#if they were a bard would this be their album cover? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

corigarabatos · 1 year

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Explaining my Gorillaz birthday illustrations

💙 23rd May, 2-D's Birthday🎂

Every fan knows that the first to have a birthday is 2-D and being the first is the one who defines the theme of the other birthday illustrations of the others, so I decided that my inspiration would be the albums whose story focuses on a member of the band plus the added bonus of using photographs of models whose aesthetic or theme of said portrait you can associate with each member.

🖼 Reference photo:

Boys Undone | Metal Magazine A fashion story by Sophie Mayanne & Lee Trigg for metalmagazine.eu

I saw the photograph and immediately thought of 2-D: perhaps it was the way the young man picks his nose with his finger (something Stu would do or has done at some point), the innocence his face conveys, or how the model looks somewhat misaligned. Whatever it was, this was the photograph that was used as a reference.

💽 Phase and Album: Phase 5, The Now Now (2018)

The Now Now (2018)

The Now Now was the band's fifth album and the story of which focused more on 2-D, taking the position as the leader of the band while Murdoc is in jail, the latter being replaced by Ace, a member of the Gangrene Gang in the mythical cartoon 'The Powerpuff Girls' by Craig McCracken.

It was more than obvious the album and the "style" of art that he would use for it. Something that I really liked about this phase is that the vast majority of the art used a curious color palette: blues and pinks in neon tones that were combined with a monochrome style in the characters (mostly black and white).

I did my best to replicate, completely failing in blue (the background is more aquamarine 😅) but I mostly respected the characteristic color palette of that phase. Doing this job reminded me a bit of the old jobs I used to do during my years as students in Visual Arts. Perhaps the only thing that I don't quite like is the hand whose size is much larger than the face and the effect of the fur on the jacket being what I like the most about my illustration.

🧡 3rd June, Russel's Birthday🎂

The most underrated member not only by fans but also by the creators themselves. I feel somewhat sorry for Russel since from the first 3 phases he had a setback from which he has currently not been able to get out of there 😔.

He's the one who draws the least (mostly for fear that the Social Justice Warriors will come and throw me a bard), but when I do, he's the one who I enjoy doing it the most. Maybe it's 'cause his design is a challenge for me and takes me out of my comfort zone, the final result of my illustrations where he is the protagonist makes me end up with a smile on my face 😊.

🖼 Reference photo:

People - Photos A model is backstage at the Ricardo Seco fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2014 at Eyebeam Studio on September 8, 2013 in New York City.

Maybe when I think of Russell I don't picture him smoking since it's more common to see that in 2-D and Murdoc. But the few times Jamie draws him smoking is with a cigar, more elegant compared to his other two companions. The decision of said photo wasn't only 'cause the model is Afro-descendant but 'cause I wanted to challenge me by painting the smoke of the cigarette. Perhaps the model's clothing was another reason for him to wear this photograph: it's too laid back style as is Russell's personality.

💽 Phase and Album: Phase 1, Gorillaz (2001)

Gorillaz (2001)

The first album, Gorillaz and clearly the first phase is (mostly) focused on Russell and his ability to see and be possessed by ghosts, especially the ghost Del Tha Ghost Rapper.

It's the phase whose art style screams 2000's: it has that rebellious street style that is identifiable with people who like skateboarding, punk rock, rap or hip hop or street vibes.

I confess that it was hard for me to transfer to the illustration and more in the fact of the color palette, so I decided to guide myself by the cover of the eponymous album: a green military tone filter. Unfortunately, by combining that ocher color with the burnt sienna of the shirt and giving it an olive green "wash", it gives more of an air to the color palette of the Plastic Beach sketches (it's too warm and that's why it gives me those vibes ). I doubt that adding the earring to his ear would save the concept, maybe I should have looked for another reference photograph... despite that, I really like it and I consider the smoke I painted acceptable.

💚 6th June, Murdoc's Birthday🎂

Oh, Murdoc. This bastard whose birthday is 3 days after Russell and whose proximity drives me crazy 'cause he's usually my least favorite illustration. The relationship I've with this character is easily described in this image:

And I could skip his illustration, BUT that wouldn't be fair so I tried to summon my will to draw him.

🖼 Reference photo:

Peter DeVito on Twitter “My grandma turns 85 on Monday so we shot this fun birthday concept. *I also got some photos of her without the hats but I’m still working on them and we’re tryna shoot a few more birthday concepts so keep an eye out for those:)”

Murdoc is a decrepit old man, isn't he? So under that logic I had to use a reference from an older person. It wasn't easy since there is usually a lot of photography of young models or people in their 30s and/or 40s. It was a somewhat complicated search 'cause I couldn't find a photograph of a model that screamed Murdoc F. Niccals and, to be honest, I was resigning... UNTIL I found the right one.

The moment I found the reference PHOTOGRAPH I knew it was something Murdc could do: wear various colorful birthday hats and use a birthday candle as a cigarette allegorying that as each birthday passes, our existence will slowly consume away (that or I'm just seeing things where I'm not). And yes, my idea was also to add the hand that is holding said birthday candle, as a way of following a pattern (two illustrations showing only the face and two showing one of his hands) and that this will "complement" with that of 2-D 'cause you already know: they have an insane dependent relationship that they have for each other (and by relationship I not only reduce it to a romantic one, as certain fans usually do 🙄, but also having a relationship can be work, friendship or relative).

💽 Phase and Album: Phase 3, Plastic Beach (2010)

Plastic Beach (2010)

I confess that phase 3, that is, the Plastic Beach album is my favorite of all and I dare say that it is THE BEST.

Personally, it's the one that I enjoy the most, both 'cause of the story behind the virtual band and the real one. What it aimed to be and that due to various obstacles we only obtained 15% of what was planned (maybe less) , in addition to the load of the socio-environmental message that the album pointed to and the ART of the different covers it had (DUDE! They had a scale model of the island for the cover and some visuals). The truth is that I feel that it is a super complete album and different from what they did in the past and what they do now, it was the album that defined the before and after of Gorillaz music.

And I could make a testament to why it's a TOO good album, but I'd better leave you these two videos where the music on the album is deepened and analyzed (they're in Spanish, but I think you can activate the 'Automatic translation' option in the subtitles)

youtube

It's quite curious how this phase has an extremely warm color palette both in its official arts, album cover and sketches when almost the vast majority of the musical themes border on the depressive or with shades of desolation , perhaps it is Murdoc openly expressing how he feels about the possibility of being alone or dying alone ('cause according to the lore of the band, all the songs are written by him) seasoned with the guilt he feels about the accident that caused the "death" of Noddle in 'El Mañana'.

Ocher yellows, reddish or purple tones, and green are those colors that are repeated, therefore, that was the color palette that I used for my illustration. My intention was to make it look like the sketches that Jamie did during those years and trying to respect that essence of being a watercolor (in fact, all the illustrations are painted with watercolor).

❤ 31st October, Noodle's Birthday🎂

And last but not least, we have our beloved Noodle 🥰. Since she is the last to have her birthday, my rest time is extensive and I can think much better about what I should do, however it's also usually somewhat problematic 'cause I trust myself and (generally) I usually do her illustration the day before or the day of his birthday 😅, but it ends up being the one I like the most of the four.

🖼 Reference photo:

@lyiee on Instagram Bạn có biết tại sao khi nhìn ảnh này tim bạn bị đập nhanh không? Oi bạn ơi tại vì bạn kochoido đấy bạn ạ 🌚

With Noodle it's always easier to get a reference image or photograph.

I had already selected the photograph for months and I chose her not only 'cause the model is of Asian descent but 'cause from phase 2, Noodle shows an interest in fashion (something that continues to be maintained) and the use of a helmet is super characteristic of her that she could not let it go.

💽 Phase and Album: Phase 2, Demon Days (2005)

Demon Days (2005)

Demon Days it's Noodle's album, it's the album that makes possible the return of the band and initiates this stage of experimentation and it's the favorite of all G-fandom.

It is darker, more raw... so much so that it is reflected a lot in the art.

Color palette with such dark tones, overly saturated shadows and the characters are no longer so geometric, but look uncomfortably more detailed. They look gloomy and dirty and go with the gothic and emo vibe of those years.

But did I respect that essence? The truth is that I think not 'cause I only base myself on the color that Noodle presents on the album cover: green. And although that color is often seen in some official art from that phase, it's not as... colorful as the one in my illustration.

Her watercolor has more of a Phase 1 inspired vibe and even though it has black shadows, they aren't saturated enough as they should be. Still my favorite illustration of the four.

And so I end this post 😬. I hope you liked reading it and I appreciate the gesture 'cause I don't usually share the reason for my illustrations very much. I'll probably do it another time.

Do you like my art? Please, follow me on 🥰 :

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#gorillaz #2d gorillaz #stuart pot gorillaz #stuart pot #russel gorillaz #russel hobbs gorillaz #russel hobbs #murdoc gorillaz #murdoc niccals gorillaz #murdoc niccals #noodle gorillaz #noodle #gorillaz fanart #watercolor illustration #my art #solo artist #demon days #plastic beach #the now now

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greenery2x · 10 months

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youtube

American Football LP1 (FFXIV version)

This was my first major project with my barding practice. I had already arranged "Never Meant" when I started playing FFXIV and "Honestly?" around the beginning of last year; however roughly a year ago I started working on "The Summer Ends" out of boredom and got the idea to do the entire album.

I did most of the other songs within a week or so (if you were early for the art party at LunarCon last year you might have caught me playing them near one of the party locations), and about two months later I finished "But the Regrets Are Killing Me". The last song, "I'll See You When We're Both Not So Emotional", took the longest to realize: the original song is by far the least FFXIV-friendly out of all of them, and I went through several revisions before finally arriving at the current version in January of this year. Ultimately, however, it's probably the one which I'm the most proud of, as it's far less of a straight transcription than the others and it really forced me to get creative about making it work within FFXIV's limitations.

The next step was to record the video. I spent a long time thinking about how to go about doing it but ultimately I settled on one of the half-submerged buildings in Il Mheg as the location and positioning Phoebe and the camera in a way that would mimic the original album's cover as much as possible Originally I was going to do it in one take and with some friends emoting beside me; however I soon realized that wouldn't work out so well and ended up recording the songs separately and later splicing them together. I then recorded the trumpet parts at the beach near my FC house in Mist; looking back, this might not have been the greatest idea, as I later discovered (and as you can see in the video) that the trumpet recordings don't actually line up with the lute recordings all that well.

Overall I think this was a really fun experience for me and definitely the most ambitious thing I've done within FFXIV to date. I'm currently trying to one-up it with some original music projects: an EP centered around Phoebe herself (among other things) that I'm in the planning stages of, and a full-length themed around the wind-elemental Twelve deities (Llymlaen and Oschon) that I will start working on in earnest whenever 6.5 and its accompanying Alliance Raid is released. As fun as it was to pay tribute to one of my favorite albums, I feel like working on original material would allow me to avoid some of the constraints that come with working with that of others, such as accuracy (I did take some creative liberties with the songs here e.g. some of the chord progressions in "The One With the Wurlitzer"). But still yeah; finally doing a larger scale project with barding after having worked within this practice for over a year felt really good, and I look forward to doing more of it in the future.

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goodnessgraciousohmy · 8 months

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Week 1

At the start of the week we were introduced to our first project, or rather part one of three of the first project. In a week we are to redesign an existing album cover, front to back using pastiche or parody.

The first group that came to mind was The Crane Wives. I'd recently become enamoured with their music and decided redesigning the illustrated album covers they already had would be right up my alley. While I had ideas for each of the albums I saw, my re-imagined design of Foxlore was, to me, particularly compelling.

Their original cover, designed by illustrator Rebecca Green, seen here.

My redesign is based around the idea of a bard like character in a fox mask, standing behind an open fire and surrounded by wilderness.

My initial sketches helped me to explore what kind of fox character I wanted to depict. Human but wearing a fox mask, or a more animated humanoid fox. Given the short timeline to complete the project I didn't spend as much time exploring different ideas and my final composition is as shown in the sketch below.

A human, bard inspired, character wearing a fox mask. Standing behind an open fire surrounded by wilderness at night. As a final touch I decided to add in swirling smoke complete with smoky, translucent foxes running into the distance.

This post should cover the week of 10-16th. I will update further when I have the illustration completed.

#artists on tumblr #artwork #digital illustration #the crane wives #college life #college #college student

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1ddiscourseoftheday · 3 years

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Mon 10 May ‘21

LOUIS NEWS-- label and tour!! First, Louis has announced (or, well, Simon Jones PR has anyway, no word from Louis direct and yes, SJPR is still in the picture) that Louis is “partnering with BMG to release his second album globally”, an interestingly specific/ limited reveal. Fans are eyeing the wording and questioning whether he actually signed with them as a label (which they are) or just for publishing rights or distribution (which they also do, unlike most other labels)- the mention only of a ‘partnership’ supports the possibility that it’s something other than his new label, but it isn’t definitive and the simplest explanation of the press release is that BMG will be his label for LT2, as well as distributor and publishing company. The fact that they are small (relatively speaking; not one of the “Big Four” record labels but they’re hardly tiny) and somewhat new as a label does not to me seem like a reason why Louis wouldn’t have chosen them, as some are suggesting; there’s something to be said for being the big focus of a label rather than just another act, and Louis already chose that route once before when he signed with Arista (who are umbrella-ed by Sony but themselves not one of the big four) just after their relaunch, making him their biggest act by far. Also vague: “global” in this context doesn’t necessarily mean BMG has replaced Arista (his U.S. only label), it just for sure means UK plus the ‘international’ market, ie most of the rest of the world. It could mean U.S. too! Or not. We have reason to believe Louis was still with Arista as recently as a few months ago, and no evidence to suggest otherwise. The official press release says “recording is already underway” on LT2, and quotes Louis as saying: “I’m very excited to start the next part of my journey with BMG”. BMG- a new company founded after splitting from older label SonyBMG in 2008- claim to be “a new kind of music company” who are “not just a music publisher or a label” (they instead combine both of those things) in which “service to artists and writers is key,” and as part of that combine label services with holding publishing rights for their clients, often handled by separate companies and an area where songwriters tend to get screwed. BMG’s press also mentions their involvement with new technology a lot, and they represent Kings of Leon who have been at the forefront of the music industry use of NFTs (including releasing their next album as an NFT on a special NFT label despite being BMG artists). BMG’s twitter following more than doubled [edit: tripled now] in the hours after the announcement, and they followed Louis and tweeted to welcome him aboard from three different twitter accounts, including the U.S. one.

Slightly more commentary from Louis about the updated tour dates though mostly still press release style-- “Let's try this one last time!” he said, “All shows on my world tour will be moving back to 2022 and I’m excited to announce the first wave of new dates. I can't wait to see you all soon, it's going to be special!” and what should be the final dates for tour dropped, all in Spring ‘22- including a London show at Wembley, holy shit! Not every rescheduled date has been announced but those that are mostly have one thing in common-- much bigger venues than they were originally booked into. At at least one show so far fans will have to buy tickets again which sucks, but they are offering a pre-sale for previous ticket holders so at least those buyers only have to fight each other and not all the fans that joined the scrum in the time since the tour sold out. “After all this time and years of waiting this tour is going to be incredible, I can't wait!” said Louis and he’s not wrong!

And that’s all for serious news, over in Harry land things are...a lot sillier. A “bardcore” version of Watermelon Sugar was added to Harry’s official Spotify, LOL, and it is even more ridiculous to listen to than it is to imagine! I don’t picture it topping the charts anytime soon but it’s certainly an entertaining twist I was NOT expecting over the quiet weekend. The idea of Harry and friends deciding that needed to be legitimized on the official 36 million follower page is PRICELESS, and I would love to see Harry in a Gucci doublet and hose (or a nice laced bodice), but sadly it seems that the addition of the 2020 cover song to Harry’s account is a fuck up on Spotify’s end, as acknowledged by the Bard himself (no not Harry or Shakespeare, the person who did the weird cover- they do lots of covers in this style, it’s like a whole Thing. Medieval style covers of hits.) Meantime OUR bard was seen on the My Policeman set in a t-shirt reading “don’t ruin my fantasy”. New merch? I’ve never seen something more perfect for harries, they should consider it! This shirt though is from a designer with a focus on gender neutrality who donates to queer youth charities. And Kid Harpoon said, about WS (modern version) “at first, and I get this quite a lot with his lyrics, I thought, that’s kind of weird. Then you’re like, man, it’s brilliant. I remember thinking that with this. Harry’s so good at lyrics, he’s really growing into his own thing.”

Meanwhile Niall reposted (to insta AND facebook) the same outfit of the day video post he posted and deleted yesterday but left it up this time. It is clearly NOT today’s outift- damn Niall is my whole life a lie?! What can we trust in this treacherous world?? NOT YOU I GUESS. He also popped up on twitter to claim “no idea what you’re talking about” wrt him and Anne Marie teasing their collab without offering any actual clues about WHEN-- mhmm, like I said...

#louis tomlinson #harry styles #niall horan #Arista is a Sony label and Simon Jones is a Simon Cowell associate who was PR for 1D and has been for Louis since he went solo #and who sucks a whole lot. That said I know very well that the reason people are so obsessed with Louis cutting all ties with his old labels #etc #is that they believe all stunts will immediately be canceled on that day and I have to say… I don’t really think so #and arista being somewhat tied to sony isn't actually particularly meaningful #still distance from the old teams is always nice to see and at this point Louis has very few threads left tying him to them #10 may 21 #bmg #bardcore #lttour #louis label #arista #anne marie #it's very early to post but I don't wanna have to rewrite this whole damn thing in an hour lol #even if we get more clarity later there are parts of the NOW discourse I want to address which there won't be space to do if more info #comes to light #I had to do RESEARCH this better get good notes and correct some misinformation going around #besides now I can focus on other things like FUCKING HELL I have to buy tickets for LA Again??? BOOOOOOOO #I ALREDAY DID THIS #AND IT SUCKED #AND i HAD GOOD TICKETS #arrgh #I don't usually do this but you know what? PLEASE REBLOG THIS #I just saw someone say that louis definitely signed a distro only deal and that syco was going to profit off it #i... don't even know where to beg #begin #syco literally no longer exists fro starters...

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ellitx · 3 years

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In honor of Father's Day, could we get some headcanons of the twins (separately) as parents?

Venti as a Father:

It would be really chaotic and a mess when it’s him watching over the kids

Just feeding them and bringing the spoon to their mouth like an airplane, and if one of his children happens to playfully throw the food to his face, it’ll be a food fight.

Of course, it didn’t last long when you entered the room and you see everything is so cluttered and dirty.

Venti can be strict with them if he has to but most of the time he’s carefree and lively with them. Often going outside to play, gliding, and maybe just a leisurely family time with you, him, and the children.

He’s not really restricting them but if they wanna play outside they have to ask his permission first so he’ll know where they are or so that he can watch over them

Venti likes it if his kids ask him to carry them! He’ll carry them on his shoulders so they can see the beautiful view of Mondstadt's scenery!

Or if he’s laying on your lap and they’re asking to be carried, he’ll lift them up and act like they’re flying in the sky. He’ll use his vision to make it really breezy so they can feel what it’s like to soar in the air.

When it’s time for dinner, he has to call for them. But the problem is they’re so mischievous that they even hide from him. It’s easy to find them but for the sake of entertaining them, he pretends he doesn’t have a single clue as to where they are.

“Now where’s my little sweetie hiding again? Looks like Detective Venti is starting another case of Disappearing Angel.” He takes his cape and flips them in the air for a dramatic effect and boy does he hear that stifled laugh behind the sofa.

He takes out his lyre and starts singing about the clues he had gathered and for suspense, he stopped strumming his instrument and stood still. Their kid covered their mouth to quiet themselves and it was unfortunate for them they didn’t notice their father was already behind them.

Venti’s hands slipped underneath them and hoisted them to his shoulder causing them to shriek and wiggle around while giggling.

“Papa, that’s unfair!!”

“Another point for Detective Venti~”

Aside from playing detectives, he’s pretty much dramatic around them if they’re playing house or prince and princess together.

“Oh, sweet child of mine, call the fairest maiden for I, Venti the Most Handsome, Charming, Powerful, and Talented Bard has fallen down because of the great dark dragon’s compelling attack.”

Your child first thought of you, immediately rushing to where you are and tugging at your sleeves.

“Mama! Mama! Help Papa come back alive! He said the only way to regain his powers is that you have to kiss him!”

You choked at your own spit, your face burning hot hearing another ridiculous idea venti started for you to kiss him. You didn’t want to disappoint them so you obliged and followed them to the living room.

There you saw venti laying down, his hands on his chest with his eyes closed, and sure you’d mistaken him as some kind of princess if not for your daughter asking you to help him.

Clearing your throat and readying yourself in acting mode, you kneeled down beside him and clasped his hands with yours.

“Oh, my darling Venti. All your power has been drained, the energy within you has been stolen by the greatest and fearful creature that has been ever lived. But fear not, for I have come to aid you by… by caressing you with a true love’s kiss.”

You slowly leaned forward and ran your finger on his face before closing your eyes until his lips brushed with yours. The tips of your ears were turning red when your child awed and watched closely, and for sure you felt your husband’s lips tugging upwards. His hand reached up behind you to hold you close to him and let the kiss last longer.

His eyelids flutter open, revealing the marvelous emerald orbs he has that were the same as your little angel, and he turned at you with clouded eyes, his cheeks beginning to tint with warm red.

“…more…”

Before he could latch his lips with yours once more, your child jumped at his back and cried,

“You’re alive! You’re finally alive! Quick, defeat the dark dragon before it destroys the castle!”

Venti almost forgot he was playing with them. All of a sudden, you felt your feet weren't on the ground anymore and in instinct, you held onto his shoulder and gaped at him. Venti's arm was underneath your bottom, carrying with such ease as if your weight was as light as a feather.

“Of course, my dear! Now that my power has been replenished thanks to this lovely maiden, I can finally stop the dragon’s outrage through the power of wind and freedom!”

His right hand glowed, unleashing a gentle yet powerful wind to knock down the mini dvalin stuffed toy that was standing in front of the blocks. The toy’s balance was gone, causing it to fall onto the ground as a sign the enemy’s disturbance was no longer present. Peace, harmony, and freedom were settled back to the small kingdom you, your child, and your husband had created.

Himmel as a father:

Himmel’s a househusband! Due to his frail body, he’s more inclined to work inside the house which he doesn’t mind. So all the cooking, cleaning, laundry is handled by him.

Househusband Himmel doesn’t really mind at all! In fact, he really enjoys it because he gets to watch over his kyut litol beybis playing around the house and spend time with them!

He knows you’re already home when he hears his babies screaming “MAMA!!”, it’s either a playful chase with his children on who gets to hug you first or he let them hug you first before he kisses you as a greeting of welcome home.

Whenever he goes to the grocery, he brings his children with him and they’re in the twin stroller. Everything is prepared; the pacifiers and two bottles of milk, and perhaps some extra diapers in case the line is too long and they need a bathroom break.

Himmel always takes a morning stroll and he also brings his babies with him so they can get that vitamin from the sunlight for them to be healthy. Don’t want them to risk being so unhealthy when they grow up now do we?

Maybe after the stroll, he stops in a nearby park to rest, maybe even allowing them to have some fun as long as they’re in his sight. Himmel will start planning on having a picnic time as family bonding on weekends so you can also take a break as well as you can get in touch with your own kids

While at home, carrying his two kids in his arms is no biggie for him. He can even multitask with it, though he prefers if they are in the crib just in case he doesn’t accidentally step on some toys and slip while carrying them.

He loves holding them and carrying them with him after he finishes the household chores! He’ll play with them, shower them with kisses, keep on telling them how much papa loves them and how he’s so happy they’re part of his life. When they run out of milk, he has to take the new supply you’ve readied in the refrigerator.

The babies will crawl up to him, stretching out their short arms towards their father because they wanted to be carried. Himmel chuckles then picks them up before making their drink. He hums a song while warming the milk and leaves small kisses on their head and nuzzles his nose against it as he waits

His little ball of sunshine is full of energy so he can be quick to get exhausted, but he’s trying his best to stay awake to make sure nothing dangerous happens to them. he lets them crawl up to him and play with his hair and when they also get sleepy and clings to him, it brings a smile to his face and holds them close to his chest protectively before laying them back down in the crib

Himmel may have taught them many things, from a simple reading, talking/cooing, walking, and maybe even singing. He has bought many things that can help them like rattles, squeeze toys, picture books, and also some stuffed toys they can play with.

Over the months, he’ll buy different toys for them so they can start the process of learning simple stuff like ABC blocks and even more plushies.

His kids love it when he sings or reads them a bedtime story. If you’re free, you and Himmel will reenact the story to maybe entertain them, and oh their cute little smiles and giggles tug their parents’ hearts.

Once they reach the age of three, Himmel is so excited for them that they can meet new friends. It’s the start of their preschool and he prepared everything. Now he’s the type of father who’ll take a picture of them every single year and some memorable moments to be added in the album

After school, he’s there to pick them up with you. All the mothers were gawking when he was standing near the door and looking for his cute babies. Perhaps he’s a brother to pick his siblings up?

Lol nope

Their jaws dropped when they heard a scream of papa from the running children. He opened his arms and caught them easily as they jumped at him for a hug. The mothers/guardians can’t believe Himmel's a father. Such a youthful face he has and having two children?!

He gives them a kiss on their forehead and asks how their day went. When he told them that mama was waiting outside, the twins immediately left their father’s side and ran out of the school to see you there smiling and waving.

“Mama!! Look, look, my teacher gave me a stamp that I did well!”

“I have five stars on my booklet!!”

Your eyes sparkled at their wonderful achievements and patted their head. Himmel stood next to you and smiled, admiring the wonderful warm feeling in his heart to see this growing family.

Kneeling before one of his kids, he whispered something next to them causing them to gasp out and looked at you with big curious eyes.

“I’m going to be a big sister/brother?!!”

You look at your husband with an astonished face and pout before playfully shoving his shoulder.

“That was supposed to be a surprise!” You whined. Himmel laughed and pecked your lips, whispering “I can’t help it,” before taking the hands of his child then yours. You take the other twin’s small hand and walked side-by-side with your husband and children back home

#anon ask #ellianswers #genshin impact x reader #venti x reader #himmel x reader #domestic genshin #elliwrites #genshin impact

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wolfish-trickster · 3 years

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Three...two...one...cheese!

Loki x reader

Word count: 321

Tag list: @gaitwae @lucywrites02 @hard-to-be-the-bard @birdgirl90 @laramoonworld @forevernthensome @kozkaboi

A/N: this is very short, sorry

Ever since Stark gave Loki his own phone all he was doing in his free time was taking pictures of you. He always liked how naturaly beautiful and cute you looked.

Not that Loki didn't like all of his albums to be just pictures of you, but he also wanted a picture where he was with you. For all those times he thought all of this was just an illusion he kept playing on himself in his cell on Asgard. As cringe worthy as it sounds, he wanted to have a selfie with you.

"My love," he would say, "can you look up for a moment?" his breath would hit the back of your head.

You would lift your head only to be met with your reflexion in Loki's phone screen as he took a picture. And you naturaly either moved your head so all that was captured was a blur of your face or you covered the bottom half with a sleeve.

Loki's disapointment was always big. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how many compliments he gave you through the day, you never believed you were nothing but beautiful in his eyes.

One day, he gave up and stopped preassuring you. That day he got lucky.

"Loki, why do you have to read the whole book now? Can't you put a bookmark in and go enjoy the sunny day with me?"

"But darling, this is the best part! It would be a sin not to finish this book in one go."

You huffed. "Fine, you're lucky I love you," you said and sat down next to him again with your own book. But soon enough the whole book was forgotten and you drifted off on his shoulder. You looked so cute and peaceful.

Loki sensed his chance. He fished out his phone, placed kiss to your head and took a picture.

This photo became his new lockscreen.

#loki #loki x reader #loki odinson #loki laufeyson #loki fluff

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eirikaanemo · 3 years

Text

My Celebrity Childhood Friend

Warnings: minor character death, sad feels

Venti x GN!Reader

2k Words

Many years ago, when you were eight years old, you had two very close friends. Their names were Venti and Himmel. The three of you did everything together. You were very close. All of you thought your friendship would be forever and that you would always be close. But, unfortunately, that's not what happened.

One day you and Venti received the news that Himmel had passed away. It was really difficult for both of you to accept the reality of his death, grieve, and move on with your lives. In the end, you couldn’t even help each other. Spending time together only reminded you of how Himmel wasn’t there anymore.

Eventually Venti just couldn’t take it anymore. So his family moved out. Losing Himmel had hurt, but losing Venti too reopened the almost healing wound in your heart. He didn’t even say goodbye because he thought he’d chicken out if he did. And so there you were, friendless, hurt, and feeling very, very alone.

Your only solace was in practicing the piano. The three of you had all been learning instruments and playing together before. The idea was to become a band of sorts together and play music professionally. Himmel played violin, Venti played guitar, and you played piano. Playing the piano was all you had left of them, so you continued playing and practicing it.

Years pass and you move on as much as you can. You make new friends and try new things. Piano is still important to you but you do new things now too. But even with all of this, there’s a part of you that left with Venti and Himmel. The hurt in your heart is no longer a gaping wound. Yet the pain has never truly gone away.

Then one day you hear a familiar voice on the radio. That voice and guitar combo sounded very familiar. It was a good song and you enjoyed listening to it, but you just couldn’t get the feeling of familiarity out of your mind. However, once the radio host introduced the song, you immediately understood. “And that was Soaring Bird by The Bard. Venti really did himself proud on this one…,” they continued, but you were no longer listening.

Venti was on the radio! What could this mean? You hurriedly took out your phone and ran a search. There he was, Venti, also known as The Bard, is a singer/songwriter who rose to fame after a stint on a television talent show a couple months ago. Well, what do you know? Your childhood friend has followed your childhood dream.

Part of you feels left behind, but you accepted that had happened years ago. So instead you decided to be supportive! Suddenly you have a new favorite singer and you just have to have all his albums. Physical copies, so you can display them. Your bedroom walls are covered with posters.

You now have more The Bard themed t-shirts than you have regular shirts. There’s a concert of his you can go to? You’re there. You promote him with everyone you know. If you hadn’t converted your friends to the truth of Venti supremacy they probably would have gotten sick of your antics by now. Instead they’re almost as invested as you are.

When he finally releases a new album you are thrilled. It’s been almost a year since he released his last one and you’ve been starving for new content. You are first in line to the store to buy the album and listen to it as soon as possible. Track one through four are fantastic and you enjoy them a lot! But then track five starts to play.

It’s more melancholy and nostalgic than other songs he has written. And then you hear the words. The words touch your heart, soothing and healing some of the pain that has remained. At the end he takes a moment to dedicate it to his childhood friend, to you. Not by name, but you know what he means by “my old childhood friend”. You’re tearing up.

I’m sorry I was too blind to see

That you were suffering as much as me

You were left behind, I was moving on

And you were left to carry on

It wasn’t right, it wasn’t fair

That I chose to just leave you there

We’re not really close now, are we

But I just want to say I’m sorry

You listened to it over and over again, crying in your room. Maybe it was stupid but that was something you didn’t even know you’ve been wanting to hear for years. Knowing that he felt bad about leaving you behind and hearing an apology from him meant the world to you.

And it just so happens that the song he dedicated to you is your friends’ new favorite song. If they didn’t know about your history with him before, then they sure know now. You’re still struggling to not cry every time it plays. Sure, maybe some of your dirty laundry was now being aired all around the world. But that wasn’t important.

What was important was that your heart was finally able to heal. You were truly able to feel happy again, for the first time since you were eight years old. Life had color again. There was more of a bounce to your step. Your friends noticed that your smiles even seemed more real now.

So when you learned that Venti would be doing an album signing event, you just knew you had to go. And you knew just which album you wanted to have signed. Now all you could think about was getting the album signed. How would he react to seeing you again? Would he recognize you? You really hope he does. It would really hurt if he doesn’t.

All of a sudden you’re now worrying if this is a good idea at all. Your friends managed to convince you to go, but you were really close to not going at all. And even now that you’re here at the signing you’re half considering running away. But instead you steel your courage and get in line.

You try not to think about it as the line slowly creeps forward. Making small talk with those around you in line might help, but you’re too nervous to even try social interaction. You’re twentieth in line, then tenth, then fifth, then second. Now it’s your turn and you approach the table he’s sitting at to sign the albums.

He’s wearing a white button up shirt, green slacks, and a green beanie with a flower on it. He’s dyed the tips of his braids teal and wears some light makeup to bring out the color of his eyes. You suddenly feel very underdressed as you anxiously walk up and hand him the album.

“Hi Venti,” you say softly. “It’s good to see you again.” He looks up sharply and freezes for a second, wide eyed. “Oh my gosh!” He exclaims, jumping up out of his seat. “It’s so good to see you again! It’s been so long!” You smile, feeling more comfortable and sure of yourself now that you know he recognizes you.

Someone behind him clears their throat and sits back down. “I can’t really talk right now,” he admits, sheepishly. “We don’t want to hold up the line, but hold on a sec.” He opens the album and scribbles something on the inside of the opaque cover. “That’s my number,” he whispers quietly to you. “Text me later, okay? I’ll get back to you when I can.”

You nod and move on, only realizing he didn’t actually sign the case until you were down the hall from where he was signing. Laughing a little, you sit down on a bench and pull out your phone. That was such a Venti-like thing for him to do. Sometimes he would get so excited that he’d forget what he was supposed to be doing.

Opening your texting app, you typed in his number and sent him a message.

You: Hi! Is this the right number? I’m the one you wrote song number five about.

It took a couple hours for him to reply. Which is very understandable considering how he was probably signing albums for a while.

Venti: Yes! This is the right number! It’s so good to hear from you again :)

Venti: And I’m so glad you heard that song

Venti: I really am sorry about leaving like that

You: I won’t lie and say that it’s fine, because it really hurt that you left like that

You: But I really appreciate your song that you wrote for me. I cry every time I hear it

Venti: Oh no! I didn’t mean to make you sad :(

You: Happy tears, Venti. They’re all happy tears

Venti: Oh, okay, that’s good :)

Venti: Want to come eat lunch with the staff and me?

Venti: They’re all really curious about you

Venti: The mysterious childhood friend I wrote a whole song about

You: Sure! How do I find you?

Venti: You don’t! Where are you? I’ll send someone to pick you up ;)

You send him your location and wait around for someone to come pick you up. After a while a nicely dressed woman approaches you and gestures for you to follow her. She leads you to a car and drives you to a restaurant. A waiter takes you to one of the closed off rooms for group events.

Approximately two seconds after the door is closed, you are hug tackled to the floor. Venti cheerfully cheers your name right into your ear. You grumble good naturedly and swat at him until he laughs and gets off you. He offers his hand, you take it, and he helps you stand up. Some chuckles from the staff tell me they’re just as amused as he is by the situation.

This sets the tone for your lunch. It’s lighthearted and you have a great time getting to know each other again. He introduces the staff and they admit they’ve been curious about his childhood friend he wrote a song about. You enjoy eating lunch with them a lot, and all of you are disappointed when you have to go.

You continue to chat as long as you can while preparing to leave. As you’re gathering your stuff to go, you come across the album that he never actually signed. “Oh yeah,” you laugh. “Venti, you never actually signed my album!”

“Whoops! I’ll sign that right now.” He declares. “Though I must admit that I feel a little awkward signing stuff for you.” Finishing writing with a flourish, he hands the album back to you. “But I guess I better get used to it,” he continues. “You better bring the rest of the albums next time!”

Your smile is so bright that he has to squint for a moment.. “I’m looking forward to it already.” You say. “See you later?” He beams right back. “Yep! I’ll let you know the next time we can meet up!”

The grin stays on your face all the way home.

You meet up whenever you can after that, though your schedules don’t always match up enough to allow it. Video calls are common when he goes on tour. It’s like the two of you never split. And eventually your friendship becomes something more.

“Hey, could I ask you a question?” Venti asks you over a video call one night. He’s acting a little funny, nervous with a dash of hope and excitement. “Would you like to go out with me sometimes? Like a date?” You chuckle, amused. “Venti, you’re on tour right now. It’s not like we could go out to dinner or something.”

“You’re right that we can’t go out to dinner together, but we could eat at the same time over a video call! I’ll even call and order food for you or something!” Venti plans. “Sure,” you agree. “I think I’d like that.” He pumps his fist in the air. “Yes!” He shouts. “I’m gonna make this the best long-distance date ever!”

And so he does.

#eirika writes #genshin venti #venti #venti x reader #genshin impact x reader #celebrity au

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thecaduceusclay · 3 years

Note

Hey what are some songs or albums that came out this year that you really like?

Oh boy, alright. I’m very into music. But I have a tendency to discover things late. I do know of a few good things that came out this year though!

Public Void - Penelope Scott

Public Void had two types of songs, to boil it down; “I’m in a rough spot” and “I’m angry at the world”. Penelope Scott’s creative process is a really visible one, she posts a lot of rough drafts on tiktok and engages with fans. I love the kind of lightly-gritty sound a lot of her songs have. There’s clear emotion in all of her songs. In this album I do miss the acoustic sound of her rough drafts and earlier songs, but the more “glitzy” techno sound is still great!

My favorite song on this album is Lotta True Crime. I love talking about wanting to fucking kill serial killers!

The Normal Album - Will Wood

Now Will Wood is a recent discovery of mine. His music is unique, very unique. His genre is sort of hard to define. The Normal Album is a sort of 40′s-50′s pop or jazz sound that sort of covers the harsh or dark lyrics. I have no idea how to even describe Will Wood’s sound or vibes. The most glowing recommendation I can give is “Night Vale Weather” or “Magnus Archives Playlist”.

My favorite song on this album is either Masha Thankk You For the Dialectics[...] or Love Me, Normally. I / Me / Myself would be my top one but I just really prefer the live version that isn’t on the album.

The Horror and the Wild - The Amazing Devil

If you’ve seen the Witcher, this is Joey Batey (Jaskier)’s band. It truly sounds like fantasy bard songs. His voice is good, but Madeleine blows me out of the water. The use of harmonies and overlapping parts it’s stunning. The Amazing Devil really is the band I never knew I was missing. I wish I’d discovered them sooner.

My favorite song on this album is That Unwanted Animal or Farewell Wanderlust. They’re both dark and smoky songs that just hit me in the chest.

Worldwide Torture - Jazmin Bean

Melanie Martinez wishes she had what Jazmin Bean has. This album is that candy floss bubble gum saccharine sweet sound mixed with a much harsher sound and lyrics. Jazmin’s sound here brings to mind those alt kids in platform boots and chains with solid black contacts. In a good way. It’s like that old pastel gore aesthetic. Which the music videos utilize heavily.

My favorite song on this album is Saccharine. It makes me feel a lil unhinged.

My Agenda - Dorian Electra

This one barely wins out over Dorian’s earlier 2020 album Flamboyant (Deluxe). I may prefer some songs on Flamboyant, but the Deluxe version is the only one that came out this year, and My Agenda is...impressive to say the least. It features Rebecca Black, Village People, and Pussy Riot, along with many others. It’s an impressive album. I’m not usually a fan of this sort of electronic sound, but Dorian pulls it off wonderfully.

My favorite song from this album is the titular My Agenda. I’m sorry it has the Village People in it? How can you not love that?? But also it’s about the gay agenda...

And! A quick honorable mention!

Lili Furfaro

She write critical role fansongs. I’d compare her work to PhemieC if you’re familiar with them. (They’re best known for Homestuck songs, but they have one about Taako and one about Nott too). Lili has a song for each of the Mighty Nein and Matt. None are officially an album, per se, but the ones on spotify were all released this year. My favorite is either Jester’s song or Yasha’s song.

#will wood #dorian electra #jazmin bean #the amazing devil #penelope scott #lili furfaro #music review

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witcherslittledove · 3 years

Text

Time is Running Out

Joey Batey/Henry Cavill

Rated E

Summary: Henry goes to see if Joey is ready for the premiere.

CW: Somnophilia, dub con (see somnophilia), Joey in a Dress, masturbation, hand jobs

Also on AO3 and written with the help of @jaskiertheflowertwink

_______

“Joey?” Henry knocked on the door of his cast mate’s hotel room. The premiere was starting in just over an hour and the younger man said he was going for a nap almost two hours ago. No one had seen him since and Henry was beginning to worry. He’d noticed Joey got easily overwhelmed by that part of acting and honestly he couldn’t blame him. It was hard, the screaming, the cameras flashing, the autographs, rewarding but utterly exhausting, and Joey wasn’t used to it.

There was no response from the other side of the door and Henry frowned, staring at the wood as if it would suddenly respond. It didn’t. Henry sighed and tested the handle of the door. It gave way and the door drifted open.

“Joey?” Henry called again before stepping inside the room.

His breath hitched in his throat as he saw the sight before him. Joey was lying on the bed, sprawled out on his back, head lolling to one side. But the thing that really caught his attention was Joey’s attire. He was wearing a teal silk night dress with black lacing around the bust and hemline.

“Jesus Christ, Joey…” Henry breathed, letting his gaze roam over the well-toned muscles that were usually hidden underneath Jaskier’s puffy outfits. Thick dark hair covered Joey’s chest, arms and legs, and despite the delicate silk dress he oozed masculinity in a way that Henry hadn’t thought was possible. His mouth felt dry and he felt the stirrings of arousal, hot and heady.

Joey snorted in his sleep, his leg kicking off the edge of the duvet. The movement made the hem of his dress shift upwards over his hips, revealing his soft cock.

Henry knew he should but he couldn’t look away. His cast mate had always been attractive, those pretty blue eyes that pierced your soul and a voice of an angel, but watching Joey, silk adorned and sleeping, it awoke something deep in Henry.

And he’d suddenly never wanted anything more.

Henry crossed the room before he could change his mind, pulling up the thin strap that had fallen down Joey’s arms, tantalising and so fucking sexy. He made a valiant effort not to look at Joey’s cock but he was weak. His gaze kept drifting down before snapping back up to look at Joey’s face, admiring the soft bristles of stubble that covered the younger man’s cheeks. His fringe was falling into his eyes so Henry reached out to brush it away.

“Henry…” Joey murmured, rolling over so he was facing Henry.

Time seemed to still. Henry’s cock was hard and straining against his trousers, and he groaned. He’d only come into Joey’s room to make sure he was going to be ready in time for the premiere, and now his thoughts were spiralling out of control. His fingers dug into his thighs in a herculean effort not to touch Joey, but holy fucking christ he just looked so goddamn irresistible.

As if reading his thoughts, Joey moaned softly, fingers gripping the sheets of the bed. Henry stared wide eyed as Joey reached down to cup his balls, fingers stroking down his length.

Henry knew he should leave.

He knew he should leave.

But it was impossible. He was trapped, caught in Joey’s spell. Christ, the man had to be fae or something. No one was that captivating in their sleep. Henry stroked Joey’s cheek, running his thumb along his bottom lip, and Joey let out a soft breathy moan that made Henry’s world light on fire.

“Fuck,” he groaned, palming his own aching cock through his trousers.

“Henry, please,” Joey gasped as he began to writhe and moan on the bed, and that was Henry’s undoing. He swore, knocking Joey’s hand away from his cock and taking it in his own hands. It had been so long since he’d been intimate with another man but it felt so natural to stroke Joey’s cock as it hardened in his hands. Henry glanced up, but Joey’s eyes were still squeezed shut and his lips were parted in a soft ‘o’. He was still asleep.

Fuck, this really should stop but it was too late now. He was past the point of no return.

He stroked the tip of Joey’s cock, gathering up the beads of precum on his finger. It glistened in the light of the hotel room, and Henry couldn’t resist drawing his finger into his mouth. The taste was bitter but not entirely unpleasant, and Henry thought about forgetting his hands all together and taking Joey into his mouth, but that would be harder to explain if Joey were to wake up.

“For fuck’s sake, get a grip,” Henry muttered, willing himself to let go but Joey just keened and bucked up into his hand. His resolve crumbled underneath him and he gave in to the urges that he’d been repressing ever since his bard had first sauntered into the dingy old room for the read through.

Henry licked his lips as his gaze roamed over Joey’s body. There was a faint blush on his cheeks that crept down his torso below the plunging neckline, partially concealed by the delicate black lace. Joey whined as Henry’s finger brushed over his slit, the sound sending a rush of pleasure through Henry’s body, heat prickling across his skin.

“Henry,” Joey half moaned, sounding completely wrecked and blue eyes snapped open.

Henry froze, his breath catching in his throat as their eyes met. Joey’s brow furrowed in confusion, “Henry?”

“Shit!”

“Am- Am I still dreaming?” Joey asked, his voice shaking and his tongue flicking out to lick his lips.

Henry shook his head. “No, not dreaming.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

Joey’s eyes never left his, blue turning to almost black as his expression melted into something oh so alluring, and Henry was reminded of Jaskier, his famed sexual prowess that the show never quite explored. “Well don’t stop on my account, darling.”

The world seemed to spin, as Henry crashed his lips against Joey’s. He’d been dreaming of this for so long, their natural chemistry spilling out onto the set. It was really no wonder that the fans had clung onto their characters. Henry himself had been disappointed when he’d heard rumours that one of the writers had pitched a kiss between Geralt and his bard that didn't make the script. He told himself it was for the best, though, convincing himself that if he could keep his distance then his feelings would disappear. It clearly hadn't worked.

“Henry,” Joey moaned against his lips, legs wrapping around his waist and Henry suddenly felt incredibly overdressed.

“Fuck,” he groaned, pulling back from the kiss, “the premiere.”

“They don’t need us.”

“I’m the leading actor, Joey,” Henry chided, but Joey just pouted up at him, looking so very angelic and yet utterly sinful.

“They can wait, I need you.”

Henry wrestled with his conscience for less than a second before groaning and shrugging off his suit jacket. “You’re a fucking menace, Joey.”

Joey winked, biting his lips. “Oh but you love me,” he purred, his accent thickening which made Henry’s pulse race.

“Menace,” he repeated, kissing Joey deeply before the younger man could protest.

Joey was an enthusiastic lover, now that he was awake, and he pawed at the fastenings of Henry’s trousers, whining when he couldn’t get them undone fast enough. Henry chuckled, kissing along Joey’s jaw, sucking bruises into his neck whilst the musician’s hands worked at getting his zip undone.

“This shouldn’t be so hard!” Joey grumbled.

“I thought that was the point?”

“Bastard.”

“Brat.”

“Shut up and kiss me.”

And Henry did. He kissed Joey as if his life depended on it, relishing in the cute little moans that escaped his bard as his hand explored Joey’s body. The silk nightgown was so soft under his fingers and the noises, god the noises, Joey made. They were more enchanting than any song he’d ever heard, fuck if he could make an album from just these sounds… he’d never have to work again.

Joey let out an obscene moan as he finally managed to get Henry’s cock free from his trousers. “Holy fucking mother of god, Henry,” he breathed, running his hand along the length.

Henry thrust into Joey’s hand, a needy whine escaping his lips. “Shit!”

“Lube, fuck, I need lube…” Joey muttered, letting go and scrambling to dig through his bag that had been dumped on the floor by the bed.

“We don’t have time,” Henry protested weakly.

“We don’t, and you will fuck me after this sodding premiere is over with, but I want to get you off before we go,” Joey smirked.

And suddenly all Henry could think about was pulling that damned silk gown up to Joey’s waist and fucking him into the mattress until they both came so hard that they blacked out. But the premiere was awaiting them and Henry knew he had a job to do, they both had a job to do.

He pulled the bottle of lube from Joey’s hands, clicking open the bottle and generously coating his fingers. His bard was right, they didn’t have much time and this would make things far more pleasurable. Henry took both their cocks in hand, stroking them roughly, capturing Joey’s lips in a blistering kiss.

Gasping, Joey nipped at Henry’s bottom lip, “Fuck, please. I’m so close.”

Henry had always suspected that Joey would sound just as amazing crying out in pleasure as he did singing, and he had been right. He tightened his grip, stroking faster, enjoying every gasp, every moan he managed to coax from the other man.

He leaned down, pressing their mouths together, swallowing Joey’s moans as he felt himself growing closer. “I won’t last much longer,” his voice was rough, a growl directly into Joey’s ear.

“Fuck, me neither. I’m so close, fuck.” Joey rolled his hips, thrusting up into Henry’s hand, gasping and panting as their cocks rubbed against each other. “Jesus Christ, Henry…”

Henry grunted, biting Joey’s lip as his orgasm pulsed through him, spilling over his hand, his cum splattering over the soft silk nightgown that hid Joey’s body from view. His bard took over, stroking them both through the waves of pleasure until Joey followed Henry over the edge, biting down on Henry’s shoulder. The pain shot through him, only heightening the ecstasy of his orgasm, and Joey fell apart underneath him, collapsing onto the bed. He’d never looked more beautiful.

Time was not on their side. All Henry wanted to do was hold Joey in his arms and sleep the night away but the public was waiting. He sighed and pressed his lips against Joey’s in a chaste kiss. “We need to get ready.”

Joey whined. “I really don’t want to.”

“I know, me neither,” Henry sighed, “but the quicker we go, the quicker we can pick up where we left off?”

“Oh yeah?” Joey smirked, his fingers stroking down Henry’s shirt, playing with the buttons.

“Yes,” Henry all but growled and pulled Joey into another kiss.

They were late to the premiere, but no one dared to question why.

#the witcher rpf #joey batey/henry cavill #joey/henry

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passionate-reply · 3 years

Video

youtube

On this episode of Great Albums, we explore a fabulous mini-LP by one of the most underrated stars of New Wave: Bill Nelson! (Not to be confused with the former senator of Florida.) Full transcript under the break.

Welcome to Passionate Reply, and welcome to Great Albums! Today’s album of choice is a bit less than an album, but more than an EP--a mini-LP, if you will. It’s Bill Nelson’s Chimera, released in 1983. Chimera features six tracks, and plays at 33 ⅓ RPM, so I’m going to go ahead and count it as an album. Whatever it is, it’s certainly something great. To quote the Bard of Avon, “though she is but little, she is fierce!”

If you aren’t familiar with Bill Nelson, I, and many other enthusiasts of his work, would be quick to recommend Chimera as an ideal introduction. Its brevity and tight aesthetic focus certainly make it an accessible listen, for one thing. And for another, Chimera captured Nelson at the arguable peak of his career, while he enjoyed the unfettered creative freedom that came with releasing music on his own private record label, Cocteau Records. Nelson’s early 80s releases were all over the map: he experimented with ambient electronic music, scores for stage and screen, and the continuation of his previous work in the 70s: New Wave art rock with a substantial synthesiser component.

Music: “Flaming Desire”

Nelson’s preceding LP, 1982’s The Love That Whirls, is a mix of poppier cuts like “Flaming Desire” as well as pieces that show his more progressive, psychedelic side, like “The Crystal Escalator In the Palace of God Department Store.” Chimera leans towards the former, but it isn’t without touches of the latter, either. Its opening track, “The Real Adventure,” is dense and complex, but its soaring refrain makes it rather easy to love from the get-go.

Music: “The Real Adventure”

Side one of Chimera is dominated by these more forceful, driving pieces. All three of them were composed around drum tracks sent to Nelson by Yukihiro Takahashi, of Yellow Magic Orchestra. Nelson is one of those artists who’s consistently resisted settling down and getting too comfortable with any particular band, and the contributions of his many guest musicians add substantial character to his releases. The second track on side one, “Acceleration,” features one of Nelson’s more consistent collaborators: his younger brother, Ian Nelson, who plays the saxophone here. I think that sax lends the song a lot of its free-wheeling, liberated sense of excitement.

Music: “Acceleration”

While there were no proper singles released from Chimera, “Acceleration” did receive a dedicated 12” in 1984, and its hooky appeal certainly justifies that. On its flip side, Chimera is much more dreamy and playful, though it maintains a strong pop core. “Glow World,” the second track on side two, features the bass guitar work of Mick Karn, formerly of Japan. I like to think “Glow World” approaches the same sort of misty, beguiling exoticism that Japan had been aiming for on their final LP, 1981’s Tin Drum.

Music: “Glow World”

The bittersweet final track of Chimera, “Another Day, Another Ray of Hope,” is both a favourite of Nelson himself as well as many of his fans. As the title suggests, the lyrics encourage listeners to look ahead with optimism, but the song’s downer melody seems more grounded in a tumultuous present than a promising future. On this track, Nelson makes remarkable use of “E-Bow guitar”--that is, using a device that allows players of electric guitar to produce sounds akin to those achieved by playing an acoustic guitar with a bow. Nelson was a pioneer of this technique, and a virtuoso guitarist in general. He may be something of a guitarist’s guitarist, but his intricate solos have always been stirring to my lay ears as well.

Music: “Another Day, Another Ray of Hope”

Chimera’s cover features stills from the music video for “Flaming Desire.” Stark and mysterious, they quite clearly channel Nelson’s interest in the experimental films of the Surrealists, like Cocteau Records’ namesake, Jean Cocteau. I suppose they’re a somewhat misleading inclusion, as “Flaming Desire” doesn’t appear on the album, but they do create an atmosphere of intrigue and mystique. Its rich fuschia background is quite striking and eye-catching, and when combined with the golden text makes for an overall pleasing colour scheme.

Chimera was originally going to be titled “Sextet,” in a clear nod to its six track length, but Nelson changed it in response to the release of Quartet, the sixth LP from Ultravox, his arguable rivals in the arena of synth-rock. I actually like “Chimera” much better as a title. If nothing else, simply being more abstract and open to interpretation makes it more interesting. Chimeric beasts composed of opposing parts, such as satyrs and minotaurs, were a common theme of the Surrealists Nelson admired, and they were often used as symbols of people torn between Freudian ego and the desires of the subconscious mind. The name fits not only the way the album’s two sides pursue different themes, but also the composite nature of the individual tracks, which were mostly stitched together in the studio. On “Tender Is the Night,” for example, Nelson himself is credited with playing every single instrument we hear, from synthesisers to marimbas.

Music: “Tender Is the Night”

After Chimera, Nelson spent several years focused almost exclusively on ambient music. But he never fully lost interest in making vocal-oriented pop, and in 1986 he aimed to release another album in that vein through a major label--in this case, CBS Records. But, as is often the case, his artistic vision for the LP ended up getting sacrificed in certain markets. Its sleeve design was replaced, due to controversy over the conflation of occult symbols and Christian imagery, and its title changed from Getting the Holy Ghost Across to On a Blue Wing. Not to mention a confusing reworking of its tracklisting!

Music: “Rise Like a Fountain”

After this release, Nelson seems to have retreated back into the world of small-time publishing for good, and it’s hard to blame him. Given the choice between kowtowing to higher-ups and sticking to his own aesthetic guns, Nelson maintained that he wanted to do the latter, and it’s hard not to respect him for that. These days, you’ll find most of his latest releases on a new private label of his, “Sonoluxe.”

My favourite track on Chimera is the last one featured on side one, “Every Day Feels Like Another New Drug.” While it starts out sounding similar enough to the first two tracks, its outro blossoms into something surprisingly experimental--a cacophony of samples, showing Nelson’s remarkable willingness to lean into advancements in electronic music technology. It’s something that sets him apart from other art rockers of his day, whose electronic dabblings were often much lighter, and something that I simply enjoy the sound of a lot. That’s all for today--thanks for listening!

Music: “Every Day Feels Like Another New Drug”

#music #great albums #album review #album reviews #new wave #bill nelson

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tolkienmetallist · 3 years

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Blind Guardian

Music Style: Speed Metal (early); Power Metal (later)

Country of Origin: Germany

Years Active: 1986 - Present

Current Members: Hansi Kürsch - Lead Vocals; André Olbrich - Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals; Marcus Siepen - Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals; Frederik Ehmke - Drums, Percussion, Flute, Bagpipes

Discography: Battalions of Fear (1988) Follow the Blind (1989) Tales from the Twilight World (1990) Somewhere Far Beyond (1992) Imaginations from the Other Side (1995) Nightfall in Middle-Earth (1998) A Night at the Opera (2002) A Twist in the Myth (2006) At the Edge of Time (2010) Beyond the Red Mirror (2015) Legacy of the Dark Lands (2019)

Website: https://www.blind-guardian.com/

Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/blindguardian

My Thoughts: There are two bands that it would feel sacrilege to not include in a list of Tolkien Metal. I will be covering the other one next week. So to kick off this list, we have Blind Guardian, a long-running, very prolific speed/power metal band from Germany. Blind Guardian holds a special place in my heart as their adaptation of the Quenta Silmarillion, Nightfall in Middle Earth, is one of my favorite albums (I am planning on giving that album it’s own entry at some point). However, Nightfall is not their only foray into adapting Tolkien’s works through song. Starting from their very first album, Blind Guardian has been drawing from Tolkien as a source of inspiration, and references to his works can be found throughout their discography. Two such examples are “The Bard’s Song - The Hobbit” from the album Somewhere Far Beyond and “Lord of the Rings” from the album Tales from the Twilight World.

Another influence (more on the sound than the lyrical content) is the band Queen. This influence is most obvious starting with Nightfall and comes in the form of more orchestral arrangements and the use of overdubbing, though can be felt earlier. The album immediately following Nightfall is A Night at the Opera, named after the Queen album and incorporating more of the Queen sound. I also recommend their cover of Queen’s “Spread Your Wings” on Somewhere Far Beyond. I have literally described Blind Guardian as ‘Queen read a bunch of fantasy novels and decided to become a power metal band’ when trying to convince my friends to listen to this band. It worked.

I feel that Blind Guardian is a great introduction to not only Tolkien Metal, but power metal in general. The were one of the pioneers of the style, and are one of the most popular power metal bands. Please, check them out if you haven’t already.

#tolkien metal #heavy mithril #Blind Guardian #tolkien #lotr #silmarillion #the hobbit

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laerrynseelie · 4 years

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so, now that the AMA is out, I thought I’d make something inspired by things said in the AMA as well as the general dear hearts and discord chaos. from the AMA, “we make our own mythology”, and I’ve surrounded this quote with lyrics and jokes and references throughout. explanation of every reference below the cut!! this took me 6 hours I’m dying @joeybateyofficial

(if you want you can grab prints of a slightly updated version of this here! if the art is too difficult to see here’s a gdrive link for it. I also put it on twitter if y’all care to give it some love there too https://twitter.com/misscocochen/status/1254104159902711809)

“we make our own mythology” - something madeleine and joey said in the discord AMA regarding the mythology or folklore that may inspire them. actual quote is creating our own mythology but oh well

your interpretation - response in discord AMA about what the songs are about and if they’re up for interpretation

robot vampire + I DUNNO - wild blue yonder lyrics

13/04/2020 - the discord AMA day

the horror and the wild - title track and title of second album

dead sheep - in the AMA, Joey said that madeleine slaughters a lamb before every gig to warm up

where’s the vodka - lyric from Not Yet/Love Run

glug - reference to Jackie downing vodka during the AMA

pruning shears - pruning shears title/lyrics

blue flower - it’s a forget me not, reference to lyrics in Elsa’s Song

dungeon master / tiefling bard - reference to J&M’s roles in DND, as answered in the AMA

blue furious boy / scarlet scarlet - reference to the characters J&M took on for the album Love Run, more info on the official TAD instagram

that’s what she said - lyrics from fair

THE SPANISH INQUISITION - it’s a long story but it happened in the discord

bottle of wine + glass - reference J&M showing up to the discord drinking wine

HALT! - lyrics of wild blue yonder

so much fucking hair - lyrics of fair

beef and brambles + pie adjacent - reference to discord AMA where joey is answering what dessert TAD would be

chords? no - reference to AMA where joey says they won’t release chords

1953 - reference to AMA where madeleine says they met in 1953

be good to me / no no not I - that unwanted animal lyrics

stag skull - reference to album photoshoot for the horror and the wild, also subtle nod to everyone’s need for TAD tattoos

fairy lights - joey described THATW album as fairy lights and fire in an instagram post

DRINK WATER / NEVER! - as J&M were drunk during the AMA, mods prompted them to drink water after, with “NEVER!” as the response

fae realm - let’s face it, J&M are probably fae, and also something a lot of dear hearts say to new TAD fans (ex. “welcome to the fae realm!”)

croissant - the discord made jokes about joey pronouncing croissant the french way

ice cream + fork - no that’s not a pitchfork I just can’t draw forks reference to an instagram post where joey says that isolation is making him so mad he’s having ice cream with a fork

devils / tumblings / witchlings - multiple things joey called the gang on instagram before settling on dear hearts, thus why they’re crossed out

bitrate - bees taught joey about bitrate before the AMA

shoulder blades - those tender fucking lyrics in fair

SQUINTS - jackie. suspicion.

under the covers - lyrics of wild blue yonder

shower head + letters of lyrics coming out as the “water” - shower day

and if you’re alone, just know you’re not - something joey wrote in an instagram post

SHAKESPEARE - J&M have both worked in shakespeare productions and madeleine said is a likely influence for her songwriting in the AMA

with my yoghurt - lyrics of fair, with hurt underlined because fair, well, hurts

OOH SCARY tumblr - reference to joey saying tumblr scares the shit out of him in the AMA, also reference to s1ep4 of the witcher where jaskier goes “ooh, scary face”

onion - TAD’s songs have layers. like onions.

HIVE MIND - reference to J&M saying we have a hive mind thing going with similar logo designs

mom said it’s my turn with the brain cell - hive mind. plus we’re chaos. also small nod to Dani, the server mom

broom - emoji used by mods in the discord to move us to another channel. also, jackie is the fastest sweeper.

tender - need I say more?

unreasonable - lyric from fair, the blue line represents the gorgeous, gorgeous voice crack

tent with stick figures - “two men in a tent” pruning shears lyrics

BARMY / mental - words joey used to describe the fandom during the AMA when responding to if it’s overwhelming

O of OWN with red lines through it - reference to our deep analysis of the album Love Run, referencing the red strings meme

red boots - reference to Welly Boots, lyrics “scarlet welly boots”

from Oxfam - reference to Pruning Shears, “got my shoes from Oxfam”

GIN - reference to joey and madeleine saying they were going to have gin after the AMA

lion king meme - the meme Dani made about discord being the shadowy place over there

can you feel the luuv? - reference to AMA where joey and madeleine said this multiple times in a row. also subtle lion king reference hence the location

wolf hall - a production J&M did together (the one they met on (?) not sure about that)

unemployed - reference to lyrics in Not Yet/Love Run

feral - because we’re all absolutely feral for TAD

the hexagonal box - I tried to draw the box from the King music video, not sure it worked

fret not - lyrics from the horror and the wild

sacred heart + nyts + and the candle we lit - oh boy this has LAYERS. like an onion. sacred hearts are a traditional tattoo, again a nod to everyone wanting TAD tattoos, including J&M as they mentioned in the AMA. sacred hearts, while referencing a specific religion and event, also have the meaning of divine love and its transforming power, which I think we’ve all experienced from TAD. the heart of the sacred heart is typically more rounded to look like an apple, Big Apple = New York, while “torch song” is its own thing torch, fire, you get it. “and the candle we lit” is lyrics from wild blue yonder, again here because of the fire of the sacred heart

ship with thought bubble lyrics - from Not Yet/Love Run, in a thought bubble because “sing me awake with a song about pirates” so dreams? idk what the logic was either. the lyrics making up the thought bubble are “sing me awake with a song about pirates / and I will try to harmonize / and sip the sunlight from your eyes”

it’s so good - we once spoke about Not Yet/Love Run in the general channel on discord, ended with multiple people only replying with “it’s so good”, and no one used the channel for hours to preserve this chain

slipknot - reference to the AMA where joey says he enjoys slipknot, also a reference to the only sound tardi makes in the recording which is to gasp “slipknot!” at this time

#the amazing devil #fanart #joey batey #madeleine hyland #the horror and the wild #love run #dear hearts #from meee #dear god I spent so much time on this

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minervahopebeyond · 4 years

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Blood Daffodils.

Chapter 14: The letter.

It was a very normal dinner when they had an epiphany about Death’s request, well... actually Padfoot had it but it still counted.

“It could be the Hallows, I mean we have one of them-“ His godfather started to say and his dad sighed with exasperation.

“Not this again.”

“What?” Draco asked curious took a sip from his glass.

“It’s nothing, Sirius always had this stupid idea that the invisibility cloak is the invisibility cloak-“

“The one from the Tale of the Three Brothers?” Ron asked excitedly, his face matching Malfoy’s. And, once again, Hermione and Harry didn’t have the slightest clue about what the rest of them were talking about. Being muggle-raised sucked.

“Where have I read that before...?” Hermione asked, a frown on her face.

“Dumbledore left you a copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard. It’s from that book.” Draco answered calmly.

Oh, great, so Harry was the only one who didn’t have a clue about what was going on.

“It totally makes sense! Harry, your cloak, the charm never fades... even the best ones get old and don’t work as well as they did when they were bought. Since when has the cloak been in your family, Mr. Potter?” His dad squinted his eyes, trying to calculate.

“That I know of... I guess that my great- grandfather had it and passed it on.”

Draco widened his eyes, an amused smile appearing on his face. Harry loved to see him like this, so in his element. So focused to achieve his goals and so happy when he discovered something useful. Sometimes he had to think about something else in the meetings, because if he paid attention to Malfoy... He started to get this itchy feeling on his lips, wanting to snog the hell out of the boy right in front of everyone.

“Okay, so let’s assume we have the cloak... What else do we have? She said it was two things.” Draco said as he stood up and leaned against the table. He never could be still when he was figuring out something, he always was moving, walking, jumping in his place, his feet’s were always alert, ready to do whatever it was needed at the time. It was one of the things that Harry liked best about the boy.

“If the hallows exist, I want the Elder wand. Imagine having that, we would win for sure.” Ron said, a wishful tiñe in his voice.

“I’m not on board with being murdered for power, thanks. Been there, done that.” Replies his dad, making Sirius’ and Draco’s laughter echoed in the kitchen.

“I think I would want the stone... Jamie is here with me, but Regulus isn’t... It would be nice to tell him that I destroyed the horcrux he stole.”

Okay, Harry was really not understanding anything. He turned to look at Hermione and her face of confusion told him that she didn’t had a clue either. Maybe the name of the tale was familiar but if Hermione Jean Granger wasn’t participating in a conversation, then she most definitely didn’t understand what they were talking about.

Then, Draco widened his eyes and covered his mouth with his hand in astonishment.

“What...?” Harry dared to ask.

“The stone... We don’t have the wand, no one tried to look for it so we don’t have it, but the stone.”

“I think we would know if we had the resurrection stone, little cousin.”

“Would we?” The blond boy had the smug smile that he loved so much and Harry wanted to slam his own face against the nearest surface just to try to get his brain to work properly again. “What did Dumbledore left you three?”

They all answered, a little tired of going over again the same thing that had been buggering them since August: trying to understand what the fuck did Professor Dumbledore wanted with his will. They only figured out the sword so far.

“Why would he leave you his personal copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard if it didn’t mean anything. Why the snitch?”

“I don’t know, Malfoy. That’s kind of the point. Scrimgeour said that the snitch would open when I’d hold it because it remembers their first touch, but I grabbed it and nothing happened...”

And Draco literally started to laugh saying that they have been so stupid all this fucking time. At this point, Everyone was watching him like he lost his mind (which was possible, Malfoy had been through enough, he wouldn’t blame him for losing it).

“Potter, work with me a little. Think about your first match.”

Harry frowned. He remembered loving every second of it... Except when Quirrel started to curse his broom. He could recall being so obstinate, making every single thing to catch the snitch, even as a first year, even if it was his first match. He remembered reaching out, so close to touching it with his fingers when... Holy shit. He widened his eyes and looked at Malfoy who was grinning like a mad man.

“I didn’t catch the snitch with my hand...” I said, realizing what he meant this whole time.

“You nearly swallowed the thing. I wanted to punch you in the face for that one.” He replied happily and Harry couldn’t help to look at him fondly.

Did Draco think back then that he was cute too? After their fight he had confessed that he found Harry the most attractive bloke in school and, when he heard it, his heart almost came out of his chest.

Take that Nott, he notices me and he likes me the most... At least physically.

What was a little disappointing, was the fact that what Draco thought about how he looked like had nothing to do with his feelings. Harry was glad that the boy found him attractive but, at the end of the day, he wanted for the blond boy to choose him first in every sense... which was not happening.

On Valentine’s Day, he tried to ask Malfoy out on a date. Not that they could go anywhere but his father said that him and Padfoot were having a romantic dinner, so the four of them needed to find another thing to do. Call him naive if you want, but Harry supposed that Ron would want to spend it with Mione alone, that left him and Draco to have a nice time for themselves in his room... And he started to plan it all: which album of Queen they were going to dance to, what would they eat in his room, at what point he was going to kiss him, and just imagining the smell of the daffodils filling his room was enough to put a goofy smile on his face. When Harry suggested to cook some pizza and take it upstairs, he was not pleasantly surprised to find out that Draco had actually planned an evening that included the four of them. At least they got to spend the night together, that was something, right?

“Potter.” Draco said, snapping his fingers in front of his eyes. He blinked repeatedly, as he came back from his thoughts. “Go fetch that Snitch.” He commanded and the green-eyed boy complied.

It turned out that a message appeared if Harry put the snitch in his mouth ‘I open at the close’ Nobody seemed to understand it, Ron only said that he was getting quite tired with Dumbledore’s Riddles. He couldn’t blame him, really.

“So you think that the stone is there, Kid?”

“Yes. Although we can’t do anything until it opens...But at least we know what’s going on... kind of.”

And after they started to assume that the Hallows were real, that one vision that he had about Voldemort torturing Gregorovitch for a wand that he could not find... It was finally starting to make sense. At least, now, Draco and Mione couldn’t be mad at him for letting him into his mind, because they had advantage, they knew what to expect when they would come across him again... Maybe he would carry the Elder Wand with him.

—————————

He was kissing Draco lazily that morning, he loved to do that. He loved to feel like the mornings were an extension from his dreams, this reality where he got to wake up with the blond boy’s arms around him. For a few minutes, he could pretend that this was permanent, that this was the way that he was going to wake up for the rest of his life.

The thing was that Harry had started to have hope, for a multitude of reasons. One being the smile that Draco offered him on these very same mornings, so truthful and warm. Another one being that confession about him being the highest rated boy in the list (yes, he was pretty proud of that). And, on top of everything, they were acting a lot like a couple lately... they would hug more, or kiss more, or hold hands a lot... Ron always had this annoyed expression on his face whenever he saw them together. Harry was aware that he was doing something wrong with Malfoy, he could live without the redhead wearing a scowl constantly on his face.

Draco separated their lips a little bit, just enough so he could talk.

“We should get up, training starts in like half-hour and we haven’t eaten yet.” Harry groaned and kissed him again, biting his bottom lip playfully.

“Or... We could stay here and skip breakfast.” Because, really, he could live without it and this was a much more entertaining thing.

“You can’t skip meals, Potter. We talked about this.”

This was another reason why he was getting hope, Draco was dying he had his own problems, and still, he found time to take care of Harry... To talk about the importance of a good nutrition and to come and spend the night with him whenever he realized that it was almost midnight and Harry wasn’t even attempting to get into his bed. Sleeping was overrated if you asked him, he spent six years of his life sleeping four hours each night and he was doing pretty well. Malfoy didn’t agree with him, though.

“You are such a killjoy.”

“Yes, now get up.”

The day passed by pretty smoothly. There wasn’t anything weird about it, no drama, no tantrums, no Ron and Hermione arguing about stupid stuff, and the more important thing ever: no coughs. None. Not even a small one. Harry seemed to be on Felix felicis again given the fact that he was smiling and skipping around the house from the happiness alone.

That was why it felt like such a punch to the gut to find the parchment on Malfoy’s desk.

They rarely spent time in Draco’s and Ron’s room. Probably because it was difficult to be alone in a room that was shared. The blond boy was in the shower, Ron was downstairs with Mione (he couldn’t go and interrupt them) and he was bored. He actually went into Draco’s room because he couldn’t find one of the vinyls, and since the blond boy tended to hoard as much of them as he could... He guessed that he could go and have a look around.

Now, Harry was regretting to ever had entered the room. His eyes were fixed on the parchment, Malfoy’s beautiful letter displayed on it. He didn’t even read the letter, he couldn’t. It was wrong wasn’t it? But...

Dear Theo:

There was this little voice in his head telling him to read it. That he could keep the secret. He was already biting his tongue to not tell Draco how he felt, and that was hard enough, he could keep this to himself too, couldn’t he?

‘No, Harry. This is awful. It’s private, you can’t. Just turn around and go.’

The boy was starting to hate the high morals that Gryffindor had instilled in him through the years... But to be fair, he never seemed to apply those morals whenever Malfoy was involved. With trembling hands he took the letter and began to read it.

Dear Theo:

I want to tell you so much that I don’t know where to begin. Let’s star with the most important thing, shall we?

The Deathly Hollows are real. Remember when we wanted to become the Masters of Death back when we were like five? I can’t believe that it is something actually possible, my prat of a father always made fun of our ‘childish dreams’ but who laughs now, huh? I have a connection to the other side, I can do the old rituals and I have a quest that has been a petition from Death herself.

I can’t help but to wish that you could be here.

His heart started to hurt. It felt like someone was strangling it. He was so naive wasn’t he?

Harry took a deep breath and resumed his reading, forcing himself to read that same line again.

I can’t help but to wish that you could be here. I know that you would love this, the mystery, the riddles... Even in this very obscure context is unbelievingly fun to try to solve this.

I miss you dearly. We haven’t got to spend any time together this year and I fear that we are not going to... Things are too messed up right now and I don’t have much time left. Potter says that he is going to finish this before June but, honestly, I don’t think that it’s going to happen.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

The tears started to escape from his eyes, he moved away the letter, trying to avoid staining it with his tears.

Please tell me that you are being safe...That you are being as cunning and ambitious as ever (well, tell me in a metaphoric sense of the term because this letter in not going anywhere and you can’t respond to it). When the time comes, I hope that you fight with our side. I really really want you to. I don’t know if that still means something to you but I wanted to tell you.

I had a dream last night, about us.

Harry’s heart stopped working for what it seemed to be ages. Last night? Like... The night previous to this beautiful morning where Draco kissed him for almost an hour? Oh... No coughs... at all. Fuck. How fucking naive he was, thinking that maybe he was the cause of Draco being healthy... It was because of Nott, of course. He let out a sob before continuing reading.

We were together at the beach (it looked like the one from Bill’s and Fleur’s cottage because I don’t know any other beach, clearly), you looked at me and smiled, and when I asked you if you were okay, you answered: ‘Yes... I haven’t been for a while...but I guess that I’m okay now.’ Were you really there? I can’t help but wonder if we really met in that dream... It felt so real, I don’t know how to explain it.

Harry couldn’t stop crying. Wishing that they haven’t met there at all. Even if it was a cruel thing to wish... He didn’t want to think that Draco and Nott met in their dreams because they missed each other so much. Not when the blond boy hugged him in his sleep and not when he woke him up with a kiss.

If it really was you, I’m glad that we got to see each other. At least like this.

Be safe... and try to laugh. It truly was a vision to see you showing off that beautiful smile of yours. You deserve to be happy.

Draco

He heard the water in the bathroom stop running. Harry left the letter where it was and abandoned the bedroom as fast as he could. He couldn’t go back to his room, Malfoy was probably going to look for him after he got changed. And he was crying his heart out. So bloody pathetic.

He changed his direction and started to walk down the hallway to knock on the door of the main bedroom. He heard a ‘come in’ so he opened the door and close it behind him once he was inside. He raised his eyes. Padfoot had a book in his hand and his father was resting his head on the man’s lap, both of them looked at him and froze.

“Harry...?” His dad asked with fear in his eyes.

“Can-“ Another sob escaped his mouth. “Can I stay here? I- I just-“

And he was being pulled into a hug. The nicotine smell was invading his nostrils.

“Muffliato. Please.” He begged, because the idea of Malfoy finding him crying like a little boy in his parent’s arms was embarrassing enough, he didn’t need for it to actually happen. His father complied and gestured for him to sit on the bed with them.

He wanted to scream from the pain. It was so fucking unfair. The tears kept coursing down his cheeks, he had to take off his glasses because it was impossible to see with them anymore, all tarnished from his crying.

“What happened?” Padfoot asked calmly, Harry only shook his head. He didn’t want to tell them. “It’s Draco, isn’t it?” And that only made Harry cry even harder which, he supposed that it confirmed Sirius’ suggestion.

His father tried to ask what was it that Draco had done but his godfather cut him shortly, saying that Harry would talk if he wanted and when he wanted.

After a while, he started to get this painful feeling in his chest. The anguish that got settle inside of him was starting to feel like an overwhelming wave that was crushing every single bone in his body. He needed to speak, he needed to talk to someone.

“He writes to him.” He whispered, his voice weak and thin. “I know I shouldn’t have read it, but I did. He thinks that they met in dreams-“ He said chocking as he let out a sobbing sound. “ Draco spent the night with me and he met in dreams with him. Isn’t that so fucking romantic?”

“Oh, Harry... Hou don’t know what that means for them-“

“He says that he misses him dearly. That he doesn’t believe that I’m going to finish this before June, even though I’m fucking trying” He cleaned his eyes with the back on his hand. “I know it’s really shitty of me but sometimes I wish that he would choose me. And I know that it’s wrong because it’s going to kill him. I fucking know it, but I want it. I want him to write letters to me, I want him to be with me, I want for him to sleep beside me and not think about someone else. I want him for myself and I can’t have that so I take whatever it is that he can give me.”

“I know, Prongslet. I totally get it.” Sirius said as he played his his hair, soothing him. His dad was rubbing his back... It felt so good to have them near. He couldn’t imagine what it would be of him going through all of this without them...

“You know...” His father started to say. “It’s possible to be in love with two people at once.” Oh for fuck’s sake.

“Oh, yeah? Was that what happened to you?” He spat out his response. He knew that it wasn’t fair, much less to his dad and with Padfoot right beside him... But he was just so fucking angry and sad.

“Yes...” His father answered with honesty, Harry could feel the hand of Sirius tense for a second before resuming to run his fingers through his hair. “After school, I kept dating Lily and eventually fell in love. When she got pregnant I asked her to marry me, and then you arrived... There wasn’t a single day where I didn’t love Sirius, though.”

“That’s just sad.” He replied stubbornly.

“Is it? It gave me you... with your beautiful green eyes and your mother’s sass.” He heard Sirius chuckling so he relaxed. Maybe they really talked about this... Maybe it was okay now. “What I mean is that love is a million different things, you always love people differently, even when you are in love. Maybe it’s not going to happen tomorrow but... what if you turn out to be the one who spends the rest of his life with him? Would it really matter if he had Hanahaki for someone else?” Harry groaned.

“You don’t get it. You just don’t. I want for him to love me like he loves him. I know it’s fucking cruel, alright? But I want for him to love me so desperately that he would get the same squeezing feeling around his heart that I have everytime that I imagine them together. At this point, I’m bloody surprised that I’m not the one with the Hanahaki.”

“Okay... Prongslet?” Harry looked up. “How about you tell him how you feel?” He was about to respond but Padfoot cut him short. “I know what you are going to say: he doesn’t love me back and yada yada yada, BUT there is this very” And the man child coughs trying to hide the word ‘huge’.

“Sirius” His dad said in a reprimanding tone.

“What? I was just coughing. Anyway there is this possibility where you are.. you know... wrong.”

“About what? Maybe he has some feelings for me, which I doubt: I was barely mentioned in the letter-“

“Maybe he has THE feelings for you, you bullheaded oblivious very-son-of-your-father Potter.”

“SIRIUS.”

“What, James? They are worse than us! That’s saying something”

Harry started to get up, cleaning the rest of the tears with his sleeve and putting his glasses on.

“Hey, where are you going?” His father asked as soon as he started to walk to the door.

“Away from you. I don’t need you to give me hope when I know that I’m going to end up heartbroken.”

And he was closing the door behind him when he heard Padfoot yell.

“You know who said the very same thing at Grimmauld??” But whatever he was about to say was interrupted by him slamming the door.

———————-

Later that night, Harry found himself alone in his room and looking at the ceiling. His head was filled with images of Malfoy and Nott together at the beach, smiling to each other...

‘Potter says that he is going to finish this before June but, honestly, I don’t think that it’s going to happen.’

The thing was that he really wished to have a shot at being with Draco. That could only happen if they finished this on time and after they destroyed the locket, they were pretty stuck. The only clue that they had was Bellatrix...

They needed her wand to get to inside of the vault. What could they do? Steal it? They needed to be near her for that... Malfoy Manor was the place were the Death Eaters meeting were being held, he knew that because Draco told him, maybe if they infiltrated that Manor, they could get the wand... Or even her hair, with how much polyjuice Malfoy and Mione had brew in the last months they could do whatever they wanted.

But if they went inside of the Manor, Draco wasn’t coming with them. Not in a million years. Harry feared how his family would react if they saw him. Sirius and dad weren’t an option either, much to his dismay, someone needed to stay here with the blond boy and take care of him... And even if everything went wrong and he wouldn’t get to come back from this one, they would take care of him and Draco could be with Nott without Harry being in the middle of it all. He could actually let them be happy...

He needed to talk to Hermione and Ron about this. He just hoped that they would agree with him.

Sometimes being the good and selfless Chosen One sucked.

#drarry #fanfic #fanfiction #prongsfoot

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