#stay at home spring classic

[astro-rainbow777]

💐🌸 𝓣𝓪𝓾𝓻𝓾𝓼 𝓣𝓱𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓗𝓸𝓾𝓼𝓮𝓼 🧸🌱

♉︎ - Happy Taurus Season Everyone!!! In honor of Taurus season, I am continuing the signs through the houses series. I hope y’all enjoy my findings & this post serves you well. Thanks so much for all of the support! Happy Spring & Upcoming Beltane to the Pagan Community <3

🌸 Taurus in the First House ~ Taurus on the ascendant is the embodiment of peace, calm and pleasure. These natives aren’t the most outgoing but leave such a comfortable and cozy first impression. They don’t say more than needs to be said, however they are unlikely to turn down a conversation. They have a soft and natural beauty about them and strong familial values. They enjoy the finer things, have a clean aesthetic and a “rich” aura. Many of them are shorter or more petitie in size, have a pleasing and smooth voice and kind eyes. However, if you mess with the bull, you’ll get the horns! Being on the opposing end of Scorpio, when they cut you off, it is completely. Good luck getting back into their lives because they are a closed book. Why y’all always smell good? Fr tho

🐂 Taurus in the Second House ~ Here the sign is in its ruling house, they do very well in saving their money, are picky about what they eat and indulge in the material pleasures of life. They value loyalty, commitment, stability and security - not to mention their love fashion & the arts. They will tell you they have the most exquisite taste, you would find it very difficult to change their mind. They hold up strong values and morales, what they know to be right and wrong is the truth. This is a very secure personality, they are very comfortable with their bodies, and have a healthy sense of worth and self love. Honestly such a healthy placement - as someone with NO earth in their chart - muhbenaaaace

💰 Taurus in the Third House ~ These natives find security and peace in their childhood homes, where they grew up, the memories of their cousins and siblings. They could be the most stable or the least stable out of their siblings. The way they think, learn and communicate is slow and methodical. They take their time in studying new topics, preferring to stay on the surface of a topic. They may have an artistic and beautiful singing voice, or maybe the way they speak is just very polite and sweet. They were raised with manners and this makes them very charming. They can have a liking for music that moves at a slower pace, classical music, or just a more elegant taste in art.

🥘 Taurus in the Fourth House ~ Their family could be a source of stability and security for them. The mom, mother figure or more feminine role model can be the bread winner in the family, her love language could be gifts, an amazing cook, and give a lot of hugs 🫂 They have stable emotions, it takes a lot to emotionally sway them. It may end up bothering people who try to get an emotional reaction from them because of this. They can be the most grounded one in their family. Their family may view them as realistic, practical and reliable. Family is what gives them sanction from the world.

💝 Taurus in the Fifth House ~ They express them selves in a very material type of way, their flex is their finances. These natives take a lot of pride in what they have...this usually comes from a place of having to work really hard for their things. They love the natural look, minimalist, they like long lasting, high quality, practical fashion. To them that is the best statement to make. They don’t like that trash to treasure look their tastes are refined. They will shower their kids with the finer things and really enjoy providing for them - this will be their love language. They aren’t huge adrenaline junkies and enjoy more grounded, chill hobbies. They definitely don’t mind being alone and love their down time at home…on the couch…snacks…naps…repeat.

🐻 Taurus in the 6th ~ These natives prefer a slow start to their daily routine, and enjoy a slow paced job, with chill yet organized coworkers. The workplace must be something that they don’t hate… because if they hate it and it stresses them out just thinking of going, they won’t work there. Period. They need low maintenance pets as these individuals are very independent in nature. It’s important for their day job to be a place of peace and pleasure for them, and once they are comfortable, it’s gonna be hard to get them to leave. Their job can provide them with sooooo much stability if they have a good one.

🍨 Taurus in the 7th ~ Wining and Dining with your loved ones! Shopping sprees, luxurious and high quality partners. With the ones they love the most, they spoil, eat and they just want to be lazy with them honestly. They want their relationships to be a place of peace for them. It’s important that their partner can support themselves and is stable on their own. It will just cause them stress if they are constantly worrying about having to take care or mommy their partner. It’s possible that they can stay with someone out of fear of the unknown/change, even tho they don’t like them or it’s not working anymore.

🌷 Taurus in the Eighth House ~ Cycles related to self esteem, self worth, and supporting themselves. Honestly, this is a really hard placement to have- they may have times where they stay in ab*sive relationships because they can’t support themselves financially or they are too uncomfortable alone. However, the eighth house is notorious for taking your greatest fear/weakness and turning it into their super power. You just have to get through those lessons and take those leaps of faith to unlock that power and hidden potential! They like to engage in their senses when they’re intimate with their partners and prefer slow love making rather than the raw primal stuff.

🪴 Taurus in the Ninth House ~ These people can be a little fixed in their beliefs, their spiritual beliefs/religion can be a source stability and sanction for them. If they aren’t necessarily spiritual- they could just have a specific philosophy or lifestyle that they stick to. What I admire about these individuals, is they know exactly what they want. When they travel, it has to be somewhere where they know exactly what to expect, somewhere that won’t give them anxiety, and probably a more luxurious staycation type of experience. They could also enjoy a nice nature walk with their loved ones.

👛 Taurus in the Tenth House ~ Every single person I have met with this placement neeeeeed a stable job, they will not leave a job if it provides them with the type of lifestyle they desire. It doesn’t really matter what they are doing for their career as long as it aligns with their values. Their dad/father figure could have been the sole provider and could have made a huge impact on their reputation. This is definitely a daddies money placement 💀 - sorry if that’s triggering for anyone lol. The father figure could be super down to earth and chill, enjoy cooking or just be way too overly indulgent in a negative manifestation.

👒 Taurus in the Eleventh House ~ Is the stay at home friend, doesn’t like to get out of their comfort zone to meet new people. Much likely to want to stay inside and bond with their community in a space that is familiar and inviting to them. Their community could be their sanction and be the most stable part of their lives. They enjoy cooking and creating art for their friends. Anything to bring peace to their homies senses! For their friends, the Taurus eleventh house native’s place is a home away from home. How special 🥹

👄 Taurus in the Twelfth House ~ When it comes to matters of the twelfth house, spirituality, isolation, ect. - these individuals may like to keep things light and on the surface. They are comfortable being alone, in fact they consider it to be comfortable and safe. Their spirituality isn’t something they spend time questioning, and they could be very comfortable with the unknown, they enjoy their own curious nature. They are endearing to their own selves, however sometimes their sense of worth could be confusing. They may have a hard time understanding their own values and morals, preferring to just go with the flow, everyday they are a new person trying on different personalities, hobbies and styles! The possibilities are endless! It’s quite an interesting placement. One more thing….secret indulgences…the silent snacker

Smell ya later!

#astro community #astrology #astrology signs #zodiac #spirituality #taurus #taurus rising #astrology observations #Taurus in the Houses

[finelinevogue]

an absolute nuisance

summary - harry is a nuisance in the morning

pairing - boyfriend!harry x reader

word count - -1k

♾️🩶♾️🩶♾️🩶♾️🩶♾️🩶♾️🩶♾️🩶♾️🩶♾️

“What’s this for?” Harry sat up in bed against the headboard.

The duvet was pushed down onto his lap so his bare torso was showing. There was a little roll or two where his stomach was tucked over from where he was sitting.

“Happy first day of spring!” You smiled cheerily.

You felt happy this morning.

The sun was shining into your bedroom, the sky was cerulean blue and the birds were chirping away.

You handed Harry his mug of peppermint tea, which he religiously had every morning, whilst you enjoyed the classic english breakfast tea. Milk, no sugar.

“Thank you, m’love.” Harry smiled, giving you a moment to kiss him softly before you situated yourself beside him crossed legged.

“Sleep okay?”

You took a sip of your drink even though you knew it would be too hot.

Harry kept his hands around his mug as if it was the middle of winter, more out of habit than necessity.

“Mm, yeah. You?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m going ‘round to Noel’s this afternoon to drop off some tech gear.” Harry told you.

“Okay.” You nodded, “I’ve got work at 2.”

“When do you get off?”

“Should be about 6, but you know what they’re like.” You rolled your eyes.

“If Katherine keeps you for extra hours again, love.. I’m going down there myself to kidnap you.”

You chuckled, “Kidnap me?”

“Yeah. I’ll stage the whole thing. I’m an actor now, you know?” He winked at you, carefully taking a sip of his drink.

“Okay, Mr Hollywood.”

You stayed chatting about everything and nothing whilst you enjoyed your morning teas, before you decided to start getting ready for the day.

“Where you going?” Harry asked, his hand softly stroking small circles into the exposed skin of your thigh.

“Need to get ready.”

You reached over to draw the loose hairs away from his eyes, allowing your hand to brush over his cheek as it moved due his face.

Harry warmed at the feeling, his cheeks glowing in colour as your skin moved across his.

“Don’t go.” He pouted.

You moved from your cross legged position to sitting on your legs in a kneeling position. You leant closer to Harry and cupped both of his cheeks with your hands.

“I’m only going to get ready.” You kissed him. He kissed you.

“Wanna stay in this moment with you forever.” You kissed again.

“And make me late for a shift with Katherine? I don’t think so. If I had a dick, she’d cut it off.”

Your words sent a laugh through Harry, him complaining how sometimes you really did know how to ruin a moment. You took it as a compliment, because sometimes it would a good tactic to have.

“She’ll cut off my tits instead.”

“No!” Harry pretended to be horrified, which sent you into a fit of laughter. You sank you face down into the crook of his neck to hide yourself.

He smelt so good. And how? It was first thing in the morning and he smelt so homely and perfect.

Harry took the moment to his advantage, pushing himself over you and trapping you underneath him. The manoeuvre was too quick for you to even understand the logistics of it.

“Harry!” You sighed with a giggle.

“You have four hours before you need to leave.” He whined. “Stay with meeee.” He buried his face against your neck and left a trail of kisses there, getting close to the spot behind your ear that made you melt.

“But I need to do stuff.”

“Yeah? Like what? Maybe love on your boyfriend?”

“Gonna be just my friend in a moment if you don’t let me go.” You huffed.

Harry’s head perked up at that. “There’s nothing friendly about what you did to me last night.”

“You make it sound like you were helpless…” You giggled.

“I was!”

“Oh give over.”

“You had me completely surrendered.”

“You’re such a nuisance.” You groaned, trying to lift up but he was too heavy for you.

“And yet you love me. Sounds like you’ve got the issues, babe.” He teased you.

“I hate you.”

“I love you too.” He kissed you. Reluctantly, you kissed him too - which only ended up with you staying in bed for another four hours…

#harry styles #harry styles x reader #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles x y/n #harry styles fanfic #ask finelinevogue #harry blurb #finelinevogue #harry styles concept #harry oneshot #harry styles blurbs #harry styles spring fic #harry styles boyfriend

[bloompompom]

The Opposite of Star-Crossed

You had been best friends with Eren for the last five years. Surely, if there were something between you, you would have known by now. Right? ☆ content: eren jaeger x fem!reader. just a rom-com in the form of a one shot. soft and sappy af, modern/college au, idiot friends to lovers, two weirdos falling in love, skinny dipping, rough(-ish?) sex, explicit language, explicit sexual content. reader discretion advised. ☆ word count: ~5.6k

You met Eren Jaeger during your sophomore year of high school. He was stuck in the in-school suspension room for spray painting the bleachers. You had to spend a week’s worth of lunches there after getting caught cheating on your algebra test. And though you weren’t allowed to talk to one another, you both laughed your asses off when the teacher’s chair lost a wheel and she tumbled to the floor. Eren laughed so hard that chocolate milk came out of his nose.

The incident added an extra day to each of your punishments, but he walked you home that afternoon so it was worth it. The rest was history.

What started with walks home—it was a happy coincidence that you lived on Eren’s route—became an extra lap or two around the block. Just because the conversation was easy. Then, eventually, down to the skate park, where you’d stay well past sunset. Before you knew it, the Jaegers were leaving an extra plate out for you at dinner time. Eren’s mom was always thoughtful like that.

You and Eren went to the same college. Surprise, surprise. Honestly, it wasn’t like you had made the decision together. It was a popular choice for most of your classmates since it was only an hour and a half drive from home. Plus, Eren happened to get a really great academic scholarship, which actually came as a surprise to everyone (except you, of course).

Your relationship with Eren lent itself to jokes. Friends would say how you were too close, teasing you for it as you’d leave to fetch Eren whenever he was drunk, even in the early morning hours when the streetlights would flicker off. But he always had your back, too. In different ways. Like when your food came out wrong at a restaurant, but you were too chicken shit—as Eren lovingly put it—to do anything about it.

It had been going on long enough that no one even bothered to make the classic, ‘just date already!’ comments anymore. But it was never like that. It was just that you never had to think when you were around Eren. You never had to clarify yourself and you never had to worry. It was a comfort, really, to have someone that just gets it.

It was spring break during your junior year. You told yourself you would spend the week trying to play catch-up on your research paper, but Eren talked you into coming along to your friend’s lakehouse, mainly because his car was one road trip away from combusting. Still, it didn’t take much convincing.

You picked him up early in the morning, McDonald’s coffee and hashbrowns in tow, and teased, “You better love me forever after this,” as you kicked on the ignition.

Eren tossed you a smile back as he buckled himself into the passenger seat. “Was already planning on it.”

It was fun. The lakehouse was beautiful—pulled straight from a movie, built of cobblestones and rosy wood. There was even a guest house! And you couldn’t have asked for better weather. You spent the days swimming, the sky radiant with that big blue that’s somehow brighter than the sun, and at night, you swore you could count every star. When you’d head back inside, the smell of bonfire sticky on your clothes, you’d watch your friends play cards on the floor, lying upon your stomach, lazily sipping beer from the bottle until the birds started chirping.

And thanks to said beer, you slept wonderfully the first two nights. But as day three rolled around, you were so hungover that even looking at alcohol made you queasy. So that night, you didn’t exactly pass out as soon as your head hit the pillow. Far from it, actually. You learned the hard way that Sasha, your friend and roommate for the week, had an awful habit of snoring. She was, quite possibly, the world’s loudest snorer.

You tried everything. You poked her to see if she’d wake (she didn’t) and rolled her to her side. Then her other side. You even tried to plug her nose. Nothing helped.

Eventually, you were fed up enough—not to mention, wide awake—that you decided to go on a walk by the lake. You figured you could get a good view of the stars out on the dock.

The day was feverishly hot, leaving the night balmy and the air thick. When you dipped your toes into the water, it was barely any cooler than bathwater.

You didn’t know how much time had passed, but at some point, you heard Eren’s voice behind you. “I had a feeling I’d find you out here.”

Unsurprised, you turned to look at him, walking toward you with hands shoved into the pockets of his sweats, and you reckoned, “Because you know I can never sleep?”

“Well, there’s that. Plus the fact that Sasha snores like an old man.”

You frowned. “How nice of you to leave that out when I agreed to room with her.”

“Can you blame me?” The shabby dock creaked when he plopped down beside you. “I wanted you to come.”

His eyelids looked heavy, blinking slower than usual. He was more tired than he led on, but when you told him to go to bed, he only bucked back with, “You first.”

So you let him stay. You were no astronomer, but you entertained him with plenty of facts from the one class you took last year. You spouted them off, squinting with your tongue poked out past your lips, as you tried to make out a single constellation.

“Oh! I think that’s Ursa Major. You can see it because the Big Dipper is—”

Eren was asleep. Knocked out. You didn’t know when he had decided to lay down, but he had flopped back on the dock, an arm thrown behind his head like he had long made himself comfortable. The hand you were about to use to point out the Big Dipper dropped to your side.

Yep. He was definitely tired.

You shoved his leg. “Hey, wake up!”

Eren jolted awake, eyes wide and frazzled as he pushed himself upright. “I’m up, I’m up!”

“I was trying to tell you about space!”

“I know. I’m sorry.” He rubbed his eyes and rested his head on your shoulder. “Tell me again. I’m listening.”

“You’re just going to fall asleep again.” You nudged his side with your elbow. With a snicker, you added, “Maybe you should jump in the lake. I bet that would wake you up.”

There was a pause. You didn’t like the way Eren said, “Not a bad idea,” because he made it sound like it was, most certainly, a bad idea. That ‘I’m down for anything!’ sort of tone. “Is the water still warm?”

He started to stand up like he was actually going to do it.

“You’re insane,” you told him, your laugh cautious. “You’re going to have to go back inside with soaking wet clothes.”

“Not if I take them off.”

You made a sound—something resembling an eek!—when he threw his shirt at your head.

“What? it’s nothing you haven’t seen before,” he said coolly.

You were embarrassed to admit it, but he was sort of right. Maybe, just maybe, you had taken a drunken leak in front of each other, only once or twice, on a walk home. People always said you were too close, remember? But that didn’t mean you’d seen anything!

You slapped your hands over your eyes before Eren took off his boxers. You listened for the splash and waited until the water settled before poking out from between your fingers.

“You’re being dramatic,” Eren said. He looked like he was about to flick water at you, laughing when you flinched. “Are you gonna make me swim alone or what?”

You thought it over (what did you have to lose, anyway?) then started to push yourself to your feet. “Fine. Just—” You did the spinny thing with your index finger. “Just turn around.”

Eren did as he was told. When you were sure he wasn’t looking, you peeled your shorts down your legs. Your tee followed, and since you weren’t wearing a bra, you reached for your underwear next. Before you tugged them off, you reminded him, “Don’t look until I’m in the water.”

“Got it.”

You jumped in and swam around for a moment. The lake was clean and crisp enough that you didn’t mind bobbing your head underwater, letting it wash over your skin that had clammed up from the summer night. Eren wanted you to tell him about the stars again, and after brushing him off a few playful times, you did. Up until—

“Something touched my foot,” you blurted out, your heart sinking deeper with each word. Then, while bounding aimlessly around in the water, you loudly repeated, “Something touched my foot!”

“It’s probably just—”

You cut Eren off with a shriek, followed by frantic yelps of ‘help, help, help!’

He shushed you. “Oh my god. You’re gonna wake everyone up!”

You didn’t hear it; you had already thrown yourself at him, as if he could possibly do anything about it. You just wanted to get your feet off the bottom of the lake, any way you could manage. Even if it meant bear-hugging Eren until he had no choice but to hold onto you.

When the realization hit—you know, that you were naked, chests pressed together, closer to Eren than you had ever been before—you didn’t freak out. Your heart was pounding, so hard that you thought you might bust a rib, but you were no longer freaking out. Maybe it was the way he was looking at you. So calmly that it was almost unreadable. Then you caught the heavy roll of his throat.

You didn’t move away for whatever reason, and you didn’t apologize either. There was nearly a full minute of silence between you, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was filled with the sound of crickets. Water smoothly crashed at the shore, and you heard the breeze rapping at the old wooden house.

You quietly asked Eren, “What are you thinking about?” as if he had the right answer. Like he could tell you what you should be thinking at a moment like this.

He started to say something—not even a full syllable left his lips—then he only replied, “I don’t think you want to know.”

On the off-chance he was merely pulling your leg, you thought to laugh it off, but it wouldn’t come out. Instantly, you were hot all over again. You weren’t sure if it was just you, but the unmistakable pink tint to Eren’s cheeks told you enough. Just under his eyes, it blossomed enough that you could still spot it, even in the moonlight.

You didn’t know if you had ever seen him like that before. It made your heart flutter in a peculiar way, and you could no longer look him in the eyes. Your noses brushed as you glanced down.

“Hey,” Eren whispered. He tilted your chin up. “It’s just me.”

That’s the problem, you couldn’t help but think.

‘Problem’ was a bit too harsh a word, though, wasn’t it? There wasn’t truly a problem, none at all, besides that you were wholly confused at how you ended up here. But it looked like Eren seemed to know.

He tried to kiss you then. You inched away. It wasn’t a rejection, and he didn’t take it as such. It was more like a time-out.

Eren stayed close enough that you could feel his breath on your lips. He laid the back of his hand against your cheek, stroking the side of your face with his knuckles. You found yourself leaning into it, eyes flitting shut as he told you, “I’ve loved you since we were sixteen. You know that.”

Did I know that? The casualness with which he spoke had you questioning even yourself. Your thoughts were flighty, racing too quickly for you to nab a single memory and inspect it, magnifying glass and all, for any sign that he had loved you. In this way, at least. The way that metamorphosed a friendship into something more.

“Then why didn’t you ever do anything? Why didn’t you say something?”

Eren shrugged slightly, with arms still around you. “It never came up.” You rightfully leered at his boyish answer. “I don’t know. I just wanted to be with you. Any way that you’d have me.”

It really was as simple as that. Eren just knew that he loved you, how deeply he felt it. He never gave it more thought than that, and he certainly didn’t try and assign it any greater meaning. There was never a need to. Just being around you contented him enough. He liked this—whatever your relationship was, however strange it may be—just as it was. And whenever you decided to give him more, if ever, he’d gladly take it.

You still didn’t know what to think or what to say, so you didn’t do either. You kissed him then, full on the lips. He was frozen at first, but when he kissed you back, you melted. You laid your arms over his shoulders, crossing them at the wrist, and pulled yourself closer.

So, this is what I’ve been missing.

The thought both relieved and overwhelmed you. Eren was better at this than you would have imagined—if you had given it any prior consideration. It seemed like he had, though. He kissed you like he had thought about it many times before, exactly how he’d do it. With his tongue parting your lips, hot, and licking into your mouth.

Looking back on it, there were so many times—missed opportunities—over the years when you could have been doing this. Exactly this, just kissing.

Well, to be fair, it wasn’t quite as innocent as mere kissing. You were still naked, after all.

But how wonderful it felt. You wished he had done it sooner. After he walked you home from school, at the edge of your driveway, on some random and meaningless Wednesday afternoon. You wished you had done it sooner, after sneaking out to meet at the park. Hell, you wouldn’t have even needed to sneak out. You could have skipped over all those awkward and teenaged encounters, like the fumbling dry humping that only happens in the back of a car, because his parents let you spend the night.

You wanted to kick yourself for it.

“I think something touched my foot now,” Eren said, only slightly wary. You felt the smile teasing at his lips, right against your own, and giggled. He took a few steps toward the dock. “We should probably get back inside.”

You wondered what sort of face you made right then, even as you tried your best to hide it. You imagined you wore a disappointed expression, something like a puppy dog, because Eren shot you a too-knowing look. “Unless you wanted to…”

He didn’t even need to say the words before you were biting back a smile and nodding. You watched him think, his eyes scanning past you, until he settled on, “The guest house.”

You followed his line of sight to the little bungalow, off by itself between some oak trees. All its lights were off. Entirely untouched. “You want to break into the guest house?”

“It’s not breaking in if we’re guests.”

You decided not to argue it because he was technically right, like always, even if he had to bend the rules.

He started to help you crawl up onto the dock first. You warned him to shut his eyes. ‘Your face is going to be way too close to my bare ass,' and he gave you a look like you couldn’t possibly be serious.

You and Eren slipped around on the wet dock, laughing. You let him take your hand, like he had done many times before, and he led you to the guest house. You both used your free hands to clutch your loose clothing against your bodies because, despite how it looked, you still had some shred of decency left in you.

Eren opened the front door with a snort. “Leave it to the Kirsteins to leave the door unlocked.”

You flicked on a light and, down the hall, you opened a few doors until you found the linen closet. There were a few towels folded neatly inside. The fluffy, hotel-style ones that you probably shouldn’t use after wading around in the lake. But the longer you stood there, sopping wet, the more your teeth chattered. So the guilt didn’t last long before you tossed a towel to Eren and grabbed a second for yourself.

You stumbled into the bedroom in the same manner, opening two more doors until you discovered the nook of a room. There wasn’t a light switch, so you ambled through the dark until you reached the lamp in the corner. It was old—you turned it on with a pull-chain—and its glassy, yellow luster filled the room, its bulb humming low in your ears.

It was the first good look you got at Eren. In the light, you studied him. He stood there in just a towel, lowly tied around his hips. You had seen him without a shirt before, many times. You had seen every groove, every scar, and every freckle. You could make out each and every one, right now. There was nothing different about him. Still, it felt indecent, like you had caught him fresh out of the shower. He looked like it, too, with his hair touseled from his quick attempt at drying it. It felt too intimate.

And all at once, it was the first time Eren had ever made you nervous.

You had never done this before—not with him—and it felt like you were a virgin again. Like you were sixteen and meeting Eren for the first time.

There were a lot of ‘firsts’ with Eren. Ones that you still thought about, but only from time to time. Like the first time he held your hand. He wasn’t even thinking about it when he did it. He just closed his larger one around yours, tearing you from the concert crowd, or else you would have been swallowed whole. It was a common courtesy, something anyone would do for their friend. You were sure he didn’t think twice about it.

You remembered the first time you laid your head on Eren’s shoulder. In the crook of it, right where you could smell that cologne he used to wear. The one you hated. And though you were sobbing—a blubbering mess, actually—you still complained of the scent, how you could still smell it through your snotty, stuffed nose. Eren said he was just happy to see you laughing again, even if it was at his expense.

Once, while you were watching TV on his laptop, he had fallen asleep and unknowingly slipped an arm around you, just over your stomach. You left it there, too sleepy to make a fuss over it, and napped like that for the next hour or so. Then again. And on a few more occasions after that. Those may have been less of an accident.

You felt something—something you couldn’t name—each of those times. You remembered it vividly, how it burned in the low part of your stomach. You told yourself it was happiness and nothing more. And yes, that was part of it, but it went deeper than that. Excruciatingly deeper. You were only realizing it now because it had started to bubble again.

This was another ‘first.’ The first time you were seeing him—like really, really seeing him. Effortless and raw and right in front of you. It was just him.

This time, when you kissed Eren, he didn’t hesitate to kiss you back. The kiss was lustier, his hands smoothing over your hips until he dragged your towel down with them. From there, things quickly picked up from where you had left them.

With hands still at your waist, Eren walked you back toward the bed. You fell against it, keeping him close with your hand curved over the back of his neck. He didn’t break the kiss, even once, as he dropped to lie at your side. He let his fingers explore you, from your jaw to your breasts. He was slow about it. So slow that you couldn’t help but moan when his fingertips ghosted over your nipple.

You didn’t know when he lost his towel, but it was gone. You noticed when you reached to take it off but were met with his stomach instead. You splayed your hand over the ungiving muscles, feeling how they tensed beneath your touch—even more once you slid low enough to palm his cock.

You felt him twitch under your hand. At the same time, he groaned into your mouth. He mimicked you, pushing a hand between your legs, making room for himself, and tracing through you with his middle finger.

His touch was light as he made small circles against your clit. You could feel how wet you were just by the way he slipped between you, his finger threatening to plunge inside you. You whimpered, and he started to drag it in and out of you a few times to pull the sound from you again.

You savored the sharp exhale Eren gave when you wrapped your fingers around his cock. You stroked him, base to tip, quickening your pace until he was panting against your face.

You’d already stopped kissing because you were much more attuned to everything else. Pumping hands. Heady shared breaths. His once-vibrant eyes had turned glossy, and you could see the curl of his brows whenever you’d slip your thumb along his tip.

Eren added a second finger inside you. Your hips arched. He was knuckle-deep inside you, the pads of his fingers working against the spot that had every part of you tingling, warmth rippling through you, down to your toes. You started to grind against the heel of his hand, desperately close to coming undone.

“That feel good?” he asked you, his voice all breathy.

You could only gasp a faint, ‘yes’ while you stuttered and struggled to jerk him off much longer.

You heard the little chuckle he did, just through his nose, as he started to leave kisses down the side of your face. Each was deliberate and hot on your skin. With his breath fanning over your ear, he whispered your name. “Come for me. Please.”

“Oh—ah, Eren—fuck,” you choked out. And just as you breathed, “I’m coming,” it washed over you. You slapped your hand on top of his, pressing down and riding his hand like you were no better than a dog in heat.

Your body went limp and lazy, your chest heaving, as his fingers left you. When you could open your eyes again, you found him with his fingers in his mouth, indulgently tasting you. Your face burned.

You didn’t comment on it—your mouth dumbly agape as you stared him in his pretty, pleased face—before he was above you. He spread your legs even wider, enough for him to nestle in between. When he touched you again, still bleary and sensitive, you squirmed.

“Do you need a minute?” Eren asked.

You shook your head. He started to rub your clit, gently coaxing out the needy part of you.

“It feels good,” you assured. And when your eyes fluttered to look at him, all swoony and slow, you were only thinking of him. “I want this.” You lifted your legs, one at a time, and hitched them around Eren’s waist. “I want you.”

He kissed you again like he couldn’t bear going another second without you. You traded kisses, and between them, he muttered, “You’re on the pill, right?”

“Yeah. You’re good.” You reached down, gliding your hand over his cock before guiding him to your entrance.

Eren’s eyes left your face to watch where he’d bury inside you. He tilted his hips, stopping short of bottoming out because, for a split second, he was already worrying about finishing too early. The thought mortified him. Thankfully, it appeared like you needed a second to breathe, too.

There was a stretch. It had been a while since you had been with anyone, and while you didn’t get a long look at it, in your hand, it felt like Eren was—ahem—well-endowed. You dug the blunt of your nails into his biceps.

“Ouch,” Eren softly chuckled.

You eased up. “Sorry.”

“Was that a good scratch or a bad scratch?”

“Good.” You sighed as he rocked into you again, filling you entirely. “Really good.”

“Good.” He pecked the side of your face, right at your temple. It made your heart skip.

He dipped his head, nuzzling his nose into your neck and letting his breath swelter your skin. You held him close with your arms tucked just under his, your hands flattened against the sinews of his back.

You pressed your lips to his throat, sucking and nipping away at the delicate skin. The scent of him, masculine and familiar, tickled your nose. You grazed your teeth along the intoxicating spot, right where you felt his pulse.

Eren took his time with you. He thrust into you with long strokes, allowing you to feel every inch and adjust to him. Each roll of his hips was doting and as though he believed he could break you. You didn’t know where the sudden gentleness came from, considering this was the same boy who used to throw you into a headlock when you were annoying seventeen-year-olds.

If there was a coy way of saying it, you didn’t think of it in time. “You can be rougher with me.” You tried to keep your voice honeyed to prevent any embarrassment from seeping through, but it didn’t work. “O-only if you want.”

He leaned back just enough to look you in the face. “Is that what you want?” You nodded.

Eren knew everything about you. He knew how you struggled to sleep at night and your favorite foods. He knew your birthday, obviously, and how you couldn’t even think about Bubba from Forrest Gump without getting a bit misty-eyed. Only enough for him to tease you for it.

But you, right now, like this—he knew nothing about you.

He thought of all the people you’d been with. Past boyfriends you’d introduced him to, flings, and, surely, there were some he didn’t know. Eren wondered how they were rougher with you, how they had put their hands on you, and where. Perhaps with fingers wrapped around your throat.

The thought upset him momentarily, but when he realized you might like it if he did that to you, he groaned.

Eren paused, sucked in a heavy breath, and sat back on his knees. You followed his scorched eyes as they trailed over you. He tucked some of his loose hairs away from his face to get a better view.

He raised you by the hips and used the leverage to sink you back onto his cock. The angle was better, deeper, and you let out a sound to let him know.

Every slam of his hips was met with him yanking you back on his cock, watching your pretty body bounce with each. He fucked you like that, his fingertips searing into the fat of your ass, until you weren’t grasping at the sheets but clawing at him—for more of him.

He traced his thumb over your bottom lip but stalled, still heedful to what you may or may not like. But as he slipped it into your mouth, you sucked on it eagerly, swirling your tongue around it. He imagined how you’d do the same with his cock.

“So good,” Eren murmured to you. He pushed his thumb in further, pressing it on the back of your tongue until you gagged. You’d do the same with his cock.

You gasped when he pulled his thumb from your mouth with a pop. Wet with your spit, he brought it to your clit, rubbing right where he split you. His other fingers pushed down on your stomach, adding enough pressure to make your head spin.

He wanted you to come again. He wanted you to come over and over and over because, fuck, you made the cutest face when you were coming. He had only seen it once, not even thirty minutes ago, but he already knew he would never get enough of it.

Eren loved every part of you, and this side was no exception. Maybe it was his new favorite. He knew how that sounded, though, and it made him a bit guilty to think like that. He just liked that he could make you feel this good. That, for once, there wasn’t a single thought in your mind other than how euphoric you felt, and he was the cause.

“Eren,” you whispered. You gazed up at him, radiating body heat and desire above you, with abs tight and tensing each time he stuffed himself inside you. You reached for his face with needful, grabby hands. “Kiss me.”

His heart swelled. He took your cheeks between his hand, pinching them together before kissing you. It was filthy. Sucking tongues and bumping noses and swollen lips. You swallowed the growl he let slip, right as you started to come. Each of your whines was punctuated by your muscles squeezing him perfectly. So perfectly. Only then did his need consume his consideration for you, no longer kissing you but more focused on pounding into you, harder than before.

“I love you,” you cooed, even as he unceremoniously fucked you deeper into the bed, with a voice no greater than a weak mumble against his neck.

“I love you so much,” you said again, louder. It was moany and giggly and disinhibited. It was the truth.

Eren came then, just as your legs went slack and fell to the sides. He never stilled nor slowed as his hips strained to continue ramming into you—just because you felt that fucking good—until you couldn’t imagine he was still coming.

“Jesus—fuck,” he grunted, his forehead falling against yours. He didn’t say it then—he couldn’t, even if he wanted to—but he had never finished inside anyone. Ever. And he definitely did not expect his first time to be inside you, of all people. His cock threatened to stiffen again at the thought alone, despite it still leaking inside you.

You didn’t get up, and you didn’t mind the mess you had made. Just for now. You curled up against him, his chest your pillow, and rested a hand on him. He was warm to the touch, practically scalding, but you were, too. Even so, you couldn’t bring yourself to untangle from his side.

You asked him, your voice a sleepy purr, “When did you realize it?” Eren looked down at you with interest. “That you loved me.”

You could tell he wasn’t expecting the question. He mulled it over, long enough that you had started counting his steadying breaths, then finally decided on, “Remember that day you almost died at that concert?”

That was so long ago—the same day he first held your hand.

“Okay, ‘died’ is a bit excessive.” You gave him a chagrined look. “But, really, that was it? Because I looked dumb and pathetic at a concert?”

“I didn’t say you looked dumb and pathetic. Don’t put words into my mouth.” Eren flicked your forehead. He actually found you helplessly adorable, in the middle of the pit, dressed in one of his shirts because you didn’t want to stand out. You definitely still did. “But, no. It was after that. When we went for milkshakes.”

You used to do that so often that all the times had blended together.

“We were walking back to your house, and you dropped yours, so I gave you mine.” He peered down at you. “I wanted that milkshake really damn bad,” he admitted with a laugh because he knew how ridiculous it sounded when he said it aloud. “I remember thinking I wouldn’t have done that for anyone else.”

Eren played with your hand as he spoke, the tips of his fingers dancing up the length of your own, between them, and locking them together.

“Maybe I was just a stupid sixteen-year-old that didn’t know any better, but I must have been onto something because I’d still do it.”

You smiled up at him, all big and embarrassing, that was for sure.

Eren had told you everything. Forked over his heart and granted you permission to do with it what you wished, whatever that may be.

So you knew he wasn’t expecting it when you sang, “Carla’s going to be sooo happy,” drawing it out unnecessarily and annoyingly long.

“Please don’t talk about my mom right now,” Eren groused. He didn’t think he could physically handle hearing another one of your MILF jokes. Especially right now, considering what you had just done together—what he had just confessed to you.

You propped yourself up on your elbows to look at him. You lost the waggish grin on your face and replaced it with something more genuine, lovesome. “I meant what I said. I want you. All of you.”

Eren smiled, laughed through his nose again—you still weren’t getting it, were you?—and petted the side of your face. “You already have me.”

#eren x reader #eren jaeger x reader #eren yeager x reader #eren smut #eren fluff

[whackk-kermitt]

Remember Me?

Genre: Oneshot

Summary: Years after Ragnarok, Kratos finds a familiar face knocking at his door. Turns out he's not the only God who abandoned Greece.

Warnings: Subtle mentions of classic Greek gods and their treatment of women👎. No explicit content, but some suggestive conversation. (also mentions of young Kratos- who was quite the Playboy)

≫ ────── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ────── ≪

Spring had come in flush with bright florals and on-and-off rain. The cabin was glowing in the early evening light. Birds and crickets chirping goodnight and hello to each other. The day had been a peaceful one.

Kratos had returned from a hunt, deer meat cooking above the fire. The smell wafted through the small cabin making it feel a little more homely. Kratos spent these days in between Atreus's visits home, mostly alone. Yeah Mimir was there, and he was good company, but there's not much they had to say to each other now a days.

Kratos was finally enjoying his retirement from Godhood without death, pain, and struggle around every corner. But these mundane days are starting to way on him. Nothing to do except hunt, built, and intend to the land. He very rarely ventured farther than Midgard, or the realm between realms. His days of adventure were over. He couldn’t help but admit to himself that he did feel quite lonely; having no one to enjoy these moments with.

Yes, it was peaceful, but peace is often an illusion.

Atreus would stop in every month or two and stay a while. They'd catch up and he'd rant to his father about the places he's been and the people he's met. Every now and then, when Kratos wasn't ready to say goodbye yet, he'd come up with something he needed to do, so Atreus would tag along.

But a simple knock at the cabin door made both him and Mimir- who sat on his perch in front of a book- perk up. It was not but a few days ago Atrues departed for another journey, so it wasn't him- and he would not knock anyway. Freya? No, she's busy in Vanaheim. The dwarves do not come to visit him, so not them.

Kratos grunted to himself, standing from the table and approaching the door. He hesitated only a second before pulling it open.

It would be out of character for him to gasp, but he almost did. Before him was a face he had not seen in a long time. A face he had thought he never would see again- someone who he had believed had died.

“Well I be damned, it is you.” She smiled.

“Y/n.” He said plainly.

“Kratos.”

They stared at each other for a long moment, taking in each other’s appearance. it had been years, and both their ages have begun to show. More his than hers, he'd noticed. The years have been kind to her.

“Aren't you gonna invite me in?”

“No.” She may have been an old friend, but she was still a goddess, and nothing good comes from a God knocking at your door. “What do you want?”

“Simply to see you.” She shrugged. Her eyes were bright and her body was relaxed. “I heard your name mentioned in a village by the lake. Had to see for myself if it was truly you.”

“Why?”

“Why so abrasive, Kray? Been to long for you to trust me still?”

Yes, but he couldn't say that to her face. It felt wrong. They had… history.

At his silence, she sighed, “I will leave if it's what you wish. I just missed you old friend.”

Before she turned she fought a glimpse of his lips hesitating, she waited to give him time to find the words. He sighed long and deep.

“I thought you had fallen with Olympus.” It was not a question, or him digging for an explanation. He sounded so tiered, and his eyes seamed so mournful. He was voicing how he had hurt when they parted, a hurt she knew all to well.

“Same here.” Here eyes cast downward for a moment. “It is why when I heard your name, I- I had to see.”

Her eyes were always so easy to read.

He stood aside and she looked surprised for a moment that he had changed his mind so quickly. This was new for him, and she won't complain.

Smiling softly she entered the home.

“Well hello there, Las.” Mimir greeted with admiring eyes. Kratos warned him with a glare. “Off the table then?”

“Kratos,” She began with a sly chuckle. “I'm beginning to think that you have a thing for severed heads.”

Mimir gave an offended gasp. “Brother, there was another? I thought we had something special.” He joked but he was genuinely curious as to what the pretty lady had meant. The questioning look he gave her said it all.

“Medusa,” Y/n stated, a sad look briefing her features. “A tale for another time, uh…”

“Mimir.” He supplied.

“Y/n.” She introduced with and alluring smile.

Kratos motioned her to follow him around to the table. She sat as he prepared cups and cutlery for dinner.

“What are you doing here?”

She read between the lines, similar question as before but with a different meaning.

“After the fall of Olympus, there were no more burdens chaining me to Greece.” She paused, remembering something unpleasant. “I traveled away, similar to the way you did, I presume. I found myself in a world called Egypt. It was fun. Chaotic and full of interesting people. Yet it never felt like I could build a home there. After a few years, I grew bored and began traveling again. Eventually, I found myself here in Midgard, and you know the rest.”

He hummed listening to her talk. Her voice was the same as he remembered. Even and calm, almost like a song every time she spoke. As far as he knew, her words were the only ones he heard during his time in Greece, that never came around to be lies. Anytime she had spoken to him before, she had always been honest if she was unsure about anything. She had never lead him astray, and it was the only reason he had ever trusted her in the first place.

But if he was being honest with himself, trust had little to do with allowing her into his home.

“Any you?” She eyed the room. Taking note of all the years of life spent here, and presumably not just by Kratos. “You have family?”

“Yes.” He nodded. “My son Atreus, and the head.”

“Oi, brother.”

“And Mimir.” He corrected himself. Y/n chuckled at that.

“And his mother?” She asked softly, unsure if she still had the right to ask personal questions such as those. She had already come to the conclusion that the mother had passed, looking around the state of the home. There was evidence of a woman, but not for a long while.

“Dead,” He said simply. “She fell ill, nearly ten years ago now.”

“My condolences.” She bowed her head.

Kratos placed a plate of seasoned meat before her with a cup of water before serving himself and joining her at the table. She chuckled at his newly found ability to cook. She would not comment on it at the time.

As they began to eat, they indulged in comfortable conversation. It had been a long time since Kratos had been around someone who knew him. Truly knew him. Not just the stories and prophecies he's been tangled up in. It felt nice to have someone's eyes on him. He had felt before, and again now, that she had been a true ally to him. Y/n had never cared for the God of War, nor the rumors and stories amongst the residents of Greece about him. She had only ever spoken to him as Kratos. Talking to her awakened feelings in him that he feared died with Faye. A feeling of comfort in being seen.

She asked some questions about his life, and where it had taken him since they parted. He talked briefly about Faye and his journey with Atreus after her passing. He told her of Ragnarok. And she commented on how he'd always found himself in trouble with other gods.

While they ate and caught up mainly him talking about Atreus- his eyes had a life of there own, not shying away from admiring her. She had not changed much. Something Krotos noted was her laugh lines; she's had a happier life since abandoning Greece. Much has happened, but he can honestly say the same for himself. He was happy she found some joy somewhere.

“And what of you?” He turned the conversation away from himself. “Did you ever marry?”

“No,” She laughed shaking her head slowly. “No man ever worth my hand.” A sad look in her eyes for only a moment. If he had not been staring so intently he would have missed it.

“You had many options before..”

“None who were worth my hand.” She stated again. “Or at least none who were worthy and willing.”

This he did not quite understand. She was as intelligent as she was graceful in her beauty. A humble and modest woman. She was the most sought-after for marriage in all the time he knew her. He had figured it was why he had never been able to pursue her more than idle flirting. She was above him, worthy of more.

She laughed slyly at his eyes moving over her, confusion written on his face.

“That is way, Kratos.” Her head shook. “Few men has ever looked past my body, so few men were worthy.”

“Hmm.” He nodded. Kratos was guilty of this. He knew it. All his years, encountering her by chance and seeking her out for aid in his quests for revenge, they had flirted and bantered, but that was it. He had gotten to know her without ever asking questions or listening.

He was ashamed of the man he used to be, a womanizer. She had always worn loose-fitted gowns, but he had still seen glimpses of her figure through it. He'd flirt and she’d flirt back, but she'd never let him touch her. Never let him have her the way he wanted to. Her eyes would always make him feel like she wanted him to, but her words always told him no. She'd often leave him with an itch he'd let any other willing women scratch. Because he would not cross the line so many other gods did. But all the same, he had once treated many women as throw-away fun.

He is glad she never swayed from her standards and belittled herself for a man. It was respectable and dangerous considering the men of Olympus.

She would've made a fine wife if he had the maturity then to recognize it.

“I am sorry.” It came out more pitiful and emotional than expected. He regretted the things he'd elude to with her back then.

“For what?” She asked stunned by a sudden apology.

“Not seeing past your beauty.” He chose his words carefully. if she was planning to settle in Midgard, it would be nice to have an old friend to talk to. offending her was the last thing he wanted to do.

“But you did.” She smiled. “You were just not willing.”

“I was not.” He refused. He couldn't believe anyone would see that version of himself as worthy of women like her. He had had trouble believing Faye would see him as worthy once he opened up to her about his past, once she knew the kind of man he was once. So surely not a woman who had seen it firsthand could truthfully say he was- then or now.

“It is a shame you do not see you as I do, Kratos.” She sighed deeply. “Sure, you were a man led by emotion and hormones,” Pausing to chuckle. “But you treated me kindly and fairly. You never hurt me.”

“Aww.” Mimir sighed happily.

Kratos groaned eyeing the back of his head. Y/n laughed nervously, forgetting someone else was in the house. She did not mean to get that personal in front of a stranger.

“Sorry, ignore me! I'll be reading.”

“Anyway.” She stood grabbing the empty plates.

Kratos stood taking them from her hands, making her frown.

“You cooked.” She demanded.

“You are a guest.” He retorted, taking them to wash. She smiled at his back, enjoying being in his company again. He smiled ever so slightly for the same reasons.

“What will you do now?”

“Oh,” She thought, looking up to envision her coming answer. “Likely travel a bit, find a cozy place to settle for a while.”

Kratos hummed turning back to her, watching as she leaned against the table. His eyes took in all of her. Her body was covered in a gown and light armor. Boots and straps fitted by no blacksmith or tailor known to these realms. The colors complemented her skin and hair fairly. She seemed to be traveling light. Her gear would not aid her well in traversing these realms.

“You're staring again.” She mused.

“You travel light, it will not do you good in these parts.” He explained. He did not want her to conclude that he was the same man driven by lust, as that was not the case anymore. “Before you go far I will introduce you to the dwarves.”

“Dwarfs?”

“Blacksmiths- good ones.” He nodded. “They will fit you with what you’ll need.”

“Thank you Kratos,” She smiled to him sweetly. “But I do not see myself going far.”

“Good.” He smiled back ever so slightly.

≫ ────── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ────── ≪

Not proofread.

•Kermitts Masterlist•

#god of war ragnarok #gow x reader #gow #gow ragnarok #kratos #kratos x reader #kratosxreader

[anistarrose]

taz balance one-shot recs!

I've been meaning to make this post for a while now, so here we are! The majority of these are from the past three years or so, because I love a fandom classic as much as anyone, but I particularly want to shine a light on some gems from after the peak of traffic in the fandom tags! There are of course also exceptions that are older, though.

Also, April 19th-21st are Just Leave a Comment Fest, so please show these authors some love!! They're all so deserving!

a recipe for home by @journalofimprobablethings: Taako tries to cook for the first time since Glamour Springs. When things go awry, Lucretia is there to lend a hand.

Gen (Taako & Lucretia), 3.5k. Early B.O.B. era hurt/comfort centered around cooking, with a delicious dollop of sentimentality and dramatic irony on top.

Seven Times Magnus Burnsides Gave Someone A Hug + One Time He Received One by @barry-j-blupjeans: Magnus wasn't really any good at— at words. He was more of an action man. Or, y'know, a "I'll take this hit so you don't have to" man. Talking to someone about their feelings was all kinds of weird, so usually he just left the space for someone else to talk. And, well... Magnus wasn't good at words. But there's a few different ways to get his support across.

Mostly gen with some Magnulia, 8.6k. You've all heard of the classic 5 Plus 1, but obviously Magnus deserves a 7 Plus 1! I don't know how to describe it without spoilers other than being full of incredibly sweet, gentle takes on so many fraught or bittersweet moments. Super underrated, do give it a read.

Embrace the Dark by @ceilingfan5: Bookstore coworkers Kravitz and Taako get more than they bargained for when Taako tries to use his powers to fix Kravitz's migraine. But it's okay--it's an excuse for them to spend time together until one of them can nut up and ask the other out.

Taakitz, 8.9k. Modern with Superpowers AU! Super sweet interactions between Kravitz and Taako, paired with lots of fun background worldbuilding. And, of course, a very special grilled cheese sandwich.

Break This Heavy Chain by Punka_Writes: In the immediate aftermath of Story and Song, Barry Bluejeans could really use a hug.

Blupjeans and misc. platonic interactions, 2.3k. The absolute epitome of comfort food in written form, with excellent Barry characterization (and of course, he does get that hug)!

birds of a feather steal sweaters together by @holdmecloser-gandydancer: When you're a big, burly guy it seems that your clothes just become free reign for all your friends. Normally Magnus is a reasonable guy, but everyone has their limits.

Gen (IPRE crew), 1.9k. Starblaster era fluff! Everyone is written absolutely delightfully, and every time I read it I snort out loud at least twice.

Security by @ceilingfan5: Barry has finally made it--his incredible scientific discovery has landed him a huge fortune...and a lot of problems. The only good thing that's come of it, honestly, has been his bodyguard, Lup. (And the science. That's good also.) He's just gotta stay normal about how nice it is to have someone like Lup around, and also not perish by way of press circuit, and everything will be fine.

Blupjeans, 6k. Modern with magic AU from Barry's POV, featuring equal parts anxiety and pining. Also, it's straight-up extremely funny.

Lonesome Dreams by @jerreeeeeee: Taako wakes up one morning from a nightmare, fast fading. There was a guy in glasses, and they were… somewhere high up? Something terrible happened, but he doesn’t remember. He wakes up in a wagon he’s never seen before, but it has his name on it. There’s tons of food inside, more than he’d be able to afford. And he’s alone. Thinking back to the last thing he remembers is difficult. College? No, he’d graduated. Top of his class, obviously, he remembers that. But what- what happened after? Where is Lup?

Gen (Taako & Lup), 10.2k. Everything starts out the same, except Taako remembers Lup, even if not how she went missing, and it's incredibly underrated and full of phenomenal characterization. I won't spoil how things shake out, but it's a great emotional ride and I genuinely reread it all the time.

it's my party and I'll mope if I want to by @holdmecloser-gandydancer: Taako's birthday is just another Thursday. A detective and an old friend have a different idea.

Gen (Taako & Lucretia & Angus), 2.1k. Short and so sweet! Fics about voidfished!Taako's birthday never get old, and this is one of my absolute favorites. Nailing the angst-to-wholesome ratio.

Tedious Familiarity by @barry-j-blupjeans: Déjà vu. Noun. A feeling of having already experienced the present situation. A tedious familiarity. Barry Bluejeans woke up in a cave, fresh out of a pod filled with green goop, and saddled with an unsettling feeling that he had been here before. If you had asked forty-year-old Barry if he would follow instructions left by a talking coin, he probably would have asked you what type of drugs you were on. But, y’know, fifty… two? Fifty-one? How old was he? Fifty-two sounded right. But, y’know, fifty-two years old Barry didn’t really have that many other places to turn, so this couldn't be all that bad.

Gen, 4.1k. Missing scenes based off Barry's decade alone, written in such an effective style, where all the little details truly make it. Mandatory reading for fellow Barry angst enjoyers.

Angus McDonald and the Wonderland Escape Rooms by coppersunshine: When Angus gets grounded from detecting, to keep his skills sharp he becomes a patron of the Wonderland Escape rooms, run by Edward and Lydia, who quickly decide he's their new nemesis. To their surprise, Angus and the collection of weird adults he's accompanied by decide otherwise.

Gen (Angus & Edward & Lydia), 7k. Modern with magic AU, putting Edward and Lydia in the absolute funniest possible job, at which a little boy detective torments... and maybe, even gives them a chance to turn over a new leaf. I am of the opinion that Angus and the Wonderland twins have a criminally underexplored dynamic, and this fic gave me everything I wanted.

If the Sun and Moon Should Doubt by Punka_Writes: Merle Highchurch, on the brink of a bad decision.

Gen, 1.6k. Merle character study immediately before running out on his marriage. Truly the incredible characterization that Merle deserves; this was a fic that really ignited my love for him.

Greensleeves by @sgrumby: Kravitz has never seen a lich like this before, and he's seen a lot of liches. Merle is just trying to save the universe, thanks very much.

Gen (Kravitz & Merle), 2.2k. A unique and also absolutely genius Lich!Merle AU where Kravitz inevitably comes after him, and Merle is... well, the Peacemaker, of course!

#taz #taz balance #taz balance spoilers #fic rec #long post

[maggiecheungs]

poems in episode one of the story of kunning palace

in episode 1 of kunning palace, xuening grabs a book of poems in order to trick her maids into thinking she keeps a ledger. my knowledge of classical chinese isn't particularly high level, but it's good enough to at least identify which poems are on the page that she opens to, and i'm certain they were deliberately chosen because of their relevance to the characters and themes of the show 👀 so i thought i'd do a post about them :)

this page contains three poems by the tang dynasty poet wang changling (698–756): 芙蓉樓送辛漸 (farewell to xin jian at lotus tower); 閨怨 (boudoir lament); and 春宮曲 (spring palace song). detailed analyses under the cut:

1 - 芙蓉樓送辛漸 (farewell to xin jian at lotus tower):

my translation

poem summary: the poet's friend came to wu on a night when cold rain was pouring into the river, and departs again at dawn. the poet accompanies him on his journey as far as the chu mountains [but cannot carry on journeying with him because he must stay at his official post in wu]. as he bids goodbye, he asks his friend to tell his family back in luoyang that his heart is still pure and resolute.

key themes: loneliness and solitude; duty; having a pure heart and noble character

analysis: this one is a fairly famous poem about parting before setting off on a long journey. it's particularly notable for its final line, 一片冰心在玉壺, which roughly translates to "my heart is as pure as a piece of ice within a vessel of jade"... which could easily have been written as a summary of zhang zhe's character.

however! while there's a definite emphasis on having a pure and guiltless heart, when you combine with the previous line, the couplet as a whole also gives a sense that the speaker wishes to be remembered by those they love as someone pure and righteous ("tell my family back in luoyang that my heart is still pure etc"). this seems to be a theme of xuening's second life: wanting to correct her past wrongs and treat the people she cares for better, and to prove to zhang zhe that she can be a good person in future

in particular, this poem makes me think of xuening's last moments in her first life. the poet's final request before he bids farewell to his friend? for his companion to tell his family that he is still noble at heart. xuening's final request before she dies? for xie wei to take her life in exchange for that of zhang zhe, as her way of repenting for being dishonourable and ruining his life... 🤔🤔🤔

2 - 閨怨 (boudoir lament):

poem summary: the young wife in her boudoir knows nothing of sorrow, but as she completes her toilette and ascends the emerald tower, she suddenly sees the hue of poplars and willows on the roadside and regrets letting her husband leave home to pursue official position and power.

key themes: love and marriage; abandonment; ambition (and the effect that ambition has on love)

analysis: it's essentially about how the husband's ambition causes him to abandon his wife to grief and loneliness, which seems like a clear parallel with xuening's willingness to abandon her faithful lovers for the sake of her ambition; there's also the implication that political status is ultimately less meaningful than a loving marriage.

i think it's worth noting that the character 怨 (yuan) in the title is fairly hard to translate, as it implies a mixture of grief and anger/resentment, or even hatred. it's fairly common in boudoir poems about women left behind by their husbands, and in that context it's often translated as 'lament' or 'grief', but i think the ambivalence of the term is fairly important, particularly if you apply it to kunning palace and the mix of grief and anger that xuening inspires in her old lovers in her first life.

3 - 春宮曲 (spring palace song):

poem summary: the wind is mild, the flowers are in full bloom, the moon is full and bright. the emperor has fallen in love with one of his sister's singing serving women, and is showering her with imperial favour and bestowing brocade robes upon her to keep out the spring chill.

key themes: happiness, success, security. (however, with contextual knowledge, there's also the implication of future doom, and that nobody can stay on top of the world forever)

analysis: i didn't quite catch the full significance of this one until i googled it and realised it's a poem about a real historical figure: wei zifu, a song-and-dance girl serving the princess pingyang, who wins the favour of pingyang’s brother, emperor wu of the han dynasty, eventually becoming his second empress (the second-longest serving empress in chinese history!).

wei zifu's story is essentially about a young woman of humble origins who survives numerous palace intrigues and eventually manages to ascend to the position of empress, trusted by the emperor to the extent that she was allowed to rule in his absence. however, after maintaining her position for over three decades, she eventually fell afoul of a conspiracy against her and her son, and committed suicide rather than allowing herself to be deposed.

i mean… the way this links to jiang xuening's first life is so obvious i don't even feel the need to explain it.

#story of kunning palace #cdrama #wang changling #my translations #well. sort of #more like my paraphrases i guess(?) #if i made any mistakes then i apologise! and feel free to correct anything ofc #i'm currently trying my hand at a polished translation of the first poem... i'll post it if it's any good #just need to finish fiddling with it first #王昌齡 #宁安如梦 #i am loving this drama so far btw <3

[annalu86]

First date

“Yeah. I do.”

They stood in Grey’s office smiling at each other for a few more moments before Lucy took a big deep breath.

“Right, I should let you finish” she reaches her hand out and grazes her fingers over his elbow. The motion is quick as a flash but she watches his breath hitch and his eyes widen.

“Yeah, I’ve got hours of work left and you…” he smiled broadly “are a distraction”

Lucy couldn’t believe how quickly and easily they were falling into open flirting with each other. She took three slow steps back, neither of them breaking eye contact. She paused at the door and took another deep breath before walking out of the room and making her way out of the building.

Before she had even got to her car she had her phone in her hand.

Lucy: so, this date. What are you thinking we should do?

The three little dots spring up instantly and Lucy grins knowing he must have had his phone in his hands to respond that fast.

Tim: how about we decide when first?

Before she can reply the dots are back

Tim: if I suggest tomorrow does that make me look eager?

Lucy laughs as she climbs into her car

Lucy: a little eager but I’m not mad about it!

Tim: good because I am eager.

Lucy: you are adorable

She knows he won’t be able to leave the bait and she’s not disappointed

Tim: I can change my mind you know Chen

Lucy: you don’t intimidate me, sir.

She takes great pleasure in picturing his glitched out face as she watches the dots appear and disappear over and over.

Lucy: how about we talk it through tomorrow. I think I’m distracting you again!

Tim: if I don’t finish this paperwork Grey may never let me leave and we’ll be having our first date in the break room with terrible coffee and Smitty in the corner slurping soup. Talk tomorrow Lucy

Lucy waited for a minute in case Tim had more to say before starting her engine and beginning the journey. The whole way home her mind races. This is actually happening. Finally.

She arrives home and instead of trying to sleep she grabs her laptop, climbs on her bed and starts researching. When she finally drifts off to sleep there are many tabs open, restaurants, hikes and more.

Tim wakes before his alarm the next morning, he dresses quickly. He and Lucy are due in to work at the same time but he can’t help but arrive early, just in case.

He beams when she pulls her car in next to his less than 5 minutes after he arrives at the station. They look at each other through their windows before they both climb out.

His breath catches, his heart hammers. He doesn’t know why he feels more nervous than the night before but in the light of day everything suddenly feels so real.

Lucy is standing in front of him, smiling up at him. He knows he should say something, anything but The stupid grin remains.

“Hi” she sounds as nervous and excited as he feels

“Hi” he manages and they stand there. Neither knowing how to move forward and neither really wanting to break the moment.

Fortuitously a colleague walks past and calls a greeting or Tim feels like they would have stayed like that for the whole shift, dopey smiles and soft eyes. It’s exactly the wake up he needed. He gives himself a little shakes and turns to lead them both into the station.

Just as Tim is about to bring up the topic of their first date Lucy starts “So, I did some research”

“Yeah?”

“Mmhmm”

“So what do you suggest?” Tim raised an eyebrow

“I’ve got a list of restaurants, classics, fusion” she pauses and looks up at him “romantic”

“I like the sound of that” Tim feels like keeping his relationship with Lucy a secret might be harder than he expected as he reminds himself to take half a step back. They’ve never been good at ‘personal space’ but the building certainly wasn’t crowded, there really was no need to stand quite so close.

“I made a ‘wild card’ list, too” she added, seemingly unaware of his inner thoughts as she instantly fills the gap back up with a small step forward. “Paintball, shooting range. Those kinds of things, your kind of activities”

He’d kiss her if he could. He will kiss her, not right now but this date is going to have to happen sooner rather than later.

“Send me your lists and the nights you’re free this week” he captures her gaze “I’ll do the rest”

“Ok” she holds his gaze

“I have to go, be safe.” He turns and walks off quickly.

Lucy sends him the lists as promised. He’s managed to find 10 minutes in his day to sit down at his desk and open his email. The message begins:

Lucy: It feels like we’ve waited so long for this, I don’t want to wait anymore. I’m free tomorrow night, I don’t care where we go or what we do. Let’s just not wait anymore.

For a moment Tim couldn’t breathe, the moment Lucy had told him he was the most important relationship in her life had felt, surreal, magical. It seemed like a dream. These reminders that what they were doing meant as much to her as it did to him proved that this was all real.

Tim decided then that he would make this first date special and to do that he needed help.

Aaron was minding his own business, he had paperwork to fill in. So much paperwork.

It meant that when Sergeant Bradford arrived at his desk he was completely unprepared.

“I have a job for you” the gruff voice came from behind his shoulder and he jumped sending papers skidding across the desk.

Aaron scrambled to pull the pieces of paper back into a neat pile “Sir, I’m… yes ok, of course sir.” He turned and looked up into the face of the much taller man “what do you need” finally feeling composed.

“You have connections” Aaron blinked, was that supposed to be a question

“You need my sword guys number?” He tried “I’m not sure if my mom would be happy for me to expense another private jet just yet.”

Tim just glared at him, Aaron was getting used to this look on Tim’s. It was his companion for most of his day.

“Restaurants” was all Tim said, his expression not changing. Aaron smiled broadly, this was his world. His area of expertise.

“Sure! I’ve got contacts at some of the best places in town” his glow of pride didn’t last long as Tim continued to stare

“Tomorrow night, 8pm.” Tim handed him a piece of paper. Aaron opened it, it simply had the names of two restaurants. “One of those”

Aaron’s eyes widened, two of the hardest to get into and most romantic restaurants in the city “for how many?”

Tim’s only response was to glare harder.

“Two, of course” Aaron spluttered “I’ll make some calls” he sat back down at his desk and took out his phone. He looked back up into his sergeant’s face to see it soften a little.

“Thanks Thorsen”

“Any time” Aaron called to his receding back

Well, thought Aaron, they’ve finally done it!

#chenford #chenford fanfic #lucy chen #tim bradford #the rookie #afterthecamerastops #left in draft for too long and lost my way

[kleem-o]

Rukawa x reader

Childhood friends to lovers headcanons?? idk what this is lmao

warnings: a bit of cursing, rukawa is probably ooc, mentions of spicy lmao this is my first time writing something like this pls bear with me 😩😩

Rukawa Kaede and you have always been friends from as long as you remember. Both your parents were bestfriends, and of course you two were too! You two got in the same school for kindergarten and were inseparable since then. There were kids who would mess with you, but Rukawa would always have your back. The teachers would often have to scold Rukawa for hitting some kid that was bothering you.

“Rukawa… you can’t keep hitting our classmates like that!”

“They were bothering you so..”

You two were together up till middle school , and you got to see him practice basketball all the time.

“It would be so cool if you were the best player in Japan”

And that sticked with Rukawa. Unfortunately in highschool you both went separate ways as you had to transfer to a school far from his. You two had an argument about this as Rukawa was so adamant that you should stay with him, even offering that you could stay at his home instead.

“Why do you have to be so stubborn? What am I gonna do if you’re so far away from me?”

“What do you even mean? We can still meet each other or even text each other! stop acting like a dick!”

“But I’ll miss you”

“We’ll get used to it”

“But I like you”

And thats how you both got together. Y’all started long distance 😭 You guys know that Rukawa is like a cat that loves napping and being lazy, aside from anything related to basketball really. But when it comes to you he would always make time. He called you every morning and night and would message you in between class (since he would be asleep) and training.

“I miss you Y/N”

“I miss you too dummy, and if you don’t start studying now you’ll really fail lol”

“Maybe if we meet up we can study together, I’ll go over to your place”

“Hmm.. it’s fine I’ll go to yours. I’m starting to miss everyone there anyway”

Safe to say y’all didn’t get any studying done

You went to his home and he lead you to his room. It didn’t change a lot really, well there wasn’t really much to change as his room was really plain, just the classic bed, desk, and closet. But something about it always felt homey to you.

Anyways instead of studying you both watched a movie on his laptop on the bed while cuddling 🥰

Rukawa’s room is always cold so you both were huddled up under the blanket.

What was a supposedly study date, turned into a movie date, which now turned into a makeout session 😩

“Mmn.. Rukawa shouldn’t we be studying..?”

“Hmm..”

“Rukawaa”

“Hm… we can study later, I missed this..”

“Ah! Rukawa”

Eventually Rukawa had to stop because it was getting hard to stop himself, and off to the bathroom he went 🏃🏻

He surprisingly wants yours and his first time to be somewhat romantic?? Like he probably wants it to be at some hot spring inn when you two are at vacation together, and seeing as how close you two’s parents are, they’ll probably allow you two to go together.

and of course you try your best to watch his games 😩 and he tries his best to find you in the crowd 🥹

Your relationship is not perfect, you two have you fair share of fights, often about how you two don’t have time for each other, and Rukawa is often the one sulking. It all gets solved easily and quickly by a call or a kiss though 😌

aaaaaaak i have no idea what this is but I just needed to write it bc of the lack of fics 🥹 feel free to request or summ bc i would love to write more about him he was my first anime crush 🥹

#slam dunk #kaede rukawa #rukawakaede #slam dunk headcanons #x reader #yn #headcanons #sakuragi hanamichi #lol this is my first time actually trying #slam dunk x reader

[eldritchdiplomacy]

Bottom Table OT3: The Playlist

We, like Jinnah, will mourn our lads forever

(click for song explanations!)

Take Me Out To The Ball Game - Ed Meeker

"Eldritch Harrahs," He says, fingering the bright red laces on a baseball like a rosary

Team - Lorde

Classic poly theme, living in ruins.

"And everyone's competing For a love they won't receive 'Cause what this palace wants is release."

Ravenous - Autumn Orange

Impeccible vibes.

Eat Your Young - Hozier

Post-war heroes left in slums with their ghosts

"Come and get some Skinnin' the children for a war drum Puttin' food on the table, sellin' bombs and guns It's quicker and easier to eat your young"

Rhiannon - Fleetwood Mac

A shiny jade jewel in said slums

"She rings like a bell through the night And wouldn't you love to love her? She rules her life like a bird in flight And who will be her lover?"

Boats & Birds - Gregory & The Hawk

Children without souls

"If you'll be my boat, I'll be your sea A depth of pure blue just to probe curiosity Ebbing and flowing and pushed by a breeze I live to make you free, I live to make you free…"

Hearts a Mess - Gotye

Sean Fucking Finnerty

"You have lost too much love To fear, doubt and distrust, it's not enough You just threw away the key to your heart Don't get burned 'cause nothing gets through It makes it easier, easier on you That much more difficult for me To make you see."

Love In The Time Of Socialism - Yellow House

Teenagers all in love with each other

"But I am home wherever you are near There's no life in anything When you're not here."

Whatever Fits Together - Skullcrusher

I mean…

"Do you ever look back? Does it all fit together? If we're here, does it matter? (If we're here, does it matter?)"

Marked For Death - Emma Ruth Rundle

Marion & Jean

"Who else is going to love someone like me that’s marked for death? Who else is going to be with me when I breathe it all?"

Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect - The Decemberists

Marion & Sean

"And here I dreamt I was a soldier And I marched the streets of Birkenau And I recall in spring The perfume that the air would bring To the indolent town Where the barkers call the moon down The carnival was ringing loudly now And just to lay with you There's nothing that I wouldn't do Save lay my rifle down"

Hard Times - Ethel Cain

The Exorcists' Daughter

"Tell me a story About how it ends Where you're still the good guy I'll make pretend 'Cause I hate this story Where happiness ends And dies with you."

Edith's Theme - Crimson Peak

The Lighthouse

Say Yes To Heaven - Lana Del Rey

Sean & Jean

"If you go, I'll stay You come back, I'll be right here Like a barge at sea In the storm, I stay clear 'Cause I've got my mind on you I've got my mind on you…"

Sunlight - Hozier

Sean & Jean & Marion

"All the tales the same Told before and told again A soul that’s born in cold and rain Knows sunlight, sunlight, sunlight And, at last, can grant a name To a buried and a burning flame As love and its decisive pain Oh, my sunlight, sunlight, sunlight."

Your Protector - Fleet Foxes

The Circle of Needle & Thread

"As you lay to die beside me, baby On the morning that you came Would you wait for me? The other one would wait for me."

The Mother Road - Chelsea Wolfe

The doc who knows she'll never lead a normal life, have a normal love.

"I do not have a child But I'm old enough to know some pain And I'm hell-bent on loving you Women know what it is to endure."

Running Up That Hill - Placebo

All too stubborn to let each other die.

"Oh, come on, baby Oh, come on, darlin' Let me steal this moment from you now Oh, come on, angel Come on, come on, darlin' Let's exchange the experience…"

A Vampire's Heart - Peter Gundry

Doplegangers

Cosmic Love - Florence + The Machine

Jean, Sean, & Marion

"I took the stars from our eyes, and then I made a map And knew that somehow I could find my way back Then I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness too So I stayed in the darkness with you…"

Oh, To Dream Of Such Eldritch Things - Autumn Orange

The Compromised Lightkeeper

A Shot Rang Out - Emily Jane White

Sean FUCKING Finnerty, Marion, Jean

"Dreamers we aren't few But I don’t want to bury my dreams with you."

The Ghost On The Shore - Lord Huron

Man down

"Die if I must, let my bones turn to dust I'm the lord of the lake and I don't want to leave it…"

Call Your Mom - Noah Kahan

You can't do this to Peggy, bud.

"Medicate, meditate, save your soul for Jesus Throw a punch, fall in love, give yourself a reason Don't wanna drive another mile without knowin' you're breathin' So won't you stay, won't you stay, won't you stay with me?"

Funeral - Phoebe Bridgers

War boys wearing the same face, so many hearts.

"And last night, I blacked out in my car And I woke up in my childhood bed Wishing I was someone else, feeling sorry for myself When I remembered someone's kid is dead…"

Francesca - Hozier

Jean & Marion re: Sean

"Now that it's done There's not one thing that I would change My life was a storm since I was born How could I fear any hurricane?"

Is Your Love Strong Enough? - GWTDT

"Just one beat of your heart And stranger than fantasy I knew from the start It had to be the place for me Someone that I would die for There's no way I could ever leave."

Death With Dignity - Sufjan Stevens

The Survivor

"Spirit of my silence I can hear you, but I'm afraid to be near you And I don't know where to begin And I don't know where to begin…"

My Love - Florence + The Machine

The Next Step

"My arms emptied, the skies emptied The buildings emptied…"

#candela obscura #candela obscura spoilers #bottom table ot3 #ot3: veterans’ affairs #marion collodi #sean finnerty #jinnah basar

[diabolus1exmachina]

Gilbern T11 (prototype).

Gilbern is not a name that immediately springs to mind when you think of classic British sports cars. In fact not many people know about the former car maker that hailed from Wales. And even fewer are aware of its exciting two seat, rear engined sports coupe project from the 1970s. Founded in 1959 by Giles Smith and Bernard Friese, Gilbern was Wales’ only car maker. Both the former butcher and the former German Army soldier succeeded in building a car company from nothing and for a time challenged the likes of Jaguar and Rover with the Gilbern Genie V6. By the time the company folded in 1974, over 1000 Gilbern’s had been built.

The story of the Gilbern T11 starts back in 1970 when the Welsh car manufacturer was looking for ways to expand their model range. While their fibre glass bodied cars proved popular, they were expensive and never sold in large numbers. As a result the small firm struggled financially and needed something different to turn their fortunes around. They decided to build a light and compact, rear engine, two seat sports coupe, handing over the design to Trevor Fiore. The project went from the clay model design stage to the production of a partially built prototype. The aim was to display the car at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show but that never happened. As the firm’s finances worsened, the project was cancelled and the T11 prototype along with the other three prototype chassis’ were abandoned.

When the firm finally went bankrupt in 1974, the partly assembled Gilbern T11 was taken home by its managing director where it stayed for a number of years. It was then passed on to the Gilbern Owners Club before changing hands again.  The task that the new owner lay ahead was huge. First of all he had acquired a car that had sat for decades. Then there was the fact it was an unfinished prototype. Restoring an old classic is one thing but finishing a car that never got beyond the prototype stage is another. Thankfully owner background as a mechanic meant he had the skills needed to get it done. And he had a vision that allowed him to put his own stamp on Gilbern’s wedge. If it had been anyone else I suspect the car would still be in pieces today.

The Trevor Fiore’s design really was a work of art, taking cues from many other exotic sports cars of the day. Its design echoes that of the De Tomaso Mangusta, the Ferrari Daytona and the Bitter CD. And of course there is the Montiverdi Hai 450SS. The similarities between the two are uncanny. While the Gilbern T11 did not have a V12 or a V8 powerplant, it made up for this with its striking overall design. You could park this car beside a Lamborghini Miura or a De Tomaso Mangusta and it would not look out of place. It looks that good! It does make me wonder then what Gilbern could have achieved if they had succeeded in taking the T11 to full production.

#Gilbern T11 #Jaguar #Rover #De Tomaso Mangusta #Ferrari Daytona #Bitter CD #Montiverdi Hai 450SS #Lamborghini Miura

[stonesylove]

A night out in Berlin pt.6

"The brutal dictator of Panem"

Chapter 5 - Chapter 7

Aleesandra started to get a bit of anxiety, she invited him out of an impulse to her home and now she had to tidy things up a bit because she wanted to give a nice impression even though he’s been there already but still wanted to tease him a little so she did what she knew best, she took a cute mirror selfie with her her sexy “pajama”, only men could thing women sleep that way overnight but it does the trick and she just wanted to play with the thoughts of Tom; Alessandra heard the a knocking on her door and she knew it must be him so she ruined to open the door to find Tom standing with a pizza box “Don’t lie to me I know you’re cold” he said smiling to her, “come inside because the heat will get out” Alessandra said while grabbing his hadn’t and pulling him inside, “that’s something a grandma would’ve said” Tom was making fun of her and maybe he was right but also it was true, “now I got cold, let me grab a sweater so we can eat”.

When she was back from her room with a huge sweater on that looked like a dress, Alessandra saw how Tom was looking at her in the sweetest way possible and it made her heart skip a beat because who wouldn’t get lost in those eyes, “so pretty boy, you got me pizza?” She said trying to end the tension that was building up, “No my love, it’s Mexican food but they put it in pizza box” he said in the most sarcastic way possible while opening the box and helping her put the plates on the small table, “Fuck you Tom” she said trying to act offended, “I’ll let you fuck me but let’s eat first” he said trying to make her laugh; they were talking and eating, making jokes about each other and acting offended until they could hold the laugh anymore.

“So in a more serious matter, you never told me why did you chose Berlin?” Tom asked her trying to get the conversation to a more deep level, “Well it’s not something crazy, I always knew I wanted to be a professional dancing but also I wanted to travel the world and Giuli was on the same page as me, in the south we usually move out of our parents house until we get married or we get a stable job and we both were craving independence, don’t get me wrong I love my parents but they’re a little over protective so we applied to couple of companies and the Staatsballett was the first one to give us a call back so we packed our bags and move out here with our savings and now we’re exploring our options in other countries” Alessandra tried explaining the best she could to the man infant of her, she loved the way he always pay attention to anything she said, “And where do you want to go next” Tom said while grabbing another slice of pizza, “Maybe London or New York but I’m staying here until spring so like 5 more months” she said, “New York is a beautiful place to live and not only because I live there” Tom said making her laugh, “So why did you choose Julliard?” Alessandra asked him, “if you keep googling me we will run out of conversation topics but my dad was a tv producer and I always loved the classics, somehow I was also seeking that independence” Tom explained himself, “Google is free and I will keep on using it” Alessandra said laughing about it.

The pair decided to sit on the couch and watch the first hunger game move, Tom was already feeling like he was home and took of his sweater and brought blanket ou to the cuddle the short girl, Alessandra was so focussed on the movie but she was desperate to make one of her jokes that she knew he didn’t like so she broke the silence saying, “ I can’t believe I fucked the brutal dictator of Panem” First tom was shocked with what came out of her mouth but after he couldn’t stop laughing about her random thoughts, “In my defense I’m not the dictator just yet” Tom said while catching his breathe, Alessandra turned her face to see him about to make another of her bad jokes but she was caught off guard when he kissed her, it was one of those kisses that you feel like you need those lips to feel alive, the way both of them moved in perfect synchrony felt like they were made for each other, Tom pulled her closer deepening the kiss to what Alessandra said trying to catch some air “I was about to make another joke”, “I know, shut up” he said while grabbing her by the hips and making her seat on him, the kiss kept going and it didn’t felt like they needed to have sex right away it felt like a way of connecting until she started to feel something growing in his pants, Tom grabed her ass tighter and she knew that was going to leave a mark but who’ll care about that, it was a more exciting feeling that he was going to mark her up, Alessandra broke the kiss to start making a path of little kisses from his jaw to his neck while swinging her hips, dancing on his cock, it was making him get harder and harder, “don’t do that because I won’t be able to stop” Tom said having trouble to breath normally, “I want you” Alessandra answered while putting her hands in the back of his neck and kissing him again, he grabbed her ass to stand up and started walking towards her bedroom.

Tom sat on her bed meanwhile Alessandra was still on top of him, Tom broke the kiss and took the huge sweater off to see that the top of her pajama moved around and her breast was almost completely showing, “you knew what you were doing” he said while grabbing one of her tits and putting it in his mouth, Alessandra started moaning while being in shock with the situation she wasn’t thinking clearly when she heard the doorbell ringing, both quickly distanced themselves and Alessandra remembered that she didn’t live alone and that her best friend might be standing outside like a fool.”COMING!!” Alessandra shouted while putting her sweater back on and running to open the door, when she was opening the door tom screamed that he was going to the bathroom, “I can tell you were busy” Giuliana said while raising her brows making fun of her friend to what Alessandra noticed that she had put on her sweater inside out, “Guess tom is home” Giuli said laughing at the look of her friend that was blushing like a little kid that did something wrong.

“I was talking to my mom in the way here and your mom was there, she told me that they are planning to come for the first show of the season” Giuliana said putting her stuff down in the entryway, “OH MY GOD THAT’S SO EXCITING” Alessandra said forgetting for a second the awkward moment with her friend in that moment Tom got out of the only bathroom in the small apartment, “Hi, first time we see each other outside of the club” Giuliana said greeting Tom, “Yeah and if you think it’s Ale’s fault” he said while hugging in a friendly way Giuliana; even though Tom did’t want to be an inconvenience both girls asked him to stay and get dinner with them, the three stayed up all night playing poker until Alessandra lost way too many times and brought out another table game, it was one of those nights that you dream of, it was full of laughs, bad jokes and fight over the game and when it was like 2 am Tom got up of the table and told the pair that he had to go back to his hotel because he had to be on set at 7 am so obviously he needed his stuff, Alessandra wished he stay the night but she understood why he couldn’t, they said bye to each other with one of those kisses that only lovers give to each other. Alessandra went to bed but first she posted and ig story of them playing monopoly because it was worth remembering and showing.

Alessandra Di Maggio posted a story

The next day Alessandra went to the studio and practiced alone for the auditions she had and kept thing about how her parents were going to visit and that was the sweetest gesture they could do, support her on her dreams and she wished that tom could be there, maybe not the same night as her parents because her mom would ask way too many questions and her dad wasn’t that nice with men around her, Alessandra decided to stop for a bit and check her phone, and pf course she had a couple of texts from Tom as known as the brutal dictator of Panem and the sexiest cowboy on earth.

My Brutal dictator (Tom)

That was such a beautiful night wish I could’ve stayed

But you’re the biggest sore loser

Alessandra Di Maggio

You are a liar 

Hope you liked hanging with Giuli and I know we had other plans

My Brutal dictator (Tom)

Not everything is about sex, I had a great night and I used the opportunity to know how bad you’re at playing cards

Alessandra Di Maggio

Just lies

Btw if you’re still in Germany by that time you could come to one of the shows, if you have the time

My Brutal dictator (Tom)

I can’t promise you that because of how things can change so quickly on set but I will see what I can do

The cast is planning on a karaoke night, do you want to come pretty girl?

Alessandra Di Maggio 

I might be a tiny dancer but I’m not a tiny singer 

I’ll go just for you, we usually hang out with my friends and never with yours 

My Brutal dictator (Tom)

Also what was the other joke

Alessandra Di Maggio 

That you’re the sluttiest man ever

Your waist is so small

And I’ve seen a lot of waist in my job

Maybe I can go to you hotel room and you can show it to me but you need to bring out your whip and hat

My Brutal dictator (Tom)

Do you have a cowboy kink???

Because your obsession it’s not normal 

Alessandra Di Maggio 

You are the first cowboy I’ve ever met even though you’re a fake one

and I don’t know when I’ll meet another one or a real one

I don’t owe you an explanation

My Brutal dictator (Tom)

Whatever you say pretty girl

Let’s get dinner tonight, I’ll pick you up at 9 pm

#tom blyth #tom blyth imagine #billy the kid #tbosas #coriolanus snow #coryo snow #billy the kid 2022 #coriolanus snow x reader #tom blyth x reader #tom blyth x you #tom blyth smut

[schismusic]

Joy Division, or: how I learned to stop worrying and love New Order, too

Spring is weird as hell because one time you have this glaring sun that powers you up like being plugged into a wall outlet, then not five minutes later clouds begin to gather and you feel like you're going to die if anything goes south. So the most obvious combination to represent two sides of this same coin, emotional and meteorological, is Joy Division and New Order.

Sometimes you need Transmission or Shadowplay for the sunny days — impassioned jolts, sparks flying everywhere. Sometimes The Perfect Kiss hits harder on a cloudy afternoon, coming back home and in need of that extra push to not fall asleep in the train. It's surprising to realize the versatility displayed by both bands, or the same band in two different iterations according to whomever you ask. Peter Hook says, as late as 1993, that the laziest member of New Order is Ian Curtis. Or again this other person, in the comments under the Atmosphere official video on YouTube, who went to see New Order (Hooky-less New Order, which might be a relevant distinction) at the O2 Arena a couple of years ago and they gave an encore, says "Those of us who stayed got the privilege of watching Joy Division perform three of their songs". Interesting outlook on the matter. I personally saw Peter Hook and the Light play both Joy Division records and, I'm pretty sure, an encore comprised of just Love Will Tear Us Apart at the Arti Vive Festival in Soliera, back when it was still free to attend some of the events. I remember being pretty mad that Hooky had stopped to take pics with basically everyone and then left exactly as I was approaching. In retrospect I don't exactly blame the man, it was like midnight anyway. I remember nothing of the back trip home.

My first contact with Joy Division happened when I was thirteen and very much in my prog era. I was in Rome staying at an aunt of mine's place for my fourteenth birthday and she told me I could get a CD, since I had gotten some money saved up over time. Some Facebook page dedicated to Pink Floyd I'd liked (yeah, Facebook at age thirteen — I literally just wanted to play a fucking Flash game, back when Facebook allowed them, and I ended up getting to be terminally online. Crazy how things turn out) used to share a lot of memes and fanart relating to the Unknown Pleasures album cover, and me being a massive Pink Floyd head at the time I thought "I mean, if these guys are pushing this band so hard, that's gotta mean something". The album cover was pretty striking, admittedly: a far cry from the paisley ass paintings that I had grown to accept as the gold standard for the music I liked, but its simplicity struck a chord closer to The Dark Side of the Moon, or perhaps The Wall. Those were records I liked a lot, probably called them "the best records ever made" to more than one person, not like they aren't but that's a very bold statement to make when your listening experience consists exactly of

Madonna's Confessions on a Dance Floor when I was six;

Daft Punk's complete discography (minus Random Access Memories, which wasn't out yet) when I was twelve;

Pink Floyd's complete discography, courtesy of a CD collection coming out with some Italian newspaper, that same year;

a couple random classic rock records recommended to me by older friends and relatives usually well into their fifties or sixties at the time, random people on Internet forums — which, for clarification, I did not actively attend, preferring to just lurk from time to time — and the OndaRock "milestones" page.

So browsing through the surprisingly expansive CDs section of this electronics shop in Rome, and being mesmerized by a vinyl rack in the days when Music on Vinyl was the final frontier of pretending you could re-analogue the digital ("you mean to tell me these are like CDs, but bigger? Whoever designed these truly lived in the future"), I came across that very same album art that had stricken me so hard. I had listened to the first seconds of the album on YouTube, but that weird drum sound — so echoey, so distant, ultimately not particularly powerful, meaning it didn't really sound like Bonzo: it sounded more like my own band, which at the time didn't even exist yet — I didn't really know what to make of. This store I was in had one of those preview listening machines that would scan the barcode on the CDs and give you a small snippet of the song. I pull the CD up to the scanner, the scanner lights up green, I put on the headphones and the solo from this comes up:

Clearly they had to be kidding me. I had come to know, sneaking into infinitely many rehearsals with the band from my mother's town, what it sounded like when someone tried to play lead without something else filling up the arrangement (even though I didn't really know all that, or at least lacked the vocabulary to properly express it) and, for Christ's sake, didn't these guys notice rehearsing? It sounded empty, weirdly so, and it wasn't my thing, I thought. I put that CD away and picked up a band I knew I'd like — Genesis, specifically. So Nursery Cryme became the first CD I've ever paid with my own money, the very day I turned fourteen. Not a bad pickup. I remember being very impressed with the fast blurring lead guitar on The Musical Box and digging the sweet pastoral atmospheres of For Absent Friends and Harlequin. I still think of that record more often than one would probably assume looking at this blog, or my most played on Spotify. At the time, that was the best move I could take, really: why beat my head against a record that, as your average prog nerd ballbreaker, simply wasn't speaking to me?

Then all of a sudden in August of the same year my friend's dad hands me a 16 gigabyte USB drive, full of random music from all eras of rock. A lot of it remains inscrutable to me for a really long time, most notably Tom Waits (see related post), but I spent the whole month reading random folder names, seeing if something catches my eyes, and at one point I come across the Mars Volta. Open the folder up, read the names of their first three records, and my first thought is "Christ, these guys look incomprehensible. I'm about to have some fun". Long story short: I end up having a lot of fun, the Mars Volta turns into my favourite band at the time and finding out that they had previously been called At the Drive-In makes me gain some measure of respect for punk rockers: if they tried hard enough, I must've thought, they could prog as hard as anyone. In the meantime the ghost of Joy Division remains at the back of my head. I feel like I'm missing something, for the first time in my life: it's not them, it's me. Too bad that same realization didn't occur to me when it came to the people in my life until much, much later, but that's being fourteen for you I suppose. Early King Crimson and the Mars Volta were the pinnacle of violence to me, and not even the very few Metallica songs I'd downloaded just to see what would happen scratched that itch. It felt a bit too cauterized for some reason (I would later find out I had been looking in the wrong direction the whole time: the Black Album "sucked", according to my favourite metalhead of the time, who somehow catalyzed my interest from the very second I saw him in the school's courtyard. Hard to imagine why I would imprint on people like puppies do, but what the fuck, not like I've ever outgrown that anyway, I've just gotten better at managing it). But I felt there was more than violence to this, or different forms of violence. When Christmas came around and my relatives tried to get me presents, my mother asked if there was anything specific I was interested in, and I basically told her "look, if they can get me some CDs off of this list, I'm golden". It had some bangers on it, namely Noctourniquet by the Mars Volta — it's one of their best and I will die on this hill, be warned — and The Downward Spiral, which might as well warrant its own post in an ideal world. But the best of them all I think came from a random purchase, once again with the little money I had lying around at the time.

Closer appears to be, right away, a bit more concrete, and if there's something inexperienced music fans like is a pretty packaging that conjures a strong emotional response before they've even played the record. Compare a color-inverted graph of pulsar emissions to a literal funerary monument. Opening up the booklet I was shocked to see that Genesis was used as a negative point of comparison (bad omen, I thought) by people close to the band, and I came across much more detailed information about Ian Curtis's untimely demise — at that time, something far too removed from my experience to be faced with the delicacy and attention it deserves. Atrocity Exhibition hits like a ten-ton truck, a reference which at the time I wouldn't have been able to make for obvious reasons, and Isolation exposes all the nerve tissue under the skin. Passover comes in and strips everything even barer, and then A Means to an End turns… danceable, for some reason? Big emotional moment with The Eternal and Decades, which I thought actually took them closer to my usual tastes. And yet at the same time I kept looking at Colony, Heart and Soul and Twenty Four Hours as the most compelling cuts. Geometric assault sounding like sheet metal if it were music; rhythmically driven emptiness that serves as a minimal backdrop for depressed poetry, and finally a rocking ebb-and-flow that would probably inform a lot of my interest in GY!BE-like post-rock in the coming years. Very interesting to think that the same guys who'd done Unknown Pleasures could think of this. To this day, when asked, I still do think that Closer is the best Joy Division record, but what does it even mean when the records are exactly two, compilations notwithstanding?

It was around this time that it came to my attention that both Joy Division and another band called New Order had a record called Substance out, both published by the same recording company, both coming out within a year of each other. Looking it up, it turns out it's fully intentional, because New Order is simply Joy Division minus Ian Curtis. It would turn out to be a tad bit more complex than that. Anyway, I look New Order up and kind of have to do a double-take. Synthpop? In my Joy Division? More likely than you'd think, considering Isolation exists. But yeah, that sort of seals it — I wouldn't care about this New Order for a million years. Until all of a sudden a couple of years later David Sylvian bursts like a comet in my face, which of course leads me straight to Japan, the same year as I'd come across Berlin-era Bowie, and you can probably guess where this is going, right?

Well, you'd be wrong. I still don't check out New Order. There's a whole new world open to me — vaporwave and therefore R Plus Seven come to my attention, which leads me to dissect that record like an alien tool of unclear purposes. This of course leads me onto an ambient tangent, taking me back to my Tim Hecker listens of that same year, which has the effect of renewing my interest in "pure" electronic music and the then-rising post-dubstep movement. The sheer experience of sound, the dazzling modernity and innovation, is what's in at the time. I have no time for nostalgia-pandering dimwits: the future awaits. Then all that jazz from the first Godflesh post hits, then God pulls the funniest gag in the history of viral infections to my memory, and I have some time to actually look back, a bit less prejudiced. As it turns out, synthpop is not the devil, as some of you might have surmised by now, and as I relisten to Blue Monday I realized I have never listened to either of the Substance record. I do know some, most perhaps?, of the tracks on the Joy Division one, and I do think the New Order one has the more striking cover art — not to mention I knew, by this time, that this was the one to give Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance its name, and that Your Silent Face soundtracked one of the most memorable moments in Nicolas Winding Refn's Bronson. As the ultimate Hideo Kojima stan, I couldn't let this slide, so I pop the record on and get hit with this:

Way to go, guys. Holy shit. I knew that Ceremony was a Joy Division cut before they could record it, but what the hell — Bernard got it, too. It wasn't a matter of singing ability with songs like these, it's just getting it, finding the right energy. They had that right energy. And then it hit me just as many times these dudes have made Blue Monday over and over again before actually getting it right, and everytime I look into it it's funnier and funnier to realize just how many different attempts it took them to finally be Kraftwerk, but augmented — with the stellar results we all know. Everything's Gone Green, 5 8 6, Temptation potentially, all lead up to this one moment in the history of dance music where somehow three dudes and a girl hailing from Manchester managed to out-gay the Pet Shop Boys (by their own admission, apparently), to shake the whole world's collective booty, to do whatever it is they were supposed to do in this last comparison that would ideally make the previous one a bit less obnoxious but whatever, it's 3am as usual, you know how it goes by now don't you? But then after Blue Monday the record keeps going, and thank god it does, because it's banger after banger. How do these guys keep doing it?

So I spend some time with that record, then it fades down, then it comes back up last month, when the weather calls for it and its parent company. Which is when I find myself watching the Control movie for the first time, surprisingly enough seeing as I already enjoyed the work of Anton Corbijn as a photographer. Looking at all that, it is revealed to me that Joy Division never really having died is not a bug, it's a feature. Everyone is gasping, I get it, but please pick your jaws up and check this out: the band has never learned how to play their respective instruments. One might go so far as to argue they play their own stuff their own way, and that's basically it. Nothing could be further from the truth. These guys jammed, a lot; that's how Joy Division wrote songs, that's how New Order wrote songs, even going as far as having Bernard Sumner fucked up on acid so he could find the chorus to Temptation or the whole band bombed out of their minds on X in Ibiza clubs to write, basically, the entirety of Technique — and even then, not really, there's a couple jangly tracks that the X would most likely render unlistenable but what do I really know? Point being: it might now have been sparked by a music teacher or instructor, it might not have been the product of a process comparable to that within Television, which led them to organically seek out better, more "by the book" musicianship, but New Order were incredibly familiar with their instruments, had formed an element of comfort and understanding that counterbalanced the alien-ness to music terminology.

Peter Hook recently uploaded a Yamaha-sponsored video to his Instagram, which I am pretty sure has a say in running, where he jams on a Yamaha bass and, you know, it sounds like Hooky alright, but it's never a discernible bassline until he kicks into the A major strumming that opens Love Will Tear Us Apart. Before that, he just strolls around the neck, leisurely strumming away at power chords imbued with that thick chorus and reverb combo he became renowned for. I would never, in my wildest dreams, have imagined I'd find myself thinking "okay, awesome, stop talking — I want to hear you jam a bit more" referring to one of the musicians who were part of possibly two of the craziest storiest in the history of contemporary rock'n'roll, also notorious for playing the rockstar whilst carrying the minimum possible baggage of technical knowledge he could. Once again, this is nowhere near a knock to the man — quite the opposite. Ian Curtis asked "persistence, well, what does it matter?", and Hooky (and, of course, the other members of New Order) found a way to constructively answer that question. Moments before Coil, but a bit later than Israel Regardie, they said "persistence is all" and built a brand on finding a way to consistently sound like splendid, eternal, golden children: "like crystal", impassionate, tightly-knit performers with the purity of a child's heart. Ian Curtis had, in certain ways (at least artistically), the purity of a child in his heart, which some might even argue was a distinguishing feature of most of his literary idols — if you think about it, William Burroughs could be your dirty-minded classmate who walked in on his parents sharing an intimate moment in the bedroom (had his parents been gay men, the metaphor would probably fly better, but that most definitely wasn't the case). So the heart of Joy Division remains untouched, if a bit more naked. Heroes of post-punk, sons of the silent age, you can sleep soundly tonight.

#schismusic #music #musica #long form content #schism writing #joy division #new order #post punk #new wave #Youtube

[vermillioncourt-if]

Hi! I hope you're doing well I 'm super excited for your IF all the lore you've given has been mmm wonderful! I was wondering if you'd mind doing the classic: MC dies in RO's arms (preferably as the result of saving the RO). scenario ask?

If that's to angsty I understand and no matter what I wish you all the best! ♥

Hello! ❤️

I'd be happy to write this! Angst (and smut) are my specialities. There really isn't anything too angsty for me! Although I fear this might be TOO angsty for some! People who are part of my other blog/IF will attest, though, I enjoy ripping hearts out and stomping on them! 😊

I also added on the Aftermath since I couldn't help myself! 🤭 I feel I may have girlbossed too close to sun, cause these ROs are VERY codependent on MC and it shows!

Please heed the TWs!

General TW: lots of death, deaths of 3 ROs, death mentions, dying, trauma, blood, heavy angst

RO Death TWs: Suicide Implied, Childbirth Implied, Murder Implied

MC Dies in ROs Arms After Saving/Protecting Them (and the Aftermath)

Si Huaiqiao - Huaiqiao will be so devastated and will blame himself. He's your personal guard, he should've never even gotten himself into that situation in the first place! He'll try not to cry and will hold you in his arms until you do die. He won't try to staunch your bleeding. He knows what death looks like and it's on you. It will be a bit of a struggle to free your corpse from his grip. He won't be the same after. He'll retire from being a guard and go back home. Depending on how serious it was of a misstep, he would feel so ashamed of how it turned out, he'll just waste away, really. He's... not quite long for the world without you in it.

Xu Chanyu - Chanyu will be in disbelief. She can't believe that happened. You're so stupid! She's an assassin and could handle herself! She'll try to staunch your wounds, yelling at you to stay awake. She's trying to act strong, but her hands are shaking as she tries to apply pressure. She'll beg you to not go, but it's futile. Your body is found a little later, but she's not there. After you die, she disappears. Your friends and family will look for her, but she's nowhere to be found. Years later, a rumor would surface of a small old storyteller woman who lives alone in a tiny shack in the forest. If you pay her price, she'll tell a story of how a generous royal saved a street orphan's life.

You Kounao - Kounao would be horrified. He'd loudly scream and cry. He's panicking, really. He's clumsy as he tries to apply pressure to the wound. He can barely even hold the makeshift cloth/bandage to the wound. He doesn't know what to do, so he just holds you and talks to you. His voice is wavering and hiccuping, but he pushes through. About your wedding, how excited his family will be to meet you, how beautiful his kingdom is during the spring. He doesn't really realize you're gone until someone pries him out of his arms. Afterwards, he goes back to the Chuntian Kingdom, but it all feels wrong. He doesn't talk as much and he just goes through the motions. His family ends up sending him to a monastery to become a monk. It helps, only slightly.

Shen Sandong - Sandong would be mortified and frozen. She'd watch you collapse onto the ground and stand there. It takes her a minute to gather herself and run to you, cradling you in her arms. She tries to stop the bleeding, but at this point you have nothing left to lose. She doesn't say anything, but you know from her face that she is devastated. She barely emotes as is but the last thing you see is her attempting a wobbly smile. You feel proud for her. After your death, she goes home. She's always been solitary and quiet, so no one around her really cares or notices. She goes on with her life and marries a noble, like her family wants, and it takes her a while to conceive a child. She's happy when she does and enjoys telling it about your adventures together. At the end, she thinks she shouldn't be this happy bleeding out as chaos surrounds her, but she can't help herself. She gets to see you again after all this time. She's been practicing her smile since you last saw it. She can't wait to show you.

Wei Duqiong - Duqiong will let his mask slip this one time. He gathers you in his arms and tries to find a doctor or a healer or anything, but sees it's useless and he's losing precious time with you. He sits on the ground and hold you in his arms and tells you all of the things he wishes he did, if he wasn't like this. He wants to show you off to everyone he knows, hold your hand on walks, kiss under fireworks at festivals. He begs you to hold on, but you both know you can't. He then curses himself for letting you in. If he pushed you away and never entertained you, you wouldn't be dying in his arms, would you? Afterwards, he doubles down on his mask. He doesn't do small talk with customers anymore. He doesn't let anyone as close to him as you were. He ends up incredibly prosperous, his business now more efficient than ever, but the growing mountains of gold can't bring you back. They laugh in his face about what he lost, a sore reminder of what could have been but never will be.

Wu Nahou - Nahou is numb. She catches you before you go down. She frowns and tries to staunch the bleeding, lecturing you about how stupid that was. She gets angrier, yelling for help as loud as she can, as you ebb away. At who? You can't tell. She tells you to keep your eyes open and stay awake. But you can't. She stays by your side until someone arrives to collect your body. Afterwards, she takes a hot bath and scrubs until she's raw, just to feel something. Anything. After your death, she becomes a loose cannon. She drinks heavily and picks fights. She takes on physical courtesan work, but is kicked out eventually. No one wants to hire a drunk mouthy courtesan. Nothing she does quite reignites her spark. She thinks dying in an alleyway is fitting, considering how far she's fallen. She didn't expect to die the same way as you either, bleeding out. She wonders what you'll think of her, when you see her like this. She's not sure she'd be able to handle it. She asks to be sent somewhere else. She can't bear to face you again.

#the vermillion court #asks #ros react #if: si huaiqiao #if: xu chanyu #if: you kounao #if: shen sandong #if: wei duqiong #if: wu nahou

[starryriize]

what i associate with | xikers

a/n: this is a repost and tbh i think i might do this for all the groups i write for🫶🏼

minjae • puzzles, four leaf clovers, abstract art, waking up at 3am, old maps, stargazing while sitting in the trunk of a car, eating ice cream, watching movie marathons, bold colors, soft covers, kissing your lover at sunrise, making music with random objects, eating home cooked meals, the first day of spring

junmin • crisp suits, laughter that lasts too long to be a normal laugh, just dance battles, random acts of service, chinese checkers, watching cherry blossoms fall, going to shopping malls, dancing while cleaning the house, sushi conveyor belt dates, going to the zoo, playing ball with dogs, watching classic disney movies

sumin • watercolors, rain, pretty hairstyles, dark chocolate, kissing your shoulders, late night swims, skylights, city nightlife, comfortably wrapped in many blankets while watching reality shows, drinking milk out of a wine glass, wearing sunglasses to every occasion, playing music from a gramophone

jinsik • going for boba dates, water gun fights, pillow forts, karaoke that goes on for hours, spontaneous parties, celebrating every little accomplishment, color-coordinated outfits, playing genshin until there’s no more resin and quests to finish, staying up late and pulling an all nighter

hyunwoo • laying in an empty field, snowball fights, playing the piano while singing to you, running in the rain and laughing at how drenched you both are, watching vintage james bond films, going shopping for flower bouquets, walking through bookstores, arcade nights that last longer than expected from “friends”, sleepovers, going to the zoo to solely watch sharks

junghoon • dance dance revolution, watching tangled in the middle of the night, road trips to the nearest beach, nerves before competitions, classical concerts and seeing orchestras, slow dancing with your lover in an empty parking lot at night, spilling coffee on his shirt and giggling about it, dad jokes all the time, wanting to leave the party early to relax in bed, hot cocoa, stacks of books that have yet to be finished

seeun • teasing others out of love, going out for boba at noon and coffee at night, tripping over shoelaces, making comedy, watching the powerpuff girls, going to concerts, lego sets, evergreen trees, christmas lights that go on for miles, festival cotton candy, strawberry lemonade, waffle cone ice cream, relaxing baths after long days

yujun • watching cheesy romance shows, swimming when no one is there, buffets at expensive hotels, rewatching harry potter out of boredom, working out when no one is around except for friends, playing monopoly competitively, karaoke while drinking chocolate milk

hunter • teaching you how to make traditional thai dishes, going shopping together, picking flowers, iced coffees even in winter, afternoon tea, classical music, playing, silk pillowcases, go karting, playing video games until dinnertime, going for long walks, golfing in posh suits, m&m yogurt

yechan • laser tag, classic iced coke with ramen, playing many instruments for fun, watching detective shows, concerts in the shower, relaxing jazz, warm chai tea, falling leaves, beach balls, melting ice cream, silent giggles in a very serious situation, ferris wheel rides, chocolate dipped strawberries

#xikers yujun #xikers yechan #xikers sumin #xikers seeun #xikers imagines #xikers minjae #xikers hyunwoo #xikers junghoon #xikers jinsik #xikers junmin #xikers hunter #xikers fluff

[sl-newsie]

Merry And Bright (Dr. Spencer Reid x OC) *Christmas Special* 🎄

(Summary: A coworker is stuck working over the holidays, so Spencer takes them to look at Christmas lights to cheer them up… and maybe confess his feelings?)

Christmas is supposed to be ‘the most wonderful time of the year,’ as the song goes. But how can it be so wonderful when I can’t even visit my family? It’s been a week since my boss scheduled me to work over the holidays, due to the office being “overstaffed.” Basically nobody else wants to work and I’m too soft to say no. Now… Christmas seems so much darker.

“You feeling ok, Darlene?” Spencer asks from behind.

I shake away my sad thoughts and offer a weak smile. “As good as I can.”

Thank God for Spencer Reid. The smartest person I know, my favorite coworker, and a small- er, kinda big, crush of mine. I’ve been working as a secretary for half a year now, and in the short time we’ve known each other Spencer has proven time and time again to be the most supportive and caring person I’ve ever met.

“I wish I worked for the BAU instead. That way I might actually get a break for the holidays.”

Spencer chuckles and hands me a candy cane. “Crime doesn’t take a holiday. You still wouldn’t get a guaranteed break. We’ll all be on call over the holidays.”

“Oh, I’m sorry Spencer.” I take the candy cane and give it a lick. “Thanks. You remember how much I love candy. Before you go, I got a gift for you!”

“Aw you didn’t have to-” Spencer starts to object but then goes quiet when I hand him a small package. “What on Earth…?” He tears off the wrapping and immediately gets a giddy smile. “Oh my God! Is this- is it-?!”

“An autographed photo of Doctor Who! I got it during my work trip to Britain last spring! Merry Christmas-!”

I barely get to finish before Reid suddenly sweeps me in for a hug. “Thank you so much, Darlene!”

“O- Oh! I didn’t think you were one for hugs- only handshakes-” I sputter.

Reid pulls away, almost looking as awkward as I must, and grabs my hand for a handshake.

“Right, right… Um, say if you aren’t doing anything after work tonight I was wondering… if maybe you’d like to go look at Christmas lights?”

Did I- did I hear that right? “Reid, did you say 'look at Christmas lights?'” A smile spreads onto my face.

Spencer mistakes this as mockery. “I- I’m sorry if it seems weird, it’s just I remember you said you usually go out looking at Christmas lights with your family. And since you can’t go home for Christmas I thought I’d take you around.”

He… he remembered! “Spencer, I’d love to! But I couldn’t ask you to do that, you’ve probably already got plans. Heck, today’s Christmas Eve!”

But Reid shakes his head. “Actually, I don’t have plans. My mom’s been too busy for me to visit, and the rest of the team’s off doing their own traditions. Usually during Christmas I just stay home and read a few book series, but thought you might like some company. That is… if you don’t mind…?”

My smile grows wider. “Spencer, I’d absolutely love that!” I swivel around and start sorting my paperwork away, then grab my purse. “I was just about to clock out, and I can’t think of anything else I'd love more than to go see Christmas lights! I can’t believe you remembered!”

Reid keeps trying to think of what to say but instead stands there with his mouth hanging open, so I save him the trouble and squeeze his hand. 

“I’ll go bring my car around! I’m guessing you know all the best spots to look?”

“Y-Yeah- yeah!” Spencer gets a hold on what’s happening and starts following me to the coat closet. “I know a very big house Rossi always talks about that always decorates for Christmas. I think you’ll like it.”

“I’m sure I’ll love it! I’ll meet you out front!” I give a quick wave and dash off towards the parking lot door.

20 minutes later of laughing and listening to classic Christmas carols, Spencer directs me to drive down a street that, quite frankly, has some of the biggest houses I’ve ever seen!

“Jeez, Spencer. This is the richy-rich-rich neighborhood! This place has got to have some nice decorations!”

Sure enough, the farther we drive down the street the more exquisite and extreme the decoration displays become. Gorgeous nativity scenes, cute reindeer, and so many lights that the entire street is lit up! Once we get towards the end, I start to see the cream of the crop.

“Oh my…” My jaw drops and I have to re-grip the steering wheel. “Spencer…”

The cute nerd chuckles. “I thought you’d like it. We can park right over here!”

I park to the side and we both step out to walk over to the giant display in front of us. By now it’s gotten colder and starting to snow.

“How cliché, a white Christmas,” Reid comments as he joins me on the sidewalk. “Be careful, there might be-”

“Oh God-!” I feel my feet slide out from underneath me and I start to slip-!

I feel lanky arms wrap around my waist and pull me up before I face-plant into the snow, bringing me almost face-to-face with Spencer.

“...there might be ice,” he finishes in a whisper. 

“Right. Thanks…” I catch my breath and fight to not keep looking into his chocolate eyes.

He blinks, then seems to get his thoughts together. “Right, um-” He helps steady me and shuffles away to give me space.

“Do they put this up every year?” I try to ignore the itching awkwardness draping the atmosphere and look back at the magnificent decorations.

“I think so. Rossi says they add something every year.” 

We take a few minutes to walk the edge of the fence and take in everything, then Spencer speaks up again.

“Darlene, do you still feel sad about missing out on Christmas?”

After a few seconds of thinking, I have to shake my head. “Actually, no. I’m not missing out on Christmas. I’m spending it differently, that’s all. And for what it’s worth, I’m glad I got to spend it with you.” I discreetly see a small blush grow on Reid’s face. “Still, I do miss my family. But there’s always Easter.”

Spencer nods in agreement. “When it comes to society, family is like the way of life that binds us all together. We all have our own routines and morals that can make each family similar but also individually unique.”

I smile at his philosophical words. “Especially when times are rough, it's assuring to turn to a comforting religion without having to worry about the corruption of humanity.”

“Society is the unavoidable way of life that binds us all together.” 

I can tell Reid’s about to start ranting, but I don’t mind. If anything, I like hearing him talk.

“Americans are subconsciously members of multiple social classes and in doing so they build invisible barriers towards members from different classes, hinting at social prejudice. We all have our own routines and morals that fit us into different social classes. As a society, we are each brought up to have a social role, like the stereotypes we think of.”

“Like the quiet one, the weird one, the loud one, the funny one…?”

He points at me. “Exactly! And if we wish to have a different social role, it’s difficult to change them because we are going against society’s expectations and therefore causing more pressure on ourselves. But if we are unhappy with our current roles, our mental health will still be affected.”

“Like a never-ending roundabout,” I think out loud.

“Huh?” Reid looks confused.

“You know, when you’re stuck in a roundabout and don’t know where to exit. Driving 'round and 'round and 'round. Um, as much as this is entertaining to talk about, what exactly is your point?”

Spencer’s face flushes again and he starts fidgeting with his hands, avoiding my gaze by looking back and forth from the house and the ground.

“Darlene, um… I didn’t just ask you to look at lights just to pass the time.”

I shrug and give him a small smile. “I know. You just feel sorry that I couldn’t go home and want to make sure I’m not alone on Christmas. And I thank you for that.”

But Spencer shakes his head and keeps avoiding my gaze. “No, that’s not it, it’s that- I- You- ugh.” 

He brings a hand to his forehead and tries to piece his thoughts together. I never thought I’d see the great Dr Spencer Reid so flustered. 

“Darling, I wanted to-”

My hand flies to my mouth and my eyes go wide. “Wait. What did you just say?”

Spencer tilts his head and rethinks his statement, then gasps. “Oh God- I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean-! Well, I…”

I hope he’s thinking what I think he is…

I harness my courage and, slightly trembling, grab Reid’s hand. “Spencer… Did you mean to say that? I didn’t even think you knew what pet names are.”

Reid’s just as tense as I am and finally lifts his head to meet my eyes. “This seems wrong. I was hoping to talk to you after the holidays. I’m not so smart with relationship rituals-”

“Spencer.”

“Yeah?” 

“Are you trying to explain how your feelings for me have grown differently from a workplace colleague?”

“Actually I’d phrase it more like- Oh. Um… yes.” Spencer looks down at our intertwined hands. “I’m sorry if I offended you. I know some women aren’t fond of pet names, it’s just that your name is Darlene and, well, darling just comes to mind-”

“I love it,” I reply with a smile.

Reid’s eyes widen. “You do? You’re not just trying to be nice? I’ll stop if you want-”

“Spencer, I love hearing you lecture but for once can you please let me talk?” I can’t keep the joy from spreading on my face. “I feel the same! I love seeing your different vests at work, how you always bring a different book to talk about. I love all your random facts, your mismatched socks! I love how you’re always so thoughtful to ask how I’m doing every day and actually care to listen!”

With every complement Spencer’s eyes go wider and his jaw drops, almost making me believe he’s about to start mocking me-

“D- Do you love… me?” He asks almost too softly for me to hear.

God, what have I gotten myself into? The cliché crush on a coworker? That’s either embarrassing or pathetic!

I struggle to find the right words. “I- You- We- It’s… Yes? Now before you start lecturing about how immature that is-”

“I love you too, darling.”

Before I can utter another syllable Spencer grips my hand tighter and pulls me in to press a soft kiss on my parted lips. For once in my life all logic flies out the window and all I want is him. I use my free hand to grab Reid’s scarf to pull in for a deeper kiss, and I feel him moan against my lips. After what seems like only milliseconds, we both have to pull away to breathe.

“Should have brought some mistletoe,” I pant. “You mean to tell me you wanted to take me here to ask me on a date?”

Reid groans but still doesn’t seem to regret the kiss. “Yes. I’d call that immature. But I’ve been waiting for over a month now, and I couldn’t wait any longer.”

I lean in to press a kiss on his warm cheek. “It’s the best Christmas present I could ever ask for, Spencer. Does this mean I’m yours now?”

Reid smirks and rests his head on top of mine, staring right at me. “I’m yours, Darlene.”

I smile and hug him closer, oblivious to the fluffy snow covering us as the bright Christmas lights illuminate this magical moment. “Merry Christmas, Spencer.”

“Merry Christmas darling.”

#spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid criminal minds #criminal minds #david rossi #aaron hotchner #penelope garcia #derek morgan #jj criminal minds #emily prentiss #criminal minds imagine #criminal minds x reader #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid imagine #christmas time #christmas lights #christmas #snow #merry christmas #matthew gray gubler #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds fic

[oswinpond]

My Clara Rewatch, Episode 1: Asylum of the Daleks

I'm going to ignore the silliness in this episode in favour of focusing on Oswin. Fabulous Oswin.

(But for one second, can I just say about how truly silly it is that the Daleks have a parliament? They're Daleks, they have nothing resembling a democracy. Are we supposed to believe they held a Dalek election? And why do they have an asylum when they exterminate anyone, including other Daleks, who show the slightest sign of imperfection by their standards?)

Anyway...

(Also I hate that Amy and Rory have this divorce plot offscreen, and the minisodes don't count. Springing this on us and then resolving it in one single episode was unnecessary. I love getting to watch Amy prove her love for Rory, but we've had plenty of that in s6 and s7a to come.)

Okay now to the good stuff: Oswin.

"Day 363. The terror continues."

Oswin has been on a Dalek planet for nearly a year and is still holding strong. It really speaks to the strength of her character. (Especially when you know...)

I love that Oswin is boarding up her little hiding hole with planks of wood, as if those will keep out Daleks. Bless.

We're first introduced to Oswin with the song "Habanera" from Carmen, the opera. Now I'm no opera connoisseur so I'm pulling from wikipedia here, like a proper English major: "It is set in southern Spain and tells the story of the downfall of Don José, a naïve soldier who is seduced by the wiles of the fiery gypsy Carmen. José abandons his childhood sweetheart and deserts from his military duties, yet loses Carmen's love to the glamorous torero Escamillo, after which José kills her in a jealous rage. The depictions of proletarian life, immorality, and lawlessness, and the tragic death of the main character on stage, broke new ground in French opera and were highly controversial."

I don't want to stretch too hard, but I think there are some obvious parallels to Clara's story in there, intentional or not. But I do think there's something to be said about how Oswin is dressed in that bright red and at one point has a red rose in her hair (oh hey the inspiration for my username!) in that classic spanish tango style. Maybe that was intentional. I mean, Eleven does call her Carmen at one point.

If Clara were on GBBO, she'd lose in the first round.

But is it not absolutely precious that she finds a way to spin everything in a positive light? "Made another soufflé... very nearly." That wasn't even close, my dear. "They came again last night. Still always at night. Maybe they're vampires." She finds a way to turn the trauma of her life, barricading herself from the universe's most deadly killing machines, into a little fantasy (a fantasy within a fantasy, you might say). "Happy birthday, mum. I did make you a soufflé, but it was too beautiful to live." Does it need saying?

The connection to her mom is already being established. Is Oswin's mother still alive, and this version of Clara got to have more time with her? Or did she lose her mother young, too, and is celebrating her birthday as one other way to stay connected to her humanity, her home?

Anyway, she sleeps in a hammock like a pirate. Hot. (And Oswin, like Prime Clara, likes to wear rings. Details.)

Carmen. Oswin. Roses.

I think this is the first time we hear the start of Clara's theme.

"I know a Dalek when I hear one, yeah." So Oswin Oswald, junior entertainment officer of the starship Alaska, has encountered Daleks before. She's seen things, she's done things. Even if this is her first trip out on this starship, somehow she's encountered Daleks. That's pretty cool. Why has Big Finish never done a story about Oswin? Get on that, BF. Phone Jenna.

There's a flavour of Everything Everywhere All at Once with this intro to Clara, this idea of what other versions of yourself would have done in different lives, with different choices and opportunities. Prime Clara was an unofficial nanny who always dreamed of travelling, and then became an English teacher while getting to travel the universe with the Doctor. Oswin became an entertainment officer on a starship, in order to travel the universe. Victorian Clara was both a barmaid and a governess, and immediately jumped at the chance to travel with the Doctor. Common threads between our Claras are very obvious: she's a people-pleaser, she likes to take care of others and make them happy, and she wants to see the world, the universe.

(Tangent: Is "Oswin Oswald" her full name from birth? Or was she also a Clara Oswin Oswald who ditched the "Clara" and started going by her middle name?)

-

DOCTOR: How can you hack into everything? It should be impossible. You're in a crashed ship! OSWIN: Long story. Is there a word for total screaming genius that sounds modest and a tiny bit sexy? DOCTOR: Doctor. You can call me the Doctor. OSWIN: I see what you did there.

The shameless Doctor/Clara flirting has officially started.

Side note, I love how Oswin's hacking genius is explained in The Bells of Saint John soon after this. It's not just Oswin being an entertainment officer who also just happens to be a tech genius. There's a specific plot reason for it, and now I wonder if Victorian Clara ever demonstrated any uncanny abilities with early technology...

-

Oswin saving Rory and interacting with the Ponds is very important to me, seeing as they're my three favourite companions of the show. (Plus, the fact that she flirts with Rory shows she has good taste. That said, if she had flirted with Amy I think the fandom would have combusted on the spot. Speaking for myself, at least.)

Now I totally hate the "I was going through a phase" line because come on we're past the point of describing bisexuality as a phase but thankfully they later fixed this, to some extent, by making it hard canon that Clara is bisexual and identifies as such.

-

Unrelated to Clara, but I adore how when Amy is hallucinating the people-Daleks, she hears a jazzy version of "Together or Not at All". Murray Gold strikes again with the genius.

-

OSWIN: Do you know how you make someone into a Dalek? Subtract love, add anger. Doesn't she seem a bit too angry to you? AMY: Well, somebody's never been to Scotland.

Aside from how funny I find this exchange, I just love how the one emotion we definitely haven't seen Oswin express the entire time is anger. She's shown us plenty of other regular emotions (and in fact, love–when talking about her mother) but we haven't seen a shred of anger from her.

Which is really important for what comes next... the big reveal that Oswin has been fully converted–at least physically–into a Dalek.

Part of me wishes she hadn't been converted. Imagine if we'd gotten Oswin escaping with Amy, Rory, and the Doctor? I would've had my three favourite companions (at least, a version of Clara) interacting as a trio. She could've stuck around for a few episodes before dying in time for the exit of the Ponds and the intro of Victorian Clara. I would've loved to see Jenna play off Karen and Arthur face to face.

But I have to come back to the fact that it's so perfectly set up. Right off the bat, Oswin's situation doesn't make sense. The lone survivor of the Daleks, alone for a whole year, baricading herself from them with planks of wood and surviving off soufflés that aren't edible and we never see her eating them, with ingredients she doesn't have. Every time we see her interact with the Doctor, it's through a very Dalek-like lens:

And of course, we can write that off the whole episode as this just being Dalek technology so of course it looks Dalek-like. But after the reveal, you realize that of course, this is her actual POV.

And most importantly, we need the Doctor to never know what Oswin looks like so that Victorian Clara's death, her repeating the iconic line, and the Doctor finding out her middle name all create that big gut punch moment for him. We as the audience know both characters are played by Jenna Coleman, but the Doctor isn't supposed to know. And when I do the next Clara episode I have a whole thing about why this is so important.

This just about breaks my heart. She finally sees the Doctor has arrived and she immediately runs to pack her suitcase. She's so committed to her self-imposed delusion that she still, to this moment, believes she's about to escape.

"Rescue me chin boy and show me the stars."

It's absolutely heartbreaking hearing her say "I'm hu–" and hearing the Dalek voice finish "–man". Genius, though. And then you hear a Dalek cry for the first time ever and it's so incredibly unsettling because they're the embodiment of evil, of hate, and crying is not Dalek. Sadness and heartbreak are not Dalek.

Oswin has been depicted as the exact opposite of Dalek. When she starts crying, it's the one time she says "exterminate", when she lets it in for the first time, and it's because she's angry about what they did to her. She spent a whole year hiding from the truth of the unbelievable trauma she's been put through, partly because it's too much to deal with, but also because if she lets herself face it she will feel that anger, and they'll start to win over her mind. Oswin lives in delusion to protect herself and her humanity.

"Eggs... stir... minate..." isn't just a fun twist. She turned "exterminate" into something as harmless as a soufflé recipe. Oswin took the one word Daleks use the most, the one that, on Doctor Who, is the epitome of evil, and turned it into something human, something positive, something creative (even if she sucked at it) and that she associated with the love for her mother.

Oswin spent a whole year fighting a full Dalek conversion, while the rest of her crew couldn't fight off a partial one, and she refused to let them turn her into a killer. The pure strength of her will is incredible.

I just adore these shots of Oswin crying, finally accepting the truth of what happened to her. Jenna knocked this out of the park.

As I said, crying is not Dalek.

And then she decides that no, she won't let in the anger, she won't let them win, ever. She'll save the Doctor, the biggest enemy of the Daleks, and die as Oswin, a human.

Then she says her iconic line, "Run you clever boy, and remember." She breaks the fourth wall which, correct me if I'm wrong, is the first time it's happened on the show, until Twelve comes in to make that one of his rare quirks.

That's my girl.

#clara oswald #elevenclara #doctor x clara #dw meta #sort of meta??? it's mostly rambling but I dunno #asylum of the daleks #allywatchesclarawho