#I remember seeing the first snippets of songs years ago

[moonstruckdraws]

RAAAAAGH THEY WERE ALL SO GOOD

THE PREMIERE WAS SO GOOD EVERYONE WAS SILLY AND HAVING FUN AND EMOTIONS ACK—

I. LOVE. THIS. MUSICAL!

[omegalomania]

the thing is that i can still remember the way it felt.

end of november, 2022, suddenly every feed lights up. they're doing something. people are posting images of the chicago tribune, a full page ad that has this bicolored logo, a face both happy and sad, black and white, and it simply says: FOB8.

"is this real?" quite a few people were skeptical after the years-long pause between mania and now. "i'm not convinced."

"it's a full-page ad in a single chicago newspaper out of nowhere, right after joe got finished doing a whole book tour where he insisted they had no new music to speak of," i answered. "of fucking course it's real. it has fall out boy all over it."

i remember so vividly the sense of wonder that arrived on christmas morning of that same year, when i woke up at the exact right moment to learn that fall out boy did something again. an eerie, playful, earnest, weird claymation video with a haunting soundtrack, featuring a little black and brown dog. it was mystifying and bizarre and striking - a sprinkling of stardust on the dog's muzzle that prompted it to sneeze - and the adrenaline rush i got from the snippet of heart-pounding drums and guitar was the best gift i'd received all year.

so much (for) stardust. i've said it before and i'll say it again - it's a damn near perfect title. it's a play on words, it has multiple meanings nested into one another. given enough time, we all fall apart like so much dust, like so much stardust because that's where we came from. we are made of and from stardust. for stardust. so much for stardust. so much for the cosmic clay that shaped us. so much for this life, so much for the very foundational fucking firmament from which we we all sprang, so much for this whole strange weird existence. it's exhaustion and anger and spite and frustration and, at the same time - it's wonder. it's love. it's a doberman frozen in an instant of elated play, snapping at bubbles. it's a dog breed conventionally associated with danger captured in a moment of buoyant delight. it's an oil painting, surrounded by words shaped from sparkling clay.

it's love.

it's a record full to bursting with love. it's in the very first song they sent to us, sending us their love from the other side of the apocalypse. it's a record that says yes, the world is a mess and it feels insurmountable. maybe existence is meaningless. maybe it's all fucking pointless and we're all gonna die anyway. but like hell that means i'm not going to love life with all that i am. like hell i am going to let that stifle me. if nothing matters, then love is what matters.

and they committed to it, too. if there's one thing we can take away from so much for (tour)dust, it's that fall out boy loves us the way we love them. they'd have to, right? they could have called it quits years ago. hell, they could've packed it up after the hiatus and just never come back. they'd have to really love doing this to want to keep at it, years later, and look at that. they have.

fall out boy, at the end of the day, is propelled by love. they have to really love what they do to keep doing it. they have to love each other, love the music, love the fans, to keep doing what they do. this is something they've repeatedly asserted over the course of this tour and record cycle: the sheer, shared joy, the positive feedback loop of creative energy that comes from sharing something you made with the world and seeing the world respond in turn.

the world is a wreck and it feels, at times, like nothing you do matters or changes anything. so much (for) stardust is the antithesis to that kind of existential apathy. look, it says. look at what your love has changed. because as desolate and nightmarish and inescapable as the pitfalls of this strange, oftentimes terrifying existence can be - we have laughter, we have good friends, we have good music, and we have the ability to not let our own ennui defeat us. there are things in this world worth living for. there are things in this world worth loving. you have to love one another. you have to laugh and do whatever silly, inane thing makes you feel alive. you have to hug your friends and sing with them, cry with them, and savor every drop of this life that we get. prioritize love. be seriously unserious.

a week before this record came out, i spent some 6-7 hours in a car driving to a record store to hear it with a bunch of people, many of them strangers. i heard so much (for) stardust in its entirety in a record store with one of my favorite people, surrounded by awed chatter as we all drank it in. we didn't catch all the words, but the ones we heard sank into us and took root. i almost couldn't bear to wait for to hear the record properly.

a year later, it's sunk into the recesses of my soul. i'm not sure it'll ever come unstuck there. i don't think i want it to.

thanks for the stardust, fall out boy.

we love you back.

[tacoteddy22]

Love Drug - Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - A Night at the Opera House

Pairing: Sylus x fem!OC

Featuring: Sylus POV

Words: 2444

Summary: Sylus runs into Val at the symphony

Sylus adjusted the cufflinks on his tailored shirt and scanned the crowd again. He hadn’t recognized anyone that could be a potential threat tonight and even if he did, the Royal Opera House in Linkon was not likely to be the place where anything happened. No, this place was filled with Linkon’s most upstanding citizens - at least that’s what they thought of themselves as.

He was there to attend a performance by the Linkon City Symphony Orchestra. They were performing several of his favorite suites tonight and he was allowing himself a rare evening to indulge in his own happiness, something he hadn’t done in far too long. He’d buried himself in work and his reputation for cruelty had only grown in the last four years since his Miss Hunter had broken the curse placed on them lifetimes ago. Every attempt to fill the void that was the returned half of his soul was futile. Music sounded discordant, wine tasted like ash in his mouth, and any touch felt like he was being sliced open with red-hot blades. It had been agony. The only thing that brought him any peace or satisfaction was revenge.

But then one day, a couple months ago, a simple harmony caught his ear. It was nothing, just two teenagers walking down the street listening to a song he had never heard before. The melody was a recycled variation of notes he had heard in a thousand different songs, but it was the first time in a long time that music didn’t make him physically uncomfortable. Later that evening he’d noticed that the notes of pomegranate in his favorite wine were present and it didn’t leave his tongue feeling thick and heavy. Slowly, the things he used to enjoy came back to him and tonight was a test to see if his senses had returned to normal.

Satisfied with his sleeves, he buttoned his jacket and headed towards the bar to get a glass of wine before taking his seat. The line for the bar was long, longer than he cared to wait for and he decided to use the serving staff available at his seat instead.

A voice cut through the crowd and called out his name.

“Ahh, Sylus. I never thought I would see you in a place like this. I always thought you were too busy to enjoy a night out.”

Sylus turned slowly and glared down at the large, red-faced man in front of him. He couldn’t remember the man’s name; it didn’t really matter. He had been interested in a few of the legal businesses Sylus had purchased in the last couple years and while this man clearly considered Sylus a business rival, Sylus just saw another pest buzzing around his territory.

“If Zeus could descend from Mount Olympus on occasion to enjoy what the mortals had to offer, then I suppose I can too,” Sylus replied with a plastered-on smile.

The man laughed heartily which caused him to start coughing and choking on his spit. The red-faced man became even redder, and Sylus clapped him roughly on the back a few times to help him out. The man almost fell over under Sylus’s power and nodded his thanks at Sylus apologizing once he was able to compose himself.

“Sorry for that and thank you, my boy! My doctor says I should lay off the red meat and whiskey, but eh, what does he know.” The man patted Sylus on the arm and Sylus’s fingers twitched at the contact, but the fool was already toddling away still coughing up his own spit. Sylus rolled his eyes and slipped his hands in his pockets while heading to his seat, catching snippets of conversations as he walked by.

“This performance is supposed to be their best yet!”

“He hasn’t called me since our date last weekend- “

“Wow, thank you so much for the offer, but unfort- “

“Mom, can we go home now! This is gonna be- “

Sylus stopped dead in his tracks. One of those voices was familiar to him. He turned and scanned the crowd again trying to pick out the voice again.

“I did hear you, and once again I’m going to- “

A slow smile spread across his face as he spotted her. Her back was to him, and he drank in this new version of Valerie he was seeing for the first time. He’d only seen her before in scrubs with her hair pulled back into a bun and seeing her now outside the hospital was a very welcome surprise. He knew she was beautiful in scrubs, but she was absolutely stunning in her gown.

Her long, golden-brown hair fell down her back in loose waves and ended just above the two small dimples in her lower back. Her black satin gown was backless and hugged her hips perfectly with the rest of the fabric draped around her to create a silhouette any artist would have driven themselves mad to immortalize. She leaned over to the side as if looking around the person in front of her and Sylus recognized her discomfort.

A tall man was standing close to Valerie, too close for her comfort based on her body language. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and she kept leaning to the side to look around this man, but he’d follow her movements and was keeping her caged into the crowd while his eyes prowled over her body like a predator eyeing his next kill.

Anger bubbled up inside Sylus seeing this man leer at Valerie this way. She was clearly uncomfortable, and the man was not taking no for an answer. Her green eyes swept across the room looking for an exit as she continued to decline whatever offer he was making.

“Thank you so much, again. I really do appreciate the offer, but again. I will have to decline. Again. Now if you’ll excuse me,” she stepped to the side but was blocked once more by the man. Her fingers flexed in and out of a fist, a telltale sign of her growing frustration.

“Come on, sweetheart. I know you don’t wanna sit alone, so just come sit with me and I’ll make your night unforgettable.” Valerie let out an exasperated sigh and opened her mouth to protest once more, but Sylus was already moving towards her.

“There you are, kitten. The line was too long for the bar, so we’ll have to get a drink in our box. Oh, who is your friend?” Sylus took a chance and wrapped an arm around Valerie’s waist as he approached her, easily moving the intrusive patron out of his way. If Val was surprised or upset about Sylus’s actions, she never let on and stepped into the role-play with ease.

“Darling, I was just looking for you!” Val looked up into Sylus’s eyes and he read the surprise in her gaze. She stepped closer to him and placed her hand on his chest. Sylus turned his head to the man before them and his eyes darkened.

“I believe the lady declined your offer and as you can see, she already has someone to accompany her this evening. Be on your way.”

“Shit, sorry man.” The man had turned into a bumbling mess at the sight of Sylus and lost every ounce of confidence he previously had. He slinked back into the crowd and Sylus noticed the other patrons had given them a much wider berth. Good.

It registered to Sylus then that she was still touching his chest. Instinct at her touch made him pull away from her before he realized there was no burning pain where she was connected to him. He saw the flash of confusion in her eyes as she tried to cross her arms over her chest once more, but he caught her hand and moved her arm so it was linked through his instead.

He guided them away from the crowd of people staring at them and looked down at her next to him. She looked good on his arm like this, and he noticed the ruby-red jewelry she had paired with her black dress. She matched him perfectly without even trying. He saw a flash of leg and a red-jeweled stiletto peek out from the slit in her skirt and heat surged throughout him as a rush of long dormant desire and lust raced through him. He took a deep breath and focused on the path in front of him instead of the woman on his arm.

“Thank you so much for that back there. I was about to use my Evol and shove him away from me, but that usually gets me in trouble.” She laughed uncomfortably and her eyes went wide as she spoke, not quite able to meet Sylus’s eyes.

“I didn’t mean to overstep, I’m sure you can handle yourself he just seemed like-”

“No! No, your intrusion was very much welcome. I appreciate the rescue.” Her eyes finally met his and he could see she meant what she said. He could see the sincerity in her despite the rest of her body displaying small signs of nervousness. They had stopped at the stairwell to the upper balcony, and she tried to pull away from him, but he kept her close.

“My seat is this way,” she pointed up and gave Sylus a crooked smile. “Um, thanks again. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around the hospital soon with the way the twins have been getting injured.”

Sylus’s flicked his eyes up the stairs, “All the way up there? Well, now I know why that other man was so eager to get you to sit with him. Besides the obvious…you are especially stunning this evening, Doctor.”

Val’s cheeks warmed and turned a shade pinker as she looked down, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear as she muttered a quiet thank you. Sylus reached out and placed a finger under her chin, tilting her face towards his as a plan formed in his mind. “I do have an empty seat in my box, if you’d care to join me. Unlike some, I will take no for an answer.”

Her eyes widened in surprise, and he could sense her desire to take him up on his offer before it was dampened down into a smoldering yearn.

“Oh wow, that is so generous, but I couldn’t impose. I’m sure the other guests in your box wouldn’t want a stranger-“ she was stammering a bit and Sylus was drawn to her like a moth to the flame, ready to be burned.

“Suit yourself, just make sure you don’t send your new friend over the balcony if he gets too close again,” he smirked down at Val and watched with amusement as her face turned to horror and then into a giggle she couldn't contain. Sylus leaned down to speak so only she could hear.

"Are you imagining him going over the balcony, kitten?" He cocked his head to the side. She looked up at him and nodded as she covered her mouth with her hands to try and control her laughter. She smacked him playfully on the chest in the same spot she had touched him before and he grabbed it swiftly barely resisting the urge to bring it to his lips, instead he placed her hand back on his chest with his hand covering hers. 

Val took a deep breath to compose herself and blinked away the tears of laughter that had formed in her eyes.

“Fuck, I’m so sorry. That just hit me funny,” she snorted out another small laughter that hit Sylus right in the chest and that warm feeling spread throughout him again and he gave her hand on his chest a squeeze.

The lights dimmed for a moment signaling the crowd to get to their seats and Valerie took in the view as they walked in. All the uncontrolled laughter died in her throat as she stepped to the edge of the box and looked out.

“I’ve always loved it here and this view is hard to beat.” She turned and took her seat noticing the box only had two seats. Her heart rate picked up once she realized just how intimate of a setting this was. Sylus smoothly sat next to her and unbuttoned his jacket. He draped an arm behind Val’s headrest and sat back in his chair; his head turned slowly to Val. She could feel his intense stare and she swallowed hard as she looked his way. She expected a sharpness in his eyes, but was surprised to read a soft curiosity from him.

“It’s really okay for me to be here with you? This is so…cozy and I wouldn’t want to make anyone else you bring jealous.” She looked at him through her lashes and smirked playfully at him. Warmth once again spread throughout his chest at her prying, and he couldn’t help but smile at her ploy for information and lack of self-awareness that people were already jealous no matter who she sat with.

“No one else occupies this seat, kitten. I come here alone.” He spoke softly and leaned in closer to her, his eyes searching her face for her reaction. Her face turned from playful to curious in a heartbeat.

“No one else? That’s a shame, Sylus. Everyone should enjoy this place with a friend, and now you are!” She reached over and put her hand on his giving it a light squeeze.

“Is that what we are? Friends?” He queried and pursed his lips. His mind was reeling from her touch and the need to pull away was strong, but the even stronger need to be treasured kept his hand in place.

She shrugged casually and pulled away her hand. “How could we not be by now? I have patched up your henchman several times now. You saved me from dipshit back there and then offered me this incredible seat. You even prevented me from likely committing murder!”

This pulled a laugh from Sylus, and he nodded his head. “Alright, friends it is.”

The lights dimmed to signal the performance was about to start and Sylus caught a glimpse of that dimpled smile that lit up the dark void in his soul. He recognized now that the warmth he felt when he was near her was her soul calling out to heal what was left behind of his. It was at that moment he decided he would do everything he could to see that smile directed his way and feel her warmth as often as possible.

[aturnoftheearth]

i will hear your negative thoughts jay. i am also having them. lets seethe about the situation together

IT’S JUST. okay we expected the album in 2023 right. which like- that’s our bad. we just assumed they would follow their 3 year album cycle! they had played the comedian the year prior and ben mentioned in that interview in may 2023 that they had about 12 songs ready to go, so we just assumed! but 2023 came and went and all we had was the void but that was okay!! we realized it was gonna be another year wait but in the meantime we would get fun little snippets!

and then the void basically got abandoned. and it’s like. okayyyy maybe the platform wasn’t what they were hoping for and there were too many issues with getting frequent updates (and that’s me being NICE). so the void posts went from weekly to. maybe once a month or every two months. but now it’s january it’s 2025 it’s album rollout time!!! and sure enough we got who laughs last on january 24th and- while i absolutely ADORE it (hello 300 listens since it dropped)- it was an odd choice for a first single. but the music video is sick and kristen stewart is there and the song rocks so it’s all good.

and then they went silent for another 2 months. okayyyy so much for that “one single a month until the album drops in may-ish” theory. there’s just nothing. ope but look at that they finally remembered the void!! a teaser for nothing i need drops in march. two weeks later we get it as a single. and as much as i like it and feel like it’s a nice call back to their long lost sound, it feels like it’s just missing a little something. maybe it’s the fact that the whole band wasn’t involved, maybe it’s just a liiiiittle too ‘nice song for radio play’ sounding, idk. but it’s still fun! and a new song! and it looks like there’s a music video coming- oh no never mind. no video. some people theorized the clips we got are part of a larger media but like. that is nowhere to be seen and at this point i’m losing patience and faith.

and now it’s early april and it’s the strange trails anniversary and. there’s nothing. yeah it’s getting a mini tour and 3? vinyl variants with different comic books. but no post on the actual anniversary. no acknowledgment of it whatsoever. okayyy maybe they’re busy gearing up to announce the new album??

except it’s the end of april and we don’t know when this album is dropping and we don’t have a trailer for it and it’s been another month since the last single and there’s no signs of anything new etc. and the thing is!!!! i don’t mean this as a “how dare they where are they they better get their shit together” entitled kind of rant- it’s just that watching the trailers for the previous albums, ESPECIALLY long lost, makes me feel left out??? like it’s a BUMMER!! i so badly want to be excited and have a date to look forward to!

and like- they started it!! this isn’t like last year where we didn’t really have much evidence of an album coming and instead just expected it based on past trends- they started teasing the album nearly A YEAR AGO!!! there are theories of issues behind the scenes with the label but like- is there no way to let fans know that it is still happening. why drop the void so hard. why the two month gaps between singles. why continue to tease things in MINUSCULE amounts this far into the rollout. like either hit the fucking brakes or drop the damn announcement i’m sorry is that mean. also sorry for the essay i didn’t realize it had me this wound up ajdhskhdkf

anyway at this point i’m clinging to the double album theory so hard because otherwise none of this makes sense AND is frustrating for no good reason. and if it really is trouble behind the scenes, i STILL don’t see how they haven’t figured it out yet especially if they’re telling crowds at shows that they’ve got an album coming out “soon” and implying summer. like just drop the announcement i don’t get it!!!!!!

[changingplumbob]

🎶✨When you get this, you have to put 5 songs you actually listen to, publish, then tag others 🎶✨

Tagged by @eljeebee. Hmm, I'll see what songs/albums I've listened to recently. I'll try not put any TSwift because I'm sure you all know I listen to that...

So I've been looking at listening to newer albums by artists I listened to when they had original hits. I love the sound of Of Monsters And Men. They just have incredibly clever lyrics and good sound. Wolves Without Teeth is my favourite from its album.

Okay so I originally heard Set It Off from the album Punk Goes Christmas, where they got punk or similar themed bands to sing christmas carols, I love it. Anyway I investigated their albums and while I like many of the fast paced songs I have a soft spot for when they slow it down and strip it back like they do on Miss Mysterious.

Okay so spotify recommended that I listen to an album by First Aid Kit after I listened to I Found A Way, I think it's on my Life is Strange songs playlist? Can't remember. Anyway I like a lot on that album and I do love when King Of The World comes on.

This one was recommended to me from spotify years ago and I just love it. 6'2 is basically a song saying, hey god if you're taking requests I'd like my man to be x y z, but you know I'm good to wait if you're not bringing him to me just this second. As a romantic who is normally single (because who can focus on dating when you don't even have the energy to have a job) it keeps me hopeful and optimistic.

Originally heard this one on the Fall Out Boy mixtape Welcome To The New Administration, it was snippets of there music and others music and basically I loved Lake Effect Kid but it didn't end up on Folie a Deux. Fast forward a decade and they gave it it's own EP and I could finally listen to the full version and I am still obsessed.

So yeah that is five songs I do listen to. I'm feeling tag shy today (sorry) but like always I tag anyone that follows me who wants to give it a go because I am the tag octopus, just a shy tag octopus today.

[themalhambird]

@verecunda and @malkaleh were both kind enough to tag me in the "list all the items in your WIP Folder so people can ask about them game. "

...As of exactly one minute ago I finished sorting out the finalised list of what I am* working on and can therefore actually say I HAVE a WIP folder. The list is below, feel free to ask for snippets from/questions about anything that grabs your interest!

tagging @shredsandpatches @heartofstanding @skeleton-richard ....I think all the ROP friends got tagged already? anyway if anyone who sees this wants to talk about their WIPs consider yourself tagged :)

Original Works

Dread Child of Mine ( Hi, yes, is this the Necromancy Building? I need to speak to your Head of Department, my six year old just ressurected a cat)

Spinners' Revolt (Sleeping Beauty Universe- you want to burn all the WHAT because WHY?)

Select Committee Hearing on The Supernatural Enhancement of Policing Act; Transcript No. 7-Evidence Given By Christopher Harlowe, (Lord Arcanix Necromantium) & Madeleine Evans (Alderman-Elect of the Necromancers' Guild) (...I may have decided to do some background world building by putting imaginary wizards through the imaginary procedures of an imaginary Parliament. Or, everyone thinks temporarily ressurecting deceased victims of crimes so testimony can still be collected is a GREAT idea, except for the actual Necromancers.)

(Main) Fanfic WIPS (Discworld, Rings of Power, and Stormlight Archive) below the cut for the sake of people's dashes....

Discworld

[No Title] (In Which  Lady Sybil Ramkin  Patrician, Lord Samual Vimes' hobby is Justice, and no one remembers exactly who made the Vetinari bastard Captain of the Night's Watch but really, what harm can he possibly do? Oh, and someone's been summoning Dragons.)

On The Firste Dayse of the Reigne of  Carrot I, Kinge of Ankh-Morpork (The Rightful King returns to claim his throne and free his people from the Tyrant, Vetinari. Carrot doesn't lack for people trying to give him advice…a pity that the man making most sense is the former Patrician he's already sentenced to death.)

Rings of Power* *Works for ROP Ladies Week and Answers to Mirdania Prompts are being excluded from this game and are therefore not listed.

Sleight of Tongue [Working Title] (Sauron really should have been more suspicious about the last of Feonor's line offering to mix oaths and the secret of making of Simirils.)

A Lay of Song and Sage-Blossom.[Working Title](Adar is Finrod's Secret Husband and Nobody Is Happy About it, Except Finrod (Neither Widower nor Werewolf Kibble, yay!) and  Huan (Good Scritches are Good Scritches, even when provided by Orcs.)

[No Title](Adar has Celebrimbor Kidnapped because that's easier than building  fucking seige engines)

[No Title] (Adar murders Mairon and afterwards- for the sake of his children having a chance of not spending their lives hunted, and hated- surrenders to the High King of the Noldor. That being said, the surrender is NOT unconditional and he's more than happy to resume stabbing, if the elves would prefer.)

Stormlight Archive .

To Hang By Gilded Rope (In Which Elhokar's Father is Dead, and his Wife Thinks It's Something To Celebrate)

[thescrapwitch]

Throwback Thursday Sunday

Thank you @sallysavestheday for tagging me! Sorry I'm late!

Very soon (April 11th) will be the one year anniversary of The Haunting of Imladris, aka that turned my weird little eldritch!Maglor one-shot into a full series which I have come to adore. And, of course, it also introduced me to Lindir, who remains one of my favourite characters to write. So, to celebrate, here's a snippet:

Lord Elrond’s eyes drifted to the harp in Lindir’s hands. “That instrument…” Something like grief flickered in his eyes. 

“My lord?”

“I have seen it before, long ago. After the War of Wrath, I thought it had been destroyed.” He shook his head, as though pushing a memory away. “May I ask where you found it?”

“I once again have Lady Galadriel to thank for it.” Lindir ran his fingers across the strings, sending a few sweet notes into the air. “She gifted it to me in thanks for a…memorably entertaining performance.”

“It must have been quite spectacular,” said Lord Elrond. “It belonged to one of her cousins, you know.”

“Yes.” Though Lindir couldn’t remember which one. Lady Galadriel had so many, and most of them were long dead, and their Sindar names always blended with the Quenya ones in his head. “She said it had been silent long enough and deserved to be played.”

“Lady Galadriel is very wise.” A stern faced elf brought them tea, and Lord Elrond paused to pour both Lindir and himself a cup. “May I ask what it was that you sang about? If your song could win such a gift, I would be curious to hear it myself.”

“Ah, it wasn’t memorable for the song, exactly.” Lindir blushed again, this time in embarrassment. “It wasn’t even my own composition.” Well, he’d have to admit to this failing eventually. Best to say it now instead of later. “I have a terrible memory for history. I can’t help it! There is far too much of it and all of the songs written - especially those from the First Age - are dreadfully boring. In my opinion, respectfully. But an old man came to visit Lothlórien - Gandalf, I think his name was? - and asked if I could sing about one of the famous elven smiths. The most famous smith, according to him, who lived in Valinor before the Two Trees were destroyed.”

“And you did not know the song?”

“I knew most of it,” said Lindir. He could not meet Lord Elrond’s eyes, the memory still a terrible shame. “But I kept getting the smith’s name wrong. For the whole song.” He still didn’t know what it was. Ferinor? Farrimir? Fingolfin? 

“I see.” Lord Elrond, thankfully, did not laugh. 

“Lady Galadriel still enjoyed it, though.” That had been the most important thing, and the only reason Lindir had not thrown himself into the sea. “She thought it was delightful and said that she hadn’t laughed so hard in ages, and that I deserved a reward for such a wonderful performance.”

Tagging: @dreamingthroughthenoise @chthonion @leucisticpuffin @lordgrimwing and @dovewifes No pressure of course!

[alittlewhelmed]

Ok sooo, I know I mentioned that Clarisse La Rue x fem!reader inspired by Epic the musical finale song Would You Fall In Love With Me Again months ago.

I have not written that yet (hides behind my ginormous writer's block)

May I instead offer a snippet of another Epic-inspired Clarisse fic that has a greater probability of being finished? It's based off an earlier draft of the song Warrior of the Mind (it's really catchy)

"Isn't she pretty?" You sighed as you gazed across the field.

Malcolm rolled his eyes, already used to your infatuation with the daughter of Ares. "Sure, but maybe you should go talk to her instead of drooling from six feet away?"

"I am not drooling." You said, swiping your hand over your mouth for good measure. "And talk to her? Are you insane? I'm not wearing my lucky socks and I haven't washed my hair, this is totally not the right time!" You added as you gestured wildly at your half-brother.

"Lucky socks?" Malcolm deadpanned. "I don't know much about romance, but I don't think the outcome of a single conversation can be determined by socks."

"That's it! You don't know anything about romance!" You exclaimed. "So? Neither do you." Malcolm shot back, crossing his arms.

"Exactly." You declared. "Which is why I need expert help."

You glanced back at Clarisse, who was currently beating up three of her siblings in the training arena. "She has no idea who I am, our first interaction has to be perfect." You turned determinedly back at Malcolm, "She's the girl of my dreams, I can't mess this up."

"Well good luck sis, I'm sure one of the Aphrodite kids will have some helpful advice." Malcolm stood up from where you were both sitting on the ground, dusting himself off. "I gotta go now, I promised Annabeth that I'd help with setting up target practice."

"See you at dinner." He waved, jogging away.

"Yeah, see you." You waved absent-mindedly back, returning your gaze to Clarisse.

The Aphrodite kids had never been kind to you. When you first came to camp, you had wanted to be in the Aphrodite cabin since she was your favourite goddess at the time. But the Aphrodite campers laughed in your face when you said so, and you had never been more glad to be claimed by Athena right then and there, as your new half-siblings had immediately come to your rescue.

Either way, the Aphrodite kids were going to be of no help. But that's ok, you're smart and resourceful, and surely you can find a way to naturally bump into the girl you've been crushing on for a year and introduce yourself and then ask her out.

You sighed as you stood up, the chances of you being confident enough to nonchalantly start up a conversation was slim to none. And Malcolm was right, you knew nothing of romance except for the ones in storybooks, and you were dyslexic so it wasn't much either, just some snippets that you remember your father reading to you when you were still young enough to be read to.

There was just one thing to do, you had to ask for help from the person you trusted the most.

Your mother, Athena.

[taeyongsfemdom]

| Kiss Me |

●Taeyong gives us a snippet of what's it's like living with the woman of his dreams.

●contains: fluff, wifey!taeyong, dildo riding and sucking.

You guys are in for a treat today! 💕

✨️This is the very first fic that is in Taeyong's POV✨️

●Now if you're new here, I usually write my fics in the reader's (aka "The Woman") point of view, but I decided to switch it up. I have been planning on doing a fic in the eyes of our sweet cancer angel cake that is Taeyong, and I finally got around to doing it. If you guys really enjoy this, then I'll do this again (high chance I will!)

Happy reading 💋

“There we go!"

This has always been my usual routine almost every morning.

Her favorite meal of the day is breakfast, She's never been picky and enjoys everything I make, so I try to switch it up every so often. I made a larger breakfast since she's going to work a little later today than her usual time, meaning I get to spend more time with her.

“Good morning"

And that's when I see her.

She was already dressed in her work attire which was a burgundy blouse, a very tight skirt and a pair of black high heels that I always enjoyed kissing. Her hair was curled and her makeup was done except for her lips that were usually painted red, but she always put it on after eating.

She was the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, the same woman who saved my life five years ago.

I don't remember much from that day, but all I remember was being free after that horrible man was hurting me and she helped me escape. She had cleaned me up and let me stay inside of this massive home of hers, she honestly didn't have to do that since I was already staying in a dorm room with a few of my best friends. I wasn't expecting to move in with her after she revealed that she was gonna be my new manager. There was rumor going around that Mr. Zhong had gotten rid of the managers we had for NCT and said he wanted us to be protected, As the group's leader, I understood completely.

“G..good morning!”

“This looks amazing! I always appreciate when you make breakfast for me, Taeyong”

“Of course! It's my pleasure”

I really didn't mind cooking, it was one of my favorite things to do. I actually offered to cook and clean around her house since she had a hard time getting a hold of her housekeeper ever since she moved. I didn't mind at all because I would do anything she told me to, I mean I already do. I actually admitted to her that I was interested in being dominated, it was always a dream of mine to be controlled by a woman. I've expressed it in the songs I've written, and when she told me that she was down to do it, I was speechless. She told me that we had to keep it a secret and it was always safe with me.

It also didn't help that I had a massive crush on her.

“Did you hear what I said?”

“Hm? Oh no! Sorry, I was thinking about something, what did you say, Goddess?”

“I said I want you to practice your English today before I come home from work, I wanna see how much you've been studying. You've been getting so much better at it”

“I know, but you just deserve to hear it”

She's been helping me with my English after I offered to help her with her Korean after I heard her speak it during a photoshoot and was genuinely shocked by how well she spoke it. We practice three times a week after she comes home from work. I always found it so sweet how she made time to help me when she has other things to focus on besides me, like her very successful sex toy company LuvMeMine.

I still wonder everyday how a billionairess became my manager?!?!

After I moved in, she started showering me with gifts out of nowhere and I told her that she didn't have to do that, she even got me my own american express credit card. I immediately told her that I didn't want her to spend money on me and then told me that she became a billionairess in the past year. Which is amazing!

Women deserve to recognized for big achievements like that! I always had the mentality that men should take care of the household while women make the money, so I strive to make sure everything is perfect.

When we attend shoots or events together, I've noticed she acts different than how she does at home. She's more aggressive towards strangers who come up to me, even if they didn’t mean any harm. I've heard people call her names, but she didn't look fazed by it at all, she just brushes it off her shoulder and ignores it. It's amazing.

“You look beautiful today”

“Aww, you tell me that everyday”

“Thank you, little rose”

That nickname.

She started calling me that after I told her about how my fans associate me with roses. She told me that was her favorite flower and mentioned the scar under my right eye, I remember when she touched it for the first time and I basically melted into her touch. She said I was her perfect little rose, and the butterflies in my stomach would try to get out of their cage.

"Is there anything you want me to do before you leave for work goddess?"

"Nope! Just make sure that the house is clean, little rose. I appreciate it so much"

She popped open a tube of her favorite shade of red lipstick and applied on her plush lips, the lips that almost touched mine that one night when she planned revenge against her ex-boyfriend. That moment hasn't dared to escape my mind since I've always dreamed about her kissing me. She gave me a wink before getting up and grabbing her purse and keys.

"I hope you have a wonderful day at work, goddess"

"Oh, I forgot something!"

Before I could speak, her lips pressed against my cheek.

"Been wanting to do that as a thank you for making me breakfast every morning, I'll see you later, little rose"

The door shut slowly as I run over to the mirror, quickly noticing the red kiss mark lingering on my skin, my heart almost exploding just from that little moment. She always gave me kisses during aftercare, but this one felt different.

~

The evening came around way too quickly.

I finished cleaning, I practiced my english, and had dinner on the table. She always came home around six every night, it was rare when she didn't stay at her building all day since she had alot of trust in her team. I heard the door click open and see her walk in, still looking beautiful as always.

"I'm home, little rose!"

"You made it just in time for dinner"

We both sat down at the table and talked over dinner about our day, she did ask what new words I learned from worksheets I practiced with and she was very proud of me. I smiled at her before my hand touched the cheek she kissed.

"How come you keep touching your cheek? Is something wrong?"

"N..no! I just kept thinking about the kiss you gave me this morning and-"

"Wait, is that?"

She noticed the kiss mark she left on me this morning.

"Oh no! I left a mark! Guess that lipstick isn't transfer proof!"

I blushed hard when she got up and stood in front of me, her hand forcing my chin up so I can look at her.

"You must be obsessed with my kisses if you didn't wipe your cheek, Taeyong"

She was telling the truth, I was obsessed with her kisses and wanted more of them.

"Meet me in the sunroom when you're done cleaning, okay?"

"O..okay"

Her hand lightly grazed down my shoulder before she walked out the kitchen, cleaning as fast I could so I can get into that sunroom.

~

The sunroom was one of my favorite places in the house. It was where I would spend most of my time writing music, painting or relaxing. It also had a beautiful view of the meadow behind the house that led to a forest, I remember her telling me she wanted her home to be somewhere quiet and secluded when I asked why she lived far from the city, and her reason was valid! Nothing wrong with being somewhere quiet.

I peeked inside and saw her sitting on the couch by the back window with a book in her hand, she was already in her pajamas which was a black lingerie set that I always love seeing her in and her hair was in a messy bun, but her lips were still red. She was just sitting there doing the most simple thing while looking like a goddess.

My goddess.

The sound of the door creaking made her head pop up, a smile creeping on her face when she saw me.

"Come over here and get on your knees"

It didn't take me long to obey, I was already on my knees once I got in front of her. I felt her nails graze against my dark blonde hair that was still a little wet from my shower, she always loved my various hair colors but the natural shades were her favorites.

"Wanna know why you're here?"

"Yes goddess?"

She slowly pulled out a pale thick dildo from behind her back, my eyes going wide from the sight of it as she brushed it across my lips.

"While I was work, I couldn't stop thinking about you being in this position while you had a fat cock in your mouth, and it made me horny. So I grabbed the biggest toy in my collection. I wanna see you suck this and then fuck yourself with it, understood?"

I felt heat spread across my cheeks as I wrapped my lips around the tip. This toy was big. Bigger than what she usually uses on me, but I tried my best to take as much as I could.

"Shove it all the way down your throat, little rose"

I pushed it farther down my throat before I let out a small gag, a tear sliding down my face as I watched her bite her bottom lip, looking like she was gonna devour me. I looked up at her innocently while I rubbed the bulge in my pajama bottoms, her hand holding my head as she roughly fucked my throat with it.

"Has anyone ever told you that you look pretty sucking cock, Taeyong? You were literally made for it"

"Mmmhhggghhh!!!"

"Go ahead and pull those bottoms down, lay on your side and I want your ass facing me"

I slowly laid down on my side, the pajama bottoms sitting right under my ass. I'm so happy she didn't see how red my face got when she saw the dark blue butt plug sitting in my hole that she instructed me to wear last night, I yelped lightly when she pulled it out of me.

"Now you know why I told you to keep that butt plug inside you, slut. Go ahead tease yourself with that toy"

I carefully pressed the tip of dildo against my hole since it was bigger than what I can take, my cock was dripping so much pre-cum onto the floor. Again, I'm so relieved that she can't see me because I would probably explode.

"Now shove it in"

"G..goddess b..but it's big!"

"You can take it."

I shoved the rest of the toy inside me and I instantly hit a spot that I've never found before. I feel so full, it feels like it's inside my stomach but it feels insanely good.

"There you go, little rose. Now just move it in and out while keeping your eyes on me"

"Yes goddess"

I kept my hand on the base of the toy while trying to adjust to the size of it. My eyes were hazy as I started picking up the pace, the fullness I was feeling went away when I kept my eyes on her. She looked ravenous. Her lip caught in-between her teeth as she watched me fuck myself silly.

"I say this all the time, but your ass is amazing"

"O..oh fuck! G..goddess this feels so good! I'm so c..close!"

A wicked grin appeared on her face as she watched the thrusts get sloppier since I was close to bursting.

"Look at how well you're taking that cock. I bet it's touching every spot you can't reach, you're just obsessed with how it's filling every inch of that perfect body. You know that it's ten inches? This is a new product that needed some testing! Looks like it's gonna cause you to make a mess on my floor"

That was another thing that I loved doing, testing out her newest toys that her company were gonna drop. Most of the ones had me screaming or left me fucked out, like this dildo that's filling me to the brim.

"Oh god!!! I'm gonna cum! I'm gonna cum! Goddess can I cum please?"

I felt her hand wrap around mine as she helped me fuck myself, her hand roughly pulling the dildo in and out of me, making me lose mind. I felt her lean on top of me, her lips going to my ear.

"Beg me to kiss you while you cum"

"Please please please please cover me in kisses goddess!!! I want your lips all over me, I want everyone to know who owns me"

I threw my head back as my cock spurted out ropes of cum onto the floor, I felt the toy hit a sensitive spot while I felt her teeth digging into my neck.

"A..ah! Oooohh!"

I felt myself come down from my high as I felt soft kisses go down my chest, my chest moving up and down when I noticed red kiss marks all over my stomach, instantly making me blush. I squirmed a little bit, but was pinned down by her hand.

"Fucking mine....."

"Mmmmmm goddess? Did you day say somet- ugh!"

The feeling of teeth digging into my skin again prevented words escaping me. I already knew there were gonna be hickies all over my body the next day, but I didn't mind because I wore them like badges of honor.

"You look even more stunning with my love bites all over you. I actually want those little fans of yours to see what I do to you, making them cry and writhe with jealousy"

The evil chuckle made a chill go up my spine as I felt her lips touch my neck, her free hand wrapping around my sensitive cock and stroking it slowly.

"You'd like that wouldn't you, little rose?"

"Yes goddess"

I gave her a smile as she kept her hands on me, I have noticed that she gets quite possessive over me after our sessions, but I don't complain about it at all.

I'd do anything for her.

[babycharmander]

Thoughts on Wicked, Grilled Cheese toasties and Coffee with Cake

Oh boy, that first one's probably not what you're hoping for. XD;;

So first... thoughts on Wicked. To start with... I do like some of the songs. Defying Gravity, Popular, and Loathing are all good. Other songs are... ehh. But like, as for the story, I was already like... Not Really Into It from the concept alone, given it's an Oz story that's based primarily on the MGM musical rather than the books. (I'm a firm believer that if you want to do a take on Oz media, you need to base it on the books, not on the MGM musical, which is enormously watered down and, in terms of being an adaptation, extremely bad.) But my family wanted to see the musical (in an actual theater, not the movie), so several years ago I went to see it.

The musical had... its ups and downs. The choreography was good when it... actually existed. (For some reason a ton of the songs just have no choreography so you're just sitting there staring at these characters who are just... standing and singing, and maybe walking around if you're lucky.) The few times they use stuff like puppetry (like the fake wizard head and the dragon) are pretty cool! I remember after the first act thinking "oh okay, this isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be!" But then the second act happened and... oh gosh what a mess. This really is one of the worst ways to do a "classic story but from the villain's perspective!!!" Rather than actually making Elphaba a compelling character, they just made her look good by making everyone else around her worse people, and glossed over the actually awful stuff she did. Trying to kill a child? Taking over an entire country? Let's just ignore those parts because they make her look bad!!!! ugh.

It sucks. It's a bad story.

I have not watched the movie because I already saw the musical it was based on and hated it. I feel no desire to amend this.

I have also not read the book, as I've had multiple people tell me it ALSO sucks, and I've heard enough snippets that I wish I could permamently scrub from my head forever to know that it's not a book I would ever want to read ever. (I feel bad for any kid who winds up checking that book out at the library. It's nooooot for kids.)

But yeah. tl;dr I am Not A Fan of Wicked aside from a handful of the songs.

As for my thoughts on grilled cheese, I love it!! Sometime within the last year or so I found a recipe for a really nice grilled cheese sandwich--it's on my blog somewhere in my "#food" tag--and I've made it several times since. Grilled cheese freakin' rocks and I love it, especially now that I've learned how to elevate it, haha. Definitely recommend the recipe I reblogged a while ago.

Thoughts on coffee with cake... You know, I've never eaten coffee with cake! I've eaten other pastries with it-- concha, donuts, muffins, etc--but never cake. I HAVE had sour cream cookies with it though, and given those taste a lot like cake batter, I'd say coffee with cake is probably pretty good! I should try it sometime.

Thank you for sending  your ask!

[h-l-v-kennedy-blog]

mariage de convenance (III)

pairing: john f. kennedy x oc (dr. helena radcliffe) word count: 2,040 series synopsis: she’s a doctor, he’s a congressman. she needs money, he has it (his father’s). she’s a caretaker, he’s constantly ill. her name brings social capital, and next to his, it’s perfect. he’d have a politically well-timed marriage, and she’d have financial security. he’d live in washington and she’d stay in new york. both at their jobs. her as a diagnostician and him as a congressman. a marriage of convenience. clinical, without needless emotion or romance. correct? a/n: the wedding and snippets of an underwhelming honeymoon.

—

Wedding invitation The lettering on the invitation was not raised, and was printed in black ink on a cream colored paper. It stated: Mrs. Charles Radcliffe request the honour of your presence  at the marriage of Mrs. Radcliffe's daughter  Doctor Helena Catherine Radcliffe to The Honorable John Fitzgerald Kennedy  United States House of Representatives on Saturday, the fourth of November at eleven o'clock  St. Francis Xavier  Hyannis, Massachusetts

—

Jack never brought up that little moment when walking back from the cemetery. Helena never said anything more, either.

Their wedding plans soldiered on. On November 4th, days before the congressional election of that year, congressman Jack Kennedy of Massachusetts and Doctor Helena Radcliffe from New York, married at Roman Catholic Church of St. Francis Xavier. The church would decorated with yellow and blue chrysanthemums, and white roses. The Ambassador charitably stood in to give Helena away, since she had no close male family members to do it.

The ceremony would be Archbishop Cushing, a friend of the Kennedy family, and assisted by four priests (Helena, who wasn't a devout Catholic by any means, was bewildered still on the day why four were necessary). Over 800 guests (including prominent political figures, family, and friends) would attend. The line of guests to greet would seem a mile long, pushing back the start of the reception by two and a half hours. The reception (guest numbers now over a thousand, Helena knew less than half of the people there) would be held at the Dennis Inn, indoors, even on a warm November day, no one wanted to suffer through a wedding reception outdoors.

The maid of honour (Helena's coworker at Mount Sinai, Dr. Janet Reed), and bridesmaids (the Kennedy sisters and two of her distant cousins) wore fitted forest green taffeta dresses and matching headbands. Jack, his best man (Bobby) and ushers (6 in total) wore morning suits.

Helena's dress was perfect for the storybook fairytale the wedding was supposed to tell. Designed by silver screen costume designer Helen Rose, of course it would look straight out of a fairytale. Remembering seeing the new Walt Disney film Cinderella, months ago, Helena saw the similarities in the dress's design. A shiny silk fitted bodice with v neckline, long sleeves, cinched waist and full skirt (too many petticoats to add volume). A family heirloom lace veil held in her hair by a tiara of roses. When she had been getting ready her mother had been in the room, the bridesmaids and maid of honour sent out, no one witnessed the mother of the bride utter small cruelties and pinch at Helena's waist, uttering "You should've let it out beforehand, it's too tight", "You've let yourself go, Helena" and "Thank God, your husband won't see you everyday". The bride, tried to not let her mother's usual 'cheerful' and 'supportive' attitude taint the day.

When all the guests were enjoying themselves, the cake was cut and the first dance danced (their song had been a string version of "I Can't Begin To Tell You" a well known song, famously sung by Bing Crosby), the young couple could, to a degree, relax.

Though, it was obvious neither was feeling particularly chipper.

Helena rested her elbows on the table and watched their pretty guests dance, while Jack had leaned back in his chair, trying to ease the ache in his back at standing for so long during the reception line. Their parents out of sight, they could act more freely, less stiffly. Even if the Ambassador had made sure photographers would be all around the place and a cameraman filming the event.

Helena dipped her finger into the caramel and vanilla bean frosting of the wedding cake, getting it all over her light pink manicured nail. She turned to her now-husband, licking off the frosting residue. "Aren't we a merry pair?" Deadpanning, as she saw the slight clench in his jaw, and knowing her own hidden sour mood.

Jack shook his head lightly with a sarcastic smirk pulling on his lips. "Aren't we, indeed." One of his hand's had reached under the jacket of his morning suit to massage his back, aiming to soothe the ache in his lower back. But to no avail. Still he looked at his wife. "You know, you do look nice today. Like, what was that story, Cinderella? Wasn't that the inspiration?"

"Thank you…" She bit her lip slightly, still feeling the remains of her mother's words distantly ringing in her ears. She pushed past the uncomfortable emotions. "Yes, Cinderella. And… I like it. Though, of course, it is a bit ostentatious." She had a very clear style and Jack had seen it was far from storybook princess. But for their marriage and wedding to sell, the press needed a story to follow.

"Of course." Jack said, a more sincere smile on his mouth. "But today was supposed to be a bit, like you said, ostentatious."

"Nelly, I know you're smitten with wunderkind over there, but give at least one dance to your best-gal." The maid of honour, Janet, called out as she came over to their table, Jack immediately sitting up straighter and Helena swiping her soft smile to something more practised and proper looking.

"If my dear husband can spare me?" With an amused look Jack nodded his head at Helena's question.

"Whatever you want, Doc-I mean-sweetheart." A look of knowing each others little secrets, passed through their eyes, as Helena got up and entwined her arm with her friend's.

-Change of POV-

"Jack, you have truly hit the jackpot. You're wife's a looker, smart, and won't be around the house too."

"Now, Jack, you should know, a wife is a very important commodity. But marriage and sex are two things, that are not in relation. Just be discreet."

"Jack, Helena's wonderful. You better treat her like a queen."

"The Lord has truly blessed you with a good woman, congressman."

"Jack-"

"You know, congressman, Helena never wanted to get married. But you must be pretty special to change her tune."

"Jack-"

"She must really love you, if you got her down the aisle. Many have tried and failed."

"Jack! For crying out loud." It wouldn't be entirely incorrect to say that newly married Jack Kennedy physically jumped in his chair at the sound of his ticked off bride. God, calling her his bride was still strange and unusual.

"Wha-what, Doc?" He tried to cover his state of reverie with a megawatt smile. But he knew she saw through that. They knew each others acts by now.

Her clothes were different, a light blue skirtsuit that made her look like some otherworldly creature (yes, she had looked great in that ballgown, but there was something that made her glow about ordinary clothes, weird), her hair slightly mussed up from changing. But..where did the princess gown go?

"We're going to the airport, or we're supposed to. I told Bobby to come find you…oh...when I find that boy." He was amused by her irritated threat against his brother.

"Why was he supposed to find me?"

"So you could change, you seriously think you were going to get on a plane to Italy in a morning suit?" She theatrically flicked his forehead with her kidskin gloved hand, making him scoff. "Go, get changed. Photographers and guests are waiting to see us off. Jesus Christ." She muttered.

"Taking his name in vain only after a few hours of marrying me? That was quick." He said, getting up and straightening his jacket. "Calm down. I'll be quick, my bride. And don't kill Bobby, he's not worth the bloodshed."

She looked at him and huffed, crossing her arms. She really could get into this act so well. He admired the way she played the anxious bride with only a handful of guests meandering about in the hall.

- Back to Helena's POV-

Their honeymoon took them to Rome, an ancient but beautiful city. But now no cameras trained on them or anyone to watch over them, it was a bit strange for the couple. Because there was no one who would see them pretend to be awfully one love with one and other. So, orbiting around each other for the first in sharing a hotel room, it was an adjustment. Their wedding night had been… a tad underwhelming, though a brief anecdote had eased the tension.

"You know what were about to do right?" The way he had said, made him sound almost shy. And Helena had laughed.

"I'm a doctor, not a nun."

Still, mediocre sex aside, the marriage was consummated, and no one was very unhappy. Something off the checklist of newlyweds if ever there was such a thing. Helena remembered hearing stories of couples on their honeymoons who could barely keep their hands of each other. Well, their circumstances were obviously severly different.

Sadly, most of their time did keep them indoors, since November was a rather rainy season in Italy, though not for long periods during the day. Just very often and without much warning. Helena, being on one of her first European excursions, wanted to explore, on her own if necessary. But her clothes were ill fit for such weather, and even an umbrella couldn't save her.

Jack didn't seem to mind the moody weather outside their window, and sat in an armchair near the window, a book open on something related to foreign affairs. The rain splattering against the glass. Helena laid on the unmade bed, with an Italian newspapers crossword puzzle spread out in her lap, her pen tapping against her cheek. She by no means knew the language, but relished in some challenge to occupy her mind. Softly murmuring the clues and flipping through an Italian to English dictionary she had bought on one of the better weather days. The weather was mild even when it was raining. Even so, the couple kept indoors.

"Are you almost done?" Jack asked after hearing her mutter the same Italian clue over and over again.

Helena, with a dictionary's page mid-turn, looked up. "What? Was I talking to myself again?"

"Yes."

"Oh, sorry." She said and hadn't even listened to his question, returning to the crossword. Jack rolled his eyes and looked down at his book.

On their last night, they tried again with 'fooling around'. It was… alright. Helena wasn't like she said a 'nun' by any means and by her age of 28, had lost what her mother had once called "purity", that was around age 18 with a boy at the co-ed Medical College of Pennsylvania, he was a year below her, but older than her and looking to sow wild oats. And she was done with learning about the human anatomy, wanting to put her knowledge to practise.

She knew Jack wasn't inexperienced either, she was made quite aware in the days leading up to their marriage of Jack's history and who he was. But if it bothered her, she didn't show it. Either way, she wasn't able to get out of the thing (their wedding) anyway.

Having to do it on a bed with a stiff wooden board under the mattress (on request for Jack's back) didn't exactly make it better. And afterward, neither was the cuddling type, so they moved away from the other. Helena would get out of bed to clean herself up and Jack would lie there for a few moments before doing the same. They brushed their teeth near the one sink in the bathroom, providing a strange after-intimacy. Helena learned in their nights in Rome that Jack was a very light sleeper and even slightest noise roused him even if he could nod off like that (a snapping motion) almost anywhere.

Their flight back (an early flight, since Helena could only take so much time away from her job, even after her wedding) by charter to LaGuardia in New York, where she would go ahead to her new apartment (the Ambassador, though now as her father in-law, wanted her to call him just Joe, wanted her to have a proper place to live in) on East 97th Street, not far from Mount Sinai Hospital. Jack would travel south to Palm Beach to the family mansion there, where she would join him for Christmas. In that intermitten period would be her 29th birthday on December 1st which she would be celebrating with her friends in New York, without her new husband.

// (the end for now...) //

[jovenshires]

Hey so remember that band au

Do you have any brainrot scraps I could eat

i dont have anything like Publishable but yeah absolutely i got some scraps!! here is the tag for anyone seeing this and is like. What is she Talking about LNDFNFNLK

here is a quick social media edit for the chosen that i ended up not using in the overall edit

i dont think i've revealed who explicitly is in what band yet so have a fun lil guessing game as i give you a sneak peak at ftc's tracklist ! (easy mode xoxo)

and as a bonus some random headcanons under the cut bc why not:

courtney and spencer are long-time childhood friends, and they've been making music together since they were like. 7 and 11 respectively. spencer met shayne and damien in college and they've been in a band ever since!!

if you walk into any of the dressing rooms of every member of the chosen, they are listening to such different music to get ready it would actually make your heads spin. out of their botb fellow contestants, damien is most likely to listen to conventry (bc he's literally never been wrong), courtney is bumping kolivition, spencer is playing some classic smosh, and shayne is listening to ftc!!

i have in my brain what all of the songs are like. About ya know. so for example damien did the backing vocals for augustus and i have this idea in my brain that like. augustus IS this universe's manifestation of the character augustus. so like i think all of the chosen has a hand in writing the songs and damien co-wrote this one and it's just like. about a lonely lost kid who's awkward and doesn't fit in. like obviously it's a much less joking interpretation and more of a serious one but anyway it's still about him. is this making sense? i have No idea anymore!

courtney has also done some co-/backing vocals, and is the most likely to be featured on a track! she's featured on nuclear rain, and she also does a fun lil harmony for 'shoot dood.' shayne is the only one that has not sung and their fans keep begging but he REFUSES

'down bad' is their first like... love song? although it's technically just about how embarrassing being vulnerable and being in love are. smth smth the overwhelming ordeal of loving someone.

anyway it also opens with a snippet of a voicemail from kiana to spencer (probably from like years ago not about anything relevant) telling him to 'get up girl'. kiana is Not here for the fame, in fact she would rather no one knew who she was but unfortunately life be like this. after the ep drops the media goes fucking Nuts with rumors of whether or not they're dating.

they have fans who love the whole band but the amount of damien girls is of course insane. the other three mock him relentlessly for it. there is an entire instagram dedicated to updates about his hair.

lisa has put spencer on twitter timeout several times especially from the band's twitter bc he is Terrible for publicity. the order of worst to best for tweeting are: spencer, shayne, courtney, and damien

courtney takes selfies at EVERY live show they do; they have a collage of them as their phone background!!

as soon as courtney hears jackie is gonna be one of the judges for botb. hyperventilating. she loses her god damn mind. THE jacklyn uweh? famous recording artist? that's her shower sing-along playlist. lisa has explicitly banned them from any fangirling until the battle is Over

"up & coming" is like a netflix reality show about small bands really trying to make it, and they were featured after kiana got in contact with the showrunner. it basically followed them as they made their third ep and interviewed them and people they know. it's very much a 'before they were famous moment.'

damien bet shayne $20 that he wouldn't stare into the camera in every single shot. shayne committed to the bit. no one said anything and they kept every single shot in and NO ONE knows why.

[krastbannert]

Snippet from you make me brave, a Longbee (Longshot x Smellerbee) work I'm working on based on the song "Ruin" by The Amazing Devil. This is more just proof that I am, in fact, still writing actual things still and not just posting stuff I wrote a year or more ago.

For the first time she can remember…her world is peaceful. One of the kids flashes down a zipline, yelling crazily, and she can hear Pipsqueak’s laughter somewhere in the distance. She kicks her legs back and forth, staring into the trees below her. They’re so high up, higher than she’s ever been before, and she can’t help but look down. Longshot nudges her, and for a split second she thinks she’s about to go down, her stomach lurching - and then Smellerbee catches herself. She glares up at him - he just raises his eyebrows, lip tilting up as he nods downward. Dare you to jump, he’s saying. (She’s never been quite sure how she knew what he was saying, without needing words. But she was.) Smellerbee snorts.” Jackass. You jump. With your shoulders you could probably fly.” Longshot glances down - then immediately shakes his head. She snorts, punches his shoulder - and as she meets his eyes, feels her cheeks flush, and she ducks her head. (There’s no way he didn’t see it. But does she care anymore?) Smellerbee takes a deep breath - then stiffens, as Longshot’s arm slowly settles around her back. She glances up at him; his face is just as red as she imagines hers to be. She takes a breath, and tilts her head over onto his shoulder, and for a moment, just for a moment, it’s like the world stops. And everything’s all right. (They’ve always been close, since the moment he tried to steal her dinner and she’d put his face into the dirt, almost four years ago. But now they’re attached. Funny how that worked out. They beat the crap out of each other, and here they are.) (If she could spend the rest of her life like this…well. Smellerbee wouldn’t mind that at all.)

[hoples]

somefishycat

The song in this snippet

Hizashi hummed to older song, not as old as his favorite rock bands, but right now he was in mood of the kind of sad song that made you feel nostalgic for love you never had. "Here I am alone between heavens and embers." He sang softly as he listened on, walking in the empty halls of UA, graded papers and tests in his hand as he enjoyed the soft tones on repeat, thinking about other songs from the era that would fit the same mood of longing. He was mouthing some words, humming with the melody. Right now even if his heart ached, his mind was calm for first time in long time. The song was recommended to him by one listener long time ago, he never got to listening to these old songs. "Oh, I'm still holding on to everything that's dead and gone." He closed his eyes, singing little bit louder as he was remembering the lyrics with every repeat. "I don't wanna say goodbye cause this one means forever!" He sang with the chorus, entering the teacher lounge to put his papers away and prepare for the night. He spun around, eyes half way shut. The entire room was bathing in orange light of the sunset as Hizashi sang with the song. The song that understood his pain. The longing, yet the drive to still go on. The need to go on. It felt... freeing. "You took the best of my heart and left the rest in pieces." With the last words he turned to mirror in the room, seeing himself cry with bittersweet smile on his face. He stopped, taking the headphones from his ears and smiled bit more warmly at himself. Who knew that little song could make him feel this much, stripping him off his Present Mic mask and leaving him so bare. "It hurts so hard for million different reasons," he repeated with the song again, trying to keep smiling. But sob escaped him as he crumbled on the floor, finally crying. After years Hizashi Yamada cried. Alone and in slowly fading light of the sunset.

[wellpresseddaisy]

That Moment of Reckoning pt 1

Where My Soul Revive is the end of a new AU series, That Moment of Reckoning is the beginning. Because I am incapable of not starting yet another project and also have wanted to do a Scarlet Pimpernel (the musical) themed series for a Very Long Time. Series is probably going to be called Into the Fire because I am predictable and that song is a banger.

The first part was shared as a What If? snippet a few months ago and has been brewing in my brain since.

The title is a line from The Riddle, a truly wonderful song about betrayal and making your way through a dangerous and uncertain world.

He’d never expected to see Severus on his knees in the drawing room. Imagined in some of his more perverted moments (described to Narcissa in the dark of her boudoir, while on his own knees before her) but his imaginings had included quite a bit less weeping.

And certainly not that amount of…mucus.

The fevered excretions of his brain had very much not included himself kneeling with Severus, desperately trying to calm the younger man. At least he’d stopped prostrating himself on the floor. That sort of thing was all well and good in the boudoir, but thoroughly unseemly in the drawing room in the middle of the afternoon. Not that anyone could tell it was even afternoon with the gale outside, beating snow against the windows with every rattling breath. Was there any time in the year so wretched as late January?

“Severus, Severus please tell me what is the matter.” He cradled the back of Severus’ head and rocked as he would with Draco.

Severus wept in response. “I can’t…I can’t,” he gasped.

“You most certainly will, my lad,” he injected what he hoped was just enough menace into his tone. “Or you shall dearly regret it.”

It had always worked on a young, recalcitrant Severus. Perhaps he still held some authority? Severus shuddered in his arms, took several deep, hitching breaths, and finally looked up at him.

“You’ll hate me.”

Uttered in such a hoarse, wrecked voice, it tore at Lucius’ heart.

“I don’t care what you’ve done, my lad. I’ll never have it in me to hate you.”

Severus coughed on a sob. “You should.”

“Just tell me. We’ll fix it.” He hoped.

“I betrayed everything.”

Lucius barely heard the admission.

“Severus, what—”

“He told me he would kill her, her child. I…I went to Dumbledore and warned him. I’ve been spying for him since late August.”

The words tumbled out, as if Severus had been desperate to tell someone. Lucius gaped for a full minute before remembering that Malfoys never gaped.

“Are you telling me,” he began slowly, marshalling his thoughts. “That the Dark Lord told you he would kill Lily Potter. Told you to your face?”

“The child…there’s a prophecy,” Severus whispered.

“Everyone knows she is your one weakness, Severus. Everyone. That includes him. She still lives because the rest of us would also like to live.”

“I don’t…Lucius, I don’t understand.”

“We all know that if any of our crowd hurt one hair on her head we would all be dead at your hand. You’re the potions expert. Avery reckons you could do it so naturally we’d all look like we had dicky hearts.”

“What?” Severus asked faintly.

“It isn’t as if you were ever subtle about her. Now, this is a bit above my line of work.”

Severus pulled back at that, hurt and fear warring in his expressive eyes.

“No, you silly baggage. We’re going to take this to Narcissa. You know she’s the brains of this outfit. Honestly, if you keep on this way you really are going to get the smack you deserve, keeping this from us.” Lucius kept up a constant scold as he hauled Severus up and chivvied him from the room.

He did not miss the surprised shudder from Severus at his threat. Regrettably, experimentation would have to wait. Severus trailed after him, all miserable sniffling and hitched breaths, as he strode up the stairs to Narcissa’s sitting room. Merlin but he missed the coziness of the Dower House at times. Cissa’s rooms were up only one flight there, not two, and were also directly off the landing. But one couldn’t avoid moving into the ancestral pile forever, not without Society talking about it. At least they’d taken the time to renovate and remove a good bit of the Dark Tat Father collected. He considered a stop in the nearest w.c. so Severus could rinse his face, but decided that it would be better for him to confess himself to Narcissa immediately.

Confess himself.

Did they ever truly leave behind the patterns from the past? He’d been thinking about patterns lately as he’d found himself slipping, more and more in recent days, into the prefect he’d been at school. Those old patterns made for an easy path with some, like the men who’d once been in his charge. Without this war…no use in dwelling on that, really. There was a war and he’d chosen a side—or had one chosen for him—a long time ago now. Another pattern there, letting his father choose for him. He wouldn’t do that with Draco. He knew all too well how dangerous that path could be. Imagine if he’d been bonded with Bellatrix? That barely bore consideration. No, he would let Draco choose his own path, even if he wished to do something ridiculous, like topiary performance art.

Could he let Severus loose on his own chosen path? Could Cissa? The mere idea of Severus spying left his blood running cold. He and Cissa rather doted on him, as if he was their first child. From a certain point of view, he was their first. Lucius shuddered to think what Severus would say about being called ‘our boy’ or ‘our lad’ in such sentimental tones. It would very likely end with Severus pitching a pot plant at his head.

He knew better than to throw anything more than a sulk Narcissa’s way.

He felt a bit as if he’d just caught Severus biting someone, yet again, and was dragging him off to Cissa’s judgment after a thundering scold as they went down the corridor to her sitting room. Not that Severus had ever actually cried over a scold as a child. No, it took something stronger to break Severus’ iron grip on his emotions. What he must have gone through to break down like that, to still feel so fragile?

“Narcissa, have you a moment?” he asked, tapping at her door. “Severus has something with which he requires assistance.”

“Of course, my darlings!” Narcissa spoke brightly as her door swung open.

It frightened him, some days, how weak she remained so long after Draco’s birth. She’d had a better day, though, and felt strong enough to be up. He didn’t like to think how her better days came so much more frequently since father’s funeral. His pulse quickened as it always did in her presence, even when she wore a high-necked flannel wrapper against the chill of the day. She still looked pale to him, though her cheeks now held a faint but healthy pink. She reclined on a low divan and Lucius took a moment to admire the way the lamplight played off her hair before he made a long arm and hauled Severus forward.

“You can tell Cissa what you told me,” he ordered, though not too sternly. Severus had been through so much already.

Severus stood for a moment, seemingly poised to flee, and then moved shakily to the divan. He sank down on his knees beside it, burying his face in the cushions, and shivered miserably. Lucius crossed the room and took one of the easy chairs. This, he thought, needed to be between Cissa and Severus.

“I…I betrayed everything…for…for Lily.” The confession came slowly, haltingly.

“What happened, dear heart?” Narcissa stroked a careful hand over his hair.

“There was a prophecy. I heard the first few lines before I was discovered.” Severus coughed, shuddered, and seemed to pull himself together though he never raised his eyes from the cushions. “I brought it to him and…last August he told me that he believed it pointed to…to her child. That he would eradicate the whole family. My boon was that she would left alive for me…if possible. I…I went to the headmaster and…and bartered my service as a spy for their protection. I betrayed all for Lily.” His voice broke at the last and Narcissa ran a gentle hand over his hair.

“And you’ve carried that for months,” she said.

“I couldn’t lie any more. Not to you. Never to you.”

“I know, my darling, I know,” Narcissa soothed.  “He really told you he’d kill Lily Potter?”

“Lucius asked that too. Yes, he did.”

“It’s such an…odd choice for him to make, dear heart. Everyone knows that she has always been your one exception. I have no idea why he would tell you his plan. It makes me wonder how…well, how sane he is.”

“You think…I don’t understand,” Severus sighed.

“Malfoys always look out for their own best interests, Severus, and that includes yours. Lucius and I have had some…concerns lately, and that is all I shall say on that for the moment. The important thing now is to hear what you overheard of the prophecy, please.” She may have said please, but Lucius and Severus recognized it for an order.

“The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. Born to those who have thrice defied him. Born as the seventh month dies…that’s all I heard of it.”

Narcissa sat quietly for a moment, gently stroking Severus’ hair. Lucius admired the picture they made, wreathed in the sitting room’s rosy light. Severus might never be considered pretty, but he certainly had striking features, especially when he was well-rested and had eaten properly. Lucius noted the signs of neglect piling up again—the dull hair, sallow skin, and lost weight all so apparent—and wished Severus would allow them to care for him as they so wanted. What he would give to go back a few years, to shield Severus from the poison dripped into his ears by so many. A pity time turners had such narrow scope. Several people could use a good kick down the stairs.

“I would like to know,” Narcissa began. “Who hears ‘approaches’ and thinks of an unborn baby?”

“That’s what I thought!” Severus finally looked up, vindicated. “It doesn’t make sense! And it could be b-o-r-n-e and not b-o-r-n. And what calendar is it using? I got crucioed for asking that.” The last admission came sulkily.

“I think, Severus, that the time has come for us to form our own front in this…long engagement,” Narcissa said. “First, though, you are going to have something light to eat and a bath. Then you are going to sleep until you no longer look so exhausted. You did well on coming to us. Lucius and I will take this on.”

“But I can help!” Severus protested. “I didn’t tell you so I would be shunted off to the side.”

Lucius hid a smile at that. Sometimes he wondered if Severus would have been better off sorted to a different House. Hufflepuff, perhaps, given that damned tenacious loyalty of his. He’d give his all, and do it well, even as he swayed on his feet from exhaustion. Blessedly, Narcissa always had a knack for managing him.

“You will in the future. Right now you can help most by sleeping and eating while Lucius and I handle the family part of this. We’ll make everything come out right, darling, but there are a few pieces that must be handled delicately. Grandfather will help, I believe, but I must go see him.”

Severus, disgruntled, allowed himself to be packed off to his usual room. Lucius assisted Narcissa in rising from her divan and gave her his arm for the long walk to her dressing room.

“What exactly has Arcturus Black to do with all this?” Lucius asked.

“Where James Potter dwells so to does Sirius Black.” Narcissa leaned against him, a weakness she would never show to any other. “James is also kin to the main Black line. Grandfather would sooner eat his own cane than allow harm to come to his heir or…not to put too fine a point on it, but James Potter may well have sired the next heir after Sirius.”

Lucius took a moment to appreciate that she would trust him with that.

“But our Draco?”

“Unfortunately, our marriage put him out of  eligibility. Malfoy magic is jealous magic, my love, and refuses to share her next Paterfamilias. Now, what color do you think grandfather would enjoy seeing me in most? He’s such a…a selective man that I never quite know what to choose.”

“Why not the rose pink walking suit?” Lucius patted her hand. He knew better than to press when it came to the Black family and their secrets. “You look lovely in it and the embroidery is a work of art. I believe he objects most strongly to those who won’t learn what suits and is suitable, and then look a fright at his dinner table, like your Aunt Walburga, who will wear claret where burgundy would suit better.”

“The wool is gorgeously warm. And I have my white furs…but such a bright pink in January? Do you think grandfather would find it frivolous?”

“You have the cardinal or the sapphire if you think the rose too unseasonal. I think the French tailoring keeps it from frivolity. He does approve of robes from France.” Lucius opened the door to her dressing room and brought her to the vanity. “Shall I leave you?”

“No.” Narcissa caught his hand. “Stay with me. We can decide on an approach together.”

He smiled down at her and then went to fetch the walking suits they’d discussed. No need to call for help when he could play Lady’s Maid just as well.

[seariii]

Love live superstar, Liella's last season isn't good but they still manage to pull on my heartstrings ...... EP 11

The scene where Kanon is dreaming, about her under the rain, clearly sad worried depressed, with cold tones, and looks up and sees her younger self under a ray of sunshine, with flowers and warm light surrounding her. It hit close to home...

And then when they're about to sing in the love live, when they do their little counting each of them, I was telling my brother I love when they do that in love live, idk, it means a lot to me. But then they put Kanon thinking of her dream again, and her younger self smiling at her, the rain stops and she says how music is supposed to make people happy and how it's supposed to be fun.... And Kanon is like let's have fun. That scene fucked me up. Made me want to tear up a bit.

A year and a half ago or so... The bestie said something that meant a lot but also fucked with my brain... Was when I was very active in the milgram fandom, being happy and interacting with everyone, talking with everyone, just, having a blast in Tumblr. He said how I had started acting like my younger self again, and how he was happy for me... It's something that I still think about sometimes and... I don't know.... I think of it and I talk to myself and I'm like that's you and look back and look now and ....

........

I think I've said before, or some people know, that I used to go to dance classes. Something I would do when I was little was to show the choreography to anyone willing to watch jejeje I would sing the song and dance it for them. I was very excited and loved it. My memories of that are kinda fussy heh but my mom has told me about it, and I remember snippets of it...

But I remember I loved the getting on stage, the lights, the people, the dress ups, getting my hair and make up done, the clapping at the end and heavy breathing knowing I had poured myself in my performance.... I loved it all... The spotlight and the performance.

I saw myself in Kanon, even if I didn't kin her, from the first episode "that's literally me" I thought heh.... And idk those two small scenes where she saw her younger self messed with me... "Kanon chiquita" I said.... I refer to my younger self as "seari chiquita" and idk.... Yeah

No conclusion just .... Mhm