#as you can see... I revamped my costume from last year

[umberandmochaagate]

My first real Halloween party costume: 6' tall flower nymph spirit

Last year's:

[sadquickchristmassnowman]

hey so i’m new to the community fandom and i really love trobed. i was wondering what was your trobed centric episode masterlist like? or if it’s possible, is there a way to send me the post? sorry i’m new to tumblr so i’m still learning how this app works. if you see this, thanks :)

hi, welcome! I've found that community tumblr is probably my favorite fandom space I've ever been involved in, and I hope you've had a good experience so far. I totally get the New App Learning Curve thing, I'm historically very shit at learning how to use new apps, even though I'm "young" (20), but I eventually got it and you will too, Trust 👍👍👍

anyway, Yes one of the first things I did on here after joining was make a trobed-centric episode masterlist for someone who was asking lmfao. since it was one of the First things I did there's some formatting and other things I'd do differently now, and I've actually been looking for an excuse to go ahead and get that done, so. here we go.

the trobed-centric episode masterlist (revamped)

1x05: advanced criminal law

plot B

abed takes the "friends mess with each other" rule too far; he creates a whole fake language and spends a lot of money on trying to convince troy that he is an alien

"from now on, abed, friends don't mess with each other"

(this is the first time they do their signature handshake)

1/5 gayness, pretty platonic

1x10: environmental science

plot B

it's the "somewhere out there" episode what more do I need to say

3/5 gayness, something's happening fs

1x11: the politics of human sexuality

plot C

abed keeps beating troy in athletic competitions, making troy feel threatened. he eventually admits that abed is the better athlete and they make up

2/5 gayness, pretty platonic but it has its moments

1x22: the art of discourse

plot C

troy and abed work to complete abed's list of quintessential freshman year of college experiences list

2/5 gayness, they repeatedly put completing the list above looking cool in front of women

1x25: pascal's triangle revisited

plot C

troy is moving out of his dad's house and wants to move in with abed, but abed says no because he's afraid being that close and spending that much time together will result in constant annoyance, and will destroy their friendship

troy realizes that "too much of a good thing can be bad" and instead agrees to move in with pierce

1/5 gayness

2x02: accounting for lawyers

part of plot A

jeff gets sucked back into his old life as he reconnects with alan, a coworker from his old law firm. troy, abed, and annie try to gather proof that jeff's friend is the one who got him fired in the first place

more trobedison centric, and is actually the first episode where the three of them are established as a Trio™

"all I heard was suck" "YOU CHLOROFORMED THE JANITOR" "I usually have one foot out of reality and even I'm freaking out right now"

1/5 gayness, pretty platonic. they're the sillies ever I love trobedison

2x06: epidemiology

part of plot A

it's the zombie episode, come ON

trobed have coordinating costumes but troy bails during the party because he doesn't want to look lame and nerdy in front of women, which hurts abed's feelings

abed sacrifices himself to save troy once they are the last two standing during the "rabies pathogen" breakout

"I love you" "I know" (oh my GODDD sedate me)

5/5 gayness. you get it.

2x09: conspiracy theories and interior design

plot B

the original blanket fort 💯💯💯

2/5 gayness, just guys bein silly (and in love???)

2x15: early 21st century romanticism

plot B

troy and abed fall for the same girl and decide to take her to the valentine's dance together, after which she can decide which one of them she wants to date

she picks troy, but troy gets upset that she didn't pick abed (because why wouldn't she pick abed, he's so cool) and breaks it off almost immediately

I"happy valentine's day" "it is now"

5/5 gayness jesus christ this one is INSANE

2x18: custody law and eastern european diplomacy

plot B

britta likes troy and abed's new friend, lukka, who she finds out is a literal war criminal. she keeps this information from troy and abed because she doesn't want to ruin their friendship with him, but they find out eventually

2/5 gayness they're attached at the hip in this one

2x19: critical film studies

random moments

this episode is more focused on jeff and abed, but there's a lot of classic Troy Gets Jealous™ moments so I decided to include it. plus the end tag is them randomly having dinner together at the fancy restaurant (a date 😔)

basically troy is afraid that jeff is a cooler friend to abed than him

3/5 gayness even though they barely interact, troy is so silly

2x20: competitive wine tasting

part of plot B

I almost didn't include this one, and it's not even on my original list, but whatever

troy pretends to be traumatized, originally to seem less shallow in his acting class, but he keeps it going in order to attract britta. he tells abed about it and abed Does Not Like That At All

"troy. nothing good can come of this"

I wouldn't call abed being jealous a Rare Occurrence but he generally conceals it way better than troy does

2/5 gayness, could be interpreted as abed just worried about relationships forming under false pretense, but to Me he's jealous

2x22: applied anthropology and culinary arts

plot C

pierce buys the rights to troy and abed's handshake (a la Indecent Proposal) which "corrupts" it

"pierce tainted our special handshake with his blood money and now we can't get the magic baaaack :((((("

eventually they do indeed get the magic back

3/5 gayness idk there's something about the way they interact in this one that is inexplicably gay to me lmao

3x01: biology 101

plot C plus random moments

"speaking of figuring things out, me and abed have an announcement" "..." "troy and I are living together :D"

cougartown gets moved to midseason, then cougarton abbey ends after 6 episodes, abed's routine keeps getting thrown off, and troy is just extremely supportive and protective throughout

4/5 gayness troy loves him a lot!!!!!!

3x03: remedial chaos theory

random moments

(I know this ep is listed as 3x04 on streaming services but in canon it takes place here and on the dvds it's listed as 3x03. there's a joke about it in the episode too if you didn't know. anyway)

"troy and abed's new apartment!!!" "bienvenido a la casa chez trobed!" "wanna stay up all night talking in our bunk beds?"

all their pictures on the wall and their matching suits lol

the end tag "evil troy and evil abed" & troy's soft "what's wrong :("

3/5 gayness they're lowkey married your honor

3x05: horror fiction in seven spooky steps

random moments

troy's whole story he tells where they Literally become attached at the hip

"my partner"

troy dancing while abed's humming daybreak

2/5 gayness

3x06: advanced gay

plot B

troy deciding whether he wants to do plumbing or air conditioning and deciding all he really wants to do is watch tv with abed

gay symbolism? gay symbolism? gay symbolism?

4/5 gayness mostly for the conversation at the hawthorne wipes gathering. I could write an essay on just that

3x07: studies in modern movement

plot A

annie moves in with troy and abed. very trobedison centric

"kiss me woodsman troy!"

3/5 gayness once again casually in love they're soulmates your honor

3x09: foosball and nocturnal vigilantism

plot B

annie breaks abed's $200 special edition dark knight dvd set on accident, trobedison shenanigans ensue yippee!!!

"awww is that the grappling hook I got you for christmas???"

3/5 gayness for the same reasons as before

3x10: regional holiday music

part of plot A

literally putting this on here just because of the christmas infiltration rap (and baby boomer santa)

3/5 gayness it's glee club what can you do

3x11: contemporary impressionists

plot A

(once again, I know this episode is listed as 3x12 on streaming services, but in canon it's supposed to chronologically be here, and is listed as 3x11 on the dvds)

the study group helps abed pay off his debts to a celebrity impersonator website by playing characters at a bar mitzvah (after troy scolds them for trying to ground abed in reality)

they have an argument at the end ugh

3/5 gayness troy loves abed a lot and abed doesn't realize that he's doing something wrong

3x12: urban matrimony and the sandwich arts

plot C

(see the above disclaimer about episode order)

troy and abed decide to be normal for shirley's wedding rehearsal

troy and abed being normal 🤝

4/5 gayness they blow off a girl to be weird again

3x13: digital exploration of interior design

plot C

blanket fort: redux (oh god)

vice dean laybourne escalates what started as a minor disagreement in order to drive a wedge between troy and abed. it works

5/5 gayness, if a sitcom doesn't have the two codependent fanonical gays go through an unnecessarily dramatic "break up" then I don’t want it

3x14: pillows and blankets

plot A

🎶troy and abed are in conflict🎶 *cries*

pillow fort vs. blanket fort

they eventually make up but not before they hurt each others' feelings a Lot

5/5 gayness the dramatics jesus christ

3x16: virtual systems analysis

random moments

so this episode is more focused on abed and annie, and troy and abed actually don't Technically interact with each other very much at all, but. you know

abed kinda freaks out when troy and britta go on a date because it "messes with the fabric of the group" (🤨 I know what you are)

troy calls annie to "check on abed" boy you are on a date with a woman

4/5 gayness just from subtext you get it

3x17: basic lupine urology

random moments

troy and abed play detective as they try to figure out who sabotaged the group's biology project

"we can't both do the zinger"

4/5 gayness no explanation

3x19: curriculum unavailable

random moments

the study group is expelled from greendale and abed gets arrested for spying on campus, so he's supposed to have a psychological evaluation

troy is just very protective of him in this episode, plus the flashback clip where he and Annie are comforting him as he's freaking out about daylight savings

"our adventures are VERY manly"

4/5 gayness

3x21: the first chang dynasty

random moments

oof baboof with you two! (all the plumber shenanigans are hilarious)

mostly putting this one on here for the goodbye scene at the end of the episode, though. god

"he said, 'I know you hate when people do this in movies.' sorry I got emotional"

3x22: introduction to finality

plot B

abed "goes crazy" without troy (who's off at a/c repair school)

when troy comes back he prioritizes abed over britta (who he supposedly has romantic feelings for)

"I miss abed so much" "you're afraid you'll go crazy without troy"

4/5 gayness one could say they're a little codependent

4x03: conventions of space and time

plot A

troy gets jealous of (read: goes "psycho girlfriend on") abed's new inspector spacetime superfan friend toby

britta, even as troy's literal girlfriend, calls abed troy's boyfriend and supports troy through the whole thing

"for the first time in my long history of being locked inside things, I knew someone would come" let me just put my head through my wall really quick

5/5 gayness even though troy has a whole gf. that's how gay this episode is

4x11: basic human anatomy

plot A

troy and abed pretend to switch bodies, like in freaky friday, in order to help troy process his feelings about his relationship with britta

5/5 gayness holy SHIT y'all. I could write thousands of words on this episode. it is so hard to justify troy's actions in this one without reading him as a closeted gay person not lying

5x03: basic intergluteal numismatics

random moments

including this one because of how abed comforts troy and pushes him around in a wheelchair for the entire episode

3/5 gayness it's the casual married-ness again smh

5x04: cooperative polygraphy

random moments

this is another one I didn't include on my original list but I decided fuck it

the bit uncovering the actual origin of their patented handshake is so funny "I can't even look at you right now" "then you should know I'm crying"

also just the. look on abed's face when troy agrees to go on the trip at the end. "cool. cool cool cool." "that's a lie" UGHHHHH

4/5 gayness again. so typical

5x05: geothermal escapism

plot A

do I need to say a word

ouch ouch ouch OUCH

5/5 gayness especially the deleted dialogue from the last scene (I've posted it before but lmk if you don't know what I'm talking about. disclaimer it makes me want to launch myself off the empire state building)

alright. there it is folks. I was going to make another subsection of other random iconic trobed moments and cite the episodes they're from but basically every single episode has at least one, so that list would be Way too long to qualify as a supplement to this one lmao. however! if you have a Trobed Moment™ stuck in your head (or any Moment for that matter) and you can't remember which episode it's from feel free to ask me, I'm confident that my internal community database will be able to Remind You. anyway. hope this was helpful. bye

[ordin-arily]

Ghosts, Goblins, and Good-for-Nothings

i was intending to keep my tumblr for requests alone but please enjoy this halloween drabble in the spirit of spooky season! 🎃🖤

Notes: fem reader, 2nd person pov, language, mentions of street harassment 

Halloween is on a Monday this year. It’s not great for trick-or-treaters—never is on a school night—but for every other enthused fan of the holiday? This means three days of non-stop festivities.

Saturday in its entirety is booked to the brim with plans for pumpkin carving, hayrides, costume contests and, later in the night, throwing back October 31st-themed shots 'til you puke orange and purple sparkles.

Sunday morning is for recovery and what Leo dubbed Boo-zy Brunch in the group chat. Pumpkin Pancakes, Candy Corn Crêpes, Witch’s Brew (re: coffee), AHH-vocado Ghost, and Devilled Eggs are all on the revamped menu at Pepe’s for the season—and how could you possibly do without a few Bloody Marys? (The words come from Mikey because you can fair just fine without that tomato juice concoction monstrosity. And, come to think of it, you’ll probably be so hungover the mere smell of alcohol will be enough to deter you regardless of the potion it comes mixed in.)

Sunday afternoon is reserved for horror movie marathoning and engorging on the candy meant for some infant-sized ghosts, goblins, and ghouls ringing your doorbell the following evening, which is a dangerous game because they promise tricks without the tempting of treats.

These plans had been months in the making and you couldn’t have been looking forward to it more. Still, this left you with a vacant slot on Friday night. The spot blinked at you on your calendar mockingly, like a neon sign on its last leg. How could you not have plans with anyone else?

In hindsight, you probably should have begun asking around a little earlier than the day of. You love the Mad Dogs—obviously—but two back-to-back days are probably about all the celebrations you can manage.

You send out a few texts after class and plan to try some more on your commute home.

Nothing of the sort transpires.

You end up walking through your front door sort of dazed and out of it, lost somewhere inside yourself.

You’re not sure how much time passes where you sit motionless on your couch, feeling just as trapped as you did on the subway fifteen minutes ago. Eventually, you get up to change clothes. You fish out your favourite seasonal crewneck from a bottom drawer. It’s soft and comforting and it has the words Halloweentown University plastered across it with an outline of the famed pumpkin at the centre. It’s your best attempt at saving face, if only for yourself.

You peel out of stiff jeans next and replace them with plaid sleep shorts. It’s not the most cohesive outfit—especially not with a full face of makeup and all your jewelry still on from the day—but it makes you feel better than you did before so you leave it on.

Your feet shuffle slowly, numbly, one foot in front of the other until you reach your living room couch again and smooth your fingers over your phone screen absently. It’s already dark out with only one sliver of teal haloing the horizon. You mull over sending out another text.

If you’re being honest with yourself, there’s only one person you really want to see. It’s becoming more and more of a regular occurrence and you try not to beat yourself up over it too much. He’s good at making people laugh and you like to laugh.

The odds of him being free this short notice are slim but you shoot him a message anyway and stare off into space until his response comes.

Miraculously, he thinks an early movie marathon at your place is an awesome idea and asks if you’ve already eaten. You lie and he tells you great, he’ll just bring snacks then.

Somehow, that little text bubble makes it easier to breathe (and think and move) and you get up to toss a bag of popcorn in the microwave. You wonder if he’ll beat the timer.

Leo, never one to lose a challenge, indeed proves successful. His circle of cerulean light appears just six seconds before your microwave bellows at you.

You're pouring the bag out into a large bowl as you greet him in the most uplifting manner you can muster. You fall into light, engaged conversation—mostly about the snacks he opted to bring—and, before long, the two of you end up buried alive in wrappers, Cheeto dust, and popcorn kernels.

You try to keep concentration on the TV screen, you do. Leo's laughing and making comments that you would find downright hysterical—possibly some of his best material yet—if you had it in you to listen, but your mind continues to derail, veer off course, sink into terribly murky waters below.

You’re drowning by the time he pulls you up to surface.

The screen is paused and you have to focus on it for a few seconds to remember you’re supposed to be enthralled in the campy 80s thriller he picked out. Leo’s eyes are trailed on you, like he’s gathering all the info he can just by sizing you up.

“Sorry, what?” you have to ask.

Leo’s brows knit further. “I asked what was wrong. You seem… I dunno, distracted.”

He’s right. You hadn’t even noticed him grab the remote to pause the film, forget trying to recount any of the plot.

He’s been observing you for the last little while—the way you seem so far away.

Hollow stares don’t suit you.

You shrink a little. “No. Sorry. I’m good. Just, uh… It was a long day, you know?”

He throws an arm around the back of the couch and angles his body more openly toward you. A silent invite.

You sit there in the dark for a long moment. The silver glow reflecting off the colour of his skin makes for something supernaturally beautiful but this observation is merely a form of stalling.

A small, defeated breath wilts your posture. “Some guy kept taking pictures of me on the subway today and, honestly, I’ve just been kind of mentally fucked by it. It’s so stupid but I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“He did what?”

You have to fixate your gaze on one of the empty bowls on your coffee table to keep your face from twisting, but the tears are already forming and they don’t yield for anyone.

April is tougher and more resilient than you—you know this—but you kind of take pride in coming in a close second. You’re loud about injustice and rant and rave about pet peeves all the time. Mostly for comedic purposes, sure, but you like to think you’ve got a backbone built from the same stuff as hers. A similar brand of gall that has the two of you teaming up to fight… whatever it is that needs to be fought, really. Suddenly, you wonder, not without a payload of shame, if maybe April’s been doing most of the heavy lifting this whole time.

“I should’ve put my hand around his neck and told him to delete them but I just sat there like an idiot until it was time for me to get off."

You can feel the mascara and eyeliner getting into your eyes and it makes all of this a lot more uncomfortable. Though, still not quite as uncomfortable as you felt today so you decide this is fine.

Your fingers reach high to tug at the elastic holding your half-up bun in place, if only to give yourself something to do.

You don’t get to fuss a ton before Leo’s wrapping you up in a hug. “Don’t call yourself that."

You blink slowly and heave a shattered sigh into his shoulder.

“That’s messed up,” he continues. “And if you can paint me a portrait, I’ll hunt that creepo down and kick his ass.”

“I wish I’d done something,” you mumble.

He pulls back and doesn’t say anything for a long moment, sort of like he’s weighing the words in his mind. “That’s not... your responsibility. You don’t have to manage the shitty things people do to you.”

You're not anticipating that out of him but, weirdly, it's what you need to hear. You nod, unexpectedly entranced by all this.

“Don’t worry about him, okay? Donnie’s insane with this kind of stuff. He’s got facial recognition tech better than the CIA's and he can tap into any electronic device in the state, probably the country. He'll track the phone and wipe it clean in under an hour without even moving from that stupid-comfortable gaming chair he never lets any of us sit in.” His voice goes sort of bitter at the tail end there and it makes you giggle.

Leo smiles at you.

“C’mere.” And then he’s hauling you in close, incentivizing you to lie down with him, willing some of that tension out of your shivering frame. (You hadn't realized you were shaking so badly until his palms came up to rub warmth up and down the length of your arms.)

You stay there for a little while as Leo starts the movie back up. Neither of you is really watching but that’s okay. You feel better knowing justice is afoot, even if that makes you some vindictive low-road traveller.

“I wish I could go everywhere with you. Be your little bodyguard.”

You snicker. “You just want to wear aviators and an earpiece.”

“Come on…!” Leo whines. “I’d look so cool! And you’d get 24/7 personalized security. All I’m seein’ are wins here.”

You hum. “I’m inclined to agree, Nardo.” There’s a space of silence where you have to keep from replaying the incident in your mind per Leo’s request. (He told you not to worry and you intend to follow through on that.) He must sense your labours, though, because he goes on with his scenario.

“Eh, scuze me, Mr. Sleazy Scumbag, sir, no flash photography,” he proclaims, voice getting somehow more nasally than usual. “I know it’s hard to resist capturing such model-like energy but I’ll have to ask you to exercise some self-restraint.”

You put on your best manly impression, voice descending somewhere that is comically deep and husky. “Uh, I’m trying to exercise my personal liberties, here, my dude. It’s my constitutional right—nay, my duty—on this earth to harass women and be a colossal piece of shit.”

“Sir, I won’t ask you again.”

“Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it, tough guy?”

You’re not sure what kind of response you’re expecting but it is nowhere near one that includes being tackled to the floor and pinned down in an ambush taking the form of hellish tickles. You laugh and squirm, only marginally resentful over how easily this boy manages to lift your spirits.

He shows you mercy quickly enough, declaring, “See, I don’t even have to use violence to take down my opponents. God, I’m good.” And then he’s leaning down, whispering secretively to you: “But I wouldn’t be nearly as friendly with that clown. Trust me.”

“I do,” you tell him, and Leo has to hide the surprised elation that glosses over his face.

You grin and grab for his cheeks with your palms. “You’re so important to me.”

For someone who talks all the time, it's unbelievable that he can’t find the right words to reply. In lieu of anything verbal, a chaste peck finds its way to your forehead. (Well, it’s not like that isn’t a welcome response.)

“I should go wash my face,” you shrug sheepishly from under him. “Bet I look like a raccoon right now.” (You might have to play the lottery if it turns out your undoubtedly smudged makeup has somehow slid itself back into place.)

“Prettiest raccoon I’ve ever seen.”

“You’re sweet.”

Leo pauses the TV once again as he waits for you and the screen goes into sleep mode, transposing stock images of landscapes he’s finding it difficult to trust are real places that exist.

In this lapse, he takes the opportunity to look around. Tiny pumpkin fairy lights are strung up along the cupboards in your kitchen. Next to him, the napkins are patterned with ghosts and bats. Your bowls are colour-coordinated. The one harbouring the Doritos he brought is forest green, sporting the cartoony face of Frankenstein’s monster. There’s another with Dracula and a third violet one that doesn’t at all fit in with the others. There's just some random, unknown witch on it. Leo’s bottom lip juts out disappointedly.

A platter of chocolate-covered pretzels sits off to the side of your small table and Leo helps himself to one. And then another and a few more, until he ends up unveiling the eyeball motif on the ceramic. There are scarecrows on the matching one on the other side of the table, that one brandishing the fluffiest sugar cookies he’s ever tasted.

You’ve got werewolf coasters and pumpkin pillows and, upon further inspection, Leo finds that even your throw blanket is littered with dancing skeletons. He grins. It’s just so like you.

And then, while you’re still in the bathroom, he sends out a few texts.

***

You’re at the lair bright and early on Saturday morning and you come bearing orange-frosted cupcakes and pumpkin-spiced lattes. The turtles and April cheer in unison when they spot your goodies. It doesn't take very long at all before you're learning they’ve got surprises of their own.

The first is impossible to miss; the Hamato home is thoroughly decked out in Halloween memorabilia, including a few extravagant displays that look like they belong in the annual fun fair’s haunted house (an event that was, at the last minute, added to tomorrow’s evening agenda).

“Guys!” you squeal excitedly, taking it all in. “The lair looks incredible!”

You’re, like, fully hopping from one foot to the other, bouncing on the tips of your toes, and Leo could not find it more adorable.

Donnie outs his brother almost immediately. “It was Leo’s idea.”

Mikey’s parading around the kitchen with oven mitts on. “We’re baking pumpkin bread too!”

“Also Leo’s idea!” Donnie interjects, sliding his way over.

“And we managed to swap tickets for the forest hay ride,” April announces buoyantly from her seat, picking at the bowl of kettle corn in the centre of the table. You’d tried for those tickets initially but they’d been completely sold out so you’d had to settle for the farm route instead.

You’re about to ask how they managed to swing that when:

“Leo was on the phone with them for over an hour…” Donnie volunteers.

Raph, who’s sitting on the floor hunched over a pumpkin and getting a head start on carving offers yet another headline of terrific news: “Oh! And we’re VIP tonight. Drinks are free and we get to judge the costume contest.”

Leo’s hand wraps its way over Donnie’s mouth before the boy can so much as inhale. “I think she gets it,” he bites out through gritted teeth.

Even behind Leo’s hand-muzzle, Donnie looks entirely too smug.

Raph and April glance at you, grinning from ear to ear. Judging by this reaction, you’d say your expression has to be somewhere between awed and flabbergasted.

You don’t know what to say.

April helps you out. “Donnie’s being annoying about it but, yeah, Leo really does deserve all the credit for this.”

You watch Leo’s head turn mechanically in her direction, the stiffest grin etched into his face. It takes everything in you not to laugh. It’s strange, though. Leo’s the type to seek credit even where it’s not due so this feels suspiciously out of character.

“Oh, Leonardo…” you singsong jubilantly. “Might I have a word?”

His gaze whips up at you and he nods, shyer than you know him to be.

“Don’t take too long!” Mikey calls, removing the pan from the oven as you branch off to another room. “It’s better when it’s still warm!”

You end up in the projector room near the pile of pumpkins you’re set to carve today. Leo sucks in a pitted breath but you start before he can.

“I don’t even know how to thank you. You didn’t have to do all this.”

Leo’s shoulders come up to his jaw and fall back down slowly. “I wanted to make up for what happened. And I know you love Halloween so…”

“That’s insanely thoughtful, Leo. Thank you.”

“Oh, and I made sure Donnie caught the guy. Saw the pictures with my own two eyeballers. They were gorgeous, by the way, as always, but they have been eradicated from that perv's cellular device along with his entire camera roll and every password, contact, song, and app." He gives you a little bow. Theatrics are always in full bloom with him. It makes you smile. "We also may have leaked his bank information online but that's because Donnie's cynical and I have no self-control.”

“How am I supposed to return this kind of favour, huh? I’m gonna be buying you pizza for the rest of my life.”

Leo waves you off before picking up a pumpkin. You do the same, mostly to give yourself something to fidget with.

“You could… uh, go on a date with me instead. Like a… yeah, a date.”

Your head tilts to the side. You’ve always felt there might be something more between the two of you but you weren’t confident either of you would ever act on it. It’s hard to tell if he’s being sincere now.

You venture an answer: “One measly date in exchange for a whole weekend of fun? You’re not making this a very tough decision.”

Leo smirks at you, lip caught by his teeth. “Then say yes.”

“Yes. On one condition.”

“Anything.”

“I get to plan it. You’ve done so much, let me take this one.”

Leo slumps in relief and nods at you, eyes filled with stars. You giggle and tap your pumpkin to his, an extra pep in your step as you start off on a walk back to the others.

The rest of the weekend might just be the greatest of, like, your whole freaking life. It’s impossibly fun and chaotic, and you go home each night with your cheeks hurting from smiling so wide and your throat raw from laughter.

Everything is wonderfully spooky and delightfully festive and, come Monday night, you and Leo spend a rooftop dinner on a decorative picnic blanket mottled with broomsticks and pointy hats. You laugh and chat and cling wine glasses together, watching the sun go down and the streets below fill with costumes. Later, you’ll hand out candy and watch family-friendly classics but, for now, you dither in the wind and kiss underneath the stars.

***

[chromochaotic]

I got into it two years ago. I almost didn't keep watching it after the first episode, but I'm glad I did. I love hearing Midoriya's thoughts when he's planning things out, many of the characters in the show feel like they could be the lead as much as Midoriya is, the music is one of the best I've heard in a show, and it has it moments of humor. Speaking of the mass of characters in the show, all very unique, would liked if we spend more time with them but there's so much going on at the same time. Especially if you're following the current manga storyline, it seems like the author is trying to give everyone moments to shine, but I kinda just want this damn story to end at this point. It feels like it's dragging. How would you like MHA to end? An epilogue? Etc

Oooo hmmm I feel like ending a series is the hardest thing to do, and something I really wouldn't know how to pull off 😂 All I can think of is how other shonen series have handled their endings, so like... it would be cool if there were one of those classic scenes where Midoriya (with Bakugou? maybe a combo move?) is charging up one last enormous attack, and the main kids from UA get a reaction panel/moment of encouragement (like in the first 30 seconds of this video from Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity haha). Other than that, I don't know how I want the themes from the story to wrap up, like everything related to the politics of the world... The whole system falling into anarchy would sure be something, I'll root for that!

tbh I love epilogues, if only because the fandom can have a lot of fun analyzing it. Other long series with epilogues seem to use them as a chance to finalize all the main het ships as canon, which is kind of boring, but I won't be surprised if MHA does that. What I would like is getting to see what all my favorite characters do as pro heroes, like, I wanna see Mina kicking ass and Monoma and Shinsou maybe still teaming up. God, there's 0% chance of it happening but it would be so fun if an older Monoma got to show up in the epilogue and clearly demonstrate that he's like, grown and dealt with some insecurities, but is still super sassy and has all that original attitude that made him stand out. He would steal the scene!

I also love seeing revamped character designs after timeskips... I bet Horikoshi could really tell a lot about how the characters have changed just through updates to their costumes and hairstyles. Guess we'll see!

[ringgaardringgaard56]

hermes crocodile kelly 16

Hermes Pink Electric Crocodile Kelly Reduce Clutch Bag It’s attractive, distinctive fashion can simply be matched with any outfit and may go from an elegant day bag for the workplace to a whimsical night bag thrown over the shoulder as you trollop through city. Although originally released in 1959, the bag was revamped in 2010 with a longer shape that girls loved. Both luggage proceed to hit prime of the charts with fashionistas the world over, including prime celebrities like Mary Kate Olson, Rachel McAdams, and Nicki Minaj. If you’re a die-hard fashionista or even comply with the fashion world remotely, you’ll certainly acknowledge this brand name. The French producer has been round since 1837 and began making harnesses and bridles for the carriage. Nowadays the company is famous for his or her glamorous bags, being the icon of high-style, wealth, and success. The Kelly bag gained its namesake of today from the beautiful film star Grace Kelly. 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Looks tiny, the pink sling bag that Aurel uses might only match for a wallet and one cellphone. From the image, it's clear that this bag is the manufacturing of a luxurious brand from France, Hermes. They custom-made the Birkin to be wider and shorter than its predecessor. This 12 months, Birkin requested her name be removed from the crocodile model of the luggage because of allegations of abusive practices in acquiring the skins. Hermes Replica Kelly Bags provide a variety of colours, types and supplies so that you can select from, it is your style time to enjoy Hermes worth from our website now! It has been refurbished, polished and the handle has been redone. The hardware is its original situation and has some very minor light parts. The Kelly bag got here to success when it was first paparazzied on the bumpy stomach of Princess Grace Kelly in 1956. During the 20 next years, each lady needed to purchase “Grace Kelly’s bag”. 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As seen in one picture, Roxy has a minimal of three 35cm size Birkins – thought-about the preferred bag on the earth among style collectors. Jared Leto, 50, flashes his toned chest in a mesh prime paired with pink rhinestone gloves as he attends a particular screening of Morbius in Berlin .

[thevindicativevordan]

How do you feel about the way New Krypton was resolved? To me it felt really callous. Like DC was just sweeping it all aside with the Kryptonians being genocided, and then the whole world moves on a week later.

Two words: Wasted potential.

This should have been Superman's Sinestro Corps War, his big event/storyline that completely rejuvenated his sales and brought in a ton of new readers. It had all the hallmarks of being the big shakeup that the Superman franchise desperately needed: it gave Superman a big conflict that allowed him to punch stuff while also not being something he could solve solely by punching, it centered all of his big villains and gave them the revamps they needed (particularly Zod as I'll get to later), it involved all the other members of the Superfamily (bar Conner who was dead at the time) and gave them stuff to do, it even brought in the Legion of Superheroes at one point! The setup was all there to do something great, to give Superman that big event storyline he hadn't had since Death of Superman (or President Luthor if you're feeling generous).

And DC completely fucked it up.

First you had Busiek and Johns, the guys who were doing the actual setup and who had been doing great work beforehand, both leave the books right as the event was kicking off. Busiek to go do Trinity and Johns to go prepare Blackest Night, both leaving their big event to be executed by new writers who had not been involved in the process of conceptualizing this event. Then you had Clark taken out of Superman and Action Comics, those titles given to Z-Listers, and Clark himself dropped into a brand new mini. No offense to those who like Mon-El but there was never a chance in hell of him sustaining his own book as the lead guy unless Johns was writing it. Then you hilariously had the first son of Clark and Lois, Chris Kent, aged up in a bizarre way and made a costumed hero himself with a romance to boot in a deeply unpopular move (funny how history repeats itself, although I like what's unfolding with Jon a lot more). So of course the sales tanked, and what happened next was inevitable.

DC panicked and hit the reset button so hard a planet exploded and everyone died, except for Kal, Kara, and Zod plus some of his loyalists.

God I was pissed because while the side books may have floundered, the main mini itself following Clark on New Krypton? That was really good in my opinion.

Clark was forced into an interesting position: a second chance at life with his people, at the cost of renouncing ties with his adopted homeworld. Can Kal-El find a way of keeping the peace between the two worlds, with the leadership on both ends preparing for war? That's an exciting and enticing premise or at least it was for me! I loved the storyline also because it took the usual cliche storyline of Superman losing his powers and flipped it: what if there was an entire new planet full of guys who were just as strong as he was? What makes Superman special then? And we got to see the answer: his brains and his experience.

It was cool seeing Clark kick ass, seeing him navigate the politics of the Guilds and Kryptonian society. There was so much worldbuilding going on at the same time, old Kryptonian animals and plants being recreated on New Krypton, the dissatisfaction within the Labor Guild, the military spoiling for a fight, Kal's internal struggles with everyone seeing Zod as a hero and him having to try to work quietly to change that, it was all really fun to read about for me. There were also those hints of long term plotlines being set up, such as those aliens from Saturn who were also super powered, and were letting the newcomers know they were keeping an eye on things. I seriously thought we were going to get a Solar War with every race in the Sol system fighting each other for dominance. And the Superman/Zod dynamic has never been better than it was in this storyline.

The two did not like each other, but there was a grudging respect being built up between the two. Kal was coming to appreciate that Zod genuinely cared about protecting the Kryptonians, and Zod was coming to respect Clark's skills and insights. Zod was sympathetic and understandable in his goals while also still being a ruthless son of a bitch, which is exactly how I prefer he be depicted.

In all honesty this was the first big Zod story I read and it shaped my perceptions of how he should be. You also had General Sam Lane on the other side, putting together Project 7734 to tackle the Kryptonians, drafting Lex Luthor, Metallo, and others to his side. Hell this was the last and as far as I know only story to pit the Big 3 of Lex, Brainiac, and Zod against one another, something I would dearly love to see tried again. All these major players working their own agendas simply isn't something you usually get in Superman books. Lex working to kill Superman and the other Kryptonians of course, but also out to steal knowledge from Brainiac and secure his freedom. Brainiac wanting to recapture the Kryptonians. Zod and Lane out to preemptively destroy one another, with Zod seeding Kryptonian sleeper agents back on Earth. Superman's Rogues got good showings as the dangerous threats they are in this story, I'll say that much.

All of it torched in the end alas. DC definitely wanted it all swept under the rug and forgotten. I liked the retcon of Grounded really being Superman suffering a massive case of PTSD which is why he was being an asshole under JMS, but I doubt that was the original intention. You're right, Clark having to experience the pain of losing his people as an adult, and Kara having to re-experience it along with the death of her mother, really should've gotten more focus. But they wanted it gone and done with.

You know what kills me? Not even a few years later they'd reboot the whole damn universe anyway, so what was the point of taking Superman back to his "status quo"? They should've just said fuck it and let the writers go wild in the final years before the New 52, let New Krypton play out as it was intended to, it was all going to get rebooted anyway. Of course New 52 was a rush job I understand, so they didn't know ahead of time what would happen, but I can't help but be bitter.

The potential New Krypton offered is one I would 100% love to see revisited, in an animated movie or in that upcoming My Adventures With Superman cartoon. The animated side keeps changing the stories as they adapt them anyway, and I would love to see the ending to New Krypton get changed. Give me the original Johns/Busiek plan for the event, or give me something else entirely, it can't be a bigger disappointment than what we ultimately got anyway.

[thecrofttomb]

TR25 | Reimagined Covers: The Last Revelation

Back in February, Crystal Dynamics debuted a special project that aimed to reimagine the box art of the mainline entries in the series. Each one features a different artist and their unique take on the game they were assigned with and is set to be released monthly throughout 2021.

For Tomb Raider IV: The Last Revelation (1999), the team unveiled this stunning art designed by none other than the legendary Andy Park, a comic and concept artist currently working for Marvel Studios as part of their visual development team. Andy is well known and high regarded in the Tomb Raider community for his involvement in the original comic book series published by Top Cow back in 1999.

Below you can find his words on the making of this piece and a download link with it in various sizes so you can customize all of your devices.

"Throughout my 25+ year career I’ve had the chance to illustrate Lara Croft from her comic book debut series from Top Cow Productions in the early 2000s, to covers for her subsequent comic book series at Dark Horse Comics, to several illustrations done for the past several rebooted Tomb Raider video game series from Crystal Dynamics. So getting to do a tribute piece for one of the original classic games in Tomb Raider IV: The Last Revelation was nothing but pure pleasure and an honor.

For this piece I wanted to make it as iconic as possible. Even though she wielded a flashlight in the original box art I had to depict her with her classic double silver Colt M1911s as she prepares to encounter her skeletal adversaries deep within an Egyptian temple. Her costume is essentially the one I drew during my days drawing the Tomb Raider comic book series so this one brought back a ton of memories that will last me a lifetime.

I never get tired of illustrating this icon. It’s like visiting an old friend throughout the years! I can’t wait to see what the future holds..."

The team has released a neat fan kit with the artwork packed with wallpapers, social assets and even a printable file for those who wish to revamp their classic cases. If you do so, please share them with us on social media by tagging @thecrofttomb and @tombraider in your posts along with #TR25!

DOWNLOAD

» Previous Covers «

Tomb Raider by Brenoch Adams Tomb Raider II by Babs Tarr Tomb Raider III by Paul Kwon

Explore the TR25 web portal where the Tomb Raider community team will be posting some fun articles and exciting announcements along the year. For all the news regarding the 25th anniversary of the franchise, be sure to visit our dedicated TombRaider25 tag.

[nalgenewhore]

masterlist - ao3 - last chapter - next chapter

☽ ☼ ☾

six years ago.

“I so am not going,” Elide shouted, gripping the slats of her headboard as her roommate pulled on her ankles. “I was at the shop all day, I’m tired.” 

“Elide Lochan, get your bodacious bod out of bed and into something spooky,” Aelin commanded, bracing a high-heeled foot against the sideboard. “Get. Up. Now.” Elide groaned and flipped onto her back, blowing her bangs up with a huffed breath. They glared at each other, neither backing down. Aelin clicked her tongue, “Come on, it’s Samhain!”

“All the more reason not to go,” the dark haired girl said, crossing her arms across her chest. “It’s the sabbath - I will not go to your blasphemous boyfriend’s blasphemous party.” 

“You know you love Ro-Ro. And c’mon,” Aelin whined, not above stomping her foot like a petulant child, “it’ll be fun!” 

She sighed loudly and flicked her eyes upwards, “Fine. I’ll go.” Elide pushed herself to sitting and stood up. Aelin clapped her hands and collapsed onto the mattress as Elide slunk to her closet and flung the doors open. “I think… goth Barbie. Yes, no?” 

“Yes, yes, yes,” her friend agreed, lounging about as Elide perused her wardrobe.

First, she pulled out her patch jeans. Not tonight. She looked at a corset dress and hummed, her head tilted to the side, “Maybe…” Elide unhooked a PVC pencil skirt and spun to Aelin, “Thoughts?” 

Aelin propped herself up on her elbows, her brilliant eyes narrowed in scrutiny, “Ooh, with your new corset and the red top with the sleeves?” She made a vague gesture to represent the long sleeves. “Oh, wait, let me get you some shoes. I have the perfect boots.” Her long hair was a flash of gold as she launched herself up and out of Elide’s room. 

Elide tossed her outfit onto her now vacated bed and sat at her vanity, fluffing her layered pixie-shag hair cut. She plugged in her hair straightener and as she waited for it to heat, she started on her make-up. 

When the door was slammed open, Elide held her finger up. She filled in her wicked sharp eyeliner and used the tip of her ring finger to smudge some along her lower lash line. Then she stood up and turned, eyes landing on the red patent leather ankle boots. “Are those them?” 

“Mm-hmm, how perfect are they,” Aelin asked, passing them to Elide. “I’ve been meaning to give these to you - they’re too small for me.” 

“Ae, these are gorgeous,” Elide gushed, picking one up and running her fingers over it. “They’re beautiful, are you sure?” She hugged it to her chest, softly petting it. 

Brilliant laughter spilled from Aelin’s glossy lips, “Yes, take them, please. I never wear them, I only bought them ‘cause they were, like, seventy-five percent off.” 

“Oh, I love love love you,” Elide sang. She picked up her phone and opened her music, choosing a playlist at random. Her hips swayed to the bouncing beat of I’m Gonna Love You Too and Aelin laughed, singing along and dancing around. 

Elide picked up her straightening iron and held it like a microphone, dramatically reaching towards her roommate, “You’re gonna say you’ve a-missed me, you’re gonna say you’ll a-kiss me…”

“Yes, you’re gonna say you’ll a-love me, ‘cause I’m a-gonna love you too,” Aelin sang, shimmying her shoulders. 

Elide sat and hummed as she revamped her layers, curling them upwards into horn-like wisps. She clicked the straightener off and stood up, laughing and joking with Aelin as she got dressed. Once the underbust corset belt was snug and tied, Elide zipped her skirt up and smoothed any fussy wrinkles away. She twirled and popped her hand on her hip, “Well?” 

Aelin studied her. Then she stood up and plucked the toy tiara Elide had once used in a costume and put it on her head. “There.” 

Elide turned around and looked at herself in the mirror, fixing the tiara. “And now?”

“Be still, my foolish heart,” Aelin proclaimed, tapping her hand over her chest in an imitation of her beating heart. “You look absolutely ravishing, darling girl.” 

Elide smiled and held her hand out, “Shall we? It’d be rude of the host’s girlfriend to be late.” 

Aelin slung her arm around Elide’s waist and pulled her towards the door, “I thought I told you already, I’m never late. Everyone else is simply early.” 

“Oh, yes, how could I have forgotten?” 

“I haven’t the faintest idea, Elide,” she sniffed, primly turning her nose up. “Everyone should listen to what I say all the time. How else will the world turn round right?” 

“You are my favourite person in the world, golden girl,” Elide laughed. 

“I better be, I put a roof over your head and booze in your stomach.” 

Elide laughed again and unscrewed the lid off the vodka bottle, pouring them both generous shots in the bottom of two random glasses. She passed Aelin hers and lofted her own, “To…?”  

“Being, young, wicked smart, fucking hot and having zero responsibilities!” 

 ☽ ☼ ☾

As he walked up the pathway to the creaking, booming house, he could feel countless sets of eyes burning into him. He rolled his shoulders and resisted the urge to glare at those staring. Honestly, he should’ve been used to it by now. It was either his height, his hip-length hair in a loose braid, or his… aggressive wardrobe. 

Fenrys, the little shit, told him it was because of the frown on his face, but Lorcan didn’t believe him. He never had a shortage of offers, from whomever he so wanted and so chose. He thought it was because people considered him to be a challenge, a lost and wandering soul to tether. 

Lorcan was just genuinely disinterested. That twelfth grade pipsqueak didn’t know what he was talking about. Lorcan regretted the day he ever agreed to let the high schooler’s band play a show at the club. The boy fell in love every single day with a new person. 

Almost as if he had summoned him, someone familiar crashed into his back, lanky legs wrapping around his torso and reedy arms locking around his neck. Lorcan groaned and shook the kid off, “Fen, fuck off. Go home, you have school tomorrow.” 

The dark-skinned boy hopped around to face him, a maniacal grin splitting his face in two, “No, sir, I got a pro-D day tomorrow. I’m up all night, all night, boy!” Fenrys howled and Lorcan shook his head at him, muttering something rude. Fenrys slung his arm around Lorcan’s waist, “Say, what are you doing here, Lor? I didn’t think the law students let anarchists in their fêtes, as it were.” 

“See, my plan is to stay until they toss me out on my ass. I think I’m pretty unnoticeable, yeah?” 

Fenrys laughed and slapped Lorcan’s back, over his patch jacket, “Yeah, thank the gods that you don’t have a huge red ‘A’ on the back of your coat or whatever.” Lorcan snorted. “I mean, you’re not all master of disguise like me.”

Lorcan eyed the spikes Fenrys had styled his kinky, dense hair into and chose not to comment. “How was your show tonight?” 

“Dude!” Fenrys shouted, “It was crazy. I thought my arms would fall off.” 

The boy started imitating playing the drums, violently, and Lorcan shook his head, “Come on, kid, let’s go.” He slung his arm across Fenrys’ shoulders and steered the drummer into the kitchen. Under the lights, Lorcan saw a flash of silver-blond hair, “Look, there’s Rowan, go talk to him.” 

“Yo, Whitethorn,” Fenrys yelled, his hands cupped around his mouth. Lorcan rubbed his eyes, muttering something. Rowan turned around and smiled, lifting his hand to wave. He grabbed something and made his way over to them. 

“Hey, man,” Lorcan said. 

“Hey, guys, thanks for coming,” Rowan said, passing Lorcan a can of beer. “You just get here?” 

“Yeah,” Lorcan said, “I had some stuff for class and Fen had a show.” 

Rowan nodded, “Oh, you know what, you should tell me when your next show is so I can come.” He looked so eager, so earnest, Lorcan almost felt bad for him. 

Fenrys roared with laughter and cuffed Rowan’s shoulder, “That’s fuckin’ funny, man, I’m going to go see if I can find Ashryver.” He departed, his head bopping to the beat of the music. 

Rowan turned to Lorcan, his brows furrowed, “Funny? Why?” 

Lorcan pressed his lips together to avoid smiling, “I think that Fenrys is saying that his music… it isn’t really your style, ya dig? It’s very nice of you to support him, but c’mon, Rowan. You went to one show last year and were scared to touch anything. Now we have to go find Fen ‘cause I’m not dropping him off at home wasted again. Emrys will beat me to death and cook me.”

His silver-haired friend laughed and they walked to where they could see Fenrys’ bleached-blond liberty spikes sticking above everyone else’s head. He was standing at one end of a ping-pong table, opposite two stunning women. The dark-haired one caught Lorcan’s eye and he stared for a moment, trying to figure out where he recognised her from. 

“Salvaterre, do you want to keep drooling over my little sister or do you want to play?” 

“I hope you choke to death on Rowan’s dick, Ash,” Lorcan replied evenly. He didn’t turn his gaze from the girl, who stared back at him, her eyes brazenly surveying him. Lorcan saw the challenge in her eye melt into heated appreciation. He ducked his head to hide his barely-there grin from Aelin’s hawkish glare and bounced a ping-pong ball off the table, “Are we playing or do you just want to keep guarding your sister’s virginity for eternity?”

The woman standing next to Aelin cackled with delight and leaned over the table, “It’s a little too late for that, but it gives her a sense of purpose now. I’m Elide, if you ever want to stop referring to me as ‘Aelin’s little sister’.”

He laughed quietly, “It’s nice to meet you, Elide. I’m Lorcan, this is Fenrys,” he gestured to the boy next to him. Fenrys gave her a toothy grin and a two-fingered salute. “So, are we playing or what?” 

“That sounds like a challenge, Lorcan,” Elide mused. Lorcan arched a brow and slowly looked her up and down. The black skirt she wore clung to her sinful curves and the corset cinched her waist tightly. Against her pale complexion, the blood red, long sleeve top she wore made an alluring and tempting contrast, matching her crimson-painted lips. 

“Maybe it is,” he countered, tilting his head to the side. 

Her eyes sparkled with something and she kissed the ping-pong ball before tossing it. It soared in a perfect arch and landed directly in the cup nearest to him. Lorcan’s brows raised and Elide laughed a delicate, smokey and sultry sound, “I like a challenge.” 

 ☽ ☼ ☾

“Come with me,” Elide said, holding her hand out expectantly. 

Lorcan looked between her outstretched hand and her face warily, “Where to?” 

“The kitchen,” she said, waving her fingers, “c’mon, my drink is empty.” 

He stood and let her pull her behind him, laughing under his breath at her cockiness. Lorcan drained the last of his drink and tapped it against his bottom lip. “Where do I know you from? I feel like I’ve met you before.” 

She turned and walked backwards, their joined hands hanging between them, “Hmmm… I don’t know. I go to the Vaults a lot, maybe I’ve seen you there?” she asked, referencing the local punk club near the university. Elide gave him a cheeky once-over, “You seem to be of that… persuasion.” 

“As do you,” Lorcan replied, nodding his chin towards her layered, wisp-filled pixie cut. “Very Twilight of you, I must say, princess.” He reached out and flicked her tiara.

As they arrived at the kitchen, Elide dropped his hand and hopped up onto the counter beside the collection of various bottles of alcohol. His hand tingled at the loss of contact and he squeezed his fingers into a fist. “I love me some Alice Cullen. She was my queer awakening.” 

“Ah, mine was Heath Ledger,” he replied back, smug. Lorcan grabbed the bottle of whiskey and poured a long, long shot into his cup. Then he got a can of Coke from the ice filled cooler and poured that to the rim. Elide chuckled when he bent to sip in case of a spill. 

Lorcan pushed his hair back as he stood back up and watched her pour a sickeningly green liquor into her cup. “Damn, that’s… green, shit, Lochan.” 

“Yeah, I like my tongue spooky colours,” she said with a shrug, putting the green one down and drowning it in vodka and Sprite. “Don’t you?” 

He laughed, “Maybe. What kind of spooky are you talking about?” 

Elide hummed coyly, taking a sip of her, indeed, spooky drink, “All kinds of freaky shit.” She patted his arm, “So, if you live with Ro, why do I never see you?” 

“Oh, I’m- I’m a photographer so I’m not home much,” he said, drinking from his cup. “I go to a lot of concerts and stuff.” Lorcan leaned against the counter opposite her and lifted his leg to kick her foot. “So what do you do, hmm? Are you in the art program?” 

Elide tilted her head to the side, “Well, I was. I dropped out first year for a tattoo apprenticeship and I’ve been doing that for a few years,” she said, scrunching her nose up. 

“Y’know what, I think we had a class together first year. I think I… spilt coffee on your drawing.” 

Her eyes lit with recognition, “Oh my gods, yes! I so remember you, I was so mad about that.” 

He ducked his head, “I’m real sorry about that.” A lopsided grin spread across his lips and he looked up, “So, where are you apprenticing?” 

“The Omega on Main street, you know it? Run by Blackbeaks, exclusively?” 

“Holy fuck, yes. I’m getting a tattoo there next week,” Lorcan said, his eyes wide. “Their tattoos are… amazing. It’s fucking art work.” 

“I know! You know, if you know what you’re getting, I might’ve worked on it.” 

“I’m getting an old school, traditional style raven on my chest,” Lorcan said, gesturing from shoulder to shoulder and down his sternum. “I got one of the freaky twins. Fallon, I think.” 

Elide nodded, “Fallon is amazing. She’s actually hilarious when you’re with her one on one. She likes Enya and has her on her tattooing playlist, so prepare for that.” She hopped off the counter and hooked her finger in his belt loop. Elide pulled him, once again, and guided him towards a couch. They sat down, Elide’s legs haphazardly strewn across his lap. Lorcan’s hand splayed above her knee and he toyed with a rip in her tights. 

Lorcan rested his chin on her shoulder and bumped his nose into her jaw, “So, what’s your Samhain declaration?” 

She leaned backwards and regarded him seductively, “Hmm… to new things and new… people.” 

Lorcan lifted his cup and said: “To new things and new… people.” 

 ☽ ☼ ☾

Lorcan wrangled Fenrys, “Boyo, come on. I gotta get you home.” He sighed and tossed the bony boy over his shoulder. 

Elide shrugged on her faux-fur coat - white with black hearts - and laughed at the sight as she fluffed her hair, “Aww, you take good care of your baby. Look at the little guy.” 

He grinned and leaned against the porch column. “He sure is a champ in the morning. So perky,” Lorcan slapped Fenrys’ ass and chuckled when Fenrys whined, drowsily mumbling a protest. 

She giggled tipsily and walked out, impressively straight given how much vodka she’d consumed. “I’m a Blackbeak, bitch. We bleed vodka,” Elide said, pronouncing the last word with the accent of her mother. 

“Oh, shit,” Lorcan mumbled, “I didn’t mean to say that outloud. Whoopsies.”

Elide laughed and patted his cheek before she leaned in and kissed his face, “Goodnight, my darling.” 

He laughed, the sound slightly choked, “G’night, princess.” 

She clicked her tongue and walked down the steps, going to the cab she’d called. “Give Fenny Poo some meds and water and don’t call me ‘princess’!” 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

“Don’t call me that either!” 

“As you wish, princess.” 

She scoffed and held her middle finger up high, “I loathe your existence, Salvaterre!” 

“Oh, don’t be mean to me, please, gorgeous, I’ll fall in love with you,” he crooned, smiling wildly.

In retrospect, it hadn’t seemed so likely.

☽ ☼ ☾

an: i luv them 🥺couple notes: - aelin & rowan r three years older than elide & lorcan, fenrys is in twelfth grade ! - lorcan is anarcho-punk and elide is riot grrrl !

songs played in chapter: (by order of appearance) 1. I'm Gonna Love You Too - Blondie (cover of original by buddy holly)

@mythicaitt​​​ @werewolffprince​​​ @schmlip-scribble​​​ ​ @the-regal-warrior​​​ @ladyverena​​​ @ttakeitbacknoww​​​ @shyvioletcat​​​ @alifletcher2012​​​ @tswaney17​​​ @ourbooksuniverse​​​  @flora-and-fae​​​ @thesirenwashere​​​ @queenofxhearts​​​ @maastrash​​​ @mynewdreamwasyou​​​ @cursebreaker29​​​ @empress-ofbloodshed​​​ @b00kworm​​​ @hizqueen4life​​​ @silversprings98​​​ @amren-courtofdreams​​​ @minaidss​​​ @superspiritfestival​​​ @sanakapoor​​​ @ireallyshouldsleeprn​​​ @spyofthenightcourt​​​  @thegoddessofyou​​​ @more-espresso-less-depresso-xx​​​ @claralady​​​ @neonhellas​​​ @darlinminds​​​ @readingismyonlyhobby​​​ @autophobiaxx​​​ @silversprings28​​​ @myshadowsingeraz​​​ @aelinfeyreeleven945tbln​​​ @elriel4life​​​ @always-in-a-daydream​​​ @jlinez​​​ @ladywitchling​​​ @mariamuses​​ @darklesmylove​​ @adelzd-bookblr​

[crystal-methionine]

The Post-Eurovision ranking and comments from an American that nobody asked for:

1. Switzerland 🇨🇭 Gjon’s Tears - Tout l’univers: I absolutely was enamored by this song, its artistry, and the artist. He can really sing and one of my early favorites from this year. So happy for him to get in the top 3 bc it was well deserved. 100/10

2. Italy 🇮🇹 Måneskin - Zitti e Buoni: Deserved winners. As queer as you can get and I am here for it. Another early favorite of mine constantly fighting with Switzerland for the top spot. 100/10

3. Iceland 🇮🇸 Dadi og Gagnamagnid - 10 Years: A beautiful song dedicated to his wife and deserved Top 5 for sure. Last year’s song would have won hands down so I’m bummed he couldn’t win the first one for Iceland but brilliant song and I hope the group stays together to produce more music. 99/10

4. Bulgaria 🇧🇬 Victoria - Growing Up Is Getting Old: Eurovision fandom will forever say Imaginary Friend or Ugly Cry was the better song to send, but I don’t think they would have won the contest either. This year was strong, and I personally think Growing Up was a perfect choice from Victoria. It deserved top 10 so I was pissed that it came 11th on the night and received so few televotes. 97/10

5. Ukraine 🇺🇦 Go_A - SHUM: To all y’all who said this wouldn’t qualify when the new version came out, eat those words hun. This was a masterpiece, and the live performances just elevated it further. Honestly, Kateryna could step on me, and I would let her. Who doesn’t love an ethnic modern fusion rave? 95/10

6. Serbia 🇷🇸 Hurricane - Loco Loco: I honestly have to say when it came out, it was never breaking my top 20, but here we are. This group of gals is amazing. The choreo, hairography, and the still great vocals won my gay ass over. They served and deserved top 10 in my eye. 90/10

7. Greece 🇬🇷 Stefania - Last Dance: Much like Serbia, I kinda dismissed this as a top 10 song at first, but after many listens and then the live shows, it was one of the best songs this year. Last year’s song was nowhere near a qualifier for me, and then I thought they had a good chance of being top 5 this year. Amazing improvement and can’t wait to see what comes next from Stefania. 80/10

8. Malta 🇲🇹 Destiny - Je me casse: Not going to lie, the studio definitely did more for me. It was up with Italy and Switzerland for winner contention until the live shows. Don’t get me wrong, Destiny is still amazing live, and the song is a deserved top 5 song. However, the costume and staging just really didn’t add to the song and I think detracted a bit. Her song last year was also much better in my opinion. 75/10

9. San Marino 🇸🇲 Senhit ft Flo Rida - Adrenalina: Oh boy this was a party, and the fact Flo Rida actually was there made it even better. The staging and costuming was absolutely camp, and I was here for it. This was definitely not underrated by fans beforehand, but the jury and televote were beyond robberies in my opinion. Granted I know the backing vocals were carrying the chorus a lot so in terms of vocals, I can see where this song got dinged, but this should have been San Marino’s best ever result at Eurovision, and it wasn’t so I’m mad. 60/10

10. France 🇫🇷 Barbara Pravi - Voila: The new Edith Piaf and probably one of the most representative of the country’s culture for a song. A definite deserved runner up on the night but for me 10th place. I loved the staging, the costume, the emotions. It was all right for Eurovision and me. 50/10

11. Cyprus 🇨🇾 Elena Tsingarou - El Diablo: Come through Cyprus with another female pop banger. I’d say if the formula ain’t broke don’t fix it, but wasn’t really enough to crack top 10 this year. Another early favorite of mine this year but soon got eclipsed. Still going to be listening to El Diablo for a while. 49/10

12. Russia 🇷🇺 Manizha - Russian Woman: I can’t lie that at first, this song was absolutely trash to me but quickly rose the ranks and became one of my faves. Same thing happened last year with Uno. We also always love a good female empowerment moment with the native language thrown in. Manizha is a girlboss without the gaslighting and a true queen. Deserved top 10 the night of. 40/10

13. Lithuania 🇱🇹 The Roop - Discoteque: An earworm for first listen and was top 10 for a while for me but like Cyprus, lost out to some others. No doubt this is a deserved top 10 the night of. 35/10

14. Croatia 🇭🇷 Albina - Tick Tock: The first song to get me pressed on it’s placement. Deserved to be in the final over both Israel and Norway (please come for me I don’t care). They freakin rocked that stage during the semis and the song is absolutely a bop. Albina deserved better. 30/10

15. Sweden 🇸🇪 Tusse - Voices: A beautiful song by an amazing artist. Sure the lyrics were a bit cliche Eurovision but guess what...it’s Eurovision. I can hear the voices. Keep carrying on Tusse. 25/10

16. Albania 🇦🇱 Anxehla Peristeri - Karma: This song grew on me a lot. I liked it but wasn’t a don’t skip for a while on my playlist. The live performance changed it for me. She slayed and the staging was everything for Miss Thing. Also native language brownie points. 24/10

17. Finland 🇫🇮 Blind Channel - Darkside: Before you come for me for having this at 17th, keep reading. I’m not a big fan of the lyrics but the song is absolutely fantastic. This style of music isn’t something I pull out on a playlist often, but I had my middle fingers up for this one (and pointed at Germany but we’ll discuss later). Deserved top 10 as they rocked it on stage. 20/10

18. The Netherlands 🇳🇱 Jeangu Macrooy - Birth of a New Age: I absolutely do not understand the hate for this song. I was also a huge fan of Grow last year so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised for being generally alone again. The fact it got 0 points in the televote and only 11 in the jury is not surprising but extremely disappointing to me. This song is a masterpiece much like the ones ranked above it. Jeangu, you are amazing and deserved so much better than this. 20/10

19. Belgium 🇧🇪 Hooverphonic - The Wrong Place: Fantastic song but fantastic artists. Always here for a dark pop moment. Gonna go get my own Johnny Cash T-shirt. 15/10

20. Spain 🇪🇸 Blas Cantó - Voy a Quedarme: Such a heartfelt ballad. I enjoyed it quite a bit and don’t understand the hate it has. Didn’t deserve 0 points in the televote. 14/10

21. Denmark 🇩🇰 Fyr og Flamme - Øve Os På Hinanden: Look we all know this song is cheesy but it’s the cheesiest Velveeta queso loco so it’s ranked so high in my opinion. This is a nod to the whacky and weird Eurovision I love. It’s always in my head and I always find myself dancing along. Deserved to be in the final over two of the songs in Semi 2. 13/10

22. Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 Efendi - Mata Hari: As far as the song goes, it’s enjoyable, but the stage show was a hot mess in my opinion. The choreo looked a mess and the different sheer legging configurations on the backup dancers was not the correct fashion choice in my opinion as I was distracted by the thought of why are they all different. Did deserve their spot in the final though. 12/10

23. Moldova 🇲🇩 Natalia Gordienko - Sugar: The studio version of this song is a heavily replayed one on my playlist bc of the drop and dance-ability of the song. However the downfall of the song was it’s live performance. The staging was fine and the choreo was great but those attempted sexy whisper vocals were not the choice to go with. I don’t want to sugar-coat this 😝 so they were terrible. Glad she made it but I felt her position in the final was one of just pure luck. 11/10

24. UK 🇬🇧 James Newman - Embers: The nul points was a huge ass oof. This song isn’t bad but I can see where people didn’t vote for it bc it’s not super memorable in terms of who all was participating this year. I like the song and always sing and dance along. 10/10

25. Israel 🇮🇱 Eden Alene - Set Me Free: This is how to do a revamp and be successful. Eden is a fantastic artist who can clearly sing, but the live performance was not all that sans the whistle tones. Yet the whistle tones aside, the song is lacking a lot. When looking back at the songs available, this one should not have been the selected one. I was always on the fence with this one and still am. 9.5/10

26. Czechia 🇨🇿 Benny Cristo - Omaga: The live definitely hurt this song in the first minute and a half. The second half was absolutely what should have happened in terms of vocals. Still like the song and listen to it often. 9.25/10

27. Ireland 🇮🇪 Leslie Roy - Maps: This song was a victim of a super strong bloodbath and shoddy staging ideas. The song is arresting and a bop. Leslie’s gruff voice mixed with the modernized Irish sounds is a match made. The staging of this song that required Leslie to run along with the beat and the distracting and constantly changing bits of the performance we’re definitely it’s downfall. It didn’t deserve last place in Semi 1 though. 9.25/10

28. Portugal 🇵🇹 The Black Mamba - Love Is On My Side: I am the first to admit that while I don’t like the song, it deserved the final. The staging and atmosphere elevated the song. 9/10

29. Austria 🇦🇹 Vincent Bueno - Amen: In the battle of the Amens, this one wins solely based on the classy and amazing staging. Don’t get me wrong, Slovenia’s was also elevating but this one did it better. 8.5/10

30. Australia 🇦🇺 Montaigne - Technicolor: This song is a fantastic one for studio. The live since the Sydney Mardi Gras performance has been rough and didn’t necessarily improve. I feel bad bc I do really love this song but it definitely didn’t deserve to qualify. This being said, I love Montaigne, and Don’t Break Me was my runner up last year, and I still listen to it as my anthem when I’m feeling down. I wish I could rank this higher but I can’t. 8.5/10

31. Romania 🇷🇴 Roxen - Amnesia: This song is great in the studio but it got old real fast for me and I don’t know why. This mixed with the poor vocals and the bizarre costume:stage combo was really what did this in and got this low in my ranking. 8.25/10

32. Slovenia 🇸🇮 Ana Soklic - Amen: The loser of the Amen battle, but just barely. The song and vocals are better in my opinion but the whole package was just barely edged out in the end. 8/10

33. Latvia 🇱🇻 Samanta Tīna - Moon Is Rising: Look, this song is nowhere near as good as last years. The queeeeeen sashayed away with that annoying trap beat. 8/10

34. North Macedonia 🇲🇰 Vasil - Here I Stand: Leave it to the gays for bringing musical theatre to Eurovision. The song honestly isn’t that special or memorable but he’s higher up bc his stage and voice are amazing. 7/10

35. Norway 🇳🇴 Tix - Fallen Angel: A great message on mental health outside of the song and Tix seems like a quality fella but I do not like the song. I preferred it in Norwegian. And this low ranking is not at all influenced over him beating out Keiino (but maybe a slight bit tho). 5/10

36. Estonia 🇪🇪 Uku Suviste - The Lucky One: While this was 1000% better than last years entry, it still was relatively boring. The stage was equally as boring so sorry Estonia, but you didn’t make the mark. 4.5/10

37. Poland 🇵🇱 Rafael - The Ride: This throwback to the 80s was a bad one. The attempt at a one hit wonder vibe really hurt it along with the artist’s terrible vocals. Also half the time, he was behind the pyro and relying on backup vocals. 4/10

38. Georgia 🇬🇪 Tornike Kipiani - You: You really should not have to wait so long for the more upbeat rock ending of this. If it was that last 30 seconds for 3 minutes, it would be much better. A definite step back from last year. 1/10

39. Germany 🇩🇪 Jendrick - I Don’t Feel Hate: Jendrick might not feel hate but I do bc that is all I feel when this song comes on. 0.5/10

[tuituipupu]

laura’s top 39 eurovision 2021 song ranking!

I’m ngl, I don’t know how to make this interesting, fun, funky or fresh. It’s just a ranking at the end of the day ahah ~ I’m probs one of the last people to do this, and I’ll only put notes beside rankings i think people could be surprised about with regards to placing? I’ll try to keep comments short and snappy so this post doesn’t become an essay.

Alternatively, Here is my Spotify playlist of my full ESC 2021 song ranking if you want to follow it or check it out, feel free! first song on the playlist = my first place for 2021, all the way down to 39th 38th place - (I just noticed they removed the version of Estonia’s entry from its 37th place ranking, am I sad about that? no. I’m not re-doing the playlist to include all 39 entries again, this wasn’t a great loss I’m afraid.)

1. 🇮🇹 Italy - ZITTI E BUONI by Måneskin 🗣this song is so refreshing, and Måneskin are such a talented young group of people who deserve even more recognition outside of Italy too! It would be so lovely to see a song from a more unique genre win eurovision, plus it is a native language song! (ALSO ITALY ARE SO CONSISTENT WITH THEIR VERSATILITY OF BOPS, GOD THEY DESERVE IT MORE THAN EVER?!) and this doesn’t have any bias because of my italian roots ok moving on. i can’t imagine my 90-year old nonna watching this and liking it though ahah.

2. 🇲🇹Malta - Je Me Casse by Destiny

3. 🇸🇲San Marino - Adrenalina by Senhit

4. 🇳🇴Norway - Fallen Angel by TIX 🗣I think my dp explains it all ahah~ I don’t think I really need to justify why I placed this so high, I just know some people aren’t so keen on it so I guess it could be considered unusual? I just really connected with the song, it sounds really beautiful to me and his voice is so clear and angelic in every sense (excuse the pun.) I think I’d describe it as vulnerable, and I really appreciate the courage and artistry. I can see the raw emotions that were poured into the song’s creation, and the song is so eurovision. It’s everything I love about the contest packed into 2 minutes and 53 seconds, from song, to artist, to staging to costume. I could (and may,) write an essay about how much I love this song~

5. 🇷🇸Serbia - LOCO LOCO by Hurricane 🗣high placement because I appreciate the way these gorgeous and powerful women have brought back the bop to eurovision! Also they dance as well, so props to them for singing while dancing because that is an extreme sport, and I respect that! 👏👏 It’s on replay for me!

6. 🇮🇱Israel - Set Me Free by Eden 🗣I really liked the song before the revamp, but the revamp elevated this song to new levels of heaven! It’s so uplifting and current, and she is such a stunning individual! I also believe she may dance live on stage like she does in the MV? *I hope so, her dancing is hypnotic and strong!* I’m personally not sure if the Ariana Grande-esque whistles near the end are necessary, but it is certainly showcasing her talent and skill 👏

7. 🇮🇸Iceland - 10 Years by Daði Freyr

8. 🇧🇬Bulgaria - growing up is getting old by VICTORIA 🗣I’m not normally one for ballads or songs of a slow tempo, so this could come as a surprise. I think this definitely comes down to personal connection with the song. This song feels like it extracted my anxieties and current thoughts and worries, and crafted it into a soothing and comforting lullaby. It sounds the way velvet feels, it feels like tightly hugging your childhood teddy bear. It’s the warmth of a cup of hot cocoa blooming a feeling of cosiness and comfort and projecting it onto your soul on a bitterly cold evening. This song makes me feel safe and understood, and it moves me to tears - (especially, the spoken word part in the outro, where it almost sounds as if there is a teariness caught in her throat as she speaks? It’s just so sincere and raw and lovely).

9. 🇱🇹Lithuania - Discoteque by THE ROOP

10. 🇩🇰Denmark - Øve Os På Hinanden by Fyr Og Flamme 🗣I didn’t expect this to be so high in my ranking honestly, but taking a look at my top 39, the songs I’ve placed nearer the top either have an up-tempo/strong pop influence, or are what I’d define as Eurovision. And this, I would certainly define as Eurovision. I like the retro concept, and it’s refreshing and stands out in this year’s line-up! The positivity is the kind of infectious we need right now, this song is another one I have on repeat on my eurovision playlist! If VICTORIA’s song was a cup of hot chocolate for me, this song is the sweetest lemonade! (Maybe cloudy lemonade to stay on brand with the nostalgic theme of the song?) 🍋

11. 🇮🇪Ireland - Maps by Lesley Roy

12. 🇨🇿Czech Republic - Omaga by Benny Cristo

13. 🇫🇮Finland - Dark Side by Blind Channel 🗣Is 13 a Dark Side number I wonder? I liked this song from the get-go, but it has grown on me even more! I don’t look like your stereo-typical rock or metal fan, but I’ve grown to really like the genre in my late teens into early twenties. I like that they define their music as ‘Violent Pop,’ and aren’t afraid to tag pop in their music, because pop isn’t the negative and generic genre people make it out to be. The energy of Dark Side is really liberating and the stage is electric and exciting! I’m sure this will do well, likely finishing somewhere in the top 10!

14. 🇦🇿Azerbaijan - Mata Hari by Efendi

15. 🇺🇦Ukraine - SHUM by Go_A

16. 🇷🇺Russia - RUSSIAN WOMAN by Manizha 🗣I was unsure of this song at first, but this is another song that has grown on me a lot, and now I can’t stop streaming it. It has an addictive quality, and Manizha’s stage presence is off the charts! She glows with beauty and charisma and is a pure joy to watch and listen to!

17. 🇷🇴Romania - Amnesia by Roxen

18. 🇲🇩Moldova - SUGAR by Natalia Gordienko

19. 🇸🇪Sweden - Voices by Tusse

20. 🇨🇾Cyprus - El Diablo by Elena Tsagrinou

21. 🇬🇷Greece - Last Dance by Stefania

22. 🇭🇷Croatia - Tick-Tock by Albina

23. 🇨🇭Switzerland - Tout l’Univers by Gjon’s Tears 🗣I feel like a lot of people would be mad at this placement - (please remember everyone has different tastes in music!) I definitely admire the artistry of this song, and the messages that are being delivered. This ranking is primarily based on how much I enjoy the song though - (partly down to how much I stream the songs). I would very rarely choose to play this song. It has its own unique atmosphere and sombre ambience. It is great for building an atmosphere to write to, but at Eurovision, I’m more likely to go for songs that ignite my soul with joy. I like a party song, and obviously this song just isn’t that at all. But I understand the intended and effect, and the French language sounds so gorgeous in this genre!

24. 🇬🇧United Kingdom - Embers by James Newman

25. 🇫🇷France - Voilà by Barbara Pravi 🗣I’m aware this is low placement again, but this song has grown on me a lot, and stirs a lot of emotion inside me! I just don’t like it as much as other songs this year I’m afraid.

26. 🇩🇪Germany - I Don’t Feel Hate by Jendrik 🗣Very surprisingly, another song that has grown on me. This song is the definition of Marmite. I didn’t understand why I felt so many negative feelings towards a song that was about ending hate with positivity, especially when I normally LOVE cheese and songs with a cheery and vibrant sound. I think personally, I found the drops really hard to get along with, and I still feel they make the song seem disjointed, choppy and awkward. I actually really like the ukulele sound and element, it’s cheesy and upbeat. If I were to be critical, I think the song could have done without the drops, and instead followed something similar to Sebalter’s Hunter Of Stars, because I adored that song, and though it doesn’t have a ukulele, I can feel a comparison in the happy and upbeat vibe. Still, this song now puts a smile on my face, I appreciate the positive message Jendrik is advocating, and props to him for creating the music video with little help!

27. 🇪🇸Spain - Voy A Quedarme by Blas Cantó

28. 🇳🇱The Netherlands - Birth Of A New Age by Jeangu Macrooy

29. 🇦🇺Australia - Technicolour by Montaigne 🗣Originally, this song was nearer 39th place, but it has managed to climb up in the ranking a little more! Montaigne has a nice voice, but I think it’s the song that is the issue here for me. I am no singer, but this song appears to be a challenging song to sing. It has a very quirky sound and tone, and I just don’t think the song is very flattering. It has an awkwardness to it. I really loved Don’t Break Me last year, but putting 2020 aside, I think staging and stage presence could save this song.

30. 🇧🇪Belgium - The Wrong Place by Hooverphonic

31. 🇦🇹Austria - Amen by Vincent Bueno

32. 🇵🇹Portugal - Love Is On My Side by The Black Mamba

33. 🇦🇱Albania - Karma by Anxhela Peristeri

34. 🇸🇮Slovenia - Amen by Ana Soklič

35. 🇲🇰North Macedonia - Here I Stand by Vasil

36. 🇬🇪Georgia - You by Tornike Kipiani

37. 🇪🇪Estonia - The Lucky One by Uku Suviste

38. 🇱🇻Latvia - The Moon is Rising by Samanta Tina

39. 🇵🇱Poland - The Ride by RAFAŁ

[sytycdinternational]

Eurovision 2021 pre-show ranking #26 - #1

I know the rehearsals are already out but I’m not gonna take them into account for this ranking since I might as well just do a ranking of the actual broadcasted live performances then. Ideally the following songs would be part of my dream final on Saturday. #39-#25

26. VICTORIA - Growing Up Is Getting Old - Bulgaria 🇧🇬: I begrudgingly accept Victoria's decision choosing this over "imaginary friend" (she seemed to have visible troubles singing it live after all) but gosh, it’s kind of hard for me to warm up to this. "imaginary friend" figuratively moved me to another plane of existence. I do think this song has the perfect set up for some amazing staging. (2020/2021)

25. Blind Channel - Dark Side - Finland 🇫🇮: Yesss Finland, give me that darkness. I wish I could unhear the lyrics tho because it’s teetering pretty close to edge territory. Okay, I guess it has crossed that threshold long ago, but still, rock songs are a rarity on this show that I will cherish no matter their flaws. (2020/2021)

24. Hurricane - LOCO LOCO - Serbia 🇷🇸: They’ve come to slay like a tropical weather phenomenon. I can already see the shreds of their fellow competitors lining their path. (2020/2021)

23. Blas Cantó - Voy A Quedarme - Spain 🇪🇸: It took a tone-downed, more intimate acoustic version for  this me to connect with this song, but somehow it managed to flip a  switch and now I get incredibly emotional even when I listen to the  official version. I’d definitely prefer the acoustic version to be performed on the actual show though. (2020/2021)

22. Jeangu Macrooy - Birth Of A New Age - The Netherlands 🇳🇱: The lyrics feel refreshingly meaningful. It fills me with real warmth and good vibes as a whole. (2020/2021)

21. Anxhela Peristeri - Karma - Albania 🇦🇱: Albania is bringing drama and I’m living for it. Very effective revamp to make the song more memorable. (2020/2021)

20. Samanta Tina - The Moon is Rising - Latvia 🇱🇻: What’s up with that dreadful “eh EH eh EH” background track?? It’s driving me up the wall. Still, I’m floored by Samanta’s powerful vocals. It’s a pity the final misses the actual blood moon occurence, the lunar ecplise on May 26 by a few days. Oh well, it’s not like it can be seen from Europe this time anyway. (2020/2021)

19. The Roop - Discoteque - Lithuania 🇱🇹: The Roop really took their song from last year and turned it dark and in order to balance it out they changed the colors of their outfits to bright yellow. During all this some of the hypnotic qualities of “On Fire” was lost but the new song is still lots of quirky fun. (2020/2021)

18. Ana Soklič - Amen - Slovenia 🇸🇮: Simply glorious. What a woman, what a voice. The way the song develops is bombastic. (2020/2021)

17. Natalia Gordienko - SUGAR - Moldova 🇲🇩: The refrain and the rest of the song sound so mismatched to me lol. Still, the contrast between the bright sugary visuals and somewhat darkish, even sinister tone of the music is doing it for me. (2020/2021)

16. Montaigne - Technicolour - Australia 🇦🇺:  I can’t stand “Don’t Break Me”, so Montaigne doing a 180 degree turn  was well appreciated. This sounds sooo difficult to sing so total props  for that. Hope she nails it during the liveshows. (2020/2021)

15. Lesley Roy - Maps - Ireland 🇮🇪: This gives me enough energy to travel the Irish plains all on my own. Gosh, I miss travelling. (2020/2021)

14. The Black Mamba - Love Is On My Side - Portugal 🇵🇹: Never got the hype  for “Dancing in the Stars“, so if Portugal had to send a song in English  I’m glad it ended up being this one. I love Tatanka’s raspy voice and  the song just oozes style as a whole. I was surprised how bittersweet the lyrics actually are after listening more closely and that makes me like it even more. (2020/2021)

13. Måneskin - Zitti E Buoni - Italy 🇮🇹: F*CK ME UP. I have high hopes for you, Italy. Also  I’m totally over the fact that Irama was not able to perform live on  San Remo this year due to Covid-related issues and thus surrendered any  realistic chances of "La genesi del tuo colore" taking the win and  competing on ESC, I swear I am *sobs* (2020/2021)

12. Daði og Gagnamagnið - 10 Years - Iceland 🇮🇸: That bait and switch at the start kills me. I also unironically like this a lot more than “Think About Things”. (2020/2021)

11. Manizha - Russian Woman - Russia 🇷🇺:  Are my ears deceiving me? A Russian entry that is NOT an inoffensive  pop ballad in English playing it totally safe? I guess Little Big for  2020 was not an anomaly after all. I LOVE the traditional-sounding  chanting used for the chorus and the energy is infectious. (2020/2021)

10. Efendi - Mata Hari - Azerbaijan 🇦🇿: Another entry, another banger. I love her harsh pronounciation of the lyrics. (2020/2021)

9. Destiny - Je Me Casse - Malta 🇲🇹: Talk about a glow-up from last year. Malta is absolutely bringing the funk and the sass. (2020/2021)

8. Vasil - Here I Stand - North Macedonia 🇲🇰:  This song is FEELINGS and I totally feel it! Ugh, I’m such a softie for  heartfelt, breaking-down-your-emotional-walls-type of songs. (2020/2021)

7. Eden Alene - Set Me Free - Israel 🇮🇱:  The revamp catapulted this song from the very bottom of my list to this  spot. It’s little things like the inflection after “on my own” among  others that make this song such a joy to listen to. So many little  details to explore. (2020/2021)

6. Elena Tsagrinou - El Diablo - Cyprus 🇨🇾:  Another year, another powerhouse of a song by Cyprus. This is my favorite by far out of the last few years though, even surpassing  “Fuego”, judging alone by the song itself. The drop literally takes my breath away. (2020/2021)

5. Albina - Tick-Tock - Croatia 🇭🇷: Who knew Croatia would deliver the catchiest beat this year? (2020/2021)

4. Stefania - Last Dance - Greece 🇬🇷:  Say hello to Dua Lipa “Physical”’s long-lost sister. And just like the  former I have the latter playing non-stop. I have yet to get sick of it.  It gets me so pumped up, I love it. (2020/2021)

3. Gjon's Tears - Tout l’Univers - Switzerland 🇨🇭: Sensitive.  Sublime. Majestic. It was like witnessing the ocean at high and low  tide. At one moment deceivingly calm, the next I’m swept away by a  riptide of thundering sounds and delicious falsetto. (2020/2021)

2. Go_A - SHUM - Ukraine 🇺🇦: I literally spasmed out in ecstatic bliss when I first listened to this. I think it was some kind of combination of Kateryna's piercing vocals that strike right through my hear, the intoxicating ethnic elements and droning bass, all delivered at an ever increasing speed that drove me into a literal ethno-rave-fuelled frenzy. (2020/2021)

1. Barbara Pravi - Voilà - France 🇫🇷: The first time I saw Barbara’s national final performance I was transfixed. I was clinging to every word escaping her lips, my heart almost stopping at each moment my ears weren't filled with her angelic voice. I was flooded with all kinds of emotions, particularly with an existential longing for something I couldn’t possibly describe.  Excellent use of monochrome lighting and costumes as well which I’m sure was supposed to emulate the feeling of black-and-white films of the past. (2020/2021)

Predicting the results:

Qualifiers #1 Semi-Final:

Australia

Azerbaijan

Cyprus

Israel 

Lithuania

Malta

Norway

Russia 

Sweden

Ukraine

Belgium

Croatia

Ireland

North Macedonia

Romania

Slovenia 

Qualifiers #2 Semi-Final:

Albania 

Bulgaria

Finland 

Greece

Iceland 

Portugal

San Marino

Serbia

Switzerland

Austria 

Czech Republic

Denmark

Estonia

Georgia 

Latvia

Moldova 

Poland

[betweenthetimeandsound]

Three Minutes to Eternity: My ESC 250 (#160-151)

(Author's note: Sorry about it being a couple of days late--I wanted to rest a bit--which I will do again because we hit the top 150--and had to download quite a bit for the gifs. Please enjoy this bunch, though!)

#160: Dihaj -- Skeletons (Azerbaijan 2017)

“When we hook up it’s fantasy We’re just like alchemy I’ve never been so ready”

I completely neglected Skeletons during the contest, as I didn't listen to it beforehand and didn't watch songs 12-17 when watching the grand final live. Along with "Grab the Moment" that year, it sandwiched a horrendous stretch of songs in #13-16.

Despite this, I listened to it a lot afterwards. It’s equal parts intriguing and mysterious, especially with the almost-nonsensical lyrics with interesting images. I always imagined a concept film in which the main character meets a potential love interest in a night club, only to go too far and almost kill him.

The atmosphere the staging created was a bit strange, in that it incorporates masks and a world inside a school chalkboard. For each of these aspects, Skeletons is my favorite Azeri entry ever—it stands out in a unique way because of its eccentricity.

Personal ranking: 5th/42 Actual ranking: 14th/26 GF in Kyiv

#159: Tommy Seebach -- Disco Tango (Denmark 1979)

“Hun er en stjerne på et dansegulv Slår John Travolta i en rock ‘n’ roll På diskoteket ta’r hun kegler, og der ka’ man se Dem stå i kø og skæve, hver gang hun gør sin entré”

“She’s a star on a dance floor Beats John Travolta in a rock ‘n’ roll At the disco she’s scoring, and there you see Them queue up with an eye on her, every time she enters”

Disco and tango are two genres you don’t expect to work together, despite them being so fun to dance to. Despite this, Tommy Seebach makes it sound natural. There’s a bit of adjustment needed when listening to it, but it’s equally flirty and groovy all at once, as one gets to know the many quirks of the song.

The live performance definitely elevates it--not only with Debbie Cameron's enthusiasm (she would come back two years later with Tommy in a bigger part), but also because of the orchestration. The mix with strings and castanets in the chorus was definitely the best part and gets me shaking.

It’s different for Denmark, but definitely a song you should put in a disco (*clap clap*) from time to time!

Personal ranking: 3rd/19 Actual ranking: 6th/19 in Jerusalem

#158: Poli Genova -- If Love (Were) a Crime (Bulgaria 2016)

“Unafraid, never fade When it’s dark we illuminate”

Bulgaria’s comeback after a two-year hiatus sees them with a hyper energetic pop song with an uplifting message. While it seems like a simple one at first, the diverse Eurovision community can embrace it for its openness and determination. The great production upholds this gem, and the lighting on stage adds to it, especially in the end.

Poli definitely makes this song come to life with her vocals and her upbeat personality, making it shine even more! (And I did like her costume--not something for everyday-wear, but definitely one fitting the song and a bit avant--garde too). Compared to her first entry, which fights against those who put her down in a pop-rock way, she delivers with fun.

And they got their first qualification in nine years and a start to a nice run of entries as a result.

Personal ranking: 5th/42 Actual ranking: 4th/42 GF in Stockholm

#157: Athena -- For Real (Turkey 2004)

“All I know is you don’t want to be part of the crowd Realise yourself You say it but don’t feel it, what you sayin’ has no meanin’ Don’t hide your soul”

For their host entry, Turkey brings upon Athena, a ska-punk (and former metalcore) band with this bouncy song. And it’s such a great one—filled with energy and fun. A bit different from what we expect from Turkey, but it shows what their music industry could bring.

It's lively and fun, with Gokhan leading the charge with his presence. At times, he shouts more than he sings and it seems like he didn't dress up for a more formal event. That said, there's still a lot of charm in "For Real's" performance, ranging from the sharks in the background to the "Hi mom!" and the peace jacket. It comes along in an eccentric package, and makes for a solid predecessor to their rock-based entries four years later.

And it definitely hints at being oneself, which celebrates individuality in a fun way.

(Plus, that's the reason why my top three in 2004 isn't the actual top three. Haha)

Personal ranking: 3rd/36 Actual ranking: 4th/24 in Istanbul

#156: Katarína Hasprová - Modlitba (Slovakia 1998)

“Láska kráčam údolím sĺz A len ty môžeš zmierniť môj žiaľ Túžim sa dotknúť tvojich pier, tvojich rúk Prosím vráť sa mi, nevzdaj sa nás”

“Love, I am walking the valley of tears Only you can get me out of misery I long to touch your hands, your lips Please, come back, do not give up”

A comment on the interwebs suggested anybody who has Horehronie as their favorite Slovak entry has never listened to this. I could understand why people would gravitate towards the former, but this stands out more for me (and not just because of the religious title).

The introduction reminds me of “Kiss From a Rose”, which here, is less meant to be about plagiarism and more about the 1990s feel of it. Musically, it takes the same medieval elements from other 1990s entries, but it tells a different story, one about trying to fix a relationship on the rocks. It builds well, going from an otherwise delicate ballad to something more explosive when one gets into the chorus. The orchestration really helps it too!

Modlitba got six points from Croatia...and then nothing else. It's still a shame it did so poorly, but as a potential nul-pointer too? Sad.

Personal ranking: 4th/25 Actual ranking: 21st/25 in Birmingham

#155: Melovin -- Under the Ladder (Ukraine 2018)

“Nothing but your will sets you on fire Fire lasts forever...”

The song that inspired a fervor from Melovin’s fans, including me! While I’m not as enthusiastic as them, I still love this song—it's pulsating and intense, with quite interesting lyrics about getting up again(with some enunciation issues). There was a point where the song got a musical revamp, and I feared it would make the song worse, but fortunately it kept the whole thing intact with a few production changes.

Melovin proves he's a talented showman, and seeing the stairs go aflame made me smile (even though I preferred the effect more on his Vidbir performance; the flaming LEDs really helped there). Good thing the televote swooped in, because last place in the jury vote feels really wrong (though it could be because of said pronunciation).

Plus he has some good post-Eurovision songs—check them out! My favorite is З тобою, зі мною, і годі.

Personal ranking: 6th/43 Actual ranking: 17th/26 GF in Lisbon

#154: Joci Papai -- Origo (Hungary 2017)

“Be kell csuknod a szemed Úgy láthatsz meg engemet Hogy meghódítsd a szívem Ismerned kell lelkemet”

“You need to close your eyes So you can see me To conquer my heart You have to know my soul”

While Az en apam (#240) touches me more than Origo, one can’t deny this is the more creative song. It combines not only Romani influences, but also a dark pop foreground which allows them to shine.

In addition, the lyrics are absolutely masterful—they are rooted in Joci’s story and packs a punch in the message. It's tells of a relationship with someone who doesn't accept him for who he is (cursing her forever as a result), along with how Joci grew up and used music as a weapon for himself and his people. He's a compelling storyteller, and you can tell he sings it from the soul.

Combined with a compelling rap and a neat violin instrumental, you get a completely unique experience.

Personal ranking: 4th/42 Actual ranking: 8th/26 GF in Kyiv

#153: Blanche -- City Lights (Belgium 2017)

“All alone in the danger zone Are you ready to take my hand?”

Blanche had quite the journey in Eurovision--first her song gets released, and immediately becomes a contender. Then she has problems performing in shows and during rehearsals, at which the odds star dropping like flies. Then her semi-final performance was notably wobbly, but she still qualifies and places fourth.

Despite the staging errors (I would've personally have made the lighting gold rather than natural-colored), it was fully deserved and I think it was better than the eventual top three.

The vibe of this song reminds me of walking down the streets of Tokyo, because of the visuals involved. Everything is in a rush, but one's not sure There’s also tension, because of the dark electronic sound that dominates it. Despite Blanche’s nervousness on stage, it worked well with the song—it amplified the sensation of walking down a wire and wondering if the relationship will work. A startling entry from Belgium and one that really strikes at modernity.

Personal ranking: 3rd/42 Actual ranking: 4th/26 GF in Kyiv

#152: Frances Ruffelle -- We Will Be Free (Lonely Symphony) (United Kingdom 1994)

“Welcome to the land Where all our dreams are planned And fighting is a thing to do...”

The first of the UK’s attempts to modernize the contest in the 1990s, it’s a cool, funky song with interestingly-written lyrics. Someone compared the chorus to a protest slogan for social justice movement, but the rest of the song discusses a complex relationship. The opening lines are a highlight in particular, and everything flows fantastically.

A few bits of the live-performance went out of hand, like with the orchestration and Frances’ vocals, explained by how she was bopping up and down and was told that she needed to keep that down. As a result, she couldn't focus on her vocals and they turned out a bit sharp at times.

That said, she had a pretty dress and charming look about her. And while it placed in the top ten, I think it should've done better.

Personal ranking: 4th/25 Actual ranking: 10th/25 in Dublin

#151: Sebalter -- Hunter of Stars (Switzerland 2014)

"I state my heart has been well trained I’m gonna be your candidate I am the hunter and you are the prey Tonight I’m gonna eat you up"

This word-salad of a song makes it quite hard to choose a good lyric, as it has a bunch of nice lines but almost no meaning to them. Reading them again, it seems like one is trying to get his affections to like him, to no avail, unfortunately.

But beyond that, we get a fun and wholesome song, which features a prominent banjo and even a violin solo! From the opening melody I can't help but smile, or even whistle along at points (everytime the latter synchronizes, I feel a bit of accomplishment). It's a bit more folksy than what the contest oriented on the time (slickly produced pop with a bit of dubstep), which makes it even more special.

Finally, we have Sebalter himself, who really carries his own song! Not only is he quite good-looking, but also very charismatic and knows how to have a good time. While Swiss entries have become better known since then, you can't replicate Hunter of Stars; it's too special!

Personal ranking: 5th/37 Actual ranking: 13th/26 GF in Copenhagen

[queen-of-the-trash-planet-tm]

Daminette December Day 1: Just a friend

——————————————————————————

After the defeat of Hawkmoth, the disaster of a relationship with Adrien (they decided love just isn’t what’s fated ), and graduation Marinette Dupain-Cheng had enough of Paris. Don’t get her wrong she would always love her first home, but it began to change from her muse to somewhat of a creative block. She wanted a change of scenery and by Kwami she was going to get it.

She needed to leave if only for her sanity. Marinette thought long and hard about where she should set off to, and both Tiki and Plagg pushes for Gotham City, New York. Marinette wondered why they were so adment about it, however, whenever she questioned it vague responses were given in turn. In any case, it seemed like her course was already set for her, “Trust me, Marinette, you’re needed there. That’s all we can say for now. If you don’t go you’ll regret it, that’s what I can tell you.” That’s all it took for Marinette to uproot her life and move to the big apple.

Two weeks. It only took two weeks before the introduction of the Batfam and Marinette. Here’s the abridged meeting: oh no! Calendar Girl decided today of all days was going to attack her old modeling agency... again. Just as Marinette was trying to find some models for her website “Miss Fortune” which was gaining popularity. Our lovely Super-heroine noticed her not so favorable predicament and deduced playing civilian was her best option. How could she explain why a formerly active French superhero was doing in Gotham without the Bat breathing down her neck afterwards?

However after 30 minutes of being held hostage, Marinette simply decided, “Scew it.”

The Bat had shown up after Marinette had single handily taken down all of Calendar Girl’s henchmen and Calendar Girl herself. She was now comforting the other hostages as Batman, Red Hood, and Robin approached her. Unfortunately for Batman, Marinette was still in her “fight or flight” mode and flight wasn’t even an option anymore. As he reached for her shoulder to grab her attention, Marinette felt the presence and grabbed his arm to successfully Judo-flip the man twice her body weight without breaking a sweat.

As Batman hit the floor, Marinette (still not processing that that is in fact Batman himself) proceedes to keep him pinned. No one in the room understood how the tiny French-Asian woman was able to beat Batman in a test of strength, but eventually Marinette came to her senses by the sound of Red Hood falling to the floor laughing. He was in tears rolling on the ground, hysterical. Robin, however, just stared in intrigue.

“O-oh! I’m s-so sorry! I didn’t realize it was you Mr. Batman,” Marinette said a silent prayer for her life. Batman doesn’t kill... right?

From the look on Batman’s face, Batman might be concider breaking his moral code. Just this once. Before Batman could act upon his instinct to defend his honor, Red Hood steps in and asks who Marinette is, “Me? I’m just a designe who came from a place that was once much more dangerous than Gotham,” Marinette said in her heavily accented English.

(A/N: You can’t tell me Gotham is more dangerous then Paris when all of Paris has died multiple times).

All who heard such a bold statement, were stunned in their disbelief. Robin scrutinized Marinette, she was attractive (obviously), from her Nightwing graphic tee, short jean shorts, and black flats it was apparent that she was no stranger to physical workouts, he searched and scanned for any hint of insincerity. When he finished, he couldn’t find anything. His actions did not go unnoticed by Marinette, “Can I help you Robin?”

Not expecting her to catch his staring (more like oogling) Robin fought off a blush, “N-No,” Robin cleared his throat, “No, Miss...” He offered for her to fill in the blanks that was her name.

“I am so sorry, my name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. But, ummm, I’m sorry but to the person who designed and made your suits can they drop their location because I just want to talk. Why did you just allow it?” Marinette blurted.

Red Hood, who had just recovered from his previous fit of laughter, lost his composure for the second time in this encounter, “Ya, hear that Demon Spawn? Who dressed you?”

The blush from earlier returned with vengeance. Before Robin could make his remark, Marinette beat him to it, “Mr. Hood, you are no better. In fact,” Marinette pulls out a business card, “take this if you want a revamped, stylish, and practical suit, you should email or call me. That’s my website so that you can see the quality of my work before you jump the gun.”

Batman takes the extended business card, he himself was feeling quite embarrassed for the criticisms he was receiving. Marinette then asked to be excused after the quick promotion.

*Line Break*

Marinette hadn’t expected Batman to accept her offer, she also hadn’t anticipated Robin to come visit her after she had completed his father’s commissions. Robin found himself more and more intriged by Marinette and didn’t understand why his breath hitched everytime she would do the simplest of things.

Marinette didn’t mind his drop ins, to be honest she looked forward to them. It reminded her of when Chat Noir used to show up on her balcony. As they began to spend more time together, the others began to notice that Robin would basically drop off the face of the earth. Nightwing proposed that the Batboys follow their younger brother to see what he does when he’s not with them on patrol.

Red Hood, Red Robin, and Nightwing watch from another building to see their Demon of a brother smile. They looked around in a panic to see if someone had died, the found no dead body in the surrounding area. The did see a cute French-Asian woman working diligently on their remastered costumes and liked what they saw. As she was seeing the Kevlar into a layar of what looks to be Red Hood’s new suit, they see her laughing with their brother.

Once Red Hood recognized Marinette as the girl who beat Batman without trying, he was convinced the woman was a witch. There was no way she could do all of these things without the supernatural. Marinette seemingly was taming the demon the batfamily couldn’t deal with for years, in just a few hours. As Red Hood relayed this information to his brothers, Red Robin saw Robin begin to leave as Marinette began to fall asleep.

At the manor, Dick brought up the designer who was redoing their costumes and Damian froze for a second. Tim asking where Damian has been all of this time only to have Damian divert the question. Finally Jason asks, “So... What’s Marinette to you?”

That’s when Damian broke, a fire had started on his cheeks. No one dared to speak, too stunned or embarrassed to say anything. After a few seconds, Jason let a grin fall upon his face.

“Not that it is any of your business, Marinette is just a friend now if I’ll be retiring to my room for the night.”

Unknown to the rest of the boys, Bruce had heard the entire conversation between the four of the boys. It was then that he declared silently that Marinette Dupain-Cheng would add Wayne to her last name if it was the last thing he would ever do. And anything is legal when you’re Bruce Wayne.

——————————————————————————

Is it too late to throw my hat in the ring. I know I’m cutting it close with it being 10:20 pm where I live, but I was feeling a bit inspired by this prompt in particular. I don’t know if I can do all of the prompts, but I promise to at least try.

@daminette-december2019

[cayranwilde]

Unpopular opinion rant…

All CATS fans, please keep an open mind when reading this.

So, I have seen a lot of negativity from fans surrounding the CATS film by Tom Hooper from the CGI to the choice of actors to the lack of a substantial representation of certain characters in the film, and finally, to the lack of certain characters completely.

Let me start by saying that the 1998 Cats film is NOT CANNON.

I am 30 years old. I first saw and fell in love with the 1998 film when I was 9 years old. I watched that film so much that I wore it completely out. I had the CD (still do) and memorized every song and dance move. Between 1998 and the present date, I have seen CATS live and in person 8 different times. What I have learned over these last 21 years is that every performance is different - WAS different. Every character changed, and even relationships between the characters were portrayed differently.

For example, lets look at Munkustrap and Demeter. In the 1998 film, they seem to be portrayed as a couple. However, in 2 of the 8 shows I’ve seen, Munkustrap has been paired with Cassandra, and once with Bombalurina while Demeter has been paired with Alonzo. Munkustrap and Demeter aren’t cannon – neither are popular pairings such as Rum Tum Tugger and Bombalurina or Mistoffelees and Tugger, or Mistoffelees and Cassandra, etc. Get the picture? Just because it was hinted to in the 1998 film doesn’t make it finite. Of course, everyone has their own preferred pairings and relationships, and that is wonderful – spectacular even, because that is the beauty of the musical. Everything is left to interpretation.

Just because your favorite pairing may not be portrayed in the 2019 film isn’t reason to get angry and “hate” something you haven’t yet seen.

The same goes for characters.

In the 1998 film, you have characters such as Electra, Etcetera, Asparagus Jr., and Exotica. In the 8 times I have seen the show live, I have only seen Electra in ONE of those performances. The others were not in the stage productions and were only mentioned in the “Naming of Cats.” Might I also note that there are some characters in adaptations in Europe and Russia that were never in the 1998 film nor portrayed in any North or South American adaptation, such as Gilbert, Noilly Pratt, Olivia, and Grumbuskin.

With that being said, I understand why some fans may be upset that characters like Electra and Etcetera are not in the 2019 film or have small, insignificant rolls (because yes, they are adorable and amazing characters) but if we’re being honest, they were never primary characters in the 1998 film, and therefore not necessarily needed.

The stage costumes are classic – I think we can all agree on that. They’re beautiful, and most of us when we picture CATS think wigs, leg warmers and leotards. I do, for one. However, let’s be realistic – the characters of CATS are humanoid felines. A lot of big time CATS artists found on DeviantArt, or who illustrate for the Jellicle Chronicles draw the characters as humanoid felines. This seems to be the route Tom Hooper decided to go, which if you want to create humanoid felines, CGI is about your only option. Yes, I would have LOVED to see the characters in actual costumes, but am I mad? No.  It is technology – it is growth.

Another uproar I have seen is the change in appearance and lack of screen time for Demeter. Firstly, with regards to Demeter’s coat color, please take the time too google the Gothenburg production of CATS. That is just one example of the show where they’ve completely revamped the character’s designs, and not just Demeter’s. I will say that it is unfortunate that she seems to not have more of a roll in the 2019 film, but with every adaptation of the show comes subtle or extreme changes.

But that is the absolute beauty of it all. Every good story changes throughout the years. How many adaptations of Peter Pan, the Jungle Book, and Scrooge have we all seen? Were any of them the exact same? No. You can’t expect a story to be retold without changes. That is not realistic. Stories change based on the generation that tell them, and the technology provided by that generation. To grow, you have to use the skills and tools you are given; so, if you are mad the 2019 movie won’t be the same as the 1998 film, then I am sorry, but you sound like the grumpy old man at the pharmacy that constantly repeats “back in my day” to the millennial cashier.

Lastly, all of the reviews I have read from last night’s premiere have been mostly positive. Critics have called the film magical, emotional, bewildering, fantastical and wild – all things I hope to experience when I go see the film on Friday. Do I still absolutely love the 1998 version? Yes, with all my heart. I hope to share it with my daughter when she is old enough to appreciate it. But, with that said, I thoroughly look forward to this movie and expect to experience the same magic and wonderment that CATS has and will always exude.

[jumukus]

A3! Event: The Last Runway Chapter 10 Translation

Heads up on the characters’ name! (Kikukawa: Yuki, Minami: Taichi, Hayama: Masumi, Koga: Tenma)

Student A: “I guess Kikukawa will take over the final part in the fashion show this year.”

Student B: “That makes sense. It’s like a hopeless fight.”

Student A: “I want to pair up with Kikukawa~.”

Student B: “That’s impossible. There are a lot of students from the model department who say the same thing. Besides, isn’t it obvious that Koga will pair up with him?”

Student A: “Ah~. Speaking of Koga, it looks like he’ll take part in a collection runway show too. We won’t have any chance at all if he pairs up with a pro.”

“But well, if I can’t be his model, I don’t mind becoming his girlfriend. I can marry into the family who owns that high-end brand KIKUKAWA.”

Student B: “I’ve told you it’s impossible.”

Student A: “If I can’t pair up with Kikukawa, Hayama will do.”

Student B: “Hayama, huh. The competition is fierce if you want to make a pair with him. I heard he’s going to finally start up his brand, after all.”

Student A: “Sighs. Now that I look at the reality, I think it’s better to find a partner quickly.”

Student B: “Right. You’re going to fail otherwise.”

Student A: “I don’t want that!”

Student B: “Well, the model department has more students than the design department, after all. I don’t think we can fail if the gap isn’t too big.”

Student A: “IF the gap isn’t too big, right.”

Minami: “...”

Koga: “Kikukawa, have you found your model?”

Kikukawa: “I haven’t.”

Koga: “Why don’t you pair up with me, then? I can meet your high demands, Kikukawa.”

Kikukawa: “...I’ll think about it.”

Hayama: “Hmm, so you haven’t even decided on your pair. You sure are calm.”

Kikukawa: “It’s not like I have time to be calm.”

Hayama: “Well, you can always use KIKUKAWA’s models when push comes to shove.”

Kikukawa: “We’re not allowed to do that for the final project.”

Hayama: “But if it’s someone from KIKUKAWA, they will allow it, right?”

Kikukawa: “.....”

Hayama: “Let me tell you something: the final part this year will be mine.”

Kikukawa: “Yeah, okay.”

Izumi: (Similar to the first design, Yuki-kun and Masumi-kun’s costumes are casual uniforms, but…)

(Each costumes have distinctive features that suit their own characters.)

(The three of them have high pride even in the play, so it’s great that they can show how the sparks are flying right from the start.)

Kikukawa’s Mother: “Final project is just some student’s games, right. Even if they manage to catch the industry people’s attention, it’s just because their work is new and original.”

Kikukawa: “......”

Kikukawa’s Mother: “You’re already a professional. You should prioritize your job. Don’t put too much focus on your homework.”

Kikukawa: “--.”

Kikukawa’s Mother: “What? Do you have something to say?”

Kikukawa: “...No.”

Teacher: “Is everyone here?”

“For the time being, I will give supplementary lesson to those who fall behind in their final project…”

“This will be like a meeting between those who haven’t found their pair for the show. Those who have found their partners can go home.”

Student A: “Hey, hey. Do you want to pair up with me?”

Student B: “Sure. I’ll be in your care~.”

Student C: “Let’s discuss our concept on our way home.”

Student D: “Okaay.”

Minami: “.....”

Kikukawa: “I’m late.”

Student A: “...Eh, Kikukawa?”

Student B: “I wonder if he hasn’t found his model.”

Student C: “No way. Why hasn’t Kikukawa found his?”

Teacher: “Come in and sit. I’ve already explained this, but you can’t make progress in your final project if you haven’t found your partner. You better hurry and choose yours.”

Teacher: “Have you all chose your partners? Then, all that left is--.”

Minami: “......”

Kikukawa: “Hey, Minami. You don’t have a partner yet?”

Minami: “Eh…? Y-Yeah.”

Kikukawa: “Then, do you want to pair up with me?”

Minami: “Eh!?”

Student A: “You must be lying. He chose Minami.”

Student B: “There’s no way Minami can wear Kikukawa’s clothes.”

Minami: “--.”

Kikukawa: “Do you hear me?”

Minami: “But I--.”

Kikukawa: “Are you going to pair up with me or not? State your answer clearly.”

Minami: “--I-If you’re fine with me.”

Kikukawa: “I get it that you’re short, but it turns out your walking is also bad, huh.”

Minami: “So-sorry…”

Kikukawa: “Do something about it until the D-day.”

Minami: “Say, why did you choose me, Kikukawa? There are other models that you can choose, and yet…”

Kikukawa: “--I don’t really have any particular reason. I’m fine with anyone, so I just chose among the remaining people. Anyone will look decent in my outfits, after all.”

Minami: “--I, I see. You have a point.”

Kikukawa: “......”

Minami: “But for someone like me, I might still be hopeless even if I wear Kikukawa’s clothes…”

Kikukawa: “What are you saying? Are you making fun of my design?”

Minami: “I’m, I’m not! It’s just, I don’t have any talent as a model, I don’t have any sense and I’m short…”

Kikukawa: “We can’t do anything about your short height. But the others are your problems, you know.”

Minami: “But--.”

Kikukawa: “--Aaargh, so annoying! Fine. I’m going to completely revamp you!”

Minami: “--.”

Kikukawa: “You’re not staying in the lines. Do it again.”

Minami: “--Y-Yes!”

Kikukawa: “Your posture is bad.”

Minami: “Yes.”

Kikukawa: “Look at the front.”

Minami: “Ah, yes!”

Kikukawa: “That one is really not good.”

Minami: “Ugh…”

Kikukawa: “You should make the side part more neat and tidy and add more volume to the top. Yeah, that looks good.”

“You’re short, so you’ve got to be careful with your silhouette. It’s basic common sense to understand your figure and choose things that suits your size.”

“Besides, you’ve chosen the brand that you admire--or something like that, right. You’re being rude to the clothes for not wearing the outfits that suit your size.”

Minami: “Uh… you’re right. Poor clothes being worn by someone like me.”

Kikukawa: “Hey, put on this one.”

Minami: “Huh?”

Kikukawa: “This one perfectly fits in your body. It really suits your aura, too.”

Minami: “You’re right… I can’t believe there are clothes that look good on me.”

Kikukawa: “What are you saying? Of course there are.”

Minami: “--Thanks, Kikukawa. I’ll do my best so that I can wear your clothes.”

Kikukawa: “--.”

Minami: “Kikukawa? What’s wrong?”

Kikukawa: “Nothing.”

Izumi: (Yuki-kun and Taichi-kun are perfectly in sync. Since the script is written after deciding on the roles, they play their roles naturally and perfectly.)

(Next is Minami’s performance in the latter half…)

Teacher: “You will showcase your development process at this show. Regardless of your turn and evaluation, the result will merely be temporary.”

“You are also allowed to show the current state of your work. Think of this as something that will help you control the flow of your performance.”

Minami: “We are the third from the last… I’m nervous.”

Kikukawa: “......”

Minami: “Kikukawa?”

Kikukawa: “--.”

Minami: “Are you all right?”

Kikukawa: “Is this really the time for you to worry about other people?”

Minami: “N-No. Well, you’re right.”

Kikukawa: “I don’t plan to show such a halfway-done work at this time.”

Minami: “Kikukawa’s design is flawless! If it’s not, then I’m to blame for that…”

Kikukawa: “......”

Student A: “Hm? Is that Kikukawa’s design?”

Student B: “Hmm, looks like it.”

Student A: “Hmm.”

Student E: “Maybe it’s because the model is Minami, but don’t you think it doesn’t look that great?”

Student F: “I mean, if I were to be honest, Kikukawa’s design isn’t that great in the first place.”

Student E: “Ah, I also thought that a little. It feels like he only has the popularity of his parents’ brand, you see?”

“Even his own brand is basically KIKUKAWA’s secondary lines, right.”

Teacher A: “Hayama is currently in the lead.”

Teacher B: “I wonder what happened to Kikukawa. Unlike usual, his work is lackluster.”

Teacher A: “He might get his hands full on his business.”

Kikukawa: “......”

Koga: “That was such a poor performance. Wasn’t it because you chose the wrong model?”

Hayama: “The problem is beyond that. I don’t get a sense of style from your design. It looks shallow.”

Kikukawa: “--.”

Minami: “It’s not Kikukawa’s fault. It’s because I’m the model--.”

Koga: “That’s obvious. An ignorant amateur like you will only ruin any clothes you wear.”

Minami: “--.”

Hayama: “I’ve told you before. It doesn’t have anything to do with the model. The level of your design is low. I’m disappointed. You’re just riding on your parents’ coattails.”

Minami: “Sorry, Kikukawa. I’m going to work harder.”

Kikukawa: “Why are you saying that when you already work that hard--.”

Minami: “Huh?”

Kikukawa: “......”

Minami: “Are you all right, Kikukawa…?”

Kikukawa: “You asked me why did I choose you before, right.”

Minami: “Yeah.”

Kikukawa: “I thought that if I paired up with a talentless model, they would purely evaluate my design.”

“I want them to purely look at my design, and not because I am the son of KIKUKAWA who has it all--.”

Minami: “...I see, so that’s the reason. If that’s so, why do you give me special training?”

Kikukawa: “I got irritated seeing you being all hesitant.”

Minami: “I, I see.”

Kikukawa: “But you’ve worked hard and began to change. It makes me worried whether I’m good enough.”

“But my eyes are open now. The model isn’t the problem here. I need to think of a way so that I won’t lose sight of my design. That’s the most important thing.”

“I’m stupid for minding what people say about me, that whole ‘he’s riding on his parents’ coattails.’”

Minami: “...I was able to change because of you, Kikukawa.”

“I managed to get into the model department that I had been longing, but I’m short. I don’t even have sense and aura. I was hit by reality.”

“But then you talked to me, who has given up my dream and grew timid, Kikukawa.”

“No matter what your reason was, I would not be able to change for eternity if that didn’t happen.”

“I might be no match for Koga as a model, but I want to wear your outfit, Kikukawa.”

“I want to show the charm of Kikukawa’s design more than anyone else.”

“I’ll do anything in order to achieve that goal. That is why I want you to use me as your model.”

Kikukawa: “I have no intention to change model even if you don’t say that. I could get over my doubts because of you, Minami.”

“I’ll create an outfit that will make you shine the brightest. The ones who are going to land that last spot at the show are us.”

Minami: “Last spot.. Me…”

Kikukawa: “It’s an obvious result. You’re going to wear Lily. K’s clothes, after all.”

Minami: “Y-Yeah. You’re right.”

Kikukawa: “I’ll be in your care, as an equal this time around.”

Minami: “Me too!”

Kikukawa: “You already memorize the programme, right?”

Minami: “Yes.”

Koga: “Heh, so you’re still participating even after being told such things.”

Minami: “Kikukawa’s model is me, after all.”

Koga: “--.”

Hayama: “I hope you don’t embarrass yourself again during the show.”

Kikukawa: “I think you should worry about yourself rather than other people.”

Hayama: “Looks like you’re back to your usual self.”

Student A: “I expect no less from Hayama’s design~.”

Student B: “That looks good. I want it.”

Student A: “Others’ designs look like something that are made by students, but Hayama’s is certainly different. He receives a lot of applause.”

Student B: “Isn’t he pretty much confirmed to take the last spot, then? Who’s next?”

Student A: “The highly touted Kikukawa.”

Kikukawa: “--It’s our turn.”

Minami: “I’m going.”

Kikukawa: “Be confident. That’s the clothes I made for you, Minami.”

Minami: “Yeah. I’m not anxious anymore, since I’m a part of your design, Kikukawa.”

Kikukawa: “Okay--Go.”

Minami: “--.”

Student A: “Whoah…”

Student B: “As expected of Kikukawa.”

Student A: “But don’t you think the model is small? He’s as tall as female models.”

Student B: “I think he’s the perfect choice, though, since the design is unisex.”

Student C: “It looks cute~. I want to wear that!”

Student D: “Isn’t that men’s clothing?”

Student C: “But women can wear that too.”

Student D: “It’s a little bit different than what KIKUKAWA usually makes, but it looks good!”

Student A: “Just as I expected, the one who takes the last spot is one who receives the most applause.”

Izumi: (The result of Taichi-kun’s practice is showing. His walking looks magnificent.)

(Minami looks so confident that it couldn’t be compared to how he looks in the beginning of the play--.)

(There’s no need to worry.)

(The costume that Yuki-kun and Taichi-kun created for this scene made Taichi-kun shine even more.)

Minami: “How, How was it?”

Kikukawa: “Didn’t you say you weren’t anxious before?”

Minami: “Well, yeah, but…”

Kikukawa: “It was perfect.”

Minami: “R-Really!?”

Kikukawa: “It’s the finale. Let’s go on stage together.”

Minami: “Yes!”

Izumi: (Kikukawa and Minami’s strong bond is showing.)

(Yuki-kun and Taichi-kun have always been making costumes together, after all, so that’s to be expected.)

Hayama: “...”

Kikukawa: “I’ve told you not to worry about other people.”

Hayama: “Hmm. As expected of Lily. K.”

Kikuyama: “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Koga: “I don’t think I’m losing here. I’m still better than you as a model.”

Minami: “I know that.”

Koga: “Hmph.”

Minami: “--But I don’t think I’m losing as Kikukawa’s model.”

Koga: “You--.”

Hayama: “Cut it out, stop snapping at them at every chance you have, Koga. I know you’re a big fan of KIKUKAWA.”

Koga: “Wha--.”

Kikukawa: “Ooh. I’ll ask my mom to give you a sample next time.”

Koga: “Eh, seriously!? No, I mean, it’s not like I--.”

Minami: “Haha.”

Koga: “Let me tell you this. I might give away the position for Kikukawa’s model to you, but not KIKUKAWA’s model.”

Minami: “Huh--.”

Kikukawa: “--.”

Koga: “What is it, what’s with that apathetic expression?”

Kikukawa: “Pfft. No, it’s just… You’re right. My design and KIKUKAWA’s are different.”

Minami: “Ahaha. I’m unfit to be KIKUKAWA’s model, you know. I’ll forever be Kikukawa’s model, after all.”

Koga: “What’s so funny about it?”

Kikukawa: “I just didn’t think you would say something so obvious like that.”

Koga: “Haaah!?”

Minami: “Good for you, Kikukawa.”

Kikukawa: “...Yeah.”

Koga: “???”

“What are they saying? Do you get it, Hayama?”

Hayama: “Beats me. It must be Kikukawa’s complex or something.”

Kikukawa: “You’re a real nasty dude.”

Hayama: “Hmph. Next time we will battle it out on stage for professional. You better appear as Lily. K.”

Kikukawa: “You don’t need to tell me that.”

Sakuya: Good job there, guys!

Itaru: GJ, GJ.

Banri: Good work.

Muku: You did great!

Kazunari: GJ!

Sakuya: I’ve never seen a fashion show before, but that was cool!

Muku: Both Taichi-kun and Tenma-kun’s costumes are stunning too.

Kazunari: You guys sure live up to our expectations as the models actor!

Banri: Was the designer course you took effective?

Yuki: Well, it was inspiring in many ways.

Itaru: You suit the designer role, Masumi--you seem very sensitive and prideful.

Masumi: Shut up.

Sakuya: You really gave off the vibe of such designer!

Muku: I expect no less from Tenma-kun, you were great!

Kazunari: You did feel like “The” model.

Muku: Yes, yes!

Tenma: That’s obvious.

Yuki: You didn’t even have to act to bring out Koga’s ore-sama personality.

Tenma: What did you say!?

Banri: Even Taichi really looked like a model at the last part.

Sakuya: Yes. You didn’t look like the usual Taichi-kun!

Taichi: Ehehe!

Yuki: Ah, hold on.

Taichi: Yu-Yuki-chan?

Yuki: I think if we spread the hem a little bit more, your silhouette will look nicer when you walk. I should work on it today.

I’ll be counting on you as my assistant, stupid dog.

Taichi: W-Woof!

Banri: You’re well disciplined as ever.

Izumi: They’re a pair during the play, though…

< Chapter 9 | Masterlist | Epilogue >