#mantra the midas

[gomahendra30]

Mantra The Midas Residences Balewadi | Dream Home Apartments

MANTRA THE MIDAS Mantra The Midas Residences is a top-notch private adventure created by Mantra Group, positioned in the sprightly vicinity of Balewadi, Pune. Spreading over roughly 10.4 sections of land, this enhancement offers a blend of extravagance and comfort, pressing a sum of 347 precisely budgeted units. Conveniences inhabitants of Mantra The Midas can enjoy the plenitude of current…

[sachinpropbuzz]

Mantra The Midas is a wonderful Project in Pune

Mantra The Midas is a luxurious residential complex located in Balewadi, Pune. Developed by Mantra Properties, this property is spread over 2 acres of land and offers a total of 252 units. The complex comprises 2, 3, and 4 BHK apartments with sizes ranging from 1078 sq. ft. to 2594 sq. ft. The apartments are well-designed and come equipped with all modern amenities such as air conditioning, a…

[megyulmi]

➠ Binding vow and invoking Fudō in Pure Land Buddhism:

I have been seeing posts on the nature of binding vows since Chapter 258, so I decided to share my notes on it in hopes they could be of use to a fellow reader.

Considering Akutami Gege’s consistency in incorporating practices and beliefs of different Buddhist schools into the storyline, personally, performing a binding vow reminds me of the process of invoking Fudō, as well as Amitābha’s ‘Primal Vow’. Here, I am specifically addressing the vows made with oneself as I believe they are significantly different from the vows made with others.

Fudō is an esoteric Buddhist deity for rebirth (from Pure Land worship). He was invoked by reciting his incantation as a deathbed practice to attain proper mindfulness at death allowing rebirth into the Pure Land, particularly Miroku’s Heaven, from the late Heian into the Kamakura period. He is a manifestation of the cosmic Buddha Dainichi (大日, Mahāvairocana) sent to assist Buddhist practitioners and to arrest those who would impede the Buddhist path. Fudō was most popular among the nobility for his efficacy in propitious birth, restoration of health and resurrection from death, and the subjugation of adversaries.

He is associated with the ‘Mantra of Compassionate Help’, which helps remove the hindrances at death. The mantra loosely translates as “Homage to the All-Encompassing Vajra, the Manifestation of Great Wrath. Eliminate [all hindrances].”

There are different instances of invoking Fudō. The first one is, invoking him for Miroku’s Heaven. It is related to Sōō, a monk of the Tendai school. According to the legend, while Sōō was performing ascetic practices before a waterfall on the Katsuragawa river, he prayed to Fudō to take him to Miroku’s Heaven. Fudō did indeed carry Sōō to Miroku’s Heaven, but when they arrived at the gate to the inner palace, Sōō was not allowed in because he could not yet recite the Lotus Sutra from memory. But when Sōō later recited the Lotus Sutra before the image of Fudō at his temple, he was able to gain entry.

The second one is invoking Fudō at Death. According to the court diary Chūyūki (中右記) by Fujiwara no Munetada (藤原宗忠), Emperor Horikawa on his death bed, “first chanted the titles of the larger Hannya and Lotus sutras, as well as the august name of the venerable Fudō; then chanted the august names of Śākya[muni] and [A]mida and faced the west.”

There is another story, according to which there was a sculpture of Fudō in Nara that used to appear to a nun at Higashiyama in Kyoto because she recited Fudō’s Mantra of Compassionate Help twenty-one times every day praying for proper mindfulness at death. In the time of death, when she became seriously ill, she put her hands together to form Fudō’s mudra and seated properly, her breath stopped, and without sickness, she came to the end with proper mindfulness. Here it is noteworthy that she was a member of the Ungoji nenbutsu group.

Additionally, it is useful to look into the concept of ‘Primal Vow or Fundamental Vow (本願, hongan)’, which in Japanese Pure Land Buddhism is the 18th vow that is part of a series of 48 vows that Amitābha made in the Infinite Life Sutra that in certain aspects (depending on the school) can be connected with invoking Fudō.

Nenbutsu is the invocation ‘namu amida butsu’ (南無阿弥陀仏, ‘I take my refuge in the Buddha Amitābha’) chanted in the hope of rebirth into Amida's Pure Land. It is important to note that Nenbutsu were not only directed to Amitābha but other Buddhas as well. Myōe, a famous priest of the Kegon school, is known to have invoked Fudō on his deathbed seeking rebirth in Miroku’s Heaven. It is said that at the time of Myōe’s death, “two or three times he intoned the invocation Namu Miroku Bosatsu, raising his hands in prayer and devoutly reciting the nenbutsu.”

The sutra reads: “If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings in the lands of the ten quarters who sincerely and joyfully entrust themselves to me, desire to be born in my land, and call my Name, even ten times, should not be born there, may I not attain perfect Enlightenment.”

In the sutra, we see clearly what Amitābha’s ‘exchange’ is: “If they should not be born there, may I not attain perfect Enlightenment.” The vow is made at the risk of not being able to attain Enlightenment. Personally, it directly relates to the binding vow made with oneself in JJK: give up something, gain something; or, break the binding vow, lose what you have gained. Nanami is the easiest example to understand in this regard. His binding vow limits the amount of cursed energy he can access to about 80-90% while on the clock. Once his normal shift ends and he begins working overtime, Nanami’s cursed energy increases and by invoking Overtime, he is able to utilise 110-120% of his maximum power. He gains something while giving up something in exchange, and if he were to break the vow, he would lose what he has gained.

The practice itself is complex and depending on the accounts (and the schools) can be different, but personally, I can see how it could relate to the concept of binding vows made with oneself in JJK. In exchange for ‘devotion’, one can invoke the help of Fudō, who by landing his strength can help the invoker overcome the hindrance or the adversity they are facing. When summed up in this simple way, it does resonate with the concept of the binding vow made with oneself. Although the conditions naturally have to be completely different (i.e. what ‘devotion’ entails in JJK terms).

It might offer us a bit of perspective on why Sukuna seems the most efficient (well-versed) in performing the binding vow as well. We see from the examples I provided that invoking Fudō requires the knowledge of certain sutras and a long period of practice. Sukuna, coming from the Heian period (assuming that binding vows were more common like the practice of invoking Fudō that declined over time and is almost extinct in the modern day), would have been able to accumulate such knowledge and would be more familiar with the process of invoking it than your average modern-day sorcerer. He may as well have an understanding of ‘incantations’ that might otherwise not have survived the time.

Considering Akutami Gege’s incorporation of Buddhist practices, personally, it might not be too far off that he might have drawn inspiration from combining the two when creating the concept of binding vows.

[studiotky]

24'K SPECIAL K-POP MIX"K-NATION DAY.2"

----------------------------------------------- DJ TKT SPECIAL K-POP 24'K MEGA MIX "K-NATION DAY.2" 全66曲 (Set List) https://www.mixcloud.com/tkyno1/knationday2/ -----------------------------------------------

All Night / IVE & Saweetie DRIP / BABYMONSTER RUNWAY / MISAMO Midas Touch / KISS OF LIFE Push Your Love / FIFTY FIFTY Stuck In The Middle (Remix) / BABYMONSTER illang (Firework) / ILY:1 Shining on you / woo!ah! HalliGalli (Prod. by LEE CHANHYUK of AKMU) / NAYEON NEW NEW / TWICE Super Lady / (G)I-DLE Magic (feat. JULIE) / NAYEON Strategy (feat. Megan Thee Stallion) / TWICE Identity / MISAMO NVKED / AB6IX Fate / (G)I-DLE TOXIC / MEOVV plot twist / TWS Retro Romance / HYO SPOT! (feat. JENNIE) / ZICO Mantra / JENNIE Unstoppable / SooYoung Smart / LE SSERAFIM Cosmic / Red Velvet Boom Boom Bass / RIIZE Who / Jimin YOU GET ME / TWICE Moonlit Floor (Kiss Me) / LISA DIVE / TWICE Supernova Love / IVE & デヴィッド・ゲッタ LOVE ATTACK / RESCENE ABCD / NAYEON Supernatural / NewJeans YAH-HO (BADTITUDE) / BADVILLAIN Sticky / KISS OF LIFE Really Like You (Spring Version) / GYUBIN Love 119 / RIIZE Emptiness / BoA RISE UP -Korean ver. / NiziU Standing Next to You / JUNG KOOK On Clap (feat. 刘柏辛Lexie) / YUQI LOVE, MONEY, FAME (feat. DJ Khaled) / SEVENTEEN POWER / G-DRAGON LIKE THAT / BABYMONSTER Satellite / GYUBIN Girls Never Die / tripleS Smeraldo Garden Marching Band / Jimin & Loco Small girl (feat. D.O.) / Lee Young Ji Money In My Pocket (MOMO) / MISAMO BORN TO BE (Final Ver.) / ITZY BODY / MEOVV Right Now / NewJeans Superpower / VALORANT Music, KISS OF LIFE & マーク・トゥアン 해야 (HEYA) / IVE Mirage (SANA) / MISAMO I GOT YOU / TWICE Misty (MINA) / MISAMO DASH / NMIXX MOUNTAINS / Stray Kids GOLD / ITZY BBB / PURPLE KISS I'll Tell You / woo!ah! ONE SPARK / TWICE toxic till the end / ROSÉ Do not touch / MISAMO Letter To Myself / TAEYEON ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ 𝑲-𝑷𝑶𝑷 𝑴𝑨𝑺𝑯𝑼𝑷　※YouTube チャンネル『𝗦𝗧𝗨𝗗𝗜𝗢 𝗧𝗞𝗬』 https://www.youtube.com/@studiotky チャンネル登録・視聴して、応援してくれると嬉しいです!! ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

BABYMONSTER x Nicky Romero Really Like You x Distance (MASHUP REMIX)

BABYMONSTER feat. XG - DRIP (REMIX) Love In My Heart x HOWLING

TWICE - Strategy (feat. Megan Thee Stallion) MASHUP REMIX

Whiplash (Supernova Armageddon Remix) aespa x Kep1er x Jack Back

NewJeans "Supernatural" x 嶋野百恵 "baby baby, Service" [Bunnies Camp 2024 SPECIAL MASHUP]

TWICE "ONE SPARK" x Rachel Platten "Fight Song" [MEMORIAL MASHUP]

[valentinahogdahlholm]

We can be old maids with cats and books in an Italian castle. For we have risen from the same wave, that I swear by, The seam seashell. Even if only you can be called Aphrodite.

The words you speak tattooed on the most inner walls of my heart, Much more important than those ever spoken by a young blond god. I save them as a mantra, God's honest truth.

And I am only a duty ethesist who wants to throw its heavy cape, but don't dare and collapses.

The sweetest queen who's forehead became kissed, And then thrown aside. Good and right

Too much to be loved, Only liked when hands forgive corrupt boys,

Double corsets, pressing on lungs, Beautiful goodness, not enough to be loved. Only a hand to hold, Rise to the throne. Crowned with my crown, and good hand, Becomes charity, gold of fingers, Melted when I become a statue to pay the state's debts, despite being perfectly shaped.

Only loved by guys with bigger saviour complexes than me, Mirrored in golden skin, Holy Midas' touch. //

Vi kan bli ungmöer med katter och böcker i ett italienskt slott, 

För vi är stigna ur samma våg, det svär jag, 

Ur samma snäckskal reste vi. 

Även om endast du kan kallas för Afrodite. 

Orden du yttrar tattuerarn jag på väggarna av den innersta kammaren i mitt hjärta, 

Mycket viktigare är de någon ung blond gud kunde yttra. 

Dina sparar jag som ett mantra, 

Dyrkar som guds ord.

Och jag är endaste en pliktetiker som vill kasta den tunga manteln men inte vågar och kollapsar, 

Den sötaste drottningen vars panna blir kysst, 

Och sedan förkastad. 

Präktig och duktig, 

För mycket för att bli älskad, 

Endast omtyckt, när hennes goda händer förlåter korrupta pojkar. 

Dubbla korsetter tryckande mot lungorna, 

Vacker i sin duktighet men inte nog att älskas, 

Endast en hand att hålla, 

Stiga mot tronen, 

Krönas med min krona och goda hand, 

Blir till välgörenhet, guld av fingrarna, 

Smälts när jag blir en staty för att betala statskulderna, trots att jag stöptes perfekt efter formen. 

Endast älskad av killar med större messiaskomplex än jag, 

Som speglar sig i förgylld hud, 

Dyrkad midasberöring. 

[innocent-diamond-2090110]

2024 Music Recap (Top 100 Tracks Only)

This activity is now a yearly tradition! As a reminder, I only listed up to 100 songs due to Tumblr's URL policy, so this list may not be all-inclusive. The video I selected to grace the cover of this post (I know it sounds cheesy) is Felix's "UNFAIR"! Does anyone else think the first verse sounds like a mix of Seungmin (leading), I.N., & Lee Know instead of Felix himself?

Anyway, here's the list! Bold italicized = VIDEO; Regular = AUDIO

January 2024

Run For Roses - NMIXX

Good Girls in the Dark - Choi Yena (former IZ*ONE)

BIBORA (It's Raining) - SF9

DASH - NMIXX

Super Lady - (G)I-DLE

February 2024

Smart - LE SSERAFIM

Shh.. - IU (feat. Hyein, Jo Wonseon, & Patti Kim)

March 2024

Abracadabra (OG: Brown Eyed Girls) - (G)I-DLE

Fate (I Hate Being Sick) - (G)I-DLE

Rooftop - YooA @ OH MY GIRL

Magnetic - ILLIT

Emptiness (Really, No?) - BoA

SUPERWOMAN - UNIS

April 2024

SHEESH - BABYMONSTER

LIKE THAT - BABYMONSTER

Midas Touch - KISS OF LIFE

Flower Rhythm - ARTMS

Girls' Night - Loossemble

Truman Show - Loossemble

Sugar Bomb - ME:I

Straight Line - Kep1er

Red Rover - Yuqi @ (G)I-DLE

HEYA (Sun) - IVE

LALALI - Hip Hop Unit @ SEVENTEEN

May 2024

Q&A - HyunA (former 4minute)

RSVP - HyunA

Supernova - aespa

Accendio - IVE

Armageddon - aespa

Set The Tone - aespa

Mine - aespa

Licorice - aespa

Long Chat (#♥) - aespa

LOOP - Yves @ LOONA

DIORAMA - Yves @ LOONA

Virtual Angel (Human Eye Ver.) - ARTMS (has less flashes)

June 2024

BADVILLAIN - BADVILLAIN

Flowers, Flutter, Your heart - Kep1er

Double Up! - Kep1er

PROBLEM - Kep1er

Right Now - NewJeans

Last Night - Jeonghan & Wonwoo @ SEVENTEEN

HURRICANE - BADVILLAIN

July 2024

FOREVER - BABYMONSTER

Sun and Moon - aespa

Don't - Lee Chaeyeon (former IZ*ONE)

Summer Heat - Lee Chaeyeon

Supernatural - Lee Chaeyeon

Heaven - Taeyeon @ SNSD

Te Quiero- KISS OF LIFE

JUSTICE - Dreamcatcher

Troubleshoot - Windy Zhan

August 2024

Curious (Only You Don't Know) - UNIS

Poppin' - UNIS

BATTER UP (Japanese ver.) - BABYMONSTER

See that? (Weirdo Star) - NMIXX

SICKUHH - NMIXX

Red light sign, but we go - NMIXX

BEAT BEAT - NMIXX

Baddie (Japanese ver.) - IVE

Imagine It (Better Than Expected) - ME:I version

Pierrot - LE SSERAFIM

1-800-hot-n-fun - LE SSERAFIM

You're Pitiful (2024 Chinese ver.) - FIESTAR

September 2024

TTYL - Loossemble

Cotton Candy - Loossemble

Confessions - Loossemble

DADARIDA - MADEIN

Retro Romance - Hyoyeon @ SNSD

October 2024

UP - Karina @ aespa

Bored! - Ningning @ aespa

MANTRA - Jennie @ BLACKPINK

Get Loud - KISS OF LIFE

Chemistry - KISS OF LIFE

Igloo - KISS OF LIFE

No One But Us - KISS OF LIFE

UNTOUCHABLE (Final/OT5 ver.) - ITZY

Imaginary Friend - ITZY

Whiplash - aespa

Flower - aespa

Cherish (My Love) - ILLIT

November 2024

Shhh! - VIVIZ

Cliché - VIVIZ

Supernova Love - IVE

Chk Chk Boom (Japanese ver.) - Stray Kids

Viola - Yves

Hashtag - Yves

Love Game - CLASS:y

Hot Mess - Taeyeon @ SNSD

BODY - MEOVV

ZOOM (Breath) - BADVILLAIN

IZNA - izna

DRIP - izna

Like A Flower - Irene @ Red Velvet

MAESTRO (Japanese ver.) - SEVENTEEN

December 2024

CRAZY (Japanese ver.) - LE SSERAFIM

Detox - KARD

Don't Worry, Be Happy (Japanese ver.) - SF9

Wonderland (Carol ver.) - Dreamcatcher

[lalilsa]

my top 10 most listened kpop songs on spotify this year

1. rockstar - lisa

2. supernova - aespa

3. new woman - lisa ft. rosalía

4. mantra - jennie

5. armageddon - aespa

6. forever - babymonster

7. drama - aespa

8. sheesh - babymonster

9. tally - blackpink

10. midas touch - kiss of life

[recvordshqs]

* EXTRA, EXTRA! desde westbound mag nos complace presentar a otra de las estrellas del firmamento de don crowlley, JUDE MACLOVICH, ha hecho una aparición de último momento en las oficinas de westbound tras el fallecimiento del rey midas de la música ¿cuál será su próximo movimiento? descuida, que maureen y sus secuaces le seguirán muy de cerca.

¡bienvenide a recvordshqs, RAN! te agradecemos muchísimo el interés puesto en el proyecto, te recordamos que cuentas con veinticuatro horas para enviar la cuenta de tu personaje, de necesitar más tiempo no dudes en enviar un mensajito a la administración.

# fuera de personaje.

 SEUDÓNIMO: ran.

ZONA HORARIA Y/O PAÍS: gmt-5

TRIGGERS: incesto, non-con, pedofilia.

¿NOS DAS PERMISO DE QUE TU PERSONAJE PARTICIPE DE MANERA ACTIVA EN LAS INTERVENCIONES Y CAPÍTULOS?: sí.

¿ERES MAYOR DE VEINTIUNO?: sí.

# ficha de identificación.

NOMBRE Y STAGE NAME: jude maclovich.

FACECLAIM: milo manheim.

EDAD, FECHA Y LUGAR DE NACIMIENTO: veintitrés años / 31 de diciembre / batavia ny.

PSIQUE: alma completamente libre cuyo mantra de vida se centra en el hecho de que vida es única, irrepetible, atesora las experiencias aunque sean vagas y nimias como si fuesen las últimas. en exceso filosófico, romántico empedernido, carisma innato y alma vieja, aunque a veces tinturas infantiles se despliegan en panorama de personalidad, sigue siendo el jovencito encantador que tocaba la guitarra y entonaba los coros de la iglesia en batavia; es sincero hasta un punto en el que puede ser hiriente, egocéntrico debido a que la fama es repentina y nunca sabe como manejarla y esta llega con montón de atención femenina en la que tras ser el que siempre idealizaba ahora es el idealizado. egoísta por naturaleza y celoso por el temor a la pérdida que nunca ha experimentado. caótico y propenso a momentos desmedidos de ira cuando el juicio es nebuloso.

FÍSICO: metro noventa y uno de estatura, barba de días, bigote que lo complementa aunque es escaso, ansioso de deshacerse de la imagen juvenil de ser todavía un niño; la apariencia sin embargo ha estado medida por comentarios de encuentros casuales, ¿qué es más atractivo? ¿qué no puede funcionar? lo único destacable es cruz de plata que su padre le ha regalado en su último día en casa, cruz que se niega a perder.

PUNTOS CLAVE: 001. familia cálida, es el hermano mayor en un núcleo atípicamente sano debido a época de nacimiento, la música suele serlo todo dentro del hogar, su madre aprendió a tocar el piano, su padre siempre ha tenido voz armoniosa, sus hermanos están ahí, sin demasiado interés, esto es hasta que su hermana mayor a los diecisiete decide convertirse en groupie para seguir a una band, ese es el momento en el que música se prohíbe, en el que vergüenza da lo que tenga que ver con la misma. 002. tiene una fama que le precede, prefiere los encuentros físicos con fanáticas antes que adentrarse a relaciones sentimentales significativas, no le interesa compromiso en realidad, prefiere vivir el momento, saborear todo lo que hay al alcance, y esto ocasiona una ruptura definitiva con su madre, puesto que es aquel comportamiento de músico desfachatado el que rompió a su familia, o al menos de eso se ha convencido ya. 003. la música es escape y cobijo desde que recuerda, talento siempre ha sido innato, existió en realidad la plática con múltiples productores y representantes, eso hasta que llegó don, con promesas concisas y carisma que atrapa a cualquiera, nunca hubo duda de que lealtad estaría en westbound, principalmente cuando él fue el único que decidió viajar personalmente a batavia.

# archivo en westbound records.

POSICIÓN EN WESTBOUND: compositor, guitarrista, baterista.

RELACIÓN CON DON: modelo a seguir, relación siempre fue mucho más allá de subordinado y superior, don tenía un talento para hacerle sentir como parte de su familia, como si familiaridad pudiese considerarse inclusive fraternal. en el momento que su madre renegó de él por su comportamiento fue don quien le abrió las puertas a cenas familiares a un hogar cálido en lo estéril que suele ser los angeles, y es por ello que siempre estará convencido de que don no puede equivocarse, que no pasaría nunca.

REACCIÓN A SU FALLECIMIENTO: removido.

OPINIÓN DE WESTBOUND: jamás había existido ninguna queja con respecto a westbound, al final del día siempre pareció que era el mejor sitio para ser músico, sin embargo en este momento se siente asqueado, la rapidez con la que tratan a fundador como una nota de página de la disquera le parece impresionante, y comienza a preguntarse si es que todos ahí son igual de desechables.

[ssj4goku777]

HAND OF DESTINY ANGEMON DIGIMON GOLDRUSH ANDREW JACKSON ZULAMMAR UNAS ANI DESTINY'S CHILD LLFEZ MOLDAVITE CHIAOTZU KEEFE MIDAS TOUCH GONESH MAGIC MONEY MANTRA ROSE GOLD 305S ANGELITE #TITUSONETWO 🕯🎗🕊

[hawkmothgirl]

I’m trying to make a life for myself but the foundation that I was given turned out to be rotten. My mind often forgets the horrors of my past until someone speaks in a different tone, or their steps on old hardwood floors are louder than usual, or they touch me in a way that reminds me of how little everyone cared. It brings me back to being alone under my bed and the only monsters that were hiding were inside of my own head. The people who brought me into this world were the people who made me regret that I was born, the people who gave me the belief that love is something that only exists within the pages of books, the people who heard my wails but never came running. I aged with a fear of intimacy, and the curse of ambivalence. No children were interested in my quiet voice but loud thoughts so I never had a true friend. When the screaming became too much at night, I would clench my eyes shut and cup my hands over my ears, and have the mantra in my head, “I want to go home” but I was already inside of my house, in my room, the four walls surrounded me and the moonlight dripped through the window but I wasn’t at home. I was a homeless broken child inside of a place that was inescapable.

I thrived in chaos because safety was an unknown concept in my world. I was stubborn, emotional and blunt; all adjectives that were elements in the recipe for disaster. I scared people away because they could see that I destroyed everything in my path, that I wasn’t like Midas, nothing I touched turned to gold, but everything I associated with would be torn to shreds.

Perhaps that’s why when he came into my life with golden locks and ocean eyes, that I found myself feeling as if he was a slice of heaven that was being sent into my own personal hell. He made me believe in fairy tales and picture books, and I began feeling emotions other than despair and anger; he helped deconstruct the walls that were built around my heart and made himself a home inside of my ribs. That’s the thing about parasites; you often aren’t able to tell when they’ve settled into your bloodstream. Crooked smiles metamorphosed into aggressive growls, and the shades of blue that I loved about his eyes became a constant reminder of the similar dark hues that he would leave against my body. He’s hurting me but isn’t love pain? My father taught me how to run away, and my mother showed me what it’s like to be afraid; and they hurt each other so he must love me. Right? The thing that made me glad to wake up every morning became the reason that I hurt myself at night. I wanted to sleep forever, but no matter how much pain others caused me, I could never wish the same onto them. He made one too many dangerous choices that gave me an opportunity to escape and I did what I’m best at; running away.

I tried numbing the pain with rendezvous with strangers whose faces I wouldn’t remember come at sunrise. I downed top shelf liquor as if it was the daily amount of water that a human body requires. I found comfort at the bottom of swimming pools, and love inside of small plastic bags and the back cases of cellular devices. I would try to find a connection with people but when I felt myself growing attached, I did everything that I could to be the one to break them first instead of getting my already fractured heart another beating. I hurt myself and I hurt others because I’m afraid of being hurt even more. When I find happiness, I feel as if at any moment there will be the punchline.

I’m nothing but pain,

That’s why I’m not surprised that people call me a hurricane.

[apiratewhopines]

Thanks again to @teamhook for the artwork and being the muse for this one! You wanted a movie fic and I did my best 🙂

Midnight

Chapter 7 — The Slipper

Summary: In which our heroine resets the clock

Chapter 7 on AO3 (That’s all folks!!)

“You’ll never know

How many dreams I dreamed about you”

-It’s Been a Long, Long Time, Bing Crosby

It was receiving the invitation to Arthur and Guinevere’s second wedding that did it. Emma’s fairy godfather stayed in touch after their weekend in the country, offering investment advice for her windfall and acting for all the world like her adopted brother. She knew he felt guilty for finding his happy ending at her expense. Despite her reassurances she messed up her chances hours before he came on the scene, maybe months if she were really honest.

Three months ago, she left the estate a little more scarred, a little less hopeful, and much more wealthy. She paid back the money stolen from Granny but couldn’t bring herself to buy a place in the city like she originally planned. Instead, she took the remainder and invested it per Arthur’s overbearing instruction. She doubled it in a week and tripled that figure by the end of the month.

She still wasn’t satisfied, though. Dreams of a certain blue-eyed man haunted her, his last words whispering through her mind like a mantra and a curse. So she found Neal’s trail again and spent the next couple of weeks looking for him in the shadows and muck. She found him mooching off his mother of all people.

All the hate, anger, and embarrassment she buried deeply at the end of their relationship dissipated the moment she saw him. Why had she given him so much real estate in her mind, allowed the ghost of him to rob her of her sanity and potential happiness?

It was with satisfaction at a job well done rather than his impeding downfall that she turned him over to the local authorities and headed back to the east coast.

By the time she arrived, she was richer and even more lonely.

She was listless and finding no reason to stay, Emma accepted Arthur’s latest proposition that she needed to see the world. Using his numerous estates as a guide, she flitted across the globe, experiencing all the world had to offer and looking. Always looking.

It took her longer than it should have to realize she wouldn’t find what she was missing in the new people she met or the natural wonders she explored. The whole time her mind and soul were calling out for a more familiar setting and a dearer face.

Lancelot was right. She was running scared, and the only thing it was going to get her was absolutely nothing.

The handsome, almost homewrecker had not attempted to reach out since their quiet conversation on the beach, but that didn’t mean she didn’t know what he was up to. After calling it quits, he realized the US hadn’t been the best place for him. He returned with great fanfare to France, where he took on the daily running of the family business. He was said to have the Midas touch, working with the locals to improve the processes and products they offered. His vineyard was becoming the trendiest tourist destination in the country.

Not even a month after his departure, the press reported on the fairytale romance of the champagne millionaire and his widowed neighbor, Belle French. The pair’s engagement announcement ran in every major newspaper in the world.

It was quick work, even for Lancelot du Lac. She couldn’t begrudge him, though. He was never truly a bad man, just a regular one who made bad decisions. She could certainly relate.

Cutting her trip short, she returned to the city where it all started, to a tiny loft apartment she rented on a month-by-month basis above Granny’s diner. There didn’t seem to be much point in seeing the world when the only world she was interested in was centered about four hours away.

The news of Killian was more challenging to come by than the other people involved in her charade, but that only made it more precious. A charity fundraiser here, a life saved there, the ever-present and never changing picture on the hospital website she checked so often it was now saved as her homepage. She thought glimpses and scraps were all she was entitled to at first. However, the longer she tried to resist his pull, the more she started to think maybe she did deserve a chance.

Maybe she wasn’t too late.

Staring at the thick cream-colored invitation with scrolling words waxing romance, dates, and times, she came to a decision and packed her bags.

—

—

It wasn’t hard to find the exact location of their meeting. It was burned into Emma’s memory. Their initial encounter cemented as one of those moments that seem routine when they happen but take root in your fate and grow, threading through every aspect of your life until all traces of happiness are tied to one serendipitous second in time.

After departing from Arthur’s estate in a chauffeured car all those months ago, she had returned to this spot and found her Bug right where she left it. Someone, probably the Prince Charming she was determined to break, had filled the tank with gas. So, she bid adieu to Arthur’s employee and drove off into the sunset all alone. Like she did everything.

Nothing had changed about the place in the intervening months. It was thirty minutes to midnight. The dark sky was clear, stars twinkling from space and the moon a tiny thumbnail above the evergreens. She would wait all night if she had to, but sooner or later, she would catch her quarry.

Emma Swan always got her man.

Unfortunately, she didn’t always get him on her first try. She waited for a couple hours the first night, but no black BMW could be seen cresting the hill. Admitting defeat, she went back to her hotel and vowed to try again.

She knew she could have sprung an unannounced visit on him at his job. After all, it wasn’t difficult to pick out his dark sedan in the parking lot when she cruised by the hospital several times a day. Nor would it have been difficult to track down his address and ambush him one evening when he returned home. The idea had a lot of appeal since his place lived in a variety of fantasies involving oversized shirts and pancakes.

Deep down, she knew after she had robbed him of his choice so many times in their brief acquaintance, it would be wrong to show up and act like nothing happened. She needed to allow him to invite her back in or send her away.

God, she hoped he invited her in.

It took three nights, but eventually, she saw headlights. Smoothing down the hem of her black tank top over her skinny jeans, she took a cleansing breath and stepped out into the middle of the road.

She had no doubt it was him, the cautious pace slicing through the night at exactly the same time as before. She could even tell the precise moment he spotted her in the bright lights of his high beams, the luxury car swerving slightly into the other lane. It was less than a minute later he rolled to a stop about ten feet away.

Then, nothing. The silence of a door not opening was deafening.

Maybe this was her answer.

She wished she could see past the glare and through the windshield. Look into his eyes at least once more and tell him everything she figured out over the past couple of months. The same things he had tried to say to her before he left.

Finally, a lifetime later, she heard the door open. She felt every footfall in the far reaches of her heart, each measured step in time with the rapid beating in her chest. She was lightheaded with longing, her eyes frantically trying to adjust between light and dark and make out Killian’s beloved form in the nighttime.

“Fancy meeting you here, Captain.”

There was another long pause and then he stepped into the narrow, car-sized area of light. He was even more handsome than she remembered. The static, professionally staged photo on the website never did him justice in the first place. “Emma, when did you get back?”

She heard the question for what it really was, ‘Emma, why are you here?’

Smiling past her nerves, she took a step closer. He looked like the proverbial deer in the highlights, like any sudden movement would cause him to turn tail and run. She did this to him. It was her fault her cocky Prince Charming looked spooked. “A couple of days ago. I need a ride to Misthaven. I’m late for an appointment.”

“An appointment? It’s almost midnight. I’m getting the strangest sense of deja vu.”

“You see, there’s a man. He’s actually the best thing that ever happened to me. But I felt like I didn’t deserve him, like I didn’t deserve anyone, really, so I ran. Several times. And even though I pushed him away and ruined everything, I need to let him know that he was never nothing. His feelings were never nothing. As a matter of fact, he’s come to mean everything to me, and I wanted to tell him I was sorry it took me so long to say it.”

Taking a step forward, he stood nearly toe to toe with her. His hair was sticking out at odd angles, his face twisted in thought, hands hanging in fists at his side. “Is that so?”

Reaching out, she placed her hands on his shoulders and she looked up into his eyes, whispering, “I’ve loved you since you let me have all the bites with whipped cream. I was just too scared to admit it.”

She waited when all she wanted to do was pull him closer and bury her face in his neck, inhale his intoxicating scent again and taste his skin. She had said what she needed to say, but it didn’t give her the right to waltz back into his life if that wasn’t what he wanted. “Killian, I—“

Her words were cut off by his abrupt kiss. He grabbed her like he was drowning and she was the only thing that could save him. His chest heaving and lips brutal in their quest. He hitched her up slightly, settling her against the hood of his car. He half leaned over her as he continued to explore every neglected inch of her mouth, every lonely corner of her soul. When he finally broke off his passionate embrace, his breathing was ragged and his voice harsh with emotion. “I have big plans for you and whipped cream, love.”

Laughter filled the inches between them, his forehead resting against hers. Peppering his face with soft kisses, her fingertips tracing the line of his jaw, she teased, “Prove it.”

—

The trail of clothes leading to the bedroom remained untouched for days. They survived the early days of their relationship on pancakes, whipped cream, and borrowed shirts.

Over the years, people asked her when she knew Killian Jones was the one. Her answer was always the same.

At the stroke of midnight.

Every night for the rest of their lives.

Note:

Midnight — Info about the movie

@teamhook @kmomof4 @jrob64 @stahlop @xarandomdreamx @xsajx @motherkatereloyshipper @klynn-stormz

[sachinpropbuzz]

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[lunadeleyenda]

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❝ 𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 ℎ𝑜𝑤 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑦 𝑎 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑡 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒; 𝐼𝑡 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑏𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑘 ❞

No eres una víctima, yo no soy tu salvadora.

Le había dicho Ade tantas veces que comenzó a creerse esa frase y asimilarla como verdadera más allá de la teoría. Jamás se había visto como una, había nacido en un mundo complicado y cruel para terminar en otro dónde las reglas que se aplicaban lejos tenían que ver con las nociones de bien y mal. Allí no había bondad, sino supervivencia.

La noche comenzaba a caer, las tonalidades añiles y violáceas se fusionaban con un fulgor rojizo, casi premonitorio, aquel color se hacía cada vez más intenso a cada zancada que daba, aproximándose a la ribera dónde los árboles parecían mezclarse en un amasijo frondoso. El rumor del río era cada vez más ensordecedor, la quietud del paraje había dado paso al sonido de las ramas quebradas a su espalda, casi opacado por los cascos de los caballos embravecidos resonando contra la hierba. Era un sonido mudo pero paralizante a medida que se acercaba, estaban cerca, podían percibirlos. Los caminos que se bifurcaban ante ella parecían triplicarse frente sus ojos, la habían llevado hasta el punto que deseaban, sin escapatoria.

Los vados de Beruna se caracterizaban ser el punto estratégico dónde grandes batallas se habían cobrado la vida de miles de especies: Blutbaden contra Bauerschwein, Dämonfeuer contra cualquier Wesen que se cruzase ante sus escamas, centenares de especies vueltas las unas contra las otras en carnicerías que empapaban aquellas tierras con el olor ferroso de la sangre. Su posición estratégica se caracterizaba por no tener salida, tan solo el Gran Río de Beruna daba una escapatoria al atravesar Luna de Leyenda hasta desembocar en el Mar del Este, lugar que era mejor evitar al pertenecer al territorio Cair Paravel. La otra opción, inviable, era atravesar las decenas de kilómetros que separaban un trozo de tierra del otro, ya que el puente había sido destruido siglos lunares atrás y jamás se había vuelto a reconstruir. Era en aquella emboscada dónde Trish había ido a parar. Sus piernas tambalearon sobre el precipicio de agua dulce sin más opción alguna que luchar.

No eres una víctima, tú eres tu propia salvadora se repitió una vez más cuando dos jinetes la rodearon. Las flechas de Ade en aquel momento habrían podido derribarlos, pero su guardiana no estaba allí. El pulso le latía de manera frenética, tuvo que apretar los dientes y respirar profundamente para poder tomar el control de la situación. Buscó rápidamente algo con lo que poder defenderse: “Analiza. Prioriza. Ataca”. Aquel mantra que había memorizado hasta la saciedad disparó su adrenalina, haciéndola encontrar en su bolsillo la pequeña daga de empuñadura negra con un cruce hecho de bronce y acero de Damasco, la misma que Ade le había regalado por sus veinte años.

—Fin del trayecto —Pronunció uno de sus adversarios.

Al ser consciente de la situación, apretó los dedos alrededor del arma mientras el calor se dispersaba por cada una de las extremidades de su cuerpo. El arrebato de furia contenida se disparó a través de un grito que dejó en carne viva la garganta de la joven Tintenherz.

[…]

La reyerta había terminado con ambos soldados río abajo, pero aquella historia no la recordaba. Había sido Ade quién la había visto conforme se acercaba a la zona de la emboscada al seguir sus rastro, pero lo que vio iba en contra de todas las historias que su abuelo Dígory le había contado. Después de cargar con ella varias leguas a caballo, había dado con una posada en la que no hacían preguntas si el saco entregado tenía suficiente oro como para avergonzar a Midas.

—No eras tú, Trish. Cuando llegué te vi los ojos y el gris de la tormenta había sido sustituido por la negrura espesa de la tinta. ¿No lo recuerdas? —Había comenzado a narrar su guardiana con una voz que oscilaba entre el asombro y el temor—. Luchaste como una guerrera, desarmaste a uno de ellos y casi tenías a su compinche, pero entonces… Entonces todo cambió. Le cogiste por el brazo y tus venas cambiaron junto con las de él, parecía como si, bueno, cómo sí le estuvieses envenenando desde dentro.

Ade hizo una pausa al ver como Trish, magullada de cuerpo y rostro, trataba de reincorporarse más rápido de lo que debería haber hecho No comprendía las palabras de la morena, ¿envenenarle? ¿cómo? Pequeñas imágenes pasaban por su mente, pero nada nítido, lo último que recordaba era lograr haberme desarmado a los dos soldados.

—Comenzó a caerle un líquido espeso por los ojos, luego los oídos, la nariz y la boca. Creo que se ahogó. Era tinta, Trish, a aquel hombre no le quedaba pizca de sangre. Estaba de tinta hasta el gaznate.

Aquella escena no se le iba de la cabeza. Las venas de Trish oscuras como la noche convirtiendo las del hombre en un reguero de alquitrán hasta que ambos cayeron, uno muerto y la otra inexpresiva sin color alguno en sus ojos.

—¿Qué significa eso, Ade? —Siempre se había dicho a sí misma que no se veía como una heroína, sino que sentía que era la villana de una historia sin contar. Después de aquello, sus temores comenzaban a ser realidad.

—Significa que hay algo que no nos contaron y que tenemos que descubrir. Los Tintenherz no poseen ese tipo de habilidades y tú acabas de arrebatar una vida tan solo tocando a un hombre —El silencio se hizo entre ambas mientras, sus ojos se llenaron de compasión, lo que fue mucho peor que su lástima. Tomó la mano de su protegida y ambas se abrazaron tras introducirse junto a ella en la vieja cama. Trish debía de recuperar fuerzas antes de partir al mundo humano de vuelta a la tierra.

—Creo que hay algo en ti que no hay en los demás, creo que tus padres te entregaron por algo y creo, sobre todo, que debemos comenzar a buscar respuestas. Pero esa es una historia de la que nos preocuparemos mañana. Debes descansar, no podrás usar tu magia en este estado.

Y así hicieron, pasaron semanas hasta que su poder volvió a restablecerse, semanas que aprovecharon para buscar pistas en Luna de Leyenda. La terquedad era una cualidad que Ade había heredado del lado Spiderwick de la familia y la audacia era algo que Trish poseía de manera innata, entre ambas encontrarían las respuestas que tantos siglos llevaban siendo ocultadas.

[idolizerp]

LOADING INFORMATION ON 1NFERNO’S MAIN DANCE, LEAD RAP LEE TAEWOO...

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: N/A CURRENT AGE: 23 DEBUT AGE: 20 TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 15 COMPANY: Midas ETC: He has made a significant name for himself for his desirability as a cf model for various brands

IDOL IMAGE

Idol life has never come naturally to Taewoo. He doesn’t have the same towering personality shared by many of his peers, nor the looks to be considered an outstanding visual or the commanding presence of a leader. The years of training have helped to hone his natural talent as a performer, but that alone makes him no better or worse than any other idol. This is an industry as cut throat as any other, and on the surface not one that he’s cut out for. His nature has always been soft and gentle, defined by his willingness to do whatever is necessary and value others needs above his own. A doormat in nearly every sense of the word. He may not be innately superior, but he’s more willing than most to put the work in to surpass them.

What he does have however, is versatility. Despite his flaws, the company know that they can take advantage of that. Yes, he’s an exceptionally talented dancer with a recognizable voice, but his true strength lies in his versatility and malleability. Taewoo has always been silly putty in the hands of Midas, able to take on and maintain whatever shape is required. Any concept, any role, no matter how unnatural it feels or how much may dislike it he is forever ready and willing to be whatever is needed, and to do what needs to be done to push the group forwards.

Need someone step in and embarrass themselves on a variety show? Taewoo is your guy. Learn a foreign language to appease overseas fans? Done. Rehearse until you’re literally on the verge of hospitalization? Rest is over-rated anyway. No matter what Midas throws at them, he has learned to adapt on a whim.

In recent months that has meant an increasing number of appearances in commercial films, selling anything and everything to anyone willing to watch. His innate versatility ensures that given a good enough director he thrives given any product, and each cf has so far proved more successful than the last. When one such film went viral in late 2018 sales shot through the roof, and his reputation was cemented as one of the go-to idols for advertisers. It isn’t what he signed up for, and at times it makes him profoundly uncomfortable, but it’s part and parcel of life as an idol.

Given the chance he takes a backseat role in promotions and other appearances, though thanks to his work outside of the group the opportunity rarely arises. Years on the job have helped his personality to more fully bloom, but at his core he’s still a reserved and nervous person who’s just as happy in the background as the foreground. Despite this though there is an unwavering air of positivity surrounding him, a perhaps naive optimism that will come back to bite him. Whilst not necessarily a mood maker, his image definitely has a brighter edge. Warm and reliable; A pillar of the group who sincerely values his members and fans above all else.

Away from the spotlight though? He’s barely holding himself together. Between the extra workload Midas is placing on his shoulders, the fact that they have still yet to secure their first win and the ear constant (If perhaps irrational) fear of being removed from the line-up, cracks are beginning to show on the surface. Exhaustion is not an unfamiliar feeling, but where before it would slowly creep up behind, now it charges like a stampeding wildebeest. Despite those around him voicing their concerns, he can’t address it though. If a single cog in the machine stops turning the whole thing stops working, and he’s little more than a cog. He can’t afford to stop. For the sake of his sanity, for the sake of his members and for the sake of his family he needs this to work, no matter the cost.

IDOL HISTORY

There was never anything extraordinary to be said about Lee Sooyoung and Lee Taehyun. They were just an unremarkable couple in love with a tiny house on the outskirts of Busan, a tinier dog and three equally unremarkable children. The eldest is Lee Taewoo, a quiet kid enamoured by the world with a perpetual smile, who would go on to be more than anyone could reasonably have expected.

Being a line cook and a waitress by trade meant that money was never particularly forthcoming. Even before his birth purse strings were pulled tight, what little remained of their wages after bills being squirrelled away in savings accounts for the future, and with every passing birth the bet was pulled tighter. By the time of the third the cashflow is non-existent. They do their best to provide, and for the most part manage to struggle on, but food is often in short supply, clothes are second hand without fail and basic utilities are cut off at least twice a year.

Not that Taewoo cares, or even really notices. His parents are swans gliding gracefully across the water, and he’s too young or too naïve to see the legs scrambling beneath the ripples keeping them all afloat. To him, dinner by candlelight, freezing cold baths and clothes three sizes too large are all entirely normal, and even when his peers question it, he reasons that his family are just strange rather than struggling.

That has always been his way: to search for positivity in any person or situation, even when there’s none to be found. His optimism is unwavering, even in the face of tragedy or overwhelming adversity. “You have to laugh, or you’ll only cry” is the mantra that he lives by, and one that has dragged him from the darker corners of his mind on many an occasion. Though quiet, reserved and bordering on timid he was able to light up the room with a wide smile and an infectious laugh.

He was never an especially social animal, focusing instead on pushing himself in both and academic and athletic sense. Lacking the natural charm and charisma of many of his peers, it was his hope that doing so would win him friends, or at the very least acceptance. Rather than drawing them closer though it only seemed to push them away. He was, and still is, for all intents and purposes a doormat. He will let you step all over him, push him into doing anything and be whatever you need him to be just to be accepted. The reason was never really clear: perhaps his reclusiveness was mistaken for arrogance, or the rumours that swirled about his family’s financial situation. More likely though, it was because he had all the social skills of a baked potato, and no book was likely to change that.

And so, his quest for acceptance continues once more in vain, until one day, aged ten, he comes across a street performer. A dancer, a b-boy, to be precise. The way that the man moves is unlike anything he’s ever seen, the fluidity of motion completely hypnotic. Of course, he’s heard of idols, but this… this is something else entirely. He’s completely enraptured, unable to tear his eyes away until thunderous applause brings him back to reality. That was the moment that he knew: this was the answer he was looking for. A path lying in plain sight that had remained completely unexplored.

Even in the early days, the internet was a wonderful tool. Every video he could find was studied in microscopic detail, every book or article on theory and technique analysed multiple times. The depths of the family financial crisis are still a mystery, but he’s no idiot. He knows they can’t afford professional training, so to begin with he’s self-taught. It takes months, but his innate athleticism helps him to master the basics.

By this point the Park’s situation has only gotten worse. The tipping point had come when they’d made the questionable (see: terrible) decision to buy out the restaurant that employed them both with the aid of their savings as well as a complex and deadly cocktail of grants and multiple private loans. By putting themselves at the top of the chain, they reasoned, they would reap the most rewards. It was not a decision made on a whim, but rather one that Taewoo would later learn had been years in the making.

Business under the new owners ground to a halt, and by the time Taewoo is thirteen it is nearly none-existent. His parents, for all their good intentions were not business people and had no clue how to run a restaurant. His father hid away in the kitchen, his mother in the office, both choosing to bury their heads in the sand rather than face the reality as things spiralled further and further out of control. Back home it’s never mentioned, never discussed. Instead there’s only tension hanging thick in the air, withering glares and the quiet sound of crying in the dead of night as things spiral closer to rock bottom.

The failure of the business has repercussions. Where in the past they’d been forced to skip a meal here or there, now there were days when food was forgone entirely. There were more days without power than with and mortgage payments are consistently late. In hindsight, it was perhaps not the best moment to tell his parents his grand plans for the future.

Not a doctor like they’d hoped, nor a lawyer or anything of the sort. He wanted to perform. What form that took, he didn’t know yet, and didn’t care, but he had to at least try. Silence. You can hear their hearts crack as their faces sink. They’d always had high hopes that his dedication to his schooling would take him to higher places, and give him an opportunity to be better than them. Much like their son, they’d never been able to say no. After reassurances that he’ll continue his studies and laying out a clear plan b that ends with him in medical school, as well as paying for his own tutoring “Okay.” Is all they manage, the silence hanging heavy before they both leave the room hoping that it’s nothing more than a phase.

And so, he scrambles to gather funds from any direction he can. Favours from friends, odd jobs that need doing in the neighbourhood. He can barely afford a session a month, but surprisingly he’s pretty good. He tries to sneak into a few more classes, but after the first few weeks it becomes clear that he cannot pay and Is thus barred. Being self-taught he’ picked up some bad habits but that foundation allows him to move at a much faster pace. Images of the man flash through his mind as he moves; a constant reminder of the level he wants to reach.

It isn’t long before he begins to emulate the stranger that he’s seen no more than a handful of times and begins performing on the street himself. Though it doesn’t have quite the same fluidity or precision of his memory of that performance it’s decent enough to warrant some attention and a faint smattering of applause. A small amount of money even finds its way onto his jacket laying nearby, which is pleasant and put towards more lessons, though ultimately superfluous. The rush he gets is reason enough to carry on. It does nothing but reassure him that this is what he wants to do with the rest of his life.

Taewoo becomes a regular fixture of street corners around the city, and pops up at least once or twice a month in different locations, every performance better than the last. At this point in time he’s still a kid, with no plans for the future or any idea how to translate this into a career. He isn’t idol material, and that’s a fact that has been subtly drilled into him over time. “The industry is cut throat and you’re… too nice…. Too good” people say, cynicism glossed over with the illusion of good intentions. Too weak, they want to say. It’s something that he’s resigned himself too, an idea that he’s slowly grown to believe. Self confidence has never been a strength.

So, it comes as a surprise when he’s approached by a frantic man after finishing for the day, shrugging the jacket laid out on the floor over his shoulders and preparing himself for the dark, icy (in every conceivable way) confines of the home that feels more like a prison with every passing day. The words are a blur, and he’s completely blindsided. Representative, Midas, scout, trainee, idol. He simply laughs nervously and walks away, assuming it’s a joke.

Except the man finds him again. This time even more frantic than before, he eventually beats Taewoo down and convinces him to come to an audition. It can’t be real, it’s just some crazy dude in the streets. He agrees, mostly just to make the other leave, with no intention of actually attending. Time passes as usual and he carries on attending school, attending dance classes and performing in public.

When the day finally comes, he wakes up and goes on as if it were any other. A notification on his phone reminds him of the audition but is dismissed without a second thought. He’s still convinced that it was nothing more than a cruel joke. But then, an hour before, it dawns on him. This is not a chance that will come around again. Yes, it could just be a man being senselessly cruel just to get a cheap laugh… but it could also be the golden ticket he’s been looking for.

It turns out that, unbelievably to him, the latter is true. After scrambling to get there and arriving at the last possible minute, he’s gobsmacked. Even more astonishingly he gets through the audition mostly unprepared without a hitch and gets the greenlight to proceed. His charisma is severely lacking, they say, but it can be worked on and his other skills will be enough to carry him. For now, at least. He leaves dumbfounded, mind moving at a thousand miles a minute and unable to process the news. He thinks he might collapse when the cool air hits his face as he exits and the bus buckles his knees on the journey home.

The wide-eyed joy that has been painted on his animated face all day fades when he gets home to find his mother sat at the table, tears in her eyes. Letters are scattered around her, red and black ink screaming from the paper. Final notice, they blare.

For the first time he finds out just how much trouble they’re in, his heart sinking like a lead balloon as she tries to hold herself together. The restaurant is lost, but the debts incurred and loan repayments remain. Their home is under threat, and utilities about to be cut off indefinitely. Where before they’d been swans, grace and elegance hiding chaos, they were now a sinking ship, the passengers screaming in panic as the descent quickens. She tries to feign happiness when she finds out the news about her son, but her worry is obvious.

And so, when he begins his training, he also begins working. As many jobs as he can manage, Some nights he follows his mothers’ example and waits tables, some nights he follows his fathers and washes dishes. Some nights he stacks shelves and others he sweeps floors. The pay is never great, but it’s funnelled almost entirely back to his family. Though they’ve not been rescued from the sinking ship, the three have slowly managed to inflate a lifeboat just big enough for five.

Training begins well, but as it grows more complex and intense, he begins to fall in the ranks. Between maintaining his grades, working most every night and trying to keep pace with the schedule he never meets his full potential. Never the best but never the worst, he’s once more unremarkable.

Faces come and faces go, each one a little more disheartening than the last. He’s a good dancer and a decent rapper, but that isn’t enough anymore. He needs an edge. Something to make him a more appealing prospect, something to make him useful. Languages is what he settles on, already knowing basic Japanese. Again self-taught, he begins with English. Midas have artists with international appeal, so maybe this would be enough to tip the scales in his favour.

The second big blow comes a little later. His father falls ill, having a stroke at work that has a severe impact on his speech and movement. The news is devastating, and it takes him a few days to process. The temptation is there to quit, to work full time to support his family in their hour of need, but on his father’s insistence he stays. “You’ve come too far to stop now. You Can do this.”

That’s the first time that anyone has said that to him other than the scout, and it acts as a shot of adrenaline. He works harder in training and takes on extra hours at work, his grades taking a hit in the process. For this to work, he needs absolute dedication, but he can’t just leave them to fend for themselves.

Finally, his debut date is set, a full six years after joining the company, but just a month before the twenty year old idol burns out. During training he collapses, vision fading to black as he crumples to the floor, the strain of exhaustion on his body overwhelming him. Pure terror overcomes him when he awakens, the fear that he’s blown his one shot running rampant. He has to fight a long and arduous battle to convince the company to allow him to rejoin, but eventually he manages it. Perhaps they just took pity on him, sensing the desperation, but for once he couldn’t care less. To this day he lives in a state of perpetual fear, doing anything he can to prove his usefulness and avoid being benched. He has mouths to feed after all.

It catches him off guard, just how successful 1nferno are out of the gate. Though they’ve yet to secure their first win (Much to Taewoo’s frustration) they are undoubtedly o an upwards trajectory. Of course there is some favouritism in the group in terms of distribution, that much had become clear early on, but it doesn’t bother him. At least not any more. Frankly he’s just happy to be there.

More recently his focus has been in the world of advertising. CFs are an unavoidable part of life as an idol, and in truth one of the aspects of his new life that he’d dreaded during his time training. He’s too short, doesn’t have the right face; the reasons are endless. Midas clearly disagreed. After a clip went viral and saw sales of the product skyrocket he was thrust into the life of an idol advertiser, lending his face to anything and everything whether he wanted to or not, and much to his surprise found success. Even if you aren’t aware of 1nferno, there is a strong chance that you’ve seen Taewoo’s beaming face trying to sell you something.

To begin with he hates it; he signed up to be a dancer, not… whatever this was. But the longer he thinks about it, the more comfortable he becomes with the idea. His trainee debt is larger than many of his peers, and there’s good money in doing these films. It’s a quicker way for him to clear his outstanding balance, to start actually providing for those he needs to again, than hoping for a massive break with the group. There are days when he still feels slimy, but he’s learned to grin and bear it.

There’s too much to lose by upsetting the applecart after all.

[thesportssoundoff]

Everybody is winning except us

Joey

October 7th

Of all of the ways this could've gone, I'm really surprised I didn't figure this would be the EXACT way it would go.

You can't predict Khabib going feet first into a melee outnumbered like 5 to 1, you can't predict Conor McGregor having a "Greedo shot first" moment by actually throwing the first punch (although in his defense, as he scales the cage, someone else is scaling it and I would've assumed anybody from Khabib's corner is going to be after me or my team at that point), you can't predict riots or a full on culture/nationalistic war.

You can always predict chaos in MMA. You can always predict the WORST CASE SCENARIO in this sport.

If you think of all the positive aspects from just the fight alone, you could be here for a while. Conor McGregor took two years off of MMA, came back to fight the scariest dude and had an actually not half bad performance given the stylistic match up, the rust factor and his natural shortcomings as a fighter (quick twitch high reflex muscle memory guy with poor cardio). If anything he could have/should have been applauded for taking the risk and we'd all be asking how a run back goes with an additional six-ish months of training. For Khabib, he once again answered another litany of questions and for the most part aced the toughest test of his career. For the UFC, they put on a tremendous fight card without a hitch, made massive money and set themselves up for another run of successful fights for both guys including a rematch. Everything could've been positive.

But this is MMA. The Worst Case Scenario more often than not will rear its ugly head at the most inopportune time. There's no point in step by stepping anybody through the brawl. What's done is done, what happened happened and everybody and anybody has their opinions on it. We all gain nothing from replaying it over and over. It's more about how we leave this entire fiasco with perceived egg on the faces of everyone involved.

I feel like we have to begin with Khabib Nurmagomedov because at the end of the day, he's the guy here who took this entire joke to the next level. You can't go and fight dudes at the cageside area. That's basic common sense stuff. The problem is that this isn't the first time Khabib has been involved in utter tripe before and maybe this is just who he is. To me, nobody has had their public perception hurt the way he has over the past few weeks from the homeless guy push ups to the presser comments to the open work out fiasco. If "gotten to" is a deal then Khabib epitomized it this entire weekend. Even his brief press conference was a trainwreck as he went from contrition for his behavior to wondering why it was a big deal and dare I even say, attempting the tried and true Whataboutisms that ultimately lead down a road to nowhere. It takes great skill to talk for a minute and reveal you still don't quite get why you're going to be a in a world of trouble.

Now if you believe in the receipt then Conor McGregor's been way overdue for one. This is an act that's spiraled out of control since his KO of Jose Aldo (and perhaps maybe even a bit before that happened) with an eventual "Oh Shit" coming at some point. You don't continually win in shit situations of your own making before something eventually backfires on you (unless you're Jon Jones) and Conor's last two years have exposed the very worst of the act. The Andre Fili/Artem Lobov situation, the Bellator incident, bar fights, speeding tickets of a dangerous sort, the ENTIRE Mayweather-McGregor fight lead up, the bus incident and the presser that was basically a collection of "Too far!" material in an already "Too far!" situation. Conor's gone for it on 4th down a lot recently and every situation he's either scored or gotten a penalty bail out from the bad decision. Eventually those do catch up with you and here we are now. Again, the erosion of SBG; it's image as a gym full of average dudes accomplishing great MMA shit evolving into the world's biggest collection of fake McGregor's has to be mentioned. What do you do when King Midas' left hand turns everything to gold but his right hand turns everything to shit?

Of course we can also bundle up everybody else into one neat and tidy paragraph here; the UFC for being a business first and not a common sense machine second. The bus attack was part of the story in my opinion and couldn't be neglected BUT somebody with a hint of common sense should've said "tone it down" to Conor and Khabib about religion, this that or the other thing. Instead they played it fast and loose, like they did/do with DC vs Jones, without realizing that Jones vs Cormier was a really personal rivalry about two people who for the most part kept it at two people. Hell taking it one step further, we can say that the UFC should've told Conor to tone it down in 2016 or 2017 or 2018. This is what happens when a fighter gains power and becomes TOO big to say to no to. You get this. Conor should've been told "No!" faaaar sooner than this. How about SBG and Khabib's cohorts who seemed to want to interject their asses into this as much as the two fighters themselves. We can also turn a sarcastic thumbs up to the majority of the MMA media; the ones who bloviated "Conor's back!" as he poured out his presser best but not once stopped to ask if maybe this whole religion/nationalism/family feud was going a bit too far. The same ones who refer to last night as a disgrace (which it was) without stopping once along the way to ask if we were heading into this situation by virtue of nobody wondering if this was spiraling. The ones who are SO reliant on MMA (and ergo the UFC and ergo Conor) to do well that they, like the UFC, allowed anything to go in the pursuit of the traffic. Lastly and perhaps most painfully? Us as fans. When the things that sell are always the worst, the bar is always raised. As consumers we have the ability to dictate what we receive and if what works is the dirt worst? Well that's on us, no? If we ascribe to the "We fight in a cage, nothing is bad for the sport" mantra then we wear this. We may not have asked for THIS specifically but that's neither here nor there because we've asked fore more of the bad shit. We ASKED for this.

And ya know the sick part? Everybody wins here really if you think about it. Assuming Khabib isn't suspended for life and incapable of getting back into the United States? He'll have a Conor McGregor rivalry for years to live off of. The same goes for Conor who has mastered the "losing the fights where you have an out" approach. Vs Nate? Well that was on two weeks notice at 170 lbs! Vs Floyd? First fight in boxing! This one? Two year layoff vs the world's greatest wrestler! Once Dana White gets over his personal shame and disappointment? The business man is going to make him realize that he'll have general wealth for every generation he's ever going to have with a Khabib vs Conor rematch. The folks decrying this as shameful will playfully bite their nails and play the "Who knows what's gonna happen!" gimmick at every presser, every face off and every single day leading up to the rematch. Those who shout about how "passionate" these fanbases are will continue to do so while also saying "they're not ALL like that!" when confronted with every social media clip of fans brawling and fighting outside the venue. Even Dillon Danis, a less self aware Robert Drysdale who fashions himself as a bootleg Conor McGregor, has basically made himself into a household name now. Everybody wins because so long as consumers want it? Business ALWAYS wins. That's the nature of the game. It's MMA at its dirt worst and there's perhaps no other place MMA shines then when it's at their dirt worst. Be it boxing or MMA, business booms at the dirt worst level. This is seemingly where the sport actually wakes up and decides to perform.

There are basically just two losers here really. The first is the lightweight division which sure looks like it's careening towards yet another stripped champion. And potentially yet another interim champion. And potentially  yet another year of question or determining just what the hell is going with the most loaded weight class in sports with fighters stuck on a broken elevator that's going neither up nor down. We have the most blessed division in the history of this weird sport and right now we have a champion who's about to be suspended, a former champ who is probably going to chase "money fights" now and the real champion who seems one poorly timed stunt away from ripping everything on the lower half of his body. The world's most talented division is about to get its dick buried in the dirt again for no reason other than the guys at the top of the helm can't control themselves. The other loser? Those of us who cling to the hope that one day this sport won't be like this. At the end of the day, we need to stop assuming MMA's going to one day grow up and just resign ourselves to the knowledge that it is what it is. For those of us who believe this thing is going to clean itself up? Probably not happening. The idea that one day in the not too distant future fights will be able to sell on the basis of being great fights and we won't need to squeeze every bit of juice out of it by resorting to the dirt worst (be it DC referring to Jon Jones as a junkie, anything Colby Covington does or the latent ethnocentrism used to sell this feud) should be dead now. As much as we all want MMA to treat itself like a sport, what the people want---and seemingly what EVERYONE involved in this sport wants---is this. We built this sport on it and now we gotta own it. All sports have brawls/fracases but they're not the drawing point to drawing people in. We WANT this. We OWN this.

If you don't believe me, wait until Covington vs Woodley to confirm it all over again. Prepare yourself for the worst case scenario.

[thebookishgoddess]

#Project14Lists 2018: Bookish Ships

My first post for the #Project14Lists bookish event is a list of my bookish ships! I know, controversial. Not everyone ships the canon couple, or ships that one character with anyone at all. Nevertheless, we are all here to express our love for books and the couples that our favorite authors have written, not to throw shade or spill the tea on each other’s ships. We are all trash for something, and we must respect each other’s trash (if that makes any sense, haha!)

For today’s list, I will be putting up twelve of my favorite bookish ships and my favorite fanart of them (with credits to the brilliant artists, of course!). There are waaaay too many ships that I love, if I’m being realistic here. But I got lazy after the 12th graphic I had to edit up for this. I’ll be dabbling on my favorite quotes/scenes of the ships and a little reaction to said quote or scene.

Let the fangirling commence!

Cover photo credit: johannathemad

1. Thomas Creswell & Audrey Wadsworth from the Stalking Jack the Ripper series by Kerri Maniscalco

Favorite Quote/Scene: “You are not mine to take.” He brushed his lips against mine. Softly, so softly I might have imagined them there. My eyes fluttered shut. He could persuade me to build a steamship to the moon when he kissed me. We could orbit the stars together. “You are yours to give.” --Hunting Prince Dracula

Are you bloody kidding me with that? Honestly, Thomas and Audrey is on the top ten of my favorite ships of all time simply because of that scene alone. This scene shows how much Thomas values Audrey as his equal and partner despite all the mayhem they went through. Also because Thomas Cresswell is every girl’s #bookboyfriendgoals because he’s suave af. I WILL SHIP IT TO MY GRAVE.

Art by phantomrin

2. Elias Veturius & Laia of Serra from the Ember Quartet by Sabaa Tahir

Favorite Quote/Scene: Laia is curled in a ball on the other, one hand on her armlet, fast asleep. 

"You are my temple", I murmur as I kneel beside her. "You are my priest. You are my prayer. You are my release." --A Torch Against the Night

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR. Do men like Elias Veturius even exist in the 21st Century? Hells no. Well, maybe, but the probability of one existing is about 1 to a million, so there’s that. I have never been so moved by such a simple statement, especially since that mantra is supposed to be Elias’s mantra to like, what was it? His honor in fighting for the Empire? But when he said that to Laia, it’s the same level of honor and I’m just so emotional about that?? What even?? How dare Sabaa?? 

Art by gabriella.bujdoso

11. Draco Malfoy & Astoria Greengrass from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Favorite Quote/Scene: DRACO: Which is why you need this [time-turner]. I have been holding onto it, barely resisting using it, even though I would sell my soul for another minute with Astoria.

DRACO: You [speaking to his son, Scorpius] know what I loved most about your mother [Astoria]? She could always help me find light in the darkness. She made the world — my world, anyway — less — what was the word you used — “murky.”  

--Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT DRACO MALFOY FOR A HOT MINUTE? This man, who firmly believes himself hopeless soon after the Battle of Hogwarts ended, gets the happiest gift of all by having some girl named Astoria Greengrass see the good in him and love him for who he is. If that isn’t the best trope in a ship, I don’t know what is! We know nothing about Astoria other than the fact that she’s some obscure sister of yet another obscure classmate of Draco’s named Daphne. And yet, she seemed one of the most integral characters to me in Cursed Child when Draco said that he resisted using the time-turner to see his dead wife. 

Let’s not forget how when Scorpius time-traveled to a VoldemortWins!AU that Draco still ends up with Astoria. I think that’s what so beautiful about Draco and Astoria. They’re such a minor couple in the background of Hinny and Romione, but they carry so much history we’ve yet to know thanks to their darling cinnamon roll of a son, Scorpius. Anyone who truly knows me is already knowledgeable of the fact that I cry over this ship on a daily basis. And I’m sorry again that I had to cry and make one heck of a long description for this ship because they’re my ultimate fave *ugly sobs*.

Art by blvnk-art

4. Cress Darnell & Carswell Thorne from The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

Favorite Quote/Scene:

“Captain?“ “Cress.“ She couldn’t not say it, although she realized he was right. It was sort of scary. Much scarier than it had been the first time she’d told him, out in the desert. It was different now. It was real. "I’m in love with you.” He chuckled. “I should hope so, after all that.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss against her temple. “And I love you too.” --Winter

FIRST OF ALL, WHAT THE ACTUAL FORK I AM SCREECHING OVER THAT. That scene was probably one of the most memorable scenes I’ve read in the last installment of the Lunar Chronicles. Forget how Levana died and all was well. I cannot help but forget this very scene that sets every other couple in the series apart because of how well-written and developed these two were together. Right now, I am super tempted to re-read the Lunar Chronicles, just for the heck of rereading Cresswell (the ship name) all over again. 

Art by vvivaa

5. Tedros & Agatha from The School for Good and Evil series by Soman Chainani

Favorite Quote/Scene: “But you are my queen. No one but you. And I like seeing you wear it. Because as long as you do, I know you still love me. And given our history of miscommunication, physical cues are helpful.” --The Last Ever After

I absolutely adore Tedros and Agatha. I have been rooting for them since day one of this series and I will never stop (even if Soman highkey tore them apart in Quests for Glory, for shame). They’re probably the most realistic couple to me, if there was a better word for it? Miscommunication definitely happens a lot between these two because Tedros can be pretty dense sometimes and Agatha can be quite arrogant. But I always love how they come together in the end to work it out because that’s what most couples do--they fight, but they don’t lose sight of what’s really important to them. Tedros and Agatha physically embodies those kind of relationships and I am absolutely here for it. Soman needs to stop hurting me after Quests for Glory though because Tedros and Agatha being apart up until Crystal of Time physically hurts me askhjsfkhja.

Art by thevioleteuphonia

6. Nina Zenik & Matthias Helvar from the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo

Favorite Quote/Scene:

“I am grateful you're alive", he said. "I am grateful that you're beside me. I am grateful that you're eating." 

She rested her head on his shoulder. 

"You're better than waffles, Matthias Helvar." 

A small smile curled the Fjerdan's lips. 

"Let's not say things we don't mean, my love.” --Crooked Kingdom

I AM STILL HIGHKEY MAD FOR WHAT LEIGH DID TO THIS SHIP. I won’t say more, but I will say that this is the most painful ship to have ever sailed and I will never get over it. But also the sweetest and well-crafted because of how much these two characters developed over the course of two books. Granted, Nina and Matthias had their history together before the Dregs, but even without it, Leigh wrote them in a way that makes you believe they really are meant for each other in the end despite all adversity. I’m happy Nina is likely going to get a female love interest in Leigh’s installment on Prince Nikolai’s story, though her being with Matthias will always have a special place in my heart.

Art by nilaffle

7. Lira & Elian Midas from To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

Favorite Scene/Quote:

“If you get shot,” Lira says, “I’m going to treat you like you’re incapable of doing the simplest tasks.” 

She cradles her arms around her knees to keep out the cold. 

“See how you like it when I hold out my arm to help you walk, even though you’re not shot in the leg.” 

“I’d be flattered,” I say, “that you would look for an excuse just to hold my hand.” 

“Perhaps I’m just looking for an excuse to shoot you.” --To Kill a Kingdom

I love a good “do I want to kill you or kiss you, it’s interchangeable” trope between couples, and when it comes to Lira and Elian, they pretty much seal the deal on that kind. Lira, the princess siren, is pretty much a cray murderer that takes people’s hearts and Elian is a prince-pirate that’s set to destroy her and kill her for good. I mean, it can’t get any more angst and interesting than that. The way they slowly develop in this standalone is very intriguing because not a lot of authors can pull off a realistic romance fantasy the way Alexandra Christo did. I just absolutely love Lira and Elian, their funny banters and their angst. They’re the kind of ship I would sail forever, really.

Art by silketara

8. Ron Weasley & Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

There was a clatter as the basilisk fangs cascaded out of Hermione's arms. Running at Ron, she flung them around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth. Ron threw away the fangs and broomstick he was holding and responded with such enthusiasm that he lifted Hermione off her feet. --Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

CONTROVERSY. But seriously, I absolutely adore and love Ron and Hermione together because of their balance as a couple. There are times where Ron will be street smart and there are times (but most of the time) where Hermione will be book smart. Plus, I definitely think they need each other at times to get off their own high horses because we all know Hermione can be a wee bit intense and Ron can be a wee bit ignorant, but that’s the beauty of them balancing each other out. And that particular favorite scene I just showed proved just how far their relationship as more than friends have come. I practically squealed the first time I read their first kiss scene!

Plus, have you seen them in Cursed Child? I know hardly anyone considers it canon, but adult Ron and Hermione are the cutest ship to squeal at in that book--which seems to be one of the very few good things that book had ever produced. 

Art by johannathemad

9. Elain Archeron & Lucien Vanserra from the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas

Favorite Scene/Quote: Lucien’s hands slackened at his sides. His voice broke as he whispered to Elain, “You’re my mate.” --A Court of Mist and Fury

Here we go, y’all. Another controversial ship. Let me just say that I want Elain to be happy, and whether it’s with Azriel or Lucien or by herself, I’m totally down for that. I just simply love the idea of Elain and Lucien together because of how actual smol beans they both are. Elain, our sweet flower girl and Seer with Lucien, our soft and loyal Fae--I mean, honestly. If I’m weak for ships that want to kill each other, I’m also weak for ships that have the softest hearts. I think they both have their own struggles and I definitely think they’ll grow from those struggles together. 

We all know what happened in ACOFAS and how Elain pretty much snubbed Lucien, but I still have high hopes for them. Maas has a plethora of novels coming out for the minor characters of the ACOTAR series, and I’m betting Elain and Lucien will get their moment in one of those novels. I haven’t lost hope yet! I mean, I bought magnetic bookmarks of these two, so it’s pretty clear I want these two to be endgame, haha!

Art by embaileyart

10. Nesta Archeron & Cassian from the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas

Favorite Quote/Scene: Cassian grunted in pain, but lifted his bloodied hands - to cup her face. “I have no regrets in my life but this.” His voice shook with every word. “That we did not have time. That I did not have time with you, Nesta.”

She didn’t stop him as he leaned up and kissed her - lightly. As much as he could manage. --A Court of Wings and Ruin

I think the whole, if not all, of the ACOTAR fandom can agree that Nesta and Cassian are endgame through and through. Judging by that intense moment alone as per the scene presented above, I can pretty much say that while they both have a long way to go, the foundation has already been built from there. I mean, come on, people! They were willing to get killed by the King of Hybern if it meant protecting each other. If that isn’t squeal-fangirl factor trying to protect each other from some evil war lord, I don’t know what is!

Art by meabhd

11. America Singer & Maxon Schreave from The Selection series by Kiera Cass

Favorite Quote/Scene: “Break my heart. Break it a thousand times if you like. It was only ever yours to break anyway.” --The One

My high school fangirlish heart is exploding with memories of how much I loved America and Maxon back then, and I still do! This single sentence above said by Maxon says so much about how far he and America have come together through the adversities faced during the Selection and the rebellions that came with it from the people of Illea. Their love story is definitely one for the ages. While it’s your typical poor girl marries rich prince story, they’re definitely worth the remarkable development they’ve have over the course of three beautiful books.

Art by marimari999

12. Arin & Kestrel from the The Winner’s Curse trilogy by Marie Rutkoski

Favorite Quote/Scene: She turned to look at him, and he was already looking at her. 

“I’m going to miss you when I wake up,” she whispered, because she realized that she must have fallen asleep under the sun. Arin was too real for her imagination. He was a dream.

“Don’t wake up,” he said. --The Winner’s Crime

I’m in slight tears because I still remember this scene in the second book. The scene wasn’t actually real, but a dream that Kestrel had after months of being separated from Arin by some messed up duty to her country. Y’all have no idea the struggle these two had before they finally got their happily ever after (they did, just a little heads up for any hopefuls wanting to read the trilogy). This scene definitely gave me a sense of the impending tragedy of them being together (and yes, there’s also a forbidden love trope, sign me tf up, amiright), but it was a momentary bliss to everything that’s been happening during the course of when that scene happened. I absolutely adore Kestrel and Arin, and I’m so mad very few people have read of them or the series ahhhh.

Art by taylordraws

Phew! That was a lot of ships and hunting down for their quotes. Admittedly, I had some trouble with looking for scenes/quotes and that’s actually a perfect opportunity for me to start bookmarking my favorite parts of a book.

Aside from the struggles, though, I’d love to hear some of your favorite bookish ships, whether we ship the same thing or not. It’s always interesting to hear someone else’s point of view of ships, especially ones where our ships contradict. Feel free to sound off in the comments below!