#I’m il tre

[brian-kinney-apologist]

il tre: good night everyone 😴😴😴💤💤💤🥱🥱🥱🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️

ricchi e povery: let’s fucking go 💃💃💃🪩🪩🪩👯‍♀️👯‍♀️👯‍♀️👯‍♀️💋💋💋

[diari0deglierrori]

[deathshallbenomore]

have you ever had to sit through a class on the interpretation of legal norms, held by an 85yo man, while you kept zoning out because of the mortifying ordeal of having realised for the umpteenth time that you’re basically unlovable and also a little bit pathetic for briefly hoping that someone could be interested in you? because i have. lol

[imthebadguyyy]

Something Just Like This II

pairing - charles leclerc x reader

fandom - f1

summary - a look into your relationship

part - ii (part II) (part III )

a/n - more angst??

"everyone, I want you to meet charlotte”

never before had a single sentence made your head whirl the way it was. never before had you felt nauseous at the sight of your best friend, but that day, the wine you had drunk threatened to make an unpleasant comeback. never before had you felt your heart shatter at the sight of a person before, but you swore you heard your fragile heart shatter into a milllion unfixable pieces, as you stared at the gorgeous brunette with the sweet smile, currently greeting charles’ family.

it wasn’t just you that stood shell shocked. pascale stared openly at her son, confusion and sadness visible in her eyes, but nevertheless, the matriarch of the leclerc family greeted the young girl with a smile, kissing her on the cheek and welcoming her to the home that suddenly felt so cold to you. lorenzo stood up to, ever the kind hearted one, greeting her and offering a glass of wine to her.

arthur was the only one that sat shell shocked, mouth agape, and it wasn’t till lorenzo nudged hum gently that he stood up to greet the woman.

the smile on charles’ face made your already hurting heart ache a little more. he looked so happy, and you hated it. you felt the easy tears rising again, threatening to spill over, but you forced them back. no. you were not going to have a breakdown in front of charles and his family, and his new girlfriend. girlfriend. the word had never seemed so painful before.

but you put on your camera smile, flashing charlotte a warm smile, and giving her a small hug. “Hello, I’m y/n” you smiled softly at her, admitting to yourself that she really was a beauty. "hello, I’m charlotte, I’m a big fan!” she exclaimed, and you forced yourself to keep the smile on your face. “always a pleasure to meet the fans” you joked half heartedly, and she laughed. much to your relief, pascale, sensing your discomfort, pulled the girl into a conversation on the other side, leaving you, arthur, lorenzo and charles in her drawing room.

"so charlotte sine huh?” arthur asked, face blank of any emotion. he recognised the girl well, having grown up quite near the family. “yes, I met her the other day on my run and figured I might as well ask her out on a date” he smiled, grinning it himself at the memory. “she seems nice, n’est ce pas?” lorenzo asked, throwing you a sympathetic smile. “oui, elle est tres gentile” he affirmed, and you fought back the urge to cry once more. “mais, y/n, you didn’t tell me you would be here?” he said, pulling you in for a hug,

y/n. not cherie. that was your first thought. of course you wouldn’t be cherie anymore. no, you’d have to give up that title, you reasoned, inhaling a shaky breath.

"i wasn’t supposed to. but i met maman in the afternoon and she invited me over for dinner, and i missed you guys so i thought i might as well” you said, quite honestly. “lovely, that way I can introduce you to charlotte too, no?” he smiled, and you faked a smile once more, before politely excusing yourself.

taking deep shaky breaths, you slipped into the balcony, glass of wine still in hand, sipping on it slowly to keep you grounded, you recognised the sound of feet softly making their way to you, and before you knew it, arthur’s blue shirt came into your line of sight.

how are you holding up?” he asked, wrapping his warm around.

you let out a shaky breath, taking another sip of your wine, and throwing him a watery smile. “simply splendid, tur” you whispered, and arthur swore he felt his heart break for his older sister.

"il ne sait pas ce qu’il ressent cherie, donne lui de temps, je sais qu’il t’aime” he doesn’t know how he feels darling, give him some time, I know he loves you he said, and you let the first tear drop, feeling it roll slowly down your cheek and drip onto the railing.

“no don’t cry” arthur mumbled, feeling such sadness on your behalf. with a soft sigh, he pulled you in for a proper hug, letting you bury your face in his shirt, and balancing your wine glass on the balcony railing.

how had it come to this? this wasn’t how you expected your night to go. you had hoped at the end of it you and charles would have been the ones cuddled up on the couch, laughing and chatting with his mother.

but unfortunately, fate had different plans.

dinner was an oddly quiet affair. pascale’s delicious dinner received multiple compliments from the five of you, but there was an odd tenseness in the air. and you knew it was because of your presence, that the atmosphere was so tense.

"merci maman, pour le diner, mais, je pense qui je vais rentrer chez moi, maintenant, je suits tres fatigue” thank you mum for the dinner, but I think i will head home now, I’m very tired you said, giving the woman who had been a second mother to you all your life a tight hug. you saw your own sad smile reflected on her face, and she gave you a bowl of chocolate mousse to take home.

"leaving already?” lorenzo asked, pulling you in for a hug as well.

“oui, je suis tres fatigue, enzo” you whispered, and he dropped a kiss to the top of your head. “d'accord, bonne nuit ange” he said, and you smiled at him. arthur insisted on walking you all the way to your car, and you let him, grateful for his company.

“is he gonna be with her forever?” you asked, the childish question slipping past your lips, voicing the fears you had in your heart. you knew it was silly to ask. but you had to ask, you just had to.

"no, don't be silly ange. of course he won't. i know he's my brother and i do love him unconditionally but he is terrible at maintaining relationships. in fact he is utterly hopeless. you know why? because he isn't with the woman he truly loves" arthur stated, helping you into your car.

you just sighed, leaning up to kiss his cheek and then starting the engine. the roar of your ferrari brought a small smile to your face, and waving him goodbye, you drove out.

yes, you were distraught but no, you were not going going to let it wreck you. but even as you forced yourself to be strong, you could feel your heart cracking into a million pieces in your chest. you had felt heartbreak before but never had you felt so absolutely wrecked over someone. not just someone.

your best friend. your bestest friend in the whole wide world.

and you had never told him you loved him.

the thought brought bile rising to your throat, and you had to pull over to throw up.

finally, you stopped resisting the tears, and let yourself break down completely in the car, parked near the dock in monaco. you sobbed and sobbed and wailed, lashing out at the wheel of your ferrari, releasing all your pent up hurt.

you turned the radio up, trying to muffle out the sound of your tears. the last thing you expected was the knock on your window, that had you reaching for the pepper spray and slowly lowering the window.

"hey, you doing okay y/n? i saw your car and i heard what sounded like crying so i thought.." your eyes met lewis' sweet ones, currently displaying concern for you.

lewis hamilton leaned down, taking in your red eyes and nose.

he knew you quite well, he had seen you with charles and lorenzo and andrea very frequently around the paddock, and had even spent time with you in monaco when charles invited him for dinner.

he'd never admit it, but he had always thought you were beautiful. but a few stories from pierre suggested to him that you and charles were a thing so he never said anything to you.

but here you were, tears streaming down your face, blasting someone like you by adele on the radio and he knew something was wrong.

"oh! hey lewis. didn't think anyone would be here, i just wanted a minute" you smiled.

"i can leave if you want, just wanted to make sure everything was okay" he said, and you were touched by the sincerity in his eyes.

"im okay" you spoke softly, not trusting your voice to go above a whisper. "but i could do with some company" you admitted, chuckling.

"anytime" he smiled back at you. you opened to door to your car, letting him slide in the passenger seat.

"out on a jog were you?" you asked, driving down to your favourite icecream store (vegan of course)

"yep, i had a lot on my mind and i just wanted to run it all off y'know" he said, and you noticed the shift in his eyes and the sadness reflecting in them.

"this season's getting to you isn't it?" you whispered, and felt your heart go out to him when he nodded.

"lewis, one season doesn't define you...and you've been performing marvellously considering the car you have. im not exactly an f1 whiz but you're still the best. without a doubt" you said honestly.

lewis chuckled, and then turned to face you directly. "don't let charles hear you say that" he joked, and immediately he noticed the shift in your demeanour.

"uh yeah i won't" you mumbled, with a tight smile. "is everything okay with you two?" lewis asked, concerned.

you sighed, stopping at the store and looking determinedly out the window, trying your hardest not to cry.

"yeah it's all okay. im just a little overwhelmed right now is all" you sighed.

lewis nodded, not pushing you to tell him anything you didn't want to.

"c'mon, let's go and get some ice cream" he smiled at you, getting up to open your door.

your story

caption : late night snack 💗@lewishamilton

replies -:

@.yourbestfriend - girlie pop is that lewis hamilton you've tagged?!?!

@.arthurleclerc - icecream without me? :(

@lorenzotl- icecream with lewis?

@lewishamilton - had so much fun! definitely trying the biscoff one next time💜

@.charlesleclerc - is that our icecream spot y/n?

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

sighing, you let your hand crash against the piano, wincing at the discordant notes.

this stupid melody had been playing around in your head for weeks and you couldn't put it into a proper song.

at the same time you had also decided the best thing you could do was put space between you and charles, and so, your communication had decreased significantly.

arthur still spoke to you regularly and visited you almost every week. he often brought carla along, who you adored, and who thought of you as an older sister.

he kept you updated on how everyone was doing, and you spoke to lorenzo and pascale over text when you could.

but of course it was hard to avoid your best friend when your social media feed was full of posts about him, now more often with his girlfriend, and you were having a hard time ignoring it.

letting your head drop back, you stretched, hearing your back crack like bubble wrap. the ding of the text notification from your phone made you sit up, smiling when you saw lewis' contact pop up on the screen

lewis h 💜: hey, just wanted to check in on you and make sure you're doing okay?

you : hello, I'm doing okay, thank you for asking 🫶🏼

lewis h 💜: what have you been upto?

you : just trying to figure out this melody, it's driving me insane

lewis h 💜: don't dress about it. i've heard your music and it's absolutely phenomenal. just relax, breathe, and let the music flow.

you : thank you. i can't thank you enough

lewis h 💜: anytime darling 💗 hope to see you soon?

you : ill be there at the monaco grand prix!

lewis h 💜: ive been meaning to ask, would you like to come as my guest to the mercedes hospitality?

you : id love to but..i don't want to cause a media storm..

lewis h 💜: fuck the media honestly. if i want to bring a friend to the paddock, ill bring a friend to the paddock.

you: lewis hamilton swears? 😯

lewis h 💜: hahaha. so ill see you there?

you : yes. ill be there 💗

lewis h 💜: looking forward to it y/n 💗

smiling, you put your phone down, almost giddy with excitement.

like magic, the melody seemed to fall into place and you called your friend jack.

"hey jack, I've got this idea, but ill need some help" you said.

jack antonoff laughed and said, "on it. another pop hit in the making?" he smirked and you laughed. "i sure hope so. ill see you soon then"

you smiled to yourself.

maybe life wasn't so bad after all.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

@kymillman- @yourinstagram arriving at the monaco grand prix, but not in her usual manner with @.charlesleclerc, but rather with @lewishamilton, with a mercedes cap. she also made her way past the ferrari hospitality and went to the mercedes hospitality, but always a pleasure to photograph her.

@predestinato - oh dear what did charles do :( she's always supporting charles at all the races and she's been at every monaco grand prix since he got into f1. i miss her :(

@charles16monaco - she's with lewis now? i was hoping to see her at monaco with the leclercs.

@ynfan23 - mother is serving as always!! but i do wonder where charles is...

@ynlnisaqueen - serving looks and badassery.

@charlesbanana - charlie noo :( but yn looks gorgeous as always but i don't want to lose her to mercedes 😭

@lh44fanbase - sir lewis?? shooting his shot?? with our resident popstar queen?

pushing your sunglasses up your nose, you took in the sight of the monaco paddock, smiling as the sun warmed your skin.

the buzz and chatter and roar of engines felt like home, and you felt so excited to be back.

you spotted lewis, walking with roscoe to the media pen, and you watched as he turned towards you and shot you a bright smile.

you didn't expect him to turn and sprint towards you, and wrap you in a hug. you heard the click of cameras behind you but you didn't care. you were glad to have a friend in the paddock.

it felt a little strange to not walk into the red, bustling ferrari hospitality, and instead into the calm atmosphere of the mercedes one. it felt strange to walk past the sea of red, and you did feel a tinge of guilt.

lewis noticed. and he nudged you, bending to whisper, "it's okay, we're just here as friends. and it's just one race. let's just chill okay. ill treat you to more icecream too" he smiled and you giggled, walking into the hospitality.

across the paddock, charles frowned. he hadn't known you would be at the paddock. you were always at the monaco paddock with him, ever since his first grand prix.

he was used to seeing you wearing some element of red, a cap or a shirt or pants. but you were wearing a mercedes cap, and you hadn't even bothered to tell him you would be at the gp.

he pursed his lips, and decided to make his way to the car. he just needed to be focused on the quali and not on how you were with lewis-

no. he shook his head vigorously. he did not need that image in his head.

from the corner of his eye, he saw carlos approaching, and he sighed. he knew what he'd ask.

"cabron, where is y/n? why is she at mercedes? what did you do?" he asked.

"i did not do anything and i don't know why she's there" he said, sounding more put off than he meant to.

"are you sure? she always supports ferrari.." he trailed off, noticing how sad charles looked.

"what do you think happened?" carlos asked, leaning against the wall. the spaniard hadn't know you for very long, but in the time that he had, he had become one of your closest confidantes. he knew he would have trusted you with anything.

"i don't know, but she has been distant lately ever since..." he trailed off, unsure of the conclusion he had come to.

"ever since what?" carlos asked, growing impatient.

"ever since i introduced charlotte to her and my family.." he trailed off, eyes clouding over.

"ah. i see" carlos said. he didn't have to say anything else. he knew that charles knew, what exactly he wanted to say.

"mate, i know that you and charlotte broke up, and I know that it's because of a very strong reason. don't mess up mate. she's something special and you know it." carlos told his friend.

charles sighed, eyes dropping to the floor.

"best of luck for quali mate" carlos said, clapping him on the back and leaving to get ready for his own quali.

unfortunately for them, quali was shit for ferrari. engine issues meant that charles was p10 and carlos as p12, and much more irksome was the fact that lewis qualified p1, and the cameras had planned to your grinning and clapping.

he stormed off to the drivers room, slamming his helmet on the ground and sinking down onto the bed, roughly grabbing his own hair.

"tu es tellement stupide charles, tellement stupide et maintenant tu perds l'amour de ta vie"

sighing, he reached for his phone, and opened up instagram. he instantly wished he hadn't.

the first post he saw made his heart shatter into a thousand pieces.

@yourinstagram - delighted to announce my new single 'it's nice to have a friend' is out now on!! to all my friends who've been there for me, new and old, i love you to saturn and back. thank you for being my people and for loving me and guiding me through everything. i love u all 🫶🏼💗

tagged - @yourbestfriend @lewishamilton @carla.brocker @lilymunihe @kika.gomes

@ynfans77 - OMG WHAT A MEW SJMGLE I AM LISINF MT MIND

-@ynisabadassqueen - same girlie sameee!! 😭 miss maam really just dropped a banger out of nowhere.

@ynrules - OH MY GOD ITS SO GOOD YAS KWEEN SLAY!!

@kika.gomes - forever proud of u my love 🫶🏼so glad to have seen you make this song and see u power through life. honoured to be your friend and ill love u forever. always wanna hang out with u.

@lewishamilton - honoured to be on your team. my support is with you always. so proud 💜

@yourbestfriend - my favouritest friend. my babygirl. my love. my sweetheart. my talented darling. forever proud of you. forever glad i gave u my glove. 🩷

@lilymunihe- my darling u are a force and i adore u. you're my favourite person ever. so proud and i'm always there for u. ps alex has been sobbing for half an hour I think u broke him

-@alexalbon- no I am not lily 😭😭 but gorgeous job y/n. many congratulations 🎉

@carla.brocker - congratulations mom soeur. i love u always 🩷💗🫶🏼 so glad to have u in my life and have u guiding me. you're an icon and a force to be reckoned with. forever grateful for u.

@arthur.leclerc - you are truly a wonder. congratulations cherie! 🩷

@yncharles2216 - she didn't tag charles :( all those years of friendship...

@charlesfans - she's two faced. forgot charles already.

-@ynfans - we don't need u here. mother slays and you're a loser.

liked by @arthur.leclerc @.kika.gomes @.yourbestfriend and @carla.brocker

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

charles took in the sight of the blue waters surrounding the boat.

his brothers, their girlfriends, his mother and their friends had all decided to spend the day on the boat. lorenzo and arthur were enjoying the football game on the tv, and carla and charlotte (lorenzo's girlfriend) were enjoying a sunbathing session on the deck.

charles sighed. he missed your presence on the boat. in fact, he missed your presence overall. usually, the both of you would be chatting away to glory, or playing games or just lounging about together.

he hadn't realized exactly how much your presence meant to him until you had slowly begun to pull away.

he felt tears rise up and he blinked them away furiously.

from the corner of his eye, he saw his mother approach him.

"salut maman" he smiled, kissing her cheeks.

"charles, pourquoi as-tu l'air si triste?" charles why do you look so sad?

"je ne sais pas maman, je... elle me manque tellement" i don't know mum, i... i miss her so much.

"mon fils, tu sais, je sais, nous savons tous que tu aimes y/n. pourquoi tu ne lui dis pas chérie ? elle t'aime tellement aussi et ça me fait mal au cœur que deux personnes destinées l'une à l'autre ne soient pas ensemble." my son, you know, i know,we all have known that you love y/n. why dont you tell her darling? she loves you so much too and it hurts my heart that two people destined for each other aren't together.

"mais... et si elle ne m'aime pas, maman ? je ne veux pas ruiner notre amitié et je ne veux pas la perdre. et c'est égoïste, mais je ne veux pas être blessé" but.. what if she doesnt love me back mum? i domt wamt to ruin our friendship and i dont want to lose her. and its selfish, but i dont want to be hurt..

"charles, l'amour est une douleur. dire à quelqu'un dont vous ne savez pas qu'il vous aime, que vous l'aimez est terrifiant, mais c'est ça l'amour. mais tu ne peux pas laisser cette peur t’arrêter. ne manquez pas votre chance de trouver le véritable amour. souviens-toi de mon fils, un amour comme celui-ci n'arrive qu'une fois dans la vie" charles, love is pain. telling someone you don't know loves you, that you love them is terrifying, but thats what love is. but you cant let that fear stop you. dont miss your chance at true love. remember my son, a love like this comes only once in a lifetime.

"je le ferai maman. merci" i will mum. thank you.

pascale pressed a kiss to her middle son's forehead, and left him to his thoughts. she knew he had a lot to think about.

charles knew he had a lot to think about too. he knew he had to tell you that he loved you, because damn it, you were his sun moon and stars and he would be damned if he let you go.

he smiled, a plan forming in his mind. he called carla and arthur, knowing you had a soft spot for the two of them.

"les gars, j'ai besoin de votre aide" he said.

"how can we help charles?" carla asked, smiling at him.

"i want to tell y/n that i love her"

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

a/n - part ii finished!!! i hope you guys liked it 🩷🫶🏼 comments, feedback, opinions, reblogs are always appreciated! my comments and inbox and are always open so feel free to drop in any time!!

part iii should be up soon too!!

TAGS

those who responded to part i - @chanshintien @eternalharry @janeholt3 @magicalcowboyarbiter @oneafterdark @leclerc13

f1 tags - @theonly1outof-a-billion

all writing - @roslastyles420 @hopefulinlove @bluesongbird

TO BE ADDED TO THE TAGLIST SEND ME AN ASK OR A DM 🩷

[thinkingboutleclerc]

subway god (cl16 x best friend!reader) part one

yourusername back at home for this race!! (ft. charles glaring at me)

liked by pierregasly, arthur_leclerc, charles_leclerc, and 225,098 others

charles_leclerc i was not glaring at YOUUUU

-> yourusername i refuse to believe this and I’m telling your mama that you hurt my feelings

-> f1fanultimatee.0 not y/n pulling the tattletale card im dyinggg

-> scuderia_dears they’re so best friends to lovers coded omg

-> yourusername LOVERS?? scuderia_dears i’ve seen this manchild in a banana costume trying to pick up a girl, it’s never been the same

-> pierregasly that was absolute torture (10/10 would recommend)

-> yourusername brb telling kika you’re a masochist

-> charles_leclerc you can’t use big words with him y/n/n

-> pierregasly tais toi charles_leclerc

-> yourusername oh nooo im so scared gassy

-> pierregasly GASSY??

-> yourusername IT WAS A TYPO I SWEAR

lewishamilton nice to see you there!! (my heart is breaking and i’m washing my eyes out with soap because you’re there supporting ferrari)

-> yourusername AH no you’re my #1 for sure lewey

-> charles_leclerc not moi??

-> yourusername talk to me when you’re knighted smh 🙄

-> mercerrari128fan the way y/n has the entire paddock wrapped around her finger #girlbossing

yourusername flashback friday with a lost member of one direction

liked by lewishamilton, charles_leclerc, leclerc_pascale, and 342,849 others

arthur_leclerc i love you for this

-> yourusername get in line thuri :P

-> dinitalks_00 y/n is so iconic GODDAMN

landonorris one direction who?? i only know char-looloo

-> yourusername he’s a pop star not a rapper stupid

-> landonorris i feel targeted

leclerc_pascale is this where you met? comme c'est mignon!

-> yourusername oui tata! c’est tres drôle parce que il m'a crié dessus lors de notre première rencontre!

-> charles_leclerc tais toi, commère!

lewishamilton he yelled at you?? i would throw hands

-> yourusername omg my knight in shining armor

-> charles_leclerc lewis run away she’ll bully you like she bullies me

-> lewishamilton she’s all yours, leclerc

liked by yourusername

yourusername me after maxverstappen1 buys me subway

liked by lewishamilton, subwayofficial, maxverstappen1 and 183,736 others

maxverstappen1 my life is in danger now, thanks

liked by yourusername

-> yourusername anytime, beau 😏

-> maxverstappen1 is this revenge??

-> yourusername why would i need revenge??

-> maxverstappen1 you know why chéri

-> maxverstappen1 DID YOU CHANGE YOUR NAME TO AUTOCORRECT TO CHERI?

-> maxverstappen1 please help charles is coming to my drivers room

-> yourusername deal with it 😎

charles_leclerc you guys are dating?? omw to beat max up

-> yourusername heehee 😉

paddockbaby23 i did not expect this?? are they dating or what?

-> dinitalks_00 those are not very platonic poses tbh

-> f1fanATTIC12 we just *know* that charles is fuming/murderous

-> dinitalks_00 well yeah his childhood best friend is hooking up with his other childhood best friend

-> lestappenvib3s us lestappen shippers are having a field day (sad)

yourusername my (only) subway partner forever 💚💛🤍

liked by subwayofficial, charles_leclerc, maxverstappen1 and 538,739 others

charles_leclerc go on… apologize 😤

-> yourusername okokok sorry sorry

-> lewishamilton you were very wound up over this topic charles

-> charles_leclerc who’s charles? i only know subway god

[latin5mamii]

Future- Jannik sinner

|Warnings: none

|Summary: What if your boyfriend is unexpectedly good with children?

You didn’t know your boyfriend was good with children, and to be honest, you were also surprised.

You two were at a friend’s night out and one of your best friends had a 3 years old daughter: she was a beautiful little baby who only wanted to play; she was running around the house, not caring about her mother who was scolding her .While you were talking to your friends,one of your best friends touches your shoulder and points her finger towards you boyfriend,who was playing with the baby entertaining her with a tennis ball:he really can’t stop thinking about tennis,can’t he?

You knew that your boy was a really sweet and caring person,especially with children,and while you were watching them,you felt a sensation of calmness,which was strange and it was something that you never felt before,almost like a sense of security.

He was the kind of boyfriend that would support you and make you feel secure about yourself.

In that moment you imagined yourselves as parents,of maybe a beautiful and lively baby girl:

you knew that he would've been the greatest daddy and wouldn’t let you down ever.

“Is it normal that I want to be a mother now?”you ask,almost blaming yourself for the question.

“Omg i would love to see a mini version of you with red hair”

It was time to go,but someone didn’t really wanted to get off your man,hugging him and begging him to stay.Your boyfriend couldn’t stop himself from laughing,but a smile of pure happiness appears on your face.

“You have to let Jannik go!”Says the her mom,fully ashamed of what was appening,even if she didn’t have to: you had obtained one of the countless certainties that your boyfriend had shown you he had.Could you ever ask for something better?

 Finally the baby lets your boyfriend go and she waves at you two while  opening the front door.

“E comunque,sono gelosa” 

( And just to be honest,i’m jealous)

You say ironically and your man starts to laugh.

“Oh, veramente?”

(Oh really?)

“Hai visto il modo in cui ti guardava?E’ follemente innamorata di te”

(Did you see the way she looked at you? She’s completely in love with you)

“Di sicuro ho un certo fascino”

(I certainly have a certain charm)

He says boasting ironically,you roll your eyes through the sky.

"Oh,per favore”

(Oh please)

While he was driving, you noticed him giggling:,It must have been something good, so you asked him.

“Cosa c’e’ di così divertente?” 

(What’s so funny?)

“Stavo solo immaginando  di poter magari avere una casa di famiglia in qualche posto speciale,avere duo o tre figli e magari giocare con loro ad ogni ora del giorno.Magari tu potresti portarli ai miei incontri facendoli appassionare al tennis,chissà.”

(I was just imagining maybe having a family home somewhere special, having two or three kids and maybe playing with them every hour of the day.Maybe you could bring them to my meetings and make them passionate about tennis, who knows)

“Quindi io ci sono in questa tua immaginazione”

(So I'm in this imagination of yours)

 You say,and you can’t help but to smile:it seems like today the universe is on your side.

“Se non sei tu la madre dei miei figli chi vuoi che sia?”

(If you're not the mother of my future children,who do you think will be?)

[diceriadelluntore]

Storia Di Musica #333 - Elvis Costello & The Attractions, Get Happy!!, 1980

Quando, in una sera del 1976, gli venne l’idea di presentarsi con un nome d’arte omaggio alla sua nonna, pensava forse che sebbene volenteroso, il suo vero, Declan Patrick Aloysious McManus, sarebbe stato preso per uno scherzo. Quella sera si presenta come D.P. Costello, che cambierà nel definito Elvis Costello, come omaggio al Re del Rock’n’Roll. Occhialoni alla Buddy Holly, look che esibiva orgogliosamente il suo essere fuori moda, a metà degli anni ’70 Costello è un giovane arrabbiato che ha le carte in regole per dire la sua, in modo interessante, oltre il nichilismo furbetto del punk. Quando Nick Lowe, suo amico e collaboratore, gli trova un ingaggio per la Stiff Records, lui non essendo in totale fiducia decise di non abbandonare il proprio posto da operaio nella ditta di cosmetici Elizabeth Arden (a cui dedicherà una stupenda canzone, I’m Not Angry). In effetti non erano tempi da cantautori, ma bastano i primi guizzi di My Aim Is True (1977) per sgombrare il campo: l’offensiva antifascista di Less Than Zero unite a doti melodiche di alto livello (la mitica Alison, suo pezzo culto) presentano al pubblico un nuovo modo di raccontare musicalmente i tempi. La seconda prova è ancora meglio: This Year’s Model (1978) lo vede insieme ai The Attractions, il gruppo di Stevie Nieve (alle tastiere) e Bruce Thomas (basso) e Pete Thomas (batteria, i due non erano parenti), e in un disco multiforme, dai testi lunghissimi, sciorina la sua bravura in canzoni stupende come I Dont’ Want To Go To Chelsea, Pump It Up (altro inno di quegli anni), Little Triggers e Night Rally. È richiestissimo e parte per Tour in Europa e Stati Uniti. Nelle pause delle date, scrive sull’onda dell’entusiasmo altre canzoni, che compongono il terzo disco in tre anni, Armed Forces (1979): segnato dallo stress e dai primi, evidenti eccessi di vita, è un disco ansiogeno e un po’ frettoloso, che alle belle e ormai garantite belle canzoni aggiunge riempitivi. Sarebbe tutto normale, ma le cose stanno prendendo una brutta piega: le dipendenze da alcool e droga lo rendono nervoso e aggressivo e durante il tour americano, a Columbus, in Ohio, si incontrò con Stephen Stills nel bar dell’Holyday Inn. Qui in preda a deliri alcolici sbiascica pesantissimi insulti razzisti a James Brown e Ray Charles, litiga fino alle mani con la cantante Bonnie Bramlett (che era diventata famosa nel duo con il marito Delaney & Bonnie) e vede in un attimo disintegrarsi la sua reputazione negli Stati Uniti. Ci furono ulteriori polemiche poiché la vicenda fu quasi semi oscurata dai giornali britannici. Le successive scuse in una goffa conferenza stampa non servirono a nulla. Torna in patria e nel 1979 produce il primo, storico, album degli Specials, fa l’attore in Americathon (semisconosciuto film di Neil Israel, dove Costello si esibisce cantando Crawling In the USA). Durante la produzione del disco degli Specials, scrive e suona da solo tutti gli strumenti per del nuovo materiale nei piccoli studi di registrazione Archipelago (scritto così) di Pimlico, nei sobborghi londinesi. Costello ha la necessità di dare un taglio al suono precedente e per il nuovo si ispira alla musica afroamericana degli anni ’60, allo ska, e ha tantissime cose da dire.

Get Happy!! (che esce nel 1980) prende il titolo dalla canzone omonima composta da Harold Arlen, con i testi scritti da Ted Koehler, negli anni ’30 del ‘900, che riprendeva un testo di tipo evangelico. Fu portata al successo da Judy Garland e negli anni è divenuto uno standard per centinaia di artisti. Registrato tra Londra e i Paesi Bassi, a Hilversum, prodotto da Nick Lowe e Roger Béchirian, è un disco-mondo dove Costello mette 20 brani, molti dei quali brevissimi, meno di 2 minuti. È una prova di amore per quella musica, e anche di liberazione in un certo senso (nonostante anche durante le sessioni perdureranno i problemi con alcool e droghe). Ci sono due cover: I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down di Sam & Dave e I Stand Accused dei Merseybeats come omaggio al mai abbandonato amore per il suono di Liverpool. Per il resto, l’enormità (per l’epoca dove esistevano solo i vinili) dei 18 pezzi rimanenti passano dagli omaggi fin troppo sfacciati (Temptation è in pratica la Time Is Tight di Booker T & The MG’s con un testo diverso),a canzoni stupende come Love Me Tender (che apriva il disco), Possession, King Horse fino ai capolavori come New Amsterdam elegia sulla selvaggia New York, High Fidelity, doloroso e drammatico affresco sulle delusioni dell’amore e Riot Act, canzone scritta sui fatti di Columbus. L’omaggio alla musica r’n’b è evidente nella copertina: dalla grafica e dai colori cari alla Stax di Memphis, vedeva tre foto identiche di Costello sfalsate in colori acidi, e aveva una particolarità: l’effetto vissuto del cerchio bianco proprio al centro, a imitare il consumo dell’uso eccessivo. Tra l’altro le prime edizioni avevano la scaletta scritta al contrario, con Riot Act primo brano e Love Me Tender ultima, e valgono di più nel mercato dei collezionisti.

Il disco all’epoca fu accolto con grande favore dalla critica e dal pubblico: numero 2 in Gran Bretagna e un sorprendente numero 11 negli Stati Uniti. Negli anni il disco ha guadagnato ancora più favori, sottolineando la scelta niente affatto facile di Costello di distaccarsi sempre con intelligenza dai generi imperanti per la ricerca di una via personale alla sua necessità di musica. Scriverà un altro disco capolavoro, Imperial Bedroom (1982) che è una grande prova di pop d’autore, che aprirà le porte ad una nuova trasformazione verso un colto, raffinato, ma un po’ meno eccitante, modello di voce-pianoforte che diventerà il modulo classico della maturità costelliana. Ne ha fatta di strada in decenni quel tipo con gli occhialoni che prese in prestito dalla nonna il suo nome d’arte per la celebrità.

[elvthron]

• 🥀 🕯️🩸•

“Urania, celebrata in molti inni, Afrodite che ami il sorriso, nata dal mare, dea genitrice, che ami vegliare tutta la notte, augusta, che unisci di notte, tessitrice di inganni, madre di Necessità: tutto infatti proviene da te, hai aggiogato l'universo e domini le tre parti, tutto generi, ciò che è in cielo e sulla terra dai molti frutti e nell'abisso del mare, augusta compagna di Bacco, che ti rallegri nelle feste, madre degli amori che prepari i matrimoni, Persuasioni, che ami il letto, nascosta, datrice di grazia, visibile, invisibile, dalle amabili trecce, di padre illustre, nuziale, commensale, degli dei tieni lo scettro, lupa,datrice di prole, ami gli uomini, desideratissima, datrice di vita, che hai aggiogato i mortali con costrizioni senza briglie e le numerose specie di animali con incantesimi che suscitano folle amore: vieni, divino germoglio nato a Cipro, sia che sull'Olimpo tu sia regina, gioendo nel bel volto, sia che ti prenda cura della dimora della Siria produttrice d'incenso, sia che nei prati con i carri fatti d'oro occupi i lavacri fecondi del sacro Egitto, o che col cocchio tirato da cigni sull'onda del mare andando ti rallegri delle danze circolari dei cetacei, o ti diletti delle Ninfe dagli occhi scuri nella terra divina, sui lidi sabbiosi della riva con salto leggero; sia che a Cipro tua nutrice, o sovrana, dove sia le belle fanciulle vergini sia le spose per tutto l'annoinneggiano a te, beata, e al santo Adonis immortale. Vieni, dea beata, con aspetto molto amabile: perché con animo pio ti invoco con sante parole.”

- Orphic Hymn #55, to Aphrodite translated in Italian.

And if you were wondering: no, I’m not sharing what’s going on in this spell as it’s too personal, but I loved how the altar was looking like 🩶

[lostsunlight]

CHAPTER 13 - TRES AUTUEM FACIES PRAENUNTIUS

childe x reader, wc: 7.1k, masterlist, Ao3

cw: nsfw, violence, murder

The next morning came all too quickly. A ray of sunlight hit Childe directly in the eyes, he rolled over and pulled the blankets over his head to block out the world for a few sacred minutes. 

You smiled and carded a hand through his hair, he tilted his head a little to the left. Childe could have sworn he was seeing an angel, soft sunlight illuminating your form, sheets pooling at your hips. 

Childe rolled onto his back and you shuffled closer, the hand scratching his head trailed down to trace his jawline. You admired his freckles, the small nicks in his skin from battle. You moved your thumb over his lower lip and then down his chin and neck. 

You leaned in and whispered against his neck “ Il n'y a pas de douceur comme ton péché ”

“тогда приходи и купайся в нем, дорогая ” He mumbled back, finger tracing down your spine. 

You straddled him and slipped his shirt up over his stomach. Following every scar in an intricate pattern upwards. He gripped your hips to steady you. You traced up his abdomen to the dip in his clavicle. You were leaning over him, chest nearly touching his. 

You traced the scar across his chest, the one he got when he first met you. He traced the scar across your upper thigh, from when you had made your escape.

You opened your lips, inevitably with a million questions. Childe cut you off before the first word. “I know there's a lot to talk about but can we forget the world outside exists? Even it its just while I’m in your arms”

You nodded “Okay” You closed the gap and sweetly kissed him. He held you close to him as you tasted him. He was tangy, with a hint of iron. You hadn’t intended on it being anything more than a kiss but you found your will to break away from him quickly fading.

In the end he was the one to break away, he looked at you with an expression you couldn't quite place. He used his thumb to pry up one side of your top lip, you opened your mouth ever so slightly and he traced your canine before pressing down on your tongue. You sucked and he made an unintelligible sound. He pulled it out and dragged it down your chin, leaving a trail of spit in its wake. He angled your jaw up to access your neck, kissing it in a way that made your core pulse. 

He rucked your slip up so it bunched around your waist, you finished the job for him, pulling it off and throwing it somewhere on the floor. You removed his shirt in turn leaving the both of you in nothing but underwear. He traced the edge of your breast, you sucked in a breath. 

He cupped them, swiping across your nipple, you let out a small whine. He grinned and repeated the action, causing you to grind down. You let out another whimper when you felt his hard length beneath you. He stopped for a second as pleasure shot through his body. 

You ground down again, arching your back. He took your nipple in his mouth and gently sucked. You moaned as one hand supported your back and one pushed you down. He bucked his hips up. Your hands rested on his shoulders as your pussy fluttered, desperately trying to find leverage. 

He stopped to get some air as one hand continued to explore your body, moving lower and lower. The other still circling your nipple. His thumb played with the edge of your panties, you lifted your hips up so he could slide them off. 

You moved down and peeled his boxers, blushing at the sight of his cock. You wrapped your hand around it and gave it a few slow pumps. You looked up through your lashes to see him looking at you with an endearing intensity, his chest rising and falling with anticipation. 

You gave it a few licks and he sucks in a sharp breath through his teeth. You move back up slowly, intent on teasing him. He lies back as you position yourself, teasing your pussy with the tip of his cock, wetness making it easy.

“Любовник, be gentle” He asks, still sore, he didn't know how much his body could take. He wished he was the one talking the lead.

“I’ll be as gentle as the breeze” you replied, sinking onto his cock. You let out a sound somewhere between a huff and a moan, it sounded like the holiest melody Childe had ever heard.

You bit your lip and rested your hands on his chest, trying to get used to the feeling of being so full, his cock hitting all the right spots inside of you. After a second you lift yourself up, relishing in the feeling. 

You make tentative eye contact with Childe. You could melt in the sanctity of his gaze - a blush spread across his cheeks, his mouth slightly parted, small moans tumbling out. He skirts his palms up your thighs until he reaches the apex, right below your hip bones. You sink back down, riding him like you were made for it. 

You placed your hands on top of his and then tugged trying to pull him up. He obliged, wrapping his arms around you and drawing you in for a kiss. He finds your clit and you gasp into his mouth at the feeling. Your cunt squeezed around him.

“I-I’m close” you whined, burying your head in the crook of his neck. He lay back down, knowing if he kept fucking you like that he would overexert himself, he would go too hard and as much as he wanted to see that he knew his body couldn’t handle it. 

He kept rubbing your clit as you reached the edge. you sunk fully onto him, knowing you couldn’t fuck him through your orgasm. You moaned a little louder than usual letting the feeling envelop you. It was electric, making your mind go blank for a moment. 

Your legs were getting sore but you were determined to take his orgasm from him. You picked up the pace ever so slightly. Childe lay beautifully underneath you, hands fisting the sheets, brows knitted in pleasure. 

He moans deeply, flinging an arm across his face “C-Cumming” 

Quickly you lifted yourself off him and gave him a few more pumps. He finished, white-hot ropes of cum splattering across your stomach. You kissed Childe again, lost in his being. 

 ✧

After the two of you cleaned up, you went to the kitchen to make breakfast. Childe took the stove while you chopped some bacon

“That was surprisingly gentle compared to last time” You joked 

“Don’t expect me to be so nice next time” he quipped back

“Next time?” Your raised a brow

Childe just smirked. “This morning was a nice surprise, but what were you doing in my bed?”

“You don't remember? you had a nightmare, woke up screaming. You asked me to stay when I came in. Something about a ‘Celestial Narwhal’ again” You frowned, moving over to place the bacon in the pan, it spat back at you

He frowned “No, I don't. I don't even remember a nightmare” He cracked an egg into a bowl and used a fork to break the yolk

“I still have questions about last night, you nearly electrocuted me you were so mad” He poured the egg mix into the pan with the bacon

Childe sighed deeply “Signoria got the gnosis, Zhongli is Rex Lapis and I was used by the both of them”

“So Rex Lapis lives in mortal form now? Why?” You asked, pulling two plates out from the cupboard and placed a piece of bread on each

“Retirement, He didn’t technically abandon Liyue, rather he’s leaving it in the hands of humanity” he snorted, dividing up the scrambled eggs 

You leaned on the counter, trying to think. Wasn’t it his sworn duty to protect Liyue, man couldn’t defend against Celestia, at least not from what you’ve seen. Why not pass the torch to another god?

“And Signoria? Another Harbinger?” You picked up one of the plates and folded the bread in half, taking a bite.

“Yeah, the eighth, ‘Fair Lady’ is a dubious title at best. She’s the one who got Barbatos’ gnosis as well” he grumbled, if looks could kill this woman would be nothing but ashes.

You swallowed "So she's making you do her dirty work?” 

“No, The Tsaritsa sent me for both assignments. She has her reasons, I’m sure the others have hundreds of years on me, of course she wouldn't expect me to pull this off on my own. I'm a warrior not a diplomat.”

“Then why make you a Harbinger?” You took another bite

“I don't have an answer for that, maybe because I’ll best serve as her weapon but the title of Harbinger requires me to act like a diplomat, I don't know. But next time, next time I'll deliver the gnosis straight to her feet myself.

You pick up his mask, “Then go out and prove yourself, Tartaglia. You may not be the most cunning, but when it comes down to the battlefield - you would leaving most of them dead”

He attached it to the side of his head “I will get stronger, just you wait”

 ✧

Baizhu had sent you outside the city to restock herbs, unfortunately for you most of the ones you needed seemed to be around ruins littered with Ruin Guards. You kept your catalyst drawn as you slowly made your way around the perimeter. 

You had thought that you had made it away until you heard the mechanical rumbling of a ruin guard activating. Your entire body tensed as you whipped around. It was your turn to dance.

You drew water droplets from the air, forming a ring of daggers around your head and fired them at the Guard. Circling around the mechanical abomination , making sure to keep your distance to avoid its wide ranged strikes.

You repeated the same attack, just focusing on trying to survive. It stilled, bracing backwards, turrets perched on its body began to glow, aimed directly for you. Thinking fast you ran, forwards, sliding under the guard as the projectiles hit the ground with a sickening bang. You clenched your eyes shut at the sound. You stumbled up to face the back of the guard. 

Drawing your power you created two streams of water twining around the Ruin Guard, briefly immobilising it. You pull in the pressure of the two streams of water and then release it. Causing it to stumble back a step.

It swung at you, knocking you to the side, you tumbled and skidded in the dirt, by some small miracle you landed upright. Clambering back to your feet you tried to regain your sense of surroundings. Your shoulder throbbed in pain.

You had to disable it somehow. How had Tartaglia done it? An arrow to the eye right?

Having nothing to lose you made another dagger and aimed for its eye, it flew past splashing on the stone behind it. You tried again, moving backwards as it advanced menacingly towards you. This time the hydro dagger hit its mark, it came tumbling down. 

It was only a matter of time until it reactivated. Concentrating, you wove a hydro sword from droplets. Approaching it you gathered all your strength and struck it.  Once. Twice. Thrice - the last strike plunging directly into its eye. It let out its last cry and it lay felled before you. Its body disintegrating into nothing more than black smoke flecked with red ashes.

You collapsed to the ground on one knee, hydro sword holding you up. You panted, trying to draw enough air to satisfy your burning lungs. The sword broke into droplets wetting the stone underneath you, causing you to fall further down. You felt no satisfaction from the fight, rather relief you made it out alive.

In the distance you could swear you heard the faint voice of a child. “Hey! Hey you! Come look at this!”

Slowly you drew yourself back up, you stuffed the herbs you had collected in the bag Baizhu had given you. Reforming another hydro dagger just in case you stalked over to one of the inactive Ruin Guards. Behind one of them you found a small child, no older than six clambering over its arms. 

“Have you ever seen something so brilliant?!” he exclaimed with great enthusiasm.

Shielding your eyes from the sunlight you could see the boy was wearing foreign clothes, perhaps Snezhnayan. He had flaming red hair and large blue eyes sparking in the sun. He bore a striking resemblance to Childe.

“You should get down from there, you could hurt yourself boy. Ruin Guards are dangerous things” you exclaimed back 

“Nuh-Uh, Mister Cyclops would never hurt me! And what kind of a stupid name is ‘Ruin Guard' anyway?” He sat on its shoulder rather precariously. 

“Mister Cyclops?” You asked, that was a creature from old legend.

“That's what my brother called them!” He grinned widely, showing a gap-toothed smile “He’s the best toy seller in the world! He's working at the Institute for Toy Research in Liyue. That's where all Mister Cyclops’ come from”

“What's your name?” You ask, trying to get this kid back home to safety

“I’m Teucer! I came all the way from Snezhnaya on a boat to find my brother in Liyue. I can’t find him though…” He frowned

“You came all the way from Snezhnaya alone” You laughed a little in pure shock. This was Teucer, Childes' younger brother. One of the two who didn’t know what he actually was. ‘Toy seller’ must be the excuse he's using to disguise his true role as a Fatui Harbinger until they're ready to learn the truth.

“Uh-huh!” He slid down the Ruin Guards arm “This is the part where I give you this” He presents you with a huge bag of mora

“My brother said to find a nice person and give it to them so they’ll take good care of Teucer”

“He must make a lot of money selling toys then”

“You best believe it! He sends it home to help us as well! Alright now we've gotta make a pinkie promise”

“Why do we need to make a pinkie promise?” You ask

“You need to promise to keep me safe!” He extends his small pinkie and you wrap yours around his after a moment of hesitation

“You make a pinkie promise, you keep it all your life. You break a pinkie promise, I throw you on the ice. The cold will kill the pinkie that once betrayed your friend, the frost will freeze your tongue so you never lie again” He recited, his tone too jaunty for the rhyme he just spoke.

“I think I know where to start looking for your brother” You said, crouching down to face him eye to eye. He didn’t have a vision but so long as he held on tightly enough you would be ok. 

 ✧

You waited at the top of the red lacquered stairs in front of Northland Bank waiting for Teucer to scramble up the remaining steps.  As soon as he reaches the top step he sprints towards the open door, you follow languidly behind him. Childe is by the desk talking to what seems to be the receptionist in Snezhnayan. You recognised her as one of Childe’s informants.

He seemed to be doing a little better, or at least he's good at hiding how terrible he feels. If you look close enough you could still see small bags under his eyes.

“Ajax!” Teucer exclaimed, he snapped his head around you see Teucer barrelling towards him, he slams into Child's leg and hugs it

Ajax? 

He switches to Common Tongue “I would know that voice anywhere! Teucer!” He laughs ruffling his hair, his tone significantly lighter than before. “I thought  I would have to wait to go home to see you again. How are the others, Tonia? Anthon?”

Teacher unclasps himself from Child's leg “They all miss you alot! Мама and Tonia pray for you at dinner every night. Папа is still a little sick but he's getting better every day with the medicine you sent!”

Childe frowns “Wait a second Teucer, what are you doing in Liyue? How come I haven't heard anything about this”

Teucer looks at the ground guilty “I snuck onto a ship back home, they said they were shipping toys to Liyue.., a-and I really wanted to see you! When I got off I just kept walking and walking until I found a Mister Cyclops”

Childe sighs and holds his head in his hand, crouching down and places his hands on Teucer’s shoulders “What you did was extremely dangerous, I’m happy to see you, really I am. But just promise you won't ever do that again. Poor Мама must be worried sick”

He clasped his hands behind his back swaying from side to side “Are you mad at me?”

“I’m not mad at you, I care about your safety, that's all. Just promise to never do that again, OK? If this nice lady hadn’t found you things could have been a lot more dangerous for you. Did you say thank you to her?”

“I promise” The both of them look at you “And thank you Miss. Nice Lady!”

You shook your head “It’s really no bother, I just wanted to make sure he got back to his brother safely” You said, putting on your best performance you could, you were no actress but you had a feeling you were somehow pulling it off.

“I can't thank you enough Miss…?”

“Yulia” you supplied

“Could I trouble you to take care of him for a few more hours? I have some business I need to attend to” He asks

“As long as you’re alright with me taking him to Bubu Pharmacy, I guess I could show him some of Liyue”

“Thank you so much” The receptionist hands him a small pouch of mora, he walks up and hands it to you “Consider this as Teucer’s entertainment fund” He whispers the next bit “Thank you for not revealing anything, he's still too young”

He steps back and turns to the receptionist “Ekaterina, I’ll death with that outstanding debt collection right away”

“But Master Childe wouldn’t it be a little improper to ask you to deal with a debt collection?” Ekaterina asked tentatively 

He shrugged “I made a bet with and agent and I lost, might as well get a littler exercise out of it” 

He walks out, pausing just before he exits “If you need me I’ll be by Qingxu Pool”

You and Teucer took to the streets of Liyue, he flitted around fascinated by the city. 

“Did you know that Anthon thinks the people in Liyue are made of stone. Ajax sent us a letter telling us they were boring old humans” He said, skipping ahead of you. 

You made your way to Bubu Pharmacy to drop off the herbs. You left the package with the new Herbalist Gui

“Let Baizhu know I’ll be in tomorrow for my shift!” You said waving goodbye.

Teucer tugged your hem “I’m hungry!” he whined

“How about we head to Wamin Restaurant? The chef and his daughter are the best cooks in Liyue” 

Teucer nodded enthusiastically and bolted down the stairs, you chased after him “Hey! Wait! You don't know where you're going!”

The boy didn’t seem to care, weaving through the crowds of Liyue without a care in Teyvat. You filled behind, trying to keep track of him. You caught back up to him and steered him across a bridge to another part of the city. 

Teucer scrunched his nose as soon as he stopped “It smells… choking in here”

Chef Mao evidently overheard that was you winced 

He took in stride as he gave a booming laugh “Choking smell? You must be referring to our signature jueyun chillies!”

“Chillies? But… I can’t easy spicy food”

“What do you like to eat, Teucer?” you asked calmly

“Hmmm, something with lots of sugar and extra virgin olive oil!”

You looked at Chef Mao and apologised “I’m sorry, well go find somewhere else that caters to Teucer's tastes”

Chef Mao waved his hand nonchalantly “We can do special requests no problem”

“Are you sure?” you asked slightly taken aback

“Easy work! Go find yourselves a seat”

“Thankyou” You and Teucer chirped

You and Teucer found a free table near the back corner of the restaurant, he scrambled up on the seat and swung his legs, he looked around, clearly fascinated by Liyuean culture. 

“Are you the Yulia that Ajax told us all about in his letters?” 

“S-sorry” you asked, trying not to choke on the sip of water you just had

“You have the same name and you look like the way Ajax described in his letters! Why didn't he know you at the bank?”

You were silent for a second, trying to come up with a good enough lie “Sometimes people in the toy industry have to pretend to not know each other, so when they announce a new toy everyone’s surprise”

A terrible lie but it would have to do but Teucer seemed to buy it judging by the way his eyes lit up. 

You wouldn't believe Childe mentioned you in his letters home, and what was with ‘Ajax’, was that his true name?

“Really! You’re a toy maker too!”

Thankfully one of the waitresses came around with the food, Teucer gave it a suspicious look before taking a small bite with the fork given to him.

“Mmmm! Just how Tonia makes it” He ate the whole meal and licked the plate clean. 

After paying Chef Mao with the money Childe gave you, you promptly left the restaurant.

Teucer already had a look on his face that suggested he knew what he wanted to do next. Out of the corner of your eye you spotted an older lady selling kites on the wharf. 

“You wanna go check the kites out Teucer?” You asked

He gave a vigorous nod and bolted off. You were again left to catch up to him. By the time you approached the stall the old woman was giving a Teucer a through explanation of what kites even were

“Snezhnaya is too cold and windy for kites! They would just get stuck in the snow” He said inspecting every single kite “I don't see one of a Mr Cyclops..”

The woman looked confused and you leaned in to whisper “He means a Ruin Guard” She gave you a warm smile in thanks. “I do do custom builds but it’ll be extra and I’ll need a few days to complete it”

You nodded, Childe could always pick it up and send it Snezhnaya, he was paying for it anyway. After haggling for a few minutes you agreed on a price and Teucer looked satisfied knowing that he’ll get a kite soon.

You walked along the harbour marketplace  “Do the people here ever freeze?”

“I don't think it snows in Liyue at all”

“Never?” He asked, confused

“Never” you chucked back, for all his rambunctiousness he was a cute kid. Teucer was distracted again by a fish merchant peddling his wares. 

“Wow! The fish here are so small!”

The merchant looked like he just got slapped “Whose fish are you calling small! I’m trying to run a business”

Seemingly oblivious to the merchants offence he prattled on “The fish in Snezhnaya are double, no, triple the size of this”

You stood back, as much as you wanted to intervene you did find the merchant's annoyance amusing, especially towards a clueless child.

“Are you gonna buy a fish or not?” he seethed, glaring Teucer down

“In Morepesok there are legends of giant fish and it's supposed to be super yummy. I told my big brother about it and he went hunting. A few days later he returned with a giant fish slung over his shoulder. Anthon and me were so happy!” He yapped on

Morepesok, so that's where he's from

The merchant looked just about ready to punt Teucer, sliding in you bent down to Teucer's eye level “How about we go find your brother”

Teucer looked about ready to explode with excitement when you said that. Taking that as a yes, you whisked him away to Qingxu Pool.

 ✧

Approaching Qingxu pool you would see Childe conversing with a blond Fatui agent. A group of pissed off treasure hoarders lingered nearby. 

Childe glazed over looking floored to see you and Teucer approaching, the Fatui agent raised a brow and ignored the two of you. 

“As I was saying, after Signoria’s departure you are the only Harbinger in Liyue. You need to initiate the new recruits. They’re just south of Lingju Pool” He reported in a thick Snezhnayan accent

Childe turned to look down at Teucer “I’m really sorry but I have to work”

Teucer looked about ready to burst into tears “But.. But I just got here”

You placed a hand on his shoulder “Hey, it’s OK, we can go back to Liyue Harbour and look at more toys? Why doesn’t Yulia take you to Wangshu Inn?”

Teucer hung his head, looking utterly dejected “Fine” 

As you started to walk back Teucer broke free of your grip, bolting after his brother. Rushing after him you barely caught up. You had no idea how he was able to run for so long as he weaved through the underbrush and through the ruins. 

Finally catching up to the small child, you caught him peeking over a rock at his brother giving a speech 

“You can't do that!” you forced out trying to catch your breath, ducking beneath the rock with him

“Shhh! I’m trying to hear Ajax speak!” he whispered to you, placing a finger to his lips to emphasise the point

“From this day onwards you will honour the oaths you have made to Her Majesty the Tsaritsa, and you will stop at nothing to bring victory to Snezhnaya. You shall sweep through the lands like the icy winds of the furthest north, as strong as the hoar frost of Zapolyarny Palace” He spoke to the newest recruits, inducting them into The Fatui, a smile of passion gracing his face

“Her Majesty expects of you loyalty, ruthlessness and precision. For the trials we face are harsh and our enemies are like..”  Teucer popped his head over the rock and waved. Taraglia looked like lighting had struck him 

“... Like kites and rattle drums. Who shall become reputable foes of Mr Cyclops in the marketplaces of Liyue.” He let out an unsure laugh as the recruits looked around in confusion. 

Teucer nodded as if this was normal “Uh-huh kites are fun too”

“This is of course an analogy, as they say - the marketplace too, is a battlefield” He glanced back over to Teucer and you, you bit your lip trying not to let out a laugh with how absurd the situation was.

“So as your… Sales manager I demand you obey every order. A refusal shall be considered a betrayal and the price of betrayal is to be dishonourably discharged from the…Liyue Institute of Toy Research” He finished the speech with an awkward look on his face

The recruits still looked at each other and Tartaglia in confusion. Muttering among themselves. 

“Forget it. Perhaps some hands-on training will suit us better. After all a strong body is proof of one’s capacity” He says jumping down

Some of the recruits chattered in excitement at the possibility of a Harbinger himself wanting to spar with them personally.

Thinking fast you covered Teucer’s eyes and whispered “Were going to play a game where you have to guess what's going on OK?”

Teucer, seeming delighted at the prospect of a game, eagerly nodded “Alright!”

Tartaglia, still weak from the abyss, took on each new recruit with ease, a master of battle with mere beginners. 

Teucer hummed “He’s showing them how to make a Mr Cyclops isn't he?”

Before you could answer he pried your fingers apart to see what was actually happening.

He stared amazed, focused on Tartaglia’s movements as not a single blow landed on him. After all the recruits had had their turn Tartaglia dismissed them, they signalled off and left for the nearest camp to officially begin their training. 

As soon as he dismissed the recruits he made a bee-line right towards Tartaglia “Ajax! You were amazing”

“Teucer, Yulia, what are you doing here? I thought Yulia had taken you to play at Wangshu Inn” He laughed but he looked at you for an answer. 

“I wanted to see you so I ran away from Yulia” He said proudly

“He’s rather slippery you know, reminds me of someone I already know” You commented 

Childe chucked and Teucer bounced up and down on his toes “I wanna learn to fight like you! I wanna look cool like you”

“Fighting isn't about looking cool, you know. If you want to get better you need to have a reason as to why you're fighting. I’ll teach you but you've got to know why you're doing it”

Teucer gave it a second to think “I want to learn to protect Tonia and Мама and Anthon!”

“That's a good answer, but now you need to go home, Tonia must be worried about you” He said, trying to coax Teucer home in any way possible

Teucer frowned “Only if you do one small thing for me” Cleary resistant to the idea of leaving his brother again 

“And what would that be?” He cocked his head

“I wanna see The Liyue Institute of Toy Research” Childe’s jaw twitched 

“Let’s see, yes, The Institute is just south-east of here isn't it?”

✧

The three of you stood outside the abandoned factory, leaned in and murmured to Childe “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

He murmured back “Dottore abandoned this place a few months ago when he lost interest, it’ll be fine” He said dismissively

You grabbed his arm forcing him to look at you “Do you even know what it’s like inside?”

“Well.. no, but you have me and it's my duty as a brother to protect Teucer.” He spoke to his brother “You ready?”

He pushed his way inside of the factory, Ruin Guards littered the floor. “Ajax, Yulia said that Mr Cyclopes are dangerous”

“Did she now?” He gave you a look and you raised your eyebrow. Your catalyst floated alongside you just in case. “What a silly thing to say. Maybe don’t go repeating that though, your far too young to think about such things” He added tentatively 

“Yeah! Mr Cyclops is my friend and he’ll defeat the bad guys and protect the world” Teucer relied, skipping along the path in delight

“Right. With Mr Cyclops around the bad guys won’t ever hurt you” You said, stepping over a loose arm. Without even replying Teucer ran off to play. The grated door shut behind him. 

“Teucer! Hey! Wait up!” You yelled, voice echoing against the walls

“C’mon there's another way up there” The two of you ran, Childe drew out his bow and activated the hydro monument flooding the empty pool in front of you. You ran and he skated over the short distance. 

A few pyro slimes littered the way to the console, within a few seconds you hand Childe had vaporised them. He pressed the console and opened up the door to meet up with Teucer

“Oh, the door opened! Was that you?” He said, not even bother to look at Childe

“Yeah, Teucer give me a moment I need to make sure everything's -” Before he could finish his sentence Teucer had gone off into the next room. 

He pulled a hand across his face “Maybe I shouldn't have spoiled him so much” he grumbled.

“Let's go, we've got no time to lose”  You made your way carefully to the next room. Steam making it harder to see. 

“These Ruin Guards have all been strung up, I wonder where they're being taken to?” You mumbled, looking at the countless mechanical weapons above you

“I don’t know - but if it's any chance where Teucer is we need to get there before things get ugly” He replied, voice getting tenser. You made it past the elemental slimes and through the metal labyrinth. You saw Teucer’s form through the iron bars. 

Childe called out “Teucer! You see that stone cube over there? I'm going to count to three and were going to press it together. One, Two, Three” The gate ground open and Childe hugged Teucer.

“Are you hurt?” he mumbled into his hair. 

“Hurt? No way this has been so fun!” He grinned

“Fun for you maybe, we've been scared to death” you said, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Wait… what's over there.” He takes a step forward “A giant room full of Mr Cyclopes! Is this where he takes his friends when they come to visit?”

Childe sighed, just about done with Teucer’s antics “It is. Impressive isn't it? Now, how about a game of hide and seek?”

“Uhh.. Now? But” Childe cut him off 

“I have a surprise for you” Teucer brightened up “You can look for it later but now you need to close your eyes, turn around and count to sixty” 

“But sixty is a really long time” he whined, obliging anyway. 

You stood next to Childe, preparing yourself for the onslaught. The guards came down, and you drew your weapons. A ring of hydro daggers floated behind you while Childe drew his dual blades. 

“There’s not much time, let's clear this place out” he said to you, you nodded in return

You didn't bother with the theatrics Childe put on as you aimed for the eye plunging through it with your hydro sword. Teucer’s countdown creating unhelpful background noise. 

“Forty-eight, forty-seven forty-six, forty-five...”

You found yourself surrounded by a circle of Ruin Guards advancing towards you, Childe bursts through and takes a few of them down, one approaches him behind his back, you disable it, jumping off one of the disintegrating bodies to end it for good. 

“Twenty-six, twenty-five, twenty-four...”

“Hey! You skipped a few numbers!” Childe exclaimed as he dodged an arm coming down towards him. The ground shook as it made impact. You tried to swallow your growing fear and keep quiet for Teucer’s sake. 

A Ruin Guard nearly hit you, you retaliate, swinging your sword at it blindly. An arrow thrown by Childe hits it and you finish it off. 

“Five, four, three, two…” You use the last second to throw your sword at the mechanical sentinel and rush over to Teucer to block his view. Childe stood alone surrounded by endless enemies.

“One! Are you ready” He asked, ready to play

“Just ten more seconds. Still hiding” he bit out as calmly as he could

“Hmph! Who’s the cheater now? Fine, ten seconds that's all you get” He replied indignantly 

He laughed and turned as a guard was just about to punch him.

"Ten, nine, eight..."

A flash hydro turned to electro as he dashed towards the centre of the room, creating a shockwave that blasted the guards back. His Foul Legacy emerged, jumping up followed by a cape of stars he plunged down destroying everything in his wake.

“Four, Three..”

He landed and looked directly at you, a glint of light emerging from his eye. He dashed off into an unknown corner.

“Two, One! Coming ready or not!” Teucer turned around to see the corpses of the guards laying around in the steam, a few still sparking. He stood in awe before giggling and running to clamber over the guards

“This.. This is everything I ever dreamed of!” He yelled in pure excitement

“This is the surprise your brother prepared for you, what do you think?” You prompted, scrunching your nose at the faint traces of the abyss. 

“I love it! I’m gonna go find my brother!” He sprints off looking behind the guards.

You approached the dark corner Childe was hiding in. You found him slumped against the wall, he peered up at you

“Thank the Tsaritsa you found me first” he coughed. “I don’t know what I would do if Teucer found me like this. It would just about shatter the dreams I’ve worked so hard to build for him”

“You need to get home now” you knelt down in front of him taking his pulse, his skin was cold and clammy and his heartbeat was slow. Using his Foul Legacy form so soon after the last time must have wiped him out.

“No, I can get myself back. J-just get Teucer to the bank. I’ll get one of my agents to take him from there” He coughs again, hacking up that signature black-flecked phlegm. He presses a small figurine into your hands “Give this to Teucer won't you?” 

Reluctantly you stood “Get back safe alright?” 

“I always do” He took a deep breath and stood up shakily. 

“Pinkie promise me” you asked, he gave a small, soft smile and hooked his pinkie with yours. You started the first part of the rhyme “ You make a pinkie promise, you keep it all your life.”

“You break a pinkie promise, I throw you on the ice. The cold will kill the pinkie that once betrayed your friend, the frost will freeze your tongue so you never lie again. Teucer taught you that?” 

“Yeah…” You glanced to the room seeing Teucer was nowhere near the two of you. He just gave a small laugh and limped back towards Liyue Harbour

You found Teucer still looking around the Ruin Guards mumbling to himself “I can’t find him anywhere.. Where did he go…”

“He already left” you said, walking up to him

“What? Without me?” he said, upset

“A huge number of people wanted to buy Mr Cyclopes. Here he gave me something to give to you” You handed him the small action figure of a Ruin Guard

“Wow! I didn’t know they came in this size. Ajax really is the best big brother ever!” He turned the figurine around in his small hands

You gave him a soft smile “C’mon, don’t you reckon it's time to head back to Snezhnaya?”

 ✧

As soon as you approached the bank a stern Fatuus spoke “Ma’am, young master Teucer, I've been waiting for you. The Lord Harbinger extends his gratitude to you miss. A boat has been arranged to take you back to Snezhnaya young master”

“But what about my brother?” He questioned, sadness lacing his voice

“The Lord Harbinger has instructed me to tell you that you will see him soon in Snezhnaya” He replied coldly, leaving no room for questions. Teucer looks up at you and you crouch down to give him a hug

“Stay safe OK? Let your brother know when you get home” 

“I will! I can’t wait to tell everyone that I finally met you” He let go and stepped back, being led away by the Fatui Agent. You see Childe signal to you out of a shadowy corner. You went over to see him holding himself up with one arm on the wall.

“Why didn’t you say goodbye to him?” You place him arm over your shoulder

“Partings are special moments, I don't want his last memory of me to be of me like this. All haggard and weak. Still… I wish I could have seen him off” He gave a sad smile as he looked down at the red-lacquered wood of the bridge.

You began to escort him back to his apartment. He shook you off and walked a short distance ahead of you. Eventually he unlocked the door and collapsed onto the couch in exhaustion. Groaning as he finally let his body rest.

“You told your family about me” You comment, voice flat

“That I did” he mumbled, You felt the rage quell in you, rage that he put you and Teucer in danger like that, that he pushed himself so hard. You took a deep breath in, trying to calm down.

You spoke softly, sitting down on the couch. His head in your lap, you tangled your fingers in his hair gently. A lock of his hair was lighter than the rest, something new.

“Why?” You looked down at him, he looked tired and yet content

“I-I don’t know.” He admitted. He coughed violently. 

“You. Childe, Tartaglia Ajax. Harbinger, Abyssiling, Boy. Are a man of inherent contradictions. You care so deeply about your family's safety and mine to the extent that you had me make contracts with you and yet, you put us in dangers way. You took Teucer and I to an abandoned factory of Dottore’s for what? Your brother's entertainment?”

You took a breath and continued “You told your family about me, what if those letters got intercepted?” You spoke evenly

You looked into his eyes, the purported windows of the soul only to find they were shut. letting nobody in. You realised that he not only contradicts everything you initially stood for, but everything he lived for. He didn’t want to release Osial but he did anyway. He hates the Fatui’s deception but deceives his own siblings. He acts so genuine and yet he wears a mask.

“You could have gotten yourself killed like that” You try not to scold him

“I nearly did, transforming that fast fucking hurts. But it's something I need to do to keep my family safe. The abyss taught me that wrath will always be the cost of protection” He fully relaxed into your lap

“What happened to Ajax, What happened in the Abyss?” You prodded further, no indication of anger in your voice

“Truths you wouldn't want to know, what Celestia did to Khaenri'ah, the roots for my loyalty to the Tsaritsa. Ajax died in the Abyss by my own hand” 

“Then who are you if not a loyal dog to the Tsaritsa, Ajax?” There was a faint glint of light in his eyes as you spoke his true name. 

“I am nothing but her vanguard, without her I am a soul lost in the snow. The boy who clambered out of the abyss and attempted to grasp the gods”

“Ajax isn’t dead is he? Buried somewhere in the snow he still lives and breathes” Your fingers twitch in his hair

“Don't try and crack this mask” He said, not even having the energy to try and be intimidating

“Watch me break it in two” You replied 

Translations! Tres autuem Facies Praenuntius -> Three Faces of the Laughing Harbinger Il n'y a pas de douceur comme ton péché/тогда приходи и купайся в нем, дорогая -> There is no such sweetness as your sin/Then come and bathe in it darling Любовник -> lover

[rvindropped]

E-GIRL PACK GIVEAWAY !!

Italian below for all my Italian friends <3

This new season of MCL surprised me in different ways, so i’m going to divide a bit my opinions in different categories.

History and Gameplay

We all probably grew up playing MCL and the shift of target perceivable. I finally feel very engaged with the dialogues and they made such a good job into making it interesting keeping the game very chill and enjoyable. I can’t wait to have more.

One thing i also love about the game is that we have the possibility from the beginning to meet our crushes also outside the offices. I feel it to be more real and it gives me the impression to be closer to the crushes.

+ the little private messages are so cute, i love the fact that we can interact with them when the ep is over aaaa

AP, VIP and Jokers

Ok SO. I’m so happy the VIP option is out. I love how it is structured and i love the fact that there are some fits/rooms included. It gives me the possibility to buy some more clothes for the contest without loosing the chance ti follow the story as soon as a new ep. comes out.

I also like the fact that even without VIP, I personally found the AP system very accessible. I’ve only bought a VIP out of the three possible and the previous times, by using my jokers correctly, I’ve always managed to finish the episode having some AP still left.

Mini games

The room, the goose, i love this SO much. When i was little, for the previous games, i didn’t have the possibility to buy cool clothes with real money. THIS finally gives me the opportunity to have more and my inner child is so happy about it.

First of all, the missions can give you some complete fits/rooms, so our closet gets bigger and bigger.

And then we have the contests!! I love them so much because i like to spend time dressing up my candy, but i also really like the interaction between the players. Since i’m not an usual visitor of the forum, it makes me feel closer to them.

that’s it<3

ita 🇮🇹

Allora !! Questa nuova season di MCL mi ha sorpresa sotto diversi punti di vista, dunque scriverò le mie opinioni dividendole in categorie.

Storia e Gameplay

Penso che qui siamo un po’ tutti cresciuti giocando a MCL e si può decisamente percepire il cambiamento di target. Sono così felice di sentirmi di nuovo coinvolta con i dialoghi. Credo che sia stato fatto un ottimo lavoro nel rendere il gioco interessante, mantenendolo sempre molto chill. Non vedo l’ora di avere nuovi ep.

Un’altea cosa che adoro del gioco è l’avere la possibilità sin dall’inizio di incontrare le nostre crush anche al di fuori l’ufficio di lavoro. Non so, sento che sia più reale e mi dà l’impressione di essere più vicina alle crush.

+ i messaggi privati sono carinissimi, amo poter interagire con le crush quando l’episodio è finito hehe

AP, VIP e Jokers

ALLORA. Sono troppo felice del fatto che ci sia il VIP!! Mi piace il modo in cui è strutturato, mi piace l’inclusione di fits e camerette, mi piace tutto!! Mi dà l’opportunità di comprare dei nuovi vestiti per il contest senza perdere la possibilità di seguire la storia non appena un nuovo episodio è fuori.

Mi piace anche il fatto che il sistema AP sia accessibile anche senza acquistare il VIP. Personalmente ho comprato solo uno dei tre VIP e le volte precedenti, usando saggiamente i miei jokers, sono sempre riuscita a finire l’episodio avendo ancora degli AP rimasti.

Minigames

La stanza, la nostra oca, li adoro!! Quando ero piccola, giocando i precedenti MCL, non avevo la possibilità di comprare vestiti cool per la mia dolcetta con i soldi dei miei. La mia inner child ora è felice, sapendo di poter avere nuovi fits gratuitamente.

Prima di tutto, le missioni ti danno un full outfit/camera, quindi il mio armadio si fa sempre più grande.

E poi i concorsi!! Li adoro alla follia, mi pome passare il tempo a vestire la mia dolcetta e adoro l’interazione che gli altri giocatori. Non essendo un’assidua frequentatrice del forum mi fa sentire più vicina agli altri!

Questo è quanto <3

Thank you @tetrakys for the opportunity !!

[silenzipienidirumore]

sai, alla fine sta capitando anche per me. non ti penso più ogni giorno, e quando accade qualcosa di bello o brutto che sia non mi viene più da pensare “vorrei tanto raccontarglielo”. l’ultima volta che abbiamo parlato al telefono, appena tre mesi dopo che sei andata via, mi dicesti che ti trovavi esattamente nello stesso punto in cui mi trovo io adesso e mi sento un po’ triste se penso che per me ci sono voluti solamente due anni. in questo tempo ho avuto modo di riflettere, crescere e cambiare idea tantissime volte su moltissime cose and i’m so grateful che tu abbia fatto quel che hai fatto perché io non avrei mai avuto la forza o il coraggio di lasciarti. per niente al mondo mai. non meritavo il modo in cui ti sei comportata nei miei confronti, né le cattiverie gratuite che hai deciso di avanzare, ma ti devo ringraziare anche per quelle perché mi han dato la forza necessaria per andar via. spero che farmi male in quel modo ti sia servito, in qualche modo.

sono felice che tu abbia trovato l’amore, anche se è successo solo pochi mesi dopo che hai lasciato me. mi ha spezzato il cuore sapere che amavi una persona che non ero io, e allo stesso tempo ero così felice per te perché probabilmente ne avevi più bisogno di me.

so benissimo che da qui a qualche mese oppure anno ripenserai ancora a me, a quanto ti amavo e a tutto ciò che abbiamo passato assieme e so che avrai nostalgia e allora verrai qui, su questo blog per leggere pochi post e vedere come sto. ti chiedo solo una cosa: non cercarmi, non farti viva in alcun modo. se mi hai voluto almeno un po’ bene ti chiedo soltanto questo. ho faticato tremendamente tanto per star bene senza di te e non voglio rischiare di ricadere in un baratro infinito.

ti ringrazio per essermi stata vicina in quegli anni, e di avermi fatto da madre, migliore amica e confidente tutto assieme. sei stata il mio posto sicuro e tenerti tra le braccia la notte è stato il mio piccolo angolo di paradiso.

spero tu stia bene, ti voglio bene per sempre

x ref

[diari0deglierrori]

Honorary Breton for the crêpe mention

[eurovision-del]

Sanremo comes to an end tonight. I’ll confess, I haven’t been watching each night, but I have taken the time to check out all the competing songs, and here’s my ranking:

Mahmood – Tuta gold

Ricchi e Poveri – Ma non tutta la vita

Alfa – Vai!

La Sad – Autodistruttivo

Clara – Diamanti grezzi

Dargen D’Amico – Onda alta

Il Tre – Fragili

Annalisa – Sinceramente

Loredana Bertè – Pazza

BigMama – La rabbia non ti basta

Irama – Tu no

Sangiovanni – Finiscimi

The Kolors – Un ragazzo, una ragazza

Emma – Apnea

Fiorella Mannoia – Mariposa

Geolier – I’ p’ me, tu p’ te

Angelina Mango – La noia

Fred De Palma – Il cielo non ci vuole

Renga & Nek – Pazzo di te

Ghali – Casa mia

Maninni – Spettacolare

Diodato – Ti muovi

Mr. Rain – Due altalene

Bnkr44 – Governo punk

Il Volo – Capolavoro

Alessandra Amoroso – Fino a qui

Santi Francesi – L’amore in bocca

Rose Villain – Click Boom!

Gazzelle – Tutto qui

Negramaro – Ricominciamo tutto

Firstly, Mahmood was far and away my clear standout with Tuta gold. There’s something so effortlessly catchy about Mahmood’s style, and his distinct voice and charisma as a performer really set him apart for me. I like how it uses the little phone tone sound in the chorus as a hook and also to tie into the lyrics of the song. In fact, the song as a whole is really well produced, and I honestly want to listen to it over and over.

That said, there are still plenty of other great entries here. I found Ricchi e Poveri’s performance very memorable with them wrapped in the giant bow at the start, and the track itself is fun and exciting, and really benefits from the Sanremo orchestra, with all those violins going at the start. Vai! was another song I distinctly remembered after just one listen, with that little whoo-hoo and accompanying whistle making for a very catchy hook. I really enjoy the energy of the song and how uplifting it sounds. Autodistruttivo is a solid rock song, the ‘oh-ooh-oh’s might be a little generic but the overall punchy sound of the song is great, and I like La Sad’s distinctive look. I also really like Diamanti grezzi, it’s another song I think is really well produced, I especially like how the beat sounds in the pre-chorus.

If Mahmood hadn’t already been to Eurovision twice in the last past five years, he’d definitely be my pick to go. In fact, I like Tuta gold enough that I probably would be excited to see him in this year’s Eurovision too, but I’d also be very happy to see Italy send someone else for a change. As usual they’ve got plenty of options – I tended to prefer the upbeat, energetic songs over the ballads this year, but Italy will likely do well with just about any of these songs just thinking about Eurovision. Unfortunately I’m not going to be able to stay up tonight to find out the winner, but I am excited to find out tomorrow who they’re going to send!

[weirdjanuary]

🇮🇹 Lettura di questi giorni :D La serie televisiva mi era piaciuta moltissimo così, per la regola “i libri sono sempre meglio” (in aggiunta al fatto che amo i romanzi con i fantasmi!), l’ho iniziato e ne sono felice! E’ indicata come lettura per ragazzi quindi temevo una prosa un pò infantile/troppo teen ma mi sono ricreduta, Jonathan Stroud scrive davvero bene! Ho letto le prime 200 pagine e, nonostante io conservi ancora ricordi del telefilm, sono curiosa di proseguire! Posso dire che la trasposizione televisiva è fatta bene ma ovviamente il romanzo è più approfondito. E poi c'è tutta una gamma di emozioni che possiamo provare solo leggendo! Aggiungerò alla lista anche il secondo (”Il teschio parlante”). La serie comprende 5 libri, spero che in Italia pubblichino presto gli ultimi tre! --- 🇬🇧 Reading these days :D I liked the television series very much so, for the rule “books are always better” (in addition to the fact that I love novels with ghosts!), I started it and I’m happy! It’s indicated as a reading for young adults so I was afraid of a childish/too teeny prose but I changed my mind, Jonathan Stroud writes really well! I’ve read the first 200 pages and, although I still have memories of the tv-show, I’m curious to continue! I can say that the television transposition is done well but obviously the novel is more in-depth. And then there's a whole range of emotions that we can experience just by reading! I’ll also add the second one (”The Whispering Skull”) to the list. The series includes 5 books, I hope that the last three will be published soon in Italy!

[tilbageidanmark]

Movies I watched this Week #124 (Year 3/Week 20):

Costa Brava, Lebanon, my 5th bittersweet Lebanese film, debut feature from a young female director. A family of five escaped the chaos of near-future, dysfunctional Beirut to a rural, isolated compound in the mountains. But after 8 years of building a loving nest for themselves, a landfill is being constructed next to their plot and their ideal world implodes. The city trash they tried to leave behind is following them here.

The wife is being played by Nadine Labaki, who directed the Oscar-nominated ‘Capernaum’, which I’m going to watch next. The two young girls are terrific too.

The trailer. 7/10.

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Another controversial first feature from a female director, Instinct by the Dutch Halina Reijn [who went after that to direct A24′s ‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’]. An intense psychological thriller about prison therapist Carice van Houten becoming obsessed with an inmate, a violent serial rapist on the verge of being paroled.

Exploring female rape fantasies is a recipe for sensationalism and manipulation, when played out for example by male-gazing misogynists like Paul Verhoeven. But in Reijn hands this dark and ominous tale is (for the most par) told with nuance and ambiguity. A powerful 7/10.

The trailer.

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Massimo Troisi X2:

🍿 Re-watch: Englishman Michael Radford’s Italian classic Il Postino. A nostalgic and enchanting story of a simple postman and his friendship with Chilean poet Pablo Noruda on a small Mediterranean island in the 1950′s. Similar vibes as ‘Cinema Paradiso’, which came a few years earlier, and which also starred Philippe Noiret. A Massimo Troisi’s passion project, and infamous for him dying the very next day after principal photography ended. 10/10.  

🍿 Massimo Troisi was actually an acclaimed director, screenwriter and actor before playing ‘The Postman’. But his directorial debut comedy I'm Starting from Three (Ricomincio da tre), with himself as a shy, bumbling caricature of a young man, was nothing but funny. 1/10.

Both movies feature my favorite character actor Renato Scarpa, the memorable inspector from ‘Don’t look now’ (“Signor Baaxter!”).

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Paul McCartney: The Space Within Us, an infectious 2006 concert film, documenting his smashing “US” tour (37 US shows, 565,000 tickets sold, $77 million taken in), when he was 64...

The director of this documentary was absolutely terrible; He filled up the two hours with extremely fast zooms in and out, nervous camera movements, super-quick editing and too many sappy reaction shots of adoring fans in the audience (lots of parents and grandparents with children of all ages, though!). Also, too many celebrities ‘Talking Heads’ emoting how great McCartney is, which was off-putting. Still, the incredible performances of the band, the sensational, live-wire concerts, the enthusiastic music made it a tearful inspiration.

My best film experience of the week! 9/10.

On McCartney’s website, there's a list of 25 documentaries about him, which I will watch one by one, Inshallah.

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In the fine M.C. Escher: Journey to Infinity documentary, he claimed that he was not an artist, but a mathematician. The film brings to life his  geometric-abstract visions. And while it touches on the relationship between him and Bach’s, it never mentions Gödel. Not crazy about the Stephen Fry narration. 8/10. (Photo Above).

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Documentary No. 3 of the week: Still, the new heartfelt Michael J. Fox bio-pix combines lots of re-enactments with footage from old movies, as well as some current heart-to-heart interviews about his Parkinson’s.

As a celebrity portrait, it wasn’t relevant to me at all, since I never saw any of his TV work, or even his movies. But the parts about his disability were powerful though.

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2 Russian classics that didn’t resonate with me:

🍿 First watch: Tarkovsky’s 3-hour-long experimental poem about memory, Solaris, his attempt to show that ‘Science-fiction films don’t have to be emotionally shallow’. It must have had a strong influence to the game ‘Myst’, being cultish, mysterious and atmospheric. But its slow-moving premise became so boring to me, that it took me 3 days to finish it. Comparing it to 2001 is unjustified. 2/10.

I planned on following it up with Steven Soderbergh’s later version, but then I hard-passed: Disliking science-fiction movies in general, and hating Hollywood remakes in particular is not a good incentive.  

🍿 The Cranes Are Flying, a Soviet World War 2 drama from 1957. As a political expression of the new era after Stalin’s death, it may have been be significant, but today it seems a simple propaganda piece, with some bold visuals. 2/10.

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Mika Kaurismäki is Aki’s older brother and the one who got him interested in movie making. My first film by him, Helsinki Napoli All Night Long was disappointing though: An European-Noir inspired by hardcore American crime stories, and even the cameos of Eddie Constantine, Sam Fuller, Jim Jarmusch and Wim Wender didn’t save it from being a poor parody. 1/10.

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You Can Live Forever, a shallow Canadian romance of two young girls, one of which is a Jehovah Witness, torn between her faith and her love. The other one looks like young Scarlett Johansson but can’t act like her. The flat queer coming-of-age against a fucked-up puritan background had no subtext. It felt auto-biographical, and it actually was. 2/10.

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Who done it?, My 4th (atrocious!) film by Basil Dearden. After 2 unsung masterpieces (’Victim’ and ‘All night long’), and another thought-provoking work (‘Sapphire), this was a terrible ‘Ouch’. A late Ealing Studios low-brow, un-funny ‘comedy’ and Benny Hill's film debut as a bumbling Inspector Clouseau-like fool. Very disappointing 1/10.

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“Put him in a straitjacket and give him an enema! Wait, give him an enema first, then put him in a straitjacket!”

Dracula, dead and loving it, the last film directed by Mel Brooks, an underrated (?) gothic parody. But he already did a much better Transylvanian castle spoof with ‘Young Frankenstein’, and this one just sucked. Leslie Nielsen sporting a Borat accent, and Brooks double-playing the Hungarian angle. The silliness of the occult, should be good for parodies, but not here. 1/10.

As a successful producer, Mel Brooks made ‘The elephant man’, ‘Frances’, ‘The fly’, others...

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2 British shorts by Sam Baron, both with the same Amit Shah:

🍿 Big ears, a little story about a gawky young man with large Obama-ears, who gets very bad news.

🍿 “Hi, I’m here for the orgy” - His earlier short was crisper (and funnier). The orgy, a 15-min. comedy about the same lonely, awkward man who goes to his first orgy. 6/10.

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I adored Jonathan Glazer’s three previous films (’Sexy Beast’, ‘Birth’, and ‘Under the skin’), so I’m eagerly waiting for what is supposedly a new disturbing masterpiece from him, ‘The zone of Interest’ (It was based on a novel by Martin Amis, who just died yesterday!).

Glazer used to have a YouTube channel with some of the many film-like commercials he had directed before branching into features. Here are a few of his standalone ads:

Stella Artois Ice Skating Priests, Last orders and Devil's Island (with Ron Perlman) *

Sony Bravia Paint *

Guinness’s Surfer and Swimblack and Dreamer *

Levi’s Kung Fu and Odyssey *

Wrangler’s Ride *

Barclay Bank’s Centaur (with Samuel L Jackson) *

Apple watch Flight *

More Here *

Unrelated: Christopher Walken Sky-dancing in Fatboy slim Weapon of choice, by Spike Jonze.

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Throw-back to the "Art project”:  

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(My complete movie list is here).

[diceriadelluntore]

Storia Di Musica #309 - Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin, 1969

Come iniziare un nuovo anno di storie musicali? Si inizia con la scelta di 4 dischi che portano lo stesso nome dei loro autori, 4 band molto differenti tra loro, alcune famosissime, altre molto di meno (la scoperta di grandi dischi da artisti sconosciuti vorrei fosse una sorta di cardine di tutte le scelte del 2024). La Storia di Musica della prima domenica di gennaio 2024 parte con un modo di dire inglese: Go over like a lead ballon, che significa “è fallito del tutto” perché un lead ballon è un palloncino di piombo che ovviamente non può volare. Leggenda vuole che fu questo detto ad ispirare Keith Moon e John Entwistle, che suggerirono a Jimmy Page il nome per quella che diventerà una delle più formidabili formazioni di sempre: i Led Zeppelin. La storia è piuttosto nota: Page entra nel 1966 negli Yardbirds (già di Eric Clapton) come seconda chitarra di Jeff Beck. La band era già allo sfascio, e Page aveva intenzione di formare una nuova band con Moon ed Entewinstle. I tre con Jeff Beck registrano la storica Beck’s Bolero, registrata nel Maggio del 1966 ma pubblicata come singolo solo mesi più tardi, nel Marzo del 1967, brano fenomenale ma dalla storia travagliatissima, tra cui una intricata questione di diritti d’autore. Page, titolare del nome Yardbirds, prende accordi come leader degli Yardbirds per un mini tour in Scandinavia, ma nessuno dei suoi compagni accetta. Ne trova di altri: convince un session man mago delle tastiere, John Paul Jones, nel progetto, e tramite l’ex cantante degli Yardbirds Chris Dreja (che nel frattempo si è dato alla fotografia) assolda un biondo cantante, Robert Plant, che si porta con sé un batterista un po’ pazzo, John Bonham. È il 1968. Nascono così i Led Zeppelin (scritto così per non confondere il lead “piombo” con il lead “guidare”).

Senza nemmeno un po’ di gavetta registrano in 36 ore, sotto la guida del grande ingegnere del suono e produttore Glys Johns per poco più di 1700 sterline il loro primo, omonimo album per la Atlantic Records (fa più impressione il dato temporale che quello economico, 1700 sterline del 1968 sono 35 mila di adesso). E bastano: Led Zeppelin esce il 12 gennaio 1969 e diviene uno dei 10 album di debutto più belli ed importanti della musica rock. Venderà decine di milioni di dischi e manda in orbita, forse quasi troppo velocemente, il dirigibile più famoso del rock. In copertina mettono l’incidente del dirigibile Zeppelin LZ 129 Hindenburg avvenuto il 6 maggio 1937 nel New Jersey (vicenda leggendaria, su cui aleggia un complotto internazionale e non l’ufficiale incidente aereo). I 4 partono dal furente suono del british blues, ma arrivano dove nessuno si era mai spinto: rifanno due classici del blues, I Can’t Quit You Baby (eccezionale, caldissima e stupenda) e You Shook Me di Willie Dixon, e prendono da Jack Holmes Dazed And Confused (che nei live diverrà infinita con medley di altri classici della Musica del Delta). Per capire il suono Zeppelin e la sua travolgente natura, basta capire come strutturano il suono di una canzone tutto sommato banale come Good Times Bad Times. Your Time Is Gonna Come è quasi corale, come la veloce How Many More Times. Black Mountain Side è uno strumentale acustico in cui Page rincorre la maestria del fingerpicking di Bert Jansch, allora in auge con i superbi Pentagle. Communication Breakdown diviene un altro classico, con il suo stile particolare: parte blues, poi sale con l’intensità della voce di Plant e diviene furiosa ed accesa, e per molti è la nascita dell’hard rock. Gemma dell’album è però Babe I’m Gonna Leave You: presa da Joan Baez, in realtà la canzone, accreditata come traditional, è dalla folksinger inglese Anne Bredon (che fu ricompensata con un cospicuo assegno dalla band una volta risolto il mistero). Plant canta babe come mai nessuno più farà, la canzone ha un intro acustico ma poi esplode nel nuovo suono elettrico e potente, diviene struggente, torbida, assolutamente memorabile.

Questo fu il primo episodio di un modo di “gestire” le ispirazioni da altre canzoni che fece scuola, e si potrebbe aprire un dibattito infinito sulla loro musica. Per alcuni (pochini, va sottolineato) il loro rock blues portato all'estremo, con la chitarra rivoluzionaria di Page (che influenzerà 3 generazioni di chitarristi), il bombardamento ritmico di Bohnam (davvero feroce), l’elegante e mai invasivo tessuto sonoro di Jones (che suona basso e tastiere) e la voce, straordinaria e incantatrice di Plant, non è niente di così innovativo. Per altri (la stragrande maggioranza degli appassionati) il loro suono, le idee, la maestria tecnica dei musicisti e l’alone leggendario che la band riesce a costruire su di sé, li pongono ai vertici assoluti della storia del rock, ne fanno i padri putativi dell’Hard Rock (con i coevi Deep Purple), e la loro genialità è dimostrata dalle future evoluzioni stilistiche e musicali. È innegabile però che per farlo saccheggiarono un po’ dovunque, dal blues del Delta a quello urbano di Chicago, spesso non accreditandolo sui dischi, con picchi assoluti di sorrisetti ironici (tipo il caso di Stairway To Heaven per l’intro uguale ad una canzone degli Spirit, Taurus, caso che finirà addirittura in tribunale con la vittoria di Page e Plant, sebbene lo stesso tribunale ne riconosce le somiglianze). All’epoca era prassi comune raccogliere i semi del blues e riadattarli nel suono, un po’ per convenienze e un po’ perché non esistevano le normative precise e puntuali che esistono oggi sui diritti d’autore (molti altri, tra cui i Rolling Stones, furono protagonisti di episodi analoghi). Il successo dei Led Zeppelin amplificò la questione: il problema fu molte volte la paternità delle musiche, spesso passate come traditional (vedi il caso della canzone della Bredon) e quindi non riconducibili ad un artista detentore dei diritti. In tutti i casi di presunta usurpazione di diritti altrui, hanno sempre pagato i richiedenti ufficiali. Quelli che li accusano di scarsa inventiva, sinceramente non li hanno mai ascoltati: nessuno prima di loro suonava così, probabilmente sono tra le band più imitate in assoluto, saranno centinaia quelli che dopo vorranno suonare come loro. E rivoluzionarono anche altri aspetti del mondo del rock: l'andare in tour, i rapporti con le case discografiche, con i promoter, persino con le radio: ruolo centrale lo ebbe in ciò il loro manager Peter Grant, un gigante di stazza e di potere, passato alla storia anche per i modi tutt'altro che amichevoli con cui convinceva i gestori dei locali o chiunque potesse danneggiare il gruppo a farla finita. Un’ultima curiosità: con il crescente successo, una discendente dei Von Zeppelin citò la band per uso improprio del nome, e per un unico, storico concerto a Copenaghen la band si presentò come The Nobs. Poi però tornarono ad essere quel dirigibile di piombo che volava altissimo.