#little life moments r among one of my favorite things to draw

[dailygihun]

day 49 || okay so a little bit ago @player016 answered an ask of mine and brought up the incredible idea of a junhun cooking date. and i've literally not been able to stop thinking about it

[meddling-in-horror]

Giving Them the Moment: How Our Flag Means Death and it's Portrayal of Black Men is the Most Important Thing on Television Right Now

Note: written April 20, 2022

Media is an incredibly distinct way of communicating. It has a wide reach, and each person has their own interpretation of what they see. That’s the beauty of the medium as a whole. However, there are often downsides, especially when it pertains to the West. In the US in particular, there is a trend within popular media to lean towards propagandization. Whether it’s the idea that communism and socialism are products of the ‘Evil East’ or the lingering effects of the Motion Picture Production Code - also known as the Hays Code, the media monopolies have a firm grasp on what we as a society watch and enjoy. 

When you begin to play close attention to how the media portrays Black men, this becomes abundantly clear.

It is a rare thing when we see Black men whose characters aren’t portrayed as being the object nor the perpetrators of violence. In fact, only one mainstream popular show comes to mind: The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. But even then, the given circumstances of Fresh Prince revolve around Will’s escape from the violence of the ‘urban’ inner city. This vilification of Black men dates back to the 1910s with D. W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation, and continued into the 1930s, where Black people were often personified as the monsters, representing the ‘exciticism’ of the world beyond the West. It is the ‘exoticism’ that has played a huge part in the dehumanization of Black men as a whole. But as a Black Queer person watching Our Flag Means Death, it is breaking that mold in an incredibly important way.

The Black men in the show are allowed to have fun.

This show is breaking barriers left and right. Of the major recurring cast of 15, over half of them are people of color. It’s overt and unflinching portrayal of Queerness when so many of its older viewers - myself included - have lived through the Bury Your Gays and Dead Lesbians tropes time and time again is overwhelmingly refreshing. Nearly all characters are Queer until proven straight and represent all parts under the umbrella, including Leslie Jones’ polyamorous pirate queen and Vico Ortiz - a non-binary actor - playing a non-binary character. 

But in a world where the narratives of Black men are so often framed around violence and brutality, the Black crewmates of the Queen Anne’s Revenge - Frenchie, Oluwande, and Roach - are allowed to be funny and vulnerable. Each one of them is starkly different from the other with identifiable characteristics that allow the audience to humanize them. The trio quickly became my favorites among the crew, with Roach being the stand-out amongst them. Samba Schutte’s often deadpan delivery never fails to draw a laugh from me, in particular the assertion that “meat is meat”. Frenchie, played by Joel Fry, is the quickest on the draw where his intellect is concerned, being posited in the show’s fifth episode as having had a hand in inventing the pyramid scheme while spouting the wildest of conspiracy theories and being afraid of cats (they’re witches, they steal your breath, and have knives in their feet, you know). The softness and constant vulnerability of Samson Kayo’s Oluwande may be one of the most important aspects of the show, as it establishes him as a reliable and trustworthy confidante to not just Jim, but to Rhys Darby’s Stede Bonnet as well.

They exist in their own separate spheres on the ship, going about their own separate business completely unbothered. While it is implied they lead violent lives as pirates, this violence isn’t used to define them as characters. In fact, Oluwande stated that both he and Jim engaged in piracy because they “had no choice”. The brief mention we get of Frenchie’s backstory implies that he lives a life of servitude, though whether that was as an enslaved person or a freed Black domestic worker is not mentioned. While there is little known about Roach so far, it is implied that his culinary skills are far beyond the levels of what is needed aboard a pirate ship.

The friendships and relationships they form within the crew aren’t built on violence either, but on open and honest communication. Most notably, the friendship of Frenchie and Wee John Feeny, played by Kristian Nairn. Fry and Nairn are an impeccable comic duo when their characters become ‘room people’, and the scene where they begin to design their new space is a personal highlight of the episode. Oluwande and Jim’s romance - played to perfection by Kayo and Ortiz - is one that revolves around both characters being almost devastatingly open with each other. Both actors play the emotional vulnerability of the characters well, and it is important to emphasize that it is Kayo’s Oluwande that moves to meet Jim where they are. 

While the show allows all its men to show varying levels of emotional vulnerability - an exception being offered to the emotionally constipated Izzy Hands, played by Con O’Neill - there is something so special about seeing that luxury afforded to Black men. This show has, in just ten episodes, has become a game changer for the television industry. It has proved that a show with explicitly Queer characters can become a massive sleeper hit, and that sometimes the best kind of historical show is one that is historical fiction. But it has also proved that you can create a narrative with Black men that doesn’t include their stories being framed in violence or brutality, that they can be funny, charming, witty, vulnerable, intelligent, complex characters with their own narratives that serve a purpose outside of a device of exoticism. It is this rare thing that makes these characters, and indeed the show as a whole, so important to its viewers. 

We deserve more vulnerability, more humor, and more humanizing content from these three men, and this show is one that is truly deserving of a glorious second season.

Sources:

Donaldson, Leigh. “When the media misrepresents Black men, the effects are felt in the real world.” 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/12/media-misrepresents-black-men-effects-felt-real-world.

Kumah-Abiwu, Felix. “Media Gatekeeping and Portrayal of Black Men in America.” 

Opportunity Agenda. “Media Portrayals and Black Male Outcomes.” 

https://www.opportunityagenda.org/explore/resources-publications/media-representation-impact-black-men/media-portrayals.

Our Flag Means Death, (2022-). HBO Max.

[binniesthighs]

hellooo i have read your Han fic and it's so gooooooood you really know how to portray the one and only Han Jisung omgggg. can i ask for a seventeen smut? if it's okay with you. since I'm into Jeonghan these days i really want to know how will Jeonghan react if you two arw bffs since high school then one day things changed, both of you began being so touchy and flirty then he challenges you if you can resist him omgggg like he is so cocky and confident aaaaaah BYE-

aweee thank you so much! I love love love writing for the one and only Han Jisung!! thank you so much for your patience as well anon I’m soooo sorry that this took me an age to get out, but I hope that ya like the product hehe 💕

yjh was here | reader x jeonghan |

Pairing: self insert, gender neutral reader x yoon jeonghan

Genre: fluff n’ smut

Tags: friends to lovers, bit of a comfort fic, bestfriend!jeonghan, cockyandflirty!jeonghan as we love him, lowkey mutual pining, mingyu, wonwoo, soonyoung side characters, coworkers au, mentions of food and mild food dares, mentions of alcohol+getting drunk, mentions of divorce (past), marking, reach-around teasing (r receiving), fluffy unprotected sex, body praising, spicy truth or dare, cuddles

Word count: 4.4k

Yoon Jeonghan had a habit. It wasn’t the worst of habits, but it was the kind that would clutter up your life. Often, you would wonder why he would do it, and why he hadn’t stopped: not even after you had mentioned it so many times.

It had started in high school. High school, that eternity away now. Luckily, your past was riddled with memories of him, and all of the little things that you had shared together; lunches, late nights studying, throwing littler paper wads at eachother from across the room. He would pull at the tie around your neck that was a part of the school uniform just to get a rise out of you. Jeonghan would nap during class, and you would be the one to wake him up with the flick of your finger. On cold walks to school, he would lend you his scarf, and on hot summer nights you’d stay out searching for snacks until sleep drew your eyes down, and he’d let you lean on him the whole walk home.

yjh was here

He wrote it on the first exam you had ever failed in your whole life.

Conversely, he had gotten nearly a perfect score. He was annoyingly good at everything he did. That, or he was just really good at cheating his way through things. When you thought about it, it was likely the latter that was more accurate.

At first you thought it was a joke. It was as if he was taunting you for failing miserably at mathematics II. You were never good at math anyway.

The second time he wrote it was when you had fallen asleep in class. It wasn’t a common occurrence. He’d call you a baby for being scared to fall asleep during class for fear of being startled awake by the teacher. However, this was the week that had been the longest for you: the week that everything fell apart.

Even into your mid twenties, your mother still would never tell you why your father had left that week and you never saw it fit to prod more.

He had written it on a scrap piece of paper after getting you a strawberry milk and leaving it for you on your desk.

yjh was here

Since then, he had taken the opportunity to write it everywhere he could manage. Suddenly his little scribbles filled up the margins of your notebooks; on post-it notes--he’d even etch it onto the skin on your arm in soft blue pen ink. Later, when the two of you had gone on to college, he would sneak into your dorm to write it everywhere he could find. No matter how many times you would erase it from your little whiteboard by your desk, he’d always manage to write it over, noticing immediately that it was gone.

Today, you had noticed that he had slipped it into your legal folder, among other more boring and business-y things and you had no idea how it had gotten there. It must have been sometime the day before, as he had written it on a napkin from the catering company.

yjh was here.

In all the many years that he had followed you from place to place, you must have amassed hundreds of his little notes. You kept the ones that he would give you at work tucked away in a desk, often forgetting that they were kept there until you would stumble upon them, tugging a little smile at your face. The rest of them you kept at home in a little box in your closet, even deeper away, never really knowing why. The act of simply having them was satisfaction enough, in fact, you never really minded a little clutter.

☆彡

With eyes drooping, you scratched away on your yellow note pad, writing a string of nonsense words that sounded important from the presentation. The red setting setting sun reminded you that it was your least favorite time of day: the time where the last work hour of the day would appear to stretch into twenty. Under the table your scratchy cotton work-pants felt even more scratchy than usual. Somewhere above you, the penetrating white fluorescents buzzed like flies.

With a little tap on your shoulder, Yoon Jeonghan was sitting next to you as he always was. Compared to him, you felt as if you looked like an utter mess. Just as he was annoyingly good at everything, there was never a day that he came into work looking less than perfection. Today it was a tweed two piece with a pressed shirt underneath as well as a navy tie adorning his beautifully slender neck. Around his face befell his deeply dark strands of hair which pricked the edges of his rounded wire glasses.

“This is so boring.” He had mouthed to you, adding a pout to the end of his sentence.

You formed the sound on your lips, “Shhhhh”

“I’m just saying!”

“Pay attention.”

You turned your head back to pretend to care about what your boss had to say. Every fifteen seconds or so you would nod your head to make it appear as if you were diffusing the information he was giving out.

Another tap on your shoulder and Jeonghan displayed his pen to you to draw your attention to the margin of your quarterly report print out.

you look really beautiful today, he had written

“Stop it!” You accidentally hissed, garnering the attention of your nosy and equally bored coworker sitting across from you.

This time you mouthed out the words, “No I don’t.”

“~yessss~” Jeonghan curled out his words with his tiny creeping smile

Your knee bumped into his under the ginormous desk.

“Pay attention, ‘Han.”

“Is there something you would like to add L/n?” Your supervisor’s voice cracked in the silence of the room.

“N-no sir.” your head bowed in repentance.

He elder man tsked in a little sound with his teeth. “I know that we’re getting to the end of the day folks, but let’s just get through this all so we can get home...”

Jeonghan’s tweed pants made a little screeching sound against the fabric of yours when you bumped him again under the guise of the desk.

“Screw you.”

Your friend met your remark with a wink, biting the cap of his pen while his eyes wandered down to show you another little message:

yjh was here

and I’m excited for tonight

☆彡

Wednesdays were customary somaek nights where each of you and your coworkers would gather in your cruelly tiny apartment with their own separate dishes for all to share and forget about the troubles of the midweek. As the year was winding down, it was these nights that would get you through the week. With the bodies of the five of you in your tiny living room cramped around your low-set table, you had almost forgotten that the heating in there barely worked.

With each of your coworkers entrance, they would bring in the smell of autumn with them, and the chill of the air outside. On each of their long coats, bits of leaves would cling to the edges of the fabric. Each Wednesday there would be a royal mess to clean up after, but it was Jeonghan who would often stay after to help you. The two of you would end up in your cruelly tiny kitchen, throwing soap bubbles at each other’s faces drunkenly with socks sliding all over the wooden floors. Jeonghan would write another note to stick on your refrigerator, then he would take you by the hands to twirl you around to some unbearably cheesy sounding OST.  

Perhaps it was the way that your head would get fuzzy from the soju and beer, but you loved the way that he would twirl you; it was almost like a waking dream.

“Nobody worry! Nobody! Worry!” Soonyoung burst through your door, case of beer in hand. “I’m not late, I’m actually early! Don’t you know that it’s trendy to appear an hour into the party?” When Soonyoung spoke, he had a habit of speaking with his whole chest.

“Took you long enough,” Mingyu whined, popping in another strip of galbi.

“You don’t enjoy our presence, ‘Gyu?” Wonwoo’s mouth upturned into a teasing grin.

“N-no,” The biggest man babbled, “It’s just that...Wednesdays are somaek evenings.”

“--Then I am here to help you out my friend.” Soonyoung plopped himself right down on the floor with the poof of his blond hair popping from his beanie. “Ahhhh this all looks so delicious.”

“You better pay me back.” You griped while serving him a plate of the assortment.

“Have I ever mentioned how much I love you, Y/n?”

“Nearly every time I do something for you? You still owe me from the last time we went to karaoke.

“--And for covering for your ass last week...some hangover that was, huh?” Jeonghan scooched over his leftover rice to you.

Soonyoung scoffed while twirling his bottle of soju in the air, the admiring the little tornado swirling inside. “-Was worth it though. We always have fun don’t we?” In his affection, he threw his arms around you and Wonwoo beside him.

“-Food’s gonna get cold.” Wonwoo poked his finger in the general direction.

With his full glass raised in the air after a minute of preparation, Soonyoung lead you all in a toast, cheeks already rosy. The second that your glasses collided, liquid came downpouring to the table, but none of you seemed to mind. Before you could bring your drink to your lips, you caught yourself having a moments pause, watching all of your friends before you. If you could have, you wished you could fold up little moments like these as well to put in your drawer to see when you would feel down.

Jeonghan caught your wistful sigh, sending you a wink. In many ways, you knew he must have known your thoughts.

Under the table, his hand brushed up to your crossed knee, letting his hand linger. He let his hand rest there for a moment, as if he was soaking up your essence in the moment. He had never done it before, but his thumb gently rubbed at your knee, and it felt like a waking dream.

☆彡

The night had ticked on, and you and grown more tired than you had expected by pass of the clock hand. As the night would normally progress, drinks would be had, then each of you would take turns updating the others on what you had been doing or working on. All of you would gather advice or support if needed. There had even been times when you would even provide a shoulder for one to cry on, although that didn’t happen most times.

Others, like today, the five of you would simply sit and enjoy each other’s presence with the window slightly cracked open to let the autumnal air cool your burning bodies. Jokes would be cracked every once and a while until yawns would escape your mouths. By then, another joke would be made about how you were all getting to old to be staying up that late.

Jeonghan played with your hair as you had leaned into him, swirling your final glass of soju in your wrist. While you were hot yourself, the heat from his body was still calming, and the way that his chest would rise and fall was a bit like a lullaby.

“I’m falling asleep, we should head out,” Mingyu clapped Wonwoo by the back.

“Another one for the books.” Soonyoung sighed, then rose up with a stretch of his arms, wrinkling up his white button up and loose tie.

“Sweet dreams everyone.” You shift off of your best friend, shuddering a little at the lack of contact, to close the door after them.

“I’m looking forward to next Wednesday!” Soonyoung beams with a little salute, then bows before shuffling away.

“What time is it?” You yawn out the words, rubbing your eyes.

“Too late. We still need to go in tomorrow, remember?”

Dirty dishes clink in your hands as you bring them to your sink. “We really should start doing this on Fridays.”

“I don’t wanna start cleaning just yet, can we stay here for a while?” Jeonghan spreads his arms out, beckoning you to fall back into him. You laugh a little at the motion.

“Why so touchy? We haven’t done this in so many years...I can’t remember the last time...”

You oblige him, nuzzling right up to his chest once more. He smells a bit of the somaek, but mostly of his usual scent: that cheap cologne that you had bought him about a year ago. You had mostly gotten it as a gag gift, but he had worn it every day since.

“Must have been in high school.” His words are long and breathy.

“How come we stopped?”

Jeonghan takes a minute to answer you, and you wonder if he’s fallen asleep. Instead, he raises a hand to rub at your arm lightly, just as he had done with your knee.

“Dunno. We got older?”

“What does getting older have to do with it?”

You watch in the silence as his thumb continues to rub over the fabric of your long-sleeved button down.

“--Do you want to play a game?” Jeonghan says at last.

“A game? What do you mean?”

“For fun. I’m trying to find something to do so we don’t have to do the dishes.”

“Okay,” You perk up slightly, still not removing yourself from his encircled arms. “What kind of game?”

“Truth or dare?”

“Psh what are we, back in high school?”

“Seeing what we are doing right now, wouldn’t you say so?” The words escape Jeonghan’s mouth with a growing grin.

You ruffled to top of his head, messing up his perfectly primped hair. “...Fineeee. You going first or me?”

“I’ll go. Truth.” Jeonghan pulled you back into him, settling your back flush with his chest.

“Okay, truth: did you really mean it when you said that you liked Minji’s power suit? I know you thought it looked tacky.”

Jeonghan’s breathy laugh miffed up your hair. “I’ll say anything if it keeps me in the supervisor’s good graces.”

“HA. I knew it.”

“Which do you pick?”

“Mmmm-truth.”

“Not dare? You’re no fun.”

“I said truth!!!”

“Fine, fine.” His slender arms squeezed at your body to situate you better in between his legs. “When was the last time that you brought someone over to your place?”

“Yo-you mean like “brought someone” over?”

“You know what I mean.” In his voice you could nearly see his mischievous smile.

“I’ve told you about all of them so I don’t know why you’re asking. It’s been about a year.”

“A year? Really?”

“--Nope! You don’t get to ask any more questions. Truth or dare?”

“Dare.” Jeonghan said without a moment’s hesitation.

Your eyes wandered the room for his perfect punishment. “Ah! Take that soy sauce, the one with the wasabi bits in it...and drink it.”

Your friend sighed, but took the tiny cup in his fingers to down it all in one shot. He shivered a little and you could feel his face scrunch up, but he held his reactions back best he could.

“That was such a high school dare. You really haven’t changed.”

“I thought it was funny.”

“Truth or dare Y/n.”

“Truth.”

“Ughhh truth again?”

“ ‘Hannnn--”

“Just say dare! I promise that I’ll go easy on you.”

“Fine then. Dare.”

“I dare you...to take your shirt off.”

“What?!” Your head snapped back to send him your deathly glare. “Are you being serious right now?”

“What? It’s nothing that I haven’t seen? Are you forgetting that we’ve been friends for nearly our whole lives? That and college you were someone who would go to parties and take your shirt off. Remember that?”

“...yes.” You felt heat rise in your cheeks. “Fine then.” In one motion, you pulled your shirt over your head, jumping a little once you felt Jeonghan’s hands help tear it off your arms. You hesitated to lay back, but his arms made a decision before you could, and pulled you back into his chest. Now, it was the skin of his fingers on your bare arms that you were painfully aware of.

“T-truth or dare?” You squeaked out.

“Truth.”

“No fair, you made me do dare!”

“I already did a dare. Truth.”

From the other side of your room, your refrigerator clacked with the sound of ice cubes falling into their tray. On the door, dozens of multi-colored post-it-notes had been suck there with clear tape.

“...Why is it that you’re always writing me those notes? “yjh was here?”“

“Hmm.” He breathed out. “I had a feeling that you might ask me that one.”

“...And?”

“--Because I like to. And...”

Your anticipation hung tangibly in the air. You didn’t quite know it, but you had been waiting for his answer for so many years, you had lost count.

“...And I like seeing them around you. -Reminds me that I’m a part of your life. Kind of like how we exist together. They’re little reminders for you as well...to know that I’m around for you.”

“Jeonghan...” You wouldn’t have expected it, but tears singed the corners of your eyes.

“Truth or dare?” He cooed into your ear.

“D-dare.” Your voice shook, realizations flooding you like rain.

“I dare you to take off your pants. Can you do that?” His voice had dropped, low and gravely.

You nodded your answer, and took to unbuttoning your pants, shimmying them off where you sat on the floor. As soon as your bare legs were exposed, he had found a new place to rest his hands; you never would have guessed for them to be so beautiful-looking there.

“I choose dare.” He breathed onto your bare neck.

“I-I dare you take off our shirt too.” Your face felt furiously warm as you uttered the words and he did exactly as he was told. The sensation of your skin on his skin then sent your head spinning with just how close you had been in that moment, closer than ever before.

Jeonghan’s hands explored your bare legs with a touch as soft as butterfly wings. His light touches sent an aching pain to your sex as it had never felt so needy and neglected.

“Truth or dare my love?”

In an attempt to hide your frustration, you could only form the word, “T-truth?”

“Hmm...truth...” Jeonghan began to kneed into your legs, digging his nails in every so slightly. “Have you ever kept secrets from me?”

“Secrets? Why-why would I, I don’t-mmph-have any secrets to keep from you.”

“I think that’s a lie Y/n.”

Indeed it was a lie. You had kept secrets from him. Two secrets to be exact; one of them being near the precipice for the whole universe to see.

“I’ve kept secrets from you, you know.”

“What?”

“Do you dare me to show you?”

Your anxious breath caught in your lungs, full of confusion but even more excitement. Jeonghan’s hands crept slowly up to your hips.

He repeated, “Do you?”

“Ye-yes. I dare you to show me.” Your eyes had closed feeling his hands draw even farther up your body.

Your best friend surveyed your whole chest with his hands, swirling around as much skin as he could touch. He was careful not to tickle you, but rather give every ounce of your being his careful attention. For a moment, his fingers grazed over your nipples, but went to cradle your neck in his hands. He turned it to the side to expose the beating vein there, and placed the slowest and most tender kiss upon it. From the feeling of his fleeting lips, you whimpered at the sensation.

“Dare.” You managed with a dry mouth. “I dare you to touch me...anywhere you want...please...”

Jeonghan chuckled slightly into your neck. “I just had my turn, but...I’m listening.”

Your entire body keened under his fingertips, writhing messily between his legs. This time, he was careful in touching you nearly everywhere: your chest, your nipples--pinching them slightly--and down your legs, to your inner thighs where he traced up to your underwear, now wetting a little with your arousal.

“Tell me the truth.” He bit into your skin. “Am I one of your secrets?”

Your answer was given to him in the form of you forcefully tearing from his grip to push his legs together so that you could straddle them. The way that his shoulder blades flexed under your firm grip was dizzying. Your eyes fell to his lips: your secret.

“I dare you to kiss me,” You breathed onto them.

“I thought that you’d never ask.”

Jeonghan was smiling as he pulled your lips into his, and he never quite seemed to stop. Every bit of your love for him spilled into his mouth where you found the comfort from him that you had craved for years. You had felt first kisses before, but nothing was quite like this one. With Jeonghan who you had known for so long, you were thrilled to get to know him in this new and different way, and you wanted to absorb every little bit of it: the way he would caress the sides of your face so gently, or the way that he would angle your neck to meet his lips. You would never have guessed to feel so complete with him like this, but it also made all the sense in the world. It was you that he wanted, and you that he wanted to stay next to through all those years. He had never let you go, and you had never let him either.

In between kisses, you found both of yourselves giggling hysterically.

“Are we really doing this right now? Are we...?” You bit a laugh into his lip.

“Yes. I think that we are.” He engulfed you in his grasp. “I’ve wanted to do this for years, Y/n.

Jeonghan scooped you up, moving both of your bodies to the couch where he clinked with his belt buckle to remove his pants. “You really do look beautiful. Everyday. I’m not just saying that.”

You practically clawed at him to lay his body on top of yours, then wrapped your legs around his waist to align him with your own. In your unadulterated intoxication of him, you hopelessly grinded up into him, seeking some kind of stimulation from the mashing of fabric together. After a little scoff, Jeonghan’s hand cascaded down your body to rub at your throbbing sex, marveling in the way that you had soaked though your underwear just a little.

“Wow. This is how you feel about me?”

“Do you want me to say sorry?”

“No--it’s just...I wish that I had known sooner.”

Your lust brought his lips back to yours as you kissed him over and over and over, trying to make up for all of the times that you wished you had done before. His touch on your sensitive skin sent you mewling onto his tongue.

“Can I make you mine now?”

As for your response, your widened legs told him exactly what he needed to know.

In one swift motion, he had tugged off his own briefs, letting free his deliciously hard cock, sparkling at the head with his pre-cum. Looking at him like this, all for you, was like a walking dream.

Jeonghan gathered spit from his tongue to glide over his dick, then teased your impatient entrance while he watched your face contort into the most beautiful shapes he thought he had ever seen. He entered you slowly, letting each of you take in the moment as if you could forget it the next. Once you were together, his brows twitched a little as his closed eyes focused only on you. He filled you up perfectly, as if you were made for him--which you had convinced yourself that you were. Jeonghan buried his face in your neck to suck into the skin, marking you as his.  

Your orgasm built much quicker than you had intended, and soon you were begging him to make you cum--which he gladly did. Your heels dug into his back upon your release which gathered more heat between your two bodies. Jeonghan didn’t skip a beat as he chased his own orgasm, fucking you into your own overstimulation and leaving you to melt under him.

“Jeong-han.” You gasped out his name through your teeth as your body quaked from the snap of his hips.

“oh god,” He uttered, tangling his fingers deep into your hair, then smashing his lips back into yours. “you’re so good for me my love...so good...”

Jeonghan let out little grunts as he came and filled you deeply with the warmth from his cum. As he throbbed within you, you knew it really was him you were made for. He lingered inside your walls as your bodies shook together with the aroma of sex fogging the air. After a while, it didn’t take long for both of you to be laughing contentedly into each other’s mouths once more.

Your best friend reached for your hand to bind all of your fingers to his. "No more secrets.”

☆彡

“Do you want the sweatpants from the top shelf or the rack?” Jeonghan called to you through your cruelly tiny apartment. “Wait...i-is this...?”

Once he had returned, in his hand he held the aged strawberry milk carton with the little cartoon fruit on the side and the scrap piece of paper wrapped around it. In the other was your little box of notes.

yjh was here

“I can’t believe that you’ve kept it this long. Why--”

“--I’ll tell you why...it’s my second secret.”

Your best friend cocked his head. “...Second?”

“Ever since that day, I’ve known, Yoon Jeonghan. I love you.”

☆彡

if you’ve got to this point, hehe hello I’m Ro, I write for skz and svt, and I’d love to write some more svt! If you’d like, you can send me your asks

[asstronauts]

Alphabet Soup

rating: t word count: 1.7k pairing: jemily summary: perhaps love is in the little moments more than the grand gestures. 26 times (among many) that JJ and Emily fall a little bit more in love with each other in the everyday, smaller moments.

read on ao3, if you’d prefer

---

A - alphabet soup

JJ bought cans of alphabet soup for the boys when Michael first began to read, but Emily quickly found it much more entertaining to spell out words like "boob" or "ass" or "sex?" punctuated with a poorly modified capital P in place of a question mark. JJ had to shut it down when Michael asked what a "tit" was, and Emily panicked and mumbled something about birds.

B - bedtime

They would often unwind by reading before bedtime, and JJ found that Emily read through many foreign literature books. The nights she would fall asleep to Emily stroking her hair and reading aloud in words she didn't understand were the nights she felt most rested.

C - constellations

It was clear that Emily didn't actually know any constellations besides the Big Dipper and Orion. But when she laid on the grass with Henry and Michael, she made up stories in the stars about great heroes and the adventures they went on, and the boys fell in love with the night sky.

D - driving

JJ insisted on driving everywhere without the help of smartphone maps, which had gotten them lost on several occasions. Somehow it felt alright, when she had one hand on the wheel and one hand on Emily's leg, the windows were down, and her hair was streaming in the wind and reflecting the setting sun. Somehow it felt alright to be lost with her.

E - errands

For whatever reason, JJ made running any errand seem like immense fun. Buying groceries, getting gas, even sending a letter felt like an adventure when she was there. They'd only gotten kicked out of one grocery store — when JJ had knocked over an entire display stand of candy bars after running and jumping onto a shopping cart. They didn't regret anything.

F - forehead kiss

JJ wasn't that much shorter than Emily, but when the brunette pressed her lips to her girlfriend's forehead, JJ would feel the need to bury her face in Emily's neck to hide her blushing cheeks.

G - graveyard

On that day, JJ just needed space. So Emily took her to the flower shop the day before and drove her to the cemetery that morning and left her alone until she was ready. In the evening, they didn't speak, just laid with one another on the couch until JJ fell asleep in her arms.

H - horror movie

It was a cheap jump scare, but it made JJ scream out and grab Emily's arm, prompting the older woman to laugh at her. JJ responded with a playful slap, and Emily had to kiss her to reaffirm her love. They didn't finish the movie.

I - ice cream

On a day off, Emily took the boys to get ice cream, and when they came home raving about how Emily had managed to stack five ice cream scoops on top of a single cone, JJ knew she was with the right woman.

J - jaw

Emily's knees grew weak whenever JJ kissed up her jaw and whispered in her ear. Her girlfriend caught on and loved messing with her, working her up into a complete frenzy, then saying the most unsexy thing she could think of. Emily hated it, but she also couldn’t help but to collapse into a fit of giggles when JJ planted kisses all up the side of her face and whispered something like "corned beef" in a seductive voice.

K - kitchen

JJ would use every kitchen utensil as a musical instrument during any spare moment in cooking — while the food was cooking, while the water boiled, while the oven was preheating. She would sing into a wooden spoon and shove it into Emily's face to finish the lyric, and the two would dance in each others' arms all throughout the kitchen.

L - letters

When Emily spent her time in Paris and London, she and JJ wrote each other scores of letters the times they weren't together. They'd both filled up an entire box of papers and knickknacks until they were reunited. Even after, JJ would sometimes write a letter addressed to Emily, drop it into the mailbox and tell Emily to check the mail, for no reason except to make her smile.

M - mugs

JJ had an entire cupboard dedicated to mugs for her tea, which Emily could never understand because she only seemed to ever use two of them: one being a lumpy mug Henry had made in a pottery store and the other being a Valentine’s Day gift from Emily with lovely ceramic boobs protruding from the mug’s body.

N - notes

Emily bought a massive pack of post-its and began leaving notes for JJ around work, bringing a smile to her face every time she found a little colorful message. Some were encouraging — you can do it, you light up my world, you're amazing. Some were cheesy — i love you, je t’aime, when you see this blow me a kiss. And some were...questionable — JJ had to hide the extremely accurate (and well-annotated!) drawing of her naked body before Hotch saw.

O - omelette

Most of the time, Emily couldn't cook without the risk of burning the house down, but for some reason, she made the most scrumptious omelette. Despite not knowing how to cook scrambled or fried or boiled eggs, Emily's omelettes were always perfectly cooked, with an impeccable ratio of egg to filling. JJ tried everything she could to make them the same way, but the boys always preferred Emily's omelettes on Sunday mornings. JJ wondered if it was something she learned during her time in Paris.

P - plants

Before JJ, Emily had never been very good at taking care of plants. They seemed to die with little to no warning. But JJ had taught her well, making little plant calendars and teaching her signs to watch out for, and one morning, JJ caught her talking to one of the plants. As she listened more carefully, she heard that Emily was talking to each plant in a different language — according to the plant’s country of origin.

Q - quiet

The moments after the boys were put to bed were some of the only moments of quiet JJ and Emily got alone during the day. No matter how busy or tired they were, they always intentionally took a few moments to just quietly be with one another, curled up in the other's arms, lying in the other's lap, or simply sitting side by side.

R - rain

They'd gotten caught in the storm on the way back to the office from lunch. Despite JJ’s coat held up above them, the pair was getting drenched anyway, and they gave up and decided to make out in the rain instead. They swung their hands back and forth as they splashed over to the BAU, arriving soaked to the bone but elated, as Hotch shook his head at their sodden clothing and dopey grins.

S - Sergio

Emily had arrived home early and found JJ dancing in the hallway with Sergio to "Can't Stop the Feeling" blasting on the bluetooth speaker. She lifted her ban on Justin Timberlake that day, which had previously been in place when in a moment of weakness, JJ had declared she would choose him over Emily if given the chance. (She’d taken it back for Emily's sake, but deep down she couldn't really decide.)

T - thermostat

JJ liked the thermostat to be set at no lower than 77 degrees, while Emily loved the room as cold as possible. The first few months that they lived together was a horrible battle of constantly changing from one drastic temperature to the next, before JJ finally agreed to keeping the temperature low as long as Emily agreed to cuddle with her any time she got cold. Emily did not, however, realize that this compromise extended to the workplace, where JJ would sporadically ask for cuddles throughout the day, and Emily would have to comply.

U - ugly pajamas

Emily loved her ugly pajama sets. One of her favorites was a bright green Grinch onesie in a ridiculous Christmas sweater. JJ hated it until Emily showed it to the boys, and Michael howled with laughter and asked for one for himself. From that day forward, Emily bought her ugly pajamas in full family sets, including accompanying costumes for Sergio.

V - vanilla

Emily didn’t quite mind JJ’s early morning jogs because her favorite moments were when JJ came home after, took a shower, and climbed back into bed to give Emily a warm embrace, flooding her senses with the smell of vanilla shampoo. Emily would roll over to nuzzle her head in the crook of JJ’s neck and plant soft kisses there, breathing in her favorite scent.

W - wine

Emily drank red, JJ drank white. And Henry and Michael loved to join in, pretending to be adults by sipping grape juice from their colorful cups. Perhaps their family had unconventional tea parties, but at least they always had massive amounts of fun doing family activities tipsy. These were the nights when it was almost difficult to tell the difference between Michael and Emily’s coloring pages.

X - X-Files

JJ didn’t fully understand Emily’s deep obsession with The X-Files, but after Emily convinced her that she wasn’t only watching for Gillian Anderson, the younger woman began finding the long rambles and discussions of extraterrestrial life more endearing and interesting.

Y - yarn

JJ really wanted to get the hang of knitting and give something special to the boys, but Emily kept distracting her. Any chance she got, Emily would hold the yarn balls to her chest as fake boobs, use threads of yarn as mustaches, and drum the knitting needles against any surface. It wasn’t that JJ couldn't finish her projects out of annoyance — it was that JJ couldn’t help but laugh and find her girlfriend irresistible, forcing her to set aside her work and wrap herself up instead in the brunette’s embrace.

Z - zoo

It was Emily's explosive childlike joy when she had seen the dolphins. She claimed it was for the boys’ sakes, but JJ had noticed the pure excitement in her eyes when they saw the sign and felt the way Emily had tugged on her wrist to rush to the stadium and grab seats right in the splash zone. And in the screams of laughter and the moment when both Henry and Michael clutched at Emily when the water washed over them, JJ knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life with this woman.

[popwasabi]

“Who are you?” The scene that defines Chadwick Boseman’s legacy

Yesterday, the world lost a bright and promising, burgeoning talent in Chadwick Boseman.

I had wondered privately for a while if something was wrong with him, as others had as well online, as he appeared increasingly sicker with each interview he gave over the last two years. I thought maybe I had been looking too much into it, not wanting to jump to conclusions about who he was but now gravely we all know why.

The much too young star of films such as “42,” “Marshall,” and of course, “Black Panther” had been fighting a largely private battle with colon cancer for four years.

It was devastating hearing this news yesterday, the man who undeniably left behind a legacy of playing prominent black heroes, both historical and fictional, passed away just as he was starting to truly hit it big. When you begin to realize the man was dealing with cancer as he performed physically demanding roles in the MCU you begin to see the character and determination of a man unwilling to quit in the face of true adversity.

But he clearly wasn’t just doing it for himself when he continued making and promoting NINE more movies despite his diagnosis, afterall no one would’ve blamed the guy for taking it easy these past four years. He’s had many scenes that define his legacy over his all too short career but I feel it can really be summed up in one particular moment from by far his most famous film; “Black Panther.”

Those who know me or have read my work know that I have a fairly cynical relationship with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While I would not say most of them are “bad” per se, I would say a ton of them are largely interchangeable action comedies with pretty straightforward messages about good vs evil for general audiences. They are largely popcorn escapism and though there is nothing technically wrong with that, I was starved for an MCU film that was sincere about its story finally and had something real to say.

Enter “Black Panther” in early 2018.

“Black Panther” was everything I had long been waiting for in the MCU; a film with a real sense of vision and theme, a killer soundtrack, great supporting characters, a complicated and nuanced villain, and a story that didn’t feel the need to add a joke after every single scene like more typical MCU movies. The tip of that spear of course was Chadwick, who had already proved to be a great Black Panther in one of the few other sincere Marvel flicks “Civil War.” His natural charisma, physicality, and dramatic presence in this role made him a huge standout in frankly the best ensemble cast of any superhero movie ever.

The scene that truly sums up not just the mark “Black Panther” left on Hollywood but Chadwick’s own legacy comes at the very end though (the first of three, of course. It’s an MCU movie, afterall).

T’Challa has defeated his usurper cousin Erik Killmonger, his rule restored in Wakanda but clearly a changed man from the story’s beginning as he reckons with the complicated legacy of his father. He travels to Oakland, the birthplace of Killmonger, with his sister Shuri who he explains the crime committed by their father in this place and how it set off the events of the story. He turns to Shuri, tells her that he has decided to help this afflicted community by creating a Wakandan outreach center for the youth to give them a new hope in life. As he says this he decloaks their ship nearby, surprising the youth already in the area who are immediately in awe of it. One of the kids turns to T’Challa, smiling, a sense of inspiration and intrigue brewing inside, and asks “Who are you?” to which the young King simply smiles, then the credits roll.

It’s a simple scene but it truly speaks to the impact left behind by Chadwick and the importance of representation. 

“Black Panther” is hardly the first starring vehicle for a black man, it’s not even the first black super hero movie but what it made it different is it was the first blockbuster to truly lean unapologetically into its African identity to focus on the inspiration of a story centered around that culture. It showed Hollywood that an action blockbuster not just centered on a black star but centered on African culture had vast widespread appeal.

White kids will never have a shortage of white superheroes to grow up with on the big screen; a diverse palette of Supermans, Spider-mans, Captain Americas, and shit we’re even getting our sixth new Batman actor since 1989 soon. But Chadwick gave black kids their first real Superman of their own. 

In the years since this came out, I have seen the influence, at times, firsthand among the youth. I work part-time as a kids martial arts instructor and each Halloween party we’ve held I’ve seen a few more T’Challas among the costumes represented. When I ask kids, black, white, or Asian, what their favorite superhero is, it always warms my heart to see a kid light up when they say “BLACK PANTHER!”

(Seriously, cute AF)

This goes beyond just my anecdotal observations of course; the film grossed a billion dollars, and there are countless videos online of kids yelling “Wakanda forever!” at the top of their lungs while rocking a Black Panther suit or reciting one of the movie’s memorable lines. It’s beautiful because it speaks to that last scene’s key message; inspiration.

Growing up myself, as a half Asian American, there weren’t a ton of role models who looked like me to take inspiration from. I didn’t really understand how much this could affect me until I finally did start seeing people like myself occupy positions of influence. I didn’t start caring for baseball until I saw a slugger named Hideki Matsui smash a couple dingers in a Yankees’ uniform in the early 2000s. I didn’t care much for martial arts, outside my very early youth, until I witnessed a half Japanese Brazilian named Lyoto Machida KO Thiago Silva at UFC 94 in 2009. I didn’t care much for soccer until a striker named Keisuke Honda played out of his mind in the early rounds of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Sometimes you gotta see something happen in order to believe and be inspired by it and it’s easier to visualize it when you see someone who looks like you do it. That’s what representation means and why it’s important.

It’s easy for white America to dismiss the need for representation in media when theirs is so saturated in the culture everyday. Cries of “wHaT aBoUt wHiTe HiStORy mOnTH?!” delivered unironically while their history is proudly given front seat consideration in all forms of media, film, and influence every day. This is why it drives me so crazy when a white person tells me “representation isn’t important” because apparently, they “don’t need it.”

Well motherfucker, of course you don’t need it. You fucking got yours already!

(What every non-white person wants to say when confronted with this tired, out of touch argument...)

“Black Panther” delivered a superhero that not only black children could be proud of and love but someone they could draw inspiration from. Kids are going to want to become film directors cause of this movie, actors, stuntmen, martial artists, scientists, engineers, and so many other different things that the world of Wakanda proudly showcases and it’s all thanks to Chadwick’s leading man performance that made it possible.

Some jokes I’ve heard frequently on the internet is that Chadwick was on somewhat of a quest to play every major black role in story-telling history, what with performances as Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall, James Brown, and of course Black Panther. But I think his 2018 speech at his Alma Mater of Howard really explains why he kept looking to play these major positive black roles.

(I encourage you to listen to the whole thing but the part that’s important here begins at 21:55)

Hollywood likes to pigeon hole certain demographics of people (aka non-white) to play stereotypical roles forever until they are proven to be lucrative in different ways (Qualified Immunity of film-making if you will…). Black people largely could mostly play thugs and drug dealers, Latinx can only be gang bosses and poor servants and gardeners, Asians are either kung fu masters or some other offensive perpetual foreigner. And in worst cases no role at all, instead whitewashed for general audiences (aka white folk). 

Chadwick took a stand that the color of his skin did not define who Hollywood narrowly believed he could perform as and set out to play characters and people who could inspire a new generation of African Americans and show the rest of the country that they were more than a stereotype.

When that young kid in that final scene asks, “Who are you?” and T’Challa smiles its because he knows he’s already changing hearts and minds for the future, just as Chadwick did playing this truly inspirational role.

“Black Panther” is not a perfect movie. I could discuss the ways it could’ve been better and even, less problematic in parts on a different day, but the legacy it leaves behind is one that’s undeniably positive and Chadwick was able to make that a reality. Perhaps he understood that if the world knew his diagnosis it would blunt the impact of “Black Panther’s” release, that if little kids and African Americans alike knew their superhero was already dying it would mar the film’s positivity and influence. I can’t speak for the dead obviously, and in no way am I saying one should just push through a cancer diagnosis and keep it secret, but I can see Chadwick understanding what it would mean for the audience if they just believed for as long as possible that they would have their king of Wakanda forever.

As Robert Downey Jr. said on social media last night “He leveled the playing field while fighting for his life.”

Though I will never know him personally, by most measures Chadwick seemed to be exactly the kind of hero he showed up to be on the big screen and his legacy will ultimately be that of one who looked to inspire others, particularly the next generation until his final breath. If that doesn’t make him a hero, I don’t know what does.

Rest in power, King. Wakanda Forever…

(Via BossLogic)

[angellazull]

Hogwarts Mystery Profile: Angelo Lancaster

Finally I updated Angel's profile, model of the form was made by @hogwartsmysterystory, hope this clarifies better.

(@immagrosscandy art)

Name: Angelo Nikolas Stellair Lancaster.

Gender: Male.

Age: 17.

Birth Date: August 23, 1972.

Species: Half-veela.

Blood Status: Half-Blood.

Sexuality: Pansexual.

Alignment: Chaotic Good.

Ethnicity: Caucasian.

Nationality: Brazilian/British.

Residence: Royal-Garden, England.

Myer Briggs Personality Type: INTJ-T.

The Mage

1st Wand:

Acacia – 30 cm – Slightly Springy – Dragon heartstrings core (Antipodean Opaleye).

A very unusual wand wood, which I have found creates tricky wands that often refuse to produce magic for any but their owner, and also withhold their best effects from all but those most gifted. This sensitivity renders them difficult to place, and I keep only a small stock for those witches or wizards of sufficient subtlety, for acacia is not suited to what is commonly known as ‘bangs-and-smells’ magic. When well-matched, an acacia wand matches any for power, though it is often underrated due to the peculiarity of its temperament.

Ebony – 35 cm – Slightly Springy – Veela hair core (Provided by Leonor Lancaster). With a sapphire at the end of the handle and silver details.

2nd Wand:

(Art by @kyril-but-magical)

This jet-black wand wood has an impressive appearance and reputation, being highly suited to all manner of combative magic, and to Transfiguration. Ebony is happiest in the hand of those with the courage to be themselves. Frequently non-conformist, highly individual or comfortable with the status of outsider, ebony wand owners have been found both among the ranks of the Order of the Phoenix and among the Death Eaters. In my experience the ebony wand’s perfect match is one who will hold fast to his or her beliefs, no matter what the external pressure, and will not be swayed lightly from their purpose.

Animagus: A black Bombay cat, with a streak of blue fur on its head between its ears.

Misc Magical Abilities: Veela charm, hypnosis and sensitive to emotions.

Boggart Form:

4st-11th year: The Royal-Garden boys laughing at him and humiliating him.

11th-13th year: His friends turning away from him for being a Veela.

13th year onwards: His most important people dying without him being able to do anything.

Riddikulus form: The previous person juggling puffskeins.

Amortentia: Smell of new book, roses (the smell of Penny), peaches and apple pie.

Patronus: Cat bombay.

Patronus Memory: Jacob and him skating on ice when he was a child and his brother saving him from drowning on the ice.

Mirror of Erised: He graduating as an auror and his dad congratulating him and saying that he is proud of him.

Favourite Spells:

Animus Glacius❄️

Expecto Patronum🐈

Blue Sparks🎆

Aguamenti💦

Colovaria⚪➡️🔵

Voiceclaim: Asa Butterfield

Game appearance:

Height: 1.79 m

Weight: 60 Kg

Eye Colour: Blue sapphire

Hair Colour:

White (original)

Royal Blue (Colovaria)

Skin Tone: White

Body Modifications: N/A

Scarring: A scar on the back of his head hidden by his hair, caused by the time the Royal-Garden boys pushed him and he hit his head on the wall of the fountain.

Inventory: His wand, a notebook , A pen, current reading book, keyring earned from Kyril on his birthday.

Fashion: 

Casual - A black jeans, with his sweater with the coat of arms of Ravenclaw, with his blue All Star.

Summer - A royal blue T-shirt, black vest, dark blue denim shorts, and black sneakers.

Winter - A plain T-shirt, a wool sweater, and his furry white overcoat, with winter boots.

Formal Wear - Midnight blue smoking, with a white bow tie and black shoes.

Allegiances

Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw

Illvermony House: Horned Serpent

Affiliations/Organisations:

The Lancaster family.

The Stellair Family.

The Trindade Family (Renegade).

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Circle of Khanna.

The Order of the Phoenix.

Professions:

Auror - 1991 - 2011.

Obliviator - 2011 - 2012.

Charms professor in Hogwarts 2011 - present.

Hogwarts Information

Class Proficiencies:

Astronomy - O

Charms – O

DADA – O

Flying – E

Herbology – O

History of Magic – O

Potions – E

Transfiguration – O

Electives:

Ancient Runes - E

CoMC - A

Quidditch: Seeker

Extra Curricular:

Transfiguration Club.

Charms Club.

Frog Choir.

Sphinx Club.

Favourite Professors:

Minerva McGonagall - Angel likes how Professor McGonagall believed in his talent for Transfiguration and did not compare him to his brother, Jay. Although she is very strict in her classes, she is always willing to help you.

Filius Flitwick - Angelo likes how the classes are fun and are never monotonous, being a Ravenclaw, Angel is very curious and likes how the teacher always clarifies his doubts and teaches him several spells, even if he is not in his class schedule and is used in their search for the Cursed Vaults and the Khanna Circle.

Least Favorite Professors:

Severus Snape - Angel admires Snape's ability and great knowledge in Potions and the Dark Arts, however he doesn't like how Snape insults him or says he is incompetent, he likes to be stimulated to learn more, with lessons in Snape, he just hopes to survive until the end of class without making his cauldron explode.

Patrícia Rakepick - Angel has always had a back seat with Rakepick, perhaps it was the way in which she found herself unshakable and unattainable. Although he learned many things from her, he never really liked her personality and always stayed away from her as much as possible. And after she murdered Rowan, the boy developed a deadly hatred for the ex-professor.

Relationships

Brother:

Jacob "Jay" Alexander Stellair Lancaster.

Half-blood.

Half-veela.

Ravenclaw.

He was a member of the Herbology Club and the dueling club until he was expelled from the school.

Hippogriff club.

Father: Charles Michael Lancaster ✞

Pure-blood.

Ravenclaw.

Ravenclaw Quidditch Team Chase.

He became an auror after he graduated from Hogwarts.

Member of the Order of the Phoenix original.

He was killed in a duel against Evan Rosier.

Mother: Leonor Mary Stellair Lancaster.

Veela.

Did not attend any magic school.

Specialists in elemental magic.

Specialist in healing spells.

Loves to sing and draw.

Has a great talent for gastronomy.

Love Interest(s):

Canon: Penny Haywood.

(sorry for the low quality image.)

Mc x Mc: Kyril Vasiley @kyril-hphm (Kyril Art)

Best Friends:

Canon:

🦡Penny Haywood.

🦅Rowan Khanna (Dead).

🦅Talbott Winger.

🐍Barnaby Lee.

🦡Chiara Lobisca.

MCs:

🐍(💛)Roger Lopez @hphm-roger

🐍Kyril Vasiley @kyril-hphm

���Elaiza Schuyler @annabelle-tanaka-official

🦅Candy and Paula Vigiere @immagrosscandy

Rival:

🐍Merula Snyde.

🐍 Ismelda Murk.

🦁Sebastian Anguslow.

Enemy:

Patrícia Rakepick.

Wizard in white robes.

"R" members.

Dormmates:

🦅Rowan Khanna (dead).

🦅Talbott Winger.

🦅Andre Egwu.

🦅Arjun Singh. @hogwarts9

Pets:

Arthy, the black cat.

Rowena, the snow owl (Jay owl).

Nevasca, the ice salamander.

Closest Cannon Friends:

🦡Penny Haywood.

🦅Rowan Khanna (dead).

🦅Talbott Winger.

🐍Barnaby Lee.

🦡Chiara Lobisca.

🦡Nymphadora Tonks.

🦁Bill Weasley.

🦁Charlie Weasley.

🦁Jae Kim.

🦅Badeea Ali.

🦁Ben Copper.

Closest MC Friends:

🐍(💛)Roger Lopez @hphm-roger

🐍Kyril Vasiley @kyril-hphm

🦅Elaiza Schuyler @annabelle-tanaka-official

🦅Candy e 🦡PauLINE Vigiere @immagrosscandy

🐍Jason Novak @death-or-sleep

🐍Carewyn Cronwell @carewyncromwell

🦅Flavio Ceccere @sirfluffig

🦅Montague Donohue @montaguehphm

🐍Dusty Emerald @dusty-emerald-hphm

🦡Stephanie Alexeev @hanihonii

🐍Lith Thorne @slytherinliththorne

🦁Aishwarya Mehra and 🦅Arjun Singh @hogwarts9

🦁Ethren Whitecross @hogwartsmysterystory

🦅 Simon Cahill @cursed-vault-ravenclaw

🦅Wendy Gordon @drinkyoursoupbitch

🦡Honey @hmhoney

🦅Luna Silver @lunasilvermorny

🦡Jackeline Peterson @jackie-and-the-curse

🦁 Tu Liang @wangxianforever000

🦅Samanta O'Connell @samshogwarts

Background/History:

Pre-Hogwarts: Angelo was born on August 23, 1972, in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, while his father (as the son of a Brazilian) did international work in the South American country. But he returned to England at the age of four, going to live in the small village of Royal-Garden, near the south coast of the country.

At 6, Angelo suffered the first blow of his life, his father was murdered in a duel against death eater Evan Rosier.

Because of the instability of his Veela powers, he can never interact with Muggle children, because of the risks of revealing the Wizarding World. And after learning about his nature, some wizard boys who lived in the Royal Garden began to bully him, which made him stay away from the children. The only person who knew all this was Jay, and defended his little brother.

When his brother disappeared, Angelo completely isolated himself, he started to stay inside the house reading his father's and brother's books.

At 8, Angelo won Arthy as a birthday present from his mother, and that made the rest of his childhood bearable.

1st Year: While traveling on the Hogwarts Express, Angel felt very insecure about being a half-veela, so in an attempt to change the color of his white hair to black, he ended up turning his hair blue. During the first year, Angel avoided to relate with the other students, having Rowan like its only friend. His teachers, with the exception of Professor Flitwick and McGonagall, were the only ones who didn't compare him to Jay.

After his duel with Merula, Angel met Penny Haywood, when the girl was so kind to him, that from that moment, Angel always blushed when she spoke to him.

He thought he would be a normal student, but no matter how much he avoided it, the curiosity to know what happened to his brother spoke louder, then with the help of Rowan and Penny, they decided to investigate the appearance of the "mysterious ice".

2st Year: As soon as he returned to Hogwarts, Angelo was increasingly determined to discover the truth about his brother and what led him to become involved with the Cursed Vaults. After finding Ben trapped in the ice, he realized that he would need to do what he could to break the curse.

When they found the first vault, and when Rowan was wounded, Angel spent every minute of his free time, studying how to get through the ice door.

The more he investigated, the more bad rumors of his brother were coming, but he refused to believe that Jay was a bad and selfish person as they say he is.

When it was finally time to enter the ice vault. Angelo, Penny and Bill, with much effort, managed to break the curse.

3st Year: With clues to the next Vault, he had to deal with Sebastian Anguslow, a boy who always bullied him at the Royal Garden, so after explaining his situation to Talbott Winger, he agreed to help him become an animagus. After five months, he managed to become a black Bombay cat. So he was able to avoid Anguslow and all his followers.

When he managed to enter Jay's office, after defeating Merula in a duel, he found several notes from Jay about the second crypt, but the image of a loving and protecting brother was undone by the facts.

When entering the vault, Angel, Tonks, Tulip and Barnaby had to face their fears to break the boggarts' curse.

4st Year: As soon as he got back to Hogwarts, his convictions about Jay were pretty shaken, he didn't exactly know what to believe, but if there was one thing he did know, thanks to his Veela skills, he was able to feel a negative energy emanating from her, which meant he should not trust Rakepick.

While steadfastly refusing to be Rakepick's assistant, he learned of a Dementor's invasion, and that it had affected Penny, he told Tonks that he would resolve this and find out the truth behind said. After Tonks taught him to cast a patronus, he discovered that he took the form of a Bombay cat, like Arthy.

After the incident with the Dementor, the relationship between Penny and Angel strengthened each time more, and this resulted in an invitation to the Celestial Ball.

When he met Torvus, the centaur's revelations made his convictions about his brother melt away before the facts presented. This left him devastated, the image of the heroic brother he had from his childhood had been left in a past that seemed unreal.

While investigating, Professor Flitwick suggested that Angelo try to become the Ravenclaw's new perfect. But he knew that it was only a responsibility to divert his search, but the privileges of a perfect one would only help him in his search.

Once his ticket to the secret crush had caused a real mess at Hogwarts, he tried to solve it with the help of Tonks and Charlie, taking the courage to invite Penny on a date, it was an even bigger mess, but in the end, in the light of stars were all perfect, and Angelo finally realized that he had nothing but himself to be accepted, mainly due to his crush. Penny Haywood.

When he finally managed to return the arrow to Torvus, it was time for Angel, Penny, Hagrid and Torvus to enter the forest vault. From that moment, Angelo began to resolve the curses to clear the Lancaster family name and free Hogwarts from these dangers.

5st Year: After returning to Hogwarts to earn his class schedule with the time of his detention, he joined Bill and Merula, despite many protests, joined the Rakepick apprentice group.

Once again Angelo had a personal reason to break the curse, Beatrice, Penny's sister was one of the victims of the curse, so during this year, he had to manage all his time between classes, study for the owls, train and play Quidditch, and investigate Cursed Vaults.

Upon learning that Jay was directly involved in Duncan's death, Angel believed that the caring brother and that he protected him no longer existed.

Without the motivation to find Jay, he simply continued his investigations to protect his friends and clear the Lancaster's name.

During Valentine's Day, even with Lockhart's interference, Angelo and Penny had a great date and in their moment alone in the greenhouse, Angelo asked Penny for a date and gave her first kiss.

After successfully spreading the chaos and getting the painting with Peeves, Angelo, Charlie, Bill, Merula and Rakepick entering the fourth vault. After discovering the truth about Rakepick and meeting his brother again, he had the revelation that thinking about him was the only thing that kept Jay's sanity. And even though Jay was left in the crypt, he had little hope that Jay would still be the brother he was during his childhood.

6st Year: (Pending year)

7st Year: (Pending year)

Order of the Phoenix / 2nd Wizarding War: As soon as they graduated from Hogwarts, Angelo and Talbott started their Auror training with Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt, thanks to their school friendship, the two Ravenclaws formed a great pair, becoming partners.

After finishing the training, Angelo and Talbott were assigned to small missions until they acquired enough experience for large missions. Until one night in 1995, Angel received devastating news, Kyril Vasiley, one of his best friends, had died, which left him devastated. The next day, he received news of the death of Cedric Diggory, another school friend, that was horrible for the blue-haired boy.

A few days after Lord Voldemort's return, Angelo was visited by Albus Dumbledore, who recruited him into the Order of the Phoenix. From that moment on Angelo became a member working on missions on behalf of Dumbledore.

In the battle of the department of mysteries, Angelo was with Tonks and they immediately went to Harry's aid.

During the time that Pius Thicknesse was minister of magic, Angelo works together with some friends to help Muggle-borns and other wizards unfairly accused of the persecution of Dolores Umbridge

After Harry, Ron and Hermione invaded the ministry, Angelo was forced to flee, after sending Leonor and mr. and mrs. Haywood to live at Jay's home in Brazil, he and Penny moved to a small cottage on a deserted Cornish beach.

Quando souberam que Harry Potter estava em Hogwarts, Angelo e Penny sabiam que Voldemort iria atrás dele, então rapidamente eles foram para Hogsmeade para ir até a escola pelo Hogs Head Inn. During the battle, Angelo dueled against the Death Eaters, especially against Cadmus Mulciber, one of those responsible for the death of his father.

Post-War: After the Battle of Hogwarts, Angelo was one of the Aurors appointed by Minister Shacklebolt to track and arrest Death Eaters and wizards who conspired in favor of the dark lord and bring them to trial.

Angelo was one of the Aurors responsible for removing the dementors from Azkaban. And he was tasked by the minister to oversee Harry and Ron's Auror training.

He worked as an auror until 2011, after retiring as an auror, He worked on the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad for a year. Until he received an invitation from Professor McGonagall to replace Filius Flitwick as a charms professor at Hogwarts in 2013.

Old Age & Death: Angelo worked as a teacher at Hogwarts for several years, until he turned 89. Then he said he and Penny lived in a house in Hogsmeade until Angel turned 103, when he died of old age.

Personality

Logical: Angelo always likes to make his decisions based on logic, it is extremely rare that he makes a decision based on emotion.

Empathic: Thanks to his Veela skills, he is able to feel the emotions of others, so he always tries to make people feel better, he cannot see his sad friends, he always tries to make his friends feel better.

Shy: Angelo due to his complicated childhood, he is a very shy boy, not being able to approach new people easily, always preferring to stay in his comfort zone. But he makes an effort when he really wants to meet someone.

Intelligent: Thanks to his photographic memory, Angelo is very intelligent, and he uses that intelligence to help his friends with their homework, mainly in History of Magic, and sometimes he doesn't mind writing essays for them.

Strategist: Due to his timid personality, many people the underestimated and don't believe they can sell him in a duel, but while his opponents try to beat him by force, he studies his opponent and waits for the right time to attack.

Affectionate: After he feels comfortable with a person, Angelo is not ashamed of being affectionate with him, hugging and caressing any friend he needs.

Misc:

The Lancaster is a purebred family, but it stopped caring about the status of purity in the late 19th century, with the family patriarch, Leonidas Lancaster.

Angelo is a descendant of two pure-blood families, the Lancaster and the Trindade, family of his paternal grandmother, Damares Trindade, a Brazilian pure-brood family, but he was disinherited when they learned that his father had married a Veela, and had half-Veela children.

The Stellair family, is a family well known among the French Veela.

Angelo developed a passion for ice and snow magic after almost drowning in a frozen lake.

He has visited the Veela sanctuary in the interior of France several times, where he can assume his Veela form while there, but wizards can only enter the sanctuary with a permit from the French Ministry of Magic.

His little habit of reading while walking comes from when he learned to read, at the age of 4, he used to read the Tales of Beedle the Bard.

And Angel likes to assume her animagus form and stay in the lap of her closest friends, receiving ear strokes, mainly from Kyril, Candy, Elaiza, Roger and Jason.

When he needs to be alone to think or just cry, he can be found sitting under the beech on the shores of the black lake, but when he is there he doesn't like to see anyone.

[icarus-suraki]

weird asks: 4, 9, 15, 21, 40, 49, 61

Sorry for the late reply. My depression decided to sneak up behind me and steal my corpus callosum.

4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you?

I don't actually know, so I'm making this up based on what I recall... Bright but somewhat inattentive. Can't write a lowercase R in cursive to save her life (I got bad grades in handwriting all through 2nd grade). Sometimes anxious. Not a troublemaker at all; if she is disruptive, it's by accident more than by intent. Very creative and imaginative.

9. favorite smell in the summer?

There's this smell I'll come across in the evenings sometimes, especially when I'm driving home from work on these little country roads around here. I always thought it was clover, but I think it's maybe elderflower? It's sweet and floral, but not a "bright" sweetness; it's more of a dark floral, if that makes sense. Kind of low and evening-colored (that makes sense, right?). But it's fantastic to just find myself in a cloud of it on a humid evening. I will literally drive with my car windows open some nights just to smell it, it's that good.

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment?

This is tricky because the things that I liked the most weren't books, per se. I absolutely loved Hamlet and King Lear (King Lear is always associated with the Led Zeppelin "Stairway to Heaven" poster--long story). And I absolutely loved T. S. Eliot's poems. Like, damn, this is so much better than the rhyme-rhyme-rhyme shit I'd seen before. Like, sir. Damn. That was all high school, though. College? Hmm... See, I was an English major so I read a lot (or claimed to have read a lot and just BS'd my way through the tests). Reading As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner was a Moment, in part because I realized that my mom had summarized the story for me when I was a kid. Same thing with Spencer's The Faerie Queene--I think I surprised my professor with that one. Once I hit post, I'll probably think of a bunch of others.

21. obsession from childhood?

Oof. That depends on what age we're talking about here. Because Sesame Street was a big one when I was very small, then Muppet Babies when I got a little older. Any Muppet thing mesmerized me, according to my mom (I still love them). I loved playing dress-up (let's be honest: I still do, only I call it cosplay now) and dancing and playing pretend (and I still do). I drew constantly--especially bleeding hearts flowers, but also anthropomorphic animals in elaborate outfits and these creatures I called alligator birds. My Little Pony toys were everywhere in my house growing up--the original MLP, the good MLP. That was definitely still going strong in elementary school. I was really into A Wrinkle in Time and most of the other Madeline L'Engle books in about 4th grade onward. 6th grade I was hung up on blue-and-gold celestial designs (it was the 1990s) and everything purple. I got ahold of a really basic AM/FM cassette Walkman about this time and I discovered that there was actually Good Music in the world, not just children's music and I got so obsessed with just what you could find on the radio. I used up so many batteries and just wore out headphones and it was wonderful. I know somewhere in this span I started reading the Elfquest comics (n.b.: I was probably too young but I only realize that now) and got really into wolves and the particular version of elves that Wendy and Richard Pini created (I would shank someone for a chance to meet them) and did a lot of drawing of Wendy Pini's style of elves. I think I discovered anime by way of Sailor Moon when I was about 12 or 13 (and that's still an obsession) and started drawing anime-style characters A Lot. Somewhere in middle school, some friends and I started doing text-based RP via email, which sounds bizarre but we sure did it and it was very Mary Sueful but we had fun. I started writing a lot in and around then--maybe 7th, 8th grade? Mostly fantasy and, of course, lots of Mary Sues (but I really think that the Sue Stage is an important developmental stage, truly). I got sent a quiz by a friend in about 7th or 8th grade that was supposed to determine if you were a "starseed" and that got me into UFOs and Atlantis and ESP and some New Age-y stuff, which was actually a lot of fun (bless my mom for tolerating that). And since I was getting bullied a bit at this point in my life, maybe it was good that I had this "I'm special, I'm actually from another planet and I am important there" thing to hang on to. I know I was super-obsessed with the computer games Myst and Riven about this time--to the point of writing self-insert fanfiction. The hyper-religiosity (mainstream religion, mostly variations of Protestant Christianity) period among myself and my friends was no fun, but there we were, and I guess that counts as an obsession. There are theories that this developmental period is some of the background to the Salem Witch Trials, but I digress. I guess that gets me up to about high school. So, how's that?

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school?

I mean, I guess there were always the bomb threats that made us all evacuate the school and hang around outside for a while. I didn't witness it, but I heard that once the cops brought drug dogs through the school and this one kid jumped up, grabbed his backpack, and ran out of the school and into the woods nearby because he had a bong in his backpack. There were the kids who'd stage a fight in the courtyard of the school so everyone would come running over and then their friends would throw water balloons on the crowd. There was this one girl who told people she was from another planet, and that was weird (me. that was me.). I dunno, I don't know of anything really weird happening at my school, in any grade. It was pretty quiet.

49. what saying or quote do you live by?

"If you work for a living, why do you kill yourself working?" --Tuco, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.?

That's a tough one... It might be "the heaventree of stars hung with humid, nightblue fruit" which comes from the "Ithaca" chapter of Ulysses.

[theniveanlegacy]

OC Companion Interview

Romiyya Ri’ka

I saw this here and I immediately wanted to try it. I’m doing at least two of these, maybe more.

Instructions: Pick three companions who know your OC/muse well. Answer the questions from at least one of their companions points of view. Replace anywhere it says ‘Romiyya’ with your OC’s name. Name the three companions who will be answering here:

1. Malavai Quinn

2. Mayyen Nivean

3. Vette

Are they ready to be candid with their responses? Don’t worry, this is totally private. Romiyya will never read it.

1. First Impressions. What was the first impression you had of Romiyya?

Malavai: She was beautiful, and terrifying. She commanded the room as soon as she entered it. She looked so alien among all the human imperials on Balmorra. Not one single sith among us all, and certainly not an alien sith. She was like nothing I’d ever seen before, and I was enraptured by her.

Mayyen: I remember thinking that she seemed so lonely. I met her on Tatooine, and at the time she only had Vette and Malavai - still the three of us are the only people she really trusts. I just remember thinking how miserably lonely it must be to trust only two people in all the galaxy.

Vette: I dunno really. I guess I thought it was funny to see a Togruta sith - I’d never seen one before - but mostly I was just preparing myself for more electro-shock therapy. She never used the collar though, and I was impressed. That’s when I started to wonder if maybe she and I could actually be friends.

2. Romiyya walks into a bar. No, it’s not a joke - what does she order? If you give her a credit for the jukebox, what kind of music would she put on?

Malavai: She orders two fingers of Kaasian brandy, neat. If she’s in a particularly good mood she’ll order a bottle of Alderaanian wine to share with me, Vette, or her sister. She likes Sith Opera music, but that’s never on the jukebox. Barring that she’ll play whatever Vette recommends.

Mayyen: She gets the fancy Kaasian brandy usually. Sometimes she drinks Alderaanian wine. But - if you get her drunk enough - she downs Coruscanti bourbon like there’s no tomorrow. She won’t admit it on pain of death but I’m pretty sure it’s her favorite drink. In terms of music I think she really likes that one pop band from Ord Mantell. I saw Malavai give her a holodisk of their music for Life Day once. I don’t think I’m supposed to know that.

Vette: Coruscanti bourbon - but only if Malavai and Mayyen aren’t around. She’ll never admit it to them. The only reason I know is because I caught her buying it on Nar Shaddaa once. In terms of music she loves Outer Rim cantina music, but she won’t admit it. Whenever we go to a cantina she always asks me to recommend something, so I always recommend different bands I know she’ll like.

3. How does Romiyya spend a day off from work?

Malavai: With me usually. We go on dates and that sort of thing. Not really your business, is it? Otherwise she likes to paint and draw - that sort of thing. She has a whole book full of drawings of me, Mayyen, Tatooine, things she really loves.

Mayyen: Sometimes she’ll go out for drinks with me or Vette, but usually she spends off days with Malavai. They go on these adorable little dates. He takes her to the Sith Opera, or to picnics on Alderaan, or - oh! Once they went to the Red Light district on Nar Shaddaa. I’ve never asked why, and I don’t want to know.

Vette: She has sex with Quinn.

4. What silly superstitions or funny traditions does she observe?

Malavai: She has a long scarf made from killik silk that I bought for her on Alderaan after we were married. No matter what else she wears - armor, civilian clothes, a dress - if she’s going into a fight she wears that scarf. Even when we were… apart, she wore it.

Mayyen: Well she has Malavai’s scarf which she never takes off. We have a tradition as sisters - we try to meet up at least once a month if it’s possible. No matter the state of the war or our personal allegiances at the moment, we mean a lot to each other and so we try to see each other as regularly as we can manage.

Vette: Quinn’s scarf, but also she’s methodical about cleaning her armor and her lightsabers. She gets in a lot of fights, she gets bloody and dirty a lot, but she’s kind of OCD about hygiene, so after every battle or mission she cleans her armor and her lightsabers.

5. What does Romiyya wear to bed? And just how do you know that?

Malavai: Romiyya likes to sleep in silk nightgowns. I know because I’m her husband.

Mayyen: She likes silk pajamas. I got her a pair of red silk pants for Life Day one year and she loved them. I know because after we discretely bought that stronghold on Tatooine we slept together in the one room that actually had heat.

Vette: Back in the early days when it was just me and her we used to sleep in the same room. We didn’t really trust each other, and the easiest way to gain that trust was to be vulnerable around each other. She used to wear a silk nightgown every night. I would be sitting there in sweat pants and a stolen t-shirt and she’d walk in wearing full length white silk. It was so weird.

6. Your favorite memory of Romiyya?

Malavai: I find I have difficulty picking just one. Perhaps you’re looking for a real memory, a big moment or something similar, but my absolute favorite memory of my wife is a simple one. She likes to paint in her down time. It’s nothing special, and she doesn’t think her work is any good, but one morning I went out to the balcony of our stronghold and she was sitting there painting the sunrise. She likes the sunrise. The suns lit her cheeks in just the right way. Her skin turned the color of fire, and her eyes were so blue…. Apologies. I was just… remembering.

Mayyen: The first night we spent in our Tatooine stronghold. It was just the two of us. I finally got to ask her about my father, and I told her about Belsavis. She told me about Baras, Malavai, her parents - all the people who’ve betrayed her, let her down. It was the first time we were really truly close with each other. I’ll never forget it.

Vette: When I asked her to take my shock collar off, hands down. She was just so kind about it. There was this empathy in her eyes I wasn’t used to seeing from Sith and it really shocked me. It was in that moment that I realized that she was more than her kind. She was a person, and maybe even a good one.

7. A time you very nearly almost kissed Romiyya?

Malavai: The first time we went to Alderaan together. Romiyya decided to work with the Organa woman, and so we fought in a battle that seemed to last all day. Wave after wave of troops and droids hit us endlessly, but my love cut through them all like they were nothing but lumps of clay. She was incredible. I wanted to kiss her then, I almost did, but I knew the line I would be crossing and at the time I was still reluctant to cross it.

Mayyen: I kiss her on the cheek all the time. Partly to watch her squirm while she pretends to hate affection, but mostly because she’s only pretending. She’s actually very affectionate, and she loves physical affection the best, so I try to kiss and hug her whenever possible.

Vette: When she helped me return a Twi’lek artifact to some of my friends. We had drinks afterwards and I was really drunk and really grateful and got into one of my “Hey, Romiyya’s really great and also pretty” moods. It happens from time to time with really attractive people and enough alcohol. I vaguely remember almost kissing her until I saw that she was looking at a message Malavai sent her. Pining is really the biggest of buzz kills.

8. Vacation time! Where do you take Romiyya for some R&R?

Malavai: A couple places, but for vacation we typically return to Dromund Kaas. My mother lives in Kaas City and she adores Romiyya. We spend a day or two with her and she cooks a big feast even for just the three of us. Then we spend a few days catching up on the culture; we go to the art galleries and the opera and such. Finally we spend our final days off in bed in my apartment. It’s rare we get a vacation, but it’s always wonderful when we do.

Mayyen: Tatooine. It’s our home. It’s neutral. We’re not beholden to anyone there and we can be entirely ourselves. It’s the safest place in the galaxy for us. We go whenever we can, and we always relax when we’re there.

Vette: Rishi. I love that stupid crazy pirate planet. Romiyya likes the beaches. I stay with a friend of mine - Clabreo Aldin - her family are big time Corsairs and they own an island on Rishi, so I take Romiyya there to relax.

9. Romiyya’s sense of humor -is it dry, immature, sarcastic, self-deprecating, physical, witty, dark, or…?

Malavai: Contrary to what most people believe my wife is actually very funny. She has a dark sense of humor, it’s true, but her humor is very sarcastic and dry, to the point where most don’t recognize it as humor. I do though. I understand every word, and so I know she is a very funny woman.

Mayyen: It’s- uh- very dry- and sarcastic- and also dark. She’s not typically one for humor to be honest, but when she gets in the right mood (and typically the right mood is when she’s tormenting her enemies) she’s incredibly dry and sarcastic. She’s even funny sometimes- when she’s not threatening people’s lives of course.

Vette: Try nonexistent. Most of the time anyway. If you get her drunk enough she’s funnier than a hut in a bikini.

——

I’m going to do at least one more of these - one for Mayyen - but I might do a couple more too because it’s so entertaining.

Since this is a tagging game (and also so much fun to do) I’ll tag some people: @thebreadtree, @darth-bagel, @palepinkycat, @shanfamilydrama, @blueburds, @starlightjedi

[queakenstein]

Mama Queaky ! :D Could you do a Hw Zelink or OOT Zelink (either one is fine) where Zelda is struggling with trust issues from a rumor & Link is reassuring her ?

Hey, my little baby Anon! ‘course I can! (also, I have no idea if I’m correct about how old horses should be before they “retire” so feel free to educate me because I did like a quick 5 second google) 

Also, also: Let me know if this is too long for ya’ll’s dashes. I can pop a read more on it to help. <3

______________

The whispers and rumors that swirl around any group can always be an interesting mix when it comes to romance. Especially, when in particular tiers of royalty. Zelda has learned to disregard them and, in some cases, to use them for her advantage should she need to. She has learned there is almost always a kernel of truth to even the most blown out of proportion secret. The Queen ignores the unnecessary information but the temptation to dive into the world of words orbiting around your own life can prove difficult.

“Your Highness is everything all right?” A young girl, new to the staff, asks as she picks up the tray of tea mostly untouched. She shuffles with nervousness and averts her pretty, brown eyes to the floor. “I’m sorry to ask but... I’ve heard... rumors.”

Zelda lifts an eyebrows and smiles, gently. “Birds like to twitter around and sing. Pay them no mind.” She closes the book she was reading, an old tome brought home by her favorite green clad knight, and sighs. “Thank you for your concern though.”

The girl nods and turns to leave but pauses. “It doesn’t bother you... though?” She seems torn between speaking so casually to the regent but the curiosity overcomes any desire to be quiet. Zelda’s familiar with the rather informal relationship she has with her ‘servants’. It’s something that she worked hard to achieve. “I don’t know that I could stand having anyone talk about me like that... I-In fact, I know I can’t...” Her hands grip the tray hard enough Zelda is a little shocked to see the white of her knuckles.

“Is there something you would like to say?” She urges, softly. Clearly, this was something that truly was bothering the young woman. “Or is there something I can help with?”

She wiggles her lips in an odd, quirky way as if the words are fighting just behind her teeth. “I... I’ve heard rumors.” The maid swallows and musters up a little more courage to shake the tremors in her voice. “That your husband has been seen... getting close with a ranch girl some ways away from town.”

‘Malon.’ Zelda thinks but does not interupt.

“M-My issue isn’t as serious as that... but... I heard... that there might be a bet among the guards on who... can... bed me first.” She says the last part so quietly that Zelda almosts asks her to repeat it but she’s shivering so badly that she doesn’t dare. “H-How do you ignore things like that? Mean things!”

The Queen gets up from her table and moves forward to take the tray from the girl’s hands. She puts it down and then takes hold of the girl. “It can be difficult and I remember when it used to sting. Hurt and cut so deep that I would agonize over it.” Zelda squeezes the girl shoulders and smiles. “ I have worked hard to value my own worth and words. I’ve surrounded myself with friends who are quick to ignore these kinds of things and who work to support one another. I would advise you to do the same.” She releases her and then laughs. “I have also gotten pretty brave and tend to track down those being particularly nasty to give them a piece of my mind.”

“R-Really?!”

“I wouldn’t say for you to do the same... but,” Zelda shrugs, “I can make an arrangement that the guards are reminded they are supposed to be noble and righteous.”

“Thank you!” The gratitude that shines in those brown eyes warms Zelda’s heat but it isn’t too long after they’re quick goodbye that something cold slithers it’s way in.

Her room is warm and inviting which is only enhanced by the fact that her favorite person is sitting in his old armchair by the fireplace. Link has his legs draped over the arm and seemed to have only managed removing one boot before getting lost in tracing the lines of the map he’s inspecting. 

“I would have come to bed earlier but I got lost in the library.” 

Link snorts and folds the map down so she can see him snicker at her. “You mean, lost in that old book I brought you.” He wags his eyebrows at her as she begins to undress for bed which is met with an eyeroll.

“Says the man studying his next adventure.”

“Heh.” He drops his map onto the end table next to him and reaches down to finally remove his shoe. “I am merely keeping our beloved kingdom safe from monsters.”

“And treasure.”

He grins. “If I must!” Link stands to begin removing his own clothes long since in need of a good cleaning. He drops across the bed and reaches his hand out to draw her against his chest. His merry mood dims and he looks sad all of a sudden. Link caresses her cheek when she props herself up to look at him with a questioning expression. “I, uh, talked to Malon the other day and she thinks it might be time I retire my girl.”

“Epona?” Zelda ignores the sting in her chest at the rancher’s name and focuses on the sadness in her husband’s voice. “She’s nearly 18, love. Not quite young enough for adventures any longer... ” She pokes his chest. “And neither are you.”

He pouts. “I’m not yet 30.”

“30 is old enough to start thinking about settling down... eh, dear?”

Link shrugs. “I don’t know.” He laughs. “Marriage is a being commitment.”

She gently smacks his chest and sits up. “Terribly sorry to inconvenience you.” Zelda sighs and, after just a moment or two of quick contemplation, decides that she doesn’t like the heaviness she feel in her chest. “Darling?”

Link pops up behind her and brushes her hair to the side so that he can kiss the curve of her neck. “Yes, my beautiful love?”

“Do... you...” She feels silly, suddenly, asking him something like this while his hands encircle her. “Um.”

Link places his chin on her shoulder and then titles his head so his head lightly bumps hers. “Zelda, what is it?” His voice is soft, encouraging, and she wonders if he will laugh at her question.

“You’ve been spending more time at Lon Lon... and... it’s come to the attention of the court--”

“Ah, yes, the spymasters.” Link pulls away to lie back against the headboard. 

“Well.” She pushes on though she misses the reassurance his bodyheat gave her. “They’ve noticed how close you and Malon have become... again.”

“Again?” He asks and she turns in time to see the puzzle she had not even fully laid out click together in his eyes. “You think I’m cheating?” Link’s voice tries very hard to remain even and calm but she can tell there’s more complicated emotions swelling in him. 

“N-No!” Zelda holds her hands up and shakes her head. “I-It’s just that you used to be close--”

“You can say engaged, Zelda. It’s not a curse.” Link frowns and crosses his arms. Zelda knows that’s the sign he has upped his mental guard. “That was ages ago. We were teenagers.”

“I know.” She slumps and curls her legs up to her chest. “Sometimes, when I hear the whispers, I think that maybe you regret becoming my husband.” She sighs. “It is hard when our relationship has been so complicated and I think about how easy a life with Malon would be.” She meets his gaze and shrugs. “I would not blame you if the temptation be--”

“Nope.” Link moves forward and seizes her face in his hands. He kisses her fully and hard against the mouth. “Listen,” He says presses his forehead against hers, “there isn’t a day that goes by that I am not so incredibly happy that I have you. That we chose each other. That I have this, right here, until that day that I die.” He kisses her more softly this time. “Malon and I were kids... there is always going to be some affection there. I cannot deny that.” Link smiles so softly and genuinely that Zelda feels her heart skip a beat. “But, I love you. I love you and there is no one else that would be able to fill the space you would leave if I were to lose you.”

Zelda smiles and is a little shocked when his thumb brushes away a tear. “I love you too, darling.” She kisses him and allows herself to be pulled into his lap. “I’m sorry for doubting you.”

“Don’t be.” He chuckles. “Sometimes, it’s nice just to be reassured.”

[valkirsif]

Follow you CH6/???

Painter Steve Roger x Natasha Romanof bailarina

Word 2500

Warning nothing

I hope enjoy @im-catbug many hug :)

Steve was constantly thinking back to the days just passed with Natasha as the plane prepared to take off, the little bubble of joy had vanished and now the woman was on a plane that would take her from the other end of the country while he was leaving to start the his studies at SDAI and did not know when they would meet again but tried not to think about it, at that moment he had to concentrate and think only of himself as it was difficult, he tied the woman's ribbon on his wrist like a bracelet and tried to relax his arrival would have to put the new apartment in order and check the schedule of the lessons, smiled to himself thinking that he would be a freshman ... one of the oldest, surrounded by boys and girls fresh out of graduation was the main reason why he had not chosen to living on campus but taking a house, chaos was not for him, not even as a boy did he love him, in high school he was secluded among the artists despite having a perfect body for r the sport, he ran only to relax but the best thing was the girls, everyone ran after the cheer leaders, as was obvious, but he had always loved busy girls, those with whom you could stay at the pub talking and laughing without 'anxious to have to be perfect or without having to endure the endless hours of shopping to find the perfect dress for shoes, in short he preferred the kind of girls who almost all snubbed .. those who did not hide to be intelligent, the thought immediately went to Tasha, she kept asking herself how an intelligent and wonderful woman like her could have chosen him, a recurring question even in high school, in those days the fascination of the artist was taking hold now that he was a man she didn't understand the mechanisms of love but she wasn't worried it was happy to be with Tasha, how he made him feel and laugh at eating popcorn in front of the TV, he didn't ask for much,

"Would you like something? Coffee, water, a sandwich ”the gentle voice of the hostess brought him back to reality,

"Thanks coffee," he replied with a smile, he would have landed soon, he saw the city from the window, he was excited for his new life and ready to get busy.

He looked at the time while he was waiting for his luggage, it was just after 3 pm, Tasha was still in the air

¥ You will be on the desert at this time, I have just landed call me when you arrive, I LOVE YOU ¥ 

retrieved his suitcases and took a bus to the center, he had an appointment with a certain Marc, an old friend of Sara's whom the woman had asked to looking for the apartment for him, he arrived downtown and looked for the bar where the man was waiting for him looking around, Sara had forgotten to send him a picture and didn't know how to recognize it,

"You must be Steve!" Said a cheerful voice from a table behind him, the man turned and smiled back,

"Marc, I assume," came over to shake his hand, "You were luckier than me, Sara sent you a picture," he laughed, settling himself,

"If you know Sara well, you know she didn't do it," she said calling the waitress, "Two coffees please" the girl wrote the order and disappeared at the counter, "I assumed you were, suitcases, backpack, you looked around ... typical appearance of the newly landed stranger "

"The classic out-of-home student" both laughed, drinking coffee

"Sara told me everything about you she wanted you to find the right home for her Brooklyn boy, she left off telling me you're gorgeous," he said flirtatiously,

"Thank you, you're not bad either," Steve replied, not feeling the least bit uncomfortable, "I can't wait to be home I'm exhausted"

"So let's go, I have the car out here," answered Marc, making his way, "It's a stone's throw from the campus, you walk 5 minutes through the park, I hope it's your taste," the man said, "I prepared you a map with the most useful things in the area, shops, restaurants and various places in case you want to go out every so often "

"Thank you very much, can I bother you in case of need?" Steve asked, "I was so used to having Sara always with me that it's strange to be alone"

"No problem, I promised Sara to take care of you .. I always keep my promises" he smiled giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder, they arrived in the campus area in less than half an hour, he felt the atmosphere of the artists, groups of students strolling in the park, Marc parked in front of a blue house.

"Welcome to San Diego," he said, giving him the keys, "Come in and tell me what you think while I unload the luggage," Steve walked up the driveway and opened the door, he really liked the outside, old style repainted with bright colors like the others in area, he immediately found the living room to welcome him, the red bricks had been exposed, an old leather sofa with two armchairs occupied the corner in front of the TV, the open kitchen was separated from the living room with an arch that also served as a bench for lunch, a short corridor led to the bedroom, Steve hoped to have a room just to work but he would have divided the bedroom with a curtain in case, and from the outside it seemed that the house had two floors, he went back to the room where Marc waited leaning against the wall

"Is it your taste?" He asked cheerfully

"It's a perfect friend you made a great choice," he replied, throwing his backpack on the sofa, he didn't want to be rude by telling him about the extra room he wanted, on the campus there were classrooms to paint in solitude,

"Mmm yet Sara had told me that you were looking for something with at least two rooms to get you a studio"

"In fact I would have liked to have a studio, but it's not a problem," he replied awkwardly, "Do me a favor by leaning against the wall with me," Marc said, looking at him puzzled, not understanding the request, the man nodded to him approaching, once leaning he felt a click and moved between the curious and the undecided looking at Marc who was laughing,

"I thought a secret study was better," he said mysteriously, he pushed "the wall" that opened showing a flight of stairs leading to the upper floor,

"Cabbage the wall is a door ?!" said Steve amazed, "It's a brilliant idea !!" he laughed as he looked at Marc,  

"When I visited the house and they showed me the door I thought it was the right one for you," said the man,

"Friend is all perfect now, if Tasha were here I would be in heaven" he concluded with a veil of sadness in his voice,

"Follow me, I'll show you the second floor," he said, going up the stairs, followed by Steve, the upper floor was large and bright, the walls had been removed to create a room full of light with the bathroom attached, the wooden floor was covered with carpets colored and some boxes were leaning against the wall, it would have become a beautiful studio once the furniture arrived,

"What do you say is big enough to work?" Marc asked, looking at the happy face of the man, "In the boxes there are spare tiles, you can put them in the garage since you don't have a car"

"Marc now that everything is perfect, if I didn't think badly I would kiss you" he answered laughing,

"I'm afraid my husband and your girlfriend would have something to say, a hug is more appropriate" laughed Marc in turn, "When do your things arrive?"

"The movers will be here in a couple of days, I will have plenty of time to settle down before classes begin"

"In that case, relax and take a walk, tomorrow night you are my guest at dinner," he said giving him a pat on the back, "Now I get back to the center, the work calls" the two shook hands, Steve accompanied the new friend to the door

"See you tomorrow and thank you for everything, Marc," he greeted

"Brooklyn boy tomorrow" the man laughed as he left. Steve went into the room and unpacked, found a box with a ticket on the bottom of the suitcase

¥ Good start lessons my love T. ¥

opened the excited package inside there was a set of colored charcoal of his favorite brand, he smiled at that special gift, he was really a lucky man who found Tasha, closed the box and put it on the table, took out the folder with the documents and went out to go to register in the faculty, Marc was right passing through the park took a few minutes to arrive, he crossed some students and stopped to look at a drawing group that was portraying a girl posing on the tree, that was the his place was increasingly convinced, he smiled as he entered the campus garden.

Looked around was exactly as he remembered it, at least 3 years had passed since his first visit to apply for enrollment but in those days he didn't have the credentials to access, he had worked hard, committing himself to the maximum and finally he had managed to enter, he followed the signs. for the secretariat, hoping it was still open, it was almost 6 pm maybe it was late,

"Excuse me," he said, stopping a woman in the corridor, "Is the office still open?", The woman looked at him with a smile

"Of course, students are constantly coming in and open until late," he replied, "But the new teachers have to report to the rector not in the office," Steve laughed, he expected something similar,

"Er thank you but I'm a new student," he said awkwardly, even the woman laughed

"I'm sorry I'm used to dealing with 18/20 years old kids, so I'll see you in class on Monday, Mr.?"

"Rogers, Steve Rogers," he said, shaking her hand,

"Nice to meet you, Anna Smith, you can call me Anna like all my students", the woman walked away and Steve walked down the corridor to the student office, knocked and a secretary came in, greeted him smiling,

"Good afternoon, can I help you?" she asked, making him sit down,

"I should complete the registration, I have the documents here," he replied, sitting down and handing her the folder with the documentation,

"Let's see .." said checking and entering the data of the man in the system, "... it's all right, these are the times of the lessons and those of the teachers, a map of the campus .." she handed him the sheets, ".. do you already have accommodation? ” asked, taking other sheets from the file,

"Yes I took a house just outside the complex," he replied

"Very good then the poster with the ads you do not need, well come to the SDAI Steve" smiled dismissing him

"Thanks," he answered as left, opened the map and studied it so as not to get lost on the first day, took a walk in the large campus park to get some reference points, he was studying a mural when he heard the phone vibrate.

"Hello my beautiful princess" he said lovingly answering Tasha, "How was the flight?"

"My love we just landed, the journey went well I'm very tired" said the woman, "Did you settle down?"

"Yes, I just completed the registration, I was walking around the campus" he replied, sitting down in the tree, "I wish you could see the house, it's near the park and full of light you'd like"

"I will give it a little thought of love," the woman replied laughing, "Take my own please," he said to someone

"Do you have to look for your luggage? I let you do your things ... do we feel when you're at the hotel? "Steve said, hearing the voices of the woman's colleagues,

"I figured I was just giving the coupon to Jessy so he recovers everything, I think I'll collapse in bed as soon as he arrived at the hotel" he laughed, "Flying makes me anxious I wasn't able to rest .. I kept thinking of you",

"Princess wanted to thank you for the gift, I will think of you every time I use them .. however there is something for you in the suitcase .." Steve said mysteriously,

"Then I will have to unpack as soon as I arrive!" She said curiously, "The bus has arrived, we feel later my sexy painter .. I love you"

"... I love you princess afterwards" he replied, attacking, stood looking at the sky through the leaves enjoying the cool of the evening before returning home, getting into the studio and starting to make it usable, he didn't think about tidying the new house but he concentrated only on the upper floor his art came first of all .. not before Tasha laughed to himself, now she was his center, he made some trips to bring the spare tiles into the garage, he did not remove those chipped or broken ones, observing them he thought of a project for one of the walls of the studio, in the garage he found an old table covered with objects he cleaned it, he untied the drawers stuck by the long inactivity and put it in a corner of the studio, it was perfect to keep brushes and colors, he would wanted to bring up one of the armchairs upstairs but realized that it was too heavy for him, he promised himself to ask Marc for help the next day, it was almost night when he looked around, in the study lacking only his stool and the raised base he used for portraits, they would arrive in the following days along with the rest, fortunately the house was furnished had left all his furniture in the old house, he had taken only his study, his clothes and objects from which he would not have separated for anything in the world, photos of his family, a colorful sculpture given to him by Sara that everyone found horrible but that he loved, the wind chimes of shells he had made with his grandchildren, all his memories more expensive, the day had been long and tiring and he was hungry but the fridge was deserted, "Thanks Marc" said between himself opening the envelope that the man had left him, inside there were a series of numbers for home deliveries , he scanned the list and decided for Chinese dinner, he called, ordered, had plenty of time to take a shower and change before dinner arrived, the first day in San Diego had been exciting and tiring at the same time or, he hung the wind chimes on the porch and sat on the veranda with the meal, he lacked Tasha but felt happy, that was his dream and decided to live it to the full.

[the-little-shoebox]

1-100 do it scrub

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED LET"S GO!!!! SORRY FOR THE WALL!

1. What is you middle name?Actually don’t legally have one.2. How old are you?213. When is your birthday?September 134. What is your zodiac sign?Virgo5. What is your favorite color?Green or orange. Both are very good.6. What’s your lucky number?759 and 1137. Do you have any pets?No but I reeeeeeeally want some!8. Where are you from?I’m from Louisiana, the boot of the country. 9. How tall are you?IRL I’m around 5 foot 6. Average height my dude.10. What shoe size are you?10 and a half to 11… yeah big feet for kicking your a-

11. How many pairs of shoes do you own?Like…. 2 or three? One tearing about as the seams. 12. What was your last dream about?I…. don’t remember. But I do remember it involved tripping over my roommate’s mountain of clothes while shouting at her for something.13. What talents do you have?Not blinking, screaming a variety of sounds, needle felting, embroidery. 14. Are you psychic in any way?No, not at all psychic.15. Favorite song?DON"T MAKE ME CHOOSE! Well, one of my favorites of all time is ‘Life itself’ By Glass animals. Though Missio songs have been growing on me.16. Favorite movie?Ok this is gonna be weird but Matilda is one of my favorite movies. Watch it whenever it comes on TV. 17. Who would be your ideal partner?Alrighty have them. They’re up above making me answer all these in one go. Love ya babe!18. Do you want children?No. Kids intimidate me.Only fur babies. 19. Do you want a church wedding?Nah. They seem a little too formal for my taste.20. Are you religious?Well I was a long time ago, but I’ve honestly fallen out of it over the years.

21. Have you ever been to the hospital?Yes. Emergency stitches.22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law?The closest time I did was because we tried to walk home via railroad tracks ditching mom at a pizza place. I was put in the back seat of the cop car and cried thinking I was gonna go to jail. I drew a smiley face on the foggy window……. I was young and stupid.23. Have you ever met any celebrities?Nnnnnnnope!24. Baths or showers?Baths all the way, I enjoy just soaking and totally not falling asleep in the water.25. What color socks are you wearing?I have no socks on now. Jokes on you!26. Have you ever been famous?I’m not famous. Nooooooot at all.27. Would you like to be a big celebrity?Noooooo. I like being in the shadows.28. What type of music do you like?Little bit of everything, but mostly pop or really chill music.29. Have you ever been skinny dipping?Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. 30. How many pillows do you sleep with?Three at most. Hug them all

31. What position do you usually sleep in?It shifts to on my back or on my side just curled up among the blankets.32. How big is your house?Honestly not that big. Simple little adobe.33. What do you typically have for breakfast?If I’m at home a sandwich, but really it’s anything I can grab. Maybe some chips. 34. Have you ever fired a gun?Only a water gun. Never touching a real gun.35. Have you ever tried archery?Actually I have! Not too bad at it!36. Favorite clean word?Clean word…… Moxie. I love just saying moxie.37. Favorite swear word?Bumblefuck……. Some friends help make that.38. What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep?24 hours. Worst night of my life39. Do you have any scars?A few! Claw marks on my arm, but the most infamous one is on the bottom of my left foot. That one needed the stitches.

40. Have you ever had a secret admirer?If I did they hid it really really well.41. Are you a good liar?Oh no I’m the absolute worst liar. Anyone can tell you that.42. Are you a good judge of character?I like to think it’s about 75 percent accurate? I have a decent enough judge, but it sometimes glitches and I feel like crap for it.43. Can you do any other accents other than your own?I……. no? 44. Do you have a strong accent?Not really. It abandoned me.45. What is your favorite accent?I’m a sucker for like Irish tones. They’re neat to me!46. What is your personality type?If it’s the letter’s thing it’s ENFP. IF I had to say for myself….. loud.47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing?I really don’t know. Maybe this one nice light blue jacket I have. I can’t answer that honestly.48. Can you curl your tongue?I think so!49. Are you an innie or an outie?Innie.50. Left or right handed?Ya girl leftie all the way!

51. Are you scared of spiders?Only a few like Brown Recluse and Black widows. All the others are perfectly fine with me. 52. Favorite food?Chicken and Dumplings. My favorite comfort food when I can get it.53. Favorite foreign food?I’d have to say eggrolls and Mongolian chicken. I really love Mandarin food apparently.54. Are you a clean or messy person?Messy. No question about it. I live in a rat’s nest. Working on it though!55. Most used phrased?Either 'you got this!’ or 'FIGHT ME!’56. Most used word?Bruh. I say bruh IRL waaaay too much.57. How long does it take for you to get ready?3-5 Minutes…. not counting the hour is takes for me to actually wake up.58. Do you have much of an ego?No? I least I hope I don’t.59. Do you suck or bite lollipops?Both. I do both.60. Do you talk to yourself?All the time.

61. Do you sing to yourself?Even more so! 62. Are you a good singer?Ehhhhh, we’ll call it so so.63. Biggest Fear?Lightning. I absolutely freeze up and cower from it. Not fun.64. Are you a gossip?…… yeah in recent years I have collected a lot of dirt. But I only receive it and don’t spread it. I hoard all your secrets for myself. 65. Best dramatic movie you’ve seen?How’s how to train your dragon 2 count?66. Do you like long or short hair?I have a pension for shorter hair, every to fun your fingers through.67. Can you name all 50 states of America?I better if I flipping live here!68. Favorite school subject?Art(Duh), but if we didn’t have that I have a soft spot for history or Speech and Debate.69. Extrovert or Introvert?Extrovert. I scream hi to everyone!70. Have you ever been scuba diving?No, but it sounds so fun!

71. What makes you nervous?Everything. Silence, chances in schedule, deadlines, my own thoughts. So…. everything.72. Are you scared of the dark?Not really. I love the dark. I am the dark.73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes?Eh..... no. They’ll figure it out on their own.74. Are you ticklish?I am not disclosing this information.75. Have you ever started a rumor?No thank god. That ain’t my style!76. Have you ever been in a position of authority?I mod servers on discord and I do them very well. So yes, that is my authority.77. Have you ever drank underage?No thank you. Not really a fan of alcohol from the looks alone.78. Have you ever done drugs?No….unless caffeine counts.79. Who was your first real crush?My first crush was a guy in like fifth grade called Mark. Annnnnd that was the first time I had my heart crushed in front of me. Luckily he grew up to be a jerk so I’m over it. 80. How many piercings do you have?Zero. I am a chicken.

81. Can you roll your Rs?“Pretty sure I butcher them when I try.82. How fast can you type?Honestly not that fast. 83. How fast can you run?Depends, who am I chasing?84. What color is your hair?Dark Brown, almost black.85. What color is your eyes?Brown as well. 86. What are you allergic to?Seafood, wasps and bee stings, penicillin. 87. Do you keep a journal?Not really. Though i may try to do one again!88. What do your parents do?My mom is a retired teacher. She…. doesn’t really do that much now.89. Do you like your age?Yeah. I’m content with my age and where things look to be going now!90. What makes you angry?Small things, disrespecting arts, just blunt stupidity. Anything off r/insanefacebook.I get angry at a looooot of things.

91. Do you like your own name?Yes I do. I am proud of my name!92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they?I have even though I don’t want kids. Though I can’t remember them at the moment.93. Do you want a boy a girl for a child?NO KIDS!94. What are your strengths?Drawing expressions, optimism, staying motivated to do a thing.95. What are your weaknesses?Anger, paranoia, long list of health issues. 96. How did you get your name?I have no idea.97. Were your ancestors royalty?I don’t freaking know!98. Do you have any scars?I ALREADY ANSWERED THIS!!!!!99. Color of your bedspread?Dark grey.100. Color of your room?White….. it’s a dorm room.

[one-ishmael]

Chapter 9: The Sermon

And here we are, at the climax of the most overtly religious section of Moby-Dick; or, the Whale. Now that the church itself, the pulpit, and Father Mapple have all been introduced, it’s time for the main event!

SUMMARY: Father Mapple gives a sermon on the Book of Jonah.

This chapter starts off with a little taste of the way that Mapple is going to mix in colloquial salty, sailor-ish phrases into his serious religious teachings. He calls everyone from starboard and larboard to come midships, or to gather in the middle of the church, closer to the pulpit.

“Larboard?” you may be wondering, “I thought it was port and starboard”. You would be right, even at the time this book was written, but only just. It was starboard and larboard until the 1840s, when naval captains in Britain got tired of people mishearing and going to the wrong side of the ship. They changed larboard to port, to cut down on that confusion, and the American navy followed suit a few years later. This change was probably just filtering down to merchant ships around the time Melville was writing this book, so it’s hard to blame him.

And, anyway, this book is actually set in the past, having been written by a modern, older Ishmael, so it’s not a mistake even within the fiction!

Fun fact: “Port” isn’t actually much of a change in meaning from “larboard”. It comes from Old English meaning “load board”, or the side of the boat that you load things onto, from the port. “Starboard” comes from “steer board”, or the side you steer from, using an oar, before rudders were invented.

Let’s get into this sermon! It concerns, as you could probably guess, the story of Jonah, from the relatively short Book of Jonah, of the Old Testament of the Bible. The gist of it is that Jonah is ordered by God to go tell the city of Nineveh that they’re acting terribly and God is going to destroy them, but Jonah refuses because he is afraid of what the Ninevites will do it him.

Instead, he tries to run away. This part is wonderfully embellished by Mapple, who really brings life to the sailors and captain of the ship who Jonah books passage with. He emphasizes how guilty Jonah looks, but how he tries to act as though nothing is wrong. There’s a fun bit where the captain suspects him, and so charges him triple the usual rate, and has his suspicions confirmed when Jonah doesn’t even try to haggle. But hey, money is money, so off they go.

You know how this part goes, I’m sure. A storm appears, and will not relent. The sailors cast lots for who to throw overboard to appease the storm, and Jonah gets it. He confesses then and there that he is defying God. Interestingly, the sailors don’t throw him over immediately, but still try to make it through the storm, only finally tossing him as they are on the brink of destruction. Then, the storm goes away, instantly, and Jonah gets eaten by a whale.

In the original text, it actually only says “big fish”, but that came to mean the same thing as whale in Latin, so it’s a whale. We’ll get into some Discourse on whales w/r/t their status as fish or now at a later point.

Jonah finally asks for forgiveness from God, and is spat up on a beach, and goes off to prophesize against the Ninevites.

Mapple draws two lessons from this:

First: If you sin, you have to repent. You have to apologize, and ask for forgiveness, even knowing that some horrible fate may await you. This is one of the sins that Jonah commits, he defies God and then, on the ship in the storm, refuses to repent. That is why he’s swallowed up and taken to the depths of the ocean, until he does finally admit his wrongdoing. And then, even from those same abyssal depths, God hears his plea, and has mercy upon him.

Secondly: It is important to speak truth to falsehood, especially for those who know the truth. Mapple applies this lesson to himself, rather than the congregation. Jonah was told that he was to go tell the Ninevites that they were doing evil, and would be destroyed. But he feared their reaction, and so hid himself away. He was told the truth directly by God, but couldn’t bring himself to tell others. So, it is a great sin to hide your knowledge of the truth, especially as it pertains to God and sin.

Of course, this latter lesson is built on the notion that you know what the truth is, and a major theme of this book is that that’s kind of a questionable business. Ishmael is constantly doubting that anyone can ever know the truth about anything. So this seems like a bit of a moot point, but it applies more to Ishmael’s philosophical opposite, who we have not yet met.

The sermon ends with some bog standard stuff leading off of that, about speaking truth the power and how your reward will be eternal for following the will of God, and so on. Then Mapple simply kneels down in prayer, in the high, lonely fortress of a pulpit remember, and waits there silently until everyone has left.

Something that’s hard to get across with this chapter, and you may not notice even if you read it, is that it is definitely written to be an actual oratory, a speech that you give out loud. It simply flows better if spoken aloud, preferably in a loud voice, perhaps standing or sitting in a huge armchair next to a great roaring fire. Take this passage, and notice the rhythm of it, the ebb and flow, and try saying it aloud to yourself:

Miserable man! Oh! most contemptible and worthy of all scorn; with slouched hat and guilty eye, skulking from his God; prowling among the shipping like a vile burglar hastening to cross the seas. So disordered, self-condemning is his look, that had there been policemen in those days, Jonah, on the mere suspicion of something wrong, had been arrested ere he touched a deck. How plainly he’s a fugitive! no baggage, not a hat-box, valise, or carpet-bag,—no friends accompany him to the wharf with their adieux. At last, after much dodging search, he finds the Tarshish ship receiving the last items of her cargo; and as he steps on board to see its Captain in the cabin, all the sailors for the moment desist from hoisting in the goods, to mark the stranger’s evil eye.

It’s just great. Honestly, this chapter may be one of the most influential on my own style of writing. I try to simply write how I would speak, most of the time. It works pretty well, keeps the energy up, gives it more of an easy, readable flow.

Oratory was a much more important thing in the 19th century, and before. Many people made their livings going around giving speeches, especially authors. In the ages before mass communication through radio, being able to give a powerful, persuasive speech in person was a very valuable skill. This kind of sermon would be very common, and in fact they were often transcribed and sold later, in printed form.

There are many themes introduced here that will come back many times. The idea of a man struggling to comprehend the will of God is a big one. We see again an idea of disregarding petty physical things in favor of actually important spiritual concerns, although from a very different angle. Mapple says that you’ll have a true, better reward if you do the right thing, and that any physical torment you suffer will be worth it, as opposed to Ishmael thinking that none of this physical stuff even matters at all, as it’s only a small part of his true existence.

This is kind of the introduction, then, of another major theme: Destroying your body in service to another. In this case, it’s in service of God, telling Jonah to go do a thing that might get him hurt, but is scary. We’re going to get some stronger, more direct versions of this once we actually get on a whaling ship.

The style of this chapter is so strikingly different from all the others, it’s definitely one of my favorites. Melville is able to really show off his gift for writing prose here. Try not to skim over it, it’s worth it to take in all that good nautical language.

Ah, that was a fun one. Lots of stuff to talk about there, and I really only scratched the surface. We’re still planting the seeds for a lot of big themes that will only come into full bloom much later in the book.

The next chapter is A Bosom Friend, and is an interesting counterpoint to this one. A bit less on the overt religious themes, and a bit more down to earth and heartwarming.

Until next time, shipmates!

Image credits, in order:

Jonah and the giant fish (1400), Jami al-tawarikh, by Rashid-al-Din Hamadani.

Jonah and the Whale (1621), by Pieter Lastman.

Jonah Cast Forth By the Whale & Jonah Preaching to the Ninevites (1866), by Gustave Dore.

[cessairhuxley]

                                                                    I N T R O

Hexxus:  Cessair Huxley [ Cessair Def: ‘sorrow’ or ‘affliction’, Huxley Def: ‘inhospitable place��� ]  Age, 35.  Birthday, 27th October, 1983.  Starsign Scorpio ( ascending virgo, moon in cancer ). 

Trope - Magnificent Bastard

Capturing the audience with their charisma, incredible intellect, mastery of manipulation, and boldness of action, this character is a show-stealer.  

They are brilliant and utterly devious, a smooth operator. They are also savvy and do not fall for obvious traps; bringing them down is no easy feat.

They are charismatic, often charming, their personality is like a physical force. While they exist on the darker end of the moral spectrum, they never take disgusting actions that undermine their magnificence, leaving them diabolical but in a way the audience can’t help but enjoy. And they are definitively not cowards. Ever.

                                                     P L A Y L I S T

Ultranumb - Blue Stahli Violated / So degraded / The show has just begun / Dominated / By all you hated / This will make you ULTRAnumb / Confession Is such / Perfection / Your sweet / Repression / Can’t hide  / Who you really are / Say you love it / Don’t pretend that you’re better than this / Malevolence goes both ways

Throne - Bring Me The Horizon So you can throw me to the wolves / Tomorrow I will come back / Leader of the whole pack / Beat me black and blue / Every wound will shape me / Every scar will build my throne

Blindfold - Sleeping Wolf Pull me in / No, I cannot resist / Every time your gravity has a hold on me / Shed your skin / You’re just a counterfeit / Dressing up an empty heart, I know who you are / So use your, use your / Use your, use your blindfold / Cover your hands on my eyes, closed / Do it again / Tie me up and show me what’s real / Hate your love, but love how you feel / Useless, trying to fight / And the truth is, I’d rather be blind

Stole The Show - Kygo No heroes, villains, one to blame / While wilted roses fill the stage / And the thrill, the thrill is gone / Our debut was a masterpiece / But in the end for you and me / Oh, the show, it can’t go onWe used to have it all, but now’s our curtain call / So hold for the applause, oh / And wave out to the crowd, and take our final bow / Oh, it’s our time to go, but at least we stole the show

                               I N  C H A R A C T E R  I N T E R V I E W 

How do you feel about the Exodus?

“Isn’t it wonderful???”

A slice of a grin, sharp as any blade cuts across those almost serpentine features.  It’s quite clear from the sadistic glee that taints those words that the so called ‘tragedy’ that had befallen the fables was, in this case at least - more of a boon.  It’s not the first world he’s found himself in.  It’s not the first place he’s been allowed to roam, to pick apart the corners of existence like the oil slick stain that dripped in his chest where most would expect a heart to be.  It’s not the first place The Nothing has been drawn to – and whether he was sent, or pulled, or tossed like the latest piece of garbage rolling along filthy asphalt, he is here.  And that’s all that matters.  When this place is gone… Crumbled, ash and dust, decaying and – d e a d.  There will be another.  There always is.

Meanwhile, he’s nestled in his booth at Wonderland.  Lounging deep in the plush seat - There’s something about the way he takes to a chair which makes him seem more like a liquid than a solid.  There was never any ‘perching’, no ‘sitting’, it couldn’t even be defined as ‘slouching’.  Just a way of going from standing to a casually recumbent state - looking as though he’d been occupying said piece of furniture for vastly longer than the fleeting moments he’s actually been there - the martini which is delivered to the table only a moment later testament to that fact.

“Limitless potential, rampant chaos, complicit corruption, spiralling self destruction… and here – ”

There’s a sinuous shrug, fingers trailing the cherry around the glass on it’s little stick, gleaming red, reflecting the lights of the club as though it were an ember ready to ignite.

“ – the bad guys can win.”

Was it hard adjusting to life in Fabletown? Do you miss the Homeworld?

“No, and, no.”

It’s a fairly straight forward, very direct answer.  Why would he miss the saccharine boredom of that place???  Where people smiled inanely all day ( surely a sign of some kind of deeper communal psychosis in his opinion ), where they sung happy little ditties which were nausea inducing at best, horribly revealing, over sharing and a big ole slice of ‘TMI’ at worst.  It makes his new found flesh creep at the mere thought something of a burgeoning migraine teasing into place between his eyes with the harshness of an ice pick driving through his skull.

Why would he miss the constant drudgery of eternal predictable ‘happy endings’.  Where traits like ambition, pride, deceit, manipulation and the like are all – undesirable.  

Here – oh, HERE, they’re keys.  Which unlock the aforementioned potential.  Things to be admired, wary of, respectful of – fearful of.  A place where it’s not the biggest sword, or brainless bravado, or the glimmer of light that stands victorious - but the sharpest mind, the patient darkness, the sweetest lie.

Where is your favorite place in Fabletown or New York?

“While Wonderland is so dearly – enchanting.  And the delights we have to offer are implicitly and uniquely spectacular, I do sometimes favour – other – kinds of amusement… And there are plenty of places in this city to be – entertained.”

While he says little else on the matter publicly - there are a few who frequent said establishments who would see him as something of a regular voyeur.  A foot into the Four Jacks isn’t unusual - a test of skill or luck in a gamble here and there.  But that’s not the main draw of the place.  While he can see tantamount supple bodies and exposed flesh in a myriad of forms at Wonderland, it’s all a little too – pristine – to sustain those darker desires for long.  The money he carries into the casino isn’t for a trite game of poker, or a clicking slot - it’s for the more visceral purveying of brutalism.  The Underdrome, with broken bones, shattered skulls, blood in fountains aplenty.  Those combatants pitched in delicious instinctive battle.  It’s human nature to – f i g h t.  To devolve to that primal brain where the only thing that matters is - survival.  

To hate, to hurt, to harm, to kill.  – Chaos unleashed.

It’s all rather good fun, really.

How do you feel about magic? Do you think it should be banned, regulated, or neither?

There’s something of a ‘tchh’ between his teeth, a click of a tongue like the rattle of bone dice.  The martini he’s been nursing finally lifted from the table so that he can sample a little of the sweet-sour flavour on his tongue.

“The only people who care about controlling or banning magic are the ones who either a) don’t understand it or - and the likeliest option - b) don’t have it.”

“Jealousy, perhaps.  Little green eyed monsters clamouring for something beyond their grasp.  Fear - of the unknown.”

Just another delightful little weakness to exploit.

Who do you think killed Little Red Riding Hood? Please also indicate here if you would like for your character to potentially be the killer and, if so, what their motive would be.

“I have no idea why my opinion would matter either way.  I’m sure the NYPDs finest are on the case and doing… whatever it is they do between their copious consumption of donuts.”

Does he care???  Not particularly.  

And macabre as it sounds, even the death of Red hadn’t particularly hurt business.  In fact - it’s booming.  As much of a highlight as she was, the morbid fascination of the populace drawing them to a place that might be connected to a grisly murder was stronger – they come for the freak show, like vultures snapping at the eyes of corpses – they stay for the entertainment.  The bodies beautiful.  The liquor which loosens tongues and wallets both.  

The real fun is the almost tangible tremble that ran along the spines of every other fable.  A suddenly looming mortality.  A copious and present paranoia.  A fearful herd, a flock, scurrying around and jumping at shadows – in which, someone of the right persuasion could see their way to taking advantage…

…To that end, I set my wolf among you sheep.

hello!  i’m g, older than dirt ( over 21... ) - GMT.  <3

[blakes-seven-or-so-blog]

S1 E13: Orac

Gan, Jenna, and Avon are feeling ill. Blake pronounces Orac with a rolled ‘r’ and thinks there's something odd about the whole Orac situation. He makes Avon watch last week's episode in slow motion, something Avon completely forgets about by season four. They discover that the VW didn't break down because of the usual reasons but because of sabotage.

Cally uses a geiger counter on Avon and Vila and it clicks like a New Year's Eve noisemaker. Wait, they didn't decontaminate after returning from Cephlon?! How can they be surprised at having radiation sickness after spending all day on the Highly Radioactive Planet? They probably tracked isotopes all over the Liberator, too. Its market value just plummeted.

There are no decontamination drugs on their super-advanced spaceship, and their only hope is that Ensor will have some. Avon acknowledges that he and Vila share a few talents, among them ‘mortality’, which Vila finds unpalatable.

I am a little dubious about the idea that a drug could easily reverse the kind of severe cellular damage a lethal dose of radiation would cause, but: it’s the 28th century, and also it’s plot grease.

Iscandar! They can get a Cosmo Reverser there and cure the radiation damage... Oh, it's only Aristo. They’re screwed.

A kindly old man nearly has a heart attack in his solarium and checks the charge level on his chestronics. Hairy chests are so 25th century. He has a conversation with someone about the intruders that have landed nearby. His unseen companion sounds just like him and also like drunken bees and is talking out of a fern. The kindly old man hates unexpected visitors, and if you don't call first, consider yourself lizard food. I like this guy.

Travis and Servalan arrive and use the map Ensor, Sr. provided (why? why would he give them a secret map when he invited them?) to break in through the creepy lizard-man infested undersea tunnels.

Ensor needs the batteries his son was bringing because he has a primitive artificial heart that needs batteries every forty years. Here's my question: why did he wait until the very last minute to get replacement batteries? Did he forget? Did it take that long to find the right size? It's a mystery.

Orac gives Zen brain freeze and then starts talking through him. It accepts Blake's excuse for showing up unannounced and turns Zen back on. Zen finally has a paradoxical koan to ponder.

They're down to five teleport bracelets. Looks like it's time to draw straws and throw two people off.

Servalan gets groped by a lizard-man and Travis rescues her. She uncharacteristically sobs in horror like a damsel in distress. This whole scene annoys me. At least he doesn't attempt to comfort her; she would definitely stab him in his last eye. He dares Servalan to crawl and taunts her with the notion of staring at his leather-clad ass, but she haughtily reminds him whose ass is Number One here.

Orac arrives in his security sphere guise and starts giving snippy orders and warning shots to Blake and Cally. If they only knew that it would soon be the eighth 'or so'. Gan tries and fails to cheer everyone up by making sasquatch sounds from behind furniture. Avon, for the third time, gives Vila a backhanded compliment. Everyone is short-tempered in the face of imminent death.

Orac insists Blake and Cally enter a revolving darkroom door that rises from the ground. Blake jokes that they should catch the versatile flying jerk and give it to Avon as a pet, which is exactly what happens. They are taken deep down to an underground solarium. Ensor immediately charms them with his warm hospitality. He calms down after they tell him his son is dead and gives them the radiation drugs they need. Blake once again thinks Zen-assisted surgery will be a piece of cake.

Ensor wheels Orac out from behind the fern and it turns out to be a fish tank full of junk. Blake scoffs but Ensor says Orac is not a computer but a genius brain that can access every computer everywhere. Orac is Skynet but with Ensor’s personality; basically it’s a god-tier honey badger.

Travis crashes the party and once again has Blake in his grasp and loses him. I’m nicknaming Travis ‘Butterfingers’. Blake thinks pulling the ancient tunnel ceiling down onto his own face is a good idea despite Cally’s sensible suggestion to stick together. A lizard-man gropes Cally and Blake beats it to death with a rock. Ensor sits down for a rest and dies. I’m really sad about this, no sarcasm. At least his winning personality will live on through Orac.

Right at the greatest moment of Travis’s life, when Servalan says ‘go ahead and kill Blake’, Avon shoots Travis’s blaster hand off. He jokes that he missed and was aiming for Travis’s head. Avon is more than ready to kill Butterfingers and Servalan but Blake stops him, intending to just spread nasty rumors about them instead. Servalan blames Travis for everything again. Travis is so embarrassed he changes faces, eye color, and accent for the next season.

Travis is the unluckiest person in the universe. He probably locks himself in his quarters and cries afterward. His Blakeicidal dreams and his robot blaster hand have been destroyed in the most humiliating way possible, and the guy who installed his robo-hand is dead thanks to Servalan. The only thing he got out of this was a memory of his boss’s ass maybe. Poor Butterfingers.

Back on the Liberator, everyone is feeling better and they turn on the drunken bees. In Ensor’s voice, Orac immediately starts hurling insults. Avon is horrified. Orac goes on to inform them of his abilities. It takes exactly one minute before they tell him to shut up. Orac predicts that the Liberator will explode, and when he is evasive about the details, Avon gets even.

Orac’s shutting off sound is ‘exasperated drunken bees’.

Damage report:

- Ensor, Sr.

- Ensor’s fish and plants which were left to die

- a couple of lizard-people

- a couple of explorers whose skeletons decorate the tunnels

- Travis’s robo-hand, dignity, and what was left of his career

We never see Orac's flying sphere again, which is a shame. Ensor left it on Aristo and no one ever makes a replacement. He seems perfectly satisfied with being a brain in a box and unlike Krang never has himself installed in a body.

I like this episode because it introduces one of my favorite characters. Zen is condescending and passive-aggressive, but Orac is a complete asshole, yet invaluable to the Liberator crew. I also watched this episode repeatedly as a teen while half-asleep and dreaming so it was etched into my eternal memory extra-weird.

Next: Redemption

[everythingtimeless]

Welcome to EverythingTimeless’ Weekly Roundtable, a sprawling discussion in which your friendly neighborhood Mod Time Team breaks down episodes of our favorite show, Timeless. We can’t promise to be coherent, but we’ll try our best. 

This week: Season 1, Episode 2 - The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

Sarah: Friends, family, Time Team. We are gathered here today. To talk about Robert Todd Lincoln. (Right? That’s what we’re here to talk about?) 

Kate: Can I say it is still to soon even if I was supposed to be prepared to? Because, RTL. 

Gissane: That’s exactly what I signed up for. I also think we should make a fan club. Posters. Tees. Mugs. ALL THINGS RTL.

Ann: Girls, we must be PROFESSIONALS about this now. We are SERIOUS bloggers. So we can only squee over Dreamboat Lincoln in due order of the episode conversation.(Also maybe set up a side-side RTL appreciation blog?)

Kate: Maybe? Definitely.

Sarah: Decorum is the name of the game. (What do you think - Robert Toddless? Thinkin’ Lincoln? Todd Team?)

Gissane: Todd Team. YES. Can we be the Todd Team?

Kate: Alright, perhaps we gather what is left of our dignity and start at the top of the episode. I shall begin with the brave opinion that John Wilkes Booth is a toady dumpster fire of a human.

Sarah: Opinion super sustained.

Ann: I always appreciate the complete and utter loathing he inspires.

Gissane: Agreed. Very much agreed.

Sarah: It really does quickly pull you into the episode - something so recognizable and startling.

Ann: It absolutely does.

Kate: Like every time I see Titanic and think they will avoid the huge chunk of floating ice, I saw it and was still somehow shocked he was assassinated? Timeless knows how to deliver the drama, even when we see it coming.

Gissane: Yup, because on a show like this, we somehow hope that it can happen, but at the same time, we know that it shouldn’t. And a huge part of that drama was that amazing debate among the Time Team. It breaks me every single time.

Ann: Well and there is the *actual* chance they can change history, they could right a wrong. And even if we know that would royally fuck up so much more, a part of us still wants to save Abraham Lincoln, you know?

Kate: I love that the team members each have a voice though. Like a passionate though respectful debate about changing the entire course of history because how do you pass up the chance to save Abraham Lincoln?

Gissane: Always save Lincoln. Always.

Sarah: Well, Rufus’s point of view actually makes me cry.Because for him the ramifications of Lincoln’s death are so rooted in his oppression.

Kate: Rufus always providing such an important representation of a perspective rarely entertained.

Sarah: And seeing the hope in the soldier’s eyes as they talked about freedom - devastating.

Ann: That scene where the soldiers asked him to write letters for them? I cried.

Kate: And the whole while Rufus knows what is coming for them historically, so then when he might have a chance to save Abraham which would go a long way in saving them all? Gahhhhh. I am undone.

Gissane: It literally doesn’t matter how many times I watch this episode, I will choke up like a baby every time. I don’t think any episode has gotten to me as much as this has, to be honest.

Sarah: Right Kate - Lucy idolizes Lincoln, Wyatt sees saving Lincoln as proof that fate can and should change - which would in turn save his wife. But to Rufus, he still lives with a piece of that. 

And agreed so much, Giss. One of the soldiers - who had fought for the country, for his freedom - hasn’t seen his wife since she was sold. Timeless took this Lincoln episode seriously, and it shows. 

Kate: Rufus is the character that won’t allow us to conveniently forget the implications of history. HE IS SO IMPORTANT.

Gissane: I feel like we’ll say this every week, but I love how unapologetic this show is in regards to painting the ugliest sides of history to remind viewers of just how awful it was and essentially still is at times.

Sarah: Yes and yes.

Ann: It’s scary how much these lessons both still resonate and beg to be learned, you know?

Gissane: I love that even though we can definitely mess with history, the show still sticks to telling us truths that we may have forgotten upon learning or that may have been concealed from the textbooks.

Kate: Both, so so much Annie. 

Let us take a sojourn to another important little piece of the episode. In which the impeccable Jiya offers to help Lucy figure out what happened to her sister.

Sarah: Here. For. Lady. Friendship.

Gissane: You mean in the second episode of a show two women had a conversation that didn’t revolve around a man!?And it was done so effortlessly, you could tell right away that because both these women are incredibly kind, they’d get along perfectly with one another.

Kate: Meanwhile Conner “I have the sympathy of a plastic bag” Mason is all like, ummm sorry bout your sister maybe not really.

Gissane: Connor “No Chill, No Grace” Mason.

Sarah: Someone did not attend Mason Industries sensitivity training. 

Kate: It tickles me that every time the Time Team returns and reports a disturbance in the history force that Denise and Connor are all like, whatttt? Nooooo. How?!?!?! 

Ann: I also live for Denise’s face every time Connor speaks.

Gissane: She is all of us.

Kate: She wants to hit him so hard. Upside the head, really quickly and repeatedly.

Sarah: Can you imagine, though, finding out that not only is your sister just…not in existence…but the man who you thought was your father was, in fact, not your father…and then you are pushed into a small deathtrap and flung back to the assassination of your country’s greatest leader?

Kate: Also she is engaged to a stranger. Lucy has way more composure than pretty much anyone ever.

Gissane: And we can talk about how Wyatt slams Connor about being a little more sensitive. But in all seriousness, if I was Lucy, I’d lose my head in a heartbeat. Actual QUEEN.

Ann: Oh I would have crumbled immediately, if not sooner. I would have traveled back in time to crumble sooner probably.

Kate: This is where Wyatt really begins to take a stand for his team and I love it. First with assuring Lucy that they would fix the timeline and get her sister back. Then with Rufus, building up his self confidence.

Gissane: YES. I love his moments with Rufus too much to be able to form words.

Kate: Wyatt started becoming more than just a super pretty face with a head that rocks a hat like nobody’s business this episode.

Sarah: It also begins one of my favorite pieces of this stupid (wonderful) show - which is Wyatt helping Lucy with her seat belt. (And Wyatt’s perpetual motion sickness.) 

Ann: Sarah no.

Kate: Yes Sarah. YESSSSSSS. Yep. 

Gissane: SO. MANY. EMOTIONS.

Sarah: I don’t know what I did in a past life to be punished? rewarded? thusly. But I curse and praise some deity.

Ann: I swear to god every time I put on a seatbelt now I am pissed as hell that it’s my hands and not Wyatt Logan’s adjusting the strap for safety.

Kate: Wyatt Logan is the sear belt fastener we all deserve.

But also, and finally going back to where we feverishly began. Lucy and RTL. Going to the Ford Theater. Making eyes at each other. DISCUSS.

Gissane: THE WAY HE WALKS IN. Just. I need to go lay down.On a serious note though, the thing that gets to me is how proud he is to be Abraham Lincoln’s son. He doesn’t feel pressured to live in the shadow, he appreciates it. An absolute babe with a heart of gold? I cannot handle. 

Sarah: It is a beautiful thing.

Kate: I will never get over the anguish in his face when he found Lucy outside of the theater.

Sarah: I think all of it is so lovely in setting this scene - it’s a story we (or, well, we as Americans in this chat) know well. But he helps to humanize it. All of the small details - including the mailroom and the dimly lit theatre and trying to avoid the show (or help Ulysses avoid the show).

Kate: I feel like we think of Abraham Lincoln as ours, you know? Leader of a country through one of the most tumultuous times in our history. But he belonged to others, and this show allowed us to see the imitate cost.

Gissane: Oh man. I have chills. 

Sarah: Yes, Kate. 

Gissane: KATE. SARAH. Wow.

Sarah: Even seeing Ford’s Theatre now, it’s hard to place it back to that time. But I think that Timeless really succeeds. All while weaving an interesting story and building this new relationship between our 3 main nuggets.

Gissane: The first time I ever passed by Ford’s Theatre. I couldn’t describe that feeling even if I tried.

Kate: Yes. It gives new breath and dimension to characters or stories we felt we knew, and draws us into the new stories of this team.

Sarah: There’s a Sephora about 300 feet from Ford’s Theatre now, so it really is worlds removed. It also created a high stakes mission. 

There were several moments where I thought, “Oh damn. Lucy is going to save Lincoln.” And Lucy had to make the choice (Though, in that moment, the chaos made it impossible to save him anyway. And here we see Fate in action once again.)

Gissane: But I also love that she clearly tried towards the end, but it was too late. It was just not meant to be I guess. IT HURTS. 

Kate: And considering she was in the box when it happened. How traumatic. Lucy Preston is so damn strong I cannot.

Sarah: SO strong. (Of course RTL sees that and comes to her immediately after…)

Kate: A small aside. Garcia. We don’t know him yet, his motivations, his past. It is jarring to be attached to him  now (because damnit I am) and go back and see him at his most detached.

Sarah: He was outright terrifying. He killed Lincoln point blank, no hesitation. 

Kate: But I swear there was regret in his eyes when he shot Lincoln, so this is when I started wondering just what the hell he was up to. Or maybe I imagined it because he has really pretty eyessssss.

Gissane: But I feel like Flynn is the kind of man who’d look up to Lincoln in one way or another. If there’s one president that could win even the cruelest hearts, it’s Lincoln.

Sarah: True, Giss.Which makes his desperation all that much more apparent.

Well, friends and Todd Teamers. Final thoughts? 

Kate: Other than poor Lucy, she goes from watching the president be assassinated to an engagement party to a man she is just meeting? Time Travel Whiplash, my friends

Gissane: After this episode, I became Timeless trash. There was no turning back.

Sarah: Mostly I think they’ve started to really carve a few important paths for the show: There seem to be no stakes too high for Garcia. Fate appears to be unavoidable. And time is malleable. 

I cannot wait to see what timeline our friends mess up next - and hopefully we get some Amy-related answers? P.S. I would also not cry about seeing Wyatt shirtless again

Kate: Until Atomic City, location Trash Vegas, my friends.

Gissane: Good day, darling souls! 

Kate: (On to dream about Wyatt shirtless, thanks muchly!) 

[listenbang]

CHRYSALINE

Release date: August 9, 2019

Produced by: Josh Garrels & Isaac Wardell

Label: Small Voice Records

Last week marked the release of an album I’ve been impatiently awaiting: Josh Garrels’ new LP, Chrysaline. To be honest, I was kind of apprehensive. I wondered how this new record would fare next to Josh’s last two releases, Home, and its Christmas counterpart, The Light Came Down. These two records had, in many ways, raised the bar for Josh’s music. What would he do next? I’ve been (virtually) spinning this new record over the past week, while chasing late-summer sunsets. Now, though I hadn’t planned to, I’m writing down some of my musings on Chrysaline: a record which has taken me by joyful surprise.

A Gift

Anchor for My Soul

Invocation

Closer Than a Brother

Faith, Hope & Love

Consecration

Butterfly

Praise Him

What a Friend

Perfect Love

The Banner

Follow

Don’t Be Afraid

Take, Eat

Evangeline

Chrysaline feels like its name: a renewal, an awakening. If I were to sum up what’s happening sonically, I might look to the cover artwork as a visual reflection. There are flourishes of brilliant color accented by a dark and dense backdrop. Like the artwork, the songs have a kind of symmetry. A balance and appropriation to the sounds; each element tasteful and in a fitting place.

The production on every song is top notch; just what I would expect from a Garrels record. There are some amazing moments. Josh is stretching his vocals in new ways and I am loving it! In short, it is a beautiful record.

Yet for all of Chrysaline’s beauty, its opening words paint a not-so-pretty picture:

“Every mouth is like an open grave / No one searches for Your face / There are none righteous ones among / All of us have gone astray”

But the darkness of humanity’s rebellion against its Maker is soon pierced through by brilliant light:

“But You came and gave Yourself away / You are, the only one there is / Only by Your blood can we be saved / Oh Lord, this is a gift, from You”

The second verse builds in musical and lyrical momentum:

“Those who dwell in dark will see the light / Perfect love has found a way / To be the just and justifier of / Those who call Your name by faith…”

Then the name is uttered in a desperate, piercing cry:

“…Jesus!”

It’s a stunning opening track musically, and also for its message. There can be no theme more moving to me than the the gospel of Jesus Christ. One might say Chrysaline is, essentially, a musical celebration of the gospel.

This record is unique among Josh’s discography for its lyrical genre. It is comprised entirely of psalms and hymns. Sacred songs. Josh draws from old and modern writers of the church in songs like “Consecration” and “Perfect Love,” the former a hymn text written in 1874 by poetess Frances Havergal, and the latter by modern hymnist Wesley Eader. Josh makes contributions of his own with songs such as “Closer than a Brother,” “Anchor of My Soul,” and “The Banner.” But Chrysaline is unique: it’s not a hymns album, and it doesn’t fit the mold of modern “worship” music. It’s something new.

In some ways Chrysaline reminds me of Josh’s 2011 release, Love & War & the Sea In Between (my introduction to his music). Chrysaline, like Love & War, runs over one hour in playing time, yet is diverse and engaging—and I don’t mind an epically long album if it engages me! Like Love & War, Chrysaline is rich in scriptural themes and imagery, only showing further theological maturity. Chrysaline’s scriptural depth is a refreshing thing. There was this time I was grooving to “Butterfly” (from which the name "Chrysaline” comes), when a Bible study jumped out of the second verse:

“I’m a worm not a man / Take me to the garden / Bury me inside my skin / Lord make me whole again”

Beautiful imagery. It’s right out of Psalm 22, David’s prophetic lament fulfilled by Christ on the cross. Jesus was that crimson worm, “marred beyond human semblance,” making a way for us—if we are willing to take part in his death, and to be buried (in the garden tomb) with him—to one day share in his glorious resurrection.

There’s strength in simplicity, sometimes. I love the simple yet profound prayer that is “Invocation.” I was struck by that same glorious simplicity in “What a Friend”:

“What a friend we have in Jesus / What a friend we have in Jesus / What a friend”

“Greater love has no man / Than he who lays down his life for a friend”

Listening through the album, I hear elements from a kaleidoscope of musical cultures: South American (“Consecration”), African (“Praise Him”), Middle-Eastern and Indian (“Invocation”), even East Asian (“Closer Than a Brother”). There’s Americana (“Perfect Love”) and of course, the soul is still strong!

After hearing “Butterfly,” my brother made comment on its sound, saying it felt like a natural fit for Josh’s vocal style. I agree: Josh is more in his element now than ever!

The soul / R&B on this record is absolutely groovy. “The Banner,” for instance, is a beautiful and memorable track, and one of my favorites. It feels like it might have been produced in a time machine. Organ, layered vocals, lush strings, even a blazing electric guitar solo at the end. It’s Jesus Music resurrected! It even fades out at the end in true 80s fashion. “Follow” is another pretty song from the same creative vein. Why be current when you can be timeless?

There’s also some really brilliant programming on this record. A couple of highlights for me: the swelling, brooding bass on “Closer Than a Brother,” and the shimmering keys at the end of “Anchor for My Soul.” The programming doesn’t overwhelm. It’s tasteful, and it sort of fills in and melds the other musical elements together.

In “Praise Him,” Josh revisits the experimentation of “Always,” the maverick track off of Home. “Praise Him” is another highlight for me. The drums and choir vocals give a lucid energy to the song. The words of the last verse, I feel, are timely:

“Let all pray / And stay awake / My Lord, He won’t delay / So I keep that oil on the flame / This darkness will soon fade away / Then I will see Him face to face / And I will // Praise Him…”

As the record comes to a close it slows pace with two softer songs, and I want to pay special attention to them.

“Don’t Be Afraid” is my favorite song off of Chrysaline, at least for now. It was the one which instantly connected with me. It has a reflective and nostalgic sound and I love the rich, resonating harmonies. It sits in just the right spot on the track list. It’s a song of admonishment and encouragement from one believer to another. For some reason this song just really grabs me. I love it.

Then comes “Take, Eat” and the soaring, resounding vocals of the previous track become intimate and soft. The words are brought into focus as Josh sings them slowly, yet with grace:

“Take, eat / This is My body / Broken for your healing / This is My blood / Shed for remission / And forgiveness of your sin”

“Do this to remember what I’ve done for you / Do this to remember Me”

That the songs on this record continually bring me back to the cross, and the love of the Savior for me, is a precious, precious thing—I can never hear of that enough.

Then “Evangeline” closes the record with an explosion of color. It’s an exuberant orchestral piece, giving occasion to reflect, and to rejoice. We’ve been given so much in our dear Savior, Jesus. If you listen really carefully at the very end of the song, you’ll hear the voices of the Garrels family, and little Poppy Evangeline Garrels—she sounds adorable!

I’m grateful for Chrysaline. I’m grateful for people like Josh who let the gospel continue to break them and reshape them—and remake them. What comes out is something they can’t take credit for, because it points to the amazing grace of God. Thank you, Josh, for your willingness to be a vessel. Continue to be weak that Christ would be strong in you.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” (Colossians 3:16, ESV)

In closing, I would like to recommend Josh Garrels’ Chrysaline. I may, in fact, have found my album of the year!