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#that made me want to pursue art in the first place
wingodex · 1 year
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i drew something yesterday that i just really like so i keep going over to look at it and smiling. it's kinda stupid but funny and cute, and i think i forgot that i could make art like that!! sometimes i get so in my head about making art (because art school) that i forget it doesnt have to be serious and it doesnt have to mean anything. i can draw stupid shit sometimes and it doesnt matter!!!
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gingermintpepper · 2 months
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what happens with achilles in your story if the Trojan war never happens?
I am so glad I saw this before I fell asleep (And thank you very much for the question!!)
The short answer is: Achilles (along with a few others like Diomedes and Odysseus) is one of Athena's champions and one of the leading generals in the combat against the creatures of Erebus! Each god has their favoured champions/heroes and each of those people play a key role in maintaining what little order is left in the world.
The long answer is: due to the whole 💫 completely impromptu, unplanned and unprophesied apocalyptic situation of the Divine Light of the World completely disappearing 💫 Hera, Athena and Aphrodite had to completely squash their argument started at Thetis' wedding because there was simply too much to do. Achilles, therefore, is set down a completely different path to immortal glory, same with many other familiar faces from the Iliad (and wider greek mythology). On the bright side, he still hates Agamemnon's guts considering Agamemnon, even in this world, is his direct superior. Likewise, he also still spends an inordinate amount of time getting banged by Patroclus (who is one of Ares' champions) despite the whole literal apocalypse occuring around them. So really, Achilles will always be Achilles 😀👍🏾
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geovanag · 7 months
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Composite Chart #3
🌿 Rising in Composite Part 2 🌿
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In a short while I decided to write a continuation of the ascension article in the Composite chart. In this article I covered the ascendants between Libra and Pisces. In the first part I covered the ascendants between Aries and Virgo. (You can read the first part here) Also, if you want to learn general information about the Composite chart, this was the first article in the composite chart series. --
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Please share with me what you think about the articles.
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》Libra Rising《
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The relationship is likely to prioritize harmony and seek balance in interactions. Both individuals may strive to maintain peace and avoid conflicts, preferring compromise and negotiation to resolve differences.
Cooperation and collaboration are key themes, and decisions may be made jointly to ensure mutual satisfaction.
The individuals may enjoy indulging in activities that stimulate their senses, such as visiting art galleries, attending concerts, or dining at elegant restaurants together.
Both individuals may place importance on fairness in decision-making, ensuring that neither person feels disadvantaged or overlooked.
Both individuals may avoid confrontation or difficult conversations in favor of maintaining harmony, which could lead to issues being swept under the rug. It's important for them to learn how to address conflicts constructively and assert their needs while still respecting each other's perspectives.
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》Scorpio Rising《
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The relationship has significant potential for growth and evolution. Both individuals can undergo profound changes as a result of their connection, which can lead to personal and spiritual transformation.
The relationship can be marked by intense physical attraction and sexual chemistry. Both individuals may have a deep desire to unite on a physical, emotional and spiritual level.
Both individuals may have strong personalities and a desire for control, which can lead to conflicts over dominance and power dynamics.
They may have private aspects that they hide from others, fostering a sense of intrigue and mystery within the partnership. In some cases the relationship is hidden from other people.
They form an extremely intimate, passionate and transformative bond.
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》Sagittarius Rising《
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They may enjoy traveling, having new experiences and seeking opportunities to grow and expand together.
Both individuals may have a strong need for personal space and autonomy, giving each other the freedom to pursue their own interests and goals, while continuing to come together to share experiences and adventures. It is very important that they respect each other's personal space.
They can encourage each other to remain positive and optimistic even in the face of difficulties.
Both individuals can feel comfortable speaking their minds, which can foster a sense of authenticity and transparency within the partnership.
Both individuals can inspire each other to embrace life's adventures, follow their dreams and seek opportunities for personal and spiritual growth.
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》Capricorn Rising《
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Both individuals may support each other in their professional endeavors and encourage each other to strive for excellence.
They may prioritize reliability and dependability in their interactions with each other.
The relationship may prioritize traditional values such as hard work, discipline, and respect for authority. Both individuals may have a strong sense of duty and responsibility towards each other and may value traditional roles and expectations within the partnership.
The relationship may have an emotionally reserved quality, and both individuals may struggle to express their feelings openly.
The relationship may involve discussions about the future, setting goals, and working towards shared objectives.
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》Aquarius Rising《
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Both individuals treating each other as equals and valuing each other's opinions and contributions. They may approach the partnership with a sense of camaraderie and mutual respect.
The relationship may be characterized by stimulating conversations, shared interests in learning and education, and a mutual appreciation for intellectual exploration.
Both individuals may have a strong need for personal space and autonomy, allowing each other the freedom to pursue their own interests and goals while still coming together to share experiences and ideas.
The relationship may have an emotionally detached quality, and both individuals may struggle to express their feelings openly. It's important for them to learn how to communicate their emotions and connect on a deeper emotional level.
Both individuals are likely to approach the partnership with a sense of openness, independence, and a shared vision for a better future.
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》Pisces Rising《
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Both individuals may be highly attuned to each other's feelings and may share a deep sense of empathy and compassion.
They may enjoy engaging in creative activities together and may find inspiration in each other's artistic pursuits.
Both individuals may be drawn to exploring spiritual or mystical practices together and may share a sense of spiritual purpose or destiny.
It's important for them to be mindful of the tendency to avoid reality or retreat into fantasy when faced with challenges.
They may be willing to make sacrifices for each other's well-being and may prioritize the needs of the relationship above their own.
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With this article, I have written what the ascendants in the composite chart mean, albeit briefly. From now on, I will write about the planets in the composite chart (I will probably start with the sun first) and what these planets mean in order. Let's not forget that in astrology, when making personal interpretations, the horoscopes and house positions of the generation planets are not completely taken into account. for this reason, I want to interpret the generation planets much later in my articles when I talk about "aspects".
Your feedback is important for me, please share it with me…🌿
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gguk-n · 1 month
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Chapter 2- Secret and Surprises
Unravelling Max's Mystery (Max Verstappen x Online Friend!Reader)
Series Masterlist
Summary- Y/N has lost out on a few of her publication dreams while juggling 2 jobs. Her crush on Max has only led to failed relationships. She dreams of one day meeting and being with Max. But Max has a girlfriend and a career she knows nothing about.
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{Reader's POV}
I finally moved out from my parents's place a few years back when I decided to pursue Literature. It was a very difficult time for me but I had Max by my side. Trying to convince my parents that I want to understand the art of writing and then doing what I love was very challenging. I moved to a another city with my dream university. Even today, they detest my choices and hope that I would take my life seriously. It has been difficult but seeing them once or twice a year only has made it easy.
Max and I are still very close. I still have a crush on him; it got worse after we started video calling each other after I moved out. I wasn't about to get 'caught' talking to a guy under my parents's roof. The consequences would be disastrous. Max is still the same, slightly older, has a stubble. I still don't know his full name, but he doesn't know mine either and I don't mind keeping it that way.
Having Max as a friend has hindered quite a few relationships either because they weren't him or they were jealous of some guy I would drop everything for. He still has a horrible sleep schedule, I've scolded him a couple time, but he doesn't listen. However, he has the cutest cats, Jimmy and Sassy. They love their dad a lot; I really wanna get cats too but I'm barely keeping myself alive, I'll kill my pets.
My job pays shitty, I'm a primary school teacher and freelance editor. I had hoped that being an editor for bigger and well established authors would help me improve my writing and get my book or poems published; has yet to happen. All my clients are kind people and very understanding of my predicament. Alas, this doesn't leave me much time in the day; teaching, lesson planning, correcting papers, editing other's stories or poems, talking to Max. Max has gotten pretty good about not disappearing like he did a couple years back. I still have no clue what he does, not like he knows what I do specifically. But he said he does something along the lines of cars; I knew he loved cars. I hope his job pays him better since he moved a few years back when I was still at home. His place looks lavish, either he gets paid well or it's from the company. I will never know. He's seen the shit hole I live in, but has yet to comment on my poor living conditions. I have too much of an ego to let my parents know I am struggling; I would rather starve then let them know. All I would hear is that they were right and I should mend my mistakes. What mistakes should I mend when these were my choices and I'm happy with them.
I've compiled 20 of my poems and even wrote a book, I've sent it to so many publishers in hopes that it will get picked up. This is like my fourth or fifth time. I mean, I haven't exhausted my resources and till the day all the publications shut down I'm not giving up. I've been rejected quite a few time, sometimes at the initial stages or after first reading and preview. They make publishing a book look so easy on shows and movies. I wish it was that easy in real life, but it isn't.
Being on spring break makes it so much easier for a while, till I have to return. However, I can focus on my book and the editing gig since it pays better than teaching. There's this guy I'm editing for currently and he's so annoying. I want to stop working with him except he pays the best. The life of being chained to capitalism. I was fixing up his errors when my phone rang, it was Max on video call. We spoke on video call a lot after I moved out. He's attractive, blue eyes; truly all my weaknesses combined. When the screen popped up, he almost fell out of frame when Jimmy jumped on the phone. Max placed Jimmy on the floor. Max- Hey, Schat. Sorry about Jimmy. Y/N- Hi, honestly I would rather talk to Jimmy. (I laughed) Max- Sometimes, I think you are friends with me for my cats. Y/N- Yeah, I would've stopped being your friend had you not adopted them. Max- Wow! I'm hurt. (He placed his hand on his chest) Y/N- Stop being dramatic. I'm just living vicariously through you. Max- You should get cats too, you seem lonely. Y/N- I wish, I'll end up killing them since I'm so busy. Max- hmmm, I hope you find a companion. I did find a companion Max, every time I get a boyfriend, we break up directly or indirectly because of you I thought. Max- What happened to Finn? I thought he was smitten for you. Y/N- Yeah, things didn't work out. We both were too busy with work. In actuality, when we finally got close after months of talking and the first time we had sex I moaned out Max's name. He left immediately. I wasn't about to tell Max this. It would ruin everything, I believe. Max- What were you doing? Y/N- Editing that ass's book. Max- You know maybe, you should leave some blunders, not the most obvious ones but one's that would make him look stupid. Y/N- I wish Max, he pays me a shit ton to do my job. (I laughed bitterly) It's fine, honestly. I'll be done soon and I'll never have to see him again, hopefully, fingers crossed. Max- I hope so too. Y/N- Max, you should date someone. Instead of worrying about me. I've never seen you date anyone in all the years I've known you. Max- ahh, yeah, I'm too busy with work to do that. Y/N- If we lived closer, I would've set you up with someone. That someone being me, but he doesn't need to know that. We haven't even met yet; we never even spoke about meeting each other honestly. Max scratched his neck, shaking his head. Max- I'm good, schat. You should find someone, maybe you'll stop being cranky. Y/N- I'm not cranky, at least not with you. Max let out a deep laugh. Max- Well, I've got to go. My sister's visiting. I'll talk to you later. Y/N- Sure, say hi to Victoria for me. Bye Maxie!! Max- bye Y/N.
Talking to Max always brightened up my mood. But since, Victoria's visiting, he won't be available to talk as often. That means I'm gonna have to spend all my free time scrolling through Instagram. It's all fun and games until I'm on hour 6 of some random video on Youtube. I spent the next couple of days cooped up in my home, just to enjoy waking up late. There were still a few months still summer break and I intended on enjoying them to the fullest.
School started way to soon for my liking. Max would send pictures of Jimmy and Sassy to cheer me up. It did cheer me up. Max travelled a lot for work, I've seen quite a few hotels and I think they are 5 star hotels. So, his work place is rich rich. I wish Max would hire me, I lamented, maybe then we might meet. I've thought about meeting him but he never showed any inkling that he would like to meet me. I wasn't about to seem desperate; I would probably jump him if I did. I mean he is single, so it's fine.
When the school started after spring break, I got handed a new author to help edit her work. I spoke to her and she was very nice to talk to. The book she was writing was based off a sport. On further questioning, she told me it was Formula One. I had heard about it when my city hosted a Formula E race a couple years ago. I don't remember much because I'm not sure if they held it again but what I can tell you is that traffic got so bad, I hated leaving the house for a couple of days. I don't really see the appeal of watching people go around in a circle in fast cars. I think I would panic if I found out how fast they drove. The author asked me to do some research on the topic. I was a good student and I wanted to be of help, so I decided to spend the next couple of hours going through Formula One and their rules.
There's something I have to clear up, I have a type of blindness bias. If I'm not interested in a topic, it would be like I live under a rock. Nothing could phase me and I couldn't care less. That's how I ended up on the wikipedia article of Lewis Hamilton, Micheal Schumacher and then current champion Max Verstappen. Schumacher and Hamilton were very good, reading about them made me awe struck. What really shocked me was a guy named Max Verstappen, who looked awfully like Maxie. I've stared at Maxie more than I would like to admit, so I'm sure they look alike. As I went through the article, my heart seemed to beat harder; not sure why. I felt like this was my Maxie however I believed that Maxie would've told me if he was a Formula One driver. I had to lay my doubts to rest, so I ended up on Youtube with the search bar reading Max Verstappen. My doubts laid to rest in a place I didn't want them to; Maxie was Max Verstappen. I could recognise that voice anywhere. He talked a lot, I could recognise his voice in a crowd of people or in my sleep. All my suspicions were cemented when I saw a picture of 2 cats who looked like Jimmy and Sassy and were called by the same name. My heart was ready to jump out of my chest. Max had lied to me; but was it really lying when I never prodded him for answers. Worst of all, he had a girlfriend and a kid. That's when I felt I was lied too. How could he not tell me? I would've genuinely been happy for him. We would've celebrated his 2 championship wins. My throat felt dry and my eyes wet.
Life wasn't fair when I've been trying to get my book published while my best friend, don't even know if I can call him that, is a 2 time world driver champion. He never even told me, while he has been in Formula One almost all our friendship and karting all his life. I felt the ground slipping from under my feet. Was I that unimportant to not share such a crucial part of his life or huge accomplishment in his life? Was I even his friend? All these questions raced through my mind, while tears streamed down my cheeks. The pillow wet from my tears when my phone rang. It was Max on the other line, and for the first time in 10 years I did not answer his calls even though it rang for a 4-5 times. He finally stopped after sending me a couple of worried messages; asking how I was and where I was?
[Max was freaking out. Y/N never missed his calls, no matter the time or place. Worst of all, she didn't even reply to his messages; not after 5 minutes or 10 minutes or 20 minutes. Max didn't know where she lived, he didn't know who to call, or who to ask about her. His hair was a mess, he was pacing the room so much so, that his girlfriend’s daughter asked him what happened. He couldn't tell them, no one knew of this secret internet friend he had. Who was he supposed to contact to file a missing person's report? He tried to calm himself down and think happy thoughts but all his thoughts were Y/N]
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gynandromorph · 3 months
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another NofNA style emulation comic, flashback style. this comic takes place 1 or 2 seasons after this comic. this one was to show Legend's first experience fighting and why she eventually came to start taking classes. she is a very stubborn character and i imagine without anyone telling her to do something else, she would have continued pursuing markscraftsmanship indefinitely. it was supposed to show a little bit of how she thinks in fights, but i think i could have done that part better.
you can see that she's walking home with a classmate who isn't a rodent. based on her dialogue, it seems like she was carrying supplies home herself instead of walking home with a rodent classmate until she befriended BY.
BY is a chacma baboon. he has a few unpleasant qualities, like cowardice and a lack of sensitivity toward Legend's insecurities, but from his perspective, he's just encouraging a friend who isn't confident in her talents and believes she's stuck trying to be a markscraft. there is a reason that he is studying to be a markscraft instead of going into fighting or a more important occupation like law or medicine; he wants a peaceful occupation where he supports other people who have to deal with the stressful stuff. they are sort of just past acquaintanceship -- they don't know each other very well. BY lives within escarpment south, like MK.
Legend lives in the same burrow, but the paperbark thorn is currently a smaller sapling, and there's less grass. the tree the leopard jumps from is a mountain hard pear (olinia emarginata). the shrub that BY hides under is a cancer bush (lessertia frutescens).
it bothered me as a kid (annoyed is maybe a better word) when predators who would chase the protagonists in shows and movies were sort of mindless killing machines, once i learned that they are somewhat selective and often risk-averse, because injury can be a death sentence for them, moreso than herbivores. a herbivore may be able to hide from predators until it heals; a predator can't hide from its need for food. i tried to give the leopard a richer... inner life than that. as Legend mentioned, she is deep past the wild-society border that's patrolled to keep wild predators like her at bay. she is aware of this. the expansion that BY mentioned is an expansion made primarily for an additional educational facility. i mentioned in the linked comic that i think markscraft classes are probably VERY populated, overflowing with students that faculty can't keep up with. the newer facility aimed to help ease the burden of educating a necessary labor force en masse. consequently, the area that the leopard is camping in is a footpath that connects the new writing college campus to a residential traffic junction which is used almost entirely by people who have no training in martial arts -- markscrafts. because the border is newer, there is probably more focus on patrolling the literal border around the campus than the paths connected to it. she is also aware of these things. in my head, she has observed many areas of their society for long periods of time (some more than others; no need to hang around an embassy to be noticed by the juiced guys with kill magic going in and out). she's absolutely picked people off here or there without the path, but she is rather desperate to be predating on largely rodents under half a pound when the consequences could be dire. when she sees two larger citizens on the path without the scent of rationale she has no hesitation. she jumped on the ratel instead of the baboon because the baboon had things stacked on his neck, and she wasn't sure how stiff they were or if she could bite through them right away. i don't know if she's ever hunted a ratel before, or if she simply knows their reputation secondhand, and thought it probably wouldn't be a problem with one coddled by society. i think she's under the belief that, unlike a smaller predator like a ratel, she is not diminutive enough to be welcome in society. it makes sense up front -- who wants to embrace the guy who ate grandma's face or dragged their baby off into the night? there is some powerful insecurity about feeling weaker than a collective group against her, and about the suggestion that there is something wrong with her way of living. i think she probably avoided them until food outside of the border became more scarce. i think wilds are shown as... "not knowing better"; in the addendum of secretary, it's put as "not thinking about the options they might have" -- but we are shown many wilds who know about society. they all seem to at least KNOW about it. they know that there is technically a way to enter it. so they DO know it's an option. it's just an option that's less palatable than killing people. and i wanted to write this leopard like that. i didn't really want her to be a hapless ignorant animal looking for food. food is absolutely part of it, but leopards in particular are very adaptable. she could just as well hunt other predators or pets and livestock near human society, but she has beef (not pun intended). i mentioned that Legend's parents raised her to be sympathetic to wilds, so here she is under the belief that this leopard would not eat people if she simply had Enough Information. who's to say? but she certainly doesn't lack ALL information about it. wilds seem to have a belief that being eaten by an opponent stronger than oneself allows you to become part of the stronger force. NOT eating someone is a grave insult (to predators, anyway, idk how prey species feel about that), and i think sparing her altogether is probably just rubbing salt in the wound about her insecurities wrt society being "better than her."
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genericpuff · 4 months
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(You can delete this ask if it makes you uncomfortable) Do you think I should give up on my dream of being a webcomic artist? It's been what I'd been wanting to for years yet from what I'm hearing, it's hard to get money and an audience and that the mainstream webcomic hosting platforms don't treat their creators well. It doesn't help that while my art is decent, I don't really know how to create webcomics beyond like really short 4-5 panel comics even though I'd been drawing for many years. There's also the issue of my ADHD making it difficult to commit to stuff but then again at least that can be hopefully fixed once I get medicated. So, now the career of a webcomic artist sounds like a pipe dream at best. Is it worth pursuing, even if I don't make much money with it?
"Do you think I should give up on my dream of being a webcomic artist?"
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And this isn't just for you, anon, this is for everyone who follows my nonsense here.
Yes, it's hard to build an audience.
It's even harder to make money.
You should still make webcomics if you really want to do it.
The only practical piece of advice I can give you from the perspective of someone who's been doing this for years is to manage your expectations. Because that's the biggest mistake a lot of webcomic artists make (and I too, made this mistake) they go into it setting the bar that it HAS to result in them making a living off it, getting famous off it, etc. when that's unfortunately only the reality for the 1% who get lucky or have an advantage that the other 99% don't have. And then, of course, failing to meet those ridiculously high expectations makes the fall hurt that much harder if you fail, especially with odds like that stacked against you. That's not to say you shouldn't set a bar for yourself, but you have to set it in a place that's reasonable. Especially if you're an artist with ADHD (same, mood), we have a REAL bad habit of setting the bar unreasonably high for ourselves when we're still learning and getting our feet wet (it's why we're always taking on new hobbies after getting inspired by musicians or crafters and then getting immediately discouraged when we're not suddenly able to do the thing with that same amount of skill).
Set the bar in a reasonable place with reasonable expectations, and then when you MEET that bar, you'll have even more motivation and confidence to aim higher. What won't give you confidence is setting the bar alongside the pros who have been at this for years, because not only will it take way too long to hit that for you to see results, you might give up before you even come close because of how far away the bar is.
A career as a webcomic artist is about as guaranteed as making a career out of Youtube. But being a webcomic artist, period? You can do it. Anyone can do it. I'm still doing it in spite of everything. Like, I cannot even fully express to you just how much of what I do here is the culmination of a long list of failures. My art, my writing, the stuff I do here is built on the corpses of my failures. But those failures were still important, they had to happen to make me into the person and artist I am today. That person is STILL making mistakes, and that artist is STILL not rich LOL Failure is scary, but fear of failure is the true killer of joy and growth.
Do not tie the merit of being a webcomic artist to how much money you can (or can't) make out of it. Just like with starting a Youtube channel, you shouldn't go into it expecting money and fame right out the gate, but there are equal amounts of joy and experience you can gain by doing it. There's a reason people say you have to do it out of love and passion first because ultimately that's all you'll have to keep carrying you through if and when you fail to meet your goals. You don't have to be sure if you'll still want to do it a year from now or five years from now, none of that matters. If you want to do it now, then do it.
Make your 4-5 panel comics if that's what you enjoy doing. Make whatever tickles your fancy. Acknowledge your fears and doubts, thank them for their opinion, and do it anyways. "What if it ends up being a waste of time?" The time will pass anyways. Worst case, at least you'll be able to say you did it. That's better than never trying and regretting it in the end.
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tonicandjins · 1 year
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all of the girls you loved before
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CHARACTERS: lee donghyuck | haechan x fem reader
WORD COUNT: 3k
GENRE: best friends to lovers, all of the girls you loved before by taylor swift
WARNINGS: none, just fluff
AUTHOR'S NOTE: this has been in my drafts for way too long. hope you like it! please consider donating/tipping me
all of the girls you loved before is the fourth installment from 23 moments with donghyuck
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lee naeun, June 2013 - July 2013
Lee Donghyuck’s first love turned out to be the quickest one.
It was a whirlwind romance, like how he would describe it whenever you’d ask him. At thirteen, you and Donghyuck were finally catching up to the rest of your homeroom’s growing pains—both literally and figuratively. Your legs were longer now, albeit Donghyuck’s becoming longer than almost everyone else’s, and you were prettier than most. Letting your bangs grow was a wise decision in the summer, after all. Long gone were your chubby cheeks and you’d learned how to put on some lip tint before jumping on the bus to school. The internet was a better teacher when it comes to styling your hair; you’d never expected hairstyles come with face shapes. Meanwhile, Donghyuck, though his cheeks are still as round as they were in primary school, has learned that the hugs and kisses he used to give everyone in homeroom erupted butterflies all over.
You’d wondered, of course, because among everyone in class, Donghyuck’s probably given you the most hugs and kisses, yet you haven’t quite figured out what they meant when they say he gives people butterflies.
In the same year, Donghyuck learned consent. His mother and father gave him a lecture on why kissing people randomly isn’t ideal at his age and why consent is important. Hence, he’d stopped giving everyone random kisses. The last one he’d kissed you on the cheek was a week before summer started—not that you were keeping a record of all the stolen kisses—right when you were about to jump off the bus you and him were on.
Lee Naeun gave the first consent at thirteen. On the last day of classes.
She was moving to the US the next school year. Donghyuck made you wait by the benches as she packed up her duffel back after soccer practice.
She was taller than everyone else. Sporty and ambitious, Lee Naeun was every boy’s kryptonite. Just like how Lee Donghyuck was every girl’s.
“Can I kiss you?” Donghyuck asked. Naeun blushed like crazy. She was taller than Donghyuck, so when she’d nodded, Donghyuck had to go on his tip toes to reach her lips.
You looked away when Donghyuck got his first real kiss, wondering if the sudden pain in your stomach is the same as the butterflies that people get when Donghyuck kisses them.
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kim haerin, August 2016 - January 2018
Kim Haerin was Donghyuck’s girlfriend all throughout junior high school.
Contrary to popular belief, Haerin pursued Donghyuck from the first week of classes. You and Donghyuck had moved to a different school after middle school as the one in your hometown didn’t focus much on arts, leaning towards STEM more, which, if you and Donghyuck were being honest, is the last thing you’d want to do in high school. This also meant that you and Donghyuck were new in town—the new girl and the new guy—and that people your age were particularly curious about you and Donghyuck that school year.
Oddly enough, the first thing they needed to confirm was whether you and him were dating. As soon as it was a clear no, you and Donghyuck received flowers left and right. You wondered whether this is what high school should be like and expected Donghyuck to feel the same, but that school year was different. The people liked the extroverted, friends with everybody Donghyuck, so it was easier for him to adjust to the new place and the new people.
They’d started dating the week after school started. Haerin was a part of a big group, the ones who’d studied in the school’s sister middle school down the road, and she knew everyone. She was nice, or so you’ve heard because you didn’t have that many conversations with her to confirm if she truly is, and she’d say hi to you when you passed by her by the lockers.
Donghyuck tried to take you with him whenever they’d hang out, of course, but his attempts could only do much because you weren’t into the same things as they were. Eventually, you’d found your own group and adjusted to the new school all by yourself. It made you worry about Donghyuck less whenever you’d see him all happy and loud like the person he is. While Donghyuck’s name stuck with Haerin’s all throughout high school, yours remain independent. You’d decided you’d start dating when you’re ready.
The only times you’d see each other, apart from the classes you shared, were weekends with your families. You and him talk, of course. Donghyuck at home is different from Donghyuck at school. But it was different. The memories of you and him going to and from school gradually blurred between all the people you’d met in high school.
Kim Haerin broke up with Donghyuck as soon as you all came back from Christmas break on the last year of junior high. She’d started dating the new guy from the other class who transferred all the way from Germany. She’d given Donghyuck a kiss in the middle of the empty gymnasium and told him she’d loved him but the sparks were gone.
Donghyuck waited with you on the bus stop that same day. To this day, he waits with you.
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im jieun, November 2019 – December 2019
Im Jieun was one of a kind, and if you could pick, she was your favorite from Donghyuck’s long list of lovers.
She was a couple of years older than you and Donghyuck. How Donghyuck even got the slimmest chance of dating her, you have no idea. She was a freshman in college. You and Donghyuck met her at one of your seniors’ birthday party; they’d hit it off easily. They had the same personality, almost like twins, and were pretty much the perfect couple in your newly found friend group.
That year was the most life changing for him because Donghyuck lost his virginity with her, and for quite some time, similar to when he’d dated Kim Haerin, he disappeared from your life, and not that you’d cared at much at that time because you were also dating your first boyfriend, Na Jaemin.
Jaemin was everything a first boyfriend should be. Gentle and sweet, determined and future-driven, truly the kind you’d want your parents to meet. He’s been in the same class as you since junior high, but he wasn’t the kind to approach women that easily. He was brought up loyal and kind, and it showed with the way he treated you. He asked you out on a dinner for the first date, at an amusement park for the second, and a picnic by the park for the third—which was the same day he officially asked you as his girlfriend.
When Donghyuck had learned, he was as surprised as a best friend would be.
“You never told me you liked Jaemin,” he commented when you’d told him the news. He was sitting on the swivel gaming chair you and him bought as pairs right beside your bed, where you were still half asleep because he barged in at seven on a Sunday morning. Apparently, he learned it because he saw Jaemin’s Instagram story from your date with him last night.
“Because I didn’t,” you groggily replied. You squinted, trying to make up your mind whether Donghyuck’s a dream or not. “I mean, I like him now. But it didn’t occur to me until he started asking me out for dates.”
Donghyuck leaned his head against your chair, kicking his feet off the floor to spin himself around. “You never even told me you went out on dates.”
You giggled. “Are you sulking now, Donghyuck?”
He sighed. “I tell you all about the girls I date. Even the ones I dream on dating. And this one time you finally decided to start dating, I wasn’t there for you.”
You sat up, watching as your child-like best friend spins himself dizzy on your chair. “Check your phone. Every time Jaemin and I went out, I texted you.”
He sighed again, pressing his foot on your bedroom’s floor, stopping so he could look at you eye to eye. “You didn’t tell me it was a date. You said you were having dinner with him, going to the amusement with him, and hanging out with him at the park.”
“We’re 19,” you pointed out. “What would 19-year olds do alone together?”
Donghyuck tilted his head sideways. “You and I are always alone together.”
“It’s different.” You throw a pillow at Donghyuck, kicking off the blanket from your body and moving to give him some space to lay on. “Come here, you big baby.”
Donghyuck’s mouth formed into a pout but occupied the space on your bed anyway.
“I’m a big girl,” you reminded him as he rested his head on your chest. “I don’t need you to be there for me on my first relationship.”
“Ouch,” he mumbled.
“I will always need you in my life, Donghyuck,” you clarified, knowing well how Donghyuck hates being not needed. “Just, not for this one. I might actually, truly like Jaemin. He’s a good guy.”
Donghyuck hummed. “But I’m still your best friend, right?”
You laughed. Because it’s the most ridiculous thing you’d ever heard. Donghyuck will always be your best friend. You were certain no relationship would break that. You and him were past being insecure about your friendship.
“Always.”
Donghyuck broke up with Jieun before Christmas break. The reason, you have no idea. But he’d told you it wasn’t as fun as it was in the beginning anymore. And Jieun was in university, after all, and you and him had SATs to pass and college essays to ace before the school year ends.
You and Jaemin took him out for clubbing that night, in hopes of cheering him up. It was a mystery to you why he’d suddenly decided to end it when the relationship seemed like it was smooth-sailing. They’d even talk about Donghyuck going to the same university as Jieun next year. You didn’t recall any fights within the relationship, so you wonder why.
Donghyuck leaves the club without you and Jaemin.
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lee naeun (again), February 2020 – April 2020
Donghyuck learned from Lee Jeno that his first love returned from the US to take her bachelor’s degree in Seoul on Valentine’s day. He found her wandering around SNU’s main lobby on the first day of the spring semester. You and Donghyuck were visiting the university after receiving your acceptance letters, looking for an apartment to share. Jaemin was going to another university, so it wasn’t wise for you and him to move in together, hence Donghyuck offered to move in with you to save up some money for rent and other expenses.
Lee Naeun stood there, still taller than Donghyuck, still the first person who ever kissed Donghyuck’s lips, still the first person you’d ever compared yourself to, wondering what she had that you didn’t.
Like the day they kissed in 2013, you looked away when Donghyuck finally reached to where she stood, wondering why, all of a sudden, many years later, the butterflies were flying all over in your stomach once again.
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ginny williams, September 2020 – October 2020
Of course, the first woman that Donghyuck officially dated in university is from the UK. Jeno said he only dated her to show everyone he’s immensely improved in English.
The break-up was proof Donghyuck never improved in English. He didn’t even understand why she was breaking up with him.
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park yesol, September 2021 – February 2022
You introduced Donghyuck to Park Yesol because it’s what she wanted for her birthday.
She had invited you to her 21st birthday. You and her, if you were being honest, barely know each other. You only shared a class in Literature once, so at first, it was a mystery to you why she suddenly invited you. When she’d asked if you could ask Donghyuck to RSVP with you, you’d known that it’s all she wanted from you.
Eventually, they’d start dating. Donghyuck, at that time, had been single for almost a year. He thought he convinced you that college was finally catching up on him hence he’d put a stop to his “demanding” dating life. However, Donghyuck is your best friend, and you could see right through him. You knew he liked someone he wasn’t willing to share with you, and he was probably working up the courage to ask that person out, which, when you thought about it, was new. Donghyuck was cunning and ambitious and he knew what he wanted and how to get it. He was never one to shy away from the people he liked, so it was a little suspicious that it took him almost a year to start dating again. You did not figure out who he liked, and you knew he’d only started dating Yesol to get you to shut up about it.
You and him knew it wasn’t a serious relationship because Yesol was dating other guys while she’d dated him. Donghyuck told you it felt like the relationship was just for sex because of his oozing sex appeal; you’d thrown a cushion at him when he’d said that.
Meanwhile, you and Jaemin were almost at pointbreak.
You didn’t want to spend Valentine’s Day being uncertain of the relationship would go, so you broke up with him on the first day of February. Jaemin had gotten an internship in Japan a few months ago, and the company that hired him liked him so much that they wanted to keep him while he finishes his degree virtually. You wished you could say the same, that you loved him so much you also wanted to keep him.
It was finally catching up to you and him, the distance. So, it was better you’d break it off before you and him start failing subjects just to keep a relationship steady.
Two and a half years together wasn’t enough. You and Jaemin wanted to spend the rest of your college years, at least, together. But like he said the night you’d ended it: it wasn’t worth it if it was compromising your mental health and studies. You’d cried so much that night, and you wondered if Donghyuck pretended he couldn’t hear you sobbing from the other side of the apartment.
Come Valentine’s Day, Donghyuck asked you to dress up, throwing a paper bag at you.
The place he “luckily scored” a reservation from, on a busy, fully-booked Valentine’s night, was nice. It was romantic and you were flushed and giddy from all the wine and all of the Donghyuck.
“Why are you here with me and not with Yesol?” you’d asked after the waiter filled your glass.
Donghyuck smiled at you. “I broke up with her two weeks ago.” Around the same time you did with Jaemin. “I figured if my best friend would be miserable on Valentine’s day, I should be, too.”
You laughed. “Well, you don’t look too miserable for a newly single man.”
“I’m not,” he confessed. “I’m never miserable when I have you.”
You reached out one hand, palm facing Donghyuck. He intertwined his hand with yours. And it fit perfectly. Just like the dress he got you.
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your name, June 2022 – present (or alternately, sometime in 2005 – forever.)
“Lee Naeun, Kim Haerin, Im Jieun, Lee Naeun again, then Park Yesol,” you enumerate. “You were a ladies’ man!”
Donghyuck whines, begging you to stop as you go through his things in his room, particularly the notes and letters from the girls he’d dated.
You and him are moving out. Graduation is just around the corner, and you and Donghyuck decided to move on to a better place. Your boyfriend got a job in one of the biggest companies in his industry, while you’re yet to find yours.
“Don’t forget Ginny Williams,” he teases, throwing you a love letter from the bunch.
“You did not date Ginny Williams, Donghyuck. It was an illusion,” you scoff. “Tell me one conversation you had with her. A real one.”
“I swear to God, she loved me,” he answers. “Stop playing around and help me in here.”
You stand from the carpeted floor and walk towards Donghyuck as he sorts out the things from his study desk. Donghyuck starts with the tower of books and folders, organizing them alphabetically as he carefully places them on the box labeled as books. The other box is labeled as essentials; hence you start throwing his headphones and speakers and its chargers in. While doing so, you get a hold of a small box that contains what you thought were miscellaneous items mixed in with trash, until you realize what’s inside.
There are a few polaroid pictures of you and him from high school, including a picture of you and him on your high school’s graduation day, some receipts from, now you recognize, the places you’d gone to. There’s a receipt from when you and him took the subway to visit a museum at the other side of the country back in 2018, another from Valentines day 2022, when you and him celebrated being newly single, the old ticket from your senior prom when he’d gone with you, and so many more that you could recognize just from its dates.
“Donghyuck,” you whisper as you look at the box of memories. Donghyuck turns, eyes wide when he recognizes the box you’re holding. “Where… where should I put these?”
Donghyuck loved many girls in his life. You can recall their names in the order of when he’d dated them. You had your favorites and the ones you didn’t like that much. Some of your friends wonder if you’ve ever been insecure knowing you weren’t the first kiss or the first person he had sex with and if you were okay with knowing all of that. You weren’t the first and you wish you’d be the last. The only thing you’re certain of, is that he had always loved you, and that alone erases all the other thoughts.
If you could say so, you’re thankful for all of the girls he loved before because they made him the one you’d fallen for. Every dead-end street led him straight to you.
He smiles. “Essentials.”
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shatteredearth-if · 1 year
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SHATTERED EARTH INTRO POST
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DEMO | DISCORD
Shattered Earth is an Interactive Sci-Fi/Fantasy Fiction about retreading old ground and working for your good ending. less formally, this is meant to go on my portfolio
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Five years ago, you watched the world split open, bore witness to what you could only refer to as "dragons" made manifest in scale, flesh and skin. You saw cities razed to the ground, asphalt streets shattered like ice. Fleets of dragons and foreign—almost alien—aircrafts alike seared across the skies, while towers of dirt and metal tore free from the landscape. The world has inexplicably, incomprehensibly changed, but you know this to be true: Earth never really stood a chance.
With your world now overrun by dragons and dangers alike, you've lived alone, hiding from the world you once called home, scrounging for scraps and surviving by the skin of your teeth. But when a chance encounter with a mercenary ship leaves you reeling with the realization that you're not the average-joe of a human that you thought you once were, you're forced into an ultimatum: enlist with the Seekers, or live out the rest of your life in a Human compound on Therius. But your horrors extend far beyond the threat of the dragons; your monsters are at home in your head, but they might just be the key to stopping all of this madness… if they don't take you out first.
The gears turn, the worlds spin inwards like ever-onwards like painted tops. You will undergo a journey of self-discovery, of potential romances and of incredible loss. And somehow, you can't shake the sensation that this has all happened before…
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A customizable protagonist: Customize your gender, your body type, your pronouns, and personality.
Five ROs to romantically pursue—some in the most conventional sense, others in… a not so conventional sense.
Engage in brief flings, one of which is... an RO's estranged divorced mother. (Your crewmates will disapprove.)
Train your body or your mind to perfection. Are you a frontline fighter, or do you prefer the aethereal arts?
Cute cat dog wolfboy…?
The female version of a himbo
There's no good way to put this: you remember things you shouldn't. The end of your story is not the end; something awaits you at the place where your endings converge. What is it? What are you?
There's an egotistical mind entity in your head, and the flags aren't just red; they're blood-crimson. Romanceable, but at a steep cost to your sanity. Or maybe…
Skippable, customizable NSFW content. My friends have advised me not to continue.
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Avett Ironsturm
Role: RO
Gender: Male (he/him)
Race: Kattish
Age: 20
Specialization: Arms specialist
Appearance: Avett is a Kattish man of average height. His complexion is fair. Perched upon his head are two swivelling cat-like ears, and at the base of his spine is a prehensile tail that is about the length of his arm—both are adorned with soft, black fur. His hair is black, hangs just below the shoulders, and he keeps most of it in a messy ponytail. Most of his frontal hair frames his boyish, youthful face. His irises are copper colored, his pupils slitted.
Personality: Avett is bristly, prickly, and very easy to anger if he's not trying to get into your pants. He's a flirt through and through, and knows how and when to be charming, just… not with his coworkers. Or you. Though if you can get him to let his guard around you, you might just find him a lot more bearable.
Your impression: Once upon a time, you saw his old ID, stuffed in a cabinet along with his boxers and body spray, and you realized he was smiling in his photo. Not outwardly—they don't want you smiling on those cards, but behind those eyes was a laugh ready to bust out at any moment. That was four years ago. Now? All he does now is sulk and yell at people. Something happened in those four, long years, and those years have only been getting longer since.
Sexuality: Bisexual (woman-leaning)
Yuda Hellsbridge
Role: RO
Gender: Female (she/her)
Race: Half Gallian, Half Kattish
Age: Secret?
Specialization: Restrainer
Appearance: Yuda is a half-Gallian, half-Kattish woman of above average height. Her complexion is a pale, seafoam green—common for most Gallians. Her hair is white with blue undertones in the right lighting, and is short and choppy. If you look too closely into her metallic gray eyes, you will notice a swirling, foggy substance within her irises, as is common for all Gallians who are at least a bit adept in magic… which is to say, almost all of them. Yuda is extremely fit and exercises often, and as a result her build is stocky and muscular—very uncommon for a Gallian, though she claims that she's half Kattish.
Personality: Yuda is outwardly cheerful, loud, and brash—tact is not her forte. But behind every sunny smile is a shadow, and Yuda keeps her shadows well away from the spotlight.
Your impression: It's not trauma. It's not a blip in her personality. There is something genuinely terrifying hiding behind Yuda's eyes, and that's not including the fact that you don't know how old she is. Oh, she's nice, and she's got no ulterior motives, you'll give her that. But it's like she's wearing her own body like a shadow.
Sexuality: doesn't care for labels, but for clarity's sake she is pansexual.
Ysh'vanna O'Raal
Role: RO
Gender: Female (she/her)
Race: Draconian
Age: 26
Specialization: Captain/Pilot
Appearance: Ysh'vanna is a short girl with wispy, white hair that topples down to her waist—if she doesn't brush it out of her face, it has a tendency to smother her slight frame like an oversized scarf. Her irises are orange, with a ring of emerald green around her pupils. Trailing from her ears are two, small, green webs that resemble translucent dragon wings.
Personality: Everyone onboard the Seeker is a wreck, yes, but Ysh'vanna is always at least two crises away from a mental breakdown everyday. Sorting through admin, funds, Avett's shenanigans and the odd dragon attack has left her riddled with anxieties. She has difficulty forming bonds outside of work because of this, so her relationship with Avett isn't great. After any particularly grueling mission, she will often be found comatose in front of the navigation panels, staring off into the skyline. Otherwise, Ysh'vanna tries to be cheerful. Most of the time. Some of the time.
Your impression: She's probably by far the most average person on this ship. Every morning she takes her coffee with three sugars and a cupful of milk; every night she takes a nail-sized tablet along with a full glass of water. "For the anxiety," she says. She's incredibly open about most things... until it comes to her family. What's the deal?
Sexuality: bisexual (woman-leaning)
Auren Draksparrow
Role: Platonic Option
Gender: Male (he/him)
Race: Gallian
Age: According to Avett, "Like, a hundred or something." He looks about forty in Human years to you.
Specialization: Warder
Appearance: Auren is a Gallian man of above average height. His frame is gaunt, almost frail; his hair is platinum blond, and is secured in a low ponytail that reaches down to his waist. His complexion is seafoam green, and his eyes are a faint violet. Swimming in his irises is a fog, a trait most Gallians share. His facial features are long and soft, but his cheekbones sit high upon his face.
Personality: Auren is cold, aloof, and it can be difficult to discern what he's thinking from speech and body language alone. He is clear in mind, even during high-pressure situations, until his abilities as a caster fail him.
Your impression: Here's the deal about living past one hundred and one; you're going to mess up. You're going to mess up a lot more than the average person, and your book of guilt's going to be pushing a trilogy if you don't start forgiving yourself for some of those mess-ups. You know for a fact that Auren has never forgiven himself, not even once, because he's yet to save the Seekers. Because he's yet to, in his eyes, make himself useful. But you're his lucky break: he's the only one on the ship who can see that thing in your head for what it is, and he knows it's a threat.
Sexuality: he's not looking for a relationship right now, if ever. He's married to his tomes and the study of aether.
Liam Salazar
Role: RO
Gender: Male (he/him)
Race: Human
Age: 24
Specialization: Researcher
Appearance: Liam is tall with an athletic frame and broad shoulders. He usually keeps his dark brown hair in a nest of curls atop his head. His skin is a deep umber, and his eyes are an even deeper shade of brown. He often wears a white lab coat over a simple sweater and dress shirt.
Personality: Quiet, but goofy; aloof, but sensitive. You sense that this boy would rather bury his head in a good book or some other complicated research than look you in the eye. That's not to say he's meek, though—come any threat, and he'll lash out swinging. You had to be a special kind of tough to have survived the Migration as a Human, and Liam is no exception.
Your impression: You didn't expect to make friends at the IRC training facility—most Humans there wanted your head on a stick for the cardinal sin of having a deal with a merc ship already. The Migration wore everyone's patience thin, but not Liam's. For a hot moment at that facility, you were two renegades against the hateful world. Until your training period finished up.
Sexuality: Panromantic demisexual, though initially he believes that he's straight.
The Entity
Role: RO
Gender: Customizable/it
Race: Something intangible. A voice in your head.
Age: It laughs when you ask this. "How old is a concept? The fear of death, the love of life? How old? Are you counting? Think about that."
Appearance: A dark wisp of smoke that occasionally shifts to form parts of a person.
Personality: Loves you, like an overbearing parent. Punishes you, like a torturer gleaning for answers. It maims you and calls it affection.
Your impression: When you're not talking to it, it's rummaging through your memories. Why? For fun. It knows about that time you did this and that in the locker room and almost got caught for it. It knows about that time you stopped someone from leaving after class just so you could hit on them, unsuccessfully, for ten minutes before they had to beg you to leave. It knows everything about you, all the bad, all the good—and it loves you anyway. That's the purest kind of love, isn't it?
Sexuality: Wouldn't you like to know.
With that all said, thank you for checking out this post, and DOUBLE thank you if you decide to try out Shattered Earth. 🙇🙇
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grsl-xo · 6 months
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After Goku flew off with Chichi after the big tournament, the TV show began reruns starting from episode 1.
That’s how Dragon Ball became the first manga I ever bought.
Back then manga were only available at book stores in busy train stations. I remember the paper smell in these stores and the Dragon Ball manga, always on a spinning type of shelf. Every time I had the chance to get a new volume I longingly looked at all the cover art of the manga I couldn’t afford to get just yet. Beautifully colored pictures, promising great adventures and protagonists I never saw before. Who was the purple haired guy, who was the girl on cover 36 and why was there a small Goku? Between reading I spent my early teens trying to draw the characters just like Toriyama.
10 years later I started to draw again after using a pen only ever for taking notes for way too long. I began with a cover art redraw of volume 38 because I wanted to have something nice to frame for my living room.
I stumbled into the Vegeta and Bulma fandom on accident after trying to find a better resolution of the manga cover for volume 32 online.
When I posted my first vegebul Toriyama redraw, I got compliments from fan artists that I admired immensely, wich led me to pursue my art hobby more seriously and made me so much better.
Whenever I start a new redraw I feel like I’m still having so much to learn from his work. Every line I have ever drawn was influenced by Toriyama.
I’m 34 years old and I have drawn Dragon Ball for more than 20 years at this point.
While I don’t know if I will still draw Dragon Ball when I’m 68, it will have a special place in my heart as long as I live.
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kitweewoos · 1 month
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The Artist
Tommy Kinard spent his childhood being terrified of the idea of soulmates, hearing his father's drunken rants about how unnatural it is, how horrible, how absolutely disgusting it was that soulmates thought they were real and special. Then, when he was just about to turn thirteen, it appeared on his hip, a triangle that faded towards the bottom edge, right against his skin. He tried to hide it, and he almost managed it, until he was changing one night and his father stumbles into his room, drunk off his ass, trying to find the bathroom. He tried to cover it up, but his father had already seen it, and he was pissed. He dragged Tommy into a clinic downtown where a doctor put him under anesthesia and cut his soul mark out of his skin, leaving behind a small scar instead. When he was old enough to get out of his small town, he did, signing up for the army and signing up to learn to be a pilot. When he got out, though, his body hurt and he had nightmares. Instead, he turns to using his body in other ways, modeling for fashion magazines at first, then on fashion runways, in music videos, and fitness magazines once they realize he's physically fit. When he finally retires, he has enough money to follow his dreams of being an artist, a skill he's hidden for years and years, but now, he gets to put his work on display loudly and proudly.
The Model
Evan Buckley has wondered what his soulmate is going to be like since the small triangle appeared on his hip. His mother was overjoyed for him and started talking about having a daughter-in-law someday, and he let her celebrate however she wanted, because at least she was paying attention to him. His father was less thrilled but let Evan live his life regardless. He imagined, though, what his life would be like when he finally met them. After he escaped Hershey, he floated through life, trying to find a place to belong. He drew what he saw, and he sold paintings wherever he went, and he really just wanted to pursue a life made up of artists and gallery events. He finds his way to Los Angeles, and makes friends with a group that keeps him focused and calls him Buck. Art doesn't pay the bills so he takes the first modeling job offered to him by a friend, which leads him to another, and another, and another job, and he can finally pay his rent, and make his art without worrying about if this painting will pay for his next meal.
The Soulmates
It's a favor to his friend and now his brother-in-law to be, that he shows up to a stranger's studio to be a model for their new series. He's "perfect for it," according to Chimney, and this friend is a genius, Buck is going to want to be a part of it. So, Buck shows up to a studio with minimal info and finds the most gorgeous man he's ever seen waiting in a pair of paint-stained jeans and a smock over a blue Henley, with a square jaw and a cleft in his chin, and Buck immediately wants to know more.
"Hi, I'm Evan, Evan Buckley, or Buck, whatever you want to call me. Chimney said you needed a model?" "I do, yeah. I'm Tommy, and it's nice to meet you, Evan. Did Howie happen to tell you anything about what I'm looking for?" "He mentioned it involved nudity, but that's all." "Well, that's part of it, that's certainly a big part of it, but I'm doing a study on soul marks and how they move with the body." "Oh! That's awesome! Mine's not in a very malleable position, it's on my hip right here, so if that's not helpful, I get it." "Let me see?"
He doesn't expect the slight gasp as he lifts his shirt and tugs down his pants so that Tommy can see it. He doesn't expect Tommy to be drawn into him, to reach out and ask permission before tentatively brushing the dark triangle on his hip. He doesn't expect Tommy's soft little breath as he touches him. He doesn't expect Tommy to say, under his breath, that he never expected to find him, that he's given up on it.
"I'm sorry, are you saying that we're soulmates? Prove it."
Tommy takes off the smock and then draws up his shirt to reveal a long, harsh surgical scar in the same spot that Buck's mark sits.
"I can't. My father had it cut away when he found out. I can't prove it, I don't even have photos of me as a kid with it because of that, but - we are. Your mark, it's exactly what mine was before it was removed."
Buck wants to believe him, so he strips off his shirt, and tells him they'll start with one session for Tommy to work on his series and then they can get some drinks, some dinner, and if they're soulmates, they won't ever want to stop. Tommy smiles, and agrees, and sits down at his easel while Buck strips off the rest of his clothes and sits on a stool in Tommy's view. He turns the way Tommy tells him to, and sits well even when he wants to move, and Tommy praises him for how good he's doing, and how well he follows direction. The praise seems to be easy and free-flowing for Tommy, and Buck does want to stay here forever, listening to Tommy hum as he sketches and lets his eyes linger. He doesn't need to go to drinks or to dinner, he already knows that Tommy's it for him. This is forever, and he smiles to himself knowing that he's finally found his home, even if no one else will believe them when they say they're soulmates. It doesn't matter, because they know. They know that this is their fate, and they've found it together.
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penspolin · 4 months
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Benedict Bridgerton & Freedom: A Character Study
I think many would agree that Benedict Bridgerton's storyline in season 3 so far has been rather stagnant, potentially deja-vu-inducing. Benedict pursuing an unconventional love interest is nothing we have not already seen from the series. But despite the cyclical nature of Ben's plot, it could suggest more about his characterization (more specifically, his subconscious desperation) than what first meets the eye.
Art & Societal Detachment
Much of Benedict's plot in seasons 1 and 2 revolved around his relationship with art. Symbolically, art is a means of escape from the real world, just as it is a means of interpreting that world or one's place within it. Since both Colin and Benedict struggle with society (in similar, yet still different, ways), it only feels right that Colin feels a personal connection with writing while Benedict expresses himself through art.
It goes without saying that Benedict has poured his soul into his artistic pursuits; it is a part of him, and so naturally the revelation that Anthony bought his place in art school is a massive blow to his self-confidence. Colin experiences something similar: it's as if both brothers are struggling with this question of what it means to be themselves, not merely "Bridgertons" (side note, but the series title is interesting to me in that it calls upon the family's reputation, despite that reputation creating conflict in so many of the characters' stories).
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Benedict makes several comments throughout the show that serve other characters' plots, but they speak so much to how he sees the world. For example, in S2 he tells Anthony:
"Poetry is the art of revealing precious truth with words."
By suggesting that poetry "reveals" something else, Benedict is implying that the world is made up of concealed truths. In other words, art is a means of seeing the world (and society at large) more clearly. Which brings me to...
Freedom (& Tilley Arnold)
Season 3 Benedict feels purposeless. The promotional material has indicated as much, and we saw it early when his only means of fulfillment (performing Anthony's Viscount duties while he was away on honeymoon) was taken away.
Season 3 Colin rejects society internally but tries to embrace it outwardly. Benedict has played the part himself before, but he's never pretended to enjoy it (see: his dancing at balls this season).
Ben is a rake, but he's not the kind that chases women to build his reputation. Colin was a rake to fit in, but Benedict is a rake because...well, because he wants to be. An important distinction. The similarity with Colin, however, is revealed through a conversation between Benedict and Mondrich.
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Benedict views society as a cage outside of marriage. Once one becomes married, they become free. He even uses that word (a season 4 hint, perhaps? Could Ben's next pursuit of 'freedom' be finding the love of his life?).
We know Benedict hates these imposed restrictions. The most fascinating thing is that even when he has lost a huge part of his identity, Ben is still inherently searching for something, someone, to represent that detachment from society that he so craves. It's why he seems so disinterested in courting--why he runs anytime he is forced into the "societal" box. He is subconsciously searching for anything that removes him from this box...and who better than a bold, unconforming widow?
In my eyes, if Benedict falls in love with Tilley Arnold, that ultimately says more about him psychologically than any true bond between them. It is the idea of her that he falls back on so strongly after the blow he's suffered losing his art, the one thing that made him feel whole. She's temporarily filling a void.
Masquerade
Last point--the symbolism of masquerades. It's an interesting contradiction that concealing one's physical identity is actually exposing one's inner identity. That is to say, the writers have a chance to play with these ideas--self-expression, freedom, facades, escapism, etc.--at the masquerade ball (whenever we see it). It's such a poetic representation of what Benedict is searching for. I'd argue it's almost all subconscious at this point. Benedict seemed so sure of himself when he had art, but now the tables have turned on him--he's like Colin in S2: purposeless. The brothers' stories mirror each other, but the resolution of their problems is unique.
Here's hoping the showrunners/writers take advantage of the opportunity to do something more with Benedict's character in the second half of season 3. And fingers crossed this is all gearing up for Benedict as S4's lead. Seeing Colin in the spotlight in S3 presents a nice comparison with Benedict's own struggles.
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m00nc4kes · 10 months
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R A H I’m still working on ily pt2 but like i can’t get potter! Hobie outta my head. Like IMAGINE WITH ME IF YOU WILL
he runs his own little shop where he spends his days working with clay and selling his pieces.
YOU, on the other hand, were someone who fell in love with pottery in high school but was unable to pursue it in the real world. Life sucked that way. Anyway, you stumble onto this little shop and absolutely fell in love with the art pieces you saw.
There were vases, mugs, plates— anything you could think of. The door had a bell that rang as soon as you walked in. It didn’t take long for the most gorgeous man you’d ever laid eyes on to walk out from the back, covered in clay. He adorned piercings that brought out his already beautiful features and dark nail polish, which you could see was caked in dried clay. He gave you a toothy grin and you knew you were completely head over heels.
You ask if he teaches classes to which he sighs and says he doesn’t really have enough space to teach people. Ofc he sees how disappointed you are and says he doesn’t mind just teaching you.
DO YOU SEE MY VISON⁉️
HHHHHHHH JUST JUST AAAAAAAAAHHH THE POTENTIAL
(smutty/suggestive info down below)
imagine him fucking you in the back and the bell from the door rings and he just clicks his tongue. Because out of all times someone decides to come in, it’s when he’s busy with you. He covers your mouth because it’s a little unprofessional to be fucking his little peng ting in his shop in the first place. He really doesn’t want to pull out of you, especially with how gorgeous you looked under him, but alas he had a business to run.
He tries not to make it a habit of taking you in his shop, but you don’t make it easy for him. Always being so sweet to him, telling him that you loved how easy he made pottery look. You complimented his handiwork whenever you could, absolutely amazed at how precise he was when he was detailing his pieces. But you were cheeky. Telling him how well he worked with his hands and how you wouldn’t mind if his hands somehow found their way on your body or securely around your throat. You told him this whenever you could. How could anyone expect him not to do what was so pleasantly asked of him?
In your defense, you couldn’t help it. Watching how he could be delicate with the clay yet so in control when he was sat at his wheel. God, watching him wedge large chunks of clay with such precision and strength made your face set aflame.
You just liked men who were good with their hands and by god, Hobie was an expert with them.
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abacus-jpg · 4 months
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Anyone else not understand why people are moving to cara. Like I understand it’s because ai and shit,, but like. What confuses me is as long as your art is on the internet, aslong as you chose to post your art online anywhere, doesn’t matter where, it is prone to being stolen by ai. To me ai is nothing more then when people trace your art and call it their own. Ofc I don’t want people to do it, but ultimately that will not stop them. I do have a cara account, I was the first to claim abacus. When I tried posting there a few times I’ve been met with an error message, alongside that the app is really buggy and slow. I don’t see why people feel the need to come up with new apps to post art on when you could just use tumblr, but then the argument with tumblr is that there’s no engagement. But if we all flock to tumblr like people are flocking to cara then I don’t see why engagement would be such a big issue. Even then, if engagement is your main concern with your art I feel like you should reevaluate why you are pursuing art in the first place. I had this struggle ages ago where I didn’t feel my art was worth anything because I couldn’t cap 10 likes. But I realized, my art is for me. I’m the one that should be enjoying it, and my reason for posting now is for other people to enjoy it, so if they don’t,, I really don’t care all the much. I understand it is really detouring to post ocs and to have zero engagement, but that’s just the way art is. Unless you are producing fanart consistently of shit that is made into content farms, I really don’t see how you can garner a following just doing ocs. That’s why, doing art for your own sake is more important than trying to please everyone. I can guarantee there’s atleast one stranger on the internet that will fw your stuff the way you want. And the more you post, the more the number will grow. Most of the time it’s gradual, but one goes to two, two goes to three. And maybe you’ll only get one or two. But the important thing is, there’s someone. If you feel like you have no one, remember your art is for yourself. You’ll always have one, even if that is yourself. This might all seem contradictive. But trust, only you matter when it comes to your own artwork.
This “speech”, if you can call it that, isn’t to deter people from drawing and posting their ocs. This is just to say, engagement shouldn’t matter. As long as you’re happy, that’s all the matters. Post and draw what you want aslong as it’s not straight ripping from someone else. Idc.
This whole thing was supposed to be abt Cara but it turned into a uhh,, Ted talk of sorts. I’m not saying people shouldn’t use cara, if it works for them then by all means go for it. But personally I will not be making it my main form of social media. In my opinion, it’ll be like that other art app people were using for a week before they forgot abt it, I forget the name of it but I remember the interface was a light pink, similar to Instagram,, but somehow worse.
IM GONNA SPECIFY THAT I DONT CONDONE AI STEALING PEOPLES ART EITHER,, just putting that out there because some people have a way of misunderstanding or misinterpretating things. Which is okay!! Because some people genuinely get confused and that’s alright. But like please don’t use so first handedly. With that being said, I’m just a nobody on the internet so why would you listen to me,, you won’t. But i uhh,, am gonna put that there anyways
Thanks if you read allat,, idk why you would but that’s anyways I guess😭😭😭
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mysteryshoptls · 1 year
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SSR Jack Howl - Platinum Jacket Vignette
"Happy 100th Anniversary"
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[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]
Jack: Oh, this painting has wolves in the snow chasing an intruder that was romping through their territory. Very brave of them.
Jack: And this painting… Ah, it's a wolf that raised an orphaned baby. Didn't know one did that.
Jack: There's so many wolves to be proud of.
Jack: ―Ah, oops. I can't help lingering whenever I see a painting of wolves. Since they invited me all the way out here, I should take a look at the other stuff as well.
Jack: Hm? What's that painting of those animals over there…?
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???: Oho? This is quite the tasteful art piece.
Jack: Oh you're… Malleus-senpai. So, you like this one, too?
Malleus: Indeed. It is truly a scene to behold that I could not help myself stopping before it.
Malleus: The sight of the baboon walking through the throng of animals, all whom have their heads bowed, is majestic and beautiful… Whatever could they be doing there?
Jack: I think this is… Yeah, a depiction of when all the animals gathered to celebrate the birth of their prince.
Jack: The baboon in the center there was respected by all the other animals as a real capable sorcerer.
Jack: Not only was he an amazing mage, he was also good at drawing, and was real strong, too.
Jack: Don't you think that's amazing? It's only natural that he'd remain in the history books, especially being that skilled.
Malleus: True, those with exceptional talents have a charming tendency to attract the attention of others.
Malleus: And you, Howl, seem to have quite the font of knowledge, with how you to readily are able to answer my queries...
Jack: Heh, I just a thing or two about the history of animals, since I'm a beastman, and all. Back when I was a kid, I'd have a ton of picture books, and I'd hear all about them.
Jack: But I think it was the tales of the King of Beasts that really made me actually go to the library and want to study more on it.
Jack: Take the fact that he was the leader of his pride. He must've been a head above everyone else in all his abilities.
Malleus: Heh… I'm certain that was the case. At any rate, it sounds to me as though this conversation has lit a fire inside of you.
Malleus: You seem to have some form of attachment to the King of Beasts.
Jack: I wouldn't say attachment… I just respect the way he pursued his life.
Malleus: Respect, I see. Well then, have you ever thought of seizing the position of pack leader as the King of Beasts did?
Jack: Nah. I don't like being part of a pack, and I'm not one for leadership.
Malleus: Oho? I was under the impression that wolves hunted in packs.
Jack: If we have the same end goal, sure, I'll team up with whoever. But it's not like I'll obediently wag my tail for everyone.
Jack: A pack leader needs to be wiser and more responsible than anyone else.
Jack: If the guy at the top makes the wrong judgement, then everyone else will suffer.
Malleus: So, you consider "wisdom" to be the key trait of a leader?
Jack: I mean, it's not enough to just be wise. They also have to be physically strong. There are folk out there that'll use sly and cowardly methods to do what they want.
Jack: If they don't have the strength to completely crush 'em down, they're not worthy of that spot at the top.
Malleus: Heh… You sure do tout some lofty expectations, Howl.
Jack: I just don't like compromising. And, since these are expectations, there'd be no point into setting them so low in the first place.
Jack: Sometimes people say I'm overly conscious, or a pain to deal with, but… So what?
Jack: No matter what anyone else might say, I follow what I believe in. I decided that long ago.
Malleus: Heh, I see that you're a rather stubborn one, Howl. However, I cannot say that pride is a terrible thing to have.
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[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]
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Jack: So, this museum also has a painting of a young lady wishing at a well, huh.
Jack: Back home… I mean, in the Shaftlands, you'd see this pretty much everywhere, but it's been a while since I've laid eyes on one, myself.
Malleus: Hm? Is this painting that well known in the Shaftlands?
Jack: Not really this painting, so much as the actual story behind it. To the point where you'd see artwork based on it displayed all over the country.
Jack: You'll get people tryin' to make a wish in the well like she does, too.
Jack: My little sister'll run to a well every time she sees one. Not like there's any proof that it'll grant her wish, but she still does.
Malleus: You make it sound as though you've never wished upon a well, Howl.
Jack: Uh, well… I did try when I was a kid… But only once.
Malleus: Oho, and why was that?
Jack: At the moment I tried to cast my wish, I fell into the well…
Jack: At the time, I was a little too short to look over the edge of the well. So, I tried to hoist myself over the rim, but I put a little too much oomph into it.
Jack: It was an old well, so there wasn't any water, but a huge pile of fallen leaves, so I didn't get hurt… But it did startle me pretty bad then.
Jack: On top of that, that well was in the middle of the forest, where people didn't really walk past. No matter how hard I yelled, no one came by.
Malleus: What misfortune. However, as you are standing here before me today, I must assume that someone did indeed come and save you.
Jack: Nope, I got out by myself. Luckily, the inside of the well had real blocky walls, so I was able to use them as footholds as I climbed out.
Jack: But that definitely wasn't easy. Back then, I wasn't training or nothing, so I didn't really have any muscles, either.
Jack: I thought I was going to fall so many times, but somehow, I got out of there…
Jack: As soon as I got out of the well, I collapsed, 'cause I was so exhausted and just couldn't move for a while.
Jack: I really thought I was in a huge pinch there, but… At the same time, I was also a pretty impressed.
Malleus: Impressed…?
Jack: Yeah. I was having trouble just climbing up to the edge of the well in the first place, but then I was able to climb the whole well up to the surface.
Jack: I was able to do something that I didn't think I'd be able to do. That means that any wish can be granted…
Jack: SO LONG AS I HAVE STRENGTH AND MUSCLES!!!
Jack: So, basically, anytime I'd have extra time that would have otherwise been spent wishing on a well, I just worked out, instead.
Malleus: Fufu, you truly found an extreme approach… But I see. Essentially, this incident was not completely misfortunate.
Jack: Yeah, I'd say so. I think I'm how I am now, because of what happened there.
Jack: Now that I'm thinking of why I got into all this training, I kind of want to work out now.
Jack: When I get back to campus, I'm going to throw myself into my training even more, so that I can overcome anything I encounter with my own power!
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[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]
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Jack: The Queen of Hearts, huh… I feel like I see her depicted alongside animals a lot.
Malleus: True. However, that is a rather unusual bird.
Malleus: It appears to be a flamingo; however I've never seen a lime green one in my life.
Jack: From what I heard, in the country that the Queen of Hearts ruled over there were flamingos of various colors, not just pink.
Jack: When Heartslabyul do their traditional croquet tournaments, they use magic to color the animals to match this tale.
Malleus: Oho? You certainly know much about this.
Jack: Me and those two from Ramshackle got invited by Ace and Deuce to play croquet with them, so…
Jack: It's just something I heard back then.
Jack: …Ugh, man. Talking about it reminded me of how I lost pretty bad then.
Malleus: Those in Heartslabyul are quite familiar with croquet. Is it not surprising to lose to them?
Jack: Even if I've never played it before, I'm usually pretty good at any sport I try. Only…
Jack: The croquet they play in Heartslabyul has real weird rules, and you need to get the animals to work with you.
Jack: During our game, the flamingo and hedgehogs were nervous only with me, so they didn't move like I was hoping they would.
Jack: They weren't scared of Grim and [Yuu], even though they were also playing with us...
Jack: The fact that I lost without being able to do anything really frustrates me.
Jack: Or more like… Can that game even be called a sport, in the first place?
Malleus: Certainly, I would agree that it is a far cry different from what one would consider an ordinary sport. I was also surprised when I first observed it.
Jack: You think so too, right!? It's just weird, needing to work alongside the animals like that...
Jack: Seeing that all the sport-loving types in my dorm haven't ever played it before…
Jack: I really don't think they could even be put in the same category. But I can't deny that I did lose the game.
Jack: When the next time comes that I play croquet with them, I can't show a terrible display like that again.
Jack: So that just means that I have to keep up in my Animal Linguistics classes!
Malleus: I see. So, ever since you lost, you've been continuing to improve yourself.
Malleus: They do say that the languages of smaller animals is rather difficult to absorb. Good for you, putting your all into even a mere game.
Jack: That's 'cause I don't want to lose the same game twice. Next time, I'll make Ace and Deuce lose face.
Malleus: Fufu, I shall hope for your efforts to be successful.
Malleus: ―Well then, I shall make my way to a different exhibit. You should also make an effort to look at some more of your favorite paintings.
Jack: …There he goes. He just does his own thing, huh? I really don't know what goes through his head.
Jack: Well, whatever. I guess I'll head towards another exhibit too. …Hm? This painting…
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Jack: Ah, a lion prince, and his hornbill attendant. Heh, how can such a pathetic lookin' lion really become king?
Jack: I'll only ever accept someone strong. If they're to be king, they need to have the power to crush all greedy and sleazy people down.
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Requested by Anonymous.
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dreamingonclds · 1 year
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Everything Happens For A Reason | LN4
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Summary: Sometimes the people that love us hurt us the most but, you can't seem to stay away. After an immense break up, you've become the most passionate in your career. Going from casting to casting, concert to concert, audition to audition, you become one of the most famous artists of your generation. You were done picking up the broken pieces of your heart when somebody comes into your life and you place your heart in someone else's hands again.
Word Count: 945
Pairing: Lando Norris x female! reader ft. Carlos Sainz
Warnings: none
Chapter 1
Note: This is my first official fic, I hope all goes well! This isn't fully edited but, I just wanted to put it out there. I hope you enjoy and thanks!!!
Chapter 1
“Hey, hey!”, says your manager strutting into the hotel room you were getting ready in.
“Good morning!”, you say chirpily as you turn to look at the door she came through
Your eyes follow her as she comes to sit on the lounge chair across from the studio chair you're sitting on.
You're currently getting your makeup done as today will be a full day of press for a new Netflix show you just wrapped on. Considering you started acting at 18 and you're currently 23, it’s easy to say you’ve been pretty successful. Many say you’re the best actress of your generation, you got nominated for an Emmy after your first acting job and you're getting job offers left and right. But, you’ve always felt like it wasn’t hard work that got you where you are today; you’ve always believed it was just luck. You never even considered acting in the first place, it just kind of happened. 
You had always lived a normal life, you were born and raised in California to a middle class hard working Mexican family. Up until high school you were just living life as normally as possible. During middle school you developed a love for music which led you to try and pursue it once you started high school. 
You didn’t have to try very hard for people to notice you, you were just that good. But, that didn’t mean you didn’t work hard, after you got your record deal at 17 you tried your best to make hit after hit. You were always afraid the success wouldn't last very long. But after countless number 1s, sold out shows, and very passionate fans; you were sure you made the right choice. 
Soon after graduating highschool you were put into a meeting with your team, they just wanted to know if you wanted to solely focus on music or explore other art forms. You only had eyes for music but they saw your potential and pushed you to try. It wouldn’t hurt to try right, so you gave it your best shot. If you thought you were successful back then you were in for a surprise. Your popularity skyrocketed and multiplied by millions it seemed. You were quickly considered one of the most famous and influential young artists of the generation.
“So, I have gone through and confirmed the schedule for these upcoming weeks. But, there is one last thing that just came up. I wanted to go over it with you before I set everything up” she says as she opens and begins typing on her laptop.
Jen, your manager has been with you since high school and has climbed every step of the journey with you. Although she works for you, she is more like an older sister you never had, that and the fact that she’s only eight years older than you.
“Mhm” you nod at Jen as to not disturb your makeup artist who is putting your lipstick on.
“It’s this car racing thingy, something about giving you a tour and meeting each team. I think it’s called Formula something. Anyways, I’m about to send the email back saying no, it doesn’t look like it’s worth our time.” She says nonchalantly
You sit there eyes wide, “Jen are you kidding me, never say no to Formula One!” you semi yell
“I looked into it, it just looked like funny cars going in circles for what seems like forever. But no worries, I’ll just change that no to a yes.”
“I didn’t even know you were into racing, when did you get into this anyway?” she says typing while looking at you waiting for an answer
“Umm, I don’t really remember the exact year but, I think in elementary school. My dad always woke up at 6:00 am to watch the races each weekend”, you say as the makeup artist fixes your eyebrows one last time
“Wow, you’re more into it than I thought. Why have you never mentioned it before?!”
“I mean I haven’t really been caught up with it at all, you know after everything took off I didn’t have time for it”
“Oh that reminds me, the race is in Monaco in exactly two weeks. So, it’ll be the last thing you’ll have to do right before your break” she says matter of factly
“Yes, I can’t wait for it!” you groan in delight leaning back in your chair as your glam team is packing up to leave.
“Yeah, I think I judged it too early, this seems more like a vacation than anything. And these racers, why didn’t you tell me they were this attractive” she says raising her eyebrows at you
You laugh and sit up, “I mean that isn’t what it’s all about but yeah, they’re easy on the eyes for sure. I had the biggest crush on Lando Norris like a year back.” 
You feel your cheeks and ears heat up as you remember your crush, you’d never supported Mclaren until him. You’d always been a Ferrari fan, a die hard Tifosi. Your dad would kill you if he found out your heart was half orange.
Jen waves her hands in front of you, “Earth to Y/N”
“Umm it doesn’t really seem like this crush has passed. Now I know why you want to go so bad!” she teases and giggles at you
You cover your face and blush even harder
You get up and walk towards the closet, “Just help me get dressed Jen, please” you giggle and plead at her hoping she’ll forget about it
She gets up and follows you, “Whatever you say girlfriend” she laughs
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widefuturesss · 1 month
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how did you get started doing the things you do publicly? like teaching, having writings published, etc?
I’ve always put myself out there. “I wanna be a voice heard and change seen” said 15 year old Chi in their bedroom chanting/praying after watching a powerful video about Oprah loll. By the time I started university I was very determined bout my becoming. Moved to a new city/country alone at 17 and I went to my first poetry spoken word open mic at a library I found online, by my 2nd event I got booked for my first reading… I soon started applying to open calls, my first commission led to another which led to another… I started self-publishing my work cuz I felt an urgency and I needed it out there. I couldn’t wait for anyone so when the places I sent my work too never got back, I took it upon myself. I remember first year in uni I made my first book of poetry and art, heavy in the chest, my professor that marked it then invited me to an event where I got paid to read an excerpt, this encouraged me to publish it despite the fact that no one else wanted too at the time. But yesss, it’s like one opportunity led to the next. Most ppl don’t know that I’ve been a part time artist with school, for the longest time I just pursued interests beyond what was ever expected for me. Even painting, that was a personal passion I did respite my non-art school lol. I’ve always believed in my passions tho. By the 2nd year of my Masters, I got invited to my school to lecture through a commission I did! It was funny and iconic cuz the school didn’t realize I was also one of their own students!!! Heheheeee Now I got a Masters degree and my resume veryyyyy long from all the extra interests I pursued and I’m still working so hard!!!!! Believing in myself, choosing to share, choosing to apply to any opportunity intuition guides me towards…. This validates the practices more now as I watch the seeds I planted at 15 growww, it’s a chain effect for sure. I’m only just getting started.
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