#and i didn't even know who the fuck this 'famous poet' was

[madebypointlesswords]

Rating all the Latin authors I've read in the past two years in honor of my oral Latin exam tomorrow

Caesar (De Bello Gallico)

This is a weird one because while his prose isn't extremely difficult, it was also the first unedited work I read, so for lil 15-year-old me, this was very difficult. But I learned a lot from Caesar (especially that he made it an art to making his sentences as long as possible. We read an entire 200 words, and IT WAS JUST ONE SENTENCE.), and the sense of nostalgia while rereading it is very pleasant, so I will give you a solid 6/10

Pliny the Younger (Epistulae)

Mixed feelings about this one again. This could also be just because I despise prose. I really do not like it at all. Pliny's epistulae were pretty okay. I liked them a little better than Caesar's because of their variety (for those that don't know, epistulae means letters). His letter about the Vesuvius was a lot of fun to translate, even with all the hyperbata, but his letters about or to his third wife were very uncomfortable. Like, I get things were different back then. BUT YOU WERE 45, PLINY. 45. SHE WAS WHAT? 14? 15 TOPS? MY GOD. THAT'S A BIGGER AGE DIFFERENCE THAN I HAVE WITH MY FATHER.

7/10

Ovid (Metamorphoses)

Ovid is life Ovid is love. He was the one who introduced me to Latin poetry, and I will always love him for it. He was an icon and a legend. The poems of his that we read (Daedalus & Icarus, Latona and the Lycian peasants, Diana and Actaeon) were all bangers, and I love them all to death. I never wanted to go back to reading prose after this (but unfortunately, I will have to next year. ew)

11/10 (I love you, Ovid)

Vergil (The Aeneid)

*deep sigh* Listen. I love his complex works, and I have great respect for this poem but by the GODS. Vergil's poetry is the most difficult I've had to translate by a long shot. He made me rethink my entire career in Latin. I have considered quitting so many times because of this man. I felt like a complete idiot most of the time. This is not a guy to fuck with. Luckily I got through it on my finals (barely.) but Christ alive this man made my life difficult.

5/10

Horatius (Satires and Odes)

Horatius will always have a special place in my heart. We read his poetry right after Vergil's, and it almost completely restored my faith in my abilities. He's just my little guy and I have fond memories of translating his works. We still know many Latin phrases that he wrote (Carpe Diem being the most famous. Hello, DPS fandom). Also, he and Vergil were most definitely in love. I don't make the rules. I have evidence if you want me to elaborate.

9/10

Catullus (love poems)

Ah, Catullus. Horny poet of the year. Had a wild affair with an older married woman. Nepotism baby. Sappho stan. Didn't know how to budget, but we aren't holding that against him. Just wanted to write poetry and dance (who doesn't, honestly). Gave fuck-all about education. Wrote nearly all of his poetry about the older woman he had an affair with. Might I add that this woman was married to one of his father's bestest buddies? Yeah. Icon. Here's a kid's choice award.

8/10

Martialis (Epigrams)

This dude had ZERO chill. Roasted everyone in the city. Literally, no one is safe. Wasn't afraid to call people out by their real names. Some people allegedly committed suicide after being roasted by this guy. Translating his epigrams gave me more joy than hearing we had seen the end of Vergil. His humour may be a little silly now, but I will not accept any Martialis slander on my blog.

10/10

And that is all folks

#latin student #latin memes #latin literature #publius ovidius naso #classics #ancient greek #martialis #how is that not a tag #this guy is the epitome of Tumblr humour #pliny the younger #pliny #julius caesar #roman history #roman literature #catullus #vergil #the aeneid #vergil and horatius were gay and in love pass it on #horatius

[lt-catbolt]

tl;dr fame is weird

it's actually kind of crazy to think about how there's people that almost everyone around the world knows like

imagine if you tried to explain to someone a thousand years ago that there was this one "Taylor" or "Wilbur" or "Lin-Manuel" that just… internationally, cross-continentially, people know them. and they're not political figures (at least not by definition); they're not famous warriors, or royalty, or emperors-- nope, they're poets. bards. and not only their songs are internationally known, no, their personal lives too-- to varying degrees, of course, but to a point where some of their fans misguidedly feel as though they know them like a friend, because they've grown accustomed to hearing their voice day in day out in their own room, their own house, wherever they go--

like how is society that tilted that the overwhelming majority of people will go forgotten by all but their close friends, their passing acquaintances-- did you know that studies from four years ago show that the average person only makes 29 "real" friends in a lifetime, of which only 6 last? in 2003 there was a study that said you make 400 friends in a lifetime, but only a few close ones. regardless of what the accurate statistic is-- can you imagine that most people will be remembered by maybe 400 people, of which not even half will last a generation down? But there's this handful of celebrities, this select few-- it feels like a lot when you start listing them, but placed in contrast with the 8.1 BILLION PEOPLE currently on the earth? insane. a study from 2013 says 0.0086% of people are famous. LESS THAN ONE-TENTH OF A PERCENT! it's like the world's worst gambling machine, a fucked-up few raised on a pedestal so the rest of us can dream of lives we'll never attain because we were born at the wrong time or were too shy to grab a microphone or just missed an opportunity that one time. They will be remembered, at least for longer than a single generation, because they have a wikipedia page and an album or two to back them up. They are known on a first-name basis across thousands upon thousands of households, part of more inside jokes than they themselves could ever comprehend, mentioned more by strangers they'll never meet than some people will be named by their loved ones in a lifetime. We laugh at the cinematics and television fame of the Hunger Games, we act like we don't put people on spotlights in deathmatches. We act as though we wouldn't throw ourselves forwards as tribute if we were asked to be destroyed by a life of fame, and in fact some of us long for it. We thirst for the thrill of being recognized on the streets, not even realizing what kind of horrors these people undergo on a daily basis because they were Sherlock that one time. The twisted sides of the internet they have to avoid because humanity's most fucked up desires are now projected onto them, the chosen few, the "lucky" ones. We shout abuse at them for being human, for being tired, for making mistakes. We expect them to be perfect, even if many of them didn't ask for this life of fame. Sure, they may still want it-- because who wouldn't? It is the dream of contemporary man to be famous, and if you stop to think about it, it has always been. Hamilton destroyed himself for his legacy, Narcissis died of his own adoration, Nebuchadnezzar had a statue of himself erected so that all might bow to him. We long for recognition of the masses, and today's society makes it look so easy. Look at Ranboo, Tommy, Tubbo, Philza-- all streamers who skyrocketed out of seemingly nowhere, seemingly at random. Just "luck", right? Right place, right time, got in on a famous SMP and BOOM they're famous now, making more money than they'll ever need. You don't see the dedication they put into-- the work, the burnout, the endless grinding and years of nothing that precursored their fame. It makes it feel like you have a chance-- if they could do it, why shouldn't I be able to, right? If I keep trying, maybe I'll hit that same goldmine, right?

But it doesn't work like that, does it?

So we're left with our pipe dreams, our useless aspirations, that little kindling flame inside that believes we could rise above. We cherish it for the rest of our lives, ignoring the odds even when they're glaring at us like the sun. Because if we abandon our hope at fame, then, well, why bother trying at all? Because we're "doing what we love"? In this economy? Hah, nice try.

Yet somehow… maybe there's some merit to it. Maybe, if the odds are really that horrid, we should stop caring. We can keep hoping, sure-- so long as that hope brings us nothing but sweet longing, and none of the sour regret of missed chances and twisted desire. But maybe we shouldn't live on that hope alone, and maybe we should bring back some of that innocent warmth and kind enjoyment that those live laugh love signs are always going on about. Maybe, just maybe, our goal should be our own happiness, not an endless investment in a future that will probably never come. Maybe we shouldn't sacrifice now for tomorrow, every day over again, in the futile hope that one day tomorrow will be today.

Because at the end of the day, we only get one of each. Famous or not, time will keep ticking, so you'd better use it well. Striving for fame isn't wrong, but be careful when you gamble with your life.

If you wouldn't bet your entire fortune on a 0.000086 chance, maybe you shouldn't bet your entire life on it, either.

#in this essay i will #who am i kidding this was already an essay #catbolt essays #fame is weird #celebrities #fame #essay #ramblings #random thoughts

[artofsaudade]

"It's been a long time coming, but"

Hello, tumblr! Long time no see!

I was wondering if there was anyone around here since the competition field between social media is getting tougher these days and I am really happy to find out that we are still mingling around this wonderful bubble that tumblr is.

The thing is: I’ve had a lot of time to think and read (the perks of being unemployed) and suddenly, I felt really inspired by two people in my universe, which, until now, I didn't recognize their similarities: João Guimarães Rosa and Taylor Swift.

I think we can dispense further introductions towards miss americana, Taylor Swift, innit? Even because this text is for you, swiftie and we already have a long relationship (the best she ever had - not my words, hers) with young miss Alison.

The person who I would like to introduce is Mr João Guimarães Rosa and try to convince you to give the splendid work of this Brazilian writer a chance, because, in my opinion, if you admire Taylor Swift's work as a lyricist, you’ll LOVE  Guimarães (or Guima, as I like to affectionately call him) because like miss Swift,  he is a word person.

João Guimarães Rosa was a Brazilian writer, poet,diplomat, novelist and physician (does this remind you of someone who is a singer, songwriter, doctor, producer, actress, screenwriter, and director? Oh well), who is widely regarded as the most important Brazilian author of the twentieth century and one of the greatest of all time. His work is known for its unique linguistic style as well as for its exploration of themes such as identity, memory, the human condition and, my favourite one: love.

In his most famous novel “Grande Sertão: veredas” (The Devil to Pay in the Backlands), we know the story of Riobaldo, a bandit who lives several dilemmas related to morals, the nature of existence, his identity, the constant doubt about the realization of a pact with the devil (THIS IS SO FUCKING COOL! IYKYK) and his love for his colleague Diadorim. Being that last subject written in such a poetic way that I'm sure it would become the bedside book for all of you.

One of the great characteristics of Guimarães Rosa is the way he uses language. Every phrase is so well written because in its simplicity he can build complex sentence structures that hold so much meaning. I keep catching myself losing my breath everytime I read his work because every single time a side of it that I didn’t get the last time reveals itself to me and I’m blown away all over again. 

Guimarães Rosa employs a distinctive style that combines regional dialects, neologisms (yes, guys, the man could invent WORDS!) and archaic Portuguese to create a unique voice that captures the richness and diversity of Brazilian culture, and in this book, helps to build all the complexity of the feelings of a man who finds himself questioning his nature, his identity while going through the unsettling feeling of being in love with another man in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Although regionalism is a constant feature in this book, by dealing with themes such as good and evil, love, hate, God and the devil, betrayal, among others of a philosophical nature, the writer manages to make this narrative universal, so that everyone can recognize themselves within it (I, myself, have the feeling that he reads what is inside my soul… oh wait, can you think about someone that have the same delicacy with the human soul and  that can express the nuances through words that are utterly relatable?).

With that in mind, I cannot help but imagine that being a fan of one of the greatest composers of all time, who manages to be a great storyteller and add poetry to her narrative, you will not like the universe created by Guimarães Rosa and his words.

I want to be clear that I'm not comparing the two because I think Mr. Rosa is incomparable just like Taylor is incomparable, what I'm saying is that god/the universe/whatever you believe has given these two people a precious gift, which is to reach parts of our hearts that we didn't realise were calling out to us.

It breaks my heart that not many people get to witness this man's writing in his mother tongue, Portuguese, as much of his poetry is inextricably linked to the way our language presents itself to the world and much of it is lost in translation. However, I'm sure that regardless of the translation you have access to, Guimarães will make you fall in love with the way the world is seen through his eyes.

All in all, I want to share with you some of my favourite quotes by Guima and I hope that, in a while, you will have favourites of your own.

"

hy in relating something, mention everything, every little detail? That meeting of ours was out-of-the-ordinary, melodramatic, the kind you read of only in newspapers and books. It was not until afterwards that I could put together even what I am telling you now and really understand it -for, when something like this is happening, what you feel mostly is what pertains to the body: the thudding heart.

"Those are one’s hours. The others, those of any time, are everybody hours (...) It is as though life’s trivialities were a pool of water in which we find ourselves submerged, a pool that covers and deadens everything - but once in a rare while we manage to raise our heads out of it, in a sort of miracle: like a little fish begging! Why? I am going to tell you something that is not generally known: always when we begin to love someone, in the normal run of things, love takes root and grows, because, in a way, that is what we want to happen, and so we seek it and help it along in our mind; but when it is predestined, allembrancing, we love completely and fatefully, we have to love, and we come upon one surprise after another. A love of this sort grows first and bursts later."

 “Love inspires love. I tell you it’s so. I think of Diadorim too - but Diadorim is a soft haze.”

“And suddenly I found myself loving him beyond all reason, loving him even more than before. With my heart at his feet, to be trampled upon. I had been loving him the whole time.”

“I never left Diadorim’s side. I felt an urge to eat and drink his leftovers; I wanted to touch whatever he had touched.”

“In my happiness I saw stars.” 

#literature #swifties #brazil #books and reading #taylor swift #taylornation #author #bookshelf #booklr #read in 2023 #romance #new books #swiftbook #literature quotes #currently reading

[jaskierswolf]

for the prompts: gerlion + competition?

(also, doesn’t fit this prompt format at all but what if like, you know how there’s so many fics of jaskier in Kaer Morhen like one (1) bard amongst the witchers? what if it’s reversed and it’s Geralt plunged into a gaggle of bards by Jaskier who’s like aight come to MY home turf now. one (1) witcher amongst the bards. platonic or romantic geraskier either is a vibe)

I sort of managed it all... but there we go! Gerlion in Oxenfurt!

_

Geralt didn't often visit Oxenfurt. There wasn't any need to visit the city outside of contracts or the occasional need to top up his supplies, but Dandelion had written to him over the winter whilst he was at Kaer Morhen with his brothers and begged him to visit at the first sign of spring. So when the snow had begun to thaw, Geralt had made his way down the mountain and ridden Roach as fast as he could towards Redania.

The city was as vibrant and noisy as ever and Geralt winced as the sound of lutes and pipes assaulted his ears. It was one thing travelling with Dandelion on the path, one very talented troubadour versus an entire city of bardic students that hadn't quite mastered their instruments. Still, Dandelion had asked and over the years there was very little the poet had asked of him that wasn't for the benefit of both of them.

He meandered through the streets, making his way towards Dandelion's house. Or at least... he hoped he was heading in the right direction. Over the years, Geralt hadn't visited the poet's house very often, but thankfully he was only in the city for a few minutes when he heard Dandelion's melodic tenor call his name. "Geralt! Oi, witcher!"

Turning to face his friend, Geralt laughed. The poet was racing through the streets, his lute case bouncing on his back as he held onto his hat. Dandelion's cheeks were flushed red and he grinned brightly. "I knew you'd come! You're just in time. The annual faculty bardic competition starts tonight, and you, my dear, are the guest of honour."

Well... fuck. That did not sound like fun. Not even with Dandelion's vibrant presence... but at least it was the teachers and not the first years. "The guest of honour?"

With a peel of laughter, Dandelion just pressed his lips against Geralt's cheek, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Of course, darling. As Oxenfurt's most famous and accomplished alumni, my dearest husband and muse was the only option for the guest of honour. Oh you should have seen the look on Marx's face when they announced it! After all his peacocking and flapping about, I thought steam would start coming out of his ears."

Geralt smirked and kissed Dandelion's temple. "Fine, I'll humbly accept. Only for you, Dandelion."

"Excellent! Oh and Geralt, you need a bath before we go. Roach's stench might be perfect for life on the path, but you are in Oxenfurt now, love. That simply won't do. Don't worry, we'll have you competition ready in no time! I have just the thing at home."

And with that, Dandelion took his hand and Geralt was pulled through the last few streets until Dandelion's house came into view. It was a pretty house, and with Dandelion by his side... he was home.

_

One word prompts!

#the witcher #geraskier #gerlion #geralt of rivia #jaskier pankratz #julian alfred pankratz #dandelion #wolfie's witcher writing

[blackcatanna]

The Tale of the Demon Arms of Horniness Part 4(?)

Finally, we have arrived at Edo Blossoms! Things should be getting real weird(er) soon so I'm looking forward to that... Honestly, I don't like Iba's route, really... I prefer him when he shows up in other people's routes being a li'l shit... Anyway, we'll see how this goes.

"A selfish, ruthless ex-Captain of the Shinsengumi, Kanryusai Takeda," ENTER BASTARD! :')

"Iba, as a descendant of a famous sword dojo, had a reputation to uphold." Fair enough, makes sense. "Thus," uh-huh... "He became a Fury and fused a Demon's arm to his shoulder" o_e -_- I'm sure... Uh... Actually, no. This logic makes no sense at all, especially when you consider that he is forbidden to engage in human conflict in exchange for his demon powers. Historical Iba didn't let losing an arm stop him (not that I would blame him if it had)!

ANYWAY, Chapter 1: A Horny Spectre Looks: in which maybe Iba and Takeda start to get intrusive horny thoughts about our heroine, maybe not, I don't remember how soon that shit kicks off...

"Huh? Why are you thanking me?" It's a fair question (sorry, Chizuru) "If it were just me handling the house affairs, I'd no doubt lose my mind" Awe! Get you, Chizuru, being useful! We stan! And good for Shimada acknowledging her domestic work... Now I am concerned about how much thankless work she may have done back in Kyoto... What does a page even do? Also, was she paid??? I hope so but I doubt it X_X

"I can't look at you without beaming with pride," new dad alert!

"Neither Nagakura nor Harada could emerge from their funk after suffering serious, devastating trauma from the battle," o_e is "funk" a poorly judged euphemism for ptsd???

"Iba, whom I hadn't seen" *flips table* then why the fuck am I here??

Who the fuck ever even uses this medicine? Players of this game, I mean!

"Iba exalted over the steaming tea cup," XD Bless him...

"has that cretin, Takeda," XD FFS IBA! Poor Takeda :')

Iba clearly knows something bad... WHY DOES NOBODY TELL ME ANYTHING???? REVEAL YOUR SECRETS, SLUT!!! (Omfg, I am turning into Miki X_X)

"Spending time with you is such a luxury," BLEURGGH "That it would be a waste to let my mind wander so easily," >:( JUST TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON! STOP TRYING TO DEFLECT WITH PRETTY WORDS >:(

"I wondered what thoughts plagued Iba's mind..." But I guess we can't just ASK because that would be RUDE and UNLADYLIKE -_-

"A feeling of guilt bubbled in my stomach." Repeat this phrase every few lines until the game ends...

COOL, we're going to Yukimura's home! Thankfully, we already know that Kodo's a creep so he won't ambush us! Hopefully, I am correct in recalling that weird horniness ensues...

"..." "Iba...?" Clearly, there is something wrong with this boi! Maybe look into that?? Omg, is it the horniness?!? I BET IT'S THAT! HERE IT COMES, FINALLY (seriously, who thought that this was a good narrative device??? -_- )

"something told me what Iba was concerned with was far more serious..." It's his boner, Chizuru... I guess that a haunted arm, brain and penis is pretty concerning...

"He furrowed his brow in quiet contemplation." XD If I wrong, I am going to look very stupid but if I'm right, this is hilarious!

"I darted my eyes around the yard, hoping to pin down what might've distracted him," XD Tbf, it must be very distracting having the ghost of some guy who's arm you've nicked constantly whispering horny thoughts at you (or however demon-induced-horniness works...) "but I was too nervous to ask him myself." ... Ngl, for once, this is probably for the best (assuming that I am right. I have played this route once before, of course. I feel like no sane person could predict this shit blindly)

"I felt compelled to comfort him." Well, Chizuru, I can think of an easy way for you to do that...

Ooh! I rlly like this musique! :)

"The melancholy in his eyes felt thicker than the dust around us. It was like I was speaking with a shadow." Chizuru should take up work as a goth poet.

"Did something happen, Iba...?" Ya, somebody chopped off his arm and replaced is with a creepy demon arm that wants him to fuck you... I can certainly forgive you for not predicting that last part... You know what, there are SO MANY THINGS which would make more sense! Sad because disillusioned with Shogun. Sad because realises that all his friends are doomed to die in a futile war in which he cannot participate. Sad because lonely because of constant veneer of perfection which no one has ever seen past. Sad because forever barred from using his carefully honed skills for anything which may benefit humanity. Sad because knows his shogunate friends won't understand why he has to abandon them to their fate. Sad because unwittingly unleashed superpowered Takeda on the world after losing his cool one time. I mean, there's so many things going on in Iba's life right now! All of them more interesting than a horny arm!

"You aren't as responsive as you normally are." -_- Perfect boy is broken so let's poke him, I guess...

"... Forgive me." :( Chizuru should kiss him >:( sad boy needs kiss! >:D

"the shogunate's Chief Vassal and I haven't exactly seen eye to eye." Could it be... Not horny???

Awe, Iba's worried about Hijikata bae and upset with the shogunate officials for mistreating him <3

"they wallow in their vanity." Well, this is a better reason to be withdrawn than because horny. Perhaps I misjudged this game but I am not so sure just yet... -_-

"Hijikata will figure something out" omfg, even my dialogue options are leaving everything up to poor Hiji-mama X_X Seriously, does he have to do fucking everything???

"But that smile is more like it. You're beginning to look like the Iba I remember." ... O_e Is Chizuru using toxic masculinity against Iba? Bad feminist: Yukimura Chizuru! Let him be sad, dammit! >:(

"You know, all of that explains so much..." "Iba shied away from me all of a sudden," Oh no... Is there more? Is this it?

OH FUCK, "To tell you the truth, something else has ensnared me. Something for which you may not be prepared..." OH FFS! I ALMOST LET MY GUARD DOWN BUT HERE IT FUCKING COMES X_X

"Huh? What else is there...?" Well, I can think of a few things but none of them include THIS

"Iba reached for me all of a sudden." X_X There it is. Fucking knew it. Dammit, Iba, your boner killed the nice music!

"And then..." "...!" X_X

"Iba tackled me, pinning me to the floor before I could react, kicking up a cloud of dust that tickled my nose." XD What an image!

Okay, now romantic music is playing but Chizuru looks scared shitless... Honestly, I am on the side of the music here! Chizuru, he is your love interest! Please summon some enthusiasm! He's pretty hot!

"I trembled underneath him." Understandable if horny, not if scared. Why would you suddenly be scared of Iba? Maybe she can sense demonic possession but I call bs... Honestly, I feel like this game just wants her to be all disgustingly pure and virtuous and shit. CHIZURU, WE HAVE READ YOUR EPIC THIRST PASSAGES ABOUT HIJIKATA!!! WE KNOW YOU'RE A THIRSTY BITCH LIKE THE REST OF US!!!

KISS HIM >:D

"his eyes had seemed more ravenous than passionate." Seems fine, KISS HIM!!! >:D

Seriously, how is she not even a little turned on by this? Don't you fancy this man? If not, why the fuck are we even here?!

"As I braced myself for my lips to touch--" XD sexy. Plot twist: Iba's demon arm is totally chill but he tried to kiss her and she wasn't into it and so needed to manufacture an excuse to save face. Takeda's in on it, of course. Because why the fuck not? They're boyfriends now. Makes more sense than whatever this shit is.

ANYWAY, yeah, sorry Iba! Even after all the romancing you did in Kyoto and all your childhood memories, guess she still isn't into you.

"I-It's okay!" -_- not terribly helpful or genuine sounding. Why bother, seriously...

"guilt began to well inside of me," -_- uuuuuuggggghhhhh

"My heart was pounding at a frightening pace," yet, for all the wrong reasons -_-

"Iba, a figure of propriety and class, was the last person I'd ever expect to force himself onto me..." WOAH. That's quite a fucking leap, Chizuru! He made to kiss you, you weren't into it, he did not kiss you! Chill the fuck out! Do any of the other guys ask before kissing you on their routes? I haven't played them all but I know that plenty don't.

HONESTLY, THIS WHOLE THING IS SO STUPID. LET PEOPLE BE HORNY ON THEIR OWN.

I couldn't even enjoy this even if I was into this route because Chizuru is so visibly uncomfortable. Seriously, WHO IS THIS FOR?!? People who like to see a woman uncomfortable in sexual situations because it confirms her "purity"??? I am TROUBLED.

Like, at least let her be into it even if she refuses him due to impropriety or literally any reason she likes!

"What was he planning to do...?" Well, seeing as he could physically have done anything he wanted due to his superior strength, it's safe to assume that he did not intend to assault you! Looks like he wanted to kiss you but you weren't into it so he backed off.

Tbf, I can see how this would be uncomfortable. It's always difficult when someone reveals strong feelings which aren't reciprocated

But I still can't believe I played through the entirety of Iba's fucking Kyoto Winds route only for Chizuru to still not be into him... -_- (is this game trying to slut shame me??? "Only a SLUT kisses after the umpteenth date!" "No no! Only a SLUT even acknowledges that they were ever on a date, even when her friend aggressively points it out!" Like, what are these Victorian values that Chizuru seems to embody... No one is like that! It's an ideal of womanhood which exists only in the minds of Victorian vicars! Or, at least, their sermons...

"I thought it better not to ask." Yeah, this doesn't seem important.

Oh, and bloodlust too... Chizuru really said, "I'll let you drink my blood straight from the source but I won't give you a kiss even though you are my love interest and most important guy in the world to me" XD

"A-All good..." Uh-huh... -_-

"Could this be..." PUNISHMENT FOR DARING TO BE HORNY INSIDE A HAKUOKI GAME??? (Better send some goblins after Saito in that one bloodlust scene of his too)

Wow, somehow, the whiteness of his hair only reinforces how pale his skin is.

Bitch, you know for sure that you are not going to use that fucking medicine. Actually, Chizuru might. She seemingly not that into poor Iba. (Side note: when I wrote "poor", my autofill wanted to add "Takeda" XD poor poor Takeda).

Honestly, I feel like Chizuru has her own horny demon living inside her. Its name is Anna and she mostly ignores me >:( but I can make her let I a drink her blood! Tiny revenge...

One of these days, I'm just going to keep making him endure it and watch him lose his mind but I cba today.

"Come here. Take a drink of my blood." XD Why is this funny to me?

"Sweat dripped down the sides of his contoured cheekbones." BITCH, I SEE YOU!!! DON'T YOU DARE TRY AND TELL ME YOU DON'T WANT TO KISS THIS FUCKER!!!

Pretty sure that Chizuru's not completely asexual, based on the routes I have played (though that would be valid) but it's hard to tell since she never really gets to say what she wants... I guess that's the problem with being an otome heroine. Right now, she's possessed with the spirit of a horny goblin but maybe I should ask one of my ace friends to try this game and see what they think... Also, I don't think that I am particularly horny! I identify as demisexual... But I do occasionally do things which some may consider scandalous... But I haven't had sex in well over two years and I'm fine with that... Well, they say that sexuality is a spectrum but I think that it has many, many dimensions... Wow, this got completely sidetracked... This game has got me thinking about assumptions to question, which is a whoooole other rabbit hole and so I shall CEASE.

ANYWAY, despite my urges to Chizuru to kiss Iba, I am really not feeling him... I feel like I would have a huge crush on him if I met him irl but his route is so stale, devoid of chemistry and full of bizarre narrative choices that it leaves me completely cold :(

"What you s-suggest... is s-sickening!" Yaaas! That's right, qween! My ideas are always sickening, no?

"I s-simply have no desire to drink y-your blood." Orlly?

"Promise me that y-you won't--urnh--look back at me until I finish..." Ugh, isn't giving you my blood enough for you?

"You mustn't watch me d-defile your precious body with my g-ghoulish needs..." Firs of all, what a fucking sentence. Secondly, Iba, don't be so selfish; maybe she is into that! Thirdly, I am sensing a fucking purity kink here and I am sooooo not into that XD

"he tepidly stuck his tongue out to lick." Omfg, you're doing it now! May as well enjoy it! -_-

"the pleasure I took in soothing his agony was enough of a distraction." I feel like this is a specific kink but I don't have a word to mind...

"I noticed myself blushing, and felt ashamed for having even fantasized about what had happened." NO, GIRL!!! DON'T SLUT SHAME YOURSELF! LET YOURSELF BE HORNY FOR IBA! YEEESSSSS!!! 3:D

"Or, did Iba have feeli--No. Thinking about it could only hurt me," y tho? -_- Of course he has feelings for you! He has stated as much before! Y U SO DENSE (stupid puritanical womanly ideal >:( )

"We'll all be buried by the time we're done waiting for you." XD seems unlikely, giving Yukimura's character but I always appreciate some good Hijikata snark :')

"I barely recognised any of the Shinsengumi men in their new attire." ... Hmm... Seems unlikely...

"Edo was an unsafe place for a young woman," ah yes, fair enough. I am sure that many thugs, ronin, thieves, drunkards, etc. lurk about :) "what with the Fury Corps on the prowl..." ... FFS GUYS!!???? OMFG!!! CAN YOU MAYBE NOT UNLEASH A SQUAD OF BLOODTHIRSTY, UNDEAD SOLDIERS ON THE CITY?!??? My sympathy with Itou only grows the more I play this game... -_-'

"is this your first time visiting Hachiro's place...?" Alas, yes, since Chizuru seemingly does not wish to hook up with him for some reason... Maybe she also thinks that their chemistry is terrible...

Oooh! Iba is a rich kid, of course! Let's see if his HOOSE lives up to Hijikata's implications...

Like most routes, this is making me love Hijikata more than the guy who's route I'm on... I want to stay with bastard mum, not go live in a gilded cage with Hachiro the Horny!

"a huge, lavish mansion." XD of course!

Hijikata is LOVING THIS!

"She's just wondering how she's gonna fit all her stuff inside, is all." Omfg, this is something that my Mum would say to me as a roast because I really do have a fuckload of stuff (gotta commit to that mad gothic wizard aesthetic)

"I was entranced by the sheer size of Iba's estate." Enough to fuck him? All I want to know is whether Iba has style and taste... Someone get Miki! And Kimigiku! Sen too! Miki's the resident fashion bitch, Kiku is fabulous and Sen seems to be smart enough to care about such important things!

"You may not recall him, but Motoyama will be joining us" XD poor Motoyama! Of course I remember him! He was very memorably scared shitless of the Shinsengumi!

Motoyama, why are you such a fucking mess? Do you have a crush on Hijikata or something???

"Sounds like you can relax a little bit." Hm. We'll see..

"your time'll come." Nope. Demon arm!

"She's a troublemaker." XD Only in the most passive sense!

"he sneered coyly" omfg, I need to see this XD

"See how sweet she is, Iba?" I can hear you X_X

MOTOYAMA FFS "This is the ample opportunity to revel in the pleasures of a honeymoon without anyone else to impede on your celebration!" WHERE THE FUCK IS THIS COMING FROM??? TOO LITTLE TOO LATE! The romance was extinguished before the conclusion of the first game, like a candle deprived of oxygen! Where was your aggressive shipping then?!

"HER? As my wife?!" Um, EXQUEEZ ME!

"I'm unfit to serve as a husband at this time!" XD the fuck does that mean? Bitch, you ain't got shit else to do! You're not allowed to interfere in human conflicts... In fact, you're SUPPOSED to be stopping The Evil Egg and Takeda completing world domination but, since you cba, now is the perfect time to learn how to husband! (Do we think Iba knows what a clitoris is? I vote No). But seriously, it'd be nice to see Iba try to be vulnerable with someone for once. Motoyama can give Iba and Chizuru couples' therapy!

"Well, well. It seems both of you are stuck on the 'Woe is me, I'll never be good enough for the other' stage of your relationship, eg?" ... Did the writers just commit seppukku???

"I have to admit, I'm rather jealous..." Awe, Motoyama, maybe take your own advice and admit to Hijikata that you want him to step on you...

"With a gleeful smile, Motoyama pranced out of the room." XD This bitch! I love him! He is such a queen <3 This is what Iba deserves for being a li'l shit in Souma's route...

"Motoyama has a terrible sense of humor." *flashback to him drunkenly climbing a tree to try and reach the Moon* what are you taking about? He's a fucking genius!

"the two of us ate supper together in silence" is this supposed to be romantic tension? To me, it just looks like two people with nothing to say to each other...

"I found it impossible to sleep, as my attention was drawn to the room's extravagant décor," finally, a relatable moment! Mmmm... Pretty things...

"...I wondered if Iba was having any difficulty sleeping." XD Oh, I am sure he was...

"Hope you don't mind but I prepared some breakfast for you. Allow me to arrange the table for you." ... Chizuru deciding to play Motoyama's game, it seems... X_X IF I FORCE MY FOOD, SERVICE AND EVEN MY LITERAL BLOOD ON HIM, WILL HE LOVE ME THEN???

They're fucking married and I hate it.

Iba is a better Not-Husband than Kazama though... That fucking guy...

"allow me to manage all of your minutiae, including the welcoming of guests and post." OMFG STOP. FUCK OFF. STOP FORCING YOURSELF INTO HIS LIFE. I hate this...

HE HAS STAAAFFFFFF!!!

GIRL, YOU ARE NOT HIS WIFE!!!

IBA, YOU FUCKING IDIOT, DO NOT ALLOW THIS! IF YOU WANT A WIFE, WIFE THIS GIRL!

"I'm not sure I could stand to let any other woman cook for me again." Motoyama is trying his best but I feel like I am trapped in a domestic nightmare... This is weird... Chizuru is throwing her WIFEness at Iba like crazy and he's not acting like a husband in return. It's weird. Chizuru, stop. Back off a little, please!

"Say, why don't all of us go out for a drink?" Please?

LETTER OF DOOM (probably, knowing this game)

Nice to see Iba being angry and upset for a change! Let it all out, queen!

Okay, too far... "Iba began swinging his sword wildly," Perhaps if you let your emotions out more frequently in a controlled manner, this kind of outburst wouldn't happen (and Takeda might still be human... And you, too)

"Erm, why are you so upset...?" ... FFS CHIZURU X_X

"The shogunate ruthlessly feeds them to the dogs!" Yeah, this is pretty horrible, ngl. Genuinely curious as to what inspired such loyalty to the Shogunate in particular from the Shinsengumi...

"They sneer upon the Shinsengumi from their ivory towers," :'( Cruel and stupid, truly an unfortunate combination.

"What could I suggest that could substitute a possibly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity ...?" Well, you could send him to interfere with the demons getting involved in the conflict on the opposing side, you could finally go and fuck up Kodo, Takeda and the other furies, you could set about repairing the damage done to Sen's village, get to know the demons better, now that you are part of their world...

I wish Takeda would show up. I miss him...

"you can't just quit now " yeah, he should've quit as soon as he acquired the demon arm, gone and done something useful...

"I am in no way permitted to use my power against any humans." Dumbass, there'll be plenty of furies for you to slice.

"So, that leaves me with few suitable opponents, notably Takeda, Kodo, and... Whatever Fury cohorts they have in their company." Also, Kazama and friends. So maybe get on that asap, yes? Before they kill more people!

Omfg, my cat just coughed up a fucking enormous hairball on my Mum's cream carpet so I am going to call it a night... I'm probably at the end of a chapter but I need to deal with this! FFS PERCY XD Tbf, he is very fluffy.

#hakuouki #hakuoki #iba hachiro #no Takeda this time :( #Percy the cat #omfg I am so not looking forward to cleaning this up X_X #if I was Iba then I could ask my STAFF to help #or my overenthusiastic wannabe wife

[teresa-of-ficwill]

Dead End Journey (or not?) - The Witcher

Summary:

When you fall in love with the witcher, things are never going on easy. Jaskier knew it. But what if you fell in love with two witchers? And also met a really gorgeous woman, who you can't get out of your head? It gets even more complicated.

However, maybe… Jaskier even likes all this a little bit. Or not a little? Anyway, time will tell.

CHAPTER 1

Jaskier was sure that something had gone wrong. Completely wrong. He had never imagined hanging around with a broken heart but there he was. Shattered to pieces. Rejected by his only one.

Actually, Geralt wasn’t his only one in common understanding. Jaskier slept with so many people he could not even count. Men, women… to him that didn’t matter. He was attractive, funny, and good at sex – people loved him for that. But everyone has to stop somewhere. And Jaskier thought he was ready to stop if Geralt was by his side. As a witcher, as a friend… and as a lover.

But his beloved man had always chosen another one. Yennefer. It was really predictable, to be honest, but Jaskier didn’t want to see it. Didn’t want to believe. Yen… she is a bitch. But she is really attractive, hot and good-looking bitch. She treated Geralt like shit and he fell for that. Oh, what a shame. But, maybe, Geralt didn’t want to be loved. Maybe he just wanted to be controlled.

Jaskier was not sure but he actually didn’t want to figure it out. He just wanted to forget but it seemed impossible. So, he decided to just get drunk till he forgets his own name. Really good idea.

This woman… she was beautiful. Blond hair, nice smile, and drunk green eyes – absolutely his type. She wanted him. She really did. So, he let her hit on like he always does. Good sex can never cause a threat, you know.

She treated him well. Jaskier didn’t know why he noticed that but he did. She was gentle and slow, getting sure they both would have their part of pleasure. Usually, Jaskier is in charge in his one-night stands but this time he gave her a chance to take control.

“You didn’t ask my name,” she said, suddenly letting his cock out of her mouth.

“W-what?”

“You didn’t ask my name,” she repeated.

“Oh… I’m… I’m sorry I…”

“Don’t be, dear. I didn’t ask your name either. My name is Jane.”

“Jaskier,” he said after a few seconds, a little bit confused.

“Nice to meet you, Jaskier,” she smiled playfully and continued sucking his dick.

The bard felt confused just for the next few seconds but pleasure made him forget about that pretty fast. It’s not too strange to ask the name of a man whose dick you are sucking at this moment, is it? Everyone did it at least once, right?

Then Jane decided to ride him. He wasn’t against it. She felt… good. Like any pretty woman. She knew exactly what she was doing, and it was really attractive. Sometimes Jaskier loves not to be in charge and just take pleasure given to him by someone else. It was a good way to forget. Not to think about Geralt and Yennefer. And – for god’s sake – not to think about Yen riding Geralt’s cock just like Jane rides his.

The picture went through his mind really fast and it was so disgusting Jaskier almost lost all his sexual arousal. But suddenly Jane kissed him. Gently but with passion. She didn’t kiss him before, they were just having sex, so it was all of a sudden but he liked it.

So Jaskier closed his eyes and imagined Geralt kissing him like that. Kissing while riding his dick. Geralt’s moans with his deep voice… the bard is sure that would sound amazing. Unbelievably perfect. Right.

Picture which went through his mind this time was so bright, so wanted, and inaccessible that it made Jaskier cum really hard. It was literally one of the best orgasms he has ever got. With close eyes, dreaming about impossible… the bard suddenly felt so miserable he felt himself about to cry. Fortunately, he managed to get a grip before he opened his eyes.

Jane smiled, fixed her hair, and got off him.

“Was it… fine?” Jaskier asked when she lied down by his side. He got so distracted with his dreams so he felt unsure if she got her orgasm.

“It was… quite good actually,” she took a cigarette from the bedside table and lit it with a match. “You gave me a chance to be in charge and I highly appreciate it. Most of the men are too afraid of the idea of being dominated. Ugh… boring people.”

“Yeah,” the bard smiled. “They’re just too afraid of losing control.”

“Like everyone, dear.”

They sat in silence for a while.

“So…”, started Jane, while lighting another cigarette, “It’s time to get to know each other better. It should be easier as we had sex already.”

“Is it really necessary?” Jaskier asked.

“Oh, you don’t want to?”

“No! No, I mean… you don’t have to do it just because we had sex. Quite good sex, actually, but it’s not the point. It’s not your duty.”

“Of course, it’s not,” Jane smiled and put a cigarette to her lips, taking a deep breath. “I never do anything I have to. Just the things I want,” she exhaled. “So, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“How comes such a pretty boy has such a bad taste in women?” Jane asked, making the bard choke on air.

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I have said.”

“Wait, I just… don’t understand. I've slept with you and now you're saying I have a bad taste in women?” asked Jaskier feeling confused.

“Yes. Yes, I do” Jane smiled. “You had known me for like two seconds and, when I proposed you sex, you agreed immediately”.

“But you are beautiful! Why should I have said «no»?”

The woman shook her head.

“It's not only about me, you silly bard. It's about every woman you have ever been with. I've heard about it pretty much. Rumors...” she pressed the end of a cigarette to her lips then exhaled. “They spread. Faster than you think.”

“So, you have known who I am when bumped into me in a tavern?”

“Not really. I was aware you look like this famous bard and you have a lute but I didn’t know for sure” Jane shrugged her shoulders. “Not before you said your name. But let’s return to the question I asked.”

“I don’t know what to answer. And what’s so bad about rumors? They make me popular among women... and men”, Jaskier smiled awkwardly. Actually, he didn't want to share his sexuality with his one-night-stand but it seems like he'd already done that.

“Do you think it's for good?”

“Sorry?”

“Being widely known as a good lover, not a good poet”, Jane explained. “Is this what you want? To be just another man who was quite good in bed and that's all?”

“Are you trying to insult me?”

“I'm trying to understand. And somehow prove you have a bad taste in women”, Jane chuckled.

“I do NOT have a bad taste in women. Stop repeating that!” Jaskier exclaimed.

“But it's true. You sleep with every woman who appears on your way. Old or young, virgin or whore... to you it doesn't matter, does it?”

“I think it... doesn't”.

“You are choosing everyone. It's not good taste, I swear".

“What's it then?”

“You should ask yourself, not me. But it seems like it's just... loneliness”.

“Loneliness?” Jaskier asked.

“Yes,” Jane smiled kindly. “It's just loneliness which leads us in beds of strangers. We have sex and then we move on without even remembering their names. We break so many beautiful hearts of people who don't deserve it because ours have already been broken”.

She put the cigarette out and then threw it on the floor.

“We are living in a fucking nightmare”, added Jane quietly. “And destroy every person we touch”.

They both kept quiet for a while. The woman took a new cigarette from the box, stood up, and walked to the fire, giving Jaskier a great view of her naked body. She was beautiful and he couldn't deny it. But also, she was smart.

The bard didn't like to admit it but he always was somehow afraid of smart people. They analyze him. They look deeply into his soul without any permission and reveal secrets he didn't think he had.

“If we have this kind of conversation anyway,” said Jane, forcing Jaskier to look at her again. “Tell me... is there someone who you secretly in love with? Oh... and don't look at me like that, dear. I just wanna understand how many things we have in common”.

“No”, answered the bard immediately.

Jane smiled. “You're terrible liar, Jaskier. At least now.”

“Oh, well... there is someone.”

“Someone who broke your heart but you still love him with all the pieces, I guess”, the woman lighted her cigarette.

“How did you know it's him?”

“I didn't. It was just a guess and you proved it", Jane pressed the end of a cigarette to her lips. “So what is his name?”

“Geralt of Rivia.”

“Is it that man you always sing about? Everyone knows him as a White Wolf or something like that,” the woman asked, slowly returning to bed.

“Yes’.

“Oh, I'm sorry’.

“Why?”

“Because I know this kind of men. They are brave and lovely and beautiful... and absolutely insensitive when it comes to the affairs of the heart. He could accidentally break your heart and still don't know he did it.”

“Are you saying that Geralt doesn't have feelings?” Jaskier chuckled. “It's just a stupid myth about the witchers”.

“No, you didn't get it. I say that Geralt... ugh, I didn't think it would be so hard to talk about,” Jane looked at the bard before she sat at the corner of the bed. “I say that witchers are bad when it comes to feelings. They don't know how to love. They are not emotionless, they are just... inexperienced. I'm not sure it's the right word but still. They don't want to cause hurt. But they make mistakes and break our hearts just because they don't know how to do it right. And it is... the saddest thing I have ever understood.”

“Some witcher also broke your heart, didn't he?”

“Yes. And I thought I was fine until I've found myself hanging around and sleeping with strangers”.

“So, you think there is no chance I will be happy with Geralt?” Jaskier asked and it seemed like a very important question to him.

“Depends on you”.

“How so?”

“If you are ready to teach him how to love and let him break your heart again and again and again with his somehow stupid mistakes... well, maybe you'll have a happily ever after. I don't know.”

“You don't seem happy.”

“I didn't try. I’ve failed before I even started. But you can succeed.”

“You think so?”

Jane smiled kindly. “I'm sure you can. It's about patience... and love probably, but... you won't succeed if you aren't patient enough.”

“Are you still in love?” asked Jaskier after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

“Huh?”

“Are you still in love with your witcher?”

The woman smiled again but there was a pain behind her smile. “I wanna say I'm not but that would be a lie.”

“What's his name? Maybe... maybe I know him.”

She waited for a couple of seconds. “Lambert. He's son of a bitch but I had fallen for him without even noticing. And then it was too late.”

“What happened between you two?” asked Jaskier. Maybe it was quite inappropriate question, but he wanted to know.

“He cheated on me. And then again. And again and... He shattered my heart into pieces and I ended this relationship because I was nearly to end myself. I'm in love with him but he didn't worth my death. I still have some kind of self-respect, you know.”

“He absolutely did not worth your death. You're an amazing woman. You can find someone better.”

“As well as you, dear. But here we are, talking about our broken hearts.”

Jaskier wanted to answer something but he couldn't find any proper words. Because Jane was right and he understood that. They both can find someone who will love them, who will care about them, who won’t break their hearts.

Oh, no, it’s not right. Truth be told, it always was a dead-end journey and they still took it. They chose the most painful path. They made their hearts bleed, all by themselves. And now they have to pay the cost.

Jane took his hand, forcing Jaskier to look at her again. “Does it feel like hell when you think about him?” she asked.

“Yes, it does”.

“Do you like it?”

Jaskier swallowed loudly, “Yes, I do.”

You can find the next chapters here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29364243/chapters/72132126#workskin

#geralt of rivia #geraskier #gerlion #lambert #jaskier #dandelion #julian alfred pankratz #the witcher #jaskier/lambert #jaskier/geralt #geralt/jaskier #geralt/dandelion #the witcher fic #lambert/jaskier #geralt z rivii #fan fic #fic rec #fic #my ao3 #ao3 fanfic #глютик

[hemlockyy]

And The Saga Continues

By saga I mean me supervising this 'fake RbbSbb' account on twitter because I want to.

also Im going to separate the posts by day, if anything else happens I'll retweet and add it on this one. Tommorow its a separate post.

If you're intrested to see the first bit (two separate days in a post, one in which I found and then kept retweeting what happened after weeks (?) of not checking on it) (! I do reccomend reading the previous one)

so if you're intrested look up the tag #Fake-RbbSbb in my account.

-

Sooooo as expected our buddy changed his bio to 11, which supports my speculation that it was (obviously) a countdown to Louis' show.

nothing new on the following/pfp/header etc...

They did tweet some things, but I'll touch on that later, first off the likes: It seems they are continuously trying to raise attention towards Rbb (and Rbb only???) being back in two weeks by sending anonymous statements in peoples CCs.

Also they liked this HIV support tweet- and I found that sweet so im also adding it in, because aweareness is key.

aswell as replying back with their usual variation of two emojis:

No sign of Android anywhere, just WebApp™.

Now onto the tweets:

Just like with the 12 they posted yesterday, today they posted an 11. And I got curious to know where abouts they were setting the time to:

If whatever I triod to do here is too complicated (even I dont understand it lmao) basically:

In LA posting time would've been 23:29

In London posting time would've been: 07:29

so if they wanted to (and im speculating this because I did not check) update it on midnight lets say (or close to), then logically the tweet would've come from LA.

Now this thing which then tells us there will be a pattern of when they'll update the countdown

The thing I found weird right, is that they're doing a countdown (supposedly) to Louis' show. So why update on LA time?

Next thing they posted was this:

'Well Meet at the end of the Road' at a first glance you'd guess they're talking about the countdown.

But oh to know who Rudolph Valentino was...

I'll put some intresting quotes I found of him here, you can skip all of this if you want, I'll do a short resume at the end of the indented.

"He was a sex symbol of the 1920s, who was known in Hollywood as the Latin Lover (a title invented for him by Hollywood moguls), The Great Lover, or simply Valentino.[1] His premature death at the age of 31 caused mass hysteria among his fans and further propelled his status as a cultural film icon."

"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse was released in 1921 and became a commercial and critical success" + "For his follow-up film, they forced him into a bit part in a B-film called Uncharted Seas.(1921)" + "Rambova, Mathis, Ivano, and Valentino began work on the Alla Nazimova film Camille.(1921)" + "Valentino's final film for Metro was the Mathis-penned 'The Conquering Power.(1921) "

thats 4 movies in a year!! Talk about overworked- (depending on how long they were)

"After quitting Metro, Valentino took up with Famous Players-Lasky, forerunner of the present-day Paramount Pictures, a studio known for films that were more commercially focused."

"Jesse L. Lasky intended to capitalize on the star power of Valentino, and cast him in a role that solidified his reputation as the "Latin lover"

"In The Sheik (1921), Valentino played the starring role of Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan. The film was a major success and defined not only his career but his image and legacy."

"Famous Players produced four more feature-length films over the next 15 months" + "His leading role in Moran of the Lady Letty(1922) was of a typical Douglas Fairbanks nature" + "Valentino starred alongside Gloria Swanson in Beyond the Rocks(1922)" + "Valentino began work on another Mathis-penned film, Blood and Sand(1922)" + "During his forced break from Rambova, the pair began working separately on the Mathis-penned The Young Rajah(1922)"

15 months 4 movies. and again I will stress the 'capitalize the star power' over there.

Seems too familiar tbh.

"Missing Rambova, Valentino returned to New York after the release of The Young Rajah. They were spotted and followed by reporters constantly."

*cough* *cough* "spotted"

"During this time, Valentino began to contemplate not returning to Famous Players, although Jesse Lasky already had his next picture, The Spanish Cavalier, in preparation. After speaking with Rambova and his lawyer Arthur Butler Graham, Valentino declared a 'one-man strike' against Famous Players.[31]"

About the lawsuit:

"He was also upset over the broken promise of filming Blood and Sand in Spain, and the failure to shoot the next proposed film in either Spain or at least New York. Valentino had hoped while filming in Europe he could see his family, whom he had not seen in 10 years.[27]"

"In September 1922, he refused to accept paychecks from Famous Players until the dispute was solved, although he owed them money" + "Famous Players, in turn, filed suit against him.[33]"

"Valentino did not back down,[33] and Famous Players realized how much they stood to lose." + "the studio tried to settle by upping his salary" + "Variety erroneously announced the salary increase as a "new contract" before news of the lawsuit was released, and Valentino angrily rejected the offer.[31]"

"Valentino went on to claim that artistic control was more of an issue than the money." + "Famous Players made their own public statements deeming him more trouble than he was worth (the divorce, bigamy trials, debts) and that he was temperamental, almost diva-like. They claimed to have done all they could and that they had made him a real star.[33]

"Other studios began courting him." + "However, Famous Players exercised its option to extend his contract, preventing him from accepting any employment other than with the studio." + "Valentino filed an appeal, a portion of which was granted. Although he was still not allowed to work as an actor, he could accept other types of employment.[33]"

Return To The Movies

"Valentino returned to the United States in reply to an offer from Ritz-Carlton Pictures (working through Famous Players)" + "Rambova negotiated a two-picture deal with Famous Players and four pictures for Ritz-Carlton.[37] He accepted, turning down an offer to film an Italian production of Quo Vadis in Italy"

PERSONAL LIFE!!!!

"Valentino once told gossip columnist Louella Parsons that: "The women I love don't love me. The others don't matter". He claims that despite his success as a sex symbol that in his personal love life he never achieved happiness.[62]"

"Valentino impulsively married actress Jean Acker, who was involved with actresses Grace Darmond and Alla Nazimova. Acker became involved with Valentino in part to remove herself from the lesbian love triangle, quickly regretted the marriage, and locked Valentino out of their room on their wedding night."

"From the time he died in 1926 until the 1960s, Valentino's sexuality was not generally questioned in print.[67][68] At least four books, including the notoriously libelous Hollywood Babylon, suggested that he may have been gay despite his marriage to Rambova.[69][70][71][72][73] For some, the marriages to Acker and Rambova, as well as the relationship with Pola Negri, add to the suspicion that Valentino was gay and that these were "lavender marriages."

"Such books gave rise to claims that Valentino had a relationship with Ramón Novarro, despite Novarro stating they barely knew each other." + "These books also gave rise to claims that he may have had relationships with both roommates Paul Ivano and Douglas Gerrad, as well as Norman Kerry, and openly gay French theatre director and poet Jacques Hébertot." + "However, Ivano maintained that it was untrue and both he and Valentino were heterosexual.[24] Biographers Emily Leider and Allan Ellenberger generally agree that he was most likely straight"

like every historian would say: "they were just good friends"

"further supposed evidence that Valentino was gay; documents in the estate of the late author Samuel Steward indicated that Valentino and Steward were sexual partners.[77] However, evidence found in Steward's claim was subsequently found to be false, as Valentino was in New York on the date Steward claimed a sexual encounter occurred in Ohio."

- Via Wikipedia

These are the few quotes from his wekipedia page in which I literally gaped at...

So in short:

Sex Symbol who was an Actor

Got his image enhanced and exploited by his manager.

Constanly Overworked

Relationships used for PR (?)

Thought about leaving his management which led to a 'one man strike' and a lawsuit.

The lawsuit started off because of finantial reasons, but it was revealed it was more because of fucking creative freedom.

Management tried to reason with him, he didn't back down. And they continued to do so before an article of the 'lawsuit' was made public, he didn't accept any.

Management tried to paint Valentino as 'ungrateful' and that they were the reason he was a star.

When other people tried to get Valentino to work with/for them, his management stopped him by "threatening to extend the contract" (?) which prevented him from acting.

His sexuality was never really questioned due to the many relationships with woman he had (one which literally was a lesbian)

Lavender Marriages / PR marriages

After his death, speculation that he dated many men came up.

One even said they did the dEEd, but its impossible because they were both in separate countries duh, right? RIGhT????

The way we can literally compare this with Harry's situation (and maybe Louis' aswell!!!) is literally hurting my mind.

Also adding that @eyupdaisy is helping me a lot, kuddos to her aswell. She found this:

If you search the actual name of the post 'We will meet at the end of the trail' on google, this picture comes up

Which the HT account made a very lovely and subtle connection to it a few days ago

Guess well have to start lowkey monitoring them too? Or maybe just what they interact with the Mr.R acc...

wait- max images reached ;-;

[etlunainmorte]

❄❄❄

***

*The Important Discourse Regarding A New Species Of Bird - The Red Grave Muckspout Griffon, AKA "The Hangry Bird"*

Discovered by Nicoletta Goldstein, the grandchild of the famous Nell Goldstein, .45 Caliber Virtuoso, these species of bird, otherwise or simply known as "The Griffon" , is one of the most fascinating creatures that ever existed on the planet. It has gorgeous blue and black feathers, sharp talons, a peculiar - looking beak that opens three - ways, and sharp, golden eyes that seem to mock any onlooker. It has a wingspan of about ten feet, and could easily whisk away a toddler with its massive built.

Found in the backyard of an abandoned house that was once resided by a man named Sparda, this "hangry bird" tends to be too irrational, angry and hostile, even, when it is famished. Exotic pet breeders who wish to take care of this unique specie are sternly warned and advised to keep in mind to feed it at least six times a day to keep it from attacking innocent citizens.

And while on the topic of this bird attacking innocents, this bird has a rather curious skill - the ability to control electricity. While it is not fully confirmed by the Artisan who discovered the specie, the Griffon seemingly has a certain part in its body which enables them to freely control electricity and any electrical devices near them. One is advised to keep this in mind so as not to be electrocuted, or, otherwise, murdered by this bird.

Another noteworthy characteristic of the Griffon is its ability to mimic the human language. However, due to some, yet, unknown reason, the Griffon could only mimic curse words ( which this reporter is forbidden to mention ), hence its name - The Red Grave Muckspout.

Only time will tell if this new species of bird, or oversized chicken, could be taken care of as a pet for some quality company, or kept as a weapon for hijacking nearby electric devices, which is a threat to the government and a treat to possible terrorists, who could utilize its skill in more nefarious and sinister ways.

***

❄ Three Wishes ❄

***

III

***

"How awfully domestic is that?!"

An all too - familiar voice uttered just behind them.

That proud stance, those glaring eyes, and that awful - looking signature moustache,...

... it was none other than Christopher Lancaster, himself.

But, this time, his aura felt normal. There was nothing evil about him, save for his sardonic smile and the annoying way that facial hair of his twitch with every movement of his lips , which made V conclude that the evil doctor's reincarnation was just an eyesore and nothing more. A human, which was not a total threat.

Or,... was he?

The man's eyes landed on you and the way he smirked at you made you flinch, and almost made V lose his patience.

"Small world!" Christopher announced like it was completely normal for the three of you to have a friendly conversation. "Didn't know the scouts have a field trip today." He said those words as his eyes lingered on the jar of cookies on V's hands, which offended the both of you.

"What are you doing here, Christopher?" You sneered at him, not wanting V to mingle with the guy.

"Oh! Don't be so hostile on your former lover, missy!" The obnoxious guy said, pretending to be scared of you as he backed out a few steps away from you. "Oh, I almost forgot! You are a gentle little thing who can't go hostile on anything. Ah! My bad, my bad, so sorry!"

"Pardon me, sir," V interrupted upon seeing your infuriated face turn red. " ... if you don't have,... anything nice to say, will you, please, let us move along, or leave us be?"

To this, the man's eyes widened in amusement. He laughed, clapped his hands, and pointed at V as he looked at you accusingly. "Is this your new man? Well, I have to offer my salutations to you for finding someone who suits a granny's girl like you!" Then, looking at V with those challenging eyes of his, he flat out said, "A total mama's boy."

For a moment, V lost his temper. No one is allowed to talk to his mother in such a way. And no one,... is allowed to embarrass you in any way or form. Not now, not after, not while he's still breathing, and especially not when he's bitten the dust.

You were not sure what was going on in V's head, only that he seemed to go quiet for a while as he slowly raised his left hand and -

"WHOA! WATCH OUT!"

A familiar female voice screamed, startling you, V, Christopher, and anyone who was nearby. And then, you saw a blur of black and blue land on Christopher's face, shocking and frightening the hell out of the offensive man.

"I'm so very, very sorry, mister!" Nico, who suddenly came out of nowhere, apologized as she made her way towards Christopher to untangle the bundle of angry feathers on his face. And when she did, you saw V smirk as he shook his head. It was Griffon who attacked Christopher, after all.

"WHAT,... THE FUCK IS THAT,... FUCKING BIRD?!" Christopher howled, flinching at the pain on his face due to the cuts Griffon just inflicted on him with his sharp talons.

"Oh! I'm so, so, sorry, sir! I truly am!" Nico blabbered in a convincing tone. "Red Grave Muckspout Chickens - "

Griffon angrily squawked and struggled against Nico's grasp upon hearing the word chicken from her, making her change the name of his species impromptu.

"I mean, Red Grave Muckspout Griffons tend to be really grumpy when they're hungry. But, just this mornin’, it ate six pancakes, four muffins, a child's ice cream, and an old man's baguette. It even drank my own coffee, and it's still hangry! I don't know what to do with it!"

Christopher just stared at her, confused as hell, and shook his head as he pinched his nose bridge in frustration.

"Keep your weird, fucking pets to yourself, woman!" He angrily screamed at her as he took out his handkerchief from his pocket and began wiping the blood off his face. "That fucking thing could kill people!"

"OH, YEAH?!" Griffon screamed, making everyone turn to him in both fright and shock. And it even made V turn the other way and hide his face to conceal his laughter. "WELL, FUCK YA, TOO!"

"WHAT THE F - ?!"

"AHH!" Nico howled helplessly as she forcefully clamped Griffon's beak close with her free hand and held him closer to the point of suffocation. "Muckspout! Red Grave Muckspout! It's in his, ah, nature to curse like that! Yeah! It's like a parrot, see? It can mimic human sounds, but it could only say swear words! So, ya basically taught him that! Yeah! It's not his fault, please, forgive him. He's an innocent, little angel!"

You have no idea what was going on, but you were only glad to see V having a blast with Nico's act. By this time, the poet has retreated to a corner and held the column post for support as he stifled his laughter and held his aching stomach with his free hand.

And Christopher, your former lover? He was beyond outraged and pissed. He closed his eyes, pursed his lips in fury, and held up both of his hands. With one last threatening look, he scoffed, and marched away like a defeated middle school bully. That's what he was, after all - he was a bully, and nothing more.

When the obnoxious man could no longer be seen, Nico let go of her Red Grave Muckspout pet and it made its way towards V.

"Come on!" Nico told you and V. "Let's get ya outta here."

***

❄ @la-vita , @clevermentalitybeliever , and @birdgirl69 . ❄

***

❄❄❄

***

#devil may cry 5 #vitale sparda #three wishes #v x reader #v x you #chapter 3 #hard feelings

[fightsbck]

He gives Cameron a box of chocolate, a dozen roses, and a bottle of champagne with a bright smile. "i didn't know which basic thing to get you so i got you all three."

* ALWAYS ACCEPTING    :    RANDOM VALENTINE !

           he read about this.

                   slyly,   sure,    and he had to rummage and steal a tab from one of those cheap smugglers who sells fake devices only to sell it for basically the same,   or slightly lower,    price     -     thankfully,   it hadn’t been much of an effort.    junior hadn’t wanted more than one,    because only one would’ve been enough for him to check up on all of the information he could’ve gathered about valentine’s.    did everybody know the day was first associated with this poet dude back in the 14th century?    and in europe,   there’s a culture where you give a key as a symbol to unlock your loved one’s heart?   and then there was this history about a priest in rome.

               anyway.

            back to his first point:    he read about this.   he researched it.    he just  -   hadn’t wanted to embarrass himself in front of the red-head,   so he’s gotta,   you know?    people give out chocolates and roses and they go on dates.   there’re even tons of activities for going around approaching the day even lasting to a few days afterwards.   couples going out for wine-tasting.   sometimes there’s a small fair open up and there’re booths all with the pink-and-heart themed.    hell,   he thinks a famous ice cream parlour are giving out extremely cheap ice cream for the whole month of february.   like cam said,   he’d done research.

           and everything he’s got right now?    he knows immediately that it’d required money.   and not even the get-by kind that he’s accustomed to.   these are:   actual box,   firm to touch.   (   nothing cheap;   nothing second-handed.   )  and the roses are   -   a lot.   flushed with bright colours and a completely foreign weight against his laps.    and the bottle of champagne?    fuck,   cameron thinks,   and he doesn’t know why he’s    -    not feeling good about this,   but it’s    -    weird.   odd.   bizarre.    nobody has ever spent a dime on him.   maybe a few weapons here and there.   maybe with the diss of him owing them when it happened.   because that’s been his whole life;   him somehow being indebted to somebody,   even for existing,    but    —    never like this.

           and cameron tries to smile,    he really does,    but the only thing he can hear is the distant sound of alarms blaring in his head,   all pointing out the same thing:     that he doesn’t deserve this.    couldn’t deserve this.   why would he?   he hadn’t done anything.   not something worthwhile,   anyway.   why is he getting gifts?    but wally is wearing a wide,   handsome smile;    cheeks plumped along with it and eyes in full expectant of   -   of something.   of anything.   already,   cameron thinks,   he’s failed the guy.    i can’t even be excited,   fuck.

                      (     and a more pressing thought:   run.   run away now.   disappear.   he deserves so much better than you can ever hope to be.    )

         ‘    these,   uh ...    ’       words.    suddenly he’s lost on them.   cameron laughs airily into his palm when he slides them over his face,    glances once more at the treats and presents and everything he shouldn’t ever be getting,   ever,   and breathes deep.    he reaches forward somehow    -    cam doesn’t know how,   his body must’ve figured out when his brain is playing catch-up    -    cold hand tugging on a pair of warm wrist and cameron holds it,   tugs it.   when he looks up,   the trace of panic vanishes a little,   and there’s that hint of the easy going smile finding its way back to his face.     ‘     thought you’re the kind that don’t remember these stuff,    baby.    c’mere—    ’

          when he wraps wally’s legs around his waist and kisses wally deep against his pulse,   cameron swears that he leaves soon.   just bare it for today.    then,   this guy can have a better life,   with a better choice of partner to spoil and give them good-and-sweet-as-all-hell gifts,    as though cam never ever entered it in the first place.

#kidfaded #hmmmmmmmmmmmm #didn't see this coming truthfully #cameron. #cameron; interaction. #cameron; answered.