#i liked hearing his interpretations and passion about the music

[murderofcrow]

i hope the guy that made the 3 hour long sleep token 101 video for his friends, makes another one where he discusses tmbte sometime 😂

#i saw this video when i really got into sleep token #i liked hearing his interpretations and passion about the music #i really relate to the adhd infodumping #sleep token #sleep token worship #worshitposting

[calisources]

𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐎𝐘𝐀𝐋 𝐁𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒 𝐐𝐔𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒.

All sentences on these meme make references to royal balls, medieval ballrooms or regency, basically set during any period drama. You can change names, pronouns, titles and more as you see fit. Most of these were taken from different source materials found via google search. This meme makes references to masquerades, royal dances and partners.

Dancing, at its best, is independence and intimacy in balance.

Dance is the timeless interpretation of life.

Music does not need language of words for it has movements of dance to do its translation.

Masks reveal. They don’t conceal. Masks reveal your cravings, your passion, your deepest most secret desires.

It was you. I know it was you.

Look at me, Kia! Look me in the eye and tell me you’re not her.

And who shall you be once you don your grand disguise?

I don't like to hear you talk about yourself that way. Your scars do not define you, young lady. Your action do.

All the ladies must dress the same and the men have to find their partners. It’s a game of sorts. 

Even the smallfolk have their own version of the ball, at the steps of the castle.

Swoon, Dora. Every young woman deserves to swoon over the love of her life.

Dash it, Everton, how'd you know it was me?

A masquerade could have been a beautiful dance. 

 Oh, well. What's a royal ball? After all, I suppose it would be frightfully dull, and-and-and boring, and-and completely... Completely wonderful.

Each finds a partner, and upon the bell, we must change partner until we find the one we came to be. . .or the one we desire.

It has been a while since you gave me the honor to dance with you.

If the princess is not too occupied, I would wish for a dance, perhaps?

The Queen and King have to open the ball but the King is gone. No mind, I shall be in his place.

Sometimes in life confusion tends to arise and only dialogue of dance seems to make sense.

If we want our men to dance, we have to inspire them. 

 But with something more, something bigger, something that will give them a reason to want to dance.

But when balls are held for pleasure, They're the balls that I like best.

Will you be my princess for the Ball?

Keeping pushing, Andrei, and you and I are going to play a game.

Nothing like a ball to cheer a nation, give the old lords wine and the young boys the opportunity to find a nice woman and everyone shows up.

Where are you taking me? The ball hasn’t ended.

Royals is like a beautiful, broken angel: hard to look at, but utterly impossible to turn away from.

Attend the royal ball in all your glory and find out what fate has in store for you.

How many dances is one allowed before people begin to whisper?

You cannot behave like a brute. It is my duty to dance with every suitor. I am their princess.

I do not recognize you, my lord? Are you from these lands? 

It is bad luck to steal a princess.

Attend the royal ball in all your glory and find out what fate has in store for you.

There is nothing quite like dancing in the moonlight. It sets your soul on fire and your heart aflutter.

The beauty of a ball is not just in its grandeur, but in the connections it sparks, the emotions it stirs, and the hopes it ignites.

Just keep your eyes on me. No one else here matters.

I shall keep dancing with you until you stop being stubborn and go speak with me. Or you rather have people whisper?

The princess looks beautiful tonight, does she not?

Father, please, you must dance as well. Your dull looks are making people bored.

You promised me a dance when you were better. Are you?

I've loved you at every dance, on every walk, every time we've been together and every time we've been apart.

I can feel people's eyes on me.

Every time I walk into a ballroom, I know they are comparing me to Daphne.

You both get to choose your passions and adventures, while my beloved is chosen by me. And now I must join them for a dance.

Are you planning on running away when the clock strikes midnight? 

If you do wish to go away, I know a spot, secluded enough.

You wish for me to go with you, alone, unchaperoned. I am a maiden, my lord. 

Aye, but I am no lord, sweet maiden. And these masks allow us some privacy.

This is my last chance to find a match on my own accord. If I don’t. The King will do it for me and I would rather not.

 I'm only a girl, not a princess.

Believe me - they're all looking at you.

 They're all looking at you.

You are requested and required to present yourself to your king.

 I do not even know if that beautiful slipper will fit But, if it does--will you take me as I am?

 It would be an insult to take you to the palace dressed in these old rags.

How charming, how perfectly charming.

When I go back, they will try to pair me off with a lady of their choosing. I'm expected to marry for advantage.

Oh. Well, whose advantage would this marriage be of?

I hope you don't find our kingdom too confining.

I am. An apprentice monarch. Still learning my trade.

Our prince seems quite taken with her.

She went straight for him. You have to appreciate her efficiency.

Walk into the room knowing you are the best. Shoulders back, chin up. Their attitudes will totally change.

You dance love, and you dance joy, and you dance dreams.

The ball is about to come to an end, and you have yet not told me your name. 

I thought we agreed we would remain strangers.

I’m afraid my true identity would put you in danger. 

Have you ever been kissed by a stranger at the end of a ball? If not, let me be the first.

Put him on all the invitation lists, he's a divine dancer.

I’m afraid I’m more used to swordfight than ballroom.

You will ruin your pretty gown, princess. I would not wish to step on your toes.

 Silly, I am a great dancer, no one ever steps on my toes.

No. Let them dance. Interrupting would cause a scandal.

One of these men will be my husband one day. What a thought.

The art of husband seeking at it’s peak, during royal ball season. 

Maiden beware, a gentleman can become a beast when the bell strikes.

#roleplay memes #sentence meme #( cali meme. ) #rp memes #rp prompt #rp musings #roleplay prompt #ballroom meme #royal ball meme #royal dance meme #masquerade meme

[127luvr]

Hi can i ask for a male reader x doyoung, where they're both in school and they have an assignment to sing a duet, but doyoung just really chose m!r so that they can spend more time together. Then they kiss?

kiss ♫⋆｡♪ ₊

kim doyoung x male reader

doyoung had never questioned his life in music. he knew from a young age where he was headed--what path in life he wanted to pursue. he breathed music like it was his lifeline. it was the one thing in his life he never second-guessed. he knew he was good at it. at singing--at reading music--at conducting his class for an assignment--at teaching it when he became a student-teacher.

he was born for this.

you weren't as lucky.

the passion for music came from watching a performance of your school choir by chance. you were convinced that you were destined to pass by the auditorium at that very moment--destined to hear the way the ensemble blended their voices together so seamlessly--as if it was a body of water collectively sending waves to shore.

it was too late in the year to join the ensemble you heard, but you managed to squeeze in to one of the beginner classes. it was one of the things in life that you took seriously. staying after school for any extra help from upperclassmen. staying behind to see the rigorous practices that the advanced classes had. while you were graced with a natural talent for music, you still had so much to learn.

which is why you were the most excited when they assigned duets. the only strict rule being that it had to be someone that was in the choir program.

doyoung had taken a liking to you. watching you from the corner of his eye when you sat in one of their after-school practices. he watched the way your pencil followed along the sheet music as they sang, circling the dynamics on top--and underneath--the staff. he watched as your body followed the conductor's baton--watched as you sang along subconsciously to your voice part in the song. he knew without a doubt that he had to choose you for a duet.

he just wasn't entirely sure if it was for his own selfish reasons or for your raw talent.

"(y/n)?" you feel a light tap on your shoulder, the sudden sensation startling you. your binder slips out of your hands when you turn to doyoung, his nearness surprising you further. you can't help but gawk at him, ignoring the way your sheet music spills out of the binder on the floor. doyoung's eyes fall to the floor, his lips twitching slightly as he goes to pick it up for you. you are still watching him as he bends down, his long fingers quick with gathering your materials. you manage to look away as he straightens his posture again, holding his hands out to hand you your binder. "i know we aren't really familiar with each other, but did you want to team up for the duet assignment?"

he was one of the upperclassmen. one of the singers that stood out to you when you watched them practice. the critiques he received from directors were nitpick-y. always something about rounding out his vowels--looking more expressive. it was clear that they only picked on him for small things because they weren't able to find anything he was bad at. he didn't need to improve--but he did need to be pushed just like his classmates.

"yeah!"

you quickly realize that doyoung isn't in it for the music. he knows the song inside and out from the get-go. leaving you to scramble and learn the song even when you're not practicing together. this only makes you wonder what he was in it for. why he chose you of all people?

your practices were usually done in the school practice rooms. preferably one with an old piano in it--sometimes you weren't as lucky. but you watched as doyoung's eyes moved faster than his fingers, reading the music as he played the black and white piano keys. you were almost jealous of his talents. envious of his ability to multitask so effortlessly but he interprets your gaze differently. patting the space on the bench next to him so you could sit--instead of standing with your back to the wall, stiff.

"i like to learn the notes by playing them and then singing them. makes it easier to correct. do you want to try?" your hands hover over the keys, scared to play any of them incorrectly. if you were being honest, you only knew the name of the notes on your phone, where the keys were labeled. "here, i'll show you."

you don't expect doyoung to put his hands on top of yours, guiding them to where he was previously playing. but the piano is the last thing on your mind. instead, thoughts of doyoung's soft skin and dainty fingers replace any and all rational thoughts from your brain.

"the note in between these black keys is d. if you look at the piano you will notice that the pattern repeats over and over again, so the notes only go a, b, c, d, e, f and g. and then back to a. the black keys are semitones--flat or sharp. it just depends on what key we're in, you know?" doyoung finally takes note of your flushed face, his hands immediately clammy on top of yours as he watches you chew your bottom lip anxiously. "(y/n)? did you get any of that?"

"uh-"

"is there a way for me to keep you concentrated?" your gaze drops down to his pouty lips, subconsciously licking your own as you stare them down. this doesn't go unnoticed by doyoung--who has been yearning for your affection since your practices together started. "kissing you?"

for a moment you thought you had shared your thoughts out loud--only to find that your lips were still shut. doyoung was the first to bring up a kiss. that could only mean that he wanted to. that it crossed his mind before it crossed yours. he leans in, with his hands still on top of yours. you're aware of his nearness. the way his cool breath hits your cupid's bow. the way he smells like baby powder--and a little bit like sweat from being in this room for so long. your eyes finally meet again which causes him to tilt his head, raising his eyebrows as if to ask you for a second time.

"here?" but you're the first one to close the gap, the first to meet your lips together. completely disregarding the glass door. completely disregarding that someone might walk by. but none of it matters--not when doyoung's lips feel heavenly. and he's drinking you up like you're a glass of iced tea on a hot summer day. you almost don't want to pull away. wanting to stay in his warmth even if the positioning was awkward. "we can practice at my place next time."

#HELLOOOOO #im loving all of the doyoung requests #he's my little bunny #i was in choir for like 7+ years #my knowledge might be limited idk i miss learning about music #nct #nct u #nct 127 #nct dojaejung #nct x male reader #x male reader #kim doyoung #doyoung x male reader #<3

[inaflashimagine]

control

The Scribe only operates on the principles of rationality. He's none too pleased when someone who steals his wine and requests for his academic support attempts to break that code. pairing: alhaitham x gn!reader wc: 8.3k enemies to lovers enemies, angst(?), smut (oral m. receiving) at the end, minor 3.1 mention about alhaitham & cyno's academic positions, mentions of zandik

Kaveh is many things, but a (good) thief is not one of them.

Then again, it’s hard to chastise the passionate architect for his poor robbery skills when your ability to quickly detect such petty crimes is as effective as a lethargic sumpter beast.

(Not that an Akademiya scholar like yourself needs such a skill set; you prefer leaving that work to the Corps of Thirty.)

Regardless, you should’ve been wary the minute you saw him exit Lambad’s tavern with not one or two but ten crates of wine. You didn’t blame the man for wanting to temporarily escape his financial burdens, but surely that amount of alcohol would drown him in his growing hole of debt.

And out of all the questions you could’ve asked, the first two that left your mouth was whether that’s all for him and if he’s throwing a party.

His eyes sparkled upon hearing the latter, for a pitiful joke was instead interpreted as a proposal to celebrate, “My stubborn, annoying roommate going on a business trip!”

“—And I’ve heard sooo many horror stories about his roommate,” you now explain to a rather large group of curious guests, faces that have blurred into a blob after many hours of gossiping, dancing, and finishing copious amounts of wine.

Even a drunk Kaveh couldn’t hold out much longer, snoozing on the couch as you resume your story. “It’s only been a month of them living together, but the dude sounds like a complete ass.”

“I’m sure the actions of the ‘complete ass’ are warranted, given that Kaveh stole his ten crates of wine.”

The voice sharply cuts through the air, the jubilant music ending to a screeching halt while you blink yourself out of your stupor.

After all, it’s not everyday that you find yourself confusedly staring at Sumeru Akademiya’s Grand Scribe at a house party.

“Haitham?” Your frown pales in comparison to the deepening scowl on his face, too baffled to find the puzzle pieces that everyone around you already connected. “Why are you here?”

“I could ask you the same thing, considering this is my house.”

“Oh,” is all you can initially muster with a shaky smile, his scorching glare after this response sufficient signal for you to stop.

Instead, you offer your nearly empty cup to the person you’ve unawarely insulted these past few minutes, and ask if he’d like the last few drops of his precious wine.

–

If you had known that Kaveh’s irritating roommate is the same scholar you need to consult with for your paper, you might've given last night’s actions a second thought.

“You’re a difficult person to locate,” is your first greeting to the man in question, shocked to have actually spotted him–or rather, that messy head of silver hair–working in an obscure corner of the House of Daena after running around Sumeru City all morning.

“That’s intentional,” Alhaitham responds curtly, his eyes refusing to leave the letter he’s currently writing.

“Right, makes sense,” you sigh, fingers fidgeting as you tentatively sit across from him, well aware that your presence is justifiably unwelcome. His impeccably neat handwriting flies across the page as you clear your throat and start, “Well, I know we’ve seen each other in passing, but I wanted to officially introduce myself—”

“Quite unnecessary. Unlike you, I have a good memory of how you presented yourself yesterday.”

The ‘ouch’ you mutter is just slightly loud enough for him to hear, but he steadily writes away, almost as if you’re a droning fly he’s trained himself to ignore.

“Which is why I want to apologize for how I acted last night—”

Alhaitham still hasn’t looked at you, but his derisive scoff is the first instance of breaking his impassivity. “I don’t care for your insincere apology. If that’s all you’re here for, then I suggest leaving now so more of my time isn’t wasted.”

The urge to bang his head onto the table becomes more alluring each second—you curl your fingers into fists as you ponder whether the instant gratification will outweigh the consequences you’d undoubtedly face from Katayoun. Based on the hushed rumors whispered among students, even the thunderous wrath of the Raiden Shogun is nothing compared to the librarian’s threats of cutting off access to thousands of books.

So you lean back into your seat and bite your tongue, recognizing that your frustration doesn’t stem from his constant interruptions or his unbearable air of indifference–though those fun traits certainly fuel the flames–but the realization that he’s right.

You’re not sorry about the things you said last night.

Alhaitham is an asshole, a fact that most if not all at the Akademiya agree on.

“Fine, then I’ll get straight to it,” you huff. “I need your help with a research project of mine.”

His fingers slightly tighten their grip on the quill as soon as you utter the word 'help', but the sentences that he pens still resemble the fluid strokes from before. “I wasn’t aware a thief such as yourself possessed the privilege to cash in favors.”

“I know I’m not a victim, but I truly thought the wine—which was quite tasty, I regrettably report—was Kaveh’s.”

“Ah, thank you for the much-needed clarification. I'll be sure to change the crime you're charged with to ‘sheer stupidity.’”

Archons, your patience is wearing thin. Maybe taking the parchment he's writing on or breaking his quill in half might make him actually shift his attention toward you.

Deciding to take the higher road instead, you press on. "Will you work with me if I give you one crate of wine? I can throw in another one as an apology for last night."

Those questions ultimately get him to look at you, his apathetic gaze making you instantly wish he could revert to his position of actively ignoring your presence.

His lips tug downward as he pretends to consider your offer. "I know you're a Dastur in the Amurta so math may not be your strongest suit, but even other researchers in your Darshan know basic arithmetic and the concept of equivalent exchange."

"It appears someone hasn't read my publications," you mutter before nursing your head, wondering whether it was time to abandon this loop of unproductive discussion.

"On the contrary. 'Impact of Duration and Distance of Withering Zone Exposure on the Severity of Eleazar' has meticulous data collection and organization that strongly support your hypotheses. I simply assumed Tighnari did most of the math, since visionless individuals like yourself are advised to stray from such dangerous areas."

"Well, your assumption is incorrect," you say hotly toward his dismissal of your hard work, ruefully remembering Kaveh warning you about Alhaitham's general distaste for those unfavored by the gods. How the most irksome man in all of Sumeru managed to receive such a coveted gift is an anomaly no researcher can ever rationally explain. "There's a reason why Tighnari is the second author, and why I'm the first."

"Why not ask your furry companion the Forest Watcher for assistance on your next project, then?" Alhaitham inquires with an exasperated sigh, a finger tapping impatiently.

"You think I willingly chose you over Tighnari? Trust me when I say that I'd rather get mauled by Rishboland tigers than continue talking to you." Though unable to rile up the Scribe, the roll of his eyes brings the smallest hint of satisfaction while you retrieve a few crinkled documents and photos from your satchel.

"But Tighnari doesn't specialize in ancient runes"–you shove the pictures toward Alhaitham's way, his eyes narrowing as he already begins to scrutinize the symbols depicted on the photographed stone–"and unfortunately, you do."

"'To be cursed with the scales of the demon means to succumb to eternal sleep,’" he translates quickly, flattening the picture before handing it back to you, an arched brow showing a glimpse of his piqued interest. "Circa four to five hundred years ago, at least. That's all I can tell from this blurry image. I'm assuming the ever-so-professional photographer who took this with their shaky Kamera skills is you?"

"It's not my fault I was being chased by mercs," you grumble, and you swear you spot a surprised, but impressed Alhaitham for the briefest millisecond. 

"Don't tell me you broke into that abandoned medical facility near Aaru Village?" Upon observing your sheepish expression, he lets out what you think might be an amused laugh. "Your face tells me you at least know the risks of such a nonsensical action.” 

“Hey, I’m no vision holder but I’m somewhat handy with a dagger. At least, good enough that I’m still alive after two trips to that maze of a place.”    

“Oh?” He tilts his head ever so slightly as you’re startled to hear his hum of approval. “I’ll have to hold you in higher regard, then."

You hate that your chest rapidly puffs up from that statement.

“Well, it was the valiant Sage Siman Farrokhzad who once said, 'Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.'"

The pregnant pause after your proclamation feels like the eternity all clamor for in Inazuma. The Scribe's eyes close, almost as if trying to match the quote to the alleged owner.

And once they open again, you find yourself drawn to the intense shades of blue and green swirling in his eyes, a clarity that rivals the untouched portions of the Yazadaha Pool.

"He never said that."

"He did."

"No, he never said that," Alhaitham confirms, an edge of impatience peeking through his unwavering tone, "and where are you going with this? This pet project of yours should be undertaken by a historian rather than a biomedicalist."

It takes nearly half an hour but finally, he's asking the important questions. The ones that make you lean in and look straight at the intimidating eyes of the hawk, your body buzzing with excitement at the prospect of disclosing a secret you've held on for far too long. "I do research at Bimarstan, and they do a thorough job of tracking a patient's medical history and clinical presentation. Yet Dr. Zakariya always tells us the clinic has no archive for the earliest cases. Which is strange, because how is one of Sumeru’s oldest, most devastating afflictions a mere footnote in our nation’s written history?

“So I submitted a request to Naphis, the Amurta Sage, and the Grand Sage asking for access to the ancient medical archives at the Akademiya. And guess what illness isn’t even mentioned on a singular page?”

“Eleazar,” he answers firmly, thinly pursed lips already connecting the dots.

(Not that you anticipated any less from the Grand Scribe, an expectation you rather keep quiet lest you stroke his ego.)

“Naphis and Azar told me to focus on studying current cases, but I’m tired of telling doctors and interns how to treat the symptoms.” You rise from your seat, eyes wide as you bang your hand on the table, not caring for the peers chastising you for your loudness. “By learning how Eleazar occurred in the first place, we can discover the root cause of this affliction and eradicate it!

“And it took months, but I’ve discovered redacted notes on a researcher named Zandik, whose expulsion from the Akademiya coincides with the first Eleazar outbreak. The Sages are hiding something, and I intend to find out exactly what that is.”

“How did you even find such notes?”

“You can see them for yourself,” you reply instead, your smug smile growing when his eyes briefly widen at your insinuation.

“You truly don’t understand the concept of equivalent exchange,” he derides, “if you think I’m going to accompany you on a prohibited trip to a medical facility that confers no benefit for me whatsoever.”

“Huh, something tells me that you’re more worried about the compensation as opposed to the illegality of this whole thing,” you whisper, his brisk ‘hmph’ that follows shortly after proving your hunch. “I’ll have you know I was going to offer more than just wine. A little dusk bird told me you’re on the hunt for a certain Knowledge Capsule.”

“This is the last time I tell Kaveh anything remotely useful,” he murmurs immediately, hands massaging his temple to avoid the impending headache from dealing with his and your irrational behaviors.

“He also may have told me that this suicide mission of yours is not for the sake of helping the higher-ups. I don’t even know why you want that thing all to yourself, but I’m not here to judge. Because we have a common enemy.”

He lays his chin on clasped hands, his fully undivided attention on you making the hairs on your skin crawl. “You do know the General Mahamatra can easily expel you for this? Conducting unauthorized research on Akademiya subsidies while simultaneously conspiring to undermine the very system supporting you…”

“Then it’s a good thing I’m talking to the Scribe instead of Cyno.”

That smirk of his confirms that you played your cards right. After all, no sane person would turn down one of the most powerful positions in Sumeru. Alhaitham declining the offer of General Mahamatra only to become a scribe to ‘quench his thirst for knowledge’ solidified his title as an Akademiya lunatic who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

And it’s the only way you’ll be able to work right under the noses of the Sages.

“So you have less than a minute to explain how you’ll get me the Capsule or the deal’s off.”

You slide back into your seat, unaware that you’d been so close to him that you could make out the golden flecks in his eyes. That’s the last distraction you need, not when this collaboration—or transaction, in his mind—might actually come to fruition.

“I can get you access to the Capsule, but not ownership of it. I know someone who’s in one of the brigades vying for the damn device—she’s already agreed to let you study it under heavy supervision if you agree to meet her beforehand.”

“Sounds like your friend has little faith in me,” he muses, that tiny unsettling smile of his serving sufficient reason for the stipulations in place.

“We both don’t,” you enunciate clearly, hoping your dislike for his shady nature is obvious, “but there’s no other choice. Are you in or out?”

The cogs turning in his head during the brief lapse of tense silence have you uneasy. With locks of hair blocking his already indecipherable eyes, you wonder if you’ve made a mistake coming here.

Uncrossing his arms, he gives a stiff nod and one last look at you before returning to his previous task of writing. “It’s good enough, I suppose. let me know when and where to meet.”

The finality in his voice marks the end of this conversation, a fact that should instantaneously flood you with relief and joy for acquiring his help on your work.

But as you bid a farewell to Katayoun and leave the suffocating air of the library, it’s impossible to shake off the feeling of dread in the pit of your stomach.

_

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

It is the tenth time Aya has asked you that in the span of an hour, and the upmteenth time your own brain has mulled it over. 

“Truthfully, I don’t know,” you breathe out, matching her concerned look as you place the wine bottle in the middle of the table. 

The lively chatter and calming music rising from the first floor of the tavern somewhat soothes your jangled nerves. But you’re not sure anything can prepare you for the meeting you two will have with Alhaitham.

“Don’t spill any more information from what I’ve already given him, the less he knows, the better,” you advise your friend, growing more worried with how she giggles at your warning. “This is some serious shit, Aya.”

Her toothy grin only seems to broaden at that, contributing to the glow of the faint light gently bathing her golden brown skin. “Relax, I think I can handle a prissy scholar from the Ivory Tower. I’ve done it before and I can do it again.”

“But you don’t know him like I do. He’ll do anything to get what he wants, even if it hurts others.”

You wish she can stop laughing so breezily at everything you’re saying.  

“Sure, this whole ordeal might be more catastrophic than the freaking Cataclysm, and I don’t know anything about him other than he’s suspicious as fuck and is a horrible roommate”–she grabs your hand, gives it a reassuring squeeze as her steely eyes soften with the contact–“but I know you. I won’t believe a single word that comes out of his mouth, but I trust you.”

You’re confused on why your chest constricts or how tears threaten to pool in your eyes, unsure how to proceed other than placing your other hand over her gloved one.

“Am I interrupting something?” cuts in a smooth voice that’s only grating to hear because of the person associated with it.

Just how much did he see?

“No.” Withdrawing your hand as if you just touched the tavern’s stove, you wonder if Aya appears more composed than your frazzled self currently feels.

Yet the only eyes you dare meet are the cold green ones that eerily glow in the dim lighting of the bar. Choosing not to expand on the topic, he betrays no emotion as he casually sits down, briefly adjusts his ostentatious cape, and nods toward the untouched bottle of wine. 

“I don’t know what else my impulsive roommate has told you, but it’ll take a whole lot more of that to get me drunk and disclose any Akademiya secrets.”

“Yeah, we’re fully aware, you alcoholic,” you mutter with an eye roll. “Now, let’s talk business.”

“Wow, I don’t even get to introduce myself?” Aya teases playfully, twisting the wine cap open as she pours the rich red liquor in everyone’s cup. “I hear an earful about this pretty boy over here and he knows zilch about me.”

“You’re Aya, an Eremite from the tourist-friendly Aaru Village with considerable standing among the brigade there and the go-to person for handling dicey negotiations. Though I suppose being the daughter of the faction leader has to have some influence in that.” The robot takes a sip of wine before reciting his next line. “You’re a tour guide during the day, mercenary at night. The former was how you two were able to meet, roughly a year ago. You also wield an ax, which is likely hidden under this table.”

Aya lets out an amused laugh before smiling sardonically at the blatant invasion of privacy that has your blood boiling. You can see her grip the handle of her weapon from underneath, holding onto it a bit tighter than usual. “Now I know you didn’t get all of that juicy stuff from the tiny device in your ear.”

“A scholar should never rely on just one source of information,” is all he cares to elaborate on the subject before his gaze shifts to you. “After all, it would be a waste of my time to not verify the legitimacy of your offer only to ultimately find out it was a fraud.”

Grinding your teeth, the only thing that keeps you from ‘accidentally’ spilling your drink all over him is the fact that you fished out a good amount of mora for this expensive wine. “Do you ever stop talking?”

He blinks, feigning innocence as he speaks, “Well how else do you expect me to answer your pointless questioning?” 

“Okay,” quickly interjects Aya, her eyes settled on an unfazed Alhaitham while she forces you back down to your seat, “we’re gonna discuss the plan so you shut that pretty little mouth of yours, yeah?”

“Not sure ‘pretty’ is the right word in this scenario,” you goad, not caring how bitter you sound. “Maybe annoying. Bothersome. Definitely punchable.”

“Is that what you think when you stare at my lips every five minutes?”

You know you should stop entertaining him, especially when you’re the only one who feels provoked. But that smirk of his makes your annoyance bubble into a simmering anger.

“Actually, I spend that time wondering how so much horseshit is able to come out of your–”

“Enough!” bellows Aya, the slamming of both hands on the table snapping you out of whatever ill-timed path of divine fury you were about to unleash on the Scribe. 

“He–”

“They–”

“Not. Another. Word!” Aya croaks out before letting out a haggard cough. 

Alhaitham suspiciously squints at the Eremite while you let out a meek apology, but there’s an unofficial, quiet agreement between the both of you to be silent while Aya explains the logistics for the upcoming weeks. 

“And you two are so lucky I’m babysitting your childish asses during this trip.”

Though her predictions for how this night would turn out came true, you just hope the Cataclysm portion of her statement stays theoretical. 

_

“It’s not too late to turn back.”

There’s no trace of malice in his tone. If anything, there might even be the faintest hint of understanding hidden underneath, though calling it empathy would be quite a stretch.

No matter the intention, your eye twitches with irritation, stiffening under his lingering stare while your gaze remains focused on the miles of scorching desert spanning the horizon.

You take a step forward, already sweating from the intense heat as you brace yourself for the next leg of your journey. “We should reach Aaru Village in two days, maybe one if we don’t get snagged up in those pesky sandstorms.”

“I’m not just referring to the physical portion of this trip,” he dares to tread, walking behind you almost as if he’s wary of stepping on your toes. “Mental distress will only impede progress.”

Jaw painfully clenched, you will yourself to exhale a hollow “I’m fine.”

“I’d believe that if you said anything beyond those two words in these past five days.”

Gripping the straps of your travel bag in frustration, you instantly halt, unsympathetic to the muffled ‘oof’ leaving Alhaitham as he averts an impending collision. 

Inhaling deeply, you turn around, squinted eyes seething at the expressionless man. “Sumeru can only handle one Drusus, so stop speaking in cryptic riddles and just spit it out.”

The Scarlet King must feel your ire, strong winds beginning to pick up as silver hair strands wildly flap around Alhaitham. Yet calm teal eyes bore right into you, an eagle observing its prey just before he swoops in.

“You’re not fit enough for this trip.”

Dry laughter seems like the only response you can muster at the moment, or at least the sole option that won’t immediately result in a physical exchange between the two of you. “Is that so?”

“It’s like your body never left Sumeru City. How can you call yourself a scholar when you let some weak girl easily distract you?” 

Something in you snaps, the broken dam ushering in a flood of frenzied rage not even observed in the angriest of anemo slimes. All you see is red, finding it hard to control your breathing as you approach the Scribe and jab a finger into his chest, growing further irritated when he doesn’t budge.

“No, no, no,” you begin quietly, coolly, quickly unable to maintain a steady volume when a certain person flashes in your mind. “I don’t give a flying fuck if you insult me. But never call Aya that.”

“So never tell the truth?” He swats the finger away while getting closer to you. “Those with Eleazar are fighting a losing battle. Hiding the scales with gloves was a smart move, but that cough gave it all away.”

“Aya’s not weak, she’ll be fine,” you protest, wincing at the crack in your voice. The last memory of her feverish figure begging for relief remains seared in your mind, a harrowing image that makes your blood run cold. “This latest episode was so sudden, but she’s been able to control it in the past. Dr. Zakariya promised me he’d do everything he could.”

His silence is damning.

“She’s not weak, she’ll make it.” The phrase leaves your mouth yet again, no longer certain if it’s Alhaitham you’re trying to convince. 

He studies you carefully, notices your pinched brows and clenched fists. Sees the way your shoulders, once stiff with anger, slowly start to deflate as you softly ask him, “Right?”

—

“Right?”

The Scribe blinks, spending an additional second to ensure he heard you correctly. Not only do his ears deceive him, but his vision must also be trapped under some illusion to be seeing one of the most certain and confident scientists he’s met look anything but. 

And it’s getting harder to concentrate with this sweltering heat, difficult to proceed with his usual rationale when he’s practically breathing in your quivering breaths. 

So he takes one large step backward, futilely trying to ground himself in the sand. Reminding himself that the real reason he’s here is for the Divine Knowledge Capsule, not for you.

Hoping his countenance adopts the rehearsed neutrality found in his voice when he tells you, “Only the fittest survive.” 

It’s a perverse fascination to watch thousands of emotions flit across your face from just a singular phrase—hope turning into despair, shock melting into sadness, confusion devolving into pure anger. No experiment or controlled research setting could reproduce such raw feelings. In fact, he can’t even remember the last time someone has looked at him with anything other than annoyance. 

But in that crestfallen face he easily identifies a familiar sentiment beginning to crystallize in your eyes. Unlike your other rapidly successive emotions, this one doesn’t even need half a second of analysis to detect it. 

Because he’s been at the receiving end of it for years.

Hatred.

“Fuck you, Haitham,” you hiss, teeth bared back. 

“I’m being realistic. Which is why I’ll repeat that it’s not too late to turn back.”

You turn on your heel and stalk forward with a renewed vigor, refusing to spare another glance at him while vowing to finish this journey. “This work is going to help Aya, and Celestia will fall before I let a pathetic asshole stop me.”

Alhaitham snorts, shortly following behind you as he activates his Akasha terminal and makes a mental note to review more literature on hate as a motivating factor. 

_

Pervasive thoughts always sound loudest at night, especially when the only thing competing for attention in the vast desert is the occasional howl of a jackal and the low crackle of the fire keeping you warm once the sun had retired. 

It’s why you always travel with two notebooks–one for charting observations, generating hypotheses, and making calculations. 

And the other for daily reflection. 

The brilliantly starry night allows you to peruse what you’d hurriedly scribbled after that fiasco at Lambad’s Tavern, just after Alhaitham left. The words that Aya had told you after she pulled you aside, concerned eyes roaming over your silently fuming face.

“You are the one in control, not him. Never forget that.”

Yet it’s the “But am I really?” that’s written right underneath the quote that makes you smile wryly.

“How do I show him that?” quickly follows, the large words encompassing the rest of the page.

That question has invaded every waking moment of the day. An unceasing jeer that continues to mock you while eyeing the sleeping scholar, who decided to sit against the rock walls rather than doze in the makeshift tent you assembled. 

The man that has you doubting your sanity.

It was a mistake to volunteer for the first shift, albeit the logical decision due to feeling the most awake.

Because in the dark, no one can judge where your hyperactive mind and eyes wander. How you unabashedly stare at his tranquil face before ogling at the defined arm not covered by his dramatic cape, reminded of all the self-restraint it took earlier today to not gawk at his toned upper body when he peeled off his extra layer of clothing.

How your eyes secretly admire the lining of his abs that peek through his mesh shirt, increasingly confused on whether the Akademiya imposes harsh fitness standards for a job that tends to focus on writing rather than fighting.

“Strange–I didn’t peg you to be a creep.”

Heat rises to your face as your eyes meet sharp, green ones that seem way too alert for a slumbering man.

Despite the absolute mortification, you snap your notebook shut as you muster the most unperturbed expression you can. “I was just making an observation, one that actually supports a hypothesis I have.”

His eyebrows raise just slightly, lips parting and barely quirking at the corners as he challenges, “Did you find what you were looking for?”

“Yes, actually.” You refuse to break from the stare, ready to carefully measure his reaction. “My happiness is associated with a decreased amount of having to hear you talk.”

Admittedly, you’re a bit upset to see that the most you get out of him is an eye roll. 

“Absolutely riveting,” he remarks, the sarcasm heavily dripping off each syllable. “I believe someone else drew a similar conclusion when we had to work together for a class assignment.”

“Cyno never did like you,” you chuckle, laughing even harder when Alhaitham sends you a mildly puzzled, but curious, look. 

“How did you guess that correctly when I never even mentioned his name?”

You rub your hands for warmth before getting a bit closer to the flames, unable to wipe off your wistful smile as you fondly recall a memory. “Though you have a long list of people who dislike you, I’ll never forget Cyno ‘sharing his findings’ before you two broke into a fight in the library. It was his first and last funny joke.”

“I almost forgot about that.” Alhaitham stares into the fire, a trace of a smirk on his lips. “First time we nearly got expelled.”

“Of course you’d forget–you two fight more than a horde of hilichurls stealing each other’s zaytun peaches.” 

“Not an exact comparison, but if you liken a zaytun peach to researcher autonomy, then yes, I suppose I must frequently remind the General Mahamatra to exercise more restraint when delivering punishments.”

“Why must you be so self-righteous,” you sigh, resigned to pinching the bridge of your nose while he continues to blabber about the benefits of autonomous research. “Good to hear you still don’t heed my and Cyno’s advice of knowing when to be quiet.” 

“Don’t act like you don’t agree with me, especially with the type of project you’re carrying out.”

“Of course I’m all for researchers having ultimate control over their interests and own work, but let’s not pretend the Sages and matra don’t side with you as well. They exercise their autonomy everyday with all the secret side projects they’re performing. They just don’t like it when those below them try to practice that same right.”

He sits with that for a while, the fire casting an eerie glow on his face and orbs pensive as he admits, “I’ve never considered that point of view.”

You dare laugh, though your chest burns with aggravation. “That’s because you say you’re open to hearing other people’s thoughts when you’re only concerned with proving your own!”

“Make no mistake, I do listen to different perspectives, but only one can be deemed the most rational. It’s not my fault if people don’t like the outcome.”

“The world isn’t so cut and dried as you make it seem. What happens when you can’t rationalize the irrational?”

“How many times does such a scenario even occur?”

You huff indignantly. “We’re talking about the human race with its erratic behavior, I’d say pretty often.” 

“Name an example, then, if you’re so adamant.”

There is one that’s glaringly obvious in your mind. A situation you’re still not sure how to respond to, since the method of rationality only makes it more perplexing and leaves you increasingly frustrated. 

But he’s the last person you’d divulge such matters to.

“Come up with your own, you irritating slime,” you grumble instead, tiredly rubbing your eyes as you gratefully accept the wave of exhaustion starting to hit you. 

“Figured as much. It’s my shift now, you should sleep instead of starting yet another tirade I have to begrudgingly sit through.”

“You like hearing them,” you counter with closed eyes after laying under the tent, words so jumbled they’ve melted into one. “Once this trip is done, you’re gonna miss arguing with someone who’s not Kaveh.”

If he says anything else it’s for his ears only, your head finally able to block those pestering thoughts.

_

“Are you certain this is the correct location?”

You understand Alhaitham’s insistence for confirmation, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be vexed from the persistent grilling.   

Your arms wildly gesticulate to the disintegrating building you two are currently traversing, sand occupying every nook and cranny of the desolate hallways now that the windows that once offered protection have turned to pieces of broken glass crunching under each of your steps.

“Hmmm, why don’t you hazard a guess? Or will you only be able to tell when this crumbling place caves in on us?”

“I thought it was a logical choice to defer to the one who’s been here more than once.” From your periphery you see him stretch his arms languidly while he lets out a long, resigned sigh. “Now I’m doubting whether you’ve actually been here. I’m positive we walked in a circle.”

“I was checking the perimeter to make sure we’re the only ones here.”

“Right…”

“Oh, shut up,” you mutter. Yet any shred of disgruntlement is instantly replaced by the triumphant smile that splits across your face once you spot the narrow, barely-trodden trail leading to your destination. 

The only thing that gets Alhaitham to stop complaining is when you reach the end of the long tapered hallway, the Scribe in disbelief when you kick open a door to a seemingly untouched room.

He can already tell no one has been here save for the few times you’ve stumbled upon this space that appeared to be an office study. Dust and a bit of sand thinly coat bookshelves, cabinets, a haphazardly erased blackboard, and a desk littered with tattered pages and stone tablets.

“Mercenaries usually pilfer items that fetch a high amount of mora, like medical equipment that was left behind or old medication they can trick their customers into buying.” You usher Alhaitham to the desk, attempting to pile the scattered notes and shake off the dirt and sand on the invaluable material. “We’re fortunate enough that they think this is useless.”

His slender fingers brush over the cool, dark slab, tracing the inscribed message before casting an amused glance your way. “One person’s trash is a scholar’s treasure.”

It’s the first time he’s seen you look at him without even the slightest hint of disgust, pure mirth swimming in your eyes as your lips curl into a satisfied grin. You can never deny the passion of an excited researcher. “Exactly. Now let’s get to work.”

The next few hours surprisingly go off without a hitch, finally able to understand the numerous documents and stones you’ve cataloged on your previous trip. You feverishly write down all of Alhaitham’s translations, ensuring to retake better pictures for future analysis.

“Wait, repeat what you just said,” you interrupt, the first sentence you’ve said in the past hour after only speaking in scattered ‘hmm’ and ‘uh-huh’ during your note taking. 

The Scribe rolls his head from side to side, stretching stiff muscles before peering down at his magnifying glass again. “‘Those afflicted with the scales of demons must embark the treacherous journey into the Woods.’”

“They must be referring to Apam Woods, but why?” You rack your addled brain for any clues you must’ve missed. “It’s not like Nilotpala Lotus grows there…”

Alhaitham shakes his head, “I’m no Forest Watcher, but the medical notes we translated a few minutes ago don't mention anything native to that area.”

“Hold on.” Standing up, you scramble back to the desk where he is, sifting through one of the earlier pages in an intern’s worn notebook before enthusiastically jabbing at the desired one and nearly tearing a hole in the process. “There, page eighteen, you said something about a green-haired person.”

He thinks about making a sly comment about ruining the evidence but bites his tongue, deciding to play along for once. “‘A peculiar, but handsome green-haired man stopped by earlier today. His request to examine children with the scales of the demons was swiftly denied by Doctor Farrokh, despite the enraged man’s insistence that he found the key to eternal longevity. He stormed out of our clinic not long after. I hope he never returns, lest he bother the crying children once more.’” 

“This might sound crazy,” you say slowly, hesitantly preparing yourself for the onslaught of insults and rebuttals, “but I think that peculiar man is Zandik.”

Alhaitham stares at you incredulously. “What possibly led you to that conclusion?”

You pace around the room, fingers ticking down every piece of evidence you rapidly list, “Based on redacted notes I mentioned before, Zandik disappeared right before the first cases of Eleazar broke out. Then there’s these ragged records I found in Apam Woods that detail the effects of the Withering Zone on children subjects. It may seem like a stretch, but I think Zandik not only started the outbreak but also tried to find a cure for it by experimenting on anyone he could find! Maybe he was trying to find a way to increase his life expectancy and created a monster instead! Maybe he was patient zero! Or maybe–”

“Do you realize how mad you sound right now?”

“I only sound insane because there’s still a few missing pieces! Once I find them…”

“How, by talking to Zandik himself?”

Before you can negate that facetious remark, the sound of crunching glass outside and a muffled, “Do you hear something?” cause you to freeze.

“Yeah, I think it’s coming from this hallway. Wanna check it out?”

“Fuck,” you whisper, frantically trying to stuff as many notebooks as possible into your satchel. 

“Enough of that,” Alhaitham chides, jumping over the desk as multiple footsteps get louder. Roughly grabbing your hand, you startle at his forceful kick that opens the door, timely sucking the air out of the mercenaries’ chest while the both of you gain a few rare seconds to hightail it out of there.

“You don’t even know where you’re going!” you yell at him when he turns left instead of right. Planting both feet into the ground, you try to take back your hand he has a vice grip on. 

He nearly falls backwards, promptly turning around to show a face not devoid of emotion but displaying the briefest glimpses of outrage and confusion. “What are you doing?!”

Yet it’s no longer just the two of you, hearing the shouting of the charging Eremites getting clearer as they close the gap. 

You duck your head at someone trying to slash you with his dual blades, glancing at Alhaitham before stabbing the merc with your dagger. “I’m trying to find an escape route, since your navigation skills suck!”

The Scribe unsheathes his sword and stands between you and the rest of the vanguard, parrying any blows before he calmly says, “Then any day now would be ideal.”

Though you can hear his patience eroding over time, one man against at least five while you try to search for the map you drew in your notebook last time.

“You’re seriously”–he kicks a man twice his size to the floor, using that momentum to cut two nearby mercs–“going over”–he deflects again, then flicks his sword up from the ground to blind another with sand–“your notes”–his eyes widen upon nearly losing his head, one of them cutting off a few strands of his hair with a hydro-infused weapon–“right now?”

“Found it!” you exclaim, gesturing to him to follow you while running through the hallways.

But you can’t help but briefly wonder if the matra hired these mercenaries to take you out, another group of them blocking the exit you were planning to take.

“Where to now?” Alhaitham presses, though it didn’t take a genius to calculate the low odds of making it out alive.

“Let’s hope this works.” You grab a small device from the corner of your satchel, activating it with the press of a button before throwing it at the ground.

Smoke heavily fills the air, coughing heard everywhere as you hectically try to find Alhaitham’s gloved hand. When you do, you quickly charge forward, elated to reach the back entrance of the building while most of the smoke hasn’t cleared yet.

“You made that smoke bomb?” Alhaitham asks in between breaths, both of you still running to seek some other shelter after leaving those ruins.

“No,” you gasp, regretting for storing so many heavy books in your bag, “Dori sold it to me at a discounted price.”

“Why am I not surprised?” he tiredly mumbles, before pointing to the hotels of Aaru Village that you can barely make out in the distance. “On top of an extra crate of wine to compensate for almost killing us, you’re also paying for both of our hotel rooms tonight.”

Nothing else is said throughout the half-hour jog, the Scribe refusing to spare a glance at you as he decides that now–the only time you wish he can say anything, something for archon’s sake–is when he’ll opt for discomforting silence.

Just great.

_

After that minor hiccup during your research, you thought you’d be able to end the rest of your day unscathed. Maybe have time to further expand on the Zandik theory you initially formulated.

Alhaitham seemed to have other plans, knocking on your hotel room door in less than a minute of settling into your respective lodgings.

Maybe your first mistake is to let in the seething man, but you don’t want to pay further hotel fees, much less ones for broken furniture. 

“Can I at least shower before I have to listen to you yatter?” 

He peels off his bothersome cape in frustration before his long legs quit pacing, the quick turning of his heel allowing you to receive the daggers the tall man mercilessly glares at you.

“Do you realize how close you were to dying?”

Though said with a suspicious layer of calm, the anger that peeks through sends a downright chilling shiver down your spine. The tension is so stifling that you’re not even sure his sword can cut through it. You’ve never seen him like this, intimidating, green eyes electrified with an overbearing fury that makes you prefer to be back at the medical facility fighting against the mercs. 

The only thing that keeps you from cowering in fear is your own red hot rage thrumming in your veins, curled fists by your side as you stalk toward him.

“How close I was to dying? Don’t act like you’re my knight in shining armor. I held my own weight, I got us out of there!”

Alhaitham wearily rubs his closed eyes, clearly exasperated as he utters, “Your impulsivity is so troublesome to deal with.”

“Oh, fuck off! Of course someone like you would say that!”

 “I’m only telling the–”

“If you say the word ‘truth’ one more time…” The threat comes out meekly, the sound of your pounding heart overpowering your strained voice. 

“I’m being honest.”

The nerve…

Yet you continue to be lured in, painfully aware how every cell in your body is screaming at you to leave. To extinguish the flames of this impending disaster before you’re engulfed in them.

You lean in further.

“You’re insufferable,” you whisper furiously.

Soft strands of silver hair tickle your cheek.

“And you’re impossible.”

The tips of your noses barely touch.

“Shut up, Haitham.” 

It’s the last breath you take before your lips crash with his.

The kiss is sloppy and aggressive and intoxicating. Teeth clash, the quiet groan leaving his parted mouth sending sparks of heat straight to the pit of your stomach. You harshly grab both sides of his face when you can’t tell where his tongue begins and yours end, hoping to steady yourself as he steals all your remaining breaths and your lungs fill to the brim with his exhales.

He pushes you against the wall, hard, rough hands pulling your hips against his as he takes his anger out on your neck. Your whimpers encourage him to bite harder, to suck until all the sounds his ears can hear only come from you.

This is bad. Illogical. Fucking insane. The last thing he should be doing, and he tells you such when the last functioning part of his brain finally urges him to break away from your neck.

“We should stop,” he barely makes out, knowing full well how fake it sounds.

So you pull his face in again to kiss him more, one of his hands squeezing your ass as the other wraps around the back of your neck. Blood rushes to his thighs when he feels another roll of your hips, a dull ache in his throbbing cock as it strains against your body.

“Fuck,” he moans pathetically as you reach down to palm him through his pants. It’s a sound you want to hear again, to rile out of him until his voice is too hoarse to say anything else. 

The man can hardly register anything under this hazy cloud of desire until he feels his back pressed against the wall and sees you sink down to your knees.

“What,” he gulps, eyes rolling back when your tongue runs over his covered bulge, “What are you doing?”

Mischievous eyes bat innocently at him, your soft laugh an addicting sound he simultaneously craves to block out and hear on loop as he feels you tug down his pants and briefs.

“Aren’t you the Akademiya genius?” you tease him, Alhaitham having to suppress a groan when the heat of your mouth hits his cock. “What does it look like I’m doing, Haitham?”

Fuck. He doesn’t care for the whine that instantly leaves his trembling body. He wants you to say his name again. Needs you to cry it out while he stuffs you with his cock. Until he fucks you so hard you can’t think about that girl with Eleazar and annoying him with your research.

Until the only word you know is his name.

But–

“We shouldn’t–” 

“Why? Because it’s irrational?” You spit into your palm before stroking his length, the precum leaking from the tip now all over your fingers. The searing touch makes him squeeze his eyes shut, and you grin. “Too impulsive for you?” 

He inhales sharply through gritted teeth.

“Because–” 

His mind desperately claws at nothing, gaping mouth only able to form scattered sounds, fractured grunts.

“Because it feels good?” you finish for him, feeling his shaft pulse with need. “Because I’m in control?”

That’s the only warning he gets before the flat of your tongue traces the underside of his cock. Before you reach the head and trap it between those sinful lips. 

Before you swallow him whole, his dick twitching in your throat as you take it all in, the tip of your nose nudging against his sensitive hipbone.  

His head heavily thuds against the wall as he finally caves into the pleasure spreading every inch of his body. You’re grateful he can’t see the tears pricking in your eyes as your head bobs faster, fingernails digging half crescents into his skin as you suck down to the base again. 

He’s a mess, his strangled groans drowning out your gags when he ruts into you. When he pulls back you press on forward, guiding his hand to the back of your head so his overwhelmed mind has something to hold onto. 

And it feels so good. The sleeve of your throat feels tighter, and he sucks in another shallow breath. You feel so good, constantly repeating it in that empty head of his with your mouth choking on his cock as you bury it further. 

Fuck, fuck, he can’t hold it in. “Ah–I’m gonna–” 

He comes almost immediately, unloading straight into the back of your throat, swallowing as much as you can before thick, white spurts land around your lips. 

Spent, he tries to rest against the wall, a futile attempt to catch the breaths that his bewitched self willingly let you take from him. 

But you’re already standing up, wobbly knees straightening as you dive in for another sloppy kiss, the faint taste of his cum tainted on your tongue. 

He pulls aways, as if to say something. 

Yet nothing comes out.

“Cat got your tongue?” you taunt, licking your shiny lips before ‘consoling’ with a wicked smile. “Had I known this would get you to shut up, I would’ve done it sooner.”

His eyes narrow, stomach churning with a disconcerting flurry of anger, desire, and hatred.

So much hatred.

“Get. Out,” he manages to bite out, annoyed at how weak he sounds. 

“I mean this is my room.” He wants to wipe that little smirk off your face, wants to shake your shoulders senseless when you dare shrug at him. “But if it makes you happy, I guess I can take the other one before we go back to the facility tomorrow.”

“No,” he rasps, watching your figure freeze as you reach for the door, “I never want to see you again.” 

Only his furious breaths can be heard, the slight tilt of your head showing you contemplating a response.

“Don’t lie to yourself,” you answer simply, plainly. 

And without another word you shut the door, Alhaitham filled with self-loathing over the realization that you’re right.

#alhaitham x reader #al-haitham x reader #genshin impact x reader #alhaitham smut #al haitham x reader #genshin x reader

[icarusbetide]

the hamburr moment in nonstop and why it's the turning point for their relationship

i read a great post about musical hamburr by @just-mebs and how burr's actions after the war can be interpreted as a desperate longing to regain hamilton's respect, attention, admiration after hamilton has already moved on. i wanted to point out that musical burr did get a second chance to regain that affection, and he didn't take it.

during non-stop, hamilton knocks on burr's door in the middle of the night -a private, vulnerable setting- and tells him, straight-up, that he's the better lawyer; that he wants burr on his side, writing the federalist papers with him. when burr rejects it, hamilton tries to persuade him one more time: "do you support this constitution? then defend it". but burr? he says he's going to wait to see which way the wind will blow, and that's that. hamilton moves on from burr and this moment is the final blow that did it.

it's so ironic that in the middle of the song where musical burr is literally narrating all the times that hamilton is beginning to surpass him, there's an interlude where hamilton offers a hand for burr to join him (as true partners who complement each other if we put our hamburr goggles on), and he doesn't get it.

also, the laurens interlude comes on right before non-stop. once again putting our hamburr glasses on: john laurens is the passionate, go-getter that hamilton ditched burr for during my shot - we can assume that if laurens had lived, hamilton would've just written the federalist papers with him. but no. laurens dies, so hamilton turns to his old friend/crush/mentor/rival for help and partnership, who doesn't see the opportunity for what it is.

aaron burr's biggest obstacle, john laurens, drops dead, and he still fumbles the ball.

this moment in non-stop is a crucial one that's often overlooked, probably because it's quick, and burr never mentions it again because it's insignificant: to him, it's just another time when he was being cautious. but for hamilton, it's the moment when he decided that this guy isn't going to change. the war is over, their physical lives aren't at risk, but burr is still incapable of taking a stand when it matters. it adds more context as to why hamilton's angry and uncooperative when burr runs against his father in law and later runs for president. he's convinced that burr doesn't stand for anything except himself. (and in the musical, honestly for good reason. his big i want song is about being "in the room where it happens". he never says for what. he never explains what he wants to do in the room, not like jefferson or madison who want to "stand up for the south".)

so by the time act 2 rolls around, hamilton has already dismissed burr. he pushes him aside saying "decisions are happening over dinner." burr is resentful? jealous? missing hamilton's admiration and respect? and he thinks that he can regain it by simply being open and forceful - going "i learned that from you" while campaigning for president. he's still missing the bigger picture. it's not about being aggressive and forceful. it's about having a conviction to be forceful about.

this blindness on musical burr's part also impacts how audiences relate to him because i hear so many times that "omg burr just wanted to be in the room where it happens, and hamilton kept it from him :(". burr's the one who rejected that shot - and he didn't need it, because he does technically end up where he wanted! he's there during the cabinet battles, he's dancing and prancing with the jefferson-madison duo, but they aren't a true trio. he's not in the room because he doesn't add anything to it. that inability has nothing to do with hamilton's sabotage, and everything to do with why he's not admired or seen as a true confidant like in the old days.

mandatory disclaimer: this is fully about musical hamilton, a lot of this is entirely fiction and separate from the historical figures!

#oh musical hamburr you delightful greek tragedy #hamburr #alexander hamilton #aaron burr #hamilton #hamilton musical #amrev

[one-million-kruge]

my six of crows hcs

I need to read Crooked Kingdom but I can't for at least another week and it's killing me so take this very self indulgent list

Kaz Brekker

-He finds it really hard to apologize so he literally buys a gazillion super expensive gifts for whichever Crow, refuses to elaborate, and walks away. Matthias is mystified by this.

-Kaz hates emotional attachments with people because he could easily lose them like he lost Jordie, so he made them with his cane and gloves instead.

-For a while as a coping mechanism, Kaz legitimately treated 'Rietveld' Kaz and 'Brekker' Kaz as two different people. When he was triggered by something or other he told himself it was Rietveld messing with him.

-He researched Saints so that he could know and understand Inej's religion, even though he had no obligation to. He also pretends he hates hearing her talking about it but just hearing the passion in her voice makes Kaz happy.

Inej Ghafa

-Similarly to Kaz, she has emotional attachments to her knives because after her time at the Menagerie it became really hard for her to trust people.

-Inej learned how to walk silently at the Menagerie because she needed to sneak around in order to get stuff she needed to survive, whether it be food or something to stitch herself up with.

-She enjoys being on the sea because it gives her a sense of freedom similar to how acrobatics made her feel.

-Inej has never once pitied Kaz, just felt anger for what others (*cough cough* pekka rollins) had done to him. Every time she sees him panic she feels a mixture of sadness and pure rage.

Jesper Fahey

-Jesper has a diary because he feels emotions in a very big way and he needs some way to get them out. He hides it under his bed and let me tell you it is bright pink.

-When he is stressed (often) he plays with his guns. Like, safety on, but he flips them around in his hands and whatever because it reminds him of his mother and her memory makes him feel safe.

-When on heists, Jesper legit takes any opportunity to wear high heels. There is no need to. The Crows make fun of him for it. He does not care.

-Jesper is typically very fidgety but whenever he's near Wylan he's just automatically much calmer. Wylan is like Milo for his stress but better. It's even better when he's touching Wylan in some way, shape, or form.

Wylan Van Eck

-If Wylan hears a phrase or saying or something of the like that he thinks is nice or cool, he writes it in musical notes (similarly to how he labels chemicals and such) and tacks it up on a wall or something.

-When he was younger and his father would use horrible tactics to try and get him to be able to read, he just took it and assumed it was normal because he didn't have a frame of reference (not being able to read books or make friends very well). Some days he felt he deserved it.

-Wylan loves symbolic art because it's a way for him to take in a story without having to read it. He loves making up interpretations of symbolic paintings and connecting unrelated ones into a continuous story.

-He is really not assertive at all and finds it hard to read the room, so Wylan always asks Jesper before he does anything affectionate. He sometimes gets embarrassed about it, but Jesper always reassures him that it's very cute and sexy of him.

Nina Zenik

-Nina is bisexual (canon) and in terms of her preferences she finds women to be hotter, but she loves men beyond physical attraction more often. Whenever people try to tell her that she's straight because of that she either punches them or knocks them out for a few minutes depending on how she's feeling that day.

-Nina loves fucking with people by speaking a language to them that they don't speak and then gaslighting them into thinking that she was speaking the language they do speak.

-She is like the #1 hype squad for Inej, and it's literally the only thing that Kaz and her can agree on. They literally get into compliment battles but they're complimenting Inej.

-Nina finds it hilarious how actually innocent Matthias is, so sometimes when they speak, she makes progressively more lewd innuendos to see how long it takes for him to catch on.

Matthias Helvar

-Matthias is super gullible and will believe almost anything someone tells him unless it is far too outlandish to be true. The rest of the Crows (bar Inej and Wylan) use this to their advantage often.

-Back when he hunted Grisha, everyone else said he was most definitely the least likely to become a traitor but also the most likely to be the nicest to the Grisha. Guess where they were wrong.

-Matthias tries his best to be mischievous and absolutely fails every time. He just feels bad about it and so he immediately apologizes even though all of his "mischief" isn't even that bad.

-Whenever Nina needs anything, Matthias will immediately do it/get it for her. Whether it's getting a book off of a shelf that she can't quite reach or committing homicide, he is always ready and willing.

#ugh i love them so much #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #kanej #jesper fahey #wylan van eck #wesper #nina zenik #matthias helvar #helnik #six of crows #soc #grishaverse #headcanon #i seriously need to read crooked kingdom. #not on this list but jesper and nina would be the biggest swifties #and kaz would know every lyric to every song purely because jesper would listen to her so much #rambles #six of crows headcanons

[spaceyhiyyihlight]

am i the only one who thinks that Eungyeol is being a bit dramatic when it comes to his role in the family?

obviously i realize that it was hard for Eungyeol to grow up as the only hearing person in his family – he had to interpret uncomfortable adult conversations, suffer the abelism against his family, and take on the extra responsibility of looking after his brother's safety, but most of his problems were amplified internally by childhood dramatics and teenage angst. he never actually had to hide his passion for music, and his family was never holding a grudge against him for "almost killing them because of music".

during the argument with his dad, he emotionally speaks about not being an interpreter, fire alarm, or an angel, but just him. the way he says it implies that he'd been dehumanized, or had his childhood cut short by taking responsibility for his family, but that's not really in line with the childhood we've seen so far in the first two episodes. His family is actually so sweet to him!

His parents loved him to death and never (from what we can see in the episodes so far) stopped Eungyeol from doing what he loved just to take care of them or Eunho. His mom even noticed his grades suddenly slipping in combo with him having a split lip and told him to tell her about it when he's ready. DO YOU REALIZE HOW RARE IT IS for an Asian mom to have so much respect for her children's boundaries like that ??

Eungyeol hid learning and playing the guitar from his family because he was worried it would make them feel bad, but Eunho had zero negative reaction, and their dad implied that he wasn't upset with Eungyeol for playing music. He was only mad because the ex-landlord lady told him Eungyeol was smoking and doing drugs 😭

giving him the title "angel" was probably the worst thing his dad ever did to him. he told child Eungyeol that if the whole family was in trouble, he would save him first, because Eungyeol was the only family member who can get help for the others. Eungyeol took it to mean "i'd only save you because you're useful", because he was only a child with a child brain, but it was OBVIOUSLY his father's way of telling his wife and kids that he wouldn't choose any of them over the others.

#twinkling watermelon #twinkling watermelon ep2 #kdrama

[slavghoul]

Short interview with Joe & Tobias from Rolling Stone l’Hebdo n°113

They've been listening to each other for years, but Joe Elliott (Def Leppard) and Tobias Forge (Ghost) only recently met to record a new collaborative version of the hit 'Spillways'. The connection was immediate. The two musicians show that despite the generation that separates them, their passion and talent are in tune.

Joe Elliott: The intro to "Spillways" reminded me of "Jane" by Jefferson Starship or "Hold The Line" by Toto. That's what I like! When I joined my band, I had the whole legacy of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, who had the rock in them, but they never forgot the melody. "Spillways" is for me the perfect hybrid of what people expect from Ghost and what they don't.

Tobias Forge: I was partly formed with underground extreme metal, where the music is more atonal, loud, brutal and fast, that's why Ghost has this evil aura about it. But I also grew up with AOR. Ghost combines those two elements. I wanted Ghost to be like a 70's band trying to create music that was futuristic and scary at the same time. I love "Jane" by Jefferson Starship. I play it on the drums as part of my gig prep routine.

Joe Elliott: I remember when I discovered this song. In the UK, as a young adult, we didn't have rock on the radio, apart from a show on Friday nights between 10pm and midnight when no one was listening, and on Sunday afternoons when everyone was away at the football match. "Jane" made the top 40, not many rock songs have had that. As well as being a great single, "Jane" is an exemplary vocal performance!

Tobias Forge: I never saw myself as a singer, I became one by force of circumstance...

Joe Elliott: Me too!

Tobias Forge: Of course, I love punk and other less vocally demanding music, but one of the things that makes AOR stand out from the crowd is the incredible talent of the singers, whether it's bands like Journey, Foreigner, Kansas...

Joe Elliott: It turns out that my favourite singers aren't really singers, but they get their talent from their interpretation of the lyrics. Steve Walsh from Kansas could sing the phone book, but my favorites are the ones that make my hair stand on end, like lan Hunter, Joe Strummer, Michael Monroe... These guys may be screamers, but they know how to interpret the lyrics. When "School's Out" came out, people wondered if Alice Cooper was singing or barking. When asked what I wanted to do, I said I wanted to be somewhere between Phil Mogg, Bon Scott, Phil Lynott and Gary Holton, with influences from Alice Cooper and Johnny Rotten. We can't all be Freddie Mercury. When I listen to myself on the album On Through The Night (1980), I hear a guy drowning. He does his best, but he doesn't have it all together. Mutt Lange later helped me to find my voice, and from then on I was on my way, it just took me longer than most singers. But you Tobias, you can sing! To hell with humility!

Tobias Forge: I think half the work comes from being comfortable with your voice. I've learned to love working with it. My "hit radar" doesn't always work, sometimes there's that magic moment when a song screams that it's going to be a hit. This was the case with "Spillways" or "Square Hammer". But "Cirice" wasn't originally intended to be a hit, I wanted to make it more progressive. When I played it to my daughter, she said it was her favourite. That's how the song was redesigned as a single, which got us a Grammy! Success is very hard to determine when you're writing, it's the audience that decides. On the other hand, I couldn't understand why "Mary On A Cross" didn't do so well. But in the end, it just took it a little longer.

Joe Elliott: We all say to each other in Def Leppard, "In a parallel world, this song would be a hit". It turns out that nowadays, hits don't happen the way they did in our time. It used to be that you'd make a single, it'd get picked up, played on the radio, and then you'd make a video for it and it'd be on MTV. Everything has changed since then. It just so happens that the Bank Of Dave movie has completely resurrected our song "Kick". When we did that song, we knew it was going to be the first single from Diamond Star Halos. We felt the same way about "Fire It Up" (on the same album) and "This Guitar". We've never questioned our songwriting skills, which get better with time. Some of our big hits still leave us confused! (laughs) As Tobias said, we play some of our songs to our kids and if they say "play that one again", we're onto something. They know better because they have the heart, they don't calculate anything.

Tobias Forge: That's what I say to people who tell me they can't write a song. It doesn't matter, it's what you feel that counts. The Ramones wrote some very direct songs, but a lot of them weren't that successful. While ABBA wrote some pretty technical songs, a lot of them are pretty hard to play. They made their songs accessible, especially with the vocal melodies. A lot of people in pop say "don't make it too complicated". Yes, do make it complicated if the song demands it! You have to follow your instincts.

Joe Elliott: We musicians are a special breed. As soon as we started talking it was like we'd known each other for ten years. I also hope that one day we can sit down with our guitars and a bottle of wine and see what comes out.

#the band ghost #tobias forge #interview #joe elliott #petition to make Joe our honorary uncle

[itsdeniini]

˚ ༘ 🎞️ ｡𖦹 ° 🎥 ...✩ Hyung line's ₊⊹ ⭑⩇⩇:⩇⩇⭑

EMBLEMATIC TATTOO'S 𖥔

ꖛ ꙳꯬ note 𓂅 ໋⋅ : i am a self-taught tarot reader, and the interpretations i provide are personal. if anyone would like to share their own insights, i would be more than happy to hear them! please be kind <3

HEESEUNG ℘

Freedom symbol, Swallows throw pillow - Behind the ear, Neck

Behind the Ear - Freedom Symbol The Fool (Reversed) This placement signifies a desire for liberation or breaking away from old patterns. The tattoo behind the ear suggests a hidden longing for freedom that Heeseung may be keeping to himself. There is some hesitation or fear of taking risks, suggesting that while he desires freedom, he may be holding back from fully embracing it. Neck - Swallows Throw Pillow Three of Cups The neck placement of the swallows throw pillow tattoo represents a deep emotional connection or bond. This tattoo could symbolize Heeseung's close relationships and the comfort and support he finds in his friendships within Enhypen + his desire for a sense of belonging and harmony within his group. Heeseung values freedom and close relationships. He may be working through feelings of hesitation or fear in his quest for freedom, while finding comfort and joy in his bonds with others.

JAY ℘

A bird (Most probably a blue jay), Guitar, Quote/Word, Graphic tattoos (basically another tattoo enthusiast...) - Inner bicep, Outer forearm, Full sleeve

Inner Bicep - Blue Jay Card Drawn: The Star The inner bicep placement of a blue jay tattoo suggests a deep connection to personal dreams and aspirations. This tattoo could symbolize Jay's pursuit of his dreams and his belief in a bright future + his desire to stand out and be noticed, much like the striking appearance of a blue jay. Outer Forearm - Guitar Card Drawn: The Emperor The outer forearm placement of a guitar tattoo signifies Jay's strong sense of discipline, leadership, and control. Jay's passion for music and his ability to channel his creativity and emotions through his guitar playing is a reasonable explanation here. He also would mean this as his desire for structure and order in his life. Full Sleeve - Quote/Word, Graphic Tattoos: The World The full sleeve tattoo, including a quote/word and graphic tattoos, signifies completion, fulfillment, and accomplishment. That's all about Jay's journey to find his place in the world and his desire to express himself fully through his art and music + his inner growth and the realization of his potential. Jay is driven by his dreams and aspirations, values discipline and achievement, and seeks to express himself fully through his music and art.

JAKE ℘

Japanese symbol of peace, Rose - Collarbone, Inner forearm

Collarbone - Japanese Symbol of Peace Justice (Reversed) The collarbone placement of the Japanese symbol of peace, paired with the Justice card reversed, suggests a struggle to find balance and harmony. There may be a sense of unfairness or imbalance in Jake's life that he is trying to reconcile. He has a strong desire for peace amidst challenging circumstances or his internal conflict regarding justice and fairness. Inner Forearm (Right) - Rose The Lovers The inner forearm placement of a rose tattoo, paired with The Lovers card, signifies love, passion, and unity. This tattoo could symbolize Jake's romantic nature and his desire for love and emotional fulfillment + his need for harmony and balance in his relationships. Jake values peace and harmony but may be facing challenges in achieving them. He may also be guided by his emotions and desire for love and connection in his life.

SUNGHOON ℘

Spouse's name, Daisy - Between the shoulder blades, Ankle

Between the Shoulder Blades - Spouse's Name The Two of Cups The placement of his spouse's name between the shoulder blades suggests a deep emotional connection and partnership. He believes in mutual love, harmony, and emotional bonds. This tattoo could symbolize Sunghoon's commitment and devotion to his partner, as well as the importance of love and relationships in his life. Ankle - Daisy Page of Cups This tattoo could symbolize Sunghoon's appreciation for beauty and nature, as well as his emotional depth and sensitivity + his desire to approach life with a sense of wonder and innocence. Sunghoon would be deeply connected to his spouse, finding joy and fulfillment in their relationship. He also have a creative and sensitive side, appreciating the beauty and emotional depth of life.

#enhypen tarot #enhypen reading #enhypen #kpop reading #kpop tarot #enhypen heeseung #enhypen jay #enhypen jake #enhypen sunghoon #heeseung tarot #heeseung reading #jay tarot #jay reading #jake tarot #jake reading #sunghoon tarot #sunghoon reading

[neurodivergantizzetwitch]

ive been hearing a lot of legitimate criticism of will wood and his fan base from people who like his music, but see him as a pretentious white guy, and his fanbase as an extension of that.

now i havent been in the ww fandom v long, but given the depths i have gone in it i feel at least somewhat comfortable saying im not sure exactly where this impression is coming from.

i see him writing very eclectic erratic and idiosyncratic songs, and people having a variety of interpretations of them, and i can see how that might come off as pretentiousness, especially bc some of his fans really do cross a line in terms of a gatekeepy parasocial attachment to will

but i haven't really seen anyone going THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO INTERPRET THIS SONG YOURE STUPID IF YOU DONT SEE IT or smth to that effect

i acknowledge tho that there is also some legitimate background to this perception, bc what i have seen is:

-will playing characters live and joking w his audience in ways that are often either easily misinterpreted or clearly just someone with extreme mental health issues

-will being maybe mildly annoyed at how his fans often... over analyze his songs and upset when they overstep boundaries, and sometimes expressing that in non ideal ways.

-wills fans being incredibly obsessed with him and his music, which to the outside observer can be annoying i think (but honestly this to me reads more as a bunch of nd ppl w who have hyperfixated/have a special interest related to him)

-the lyrics to wills songs all being very confusing, especially the farther back in his discography you go, and his fans acting like their meanings are obvious on a first glance even when they arent (which is all the time)

-will pulling references from sources that can be seen as pretentious and off putting, esp when coming from a white guy (taoism, it's always sunny, modern psychology, 'classic' films, name dropping authors of philosophy, etc.)

-wills stances often being contrarian and often (especially on first glance) seemingly being that way purely for the sake of being contrarian

-will explaining his stances in fancy and grandiloquent language (a note on this one in particular: i think of this as not really a sign of being pretentious, potentially bc of my own struggles w it. i often accidentally use a bunch of complicated words and descriptions that wouldn't make sense to me if i was the one hearing them, not because im trying to be exclusionary or come off as ✨intelligent✨, but bc it was explained to me in those terms and i went through the process of studying it in that terminology and being told i had to use that terminology, and now im too dumb to translate what im thinking back into language that's actually comprehensible)

but i feel that a lot of these things are really overstated in how often they happen. by and large, i think a lot of this response is a misreading of the facts that his fanbase is really passionate to a somewhat obsessive degree, will is very passionate about the things he likes and the things he believes in, and both will and the majority of his fan base are pretty mentally unstable and/or neurodivergent.

from what ive seen, will isn't trying to be pretentious in any way and is legitimately just expressing himself. his fanbase despite their occasional issues are ultimately pretty much just very passionate people. and also he does not hate them! to quote the man himself

"guys, i don't hate you! stop telling people i hate you! stop doing that; i like you people! 99.999 percent of you are really good, and 99.999 percent of the people who piss me off are just going through it! i don't know where people are getting this idea the whole like 'will wood hates his fandom' yeah i know i said i hate you all in that song but... you know, it's a song! i like you guys."

if you have counter info/arguments though id love to see them. im always looking for new perspectives, and as i said ive *just* started listening to will wood and looking into his lore. i couldve totally missed smth and id love to hear it if i have.

#will wood #william woodiam #will wood criticism #neurodivergent

[cappycapital]

Hullo! I wanted to hear your portal headcanons and thoughts :D. So, what's the first one dominating your thoughts or something you really want to share?

I have none that are SUPER dominating my head so I'll do one ofr each character >:) Wheatley? I don't think he was ever genuinely evil or like, actually bad. Being on Glad0s' Chassis clearly has a habit of giving the main core murderous tendencies and he just got caught up in that. He's not perfect by a long shot but he's just a little guy who was put in a situation he couldn't handle, and you know what? I don't think Chell would hold a grudge against him. Girl gets it i think. She seems rather forgiving, just look at Glad0s when she was a potato for instance. Glad0s I feel like she loves music, and it's one of the few things she enjoys outside of testing. I like to think Caroline would hum a tune while bringing/making Cave a cup of coffee, maybe one of her passions was singing / music back then and a shred of that ended up in her robot body. I also like to think that's why one of the things included in your room in portal 1 is a radio. Portal is a strangely musical game.

Chell I 100% believe acts this way because of things her dad told her, I think she has a grudge against Aperture machines in some way, and her dad specifically told her to be really careful about Aperture appliances before his death, especially I think he told her never to speak to Glad0s or cores because if you tell them anything about yourself, they'll use it against you if they need to / can for their own benefit. She treats them like Cops basically. She definitely has insider knowledge about the facility because of him. I'm not too familiar with the fandom's interpretation of the characters so I might just be spitting out old news but gotta grease the wheels a bit before I can get real original with it, I'm only on day 5 of this hyperfixation, anything could happen. Once I can draw Ill probably doodle some more heh...

#I would draw these but I have DnD today #ask #wheatley #chell #glad0s #glados #portal #portal 2 #chell portal

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 04/05/2024

FEEL SO FINE STUCK INSIDE

Season 8 No Album Release (Read More)

Ripped by KnightOfGames (@knightofgames)

Hey everyone - remember Stuck Inside? The Five Nights at Freddy's fan song I covered back in Willievan Afton Polkka, the one pushed entirely by long-time team member KnightOfGames? Back when I first wrote that post, the meme was just beginning to take off, sitting at seven rips total by the beginning of March. We've now reached the two-month anniversary of that post - and in the time since, the amount of Stuck Inside being done has grown exponentially. Not only has the total rip count more than quadrupled - currently at 33 - but the tune has also caught on with more rippers on the team than just KnightOfGames, bringing about a huge variety of more takes on the song. Granted, today's rip is still one from the man himself, but after you've listened to FEEL SO FINE STUCK INSIDE I highly recommend checking out all the other Stuck Inside rips if you haven't already - 12 AM - Maroon GO got a really good chuckle out of me in particular.

But yes, no matter - it's been three months since KnightOfGames first had the idea to start putting a silly fan song into his rips back in February, and it's arguably turned into the most prominent reoccurring tune to specifically debut during Season 8. And like, you'd think that would lead to a sort of overexposure to it, that one would get fed up hearing the same joke in so many places - but this deep into the channel's life, rippers have learned just how to leverage running jokes in a way that keeps them sounding fresh at every turn. Last time it was vocaloid - today, months after my post on SING A SONG ABOUT HOPES AND DREAMS, we're returning to the world of hyperpop, with one of the most cool-sounding interpretations of Stuck Inside that we've gotten yet. To be completely honest - this rip may alone have perked my interest in 100 gecs' music.

Yes, we're at one of those rips again, the kind where I'm woefully unfamiliar with the material that the rip's joke is using. But even moreso to an outsider looking in, there's a whimsy to 100 gecs' music that I just can't help but be allured by, a sound that somehow feels like a nostalgic calling to the early days of internet expression: to be loud, cringe and unashamed of being as such. FEEL SO FINE STUCK INSIDE is in particular using the band's debut single Money Machine as a baseline, both using parts of its instrumental and tuning the original Stuck Inside vocals to that level of distortion and higher-pitch that 100 gecs is known for. It's a surprisingly natural fit (hence why I'm writing about it here) for how different you'd think the two songs are in terms of tone - but then, Stuck Inside had its chorus be sung by a rather filtered voice to begin with...perhaps this combination of tracks isn't as far-fetched as one would initially think?

In truth, I don't know if there's much I have to say beyond my absolute highest recommendation to FEEL SO FINE STUCK INSIDE in particular - I'm just incredibly happy that Stuck Inside is continuing to see use in general. KnightOfGames' passion for the track is infectious, and it's really sweet seeing just how much its caught on with fellow SiIva viewers in the comments - despite how blatantly prevalent it was during the April Fools event in particular, I've hardly ever seen anyone complain about its overexposure the way people did with Grand Dad or Snow Halation back in Season 1. Perhaps that just speaks to how much better the rips have gotten over the years - Stuck Inside is incredibly prevalent, but each rip is made with such care and with such a distinct feel from the last to where it never feels as if the jokes are getting redundant or stalel.

Stuck Inside is just a damn good song - and through rips like FEEL SO FINE STUCK INSIDE, its presence on SiIvaGunner is also helping me uncover my tastes in music in a rather fun way. It's not an inherently funny leitmotif nor something grounded in any sort of meme culture - it is merely a tune KnightOfGames saw tons of potential in, and has leveraged to incredible lengths in the months since. I cannot wait to see what the future of Stuck Inside looks like, but FEEL SO FINE STUCK INSIDE will do just fine in the meanwhile.

#todays siivagunner #season 8 #siivagunner #siiva #KnightOfGames #tentative rip name #Youtube #100 gecs #fnaf #five nights at freddy's #hyperpop #money machine #100gecs #fnaf1 #fnaf 1 #five nights at freddys

[hoshibait]

i'd love to hear those drake headcanons of yours :^)!

alright anon i warned you

quick warning for obsessive love and idk bro toxic angst i guess

also another warning i’m projecting a lot, specifically onto drew.

i’m a strong believer of drew being one of those gay people that just really represses their sexuality to the point of just not realizing for a while. he eventually figures out his gender but he doesn’t really talk about it much and cringes when he thinks about it too much. he’s a transfem agender, no big deal.

i know a lot of people hc drew as hispanic and that makes me very happy. you wanna know why i made him peruvian though, i’ll tell you why, i’m projecting, suck it nerd.

drew began being friends with jake during freshman year, in my head i feel like part of it was out of pity, drew didn’t think too much of jake at the time, just a new cool guy to hang out with.

idk how canon this is but in my interpretation the two of them the two of them got close to the point of being best friends, the two of them just jived together so well, he felt so understood, jake was an amazing guy, he was so fun to hang out with. it felt like things were perfect. however we know it wasn’t always great for the opposite party.

i’m a firm believer of neurodivergent jake, i don’t know what he has exactly but he’s def peculiar LMAO.

because of this, he’s always struggled socially and generally just being able to be his true self, of course he has a passion for singing and music and i wouldn’t be surprised if his neurodivergence impacted that at all.

think about it though, you’ve been bullied and outcasted your whole life, and all of the sudden a group of cool dudes want to take you in just because you seem cool to them?

jake finally felt a sense of belonging, right?

except those people were also judgmental to an extent, they put other people down, they put down your passion indirectly. you don’t want to lose them, because they seem to care for you, so you hide and lie, you mask.

i wouldn’t put it past jake to have some identity issues with how much he lies even to himself. ngl the more i write this the more i realize i said all the important things in my little chart. oh yeah my drew bpd hc this is def just me projecting btw, also i called it developing/undiagnosed in the chart since it's very rare for people his age to get diagnosed with it, plus he def goes around untreated. i guess the best way i can describe the two of them in my hc is this weird complicated love-hate thing. they're definitely not healthy, not at this rate, but it's like there's this slight chance, this sliver of hope that maybe things can work. i don't think that would happen though. i still need to think of how jake would even turn down drew, but i just know he'd be, more torn, lmao. you guys think a little bit of tyler the creator could've saved drew //slap

#💌 #the music freaks #hyperfixation #jake sterling #tmf jake #tmf drew #tmf drake #again do you guys realize how funny this ship name is

[paperlovesadness]

No, but what gets me is that this clearly isn't a heartbreak album - that's not the theme, that's not the purpose - most of the songs are just not about it at all and yet... There's just heartache that seeps through, you know? It still leaks into most of his writing - more or less, because [possibly] something profound happened to his heart at one point that completely altered his life and it just insists on being included.

It's self-reflection.

It's nostalgia and throwbacks.

It's passion and pure fun with the music.

But it's also... Heartache and just so much relentless devotion (and hope) seeping in through the cracks ALL OVER the album.

(Even in songs that are essentially about something else? Like Baggio is not about heartbreak and love at all. I know that. But then... It's still there. You know?)

I'm still standing in the rain, do you hear my call?

There's nothing left to say // 'Cause I've thrown it all away // Write lyrics in my sleep 'cause it keeps me together

I'll take the stage and I'll beat the drum until the dawn // To keep the darkness from you door

There's some things I can't say // But when the music starts to play // I stare up to the moon // And my lonely heart goes boom boom boom once again

Was it something that I said?

The things she said I never could forget // Promises and the reservations // Heartbreaks // The new sensation

Summer comes // Replay the scenes // Frequently deceives // Rose-tinted fantasies deep inside of me

Seeping in my wishing list // Momentary Bliss // Sinking like a battleship // You've come to take the win

Suddenly I see your face leading me astray // Secretly I contemplate // Resigning to my fate

Rest your soul on me // Missed your bones on me // It's taking its toll on me

The deepest dark despairs // Romance in our hearts will leave us there // It leaves us in a heap upon the floor // Yet still I'm wanting more

I'm crying out in dreams // Where I am something more than what you see // I'm not talking impossibilities // To bring us back together

What's the point in waitin'? // Waitin' for someone to break your heart // I'm anticipatin' a lifetime of evasion // When I've already paid

You're holding me to ransom honey // But I've run out of money this time // I'm looking for some answers honey // Promise to be gentle with my mind

'Cause I'd do anything for you (💀)

Oh my brother's I've done it again // I've wished it away before it began

And I will wait down the line for you // And I will tell no lies // I'll stand alone waitin' on for you (💀💀)

Never say never // Never say never again // Never say never // I won't know where it ends

I used to think it was all a game // And all the rules were there to break // But now it seems the rules have changed // There's no one left but me to blame

I said I'm sorry but I know that's not enough // You said don't worry // I know that you're scared of love

Like come ON

[this is all just speculation and interpretation of course. As always]

#Miles Kane #One Man Band #my posts #theories

[mineonmain]

Thai QL Favorites Tag Game

Tagged by @telomeke ^u^ slay

Credit: this game was created by @thatgirl4815 as Thai BL Favorites Tag Game.

Favorite Thai QL: Bad Buddy was my first and probably till date my fav. What a way to start. Very few BLs overall have lived up to the unreal standard that this show set, and no matter what all has happened IRL since the airing of the show, this show has a place in my heart that nothing is going to ever replace. It's the show that revived my love and passion for TV shows after years. This show (ep 5 4/4 👀) changed my brain chemistry, without exaggeration. P'Aof i'm chewing on your furniture until you pay for my therapy. [Other favs are MLC, ATOTS, UWMA, Between Us, MSP]

Favorite Pairing: I guess i'll talk about actor pairings but onscreen, not how they are offscreen. EarthMix is absolutely one of my favs, they bring a maturity, natural-ness, and intensity to their acting that I've rarely found in other GMMTV pairings. I'm also gonna mention FourthGem because they're the GMM young blood and I think they've got an incredible amount of potential. We've already seen their range in MLC and MSP, and I think they're going to be huge. I have a huge soft spot for BounPrem (but I may be biased lol), and this may be a lukewarm take but I really enjoyed BillySeng, I thought they had some incredible onscreen chemistry.

Most underrated actor: Oh jeez where do I start. Gotta mention Fourth - he's not really underrated but he's just starting out, but I can already see he's got the chops and with the right training and right directors he's absolutely Going Placed. Shout out to Fluke Natouch, that boy does emotional scenes like no one else. Special shoutout to Tonnam - he's supposed to be starring in his first BL as a main character this year, idk if that's still on schedule or not, but every character he's ever played so far has been a hit in my book. His comedic timing is unparalleled for me, it never fails to hit.

Favorite Character: How do I choose!! Pat Napat is so dear to me??? As is Ae from LBC???? Tutor from Why R U???? Team from Between Us?? I've got so many different little blorbos it's impossible to choose. They're all pocket sized to me. Making me choose is a crime.

Favorite Side Character: Idk why but the first one that comes to mind is View from Between Us. He's absolutely Little Bro, but he's also so sweet and genuine and full of love??? He's annoying bc all little brothers are genetically coded to be annoying but he's impossible not to love. His smile is healing. You can't take him away from me.

Favorite scene in a QL: Bad Buddy Ep 5 4/4. This was the scene that actually broke me. The lead up to the scene, the subtle but deliberate choices that both the characters made. Pat gritting himself to go talk to Pran bc if there's one thing he doesn't do it's avoid people and situations. Pran resigning himself to the conversation bc he can't avoid it any longer. Pat finally saying exactly how he's been feeling less than a business day after he had the realisation himself, bc the moment he feels something and decides it he has to act on it. The music swelling in the background. Pran realising that he's been projecting his fears onto Pat this entire time, that Pat has always feel differently about him too. Pran asking the question to break it all, wording in one way where he was expecting one kind of answer, not expecting that it would be interpreted in an entirely different way and would rock the foundation of their already teetering relationship. Pran asking if they want to be friends, because the alternative would be to be enemies. Pat hearing 'do you want to be only friends', and realising that that would never be enough for the both of them. Pat seeing that Pran is scared, and realising that he has to have courage enough for the both of them. Pat taking the deepest and shakiest breath of his life, swallowing down his fear and trepidation, voice trembling saying 'no'. This is the scariest thing that Pat has ever had to do, but how he'd rather do this than lose Pran again. Them both taking a step towards each other, because this is a decision not of one but of equals, mutual as they have always been. Pat treating this like his first kiss, like a relief of finally knowing the answer to a question that has long plagued him, like the start of something, going into it with utter joy and coming out of it with complete bliss, because the world finally makes sense. Pran treating this like his last kiss, like the end of everything they had ever been or ever could be, like he was going to milk this for everything it was worth because he was never going to get a chance to do this ever again, going into it with fear and desperation, and coming out of it with heartache and resignation, because they had lost everything they had and couldn't get it back. Pat crying tears of joy because he finally found what he was looking for, and Pran crying tears of pain because he got to experience for the first and last time what he would never be allowed to have but had longed for all of his life. Yeah I'm so normal about this show.

Favorite line in a QL: I mean. I literally said it all above, but yeah. 'If we're not enemies, could we be friends?' 'Do you want to be friends?' 'No.'

Most Anticipated QL (& why): I don't honestly know?? But I do wanna see the Thai remake of Cherry Magic, I'm interested in seeing how they're gonna treat it differently from the source show, esp since Thai shows have a tendency to bit more high heat and the original show was all about the tenderness of falling for someone because of their goodness.

Healthiest relationship in a QL: oooh i gotta go for TinnGun from MSP, they're just so lovable. Yes it's a highschool relationship but it was presented so sweetly without coming across as childish, and my boy Tinn is the ultimate green flag. Also even tho I'm not personally a SaifahZon fan (they're not my cup of tea) I think they're incredibly healthy.

Most toxic relationship in a QL: TharnType (i'm mostly looking at you Tharn), most of the KP pairings (the T in Theerapanyakuls stands for needs Therapy), early RainPhayu (i'm sorry but pigtail-pulling on the playground to show you like someone is very kindergarten behavior Phayu), LianKuea (go ahead girlbosses who gaslight and gatekeep).

Guilty pleasure series: I honestly don't know if anything I like counts as a guilty pleasure. Maybe SCOY?? Because I know there's a lot of people who don't like it and find it cringe but I think they're all kind of missing the point. I could write a mini-essay about this show too but i'll save that for another day.

Most underrated series: Ingredients (Baby Jeff!!), My Only 12% (It absolutely deserved more love and hype).

Tagging: @antisocial-burrito @liyazaki @webetterlove @bisexualhedgehog @shortpplfedup @whatisgodtoanonbeliever @onstoryladders @respectthepetty @heesulovebot @gunsatthaphan @incandescentflower @rythyme @elevatormusic @vegaspetesupremicy

#thai bl tag game #thai ql tag game #bad buddy #bad buddy series #earthmix #fourthgemini #between us #my school president #atots #uwma #msp #yall idk what all to tag in this #also if anyone actually read that giant essay in the middle of this tag: i'm sorry and you deserve a veteran's discount #but i have feelings about that scene that has taken permanent residence in my brain #the bgms from that scene have conditioned me to cry to them everytime i hear them #tharntype #kinnporsche #scoy #love by change #why r u #love in the air #phayurain #cutie pie the series #also sorry to anyone if i slandered your favs but guess what!!! it's my opinion and also it's not that deep!! #if you don't like my fav show that's fine!! i won't cancel you!! just don't be mean about it

[luruhatiku]

havent been on tumblr for a while but i have been rewatching yuri on ice recently (yes, its that time of the year) & ive been listening to stammi vicino almost non-stop (thank god spotify wrapped alr came out bcs im inclined to believe it wouldve been my top song for this year otherwise) so needless to say i have heard this exact song looped many times & tell me why i just realized that we hear two different versions of it in the anime !!!!!!

im sure many avid fans of the show have long known this already, which is truly embarrassing for myself, having grown up in a music school, but i digress. the first is the original stammi vicino, used in viktor's fs program (the one that yuri famously copies). the other is the duet version we hear during yuri and viktor's pair skate in the former's exhibition.

there are quite a lot of noticeable differences. firstly, the duet is cut in length; perhaps because they didnt require the full duration of the song for the part that it was included in or other reasons, but i think its notable to acknowledge the lyrics that were excluded:

With a sword I wish I could cut those throats singing about love I wish I could enclose in ice the hands that write those verses of burning passion

This story that has no meaning Will vanish tonight together with the stars If I could see you, eternity will be born from hope

this is taken straight from the yoi wiki page. essentially, in the original this can be interpreted as viktor mourning his loneliness and yearning for a great love. its highly sentimental but also bitter in a way, even. viktor's status as someone of incredible fame and talent has distanced him from life and love, which is ironic given that he is now skating to a love song. the music naturally reflects this: cmiiw but i think the ensemble fits the standard of an orchestra from the romantic period; you can tell from the dramatic use of percussion, wind instruments, and the grandiose crescendos and range of emotion in general. the way i see it, this very much encapsulates what viktor is actually skating about: it displays itself as a very bold declaration of love, in line with viktor's reputation as a legendary, almost mythic figure, but the reality is that no one is there to stay close to him. he is begging for a love that does not exist; an absence of it.

compared to the original, the duet is much more subdued, but no less sentimental. there is a sweeter, more assured quality to it that i feel is missing from the other version, which is clearly yuri's effect on viktor's life. i remember reading a fic recently about how the main instruments used in yuri on ice (the song) aka the piano and the violin actually represent yuri and viktor's respective roles in yuri's journey, though i believe they also took inspiration from someone else's idea. regardless, thank you to whoever it was that initially came up with that analysis!!!!! because of that i understand why the duet begins with piano instead of a wind instrument like in the original; another nod to yuri's presence. there's also a much clearer emphasis on the violin in the duet!

(also, idk about you but when i listen to the duet as it nears the end, even though they never show the full exhibition program, its so easy to imagine how they continue skating the rest of the routine. down to the ending pose & everything. just soooo visceral and excellent)

whew. long-winded rant about stammi vicino over. i love this song & i genuinely think that even if you have no interest in yoi you should still listen to the soundtrack (passacaille in barcelona & kamome are in my top 3). worth ittttt

#yoi #yuri on ice