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betterbooktitles · 4 months ago

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When my father could think of nothing to add to a funny or odd moment in a conservation, he’d let out a sarcastic “Nothing but the best.”

When a drunk guy on the street swore at us and made lewd gestures as we walked to get dinner in Cleveland one night, he looked over and said nothing but the best. When I showed him a particularly insane clip from Wondershowzen he liked, nothing but the best.

It was rare, however, that he had nothing to add, argue, or joke about when talking to me.

The last time I was able to have a long conversation with my dad, he told me he thought his personal knowledge base had a few spots of depth but that he didn’t know much. It was a rare moment of self-pity, one I felt was unearned since he was a person who knew a lot about everything. I challenged him. I began listing stories he told me about writers, actors, politicians, about history and economics. He knew about petty arguments Joni Mitchel had with her managers in the 60s. He explained the 2008 financial crisis to me in under a minute (likely during one of his furlough days when the government was shut down). He taped avant-garde short films on VHS so we could watch them together on the weekends. That’s how I ended up seeing Maya Deren’s “Meshes of the Afternoon” before entering high school, let alone a film course. His favorite short was “Down Rusty Down,” an Australian black-and-white comedy from 1997 where humans play various dogs in a neighborhood. We watched it for the first time together but he asked me 50 times over the last few years if I’d ever seen it. I wanted to scream every time that I was there with him for his entire indie cinema phase! Our shared movie viewings started when I was a child when he forced me to watch All That Jazz and Die Hard (inappropriate movies to watch with your kid) and ended around 2001 when we watched Y Tu Mama Tambien (an inappropriate movie to watch with your parent). It made me feel better that he didn’t even remember I was with him on this art house movie rabbit hole because it meant he liked it on his own, whether his kids did or not. He liked paintings, he hated musicals, he liked cooking and got better from my middle school years on. He subscribed to specific guitarists’ Patreon pages during the lockdown and watched his favorite musicians explain how they wrote old songs.

When my grandfather died, my brother told me what he thought makes a great dad. “It’s doing stuff you don’t want to do for your kids.” This was before he had kids of his own. He seems to enjoy attending as many of my nieces’ volleyball games as he can.

What my brother meant was that the sign of a good father was the ability to engage in your kids’ interests rather than strictly engaging in your own. Our dad was not a basketball player, but I have memories of him teaching me in our driveway how to box out. When my brother decided to become a CPA, my dad took accounting classes online so he could understand what my brother was talking about when he visited. He came to every play I was in from the age of 6, including shows I did in college that were, I’m sure, not to his taste. He gave notes on scripts and stories I wrote, he played guitar with me, he helped brainstorm ways to get an agent with me. He would preface each piece of advice with “I don’t really know how any of this works” and then make cogent, informed arguments about what I should do next. He treated every interest his kids and grandkids had like a hobby of his own.

When he was not busy being a dad, cheering in the stands of a football game or clapping in the audience of a play or in the kitchen making dinner for his wife and kids, he was reading, exploring, and finding tolerable classical music to listen to and share with all of us. He didn’t merely love the act of reading, he liked fiction specifically. He liked finding out about the craft of writing. He worked on novels and stories of his own after retirement. He liked comedy. His knowledge of it was specific and enigmatic. After taking a few pictures at the house of my friends and our homecoming dates, he asked where we were taking the girls for dinner. “Buca di Beppo,” I said (because I know how to treat a lady), and my dad said “oh, that’s where Phil Hartman’s wife got drunk for hours before going home and shooting him.” “Thank you, Dad. That’s a great icebreaker.”

When I got into stand-up myself, he pitched me jokes and essay prompts via email, even when he was ill. His last email to me was to let me know he thought a big break was approaching for me and that he and my mom did not sit up at night worrying that I couldn’t make it in comedy. "We have faith in your work and talent.”

One day, inspired by some mystery itch that came from no one in his family, my father started digging a hole in the backyard. He read through a tiny yellow pamphlet on how to build a pond, and with no help (certainly not from his kids, and before the days of YouTube), he made a mosquito-free pond in our yard. He put in fish that survived winters, he put in tadpoles that became frogs and hopped into neighbors’ yards. One morning, he came outside and discovered a giant crane hunting one of his frogs. He’d made an entire ecosystem thanks to one afternoon of reading and following through on a whim.

That’s what I’ll remember about him. Not strictly the things he did his damnedest to enjoy for us, but what he enjoyed.

He was married to my mother for 49 years. He studied city planning and managed to find work in his field. He focused on fighting for affordable housing and revitalizing neighborhoods including Ohio City where we lived for most of my teens. He was a good dad because he engaged in the stuff his kids and wife liked even when he disliked it (that included moving from the city to the suburbs for a time). But he was a great dad and friend because he managed to get me interested in what he liked. He took the time to listen, to watch, to talk. He let me know how much joy he took in his work. He let us know how much he loved being a dad and grandfather.

When I think of what he could have done better, I can’t come up with anything to say. He gave us nothing but his best.

#rip #dad #parents #tribute

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blossomwritesthings · 2 years ago

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𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞. | 𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬

⬷ 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬┊ 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 →

pairing: felix x fem!reader (afab) // chan x fem!reader (afab)

genre: nonidol/collegegrad!felix. waitress!reader. college au. hurt/comfort. angst. fluff. smut - MDNI, 18+ only. reader pov. friends to enemies to lovers au. slowburn romance. lots of pining. cheating. abusive boyfriend/ex. drama galore. the sexual tension is REAL in this one.

content & warnings: explicit & strong language. very thematic elements. felix is reader's estranged childhood bestie. chan is low-key an asshole in this ngl. heavy topics are mentioned such as: abusive/toxic relationships, cheating, and pathological lying. drinking/partying. the summer vibes are real in this one. there will be humor/fluff throughout to balance everything. and ofc smut too because who am i if not a whore for filthy felix smut. 😉

word count: 4.1k

summary: ever since you were born, all you've ever known is living a simple life in the small australian coastal town of bridgeport bay. you're content with working at your parent's beachside restaurant angel waves for the rest of your life, and you're happy with your place in the world - you have good friends and an even better boyfriend. that is, until everything comes to a standstill when a familiar face from the past visits town for the summer. and in the wake of his return, lee felix upturns everything you thought you were content with here in your comforting little beach town.

a/n: I literally got the inspo to write this chapter from a TikTok I once saw like, 2 months ago. and I was like, huh- that'd actually make a good fic idea!! 💀 anyways, stream skz's lola performance tmrw!!! 🫣 also, thanks to @cb97breathing for literally being my biggest cheerleader with this fic lmao, you ROCK bby and ilysm!!! 😭🥹💙 ALSO YES I JUST CHANGED MY ENTIRE TUMBLR THEME YESTERDAY SO IF YOU DON'T RECOGNIZE MY NEW LOOK IM SO SORRY- 🤡

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ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ʀᴇᴘᴏsᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ sɪᴛᴇs (ᴛʜɪs ɪɴᴄʟᴜᴅᴇs ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴs). ©ʙʟᴏssᴏᴍᴡʀɪᴛᴇsᴛʜɪɴɢs ⤐ ᴀʟʟ ʀɪɢʜᴛs ʀᴇsᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ

Every day leading up to the party at Jeongin’s, you met Felix outside early in the morning. At first, it just started as you waking up before the sun rose to catch a glimpse of him wading into the ocean waters.

But then, things steadily turned into you sitting outside on your parent’s porch, just like you had on his second day back at Bridgeport Bay. And each time he acknowledged your presence there in the wicker chair, he’d come over after his swim, trickling with cerulean teardrops from the sea and smelling of warm salt and sand.

The two of you got to talking, as the mornings passed. And the later in the week it grew, the more you realized how much Felix hadn’t changed. He was still the taekwondo prodigy from elementary school, who had risen to fame amongst his university classmates in South Korea. He was still the goofy kid from your childhood, the middle schooler who had grown up to play weird pranks on his friends in university. He was still the kid from high school who hated tomatoes, and always asked for them on the side when his university’s canteen had ‘burger night.’

He was everything you had known him for, but so much more too.

He was a grown adult, who had foraged a life of his own in a country thousands of miles away from Bridgeport Bay. He was a fully-fledged man - who had a degree in Performing Dance Arts and hoped to become a dance instructor after his summer break.

Not to mention, he looked very different from how you used to know him.

Every day that passed, with him standing there in front of you, drenched in seawater, you were reminded of this fact.

From the chiseled abs and sculpted arms and sharp, pointed jaw.

When the sight of that side of him became too much, you usually called it quits - claiming that you had to get ready for the day. In reality, you just had to make a hasty escape.

So that you could sink to the floor in your bedroom after you had said your goodbyes.

So that you could listen to the raging clang of your heartbeat against your ribcage in the quietness of your room.

So that your mind could play that version of him over and over again in the forefront of your mind.

And then before you knew it, it was the day of the party and you and Yeji were driving over to Jeongin’s house in her car. Chris lived close to Jeongin’s place, so he was going to meet you guys there.

“This party is gonna be so fucking good,” she was saying, just as she pulled up to his place. Already, there were loads of cars lining either side of the residential street. And just as you had remembered it, his quaint house was tucked right next to the beautiful mountainside of Bridgeport Bay that you had always glimpsed from your bedroom window growing up. “Like, I’ve been wanting to go to one for a while now… thanks so much for inviting me, babe.”

As you stepped out of her cherry-red Corolla, you flashed her an easy smile. “Yeah, no problem, I thought it’d be fun to have you tag along…” Plus, you had a feeling that you wouldn’t know many of the people at the party besides your immediate friends. And Chris, of course.

The two of you began to make your way over to Jeongin’s front door. You noticed the large number of people who were lingering outside, with adults who looked around your age holding bottles of beer, and couples making out while sitting on the front lawn. So basically, the usual that happened at such parties. The bass of the music vibrated through your heels and into your spine as you finally stepped through the threshold of the house.

Everything was dark, save for the few lanterns and candles that were lit throughout the place. Party-goers were everywhere, only getting rowdier as the minutes ticked by and the alcohol flowed through bloodlines. There was a makeshift dance floor in the center of the living room, which was almost unrecognizable from how many wriggling bodies were crammed into the small carpeted space. Men and women alike rubbed up on each other, and you quickly averted your eyes as soon as you saw a few begin to move like fucking pole dancers.

“I need a drink,” you said, massaging the back of your neck in awkwardness as you and Yeji flooded through the cramped hallway. It had been so long since you had been inside Jeongin’s house, but walking between the dark sage-colored walls brought you back to your teenage years when you used to come over on occasion to hang out with Felix and Jeongin and the rest of their friend group.

The kitchen wasn’t bustling with as many people as the rest of the ranch-style house, meaning that you could catch your breath for a few seconds. As you stood there, off to the sidelines, you watched as Yeji fetched you a beer - she was going to be the designated driver for the night, so no alcohol for her. The few guys that stood near the countertop that was overflowing with bags of chips and candy gave her silent looks of interest.

Your best friend had always been rather gorgeous, even at the tender age of nine, when you had initially met her. Her long, raven-black hair was silky and seemed to shine under the lights of the kitchen, and she had a perpetual smile plastered onto her face. For the party, she was dressed in a show-stopping black mini-dress that brought out the milky tone of her skin and clashed perfectly with her dark eyes and red-tinted lips.

On the other hand, there you were - in a simple pair of light-washed shorts and a pastel blue tank that had a small daisy print on it. Your outfit was nothing fancy, and nothing compared to the glamorous aesthetic of your best friend. But it was comfortable and you liked being comfortable.

Just then, you felt warm fingers thread through your own, pulling you back. You peered up to see a smirking Chris. “Hi, there, beautiful… mind if I get your name?” He asked in a low voice that was hard to hear over the blaring EDM music that was pulsing throughout the entire house.

Already feeling the smile brighten your entire being, you leaned up into him and gave his lips a sweet kiss. “Hi, babe- did you just get here?” Yeji stepped in front of you then, pushing a red solo cup of beer into your free hand that wasn’t currently threading through your boyfriend’s dark tresses.

“Nah, I’ve been here for a while- it's been nice catching up with some old friends.” Chris reached forward, grabbing the cup out of your hands and taking a big swig of the liquor. As he pulled the rim of the cup away from his mouth, he frowned slowly. “Ugh- this tastes like shit. I need to give Jeongin some pointers next time he buys the alcohol.”

“Hey Y/N, do you mind if I leave you here? I’m pretty sure I just saw one of my old friends from high school and I-”

Chris was already waving a nonchalant hand in the air, pulling you a little closer to his side as he said, “Don’t worry about it, Yeji, she’s in good hands.” You drew your gaze away from your boyfriend’s chiseled jaw and offered your friend a delicate nod.

“Seriously, don’t worry about me and go out there and have some fun… you deserve it.” Yeji squealed at your approval, wrapping one of her arms around you and giving your side a tight squeeze before she was flitting out of the kitchen altogether.

Just then your boyfriend was tugging on your hand, pulling you through the threshold of the kitchen and out into the throng of people again. “C’mon, I want you to see some of the guys from high school.” By ‘guys,’ he meant his best friends from the soccer team that he had played on throughout high school. He still kept in touch with them regularly, but you didn’t hang out with them that much, so it had been quite some time since you had seen their faces.

“But I hate big crowds,” you whined at him as he tugged you through the bodies that were smashed together in the dining room. Felix had said that it would be a small party with just some close friends, but obviously, he had only said that to get you to come. You’d need a lot more than just one beer if you were going to get through the night unscathed and still standing. Chris pulled you out to the back patio area, passing the pool that was full of shouting drunks. “And I don’t really-”

Your voice caught in your throat as your boyfriend finally stopped in front of the fire pit that was tucked away into the corner of the backyard. You had sat around the raging fire and had roasted marshmallows one time before, back when you were a junior in high school and it was winter out.

There, sitting around the fire, were a handful of Chris’ former teammates from high school. And also, some of Felix’s groupies.

And then, there was…

Felix, too.

He was sitting in a lawn chair that was pulled up close to the fire. He was tipping his head back as he took a long draw from his glass that looked full of coke. He had never been a big alcohol drinker. Similar to you, he was dressed down - in tight black jeans and a baggy graphic tee. A single thin silver chain hung around his neck, drawing attention to his exposed clavicle.

It took him a moment to notice you, but as soon as he did, he was rising from his seat and darting over to your side. “Y/N- hi, happy you could make it!” He exclaimed cheerfully, as he gave you a quick side hug.

Almost instantly, Chris was pulling away from your form and finding a seat near his friends, seemingly forgetting about your presence right then and there and instead focusing on his old friends.

You gave Chris a glare from the way that he was practically abandoning you around a bunch of near-strangers. But you managed to flash Felix a faint smile, “Yeah, thanks for inviting me. Although, I didn’t think there’d be this many people here…” Your voice trailed off, as your eyes followed the line of people that were spaced around the pool’s edge, jumping into the blue-tinted water or chatting with alcohol in hand.

Felix ran a nervous hand through his blonde locks, grimacing quietly, “Jeongin said it was just gonna be a quiet thing. But, obviously, he invited more than just a few people.” Rolling his eyes at that, he motioned with a tilt of his head to the two empty chairs that were nearby. “Wanna roast a couple of marshmallows with me?”

“I’d love to.” You said with a grin, as you took a seat beside the fire. Immediately, the warmth enveloped you, calming your racing heart and forcing you to relax in your chair.

Your anxiety was just from the large party.

You had never been a big fan of immense crowds.

Yeah, it was definitely from that.

Felix kept his gaze on you as he slid two fluffy white marshmallows onto separate roasting sticks. “I thought you were bringing Yeji tonight.” He gave you one of the sticks, and you soon leaned forward and slowly began to roast your marshmallow.

“She’s here- just off catching up with some of her old friends from high school,” you began, as you watched the flames lick around the whiteness, biting into the gooey skin and toasting it a beautiful brown colour. “You know how it can be sometimes… time slips past you when you meet friends from the past.”

Your eyes flitted over to his form then, and he caught your stare. The air seemed to halt around you, the tension snapping between you as his face darkened somewhat. The starry-night sky did little to brighten the atmosphere, the waning crescent moon shining high above your head and casting a light glow across his freckled cheeks.

Like the fucking elephant in the room, you both knew that your words were meant for more than just Yeji and her friends.

“Mhm- it can be a lot to deal with when you see old friends again.” He mused in a low voice, one that you knew was only meant for you to hear. His gaze slid away from you then, as he focused all his energy on smushing his browned marshmallow between two pieces of cinnamon graham crackers and a slab of milk chocolate. “Here,” he moved towards you, offering up the s’more with delicate fingers.

You snorted incredulously, pushing his hand away from your face, “That’s yours, Felix.”

“Well, I want you to have it.”

And before you could offer up any more protests, he was shifting against your side, shoving the sweet thing into your open hand. Fingers brushed across fingers, and you were jolted backward from the contact. From the softness of it all. From the feeling of his palm swiping against your knuckles.

“Besides, I’ve already had like, five tonight. I don’t need any more marshmallows for a while.”

Quietly, you took a tiny bite out of the warm dessert. The sugar burst across your tongue, and you were brought back to your childhood, during the days when you and Felix used to roast marshmallows on your parent’s porch deep into the summer months.

The melty center of the marshmallow reminded you of him.

The saccharine taste of it all remained you of him.

And suddenly, you no longer felt hungry for another s’more.

Eyes scanning over the fire pit, you caught sight of Chris. He was sprawled out in his chair, chuckling over something stupid that his friend was telling him with animated gestures. You could tell that the liquor was going straight to his head, making him dizzy and irrational. You always hated when he drank. He turned into a different person whenever he did.

Just as you were about to tell Felix that you didn’t want another s’more, a voice rang out from across your side. “Ayo- you made it Y/N… good to see you!” You peered up from your seat to see a beaming Jeongin. He reached out to you, rustling your hair playfully as he drew closer to the bonfire.

“It’s a bigger turnout than I thought it would be, that’s for sure.” You said, but you couldn’t help the smile that erupted across your face at the sight of your old acquaintance. It was good to meet up with the people from your childhood. It felt like you were taking a trip down memory lane, one which was endearing and peaceful, and full of happiness.

At least, most of the feelings you felt right then were joyful ones.

“I bring offerings,” Jeongin announced to the entire ground that sat around the fire pit, holding up the plethora of green beer bottles that he had clasped in either hand. “We’re about to play a lit game of truth or dare!”

Seungmin, one of Felix’s friends from high school, grumbled out from across the roaring flames. “Can you please stop using the word lit? It’s really fucking annoying and super outdated.”

Jeongin rolled his eyes dramatically, sticking out his tongue in defiance. “Get used to it bro- it’s my new favorite word.”

“You guys are so fucking ridiculous…” You heard Felix say under his breath from beside you. Nonetheless, you saw the fondness that crossed his face at the sight of his friends bickering together. Just like old times, it would seem.

“The rules are, if you can’t tell the truth or do the dare, you have to take a shot,” Jeongin explained, as he picked a few empty solo cups off of the ground and began to fill them up with beer. “We’ll go clockwise, so… Jason, you start.”

The first player up was one of Chris’ friends, and he chose one of the girls that you didn’t know to pick truth or dare. She chose a dare and was forced to jump into the nearby pool fully clothed. Everyone around the campfire clapped in delight at how daring she was, and the game steadily continued from them.

Halfway through the first round, Yeji appeared from the backyard porch. “What’d I miss?” She asked, as he leaned over your shoulder and peered into the fire.

You shrugged, giving her arm a fond squeeze, “Nothing much, we’re just playing a few rounds of truth or dare. You wanna join in?” You watched as she found a lone chair somewhere off into the distance, dragging it towards the fire and plopping into it right beside you. And just like that, Yeji joined in on the fun.

The first three rounds passed in a blur of shots being thrown back and confessions being thrown around. You had avoided playing wholeheartedly, instead opting to take a few drinks in the wake of avoiding pressing truths or a crazy dare.

As the night passed on, the crowd of people around the pool seemed to grow, the music from inside the house getting louder and spilling out into the backyard. A few more people joined in on the game as time slipped by, and soon, you had a large group participating in the fun. The entire time, Felix hadn’t taken a sip of alcohol, instead opting to nurse his cherry coke. You guessed he must’ve been the assigned designated driver for the night for some of his friends.

Yeji lost her rights to drive by her third shot, and since everyone else was pretty shit-faced, that left only Felix as the completely sober one. The idea of having him drive you home sent a pang of hurt to course through your veins. You didn’t want to be a nuisance or bother him in the least bit.

“I choose… Chris!” Changbin, one of Felix’s older friends, shouted over the loudness of the party. It was his turn to pick his victim and you could tell his ideas were going to be bad - if his wide smirk was anything to go off of. “Truth or dare?”

Chris’ eyes were so glazed over, the red flames from the fire reflected off of his irises in an eery kind of way. His cheeks were dusted with a crimson flush from the liquor, a deep, toothy scowl permanently etched onto his lips. At that moment, you didn’t even want the others to know that he was your boyfriend. His drunkenness was too embarrassing. Albeit, a lot of the others were nearly blacked-out too, but something about Chris slurring his words and yelling loudly did something funny to your heart. Made it trip over itself and forced a lump to form in your throat.

“I- choose… dare.” He mumbled elatedly, throwing his hands up into the air in defeat. But he seemed rather pleased to still be playing, to be given a dare that was cutthroat. He had always loved drinking games.

Changbin rubbed his hands together, grinning mischievously, “Alright… I dare you to… kiss the hottest girl here.”

You felt your heart drop into the pit of your stomach. You hadn’t expected the dare to turn out in that kind of sense. The others around the campfire let out dark chuckles, and you felt a shiver run down your spine as Chris shakily rose from his seat.

“Not even a fucking debate-” He started in a scratchy voice. As he neared you, you could feel your eyes widen painfully.

No, no, no, please don’t-

But then just as you thought he was going to dip into your form, he was turning to your side, eyeing Yeji like she was a piece of meat. She was pretty shit-faced, but still had enough sense in her to blush profusely.

And just as Chris was about to lean into her for a drunken kiss, you found yourself shooting up from your spot, palms landing on his rigid chest as you pushed him back so hard he bumbled around the lawn like a complete drunk.

“What the fuck, Chris?!” You screamed, the tears already beginning to prick at the corners of your vision. Your boyfriend gave you a deep frown, the light in his eyes dimming to annoyance. You could feel the eyes of everyone on you guys, and the sounds of the party seemed to dim in the background, as you stared at your boyfriend with the hurt already beginning to bloom in your chest. “Why would you-”

“I wasn’t actually going to kiss her, stupid!” He retorted back, chuckling at how stupid you had been.

And maybe you were being stupid.

Maybe you were overreacting.

After all, it was just some dumb drinking game.

It wasn’t that serious-

“Don’t call her stupid.”

Felix’s voice seemed to ring out across the entire yard, dancing around your ears and making your cheeks heat up in a peachy-pink colour. You turned to him, noticing the way he was scowling Chris’ way. He was up from his chair, fists clenched at his sides. It was hard to see through the tears that were steadily flowing down your cheeks, but you could faintly make out the taut line of his lips that were pressed into a displeased line.

“Felix, I-”

But then you had no time to react, as one of his hands was clamping down around your forearm, yanking you backward and to his form. “Let’s get out of here.” He said in a low voice, as his hand trailed down your bare arm and his fingers threaded through your own.

Just as you were getting dragged away from the scene, Yeji stumbled out of her chair, calling out to you in a desperate plea, “Y/N, wait!”

Felix offered her no time to explain, as he pushed you through the crowd of people and into the house. He lead your wobbly legs the entire way, holding onto your hand firmly as it was hard to see through the mistiness of your vision. Finally, when you arrived at his car, he opened the passenger door and helped you into the seat.

When he had buckled himself into the driver’s seat and the ignition was roaring to life, Felix finally turned to face you. Reaching over the center consul of his car, he gave your hand a tight squeeze.

“Forget about him, yeah? He’s not worth your energy right now.” He said in a faint voice, one that graced over your ears and was a nice respite from the booming sounds of the party.

You roughly scrubbed at your eyes, trying to will the tears to stop. You were feeling so many emotions all at once… embarrassment, betrayal, but also… relief, to be taken out of such a situation so quickly.

“Where do you wanna go?” Felix asked upon your silence, and just then you managed to peel your eyes open, taking a glance at the clock on the dashboard and reading that it was well after midnight. “Home?”

You leaned your head against the black leather seat. It felt cold under your skin. Comforting, almost, to have something chilled touch your feverish cheeks. “No, I don’t want to sit alone in my room, not yet…” His face became clearer in your mind then, and you saw the way his mouth ticked up in a faint smile from your vulnerable admission that you didn’t want him to leave your side so soon.

“Then I know just the place.” Felix mused in that silky, deep voice of his. And soon, he was pulling away from the curb of Jeongin’s home, merging onto the street and taking you to his mysterious location that would seemingly make everything better. The entire time he drove, his palm stayed pressed against yours, fingers threaded through yours. “You just focus on my hand, yeah? Don’t think about anything else…”

Just like that, his soothing voice was lulling you into a mindless kind of stupor. With the bright town lights flashing around you as he drove steadily down the highway, you were brought into a listless state of limbo.

And he was right.

Focusing on him, and his touch was helping tremendously.

Helped take your mind off of everything, and all of your warring feelings.

And instead, all you could focus on was the way that his palm felt so soft pressed against yours.

The way his fingers fit so perfectly between yours.

Almost like, you had been destined to hold onto each other’s hands.

To be continued...

🌊 taglist: want to be added onto my taglist? well then, comment below on this post/reblog it, and indicate your interest in my taglist and i'll add you... or, you can send me a msg and request to be added!! to be removed from the taglist, please send me a msg and i will promptly take you off of the list.

🌊 tags: @sleepyleeji :: @if-spearb :: @hyunes4ngel :: @drhsthl :: @seosalad :: @toomuchtellyneck :: @endzii23 :: @smally97 :: @ana-marais98 :: @sherryblossom :: @priincehoseok :: @biribarabiribbaem :: @linovely :: @lolqxv :: @linonyang :: @morningstardada :: @taeriffic :: @day6andetcetera :: @hyuka-luvbot :: @linohumina :: @urmomma0324 :: @poisonivy2 :: @nappynapnaps :: @bellamuerte1987 :: @julciaqwerty :: @abbiestearsricochet :: @leeknowsramen :: @maeleelee :: @cb97breathing :: @armystay89 :: @drhsthl :: @skzcollision :: @noellllslut :: @skz-streamer :: @hello-2-u-from-me :: @bangchanbighandsome @/leyknxw

a blue tag means that there was an error in tagging you.

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extraordinaryhistories · 1 month ago

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#28 - 'Jamila' (non-album track, 1998)

If you love someone, write a song about them. It’s real easy! Pick up a guitar, buy a tape recorder, learn three chords, scrape your fingers over the strings a few times, and sing about how you feel. It matters not whether you have the voice of Pavarotti or of Florence Foster Jenkins – all that matters is the intent. People are mortal, but art will endure long after we pass on; to record and release a song for someone is to let them experience a sliver of eternity. And if you happen to be Sufjan Stevens, twenty-something Australians from the opposite side of the globe will analyse your song decades later.

‘Jamila’ is not the first song that Sufjan wrote about a named individual, and it will certainly not be the last. It is, however, a rare unearthed document of a period in Sufjan’s career where writing about named individuals was just about all he did. ‘Jamila’ was recorded around 1998, which was a transformative year for Sufjan: the final stretch of his time at Hope College coincided with a torrent of musical productivity. To channel that productivity into tangible, skill-based gains, he decided to restrict himself for weeks at a time to writing songs concerning very specific themes. Sufjan has left the overwhelming majority of his work from this era unreleased – understandably so, given how limited his means of recording were back in the four-track days – and as such we are only privy to two of these themes. One was serial killers. The other was, less helpfully, names. Names of family, names of friends, names of strangers who, in an alternate universe, might have been either.

Strike one for the ‘family’ subcategory. The name ‘Jamila’ is an anglicised rendering of Djamilah, one of Sufjan’s sisters. Even ignoring interviews and Tumblr posts, there is plenty of evidence to demonstrate the life-long closeness of the Stevens siblings; observe songs like ‘Sister’ and ‘Djohariah’, or hear their voices wheedle their way through your speakers on ‘Godzukie’. These songs – their tenderness, affections and candour – reveal everything about this difficult family dynamic that Stevens’ biography could, or more. In the face of endless transience and a mother (their mother) who would be in, and out, and in, and out, and in, and out of their lives, it is no wonder that they share between them a bond worthy of encasing in song. Sufjan loves, and loves loving, his sisters. Can you really blame him?

‘Jamila’, unearthed and released by Sufjan in 2013 for his sister’s birthday, is a very simple song. It is short – clocking in at a hair over two minutes – and betrays its shoddy four-track recording in nearly every second; once you notice those astringent slides up and down the strings every time Sufjan changes chords you will never be able to un-notice them. The melody is sunny and endlessly cheerful, its highlights coming in the moments where Sufjan deviates from the main phrase (especially that jazzy little run at 1:45, a carnally satisfying moment). The vocal inflections are hugely indebted to Sufjan’s influences, notably Elliott Smith, in their mixture of nasally highs and obscured whispers. And to underscore all of this, the recording begins with an extended false start that feels less like a deliberate ‘Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream’-esque artistic choice and more like a genuine inability to hit that first chord change on Sufjan’s one-and-only take of the song.

The thing about a song like this is that you would not have it any other way. ‘Jamila’ thrives in its clear-eyed earnestness. It is one of Sufjan’s most honest pieces of music, back in the days when his biggest artistic concerns were remembering chord shapes and figuring out whether ‘sister’ could rhyme with ‘missed her’. The total lack of pretention on display here lends itself so well to a simple, celebratory outpouring of familial love, a folk singer’s ode to one of his life’s greatest joys. Even the violent way that Sufjan rips those chords out of his guitar feels ripe with genuine enthusiasm. Messy, but about the truest possible representation of a young man’s love. Look here, Djamilah, see what I can do!

Neither do the lyrics hide much in the way of subtext. These are adorable couplets that capture real feelings. A couple lines are clouded by odd rhymes (‘Eleven, like heaven’ is a lyric that remains more or less indecipherable), but there is no need to interpret ‘My sister, I missed her / She's always a good friend of mine’ or ‘Write her a letter, a letter / To tell her that I am just fine’. Real affection, delivered sincerely. The song’s cutest moment, though, is ‘My sister, my sister / She'll keep me from liquor and crime’ – both because the notion of sibling-as-moral anchor is beautiful and pretty much the platonic ideal of sisterhood, but also because of the implication that ‘liquor and crime’ are the worst evils that Sufjan can imagine. Absolutely not beating the ‘flower child’ allegations there.

By the time Sufjan finally released ‘Jamila’ – post-Age of Adz, pre-Carrie and Lowell – his art had long since matured. Heartbreak, sex, illness and death had now crept their way into his songs, and his images and turns of phrase had become fractally nuanced. He had become a better writer. But I don’t think he could have put together a song like ‘Jamila’ in 2013 – not with that same sort of innocent love spilling out of every lyric. Growing up necessitates certain corners of the self fading away, and as such, I’m glad Sufjan thought to immortalise Djamilah in song at the moment he did. Youth isn’t always wasted on the young, you know.

#music #sufjan stevens #sufjan #folk music #love songs #familial love is the most powerful tbh #how often do you hate your siblings and love them all the same?

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preet-01 · 9 months ago

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K — Detective/Criminal for @witchywitchy19

It was a demotion. Lewis was absolutely sure of it.

How else would he go from undercover stings busting drug rings and mobs to investigating stolen art that he was 90 percent sure the museum was “losing” for the insurance claims? Though there were the benefits of being able to actually spend time with his husband now that he wasn’t always undercover for his job.

“It makes no sense, Seb,” Lewis groans as he rants about the latest developments in his case. The latest development being that there were no developments and Lewis was absolutely losing his mind having to deal with the museum’s art director — Nico Rosberg, a former friendship that had turned sour sometime during their college days.

He’d been able to avoid interactions with Nico and his petty remarks for so long, but with this case he had to deal with Nico everyday.

“Maybe take a step back and talk through the facts,” Sebastian advises. It’s a strategy Lewis knows that Seb loves to use with his patients. “What was stolen?”

“A rare Rembrandt painting that Nico so kindly has emphasized the importance of in every meeting we’ve had,” Lewis replies, cuddling closer to Seb.

“Anything else?” Seb inquires.

“Not according to the museum. Jenson is doing an audit with some of the museum guys to make sure nothing else was stolen,” Lewis says. To the naked eye, only the Rembrandt was missing. But the concern was that a reproduction had been hanging in the gallery as the actual painting was undergoing regularly scheduled maintenance inspections. So it was in the museum archive with a bunch of other stuff that wasn’t on display.

“Signs of breaking and entering?”

“That’s the thing, nothing is out of order. The cameras all worked with the exception of two — one that has been broken for the past three weeks and the one situated above the painting. The locks weren’t tampered with. And the reproduction wasn’t touched at all in the glass case. The thief knew to check the archive.” Lewis rants.

“Huh,” Seb says.

“Huh? What are you thinking of?” Lewis inquires.

“Well, you said the reproduction was hanging, right?” Seb asks as Lewis nods. “The only people who would know a reproduction is hanging in the museum while the original would be the museum staff, right?”

“They would know how to avoid the cameras, which ones worked, which one to tamper. They would have access to the building,” Lewis rambles off as pieces fall into place. There’s still more work to do, but things are starting to make sense and it’s a lead.

_______

“You’re late,” Mark says, “what took so long?”

“My husband was taken off of undercover and moved to robberies,” Sebastian answers with a sigh as he pulls out the Rembrandt that had driven Lewis crazy a month ago. “The Rembrandt robbery was his first case since that move. It requires caution when the detective trying to catch you is sleeping in your bed,” Sebastian adds.

“Considering you and the painting are here, I assume he didn’t crack the case,” Mark states as his guy checks the painting’s authenticity.

“He put away the museum’s art director,” Sebastian reveals.

“What did the art director do?” Mark’s guy — some pale twenty some year old with brown hair and an Australian accent just like Mark 1- asks.

“Nothing recently,” he answers, “years ago? Well that’s a different matter.”

“It’s a Rembrandt,” Mark’s guy tells them.

After making sure the wire transfer goes through, Sebastian returns home. A weight had been lifted from Lewis’ shoulders ever since the Rembrandt case had been closed which meant that Lewis could actually enjoy not being on the undercover unit.

And tonight was date night where he’s sure Lewis will bring up the idea of adopting. The Rembrandt money will help pay for a bigger home and the cost of raising a child. Not that Lewis would know it’s Rembrandt money, no as far as Lewis knew, Seb had a rich distant uncle in Germany that left his money to Seb.

He hadn’t intended for the blame to fall on Nico, but two birds one stone, gift horse, and all of that. The ghost of Nico and their college years couldn’t haunt them with the man locked away in a prison three hours away.

#sewis #ask game #detective/criminal #art thief Seb #detective Lewis

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soobrat · 1 year ago

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siren

genre for entire series; dating show au, angst, smut, fluff, a touch of humor

genre; a touch of humor

warnings; mc will mention having had plastic surgery, future smut, insecurity, may be triggering for anyone who was ugly in high school or experienced being the "ugly one" in their friend group (I'm writing this to heal my own trauma, and bc I love single's inferno)

preface; this is going to be a very relaxed series with short parts and minimal to no editing. please don't pressure me about new parts for older fics (especially ones I didn't really intend to have a part two anyway) i've just decided that I'll get to them when I do.

siren masterlist

Going last is the best case scenario here. It gives you more time to think.

“Hiii! My name is Ning Yizhuo!” The woman with large round eyes waves both hands excitedly at the camera. You can’t tell if it’s the bright, large screen singing your eyes or her bright aura. She’s a cute type, and you’re pretty sure you’re already fucked.

“I’m twenty-one years old and I’m a college student! I’m in college, hoping to get my BArch degree soon!” She laughs in an attempt to undercut the genuine fatigue that slipped through. Cute and smart? Shit.

The woman who walks in front of the camera next is the utter opposite of Yizhuo in every way possible. From her blonde hair, her tan skin, to her sultry gaze.

“I’m Jeon Somi. I uh… I’m twenty-two. And um! I’m a model. I mostly shoot music videos, hip hop is my main genre so some people call me a video vixen.” This time the laugh isn’t to undercut anything, it’s to drive home her tone insinuating how silly that label is.

“But I do photoshoots sometimes. Mostly editorial and experimental shit. Not your average insta model.” She smirks, cementing her confidence. Confident and Sexy. Not for everyone, it’ll be fine.

“Hi, I’m Roseanne Park.” The Australian accent makes your ear perk up. “I graduated from a performing arts college with a bachelors in music. So now I mainly write and produce for other artists but hopefully I’ll release my own music some day.” She smiles slightly, pursing her lips. “Oh! And I’m twenty-six.”

She’s eloquent but not too flashy with how she speaks. She screams normal but not in a bad way. In a “girl next door” type of way. Fuck.

What did you expect? That they’d cast mediocre women? In a reality show meant for dating? When has that ever happened?

You exhale sharply, wiping your sweaty palms on your pants. Just get through one more and then do your own. Don’t overthink it. You hear the sound of heels clacking but give yourself another moment to collect yourself as you close your eyes.

Once you open them, you’re faced with that of an angel. Except not an angel, not a doll either because she’s natural. She’s believable. And dammit she’s effortless. Her features fit together perfectly, nothing hogging the spotlight. She turns to the side briefly and you catch a glimpse of her nose. As if she needed anything else, she has a perfect nose too. She’s elegant with a hint of innocence. She’s cute but with a tempting edge. There’s something about her eyes that tell a deeper story that any man lost in them can craft to their liking, pull them in deeper.

“Hi. I’m Jung Chaeyeon. I’m twenty-six and I’m a freelance model and actress.” She gives a captivating smile and walks off camera. Fuck.

Shit.

siren masterlist

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nct-kiss · 16 days ago

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RYOKO ROXANNE LEE

( face claim: xiaoting of kep1er ) ( voice claim: yuqi of g-idle )

Stage Name: Koyo

Birth Name: Ryoko Roxanne Lee

Nationality: Australian

Position: Lead Rapper, Sub Vocals, Lead Dancer, Maknae.

Birthday: February 5, 2002

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Height: 168 cm (5'5'')

Weight: 58 kg (127 lbs)

Blood Type: A

Representative Emoji: 🐍

Instagram: kooooyorex

KOYO FACTS

She was born in Sydney, Australia

She's Japanese-Korean in ethnicity.

Her English name is Roxanne.

Favorite Colour: Indigo

Favorite Artists are G-Dragon and Rihanna.

Motto: Progress over Perfection.

Nicknames: Naenae, Roxy, Blood Bat, Aussier, Twisty and Chewie.

She was part of SM Rookies.

She was voted the most flexible in the KISS unit.

Her father is a neurosurgeon and her mother is a software architect.

She has a younger sister and a younger brother.

She is fluent in Korean, English and Japanese.

Education: Hanlim Multi Art School, Seoul

She and Jisung share a birthday.

She has multiple tattoos.

She got three bats tattooed to represent her and her siblings.

She said she would get a tongue piercing if she could, but decided against it because she didn't want to upset her mom.

She joined SM in 2015.

She and Minhee currently share a room.

She was named Ryoko Eunae Roxanne Lee but since the name felt too long she changed her name to Ryoko Roxanne Lee.

She's planning on applying for a college program soon.

She says she doesn't want to study but her parents want her to have a degree.

Her hobbies are skateboarding, shopping, pottery, and gaming.

She was in the same class as ENHYPEN's Sunoo and Jay.

She says her family has a lot of pets, 6 birds and 3 dogs.

Her dog's names are Storm, Waffles, and Elsa.

She debuted in NCT DREAM on 30th August 2018 with 'We Go Up'.

She hates physics and math.

She's friends with NMIXX's Lily, ENHYPEN's Sunoo, Jake and Jay, IVE's Gaeul, aespa's Ningning, TXT's Taehyun and Huening Kai, Billlie's Tsuki and KISS OF LIFE's Natty.

She and ENHYPEN's Sunoo were desk mates.

taglist: @colourlikechampagne @mosviqu

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f1ghtsoftly · 2 months ago

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All The Women’s News You Missed Last Week

11/25/24-12/2/24

Feminist Activists fend off attacks from the U.S. far right in El Salvador, Sex Workers in Belgium get new labor rights, Latin American heads of state take on Trump and Musk and searching begins to find Indigenous femicide victims in Canada.

Women’s Rights:

Belgium's sex workers get maternity leave and pensions under world-first law

Judge rejects effort to stop transgender college volleyball player competing

Beatriz v El Salvador: the abortion case that could set a precedent across Latin America

Women in the News:

Florida woman sentenced to life for zipping boyfriend into suitcase, suffocating him

Woman driving drunk who killed bride still in her wedding dress sentenced to 25 years in prison

Mexican president says she is confident that a tariff war with the US can be averted

Brazil first lady uses expletive against Elon Musk at G20 event

Venomous snake slithers up driver's leg on Australia motorway

Chinese companies apologise for 'shrunken' sanitary pads

Bushra Bibi led a protest to free Imran Khan - what happened next is a mystery

Vietnamese tycoon in race to raise $9bn to avoid execution

Is Namibia going to elect its first female leader?

She fled Israeli bombing four times. It still found her

Male Violence:

Landfill search begins in Canada for remains of serial killer's victims

WATCH: 'It's important that we come together and stand for Nikita'

'People want nothing to do with him': How Ireland turned away from Conor McGregor

Harvey Weinstein hospitalized after ‘alarming blood test,’ attorney says

Rape helpline calls almost doubled after McGregor case

Femicide victim's family awaits killer's sentence, and change in Italy

Childcare worker who abused more than 60 girls jailed for life

Australian suspect in 1977 murders extradited from Italy

An ex-detective accused of abusing women died in an apparent suicide as his trial was starting

An Australia police officer who shocked a 95-year-old woman with a Taser is guilty of manslaughter

Man jailed for murdering girlfriend he set on fire

Arts and Culture:

K-Pop group NewJeans split from agency in mistreatment row

Gregg Wallace apologises for 'middle-class women' comment

Sean 'Diddy' Combs denied bail for third time in sex-trafficking case

Movie Review: Angelina Jolie is graceful and sharp as opera star Maria Callas in ‘Maria’

Review: Though earnest and visually dazzling, ‘Moana 2' is more dull than so shiny

Movie Review: ‘Wicked’ fans, rejoicify! Erivo, Grande shine in lavish adaptation of Broadway classic

Movie Review: A luminous slice of Mumbai life in ‘All We Imagine as Light’

#radblr #radical feminism #radical feminist #char on char #radical feminists do touch #radfem safe #radical feminist theory #radfems #radfem #All The Women’s News You Missed Last Week

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igotadigbickandureadthatwrong · 1 month ago

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Guys if yall wanna see my OCs pls follow

1. @krisnosura for my book (Krisnosura/KSA) OC content, and all the character descriptions are in the pinned post there.

2. @hemogoblin-art especially for C!LAWSverse content

C!LAWS/C-LAWS is an Italian circuspunk band from Milan, Italy, formed in 2021, consisting of four members:

Jasper Alveron: A red fox. Band founder and lead guitarist (OC of @rhys-phyre ). He's Finnish.

Daksh Laskar: A white tiger. Bassist. (my OC) He's Indian(Assamese)-Italian.

Rod Barrels: A ferret. Lead singer and keytarist (OC of @sistema-jerimum ). He's probably Norwegian-Italian.

This was the only pic I had 😭

Bard Bonson: A grizzly bear. And the drummer (OC of another friend of mine). He's probably Scottish-Italian.

We initially came up with the band as a college project and now Im continuing the legacy of its universe because I can

Check the following tags to look up artworks related to this universe:

#C!LAWS

#C!LAWSverse

You'll get another band of mine called The Cocktails, an Australian-Italian band (originally a cover band but now also releases original albums) formed in Rome in 2018, which include four members (all of which are cockatiels):

Coen Sawkins

Benji Smyth (Coen's boyfriend and my pfp)

Wyatt Bates

Willow Mitchell

The band has been sort of dormant since the Covid-19 and is now also part of the production crew of C!LAWS.

#C!LAWS #C!LAWSverse #my ocs #ocs #oc #oc art #friends' ocs

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ni0x · 2 months ago

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Nicknames my mother has had to remember in order to have pretty much any conversation with me:

Sparkle, Glitter glue, One of the art college ones, The one who wanted to take shots of olive oil that one time?

Pack, Guard Dog’s mun, My friend? Ya know? The one I draw for a lot?

Kettle, Your Canadian child, My little brother

Terracotta.

Australian friend (I know there’s more than one but I only refer to one like this)

Stalker—yes that’s their name. Yeah. They’re nice.

#there’s more but this is what comes to mind at the moment #yapping fr

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lovehotelreservation · 2 years ago

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Escort

Summary: There’s strength in numbers, but sometimes being alone is what you need most.

Rating: R

Pairing: F!Reader/Sonny

**Warning: contains themes of stalking, unhealthy/possessive behavior, & groping!**

lord free me from the australian

---------

The reassurance of another presence.

City life was an experience of being surrounded by a mass of people yet still managing to feel lonely regardless. Not clicking with colleagues at work, savoring what little personal space that a packed and busy subway allowed, the noise of neighboring families and roommates within the entirety of an apartment complex building–to be enveloped yet still experience isolation.

But there was balance, as you had come to experience while living alone in the city.

After clocking out for the day and saying your goodbyes to the friendly security guard, you could enjoy a latte with adorably crafted foam art by the ever jovial barista, Alban. During your daily commute on the subway, you were texting back and forth with Uki–a friend from college–on plans for an approaching hang out and the interpretation of a recent psychic reading. The noise that often plagued your apartment never bothered you much anyhow since you could always find refuge at the downtown library where the kind yet teasing archivist Fulgur could offer you new recommendations.

By this, you weren’t fully isolated from all human contact.

Yet it was during certain moments of loneliness that made you feel unnerved.

While parting ways with Alban as he closed up the cafe, it was the sensation of someone peering at you from the evening shadows.

As you texted Uki on the subway, it was the phantom touch of fingers creeping along your waist or the hem of your skirt that felt too targeted to simply be an accident or a random groper.

Wandering through the library was meant to be a leisurely adventure, yet as of late, you were instinctively hurrying your steps to Fulgur’s office, gripped by the thought of being followed.

Those were the moments when you craved to be alone, to be free of the fascination of those prying eyes, this obsessive presence.

You knew this building anxiety was soon going to drive you mad–this was no way to live after all.

And so, on a day when there was a downpour, the city swept with shadows and gloom, you blurted out a plea for company as you left work, your face flustered, your fingers digging into the strap of your bag.

By contrast to the moody gray clouds above, the friendly security guard of your company office was a needed ray of sunshine.

He pretty much embodied such radiance, with his bright blonde locks, the gentle look in his amethyst eyes, and the warm smile he showed as he nodded in response to your request.

Sonny Brisko was someone you could trust.

And what a blessing his presence served. He loomed so much taller above you and even out of his work uniform, he still looked so mighty and strong even in a cap, a white t-shirt and black jogger pants. Somehow, during this one trek back home, you felt peace at last from those creeping eyes, perverse fingers, and haunting presence.

The shining armor of your knight was a blue athleisure jacket and a black face mask and you couldn’t be more thankful.

Soon, your apartment complex was within sight at last. By now, night had completely swept over the city and with the stormy weather above, the light of the entrance lobby was blacked out as was the green light for the electronic passcode keypad.

A sign of a power outage.

It was a minor inconvenience, but one you could work around as you drew out your key to open the side door manually.

Your intention was to navigate your way up the stairway with the light of your phone on your lonesome.

Sonny’s hand reached for your wrist.

Gently, of course.

It was too dangerous to go alone, he remarked.

He did not mind escorting you further and the low dulcet timber of his voice was something you couldn’t resist.

You lived a few floors up, but he remarked how he was used to climbing a similar set flight of stairs.

All the while his hand rested along the small of your back as he ushered you through the darkness, the light of his phone and yours guiding your path.

He was close enough that you could feel the warmth of his body heat.

It was comforting at first, but as you got closer to your apartment, you couldn’t help but feel a chill that was slowly clawing its way into your body.

Something within your mind told you that loneliness was absolutely necessary as soon as possible.

Your front door was within reach soon enough.

You whipped out your key as quickly as you offered your thanks to Sonny, right as your eyes caught his.

Where there was once warmth and comfort was something crazed and dark.

Your door was barely open when his hand reached for your wrist once again.

Possessively, of course.

His large and daunting frame of his once brought a sense of protection and security earlier.

Now it was being used to make his way into your home, your sanctuary, all while his fingers reached for your cheeks, cupping them lovingly as he hummed with an all too sweet smile,

“You look lonely, love. Why don’t you let me in?”

#sonny brisko x reader #noctyx x reader #nijisanji en x reader #Noctyx smut #reader insert #Fic #super freaknasty writing

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historysideblog · 2 years ago

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Online History Short-Courses offered by Universities Masterpost

Categories: Classical Studies, Egyptology, Medieval, Renaissance, The Americas, Asia, Other, Linguistics, Archaeology

How to get Coursera courses for free: There are several types of courses on Coursera, some will allow you to study the full course and only charge for the optional-certificate, for others you will need to audit it and you may have limited access (usually just to assignments), and thirdly some courses charge a monthly subscription in this case a 7 day free trial is available.

Classical Studies 🏛️🏺

At the Origins of the Mediterranean Civilization: Archeology of the City from the Levant to the West 3rd-1st millennium BC - Sapienza University of Rome

Greek and Roman Mythology - University of Pennsylvania

Health and Wellbeing in the Ancient World - Open University

Roman Architecture - Yale

Roman Art and Archeology - University of Arizona

Rome: A Virtual Tour of the Ancient City - University of Reading

The Ancient Greeks - Wesleyan University

The Changing Landscape of Ancient Rome. Archeology and History of Palatine Hill - Sapienza University of Rome

Uncovering Roman Britain in Old Museum Collections - University of Reading

Egyptology 𓂀⚱️

Egypt before and after pharaohs - Sapienza University of Rome

Introduction to Ancient Egypt and Its Civilization - University of Pennsylvania

Wonders of Ancient Egypt - University of Pennsylvania

Medieval 🗡️🏰

Age of Cathedrals - Yale

Coexistence in Medieval Spain: Jews, Christians, and Muslims - University of Colorado

Deciphering Secrets: The Illuminated Manuscripts of Medieval Europe - University of Colorado

Enlightening the Dark Ages: Early Medieval Archaeology in Italy - University of Padova

Lancaster Castle and Northern English History: The View from the Stronghold - Lancaster University

Magic in the Middle Ages - University of Barcelona

Old Norse Mythology in the Sources - University of Colorado Bolder

Preserving Norwegian Stave Churches - Norwegian University of Science and Technology

The Book of Kells: Exploring an Irish Medieval Masterpiece - Trinity College Dublin

The Cosmopolitan Medival Arabic World - University of Leiden

Renaissance ⚜️🃏

Black Tudors: The Untold Story

European Empires: An Introduction, 1400–1522 - University of Newcastle

The Mediterranean, a Space of Exchange (from Renaissance to Enlightenment) - University of Barcelona

The Life and Afterlife of Mary Queen of Scots - University of Glasgow

The Tudors - University of Roehampton London

The Americas 🪶🦙🛖

History of Slavery in the British Caribbean - University of Glasgow

Indigeneity as a Global Concept - University of Newcastle

Indigenous Canada - University of Alberta

Indigenous Religions & Ecology - Yale

Asia 🏯🛕

Contemporary India - University of Melbourne

Introduction to Korean Philosophy - Sung Kyun Kwan University

Japanese Culture Through Rare Books - University of Keio

Sino-Japanese Interactions Through Rare Books - University of Keio

The History and Culture of Chinese Silk - University for the Creative Arts

Travelling Books: History in Europe and Japan - University of Keio

Other

A Global History of Sex and Gender: Bodies and Power in the Modern World - University of Glasgow

A History of Royal Fashion - University of Glasgow

Anarchy in the UK: A History of Punk from 1976-78 - University of Reading

Biodiversity, Guardianship, and the Natural History of New Zealand: A Museum Perspective - Te Papa

Empire: the Controversies of British Imperialism - University of Exeter

Great South Land: Introducing Australian History - University of Newcastle

Indigeneity as a Global Concept - University of Newcastle

New Zealand History, Culture and Conflict: A Museum Perspective - Te Papa

Organising an Empire: The Assyrian Way - LMU Munich

Plagues, Witches, and War: The Worlds of Historical Fiction - University of Virginia

Russian History: from Lenin to Putin - University of California Santa Cruz

Linguistics 🗣️

Introduction to Comparative Indo-European Linguistics - University of Leiden - Coursera version

Miracles of Human Language: An Introduction to Linguistics - University of Leiden

Archeology 💀

Archeoastronomy - University of Milan

Archaeology and the Battle of Dunbar 1650 - Durham University

Archaeology: from Dig to Lab and Beyond - University of Reading

Archeology: Recovering the Humankind's Past and Saving the Universal Heritage - Sapienza University of Rome

Change of Era: The Origins of Christian Culture through the Lens of Archaeology - University of Padova

Endangered Archaeology: Using Remote Sensing to Protect Cultural Heritage - Universities of Durham, Leicester & Oxford

Enlightening the Dark Ages: Early Medieval Archaeology in Italy - University of Padova

Exploring Stone Age Archaeology: The Mysteries of Star Carr - University of York

Forensic Archaeology and Anthropology - Durham University

Roman Art and Archeology - University of Arizona

The Changing Landscape of Ancient Rome. Archeology and History of Palatine Hill - Sapienza University of Rome

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brokehorrorfan · 1 year ago

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Picnic at Hanging Rock will be released on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on April 9 via The Criterion Collection. Eric Skillman designed the cover art for the 1975 Australian mystery film.

Peter Weir (The Truman Show, Dead Poets Society) directs from a script by Cliff Green, based on Joan Lindsay's 1967 novel. Anne-Louise Lambert, Rachel Roberts, Dominic Guard, Helen Morse, Vivean Gray, and Jacki Weaver star.

Picnic at Hanging Rock has been newly restored in 4K, supervised by Weir and director of photography Russell Boyd, with HDR and 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio. Special features are listed below.

Special features:

Interview with director Peter Weir

Making-of featurette with executive producer Patricia Lovell, producers Hal McElroy and Jim McElroy, and cast members

Introduction by film scholar David Thomson, author of The New Biographical Dictionary of Film

On-set documentary hosted by executive producer Patricia Lovell and featuring interviews with Peter Weir, actor Rachel Roberts, and author Joan Lindsay

Homesdale - 1971 black comedy directed by Peter Weir

Trailer

Essay by author Megan Abbott and an excerpt from film scholar Marek Haltof’s 1996 book Peter Weir: When Cultures Collide

This sensual and striking chronicle of a disappearance and its aftermath put director Peter Weir on the map and helped usher in a new era of Australian cinema. Based on an acclaimed 1967 novel by Joan Lindsay, Picnic at Hanging Rock is set at the turn of the twentieth century and concerns a small group of students from an all-female college who vanish, along with a chaperone, while on a St. Valentine’s Day outing. Less a mystery than a journey into the mystic, as well as an inquiry into issues of class and sexual repression in Australian society, Weir’s gorgeous, disquieting film is a work of poetic horror whose secrets haunt viewers to this day.

Pre-order Picnic at Hanging Rock.

#picnic at hanging rock #peter weir #anne louise lambert #rachel roberts #criterion #criterion collection #the criterion collection #dvd #gift #eric skillman #70s movies #1970s movies #joan lindsay #mystery

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witchcraftandgeekness · 1 year ago

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TVD X Six of Crows crossover almost nobody asked for

Kaz Brekker

(i tried to make vampire!Kaz aesthetic. The problem is, it looks like simple Kaz aesthetic)

In 20's his brother was killed by his sire but Kaz was turned. This traumatic event lead to Kaz's touch aversion, which made feeding much harder for him. Nowadays he gladly uses blood bags.

Kaz lead the gang called the Dregs in Amsterdam for years. He also formed his supernatural crew, the Crows. When the Original Hybrid contacted him, promising a big reward for kidnapping the doppelganger, Brekker couldn't resist the oportunity.

(i have no intention of erasing Kaz's disability, his leg was injured before his transition therefore he is still limping and uses cane)

Inej Ghafa

Inej Ghafa, the vampire of Nepali origin, who was turned by Kaz, which saved her from Tante Heleen, the witch known for making magically-induced contracts. She is called the Wraith for her ability to move soundlessly, even for vampire hearing. Inej had mastered her control and doesn't feed on humans (unless they really, really deserve that).

(i wanted to make her muslim but it somehow didn't work. Ravkan Saints are clear allusion on Russian saints, which are from Orthodox Christianity. Also I gave her Nepali origin because of Amita Suman)

Jesper Fahey

Jesper is a part of Dregs and the Crows. He was born in Australia (Novyi Zem is mentioned to be based on Australian colonies and i love Australia way too much), and went to college in Netherlands. Unfortunatally for him, things went wrong and he ended up working on Kaz because of his sharpshooter skills and secret magical abilities.

(i imagine Colm to be Irish who imigrated in Australia while Aditi is Indigenous Australian and a witch, zowa as their coven called themselves)

Wylan van Eck Hendriks

The only human in their gang, Wylan balances this by being a demolitions expert, and having impressive knowledge of alchemy and chemistry. He is proficient in music and graffiti art as well (because I said so). Later it was revealed that Wylan knew about supernatural from his father, who was the part of Amsterdam's Counsel of supernatural awareness (which wasn't an obstacle when Van Eck needed some magical help for his own profit). Like Kaz, Wylan was born in Netherlands.

Nina Zenik

Nina comes from Russia and more specifically, Grisha – that's how the coven that consists of witches from different Slavic bloodlines call themselves. For many centuries years the coven has been lead by heretic called the Darkling, who was searching for young witches with the proper heritage and recruting them in the coven. Nina was one of them. Until she met Matthias.

When she ended up in Amsterdam and Matthias – in the jail of local coven, she joined Kaz and worked on him ever since.

Later her magic experienced harsh shift, making her magical source rotate around death instead of nature and life. Among other newfound abilities, she now can see those on the Other Side.

Matthias Helvar

Matthias was born in Swedish werewolf pack that had long-term war with the Grisha coven. The youth go through an initiation by killing their first witch. Something went wrong with Matthias' first kill.

He became an outcast by falling in love with one of Grisha, Nina Zenik. He promised to protect her in life and death and proceeded to fullfil his promise. Even from the Other side.

I got hyped up by this AU and can do nothing about it.

#if anybody would like to make this idea into fic i wouldnt mind #just tell me guys i want to read it too #tvd x soc crossover #tvd au #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #jesper fahey #wylan van eck #nina zenik #matthias helvar #six of crows #six of crows au #shadow and bone

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autismtana · 9 months ago

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so you wanna write a heartbreak high fic, but you're american (part 3)

I decided to create a separate post for the HSC, ATAR, uni and post-secondary study because our system is so completely different to American systems (and because my previous post was too long).

In Australia, tertiary study falls into two categories: higher education, and vocational education and training. This post will touch on university, as well as other forms of tertiary study and trades.

The uni part of this will be the longest because it tends to be the thing most people get wrong.

Preliminary/HSC

In NSW, year 11 (Preliminary) only goes for three terms. In term 4 of the calendar year in which you started year 11, you start the HSC course, which goes from term 4 of that year to term 3 of the following year. Midway through term 3, you do your trial exams (if you are doing music/drama/languages/anything with a performance/oral component/major work, you will have your practical exam/major work submission in the latter part of term 3). You then will have a graduation ceremony at the end of term 3, and your HSC exams will happen in October-November (term 4), while the kids in the grade below you are starting their HSC coursework. Nothing you do in year 11 counts towards the HSC (until term 4); in fact, nothing you do in any year up until you do your first HSC assessments counts towards your HSC. We don't have grade point averages here. Actually, your rankings in your individual subjects are probably more important than your actual marks (this video explains it). More academic kids might get a bit more competitive about rankings but also tend to want to work together to ensure that they all do well.

ATAR

After you do your HSC exams in year 12, depending on the combination of subjects you did and how well you did in your courses, you get an ATAR, which determines what courses you can get into at uni. This article explains somewhat how different subjects are scaled (because there are some that are perceived to be more difficult than others; this is objectively true in some cases, for example, advanced maths is called advanced for a reason so a higher mark in advanced should be seen as more meaningful than a higher mark in standard, but in other cases, it gets a bit more confusing). What it boils down to is certain subjects tend to attract more 'high achievers' than others, so get scaled higher. That being said, the prevailing advice is that everyone should choose the subjects they like and are good at, not what they think will get them into uni.

Higher education

Firstly, we call university "uni" here. We don't say "college" or "school" to talk specifically about university (if an Australian person is talking about going to school, they're either still in compulsory schooling, i.e. K-12, or they're a teacher). We do sooooort of have college here, but I'll touch on that later.

In Australia, kids apply for the course, not the university. Whether or not you get into the course you want is, for the most part, dependent on your ATAR. The exception is if you're applying for something like a creative arts course that might require an audition, or submission of a portfolio. Most unis offer early admission, particularly for kids who live in rural areas, and UNSW has a program for indigenous students for Business, Education, Law, Medicine, Social Work, or Science & Engineering. The most common universities you'll hear about in Sydney are USyd, UNSW, UTS, Western Sydney Uni and Macquarie, then there are ANU and UC in Canberra, LaTrobe in Albury/Wodonga, CSU in Dubbo/Bathurst/Wagga Wagga, UNE in Armidale and Newcastle Uni. There's also Notre Dame, which is a private, religious institution, and a bunch of other smaller schools.

USyd is the oldest university in NSW; it's referred to as a sandstone uni and tends to be the most sought after one that most people want to go to.

Most courses here are Commonwealth Supported, and domestic students are allowed to claim what's called HECS, meaning that you defer payment of your uni fees until you start earning a certain amount of money, and then it comes out of your taxes. In some cases, scholarships are offered, but those are generally more academic scholarships, or, say, for students studying to be teachers, they might get offered a scholarship to teach a certain school subject and as part of their scholarship get a guaranteed position at a hard-to-staff schooling area. As I said in part 2, we don't have anything like the NCAA here (it's not like the Sydney Uni basketball team has a mega rivalry with the UNSW basketball team like UNC vs Duke for example). Australian kids also don't have to pay exorbitant fees to apply for the courses they want. When I was applying to uni as a year 12 student, I paid something like $30 to UAC and applied for every arts/law course available in the Sydney area. I think there's a limit on how many courses you can apply for (maybe 16 or so) but it has been a while since I've applied for an undergrad uni course, so I could be wrong. That being said, a kid might be eligible for a scholarship if they excel at sport, but I believe they'd have to be already enrolled in the university and achieving academically at a certain level first.

Coming back to the "college" thing - a lot of kids tend to go to uni where they live and commute to and from there. That being said, sometimes kids come from towns where there are no universities, or kids from Sydney might end up going to uni interstate or to somewhere like Charles Sturt, which has campuses in Dubbo and Bathurst. "College" in Australia refers to the residential housing available to students living on campus (usually kids studying away from home, but some locals also choose to opt for this as well).

As for uni life, I'd suggest researching the different social clubs and societies different universities have.

Vocational education and training

Not everyone chooses to go to uni after they leave school. A lot of schools actually offer school-based apprenticeships and traineeships (SBATs) in a number of different industries, which counts towards the HSC and is professional work experience. Early childhood and automotive tend to be really popular. TAFE (Australia's largest vocational education and training provider) provides a lot of courses and opportunities for people (some of the courses are actually really cool; a friend of mine did a music course through TAFE and recorded a bunch of singles).

Work experience

This isn't really related to post-secondary schooling, but is still a pretty important aspect of the NSW school experience. Usually in year 10, kids spend a week doing work experience (there's actually a plot in the original Heartbreak High series about it that Jane and Leanne from Snarkbreak High talked about). Kids generally have to organise it themselves and it's usually related to a career they'd like to have after school. My younger brother did his at our local vet, and after that, he realised he no longer wanted to be a vet.

Other resources

Wikipedia (don't let anyone tell you not to use it - it's one of the best peer-reviewed journals ever and all the info on Australian schooling there is completely legit)

NESA

Bored of Studies forum

Snarkbreak High podcast (this is run by 2 Australian teachers; I think they're from Melbourne and they're currently only doing the original series but they have some great commentary, and they've even had Scott Major, aka Peter Rivers, aka Darren's dad as a guest)

Sydney Morning Herald (they always have a ton of articles about NSW schooling)

UNSW Indigenous Pre-Program

#heartbreak high #fanfic advice #basically a guide to how to write about school in australia if you're american #life in australia #i actually know way more about this shit than i have any right to wtf

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