#akon

[correctopinionhaver]

[cosmicanakin]

tides of change | masterlist.

pairing. james kelly x female reader.

outline. you've returned to new orleans grieving the sudden loss of your beloved older sister lauren. as you help your grieving mother with funeral arrangements, lauren's old car has been collecting dust in the driveway. determined to keep it running, you take it to the neighborhood mechanic shop for a check up. there you meet james kelly, a handsome mechanic who inspects the engine with expert hands and eyes. his skill and passion for automotives is intoxicating, temporarily distracting from your sorrow in a way no one else has since lauren's death.

contains. angst, romance, grief, death of a loved one, violence, alcohol use, sexual content, mental health struggles, love triangle. these will add on as the series progresses.

disclaimer. this is lowercase intended & doesn't exactly follow the film's plot. however if these topics mentioned above are triggering for you please refrain from reading !

prologue

chapter one

chapter two

chapter three

chapter four

chapter five

final part

authors note. this actually isn't my first time writing a series. i wrote one for anakin before but didn't like how it came out so i deleted it :c i also wasn't very confident about my writing either lol but now here i am ( not me quoting victorious lmao ) doing another series which'll hopefully be far much better than last time.

bonus. comment or send me an ask if you want to be on the list to get updates of when each chapter is posted <3

[90s-2000s-barbie]

January 18, 2007 💕

[laughing-moonlight]

[spookyshape]

little meow meow...

[wintereyed]

[soulless-bleach]

Idk why Kon looks like that but I love him anyway

[colourless-expression]

BLEACH TYBW SPOILERS

I was having big feelings about Izuru.

I feel like what actually happened was completely horrifying but this is the excuse Mayuri gives as to why everyone else is re-alived later while Izuru is just...dead...

[bleachbleachbleach]

Akonposting

[Bleach 69]

I thought it was interesting that Akon doesn't refer to Mayuri as his Captain here, but as the Chief/Bureau Director (of SRDI)--he uses ​局長 (kyokuchou) instead of 隊長 (taichou). I guess it makes sense, given that he's speaking about Mayuri's scientific capacities rather than his military ones. (Specifically, he calls Rukia's gigai a 作品 (sakuhin), which usually refers to works of art, which gives us a sense of how gigai creation is regarded in Soul Society. I mean, it can get you promoted to Zero Division, after all, but I'm tickled by the artistry of it beside whatever tf is going on with the gikon variations lolol.)

Akon calls Mayuri "Captain" in most other contexts (e.g. when he's shocked about Mayuri making the Glow Suit in TYBW, and when he's looking for Mayuri in the epilogue), which makes me feel like he alternates titles depending on context, which I just think is neat!

Like, how often does he make the switch, and is other codeswitching also involved between Lab Akon and Division Akon? And where, exactly, does he delineate between Division business and SRDI business? Wow, I love it.

It also reminds me of this scene from TBTP, where Mayuri is reinforcing the distinction between the two, and the way the rank hierarchy shifts between contexts:

[Bleach -103]

[lairu]

Halloween costumes

[cryinglittlepeople]

just drawing the blorbos. im still trying to figure out renji’s shapes haha

[cosmicanakin]

tides of change | prologue.

pairing. james kelly x female reader.

outline. returning home to new orlean's help your mother with funeral arrangements and grieve the loss of your sister, lauren. you find solace in your niece and nephew - her kids.

contains. angst, death of a loved one, grief, & emotional distress.

authors note. this is basically an introduction for the series! but don't worry james will make his appearance very soon <3

the sky was overcast and dreary as you looked out the window of the plane, matching how heavily your heart felt in your chest. you had gotten the frantic call from your mom just a day ago, unintelligible sobs coming through the speaker as you struggled to make out what she was trying to say. once you had managed to calm her down enough, the words still rang in your head - your older sister lauren was dead.

shot down in the middle of the street on her way to work, a senseless act of violence that had ripped another loved one from your life. you and lauren had always been close growing up, her taking on more of a motherly role for you after your dad passed when you were young. the news had devastated you, a raw ache settling deep in your bones that only growing distance from new orleans could numb. but now you were returning, having to face the painful reality you had tried to escape for so long.

the cab pulled up outside the familiar green house you had spent your childhood in. everything looked the same yet felt wholly foreign now. you paid the driver and got out, dragging your suitcase behind you as you walked slowly up the weathered wooden steps of the porch. you could hear noise from inside - no doubt your mom was surrounded by friends and family offering their condolences. steeling yourself, you rang the bell and waited.

the door swung open to reveal your mom, her usual brightness dimmed by tired eyes puffy from tears. "oh honey," she breathed, pulling you into a tight embrace. you hugged her back just as fiercely, both of you finding solace in the comfort of family. after a few moments, she pulled away, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. "come in, sweetie. everyone's been expecting you."

you nodded, following her inside. the living room was filled with more people than you could count, all turning to offer you sad smiles or hugs as you made your way through. your mom led you to the kitchen, putting on a pot of coffee. "i'm just so glad you're here. it helps to have you for lauren's children."

at the mention of them, a fresh wave of grief crashed over you. aiden and lily, your beloved nephew and niece, who had just lost their mother in the worst way. "how are they doing?" you asked gently.

your mom sighed. "as well as can be expected i suppose. aiden tries to be strong for lily but i know he's hurting inside. they're upstairs if you want to go see them."

you nodded, giving her shoulder a squeeze before heading to the steps. you climbed slowly, dreading the pain you knew seeing them would bring but needing to be there all the same. stopping outside lauren's childhood bedroom, now occupied by her kids, you took a steadying breath before knocking lightly.

"come in!" came aiden's voice.

you opened the door to find them sitting side by side on the bed, coloring books and crayons scattered around. lily's eyes lit up when she saw you. "auntie!"

you managed a small smile for her sake, coming over to sit on lily's side and pulling them both into a hug. "i'm so sorry i couldn't be here sooner."

aiden just nodded, ever the serious eight year old. but lily clung to you, always the more openly affectionate of the two. "mommy's in heaven with grandpa now, right?"

a lump formed in your throat at her innocent question. "yeah sweetheart, she is. and i know she'd want you both to know how much she loves you."

you talked with them for a while, trying your best to comfort the grieving children as they grieved the mother they would never see growing up. eventually, though their growing tiredness became evident, and you put them both to bed with soft kisses to their foreheads before retreating back downstairs.

the crowd had dispersed some by then, leaving your mom washing dishes in the kitchen. you moved to help her dry. "how are the kids holding up, really?" she asked cautiously.

you sighed. "well they're alright? i guess. aiden seems to be shouldering a lot though, trying not to show how sad he truly is. and lily... she just misses her mommy." your voice broke on the last words.

your mom pulled you into her side, rubbing your back comfortingly. "they have you now though. and i know your sister would be grateful to have you here for them."

you nodded mutely, not trusting yourself to speak. the weight of responsibility for lauren's kids now rested heavily on your shoulders. you couldn't imagine their pain at such a tender age, having the stability and love of their mother ripped away. but you were determined to be there for them, to honor your sister's memory by helping to raise them the best you could.

the following week, preparations blurred by in a haze of funeral arrangements and grieving relatives. you focused your energy on aiden and lily, keeping them entertained and trying to give them as much normalcy as possible through the sadness. the service was a sombre affair, tears falling freely as lauren's casket was lowered into the ground beside your father's plot.

after, you helped your mom host the gathering back at the house. old friends regaled stories of lauren through watery smiles, no doubt wondering how someone so full of life could be taken so prematurely. as the crowd dispersed in the evening, a heavy tiredness settled over you. all you wanted was rest to escape the grief for a while.

"why don't you go on and get some sleep, hon. i've got things handled down here," your mom insisted, ever perceptive of your drained state.

you gave her a grateful hug. "thanks, mom. i love you." you head upstairs and collapse onto the bed with a tired sigh. the soft mattress enveloped you in comfort, lulling your mind towards sleep.

just then there was a soft knock on your bedroom door. "come in," you called quietly.

the door opened to reveal your niece lily, clutching her favorite stuffed animal tightly. her eyes were filled with tears as she looked up at you. "i had a bad dream, auntie y/n. can i be with you?"

you gave her a gentle smile and opened your arms. "of course sweet girl. come here."

lily hurried over and climbed into bed next to you. you wrapped her in your embrace, rubbing her back soothingly until her tears subsided. "it's okay, you're safe now. i'll be right here all night to keep the bad dreams away."

eventually, her trembling slowed as exhaustion overtook her small body once more. you placed a soft kiss to her forehead, watching as she drifted into peaceful slumber curled up against your side. finding comfort in caring for lauren's children helped dull some of the aches in your own heart. for now, sleep was what you both needed most. and so with lily's quiet breaths filling the silence, you closed your eyes and surrendered to rest at last.

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@starlitblair @emotionallybruisedx @anakin-pilled @spcncershasting @freezerbride95 ୨୧ ⋆ ˙ ⊹ ˚ ⋆

[laughing-moonlight]

[kittiemitties]

In the flavour of artworks collecting dust; Arcane AU!

(Yes I Did take the steampunk designs do what I wanted with them. Hush.)

Writings can and Should be perceived over here

[hit-song-showdown]

Year-End Poll #58: 2007

[Image description: a collage of photos of the 10 musicians and musical groups featured in this poll. In order from left to right, top to bottom: Beyoncé, Rihanna, Gwen Stefani, Fergie, T-Pain, Carrie Underwood, Plain White T's, Akon, Nelly Furtado, Fergie. End description]

More information about this blog here

This poll highlights some interesting changes in the direction pop music was heading. By this point, it was clear that pop music was shifting towards a more electronic sound and specifically club music. Buy U a Drank by T-Pain is especially notable for this. Most obviously, T-Pain was one of the most successful adopters of Auto-Tune as a stylistic choice. I touched on the plugin briefly when discussing Cher's Believe, but with both that sound and most of T-Pain's discography, the vocal effect was used to give off a futuristic, almost robotic quality to the voice. But that didn't stop Auto-Tune (and T-Pain specifically) from being used as a punching bag for "untalented singing". In case it needs to be said, the exaggerated use of Auto-Tune on these songs were a stylistic choice. If you're using Auto-Tune to fix a bad vocal performance and it sounds like that, someone messed up. (Also T-Pain actually is a very talented vocalist).

I'm also bringing up this song for how it represents a subgenre of southern hip-hop that would become forever associated with the decade: snap music. While it has its stylistic origins in crunk, snap was recognizable for its simpler production and more laid-back sound. Popular snap songs from the time include Laffy Taffy, Crank That (Soulja Boy), and It's Goin' Down. While not on this poll, Crank That (Soulja Boy) is relevant for being one of the first examples of a song taking off online (as in, someone made the song and posted it online themselves). The song was first posted to SoundClick before expanding to a wider audience on MySpace.

This subgenre is more commonly remembered as "ringtone rap", for how this sound really worked with the audio processing technology capable of cellphones at the time. Like "bubblegum pop" in the past and "mumble rap" in the future, the term "ringtone rap" was often used in a derogatory sense.

But the simpler production techniques found on these tracks is also emblematic of how music production was starting to become much more accessible. Crank That (Soulja Boy) was created using a demo version of FL Studio, and the drum loop for Rihanna's Umbrella comes from Apple's GarageBand (specifically Vintage Funk Kit 03). Technology was allowing people to have easier access to both music production and audiences.

Also, this was the year this site was founded. Yay.

[suukidraw]

Daily life in seireitei :)