#this is one of my fave things to do in poetry so i was pretty psyched to see today's prompt.

[amalgamationink]

NAPOWRIMO24 #14: THE AUTHOR RESPONDS TO HIS DECADE-OLD SUICIDE NOTE

[borzoilover69]

ULTIMATE JAKE: an idea and an execution

 iA I Aka the post where borzoi talks to the crowd how awesome Lord Jake English is, the guy that everyones seen around, but have no idea who he is. Pull up a chair, this will get long. 

If Ultimate Dirk can be summarised by the mask of tragedy in theatre, LE Jake, AKA Ultimate Jake, could be summarised by the mask of comedy. I’ve barely read HS2, but from what I can see, Dirk wants to make a serious nitty gritty tragedy of serious and epic proportions. But he tries so hard that he ends up making it almost laughable.

Jake wants to make a thighslapper huckshaw comedy where everyones having a grand old time but  there is such deep and hollow tragedy hidden within the folds of all those pretty smiles.

If anything they abide a lot by aristotles theory on comedy and tragedy. While tragedy imitates men better than average, comedy parodies those who are worse.

Aristotle stated that those of a more serious type that may have once been inclined to celebrate the actions of great heroes in poetry and prose turn to tragedy, while those who’ve been dishonourable, humbled, turn to comedy. It comes down to duality, tragedy viewing duality as a fatal contradiction forever a fault in things, while comedy views it as natural, but something that everyone must live with the best they can, enjoy.  Do you see where I’m going here? Dirk, who praised Aristotle and read the epics turned to tragedy. Jake, dishonourable and hiding from those who he care about, turning to comedy. They line up well with the cognitive psychology of the tragedy and comedy visions, which you should totally look into when you can. 

Tragedy is idealistic, stubborn and serious. They long for something higher and greater than common existence. They value heroism, hierarchy, and finality. 

Comedy is pragmatic, adaptable, and playful. They consider the self, comfortable in their own skin. They’re anti-heroes, valuing situation-based ethics and reversal.

With that out of the way, lets keep to philosophy like it’s a boat in the atlantic. If Dirks look in life upon going ult is one of pessimistic realism, Jake is an absurdist.

If life is a cruel joke to jake, and it has been, then in his ultimate form hes acknowledged it, and given the cruel void, hes decided to seek out his own meaning. And it just so happens to be his best friend.

Misc details

- Capitalist

- He wears old 3D movie glasses because he’s that idiot. 

- He collects a lot of things. He has plenty of things hes shot killed and stuffed in his collection. 

You could say he’s rather past oriented, taking care to document it all out of interest and perhaps a subconcious pursuit to figure out the future.

- Very apathetic. He may be charming, but he’s still a jackass. He thinks existence itself is funny, he’s an absurdist; but he’s also a guy who realises he’s been kicked to the curb too many times and started shooting people. - His crew consists of John/June, (in place of rose. They have a lot of movie nights!), Karkat, and one (1) dead dave.

And finally some thoughts about ult Dirkjake: Maybe Dirk wants Jake to just kill him. It’s a game of cat and mouse, and perhaps it’s love for someone who deems himself unworthy, no, incapable of doing so. What better love than to kill someone? To trust and know they will kill you. Feeling safe in the knowledge they’ve known you in every universe and are here to kill you. Not that Jake would let him. I like them.. I think it’s my fave brand of dirkjake besides the original.. they’re dysfunctional, intolerable, and they hate each other, but it’s just interesting. For better or for worse, they’re stuck, and they’re not afraid of the fact they suck. If anything, it’d spur them to be worse.

“Oh yeah. I find the other guy fucking annoying and I’d gladly take a moment to rip his guts out and walk him around a tree until they’re all out and he's calling me every bad name he can think of, but if anyone tries doing this shit with him without my consent, I’m going to be hells of more pissed off.”

Look. It’s funny in the way that realistically, they could probably do a lot of damage to everyone else but due to the fact they know the other guy exists, they’re too busy trying to kick the others ankles out and then beating each other up to become dangerous.

Oh you bet your nanny it’s the gayest most fucked up kismesis known to man. Ultimate Dirk hates LE Jake, because he doesn’t give a damn. Because Jake makes him feel things he denies feeling. And that ridiculously, somewhere in paradox space, Jake went ultimate and decided he was going to man up and pursue Dirk to the ends of the universe. Ultimately: “My soul is bound to you in explicable ways. Our bonds cross the multiverse and wherever you are, somewhere I am by your side. Even in a hundred universes, maybe even a million. I will still find you.”

Perhaps the greatest thing and a closing note is that given they are the ascended versions of themselves, they’re aware of the fact that they’re aware of every time the other guy screwed them over, kicked them in the balls, etc. But they’re also able to see everything else. So what’s with a little hatelove eh?

[cinnbar-bun]

Hi. I hope you’re doing well at the moment. If not, feel free to push off writing this request or to ignore it altogether.

I’m curious to see what headcanons you have about Bruno and how he’d feel about receiving flower arrangements from a S/O.

Your wish is my command, nonnie!!!

Bruno Bucciarati Receiving a Flower Arrangement From his S/O

Rating: SFW

Word Count: ~1k

Notes: Just fluff, plus a minor mention of Bruno's backstory in a bullet point (nothing major). GN reader as always, and just lots of loving for our fave capo <3 As well as cameos from the rest of the gang.

One thing that’s for certain is that your capo adores the flowers. He was rather shocked to see the florist hand deliver him such a large bouquet. 

At first, he briefly thought it was from you- but, well, that’d be kind of selfish to assume, wouldn’t it? So he thinks it’s maybe a thank-you gift from one of the many citizens in Napoli he’s helped. 

However, once he reads the card with the message you put on it, the adoration on his face is clear. He’s touched beyond belief. 

He immediately puts the flowers in a vase as a centerpiece for the table of their room. He’s kind of hoping that the others ask about it so he can proudly gloat that his lovely, wonderful partner got them for him. 

Mista and Narancia will whine and then wonder if they can ever get flowers from their s/o one day, and Bruno teases them by saying that if they get their act together, they just might. 

Fugo acts like he doesn’t give a shit but he’s pretty happy that Bruno is happy and has you as his partner. The young boy is grateful that there’s someone who takes care of Bruno after all Bruno does for everyone else. 

Abbacchio complains about the smell of the flowers, citing them as being too strong or something while he’s drinking his wine or listening to his music. Despite that, he’ll be damned before he touches or does anything to them. Bruno knows Abbacchio would never throw them out despite his complaints, so he often jokes back that Abbacchio is just jealous he is not getting flowers. 

Trish is wide-eyed at the gift you got Bruno, thinking it’s romantic, and remarks that the bouquet has to be super expensive. She joins in with Mista and Narancia about wanting a nice bouquet of flowers from her future lover. 

Giorno thinks it’s a nice gift and feels it says a lot about you that you would gift Bruno them. Especially if you took the time to arrange the bouquet or choose specific flowers/colors, it makes Giorno appreciate and think higher of you. 

Bruno would love any kind of bouquet you’d get him. He adores them and always, always, always will appreciate them and do his best to keep them alive and fresh for as long as possible (including, but not limited to, enlisting Giorno’s help to freshen them up)

That said, he does have different (but positive) reactions to the flowers depending on what type you may have chosen for him! 

If you got him roses (any color): he’d be extra romantic and sappy to you. Roses are the flowers of love, aren’t they? And this was most certainly your way of trying to show him your desire for him, wasn’t it? So he’ll pay it back by using more Italian pet names with you or more romantic gestures as if he were a lovesick puppy. 

If you got him a bright, colorful bouquet: he’d be quick to think it stands out from the rest of the room, but frankly, it was a necessary one. He would do his best to make the flowers stand out even more by using a colorful vase/glass and putting it directly in front of everyone. Everyone has to see this. He smiles brightly when he sees them, too, and it makes him think about how much light you’ve given in his life. He becomes eager to pull you close. 

If you got him a white bouquet (any flowers): He’d be more solemn and deliberate in his movements and decisions. Quieter displays of his affection will ensue, with him taking your hand to his and pressing kisses on it, buying your favorite food/drink, and whispering the sweetest words of poetry known to man in your ear. Those flowers were what he saw often during funeral processions, but it’s also seen in weddings, too. It’s a sort of reminder to himself that his time with you is limited and that every moment with you is a precious thing to be savored. 

If you got him a pastel bouquet: He reacts in a way that’s a mixture of the bright flowers and the white flowers. He reacts more on the quieter end, but is less prone to the feelings of nostalgia he may have had with the white flowers. He finds these ones sweet and gentle, and it, in turn, makes him act pretty gentle with you. Tons of romantic words in your ear and kisses peppered all over your face are what awaits you.

If you got him a bouquet with darker flowers: At first, he’s taken aback by the colors. Not in a bad way, they’re flowers and they’re from you on top of that. He’s just a bit surprised that flowers could be arranged in such a way, but it’s so unique like you? Oh my gosh? It’s unconventional but makes him smile, and he is proud to have them as a centerpiece. He’s quick to thank you and he will get more specific in his praises and compliments for you. More affectionate and grateful here, but more teasing as well. 

Seriously, buy him flowers, it makes his day- nay, his week(s)- and gives him more motivation. He’s not used to being treated often, but with you, every day is a treat, and every gift you give him makes him practically melt. 

Plus, how could you resist the wide-eyed smile he does when he realizes that you were the one who sent the flowers?

[saylor-twift]

“Don’t tell me you’re one of those people…”

genshin characters i feel would be swifties!!

if you think i’m wrong, i do not care. 🩷

warnings: none (idk how this tag stuff works)

#1: Navia (obviously)

• One of my favorite parts of Fontaine’s release is how everyone went nuts when she came out especially on tiktok bc she gives such Taylor vibes. Navia Swift fr.

• The type of girlie who stays up till midnight whenever a new album is released so she can listen the second it comes out

• She def gives fearless and 1989 vibes, i firmly believe they are her favorite

• Her favorite songs are Style and You Belong With Me. You cannot tell me she doesn’t freak tf out whenever they play on the radio.

• She would absolutely have a taylor baking playlist for while she makes her signature macarons

#2: Nilou

• Listen to me when I say all dancers are inherently swifties (i’m joking plz calm down)

• As a former competitive dancer:

taylor swift across the floor is >>>

• She absolutely loves dancing to taylor!!

• I feel like she’s be a speak now and 1989 girlie. also definitely appreciates midnights! (i might only feel this way because she was released roughly the same time as midnights was and i just associate two and two together?? anyways..)

• If they went, I just know her and Navia would have the most gorgeous fits for the eras tour

• the type of girl to stay in the studio after rehearsal is over, just practicing and dancing for fun. she loves to improv and make combos, especially to taylor. (imagine her dancing to epiphany??? like?? absolutely stunning)

#3: Xingqiu

• just stay with me now- i don’t feel like he listens to her a ton, but since he’s such a little bookworm i feel like he loves her songs and lyrics with deeper meaning to them

• 100% a folklore/evermore/tortured poets kinda guy

• he’s the type of person who hyper analyzes the lyrics and deciphers all of the hidden meanings.

• he is no singer, but he has definitely tried his hand at writing taylor-esque lyrics in his free time.

• HUUUUGE fan of the folklore teenage love triangle

• #1 john mayer hater

• also definitely stans any songs that make fun of her exes

#4: Barbara

• now i would just be crazy if i didn’t put her here

• taylor was definitely one of her big inspirations for starting to sing

• makes covers of her favorite songs and likes to perform them along with her own originals

• i feel like she’d really be a fan of taylor’s older albums, specifically fearless and red (her fav song is 100% all too well 10 minute version)

• imagine jean and barbara sister bonding time while they do each others hair and listen to their favorite songs together! ughhhh so cute

• i also feel like jean is a taylor appreciator, but doesn’t talk about it much because she feels as the acting grand master she doesn’t really have the time for things like that

#5: Ayaka

• Similar to Xingqiu, I don’t feel like she’s an avid listener, but we know that Ayaka also enjoys poetry so i feel like she would really enjoy taylor’s lyricism

• loves songs like the archer and this is me trying (probably doesn’t tell anyone because sweetie is embarrassed, but i think she really likes some of the songs that are a little more sultry or flirtatious like dress and false god)

• after a long day of wearing her mask and presenting herself as inazuma’s noble lady like everyone expects, she loves to just relax in her room and listen to her faves :)

• yk those tiktok’s that are like: you’re pretty, pretty like (insert song)? she gives me that vibe but wildest dreams

Bonus: Itto

hard to say if he’s actually a swiftie or not, but i just think it’s funny because he reminds me of those videos of post malone dancing on stage with guilty as sin? in the background and he would totally do that 💀 i have a whole collection saved they are so funny to me

[forevertrueblue]

Notes taken during Eras Tour Paris N1 livestream

I like the new Lover outfit(s). I've been waiting for Taylor to embrace orange more so that was nice to see! Sad about The Archer getting cut but I guess I get it?

Nice to see the silver brought back from the Fearless tour. Not much else to say about that era.

Red third now, okay. Nice shirt lol and also like the new bodysuit! I don't care for most of the inclusions in this era tbh since it's mostly the singles and the majority of Red's singles are mid IMO. And All Too Well 10 Minute Version staying is surely going to end up pissing me off in the long run when we find out what else is cut.

I like the new Speak Now dress but Long Live being cut is AWFUL, like there were only two songs in this era to begin with, cut something from Red instead ffs. (I swear I do like Red but the album is better than the way it's represented on this tour.)

Reputation is the same which I'm cool with since I liked the way that era was to begin with!

I've been predicting Folkmore combined which I'm not happy about but I think this is it. Pretty yellow dress. Glad Cardgian is safe but she's singing it on the roof and I do prefer Invisible String or The One. :( Glad all three triangle songs are safe because it's weird to do some but not the others especially if she's talking about that storyline in the Betty speech. Some of them were chopped down but that's okay, I guess.

Okay yeah Champagne Problems so a combo. I knew that one was gonna be safe from the rehearsal footage. Few more Folklore songs...okay finally more Evermore! Marjorie and Willow! It would have been weird for her to cut either of those (for different reasons). But TLGAD and Tolerate It are pretty big losses. I don't LOVE Tolerate It but the performance was different from anything else on the tour.

1989, nothing cut. (Something really should have been cut from both this and Red, but it probably would have been Wildest Dreams which is one I really love so glad it's safe!) I don't like the new outfit because of the colors looking strange together in this context.

TTPD looks like the dancers are prisoners for the first part of the set which eh, don't really love how basic the outfits are. Taylor's dress with the poetry is nice though (can't wait for someone with eagle eyes to decipher it!). Happy that So High School was included, if only for a bit, to get that Anthology rep in there. Pleasantly surprised by WAOLOM because people had me convinved she'd destroy her voice if she did it (hoping they're wrong lol). Some of these song choices are dull af (both Fortnight and Down Bad for a stadium show, really?) But LOVE the intro and performance of ICDIWABH! I kind of think this should have been the new finale set but I get why it's being kept the same.

Nice new dress for surprise songs. Paris was a predictable choice and I figured the other would be from TTPD, but was expecting an anthology track.

I love the Midnights set (surprising since the album isn't my fave) but if she doesn't cut something from it I'm gonna be annoyed. And that something better not be Vigilante Shit. Aaaaand the whole thing remains intact.

TLDR: The best eras (literally my top 4 albums were the ones that lost songs and my top 2 were combined) were chopped down and the more basic (dare I say mid) ones remain completely intact making the tour a bit more of a generic pop show on the whole. I understand cuts needed to happen but the wrong ones were made IMO.

[oldfritz]

Hey sorry if this is bothering you but I'm debating someone on reddit rn and they declare that Fritz wasn't queer/gay and was straight and I need like all the sources I can find, so next to my own research I thought I'd ask around as well.

If you can't or don't want to provide that's absolutely fine as well!!!

.....this on r/prussia? I hate that place. Said they don't allow fascists but what do you find in the comments? Fascists. Yeah, I'll help you out. Though, really hun, you're better than arguing with schmucks on Reddit. Don't let the Kaiserboos and Goosesteppers Anonymous take up too much more of your time. Observe them behind glass, take your notes, and go armed into the world.

Anyways, here's my your our sources that make a case for Fritz's queerness (and under a cut for kindness):

Starting off with Fritz's erotic letter to Algarotti. This version is translated by historian, and cool enough guy and Twitter follow, Giles Macdonogh. I appreciate that he gives it a more lyrical feel, as opposed to some literal translations of Fritz's poetry that just make him look overly hackish. Algarotti is noted for a lot of things but what's relevant here is being one of Fritz's possible paramours (and also one of my personal faves). This isn't a smoking gun on its own, but combined with the totality of everything else, it's revealing. Pretty much what the article/Macdonogh raises, I agree with.

Frederick the Great: The Magnificent Enigma by Robert B. Asprey. For all these books, you'll wanna search for- von Keith, Katte, homosexuality, foppishness/effeminacy, Algarotti, Voltaire, Fredersdorf, Elisabeth Christine/the queen. I've got physical copies of all these and have no clue if the Internet Archive versions give you access to the index. Hope they do!

Frederick the Great: King of Prussia by Tim Blanning. In chapter three, "The Making of Frederick," there's a big ass section about his queerness. Some people disagree with how Blanning translates his French; he certainly has a flare for the dramatics just comparing differing English and German translations.

Frederick the Great by Giles Macdonogh.

Iron Kingdom by Christopher Clark. He leads you to some interesting primary sources, even if I find his conclusion rather milquetoast.

Frederick the Great by Nancy Mitford.

If you can read German, here's a database of everything Fritz has ever written. You see a letter mentioned in one of the books above, you can find it for yourself! Goes for his memoirs too and a bunch of other shit. Searching for the names above (sans his wife) would be a good starting point.

Happy arguing!

[pendraegon]

omg!! I’m looking into phd programs in/around chicago and planning a visit there soon! you’ll have to let me know the “must-see” spots!

ooohhh dude if there's one thing that i fucking love doing it's [1] talking (just in general) and [2] specifically talking about my city, my sweet mistress, the love of my life chicago<3

first of all i wish u luck in ur phd endeavors!! im also like..shopping around for future phd programs and im also hoping that i can snag a place somewhere back home in the city instead of being out of state like i currently am with my masters lol (literally DREADING apps though i tried making headway on my statement and like. i have to do this again??? after my MA sop?? kms)

anyways here are some attractions<3

the riverwalk! it's basically like this giant strip of area along the chicago river with restaurants and bars and stuff<3 there's always music playing and people milling about and so many things to catch your eye! honestly i really like it at night, i think it's prettiest during sunset lol

the architectural boat tour. you literally just sit on a boat and some guy points out different buildings and tells you about its history and then you briefly go on the lake. i LOVEEEE taking people out on this, it's really really fun and you get good pics out of it. make sure to bring a jacket bc lake michigan. she is gorgeous and she is WINDY even in the summertime<3

obligatory millennium park/the bean mention. it's really fucking swarmed on the weekends so if ur not good with crowds avoid this area during that time but a good place to mill around! also to make fun of the bean. she is so ugly but she is a part of the city you know. (also it's right next to michigan avenue if you need to get a gift for someone/want to go shopping!)

wait obvi the sears tower + observational deck. if anyone calls it the willis tower you can spit on them. legally.

okay let's get into the museums. they're all cloistered around the same area (a bit past millennium park) so like. i guess you COULD try to see a bunch of them in one day but like. there's so much that you really can't feasibly do that lol

the art institute of chicago. MY FAVORITE PLACEEEEEEEE. i personally really like the medieval art exhibits + on the bottom floor is a really cool miniature exhibit where they showcast different rooms from different eras and theyre all SO tiny and SO cute. the food here's pretty good? lol

there's also the museum of contemporary art but the art institute has a pretty damn good modern art section but if ur really into that kind of stuff go here instead.

the poetry foundation!

field museum. LOVEEE this place. you can see sue the dinosaur<3 i once got in trouble here as a kid on a field trip bc i asked the guide how much of the shit there was stolen and they did not let me ask another question ):

adler planetarium + shedd aquarium + museum of science and industry -> these are also all in the same area. for all the museums they have days with discount prices so check that out before u go!

there's two zoos, lincoln park zoo and brooklyn. lincoln park is superior and also it's free and there's OKAPIS. GO SAY HI TO THEM FOR ME.

if you dont mind driving out a bit, there's the chicago botanic gardens around wilmette/glencoe (tied w the art institute as my fave place) and if you drive a bit further out to lisle there's the arboretum as well. they also do discount days!

if u drive out to the suburbs -> woodfield mall in schaumburg

for the museums and stuff i would really rec getting one of those city passes bc you get admission into a bunch of stuff either at a discount rate or it's included and it's WAY cheaper than getting individual tickets imo

ALSO. lake michigan. just in general. THE best of the great lakes and the truest love of my life.

if there's anything you wanna see u might check out the aragon before u come! same with ravinia. i fucking love ravinia it's great to sit on the lawn and listen to music during summer nights<3

EDIT: fucking forgot navy pier. if you come during august there's the air + water show. but also there's a ferris wheel there and that's fun. there's always something happening there on the weekends so you can always dip in just to see what's up

EDIT 2: there's some stupid fucking nascar thing happening in chicago rn that's blocking the roads so as long as u avoid that, you will be fine 👍

OKAY FOOD TIME<3

deep dish pizza is a must here. i dont care what people say about it, it's pizza. anyways my favorite place is lou malnati's (the lou especially) but giordano's is also really good. uno's is...whatever to me don't go there.

chicago hot dogs: SOOO many good ones. portillo's is a classic, superdawg, charcoal delights, byron's hot dogs..my personal fave is gene and jude's but it's a bit out of the city (it IS around o'hare the airport so if u can stop by then that would be best lol)

for korean food, you cannot beat cho sun ok. go and get their chadolbaegi and their mulnaengmyeon. killer combo. don't wear your best clothes here bc you will have to wash it bc of the (good!) smells. additionally you can go to joongbooshijang/joongboo market and outside there's a mandu/dumpling stand. their kimchi mandu and their red bean mandu. chef's fucking KISS.

for kabobs, noon-o-kabab or kabobi is my favorite! if you go for kabobi make sure you get their bamiyeh as dessert (^:

okay. im putting eataly on this list only because i like their dessert section on the first floor lol their tiny cakes + gelato always hits the spot

i looooveee goddess and the baker. bestttttt place for matcha/coffee and a sandwich. hero coffee bar is also pretty good but that one is a grab and go. oromo cafe is sooo good if ur into turkish coffee and pistachio and rose flavors. lots of vegan options there if you're into that. there's another one i love but i CANNOT remember the name of it for the life of me.

wait one last thing. frontera grill is like......really good. i went with my parents and it was nice, really fucking good flan lol

night life is an entirely different situation and if u want i can tell u about it later but for now i um. think maybe i talked too much. anyways fellow chicagoans i know youre there if i missed anything let me know lol

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Do you adore alliteration? Are you prime for a rhyme? Perhaps mad for metaphors? Silly for similes? I love them all but alliteration is probably my favorite, which is yours? If you speak or write or read more than one language do you have a different favorite for different languages? I assume that these can all be applied to any language.

In case you need a refresher: Alliteration is the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

Rhyme is correspondence of sound between words or the endings of words, especially when these are used at the ends of lines of poetry.

Metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.

Simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two things. Similes differ from metaphors by highlighting the similarities between two things using comparison words such as "like", "as", "so", or "than", while metaphors create an implicit comparison.

This ask is meant to be fun! No pressures at all! <3

Hi Lovely!!

I DO love alliteration! It's one of my favourite language things as well, LOL. I actually picked up on it from my love of Darkwing Duck, which was one of my fave cartoons when I was growing up. He famously talks in alliteration when he's monologuing LOL. I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT. That's why a lot of my titles and things, like Five Fics Friday, is an alliteration. I SOLELY only have it as five because I wanted the alliteration, LOL. I'm a big dork.

I love the English language in general, honestly. I love grammar, in particular, and I know I'd be a good beta reader if I had the spare time. I often catch spelling mistakes immediately, which is an annoying habit because I also hyperfocus on the errors in stories I read as well. It's frustrating, LOL.

I'm not fluent in other languages, though I pick up verb conjugations pretty easily in French, hahah.

If I really put my mind and energy into it, I KNOW I'd pick up another language really easily. I'm just what they call "lazy", hahah.

Thank you for this ask, this was fun! <3

[selfproclaimedunicorn]

Was tagged by @emilykaldwen, @rainwingmarvel7, & @sshireens, thanks! 💕

Favorite Painter: John William Waterhouse, my beloved. Also very into Edmund Blair Leighton & Fracisco Goya. I'm so, so into medieval romanticism, & the pre-Raphaeites, & there's just something about how Waterhouse is just exclusively painting babes with great hair & long noses that especially speaks to me. Like, his paintings are consistently some of my faves. He also leaned into mythology a lot, so that probably has something to do with it too. Similar case with Leighton of just "his consistent painting of pretty princesses speaks to my soul." Goya is a pure goth answer though, because I am allowed to contain multitudes.

Favorite Poet/Author: I've never been the biggest poetry girly, & I think that's because my brain just, like, can't pick up on the rhythm & meter. Like it is completely indistinguishable from prose when I read it. This is a thing that makes me very sad, believe me. When I make my every few years attempts, though, I do enjoy Poe.

In terms of actual prose/not just stuff that reads like prose in my mind, my favorites are Poe & Salinger. Tbh, I don't do a lot of following authors & just pick up something if the synopsis slapped, & it's super rare for if I enjoyed a story/novel to color if I'm like "this author fucks & I need to read more specifically by them"

Favorite Singer: Florence Welch, my queen. I mean, I listen to a lot of stuff, but Florence Welch is hitting all the correct parts of my brain with 90% accuracy. Special shout out to my fave funky Finnish guy Käärijä, though: I've only had him for a year & I like his music a normal amount 👍🏻

Favorite Band: This is so hard? I used to have such an easy answer (it was Green Day, btw), but it's gotten so complicated in the last 9 years. I think, probably, my favorites at the moment are Beast In Black, Windrose, & The Amazing Devil. They're all scratching the correct itch in my brain (will always have a special place in my heart for Green Day, though. Very intense special interest back in the day)

Favorite Meal & Drink: Oh man, this is another one I have a hard time picking 😅. I pretty much just drink water, tea, & coffee; I guess my favorite drink is tea? Favorite meal is maybe chicken tikka masala? Or grilled cheese & tomato soup? One of those, maybe (at least right now)

Favorite Outfit/Aesthetic/Style: Man, IDK. Life is short, dress how you want. I will find the aesthetic beauty in almost anything because I love fashion. 60s medieval revival fucks, all the goth substyles fuck, cottage core fucks--it all fucks. All I know is that whatever I'm wearing, I'm not wearing jeans. I have not worn jeans for years & I am not going to start back up now. Skirts/dresses/leggings only. Also dramatic sleeves. I love dramatic sleeves.

Favorite Item You Own: The Sasha Bratz Rock Angelz repro. I waited for her for a good year? Two years? However long it took MGA to finally drop my girl. I got one of the last 4 in the city & my hands were shaking the whole time & its honestly a little silly, but sometimes healing the inner child is buying a doll of your favorite character from your favorite line & displaying her on your desk shelf.

Favorite Perfume: I used to be at least kind of into perfume, but I kind of got out of it. I honestly don't wear it a lot (I forget more often than not). You'd think I'd be more into perfume given how into, like, scented candles I am, but oh well I guess 🤷🏻‍♀️

Tagging (if you want, obvi): @vamprlestat, @cerseiwexler, @jotterjots, @loksthegreat, @mercurygray, @godswood-girl, & @toxicjayhoo

[i-will-not-be-caged]

hi Emmett! (I love your name btw) I saw your tags on the post about starting to read again and I thought I would ask you for some help with a couple things, if you don’t mind 💖 (you can reply to this publicly if you think it’ll help other ppl!)

First thing—recs. I am generally a nonfiction person, I LOVE history and pretty much anything across the humanities. I love micro-histories/micro-(humanities analyses??) on any given topic. I love anything about death, Stiff by Mary Roach and Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty are two of my FAVES. Because Internet by Gretchen McCullough (linguistics) is also one of my favorite things ever written.

For fiction, I loved My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh. Some things I’ve been wanting to read are Bunny by Mona Awad and A Good Happy Girl by Marissa Higgins. I love psychological/dark fiction but not super into thrillers/crime (dislike true crime especially). I also rly love poetry and I love lesbians generally long as they don’t die 😅 (although I’ll read some dark shit too)

Second, if you don’t mind giving some advice—how do you recommend getting into reading? I used to be a voracious reader but twelve years ago I developed chronic migraines along with other health problems, and it made it almost impossible. Now I find it so so hard to focus. How do you advise teenagers to read, especially those who maybe struggle with focus/adhd/etc?

Thank you so so so much for even taking the time to read all this 💖 I appreciate any help you can give!

(just pls no booktok 😉💖💖💖)

Haha, we must have been sending asks at the same time! I hope you got my other message with things to try. As for specific recs, it sounds like we have pretty different tastes - I’ve only read like two nonfiction books in the past few years, although both were excellent (Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer and Four Lost Cities by Annalee Newitz).

The good news is there’s been a huge boom in sapphic romances in the past few years. Romance was how I kept up my pleasure reading habit during grad school (I love a guaranteed HEA), although there’s a pretty wide variety of quality in the genre. I’m more of an mm reader, but check out Casey McQuiston and Ashley Herring Blake as a jumping off point. I also love Freya Marske’s Last Binding trilogy, the second of which is sapphic.

And I know you said no booktok, but that’s actually where I’ve gotten a lot of good recs; you’ve just got to find your niche. Here’s a couple people you might try:

-pagemelt has super thoughtful recs from a variety of genres and has never steered me wrong

-bookbinch reads tons of queer lit fic and poetry that it sounds like you might enjoy

-haleystewfart is hilarious and has some nonfic recs that make me actually want to pick some up

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (11-17 Feb 2024)

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

😠 A Damsel in Distress (PG Wodehouse) - via Serial Reader app; hadn't read before. mostly a pretty standard PGW but the final chapter was off the charts fatphobic even for PGW ☹️

😍 Dishonor on Your Cow (mandarou) - reread, forever fave. shrunkyclunks canon-adjacent AU

🥰 "Pistol Grip" (Vina Jie-Min Prasad) - described in tumblr post as "m/m pwp super soldier gunfucking" and they are telling no lies. This was fantastic.

😊 Howitzer (spacebuck) - 111K, stucky, college hockey AU - got some OMGCP inspo for the set up but very much its own tale; very enjoyable.

💖💖 +99K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

Duende (astolat) - Master & Commander: Aubrey/Maturin, 14K -a truly impressive amount of worldbuilding in so few words

The One Where They Adopt a Selkie (mikkimouse) - Teen Wolf: Sterek, 7K - a fun accidental (supernatural) baby acquisition fic

perne in a gyre (enemyofrome) - Punic Wars RPF, Ancient History RPF: Scipio Africanus/Hannibal Barca, 7K - brilliant & hilarious modern AU for fucking PUNIC WARS RPF! hannibal's taking a gap year/getting away from being the rich kid & ends up staying at Scipio's family AirBnB. and there's only one bed. Fave quotes: 'He was sharing a room with some kind of glittery Italian twink, and there was a grumpy eagle glowering at him from the headboard as if he’d offended it in a past life, but at least he couldn’t see the wolf piercings anymore, so it was fine. It was all just fine.' and 'Then Mago came back. “Soggy twink at the door for you.” “Didn't order one,” said Hannibal. Then the word twink sank in, and he looked up. “Is he glittery?” “Like a unicorn.” “Mierda,” said Hannibal. “That’s my twink.”'

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

The Graham Norton Show - s31, e14 (Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Kingsley Ben-Adir)

The Repair Shop - s1, e1

QI - series S, ep 6

Ghosts (US) - s2, e8-15

Game Changer - s6, e1

Dirty Laundry - s3, e12

D20: Fantasy High: Junior Year - "Party Politics" (s21, e6)

D20: Adventuring Party - "You Are The Chosen None" (s16, e6)

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

⭐ Up First - The Sunday Story: More Than Friends

What Next: TBD - Breaking Up with Dating Apps

The Allusionist - 189. Mouthful of Fortune

⭐ Hit Parade - Hello, Gorgeous Edition

Vibe Check - UsherBowl…and Beyoncé?!

Pop Culture Happy Hour - 2024 Super Bowl, Plus Beyoncé's New Singles

Throughline - The Hindu Text That Continues to Influence Indian Politics

Short Wave - The Shared History Of The Chinese And Gregorian Calendars

The Sporkful - Can A Stanley Drinking Cup Really Withstand A Car Fire?

⭐ The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Robert Is Here

I Said No Gifts! - Joel Kim Booster Disobeys Bridger

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Toy Story

NPR's Book of the Day - 'Toxic' looks back on Janet Jackson, Britney Spears and tabloid culture in the 2000s

All Songs Considered - Mix messages: Listeners share the songs that say 'I've got a crush on you'

Switched on Pop - The Star Spangled Banger!

I Said No Gifts! - Emma Thompson Disobeys Bridger

Vibe Check - Rollercoaster of Love (and Hate)

Short Wave - Celebrate Valentine's Day With These Queer Animals

Outward - The Inherent Queerness of Poetry

⭐ Code Switch - Before the apps, people used newspapers to find love

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Platonic Love In Pop Culture

Culture Gabfest - We’re Saving Our Own Lives

⭐ The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Owamni

Decoder Ring - Why Do So Many Coffee Shops Look the Same?

The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week - Government Cheese, Mitochondria NOT Powerhousing, Dawn of the Cockroach

Ologies with Alie Ward - Hydrochoerology (CAPYBARAS) with Elizabeth Congdon

Throughline - Love, Throughline

The Assignment with Audie Cornish - Gen Z In the Workplace: Rethinking Business Etiquette

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Damanhur

Up First - KC Parade Shooting, Russian Space Nukes, Migrant Crossings Drop

Films To Be Buried With - Eddie Marsan

⭐ 99% Invisible #570 - The White Castle System of Eating Houses

Welcome to Night Vale #242 - The New Branch

Short Wave - The U.N.'s First-Ever Analysis Of World's Migratory Species Just Dropped

Dear Prudence - How Do I Get Over Someone I Never Dated? Help!

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Feud And What's Making Us Happy

Endless Thread - Dinner and a (Slide) Show

All Songs Considered - New Music Friday: 5 albums out Feb. 16, plus 'Rhapsody in Blue' still thrills at 100

⭐ You're Dead to Me - History of Bollywood

Sound Up! - Audience reaction to Rock Hall Noms, Mark reviews Stevie Nicks live and Chris Molanphy breaks down how Beyonce will impact country music and radio.

It's Been a Minute - Legendary choreographer Fatima Robinson on moving through changes in dance

99% Invisible - The Power Broker #2: Jamelle Bouie

Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me! - WWDTM: Sleater-Kinney

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Presenting Barbra Streisand

Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox

[coquelicoq]

First I'd like to say, it's a pretty impressive list of french books to have read in only 12 months! (even for a french speaker ngl).

I'm not super well versed in classic literature, novel wise (tho I liked "le dernier jour d'un condamné" by Hugo, "la promesse de l'aube" by Romain Gary, and as cliché as it may be I adore "le petit prince") but if you like theater ! In classics I’d recommend "Phèdre" and "Iphigénie" by Racine, Molière ("le malade imaginaire" and "les fourberies de scapin" are personal favorites),"Hernani" by Hugo again (♡♡), and for more modern stuff "Rhinocéros" and "la cantatrice chauve" by Ionesco. Oh, and "Huis Clos" by Sartre!

In poetry, first of all I think Villon is a great, and brave choice especially if you have it in old french (one of my all time favorite poem is his, "la ballade des pendus"). Otherwise, Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Verlaine and Apollinaire !

In a bit more modern things, if you liked Queneau I’d say give "Zazie dans le métro" a try – tho the way he plays with vocabulary and spelling in this one can be challenging (but it is very fun). Then "Au bonheur des ogres" and "La fée carabine" by Daniel Pennac (I assume the rest of "La saga malaussène" is good too but I have only read those two so far), "escalier C" by Elvire Murail (this one is a big big big fave of mine ♡♡♡), "mercure"by Amélie Nothomb (she’s super prolific but this is the one I remember really enjoying).

For sci-fi, I realize I am not very up to date with what french literature proposes. It’s been quite some time but I remember enjoying “le cycle des fourmis” and “les thanatonautes” + “l’empire des anges” by Bernard Werber. Also “les lutteurs immobiles” by Serge Brussolo. My mother is a harcore fan of Pierre Bordage, so I will slip his name here too. Then I don’t know if you enjoy reading short stories, but in between some scifi/fantasy/fantastique I can rec “la vieille anglaise et le continent – et autres récits” by Jeanne-A Débats, “notre dame aux écailles” and “le jardin des silences” by Mélanie Fazi, Oh and in … I guess technically fantasy? But bordering historical fiction bc of the realism, “chien du heaume” and the next one “mordre le bouclier” by Justine Niogret are two very good short novels.

I am probably missing a ton of great titles, but my brain is failing me and I have very few books in french here (*꒦ິ꒳꒦ີ) (most of them stayed, well. In France). But this makes me think I really need to get back into actually reading in french – so I am adding Valérie Perrin to my lists for sure!

omg thank you for these recs!! this is so detailed and specific, i love it. you're reminding me i've read several of these before, like i had forgotten about rhinocéros but we read it in high school and i really loved it! i should reread that and/or read some other ionesco for sure. speaking of absurdist plays, have you read en attendant godot? i've read it in english but i know it was in french originally so i've been thinking about trying that. big fan of french absurdism.

i also read a lot of molière in high school french classes (i remember giving an extremely boring and long-winded presentation (for everyone else; i was super into it) on his plays to my english class for some reason??), which is how i first learned what a cuckold is lol. and of course we read some baudelaire but i really want to revisit him! also omg apollinaire is the calligramme guy, right? those rewired my brain. i will check out more of his stuff for sure. and it's good to have the names of some other heavy hitters so i can expand out to cover more than was included in my formal education obvi. (like i have read zero racine? which seems like an oversight in curriculum, but what do i know.)

i do have villon in old french 😩 or i guess technically middle french is what he was writing in. the reason i've been putting it off is that right after the preface there's a four-page section on "graphie et prononciation" and i was just like hmmmm is this really something i need to be introducing into my life at this formative time. like i'm still sort of coming to terms with modern french spelling and pronunciation and this seems like it might just confuse me. so i might not be quite ready, but it's here for me when i've leveled up lol.

i loved the one book by queneau i've read so far, so i super appreciate getting recs for other works by him. and i read one amélie nothomb a few years ago, but when i went to look at what else i could read by her i got so overwhelmed by the sheer number that i couldn't pick! so it's good to have your suggestion for a particular title 😊 i've not heard of the other people you mentioned but will look into them!

thank you so much for pointing me in some scifi/fantasy directions 👀📝 i will take a look at these authors and titles...

yeah i super recommend changer l'eau des fleurs, and i know valérie perrin has written at least two other novels, so i'm gonna try to get my hands on those! the challenge now is that whenever i try to buy books from overseas my credit card company marks it as fraud and cancels the transaction lol. my grandmother found this us-based company that imports books from france and really wants to get me some more french-language books for christmas, but their selection isn't huge. this gives me lots of ideas though and i'm sure they will have at least some of the books you mentioned! thank you again, you really came through 🥰🥰

[poorgay]

mock childe voice lines for the childe 8+ moms au

note: this au assumes that the abyss is where genshin women who "die" offscreen run off to after faking their death, your 🫵 fave can be in the nightmare polycule too: for the low, low price of dubious ethics. (thank you @/8147, my co-conspirator )

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

About Family: Mothers

Tartaglia: Family is one of the most important things to me. It even comes before fighting! Though, some people tend to balk at the size of mine..

Traveler: *cough* thats what she said... *cough*

Paimon: How big is your family, in terms of food of course! Like three Sweet Madames?

Tartaglia: Haha, more like 15 Pile 'Em Ups.

Paimon: Even Paimon couldnt eat all that...

Tartaglia: Ignoring my siblings, I alone have 8?.. Wait, no I think its 10 moms?

Tartaglia: Ignoring my siblings, I alone have 8?.. Wait, no I think its 10 moms?

Paimon: 10! Are they trying to set a record or something?

Tartaglia: Yeah actually.

Traveler: Wow. Mothers Day shopping must be a nightmare

Tartaglia: Lets just say I'm lucky to have a harbingers salary...



♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

About the Tsaritsa: Family

Tartaglia: Her majesty The Tsaritsa! I could sing her praises all day! Shes the best! Hm? Wait, you want to know about my relation to the tsaritsa? Ah, lemme guess, this is about her calling me сын right? HEY WAIT, DO YOU THINK MY POSITION IN THE FATUI IS BASED OFF OF NEPOTISM?!

Paimon: Well.. Paimon wasn't gonna say anything...

Tartaglia: Do you want me to show you how I earned my position little comrade?

Paimon: P-Paimon says no thanks!

Traveler: Haven't you lost in every battle we've ever had? Isn't the 10th seat emp-

Tartaglia: Anyways, I have no clue why she calls me that. We aren't related as far as I know. It's just for some reason, scary women start...adopting me? It happens all the time; I've stopped questioning it. Though out of all of them, she tends to be the peace maker. I refuse to call her Мамулечка though, thats too informal for Her Majesty, I don't care what she says. Maybe Маменька or *snickers* Матушка *chuckles*

Paimon: Paimon doesn't get it...

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

About Raiden Makoto: Family

Tartaglia: Makoto.... Makoto.... That name sounds familiar... Oh! You mean haha-ue? Shes the best! What I know about her?... Well... she tends to look outside the palace windows ... longingly? muttering something or other about "How she wishes Inazuma could know this type of peaceful eternity." She actually writes poetry about the subject pretty often, I guess she's bummed about the vision hunt decree?

Paimon: That sounds like someone we know- WAIT THE TSARITSA IS KEEPING BAAL HOSTAGE!!??

Tartaglia: 1) SHES WHO?! 2) rude 3) I offered to take her with me for a mission there and she refused. Saying something about "Having made her peace with it", "This is the only way" and "Ei would kill me if she knew i faked my death give it another 1000 years" Honestly, what is with old people and speaking in riddles...

Paimon: Paimon thinks you're not..never mind

Tartaglia: Other than that, she seems pretty content acting like the Tsaritsa's house wife, and, not to put them against eachother, but her omurice,,, man it puts Xiangling to shame.

Paimon: Huh... Paimon guesses even twins can be completely different.

Traveler: And children.

Tartaglia: Hm?

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

About Guizhong: Family

Tartaglia: Niáng!! Shes the best! I didnt know her until recently, but MAN is it good to have someone to rag on Zh-....

Paimon: Paimon thought you were over that?

Tartaglia: ... Ehe, of course, a warrior never lets past misgivings ruin his judgement. Anyways Niángs always doing something, either improving weapons for us to use-

Paimon: GUIZHONGS HELPING THE FATUI??

-making music with haha-ue or tending to the "garden" master keeps. Its always hard to pin her down to one place. Remarkable how so much energy can fit into one tiny body and how she keeps her hanfu clean...

Paimon: reminds Paimon of someone

Traveler: Oh but he isn't tiny...

Tartaglia: I'm getting sick of you and your sass.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

About Skirk: Family

Tartaglia: Master Skirk.. she taught me everything I knew when I was at my lowest. Shes the best! She doesn't talk much but when she does I always keep my ears peeled. A warrior must always take any opportunity handed to him!

Paimon: Uh-huh

Traveler: ...

Tartaglia: HEY! DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT! It came in handy with Zh.. Anyways, She always seemed lonely back in the Abyss, I'm glad she has her partners back.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

About the Damselette: Family

Tartaglia: She... creeps me out... Even more when she asks me to call her Mami. I don't understand how the others get along with her so well.. maybe cause shes quiet? Even then... she can be a total chatterbox with Lwalida... Wierdly enough the two hate each other? I dont know, best not to question it.

Traveler: Ah, a universal classic, two people coming together for juicy gossip. Speaking of which, Childe did you hear

Paimon: Hey! Hey! Hey! Don't leave Paimon out! Paimon wants to know too!

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

About the Knave: Family

Tartaglia: I don't trust her at ALL. I am NOT calling her Мамулечка. Her and Skirk get along pretty well though. I think it's the silent knight vibe that draws everyone else in. Niáng is constantly pestering her over what's up with her eyes... I'm kinda curious too but I doubt we'll ever get an answer.

Paimon: Paimon thinks you're one to talk.

Tartaglia: HEY! My eyes are a part of my charm!

Traveler: Whatever helps you sleep at night.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

About Rhinedottir: Family

Tartaglia: Móðir? Yeah shes the best! I first met her a bit after I came out the Abyss, She said "Hey, you! You're Skirk's boy right? Well you're my kid now too." and I just went along with it.

Traveler: ...That seems a little, "out-of-character" for you.

Tartaglia: Listen, when you're 14 and find a woman with 80 different rifthounds following her You Do Not Ask Questions. Besides, she shows me more applications for my Foul Legacy and I, Tartaglia, am-

Traveler and Paimon: ...Always getting stronger, trust us we know.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

About Alice: Family

Tartaglia: Mutti! She's the best! She made me this special map of Teyvat with the most dangerous places highlighted and gold starred! Oh oh an- HEY! WAIT GIVE THAT BACK!

Paimon: No can do! For the safety of Teyvat, Pretty Guardian Sailor Paimon is confiscating this!

Tartaglia: *Sigh* fine, Anyways It's always great to meet another defender of childhood dreams! Though... shes a bit too good at it

Traveler: That coming from you...

Paimon: Paimons worried...

Tartaglia: Heh, lets just say its good she doesn't come around often

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

About Istaroth: Family

Tartaglia: Okan! Shes the best! Whenever she comes over she brings stuff I could never dream of! Everyone gets super excited for her visits, even the damselette! For example, on last week she brought this!

Traveler: Wait. Is that a fucking Among Us Pop-it.

Tartaglia: Oh right! You've been to other worlds as well! She said it's supposed to "help my focus as a warrior."! Apparently Master Skirk complained too much after she gave me this potion called a "Monster Energy" so she gave me this instead!

Traveler: Do me a favor. Never accept anything from her ever again. In fact burn everything she gives you

Tartaglia: Ha! As if! It's not like you to be jealous Traveler. Don't worry I'll ask her to get you something comrade.

Traveler: Y'know what. Fine, ask her to bring Tik Tok, thats the perfect gift for you. 'was getting bored anyways

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

About the Goddess of Flowers: Family

Tartaglia: Lwalida! Shes the best! She works closely with Her Majesty. Apparently she was behind the theatrical names for the Harbingers. She taught me how to master the perfect fake cry to catch my enemies off guard!

Paimon: Paimon doesnt think anyone would fall for that.

Tartaglia: I'll have you know I've always gotten encores whenever I've preformed at the снежный шар theater thank you very much.

Paimon: Hm... You sure they weren't scared of you?

Tartaglia: That too. But Lwalida is a really good actor, in fact she's a legend in the Fatui. She's held the highest ranking on the Fatui faked death leaderboard for 500 years now!

Traveler: They have a leaderboard for that?

Tartaglia: Oh yeah, It's really intense. Some people have bet over 600 million mora on La Signora not being dead.

Traveler:....

Paimon: ...

Traveller: New plan! Paimon, we're headed to Snezhnaya!

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

fin!

(masterpost for this au here)

[jhsgf82]

Secret Admirer- Part II Coming Soon!

Summary: AU. Katniss Everdeen finds herself torn between a secret admirer and her attractive, visually impaired neighbor.

A/N: In honor of @lemonluvgirl87′s birthday, I am also striving for an update to this. In case I don’t get it out in time, here’s a sneak peek from Peeta’s POV featuring another fave THG character below the cut. Don’t read if you haven’t read Part I and/or if you don’t like spoilers! Sorry I don’t have a pretty edit for this one.  

Read on AO3 HERE 

“Uh, dude, I think I might’ve screwed up.” 

Peeta’s brow crinkles. 

“I said something to your girl…” 

“Katniss? What did you say?” 

“Well, I might’ve called her…ethereal.” 

Peeta gapes. 

“Yeah, and I, uh, might’ve recited some other lines from that one poem...”  

“Damn it, Finnick! Who does that?” 

“I’m sorry! It popped into my head and I was just joking around with her...” 

“And flirting.” Peeta scowls pointedly.  

“Whoa, don’t get territorial now, bro. I’m not after her; I just can’t turn it off sometimes.”

Peeta knows Finnick is grinning. “Don’t I know it.” He sighs and massages his temples. “You probably scared her off,” he mutters. “Anything else I should know?” 

“Well, I don’t think I scared her, exactly, but she was suspicious.” 

“Suspicious that you’re a creeper?” 

“No. Suspicious that...well, I think maybe she thinks that I’m…you know, you.” 

Peeta gives an overexaggerated groan, and Rye yips. He scrubs a hand down his face, then looks in Finnick’s direction. “Well, we could always do that thing they do in the rom coms where the super hot guy takes the place of the not-so-hot guy in order to impress the pretty girl.” 

“Don’t say that, Peet!” Finnick laughs. He approaches him and lays a hand on his shoulder. “You’re very attractive.” He pats his best friend’s shoulder. 

“Alright, fine. How about the one where the super hot guy takes the place of the average-looking disabled guy who’d never have a shot with her.” 

“Don’t talk about yourself like that.” 

Again, Peeta sighs. “What am I gonna do now?” He one-arm shrugs.  

“Hey, you’re the clever one, my friend, the brilliant mastermind of this whole thing. But if it were me, I’d come clean about the poetry and your feelings.” 

[karahalloway]

DWAW 2023 - Day 1: HCs

I would not be a proper Drake stan if I didn't make some time to wax lyrically about my fave LI (okay, maybe not lyrically - I suck at poetry, but you know what I mean!) as part of DWAW 2023!

Originally, I planned to do one post featuring both HCs and Appreciation, but both parts ran away with me, so I decided to split it up into two posts. This post will feature HCs, while this other post will feature Appreciation 😇

Headcanons

If you have read my stuff, you'll know that my Drake is not 100% canon, and that I've also filled in quite a lot of blanks left by TRR in his characterisation, so here is a (near) comprehensive list of everything that sits around in my head:

🥃 Whiskey 🥃

We all know that Drake's favourite drink is whiskey, but I HC that specifically it's bourbon. I made this choice quite consciously because (a) he is half-Texan, so the primary choice of whiskey would be bourbon on those parts (rather than scotch), and (b) I HC that this was also Jackson's drink of choice, so Drake took after his father in this regard (this is explored in a bit more detail in Chapter 3 - Hotel Room Service of (Less Than) Noble Intentions and the Burnt Bonus Chapter of (Un)Common Attraction).

Apart from whiskey, I HC that Drake is a coffee addict (and won't touch tea with a ten foot pole, unless - of course - if it's sweet iced tea, in which case he'll drink it by the bucketload like a true southerner🧋)

🇺🇸 Texas 🇺🇸

As far as I remember, the location of Walker Ranch is left ambigious in canon, but in my HC, it's located approx. 2.5 hours from Dallas (in Morris County, somewhere around the town of Lone Star - I know, I know... but when I saw this, I couldn't resist!) because I also HC Drake went to university in Dallas, specifically University of North Texas (see Chapter 20 - Party Yacht of (Un)Common Attraction). I chose Dallas because I liked the look and feel of the city, as well as the surrounding countryside.

Also, as readers will know, I have upped Drake's Texan-ness quite significantly in comparison to canon - he talks with a slight Texan accent, he can put on the southern drawl when he wants to, and his vernacular is a bit of a mixed bag (though he gravitates towards southerinism). I HC that this is because even though he spent most of his life in Cordonia, he (a) had a parent who spoke with a Texan accent at home, (b) he went to university in Texas, so he woud've picked up the accent/lingo while there (yes, accents can change later in life - I am a living testament to this, having lived all over the world), and (c) this was a concscious characterisation choice to differentiate his way of talking from the aristos (who - in my fics - talk more posh British).

💂‍♂️King's Guard 💂‍♂️

Similarly to @angelasscribbles I HC that Drake is a member of the King's Guard (in my stories, he operates covertly, but he does reveal his status to Harper is Chapter 34 - Secrets and Lies of (Un)Common Attraction. This was a very targeted HC in retaliation to the massive cop out in TRR2 where MC asks Drake what he actually does around court and he answers 'Erm... stuff?' 😖😡😒 Epic fail PB... Epic fail.

This is probably the biggest reason why my Drake started to deviate quite significantly from canon during the course of my rewrite - as a result of him being a Guard, he became a lot more focused, self-assured, tactical, pragmatic... basically all the things that readers seem to like about him. Because if he has a job, he has money, he has a purpose, and a position at court - he is no longer just a freeloading hanger-on. Plus this (for me) helps explain a lot of things in canon - like why Liam asked him to look out for MC, why he was helping Bastien with the NY bachelor party photo leak investigation, why he picks up on random things like the lock missing on MC's door at Applewood, etc.

🏋️ Extra-Curriculars 🏋️

Similarly to pretty much every other Drake stan, I HC that Drake is a military routine orientated mofo who always wakes at the crack of dawn to run five miles / go for a swim / hit the gym before eating a protein-filled breakfast (bacon, eggs, toast, orange juice) and then roughing himself into shape (shaving is optional) and getting on with his day.

In addition to this, I HC that he is kind of an adrenaline junkie - in my fics he has a motorbike and a car (like @angelasscribbles' Drake), and he drives like every road is an F1 racetrack (that said, he is a very precise driver and has never had an accident - this is based on a few real-life guys that I know - go figure lol).

He also knows how to ride (I HC he rides Western and Lone Star is a Quarter Horse), snowboard*, shoot, enjoys swimming, sailing, fishing, martial arts, and has tried pretty much every sport (including polo) because he is one of those high-energy people who (a) enjoys physical activity, and (b) uses it to burn off steam. On top of this, he of course goes camping, and has a cabin in the woods that he likes to escape to when court and the nobles get too much for him.

All this kinda combines to make Drake super competitive - people who have read my fics know that he'll compete with Harper for pretty much everything (including who can get up the stairs the fastest), and this is the rationale behind the (in)famous karaoke scene in Sleepless in New York - even though he hates performing, or putting himself on show in any way, he can't allow himself to lose a bet (which is why the fact that he loses the pool game during his birthday party is that much more significant).

*I thought this was more of a Drake sport than skiing (and it was something that he and Harper could bond over), though I also HC that Drake learnt to skii first and the switched to snowboarding)

💓 Sex💓

If you've read my stuff, you know that sex with Drake is... intense. The reasoning behind this is multi-fold:

Underneath the closeted and slightly stone-faced exterior that he presents to the world, he is a raging inferno of emotions underneath (fear, doubt, uncertainty, inadequacy, guilt, etc.) So when he has sex, all the pent-up emotions that had built up inside of him get released and he actually seeks out sex (or equivalently hard-core physical activity) in order to achieve this kind of release because he does not always know how to 'deal' with his emotions in a rational/intellectual way - see the Burnt Bonus Chapter of (Un)Common Attraction and Chapter 5 - Sparks Fly of (Less Than) Noble Intentions.

Sex - especially with MC as I think this kind of applies to other Drake x MC pairings that I've read - is a way for him to express how he feels about MC, even (or especially if) he does not want to / feels he cannot express how he feels using words (so he lets his body do the talking) - see Chapter 2 - I've Been Waiting for You and Chapter 13 - Invidia of (Less Than) Noble Intentions.

He is just plain good at it 😆 I think several (if not most) Drake stans have the HC that before MC came along, Drake was a raging poonhound (either because he got burnt by a previous relationship, or he just feels like he does not have the time/energy/emotional capacity to invest in a serious relationship), so, he has many notches on his bedpost, and with those notches comes experience - see Crazy Bonus Chapter of (Un)Common Attraction and Chapter 3 - Hotel Room Service of (Less Than) Noble Intentions.

🍔 Food 🍔

As we all know, Drake enjoys the simple things in life, especially when it comes to food, and I kept this aspect of his characterisation in my rewrites. He loves a 99c burger, BBQ (especially ribs), basically anything you can eat with your hands, but also enjoys a good steak with fries and knows how to cook (see Chapter 2 - Sparks Fly of Sleepless in New York, Chapter 9 - Go Nuts for Cronuts of (Un)Common Attraction, Chapter 3 - Hotel Room Service and Chapter 7 - Independence Day of (Less Than) Noble Intentions).

However, I don't HC that he's a fussy eater - except when it comes to fancy hors d'oeurves at royal functions. Because let's face it - there's only so much cocktail shrimp you can eat before you start choking on it.

🕺Dancing 🕺

Anyone who's read by stuff knows that one of the biggest changes I made to canon is that Drake can dance (see Chapter 25 - When You Move and Chapter 38 - In the End of (Un)Common Attraction, as well as Chapter 4 - Showtime, Baby! and Chapter 6 - Let It Whip of Sleepless in New York).

The rationale for this is that (a) Drake grew up at court, so even if he never had dance lessons specifically, he'll have seen other people dancing, and also chances are high that Liam/Leo/Max would have roped him into dance practice, so he'd have at least a basic knowledge of the common ballroom dances (waltz, tango, foxtrot, etc.) but (b) him being Drake, he doesn't like dancing ballroom (too stuffy and formal), especially at royal events (aristos watching and judging), but he's got moves and knows how to use them 😏

This is also why I HC that Drake can speak more than just Americano - in my fics, he is fluent in French (because of his mom* and the fact that he went to school in Cordonia, which I situated between France and Italy) and Italian (because of Bastien, who I HC is from Corsica), and also understands / knows basic phrases in a variety of other European languages - if he grew up at court with the Liam, Leo, Max, etc. and travelled around all these countries, he would - at the very least! - be able to order food and drink at a restaurant in the local language (looking at you, TRR2 Italian restaurant scene 😒

*In my fics, I switched the nationalities of Drake's parents around, so Jackson is from Texas and Bianca is from Cordonia.

👖Threads 👖

Another (relatively) big change I made from canon is the way that Drake dresses. In my fics, while he 100% prefers comfortable and functional clothes (his go-to ensemble is cotton button down shirt with sleeves rolled up, distressed jeans and boots), he will dress up for formal events (even if he doesn't really go all out - he leaves his top button unbuttoned on his collar, he doesn't do ties or bowties (except very occaisonally), and he ditches his jacket the first chance he gets) - see Chapter 3 - Masquarade, Chapter 13 - Table of Exiles, Chapter 24 - When You Move, Chapter 36 - Down to the Wire and and Chapter 38 - In the End of (Un)Common Attraction.

The main rationale for this is that while he may hate court and the aristos, I cannot see him showing up to an even in jeans and a t-shirt because (a) he would not actually be allowed in, and (b) I think he has a lot more self-respect than that (also, it's physically impossible for someone to have that many jean shirts).

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[mebiselfandi]

Hiii Meb 🫶🫶

5, 14 and 16 for the ask game please 🥰

Hi Kris!🤭🤭

5. First sentence of the fifth paragraph of an unpublished WIP

Trent would think about the potted plant that his mother had bought him to liven his place up - now perched on his kitchen windowsill for sunlight - about how he’d been putting off watering it for the last two weeks and finally about how Dominik had been the one to point out his plant was dying.

This is from a wip I honestly forgot I had. It’s not even a wip actually. I think the whole fic is finished except the last page??? I haven’t opened it since February idk why I’d convinced myself the fic was bad. This is cute as hell

14. Where do you get your inspiration?

Honestly a lot is from you. Your amazing thoughts and ideas feel my thoughts and ideas and next thing I know I’m already 4k deep into a new wip. I also read a lot of poetry and look at pretty pictures and watch cool movies which I sort of narrate/describe in my head the way I’d write them so it’s like active writing practice. But yeah ultimately I think a lot of it is you (and Lacey of course🤭)

16. Favorite place to write

My bed cause it’s warm. Outside in the sun is nice but it just makes me sleepy instead then I get nothing done :( pacing in the kitchen isn’t my fave but it gets the job done fast for some reason

The ask game