#but in my opinion a man writing a love poem for another man can be an essay in itself!

[kingdom-by-the-sea]

The Not Valentine’s Date

Summary- Mutual pining, an office bet, and baby sitting make for an interesting Valentine’s Day between Spencer and Hotch’s daughter.

Warnings- fluffy fluff

Pairing- Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader Hotch’s daughter

Word Count- 2.7k

A/N- This is something I randomly wrote last year after Valentine’s Day but didn’t post cause I felt like I had missed my window. Who knows maybe I’ll write something later this week that I’ll post in a year.

—————-

“Eww,” Emily complained, scrunching up her face in disgust, “Please tell me that none of those lines actually work on real life girls. I don’t understand why guys had to start going around saying stuff like that and ruin Valentine’s day for the rest of us.”

”Woah,” Prentiss stopped Reid mid-explaining, “You are not actually referring to that,” she gestured vaguely in Morgan’s direction, “as poetry.”

Spencer scrunched his face in consideration, “Not in the traditional sense, I suppose. However, in my opinion, some of the best lines of poetry about love have nothing to do with Valentine’s day so using it as the standard might not properly reflect what you’re looking for.”

“Oh really,” Morgan questioned, “And what exactly would you use to woo the ladies on the fourteenth?”

Reid considered the question seriously his fingers tapping to some indiscernible beat as he thought, “‘We loved with a love that was more than love.’”

“What?” Morgan’s reaction was quick and it seemed that everyone else in the group mirrored his sentiment, “Hate to break it to you, pretty boy, but no girl you mention that to is going to have a clue-”

“You quote a man who married his thirteen year-old cousin on love?” Y/N asked suddenly, drawing everyone’s attention.

“They really are a match made in heaven…” Prentiss muttered only loud enough for Morgan to hear, who responded with a chuckle.

Reid’s face darkened several shades of red, “I just mean-”

“It’s fine,” Y/N let out a small laugh, “I’m just teasing. Annabel Lee’s probably my favorite poem. Just sucks that most of the romanticism poets were… just really weird.”

Spencer regained his composure and released an unexpected laugh, “Yeah.”

“Anyone want more coffee, I’m going to get another cup,” Y/N stood and left for the kitchenette after finding there weren’t any takers.

“So close and yet… so far,” Prentiss said once Y/N was out of earshot.

“Seriously, man,” Morgan started, “Just ask her to go to dinner or something already.”

Reid rolled his eyes, “Is this about your bet pool thing again?”

“Not anymore,” Morgan said, “I’ve been out since last month. Somehow I thought New Years would do the trick.”

Prentiss laughed, “You’re doing way better than me. I really thought the hormones would outweigh this nerdy stupidity,” she gestured at Reid’s face, “and said Halloween.”

“Halloween?!” Reid squeaked out before lowering his voice significantly, “There is no way you thought Y/N and I would get together by Halloween of last year.”

The two agents dutifully ignored him and Morgan continued, “Who’s even left at this point? I know Rossi chose St. Patrick’s day for whatever reason.”

“And Hotch said Valentine’s,” Prentiss finished and any air of concern left Reid’s face.

“Well now I know you’re making this up,” he turned back to his work, “There is no way Hotch would bet on his daughter’s love life.”

Prentiss tsked, “Your future father-in-law is going to be very disappointed if you miss this benchmark.”

“Seriously though,” Morgan started again, “Just ask her to hang out. Don’t even call it a date.”

“We hang out all the time though…” Spencer whispered, fiddling with his tie.

“Then it shouldn’t be that big of a deal,” Morgan patted him on the shoulder, “Go get her, lover boy.”

Reluctantly, Reid rose from his seat and made his way to the kitchenette. Y/N was busy filling up her mug with the right amount of sugar- that is as much as can fit in the cup- but smiled when she noticed him.

“Did you change your mind? I can grab another mug.”

“What? Oh- no, I’m good,” he glanced over at her searching for the right words, “I was just wondering if you maybe wanted to hang out on Monday…?”

Y/N’s face lit up at the thought before she scrunched up her nose, “I’d love to but I can’t. I’m actually watching Jack so my dad can go out but maybe this weekend?”

She returned to stirring her coffee not noticing the third person entering the vicinity.

“Or Reid could come over and help you with Jack?” Hotch said, forcing them both to turn suddenly in his direction.

“Oh no,” Y/N began, “You don’t have to do that. I wouldn’t want you to waste your Valentine’s Day.”

“No, no. That sounds great,” Spencer smiled at her and her heart seemed to warm as she mirrored his reaction, “Send me the times over the weekend.”

With that Reid walked back to his desk in semi-victory.

“Did Reid just ask you to hangout with him on Valentine’s Day?” Hotch asked with a mock accusatory glance.

“Yeah,” Y/N said absentmindedly, “I mean no- I mean he did but it's not like that. We are just two single adults who enjoy each other’s company and not having to feel lonely on a day devoted to love.”

“Y/N, what exactly do you call it when two single adults meet up on Valentine’s Day to ‘enjoy each other’s company?’” he could barely manage to suppress the smile growing on his face at the teasing.

Her face turned pink, “I’m not sure- but apparently you call it babysitting.”

~~~

As the evening waned on, Y/N was more and more glad for Spencer’s company. Outside of simply enjoying his presence, it helped to have a second person there to reign in some of Jack’s more energetic behavior. However, her appreciation wasn’t enough to keep her from noticing how her heartstrings tugged seeing the way Jack and Spencer both lit each other up with excitement. Spencer was beyond engaging and Y/N finally understood why Henry always seemed to immediately latch onto Spencer at BAU gatherings. It was intoxicating to watch them together and Y/N easily could have lost herself in the moment if it weren’t for the screaming six-year-old running around the house constantly threatening to knock things over. Luckily for Reid, Y/N, and their respective sanities, this level of energy wasn’t sustainable and an eventual crash was inevitable.

He nodded lazily in response, “Can we watch Encanto?” for a brief moment the sparks returned behind his eyes as he mentioned what was quickly becoming his new favorite movie.

“Sure,” Y/N said with a small laugh. This would have to be close to the twentieth time she had seen the movie but for Jack’s sake, it was all worth it.

Jack headed for the stairs and Spencer was quick to follow after him.

“I’ll help him get ready for bed,” he explained, noticing what was apparently a rather obvious expression of confusion and the slight tilt of her head, “You could set up the movie?”

Having your heart flutter this much had to be medically concerning, but there was nothing Y/N could do to stop it as she watched her best friend take her brother’s small hand.

“Okay,” she whispered and was met with a smile that sent her straight back into heart-fluttering territory. No matter how long she knew Spencer, he never stopped surprising her. Considering the effort and detail he put into every other aspect of his life, it shouldn’t have been a surprise that he would be so attentive with her brother. And yet he still managed to strengthen his hold on her heart with every little action that came as some unexpected surprise to her. In truth, she suspected it was a precautionary measure, if she truly let herself recognize how kind and wonderful Spencer was, she’d be done for in an instant.

All the precautions in the world couldn’t have stopped the back of her mind from spinning stories about him though. Spencer was too gentle and pure to keep the less hardened parts of her soul from imagining what it all could be like if she could indulge if she could step over the line she had drawn in the sand for herself.

Upstairs, it seemed Jack had stumbled upon a small reservoir of energy, taking the time to show Spencer his favorite toys and stuffed animals while Spencer attempted to offer him various pajama set options. Eventually, Jack settled on the set covered with small dogs.

Spencer didn’t mind the push and pull Jack, or other children gave him. There was something so strangely fascinating to him about a mind so free from insecurity and a child’s willingness to simply say what was on their mind. Despite his extensive memory, he couldn’t remember a time he truly felt like that and hoped it was merely a result of the fog around his earliest memories. Every decision he made was coated in consideration and accounted for every possible result. He couldn’t help but wish that his hypervigilance would let up from time to time and leave him free to explore the thoughts, and emotions, that remained.

“You work with my sister,” Jack offered up less as a question and more as a statement.

“Yes, I do,” Spencer responded to the not question.

The boy’s head bobbed in as much seriousness as a six-year-old could muster, “Can you still be friends with someone if you work with them?”

Spencer watched as he stepped away from him and began absentmindedly examining the toys around his room.

“Of course,” Spencer answered, not sure where this line of question was headed, “Your sister and I are very good friends then.”

Jack’s attention swiftly returned to Spencer, “So you like her then?”

“I do like her. She’s smart and cool,” Spencer narrowed his eyes slightly on the boy, “Just like you.”

Jack came closer to him and in what he seemed to think was a hushed voice said, “Did you know that sometimes when people really like they get married…?”

“And then….” he scrunched up his face and whispered, “They make a baby.”

Spencer’s mouth fell open and his eyes widened in what Jack considered to be genuine surprise.

“I know, right?” Jack stepped away and began picking up a blanket and stuffed animal to take downstairs with him, without looking up he added, “Do you think you and Y/N will get married?”

Spencer’s mind went completely blank. None of the dozens of courses he had taken over the years would provide him with any sort of answer that would satisfy Jack. Part of him wanted to say yes and not give any of it another thought but reason quickly squashed that idea. And yet…

And yet he couldn’t bring himself to say no either. It was far too permanent and left no room for the small bead of hope he hid away in the back of his mind.

“Maybe…” he answered finally, “I don’t really know though…”

Jack pulled the blanket and toy behind him and giggled, “I hope you do!”

Spencer’s stomach did a somersault and he scooped the small boy and his blanket up into his arms before he could notice the strange smile emerging on his face. I do too.

~~~

“I swear that kid is pure energy,” Y/N said, shutting the door behind them and stepping out into the cool night with Spencer.

Y/N pointed a somewhat accusatory finger at him, “And don’t say something like ‘technically we are all energy since we’re made of mass.’’

He rolled his eyes at her with a smile, “I was going to say that while he may have been more energetic than I expected- I had fun hanging out with you guys.”

She couldn’t help the smile that immediately bubbled up to the surface of her lips, “I had fun too. I’m glad I didn’t completely waste your Valentine’s day.”

“Never,” he whispered just loud enough for her to hear.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you on Monday,” Y/N said when they reached the end of the driveway where Spencer’s car was parked.

His eyes narrowed slightly on her, “What are you doing? How are you getting back to your apartment?”

“Oh I have an uber coming in a little bit. I”m just going to wait here until they get here.”

“You want me to leave you here on the side of the road and drive away?” he questioned.

“No,” Y/N corrected, “I want you to leave me at the end of my dad’s driveway.”

“I’m not leaving you here,” Spencer said definitively, “I’ll drive you or we could go back to my apartment and watch awful romcoms and start working on the mound of candy Rossi and Garcia got us.”

She blinked at him, “Really?”

“Yeah,” his movement suddenly became awkward and choppy, “I mean you obviously don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“No, no,” Y/N smiled, “I’m just surprised. You spent the past five hours with me and my hyperactive brother and you want to hang out more?”

“I always want to spend time with you,” he said shyly.

“Sometimes I just forget that you’re you, Spence,” Y/N shook her head slightly and took a step closer to him.

“I hope that’s not a bad thing,” his eyes were slightly wider than usual.

“No, not at all. It’s the best thing actually,” Y/N smiled up at him, “And just so you know, I’d gladly spend every moment of every day with you.”

He looked down at her, not able to suppress the smile growing on his face.

“You know,” Spencer said, clearing his throat slightly, “Jack said something to me earlier and I didn’t know how to respond to him.”

“Oh gosh…” her voice faded into a slight chuckle.

“He was asking me all these questions about you. Like if we were friends and if I thought you were nice,” Spencer watched as Y/N glanced up at him, “I said yes to both of those… but then- then he asked if we were going to get married.”

Y/N’s lips let out a silent “oh.”

She blinked and glanced down at the ground momentarily, “What did you tell him?”

He scratched absently at the side of his head, “Well I wasn’t sure what to say so I told him maybe?”

Y/N’s face broke into a smile and near laugh, “You told him ‘maybe?’”

“I’m sorry I just didn’t know what to say. You’re not mad, are you?”

“No, no,” she let out the rest of the laugh, “I just think we should go on a date before you start promising these kinds of things to my brother.”

Spencer blinked and swallowed before looking down at the ground, “Would you have said yes if I asked you out?”

“Yeah,” a soft smile settled on her lips, “I mean of course. Don’t tell Jack but you’re kind of my favorite person in the world.”

“Really?” his eyes settled on hers.

“What? Did you think I’d say no?” Y/N asked with genuine concern.

“I don’t know I just thought that it would make things difficult since we work together and-”

“Spence, hey, hey, stop it!” she said with a slight laugh.

A beat passed where she just looked at him.

“What are you doing?” he whispered.

Y/N smiled, “I just want to remember the moment right before I kiss you.”

Spencer’s eyes widened slightly.

“Is that okay?”

He nodded not sure if she was referring to the moment or the kiss but it didn’t matter either way. She smiled up at him again, looking into his eyes and her hands moved up till they met behind his neck. After inhaling slightly, Y/N perched on her toes and gently pulled Spencer’s face down until their lips met each other.

#spencer reid smut #criminal minds imagine #spencer reid #spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid request #spencer reid self insert #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid x you #comfort fic #criminal minds smut #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid imagines

[calisources]

𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑻𝑼𝑫𝑶𝑹𝑺. all sentences have been taken from the showtime drama, the tudors. change names, locations, pronouns as you see fit. this is a redo of another meme.

“Without knowledge, life is not worth having.”

“I have come here to die. I die a Queen, but I would rather die the wife of Culpeper.”

“One day I shall lie beside you again, I promise and we shall sleep together for eternity.”

“Your Majesty's life is far too precious to be put at risk against such a common rabble.” 

“Of course, if you choose to go, you'd be like a lion among wolves.”

“My friend, if all ambassadors were beautiful women I'd be serving my country day and night.”

“You hate him like a scorpion. And why? Because he would not satisfy your ambition.”

“Diplomacy is nearly always settled by such proximity.”

“I call Mary my English mare, because I ride her so often.”

“You are a poet as I am a woman. Poets and women are always free with their hearts, are they not?”

“There's something deep and dangerous in you, Anne, those eyes of yours are like dark hooks for the soul.”

“As a humanist I share your opinion. As a King, I'm forced to disagree.”

“Though I love Your Majesty and I'm loyal to you, in every way, I cannot disguise my distress and unhappiness.”

"I should only ever tell the king what he ought to do, not what he could do. For if the lion knows his own strength, no man could control him."

"Blessed lady, Queen of Hearts, there will be even greater crowds than these to welcome you when you return to London."

"For every scholar that votes for you...I could find a thousand who would vote for me."

"You and I are both young, and with God's grace, boys will follow."

"You have no one to blame but yourself for this.”

“I was a true maid without touch of men. And whether or not it be true, I put it to your conscience.”

"Seduce me. Write letters to me. And poems, I love poems. Ravish me with your words. Seduce me."

"I have never known another man....and nor would I ever want to."

"If I had to choose between extreme sorrow and extreme happiness, I would always choose sorrow, for when you are happy you forget about spiritual things, you forget about God.But in your sorrow, He is always with you."

"Chastity? You talk to me about chastity when you have a mistress and two children, your Eminence."

“This, I vow, that my eyes desire you above all things.”

“As a humanist I have an abhorrence of war. It's an activity fit only for beasts yet practiced by no kind of beasts so constantly as by man.”

“What if the King doesn't know what's in his best interests?”

“If you want to keep the love of a prince, this is what you must do: You must be prepared to give him the thing you most care for, in all the world.”

“Lady Anne is so beautiful, it is the duty of every man to love her. Of course I loved her, but from a distance.”

“You treat me so unkindly and in public neglect me.”

“My only satisfaction is that in frustrating you I hasten your fall from the King's good graces, an outcome I desire above all others.”

“Mistress Boleyn, you should not abuse the Queen's honor with such language!”

“He was a lion in my defense. Now he will die ashamed and alone in a prison cell.”

“Then here's the truth. You must shut your eyes and endure  like your betters have done before you!”

“Don’t you know that I can drag you down as quickly as I raised you?”

“I am more convinced than ever that he is the agent of Satan. If I could, I would strip him from the King's side- and burn him.”

"I know of no Queen of England but my mother. And I will accept no Queen but my mother."

“If the King's mistress would intercede with him on my behalf, then I would be grateful."

"Lady, you must know how beloved you are to the people—as was your mother before you, God rest her soul."

“I'm a lot older than I was when I first knew you. And wiser.”

“have no heir. The Tudor Dynasty, all my father's work, finished, and it's MY fault!”

“He will tire of you, like all the others.”

“You know perfectly well what the King desires and what he shall have.”

“You can't have 3 people in a marriage!”

“I am surprised to receive such a request from such a wise and noble man as you.”

“ I am but a poor woman, lacking in both wit and understanding. How am I supposed to respond to such a request made to me out of the blue?”

“I know what you are trying to do, but do not think to take the King away from me. Let him play with you. Let him give you gifts. But he cannot give you his true heart.”

“I make you this promise. When we are married, I will deliver you a son.”

“I was wondering if you'd like to become my mistress.“

“The brat is now officially a bastard.”

“Everything will change for her. That kiss is her destiny and fortune.”

“People of England, your King is unharmed!”

“An important question, whether it is better for a king to be feared or loved.”

“I do imagine there are some at court who would like to see the Queen replaced.”

“Lady Bryan, if I cannot please the King, will he kill me?”

“For he who possesses the heir to the throne will very soon possess the throne itself.”

#rp meme #sentences memes #meme call #roleplay memes #sentence meme #( cali meme. ) #rp memes #rp prompt #rp musings #roleplay prompt #roleplay meme

[acrystalwitch]

(***NO N*zis or TERFs allowed to interact with this post or my blog*** This is a post for Norse pagans or polytheists looking to work with Odin. This is all based on my own experiences working with the all father and nothing here is to be taken as a hard fact. If your practice differs from my own that is totally fine. There will be a lot of UPG and SPG)

An incomplete summary of Odin in Norse mythology.

Odin, god of war and wisdom is a key figure in the Norse myths and is involved in a lot of the stories. He is the head of the Norse gods and is called the All father, because it’s by him that all of humans were created. He is married to Frigg and together they had Baldur and Hodr. Odin also has other sons, Thor, Vali, and Vidar.

He has two ravens Huginn and Muninn, and two wolves Geri and Freki.

He only has one eye, he sacrificed his other eye by throwing it into Mimir’s well in exchange for knowledge that could better help him prevent Ragnarok.

Another famous story of his is when he hung upside down from the tree of life for nine days and nine nights to get knowledge of other worlds and to be able to know everything about the runes.

The type of magic he practices (Seiðr) was a feminine type of magic that wasn’t always looked highly on when men would participate in it. Yet our Allfather was very practiced in it.

My experience working with him: One thing to know about working with Odin going in, he will be very honest and blunt. My other deities have a habit of being softer on my feelings than I’ve heard other devotees say they’ve been with them, I’m assuming because I’m very sensitive. But Odin..? He does not care. He will stop giving advice if I tell him I don’t want to hear it. But, if I ask for advice…oh boy, am I gonna get his full opinion. He is very much a father in the way he goes about things, he cares but he wants his followers to push themselves as much as they can, learning as much as you can and always growing, never staying sedentary for too long.

I have a notebook dedicated to him that I’ve been using to work on learning the runes and that seems to be the best offering to give him in my practice right now. He never misses a chance to remind me I need to get back to learning the runes too.

I always wondered why it mattered so much to him that I learn them. Eventually he told me that it was because they really would be useful in spells, and wards and making bind runes out of them is something I’m learning to do now.

He is not the easiest deity to work with, he may even push your buttons on purpose to get you to think harder on things. I’ve noticed he’s even been rude before just to see if I’d stand up for myself and set boundaries and then he’ll explain himself after. Lots of tests trials and teachings. But man, is it worth it for the immense amount of knowledge and mentorship that he can bring. All in all, I’m glad he came to me later in my practice as I might’ve been scared off from deity work if he was the first. But, I love him to pieces and hope to work with him for a long time.

Offerings and associations of Odin

(Odin does not eat food so I’ve seen many people say not to give him food offerings, I disagree! Give him things that he can feed to Geri and Freki. He is known to still fill his plate and just give them bits over meals. So don’t hesitate to gift him any food offerings you would to any other Norse god)

-colors: gray, dark blue, black

- tree Imagery, Yggdrasil in particular

- raven Imagery, black feathers

- wolf Imagery

- clear quartz

- onyx

- blue goldstone

- amethyst

- carnelian

- the hermit tarot card

- the hanged man tarot card

- the four of cups tarot card

- the king of swords tarot card

- mead, wine, alcohol

- poetry (he writes poems!)

- mugwort scent/incense

- Ansuz rune ᚨ

- learn about the runes

- learn his myths

- learn useful and practical knowledge

- read books

- ask him for advice

There are many more ways to learn about him and get close to him. A great one is reading the Hávamál. If you meditate or do tarot or rune casting those are also great ways to contact him and get closer to him.

Signs he might be reaching out; seeing ravens more than usual or in non native areas, very windy days, rain, seeing his name often, feeling drawn to his mythology, seeing his tarot cards pop up often, you already work with one of his sons (I think he sent Thor to me first to soften my idea of the Norse gods and be a warm intro into their pantheon.)

He is a great god to work with, lots of work though. Odin is not for the weak minded, but he’s been so worth getting to know.

#norse paganism #heathenry #odin #norse deities #deity witchcraft #deity worship #deity work #Norse #norse mythology #Norse gods #paganism #Odin deity guide

[vaspider]

Aight, y'all. I have a request.

One of the things I have to come up with when I'm writing RPG books are chapter quotes. The chapter quote comes at the head of a given chapter in a book and serves as a summary of the mood or contents of a chapter. Like this, from Trinity: Assassins -

I am pretty good at finding these, and often end up supplying quotes to coworkers as well, but! I want to extend and expand my collection of quotes and add in some lesser-known stuff, because it's my opportunity to shine a little light on people's good words.

A few requirements, because I gotta follow a style guide:

Must be from a published work with a title. Like, I don't want pithy quotes from a random Tumblr post, cool as they may be.

Must be attributable to a first and last name, not a username, so unless there's a first and last name on that AO3 story, please no.

Short and sweet. A sentence, maybe two. I can't use a whole paragraph.

No song quotes, period, full stop. I'm not allowed. Plays, books, poems, good. Songs, no.

What I'm specifically looking for are quotes on the following topics:

Spies or Assassins, James Bond, spy tropes

History, especially the manipulation of public opinion or history

Storytelling, the importance of stories, the stories we tell ourselves

Mythmaking, the concept of stories or roles being alive/having the ability to affect people and the world, tropes in fiction and reality

Cooperation or building things as a team

Gods, children of Gods, godhood, becoming divine,

fate or destiny but especially how much it sucks to be pushed around by Fate/destiny/Wyrd

Specific gods/mythic beings (especially Norse gods, but really any pantheon you can think of) and their antics

What we owe to each other, community-building, trust, safety through preparation

Multiverses, alternate realities, worlds outside the known world, liminal spaces

Dogs

Technology and magic, especially where they overlap or cannot be distinguished from each other, and our belief in both

Dreams: traveling inside of them, dreams as another level of existence, dreamcrafting, the power of fae/wizards/ghosts/etc in dreams

Fae, psychics, wizards, vampires, etc.

If you have a cool quote you think I should keep in my quote vault for future use, and it isn't something coming from a Big Name Author*, please stick it in a reply or a reblog of this post with the attributon (name and title) for the quote. I'll be keeping this thread around for whenever I need to grab a chapter quote or give someone else ideas. Obviously, putting a quote on the post is no guarantee it'll get used by me or anyone else, but hopefully people will also check the notes for delightful bon mots which inspire them to check out the works in question.

Please keep the notes of this post relatively clean so it remains a good reference post. 💗

*for the purposes of this post, a Big Name Author is one your mom has probably at least heard of - Ernest Hemingway, Steven King, James Patterson, Neil Gaiman, etc. If the author has a Tumblr, they probably don't count as a Big Name. Spiders Neal is an outlier etc etc. Definitely would love more quotes from marginalized authors - it's easy to find a quote from a middle-aged white man on whatever concept - and from currently-writing authors. The point of this is to be able to give attention to awesome people who might sell an extra book or two from being quoted.

If you don't want to see me reblogging this with whatever cool-ass thing people have put on it this time, mute "chapter quotes post".

#chapter quotes post

[pretensesoup]

Queer books, day 31/30

Turns out I like writing about books in this format, but I read a lot more slowly than I write.

I asked on Mastodon for everyone's favorite romance novels with an NB character in them. Partly because I'm in the process of writing my own NB character and I wanted to see how other people had dealt with sex scenes (in the anatomic sense). Partly because I just wanted to see how anyone else conceptualized nonbinaryness*. That request led me to Sword Dance by AJ Demas. It only sort of answers my questions, but that's okay because it's amazing.

In an alternative version of the Mediterranean, Damiskos is an ex-soldier (now disabled) and current quartermaster who has been sent to visit an old friend (Nione) to secure a contract for fish sauce. At her house, he meets: a bunch of tedious philosophers led by Eurydemos (who seems to preach a very anti-alien, anti-LGBTQ agenda, and yet is writing poems for...), Varazda (a sword dancer and eunuch from Zash, another country in which Damiskos was once stationed and for which he harbors a deep affection), Varazda's "owner" Aristokles, and a few others. Quickly, Damiskos surmises that all is not as it seems--first, he foils an attempt on Varazda's life, and it becomes apparent that the relationship between Varazda and Aristokles may be a lie--in fact, they are conspiring to hide something far greater than the fact that Varazda is not actually a slave. Soon, Damiskos is teaming up with Varazda to solve a murder, then to avert a war and recapture Nione's villa from the philosophers. Oh, and falling in love.

Varazda is an interesting character. He (Damiskos's POV is the only one we get, and he uses male pronouns for him, although he says he thinks of himself as both male and female) was made a eunuch after his father lost a military engagement of some kind. He was then enslaved for a while, until he was sent to the Zashian embassy in Boukos, and then he was freed. This is obviously a major source of trauma, and Damiskos is in a unique place to appreciate that because of his time in Zash. As a result, Damiskos is extremely careful in their nascent relationship to let Varazda lead. Their relationship is very sweet in part because of this deference, and they deal with consent very well.

Key quote: (Varazda has been discussing how he doesn't always achieve an erection because of being a eunuch.)

Rather boldly, Damiskos said, "Want to see if we can make it happen again?" Varazda looked up in surprise. "What--right now?" "Yes, of course right now! Immortal gods. We're sitting on your bed, talking about how beautiful you are and whether or not you like sex--it's surprising I even need to say anything." "I am literally a eunuch, First Spear." After that they were both laughing...

As you might have guessed from the summary above, this is a world in which there is violence, homophobia/transphobia, and slavery, including sexual slavery. Women have some rights to own property, but they aren't voting citizens. The implication, reading between the lines, is that in the world generally, same-sex couples aren't too uncommon, and it's just Eurydemos's students who have a problem with them. (Eurydemos and his students reminded me a bit of Socrates and Plato, but of course Plato doesn't care that much about same-sex relationships, c.f. that one story from Symposium that got turned into a song from Hedwig and the Angry Inch. But I've been privileged to hear some angry Jesse rants about Plato since doing the podcast, and it reminded me of that. Anyway, as Plato says a lot, philosophers with bad opinions were a dime a dozen back in Athens, so.) Also, warning for explicit on-page sex.

*: Is Varazda nonbinary or is he gender fluid? I don't know. At one point, he says, "I never really think of myself as a man, but most of the time I'm quite happy for other people to think of me that way." Elsewhere, he implies that he doesn't want to be neither male or female, so he tries to be both. Maybe genderfluid is a better word for him. Maybe he can't articulate exactly how he feels, because he's not speaking to Damiskos in his first language, or because there isn't a word for how he feels. Either way, I enjoyed the way the character was portrayed.

That's it. Lots of action/plot, a good amount of romance, very engaging, love the setting. 10/10, go read it.

#pride #queer books #thirty days of books #lgbtq books #book review #queer fiction #lgbtq fiction #novel #aj demas #sword dance #alternative history #greek-adjacent #disability rep #nonbinary romance

[balladofthewhitehorse]

Hi! Tell us more about The History of Romance, A Cat Named Hilda and The Longow please!

Of course!

The History Of Romance

Okay so, this idea came to me when I was reading about the invention of the telephone if I remember correctly. One thing led to another and I was wondering how people would send messages to one another over long distances. I love England and Portugal, and how their relationship is tied together with their alliance; I also think that their personalities - while sometimes clashing, mesh well together, and therefore I was like: 'How does this effect how they talk to each other?' So essentially, I'm thinking that it'll go from things like portraiture (which appearantly the big thing to do for nobles in love was to commission and send paintings of *yourself* to the person you loved, which is. wild to me. it's like the old version of the dick pic). To letters and poems. To telephone calls and telegrams. To the *text message.* Plus, I think England and his attitude towards technology is something I need to desperately write more of - cos essentially, I think he bemoans the invention of the mobile phone and signs them off like he's writing a letter. like 'Dear Portugal, I love you. I am hoping you're looking forward to the resturant this weekend and I have brought a new shirt for the evening. Miss you, *please* reply as soon as you see this and *not* a few days later. Sincerely and best wishes, Kingdom Of England' (Kingdom of England being the full name of the country in *technicality*, England's strange like that.) While Portugal replies 'ILY2' (not to say that Portugal doesn't love England! In this situation, it's more likely Portugal was the one who came up with the idea of going to a resturant *and* Portugal will turn up with lots of love to give! He's just not very talkative over text and I think he fell hard for those wonderful acronyms <3)

A Cat Named Hilda

I have the Sims 4 and the only expansion I got with it was the cats and dogs expansion pack. I decided to make England in the game (his human name is Edmund Sharpe - I do not like the name Arthur Kirkland, it's a personal opinion thing) and he adopted a cat while in the park. The cat was called Hilda and looked to be a point of some kind, and was described as 'troublesome, affectionate and curious'. Oh, and she was scared of the TV for some reason. Wonderful <3 England in the game, by the way, had anger issues. He would vent so angrily and stomp around the house - but kept stopping to randomly pet the cat. So you had this angry man, grumbling and having literal *steam* coming out of his ears, stopping to *tenderly* pick up his cat and cuddle it. He would also talk to the cat, gesticulating wildly. As you can imagine, I was inspired. The idea of this moody, stormy and quite frankly - arsehole, of an immortal being - being so gentle and kind to a random stray cat was so endearing to me. I might change the cat's name to something else (as in the game, she was already Hilda - but I'm not sure *why* England would name her that? I want it to be something that makes sense for the guy - so suggestions would be appreciated <3)

The Longbow

This behemoth I've rewritten already. I actually had a chapter 1 of it posted on my blog (I *think* I deleted it - I can't remember) as well as AO3; But, my HCs changed a lot since that chapt so I decided to scrap it and try again. Each chapter is going to start with some information on *longbows* - which, while you've likely heard of *English* Longbowmen, the actual invention of the longbow goes to the *Welsh.* The Welsh were already famous archers and they were used during the Hundred Years War, where the English started to use the longbow - and then the English obsession with them cranked up a notch. For a while, every Englishman was required to know how to draw a bow and it was *strictly* enforced to the point where the bones of English archers began to change! Hell, we almost ran out of yew-trees cos of HOW many we needed to make the longbows themselves! So I thought it was an apt weapon as a connection between England and Wales - a Welsh creation that was taken up by England. Wales teaching England to draw a bow - something that would *save his life in many situations.* Here's a snippet:

‘’What are you apologising for?’’ Cymru murmured as they stepped into the threshold of their small, hunting shelter; Beams of yew and oak criss-crossed the ceiling, herbs hung in aromatic bundles as tools and weapons were tucked far above prying, juvenile hands (she had not forgotten the day that England had cut the tip of his finger off, grasping at an axe that he was never meant to get his hands on). ‘’Is it about the rabbit?’’ She breathed out, tilting her head inquiringly as she set herself before the firepit; Arms opened to receive him - teary eyes and all. ‘’For God’s sake, I was just-’’ Cymru shook her head, hugging the boy close. ‘’Eng…’’

England slumped against Wales, sniffling noisily as he shook his head. ‘’N-nothing to do with the rabbit.’’ Honestly, he’d forgotten that they had been hunting at all on the way back home. It was hard to bite back the tears, budding forth like a spring meadow. Rubbing his eyes furiously, England looked up hopefully at Wales - dredging up what little courage he had, words heavy in his throat as he shook his head furiously in the end. Wales was the one with the beautiful voice, always braver with words than he ever dared to be - and England felt sheepish at once, a red-hot flush travelling up his neck as he swallowed a lump in his throat. 

He grasped the edge of his tunic, the rough wool rubbing against the palm of his hands. ‘’Let's talk about something else.’’ England mumbled softly, guilt laden like a stone (like a sword, heavy at his hip). There was a soft crack, the first embers taking hold in the firepit as the shelter grew a little lighter - chasing shadows into spidery corners. ‘’I-I forgot what it was.’’ England murmured lamely, pushing his forehead against Wales chest and sighing. ‘’Sorry.’’

Cymru knew at once what England had meant. She sighed, feeling her heart get a little heavier and sink to the pit of her belly, shadows drawn into deep furrows as she frowned. He felt light in her arms as she drew him closer, gaze trawling to the dark corners of their little shelter - as if she saw Wessex, propped up by a bloodied sword. ‘’Hm, fine.’’ She replied tersely, stroking England’s hair gently. ‘’Let’s talk about how you missed that rabbit then.’’ He squirmed in her arms, grumbling something or other about how she’d put him under pressure and made him muck it up, bottom lip pushed out moodily. ‘’Stop grumbling. This is the third time…I can’t possibly be distracting you that much-’’ 

‘’-But you are!’’ England bleated defensively. Cymru sighed, frustration clawing at her ribs as she felt her cheeks pink. ‘’Do you ever practise?’’ She retorted, glaring at him. ‘’Wessex should be teaching you these things-’’ Why on Earth she was the one saddled with England was lost on Cymru, who found herself equal-parts enamoured and enraged towards the small boy in her lap. It was never simple, a mantra that Cymru found herself repeating over and over, a mantra that Gwynedd had taught her a long, long time ago. A mantra that Cymru found herself repeating more often. 

‘’Hey-!’’ England squeaked, whirling around to grasp Wales’ hands as she snagged his hair. ‘’I do practise-!’’ Cheeks ruddied with embarrassment, he slowly pulled himself upright and crossed his arms - chest puffed and bold. ‘’And Wessex teaches me loads-!’’ England insisted, watching as Wales slowly stood up - and suddenly, England felt very small indeed.

‘’Right,’’ Cymru snorted, eyes narrowing as molten iron poured through her veins; Liquid malice as she looked at the boy and saw Wessex’s eyes staring back at her. Mercia, Kent, Northumbria…how many were there again? Too many, Cymru thought resentfully, and he was just one more trouble piled atop many - and so young too, not even a true country yet. It wasn’t too late, the warrior mused, he could still be defeated - and the firepit was so hot. ‘’Like what? How to fail at catching rabbits?’’ Cymru ground out, hands balling into fists as she drew in a deep breath, shaking her head gravely. Someday, he’ll catch one and it’ll be too late. His people still quarrelled, Cymru knew that - From across the border, just past Offa’s Dyke were whispers of conflict and complex politics (all of whom she doubted England understood). They rallied like quivering spears, liable to be knocked down by a gale - and if she was to be that errant wind, then so be it; Better him, than her.

#hws england #hws wales

[cassicaendra]

HashiMada 31-day challenge!!

Topic: Such job

Hashirama Senju had the most important job in the world.

Which one?

No, not the Hokage title.

His job was to love the world gratuitously, even if he didn't really love it back.

And his whole world consisted of one person.

...Tobirama noticed a dramatic change in his brother.

For the rest, the head of the clan and the village has not changed at all after the conclusion of a peace treaty with another clan.

But the albinos saw in his eyes - aniki from happiness will soon definitely start writing sugary love poems again, which he will never send.

And since the author will not send it personally, it is necessary to understand who to give it to.

He's supposed to see his nephews, right? And in this family, the role of an unsociable loner is intended for him, not his good-natured brother ..

..Senju Sr. himself, in his opinion, never shared love letters with anyone: there you can collect a whole compromising material of childish declarations of love by letter for him.

At least that's how his love interest would have expressed it, that was Hashirama's full confidence.

"Your eyes always look stubborn - but I won't notice, hiding my insides in a pool of these black sapphires,"

He thought for an hour instead of going to bed.

When there was a sharp knock..

It immediately became clear who it was, and Hashirama quickly threw the paper off the table.

No one knocked on the scrap of the head of the settlement like that - loudly, with three equal knocks.

At night.

- ...Dara? What happened?

Hokage was not indignant when his adviser went into the house. But I already noticed that he rushed in with a bunch of sheets, and in a home kimono, obviously because of the urgency of things.

From the other end of the whole village.

- The guard brought the mail today. - Uchiha began, frowning a little, and .. worried?

- Yes? Late..

- Very much. And brought an important one.

Senju nodded carefully.

And noticed that he got dirty in blue ink, shamefully removing his hand behind his back.

- I wanted to burn the mail from your brother. Excitement pulled me to read it.

- ..And what did Tobirama send?...

"Just not a threat after a failed tea party at a general reception in the land of Stone.." - Hashirama remembered that Madara almost crossed the line and was rude to Tsuchikage. Of course, he laughed, realizing that the co-ruler of the village of the village had such a character, but Tobirama looked like only he could look.. With a threat.

- Letters.

Hokage wanted to fall into the ground or die right now.

It is clear what kind of letters. Tobirama is tired of his brother acting so hesitantly... But why did he approve?

Aniki did not doubt his approval - otherwise he would not have sent it.

Yes, but why surreptitiously? Why didn't you talk? Why did he decide for him again?

Somewhere inside Hashirama knew the answer.

Resigned.

Tobi resigned and understood.

- Come on, you won't scream now, and.. if you're uncomfortable, burn it.

- ..Burn it?

Madara batted his eyelashes and stopped frowning.

Simply.. Surprised? Didn't he want to do it yourself?

- No one has ever shown this to me, and even more so, to write...

And Senju understood.

Uchiha is embarrassed.

He is embarrassed in front of him, rushing in, realizing whose words these are clearly not because she wanted to put a bold end to their relationship.

Both fell awkwardly silent, standing in front of each other.

Something needs to be done. To say.

But they don't know that.

At least until Hashirama begins to smile affectionately, carefully taking someone else's palm in his hands.

- This is my job, to love the whole world..

The brown-haired man clearly does not understand what is happening. And a terrible thought flashes through his head - "come here, you fool, and you will be sent away out of shame..". With the desire to commit seppuku.

- And my whole world is you.

And he cries for the first time that the brunette is clearly a little scared..

And Dara explain to him: "your world is crying with happiness."

#hashimada 31 days challenge #hashimada challenge #hashimada #yaoi fanfiction #yaoi #naruto fanfiction

[everythinginbooks]

Beginning your classics journey

So you want to begin reading classics, (or older books) but whenever you open the book, you're met by a bunch of words that don't make sense, paragraph-long sentences and weird spellings or expressions. I know the feeling, and some authors are definitely more guilty of this than others are (looking at you Victor Hugo), so here are a few classics that got me started on my own classics journey fairly early on!

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1890)

I think the beginning of the goodreads summary captures what this book means to be; "the dreamlike story of a young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty." Don't let that fool you, the only devil that appears in this story could be argued to be Dorian Gray himself.

One of my all time favourites, The Picture of Dorian Gray is on the shorter side, though no less impactful. Oscar Wilde's descriptive language is truly beautiful, and the strange narrative keeps you wondering how the novel will end. An overlooked part of this book is the preface, which is, in my opinion, a quite interesting and wise view on art and its use in the world. Though the very beginning of this book is quite wordy, the beauty comes if you bear with it through the first few pages.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (1886)

Another shorter novel, this one follows a london legist as he invistigates a series of mysterious occurances surrounding his friend Dr. Henry Jekyll and the criminal Mr. Edward Hyde. Believed to be one of the defining pieces of literature in the horror genre, I greatly suggest this classic, as it is incredibly intruiging and is still referenced today in media, such as in Marvel's The Hulk. Perhaps that association can elude to the connection between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...? Well, you may figure that one out for yourself.

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare (1605)

Shakespeare is a man who is famous for his plays and poems, and in my english class for how annoying his iambic pentameter is to write properly. However, this isn't about his poetry, but his comedy that features faeries and ancient greek lovers, which is honestly my all time favourite Shakespeare play. You may know it for its appearance in the 1989 film Dead Poets Society, being the play in which Neil plays Puck.

The play, to quote my dear old friend wikipedia, "consists of five interconnecting plots, connected by a celebration of the wedding of Duke Theseus of Athens and the Amazon queen, Hippolyta", though is most famously known for the lovers' quarrel between Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius and Helena, which can most accurately be explained as the most heinous love square to exist. Hermia loves Lysander though her father insists she marry Demetrius, and Helena loves Demetrius, who is supposed to marry Hermia. It's quite a mess, though a fun one to read, and greatly recommend you do the same.

A Study In Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle (1887)

No classics list is complete without a mandatroy mention of Sherlock Holmes (yes, I consider dear old Sherlock a classic). Any of the Sherlock Holmes stories would be an honourable mention for this short list, but A Study In Scarlet is canonically the first Sherlock Holmes novel, the inspiration for the first episode of BBC's Sherlock, AND also the first piece of classical literature I've ever read, courtesy of my 5th grade English teacher. Thank you Henrik.

Sherlock Holmes is always quite fun, and in this one you are dragged by the heels by Dr. Watson as you follow Holmes around trying to solve the murder of Enoch Drebber. Now, I won't say too much, as this one is pretty well known, but the Doyle novels can be what thrusts you deeper down the well of classical literature.

There you have it, a small list of some novels that can possibly make you need to read some old(er) books, and finally feel intellectualy superior, included in certain conversations or whatever it is you wish to gain by beginning this journey.

Happy reading!

-Cami

#bookblr #bookish #reading #clasics #dorian gray #shakespeare #bookworm #books and reading #short reads #classical literature

[eanul-rmbl]

about Murr Hart and Murr the tomcat - timeline 1/2

Since Murr Hart is inspired a lot from the tomcat Murr in "The Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr", I'm going to do a timeline of what happens in the book and compare it to what happens to Murr in Mahoyaku!!!

To make it make sense (ahaha), I'll refer to the tomcat Murr as, the Tomcat, and Murr Hart as Murr.

This is Part 1, where we talk about Murr as a wizard scholar and the Tomcat's life inside his owner's attic. The fun stuff where we get to theorize about Murr's future will happen in part 2.

---

1 - the Tomcat's birth and early years, Murr's early years

The Tomcat was born with his dad trying to eat him, his mom was forced to leave him somewhere. a little while after, a man named Abraham meets him somewhere and takes him in. this Abrahram soonly becomes the Tomcat's owner. to my memory, the Tomcat was a pretty normal cat in youth/very youngness.

We don't know much on Murr's early years. We do know that he dug up jewels for his family, who were jewlers (rich traveling merchants at that, apparently). His Magical Tool was cut and shaped himself in childhood (it's red beryl)

No known similarities here, Murr was born into a succesful human family while the Tomcat was adopted into (and I'm not sure if he's successful or not) a magician/soothsayer with ties to the royal family.

---

2 - the Tomcat's turning point, Murr's life as a lunatic genius

The Tomcat, at some point, learns to read german inside his owner's study. Abraham (the owner) doesnt really mind at first, since the Tomcat's a cat and how does an animal learn to read. Eventually, the Tomcat becomes fluent enough to read and write german, and even understand his german-speaking owner Master Abraham. He writes several books and poems during his time as a tomcat scholar. Also he befriends a dog and I think that's cute since he's a cat and all. Murr doesnt leave the house.

Murr's life as a scholar was very successful. He had created a number of inventions for the Western Country to grow and thrive. He was a very successful scholar. Very famous and very feared. Known as the genius of the ages.

---

3 - Falling in love

One night, someone was singing loud enough for the Tomcat to hear while he was trying to write something. He goes to investigate it and finds a wonderful cat named Kitty. They sing (but he sucks since he doesn't do much of anything) and this later becomes the Tomcat's love. Somewhere along the line, the Tomcat and Kitty start singing with another cat, M (his named starts with an M but I can't remember it). Kitty and the Tomcat later get married.

I don't know how Murr figured out he longed for the Moon, but that's his love as a wizard. It's his biggest subject of study.

I guess they both fell in love with something at night?

---

4 - the pains with love

Shortly after getting married, Kitty starts growing more and more sad. The songs they sing together are lacking something. the Tomcat still loves Kitty and she accepts whatever he's doing, but he notices there's something wrong. the Tomcat eventually asks Kitty and she then reveals that she's been in love with another a while after their cat marriage. the Tomcat is hurt and proceeds to challenge said cat to a duel. Obviously, because the Tomcat hardly ever left the house, he lost the cat duel. his owner, Abraham patches him up and lets him know he should get out of the house and be an actual cat for once, not thinking the Tomcat can understand him.

Murr's main subject of study was the moon, who he longed for. When he got too close to learning her secrets, his soul shattered and was scattered across the 5 countries. His body remained, but his mind was similar to that of an animal's (in mannerisms, I assume). Shylock finds him as raises him.

They both have troubles with love, and are left shattered (physically or in the heart) because of it.

---

5 - patching up

the Tomcat was very depressed for a very long time. he wouldn't really want to keep himself tidy (something he once prided himself on a lot), and didn't feel like doing much of anything. eventually, Abraham loses patience in him for a bit. his friend M (who he sang songs with kitty with) takes him to a cat fraternity.

We don't know how long it took for Murr to rehabilitate into someone who'd act half like a sensible person/ how long it took for Shylock to raise him.

The transition between completely shattered Murr and the catboy Murr we know and love. The transition between the very sad Tomcat scholar with a shattered heart and the actually-a-cat Tomcat he later becomes.

---

basically, here are their similarities.

No known similarities in childhood, Murr was born into a succesful human family while the Tomcat was adopted into (and I'm not sure if he's successful or not) a magician/soothsayer with ties to the royal family. both rather disliked when they were scholars by people because of the way they acted above everyone else. both fell in love with something at night. left shattered after a rejection. It took a bit of time for both of them to start going out again.

#mahoyaku #promise of wizard #mhyk idea #murr #i like murr so much guys #i read the book hes based off for him #eta hoffmann #mhyk #mhyk western country #relating classic literature to my favourite characters again hehe

[mlmvoidboy]

"The word 'aesthetic,' which comes from the Greek meaning 'to perceive.'" "The art is more important than the artist, aestheticism tells us" "Elegance is more important than suffering." "Aestheticism, as a movement, is about seeing more of the beauty in the world than most people notice, since, for example, most people don’t really notice a good-looking font, or a talented colorist for a comic book, or a nice use of enjambment." "Walter Pater, who said that all art aspires to the condition of music—to a state of abstraction free of content." "Being true to ourselves, Pater suggests, keeps us from new impressions and new opinions." "“The Art of Killing” Andrea Zanzin overviews the way in which Harris’s crime novels were always about art." "If art is the end, then people can be a means to an end, and using people as a means to an end is the definition of immorality." "Hannibal’s murder scenes are too beautiful, audacious, and unrealistic to be sad or funny. On Fuller’s Hannibal, the viewer must accept the show’s apparent unconscious premise, which is that all the killers attended the same highbrow MFA sculpture program, a program that values aesthetic, and emotional, distance. Paglia says that Wilde’s Dorian Gray “is the fullest study of the Decadent erotic principle: the transformation of person into object d’art,” 73" "loss of identity is total and communicated with the most abstract imagery (3.6). They are no longer human; they are pure symmetrical design, mirror images blending into each other, part of what rock critic Perry Meisel calls Pater’s “psychedelic sublime”:" "That cave where people sit in the dark, facing the same direction, watching illusions on the wall projected from a man-made light source is not a place of ignorance and fear, as Plato thought. It is a movie theater.49 It is not a prison. It is the temple of the aesthete. The phrase “Art-for-Art’s Sake” lives in Latin above the roaring lion at the start of every MGM movie" "Dante placed homosexuals and misers on the same level of hell because he saw the sins as fundamentally similar: unproductive love. In the Christian tradition the purpose of love and sex is procreation" "The show makes this stark distinction over and over: you live on after your death through your art or through your children, but not both." "“Each man kills the thing he loves” writes Wilde." "Wilde (via his character Gilbert) on music: 'After playing Chopin, I feel as if I had been weeping over sins that I had never committed, and mourning over tragedies that were not my own.'" “Art is our spirited protest, our gallant attempt to teach Nature her proper place.” "Oscar Wilde, in “The Critic as Artist,” wrote that the highest form of art criticism “treats the work of art simply as a starting point for a new creation.” Harold Bloom will expand this into saying that the only proper response to a poem is another poem, and he considers his critical work about poetry to be a 'severe poem.'" “Moral grounds are always the last refuge of people with no sense of beauty.” "If we really want to experience all that experience has to offer—which might include religiously or morally forbidden foods, challenging art, drugs, homosexuality, or murder—we must lose ourselves."

"“The Quinto Quarto evolved from necessity to become high tradition” (3.3), and Hannibal serves it in the fashion of a triple Michelin star restaurant. This is what Fuller is doing with Harris’s novels and the movies: translating them into a higher sphere, from fantastic pulp to high art." "Mads Mikkelsen says Hannibal is “doing what the rest of us should have done our whole life, except for the killing thing, I guess. Embracing life. Every second is an opportunity for beauty.” “He’s a happy man,” Mikkelsen says, “I have rarely given life to a character that is as happy as him.” 197 Elsewhere he says “There is no reason to listen to boring music, you may as well listen to fantastic music, or drink a fantastic glass of wine. And for that reason [for Hannibal] banality is sin.”"" "His mental space is not a place where he returns to his murders, but where he calls up excellent singers he has heard. He tells Will (quoting Harris): Hannibal: If I’m ever apprehended, my memory palace will serve as more than a mnemonic system. I will live there. Will: Could you be happy there? Hannibal: All the paths, chambers, are not lovely, light, and bright. In the walls of our hearts and brains, danger waits. There are holes in the floor of the mind. (2.13; H48)" "Zachary Quinto yells at Bedelia that “This is culty and weird” (3.10) and he is referring to therapy, but that goes double for the show he is in. The Red Dragon himself calls Hannibal’s press notices “unfair reviews” (3.10), and Reba laments that “people don’t pay attention” (3.9), which feel like digs on the mainstream viewing audience. Fuller would surely endorse Oscar Wilde, who said, “Art should never try to be popular. The public should try to make itself artistic.”" "Tobias tries to kill Hannibal with a cello string, and Hannibal stabs him with a pen before crushing his skull with a sculpture of a stag—their whole fight uses art and the tools of art rather than any conventional weapons. That connection of art and violence is of course central to Dorian Gray, where striking the painting kills the subject of the portrait.” "This is the under girding of the poetic language in Hannibal. It is a universe where every word matters. It is an indictment of the sloppy language used by other shows and other people as insufficient tools to figure out the answers to the questions Hannibal is asking, and insufficient to build the kind of world Hannibal is building, one more perfect and more beautiful than our own."

"In the middle of season 3, Will sits in Hannibal’s kitchen, where Hannibal killed Abigail in front of him, and where Jack and Alana were brutalized. Alana enters in a wheelchair, still reeling from being attacked, and Will explains his friendship with Hannibal. Their conversation could be any defeated Aesthete talking to any Social Justice Activist, as given below: Bloom: Friendship with Hannibal is blackmail elevated to the level of love. Will: A mutually unspoken pact to ignore the worst in each other in order to continue to enjoy the best. Bloom: After everything he's done, can you still ignore the worst in him? Will: I came here to be alone, Alana. (3.4)"

Aestheticism, Evil, Homosexuality, and Hannibal: If Oscar Wilde ate people by Geoff Klock

#aestheticism evil homosexuality and hannibal #hannibal #poetry #art #books

[sogno-ao3]

a list of named books in still waters

writing this because it is late and i am going crazy with work and wanted to write this as a diversion--won't include jane eyre and huckleberry finn for spoilery reasons!

--

The Jungle, Upton Sinclair

Ah, the first book we see in Still Waters and one that Mollie wonders if Tommy has read. It is evocative of Tommy's own dirty business; Sinclair writes about the violent and unsanitary meat-packing industry and how the main character is a decent man but his circumstances force him into less-than-moral doings...?

North and South, Elizabeth Gaskell and Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

Contributes to the feeling for Mollie's inexperience with romance--Pride and Prejudice is certainly one of the canonical romance greats, North and South in the third tier...?

The History of the Standard Oil Company, Ida Tarbell

Mostly just to be evocative of Tommy's penchant for empire building, and something that he'd probably read.

Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë

To be frank, nothing is really going on here... I suppose one can draw parallels between Heathcliff and Tommy, but that would make this romance rather monstrous...? Hate to disappoint, but revenge plots are not the focus of this story.

House of Mirth, Edith Wharton

Nothing of note, except period accuracy.

A Doctor's Education: a Guide to Medical Schools

A book that I made up.

A Doll's House, Henrik Ibsen

I admit, a little too on the nose, but too perfect to resist as a play and its thematic material--Tommy has trapped Mollie in a doll's house; further commentary on how Mollie is circumscribed by her position in society, and whether she can break out of it or not. Further hilarious references when she tries to escape the Shelby family meeting and abandons a child.

The Tempers, William Carlos Williams

Personally, I am a fan of WCW and just about died when I re-read the poem with Grace the cat--and so it was purrfect to include. Another thing I do love about WCW is that many poems can be interpreted from very surface-level to very abstract, from serious to playful--depends on your mood. This dichotomy I also try to illustrate between Tommy and Mollie.

Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad

Can you tell that I hate this book? I'm amazed that it always ends up on the top lists; writing is insipid even without the awful treatment of colonization. Again, a book that inspires differences of opinions between Tommy and Mollie.

Poems, Wilfred Owen

"Written by a war veteran" is how I imagined it was sold in stores, and Tommy just chose it, and then realized he doesn't want to relive any of that, and so neglects to read it, leaving a very chagrined Mollie to pick up the pieces.

The Education of Henry Adams, Henry Adams

Chosen for the themes of growth and change, but most importantly, it was period appropriate.

Agnes Grey, Anne Brontë

An echo to Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre. Also a bildungsroman for a young woman of a lower class.

Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Brontë

Nothing too important except that it's in the Brontë family.

Poems, Emily Brontë

I don't think Emily Brontë ever published a solo book of poetry (she did publish a book with her sisters), but nonetheless, someone aggregated them and when I visited home, I discovered I had a book of her lesser-known poems. I think I had bought this book when I was in my own e-girl era... uh.... anyway, many great poems to give life to Tommy's own e-boy era.

#random #stillwaters-ao3

[babyjask]

I need caffeine, mental stability, and my least favorite thing to admit to need, help. MOST of my Tumblr posts are jokes or my art, BUT I am also a writer... er, more I want to be a writer. I've written short stories, fanfics, poems, and auto-biographical cathartic word vomit before, but now I'm trying for the big guy, a real book. A real, full novel. All original characters, setting, and storyline. And, I've done quite a bit of that already. I have a solid idea and base for the story and the characters... but I could still use some help here. So, basically, I wanted to throw out some of my ideas and plans and I wanted you guys to give me opinions and things you might like to see come of the story if you were to read it.

In this world, there are the mortals and the immortals, different races fall into different categories, immortals like elves, fae, and nymphs, are typically unkillable, one can only be felled by a weapon of magical origin. And since the war between all the races a thousand years ago, the immortals tend to keep to themselves, hidden away in their magic cities. One day a seemingly mortal man is found unconscious and bleeding out with an arrow through his shoulder just outside elf territory. The elf that found him took him in and with the help of others nursed him back to health. When the man expressed no interest in going back to the other human and even exhibited fear toward the prospect of going back, the elf offered to let the human stay was him as he had the space anyway. Slowly the elf and the human get to know each other and start to fall in love with each other. The elf teaches the human how to read, write, and fight. They spend almost all their time together. Through the skills, the elf thought him, the human learns that he is not in fact human, but chooses to keep it to himself. Later the elf and the human get into a fight and the human reveals that he is not in fact human in a desperate attempt to get the elf to see that he would be fine, but it only makes things worse. They separate after the fight and the "human" gets captured by the people who had imprisoned and tortured him before he'd been found by the elves. Once the elf comes to terms with the new information, he goes to save the "human" from the actual humans, and take him back home. They have to adjust to their new life together, but they get their happily fucking ever after. Because gay boys need a happy ending goddammit.

Also, just some extra world information that fits into the story without really being plot, but the elves are a gender non-conforming race, so the main elf character is actually trans masc/afab/ftm and there are also non-binary, gender fluid, trans fem/amab/mtf, and agender elves, it's just a normal thing for them. (yes, there are still cis elves, but the point is as a society, it's perfectly normal to change your gender identity) (I basically ctrl alt deleted transphobia in elven society)

I have fully thought out all the details for the main three characters (the elf, the "human", and another character I intentionally left out of my brief description to keep things vague) if anyone wants to know more about them.

Other than that, any questions, ideas, opinions, or encouragement that you guys have I am open to and would love to read and possibly incorporate into the story. Any help you can give is appreciated, even if it is just liking this and telling me you want to read more, sometimes all I need is encouragement and to know that people actually want to read what I'm writing. Thanks!

#writing #writerscommunity #writer things #writers on tumblr #writer inspiration #please help #i need heeeeelp #writer problems #book writing #fantasy novel #romance novels #novel writing #trans male #transgender #trans guy #trans man #trans pride #gender nonconforming #non binary #gay #gay pride #gaypride #loveislove #pansexual #transgender pride #trans mlm #gay mlm #mlm concept #mlm books #mlm writing

[tutuandscoot]

You post a lot about how gentlemanly and lovely Scott is towards Tessa and how that’s a big reason of why you love them so much (and agree! me too!). But sometimes the blog feels uneven. For two people who call their partnership equal and based on mutual trust, do you think and what evidence do you see of Tessa being that pillar and support for Scott (beyond the usual sound bites of, for ex, 2017 Worlds, what Scott went through that season as described in their book). You seem to have so much insight and have looked through so much footage and interviews etc, so I thought you’d be the best person to ask! Love them both. 💕

Great question!

I think with something like this it’s so hard not to start sounding like a body language expert when really all there is to go off is as you said, public footage, interviews and their book. I don’t ever want to seem like I am- when I write about them, when I want to start writing something it mostly starts with me just looking at a gif or video or picture of them and writing what I feel, what I think they feel and how they make me feel.

Something I’ll say about what I view as scott’s ‘gentlemanlyness’. (Which tbh when I saw this ask pop up was what I thought this was about). Is the way he treats her especially on the ice but also you see just in small moments like with how he makes eye contact with her when she speaks and rarely interrupts her, opens car doors for her, guides her with his hand up and down stairs and often caries her luggage for her, this is what dance training at a young age teaches boys. Whether it’s ballet or ballroom- seen as a bit of a dying art form and something boys are stereotypically bullied for doing because it is seen as ‘feminine’, it teaches you posture and gentleness and from my experience in ballet it teaches boys to present their woman and be there for her- never to let her look bad.

Scott takes pride in that and admits both that if people are looking at T then he’s doing his job well, and that from the very beginning ‘he didn’t want to be showed up by T but was and continued to be for 20 years’ whether that second part is true or not is up to everyone’s own opinion but it’s how he feels and I just admire him so much for that because where he could’ve been bullied or had an ego problem that manifested as not treating Tessa the way he did he maintained that everything he did was for her, to make her look and feel beautiful and never let her fall.

Now that’s obviously specifically about their skating relationship but those qualities that ballet/ballroom/partnering dance gives young boys is few and far between. It doesn’t mean that these boys who do this seriously become ‘gay’ or completely effeminate. It just gives them, I think, I bit of a sense of duty. They (well talking about Scott here) is still just a guy who can who can be a guy away from the sport and even with T they seem to have this very “‘normal’” goofy best friend relationship where they play dumb games and joke with each other and can just be regular people- it isn’t always this princely duty to present her if they are just hanging out being regular people, but that quality always remains and comes back. (It’s one of the things I find very attractive about him).

I definitely see what you are saying with how it seems uneven in their affection for one another. Nothing against you personally coz I’ve seen this said many times but I think it’s a bit naive to think that just because T isn’t the one that gushes like a love poem or initiates PDA most of the time that their care and love for each other is unequal.

I think about this two ways: one is based on what I said above about what dancing+ partnering teaches boys and when trained well there is a sense of leadership in a partnership between a man and women and that is the man’s responsibility to… idk… I don’t know how to say this without sounding like a 1950’s housewife but… it just comes with a sense of leadership that he is more vocal and initiative..

The other part of it is just that they seem to have very different personalities and ways of showing affection.

Almost everything I write I base of off quotes they have said. I try to link the sources when I can but sometimes I don’t know where to find them but I know they were said (I have a weird ability to remember really specific bits of dialogue I’ve heard/read once 😅) What they say is what I base all my opinions off because personally I feel without that is how rumours start and this fandom is unfortunately toxic enough so I try to create a space free of anything not based on what TS say, and specifically take it simply as they say it- take it genuinely and not try to twist it into anything unfathomable. If I had the slightest instinct that my blog was causing toxic discussions I would shut it down fast. Initially I started just as an Insta fan page but I quickly realised I really enjoy writing and I can’t really share this stuff on Insta..so I’ve just learned to co-habit-ate..

So here’s some stuff I base T’s equal but maybe not as obvious love and affection off:

- Scott: “what I need from her and what she gives me…. I’ve never met anyone like T in my life she is such an unbelievable woman”… he kinda trails off on that initial point but where I believe he is going with it is to him, T being the person she is and loving him the way she does is exactly what he needs from her and their relationship. She believes in him, she’s his biggest fan. Scott has admitted he feels he can be a lot to handle and worries about how his kinda rollercoaster of emotions makes Tessa feel and the effect that had on her. He has said that she is such a stabilising force in their partnership whereas he can be all over the place she is a grounding mechanism for him and something to come back to as like a home where he knows he is safe with her.

The second thing which the only quote I can relate to this is when he talks about expressing himself as a performer and doing what he feels is way too over the top but that’s when Tessa says that ‘that’s it I love that’. I’ve talked before about how scary it can be to express yourself as a performer. I experienced it multiple times yet I know that just from societal pressure that is much scarier for boys. He is so gifted in is ability to act and convey emotion but without Tessa I don’t think it would’ve been anywhere near as easy (it wasn’t easy to begin with im sure) to express himself without fear of judgement. Especially when they were young because he held T to such a high standard and was always comparing himself to her as a dancer and performer. T saying to him that when he goes really far into a character that she loves that and doesn’t want him to be afraid of that, I feel that must feel so safe for him because no matter what anyone else thinks, his best friend, his confidant, the only person that really matters in any of this because they only do it for each other and he trusts more than anything, believes in him must give him all the confidence he needs to not be afraid. Knowing that their biggest fear was letting each other down, if he felt like he wasn’t giving his all for her, and equally her for him, they couldn’t live with that.

It seems like he felt that Tessa really gave him purpose in life (“I don’t think she realises she keeps me alive” 🫠). I maintain that the (main) reason he coaches now is because of the joy he had all those years dancing with Tessa and it’s maybe where he feels closest to her. It’s like when T said that ‘it feels really weird to skate without him’- I just imagine when either of them coach they instinctively reach out for each other because that’s all they ever knew. But at the same time moving and expressing is so connected to each other that getting to do that even without each other would just bring back happy feelings. I can’t say from experience but I imagine having someone in your life who is such a driving purpose to achieve impossible things and foundational in your world view (someone other then a family member) creates an incredible amount of affection and desire to keep that person close- no matter the status/details of that relationship and by close I don’t mean physically close but close in your life again as like a touch stone to come back to.

I think the reason my blog can feel uneven sometimes is that there is just more visual content that shows what we see as Scott being the one who initiates affection, and it’s easy to get all soft over because.. well it’s just really soft. (If it had been the other way round though- T being the overly affectionate one, I think there would’ve been a tonne more anti- feminist rhetoric and judgement of her, and of Scott in seeming not to care about her- so in a way it’s good it’s this way around… *rolling my eyes at having to say that but it’s probably true*). It’s hard to balance that commentary but I try to in my original content and mostly long rambling essays, identify that it is equal and it’s just harder to see in T, because for Scott, where he might be cradling her face or kissing her or holding her so gently, for him that equal affection and care is returned in her just letting him do that to her, or looking into his eyes or holding his hand. My obsession with their refusal to do dance hold 98% of the time (especially later on) is based on the fact that these two have been holding hands since they were children.. if they hadn’t have liked it or learned to like it then they wouldn’t have continued. So I think it’s just that they really really like to hold hands and in such a judgemental, high pressure environment that must be so integral to knowing they aren’t alone and that trust is unbreakable. Speaking of trust, I think that is one of the most affectionate things about their partnership. It’s displayed physically in The Hug and in things like holding hands. But also in things like trusting he won’t let her fall or she won’t let him feel insecure.

Another thing for me that probably makes it uneven is just me being a straight girl and admiring how beautifully Scott treats T and how amazing it would feel to be treated like that. And again I’m not referring to just the soft, romantic, gentlemanly stuff, but also the fun goofy stuff.. this is what I don’t get about people wanting them to be ‘in love’.. other then the lack of sex if that’s something you really want, who wouldn’t want exactly what they have where their gentleness and puppy love eyes and hugs and hand holds is just as genuine as making fun of each other for their lack of cooking skills or fear of mascots.. it legitimately seems so well rounded and I really do believe they worked so hard for that. If they were just in it for for medals and fame and athletic achievement- if they knew and felt and if they were greedy enough to only be a pair coz it was the only way either of them would get a gold medal (ei these pairs/dancers that shuffle round partners just so they can compete/win), if it wasn’t based off genuine care and affection for each other.. it would be obvious. But it’s not, because they really do care about each other and love each other as people and value their friendship.

I really appreciate that you think I have good insight on them.. I have no idea if I actually do or not and the amount of times I’ve fantasised about interviewing them and probing them on this stuff would make me sound like an insane person. I genuinely just write from my heart and expand on quotes that have come straight from them because I truly have no reason to think poorly of them for any reason despite how things get twisted by others online. I always believe that their foundational understanding and work they’ve put into to caring about each other is the strongest thing there is. More than anything, I think like a lot of people i am just fascinated by their partnership visually, emotionally, psychologically, that thing where just looking at them you see a connection that is so deep most married couples never achieve that kind of level of emotional intimacy.

Ok sorry that got way off track.. I hope I did answer your question. I’m pretty sure those quotes I mentioned were from this podcast interview but to be perfectly honestly I don’t really have the concentration in me to listen to the whole thing to check but I’m pretty sure and either way there’s a bunch of other stuff that in the context supports all this anyway..

Here’s some other posts that are just at the top of my likes atm that are part of that ‘just being there for him/with him is her showing affection/ the love and care he needs that I was talking about:

X X X

#me apologising everytime I answer an ask with 20 paragraphs is my kink at this point #anon #ask

[morkofday]

fandom - the untamed! 👀

oh i haven't thought about cql in ages but i put on my playlist for it just for this so here we go. enjoy the ride! (i sure as hell did ♥)

001 | Send me a fandom and I will tell you my:

Favorite character: Jiang Cheng i have talked about him a million times but i still find it funny how i didn't really like him at first. the donghua version of him felt like a total ass, and as the donghua lacked the ending back then and didn’t give me closure, only during the live action i grew fond of him. he has made his fair share of mistakes but i love how flawed he is and how much his character promises hope of growth ♥

Least Favorite character: Jin Guangshan bitch ass man can go burn in hell for all i care

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): XiCheng, WangXian, NieMo , SongXiao, Jiang Yanli + Jin Zixuan ♥

Character I find most attractive: Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen i truly cannot choose between the twin jades of lan. they are both just so beautiful. there's such grace in both of them and i love it how different yet similar they are. i could write poems about their beauty but also just about their characters and their bond.

Character I would marry: Wen Qing my wife ♥ idk if i would truly marry any of the cql characters but i wouldn't say no to her haha 

Character(s) I would be best friends with: The One Braincell Trio i would absolutely drink myself under the table with jc, wwx, and nhs. it would be so much fun. as long as we don't get sad drunk hhhh

a random thought: our juniors are just a new generation of leaders in the making and in my head, ljy will become the chief cultivator, mark my words

An unpopular opinion: uuuhh idk if i have any. it truly has been too long. i cannot get into details, am sorry. 

My Canon OTP: WangXian they are the epitome of true love, of soulmates, of star-crossed lovers, of everything that is good in this dark world. they have all the tropes in them i love. they are both such strong and independent ppl but find gentleness, warmth, and easiness in each other. they make a home. they have defeated death, and if that isn't enough, then idk what to tell you. 

My Non-canon OTP: XiCheng they are two ppl attempting to heal together. they are fire and ice, storm and calm, winter and summer. they meet between the river and the mountain. but i think what mostly attracted me to them was the promise of hope and healing and finding love when it had once been lost. 

Most Badass Character: Lan Wangji only based on how he looks when he fights like. hell. that looks stunning?? he was born to wield a sword i swear (honorary mention goes to his husband yiling patriarch bc will we ever get over those wonderful vibes? never)

Most Epic Villain: Nie Huaisang our master mind ♥ he and his intelligence astonish me. he's just so cool. idk if we can properly count him as a villain bc who truly is a villain in cql (other than like. wen ruohan?? who just got cringe with his emo villain aesthetic byeee) but he is our Big Bad Guy in the end. he is a villain - yet also some type of hero. and doesn't that just make him even more epic?

Pairing I am not a fan of: ChengYi there are actually several similar ships (like wwx and wn or lxc and nmj etc.) that i find kind of... weird? or where i can only see friendship or familiarity/family bonds instead of romantic feelings. but everyone can like what they like. more for you. (also chengyi bothers me when on twt i go through cheng yi’s (the actor) tag and suddenly i get jc x ljy porn thrown at my face like,,, god dammit)

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): The Women i guess we all will die on the hill that cql women deserved better.

Favourite Friendship: Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing i love their bickering and their care for each other and their companionship. i also love how wq is the only person on this earth who can put wwx in his place. that man needs to hear the cold truth sometimes which is that he's an idiot. the smartest idiot in the world mayhaps but an idiot nonetheless. also imagine if they had both been allowed to live, they could've ruled the world sigh. we support powerful besties in this house.

Character I most identify with: Jiang Cheng under the anger and him being a bitch, i do find similarities between us. we have insecurities that cripple us at times; we regard love and family most of all in complicated ways. we don't know what to say to those we care about and struggle with emotions. we suck at accepting gifts too, even if his case is a bit more extreme than my average gift received from a friend :'D

Character I wish I could be: Jin Ling i adore this tiny brat even if he is, indeed, a brat ♥ but imagine how cool it would be, all responsibilities aside, to be him: you are the nephew of half the notorious ppl of the cultivator world. any time you have a problem, you just call one uncle for help. you also have a lot of dead uncles and you're an orphan bc of some of them but :) let's ignore that pain. you would be the coolest amongst your peers. absolutely bonkers.

thank you for sending me this ask! have a very good day ^^ ♥

#this was wild trip ok #haven't thought about them this much in a while #and now am just feeling super emotional sob #thank you a lot tho!!

[luobingmeis]

shakespeare’s sonnet 18 is giving me a headache and not bc i don’t understand it, but bc i understand it too much and, to make it fit the topic im pursuing, i have to take up a stance that i don’t actually believe in and it feels Wrong to do that and also my professor will Absolutely see through my bullshit

#like if im writing an essay abt the objectification of women in victorian sonnets and how female poets subvert that #HOW can i include sonnet 18 which is heavily theorized to be abt a man? #bc not only does that not fit my topic #but in my opinion a man writing a love poem for another man can be an essay in itself! #and it feels wrong to go abt it in a ''this is objectifying way'' bc now knowing that shakespeare was most likely writing abt a man #/really/ changes how i see the poem #bc i dont know Much abt sexuality in the victorian period but im gonna hazard a guess that same-sex relationships were not super common #and thus sonnet 18 being abt immortalizing love and beauty takes on a different tone #BUT to go abt it in a gender neutral way feels like im ignoring such an important part of the sonnet!!! #so basically im stuck between ''do i ignore a part that is important to me or do i cut it'' #bc im nervous that cutting the sonnet/shakespeare out completely will be a detriment to my essay #but also this sonnet is making it hard to continue on #so like??? what im saying is that im waiting for my prof to get back to me so i can rant all these questions to him omfg #god rip this professor this is the first semester he's had me as a student #and im doing thesis with him next semester #and he's gonna quickly learn that im good at what i do (at least i like to think so) but i can go off like it's fucking nothing

[hanichurl]

genshin characters when they have a crush on you!

venti, albedo, zhongli, scaramouche & ayaka (separate) x gn reader <3

venti

the absolute sweetest!

will write poems & songs dedicated to you

if he sees you walking around mondstadt by yourself, he might just startle you and forcefully grab you by the hand to go on a “walk” with him! (he considers it a date but he won’t tell you that yet ehe)

he’s very playful, dates with him would probably include tons of gliding! he also would love for you both to go on rides with dvalin!

every time you’re not with him, you can always feel a gust of wind surrounding you, signaling that the anemo archon is missing you.

festivals in mondstadt just means another date with venti! he’s not gonna let you escape him, especially on this momentous occasion!

he would probably drag you with him to dance around his statue, he wants to ensure that you are the star of the show!

probably follows you everywhere, at this point he’s surprised that you still have no clue how he truly feels about you!

“please… be mine, my windblume.” he would mutter on a gentle and mellow night, laying his head on your shoulder as you both sit on the hands of the anemo archon’s statue.

albedo

he would always ask for your assistance or opinions on his experiments and research.

he’s oddly more playful around you, always teasing you when you get confused as he explains his findings to you.

he gets lonely whenever you’re not with him, and he finds that conducting his experiments is no longer as fun without you.

while he is passionate about learning the truth of teyvat, he finds that you have become his first priority.

suddenly you are the number one thing that intrigues him

your cute little face is something he’d want to stare at- i mean, your face structure is something he’d want to research. because how could anything be so pleasing to the eyes?

he doesn’t mind postponing whatever he is doing at the moment to hang out with you.

while he’s not the best at human emotions, he cannot deny that what he feels about you is more than just admiration, and he has a hunch that you too feel the same.

“oh, hello there! would you mind helping me out with a new experiment? i am attempting to craft a love potion. for you.”

he chuckles at your flustered reaction, though he continues,

“…or is there no need for a potion at all? may i assume that your feelings are mutual, then?”

zhongli

i would like to think that at first, this man probably doesn’t even realize that he’s smitten for you.

he’s an intelligent man though, surely he’d figure it out himself eventually.

he could ramble on about you for hours, he would find a way to connect any topic to you, because that’s just how much he adores you.

he wouldn’t even realize that he was rambling, till someone calls him out on it.

you would receive tons of gifts from him- though he himself didn’t pay for it 😰

he’s extra patient with you, and he’s such a gentleman who is always looking after you.

if by chance he sees you roaming the streets of liyue harbor, he would never miss the opportunity to ask you if you wanted to join him for tea, or if you could just spend some time with him.

you both bid farewell after spending a long day together, but he startles you by abruptly grabbing your waist and pulling you into an embrace.

you both stay in that position for what feels like an eternity, until he hesitantly lets go.

he clears his throat, “i apologize. i have no idea what came over me, i hope i didn’t startle you.”

you were dumbfounded. i mean, the illustrious mr. zhongli suddenly being so affectionate… to you?

your flushed face was impossible to hide, it was very clear that you were overjoyed.

he lets out a small chuckle at your endearing reaction. he smiles gently at you, and plants a small kiss on your forehead.

with that, he confirmed that you indeed feel the same as he does.

scaramouche

he’d be a meanie at first because his feelings for you are unfamiliar and he doesn’t like it

but he still has the biggest soft spot for you, because the way he feels about you might just be the closest thing he has to having a heart of his own.

in a lot of denial bc of his pride 😰

if any danger were to actually happen to you, he’d no doubt be running to you in an instant.

would be extra irritated if he spots you spending time with any of his fatui colleagues.

he probably follows you around without your knowledge, then gets all flustered if you catch him in the act

“what are you talking about? i just happened to be here for work business, don’t be so egotistical. of course i’m not here for you.”

he’s lying btw

he hates admitting it to himself, but he finds little things about you adorable, like how you enjoy making fun of his hotheaded behavior.

he gets a little irritated at that, but your smile and laughter almost makes him forget all about it.

probably takes him 10 years to confess to you, so unfortunately you have to be the one to do it first

it’s worth it though, because you’d witness scara’s flushed tomato face, which is a first for you! 😄

kamisato ayaka

adorable

blushing mess around you, hides her face often with her fan

would sneak out of the kamisato estate just to meet up with you

even though she might be timid around you, she most definitely won’t hesitate to protect you from anyone who dares to harm you.

you most likely have already seen ayaka perform for you a billion times

would probably make the excuse that she’s cold, so that she can snuggle up to you

often makes requests to you, but not the ones you would usually expect.

for example, she would ask you to be the one to tie her hair for that day, or to join her for a walk around inazuma city for seemingly no reason

she just admires you deeply, or at least that’s what she tells everyone 😅

sure, ayaka is pretty bold at times but confessing her feelings to you is something she can’t bring herself to do, though she had already attempted multiple times.

every attempt of hers could be considered a failure. she was disheartened by this and thought it just wasn’t meant to be.

as always, you’d be there for her whenever she feels down. you consoled her, and admitted that you indeed have feelings for her as well!

#venti x reader #albedo x reader #zhongli x reader #scaramouche x reader #ayaka x reader