#also i really want an option to dance with her in the spring

[yoshihashismattebum]

9 People I'd Like to Get to Know Better

Thanks @sycamoretrees for the tag!

Last song: I'm going to cheat and go for a whole album. I've been really enjoying Where's My Utopia? by Yard Act recently: deceptively clever stream-of-consciousness lyrics that walk the line between wry irony and passionate sincerity, all set to post-punk beats that you can dance to. (Shout-out to HELLMODE by Jeff Rosenstock and Sorry for the Late Reply by Sløtface too – both brilliant albums as well)

And while I'm breaking the rules, I might as well mention my wrestling playlist that I've been working on! It's a really eclectic mix of songs that remind me of various different things in wrestling – feuds, characters, general vibes etc. It's not finished yet (I'd like to organise it thematically and write some annotations to explain my thinking behind the choices), but maybe you'll find something on there you like!

Favourite colour: it's a tie between blue and purple (especially lilac). Also currently enjoying the yellow-green of the new leaves that are appearing at this time of year!

Currently watching: wrestling, surprise surprise. I'm just about keeping up with AEW and completely failing to keep up with NJPW. Other than that, I've not really been in a big TV/film mood recently. Although I did see Dune Part 2 the other week, which I thought was fantastic. My partner and I have also become slightly addicted to watching Gab Smolders play Nancy Drew games on YouTube.

Spicy/savoury/sweet/(sour)/(salty)/[umami]: since @sycamoretrees set a precedent of adding options, I'm going to go with another write-in candidate: my beloved umami. I am a Marmite fiend and will eat just about anything if it has soy sauce/miso/strong cheese etc in it. I enjoy pretty much all of the above tastes though, especially when combined in interesting ways. If I had to choose between the original options, I probably lean towards savoury; I have extremely strong opinions on crisps.

Relationship status: I've been with my partner for almost 11 years now :) (While I'm here, go check out her fantastic art and tabletop RPG writing at @mortphilippa! Obviously I'm biased, but she's super talented!)

Obsessions:

Too many to mention them all, but here's a selection:

Wrestling (of course): as well as my usual AEW & NJPW, I've watched some CMLL recently, which has been fun. I also recently reached new levels of nerd by emulating King of Colosseum 2, a Japanese wrestling game from 2004, on PC. It's good! Holds up well!

Tabletop role-playing games – an ever-present obsession for me. I've just wrapped up a 4+ year D&D campaign that I was GMing, which is an odd feeling, but I'm so proud of the story we told together. I'm also currently GMing/writing stuff for Cy_Borg, Liminal Horror and Brindlewood Bay, among others! There are tons more I want to run though – too many games, not enough time! (I am always up for conversations about TTRPGs by the way – I could talk forever about them! Hit me up if you wanna chat!)

Puzzle games: more of a recent obsession. I continue to do the Wordle every day, but I've recently been enjoying Connections (sorting words into categories), Heardle Decades (identifying songs from the intros), and Squeezy (a weird game about fitting letters into other words). I'm also going through a bit of a point-and-click adventure phase. Really enjoying Unavowed by Dave Gilbert currently. I'm not usually an urban fantasy fan, so it's a testament to how good the writing is that I'm loving it as much as I am.

Spring flowers: spring has well and truly sprung here in the UK, and I am loving all of the flowers that are popping up everywhere! There's nothing that brings me joy quite like going for a walk and doing some plant-spotting (I'm trying to get better at identifying plants this year! I'm mostly reliant on Google Lens and a bit of inherited knowledge from my Grandma currently)

Oops, that was A Lot! Enough about me. Time to tag some other people! (Only if you feel like it though! Absolutely zero pressure)

IRL friends (I know you all very well already, but I always love hearing what you're up to 💙): @thewaythroughthewoods, @thepenultimaterolo and @mortphilippa (and @unpairedbracket if you fancy it!)

Some Tumblr people wot seem cool (sorry if we've not interacted much – I've not been on Tumblr a lot recently and I'm bad at starting conversations!): @norfkid, @sybilius, @dansedan, @unlikelywrestlingfan, @punkrockpariah

[soft-serve-soymilk]

Eugene: Harbourtown's Hollow Protector (A Meta Analysis)

The night is dim, awaft with the scent of sea-salt spray and crushed autumn leaves. A nearby cafe jingles with the sound of clinking cups, and it's heady aroma envelops the people with laughter and dance, untouched by the vastness of the sky and the sea. All but for one. His name is Eugene. He wears a neon pink jacket. He has a strange fondness for the word momentous. He's the sole "Protector of Harbourtown~!" But a hero complex-- and the insecurity beneath it-- doesn't spring from nowhere.

Not dissimilar to the melancholy ambience of New Wirral, the concept of emptiness and uselessness plagues Eugene throughout his adventures, and this comes to light in the archangel fight with Mammon.

Eugene reacts-- for an otherwise bombastic, enthusiastic guy-- quite poorly. He initially pushes back and gets defensive-- 'You don't know a SINGLE thing about me', but one can't keep up the charade of denial forever, and he begins to break down. Somewhere in his heart, he seems to read these words as true. Eugene comes from a post-capitalistic society, or at least the start of one. There, life was 'slowly' changing in emphasis from being 'rich and famous' to being generous to one's community. But even though Eugene states that it was a sudden shift in society's ways, such change never is so instantaneous. With billions of people on the earth, with a spectrum of political opinions, the hard-coding of capitalism is something that is difficult to undo. The ideal of getting a good job has been going on for decades, for instance. So to a bunch of children caught in the midst of it all, in the beginning of new change, indoctrinated into a capitalistic world that was bursting at the seams... it's daunting. Engulfing. And that's clearly what's happened in Eugene's case. He states that he was 'never very good at' the new way of life. This, combined with his reaction to Mammon which he holds to some truth-- 'I want order because you do. I crave structure because you do' shows that this new way of doing things has left Eugene feeling rather... useless. Especially since, truth be told, he doesn't see much in himself in the first place. Within the Gramophone Cafe, there's a bit of optional dialogue between him and Kayleigh. Kayleigh inquires that, with Eugene's desire to benefit Harbourtown, why doesn't he go join the rangers himself? To which he goes:

Besides the point that he is clearly putting up a front, when Kayleigh teases that he wouldn't be up to complete their challenge, we get this instead:

But! As Kayleigh tells the player after they acquire their ranger challenge, it's specific to the person applying. Kayleigh went around doing errands because that's in her nature. The player undertakes a combat challenge because that's in their forte, or at least the game assumes so. It's a bit suspicious, then, that Eugene reacts in this way. But after all, capitalism does take time away from personal development, it's no wonder that this boy doesn't understand what value he brings to the table innately, by breathing, by being alive and a good spirit, and trying and failing and trying some more. He needs to be told, multiple times, assuaged of it really, that 'You don't need to be a hero to have value'. That he doesn't need to go around heralding some grand cause to be something in the world. That niggling insecurity of his is further implied in the Aldgrave Tomb Station, with the gravestone text. The archangel for this one, Lamento Mori, as the pun also implies, is as much about death as it is the fear of being unable to live a meaningful and fulfilling life before it. The text changes for each of the party members to reflect their internal struggles, whether it is Kayleigh's people-pleasing, Felix's embarrassment over his past art, or in Eugene's case: 'All talk and no action'. And it is because of that Eugene is wrapped up in an unfulfilling hero complex. A hero is a strict role. They're defenders of justice. Chivalrous. Selfless. Brave. A far-cry from the open-endness, and thus emptiness, that Eugene sought to bury within him as he fought the landkeepers. It's a comfortable act to play, and that feeling of stopping the bad guys does well to console the ego and mind in the moment. And you know Eugene is really trying to play into it, because when he's caught in the heat of the moment, he reacts with embarrassment, as if he knows it's childish:

Which brings us to his series of relationship heart events. Because though insecurity is like a gaping hole in the heart, and Eugene has so far been trying to cover it up with the cling-film bravado of heroism, the cover can always be removed. It can be filled with something much more nourishing, like soil, which is precisely what happens. Eugene finds a new comfort in starting a community garden. And though it might initially read that he's still trapped in that cycle of constantly needing to help others, the truth is, he's beginning to liberate himself from the idea that he is useless. He takes pride in his little garden, and shows genuine confidence in it and it's potential, rather than snapping up under pressure like with Mammon, being tentative as if with the ranger challenge, or fawning over in embarrassment when the player first encounters him.

And the day is bright, and the scent of flowers and mulch lingers in the air. A nearby cafe jingles with the sound of clinking cups, and it's heady aroma envelops the people with laughter and dance, untouched by the vastness of the sky and the sea. And this time, everyone is there.

--

Thanks for reading my meta take on best boi!!! I highly recommend this other speculative opinion and it's addition by my friend @hungrydolphin91 and @millipedish, which I think is absolutely wonderful and very supplementary to mine :). I just didn't want to regurgitate the same stuff because. y'know. academic honesty and plagiarism ^^;

[ninapi]

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Save me (Ushijima Version)

Premise: Ushijima struggles to understand the concept of love and what is expected of him in said equation, but he finds himself in the predicament of wanting nothing more than to be with the woman he loves even if it gets in the way of his established lifestyle.

Word Count: 3297

Chapter 2: Summer heat

Summer was approaching fast, the weather was warmer than it had been for the longest time, the grass in it’s prime as green as it can be, the birds danced happily in the air at the promise of the rainy season now in proximity.

The spring tournament was about to end, and the volleyball team was high in spirits as they managed to reach the finals.

Their club was the one to receive a bigger budget out of the entire school, they were one of the reasons the school was so popular to begin with, so in preparation for the finals and as a reward of some sort, they scored some extra budget for a weekend training camp.

The teacher in charge suggested some beach volleyball, it is harder on your body, and it should help them with muscle building, it was a great time to go to the beach, it wasn’t as hot outside just yet, so they should be able to train on the sand all day.

Washijou was against it, one of his family members was marrying that same weekend and he would prefer to stay closer to the city so he could attend both, but the teacher had already booked an inn for the entire team and the budget was no more.

They were in troubles, the teacher could go with them and surely the team knows what they need to work in individually, they could always ask Ushijima if they needed advice, but what about the rest of things that needed to be done? Their coach is so strict that he only allows one male manager and he doesn’t even allow him in the gym every day, he’s only called when needed, but because of this, he belongs to the astronomy club as well and they were participating in an event of their own the same day, unlike the volleyball team, there he is absolutely necessary and they can’t allow him not being there for the event.

That’s when Shirabu out of all of them, surprised the team with an idea. “How about my class president? She knows what she’s doing, she’s the one in charge of everything related to the events in our class, and all of you seem to like her. Maybe she can go with us?”

Ushijima, who was tying up his shoelaces, got up immediately, giving a deep nod of approval.

“I’ll talk to her, I guess.” Semi got up, heaving a deep sigh. Is not like he didn’t want you to tag along but he was pretty sure you’d be more of a distraction than anything else.

•───────•°•❀•°•───────•

You were on your way to the library; you didn’t want to leave your summer break homework till the very end and thought of getting the books you needed out before someone else borrowed them first. That’s when you heard Semi calling out for you.

“Oh hey, Eita. What’s up?” he was panting heavily, trying to catch his breath. He’s been looking for you all over the school, exhausting all possible locations and found you just before he was about to give up, like if phones weren’t a thing.

“Do you have anything to do next weekend?” it sounded off to you, like if he was asking you out on a date and it made you cover your reddish face in panic, “W-w-why??” realizing what he just did, he tried his best to correct himself, trying to subside his embarrassment, “The team, we got a weekend training camp on the beach area, the teacher needed us to find someone who could help us. Shirabu said you’d be the best option and everyone agreed you’d be a good idea. If you have time of course.”

You were still unsure of going out of the school in general, but you’ve been practicing with Eita, and this sounded like a fun way of spending the weekend. You would also have some extra time to spend with Ushijima who had been really busy the past few weeks and you haven’t gotten the chance to see him as much as you would have liked.

“I mean, yeah why not. Is it like both days or?”

“Yeah, the teacher already booked an entire inn for the team, I’m sure you’ll have your own room. Nothing to worry about.” that was honestly the last of your worries. Your parents were now in a European tour and all your clothing was left behind in your house. Thankfully, you don’t spend much money living in the school grounds, so you could just order something online and it should arrive on time.

“Sure, then just text me the details when you get them, and I’ll go with you guys.”

The guys were overly excited with the news, specially certain captain who for some reason found a splinter on the bench very interesting. Was he excited? He couldn’t describe what he was feeling, it hasn’t happened before. He’s been a bit grumpy the last few days, or that’s what his teammates said, he didn’t really understand what they were basing on to get to that conclusion, but it was a fact that he kept on wishing he could see you. He wondered if you had eaten something for dinner or if you had a good sleep last night, he wondered if you also felt this strange need of seeing him or if it was just him and his recent incapability to control his own body.

But knowing you would be there during the weekend was comforting, he felt like he could train the entire week without any sort of discomfort, knowing he would get to see you in a few days.

Goshiki let out a loud shriek, getting everyone’s attention. Ushijima’s face was twitching in the strangest of ways while plucking the damn splinter out of the bench, the scene itself could be used as source material for a horror film.

Little did they know, his heart was actually smiling.

•───────•°•❀•°•───────•

Going to the beach required many preparations, making you regret your decision of not bringing cute clothing to school with you.

Did you need a swimsuit? You probably did, even if you were there just to support the team, it would be weird having a bunch of shirtless guys playing volleyball around you and be wearing fluffy lounge clothing on the sand.

So you ended up ordering a couple of summery outfits and a two piece swimsuit, the bottom being a cute ruffled skirt.

You also decided to bake some cookies for the ride, this time you made sure to make enough for the entire team and the teacher, he was driving you there and was very nice of him to make sure you would have all you needed as the only girl of the group.

The school bus was unnecessarily big, everyone could have their own seat to themselves if they wanted to, but Ushijima wanted to sit beside you. Even Tendo was surprised by this.

“Toshi-san! Why does it feel like I haven’t seen your face in forever? Come here, let me see you.” you chuckled, and he complied, letting you check every inch of his face, his hands and even his jacket pockets.

There was such a peaceful aura around Ushijima whenever you were around. It’s like if he was a different person, even if he still didn’t talk much.

“(Y/N), you smell like cookies." he’s becoming spoiled and you’re 100% responsible for this. “Yes, I baked some! Here’s your share.” you set his bag on one of his big hands, calling the rest of the guys to come and retrieve their own bag full of treats.

“I know you don’t like me, but isn’t Ushijima-san’s bag way bigger than mine? I’m your classmate!”

Everyone’s bag was smaller, not just Shirabu’s. Even Semi got a smaller share. “He’s bigger than all of you combined. Don’t be a pain, or I’ll give him your share too.” Ushijima was quietly chewing on one of your delicious goodness, he didn’t have anything to say really, he was bigger, that was a fact, but he somehow wished that wasn’t the only reason why his bag was fuller than the rest.

The ride wasn’t long, but you woke up before sunrise to have the cookies ready for the team and before anyone could notice you were dozing off on Ushijima’s shoulder. He could feel the soft puffs of air you were releasing on his arm, your neck straining in an odd position. He shimmied himself down a bit as gently as he could not to wake you up, so you could rest comfortably on him.

If he closed his eyes hard enough, he could feel your heartbeat pressed against his arm, and it was magical, everything in life was so much better when you were there by his side, even the littlest of things like a bus ride could create a core memory for him.

“Toshi-san…those aren’t cookies…don’t eat them…” even in your sleep, you’re the sweetest creature he’s ever seen. “I won’t eat them, don’t worry.” he whispered close to your ear, making you grin in your sleep and nuzzled his arm.

If he could live repeating one moment over and over again in a loop for the rest of eternity, it would be this very moment.

•───────•°•❀•°•───────•

The guys had been practicing all morning and lunch time was approaching. The teacher gave you some money so you could go buy ingredients and prepare sandwiches for everyone.

They haven’t seen you since then, you went to the store then spent over an hour making sandwiches for the army of hungry teenagers baking in the early summer sun. So when you arrived with the basket full of food and drinks, a wave of silence fell on the beach.

Ushijima’s eyes were so widely opened, bugs could nest there if they wanted.

You braided your hair and got a lightweight cardigan over your swimsuit, but it was pretty much all out on display for the raging hormones of more than one to perv around.

It wasn’t revealing, just a regular swimsuit, you were actually the only girl in the beach right now that wasn’t showing her assets in abundance, but they’ve never seen you in anything other than your school uniform, except for Semi, but even him was having troubles concentrating now.

“Hey guys! Lunch is here!” you called out for them, and they all walked over to you, to anyone else looking, it was a scene out of a zombie movie, the way they walked mumbling incoherent stuff, their bulging eyes, unconsciously drooling over you. But in your eyes, it was a beautiful summer day to hang out with the boys.

“Here’s your sandwich, Toshi-san. Don’t tell anybody but yours has an extra slide of chicken breast.” you whispered closely, winking at him and you were expecting him to take the sandwich you were holding out for him, but his hands had a very different plan. He grabbed you by your cardigan, bringing you closer to him so he could close it up entirely, button by button, this making you blink in confusion. “What’s wrong? Do I…look that bad?”

He shook his head, not being able to find the right words, he didn’t even know why he did what he did. Is not like he didn’t want to see you in your swimsuit, it was more like he didn’t want the rest of the guys to see it. But why? You’re your own person, you can do whatever you want. He had no right to do this, what if you get mad at him? That was a stupid move. He was beating himself over his own actions when he heard you laugh, one of your hands came over to cup his cheek, caressing it gently, “You’re being extra cute today, huh? My heart was not ready for that!” you handed him his sandwich and continued handing out the remaining contents of your basket, never unbuttoning back open your sweater.

He didn’t know what just happened, but it felt similar to when he wins a match.

“Cute? She said you were cute? Wow, I always knew she was a little weird but maybe it’s just that she sees things differently.” his friend was nibbling on his own sandwich, sneaking glances to watch over your interactions with the rest of the team.

“So how does it feel not wanting other men to stare at your woman’s boobies?” using his sandwich as a fake mic, he went straight into business. “I did no such thing.” “Oh my dear Wakatoshi-kun. Then why do you think you closed her sweater shut on this awfully hot day? You weren’t concerned for her catching a cold, were you?”

Why did he do it? It was still a mystery to him. What was even more confusing was why did you laugh it off? Shouldn’t you be upset? He wouldn’t want someone touching him so carelessly, he was expecting you to slap him on the face, not gaze at him lovingly.

“I’m not sure, my hands moved on their own.” life had funny ways of trying to teach him a lesson, he had it all there for him to act, his body was a faster learner, but he still needed to catch up to it mentally and emotionally.  “She looks way too pretty today; you didn’t want them to eat out of your eye candy. Instead of sulking you should tell her how pretty she looks, before someone else does.” Tendo caught a stray look from a group of unknown girls hanging out under a parasol and so he left his troubled friend to confront life on his own while he tried to score a phone number or two.

•───────•°•❀•°•───────•

Time goes by fast when you are having fun.

The first day of the training camp was almost over, the stars gifting you the most beautiful night for all of you to enjoy.

The teacher made arrangements for the workers from the inn you were staying at to take care of your dinner arrangements, offering you a lovely and most importantly, very much nutritional meal.

The boys were turning in for the night early, they still had to get up at four in the morning for their team run and had to train all morning, the bus wouldn’t leave until noon.

But since you didn’t have to, you wanted to enjoy the trip a bit more, you haven’t been to the beach in years and just breathing in the salty heavily humid air was filling your heart with excitement.

Grabbing a small pouch from your bag you were ready to sneak from the back of your room back into the beach. It was the perfect timing to hunt for seashells, sunburns aren’t fun to deal with after all.

Ushijima had been pacing in front of your room for the past 45 minutes, trying to come up with an excuse to talk to you and somehow convey the message his friend recommended. So, it isn’t surprising that he heard you sneaking through the balcony. He thought someone was breaking into your room, so without thinking, or knocking, he opened the door to your room and headed in like it was his own house. Your leg was still hanging from the rail and his outburst made you fall to the ground startled.

The confused face he was making made you burst out laughing, this man has the worse timing ever, it’s hilarious.

“Yes, Toshi-san? Did you need me for something?” he was trying to analyze the situation, you looked fine, definitely there was no robbery going on in the premise, were you running away at night?

“I wanted to talk to you about this afternoon. If this isn’t a good time I can come back later-“he was about to leave when you stopped him, calling after him, “It’s ok, I was just going seashell hunting. Would you like to come with me?” Seashell hunting? How do you hunt seashells? Aren’t they like dead already? His confused self just nodded and instead of going out through the door, like a normal human being, he decided to follow your steps, climbing over the railing, causing you to giggle.

There was not even a single cloud in the sky, the full moon so high and bright, there was no need for lanterns.

You walked side by side in a comfortable silence, breathing in the peaceful night until you found a promising patch of sand. You sat close to it and Ushijima followed your lead, both of you digging into the sand with tiny sticks, fully equipped for tonight’s quest.

“So, what was it you needed to talk to me about, Toshi-san?” he took a deep breath, looking up at the moon, “I’m sorry I grabbed you like that this afternoon. You looked too pretty, I was afraid the other guys would also see it.”

You’ve never blushed with this intensity before, and you were suddenly glad you decided to come at night. The summer heat would be the one to blame if someone asked.

“Y-you don’t need to apologize for that. I thought it was cute.” you mumbled quietly, poking the sand some more. “You always say I’m cute.” he questioned you genuinely, the definition of cute he has in his head was very different to what he sees in a mirror when he looks at himself. “That’s because you are, cute.” your eyes twinkled in the dark, the stars wouldn’t rival the beauty of your eyes, not even tonight when the stars shine so bright. “Does it bother you? That other guys see me in a swimsuit?” he was hesitant to answer that question, he was now sure that it did bother him, but he still didn’t know why. “It was not my place to do what I did, for that I apologize. I’m sure your afternoon wasn’t as enjoyable due to the heat.”

“It was enjoyable. I didn’t mind it. Did I make you uncomfortable? Maybe I should have chosen a less revealing outfit.” he made you feel bad, that’s the one thing he was supposed not to do tonight, it’s so hard to get your thoughts across to other people, “You never make me uncomfortable. I just didn’t like the look in their eyes.”

“Were you…jealous, Toshi?” you held onto his elbow, the lack of honorifics causing him to forget he needed to breathe. “According to Tendo, yes. I still don’t understand the feeling very well, never happened before.”

You need some level of patience with a man like him, even if all you wanted was to tackle him on the sand and kiss his very essence, you would wait for him as long as it took. Instead, you laid your head on his muscly arm, taking a deep breath as you searched for his hand. It was so large, pretty much doubled the size of yours. “Is it…ok if I hold your hand?” looking at both of your hands, he just hummed in acknowledgement, wrapping his hand around yours.

You stayed there in silence, holding hands, until it was time for you to return to the inn.

Summer was only about to begin, and it already held a special place in both of your hearts.

•───────•°•❀•°•───────•

The day before the big game, right when classes were over, the door from your class burst open, showing a very exalted Ushijima looking for you.

“(Y/N), I found him. The setter you were looking for, Kageyama. He’s playing against us tomorrow.”

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Tagged babes: @dazaisfavgf @lauraagrace

Previous Chapter Masterlist Next Chapter

[mwritesc]

Can we get a glimpse on the type of parents on each of our GPOs (Godly Parentage Options)? If it isnt too spoilery...

But its obvious to see Dionysius being that type of Dad that went out to get Milk ( in this case Wine), and Ares is that typical redneck dad thatll either be the best overprotective dad (as evident on that one time he beat the turd on Poseidon's son) or be a bad influence-

Im gonna have fun with this one and derail from the plot because I honestly really like this ask lol

Poseidon is a sort of soccer dad who just wants to do the best and be the best he can for his kids. He's encouraging, almost overwhelmingly so. Very much a 'whats up, fellow kids' dad, who's proud of them no matter what.

Demeter is very much a tiger mom with high expectations of her kids and a heavy handed approach to parenting. She's stoic and serious in general, though she def has a soft spot for her kids. Mama bear <3 Also a wine mom.

Dionysus is def similar to how you described it. No sense of responsibility, just out to grab some milk (wine). Hes the type to be really proud of his kids though, and to boast to other gods/parents. He'll be friendly about it though. Bad influence.

Ares is an overprotective dad. Somewhat similar to Dionysus, although he WILL explicitly make it a competition between his kid and another. Def the type of dad to make sure his kids know to call him whenever they run into any trouble at all. Also will use intimidation tactics and will fight a child (lmao).

Iris is an artsy mom who honestly lets her kids do whatever. V chill, but will defend her kids to no end. Makes sure they know damn well that she is beyond proud of them. She's like the new mom on the PTA who doesn't really mix with the other moms because she has wild ideas for the spring dance.

[strqyr]

"was it a mistake to trust her? was it?? god." - Taking this to mean you have thoughts about whether or not Raven murdered the Spring Maiden or rather in the way portrayed. See what always gets to me is that if Raven did it wasn't out of want for power of the Maiden because you know - wanting out.

Though in general the more I think about the less I think Raven purposefully betrayed Summer, planned ahead. Ran - sure. Planned a betrayal of Summer? There's just been too many times where Raven was set up as betraying for ONLY POWER with further examination doesn't make sense. Spring -> Raven doesn't want powers. (Again cowardice and got stuck with the hot seat also an option) Qrow -> Spring Maiden + Portal to Qrow. If she wanted him dead *he'd be dead*. And drawing attention before ambush

oh i absolutely have doubts about what really happened with the previous spring maiden—partly bc they never spell it out that raven killed her, when talking about spring they dance around it, only heavily implying it, but the word 'kill' only comes up when yang talks about the raven tai told her about—but this time around i'm just. overthinking the line thanks to the new information we have lmao

like, this is what cinder says:

"the last spring maiden must've trusted you a great deal before she died. i bet that was a mistake."

and what my overthinking brain is getting at is that. well. raven is the only spring maiden we actually know about -> raven trusted summer -> was placing her trust in summer a mistake? is that the reason why she views summer more negatively in the present? is that why she reacted strongly to what cinder said?

then it loops back to kindred link; we don't know exactly how it works, but the bonds are at its core. and to bond with someone you'd have to be close with them, right? care about them, trust them. to have your trust broken hurts a lot to begin with, how much more would it hurt when you possibly have a constant reminder of it? actually, we don't even know if death is the only way for the bond to break, so if whatever happened between raven and summer was strong enough to break it... oof.

i do agree with you tho. under further scrutiny, i think raven intentionally betraying summer is a very compelling, potential red herring—which is exactly why i wouldn't be surprised if everyone else took raven's reluctance to talk about it as an admission of guilt and jumping into conclusions (already happened once in the vault with yang).

at the same time, it's not a possibility that i'm completely willing to throw out. there's still a lot of missing puzzle pieces, and i feel like every new discovery is going to drastically change the way it looks. and trying to figure it out is not made any easier thanks to raven managing to make herself look incredibly guilty but also being complicated enough that you never quite know what exactly she's feeling guilty about.

really does remind me of this part of her amity arena bio:

"because all she could ever do… is pray that her choices were the right ones. wisdom and knowledge are great weights to bear, and for raven… they became her cage."

[allthingsfook]

helloooo could i possibly get a ship from u? :) i’ve been seeing ur posts and they r so extremely cute omg.. keeping this anon, obvi LOL

i’m 5’2 (she/her), i have extremely long, black hair, brown eyes and naturally tan skin. i love the palazzo pant, tiny tank top look with big earrings!! gold is my jewelry of choice :)

i keep my hair long because i dance hula & tahitian! dance is truly my first love. besides dancing, i’m a self-proclaimed gym rat & i love lifting heavy.. my favorite day is leg + glute day 🫣 i also love to crochet, knit and bake! i also have a really bad shopping addiction lol. aaaandddd i have a mini dachshund named oscar who has my entire heart <3

i’m generally really shy & awkward when you first meet me, but you’ll def know when i’m comfortable w you when i literally never stop talking/cracking jokes. i like going to get silly (alcoholic) drinks with my friends and all around just hanging out. i like to think i glow the brightest during the spring & summer time bc i gravitate towards my bed during winter (i love the warm sun!!). i’m always open to listening to new music & i think i definitely broadened my horizons in the past 5 years.

i also recently graduated from college with a bachelors in psychology & am looking to apply to masters programs in counseling starting fall 2024! i aspire to be a licensed marriage & family therapist :)

thank you so much <3333

Thank you so much! This blog has basically turned into a ship blog 😂😂

I got mixed vibes while reading your blurb, but my heart says….

Josh 🍃🥝💚

First off, I think your free spirit, modern hippie vibe would attract him. In a room full of blonde VSCO girls (i have no idea what the 2023 term for those are 😂), you’d pull his attention!!! When he gets enough liquid courage to introduce himself to you, he’d be genuinely intrigued by all your interests and future plans!!

When you tell him about hula and Tahitian dancing, he’d scooch to the edge of his seat and listen intently. Over and over again, the boys say Josh is a worldly guy. He’d love to learn more about that culture, music and form of dance. Once you get to know each other better, he’d most certainly ask for a private dance in a cheeky sort of way 😂

Josh is certainly attracted to a woman who takes care of herself. Now that doesn’t necessarily mean skinny, because I’m convinced he loves a little curvier girl. Lucky for him you really do be working that 🍑

Josh would appreciate your creative outlets, and encourage you to gift them to your loved ones around the holidays. I can see the two of you baking together in the winter. You’d be tossing unmeasured ingredients into the bowel and josh would be glued to the recipe. “Wait, how much sugar did you put in?” He’d question with concern. You’d just shrug your shoulders and tell him that you measure with your heart! And when your dessert is done baking, he’d agree that straying from the recipe paid off!

As eclectic as Josh can be in areas of his life, his wardrobe is falling short 😂 At least from what we see. Please drag that man to a vintage or thrift store and spice his closet up! I get the sense he’d be uncomfortable in some bold options but with your reassurance and compliments he’d grow to like them! Let’s not forget Oscar!!!! I picture Josh sorta being like the dad that doesn’t wanna get a family dog, but the kids convince him and then they are like best friends in a few months 😂 Josh will be a little apprehensive of a dog at first, not because he doesn’t like them or doesn’t want one, I think it’s just a huge adjustment and responsibility. Give him a month or so and he’ll be bringing toys and treats home left and right, rolling around on the floor with him, and taking up the whole bed to cuddle with Oscar.

Honestly your shy, inverted demeanor when your first meet Josh might be perceived as refreshing! After all, he spends a lot of time around people who recognize him and wanna chat his ear off! I think he’d like a girl he had to chase after a little bit. When you finally let him in and things are going steady, the fact that the both of you are so similar would make your relationship effortlessly fun.

I think Josh thrives in the sunny months as well. He’d admire your glow and beauty in those seasons; calling you his summertime sweetheart💛

Having such a diverse taste in music is important if you are with Josh, otherwise your brain would be drowned out with shit you’ve never heard of. And while you do have a broad taste, Josh probably still will do exactly that. His taste in music is everything BUT mainstream. He’d definitely introduce you to a lot more!

Lastly, he would be so proud of your educations. Proud and attracted. As I have mentioned before, he definitely likes a woman with a head on her shoulder and someone who can carry an intelligent conversation. I don’t believe for a second he would enjoy someone who just always agreed with his opinions; if anything he’d want someone to challenge him just to engage in a healthy debate. Psychology 100% intrigues Josh, so I think he’d really enjoy talking with you about various psych topics; picking your brain for hours on end.

Well, I think that sums it up! I hope to hear back from you on how accurate you think the ship was! Even if it isn’t your lane, I still like to hear. The great part of his fandom is most people love all the boys!!! Here’s a little collage and song ship just for you!

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

When you feel out of step, just dance to the music without a care in the world

Music festivals are a great way to discover new artists as well as learn about different cultures. The Radiant Springs Music Festival is one of the biggest events in Marippe, so it’s something you must check out if that’s your thing. A lot of artists from all over the world would kill for an opportunity to perform as doing so would be a dream. Given the lively atmosphere and the variety of the music and artistry they showcase, who wouldn’t want to be a part of the fun?

What makes it even more special is that we’ve got some familiar faces performing on stage. Beryl, Ruby, and Topaz are performing with a theater troupe as an opening act for a band. Josette, Madeleine, Aurelie, Connie, and Pai are with an orchestra on violin, cello/piano, flute, bass guitar/viola, and oboe respectively. Connie and Pai even got solo performances, something that Madeleine and the festival organizer planned out to close the night.

The timing of the festival serves as a welcome distraction for most of them, especially for Beryl and Connie, who are dealing with a lot right now. It sucks when you’re in a position where you have no choice but to hold your tongue and nod along like nothing’s wrong. In other words, their hands are completely tied, so no matter what they do or don’t do, they’re gonna have to take the fall if anything goes wrong - a convenient third party scapegoat, basically. Yikes, that’s a fucking pain to get trapped into.

So the festival’s helping them keep their minds off that as there’s really nothing they can do about their situations anyway. I mean, they could try to take matters in their own hands, I guess, but that’ll probably bring unwanted trouble, so staying out of the way as much as possible is the wisest option. At least Beryl and Connie are taking it in stride by refusing to let that bring down their spirits. I think it helps that they kinda foresaw being in that difficult position rather than being blindsided - that’s the nature of the kind of lives they live.

Beryl’s situation has more to do with his master, the head of the Garden of Flames, but because he and his siblings are the closest to her, they’re bound to get dragged into it too. Since it involves classified information, he and his master have been kept in the dark about the specifics, which they aren’t happy with - obviously. But at the same time, it’s probably better off that way.

In other words, a lot it has to do with complicated politics, something that Beryl doesn’t care that much about, though given the Garden’s affiliations, he can’t avoid it entirely. Their organization is being used by another entity they have indirect ties to by providing finances and resources in a legal matter, so to speak. Something about exploiting loopholes to get shady but not exactly illegal stuff done. Not only it can keep them off the hook, it also serves as a way of controlling the Garden as independent organizations can be perceived as a threat, especially when they don’t see eye to eye on certain things. Again, sounds like a fucking hassle, and I feel bad for those who are inevitably gonna get tangled up in these affairs whether they like it or not.

Connie’s situation is also complicated and the more they attempt to figure things out, the more frustrating it gets. Basically, nothing adds up and no one knows why - that was why Connie went to Raiden for help. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to help either as there’s still a lot of unknown factors at play.

First, let’s go into why Connie’s traveling all over the Celestine Onyx and getting into their affairs even though they’re an outsider. At a glance, they seem like any other adventurer, but the more you look closely into their escapades, there’s obviously more to it than just some hero who happened to show up at the right place at the right time. I mean, how unusual is it for some outsider to be able to have considerable sway in various political factions to the point that drastic changes have taken effect, often resulting in ensuring a better future for the people? Like, that’s no ordinary person - not with a track record like Connie’s.

I’ve mentioned it before, Connie’s like a disruptor, an outside force who throws themselves in to temporarily stop the gears of fate. Of course, disruption, even if it’s for a good cause, results in unease, tension, fear of the unknown, but most of all, it throws everything into chaos. You’ve got a system like cogs in a machine where everything has to work perfectly well together. Throw something in between one of the gears and bam, everything comes to a grinding halt. And then what? That’s what Connie is.

In other words, that is Connie’s true purpose for their journey in the Celestine Onyx. It serves as sort of a punishment or redemption from their failure from preventing the Surtal disaster, a catastrophic event that resulted in the destruction of a nation and its people. Had the divine order not intervened, the disaster could’ve easily spread throughout the other seven nations. In short, a lot of things went wrong, and so it became sort of buried in history as the centuries passed.

The Surtal disaster was kind of like a domino effect that affected the other nations in the Celestine Onyx jurisdiction. But not in an obvious way, it was gradual, like something that sneaks up on you when you’re distracted. Political unrest and natural disasters were among some of the major catastrophes Connie managed to help avert. As for why the divine order failed to intervene earlier, that’s another question, though not one that Connie’s interested in finding the answer too. They believe that if the divine order got involved, it would have made things even worse. After all, they not only failed to prevent one prophecy from happening, but they turned it into an even bigger mess.

Many of those involved are still haunted by the disaster, including Connie, and so they are determined not to let history repeat itself. That’s why Connie sees their mission as more of a redemption than a punishment, as well as why those who were also involved were willing to let Connie intervene on matters that most outsiders have absolutely no business stepping into. They can’t change the past, but they can do something about the present and future. And so they will.

No matter what the cost or how many enemies they’ll make down the line, Connie will stop at nothing to make sure no one else had to suffer like the people of Surtal did. Defying the divine order by siding with the Celestine authority to take matters into their own hands is their way of righting the world’s wrongs. If the divine order finally decides to strike, Connie is more than prepared to fight back. To the death if they must.

As for the root cause of the Surtal disaster, Connie said it was the arrogance of the Six Pillars, five influential members who were supposed to represent the nation and guide it towards a better future. Instead, they were arrogant and much more interested in power and glory than the general wellbeing of the people. And that was their downfall. How tragic.

Among the many casualties of the disaster was Connie’s younger sister Trini - or so they thought. More accurately, she was among the missing and after an extensive search was assumed to be dead. They had been separated in the chaos and Connie blamed themselves for not being able to protect her. Interesting thing is that part of the reason why they took Pai under their wing was because her headstrong attitude and almost childlike curiosity reminded them of Trini.

And this is where things get confusing. It turns out that Trini survived the disaster and is allegedly working with the surviving Pillars. No one knows for sure what they’re planning other than it probably has to do with picking up where they left off before the disaster struck. So that’s bad news. As for how and why she’s involved with them even though she initially opposed them, that’s one of many questions Connie has for her. However, in the few times since they confronted her, she effectively sidestepped the interrogations.

What they know for sure is that Trini adopted many identities over the centuries. She also lived with two survivors of the Surtal disaster at some point - one whom Connie and Pai have run into a few times during their journey. According to him, a warrior who also happened to be a cousin of two of the Pillars, they traveled together for a while and he sometimes referred to her as Master. Then they had a falling out - or as Connie speculates, Trini walked out on him when she chose to side with the Pillars.

It was a chance encounter between the three of them that confirmed that Trini and his master were the same person. But other than that, there seems to be a lot of conflicting information that leaves both of them baffled. Connie was initially skeptical of the guy given his family ties, but as their paths crossed more and more, they realized that he really got the short end of the stick in the middle of all this, to put it simply. If Trini and the Pillars decided to attack, he would be their target, and knowing how their sister would operate, Connie would be the unwilling bait.

Of course, Connie will do whatever they can to prevent that, but with little to nothing to go off on, their hands are pretty much tied. For now, the best course of action is for them to lay low and avoid attracting any unwanted attention. At least for Connie, it means business as usual, especially now that they’re waiting for that inevitable mountain of paperwork following their final preparations for Sazona. Given everything that’s going on, they’re actually looking forward to trudging through all that boring bureaucratic stuff. Well, can’t really blame them - lesser of the two evils kind of thing, I guess.

As for the other person who also lived with Trini after her supposed death, Connie has yet to find her. She was also a survivor of the Surtal disaster and currently serves as one of the harbingers of Melovka’s imperial capitol. That means you will have to go through several loops just to even get permission to arrange a meeting with her. Connie’s also had a few unfortunate run ins with some of her subordinates, so they don’t really have high hopes that they’ll get concrete answers from her.

There is one silver living though, and it’s Beryl’s master, who’s acquainted with the High Mage. She’s not close to her, but she told Connie that she can try to get a word in for them as the High Mage seemed to express interest in Connie’s exploits. There’s no guarantee, but Beryl and his siblings can vouch for her as she always keeps her word. And if that doesn’t work for whatever reason, she’ll manage to find another way - though Connie’s afraid to ask what other methods she has in mind. Despite not seeing eye to eye with the head of the Garden, Connie agrees that she’s the best option as a go-between for the High Mage.

Connie had their objectives and Trini has hers. Two people with a grudge against the divine order should be working together, not against each other. Then again, a lot of things in life aren’t as simple. One stands with humanity, the other stands against it. Why is that? Another question that Connie’s intent on finding answers to. Whether they will like what they find out, that’ll be a bridge they’ll deal with when it comes. Again, there’s too many holes and unknowns to really come to any sort of conclusion.

So that’s a lot to deal with, and I wouldn’t know what to do if I were stuck in that kind of situation. But it’s like Connie said, you just have to focus on what you can’t do instead of driving yourself crazy or shit you have absolutely no control over. They don’t know what’s going on with Trini, so they obviously want to get to the bottom of that. While they’re willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, Connie also said that they won’t hesitate to strike back if she goes too far. Hopefully it won’t get to that point, but it has happened - see Raiden and her brother.

At least they’re keeping busy with the Radiant Springs Festival. Connie and Pai are well acquainted with the organizer, Ivanna, a traveling musician and songwriter. In fact, one of the songs Connie performed was an original the two of them wrote together in the course of one evening. That song is titled Stopping the World By Force, which seems to serve as an outlet for Connie’s frustration regarding Trini’s evasiveness. Emotions run high with this song - anger, sadness, desperation, frustration, and yet somewhat cautiously hopeful in the end. Like in an even if things don’t work out between us, I’ll still walk on with my head held high until the very end kind of thing.

The other numbers Connie and Pai performed were jazz standards, which they chose themselves. Nothing like getting into the timeless classics - they’re called that for a reason after all. I’d say Pai leans more into jazz pop while Connie’s more into the traditional classical genre, which kinda suits their personalities.

It was also a lot of fun seeing the performers in the orchestra, especially those who had their moments in the spotlight. Josette hadn’t planned on being up on stage until Madeleine and Aurelie asked her if she was interested. Madeleine and Ivanna wanted to get a mix of professional and casual but experienced musicians - Aurelie and Josette falling into the latter category. Josette was initially unsure as she was a little rusty with the violin, until Aurelie told her she was on the same page with the flute. Both of them played extensively in school and later picked it up on and off as adults for fun.

Madeleine didn’t expect to be in the orchestra too until the others insisted. She can play a variety of instruments, piano and cello being her top picks. While she’s known for being a talented pianist, she’s also a maestro on the cello. Really, the only reason why her cello playing’s not as well known is because she’s usually featured singing on stage, which is easier to do while playing the piano. Still, that doesn’t mean she can’t do it with cello, it’s more that she’s usually limited to plucking the strings - though her ability to seamlessly go from pizzicato to bow while singing is one of many reasons why she’s mesmerizing to watch.

The highlight for me was the orchestra, which was the main focus of the festival, though all the other performances I managed to catch were just as great. It’s nice watching a show where you can see the performers having as much fun as the audience, singing and playing to their favorite songs and putting their own spin on it.

Even when things aren’t looking too bright right now, that shouldn’t stop you from having a good time. Connie and Beryl certainly didn’t let their worries show in their performances, nor would they let that dampen their spirits. Sometimes all you can do is just lose yourself to the music and let that carry you to the clouds for a short period of respite. It won’t solve your problems, but it’ll give you some much needed headspace to be able to tackle these issues head on. I should take a page out of their book when I’m stuck in a difficult situation.

Read on AO3

[bandofchimeras]

posting a lot rn sorry Im gonna readmore this vent that is a standin for next therapy session

i have a lot of trauma from losing my last few housing situations over interpersonal conflict and not having enough money or being good at managing my money. I was too ashamed to ask for what I needed until it was desperate and I had no options.

I have big decisions to make that are producing so much anxiety. and am burnt out. but also grateful and astounded at the miracle that is life.

so can't handle small talk right now. my whole chest is splitting open with the need to be somewhere I feel loved and safe bc I know who tf I am now....but knowing I have to make these next moves out of my own initiative

somewhere deep in my brain I know this isn't all my fault but I had to stop victim thinking to get myself out of the Hole and consequently just Shut Up about the Pain

the last people I lived with really wanted me to shut up and conform perfectly to the anxiously controlled life they'd constructed bc I was there temporarily

and for my part I was in depression self centered funk and coming out of abuse too brainfoggerd to remember the rules

One of them is a former mutual and he was also a transmasc person I had a crush on and we had a short little Thing

what they ended up doing was 1000% shitty asshole stuff like kicking me out in the middle of winter after I communicated I was in too much pain from moving in and work, and requested a two week extension, and trying to charge me illegal "storage fees" when I needed time to get my stuff after being kicked out.

my discord friends had to help me parse that these people were not my friends and did not care about me at all. I thought they did. but the guilt they laid on thick and blamed me for their actions has been dragging around my ankles for awhile and I just want to shake it off, I want to be okay and not soaked in guilt like milk toast

the situation also led to my car being stolen, getting in a crash, my cats health severely declining until she passed away this spring. just fucking wrecking ball on everything I was attached to for any sort of comfort or sense of reality.

Right before that my long term job that was....dubiously ethical, my sort of boss fired me in a similarly guilting way, and similarly could see exactly why they had a problem with me but I just, at the time I simply could not show up how I needed to. Not killing myself was an accomplishment. And this boss was deeply prejudiced against autistic people despite running a group home. I genuinely hated her guts for how miserable she made everyone around her while also recognizing I wasn't doing much better.

anyways through this time period kitchen work has become this attachment that toughens me up and feels doable while my brain is inflamed, despite being shit for my disabled body. I can't shake free quite. I don't have a permanent house and all my friendships feel weird and troubled in that way only mutual survivors of emotionally neglectful or abusive families and religious trauma can, like every thing I do or say can be wrong, or isn't giving someone enough attention or isnt the response they want or is bad bad bad bad

and so yeah, making new friends is hard

letting people in feels impossible

looking for decent jobs too

I'm not a mess in the way I have been but it's all messy inside and I'm sad and tired and very hypersensitive to rejection, every day breaks and makes me again and I miss writing and loving and feeling good

I thought pride would be so fun and make me feel better. It was cool in a lot of ways, but also grimly corporate and fangless and expensive, there were a ton of missed connections and the couple I went with was being nitpicky and hurtful to each other and even at the club dressed to the nines and dancing my little gay heart out I felt disconnected and ignorable (maybe it's just a Seattle thing, moving from a small-town environment into big urban reminds you you're nothin special all in all) and couldn't see the magic

I miss my ex or at least keep seeing stuff that reminds me of caring about her in that specific way and the bridge we tried to build across everything despite it all and I know we still care about each other just couldn't stop the fucking awful Bullshit, moving on would be easier if I could just dismiss people entirely

and at work things started falling apart too, my boss got super guilt happy at overworked caregivers and I lost all respect for him and was mega triggered and posted about it and embarrassed myself. theyre more okay I guess but everyone seems so demoralized and worn down by being criticized and used up and overcharged and under loved and I don't want to give any more right now, I want to rest rest rest and make art and I can't let myself while I'm living in someone's living room and both of us are working around eachothers mood disorders

meanwhile my family while making progress is still on about how I have to accept criticism of my gender identity if I want to talk to them about the harm done by their religious ideology and MEANWHILE I develop deep feelings for yet another unavailable cis man for bare minimum shit

i don't know I guess it feels like other people know how to have friends and love and enjoy things and I am missing the boat and if I don't change something indistinguishable super fast, it will be too late for me and I will continue to ruin every good thing that comes my way and.magnetically attract trouble

and it doesn't help that my attempts to connect online also feel desperate and awkward like I'm really a sick puppy who wants headpats but aren't we all they say

some days I do think overall it would be easier to Kermit but I can't do that to my siblings AND there are many buoyantly beautiful things bout life I am looking forward to like top surgery and kissing boys like I mean it which someday will feel real and not like a knife twist in the chest

also I haven't got enough sleep lately and my period came back so hopefully this stupid shit is more bearable in a few days I'm just gonna watch OFMD and hug myself to sleep and literally kill anyone who is a hater about the tiny things that bring me joy bc I am fucking doing my best out here to stay afloat and not yuck other people's yums either

[itsthebethblogever]

Stream of consciousness free write

Another day in the land down under

My life trajectory makes me ponder

New friends, new places,

New jobs, new faces

Around and around the globe I trot

Endless adventures never stop

Connection, beauty, culinary delights

Wherever I go, I climb new heights

Searching, looking, trying on fresh masks

After a few days or months, they never last

A magician of transformation

Would never doubt my reputation

As above, so below

Phoenix stories have to go

I’m feeling like I’m in a rut

Especially housed in this stale hut

There were offers along the way

Cheerful homes I could have stayed

But my ego and locked down heart

Made me stand still, now I’m back at start

Little by little I find my way

There’s a new beginning to every day

From the ashes, the phoenix rises

Life showers me with unexpected surprises

Stepping slowly to my goal

Slowly, slowly I feed my soul

Years of travel, aimless wandering

My audience amazed and always pondering

I’m at the point of slowing down

A plant’s shallow roots can turn to brown

The right people will make me stop

Hopelessly in love until I drop

Will I soon feel an ache in my heart?

The kind once started, it can’t be stopped

When laying in bed, I think of him

The man of my dreams makes my body swim

Surely he’ll be a player of music

Our voices combined over guitars acoustic

A ripple cracks my flowing life

A past experience causes strife

Losing trust is hard to repair

This consequence I have to bare

Running away is not an option,

Patterns repeat until I stop them

External validation is my sin

Instead of value from within

Every being has the same cells

Motivated by hundreds of yells

Cries for love can overcome us

Make us forget and sometimes numb us

A great respect for others like us

Is essential for a path that’s righteous

It is normal to trip and stumble

Pain shoots through like a sting from a bumble

I’m sitting with this painful reminder

That thoughtless actions will always find her

The lesson learned is better safe than sorry

And the ultimate power of our bodies

Forgive me, please, when you are ready

I understand healing’s best slow and steady

I didn’t want this first impression

To spiral me into a kind of depression

Women of the world must stand together

We’re all birds of the same feather

Poetry is the language of the soul

Loving communication is my goal

Out of the inside, it’s been wrung out

Like squeezing orange pulp through a spout

Lighter now, I’ve told my story

Worrying further must be buried

I put myself to bed so early

To start each day without a hurry

Worry, worry, about my rest

Surely, surely, doing my best

Often I feel I’ve not done enough

Constant pressure is really tough

A lesson that I’m trying to learn

Is loosen up and lose the stern

Lose the stern to really Feel

Precious moments I’ll never steal

Life is love and meant for freedom

Let’s dance for joy and bless Creation

What a delight to pick and choose

The ocean glistens with shades of blues

Don’t suffer alone, a smile cracks stone stares

Instead, let’s soar to everywhere

Everywhere and everyone

Today is destined for new fun

What is above is also below

A bright future is now - let’s go!

Blurts inside will never serve me

What did they say? They don’t deserve me!

There’s a glowing artist who years to break free

The whole world will witness me

Hourglasses house flowing sand

We stake our tents upon the land

Growing pains still are growth

To inspire and be inspired is our oath

Spring out of bed, today’s the day!

Sky’s aquamarine, no shades of gray

Candle wicks are burning bright

Eagerly waiting for our eagle’s flight

[forensicastronomer]

The Conservationist Manifesto

The Earth, Mother Nature, our environment, our home-it does not matter what you call it, our world needs our help to preserve it. Sometimes we may take for granted our home here on Earth. We may not think our actions can make a difference. I am here to tell you everyone's actions, no matter how small, do indeed make a difference. It is important to reuse, reduce, and recycle, as we have been told so many times. Recycling reduces trash in landfills, allowing items to live again as repurposed goods. Reusing items and reducing our consumption of certain items, especially those in plastic or Styrofoam contains can help the landfills and the greenhouse gas increase. It is also important to limit our emissions, carpooling, walking, or bicycling are also great options.

For myself, I have always been a lover of nature. From a young age, my grandparents took me all over the state, to all kinds of state parks, the Everglades, and preserves. Nature was embedded into me. Learning about the animals, seeing the plants and vegetation, tasting a strawberry straight from its bush, all of these things made me love nature and made me realize we all need to help ensure it thrives. I want my children to grow up in a world where we do not have to worry about the environment, where coral bleaching and forest destruction is a notion of the past.

My first post, the Representative Work, portrays Alice looking into a pond. Alice is surrounded by nature, but there is a whole other world underneath her that she has no idea about. One day she enters into the other side and discovers a wonderland. I feel like this is how nature is. We still have so much to discover, especially in places like the rainforest and in Antarctica. Once you see part of nature, the desire to see more just overcomes you. Never stop exploring!

For my Abstract Image assignment, it depicts the strength of a woman, a mother. Mother Nature is strong, she does not play by any rules. She can be kind, but as we have seen firsthand, she can also be cruel. The image has points and sharp edges, like the intense weather conditions she can bring on, but also has soft features, like the flowers and beauty she brings as well. I believe Mother Nature gets more and more brutal the more we destroy the environment and add to global warming. A woman, just like any person, must be shown love, compassion, and understanding to really thrive. Mother Nature is no different.

Fire Dance in my Public Art post, displays a bright, bold sculpture in a park. The swirls and bold lines are intense, much like the intensity of nature. Many say the world is almost on fire due to rising temperature, global warming, and melting of glaciers. We must do our part to help stop the temperature of the Earth from rising too quickly. A very important reason to be a conservationist and be aware.

My musical theme was the four seasons. Mother Nature's beauty is seen in all the seasons. The cycle of winter, spring, summer, and fall are like the seasons of life. Sometimes life may be cold, and our present may be bleak. Then new life begins, or a new chapter in our lives, just like spring. We see the hope, we feel the joy of rebirth! Summer comes as a carefree time, a time of rest, relaxation. Often as children we experience times like this, although we want time to speed up! Fall is a quieter time, a time to begin something new. The new schoolyear begins and we prepare for winter's arrival. Again, conservation plays a critical role here. Global warming can alter the seasons, creating drastic temperatures.

In my assignment for Photographer's Eye, again I have mainly photographs of nature. Freshly fallen snow, a dog playing in the snow, the beauty of winter is showcased. Then, Mother Nature's canvas, the leaves of fall are shown. The sky, the trees, the beach, the rainbow, all of the beauty of nature can be seen. The beauty and the wonder of nature needs to be preserved and cared for for future generations to enjoy!

CONSERVE TO PRESERVE OUR EARTH!!

[hyenasheep]

Some random specific headcanons for Ghouls

Beacuse I'm trying brainstorming ☕

When Aether hugs you he's doing that little thing when he will squeeze you super hard for a few seconds and than let you go while patting your head

Swiss LOVES cheesy romcoms such as Friends, To All The Boys I've Ever Loved, Midnight In Paris, Mamma Mia or La La La Land (even better if it's a musical) and one of his most favorite romantic movies ever is Dirty Dancing. He and Copia had seen the film already thousand times, it's their comfort movie and they remember all lines and especially dance moves by heart

-I already mentioned this one in my latest post but- Aether is that type of person who will listen to you regardless of the situation or topic, you can talk about tea spoons, weather or DND session while joining a bishop's sermon and he will be genuinely interested and focused

Swiss nonironically loves Just Dance, he has a collection of all games and probably is a proud member of the JD fandom. He's probably even of the admins

Cirrus and Cumulus are besties with Mist (ghoulette from third era), they often hanging out and has private chat on Discord where they share cute animal tiktoks, diy's or anything music related "Hey Ghesties look at this Slipknot meme ⚫👄⚫" "Omgg did you guys hear that new Abba album? This song kinda slaps" "Y'all Gorrilaz just dropped their tour list"

Rain and Mountain loves asmr relaxing videos and playlists with a specific aesthetic povs. For example:

Pov: you're studying in a haunted school, it's hot outside and you're trying to ignore demon bully who's sitting next to you.

Pov: it's a cold spring morning, you're walking through a deserted forest in the mountains, but you're not alone.

Pov: it's 3 am, you're supposed to clean up the church after midnight mass but instead you start listening to music that comes from a altar (slowed + reverb)

Dew's weakness are scented candles, if you're trying to settle with him after an argument, buy him a qualitative scented candles which lasts a long time and have a strong and intense scent. Unfortunately most of the ghouls/siblings tries to usually look for a different options cuz' there's a 90% chance he will 'accidentally' set the room and the rest of the building on fire

Cirrus quickly befriended Stratus/Sunshine (the new ghoulette) aka extrovert adopted a introvert, Cirrus also wants her to join their ghoulettes dm group but S. Can be extremely shy when it comes to meeting new ghouls especially through social medias

Rain loves Marvel movies, he's not that much into comics but he likes superhero stuff. He saw all movies and series, bought some merch such as Thanos's glove/Deadpools robotic talking head/Vision Teddy bear/Captain America's shield as pizza cutter etc., he even few times joined a Comiccon and has a signed poster by Tom Hiddleston. He doesn't want to admit it but he has a crush on Captain America and Silver Surfer.

Mountain practices yoga, he tried it few times before he was summoned, than stopped cuz of drums and than started again cuz his back began to ache from daily drumming. He's actually really good at it. Occasionally Cumulus joins him during one of his daily routines.

Although it doesn't seem so at first glance, Cumulus loves horror movies. Whenever any new horror movie or series comes out she plans a movie night, as soon as she watches it she will go sharply rate it on IMDB. One of her favorite movies are Hereditary and The Ring. Of course she's also a huge fan of true crime podcasts.

Stratus/Sunshine has special playlists for literally any mood or any kind of situation. Crying at 3 am over that one person you met at 2007, and then you've never seen them again? Boom, here's a playlist. You're having a picnic with your ghoul friends in the park, but a storm came out of nowhere so you ran to hide but you realized, it was quite fun to be outside and so you started dancing in the summer rain? Woohoo, another playlist. Have you experienced a moment, that seemed like a scene from a movie but no one believes you it ever happened? You see me where im going- Bang, playlist, you welcome.

Dew has a personality of orange cat with one brain cell. "Never let them know your next move." Said after he ate soap before one of the bands meetings and called it Soap Opera. That's also one of the reasons why he doesn't have anymore any free space for his mouth under his new ghoul helmet. He's still mad at Copia for that 'design' decision.

[fangirlovestuff]

Going Public - Chris Evans x reader

a/n - hey lovely people!!! i’m sorry for the lack of updates on here, i’ve just been occupied with life lately and haven’t been able to write properly in a while. but here’s this headcanon idea i just had to write:) i missed writing so much, but i can’t say i’m gonna go back to updating frequently yet, so i hope you enjoy this<3 

Summary: you and chris were keeping your relationship private, and when you finally decide to go public there’s a particular post that catches your eye... (it’s scott’s, and he’s a goofball).

Warnings: none:)) it’s just a really fluffy fic

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

when chris asked you out, you were ecstatic

but, you did have one request

no publicity

you were a normal girl, and you wanted a normal life, no paparazzi harassing you or jealous women talking shit about you on the internet

and chris had absolutely no problem with that

in fact, he was happy you asked him to try and keep it quiet, since he's such a private person as well

and surprisingly enough, it worked really well

you rarely went on fancy dates, and if you did chris would call ahead and ask they respect your privacy

sure, you couldn't go to bars, or festivals, or shows, and you did feel like you were missing out sometimes

but not really

you and chris were both more introverted, homebodies, and you were both extremely content with just staying at home, or going to the occasional escape room double date with scott and his boyfriend

(you all got progressively more and more competitive with each one, trying to solve them in less and less time, but it was really fun)

it worked so well and for so long, you and chris had just sunken into that comfort zone so much and you were now getting married, without the world knowing

the option of going public with your relationship didn't even come up when you got engaged

chris was happy with it, because he got to keep you all to himself, but mostly because he knew how much you didn't want to go public and how happy you were being a part of his life without the craziness of hollywood

but now, when you were coming back home from your honeymoon, you couldn't help but wonder if that was the right thing to do

sure, you didn't want your potential kids growing up in the limelight

but you also didn't want them to miss out on stuff because of you

plus, you were ready, have been for a while

it couldn't be something you maintained forever, that just wasn't realistic, and that fact that no one found out in the last 3 years was pretty much a miracle

and when you talked about it with chris, he agreed

so, the next week, you both posted the same picture to your social media, tagging each other

it was a beautiful picture from your wedding, slow dancing and gazing lovingly into each other's eyes

it was cheesy, but you both loved it 

your accounts were still private, and you were keeping it that way, but chris' fans would know

and so will the rest of the world

chris squeezed your hand reassuringly, and you pressed the post button in unison

you had the urge to throw your phone across the room so you wouldn't see it again, but you took a deep breath, shut it down, and put it away on the table

chris pulled you into a tight hug

"i can't believe we finally did it," you chuckled into his chest as his arms pulled you impossibly closer

"i can't believe i'm gonna have to share my beautiful wife with the rest of the world from now on," you could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke softly

indeed, as you lifted your head to meet his gaze, a soft smile was drawn across his face

you leaned your chin on his chest and looked up at him

"i love you," you said.

"i love you too," he pressed a soft kiss onto your lips, "now do you wanna watch a movie?"

you both didn't look at your phones until the next day

you received hundreds of messages from colleagues, acquaintances who didn't know you well enough and had just found out

you replied to some, and then logged onto instagram

you felt like a kid watching a scary movie, covering their eyes with their hands but leaving room between their fingers to see it anyways

the first thing you saw was chris' post

he posted it with the caption "my everything" and a blue heart

you couldn't resist the temptation and scrolled through some of the comments, and to your relief most of them were supportive or surprised

"cHRISTOPHER WHAT THE FUCK"

"jahfbsapf😭"

"how the hell did he get a wife,,, what"

"okay but he literally married a disney princess LOOK AT HER"

"she's living the dream omg"

you chuckled at the last two

at that moment, chris came up behind you, nuzzling his face into your neck

"good morning," your smiled, turning your head to peck his lips

"morning," he smiled. "have you seen scott's one yet?"

"oh, did he comment? i didn't-"

"oh no, he made a whole post," he chuckled.

you shook your head and opened your phone again, looking up scott's instagram, and sure enough there was a new post

"since these dorks are done being stealthy, i figured i'd share some of my favorite pics of my favorite sister-in-law and my brother whom she so magnificently tamed😜. i love you guys, congrats💖"

you giggled as you read the caption, and only then your eyes lifted to the first photo

it was of you and chris in a halloween party, wearing, how could you not, a disney couples costume

chris was looking at you with a smile, his cheeks slightly tinted, probably from the beers he had that night, while your head was thrown back in laughter

you remembered that night, mostly because of the ridiculous amount of candy you and chris devoured and it made you feel bad until the next morning (still worth it though), but you didn't remember that this picture existed  

the next one was a selfie you, chris, and dodger had sent them one afternoon, just because it was so darn cute

dodger was licking your cheek, and you and chris were both laughing

the next was another pic you didn't know he had taken, of the both of you when you were all at a picnic

you were leaning back against chris' chest, and he was pointing at something outside of the picture, gentle smiles on your faces

the next was one of the both of you at your wedding, but it wasn't the nice one of you and chris slow dancing

because scott clearly couldn't leave it at that

it was a picture from later that night, as was seen by your hair, which was more tousled, and it was a picture of you raising your hand high and twirling chris around, clearly laughing

the last one was a picture that was taken in lisa's house, where you were both sitting on the couch

one of chris' hands was on the back, holding you, and the other was on his chest, his face thrown back on laughter

it was the look in your eyes though, that made a grin spring onto your face

because you looked exactly how you felt

so completely in love with this puppy of a man

you felt chris smile behind you

"awww, look at your face," he said, "you like meee," he drawled teasingly

"well, i did marry you," you shrugged, feigning indifference.

he kissed your nose, "i like you too."

"gross," you scrunched your nose at him before you both erupted into laughter

and you at that moment, you truly knew you did the right choice

because everything was okay, and you knew as long as you had chris by your side, it's always going to be

he's the person who made you feel safe, loved

and that was never going to change, no matter what

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

tell me your thoughts!! till next time lovelies<3

Taglist:  @horny-nd-bored​ @shannon124 @perfectlyharolds​ @wintersoldierslut​ @iceebabies​  @sleepingpapermouse @steverogerswasalwaysworthy @holtzkinnon @angelicl-y @stydia-4-ever @thatoneperson5000 @fangirlfree​ @kaitcordx25 @bequeening​ @steve-barry-damon-logan​ @itscrazycherryblossomcollection​ @hollandxmarvel​ @stargazingfangirl18 @readsreblogsfics @onetwo3000 @beritmetal @harrystylesholland @jazbot2000 @anobscurename @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @peggycarter-steverogers @evansphnx12 @starlightcrystalline @procrastinatingsapphictrash

if you wanna join / be removed from a taglist, comment/message me! much love <3

[charlie-rulerofhell]

An interview with Måneskin: “It's not about out bodies, it's about our music”

Heyo, I'm back with another translation. This time the article is from the German Rolling Stone website who met with Måneskin after their TikTok performance at the Schwuz, Berlin, and posted the interview yesterday. Again there were some interesting questions asked (and the pictures they added to the article are quite nice, though severely lacking some Ethan content, but check it out!).

Again, I hope that no one has already gone through the effort and translated it or is currently working on a translation. Also this is an official invitation, if you stumble across any articles or video interviews in German that you would like to have translated just message me and I'll get to it! (or if you just wanna chat about Måneskin, my inbox is always open :))

Have a great day everyone!

Full article under the cut.

-----------------------------

An interview with Måneskin: “It's not about out bodies, it's about our music”

Jose-Luis Amsler

July 6, 2021

Måneskin are just what this generation has been missing. Passionate, corny, and full-on honest. In an interview with Rolling Stones, the ESC winners explain to us why they would never work in a normal job and why the hype for their appearance is sometimes going too far.

Damiano, Victoria, Thomas and Ethan are entering the nearly deserted dance hall, before they wait on stage in a red-blue spotlight. They are wearing glittering fish net tops, black tape across their nipples, leather pants, heels and make up. The camera men who are filming in portrait format (9:16) suitable for TikTok are whirling up the haze of the fog machine.

Måneskin are [in] Berlin to give a TikTok concert. A TikTok livestream of this scale has not been done often – tension is in the air. The four Italians don't know at this point that due to the stream the few people present are not allowed to clap or cheer. In complete silence and with slight uncertainty the four are crossing Neukölln's club Schwuz. A few puzzled glances are exchanged. Finally,  Måneskin are striking the first chord.

Then the rich sound of Ethan's bass drum is tearing through the silence. It's almost as if someone has flicked a switch somewhere. There it is, the rock star presence that is hovering over everything they do, with an ounce of arrogance (in the best sense of the word). Singer Damiano is dancing lasciviously on his heels, and during an especially ecstatic solo guitarist Thomas is throwing himself down on the floor in a way it can only be done by a passionate 20-year-old musician who had never had to worry about the looming doom of an artificial knee joint [for 'passionate' the interview is using the term 'besessen' which means 'possessed', and although I think it's rather supposed to describe the way Thomas is 'possessed / obsessed' with the music, thus passionate for the music, you never know if they didn't mean to say that the way he dances looks 'possessed' … I mean, they might be on to something here ;)]. Around half an hour and about 120 decibel later, Damiano says their goodbyes with an almost shy-sounding “Okay, bye.” After the performance, we do our interview in the Schwuz.

Rolling Stone: It was a little bit weird, right, when you went on stage today?

Damiano: Yeah, that was really strange (laughs). They only told us after the performance that the audience was instructed to stay silent for the stream.

Vic: But at least they weren't silent because we were shit (all laughing). We are slowly getting used to playing without a live audience. I mean we are doing this now for more than a year.

RS: What do you think about these new kinds of concerts such as the TikTok livestream today?

Damiano: Well, at the moment it is the only option to perform anyway, so it's alright. But of course you cannot compare this to a proper concert.

Thomas: But it's pretty cool that so many people can experience our concert live.

Vic: Also we're gonna start touring again soon. Right now we are arranging some festival and gigs. In December we will be touring Italy and afterwards we are planning to go on tour through Europe. But we don't have anything fixed yet, there is just a lot going on at the moment.

“A lot going on”. Quite an understatement considering the recent journey Måneskin has made through the past weeks after their ESC win. Their singles “Beggin'” and “I Wanna Be Your Slave” went through the roof (also thanks to Social Media) and are currently dominating the international charts – lately they were also number one in Germany. There is barely a radio station that isn't playing the band on heavy rotation [would love to know what stations they listen to, have never heard Måneskin played in German radio tbh :( ], and everyone opening Instagram or TikTok these days is flooded by Måneskin content. Every second a new fanpage with the name of 'maneskin_obsession' or 'damianos_slut' is springing up like a (virtual) mushroom. It sounds like a cliche, but Damiano, Vic, Thomas and Ethan became international stars over night.

“Of course it's nice to get compliments. But sometimes they definitely cross a line.” – Damiano David

RS: How has your life as a band changed since your win at the ESC in Rotterdam?

Vic: I think we don't even notice a lot of what's happening. Right after the ESC we went to a studio in the countryside where we made music the whole day long. So at first we didn't realise that so many things were happening all around us – and that we had so many new fans. We're just now beginning to learn what's going on. We were at Sony yesterday, there were so many fans waiting for us. That was crazy.

RS: A large part of the attention you are getting now is about your outer appearance, your style, your attractiveness. Is that getting a little too much sometimes?

Damiano: Of course it's nice to get compliments (laughs). But sometimes they definitely cross a line. Especially when we just talk about our music or about a social or political topic that we care about. In those moments it's just completely inappropriate to reduce us to our appearance. Sure – when I'm posting a half-naked picture of myself on Instagram I know that I will get these kind of comments. And then it's totally fine, I mean in the end I'm posting the picture to show myself. But sometimes it's not the right place for it.

RS: And also you should be allowed to wear what you want without being sexualised, right?

Vic: Yes, absolutely. We are wearing these outfits because we feel good in them, not to put the focus on our bodies. And in general it shouldn't always only be about how you dress. We are musicians – so first and foremost it should be about our music. But I think it will still be a long way until we will reach that point.

“That the boys are wearing make up does not tell you what gender they are attracted to. Those things should never be equated with each other.” – Victoria De Angelis

RS: But still you are sending a message with your style against stereotypical gender roles. I guess it's also not only coincidence that we are in the Schwuz today, which is normally a party location and safe space for the LGBTQ community.

Vic: Yes, that is all part of the positive message that we try to send. We want to give our audience the feeling that they are free. Free to wear whatever they want to wear, be how they want to be and love whom they want to love. It's unbelievable that there is still so much intolerance in our times. That has always been really important to us so we try to talk about these topics. We also believe that the narrow-mindedness of society is an educational problem. When you grow up with people all around you telling you how you should be, you will never feel completely free. The more people are talking about it, the sooner things will change.

RS: Some artists who are advocating for these topics are accused of 'queerbaiting', that they are only pretending to be a certain way to gain more support from the queer community. Have you also been faced with those allegations?

Vic: Yes, a few times. But of course we never pretended to be anything. Some people accuse of us queerbaiting because we look and act the way we do. But that's flawed thinking. We don't believe that clothes are connected to a person's sexuality. That the boys are wearing make up does not tell you what gender they are attracted to. Those two things should never be equated with each other.

RS: This courage for free self expression that you are conveying is mainly lived by our (young) generation through Instagram and the like. What is your relationship to social media?

Damiano: For me it was almost scary at first. The more we grew, the more people were trying to twist all of my words. But over time you start to understand that with more fame you also get more criticism. The happier you look the more hate you will get. It's not only like that for celebrities. If you are brave enough to show the things that make you happy there will always be people that support you, but they are also those that envy you. Of course, this should never lead anyone to not express themselves openly but that's easier said than done.

Vic: We are also trying not to spend too much time on social media. In the end we just try to be honest with our fans and to avoid negativity.

[caption under the picture of Damiano: 'Is already being compared to icons such as David Bowie']

It's actually surprising how little power a win at the ESC holds in most cases. Almost 200 million people are watching this shining spectacle every year – and still, a few months afterwards it is hard to remember who those people were that got covered in confetti during the award ceremony. It's the well-known curse of a casting show that rests on the winning bands. When just next year a new sensation will come to marvel at, how much impact does a win have then? There are exceptions of course, like Lena who is until this day, 10 years after her win in Oslo, a part of the more famous music scene of German pop music. With their charisma, their unusual sound at least for our modern standards, and their contemporary message Måneskin could become such an exception, too.

It's likely also helpful that the band already had a standing in the Italian music scene prior to their ESC participation. Their first album 'Il ballo della vita' already achieved platinum in 2018, three years prior to Sanremo and the ESC. And then there is also the long way that led the four schoolmates to this point that helped them gain the necessary persistence. Because contrary to what some people might want to believe Måneskin are not a phenomenon that has just been deliberately bred to be this way by the entertainment industry for Eurovision.

“I have worked [in a 'normal' job] for a whole month in my entire life – it didn't really end well.” – Damiano David

RS: You were all raised in Rome, the capital of the catholic church. What was it like to start as a young progressive band in such a conservative environment?

Damiano: In the beginning, when we started as buskers, no one gave a damn about us anyways (all laughing). But of course … Once we got a bit bigger there were a few people who had a problem with us. For example when we went to Sanremo, there were quite many people who thought that the way we looked and acted we shouldn't be allowed to represent Italy. They didn't even want to listen to our music first.

Vic: Especially when it comes to appearance and sexuality, Italy is a little more backward than other countries. The church probably also has an influence there. They are often quite conservative of course, so many people grew up with such a [conservative] mindset.

RS: You once said that the song 'In Nome Del Padre' is an answer to exactly those people. What does the song mean to you?

Damiano: Back in the beginning [of our career] we had to deal with a lot of problems. They didn't want to let us play in clubs because we would take too much space as a band or because they didn't like our (fashion) style or because they didn't want to pay us. Italy isn't a good place for bands. Our musical style was also criticised a lot. Many people were telling us: Don't do that [rock music], you won't get popular with that in Italy, you will never achieve anything with it. Of course those comments were hurtful but they were also a good reason for us to continue with what we did. And we turned our sadness into anger. With that song we wanted to tell those people from back then: Fuck off and look at us, we did it!

RS: Did you ever consider working in a nine-to-five job and live a 'normal' life?

Damiano: Nah, not really. For one month in my life I worked [in a 'normal' job] – it didn't end well (all laughing).

Vic: We all made music since we were kids. It's a huge part of us, that we couldn't just ignore. And the most important thing is that you do something that makes you happy. At least that's what we believe. So we started from a young age to put all our time and energy into music.

Thomas: Yeah, exactly. Ever since we were in school together we always made music. That has always been our main focus and it is until today. We play and play and play because it is the only thing that …  

Ethan: … we live for.

Damiano: Music has also something very therapeutic for us. Even when we are in a bad mood or fight with each other – yeah, that happens, too – then all of that is gone the moment we enter the stage. Maybe that's the beautiful thing about music – that it allows you to forget everything else. You're just standing on stage, having fun with your friends.

From most bands you wouldn't buy such a corny love letter to music. Mostly it just sounds like an empty phrase, a well-practiced quotable line. But when there is something that defines Måneskin and that becomes more and more evident during our conversation it's their uncompromising honesty. The four of them are definitely not lacking a sense of humour but they take their music very seriously. Which should not be taken for granted in a generation that has mainly produced sarcastic cloud rappers and has made cynical twitter comedy a national sport. And maybe Måneskin are exactly what this generation was lacking all along.

Still, the four musicians, all in the age of 20 to 22, are also prone to the constant need for self-expression, that has become an intrinsic part of today's life. This does not only reflect in the outfits of the band (always 'on fleek') and their Instagram profiles, but also in their lyrics. Their latest record 'Teatra D'Ira – Vol. 1' shows a clear theme: The album is an ode to individuality, accentuated by fast and hard sounds.

Sometimes this message fitting for a Disney movie [really? guess I have been watching the wrong Disney movies my whole life …] is wrapped in a contrasting loud and forceful packaging, but never so much that it becomes inauthentic or self-caricaturing [note: I'm honestly not entirely sure what they wanted to say with this sentence since it uses a lot of rhetorical devices that could be interpreted in different ways, but I'd say this sounds the most plausible]. And in the end, the thing that makes Måneskin so interesting is their unification of the spirit of this time – between TikTok hedonism and an omnipresent political statement – with the music of past generations.

“When you are twenty, you start to think about what the future will hold.” – Damiano David

RS: Your musical style is often described as classical 70s rock, but in fact there are many different influences in your music. Sometimes you groove almost into funk, sometimes it's more rapping than singing. How did this mixture come to be?

Thomas: It's just that we all have our own individual influences and then we meet somewhere in the middle. And we always try to stay open for experiments.

Ethan: Yes, we are very experimental in our song writing process.

Vic: We also don't want to limit ourselves to what is regarded as typical rock music. If rap fits better at some point then we just add that in. It just happens naturally without us thinking too much about it.

RS: So why was it still rock music in the end?

Vic: Because it's the style that we feel most represented by. But actually we just play the music that we enjoy playing. That's really important to us so that we can show something real on stage. We don't want to pretend to be something that we aren't or mock those people that really enjoy our music. You should always be proud of what you're doing and never fake anything just to sell more records.

RS: Is there something like an Italian rock music scene?

Vic: There are quite a lot of bands – but the most of them are much older than us or they are more going in the direction Indie rock. There isn't really a young rock scene, which we think is a pity. But ever since we got more famous people are telling us that they started listening to rock music because of us or that they bought their first guitar and such. That's incredibly nice!

RS: So you're saying that you also want to show this style of music to a younger generation. And you capture this contrast quite well in the song 'Vent'anni', which is a typical rock ballad but lyrically portrays the thoughts of today's youth. Where did the motivation come from to write that song?

Damiano: With the song I wanted to show that I'm just a normal guy, a really typical 20-year-old. I experience the same things that other people in my age are experiencing, I'm just doing another job than them. Also I wanted to describe this age as a whole because I think it's a really special age. At 20 you start to think about what the future will hold. I think it's one of the most important stages of your life. Since we (the four of us) are all in the same age, I then started to mix our experiences together. In the end the song shows what it means to us to be 20. There is a lot of good things – you are quite carefree and are looking at life enthusiastically. But on the other hand you're too young to do certain things and too old to do others. Some people are treating you like a full-grown adult, but …

Vic: … not entirely.

Damiano: Exactly. It can get pretty frustrating at times. We wanted to show our audience: Hey, we're also just 20 years old, and we're going through the same things as you. We understand you.

RS: Except that you are the ones who are becoming a world-wide phenomenon right now. How do you want to maintain this honesty?

Damiano: I think that we could just reach this point because we have always been authentic – for better or for worse. Also we are just trying to have fun with what we're doing together. That's something special that we don't want to lose. In the end we're just four friends who started to live their dream. It's actually pretty simple. Of course – we go on stage, we get a lot of attention, we give interviews – but when we come back home we're just four friends.

[aeoncryptic]

Hello, Aeon! For your fluffy IkeVamp requests... would you mind writing “I like the way your hand fits in mine” from the list, for Dazai, Arthur, or Comte? I’m sure I’ll love however you work it out! Thank you for opening these requests, and good luck with them! 🍀✨

Hello~! Thank you for requesting~! I actually ended up writing for all three, which is why it's taken me so long. ;-; Thank you for your patience~! I hope you like them! ;-;

I tried to do a seasonal thing... Arthur being Spring, Comte being Summer, and Dazai being Winter. I don't think I did it well, but I tried~!

@alby-rei who also requested this of Dazai

Word count: 1508

Characters: Dazai, Comte, Arthur, MC. With mentions of Leonardo and others.

Arthur:

The spring breeze tousled his hair a bit as he leaned against the wall of the store he was meeting his fiancee at. He’d known she would be late due to spring cleaning, but his excitement had gotten the best of him and he’d arrived before the agreed upon meeting time. The loneliness had been getting to him. He missed her laughter, her energy, everything about her. It wasn’t fair, he thought with a pout. Her time was currently shared amongst all of the residents, but he, greedy as he was, wanted her all to himself. If those thoughts ever reached her ears, she’d surely chastize him.

Lost in his thoughts, he almost missed the carriage as it pulled up before him. Moving away from the wall, his eyes searched the carriage as if willing her to appear. As her feet gingerly touched the ground, she searched for him, eyes lighting up upon spotting him, her steps quick as she ran towards him. But he swooped forward just as she tripped, his hand catching one of hers, his arm wrapped around her back, her face lifting from his chest to look up at the face of her savior.

His smile was a cheshire grin. He playfully pulled her closer, his hand not leaving hers. “What cheer~! Are you that excited to see me, luv~?” A scarlet hue colored her cheeks, she puffed up her cheeks in indignation.

“You know I am, Arthur.” Her honesty caught him off guard, causing him to blush as well. “After all, we haven’t seen much of each other lately…”

“You really know how to catch a man unawares, don’t you, bird?” Letting out a low chuckle, he reluctantly let go of her. “Shall we start our date~?”

Once she agreed, they began their walk towards the gardens. Arthur stopped in his tracks for a moment and turned to face her. “I’m quite worried you’ll trip again. Perhaps I should hold you hand, just in case?” His hopeful, yet playful expression caused her to laugh. She carefully placed her hand in his. “Ah. Much better. I- I quite like the way your hand fits in mine.”

Comte:

The music swayed through the room, a beautiful cascade on their ears. Comte de Saint Germain’s eyes focused on one woman tonight. He had no need to find his solace in other women, for she was what lulled him into security. However, she currently was in the arms of Leonardo who had whisked her away while Comte wasn’t looking. Leo was probably trying to get back at Le Comte for “convincing” him to come to this ball.

He watched for a moment more before deciding to strike. His shoes clicked across the ballroom floor as he walked up to his friend and his love. Each clack ringing loudly in their ears, Leonardo failing to hide his smug grin as Comte strode up to them. He smiled gracefully and extended his hand to her. “My apologies, ma cherie, it would seem I’ve left you alone too long. May I have this dance?” Both men exuded an overbearing confident aura that almost seemed like they were passive-aggressively fighting. The young woman shook her head, trying to hold back the laughter bubbling within her.

Concern that she wouldn’t take his hand bubbled in him, surrounded him. Afraid that she could possibly leave him for his friend. His eyes were glued to her hands as they slowly let go of Leonardo’s and were gently placed on his extended palm. A feeling of relief washed through him as he pulled her close, his other arm wrapping around her waist. He began to lead her in a graceful dance, bearing the weight for her so that she could glide across the dance floor without fear. His heart swelled at her brilliant smile. What he wouldn’t do to keep her smiling at him like that.

Shaking off his thoughts, he spun her around hoping a smile had stayed displayed on his face. Once her hand was back in his, he smiled at her and squeezed her hand. “I love the way your hand fits in mine, ma cherie.” A blush crossed her face and a soft chuckle let his throat. Out of a selfish desire to allow no one else to see her expression, he gently tugged her towards the balcony. He wanted to have her alone, if only for a moment. The warm summer air lazily whisked around them. As they reached the balcony, she gave him a quizzical look.

“I’m sorry, ma cherie, but I wanted a bit of your time to myself. Away from prying eyes.” He chuckled at the surprised look on her face. A tug of her hand in his, causing her to fall into his arms, he brushed his lips against hers. Not once did her hand leave his.

Dazai:

She didn’t know how she let Dazai convince her to go on a date in the middle of winter, but he had somehow managed to whisk her away from her duties. His sly smile and flamboyant nature could convince people of almost anything. She sighed inwardly at their current predicament. They were searching for shelter as the snow storm began. They wouldn’t be able to make it back to the mansion in time; it was already becoming hard to see. Dazai gave her a carefree smile and spoke in a sing-song tone. “The stables aren’t far from here, Toshiko-san~! We can take refuge there~!” Ah. That expression, that voice. She smiled to herself and shook her head.

“Alright, Dazai-san. Let's take shelter there until the storm ends.” She allowed him to lead her over to the stables, the snow starting to reach her ankles. The crunch crunch of snow under their feet was the only sound heard, all else was silent. Luckily they reached the stables before the snow got deep enough that opening the door would be difficult. Closing the door behind them, she began shivering. They hadn’t prepared for a snow storm.

Dazai’s eyes flicked around the room quickly, considering the options to keep her warm. He suddenly picked her up causing her to let out a squeal. Settling himself down next to Napoleon’s horse amongst the hay, he cradled her in his arms. “The best way to stay warm is to share company~! I’m sure the horse won’t mind keeping us warm, right, Toshiko-san~?” She was already beginning to feel the warmth from him and the horse and it began to ease her chill. She felt so warm and secure in his arms that her eyes began to close and she drifted off to sleep.

She felt a gentle hand brushing the hair out of her face and a sweet voice calling to her in an attempt to wake her from her slumber. “Umeko-san~? The snow has stopped for now~ If we don’t head back now, we may be stuck until morning.” Her eyes opened wide upon realizing she had fallen asleep, a deep blush settling across her face. Before she could apologize however, Dazai gently helped her up. “Off we go, Toshiko-san~!” He pulled her towards the doors again and she didn’t have the strength to argue. Once they got outside, she gasped as traveling through the snow would be difficult for them both. It had already gotten past her calves. Dazai held her hand tighter and pulled her behind him, allowing her to follow in his steps. She was surprised at the consideration he displayed to her.

The travel was slow going, but they managed to reach the mansion doors. As her boyfriend reached for the door and tried to push it open, they remembered what Theo had told them this morning in his fit of anger. Leonardo had decided to take the doors apart and reinstall them. Unfortunately, he had done so in order to mess with Le Comte. This meant the doors now opened outwards. The snow was too high and too thick for them to be able to pull the door open.

Her lover knew exactly how to deal with this situation, having a dislike for doors anyways. He led her to the window of the dining room where Sebastian just so happened to be cleaning and knocked on the window. The surprised look on Sebas’ face made (MC) giggle a little, while Dazai simply waved to him. Sebastian opened the window for them and Dazai climbed through first. Once he was inside, Dazai held his hand out to (MC) in an offer to assist her.

She clasped his hand and he gently helped her through the window. “Dazai-san, you’ve been holding my hand a lot today…” Squeezing his hand, she looked up at his face curiously. “Is there something wrong?”

He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it, his eyes staring into hers and a grin on his face. “I like the way your hand fits in mine~ So I’m not letting it go for the rest of the day~!” And so he tugged her away.

[anabsolutetrainwreck]

through the warning signs || h. styles

warnings: a couple of swears, mentions of covid

word count: 3.1k

summary: you first met harry on the set of dunkirk, but now you’re reunited on the set of his new film...

Films had always fascinated you. The endless possibilities of art you could create, from the cinematography to the mise en scène, even to the sound, had always blown your mind. So, even from an early age, you always knew you wanted to get into filmmaking somehow. You were perhaps the worst actor to ever grace the planet, so acting was never an option for you. But alas, you studied film studies in school and went to university for the very same thing. At first, you’d considered becoming a cinematographer, but you realised you could entwine your love of film production and fashion. So, you found yourself as a costume designer.

In 2014, your dearest friend, Louisa, had dragged you to see Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar. She had an unhealthy obsession with Timothée Chalamet at the time, and had made you watch every single film he’d been in - big role or small. So, while Louisa was busy being in love with Timothée Chalamet, you were busy nursing an adoration for Christopher Nolan films. And then, in 2016, you found yourself in Dunkerque, France, working alongside Mr Nolan himself.

As well as being incredibly interested in films, you were also somewhat of a history buff in school. So, working on a film like Dunkirk alongside names like Kenneth Branagh and Cillian Murphy, was one of the most surreal first days on the job. Or, more notably, Harry Styles. Though Louisa was then going through her Tom Hardy phase, she was once a massive One Direction fan. And, though you never bothered to learn every last fact that was public knowledge about them, you could certainly appreciate their music.

As the weeks went on, you began to slip into place more. The more time that passed, the more you knew this was the career for you. And, you knew it wasn’t very professional, but you developed somewhat of a liking towards the singer. He was nice to you. But, then again, he was nice to everybody. It was just in his nature. You weren’t even sure he knew your name...

And then filming wrapped and you never saw him again. The pair of you had never exchanged numbers or followed each other on social media. And that was the end of that. And, after a month or so, your little crush on Harry died away. And, even when you went to the premiere, you only got a couple of glances at him.

In the three years since you last saw him, you’d never forgotten about him. It wasn’t exactly an easy feat forgetting about Harry Styles. But he had definitely been pushed to the back of your mind. Plenty of things had managed to take the front seat since then. You’d won an Oscar for Best Costume Design for your work on Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Little Women at the beginning of 2020, which was completely insane (Louisa was still more amazed by the fact that you got to work with Timothée Chalamet). The award sat on your mantelpiece in your London flat beside a picture of Louisa and yourself.

However, more recently, you’d taken a place on the crew of Olivia Wilde’s new film: Don’t Worry, Darling. You’d worked on Booksmart with her and she simply adored you. Before production had even begun, you could already tell you were going to love working on this film. It was a psychological thriller set in the 50s - you were in love already. Not only that, but it was starring one of your good friends you’d made in the industry: Florence Pugh.

This all seemed great, until you were notified that Harry Styles would be taking the place of Shia LaBeouf to play ‘Jack’. You promised yourself that you wouldn’t let yourself be caught up by his unintentional charm once again. So, on the first day of filming, you turned up in your puffer jacket (despite it being filmed in California).

You had already worked with Olivia before filming on the costumes, or at least a large bulk of them. It was an odd sort of dynamic; she wanted you to take control simply due to your brilliant eye for fashion, especially vintage fashion, and you wanted her to take control as it was her film. In the end, you managed to create a cooperative working environment.

You’d be lying if you said you weren’t stalling as you were fixing up Florence’s costume. Harry’s needed doing next and you didn’t exactly want to face him. You’d tried desperately to stay out of Harry’s sight. And, so far, you’d been successful. When it came to measuring, you’d kindly asked one of your assistants to measure him (and she was more than happy to do so). But all your clever sneaking around was about to go down the drain. “You all right, Y/N?” Flo asked, noticing your shaky hands and your incessant fiddling.

You nodded quickly, “Yeah. Yeah, sorry. I think you’re good to go.”

She smiled, “Thanks. Love you.”

“Love you too!” you grinned as you watched her jog away. She disappeared behind a couple of trailers. As you approached Harry, who was busy talking to a couple of other crew members, you tried to convince yourself that, if you kept your head down, there was no way Harry would attempt to make small talk as you fixed his costume. You’d have your mask on, so there was absolutely no way he’d recognise you. Besides, it had been four years since you filmed Dunkirk, he wouldn’t even remember you. As you neared Harry and one of the gaffers, you cleared your throat, “Do you mind if I steal Harry for a second?”

“Sure,” the gaffer nodded, turning to work on some of the lighting. Keeping your head down and your hands quick, you got to work on adjusting his tuxedo. Awkward was definitely an understatement. Or, it was for you, at least. In an odd sort of way, you were begging for him to make some sort of conversation to ease the sheer awkwardness, but you prayed he stayed silent at the same time. Alas, your prayers weren’t enough. “It’s Y/N, right?” his voice came, though slightly muffled by his mask, you made it out clearly.

“Uh, yeah,” you nodded, adjusting his cuffs and trying your very hardest not to make eye contact with him.

“Congratulations on your Oscar,” was what he said next. “It was for Little Women, right?”

That got you to look up at him. Had he actually remembered your name all of four years or had he just recognised you when you made your acceptance speech at the Oscars? Maybe Florence had just mentioned your Oscar win earlier in the year, and that was how he knew. “Yeah, it was,” you replied. “Congratulations on your album.”

“Cheers,” he said. It was a good album - both of his were. Louisa had forced you to listen to his entire discography whenever you drove her around. Not that you were exactly complaining, you enjoyed Harry’s music. And, just as the awkwardness was beginning to pour back into the atmosphere, he added, “It’s no Oscar, though.”

“It was a bloody good album, though. It was nominated for a Brit too, wasn’t it?” you asked, vaguely remembering Louisa scream in your ear that Fine Line had been nominated for Best Album, or something along those lines.

He nodded, “Well, yeah.”

And, just like that, the conversation fizzled out into uneasy silence. You wanted to kick yourself for being such a shit conversationalist; there’s people who would kill to have a chat with Harry Styles. Yet, here you were, complimenting an album you weren’t even sure you could name all the songs on. Thankfully, the sound of Olivia’s voice caught your attention, “Y/N!”

The two of you turned to see her approaching quickly. She was waving two samples of fabric in front of you, “Oh, hi, Harry. Good thing you’re here, actually. Which of these were you thinking of for his other suit?”

You took both from her, inspecting them closely. One was a brown and the other was a blue, slightly lighter than a navy. “Well, I thought both would work. I mean, it’s up to you, but I think the brown contrasts with Florence’s costume better,” you replied. “But then I’ve got this lovely tie set aside for the blue. So, really it’s your decision.”

She hummed, agreeing with what you said, “I see what you mean. We could always use the blue for a different scene?”

You shrugged, nodding, “Yeah, I mean, the brown will definitely work better with Florence’s costume for those couple of scenes we’re shooting in Palm Springs. But, like I said, the blue is very fifties.”

She smiled, “Brilliant. I’ll sort out the brown, then.”

Quickly, you said, “No, it’s okay. I’ll sort it out when I’m finished with Harry.”

She thanked you as she left. Harry couldn’t take his eyes off you as you worked away, your eyebrows furrowed slightly as you sorted the hem of his trousers. And, thank God for the mandatory masks, as he couldn’t help the smile that danced across his lips. Then, in no time at all, Harry was snapped out of his small trance at the sound of your voice, “Right, you’re good to go.”

“Cheers, Y/N,” he smiled slightly, watching as you walked off towards one of your assistants. Sighing softly to himself, he left to find Florence.

The two weeks the entire cast and crew had off due to somebody testing positive for covid was a lovely break for you. As well as constant fear that they’d just call Don’t Worry, Darling off completely and you’d be out of work again. And the relentless guilt you felt for having to stay at Florence’s for the two weeks with her boyfriend because you didn’t have your own house in America, and you couldn’t fly back and forth between England and America. And the nights where you cried into Florence’s arms as you missed your family from back home. And the nights where you couldn’t sleep because you began to overthink things like if you’d locked your front door or turned the oven off. But, other than that, it’d been a smooth run.

But now you were back and in Palm Springs. And the sun was out and you were longing for a cold shower. You found yourself stood in front of Harry once more, trying to decide which tie would work best with his brown suit. He’d followed you on Instagram since your first interaction since Dunkirk, which received an onslaught of ecstatic texts from Louisa. But that was as far as it had ever gone. None of your conversations progressed past his costumes or anything work-related. And, when you first turned up on set on the very first day of production, that was what you’d wanted. But now you had to surround yourself with him everyday, you longed for him to ask about something other than the job. You wanted to discuss favourite novels and guilty pleasures and pet peeves and bad habits and embarrassing childhood stories with him. All these little things you wanted him to know about you.

Your mind was wandering and it took you a moment to realise that you weren’t even thinking about which tie worked best anymore. Your head was full of swirling fantasies that you knew would never come to be.

Harry, however, didn’t notice your zoned out expression either. He was too busy trying to figure out whether you were single due to the shirt you were wearing, which hung much too large on your frame. And the feeling of knowing there was a possibility that you were living a happy life with somebody else was beginning to rip him up inside. He was trying to remember if you’d thanked a boyfriend in your acceptance speech at the Oscars, but that all seemed so long ago now - he couldn’t possibly remember. So, in spite of himself, he asked, “Missing your boyfriend, then?”

You looked up at him, your hands dropping down to your sides. “What?”

“Your boyfriend - are you missing him?” Harry repeated, a small smile on his face to make his tone sound slightly less bitter.

“Oh, I don’t have a boyfriend,” you replied, finally settling on a tie.

“You don’t? I just figured, you know, with the shirt...” he trailed off, prompting you to elaborate.

You chuckled awkwardly, “Right, of course. I only do it to make myself appear less single.”

He laughed, but it was mainly out of relief. It wasn’t like he’d forgotten about you from the set of his first movie, you just hadn’t been on his mind for the four years following. But then he’d turned up on the first day of filming, seen you laughing with Florence and Olivia, and everything just came rushing back to him. All of the pent up feelings and the nights pondering all of the what ifs and the maybes. “Well, you fooled me,” he smiled.

“Just my ingenious plans working, as usual,” you joked, earning a small laugh from Harry.

As you finished wrapping the tie around Harry’s shirt collar, you informed him you were finished. He thanked you and left to get his hair and makeup done. You practically jumped out of your skin at the sound of Florence’s voice behind you, “I’m pretty sure if he asks you about your love life, it means he likes you.”

“Don’t sneak up on me like that!” you exclaimed, hitting Flo’s shoulder with the tie you opted not to use.

She laughed loudly, “You know I’m right!”

“He’s just making small talk.”

“No, Y/N, small talk is how nice the weather is, not ‘oh, are you single?’”

“Okay, firstly, he didn’t say that. Secondly, it’s California - it’s always nice weather,” you retorted. As much as you fought back, you quite liked the idea that Florence thought Harry liked you.

“You know what I mean!” she replied, grinning her infamous broad, cheeky smile. “Don’t even try and act like you wouldn’t mind if he liked you!”

“I don’t know what you mean,” you said sheepishly, a small smile gracing your features. As aforementioned - you were perhaps the worst actor to grace the planet.

“I knew it!” she grinned excitedly.

“Don’t you have hair to be done?” you chuckled, pushing her towards where she needed to go to get her hair styled for the shoot.

“This isn’t over, Y/N!” she called back as she slowly disappeared.

The following day, as you were patching up one of Chris Pine’s suits, Florence came and sat down opposite you. She had one of those devious smirks on her face and you knew that couldn’t mean anything good. You placed your needle down, staring expectantly at her. “How can I be of assistance?” you asked skeptically.

“Well, as your dear friend, I thought it was my duty to report back to you. So, I’d like to tell you that our good pal Harry was asking about you,” she grinned.

You sighed, “Was he? And what was he asking?”

“Something about if you have any allergies,” she replied.

“Wow,” you laughed, “must be hopelessly in love with me then.”

“No, listen. He asked about your allergies and then he asked what kind of food you liked. So, my guess is he’s going to ask you to dinner.”

“We’ll see,” you said, offering her a smile in the hopes that she’d just drop it.

“Indeed we will. I’ll see you in a bit, Y/N,” she grinned, pinching your cheeks as she got up. “Love you!”

You chuckled, “Love you too!”

And, just like that, you were left to your own devices. Though your flow had been disrupted, you got back to stitching up Chris’ suit, which had a minor tear in the lapel. Working on a film set, you were used to being interrupted; people would come and go, asking you all sorts of questions. You always found it pretty easy to get back into your rhythm. However, when Harry came and took the place of Florence, you were sure you wouldn’t be able to get back into your desired flow easily. “Oh, hey, Harry,” you greeted. “Are you okay?”

He nodded quickly. He wasn’t hiding his nervous shifting very well - despite how good of an actor he may be. He fiddled with his fingers, which lay in his lap. They were lacking the many, expensive-looking rings they usually adorned. He was out of costume, instead dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. His hair wasn’t slicked back and full of gel like it usually was on set. “Yeah, yeah. I’m okay,” he said, rather unconvincingly.

His eyes followed your fingers as they gripped the little needle, weaving it in and out of one of suit’s lapels. Another wave of awkwardness washed over the pair. But, for once, you didn’t feel uncomfortable. You weren’t the one who came over to start the conversation. “Are you busy tonight?” he suddenly asked, his voice almost shaky.

“Uh, no. Not if I can get this lapel finished,” you replied, your tone joking. Your eyes were still trained on your needle, but your mind was most definitely concentrating on every last syllable that fell from Harry’s lips.

He let out an awkward, breathy chuckle, “Right. Um, well, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to grab something to eat?”

You couldn’t help the tiny grin that pulled at the corner of your lips, “I’d love to.”

This was what you felt you’d been waiting for for a good four years. And, thank God, Florence had warned you that she suspected Harry was thinking of asking you out, otherwise you weren’t sure you’d be able to get out any comprehensible words. “Great,” he grinned, whatever nervousness that had been racing through his veins seemed to slowly drown away. “I’ll see you tonight, then. At 6?”

You nodded, overwhelmed with serotonin, trying to suppress the urge to let out a loud squeal. You knew you’d get back to Florence’s, share a glass of predate wine with her and dance about happily in her kitchen. All of these marvellous emotions swept through your body, which was abuzz with electric euphoria. And yet, all you replied was, with a small smile, “At 6.”

part two.

[isolatedlight]

halloween || Peter Parker

Summary: Peter is so excited for Halloween, until you point out a flaw in your costumes.

Rating: G

Warning: N/A

***If you have ideas/requests/suggestions DM me!***

"Okay," Peter lands on the couch hard beside me nearly rolling me off the side. I laugh patting his leg for him to relax. "I have an idea for our Halloween costume."

"Peter, do we really have to dress up for Halloween? It's on a Sunday this year no one will see us!"

"Wrong, we there's a dance at the school Friday AND we can dress up at school too!"

"You also have to hand the candy out here so," May ducks her head past the wall from the kitchen flashing a smile. I mock her for a moment before looking back at Peter.

"I didn't realize you wanted to go to the dance."

"Well i don't know, i mean we didn't get to go to the Spring dance this year together so Halloween is the next best option right?"

"Well, they also have Homecoming in a few weeks. Which is much fancier."

"I guess," Peter sets his phone down looking slightly upset. I frown at myself and place my hand in his.

"What do we dress up has Peter?"

"Luke and Leia!"

I stop, watching Peter's wide smile. He doesn't realize the mistake he's made, sudden;y jumping into an explanation of the costumes he has planned.

"And then we can wear them on Sunday to pass out Canada and we can watch the movies?"

"You've seen the movies before yeah?" He nods, a confused look on his face at first. "You remember Luke and Leia are....sibling yes?"

"Oh my god," he tosses his head back groaning. From the kitchen I can hear May laughing loudly.

"Peter! You watched those movies religiously when you were little, how do you forget one of the MAIN plot points!"

"it was an accident..."

"So we're going to be..."

"Han and Leia."