#but i'll give albatross that one

[neramontagofficial]

I had considered putting together a series of who wore it better style posts for Albatross and Karrakin frame ornaments, given the comparisons people love to draw to both of our "knightly" aesthetics, but I forgot that Albatross has a brand endorsement deal with the manufacturer best known for wholesale piracy implements.

Not that there aren't Karrakins buying IPS-N, it's just that I think it would be unfair to represent us with pirates and terrapunks.

[drvscarlett]

The Tortured Drivers' Department

— combining another one of my favorites. I'll be taking notes and writing fics about which TTPD song do I associate with the drivers ( + I will be including the retired ones). This is the main list and I'll be linking them when I finished writing them. Let me know if you wanna be tagged

Also give TTPD a listen. Its so beautiful and a masterpiece

Fortnight

— i love you, its ruining my life (Lewis Hamilton x Mercedes!reader)

The Tortured Poets Department 

— At dinner you take my ring off my middle finger and put it on the one people put wedding rings on. And that's the closest I've come to my heart exploding (Pierre Gasly x ex!reader)

My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys 

— 'Cause he took me out of my box, stole my tortured heart left all these broken parts (Lando Norris x reader)

Down Bad

— Fuck it if I can't have him (Charles Leclerc x kpop idol!reader)

So Long, London

— You swore that you loved me, but where were the clues? (George Russell x secret girlfriend! reader)

But Daddy I Love Him

— "I'm having his baby" No, I'm not, but you should see your faces (Alex Albon x Horner!reader)

Fresh Out the Slammer

— Now, pretty baby, I'm runnin' back home to you (Esteban Ocon x childhood bestfriend!reader)

Florida!!! (feat. Florence + the Machine) 

—I need to forget, so take me to Florida (Logan Sargeant x heiress!reader)

Guilty as Sin?

—What if he's written "mine" on my upper thigh only in my mind? (Oscar Piastri x bestfriend!reader)

Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?

— I was tame, I was gentle till the circus life made me mean (Nico Rosberg x Lewis Hamilton)

I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)

— they shake their heads, saying, "God help her" when I tell 'em he's my man (Daniel Ricciardo x longtime girlfriend!reader)

loml

— Oh, what a valiant roar. What a bland goodbye. The coward claimed he was a lion (Max Verstappen x childhood sweetheart!reader)

I Can Do It With a Broken Heart 

— Lights, camera, bitch, smile (Zhou Guanyu x model!reader)

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived

— And I'll forget you, but I'll never forgive (Yuki Tsunoda x Actress!reader)

The Alchemy

—'Cause the sign on your heart said it's still reserved for me (Kimi Räikkönen x assistant!reader)

Clara Bow

— This town is fake, but you're the real thing (Sebastian Vettel x Ferrari heir!reader)

The Black Dog

— I am someone who, until recent events you shared your secrets with (Mick Schumacher x driver!reader

imgonnagetyouback

— I'm an Aston Martin that you steered straight into the ditch (Fernando Alonso x wife!reader)

The Albatross

— She's the albatross, she is here to destroy you (Jenson Button x revenger!reader)

Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus

—So if I sell my apartment and you have some kids with an internet starlet. Will that make your memory fade from this scarlet maroon? (Carlos Sainz x Vasseur!reader)

How Did It End?

— The deflation of our dreaming leaving me bereft and reeling (Logan Sargeant x Oscar Piastri)

So High School

—You knew what you wanted, and, boy, you got her (Charles Leclerc x reader ft Max Verstappen x childhood friend!reader)

I Hate It Here

—I hate it here so I will go to secret gardens in my mind (Kimi Räikkönen x interviewer! reader)

thanK you aIMee

— And then she wrote headlines in the local paper laughing at each baby step I'd take (Mark Webber x reader)

I Look in People’s Windows

—What if your eyes looked up and met mine one more time (Sebastian Vettel x reader)

The Prophecy

—Don't want money, just someone who wants my company (Pierre Gasly x politician's daughter!reader)

Cassandra

—So they killed Cassandra first cause she feared the worst (Lewis Hamilton x wife!reader)

Peter

— Forgive me, Peter, please know that I tried to hold onto the days when you were mine (Lando Norris x reader)

The Bolter

— "Oh, we must stop meeting like this" (Max Verstappen x hollywood starlet!reader)

Robin

— You have no room in your dreams for regrets (Oscar Piastri x girlfriend!reader)

The Manuscript

—One last souvenir from my trip to your shores. Now and then I re-read the manuscript. But the story isn't mine anymore (Carlos Sainz x McLaren employee!reader)

[msmc-796-official]

hey, wait a sec, aren't you the pilot the Albatross just hauled outta that metavault? how did you manage to contact us? ah, nevermind, you're from the future, keep your secrets

to answer your question - we appreciate the offer, but I think MSMC-148's gonna get us outta here via command. the Albatross are still coming, but they won't airlift us out - something about "mercs gotta deal with their own consequences" or some bullshit like that. bunch of cowards, too afraid to sully their good name rescuing mercenaries when they basically do merc work for IPS-N themselves

(also, more importantly, one of ours - Angel herself, actually - has had some pretty intense PTSD episodes related to the DHIYED metavault. she flies a dusk wing, and the... let's call em "side effects" of that frame haven't been particularly kind to her. she probably wouldn't take to blink travel very well in any situation, haywire sunzi or otherwise)

-- Slipshod

A way out.

@msmc-796-official How motion/blink-sick does your squad get from portal technology, and how willing are you people to risk getting stuck in the middle of nowhere in space due to the chance of an overclocked Sunzi reactor going haywire.

[goldenlikedayl1ght]

the albatross - m. murdock

a/n: hi everyone! so this is that weird and off putting reader i was mentioning earlier! she's not that weird but she's sort of odd so yeah. also i know bucky is the winter soldier but idk how else to tag this so oh well! i do have lore and stuff for readers time as a soldier so i'll include that in later installments! i was kind of in a writers block and this pushed me out of that. so enjoy! please please tell me what you thought and if you want more! warnings: cursing, mentions of death, war, torture, pain, people being dead, reader having horrible people skills and ptsd, mentions of sex maybe? uhmmm in general reader is just sort of strange and this is her and matt's early relationship, so sorry if i missed anything ! word count: 3.6k summary: you have spent the past ninety (give or take) years tortured and in pain. then, a handsome stranger comes into your life and changes everything. pairing: matt murdock x winter soldier!fem!reader now playing: the albatross - taylor swift "i'm the albatross/i swept in at the rescue/the devil that you know/looks now more like an angel/i'm the life you chose/and all this terrible danger"

You’re working a morning shift at the bakery when he comes in. The pastries in the case are laid out just so, and you have been meticulously working on this sign for your fall specials. You are determined to focus on something that is not how poorly you slept, your hair tied up in a braid behind you as you work.

You’re determined to get these pumpkin stems drawn correctly; a green marker clenched in your hand. Your knuckles are white with the tension you are holding in your fingers. It’s around eight in the god damn morning, and you have been awake since around three a.m.

You don’t even hear the bell ring, nor do you hear the click-clacking of a cane on the tiled floors, you only hear an awkward clearing of the throat, to which you spin around, about to throw the marker at the customer, but stopping when you realize what you’re doing.

The customer smiles awkwardly at you, and you recognize instantly that between his glasses and cane, he is most definitely blind. You almost feel silly, until you remember everything, and you wish that there was more moments where you think you’re silly for being paranoid.

And there’s something else, too. You look at this man for a few moments, before realizing that he is so god damn hot. Which, is weird, because you have not felt anything for any man or woman in years, too busy focusing on other things, too busy thinking about everything that’s happened. But god, the stubble tracing his face, the way his dark hair falls, and the way his hand wraps around his cane..

But what gets you really is his lips. Maybe you’re staring, maybe you don’t care. But his lips are this pretty pink, and you find yourself getting lost in the nicest daydream you’ve had in a very long time..

And then, you snap out of that fantasy to remind yourself that you are working and don’t even know his name.

“Hi, sorry,” You cough awkwardly, “Was just focused,” You tell him, approaching the counter. You wipe your sweaty hands on your apron, before putting on your best ‘I’m a friendly bakery worker who just wants to sell you pastries, also tip me please!’ smile on. “What can I get you?” You ask.

“Do you guys have apple turnovers?” It is the first time this fall that is under 65 degrees, so you understand that there is some cravings for autumn snacks.

“Yeah, yeah,” You move towards the case to get some, “Just the one?”

“Three, actually. For the office.” He hums.

“Some big office,” Your voice is a sarcastic mumble, not really for the an to hear but he chuckles at it, and you almost think it’s weird that he an hear you but your brain tells you not to judge, since there is a whole lot the handsome stranger could judge you for.

“We’re a small business. Very friendly, very personable.”

You cannot help yourself, and you find yourself asking, “What sort of business are you in?” What the handsome stranger does not know is that you are insatiably angry at yourself for asking that because you had pretty much promised yourself that you were never going to have any sort of relationship—it wouldn’t be fair to them, it wouldn’t be fair to you. And as previously established, that wasn’t a problem, because you weren’t really attracted to anyone before this handsome stranger waltzed on into the bakery.

“I’m a lawyer.” He smiles. A lawyer.

“Well, Mr. Lawyer, your total is 10.75.” He pulls out a twenty and when you hand him change, he asks, “Which one is the five?” and you wordlessly pull out the five from the stack you handed him, before he puts the rest of the change in his wallet, dropping a five and a small card into your tip jar. “You have a good day now.” He hums, before making his way out of the bakery.

You watch intently, maybe a little too intently, and you hear the voice of your best friend from your teenage years in your head saying, ‘You hate to see him go, but you love to watch him leave.’ And a small smile finds its way to your face.

Then, you notice the card he dropped in the jar before fishing it out. On the front, it reads,

‘Matthew M. Murdock, Attorney at Law.’ On the back, you read,

‘Nelson, Murdock & Page, Attorneys at Law,

Hell’s Kitchen’

Accompanied by this is a phone number and an address.

You pocket the card, and before you know it, costumers are flooding in, and you ease into the day, forgetting about the handsome stranger until you leave the bakery at around six o’clock that night. You finish cleaning up from the day before letting the woman who works to prep for the next day. Then you leave, heading home to the too quiet, too small apartment.

You don’t have much in your apartment. You sleep with a gun under your pillow and you have a cheap TV on your dresser. You spend most of your time catching up on books or movies. You make yourself box mac and cheese before eating it right out of the pot, sitting on your kitchen floor.

As you cook the mac and cheese, you say his name over and over again, letting it sit on your tongue and escape your lips, thinking about him intently. You glance at your watch and decide that maybe it’s early enough that he might still be at his office.

You fish your tiny flip phone out of your pocket, dialing the number on the card and waiting. You’re holding your breath as the phone rings. A thought runs through your brain that maybe he gave you a wrong number and then your brain immediately reminds you that no man is ever going to give you his card, printed out, just to fuck with you.

“Nelson, Murdock & Page, how can I help you?” A voice asks, and you blink, hesitating for a minute.

“Uh, I’m looking for Matthew.” You say, and there’s some light shuffling, and again, this regret shoots over you until you hear a very smooth, very familiar voice,

“Hey,” His voice is like honey and you long to hear it clearer—The first time you’ve desired a better phone. “I was hoping you’d call.”

“Yeah, well, Maybe I just like the sound of your voice.”

“You know usually, that’s my line.”

“Wait, that works on people?” You hear his laugh on the other side of the phone and a shiver runs down your spine as you itch to make him laugh more.

“Telling people they’re beautiful doesn’t hit the same when you’re blind.”

“I guess not..” There’s a silence on his end of the phone, before he says,

“I never got your name.” For a moment, you consider giving him a fake name, but you find yourself giving him your name, the one that your parents gave you all those years ago. It’s foreign on your lips, a rare gem that you do not often give out. He repeats it and you swear you could almost die right then and there. “What are you doing tonight?” 

You’re taken back by his forwardness, not anticipating that maybe this handsome stranger, Matthew, wants to be around you just as bad as you want to be around him. And then you look around at your dingy apartment, with your boxy TV, the gun under your pillow, and you, sitting on the floor of your kitchen, having just finished eating box mac and cheese with a wooden spoon that just for a second tastes like the one your mother used to cook with, the one you’d get tastes of sauces, soups, anything you could get your hands on.

And then you remember everything that happened after those days sneaking tastes of your mom’s cooking and you feel guilty for pursuing handsome Matthew, because he has no idea what he is getting into.

“Just finished dinner. Was planning on just relaxing.” Reading until around midnight and then getting an hour or two of sleep.

“Well, how about we go do something?” You detect a bit of hopefulness in his voice. You find yourself asking before you can stop yourself,

“Like, like a date?” And he laughs again.

“Yes, like a date.”

“I don’t know,” You start, “Usually I have to ask my father’s permission before I go out on the town with a boy.” You want to slap your hand over your mouth because you sound your age. Oh god.

“Really?”

“..No.” You hope he finds your weird, totally not a cover up, joke funny. And he laughs again, telling you,

“You’re funny.”

Yeah, really fucking hilarious.

“So, a date?”

“A date.” You consider this for a moment. A date might lead somewhere real. Somewhere dangerous. Somewhere you haven’t been in.. years. Years might be an understatement. Your heart thuds against your chest, and you find yourself full of that nostalgic thing you call desire.

“What would we do?”

“Anything you want.” He tells you.

“Anything? That’s dangerous.” Because this whole thing is dangerous, you want to tell him, maybe you should mention the whole age thing, the whole assassin thing, the whole brainwashing thing, the whole thing.

“Yeah? What dangerous things do you have in mind, doll?” You have to hold the phone away from your ear to breathe, because it feels like someone just took the winds out of your sails. Suddenly it is 1940 something and a boy is flirting with you, and you have to act like a lady in hopes that he will treat you right.

Odd thing to think about today, but you’re an odd person.

“What about ice cream and a bookstore?” You ask, and for a moment you want to hit yourself for not suggesting something cool like a club or something and then you realize that you have no idea what counts as a cool date in this day and age.

Did you know when you were a teenager and had the world at your fingertips, eighty (give or take) years ago?

But to your surprise, handsome Matthew just responds,

“That sounds nice. Do you want me to pick you up at your apartment?”

The idea of handsome Matthew being at your tiny apartment that is not suitable for a date makes your heart race.

“I’ll meet you at the ice cream place in an hour. You know the one near the bakery?”

“Yeah. See you then.”

“Yeah. See you.” And when you hang up, you realize just what has happened. For the first time since 1944, You have landed yourself a date with a handsome man that is genuinely interested in you and in your infinite wisdom decided that ice cream and books were the best way to impress him.. Books.. Blind man.

You lightly bang your head against the counter behind you, muttering to yourself how stupid that was. But you an only dwell on it for a moment before you are standing up and making your way over to your room to get ready.

You’re still in your work uniform. And you look like an idiot. So, you clean yourself up and pull on something presentable, something comfortable. There is no confusion as to the nature of this meet up, you two are going on a date and you asked a blind man to go to a bookstore. You feel like an asshole. And you’re aware that you’re putting emphasis on that, but still!

You go through outfits and outfits, trying to figure out what an appropriate outfit is for this first date. You end up in something casual, and you hope you’re not underdressed. Honestly, you know you’re making a fuss over something as standard as a date, but you are genuinely desperate to have this go well.

You finally decide on an outfit and make your way out the door, grabbing your jacket and stepping out of the apartment. You stop outside of your door before turning around and going back into your room to change your top.

But eventually, you do get to the ice cream place Matt and you had discussed on the phone. And there he is, in all his glory, wearing the same outfit he wore when you saw him in the bakery that morning, only, without his tie, and he looks more disheveled. Somehow it’s more charming to see him like this, more exhilarating to imagine a life with such a low stakes man (You’ll look back on this thought later and laugh)

“Hi,” You greet, and Matt smiles in your direction.

“Hi.” He hums, and again, you feel nervous! So, before he can say much else, you blurt out,

“So, This is my first date in a while.. So. Sorry about that.” You say awkwardly.

“A while?” He asks, tilting his head like a curious dog. You’re struck by the fact that he is around 70 years younger than you. “Like, a few months?”

A beat.

Handsome Matthew is much busier than you are, it seems.

“More like a couple of years.” And by ‘a couple’ you mean eighty some odd years, but Matt doesn’t need to know all of that right now. But he just hums and nods, before answering,

“That’s alright, I’ll be gentle.” Your face flushes, and with a nervous laugh, you ask,

“You mean we’ll take it slow?”

“Sure. Whatever. We’ll figure out the details of it all later.” His hand finds yours, and before you can protest he pulls you into the ice cream shop. Handsome Matthew orders chocolate chip cookie dough because he is perfect in every way, and you order..

“Butter pecan, please.” You get odd glances from Matthew and the seventeen year old minimum wage worker behind the counter, but neither of them say anything. You manage to beat Matthew to paying for the ice cream, and as you walk, he asks,

“Butter pecan? Really?” And you roll your eyes. Young people today, always judging.

“You’re lucky they didn’t have butterscotch, that’s my real favorite.” You respond, before taking a lick of the ice cream. Your handsome date, gives you another bizarre look.

“Okay, what’s your third favorite ice cream flavor?”

“Mm..” You take a few minutes to think about it, before deciding on your answer. “A tie between pistachio and coffee.” And at your answer, Matt laughs at you. You let out an offended gasp, although you’re not being serious, before asking, “what’s so horrible about that?”

“You have the ice cream preferences of an eighty year old,” He laughs and you laugh too, because oh, if only he knew.

“Sorry, my pallet is straight from the 40’s.” It’s a joke. That’s a joke. Not at all based in facts or actuality. You continue working through eating your ice cream and talking to your handsome date. “So, does the handsome lawyer have any family I should know about?”

“You think I’m handsome?” He grins, and your face flushes.

“Answer the question.”

“No siblings. My dad died when I was young and It’s only recently that I’ve been talking to my mother.” Interesting, you think, and then this dawning realization happens where you realize that the next thing out of his mouth will be the inevitable question, “How about your family?”

You consider lying but you decide against it. If this is going to lead anywhere good, you don’t want to base it off lies.

“Not much to say. I’m the sole survivor.” You shrug, keeping it vague. He frowns a bit before squeezing your hand.

“A couple of orphans, huh?”

You squeeze his back.

“Seems like it.”

You kind of aren’t over the death of your parents and your siblings and quite literally everyone you knew as a teenager and young adult—You’re not over so many fucking things that if you went through it all, you’d probably keep poor Handsome Matthew up all night.

But instead of talking about that, Matt finds himself walking with you to the bookstore. You hold the door open for him and begin to wander. You quickly move past the books on World War II, as if faced with an ex you want nothing to do with them.

You begin to look at the romance books, scrunching your nose at how cheesy and surface level so many of these young adult novels are. But then you remind yourself that you are a hundred years old. But you look like you’re in your late twenties, early thirties. As you’re looking at the books, Matthew makes his way to the aisle next to yours, and talks to you through the stacks.

“So, what’s your favorite book?”

“That’s like asking a mother her favorite child.” You answer quickly, and you hear him laugh. Your face flushes.

“Try for me.”

“Uh, I really love Great Gatsby. I’m kind of fascinated with the zombie genre, too, it’s sort of new and interesting, and uh, oh, I read this Neil Gaiman novel, uh, Stardust? I really liked that.” You confess. Matt listens as you fumble through novels, both of you making your way towards the end of the aisle.

“And movies?”

“Why is everything about me? I didn’t hear your favorite novel.”

“The Outsiders.” He responds, and you make a mental note to try and find it in the bookstore. “So, movies?”

You’ve had autonomy for around three years now, so.. Your movie knowledge has been kind of stunted, so you wrack your brain to try and come up with something impressive.

“I really like the Indiana Jones series, uh, oh, The Matrix, and..” You ponder your brain. “Oh! And King Kong!” You saw that one in the theatres for your thirteenth birthday.

“Like, the one that came out in 2017?” He asks, and again, you consider lying, because you actually have seen that one because when you looked up ‘King Kong’ it came out, and it really blew your mind how far CGI had come.

“No, the one that came out in ’33.” As if it is the most normal thing in the entire world.

“One of your favorite movies is one from 1933?” And the old woman in you wants to insist that you loved the decades you grew up in, and that seeing King Kong in the theatres was a marvelous thing because you could barely afford rent. And then you remember you shouldn’t reveal your history with the Great Depression to a man you’re on your first date with.

“Yup.” You assert, and ask, “You?”

“Star Wars, any of them, and the Princess Bride.” Again, you make a note to add it to your list.

“Interesting.” You hum, and you find The Outsiders, wanting to read it, to consume it, to consume him, and every thought he has. The two of you meet at the end of the aisle, too close to be platonic as his hands come to find your arms, and you shudder at the affection.

“Touch starved, huh?” He grins. You flush and roll your eyes.

“You’re so mean.” You huff, and he laughs. His hand moves up your arms and cups your jaw, enjoying the feeling of your warm cheeks.

“Well, you’re odd.”

“Odd?”

“Everything about you. Your movie tastes, your jokes, your ice cream flavors.” He hums, with a soft shrug. “It’s not a bad thing, I’m just.. Trying to figure you out.”

“You’d be the first to accomplish such a feat.”

He laughs at that, and he’s so beautiful.. That you cannot help yourself when you lean up and gently press a soft kiss to those beautiful pretty pink lips that had caught your attention that morning. He kisses you back, without hesitation.

You feel at peace for the first time in years, as if everything you had gone through, every moment of torture and pain, has been worth it because it leads you to this. To Handsome Matthew, who kisses you so tenderly that no matter how simple it is, you are left breathless and desperate for more. You lean into him, deepening the kiss, pushing him back a bit, his back pressed against the stacks. The book in your hands is crumpled, and eventually, Matthew pulls away, before pushing you back a bit.

“Easy,” He says breathlessly, and you need the reminder, because you try to catch your breath. Holy shit. “Easy, easy..” he repeats, his hands rubbing up and down your arms a bit. “I’ve got you, just breath.” He laughs, and you lean your forehead against your shoulder. Fuck.

“When can I see you again?” Is your only thought, and he chuckles gently.

“Whenever you want.” He promises, and you nod, before leaning up to kiss him again.

One day you’ll tell him everything. You’ll tell him all of the horrible things you’ve done and have had done to you, and you’ll tell him why the nightmares came, and why they won’t ever go away. One day, you’ll tell handsome Matthew why you sleep with a gun under your pillow and why you have no family and why you are so odd.

For now, you decide that you deserve a few nice things.

And when he kisses back, you realize that maybe he is just as infatuated with you as you are with him. Maybe. Maybe he is full of secrets and his own horrors that plague him while he sleeps, and maybe that’s the unspoken reason you are so deeply fascinated with one another.

Maybe.

Maybe you’ve spent the past ninety years going from fight to fight, to nightmare to nightmare. Maybe you’re owed some time in the sun with Handsome Matthew.

Maybe.

[wingedblooms]

Elain Archeron, member of The Tortured Poets Department

i’m hearing voices like a madman - so high school

i’m seeing visions / am I bad or mad or wise? - guilty as sin?

you can mark my words that I said it first / in a mourning warning, no one heard - cassandra

and for a fortnight there, we were forever - fortnight

leaving me bereft and reeling / my beloved ghost and me / sitting in a tree / d-y-i-n-g - how did it end?

i saw in my mind fairy lights through the mist - so long, london

i cry a lot, but I am so productive, it's an art - i can do it with a broken heart

but my bare hands paved their paths / you don't get to tell me about "sad" - who’s afraid of little old me?

so I leap from the gallows and I levitate down your street / crash the party like a record scratch as I scream / "who's afraid of little old me?" / you should be - who’s afraid of little old me?

i hate it here so I will go to secret gardens in my mind - i hate it here

one slip and fallin' back into the hedge maze […] i keep recalling things we never did - guilty as sin?

these fatal fantasies / giving way to labored breath, takin' all of me / we’ve already done it in my head / if it's make-believe / why does it feel like a vow we'll both uphold somehow? - guilty as sin?

wise men once said / "one bad seed kills the garden" / "one less temptress, one less dagger to sharpen" / locked me up in towers / but I'd visit in your dreams / and they tried to warn you about me - the albatross

a rose by any other name is a scandal / cautions issued, he stood - the albatross

i spied the catch in your breath - i look in people’s windows

what if I roll the stone away? / they’re gonna crucify me anyway / what if the way you hold me is actually what's holy? - guilty as sin?

"stay away from her" / the saboteurs protested too much - but daddy i love him

crashin' into him tonight, he's a paradox - guilty as sin?

it’s happenin' again / how did it end? / i can't pretend like I understand - how did it end?

this cage was once just fine / am I allowed to cry? / i dream of crackin' locks - guilty as sin?

thought I caught lightning in a bottle / oh, but it's gone again […] please / i’ve been on my knees / change the prophecy / don't want money / just someone who wants my company / let it once be me - the prophecy

cards on thе table / mine play out like fools in a fablе […] poison blood from the wound of the pricked hand / oh, still I dream of him - the prophecy

lilac short skirt, the one that fits me like skin […] and I'll tell you one thing, honey / i can tell when somebody still wants me, come clean - imgonnagetyouback

i, i hear thе whispers in your eyes / i’ll make you wanna think twice / you'll find that you were never not mine / (you’re mine) - imgonnagetyouback

'cause the sign on your heart / said it's still reserved for me / honestly, who are we to fight thе alchemy? - the alchemy

i'll tell you something right now / i’d rather burn my whole life down […] i'll tell you something 'bout my good name / it’s mine alone to disgrace / i don't cater to all these vipers dressed in empath's clothing - but daddy i love him

if long-suffering propriety is what they want from me / they don't know how you've haunted me so stunningly / i choose you and me religiously - guilty as sin?

[reactor-stress-is-a-resource]

[VIDEO FEED BEGINS]

Video opens to Pyroclast in the hold of her ship. The feed shakes as she sets the camera down on an object in the corner, waving a paw in front of it and snapping a few times for the camera to focus.

The feed is angled from a corner into the hold, with Pyroclast's Tokugawa 'Flashpoint' center frame. A Nelson's Perpetual Momentum Drive, or something that once was a Drive, is suspended beside the frame on chains. It has clearly been tampered with, and a great number of tubes wires and clamps run from the device to the Tokugawa's back.

Pyroclast beams, gesturing triumphantly to the slapdash assembly with both arms outstretched.

"Here it is! Draft one of the Perpetual Heat Battery! Up there I've got a PMD off a Nelson, jury-rigged with help from the Albatross- I'll have to tag them when I put this video up. Anyways! The actual backpack mount's next, I just wanna make sure the system's worked out okay."

She rushes off-screen for a moment, and a loud metal scraping sound is audible as she drags a waist-high crate between her and the Tokugawa.

"There we go! Safety second. Now then!"

She produces something that looks like a detonator from her pocket, crouching down behind the crate as Volta fades in over her shoulder to look at Flashpoint alongside her. The frame powers up, plates over the chest cavity splitting apart and retracting to reveal a cannon of some kind. It begins to glow, layers within the barrel starting to light up and spin, faster and faster.

"Okay, reactor's hot! Thermal demolition system up, Flashpoint's alive. Now let's start the PHB..."

She turns a dial on the detonator, at which point the Perpetual Momentum Drive hums to life. Its glow is different than a normal Drive's, and a faint heat mirage is visible in the air around it.

"Good, good, okay."

She turns to the camera, giving it a thumbs-up.

"Perpetual Heat Battery, version one! Hot and ready! Firing in THREE! TWO! ONE! FIRE IN THE HOLE!"

Her paw clenches around the detonator with a click. The Drive's humming reaches a crescendo, and then suddenly stops as the cannon in the Tokugawa's chest cavity emits a blinding white cone of heat and flame, crossing almost the entire hold. Then it's over.

Pyroclast shoots to her feet, arms raised triumphantly in a flash, spinning around to face the camera as she pumps her fists in the air.

"It works! It works! Fuck yeah, it works! Okay, next step is to make the-"

Suddenly, there's a metallic ping from the Drive, and a fist-sized chunk of metal goes flying past Pyroclast's face. Then, without warning, the camera is knocked to the ground as a thundrous explosion shakes the entire hold. Alarms start to blare, and the rush of depressurizing air giving way to hard vacuum takes over the remaining audio.

"Fire suppression systems engaged. Venting hold."

All audio is lost as the last of the air leaves. The feed cuts as Pyroclast picks up the camera and turns it off, a frazzled expression on her face.

[VIDEO FEED ENDS]

>> Welp, here's how it went.

>> The Winterhalter's all fixed up now, but. Well. That's what happened.

>> @albatross-lancer

[Pyroclast]

[albatross-lancer]

ooc: Hi folks, I've got asks I'll get to soon, but there's been a sudden surge in Albatross-affiliated blogs recently and I wanted to shout them out so you can give 'em a follow!

@semi-loyal-wing: Blog for Young Petrel Roland Levi & his team

@makteba-erdaf-r-n-r: Blog for brothers Furia & Eumena Arkhen of Makteba Erdaf (that's this one, the one I made up! aaaaa)

@playthepercentages: Blog for Avery Valeres, independent courier currently also at Makteba Erdaf

@postdeathapocalypse: Blog for Nikolai Morozov, previously working with CMC, and now a Petrel at Makteba Erdaf

Since we're on the topic of introductions, you may have noticed the blog is currently run by side characters, since Argema Kuhnei is currently an anxious mess after certain events. (They will be back, don't worry). Aside from the Albatross of MK Kano who were sent to the situation with CORSAIR, they are:

Loyal Wing Catrin Cavazos (she/her): Kuhnei's Loyal Wing, paladin mom, Nelson pilot, overall badass, Vikram's wife; post, post, post, post;

Vikram Arrellano (he/him): Albatross technician/engineer, helps keep all the mechs, ships, & systems running, big dad energy, Catrin's husband; post

Young Petrel Yan Baio Shai (they/them): Catrin's most senior Petrel, Kidd pilot, older sibling vibes, mildly terrified of social media; post

EPIPHANY (they/she): Makteba Erdaf's archivist, NHP of unknown origin liberated from HORUS, galaxy's most normal librarian; post, post, post

And now back to your regularly scheduled space paladins! I'll try to get to all my asks by the end of the day. You can also write asks in to these characters now!

[jessource]

prompts:　ttpd, the anthology by taylor swift.

your location, you forgot to turn it off.

the only thing that's left is the manuscript, one last souvenir from my trip to your shores

could it be enough to just float in your orbit?

quick, quick, tell me something awful, like you are a poet trapped inside the body of a finance guy.

i just don't understand how you don't miss me.

now and then she rereads the manuscriptof the entire torrid affair.

if you wanna tear my world apart, just say you've always wondered.

if comfort is a construct, i don't believe in good luck.

i move through the world with a broken heart.

they killed cassandra first, 'cause she feared the worst.

don't want money, just someone who wants my company.

say it once again with feeling.

even statues crumble if they're made to wait.

we here-by conduct the post portem.

what doesn't kill you makes you awake.

they tried to warn you about me.

i'm not a doner, but i'd give you my heart if you wanted.

i got cursed like eve got bitten.

i hate it here so i will go to secret gardens in my mind.

i feel so high school every time i look at you.

I look in people's windows like i'm some deranged weirdo.

there wouldn't be this if there hadn't been you.

she wrotе headlines in the local paper, laughing at each baby step i'd take.

one bad seed kills the garden.

when the truth comes out, it's quiet.

you see, i was a debutante in another life.

you have a favorite spot on the swing set.

the empathetic hunger descends.

i'm addicted to the 'if only'.

he said that if the sex was half as good as the conversation was, soon they'd be pushin' strollers. soon it was over.

oh, we must stop meeting like this.

way to go, tiger.

i built a legacy that you can't undo.

you said some things that i can't unabsorb, you turned me into an idea of sorts.

i may never open up the way i did for you.

he was a cad, wanted her bad just like any good trophy hunter.

tell me about the first time you saw me.

they knew, they knew, they knew the whole time.

i don't think you've changed much.

you have no room in your dreams for regrets.

they set my life in flames.

i thought it was just goodbye for now.

i loved you the way that you were.

you're a just ruler covered in mud, you look ridiculous.

i'm there most of the year, 'cause i hate it here.

you saw my bones out with somebody new who seemed like he would've bullied you in school.

how did it end? i can't pretend like i understand.

this place made me feel worthless.

i wanna find you in a crowd, just to hide from you.

quick, quick. tell me something awful.

i won't confess that i waited, but i let the lamp burn.

i can't forgive the way you made me feel.

Buried down deep

out of your reach the secret we all vowed to keep it from you in sweetness.

splendidly selfish, charmingly helpless.

old habits die screaming.

i'm lonely, but i'm good.

in my fantasies, i rise about it.

forgive me, [name], please know that i tried.

if i sell my apartment and you have some kids with an internet starlet. will that make your memory fade from this scarlet maroon?

behind her back, her best mates laughed.

you needed me, but you needed drugs more, and i can't watch it happen.

she's the albatross, she is here to destroy you.

i'll tell you one thing, honey. i can tell when somebody still wants me.

were you makin' fun of me?

nostalgia is a mind's trick.

i read about it in a book when I was a precocious child.

does it feel alright to now know me?

excellent fun 'til you get to know her.

life was always easier on you.

tell me all your secrets, all you'll ever be.

it wasn't a fair fight.

if i die screaming, i hope you hear it.

i can confirm she made a curious child, ever reviled by everyone except her own father.

are you gonna marry, kiss or kill me?

i'm bitter, but i swear i'm fine.

all that time you were throwin' punches, i was buildin' somethin'.

one less temptress, one less dagger to sharpen.

i'm hearing voices like a madman.

you said you were gonna grow up, then you were gonna come find me.

but i can't forget the way you made me heal.

they nicknamed her 'the bolter'.

wise men once said 'wild winds are death to the candle'.

now i wanna sell my house and set fire to all my clothes.

i'm gonna get you back.

push the reset button, we're becomin' something new.

i'm watchin' american pie with you on a saturday night.

i'm an aston martin that you steered straight into the ditch.

[fantasy-anatomy-analyst]

i dont send asks often and am kinda nervous but i discovered this blog after starting a fantasy worldbuilding thing ive been doing and i want to ask, should i be considering like, physics and the square cube law? it feels silly but i want my designs to feel plausible and biologically accurate, with my own twists on fantastical creatures.

dragons, specifically, are usually very large creatures, they also often fly. these are traits i want to keep, and have it still feel fantastical, but here are obvious issues here. there is magic, and it is connected to the world, and i could do something like changing gravity or atmosphere, but just saying it's magic feels like lazy cop-out, and changing the laws of physics is too drastic not to be explored, which feels to extreme for one creature. am i overthinking things? can i just handwave this sort of thing? i often don't see fantasy settings explore that sort of thing so idk im kinda lost here

You can hand wave a great deal of things and still also make fantasy creatures that feel plausible. My centaurs have the unusual biology of being born with extra limbs and ribs because they're all chimeric twins. I'm pretty sure it's genetically implausible for an entire species to be born with such remarkably consistent fused anatomy like that. But it's just enough of an explanation to make it feel a little more believable.

For dragons, I like to remind myself that humans have created airplanes at least as big as the average dragon and they work just fine. So maybe you can research how planes work. There are engines, certainly, but planes stay in the air despite being giant heavy metal tubes because of the way their shape interacts with air currents, essentially. So instead of flqpping a lot like a smaller animal, maybe your dragons are more like long distance soaring animals. Albatrosses come to mind. Getting off the ground is another problem, which can be solved by having the dragons soar from high places like cliffs and mountains.

You can also look to prehistory! The quetzalcoatlus was a pterosaur roughly as big as a giraffe and as far as science has determined, it could fly and even launch itself into the air from flat ground.

Here are a few more tips for making large dragons believable:

- bird bones. Contrary to popular belief, they're not completely hollow and they're not actually much lighter than mammal bones. But the open spaces and the mesh-like structure inside them give them a different sort of density and strength that helps them fly, as well as providing more space for internal air sacs that actually help them breathe more efficiently. (I'm on my phone right now, I'll add a source for that later) and we have evidence that this sort of air sac also existed in large dinosaurs like the diplodocus. Dragons probably would need similar structures in their bones.

- hot air balloons. Hot air rises and dragons breathe fire. Make use of those extensive air sacs and fill them with hot air! How dragons manage to have so much heat inside as reptiles is something you can hand wave with magic or find various science-type explanations for doeending on your mood. I like the idea in dungeon meshi where the dragon has a second stomach-like sac for the indigestible parts of its prey and uses that for fire fuel! It's very clever. Dragons may not be as thin and soft as a balloon, but having a body full of air sacs that carry hot air is a reasonable explanation for how dragons fly despite their size.

- wing shape and body shape! Long distance fliers that soar more than they flap usually have very long, narrow wings. And most flying animals also have shorter, rounded bodies. The dragon wing membrane should cover their whole side, from the shoulder to the hip, with a really big wingspan. Their tails probably shouldn't be all long and whippy and full of dense muscle, but maybe they can be flat and broad to catch air or maybe the wing membrane extends to the tail. Maybe you have tailless dragons! Just don't let the tails add too much weight or they'll make flying a lot harder.

- propulsion. One magic explanation I think would be interesting is if dragons used magic like airplane engines. Trying to work out magical gravity fields and atmospheric magic is cool and fun. But it seems like it would be easier for dragons to just have magic jet engines if you want to use magic to explain their flight. And it's fun!

I hope those are all helpful ideas! Dragons are cool and I love to see people messing around to make them more believable. There is nothing wrong with using a little magic fudge in fantasy worldbuilding either! It wouldn't be very fantasy if it always had to follow a hard science system. You can leave that to the scifi genre haha. But if you're going to dive into realism in fantasy, it is more fun to see people really dive deep and get weird with it and explore all sorts of interesting extra details, rather than just dipping a toe in and hand waving the rest. Maybe it's just the neurodivergence in me, but I always have more fun with fantasy stories if it feels like the creator had a real passion for the weird details and didn't just follow a standard fantasy template.

[amy-maguire]

Strombringer-related little writing thing

Set in 16! Chuuya's POV:

Dear Lippmann,

I'm sorry that we didn't go to the premier of that movie you were in. I promise I really did want to go, but it's too hard to go right now. So I bought a copy of the CD and I'll keep it forever. Promise ya I'll watch it when I'm ready. I remember you were really really excited about this one. Wouldn't shut up about it, you jackass.. Lead actor again right? But that wasn't really ever new for you. Talented son of a bitch.. Anyways, just letting you know I'll have a nice drink for ya, keep my acting up, and watch that film for ya. Rest well for me, okay?

Dear Ice Man,

I'm sorry we didn't get to smoke more often. As much as it burned the shit out of my lungs I didn't mind doing it with you. Heh, I can imagine your expression if you could read this. I mean, you think I could've gotten a smile out of you? Eh, probably not. But I'll try anyways. Next time I get upset I'll go for a smoke where you can't, okay? I'll make sure I don't give too much of myself away though, isn't that what you taught me? Rest well for me, you've done enough work.

Dear Piano Man,

I'm sorry you didn't get to show me up more often. As much as I wanted that stupid mafia executive spot I'm sure you would've done it far better than I ever could. So I'll make sure I take that spot, not just for me or to beat Dazai but for you. So make sure you hold me to it, got it? Plus, I'll make sure I inherit some of your traits. I'll talk all smooth and no one'll ever know the money is fake. That's how you got the job done, right? Rest well for me, I'll pick it up from here.

Dear Albatross,

I'm sorry that you had to give me that motorcycle. Don't get me wrong, I love riding it, but you always rode it better. I'll make sure I keep it in tip-top shape though, kill anyone who gets a scratch on it. Thanks for teaching me how to swim and use a knife, won't forget how to use those skills. Rest well for me, hope you're having fun up there.

Dear Doc,

I'm sorry that I didn't get there in time. Seeing you torn in half was something I'll never get out of my brain. But, at the very least you taught me how to patch myself up. I won't forget those skills. I mean, I got a few nasty cuts here from a fight I got into, I'll make sure I clean em up just like how you taught me. Rest well for me, you'll always be a better doctor than the Boss anyway.

Dear Murase,

I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough to realize you were the target instead of Shirase. You sure were spewing a lot of virtue shit and your brother was a pain in my ass, but you were a good guy and I know that. Don't worry, we took care of the issue for you. Rest well for me, you were a good detective.

Dear all who have died as a result of my actions,

I'm sorry that you had to die because of me.

-Chuuya Nakahara

[folkwhore1998]

I just don't understand...

how you don't miss me in the black dog

I had no idea what to expect with this album. Taylor's brand is "never let them know your next move"

So, was it going to be more of a folklore/evermore/red vibe? Or was it going to be pop in the way midnights was? I did not think it was going to be straight up pop, but you just never know. I don't have cable so it can be really hard for me to watch award shows in real time, so I pulled a few strings so I could stream the grammys and thank god I did. I could not believe the album announcement and I was honestly gagged about the whole thing.

Now... This is a devastatingly beautiful album and is so vulnerable and raw.

The Prophecy... she literally said "I will go bankrupt. I will give up everything because I am hurting so much I need someone to tell me things are going to be okay and I don't care what I have to do to get this confirmation/assurance. I just want someone to love me the way I love them and I don't care about the superficial things." and she was so real for that.

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived... the first time I listened to it was like 12:30 AM on album release night/day, and I was yaknow, chilling, listening. and then we hit the bridge... my jaw hit the floor. I literally shot up in bed and was like "holy fuck." when i thought the song was wrapping up, it just kept going. Obviously I had to listen to it again right after it ended. (and I am NOT mad about it. I feel this song in my bones) ((My fiance was also dead asleep during all of this and I made him listen to it at like 10 AM the following day))

(peace: i'll die for you in secret ➜ TSMWEL: i would have died for your sins) ((actually screaming crying vomiting idk))

My favorite part of when she sings this on the eras tour is when she says "hey.. give this message to the smallest man who ever lived" and then turns to the audience and starts singing the bridge. She's like "Yup- heres this message, and another thing- fuck you!" literally incredible. i have an emotional attachment to this song. I could write an essay and honestly, maybe I will.

It's so funny to me because every time Taylor puts out a new album, there are some songs that I hear where i'm like "WOW. This is it. This is the song. She summed up my entire experience in a way I never could. I don't know how much more accurate she could get." And then she comes out with some insane song that keeps the cycle going.

(it's the cycle that keeps on giving and the cycle that keeps me alive! no, seriously. when i was in the hospital at one point in my life, i was asked everyday "and what is something you want to live for?" my answer: my cat and taylor swift's music")

All of this to say... I am so happy I was/am medicated when this album came out.

Here is my ranking of the Tortured Poets Department! (This was incredibly difficult because all of the songs are just so good. Noting that I don't think that any song is a bad song.)

The Black Dog

The Smallest Man

The Prophecy

How Did It End?

Guilty As Sin

My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys

loml (but sometimes it changes places- just depends on the day, but it never goes lower)

Fresh Out The Slammer

But, Daddy I Love Him

Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?

So Long, London

Down Bad

I Can Do It With A Broken Heart

So High School

I Hate It Here

TTPD

Fortnight

Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus

Peter

Cassandra

Flordia!!!

The Alchemy

The Bolter

thanK you aIMee (thank You aimEe)

Clara Bow

The Albatross

The Manuscript

imgonnagetyouback

I Look In People's Windows

Robin

I Can Fix Him (no really I can)

Honorable mentions:

CHILLS

I was so shocked (I watched on a grainy livestream)

When I say I sobbed, I'm not joking. I texted my sister and said "You need to get on this livestream RIGHT NOW.

Check out these small businesses:

Here is the link to a down bad t-shirt: So good for the gym and its a comfort colors t-shirt!

Direct link to the storefront: They have so many cool items!

Check out the link: It's a TTPD vinyl/cd holder and it is actually the coolest thing I've ever seen (I will be purchasing)

Direct link to the storefront: There are a few different options! Check them out!

@taylorswift @taylornation @taylorswift @taylornation

[literaryslapshot]

i present to you, straight from the tortured poets department...poetic prompts written by the chairman herself.

⎯ send in any one of these poetic prompts, no more than two at a time please, and i will give you a gut wrenching, heart breaking, life giving, fresh air breathing blurb...just as the chairman intended.

sincerely, writer for the tortured poets department anthology specialist

fornight - "i love you, it's ruining my life"

the tortured poets department - "sometimes i wonder if you're gonna screw this up with me"

my boy only breaks his favorite toys - "he was my best friend"

down bad - "fuck it, i was in love"

so long, london - "you'll find someone"

but daddy i love him - "me and my wild boy, and all this wild joy"

fresh out the slammer - "i will never lose my baby again"

florida!!! - "love left me like this and i don't want to exist"

guilty as sin? - "without ever touching his skin, how can i be guilty as sin?"

who's afraid of little old me? - "so tell me everything is not about me"

i can fix him (no really i can) - "trust me, i can handle a dangerous man"

loml - "you said i'm the love of your life, about a million times"

i can do it with a broken heart - "you gotta fake it til you make it"

the smallest man who ever lived - "i don't miss what we had"

the alchemy - "he just comes running over to me"

clara bow - "you're the real thing"

the black dog - "i don't understand how you don't miss me"

imgonnagetyouback - "i can tell when someone wants me"

the albatross - "i'd visit in your dreams"

chloe or sam or sophia or marcus - "if you want to break my cold heart, say you loved me"

how did it end? - "but i still don't know, how did it end?"

so high school - "you knew what you wanted, and boy you got her"

i hate it here - "i'm bitter, but i swear i'm fine"

thanK you aIMee - "i can't forgive the way you made me feel"

i look in people's windows - "does it feel alright not to know me?"

the prophecy - "i'm so afraid i sealed my fate"

cassandra - "that's where i was when i lost it all"

peter - "i thought it was just goodbye for now"

the bolter - "oh, we must stop meeting like this"

robin - "you'll learn to bounce back"

the manuscript - "i'm not a donor, but i'd give you my heart if you needed it"

p.s. you can find in my directory, the list roster of different men i'll write poems for. please refer to that only, if you would. here is the link <3 oh, and send your requests here. you may also request from my au list, which is found here. that's all for now. see you when it's time to write about heartbreaking princes and screaming from tall towers.

⎯ j

[letters-adressed-to-the-fire]

So I ended up writing a short essay about the albatross (part 1)

There’s just something about the albatross that’s been scratching my brain since the first time I heard it. Initially, I thought “oh, it feels like it belongs in evermore” (I really love that album), but soon I realized it goes way deeper than that.

Well the song is about the albatross (duh), but to really understand it, there are a few things you need to know. First of all, this particular bird is widely known as a symbol of bad luck, burden and regret. Why? What could an innocent bird possibly have done to deserve such a reputation? Taylor tell us the answer throughout the song, but for a more in-depth understanding, one can turn to Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, which was the source of inspiration for this piece.

Gotta be honest, I haven’t read it, not entirely (it’s actually really long). But I did do my research soooo, let me summarize it for you in a few lines:

This is the tale of a sailor who, convinced that an albatross was a bad omen, tragically shoots the innocent bird. As a consequence, he and his crew face a curse. The sailor is compelled to wear the lifeless bird around his neck as a form of punishment. Yet, as time passes and years go by, it is the innocent albatross that becomes a mournful symbol, rather than the sailor who committed the deed.

Now, if you revisit Taylor's lyrics, she narrates this progression through the reprise of different verses:

“Cautions issued, he stood Shooting the messengers They tried to warn him about her”

“Locked me up in towers But I'd visit in your dreams And they tried to warn you about me”

“You were sleeping soundly When they dragged you from your bed And I tried to warn you about them”

Or:

“Cross your thoughtless heart Only liquor anoints you She's the albatross She is here to destroy you”

“So I crossed my thoughtless heart Spread my wings like a parachute I'm the albatross I swept in at the rescue”

Or my personal favorite:

“Devils that you know Raise worse hell than a stranger She's the death you chose You're in terrible danger”

“The devil that you know Looks now more like an angel I'm the life you chose And all this terrible danger”

What I found so fascinating about her decision behind the use of this technique, is that she not only embraces it to move the story forward in an organic way, but she plays with the point of view of the spectator (or in this case, listener) to lead them through all the characters of the story.

In the opening verse, you assume the role of the sailor on the verge of shooting the albatross. You don’t have proof but you know she’s here to destroy you. As the song progresses into the second verse, it becomes evident that you’re now talking with the albatross, or more accurate would be to say that the albatross is talking to you. Contrary to the poem, Taylor is giving the albatross a voice (which effectively serves as a metaphor for herself), and this standpoint will remain for the rest of the song, though with a slight change at the end. Taylor not only lets the albatross tell its story, but she let it be the hero. By the end, the spectator finds themselves in the crosshairs of "them”, the very group they once belonged to. This is the moment where the transformation of the figure of the albatross reaches its peak, as it transitions from a harbinger of misfortune to a beacon of hope, it is there to rescue you.

(obviously there's more to this! but I'll be posting part 2 in a few days just because i didn't want this post to be THAT long lol)

[faemytho]

Do you have any Deep Lore* about AotS that you want to share? *Deep Lore being lore about things like greater cosmology that aren't needed to understand or enjoy the story, but exist never the less.

honestly @legendspeaker and i haven't really worldbuilt beyond what we've needed for the story, but i can talk about what we've done with the old gods because we're not going to touch on a lot of them as of AOTS 1 or 2!

when the bishops of the old faith usurped the rest of the pantheon of gods, the old gods were given a choice between death or relinquishing their power/domains in exchange for their lives.

some of these old gods who relinquished their domains and kept their lives include Haro (hunt and knowledge, to Shamura), The Fox (darkness and hunger, to Narinder and Heket), The Lighthouse Goddess (light and justice, to Kallamar and Shamura), Turua (punishment, to Narinder), Ithaqua (ice, to Kallamar), and Monch (loyalty, to Narinder). though they've relinquished their domains, they still hold onto some power through their dead crowns; this is why Haro gives knowledge, the Fox hides in the dark and asks for food, Monch raises loyalty, ect ect.

it's played with in AOTS that each bishop has both their domain and counter domain, but they also have full entire titles that'll never be put in the fic; many of these were from the old gods who relinquished their domains and still roam the lands of the old faith. here u go!

Leshy, Bishop of Chaos, God of Nature, Lover of Order, Wielder of Freedom

Heket, Bishop of Famine, God of Fertility, Lover of Satisfaction, Wielder of Community

Kallamar, Bishop of Pestilence, God of Trade, Lover of Salubrity, Wielder of Compassion

Shamura, Bishop of War, God of Knowledge, Lover of Amity, Wielder of Justice

The Lighthouse Goddess is an OC i ended up kiiinda fleshing out, but i dont think she'll ever have any more relevance to the story, so i'll dump her here too. her name is Toroa, which is one of the names for a type of albatross. she is Turua's sister; justice and punishment go hand in hand. her being an albatross is also why Pilgrim's Passage shuts down after the Fox kills and eats her; killing an albatross brings bad luck to sailors at sea.

[taylorswiftandx]

Taylor Swift and The Tortured Poets Department + The Anthology Song Titles

'Fortnight'

Fortnight: And for a fortnight there, we were forever

Fortnight: I touched you for only a fortnight

Fortnight: Another fortnight lost in America

'The Tortured Poets Department'

The Tortured Poets Department: You left your typewriter at my apartment straight from the Tortured Poets Department

'My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys'

My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys: My boy only breaks his favorite toys, toys, oh

My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys: My boy only breaks his favorite toys, oh

'Down Bad'

Down Bad: Now I'm down bad, crying at the gym

Down Bad: Down bad, waking up in blood

Down Bad: I might just not get up, I might stay down bad

Down Bad: Down bad, fuck it if I can't have him

Down Bad (Clean Version): Down bad, what if I can't have him?

'So Long, London'

So Long, London: So long, London, you'll find someone

So Long, London: For so long, London, stitches undone

So Long, London: For so long, London, had a good run

'But Daddy I Love Him'

But Daddy I Love Him: Now I'm running with my dress unbuttoned, screaming, "But daddy, I love him"

But Daddy I Love Him: Screaming, "But daddy, I love him, I'm having his baby"

'Fresh Out The Slammer'

Fresh Out The Slammer: Fresh out the slammer, I know who my first call will be to

Fresh Out The Slammer: Fresh out the slammer, oh

'Florida!!!'

Fortnight: Move to Florida, buy the car you want

Florida!!!: Florida is one hell of a drug, Florida, can I use you up?

Florida!!!: I need to forget so take me to Florida

Florida!!!: I've got some regrets, I'll bury them in Florida

Florida!!!: At least the dolls are beautiful, fuck me up, Florida

Florida!!!: What a crash, what a rush, fuck me up, Florida

Florida!!!: Love left me like this and I don't want to exist so take me to Florida

Florida!!!: Florida, go on, fuck me up

Florida!!! (Clean Version): At least the dolls are beautiful, **** me up, Florida

Florida!!! (Clean Version): What a crash, what a rush, **** me up, Florida

Florida!!! (Clean Version): Florida, go on, **** me up

'Guilty as Sin?'

Guilty as Sin?: Without ever touching his skin, how can I be guilty as sin?

Carolina: That I was guilty as sin and sleep in a liar's bed

'Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?'

Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?: Who's afraid of little old me? You should be

Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?: Who's afraid of little old me?

Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?: Who's afraid of little old me? Well, you should be

'I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)'

I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can): I can fix him, no, really, I can, and only I can

I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can): I can fix him, no, really, I can, whoa, maybe I can't

'loml'

(appears only as a song title)

'I Can Do It With a Broken Heart'

I Can Do It With a Broken Heart: 'Cause I can do it with a broken heart

'The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived'

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived: And I don't miss what we had, but could someone give a message to the smallest man who ever lived?

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived: And I'll forget you, but I'll never forgive the smallest man who ever lived

'The Alchemy'

The Alchemy: Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?

'Clara Bow'

Clara Bow: You look like Clara Bow in this light, remarkable

'The Black Dog'

The Black Dog: And so I watch as you walk into some bar called The Black Dog

The Black Dog: How you don't miss me in The Black Dog

The Black Dog: And I hope it's shitty in The Black Dog

The Black Dog (Clean Version): And I hope you miss me in The Black Dog

'imgonnagetyouback'

imgonnagetyouback: I haven't decided yet, but I'm gonna get you back

imgonnagetyouback: You'll find that you were never not mine, I'm gonna get you back

'The Albatross'

The Albatross: She's the albatross, she is here to destroy you

The Albatross: I'm the albatross, I swept in at the rescue

'Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus'

Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus: Hands in the hair of somebody in darkness named Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus and I just watched it happen

'How Did It End?'

How Did It End?: We must know, how did it end?

How Did It End?: One gasp and then, how did it end?

How Did It End?: It's happening again, how did it end?

How Did It End?: I can't pretend like I understand, how did it end?

How Did It End?: But I still don't know, how did it end?

'So High School'

So High School: I feel so high school every time I look at you

So High School: 'Cause I feel so high school every time I look at you, but look at you

'I Hate It Here'

I Hate It Here: I hate it here so I will go to secret gardens in my mind

I Hate It Here: I'm there most of the year 'cause I hate it here, I hate it here

I Hate It Here: I hate it here so I will go to lunar valleys in my mind

'thanK you aIMee'

thanK you aIMee: Screamed, "Thank you, Aimee" to the night sky and the stars are stunning

thanK you aIMee: Thank you, Aimee, thank you, Aimee

'I Look In People's Windows'

I Look In People's Windows: I look in people's windows, transfixed by rose golden glows

I Look In People's Windows: I look in people's windows in case you're at their table

I Look In People's Windows: So I look in people's windows like I'm some deranged weirdo

'The Prophecy'

The Prophecy: Please, I've been on my knees, change the prophecy

The Prophecy: Who do I have to speak to about if they can redo the prophecy?

The Prophecy: Who do I have to speak to to change the prophecy?

'Cassandra'

Cassandra: So, they killed Cassandra first 'cause she feared the worse and tried to tell the town

'Peter'

cardigan: I knew you, tried to change the ending, Peter losing Wendy

Peter: Forgive me, Peter, my lost fearless leader

Peter: She said she was trying, Peter, was she lying?

Peter: I've heard great things, Peter, but life was always easier on you than it was on me

Peter: Forgive me, Peter, please know that I tried

'The Bolter'

The Bolter: Behind her back, her best mates laughed and they nicknamed her 'The Bolter'

'Robin'

(appears only as a song title)

'The Manuscript'

The Manuscript: Now and then she rereads the manuscript of the entire torrid affair

The Manuscript: The only thing that's left is the manuscript, one last souvenir from my trip to your shores

The Manuscript: Now and then I reread the manuscript, but the story isn't mine anymore

[artemisandhersilverbow]

Ok, if you don't want to engage in some (queer) tin foiling... scroll away.

So first off, I think this song rules. It was one of the few that I let just vibe instead of doing what my brain usually does, which is scrutinize lyrics/marvel over the layers of meaning. It feels like it has Kill Bill energy and that was good enough for me.

My Albatross variation of the TTPD vinyl showed up yesterday — TTPD is perhaps the best her team has done btw — and was pouring over the lyrics last night and paused on I Can Fix Him (No, Really I Can) in particular.

The last line has been one that most people have chuckled at. Like she spent a whole song building up this menacing conceit: "this boy is bad news, but he can't hold a candle to me — I'll handle him." Only to be like, lol jk at the end.

But seeing that last line written out this way scratched at my brain... she really doesn't scream that line at all. Why is it in all caps? And while we're at it... I mean it's an accepted spelling, but technically the incorrect spelling of 'whoa.' It kind of felt, by putting it in caps, like she was calling attention to it. Was it an acronym? Not that I could tell.

But... just to double check... how had she spelled woah/whoa prior? The only song I could think of off the top of my head to check was Better Than Revenge. When reading her lyrics you really wont find 99% of the "whoas" in her discography written because they're more like instrumentals.

And that right there is a "whoa." Of course my eyes twitched at the matching colors of the two vids, but I'll get to that. And then I was only able to find one more written "whoa."

Ok, cool.

But back to Better Than Revenge... It struck me that something had been "fixed" about the song. The famous "she's better known for things that she's done on the mattress" line had been swapped out in the rerecording for "he was a moth to the flame she was holding the matches."

So I looked back at I Can Fix Him... could this be a joke/hint about "fixing" him. Like fixing the pronouns? "WOAH" is an intentional misspelling just by comparing it to her own body of work. But it would be rather clever if the "he" she's referring to (at least on this one layer of the song) was her use of that pronoun in her work. It would make the lines "I can fix him / No, really, I can / And only I can" make even more sense, imo. She's the author of this music and she's rerecording it/making it.

What's more is that the collaged flower in the lyric booklet and the aesthetic of the lyric video are giving me um... big Reputation vibes?

Hey kids, spelling is FUN! Am I absolutely living in delulu thinking that Reputation could also be "fixed" re: pronouns? Oh, I don't doubt it. But I needed to get this out of my brain, out into the world, and let the chips fall as they may and always do.

And at least Taylor Nation is also in on the joke...