#fm knives

[wraithsoutlaws]

2.1 update adding 5 new motorcycles and the ability to pop wheelies n throw knives off the back is quite possibly my favorite thing about it that and the fact you can finally listen to the radio out of the car, also love that people are so super excited over the metro system..the children hunger for public transport

slice of life simulator babey!!!!! i can't believe they are finally adding that (and most of these updates) when they could easily just move on after 2.0 and i will always appreciate them for that n all the work they've put into it over the last couple years

[withwritersblock]

just like heaven

~just like heaven by The Lumineers~

Author's Note: just a cute little blurb tehe Summary: family skate with the Avs Warnings: none Word Count: 540 Cale Makar x fm!reader

It was a beautiful day in Denver as the Avalanche were doing a team bonding event. They were in the downtown square of Denver where there was an outside rink. The players were all doing a family skate with the people they cared about most. 

Cale leaned down, glancing up towards Y/N as he began tying her skates. The skates she’s owned for two years but have never used. She was terrified of ice skating despite being in a relationship with one of the best players in the NHL. 

“How do they feel?” he asked, lifting his gaze to meet her eye, his cheeks pink as he smirked towards her.

“Fine, I guess,” she let out as she took in a deep breath. He stood up and sat beside her on the bench, bumping his thigh against hers.

“It’ll be fun,” he whispered against her ear, tilting her head away to meet his gaze. “I’ll hold onto you the entire time,” he mumbled. She rolled her eyes playfully.

“Promise?” she asked barely above a whisper. He nodded as he bit his bottom lip excitedly.

“Come on, Beautiful,” he mumbled as he took a hold of her hands dragging her towards the ice where all the other players were skating already. She hesitated as she stepped onto the ice. He smiled widely as he began skating backwards as he guided her. “I can’t believe you’ve never skated before,” he shook his head as he gripped her hands tightly as he skated backwards manuvering between his teammates.

“Cale, slow down!” she let out while laughing, he chuckled as he started to slow down. “Because who volunteers to put knives on their shoes and walk on ice!” she let expression as she slipped. 

Cale quickly pulled her towards him, resting his hands on her hips to have more control on her movements. “Because it’s fun,” he raised his eyebrows as he smiled widely. 

There was soft music playing through the speakers as there were cameras to show the event. It was beautifully lit up, it may have been a media op but the players were fully in their own worlds. The players that have children were enjoying chasing their little ones around the ice. 

He pulled her towards him as her eyes widened, he chuckled as he leaned towards her and whispered, “You’re enjoying this,” he mumbled as he leaned away looking deeply into her eyes. She tilted her head to the side as he kept his hands on her hips. “At least a little bit,” he squinted his eyes as he pressed his lips together. 

“A little bit,” she teased. 

“Good,” he mumbled as he leaned towards her, kissing her cheek before he started skating backwards faster. He’d glance behind him every so often making sure he wouldn’t bump into anyone. 

“Cale, I swear to god,” she squealed as she rested her hands onto his arms. He was laughing.

“You might wanna slow down Caler, don’t want to repeat of All-Stars,” Gabe chirped as he was chasing after his young toddler. 

“Ha-ha,” he shouted back as he looked back into Y/N’s eyes, “I won’t let you fall,” he mumbled as he scanned her features. She nodded as she smiled softly.

[jiangwanyinsimp]

An Incomplete (and Very Long) list of thing Edwin Payne missed while he was stuck in Hell

This list emerged because I was talking about how he would have missed the end of World War One and then the list kept going. It is not complete or in order, and is provided simply for posterity

ww2

spanish flu

the hindenburg disaster

the rise of public radio

Irish independence

fast food as a concept

the hinterkaifeck murders

the extinction of the california grizzly

the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb

television

jet aircraft

supersonic aircraft

the moon landing

THE OFFICIAL FOUNDING OF THE SOVIET UNION

the jazz age

surrealism

the first woman to swim the english channel

the BBC

Amelia Earhart

Tintin

the discovery of Pluto

the crash of airship R101

the founding of porsche

the geneva convention

UK abandonment of the gold standard

the discovery of 22 elements on the periodic table

technicolor

Australia starting and losing the Emu war

the creation of the Royal Christmas message

the Great Depression

FM radio

the first canned beer

pre-sliced bread

the recognition of stress as a biological condition

the extinction of the thylacine

the destruction of the Crystal Palace

the first full feature length animated film (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)

the nylon bristle toothbrush

Batman

the last use of the guillotine for an official state execution

Gone With the Wind (the book AND the film)

the founding of Greggs

Looney Tunes

the discovery of the Lascaux cave paintings

Agatha Christie's works

Cheerios

the discovery of nuclear fission and all subsequent nuclear discoveries

the airplane ejection seat

The Little Prince

LSD

the lifting of the prohibition of married British women working as teachers

the disappearance of flight 19

the first formula one grand prix

Mensa

the invention of the magic 8 ball

the Doomsday Clock

the AK-47

the first commercial microwave

the Kinsey reports

the first time Idaho Fish and Game parachuted beavers into the wild

humanity's entry to space

the beginning of the broadcast of the Archers (the longest running present day drama by number of episodes)

the Korean War

the polio vaccine

the first nuclear powered submarine

The Lord of the Rings

Moomins

transistor radio

the TV dinner/ready meal

ICBMs

the entire life of Elvis Presley

Kermit the Frog

My Fair Lady (the film and musical adaptations)

Grace Kelly's wedding

the Entire Life Of Marilyn Monroe

the Beat Generation

Eurovision

Helvetica typeface

the peace symbol

the Cod Wars

computer games

Dyatlov Pass incident

Barbie

Missile Mail

the Declaration of the Rights of the Child

the MOSFET

particle accelerators

the Beatles

the recovery of the Vasa

the first Six Flags

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Catch-22

the Vietnam War

Silent Spring

The Rolling Stones

the night of the long knives

Vatican II

James Bond

the Cuban Missile Crisis

Thích Quảng Đức's self-immolation

the "I Have A Dream" speech

JFK Assassination

the smiley face

Mary Poppins (1964)

IntelSat

the last British execution

high speed rail

the first time "fuck" was said on british tv

the Moors Murders

the Grateful Dead

the British parliament decriminalizing homosexuality

most of the literary career of Pablo Neruda

Fleetwood Mac

the Parker Morris Standards

the end of steam passenger travel in the UK

Led Zeppelin

Earth Day

the first temporary artificial heart

the first person to row an ocean solo

Woodstock

the Zodiac Killer

the nationalization of Rolls-Royce

decimalisation of UK currency

the first e-book

the first microprocessor

DB Cooper

the first email

the Biological Weapons Convention

Watergate

the start of the Troubles

The Joy of Sex

all attempts to climb Mount Everest and the eventual first ascent

ABBA

the invention of the Rubik's Cube

the Moorgate tube crash

the first Cricket World Cup

the global eradication of Smallpox

Star Wars

the Tenerife airport disaster

the discovery of the rings of Uranus

Red Rum winning three Grand Nationals

the Concorde

the start of the broadcast of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Jonestown

Synthetic insulin

the Thorpe affair

the release of God Save the Queen by the Sex Pistols

Monty Python

the election of Margaret Thatcher

Star Trek

Iron Maiden

the incident where the dingo ate a baby in Australia

the end of iron and steel production in the UK's Black Country

the first London Marathon

Charles and Diana's wedding

the church of England votes to elect women to holy orders

the 1981 UK tornado outbreak

the first child born by IVF

the Falklands War

the raising of the Mary Rose

the invention of ciabatta bread

the discovery of the Titanic

the King's Cross Fire

Top Gun

Lockerbie bombing

[fragmentofmemories]

what's your opinion on subclassing in eo? i know you like to experiment with party composition and strategies so i'd like to know if you have any favorite unconventional class/subclass combos

Thanks for the ask! and honestly I don't really have an opinion that much different from other people.

It's a great mechanic that lets you essentially fill any hole you might have in your party, or minmax a character's best features.

Lack a healer or tank? Turn your character into one. Want to squeeze an extra bit of damage, dodge rate or whatever? Subclass into something with the one self-buff or passive you need.

But sadly, many people tend to focus only on the minmaxing part, to the point I often see tips like "subclass into gladiator/bushi, everything else is worthless."

And I feel that is really reductive of what subclassing can be capable of. Let's take EO3 as an example.

A fun thing I like to do is doing a Monk/Zodiac build.

"Because monks have high TEC right?"

No, because Fire Mastery, Singularity and Ethereal Charge affect Breakfire Fist.

Combine STR accessory stacking alongside any other buff/debuff, and you'll have your monk potentially deal tens of thousands of damage per hit with the right setup.

I see people often focusing only on a monk's supportive aspect, that with subclassing them into sovereigns and such.

But just like any other healer in EO (except herbalists who do not exist), leaving them to only healing duty is genuinely a waste of their true potential — as weird as that sounds.

And before you ask, you don't need the weapon exploit to make monks good. In fact, if you know how Fist Mastery works, you'll soon realize the exploit actually makes them worse (At high STR and Lv10 FM, their ATK stat is lowered if they equip a weapon).

Monks in EO3 are in the same place as EO1 Alchemists and EOX pugilists, as one of the most misunderstood classes. In the sense that people don't really know how to use them.

Other fun builds I'd like to make are Ninja/Buccaneer. Combine skills like Lady Luck (extra Crit chance), Swashbuckling (Multihit chance with normal attacks) and Kubikiri (Instakill chance with normal attacks). It only takes around level 50 or so to get all these skills maxed, and when you do it's pretty fun.

Knives also happen to have a high amount of forge slots, so you can further customize your character by either increasing their ATK, stats like HP, or even adding an extra effect on top. Combine that with accessory stacking and/or cloning, and you can actually deal plenty of damage even if the instant kill doesn't trigger.

After all, it wasn't until eou that they nerfed normal attacks (of course).

Lastly, though it has nothing to do with combat, I ocassionally like subclassing everyone into farmers. In doing so, I can give them the Waste Not skill for up to a 25% drop rate increase.

The reason for this is to more easily farm stat books from the enemies that drop it. It's a slow process, but being able to more easily get stat boosters — especially early on — is really helpful.

Formaldehydes and Lucky Hammer exist, of course, but those aren't easily available until the late/postgame. And the ones you do get early on are usually reserved for stratum bosses.

Moving onto other games, EO4 I admittedly kinda rushed over it gameplay-wise, and I've long since lost my 100% save. So I can't for certain give any build ideas.

I do believe dancers' normal attack and dodge skills are generally useful on anyone, as is landsknechts' Vanguard on medics. Not for healing, but for Star Drop and other attack skills (of course).

Nexus I did replay recently, so in quick succession (since this post is getting too long):

Survivalist/Ninja. Using it to further increase the former's Dodgetank abilities (meaning extra Hazy Arrows, and general survivality).

Pugilist/Shogun for Peerless Demon (More damage the more hits per turn) and Bloody Lance (More damage per enemy killed.) Conveniently enough, a pugilist's best weapon has an AOE skill, and it can actually be acquired near the start of the game if you farm enough. So...

Medic/Protector entirely for yuri reasons /j (actually because of anti- skills, and Shield Flare. Calling back the whole "subclassing to fix holes" thing.)

Technically EMD2 also has subclassing, and the idea of a protector with AOE skills is very enticing. But it's Japan-only (of course).

Funnily enough, I don't think I experimented much with subclassing myself. Once I get to 3 HD I am thinking of maybe doing something like, idk, Farmer/Gladiator for a meme Stun Attack build (lol).

[mieux-de-se-taire]

Our Lady of Sorrows - MCR Interviews

89.5 WSOU FM Interview - 7/11/02

7:32-7:46, 21:09-21:14, 22:20-22:28

Interviewer: I��don't think I’ll be able to play track 5. Gerard: Oh yeah, 5 (Interviewer laughs) Ray: Probably not that one. Interviewer: That’s alright ‘cause that’s gonna be one of those that uh, you know, kids are gonna hear this, and they’re gonna get the record, and then, track 5 is gonna be like the track that everyone loves (Gerard laughs) ‘cause it’s the one they didn’t hear. Frank: (After being asked his favorite song) I like “Knives” a lot to play, and “Vampires” is always fun. Gerard: My favorite song to play live is “Knives,” um, “Our Lady of Sorrows,” sorry. We’re using the old titles for songs, sorry.  Interviewer: (Overlapping) Another name change? Gerard: Yeah, it’s called “Our Lady of Sorrows”. That’s my favorite.

/

Noise Theory Interview - 11/13/02

Page 2, paragraph 1

Interviewer: MCR’s music can be pretty varied, do you have a particular favorite song that you like to play live? Ray: Hmm…live I think my favorite songs to play are Our Lady of Sorrows, just because of the pure energy in the song, and Vampires, because it has quiet parts that gradually explode and it’s fun to see kids whig out when that happens.

/

Alternative Press #197 - 9/17-20/04

Page 6, paragraph 1

The trio recorded a demo in Pelissier’s attic. “My attic had no walls,” he says, laughing. “It was a wooden, run-down piece of crap. I had a really cheap 16-track board, and we had a bunch of crappy mics. I basically had the drums and guitars playing upstairs and ran mics down the stairs and had Gerard sing in the bathroom.” What came out of those sessions were the blueprints for “Our Lady of Sorrows” (original title: “Bring More Knives”), “Cubicles” and “Turnstiles.” “You could hear that it was something really new, and it was kind of a weird idea, but for some reason, as poorly as it was coming together, it really worked,” remembers Gerard. “And a lot of people loved the demo.”

/

Kerrang #1045 - 2/16/05

Page 6, paragraph 2

Gerard: We always turn the houselights up during ‘Our Lady Of Sorrows’ because it’s a special song to us.

/

FUSE Q&A with Bert McCracken and Gerard Way - 2/26/05

4:27-4:38

Gerard: My favorite lyric has always been my favorite lyric, and it is “oh, how wrong we were to think that immortality meant never dying” from ‘Our Lady of Sorrows,’ our first record. I don’t think I’ll ever top that line. It’s my favorite.

/

Zero Magazine Interview - December 2005

Page 5, paragraph 10 and page 7, paragraph 1

Gerard: There’s always a fear that people might overlook “I Brought You My Bullets…” Occasionally, when we play on this tour, with the exception of Vampires and Our Lady of Sorrows, we play 4 or 5 old songs, usually when the venue’s quietest - but then again, when we play the UK, those are some of their favorite songs. The UK was very accepting of Bullets, whereas America didn’t know about it. They like hearing it, they’re just not familiar with it.

/

Not the Life It Seems: The True Story of MCR / Kerrang #1142 - 1/17/07

Page 33, paragraphs 3-4

“We met once a week for the next four weeks to practise,” said Gerard. “It seemed that anything was possible at that point. Ray wrote “Our Lady of Sorrows” – which was the second complete song we had. It fitted because it didn’t really fit. That was something we always wanted to do – to put songs together that shouldn’t work together but do. This song was really aggro and metal – there were bits we cribbed off Helloween in it. There were a lot of bizarre references around that time.

“The genesis of the sound came from sitting in Ray’s room in his Mom and Dad’s apartment that he shared with his brothers and sitting at his computer with two guitars and just talking about the sound a lot. We were completely on the same page about it, 100 per cent.”

Page 14, paragraph 3

Initially called ‘Bring More Knives’, this was written by Ray Toro and was the second song MCR ever completed. “There were bits we cribbed off (old school metallers) Helloween in it,” says Gerard. “It came from sitting in Ray’s room in his mom and dad’s apartment, sitting at his computer with two guitars and just talking about the sound a lot.”

/

Kerrang #1350 - 2/9/11

Page 7, paragraph 8

Frida (Sweden): What are your favourite lyrics you have written? Are they still from ‘Our Lady of Sorrows’? Gerard: Yeah, I think so.

[depthbuffer]

I absolutely love how clearly you can hear the progression of ideas, confidence, and access to equipment operating so clearly when listening to Radiohead's albums in chronological order.

Starting way back with Pablo Honey where they were little more than an above-average guitar & drum indie ensemble with some catchy song writing.

Then the opening bars of Planet Telex on The Bends hit, and it's like, what the balls? There are feedback loops, phasers, flangers, filters, echoes and delays all over that. I don't know what sort of gear they used, and feel like looking it up would remove a little of the magic, but it seems like the kind of stuff you could fairly easily do with access to little more than a decent console, a reel-to-reel recorder, and a larger collection of guitar pedals than they had before, and I choose to hold on to that headcanon.

The album as a whole frequently veers back into familiar live ensemble territory, but there are all these little touches here and there that show them starting to branch out into new (to them) techniques, and I like to think they knew exactly what they were doing when choosing the heaviest showcase for all of that as the opener.

Then comes OK Computer. The use of layering really shines here; they're clearly getting comfortable with using the studio to "perform" as a much larger ensemble than they really are. Again, every track is littered with these little touches of filter sweeps in the background, haunting one-off appearances of things that might be sampled vocals, might be theremins, might be synths.

And of course the vocals on Fitter Happier.

Then a three year gap. Which isn't actually as large as I remember: there had been two years gaps between each of the previous three albums, but this one will always feel longer to me because I didn't discover them until the OK Computer days. It was actually the first time I started paying attention to contemporary music; up until that point I'd payed recorder in school (as in, I was the nerdy one who could actually play and kind of enjoyed it, in a class of kids who had it forced upon them and didn't care, as was the done thing in British schools of the era), liked the idea of classical but didn't really love it, had a singular played to death Kraftwerk cassette (The Mix), and knew I didn't care for what I was hearing on radio or TV.

Kid A. What a rollercoaster. Does the opening track, Everything in its Right Place, contain a single acoustic instrument apart from Thom's voice? Again, I think they knew exactly what they were doing putting this one front & centre. It's synths, but it's not synth pop in any way, shape or form. These aren't the cheesy FM presets of the 80s. They were a medium different from the guitars and drums that had come before, but the message is still unmistakably Radiated. To anyone who'd been paying attention, anyway: people fucking hated it. Even I didn't know what to make of it at first.

Then they doubled down a year later with Amnesiac, like a massive middle finger to all the haters who just wanted them to keep doing what they'd been doing.

Which, ironically, is exactly what they were doing: but what they'd been doing all along was growing and evolving, they just took a bigger step this time.

Years later people have come round; to Kid A, at least. But they took their time. Amnesiac still gets little love, but go back and give it another chance. Pyramid Song. Knives Out. Dollars and Cents. Even the meandering two-minute one guitar, one synth noodle that is Hunting Bears. It's not the monument people wanted, but I maintain that it IS a monument.

I could go on, but I won't. It's a shame that Radiohead as a band barely exist any more; they've all started various side projects, the gaps been albums are getting longer. A Moon Shaped Pool came out seven years ago. But sadly it makes sense, given that their whole thing was always about finding new ways to express themselves.

[canisonicscrewyou]

Sweden:

The Recognition Scene | Some Swedish Trees | FM | Cold Milk Bottle

Dark In Here:

The Destruction of the Kola Superdeep Borehole Tower | Dark In Here | Lizard Suit | Let Me Bathe in Demonic Light

Find the rest of the polls for Round 2 and the bracket from Round 1 here!

Sweden v Dark In Here

We Shall All Be Healed v Goths

Transcendental Youth v The Coroner’s Gambit

The Life of the World to Come v Heretic Pride

Getting Into Knives v All Hail West Texas

Bleed Out v Beat The Champ

The Sunset Tree v All Eternals Deck

Songs for Pierre Chuvin v Tallahassee

[scienter]

Thanks for tagging me @pragmatic-optimist!

Here's five songs I've been listening to:

Now I'm In It - HAIM

HAIM is my favorite modern rock band. I listen to them all the time.

Lavender Haze - Taylor Swift

I'm still obsessively listening to Midnights.

Escapade - Janet Jackson

I love 80s music, and Janet is in regular rotation.

Go Your On Way - Fleetwood Mac

This is my favorite song from my favorite FM album. I listen to it on repeat.

Dreams - The Cranberries

I listen to a lot of 90s music, and this song brings back so many memories.

In general, I listen mostly to older music. Mainly pop, rock, and R&B from the 80s, 90s, and early 00s because it's the music of my childhood. I also listen to a lot of classic rock, pop, and R&B from the 60's & 70s because I love the oldies. There's a handful of contemporary musicians that I listen to (e.g., Taylor, Beyonce, Gaga, HAIM), but for the most part my listening habits are stuck in the past. *shrugs* I guess I prefer nostalgia to novelty.

tagging: @besosquecreanadiccion @wanderlustqueen-writes @knives-and-lint @do-you-think-im-spoopy @thetimble @sahtinekryze

[the-wee-sensitive-listener]

Week 10 Sonic thinking and doing 

Background Music for Stephan Cennydd Voice Over

Land of my Father

Lyrics (in Welsh)

Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn annwyl i mi, Gwlad beirdd a chantorion, enwogion o fri; Ei gwrol ryfelwyr, gwladgarwyr tra mad, Dros ryddid collasant eu gwaed.

(Chorus)

Gwlad, gwlad, pleidiol wyf i’m gwlad. Tra môr yn fur i’r bur hoff bau, O bydded i’r hen iaith barhau.

(Second stanza) Hen Gymru fynyddig, paradwys y bardd, Pob dyffryn, pob clogwyn, i’m golwg sydd hardd; Trwy deimlad gwladgarol, mor swynol yw si Ei nentydd, afonydd, i fi.

(Chorus)

(Third stanza) Os treisiodd y gelyn fy ngwlad tan ei droed, Mae hen iaith y Cymry mor fyw ag erioed, Ni luddiwyd yr awen gan erchyll law brad, Na thelyn berseiniol fy ngwlad.

(Chorus)

Lyrics ( English)

This land of my fathers is dear to me  Land of poets and singers, and people of stature Her brave warriors, fine patriots Shed their blood for freedom

(Chorus)

Land! Land! I am true to my land! As long as the sea serves as a wall for this pure, dear land May the language endure for ever.

Old land of the mountains, paradise of the poets, Every valley, every cliff a beauty guards; Through love of my country, enchanting voices will be Her streams and rivers to me.

(Chorus)

Though the enemy have trampled my country underfoot, The old language of the Welsh knows no retreat, The spirit is not hindered by the treacherous hand Nor silenced the sweet harp of my land.

(Chorus)

Add background sounds to

Steffan Cennydd Voice Over For Resonance FM class project

Hunt the Wren (Condensed version by Bree!)

1. We’ll hunt the wren, says Robin the Bobbin We’ll hunt the wren, says Richard the Robin, We’ll hunt the wren, says Jack o’ the land, We’ll hunt the wren, says everyone.

Chorus Where, oh where, says Robin the Bobbin Where, oh where, says Richard the Robin, Where, oh where, says Jack o’ the land, Where, oh where, says everyone.

In yonder green bush, says Robin the Bobbin In yonder green bush, says Richard the Robin, In yonder green bush, says Jack o’ the land, In yonder green bush, says everyone.

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

2. How’ll get him ate, says Robin the Bobbin How’ll get him ate, says Richard the Robin, With knives and forks, says Jack o’ the land, With knives and forks, says everyone.

Chorus Where, oh where? says Robin the Bobbin Where, oh where? says Richard the Robin, Where, oh where? says Jack o’ the land, Where, oh where? says everyone.

Who’ll come to the dinner? says Robin the Bobbin Who’ll come to the dinner? says Richard the Robin, The king and the queen, says Jack o’ the land, The king and the queen, says everyone.

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

3. Eyes to the blind, says Robin the Bobbin Legs to the lame, says Richard the Robin, Pluck to the poor, says Jack o’ the land, Bones to the dog, says everyone.

Chorus Where, oh where? says Robin the Bobbin Where, oh where? says Richard the Robin, Where, oh where? says Jack o’ the land, Where, oh where? says everyone.

The wren, the wren, the king of all birds, St Stephen’s Day was caught in the furze, Although he is little, his family is great. We pray you good people to give us a treat!

[ladysophiebeckett]

just got home fm watching ‘the invitation’ and i want to extend my apologies to nathalie emmanuel. i said u were not an ‘it girl’. i was wrong. u are an ‘it gothic heroine girl’. 5 stars. i was wrong. apparently that four weddings and a funeral anthology on hulu is just fucking terrible and it was not your fault. nothing is your fault. u are perfect and i love you. 

[shesnake]

“How about it, Watson?”

Knives Out (2019) dir. Rian Johnson

[xthefxrgxttenx]

@4x0hxnxroll​ said : 🤝 + Beth & Emily

texts the other memes at 3 am: 

Neither girl really does this all too seriously, because Emily puts on a much more serious persona she wishes she had to. And Beth just isn’t funny. And if it does happen, it’s done semi-ironically, or at least so they claim, because, God, who sends each other MEMES at 3 in the morning? Which, to that end, despite not being traditionally funny, Beth is the more likely candidate between the two, especially earlier on until Emily feels able to show her dorkier/nerdier aspects to Beth. And the more Beth grows attached, the less and less ironic (and more and more frequent) the memes become. Such is the way of being a walking fucking paradox. But again, with all that sad, it’s not a hugely integral component of their friendship/relationship. And is more just a “Man, I’m fuckin’ bored, can you believe I’m looking up memes about a fuckin’ llama who kidnapped a child? Help me.’ kind of escape.

tries to convince the other to do an idea that definitely sounds questionable:

Both, but for entirely different reasons. Beth is the more unstable wildchild of the two, digging through her brother’s medicine drawer, using Chris for weed and coke, barhopping, fooling around with strangers etc. And Beth can start to have that Jess-effect on Emily as their relationship progresses, drawing her out of her more cautious bubble and giving her a chance to live a much louder and more adventurous life than she’d have if Beth wasn’t around. Emily, however, has that weird impulsive need to flirt with temptation, and will, entirely on a whim, in a random fit of courage, dare Beth to do something more intimately personal between the two. The kind of adventure that Beth would herself wouldn’t ever be able to initiate. (Like kiss her panties in the living room half naked after texting Sam to come help them.) 

is the designated driver and who always gets wasted:

This depends on the night, to be honest, and often just doesn’t happen at all. Beth can be responsible when she wants. And at times can feel almost COMPELLED to be. So if she knew Emily was gonna be off her face smashed and vulnerable, she’d definitely be a designated driver and stay sober enough to keep her safe. But then, I also kind of feel like once Emily starts to notice how weirdly repressed yet impulsive Beth truly is, she’d actually  want to be a designated driver for Beth once in a while so she can not ONLY get wasted, but also get wasted with SOMEONE WHO CARES. However, absent those exceptions, both girls are likely to just get an uber home because rich and fuck life.

always has to host the impromptu sleepover:

BETH. BETH BETH BETH BETH. BETHBETHBETH. BETHHHH. Emily’s dad is an absolute fucking cunt and while he’s more fond of Beth and Hannah on the surface than their brother, Josh, he’s still a bit of an ABSOLUTE FUCKING CUNT. Emily’s parties are therefore ALWAYS meticulously planned, to make sure her dad isn’t out and that she has MORE than enough time to safely clean up before he gets back. Beth, meanwhile... Sure, Beth’s dad might also be a bit of an absolute fucking cunt, but at least he’s an absolute fucking cunt who DOESN’T FUCKING CARE. Her parents spend more time across the national border than in their home country of Canada. Their house is often vacant, save for Josh and Hannah, who are usually always down for getting shit faced, too. Post-Game, Beth has her own little apartment she lives in that Emily could honestly move into if you needed.

who’s netflix account gets mooched off of:

Actually, in a rare turn of events, its BETH who has her account mooched off of. This is due to Emily’s dad paying for her Netflix and being a lot more strict with what he qualifies as APPROPRIATE for his should-be prodigy of a daughter. Beth’s account, however, is paid for by a dad who could literally give zero shits what Beth watches so long as she stays outta trouble. So Emily can safely watch anything she wants on Beth’s Netflix without being judged or berated by her father. (Though she sometimes has to lie to Hannah and Josh about just exactly WHO is mooching. I mean, come on, when is Beth Freakin’ Washington going to watch CELEBRITY MASTERMIND?) Post-Game, however, might be a different story... (As in, Beth kinda estranges herself from her parents and that sweet free money, and Emily might give Beth her pass and then just blame Beth when Henry wonders who the fuck watched an entire season of Sex and The City overnight.) Once Emily also gets cut off, they find the money for an account between themselves.

brings all the snacks and who supplies the movie:

Emily supplies the movie. With two very specific exceptions. Those exceptions being: 1. When its an early premier or pre-release of one of Beth’s dad’s productions. He’s a bit of a narc and LIKES to have any and all eyes he can to appreciate his psychotic masterpieces. And sometimes Beth genuinely likes some of his films and just wants to watch one once in a while. 2. If Beth is super pushy or passionate about a specific movie, Emily will cave but she won’t hide her feelings. If it’s shit she WILL bitch about it. And if it’s REALLY SHIT, she’ll pull the “I wish Jess was here” card. As for snacks... It’s typically Beth because Emily is full anorexic and unlikely to bring anything “snacky” to begin with, and Beth kind of has this weird obsession with eating with people/people watching her eat. So bringing snacks that Emily might wanna eat with her brings Beth a bizarre sense of joy.

is usually the first one to say sorry after a fight:

Beth. Though only if she genuinely sees that she was in the wrong. Both girls are pretty stubborn and guarded like that, but I do feel like Beth would break first, especially later in the relationship when she’s more obsessed. That being said, Emily also has a pretty quiet GUILTY STREAK that sparks up in game. During the pre-order bonus scene she ends up being pretty apologetic/grateful to Matt for handling her “high-maintenance” self, and she is downright terrified and blaming herself in her better Matt endings. And even if this is sometimes rooted in insecurity, I do think she’d be capable of having those moments with Beth as well, provided Beth had shown extensive enough loyalty through a lot of conflict/drama.

is the ‘ mom friend ‘:

Errrrrrr... Kind of see the bit about the designated driver. It’s kind of the same deal, honestly. Beth is repressed mom having a quiet quarter life crisis. Therefore she sometimes takes care of Emily. Emily is a repressed everything who actually does have a soft side beneath that icy fortress, and would feel bad for Beth and wanna let her be a wild child in safety. But then both are also royally fucked up and might just say fuck it all and get wasted and wake up inside each other panties on a park bench one night. That being said, Emily kind of has the encouraging mother role when it comes to Beth’s insecurities, namely her leg and her eating habits. While Beth is sort of Emily’s tough loving mother when Emily is making stupid mistakes like wanting to call Mike at two in the morning when she can’t even stand without using Beth as a crutch. So it really does just sort of depend on the situation and whether one or both of them are going through psychological bullshit at the times.

calls the other at 12 am to wish the other a happy birthday without fail:

I actually don’t know, to be honest. I feel like it would happen, and both would do it almost ritualistically after the first time, but the first time would either be: 1. Emily because she’s actually secretly super organized in life and might genuinely know certain birthdays of certain friends and just do it on impulse one day. Possibly while drunk. Probably while drunk. 2. Beth would do it out of a need to make Emily feel noticed and special once she learns about the true depths of Emily’s insecurities and need for validation and fear that no one would actually give a shit about her birthday if SHE didn’t make a big deal out of it to begin with. Which really it just depends who does it first. I don’t think either is so romantic or sappy to always do it outright. But once it IS done, if at all, then I feel they’d both do in return for the other doing it. LOYALTY & RECIPROCATION.

is the better wingman to the other:

Ummmm... Emily. Definitely Emily. It has to be Emily. Which, that isn’t to say that Emily is a GOOD wingman. It’s to say that Beth honestly COULDN’T wingman for Emily because Beth could never, ever, EVER be able to overcome her own insecurities to willingly guide attention to someone other than herself. Especially when maybe she herself has a small crush on Emily and wants to fuck her and have Emily’s attention all on HER. (It’s definitely not a SMALL crush.) Emily, meanwhile, would probably deflectively (during) or indifferently (early on) wingwoman for Beth because she’s not allowed to be gay and she spends a lot of time hung up on Mike. THAT BEING SAID: Post-Game, I genuinely don’t think Emily would be able to wingman for Beth either.

‘ the strong must protect the sweet ‘ , who’s the ‘ strong ‘ and who’s the ‘ sweet ‘:

HAVE YOU SEEN THEM?! The bitches protect each other. You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. (Maybe literally.) That’s why they’re both designated drivers or moms at different times. That’s why Beth lets Emily use her netflix or stay over. That’s why Emily would at all want to take care of Beth during wild nights out. That being said, I do think, by literal definition, that Emily is physically stronger than Beth (especially post-game due to muscular dystrophy and her fucked up leg post-mine) while Beth might be sweeter than Emily. at least on the surface. But yeah, it’s again SITUATIONAL, based on whether one needs PROTECTING or one needs to be CARED FOR.

pulls the other up for karaoke to sing a duet together:

Oh. It’s Beth. Let’s be real. No fucking way does Emily do karaoke voluntarily. Meanwhile, Beth is a wildchild, as stated, and more importantly she LOVES noise -- ESPECIALLY MUSIC. Hell, it’s her FAVORITE NOISE, even. (Apart from Emily moaning. AHEM.) So Beth would absolutely drag Emily up for karaoke, even if Emily was bitching about it every frictional heel-scrape of the way. The ONLY example possible where Emily takes Beth on stage is out of SPITE. If Jess or Mike or Matt or Hannah has pissed her off sufficiently, maybe peer-pressured her into it, and Emily wants to HURT them. And depending on the specific atmosphere, Beth might just be up for being Emily’s metaphorical blade.

[mieux-de-se-taire]

Vampires Will Never Hurt You - MCR Interviews

Anemic Magazine Interview - 7/1/02

Paragraph 24

Interviewer: Some rumours I have heard is that you guys like bats. What's the fascination with them? Is it the Will Haven song BATS, or you just like the species? Gerard: Haha...the whole bat thing came about at an early practice when Mikey joined and we finally gelled. Our energy just came together and a giant heavy metal vortex opened up and out flew a swarm of bats. We all saw it. It was like an awakening. After that we accepted bats into our lives. It was also while we were playing "Vampires Will Never Hurt You" so it probably had a lot to do with that. 

/

89.5 WSOU FM Interview - 7/11/02

20:58-21:02, 21:10-21:14, 22:03-22:19, 26:28-27:12

Ray: (After being asked his favorite song to play live (20:20)) As far as live, Vampires is always incredible Interviewer: Right Ray: ‘Cause it’s just so fun to play ... Frank: I like Knives a lot to play, and...Vampires is always fun ... Gerard: My favorite to record, um, that’s a tough one. Vampires, even though it was done before the whole album. I was-- that was awesome because there like was this huge storm that rolled in when we recorded it, and it was so cool. And everybody thought like I (I’ll?) let some bats go and stuff, and that was really cool ... Interviewer: But let’s talk about Vampires, and then we’re gonna play it for everybody Gerard: Okay, um, it’s obviously this metaphor for something that, you know, had happened, not just to me but like a lot of people in real life. It’s kinda-- I don’t know if I should give away too much ‘cause a lot of people take away their own things from it, you know, but um Interviewer: Right.That’s what’s also good, I think, about the record, that you can interpret it your own way, apply it to your own life, and it may not mean the same thing but... Gerard: Yeah, I mean like I get emails from people saying like how the song helped them get through a situation that-- and like what their meaning of the song meant to them and it helped them, and I thought that was awesome, so I don’t want ever, on this one especially, to divulge too much of what it’s about ‘cause it’s pretty personal, but (laughs)... but um, it’s like, you know, it’s about vampires. (Everyone laughs)

/

Sucker Newspaper Interview + src - July 2002

Paragraph 2

Interviewer: You got Geoff [Rickly] of Thursday to produce your record. How did you hook up with him? Gerard: Mikey and I met the talented Mr. Rickly when Thursday first signed to Eyeball Records. We played him the rough of “Vampires Will Never Hurt You” which he liked so much we asked him to produce the record. He accepted.

/

Dot Alt Interview - 8/30/02

Paragraph 7

Gerard: We take a semi-autobiographical approach to things, with some roots in fiction. We try and connect with people in a more abstract way, to get more meaning out of what we’re trying to say. Interviewer: Like using cult imagery on Vampires Will Never Hurt You?  Gerard: Yeah, obviously we use vampires as a metaphor for something else, something deeper than just the supernatural. But there's just something about the bloodsucking walking dead, that can say so much to people. There are really so many people trying to get control over you on a daily basis and steal your soul in some way, take a part of you...

/

Noise Theory Interview - 11/13/02

Page 1, paragraph 6

Interviewer: ‘Vampires Will Never Hurt You' is a truly amazing song. How did it come about? Ray: The writing process for most of our songs starts out with one band member having an idea of what the song should be, usually its already written in his head and its just a matter of getting it out. Gerard had this idea for a 6 minute song that had multiple changes, guitar breaks, a slow breakdown at the end, pretty much everything was in his head before we ever played a single note. The song was still tough to write though, because we were having trouble writing the chorus for it. Matt really helped on this one because what he plays on drums can sometimes just totally inspire you to try something different, and that’s what happened with this one. Somewhere there Is a version of us playing Vampires with the old chorus...it sucks. No pun intended. As for the lyrics, I know Gerard was inspired by a trip to a seedy bar. I'm not sure what the hell was going on there, but it made for a great song!

Page 2, paragraph 1

Interviewer: MCR’s music can be pretty varied, do you have a particular favorite song that you like to play live?

Ray: Hmm...live I think my favorite songs to play are Our Lady of Sorrows, just because of the pure energy in the song, and Vampires, because it has quiet parts that gradually explode and it’s fun to see kids whig out when that happens.

/

Radio Takeover Interview - 6/17/03

Paragraph 9

Interviewer: Well, is there even a message or is it the kind of message that people realize for themselves, a subjective one? Frank: It's both. Gerard: There are some things that we say directly to people and there are the things that we want people to get out of it. When you get the message out of something yourself. Matt: It means a lot more. Gerard: It's more rewarding. A song like "Vampires" is probably our most metaphorical song. Matt: It's not about vampires at all. Gerard: Because vampires don't exist and I'm not even going to fucking talk about them anymore. You get what you want out of that though. Frank: It is about something though. Gerard: Yeah, it is about something that happened to me and we have a lot of different messages and hopefully we have a lot of time to tell them all. Frank: I think the best line in that song, is "I'll never let them hurt you." That is the best line. Gerard: That is the most important line in the song because that is the line where nothing else matters in the set. When I say that line, sometimes I am completely spent and it's funny because it's a breather line and it means the most.

Paragraph 11

Interviewer: The lyric, "It's hard to say I'm shakin’ by the choices that I make, I choose this life I've taken." What is the hardest choice you've had to make to get to this life that you've taken? Gerard: Sacrificing being with our loved ones and our family and all the people who have made us who we are. Sacrificing spending time with them. Frank: when we were in Jersey our friends and our family were the only people who gave a shit about anything that we did and what we were putting out and no one else cared, and we have made a choice to get out to as many people as we can and to meet the people we reach. It's hard for us and it will continue to be hard for us for as long as we do this to be away from those people though.

/

89.5 WSOU FM Interview - 7/3/03

21:58-23:10

Interviewer: (Unintelligible) wants to know what Vampires Will Never Hurt You is about. Gerard: (Frank laughing in the background) Vampires Will Never Hurt You, obviously vampires don’t exist, it’s obviously metaphorical, just so everybody knows I don’t believe in vampires. (More laughter in the background) It’s about basically seedy bars and seedy people you meet at those seedy bars that will have nothing better to do than keep you from growing up and/or being responsible and not drinking and not being an alcoholic and just sucking you into their world. (Unintelligible comment from Mikey that Gerard repeats) No, it’s about-- it’s about that. It’s, you know-- there’s no such thing as vampires, and I know that (band laughs). Ray: You just broke a lot of kids’ hearts. Frank: Whoa, whoa, whoa. What about glampires? Gerard: And, uh-- and you should know that too! Wise up dude! (band laughs) Like it’s just movies, c’mon, and-- seriously it’s a metaphor for other things in life, be it drug addiction, heroin addiction, stuff like that, and being-- Matt: (Interrupts) Coca cola Gerard: Coca cola and being involved with really crappy people, you know what I mean, people that just have nothing better to do with their lives than drink with you and drag you down with them.

/

Equal Music Interview - 10/31/03

Paragraph 16

Interviewer: There are a couple theories circulating about your repeated mention of vampires in your lyrics. Can you clear that up? Gerard: It’s a metaphor for being in your twenties and getting sucked into that singles alcoholic nightlife culture, ya know what I mean? It’s interesting, because you’ll find that a lot of bands use the supernatural as a gimmick, and that’s really all it is, it’s just like horror punk, and that’s all it is. We’re not really into vampires. I like to wear black, but...

/

Alternative Press #197 - 9/17-20/04

Page 3, paragraph 10 to page 4, paragraph 1

“As soon as it came time for Gerard to do vocals for ‘Vampires [Will Never Hurt You],’ this insane storm hit,” Saavedra remembers. “Gerard was getting very frustrated because it was his first time recording, decently, in an actual studio. He was overwhelmed and he was over-thinking it... So I punched him in the face!” The blow loosened Gerard’s jaw and somehow gave him the motivation to take to the mic and rip a bite out of the track.

Gerard laughs triumphantly, “I remember it hurting a lot, and going, ‘All right, I hope I can do this.’ I remember singing, and something clicked. I remember Alex’s face was just amazed that the song was finally coming together. I think it was the second take that we ended up using.”

/

Blaring Out Show Interview - 9/28/04

2:26-3:17

Gerard: The coolest thing that ever happened was the first time it ever happened was the head of our street team, Carlos, who we love very very much-- he was really our first fan. He was our first big fan, and he IM’ed me one day on the computer, and I didn’t know who he was, and he said that Vampires Will Never Hurt You off the first record, to him, it was helping him get through high school because he saw all these people that were, you know, kind of, I guess, not so much jocks and stuff, but just people that were picking on him and stuff. And it actually kind of scared me when I first heard it, and I was like ‘Oh man, people are going to start thinking people are vampires, and they’re gonna to try to shoot them with shotguns,’ and I got kinda scared about all of that, but you know, it ended up-- it just helped him get through a really bad relationship where a girl was jerking him around in high school and all the people had picked on him, so, you know, that-- obviously, the song is about being an alcoholic, but, not to him, you know, and that’s the coolest part.

/

Circus Magazine Interview - July 2005

Page 2, paragraph 8 to page 3, paragraph 1

Gerard: We were in the studio 3 months later to record our debut album ‘I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love’ for the New Jersey label Eyeball and we were trying to record the song Vampires - all of a sudden I was frozen, I simply couldn’t sing, I couldn’t talk, I just stood there like a piece of wood, I know I was terribly nervous and there was thunderstorm brewing outside, all I could hear was the sound of the rain and the thunder, I really thought that’s it, I’m never going to make it, then the label boss Alex walked up to me and he just hit me right in the face. I snapped out of my state and everything worked out fine!

/

Zero Magazine Interview - December 2005

Page 5, paragraph 10 and page 7, paragraph 1

Gerard: There’s always a fear that people might overlook “I Brought You My Bullets...” Occasionally, when we play on this tour, with the exception of Vampires and Our Lady of Sorrows, we play 4 or 5 old songs, usually when the venue’s quietest - but then again, when we play the UK, those are some of their favorite songs. The UK was very accepting of Bullets, whereas America didn’t know about it. They like hearing it, they’re just not familiar with it.

/

Kerrang #1142 - 1/17/07

Page 10, paragraph 5 to paragraph 7

“I was about to sing ‘Vampires Will Never Hurt You’,” remembers Gerard. “There was a storm forming outside, my teeth were hurting, and then Alex came up to me, gave me a hug, then punched me right in the mouth. I think he did the right thing, to tell you the truth. It was an act of love, but I was fucking riled. I went up to the mic and nailed it first time. We listened to it in the van ride back. It was just the loudest, gnarliest, darkest, most melodic song I’d ever heard. It was fucking amazing.”

Forcing himself into character is a trick Gerard has repeated ever since.

“It’s almost like method acting,” he says. “‘Vampires’ was definitely the first instance of that.”

/

Kerrang #1143 - 1/17/07

Paragraph 5

Gerard: Again, it had a visual quality. That song [Headfirst for Halos] and ‘Vampires Will Never Hurt You’ both gave us a real sense of identity. They brought in the entire gothic thing. It was those songs that made people think we were a vampire band!

/

BBC Radio 1 Audio Documentary - 2007

15:06-15:56

Gerard: We went to do ‘Vampires,’ and it was, still to this day, like, the most magical, incredible recording experience I’ve ever been a part of next to, really, making The Black Parade. But nothing beats your first time on a mic. (‘Vampires’ plays for a few seconds) Gerard: There was an energy. It wasn’t that I was nervous or anything, there was just this energy. There was this storm building outside, everybody had tracked the instruments, and it was sounding incredible, you know. (’Vampires’ continues to play) Gerard: And it was very inspired, and I was outside with Alex [Saavedra], and he just clocked me in the face. Alex: He was getting really hard on himself, and you could tell, and he was really losing it, so...I helped him focus, and I punched him.

/

MCR Forum Interview - 10/30/10

Paragraph 4

Ray: And after we wrote Na Na Na we really felt ‘wow the sky is the limit, we can try so many different things!’ So the song that we ended up writing after Na Na Na was Vampire Money, which has the same energy. And then the song after that that we wrote was Planetary (GO), which has a different energy, but it’s something that we’ve always tried to write, but we never did one hundred percent. If you look at a song like Vampires Will Never Hurt You, it has a little bit of that. It doesn’t have the electronics in it, but it easily could.

/

Grammy Museum Interview - 1/26/11

25:15-25:34, 26:16-27:12

Frank: I remember being a fly on the wall when they finished ‘Vampires Will Never Hurt You,’ and that was the first song that you guys really recorded, and it was like...you guys were so excited about it. You were like “Oh my god, this-- you gotta hear this song!” And they would play it over and over again, and then, after they played it, they would all high-five each other. (Crowd and interviewer laugh) And they were like “That was awesome!” And I’m just like “Yeah, that was really cool.” ... Frank: So ‘Vampires Will Never Hurt You’ was the first song that was actually really really recorded. They did like 3 songs in an attic, but like, they went to a studio to record ‘Vampires.’ And as soon as you guys recorded it, I think-- it got played on pirate radio, which is like Seton Hall in New Jersey, and then we put it up on the internet. And, within a month after that, there was A&R people from major labels calling the studio, which was-- it was ridiculous ‘cause like, at that point, Thursday had a lot of heat on them, which is another amazing band from Jersey, Midtown was getting signed, Saves the Day was getting signed, and so there was this crazy thing going on, and, you know, My Chem was kind of getting pushed into this circle. And there was a lot of attention, and we were playing shows and kids were going off. It was immediate though, like, in that circle-- I wasn’t even in the band at that point, but when you heard that song, you knew something amazing was going to happen. I don’t know how to pinpoint it, but, like, there was something really special.

[arcaneblaine]

WORDS | josh kiszka

Pairing: Josh Kiszka x fm!reader

Summary: A fight leaves your home torn, in more ways than one.

Category: angst, fluff

Word Count: ~1080

CW: mommy issues, toxicity, vague fight, mentions of knives, happy ending

Request:

a/n: we only listenin to hozier tonight ladies. i wanna hurt ~uncle gene

make a request ♡

The food was growing cold between the two of you, mashed around on plates to give the impression that you were both eating. The tension was thicker than the stew poured into the glass bowls that your mother had handed down to you when you’d moved in together. The pattern was faded now, cracks chipping the rims from various dishwashing mishaps.

You felt embarrassed under the careful gaze of smiling faces, listening to the quiet droning on between you and Josh, your mind heavy with the argument you had had previously in the night. Josh’s thumb rolled over your knuckles as he held your hand, an action that always seemed to accompany your nightly dinners. One might call it a “rain or shine” event because it didn’t matter if the two of you were at each other’s throats moments before.

You let your eyes drift away from the yellowing wallpaper, resting on his soft features cast forward towards the middle of the dark wooden tabletop. You chewed on the inside of your cheek. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stir anything up,” you muttered, squeezing his hand gently, making him sigh more to himself than anything. Your words were slightly condescending, almost trying to draw out an apology from him as well.

He swallowed, face tilting mildly as he shorted his thoughts out. You waited patiently, each second feeling like years as they dragged past. “Let’s not start again,” he responded finally. “We’re just going in circles,” he continued, the pad of his thumb dipping between your knuckles. He was stern, but the soft look behind his eyes still told you he loved you.

You bit your tongue, fighting the urge to layer a tinge of heat into your voice. “Why does it bother you so much?” You asked, struggling to catch his gaze.

He finally looked at you, wetting his lips. “Don’t,” he answered. “You’re being a control freak.”

Your eyebrows perked at his retort, a scoff slipping past his lips. “I’m not a control freak. How is this-” He tilted his head, looking at you emotionlessly. You furrowed your brows as you trailed off.

He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, gesturing to your figure. “Look at you,” he nodded, making you drop your tense shoulders and lean back. You slipped your hand from his grasp. His fingers curled into themselves at the absence of your touch.

Your mind raced, trying to keep you from letting his words get to you, even though they felt like blunt knives raking across your chest. You took in a breath, finally giving in to his dismissal of the argument. “You’re right,” you concluded, letting a beat of silence pass between the two of you. You stood quietly, reaching for the bowls.

His hand darted for your wrist, his grip gentle but firm as he stood as well. “Stop it, seriously,” he spoke, voice tender as his eyes pleaded with you. You shrugged him off slightly, making him huff and plop back down into his seat. “This is what I’m talking about; the martyr act,” he pointed. “Your mom does the same shit.”

You were quiet, watching him with a chill in your bones. You wanted to vomit at his words. Instead, you dropped what you were holding, keeping eye contact with him as your heart felt like a stone in your chest. He hollowed his cheeks, regret draining the color from his features.

He’d crossed a line; shattered it like the chipped bowls at your feet. You trampled out of the kitchen, the door swinging shut behind you to seal Josh in with his thoughts. You couldn’t truly remember what the two of you were even arguing about, but you knew you were already regretting some of the harsh words you’d thrown at him. You pried the front door open and plopped down on your front steps, letting your tears finally show how mentally exhausted you were.

As you cried, the stars seemed to peer down at you from beneath the clouds. You’d hoped that Cassiopeia didn’t look upon you with disappointment, or Polaris’ twinkling hues weren’t a sign of discontent.

You pulled your knees closer to your chest as you settled into your spot on the steps. The wind brushed against your cheeks, wicking away some of your tears and threading its gentle fingers through your hair. The quietness of the outdoors comforted you, helping you to soothe your troubled mind.

The next few days felt cold---lonely even---in your tiny house. What was once a warm and inviting abode had chilled into a desolate, cramped arena. He knew he had overstepped, and while you tried not to make him pay, you found yourself growing quieter around him.

You could tell Josh was walking around on eggshells. Sure, you slept beside him in the same bed, ate dinner in the chair across from him, and greeted him when you came home, but that was the extent of it. You could tell by the look in his eyes that he was itching to wrap you in his arms and pour his heart out to you. Whenever the two of you fought, it always ended with basking in each other’s presence; hushed apologies, and vows of love.

Especially if one of you cried.

You came home late one night, shaking the rain off your coat as you stepped into the entryway. Josh strode in carefully from the kitchen, helping you discard your wet outer layers gently. The quietness between the two of you was almost comfortable for the first time that week. His hands reached out to you, seemingly testing the waters in the tension pool.

You leaned into his touch, allowing him to rest his hands on the sides of your face and pulling you close to him. You let your eyes drift shut in the comfort of his familiar scent, the warmth from his body encompassing you as your arms wrapped around his torso. “I didn’t mean it,” he whispered, pressing his forehead to yours. “I’m so sorry,” he murmured, pressing his lips to the corner of your mouth sweetly.

“I’m sorry too,” you echoed, leaning to kiss him back. “I hate fighting with you.”

His hands moved to thread into your hair, letting his grasp slip around you as he pulled you against his body. He seemed relieved as his shoulders relaxed, burying his nose in the crook of your neck. A solace settled over your house once again, the broken dishes set to be pieced together tomorrow.

© arcaneblaine 2021

[banyanas]

Essential parts of the FM roadside ecosystem:

-guy who sells peaches out of the back of his truck

-guy who sells knives out of the back of his truck