#omg same i don’t have many feelings ether or something like that but it’s like

[violetspurpleshoelace]

i hate when people watch a show like bojack horseman and then completely ignore the message of it and just focus on all of the characters being sad. like yeah they were sad and then they changed you can’t ignore that part.

[shadowdaddies]

Hi, love your writing. Could you write something with either Lucien or Ruhn with a reader who is always told she talks to much? Like when she gets happy or excited she tends to ramble and people usually get annoyed at her and tell her to shut up and she slowly stops talking at all and Lucien or Ruhn see that and try to get her to come out of her shell again and always listen to what she has to say?

I needed to write this today, I really relate and I'm having a hard time. If you ever want someone to talk to, my messages are open💜 and omg do you know how hard it was to choose between Lucien and Ruhn?😩 ugh anon your ideas are too good! I went with Lucien only because I haven't written for him yet and I think he's perfect for this but if you have a Ruhn request I'm HERE💜

Use Your Words

Lucien x Reader hurt/comfort

Warnings: this got very suggestive towards the end, I have learned I am very susceptible to the Vanserra rizz

You barely made it through the front door before a sob ripped through you, slinking to the ground as you sunk against the wall. Your throat was in knots, chest heavy as your thoughts eddied deeper and darker. 

Growing up, you had always been told you were too loud, too open, too much. Even now, it took courage for you to reach out to people, to not let your insecurities get in the way of connecting with others. Tonight you felt comfortable, thinking that the females in court accepted you, but the moment that you opened up - shared too much - they gave you the same judgmental looks that had become ingrained in your mind.

It was easier to retreat into yourself, better to not say anything than to bear the rejection that inevitably followed you through your life. When Lucien arrived home, he found you crumpled into the sofa, adorned in your softest robe as you stared blankly at the fire.

“My love, you look ethereal glowing against the light of the fire,” Lucien murmured, leaning down to press a kiss to your temple. He lifted your head, settling underneath you as a makeshift pillow while he stroked your hair. “How was your evening, beautiful?”

You couldn’t help how your face crumpled at his question, lip quivering as the tears leaked from your eyes. You buried your head in his lap, shaking your head as you couldn’t bring yourself to speak. 

“Hey, I’ve got you, love,” Lucien whispered, lifting you up into his lap, cradling his in his strong arms. A long time passed as he held you, letting the emotions pour out of you, paying no mind to the tears that stained his shirt. 

When you were ready, you lifted your head to rest against his chest, the sound of his heartbeat calming. “I’m not good with words like you, Lucien. I wish people found me charming and interesting, but it’s like I say too much and they lose interest. I don’t know how to do anything right, Luc. No matter how hard I try, it’s not enough, and it’s too much,” you cried into his shoulder. 

Looping your arms around his neck, you held him close as though he might disappear if you let go. “I’m sorry, that was a lot. I didn’t mean to say too much, I just keep talking,” you rambled, unable to stop but desperate to share your feelings. 

Lucien held you tight against his chest, pressing a kiss to the top of your hair before broad hands found your cheeks. “My love, you are not too much. I could never have enough of you. Your words are like the flowers that fill the meadow outside. They are many, and together they create something so breathtaking, I don’t know how I ever lived without you.”

His lips lowered to your neck, long red hair sliding against the skin of your chest. Fingers threading through his soft hair, you tilted your head back, welcoming the affections he was bestowing upon you. 

Pressing a kiss below your ear, Lucien’s warm breath tickled your skin as he spoke. “I want to know everything that goes through this beautiful mind,” he murmured, teeth grazing your neck as he continued peppering kisses to any exposed skin he could find.

You whimpered, rolling your hips against his in a silent request for more. Lucien pulled back, a feline smirk on his lips as his eyes glowed in the firelight. With a tsk, he tilted your chin towards him. “I want to hear everything that you want tonight. I want you to use your words, to hear every beautiful noise that comes from your mouth as I show you how incredible you are. Understood?” He punctuated his question by tugging your bottom lip with his teeth, and you nodded furiously. 

“Yes, Lucien. Please touch me,” you breathed.

“Good girl,” he grinned, tossing you over his shoulder as he carried you to your bedroom.

banners by saradika

[merakiui]

Hi, mera! Lionfish anon here,, think tumblr gobbled up my previous attempts to send this, but 3rd time’s the charm!! :]

I read your alpha stalker Jade fic, and realized he reminds me of a video essay I watched recently, “The Horror of Having a Body” by Clark Elieson on YouTube (https://youtu.be/j0fucPpR1K0?si=mjtzEd58jT-aOQJh). The quote, “swapping bodily fluids like this clearly has some sexual undertone, albeit in a way that feels foreign to the act of sex itself” (18:38 - 18:46) reminds me of him, especially in DRU. While I’m not positive on how a sexual encounter between him and the reader would go, I don’t feel it would be sexual or arousing in the way many associate with the intimacy of the bedroom— instead, I imagine something closer to the concept of Jouissance discussed earlier in the video; something painful, overwhelming, and quite frankly traumatizing, yet so incredibly pleasurable, something you can’t get enough of no matter how much you hate it. He is an antagonizing pleasure, in my mind at least.

The main thing that made me think of this is alpha stalker Jade’s views on omegas, which led me to connecting him to the Bloodborne sections, of which are closely interlinked with sexuality and illness— things betwixt with the image of Jade I have in my mind. He’s a sick, twisted individual, apathetic to those he does not value, painted beautifully by yourself. “The love that is remorseless when he’s bruised and bloodied his knuckles,” he is remorseless, and if not for that ambrosial love he feels, it would (and has, with his original intent to leave you with the realization you’re in heat) apply to you too.

He’s an enigma (and I love him for it), one so accustomed to his mind; no matter the web he must build, the months he must haunt, he will sink his teeth into you eventually. He will make you his.

His want to be gentle and composed is very interesting to me though! The line, “Although maybe it’s his own voice confessing such saccharine phrases” draws out how one sided this is. Despite the act he puts on, he can’t help the declaration, like a subconscious part of him acknowledges that this might not be you, that you might not feel the same, even when so sexual and heat-drunk. Though, in the end, he claims you. He feels whole, every piece of him coming together in what I assume is an ethereal chorus, for you are paradisiacal and he has attained something seraphic.

My mind has been lost, thank you for letting me share! Lionfish, out!

:O !!!! how dare tumblr keep such a wonderful message from me omg!!!! Lionfish, I adore your analysis aaaaaa!!!!! (๑>ᴗ<๑)

Comparing Jade to an "antagonizing pleasure" is such a good way to describe him, especially in the context of DRU!!! He's something that you know is bad for you in every sense, but you can't help it. He's all you have in this dreadful, traumatizing situation. The corpse lying stiff and cold in the bathtub won't provide the comfort that he can give you, however basic it may be. Jade's care is merely obligation; he does it because he can't let you die or risk spoiling any of your parts, and if you wanted to be cruel with the comparison,,, in a way it's as if he's a farmer raising livestock. Sure, he cares enough to feed you and make sure you're comfortable, but it doesn't go beyond that (for now). Jade's feelings are so complex and he's forever difficult to read, but it is very interesting all the same! I won't spoil anything regarding the sex scenes in DRU, but I will say that you make such good points. It's definitely more of a jouissance.

Aaaaaa alpha stalker Jade!!! He's such a menace, so cold and remorseless... Had he not fallen in love (read: obsession), his apathy most definitely extends to you (and it did, as you noted how willing he was to leave the poor Reader when they are in a bind). I think Jade is so set in his ways in that fic, so accustomed to being an alpha and being around alphas. He doesn't go out of his way to seek out omegas, and he doesn't fully grasp the appeal until he's experiencing it with someone he adores (the reader).

I really do love this sort of Jade! He only opens his heart for a select few, and when he does love he loves to suffocating extremes. >_< he's willing to play such a long waiting game if what lies at the end of that is the sole thing he's been aiming for: you. And if not, he'll do everything within his power to make it so. He's so stubbornly attached. Even if some part of him knows your judgment is clouded with heat, he gets avaricious and claims you anyway. There's some complex scheme hidden within his intentions and choices to do what he does when he does, but you'll never know it. :)

Thank you for sharing such a lovely message, Lionfish!!!! :D I love reading your thoughts and ramblings!!! Jade is just so enigmatic. How can we not love him? orz

[lost-lonnie]

Rime as a k-pop Idol headcanons

• Not even gonna lie I don’t know how to start this 💀💀💀

• Rime got probably scouted got scouted while he was doing a choir concert

• Nah cause I can see him having a little solo in The concert and SM employee running after him after the concert 💀💀💀

• He was defiantly scared outta his mind

• Ran for like an hour trying to hide away from scouter

• I feel like he ether trained for 3 years or 6 months no in between

• Defiantly can see him in a group but he would also do amazing as a solo artist

• His style depending on what age he started I can see him doing like a Aespa kinda vibe but only when he was like 13-15

• During like 15-17 18 ish maybe doing songs like ITZY mafia in the morning, loco, and wannabe type song style

• I feel like around that 18 mark he’ll start experimenting with a style like Dreamcatcher, Mother Mother type style

• At the same time I wanna see him do something similar to like Planet her

• Okay you can’t tell me that hyuna and rime wouldn’t be besties like come on

• On the topic of friends Lisa and rime would also be besties

• With that being said Rime is an amazing dancer I feel like he did dance as a kid

• I also feel like he did some sort of instrument

• Not like a band (can you imagine rime in band trying to play a tuba 💀💀💀)

• Like violin or like the harp

• Wait omg rime playing the harp

• Anyways back to dancer he’s getting solo dance stages

• He’s also getting invited to do artist of the month

• Bro I can see him doing so many different dances

• Okay but imagine him covering Cry for me- Chareyeong

• Or like him covering Mushroom Chocolate-Lisa

• So so so many options

• But I think he’ll do something sexy something similar to Like got it- Soojin

• I can also see him rapping

• I think he’s rather ok def pull it off but he’s defiantly better at singing

• On the topic of singing HE’S AMAZING AT IT

• He’s definitely tenor

• Idk why but I’m thinking his range would be like the weekend’s

• That’s really all I got tbh I💀

[oraganji]

IF ANYONE WANTS WRITING INSPO

ok here’s the thing. I’m way too lazy and unmotivated to write a whole series, I am in awe of anyone who can actually do that or has done it. But in the spirit of ✨ hypocrisy✨ , of course I love reading them, and thinking about ideas for some series that will never actually come to fruition. So, for all the ACOTAR writers out there, I have a way-too-long idea for an Azriel x reader that I want to read as a series, or even like a couple of snippets of writing. Here it is:

Ok, so our (preferably female bc it’s my request but I’m not trying to disclude people here it’s just my preference) MC (I like the name Kora/Cora, or Arya, whatever, but y’know, since I’m not writing this, it’s not exactly my decision to make, it could just be Y/N, that’s fine too). Anyways, she’s half-seraphim, from Cretea, and is the commander of the seraphim/Cretea army. Now, here’s where the pick your story begins. I was thinking that she could be Drakon’s sister or something, to make her a princess, even though she only acts like a commander (I love nicknames that have a meaning. So like if Azriel calls the reader angel, it’s because of her white seraphim wings, and if he calls her princess, it’s because she actually is one). So she can either be his sister, or just the commander. She was old enough to have fought in that big war that happened with Miryam and stuff about the humans or whatever. IMPORTANT PART OF THIS: MC has water and ice powers, but to a massive scale. Like she can raise ocean tides, create snow/hailstorms, all that good stuff. I was thinking she could be called a Tidemaker, like in the Grishaverse, but you could totally change around the name. That’s the base of her character. Other than what I described, free reign to whoever is crazy enough to read/write this.

So now, I think of this as a slight (major) rewrite. This takes place right after Feyre makes it back home from enemy Tamlin. So, Hybern’s armies attack Createa for some UnKnOwN reason. Maybe MC’s dad/parental figure dies in the battle, and MC is filled with grief and rage. MC fights against them until she’s bloody and battered, using the ocean and sky as her weapons. Cretea is utterly destroyed, and she tries flying to a safe place. She had met Rhysand, Cassian, and our boy Azriel before during that Great War, because she was a commander, and the Night Court was allied with Cretea at the time. She remembers this, and tries to fly all the way to Velaris. She just makes it before collapsing/passing out, and Azriel’s shadows bring him to her.

Now, our boy is shocked because he actually used to have a little crush on MC the war so many decades ago. He sees her about to die and starts to ✨ panic✨ , obviously. So, I’m thinking he tells his shadows to find Madja, and busts into the House of Wind or something, and like alerts everyone by just saying “it’s Kora/Arya/MC”. So blah blah blah, cute Azriel taking care of MC moments, she tells them what she remembers about being attacked, etc. ALSO, i think it would be SO GREAT if Cassian and Rhysand called her Goose, instead of dove, or one of those other cheesy nicknames. Geese still have white wings, so it kinda fits. I just think it would be kinda funny if the first time they were meeting to discuss war strategy, MC showed off all of her powers, and established herself as a powerful, bad b****h, and these idiots call her a goose. AnYwAyS, time skip to the meeting with the high lords cause I don’t think things through. MC comes in later than our night court buddies because she “likes to make an entrance”, and walks in there with like a crown of gold laurels (i like that as a crown idea), and like a sage green dress or something (GREEN AND GOLD IS SO PRETTY), and is all like “hello ladies! and boys. What did I miss?” after not being there for like 200 years. Everyone is shocked, and she has a little spat with Beron, where she’s like “You’re just itching to play, huh Beron? Well, I’ll warn you, fire doesn’t tend to thrive with someone like me *smirk*.” I’M DYING. And meanwhile Azriel’s *mini* crush is slowly developing even more. So after that idc what happens, BUT. I think it would be great if Cassian made MC a general or something to help him out in the war with Hybern. Then, when she goes to leave after the war, to rebuild Cretea, and Rhys and Cass ask her to stay, she give a condition, which is that she wants to train the Illyrian girls. And she would leave after she feels like that initiative is set in place. So once she sees that females are being trained, she leaves. Later, Cass invites her for winter solstice very last minute, so she comes with one gift, for our special somene, AZZY BOY!. And it’s a moonflower in an ice sphere, cause headcannon: Azriel likes moonflowers, and so does MC. One day they were walking together or flying together, and she saw some, and pointed them out. Then Azriel plucked one and TUCKED IT IN HER HAIR OMG GET ME SOMEONE LIKE AZRIEL. And he’s like amazed that she remembered and saved the flower. Crush level rising. But at the same time, Elain seems interested in him, which MC can see, and thinks that Az likes Elain, so she goes back to Cretea cause she a little bit jelly.

I’m not a romance writer, so I was just thinking that once Cretea is close to rebuilt, MC invites everyone to come visit, and is taking a stroll with Azriel. She sees moonflowers again, and this time she plucks one and puts it in his hair, and goes “Damn. I bet I didn’t look this good when that thing was in my hair.” And then Azriel mutters under his breath, “you did. you looked ethereal. like an angel.” but MC kinda hears a little bit of it, so she gives Azriel a little kiss on his jaw, cause she can’t reach his cheek (THE HEIGHT DIFFERENCE I’M SCREAMING) and says “I heard that Az. I think you look ethereal too.” He’s one blushy boy after this. omg why am I like this. But, plot twist, Elain saw this whole interaction go down and gets PISSED. Meanwhile, MC drags Azriel around, while he trails behind her like an awestruck puppy. She finds a starfruit tree (which I’m making native to Cretea, like it’s a rare thing elsewhere) and gets some seeds from them from Elain, saying that it would be good for her garden. And Azriel just thinks about how thoughtful she is, even to people she doesn’t necessarily like. They get back, and Elain is complaining about how Azriel chose MC over her to Nesta , who I think would be besties with MC. MC walks into the room and hears. Elain realizes this and tries to insult/yell at MC. But MC just had a sad smile and goes, “I brought you some starfruit seeds, Elain. They’re only native to Cretea, and I thought it might be good for your garden. Good night Elain.” OK so this is why I think it would be good if MC was Drakon’s sister and a princess. She knows she’s a princess, but she really only considers herself to be a commander. She’s debating going back to Cretea, or staying, and she tells Azriel that she’s prob gonna leave soon. And our bat boy is all ✨ panik✨  when he hears this. He says “But I wa - everyone wants you to stay”. MC smirks and goes “what were going to say Az. They’re like really close together now, so Az leans down and gives her a gentle kiss and goes, “I want you stay”. MC is stunned for a moment, and looking dazed, goes “well then I guess I’m staying.”AHHHHHHHHH. She can prob be a general under Cass.

OK SO I DO HAVE AN IDEA FOR MORE WITH OUR ANGEL AND DEVIL. Where they discover the mating bond, there’s a big threat on Cretea, MC is a bad b***h as always, and protective Azriel makes several appearences.

Y’all can make up some situations after this as well, or if you want, which I don’t know why you would, my disorganized mess of a brain can write more about the thing above.

OMG THIS WAS WAY TOO LONG. Plz tell me if u guys liked this, or are actually gonna write this crap. And let me know is you have questions! Have a nice day lovelies!

[kiwikyuu]

━━━━━━ under the stars & in your arms ; yamaguchi tadashi

summary when you get stood up on prom night by your date, captain of the volleyball team yamaguchi tadashi steps in / inspired by 'cherry' by harry styles

word count 1.03k

genre imagine ; fluff, slight angst

warning(s) feelings of insecurity, public embarrassment (getting stood up / rejected), cursing, not edited

a/n i really am a sucker for captain yams omg but yeah this popped into my brain while listening to wonder so here ya go <3

lowercase intended

❝ THIS IS ME ASKING YOU OUT ON A DATE. ❞

why was it that in movies, prom looked like the night you would never forget, the night of your life? why was it that on tv, prom looked like the pinnacle of the high school experience?

"i'm sorry." your date stood sheepishly before you, guilt crept through the windows of his eyes. but even so, you noticed the way he glanced at someone in the corner of the room. "i shouldn't have led you on the way i did."

you wanted to scream, maybe even cry, but instead you smiled. "it's okay. you had someone else in mind from the beginning. who am i to interfere?" and before he could utter another word, you had started walking away.

you didn't care that everyone was probably staring at you. after all, your date hadn't been as private as he could have been about the entire situation. you were embarrassed, of course you were, but you didn't have it in you to argue tonight of all nights. eyes followed you as you made your way to the door. and you would have left if not for the person that stepped in front of you just before you could.

"leaving so soon?" you lifted your gaze to meet the gentle eyes of yamaguchi tadashi, captain of the boys volleyball club and one of the boys of your year that had quite a following of girls and guys on his tail. yamaguchi was popular and good looking just as much as he was kind, a killer combination that caught almost everyone's attention. he offered you a warm smile as his hand came up to the back of his head. "i was hoping you could stay a bit longer actually."

you blinked. "why?"

"ah, well, actually i wanted to dance... with you," he mumbled, cheeks tinted pink under the dim lighting of the venue. was this a joke? "but if you need some fresh air, i know a really cool spot for stargazing."

"are you serious? you're not — " you looked around the room, watching the curious stares of everyone trained on you as whispers of rumors no doubt were beginning to spread. "you're not fucking with me, are you?"

yamaguchi looked at you with genuine confusion. "why wouldn't i be serious?"

your cheeks flared with warmth at his question. "i don't want to be led on again. happened once already tonight, and um, i'm not the biggest fan of it."

it was then that yamaguchi took his eyes off of you to sweep the room. he spotted your ex-date talking eagerly to someone else as well as the many eyes on the both of you. when his eyes landed back on you, he could see the way you had become discouraged. so he held his hand out to you. "fuck it. let's get out of here. we can grab food and go stargazing. this is me asking you out on a date, y/n. what do you say?"

you don't know if you would have said yes any other day, but maybe it was the smile he put on your face despite everything that had happened already that night or the way your heart skipped a beat at his words that made you decide to take his hand and say, "yes."

two hours later you ended up in the back of his pick up truck, swamped in a fuzzy blanket beside him with an assortment of mcdonalds and convenience store food before the both of you. music hummed softly in the background of your conversation.

"you didn't ask anyone to prom," you pointed out, a chicken nugget in one hand and sauce in the other.

"someone beat me to it before i could ask you," yamaguchi countered causing you to grow with warmth. "i had something really big planned too. even got tsukki — shima in on it too." you giggled at his stumbled words, but he continued, albeit slightly embarrassed now. "but i'm not going to tell you since you're laughing."

you shook your head. "no, tell me. i want to know."

yamaguchi paused. you were staring at him with curious eyes as you set down your chicken nugget sauce and reached for an onigiri. he thought you were absolutely adorable, so he pretended to think a little longer. "i'll tell you if dance with me."

"i have greasy chicken nugget fingers," you deadpanned, and he let out a laugh at your honesty.

"so do i. let's dance." he wiped his fingers hurriedly on a napkin before tossing a clean one your way. yamaguchi hopped down from the truck with ease gracefully while you awkwardly and clumsily fell out. you landed with an oomph! against him, his hands coming to steady you immediately. a cocky grin you hadn't seen before crossed his face. "eager, are we?"

you rolled your eyes at him, pushing him away. "shut up, you green yam."

he scoffed sarcastically. "how original. a yam! i would have never thought of that." maybe hanging around tsukishima was paying off. "call me tadashi."

"in your dreams, loser," you replied boldly despite the heat spreading through your body like a wildfire.

yamaguchi thought you looked amazing, but now as he watched you under the moonlight and sky full of stars, you were nothing short of ethereal. he took your hand in and pulled you close against him. comfortable silence settled on the both of you as soft music carried through the night air from his truck.

"i really really like you, y/n," he said suddenly. "and i'll wait until you feel the same because i have time." he smiled through his next words. "but considering the fact that you can barely look at me in the eyes, i don't think i'll have to wait long."

"shut up. you have greasy fingers," you replied despite leaning your head against his shoulder.

but yamaguchi just hummed along with the music in response as he pressed a gentle kiss to the crown of your head. and as the wind blew against your hot skin and the thundering rhythm of your heart rushed through your ears, you realized why this was the type of night you'd never forget.

[franniebanana]

CQL Rewatch - Episode 3

I just love their outfits here, and since I didn’t comment on that in the last episode, I wanted to say it here. I love the whole color palette they used for Lotus Pier. The donghua goes heavy on the purple and black, but I really love how they incorporate lavender and teal and other blues. It’s just very pretty and soft and relaxing. Such a nice place. I keep having a debate with myself about where I’d rather live. I think I’d be more comfortable in the Cloud Recesses, but I’d never be able to deal with all those rules!

Ah, yes, everyone’s favorite peacock. He played this part so perfectly: just this pillar of grace and poise, except when he’s around Jiang Yanli, and he just becomes butter hahaha. I like his son a lot better than him, but he and Wei Wuxian have some great scenes together, and it’s fun to see him grow alongside everyone else. He’s not just a mindless clan member who does everything he’s supposed to. He’ll stand up and fight for justice too.

It’s easy to forget (myself included in this) that Jiang Yanli is the oldest of the three of them, especially in this show. She’s so much smaller, so soft-spoken; she isn’t going to be the next leader, because that’s Jiang Cheng, being the male heir. But this is one of those scenes where she really is the big sister. Wei Wuxian is fighting with her fiancé’s retinue, Jiang Cheng is just trying to stay out of it and be polite, so she has to step in and put an end to it. I love when Jiang Yanli gets some screen time and lines, and isn’t serving soup. Don’t get me wrong—I like seeing her take care of them, but it’s more mothering than being a big sister. I think the moments when she’s standing up for her brothers and for herself are really special. You can’t blame Jiang Cheng or Wei Wuxian for loving their shijie so much.

Gotta love Wei Wuxian taking every opportunity to throw some shade at Jin Zixuan. I love all of it, and I eat it up—I am the target audience for snarky Wei Wuxian. And at this point, Jin Zixuan just ignores him—good on him. He keeps that up for all of a few days.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO

YOU FORGOT THE INVITATION!

Sorry, but the first time I watched this, I wondered why there was this big close-up of something with “Lan Clan of Gusu” written on it. I’m a dummy, okay?

Omg they translated ge-ge as “buddy.”

Okay, but here we go! Shut out of the Cloud Recesses. Also, where did they change? I kept thinking they changed at the tavern, but when they left, they were wearing their same Jiang Clan clothes. So, somewhere along the way, they put on their pretty white robes. I’ve got nothing else to say here, because we’re about to see another great entrance from Lan Wangji.

I love how his entrance is accompanied by the guqin. His presence is so ethereal, so otherworldly, yet he’s so grounded as a character. He turns everyone’s heads, including Wei Wuxian’s. I love that Wang Yibo is in reality shorter than Xiao Zhan, so they gave him platform boots to make them more even. But the height and stature gives the relationship a whole different dynamic.

Anyone who knows me knows I love my yaoi/BL. I could go on and on about my favorites, but I won’t do that here. There’s one thing I don’t like about it, and it’s that you can always tell who the top and bottom is just by how they look (sometimes artists subvert this, which I love!). The donghua for MDZS does this (I haven’t read the manhua, but I have seen some screenshots, and I think it also does)—Lan Wangji is so much bigger than Wei Wuxian. And while it’s aesthetically pleasing, it just bugs me, okay? I like the idea of Wangxian being roughly the same size and height—I don’t really know why, I just do. Also I definitely headcanon them both as switches at this point.

I don’t think Lan Wangji would have given Wei Wuxian the time of day if he hadn’t heard this. He’s already impressed that Wei Wuxian picked up on the weird stuff/wicked sorcery going on—he’s made a mental note of him. I’m sure he’s a little disappointed that Wei Wuxian immediately gets on his nerves, but he still pauses before leaving.

Lan Wangji is never going to be a fast friend—he’s not going to be anyone’s best friend right away. You need to gain his trust and that does not happen overnight. Though the setting is anything but realistic, their relationship and the steps it goes through are incredibly realistic. They grow together—they grow on each other (it’s not as if Wei Wuxian really cares about Lan Wangji at first either—think of how many times he calls him a fuddy-duddy. I think his main goal for quite some time is to get on Lan Wangji’s nerves and tease him. Wei Wuxian is used to charming his way in and out of things, but he can’t do that with Lan Wangji).

Yibo’s piercings! That’s it. That’s why I took this screenshot. But, weirdly, I always look at stuff like that.

He has such a swagger here, going up the steps, but I think it’s really just Xiao Zhan trying to climb the stairs without tripping on his costume. XD

It’s funny how surprised Wei Wuxian is to have the silencing spell used on him, even though he had been put under it earlier that day. Frankly, I don’t blame Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian hit him with a bit of a sucker punch there, implying that the girls only liked him for how he looks and that they’d be disappointed by his demeanor.

It’s such a popular trope (enemies to lovers), but I don’t think that makes it inherently bad or less effective as a storytelling device. On the contrary, when done well, it can make or break a story. As I said earlier, their relationship is very realistic, yet has enough fiction to make it fun. I watch these early scenes with a big old grin on my face, and I’ve seen this one probably around four times now, maybe more (I keep watching the Special Edition for all that wangxian goodness).

Okay, let’s watch as Wei Wuxian digs his hole deeper and deeper. The look on Lan Qiren’s face this entire time is priceless. Like, who is this miscreant who just barged in here, telling me how he is breaking all the rules and expecting me to feel bad for him? Meanwhile, Lan Xichen, with a smile: I won’t blame you for breaking the rules, but let my brother who hates you decided your punishment, okay? Thanks!

Peak comedy before it gets all serious again.

She’s so gorgeous!

But I’ll be frank with you all, I don’t like that they expanded Wen Qing’s role in this way. She was one of my favorites in the book, but shoehorning her and Wen Ning into the Cloud Recesses kind of drives me nuts. And then the stuff with Jiang Cheng, while kind of cute, just doesn’t really hit right with me, and I don’t think it was executed well at all after a certain point—but I’ll babble about that when the time comes. So, while I appreciate expanding female roles, I didn’t really care for this bit in the Cloud Recesses. I would have been fine with them adding scenes of what she was up to with the Wen Clan—that would have been really cool, actually, because we don’t get to see much of anything other than the Nightless City. And maybe I’m biased because I quite enjoyed the archery contest stuff in the book that they kind of piecemealed in the show.

It sounds like I’m just whining about this show, but I actually really enjoy it.

I like this moment between the twin jades. We don’t get a ton of these and this one is particularly quiet and peaceful. The contrast between them and Jiang Cheng/Wei Wuxian is so stark—the twin jades are so formal and a little stiff, while the twin prides are off the wall, hitting and teasing each other—but this doesn’t make either one less caring than the other. What’s obvious from this scene is how much both of them care about each other: Lan Wangji wants to do what he can to help, because he knows how much pressure is on Xichen, and Xichen is just worried about his younger brother. Even though you don’t find this out until later, you can tell that the two boys had to grow up very fast. Neither one had much of a childhood, and I think Lan Xichen does take on a bit of a father role to Lan Wangji as well.

Other episodes: 1 | 2 |

[phoebehalliwell]

prue/coop - season two

omg,,,, okay so coop's gonna take the role of jack in the sense that he's her first real love interest after andy and she tried like alan and there might have been another time there like prue for what it's worth isn't dating she's gone out on like. three four dates it's just nothing's sticking nothing's clicking like. maybe andy was it for her. maybe she doesn't get love after this. meanwhile, a very frustrated cupid is sitting slightly offscreen because there's no way he keeps missing. no way. dude. like. not to brag. but he doesn't miss. something's wrong.

by one misfortune or another, it's valentines day and there has been a spell to summon or to reveal a cupid

or psych no we'll say like somehow cupids are being like cockblocked from their powers but we'll say it in a more professional term there's like a magical faraday cage around san francisco and cupid's can't get their magic to work and valentine's day is right around the corner and there are hate demons just tearing up couples so hi yeah you have to do something

and blah blah blah they are doing something plot plot plot that's not what we're here for tho we're here for the relationship. bc coop's explaining how cupids work how they try to guide people together you know they see a spark they're there to fan the flames

and the first thing prue asks is do soulmates exist and coop almost laughs. like we get a the good place if soulmates exist they're not found they're made. no love is predestined. you're not designed with one other half and only one other have. love exists in all places, in all forms, you just have to know where to find it

and piper and leo are like looking at each other having their Moment phoebe and dan are having their because hell yeah they are and prue's just like :/

and idk they have to do something and it's like. piper's making a potion or whatever and phoebe and dan are like trying to heal peoples love idk but to undo this cage we need a cupid so coop ur on mission However we also need to fight all the demons to get coop there so as the witch with the offensive power prue you're also on mission

and prue's just kind of been bitter and jaded towards coop the whole time but you know she'll go with him to save love because part of her hopes that you know. if they save love. maybe as a thank you you know they could throw her a bone maybe point her to new love.

but she doesn't really like entertaining that hope. because like. i don't know she doesn't man she doesn't want to keep hoping because she keeps getting kicked in the shins over and over again and how many blows can she be expected to take her

anyways now that they're on mission detail together and separate from the pack coop's like you can ask me that question now

and prue's like what question

and coop's like oh come on. the question you didn't want to ask in front of your sisters. you don't need to put on a brave face for them, they love you, they know you

and prue's like yeah i thought you couldn't tell what with your magic being down

and coop's like i don't need magic to tell that there's a lot of love in that house

and prue's like. like. it's true. but lately it feels like she's jsut the black cloud over the house i mean piper leo phoebe dan all these cute happy couples and she's just the miserable spinster who can't seem to move on so prue's like fine. i'll ask. am i doomed? am i never gonna find love again? because i'm looking, i am

and coop laughs and prue's like what? what's so funny?

and coop's like you're not looking for love

and prue's like yes i am!! have you not seen all the dates i've been going on

and coop's like yes i've seen em i orchestrated about two thirds of them and that's how i know you're not looking for love

and prue's like okay since you know so damn much what am i looking for and coop's like you're looking for andy

and those words kinda feel like an icicle dagger rite to the heart because. because andy really was love, huh. like. like he's what she thinks about when she thinks about love

and coop's like you know think of love as like snowflakes no two are the same what you had with andy was beautiful and it was love and i'm not going to lie you're not going to get that again. you won't get that love again. but that doesn't mean that you won't love, or be loved. there's so much love out there, prue. you just have to let it in

and prue's like wow u make it sound so romantic too bad i'm actually on the ground here and i know it's not just that easy it's not like you know like i have all these options that love is just pouring at my feet here

and coop laughs again because come on. you're prue halliwell. you're strong, talented, powerful, romantic. you have so much love in your heart, it's obvious in everything you do, it the way you care for your family, in your photography in your this and your that and coop kinda gets carried away in a what makes you beautiful monologue and prue's looking at him like goddamn. because that's the most romance she's heard in a while

but then coop clears his throat because whoops haha that was probably a bit too much prolly crossed a line there and prue pulls out of the moment bc right he's a cupid that's just his job he doesn't mean anything by it you're nothing special in his eyes okay time to go kill some demons!!

and they do it and they get the cupid magic back up and running so um. great work team! be seeing you never, i guess? and coop's like ready to vanish back into the ether or whatever it is cupids do but he and prue have a moment he says one final last line about love it's out there it's beautiful you're gonna find it i promise and then maybe a forehead kiss for good measure bc those are great

and the episode ends with prue on a date a p3 and it's going well like it's going fine she's not fully present but like. well. :|. and homeboy goes in for a kiss and prue pulls back and she's like i'm sorry. i just. i can't do this.

and she leaves p3 walks out into the parking lot like goddamn and coop's like come on was my monologue for nothing?

and prue's like coop

didn't think i'd ever see you again

and coop's like i mean i gotta help you find love right? that's kind of my job. so, uh, recon, what's wrong with that guy in there? because i really liked him for you he's funny he's great with animals did he tell you about his dog she's only got three legs her name's buttercup cutest damn thing i really thought you guys might hit it off

and prue's like yeah no yeah he's. he's fine.

and coop's like fine's not love

and prue's like i mean. whatcha gonna do. bc i think i'm in love with what i can't have

and coop's like prue just because you lost andy doesn't mean that's it for you there's still so m

that's not what i meant

then what did you mean

[meaningful eye contact]

and the other shoe drops. oh. she's in love with a cupid. yeah that's probably. you probably can't have that, because like. it's against the rules, it's never even happened before, and besides, there are- you know what? fuck it

passionate kiss under a streetlight where we zoom out and tilt up to look at the stars au where you can see the stars in san francisco there's no fog there's no light pollution why? how? the magic of romance <3

[lilbabychilton]

omg gurrrll I love your writing!! would it be okay to request HCs for Chilton and/or Barba with a fem s/o who has a chronic illness and her meds make her really tired and weak, so she can't work and basically is like a stay-at-home girlfriend/"housewife"? I just got diagnosed and my meds make me sleep all day lmao. Can be both SFW and NSFW if you want lol

Hello there, darling! Of course I can write this! My girlfriend has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, so I have a bit of experience with this lmao. This is both Barba and Chilton nsfw under the cut.

Chilton-

-Honestly and truly, Frederick is more than happy to have you stay at home. Being able to provide for you, and provide for you well gives him an ego boost. He is the type to brag that his wife doesn't have to work. Knowing you’ll be there when he gets home, to great him with joy and warmth brings him a sense of comfort that he’s never felt before.

-Frederick is a doctor, and a medical one at that (though he’s not exactly good at it, he’s still got some working knowledge.) So he ensures you see the best doctors possible, are on top quality medications, and he goes to your every appointment. Though you do have to stop him from competing with your doctors. The last time you saw your GP, you swear he nearly ran the other way when he saw Frederick.

-Your frequent sleepiness doesn’t really bother our dear Frederick. I mean, don’t get me wrong, sometimes he feels disappointed when you’re sleeping and he craves attention, or would like to do something with you. But at the end of the day he’s overjoyed to just have you with him. He’ll spot you napping in bed and stop in just to hold you, or see that you’ve fallen asleep on the couch and drape a blanket over you so you don’t get too cold.

-By far is FAVORITE thing about having a housewife is when you’ll surprise him by greeting him at the door in a set of his favorite lingerie. Sometimes he gets hard just thinking about it. Knowing that your his, and you look like that gets him going. He’ll take you right in the hallway if you let him. Pinning you against the hastily closed door and kissing you with the all fervor and passion of a starved man. He’ll cum, and quickly too; but lord will he make up for it tenfold. Eating you like your sweet nectar is the only thing in this world that can quench his thirst. He’ll have you coming until your legs are shaking and you’re seeing stars.

Barba-

-Rafael Barba tries his god damnedest to make sure you’re comfortable and happy; and if that means you staying home and being his darling housewife, then so be it. He makes jokes often about how you’re his “Trophy Wife” and how one day, you’ll tire of him and leave him for your strong and handsome gardener. You always respond by reminding him that you don’t have a gardener, that you live in New York, you don’t even have a yard.

-Rafi really loves having you at home, you’re always there when he comes home from long nights at work, or really rough cases. One phone call away when he needs to hear your voice. You are his calm in the middle of the storm that is his life. Always there to center him again, and renew his sense of balance. More than once he’s told you that if it weren’t for you he wouldn’t win nearly as many cases as he does, and it’s true. Without you, he wouldn’t have a sharp sense of clarity, or as hearty a moral compass.

-Our soft lawyer boy always makes sure that you take your meds, and take them on time. He even set a timer on your phone, and has a text scheduled to send to you every day at the same time. 15 minutes later than the alarm that you undoubtedly shut off.

-He doesn’t mind that you’re sleepy at all. Most of the time you’re napping he’s at work anyway, so he doesn’t see it too much. But it does give him some much needed cuddle time on the weekends. God Rafael would hold you forever if you let him. It doesn’t matter if you’re sleeping, hell he’ll sleep with you. His favorite is when you fall asleep with your head on his lap as he’s reading some boring old law book, then he can run his fingers over your soft features and truly admire your beauty.

-Sometimes, to tease him, you’ll send him semi nude pictures while hes at work. Usually in the bra that makes your tits look ethereal, and one of his favorite shirts. The pictures always come along with teasing texts about what you’re doing to yourself or what you want to do to him. Rafael curses, in spanish, every time. And every time, without fail, he comes home on his lunch break and absolutely fucking rails you on the couch. Your legs over his shoulders and panties pulled to the side, he makes sure you cum three times before he even thinks about coming. He’s not leaving that house until you’re fucked drunk and cockdumb.

[brynnmck]

J/B Exchange Recs Round 1!

I have not been around Tumblr much lately because I was so preoccupied with stuff for @jaime-brienne-fic-exchange, but I am trying to get back into the swing of things, and I figured what better place to start than with some recs?

These are currently skewed a bit toward my amaaaazing gift fic and the amaaaaazing ones I beta-ed, since I am way behind on my reading, but there will be more to come!

Backpfeifengesicht by @samirant - I am so unbelievably grateful that I had both amazing prompts/amazing recipient for the fic I wrote, and such a fabulous gift fic too. I was still working on my own fic and very sleep-deprived and flagging when I read this for the first time and I think I may have actually left my body on a wave of sheer euphoria. IT IS ALL THE GOOD THINGS. So many of my favorite vacation/road trip tropes--drunken shenanigans! Intimate late-night conversations while everyone else is sleeping/elsewhere! Friends being too involved in your relationship! Unexpected forced proximity! And the banter is glorious, and the secondary characters are so well thought out and add such depth and vibrance to the story, and the Sansa/Margaery subplot was DELIGHTFUL, and I love the way this structured Brienne's relationship to Tyrion and then to Jaime as an extension of that, and the resolution was handled with an absolutely perfect balance of hilarity and heat. (There was also the stuff throughout that was very targeted to me specifically WHICH I APPRECIATED, so thanks to both Sami and @forbiddenfantasies1 for that). About 20% of the way into the story, I was deeply convinced it was Sami, and in the best possible way--it had the hallmarks I love about her writing: her sense of humor, her gift for banter, her clear affection for the characters, the richness of all the relationships. It was like showing up to a party and unexpectedly finding a friend there, and it was the loveliest feeling. I am thrilled that so many people have read and loved this story but I want everyone in the world to read and love it, so. Please check it out if you haven't! And also check out Sami's hilarious tale of woe regarding her writing process, which is amazing. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR SUCH A PHENOMENAL GIFT SAMI.  ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

A favorite line: On any other day, Brienne would have left him - a relative stranger - to his wallowing, but an untold amount of imbibed Pentoshi Slammers stirred up a noble benevolence within her, a little voice that said they had something in common and what good were her broad shoulders if they weren’t offered as a place to rest a weary, heartbroken brow? SO GOOD.

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Lay Your Heartbreak and the sequel You could make me feel so good by @ajoblotofjunk / sdwolfpup - LISTEN. SDW sent me an early chunk of this and I was immediately OBSESSED and I have not stopped being obsessed since. Obviously worldbuilding is a huge strength of SDW's and her creativity with that is a constant astonishment to me. But pop culture is full of examples of people who can create amazing worlds and then utterly fail to populate them with interesting or dynamic characters, whereas SDW's ability to fill in those wonderfully creative spaces with her love for the characters and their love for each other that is just magic. And these fics are the perfect examples of that. The setup is not only fascinating but makes for such fantastically INTENSE feelings, omg, everything just feels like it's crackling off the page; even before Jaime and Brienne and Addam are admitting anything to each other, it's not so much simmering under the surface as boiling. The balance between the three of them is gorgeous, there are two incredibly hot fencing scenes as well as a very hot swimming scene (in addition to the sequel being just one big tangle of brain-scorching hotness), there's a perfect amount of sweetness and softness to play off all the blazing heat, and overall this is one that's going to stick with me for a long time. I know J/A/B isn't everyone's cup of tea, but if you aren't actively opposed to the idea of them, then I highly highly encourage you to check this out. 

A favorite line: That night she dreams of golden skin, hot and soft against her palm – yes, someone moans, yes – the rough scrape of callouses over the arch of her ribs, the scratch of red stubble between her thighs – like this? Yes, more, please more – legs sliding together and between each other, and two mouths touching her all over. Hnnnnngh.

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The Limit Does Not Exist by @agirlnamedkeith / sameboots - Fics with a power imbalance are something I approach with a lot of caution but I LOVED the way that sameboots handled it here. The fact that this fic includes her signature extremely hot feelings-forward porn as well as a thoughtful exploration of what it can mean to be a woman in STEM is like a beautiful multi-course meal; I cared a LOT about whether they were gonna do it and I was also equally invested in how Brienne’s thesis was going to turn out and where she would go from there. I love Brienne’s stubbornness and determination and even though she’s finding her way here (as you would be, as a grad student), those elements are VERY much on display and they spark fantastically against an initially guarded and caustic but eventually deeply admiring Jaime. And while I don’t want to spoil anything, I will say that I feel like the end is a perfect illustration of one of the major themes of the fic, and I love it so much for that. Watching this one take shape and watching sameboots geek out over her math research was a delight, and the result is excellent (and did I mention, extremely hot). Definitely worth all her work!

A favorite line: “Has anyone ever told you that you’re the worst liar?” (KIDDING HANNAH ILU HERE’S THE REAL ONE:)  The problem with smoothies was that it was hard to make them aggressively., Angrily pushing a button didn’t have the same release as whaling on a punching bag. Brienne didn’t have a punching bag, though, and she desperately needed to do something, and she was hungry. ANGRY SMOOTHING-MAKING. I LOVE IT.

_____

Right Off the Bat by @hillaryschu - A You’ve Got Mail AU where Jaime and Brienne are rival Little League coaches who unknowingly bond over Twitter is SUCH a great idea, and Hillary committed to it right down to the delightful rom-com-trailer summary. She also put an enormous amount of care into the details of the story--she had references for outfits, buildings, even Jaime’s cologne--and it shows in all the lush descriptions throughout. The banter is sparky, watching their two relationships gradually unfold is a lot of fun, there’s a particular tipsy (on Brienne’s part) Twitter DM exchange that I still get flustered thinking about, and there’s a batting cage scene that will be haunting my brain for a while. Especially given that Hillary had never written a story anywhere near this long before, I’m so impressed that she pulled it off (and fixed some of the most problematic elements of the movie, too). Congratulations to her on rising to the challenge!

A favorite line: But as they part from each other, Brienne lifts the hem of her tee to wipe the dirt and sweat from her face. Her exposed stomach is pale and toned, with softly defined muscles that gleam with perspiration. Jaime trips over home plate. SAME JAIME. SAME.

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X Marks the Spot (where I’ll find you again) by @pretty--thief - PIRATES. I WAS SO EXCITED WHEN I HEARD ABOUT THE PIRATES. And this fic is such a fantastic blend of snappy, exciting swashbuckling (and hilarious use of parrots) and a very poignant backstory that underlays the adventure with all this yeeeeeearning and it’s SO GOOD. The action scenes are thrilling, the descriptions are gorgeous, there is STARGAZING and BATTLE COUPLE, the Jaime snark is chefkiss, Brienne is so brave and committed and quietly full of feelings, there’s a really lovely discussion of the ethics of being in the military, and also Pod and Addam and Arya and PIRATES FOR JUSTICE. SO HERE FOR THAT. And did I mention the yeeeeeearning (which is paid off wonderfully--the penultimate chapter lived rent-free in my mind for about a week after I first read it)? Ugh SO GOOD.

A favorite line: When he had exited his quarters, Brienne had looked at him with so much concern in her eyes it threatened to swallow Jaime whole. He’d felt something similar when he was around Cersei, when they were fucking or fighting; a fire he had once thought he could never tire of, would never want to put out. But Brienne had reached out her hand, as if on reflex, and smoothed her thumb across his tired brow. The ship had continued to sway beneath them, and Jaime didn’t feel fire. He didn’t feel like he would be turned to ash at any moment. He felt a breeze, the wind in his hair and salty air in his lungs. as;lfkja;sldjgas;lfjas;lf 

_____

Federation Fliers by @elizadunc /Ladybugbear2 - A short and very sweet one! I adore the world that Megs created in this and would happily read many many more words in it, but this is a lovely glimpse in and of itself, and made me so happy. Established relationship (which I love), one of my favorite Jaime nicknames for Brienne, a wonderfully badass Brienne and a wonderfully besotted Jaime, all against a fascinating backdrop. So good!

A favorite line: She belonged in the sky. She had a grace to her movements on the ground, but in the sky she was ethereal. HEART-EYES

_____

And now for a few that I just read after they were posted like a normal person:

Wine Down by @slipsthrufingers - SOME MILD SPOILERS HEREIN FYI. Okay first of all, the summary of this fic is deliciously evil and I think we all need to appreciate that. Also, it starts out with Jaime and Brienne having lunch together and these glorious descriptions of food and he has taken note of the specific food she likes and is making sure it’s provided for her and that is SO VERY MUCH MY LOVE LANGUAGE YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW. I FLAILED. And then things go, shall we say, a bit downhill, but in the most achingly beautiful way--Jaime sacrificing himself for Brienne and Brienne determined to tether him to life through sheer force of will and steadfast devotion. Slips puts us right into Brienne’s headspace/heartspace while she’s worrying for Jaime and trying to negotiate the fucked-up Lannister family dynamics (and the observations on said dynamics are wonderful too), and this hits such an excellent balance of Brienne’s rigidly controlled surface and everything that’s roiling away underneath. I’m always fascinated by the idea of what could have happened during the time that Brienne was in King’s Landing and this is such a brilliant exploration of how things could have gone, and Brienne’s interactions with the rest of the Lannisters (and Sansa) give the world that much more depth as well. The descriptions throughout are beautiful, there are so many lovely turns of phrase, the intimacy between Jaime and Brienne is just devastating, and it all comes back around to an immensely satisfying conclusion. SO GOOD. 

A favorite line: The gods had seen fit to give her an unwomanly body, so she had taken up the sword. They had given her an ugly face, so she had perfected her manners and courtesies so they could never be frowned upon. But they had given her a maiden’s heart, and try as she might she had never found the right weapon to protect it. MY PRECIOUS GIRL.

_____

A Matter of Honor by @nire-the-mithridatist - I shrieked at nire in DMs basically the whole time I was reading this story, it made me experience like 90% of the range of human emotions in one night and I’m still mad about it. This features a fascinatingly flipped script where Brienne is the wealthy one and Jaime the supplicant, and an arrogant-ass supplicant he is. Brienne is an angy baby nineteen-year-old who is furious at the entire world and I fucking adore her for it, and watching all the events unfold through the lens of her (generally well-founded) suspicions was a delicious sort of torture where I trusted NO ONE and genuinely did not know exactly what was going to happen next. Nire turns a lot of marriage fic tropes on their head in this and it’s all done brilliantly, and there is EXTREMELY SEXY SWORD-FIGHTING (and as a sexy bonus, Brienne’s perspective on it feels so perfect for someone who is truly an accomplished swordswoman), and nire uses some common elements throughout to just pack in these layers and layers of meaning and significance, and there are many turns of phrase so perfect that they hurt, and then she’s like “hey would you like to re-feel all the feelings in this story again in a very concentrated burst” and it’s SO MUCH, and the conclusion pays everything off amazingly. And even though it’s very swoony and romantic (and HOT. I SHOULD MENTION VERY HOT), there’s a hint of melancholy to it too, reckoning with what it means to be a woman--even a wealthy one--in Brienne’s world, and it’s just the perfect crunch of salt on top of all the sweetness. LOVE. 

A favorite line: He brought her knuckles to his lips. As sweet as honeyed nettles, he declared, “Lady Brienne. You have made me the happiest of men.” As the crowd roared in approval, she felt the sting of his kiss. STING OF HIS KISS ARE YOU KIDDING ME. Also I’m including this for purely thirsty reasons but NO SHAME: He stood from the sofa and went to help his wife undress, and if she noticed his averted eyes and his trembling hands—oh gods, the laces went on endlessly down her back, and with each pull, a little more of her figure was revealed, barely veiled by her gauzy shift—she said nothing. I DIED. I ALSO SAID NOTHING BECAUSE I WAS DEAD. Fuck, man.

_____

The Riverlands Gang Go to the Zoo by @naomignome - Another shorter and very delightful one with Naomi’s typical brand of chaotic humor that I adore. It’s Hyle POV, for one thing, which is good times, and the structure of this is so clever--the way each section of the zoo is used to progress the story is so seamless and happy-making, and there are tons of little jokes and Easter eggs packed in along with a very sweet, snarky emotional storyline wherein Hyle is definitely doomed. Plus another EXCELLENT Brienne nickname in here. LOVELY. 

A favorite line: “Pixel!” he said laughingly, “You know if you fell in the bear pit, I would jump after you without a second thought.” “You need to have a first thought in order to have a second one.” Brienne said dryly. SUCH A GOOD BURN.

_____

all these people think love’s for show (but i would die for you in secret) by @naomignome - This is SUCH A FLEX because not only did Naomi write TWO fics for her recipient but they are WILDLY DIFFERENT and I’m so impressed with her for doing it! This one is SPIEEEEESSSS and Naomi packs so much tension into 5K, I was on the edge of my seat through the whole thing. Canon events are woven in astonishingly well, and it’s a delicious enemies-to-partners-to-lovers situation that involves some excellent hurt/comfort and excellent use of RAIN to moody/sexy effect and it’s just all very thrilling. YUM.

A favorite line: He lets off a single bullet and it grazes the inside of her thigh, enough to make her wince and draw blood, but not enough to stop her from tackling him to the ground and wrestling him into submission. She’s got both of his wrists pinned above his head and her knee is drawn up and pressed against his torso. Jaime’s chest is heaving under her knee. Her chest is heaving in tandem. From above him, Brienne can see the green of his eyes darken, and even in submission, he’s annoyingly beautiful. Her blood is rushing, and it’s not all adrenaline. WHEW. SAME.

_____

as stars once a year brush the earth by @ylizam / mazily - Another wonderfully bite-sized one (good job actually taking the minimum word count as a guideline, people who did that, unlike the rest of us dumbasses!) that packs a lot into a small space. A canon-ish soulmates AU that’s so understated and dreamy, but with the echo of all the turmoil they’ve gone through to get to this place that brings everything in sharp relief. It’s also funny and sexy and romantic as fuck, and there are gorgeous poetic descriptions, and they spar by a WATERFALL, and just. So much happens in just over 1600 words! IMPRESSIVE.

A favorite line: Her right hand goes numb, unfeeling; back in their rooms Jaime is waking up, and she knows the phantom ache of his missing hand is bothering him. Jaime is waking, and yawning, the bed linens pooling around his waist and highlighting his summer tanned skin. She misses him, suddenly, as wide as the endless sea in front of her. BEAUTIFUL.

OKAY THIS WAS A LONG POST. That’s all I’ve got for now--more to come as I continue my reading!!

[bloomists]

—bts’s ideal types

—requested by: me lol

—genre: descriptive? is that even a genre?

—warnings: none!

—author’s note: no one requested this but i wanted to do it so badly! also this is what i think! none of this is real lmao i don’t have that kind of info hahaha. request something if you liked it! 🥺

seokjin

appearance: i can see seokjin with a very tall person, light brunette hair and soft eyes that show how kind that person is. cute button nose so he can flick it and a person that blushes for everything!

style: i don’t know why but i see him with a person that wears stylish but comfortable clothes at the same time with soft pastel colors that matches their skin. in conclusion seokjin’s partner has a good sense of fashion and dresses with clothes in which they feel free and can move around like big light trousers or skirts or dresses.

personality: very mature and traditional? like not the bad traditional in which the person is very close minded but the kind of person that wants to get married and from a family when they are young. also shy but confident when they have to stand up for something they believe in.

yoongi

appearance: omg freckles and dimples and short light hair that he can play with. truthfully i don’t think yoongi cares a lot about appearances and instead focuses on said person’s morals and attitudes towards others but i see him with a very cute and quier person.

style: minimal colors and a lot of cool merch? i think his partner would be very interested in music in general and i see them as someone that wears comfy clothes that makes them look ten times smaller.

personality: as i said very shy and small, someone that is very open-minded that yoongi can talk to and they have to be extremely kind since i think yoongi needs constant positivity in his life. i think a person like that would make him feel safe and comfortable and overall good with himself and his bittersweet life.

hoseok

appearance: big smile and tanned golden skin. kind eyes and dimples and curly kind-of-a-mess hair. tall person so they are both the same height and just overall a cute mess. i think he would go for poc people!

style: someone that matches his style? like hoseok loves fashion and expressing himself through his clothes so someone that isn’t afraid to dress themselves non-traditional/normal clothes? very artistic pieces of clothes and just a lot of colors!

personality: a calm person, not shy but observant. someone that you think is very loud but is usually the one that is very quiet in a crowded room. very understanding and someone that devotes themselves to their friends/family. i think he seeks stability and someone who he can be honest all the time. an emotionally intelligent person!

namjoon

appearance: again, a tall person with dark hair. dimples and freckles and probably poc. i think that, just like yoongi, he doesn’t care much about how you look like but how you behave yourself around others!

style: baggy black clothes! fisher hats, mask and a lot of accessories to match the clothes with. i can see some piercings, maybe a nose or lip one. a very sexy-but-not-trying-too-hard-to-be-sexy.

personality: intimidating but not rude (be kind!), very straightforward person that always tells you how they feel, intelligent and with a lot of ambition. overall a slytherin lol. a leader and not a follower so they can understand namjoon and maybe guide him when he feels stuck. a very successful couple.

jimin

appearance: long dark hair, a serious person with tattoos and piercings but has the kindest face you have ever seen. sexy and cute at the same time without even trying. i see the person having tanned or dark skin and eyes. short so he can hug you from behind and rest his chin on your head. very small in general.

style: either very bright colors or just white and black, depends on the day. small minimal tattoo on their arms and a nose piercing.

personality: if you saw them you would think they are intimidating but once you get to know them they are the sweetest person ever?? compliments everyone and can have very weird thoughts?? into creepy/horror stories and is a very brave person so they can hold jimin in their arms. they compliment each other very well.

taehyung

appearance: traditional beauty. probably a korean person that makes you feel inferior because they are ethereal. i feel like he has a very specific kind of person that he likes and would never go for another person? a soft face for sure and very pretty eyes with dimples.

style: elegant and soft colors and fabrics. clothes that hug their figure (gues what?he doesn’t care about the body type that you have because all! body! types! are! beautiful!), white and beige being the prominent colors plus rings and earrings being regulars.

personality: a humble soft person! i don’t know why i picture him dating a person that works hard. like the person works for the family business in a farm or something. confident and intelligent and has big dreams and ambitions but would renounce to those because of their family if they had to.

jungkook

appearance: small person. big round soft eyes that shine with a million thoughts not being said. freckles all over their face and a small nose. very long hair that has gone through a lot of stuff because his partner would have dyed it too many times.

style: cozy baggy clothes just like him. black and white being the most used colors. piercings and tattoos.

personality: brave confident funny person in general. that one person you want to hang around with when you are feeling down. doesn’t have a dream but it’s okay because she really doesn’t care. very carefree and sometimes immature so jungkook can relax and have a very good time. i feel like jungkook would fall in love with you so quick if you are like this.

[requiem626k]

Hello my dear Req, I'm here again to ask for some classical music you could recommend me🤭 Usually I would ask for piano music, but I've been in the mood for one with a harp in it lately! And I know you're busy with school and all that so please take your time hehe. And take care🥰

Hello there, my dearest Kat ❤️! I’d be so delighted to recommend you more pieces, it makes my little heart so happy that you’re interested in them 🥺💕

I hope you’ll like my selection! I tried to include variety in terms of vibes, nationalities and eras this time (Austrian-Classical, Russian-Romantic and French-19th century), instead of sticking to a single man 🤭 I’ll try to keep it short and simple (no that’s a lie, I won’t be able to 😶)

And thank you so much for your consideration, things have been pretty busy for me indeed so I’m sorry for the extremely late post 😖 And I know that uni is soon starting for you, so likewise, please take your time to listen to the pieces <3

That being said, let’s start~

Mozart - Als Luise die Briefe ihres ungetreuen Liebhabers verbrannte

Of course, it wouldn’t be Req’s post if it didn’t start off with Mozart. This is a short lied like Das Veilchen (the one that I previously shared), the title is long haha and it means “As Luise Was Burning the Letters of Her Unfaithful Lover”. As you can guess from its name, this is really, REALLY dramatic. It’s in c minor, a tonality that Mozart doesn’t use so often (but when he does, oh boy, see his Great Mass in c minor 🤤) but which is perfect for its fierce mood. Also it’s fairly special for me because we used to sing this in our music theory classes haha, I would play the piano accompaniment while practicing with the classmates before every oral exam.

I truly adore this lied. The lyrics are once again taken from a poem, a poem of Gabriele von Baumberg, she apparently wrote it at a very young age (18 or so).

My heart melts at 00.34 omg, that soft “melancholie” and the silence that comes after 🥺… It’s truly one of those silences that make you agree with Mozart’s quote:

The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between.

Then, it takes a cheerful turn (he just can’t refrain from putting happy sprinkles 🤭) until the strong chord at 00.49.

I think the section that starts at 01.00 is so worthy of being noted, I love love LOVE the suspense and tension that the piano accompaniment creates and that finishes with a strong build-up.

And the chord at 01.32… I leave my heart there. It just has me so soft. It’s so bittersweet, Mozart for some reason repeats the phrase “May smoulder long yet in my heart.” twice at the end and it’s just- 🥺

As always, he knows so well what word must be cited with what emotion, and chooses carefully his chords and functions. I just love it, and wanted to share since you had liked the previous lied 🤭

Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 2

*inhale* This one’s gonna be long, I can feel it.

I have literally SO MANY things to say about this one.

Rachmaninoff is a famous Russian composer that you might have heard of. He’s part of the Romantic Era which is, to simplify, about pouring your emotions and the turmoils in your life into your art and depicting feelings instead of trying to stick to certain rules and ‘holy’ virtues, of which we had already talked about a bit hehe.

And this piece… Oh my. You’ll see how different this concerto is compared to the Mozart ones we listened to previously. His second piano concerto corresponds to a depressive episode of his, due to his works not having a big success and being criticised so harshly. This beautiful piece is his comeback work, and you can just feel the inner conflicts, the emotional tornado he had at that period. With Mozart’s concertos, your soul is purified, they softly caress your insides and comfort you. But here, Rachmaninoff takes your emotions, and he proceeds to crush it. He plays with it, throws it, abuses it, you sob and sob and sob. At least I do 😭.

First movement

One can perfectly sense the dark pessimism in the first, silent, dangerous chord. As the 8 chords come one after another, every single one stronger than the previous, you’re on your toes and the tension increases until finally hearing the main theme through violins at 00.43. Listen to that theme very well. It’s so beautiful, so so moving, the piano section creates a fierce, dangerous background and I always get goosebumps when the violins come in.

Then, at 02.30, the second main theme is heard through the piano, pay attention to that! You will encounter it under various forms through the movement 🤭 It’s much softer compared to the first, ominous theme, it creates a beautiful contrast.

I want to note down the beautiful oboe-piano duet in 04.14 🥺. I adore oboes, it has a really beautiful and soft vibe, and here its melody is just so bittersweet when combined with the piano’s accompaniment. Then at 04.35, the piano starts playing a really soft phrase, the soft touch at that high note at 04.46, oh my God my heart. I have a feeling that you’ll adore that part 🥺 I want to note down literally every second omg

At 05.22, it turns once again really quiet and ominous, foreshadowing a big outburst through a build-up. The flutes play a big role in that aura through their short but dangerous phrases.

I especially adore the part at 06.17 in this pre-outburst section, it’s reminds me of a wave of emotions that keep hitting you and stepping back, only to strike even harder afterwards. The flutes in the background reinforce this vibe. The tension gets higher and higher at 06.36 (omg I’ll faint I love this part, I’m trembling while listening to it and trying to write this at the same time, I can’t keep up with my thoughts aaa) through the constant mutual escalation of both the piano and the orchestra. THE BEAUTY OF THE BUILD-UP PLEASE I WILL LOSE MY MIND.

And all this preparation was for the beautifully passionate part at 07.02. Rachmaninoff notes down “Alla Marcia”, meaning it should be played like a march, and its rhythmic features most certainly have that vibe. It’s just so majestic, so pompous, so raw, I love love LOVE it. It’s almost like you’re swooning in euphoria after having an emotional build-up and breakdown, it’s just- it’s something else that I can’t even describe. I just don’t have the right words for it.

I know that the piano’s melody is so alluring and enchanting there, but maybe in a second listen, I’ll want you to pay attention to the violin part during the march section 👀 Can you hear the very first theme that was introduced at the very beginning of the movement? Rachmaninoff was a total genius to put it in the background and make it fit so well. I always hesitate between paying attention to violins or piano, I end up rewinding it every single time 😖 It’s soo good.

After the euphoric section, the second theme comes again. A thing that’s worth noting down is the flute’s beautiful addition at 07.53, it’s in the background but it just makes my heart melt. I also always get goosebumps at the few ominous, sinister seconds that starts at 09.17 😳

Then it goes pretty quietly until the ending hehe, like a calmness after storm 😌 This piece is a total emotional rollercoaster, I swear. At 11.01, I love the playfulness of the piano section, it’s just so mischievous like a little naughty kitten. Then it picks up the pace, and ends with three strong beats.

Ugh. 🦋🦋🦋

Second movement

(meme credit goes to @/pianoomemes on Instagram)

This meme says it all. I don’t even need to add anything else. As you know by now, the second movements are meant to create a sharp contrast with the first one’s mood, and 🥺😭.

The main melody… It has my heart. The movement starts with a soft piano-flute introduction, and the ethereal main theme is heard at 12.56 through an oboe.

I don’t really any other commentary to do on this heavenly movement. Just let yourself in its embrace without any technical/guiding worries <3

(Though I feel obliged to add that the part that truly has me in this movement is 22.17 🥺. It’s just so moving and sweet ahh, it just takes you away, it almost has a sentiment of longing I feel, I always have a drop of tear forming in my eyes at that part.)

Third movement

The third movement is a usual, playful, jokester movement hehe. It’s a general pattern for final movements as you might have noticed, even though this one’s not written under a Rondo form. It’s rare that I say this, but I feel like this final movement is as charming as the second one for me 🤭 (No movement surpasses the first movement though, personally of course~)

The theme that starts at 25.51 through violins is so so charismatic, it almost always flusters me 😳✨.

Then he naughtily plays around with themes, modulations and instruments haha, I’ll leave the commentary at that and leave you once again alone with the movement itself 😌

(The majestic comeback of the charismatic theme at 34.09 though 😳! I’m *this* close to thirsting over a theme omg it’s MESMERISING I want to cry.)

Fauré - Cantique de Jean Racine, Op. 11

And finally, to fulfil your wish 💕, here’s a piece from Fauré where you can hear one of the most beautiful usages of harp in a work, in my opinion.

Even though it’s a religious work, its lyrics are in French. Fauré is a French composer from late 19th century, and even though he’s not that well-known among the media he’s a really unique composer that we can’t even classify in a certain movement. He’s from the same era as the French Impressionists such as Debussy or Ravel, but his style is much more different than theirs. He even has his own unique chord chain etc. that we use the term “fauréen” in harmony classes. But anyways, onto the piece 🤭

I really have no proper words to describe how heavenly, ethereal, poetic, incredible, awe-inspiring and soft this piece is. Like oh my God. I feel my heart melting into a puddle and tear up every time I listen to it. I just can’t bring myself to believe that he was only 19 when he composed this for a competition, if my memory doesn’t deceive me.

The beginning with the orchestra and harp is making a truly beautiful beginning, and the first moment that I want to talk about is 01.09, it always gives me goosebumps when the sopranos come in on the background that the basses and tenors had created.

At 02.00, there’s a soft oboe that comes in for a few seconds and only plays four notes, do you hear it? Those four notes can have my heart 🥺. It’s so beautiful omg. It’s crazy how the littlest touch could make such big of a difference. He could’ve easily not put it there, but he did and that’s what makes a good composer.

The “que tout l’enfer” at 02.24 is so fierce, so mad, “enfer” means “hell” and Fauré really accentuated its meaning, I love it.

And when the piece comes to the ending, at 04.14, a soft flute plays the beginning of the main theme for the first time I believe, which is a really enchanting change for the ear.

And the ending is just so, so soft like the whole piece, I truly can’t. The main melody is just so beautiful, and he truly did an impeccable job with mixing all the voices, the orchestra and the beautiful harp together. I just turn into a soft, soft bubble made out of cotton every time I listen to this.

~

Ahh this was a long ride, I truly hope you enjoyed the pieces, my beloved! I wasn’t sure which style or composers you would like the most, I guess we’ll try and see 😳❤️

Just for the sake of archiving them, I’ll also add the links of the beautiful pieces we discussed on Discord.

Fauré - Barcarolle no. 1 (Fauré brainrot is strong with me nowadays haha)

Mendelssohn - Etude no. 1 op. 104b (I feel like you’d love his A Midsummer Night’s Dream overture ngl, because Shakespeare 😳 I didn’t add it here though since it doesn’t contain piano or harp)

[ajokeformur-ray]

You are enough, honey // Arthur x Flavia // body insecurity comfort.

I don't know omg maybe something about an anxious reader who struggles with body image and in general very insecure about everything she is or does, and that leads her to think she's never enough? I love the way you write about those prompts sksk but I know that you've written about that very many times, so if you prefer to write about something different than usual don't hesitate to tell me <3 I mean I already know I'm gonna love it no matter what sksks @jokerownsmysoul 

A/N: Thank you so, so much for everything that you’ve ever done for me!!! You and your writing are such a blessing and we’re so incredibly lucky to have you here, darling! I truly hope that you like this piece; I’m so sorry it took me so long! I get really nervous to the point of stomachaches with personalised pieces lmao if you don’t like this then please let me know and I’m happy to make any changes. ILYYYYYY~ <3 enjoy!! ^^ <3

I really related to and connected with this piece and it was quite cathartic to write; I hope that it’s the same for you. 

Warnings for body insecurity, feeling like you’re not enough and other spiralling thoughts. I think I swear? Idk.

Word count: 3, 190 (I hope the length makes up for your long wait omg I’m so sorry I’ve been so lazy with writing recently)

It had started when you looked in the mirror, when you had really looked at yourself and at your body, and ever since then had something inside you been building. For weeks had this something been plaguing you... Arthur had picked up on it from the very beginning, so emotionally intellectual and so intuitive was he, but he trusted that when you were ready to talk about it, you would approach him and open up to him. So much between you was often left unsaid because you knew each other, you knew each other inside and out and so often did the both of you comfort the other on things which hadn’t been voiced because they hadn’t needed to be. On days like today, however, when issues which had been building were about to come to a head and you had been feeling too dark, too heavy within yourself and your body to even think about reaching out, Arthur was ready with open arms and listening ears. 

When push came to shove, Arthur would catch you. Every single time. No matter how far down the rabbit hole in your mind you fell, Arthur would drop to his knees without a thought for himself and reach within your own mind to pull you out, to bring you back home to him. It was the least he could do for you after everything that you had done for him, after all. There was nothing but love in Arthur’s heart and you were his one and only person who understood him. As such, you received all of Arthur, all of his good and all of his bad, and you gave him all of yourself in return. You were both safe with each other, safe from the world and especially safe from yourselves.

You usually did what you could to avoid catching even the smallest of glimpses of yourself in any reflective surfaces. You would stand at the side of the sink and awkwardly bend over to wash your hands or to brush your teeth. When Arthur was standing beside you, so close was he that your elbows would occasionally knock against each other’s when you were washing your faces before bed. You would make each other laugh by pulling silly faces in the mirror, and it wasn’t unusual for one of you to choke on toothpaste or your toothbrush as a result of laughing so hard. During this time, you would keep your eyes on the water stained walls or the mouldy, cracked ceiling, or even on your dear, sweet Arthur. In a way were you afraid of yourself, afraid of what was within your mind, of your thoughts... If you looked in the mirror now, especially after the thoughts which had already started to bloom in your mind, you knew not what you would do. You knew your disgust would be immediately obvious upon your face, however, and that was something which you knew Arthur would not allow to pass by without mention.

Arthur had noticed these behaviours and though he often frowned at it, knowing what he did of you and the way that you were always so hard on yourself, most especially when you needed to treat yourself with kindness above all else, he knew that there was nothing he could really say. Hell, he was guilty of those same behaviours; of standing in front of the mirror and picking himself apart so completely that he reduced himself to a convulsing, cackling pile of a broken man on the floor of the bathroom. As such, Arthur held his tongue. He trusted you to talk to him about the things that were on your mind, just as you trusted him to do the same. It had always been a rule between the two of you that neither of you would hold yourselves back. You could laugh, cry, yell, scream, anything, and the other would be there. Within those four tiny walls of the cramped yet cosy apartment were the two of you safe from the world. You protected each other from everything as best as you could and it wasn’t unusual for you and for Arthur to sit facing each other on the bed or on the sofa, sharing your pains and wiping each other’s tears away and telling each other bad jokes to make the other giggle.

You would both do anything to make the other smile and to make the other feel as themselves as they were capable of being in that given moment, and it was arguably the one thing that kept the two of you together when all else failed to do so. Reality was cruel, cold and unforgiving, but Arthur’s hands, cool to the touch as they were, were always warmed by your own wrapped around him so thoroughly that he was unsure of where he started and where you began. You faced the world together, hand in hand, but today... today, had you stumbled and fallen, beaten down by the world and by your own thoughts.

One of those thoughts was more prominent than the other, more harsh and more cruel than the others. It was the loudest thought in your head and it commanded everything that you did, everything that you said. It even affected the way that you were treating Arthur. Though you loved him so desperately that at times did you think that your heart was going to jump right out of your chest and roll right across the floor, though every nerve in your body was screaming out for Arthur to take you in his arms, to chafe some warmth into your weary body with his hands, his gentle touch, though you needed Arthur today a bit more than you usually did, you found yourself pulling away from him. You were breaking the one rule in your relationship this day. You were holding back, but you couldn’t bring yourself to stop.

Stop... yes... you wanted it all to stop. What was the point of carrying on, of trying as hard as you did? You hated yourself, you hated your body and you hated everything about it, about your personality... that thought, that one single loud thought was screaming at you today. It wouldn’t go away and the more you pushed it down, the more you pushed it back as surely as you were pushing  yourself down and back from Arthur, the louder it screamed until it was all you were aware of.

You’re not enough.

You’re not enough.

You’re not enough.

You’re not enough.

Not enough.

That pressure that had been building within you, sat deep within your chest, poisoning your heart and turning you away from your love and your life, over the last few weeks was beginning to climb up your throat. It was choking you, preventing you from breathing, from catching a break, and as you bent down over the sink to spit out your mouthful of toothpaste did you come back up. The unthinkable, or so it seemed, happened. You caught your own eyes in your reflection and your nose, on impulse, scrunched up in real and true disgust. Oh, how you hated how you weren’t enough. Your body wasn’t enough. Your mind wasn’t enough. Your personality wasn’t enough. You weren’t enough.

Arthur caught this gesture, as he caught everything that you did, and as he bent to spit out his own toothpaste, to finish up the bedtime routine, he decided to put his foot down.

This was enough.

“Flavia.” Arthur’s soft rasp broke through the haze in your mind and you blinked slowly, somehow not daring to look away from your reflection. If you did, if you turned your head away and looked back, would you suddenly see your dream self? Would you be even uglier, somehow? You dared not look away even though you wanted to. Oh, how differently you wanted everything to be. There was only one thing which you would never change about yourself and that was the way you loved Arthur. No one could love you like you could, in your own specific way.

“Hm?” You bent to rinse your mouth out and Arthur’s hand landed on the small of your back as he both gave and received comfort in equal measure. His touch was solid, warm, even through the thin material of your shirt, and his fingers slipped innocently beneath the hem. Skin on skin contact was so important for the both of you. It grounded you, made you focus on something other than the roaring thoughts inside your tried and tired minds, and it only enriched the ethereal connection, the otherworldly bond, between the two of you. You straightened up, wiped your mouth on the nearby towel, and allowed yourself to sink into Arthur’s touch, though a part of you wanted to pull away.

You weren’t worthy or deserving of Arthur. You weren’t perfect, you weren’t everything that he and others needed you to be, you weren’t enough even for yourself so how could you even think that you would be enough for others? Oh, but you were so tired of always being so insecure, of always questioning whether you were saying the right things, doing the right things. Did you love Arthur enough? Did you love too much or, too little? You weren’t worthy of him, you and no matter how much you wished it might be otherwise, you never would be. You knew it and you thought that perhaps Arthur knew it too. Had he settled for you?

Arthur caught the spiral. It was all in your eyes and in that moment did he hate himself. He wasn’t loving you properly, he wasn’t loving you in the way that you deserved because of these thoughts. Though you hadn’t told him about them, he knew you well enough to guess and he knew that, though he wish it wasn’t so, he knew that he was right. The two of you always faced the world hand in hand and when you stumbled and fell, like in this moment as tears stung your eyes and begun to slip down your cheeks as the tenderness in Arthur’s voice, in his eyes and in his touch, overwhelmed and then quietened your thoughts, did Arthur’s grip on you manage to pull you back up to standing.

He cooed softly, in pain and in understanding, and the hand on the small of your back slipped out of your shirt as he pulled you into his arms. With one arm wound around your shaking shoulders, his fingers in your hair, strands slipping through his reverent touch like ink in water and the other around your waist, Arthur began to rock you in his arms as you stood there together, in front of the mirror. You hid your face, you prevented yourself from catching even a glimpse of yourself, of your body, in the mirror, in the warm crook of Arthur’s neck, pressing kisses there as you gave and received comfort in equal measure. Everything was equal with and between the two of you. His thin lips pursed as he peppered the side of your face with kisses. “Can you tell me... what you’re thinking?” Arthur was truly no stranger to that look on your face. He saw it in the mirror every single day, when he, like you, dared to look. He could abide his own insecurities, he could make friends with his own demons, but he would kick yours to the curb.

You bit your lip in hesitation and Arthur, sensing your tension, began to hum off key to That’s Life, still swaying with you on the spot. You smiled, you smiled, and you opened your mouth and like a broken dam did your thoughts drip off your tongue like water. They flowed into one another and fell from your lips so fast that it made you dizzy but you kept going. At one point did Arthur start rocking you in his arms just a little harder, just enough for you to really relax even with all of the turmoil and anguish inside of you, and he shushed you when your breath hitched or when you just needed a little extra something.

When at last, at last, were you finished, when at last had your words ran dry, when at last was there nothing left of yourself to voice, to give, did you fall silent and Arthur, in all of his wisdom and all of his overwhelming and impossible to quantify love for you, moved so that he could claim your lips with his. His lips were soft and warm against your own. He kissed you with such care and reverence, his hands moving to cup your face so that he could really love you in this one affectionate gesture. You were both stood in front of the mirror and Arthur turned you to face your reflection as he broke the kiss, standing behind you. He wrapped his arms around your waist and resting the sharp angle of his chin on your shoulder, his hollowed cheek pressed against yours. 

“Look at us.” His quiet murmur, his gentle touch and his soft eyes... Oh, but he was so beautiful that you only had eyes for him. “No, Flavia, look at us. Please.” Arthur’s soft rasping voice and the small kiss he pressed to your cheek made you look, really look, and you couldn’t have stopped your nose from wrinkling up in disgust if you tried. You closed your eyes, you turned away from yourself, and Arthur whined quietly, the sound saturated with dissatisfaction. “Look how beautiful you are. Those eyes... so full of love for me. They help you to see where you’re going...” One hand left your waist so that he could boop your nose, making you giggle quietly despite yourself. “This helps you to smell. Your lips... they do so much for you. You can talk, eat, kiss me...” The fingers on one of his hands slid into the spaces between your own, pulling your arms around yourself, over his own arms, so that you were safely in the cage of Arthur’s embrace and your own. 

His message were clear: you would keep your insecurities, worries, fears, doubts, anxieties and everything else away together.

“I know what it’s like,” He pressed another kiss to your cheek. “To think you have to be... perfect all the time. But you don’t.” Arthur shook his head just once and nuzzled his face into your warm neck, moving so that one of his hands, the one not holding your own, could full splay across your stomach as he pressed you flush against him. “You are enough just as you are, Flavia. I wouldn’t want to change a single thing about you. You’re the best thing about this city, about me and I love you for you.”

“But, Arthur, I’m not - “

Arthur frowned but he wanted to hear what you had to say. You always, always made sure that he had his own space with which to express himself, and he would grant you that same courtesy, wanting more than anything to know what you were thinking about. “But what, darling? You can tell me.”

“I’m not, I mean - “ Your eyes roamed over your body. You were clearly full of dislike for yourself, but Arthur was watching you carefully, his strong dark brows knitted in concentration as he tried to connect the dots of your thought process. He saw the precise second that your eyes fell upon his own reflection and that smile, that wonderful smile spread across your face and Arthur couldn’t have stopped his own answering beam if he had tried. That was one thing he loved about himself, if nothing else - his ability to make you smile without any effort on his own part.

“There you are,” He murmured. “Your smile is so beautiful.” Not wanting to let you get away with not speaking your thoughts aloud, however, Arthur then said, “What were you going to say, angel?” His you can tell me anything went unspoken but it hung in the air between you, so palpable was Arthur’s desperate need to know you, all of you.

“I’m just... I’m not enough, Arthur. I’m not enough for me so can I ever be enough for you, I don’t... I’m not worthy of your love. I’m always so insecure and I question everything and I just... I’m just not enough.”

Arthur met your eyes in the mirror once again, his face set in determination and his jaw muscles ticking as he digested your words with a great deal of reluctance. For how long had these thoughts been eating at you? The sight of tears spilling anew down your face made him coo aloud in sympathy and tenderness, the phrase too long drifting through the forefront of his tried and tired mind. “Would you ever love me any less... for being who I am on my worst days?”

You gasped, shocked and hurt and you spun around, turning your back on yourself for your greatest, most important and most worthwhile love. “I would never.”

Arthur eyed you heavily and he folded his arms over his chest. “So why do you think I’d ever do that to you, Flavia? Please, I - “ Arthur closed his green oceans and sighed. You saw him mouth numbers, calming himself, and when he opened his eyes again was his gaze so piercing that it stole the very breath from his lungs. “I love you for you. I get it, the need to - to prove yourself. I try every day to even be noticed but you - you see me. Every day. I don’t even have to try. You see me and you love me, Flavia, and I just - it hurts to see you doing this to yourself. I would never change a single thing about you, do you hear me?”

You nodded, a sad smile on your face as you looped your arms around Arthur and tugged yourself into his body, needing to feel all of him. “I hear you, Arthur. I always do.”

“I know,” His voice, thick with unshed tears and with love, so much love, climbed inside your ears and melted into your brain, preventing those evil thoughts from getting as strong a hold on you. His love was a very specific kind of magic, a very specific kind of medicinal balm on your soul and you knew that never again would you ever want anyone else to love you in the way that Arthur did. He always knew what to say, he always knew what to do, and that would never ever change. “I love you, Flavia. So much. You’re always enough, darling, I promise.”

“I love you too, Arthur. My heart. Thank you, baby.”

Arthur squeezed you and held you tightly to him as he peppered the top of your head with kisses, and when you went to bed that night, less than an hour later, you found that your thoughts were blissfully quiet and you felt... and you felt enough.

[elle9095]

So yesterday The Boyz’ Checkmate performance on Road to Kingdom completely blew my mind and it's been all I can think about for like 15 hours so I figured writing basically a dissertation explaining what I saw in their performances is going to help me make sense of life again.

The narrative that I got from the performances tells a story about the power struggles of monarchy, both literally and metaphorically, when you consider the industry. It’s also the concept of the show, giving these bands a chance to play in the same league as the so called kpop royalty.

It like the Boyz were on a show called Road to Kingdom and decided to make it literal.

First performance: Hwarang/ Sword of Victory

I think no one could've imagined what was to come when they made this performance. It was meant as an intro to the group so it was short and impressive and I’d say that it sort of set the style of their performance but not yet the general concept that has developed over the show.

Also I just learned that hwarangs were entertainers before they became a legion of warriors and later an institution, so they're basically old-timey boy groups turned soldiers.

How quaint when you consider the later performances.

Second performance: Danger

This is where it all started I guess. They went with the thieving concept of the song, decided to take inspiration from their first performance and bam now they’re stealing crowns and climbing walls.

Third performance: Reveal (Catching Fire)

So obviously referencing the Hunger Games which is a survival game but essentially a story of revolution.

Fourth performance: Heroine

This one's a bit different since it's a collab but yeah the whole performance is basically a person's journey to center stage, which is usually occupied by the winners/royalties.

Fifth performance: Quasi una fantasia

This one didn't look like it was going to fit the narrative with it being so ethereal and so hopeful, what with the branch slowly blooming, like a good thing coming to fruition, but this is the euphoria after you've made it and they sort of tell you in the title that yes this is basically a fantasy.

Final performance: Checkmate

This one is fucking insane okay? They start off with a deja vu: Yonghoon's with the hypnotizing watch again and you notice the blooming tree in the background but there's something uncanny and the watch stops, you get flashbacks of Juyeon taking down the king, wearing his crown, Q stealing the crown, stealthily sliding and passing it on to Sunwoo who seems like he's finally going to ascend to the throne and next thing you know he's falling and waking from a bad dream…

At this point I was already cursing and gasping and having a heart attack and they haven't even started singing. And it's like everything they've done so far was just a dream, the game is on let's start all over again.

And isn't it exactly like that? Because a game of thrones (though not explicitly referenced) is exactly just that: a game. You come to power but how long is that going to last? Sunwoo’s (literal) fall from power lasted a breath. You win first place on a music chart this week, you start all over again next week. And The Boyz would know that, having spent the the first weeks on top, but it only took a single performance in one episode for them to drop to third place.

And the chess concept is PERFECT. Chess is a game of war and strategy and the big picture and that's all they've been doing on this show: they've stolen, tricked, rebelled, and dreamed before they finally checkmate. All these performances make up one big picture and I don't know if they've planned this from the start but it’s fucking genius.

The Boyz are so good at coming with a concept and sticking with it, they make a song called checkmate and whoa they have a chess concept now, they have black and white costumes, dancers dressed as pawns, chess board effect and choreo, chess piece props… Which all seemed like obvious artistic choices but there's always MORE.

Like can we talk about that fucking table? I was like 'where did they find a three-way chess table omg it's gorgeous' and then someone's dancing on it and you see the glass tube thingy under the table and MOTHERFUCKER ITS A FUCKING CHESS HOURGLASS

Also for someone to be able to dance on it they flipped the table upside down and it's either like turning back time (rewind sound effect at the beginning) or starting all over again, but also I was like 'huh the tables have turned' and then 'OH FUCK OFF'

And it's all in the details in the performances, the small things that they reference, the same imagery that comes back again and again, every time I rewatch a performance I notice something I didn't before.

There’s the flower, something that's fragile and fleetingly beautiful, also the 'hwa' in hwarang. The moon, which is always changing, like an illusion, the full moon referenced in Reveal, which originally had a werewolf-y concept.

The fire, the sword, all associated with war and power. Even the tricks and optical illusions. The chess, the crown, the king. Everything came together so perfectly in that final performance and wrap up so nicely like HOW IS THAT SHIT EVEN REAL

I love how they have all the names of the song in the title cards (Thieves, Reveal, Paradise, Checkmate) and I’ve been thinking about the lyrics 'the show must go on' and 'the game starts again' and how Sisyphean it all is.

And it's almost like in the end they understand how futile the pursuit of power is but is still pushed by their drive to thrive for better, and in the end they realize being king isn't winning the game. Chess isn't about being king, you don't have to be king to win the game.

Their final card says 'As long as the moon shines, the king of all games is the Boyz'. They don't say 'we're the king' they say 'we're the king of all games'. It’s like 'yeah we're good at this and we're ready to go at it again' be it the hunger games, a game of thrones, or a game of chess.

DAMN THESE PHILOSOPHICAL REBELLIOUS BOYZ

These performances are inspiring and stimulating on so many levels, I mean yeah, the concept is mind-blowing, and of course the performances are just (literally) breathtaking but we haven't even talked about the technicalities.

Yes, I know these performances are great but more importantly I love how self-aware they are. They really seized the opportunity to do the kind of performance that they couldn't be possibly allowed to do anywhere else.

You can hardly do these things for a live audience, since so much rely on the camera work. You can't do this on music shows or music awards where people only care about the more famous groups.

And while these performances were created with the camera in mind, they still make the watching experience so incredibly live by making the performances so risky, upping the stakes to insane levels, and I don't just mean having to catch flying weapons or falling members, but like having a crazy domino choreography where one member's misplaced limb could ruin the whole shot, or using cool props and tricks that could so easily go wrong.

Like the branch that Juyeon was so upset about? The whole trick relied on everyone doing the right thing with the right prop at the right time right place TWICE all the while making it look effortless and seamless.

Can you imagine what kind of crazy you have to be to come up with that?

I personally think that mistake was a perfect imperfection when you look at the whole picture: something not quite right in this otherwise perfect dream that proved to be a mere fantasy, too good to be true.  

Watching the Boyz on Road to Kingdom was pure delight, and for people like me who get off on the thrill of live experience, performances like these are SUCH A TURN ON. And as a writer I'm just a sucker for conceptual plots, unexpected twists and experimenting with structures.

I’m currently torn by a mix of feelings: excitement for Kingdom, anxiety about the safety of the performers, dread of the inevitable end of the show. It kills me a little to think that we'll probably not see this kind of performances as much. That they don't get to perform like this again: go all out and not just tell a story but a fucking epic that will make Bertolt Brecht cry.

I hope they get their own comeback specials or that the company does like OK Go and makes all these crazy fun performance music videos. At this point I don't even know how to organize my thoughts to express my love for the creative team behind the productions, like someone there's got imagination to spare and I want to pick their brains so bad.

I didn’t know anything about this group before my sister showed me their Danger performance clip, and I’m 98% sure I’d never have discovered this group have they not gone on RTK but holy fuck am I glad that this happened because this is probably one of the best things that came out in 2020, making this disaster of a year almost bearable.  

So yeah, that's what I thought about the Boyz performances. Thank you for coming to my ted talk or whatevs

Also I have a second theory that the whole season is just Sunwoo getting over his fear of heights through exposure therapy.

[sunbellylou]

ask for writers !!

thank you @tomlinvelvetfics​ for tagging me! and thank you @soldouthaz for making this tag!

1. describe how you first started writing and when you first posted: i’ve been writing for years now, i started with het (ew!) 1d fics in portuguese back in 2011, it was actually those little imagines we used to write, don’t know if anyone remembers hehe. i posted them on a facebook page i was part of and i remember the first thingy i wrote was something with niall, but i really don’t remember any details (but was probably bad as heck since i was 11).

my first larry fic i probably wrote around 2012 when i found out the gay fanfics world haha, i don’t remember what it was or anything tbh, in my head i always wrote and posted gay fanfic.

my first fanfic in english was a little one shot (like 400 words honestly), it was a translation of a previous work i wrote portuguese. i posted it a year and a half ago and it’s called playground love (please don’t look).

2. which of your characters do you typically resonate most closely with? do you base any characters off of yourself?:  i usually write from harry’s pov because i love love l o v e describing louis and how angelic he is, so usually i tend to see louis as this ethereal ish character, cause it’s usually about harry falling in love with him. so whether i like it or no, i tend to be closer to harry’s characters in my fics, i always like to put a bit of myself on him and make the character real, you know?

3. where do you often find inspiration?: honestly? anything! i’ve written fics inspired by tumblr posts, tweets, pictures, songs, movies, things that happened in my real life, books. i literally wrote a pwp because i couldn’t stop thinking about leather pants (go read my robin hood au).

4. has quarantine helped or hindered your writing process?: in the beginning it was really helping me, i’d stay up till 4am everyday just writing like crazy, but then i got into the worst writer’s block and didn’t write shit for months. (and of course right when i started getting new ideas, i started working so i have no free time).

5. do you listen to music/noise while you write or do you prefer silence? always listen to music, all the time. i can’t do anything without music. mostly because my brain is a mess and music helps me concentrate. i usually go for some chill songs, some indie pop and stuff.

6. what is your biggest writing pet peeve in your writing or in general?: oh my god, when i’m writing and two or more paragraphs start with the same word, one after the other. it drives me crazy!!!! and sometimes i spend hours looking for ways to word differently the sentences, just so i don’t have two paragraphs starting with “the”.

also when my paragraphs are two (or one) lines long, i can’t! it has to have three or more lines.

7. describe your ideal writing setup: at the dining table, in the middle of the night, with some soft music playing in the background and some popcorn with me!

8. favorite time of day to write?: well, just said it hehe i like writing at night.

9. favorite genre to write + one you’d like to try writing in the future?: woah, that’s tough because i literally write any genres! i really love writing fantasy and horror stuff, but i feel like it’s not really well accepted in the fandom? (spec horror). and when people like it, they only read from bigger authors so i usually keep myself from writing those. aaand tbh i probably already wrote most of fic genres out there, so there isn’t much left to try.

10. do you struggle with writer’s block? how do you typically overcome it?  i’m writer’s block bitch and i do not know how to overcome her

11. what is the easiest part of your writing process and the most difficult? outlining tbh, i usually don’t (and it comes back to kick me in the ass). i always have too many ideas at the same time and can’t stick to one, so outlining and finding the right plot is really hard.

12. how do you come up with original characters? (if applicable): lately i haven’t really had the chance to come up with ocs, but when i wrote original books (not fanfics and stuff), i usually started with the gender and one outstanding personality trait and went from there.

13. what is your favorite and least favorite word?  i love the words ethereal and breeze, omg you’ll find them A LOT on my fics. and my least favorite word is growl.

14. what is one thing about your writing that you’re really proud of and one thing you hope to continue working at?: i think i describe the vibez in the scene really well, it’s my favorite thing to do. and i need to work more on building my sentences, because theyre always supermessy.

15. what work of yours has your favorite ‘verse/world building? how did you come up with it?:  definitely the fic i’m working on right now! i’m putting so much work on the world building since it’s a fantasy fic, so i’m planning every little detail about it. i hope other people like it too when they read it !!

16. what font and size do you write in? single spaced or double?: comic sans, 12pt, single spaced. don’t come at me.

17. what is a typo(s) you find yourself making consistently?: because english isn’t my first language, i always change like ‘th’ for ‘d’ (because it has a similar sound in portuguese), so catch me typing ‘de’ instead of ‘the’ or ‘dey’ instead of ‘they’.

18. (if applicable) do you separate fic writing from fandom?: i didn’t understand the question so i’m pretending i never read it hehe

19. what emotion is your favorite to write? which is the most difficult?: my favorite to write is probably,,, love/adoration, like harry looking at louis like he’s the whole world and thinking about how amazing he is? i love it.

and the most difficult is probably anger, i find it really hard to write like fights and stuff like that because usually i make the characters sound more sad than angry.

20. what is one thing you hope readers always take away from your works?: i never thought about that but,,, i hope they start finding joy in small things that happen in their day. that’s something i use a lot in my fics and i think it’s very important to bring it to real life. like enjoy that late night tea, showering in the morning, spending a summer day in the house, cleaning, etc.

21. what is the best and worst writing advice you’ve ever received?: i think the best advice is one i got from someone i no longer talk to, they told me this when i first started writing in english and it is to stop trying to write fancy or like native english speakers, because it’s much better to write simple sentences that i’m confident about than write sentences with words i barely know how to use.

and the worst advice is TO OUTLINE! i know i should maybe i dont know but leave me alone, i hate outlining bye

22. which one of your works would you most want to see turned into a film/television show?:  ok so,,, it’s a book i wrote like three years ago with original characters. it’s called great evil and i wrote it in portuguese. it’s full of violence and acid humor, about a very evil and sarcastic demon and an angry hunter. (one day i’ll translate that book and turn it into a larry fic)

23. do you write scenes chronologically or out of order?: chronologically. always

24. how do you handle criticism?: really bad. please be careful with what words you use. i’m already really hard on myself when it comes to my writing, so sometimes someone says something and (it might be dramatic but) i feel my world crumbling and i want to stop writing right away.

25. what is the advice you would give to someone who is looking to start writing?:  just,,, do it. there’s no right or wrong way to do it. there’s no such thing as too much or too little, bad or good plots. every idea is a good idea. write it for yourself, write something you like. go ahead and just do it. there’s always someone out there who will enjoy your work, no matter what.

26. what kind of feedback on your work always makes your day?: any comments make my day tbh, if you comment on my fic i’ll be forever grateful and will be smiling like a fool the whole day. honestly, even a “omg i loved it” comment can make my day.

27. which fic ‘verse of your own would you most like to exist in? which fic’s characters would you most like to befriend?: the one i’m writing 100%, please i want to live in a fantasy world. i wanna live in the water kingdom and have faerie louis as my king please.

and i’d like to befriend louis from my fic kiss me in your chevrolet, he’s a sweetheart and i must protecc.

28. what do you always enjoy getting asks about/wish people would ask about more?: anything! i rarely get asks so anything is good hehe

29. what has writing added to your life? how has it changed you?: it’s such a big part of my life, i spent all my teenage years writing and it really is what built my personality. it helped me being more creative with all aspects of my life and take life lightly, enjoy little things and moments. 

30. why do you write?: i just love having ideas and putting out there, playing with words and finding new ways to describe daily things.

boost yourself + tags!

1a. share the last sentence you wrote:

The path through the dense forest, covered in slippery rocks and burning trees is already difficult enough, but it becomes ten times worse when you’re being pestered by small, demonic creatures. 

2a. describe the wip you’re most excited about:

i’m honestly only working on one fic right now and i’m super duper excited about it

3a. share the piece of dialogue from one of your works you’re most proud of:

"I mean, I still don't plan on watching Star Wars, so…" 

The boy groans playfully, throwing his head back and Louis' eyes are suddenly really interested in the column of the guy's throat. 

"Americans really have no culture." He shoulders Louis slightly, warmth spreading through Louis' dainty shoulder and making him trip to the side lightly. With a faux outraged scoff, Louis waves a dismissing hand. 

“What do British people know about culture? All you do is drink tea and talk about the weather all day,” Louis teases with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “Also, Star Wars is American, just so you know.” He rolled his eyes playfully, feeling surprisingly comfortable in his presence.

Skater Boy sighs comically, shaking his head, his wavy locks falling gracefully on the sides of his face and Louis can’t stop thinking about how soft his hair must be. 

“You got me there.”

not posted but i kinda like it (i’m not really good with dialogues, so it was really hard to find one lmao)

4a. share the best first and last lines from your work(s): I will do only those that are already published:

best first lines are from a halloween fic i never finished: 

Louis’ blue eyes snap open. His heart pounds fast inside his rib cage, making something as easy as breathing almost impossible. Sweat drenches his body and he feels like drowning. He feels too awake and wary as his breathing calms down, as well as his grips on the sheets under him loosen.

best last lines are from my 2019 BLFF there’s more than one place to call home: 

Their life was utter chaos, and they were definitely complete opposites, and sometimes Harry wished Louis would just shut the hell up, but at the same time, Harry wouldn’t change a single thing about his life, because he had Louis, and that was all that mattered to him. 

5a. link the last fic you read: it was the devil's in the details by @raspberryoatss​

6a. link the last work you published: you could take a lick (but it’s too cold to bite me)

7a. link to your ao3 (if applicable): cinnamons

8a. someone that inspires you: louis hehe 

9a. a comfort fic/work that you’ve been grateful for this year: tbh i don’t read a lot of fics, but there’s this work a friend of mine wrote. it was in portuguese and she ended up deleting it but it’s amazing.

10a. other writers that you’d like to tag! @bottomlwt @raspberryoatss 

[thenighttrain]

folklore first listen

pls feel free to ignore this, i just wanted to record my screaming on my blog so that i can refer back to it and laugh at myself someday x

The 1

THE PIANO OMG I LOVE IT AND I LOVE THE BEAT I looooove THIS SONG IT’S SO NOSTALGIC WHO THE FUCK IS IT ABOUT OH MY OGD IM SCREAMING also the swearing I’m living… ok seriously who is this about I am losing my mind. This is so bittersweet I’m ?!!!!!!!!!!!! I REALLY LOVE THIS

CARDIGAN

I ALSO LOVE THIS WHAT ITS’ SO NOSTALGIC and the music video is so pretty wit the green and she looks like an actual forest nymph with the piano and the water and it’s all incredible. YOU DREW STARS AROUND MY SCARS BUT NOW I’M BLEEDING???????? BITCH. THE LYRICS IN THIS ARE FUCKING INCREDIBLE WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK OH MY DISJFASLDFNSADF OH MY GDO I knew you’d linger like a tattoo kiss??????? MAAM?

The last great American dynasty

SO INTRIGUING HOW SHE WROTE THIS??? WHAT IS IT ABOUT? IDK BUT I LOVE IT

Exile

BON IVERRRRRR I LOVE THE WAY HIS VOICE SOUNDS IN THIS AND THE CHORUS IS HAUNTINGLY BEAUTIFUL and the background vocals… omg. This album his the most unique thing she’s ever written I????? I LOVE HOW HER VOICE SOUNDS N THE CHORUS. ‘You were my crown now I’m in exile seeing you out’? YOU KNOW LIKE I CAN IMAGINE THESE SONGS AS THE SOUNDTRACK TO SO MANY OF MY FAVOURITE FANTASY BOOKS IM LOSING MY MIND. ALSO OH MY GOD BON IVERS VOICE AT THE END HOLY FUCK!!!! THIS IS SO GOOD THIS IS ONE OF HER BEST DUETS IM LOSING MY SHIT this song is incredible I am in LOVE

My tears ricochet

TRACK 5 TRACK 5 TRACK 5 AHH I LOVE HOW DEEP HER VOICE GOES AND THE BACKGROUND VOCALS OMG. Oh my god the chorus I am in love, I love her voice sounds so raw on this album, we haven’t heard that in years IF I’M DEAD TO YOU WHY ARE YOU AT THE WAKE CURSING MY NAME?? OMG. This is fully giving me like fae woodland imagery I just love it, the vibes of it all!  AS YOU BURY ME? OH MY GOD IS SHE A GHOST IM SCREAMING I LOVE THIS PERSPECTIVE. HOLY FUCK HOLY FUCK THE BRIDGE!!!!!!!! THE LINES ABOUT SCREAMING. THE BRIDGE IS UNBELIEVABLE AND THE WAY IT JUST FADES OUT I?

Mirrorball

Omg I love the vocal effects! This is full indie pop vibes I AM DIGGING IT. OH MY GOD THE CHORUS BROOO OK I OFFICIALLY LOVE THIS SONG IT’S EXACTLY THE KIND OF MUSIC I LIKE LISTENING TO. ‘Drunk as they watch my shadow, edges glisten’ oh wow the lyrics in this album are fucking otherworldly. Oh fuck this is  agood bridge. I really cannot wait for all the analysis of this album by smarter people because I am not understanding BUT I AM LOVING IT. ALSO IDK WHAT A MIRRORBALL IS BUT I LOVE IT ANYWAY. How does she know such fancy words, I want her brain

Seven

‘I ht my peak at seven’ ok but same? HEYY SHE MENTIONED MOON AND SATURN I AM LIVINGGGGG. It’s so soft and wistful, those are the vibes of this album so far and I am really LOVING IT. PLEASE PICTURE ME IN THE WEEDS BEFORE I LEARNED CIVILITIY I USED TO SCREAM FEROCIOUSLY ANY TIME I WANTED?? IM YELLING I LOVEEEEE THESE LYRICS OH MY GOODNESS

August

ONCE AGAIN I LOVE THE VOCAL EFFECTS, I LOVE THE WAY HER VOICE SOUNDS.  Omg the chorus is catchy! I love the way she sings ‘I can see’! OK THSI SONG IS ONE OF MY FAVOURITES I MEAN JUST LISTEN TO IT? I HAVE BEEN IN A STATE OF SHOCK SINCE LAST NIGHT BUT THIS IS MAGICAL ETHEREAL GROUNDBREAKING NEVER BEFORE SEEN INCREDIBLE PERFECT. OHH GOD THE BRIDGE IS COMNIG UP- YES IT’S AJFDSNAFKJSDFAF SHE WROTE THIS SONG IITS’ SO GOOD MISDFN JASDNFLJK SO MUCH FOR SUMMER LOVE AND SAYING US CAUSE U WERENT MINE TO LOSE!!!!! OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TAYLOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is one fo her best songs ever EVER OMG AND THE BACKING VOCALS AT THE END AHH AND THE BEAT DROP TAYLOR WHAT THE FUCK YOU’VE OUTDONE YOURSELF A G A I N ??? IM NEVER GONNA RECOVER FROM THIS FUCK

This is me trying

Firstly, this song title is such a mood, especially this year. The beat in this song s so good - THIS SICK BEAT. AHH THERE IS THS COOL INSTRUMENT IS IT A VIOLIN IDK BUT I LOVE IT OMG. ‘THEY TOLD ME ALL OF MY CAGES WERE MENTAL SO I GOT WASTED LIKE ALL MY POTENTIAL AND MY WORDS SHOOT TO KILL WHEN I’M BAD I HAVE A LOT OF REGRETS ABOUT THAT II WAS SO AHEAD OF THE CURVE THAT THE CURVE BECAME A SPHERE I FELL BEHIND ON MY CLASS LATE UNTIL I ENDED UP HERE POURING OUT MY HEART TO A STRANGER BUT I DIDNT POUR THE WHISKEY! Oh god the ‘AT LEAST IM TRYING’ MAAAAM. THAT LAST VERSE FUCK FUCK FUF ASJDO FUCK THE BUILD UP. Listen I don’t know what the fuck this song is about but I do know that I love it I ADORE IT I FEEL LIKE EVERY SONG IS BETTER THAN THE LAST WHAT THE FUCK

Illicit affairs

I’m so intrigued by the title of this song! I LOVE the guitar in this song omg it’s so soft and wistful? IT DIES A MIIIILLIOON LITTLE TIMES……….. I love the little falsettos, that you picked out just for HIM! Take the words for what they are, a dwindling mercurial HIGH a drug that only worked the first few hundred times AND THAT’S THE THING ABOUT ILLICIT AFFAIRS AND CLANDESTINE MEETINGS AND STOLEN STARES they show their truth one single time BUT THEY LIE AND THEY LIE AND THEY LIE A MIILION LITTLE TIMES. LOOK AT THIS IDIOTIC FOOL THAT YOU MADE ME YOU TAUGHT ME A SECRET LANGUAGE I CAN’T SPEAK WITH ANYONE ELSE and you know damn well for you I would ruin myself a million little times. Holy fuck I have 0 words this is. Unbelievable it’s sunning I LOVE the bridge? I?

Invisible string

Oh lord I am not ready for this one. I love the way she sings the pre chorus! Were the CLUUUES I didn’t see—ee-ee. Omg this song is actually so cute. CHAINS AROUND MY DEMONS? WOOL TO BRAVE THE SEASONS? HOW THE FUCK DID SHE WRITE THIS IT’S SO GOOD IM SPEECHLESS also I LOVE the strings in this song, I love the production of this entire album tbh. It’s so chill and stripped back and it makes you focus on her vocals which sound soooo good.

Mad woman

TAYLOR SAID FUCK TAYLOR SAID FUCK TAYLOR SAID FUCK IM LIVINNGGGGG. ANYYWAY I LOOOVE THIS IM DIGGING ITTT I LOVE THE CHORUS EEEEK. the second verse omg I love the anger, the bitterness, you can HEAR it in her voice! It’s obvious that wanting me dead has already brought you two together??? EEK THE BRIDGE a spinster? What a shame she went mad… YOU MADE HER LIKE THAT OMG BITCH

Epiphany

Omg the intro build up - I love it. This sounds like a church choir? Is this about a soldier in war? What? It reminds me of Dunkirk or something omg. This is again so haunting, very slow and the piano only adds to the somber tone

Betty

WHO? IS? BETTY??????? Oh hey this is a gentle intro with this instrument that sounds familiar but idk what it is but I love it. I love the melody in this omg!  SHE SAID FUCK AGAIN SHE SAID FUCK AGAI NOGAS JDFHLDSDKFLD TAYLORRRRRR WOULD YOU TELL ME TO GO FUCK MYSELF??? IM ONLY 17 I DON’T KNOW ANYTHING BUT I KNNOW MISS YOU! BITCH!!!!!!!! This is about like a lost first love! Anyway I really looove how her voice sounds in this and the melody…. I DREAMT OF YOU ALL SUMMER LONG OMG THE BRIDGE IS INCREDIBLE!!!!! Omg awww the only thing I wanna do is make it up to you so I showed up at your party?? AHH THE KEY CHANGE INI THE LAST CHORUS EEEEKKKKKK OMGGGGG WILL IT PATCH YOUR BROKEN WINGS I’M ONLY 17 IDK ANYTHING BUT I KNOW I MISS YOU OMG THE REFERENCE TO A CARDIGAN AGAIN!!!!!!!! AND THE STREETLIGHT! IM YELLING I LOVE THE PARALLELS AND THE MOTIFS and you can just hear the childish innocence int his song, I love it

Peace

This intro is SO COOL AND I AM VIBING HARD TO IT, I LOVE THE GUITAR IN THE BACKGROUND? Ok oh god I really like this one. The devil’s in the details but you got a friend in me I— THIS CHORUS IS AMAZING I ADORE IT. Omg this might be one of my favourites. Holy fuck I cannot get over how good the lyrics in this album are!!!!!!! I TALK SHIT WITH MY FRIENDS IT’S LIKE I’M WASTING YOUR HONOUR! Sit with you in the TRENCHES? Omg! WHAT IS THIS ABOUT I AM YELLING!!!!!!!!! ‘Clowns to the west’ oh hey that’s me. EEK THE SOFT KEYBOARD IN THE BACKGROUND - YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hoax

Last song? Ma’am I am not ready!!!!!!!!! THE PIANO IN THIS OMG. The chorus….. it’s beautiful……….. YOUR FAITHLESS LOVE’S THE ONLY HOAX I BELIEVE IN OH MY GODDDD. I’m yelling I love this so much. I loooove the angst of the chorus, the resignation that this is the one love she wants, even if it’s faithless!  ‘You know I left a part of me back in New York’… THE LOUIS TOMLINSON PARALLEL DAFJKHASFKADS (I know you left a part of you in New York). ‘What you didd was just as hard’ omg what did he doooo?? MY KINGDOM COME UNDONE AHHHHH YOU HAVE BEATEN MY HEART! WHY IS THIS SONG SO BITTERSWEET IM ???????