perception of the world and that clash is where kuukou’s energy stems from. he’s at a crossroads between youth and maturity so to say

hayama recalls recording for kuukou’s first radio where he was a lot more mature, and then moving to chaser from the past, the track where he invades fragrance, and how hard it was adjusting mentalities LOL

harmonious cooperation really drove home for hayama-san that kuukou was the sun tho!!!!

that strength and energy that opens and paves the way is how sakakihara-san and takeuchi-san can tell he’s the leader

on that note, hayama-san mentions he’s never seen kuukou’s weaknesses. compared to jyushi and hitoya, we know next to nothing about kuukou’s past besides that he reached a point higher in his asceticism than his father and hopes to see everything leading up to it someday

for sakakihara-san, he was told jyushi was a crybaby and assumed he was a weak person. but once he learned about jyushi’s past, he realised that even tho he does cry, he’s still able to assert his feelings and doesn’t back down from anything, so jyushi actually has a very strong heart

jyushi sings in moonlight shadow, ‘i bask in the spotlight’s growing brilliance, in seizing a mic, anyone can become a hero’ and with that lyric, sakakihara-san understood jyushi may have a very tragic past but there’s a very strong flame burning inside him and he’s able to illuminate others with that light

bat’s come a long way and sakakihara-san finds comfort that jyushi’s around people who can laugh and joke around with him and will continue to strengthen his heart with them

takeuchi-san says jyushi is blessed to have so many good people around him, including his band members, which triggers sakakihara-san to start thanking the both of them, esp after takeuchi-san mentions it was hitoya who introduced kuukou and jyushi to each other lmao

and speaking of hitoya!!!! takeuchi-san felt he’s been mature since the beginning and thinks it’s cool that he talks to kuukou and jyushi like they’re equals. but he likes to compete against them sometimes so he’s got a very childish side to him lol

lately, hitoya’s dark and sordid past, his childhood hobbies, have been targeted as a joke and takeuchi-san is absolutely amused by it lmao

hayama-san brings up ‘amaguni the magic king’ and ‘amaguni moon’ from arb and takeuchi feels hitoya’s being bullied a bit lol but it adds to his charm!!!!

when it comes to dubbing the anime versus the drama tracks, all three of them are cognisant of pacing

in the drama tracks, for example, when jyushi is in vkei mode, sakakihara-san is allowed to take his time to croon out his flowery words but in the anime he does have to fit everything he says in a set amount of time

now that he has pictures and movements to match, sakakihara-san was trying to make those words flow with what jyushi does, rather than what he imagines jyushi does by nature of the drama tracks, while maintaining the vibe of what jyushi’s saying. there was some trial and error involved trying to get it right

it’s the same for takeuchi-san and he appreciates getting to see hitoya’s hand movements as he does his two thing bit lol

they were then asked if there was any directorial direction that stood out to them and they didn’t really receive any!!! takeuchi-san commented there were more cases where staff consulted them about their characters

the interviewer said it’s probably because the characters are embedded into them by this point but hayama-san laughingly thinks they still have a long way to go before they can say that lol

he says this but follows up with, it does make him happy that when he’s reading something and questions if this is something kuukou would do; it means he has a good understanding of kuukou as a character

they start talking about episode three!!!! the episode exists as ‘the strawberry episode’ in hayama-san’s head LOL

hayama-san is happy to see kuukou interacting with the locals (and loves that the old ladies call him ‘kuu-chan’ lol) and takeuchi-san comments it’s neat that they all spoke with nagoya accents!!! bat doesn’t really speak with the nagoya accent and it’s also very rare for anime to have characters that do, so that makes him happy as someone who grew up in aichi prefecture

sakakihara-san liked how so many of bat’s charms and elements were condensed into one episode!!! with jyushi, tho he was being picked on by the antagonists, he liked how the episode highlighted the trials jyushi’s gone thru to make him strong enough to lend a helping hand to belial

hayama-san comments that ever since the battle between bat and mtr, he thinks bat’s appeal is that, just as we witnessed with jyushi and belial, they take your hand and pull you up when you’re at your lowest to give you the strength to stand up on your own

whether it’s the hand that’s offered or the hand that receives it, they are joined and will walk as equals and as friends. bad ass temple guides others by building relationships with them, hayama-san said

the interviewer was particularly charmed by hitoya telling jyushi ‘friends you make when you’re young stick with you whole your life’ and so was takeuchi-san. he feels hitoya mentioned this because of his relationship with jakurai, with all its turbulence they’ve still come back to together

the interviewer then brought up ichiro and kuukou’s past as naughty busters!! hayama-san said kuukou’s relationship with ichiro is something that’s been forged stronger than what he has with jyushi and hitoya so there’s a lot of trust kuukou places in ichiro. takeuchi-san said they have the kind of vibe where because they’re former teammates, they can understand each other without saying anything and hayama-san agrees

hayama-san feels mcd and nb have a similar connection and when the four of them got together, ichiro and kuukou kinda had their own little bubble. the interviewer thought ichiro and kuukou’s conversation, where kuukou asked why didn’t ichiro call him and ichiro’s asking if he really needed to (and ofc he didn’t) had that atmosphere and that conversation honestly made hayama-san swoon with how smooth and natural it was lol

when asked about their thoughts about sanity, the insert rap, hayama-san initially felt it was similar to rip but that opinion changed after listening to the demo. sanity, to him, felt similar to a division all stars song where he doesn’t sing in kuukou’s style in order to bring out the harmony of the song. sakakihara-san also takes in account to how much of jyushi’s vkei style he should put in songs like division all stars songs

takeuchi-san also found himself considering the harmony in sanity and didn’t go hard on the volume for his parts as he would with other songs

takeuchi-san feels like sanity has a very strong kuukou influence and after hayama-san listened to the whole thing, he felt excited thinking about how to maintain bat’s individualities when performing it live

next up was next stage!! all the artists who wrote for each individual team has done so in past songs and moroha’s afro, who gave us kaigen, returned for next stage. hayama-san was very happy to work with him again

the part in jyushi’s verse, where he goes ‘guided by the sky, protected by the heavens’ and onwards was a bit of a struggle for sakakihara-san to portray jyushi’s feelings like he wanted to. he kept asking for retries to get the vibe he wanted

hayama-san felt the same since kuukou’s thanks in the song isn’t something kuukou really does. kuukou’s not one to be shy or embarrassed so he did multiple takes in order to portray the warmth afro intended when writing those lyrics

takeuchi-san comments that with an artist like afro, it’s really hard to come in after listening to his demo and making his style of music work with their characters. hayama-san followed that with it’s because afro’s music is one that pierces the heart of the listener, himself included, so he’s immediately at the ready to do what he needs to in order to preserve that whilst playing kuukou, hence the multiple takes

and now rise from dead!!! it’s a song with a lot momentum, very fitting for rhyme anima!!!! that momentum is what made the song fun for takeuchi-san

sakakihara-san enjoyed getting to sing for his verses and hayama-san felt like nagoya’s part could be summed up as, kuukou bringing the breakneck speed, jyushi’s like a dance and hitoya wraps it up with a crash

the interviewer then commented it felt like the three of them got along with each other very well. but had their impressions of each other changed over the years??

hayama-san doesn’t think so but takeuchi-san Has Words About That (and hayama-san and sakakihara-san start laughing LOL)

they’ve gotten less shy around him and hayama-san teasingly tells him that’s because he’s spoiled them rotten by letting them get away with everything, with sakakihara-san chiming in, ‘papa!!💜’

naturally he wasn’t as comfortable with them when they first met, they were strangers, but as they hung out together more, he felt he could let go of walls and manners around them. this makes sakakihara-san giggle💜

hayama-san takes the time to apologise to takeuchi-san, he feels like he’s been taking it too far lately and takeuchi-san calls him a liar LOL

the interviewer asks them what they think their appeal is as performers and hayama-san and takeuchi-san both went, ‘destructive power probably????’

takeuchi-san thinks they’re like, A Lot, whenever they perform together lmao

hayama-san, from day one, has set out to destroy the atmosphere the og divisions set lmao in a breaking barriers way. takeuchi-san honestly feels like he will every time he takes stage and sakakihara-san feels the same way watching the both of them lol

takeuchi-san feels like there may be a sense of friendly rivalry between the three of them as they all try to find ways to shatter glass ceilings with every live and each of them trying to take that momentum higher

hayama-san agrees and says one way they can do that is to bring a gold sachihoko on stage like the way mtr brings palm trees out for papillon

takeuchi-san tells the interviewer hayama-san has been asking for this for a while lol

sakakihara-san also relays to the interviewer that he’s been trying to manifest this for them by speaking it into existence lmao

the interviewer laughs at them and asks about 8th live stories. sakakihara-san starts giggling and upon takeuchi-san asking why, he brings up the shinkansen pic story and hayama-san and takeuchi-san missing their cues. he is very determined to never let them live it down lmao

the interviewer finally asked for their final words!!!

takeuchi-san comments the rhyme anima story seems to be pushed along by those being controlled against their will. it’s been handled lightheartedly but will the story take a darker turn?? tune in!!!!

sakakihara-san commented tho the episodes as of now are solo division focused, there will be a time when viewers can watch and enjoy the chemical reactions that happen once the divisions start to mingle. please enjoy the story impacts all of the characters!!!

hayama-san says finally nagoya and osaka are in the anime. do look forward to seeing all 18 people come together, what conversations they’ll have, what kind of atmosphere it creates and how the characteristics of each person stands out. kuukou and ichiro have more conversations, so if you enjoy naughty busters, please look forward to it!!!

#this is vee speaking #if you made it to the end kudos but also thanks lmao #i took like an entire day with three breaks to type this whole thing out *is dying*#lol i don’t have anymore to add except do buy the magazine the bat seiyuu are playing jenga in their photos and it’s adorable 🥹🥹🥹#also the last few sections where they were all talking about each other and gassing each other up made me so happy lol #i especially enjoyed them reflecting how far their relationship has come #hayama: hmmm i don’t think anything’s changed (⬅️ the problem)#takeuchi: now you listen here— (⬅️ the victim LOL)#i enjoyed reading this but you know what would have made it better???? if i got to watch—

34 notes · View notes

eaglyn · 7 months

Text

Because you stuck around | Gojo Satoru x reader college au

Summary: you had been Gojo's only die-hard loyal friend in his so far twenty years of life, but it took saving him from a quarter-life crisis for him to finally admit to you just how precious you were to him Not proofread bc we're lazy Decided to switch it up a little from the usual Genshin stuff

You first met the man child when he was only a child, as your parents were great friends of his parents, which meant you two would get a whole lot of play dates as kids.

Whenever he looked into your eyes even back then, you felt like you were frozen in place by those radiant blues. There was also something about the way he looked at you, and only you. For a while you felt as if you weren't the only one who's stomach filled with butterflies when you gazed at one another.

Eventually, he got older and achieved a great amount of fame via all his amazing accomplishments, and also good looks. While he never had a weird phase in puberty regarding looks, he definitely did have a personality change.

All the praise went to his head, so much so that whenever he talked to you, it was always just about how awesome he was. In middle school, he had his own little cult, or gang of devoted followers, who by themselves could be considered the cool kids, but only when Satoru wasn't around.

He turned into one of the most insufferable of egotistical bullies, but he didn't bully you, and you stuck around. You always did.

In high school, you two went to separate high schools that were on the same street, right across from one another. Girls from your school would often sneak into his school during lunch break just to get a glimpse of him in the flesh, while you just rolled your eyes at the whole situation.

Still, you were there if he ever needed to boast about all the love letters he had received that week, or tell someone about all the details of his new girlfriend. You stuck around, even though it was a type of thankless devotion. It was a well known fact that you were his only long time good friend, so while many girls envied you and stared daggers at you in the halls or on the streets, other girls did anything they could to be friends with you, just to get information about Satoru.

You'd be lying if you said you weren't at least a little bit happy with your popularity.

Things changed when you two reached college. Both you and Satoru moved across the country to attend a prestigious college. During the first year, he got to live in his very own three bedroom mansion, while you just shared a dorm with three other girls, which you didn't mind, but it wasn't exactly luxury.

Your friendship was only being held together by the feelings you still had left for him after all this time, as now, he barely even talked to you anymore. He was way too caught up in his lavish lifestyle, blasting mountains of money on girls and partying each week, and steadily failing all his classes at the same time.

Still, you stuck around and watched over him from afar, but you could only roll your eyes and shake your head at what he was doing with his life. That brings you to this summer.

You had the highest grades from your entire year in your college, while it wasn't hard to guess that Satoru's were the lowest. You became quite popular, as many people asked you to help them with things they didn't understand, as well as just taking advice from you in general.

You'd never have expected a depressed looking Gojo Satoru to approach you one day, asking for help with dark circles around his eyes, messed up hair and clothes, and a look in his eyes that indicated a mental breakdown. Still, the way he looked at you was the same as back then.

"Y/n... can you please help me improve my grades? If I continue like this, I'll be kicked out. Please, I'll do anything." He said to you. If it were any other person with his lifestyle begging for help, you may have just laughed in their face and told them to change life paths entirely, but it was Satoru. You could only nod and offer a comforting hug.

You contacted his parents regarding his issues, and while they were furious at him, they couldn't stop thanking you for sticking around and helping him. They arranged for you to stay at his college house from now on, just so you could keep a closer eye on him as you two worked through his quarter life crisis together.

By the time you reached Christmas, his grades had improved majorly, and he was a completely changed person. He had gotten back his cheerful, bubbly personality that you once knew him for, and while he wasn't blatantly rude and egotistical, he continued to play into the act, partially as a joke, and also because old habits die hard. And you were the one to thank for this change for him, because as always, you stuck around.

This was his first time in so many years that he didn't spend Christmas partying, but instead with you, and only you, enjoying all the amazing foods you made, and otherwise curling up on the couch with you as you two binged movies.

You don't even know how many romcoms you two had gone through the past couple days, but while it was entertaining, you couldn't help but envy the people in those movies, always getting their happily ever after with the one they love, while you were just here, raising a man child that you had been in love with since you were two.

Little did you know that when you'd be opening your present from him on Christmas Eve, you'd find amongst all the amazing things he bought you, a hand-written letter, and that he'd be watching you anxiously as you opened and read it, praying to everything both up above and down below that you wouldn't react by ripping it up and tossing it on the floor.

My dear Y/n, This is my 89th attempt at writing this letter, but I'm afraid if I tried to tell you what I want to say in outspoken words, it would be even worse than this. Please don't hate me. I want to confess to you something that I was too scared to say out loud, so here goes. I know I might have never shown it, but I've loved you ever since we were just little kids. I know I was a really bad friend to you growing up, but you always continued to stick around, no matter how insufferable I got. I could never understand it. I was the one who was famous, the one who was deemed perfect by everyone on the outside, but it was you who turned out so amazing, while I just became a wreck, leaving you, the only one who stuck around after all this time, to fix me. I'm eternally grateful for everything you've done for me, and I wish I could repay you. I wish that some day you could find it in you to reciprocate my love for you, but even if you can't, I will always wait for you, just as you did for me, as a way of paying off my debt. Keep in mind that I've never actually confessed to anyone, as I never truly loved anyone that I've been with in the past, though you probably knew that by yourself. With sincere love, Satoru. P.S. I hope you didn't die of cringe by the time you reached the end of this.

You giggled as you read the line on the bottom of the paper, looking up at Satoru afterwards, and he seemed like a lost puppy with a begging look in his eyes. Even the time he came asking for your help, he didn't look like he was so hopeful.

"I didn't die of cringe, as you can see." You said with a smirk on your face, taking all of his constipated facial expression in as you kept eye contact for a long time period.

"...and?" He broke the silence after about fifteen seconds, gulping right after.

"I love you too, you idiot." You said, catching him as he practically flew into your arms. You had been waiting for this moment for way too long.

He leaned down and softly pressed his lips against yours, stealing your breath for a short time before pulling away after a few seconds. His cocky persona had returned.

"Why did I ever have my doubts? I'm awesome!" He said, making you giggle.

"What a man child." You shook your head before kissing him again, just enjoying the romcom moment you had been desiring for so long.

#jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu gojo #anime #confessions #reader insert #female reader #college #college life #romance #first kiss #gojo satoru #gojo x reader #jjk gojo #childhood friends #fluff #fanfic

159 notes · View notes

idrkwhatthisisimsorry · 9 months

Text

Flying to Italy pt. 2

Description: Y/N finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her with her best friend, and decides to take the trip she had planned with him to Italy anyways, but alone. But she meets Harry along the way, and so it goes... Does she decide to stay with Harry, or is it too soon and too fast? Or will she forgive her boyfriend? Only time will tell.

Warnings: nothing, really! Just Harry

Word count: 2K

Masterlist

A/N: heyyy!! new part. I hope you guys like it, nothing really crazy happens, but Harry's finally here, stuff is going to be picking up soon, so stay tuned!

I spent the next couple days trying to get everything in order so I wouldn't be stressed out of my mind on this trip. It was supposed to be a month of relaxing by the pool, on the beach, in cafes, etc. And now I was going to have to figure out how to not cry the entire time I was there.

I met up with Collin to let him know what was going on. I didn't want to have to be the person to break the news to him, because no one wants to hear that kind of news, but I though better to hear it from me, someone who just went through the same exact thing with the same people, rather than hear it from Lily who probably would've fed him some kind of lie to portray the situation in her favor.

He was extremely heartbroken, which I knew was going to happen. We honestly both just cried together in shock about the whole situation, and he decided he was going to cut ties with her as well. I told him I was going to go on that Italy trip anyways, and he was more than welcome to come with me, but he didn't want to be reminded of what that trip was going to mean for him, so it looked like it was going to be me alone on that trip.

...

The past few days had been exhausting. I would be fine one minute, and then just break down crying the next. It's not easy losing your best friend and you boyfriend all in the same day, and it was really difficult coming to that realization and trying to cope with it. So being in the airport just three days later, knowing I was going to be on a flight from LA to Italy for about the next twelve hours was not a calming thought. I was probably going to sit next to some stranger that smelled funny the entire time, instead of who was supposed to be my loving boyfriend.

The second I got on the plane I put my AirPods in, blasting Fleetwood Mac as loud as I could, and put a sleeping mask on. I was going to sleep on this flight for as long as I possibly could to try and one the world out.

And I was very successful in doing that. Almost the very second that sleeping mask was on, I was passed out. I couldn't hear a thing, and I was happy I achieved my goal. Until suddenly, I feel someone nudging my shoulder. I couldn't hear or see them, all I could feel was them pushing on my shoulder a few times until I finally regained my consciousness. I took off my sleeping mask and took out one earbud on the side of the person who was annoying me. "What?" I said, groggily and annoyed. I immediately regretted it once I looked over and saw who it was. It was Harry fucking Styles. Holy shit. "So sorry to bother you, but they're bringing the food cart around and you've been asleep for quite some time, and I just wanted to make sure you didn't miss out on the food in case you wanted some." He said, anxiously, not wanting to upset me further. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you, thank you. Just been a rough week." I said, chuckling, and then turning to the flight attendant as she brought around the food cart, asking me my preferences.

We both ate in silence next to each other, and it killed me not being able to immediately text Lily who I was sitting next to. She was the biggest One Direction and Harry fan ever since we were teenagers. Anytime anything happened with Harry, I knew. I wasn't as big of a fan as her, not because I don't like his music or anything, because I do, but because I'm just not much of a fangirl type of person like she is. I was nervous to break the silence and say anything to him, but he got rid of that fear for me, and spoke up before I got the courage to.

"Rough week, huh?" He asked, a small smile on his face. "Oh, you really don't want to hear about it, it's kind of a lot." I said, looking down, kind of shy, because I didn't want the first time I ever spoke to Harry Styles to be me telling him about how my boyfriend cheated on me with my best friend. "I've heard just about everything, and we do have like six more hours left of this flight, I don't know how many more movies I can watch." He says, with a bright smile on his face. "Okay, fine. I'll tell you. But only if you tell me why you're on a commercial flight to Italy first." I say smiling. "That's an easy one. I don't have my own personal private jet. I have one that I use but it's not only mine, and it was in use today, but I really wanted to go to Italy, so I just booked the first first class flight I could find, and luckily there was a cancellation on this seat and I took it." He said, hesitating before he said the next thing, "I'm assuming that has a reason to do with why it's been a rough week?" I groaned a bit before looking at him to say, "Possibly... Ugh, you are going to be the first person I'm actually telling about this, so... who knows. But uh, basically I was supposed to go on this trip this month with my boyfriend, my best friend, and her boyfriend." I said, pausing so I wouldn't start crying in front of Harry Styles. He looked at me, weirdly supportingly, and said, "What happened? I get it, you don't know me, you don't have to tell me if you really don't want to. I can watch a few more movies. But if you want to tell me, I'm all ears." "Basically, I caught them hooking up in a bar bathroom like four days ago. My best friend of twenty years and my boyfriend of ten. I had to break the news to her boyfriend, who is also one of my best friends. They all canceled their tickets, but I've been wanting to come to Italy for years, and I thought it might be a good way to get my mind off of everything. We'll see. A lot of the stuff I planned for us to do was like specifically couple stuff, so I'm pretty much just going to be winging it the whole time I'm there, which isn't exactly comforting in a city I've never been before, but we'll see!" I say, the last part sarcastically.

It's gotten to the point in the breakup where I'm more bitter than anything. Yeah, I lost my boyfriend and my best friend, but clearly they're very shitty people. It just sucks having lost both of the people I talked to more than anyone else in the world at the same time. "Holy shit, it sounds like a rough week. They're assholes, I'm so sorry. Italy's amazing, though, you'll find fun solo things to do. I'm here solo, it's a fun place to be." He said, trying to be encouraging, but I wasn't a millionaire who could just rent my own private yacht and find fun things to do as easily as he could. "Thanks, it's just weird, they've been my whole life, and now they're not. Like for instance, Lily, my best friend, would have already gotten a text that I was on a plane right next to Harry Styles, she happens to be obsessed with you. Obsessed. And not in the healthy way, not that there's a healthy way. But now I have to just keep it to myself. And Jackson, too. She roped him into her obsession with you. Sorry, now I sound kind of like a crazy fan. I didn't scream when I saw you, though, you have to give me that." He stared at me, kind of looking like he was trying to hold back laughter. "You're not obsessed with me too? I would've bet money on it from the way you looked at me when I woke you up." He said, laughing bit as he said it. "Okay, I'm not going to say obsessed, but I have been told everything about you via Lily. And I do enjoy your music. But don't flatter yourself, I'm more of a Fleetwood Mac kind of girl." He throws his head back in laughter in response to my words. "Oh really? So I mean, you've got to be a little obsessed. You know everything about me! But, I understand the Fleetwood Mac thing. You were listening to them on repeat. Uh, I'm actually planning on meeting up with Stevie tonight a little after we get there, you're totally welcome to come if you want. I'm sure she'd love to meet you, and you seem chill enough." He said, a little too nonchalantly. I was not going to respond the same way. "Oh my god, are you serious? Are you seriously inviting me to meet Stevie Nicks? Oh my god. Sorry sorry sorry. I am chill. I swear. I can be chill. I would absolutely love to come if all that I just said didn't change your mind." I said, way too fast to be a chill response. He just laughed. "You're good, I'd love to have you there."He said, smiling at me.

...

The rest of the flight was like a fever dream. Me and Harry talked the entire time. About pretty much anything and everything. I talked a little too much about Lily and Jackson, probably, but Harry listened to everything I had to say, and completely hated them by the end of the flight.

After we got our baggage and went to the car pickup station, I began to order an uber to the nearest hotel to try and see if I could get a room, because we cancelled our big two-room suite, and I needed just a regular one room one now, but Harry turned to me and said, "Hey, you don't need to order an uber, I have a driver, I can give you a ride to your hotel if you'd like. Where are you staying?" He asked me. "Oh, I don't know yet. We were all supposed to stay in a hotel together, but now that it's just one of us instead of four we cancelled it, so I was just gonna try and find a hotel." He looked shocked when I said that, so I raised an eyebrow in question. "Oh, you can't be serious! Finding a last minute hotel in Italy is not a good idea, you're going to get overcharged like crazy because you're a foreigner." He said, looking genuinely worried. "Well didn't you book your trip last minute? What were your plans to get a hotel exactly?" I asked, putting a hand on my hip. "I don't need a hotel, I have a house here. I have like fifteen guest rooms. You're staying in one, not some shitty last minute hotel." He said, very matter-of-factly. "Oh my god, Harry, you absolutely do not need to do that, I'll be fine. What if I was psycho? What if this was some whole act and I actually am a crazy fan and you just invited me into your house? I'm supposed to be here for a whole month!" I said. "Well I guess I'm just going to have to take that risk, then," He said, looking over to a large black SUV pulling up to us, "Oh look, there's the car. Come on let's go. I give really good tours."

197 notes · View notes

sfehvn · 5 months

Text

the apprentice

Description: AU- An ambitious criminal justice major undertakes an internship at, arguably, the most noteworthy law firm in the country. Things don't go as she plans, as the title of intern to Astarion Ancunin is synonymous with personal assistant, apparently.

A/N: I've been so all over the place with what I'm working on writing-wise, but this has been deep in my drafts and I figured I'd set it loose. I was reading '30 Days' by Astarionhq on A03 and really took inspiration for my own modern twist on an Astarion/Tav love story. I linked their story above; please check it out! Also my obsession with the whole 'enemies to lovers' trope is totally not apparent, psh. There will be a lot of pining and eventual smut. I'll include content warnings in individual chapters if any apply. Enjoy!

Rating: M (18+ minors DNI)

Word count: 4,595 Characters: au!Astarion x fem!au!Tav

━─━────༺༻────━─━

Beep.

The shrill sound prompted you to pull the heavy comforter over your head, willing away the sunbeams shining obnoxiously through your window. You groan as your hand smacks the wood of the nightstand haphazardly in a desperate attempt to stop the godawful noise coming from the alarm clock. Relief floods your senses as it finally ceases. You close your eyes and are on the precipice of sleep until realization dawns on you.

Fuck.

You had already snoozed the alarm three times prior. Meaning you were going to be royally late. With adrenaline pumping through your veins, you toss the warm blankets off you and bolt from the bed, barely glancing at the clock's LED. You could make out the emboldened numbers through your sleep-recovering eyes.

9:54

“Fuck. Fuck.” It was all that you managed as you darted around the room. In a flurry, you pull a black dress from your wardrobe. Making quick work of pulling off your pajamas, you slip it on hastily and step into your bathroom, carelessly sliding toothpaste over the bristles of your toothbrush before brushing your teeth. You pause, clamping down on the toothbrush with your teeth, bracing it as you lean down to secure the black heels to your feet that had been unceremoniously tossed aside on the bathroom floor the night before. Not typically the type to be late, of course the one time you were just so happened to be on the day that could make or break your professional career.

You push aside the self-berating for the time being as you rinse the paste from your mouth. Not having the time to shower now, you pull your long strands of hair into a high pony, carefully leaving out a few whisps of hair to frame your face. You had managed to make it out of your apartment before the clock struck ten, and hope bubbled in your chest at the thought that you may make this interview after all.

The bus you would have caught was long gone, so you jog the entire way. Juggling your purse, papers that included a resume, pages of references, and your phone to observe the time. You’re well aware of the disorganized mess you must look like as you stand in front of the receptionist’s desk. Chest heaving from the jog there, papers in disarray in your hands, the blonde woman behind the desk eyes you with a passing look of judgment, and the need to crawl into a hole and hide flits through your deflated ego. You give the woman your name, and she types it quickly and efficiently into the computer.

“I’m sorry, miss Tav.” The woman starts, “Mr. Ancunin has an eleven o’clock meeting. Your interview was scheduled for ten thirty. You’re nearly fifteen minutes late.” She looks up at you from her screen, and though she tries to appear sympathetic, the emotion is missing from her eyes. You glance at the clock above her head, stomach sinking to your toes.

10:43

“Right, yes. I completely understand. I had car troubles this morning and had to walk here; you know how crowded these sidewalks are.” You let out an awkward laugh, attempting to gain some level of relatability with the woman. She laughs wryly along with you, causing your face to visibly drop. “Listen, I-I really need this interview.” New approach: honesty. “Is there a later slot? I’d be happy to wait here all day if needed.”

“A lot of people need this interview, miss Tav.” The woman is unfazed by your pleading tone. “Unfortunately, there will be no more slots for this particular internship. The final interviews will occur later today, and Mr. Ancunin is completely booked for six months. It’s safe to say he will have come to a decision by then.”

Your shoulders drop. The sleepless nights of preparing, the references you had compiled from professors and other dignitaries alike, it didn’t matter. While, yes, you could always strive for another internship, Ancunin Associates was an elite law firm. In any case, you would have been guaranteed a job at any firm post-graduation had you completed this apprenticeship.

The woman is eyeing you expectantly, waiting rather impatiently for you to make your retreat. “Miss Tav, I will have to ask you to leave. Mr. Ancunin-“

You can barely hear her anymore as you make out the man passing through the large office. Walking with purpose past the tall, windowed walls overlooking the bustling city many floors below. His unnaturally silver hair is brushed back purposefully, leaving a few curls to swoop and fall over his forehead. Eyes that could only be described as honey pierced forward as if looking right through anyone who stood in his walking path. The finest of tailored suits adorned his figure, a figure you had no doubt was toned to the gods underneath. You recognized him from various news articles; he had been considered one of the most eligible bachelors in the country, after all.

You brush aside your musings, and adrenaline pumps through your veins. “Mr. Ancunin, my name is Tav. I had a ten-thirty interview for the open internship. I recognize I’m severely late, and I apologize, but I swear it is entirely out of character for me. Is there any possible chance I can fit into your schedule later today?”

He halts, staring at you with an indistinguishable look from across the office. You nearly regret speaking up to

him as he scrutinizes you. You can feel those golden eyes of his scanning over you, and you fight the urge to falter under it. You remain unmoving, trying to appear like you belong. His eyes are fixed on your chest for a passing moment, and the need to cover your frame burns through you.

“A bold one, hm?” His tone is teasing, though his face still holds firm. “Late and less than presentable. Does all of your clothing have those stains on them?” He gestures towards your chest, where he had previously been staring. You finally glance down and are met with a small white stain in the center of your chest. You’re sure your cheeks are flushed at this point, but instead of backing down, you shift the papers you held against your bosom, hiding the marred fabric from his eyes. You made a mental note that the next time you found yourself late to an important meeting, perhaps you should ensure toothpaste wasn’t all over you before leaving home.

“Mr. Ancunin, ten minutes of your time is all I need. Please.” He didn’t visibly react to your pleading, and his face remained stone-cold. The silence was deafening. The only sound you could make out was the thudding of your heart against your ribcage.

“Clear my eleven o’clock.” He says simply without addressing you, looking at the blonde woman you had just spoken to. “Come.” His words were firm. He turns on his heel towards the office he had just emerged from, silently expecting you to follow. You quietly breathe a sigh of relief as you oblige. A sleek black desk with an expensive-looking chair sat behind it in the center of the room. He holds out a hand, gesturing to one of the two armchairs in front of the desk, overlooking the large windows behind his chair. You silently obey his command, crossing your legs over one another as you wait for him to speak once more.

There’s a deafening silence as he eyes you, hands folded and resting in his lap once he’s sat down across from you. Mouth opening to speak, you close it when he holds his hand out in a quiet bid for the papers you had been holding. You wordlessly hand over your resume and references, and he scans the pages with an unreadable expression. The quiet stretches, and you fidget nervously in your seat, wishing you knew what was happening in his mind.

Finally, he looks up, those golden eyes locking onto yours. "Tav, is it?" he asks, his tone revealing nothing.

"Yes, sir. And I apologize again for my tardiness. It's not a reflection of my usual professionalism." You reply, trying to maintain a professional composure.

"Hm." He murmurs, leaning back in his chair. "Your credentials are impressive, Tav. Top of your class, stellar recommendations. But I'm curious—what makes you think you can manage this apprenticeship?”

You take a moment to gather your thoughts before responding. "Mr. Ancunin, I understand punctuality is crucial, and I take full responsibility for my tardiness today. However, my dedication, work ethic, and ability to adapt under pressure make me a valuable candidate for this position. I've faced challenges in the past and have consistently proven my commitment to overcoming them. I'm not one to let a setback define my capabilities."

A white eyebrow quirks in response, a smug look on his features. “Clearly. The tired university student you are, I presume you know how to make one hell of a cup of coffee?”

“I-” You start, feeling yourself shrink under his gaze. “Yes.” You murmur, brows pulling together in confusion.

He leans back in his chair, eyes never leaving yours. There’s a hint of amusement in his honey-pooled eyes, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “How about laundry?”

“Mr. Ancunin, no disrespect intended at all, sir-” You start.

“Astarion.” He says flatly.

“What?” Your voice catches in your throat, causing the word to shake as it leaves your lips.

“Call me Astarion.”

“Right, uh, Astarion,” You corrected. “I was hoping for an internship that would assist my legal career in flourishing. I didn’t anticipate I would be a personal assistant.” Your words trail.

Astarion clicks his tongue. “What a shame. I suppose there are many less desirable internships for you to pick from.”

Your mind races as you process the unexpected turn of events. Astarion's gaze remains fixed on you, a challenging glint in his eyes. You weigh your options, considering the potential impact on your career aspirations.

Taking a deep breath, you respond with a measured tone, "Astarion, I appreciate the opportunity to interview for this internship, and I am genuinely passionate about pursuing a legal career. However, I believe my skills and dedication would be best utilized in a legal capacity rather than as a personal assistant. I've worked diligently to excel in my academic pursuits and gain valuable experience in the legal field, and I'm eager to contribute those skills."

He tilts his head, the smirk on his face deepening. "Ambition, I like that. But you see, Tav, I value versatility. A good legal mind is undoubtedly crucial, but navigating the intricacies of the legal world often requires more than just legal acumen. It requires adaptability, resourcefulness, and an understanding of the broader aspects of the business. Consider this a test of your ability to handle the unexpected."

You take a moment to absorb his words, recognizing the challenge he's presenting. The internal debate intensifies within you — compromise for the sake of opportunity or stand firm on your premise. After a brief pause, you choose your words carefully, "I'm eager to prove my versatility and dedication to this role. If this is the path you believe will showcase my abilities, I am open to embracing the challenges it presents."

Astarion's eyes narrow slightly as if assessing the sincerity of your response. "Very well, Tav. We'll start with a trial period. Consider today's events as part of your initiation. Now, as for the legal matters, we'll get to those as the internship progresses. But for now, let's see how you handle some of the more... practical aspects of the job.”

You nod numbly, and you’re confident you look silly sitting there with your mouth slightly ajar from the whiplash of the situation at hand.

Astarion leans back, seemingly satisfied with your response. He gestures for you to follow him once again as he stands, leading you through a maze of offices and hallways in the prestigious law firm. As you walk beside him, you can't help but feel a mixture of anxiety and determination. This internship might not be unfolding as you envisioned, but you're determined to prove yourself in whatever capacity necessary.

The two of you eventually arrive at what appears to be a spacious lounge area, complete with an elegant coffee machine. It's clear that Astarion's definition of versatility extends beyond legal matters.

"Now, Tav," he begins, "We'll start with a simple task. Make me a cup of coffee."

You nod, moving towards the coffee machine. While you might be more accustomed to preparing legal briefs, you're not one to shy away from a challenge. As you navigate the machine's buttons, you glance over at Astarion, who has taken a seat in the lounge area.

The machine whirs to life, and you focus on measuring the coffee grounds and water precisely. A sense of determination fuels your movements. Astarion watches you intently, his unreadable expression giving away little.

Once the cup is filled with the scorching liquid, you reach for the creamer and halt your movements as he speaks again. “Black.” You turn to hand him the mug, seemingly awaiting his approval as he sips from the cup. You fidget with your hands in front of you, eyeing him with the same scrutiny he had watched you with earlier in your encounter.

He does not note on the coffee you had readied for him; instead, he is fishing into his pocket. He pulls out a set of keys, handing them to you. “You are aware of the apartments on Oleander, correct?”

Taking the keys into your hands, you gaze down at them in confusion. Of course, you knew that only the most affluent resided in them. There was a sinking suspicion of where this was going deep in your gut.

“Mine is the penthouse at the very top. You will do my laundry and clean it until it is sparkling. Understood?”

There was a new feeling sated into your bones. Anger. Not to mention the fact that he expected you to go into his home when he was not present. “I don’t feel this arrangement would be very professional.” You fire back, trying to hide the malice dripping in your tone. He was toying with you.

Astarion’s eyes still held that teasing gleam as he spoke. “That’s undoubtedly alright. We have many other candidates coming in later today. I’m sure one of them would be up to the task.”

You close your eyes briefly, taking in a large breath of air in order to keep yourself calm. You open them once more, smiling wryly down at him. “I’d be happy to.” You mutter through gritted teeth.

“Brilliant.” Astarion states, standing from his seated position. He sets the mug down on an end table. “Oh, and do try to improve on your coffee-making abilities. That was rather lackluster.”

How the fuck do you mess up black coffee?

There was no doubt left in your mind about what he was doing. You needed this internship, though, and you were prepared to go to questionable lengths to secure it. “Of course.” You deadpanned, no amusement left on your face. What an arrogant bastard.

“You can keep that set.” Astarion gestured to the keys in your hand. “I expect you’ll be done before I return home. I’ll see you back here tomorrow morning.” The smirk never left his smug face as he spoke. He departs the room, surely to whatever big meeting is next on his agenda. Perhaps to terrorize someone else. You’re left standing there, dumbfounded at how wrong this entire day seemed to be going.

As Astarion strides away, leaving you with the keys and the absurd task ahead, a maelstrom of thoughts swirls through your mind. You glance down at the keys in your hand, a symbolic link to the penthouse on Oleander that you are now responsible for. The weight of the situation settles on your shoulders, mixing with the frustration and determination that courses through your veins.

Taking a deep breath, you gather your composure. This might not be the internship you envisioned, but it's an opportunity nonetheless. You remind yourself of the stakes, the prestige of Ancunin Associates, and the potential doors this internship could open. Swallowing your pride, you decide to tackle the tasks ahead with a professional mindset. Even if he was not.

–

You hadn’t anticipated spending your day cleaning some corporate asshole’s million-dollar penthouse, yet here you were. No doubt, he had to have staff for this. So why was it being made your problem? The penthouse wasn’t anything that you weren’t expecting. It looked like it had been taken straight out of a catalog, and it seemed to be missing any warmth. There was nothing hung on the stark white walls, aside from small discreet security cameras tucked into the corners. You wondered briefly if he was watching you and decided he had to be. You were a complete stranger he had sent into his home by yourself. You mutter an expletive quietly, toeing off your heels by the front door. A few dishes are in the sink, and you figure that to be the best place to start.

As you tackle the dishes, the silence of the penthouse is only broken by the occasional distant hum of city life far below. The gleaming surfaces and pristine environment reflect the meticulous nature of the man who owns this place. You can't shake the feeling that every move you make is being observed by Astarion himself or by the unassuming security cameras.

While you scrub away at the plates, your mind replays the unusual turn of events. How did a promising legal internship morph into a personal assistant role with a side of housekeeping duties? The anger you felt towards the man came back in full force. You were well aware that you were being taken advantage of, but the need to prove yourself to Astarion gnawed at you either way.

Think of the years of schooling, Tav. Of who you plan to be after graduation. You silently reminded yourself.

As you navigate the unfamiliar kitchen, you spot a sleek tablet on the countertop. It seems to control various aspects of the penthouse – lights, temperature, and security. You make a mental note to familiarize yourself with it, realizing that understanding the intricacies of Astarion's living space might become essential.

The pristine silence is suddenly interrupted by the chime of an incoming message on the tablet. You approach it cautiously, noting Astarion's name on the notification. With a sense of trepidation, you open the message.

"Ensure you clean the living room thoroughly. I'll be hosting a small gathering there tonight. Impress me."

His words are concise, leaving you with a sense of urgency. The mundane task of washing dishes has evolved into preparing a high-profile space for an event you weren't aware of until now. A twinge of frustration simmers beneath the surface, but you push it aside, noting that you had only a few hours before the sun began to set.

You move from the kitchen to the living room, carefully dusting surfaces and arranging furniture to meet an unspoken standard of perfection. The penthouse, already immaculate, undergoes another level of scrutiny under your watchful eyes. You can't help but feel a sense of absurdity, thinking that a legal intern's day would involve ensuring the alignment of decorative pillows and the spotless shine of a glass coffee table.

As the day progresses, you are caught between bouts of irritation and determination. The controlled environment of Ancunin Associates has given way to the uncharted territory of Astarion's penthouse. The duality of your responsibilities — legal intern and personal assistant — blurs lines, leaving you grappling with the unexpected.

Stumbling into Astarion’s bedroom, you narrow your eyes at the scene before you. It was a change from who you had come to anticipate him as. Clothes were tossed carelessly to the ground, and upon further inspection, you were under the impression that one of these shirts could pay two months of your rent. You huff, gathering the misplaced clothes into your arms and setting them aside to be washed. You made quick work of putting his bed together, fluffing pillows, and tidying the sheets and blankets.

Stepping into the bathroom adjoined to the bedroom, you prepare to toss out the small trash bin. Your eyes narrow, and you make a sound of disgust at the sight. Two used condoms were the only contents.

There’s no way in hell I’m touching that.

You grumble as you step back out of the bathroom, flicking the light off in your wake. You would settle on simply putting Astarion’s clothes in the washer and heading out. Surely he wouldn’t expect anything more of you? You had already spent hours here.

However, as you return to the living room, the notification chime on the tablet draws your attention again. Another message from Astarion, and the words cut through your plans this time.

"Make sure you check the bedroom and bathroom. Attention to detail is crucial. I trust you won't disappoint."

Your frustration spikes, but you suppress it, realizing that your choices in this matter are limited. Taking a deep breath, you return to the bathroom. You need this apprenticeship, Tav.

You gather the courage to dispose of the used condoms, not allowing yourself to dwell on the

contents of them. The situation's absurdity is not lost on you – an intern scrubbing someone else's bathroom, particularly a man of Astarion's means. You felt as if you were living in a movie.

The sun begins its descent, casting a warm glow through the expansive windows of the penthouse. Your eyes sweep the living room, confirming that it meets the standards Astarion expects for his gathering. Despite the challenging nature of the day, a slight sense of accomplishment settles within you. You may not have expected to play the role of a personal assistant, but you've embraced the challenge and proven your ability to adapt.

As you prepare to leave, the tablet chimes again, signaling a final message from Astarion.

"Lock up behind yourself. Be ready for a full day tomorrow. We have much to discuss."

The weight of the day lingers as you walk home. The anger festers in your chest, though you try not to indulge it. This couldn’t have been the first time Astarion has taken advantage of having a desperate college student under his thumb. You can’t help but think the people who had deemed this to be one of the best internships for criminal justice are full of shit. You grumble in distaste, your feet feeling as if they’re on fire from the miles you were walking back to your shithole apartment on the south side of town, ten miles from Astarion’s penthouse. At this rate, you had been walking for an hour and a half, yet you were only halfway there.

You lean down, slipping the high heels off of your burning feet and cradle them in your arms.

The cool night air hits your face as you continue your journey, heels in hand. The events of the day play over and over in your mind, and the determination to prove yourself mingles with the frustration of the unconventional tasks assigned to you. As you approach your apartment building, a mix of exhaustion and frustration boils deep in your chest.

Opening the door to your modest apartment, you let out a heavy sigh. The contrast between Astarion's penthouse and your own space is stark, but a sense of resilience fuels your spirit. You toss the heels you had been holding aside and head straight to the bathroom, catching a glimpse of yourself in the mirror. Disheveled hair, tired eyes, but an unmistakable fire within them.

“Finally home?” A voice rings out, and you see Shadowheart leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom, dangling two empty glasses in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. “I figured we could celebrate.” You sigh, leaning against the bathroom sink and turning to face her. She raises her eyebrows, wiggling the bottle in a way that wordlessly says, ‘you know you want to’. You did, but your knees felt weak under your weight and your calves burned to the hells.

“I’m not even sure if there is anything to celebrate.” You snort in response, shooting her an apologetic look. She finally takes note of just how tired you truly looked, and her shoulders slumped.

“You didn’t get it? I just assumed since you were gone all day.” Shadowheart furrows her brows. “What happened?”

“No, I did get it. I think.” You huff, pursing your lips into a thin line. “Though it’s not at all what I expected.”

Shadowheart sits on the edge of your bed, listening as you fill her in on the day's events. The arrogance of the one and only Astarion Ancunin. “So he has you cleaning his house? I mean, truthfully, the coffee thing isn’t totally unheard of. But his used condoms?” She makes a sound of distaste deep in her throat, screwing her face up to match her tone of disgust.

“I’m a mess, Shadow.” You mutter, retreating from the bathroom in a fresh change of pajamas. The thought of spending a second more cleaning up his messes filled you with dread and, after knowing Astarion for only a day, you knew with full certainty that your distaste for the man would only grow.

“Was he as hot as the tabloids make him look?” She asks teasingly.

“Really?” You mutter, accepting the now-filled glass as you sit back into the pillows on your bed.

“What?” Shadowheart chuckles. “I’m just saying it may be more manageable if you’ve got eye candy to look at while you spend your days doing his laundry.” Her tone was teasing, though you knew there was a hint of truth in her tone.

The groan that left your lips was exasperated, bringing the wine glass to your lips and accepting the bitterly sweet liquid as it rolled over your tongue.

As you sip the wine, a mix of exhaustion and frustration settles within you. Shadowheart's attempt to lighten the mood brings a small smile to your face, but the reality of the situation looms large. The taste of the wine is a welcome reprieve, a momentary escape from the days to come with Astarion Ancunin ordering you about.

Nevertheless, the conversation with Shadowheart provides a brief respite. “He looks like a god if I’m being honest.” You finally admit with a slight chuckle. “Like he’s been cut straight from stone. He just so happens to be the biggest asshole I’ve ever had the misfortune of knowing.”

You finish your glass and return it to her, smiling gratefully as she takes it. “You just so happen to be the toughest girl I know. It’s, what, a six-month internship? Just keep your eyes on the prize, Tav.” She reassures before letting out a yawn of her own. “That being said, I’ve got to be up early myself. I’ll make sure you’re actually awake before I leave.” Shadowheart says pointedly.

Once she leaves, you relax into your duvet, eyes closing as relaxation settles into your bones for the first time since you’d sprung out of bed that morning. No, nothing had gone particularly how you had hoped. Shadowheart’s words stoked the burning fire of ambition inside of you, and you felt eternally grateful to call her your friend.

Just keep your eyes on the prize, Tav.

#astarion x reader #astarion x tav #astarion #bg3 #x reader #tav #reader #au!astarion x tav #au!astarion x reader #au #au!astarion

81 notes · View notes

changbinisms · 6 months

Text

Coup De Grâce - Park Seonghwa x reader (Part Three)

coup de grâce

/ˌkuː də ˈɡrɑːs/

Noun

A final blow or shot given to kill a wounded person or animal.

An action or event that serves as the culmination of a bad or deteriorating situation

wc: 1,330

Royalty au / Arranged marriage au

contains: angst, time period specific discrimination, misogyny, classism. more will be added as the series progresses.

this work is not proofread (as usual)

feedback is welcome and encouraged

[a/n: this fic may not be entirely time period accurate, but it will contain time period specific discrimination (i.e. misogyny and classism)]

[a/n2: I'm also trying out a new banner so please let me know what you think]

Sitting by the fire, you went over everything that had happened. After Prince Seonghwa had stormed out, you took the opportunity to change out of your wedding attire and into something to sleep in. It wasn’t an easy thing to do, your body twisting and turning almost painfully to reach behind you to the ribbons of your corset that were neatly tied into a bow and double knotted for security, but it was miles better than the alternative which was asking the prince for help. No, thank you, you’d rather suffer in silence. Either that or you would have to ask one of your maids, which would leave you open to a whole new barrage of questions; the first one pertaining to your husband and why he wasn’t the one to help you out of your garments.

It was clear that there wouldn’t be any consummating of the marriage tonight. You weren’t sure if that was good or not. It was good as you didn’t want to engage in any type of intimacy with someone who obviously didn’t hold a high opinion of you. You had yet to figure out exactly what you had done. You weren’t the one to arrange the marriage. You weren’t the one who was keeping him and his lover apart. Okay, maybe in a sense you were. But at least not directly.

However, it was bad in the sense that the sheets would be checked. And if they check the sheets, they’ll see that there’s no blood, and if there’s no blood then they’ll know that you didn’t lay together.

You had to come up with a way to fix this.

It was late by the time Prince Seonghwa had come back inside. You had since moved to the bed, laying the covers over you lap with a book in your hand. You had figured that sleep wasn’t an option yet and needed something to occupy your mind. The only prompt you received of him entering the room was the soft click of the latch as he closed and locked the balcony doors. You chose not to acknowledge his entrance. Despite not being tired, you lacked the energy for any fight he still had in him, and it had been a long day.

It wasn’t until you heard a soft “what are you reading?” that you looked up, marking your spot in the book with your bookmark, closing it, and putting it to the side after flashing him the cover. The sight in front of you left you a tiny bit taken aback. At the foot of the bed stood Prince Seonghwa, with one hand rubbing up and down the upper part of the opposite arm and a sheepish look on his face. His eyes never held yours for long, contact breaking every few seconds or so, which was surprising due to the fact that any time you had seen him, he always seemed so sure of himself, he always knew what exactly to say and when exactly to say it, easily commanding the attention of a room. The man in front of you seemed quite the opposite, like an entirely different person.

He let out a quiet sigh at your lack of response, giving his head a light shake.

He moves around to the side of the bed that isn’t occupied by you and sits on the edge, slightly turned towards you. You still don’t say anything, you simply watch him, curious as to what will happen next.

“I,” he starts, before clearing his throat and trying again, “I believe I owe you an apology,”

You raise one eyebrow in intrigue. Now you were more inclined to listen to what he has to say. He doesn’t continue, which prompts you to give him a nod in encouragement. You knew you were owed an apology; however you were curious as to whether he would apologise for treating you the way he did, or for something else he came up with.

His eyes finally met yours, a soft determination in them, as he squared his shoulders and opened his mouth to speak.

“I shouldn’t have spoken to you the way that I did, I had no right, and I shouldn’t have accused you of throwing yourself at Prince Wonwoo. I know that you are very close and have been friends for years,”

He did?

He continued on; “and I know that there’s nothing romantic to it. I’ve simply had a lot happen recently, and adding onto that, the marriage and worrying about the image we should present – the image I present – especially if my wife looks happier in the arms of another man instead of me. I let it all get to me and I took it out on the wrong person, you didn’t deserve that. So, please, accept my sincere apology,”

You could tell from his eyes, the candour that they held, that he was telling the truth. Although you were still annoyed (and a tiny bit upset) about how he spoke to you, you can understand where he’s coming from, even if it didn’t justify it.

You take a few minutes before replying, wanting to correctly articulate what you want to say. The moment seemed very fragile, as if the wrong words could shatter it and turn it sour.

“thank you, Prince Seonghwa, for apologising. I understand that it’s not an easily thing to do, especially when you’re being particularly vulnerable about it, I also understand where you’re coming from this,” despite knowing what you want to say, it was now your turn to not meet his eyes, picking a particular spot in the bedsheets, noting the loose thread. It’s easier to get the words out without looking into his intense eyes, “but I need you to remember that we’re in the same boat here, from now on we have to be a team, a united front. It’s quite literally us against the world, if any of our enemy nations see any kind of weakness or disconnect like that, we give them an opening. Which is why I ask that when you plan any future rendezvous with your lover, that you’re both more careful.”

“My lover?”

“Yes, your lover. I understand that you do not like me, and that you’ll never love me, you made that very much clear. But I hope in time that you will grow to be my friend,”

“Princess, I appreciate your words and your ability to keep a level head, but I do not have a lover and I do not intend to take a mistress. I have no idea where you got that impression from,”

“Don’t take me for a fool, I saw your mother’s handmaiden leaving your room in the small hours of the morning. I have no intention of keeping you both apart. You deserve to have a romantic love in your life,”

The prince looked like he wanted to argue it more, however he shook his head and let out a sigh. “this is a conversation for another time, which I promise we will have. But we need to figure out how we’re going to convince everyone that we lay together, it wouldn’t feel right to consummate the marriage in this moment,”

Oh… ouch. That hurt lightly, you can’t lie. However, you had more pressing matters than licking your wounds.

“I’m way ahead of you, your highness, I’ve already marked the bed with just enough blood to convince them that we consummated the marriage,” you could see the look of confusion in his eyes and raise your arm to show the small cut near to the crease of your inner elbow. Far enough away from anywhere that would cause issues, but close enough to your crease to remain inconspicuous. “I have one or two friends that are in marriages that started the same way as ours,”

“That’s genius, although I’m concerned about those wives,” the prince chuckled “and please, we’re married. Call me ‘Darling’,”

#ateez x reader #ateez fanfic #park seonghwa x reader #seonghwa x reader #ateez imagine #seonghwa royalty au #seonghwa arranged marriage au #seonghwa fanfic #changbinisms writes #coup de grace

27 notes · View notes

dootdootwriting · 1 year

Note

hihi can i request male reader x itto where reader is overwhelmed with all the work he has to do and ends up staying all night finishing and itto like tries to get him to take breaks but ends up forcing reader to take one bc reader won't stop working and is literally not taking care of himself :,)

(sorry college is beating my ass rn aah)

featuring: itto tw: stress, "babe" used as a pet name type: angst (?) to fluff, modern au pronouns used: he/him a/n: back to our regularly scheduled content i'm literally so sorry about whatever the hell that was. anyway this is REALLY CUTE anon ty hehe

content under the cut for length! (^人^)

ITTO made a point of not worrying about studying. In his own words, it defeated the purpose because "if i was going to remember what they taught me in class, i would have put it in my memory when they first told me!" This had gotten him into trouble with many an exam.

His philosophy when it comes to bigger projects, however, was surprisingly reasonable. Every time your boyfriend was assigned a project, he tore through it as fast as possible, so somehow, he never got buried with work.

Tonight, you were buried with work. You'd been trying to pace yourself for nearly the entire day, but with class on top of assignment on top of class on top of cup of coffee, you'd quickly become completely exhausted, lying face up on the floor. You stared at the fluorescent lights in the room you shared with Itto, which didn't deign to do anything other than flicker briefly at you in response. You covered your eyes with your arm, letting out a long sigh, when you heard the door to your dorm room open loudly.

"HEEEEEEY!! Guess who's here to help the best boyfriend in the whole wide world with his stupid boring college homework!!"

Itto barged in, grin evident on his face. Despite the colder weather, he was still only wearing his typical tank and cargo shorts. He sniffed, lifting up three plastic bags no doubt filled with goodies.

You reluctantly rolled over onto your stomach and pushed yourself off the floor, gazing at him tiredly. "What'd you get? Instant ramen again?"

"Obviously! And, also," Itto added, closing the door and taking things out of the bags, "i got hawaiian bread rolls, which should be interesting, three different flavors of ice cream, a bunch of crackers, energy drinks, instant coffee, and tylenol. For your headache."

"What?" you concentrated for a second. "Wait, you're right. How did you know I have a headache?"

"Come on, babe, look how scrunched up your eyebrows are. Give yourself a break, okay?" Itto frowned at you and ruffled your head, earning him a huff from you. "You're not gonna get anything done if you're this tired."

"I can't take a break though," you answered stubbornly, "I have about five things due tomorrow and it's already ten pm. If I don't finish this, it's game over for me."

"No, it's not. Listen, if you don't finish everything, it'll be okay. Just look how much stuff you have assigned to you! Nobody should have to do this much work, it's torture! If I had to do all that I just wouldn't."

"Right, which is why I can't take advice from you."

Itto stuck his tongue out at you and flicked your forehead. "Well, if you're not gonna see reason, I guess I'll just have to show you!"

"Huh?" you asked, but you didn't have a chance to add anything else, as Itto has already scooped you up in his arms and plopped you down on the couch in front of the TV. He grabbed a blanket from nearby and draped it around your shoulders. Once you were comfortably situated, he took your laptop and books and put them in the microwave.

"HEY! What the hell are you doing to my stuff!"

"You're going to sit here with me and take a break. If you say even one thing about wanting to work, I'm turning on the microwave."

"Itto! You'll break my computer!"

Itto thought about this for a moment, then reluctantly took your things out of the microwave. "Okay, right. Got it. Just don't try anything, okay? You're relaxing now. It's relaxing time."

You sighed, giving up. It's true that your professors had uploaded an unreasonable amount of work for you to finish. Maybe if you showed the proof to those whose work you hadn't finished yet, they'd understand... in any case, Itto was right. You were overworking yourself, and you needed a break.

You slumped over into the couch, allowing yourself to sink into the cushions. Itto returned from where he'd been putting the food in the fridge earlier, two bowls of ice cream in hand and a pringles tube stuffed into his giant pockets.

"Here," he offered, handing you one of the bowls. "I know I'm not super regular-smart, but I am super you-smart, and I know that right now this is the best thing for you." You took the bowl, nodding, and sunk back into the couch. Itto sat down heavily next to you, splaying out his limbs and putting one arm around you. It was a miracle he didn't spill his ice cream all over his lap.

"Feeling better yet?" he asked, placing a surprisingly gentle kiss on your forehead and slowly squishing you closer to him. It was impossible not to feel better with how close to you he was and how far he'd gone to cheer you up.

"Yeah, I am," you said, giving him a soft, tired smile.

"Good," Itto said, grabbing the TV remote, "now, what do you want to watch? Anything's fine by me, as long as you're here."

#genshin x reader #itto x reader #genshin impact #itto #arataki itto #itto written #m!reader #itto x m!reader

37 notes · View notes

ordinarytalk · 11 months

Text

So I'm just finally beginning to recover from the three day paranormal weekend event thing I helped run, and I'm just writing highlights so I can reassure myself that yes, this all actually happened:

I just barely got trained in running the historical tours in time for this event. Meaning, I spent the entire week prior cramming the history of the site with more intensity than I crammed for my college finals. The tours had to be about an hour and fifteen minutes, I would be doing them all day, and I had to be prepared for questions.

Part of my cramming involved me typing out five pages of notes outlining my planned tour path, the buildings I was stopping at, and what historical highlights I was planning to talk about at each building. Because I was teaching swimming lessons until 7 or 8pm most weeknights, I didn't have time to meet with the operations manager who was helping train me, so I just sent the document to her so she could fact-check it.

The night before the event was a ghost hunt/celebrity mixer for VIP guests. They oversold the VIP tickets so we had way way more guests than was originally planned for. The operations manager was told at the last minute that they needed seven history tours to be run simultaneously that night because the guests had been promised history tours, and the tours needed to all be done at around the same time. We had two history guides, me and another guy.

The ops manager ended up printing out my notes and handing them out to other employees and saying "just improvise, sorry, and thank you." We pulled it off flawlessly.

After the tours, I was supposed to be giving the paranormal guide staff members their breaks throughout the night. I got yanked to be a celebrity handler instead because we were short on people. I did not want to be a celebrity handler. I am very awkward around new people at the best of times, and I don't know anything about celebrities.

Celebrity and her crew turned out to be super friendly. I still felt awkward as hell, but then they started asking me about history and that unlocked my hyperfixation powers and I started getting excited and rambling cool facts about every room we walked into. Eventually I realized they were filming me. Success?

The paranormal investigations during the whole weekend were like the least successful/least active ones I have ever seen here. I think if I was dead and several hundred people were stomping all over my house and trying to talk to me, I'd shut up and go somewhere else too.

Ended 3am. Woke up 8am. Dying.

Me and the other history guide alternated giving tours all day Saturday. Apparently I did good? Some people cried and one group applauded me.

So sleep deprived I straight up passed out in the grass for ten minutes after two of my tours.

Can a person die from hydrating solely with Monster energy drinks, asking for a friend

Monster energy drinks did nothing, started laughing loudly at nothing at one point and then took another lawn nap when coworkers started looking at me

Another VIP mixer/history tour/ghost hunt that night!

The celebrity & crew from last night specifically requested me to lead them around for the ghost hunt tonight because they liked me? Success???

We were still very short on people and we really needed me to do breaks so I only was supposed to be with the celeb team for 30 minutes but it got stretched to 45 because they asked me about history again, whoops

I am still being filmed. I am still not sure what I am being filmed for. Success???????

Had to do all the breaks speedwalking, while being rained on. The last person was almost dying by the time I got to them. I almost pass out again as soon as I sit down in their chair, I've been standing almost all day aside from the lawn naps.

Destination Fear left snack and drink shrapnel everywhere at where their meet & greet table had been. Someone there really likes cheez-its.

2am bedtime. Feet are looking a little swollen and gnarly and I'm walking like a chicken on hot coals.

Sunday! Everyone on crew looks like the walking dead.

I actually had a little over an hour free before the history tours start and I was able to look at vendors! I bought a dracula pin and a movie monster crop top that doesn't fit.

More history tours. We're getting more sunshine today so I ask to borrow one of the hats from merch because I will get a migraine if direct sunlight hits the top of my head for more than two minutes.

Smaller tour groups, everyone's a little more tired.

One of the other employees tells me how she had to babysit the Destination Fear crew when they filmed here. Apparently they kept on trying to go places they weren't supposed to.

The Destination Fear meet and greet line from yesterday is still there, and it's still terrifying.

The guys from Mountain Monsters are like the best guys ever. They are never not having a good time. They're like if my Uncle Gerry and Uncle Rance decided to make a cryptid-hunting show together. At one point, during the other guide's history tour, one of 'em suddenly busted out of a nearby porta potty yelling "WHOO-EE! I tore that porta john UP!!" and everybody on the tour just lost their shit. I might need to watch their show now.

Everything shut down by 5pm, but I stayed until 7pm to help with teardown. I offered to buy the hat from merch I'd been wearing but was told I could just keep it, so I got a hat now.

If there's one thing this incredibly busy week was successful at doing, it was stopping me from thinking about my birthday, because I keep thinking about all the stuff I was supposed to have done by this age, and all the stuff I'll never get to do or have because it's too late, and crying.

My birthday literally just happened as I was typing this. Still trying not to think about it.

#personal stuff #so yeah add “historian” and “tour guide” and possibly also “celebrity handler” to my weird jobs I have had list

9 notes · View notes

parttimedragonslayer · 5 months

Text

10k training updates. I haven't been great at putting the updates here, but I have been keeping a diary, even if I might not write the entry til a day or two later.

Day 9 (Day 11) - Completed 10 November 2023

I swapped today’s cross training and tomorrow’s rest day because I’m going hiking tomorrow. So today was rest day.

Day 10 (Day 12) - Completed 11 November 2023

Cross training today (swapped with yesterday’s rest day). Some girls I met from Okayama University took me to visit Smile Rock, one of the local sites. I wasn’t sure what to expect as it was called a hike, but it also seems pretty accessible. I prepared for a serious hike so I was a little disappointed when it was just a bit of a walk around for about 40 mins. I suppose that technically meets the needs of my cross training, but I do feel like a little bit of a slacker. All that said, the actual sightseeing part of the trip was amazing. Great views, a cool rock, a bunch of cats and I even hung out with people and managed to be somewhat social and not entirely awkward the whole time.

Day 11 (Day 13) - Completed 12 November 2023

This was the first run that was starting to get close to the types of runs I was doing before. 2 mins on 1 min off. The run felt pretty easy and I ran for about an extra 5 mins at the end. I found a loop that I can run that makes a 5.5km circuit. So PR for distance today too! Part of the route I took today is the actual 10k race course. I want to scout the entire course on my bike soon. I know vaguely where it goes, but I want to follow the actual path as much as possible while training to get used to any hills.

Day 12 (Day 14) - Completed 13 November 2023

Cross training today and I went to the gym for a weights session. It’s been almost 2 weeks since I last did weights as I’ve had other things to do for cross training. I did 10 mins on the treadmill for warm up, deadlifts and the push press machine. I started on some lunges but was saved from having to finish them by Steve finishing up his workout at that point. I hate lunges. It’s been almost three weeks since I’ve done deads so I think I’m going to feel it tomorrow.

Day 13 (Day 15) - Completed 14 November 2023

Really pushed myself to run in the morning before work today because I don’t like taking away from evening hang-out-with-the-husband time to run. Also I have four classes today so there’s a good chance I’ll just be too tired or have a headache at the end of the day and chances of bailing are high.

So I did the morning run. It was very cold. 5 degrees. It wasn’t too bad though once I got going, which is promising. I’ve been a little worried about running in full winter. The run itself was easy. I only did the prescribed amount, no more. I surprised at how short the 30 second rest breaks felt.

Started feeling the DOMS from deads later in the day, so I have another reason to be glad I ran in the morning. The idea of running in the cold evening with post deadlift DOMS, ergh…

Day 14 (Day16) - Completed 15 November 2023

Scheduled rest day. I’m wondering if I should run though as I have English Camp the next two days which I think means early start and late finish. There’s a high risk I won’t run because of that so maybe I’ll run tonight instead.

Day 15 (Day 17) - Incomplete 16 November 2023

I should have run yesterday. As predicted I didn’t run today because a) I had to get up early for English camp, and b) when I got home I was super tired and didn’t want to, so I didn’t.

Day 15 (Day 18) - Incomplete 17 November 2023

Didn’t run again because of English camp. These camps really take it out of my, mostly because a lot of my day is spent around the other ALTs and I just can’t deal with people anymore. Especially noisy Americans. I end up drained and headachey.

Day 15 (Day 19) - Complete 18 November 2023

This run was scheduled for 8 intervals of 2:30 run, 1:00 min walk. This was about what I was doing before starting the program so I knew this would be a fairly straightforward run, and it was. It was super cold too, probably the coldest I’ve ever been running, about 5 degrees, I think. I’m going to need to get some gloves and a headband that can keep my ears warm for future winter runs. My poor ears were so cold they were hurting.

Day 16 (Day 20) - Complete 19 November 2023

Cross training today was hiking and it was amazing! We headed out to the local hiking mountain where we’ve been before, with no expectation of how far we’d climb. It’s been a long time since we went there and the last time we only made it to the halfway point. But today we made it all the way! It was such a fun hike too, with some actually difficult bits here and there where you actually have to scramble up rocks and use the ropes that are placed there in order to pull yourself up. It was so much fun! I can’t wait to do it again.

Day 18 (Day 21) - Complete 20 November 2023

Decided to skip rest day and try to catch up a little. Today was the first day of the conference and I got home a little early so I went out as soon as I got home. I took a slightly different route to what I have been lately. I’m glad it was still light because it ended up being through some windy back roads that I hadn’t expected.

The run itself was easy - only 8 intervals of 1 min on, 1 min off so I tried to push a bit on the run intervals. I also finished with some extra running, about 12 mins straight, which I’m still surprised I can even do.

Day 17 (Day 22) - Completed 21 November 2023

So today ended up being rest day instead. I had fully intended to just continue on and do a cross training session today, but I didn’t. It’s a pretty lame excuse too. Steve messaged me about 4pm saying he was heading to the gym. I had been planning to go with him when I got home, but even that slight change was enough for me to say “my plans are ruined, might as well not even do anything now!”, because that’s just how I am.

Day 18 (Day 23) - Incomplete 22 November 2023

I intended to run today, even though it’s cross training day, but I didn’t. I don’t really even have an excuse. It was the last day of the conference so I think my mental battery was just completely drained by having to socialise so much.

Day 20 (Day 24) - Complete 23 November 2023

I know my next session was meant to be cross training, but I felt like running today instead. Today is a national holiday so I have no excuse. It was sunny out, actually a little warm so I only had to wear a t-shirt, I didn’t need to worry about long sleeves. This last week or so has just been a bit squiffy training wise, what with switching days around and English camp and conferences.

This run was the first time it’s really pushed me past what I’d already been doing before starting this program, so I was a little apprehensive, but still pretty confident that I could do it. It was 6 intervals of 4 mins run, 1 min walk. I was worried that I’d be out of gas for the 4 min intervals but I was mostly ok. The last two intervals I was starting to feel like it was a push but I got through it ok. I felt more drained at the end of this run than I have any so far, so I think I’ve found the point where this program is going to start to get hard. There’s some big jumps coming up - like 5 min intervals, to 10 minutes, to 3km no stopping all in the space of a week. This might be where I tap out. Not that I want to, but historically that’s what’s happened. The program makes a big jump that I can’t keep up with and I quit. This time, if I can’t keep up with the intervals I’ll just repeat days as much as I need, or add intermediate steps in there. Like 7 min intervals, or 2kms without stopping. I have extra time - there’s 65 days left of the program and 92 days until the race, so that leaves me room to slow things down and add in additional training if I need it. What I shouldn’t be doing is using those days for extra rest days, unless absolutely necessary.

#running #runblr #10k training #10k diary

2 notes · View notes

missmouse25 · 2 years

Note

Girl. I'm unable to contain myself right now. So please please pretty please:

Could you write something with Lando and Martin (even Max and Luisa could be in it) based on the Weeknd's Moth to a Flame song? I leave it entirely up to you. (You can definitely spice it up a bit tho 😂😂)

Thank you so much, i can't wait to see what you'll come up with 😍😍 love youu 💕

Oh bestie! I actually had quite some fun writing this one. I will say for anyone else reading this that i probably wont write for Martin again, this was a special occasion 😬 but please do still enjoy

Moth to a Flame - Martin Garrix (plus Lando Norris)

gender neutral first person pov // 2511 words // very minor feelings of being pushed aside (I cant think of a better word rn) but there is a happy ending

--- Two years ago:

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want things to go like this…”

My voice was shaky. It felt like the walls of the apartment were closing in on me slowly. There was nowhere to run to: I had to stand and face the music.

“It’s ok, my liefje.”

Martijn’s words took me by surprise. Sweet, beautiful Martjin who didn’t deserve what I was doing to him but was still trying to make me feel better.

“I understand why you need to leave. This life is a bit much. I can be a bit much sometimes.”

It had been a tough three months; not knowing where his work ended and our relationship began. Working on something new even as we lay in bed together at home in our supposed free time. Face timing while he’s in the studio just because he wanted to talk only to be interrupted by someone else.

You couldn’t separate Martjin from his work, not that I wanted to but he deserved someone who would understand. And at that moment in my life, it wasn’t me.

“Maybe if we’d met a little bit later, things could’ve been different,” he said, brushing a tear off of my cheek. “But you need to do what’s right for you, my liefje.”

“Right person, wrong time,” I said quietly.

He nodded.

“Right person, wrong time.”

~ Present day:

How I’d ended up in this crazy world of race cars was anybody’s guess. How had I ended up as a friend to Lando Norris was also a mystery to me. More-than-friends but not quite a relationship was probably a better way to sum it up, in all honesty.

“Ok, we’re making plans for summer break. Is there anything you want to do?”

Lando was abuzz. The first half of the season had been gruelling in so many ways but he was looking forward to putting it all aside. That was something I really appreciated. Sure, F1 took up a lot of Lando’s life but when the race weekend was over, it was over. He had nothing more to do with it till he absolutely needed to.

“Hmmm…” I thought out loud. “Nothing really is coming to mind. I’ll go with wherever you guys pick.”

“Cool.” He typed away on his phone, no doubt trying to get the ragtag group of boys to come to a decision (a much harder endeavour than one might think). “Oh yeah, we thought about maybe going to Ibiza cause there’s a concert there.”

“Ooo, what concert?”

“Martin Garrix,” he said casually.

My whole body froze. Lando didn’t know about our history. I hadn’t told him and I had never really planned on telling him because in truth, I had never completely stopped feeling something for Martjin.

“You do like Martin Garrix, right?”

It was an innocent enough question.

��Yeah, I guess so…”

“He seems like a super cool guy. Max, not Fewtrell other Max, is friends with him and says that he’s really nice.”

“Oh… are we going to meet him?”

Lando gave me a cheeky smile. If my heart wasn’t already pounding in my chest, it would’ve started then.

“That’s the plan, Max is going to set us up.”

He turned back to his phone and continued his quest to make it a holiday to remember, unaware of how my world had just been turned upside down.

“Hi, Martjin, I’m sorry to be sending this so late but… If you have some free time, I need to call you. It’s nothing bad just… please call me. Sorry again.”

It was a terrible voice note but I had tried countless times already and nothing had sounded right. Eventually I’d just given up.

With Lando out for the evening, the house was quiet but my mind buzzed like a power plant with thoughts so loud it seemed like there was noise everywhere.

‘Do I want to see him again? Could I stomach seeing him again? Will I forget myself and run into his arms the moment I lay eyes on him?’

For the outside world, and especially Lando, I was feigning excitement over going to the concert. Even for the whole trip. But there was this pit in the bottom of my stomach that wouldn’t go away. Not even when I was with Lando which normally could distract me from anything.

I nearly jumped out of my skin as my phone started to ring. Cautiously, I accepted the call.

“Hi, Martjin.”

“Hello, my…” He stopped himself short. “Hey…”

“I didn’t expect you to call so soon. I thought that you might be busy.”

He sighed softly, like he always used to when he knew he was in the wrong and couldn’t argue his way out of it.

“Well, technically I’m busy. But when I saw your message… I will always make time for you.”

‘No, Martjin don’t say that to me.’

“Oh, thank you. I just have a bit of a strange thing to ask you.”

That pit in my stomach felt like it was growing and taking over my body.

“Some friends of mine and I are going to be at your show in Ibiza and they plan on meeting you.” I got up and started walking around the room. “This thing is…”

“They don’t know,” he completed my sentence for me.

“No. And I’d really like to keep it that way. If it’s an issue for you then I won’t come to the concert…”

“My liefje… Sorry.” Martjin took a breather. “It won’t be a problem. Come have a good time. I’ll pretend as though I’ve never met you before. It’ll be fine.”

Realistically it would be the perfect plan but, deep down in my heart, that was not what I’d wanted him to say.

“Can I ask who your friends are? Just in case I see them beforehand.”

“Yeah… You can know.”

Time seemed to crawl forward till the holidays began but once it did it was a rush. I blinked and we were on a plane. I blinked again and we were on a beach. When I next opened my eyes, I found myself looking at my reflection, debating if this was the outfit I wanted to wear tonight. This night. The night I’d been dreading for so long now.

“Are you ready to go?”

Lando came up behind me, putting his hands on my waist. I caught his eye in the mirror as he spoke again.

“You look great. Beautiful, actually. You have nothing to worry about.”

He leant forward and sweetly kissed my cheek before moving off to get his belongings.

‘It’s now or never,’ I thought and walked to the door, ready to accept my fate.

The crowds were immense and loud, as they always were. People loved Martjin. Or rather, people loved Martin Garrix and they loved his music.

Lando led our group of friends through the back entrances, simply flashing our VIP passes as we did, breezing past the chaos and into a quiet lounge backstage. There weren’t many other people but we filled the space and took the drinks we were offered.

“This is going to be wild,” Max said, sipping his drink. “I saw some clips from his previous concert, absolutely insane.”

“Must be a bit intimidating though,” Lando said. “All those people watching you.”

“Says the man who drives an F1 car for a living,” Max countered.

Lando rolled his eyes.

“This is different. In the car, you’re aware of the crowds but it’s not what you’re focused on.”

The two kept jabbering as I moved away. The palms of my hands felt clammy and I didn’t want them to notice how jittery I was being. I knew how the process worked: he’d come in, meet and greet everyone and then go do final prep before the show. But now I was on the other side. Things were different.

A door opened to the side and someone stepped into the room, the movement making me look over. Through the gap, past the staff members, I saw Martjin and I knew he had seen me too. I froze. The door swung closed again and the fleeting moment was over.

“Martin will be joining you all shortly,” the staff member announced and the buzz around the room picked up even more.

All the feelings of regret from when I left him suddenly swelled up inside of me. None of this was right. It wasn’t fair to Lando to be lying to him; it wasn’t fair on Martjin to be making him lie. It wasn’t even fair to myself, knowing that I was the cause of all this.

“Lando, I’m not feeling well,” I whispered in his ear after moving closer. “I’m going to the bathroom; I’ll meet you backstage.”

Before he could say anything back, I quickly walked out of the room, holding back the tears.

Peering from the wings, I could see Lando and Max on the stage to the side, having a blast. The atmosphere was like a drug; it got into your system and pushed you to a high you’d never felt before.

Looking past them, I looked to the DJ stand and watched as Martjin worked the audience. He looked good. Not just handsome but he looked healthy; thriving. Even from so far away I could see the sparkle in his eye and his smile which was contagious as always. I found myself feeling alright.

Martjin looked to the boys on the stage, giving them a thumbs up which they eagerly returned. Looking further on, he found me. I thought of all the previous times I’d hidden like this just off to the side while Martjin worked, staying up late with him and sleeping in till midday.

He waved and timidly I waved back. Satisfied, he looked back over the sea of people in front of him; in front of us.

There I stayed, watching from the side lines, wondering if it was too late to go back and change my own mind, to stay with Martjin and work through our issues together. What I wouldn’t give to rewind time and tell him how much I loved him.

‘Gone exploring. Be back before lunch. Sleep as late as you like <3’

I’d sworn to myself as I wrote the note, that it would be the last lie I told him. After this morning, I’d come clean about everything and tell Lando anything he wanted to know. But first I had to talk to Martjin.

In the dark hours of the early morning, I’d called him while hiding in the bathroom of my hotel room, trusting that he hadn’t yet come down from the high and was still awake. There had only been one ring before Martjin had picked up and we’d arranged in hushed voices where and when to meet.

So, I found myself waiting in the foyer of his hotel, eyes constantly darting to the elevator in case the next time the doors opened, it’d be him.

‘He won’t come,’ I thought. ‘I wouldn’t come if I was him. Not after all I did to him.’

Those thoughts were quickly disproven as out from the silver doors stepped Martjin, looking sleepy still but happy. Probably still residue from the night before.

“Morning,” I said, standing up as he neared.

“Morning.” Martjin smiled. “Are you hungry? The breakfast here is really good.”

“I was hoping maybe we could go somewhere quieter. Away from…” I looked around the room.

He nodded and walked me through the hotel, out the back door and into the gardens. The grass was still damp and the sunshine made the dew glisten. A stone pathway led us to a secluded bench, far away from any prying eyes and eavesdroppers.

“You weren’t at the meet and greet last night,” Martjin said as brushed the worst of the water off the seat.

“I just needed a moment.”

We sat down together, looking at the greenery all around us and not at the other person. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat, determined to say what I had come here to say.

“I’m sorry,” I started, my voice soft. “I’m so sorry for everything. I’m sorry for making you lie last night and especially to Lando because I’m sure you two are going to be good friends and this is a terrible way to start a friendship with someone. I’m sorry for using you as my safety net while I’ve been with someone else.”

Shifting on the bench, I turned to look at Martjin. Sweet and kind Martjin.

“And most of all, I’m sorry for leaving you. For how I left and when I left. Hell, even why I left. Looking back, it was such a stupid reason, we could’ve… I could’ve worked through that. And I know it means nothing but deep down I still love you, Martjin, so whatever you want I’ll do. I’m going to tell Lando the truth today but if you never want to talk to me again, I understand. I’ll do it.”

Martjin looked at me, blue eyes shining in the morning light. Reaching over, he took my hand in his and pressed his lips to my knuckles.

“My liefje,” he said without hesitation. “I think the person you’re hurting the most right now, is yourself. You’re like a moth always flying too close to the fire and one day you’re going to singe your wings.

“I just want you to be happy. If you’re happy with Lando, then stay with him but tell him the truth. If you aren’t… Well, that’s a decision that you need to make.”

Martjin took a deep breath before continuing.

“As for me, I never stopped caring about you, my liefje. I would give anything to be with you again but we can’t be what we used to be. It’s up to you to decide what happens now.”

The hotel room was just as I had left it, the only difference being that Lando was now awake. He lay in the bed, scrolling through his phone, no doubt scoping all the pictures from the concert.

“Hey, did you enjoy your exploring?” He asked with a sleepy smile as I came inside, which made me feel so villainous for what I was about to do next.

“Lando, there’s something I have to tell you. I can’t keep hiding this anymore.”

His smile faltered but still I persisted.

I told him everything.

~ One year later:

It had been so long since I’d been in this apartment and I took a pause to gather my mind before knocking on the door. Almost a year’s worth of healing had brought me back here but it was where I needed to be in order to finish my journey.

It didn’t take long for him to answer the door, despite the fact this would be a surprise to him.

“You came back, my liefje,” Martjin said, a big grin forming on his face.

“Like a moth to flame,” I answered.

#eek i am rather nervous about this one #martin garrix fans please be nice i did my best #and obviously this is nothing against him i just needed the story to make sense im positive he's a super nice guy in person #my source says so therefore it must be true right Petra? 😉#martin garrix x reader #martin garrix fanfic #lando norris x reader #lando norris fanfic #Mouse Writes #ThatKindaVibe

36 notes · View notes

smokeybrandreviews · 10 months

Text

Guten Essen

It’s been a few weeks since Confluence of Nothingness completed and i was able to sweep the new Iron Blood ships. That sh*t taxed my pockets way more than i would have liked but, i must say, just Bismarck Zwei has been worth the effort. She has been everything Ultra Rare ship should be. In terms of raw power, Zwei is a whole ass problem. Sure, stat wise, she’s slightly above average but her skills, when executed properly, are kind of f*cking amazing. Zwei is, admittedly, no Musashi but for a UR KMS, I'm here for all of it. Regensberg is a fun ship, overall, but kind of a pain to use properly. A lot of her appeal is based on how she’s deployed but i kind of don’t care about that type of stuff. I have my Feet which i run and Regensberg is, more or less, eye candy to me. Also, but that Dark Dragon, Brilliant Beach, though! I just really love her design. Now, Otto von Alvensleben, on the other hand, is a gem. This ship is quite the powerhouse and really made the grind to max out my new boats, a total breeze. Otto eats mobs for breakfast and when you’re about that power leveling, this sh*t is a goddamn godsend. Confluence of Nothingness paid off tremendously for me in terms of raw power and i am completely satisfied with the results.

As far as the grind is concerned, i have finished maxing the levels of all of the Nothingness ships, their affection, as well as their skills, save U-556 META. Still debating whether to actually grind her out as i don’t use META ships at all but, you know, KMS main and all so we’ll see. It’s odd having completely maxed out the new boats in such a short time, took me about three days after they dropped from the Banner, one of which is topped out at 125. I’ll let you guess which one that is, or not. It’s Zwei. Of course it’s Zwei. She’s a UR Kraut. Of course i would break her limit first. The problem i have now is the fact i only have enough of those goddamn Cognitive Arrays to Limit Break one of my SR ships. I’m leaning toward Otto for the sheer versatility but i REALLY like Regensberg. I’ll get enough to break the other one during the next Seasonal Cruise but, i mean, right now? The Limit Break grind is the only thing i have left for these two so it kind of doesn’t matter either way but, like, doesn’t it? Decisions, decisions. It’ll probably be Otto but, you know, Musashi is also an option. She’s just sitting over there in my neglected Sakura dock, looking awesome and being the best UR available in the game right now, with a stockpile of Experience that will immediately blast her to level 125 the second i Break her. But that’s kind of the point. The short-lived KMS grind is complete and i have found myself at the same impasse i was at before Azur Lane dropped Confluence of Nothingness: What do i do next?

Marco Polo is basically complete, i just need to grind out that last bit of Experience. I mean, U-556 META is always an option but I'll never use her for anything, especially considering the other Super Rare KMS subs in my Fleet are, technically, better and they’re all topped out at level 125 already. I could construct another PR ship or two, kind of gave up on the other Docks because that sh*t was getting expensive and i don’t care to do it in general. I still want Kronshtadt and Shimakaze, but, like, i don’t particularly care to finish the rest of those docks. And the Ruskies are actually my second favorite Fleet in the entire game! Maybe I'll focus on the Rainbow Ships for now. Not only the Ultra Rare boats but the Decisive ones, too, because, holy sh*t, some of those Decisives are a big time. Azuma dropped way back in Series Two so i imagine a Fate Simulation may be on the way and, even without one, she’s still a problem. Her Series mate, Friedrich, got one a few months back and that sh*t has made her an absolute monster, even if she was one to begin with. I dunno, man, I'll think about it while i enjoy my buffed up Iron Blood dock for a while. So far, we KMS mains aren’t eating like last year but the dish served up this time, was absolutely decadent.

#Azur Lane #Iron Blood #Confluence of Nothingness #Regensberg #Otto von Alvensleben #Bismarck Zwei #Jade

2 notes · View notes

crystalelemental · 1 year

Text

This month has been interesting in two ways. One is the abundance of supports, three of which all focus on the same cluster of stats to boost: Atk/Def/Crit. The other is more interesting, though. Three whole sync pairs use Rebuffs, a mechanic very rarely seen prior to this. Given the introduction of so many, as well as the new Champion Stadium parameters including a condition to stop weather, terrain, and zones, I feel confident saying that Masters is attempting to establish a new Rebuff Meta.

The Zone Meta Pokemon Masters has long emphasized the need for field effects. Not in any absolute way, in the sense that optimal play tends to include it. The multiplicative 50% bonus to damage is significant and devastating, and the game has always, to some degree, warped around it. In the early days, entire types were considered good or bad based on the presence of a field effect that multiplied their damage. The old saying of "Everything is weak to SS Red" had truth to it. Under Sun, a powerhouse like Red really did outperform the best most other types had to offer. So it made sense that, given time, they would introduce a mechanic like Zones to compensate.

And it worked! Types began to explode in popularity with the introduction of types. Starting with Ghost meant that Anni Lillie went from pretty sad to wildly impressive, and for a brief bit was one of the highest DPS units in the game. This hasn't lasted, as wild powercreep took over, but the impact of Zones has been significant. Now, instead of a handful of types like Fire, Water, and Psychic dominating everything, almost every type competes (except Ice, which is cursed).

This has had a profound impact on the meta overall. Most notably, on the shift to on-type. In the days when I started playing, on-type was for chumps. The solution to everything was Kantrio, and Weather Titans. SS Red was unstoppable in his raw power, SS Leaf was stall bot supreme, and SS Blue was a defensive powerhouse that wouldn't break. Having each of them meant having three wins under your belt, regardless of what the stage weakness is. If you had Maxie and Archie, you basically won CS. But with Zones, now on-type seems far more common, because of how quickly you can clear. Even in Gauntlet, it's a major source of just nuking the daylights out of a threat. The field effect meta defined which units were worth using entirely in the early days, and developed to the point that now it is an equalizing force across types, but decisively the strongest effect available. And that's bad for business.

The Gauntlet Meta Gauntlet, I believe, was designed to break up the use of field effects. The Zone setters tend to be powerful tech nukes, which can handle stages independently. You don't want your best damage dealers of a type partnered with sync nukers who can handle the stage just as well. You break those up.

This has been the interesting limitation of Zones for the last year and a half. Zone setters are considered supportive in nature, but their emphasis as tech nukers makes them much more viable alone in Gauntlet. They support in CS, but they're the center of everything in Gauntlet. And it makes things difficult when you have extremely potent damage dealers like Champion Hop supporting a really weak type. Why use anyone else's sync when Hop's will do better? When the Zone setter is too strong, it's hard to justify using them to support a different favorite. It's wasting materials.

Add to it, Gauntlets require gimmicks. Sure, you have a good damage dealer and a field effect tech support. Can you apply status? No? There goes any hope against Uxie, Cobalion, and Tornadus. Can you debuff? No? There goes Latias. For types that aren't weather, good luck against Moltres. Depending on your tank, heavy hitters like Tapu Bulu will steamrolls you too. There are a ton of issues that plague field effect setters in Gauntlet. This is one of the reasons that weather setting supports were in such high demand. They weren't about to overshadow the main damage dealer, and provided strong complementary skills that were useful to types they supported overall. Unfortunately, we still don't have Terrain supports, but we did get a Zone support in Aura Cynthia, who is widely considered one of the most ridiculous sync pairs currently in the game.

Gauntlet did this interesting thing where it placed emphasis on role compression, pushing the field effect onto the support instead of a Tech. And that particular development hasn't fully taken effect yet.

The 12.5k Meta The new CS parameters are a push for two things. First, Standard Damage Reduction pushes for players to always approach things on-type. This is meant to limit the potential of off-type clears, which had been a standard in the 7.5k meta, and continued to be defining in the 10k meta. 12.5k intends to put a stop to it, or at least slow it down. The limited CS events all being weak to the same type is meant to capitalize on this; now you need five competent damage dealers of each type for this mode.

The other big name is "No Weather, Terrain, or Zones." This effect is worth 150 points, and shuts off everything. Well, on your end. Enemies can still do it. This doesn't prevent the use of these effects, but it does encourage using something else. Notably, this condition is 50 more points than No Stat Debuffs. Exceptional stat debuffers like Lucian were largely underappreciated because they had to compete with field effect setters. Now, Lucian competes. He's an extra 50 points.

But man, if it were that easy, then every Leer support in the game just steps up. We have commons doing that! If only there were another way to push some kind of new mechanic forward...

The Rebuff Meta Rebuffs seem to be that answer. Sure, you have debuffs, but you can save 100 points if you don't use them. Sure, you have field effects, but you save 150 points on those. 250 points is 10% of what you need per match. Maybe consider it.

Rebuffs are still new, and are admittedly kind of unexplored. We only have 8 users: Halloween Allister, Gordie, SS Wally, SS Hilbert, C!Serena, SC Steven, SC Zinnia, and SC Lyra. And for all of them, the effect is bizarrely limited. Almost all of them involve a single application on the first successful hit, with Hilbert's even requiring a specific condition. SC Zinnia is only once, but on use of trainer move. The other three are applied, but capped to two MP. Nothing in the game reaches the maximum of -3 rebuff. Maybe for fourth anniversary, eh?

What I find fascinating about this effect is how specifically it seems built for CS. When your opponents don't change, one application is all you need. But in Gauntlet, the HP bars shift, and you lose that Rebuff. It's also worth noting that for Uxie purposes, the rebuff counts as a status change, yet because of how it works, only the 2MP options can make this matter. The Rebuff meta really doesn't extend beyond it's one area of use. Which is fairly distinct. Debuffs and field effects found great success across modes, but Rebuffs seem weirdly locked to a CS-specific benefit.

To compound the oddity, they seem to have recognized instantly that role compression matters. The first ever Rebuff sync pair, Halloween Allister, came in with 2MP selected uses, and was a support. This is unusual. It usually starts as a Tech kind of skill, and many of the users are in fact Tech. But they're aware of the value of role compression, and have done it twice...and oddly, both users are pretty lackluster. Allister's too slow to matter much with most Ghost types, but he does combo well with fast options. Meaning the commons specifically benefit most from him. Lyra’s almost the inverse, being pretty bad as a fit for Ground-type, but exceptionally strong for units like Maxie and SS Giovanni who don’t really care what their support is doing, so long as it’s not Sandstorm Ingo.

I find this interesting for a few reasons. First and foremost being, they're trying to push on-type clears, but the support rebuff users don't interact that well with their type. Gordie rebuffs a type he barely targets. The whole situation is just bizarre.

It's also strange because the Tech units seem complemented by absurd firepower. Their relevance in CS is to support with the Rebuff, but their Gauntlet presence is to be the center of attention like field effects. Which...doesn't break any particular barriers. If anything it makes them far worse, because at least 1/5 field effect units could be useful for supporting a longer fight. The Rebuff user doesn't help much, and can't use their nuke, without 3/5.

But I think that’s the point.

Rebuff Game Plan The truth is, as has been said by many others, that Masters has plateaued. There's only so much variety that can be introduced into the game before we start hitting some theoretical walls in what's possible. The clearest example was the Palentine's Mallow situation, where she really is just "less successful SS Brendan." Her kit is highly similar, but just...worse. So what use does she have? Especially for players who aren't interested in long streaks in Gauntlet? Which I imagine is most of them.

The truth is, I think Masters is trying to push for a new source of revenue with this. Rebuffs are meant as an answer to the new CS meta’s parameters. And unlike field effects, you need 3/5 for their sync nuke to matter, otherwise they’re wildly lacking in Gauntlet. But that’s the point, isn’t it? People could pull field effects at 1/5 and get value across every mode of play. Rebuffs are more limited, and therefore encourage 3/5 for other avenues of use. It’s just strange how much they seem to be holding back, given Allister and Lyra.

So the only remaining question now is, will it last? Will this kind of approach be successful? And my answer is a resounding no. To put it bluntly, the pressure for these skills isn’t there. Zone mattered tremendously, because they evened out a horrific discrepancy that existed in the game. When you have like five types dominating the entire game, and rendering all 12 of the others irrelevant? That’s a major problem. The introduction of Zones had natural appeal. Rebuffs don’t. They aren’t an equalizing force; they’re an attempt to create a secondary avenue to higher damage, that’s just functionally worse. Especially for the Gauntlet meta, which I realize is no longer the focus, but still needs to be considered. Modern units typically aim to have tremendous use in both CS and Gauntlet. While certain options lean toward one or the other, there’s often intent for both. And Rebuffs don’t have that appeal right now. They can with the MP, but most of them focus on immediate application.

I think there’s going to be a lot of rebuff coming out in the next few months, with likely different means of application. I don’t know what will wind up working or sticking, but it seems to be their approach. For my part, I don’t think they’ll be a significant draw at all. Not with how they’re working right now. Tech units with Rebuff are more useful for their sync than their rebuff, functionally mimicking the field effect users, while support units with rebuff don’t have good enough buffing kits to make a huge impact. We’ll see if they can strike a nice balance. But for now, rebuffs just feel...really boring.

#pokemon masters #rebuffs

3 notes · View notes

angelvyxen · 1 year

Note

on the jayson cheating on ella topic… her last album was entirely abt him……………. i haven’t listened but apparently he’s not a saint lmfao

It took me three days but I finally listened to the album (the deluxe) Here is a summary of the songs in chronological order:

Trying; this one is about the beginning of their relationship/dealings with each other. She says prior to meeting him she had a couple flings that she was never attatched to because that’s not her, she was more focused on other things. Then she met Jayson, that changed. He told her he’d been working hard to get her attention, he made her ‘feel so soft’ & ‘threw her decisions off’. She says that she’s not a typical girl & she’s not easy to read but she can see that he’s trying. He’s making time for her, they spent some time together, then he proceeded to be all that was on her mind. He’s not her usual type, she tried to cut him off, he didn’t allow that, now he’s ‘messing up all her plans’ and she ‘was trying to fight it’. She said she made him wait and he’d never had a girl put him in his place. (2nd chorus happens) fast foward, now she’s hooked on him. ‘Truth is I’m down, you ain’t never been in love but you’re learning how. I need you now, kinda feel weird cause you’re not so comfortable sharing your feelings.’ They must have had a conversation when he explained this to her. By the end of the song he’s the only man she’s talking too, she says he has no competition.

Not another love song: She’s DEEP in love with him. She says multiple times that she feels like she’s drowning, so maybe she’s investing a lot of herself into the relationship and he’s not. She thinks she’s in love (she is) & she wants to know if he is also in love. He’s very laidback, sometimes he ignores her. He’s using sex as a pawn and I don’t think she realizes it. He be fucking her goodt, I guess he says a couple sweet nothings and she’s on her merry way & alright with the half-assedness of it all. ‘I guess it’s all in my head until you let my body know, cause everyone needs you babe, don’t want nobody but you babe, so tell me what you gon do babe?’

Didn’t say: He’s not good at expressing feelings, she takes his standoffishness at face value and decides to fall back. ‘It’s all the things that you didn’t say, that made it so clear to me’ she says ‘her views changed now and she can’t entertain’ his bs. ‘So take it, here go your nonsense, all the shit you hide ain’t no need to lie. No more weighing on your conscience. You playing clue games.’ That man was messing with other hoes behind her back. ‘Flip games on you…pulled the rug from under your feet, did you think I would my eyes closed? Who’s going to vouch for you, you and your mixed signals, you coulda kept it so simple, I woulda made you official.’ She cut him off or either started reciprocating the same energy because she realized he ain’t shit. He did a whole lotta lying. She’s also come to the realization that he was mainly with her for sex, ‘like when you go off it but you just stay for the profit, and I ain’t talking bout wallets’.

Break My Heart: All that character development from ‘Didn’t Say’ has been thrown out the fucking window. She’s once again giving into her love for him and is now willing to step into something with him KNOWING what she knows about how he his, ‘Cause if I had to choose who would break my heart, baby it’ll be you.’ She says they’re connected, he commands her, this bitch is ditzy, he got her singing love songs daily and shit. She’s facing ‘her fears’ by choosing to stick with him, says ‘she doesn’t want sleepless nights anymore’ and asks him to ‘be careful with her heart’. Bitch. 🧍🏾‍♀️ next song, she pissing me off.

Fallen Angel: Crank that previous delusion up 10,000, she has lost her GODDAMN mind. They have fully reconciled at this point and she accepts him back, ‘Even though my hearts been torn apart, I still welcome you with open arms’. She thinks that this second time around is different and that he’s changed ‘maybe this is compensation for unmet expectations. Feels too good to be true, been questioning you, but lately you make me feel at home’. Throw a brick at her head, NOW! But in the back of her mind she still has sense, she knows this man isn’t good for her, ‘but I know where you’re from… it’s a long, long, way from heaven and I know you don’t belong so let’s make the most of this’, she knows it’s still not going to work but the delusion makes her stay the second time around. It was going well, until it wasn’t, he switched up on her in her ‘darkest hour’, she said he let her down and now all she has is Ella, herself.

How: THE REDEMPTION ARC HAS ARRIVED! It starts with ‘what’s the worse that could happen, rolling with myself, I got too attached, now I’m working on my health’. She’s saying she’s facing the facts, she can’t let heartless, broken boys win (Jayson lol). She’s let him go, it’s just her, herself, and time and he’s out so she has put herself back in her heart. And then there’s the added ‘how could you switch up on me’ yadda yadda shit, but overall, she’s in her growth era.

Pieces: Throw everything I just said out of the window, she’s done got back with this man and is now actively giving excuses and I quote, ‘maybe it’s cause we’re two fools, broken by love.’ *sigh* but this time is different because they’re taking it slow, she’s not going to do too much, chase him, or let him change her. She says she’s not gonna sweat him this time, because they both know better this time. She says that they’re happy with this new arrangement, it sounds more like friends with benefits to me imo.

DFMU: I love this song, it’s been in my playlist for like a year. Literally the only song I listened to on the album. In this one she’s just asking him not to fuck up again and let her down, because she wants to be around him. She’s in love with this man, real bad. She says she knows exactly where she wants to be and that’s with him, she’s asking him to open up to her, says if he really cares for her then he’ll be there for her and she is very aware that she’s falling back in deep but she’s okay with drowning now. She’s pissing me off, but the song is good.

Hide: She’s on her soft girl shit real bad in this song. This sounds like a love song directly to Jayson. She says he gives her so many feelings, he’s one in a billion for her. He is her safe space, her place to ‘hide’. Is that healthy? Probably not.

Power of a Woman: She’s saying her pussy got power, in a pick me way. Think of like.. Beyoncé ‘Upgrade You’. She’s saying she knows her position, she says she can take care of him and she’ll show him she’s exactly what he needed.

A Mess: the beginning of her just talking, it’s sounds light hearted. All she’s saying is ‘we don’t want love if it’s toxic, mmm mmm, no ma’am’. Yet another sappy ass love song saying she can fill the space in his heart if he’ll let her. She can ease his pain if he feels the same. The whole song is this and at the same time she’s acknowledging that it’s a mess, but it’s their mess. A noteable quote ‘it’s just different, they wont understand. We can’t waste time trying to explain’. ‘Know it should be easy, but we make it hard.’ It’s a good song though, 10/10.

Feels like: ‘Can you do all the things you say you’re wanting to? Keep on talking all you want but talk is cheap. And if I’m investing my evenings on you, you better fucking please me.’ That’s the beginning line, and basically summarizes the entire song. She’s sick of empty promises, wants to be treated like a goddess and says she knows what she wants and likes, she doesn’t need her time wasted and she doesn’t need it or want it if it doesn’t match her expectations.

Leave You Alone: She’s self aware, she knows that she keeps going back and that’s her fault. She doesn’t know why she does it, but she does and she can’t get enough of him. Every time she goes back he gets her out her draws and she knows that’s bad. She hopes that it’s not just her body that he wants, but at this point it’s sounding like that’s all he wants.

Sink or Swim: The album is getting repetitive now. She’s sinking, she knows. He’s started his lying again, not answering calls, staying out late. She even admits that she goes to the lengths of calling his friends to find out where he is. She says it seems like he just loves doing her wrong, but she’s stuck on him. His ‘love’ costs too much, and she’s broken.

Fading Out: THE REDEMPTION ARC IS BACK (a little). She acknowledges that they’re not working out, he’s fading out, she’s fading out, they’re both fading out but they keep going in circles, whenever she says she’s leaving, he begs her to stay, and the next day they’re back on their BS. But she says by now they should just know they’re not working out, and she’s coming to terms with that.

2 O’clock: SHE MADE HER DECISION Y’ALL AND ITS DIVISION! THE SHIT IS DONE! She says she should’ve never let him in, because he’s flip-floppy with his love, one day he’s in love the next he’s not and she doesn’t want to deal with it anymore.

This is: This is a sample of ‘This Is For The Lover in You’ by Shalamar lmao, it’s cute. It’s another love song, and I think the redemption arc is done for once again. She says she wants to stick with this man, good and bad, thick and thin, flaws and all and if he’s ever in the wrong she’s going to let him know. At this point I don’t even know if it’s worth me being disappointed in her again. Her overall excuse is that love is unpredictable and that’s okay because this is what she wants to do for the rest of her life, and it’s worth every bit of her time. It’s ‘real love’.

Our Song: Last song on the album. She’s with him once again, they’re spinning the block for what seems the be the 3rd or 4th time. They’re leaving the broken promises at the door and trying once more to make a healthy relationship out of unhealthy habits. It’s a nice song, don’t like what it represents, but it sounds nice.

In conclusion, the album was good. They’re toxic, but if she’s happy all we can do is be happy for her.

5 notes · View notes

forabeatofadrum · 10 months

Text

The Slovenian Glossary - Part 2

Part 1 | Part 3 | Part 4

6. Type

There is a fancy looking place called Kavarna Zvezda and Blaine tells Kurt that he’s read online that they have great cakes there.

This is one of the first places I visited when I was in Ljubljana. My parents have been in Slovenia twice. We visited for three days in January 2020, just so that I could feel more secure. Not to go too deep, but 2019 was a terrible year and I was this close to cancelling the entire exchange because the nerves were getting to me. My teacher suggested that I visited first, which we did. I moved to the city a month later, in February 2020. My family was supposed to visit in April 2020, but Covid happened, but instead they visited in July 2020, when the borders were open under conditions and then I went home with them.

All of this to say that this is a place I obviously remembered in February. I actually took my roommate S. with me there on our first day, since it was S’s birthdays and they have great cakes here. I also think of Kavarna Zvezda when I think of the lockdown, but that’s another story.

Oh, and a dude with an emu hangs out here every now and then. Yes, a man… walking his emu. And then he takes a break here.

The Slovenian mountains are a gorgeous sight, so the drive to the places is also enjoyable.

This is a Google image result when you look up “Slovenian mountains next to highway”. I do not know where this is taken and I also do not remember the actual scenery, but you get the vibe. You gotta remember that I am from the Netherlands and these mountain ranges don’t exist here, so to us Dutchies it is an absolute sight to be seen.

They park the car and walk to the pier. It’s a lovely sight. Koper is the biggest city at the coast, but it’s not as touristy as Piran. Just like Ljubljana, the city centre isn’t that big, but that makes it fun. Kurt and Blaine explore all the smaller streets and it’s as if they’re in a small fairytale. There is a mix of Venetian and medieval architecture.

Koper and Piran! We start with Koper. Koper is often overshadowed by the more touristic Piran, but that makes Koper less crowded. I mean, it wasn’t crowded at all when I was there due to the borders being closed. The pier was huge and there were actually some grassy areas with wooden chaise lounges to chill out. I definitely liked the vibe of the smaller streets as well.

Titov trg is the heart of the city and it’s surrounded by gorgeous buildings. Kurt and Blaine visit the Pretorska palača or Palazzo Pretorio in Italian, they admire the Armerija in Foresterija and there is the Stolnica Marijinega vnebovzetja. There are a also lot of little cafés around, but Kurt is actually a bit hungry.

Kurt and Blaine’s Koper trip was definitely better than mine. I travelled with two others and we didn’t really plan anything, so we completely missed these things mentioned above, so I have nothing to say here. For this fic I looked up what you can do in Koper, which is why they’re in the chapter.

7. Grind

Blaine is definitely jealous of this whole Boni system. Kurt picked a restaurant called Sarajevo 84, which also has a venue in Ljubljana, and the amount of food that he gets for a small price is insane.

TripAdvisor says that the upper photo is taken in Koper, so I guess I gotta believe it. I didn’t go outside, as you can see in the lower photo. That is my photo. We sat outside.

They move on to other topics and when they finish their lunch, they walk back to the pier. There’s a small beach area, but it’s too cold in February.

I also didn’t go to the beach. We actually travelled to another beach. In between Koper and Piran, we made another stop in Ankaran for a beach moment. Kurt and Blaine obviously don’t go to the beach because it’s too cold for them.

Blaine’s standing in the middle of Tartinijev trg and he’s making one big panorama photo of all the gorgeous buildings surrounding the square. He definitely understands why tourists come to this place.

I’m happy I found a photo of the square in the evening, since we got to Piran in the evening. It’s a lovely place and there are cafés around the square.

“We can get an even better view,” Kurt says. He’s reading something on his phone. “The Bell tower has 146 steps and it gives a great aerial view of the plaza.”

Again, the three of us didn’t look up anything. I didn’t know about the Bell Tower and the walls until this fic. I am glad Kurt and Blaine get to see more.

They then walk towards the medieval walls, a little bit outside of the centre. It’s a climb and luckily it isn’t too hot in February, so it’s fine. A ticket to walk the walls only costs €1.

Again, nothing to say here.

Eventually, they go back to the centre and they explore some more. Just like Koper, there are a lot of smaller roads to explore. There’s also a lot of Venetian architecture and Blaine hears a lot of Italian speech.

These narrow streets really reaffirmed the Italy feeling.

The boulevard is another highlight and there are a lot of seafood restaurants here. Unfortunately for Kurt, there is no Boni in Piran.

I spent a lot of time at the Boulevard as well. We made chalk drawings on the ground and we saw a little crab. The boulevard is beautiful, as you can see. There are also a lot of fancy restaurants with a beautiful view on the water. As I said, most of the restaurants were closed when I was there, since Piran relies a lot on tourists from Croatia and Italy (and tourists visiting Croatia and Italy who make a little stop in Piran).

They run into Sunil in Ljubljana and when Kurt tells him that they’re looking for another place to eat, Sunil happily accompanies him to his favourite Chinese restaurant.

I visited this place in January and I was so glad when I found it again later. As you may get from the photo, Zhong Hua is located in a more obscure place in the city centre. I liked the atmosphere of Zhong Hua. Like, there is a huge Chinese restaurant at Kongresni trg, but then I prefer the smaller scale. This restaurant is run by a Chinese family.

8. Thunder

He also finally takes Blaine to the burger place, which has a lot of tables outside in an alley. When Kurt first visited Burger Time, he had to sit inside, which was also fun, but sitting on these wooden benches under arched roof adds something to the experience.

Ah yes, Burger Time! Of course Kurt was going to take Blaine there. Burger Time is also a bit farther away from what many see the centre of the centre (Prešeren Square and immediate surroundings). Like the fic describes, the restaurant’s terrace is located in a roofed alley. I like their Boni. In summer, I also took my family here and a waiter remembered me and he said I was happy that I came back and brought people along.

This place also has its own speciality beers. I suppose Kurt and Blaine shared a beer during their dinner, but I completely forgot about it since I don’t drink alcohol.

Luckily, the building has an arch so he can shelter from the rain, but he is pissed and annoyed and he does not feel like making the small trek back home, because then he’ll have to wait at the bus station in this rain.

Not gonna lie, I am not sure if this AVA building is also part of the AGRFT building that houses Kurt’s faculty, but this arch is very convenient for this story.

This is the Ajdovščina bus stop on the aforementioned Slovenska Cesta. Honestly, you can also get off at Pošta, the stop after this, or Konzorcij, the one after Posta. It of course depends on where you want to go, but just take the bus to Slovenska Cesta and you’re fine.

Basically, if you take the bus from where Kurt lives to where Blaine lives, and you take a line that drives on the main road Dunajska Cesta, that eventually flows into the Slovenska Cesta, you get Mercator, Stadion, Astra, Razstavišče, Bavarski Dvor, Ajdovščina, Pošta, Konzorcij, Drama, Mirje and then you end up at Križanke. Kurt and Blaine have to switch lines once, though, or get on/off at Drama. I have actually never gotten farther than Drama, but uhm I did look up the bus lines for this fic, because I am me.

#story extras #klaine advent 2022

1 note · View note

smokeybrand · 10 months

Text

Guten Essen

0 notes

full-potential · 1 year

Text

Boost Your Productivity: A Comprehensive Workflow System

Good morning Full Potential beings! The purpose of today's post is to help you get more done. Why? It can feel very fulfilling to accomplish all the things you set out to do each day. Some people question whether its better to just flow. I suggest you can do both. Be in the flow WITH structure. Structure your life with schedules and timing , and then just give yourself generous amounts of time to flow within that structure. So with that said, here's a simple system that's helping me stay focused, use or adapt it as you see fit. 1. Prioritize and Time-Track Your Tasks Start with a clear list of tasks for the day, prioritizing them based on their alignment with your goals. Use a timer to stay focused on each task, a concept similar to the Pomodoro Technique. This method encourages you to work for a set amount of time, take a short break, then start another work session. 2. Develop a Habit List List your regular habits and keep track of the time spent on each one daily. This could be personal growth habits like reading or professional ones like checking and responding to emails. This list will help ensure consistency and let you see where your time is being spent. Here's what I do: I have a google sheet with a tab full of my habits. A column for the time it took to complete each habit. Then I time the habit with a stop watch and when I finish the habit I enter the time next to the habit and move on to the next one. 3. Estimate and Reflect Before you start, estimate how long each task will take. Over time, this will help you plan your days more effectively and improve your time estimation skills. At the end of each day or week, review your performance, and adjust your plan accordingly. 4. Group Similar Tasks Batching similar tasks together reduces the cognitive load of switching between different types of tasks, increasing your efficiency. I have a separate tab in my google sheet for my key results and the actions that help me move those key results forward. I have a column once again for how much time each action takes. I organize actions in order of priority and then I use a stop watch to start to time my focus as I complete them one by one. 5. Delegate and Eliminate Consider whether tasks that do not significantly contribute to your goals can be delegated or eliminated entirely. This can greatly sae time. If you don't know why you're doing something or there's an easier or better way that consumes less time, eliminating an action is by far the easiest way to free up time. 6. Use Diverse Tools Utilize a mix of digital and physical tools. Physical tools like notebooks and whiteboards can be useful for visualization, brainstorming, and reducing screen time. Online tools like Google sheets and an online time tracker you'll see on your screen the whole time will help you stay focused. (I use a timer called Tempus and another one called Session) 7. Practice Mindfulness and Rest Incorporate meditation and music into your routine to cultivate mindfulness and manage stress. Schedule regular rest periods to avoid burnout and maintain mental and physical health. Remember as part of work flow to take breaks from the screen for movement, meditation, music and shifting your state before going back to the level of intensity that this system can create. When I get done with screen I go into movement to clear my mind. Then meditation with a notebook nearby to write down ideas that flow while I'm taking a break. Then as a bonus for fun and shifting from my logical side to my creative side, I'll incorporate some music. 8. Incorporate Movement The combination of these three will definitely help you shift your state. 9. Limit Screen Time Designate certain times of the day as "screen-free" periods. This can help reduce eye strain and improve focus. When I give myself prolonged periods of time without screen I feel more clear headed. Additionally - I like to close my eyes while I write and type so I can limit my screen time even while using the computer. 10. Align Tasks with Strategy Ensure each task is aligned with your overall strategy and contributes to your key results. Regularly review progress towards your goals, discuss any obstacles, and make necessary adjustments to the strategy. Know what your key results are, the strategies you are taking to realize these results, to leverage yourself find an RP (Responsible Party) for a key result or for each strategy. Then just track the time using this system for each action item and reflect on progress at the end of the day! Conclusion Remember, the most effective system is the one that works for you. It's okay to tweak and adjust as you discover what best suits your needs. The key is to experiment, refine your approach based on your experiences, and remain flexible to change. Here's to a more productive you! Title: The Symphony of Productivity In the orchestra of life, each day begins anew, A blank canvas, awaiting strokes of vibrant hue. Tasks lay before us, as notes on a page, In the symphony of productivity, we set the stage. Prioritize, organize, let not time be your foe, Like a steady metronome, let your focus flow. Each tick a reminder of the passing scene, In the dance of duties, be in the supreme serene Habits are the rhythm, the recurring beat, Consistent and reliable, making life neat. Estimate and reflect, learn from the past, In the melody of mindfulness, make each moment last. Batch together, the similar tasks, Efficiency improves, under productivity's mask. Delegate, eliminate, in the strategy's song, To the harmonious goal, we all belong. Screen time limited, eyes rest awhile, In the silence of the break, let your spirit smile. Move and stretch, let your body be free, In the rhythm of rest, find your glee. From digital tools to the humble whiteboard, In the chorus of creativity, ideas are stored. A symphony we weave, with each passing day, In the orchestra of life, we find our way. Read the full article

0 notes