#majas feet

[worldofbeauties]

Maja Simonsen

#Maja Simonsen #woman #beauty #pretty #model #eyes #lips #sexy #hot #beautiful body #legs #thighs #beautiful hips #sexy hips #feet

[chloedrewitt]

Can i ask for dark! aemond x reader?

she is a lowborn friend of his, she help him on the sreets when aegon took him to the brothel and he ran away, he sees her as a friend and is always visiting her and he starts to fall for her in his own way but his actions started to scare her, he next goal is move her to the palace with him but one day she tells him that she is going to marry and he lose his mind.

Sorry if it's confused, english is not my language

A Prince's Weakness - Aemond Targaryen x Reader

summary: Aemond and you have been friends for years after you had met when he ran from the pleasure house his brother brought him to. You are of low birth, a baker's daughter, yet your growing mutual attraction is hard to ignore. The darkness that sits deep within him begins to scare you, but not even the knowledge of what he is capable of could have prepared you for what he does to the man your family chose for you to marry. This man is not what he seems to be, and Aemond would burn the world before he let anything happen to you.

pairing: Aemond Targaryen x lowborn!reader

word count: 3k

warnings: dark!Aemond, Aemond kills for you, possessiveness

a/n: Hope you like what I came up with! This is my first time in months writing a request, it's good to be back <3 I tagged the people who wanted to be put on my Aemond taglist below, before I went on hiatus. If you want to be added to or removed from the list, please comment below.

Taglist: @amethystwonders11 @khaleesihavilliard @nura300 @ateliefloresdaprimavera @aestmilky​ @rainazinha​ @cullenswife​ @flyingmushroomss @titti-maja @multifndom @srevan @poisonous-widow @yummycastiel

Masterlist - Discord Server - Request Info

The waves were harsh today, traveling on the surface of the water until they collided with the hard stone shore of King’s Landing. Perched on top, you dangled your legs from the edge, watching as the water tried to reach your feet with every new wave that hit the stone, yet it never made contact.

You had wrapped a blanket around your shoulders, though you barely needed it. The harsh winter days have long passed, and warmth was returning to the gentle breeze that blew your hair out of your face. 

Seagulls screeched above your head, flying in circles before they reached the water surface to clean their wings with their beaks. You watched them silently, throwing stones into the water, though not near enough for them to get scared.

“There you are,” a voice said, and you turned to find Aemond smiling down at you. A hood hid his longer silver hair, and his single uncovered eye glistened as he locked it with yours. “I was worried you would not show.”

“Have I ever disappointed you?” You smiled, pushing yourself up as you wiped your dusty hands on the skirt of your dress. Not that it mattered much since it was already covered in flour stains from having worked at your family's bakery earlier that day.

Aemond smiled, raising a hand to touch your cheek gently as he shook his head.

“Not once,” he admitted, and you could feel the color rising to your cheeks. Clearing your throat, you averted your gaze and walked towards the stone stairs to your left.

“We should get going, then. The performance will start soon.” You had suggested going to the theater today since they were performing your favorite play, and he had agreed. In all fairness, you would have most likely forced him to go when he admitted that he had never seen it before. A crime, if he asked you.

“I was hoping we could stay here for a while,” Aemond said, but you did not reply. You stopped in your tracks, turning your head to look at him from the corner of your eyes. You did not want to admit it, but being alone with him was a nerve-wracking event, a mixture of wanting to run to him and being scared to do so at the same time.

When you didn't say anything, he took a step forward, placing a hand on your shoulder. “(y/n).”

You turned to face him fully. The expression on his face was stern, yet the hand on your shoulder was almost soft to the touch.

“Are you avoiding me? Is it because of your cousin?”

You crossed your arms in front of your chest, jaw tightening. His gaze remained fixed on you, even when you dropped yours.

“You had him jailed and threatened him in front of my eyes.” Tears blurred your vision, and you brought some distance between you, trying to blink the blurriness away. 

“Did he not deserve it?” Aemond asked calmly, lowering his arm again. “He laid a hand on you.” His tone was angry, and you flinched. You wished you had had a choice. You wished you could thank him for jailing your cousin; the Gods knew you wanted to. But he was the only male heir of your family, as your parents had never had a boy themselves. The future of the shop was at risk. Justice was a luxury in a world as such, and there were very few things people like you could afford.

“He is my cousin, Aemond. You are a Targaryen. You should know the meaning of blood.” The words burned your tongue even as you said them, but you needed him to understand what he had essentially done to your family.

“He was a vermin,” the prince hissed, turning away for a moment to calm himself. He usually did not let this side of him show in front of you, but you knew he had it in him. That alone was enough. “How much is blood worth when it flows through unworthy veins?”

You met his eye again, seeing his own pain reflected in it. He had told you of his issues with his brother. Gods, you had seen it yourself. After all, it was you he had run into after escaping from the pleasure house his brother had brought him to when you had been younger. It was years ago, yet it felt closer than ever now.

You remembered the fear in his eyes and the shock marking his face. You had asked him what was wrong and who he was, too young to immediately recognize the weight his silver hair carried. Perhaps it was that which had determined your friendship in the following years.

Up until when you saw the darkness in him first. How the fear in his eyes was replaced with something mischievous and cruel whenever you passed the fisherman's shop as his gaze locked on the cleaver while it cut through the fish’s necks, dripping with blood.

It always sent shivers down your spine, and you worried that one day he would lose interest in mere fish.

“Aemond,” you said calmly, hand pressed against your stomach as you suddenly felt sick. “I wished to only tell you this after the theatre, but I believe it shouldn't wait. We cannot continue our meetings.” Your voice shook, but to your surprise, there were no tears in your eyes.

His gaze hardened, and you saw the muscles in his jaw tense. Though there was no aggression in his eye, not even protest.

“I have come with news too, (y/n). My sister requires a new lady's maid. The pay is way better than what your family's shop could ever offer you. And most of all,” he paused, taking a step towards you with his gaze fixed on you. You averted your own. “We could be closer. We'd still have to meet secretly but in the comfort of the palace’s walls.”

You scoffed, shaking your head in disbelief as you looked back at him, brows furrowed. “What comfort is there in knowing half of the palace would have my head if they knew-" Your voice broke. You couldn't bear to say it out loud. To even suggest that someone of your birth could capture his attention. The truth was there, readable for all who witnessed it, yet the only observers were the clashing waves, and only death was more certain than the silence of the sea.

“Aemond, I am engaged to be married,” you finally said, taking a step backward. You could no longer look at him; too big was the shame you had no explanation for why you were even feeling it.

The frigidity in his eye returned, and for a moment, you could not have told the difference between the sapphire hidden underneath his eye patch and his real iris.

“To whom?” he asked in a voice so cold, it rivaled the gemstone in his socket.

“I don't see how it is of interest to you.”

“To whom,” he repeated, not even allowing you to fully finish your sentence. You took a deep breath.

“Micah Roth. He is a good man, Aemond. And this marriage could offer me a good life. More than-" Your voice broke again, and you pressed your lips together as he came so close you could feel his breath on your cheeks. His voice dropped to a whisper when he looked down at you.

“More than what?” he asked in a way that indicated he knew the answer. His hands were raised slightly as if he wanted to touch you but couldn't risk it. As if you were slipping through his fingers like sand.

“More than being a prince’s whore.” 

He inhaled sharply, lips pursed as he studied you for a while, longer than you felt comfortable. Then, without warning, he brushed past you and left you standing at the rocky shore while the wind around you dried your tears. 

—

Days had passed since your last meeting with the prince, and he had not left your mind. Even as you baked bread with your father, you made mistakes you had long since learned to avoid. When your father asked what was wrong, you simply said the engagement was on your mind, and in a way, it was not even a lie.

You had never told your family about your friendship with the prince, and when you realized he had started to fall for you, and you for him, you knew it was something they would never find out. It was also for their protection, after all. The less they knew about your entanglement with the royal family, the better.

“Prince Aegon is celebrating his nameday today, (y/n),” said your father as he placed a tray of fresh pastries on the table in front of you. The baker's shop was empty at this time of day since it was still very early, so he felt comfortable speaking freely without having to worry about anyone eavesdropping. “I want you to deliver these pastries. They have been commissioned by Her Majesty The Queen.”

You stopped kneading the dough before you as you looked up at your father, perplexed.

“Me? To the palace?” you asked, wondering if you had heard correctly. To your dismay, your father nodded.

“This is a great honour. If the Queen and her son like our goods, it would mean a lot for your mother and me.”

You nodded slowly, staring at the tray in front of you. The pastries were fresh, and not even the cloth your father had placed over them could stop the steam from rising.

“Okay,” you replied silently, clearing your throat as you wiped the flour from your hands and grabbed the tray. The palace wall was not far from your family's shop; you would not even have to take a carriage.

Your father smiled at you, ruffling your hair. “Straight to the palace and back, (y/n), alright? Festivities always draw criminals to our city like moths to the flame.”

You assured your father you would be back soon and left the shop with the pastries in hand. They smelled sweet, and you already envied the royal taster who would have a bite of each one of them. Of course, it would have been easier to make a palace cook bake them, which was precisely why this situation made you suspicious.

When you reached the palace gate, a guard stopped you, inspecting the tray and listening as you explained that you were expected inside. It seemed to align with what he had been told, so he allowed you to step through.

The palace grounds were filled with servants hurrying across it, stress painted all over their faces. The eldest son’s nameday was a big event, of course, but you had never known just how big. It wasn't like you had ever been exposed to a festivity like this before anyway.

Balancing the tray, you walked through the courtyard, careful not to bump into anyone, which proved to be quite a challenge.

A kitchen boy stepped out of a door to your right and raised his hand towards you, barely visible in the sea of heads around you.

“Here!” he called out to you, and you smiled at him as you reached him, noticing his cheeks covered in flour.

“You're Miss (y/l/n), correct? With the pastries?”

“Yes, that's right,” you replied, ducking your head as the boy led you inside the kitchen; the door was quite low. Inside, a few cooks were preparing food and shouting at their helpers, but the boy paid no attention to them. He was just a boy, you were sure. His features were soft, and his eyes were young.

“Just put them over there, thank you.”

You looked at the table he pointed to and nodded slightly before placing the tray down on it. “Would that be all?” you asked, clasping your hands in front of your abdomen as you looked at the boy.

“No, actually. The prince wants to see you.” You blinked at him. “Prince Aemond,” he clarified.

“Oh,” you said, biting the inner cheek as you nodded again, this time more reluctantly. Of course, he did. “Thank you,” you said, not bothering to ask where he would meet you, as you were well aware of his favorite spot in the palace. He had mentioned it to you many times.

It was a secluded little balcony in the east wing, which barely anyone went to despite it being open even to servants. You tried to remember exactly how he described the way to it, recognizing the statues and pillars you walked by. It was your first time here, so it took you a while to find it, but you blended in well with the servants and the tumultuous hours before the celebration.

When you opened the door to the balcony, you indeed saw Aemond standing there, looking out onto the sea with his back turned towards you. The air had gotten colder now, and the sky was slowly darkening. You wrapped your arms around your body as you approached him, letting the door fall shut behind you.

“Aemond?” you asked carefully, keeping your distance. He tensed when he heard your voice, turning his head slightly to the side.

“You came,” he stated, not able to mask the surprise in his voice.

“I always have,” you said as you joined him at the railing, wrapping your hands around the cold stone. You followed his gaze to the sea, where the waves got larger by the second. There were almost no houses beneath you in this part of King’s Landing; only fields and barns. The dragon pit must have been close too. “Since the very first day after I saw you run from your brother.”

His own grip around the railing tightened and his knuckles turned white. Only when you looked up at him did he do the same, your eyes pleading. You did not know why he had asked you here, and you knew that you shouldn’t have come, but over the years your own heart had come to yearn for him. Perhaps a life in the palace with him would not be so bad after all? You could never marry, but you knew he’d settle it so your parents would be taken care of. You shook your head. No, these thoughts were reckless and dangerous, and so was he. 

“It is one of the reasons why I have come to care about you so dearly, (y/n).” He inched closer, placing himself just behind you as he took hold of the railing again, trapping you between his arms. You could feel his chest in your back, but you dared not turn around to look at him. His breath on the nape of your neck caused the fine hairs there to stand on end, and your breathing shallow. You smelled the mixture of dragon and wood; a scent unique to him which you sometimes smelled on yourself after your meetups. 

“I have found your Micah Roth, you know,” he whispered in your ear, his eyes fixed on the horizon in front of you. “Did you know that he had been married three times already?” 

You swallowed at the realization before you shook your head. It wouldn’t be unusual, Micah was older than you after all, but you believed it was information he should have shared with your family and you. You held on tighter to the balcony, Aemond’s arms so close they almost wrapped around you. 

“All of his former wives have new names now,” he continued, his voice shaking with contained anger. “And all of them ended up in the very pleasure house you met me in front of all those years ago.”

You gasped for air, not wanting to believe what you were hearing, but if it came from Aemond’s lips you knew it must have been true. He had done many things that froze the blood in your veins, but never once had he lied to you. And truth be told, you had wondered how a lowly-born man such as Micah was able to afford all the beautiful things he had gifted your family, or the horses he had taken you out for a ride with. Your parents believed he had been Gods sent because of it. 

When the first tear threatened to fall, Aemond gently touched your cheek, catching it with his fingers. “Don’t worry, (y/n),” he whispered, his gaze rising with expectation. “He will pay for his crimes.” 

As if on cue, his dragon, Vhagar, rose from the ground and past the balcony, nearly brushing her scales against your fingers. You had not noticed her before, and so you jumped back against Aemond, who wrapped one arm around you, holding you tightly. 

A man’s screams could be heard, swallowed by the wind the further away Vhagar flew; it was Micah, bound to Vhagar’s foot and dangling from the dragon’s monstrous body several hundred meters up in the air. Blood must have been rushing to his head, and when you looked closer, before Vhagar was too far away, you saw evidence of torture on his skin; cuts and bruises, and open wounds. 

The dragon kept looking at her master, flying around in circles, yet before the man could pass out, Aemond screamed, “Dracarys!” 

Vhagar raised her foot and spit a cloud of fire onto the man bound to it, whose screams would surely never leave your mind. He was burning alive while the dragon did not move from a fixed spot in the air, using only her wings to fly in place. 

With wide eyes, you looked at the burning figure until it stopped struggling and hung lifelessly from the dragon. Vhagar did not wait for any command as she cut the rope with her other clawed foot and caught the burned corpse in her mouth, swallowing Micah whole. 

You stared, eyes wide as the dragon was dismissed by her master. Aemond still held you, his expression one of hate as you looked at him, almost not daring to, but when he met your eyes, his gaze softened. 

“I will destroy everyone who ever seeks to harm you. That is a promise, (y/n).”

#aemond targaryen #house of the dragon #aemond targaryen x reader #aemond one eye #hotd aemond #dark!aemond targaryen x reader

[nashibirne]

Hi Nashi! I hope you're doing well 💕

I love the bookshop pictures you share, and I have a question for you if you feel like it:

One of Henry's characters (or the man himself) takes you on a date to a library or a bookshop you've always wanted to see. Where would you go and with whom?

Hi Maja! I'm doing good, thanks for checking up. Hope you're good, too 💜

I love your question! Thank you so much for sending it 🥰🤗

My initial thought was August because he's my favourite character but after thinking about it again I changed my mind. So this is what would happen...

Geralt of Rivia knows I'm a bookish woman and after I helped him out of a tricky situation he wants to treat me to something book related.

So what does he do? He takes me to the oldest library on the continent. Access is limited to just a very exclusive group of people who have proven worthy of being around all the beautiful, precious books. Geralt is one of them of course and his friends are welcome there, too.

I roam around the majestic building all day, between the sky high shelves and on galleries packed with the most amazing books I've ever seen. I am stunned by the variety of books. There are magnificent grimoires, poetry books, volumes of religious writings, fairy tales and legends, history books that reveal events to me that happened aeons ago and books filled with songs and humorous pictures.

Geralt just sits down in one of the many comfortable armchairs, puts his feet on the small table in front of him which causes the elderly, taciturn library to raise her eyebrows and crinkle her nose. The Witcher is lucky that she has a bit of a crush on him. He doesn't get scolded and can watch me bury my nose in book after book, cheeks red, eyes shining, in peace and quiet, a self-satisfied smile refusing to leave his lips all day.

#ask nashi #mayloma #geralt of rivia

[majaloveschris]

Hey Maja! I hope you’re doing great!

So I sent this to @nothingtoseehereandthere but I wanted to share with you too, because I value your input🥰 and I really hope you see this and share your thoughts.

Can I add something about this new brown coat white shoes talk?

So that blog and the anons on there are speculating that Alba was on set of ghosted with that brown coat. Okay. So the only pics they have of Alba with a brown coat is on set. On set that she wore for a character. So that coat belongs to the wardrobe department. Does that blog and their anons really believe that Alba then took that coat with her as a "souvenir" and later wore it on set of ghosted while visiting?

If an actor/actress ever wants to or ends up taking something of their character's from a film set production, it's not going to be a mundane everyday item, like an easily accessible coat that can be bought from a store.

For example-

When Chris played Captain America, he didn't end up taking Steve's baseball cap or glasses used for disguise. Chris said he took the whole Cap costume and shield.

Just some food for thought.

ALSO something to add- some cast members of Harry Potter wanted to take their wands and they weren’t allowed to. So it’s not that easy for actors to just take anything.

Hi, thanks for your input! I didn't plan to talk about this whole coat debate, but I also want to share a few thoughts and why I think it's not her.

I'm not so sure if it belongs to her character. I didn't see the movie, so I don't know if her character wore a coat like that or not. Obviously, if it's not hers, she clearly didn't take it home with herself. And I also agree that she wouldn't take something so simple from the set; it's just a coat, nothing interesting, or nothing she can't buy.

However, to me, that woman's coat looks different than Alba's. I think the one Alba is wearing looks darker; maybe it's because of the filter, but still. There are buttons on Alba's, while I don't see any on the woman's.

I also don't think the shoes look exactly the same. Alba's has a thicker sole. And you can clearly see that the woman in the Dodger picture has bigger feet than Alba. So the shoe size also doesn't match.

And most importantly, you can clearly see that the woman in the Dodger picture is way taller than Alba and has a completely different body shape.

It's not her. And it's really tiring that people think every single woman is her. She isn't the only woman around Chris, especially when he is working. Not everything is about her, but a lot of people make it out to be.

Thanks @jaqui-has-a-conspiracy-theory for the pictures! ❤️

#majaloveschris #chris and alba pr #cevans-love #alba's coat and sneaker

[thattrable]

A Court of New Beginnings

Summary: Rhys and Feyre feel their baby kicking for the first time. (Rhys POV)

Notes: Spoilers for the Entire ACOTAR series

Teaser:  “Another kick, and we both laughed together, so full of hope and joy at this new life we had created together, and the idea of new beginnings.”

--------------------

"Rhys!" My blood stopped at the sound of Feyre's scream.

I was on my feet hurtling through the house in a second. The documents I'd been reading fell to the floor of my office behind me. "Feyre!" I roared.

"Rhysand!"

"Feyre, where are you?" What could be wrong? Was it an intruder? How could anyone have gotten in the house with the wards? Was it the baby? Gods, I'd only left her alone in our room to nap for a short while.

"Rhysand!" Her voice was closer now.

I was going to lose my mind. Why was this gods damned house so big? I had to get to her. Had to protect her.

My mate. My mate. My mate.

"Feyre!" My fear was a living thing writing through my body as I shouted again, rounding a corner and almost barreling into her.

"Rhys," she breathed as her eyes met mine, wide with excitement.

I gripped her shoulders, scanning the hallway for potential threats. "I'm here, what's wrong?" I looked back to her face and cupped my hands around her jaw. "What's wrong," I asked again, taking in her flushed cheeks, her bright blue-gray eyes.

"The baby-"

My stomach bottomed out.

No.

No, what was wrong with the babe? Our son.

"Feyre, calm down," I said, trying to shove down my own panic. I'd have to call for Maja, the healer, immediately. I couldn't lose them, Feyre or our unborn baby.

My mate and my child.

My whole world.

"Rhys," Feyre took one of my hands in hers and pressed my palm flat over her stomach, now slightly swollen with her pregnancy.

Every thought in my head disappeared as I felt a slight movement under my hand. A small thumping feeling, barely noticeable.

"He's kicking," Feyre laughed. "Do you feel him?"

Our son, this gift from the Cauldron that Feyre had blessed me with, I could feel him.

And she hadn't been crying out from fear or pain, but happiness and excitement, and a need to share this moment with me.

My legs began to shake, from relief or excitement, I wasn’t sure. They gave out, sending my knees crashing to the floor. I wrapped my arms around Feyre's waist and pressed my face against her stomach. I felt more gentle thumping against my cheek and let out a garbled laugh.

"Our baby," I said, a few tears streaming down my face.

Feyre laced her hands through my hair and laughed as she sank to the floor and sat knee to knee with me. She kissed away my tears, and my heart felt so full I thought it might explode out of my chest.

I pressed my hand over the small swell of her stomach and kissed her deeply, unable to control my emotions.

Another kick, and we both laughed together, so full of hope and joy at this new life we had created together, and the idea of new beginnings.

"I love you," I breathed. "Both of you."

Feyre began to glow with that brilliant light of hers and replied, "I love you, too.”

#acotar #acomaf #acowar #acofas #acosf #acotar fanfiction #acotar fanfic #feyre #rhys #rhysand #nyx #feysand #feysandnyx #feysand fanfiction

[dandylion240]

“Not even me,” Maja asked softly, stepping around Clare who was still poised as if ready to attack.

“Maja,” the name felt like a reproach as it came across his lips. He half turned as if he meant to leave then stopped himself, where could he go? There were guards everywhere. Watching and waiting for him to do something dumb. Something that would prove Clare’s suspicions about him. At the moment he’d rather risk facing the guards than face Maja.

“Don’t you want to see me?” Maja asked, walking forward “aren’t you the least bit curious how I am?”

He heard the firmness growing beneath her words, the disappointment even a little bit of anger. “Yes of course I am,” he said turning around, eyes focused on the floor, staring at her feet. The memory of his attraction and lust for Ella made it impossible for him to meet her gaze. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, not sure what else to say.

“You damn well should be,” Clare growled, earning herself a reproachful look from Maja. “Well you don’t know what he’s done. Or wanted to do.”

#brian van winkle #clare littlefield #maja lundstrom #ts3 #van winkle legacy #gen 2 reboot #call to action

[forkaround]

Classic BL Watch: MasterPost

Namaste besties. @waitmyturtles started a challenge watching Older Thai BLs and it got me thinking as well. I've seen a few, I've DNF-ed a few, but I wanted to see the progression with my own eyes. Thus we be here.

The basic premise is to watch and review Thai BLs from Love Sick 2014 (which I believe is the first Thai BL) to present time.

I'm going to make a few changes to the format and include BLs from other countries as well, including China (if I can find it).

This is a long post so I divided it into chapters: - Some History - The Method to Potential Madness - List - Rating System I've made individual posts about each under #org: subcategory

I've been fascinated with BLs for over two years. To find that there was an entire world of queer content out there which A) existed and B) didn't queerbait or bury the gay, was a revelation. How could this be? I'd watched Yuri!!! on Ice in 2017 and I guess assumed that BLs would be the same (E7 blocked kiss). So while BLs were on my radar for a while before I started I didn't get into them until relatively recently. I got so into them that I started a YouTube Channel about it.

See I'm a writer and watching art transform in front of your eyes is a relatively recent phenomena and it makes my brain go brrr...

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Some History:

I'm Indian. I'm queer. We didn't have any rights until 2018 when the ban on homosexuality was lifted. We've had queer movies but they were your traditional Oscar-bait type things until very, very recently. By that I mean until last year where we had Maja Ma, a Madhuri Dixit starrer movie about a mom coming out as a lesbian which shocks the family and makes trouble for the son's marriage. It's a brilliant movie with one of India's best actresses as the lead. But it was a Netflix Original. Before that there was Subh Mangal Zyada Savdhan and Badhaai Do, which are both good queer movies which aired in cinemas from 2020 and 2022 respectively. All to say, queer media is very very very new in India. As such, what was a young queer to do but follow the Indian Dream and go to America. Which I did, in a literary sense. In fact watching Nyssa Al Ghul kiss Sara Lance was my queer awakening. (I love Ava but this ship was really something.) Between the good writing and queer chars being present, I wasn't coming back to India like any typical NRI.

I've mentioned before about how for the story I started writing at 15 there was no other love interest for the female lead except for another girl. It just won't make sense. This was before 2018, mind you, so not a chance in hell this would be published in India. I consoled myself with 'We'll publish in America. It takes place in space anyway, so it's fine.' But then came a story that just won't work in America. Think: what if Succession's terrible people protags were queer and Indian but it's written from a 'truly believes in romance' pov. Confused already right? I'd already given up hope. I love this, but it won't be anything more than a webnovel.

Par kahte hai -

(It is said, if you love something with all your heart then the entire universe will conspire to get it to you.)

And somehow I found BLs. A world of queer stories the likes of which I'd never seen before, brimming with love and support and honest and real and queer. The Bollywood fan in me lived again after a decade 6 feet under.

I love BLs. There's no two ways about it. I love them for the love they give, the hope they have, the cringe, the drama, the stupidity, the honesty, the realness. It's everything I ever wanted queer media to be. To start it from 0 and learn what made them what they are would be an amazing learning experience and to share that with other people... well how can I not?

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The Method to potential Madness:

My tastes are a little peculiar. I have seen media from all over the world, the good and the bad, what it has taught me is nothing is every going to be perfect and I will miss things that are important to other people but what else I've learned is that I don't really care about something being good. If it's broken, a little difficult, a little cheap but made with love. I am all in.

See when I was young during Janmasthami every year these guys from an organization called Yogeshwar would come in white kurtas and perform nataks(plays) in our society. They didn't have sets, 2-3 props, just that white kurta and pants as outfits and yet it was entertaining. It was fun. I loved it. So money and pure intentions have never been barriers for me.

(an example of Janmasthami natak)

What I do care about is competence. That the writer understands what they are writing about. The best actor can't pull off a bad script but a bad actor can be tolerated in a good script.

To get you an idea of my tastes some of my favorite medias are Legends of Tomorrow, Guardian (Cdrama), Supernatural, Agents of Shield, Agent Carter, Chains of Heart, Kinnporsche, LITA, The Eclipse, The Devil Judge, Crash Course in Romance, SRK movies from '00 like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Main Hoon Na, Kabhi Khushsi Kabhi Gham, etc. As you can see, very widely ranging. I love competence and I love heart. Everything else I can live without. To that end some shows I didn't like/DNF-ed: Bed Friend, Step by Step, Big Mouth, Eve, Game of Thrones, most Netflix things, Mr. Robot, Supergirl, The Flash, Elite, Witcher, Coffee Melody, War of Y. If you get too PC without the narrative backup I'll leave; If it's too nihilistic, I'll leave; If it's too monotonous, I'll leave. I have Psychotic Depression, I don't have the time to deal with this shit.

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List:

To borrow from @waitmyturtles, a list of shows I'll cover:

ThaiBL: 1) Love Sick and Love Sick 2 2) Make It Right + Make It Right 2 3) SOTUS + SOTUS S 4) Together With Me 5) Love By Chance 6) He’s Coming To Me 7) Dark Blue Kiss 8) TharnType 9) Puppy Honey 10) Theory of Love 11) Until We Meet Again 12) 2gether + Still 2gether 13) I Told Sunset About You + I Promised You the Moon 14) Manner of Death 15) A Tale of Thousand Stars 16) Lovely Writer I will group these into either productions i.e. all GMMTV or by writer i.e. all MAME, all Jittiran, all Sammon, etc

Korean BL: 1) Where Your Eyes Linger 2) Color Rush 3) To My Star 4) You Make Me Dance 5) Nobleman's Ryu's Wedding 6) Light On Me 7) Peach of Time 8) Kissable Lips 9) Long Time No See 10) Cherry Blossoms After Winter 11) Blueming 12) Our Dating Sim 13) The Eighth Sense Others like The Tasty Florida, Where Your Eyes Linger, Semantic Error, etc. I've already seen and don't include on this list.

Japanese BL: (from @absolutebl's recs) 1) Seven Days 2) My Love Mix-up 3) Restart after Come back Home 4) Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice but to Kiss! 5) Life: Love on the line 6) Man who defies the world of BL 7) Takumi kun 8) Boys Love 9) Cornered Mouse Dream of Cheese 10) Eternal Yesterday 11) Ossan's Love 12) Given Others like Cherry Magic, Old Fashion Cupcake, Minato Coin Laundry, etc. I've already seen and don't include on this list.

Taiwanese BL: 1 - 5) HIStory Series 6) Be Loved in this House: I Do 7) See you after Quarantine? 8) DNA says I love you 9) We are Gamily 10) Your Name Engraved Herein 11) Papa & Daddy 12) Plus Minus 13) Love is Science Others like We Best Love, About Youth I've already seen and don't include on this list.

Chinese BL: (If I can find them) 1) Addicted Heroin 2) The Untamed 3) Advance Bravely 4) My Esport Genius Brother 5) Like Love: I love you as a man 6) Mr. CEO is falling in Love with him 7) S.C.I 8) Irresistible Love 9) Mr. X and I Others like Guardian and Word of Honor I've already seen and don't include on this list

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Rating System:

Range: 3 Wonderland to 3 Wasteland. Wonderland = Good. Wasteland = Bad. 3 Wonderland = Best Ever. 3 Wasteland = Worst Ever. Categories: Writing/Script (character work, world building, pacing, etc.); Production (technical stuff, camera work, visuals, etc.); Acting; Joy Levels (how much I enjoyed it); Feeling (satisfied, confused, angry, etc.)(totally subjective, grain of salt metric) and a Final Rank.

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Tags: classic BL watch; [show]; fork watches; fork report;

[16/06/2023]

#classic BL watch #org: masterpost #type: masterpost #thai bl #asian bl #korean bl #japanese bl #taiwanese bl #chinese bl #youtube #fork report #fork watches

[fangswbenefits]

I found kitten pictures!

Left: Clint and Bucky

Right: Maja (with bucky in the background)

So cute story! They were so tiny that I could hold them in my hand (one at a time). One night Maja had crawled up my arm and laid herself down in my hand and went to sleep. I couldn’t bring myself to disturb her so I sat like that for about an hour 😭

Absolutely adorable 🥺💗 my cat doesn't really like sleeping on me, but he loves staying at my feet and occasionally attacking them

#answered ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

[soloorganaas]

entranced

belated fleurinny fic for @hpsaffics femslash february bingo: drabble, angst, first person, canon compliant 💖

~

She is without a doubt the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.

Her hair is almost silver, like someone wove moonlight together and it’s now cascading down her shoulders. She moves so gracefully it’s almost as if she’s bending the world to her will, atoms rearranging themselves to form a stage for her presence.

Fleur entrances me every moment I’m around her, but I’ve had a lifetime of carefully concealing the way I can fall apart around women, and no one is paying attention to me anyway. The boys are all so hypnotised they can barely move, and most of the girls are either nauseous with jealousy, mildly curious or utterly unconcerned.

There’s a few of us who aren’t and we catch each other’s longing looks and lustful eyes with a knowing smirk. It’s the first time I’ve ever felt visible , and there’s suddenly an unspoken kindred spirit with Parvati and Alicia in Gryffindor Tower, or Maja in Ravenclaw from Potions, or Juno the Slytherin I share Herbology with.

And Fleur, who catches my gaze one day with a curious smile that sets my cheeks aflame.

For the rest of the year I’m out of my own body with longing. There’s a flicker of tiny, dangerous hope; the knowledge that she sees me outweighs any rational thought about her age or comparative beauty or the way she occasionally smiles haughtily at boys but never so much as looks at a girl.

“Performative hyper-femininity,” Alicia says casually, examining her nails as we lounge in the Prefect's Bathroom.

She’s invited a select circle of friends for what she’s loosely dubbed a ‘pool party’, which turns out to be other queer women and femmes in varying states of swimwear lounging about in the veritable swimming pool drinking frozen sangria and chatting about girls. Nobody seems to notice - or care - that I’m just a few months shy of 14, and I sip slowly at my glass as I dangle my feet in the water.

“Mm, yeah makes sense,” agrees Ariana, the Hufflepuff keeper. “Her whole thing is about men finding her hot – all that power? Great way to try and hide what you don’t want to face.”

I keep on sipping, something confusing buzzing in my mind.

“Well, if she needs help figuring it out, I’m more than willing to oblige,” Alicia says, stretching herself languidly out in the pool. Ariana raises an eyebrow, shamelessly checking her out, and Alicia smirks.

The next time I see Fleur is at the Yule Ball. I watch her twirl elegantly with Roger Davies, her face a careful mask with a smile that doesn’t meet her eyes. Roger fetches them drinks after leaving Fleur sitting at the table with her friends, and I catch her gaze linger for a long second on Alicia, whose strong and curvaceous body is hugged tightly in a dark violet dress.

I smirk, something like triumph and hope fizzing alongside the spiked punch in my veins.

#fleur x ginny #ginny x fleur #fleur delacour #ginny weasley #hpsafficfebbingo23 #writing in first person was wild #hp #hp femslash

[oh-munda-kukkad-kamaal-da]

Iss diwalli ke kaarnaame:

Meri chakri flat ki jagah seedhi ho gyi aur pahiye ki tarah gol gol ghumte hue parking lot mai chali gyi. Almost burnt my whole building down. Maja aaya par

Mera anaar bhi mere jalane ke baad girr gya bc aur mere upar hi aa gya. Main to dusri taraf dekh rha tha and i didn't even feel a thing. Par baakiyo ki G phatt gyi ki ye to jall gya bhai

And ha kisi chutiye ka rocket upar se u turn maarke mujhse 6 feet door phata

[phynewrites]

Find the word

tagged by @mjparkerwriting thank you very much! Let's find the words lunge, cross, plead, and game.

---

The monster does not seem to sense the threat of the knife as it lunged forward at its prey. It doesn’t need to, there was a bigger threat to it. 

---

Maja sat cross legged, facing the training Archer. “I’ve spied around the other factions. They think we are the most formidable threat” -she cupped her hands in her mouth and giggled- “It’s a little laughable actually. Just because we left the fortress unscathed doesn’t mean we’re the biggest threat.” 

---

“Moi, I’m sorry,” the young man pleaded. He was kneeling in front of her, clutching his abdomen which she had accidentally shot with her arrow. A dark haired woman came to hoist him on his feet and slung his arm over her shoulders so she could support his weight. The woman glared at her as she glared back. 

---

It would be very entertaining to see how they interpret things and fight over it than the video games.  But of course, I am joking.

tagging: @cabaretofwords @camillenrose @squarebracket-trick @glam-pir to find the words water, stack, drive, and mist.

#tag games #find the word #writeblr tag games #writers on tumblr

[cult-of-the-eye]

I watched Maja Ma today and I do this as some form of self inflicted hurt/comfort cause I love me some desi queer people but also AHHHHHHHHHHHHGGGGGGGAHHSJSJS

I originally thought the son was gonna be supportive of the mum cause he was from America and maybe more exposed to queer people and accepting attitudes?? Boy was I wrong! I was also surprised that they revealed it so early in the movie and then I realised it was gonna be a forced outing trope and I was SO STRESSED.

I would kill for Pallavi she's wonderful spectacular amazing so sweet and she's such a compelling character!! The trope of queer people planning to run away from their not accepting community but then one staying is definitely a problematic one but also one that I am an absolute sucker for. THE ANGST!!! THE DRAMA!! THE DESPERATION!!! THE HOPE!!! THE FACT THAT YOU WANT TO HATE PALLAVI FOR BREAKING JANAKA'S HEART BUT YOU UNDERSTAND WHY SHE DID IT!!! THE DESPERATE WANT TO FIT IN AND BE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!!! Also she's Madhuri Dixit!!! She literally played her so well she CARRIED the whole movie!!

Every other person in the movie annoyed the fuck out of me. I understand that they were supposed to be flawed but jesus Christ I wanted to punch them through the screen. (Apart from maybe the husband he was so funny I loved pallavis reactions to him trying to be romantic she really was like ??????? and also obviously liked Janaka and the fiancée was an absolutely wonderful person she deserves the world and can do way better than fucking bitchass dickface Tejas.) I genuinely started screaming at the son for trying to fucking convert his mum???! Violently as well?????! Your own mother????? I was ready to DICK PUNCH through the screen let me tell you. I hated the daughter so much. Obviously I get that we're supposed to get annoyed at her but god damn bitch was insane!! Loved it when that one queer person was like yeah her and her straight privilege and borrowed outrage can go fuck right off trying to fucking force her mum out of the closet in an extremely traditional society I was like GO OFF KING. TELL IT LIKE IT IS.

And obviously it's asking a bit much from a Bollywood movie to adhere to western views and language used about queer people and I'm taking what I can get really but god damn I hated the way she went about things and I hated that she was portrayed as an angry feminist gender studies person who's making trouble, like Jesus Christ we've had enough of that we don't want the one accepting person to be portrayed like their insane for accepting them??? I don't know what the purpose of her character was supposed to be?? I guess that line about her being more of a social worker than a daughter sums it up

Honestly girl ate with those speeches!!! I loved the bit where she was like yeah I failed the lie detector test cause they were asking the wrong questions. If they'd asked if she ever had fallen in love with a girl, then she'd gladly fail I was literally kicking my feet giggling at this!!

Yeah the way they resolved the conflict was a little bit childish but I got my comfort and I'm glad it wasn't queer sadness!! It was super interesting seeing this type of story from the mother's point of view, cause usually it's the kid coming out and facing these things and I think it added a really nice level of depth and angst about womanhood and being queer in a traditional Indian society. I loved how it had the quintessential Bollywood dance and song scenes I thought they were lovely!! I especially loved the last shot of pallavi and Janaka dancing together in the middle of the circle with the pulsing lights I thought that was so beautiful!!

Honestly overall this movie was messy and did make me want to scream more times than I thought was intended but the cute parts were really cute and pallavi's depth and character and Madhuri Dixit made it a whole lot better!! 6.8/10

#maja ma #madhuri dixit #desi queer #movie review #spoilers #obviously #queer movies #lgbtq #its my little everyones out of the house guilty pleasure #i need to watch badhaai ho as well

[theindieinformer]

Saltsea Chronicles Impressions: A Crew To See You Through

Saltsea Chronicles' world is as compelling as it is complex, to an almost daunting degree. But unraveling the game's mystery keeps me sailing through its sea of thoughtful exploration.

Developer Die Gute Fabrik • Publisher Die Gute Fabrik • Release October 12, 2023 • Played On PC Feet firmly planted on the deck of a — somewhat — stolen a ship, I sail away from an island some of the crew had never dreamed of leaving. That was before Maja, a charismatic and innovative leader convinced the motley gang of misfits to join her in seeking the horizon. But Maja isn’t here for this…

View On WordPress

#Adventure #Art #Dialogue #Impressions #Thoughtful

[dandylion240]

Something sweet, intoxicating filled Adam’s senses. His stomach rumbled like he’d missed a thousand meals. He pounced upon the figure, driving him to the floor. His mouth salivated as all of his senses concentrated on the source of the delicious treat his body craved. His vision honed in to such a point all he could see was the veins through the skin like a road map. A thousand different destinations all converging in one point. He leaned forward, running his tongue over the spot, reveling in the way he could feel what he craved moving, rapidly at that point. The scent filled him. Made his mouth water. His newly formed fangs grazed the skin, instinct told him it wouldn’t take much pressure to get to the … blood. Blood!!! His mind shrieked at the thought. This wasn’t him. He never craved blood before. He could feel his body tremble as his internal battle waged inside him. He needed to feed. He was starving. Another part of him gagged at the idea of consuming blood. 

Blinking he gazed into the frightened eyes of his brother as awareness of surroundings came back to him. “Brian?” he croaked “what’s happening to me?” 

He didn’t prevent Brian from sliding out from beneath him, too stunned at what he was about to do. “Leave,” shouted curling into a ball as he struggled not to jump on Brian and finish what he started. “Leave,” repeated when Brian attempted to stagger towards him.

Jumping to her feet Maja grabbed Brian’s arm, dragging him towards the door.

#maja lundstrom #brian van winkle #adam van winkle #ts3 #van winkle legacy #gen 2 reboot #call to action

[majaloveschris]

I found his whole post odd. The whole caption he chose I think had different meaning. His favorite move....(those little feet) I think was more directed at the fans. He did the classic Dodger pic he posts but he knows the while Fandom puts all his pics under a microscope and over analyzes everything so I think he wanted people to analyze the shoes because he knows people would go crazy trying to figure it out. But why go through all that trouble? //

I’m sorry… I don’t want be disrespectful with anyone!! But maybe he cropped the picture because the star in this picture is Dodger… I think not everything is about the PT trio!! Like another day when he liked Tara’s comments at 1am and everyone immediately starting to think he was with someone… I love your blog Maja, but sometimes this fandom is just like 🤯

I totally get you. Sometimes I come here, read like two asks and I'm out. I don't always have the patience for people, and I don't want to be rude or disrespectful towards anybody.

The Tara comment liking thing was one of the few cases that made me so mad. I think since this PR shitshow has started, some people think everything happens because of them. Because he wants to show that they were there, or because he wants people to forget about something that has happened or that will happen. This isn't the first time he's made a post about Dodger, his work, or shootings. Not everything happens because he wants us to forget about all of this. Just because this PR shitshow's been going on doesn't mean he doesn't have his regular life and doesn't have duties to fulfill, like promoting, etc. I'm not saying he's never posted anything to test the waters or a Dodger photo to make the situation better, but not everything has happened because of this PR bullshit since last January.

#majaloveschris #chris and alba pr #cevans-love

[blueberry-beanie]

Everything Everything at Arena Wien | 3rd August 2022

Time to write about seeing the amazing EE in Wien! This is going to be a VERY long story, but it features possibly the best concert of my life including meeting all band members afterwards. I have divided the text into sections with titles so you can quickly skip to the main part with the concert if you want to.

A year ago in August N and I decided to take a closer look at Everything Everything after we had exhausted our supply of favourite Foals videos. Jeremy had been a constant source of enjoyment in all ENSWBL live videos and we wanted to find out more about his own band. N already knew some of their material, but had not watched any live videos.

This is how we entered the rabbit hole. Ever since, we could never get enough of EE and their brilliant work. In a stroke of luck the band announced a concert in Wien months ago and I decided to travel all the way from north Germany to see them. In the months leading up to the concert I have been getting increasingly excited (atypical for pessimistic me) and could not wait to see them.

Tuesday - Arriving in Wien

And then it’s finally Tuesday, the 2nd August and it's six in the morning and I'm only transforming, woah... around ten hours of travel were waiting for me now. At first it started out alright, but five minutes after departure Deutsche Bahn decided to play “Your connecting train will (or won’t) be caught” with me via e-mail. And if that wasn’t enough, it turned out they decided to remove two carriages from the train, meaning it became super full and nobody was sure where they were sitting anymore. At 9:30 I ended up sitting on the floor, but not for very long.

The landscapes at my window varied from hills with foggy, mysterious valleys to golden fields and blue sky. There were a lot of tunnels and at some point we were travelling along the huge Main river. Finally in Nürnberg, I changed trains and this is where it became very fun.

It was only 12:30 and I had still more than four hours to travel, but now I ended up sitting in a stuffed luggage and bike compartment on the floor. The air conditioning did not work the entire journey, even when I eventually found a seat. I was joking to N that next time the guys better take me with them, because no tour bus can be this bad. Meanwhile I saw on Instagram that the band were enjoying themselves outdoors and Jeremy sprawling across a hammock on the floor was definitely a mood in this overheated hell of a train.

But I knew that today was not even going to be the hottest day - the next two were promised to be way over 35 °C. A good way to be boiled alive... Finally, at 5 pm I reached Wien Hauptbahnhof. My hostel, St. Christopher’s Inn, was only a few minutes foot walk away from there. The area looked a bit weird. A slightly shabby pedestrian zone with loads of food places and groceries.

An hour later after a cold shower I went out back to the train station to eat some Asian noodles. After that I visited the gardens between upper and lower Belvedere Palace. It reminded me a lot of London because of the opulent scenery, but the park was a proper pleasure garden, planned out completely symmetrical and stretching out from one palace to the other. I did not spend a long time there though, because my tired feet were killing me.

Back at the hostel, I met my roommates (two from Czech Republic, who immediately went out again to enjoy themselves at the Prater, and Maja from Kassel in Germany). After another shower, Maja and I had quite a long talk about school, uni, work, horses and more. We decided to do a little bit of sightseeing together the next day before she had to go to Venice.

Wednesday - Spanish Riding School and Sightseeing

The next morning I woke early and went to eat some free breakfast at 9 am. As I found out, veganism has not arrived to Wien yet, so I ate a very interesting combination of cheap toast with cucumbers and tomatoes. But anything works and I was off to the Spanish Riding School next to the Hofburg. Half an hour later, I arrived at the beautiful place. Wien has an abundance of impressive completely white buildings and this area was no different.

I finally found the entrance to the Winterreithalle, where the the young stallions’ morning training was to take place. I follow the riding school’s social media and so I recognised the street and sure enough - a minute later two white Lippizaner horses crossed the street towards the stables.

We were let in shortly after and I got to see the famous riding hall in person. I had a good seat in the first row and to my delight, two of the older horses were already practicing with their riders. This was the first time I have seen such perfection with my own eyes. They were effortlessly performing piaffe, passage, flying changes and pirouettes. One stallion was even equipped with the famous white saddle, gold-adorned bridle and a red saddle cloth. Taking pictures is not allowed, so I have just sneaked one very quick photo from the end of the training.

Afterwards the actual program with young horses started and it was very interesting to see the different stages of development in the horses, although all of them were four years old. One dark grey horse stood out especially because he moved with such grace and without any rush that you would be forgiven thinking he was flying over the ground. Another horse was a bit nervous and put in a sprint at some point, before his rider could calm him down.

When I got back out, the sun was already unbearably hot. I realised that spending the day without a hat would be an extremely bad idea and went to search for one while waiting for Maja to arrive. With a new hat, I stood in the shadow of a huge church where people in antiquated costumes were trying to sell passers-by tickets for classical concerts. 

Maja and I went to see the butterfly house but it was already way too hot, so we decided to wander in the park nearby. But even this turned out to be absolutely baking hot, because it was already past noon and the sun at its highest point. Instead we took a tram and a bus to a shop to buy her a pair of sunglasses and then we ate something. I had a delicious bowl with tofu and glass noodles and went back home. We stopped by a supermarket (Aldi is confusingly called Hofer here) but it did not have a lot of vegan options. So I got a smoothie, mixed it with water and bought some cheap bread.

Wednesday - Before the Concert

After four o’clock I got myself dressed in my favourite green linnen dress, checked my handbag and headed off to Arena Wien. I knew it was very early still, but I am rather going early than finding out I am too late. It was a very good decision to come early, because it turned out the so-called Arena is a maze of graffitied brick buildings. I knew there was supposed to be a Bierfest and I knew that EE was supposed to play at the Große Halle. But where is that? I was wandering around until I found a small entrance to the Bierfest. I asked an employee where to find the entrance for the Hall and he vaguely pointed around the corner, his voice drowned out by the volume of a bass soundcheck nearby.

I went around the corner to see a huge (but empty) open air stage and a big building with a grey door. The door said “exit only” so I started being nervous. Where was everyone? I did not see anyone who looked remotely like an EE fan, only middle-aged rockers in black clothes. So I sat on a bench and waited. I was undoubtedly at the right place because I heard EE soundchecking in the distance. “Do you think you got everyone under your control?“, Jonathan was singing. At some point later I heard Pizza Boy.

The Middle-aged rockers proved to be a saving grace. A group sat down next to me and I got the courage to ask them if they knew where the entrance was. They confirmed it was next to the confusing “exit only” door and we had a nice conversation about Austria and Germany and overall I started to calm down a bit. Then we were thrown out from out comfortable seats because they were supposed to become merch stands for the fest.

I went towards the grey door where I had seen a guy with an Arc EE shirt wandering around. This guy turned out to be Fabian, a long-time super fan. He was very nice and soon we had a conversation going. He told me the most incredible thing: He is actually working for a radio station called egoFM and not only has he met the band several times before, but he had interviewed them just today!

Naturally I needed to find out more about this. He came here earlier that day and had a conversation with the band (except Jeremy, who was missing). They told him a lot of interesting stuff about the concert and were also kind enough to sign vinyls for him. At some point they were like “Where is Jeremy?” and gave him a call to make him come and see Fabian. It turned out Jeremy was relaxing in the car, because it was cold there. He proceeded to invite Fabian to sit in the cold car and have a chat.

Fabian also told me about the one time he and his fandom friends heard about the band tweeting about cheese. So they proceeded to go out to the supermarket and buy cheese for all of them. They picked all kinds of cheese and changed the names, for example to “El Presidente Heartbeat”. Then they gave the cheese to the management for the band to enjoy.

Fabian is a huge fan and knows everything about the band. It was awesome to finally talk to someone who loves EE even more than I do and to find out more about them as well. N told us that EE posted an Instagram story with them soundchecking Good Shot Good Soldier and Fabian mentioned they hinted at a fresh setlist today.

In the meantime, there were still only a handful of fans standing around, although it was almost 7 pm. I found out that Fabian needed no ticket because he was on the guestlist. The guestlist did cause us some heart attack though, when they started letting us in: He needed to hurry to another entrance because they would not admit him at the main.

But our worries were unnecessary: This gig was never going to be crowded. We had a lot of space the entire time. I was the first one inside and got my absolute dream spot between Jonathan and Jeremy, slightly to the right side of the middle. Fabian stood on my left side and two nice girls to my right.

Later we met Amechi, an extremely nice guy who came all the way from Canada, primarily to see EE, but also to visit a few European cities. We had a wonderful chat about our favourite songs and albums. Fabian is a huge fan of Arc, we agreed that Raw Data Feel is a masterpiece and that we all like Torso of the Week. We also chatted about how Re-Animator had a weird mix and that we were all so goddamn excited about this concert.

The support act Please Madame from Salzburg in Austria were great. Within a few minutes they got everyone clapping, grooving and singing. I don’t think their music is particularly extraordinary, but as an opener they were wonderful for the atmosphere they created. I decided to try my new prisms and hoped that the darkness would improve when EE hit the stage.

Then they started setting up all the instruments. We saw Alex’ guitar and Jonathan’s too and Jeremy’s tiny bass. They also set up his ridiculously small keyboard right in front of us. It was fun to see the roadie soundchecking - he had to really stretch his neck and tiptoe to reach Jeremy’s and Alex’ microphones. At some point Pete briefly appeared in front of us and I said “Hi Pete!” and he smiled and responded “Hi!” as well.

Wednesday - The Concert

Just give me this one night Just one night to feel like I might be on the right path The path that takes me home Wise enough to know myself Just give me this one night Just one night to feel

And then, at 21:10 the Software Greatman outro kicked in and we became really, really excited. The band walked in from the right side and started with Pizza Boy. We all went absolutely insane. I caught the ending for N, and then they continued with Can’t Do. Now this song is one of my favourites (although with this band almost every song is a favourite, so it’s hard to tell!). “Help me, I can’t do the thing you want!” Jonathan sang. He was in a great voice.

Overall I had the best spot in the house if you ask me. To my right, Jeremy, almost too tall to look at him; to my left Jonathan and I also had clear view to Alex and Pete quite often. Only Mike hid beind his drumkit for most of the time. This was exactly where I had always wanted to be. My only problem was that I didn’t know where to look first: At Jeremy, or maybe at Jonathan? Help me, I can’t decide what I want!

It was really hot, so Jonathan for once appeared without his jacket and Jeremy traded his usual shirts for one that reminded me a bit of his outfits for Foals. All of them were dressed in white, with white shoes as well. I had ample opportunity to look at Jonathan’s shoes because he liked to put them right in front of my face when he rested his foot on the stage monitor speakers.

I had such a show just in front of my eyes, with all the bright light leaving the band members just as mysterious shadows. Jeremy of course needed to show off at every opportunity.

Jonathan demanded attention whenever I was staring at Jeremy for too long. He would come up right in front of us very often, so close I could have touched his legs - but of course we are not at a Foals concert, and everyone is extremely well-behaved and would never dare to do that.

Each song was better than the previous one. To say that the setlist was absolute fire is an understatement. The only thing that may be critiqued that they completely left out songs from Man Alive. But instead we didn’t get one, nor two but FIVE live debuts and the first time playing Night of the Long Knives on this tour. We were absolutely ecstatic with the show.

The first debut was Metroland Is Burning, one of my faves from the album. They really got all the bangers out, the run from Shark Week - Hex - Leviathan - Night of the Long Knives and Cut Up! cannot be beaten.

 I still cannot believe I heard everything with my own ears. All the songs I’ve been watching over and over and over again this past year, unfolding in front of my eyes. To the Blade is such a banger and I nearly wanted to cry for Violent Sun at the end of the set. The quietest song was of course Leviathan. The way they managed to deliver this masterpiece really transported me into another dimension, it was perfect.

The encore consisted of I Want a Love Like This, Distant Past and No Reptiles. To say I went absolutely batshit crazy for Distant Past would be correct but doesn’t cut it still. The absolute adrenalin rush, the crowd yelling out the lyrics (they had already been singing along loudly the entire time but NOW everyone went crazy). No Reptiles was the appropriate euphoric ending to this outstanding concert.

I cannot say to have ever witnessed a more perfect set. The guys are absolute geniuses in their profession and they do what they do the best way possible. I was so lucky to experience this, my ears have been blessed. Sorry guys if I have been staring at you with heart eyes a bit too obviously, it was a heartfelt emotion.

In retrospect, I should’ve tried to take more photos during the brighter songs, but I was busy filming half of the songs (with my phone resting against my handbag so I could still yell and jump like a mad person) and just enjoying the moment. During some songs you can hear me screech with excitement, this is how happy I was to hear them.

After the gig, Amechi caught Jonathan’s setlist (with his footprint) and the roadies/security guys were not very welcoming actually. We were ushered away as fast as possible, but I managed to get myself a bass plectrum. We were surprised to see there was absolutely no merchandise from the band and they closed the venue as fast as possible.

There went our plan that the guys might come out and sign some merch. Little did we know that our evening had just started...

Wednesday - Meeting the Band

There's a way that you don't ever have to be a Lunatic or an error Or a prisoner of your terror

What happened next sounds as if I made it all up, but as I wrote to N later “I'm not making this up, my fantasy doesn’t reach that far”. When we came out of the venue it was roughly quarter past ten. Fabian, Amechi and I tried to figure out where it would be most likely for the band to come out if they decided to come out.

We decided that not far from the entrance would be the best spot. Soon we were joined by Gabriele and his Italian friends. We exchanged our opinions about the concert, determined favourite albums and reassured each other that Supernormal is an absolute banger. One of the guys wanted to ask Jonathan about his cats, but I was able to tell him that he doesn’t own any cats anymore (and hasn’t killed them either).

Suddenly Jonathan and Alex appeared from the entrance and we all collectively went “holy shit” and stared at them very inconspicuously. They went to get a drink from the bar on the other side of the yard. For whatever reason Fabian wasn’t there in exactly this moment and neither when they came back and disappeared behind the corner. When he returned we confessed that we were all too awestruck to seize our opportunity. He sighed and asked where they went and then confidently lead our little group to some benches and tables, where Jonathan and Alex were sitting.

He proceeded to gesture at Amechi to approach them. Like school children in front of the headmaster we came closer with big eyes and nervously clasped hands, me at the very end of the group.

This tense atmosphere vanished pretty quickly. It turns out Jonathan and Alex are the most easy-going and sweet people possible. They graciously not only gave us their time but genuinely enjoyed having conversations. They shook each of our hands. Jonathan got up and immediately got engaged in a conversation with Fabian and Amechi. The Italians surrounded Alex.

At some point Alex, still sitting on the bench, remarked “Oh I gotta get up, this is kind of uncomfortable” gesturing towards us all standing in front of him. He proceeded to get up and suddenly towered above us like the giant he is. I laughed and remarked “Well, this is certainly better!”. At some point I managed to get a question in for him: “Alex, I wanted to ask you, what happened to your red guitar? I hope it hasn’t burned like the other one?” He replied that no, the red guitar is safe at home and that he just felt like he needs to move on to another one, the restored guitar from the fire.

In the meantime Jonathan was engaged into a conversation about his t-shirt. The black t-shirt had a boy and some big pumpkins on it. We determined it is from an unknown movie and I said it reminded me a bit of Stranger Things, to which Jonathan agreed. He and the guys were talking about Halloween movies and then he found out that Amechi came all the way from Canada to see them. He was absolutely delighted and in awe that someone would do that and proceeded to give Amechi a heartfelt hug.

They also readily signed some CDs and Amechi’s setlist. Someone asked him to draw Kevin on the Raw Data Feel CD and Jonathan complied, producing the weirdest tentacled face you can imagine. Amechi also complimented Jonathan on his voice, saying that falsetto is rare in today’s mainstream music (”It has gone out of fashion”, Jonathan laughed). I don’t know what bit me, a hyena probably, but I blurted out that I also like all the little effects he does with his voice, to which he cheekily replied “Yeah voice effects, like I just press an effect button and the effects come out!”. But I reassured him that they were up on the same level like his awesome falsetto.

I became very cheeky and joked at some point “Yknow, Jonathan, I’m actually a bit pissed at you guys!” He asked me why and I told him that I bought the ticket to Wien and came all the way here only to find out that they will play almost at my front door the next day. I made clear it is a joke though and that it is really worth it and he asked me if I will be there tomorrow. Fabian said nobody will be there tomorrow and it will be a gig in misery without the fanclub. I joked that no, I have to endure ten hours of Deutsche Bahn tomorrow and they could’ve just taken me back home instead! He answered, just as cheekily, “Sure come along!”

Then I managed to mention N and said that I also have some stories from far away to tell. That was after Jonathan had talked about some desastrous Italian TV show (that’s why they don’t come to Italy anymore, he joked) and mentioned that he has some relatives in Canada. I told him that my friend Nikol is Ukrainian and currently in Greece and that she introduced me to EE and she loves the band very much. I said she got obsessed with his orange trenchcoat and that I tried to find one for her and was lucky enough to find one in a vintage shop and that she now can’t wait to wear it and loves it very much. He loved this idea and told me that he found his coat on ebay too. He said, he still has the orange coat and he tried to find another one, but with no luck. Someone asked him about the orange t-shirts (they weren’t sure if they were pink, but Jonathan and I agreed they were orange). He told us he left them in his old house and has no idea where he got them from.

Amechi can speak French and so he asked Jonathan about a line in a song where he expressed some negative view about the French. Jonathan explained that he doesn’t really think that and just wanted to convey a very outdated view instead. I threw in that if we believed everything he sings we’d have a problem. He chuckled and remarked “Ha, yeah, I’d be in jail”. I replied “Well, you did kill the Queen. Thanks for the service”, which made him laugh.

We asked Jonathan why there was no merch today and he told us that there has been an issue because of Brexit and they would’ve loved to bring some but could not. We were all sad but I said well at least we have someone to blame. He replied, “Well, it’s not us!” and I told him, “No, you would never do this!”

At some point Fabian, Amechi and Gabriele with his friends wanted to go and speak to Jeremy and Mike, who had appeared a bit further away from us and were currently talking to a group of people. At the same time, some other guys had come over to talk to Alex and Jonathan. I was torn, because I had the idea to ask Jonathan for a video message for N. So I told Fabian and Amechi to go without me and I would follow.

I proceeded to hang around while Jonathan spoke to a girl who told a story about a banana on Twitter or something like that? I had no idea what it was all about but Jonathan was delighted and hugged her. He also talked about the Breadwinner video and did not remember which program he used to make it, but it was definitely not Blender. Then another group of people took a few photos with Alex and Jonathan.

Finally, I saw my time had arrived to ask Jonathan. I said, “I’m so sorry to abuse your friendliness, can I just ask one more thing?” But he was like, “Nah not at all, it’s alright!” I asked him if he could maybe record a short video message just to say hi to my friend Nikol and that she would be over the moon to receive one. He agreed, and I also asked Alex if he wanted in, but Alex was content sitting on the bench and enjoying the show.

Everyone who thinks Jonathan would just say “Hi, hope you are alright there, greetings from Vienna” doesn’t know him well. That includes me. Jonathan started the funniest acting show with “Hello Nikol!” and proceeded to say “I understand you’ve been trying to find an orange coat...”, meanwhile inching closer and closer to the camera with his beer bottle.“...they are very difficult to find. I found mine on Ebay. You need to keep looking.”

I started giggling, and in the video Alex shakes his head in disbelief, preparing for the inevitable comedy to unfold itself. Then I whispered “She found one!” and the immediate change in tone never ceases to make me laugh “Oh you found one! Congratulations, you found the coat! You are in a very select group now. Thank you!” In the background you can see Alex, sitting and smiling about this, while I am losing it behind the camera.

I thanked Jonathan profoundly for his unique message and told him I will send it to Nikol right away and she will completely freak out in a few minutes. Thinking that I will probably briefly greet Jeremy and Mike and then go home, I already said bye to Jonathan and Alex with a handshake and went on to the others.

This plan did not work out in the slightest. As soon as I arrived, all the guys started moving to where I came from - back to Jonathan and Alex. So much about bye, nice to meet you. But I really needed to speak to Jeremy, for fuck’s sake, so I just followed them back.

Somehow I was suddenly nervous again, I did not want to bother him and also Jeremy can come across a bit bitchy in interviews and livestreams sometimes. He’s certainly quick-witted in giving answers. I also read about other fans meeting the band and saying he was more distant than the others and not as terribly nice as the rest.

I could not have been any more wrong. “Hi Jeremy?” I asked, with big puppy eyes probably, and he immediately turned around to greet me and we exchanged the inevitable “Nice to meet you”. He shook my hand and I told him that I saw him before when he performed with Foals in Amsterdam in 2019. He was like, “Ohh, yes! At Paradiso!” I said that I started wondering about his own band because I really liked his bass playing and his vocals and I wanted to see more of it.

He was like “Ah, so the promo worked!” He seemed to be very happy and pleased about this and completely surprised me with a hug. He was very soft, the hug was lovely and left me completely taken aback. He asked me where I am from and I said near Hamburg. He was impressed I travelled that far and thanked me for coming.

Still in shock about everything that happened in the last five minutes, I sought companionship from N and found it right away: “WHAT! A VERY SELECT GROUP NOW IS FUCKING DYING ALSO OMG ALAX THERE ON BG LAUGHING DFGHJ“ I thought “Ah so she has seen the video now”, and grinned, but could only incoherently reply sth about “I hugged Jeremy”.

In the meantime the circus was still ongoing. Fabian and Mike stood arm in arm and I commented, “You look like old mates” and Mike, without missing a beat, replied “We are!”. At some point we caught Pete and asked him to join the group photo everyone was planning. I told him he had to come too, because he is part of the gang. Pete happily obliged and only Jeremy was late again. We took a massive group photo that barely fit everyone on there.

Jonathan told us that they will be here until 1 am and was like, “No don’t go, stay here”. Well, I guess, if you say so... So Amechi, Gabriele, Fabian and I stayed there near the beverage cart and tried to process what the fuck had just happened. We had an universal agreement that this was the best fucking gig we have ever been to, even those of us who have seen the band several times already.

By now it was around midnight, and we really needed the time to exchange stories, grab a drink and exchange numbers. It turns out, Amechi is quite the language talent because he can already type in phone numbers if you tell him them in German.

Amongst this, N suddenly sent a Tweet by Jonathan:

I showed it to Amechi and he nearly got a heart attack, because it was clear that Jonathan meant him, who had come all the way from Canada. What a way to show appreciation to fans! Meanwhile N was still processing her video: “My mind became an error, I don't understand anything and rewatching Jonathan xD“.

During all of this, I felt like another person. It was as if all the existential dread, the awkwardness, the fear of meeting new people and somehow being all wrong and unlikeable, as if all that noise had just disappeared from my body and I could just breathe and be. I did not have to be a lunatic, or an error, or a prisoner of my terror. Instead here I was, making plans to go for brunch together with three new friends, having drinks and chatting and feeling for once like everything was good.

Shortly before 1 am we decided it was time to say goodbye to the band and go to catch some trains. So we went to first say goodbye to Jonathan. He proceeded to be extremely sweet and give out hugs to all three guys. For some reason we got to the topic of his t-shirt again and he remembered buying it at HMV and someone remarked, “Wow it still exists!”. He talked about the interview they gave in which they thought HMV is going to shut down entirely and that now he is embarrassed because it is not true at all.

The guys then moved on to say bye to the others and I was left with Jonathan. I told him “Thank you again for the video and Nikol has seen it and she is completely overjoyed”. He loved that and said that she should take a photo of herself in the coat so he can see it. I thanked him for everything and said that I hoped to see him again soon and he surprised me by generously giving me a hug as well. Now I felt truly honoured and happy.

I proceeded to say bye to Alex and Mike, and because everyone was giving out hugs I received hugs, too. Mike was a bit awkward and also I somehow haven’t had the chance to talk to him as much as to the others, but he was very nice to me nevertheless.

Then it was again Jeremy’s turn. I was like, “Goodbye to you again, I guess!” and he just decided to go for another hug. Although he is incredibly tall, he made the effort to bend down a bit for a proper hug and I don’t know how I deserved all of this. He asked when I will go home and I told him that I will go tomorrow. Then he did the sweetest thing, because he kind of put his hand on my shoulder and was like “Aw, I will be thinking of you on the journey and hope you arrive home safely.” Honestly, that did it for me, what kind of alternate reality have I arrived to and why is everyone so incredibly nice to me?

On our way out we discovered that the U-Bahn stopped working and we had to take a night bus or tram. Only Gabriele could walk to the hotel nearby. We hugged and he left us at the entrance. Amechi and Fabian decided to walk me to the tram stop and call an Uber to share. That was very sweet of them, so I didn’t have to walk the deserted street alone. The tram would take me almost to the doorstep. They did not have to wait for very long and we said goodbye with more hugs.

Then I was alone and started to catch up with N who could not believe what has happened (same here, girl) and wanted to be filled into every little detail. She also didn’t believe quite how nice they all were, especially Jeremy. We really did not expect him to be this sweet. We joked this was the only day I got more than the allegedly needed eight hugs per day for survival. I concluded, “Ok, so I will love this band now forever I think”.

Thursday - Brunch and Bahn

When I came to the hostel, it was already quarter to two in the morning. The girls were sleeping, so I only washed my face and brushed teeth and got into bed to chat to N until the early morning because we could not calm down in the slightest.

In the morning I woke up very early at eight already and could not fall asleep again. So I proceeded to shower and started watching the videos from the concert, munching on some cheap bread and banana until my roommates woke up. Maja had left early for her train to Venice and the new two girls also moved on further to see a bit of Wien and then start their journey to Barcelona.

Amechi, Fabian and I met up at 11 am to get some brunch. Gabriele wanted to join them later but of course I would not be there anymore. We found a real Wiener Kaffeehaus and sat down in a corner to have breakfast. Amechi was a bit late and joined us after we already ordered English and “Feel Good” breakfast. It was impossible to find anything vegan in this city when you don’t have a lot of time, so I ate some porridge and cream cheese, what to do.

The conversation with the boys was amazing. Fabian talked more about his work at the radio and Amechi told us he is actually an architect who controls buildings and oversees the construction process. He also talked about many different languages and we overall had a wonderful time. After the brunch we strolled around to see a church nearby, but there was a currently a service inside.

So we ended up at palace Belvedere again, where I had to say goodbye because my train would arrive at 1:15 pm already. I was sad to have to leave them, but hopefully we will see each other again at another concert.

The train was packed but thankfully the air conditioning did work. I sat at a table with four seats and on the other side were two women with a cute dog. Still, time stretched endlessly until we finally arrived at Nürnberg. I was already very sore and sleepy. When I got out of the train the heat hit me like a wall and I was happy not to have to be outside.

Then a stroke of genius told me to go to the very end of the platform and get into the first carriage. That was the best idea I had all day. It turned out, this was the only compartment that was not overfilled and had a well-working aircon. I found a seat and could conclude my journey in peace. When I arrived in my home town, it was already 11 pm. One hour later I fell into my bed like a dead person.

The next day I had to work from eight to half past four and then immediately rush to my riding lesson. The stroke of luck didn’t end though: I got my favourite horse Püppi, whom I get very very rarely. N was very nervous in the meantime because she had posted photos of herself in the orange coat. But the nervousness was unfounded: When I came back from my riding lessons, Jonathan had already liked the post and I bet he was happy to see his famous orange trenchcoat being appreciated.

And this is how the adventure concludes with a very happy ending. If you as a reader got here, I admire you because that was a hell of a novel. But how to leave out all the amazing little details? I hope this helps me to remember a very special day and treasure it forever.

#everything everything #ee #jeremy pritchard #jonathan higgs #michael spearman #alex robertshaw #jeremy #jonathan #mike #alex #ee vienna #my concerts #vienna #raw data feel