#the truest masterpiece of all time
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❛ HEAVEN KNOWS ❜ ❨ lando norris x singer!reader ❩
📻 track one: the good witch — prologue.
in which the they were the perfect couple, until they weren’t. or in which we take a look back into what made heaven itself fall apart.
. . . FEBRUARY 2023
INSTAGRAM. february tenth.
liked by wagsoff1 and 879,761 others
f1news after three and a half years together, lando norris has split from girlfriend and singer, y/n y/l/n. the mclaren driver posted an instagram story yesterday announcing the breakup and asking for privacy for both himself and y/n. the couple were a fan favourite in the paddock and the sudden split has shocked many. y/n has not commented on the situation yet.
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paddockbabes not the parents 💔💔💔
y/nupdates i refuse to believe this is real
landosworldchamp i just woke up and this is the first thing i see??? what the hell happened
signedupforthis they were literally so happy together i was waiting for the engagement announcement not THIS
⤷ notrealy/n it’s so out of the blue 😭
. . . SEPTEMBER 2023.
INSTAGRAM. september nineteenth.
liked by pierregasly, francisca.cgomes and 762,900 others
yourusername it’s armageddon babe
comments have been limited on this post.
lilymhe beautiful girl 🤍🤍🤍
⤷ yourusername missing you
alexalbon coming back to london just to see u
⤷ yourusername you’re both welcome any time!!!
user mother is alive!!! we’ve missed you
francisca.cgomes you’re glowing ! can’t wait to see what you’ve been working on
⤷ yourusername you’ll get all of the voice memos first
user omg six month hiatus does this mean new music??
INSTAGRAM. september twenty—fifth.
liked by lailahasanovic, noahkahan and 981,443 others
yourusername so happy to let you all know that my sophomore album, the good witch, is out october 28th. i spent the last six months in the studio, pouring my heart into these songs and healing in the process, and now i get to share them with you. these songs are my own spells, manifesting and cursing and hexing. this album my good, my bad and my ugly. it is the truest reflection of the last year of my life. i’ll be revealing a little about each song in the run up to the release and i hope you all love it as much as i do. the good witch era begins 🧙♀️🔮🪄
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user AH!!!
carmenmmundt so excited!!!!
sabrinacarpenter she IS the moment
user october 28th??? isn’t that when lando and her met??
⤷ user yes!! at lewis’ halloween party 😭
charlottesiine the people are not ready for this masterpiece
⤷ yourusername thank you for letting me trust you with the first listen 🫶
writers note: eeeek it took a while but the first chapter is here!! i’m so excited for this series. this is just a little starter/prologue to get an idea for what’s to come & the rest of the chapters will go into the flashbacks & feature lando a little more 🤍🔮🪄
tag list: @racingheartsworld @cha-hot @celestialams
#✩ HEAVEN KNOWS.#lando norris imagine#lando norris x reader#lando norris drabble#lando norris blurb#lando norris instagram edit#lando norris smau#formula 1 instagram au#formula 1 x oc#formula 1 drabble#formula 1 x reader#formula one#formula one imagine
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Anyone else ever think about how utterly wrecked Dawnbreaker would look the first time you touched him?
The truest definition of touch starved- he's waited years to feel your hands on him, dreaming of it every night since he was old enough to desire such things. He's not the proper and stoic Dr. Zayne you're used to, all practiced hands and measured breaths.
No, he is years worth of yearning and desire, trembling fingers almost hidden underneath the sheer force of his need to finally- FINALLY taste you. And it's almost imperceptible, the sigh that escapes him when your lips first meet, but the soft groans that follow when you bite at his lower lip confirm it was not your imagination.
His grip is one that borders on bruising; he's terrified you'll slip through his grasp. The vagaries of his dreams have left him so desperate for your affection that his body follows every slight twist or shift you make with absolute precision. His foggy mind still sharp enough to count every single point of contact between you, keeping a mental tally of how many places your physical beings become one.
Let your mouth plant and purchase down his neck, suck and bite and tend to the skin that makes him gasp and shudder. Drag your nails down the peaks and valleys of his chest and feel him vibrate and shiver; hooded eyes alight with all the need of a flame grasping for its only source of fuel. Listen carefully for every hiss and moan as they pull through him; each sound the little spark that threatens to call forth the avalanche that could bury you both. They're all throaty and pulled from behind his teeth, his brows pinched upwards as his eyes pull shut to focus on the searing heat of your touch that brands him as yours.
Feel as his cool, firm fingers find their way to the back of your neck and shoulder to knead and grip, curling around your pulse point to ground himself. He needs every reassurance you're real. Every heartbeat, every kiss, every touch, every soft word whispered against his skin that causes ripples of goosebumps to flood him- all of these are moments that will both sustain and haunt him in the days ahead.
Dark hair dusts acoss his eyes as you momentarily force yourself apart from him to stop and admire your work- and oh boy, what a work of art you've made. The expanse of his chest, littered with scars and lip given bruises, rises and falls with the strain of your activity. Jaw slack, to let saliva wetted kiss swollen lips pant. His honey and clover eyes burn and bore into you as you appreciate the masterpiece before you, and you know you've finally experienced what it means to create like the Gods.
#ive got feelings about this man okay- i wanna do THINGS to him#love and deepspace#lnds#lads#l&ds#love & deepspace#zayne love and deepspace#zayne#zayne dawnbreaker#dont be fooled though right after this that man hauls your ass off and locks you in a house and youre never seen again#which like... yeah im game#but ya know 👀#kay writes
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IT WAS ALL BY DESIGN | KAVEH (2)
tags second chance, angst and fluff, time-skips, lovers to exes to lovers again, profanity, happy ending
a/n wc 6K (omfg) kaveh lore spoilers and not rlly canon compliant
previous part
when kaveh is jostled awake, he dreads the pitiful expression of the forest ranger who called for him.
kaveh now stands over people hunched and bent to their knees, picking up what they can clean and batting away the aggravated fungi.
the withering, they said.
there’s nothing left. or, well, what should be his masterpiece is just dust and debris. it was so close to being like what he imagined when he could still dream. it was so close to finishing, why—why did it have to…?
he’s the only one standing over kneeling people, yet he’s never felt so small at the moment. as if he’s back to being a little kid, unsure of what to do with himself as everyone scrambled about in front of him. he hasn’t felt this need to cry since the building blocks he had spent hours stacking meticulously on top of each other all came tumbling down with one wrong swipe.
the withering struck at the same moment kaveh thought that things were going perfectly. he should’ve known—it could never be that easy.
he only snaps out of it when you come to his side, reaching for him. he doesn’t even realize he is quivering until you run your hands through his hair, and he feels like breaking inside because he doesn’t deserve it.
he should’ve known. he should’ve known.
he should’ve listened to dori.
dori is furious with him, which is somehow even worse than seeing his own creation in ruin when it was perfectly fine the day before. dori’s face is twisted in rage, screaming at him to leave this goddamn project. large, extravagant, do whatever you want, dori had said, repeating her words, and this is what happens?
“fuck,” he groans, burying his face in his trembling palms. it’s no different from a child throwing a tantrum.
“kaveh,” you murmur, and he tenses for all the wrong reasons.
you shouldn’t see him like this, so weak and pathetic. he’s humiliated, distraught, and you’re seeing all of it. his face burns in shame, his eyes growing hotter along with it.
“kaveh,” you repeat. kaveh, stubbornly, childishly, doesn’t look up. “i’m feeling tired, can we stay here?”
“...okay.”
neither of you comment on his quaver, and kaveh knows he’s the one trembling in the knees, not you. small mercies like these give kaveh the courage to blindly reach in front of him to feel your hand. you take him, and kaveh’s never felt safer despite everything.
“remember, kaveh, when i told you that mourning flowers reminded me of your eyes?”
confused, kaveh replies slowly, “yes. you gave one to me. i still have it.”
you beam at his response, encouraged to continue. “i learned about another flower, a specialty in mondstadt. windwheel asters. i want to pick one straight from the grass, tuck it behind your ear, and watch it spin around before i get distracted by your eyes again because they have the same shade.”
“we can have someone deliver it,” kaveh mumbles, his shoulders slumping. “so you don’t have to travel all the way there.”
“yeah.” you breathe in deeply, resting your forehead against his. “yeah, i should’ve.”
kaveh hasn’t realized that the rangers and construction crew started filtering out until it was dead silent, enough for kaveh to feel like he could hear the stars speaking to him. enough where your heartbeat is the loudest sound at the moment.
“it’s okay. we can stay here for as long as you need,” you assure him with the kindest smile that he knows shouldn’t be directed at him. “i’m too tired to walk back anyway.”
“i love you,” he whispers, the first time either of you called it what it was. he feels that this is the truest phrase he had ever said, even though he’s not sure you even heard it.
kaveh held you closer to him that night, afraid that the withering would creep in and take you away from him, too.
do the right thing, no matter what it costs you.
kaveh has heard this saying before, over and over again. he first heard it from his father, and kaveh fully believed that he’d do so without hesitation if ever the time came. then from old, wise scholars who told tales of how much they sacrificed to have this much success today. but dreaming about his father brings him back to himself, curled up on a dusty couch, having returned from fontaine to attend his mother’s wedding.
if the cost is his own happiness, is it still worth it? is it still the right thing to do?
he hadn’t seen his mother smile so wide since she wrapped her arms around her new husband. kaveh wonders how she was able to let go so fast, but he finds that he doesn’t blame her because this is what she deems is the right thing to do.
no matter what it costs you.
kaveh awakes with a start in the middle of the night, when crickets are still loud in his ears, and the streets are dead silent as most of everyone has gone to bed. his head is spinning, heart racing, but there’s a fire in his eyes that he thought had been snuffed out since the incident.
“kaveh…?” you rub your eyes tiredly from where you’re resting on his chest.
kaveh smiles at the tender sight of nuzzling up to him like this, soft with sleep and smelling like him. “you should go home and clean up.”
you’re slurring your words together, heavily lethargic. “but what ‘bout you?”
“i’ll be fine,” kaveh murmurs fondly, unable to resist kissing your forehead. “i’ll be fine.” because he knows now that even if he were to do the right or wrong thing, he still has you to come back to, and that’s more than enough for him to do it no matter the cost.
kaveh sells his house.
it was almost underwhelming. he was expecting a heart-wrenching realization stopping him halfway through even making that decision, yet all he felt as he talked to the buyers was this empty feeling—the same one he feels every time he comes back to it as if it’s still his home.
all that runs through his mind is that he has a new one now. and this one, he will not even think about selling off. more than a building, more than just a house.
this revelation keeps him chin-up and strong as he faces dori and tells her about his decision. he’s sure that dori’s cunning smile will haunt him for a few days.
“you’ve been so busy, kaveh.” you narrow your eyes, studying his face from all angles with your hand on his chin. “what’s up? have you been feeling unwell? someone pushing you to your limits?”
kaveh is trying so, so hard not to smile and spoil the surprise, but you’re poking his cheek and pouting again like before, and he’s weak to anything you give him. “no,” he laughs, letting you move his face around so long as you keep your hands on him.
“you’re happy,” you conclude. “something good happened. another commission?” you frown when kaveh shakes his head. kaveh kisses the point where your brows furrow, unable to help himself. “don’t give me that. even cyno isn’t telling me.”
“cyno knows that you’ll like this surprise this time.”
“the last time you hid something from me, it ended terribly,” you warn.
kaveh huffs. “not anymore, i swear on it. because it’s finished, and i’m going to show the surprise right now.”
“what?”
it’s not quite finished, the palace of alcazarzaray. there are people on the sidelines painting the walls, some digging their hands in the dirt and watering the carefully selected flowers. he watches as your eyes draw to it first, gaze softening impossibly—and this is where kaveh knew that he did something right.
“oh,” you murmur.
kaveh doesn’t take your silence as an insult—quite the opposite. he lets you soak it all in, just like he did when the building looks more like what he envisioned, even when he’s drawn this over and over in his head and on paper.
it’s not his place. he doesn’t own it, but deep down, he proudly calls it his.
“this looks like the draft you made that day,” you say after a long moment of silence. “the one you said you did on ‘autopilot.’”
“that’s because it is.” kaveh lays his eyes on it. “i sacrificed so much for this.”
you grin, turning to him. “you know what i’ll say already, don’t you?”
“that i’ve wonderfully lost my mind?”
“that there’s nothing i wish more than to see what the world looks like in your eyes.”
kaveh blushes madly. “you shouldn’t. you’d just see yourself.”
he wanted to give you a tour, but there’s not much to be done when your lips slot against his under the stars, and you’re right in front of his magnum opus as if you’re part of it.
whispers come quickly and float long enough for kaveh to pick up on it the moment he stepped foot on the hallways.
there he is, they say. kaveh built the palace of alcazarzaray, didn’t you hear? yes, yes that one. light of kshahrewar.
he wants to smile politely when they all look at him as if he’s hung the stars, but he knows it’d only come off as bitter. they aren’t wrong: he did something right and good with that project, and everything turned out safe and finished in the end—
but it doesn’t just end there. he sits in a pile not of mora but dust and a heavy heart upon the reminder that he sold off what used to be his home for this. it cost him; does that mean this is the right thing?
kaveh takes a deep breath in and knocks on tighnari’s door.
immediately, he’s greeted by the sight of his friends: al-haitham and cyno tucked in some corner playing TCG (cyno winning), tighnari pointing in his direction, and you brightening as the door closes behind kaveh.
“kaaaveehh!” you garble happily, crashing into his chest and snuggling. “kaveh, you’re here.”
kaveh doesn’t need to sniff the air to piece two and two together. “you’re drunk already?” kaveh smiles, helping you regain balance.
tighnari sighs as he trots over, ears drooping in shame. “that’s my fault. i didn’t realize y/n took my glass until i took a sip and tasted water.”
“kaveeeh,” you wail, holding onto his sleeves desperately like someone is going to take him away. “kaveh, look at you! you’re so—so nice. so pretty. i love youuu…”
“i love you, too,” he says warmly, turning his head away so you wouldn’t see the stupid grin on his face.
in this angle, he can see the judgemental stares of cyno and al-haitham, which prompts a “shut up!” from him despite them having not said anything.
you hiccup. “kaveh, i need to sit down. kaveh, can we sit down?”
he leads you to the nearest loveseat, never once separating from you—not that he can when you aren’t giving him a chance to, anyway. “can i get a glass, too?” he asks tighnari, who was holding back laughter while watching the entire scene.
when tighnari comes back with enough glasses to have kaveh know right away that he won’t be leaving this house with steady steps, they all their glasses for a toast. to kaveh, to the palace of alcazarzaray, to everyone.
“hey.” kaveh rests a hand on the small of your back, which you bat away clumsily.
“i have a boyfriend,” you grumble, “don’t… don’t…”
“what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” kaveh teases.
“ugh, don’t talk to me. go away. i feel like i’m about to hurl yesterday’s lunch. i’ll do it on you,” you threaten, head lolling as you try to sit up. kaveh helps you through it, chuckling quietly when you push him off and repeating that you have a boyfriend.
and then you start crying.
said boyfriend, of course, panics, hands flying uselessly as tears fall and keep falling from your eyes. “why are—are you crying? what happened? do we need to take you outside?”
“my boyfriend… i want to be with him forever…” you sob through sniffles, awkwardly wiping tears away with a wobbly arm.
kaveh frowns. “well, why can’t you?”
“because i can’t stay here forever. but he stays here forever. i want to stay with him forever, but i can’t. i need to go everywhere, not—not stay here. my head hurts. please, i need water.”
overwhelmed, kaveh goes to fetch a glass of water, numb. “here, water. drink it slowly,” he says.
“thank you,” you say. “don’t tell him i said any of those.”
“i won’t, i promise,” kaveh says, his voice small.
without warning, you climb over and settle on his lap, resting your cheek against his chest. kaveh doesn’t know if it’s the first sip of alcohol or if it’s just you making his heart race and placate all at once—but he already knows the answer.
“i thought you have a boyfriend?” kaveh asks, carding his fingers through your hair.
“i do, but…” you exhale slowly, your weight getting a little heavier as you relax, and kaveh smiles because how could he not? “you smell like home.”
he’ll bring it up some other time.
unfortunately, he doesn’t get the courage to bring it up. he faces his consequence when it’s too late, and you’re the one to speak to him about it.
you’re braiding his hair, slow and steady, the way he likes it. you’ve bought him various hairpins that you said match his eyes. he doesn’t think he’s met someone who’s loved his eyes as much as you before. to show his appreciation, he insists on wearing all of them, even if he doesn’t need them.
“do you remember the exchange program i mentioned briefly a while back?”
kaveh ransacks through his head for the memory. he only remembers you warning him that you won’t be staying in sumeru forever when you first got together, and some drunken conversations. “i think so, yes. you said you’ll finish there. why? what brought this up?”
“i got accepted.” the last hairpin clicks into place. there are about six on his head. “i’ll be leaving soon.”
kaveh’s eyes brighten as he turns to you, expecting you to be thrilled, but you look nervous. you aren’t meeting his eyes.
“y/n,” kaveh says softly, holding your cheeks in his palms, “what’s wrong?”
“it’s in inazuma,” you say carefully. “and if i finish there and continue with my dream, i won’t really have… all the time to go back here.”
that’s too far, is what kaveh wants to say. he doesn’t, because he vividly remembers you saying you want to go everywhere someday, and who is he to bind you to him because he is selfish and needy? in the grand scheme of things, he is no one in your life.
“will you be alone?”
“no. i’ll be with anis, and i’ll have soraya come with me to liyue when the time comes. i won’t be alone.”
kaveh nods, easing a bit. “that’s good.”
kaveh must be wearing a pitiful expression if you scramble to speak again. “we can write each other letters,” you say weakly. “or i can send gifts…”
he thinks of his mother, leaving to fontaine, writing to him on occasion. he thinks of seeing his mother again after so long, seeing how happy she is, and he thinks about how he hadn’t seen her like that when kaveh was still living with her after his father’s death.
“and tie you down to me?” kaveh shakes his head. “don’t worry about me while you’re taking on the world. too many sights to see to think about me.”
your expression looks pained. “you’re not tying me down. i love you more than that.”
kaveh’s reply is instant. “enough to not leave?”
you wince, and kaveh curses himself, flinching away from holding your face to ball his fingers into fists beside him. “no, i’m sorry. i didn’t mean that, please ignore i said that. i’m sorry.”
“kaveh,” you say, and kaveh understands, more than anyone, what you’re thinking right now.
“i know.”
“kaveh, i—i’m sorry, i can’t… i don’t…”
“that’s okay,” kaveh says, “i’m glad you told me, really. no, look at me. i’m happy for you; you can be happy for yourself, too.” it feels like we had only gotten together yesterday, and it’s already falling apart.
this was divine intervention, telling him—no, reprimanding him, don’t think about it. don’t say anything else, you might as well ruin it more; toss it in quicksand, will you? this was them telling him that if things were to work out in his favor two times in a row, he’d regret it later.
kaveh takes a deep, shuddering breath. “i was planning on leaving, too. we’ve just graduated, we deserve a vacation.” he was hoping to take you with him, but only here he realizes how selfish it was. you warned him, too, so he can’t say you didn’t.
you seem relieved that he’s keeping a conversation. “really?”
“yes. just here in sumeru, though,” he says, sheepish. “you’ve set on something bigger, and i was already nervous about my choice.”
“you’ll be fine, kaveh.” you sound so sure. kaveh doesn’t know how you make it sound like you know him better than himself. “the world is so beautiful, and it can’t wait to see what part of it inspires you.”
at least, this time, he gets to say goodbye, and he gets to see you while he says it.
“so, that’s it?”
“don’t hold back because of me, kaveh,” you tell him. “if love finds its way back to you again, catch it and don’t feel sorry for me.”
kaveh wants to say it in return, but the best he can do is be selfish in silence. he doesn’t want you with anyone else that isn’t him—just thinking about it hurts him.
“i’ll come home someday,” you say. kaveh nods because he wants this promise to be real this time. “and maybe we can still be friends, if you’ll have me.”
this, kaveh realizes, is really what his father meant when he said to do the right thing, no matter what it costs you.
later, he invites tighnari, cyno, and al-haitham out for dinner.
and when they arrive at the table, the first thing kaveh says is, “i’ll be leaving next week.” his friends weren’t able to pry much from him, but they could figure it out on their own if they saw the list of the students going abroad.
things go on: too slow for kaveh’s liking, and a little unsteady from time to time, but when he pictures you living your life somewhere, he thinks he can’t let you beat him to it, so he tries his best.
it’s been a while since you last visited sumeru.
everything looks the same since you’ve last been here, but something feels different. it takes you a while to realize it’s the people walking about happily, and to you, it seems like something is missing from their ears.
you had already removed the akasha the moment you moved out, but it was still a little jarring to step into your homeland without it, and seeing people do the same. the two guards who were usually in charge of handing them out to tourists are gone from their place, too.
anis breathes in deeply, then exhales shakily. she had stayed in liyue for far longer than you had, habituated herself to it, but still, sumeru is where she looks right at home, with trees and shades of green surrounding her. “oh, how i missed this! no other region can beat the fresh and dewy air of sumeru, no matter how beautiful their architecture is.”
you nudge her. “you were the one complaining about having to leave mondstadt yesterday.”
anis scowls, huffing petulantly. “i was tired. and the goth grand hotel had funny guests. you spent all day picking windwheel asters—make a whole flower shop with them already, will you?”
“shh, don’t be so loud.” anis flails around until you free her mouth from your palm. she stares at you, scandalized. “no one is supposed to know i’m back yet.”
“you shouldn’t have come with me if that was the case, then,” anis says, and you two continue walking up the bridge of the palace of alcazarzaray.
“you were the one who begged me to.”
it’s been forever since you’ve last seen it—the pictures you took don’t compare to the real thing—and yet it feels like the first time all over again, with warmth pressed on your side and the back of your palm tingling from the feeling of someone’s lips kissing it a few seconds before.
your heart aches faintly.
anis takes note of your face with a contemplative hum. “then again, you probably missed the man behind this the most. you should be grateful that i even managed to commission him! everyone flocks to kaveh the moment they get the chance.”
“it’s because you’re also from his darshan,” you argue, embarrassed. just hearing his name makes your face heat up.
“and i’m the best friend of his ex—right, right.” anis yelps when you pinch her elbow, but it fades off into laughter soon enough. you smile, but only because her glee is as contagious as wild fungi.
passing by the palace of alcazarzaray and into a secluded hut right across it, you and anis continue catching up, recalling akademiya memories that both of you agreed never to bring up again. it was mostly groupmates you hope are still failing their darshan with their incompetence. you hear some people chiming in, telling you about how a traveler and your friends saved the entirety of sumeru. weird, but not entirely outlandish.
“al-haitham as the acting grand scribe?” anis gawks. you are probably wearing a similar expression. “what happened while we were gone?”
you sigh. “i wish i knew, too. i wish i knew.”
“oh, look!” anis gestures ahead, under a large tree that curves forward and casts enough shade for a whole garden. “that’s the place kaveh asked to meet me in. and if i’m not mistaken, that blond guy over there with the red cape…”
“oh,” you breathe.
you didn’t think kaveh could be prettier than he already was, and he was already turning heads back then. stripped off the akademiya’s uniform and into something he looks more like himself in: drop-dead elegant. you appreciate the slit on the back of his blouse. (he’s still wearing six red clips.)
anis elbows you. “you can back out. i’d rather you don’t because i know how much you missed him, but—”
“i won’t,” you say. not that you can bring yourself to turn back when kaveh is right there anyway.
“kaveh!” anis calls out; you purposefully slow your steps so you’re in her shadow, yet kaveh’s eyes still snap to yours right away.
“anis.” kaveh stands from the table clumsily, his eyes round in surprise. “...y/n. both of you are back?”
“hi, kaveh,” you greet with a wave. “you look good.” he does. too good for someone who’s currently standing a few feet away from his ex. it almost feels like revenge.
“you, too,” kaveh smiles, reluctant, “it’s been so long.”
“i like your new style, kaveh!” anis whistles appreciatively, and you want nothing more than to nod and pray kaveh doesn’t see the way you’re eyeing him. “suits you. a natural artist, even outside construction.”
“speaking of,” kaveh starts. you can’t help but notice that even when his client is right there, his eyes stray to you too often, and you’re starting to feel like some flustered teenager over it, “you’re a talented artist yourself, anis. it was a surprise to hear from you about this project.”
“i know i am, but who am i to waste the opportunity of taking advantage of my connections? i’m fortunate enough that you accepted right away.”
“of course. congratulations on the engagement, anis,” kaveh says sincerely, from one old friend to another.
“thank you.” anis smiles in return. “people in liyue were too charming. now here i am, with a ring on my finger.” she wiggles the fingers of her left hand for emphasis.
kaveh quirks a brow. “were they?”
anis grins slyly. “don’t worry, y/n wasn’t looking at all.”
you gape, incensed. “anis!”
kaveh hides a laugh behind his hand, and he’s only looking at you. “thanks for telling me.”
embarrassed, you duck your head and remind yourself that anis owes you a trip back to liyue for that. you can still feel kaveh’s stare on you, burning on your head.
mercifully, he does drop it, straightening his posture and looking more like sumeru’s most famous architect anis commissioned. you’re seeing what years and years have done to kaveh—it’s done him good. “before we get straight into it, would you tell me more about what you had in mind? along with your partner’s opinions, of course.”
and because anis is cruel and evil, she drags you along with it the entire time.
anis excuses herself to order water, saying her mouth is dry from all that talking and debating with kaveh over designs. you wonder how they even got along as group mates.
“the padisarah is clever,” you say, gaining more confidence when kaveh beams as you start the conversation. “i’m glad you learned to appreciate flora in your works. it’s perfect.”
“i’m grateful to the one who taught me all about its beauty,” he replies, eyes twinkling.
you laugh, trailing off stiffly, unsure what to say. so you don’t reply.
you want to ask him so many questions. how are you? i missed you. did you tailor this outfit yourself? you look good. do you hate me for leaving? because i do. yet looking at him, you find yourself speechless.
“where are you headed next after this?” kaveh asks, shifting his weight from one foot to another. it reminds you too much of what he used to do back in the akademiya.
“i’m not sure. i heard cyno’s in the desert right now, so i might head to gandharva ville first. say hi to al-haitham for me?”
kaveh’s expression falls. “yeah… yeah, of course. i’ll see you around.”
tighnari opens the door, his face melting in surprise. “y/n?”
“tighnari!” you greet with a bright smile, opening your arms for him. “surprise…?”
because tighnari was never really the most affectionate, he shuffles forward and lets you hug him with great difficulty. he mumbles, “since when have you returned to sumeru? you didn’t even tell me.”
“you need to be reminded of the definition of surprise, tighnari,” you laugh, stepping inside his house when he moves aside. a lot has changed in this one, brimming with more books and looking worn down than you last remember. there’s a bed on the corner, the blanket kept clean and tidy.
“have you met up with kaveh yet?”
“...of course i have.”
tighnari’s ear flicks, and he smiles knowingly. “he still loves you as much, you know.”
you grimace. is that really the first thing he’s going to talk about? tighnari was also never one to mince his words and spoonfeed it gently. “it’s been so long. you can’t assume something so absurd.”
“y/n,” tighnari says, returning to his table where he seems to be working on a concoction, “you weren’t there for when kaveh decided to leave for the desert. i’ve never seen him want to get so drunk that badly. he was just talking about you.”
you grimace. “oh.” you remember every word you’ve said clearly and his expressions that keep you up on lonely nights. “that just proves my point.”
“no. he was moping, sure. but the alcohol in his system made him all the more honest. he was just talking about you.” tighnari crushes leaves in his bowl, eyes flicking up to meet your nervous ones. “reverently, almost. like you never broke up.”
“years ago, tighnari,” you remind, face hot.
“he’s always been the most romantic one out of the four of us.”
you let the silence settle for a few moments as your thoughts wander, back to kaveh and back to the windwheel asters you kept on a pot and carried as is to sumeru. it’s never been that easy.
“well, i didn’t come here for a pep talk,” you say, clearing your throat. “is that the waterproofing oil you’ve been working on since back then? it looks much smoother than before.”
tighnari grins. “i’ve learned a lot, and i know so have you. from one amurta graduate to another, surely you know what i mean?”
he talks you through what he’s been doing for the past years. it feels like you’ve gone through a lifetime without them, but that’s coming from you, who was convinced that you wouldn’t be returning at all. if tighnari notices that your mind is far off elsewhere, he generously doesn’t comment on it.
you aren’t needed at all, yet anis still takes you to the next meeting, where kaveh will reveal his first proposal. you remind anis of this, but she only replies with:
“don’t give me that. kaveh was the one who asked to bring you along.”
you rolled your eyes at that because not even you would believe her.
but still, you come along because these quick meetings give you a chance to see kaveh without having to come up with a half-baked excuse. you’ll treasure these few days before you eventually have to see him again when tighnari—or cyno, or maybe even al-haitham—gets tired of this unbearable push and pull and forces a date. and things go south because kaveh will say he’s been happier without you, and you travel back to another region, heartbroken.
…at least that’s what you were expecting. kaveh usually hasn’t gone on for this long when dealing with clients, and both he and anis know what they’re doing. what’s more surprising than that is anis takes it all in stride, which doesn’t appease your confusion.
it’s the fifth day. usually, kaveh would be working on the building itself by now. (times change, you remind yourself, you don’t know him anymore.)
anis looks over kaveh’s nth proposal, huffing in what could almost be discerned as amusement. “oh, dear.”
you don’t see anything wrong with it. “it looks good to me…”
anis pinches your cheek, making you frown. “please, y/n. do me a favor and just ask him out already. all this hopeless pining is wearing down on his creativity.”
your face burns. “he’s my ex, anis! isn’t there an unspoken rule not to get back together with your ex?”
anis scoffs. “that rule doesn’t apply when both of you don’t act like exes in the first place.”
“i told him that if i got back, we can still be friends, that’s why…” you argue weakly.
“friends? you’re not fooling anyone, especially yourself.”
you sit under the stars and wonder if you ever went wrong, or if you’re slowly going back to the right path. you don’t regret leaving sumeru and exploring the world, but you regret ending things with kaveh like that. taking on the world had been so lonely thinking about him being happy with someone else. others from the regions you’ve visited tried their hand at pursuing you, but you’re too desperate to see blond hair and red eyes in them to let them in.
is this the right thing? being friends is better than being nothing, right?
kaveh appears from the entrance, looking around briefly before eventually—like it always does—his eyes land on you. “y/n? anis said you called for me.”
you smile at him. “yeah, i did.”
he steps forward and stops there, looking like a wary shroomboar against an armed ranger. you sigh, setting the pot aside and patting the empty space next to you. kaveh follows, sitting on the edge.
“are you scared of me, kaveh?”
“i don’t know what i can do,” he admits, and your expression eases.
you pick the pot up and place it carefully on his lap. kaveh’s hands fly out to catch it when it loses balance, brushing his hands against yours. maybe you shouldn’t be doing this sober
“a windwheel aster, for you.” you hold a finger in front of his face, feeling around in your bag to reveal another one, more crumpled and less alive than the one on kaveh’s lap, but it still spins when you blow on it. “and, uh—here, let me.”
kaveh closes his eyes when you lean in. (you’re not sure if it’s instinct.) you tuck it behind his ear, unable to help your grin when you pull away, and the breeze that catches on it makes the petals turn.
“i was right,” you say. “they look good with your eyes.”
“that’s cruel, y/n.”
your stomach drops, flinching away. you wring your hands on your lap, too ashamed to gaze at him directly. “i’m sorry, you probably didn’t—i shouldn’t have—”
kaveh reaches for your wrist, looking heartbroken. he kisses your palm, your wrist, and it’s then you realize that he’s not upset at you, but at himself. “y/n. i thought you wanted me to go easy on me and leave forever.”
“would it have been easier for you?”
“not unless you still want me to confess to you like we’re back in the akademiya, and i’m distressingly in debt.”
“aren’t you still distressingly in debt?”
kaveh breathes in the air shared between the two of you, face twisted in a way that looks like he’s barely holding back from smothering your face with kisses. “y/n, please.”
he still loves you as much, you know.
breathing hitching, you ask, “do you know what you’re saying…?”
“fate brought us together again. surely you don’t think i’ll be blind to another chance gifted to me?”
ah. tighnari is never wrong.
well, you should’ve known. you never could’ve been just friends with kaveh, not when he’s looking at you like you were never gone, and you still thought about him every night when you were.
“we can try, again,” you say. “you and i.”
“again,” kaveh agrees. “i won’t let you go this time.”
( you see kaveh there with dark bags under his eyes and his grip trembling slightly as it cuts across the page in something beyond a confident stroke—more so angry, barely held in, brimming and ready to spill.
students who pass by whisper to themselves and stare at him longer than they should’ve, but he doesn’t seem to care—or rather, doesn’t even notice that he’s in a public space. his eyes are trained on the stack of papers in front of him, eyes aflame.
anis notices your fond gaze and smirks.
she says aloud, “having this kshahrewar genius seek you out so constantly… i can’t even imagine—i’ve heard enough from my peers talking about how they regret not getting a chance to speak with him.”
“i don’t see how it’s my fault that kaveh didn’t want to entertain them.”
anis chortles. “oh, no wonder why he likes you so much.”
the collar of your uniform feels stiflingly hot all of a sudden. you hide what must be a pinched expression with a glare. “it’s not like that. it’s not.”
“you won’t be able to fight against it if it’s your fate.” anis throws an arm over your shoulder. “you should be thankful i followed your plan and made him notice you. now you’re inseparable! ah, love.” )
a/n i have never written this much before so art i hope u like it (and u owe me a xiao fic for this) <33333 but also this was actually rlly fun to write (if not for the fact that i hated writing it halfway the same reason i avoid writing long fics) rbs and comments fuel me!! ty for reading!!
#606:GENSHIN#genshin impact x you#genshin impact x reader#genshin x reader#kaveh x reader#kaveh x you
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hey girl!! luv ur writing, first of all. so for ur event, can i have newspaper with jason and daughter of apollo gf?? luv uuu!!!
luv ya too!!
𝜗𝜚 ‧₊˚ ⊹ NEWSPAPER W/ JASON GRACE
"hey, there's my sunshine," jason beamed as he walked up to where you were sat in the shade of a tree. you smiled up at him but quickly darted your eyes back to where they were previously, soaking in the way your father's sunbeams bounced off the lake before turning back to your easel and attempting to replicating it.
"sorry. i've been trying to get this right all morning," you mused back, turning your mouth slightly towards the boy but keeping your eyes locked on your painting. jason simply hummed back in response, more than understanding, as he produced his own sketchbook. the next few minutes were filled with only your ethereal humming and the scratching of jason's pencil's against his paper as the background music.
"uh, my eyes starting to twitch. time for a break with my boy," you breathed out, looking away from your painting before moving over to your boyfriend, leaning into his side, which he was more than willing to welcome as he instantly lifted his arm to make space for you.
"whatcha working on?" you questioned with a yawn and droswy eyes that had jason smirking the slightest bit.
"just this masterpiece i saw this morning," he teased, turning the sketchbook to show you the rough outline of you working on your painting. somehow, with only graphite, jason had managed to capture you in the way only a lover can. the truest form of you that you've ever had the pleasure of seeing. how you looked to him, and what a sight it was!
"wow. my posture is terrible."
"oh, the worst. my precious hunchback."
"oh, shut your handsome face up."
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ooh so exciting to hear you like black sails too! if you ever had fic recs and wanted to share, i’d love to know which ones you liked ☺️ i just adore the dynamics in that show, especially between Flint and Silver
This whole show is a masterpiece, and knowing how it was made just made me feel even more impressed. I've only seen such a unique, meticulous, loving approach in Hannibal before. The characters, their development, the music, the plot, everything held me captive for all 38 episodes.
I also really enjoyed the evolving bond between Flint and Silver. It was fascinating to see how Silver slowly fell under Flint's dark charisma, craving his respect, and how Flint began to respect and value him above everyone else.
However, when it comes to ships (and fics), my heart belongs to Flint/Thomas. That's just the kind of obsessive, destructive love that I'm drawn to. While they barely share any screen time together and Thomas spends the biggest part of the show presumed dead, Flint's love for him basically makes him the main character. Thomas is like a ghost, a memory that keeps powering Flint, palpable in his every decision, his shifted world-view, his intensifying darkness and desperation. I liked Thomas from what we saw of him, but it’s Flint obsession and devotion to him that made me love him — Thomas’ value, his personality is disclosed in every effort Flint invests into creating the world that Thomas wanted to create. We get to know Thomas through Flint’s love for him — this love defines him, and it’s so unusual and interesting that I ended up enjoying it tremendously.
I know that Flint/Silver is more popular among the fans, but I'm glad that Flint got his reunion with Thomas in the show because I think that was the best possible ending for him. I can see him being able to fall in love with Silver eventually, some more years later, but I feel like Thomas would forever remain his truest love, the ideal that no one else can possibly come close to, and Silver deserves to be number 1 in the heart of his partner. So Flint/Thomas and Silver/Madi as the end-game made me immensely happy.
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Thy Art is Murder - A Nestor Oceteva/Reader Smut Short.
Just a little thing that popped into my brain, so I had to write it. Enjoy!
Words - 451
Warnings - Smut below the cut, minors DNI!
He wore his hair down. You should have known right away at witnessing those onyx tendrils cascading around him like a dark halo that he’d seek to play your weaknesses. Every single one of them. Your body is the canvas on which he paints the most vivid of sins, your verbal reactions to them the symphonic accompaniment. If art is pleasure, then he is the truest master of such creation.
The bindings that fashion your wrists, intricate knots and twirls of rope binding you to the bed frame are replicated at each ankle, Nestor tying you so that you are a X upon his bed, the marked spot of where his focus draws, where he begins his creation. What he gives, you seek more, from his tongue and fingers to the soft caress of a feather, or the chilled, sharp kiss of a blade, he strokes you before you’re marked, pleasure prefacing the pain.
He maps out all areas with keen exploration, a tongue under the curve of each breast, fingertips stroking the arches of your feet, lips kissing the round of your knees, until he hears the strain against the ropes, the wordless beg for him to acquaint himself with you more intimately.
"Little dove," he murmurs. "All you have to do is ask."
“Please, Nestor,” you grit, your body shuddering from the radiating hum of energy he’s slowly and carefully been building. “I need to feel you mouth lower.”
He pauses the decadent, slow trawling lick around your navel, dark eyes focusing on you. He then shifts, placing a kiss upon your hip. “Here?”
The action has you in spasm. “No.”
He smirks, his tongue rolling over the apex of your inner thigh. “Here?”
“No.”
He chuckles, his breath misting heat as he nears your folds, the scent of your arousal like summer wine to him, rich, full-bodied and so very sharply sweet. “Tell me where, mi amor.”
“Right on my clit. Please. Please!” you whimper.
He kisses your folds, your nectar wetting his lips, repeating, watching the way the muscles in your abdomen bounce, before finally, his tongue grants what you so desire. The action sends warm wells of ecstasy tumbling through you, little pricks of pleasure melting down your spine, his tongue soft, circles drawn lazily over your bud. It’s gratification unmatched, but alas, not for nearly as long as you require.
You whine, and he reprimands you, slapping your sex with the flat of his fingers. “Uh, uh,” he admonishes, moving to suck upon your nipple. “You will not be greedy. Understand?”
“I do,” you breathe, his mouth meeting the juncture of your neck.
“Good,” he breathes, tongue moving to flick your earlobe. “Masterpieces always take time.”
#nestor oceteva#nestor oceteva fanfiction#nestor oceteva x female reader#nestor oceteva smut#nestor oceteva imagine#mayans mc#mayans mc fanfiction#mayans mc imagine#mayans mc smut#manny mayans mc fanfiction#mayans mc fic
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ادخل بثقة إلى قصتك التي تسمى الحياة. إنها قصة تتكشف لك بشكل فريد، صاغتها اختياراتك وتجاربك ومعتقداتك. اقبل هذه الرحلة بشجاعة وتصميم، فهي رحلتك أنت للتنقل والتشكيل والاستكشاف. لا أحد يستطيع أن يملي عليك كيف يجب أن تعيش حياتك، لأن الطريق الذي تسير فيه هو طريقك وحدك.
أثناء رحلتك عبر صعود وهبوط الحياة، تذكر أن البقاء صادقًا مع نفسك هو أبرز الأعمال التي تشهد بقوتك. إنها شهادة على شخصيتك ومرونتك. إن التحديات التي تواجهها والعقبات التي تتغلب عليها لا تهدف إلى كسرك، بل إلى تحويلك إلى الشخص الذي من المفترض أن تكونه.
إذا لم تحولك هذه الرحلة إلى شخص سيء، عندما تخرج من التجارب والمحن بنزاهتك بسلامة، فاعلم أنك تحمل في داخلك قوة لا تتزعزع. إنها قوة تأتي من البقاء صادقًا مع قيمك، ومن التمسك بإيمانك، ومن الإيمان بنفسك حتى عندما يشعر العالم من حولك بعدم اليقين.
في لحظات الشك وعدم اليقين، تذكر أنك لن تكون وحدك أبدًا في هذه الرحلة. الله بجانبك، يرشدك، يحميك، ويمنحك القوة لمواجهة كل ما يأتي في طريقك. ثق في خطته لك، وثق في توقيته، واعلم أن محبته لا تتزعزع.
لذا، ادخل بجرأة إلى كل فصل جديد من قصتك، مدركًا أن كل تطور وكل فرح وحزن، يشكل الشخص الذي من المفترض أن تصبح عليه. احتضن قصتك بكل تعقيداتها، فهي تحفتك التى صنعتها، والتى كتبت بحبر تجاربك وألوان روحك.
عش كل يوم بهدف، بلطف، ومع العلم أنك تحمل أدوات صياغة قصتك الخاصة. احتضن القوة الموجودة بداخلك لتشكيل مصيرك، ولخلق حياة تعكس حقيقتك الذاتية. وتذكر، أثناء رحلتك عبر الحياة، أن القوة التي تمتلكها وحضور الله إلى جانبك هما أعظم حلفائك في كتابة قصتك الفريدة.
Step confidently into your story called life. It is a narrative that unfolds uniquely for you, crafted by your choices, experiences, and beliefs. Embrace this journey with courage and determination, for it is yours to navigate, to shape, and to explore. No one else can dictate how you should live your life, for the path you walk is yours alone.
As you journey through the ups and downs of life, remember that staying true to yourself is a powerful act of strength. It is a testament to your character and resilience. The challenges you face and the obstacles you overcome are not meant to break you but to mold you into the person you are meant to be.
If this journey does not turn you into a bad person, if you emerge from the trials and tribulations with your integrity intact, know that you carry a strength within you that is unshakeable. It is a strength that comes from staying true to your values, from holding onto your faith, and from believing in yourself even when the world around you feels uncertain.
In moments of doubt and uncertainty, remember that you are never alone on this journey. God walks beside you, guiding you, protecting you, and giving you the strength to face whatever comes your way. Trust in His plan for you, have faith in His timing, and know that His love is unwavering.
So, step boldly into each new chapter of your story, knowing that every twist and turn, every joy and sorrow, shapes you into the person you are meant to become. Embrace your story with all its complexities, for it is a masterpiece in the making, written with the ink of your experiences and the colors of your soul.
Live each day with purpose, with kindness, and with the knowledge that you hold the pen to your own story. Embrace the power within you to shape your destiny, to create a life that reflects your truest self. And remember, as you journey through life, that the strength you possess and the presence of God by your side are your greatest allies in writing a story that is truly yours.
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MATCHUP FOR @bubonicbambi
Hello, hun ! Thank you so much for all the information you sent, it was super detailed and really helped me determine your match. I really hope this is to your liking <3
As I was reading your ask, three potential boys crossed my mind, however, your preference in partner made me gravitate towards the two you’ll find as you keep reading…
Your idolish7 matchup is definitely good at carrying a conversation. Don’t be fooled by his cheerful exterior, he is more than capable of engaging in deeper topics. You will find very people who care more about their loved ones than he does, to the point of taking the brunt and facing consequences in order to protect his friends. His smile is definitely one hard to forget, and his drive when it comes to his passion is practically unrivaled. If you are sappy, he is sappier, endearment and affection present in everything he does.
Well, can you guess who is going to gift you a bouquet of vibrant roses tonight, dear? Come along, the MC for today’s show is already on standby…
♡ SUNOHARA MOMOSE
Honestly, the more I read the information you sent, the more Momo and you together made sense to me.
You say you are clingy at times, liking to express your love and affection for your friends and loved ones, and making sure they know how appreciated they are. Well, Momo is pretty much the same way, and absolutely adores when you are affectionate with him, be it physically or verbally.
You are intuitive, a quality Momo shares too. However, where you’re more on the quiet and observant side, he is more proactive, his bubbly personality making it seem like his decisions come off a tad impulsive, landing him in situations of danger. So you two would create a nice balance in this aspect, all things considered.
You and Momo would be literally that couple trope of: talks a lot (Momo) and listens (you). There is something so endearing in the fuchsia galaxies of his starry gaze when he rambles on about the new song he’s writing lyrics for.
And because you like writing poetry, your boyfriend knows he can rely on you for advice on the lyrics he comes up with.
Moments like these feel rose colored to Re: vale’s idol; warm, like the shades you render on canvas.
He wonders now, what new masterpiece are you working on? A new poem? Or perhaps a story told in brushstrokes?
—
A sweet melody and the scent of rose tea greet Momo as he awakes.
Peachy hues filter in through the cream curtains of your bedroom, beams of sunrise dancing over the white silken sheets.
When he stretches, he finds the space beside him empty, the creases on the soft fabric still roused with your lingering warmth.
A knowing smile tugs at his lips. He knows he only has to follow the scent of floral tea to find your whereabouts.
With a soft yawn, your lover leaves the room, a gentle hummed symphony creating a rainbow bridge from him to you.
When he reaches the kitchen, it looks to him like the sun has fully risen.
There, sitting at the table, your favorite red mug in hand, you are.
One of your hands idly writes something on a light blue piece of paper, a sparkly pink pen (his color) leaving a trace of neat cursive in its wake.
You take a sip from the steaming liquid, your heartwarming song interrupted in the process and as soon as you catch sight of your boyfriend.
Heat rises to your cheeks as you clear your throat, your voice honey-like when you utter:
“Good morning, Momo.” Lips tilt up in a shy smile, as his mirror the gesture, the brightness of his smile, the truest dawn to you.
“Morning, my darling.” He tells you, as he hugs you from behind, taking a look at the words you have scribbled.
A new set of verses, he observes, his grin widening even more.
Burying his face in the crook of your neck, the idol asks:
“Why did you stop singing, my lovely?” He leaves a trail of soft kisses on the side of your neck, making his way to your jawline, cheek, and the corner of your lips.
“Momo…” You whine, looking down, the temperature on your face rising.
You always got so shy when he caught you humming or singing some tune.
How could you not? He’s literally a top idol.
“You have a very pretty voice…” He tells you, nuzzling his nose against your neck, his hands finding yours as he has you hugged from behind. “I love it when you sing.”
You let out a sigh.
He really does know how to compliment you, huh?
“Well, thank you.” You softly say, turning your face around a little to leave a fleeting peck to his lips.
“Sing for me?” He asks of you, those eyes tinted in hibiscus petals, wide, almost like a puppy’s as he looks up at you.
How can you say no to that face?
You take a deep breath, closing your eyes.
Then, a delicate melody threaded in the sweetness of rose gardens and herbal tea fills the space.
It embraces you two, a swing in the middle of an idyllic cottage, the grass scented breeze akin to a comforting linen blanket wrapped around you.
Instants like this… Momo wishes time would stop, relishing in this ideal dream you make come true with the notes you sing.
—
Getting annoyed when someone is mean or mistreats those you love is a trait you and Momo share. It is seen on several occasions how he goes above and beyond for his friends, so he’d be able to understand your feelings in that regard.
He also finds it so cute how you’re naturally gentle, warm and sweet; and yet are intrigued by gothic and darker topics. In a way, he mirrors that tendency, since he listens to emo rock, and, in contrast, he’s just about the cutest and most cheerful guy you can meet.
Momo would also be curious about the different aesthetics you like. He’d wonder if he and Yuki can include them in the outfits they wear on stage, and would let you try some on him.
He is someone who can also relate to the identity issues you mention. Nearing the five year anniversary of Re: vale, Momo felt like he was just a replacement, and the thought that he is still somehow dead weight to Yuki haunts him at times. So he really knows what it’s like, to be lost, to be scared of not meeting expectations, to wonder who you are and where you are going.
Talking about mbti now, while it is true infp (your type) and esfp (Momo’s mbti) have differences when it comes to discord on the socialization sphere, both types have in common the need for deep and emotional bonds. That is the key to your relationship.
Additionally, his more extroverted personality can help you get out of your shell, which is what you mention you’d like to do by having deep conversations.
Onto zodiac signs now, both virgo (your sign) and scorpio (Momo’s) value loyalty and deep respect for the other. That makes for a very solid match. Virgo is detailed oriented and perfectionist, while scorpio prioritizes passion, resulting in a very well balanced couple. Plus, both signs are intellectually driven, which brings us again to the topic of you two having interesting conversations over small talk.
You tell me you are fond of terms of endearment and affection in the form of words of affirmation, physical touch and quality time. Well, it just so happens those align almost perfectly with Momo’s love languages. From expressing how wonderful you are, to spontaneous hugs and kisses, to just spending time singing together, or him listening to music while you draw, nestled in between his legs, as his chin rests on your shoulder.
Momo can be pretty romantic too. He is very observant and quick to pick up on others’ feelings and preferences. He’d love surprising you with the most dreamy dates imaginable, because he’d be damned if he didn’t give you only the best.
♡ RUNNER UP: IZUMI MITSUKI
Mitsuki is another one I think would make a really cute couple with you.
Like Momo, he is amazing at carrying conversations, being able to get you to talk more about what makes you happy.
He is definitely hard working and takes his job very seriously. Thus, he would be able to inspire you to shine as bright as the sunshine he very much resembles.
Mitsu is literally the embodiment of “bright smile and youthful heart”. Being next to him has the power to energize anyone, leaving you with a sense of positivity and the feeling that there’s nothing you cannot do.
He would also reassure you about your singing and would think it’s so cool you play instruments too.
The eldest Izumi brother has felt insecure himself about his worth as an idol, so he would understand what you went through during your identity crisis.
With tender cuddles and heartfelt words, his warmth wraps around you, the world outside and all your worries melting away.
Like you, Mitsuki likes cooking and is good at it! Don’t worry if baking is not your strong suit; his family literally runs a bakery, so he’ll teach you how to make the tastiest pastries in no time!
#idolish7#idolish7 x reader#idolish7 imagines#i7#ainana#ainana x reader#idolish7 hadcanons#idolish7 scenarios#idolish7 fluff#idolish7 matchups#sunohara momose#izumi mitsuki#sunohara momose x reader#izumi mitsuki x reader
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because my ever after (2011) list helped me find the marianas trench corner of tumblr and i want to celebrate being among my people and also because i simply cannot resist the allure of this format as one ideal for expressing my appreciation for music on which my brain likes to chew,
a non-exhaustive list of things i love about masterpiece theatre (2009):
- themes!!!! this album’s exploration of performance vs authenticity is its beating heart and like, i’ve gotten the sense that it’s the work that really carved the band’s name into the tree trunk of canada’s popular music scene - nevermore to leave there (heyooo) - which makes the bitterness that runs through the album’s veins so so potent. this album is biting me biting me biting me and i never want it to stop
- how the title functions as a mission statement. one of the identifying characteristics of the band’s work following this album, and arguably* including this album, is that it’s serving at least forty percent theatre at all times
“masterpiece theatre i”
- first of all, the fact that this album includes a piece that has three separate movements (and the way this makes ‘symphonic rock’ the objectively correct way to sort marianas trench into a genre thank you very much)
- the tune-up is such a nice touch, why lie? yes kings, i am on the edge of my velvety seat, i am at the theatre!!
- please note that when i mentioned captivating prologues being a hallmark of the band’s work, i was thinking of “masterpiece theatre i” as the next best example to “ever after”
like, a thesis statement for an album what could be better?? the performer (i am consciously separating the art from the artist, josh ramsay et. al., but i am also kissing you directly on the mouth) feels the curse of the performance as much as he can’t live without it.
- the line every word is calculated because the closer i look, the more i see the loving care with which every creative choice in the band’s discography was made so like. say👏 that👏
- the soft plosiveness of this is just a part i portray and how it makes the refrain really fun to sing along to, as well as all the more powerful as the performer’s greatest plea to his audience, that they recognize the divide between authentic self and performance
“all to myself”
- the punch to the face that is the transition from “masterpiece theatre i” to this song
- how it belongs among the ranks of the band’s most danceable numbers, i never can sit still listening to this one
- i’m half asleep, and i am wide awake because, yeah. constantly, forever.
- ostensibly, the way it’s about a romantic relationship, but like.
you can just as easily read the chorus in the context of the performer speaking to his audience. the push of “isn’t the very act of creating art asking for attention, we’re only giving you what you want”, the pull of “if i’m constantly performing for you, when does the mask end and my truest self begin?” we - audience - are literally making the performer feel like someone else.
- this isn’t what i wanted but / i can’t keep my filthy fuckin’ mouth shut firstly because it fucks!!! but also because of how it fits into the album’s larger theme. fame isn’t what the performer wanted, but quite literally he’s not keeping his fucking mouth shut! he is in the act of making music for us! biting me biting me biting me
- chorus variation to round out a song, my beloved
“cross my heart”
- the way this song bewitches me into doing some bastardization of the hand jive every freaking time
- however you would describe these three bad bitches and their contributions to the structure of the song
- just the whiny, slutty energy of this one in general and how well the little bursts of guitar string feedback build up this feeling throughout the number
- the way and i do want to show you, i / will run to you, to you, til i / can’t stand on my own anymore sets the stage (theatre!!) for the speaker/performer/narrator’s pervasive attitude toward relationships and how he’s constantly swept up in the capital R-Romance of this conception of love while simultaneously having to unlearn it for the sake of his beloved, album in and album out
- how the clapping and then the music phases back in during the bridge
“beside you”
- y’all ever croon?
- this is not going to be accessible to anyone else but it’s my list so. the lyric when it’s in your spine like you’ve walked for miles because so much of my logged marianas trench time has taken place while i’m working, moving between my silly lil dog walks and i’m literally walking for miles and do occasionally very much feel it in my spine
- the words you want are out of reach, but they’ve never been so loud for the way it captures something so small and yet so profoundly true about being a person
“acadia”
- nostalgia!!! and how this song is the album’s first attempt to unpack the authentic self in the performance vs authenticity dynamic. is who i was when my childhood home was my one and only home my one and truest self?
- just like. the way i wonder about the names dropped and how my curiosity necessarily plays into the album’s theme. if they’re real people the performer knows, then he’s shilling out something intimate in an attempt to heighten his art - though, to be fair, he’s doing it in a way that’s not completely accessible to us, there’s only so much to a name itself - but if the names are completely made up, then the performer is merely playing at authenticity to bait us into reading intimacy in his art. and doesn’t that make your brain want to eat itself?? biting me biTING ME BITING ME
- god, the way this song is so well-accomplished at bottling nostalgia because like every memory comes on / when i hear that old song / that we used to sing / with the words all wrong immediately evokes thousands of moments that have tied me back to my childhood. this song really said ‘the power of music!!’ and then repeatedly knocked me on my ass with the truth of that screaming crying throwing up etc.
- not to keep harping on this, i know you guys get it, but like, the way ran out of gas on the highway / we walked there, and i gave / drunken speeches / on sobriety makes me feel like i’m part of this anecdote! i’m there, recalling that stupid speech alongside the performer. stop pulling me so close if you don’t want more kisses directly on the mouth!!!
“masterpiece theatre ii”
- the way the first verse reads as a direct response to “acadia”
after giving us so much of himself, the performer’s inclination is now to draw back
- the way the whole movement feels almost bashful compared to its powerhouse counterparts because more than the other two, “masterpiece theatre ii” is about the performer considering his performance from the audience’s perspective, about his understanding that he’s beckoned us closer but, regrettably, still can’t bring us all the way inside for how that’d destroy him.
- the refrain i’ll burn out and slip away posing the questions to the audience: can we forgive the performer when, eventually, he no longer has more art to offer us? can we turn around and recognize his humanity like he’s acknowledging ours?
“sing sing”
- how the brash opener - can i have your attention? - reads particularly cheeky coming off “masterpiece theatre ii”, where the performer just cautioned us that too much of our attention causes him to slip further and further away, and sets the bratty tone of the whole number perfectly, perfectly
- nothing captures the performer’s feelings about his relationship with his audience as succinctly as the “sing sing” chorus
this is destroying his health, but he still wishes that he were an endless well for us, full of freshness and vitality and all that we need
- just, obsessed with hear the sad little sounds as they fall from my mouth because i DO i AM
- the way the song’s brattiness comes out especially in the bridge. i’m partial to the whininess of gets very hard to drink to my continued success because like, boo hoo. i can’t toast to how popular i am :( it comes at the cost of being adored by you :(
- don’t you ever tell me i’m not loving you best because i WOULDN’T you DO
“good to you”
- GOD but the way they literally invited an audience member (i.e. a fan) to join the performance?? the way that heightens the tenderness this song has for the performer-audience relationship, even as both parties are actively getting a lil messed up by it?? gonna just drape myself on a fainting couch for a minute
- the way the chorus reinforces this read, especially when the performer and the audience sing it as one
hello????
- the way looking at the song through this lens literally just reframed the lyrics i thought i saw a sign / somewhere between the lines for me. here we are, experiencing recognition of the self in the performer’s art and thereby forging an intimacy he has no access to. AHHH!
- so yeah, every love song on this album is actually about the complex love between performer and audience. we are the object of our favorite band’s affection!! we are corrupting each other with our codependency!! ain’t love grand?
“celebrity status”
- they didn’t have to make our return to bitterness for the way performance muddles identity so sexy, but they did and they did it for me, to make sure this album never stops BITING ME
- the PANTING and how evocative it is and, like, yeah, you got me josh ramsay et. al. put me in horny jail, i am once again fuckstruck by your music. but you’re the ones who made it this way so do not pass go, do not collect two-hundred dollars
- the lyrics trading in who i’ve been for shiny celebrity skin / i like to push it and push it until my luck is over because once more with the succinctness of this album’s theme but also because it builds on the drunken speeches on sobriety moment in acadia by making me feel like i know the performer being invited as i am to share a wry laugh over how Much he is at any given moment
- the way i wonder why, why, wonder why, why i oughta / let you wreck, resurrect whatever you wanna tastes
- for all the sexy sardonic tone of this number, there’s a beautiful little ray of hope in the line there’s a piece of me they’re throwing back at us if only for the way it builds on fix me (2006)‘s refrain of the speaker losing bits of himself (see: “say anything”, “september”) by implying that the performance, despite the sea of inauthenticity he sometimes finds himself drowning in, offers the performer the chance to know himself better. it’s a refracted image because of the audience, but he does get to experience recognition of the self in his art, too.
- the way hope also lives in the i’m trying refrain. overwhelmed and cynical about the odds, the performer is still putting forth the effort to be authentic, still putting forth the effort to create art. you gotta keep running up that hill, bitch!
“perfect”
- the seamless fade of “celebrity status” into this song
- if the point’s to never disappoint you / somebody’s got to tell me what to do because it’s very real and it makes me want to pull my hair out in chunks!!!
- i love how pointed the inclusion of this bit
feels because, on one level, “perfect” is about cultivating your image and your art until it’s as appealing as it could possibly be to the masses, and so borrowing a line from the far less polished and palatable (affectionate) “sicker things” builds on that in a delicious way
“lover dearest”
- first of all, shoutout to their ‘live from inside’ concert for unlocking the power of this number for me and, like, i am once again unwittingly roped into active participation in this album’s theme but!! can we grapple for a sec with how watching a performance - seeing the performer laid raw, specifically - is what woke me up to the emotional core of this number?? 😬
- so. you know how some words can be used often enough in a sexy enough context that you can’t help your pavlovian response to them? they lowkey get you hot no matter how they’re brought up? josh ramsay et. al. are responsible for making ‘taste’ one of these words for me (this time that we waste, but i still love your taste)
- the way i’ll just try to hide it, or i could slip into you / it’s so easy to come back into you builds on the “masterpiece theatre i” refrain of you’re beautiful / can i hide in you awhile? and how in general this song really shines a light on the codependent nature of the performer-audience relationship. the fact that this song is also about struggle with addition is like - woof - the performer traded his old vice for the thrill of the performance and amassing an audience and have i mentioned lately? BITING ME BITING ME BITING ME.
- the leave me wail. reblog, you agree.
- how the bitter in you and the quitter in me / is bitter in you and the quitter in me being reminiscent of the “shake tramp” bridge makes my brain go brrrr
“masterpiece theatre iii”
- the way the tinkling xylophone (??) intro automatically brings the drama. i am once again on the edge of my velvety seat!!
- the i’ll wreck this if i have to / tell me what good would that do / i’ll wreck this if i have to refrain being followed-up by a creeping couple bars of i’d be so good to you and how it’s a call and response between the performer and his audience. consenting to the wreckage of the masterpiece is how we, the audience, can be good to the performer. it’s how we could show our most unselfish love.
- how weaving “celebrity status” into “cross my heart” continues to highlight the album’s interest in the act of creating art being essential to the performer’s personhood while the audience’s act of consuming the artist alongside the art turns around and cheapens the performer’s identity all in the same breath
- and then also how the outro makes explicit the connection between “lover dearest” and “masterpiece theatre i”
and the way it all adds up to acknowledge the codependence without resolving it??
- and then these motherfuckers have the audacity to sprinkle on a dash of “say anything” (that’s the thing i’m sensitive about!!!!!!)?? the way i never took you for a trick but sometimes i don’t know what you want serves as the performer’s last acknowledgement that he needs to hold the audience at arm’s length because our want for his art is so monumental that it threatens to overshadow him???? the way i could take it if you need to take this out on someone beckons us closer one last time, invites us to use the art as a mirror????????? UNFAIR, I AM GNASHING MY TEETH
*in conclusion: all these songs being in conversation with one another gives the album a really satisfying cohesion and sets up what’s to come in the band’s later works, though it ironically lacks the rising and falling action that’d convince me to count it among the more theatrical pieces in their discography. it’s my rotten soldier, my sweet cheese, my good time boy, and either my second or third favorite marianas trench album, depending on what day you ask me.
#marianas trench#masterpiece theatre (2009)#to anyone who left tags on the ever after post - i love you#to anyone who listened to ever after after reading the post - i am kissing you directly on the mouth
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Fics recs: 1-THE ROMANOFF CHRONICLES, an astounching groundbreaking, never seen before (literally) masterpiece, 100/10. It's mainly set in those 5years post snap, it explains the development that each character presented in endgame in a way the Russos wish they did, it represents the friendship between the avengers in a way marvel never allowed them be, it respects Natasha ( skill set, humanity, personality, affiliations,..) it's nat centric, it's only flaw: it's not complete but don't worry it has 60 medium to long chaps.
2-ON THE COVER - RED WHITE AND BLACK | New York Magazine | Dec. 30th, 2024, this is the most beautifully written farewell, tribute to Natasha Romanoff I have ever seen, it's written in a format that I think has never been used in fanfics, it's a soul touching poetic masterpiece
3- Ohio years, an exquisite bittersweet mini series of 1 shots that's written in a captivating style that keeps your attention, it showcases how the Russian murder family but mainly nat & Melina come to love & connect to each other.
4-FIREFLIES, it's written in such a bittersweet melancholic reminiscing way, it's just so beautiful. It's an 18 1 shots about nat encountering fireflies & being reminded of Ohio years &then others being reminded of nat by seeing them.
5- DISTURBING THE PEACE, an excellent 100/10 tear-jerker masterpiece, it's a very long 1 shot about what if post apocalyptic lonely nat , it also showcases her friendship with og avengers & nick.
6- I USED TO HAVE NOTHING, - WIDOW SISTERS AND MANY MARVELOUS MARVEL WOMEN - WE ARE MEANT FOR MORE THAN THIS, it's cute well written comfort, fluff, a bit angsty 3 different series of mainly 1 shots by 3 different authors about yelena and Natasha. They're my all time favorite comfort read.
7- I LOVE YOU, GOODBYE, it's a very very long 1 shot of AU of endgame in which Wanda survives & wandanat happens that hit me so hard I needed hours to process it & get out of it, my only quell with it is that it reset nat & Wanda's relationship with each other at postAOU where they would definitely be distant to each other.
8- IT'S FUN TO LOSE AND TO PRETEND, an absolute tear-jerker, a masterpiece, a beauty, a greatness, it's a 5 parts multichaps which takes place just after Westview, before Hawkeye where nat is given another chance ending up at Wanda's door, Wanda is given the healing marvel denied her with nat, Sam &bucky not being limited by the shackles of the screen & actually interacting with the events of their universe,Clint and yel meeting with their beloved. The ending was a bit unsatisfying to me but nonetheless as martin says this is CINEMA.
9- HOW NATASHA ROMANOFF MARRIED WANDA MAXIMOFF, it's a medium paced 38 chaps retelling of "how Nancy Jackson married Kate Wilson" but with wandanat with huge changes. It's sweet & adorable, the beginning was a bit rocky to me, there parts I would wince where I didn't like it but otherwise an absolute entertainment, I wanna kiss the head of it's author irl for giving me this absolute comfort for FREE. God or whatever higher power bless this person.
10-OUR LITTLE GROUP HAS ALWAYS BEEN (AND ALWAYS WILL UNTIL THE END), it's 9 part series of mini chaps, it's very creative concept,a wild imagination, it's the biggest au to ever au as its author puts it. To me it's the truest form of fanfic, the author took majority of the plot of MCU & toyed with it &come up with their world which has everything cute adorable wandanat, yelenat, the maximoffs, yel and Pietro, loving Russian spy parents, coulson's Lola, overall it's cuteness overload. God bless this author too.
If you ever decide to read them pls leave them a comment & let me know how you feel about them, also do you have more nat centric fanfics or just good fanfics about nat and anybody else.
oh my FUCKING GODDD THANK U ANON!!!
im def gonna read all ur recs! So far i had this one fanfic i rlly like but i forgot the title. I’ll let u know when i rememberr
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"Eclipse" - a review
"Eclipse" by Mijan
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy
Rating: T
Tags: Adventure, Slow Build, Hogwarts Sixth Year, Dark Magic, Slash, Plotty, Male Bonding
Word count: 287,239
Summary:
"You're dead, Potter... I'm going to make you pay..."
Draco swore his revenge on Harry for Lucius's imprisonment, and Harry all but laughed at him. But Draco is planning more than schoolyard pranks this time. The old rivalry turns deadly when Draco abducts Harry for Voldemort. It's the perfect plan, guaranteeing revenge, power, and prestige, all in one blow. But when Draco's world turns upside down, the fight to save himself and Harry begins, and the battle will take them both through hell and back. If they come back.
~~~~~~~~~
Written in the mid-2000s, Eclipse is a popular Drarry classic. To new Drarry fans in particular: this fanfiction is for you.
I can't talk about Eclipse without getting personal, so I won't try to avoid it. Before I was a Drarry fan, I was a dedicated Dramione fan; I couldn't imagine a pairing between Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter. Eclipse changed my mind. Each chapter beautifully illustrated the conflict between Draco and Harry, baring each of their possible points of conflict and thoroughly exploring them. The realistic portrayal of their relationship sold me for Drarry. As a seasoned Drarry reader, hashing through the conflict between the two is much less profound, but the first time reading it allowed me to sincerely believe in the possibility of this pairing. It's special to me in that way.
Additionally, the psychological implications of a relationship between Draco and Harry, especially approaching a time of war between the Death Eaters and the Order, are absolutely thrilling. Although the entire story is brilliant, my favorite part is the very beginning, where Draco first grapples with the complications of his Pureblood ideologies. It's stunning to read, and further allows a relationship between Draco and Harry to seem feasible. Eclipse is rich and thorough, both in character development and plot, bringing this story of Draco and Harry to life.
Eclipse definitely isn't perfect. It has its flaws, discrepancies, and cliches (although maybe this fic is old enough to have been written before cliches were even cliches). In terms of craft, Eclipse isn't a literary masterpiece. However, Mijan proves himself to be a master storyteller. Eclipse is an adventure, refreshingly keeping up a near-constant narrative over a relatively short period of time rather than skipping around over long time intervals. A strong plot pushes the story forward, and the pacing and tension are excellent.
One quaint and lovely aspect of Eclipse is its age. Reading Eclipse is like stepping into a time machine. The story is an AU in the truest sense — it was written, for the most part, before the release of The Half Blood Prince. Additionally, the fanfiction.net version (the original) has the authentic author's notes along with every chapter. They're charming to read.
Eclipse is the fanfiction that got me back into fanfiction. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who has read or watched Harry Potter. Although Mijan unfortunately recently passed away, his story lives on in the Drarry community. It's worth a read for everyone.
~~~~~~~~
Disclaimer: As much as we love Harry Potter, we do not love J. K. Rowling. Trans rights are human rights.
- Snazz
#harry potter#harry potter fanfiction#fanfiction#drarry#drarry fanfiction#lgbtq#harry potter x draco malfoy#slow burn#au#hurt/comfort#fanfiction rec#harry potter fanfic rec
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entitle; for haruseonne 950 days
if i had to write on a wish list just one gift out of millions in the world to treasure forever, then i wouldn't hesitate scribbling your name down on it.
happy 950 days (and more), harutosan!
︶︶︶︶︶︶︶༉‧₊˚
And thus, it's time his flight is due.
Amidst all lies, he very well went and grew.
Across endless skies of the brightest blue,
A bird of ambition finally soars through.
Ah, lines like these never grow old; never failing to prompt me into being completely honest about just how pretty of a name 'Haruto' is. And so is 'Asuka'.
Pair the two up and immediately a masterpiece is born. A work of art in its truest formーan actor encapsulating the essences of beauty, passion, and an endless pursuit of perfection.
Anyone would think a person of this character exists solely in a realm beyond what an ordinary human can ever imagine. But guess what.
Here I am, sitting right behind the being divine in question.
"Seonne?" He asks.
"Haruto-san," I respond.
"What chapter are you on?"
"Five."
With a shrill almost like that of an eagle, he quickly shifts a quarter around in his seat to face me; looking nothing less than bewildered, "already!?"
A warm, sunny day veils over Veludo Way this morning, making the final couple hours of daytime an ideal setting for an outdoor unwind, specifically at the park.
While parked beside a large tree for shade, an old blanket is laid down onto the grass to get ourselves comfortable on. I take a seat on the spot where the view features children fly their kites and families enjoy their own picnics, and Haruto, who is sits opposite of me, relishes at the sight of the townscape spreading out gradually below us; both of us leaning onto each other's backsides for support. And how could a date at the park be an actual date at the park without... books! I brought with me two volumes from the series I'm currently a huge fan of. Why two, you might ask? Well, the second book's for me; and since I'm done with the first one, my companion promised to start this story alongside me.
"The protagonist reminds me of you," I tell him, eyes fixed solely on the material I have resting on my knees, "strong, smart, a little silly at times but y'know..."
"Hey," Haruto snaps, and I feel a gentle poke by my ticklish side. Glancing back accusingly at him after holding back my sensitive nerves, I meet his lilac eyes and recognize a tiny hint of a tease in them. With a light shake of my head, I return to my page.
It's nice that we managed to finish work a little early today. Sometimes, a brief pause from the world is all a busy person needs to recharge, recoup, and renew the flames driving their fiery hearts forward. Not to mention that today happens to be an extra special day for us, too.
"No, really," I say again, "you do remind me of the protagonist. They're known for a lot of names, too!"
"I'm known only for one other name!" Haruto argues. He may not know it (or simply refuses to admit it) but his sudden outbursts like this make him really cute at times. No way I'm using that word right to his face though or I'd be done for!
He clears his throat. "And, well..." but falters, before he could form a coherent thought out.
Clearly, that doesn't normally happen. Must he be wanting to add something a bit more serious to the conversation?
Temporarily inserting a marker and setting my book aside, I reach out and rest my hand above his shoulder to assure and urge him on. He hasn't directed his eyes towards me yet, so I assume he's still sorting his head out.
"Seonne,"
Wait. His accent changed.
"What's the matter, Harutoー"
"No." He swiftly places his index finger over my lips. Leaning close to my ear, he whispers, "you can call me by my real name when we're alone."
Oh.
Well, this is new.
Mentally practicing every day how the name might sound when I finally can say it aloud seems to have come in handy all of a sudden. What perfect timing.
"So..." After a moment, I clarify, "Genta?"
"Gen-chan," he corrects.
"Gen-chan!?"
"Please."
Extending my arms around him in a hug, I press my cheek firmly onto his shoulder. I may not have seen the reaction on his face, but feeling the weight of his head lightly on mine and him holding onto my interlinked arms, already tells me everything I need to know.
"I 'ppreciate ya keepin' up with me."
"I wouldn't want to keep up with anyone else anyway," I proudly say. "Right, Gen-chan?"
And who could've known that an entity so regal and brave is likewise (though occasionally) capable of showing the world a smile so sweet, genuine and humane?
Although he has yet to own a clue,
As to when he'll find out his cue.
And once come the first couple few,
As fate wills, he is to be born anew.
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New Title Tuesday: Graphic Novels
Land of the Dead by Brian McDonald
There is wisdom in the land of the dead, for it is the place that all stories lay to rest. And what is a story, if not a simulation of survival?
Wielding his massive experience from film, tv, comics, and more, Brian McDonald lays out a history of storytelling and shows the reader how the best tales tug at our truest biological the need to survive. Readers will see how different forms of survival―physical, emotional, spiritual―inform the arc of character development in a way that makes them more complex and compelling. And how plot and circumstance must then force your protagonist to meet their worst nightmare. Toby Cypress’s electric art guides the reader through the underworld, visualizing each narrative masterpiece, and bringing the ideas to life.
Whether you’re in film, books, comics, or simply a story enthusiast, this book offers a way to see character development and the crafting of plot through the lens of human questions of morality and mortality.
Critical Role, The Mighty Nein Origins: Nott the Brave by Sam Maggs
When you become that which you fear most, how do you carry on?
Veth Brenatto doesn't have an exciting life, but she likes it that way. Unlike her childhood, it's safe. Predictable. And her husband and son love her almost as fiercely as she loves them. But Veth's cozy existence is turned on its head when she and her family are captured by raiders. In order to save them, Veth will commit an atrocity that will sever her from all that she loves--maybe forever--and lead her to become Nott the Brave of the Mighty Nein.
This is the fifth volume in the “Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins” series.
Last on His Feet by Adrian Matejka
On the morning of July 4, 1910, thousands of boxing fans stormed a newly built stadium in Reno, Nevada, to witness an epic showdown. Jack Johnson, the world’s first Black heavyweight champion—and most infamous athlete in the world because of his race—was paired against Jim Jeffries, a former heavyweight champion then heralded as the “great white hope.” It was the height of the Jim Crow era, and spectators were eager for Jeffries to restore the racial hierarchy that Johnson had pummeled with his quick fists.
Transporting readers directly into the ring, artist Youssef Daoudi and poet Adrian Matejka intersperse dramatic boxing action with vivid flashbacks to reveal how Johnson, the self-educated son of formerly enslaved parents, reached the pinnacle of sport—all while facing down a racist justice system. Through a combination of breathtaking illustrations and striking verse, Last on His Feet honors a contentious civil rights figure who has for more than a century been denied his proper due.
Superman: Space Age by Mark Russell
Meet Clark Kent, a young reporter who just learned that the world will soon come to an end (Crisis on Infinite Earths) and there is nothing he can do to save it. Sounds like a job for his alter ego…Superman! After years of standing idle, the young man from Krypton defies the wishes of his fathers to come out to the world as the first superhero of the Space Age. As each decade passes and each new danger emerges, he wonders if this is the one that will kill him and everyone he loves. Superman realizes that even good intentions are not without their backlash as the world around him transforms into a place as determined to destroy itself as he is to save it.
Uniting the critically acclaimed writer Mark Russell (One-Star Squadron and The Flintstones) and Eisner-winner Mike Allred (Silver Surfer and Bowie: Stardust, Rayguns & Moonage Daydreams) for the first time, this series promises fans an unforgettable journey through U.S. history and culture starring our beloved characters.
This is the first volume in the “Superman: Space Age” series.
#Graphic Novels#new books#new library books#new books to read#Book Recommendations#book recs#Reading Recs#reading recommendations#TBR pile#tbr#tbrpile#to read#Want To Read#Booklr#book tumblr#book blog#library blog
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Rome, Part 1: The Worst Show Ever
I have, rather recently, gotten into the history of ancient Rome. It wasn't that I was unaware of history--I knew the highlights of course (I read Julius Caesar in high school, I have a dad obsessed with Roman history, I exist in the world), but I have, at the behest of my oldest sibling, begun listening to the History of Rome podcast by Mike Duncan, and subsequently, have been wiki backreading and etc to fill in some gaps. I have yet to read primary sources, though I am excited to, but I think the podcast does an excellent job of covering the important bits and the little bits in between.
But this isn't about the History of Ancient Rome. Or rather, it is, but only in so much as it applies to my subsequent rewatching of what I think I can safely say is the Worst Show I Have Ever Seen.
I generally think of myself as somewhat lenient on moralizing in television. I don't think our media should be scrubbed clean of subjects which are upsetting or disturbing, and in general I fully support the idea of media being viewed as media--a show does not endorse a thing simply because it features a thing.
I also generally quite enjoy shows where the main characters are...less than stellar examples of human beings. While I am, somewhat notoriously, famous for falling in love with what amounts to Human Cinnamon Rolls, I also quite enjoy a character who is really just an awful person. A character does not have to be good to be enjoyable. I loved the Americans, for example, and Phillip and Elizabeth Jennings are hardly models of humanity and temperance. I also think that dark subjects can, and should, be addressed with humor. Four Lions is an excellent example.
So when approaching the HBO series Rome, which I had first watched maybe 10+ years ago, with fresh, newly learned eyes, I expected to be disappointed by historical characterization--a not uncommon thing for me, as most historical movies/tv butcher important figures in the desperate bid to create a better "story" than history did, but I did not expect to be so thoroughly and completely disgusted by, well, literally every aspect of this show.
I spent my spring/summer watching Once Upon a Time, which I believe I declared as The Worst Show Ever, but I was, in fact, completely wrong. The thing about terrible tv shows is that most of the time, the shows know they are bad. OUAT was deliberately cheesy, and though my primary complaint was that it didn't have to be, it was. Cheap costumes, shitty writing--they weren't trying to achieve greatness.
Rome was HBOs masterpiece. It was their pride and joy. It was their Game of Thrones before Game of Thrones (which was also shit but I digress). At least until it became prohibitively expensive to produce anyway. But it was really at the dawn of "prestige television", pushing the envelope, going to for historicity, drama, humor, and an attempt at telling the truest story of Rome, by elevating the stories of both the common man, and the women of Rome.
Rome was...a disaster. It fact, it's honestly the type of show that I genuinely don't know how you can enjoy it, unless, like my dad, you turn off your brain and don't really think about characters, accuracy, or anything beyond what is currently happening on screen. (My dad, it should be noted, is not a thoughtless man. Nor is he I a deep thinker. He is incredibly intelligent--he just doesn't ever really think deeply or introspectively about the media he watches. Ever. As long as it has funny moments and some sort of "stompy army", he's good. I both respect it, and find it infuriating. But I digress).
Rome not only fails to tell an accurate historical story (with almost all historical figures changed beyond recognition, dates switched, and timelines muddled, as well as major players simply gone), but it fails to even tell a story that makes a show itself. I know the history of Rome, and I was left confused more often than not about what the hell was actually happening, and when I attempted to forget the little I did know, I was left even more baffled than before.
It is also deeply, disturbingly misogynistic. And look, I'm not one to complain about misogyny, particularly in media, but Rome actually got to a point where watching felt deeply uncomfortable--and not because it was dealing with uncomfortable subject matter, but because the writers themselves didn't seem to realize that their main characters were the villains, not the heroes, and that all their women fell into one of two camps--evil harpy bitch, or drippy useless wet blanket (though the latter applies almost exclusively to Octavia, as the other women are almost exclusively manipulative evil harpies, who rule men through their womanly wiles and overt manipulation). The main character is a horrific domestic abuser, who shows little remorse for the way he rules his family through fear and the threat of both physical abuse (and death), and mental abuse he heaps on them. And the narrative doesn't seem to realize this at all.
Additionally, the costumes are godawful. Again, it wouldn't be so egregious if they weren't claiming historical accuracy. It was so distracting that at some points in the show I found myself concentrating more on how on earth they could have possibly managed to weave that fabric or achieve that neckline, rather than concentrating on the story at hand.
I'll dive a little more deeply into my next post, though it reality, it probably deserves at least 3--one on the accuracy (and overall story), one on the disgusting treatment of women, and a further one on the overall aesthetic, but we shall see how tired I get after the first two, lol.
#hbo rome#just roman things#in which djem watches more tv shows and then complains#also yes im on a roman history kick now bc apparently im a sucker for fuckups of history#anyway stay tuned for part 2 coming idk when
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Embracing the Beauty of Change
Hey Tumblr fam! ✨ It's been a while since I poured my heart out here, but today feels like the perfect moment to reconnect with all of you. Life is a constant journey of growth and change, and lately, I've been diving headfirst into embracing the beauty of change.Change can be scary; I won't deny that. It disrupts our routines, challenges our comfort zones, and pushes us to confront the unknown. But deep down, change also holds incredible potential for transformation, self-discovery, and creating a life that resonates with our truest selves.As I reflect on my own journey, I've come to realize that change is an integral part of personal growth. It pushes us to question our beliefs, break free from societal expectations, and pursue our passions with unwavering dedication. It may be uncomfortable at times, but the magic lies in the discomfort, for it signals that we are stepping out of our comfort zones and evolving into something greater.Remember, embracing change doesn't mean disregarding our past or abandoning who we once were. It means acknowledging our growth, learning from our experiences, and using them as stepping stones to propel us forward. Each chapter of our lives contributes to the masterpiece that is our unique story.Let's celebrate the beauty of change together, my dear Tumblr friends. Let's support each other as we navigate through the twists and turns of life, knowing that we're not alone in this journey. Share your stories, your triumphs, and even your moments of vulnerability. Let's inspire one another to embrace change, knowing that it's through change that we find our truest selves.And remember, change doesn't have to be grand or monumental. Sometimes, it's the small shifts in perspective, the tiny acts of self-care, or the courageous choices we make every day that lead to profound transformation. Be patient with yourself, for change takes time, and every step forward is a step in the right direction.So, dear Tumblr fam, let's open our hearts to the unknown, embrace the beauty of change, and allow it to shape us into the best versions of ourselves. I can't wait to witness your incredible journeys unfold. Keep shining bright, keep growing, and keep embracing the beautiful chaos of change.Sending love and positivity to each and every one of you! 💖✨
#EmbracingChange#PersonalGrowth#JourneyOfSelfDiscovery#CelebrateYourJourney#KeepGrowing#StayPositive
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Entry #7: To infinity and beyond
Right now, I’m whiter than usual. Why? Oh, cause someone thought it was a good idea (damn right it is) to slather me with baby powder to combat the humid heat while I desperately try to pick my brain in a futile attempt to conjure up a masterpiece of words using my last two braincells.
To be honest, I’ve written three drafts in my desperate attempt to, idk, impress you while being utterly expressive to compensate for whatever brilliant piece you’ve written for me... nah. Actually, I couldn’t find the reasonable balance so as not to appear overtly brooding (like my usual writing style as of late) or an insufferable know-it-all (altho this may have some truth to it, but only in reasonable doses).
But hey, let’s take a pause with my iconic over explaining before I lose my train of thought on why I decided to write this in the first place.
I just wanna tell you that this whole “changing my mind without my consent” transformation that you orchestrated has been refreshing to say the least. You’ve splashed color into my world (I think I’ve said this before) so now I have the overhanging question of what I’m supposed to do with all my black t-shirts now that I’m not so emo anymore, thanks to you.
I feel awkward about the whole transition since I’ve subscribed to the belief that love is a bittersweet poison we imbibe to burn our hearts out for so long and now, now I feel like love is an elixir that brings us back to life - even though popculture has always romanticized dying for each other in the name of love. Hence, I was never scared of death. I thought that final sacrifice was the only way of professing the truest form of love - like Jesus, amirite?
But now, I think I want to stick around this shithole a bit longer just to witness things (like climate change and all that shit) around us get worse. I used to be an ardent admirer of death, constantly chasing after its elusive embrace, yearning for my turn to escape this matrix we are trapped in, and now I feel like I should probably order talismans to ward off the grim reaper - Emily Dickinson be damned.
Once upon a time, I told you I'd be annoyed if I died too early, but now I don't even want to entertain the thought. If living in this wretched hovel is the hand I've been dealt, I demand the consolation prize of spending as much time as I damn well please with you. Trust me, I'd file a complaint with the manager if that wasn't granted.
It’s a new feeling for me to want to live and actually have a zest for life. I want to experience growing old and holding your old, saggy, wrinkly hands as we sit watching the sunset in our porch. I want to recall so many more memories with you because the ones we have, the stories we’ve told, and the experiences we’ve shared up until this point is not enough. I crave countless more chapters with you, so my soul can embark on an infinite number of reincarnations before retiring from this existence.
I don't know what kind of voodoo you worked on me or why I was your chosen victim, but please, for the love of all things sarcastic and ironic, don't play some cruel prank and leave me hanging. I couldn't bear this life without you. Seriously, it would be like trying to eat pizza without any pineapples - utterly pointless and soul-crushing.
So, stay. Stay a whole lot longer here with me, okay, @worthleslie ?
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