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#did people here know that I can get feels from glee songs not sung by Kurt Hummel?
wowbright · 9 months
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This one gives me so many feels.
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spaceorphan18 · 11 months
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Glee Musical Retrospective: 4 Minutes (The Power of Madonna)
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Sung by: Kurt Hummel and Mercedes Jones Original Artist(s): Madonna feat. Justin Timberlake and Timbaland
Baby penguin my ass.
I sometimes go back and read 'of the day' reviews, and one of them stated that this episode featured too much music. And I got to thinking, while I clearly don't agree, this is the one that would probably end up on the chopping block. I'm very glad it didn't though, because I think it has more to say than you may think.
And it's only one of two duets we get between Kurt and Mercedes.
Story Anaylsis
It's really nice to be talking about Kurt again... when is the last time???
So, here's the fascinating thing about this one. Kurt and Mercedes both often feel like they're playing second fiddle - especially to Rachel Berry. And here they get to showcase their amazing talents together. But the thing is - they got this huge performance as a thank you from Sue for making her over in Vogue. (Also - Sue is doing this as an FU to Will, but Sue is savvy enough to know talent when she sees it - and Kurt will remain one of her favorites for the rest of the series.)
The song itself is a little random story wise -- and most likely chosen because it was a highly energetic, more modern hit. It's a song about going out and saving the world in 4 minutes? Honestly - the lyrics are supposed to be about saving the planet, and having the urgency to do so. But I can finagle a few things...
I think one of the things both Kurt and Mercedes are doing here are latching onto the urgency in their own lives. Sue's giving them a chance to shine and they're both going to take it. Neither of them is willing to wait around for Will to give them a chance. So, they'll make their own chances. Which speaks to both their characters, really.
But if I die tonight At least I can say I did what I wanted to do Tell me, how bout you?
I think the lyrics are mostly not the point in this one. But I like this little stanza. It speaks to the two of them briming with their own confidence and jumping at the chance to show, at least the school, what they can do.
I'm going to quote myself from my Kurt meta:
One of the things I really love is how confident both Kurt and Mercedes are in this dance number–with the whole school watching.  Before, both of them were looked down upon, and thrown in dumpsters, and slushied, but now that they’re with the Cheerios and singing Madonna, they really latch on to a growing self-confidence.  Sure, they aren’t there yet, and they have many more obstacles to go over, but just the fact that they’re up there performing, uncaring really what anyone else thinks, is a step in the right direction.
I will say - one of the things that I've often had a hard time buying on this show is that people continually think that these kids are losers. I'd have been so amazed if I saw a performance like this in high school. There's no reason any of these kids get the hate they get except for the fact that the plot needs them to be.
Technical Thoughts
First of all - I love that they arranged this as a marching band song. Not only is it a great interpretation to the heavy sound of the original song, but it's nice to see a marching band used well on screen.
Secondly, they sound pretty good! I love Kurt in his lower register. And Mercedes just owns this song. It's not surprising that they had them switch parts because Amber is much more comfortable with kind of song than Chris and it does show a little bit in the vocal track.
The on screen charisma, though, they both have it. The fact that both Mercedes and Kurt feel so comfortable in their bodies is fantastic. Neither of them are what mainstream society would label as sexy or hot but I love, love, love that this speaks to that -- that these two are both sexy and hot in this number as they play off each other. The choreography on this is the best, and I love that they allow these characters to be in control and confident in their bodies.
Also - sometimes I don't think Chris gets enough credit. Yes, he can be clumsy and fall of a piano (oh we will get there) but sometimes he just owns his physicality in a way that is never commented on is just remarkable.
This performance also has some great reaction shots. I love that Will looks annoyed and almost disappointed. Rachel's 'no comment' was perfect. And I love that Quinn genuinely seems to be enjoying herself. (I love when Quinn gets to be a human.)
Also - super technical thing - but notice all the quick cuts and camera whips? I'm sure that was done purposely to enhance the urgency the song is trying to create.
Fun fact: Apparently, this is the last time Kurt does a duet with anyone else besides Blaine and Rachel until Adam Lambert shows up. Crazy right? Shame that the show doesn't try out varying combinations more often.
vs. The Studio Version: It's the full song! Or more so it feels like they just repeat the chorus a few more times. I do like the second half, though, because they both get into the song just a bit more and it feels even more powerful than the show version.
vs. The Original Song: I love that this song is actually 4 minutes long. It is slightly slower than Glee's version - which makes sense, because that's Glee's trend - to make everything just a little bit faster (I assume to fit into time limit of being on a tv show). As I said earlier, I think Glee's marching band interpretation is really cool - because it's a great in world adaptation of the instrumentation the original song uses. That all said, what is going on in this video? I don't get how this reflects saving the world. *shrugs*
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foxes-that-run · 11 months
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Now that we don't talk
In the 2012-2014 timeline our girl went through it in the space a week. It’s like an emotional advent calendar and we get the prizes:
Sunday:  Harry misses his flight because he didn’t have his passport. Keep Driving: “Passports in foot wells”
Monday: New Year’s Eve 2012 – The world’s most public kiss
Tuesday:  New Year’s Day & they leave for the Virgin Islands
Wednesday: Taylor's hair pinned up for Right where you left me
Thursday: (maybe) Maroon's hickie & the wine soaked dress
Friday: Taylor's boat trip Say don’t go and Is it Over now?
Saturday (maybe) From the Dining Table, then Harry goes to Richard Branson’s island …and that’s what you missed on Glee.
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Update: Thank you @this-daydream-is-dangerous-13 and their ace detective skills, NTWDT is copyrighted 2014, so updated here, the old post is here.
In the voice memo Taylor says:
Now that we don't talk is one of my favorite songs that was left behind it was so hard to leave it behind but I think we wrote it a little bit towards the end of the process and we couldn't get the production right at the time. I think it's the shortest song I've ever had but I think it packs a punch I think it really goes in for the short amount of time we have I think it makes its point.
The last tracks were between January 2014 (Say don't go) and 19 February 2014 (Style).
The period they didn't talk was a minimum of 3 weeks to the NRG awards, in HYGTG she said 6 months which is June.
For context, Harry was 18 and it appears all he did was post photos in a hot tub. It was a s***ty thing to do, but when the song was finally written they were freshly back together and he wrote Stockholm Syndrome with:
"Who's this man that's holding your hand and talking 'bout your eyes? (Oh-oh-oh) / Used to sing about being free but now he's changed his mind (Oh-oh-oh)"
From then he was then a giggling BF he's adopting kittens and continued to sing about her eyes for another 10 years.
Lyrics [Verse 1] You went to a party I heard from everybody You part the crowd like the Red Sea Don't even get me started Did you get anxious though On the way home? I guess I'll never, ever know Now that we don't talk
She did hear from everybody, it was huge news.
'Did you get anxious on the way home' got me in the feels, in New Years Day she talked of him squeezing her hand three times in the backseat to say it will be OK. This breaks my heart so much to think that song and this are about 1 week.
[Verse 2] You grew your hair long You got new icons And from the outside It looks like you're tryin' lives on I miss the old ways You didn't have to change But I guess I don't have a say Now that we don't talk
2 weeks after Taylor left on a boat, Harry acquired his Butterfly Tattoo on 22 January. A week later they saw each other for the first time on 27th January at the NRG Awards in Paris. The Cannes sunset photos are from the hotel they both stayed in. Part 2 of also within a week:
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[Chorus] I call my mom, she said that it was for the best Remind myself, the morе I gave, you'd want me less I cannot bе your friend, so I pay the price of what I lost And what it cost, now that we don't talk
Bless Andrea Swift all she has given this world, most especially for comforting Taylor when 18 year old’s pop stars hang out with billionaires. Everytime I hear this I imagine Andrew saying "put it in a song!"
They later did bury the hatchet People now reports them as friends. They have also sung about their chemistry in relation to that friendship though in Delicate, nice to have a friend and Fine Line. [Verse 3] What do you tell your friends we Shared dinners, long weekends with? Truth is, I can't pretend it's Platonic, it's just ended, so
Harry and Taylor shared (and continued to) share a lot of friends, to me this line is similar to Maroon where she refers to Rubies she gave up, the Junior Jewels shirt refers to her friends as jewels.
Taylor and Harry go on to have a discography just about this very line, can they be friends when they have such great chemistry? I have a list in Glitch
[Outro] I don't have to pretend I like acid rock Or that I'd like to be on a mega yacht With important men who think important thoughts Guess maybe I am better off now that we don't talk And the only way back to my dignity Was to turn into a shrouded mystery Just like I had been when you were chasing me Guess this is how it has to be now that we don't talk
Harry has diverse music tastes, but does love Pink Floyd and has a Grateful Dead ring he wears often.
To me the shrouded mystery line is a mystery, Taylor was ending the Red World Tour and later in the year embarked on the most active publicity of her career and 1989 World Tour, but in the moment I guess. She and Harry did not speak for some months, by the end of the year they were saying they were on good terms and based on later songs we know were back together before the end of 2013
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a-moth-to-the-light · 6 months
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Current Top 10 Bleachers Songs
Though I can't exactly say I grew up with Bleachers--I was 14 when I first heard of them--I feel like I did. Maybe it's because I actually did grow up with Bruce Springsteen, and didn't someone once call Bleachers a glorified Springsteen tribute band? I couldn't find the original reference, but I love Bleachers almost as much as Springsteen (who's only my favorite artist ever--sorry, Alba Reche, you're a close second I promise!!!), so I can't say that label is a bad thing. The Springsteen energy happening in their music is FANTASTIC, with some interesting electronic influences to spice things up! They released a new album last Friday, so it's time to do a top-10-so-far before I find any new favorites :)
1. Wild Heart
This is for all the kids who lived off the Love, Simon soundtrack in eighth grade, who huddled in their room and listened to "Wild Heart" over and over and over again and tried to work up the courage to ask their parents to take them to see the movie... but what if they guess? What if they figure out I'm gay? I'll just watch the trailers over and over again, listen to the soundtrack on repeat... Look, I like so much about "Wild Heart", especially the echo-y vocal effects and the way the chorus crashes in and the grumbling bass and the outro, but really this is my favorite Bleachers song as a salute to my past self. I'm sorry. And thank you. And I'm so proud of you.
2. How Dare You Want More
This song is layers and layers and layers, it's all the chaos and glee of a really great party, and I feel tipsy by the time that sax solo hits.
3. Hate That You Know Me
I thought this one was pretty weird for a longggg time, but it got me eventually. The production here is emptier than what I was used to from their first album, but over time, it started to feel less empty and more immediate to me, like I could just be hearing a couple of people giving the performance of their lives across the street. Speaking of which, shoutout to the backup vocalist who does those riffs--they bring out the best in this song's rhythm. Also, these might be my favorite Bleachers lyrics. They're fantastically fun to sing, without losing any meaning to the sonic whimsy!
4. Don't Take The Money
This is my comfort scream-it-all-out song--it has the perfect blend of genuine humor and equally genuine agony that I love so much in my favorite Taylor Swift songs. Experiencing the mortifying ordeal of being known? Singing, "I SAW YOUR FACE AND HANDS / COVERED IN SUN AND THEN / I THINK I UNDERSTAND / ... OH I UNDERSTAND" is the most effective cure I know.
5. I'm Ready to Move On / Wild Heart -- w/ Yoko Ono
Okay, sure, this is kind of just "Wild Heart" again. But I think it deserves its own spot, since it really does have its own thing going on. I'm not as much of an experimental production lover as I want to be--though I respect attempts to expand the range of sounds we think of as 'music', I still have a hard time actually enjoying the more out-there electronic stuff. But I'll listen to this one any day, weird buzzing noises included, because Yoko Ono's melody instantly cheers me up, and I find myself singing it constantly. Snow is falling! All the time! Snow is smiling! All the time! I'm ready! I'm ready! I'm ready! To move on!
6. I Wanna Get Better (cw: sui)
This one is... intense. I think that's what I love most about Bleachers, though, is that you get all this emotion wrapped up in these ridiculously catchy rock anthems. There's so much feeling that's fighting to get out of these songs, and so much in my heart that's fighting to get out when I listen--but then I can free it by singing along. These are songs that want to be sung along to, that invite your shared experience of things that are too heavy to carry alone. Hell, maybe that's what drew me to Bleachers, specifically, out of all the artists on the Love, Simon soundtrack. Because their music felt like coming out, even before I actually did; it gave me an escape, to a place where I felt like my secret, my big terrifying secret, had already been shared. Even for just a few minutes, I could get that weight of things unspoken off my shoulders. And suicidal ideation is hard to talk about, too. And I didn't talk about it for a long time--not for years after coming out. But I had this song to process it with, and for that I'm eternally grateful <3
7. Like A River Runs
Okay, this spot could belong to a whole bunch of songs on the Strange Desire album, but I'll go with this one, which was my most-listened song on Spotify Wrapped 2020. I don't think I've ever been able to relate to this song--I'm lucky to never have experienced the death of a close friend, or of a family member I knew well--but the production always manages to capture me instantly. I guess this song gives us another good explanation of why I feel like I grew up with Bleachers: their music sounds like how my growing up felt--this overwhelming rush of reckless joy in the present, combined with intense fits of yearning for the past.
8. Everybody Lost Somebody
COME ON MOTHERFUCKER YOU SURVIVED YOU'VE GOTTA GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK !!!!!
9. 91
I never really know what to do with this song, honestly--it's not let-it-all-out fun, like I usually expect from Bleachers. Rather, it's mysterious and reserved... but that makes it uniquely captivating, too. Its lyrics have beautifully executed time skips, and I love that string instruments are made central to the arrangement, rather than left to a low-volume layer in the chorus.
10. Rollercoaster -- w/ Charli XCX
I mean, Bleachers has some of the best hooks out there, and Charli XCX has a voice that makes any chorus a punch to the gut. A dream collaboration, for sure, and I wouldn't be surprised if this is my most-listened Bleachers song ever!
Honorable Mentions: Reckless Love, You're Still a Mystery, All My Heroes, 45, Big Life, Don't Go Dark, Anti-Hero (Taylor Swift feat. Bleachers)
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If Glee did a Taylor Swift Tribute Episode...
Just my opinions, feel free to add on to them. I know I have some fellow gleek swifties following me. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Obviously they have to do some of the hits but I think some people would have some out of the box picks.
*This post assumes all Taylor songs are available to choose from as of May 14th 2021 but focuses on Taylor’s first 6 albums (if you want more glee and Taylor I have fics with that; LOVER and FOLKLORE) and takes liberties with where this episode’s placement is in terms of canon. But since it’s all made up anyway who cares (but Blaine’s involved so I guess season 3 idk).*
Okay, trying to do a full plot here (completely inspired by @kurtdeservesbetter head canon posts. I hope this lives up to her fabulous posts). This will be my version of glee so everyone gets solos and Rachel can’t hog the spotlight. Also, this is about to be super long (both post wise and episode wise).
Let’s open the first episode with
...Ready For It because the New Directions are in their reputation era. Santana does the opening cough centerstage. Everyone in black and/or camo green outfits (can you just see Kurt in a dark green bedazzled snake jacket, Santana in a black leather dress, and Tina digging out some goth clothes for people to borrow?), snakes everywhere, but probably no Karyn (she just wouldn’t fit on the auditorium stage). Santana takes the first verse but we have Blaine step up for verse 2. (I just love their friendship in the Michael tribute, cute little badasses are BACK. Also him singing “Burton to this Taylor” is such a Klaine thing to do).
Everyone is still dressed in their rep outfits but we’re in the choir room now. Mr. Schue is talking about why Taylor had to disappear and clap back with rep, how rough the industry is for women and tries to uplift the ladies in the room and encourage them to not silence their voices (cue snarky comment from Santana about Rachel needing to be silent).
Then, Mr. Schue goes on about how you can only understand how Taylor got to her rep era by studying her earlier music. So we have a performance of Tim McGraw. Simple, front of the choir room performance, maybe Puck does guitar, and sitting on stools.
Everyone is surprised to find out how pumped Sam is for this assignment but he is all over it. “It's about time we did some country in this room.” Cue Sam and Quinn at her locker talking about their ‘date’ last night, Sam’s all cute and teasing and Quinn is not into it. She tells him it was fun but she was wrong, they shouldn’t do this again. In turn, he does a wonderful performance of Bye Bye Baby. He thought it was more but clearly he’s “a part of her past.”
Then, we’re in the empty choir room. Tina and Mike are there. (I love their cutesy duets) They sing Everything Has Changed and it’s utterly adorable. Can’t you hear Mike asking Tina if she’s “good to go” like Ed does? And while we’re on the subject of cute duets and RED, we flash to the courtyard to see Santana and Brittany. They turn Stay Stay Stay into a duet. “I’ve been loving you for quite some time,” “before you I only dated self-indulgent takers who took all their problems out on me,” “no one else is gonna love me when I’m mad, mad, mad,” and “it’s occurring to me that I’d like to hang out with you for my whole life” it’s perfect for them. Adorable ladies kisses are had.
Let’s toss in some boy drama for fun. Idk shit about football but somehow Puck is praised by their coach over Finn, which gets him all pissy, and Puck’s upset and jealous because Finn is back with Quinn now (this is why Quinn shut Sam now earlier, she changed her mind). Can we say duet of Bad Blood? “So if you’re coming my way...just don’t.”
After their dramatics, we have a Brittany solo in the choir room. It’s after school at this point (or whenever glee club is). Brittany does You’ll Always Find You Way Back Home.
When she finishes Mr. Schue tries to explain that it’s a Hannah Montana song. Britt injects that it’s confusing how she’s really Miley Cryus “like how can you be two people at once?”. Before Mr. Schue can continue, Kurt pipes up “you never specified that the songs had to be sung by Taylor Swift, just that they were her songs.” Mercedes adds, “yeah, Mr. Schue, Taylor wrote that song.” Mr. Schue concedes that he has once again been outwitted by Kurtcedes. The friends do their little hand shake thing.
With a sigh, Mr. Schue asks Mike if he’s ready to go and Mike asks to take things to the auditorium for some dancing room. Everyone’s on stage with him and it’s kind of a group number but Mike is the focus. It’s Shake It Off. All inspired by the music video. He’s tried to fit in elsewhere (i.e. football, with the smart kids, etc..) but he’s really himself in glee when he’s dancing.
Part 2 of Taylor Tribute Episodes
We begin with an ALL GIRL NUMBER of A Place In This World. Just because.
Glee is dismissed and we zoom in on Artie. He’s watching Tina with Mike and Brittany with Santana. Both Tina and Britt have broken his heart by this point. So, he’s rolling down the halls singing A Perfectly Good Heart. While Artie’s soloing, we cut to Rachel watching Finn and Quinn chatting. Artie’s song playing over this scene. Rachel is feeling similar to him at the moment.
She’s pretty sure Finn dumped her to be with Quinn again even though Kurt and Blaine told her they saw Quinn and Sam at the movies last night together making out in the back row. Fine, if that’s how he’s going to be, she doesn’t need him anyway. Cue Mr. Perfectly Fine. Uber dramatic solo performance walking around McKinley’s halls watching Finn and Quinn together ending in the auditorium alone. (see what I did there, both broken hearted peeps singing a song with Perfectly in it (this was not at all planned, actually, happy accident))
After some good old heartbreak, we have Kurt and Blaine on screen. Blaine walks into the auditorium to see Kurt sitting on the edge of the stage. “What’s all the fuss?” he asks from the door. Kurt had texted him “EMERGENCY.” The band starts to play and Kurt just starts singing, Enchanted. It’s time to profess their love for each other, just like they sing Perfect together in the car, this duet needs no audience. Blaine catches up and sings while walking towards his boyfriend. It’s very reminiscent of past New Directions competitions where they come in from the back and make their way to the stage. “Wondering if you knew I was enchanted to meet you?” Kurt and Blaine both know the answer to that question now but just a few months ago they were both wondering that exact thing.
They kiss before we cut to Kurt and Blaine walking hand in hand into the choir room where everyone else is already. Mr. Schue is praising the performances thus far and of course asks Rachel if she’s ready to solo (some practice for her completion solo). This causes an uproar from Mercedes and Santana. Another classic argument of how she gets too many solos. Mr. Schue tries to shut them both down but Santana tells Rachel to watch her back, and we get three very different reactions to this. 
All three girls storm out.
First, we visit Mercedes alone in the courtyard. This solo is all about being hurt over this great thing in her life (glee) and her being denied happiness within that club. Thus, Cold As You. (mostly to indulge myself because she’d blow us away with this song).
Next, Rachel in the auditorium. A huge bridge on stage (very Speak Now Tour of her), belting out Better Than Revenge. Santana’s dropped the last straw (the humiliation, name calling, Finn at one point and now solos,) it’s too much this time.
And finally, Santana walking around McKinley, showing us flashes of Rachel ‘outshining’ her and the rest of glee and Mr. Schue being unfair, while singing Look What You Made Me Do.
Tina walks out at the same time as Rachel, Mercedes, and Santana but no one seems to put two and two together. She feels just as underutilized as the latter two do. She ends up in an empty classroom and sings The Outside. “Nobody ever lets me in” and “on the outside looking in.”
Once the 3, err 4, divas have left the room, Finn sticks up for Rachel. Quinn, of course, has something to say about this along the lines of “you always defend her.” Finn, intimated by her ‘scary Quinn’ fumbles and blurts “because she’s my girlfriend” WHICH IS NOT TRUE AT THIS POINT. Quinn dumps him on the spot, cuts quickly to Blaine and Kurt sharing some ‘oh my god, can you believe this’ expressions, and vanishes from the room.
By this point, Rachel is long gone from the auditorium but the bridge is still there.
Here’s where we go way off script but imagine, Quinn has decided to just quit boys. They’ve all failed her anyway, she’s better off being alone. She walks up the bridge and thinks to herself “god Rachel’s so dramatic, where did this thing even come from” before it hits her “fuck, I’m as bad as Finn. I want her.” Then, she starts singing Clean to herself in the auditorium, likely tearing up throughout and ending with a good cry. (Because Dianna would DELIVER with Clean.)
While Quinn is having a sexuality crisis, the rest of glee is still happening. They’re discussing upcoming competition and debating solos and songs.
Kurt’s all: “Mr. Schue, if I may” and performs a lovely rendition of Call It What You Want. Those opening lines are too good. “My castle (ie McKinley) crumbled overnight, brought a knife to a gun fight (ie couldn’t fight off Dave Karofsky), “I’m doing better than I ever was ‘cause my baby’s fit like a daydream,” and “at least I did one thing right.” When he’s done, Blaine’s a mess in the back of the choir room, and Mr. Schue says: “not really what we’re looking for but very nice, Kurt” however, Kurt’s too busy sitting beside Blaine teasing him about blushing.  
Then, the missing girls return to the room having sung out their emotions. Quinn, having realized her feelings for Rachel, ends up soloing You Belong With Me to the New Directions in the choir room. Odd looks all around, no one knows what’s up with her and why does she keep glancing at Rachel? (Faberry just fit so well I had to add it, don’t know if I’m a shipper or not but it’s here now) (also thanks to @spicygemini for pointing out the obvious “Quinn would have ate YBWY”).
Mr. Schue wants to move the group to the audition to perform their final number of the Taylor Swift tribute well but Tina asks to sing first. He’s surprised but allows it, taking a seat with the rest of the New Directions.
Tina sings Beautiful Ghosts. “Watch from the dark, wait for my life to start” because New Directions is refusing to use her talents AGAIN. She’s singing this to Rachel and the girls who were in the Treble Tones. Because she absolutely SMASHES this number, the glee kids agree she gets solo for their next competition (and they deliver on that promise).
To conclude Part 2 of the Taylor tribute episode, we have a group performance of Long Live. “One day we will be remembered”, “all the years we stood there on the sidelines wishing for right now”, “for a moment a band of thrives in ripped up jeans got to rule the world” ie wining completions, “when they look at the pictures please tell them my name...”
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ayuuria · 3 years
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Yashahime Translation: Animage Magazine December 2021 Issue, Part 3
Please do not repost this translation without my consent! This includes screenshots of any type and amount. If you wish to share this translation, simply link to this post.
For more information regarding the use of my translations, click here.
¡Por favor, no repostees esta traducción sin mi consentimiento! Esto incluye capturas de pantalla de cualquier tipo y cantidad. Si deseas compartir esta traducción, usa simplemente el enlace a este post.
Para más información sobre el uso de mis traducciones, haz click aquí.
This is the third of what could potentially be a 4 part translation of the December 2021 Issue of Animage magazine. The translations are broken down as follows and links will updated once translations are posted.
Part 1: Interview 1 of 2 with Director Hishida
Part 2: Interview 2 of 2 with Director Hishida
Part 3: Interview with MAYU of Little Glee Monsters
Part 4: Interview with Koyama Keiichiro of NEWS (someday... maybe)
Under the Modern Sky
Ending Theme “Toumei na Sekai” (Transparent World)
In the ending theme for “The Second Chapter”, the three princesses have a good time in town in the modern era. Streaming alongside the footage is “Toumei na Sekai” sung by Little Glee Monster. We asked member MAYU about the charms of the tune.
Little Glee Monster, MAYU
— It seems you watched anime “Inuyasha” from the start, so please tell us some memories from that time and a character you especially liked.
MAYU (Written as M from here on): I loved the opening theme “Grip” by Every Little Thing and I remember humming that song for a long time. Lately, I’ve been rewatching the “Inuyasha” anime and the moment I saw the opening theme, I shook as my childhood memories were revived. I have so many characters that I like that it’s hard to pick one, but I’d have to say Inuyasha is my favorite. Inuyasha was most likely my first love.
— “Hanyō no Yashahime, The Second Chapter” inherits the world of “Inuyasha”, and at the time it began, what were your honest feelings when you heard the offer for the ending theme?
M: Long before it was decided that we would sing the ending theme, I’d been watching “Hanyō no Yashahime” with great excitement since learning about its beginning. That’s why when I heard that we would be overseeing the ending theme, the only words and emotions that came out were “No way!? I’m so happy”.
— With what sort of emotions did you take on the recording for “Toumei na Sekai”?
M: We recorded before watching the story of “The Second Chapter” and with how shocking the end of “The First Chapter” was, I sang while wondering what was going to happen to the three princesses in the future.
— Regarding the completed song, what sort of impression did you have?
M: Fleetingness and the romance within it. However, I think you can feel an honest, gentle strength from the tune.
— What do you think of the title, “Toumei na Sekai?”
M: “Transparent” has a pretty image but also an image of emptiness and loneliness. We would like (everyone) to get a fleeting feeling as though both (images) are within it.
— Please tell us your favorite lyrics or phrases.
M: The lyrics “Don’t fear the continuously changing world; Hold and believe in it” really tugged me in. I like how the voices overlap each other one at a time before the last hook. I would also like for (everyone) to pay attention to how the main hook changes one phrase at a time as they listen.
— Watching the footage for the ending theme, was there a memorable scene?
M: Seeing a realistic depiction of the 3 girls made my heart tighten. I like the scene where Moroha is eating the hamburger.
— Lastly, please give a message to our readers.
M: I think there are people who came to know of us through “Hanyō no Yashahime”. It would make us happy if you could come to like “Toumei na Sekai” with us.
The ending footage was imagined like a side story for episodes 2-4 in “The First Chapter”. I personally wanted to see more scenes of Towa and Co. in the modern era so I ordered storyboard producer, sanakakur-san, to “Have the three princesses go play somewhere in the modern era wearing modern clothes”. The outfits are so stylish. Moroha is wearing glasses but in my mind, they’re farsighted glasses. To me, Moroha’s vision seems like it would be at *7.0 (laughs).
The Three Princesses Walk in the Modern Era in the Ending Theme
Director Hishida Masakazu
*Translator’s Note: Japan uses the LogMAR eye chart unlike the US which uses the Snellen eye chart. All I know is that 1 on the LogMar chart = 20/20 on the Snellen chart.
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swiftgronmasterpost · 4 years
Text
Winter 2013 - The Beginning of the End and Dianna’s Private Tumblr
January 4, 2013 - Haylor Breakup
Taylor and Harry publicly split and leave us with this iconic picture:
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January 10, 2013 - People’s Choice Awards
Haylor is done, Harry is back in the UK, but Taylor shows up with a hickey anyway.  (Dianna is in LA at this time.)
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Some time this month Taylor writes How You Get The Girl which is about obviously someone who comes back to get the girl.  She references “standing in the rain” and “a long six months.”  It’s hard to know if these details are more “fanfic” or actual autobiographical details.
This six months may actually refer to the end of bearding for a while (because it seems like Swiftgron did reunite in Paris in early October.)  Exactly six months after Taylor started dating Conor Kennedy would be January 25th, 2013.
As for the rain...
It rained twice in LA this month according to weather reports on the 21st and on the 23rd:
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Dianna is in LA at this point and has started a private Tumblr blog under the name whosirmesir (we verified it was hers over on @swiftgron-get-married - and you can click here for more on that if you’re curious and actually I did an entire podcast episode walking people through it if you’re like like to listen to an in depth breakdown of it click here for apple OR click here for spotify OR click here for google.  
I also recommend searching the whosirmesir tag on @swiftgron-get-married​ because we’ve logged a lot of interesting moments and connections to Taylor (quotes, art, and other items that tie DIanna and Taylor together.)
On the private tumblr on January 25th Dianna reblogs this:
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It reads “i think we’re just gonna have to be secretly in love with each other and leave it at that...”
This is also the time period it is rumored that Dianna proposed to Taylor.  I’m not sure what to make of these rumors.  I have not been able to get anywhere near confirming them.  It’s entirely unsubstantiated - but I explored the rumor further in this blog post (click for link.)  And also on the podcast (will link just a bit down in this post because it relates to something else we’re about to discuss.)
February 4, 2013 - Dianna recommends “Far Nearer” by Jaime on twitter:
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The lyrics are essentially:
“I feel better when I, you feel better when I I feel better when I have you near me
You Me You I do, I do, I do“
repeated over and over again
February 9, 2013 - Neruda quote on Tumblr from Dianna
Dianna posts a quote to Tumblr.  The translation is, “I love you as certain dark things are loved, secretly, between the shadow and the soul.”
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It’s worth noting that Taylor namechecked Neruda in the Red album booklet.
February 10, 2013 - The Grammys
Dianna wants to make sure everyone is watching:
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And Taylor posts:
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“Look what happened! :)”
She won for Safe and Sound:
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And she performs her circus themed rendition of WANEGBT (where she mocks Harry Styles on stage making fun of his accent when she sings the “so he calls me up on the phone” part of the song even though this song was written before she was even with him.)
The only other time Dianna tweeted about the Grammys was when Glee was involved the year before.
February 14, 2013 - Achele breakfast and The Inside Source at Glee Tweet
According to a Facebook user Cory, Dianna, and Lea have breakfast this morning (or around this time):
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Later that day Taylor posts the infamous tweet:
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The Glee Episode “I Do” airs and there is no Taylor song included.  However Dianna and Naya’s characters hook up:
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After the episode airs Taylor deletes her tweet.
As always I’m not entirely sure what to make of this but to me it boils down to three possibilities:
1.  The fandom seems to think this proves that Dianna purposefully tricked Taylor into watching her “hook up” with Naya on screen.  It’s completely possible that that’s the case but I think the next two options make a bit more sense.
2.  It was a simple misunderstanding or a joke gone wrong.  Taylor had a song earlier on that season of glee (Mine sung as a breakup song by Naya) and I have been told another song of Taylor’s was marketed for another glee episode later that spring.  Perhaps someone got their wires crossed and misinformed Taylor.  
3.  Other nefarious parties:  
a.  It’s possible that Lea was behind this - she publicly had beef with Taylor at one point and she had been with Dianna that morning.  Maybe she met up with DIanna, heard about Swiftgron being happy and back together and got a little jealous and decided to prank Taylor.  
b.  Ryan Murphy also seemed to despise both Dianna and Taylor around this time.  He was also famous for stirring up drama with Gleeks on twitter and generally sewing discontent (particularly surrounding wlw ships and fans).  Ryan seems to have a problem with women/lesbians in general.  He treated Brittana as a couple horribly on Glee as well as their shippers.
He very publicly shaded Taylor in season one of Scream Queens and said in an interview that Dianna ruined Quinn for him because he said she made her sympathetic. 
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Not only that but in season 3 he destroyed her character - he made her have a mental breakdown - he had her try and steal a baby - he had her get hit by a car - and a huge plotline in season 3 was Quinn begging Rachel (Lea’s character so Dianna’s irl ex) not to marry Finn (played by Cory - literally the guy Lea chose Dianna over - this is like...emotionally abusive if you ask me.)  After season 3 Dianna only appeared in 8 episodes of the remaining 55 after being in every episode and the top third billed of the cast in the first three seasons.
Furthermore in a show called The New Normal there was a bitchy actress character named Brynn who he wrote as high maintenance and unpleasant and then killed off.
So yeah...seems fair to at least consider that Ryan or Lea who publicly had problems with both Taylor and Dianna may have been trying to create problems for Swiftgron.  One last note about Lea - there was not a single Achele interaction for the entire year of 2013.  The most we got was Dianna liking a tweet about Lea’s album in December 2013 and when asked about one another in interviews they would vaguely say they were still friends.  No tweets to one another, no birthday messages, no candids, no hang outs.  Lea’s book was also written around this time and does not make a single mention of Dianna - her former roommate and “best friend” even though she spends plenty of time talking about others on the Glee cast.
I did a podcast episode on both the proposal rumors and the inside source at Glee tweet if you want more extensive takes on that!
While I’m not entirely sure Dianna had anything to do with this tweet Taylor references this date (2-14-13) by putting it on a dollar bill as a serial number in The Man music video:
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At any rate Taylor deletes the tweet and replaces it with one about her dancers:
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Dianna tweets 9 hearts that day (I don’t know if that’s significant but if they were together from March 2012 to July 2012 and then October 2012 to this point it would mean 9 months together...)
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February 19, 2013 - Sad Charlie Brown Tumblr post from Dianna:
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February 27, 2013 - Fitzgerald quote
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Taylor listed this as a quote to live by in an interview with Marie Claire a few months later.
I’m not sure if it’s important but Dianna is very quiet this winter and spring in terms of showing up at events, parties, even being papped out on the street compared to other years around this time.  She seems to disappear a bit.
February 27, 2013 - Taylor gives a bday shoutout to her Fiddle player Caitlin:
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“Happy Birthday to my magical friend, fiddle extraordinaire @/caitlinbird” 
March 12, 2013 - Weird tweets from Dianna “One of those days.”
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March 13, 2013 - It’s the first day of the Red tour (is that why Dianna had questions?)
About the Red Tour - the last act of the tour seems to be circus themed which may have been inspired by Dianna’s 26th birthday the previous year and really interestingly Taylor has a white rabbit, which is a reference to Alice in Wonderland (Dianna’s favorite piece of media ever) follows Taylor around stage during the WANEGBT performance as she’s dressed up like a circus ringleader:
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March 18, 2013 - Dianna goes on a Girls HBO rant (we know who also loved Girls the show and its creator Lena Dunham (Taylor))
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End of March - Lena and Ashley show up at the Red Tour backstage
Conclusion - Swiftgron is on but completely underground.  Dianna is blogging and tweeting romantic things about missing girls, Taylor’s interests, and secret love, all while watching Taylor perform at the Grammys and encouraging others to tune in.  Something weird happened with the inside source at Glee tweet but who knows what.  Dianna seems a bit restless and emo while Taylor leaves to go on tour.
Click here to keep reading!
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yandere-ac · 4 years
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What if the other villagers teamed up and broke into Raymond's house to take back the villager?
“You did wonderful today my dear. Simply amazing! I wish your voice where the only one I heard.” Raymond told you as you uncomfortably shifted in his grip. Raymond and you were currently lying in bed, him completely engulfing you in his grasp all while you laid there. Defenceless to do anything. He was praising you for today’s little show, you had sung Bubblegum K.K for him all while dancing around in the maid dress he gave you.
Well, it was less a dance and more of you trembling while trying to move around, bouncing up and down and doing a few spins all while Raymond observed in glee. Its been two years since you were first kidnapped, since then he’s gotten progressively more and more clingy with you. Nowadays it would seem like you didn’t get a second to yourself. And he sure hadn’t cut down on the affection either. He loved to touch you, from holding your paw to picking you up at random times out of nowhere. It was very easy for him since you were so much smaller than him. He was determined to make sure you knew that in every possible way, you were his. He made you wear clothing that he’d either bought or made himself, like you were just his little doll to dress up in whatever way he wanted. Usually the dresses he bought for you were pretty standard but you had found that the more dresses he made for you, the more progressively revealing they got. The skirt part of the dress In particular got shorter and shorter, as if Raymond was really starting to enjoy himself. By now you were pretty used to his possessive nature, so much that you weren’t that scared around him anymore. His looming presence made you uncomfortable and tense, but it wasn’t as bad as it used to be. You could be in the same room as him without hyperventilating. Because at the end of the day, Raymond was very predictable. He would ask you to do stuff for his enjoyment, if you refused, he would continue nagging you before making it perfectly clear that his word was final. And so, you would do his request, he would be overjoyed and compliment you afterwards. Ultimately, you didn’t have a choice. So you had learned to just get it over with, because you had no power in this situation.
“I’m thinking tomorrow I’ll go to the plaza to get some new songs for you to sing. While I do love the way you sing Bubblegum K.K. I’m curious as to how your lovely singing voice would sound with other songs. Im sure you can handle yourself while I’m gone.” So he was going away tomorrow. That’s always nice. Whenever he left to buy something was the only time that you were actually alone. You would usually spend that time crying and screaming, just letting all your pent up emotions out. You had learned the hard way to never under any circumstance let Raymond see you cry. Because he would always try to make you feel better, which would always result in you crying harder. You wanted so desperately to get away from him but at the same time, all hope of that ever happening had left you. You just wished that the desire would leave as well. Maybe then you could finally get used to this hell. But one thing that always held you back was your curiosity. You need to know what was happening outside. It’s gnawed at you like a dog to a bone. And it was driving you insane. “Tell me....how are they?” As soon as the question formed, the air became tense and heavy. You could feel Raymond’s grip on your waist get slightly stronger. “Why do you care?” His voice was cold, almost lacking of any discernible emotion, and it sent shivers down your spine. “I just...I miss them. And I’m worried for them. It’s been plaguing my mind for these past few weeks. Please just tell me, just once, then I’ll be quiet I promise.” You pleaded to him, hoping that maybe he’ll provide you with some sort of comfort. He let out a deep sigh, his hot breath brushing against your neck as he did so. “Well if you must know. They’re still just as crazy. Never shuts up about you. One of them have gone missing, Mr Nook says he moved out but I don’t believe that for one second. From the fact that his house is still up to the fact that Timmy and Tommy has inexplicably stopped selling ropes. You can probably fill in the blanks by yourself.” Was he insinuating that...no...no he can’t be! He has to be joking! “....w-who?” Your voice was shaky and barely audible. “Marvin I think his name was? Pesky little rat. Never did like him that much, he moved in without my permission and would refuse to leave. Never would have thought that I only needed to remove you out of the equation in order to make him leave.” Marvin. Hearing that name in this instance was like being stabbed through the heart. The grey mouse was your closest friend on the island, to hear that he would...that he. You almost let out a tear but desperately tried to keep it in. In the end you only let out a heavy breath that filtered through your teeth. Almost sounding like you were in actual pain. For whatever reason, Raymond either didn’t hear it or decided to ignore it.
“As for everyone else, nothing major has happened. That boy Damien has been pestering me a lot lately. He’s been making theories about where you might have gone. None have been correct thankfully. I think our priority should be to get away from this island as soon as possible. I don’t want to even think about what they would do if they found you here. Trust me, if you think I’m bad then you’ve only seen the top of the iceberg.” For once, you actually somewhat agreed with Raymond. While the idea of being completely alone with him on an island didn’t exactly sound comforting, the thought of eleven people being like Raymond was even less comforting. Especially since they’ve been without you for so long, even if they were your friends, and even if you missed them, you were scared of them. Because you didn’t miss what they had become today, not in the slightest. You had missed singing together with Tilly, you had missed giving blathers fossils, watching as his eyes lit up while explaining them to you, you missed visiting Damien and Bonnabelle, talking about life and such. You had missed going to talk with Tom about what to do whenever you felt stressed or sad, with him giving you advice while comforting you. You didn’t miss being tugged on each arm like a little doll. You didn’t miss your friends hurting each other to get to you, you didn’t miss being trapped with some of them for days on end. You just wanted things to go back to the way it used to be. But that would never happen. Your fate was sealed and you couldn’t change it. No matter what happened, you were doomed to be Raymond’s little love bunny.
Or so you thought.
Hours later you found that you still couldn’t fall asleep. Sleep deprivation had been a huge problem for you since you weren’t sleeping in the most comfortable position. If you ever did manage to catch some sleep you would often be woken up by nightmares. This particular night, the thought of Marvin was the one that kept you up. You didn’t want to believe that such a sweet and upbeat mouse would ever do something like that. It seemed so out of reach. You wished you never would have asked Raymond what was going on. You wished that you would have just kept your mouth shut, because none of the things he told you made you feel any better. In fact, they only contributed to this horrible cloud of despair that was forming over your head. Dripping sad and depressing thoughts on you that leaked inside your brain. As the night continued, you let the tears flow. Flow like the endless waves of hopelessness that was building inside you. But then. Something really unexpected happened.
CRASH!
The loud sound of a window breaking shook you out of your thoughts as you jolted. It also woke Raymond up, making him drag his entire body up while looking around the room rather hastily. The sound came from a window right in front of your bed. Scattered across the ground was shards of broken glass and attached to the apron of the window was...a grapple hook? It took a mere seconds for Raymond to bolt out of bed and rush at the window with the speed of a bullet. But he was not quick enough as the moment he got the the window and pulled the hook off, a big paw grabbed the edge of the windows frame. Before any of you could react, the person hanging onto the window threw them self in, shattering any part of the window that wasn’t destroyed by the grappling hook. As they threw them selfs inside, they knocked Raymond to the ground with them. Raymond let out a piercing scream as a piece of glass got stuck in his shoulder. While all of this happen, you sat in the bed, looking horrified at the sight before you. You knew who that was, you could recognise him anywhere. The figure, a black wolf, that was pinning Raymond’s body down to the ground, was Damien. His eyes were wide and his breathing was heavy. He opened his big mouth and tried to chomp down on the human underneath him. But Raymond managed to hold him back while grasping at the wolf’s face, making sure not to put his fingers anywhere near the sharp teeth that were currently snapping at him. You could see Raymond’s grip getting weaker and weaker and Damien getting closer and closer. Throwing yourself out of bed, you ran towards the wolf and tried to pull him off. “NO! DAMIEN! DON’T! PLEASE JUST- LET GO!” Once you placed your arms around his chest he finally seemed to slow down. Only to throw you off of him and instead scratch Raymond across the face. After that he started to repeatedly kick his shaking body, each kick forcing out a yelp or chocked sob out of Raymond. You once again tried to pull Damien off of him, but this time it was even less affective since you were still pretty dizzy from being thrown to the ground so roughly. You felt your mind start to skip, finding it hard to even stand up. One misstep while trying to regain your posture caused you to fall as your legs gave in. Luckily, a pair of strong arms caught you before you could reach the floor. As the world was becoming darker, the only thing you could hear was the persistent whimpers of Raymond as your sight got darker and darker. Just before you lost your tight grip on consciousness, you felt a hand stroke your face. And then you heard the voice of a vary familiar character.
“Shh Shh, no need to worry my dear. We’ve got you. Now let’s get you home yes, yes?”
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. The air was completely silent except for the very distinct sound of a clock ticking. It was the sound that eased you back into reality as you tried to open your eyes. As the first glimpse of light filled your eyes, you let out a small grunt and closed them again. But I’m doing that, you made your waking presence known to the person laying in bed next to you. Once you heard a deep chuckle, your eyes that previously felt heavy shot open. You turned around to see the familiar black furred face of a wolf. It was Damien. You couldn’t register what you were seeing, so for a few seconds you two just laid there, staring at each other. Until one of you broke the silence. “Good morning, my dear bunny rabbit.” He gave you a comforting smile as he leaned in and licked your cheek. Now this wasn’t uncommon for him to do, it’s how he showed affection, but in this context, this action made you shrink together into a tense ball. “Hm? Oh come on now. That’s not how you greet your old pal, now is it? Where’s that smile (N/N)~” (N/N), you hadn’t heard anyone call you that for two years. And yet, when you heard it, it did nothing to calm your nerves or reassure you. “W....where am I?” You asked, voice shaky, almost sounding minuscule when compared to Damiens. ”You’re in my and Bons house of course.” His and Bons house. It only just occurred to you that this was indeed their house. But if so, where was Bonnabelle? As if to answer your question you felt something shifting by your back. You turned your head over to look at the disturbance to find the small pink bunny named Bonnabelle looking at you with a smile. The much smaller bunny jumped up and climbed on top of you. “Hello ms/mr/mx Y/N!” The bunny beamed at you, but you didn’t respond. You hadn’t known how to respond. Why were you here? How were you here?! Where was-
Your eyes went wide as thoughts of last night reappeared in your mind. The sound of the humans whines as Damien kicked him repeatedly. The feeling of collapsing into someone’s arms. And the whole world going dark. All of that had led up to this. And that only made this predicament scarier. “Is something the matter bunny rabbit? You seem particularly jumpy.” The wolf told you while rising up from his lying position. You didn’t get a chance to answer as he pulled you out of the bed and into his arms, cradling your body close to him. “We shall go announce your awakening to the others. I’m sure they’ll be ecstatic. Come on now little bunny, keep up.” He turned to Bonnabelle who was already out of bed and bouncing up and down excitedly. Needless to say, she had no trouble with keeping up.
Damien carries you all the way to resident services, much to your dismay. You had tried to struggle, but unfortunately Damien was much stronger than you. Once the three of you entered, Tom and Isabelle both ran up to you, asking countless questions all while touching you in various ways. You weren’t able to answer. Isabelle ran over to the intercom where she announced that you where finally awake and that everyone should come to the resident services at their earliest possible convenience. And sure enough, villagers started to drop in, all of them rushing up to you, bombarding you with questions. Never once did Damien let go of you, he kept holding you close to his body, almost seeming hostile towards his fellow villagers. As the last person dropped in, all of them gathered around to discuss what they should do. They were all in unanimous agreement that they couldn’t keep fighting over you and that they had to find a compromise. It was then Blathers that suggested that everyone should get one entire day with you where they could do whatever they wanted without anyone else intervening. And while some seemed a little iffy about only being able to have you for a day and having to wait eleven more days to be with you again, most of them reluctantly agreed to the rule. Everyone but you. But you didn’t actually get any say in this. In fact, when you objected to this idea some had started to snicker at this, as if the thought of you having any say in this matter was so humorous.
That was five days ago. You where sitting on the floor of Raja the Cats house. He was still wearing the same scarf and coat that he had two years ago. The feline was showing you his flower collection that he started a couple months before you got abducted. Needless to say, his collection had grown quiet a lot. He was flipping through the pages of compressed flowers that where all kept in a big book, kept safely by a leather case that was currently laying on the floor. Raja was eagerly pointing at each one, like a child showing their mother a drawing they made. “And this! This is the white rose that you gave me! I still remembered that! Remember? Remember? I told you that I was starting a flower collection and you asked me if you could help and I said sure and you gave me this flower! Do you remember Y/N? I remember! I loved it! I was so happy that you would help me! I simply had to put it in immediately!” The cat continued with his blabbering, having to interrupt himself in the middle of his sentences just to take another breath. Your eyes trailed off to the pages of the book that was resting in his lap. There, filling an entire page was your white rose. It had seemed like Raja had drawn a formal frame around it, writing “Y/N’s rose” in calligraphy underneath the frame. On the page next to it was a bunch of small flowers. Underneath them stood the name of the flower and who had picked it. While most of them said Raja, there was one name that made a knot form in your stomach. There, in black ink, stood the name Raymond. It was a black rose, just as dried up and shrivelled as your white one. But seeing his rose, the one that HE specifically gave Raja, being dead. It brought a stinging feeling to your eyes. As much as you hated to admit it, you still cared for Raymond. Just like the way you cared for your friends here on the island. Because no matter how possessive Raymond was, no matter how much he scared you, no matter how much you wanted to get away from him. He was your friend. And you didn’t want him to die. But thinking back to that night, the night of your so called “rescue”. The sounds of his weak voice, his whimpers as Damien kicked him repeatedly. You had no reason to believe that he wasn’t six feet under at this very moment. But you doubted that any of them would have enough respect for him to bury him. You were sure that you’d be able to smell the rotten stench of his carcass if you walked close to his mansion. The thought made you sob, interrupting Raja’s ramblings.
“Is something wrong? What’s the matter?” He asked you, looking at you with his big orange eyes while pushing up his round glasses slightly. “I....I’m....” you were trying to answer the cat but no cohesive sentences would form in your head. Unfortunately for you, you would never get to answer him. As the loud sound of a high pitched shriek could be heard from outside. You both turned your heads towards the door and you ran out to see where the scream came from. Raja followed you, still holding his book, shouting at you to stop but you where already at the door before he could do anything. With one swift swoop you pulled the door open and ran out. And the sight before you struck you with pure unfiltered terror. Outside, scattered around the ground laid several dead bodies, from Blathers, to Isabelle, to Bonnabelle to even the dodo brothers. They laid there, cold and unmoving. And right in the centre of your vision were the two people you dreaded the most. It was Damien the wolf and Raymond the island rep. Raymond had him pinned to the ground, knife a mere inches above his chest. Damien had an iron grip on Raymond’s arms, trying to block the slowly approaching knife. But Raymond wasn’t giving up, he put his full weight on the knife, almost leaning on it while simultaneously pressing it down. As Raja looked at this, he let out a shocked gasp while dropping his book. “Damien! No!” He cried out. But what he didn’t realise was that he caused a distraction, making Damien look over at you two and giving Raymond the opportunity to drive the knife straight into Damiens stomach. As the knife penetrated his skin and lodged deep within his body, Damiens mouth opened as his eyes went wide. He tried to scream, to cry out. But all that came out was the hacky sounds of barely audible gasps. He coughed up blood which went straight into Raymond’s face, but Raymond didn’t even flinch as the blood splattered across his face, he just watched, eyes intense and breath heavy. Raymond kept the knife in place, leaning closer to Damien in order to watch the life leave his eyes. And as Damien began to slip away, Raymond started to twist the knife, making the wolf let out one last whine of pain. There was a few seconds of silence, you had been frozen the entire time. No matter how much your mind was screaming at you to run your body refused, too shocked to move after seeing the gruesome scene. The silence broke when the soft sound of Raja falling to his knees filled the air. Only then where you able to turn your head and look at him. Hot tears streamed down his cheeks as violently as a waterfall. What happened next shook you out of your paralysed state. Raja let out a loud scream, a pained and sorrowful one that shook you to your core. But that scream also broke Raymond out of his momentary daze as he quickly and rather violently whipped his head towards you two. He quickly rushed at you. You tried to run but Raja grabbed ahold of your leg, looking at you in desperation. “DON’T LEAVE ME-“ he was cut off as Raymond tackled him to the ground, releasing your leg and giving you the opportunity to run. And ran you did, you ran as fast as you possibly could. You ran and ran until you could feel your legs start to give up. Your chest was hurting, your legs were hurting, everything was hurting. But you couldn’t stop, you had to get out of here, you had to get away from him. He snapped, he finally snapped. And you weren’t going to be on the receiving end of whatever blind rage he was going to inflict.
You were hiding, cowering in fear inside of the museum. You were in the shark department, hoping that the darkness would serve as camouflage until you figured out what to do. You knew you couldn’t hide away forever, this island wasn’t all that big, you had to figure out a plan of some sort. There had to be a boat or ship or anything that could take you away from here. Maybe you could get Pascal to help you? You would swim if you had to! You just needed to get away from here as fast as possible! If you stayed here, you would surely die!
Pit. Pat. Pit. Pat.
Oh god. The haunting sounds of footsteps were echoing throughout the exhibit, each step making you more tense. You brought your knees close to your chest, hugging them as you buried your head in fear. You could hear him getting closer, and closer, and closer and-....they stopped. The sounds stopped, filling the air with dreadful silence. Silence which was interrupted one you felt someone grab you by the collar and roughly pulling you up to your feet before throwing you back to the ground. Raymond had found you and had thrown you to at the stairs nearby. You let out a loud cry of agony as pain filled your lower back, spreading throughout your entire body. Raymond approaches you slowly, knife in his hand and hunger in his eyes. Soon he was towering over your helpless body that you were sure he would make into a corpse. “R-Raym-m-mond! P-please! D-DONT! I-I didn’t mean to- I thought you were dead! I-“ you didn’t get to finish your sentence as Raymond drove the knife downwards.
SHINK!
You closed your eyes, awaiting the pain. But there was none. As you opened your eyes you saw Raymond, a couple of inches away. He was breathing heavily, hot breaths brushing against your lips, and only now did you see how unwell he really looked. His hair that he was so adamant about keeping neat was scruffy and disheveled. He had a black eye and tons of scratches on his body. It had seemed like Damien really messed him up back at his mansion. He had bags under his eyes, and he smelled...strangely. You couldn’t quite place it put it was far from the usual aroma that he had. He was sweating, eyelids giving off a slight twitch every so often. He had driven the knife right into the hard stone floor, making the tip of the knife pop right off and making a few scratches to the flooring. He had missed, on purpose. By now your heart was beating so fast, you could barely form any words, only small sounds. And Raymond did nothing to ease your nerves once he started to laugh. A laugh which started out as quiet and breathy but soon turned loud and deranged. You quickly started to struggle, flailing around while trying to get away from him. But Raymond grabbed ahold of your throat, pressing you down into the ground, not hard enough to choke you but hard enough to leave an impact. As your feeble attempts died down, so did his laugh. All he was doing now was looking at you with a deluded smile. “...hah...haha...ha....did you...think you could get away from me...that easily?” He told you. You were crying and hyperventilating at this point, unable to answer him in any valuable way. He brought the knife closer to your face, stroking your cheek with the blade while chuckling. “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now.” This statement made your heart leap out of your chest. “WHAT?! NO! PLEASE DONT! PLEASE IM BEGGING YOU! I DIDN’T WANT ANY IF THIS I PROMISE! I SWEAR! PLEASE DONT KILL ME!” Raymond let out yet another chuckle. “Your begging is so cute my dear. I love you Y/N. I love you I love you I love you! You just don’t know how to appreciate it yet...but you’ll learn...yeah...you’ll learn...after all. We’ve got all the time in the world right now don’t we? It seems that private island dream isn’t so far away now huh? I’ll have to check this place to make sure no one else is left, but after that. Oho my dear! We can make this place our own!” He was rambling, all while being dangerously close to you and playing with his knife. He stopped mid sentence, eyes becoming blank and unfocused, as if he was thinking.
“....however...you did disobey me...and well, I just can’t let that go unpunished do i?” Your eyes grew wide as he told you this. Raymond leaned down, smashing his lips onto yours rather violently as he let out deep breaths. He was holding you down, making sure you couldn’t move while he kissed you. Some blood that was on his face dropped off and landed right on yours, Raymond looked down at you, noticing the drop of blood that had splattered on your cheek. He leaned down and licked it off of you. “Now then. We’ll worry about that later. Poor thing, you look exhausted. I bet these freaks really took a toll on you hm? Let’s get you to bed, I’ll figure out a proper punishment tomorrow. For now, just relax. But know my dear...” he let out yet another chuckle. Staring deep into your eyes. “If you ever...EVER! Run away from me again...” he leaned in and whispered in your ear. “I won’t miss....” three words. The words was all it took for more tears to come flowing out of your eyes. Tears which Raymond also licked off your face. He picked your shaking body up and walked away, presumably going back to your house. But your stomach twisted when you realised that. Because you knew to get to Raymond’s house, you had to go past Raja’s house. So you closed your eyes all while he carried you. You didn’t want to see them. You never wanted to see them like that again. But even as you closed your eyes, you could smell them. You could smell their already decaying corpses. The smell made you gag. And that was enough for Raymond to bring you closer to him. “Such a waste. They dug their own grave when they took what was mine...” his voice was low and unfeeling. The way he spoke, it made you anxious. He really did only see you as a toy. “Would you look at that, it’s the rose I gave him...look Y/N. Look.” You kept your eyes closed, letting out a small whine. But Raymond wasn’t having it. “LOOK!” Your eyes shot open as he yelled at you. A yelp escaped your throat as you saw the scene before you. Raja was laying dead on the ground. There was blood seeping out of him and it had covered the base of his flower collection. It would seem when he dropped the book it opened on the page of you and Raymond’s roses.
“Huh...ironic. You know, in some cultures, a living black rose is supposed to represent the beginning of new things and major changes. But a shrivelled and dead one represents death.” Raymond used his foot to close the book before looking at Raja. “Tsk. Such a foolish individual. I’m sure you’re happy to be rid of him.” Looking at the dead cat, something sunk in. You felt hopeless, you were now officially stuck with him. Forever and always. Until either one of you died. Only them would you be free from this hell. You wished you could just disappear. But he wouldn’t let you. He would be sure you stayed with him at all times. You remembered what he had told you years ago when he found you on that deserted island.
“You should move to my island! I promise you, you’ll be treated well! We’re all really kind and you would love it there! I see the pain in your eyes Y/N. You’ve been treated badly. But I assure you! On my island you’ll be treated like royalty!”
Like royalty. More like a gem. A gem that had to be locked away at all times.
All this time. You’d never thought that Raymond would go this far. You thought that he peaked at abducting you. But no. This was so much worse. He had reached the point of no return. What was he going to do with you now? Now that there truly was no one there to stop him? And what punishment was he planning? Was he gonna hurt you? Was he gonna make you clean up your friends dead bodies? What truly was his limits? Because as it turned out.
Raymond wasn’t as predictable as you first thought
////////////
Y’all want some O C S ? Thanks for the request, this was really fun to write. Sorry that it took so long lol. It’s been a while since I last posted ac. Don’t worry, I haven’t completely forgotten about it. I think the next one is gonna be Danganronpa. And it’s gonna be ANGSTYYYY! But yeah 🔊Raymond simps come get y’all juice🔊
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elderbloodlore · 4 years
Text
Calanthe was not a racist homicidal tyrant: a useless and bitter rant of someone whose favourite character ever got mercilessly butchered.
WHY ARE YOU WRITING THIS? 
Well, let me give you a little bit of a backstory. I first read the Last Wish and the Sword of Destiny in 2012, when I was 14 years old. I instantly connected with the character of Calanthe, and after her death, it took me nearly a year to be able to pick up the saga itself. Ever since, she remained my favourite fictional character ever. As a little girl in misoginistic Poland, I was so lucky to have her as a role model. Because she fought for herself, she took no shit from anybody, she had love and respect of the people around her, and yet she had such tenderness and kindness about her that many strong woman-trope characters are missing these days, and that is exactly what happened to Calanthe when she was being translated to the screen. In 2015 The Wild Hunt was coming out and there were rumours of Ciri being included, so you can imagine my absolute glee and the hope I was filled with to have some more content with that one woman that meant so much to me growing up. And you can imagine my disappointment when all we got about her were a couple tiny mentions, even though the events of the Wild Hunt happen not even a decade after her death. Then the show by Netflix was announced and, once again, I had super high expectations. I wanted to see the wise, kind, beautiful Queen brought alive. December 2019 rolls in, and my hopes are being steamrolled. So here I am, 22 years old and crying over a fictional character, because one of the best written female characters ever (in my opinion) entered mainstream as a bullish, racist, homicidal tyrant. So let me address the biggest changes the show made to my beloved Calanthe Fiona Riannon, the Lioness of Cintra.
THE LOOKS 
That was obviously the first thing that threw me off. I was quite enthusiastic when the cast was announced, but then as the first promo pictures were released, my enthusiasm was slowly dying down. In the books, Calanthe’s looks are adressed very often: 
 “As before, the queen wore emeralds matching the green of her dress and her eyes. As before, a thin gold crown encircled her ash-gray hair.” Sword of Destiny. 
I tried to convince myself that Jodhi May won’t be a bad Calanthe so hard that I actually made this poor ass EDIT to feed my delusions and cheer myself up. In comparison, HERE is my personal favourite art of Calanthe that I find is the most accurate to the book portrayal. 
Even when the first trailer dropped I was still trying to convince myself that even though she has none of her Elder Blood features or her iconic emerald green, that she wore exclusively in the books, she couldn’t be that bad. Right? Wrong. 
THE DEMEANOR 
This is probably the biggest change. Calanthe was one of the wisest, most gracefully-written characters in the entire saga, and I really hoped to see that on screen. She was quick-witted, calculating, but at the same time caring enough to let her daughter choose her own destiny in the end (even if it was to be with a hedgehog-headed man twice her age). Her smiles were said to always be full of kindness, she was acting very proper and clearly cared about her image. I’m not going to be getting too much into it with my own words, let these examples speak for me:
'Ah, Geralt,' said Calanthe, with a gesture forbidding a servant from refilling her goblet. 'I speak and you remain silent. We're at a feast. We all want to enjoy ourselves. Amuse me. I'm starting to miss your pertinent remarks and perceptive comments. I'd also be pleased to hear a compliment or two, homage or assurance of your obedience. In whichever order you choose.' [...]  'Hochebuz,'  said Calante, looking at Geralt,  'my first battle. Although I fear rousing the indignation and contempt of such a proud witcher, I confess that we were fighting for money. Our enemy was burning villages which paid us levies and we, greedy for our tributes, challenged them on the field. A trivial reason, a trivial battle, a trivial three thousand corpses pecked to pieces by the crows. And look - instead of being ashamed I'm proud as a peacock that songs are sung about me. Even when sung to such awful music' Again she summoned her parody of a smile full of happiness and kindness, and answered the toast raised to her by lifting her own, empty, goblet. Geralt remained silent. The Last Wish.
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'Aha,' said Calanthe quietly, clearly pleased. 'And what do you say, Geralt? The girl has taken after her mother. It's even a shame to waste her on that red-haired lout, Crach. The only hope is that the pup might grow into someone with Eist Tuirseach's class. It's the same blood, after all. Are you listening, Geralt? Cintra has to form an alliance with Skellige because the interest of the state demands it. My daughter has to marry the right person. Those are the results you must ensure me.' The Last Wish.
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‘Very well then. As queen, I shall convene a council tomorrow. Cintra is not a tyranny. The council will decide whether a dead king's oath is to decide the fate of the successor to the throne. It will decide whether Pavetta and the throne of Cintra are to be given to a stranger, or to act according to the kingdom's interest.'  The Last Wish.
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'Pavetta!' Calanthe repeated. 'Answer. Do you choose to leave with this creature?' Pavetta raised her head. 'Yes.' The Force filling the hall echoed her, rumbling hollowly in the arches of the vault. No one, absolutely no one, made the slightest sound. Calanthe very slowly, collapsed into her throne. Her face was completely expressionless. The Last Wish.
Guards, armed with guisarmes and lances, ran in from the entrance. Calanthe, upright and threatening, with an authoritative, abrupt gesture indicated Urcheon to them. Pavetta started to shout, Eist Tuirseach to curse. Everyone jumped up, not quite knowing what to do. ‘Kill him!' shouted the queen. The Last Wish.
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CINTRA, RACISM AND MURDERING HER OWN PEOPLE 
In the books, Cintra was often mentioned to be obiding by the rules of the elves: 
‘Dear child,’ said Vesemir gravely, 'don’t let yourself get carried away by your emotions. You were brought up differently, you’ve seen children being brought up in another way. Ciri comes from the south where girls and boys are brought up in the same way, like the elves. She was put on a pony when she was five and when she was eight she was already riding out hunting. She was taught to use a bow, javelin and sword. A bruise is nothing new to Ciri—’ Blood of Elves.
There were many elves and dwarves living peacefully within its borders. Calanthe’s two names - Fiona and Riannon, come from her ancestors that are respectively a quarter and a half elf, and known to be that. Calanthe was the one who taught Ciri that non-humans are not dangerous:
‘I’m not afraid at all!’ Ciri suddenly cried, assuming her little devil face for a moment. ‘And I’m not parrotised! So you’d better watch your step! Nothing can happen to me here. Be sure! I’m not afraid. My grandmamma says that dryads aren’t evil, and my grandmamma is the wisest woman in the world! My grandmamma… My grandmamma says there should be more forests like this one…’ Sword of Destiny.
There was no actual reason nor basis for the showrunners to make her racist and make her murder elves. Having her walk into her own daughter’s birthday party, bathed in elven blood, while she knows that the same blood flows in her own veins, at least partially, was completely unnecessary. Even in the polish version of the show from 2001 Calanthe said: 
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RELATIONSHIP WITH GERALT 
This probably hits me the most on personal level, because I feel like Calanthe had a huge impact on Geralt’s growth as a character, and with such a drastic change to their relationship, I’m unsure as to he will now proceed to develop. Calanthe was, in large, one of the first people in the books that treated Geralt as anything more than a mutant. Here are some of my favourite scenes between the two, in comparison with how their relationship was portrayed in the show:
"At times, no, for years at a time, I deluded myself that you might forget. Or that for other reasons you might be prevented from coming. No, I didn't want anything unfortunate to happen to you, but I had to take into consideration the dangerous nature of your profession. It is said that death follows in your footsteps, Geralt of Rivia, but that you never look behind you. Then... when Pavetta... You know already?" "I know," Geralt said, inclining his head. "My sincere condolences..." "No," she interrupted, "it was all long ago. I no longer wear mourning clothes, as you see. I wore them for long enough.” Sword of Destiny.
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He slowly pushed the cup on the table so that the clink of silver on malachite would not betray the uncontrollable trembling of his arm. "You don't deny it?" "No." She bent to seize his hand with vigor. "You disappoint me," she said, giggling prettily. "This isn't voluntary," he responded, laughing as well. "How did you guess, Calanthe?" "I did not guess." She did not release his hand. "I said it at random, that's all." They broke out in laughter. Sword of Destiny.
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"I will not take it. It is too great a responsibility, one that I refuse to assume. I would not want for this child to speak about you the way... the way I..." "You hate this woman, Geralt?" "My mother? No, Calanthe. I doubt that she was given a choice... or perhaps she had no say? No, she had, you know, enough formulas and elixirs... Choice. There is a sacred and incontestable choice of every woman that must be respected. Emotions are of no importance here. She had the indisputable right to make such a choice. That's what she did. But I think about meeting her, the expression on her face then... it gives me a sort of perverse pleasure, if you understand what I mean." Sword of Destiny.
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A rosebush grew next to the gazebo. Geralt plucked a flower, breaking its stem and then knelt, his head bowed, presenting the flower in his hands. "I regret that I did not meet you sooner, white-haired one," she said, accepting the offered rose. "Rise." He rose. "If you change your mind," she went on, sniffing the flower, "if you decide... Return to Cintra. I will wait for you. Your destiny will be waiting for you, as well. Perhaps not advitam aeternam, but for some time, no doubt." "Farewell, Calanthe." "Farewell, witcher. Look after yourself. I... I sometimes feel... in a strange way... that I am seeing you for the last time." "Farewell, my queen." Sword of Destiny.
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FALL OF CINTRA AND CALANTHE’S DEATH 
We were robbed of so many epic scenes that truly took away from Calanthe’s millitary accomplishments and showed none of the strength and determination she originally had: 
"The Nilfgaardians dealt the first blow," he began after a moment of silence. "There were thousands. They met with the armies of Cintra in the Marnadal valley. The battle lasted all day: from dawn to dusk. Cintra's troops valiantly resisted before being decimated. The king died, and that's when the queen..." "Calanthe." "Yes. Seeing that her army had succumbed to panic and scattered, she gathered around herself and her standard any who could still fight and formed a line of defense that reached the river, next to the city. All the soldiers who were still able followed." "And Calanthe?" "With a handful of knights, she covered the troops' crossing and defended the rear. They say she fought like a man, plunging into the thick of the battle. She was impaled by pikes when she charged against the Nilfgaardian infantry. She was then evacuated to the city. What's in that flask, Geralt?" "Vodka. Want some?" "Well then, gladly." "Speak. Continue, Dandelion. Tell me everything." "The city wasn't properly defended. There was no headquarters. The defensive walls were empty. The rest of the knights and their families, the princes and the queen, barricaded themselves in the castle. The Nilfgaardians then took the castle after their sorcerers reduced the gate to cinders and burned down the walls. Only the tower, apparently protected by magic, resisted the spells of the Nilfgaardian sorcerers. Even so, the attackers penetrated inside four days later without making camp. The women had killed the children, the boys and girls, and fell upon their own swords or... What's is it, Geralt?" "Continue, Dandelion." "Or... like Calanthe... head first, from the battlement, the very top... It's said that she asked to be... but no-one would agree. So she climbed up to the crenelations and... jumped head first. They say they did horrible things to the corpse afterward. I don't want... What is it?” Sword of Destiny.
I understand that this happened because of limited screen time, probably, but the whole Fall of Cintra had been squeezed into what seemed to be a single day, a crushing defeat for Calanthe’s forces, and probably in some way, punishment for her pride. 
AFTER CALANTHE’S DEATH 
While reading the rest of the saga, these little snipits of people talking about Calanthe, mentioning her, often with respect and reverence, mentioning how her people mourned her and swore revange for her, truly kept me going through. I wished that, at the end, Ciri would find it in herself to return home and liberate it, as back then I had no way to spoil myself the ending. In the books, you can really feel the outrage almost all of Continent feels after the murder of Calanthe: 
[...] Cintra is a symbol. Remember Sodden! If it were not for the massacre of that town and Calanthe's martyrdom, there would not have been such a victory then. The forces were equal — no one counted on our crushing them like that. But our armies threw themselves at their throats like wolves, like rabid dogs, to avenge the Lioness of Cintra. Blood of Elves.
[...] Bear in mind that these men left their homes and families, and fled to Sodden and Brugge, and to Temeria, because they wanted to fight for Cintra, for Calanthe’s blood. They wanted to liberate their country, to drive the invader from Cintra, so that Calanthe’s descendant would regain the throne. Baptism of Fire.
In the show, there is none of that. In fact, people seem to be full of disdain and hatred for her, saying things such as: 
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which, in turn, fills me with dread for the upcoming seasons, because I can already feel all the further butchery coming my beloved Queen’s way.
IN CONCLUSION
In all honestly, there is very little the Calanthe from the show has in common with the one from the books, the one I originally fell in love with. Which is not to say that Netflix’s Calanthe is not a great character in her own right, because who doesn’t love a badass sword-wielding Queen, but as a portrayal of the greatest ruler within the Witcher universe, and one of, in my opinion, best written female rules in literature, she falls flat, and that’s what pushed me to write this useless and slightly bitter rant, in hopes to maybe interest more people in the original version of Calanthe and maybe, just maybe, prompt some of you to read the saga or, at the very least, the short stories. 
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doyelikehaggis · 3 years
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ALL OF THE WIP TITLES YOU POSTED LOOK. SO. GOOD. i'm going to limit myself to three - can i ask for three at once? is that chill? okay well i'm gonna ask anyway and you can choose one/two/all three! so here we go: "High School Musical: The Reunion: Glee Edition", "Prison World Trio", and "Shorpanga Wedding." <3 <3 <3
YOU'RE ALWAYS COMING IN HERE AND MAKING ME LOVE YOU. Of course you can ask for three, I'd have done the whole list just for you ♥️ zhhxhshz okay let's do this!! I'm gonna put a read more because it is Long
"High School Musical: The Reunion: Glee Edition"
It's occuring to me now just how misleading this title is even though it makes perfect sense to me 😭. So, this fic is actually a crossover between The Flash, Supergirl, and Glee! Basically, there's a reunion happening at McKinley and invites go out to both Barry and Kara as, in this universe, they were Sebastian and Marley (with a couple of tweaks). None of their friends are aware of their secret former lives as members of semi-successful high school glee clubs (Iris and Alex are the only ones because, well, they grew up with them)!
And to make it better: Barry and Kara didn't recognize each other either! So, you can imagine their great surprise when they both find out their high schools are hosting reunions on the same day. In the same town. In the same building. Drama ensues! They have some reunions with other ex glee club members, including one Music Meister (excluding one he-who-will-not-be-named for multiple reasons but one being that he was also in Supergirl and I'm not going out of my way to find a loophole in the plot that makes sense for him). Their friends find out! Songs are probably sung!
And here is your snippet:
He can't go. Barry decides it without even opening the email. Or the three Facebook messages, or the two voicemails, or the five texts. They're all from the same person, more or less. One of the messages is from Trent, and he feels a bit worse about ignoring that one than the rest, but he can't because the second he opens a single one of them, it's over.
The date for the reunion is in a week and he's managed perfectly to ignore it so far! If he just waits until the date passes, then he can reply to Trent and to Blaine with profuse apologizes, but he was busy, and he never got around to checking any of his emails or texts, but he really is so sorry to have missed it, maybe they can meet up just the three of them sometime soon? 
A deep sigh is pulled from between his ribs. He slumps back in his chair and closes his eyes, letting himself spin slowly.
"You should go," Iris insists. Barry opens his eyes and catches a glimpse of her across the room, leaning against his desk. Possibly accidentally touching evidence. Totally fine, not a problem at all. "Seriously, it's been ten years! I know that it's not Dalton and technically McKinley wasn't your school, but everyone you went to Dalton with will be there."
"That's the problem," Barry emphasizes, his hands dragging through his hair to grab the top of the chair. "I just... the thought of facing any of them now? After everything, after ten years?"
He just shakes his head, pressing his lips together. His stomach is rocking and he's aware that the spinning probably isn't helping, but he's also afraid that if he stops he might throw up. So he pushes himself with his foot and goes around again, only catching a blur of Iris' exasperated expression. 
"Things are different now!" she tries again. "You've seen Blaine and Trent! Look how much they've changed. Who's to say that it's not the same for everyone else? I mean, you're certainly not who you were when you went there -- you're not him anymore; Sebastian."
"Prison World Trio"
This is, unsurprisingly, a TVD fic. I decided, you know the only thing that could make Bonnie and Damon being trapped in the Prison World more interesting than it already is? If Enzo was there, too. So, essentially, he waits on the other side until Damon arrives because he's actually worried about him, but by the time Alaric has been sent through to the land of the living, the spell has been broken, leaving Damon and Enzo trapped along with Bonnie. Then bam! Prison World! Now, I don't have a clear idea of where I go from there, but I know that it involves domestic shenanigans, catching feelings + old feelings resurfacing with angst and arguments and Bonnie wanting to murder both of them! They will, of course, still meet Kai and that's a whole thing because it's Kai, but I still haven't decided an ending yet.
Stop! Snippet time!:
"Take him," Bonnie says to Damon. "Please. He's your murder buddy, not mine."
"Hold on, I still have a say in this," Enzo tries to protest. "And for the record, I am no one's murder buddy anymore. I wouldn't be here if I was, now would I?"
Damon groans, "Oh my god, let it go, we're stuck with each other now, alright? So, your little grudge isn't exactly going to do anyone any good, and if you haven't noticed, you're not exactly dead anymore, so would you shut up?"
"Oh, well I'm glad to know that my death is a mere grudge to you," Enzo quips back drily, throwing a hand up. "You sure you want me to come with you at all? By the sounds of it, you wouldn't even notice if I was gone, so how about you two go ahead and I'll just be on my merry way."
Unbelievable. Trust Enzo to kick up a tantrum at the most inconvenient of times. Damon looks to Bonnie to share in his exasperation, but she raises her eyebrows and presses her lips together in a clear display of not taking sides. Though her pointed silence and looking away feels a whole lot like tiptoeing onto a side. 
"Are you -- No!" Damon waves his hands. "How is splitting up going to help us? No, either you come with me, or you go with Bonnie. Your choice, but those are your only two options."
"I'm not exactly seeing how you're going to enforce that if I decide on neither," Enzo says with a shrug, and at this point, Damon's thinking he's just doing it to piss him off. Then again, that's usually his motivation. 
"I'll just..." Bonnie gives a vague motion behind ahead of her with an awkward smile and proceeds to try and edge away, "leave you two to it," 
"Wait," Enzo calls to her, staring at Damon, "I'm coming with you."
Damon stares back at him, arms spread. But Enzo just gives him one last look before walking away. Bonnie falters uncertainly and doesn't look too thrilled about this decision either but she just shrugs at Damon like she's sorry, then she goes after Enzo. Leaving Damon standing in the middle of the road on his own. 
Fantastic. Just the way he likes it.
"Shorpanga Wedding"
Title says it all, really, I think. We're at Cory and Topanga's wedding (this is Boy Meets World if that wasn't clear), and Shawn is obviously a mess because the two people he is in love with are getting married, but they don't know he's in love with them, and now his chance to say anything is about to be gone! I'm going to need to rewatch that episode before I can get back to this one because I can't remember a lot of what was said, but I know it's going to be extremely angsty with a happy ending!
Teeny tiny snippet:
Don’t go in. Shawn repeats the words over and over in his head, pacing the hall of the fanciest hotel he’s ever stepped foot in. But he came this far, didn’t he? He can’t let how he’s feeling get in the way of this. It’s Cory’s wedding. And… Topanga’s. His best friends. How can he not go in?
He stops pacing and looks down at the rings in the palm of his hand. If he goes in there, these rings will be on Cory’s and Topanga’s fingers for the rest of their lives. 
Groaning, he clenches his hand into a fist, feeling the rings dig into his palm. He starts pacing again until singing starts up around the corner. Oh god. What does singing mean at a wedding? That it’s over? 
But it can’t be, not without the rings, right? Or did they find replacements? Did they just assume that he would let them down, that he wouldn't show up, so they just went ahead without him?
There’s only one way to find out. 
Taking a deep breath, he turns the corner and walks through the hall. His heart leaps into his throat at the sight of the wedding taking place. Cory and Topanga at the altar together. Nausea sweeps over him, but he bites the inside of his cheek and ignores how disconnected his head feels from the rest of his body as he marches up the aisle towards them. He glances at the stage and notices Mrs Matthews on it, the source of the singing. Figures. 
Every step forward feels heavier than the last, and like he’s a roadrunner heading straight for the exact spot where the anvil is hanging, waiting to drop and crush him. Except seeing Cory and Topanga standing there, ready to get married, has already done that. 
This took me so long to answer but it has been so fun!! Thank you for asking for three at once, you're amazing and wonderful!
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gorgxoxus · 4 years
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rank blaines solos babe
Ok I just remembered I have definitely posted this before but I had 50 followers or something so here it is again.
Ranking all Blaine solos:
1. All you need is love:
Firstly, this is the Blaine solo I listen to the most and honestly one of my favourite Glee songs. Add to the fact it’s such a big exciting number and he’s proposing to Kurt - this great song comes alive.
2. It’s time
This is another Blaine solo I listen to all the time and this one is also paired with a very fun and meaningful scene. This song tells a story as well as being sung very well and personally it’s one of my faves.
3. Bills, bills, bills
This is my favourite Warblers number (what a controversial opinion!!) It’s fun to listen to and watch and that’s all I want.
4. My dark side
This is sooo angsty and kinda random but it just sounds soooooo good. It also perfectly explains Blaine’s mental space at this time in the show - personally I would love Kurt listening to Blaine sing this song (but not in the canon time of their early breakup).
5. Hopelessly devoted to you
This one Blaine solo that has creeped up the list. I don’t necessarily agree with Blaine singing this song after cheating on Kurt (often people cheat because they are not devoted to their partner anymore).
Anyway, this song sounds great and I love the loose choreography of it - to make it character and emotion driven.
6. Cough Syrup
This is the quintessential Blaine number, probably after Teenage Dream. I wish we got a Klaine conversation after Blaine sung this song, because Kurt was there watching and then they did nothing with that. It did not reach its potential in canon with Blaine’s story but it still sounds amazing (id definitely prefer listening to the studio version over watching Karofsky try to commit suicide).
7. Somewhere only we know
I’m so very glad this number exists and even though I find the song a little awkward, it is a masterpiece. It honestly sounds great and together with Blaine singing to Kurt with the Warblers and even the Furt hug it goes into top tier. Love, love it.
8. Everybody wants to rule the world
Ok I just have an infinity for pop and season 4. I love watching the scene that accompanies this song.
9. Against all odds (take a look at me now)
This song is actually quite awkward to watch and starts the classic debate of ‘he was singing this for Sam’ and ‘he was singing this for Kurt.’ If people are interested, I’m in the boat that he was singing this song for Kurt and looked at Sam during the number because he’s the one who had been through the season 4 break up with him in Lima. It does sound amazing and I’d prefer to listen to the studio version than watch the scene.
10. When I get you alone
It took me forever to finally watch the scene with this song but I finally did a few months ago. It is actually quite hilarious if you push through all the awkward. Also when listening to the song, it sounds really good.
11. Don’t stop me now
This is a song that I don’t often listen to or watch the scene in the episode, but when I do it does sound AMAZING. Blaine does this song very well and Darren said he did the scene with a bad cold, so congrats to him to own the choir room while so sick.
12. Beauty school drop out
I love Blaine’s outfit and the recreation of the Grease scene. It also sounds great, highlights how well Blaine can morph his voice to fit different genres because it sounds so different to HDTY which was in the previous episode. (Even though from my theatre experience you cannot see the audience when you are on the stage the eye contact between Kurt and Blaine gives me all the feels).
13. Last Friday night
With my hatred for season 3, I have not watched the scene in ages but the song does sound great and of course Blaine sang Katy Perry to try to find his place in the New Directions. (Also we get a bit of fun Klaine, so no complaints there).
14. Misery
I love the scene in 2x16 with this song but I don’t rate it as a song to casually listen to.
15. Silly love songs
I will always wish this was a Klaine duet, and I actually don’t rate this as a song to listen to the studio recording. I love the flirty Blaine, the scene with the New Directions and the Warblers and it fits very well with the episode. It’s actually one of the few Warblers songs that makes sense in the context of Glee.
16. I’m not going to teach your boyfriend how to dance with you
This song is not one of my personal favourites and the scene is destroyed by Jesse and Finn singing.
17. Teenage dream
I know it’s a crime to have this song so low on this list, but personally I don’t like how the song sounds, or the original Katy Perry song. The fact it’s such a big moment for Kurt and is the introduction of Blaine is the reason it’s not lower than it already is.
18. You’re my best friend
This song is so strange to watch, but it actually sounds really good. The way it was shot with the puppets and my general distaste for ‘The Puppet Episode’ is why it’s down to low.
19. It’s not unusual
Idk not a vibe and not something I would choose to listen to.
20. Piano man
It’s not bad, I just don’t care for the song and the scene is kinda a snore.
21. Teenage dream (acoustic)
I find the whole scene soo awkward and cringe, plus in my humble opinion I don’t like the way it sounds. (I know I’m committing crimes by saying this). This also goes back to my point when I wrote about original ‘Teenage Dream’ - I’m just generally not a fan of the song.
22. Wanna be starting something
A very repetitive song and often a scene I skip over when I watch ‘Micheal.’
23. Fighter
A lot of people love this song, but I don’t like the way it sounds or how it’s shot. Plus, I don’t like the whole episode of ‘Big Brother.’
24. It’s not right but its okay
I don’t understand why personal relationship feuds have to become a public spectacle in the Glee Club. The only way I can enjoy this song is if I take it out of the context of Glee, because otherwise it’s too dramatic and not something I’d ever agree on (airing private relationship matters to a group of people). It is kinda funny when everyone is singing about being cheated on, because most of them had both been cheated on and cheated on someone else.
25. Raise your glass
Not a fan of the Warblers version of Raise Your Glass. I like the choreography but not the way it sounds.
26. Something’s coming
I have a personal distaste for this song. If Blaine did not want to be Tony for the production, why sing a Tony song??? I find that really annoying but I blame the writers more than Blaine for that (but I do not like the context of the song at all and don’t listen to the song).
27. All of me
I don’t like the scene and unfortunately I don’t like the way Blaine sounds when he sings this song. There are better things I could be doing with my life over listening to Blaine sing ‘All of me’. (Maybe my personal distaste for this song comes from not liking the original).
28. Hey soul sister
Another song where I don’t like the original and think the performance of it on Glee just fell flat.
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spaceorphan18 · 1 year
Text
Glee Musical Retrospective : Hello (Hell-O)
youtube
Sung by: Rachel Berry and Jesse St. James Original Artist(s): Lionel Richie
I have to ask - what libraries have a piano in them? Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of people trying to study? Anyway...
I have a confession to make. My first watch through of the show, I really did not like Jesse St. James. Like, at all. And somehow over the past few years, I've really just fallen in love with Jonathan Groff. And I've come back to Jesse St. James with a greater appreciation.
So, let's dig in!
Story Analysis
You had me at hello....
A couple of things right off the bat - continuing with our 'hello' theme - we have a new character! So, of course, we are saying /hello/ to Jesse St. James. Is it blunt? Well, yes, but it's also Glee.
So, here's the thing -- right after Rachel gets her heart smashed by Finn, this random guy shows up who hits every once of Rachel's fantasy kinks, then sits down to do an impromptu piano ballad duet with her so... it's no surprise that Rachel just melts like a puddle.
Jesse clearly knows what he's doing. Did he do his research? Or does he just understand Rachel on a more fundamental level because they are both cut from the same cloth? Hard to say -- but this song really works for an initial introduction.
I've been alone with you inside my mind And in my dreams I've kissed your lips a thousand times I sometimes see you pass outside my door Hello, is it me you're looking for?
This song is just kind of perfect for this dynamic. Jesse is singing to her soul. How often has Rachel just sat and daydreamed -- about Finn, about any guy really just wandering to her and being the perfect match. And here Jesse is singing what she's feeling. It's instantly mesmerizing.
I can see it in your eyes I can see it in your smile You're all I've ever wanted And my arms are open wide Cause you know just what to say And you know just what to do And I want to tell you so much I love you
Again - he is playing to her wants and needs and fantasies. Not only is he everything that /she's/ always wanted -- but he's singing back to her that she's all that he wants. It's a fever dream -- where some guy is telling her all the romantic things that she never had told to her -- that she never thought would be told to her.
And it's especially impactful that this comes after Finn dumping her. Because even before this -- Finn was such hard work to get to admit his feelings for her. And here's someone who now speaks her language, and bam! instant connection and Rachel can hardly contain herself.
Rachel comes into the duet here, too -- which amplifies the effect that she's buying into her fantasy coming true. She's hesitant just a little at first, but then pushes in rather quickly. Rachel's a pretty dramatic girl, leaning into self indulgence, but Jesse's willing to play into that. Sure, we don't know at the moment that he's purposely playing her, but he's just as dramatic and there is a pull there between them.
Sometimes I feel my heart will overflow Hello, I've just got to let you know
This is such a Rachel line -- her heart just bursts with emotion so much. It's a great line for her.
Tell me how to win your heart For I haven't got a clue But let me start by saying I love you
I love these lines for Jesse. Because it's the way he plays the moment. It's like touting innocence -- playing on that instant connection. But he's calculating his every move in this performance. He knows exactly how to make her fall in love with him, and using it to his advantage. Such a fantastic, sneaky little line here.
Technical Thoughts
I may not be huge on this song but I LOVE this performance. There's so much going on. Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff are on fire -- and each doing exactly what's needed to portray their characters perfectly. This scene is so well shot.
First of all, musically. Look - if you are one of the five people who don't know, don't be alarmed, I didn't -- Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff are bffs, and had quite the bonding back when they did the Broadway musical Spring Awakening together. So there's a lot of chemistry and a lot of natural comfort here. And I'm not being hyperbolic when saying that Jonathan Groff is easily the best male voice they've featured at this point. (Sorry Matthew Morrison)
It does help that both actors are well trained vocalists that can keep up with each other. It helps sell the idea that these two have an instant connection. And they do! Even if Jesse is suspect. The fact that they sound good together is a huge thing.
The acting here is just phenomenal as well. The shot is super simple -- the camera closing in on them as the song goes on. It can be visually boring just watching two people sing at a piano. But the camera begins to get intimately close, and both of them are playing such complex characters here.
I love everything that's going on with Rachel. That she's getting sucked into this fantasy -- a fantasy she really only dreamed off. She's a bit demure at the beginning, then just sinks all the way in, and is just smitten by the end of this duet. This girl falls hard with infatuation (which will be her downfall) but ooff is it played so well here.
(A side note -- there are a few brief moments where we see some genuine smiles from Lea Michele, and I get the impression that she's just over the moon excited to be doing a duet with her bff. It's the subtlest of actor bleed, but I feel like the giddy looks are genuine.)
Meanwhile, I love the calculated looks by Jesse. So, Jonathan Groff does something that I'm not sure if it was intentional or not. Most of the time, he's staring her down to sing deeply into her eyes. But every now and then he's carefully looking back at the piano and the music. I don't know if this was because Groff wanted to make sure he was doing/playing/singing something right? But it makes an interesting effect - where, when Rachel has her head turned, it's like he's looking at the script of what he's supposed to be doing and it makes the whole song seem just a little suspect. I realize I'm probably looking too much into it, but it's just a couple of fascinating moments.
Also, I have to point out a moment that generally has me chuckle -- it's the whip around to see that there's a string quartet that's been added, as if that's also normal in a library.
Also, also going to add that this song is mostly sung in minor -- but at the end it lifts into a major chord. It's a nice touch -- that there's this melancholy loneliness about this song until it has a hopeful ending.
Glee Live
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This is super cute. It's much more Lea and Jonathan (with Jonathan goofing around a little) than Rachel and Jesse, but still a treat - and probably a fun surprise on whatever tour stop this was at.
vs. The Studio Version : There's not a whole lot different from the tv version. The mixing is a little more balanced between voice and instrument, and of course as usual, it's a cleaner track. But nothing huge.
vs. The Original Version : So... Glee pretty much stripped the 80s right out of this song, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Making it a straight up piano ballad with out all the synth modernizes the song, and it works better for high school students in the the late 00s, and less like an 80s after school special. No disrespect to Lionel Richie, though -- wow does he have a light and airy elegant touch to his voice.
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thisvictoriangirl · 5 years
Text
Jaskier lives his life through music.
It’s not just pretentious shit--he truly, utterly cannot survive a day without breaking into song. He whistles as he walks, hums a mindless tune under his breath as he breaks bread during breakfast, spreads a few spattering smiles across the village children’s faces as he passes by them with a playful made-up song about their mothers’ nagging and their fathers’ beer stench. 
(In bed with his many lovers, he dedicates them metered poetry sung in lilting tones--a few words and cliches borrowed here and there, but if it makes them blush oh so prettily like that, surely a little bit of intellectual theft is worth it?)
Jaskier is a man of many words. So many, many words. They aren’t always clever or witty or in perfect rhyme, but Jaskier can bet his body’s worth in coin that he can come up with words and a tune about almost anything. Which, in hindsight, doesn’t always make for the best of songs. His singing about abortion in Posada is proof enough.
So when he’s given a muse worthy of a lyric or two, Jaskier milks them for all they’re worth. And by the gods, is Geralt of Rivia ever the perfect muse for a bard like him. Smelling of death and destiny, heroics and heartbreak. And onion and dirt and many unspeakable things. The man needs a bath.
Jaskier writes and sings many a song about their adventures, performing in inns and taverns and he watches with glee as the townsfolk lap it up like the desperately bored people that they are. Jaskier retells the slaying of the cockatrice and Geralt’s prowess, regales the tale of the great wyvern infestation and how the mighty Witcher had defeated them all in a single strike. 
The people demand yet one more performance of Toss a Coin to your Witcher and from the farthest table at the corner, Geralt rolls his eyes and takes a sullen mouthful of ale. Jaskier grins like the little shit he knows he is, and sings it most wonderfully.
He’s been given a good thing, Jaskier knows. Not every bard--or person, for that matter--can claim that they’ve traveled the Continent with a Witcher, much less be given (unspoken, probably unwilling) permission to sing about them.
But the thing is, Jaskier is also, and have always been, a man of stupidity.
So he sees this godawful good thing in the form of Geralt of Rivia--Witcher, travel companion, and dare he say it, friend--and all Jaskier wants is to have more.
He still performs his songs for coin, yes.
But Jaskier also finds himself writing songs that are only for Geralt. He sings silly tunes to fill the silence of their day as they walk the forest path--sings of noblewomen and their dirty laundry, sings of noblemen and their dirty secrets and sings louder at Geralt’s snorts and huffs of laughter.
He sings them at camp when night falls and the crackle of the fire is all that can be heard--sings soft melodies about the chill and the thaw of spring. Sings of weary travelers and the call of home. Geralt cleans his swords as Jaskier plays, always a silent audience of one. He never comments on the songs, never applauds, but he sleeps soundly afterwards without a fuss and Jaskier would like to think his voice has something to do with it. 
Once though, Jaskier performs a song dedicated to Roach and witnesses an ever small smile quirking up the side of Geralt’s lips. Golden eyes meet Jaskier’s own across the campfire and the smile grows. (It’s like alcohol in his veins, that smile. By the gods, can Jaskier write masterpieces about that smile.)
Some songs, Jaskier writes for himself. For his hopeless, hapless string of sanity, he writes of warm bodies and strong hands that can hold him down, and sighs wistfully about teeth marks on collarbones and finger-shaped bruises on the give of his hips that will never be.
For his wretched, cowardly heart, Jaskier writes of white wolves and eyes of burning gold. Of winter white hair and how he longs to bury his unworthy fingers into it. Of low laughter and the way they spark heat into the pit of his belly. Of smiles so rare but so dashingly soft in their fondness that Jaskier cannot help but be enchanted by them.
“Who’s the woman?” Geralt asks gruffly one day, overhearing a song not meant for his ears. He only stares at the growing flush on Jaskier’s face. “I didn’t know there was a woman.”
“There--there isn’t a woman,” Jaskier says, and it’s a fucking mistake. It makes Geralt quirk an even more curious eyebrow at him. “There’s a--man.” Jaskier adds, and he wants to beat himself with his lute.
“A man,” Geralt repeats dubiously.
“Yes.” Jaskier winces, bracing himself for the inevitable judgment. “A man.”
But Geralt only nods, frowns, and says, “Hmm.” 
The rest of the day’s journey is spent in relative silence--Geralt’s pensive, Jaskier’s full of fucking regret. They camp in the forest for the third night in a row when darkness overtakes the road. Jaskier is so busy fidgeting with nerves that he doesn’t notice the looks Geralt sends him--not until Geralt finishes with the fire and clears his throat.
“Jaskier.”
Jaskier’s head snaps up and he sees Geralt’s expectant stare at him.
“Play something,” Geralt requests, and it almost makes Jaskier’s brain collapse on itself. Geralt never requests for him to play. But perhaps this is the Witcher’s way of smoothing the awkwardness that has settled between them, or at least in Jaskier’s part. Perhaps it’s Geralt’s odd, long-winded way of saying everything’s still the same between us.
And that’s a good thing, isn’t it? That they’re still friends? That Geralt isn’t disgusted by the revelation that Jaskier’s been writing lovesick songs about a man? Jaskier didn’t want to think that Geralt would be, but he could’ve been and that would’ve truly broken his heart--
“Jaskier, will you play or not?”
--and now Geralt is impatient.
Jaskier shakes himself out of his stupor and reaches for his lute with shaky hands. He should play something familiar, he tells himself. Something with an easy tune to lighten up this tension. Maybe that song about Roach. Something safe. 
But Jaskier is a man of desperately many words and so much stupidity. He gets given a good thing and he asks for more of it. So instead, Jaskier plucks the first soft notes to a song he has never sung outside of himself before, and lets the quiver of his voice bury itself in his throat as he sings--
Perhaps I’m just a bard With silly words and love songs Perhaps this is a start For two people who belong
Jaskier makes himself meet Geralt’s eyes across the fire. They are beautiful even in their unnatural color, and even more so now that they’re transfixed on him. 
And perhaps I’m just a man Who fell in love with you And maybe I’m short of a plan As to what I need to do
‘Cause all my games and bravado are nothing more than a ruse Darling, you should know by now that you’re my only muse
Geralt falls eerily still at the lyrics, and Jaskier smiles in resigned defeat. 
Perhaps I’m who I am And I can give nothing more But perhaps you’ll give a damn More than you did before
‘Cause all my games and bravado are nothing more than a ruse Darling, you should know by now that you’re my only muse 
He finishes it with a weak breath and drowns himself in the silence that follows it. It is a confession more than it is or will ever be a song. It is all of Jaskier’s words and none of the wit, and Jaskier knows. Jaskier knows he fucked up.
He can’t stop his flinch when Geralt stands up from his seat and marches across to reach him. “Geralt,” he begins, dreading the clench of Geralt’s knuckles but surely his friend won’t beat him up for confessing? “Geralt, I know--”
“Jaskier.” Geralt crouches down in front of him so that Jaskier can see the intensity of his eyes up close and personal because Geralt apparently thinks it isn’t intimidating enough from afar. “What was that song?”
“A mistake,” Jaskier chokes, because it is. It’s a fucking mistake and now Geralt will punch him in the face and break his nose and he’ll lose the only good thing he’s had in his life so far. Geralt, that is, not his nose. “It was a stupid song, I know, but I just--”
“You just what?”
“--can’t stop asking for more of a good thing,” Jaskier breathes out and look down. Geralt is so close. He’s so close that Jaskier can feel the warmth of his controlled exhale and the part of his lips. Can count the stubble on his jaw, if Jaskier is given more time to stare. “I want,” you “more.”
“Maybe next time you should ask directly,” Geralt grounds out in a rough tone that oddly enough, does not suggest a beating. Jaskier blinks. “Instead of through a fucking song.”
“I--”
“Shut up.”
That’s all the warning he gets before Geralt kisses him.
And by the gods, is Geralt of Rivia ever the best thing that’s happened to Jaskier.
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yourdeepestfathoms · 4 years
Text
Heat Haze Daze
song is Kangerou Days by Kagepro and was also my bop back in seventh grade
———————
With a chilling vibrato, Jane concluded her performance of At Last. Instantly, there was a booming swell of cheering and clapping, and a very radiant look of adoration from both Kitty and Joan. The silver queen smiled bashfully, but proudly and bowed. A second later, Anne crashed into her, spinning her around in a tight hug.
“Oh! My! God!!!” Anne exclaimed, clasping Jane’s hands in hers mere minutes after releasing her from the bear hug. “That was so amazing!! You did so good, Janey!!!”
“Oh please,” Jane waved a hand dismissively. “It wasn’t that good.”
“Don’t be modest,” Aragon said. “You have a wonderful voice, dear.” Her retort was backed up by several agreeing comments in the whirlwind of a comment section on the Live.
Jane blushed. “Thank you, Catalina. Thank you everyone, really!”
After a few more compliments and Jane struggling to not be humble, the Sunday Session was wrapped up.
Or so they all thought.
“W-wait-” A nervous, shaking voice squeaked. “I’m sorry. Can I sing something?”
They all looked over to their fidgety pianist, who can’t seem to stop tugging anxiously on the straps of her overalls. Suddenly, she looked a lot younger and her choice of outfit seemed a lot dumber, but fitting for her current shy demeanor. Only Joan would wear such a thing with a sunflower yellow shirt underneath, despite it being 2020.
“You?” Kitty said. She glanced Joan up and down, as if she were trying to find an ounce of vocal talent in her. “Why?”
“Because I want to.” Joan said, gathering herself up to her full size and this time not stammering, although she didn’t seem any more mature in those stupid overalls. “Please? I have this song I wanted to sing and I’ve really been practicing and...” She trailed off, opting to look up at the queen with hopeful eyes.
Despite most of them not being all that close with Joan, they had to admit that those puppy dog eyes were extremely effective, so they gave in and agreed. Instantly, Joan perked up. It seemed she wasn’t expecting them to say yes.
“Oh joy!” Joan exclaimed in glee. She skittered back over to her keyboard, tripping momentarily on one of the crisscrossing wires on the floor in her excitement. She nearly toppled over when she sat down in her stool, but regained her balance and flashed a grin at the queens and the phone pointed at her. “Ready?”
There’s a scattering of agreements, both in person and in the chat, although she couldn’t see those. She beamed again, then promptly straightened herself up and turned to her keyboard.
In an instant, her glowing smile and shimmering eyes were wiped, leaving her face blank and focused. But even then, it was clear her nerves were beginning to take over, knowing that tons of people, including the ones she desperately wanted to impress and the ones that didn’t like her at all, were there, watching her.
Joan’s stomach flipped at the thought of singing in front of so many fans and the queens. She’d sung before, but nothing like this. Not where other people really noticed or heard her. Stage fright began to get the better of her as she awkwardly fidgeted for a moment, then got her fingers into the right place and began to play an upbeat, fast-paced tune. A moment later, her voice resonated through the air.
“August 15th at 12:30 noon I don't see a cloud above
The sun is shining down, what a pretty day
So sick of this summer heat I can't beat away the haze
The rays are giving way
And spending all of my time having conversations sitting next to you”
The words, slightly rough from a lack of a vocal career, slide gently from her lips. They shake and shudder as they come out, but hold strong and don’t fracture on the tip of her tongue like a few of the queens and many of the viewers were expecting.
Joan was actually singing.
And she was singing good.
“"Hey but I...don't really like the summertime"
And as you were petting on that cat you said such a daring thing
Right from under your breath”
It was amazing. Sure, it was no Heart of Stone or All You Wanna Do, and maybe her voice wavered and strained on simple notes a few times, but Joan was actually doing really well. A lot better than anyone was expecting. In fact, Kitty had been betting that she would have failed the moment she opened her mouth.
“Ah, and as that cat had ran away
You tried to chase it in the end
Jumping right out in front of a
Traffic light that poured a shade of red bright red”
And then, things took a jarring twist.
“Crashing in and breaking you to bits
That truck a heard a scream a little bit too late
Blood dripping everywhere and choking your smell of hair
I breathe in a gulp of air and just can't take it
Are these lies? The heat is mocking me
"What you see is exactly what you're gonna get!"
And with the blue of sky I hear singing crickets cry and
Fall right back into another dark sleep”
It happened out of nowhere- the peaceful, serene song Joan had been singing suddenly wrenched around and turned into something much more sinister with enough force to give everyone watching whiplash. The warm summer day she sang of was gone, replaced by the gruesome image of a grueling car accident. And her tone helped portray that perfectly.
Joan’s voice was dripping with gore. It oozed from her lips like pus from an abscess and stained any ears that heard the lullaby of carnage she was harmonizing. Her eyes were lit up, too, wide and shining silver. She rocked back and forth as she sang, sometimes leaning forward against her keyboard on the more intense notes, only to lean back and relax on the lighter ones, although every word in that chorus seemed to be gratuitously gruesome.
And then, her words die off and the tune of her keyboard morphed back into a gentle, peaceful hum.
“Sitting up in my bed I could hear ticking clocks the shock
Will mock my ever ringing head
I look to see the time
August 14th at 12 something noon I don't see a cloud above
The sun is shining down
And yet I hear a cry of a cricket singing loudly in my head”
The queens were shocked into silence, and not just out of respect during a performance. They were genuinely stunned by the darkness of Joan’s song. And, yes, they knew that she had her own pent up emotions, but never in a million years did they expect their shy, soft-spoken, stuttering music director to ever sing such a thing.
It was startling. Actually startling.
“"Hey but I...I really have to wonder why
Because in the dream I had last night we sat in the
Same old park we are sitting at now
"Hey, I think the two of us should leave."
But stepping slightly off the path, their heads turned up towards sky
And were gaping pointing struggling to keep away a scream”
Something flashed in Joan’s eyes. The queens braced themselves.
“Stabbing holes and splitting you in two
The beam made seam as it fell straight from the sky
Ringing an old wind chime and shaking a passerby then filling the air
Until they hit those park trees
Are these lies? The heat is mocking me
"Bet you wish you were asleep, but it's not a dream!"
Vision it blurred away and keeping my thoughts at bay I swear you stood there while keeping such a dark smile”
A tidal wave of carnage spilled free from Joan’s lips and crashed over the queens. Another vivid death is laid out for them, this one somehow much worse than the first.
The reactions to such a thing were mixed.
Aragon had her chin raised in an impressed manner. She was stunned to see Joan sing such a thing, but proud nonetheless.
Anne looked a little dizzy, as she wasn’t the best with blood, even blood in a song. She shut her eyes, trying not to think about what was happening to the poor girl being sung about, but ultimately failing.
Jane was startled. The look in Joan’s eyes gave her chills, making her feel entirely exposed even though she’s just another face in the crowd at that moment, another spectator in the small Sunday Session audience.
Cleves hadn’t expected Joan of all people to sing a song like this. She didn’t think she had it in her, so the girl had her captivated.
Kitty was backed up against Jane, her face twisted with disgust and fear. She kept looking up at her mother, hoping her pleading eyes would make her yell at Joan to stop and shut up, but she was dismayed to see Jane far too engulfed in the song to notice her distress.
Cathy was intrigued. She never really took Joan for the type to sing, and yet, here she was. And her transitions from slow to fast, from relaxed to intense, from soft to loud, where smooth and amazing. Especially the one right after the first chorus- an elongated, downward spiral of madness.
“Endlessly I see that over heated haze
And again the laughing will repeat on through the days
You've been dying for the past ten years
We are trapped in cycles and the end is never clear”
Joan’s voice has softened, as was her playing. The notes echoed around the auditorium, soft and mournful. It sounded like the ghosts of ancient monarchs whispering from beneath the floorboards.
“But a story is a story all the same
And today like any has an ending so to say
Far away and out beyond that scorching summer day”
For a moment, all is silent. The queens get just a second to breathe and recover from the madness they had just heard, and then Joan is slamming her hands down on the keys and sliding them down the keyboard, causing an awful, but fitting shriek to pierce through the air.
“Crashing in and hitting me instead you
I pushed you aside to nearly dodge a truck
Blood dripping everywhere and choking my smell of hair
You breathe in a gulp of air and just can't take it
Are these lies? I haven't heard him say
"What you see is exactly what your gonna get"”
Her voice is soft at first, but then it builds up and up and up until it’s an uproar of blood-soaked words and shrill, screaming notes. Her eyes are lit up again, this time even brighter, and her vibrato shuddered in the air. At the last line, she suddenly leapt to her feet, knocking over her stool and continuing to play enthusiastically while keeping pace with her music.
“Maybe this summer day has finally gone away
But that's all I'll say so this is where it ends now”
Before the instrumental took over, she slammed her fingers down on the keys and cried over the wailing sound, singing louder and louder and louder.
“August 14th and sitting alone on a bed a girl awakes repeating just the same
Muttering again
"Guess I failed again.." as she sat all alone
And held a cat still cradled in her arms”
With a few final notes, the song concluded. Joan stumbled back, taking deep, heaving breaths. Sweat is dripping down her reddened face. She didn’t bother to wipe it away, instead whipping around to the queens with an eager expression.
“Well?” She said, beaming at their gobsmacked expressions. “What did you think?”
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caramelcoffeeaddict · 4 years
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Desperate Times. 1-15
Thanks for asking! Okay, here we go...
1: What inspired you to write the fic this way? This was originally inspired by a prompt I saw on the Glee Prompt Meme (on AO3) wanting a fic where Kurt interviews at a porn studio because he needs money, and he meets Blaine who is a well-known porn star that helps to put Kurt at ease and teach him about sex. But the prompter wanted a BP fic, and I’m not comfortable with writing/reading that so I came up with my own version and altered the prompt to fit what I was comfortable writing, and it sort of took on a life of its own. (AO3 won’t let me link directly to the prompt, but it is on THIS page and it’s titled “I Just Wanna Make You Feel Good by Anonymous” dated Jan 14, 2016)
2: What scene did you first put down? Like with all of my stories, I began writing this fic in chronological order. So the first scene I wrote is the first one in the fic - where Kurt is in his bedroom analyzing his financial statements and trying to figure out how he’s gonna pay his bills.                
3: What's your favorite line of narration? I don’t know if I have one...                
4: What's your favorite line of dialogue? The very last line of the epilogue (not writing it for spoilers reasons)                  
5: What part was hardest to write? Oh dear... it’s been so long... um... maybe the scene where Devon safewords?                  
6: What makes this fic special or different from all your other fics? It’s become its own entity. It has a series of one-shots that take place throughout the entire timeline and beyond, and I’m still not done with it! I have more I want to write.                  
7: Where did the title come from? I was originally calling this fic Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures because this story is about Kurt being so desperate for money that he’s doing something he never thought he’d do, but whenever I’d make notes about it, I always shortened it to Desperate Times... - using the ellipsis to indicate the rest of the phrase. I finally just dropped the second half of the phrase and kept it as is.                  
8: Did any real people or events inspire any part of it? Nope.                   
9: Were there any alternate versions of this fic? No other versions...unless you count my usual draft editing where I make minor changes that don’t affect plot, just readability.                  
10: Why did you choose this pairing for this particular story? Because Klaine is the only pairing I ever write about, lol.                  
11: What do you like best about this fic? I like all the positive reception I have received for this fic. It is without a doubt the most popular fic I’ve ever written                  
12: What do you like least about this fic? I honestly can’t think of anything that I don’t like about it...except maybe how long it takes me to write the next one-shot in the ‘verse                  
13: What music did you listen to, if any, to get in the mood for writing this story? Or if you didn't listen to anything, what do you think readers should listen to to accompany us while reading? I can’t listen to music when I write. It distracts me too much. I’ve also never been good with coming up with playlists to associate with fics. The only songs I can recommend are the ones that are sung in the story.                   
14: Is there anything you wanted readers to learn from reading this fic? No, not really.                  
15: What did you learn from writing this fic? I learned that professional pornography is only legally allowed to be filmed in California. (That’s why my fic is AU 😉 )
anyone else want to play? Send me a title of a fic I wrote + a number
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blueishfood · 5 years
Text
Her handsome boy, Chapter 4
Pairing: Adrienette, Ninya (in the background)
Words: 1,7 k
Warning(s): Maybe some cringy singing? Uncle Jagged, because he needs a warning.
Summary: Alya, Marinette, Nino and Adrien are seniors (18 y/o) and as Marinette, biker girl supreme, discovers Alya’s crush on the music-nerd Nino Lahiffe she starts to question if she also has a crush on a certain goody-two-shoes-boy.
A/N: Sorry for the long wait, but damn it I love this chapter. It is honestly my favourite so far!
Prolouge
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
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The glamour of the city centre dimmed behind the motorcycle just as the yellow lights of the streets shone up before the pair. Adrien looked around with a newfound curiosity. He had never been allowed to pass these streets. They were known for being rough and filled to the brim with criminals.
Every street corner was crowded with beggars and people in dark attire. The people looked up as they drove past. Adrien felt the need to hide his face. He needed to leave, but he was so damn curious, so he kept holding on to Marinette’s strong form.
Marinette didn’t seem at all concerned. She fit right in with her leather jacket and combat boots. It was if this part of town raised the bloody knuckled parts of her.
The houses were a lot darker than what Adrien was used to but Marinette pulled over by a particularly dark building. It looked just about ready to fall. The building was dusty where it leaned on the building beside it. Adrien stepped off the cycle first and took off his helmet.
The word “Shell-ter” hung on a piece of wood carved like a turtle over the entrance. Adrien snorted at the awful pun. Marinette raised her eyebrows at him and put their helmets in a room under the seat.
“That pun sucks.” She told him shaking her head at the sign.
“I already love this place.” He turned to her with a toothy grin. Marinette giggled and strutted inside.
The inside of the bar was worse than the outside. Huge men lounged around in beat down chairs, drinking beers and laughing loudly. Adrien had never seen anything like this in real life. Sure, he had watched the movies but, wow.
Marinette wandered between the chairs with an ease Adrien did not have. She patted the shoulder of a huge man in an apron. “Hey André!” She shouted over the laughing and the music.
The man turned, grinning. He had a red scarf tied around his neck and tattoos prided his bare arms. Adrien thought they looked like ice cream cones, but he could be wrong.
“You’re skipping school?” He asked, shaking his head in fake disappointment. “What would your parents say about that, bug?” Marinette laughed.
“Shut it Glace.” She punched his shoulder as André chuckled loudly and walked Marinette on, Adrien following her a way back. Before he could catch up to her someone stopped him.
The hand belonged to a man with dark purple hair. The black eyeshadow made his eyes look bigger. The man wore a black leather jacket, golden strings hung from his shoulder like an admiral. The man grinned, his white teeth almost blinding in the dark room.
“’Ello there, lad.” He said, his spiky leather finger gloves rough around Adrien’s wrist. “Did you arrive with the little lady?” He gestured at Marinette who had stopped to look at the two of them. Adrien nodded.
“I did.” He smiled at Marinette who was heading back for them, manoeuvring between the badly placed chairs as easy as nothing. The man smirked and patted Adrien’s shoulder.
“Good for you lad! Marinette never brings anyone here!” The man elbowed him in the side. “You must be somethin’ special, eh?” Marinette rolled her eyes fondly and slung an arm over the man’s shoulder.
“Adrien, this is Jagged. He’s an ass, but you learn to love it.” Marinette teased, dodging as Jagged lounged for her. Adrien smiled and stretched out a hand.
“Nice to meet you sir.” Jagged’s eyes flicked between Adrien’s pale hand and Marinette. He shook his head, jokingly disappointed.
“You just had to get someone proper, didn’t you?” He sighed, grabbing Adrien’s arm again. “I’ll just borrow ‘im for a bit, you don’t mind, do you bug?” Jagged smiled and ruffled Marinette’s hair, but she quickly ducked away from his hand.
“I’ve got something I have to take care of anyway.” She stated, nodding at the beat down stage further down the bar. “Play nice!” She warned as she disappeared in the crowd, winking once back at Adrien.
Jagged dragged Adrien back where he’d come from, the dark shadows of the underworld. Or well, not really, just a bit further back to the seats covered in smoke. Adrien sent a desperate glance back to where Marinette had been standing and almost feel her enjoying his discomfort even if he couldn’t see her. He rolled his eyes at his own thoughts and decided to go with the flow.
Danger and discomfort? He almost sounded like his father. And that was not who he was going to be today. Not ever if he could have a say in it.
Before he could think any further, he was shoved into a leather chair by a round wooden table and surrounded by men and women much larger than him. Jagged was positioned right in front of him. The man grinned wide.
“This is the one, lads.” He gestured to Adrien with his spiky leather glove. “The little lady has chosen a champion!” Jagged chuckled at his own joke as the others around the table turned to Adrien with a new interest.
“What kind of trouble are you, ey?” A woman with white hair asked. She wore dark biker gloves and a huge leather jacket that would have drowned any other woman her size, but somehow seemed to fit her.
“All the good kinds.” Adrien didn’t register what he was saying before it had already slipped out. He cringed. Crap. Did he get that from some anime? He probably had.
The woman laughed unexpectedly and a man wearing a blue cap slapped him in the back, so Adrien almost forgot how to breathe.
“I like this kid!” The woman exclaimed loudly to the rest of the table. “I’m Gina by the way, and that’s Roger.” She pointed to the man in the blue cap.
“We know Mari can take care of herself,” Roger stated, he wore a high collar shirt, but Adrien could see tattoos slithering up the side of his neck. “But she always seems to find the dangerous people.” The man added, chuckling. “How did you think she found us?”
Not for the first time, Adrien wondered how many crimes these people had committed.
Once again he didn’t have time to let his thoughts stray as a known tune blasted through the bar. The people around him stood from their chairs and started cheering. Adrien understood that something big was going on.
Jagged climbed up on his chair, cheering louder than anyone in the room.
“You’re in for a real show now, kid!” Gina shouted, laughing loudly.
And that was when he saw her. Standing on one of the tables near the other end of the bar, microphone in hand, her hips swinging to the beat of Michael Jackson’s “Beat it”. Her leg pumped with the tune, and her hair was loose.
“They told him don't you ever come around here Don't want to see your face, you better disappear The fire's in their eyes and their words are really clear So beat it, just beat it”
Marinette walked forward with the beat, her boots tramping against the tables as she jumped from one to the next at “so beat it, just beat it”. Drinks spilling over the sides. Neither the bartender nor the customers seemed to mind.
“You better run, you better do what you can Don't want to see no blood, don't be a macho man!”
“Oh!” Jagged shouted with glee, pumping his hand in the air while rushing forward.
You want to be tough, better do what you can So beat it, but you want to be bad”
She didn’t sing like an angel, but it wasn’t bad either. It was simply the most human thing Adrien had ever seen or heard. Her voice raw and rough, but it didn’t matter. Not when she was here with her friends.
Adrien didn’t think as he pushed through the crowd and jumped onto a table, trying to reach her.
“Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it”
The crowd answered when she sung, and thought she was glowing.Adrien slipped on the sticky table but was caught by the crowd and carried to his girl.
“No one wants to be defeated”
When Adrien finally reached Marinette’s table, he was thrown on to it. He almost stumbled off the other side, but Marinette caught him. He started singing part of the lyrics with her.
“Showin' how funky and strong is your fight”
He flexed obnoxiously and laughed as Marinette flicked his nose
“It doesn't matter who's wrong or right”
He leaned back when she leant forward and the other way around as if it was all choreographed.
“Just beat it, beat it Just beat it, beat it Just beat it, beat it Just beat it, beat it”
Marinette put a finger to Adrien’s chest and pushed him backwards, forcing him to step down from the table.
“They're out to get you, better leave while you can Don't want to be a boy, you want to be a man You want to stay alive, better do what you can So beat it, just beat it”
Adrien sat down on a knee and grasped her hand in a proposal as she danced away from him, grinning wildly.
“You have to show them that you're really not scared You're playin' with your life, this ain't no truth or dare”
She turned around with a swing in her hips and smiled to him as she clambered back onto the table.
“They'll kick you, then they beat you,”
She kicked and punched towards the crowd and they jumped back, laughing.
“Then they'll tell you it's fair So beat it,”
She waved her hand as if dismissing someone.
“but you want to be bad!”
Marinette grinned as Jagged came up behind her and lifted her onto his shoulders. Like that they ran around the bar, shouting and making noise while the crowd sung for her.
“Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it No one wants to be defeated Showin' how funky and strong is your fight It doesn't matter who's wrong or right
Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it”
They repeated the chorus until the song ended, Marinette turning the microphone to the crowd as they all jumped up and down.
It was all like nothing Adrien had ever seen. And even if he hadn’t had much experience in the unpolished world, he knew that this, that she was something special.
@rhi2018 @thevixentimelord @mkiahb @dont-panic-to-much @nii-facedaingeal @our-cool-jenny @miraculousbuebird@coccinellegirl @littlebluewhalen @http-mitch @sarsoora55@legitsadness 
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