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joeys-babe · 11 months ago

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Joey B Imagines: The Best of My Love

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Summary: A sweet Valentine's Day surprise trip from your boyfriend Joe turns into one of the most important days of your life.

(Part one to - Part 2)

Warnings: pure sickening fluff

Pairing: Joe Burrow x reader

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February 13th, 2024

(y/n’s pov)

Waking up on the day before Valentine’s Day alone in bed is never fun, especially when it's just 4 days after Joe and I’s 7th anniversary as a couple. The reason the day before was special was that Joe and I were celebrating today, Joe said he was super busy tomorrow with foundation stuff and we needed to celebrate today.

Joe had already told me last night that he was still going to work out this morning but instead would opt for our home gym. Still, the last thing I'd want to do is bother him.

Spending the alone time wisely, I didn't stay in bed too long and took a relaxing shower. Afterward, I did my normal skincare routine and put some light makeup on.

Once that was finished the next step was slicking my hair back into a tight bun and getting dressed.

As of right now, Joe and I don't have plans to leave the house so I put some leggings on and grabbed my favorite one of Joe’s sweatshirts, and put it on.

It was his pink Nike sweatshirt that was my favorite one ever since I hugged him when he wore it for the first time. It was so soft so I've been stealing it out of his laundry since.

After brushing my teeth and making the bed, I went downstairs to make breakfast.

To my surprise, when I walked into the kitchen there was already a whole spread of breakfast foods on a longboard charcuterie-style.

My heart warmed as I looked at the collection of baked goods, savories, and different juices.

When I picked up a blueberry muffin there was a white envelope underneath it.

I put it down for a second to quickly pour a glass of pink lemonade.

Picking it up to read the front a smile spread on my lips when it said “Joe” with a little heart.

I quickly opened the envelope and pulled the small note card out.

Happy Valentine's, Baby!

I'm probably still working out as you're reading this (gotta have big muscles to fight off guys that hit on you). But anyway… how'd I know that you were going to get a blueberry muffin out of all that food I put out?? I'll tell ya. It's because I know you like the back of my hand. I'm gonna guess right now that you're going to pick strawberry lemonade out of all of the drinks I put out.

This isn't the first little surprise either, I've got lots of things up my sleeves and in my pockets to make today the best Valentine's Day ever.

The best of my love, Joey

The little note had me smiling from ear to ear and I was so deep in a trance that I didn't hear Joe behind me. I jumped when two strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind but the familiar laugh coming from behind put me immediately at ease.

“Startle ya?” - Joe

“My gosh, Joe! Yes!” - you

I turned around in his arms and placed my hands on his chest, looking up into his gorgeous blue eyes.

“Did I guess right?” - Joe smiled

Nodding my head in the direction of my muffin and glass of pink lemonade I grinned as Joe’s cheeks deepened a shade of red.

“You know me so well.” - you

“Well, I hope that I know you a little bit after seven years together.” - Joe laughed

“Seven years is a long time…” - you

“It is, isn't it? Does it ever surprise you that we have lasted this long?” - Joe

“Oh gosh no. You're my best friend, can't live without you. Does it ever surprise you?” - you

“No. The rest of my life is with you.” - Joe grinned

I jokingly scoffed and Joe’s face turned to confusion.

“Not officially, last time I checked my left hand was empty.” - you held your bare left hand in front of his face

Joe’s lips formed a straight line as he glared at me. His facial expression made me giggle before I leaned in to kiss is soft lips.

“I’m kidding, Joe. You know I seriously don't care if and when it happens.” - you

“If?! What do you mean if it happens?! It's sure as hell going to happen, I don't care if it's the last thing I do. Who knows, it might be happening sooner than you think.” - Joe

“You said that last Valentine’s.” - you laughed

“Oh, whatever. I have to go shower but expect another surprise in a few minutes.” - Joe

“Ok…” - you

Joe kissed my cheek and unwrapped his arms from me. I couldn't help but watch him walk away because of how borderline delicious he looked wearing his cut-off Nike top with shorts.

Just as Joe was out of my sight the doorbell rang. Woah he wasn't joking, I thought.

I immediately walked to the door and thanked the delivery man after he handed me the substantial bouquet of beautiful red roses.

There was a vase that was my go-to for when Joe got me flowers but after a quick analysis, I came to the realization that there was no way they would all fit.

After placing them on the counter I was examining the huge arrangement when I realized there was yet again another small white envelope.

What it said was short but so sweet, making my heart swell even more.

For our one-month anniversary a few weeks short of seven years ago, I gave you a singular red rose. Here’s eighty-four roses for every month you've been my girl.

The best of my love, Joe

He must be in a sentimental nostalgic mood this Valentine's because though Joe is secretly a raging romantic, I've never seen him go to such great lengths as this.

When I went to put the card back in its stand, it fell and I realized there was writing on the back as well.

P.S. Go get my card from my wallet, a new nail set on me. There's a surprise waiting for you there, and maybe a few more afterward…

What is this man up to??

I went upstairs, and grabbed Joe’s card before grabbing my purse, putting shoes on, and heading to my favorite nail salon.

When I arrived the front desk lady offered me a warm smile and I sent one right back.

“Miss y/n! We've been expecting you. Go ahead and head back.” - Lady

“I don't have to pick a color?” - you

“Your boyfriend prepicked a color, nail type, and everything. You're all set!” - Lady

“Oh okay! Thanks!” - you

As soon as I walked over to my go-to station I noticed a familiar face already sitting there.

“Aubrey?!” - you

“Hey girl!” - Aubrey jumped up

Aubrey was my roommate at Ohio State and has been my best friend ever since. She had moved to California after college to pursue her career as a doctor.

“What are you doing in Cincinnati?” - you hugged her

“Mmm, a certain someone invited me down here…” - Aubrey smiled

“Joe?” - you smiled, immediately thinking about Joe’s letter on your roses

“Maybe.” - Aubrey smirked

“What is he up to?! Do you know? He's been acting so… romantic today.” - you laughed

“Hard to tell. I don't know what he's up to, but he has a nail request that he's also paying for so let's get down to business.” - Aubrey

——

A couple of hours later I had nice oval French tips and Aubrey got solid sage green coffin nails.

We went up to the counter and I handed the lady Joe’s card. She smiled up at me and gave me a wink.

“Your boy has taste.” - Lady

“That he does.” - you giggled and looked at your nails

She laughed as she handed me the card back but she held up a finger telling me to wait. I watched the woman reach under the counter to retrieve yet another white envelope.

When she handed it to me I couldn't help but gasp and quickly rip it open to see what was inside. It was a note and read…

Go down to Kroger with Aubs and get your favorite road trip snacks… you'll need it. ;)

I hope you like your nails, I tried my best to explain what I wanted.

The best of my love, Joe.

Aubrey was reading the note along with me over my shoulder and when we were both done we looked at each other with wide eyes.

You didn't know of course, but Aubrey has known Joe’s plan for weeks so she knew this was happening.

“Aubrey what the heck is he doing?! - you

She just shrugged so I thanked the front desk lady and practically sprinted to the car with Aubrey.

“I’m so confused.” - you

“I know just as much as you, let's get to the store to get your snacks though.” - Aubrey

——

I tried to make the Kroger trip as quick as possible because all I wanted was to get back home to Joe and find out what was going on.

Aubrey asked me to drop her off at the hotel she was staying at since she got an Uber to the nail salon.

After dropping her off, I headed straight for home.

“Joe!” - you called out as you made it through the front door

“Upstairs!” - Joe

I practically ran up the stairs and into our bedroom.

When I did, my heart stopped when my eyes scanned the room.

There were probably over 30 heart-shaped balloons that had floated up to the ceiling and multiple huge bags sitting on our made bed.

Joe was standing to the side of the room looking incredibly cute in his usual sweatpants and t-shirt combo while he wore a bashful grin.

“What is all of this?” - you

“Just another step in my master plan of putting this year's Valentine's Day down in history.” - Joe

I walked up to him and immediately pulled him into my embrace, my head on his built chest as we rubbed each other's backs.

“What are you up to Mr?” - you smiled

“You’ll see. Open your gifts!” - Joe grinned

Walking over to sit on the bench in front of the bed, Joe handed me the first gift bag.

We grinned at each other as I pulled the tissue paper out of the bag. It revealed a shoe box that said “UGG” and I immediately gasped.

They were the Tasman’s that I had been wanting for a while. I had briefly mentioned them when another WAG had them on and I complimented them, turns out Joe was paying attention.

“Thank you! They're so cute.” - you

“You’ll be needing them later today, you know something comfy. And speaking of comfy…” - Joe handed you another bag

I removed the tissue paper and a cute sweat set was revealed.

“Pastel orange, Joe?” - you giggled

“Orange looks good on you!” - Joe

“You’ve said that multiple times, honey.” - you

Joe just smiled at me and took the empty bags off the bed to put them in a pile by the door. He also grabbed the UGG box and sweat set to neatly stack them on the bench in front of the bed.

“Why are you waiting? Open your last gifts, baby!” - Joe

“I’m waiting for you Mr. to tell me which one to open!” - you

“This one.” - Joe grabbed a bag and handed it to you

I reached down into the bag and my fingertips brushed against a smaller box. Giving Joe a skeptical look, he returned my look with a sweet smile.

When I finally looked down inside my heart stopped when I noticed the familiar Cartier packaging.

“Joe… what did you do? This was probably so expensive.” - you

“Stop that, I love spending my money to spoil you. You know that. Just open it.” - Joe

His gaze was convincing so I took the box into my hands and flicked the lid off.

They were the most gorgeous earrings I'd ever seen. The White Gold, Diamond LOVE earrings.

“Joe… they're beautiful.” - you

“Yeah? Do you like ‘em? They're the matching earrings to the bracelet I got you for Christmas. I've had ‘em since them but I didn't give them to you at the same time to avoid ‘you spend too much on me’ speech.” - Joe

“If you keep it up with the white gold and diamonds Imma be more shiesty than you.” - you giggled

“That’s 100% my plan. Gotta keep my girl iced out.” - Joe grinned

I walked forward and immediately wrapped my arms around my boyfriend.

“I love you so much. Thank you so much for everything.” - you kissed his lips

“Aye not so fast. You've got one more gift.” - Joe

Joe unwrapped one of his arms from my waist and reached into the final gift bag. He pulled out a white envelope and smiled brightly when he handed it to me.

“Saved the best for last.” - Joe

“Better than those earrings?! Did you get me a puppy??” - you

“No! No puppy.” - Joe laughed

I backed away from him to open it and my mouth dropped open when I pulled out two plane tickets.

“Where are we going??” - you

“Read the tickets.” - Joe

My eyes frantically searched the tickets and I slapped Joe’s arm out of pure excitment when the destination of my dream getaway was printed on the sheet of paper.

“Shut up! I’m going to Portofino?!” - you yelled

“You’re going to Portofino, Italy!” - Joe

I practically lept at Joe and wrapped my legs around his waist, my arms around his neck.

“Thank you! Thank you!” - you yelled into his neck

A thought popped into my mind that made my heart sink and I pulled away from Joe’s neck to confirm or deny my disappointing thought.

“Wait… you're going with me, right?” - you

“Yes, baby. I'm going with you.” - Joe laughed

“Yay! My dream vacay with my favorite person ever.” - you smiled

“Are you excited?” - Joe

“Am I excited?! Joe, I'm ecstatic! I've been dreaming about going there since I was in high school. I can't wait to mark this one off my bucket list… especially with you.” - you

“Good. I'm happy to be there with you.” - Joe

——

“Do you have everything packed??” - Joe

“Yup!” - you

I rolled my suitcase out of the closet and into our bedroom where Joe was sitting on the bed waiting.

“I was going to pack everything for you… but I realized I can't pack everything you need, cause I have no idea.” - Joe

Laughing at him as I wheeled the suitcase to him, I quickly came up with a response.

“You can't pack it but you can use those muscles to carry it to the car.” - you winked

Joe grinned as he flexed his arms, I had to hype him up and it never failed to surprise me with how deep the blush went.

He left the room shortly after to take my suitcase down to the car and I did a final walkthrough of the house to make sure all lights were off, we had everything we needed, and nothing was left running.

When I finally got outside the site of Joe headbanging slowly while biting his lip through the front glass of the car made me internally giggle as I rounded the side and plopped in the front passenger seat.

“Do we have to listen to Kid Cudi?” - you

“I thought you liked him?” - Joe

“I do. But we listen to him all of the time.” - you

“Fine. You pick.” - Joe sighed and handed you his phone to play a song on Spotify.

Naturally, I pulled up my go-to playlist and shuffled it. The first song that played was Nat King Cole’s “L-0-V-E”.

I of course was yelling along the lyrics while Joe just shook his head with a playful grin.

“This song is boring.” - Joe

“You think so? It reminds me of us.” - you

“Why? Because it's boring? Are you calling us boring?” - Joe

“No, you goofball. Because it says ‘love was made for me and you’ and I think that it was.” - you

“I think it was too.” - Joe grinned and laced your fingers with his

——

“Was that whole playlist just old love songs? Or are you in a vintage gushy mood?” - Joe

I thought back to the songs that had played previously…

Can’t Take My Eyes off You by Frankie Valli, Everybody Loves Somebody by Dean Martin, Everlasting Love by Natalie Cole…

“Uhm… yes.” - you

“Yes, to which one, baby?” - Joe laughed

“Both!” - you

“Did I put you In a gushy love song mood?” - Joe

“Yeah… maybe you did. You've been so romantic today.” - you

Joe grinned at me while he squeezed my hand and the next time we were at a red light he leaned over to kiss me.

“I have a feeling that every trip we take from here on out isn't going to top this.” - Joe

“I already know they're not! I'm so excited. Thank you so much, Joe.” - you

“You’re so welcome, but just wait till you see what I have planned throughout the trip.” - Joe

“Ok, I still can't believe you planned a whole International trip with your homebody ways, Joseph Lee.” - you

“I didn't do it by myself. I got help from a lot of people. My mom helped, Aubrey, some guys on the team, your parents, and maybe or maybe not the team’s travel advisor.” - Joe

“Baby, that's so sweet.” - you

“It needs to be perfect…” - Joe sighed

“I think it will be. Can I ask you something?” - you

“Yup.” - Joe

“Why’d you get my nails done?” - you

“Uhm… because we're probably going to take pictures and you had said multiple times your old set was busted. Thought you might want to get new ones.” - Joe

I reached over and put my hand on Joe’s arm, lightly scratching his skin with my nails while I smiled brightly at him.

“I love you.” - you

“I love you too, babe.” - Joe

——

We arrived at the airport and to my confusion someone was there to escort us. The tall male with a bodyguard build led us through an area adjacent from the regular airport and before I knew it Joe and I were standing in front of a jet.

“What did you do?!” - you

“Wanna fly in a private jet?” - Joe grinned

After we handed our bags and suitcases to part of the crew, I was standing there astounded so Joe took my hand and guided me up the steps.

“This is incredible… how much did this cost to fly us there?” - you frowned slightly

“My love, money is not something we have to worry about.” - Joe winked with a cocky grin on his lips

I had changed into my sweat set, UGGs, and put my new earrings in before we left the house and I swore sometimes I would catch Joe’s eyes lingering to the substantial diamonds on my ears.

Eventually, we made it inside the jet and it was even nicer inside than it was outside. The lighting was warm and the leather seats were astonishing.

“You like it?” - Joe

“I love it, and I love you.” - you pecked Joe’s cheek

Joe put a hand on the small of my back and gently moved me in the direction of a chair.

After sitting down, Joe took his spot across from me, a table in between us and I propped my feet up on his lap.

He slipped my UGGs off and gently put them on the floor before he started massaging my feet.

It was the little things that Joe did that made me praise him for being the best boyfriend ever, and he never failed to hold himself to that title.

“You comfy?” - Joe

“Very.” - you smiled

“We have a long ride ahead of us so hopefully we can take a nap at some point.” - Joe

I nodded and the flight attendant walked over to us to explain a few things. Due to the fact Joe is an avid hater of PDA I was expecting Joe to drop my foot when she walked over, but he didn't. He listened to her intently as he continued rubbing small comforting circles on my foot.

Joe had a few questions about the lunch and dinner menu but eventually, she walked away.

“You have absolutely spoiled me today, I don't know how it can get much better.” - you

“Just you wait.” - Joe winked

——

February 14th, 2024 - *Actual* Valentine's Day

When we finally arrived in Portofino it was early morning the next day, Joe and I were pretty exhausted.

Despite being jet-lagged and tired, the drive to the Airbnb was absolutely beautiful.

The different colored buildings and the water were some of the most breathtaking sites I'd ever laid eyes on. I had to look back at Joe who was sitting next to me in the back of the car just to verify he could see it too.

“It's beautiful…” - you

“It is, isn't it?” - Joe smiled

He was so in love with you, so obsessed with pleasing you that he’d do anything just to see that twinkle in your eye when you see something you love. When you looked back at him he saw that twinkle and he hoped that it wasn't just coming from the gorgeous surroundings, but also because of him.

You were still looking out of the car window but suddenly he felt a hand on his thigh. When he looked down he saw your fingers making grabby motions and when he laced his fingers with yours, they were at ease. Even with the view in front of you, you still reached for him behind.

The Airbnb was even more breathtaking. Joe, in the most broken Italian accent I'd ever heard, told me it was called the Baia degli Ulivi.

It was a pretty pink color with forest green shutters and a beautiful balcony view.

Joe and I sat our bags down when we got inside because he said he wanted to show me around.

I could tell that Joe was proud of himself for picking such a ravishing place for us to stay.

He was so adorable as he walked around the house and pointed out little things he liked on the Airbnb app when he looked at pictures.

My favorite part was when he was super proud to show me the bathroom because…

“It has a fucking bidet!” - Joe pointed

He was looking equal parts intrigued and proud but I couldn't help but bust out laughing at his exclamation.

“There’s my goofy boy. You've been so romantic the past two days that I've kinda missed the goober side of you.” - you

“Trust me, it’s never gone sometimes it just gets overpowered by another side of me.” - Joe grinned

“C’mon Joey, let’s go take a nap.” - you

——

A few hours later, meaning like six, we woke up at one o'clock and decided to venture out of the house.

Joe had an itinerary on his phone that he pulled up while we were still lying in bed cuddling.

“Wanna go to a castle?” - Joe

“A Castle?! Yes!” - you

“Okay, we can get dressed and go to the Castello Brown before we head to lunch.” - Joe

“Is that the name of it?” - you

“Mhm.” - Joe nodded

“I can't believe I'm here with you right now. This is my dream come true, Joe. Thank you for everything, you're the best boyfriend a girl could ask for.” - you

“I love you.” - Joe kissed your forehead

——

Soon we were walking through the castle grounds hand in hand.

There was this one particular painting that I walked away from Joe to take a picture of, and when I turned around I was met with the sight of Joe holding his phone up taking a picture of me. He never fails to make me feel like the most loved woman on that planet.

We continued walking to the top where there was a beautiful view of the water. Our hands were laced together as I laid my head on Joe’s shoulder, and he laid his against mine.

The moment was amazing, everything just felt so surreal and magical. After everything Joe went through with football last season and all of the obstacles we've faced, it felt like they all disappeared.

I was so focused on Joe and the view that I flinched when there was a tap on my shoulder. When I turned around it was an older woman and what seemed to be her husband standing next to her.

“Sorry to bother but you two are just so adorable and remind me of my husband and I when we were young. I took a nice picture of you guys, do you want it?” - Lady

She showed Joe and me the picture and we both looked at each other with a large grin. You could see the love radiating off of us.

“Yes! Here I'll give you my number. I'm y/n and this is my boyfriend Joe.” - you smiled

“I’m Linda and this is my husband Ben. How long have you guys been together?” - Linda

“Seven years.” - you answered

“Wow, that's a long time! We've been together for 35. We got together as 15-year-olds in high school.” - Linda

“That’s so sweet. What are you guys doing in Italy?” - you

“Revisiting the place we got engaged for Valentine's Day. What about you two young’un’s?” - Linda

“Aww. This is my dream vacation place so Joe surprised me for Valentine’s Day.” - you

“That’s a good man you have.” - Ben nodded

“I know. He's my best friend.” - you grinned at Joe

We talked to Linda and Ben for a little longer before I offered to take a picture of them just like Linda had done with me and Joe.

They agreed and posed with smiles plastered on their faces.

Linda and I exchanged pictures before we parted ways and Joe and I went to lunch.

It was a place that Joe again attempted to pronounce, named Trattoria Tripoli.

“It has 4.5 stars.” - Joe

That boy really did do some research.

While we were sitting and waiting for our food Joe made a little ring out of the straw paper and slid it onto my ring finger. It was a gesture he'd done for a long time almost at every restaurant we go to, but this time it felt different. More butterflies set off in my stomach than normal.

——

We spent the rest of the evening and afternoon at the Airbnb watching movies on the couch since it had been such a long day.

At around seven I told Joe I was getting in the shower and that he was welcome to join me but he passed on the offer and said he wanted to start unpacking instead.

The shower was amazing and the many different settings had me making a mental note to buy a new showerhead for the house.

After stepping out I wrapped a towel around my body and put my hair up in another one before leaving the bathroom to get a comfy outfit.

I was confused when I stepped into the bedroom and Joe wasn't there, his suitcase was still zipped up and hadn't moved spots since we had gotten here.

“Joey?” - you yelled

My eyes scanned the room one more time and paused on the bed.

There was a beautiful dress I couldn't recognize as one from my closet and on top of it was a white envelope.

I immediately grabbed it and ripped it open.

Put this on and meet me on the balcony, the final surprise of the night. (but not of the trip)

The best of my love, Joe.

Asking myself the question I've been asking myself for 48 hours straight once again, what is he up to?

A while later I had the dress slipped on, my hair fixed, and very light makeup on.

There were nervous butterflies in my stomach because I had no idea what Joe was going to do.

I took a final deep breath before I walked out of the bedroom and out to where the balcony doors were in the living room.

When I stepped outside my heart stopped.

The instrumental version of Turning Page started playing (specifically at the time stamp 1:40) and Joe stood at the end of an Isle lined with candles and rose petals. He was wearing a dark grey button-down shirt with dark-washed jeans and dress shoes.

“Joe… what are you doing?” - your eyes filled with tears

“C’mere, baby.” - Joe smiled

I slowly walked to Joe who was nervously rubbing his sweaty palms on the front of his pants.

Joe took my hands in his and took in a deep nervous shaky breath.

“y/n y/l/n, for as long as I can remember I've wished for a princess to be the woman next to me. When I was younger every wish I made on an eyelash, dandelion, shooting star, or birthday candle, was about love. You filled that void. I remember the first time I laid eyes on you back at Ohio State, I was so infatuated with you but I knew there was no way I would be able to get an actual goddess to get out with me.” - Joe

He paused to laugh with me while I wiped my tears until he forged ahead.

“I was so surprised that my embarrassingly awful tries at flirting with you worked. I didn't need tutoring that much by the way, I just really wanted to be with you any chance I got. It seriously didn't matter to me if I was at your dorm studying till two with an eight AM practice the next morning if it meant I was spending time with you. You've been the one consistent thing in my life since then that I know will always be with me through anything. y/n, you're the princess that I've been asking for my whole life. The most gorgeous, humble, kind, selfless princess there ever was. You understand me on a level that no one else is even capable of doing and there isn't a life that I picture for myself without you in it. I'll love you when we're old farts with dentures, stealing kisses at the family get-togethers to freak our grandkids out because I know the rest of my living is with you. y/n, your love is my turning page.” - Joe

Both Joe and I giggled at his use of a line from the song that was currently playing before he dropped one of my hands to help wipe the steady flow of tears falling from my eyes.

“That being said…” - Joe

Joe paused and let go of my hands. My crying only got harder when he dropped down onto one knee and pulled the light blue Tiffany box out of his pocket. He flicked the box open and the gorgeous diamond ring only made me cry harder.

“Will you marry me?” - Joe looked up hopefully into your eyes

My hands covered my face for a second just because of how surreal this moment was.

“Yes! Of course, I'll marry you, Joe.” - your cried

Joe lept up and immediately wrapped his arms around me.

I wrapped my arms around him as he picked me up and spun me around.

When Joe finally sat me down he slipped the ring onto my finger and grabbed the back of my neck to kiss me.

Out of all the kisses we've had over seven years, this one was my favorite.

“I love you so much.” - Joe hugged you tight

“I love you too.” - you

——

We were both back in bed now that things had died down, but we were both bubbling with excitement.

“You’re my fiance.” - you smiled at Joe

“We’re getting married.” - Joe grinned

“You say that like you didn't think we ever would.” - You

“No, I knew we would. It's just official now. I'm so glad I finally did it.” - Joe

“Me too, baby. Me too.” - you smiled

I cuddled into Joe’s chest more and found myself nuzzled into his neck.

“Do you like the ring?” - Joe

“I love the ring. It's like exactly what I had pictured. You're really good at picking things out for me, Joe.” - you

“I have never put so much thought into anything else in my entire life. It took me weeks to find the one I wanted to get for you because it had to be perfect.” - Joe

“You seriously did an amazing job. We need to talk about some things though.” - you

“Like what?” - Joe

“When and how we're going to tell people, if we're going to make it public…” - you

“Shhh. We can worry about that when we're in Ohio. Right now I just want to be with my gorgeous fiance, eat dinner, and go to pound town later.” - Joe

I giggled and wrapped myself around Joe, grateful to have such an amazing man in my life who would soon be my husband.

————————————————————————-

Author’s note: on the ninth day of Christmas I gave you all the fluffiest fic ever. (part two with smut is coming guys don't worry)

Request for this fic;

#joe burrow #bengals #joe burrow imagine #joe burrow x reader #joey b #cincinnati bengals #joe burrow fan fic

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katarh-mest · 5 months ago

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7th time loop vol 5 thoughts

Just finished volume 5 of 7th Time Loop. I don't want to wait until September for the next book! Can't believe I inhaled them all already....

Anyway, stuck some heavy spoilerific thoughts below a line here.

The reveal that the current Emperor has a massive bloodlust presence and he doesn't even try to hide it... He really is being built up to be a monster, no?

What I suspect is that in every timeline, he's been the instigator of the war, and even Arnold killing him has never been enough to stop it once the gears are in motion.

He's priming the rest of the world for a takeover - doing stuff like pouring poison into Dietrich's ears to create a failed coup attempt in that kingdom as a way to knock them out of the picture, weakening Domana by killing off their last remaining priestess (not caring that she's the cousin of his oldest son, since he views his own children as political tools.) The whole counterfeit coin business too.

Every plot has been a long con designed to provoke all the other nations into either being weakened, or into holding a massive grudge against Galkhein, all for the sake of creating a world war that can't he stopped, not even by his death, and leaving the mess for his son Arnold to clean up.

Canon vs Fanon stuff

There's a bunch of things floating around in fanfics that seemed plausible considering the series has supernatural elements, but I was slightly disappointed to find weren't in Vol 5. Maybe they'll be in volume 6????? (Spoil me in comments, go ahead.)

Arnold can take off Riche's clothes with his mind (now wouldn't that be amusing!)

Arnold has super healing powers inherited from his mom (TOTALLY believable) - this one pops up and seems to definitely be in volume 6th so I'm saying this one is probably canon, but I don't know 100% for sure

Arnold is stuck in his own time loop (I'm seriously leaning toward this, it's just his loops have been stuck as a personal hell where he can't stop his dad no matter what he does.)

Wacky things that absolutely are canon:

Arnold's eyes glow sometimes

Rishe and Arnold both have super senses. Love the way the anime depicted her picking out Count Lavinne in the crowd. They're practically Force sensitive.

Rishe is a quick study and has an eidetic memory. In modern day terms, we'd call her gifted. She doesn't forget names or faces that easily. That's it's own super power.

Rishe did study a lot of her interests as a kid, so if Arnold sent Oliver to do homework on her asking "wtf how is my future wife so amazing" the mundane answer was "she actually did do stuff like archery, horseback riding, sword training, etc., but the prince of Hermity told her to stop every one of those activities because she was better than he was."

Fan Theories I've seen

Arnold in a Loop: The reason I tend to agree with the fan hypothesis that Arnold is in his own time loop is because 1. He seemed to be under the impression that she was slightly afraid of him up until the last chapter of volume 5 (I mean, he did stab her in the chest last go round) and 2. He's way too brilliant for even a determined, workaholic 19 year old. Like Rishe, he acts like got an extra few lifetimes of learning under his belt.

He's also several steps ahead of Rishe at every turn. He already knows what's happening, and he seems genuinely delighted at how fast she catches on. And he grabs her suggestions with two hands and runs with them because they're good and valid and often present the solution to the problems he himself wasn't able to find, like a way to make Coyelles an equal partner instead of his first target for invasion.

Was her 5th loop really the first time that he encountered her? He made the gesture toward his heart that she interpreted as "Shoot me if you can" but what if in a prior loop, say the 2nd or 3rd, he saw a cute scholar in Coyelles and wanted to try to encounter her again in later loops but didn't again until the 5th? What he he's bumped into her in every life before, but she only developed her own hunter's sense in the 5th life so never realized it? What it he's been crushing on a girl for 30 years and only by chance in the 7th loop did she choose a different escape route and bump into him?

Dream Vision Arnold: Another fan theory I've seen is Arnold having dream visions of all the wars started in all of Rishe's lives in the future. And that, too, would jive with him having inherited the blood of the goddess and having majority and some notion of events that haven't come to pass yet. (And also why he insists on calling Rishe his wife even though they aren't married yet. Probably saw enough visions of her that the moment he saw her jump off the balcony, he went "oh. That's the girl from my dreams I'm gonna marry. okay. get her. GET HER NOW.")

My own pet theories:

Arnold's mother and the Crusade Church - Fan theories center around the idea of Arnold getting his super powers from his mother's side. (Although his dad is a monster too.) What if the Goddess picked Arnold as her champion of revenge against his dad and that's why he's stuck in a loop (and Rishe is the one getting dragged along with him cuz she's a soulmate?)

Opposing forces: Arnold's father works for another god/goddess (maybe a war god or something) and believes it is his mission in life to bring the world war about, and that's why Arnold feels like he has to stop him

Possible prophesies: The fact that Arnold's father committed straight up infanticide and eventually killed or had all his concubines killed makes me wonder if there was some sort of oracle that told him that his death would come at the hands of his own child with hair of a different color. (Arnold kills him anyway in the six loops so far.) This opens the door for RISHE (daughter in law) being the one to get to murder him in loop 7, which frees Arnold of the sin of patricide but has her committing regicide instead.... Not that she'd care, she's already killed plenty in all of her loops, especially the last two. But since Arnold seems to be getting ideas of involving the Crusade Church, maybe having her take on the role of the champion of the goddess might absolve her of that crime. Especially if the new Emperor Arnold Hein forgives her.

Rishe actually is one of the chosen of the goddess, and Arnold is the only one that knows.

Final Thoughts

Rishe so worried about the public kiss during the wedding ceremony that she hasn't stopped to think about what comes after is kind of amusing. Granted, she trusts Arnold not to hurt her and that he won't do anything she doesn't want him to. But still.

(Also, getting kissed senseless is a pretty nice birthday present.)

Even if it's his first loop or his seventh too, Arnold is absolutely besotted with her. He's a lovesick fool and he's trying so hard to keep it together in public.

SEPTEMBER CAN'T COME FAST ENOUGH!

#7th time loop #7th time loop novels #rishe x arnold #rishe irmgard weitzner #arnold hein

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sibyl-of-space · 3 months ago

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ok sorry for all the spammy posts tonight but i feel like as of This Moment all of my very stubborn design philosophy principles with Amadeus have been vindicated. I feel FUCKING GREAT.

i also had caffeine while on my new meds for the first time today and am a little bit regretting it but that is beside the point.

It has been so fucking hard to ignore every single bit of conventional wisdom about gamedev for going on 2 years straight. Even as someone with the world's hugest ego and an obsessive vision, it has been hard. I have watched a lot of peers put out numerous other complete smaller projects in the time it has taken me to not even go from a demo to a finished episode. I have poured all of my heart, time, and energy into a project knowing full well that it will be completely and utterly unmarketable when it's complete.

But what has carried me through is knowing I'm making a game that is wholly and ENTIRELY dedicated to my own tastes and priorities. This is the absolute pinnacle of self-indulgence. I allow myself to put every single one of my obsessions into it and it's made it continue to grow and transform into something really fucking awesome, and something that I love so much.

This most recent decision, though - making an anime ass OP for it - it's the thing that is finally tangibly validating this approach. It's giving me a much-needed victory.

I'm only making this OP because I want to. It's because I loved Euphoria's and Umineko's so much that I wanted one of my own. It's taking an enormous amount of work that "could" go to other parts of the game.

But now that I've finished the arrangement and thumbnails, I know. It's going to be so fucking good. The song is already one of the greatest bangers I've ever written and it's just MuseScore audio right now.

And this is not something that someone who is able to release several smaller projects a year is going to have!! They have a collection of released games; that's their flex. And that IS a flex, a huge one, and I commend them for it.

But MY flex is I'm going to have a fucking whole ass FIRE cinematic opening for my game, because I have chosen to focus on one massive project and make it as fucking awesome as I can.

And I can't WAIT until I have the payoff of the complete video to share.

#VINDICATION!!!!!!!#THE STARS ARE FUCKING ALIGNING #I AM SO PUMPED ABOUT LIFE RN

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kitcat992 · 8 months ago

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Just wanted to stop by and let you know that I was thinking of you and sincerely hope life is being kind ❤️

I’ve read a few Irondad fics lately that have been so well articulated and beautifully written, and they’ve reminded me of your stories. But your work will always be the GOAT to me. Everything else I read is always compared to your version of the MCU, because that’s canon in my opinion.

I secretly love that your stories keep going, that Identity Within is still a WOP, because parting with a finished story when you reach the end… a story that you’ve grown to love and formed a bond with… it’s really hard to say goodbye. It feels a little like grief if I’m being honest.

I’ve lived in the joy of knowing that there’s no permanent end (yet) to the Identity Series for years now, and I’m actually really grateful that I haven’t had to read an ending or experience that final farewell.

I just wanted you to know that your work is so appreciated, and while I’m sure it weighs on you sometimes that the updates take a while and the series has been ongoing for a few years, it actually brings me so much comfort ❤️ You deserve to know that you make that difference for someone.

Life is being....SOMETHING to me 😅😫😩So when I say that this message rejuvenated the very essence of my soul, I truly mean it ❤️❤️❤️

I've had some very rough nights recently, thanks to the wonders of ₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ stress ₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟI've got front row tickets to the "when it rains, it pours" show, and to add onto that, I started a whole new career where I'm *running a freaking business.* Yeah, sleep doesn't really happen as often as it should for me.

And because I'm still trying to sleep, I don't keep my mind operating at such a capacity that I could do anything worthwhile other than watch Tiktoks re-read through my series for shits and giggles, because I wrote it having wanted to read these things, and now I can go back and have fun reading the story that was once all jammed packed into my head. And in doing this, I tend to remember comments that made my entire day, month, year, and so I go into my inbox and just....I just read all the comments, over and over again, with such a profound, appreciative, ecstatic, blessed feeling in my heart.

The love that everyone has had for this series is what makes me still so deep in love with it today. And hearing that from people like you, who are so kind to take a minute of your time and express these things as if it were your first time ever reading the story...god, a girl couldn't be anymore lucky. Truly, #hashtag blessed.

My free time is far and few inbewteen these days (why did I decide to go run a freaking business 😳) but I promise you, no job will ever take this series away from me. I'm far too excited for everything that's yet to come, still to be written, and needs to be told, that I'll never leave this piece unfinished. Knowing that the pace it's taken isn't something that bother people does ease my nerves and calm me a bit, and I thank you so very much for expressing that and all the love alongside with it.

Chapter 9, Bachelor Party, is one BEAST of a chapter that's nearing closer and closer to finished every day. I hope for an update within the month or two. It contains a whooping 17 characters in a single scene, with character interactions we damn right deserved in the MCU. 2/3rds of the way done and and I think my inability to control the word count says enough about what to expect.

These characters have gone through far too much to rush through chapters now. In fact, the more things go on, the richer things get -- and to know amazing people like you are along for the ride...that's just so dam nifty. ❤️❤️❤️

#fanfiction #writing #hastag blessed

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stabs-cake-with-salieris-dagger · 1 year ago

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Recently I've made some interesting and surprising findings about mor that seem lesser known in the fandom (or maybe I just don't dig deep enough) Also I accidentally hit ctrl z while almost finishing up the post that I spent the past hour or so typing and it deleted most of what I've typed......... with tears I retyped everything again SIGH (resulting in me not proofreading any of this) 1. So I remember seeing somewhere that says mor has both Mozart and Salieri's compositions, which I thought it was false because it's all Mozart as far as I know. Until one day I actually looked at the credit a bit closer and found this:

This is the music that plays before victime de ma victoire. Mozart wrote fortepiano variations at 17 years old of Salieri's aria, so they really just used Mozart's version of Salieri's piece from one of his most popular operas???? It made me kind of mad but also this felt like a meta commentary considering it's associated with victime de ma victoire scene. It's a self aware song where Salieri is regretting, trying to come to terms of what he's done, and 'predicting' his failure. It serves as a commentary of the whole Mozart and Salieri matter beyond the scope of the show and ends in "J'ai perdu pour l'Histoire (I lost for history)." In this case it does feel like Salieri is being pushed aside in one of the worst possible ways, and I really wish some of his music could have made their ways into the musical properly. 2. I found a Playbill article talking about mor being in the middle of being adapted into English for Broadway in 2012...... which honestly I'm really glad it failed because I don't have faith that it'd be good. There's already the example of tdv, and the way they talk about it just doesn't seem... great, such as “bring shape and focus to the musical for American audiences” and "When the French write musicals, a lot of their songs are written like pop singles placed contiguous to each other, while on Broadway, it's necessary to have a storyline and a semblance of relationship.” Pop French musical isn't everyone's cup of tea and that's of course normal but the way it sounds like they're going to really Americanize it and rewrite it majorly and by storyline and relationship I take they mean needing musical motifs, reprises, and such. Just makes me feel they should just write a whole new musical?? And maybe it's just me but the tone sounds a little patronizing too? Though I do wish they could have released the cd and dvd in North America just because I'm Canadain lol Also curious if there was a time staging mor in Quebec would have been viable. 3. I spend too much of my time watching mor clips, but I've somehow never looked at performances pre proshot until recently. There were a few changes in the ~2 month (if my memory serves) between premiere and first proshot made to vivre a en crever that surprised me. First 2 screenshots from this video, and the rest from this one.

First of all, no handshake at on se reverra???? It's giving 2 bros chilling in the hot tub 5 feet apart cuz they're not gay

This is a little hard to see but Salieri is kneeling beside the wall as Mozart departs and it had me screaming ;; I know Laurent did kneel but I didn't know it was a thing in the French tour. This video gives a sliiiightly clearer silhouette of him kneeling but he's also blocked by Cavalieri.

Constanze running up to grab Mozart and refuse to let him go really had me by surprise and it's so heart breaking ;;;; I've been debating whether I like this better or the one that they ended up using where she just reaches out to him from the bed, because it kind of changes the tone of the scene.

Anyway thanks for reading if you've gotten this far. There's so many analysis posts I'd like to do but I simply don't have the energy to.... but if anyone wants to talk about analysis I'm more than happy to ramble lol

#mozart l'opera rock #mlor

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kilfeur · 1 year ago

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Voilà enfin fini mon nouveau comic Rayllum avec cette fois ci, un cauchemar de Rayla mais Callum est là pour veiller sur elle. A la base il y avait deux scènes que j'ai pas mit au final, la première est pendant la crise de panique de Rayla, Callum fait toujours le truc avec le pouls mais descend sa main vers sa coeur. Pour qu'elle puisse sentir ses battements puis l'allonger en lui demandant de se concentrer sur lui et sur sa voix. Au final j'ai opté pour autre chose qui on va dire plus réaliste même si je pourrais toujours placer ça ailleurs. La deuxième scène c'est qu'après la discussion du duo, Callum était censé jeter un coup d'oeil à l'arc de Rayla. Pensant aux dernières paroles de Claudia jusqu'à ce qu'il sente la main de Rayla et lui dise qu'il aime quand elle le touche s'en suit Rayla qui l'entoure dans ses bras pour se réchauffer. Je trouvais déjà que ça traînait en longueur et même si j'ai pu mettre le câlin, j'espère que je pourrais mettre la scène de l'arc sur un autre dessin ou bien un one shot par exemple.

At last I've finished my new Rayllum comic, this time featuring Rayla's nightmare, but Callum is there to watch over her. The first is during Rayla's panic attack. Callum still does the pulse thing, but lowers his hand to his heart. So she can feel his heartbeat, then lay her down and ask her to concentrate on him and his voice. In the end, I opted for something more realistic, even if I could always place it elsewhere. The second scene is that, after the duo's discussion, Callum was supposed to take a look at Rayla's bow. Thinking about Claudia's last words until he felt Rayla's hand and told her he liked it when she touched him, followed by Rayla wrapping her arms around him for warmth. I already felt it was dragging on and even though I was able to put in the hug, I hope I could put the bow scene in another drawing or a one-shot for example.

________________________

Page 1 and 2

Rayla : Where I am ?

Claudia : You're selfish, tell me why I don't have the right! All I want is to keep my father alive?! Everything I've done is for my family! To keep him with me! So why am I being robbed of what is rightfully mine?! So tell me you elf… Why should you be allowed to have yours back?

Rayla : Your father wanted to invade Xadia. He allowed a kingdom to be corrupted for his downfall. And you helped him, turning your back on your brother

Claudia : You know nothing! He did it for the good of mankind! Don't try to blame me for anything! When you've abandoned and hurt your loved ones. You came back like a flower, thinking you'd be welcomed. Nothing was going your way. You're no saint! So don't accuse me and see your own mistakes

Page 3

Viren : Tell me, elf, was my hunt really worth it?

Rayla : Ca... Callum. No... I beg you... Don't look at me. Outside, we'll be attacked! I've got to go! Otherwise we'll never reach the tower! Getting Nova's blade is the priority, we can't take a detour! I must protect you!

Page 4 and 5

Callum : Rayla, it's okay, you're not alone. You're here with me and Stella, remember. Can you feel my pulse and my touch? Rayla, relax. There you go, breathe just like me. Good again. We've eliminated the creatures that attacked us. And we've surveyed the area, haven't we?

Rayla : Yes, I remember.

Callum : That's good, Rayla, keep going.

Rayla : And the air dome you created at Umber Torr. You remade it for this cave.

Callum : See? Then breathe again. We're safe, you have nothing to fear. Do you want to talk about it ?

Claudia : You're selfish.

Rayla : Before that, I'd like to know… Why are you so intent on saving my family?

Callum : Eh… Well, why not? Recovering Nova's blade and saving them is like killing two birds with one stone!

Rayla : But...

Page 6

Callum : Rayla, in those two years, we created our own path. We've moved forward and sometimes lost our way, but we keep going. Because we want to achieve our goals. And we've done things for ourselves. Because we thought it was the right thing to do. But also for others, so that they can live in a better day. And finally, so that we can grieve properly. But you have the choice of reuniting with them. You shouldn't waste it when the opportunity is there. You could have continued your hunt. And yet you've come back to us.

Rayla : There are so many things I could have done better. So many things I haven't told you about my two years without you all. Even with Stella, I felt so alone. I was so cold and had nothing. I wish I could have stayed with all of you for those two years. I regret it but I'm here now and I want to stay by your side.

Callum : Rayla, you've always had a place with us. Even when you're reunited with them, that won't change. I promise!

Rayla : You always find the words to soothe me. They are magic! They make me feel able to face anything. You bewitched me and I've always been under your spell. So I can only love you more.

Rayla : I had a nightmare I thought I was going to die.

Callum : Really? And now you're thinking about it?

Rayla : Not so much now that you're here. Of course you do, Stella

#the dragon prince #tdp #callum #rayla #claudia #viren #rayllum #tw death #tw panic attack #kilfeur art

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neon-junkie · 7 months ago

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awh fuck, everybody else is posting their sappy seasonal finale posts, so i figured i'd follow the herd and make one too. under the cut cause its long, im gushin' my heart out here!!

the bad batch has been my favourite show in... fuck, a very long time. i'll watch a piece of media and go "i enjoyed that!", maybe reblog a few tumblr posts on it, write the odd fic here and there, but the bad batch? i dont know what the hell it woke inside of me, but i am damn thankful for it.

since leaving the red dead fandom, i didn't write very often. i did the odd piece for star wars, but there wasn't anything that truly grasped me. i remember finally watching the clone wars during the covid lockdown, and thinking "awh i love the clones so much! i love how unique they all are, with their tattoos and haircuts. i just wish they would make an emo clone, for a laugh, you know?"

and then i started tcw season 7, and oh my god-

yeah, crosshair is my absolute favourite, although tech almost stole that place during season 2. (but i could never betray my husband like that!!) i love all the batch, even stinky sergeant hunter, and i am so thankful that they've entered my life. im glad i got into the clone wars when i did, cause as i finished the entire show, the bad batch season 1 dropped the very next day haha. i didnt think they'd impact my life as much as they did, but hey-ho, im thankful for it.

i mean, they got me back into writing. i had a nasty experience (which i wont go into detail about) during my time in the red dead fandom, and it totally put me off writing and fandom spaces. im so glad the bad batch has given me a new safe space to enjoy, with motivation and inspiration to write again, even if the things that i write are filthy and disgusting.

not to mention that i've met so many new people, formed friendships, even met them in real life!! star wars celebrations was in london last year, and being bri'ish, i had to go. i wasn't expecting some of my dear fandom friends to cross the ocean to attend, but god damn, i am so thankful that i took a chance and met them, resulting in a wonderful weekend. i'll admit, i hate how shy i was during the whole weekend, but i mean, meeting so many people for the first time all at once was very nerve-racking!!

to think, none of that would have happened if i didnt get into this silly show. so, yeah, thank you to the bad batch. thank you for all my fandom friends. i will continue my obsession even after tomorrow, although i will cry myself to sleep every night if anything happens to crosshair... (am i going to regret writing that line?!)

anyway. heres my sappy post. you know, i have to go to work after the finale airs. im going to be an absolute mess regardless of how the show finishes, i just hope the customers dont mind their bartender crying over star wars as she pours their drinks.

i'll stop rambling now. cheers for reading, and feel free to cry with me whenever you feel like it. neon out x

#the bad batch

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holyshonks · 9 months ago

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I've been keeping a secret for longer than seems helpful, and I'm starting to feel like a lurker in a trench coat and one of those novelty glasses-mustache disguises, so uhhhhhhhhh. Announcement:

I'm in the process of writing a three-part Halo fanfiction series! Part one is already complete and we are underway with part two.

I wasn't going to say anything, but now it feels weirder not to? I kept it close to my chest bc

1. Shy

2. I'm out of practice with creative writing generally

3. I'm new to this, so I wanted to feel it out first and;

4. I knew that for an undertaking like this, i needed to stay laser-focused, and to do that, I needed to cut out the noise. Just me and the text. Otherwise I would have felt a lot of pressure.

It was also kind of a challenge to myself, as if to prove that I was writing for myself and only myself, I had to tell no one. I had to go in with zero expectations. But the longer I go, the more I'm sad I can't share. Writing and feedback is such a communal thing that I effectively cut myself out of for over a year now, and the more time passed, the more I felt like I couldn't say anything. But then some of the lovely folks on here started interacting with some of my other writing on there and I feel weirder not saying anything.

So, what's it about? The series is called Don't Go Where I Can't Find You and is, at its core, an interspecies love story. You're shocked, I know. But, it is also:

A story about grief in a traumatized galaxy, and how that shapes us. It's a story where the ghosts are as much characters as the living. It's a story about the people who don't get to be heroes, the people who actually suffer the consequences of the machinations going on above them. It is about people who feel desperate and alone. It is melancholy.

On the other hand, it's about love! And healing. It's about taking risks and relearning how to be happy. It's about family and facing generational trauma. It's about grappling with new normals and writing your own story.

It is unashamedly a love story and can get saccharine and ooey-gooey at times. It also gets sexy. You have been warned.

I personally love every single Halo character and want to give them a little kissy. That being said, they tend to be exceptional or heroic or powerful and that's not what I wanted for this story. This story is about normal folks, so I created a lot of normal folks. If you're looking for your favs, they are not in here, and even when they appear, they will not be at the forefront of the story.

More than anything, this story is me playing in the Halo sandbox and loving it. I am getting to explore so much lore and really sink my teeth into the aspects of the universe that appeal to me the most. I can't verify it, but I think I've extrapolated well (and have yet to be proven wrong!!). This is my labor of love and the biggest creative undertaking I've taken on in 8 years.

Sorry for the paragraphs, it's just that I was going to brush it off as a "tee hee, surprise, nbd" sort of thing, but actually I've been busting my ass for over a year and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. I poured (and continue to pour) my heart into this, and would be glad if you took a look. Maybe there's something in there for you.

And the BEST news is I get to interact with everyone on AO3 without feeling like I'm creeping under the floorboards.

Find me! I'm FleshandFaith!

p.s. I'm also TERRIBLE and titles and blurbs. I give them .003 seconds of thought so don't think too hard about them bc I certainly didn't. More than anything, I am determined to fucking finish it. It will not be perfect. I will finish it.

#shonks do you see how keeping secrets blows normal things out of proportion? no? you'll do it again? gr8 #AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

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ghostintheheadset · 11 months ago

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watchmojo's top five headphones_haver fics of 2023 (not clickbait)

I'm looking at my 2023 stats on ao3 and fandom disparities are really funny to me lmao, my main fandom at the moment is fe3h, and of the 22 fics I posted this year, 19 of them were fe3h.

All three of the non-fe3h fics are my top three most kudos'ed fics of the year:

It goes without saying ofc that these numbers don't really matter, if I was only doing this for the kudos I'd be writing m/m genshin fic, and it's not really surprising why the numbers are the way they are- both my Pokemon and Zelda fics were posted within a few months of the game coming, and gwitch is also relatively new and I was writing for far and away the most popular ship. Meanwhile, 3h is now past the 4 year mark, and largely m/m dominated while the majority of my fics are f/f. While I would certainly enjoy all my fics getting popular, seeing the numbers like this makes it easy to remember that engagement isn't a metric of quality.

(In that vein, Falling is probably the fic I spent the least amount of time on this year, being impulse-written in about 2 hours. Sometimes niche fics you pour your heart and soul into can't reach the same level of popularity as wider-appeal stories you wrote much more quickly, and that's okay)

That said, though, I am happy with the fics that made top 2. There's something satisfying about my first and last fics of the year being the most popular, and I am very happy with how the both of them turned out. They're both representative of the themes I like writing about and are both wholesome yuri, so I think they "belong" in the top 5 as much as any fic could be said to.

Numbers 4 and 5 are kind of a surprise to me- Pegasus Knight Dysphoria is a gen fic about a trans girl and Someday is an f/f rarepair. Of the 19 (wow) 3h fics I've written over 2023, these are not the two I'd expect to break into the top 5, but it's a pleasant surprise that they did!

Anyway, none of that actually matters beyond being mildly interesting to me specifically. Onward to 2024:

According to my stats page, I posted 126k words of fic in 2023, which averaged out to a little over 10k words a month or about 345 words a day. Not bad! Looking to get those numbers up next year though. If I don't, then that'll be okay, but 126k is the Word Count To Beat if possible.

I would also like to do some more fandom events! Apparently there's a FE rarepair week happening literally right now that I wasn't aware of until yesterday. Hoooopefully I'll be able to see more of that kind of thing now that I'm here, as they've always been a lot of fun when I could participate. I'm not leaving 3h just yet, but I would like to branch out a bit more- I definitely have more gwitch fics lined up, and I'd like to also branch out a bit and write for some other fandoms I haven't gotten around to yet.

Big writing goal is to finish Together We Ride, and also work on it more consistently. I was putting off starting it for a while because I wanted to "wait for a good time", but I realized if I kept that up it would never get started. Considering I started it in April and there's currently 7 chapters, it was in fact "not a good time", but! I am committed to seeing it through in the upcoming year.

That's about it I think. It's been lovely writing fic over the past year (and a great way to unwind from the Grad School Stress), and I'm very much looking forward to exploring more next year.

(might do a roundup later today of some fics from this year I really liked we'll see)

#ramblings

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regina-del-cielo · 10 months ago

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Fic 20 questions

I was tagged by @bewires, thank you!

1 - How many works do you have on AO3?

13, lucky number.

2 - What's your total AO3 count?

67,881 words. Not bad.

3 - What fandoms do you write for?

Right now, only for The Old Guard (2020). I'm a "one hyperfixation at a time" type of person.

4 - What are your top five fics by kudos?

Celebrated for Their Frankness (P&P)

Kissing a Stranger (P&P)

Galeotto Fu'l Cane (P&P)

hand in hand, we stumble and we fall (then we stand, once and for all) (TOG)

seems like happiness is just a thing called Joe (TOG)

5 - Do you respond to comments?

99.9% of the time, yes, even if it's just to write "thank you for reading" thirty times in a row

6 - What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Uuuuuh I don't actually write angsty endings? Even the sadder ones always have a vision of hope in the end

7 - What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Again, difficult to say. Probably c'est lui pour moi, moi pour lui (dans la vie) because it's Reunion and Fluff Galore. Or A Marriage of True Minds, because of Wedding Fluff and Feelings.

8 - Do you get hate on fics?

Thankfully not, and I hope it never happens

9 - Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

No, not really. Love reading it, but I don't think I'll go that far myself.

10 - Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

No I don't. The thought never really crossed my mind

11 - Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Never, thank goodness

12 - Have you ever had a fic translated?

No - although one could say that I already am doing my own mental translation since English is not my first language lol - but if someone wanted to I wouldn't mind, as long as they asked me first

13 - Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, never happened

14 - What's your all time favourite ship?

Why are you asking me to rank my children?! Darcy/Elizabeth has been around longer, but Joe/Nicky really Hit Different. So I say it's a tie.

15 - What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

All of them? There's a reason I don't post WIPs - inspiration is flighty and cruel. I never say 'never', but knowing myself if I haven't worked on something for longer than a year it's unlikely I'll ever start again

16 - What are your writing strengths?

I'm the wrong person to ask this - Maybe plot coherency and world building? I tend to take a lot of time to make sure that the plot flows well and that things are as accurate I can get them. Also, clearly, writing soft and fluffy things.

17 - What are your writing weaknesses?

I always have the feeling of my writing being clunky and too detail-filled, because I want the readers to see the scene as I see it in my mind. And I've never been able to stay within the number of words I expected to - my one-shots get stupidly long.

18 - Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I literally make Nicky speak in Italian as much as I can get away with it all the time. But also, if it's a language you don't know well and unless you have a human who speaks it that can check it, I wouldn't just trust a translation software. I have seen enough of glaring Italian errors in fic to make me want to go "please just say that they spoke in another language in the dialogue tag I beg of you."

19 - First fandom you wrote for?

Winx Club, a long long time ago, and not in English

20 - Favourite fic you've written?

I think it's a tie between hand in hand and We're Meant to Find Each Other - they're more team-focused than the others; hand in hand was the first I wrote for TOG fandom and a true stroke of inspiration. Meant to Find Each Other is the only multi-chaptered fic I ever managed to finish, it spans through multiple time periods, and the AU it's set in is very close to my heart.

I don't know who has already done this, but I'll tag @ellynneversweet @raedear @gallifreyburning @nicolos @nicolodigenovas and anyone else who feels like it!

#tag game #writing #fanfiction #my fanfiction

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pl0xm4st3r · 3 months ago

Text

I finished Persona 3 Reload. I need to get all of my thoughts in order because there's so much I could talk about, from the story, the characters, the relationships (not just the social links, but the interactions between secondary characters as well), and the gameplay.

The first thing that hit me, and continues to hit me, is the emotional impact of it all. In one level, it's because of how it ends, which did rip my heart out and I was dreading it every step of the way and through each moment that I grew more and more attached to the characters. I had already seen the movies, so I remembered the broad plot, and most importantly how it ended. The ending will hit if you don't see it coming, because of course it will, but I appreciate it greatly when a story is strengthened by already knowing the events. In this case, it makes the theme of "memento mori" all the stronger because you feel how every moment truly is invaluable. I did not want my time with these characters to end, but I knew it had to. And I knew what they would be left with, in the end.

On the topic of the movies, though, that relates to the second level of emotional impact it had on me, on a more personal level. I'm not really a Persona "fan" per se, though at this point I might call myself one. My point is that I've only played 2 out of the 6 (I think) mainline Persona games, nor any other MegaTen or Atlus games, so I'm not sure I have the right to call myself a fan. However, several years ago one of my friends got into the series, starting with P3. I tried playing Portable and didn't get very far, and he eventually asked if I wanted to watch the movies if I wanted to experience the story. So we watched them together, and I enjoyed it. There's also an old memory I have of being 8 or so at my Aunt's house while in vacation, and my cousin was playing it in the basement. I didn't know the name of it, and he only explained the most basic premise, but the look of Tartarus stuck with me. I forgot it for a while but then it came back up when I was looking into P3R. All of that is a long-winded way to say, the game has kind of been with me for a long time. Even disregarding seeing it as a kid, the series means the world to my friend and I have now shared in that. And that's not even to mention the fact I poured in nearly 100 hours into the game, so it definitely feels like I am stepping away from something important. It's bittersweet.

I guess I'll write more thoughts on other aspects of the game later.

#persona 3 #persona 3 reload #persona 3 spoilers #persona 3 reload spoilers #pl0x speaks

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authorxxxxxx · 2 years ago

Note

Can i have an angst imagine with number 72 marco bezzecchi? <3 luv your writting.

Stay Safe For Me | Marco Bezzecchi x Female Reader

7 2 . ' ' Letting you go was the hardest thing I've ever had to do . ' '

Summary : He thought he knew everything about her , until she disappeared without telling him .

Trigger Warnings : mentions of past verbal , emotional and physical abuse , alcoholism and drug use , self - harm , a lot of tears and angsty feelings , but do not worry because there is going to be fluff in the end .

! ! ! Please read this Imagine if you are only 18 + and with your own permission , because it contains some things that a lot of people find disturbing . If you struggle with anything of the above , please feel free to send me a message , because I know how it is . I am here for you all and I want you to know that I support you . ! ! !

English is not my first language , so if you spot a mistake , please just bare with me .

P . S . I am so thankful for this request , because it gave me the opportunity to express the feelings that I have been holding back for so many years now . Also , it gave me the chance to write something about Marco , because I personally believe that there are not enough Imagines about him out there or any at all .

I poured my entire heart on this - 13.278 words : (

I hope you enjoy < 3

______________________________________________________________

Thursday , 12 November 2015

Today is Marko's 17 birthday . He decided against the idea of a " Sweet 17 Birthday Party " although his mother always reminded him from a very young age and since he was a little boy the same thing .

" You turn 17 only once in your entire lifetime . "

In which he always responded to her with the same answer every year.

" It's okay mom . Besides that , I don't want a birthday party . I just want to spend the day with the people I love . "

The people he loves . . . His parents and his close friends . . . Her . . .

Y/N was something else .

She was his best friend since they were both toddlers . They grew up together . They did everything together . They went to the same elementary , middle school and now high school . They were always together . Marko and Y/N , Y/N and Marko . Even if they fought a lot of times , in the end of the day they would always apologize to each other and go for a nice walk while eating ice cream . He would always have her back in everything and she would always support him in every stupid decision that he took even if it was dangerous for the both of them . They were in this life together . Every Friday after school they would always go in his house for dinner and then , they would watch all the Jackass movies all over again . Sometimes when she feel asleep over at his house , they would wake up early in the morning to watch SpongeBob SquarePants and the spend their Saturday going in rides with his bike , eating , playing , talking and laughing non stop . They knew everything about each other . They were inseparable and they completed each other .

He jumped out of his thoughts when he heard the familiar notification tone coming from his phone .

He was sure it was her . It had to be her . Besides , who else could it be on a Thursday morning ?

" Happy Birthday to the best friend ever . I want you to know that I'm so proud of you and I love you so freaking much that I would die for you . I wish you the most Happy Birthday and now I want you to come down because I have a present for you . " Y/N had just sended to him .

He open his bedroom door and streamed downstairs to his front door, just to open it and see her standing outside - with her glasses that he made fan of because he loved them so much on her - with a big gift bag on her hands .

' ' I see that you've got my text . Happy - ' ' She didn't get to finish her sentence , when his arms wrapped around her in a tight and warm hug .

' ' Thank you so much Y/N , you didn't have too . ' ' He said to her while hugging her .

' ' Marco what are you even doing outside in the cold with just your pyjamas . If you catch a cold I swear to God I - Oh Hello Y/N come inside honey . ' ' Marco's mother said from the doorway .

Both of them went inside for Marko to get ready and then to open his gift .

' ' What did you got me ? I'm kinda of anxious . ' ' He said to her .

' ' Open and find out . ' ' She answered to him while smiling .

He started to unwrap his gift and when he finally understood what she got him he stopped and pulled her in the most tight hug ever .

' ' I can't believe that you got me a Valentino Rossi helmet . Thank you so much . ' ' He said to her with the biggest smile on his face .

' ' You are welcome . I love you . ' ' She said to him and with that his heart started beating faster and his head felt heavy .

' ' I can't wait for your birthday in December . ' ' He said to her and with that they made their way to school .

And indeed he waited until the 23st of December Y/N's 15th birthday. He knew he couldn't go to her house . Her father was kinda weird because Marco was 2 years older than her . Although Y/N's and Marco's mom decided to throw a small birthday party in the near cafeteria that the teenagers loved to hang out with their close friends.

But little did they know that after that everything gonna go downfall .

_____

Saturday , 23 December 2017 ( 2 years later )

After finishing high school , Marco focused on his career as a Moto 3 Junior World Championship . At first he didn'y really noticed that him and Y/N throughout these 2 years had slowly separated from each other . He thought that because of his tight schedule and her being in her senior of high school, they just couldn't see each other very often.

Even if Marco wished her a ' ' Sweet 17 Happy Birthday ' ' the situation remained the same until Easter Break .

' ' So how's racing ? ' ' Y/N asked him while they were walking .

' ' It's going so good . It's great actually . I think I might have chances to move to Moto 2 . ' ' He said to her with a smile .

' ' You did it . Your dream came true . I am so proud and happy for you. I wish I could change things to see you more but with the school and the studying for the final exams it's really hard . ' ' She said to him with sad eyes .

He instantly felt bad and he hugged her hoping that it would make her feel better .

~Don't change for me

I like you just the way that you are now

Don't pray for me

I did this on my own and I got this far now~

_____

June 2018 ( 5 month's later )

They didn't spoke to each other for over 4 months . Everyone thought that they had a huge fight and that they stopped being friends , some other wanted desperately to ask and some other who knew better acted like they didn't care . They kept their mouths shut .

Marco was able to go up to Moto 2 and join the Red Bull KTM Tech 3 team while Y/N had managed to get accepted to her dream university in Rome .

~And I'll get higher with it

My thoughts are lighter with it

Just to let you know I did it

Just to let you know I live it~

_____

September 2018 ( 4 months later )

Marco was able to go back to Rimini to see his family and his friends . Mostly he wanted to go back home becuase he owns an apology to Y/N . After his last race he made it to the 3rd place in the championship standings and he wanted to inform Y/N that he will be back for one week to celebrate .

But when he opened up his phone and checked his messages , he saw that Y/N and him had last exchanged messages almost 3 months ago .

What made him thought to think of the worst possible things was the last message to him 2 months ago .

"Hey I know that you are busy with all this racing stuff but I just wanted you to know that I'll move to Rome in late September . Remember that everything you can imagine is real . I love you Marko."

~Stay safe for me

I see the inner you and it hurts to let go

Don't wait for me ( don't wait for me )

I'm getting on a plane and I won't be back soon~

_____

He responded late to her last message demanding an explanation.

"Please just answer me when you're gonna come back home. I'm scared for you right now. " He texted her and with that he immediately left to go to the airport.

_____

"Mom just please answer to my questions. " He shouted. The whole house turns cold. His mother is holding back her tears while looking down .

"I swear if you don't answer me if she's okay I'm gonna go over to her house. "

When his mother didn't responded to him for onse more he scoffed and went to leave the kitchen.

Before he could make it to the front door his mother had stopped him right on his tracks with only one sentence.

"Her mother sent her away after she found out that she was self-harming. She was abused by her father. An alcoholic. "

And for a couple of seconds all he could hear was a white noise...

All he could see was a dark rook with her crying quietly in it...

It's all making sense .

_____

He was laying in his bed with his eyes closed but he wasn't sleeping.

He was wide awake.

All kinds off thoughts turned around in his head making him feel dizzy.

He went back to all their memories together.

That's why he never went in her house.

That's why she never went on calls with him when she was at her house.

That's why she never sented him voice messages or videos.

That's why she was against alcohol and drugs.

That why she wanted to leave her home.

He wanted to scream until his throat hurt.

Why didn't he recognized the signs?

Why didn't he connect the dots?

Why didn't she asked for help?

What didn't he confessed his love for her?

He always promised her that he would be by her side forever.

Why?

When he asked his mother if he should go now or in a couple of days to find her , his mom said that he shouldn't go at all.

"Don't go. She wouldn't want you to lose an important race. Let's leave her alone for some time. She needs to fell free and safe. "

With that Marco murmured something under his breath and went to bed to sleep.

He was proud of her for leaving but he knew that she was alone and needed someone.

Marco cried that night.

~And I'll get higher with it

My thoughts are lighter with it

Just to let you know I did it

Just to let you know I live it~

_____

January 2019 ( present )

Marko was standing outside of her door in her complex apartment in Rome.

Besides him there was sitting quietly a grey female Pittbull waiting for him to do something.

The dog let out a small bark letting her owner know that she was bored and that he needed to make a move.

Marco looked at his dog and he petted her in the head before he took out the spare key that Y/N's mother gave to him.

Things have gotten pretty bad these last 4 months. Y/N was struggling emotionally and Marco was missing her more than anything.

He didn't have any more patience and he decided to take the matter in his own hands by communicating with her mother.

Right now he was standing in the middle of her small but cozy apartment and he could tell by the scattered books everywhere in the place that she lived in here.

He knew that she wouldn't mind him being here.

He took of his shoes and he searched for her.

She wasn't in the kitchen. She was certainly not in leaving room. She must be in her bedroom sleeping. He thought to himself walking to the only room in the house except of the bathroom.

And there she was.

Asleep.

He felt like he was invading her privacy so he went back to her leaving room to sit on the couch.

Pass the time by reading some of her books.

_____

She woke up feeling something really close to her face.

Something weird sniffing her.

She reached her right hand to grab her glasses by the nightstand.

A grey happy Pittbull was on top of her bed looking at her and waging her tail.

She immediately knew that Marco was here.

_____

Tears started forming their way in her eyes while she petted the sweet dog on the head.

She got up walking quietly towards her leaving room , when she came across him sitting on her couch reading on of her books.

He was faster than her. Always. He looked up from the book and locked gazes with her.

The tears finally escaped her eyes and before she knew it , he trapped her in his hug.

That tight and warm hug of his that she couldn't get enough of .

' ' Jump . ' ' Marco said quietly to her and when she did it he went back to the couch with her.

She was crying softly on his solder while he was holding her like he would never see her again.

Like this was their last time.

He took some deep breaths trying to remember her scent that he had forgotten.

"Can I convince you to stay?" She asked him still hugging him.

"Letting you go was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. "

"I'm not leaving you ever again. " He said to her.

Marco grabbed Y/N's face with his palms and he looked at her closely.

God how much he loved her. He loved everything about her. Her glasses. Her eyes , her nose ... her lips ... her lips ...

And then he kissed her softly. Finally feeling alive again.

She kissed him back and after so many years of hidden pain and suffering , she felt like she could breathe again.

~And I'll get higher with it

My thoughts are lighter with it

Just to let you know I did it

Just to let you know I live it~

_____

Tags : @unimportantbabymilksharkte

#moto gp fanfiction #moto gp imagines #moto gp x reader #moto gp x you #marco bezzecchi fanfiction #marco bezzecchi imagines #marco bezzecchi x reader #marco bezzecchi x you

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