But Today Is Not That Day - Tumblr Posts

MIKE FAIST Another Man Magazine (2024) Photography by Jack Pierson

no grave can hold my body down

Harwin Strong lives and finds his way back to his princess.

Rhaenyra had been in the midst of a restless sleep when the guards had come to her chambers in the hours before dawn but the news of an unknown boat spotted on the shores of Dragonstone had a knot of panic filling her stomach. She'd been quick to throw a dressing gown on over her shift, the rest of her modesty be damned. Her footsteps echoed through empty halls as she made her way down to the main hall, the young guard who'd come to her having no more information than what he'd told her at first. A million possibilities went through her mind as she pushed sleep further and further away. And each one of those fled from her mind once she came to stand in the Great Hall of the Stone Drum.

Her heart caught in her throat at the sight of the man standing there, hood still raised and hand resting on the hilt of a sword as the tourney knights of Dragonstone eyed him. They did not know him but she would've recognized the figure anywhere in the world. He'd been her shadow for the better part of a decade, the companion who'd kept her off the ledge time and time again when pushed to the limits by the people at court. And after the raven that she'd received three days earlier, she'd thought she'd never see him again.

The hood was pulled back and that familiar smile greeted her, the same he'd given her when he'd first held Joffrey in her chambers two moons past, and every ounce of decorum left her. This was Dragonstone - her castle, her home, and if any one of the people here chose to whisper about her she'd deal with it herself. For now, there was no thought in her mind other than pure and utter relief as she ran across the cold stone floor and launched herself into his arms.

Harwin caught her without any issue, strong arms that had held her time and time before wrapping around her with a comfort she'd been desperately missing. He wore no armor, just a wool doublet that made it easy to feel the warmth of him against her. Her face buried itself in his neck, breathing in the smell of him, that earthy scent that had once lingered on her sheets in the Red Keep long after he'd left for his post and comforted her in the early hours of her mornings. She breathed it in in deep gasps, wanting to have it surround her and ground her and make her truly believe this was real.

"Come now, princess, I haven't been gone that long," were words mumbled against her hair, a gentle teasing in his low rumbling voice that brought a watery smile to her lips. A short laugh broke through the sobs that had been wracking her body and he held her a little tighter.

"I thought you were dead," was her reply, finally feeling her feet reach the ground as he set her down. She looked up at him, finally seeing his face properly. His eyes were tired and there were new lines on his face that seemed to age him a bit. And when she spotted the healing burns peeking under his collar, she felt her blood go cold as the stories she'd been told bled into the reality before her. "Word came that the fire at Harrenhal had taken both you and your father and I -"

A warm hand cradled her face and stopped her words, his forehead bending to press against hers. "It'll take more than cowards with torches to kill me, more than Harren's curse to keep me from you and the boys. The Stranger himself will have to come and drag me away if the gods decide it's my time to go."

Her lips found his, any witnesses be damned and a happiness she hadn't dreamed of filling her the longer she stood in his arms. "He'll face the fury of us both and have to face down Syrax if the gods wish to take you from me again. I won't have you gone from my side again. Your place is here, as it always has been and always will be."

"As my princess commands."

So many opportunities that the two were together in a room but their paths still didn’t cross. Taehyung tried to replay the moments BTS and Twice shared backstage of an award show or whenever they managed to hang out together but there were too many people gathered that the only thing he could think of was the small conversations. Saying hello or sharing a laugh together a few times. “It would have been impossible for us to get a moment alone” Taehyung had to think of how loud his members were. But now he understood that there was a reason why things happened. Maybe the timing wasn’t right back then and that’s why it took them this long before making things official. That was fine by him. Knowing where they were in life and how in love he was with her, he would do it all over again with the knowledge he had now.

It was impossible to stay away from Nayeon even if it was by sitting across from her. It all began with them trying to be careful when out in public but it seemed like all of that went out of the door once they agreed to go public. Taehyung laced their fingers together, not worried about who was able to see them. He listened to every word Nayeon said with a smile and water begin to form in his eyes. Tears weren’t uncommon to Taehyung. His grandma taught him not to shy from his emotions regardless of what people would think. His feelings were an open book but it also helped him weed out through the bad seeds that he would discard from his friendships. He could see some disapproving glances from others when he openly expressed himself and he learned early on that he could truly be himself around Nayeon. The tears that filled his eyes this time around were out of happiness. He still couldn’t believe that he was with someone so perfect. From the way she smiled to her warming nature. Hearing her story of the moment she realized she was in love with him was enough to bring a smile to his face and he watched her with complete love and adoration the more she explained. “Ay, Jagi “ He brushed the back of his index finger on her cheek to wipe away the tear that fell. His heart fluttered some more when his hand found hers again. 

He raised the glass just slightly and cleared his throat just a bit. “The day I realized I was in love with you…” He took a similar breath just like she did. “I was getting ready to leave your old apartment. I must’ve said bye a hundred times and I still couldn’t find it in me to leave. Then.. finally, I gave you a final kiss and walked to the door, and I remember looking back at you right before I turned the knob and I felt it all at once. All I wanted was to stay put and spend every moment with you. Jagi, I’ve told you before but you’re it for me. One day, I’m going to get on my knee and ask you to grow old with me because I can’t imagine it any other way” His voice slightly cracked and his eyes were now glistening with love and a few tears. “To us” he lifted his glass a little higher than before. 

nayeon was happy with her life. from the time she and tae went on their very first date to now, everything had been perfect. sure, there were little hiccups that nayeon sometimes wished never happened, but they didn't seem to matter whenever she took a moment to look at taehyung. he was able to take away her worries without trying that just glancing at him was enough to brighten her day whenever she was down. "it probably sounds silly knowing we already knew each other, but that was my goal." just admitting it brought back the feeling of shyness she felt at the time, but nayeon was comfortable enough with her boyfriend that she wouldn't hesitate to tell him what ran through her mind at the time. "yah!" she exclaimed, gently hitting his arm once the compliment caused her face to heat up. "sixteen people in one space doesn't always give us time to focus on a single person, does it?" while she was a social butterfly during the earlier days, nayeon never went beyond a hi, how are you with any of the members except namjoon since she knew him in high school. now she'd fallen in love with one and grew closer to the others, it was a beautiful turn of events. taking in the calm atmosphere of the jazz club reminded nayeon of all times she'd learn all about the legendary artists her boyfriend enjoyed–either from him or from looking up the artist after liking one of the songs he played. moments like those felt like home, and now this moment felt like home, too. "my adorable bear," nayeon cooed, gently cupping taehyung's face in her hands and smiling. his shyness was endearing. "sounds like a beautiful night to me." she continued, carefully removing her hands. nayeon let out a soft giggle once taehyung moved his chair closer to hers, and she took his hand before looking at the waitress and thanking her as well, turning her attention back to her boyfriend once she left. nayeon took the glass with her free hand and nodded excitedly before raising it slightly. "the day i realized i was in love with you," she started, taking a quick deep breath to help tame the tears she already knew were coming. "it was a regular day, and we were at my old apartment. i remember going to get something i'd left in my room, and when i came back you were playing with kookeu. most people wouldn't say it was a big deal, and it probably wasn't in the grand scheme of things. i mean, i'd seen you playing with him before... but when i saw you that time i felt this sudden burst of love that i didn't even realize i could feel. now, i carry that same feeling every single day and it only grows as each moment passes. cheers, to you, jagi. to us." by now, nayeon had started smiling from the happiness she felt that she hadn't realized she began to tear up until a tear hit her cheek.

Orestes and Erinys

A bit over a month ago I had to give a short presentation on Aischylos‘ Oresteia as part of my coursework and reading it gave me the idea for this piece.

Specifically, it is referencing lines 1057-1058 of the Libation Bearers, where, for the first time, Orestes is seeing the Furies.

(The text does explicitly describe blood dripping from the Furies’ eyes, but when I noticed this, the idea of a blood-covered face had already developed, and I chose to keep it. Also I didn’t have the time or patience to paint more than two figures, so I suppose you can imagine the rest of the Furies somewhere off-screen or something)

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(Close-ups)

I'm in love with Sam

Seb: Why does every conversation we have turn out like this...?

Some day I will post art about my own original stories.

I don’t want to lose anyone else.

That’s it, in the end. The dominating fear, the lurking thought that rears like a striking snake at the most inopportune moments. We sit on the couch together with her arms around me and I am hit with the realization that she is more important to me than I knew, that losing her would bring me to my knees and I can’t do that again. She doesn’t react when I go still.

There is almost an art, I think, to the delicate balancing of grief and fear. They are complements, intertwined, and one is almost certain to follow the other. I lost him. What if I lose them too? I love them. I’m afraid to lose them. I lost him. I could not stop him. He is gone. 

All I have ever wanted is to protect the people I love. My sister calls to show me an old project where I proclaimed in childish handwriting that all I wanted was to make my friends happy. Perhaps I haven’t changed much after all. My friends remain my constellations, my stars, my Saturn, my Nebula. My universe. Do not pull the stars from my sky. Don’t make me lose anyone else.

I’ve decided that absence doesn’t make the heart grow fonder, only more desperate. City lights drown out the cosmos until dawn breaks and yet I still take to the streets in my pyjamas for a glimpse of Saturn nearing the horizon or a complete constellation with the fainter stars visible. It’s futile most of the time. 

I never thought anything could distance me from my universe. I cannot lose anyone else. If they are gone, I am just as lost.

Humbled

pst @dianagj-art I did a thing…

I didn't know which one I liked better because I have that curse where I like my sketches better than the final project, so y'all get them all.

AnYhOo…something something you're really cool…something something wanna be like you(Im really) good at talking to cool artists canr you tell?) you really inspire me…aaaaand I hope you like? 👉🏼😅👈🏼