#anyway! behold! isn't it beautiful!

[bugmistake]

makes me a little sad when people are like "this is just some guy you could find at any gas station" because it's like. yeah! isn't that so wonderful? that there are so many beautiful people in the world? isn't it so wonderful that you could go to the gas station to buy a bag of chips and see someone beautiful in line?

[prinprime]

I am so grateful for my freedom

And so bitter for it too.

It makes me want to shatter

Then grind the pieces into dust;

To break until

Someone treats me as fragile.

I am tired.

I am so tired

Of being unbreakable.

[daenerys-targaryen]

i am once again asking you guys to let people have opinions and be critical of taylor and act normal about it.

[somewhereincairparavel]

Alright. I came across someone saying that Rick "put Jason in a pedestal" and "overhyped" him by emphasizing how good looking he is and that Jason shouldn't have been so attractive looking. (Tbf tho that person made it sound like they seemed more mad bc their least favourite character was considered good looking lol) but I'll yap about the significance here anyways. Beware of a very long yapping session below.

I do understand their frustration though, because jason getting told that he looks good all the time makes it seem very shallow and unfair to the others.

And let me tell you, Jason is SUPPOSED to be gorgeous looking in everyone's eyes. He is supposed to be conventionally handsome, Rick didn't intend for his looks to be "beauty is in the eyes of the beholder " or something like Percy's (like how Piper didn't find him as impressive) Percy's is supposed to be more authentic. Percy's character isnt centred in people idolizing him, everyone can acknowledge that he's handsome looking, but it isn't in a "perfect" type of way, he's a carefree spirit and that reflects on his looks. While Jason is hardwired as this ethereal looking hero in people's eyes that not even ONE can deny that he looks good, bc ppl in Rome had set him as the "standard". Jason said this before in the lost hero, that him being a son of Jupiter, makes him feel like the support he gets is only because his dad is a very regal and intimidating figure.

That's kind of the whole point, he's supposed to look like this perfect man who can do no wrong. His "Golden noble boy" arc is literally the whole concept of his character. Why else do you think rick wrote Aphrodite approving of Jason's looks saying that he needed no improvement (which she rarely does) ?

Because Jason is supposed to be put like a statue to admire and idolize, that's ALSO why rick made sure to add that Jason looks like a Roman sculpture, bc that's like a metaphor for his inner conflicts. The guy was put like an artifact for people to ogle at in camp Jupiter ever since he was a kid of 4. That's part of the tragedy.

Annabeth said it perfectly “Annabeth tried to hide it, but she still didn’t completely trust the guy. He acted too perfect - always following the rules, always doing the honorable thing. He even looked too perfect. In the back of her mind, she had a nagging thought. What if this is a trick and he betrayed us?” Mark of Athena, page 6.

His mother, whom he's supposed to look like, is also a literal world wide tv actress. So you can't expect anything less either.

Also, Jason is supposed to mirror Percy. And let's be real. Rick put Percy in a VERY high pedestal looks wise, aswell, Not just Jason. And that's okay.

Rick made Hazel mistake Percy for a literal god because he was just that good looking (tbf, in a way, when I was younger, I found this to be a little bit of an exaggeration, bro was covered in mud and seaweed and was compared to a god, it was rlly funny to a 10 year old me 😭 yeah but don't mind this though, this was just a younger me jealous that I couldn't be as pretty as Percy was in mud lol) If Percy can be "hyped" up so "unrealistically" in that particular situation then so can Jason. They are both literal half gods, so unrealistic praise is very normal) and rick also made sure to emphasize that almost all the teen characters had a crush on Percy. So apparently that isn't called putting a character in a pedestal but Jason's is? They are BOTH put in pedestals, because they're both heroes.

Jason and Percy are supposed to be equals, so both of them being in the top two when it comes to looks makes SENSE. Because people are supposed to argue about who is better looking, since they're written as foils.

You cannot expect rick to make Percy look like a god and Jason look like a rat 😭 then there's no point of having them as parallels if one has the upper hand in something. Rick did a good job by conveying that they are BOTH attractive, but in different ways. That's why the Percy/Jason looks debate always have mixed answers.

Jason getting complimented by Aphrodite, the GODDESS of beauty, for his looks and her saying that he didn't have anything to "fix" in his face BC it already looks gorgeous = Percy getting compared to a gorgeous Roman god by hazel. They are both equal comparisons in slightly different tones.

[siriusleee]

23:20

a/n: please reblog I love this piece.

pairing: ghost x medic!reader (hazy) tags: not really romantic, religious symbolism and imagery, dying, gunshot wound, blood, lots of cursing, lots of switching between character pov, obvious ptsd

Part 2 1.8k words

Exodus 23:20 Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.

He's going to die in this alley. Simon lets his head fall back against the brick behind him. His comms are lighting up - Johnny screaming on the other end for backup, for an exfil, for Simon to fucking answer him. But Simon can't; he doesn't know how much blood a human body needs to lose before it stops functioning - (cut through the femoral artery, hit the ribs just right and it doesn't matter because they'll be dead before you can even think about the blood) but he knows he's getting close to it. It's ironic, he thinks, that this is where it happens: some quiet alley in some fucking city a thousand miles from home and not face down in the desert somewhere. A quiet death for a man who doesn't deserve it. 

It would be poetic if he had the brain for poetry.

Simon Riley has never believed in angels. He's seen too much to believe in them. there's been too many he's been too late to save who needed an angel more than Simon ever will - the angels never appeared for them. There is no divine savior coming for him. Johnny isn't going to sweep in and take him to safety. No Price to shake him sober. No Gaz to be the eye in the sky. Simon wouldn't deserve it anyway. 

"-are you ok?"

"-the fuck is that?"

"-grab under his shoulders we can-"

Two sets of small hands grab Simon. He tries to tell them to go away - Johnny'll be here any moment to get him, but he can't articulate the words. Above him, the stars spin in a dizzying array. His feet stumble beneath him; when his knees hit the ground it doesn't hurt. The hands grab at his vest and haul him up. The voices merge around him - he can't make out what they're saying through the ringing in his ears. 

Sorry, Johnny; I won't be here when you come looking.

He can feel his boots catch on the concrete below him as he's being dragged - he tries to get his feet beneath him, but they won't listen. His toes are freezing, but the air against the exposed part of his face is warm.  

Can you guys fucking slow down?

The sound of a fist on a door rips through his skull. Shut the fuck up. 

Simon Riley doesn't believe in angels, but one opens the door. 

***

He stumbles on your doorstep, barely held up between the two boys on either side of him. One of the boys you recognize from the neighborhood - you had stitched him up earlier this year after he cut himself in a skateboard accident. He looks at you and then at the giant of a man he's struggling to hold up. A tactical vest - a skeleton mask - a patch that you don't recognize. Maybe you do, but it's unrecognizable beneath the blood spatter and viscera. 

"I think he needs your help."

It takes two seconds for your years of training to kick in. You can feel your shoulder screaming at you - an old injury that never healed quite right - as you help the two boys drag the guy across your small townhome, a bloody trail left in the wake of the hurricane. 

He's fucking heavy and you wonder what a miracle it was that the two boys could even drag him any distance to you. You're not sure what miracle worked to get him onto the kitchen table. 

"Leave," you tell the two boys, "go home and lock your doors and do not open them for anyone do you understand me?"

They understand you. 

The man on your table is barely breathing.

***

She's on top of him - he wants to make a quip about it, but his brain isn't connecting enough with his mouth. Johnny would be able to think of it faster than him. He knows she's talking to him; he can see her mouth moving, but her words are a soft hum. He can't tell if she's beautiful, her halo is blinding him. 

Take it off.

"-name. What is your name?"

A breakthrough. A crack in the static. 

"Come on dude; you cannot fucking die on my kitchen table."

I'm already dead sweetheart, otherwise, you wouldn't be here.

She curses more than he thought angels would be able to. Maybe it's not in their by-laws to keep a clean mouth; that must be reserved for mortals.

She's rough as she pulls off his tactical vest, her hands sliding underneath his drenched t-shirt. I don't fuck on the first date, sweetheart.

Can angels fuck?

It seems like the kind of thing that would be forbidden.

Her hands are so fucking soft and warm; Simon didn't realize he was freezing until she touched him - her skin is like fire against him. Her hand traces up his bicep, to his neck. She grabs his shoulder; maybe he needs to roll over for her. That's stupid though because he can't. His shoulder lights on fire as her nails dig into the shoulder there. Stop that.

The kitchen ceiling above him comes into sharp focus until she fills his entire vision. Her halo is gone.

"What is your name?"

She's begging him to answer.

I like that.

His lips are like sandpaper; his tongue is glued to the top of his mouth. His lips form around the word, but he can't make himself say anything.

***

His eyes light up when you pinch his trapezius muscle; beneath his mask, you can see his face rearrange in a grimace. 

That's good.

He's not dead yet.

Your medic bag is dusty beneath your bed, but everything inside of it is still good. His shirt is drenched in blood; you drag off the tactical vest the best that you can do after cutting the thick canvas on the side. The shirt cuts off easier, so blood-soaked that the blood drips onto your knee.. 

Through the blood you can't tell where he ends and the injury begins. You think as you press the Quikclot to the wound that you should have put on gloves - who knows what this guy could have. But you never had time for that out in the field either. What difference is this? It was one of the first things you learned as a medic. Every battlefield is the same, every victim is just another body beneath your hands. 

Keep 'em breathing. Keep it moving. 

You hold the gauze with one hand, the other trailing down his arm to his wrist to take his pulse. 120. 

Fuck.

You hear your old captain in your ear, walking you through all the steps.

Feet up.

Blanket on top. 

Pressure on the wound. Add a new bandage on top of the one if the one below becomes saturated in blood.

Pray. 

Fuck.

Beneath your bare feet, the floor is slippery with blood. 

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

The comms on the guy's vest lets out a hazy sound of static and you reach for it, running off instinct and adrenaline. British voices explode on the other end - angry and searching.

"This is call sign Hazy looking for exfil. Last townhouse on Miller Avenue. I've got one down and bleeding out - he's going into shock."

The words slip out of you and for a moment you're back to mortar shells and blood on the sand. Dust in your mouth. Screaming in your sleep with blood caked underneath your bitten-down nails.

"Who the fuck 'r you?"

You repeat yourself, hand slipping on the button from sweat and blood, yelling over the voices on the other side.

"This is call sign Hazy looking for exfil. Last townhouse on Miller Avenue. I've got one down and bleeding out - he's going into shock."

A hand reaches up to wrap around your wrist. The guy on your table is looking at you, eyes alert but searching. When he speaks, it's barely a whisper.

"Ghost."

His hand shakes where he holds you.

"This is call sign Hazy looking for exfil. Last townhouse on Miller Avenue. He's dying on my kitchen table. Please."

***

She's hurting him. It fucking hurts when she presses down on his side. If Simon could open his mouth, he might scream at her. Might beg her to stop. His heart feels like it's about to break out of his chest; he can't breathe through his stupid fucking mask. He's gasping, hand reaching out to grasp her wrist. He doesn't remember trying to do what.

"Ghost."

He doesn't want her to not know his name. If she's his angel, she needs to know what to call him when she delivers him to where ever they're going together. What kind of first date would it be if he didn't at least tell her his name? Aren't angels everlasting? Are they going to be together forever?

That might not be too bad.

"This is call sign Hazy looking for exfil. Last townhouse on Miller Avenue. He's dying on my kitchen table. Please."

Hazy. What kind of name is that? Fitting though, he thinks, because he can't make her features about above him as she presses on his side. 

Hazy. 

Hey.

Hazy.

That fucking hurts.

***

They don't even attempt to just open the front door - it shatters off of its hinges as their boots connect with the flimsy wood. They come in guns pointed; it's not the first time this has ever happened to you. Might not be the last. 

They're screaming at you to put your fucking hands up, and you're screaming at them to get you a fucking towel because he's bleeding through and you don't have anything else to put on top. It is a cacophony of noise; your ears are ringing, and your hands shaking against Ghost's side. 

This is exactly why you left in the first place. 

This shit fucking sucks. 

One of the men - the youngest-looking one - finally listens to you and snatches a towel you have laying on the back of the couch. Outside you can hear an ambulance screaming; intermingling with the men screaming into their comms, screaming about getting someone there now. 

Thirty seconds.

Thirty seconds and he's gone - loaded onto a stretcher and rolled out of your townhouse, the remnants of your broken front door slamming against the wall behind them. One man is still screaming at you, hand grabbing your shoulder roughly as the blood from your hands drips to the linoleum below.

***

Her hands are replaced with rough ones; they drag him away from her - he tries to stretch his hand out towards her to grab her, to bring her with him. Guardian angels have to come guard. He can't get anything to work. 

It nearly fucking kills him, turning his head back towards her to catch a glimpse of her standing there, hands bloodstained and dripping. Johnny's screaming at her; he reaches out to grab her shoulder. Simon wants to tell him to take his fucking hands off of her - she's here for Simon anyway. Johnny doesn't get the girl this time. 

She doesn't look at Johhny - she only has eyes for Simon.

That's good. 

She disappears around the corner, her halo the last thing Simon can see in the darkness.

Hazy.

Fuck.

[twstgarden]

❁ ❝ 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘆 𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗽 ❞

━ third years and gn! driver! reader (reader can either be yuu or an oc/twstsona) ━ going on a road trip all around sage's island with the third years until it unexpectedly rains, leaving you with no choice but to park somewhere and have a conversation with the third years. (f/n means first name)

do not steal or translate without my permission.

"oi, are you sure you can drive?"

leona's inquisitive question along with a raised brow made you scoff as you spoke proudly, "relax, leona. i can handle it~ be a passenger princess for now, will ya'?"

"he can hardly be a proper prince, what makes you think he'd do well as a passenger princess?" remarked vil as he looked at leona with a nasty gaze. "i'm surprised n/n has a car in the first place," added cater as he laughed a bit before connecting his phone to the bluetooth audio system of the car, "an 11-seater suv out of all cars..."

"quite a large vehicle," mumbled malleus as he looked around the interior of the car, sitting by the window with lilia beside him. the older fae chuckled at malleus' curiosity before looking at your eyes through the rear view mirror, "where are we heading, little one?"

you let out a hum as you inserted the key in the ignition, looking at lilia through the rearview mirror as you spoke, "just around the island."

"so, wasting petrol?" mumbled idia as he sat in the furthest back seat. he initially did not want to come, but lo and behold, ortho did his little negotiating and now, here he was, seated beside trey in the last row of the back seat.

"...no, not wasting petrol. we'll just tour around the island, y'know? stop by at some restaurants, look at the scenery, pass by the beach near rsa..."

the moment you mentioned rsa, a series of groans were heard in the car as you sighed to yourself. "relax, we won't park anywhere near rsa, if that's what you guys are worried about," you spoke as the engine started and you were now prepared to start driving, "and anyway, this ain't my car. i rented it somewhere nearby."

"...that sounds suspicious," spoke vil as he sat properly on the middle seat, looking at you through the rearview mirror before looking ahead as you started driving. "don't worry, professor crewel was there to rent it out for me... as long as i won't break the car, i'll be fine," you reassured as you started driving, leaving the gates of night raven college and slowly ascending down the mountain where the school was located.

"be careful. you're in the presence of royalty," snickered leona as he looked ahead on the road while you continued driving. you rolled your eyes at his remark as you spoke, "don't worry, i'm not a reckless driver. i will make sure malleus won't get hurt."

malleus smiled at your words, while leona sneered. "i meant me. i'm the one in the front seat. who cares what happens to vil and that bastard back there, i'm the one with higher risk," spoke leona. you weren't sure if he was messing with you, but you still smiled as you found it refreshing to know that he was comfortable enough with you to say such things. on the other hand, malleus and vil glared at the savanaclaw dorm leader for his remarks.

"oh, magnifique! isn't this a wonderful time to bond? a road trip around the beautiful sage's island with them as our personal driver!" cheered rook as he seemed to be very happy. "let's just hope we're alive by the time our road trip ends," added vil as he gave you a teasing smile through the rearview mirror, knowing that you can clearly see him there.

you scoffed at his words as you spoke, "now you guys are just being mean~"

by the time you drove around the street, passing by a few bakeries and shops, you looked at your rearview mirror and noticed how idia was only looking out the window in silence, which made you reduce the volume of the song playing through the bluetooth car stereo.

"hey, ids."

his eyes immediately met yours through the rearview mirror as you spoke, "wanna buy some snacks? i can stop by at a convenience store or a bakery."

"a-any's fine..." mumbled idia, looking away as he hid his face in the backseat, making trey glance at idia before looking at you through the rearview mirror. "i won't mind visiting the bakery, f/n," said trey as he smiled at you politely.

"no problemo, mister good-looking."

the heartslabyul vice leader chuckled softly at your words as cater spoke, "i wanna go to the bakery, too!" you nodded as you drove to the bakery that the first-years loved, parking nearby as you pulled up the handbrake after setting the stick shift into park mode if you were driving an automatic vehicle, or turning off the engine with a foot on the brake pedal if you were driving a manual car.

you and the rest of the third years then got out of the car and once everyone was out, you locked the vehicle before walking inside the bake shop. however, you paused by the door as you looked up and noticed that the previously sunny sky was now covered with grey clouds.

"n/n, come on! why are you still standing there?" questioned lilia as he grabbed your hand and pulled you inside the bake shop where the rest had already fallen in line, looking up at the menu as some of them started discussing what they should get.

"is there anything you want?" asked malleus as he looked down at you. you let out a thoughtful hum as you eyed the menu, opting to go for a beverage and pastry of your choice. as you voiced out your order, malleus nodded as lilia took note of your orders with the diasomnia dorm head insisting to pay for your purchase.

by the time everyone had their chosen treats, some of you sat by a nearby table as you nibbled on your pastry. malleus was seated across from you, sipping on his black coffee, while lilia was beside him as he took a bite out of his plain butter croissant.

"i can see why ace and deuce wanted to invite us along with riddle to this bakery. this place is sooooo magicammable!" cheered cater as he started taking pictures of the place, their pastries, their beverages, and even your table which had your order along with the rest's laid out on top. he and trey were standing behind you as they sipped and bit on their orders.

"hey now, drink your tea," spoke trey as he took a bite of his muffin, humming softly as he eyed it as if inspecting the treat.

beside you sat vil and on your other side was idia, you glanced at the ignihyde dorm leader and noticed his head was down as he bit on his truffles, not bothering to initiate eye contact or converse with anyone. however, he did notice your gaze on him, making him take a quick glance at you.

you smiled at him as you asked softly, "did you enjoy that?" idia hummed as he replied in a voice that only you could hear, "yeah. their truffles are hella delicious, n/n. i should probably take a picture of this place so i could show it to ortho..."

"you should," you encouraged as you took out your phone, "we can take a picture of the bakery from my phone." idia nodded and you started taking shots of the bakery, including idia's truffles on the table. then, you opted for taking a sneaky selfie of you two, you posed with your usual smile and a peace sign, while idia covered his face with one hand but still let himself be seen in your shot.

"hey, unfair~ how come you two are the only ones taking a selfie? join us, too!" exclaimed cater as he leaned his head down until his chin was inches above your shoulder, posing with a peace sign as you brought up your phone and took a picture with him.

idia returned to consuming his truffles as you pointed your front camera to you and vil, making the pomefiore dorm head raise a brow at your actions before smiling at the camera. once you took a picture with vil, he spoke, "if you're planning to post that, it'll cost you."

"don't worry~ it's for my eyes only," you spoke as you switched your front-facing camera to back-facing, pointing it ahead of you which took malleus and lilia in the frame as they were seated across from you. they noticed the camera and smiled, making you click on the shutter button as you took a picture.

sometime later, you all returned back to the vehicle and this time, rook is the passenger princess, so leona had to sit beside vil. rook then took out his camera as he took pictures of the view, but by the time you were about to leave your parking spot, the sound of thunder roaring was heard followed by the pitter-patter of the heavy rain.

"ah, it's raining," mumbled trey as he looked out the window.

"is it safe to drive back?" asked vil.

"doesn't seem safe... our school is on the top of the mountain and the road up the mountain must be slippery with how heavy the rain is..." you replied as you looked around the area, mumbling to yourself, "there must be somewhere around here where we can park safely under a shade... or an open garage..."

"there might be one nearby the crane port," spoke leona. "if not the port, we can find a parking shade nearby a hotel or residential area," added vil as he looked out the window on his left as it was a free seat, leona was on his right and behind leona was cater, behind vil was lilia, and behind the free seat was malleus. behind malleus was idia, behind cater was trey, rook was the passenger princess seated in front of leona and you were the driver seated in front of the free seat beside vil.

you started driving slowly out of the bakery's parking spot and drove around the area to look for a parking shade. it seems the gods were smiling down at you as you found a parking shade nearby a famous hotel in the central town of sage's island.

"holy shit, i found one."

a sudden flick on your shoulder made you yelp as you quickly turned to look behind you before driving towards the parking shade. it was vil who flicked your shoulder as he spoke, "watch your language." you grumbled under your breath as you parked under the parking shade, turning off the engine of the car and sighing softly as you slumped on your seat.

"sorry you guys had to be stuck under the rain in an suv..." you mumbled, looking up at the ceiling of the vehicle as rook turned to look at you, "non, non. there is no need to apologise. it's a rare experience!"

"yeah! plus this gives us more time to chat with each other before separating ways back on the campus," added cater as he and rook gave you positive smiles. "ah... extroverts..." mumbled idia to himself as he sighed softly.

"we have some leftover treats from the bakery, no? we can all sip on our drink or nibble on our treats while waiting for the weather to clear out," suggested trey.

"sure, but don't make a mess, everyone..." you said as you sat properly on your seat before turning around to face everyone else, smiling at them as you spoke, "so... did you all unwind? i know you guys have a lot to do, especially since you're all third-years."

"it was a wonderful experience," said malleus as he smiled at you. "yes! driving around with friends is really an amazing experience. i had fun. thank you, little one," added lilia as he sipped on his drink.

"how are you feeling?" asked vil as he sipped on his green tea, "you've been driving us around for almost two hours." your eyes drifted to vil as you gave him a grateful nod, "i'm alright, vil. driving is somehow therapeutic to me sometimes, so i'm all good! thank you for the concern, queen."

and so, you and the third years continued chatting for a while as the rain poured down sage's island, drenching all the streets and everything else under the sky with a pitter-patter sound. despite the gloomy weather, you were having a lighthearted conversation with the rest of the third years as smiles and laughter were seen on your faces.

'hanging out with the third years is always a pleasant experience, even vil and leona's bickering can be quite endearing every now and then...' you thought to yourself before your gaze went to malleus, 'ah, as for leona and malleus' bickering, that's still something to get used to...'

© twstgarden 2023 || please do not steal, translate without my permission, or use this to train a.i.

[luviemax]

bookstore girl- ln4 oneshot

a/n: inspo from this song :D

masterlist

-> lando norris x female!reader (no physical descriptions)

warnings: none really, just lando being super whipped tbh NOT PROOFREAD :(

word count: 809 words

He doesn't read.

Pratically everyone in the paddock knows that for a hard and solid fact, Lando Norris' many hobbies does not include reading.

He plays golf. He occasionally streams on Twitch. When he's really desperate, which doesn't really happen with his full plate, he bothers Max. Plus, most of the time, he's occupied with organising and planning for more Quadrant content.

But Lando's never found himself with this much free time. He's so free that he has practically no clue as to what he should do. He's travelled back home to the UK for Christmas. Now that the festive season has slowly come to its end, the streets are more dreary, lacking all the festive decorations and the cheer which once veiled the streets. Lando notices that everything is significantly less empty now, and supposes that everyone's gone back to work.

Carlos thinks that Lando is a hothead.

Lando doesn't agree. In fact, he was in such intense opposition of this opinion that he refused to speak to Carlos for two days. However, this argument is long forgotten; it did happen at least 2 years back anyway, when they were still teammates at McLaren. But Lando still remembers how Carlos recommended for him to start reading more often to hopefully get a grip of himself. He never really considered it, up until now, simply because he has the opportunity, but also because he's just come across a quaint little bookstore.

When he opens the front door, the first thing he notices is how warm it is.

Not hot, like how the Qatar Grand Prix was, but warm, like a hug from his dad. Like coming home from a 3 week long stint. He'd never been a big reader, but immediately he'd felt at home in that bookstore. He smiled back at the elderly man behind the counter, and began to browse the selection of books available.

By the time he was done, he'd decided that he would buy a few books. Just testing the waters, Lando thinks to himself. That's when he sees you for the first time. You're talking to the man at the counter.

You're postively gorgeous.

Your hair angelically frames your face. A wide grin crosses your face, but Lando swears that even with a scowl, he swears you could still look gorgeous.

He thinks that you're the most beautiful girl he's ever seen, and it takes every ounce of his attention to ensure that he doesn't drop the stack of books in his arms, simply stunned by your presence.

But before he can catch you, you're in wind.

The chime of the bell rings behind you as you close the door, and Lando swears that he's never been more devastated in his entire life.

He walks home, and he feels down the entire day. He didn't even manage to get your name. And yet, something as mundane as your name feels like a sacred artifact to behold. If he's even able to get your name, he swears that he'll protect it. Hold it in his hands like a fragile piece of porcelain. Shield it from the prying eyes on the public and the screaming voices of the paddock.

But no.

That isn't possible, because he doesn't even know your name.

He sleeps like a baby that night, dreaming of your face, what he'd think your voice would sound like, what he thinks that you would feel like safe in his arms, and it feels like a douse of cold water when he finally wakes up from his slumber.

His friends, Max, Carlos, Oscar... they hear of you. Non-stop. In fact, they're kind of tired of Lando, and have taken to ignoring him, because he won't stop going on and on about the beautiful girl he saw in the bookstore. They don't hear the end of it for a few hours.

By chance, 2 days later, he sees you in the cafe.

It was purely coincidental.

You'd never left Lando's mind. He did stop nagging his friends about you, mostly because they got annoyed at him, but he came back to reality with a rude awakening.

Really, how likely was it for the two of you to cross paths again? Especially in these few golden days back home, before Lando would return to Monaco.

But hey, always dream of the unthinkable, right?

You're working on your laptop, eyebrows knitted together in intense concentration. He thinks it's cute.

Lando delibrately sits to the table next to yours, and whips out one of the books he'd bought the other day from the quaint little bookstore. You briefly glance at him through your peripheral vision, before you're making a delighted expression and excitedly chatting to him about his book.

By the end of your impromptu coffee session with Lando, he's pretty sure that you were made for him.

[nenestansunsthings]

"Hey. You're Joe Hills, right?"

The man who turns to him to looks far too normal, a casual guy with long hair and green glasses and gloves. Quackity can't imagine why they beat Wilbur. Why her people campaigned so hard for him, why they had hundreds in the lead for hours upon hours until the polls closed and Wilbur lost to her. When the guy smiles cheerfully towards him, the question only becomes more poignant.

"Yup! That's me! Joe Hills, from Nashville, Tennessee." He offers their hand to shake, and in a flash Quackity takes it. Her grip isn't strong, and he blinks in surprise when Quackity's own is firm. "And you're Quackity, right? Good job with your poll!! That was a real close win, but your people pulled through right where it mattered!"

Quackity waves it off. "I never had a doubt. Of course my fans wouldn't let me lose! I'm the sexiest red bird around here, after all!" Unbidden, his wings flutter. "But heyyy, that's not what I came here for. I came here for you! We had an alliance, didn't we? Come on, hi-five, amigo, we did well today!"

Joe blinks. "We had an alliance?"

"Uh, yeah? What, don't tell me you didn't know." He scoffs. "Your fans didn't tell you? I heard you were out there campaigning yourself. Posting shirtless videos and everything! Just my kinda guy." Cheerfully, he slings an arm around Joe, pleasantly surprised when the guy doesn't even flinch. "I thought you agreed to the alliance yourself!"

"... Oh, that alliance!" Their eyes light up in recognition. "Yeah, I saw a few people talking about that. People get really excited in my chat, y'know? Though they were pretty torn." He shrugs. "I mean, Grian's a friend of mine, even if I have no clue how he thinks. But yeah, that was all them!"

Quackity can't help but stare. "You didn't know they were allying against a friend of yours?!"

"Nope! They just kinda do what they want." Joe laughs, the sound tinged with fondness. Something in that makes Quackity's gut churn uncomfortably. They just… do that? Ally against friends? Work with people who they think will stab them in the back later? And all in the name of someone who doesn't even know what they're planning? "I think it's great that they all got together to support you! But hey, there's only one person I'm hoping will win, and you know who it is! I wouldn't be campaigning for myself if I didn't want that win."

"Ha! Yeah, I know how it is." He grins back, golden tooth gleaming brilliantly. "Don't feel too down when I thrash you, alright?"

"We'll see about that!" Normally, Quackity would be on edge from that kind of declaration, but there isn't a shred of hostility in her vice. There's only delight, friendly competition. "I have faith that my viewers will pull ahead, and that I can campaign hard enough to convince people! I've been working really hard, after all. Even bought some new rainbow eyes, just for the occasion!"

"Wait, what."

Joe blinks, and when their eyes open again they are joined by a hundred others, flickering with a thousand colours and all seeing- staring- beholding. Just before he can think the word watching, they flutter shut.

"That's not the right word for me, just to be clear," Joe chastises him. "Watching. I'm not a part of that group."

Quackity has no goddamn idea what she means. So after a moment of stunned silence, he continues.

"... Do your fans think the eyes are hot?"

"I think they're sexyman enough to win the contest," he says, which clears up nothing. "But, most importantly, I think they'd vote for me anyway! Even without my beautiful, glowing, rainbow-checked eyes. Which are, by the way, divinely beautiful, and should be appreciated."

"Hey, man, if you're the kind of guy to buy new eyes for a competition, they'd better vote for you." Quackity shakes his head. "What, did they bribe you for it? Say they'd vote for you if you blinked in rainbows? That's not a healthy relationship, man, you gotta get out of there."

Joe snorts. "No, this is all for me. But thanks for worrying! If my people ever start demanding I grow new eyes before they tip me, I'll just find new people." He waves a hand nonchalantly. "I don't think my viewers would do that, anyway."

"... Hm." Quackity hesitates, settling a few feet away from Joe. "... I dunno, man. I mean, they made that alliance without you, didn't they? Hard to think you could trust 'em after something like that. Not a lot of unity in that kind of campaign, especially if there was some kind of in-fighting about voting me over your friend."

Some tiny, tiny part of him feels a little sick at the thought. But it dies down quickly enough. This isn't the first time he's brought people to blows over loyalty, after all.

But Joe looks unbothered. "They're good people. They'll figure it out for themselves. And they understand why people would vote you over Grian, or why their friends would support you."

"Oh?" Quackity raises an eyebrow. "You talk like you've seen it yourself. Did they shake hands and make up and write songs about their reconciliation? I'd love to see that- you encourage their poetry, it looks like. They've gotta have some skills."

"Nah, nothing like that. You're thinking too big, Quackity HQ." Their sunny smile shifts, softening at the edges. "They're just friends. They don't hate each other for wanting a different person to win. If this was something important like politics- which is very important, remember to vote on both a local and national level to support what's best for your community!- then it might be different. But this is fine."

He scoffs. "Please. I've seen the posts. Some of those guys came out swinging against me."

"And they know it's an exaggeration!" she assures him. "Just look around. All across this great land of Tumblr, there are people reminding each other to be kind. To be civil. To watch whether their feelings are turning into hate, and to take a step back and breathe if things go too far. Sure, things have gone too far. But that happens in all kinds of events, not just this one. And mostly, our viewers want to be kind."

"Man. You're a real ray of sunshine, aren't you." Quackity looks away. "But that's not really what I mean. It's more…"

He's not sure the words are right on his tongue. He says them anyway.

"They're supposed to be united," he tries. "I know you all wanted a Hermitsweep. Your people rule the polls. Doesn't it scare you, that they can split so much behind your back? Isn't it weird, to trust them with this?"

For a second, Joe is silent. Quackity grits his teeth, turns- but the faint green glow of his checkmarks is dim, and there's a twinge of honest fear in his eyes.

"... To be honest, it feels weird." He rests his head on their knees, fingers wrapped tight around her arms. "Just a little bit. I didn't expect this much. And the competition last round was a lot, let me tell you."

Quackity snorts. "I was there, man. No need to tell me. So much voter fraud…"

"And bribery! Don't forget bribery." Joe laughs. "But I do trust them. Whatever they do. I'll be disappointed if I lose, obviously, but it happens. It's hard to really be angry when you think about the core of all this."

"Popularity?" he jokes.

"Well, a little. I've been told Scar is not a sexyman, just a sexy man. Still not sure what criteria people are voting by. But mostly, I think it's love."

"Love?" Quackity raises an eyebrow. "What made you think that?"

Joe sighs. "I dunno. It's just… it's the only thing that it could be, really. This contest doesn't mean anything. There's no prize. All it is is just people wanting the entertainers they love most to win. And look at everything they've created for that goal."

Quackity knows. He's seen the swathes of art, the stories, the people getting out drawing tablets or phones or paper and camera to thank people who voted in their favour. He's seen old artworks shared years after their making. He's seen silly powerpoints, walls of text, analysis and promotions of videos from the starts of careers. It's a little terrifying, really, in the same way angels are.

He's pretty sure Joe would know, too.

"Yeah, not every one of my viewers joined your alliance. Even with my personal campaigning, none of them brought it up to me. But whoever they voted, whether it was Grian because he's someone they fought to see this high up or you because they wanted to share the support your people offered me, they voted out of love. Because they love me, or they love you, or they love whoever else they wanted to win."

"... They love you, huh?"

It's an odd thought. Quackity's well used to heartbreak, to abandonment. To people only staying because he had something to offer. But in this silly contest, with tens of thousands of people cheering for him…

"They love you too," Joe says with a smile. "So I'm happy you won. I'd say you're a pretty worthy opponent."

Quackity barks out a laugh, turning to Joe with fire in his eye. "A worthy opponent? You'll be taking those words back when I win. My people love me, don't they? So I'm sure as hell they'll put their money where their mouth is."

"Oh, we'll see." A thousand eyes open, turning a rainbow gaze upon him. He meets their stare head-on. "After all," Joe Hills says, "You were right about one thing. We want a Hermitsweep."

[gabessquishytum]

So I've had this idea swimming in my head for a bit and I don't think I'm gonna do anything with it, so I'm throwing it at you!

Human AU where Hob owns a bar called The White Horse and while the bar is legit, some of the dealings that go on in it are...not so much. Perhaps a bit Mafia adjacent.

One day, the prettiest little thing walks into his bar, and Hob nearly throws him out because he just can't believe the Dream D'Endless is old enough to drink, but his license isn't faked (Hob would know), so after some grumbling, Hob lets him stay. He finds out that Dream is charming and funny, if not a bit of a brat.

One day, Dream shows up to the bar with a black eye. Hob tries to get the story out of him, but Dream refuses to say anything about it and demands either his usual order or he'll walk out. Hob doesn't budge. Dream leaves, and then eventually stops coming to the White Horse.

Hob's not concerned. He's not. But he starts looking into Dream a bit anyways, and he finds out Dream's a sugar baby for none other than corrupt businessman Roderick Burgess. Apparently, Roderick's penthouse condo wasn't too bar from The White Horse, and whenever he'd need to hold business meetings at home, he'd just kick Dream out and Dream would hang out at The White Horse until Roderick was done.

Hob's pretty sure he can guess what caused Dream's black eye, one of Burgess's business deals went south recently and Hob wouldn't put it past the cranky old man to take it out on his live in lover. He's also kind of pissed that Dream even agreed to be Roderick's sugar baby but he's not going to examine that jealousy too closely. He's now totally worried about Dream's safety, so he puts out some feelers with his information network, and lo and behold Dream hasn't left the condo in months but Roderick has.

Hob has a bad feeling about all of this so one night when he knows Roderick's going to be gone, he breaks into the condo and finds Dream tied up and naked, and also badly beaten. He frees Dream, and takes him back to his place, and whoops that starts off a turf war. How dare Hob take what rightfully belonged to Roderick Burgess? Hob doesn't care, he's livid on Dream's behalf, and he's more than ready to rain hell.

Dream's highly pissed off at Roderick too. After all, he did everything Roderick wanted him to, even after he'd blackmailed Dream into becoming his sugar baby, and he still had the gall to go and mistreat Dream. He's ready to offer up his body off to Hob to do with as he pleases if it means he'll finally be free of Roderick. Good thing Hob's already halfway in love already ;D

Ajsjdjfjsj yes!!! I love the idea that Hob is trying very hard to be a normal and upstanding citizen, and then Dream walks into his life... all bets are off, Hob will burn the world down for this beautiful man.

But Dream is frustrated to find that Hob is quite the gentleman! He doesn't touch or fondle Dream while nursing him back to health, he doesn't get frustrated when Dream flinches away from him, and he actually jumps out of the bed when Dream crawls in beside him one night, determined to "pay his dues". He sends Dream back to the guest room like a stern and disappointed teacher, which is... actually unfairly sexy of him.

And yes Hob is trying to be a gentleman, he actually is! But he also just has a lot on his plate right now... going to war with Burgess has taken a toll, and Hob has been running around to call in favours with old friends and protect his turf. He's pretty sure that Burgess is going to burn through his resources before anything serious happens, but Hob is still sleeping with a revolver under his pillow. He doesn’t want Dream to see that!

When Hob gets injured in a shootout (in which he also ends up kissing Burgess, yay), Dream flips the tables and nurses Hob back to health. Hob can't exactly protest when he's covered in kisses by the darling young man he's come to think of as his. And when he's better, Dream purrs something about wanting Hob to fuck the memory of Burgess away...

They do it for the first time up against the bar (the pub is closed for repairs after the shootout). Hob doesn't ask for ID this time. He knows that Dream has proved himself quite the man in the last few weeks, and he's going to be Hob’s man from now on <3

[starry-bugs]

There's a man staring at them from across the room. More specifically, there's a man staring at Roier from across the room.

Roier doesn't need to turn around to tell, he can feel the eyes on the back of his neck, and he can see Cellbit's eyes looking over his shoulder. It's fine, Roier is more than used to staring at this point.

What he's not used to, is his date looking so upset over it. It's kind of cute, Cellbit's brow is furrowed and he's clearly trying to hold back a scowl. He looks almost like a disgruntled cat, and Roier's sure he'd be growling if he could.

He reaches forward over the table, taking Cellbit's hands in his own and wrapping his tail around the other's leg.

"Hey, gatinho, look at me," he smiles as Cellbit's attention snaps back to his face. "It's fine, relax."

"He's looking at you," Cellbit mutters, hands clenching in Roier's own. "He's staring at you."

Roier blinks at the way he says those words, as if the man across the bar is committing some great crime. Cellbit leans over the table to plant a kiss on Roier's head, right between his horns, unlinking their hands and gently removing Roier's tail from his leg.

"I'll be right back, guapito," is all he says before he slides out of the booth and makes his way across the bar to the man.

Roier's ear flicks as he hears Cellbit speaking, his voice low and dangerous as he asks what the hell he thinks he's looking at. His voice makes him shiver in his seat, resting his cheek on his hand as he turns his head to watch his boyfriend.

He's heard that tone only a handful of times, Cellbit's usually a pretty relaxed guy. But gods does Roier wish he wasn't as collected sometimes, especially if he gets to hear him like this more often. It's making his heart flutter and his tail thump happily against his seat.

He lets out a soft, dreamy sigh, his finger tracing small hearts on the table as he hears the man stammer under Cellbit's cold stare. If only he could see his face, he's sure he looks beautiful right now. He always does, but his anger is something else to behold.

Roier looks up as Cellbit walks back to their table and slides into the booth next to him, humming as he wraps his arms around his sexy, pissed off boyfriend.

"That was hot," Roier comments, snickering as Cellbit flushes.

"You heard that?" he asks, turning his head to look back at him.

"Sí. Muy hot. Sexy," Roier grins, nuzzling into Cellbit's neck and scraping his fangs against his skin to feel him jump.

Cellbit grumbles, but leans his head back against Roier's shoulder anyway. He lifts his arm off of Roier's briefly, allowing him to wrap his tail around it just the way he likes.

"Guapito."

"Hm?"

"You're purring," Cellbit looks at him, eyes soft and curious. "Did you like it that much?"

"Sí. Me gusta cuando soy tuyo."

"Bem, você é meu. E eu sou seu."

And isn't that a nice thought? It makes Roier purr even harder.

[irlfelixcatton]

TALK ABOUT THE TRANSMASCULINE ALLEGORY!!! i want to hear your thoughts

ok. the long awaited oliver quick transmasculine allegory post.

to be so real it is mainly me doing 2 (two things)

-projecting

-using insanely obvious prompts from the text to pull shit out of my ass

i do think that oliver quick's character COULD. MAYBE. be either headcanon'd as trans (BOOORRRINNGG) or a lot of his actions in act one can be closely tied to very common trans experiences.

my biggest thing on 'common' trans experiences as it relates to saltburn, is meeting a cis man and latching onto him with every fiber of your being, because you can't be friends with him, you need to *be* him. the first thing that really prompted me to look at saltburn from this lense was when farleigh goes "[you're almost passing as] a real human boy!", though it's clearly about oliver wearing a rental suit, it's a phrase that i've heard a million times over and over again, and i think that oliver, within this transmaculine concept of his character, dances CONSTANTLY on this imaginary line of "real boy" to "weirdo freak" that i think a lot of trans people can relate to. (i will touch on 'real boy' again later)

theres also an aspect of this incessant watching and dissecting cis men, what they wear, how they talk, how they fuck. and with all of this watching, there's this part of melding your identity into what you're watching, which we see starkly with oliver. at the beginning, when he's this oxford kid, a freak if you will, but he's more or less himself, version A. once he meets felix, he ditches the glasses, the button up shirts, the uptight manner, and turns into this entirely different version of "himself", version B. version B is the version he's taught himself that society will like much more than version A, so it consumes him entirely. version A wasn't someone that girls would fuck, felix would love, and quite frankly be 'enjoyed' by the rest of the world. version A is pre-transition, and version B is post. (all this to say, in relation to irl transition, neither version A or version B are right, good, or bad, they're whatever you want them to be. beauty is in the eye of the beholder)

THIS PART IS JUST WORD VOMIT AND DOESN'T NECESSARILY PERTAIN TO MY POINT OF TRANSMASCULINE ALLEGORY. SCROLL AT YOUR OWN RISK.

for me, another piece i think about a lot is the “you’re just so real” (venetia) but that’s a bit more of a stretch. the reason i think this relates to the main point, is so many trans people have to work and rework their personality so that their 'transness' is socially palatable, real. the catton's have no general perception of a real person, they surround themselves with fake, upper class socialites who lie and cheat. but even if they met a real person, they wouldn't know it. and they don't lol. so when oliver comes around, who isn't this upper class socialite, the initial thought is that he's this "real" and "grounded" person. however, the only reason that the catton's (general society in this case) find oliver (trans people) so "real" and more or less worth accepting into their family is because he has worked and reworked his identity to be so similar and likeable to felix's.

there's also the conversation on cattonquick being a really good representation of what a mlm cis/trans relationship can feel like so much of the time. but i'll only really expand on this if any1 is interested lol. anyways pls dm me or comment on this i really want to talk more about it more.

[artist-issues]

Oh yeah, the live action Snow White situation. They really picked the wrong person for the role of that sweet princess (even though I still find them making a live action remake for this pointless). She may have a good voice, but she has such a wretched personality. And we’re supposed to believe that she’s prettier than Gal Gadot, who’s playing the Evil Queen?

I don't know, I don't know Rachel Zegler's personality and I'm sure they'll take beauty completely out as any consideration in the movie. As per usual, they'll humanize the Evil Queen, or make her lust for power instead of being plan jealous. But they can't have their Snow White character be "beautiful," as a characteristic that causes change in the movie, because they're probably operating on the infantile idea that "women are more than just their looks and should never be associated with their looks."

Of course women are more than their looks. But in fairy tales, beauty without is meant to symbolize beauty within. What makes Snow White's beauty powerful in the real fairy tale is the fact that it is genuine: it reflects what her heart is like. That's the edge her beauty has on the Queen's false beauty. It's symbolic--and it shows how shallow the Evil Queen is, making Snow White an even better heroine by comparison.

But they won't do all that. Because they don't remember how to tell stories that are true and faithful, instead of stories that are simply pandering to whatever opinion the culture has moment-to-moment.

Anyway.

All that to say, it really never mattered if the actress they got was "prettier" than the actress they got to play the Evil Queen. You could easily look at the animated version and say that the cartoon Snow White isn't prettier than the cartoon Evul Queen. Because actual aesthetic beauty is, in most cases, in the eye of the beholder 🤷‍♀️ You might think Zegler isn't as pretty as Gadot, but the next person in line could completely disagree with you, and the next person in line might not have noticed either of them to be especially pretty at all.

That was never the point. They could get any two actresses and say "this is the Evil Queen, who is beautiful, and this is Snow White, who is more beautiful, and that's why the Evil Queen hates her," and what either of the actresses looked like wouldn't matter to the story. But again. The concept of "beauty" as a storytelling tool isn't going to be used in this retelling, I bet you money.

Gal Gadot and Rachel Zegler are good actresses. But they clearly don't understand the original story. And Zegler, at least, lacks respect for the movie her retelling is supposed to be based on. And even the very best actresses can't make up for that sort of thing, because good acting comes from understanding.

[thorns-and-rosewings]

Now here we have Part 5 of the Reaper King AU💀 a bit of an explanation of KC's powers... Before we get to the obvious shenanigans of the last chapter. 😈

TW: By now you can gather we touch on some darker topics in this.

Part 5

-Killcode DOES have magic. He became aware of his 'passive' abilities. Such as the mutations that occurred to his children and to the area they live but he deduced that there were other abilities, more offensive ones, he could utilize and he quickly learned how to use them...

-His powers are all entangled with darkness and shadows. Which he can use to extend the reach of his scythes, if not completely generate weapons from the darkness outright.

-He also can create massive spikes of shadows from the ground to come up and impale victims en masse.

-Killcode can drain the warmth out of an area, making a forest trail in the middle of a summer day as cold as a moonless winter night. Something he does to test the reactions of his target, maybe even work to unsettle them... Which works to make a more interesting hunt.

-He can become 'As a shadow' and disappear into the ground and move through terrain with frightening ease, even emerging from literally nowhere to strike down targets.

-His most devastating power is 'Shinigami' which is where he completely mutates... He becomes a Bio-Mechanical creature that looks more like it's namesake. He possess wings, sharper claws, and a tail. Not only does this form amplify his strength, but it also heavily affects the area around him in almost a Silent Hill manner. He can devastate everything in his path in this form... However he can overexert himself and need to rest in a nearly catatonic state from anywhere from several hours to several days afterwards.

-Also he has the ability to generate mist.

-Although he has these additional abilities he very rarely ever uses them. As he believes it gives him an unfair advantage... Granted he does enjoy creating mists or draining away the heat as this makes hunts more entertaining.

-Oddly enough his FAVORITE power is the most passive of all.

-Every now and again KC and his family will climb up to the top of the mountain to a small little plateau up there. Where they can overlook the entire forest and the small towns scattered around... A red light will bloom from the core in Killcodes chest and tendrils of this light will rise up into the sky and spread out...

-Creating a breathtaking blood red Aurora.

-While frightening to behold for the locals and has become known as a bad omen, the sight is beautiful and calming to the monster family.

...Anyways...

Now back to the Tinder debacle...

-Obviously this goes without saying but the building of a Tinder Profile for KC goes off the rails. Between the debates of what to put on the profile vs too much information...

-Bloodmoon is trying to tailor the profile to match the profile of the Park Ranger... Which isn't too hard, as it turns out they actually have some things in common... But this is hindered a little by his siblings input, although they eventually cobble together a decent profile and uploaded it to Tinder.

-They got a lot of matches...

-Oh LORD there were so many matches...

-Within minutes of posting this profile he had at least a hundred matches and DMs were at least double that...

Banshee: Um... Bloody is this supposed to happen?

Bloodmoon: I don't think so. This is so weird... How hor- (Looks at Wisp who's standing next to him, let alone Vamp and Lycan who are watching the increasing list of matches on the profile.) Erm... How lonely are these people?!

Banshee: ...good save...

Wendigo: (Snorts) Congratulations guys, you just made dad Tinders most desirable bachelor.

Bloodmoon: NEVER say that sentence again...

Wendigo: (Snickers)

Vamp: ...Question...

Lycan: How can the ranger accept dad's profile if we still have their phone?

Wisp: (Holds up phone)

Bloodmoon: 😱

-Sooo, the next part of the plan was to return the phone to the Ranger... So Bloody went back to the ranger outpost. Where the ranger was outside, looking around the ground for where exactly they could have dropped their phone.

-Bloodmoon wound up and threw the phone... Only he ended up smacking the ranger upside the head with it... Knocking them out cold with it.

Bloody: ...eh I am sure they are fine...

-He leaves them unconscious on the ground outside of the Ranger station with the door to the aforementioned station wide open... And... It was promptly invaded by a horde of super intelligent racoons.

-Bloodmoon returns home only to find that KC has returned back as well... And he is initially not to happy about the Tinder Profile...

-Probably because at this point he's gotten even more matches... And the DMs... Well... He can't let the younger kids read those.

-BUT...

-It would appear that the Forest Ranger in question has also said hello... And they are able to start a conversation!

-A small victory...

-However... KC makes a point that nobody is EVER going to do this ever again.

[nora-kano-rokii]

Haikaveh where kaveh is pregnant and when they found out about it he freaks out bc he read stories online where husbands wouldn't like the wives as much after postpartum takes over.

For days after the discovery Kaveh wouldn't eat or sleep as much, so far as to not talk to Haitham as much in fear of provoking anything that'll make Haitham "hate" him even more after the delivery

"Why aren't you eating?"

"Oh I'm just... not that hungry. I ate lunch earlier."

"But we always have lunch together??"

"Well something came up and I gotta change my schedule a bit. Sorry about that."

He'll just lie and lie and keeps on lying.

Kaveh isn't the type to wish anything bad happening on his pregnancy period, but he does severely dread the day of delivery. He'd get anxious and nervous (even more than he usually is) around Haitham and is always thinking about his next lie.

He loves the idea of motherhood. He loves the idea of having a child to take care of. He loves the idea of a happy family because that was something he didn't get as a child and is now more than willing to do anything to give it to his child.

What he doesn't like is the fear of Haitham leaving him if he's not good enough to satisfy his needs. The fear where he'll lose his worth as someone pretty and just end up as someone thats already been "used" and is not "perfect" anymore.

Haitham gets wind of what's going on and approaches him one day.

"Sweetheart."

"Yes?"

"Whats wrong with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Dont play dumb with me, sunshine. Tell me what's going on."

And then Kaveh will freak out, thinking Haitham already knows about the postpartum fear thing and start crying and begging for Alhaitham to not leave him. He'll do anything, he'll be a good wife and stay with the kids and do all the housechores and stay in shape and-

A simple kiss shut him about for good.

"You don't ever need to be sorry about how you look like after bearing my children."

"But.. I've read stories... and surveys- about how husbands are more displeased with their wives' body image after postpartum-"

"You think I care how you look like?"

Probably not the best thing to say (he should've rephrased it better) as Kaveh starts to tear up again.

"You... you don't think I'm taking care of myself well enough..?"

"No, it's not that. Kaveh, sunshine. I fell in love with you because of your physical image. That was only one of the reasons why."

"You... did not?"

"You thought I would be like some of those freaks that ogles you shamelessly on the side of the road? Of course not."

"But.. you always said that it's absolutely important for me to keep being healthy-"

"Sunshine, healthy does not mean body image. Healthy means you are happy with yourself. Which you are mostly aren't. That's why I told you to be healthier."

Kaveh wells up in tears again as he realizes what Haitham is saying. He kisses Kaveh's forehead and rubs his belly.

"This baby is going to make us a family. Why would I care about how you're going to look like?"

(Again, probably should've rephrased it better)

"Everything will be a marker of your battles. I'd love every stretch mark it'll create. All the cellulites that you worry so much about will be mine to behold." Another kiss to the forehead, "Kaveh, please understand. I love you for just the way you are."

"I did not fall in love with someone who obsesses with their beauty. I fell in love with the Light of Kshahrewar, the person who brights up my day with just a smile. The person who makes me fall in love all over again when they laugh."

"So please. Don't be afraid of our children. I promise that I'll love you no matter how you look"

Kaveh sniffs, "E-even if I were a fungi?"

Haitham sighes and smiles, "You'd be my favorite fungi ever."

-End

---

i have not posted in a hot minute GAWD DAYUM anyways hi everyone ive come back with FICS instead of DRAWINGS isnt that COOL theres VARIETY now!! Also this fic was first posted on Twitter as i had a brainrot at 4am so if you're intrested in that please go support me on Twt! Thank you everyone!

[sparkly-skies]

@mondscheinprinzessin I know you don't listen to JO, but are those ballet moves? Or are they both just doing 💃🕺🩰 something?

Well, the person in white is doing a somewhat good spin, with a bit of trying he could make two rounds in one. Good posture. The one in black...I don't know what he's doing, but now I want to see them couple dance.

The one in white is Kris aka @morbid-things's lesbian wife or something, and I think he'd be very happy to hear you say he has good posture (although I don't understand how you can make two spins in one jump, how high do you have to jump for that or how fast do you have to spin? Anyway I wouldn't be surprised if he said he used to dance as a kid or something). The other one is Jan aka the one seemingly always with his head in the clouds, mit den Gedanken wo anders und in seiner eigenen Welt versunken und so, and somehow it looks like that's what he's doing here too, isn't it? He also has the most beautiful cat, behold, Igor the cat:

knocking over a phone to be in the spotlight

sleepy baby <3

frequently used in concert + new song promo

has his own uquiz and helps with the songwriting process

anyway, I agree, they should do a couple's dance. any specific suggestions? I know you said learning ballet as an adult is very hard to impossible but there has to be something they can do? @ alistair, thoughts on kris & jan couple dancing?

(refering to this video)