#ft mathias

[mcsiggy]

Wet wice.

Ocs! :) <3

[littlcfreaks-archive]

for someone who felt like he had lacked a home for so long that he had forgotten what home could feel like, it was beyond easy to slip into feeling like he had one when he was with darcy and maia. it was another one of those nights - darcy had invited him over for dinner, maia had made some casserole that mathias had stuffed his face with even though he didn't particularly like it; now maia had gone to bed, darcy was finishing the dishes in the kitchen and he was lounging comfortably on the couch, the tv droning on in the background, but mathias wasn't listening to it. he was listening to darcy in the kitchen, the dishes clanging together as he put them away, the water turning off, the sound of his bare feet against the hardwoods as he joined mathias on the couch. it almost felt like something out of a movie, with the soft glow of the christmas tree in the corner, "thanks for invitin' me over - again. always feel like i'm intrudin' just a bit." @introvrt

[jasper-the-menace]

Tell me about your ocs!! I’d love to know about them:3

I have a list of my characters and their tags saved here, but I wanna talk about Mathias, Jaren, and Ritter, because I'm working on the sequel of their story now.

Mathias (who has three last names at this point and it's not his fault) is half-vampire, half-demon. I go into the hot mess that is his backstory here, and he's one of the main characters of Blood and Songbirds, which is my longest fanfiction ever.

Jaren and Ritter are twins. They started thick as thieves, but through Blood and Songbirds have grown violently apart. They are visibly human but legally demons on account of being adopted by the archdemon on their home plane who has a divorced parent split custody thing going on with an archangel.

I talk about it more here, but the main plotline of these three from Blood and Songbirds through In The Interim and into the sequel Poison and Paper Trails (that I'm currently working on writing) is trauma. All three of them are also hella different flavors of queer, something that was brought up a bit in Blood and Songbirds and will be part of their respective arcs (at least for Mathias and Ritter) in Poison and Paper Trails.

Oh, and here's a visual for them.

Thanks for dropping in! I love talking about my little guys.

~Jasper

[alexcalder]

@intxication

Normal conversations to have on the plane

I'm also doing more cod art on Patreon!

[thisisyourdriverspeaking]

It's a week late (I know) but I miss making motorsport themed playlists so this is the 2025 24 Hours Of Le Mans soundtrack for you. Enjoy :)

Thomas Flohr (17th March 1960) - Bert Weedon - Big Beat Boogie

Stephen Grove (1st April 1967) - Jeff Beck - Hi Ho Silver Lining

Custodio Toledo (18th September 1969) - The Foundations - Born To Live, Born To Die

George Kurtz (14th October 1970) - Juicy Lucy - Pretty Woman

Takeshi Kimura (22nd October 1970) - Tom Jones - I (Who Have Nothing)

Ben Keating (18th August 1971) - The Jackson Five - Never Can Say Goodbye

Daniel Schneider (6th September 1973) - Suzi Quatro - 48 Crash

Rodrigo Sales (2nd November 1973) - Dawn ft Tony Orlando - Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree

Ian James (22nd July 1974) - The Main Ingredient - Just Don't Want To Be Lonely

Michael Jensen (5th February 1975) - Wigan's Chosen Few - Footsee

Derek DeBoer (4th March 1975) - Average White Band - Pick Up The Pieces

Naveen Rao (20th May 1975) - Bobby Goldsboro - Honey

Yasser Shahin (24th September 1976) - Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama

Francois Perrodo (14th February 1977) - Fleetwood Mac - Go Your Own Way

Martin Berry (9th June 1977) - Dr Feelgood - Sneakin' Suspicion

Valentino Rossi (16th February 1979) - The Pretenders - Stop Your Sobbing

Sebastien Bourdais (28th February 1979) - Billy Joel - My Life

Antares Au (24th March 1979) - Eddie Rabbitt - Every Which Way But Loose

David Heinemeier Hansson (15th October 1979) - Madness - The Prince

Jonathan Hui (11th December 1979) - Booker T & The MG's - Green Onions

Jenson Button (19th January 1980) - Rupert Holmes - Escape (The PIna Colada Song)

Andrew Gilbert (11th October 1980) - Sad Cafe - La-Di-Da

Ryan Hardwick (3rd November 1980) - Dr Hook - Sharing The Night Together

Frederic Makowiecki (22nd November 1980) - Barry Manilow - Lonely Together

Ahmad Al Harthy (31st August 1981) - Boystown Gang - Ain't No Mountain High Enough

Patrick Pilet (8th October 1981) - Bad Manners - Walkin' In The Sunshine

Andre Lotterer (19th November 1981) - Kool And The Gang - Steppin' Out

Loic Duval (12th June 1982) - Elton John - Empty Garden

Jose Maria Lopez (26th April 1983) - The Alarm - The Stand

PJ Hyett (10th August 1983) - Kajagoogoo - Hang On Now

Mike Conway (19th August 1983) - Malcolm McLaren - Double Dutch

Augusto Farfus (3rd September 1983) - Paul Young - Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)

Francois Heriau (25th October 1983) - Adam Ant - Puss N Boots

Neel Jani (8th December 1983) - The Icicle Works - Love Is A Wonderful Colour

Richard Lietz (17th December 1983) - Elbow Bones & The Racketeers - A Night In New York

Alessandro Pier Guidi (18th December 1983) - Black Lace - Superman

Oliver Jarvis (9th January 1984) - Rod Stewart - Sweet Surrender

James Cottingham (21st January 1984) - Pat Benatar - Love Is A Battlefield

Daniel Serra (24th February 1984) - Rick Springfield - Human Touch

Franck Perera (21st March 1984) - Carmel - More More More

Stefano Gattuso (3rd May 1984) - Mike Read - Tell Me I'm Wrong

Arnold Robin (6th October 1984) - The Staple Singers - Slippery People

Nick Tandy (5th November 1984) - Paul McCartney - No More Lonely Nights

Robert Kubica (7th December 1984) - Meat Loaf - Nowhere Fast

Ben Hanley (22nd January 1985) - Bronski Beat - It Ain't Necessarily So

Filipe Albuquerque (13th June 1985) - David Essex - Friends

Renger Van Der Zande (16th February 1986) - Talk Talk - Life's What You Make It

Rahel Frey (23rd February 1986) - Madonna - Dress You Up

Maxime Martin (20th March 1986) - Double - The Captain Of Her Heart

Paul Di Resta (16th April 1986) - Stephanie - Irresistable

Mathias Beche (28th June 1986) - Midnight Star - Headlines

Davide Rgon (26th August 1986) - Pam Hall - Dear Boopsie

Kamui Kobayashi (13th September 1986) - Modern Talking - Brother Louie

Rene Rast (26th October 1986) - Marti Webb & The Simon May Orchestra - Always There

Orey Fidani (21st November 1986) - Simple Minds - Ghostdancing

Francesco Castellacci (4th April 1987) - Lionel Richie - Se La

Bernado Sousa (16th May 1987) - Poison - Talk Dirty To Me

Alex Malykhin (17th August 1987) - Mel & Kim - F.L.M

Tom Van Rompuy (8th September 1987) - Fleetwood Mac - Little Lies

Darren Leung (25th September 1987) - Tina Turner - Paradise Is Here

Lars Kern (18th November 1987) - Bananarama - Love In The First Degree

Nicky Catsburg (15th February 1988) - The Cure - Hot Hot Hot!!!

Paul Lafargue (8th July 1988) - Natalie Cole - Everlasting

Colin Braun (22nd September 1988) - Whitney Houston - One Moment In Time

Dane Cameron (18th October 1988) - Roachford - Find Me Another Love

Kevin Estre (28th October 1988) - Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry Be Happy

Sebastien Buemi (31st October 1988) - Robert Palmer - She Makes My Day

Miguel Molina (17th February 1989) - Big Country - Peace In Our Time

Nick Boulle (28th March 1989) - Brother Beyond - Can You Keep A Secret

Tom Dillmann (6th April 1989) - Womack & Womack - Celebrate The World

Sarah Bovy (15th May 1989) - Happy Mondays & Karl Denver - Lazyitis - One Armed Boxer

James Calado (13th June 1989) - Robert Palmer - Change His Ways

Ricky Taylor (3rd August 1989) - Paula Abdul - Forever Your Girl

Tristan Vautier (22nd August 1989) - Fine Young Cannibals - Don't Look Back

Matt Bell (5th November 1989) - Luther Vandross - Never Too Much

Brendon Hartley (10th November 1989) - Phil Collins - Another Day In Paradise

Jean-Eric Vergne (25th April 1990) - MC Duke - The Final Conflict

Earl Bamber (9th July 1990) - Thunder - Gimme Some Lovin'

Clemens Schmid (18th August 1990) - Bob Geldof - Love Or Something

Michael Christensen (28th August 1990) - DNA ft Suzanne Vega - Tom's Diner

Marco Sorensen (6th September 1990) - Jason Donovan - Rhythm Of The Rain

Nick Yelloly (3rd December 1990) - Belinda Carlisle - (We Want) The Same Thing

Matthias Kaiser (22nd January 1991) - Alexander O'Neal - All True Man

Jack Hawksworth (28th February 1991) - JJ - If This Is Love

Ryan Cullen (26th March 1991) - Banderas - This Is Your Life

Ben Barker (23rd April 1991) - The Clash - Should I Stay Or Should I Go

Daniel Juncadella (7th May 1991) - Gloria Estefan - Seal Our Fate

Laurens Vanthoor (8th May 1991) - Vic Reeves & The Roman Numerals - Born Free

Jordan Taylor (10th May 1991) - Scientist - Spiral Symphony

Will Stevens (28th June 1991) - Divinyls - I Touch Myself

Klaus Bachler (27th July 1991) - Mott The Hoople - All The Way From Memphis

Robin Frijns (7th August 1991) - Voice Of The Beehive - Monsters And Angels

Antonio Felix Da Costa (31st August 1991) - Rebel MC - Black Meaning Good

Celia Martin (4th October 1991) - Kylie Minogue - Word Is Out

Jakub Smiechowski (11th October 1991) - Ozzy Osbourne - No More Tears

Paul-Loup Chatin (19th October 1991) - Oleta Adams - Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me

Harry Tincknell (29th October 1991) - Monty Python's Flying Circus - Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life

Rene Binder (1st January 1992) - Michael Jackson - Black Or White

Stoffel Vandoorne (26th March 1992) - The Charlatans - Weirdo

Zacharie Robichon (31st May 1992) - Alice Cooper - Feed My Frankenstein

Norman Nato (8th July 1992) - KWS - Please Don't Go

Felipe Nasr (21st August 1992) - Luther Vandross & Janet Jackson - The Best Things In Life Are Free

Kevin Magnussen (5th October 1992) - Snap! - Rhythm Is A Dancer

Eddie Cheever III (5th June 1993) - Credit To The Nation - Call It What You Want

Razvan Umbrarescu (30th June 1993) - Cliff Richard - Human Work Of Art

Alex Lynn (17th September 1993) - Kate Bush - Rubberband Girl

Tom Blomqvist (30th November 1993) - Luther Vandross - Love Is On The Way

Chris Froggatt (10th December 1993) - Onyx - Throw Ya Gunz

Antonio Giovinazzi (14th December 1993) - Brian May - Last Horizon

Alex Riberas (27th January 1994) - Enigma - Return To Innocence

Ryo Hirakawa (7th March 1994) - Morrissey - The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get

Giorgio Roda (18th March 1994) - Degrees Of Motion ft Biti - Shine On

Riccardo Agostini (20th April 1994) - Blink - It's Not My Fault

Pascal Wehrlein (18th October 1994) - Bon Jovi - Always

Mathieu Jaminet (24th October 1994) - Michelle Gayle - Sweetness

Matthieu Vaxiviere (3rd December 1994) - Peaches & Herb - Shake Your Groove Thing

Raffaele Marciello (17th December 1994) - PJ & Duncan - Eternal Love

Jules Gounon (31st December 1994) - 2Wo Third3 - I Want To Be Alone

Mikkel Jensen (31st December 1994) - Redd Kross - Visionary

Nyck De Vries (6th February 1995) - MC Sar & The Real McCoy - Run Away

Matt Campbell (17th February 1995) - Ini Kamoze - Here Comes The Hotstepper

Luca Ghiotto (24th February 1995) - Pearl Jam - Not For You

Alessio Rovera (22nd June 1995) - Annie Lennox - A Whiter Shade Of Pale

Luca Stolz (29th July 1995) - Jamiroquai - Stillness In Time

Charlie Eastwood (11th August 1995) - Oasis - Some Might Say

Jack Aitken (23rd September 1995) - Rhythmic State - No D.S Allowed

Valentin Hasse-Clot (26th February 1996) - Celine Dion - Falling Into You

Dennis Olsen (14th April 1996) - Oasis - Supersonic

Antonio Fuoco (20th May 1996) - Kavana - Crazy Chance

Kelvin Van Der Linde (20th June 1996) - Darren Day - Summer Holiday

Pietro Fittipaldi (25th June 1996) - Louise - Naked

Sean Gelael (1st November 1996) - MN8 - Tuff Act To Follow

Ross Gunn (1st January 1997) - Boyzone - A Different Beat

Nicklas Nielsen (6th February 1997) - Kavana - I Can Make You Feel Good

Fran Rueda (14th February 1997) - Geneva - Into The Blue

Ben Tuck (3rd March 1997) - The Aloof - Wish You Were Here

Brenton Grove (9th April 1997) - Pet Shop Boys - A Red Letter Day

Louis Deletraz (22nd April 1997) - Nuyorican Soul ft India - Runaway

Ferdinand Habsburg (21st June 1997) - Sneaker Pimps - Six Underground

Cem Bolukbasi (9th February 1998) - Lutricia McNeal - Ain't That Just The Way

Dries Vanthoor (20th April 1998) - Ultra - Say You Do

Jamie Chadwick (20th May 1998) - Shed Seven - The Heroes

Mattia Drudi (16th July 1998) - Fatboy Slim - The Rockafeller Skank

Job Van Uitert (10th October 1998) - Ultra - The Right Time

Mick Schumacher (22nd March 1999) - Men Of Vizion - Do You Feel Me? (Freak You)

Marino Sato (12th May 1999) - Melky Sedeck - Raw

Sheldon Van Der Linde (13th May 1999) - Busta Rhymes ft Janet Jackson - What's It Gonna Be

Riccardo Pera (4th July 1999) - ATB - Don't Stop (Import)

Julien Andlauer (5th July 1999) - S Club 7 - Bring It All Back

Phil Hanson (5th July 1999) - Mr Oizo - Flat Beat

Bent Viscaal (18th September 1999) - Geri Halliwell - Mi Chico Latino

Rui Andrade (23rd September 1999) - Lauryn Hill - Everything Is Everything

Gregoire Saucy (26th December 1999) - James - We're Going To Miss You

Timur Boguslavskiy (30th April 2000) - Eagle-Eye Cherry - Are You Still Having Fun?

Felipe Drugovich (23rd May 2000) - Mariah Carey - Thank God I Found You

Yifei Ye (16th June 2000) - Peter Lazonby - Sacred Cycles

Sebastien Baud (6th July 2000) - Westlife - Fool Again

Nicolas Varrone (6th November 2000) - Darude - Feel The Beat

Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer (19th November 2000) - Madonna - Music

Clement Novalak (23rd December 2000) - Jay-Z - I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)

Alex Quinn (29th December 2000) - Delerium ft Sarah MacLachlan - Silence

Simon Mann (10th February 2001) - JJ72 - Snow

Roman De Angelis (15th February 2001) - Usher - Pop Ya Collar

Charles Milesi (4th March 2001) - Spooks - Things I've Seen

Lilou Wadoux (10th April 2001) - Daft Punk - Aerodynamic

Eduardo Barrichello (23rd September 2001) - Starsailor - Alcoholic

Tom Gamble (7th November 2001) - Kylie Minogue - Can't Get You Out Of My Head

Frederik Vesti (13th January 2002) - Satoshie Tomie ft Kelli Ali - Love In Traffic

Sebastian Alvarez (8th July 2002) - Brandy - Full Moon

Loek Hartog (5th October 2002) - Music - Take The Long Road And Walk It

Lorcan Hanafin (6th December 2002) - Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Music Gets The Best Of Me

Casper Stevenson (22nd April 2003) - Sinead Quinn - I Can't Break Down

Reshad De Gerus (1st July 2003) - Metallica - St Anger

Giammarco Levorato (23rd July 2003) - Sleepy Jackson - Vampire Racecourse

Theo Pourchaire (20th August 2003) - Stereophonics - Maybe Tomorrow

Malthe Jakobsen (29th October 2003) - Eagles - Hole In The World

Jonny Edgar (13th February 2004) - Basement Jaxx ft Lisa Kekaula - Good Luck

Esteban Masson (18th September 2004) - Jamelia - See It In A Boy's Eyes

Nico Pino (21st September 2004) - Fountains Of Wayne - Hey Julie

Finn Gehrsitz (25th September 2004) - Damien Rice - Cannonball

Lorenzo Fluxa (23rd November 2004) - Anastacia - Welcome To My Truth

Jonas Ried (18th December 2004) - Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten

Mathys Jaubert (3rd March 2005) - U2 - Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own

Oliver Gray (28th April 2005) - Faithless - Insomnia

Maceo Capietto (12th January 2006) - James Blunt - Goodbye My Lover

Lin Hodenius (3rd August 2006) - Shayne Ward - No Promises

Link to the playlist 😁

[glorfys-glorioushair]

Old Mathias doodles ft. Leon

I want to draw them both in proper knight attire at some point bc ✨️ the middle ages ✨️

[chewingdirt]

flynn always knows how to evoke the signature mathias shaw glare of utmost annoyance

domestic fairshaw birthday tea party (ft. a daughter, a feather boa, crowns, and a totally nifty flower sash that shaw may or may not have thrown together last second)

[littlcfreaks-archive]

"did ya enjoy the show, love?" @renaissanses

[shion-yu]

Day 13: Mononucleosis

A younger (early 20s)  Shu story for @sicktember! Ft his roommate and best friend, Mathias. I’m really excited to post this one because I’m very pleased with it and I think y’all will like it. 3,680 words and no real TWs/CWs but angst and unrequited love. (This piece also works for Day 14, clean sheets, but I had already written a drabble for that one so you get both.)

Shu’s mom told him many, many times that there was no point in moving out. “You stay here, not paying landlord,” she said. “Until you get married.” But after college, and at 22-years-old, Shu felt as if it were high time to get his own place. He’d lived just him and his mom for his entire life, and she’d never let him contribute to the rent. Of course, he loved his mother. She took good care of him and was an incredible cook. But he also felt he would never really be more than a boy in her eyes, and it was difficult not to feel like one himself when he was with her.

And so, he moved into an apartment with his best friend Mathias. It was small, dingy, and not on the best side of town. The furnace went out constantly, and the elevator didn’t work up to their sixth floor apartment. And yet, it was home. Shu’s first home besides the safety of his mother’s place.

He met Mathias in college. Both were studying business administration and found they had similar interests in television and books. It was easy to study together when they had such similar schedules, and soon their studying became a full friendship. A friendship and, for Shu, maybe something a bit more.

It was junior year when they got a little too drunk at a new year’s party and Shu leaned over, kissing Mathias without thinking. The world stopped; everybody around them went silent. At least, that’s what it felt like to Shu before Mathias stepped back, eyes wide with shock. 

“Why’d you do that?” He asked. 

“I’m sorry,” Shu said. “I don’t know.” 

Mathias came closer and kissed him again.

They made out in the back of the host’s pickup truck that night, drunken wandering hands and sloppy tongued kisses that made Shu feel as if he’d never wanted anything more. At some point Mathias said, “I don’t think I’m gay.”

“That’s okay,” Shu said. They kept kissing until the sound of fireworks exploding all around them startled them back to reality. It was 1996. Shu looked up in awe at the cold winter sky bursting into color; Mathias leaned over the edge of the pickup bed and vomited. 

They caught a taxi back to Mathias’s small off-campus bedroom and Shu took care of him that night. There was no more kissing, not that it would have been particularly romantic with all the puking Mathias was doing. He kept apologizing, saying he never drank too much like this. Shu just rubbed his back and cleaned up the bathroom, wondering if the kiss was a one time thing.

It was. 

The next morning, a very hungover and apologetic Mathias told Shu that last night had been a mistake. “I’m not gay,” Mathias repeated, although this time Shu just nodded silently, looking down at his lap. He was embarrassed and felt so foolish for hoping it was more than a drunken accident.

“Are you?” Mathias asked.

“What?” Shu asked, confused.

“Gay,” Mathias said.

“Oh.” Shu wasn’t sure what to say, although he was sure of the answer. If he said yes, what would happen? He didn’t want to lose Mathias as a friend, even if he couldn’t have more. Still, he decided it was better to rip off the bandaid. “Yes.”

“I thought so,” Mathias said, letting out a breath of relief that confused Shu. “I’m glad. I was afraid you might be offended that I thought you are.” 

Shu laughed, although it was mostly to keep from crying. “And you don’t care? That we’re friends.”

Mathias shook his head. “No. As long as you understand that I made a mistake.”

Shu didn’t correct Mathias that Shu was the one who’d leaned in for the kiss first. He just agreed, brushed it off, and from that moment on they went back to just friends. Best friends, but nothing more than that. Shu thought about admitting his true feelings many times, but to what end? Mathias had been clear: as long as you understand that I made a mistake. Meaning if Shu didn’t, he wouldn’t have a friend anymore either. That was worse than unrequited feelings, he decided, and he kept quiet.

It was after graduation that Shu told Mathias he was looking to move out. “Your mom’s not going to be too happy,” Mathias said knowingly. She wasn’t, but Shu needed to know what life was like on his own now. 

They had gotten their first job at the same marketing firm. Rather, Shu had gotten the job and then talked them into hiring Mathias as well. Every morning they would have a quick breakfast together, then carpooled in their shared, beat down 1982 Toyota to work. On the days it refused to start, they caught a cab. Sometimes there wasn’t enough spare change for a cab though, and on those days they ran to the bus stop and barely made it on time. 

Mathias complained about the money. He said someday they’d get better jobs and move into a nicer apartment and have a car that didn’t need more repairs than it was worth. But for Shu, it was fun. He was living adult life without his mom’s watchful eye for the first time, and growing up with his best friend and the person he loved. So what if Mathias didn’t feel the same way? If this was how it was forever, Shu thought naively to himself, he’d be okay with that. 

Shu got a raise first, that February. It was twenty cents more an hour, and they celebrated with beer and pizza from the gas station. It was a raise for making the most sales of any newbie that quarter, and Shu thrived on the praise he got for it. To most people on the outside, it would have seemed like such a measly starter job. For Shu, he felt on top of the world. Nothing could stop him, he thought. He worked harder, longer hours, even staying overnight sometimes. He thrived on being told he was a great employee. Mathias told him he was going to burn himself out, but Shu didn’t care. All the overtime turned into more praise and more money that he was thrilled with.

That was, until the summer of ‘97 swung around and just like Mathias had said, Shu found himself worn out one year into his career. Up until then, he’d never taken a sick day. He’d been sent home with the flu on a Friday afternoon that past winter, and was back to work on Monday. But this morning when Shu woke up, he found himself so tired he couldn’t get out of bed. He kept hitting snooze on his alarm - 5 minutes, 10, then 15 past his usual time. He needed to get up, but his limbs felt like they were made of lead. The fifth time his alarm went off, Mathias knocked on the door and poked his head inside in confusion.

“Aren’t you getting up?” He asked. Shu occasionally had to drag Mathias from bed, but never the other way around.

“I’m getting up,” Shu confirmed, but when he forced himself to sit up a wave of dizziness washed over him. It had been happening a lot recently, these little dizzy spells. Mostly at the end of the day when he stood up after several hours of terrible posture slouched over at his desk. This time felt stronger than usual, though.

Mathias entered the room, his face drawn in concern. “You don’t look too good,” he said. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Just tired,” Shu croaked. His fingers moved to his throat, which was painful. Come to think of it, he’d had a sore throat the past week too, but he’d been able to dismiss it. Now, though, he felt as if he’d gargled rocks.

Mathias sat on the end of the bed, forward as always, and peered at him closely. Shu shivered. “What?” He asked.

“You look like you’ve got a fever,” Mathias said, pressing the back of his hand to Shu’s cheek without warning. “Yikes. You definitely have a fever.”

Shu shook his head. “I can’t, it’s a work day.”

“I don’t think whatever cold you’ve caught knows that,” Mathias said. “You need to call in.”

“No, no,” Shu dismissed him. “I’m getting up. I’m up. Let’s go.”

Mathias sighed but stopped arguing. Shu was stubborn as hell when it came to work, and he knew a fever was not going to change Shu’s mind. “Fine. We’ve gotta go in ten, hurry up.”

Ten minutes was all it took for Shu to throw on his work clothes, brush his hair and teeth, and splash some water on his face to become semi-presentable. He downed a handful of Tylenol in front of the mirror, wincing as the chalky pills scraped going down his swollen throat. He looked rough, but he was confident he could make it through the day. And to his credit, he did make it through: coughing and feeling absolutely wretched. He’d lost his voice by the time their shift ended, and his supervisor approached him when he was punching out.

“Shu, don’t come in tomorrow,” she said. Shu opened his mouth to complain but she held a hand up to stop him. “You’re going to get this entire office sick. Go to the doctor and get some antibiotics.” 

Shu was mortified, feeling like he’d been told off for doing something wrong, and nodded dejectedly. Mathias asked him why he looked like a kicked dog on the drive home and Shu told him. “Um, aren’t you glad she wants you to stay home?” Mathias asked, clearly not understanding Shu’s thought process. “She literally excused you from work.”

“Yeah, and what if she fires me because I take too many sick days?” Shu managed to say hoarsely. “And I go broke?” 

“That’s not gonna happen,” Mathias snorted. “You need to calm down.”

But Shu couldn’t calm down. He just kept going down anxious paths of worst case scenario what-ifs until he got home and lay down in bed without changing out of his work clothes. He was out practically the second his head hit the pillow, and the next thing he knew Mathias was waking him up the following morning.

“Drop me off at work so you can get to the doctors,” Mathias was saying. Shu’s head was pulsing, splitting, and he just groaned. “Shu? Shit, you’re really burning up. Look, they know we live together, I’ll just bring you myself. Come on.” 

Shu didn’t really remember Mathias helping him get dressed, nor did he remember the car ride over. What he did remember was them swabbing him for a few respiratory illnesses at the doctors office, and then the doctor coming in shaking his head and saying, “Well, your test for mono came back positive faster than anyone I’ve seen in a long time.”

Shu was sure he’d heard the doctor incorrectly. “The kissing disease? I thought only teenagers get mono,” he said, dumbfounded. He remembered a classmate getting mono in high school. Specifically, her being out of school for an entire month. 

“Well, it’s common in teens and young adults, so you’re in the average age range,” the doctor said casually. “So I’ll write you a note for work and you’ll have to stay in bed until you’re feeling better. Take Tylenol for pain and fever, cough medicine if you need it, and-“

“Wait, how long are we talking?” Shu asked, alarmed. “I came here for antibiotics, I can’t be out of work.”

The doctor shook his head. “Mono is a viral illness, so unfortunately antibiotics won’t do much,” he said. “And I’d expect to be out of work for a few weeks, at least until the fever’s gone. Maybe more.”

“Like months?!” Shu asked, horrified. “How am I supposed to pay for rent?”

“Shu, we’ll figure it out,” Mathias said, “Just listen to the doctor.” 

But Shu was beyond listening, and he had some hope that the blood test they did to confirm the diagnosis would still come back negative. Maybe it was just the flu, he thought. An unusual strain that didn’t test positive for some reason. Or a terrible sinus infection. He couldn’t be out of work for two weeks, let alone a month or even longer. He’d fall behind. All his hard work would be disregarded. They’d fire him, he was sure they would.

Mathias drove Shu home in silence, apparently knowing that letting Shu spiral at the moment was about all he could do. He dropped Shu off in front of their building and said, “I’ll tell work for you, if you want.” 

“Please don’t tell them,” Shu begged. “I’m sure I’ll feel better tomorrow. I can’t have mono, I don’t even go out or kiss anybody.” 

“I don’t think that’s how it works,” Mathias said pityingly. “Just go to sleep, it’s all going to work out. I won’t tell them you have mono but you’re at least gonna need a few days. And the doctor said if you push yourself, it’ll just make you sicker.”

Shu stumbled into the house, flopping onto bed still in disbelief. He felt awful - sick, but also like his life was self-imploding and there was nothing he could do about it. For the next few days he stayed in bed, physically miserable but still hopeful that it was just a bad cold, until the office called that Thursday and said the blood test had confirmed a diagnosis of mono. They asked Shu if he wanted them to fax paperwork over to his work and Shu, although it nearly killed him, finally said yes.

By now he was sure that he’d get a call any day - a call not to come back to work ever again. Mathias tried to convince Shu that he was being dramatic. Their supervisor had even sent her well wishes and nobody at work was talking smack about him like Shu was so convinced was happening. Shu didn’t quite believe Mathias' good tidings only, but he felt too awful and drained to argue.

The exhaustion was the worst part, followed or perhaps hand in hand with a fever that refused to break for the first week. Shu wasn’t sure he’d ever felt so drained, like he’d run a marathon he most certainly had not signed up for. Mathias tried to coax drinks and food into Shu, but his throat hurt so much that he barely wanted anything. “You have to eat if you want to get better faster,” Mathias said, and usually Shu would have listened. But his head felt so full of cotton that he kept falling asleep even with a bowl of soup in his hands.

On the worst day of the fevers, Shu tried to get to the bathroom in the middle of the night and ended up face first on the carpet in the hallway. Mathias had heard the thump and woke up, running out of his room and turning the hall light off. “Oh my god!” He exclaimed, horrified. “Shu? Hey, buddy, talk to me.”

He turned Shu over, and Shu made a sound that was like a moan mixed with an awkward laugh. “I tripped,” he said. “Sorry.”

“You scared the shit outta me,” Mathias groaned, shaking his head in disbelief. “C’mon, let’s get you back in bed.”

He helped Shu to his feet and wrestled him under the covers. “These are soaked,” Mathias said. “Let’s change them.”

“You have work in the morning,” Shu croaked. “I’m okay.” It was just the fever making him emotional, he told himself. It was making him want to cry, because Mathias was so gentle and patient and handsome with a wreck of a guy like him with no attractive features and yet, he would never be anything more than a friend. 

“You’re not okay. Sit on the floor, I’ll change them really fast,” Mathias said. He helped Shu to the floor and draped Shu’s duvet around his shoulders. Shu held it close and shivered, his whole body aching. He watched Mathias quickly change the sheets and then let himself get put back to bed. “Take your temperature,” Mathias said, handing him the thermometer while he got out Tylenol. “You - Shu, are you crying? Are you feeling that bad?” 

Shu lifted his hand to his eyes to find he was, in fact, crying. “I don’t know why,” Shu said, sniffling. “It’s just the fever, probably.”

“Probably,” Mathias said, but he still looked worried. He checked that the thermometer was correctly under Shu’s armpit and shook his head. “God, you’re really going through it. Sorry, pal.” 

Shu couldn’t help it - he let out another little sob. This was so embarrassing, he thought as he covered his face with his hands. Mortifying. He was going to lose his job and now his best friend too, because he couldn’t just be happy with what he had. He always wanted more. At work mostly, but maybe from Mathias too, and that just wasn’t fair to his best friend who had never pretended to be anything but himself. 

“Shu? What hurts? You’re scaring me,” Mathias said.

“I’m sorry,” Shu said, trying to get his tears under control. “I’m just - my head hurts,” he said. It did hurt, but it definitely wasn’t making him cry. There was no way he could really tell Mathias why, though.

“Take the Tylenol,” Mathias instructed him worriedly. Shu did, and when it was time they looked at the thermometer which even given the shoddy lines on the glass, read about 103 degrees. ”Do you think you should take a cold bath?” Mathias asked.

Shu shook his head. He didn’t want to take a bath. He was sure he couldn’t do it without help, and there was no way he was letting Mathias see him like that - even more vulnerable and pathetic than he already was. Mathias got him cold washcloths instead and draped them over Shu’s forehead and neck, which made him shiver.

“The clean sheets,” Shu said, teeth chattering. “They’re getting wet.”

“It’s just water,” Mathias said. He glanced at the clock on Shu’s bedside table. It was two in the morning, and Mathias had work soon.

“You should go back to sleep,” Shu said, his voice choked but the washcloth at least hiding his watering eyes.

He felt Mathias rest a hand on his chest, and the small sob he let escape was unavoidably noticeable when they were making such contact. “I’ll be fine,” Mathias said. “I’m just worried about you.”

It wasn’t fair, Shu thought as he cried, completely unable to hide it any longer. Why did he have to get sick right when life was going so well? Why did he have to love someone who would never love him back, at least not in the same way that he did? Why was he such a selfish person to even hope otherwise?

Mathias was shushing him, telling him it was going to be okay. For a moment, Shu wished he’d never moved out and stayed with his mom, a bachelor for an indeterminable forever but at least he wouldn't know how badly this hurt. Eventually, though, he wore himself out and the sobbing subsided along with the peak of his fever. He felt overheated and kicked his blankets off, hot air escaping him in labored panting. “S’hot,” he muttered to Mathias, “Too hot.”

“Your fever’s just going down,” Mathias reassured him. “Just relax. You’re going to be fine.”

“How do you know?” Shu asked desperately.

Mathias hesitated. “It just will be. Lie back down.”

Shu listened, but he was still muttering about the heat. Mathias felt his cheek with one hand and it felt blissfully cool. “Keep it there,” Shu muttered. “Please.” Just give me this and I’ll be happy, he told himself. It’s enough, just make it enough forever. Mathias put his other hand on Shu’s opposite cheek, and eventually Shu fell asleep with Mathias’ cool palms cupping his tear-streaked face on both sides.

The next day, Shu downplayed what he remembered about that night. The fever made an easy excuse, and he forced himself to make jokes when Mathias laughed about the method with which he’d finally calmed Shu down, holding Shu's face in his hands. For the next several nights, as Shu tossed and turned with fevers that kept him up, he would try putting his own hands on his cheeks to comfort himself. It wasn’t the same, though.

It took three weeks before Shu was able to get back to the office, and even then he had lost weight and was exhausted quickly. His boss was wary of him being there, his pallor alarming her, and she banned him from staying overtime for another week. Despite Shu’s fears, the bills were paid and things went back to normal, slowly but surely. The fevers and cough were gone, only leaving a lingering exhaustion that Shu had to be careful not to push lest he wind up with a blinding headache as a result. It was difficult for Shu not to do as much as he wanted, but it was more difficult to continue pretending that his feelings for Mathias weren’t more painful than before, too. 

Focusing on work was his only and best distraction, and so once he was able to get through the day without crashing, Shu threw himself back into the same cycle of overtime and blind dedication to his career. It was better than pining, he thought. Just like it was better to keep Mathias as a friend than to lose him completely. Shu told himself that settling for a life of good enough, and not perfect, was all he could hope for. It was all he deserved. Wanting for more was just too painful.

[tooswcctx]

It was a long time but Effie didn't mind. Six months would fly by out in the world, traveling between hostels and hotels while meeting wonderful people. It was her dream, after everything that happened with her sister, it was exactly what she needed. Confusion did flash across her features at his question, it wasn't like Mathias had ever been a fan of her boyfriends and he'd quite literally just told her he didn't want to talk about him. "At this point...I don't know if it'll be something he has to worry about."

Despite the whining that Mathias had done less than a few minutes earlier, as Effie explained that she needed to do some travel and floated the idea of her being gone for six months, his expression shifted and his mind went where it shouldn't have. His brows furrowed, head tilting. "Half a year?" He echoed. "...how's Mr. Right gonna feel about that one?"

[lukechweiss]

Luke looked at Mathias and the 2,01m / 6"7 ft tall rested his hand on his shoulder. ❛ So, you're the PERFECT, muscle I need. The muscle I lack. ❜ Because I'm too cowardly, but that part left unsaid. ❛ I need you to exterminate a certain creature from my job. Technically, killing isn't my job. So, I figured. Mathias?! Yeah, why not? I can split this cash since you're helping me. ❜ If anything, he has no issues with payments.

@intxication

[priokskfm]

#MixOfDay #Podcast #Radioshow #LiveDjset Box Of Tricks Episode 60 1 Dancehall Energy suckaside 2 No Flash (feat. Ohmega Watts) The Allergies 3 Born Again ft. Laura Roy Quantic 4 Multiply Junq 5 Garden Of Life Piers Kirwan Boogie Cafe 6 BSD (Brian Saves The Day) Sleazy McQueen Whiskey Disco 7 Madam Electrifie - Never Forget 8 Secret Sauce Shaka Loves You 9 Breakthrough (feat. Andy Cooper) The Allergies 10 Green Line (original mix) DFRA Deeppa 11 Like a Pool - The Electrifie Edit Madame Electrifie 12 Freedom Mathias Kaden Rekids 13 Baddy On The Floor Jamie xx feat. Honey Dijon 14 Here We Go Løne Døg Cuttin' It Fine 15 GOOD PUSS COBRAH 16 Somewhere Junq 17 Obelisk feat. Natty Wylah & brother portrait Footshooter Tru Thought / Full Thought Publishing 18 Pride Sam Redmore 19 Don't Call (original mix) Madame Electrifie The Payback Project 20 The Battle of The Locust dBridge 21 My Own Way (feat. Dr Syntax & Skunkadelic) The Allergies 22 ALL THE TIME SBTRKT 23 lau.ra - Beat That (Extended Mix) 24 Bit MASTER AMENDED V2 24 What We Do (original mix) Joyce Brooke Dirty Kitchen Rave 25 Therapy (Reconstructed) Simon Shackleton, Moderat 26 AHIMSA DDOS Gigabeat 27 Round Two Shell/Sugababes Young 28 One Sixty MPH Night Bass 29 Ready Alright Mattik & DL Hardline Sounds 30 Division Obsidian Wave Dirty Kitchen Rave www.priokskfm.online https://ift.tt/hasGHbl

[monochromaticwriting]

A part 1 of a LoS Simon x Selena ft. Mathias mini series, inspired by some messages from discord between me and @the-crow-binary

When Simon went on his journey to destroy Dracul and avenge his parents, he hadn't thought that he'd return to Selene with a vampire in tow. This vampire was not keen on being freed from Dracul's influence, which was something Simon didn't understand. He didn't say anything about it when he rescued the, clearly, troubled man from the collapsing Castle. He was just trying to survive, and make sure no more innocents were harmed.

Simon only slowed when Llamrei came to view. Like the loyal steed she was, his mare was waiting for him. Simon finally stopped when they got to her, and he turned to the vampire. The moonlight made his features shine. Green eyes, black hair. Simon wasn't surprised that Dracul tried to claim him. The man was beautiful. Shaking his head, Simon lifted the shocked man onto the saddle and walked beside his horse. It was a tense and strange silence, neither man knowing what to say to each other.

It took Simon a total of five hours to get back to the mountain village that had raised him. Five hours of only having the woods, his horse, and his own breathing to keep him company. His home came into view and Simon almost collapsed on the spot. The villagers greeted him. Many hugged him and thanked God that he was alive and safely back home. They were inquisitive about the vampire that Simon had helped off Llamrei, but ultimately let him get to his home, one leading the mare back to the field.

Selena was at the door of their home, their son, Christopher, was in her arms. He could see the worry in her eyes and he hugs them tightly when he steps over to them. She hugged him back just as tightly, though Selena questioned him about the vampire.

"I promise, I'll explain what I know, but I need a bath, rest, and some actual food." Simon turns to the man, "I think my friend here will need much the same." He saw the glare sent his way, but he didn't care. If the vampire tried something, he'd kill him the same he had killed all the others, and the vampire seemed to have understood that sentiment.

[littlcfreaks-archive]

relaxing had genuinely never been in his wheel house so he couldn't blame her for her reaction. it didn't mean that it didn't make his eyes roll and a sigh to leave his lips, "i'm so sorry that my shit is stressful for you to watch." he plucked the wine glass from her fingers, downing the rest of it, "maybe get me another drink and i'd relax."

open to: anyone relationship: friends, fwb, dating, be creative ✨ about record ✨

“ damn... just looking at you right now is fucking exhausting, ” she laid out on her chaise lounge, wine glass in her hand as her eyes tracked their movements.“ can you please relax?? ”

[archinform]

The Field Building, Chicago

by Roger Jones

June 19, 2024

Two views of the Field Building, c. 1930

The field building, 135 S. LaSalle St., Chicago, was built 1928 - 1934, and designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst & White. Built by the estate of department store founder Marshall Field, it was the last major office building completed prior to a two-decade construction hiatus caused by the Great Depression and World War II. Its site formerly was occupied by the Home Insurance Building (1884), designed by William Le Baron Jenney.

Built at a cost of $12 million, the building featured 43 floors, and height of 163.1 m / 535 ft, and a surface of 111 484 m² / 1 200 000 ft. upon completion. It had entrances on both Lasalle and Clark Streets. The Field Building has also been known as the LaSalle National Bank Building, or Bank of America Building.

The building also featured 42 high-speed elevators, advanced technology at the time. Other innovations included polished aluminum window frames, radiant heat, dual elevators sharing one shaft, and pure drinking water delivered to drinking fountains in each office. The first and second floors were connected by escalators.

The building was designated a Chicago Landmark on February 9, 1994.

135 S. LaSalle, Solomon Cordwell Buenz

A distinctive moderne structure, the building's stripped-down design features smooth surfaces, limited ornament, and clean lines.

Straight vertical lines give the building a look as new as 1959. The main exterior material is limestone. The [lower] entrances made extensive use of white bronze and black granite, also with a complete lack of extraneous detail. As far as materials and craftsmanship are concerned, another Field building may never be built, architects say. The cost would be prohibitive. Three kinds of marble were used in the vast lobby arcade and corridors - white, from Vermont; a green variety, from Italy; and a delicately toned tan marble, also from Italy. The Field building took the entire output of the quarry producing the tan marble. It is irreplaceable, said Palmer. All the marble was cut and laid so that the patterns match from one slab to another. Source: Fuller, Ernest, "Famous Chicago Buildings," Chicago Tribune, January 3, 1959

Home Insurance Building, 1885 (demolished 1931), William Le Baron Jenney, architect

Plaque in the Field Building lobby

Postcard view

Photos from the Ryerson and Burnham Libraries, Art Institute of Chicago

Photos from the Hedrich-Blessing Archive, Chicago History Museum

View of lobby, showing "bookend" tan marble above elevator doors

Field Building ground floor plan.

My photographs:

Graham, Anderson, Probst & White

The Chicago firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst & White was founded in 1912 originally as Graham, Burnham & Co., as the successor to the D.H. Burnham Company. In 1917, the Burnhams left the firm, and Graham and the others, (William) Pierce Anderson, Edward Mathias Probst, and Howard Judson White formed the subsequent firm.

The firm got the majority of the big commissions from 1912 to 1936, including iconic buildings such as the Wrigley Building, Merchandise Mart, Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Civic Opera House, and the old main U. S. Post Office. They also designed built the Terminal Tower in Cleveland and Federal Reserve Bank in Kansas City.

It was the largest architectural firm under one roof during the first half of the twentieth century, its closest rival being the firm of Holabird and Root.

Architectural historian Carl Condit commented on the Field Building: "Graham, Anderson, Probst, and White turned their backs once and for all on the past and produced a Sullivanesque skyscraper stripped down to essentials, a dense array of uniform vertical limestone bands, topped by a horizontal spandrel that simply marks the outer face of the parapet at the roof."

Major works by the firm in Chicago: the Wrigley Building, Merchandise Mart, Civic Opera House, Union Station, and Field Museum

Sources:

Online:

Chicagology: Field Building

Chicago Landmarks

Lasalle Reimagined

Chicago History Museum images

YouTube: Why Chicago razed the first skyscraper / The Field Building

Architecture and planning of Graham, Anderson, Probst, and White, 1912-1936 : transforming tradition, by Chappell, Sally Anderson. Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 1992. Available on Internet Archive

Journals:

Field Building, Chicago Ill. Architectural record. 1932 Apr., v. 71, p. 277. Ill 

The sky's the limit: high-rise history in Chicago. Inland Architect. 1990 Jan.-Feb., v.34, no.1, p.60-[63]. Photos

The Field building, Chicago's newest skyscraper. Architectural Record. 1934 Aug., v. 76, p. 120-128. ill, plans

[monochromatictoad]

For the ask: Trevorcard, Hector and Isaac :P

Trevorcard!

1. favorite thing about them: Trevorcard's devotion to his family, but also to his own humanity. He worked his ass off to get his father to see he's worthy of redemption, while also never succumbing to the vampire curse.

2. least favorite thing about them: The fact he never told Simon who he really was. I get why he didn't, but it doesn't make me happy about it.

3. favorite line: "You'll pay for what you did to me and my mother!" Specifically as young Trevor in the Castle portions of LoS2. It seems like a strange quote, but this is the first thing Trevor said to Dracul before their first battle, so it's how Trevorcard gets Gabriel to see the young boy is him.

4. brOTP: Trevorcard and Victor. Honestly, not much is known of their relationship, but I'd like to think they were pretty close.

5. OTP: Trethias (Trevorcard x Mathias) and Trevorcard x Sypha. (Gavor)

6. nOTP: Satan x Trevorcard. Listen Satan. Possessing the body of your crush's son, is not how you get your crush to like you back.

7. random headcanon: Trevorcard watches over the Belnades after he became a vampire. It's one thing he could do as atonement for causing his wife's death, but also because of the changing political stance on them. After the Belmonts split from the original Brotherhood of Light (another headcanon), he begins to watch over them too.

8. unpopular opinion: I think he's the coolest looking Alucard, and I like how they show that he refuses to give into the curse by perpetually starving himself of blood, which shows on his actual character model.

9. song i associate with them: uhhh....

Animal by Disturbed.

10. favorite picture of them: have some baby Trevorcard, ft. Dracul's hand.

Hector!

1. Favorite thing about them: The fact he broke away from Dracula and Isaac, finding his own place in the world, free from their toxicity.

2. Least favorite thing about them: Hector, honey, maybe don't try to the woman helping you. (I hope I'm remembering that panel of the manga correctly)

3. Favorite line: "Damn him! So be it. I must descend into darkness and reclaim that accursed power once more... Heed my words. I will hunt you down like the beast you are. I will have my revenge!" Like? My guy? That goes so fucking hard.

4. brOTP: Alucard and Hector. Weird adopted brothers, who are each other's only sanctuary.

5. OTP: Hectaly, Isaactor, and Mactor

6. nOTP: can I put N!Isaactor? I'm putting that.

7. Random headcanon: I really like the ones that portray Hector treating his Innocent Devils as like little pets/children.

8. Unpopular opinion: honestly? I don't think I have one.

9. Song I associate with them: Uhhh... Maybe..

The Death of Peace of Mind by Bad Omen

10. Favorite picture of them: I know he's barely visible, but like, the size difference between him and Dracula? *Chef's kiss*

Isaac!

1. Favorite thing about them: unhinged bastard man, causing death and destruction in his wake. What's not to love about that?

2. Least favorite thing about them: Maybe don't burn your adopted brother/ex lover's wife at the stake? And expect him to like you still?

3. Favorite line: "I've been waiting quite a long time to plot my revenge. Not only did my Lord die because of you -- you stripped me of my pride, my home. Now I shall make you suffer as I suffered. You shall die a most painful, gruesome death." Isaac, honey. Like, this line is painful, but it shows so much about Isaac and his mentality around Dracula and the Castle.

4. brOTP: Joachim and Isaac. I just can't visualize them being in a relationship.

5. OTP: Isaactor, Isaastle, and Gabsaac/Isabriel? Basically Isaac x Gabriel.

6. nOTP: same as Hector. N!Isaactor

7. Random headcanon: I think Isaac could play a few instruments. I don't know... He seems like the type to have, like, a bass or, like, a steel guitar.

8. Unpopular opinion: Isaac is perfect as he is. He is chaos and depravity, and I love him for that. He's so unapologetically awful in every way, and I love that in a character.

9. Song I associate with them: Sick Like Me by In This Moment

10. Favorite picture of them: This is just a fantastic image of Isaac.