#how many years was it..? 4 years of playing trumpet i think

[midnightclover]

🌻

another thing...

i used to play trumpet and french horn. i wasnt half bad either! at trumpet at least. i started on french horn later so i was kinda way worse.

eventually though, band was so bad for me mentally that it kinda crushed all my passion for making music.. for a while at least. havent picked up an instrument since. though now thats mostly cus of how expensive they are lol

[psychesetra]

familiarity; pov surna

surna wandering the fantasy universe and seeing 5 things that remind him of his wife, and setra on the other side of the world remembering one thing that reminds her of surna.

* • + • *

1. sunflowers face the sun

surnaturel wasn’t one to take walks too often. the nature around him had too much game for him to not bring out his shotgun and start hunting.

but this morning felt unsettlingly calm. it was one of the very, very few times he had woken up and thought he was next to his wife again.

of course he wasn’t. she was dead.

he walked out the front door, smile more of a grimace. he could barely see in the morning sun.

funny, how the light can blind one to the truth.

as he walked, he noticed a larger patch of yellow and gold in his line of sight. turning his head a little to see better, he noticed a field of flowers.

sunflowers.

oh, this world loved tormenting him, didn’t it?

sunflowers, just like the ones setra gave him. sunflowers, just like the ones she would put in his hair. sunflowers, just like the ones she used to grow.

sunflowers, that turned to face the sun like she turned to face him.

2. a deep, wine red

setra had adored the color red, especially the shade surnaturel wore every day.

the dresses she performed in were always varying shades of red, deep and dark, like wine.

she put ribbons with roses in her hair, to make her ‘more dazzling,’ she said. (and why does she need that? she was already drop-dead gorgeous in just a nightgown, surnaturel thought.)

the blood on her lips was red too.

when he found her in that dumpster, chest unmoving, eyes unseeing, he thinks a part of him died along with her that day.

the blood on her lips was so, so red.

3. books in stacks on your lap

surnaturel and setra both shared a love for reading, but hers was more obsessive – if she deemed a book good enough, she could finish it in days, or just one.

her favorites were always stacked next to his bed.

romance upon romance was all she read, and the twenty-odd books he was looking through were proof.

he wishes the last one didn’t remind him of her so much.

a whirlwind romance in which a performer and one of her fans falls in love, all while keeping it secret to keep her fame.

it was as if their love had just been turned into a book, into fiction, as if she didn’t exist.

he hates it.

4. song and dance, i hum and prance

with setra being a stage performer and all that, of course every song and dance would remind surnaturel of her.

the radio was playing a few of his favorite tunes. had been for a while, until he heard the familiar violin and trumpet of a certain song.

‘never thought that you would be,’

‘standing here so close to me..’

“there’s so much i feel that i should say..” he sang along, feeling nostalgic. the last time he had listened to this song was years and years ago, when he had danced with setra in their room.

‘but words can wait, until some other day..’

5. the farm out back, it smells like you

setra had loved taking care of plants when she was still alive.

surnaturel remembered their backyard was filled with sunflowers and roses and so many kinds of camellias.

so now, he stands before the freshly planted seeds in his backyard, in this new world he knew nothing about.

he wishes he would find his love again. just maybe, he will. maybe he’ll find her as the camellias bloom, and he can give her a bouquet.

he can dream.

+1. radio in the back

setra hadn’t listened to the radio in years.

she had one. a very old model, hidden in the back of the living room.

one day, though, lily found it. confused, she managed to turn it on.

everyone in the room heard the violin and the trumpets.

especially setra.

as if puppeteered by strings, she started singing along.

‘kiss me once, then kiss me twice, then kiss me once again,’

“it’s been a long, long time..”

oh, it really had been. she wishes she could see her husband again.

“haven’t felt like this, my dear, since can’t remember when..”

it’s been a long, long time.

* • + • *

i hope you all liked this !! i really love to write abt my ocs so here is one of them pining for the other so much it made my heart hurt

[daisybell17]

Falling for the Joutun boy

Prologue: Instead of the government system Midgard uses in our world, this version of our world falls under a royal family that governs over all the nations.

That being said, you were a princess of this family which meant thousands of people adored you, and several princes definitely had their eye on you as you aged.

Though your eye was on one Joutun boy. Your family has made a deal with the kingdom of Joutunheim that would end the thousand year war and unite both realms, and that’s where you met Loki. You were both only about 4 years of age when you both met and oh how you enjoyed his presence. The games you both played and the stories and jokes you would tell each other, it was nothing but pure happiness and awe.

Even as a young princess you had your eye on him, and as he possessed the power of ice, he often start snowball fights with you and build ice castles. Oh the more and more did you enjoyed his company…Until Asgard raged war against Joutunheim…Many of Joutunheim’s people were either captured or perished, and all that remained, retreated to earth…

Unfortunately Loki was one of the captured, and you hadn’t seen him since…until today?

Invited to an Asgardian ball, your family had decided to go. They knew your hatred of the Asgardian royal family after they destroyed Joutunheim but nevertheless, you had to go for formality reasons.

Arriving at Asgard, you felt a wave of anxiety flush over your body…as if being here felt wrong. Don’t get me wrong, Asgard was beautiful without a doubt…it was the royalty of that land you had your problems with.

Showing up to the palace, your family name was announced and you made your way in…and holy hell was it an amazingly beautiful palace…what? no?! How could you think this was beautiful?! These people destroyed homes…

You made your way to the assigned seat and watched as each royal family poured in…

”Unfortunately Family Laufeyson will not be making their appearance tonight”

“Well no shit?!” You thought, “They destroyed Joutunheim and had the gall to announce something like that?! Ignorant assholes?!”

As the night went on you failed to enjoy yourself. Watching everyone interact and share lively conversations made you feel left out, well to be fair you didn’t not want to be there in the first place but you still wanted to talk with people

A loud trumpet echoed the halls which signaled the introduction of Odin, Frigga and their children

“I present King Odin and Queen Frigga of Asgard.” They both walked into the great hall hand in hand with smiles plastered on their faces

You rolled your eyes in your head, not really paying attention to what was happening

“I present Thor Odinson, first born son and prince Asgard. And Loki Odinson, second born son and prince of Asgard.

“hUH WHAT?!” Your head snapped at the announcement of Loki’s name, almost chocking on your own saliva.

Looking down you see Loki…it’s actually him?! But wait, Odinson?! You couldn’t take your eyes of the prince. It’s been nearly 15 years since you last saw him…and admittedly you found yourself turning red, he’s definitely grown into a fine young man.

Watching him walk across, you turned to your parents who seemed to be just as shocked as you. “Prince Loki…As in…Loki Laufeyson?” Your mother said. “I…how is this even possible mother?” No one really had a response, how do you even…explain this?!

You waited with little patience as the formal announcements ended and the ball continued. Your eyes were fixed on Loki who seemed…anxious? nervous? You couldn’t tell, but he was clearly uncomfortable.

You made your way down and to Loki as fast as you could…Tapping him on his back, he turned around as you captured his attention. “Oh…Hi! Uh can I help you princess?”

“You’re Loki…Odinson…right?”

“Why yes I am! Might I say princess you look fine tonight”

You blush at his words and reciprocate the compliment back to him. Since you knew Loki quite well from childhood, you brought up topics of interest. It would be crazy of you to suddenly ask personal questions, or worse, let him find out who he was and his truth within seconds.

Safe to say he was immediately entranced by you, as if he knew you all his life. No one ever showed much interest in him growing up, often he was pushed aside by Odin. Frigga and Thor loved him dearly but even with that love, he could still feel that separation, always knowing he was different.

As your shared conversation with food and drinks continued on, he invited you to go out to the garden. It was quite loud inside and a nice late night chat by the beautiful flowers seemed perfect.

Leading you outside, you both sat by the bench, watching the starts and moon

“You know, I didn’t expect to enjoy this ball at all, then you came up and talked to me…” He flashed a small smile at you, causing a small blush to form around your cheeks

“Well I have to thank you too…This is definitely not how I expected this night to go at all…I didn’t even want to go at first but my mother kinda forced me out” You chuckled, remembering just how pissed off you were hours ago.

“Oh? Are you not a fan of balls?” He questions, raising his eyebrows.

“haha balls” Your mind quickly diverts to. Quickly shoving your humour away you answer back “Erm, not that i’m not a fan of royal balls…I like the dresses and food…but if I had the choice not to attend, I probably wouldn’t”

“Hmmm me too I guess…I show up here for formality and because im the “great prince of Asgard!”” He air quotes sarcastically. “As if i’m even treated like a god…let alone a person here” He scoffs

“What do you mean? Are people hurting you?”

“I guess you could put it like that…” looking away from you, it’s obvious this topic makes him uncomfortable

“Hey we don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to”

“No no…I want to…I don’t get to tell my story to many people…”

The conversation pauses for a second as the night sounds settle in. Loki is looking at the ground, it seems like he’s gathering his thoughts of what to say.

“Growing up I…I was just never treated as equal…or even as a person…Yes my mother was always there and Thor…well was Thor. I know he loves me dearly and I think the world of him…It’s just…Odin and everyone else on Asgard. I was just…never enough in anyone’s eyes…even my own. There’s always just something different about me…I just never really knew what it was…”

You didn’t say anything and let the silence of the night take over…”I figured out I wasn’t straight a long time ago…but even then something never really clicked…Like something from my youth was missing, or gone, or never existed..I-I’m sorry I know I’m making no sense right now” He says as some tears start coming in

“Hey hey…” You say…Should you tell him? Let the secret out? But how could you do it? No not yet…

“Hey” You offer your hand for him to hold. Looking at your gesture he grasped you firmly.

You take a deep breath and worked something up “Hey…look…we spend our lives in search for something, anything that would make sense and even then we sometimes don’t find it…And I-what the”

Suddenly your hands start to glow. The light coming from you and Loki’s hands entranced you. Snapping your head up you met with Loki’s eyes…and he was finally the Loki you first knew

“Y-You…I-I know you” Loki said. “I know me…I…” He looked at himself as his entire body shifted…Shifting back to his true form. Eyes going wide as his skin turns blue, it’s a beautiful sight in your eyes.

Then you pulled away and it all stopped. Stepping back you were met face to face with the Joutun boy you fell for. “Loki…are you…are you ok?”

He didn’t speak…He couldn’t take his eyes off his hands…that’s when the tears started falling and his knees met the ground. His head peeked up, and a smile plastered his face.

“The Midgardian princess who saved my land…The girl who spent a part of my youth with…Oh the games we played and the stories we told and the snowballs fight we shared…I know you…”

“Oh Loki…” You started tearing up… “Do you remember now?”

“I do…and I was right…and oh I love you…”

“What?!” You said laughing “W-What do you me-“

“You really didn’t think I had my eye on you since we were kids? Oh you were the prettiest girl i’ve ever met…and you played with me?! You touched my heart from day one” Loki said now holding your hand

Your heart was starting to melt, he noticed you just as much as you noticed him. “Oh Loki!” You hugged him close “You remember! You know me…you know…you!”

“I do…oh gods I do!” He hugged you close…”There is still…too much to figure out and what to do…You promise you aren’t terrified…I’ve heard the stories of Joutun’s…and now that I know everything…I don’t know how to feel..?”

“Loki…Oh my prince…The color that paint your skin is one that I adore. Your eyes of red shine bright into my soul. The cold touch is freezing for sure, but my warmth match and I promise…I promise…I find peace within you and in that peace…I love you. I love you my Joutun boy…”

He smiles and held you close…He might have his memory back for now, but the road to acceptance and love for himself and you is yet to blossom to its fullest. But in this moment…he smiles knowing that someone fell for him…for who he really was…For Loki.

[antisocialgaycat]

since none of y'all know how the music program at my skl works i can rant so bands for next year came out today right

like 5 minutes ago

and in that time i have screamed eight times, lied down on the floor twice and almost broken my clarinet three and a half times this is because:

1. how the fuck did j move up and i didnt i am like 20 times better than him and this isnt ego its literal facts (but hey at least he's gone)

2. jazz bands havent come out yet ???????? why

3. i just found 2 new keys that dont work on my clarinet and i realised that i broke the barrel even more

4. also we have no fhorns cos they all moved up or are still in the band below which is sad but also wtf why we deserve fhorns

5. mhgfgjhkgybj i thought the tree licker was gone but i forgot she also does percussion so i still have to deal with her unfortunately (she moved up for trumpet btw)

6. why did s move down a band he deserves better

7. my sister didnt move up to the top band but other worse people did and thats not ok she deserves better

8. why. are. there. no. jazz. bands. yet.

9. c should have moved up she was the best out of all of us but yet shes still in my band (shes first clari tho)

10. why did n move up a band. wait. did he replace s. he better have fucking not.

11. i broke a reed earlier and now im sad

12. l is still one of our percussionists. for the third year in a row. aaaaaaaaaaa why must we suffer this way

13. why are there only 9 clarinets. there were 19 of us last year 14. WHY ARE THERE SO MANY FLUTES

15. how dare jem move up now i have no one to subtly flip off from across the band

16. WE HAVE NO OBOES???????????????

17. we have 1 (one) bassoon

18. i think they made us have 3 different types of saxophone to make up for the fact that we have so little instruments (bad idea)

19. why did they combine treble voices and the boys choir that was a terrible idea

20. why are there so many concerts next term

21. why doesnt wb2 have a tuba ????? 22. why does wb4 only have alto saxophones ?????

23. how the actual fuck did y not move up at least to my band if not higher she deserves it

24. they spelt one of my friends names wrong

25. did n just die cos she definitely still plays flute but isnt in any band

26. one of my best friends will have to share a stand with b who doesnt understand the concept of deodorant i wish her the best of luck

27. unrelated but i think i lost my glasses (again)

28. also m just got completely forgotten too

29. i have to deal with ms e for another full year

30. i do not want to sing with the combined choir cos half of them dont want to be there and i also hate chris with a passion

i think 30 reasons is enough but i have more i am so pissed sdfsfgbgdfs

[emeritus-fuckers]

Howdy hey I'm interested in trying the match-up event. I always enjoy reading the things y'all've written.

Apologies in advance if this is a mess. 1. Identity: I am nonbinary, use they/them and she/her pronouns. I'm bisexual and a bit on the demisexual side.

2. Who I like: I'm cool with either the papas or ghouls

3. What I look like: I'm 5'8" and chubby. I'm pretty strong and got some muscle so I'm built perfect for giving big hugs and cuddles (though it'll take a bit of convincing to get me cuddly). At the moment my hair is dyed bright red but it changes colors often. Both my eyes have sectoral heterochromia and are green with a bright blue chunk. I usually wear all black graphic tees, skinny jeans, boots, and fun colored socks that often show because i never find pants that are long enough in my size lol.

4. My personality: I am introverted but enjoy being around others even if it wears me out. I'm good with kids (I'm a human jungle gym at this point) and people tend to tell me their secrets and find it easy to be open/themselves around me. I'd say i'm pretty smart but I will do stupid things just because i'm curious. Folks i'm comfortable around will never hear the end of my current interests and I'm a complete goofball (I've been banned from being funny at the table because i've caused too many people to choke laughing oops). It takes a while to actually get to know me deeply because I keep things close to my chest and dont open up easily. I've got a lot of anxiety and some baggage that I keep hidden but I'm working on I swear. I can get really competitive over trivial things and can turn anything into a game. I sometimes go MIA when im distracted with whatever the hell i'm into at that time but when I reappear there's always something new to share. (I can tell you everything you never wanted to know about pipe organs!)

5. Interests: I've got the adhd so my interests bounce around a lot. I like making things and I mess around with a lot with different crafts. I do a lot of fiber arts stuff and I've also recently been whittling bears (I have a few around somewhere). I love music both listening and playing it. I play 8 instruments (violin, viola, cello, mandolin, ukulele, trumpet, trombone, and french horn) but I'm best with the violin because i've been playing it for around 17 years. I'm also teaching myself accordion and guitar. I play video games sometimes and I especially enjoy getting 100% completion. In general I love learning anything and everything and am a "jack of many trades but master of none"

6.Trivia: My favorite movie is fantasia 2000 and recently I completed my goal of performing every music piece in an orchestra (The Pines of Rome and the Firebird Suite are my favs). I collect knickknacks and random things I find and use them to decorate my spaces and I have a skeleton with a mustache in a wizard costume in the back seat of my car and its name is Todd. I also keep googly eyes in my bag just in case

This post is part of the 1000 followers match up event. Entries for the event are now closed.

Your match is...Swiss

You and Swiss quickly became friends, he's so excited by things and so enthusiastic that you got swept up in it all. He's charming and really sweet to you, so you started to fall for him. One day you were sitting outside, Swiss taking a large drag of his vape before he looks at you and grins. "I love ya, you know that right gorgeous one?" You blush and blurt out that you feel the same way. Swiss responds by biting your shoulder just under the collar of your t-shirt. "There now it's offical" he says so excited he's practically jumping up and down "you're my mate!"

Swiss adores your eyes, he thinks they are the most awesome thing ever, and so beautiful. He tells you this a lot.

Swiss adores how much of a goofball you are, he is too, and you spend a lot of time together both laughing so hard you end up tearing up.

If your anxeity is getting bad he will cuddle and do anythig he can to help. If things get too much and you seem sad he'll hold you. He will cuddle you as long as you need. Then he'll try and take your mind off things, anything to get you to laugh a little and smile. Swiss is chaos personified but one thing is constant for him, he loves you and is devoted to you.

Swiss can keep up with your changing interestests. Infact he loves it! This Ghoul enjoys chaos and jumping around from thing to thing, that keeps him occupied. Whatever you get into he'll throw himself into it completely with you.

He is fascinated by all the things you collect. He loves how varied they are and the skeleton with a moutache is his favourite. He was very excited when you whittled him a bear. You handed it to him and he just looked at it like 'woow this is awesome'. he keeps it in his room, pride of place.

He's more than happy to help you learn guitar, he gets so excited his tail starts swishing around. He passes you his guitar and sits behind you legs either side of you showing you a cord and then letting you practice. He'll kiss your neck or softly bite your shoulder every now and then. He'll rest his chin on your shoulder and watches. He smiles at how fast you are learning, his smile is gorgeous enough to make your heart melt for him, to forget completely what you were playing and you just smile back. Often this leads to you getting so distracted the guitar gets forgotten as he presses his lips to yours.

~

Written by Nyx

[sailtomarina]

How To Set up a Christmas Tree (Hint: Wait for Hermione)

Hermione x draco x theo | @hp-yuletide-bliss Day 4: “Well, the Christmas tree fainted.” | WC 1991| Rating: M (some references to sex)

“Theo, you know I hate surprises–”

“Trust me! You’ll love this one.”

Hermione continued to grumble under her breath as she was blindly steered forward, her hands outstretched in a vain attempt to find purchase on something, anything familiar.

She’d been ambushed in her office after work by one of her husbands, the same who now had his hands firmly on her shoulders. The moment they’d Floo’d home together, he’d wrapped a scarf around her eyes. If this journey didn’t end up in their bedroom with a naked Draco tied down for her enjoyment, there would be hell to pay. As far as Hermione was aware, there was no other perfect use for blindfolds and surprises.

The last time she’d been the unaware recipient of a gift, St. Mungo’s had been involved. They’d had to replace their curtains and the section of the flooring that had been singed in the aftermath of her signature bluebell flames. After that point, her wizards had been very careful to avoid any and all similar mishaps.

Whatever lay in her future must be quite enticing to warrant all this foolishness.

That and…

Hermione took a deep breath and basked in the nostalgic smell that was equal parts refreshing and woodsy. It smelled just like her favorite holiday candle, one she burned as frequently as she could once December hit.

Did Theo and Draco anticipate her festive spirit?

As if in a direct answer to her question, the scarf was tugged free and she blinked in the sudden light. She stood in front of the largest pine tree she had ever seen indoors, even counting the impressive heights of the ones that graced Hogwarts. She looked up, up, and up. She craned her head so far back, she nearly lost her balance until a second set of arms wrapped around her from behind.

“What do you think?” Draco’s voice sounded hopeful. “I just had it delivered today so we could start decorating.”

“You remembered?”

Hermione blinked rapidly to stave off the tears that threatened to fall. Although they had spent a number of Christmases around one another as friends and, later, lovers, this was their first together as a bonded triad. She’d confessed to them as winter drew near how much she missed her childhood traditions, ones that always started with her family unboxing their decorations, many of them decades old, then setting everything up together. The tree had been her dad’s specialty, and he always swore his next one would be even bigger and better.

She and her mother didn’t have the heart to tell him that he had a terrible eye for Christmas trees, always picking ones that were either too sparse in branches, uneven on one side, or bent at the top like some fat bird had perched on top of it. They just giggled and wondered aloud if they’d finally have enough room to hang all of their ornaments, always ending up every year with just a box or two too many. Yet, they continued to collect more in the following months from family trips, only to find themselves repeating the same predicament.

Mum had loved her collection of musical bears–each ornament featured one playing some type of instrument, like a trumpet or a drum. There were polar bears, Grizzly bears, black bears, even panda bears. For her father, it was their set of fishing seals, each wielding a fishing pole with a tiny little fish on the hook, which was a little odd as he had never even gone fishing once to Hermione’s knowledge.

Hermione took it upon herself from the moment she received her first camera to make an annual Christmas ornament with a family photo taken over the past year. She’d started the year she started at Hogwarts and had made it up to six ornaments before the break that was her run with Harry and Ron searching for horcruxes. It had taken far longer than she had hoped to recover what had been lost, first, her parents’ memories, then, with far more effort, their trust. It was only recently, thanks in large part to the two men who held her heart, that she’d been able to resume the tradition.

“Of course we remembered, love,” Draco admonished her, his arms tightening around her waist as he rested his chin above her head. Theo remained close, fingers tangled with her own.

“Can’t say we’ll have any clue what we’re doing, but hopefully you’ll guide us along,” Theo teased, squeezing her hand before letting go.

It was with a not insubstantial amount of disbelief that they’d learned about Hermione’s intention to decorate their home using as little magic as possible. That was how she had done it growing up, and that was how she wished to continue to do it in the future. 

“But why?” they had asked. They used magic to clean and (usually) cook on a near daily basis. Hermione didn’t bother to correct them on the second point being as it was something she intended to eventually change. She liked cooking and thought herself quite good at it as long as she wasn’t limited to wild mushrooms and tree bark.

She’d instead answered them in a language they understood with the greatest of intimacy.

With a snap of her fingers, she’d vanished their clothing, her own included, of course, then a swish of her wand had them gasping as they were all cleansed and lubricated in quick succession. 

Needless to say, she’d gotten her point across. The build up was something they excelled at and having to go without very nearly sent Draco into a raging fit. Theo had clutched at himself like a woman and her pearls, bemoaning the fact he was being treated like a piece of meat. In a way, he was right. Hermione very much liked their meat, even if she liked the dressing and sides just as much.

“Well, this is certainly a good start.” She twisted in the embrace to press up onto her tiptoes and peck first one, then the other, on the lips.

“What should we focus on first?” Draco asked. 

She finally took the opportunity to look around and raised her brow at the sheer amount of greenery lying in piles all over the room. Their home, lovingly dubbed the Granger Estate, was large, but she doubted they needed quite that many wreaths, garlands, and poinsettias. She walked over to what looked like several large spools of glittery ribbons and crystal garlands. The gold ribbons would make perfect bows to pin against the foliage, and she bet they’d look great twirled around the tree, as well. She turned to inspect the behemoth now that she had some distance, and her eyebrows immediately jumped up in alarm.

“Draco? Theo? Did you put the tree up yourselves?”

They turned as one towards her, puzzlement apparent in their eyes at the tone of her voice.

“Of course we did. The delivery men offered to set it up for us, but we insisted we needed to do it ourselves. Why do you ask?”

In any other situation, Hermione might have laughed at the wounded quality of Draco’s question, like a puppy who’d gotten caught doing something wrong, but wasn’t quite sure why just yet.

“It’s just that,” she moved her hand up and down the length before drastically tilting her forearm in imitation, “it’s crooked.”

She wasn’t sure how she’d missed it up close. Perhaps the staggering height and her proximity had thrown everything off. Standing where she was now, however, the lean was unmistakable. She narrowed her eyes to try and see the base, but couldn’t make anything out behind the numerous wrapped presents that already surrounded it.

“What did you use to brace it? Did the tree come with a special kind of stand?”

“Stand?”

“Brace?”

Both wizards spoke at the same time, looking at her in utter confusion.

Here was the surprise she’d been dreading.

She took a deep breath. They were wizards. Surely they had rigged something up to deal with a tree of this magnitude.

“Please tell me you did not just stand this tree up on its trunk without anything to prop it into place but gravity?”

To their credit, they probably didn’t even know what gravity was. They slowly shook their heads, then turned to stare along with her at what was now a threatening monument.

“If it’s stood this long, surely it’s safe?” Draco ventured, his head leaning comically to the side as he traced the curve of the branches.

“There’s one way to test it.”

Before Hermione could fully process what Theo had said, he tugged lightly on a bough. Her stomach dropped so swiftly and low, Hermione wouldn’t have been surprised in the slightest if it appeared out of her womb like an angry child. Sometimes eating too much spicy food shared the same effect.

They all held their breath in anticipation.

Nothing happened.

They all tilted their heads in the same leftward motion.

“Maybe…we’re safe?” Theo whispered loudly.

“I think, maybe…”

Whatever Hermione had been about to say was lost to what followed.

They all agreed afterward that the sound the tree made as it fell was something of a cross between a groan and metal scraping across dishware as the presents underneath were shoved aside, no doubt protected from being crushed by some sort of magical wrapping paper for overly zealous children and cats (Theo and Draco could essentially be considered children after this debacle, and then there was Crookshanks, who was still missing after the battle but whose hairs miraculously reappeared no matter how many times Hermione cleaned house–she was convinced he was staying hidden on purpose in some twisted version of revenge at her seeming abandonment).

“Arresto momentum!”

The tree froze in place, a mere hair’s breadth away from the top of Draco’s head.

Hermione took in shuddering gasps, her wand outstretched and trembling at the idea of what might have happened if she were even a millisecond slower.

“Well, the Christmas tree fainted.” 

“Theo!”

“What?”

She glared at him and the twinkle in his deep blue eyes. It looked like someone else was going to be tied down and forced to beg for mercy before the night was out.

“Draco?” she called out. He still hadn’t moved.

At his name, the platinum blond head slowly turned to reveal owlish eyes and skin somehow even paler than usual. “Yes?” he croaked out.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes?”

“Is that a question or an answer?”

He shook his head as if to shake off imaginary snow, then turned to fully face her. “I’m okay.”

“Then can you help out?”

“What about me?” cried Theo.

“You get to take over for me while I go and get a stand that will suit.”

After some fenangling and making sure the two wizards had the situation in hand, Hermione set to work transfiguring a monstrous stand deep enough to hold the amount of water required for the thick trunk. As Theo and Draco floated the pine tree out of the way, she cleared the remainder of the presents and skirt to place her stand.

“Steady now.”

The base settled in with a soft thunk and she quickly screwed the bolts into place, making several adjustments until the entire tree was just right. Pinenesse Thicknesse (how could they not name him after everything?) now stood as straight and tall as he should have from the start. They were deeply invested now, and would be for at least another month until his needles started falling and not even cleaning charms could keep up with the downfall.

It seemed that in the Granger Estate, magic wasn’t completely avoidable where Christmas trees and two overly-ambitious men were involved. Still, she appreciated the thought, and made sure to prove it later that same evening in the confines of their home–clothing, not included, but golden ribbon out in festive force. 

I honestly had no idea where I was going to go with this prompt at the start, but once the idea struck of one of my favorite triads trying to do a non-magical Christmas together for the first time, I just went with it, giggling along the way. I hope you liked this just as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Confession: I gave up years ago on real trees and settled for a fake. They’re honestly so much easier to set up and then I don’t feel guilty about tossing the poor thing at the end of the season. There isn’t quite the same feeling or scent, though. Candles and diffusers can only do so much.

[maideninorange]

this might be a tough one, but... what about 5 birds you really like? doesn't have to be top 5! just SOME birds you like

Ooh! Birdies!

(You all know by now this is less a ranking and more me rambling lol. Also, I talk about animal deaths (in more of a scientific way to be fair) because birds of prey and other fun nature stuff. )

1. American Robins. Which are not actually robins but are a type of thrush we call robins because bird names in North America are a mess lol. I get flocks of these guys coming in and out, throughout all four seasons. They're also very cute little song birds, and can be such funny little guys too lol (My winterberry bush died this year, but one autumn I saw this pair of robins break from the flock gathering and start fighting each other up in the sky before resuming eating berries like nothing ever happened. Absolutely hilarious lol.)

2. Shrikes. Better known as butcher birds, these guys are wicked cool. You see they're carnivorous songbirds, with the exact build of one (sans a sharp beak for obvious reasons). Feet included. So how do they eat their prey, you ask? By impaling them on thorns and other sharp objects! They're cute songbirds, just to make that clear. Have fun! (They're more common outside of the Americas though, so that's a bummer. We got Loggerheads and Great Greys though, but I haven't seen any lol.)

3. Cowbirds. Or really, any sort of brood parasite. Cowbirds are here because their my resident brood parasite. I find it utterly fascinating on just a scientific, evolutionary level just how these guys evolved (as well as how their targets evolve in turn), like how do their young learn all this from a nest that isn't theirs? (Actually I do know some answers for cowbirds, but if I were to ramble we'd be here all day.) What makes cowbirds unique compared to others like common cuckoos and whydahs is that they are actually generalists when it comes to targets. Most brood parasites are specialists, only targeting one species (with common cuckoos being a really interesting case in this, but again, we'd be here all day). Cowbirds (with one exception) target pretty much anything that builds a cup-sized nest. It's really really fascinating, in that kind of cruel, bizarre way nature tends to be (and I haven't even got to touch on the mafia with my resident brown-heads).

4. Swans. They're dicks. Graceful dicks, but still dicks. And yet, it is in that dickery I find fascinating. Like, did you know swan wings are strong enough to break bones? Well they can! But there are such things as Trumpeter Swans, which well, sound like trumpets. It's cute and weirdly endearing in its own way, at least to me (although to be fair Trumpeters are calmer than Mutes so there's that. Also unlike Mutes, they are native to North America, so I hope I might see one one day). Also cygnets are utterly adorable, even with the knowledge they grow up to be nasty swans lol.

4. Wood ducks. Haven't seen these guys either, but they absolutely fascinate me. They nest in tree cavities, so what tends to happen once the eggs hatch is that the mother duck has to coax her ducklings out into this leap of faith (that actually isn't usually much of ones because small ducklings and laws of physics bullshit I can't remember)! It's incredible! They're also gorgeous birds, and the males sound like kazoos! (Playing clips of females making a typical (if not like a Mallard's at all) duck quack, and following it with the male's kazoo squack to friends and relatives is a fun one. Try it if you know what I'm talking about lol.)

And those are my five birds to talk about at the moment. It was a bit tough, but I think that's more because I didn't get to gush over too many various birds of prey (like owls). Feel free to send in any bird asks if you got any fyi! It's fun!

[aceofwhump]

15 Questions, 15 Mutuals

Thanks for the tag @hold-him-down!!!

1. Are you named for anyone?: I am actually! My real first name is the feminized version of my fathers.

2. When was the last time you cried?: The day I watched The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies I sobbed my heart out. That was, what, 4 days ago I think? I'm now about to watch LOTR: Return of the King and I suspect I'll be crying then too. Nearly cried multiple times two days while watching Fellowship and any allusion and mention to the events of the hobbit gave me feels. BUT! I did not cry. I'm quite proud of myself for that. Oh wait. No I lied. I definitely cried when they found Balin's tomb in Moria and Oris skeleton was there next to the tomb.

3. Do you have kids?: Nope. Not at all and I don't want kids. I'm never going to have children. I've got my cat: Sable. She's my baby. For now and forever all my children will be cats.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?: Lol yeah I do. Far too often. I need to tune it down sometimes lol.

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people?: Oh interesting. Umm... I guess either their tone of voice is they speak first. I'm very conscious of people's tone of voice. If they don't speak I'm usually noticing style of clothing.

6. What’s your eye color?: Blue

7. Scary movies or happy endings?: Happy endings definitely. But I love scary movies and so many of them don't necessarily end happily. Although now that I think of it a lot of my favorite scary movies do end on a positive/happy note (as happy as a horror movie can be lol). So yeah happy ending. I love me a happy ending. Don't enjoy movies that end sadly.

8. Any special talents?: Uhhh yes? Let me see...I can play the trumpet and the bugle (pretty much the same instrument just a bugle has no valves). I can crochet. I can pick a padlock. I can operate a 1940s era switchboard and field phones. I can untie any knot you give me no matter how complicated (my sister uses this weird super power of mine all the time when her box of necklaces get tangled together. I've never not been able to untie a knot). Do photoshop skills count as special talents?

9. Where were you born?: Ohio in the USA. Not getting more specific than that sorry.

10. What are your hobbies?: My main hobbies are crocheting and historical reenacting. That's where I put all my time and money. Some other things I enjoy as a hobby are photoshop editing, writing, reading fanfic, watch tv/movies, and seeing musicals at the theater.

11. Have you any pets?: Yup! Got a cat named Sable, my weird little rescue baby. And I've got a dachshund/jack russell mix named Penny. She's 13 years old and still a spitfire.

12. What sports do you play/have played?: I don't play anything now because I'm super lazy and poor and all the leagues around me cost like $200 to play but I played softball and volleyball in high school. Volleyball is my favorite sport. I miss it terribly. I was a libero. Did basketball for a year but ended up hating it. And on occasion I'd play touch football with the neighborhood guys. I couldn't pass for shit but I'd catch anything thrown at me. Also, and I'll fight you on this, but marching is a sport and I was in marching band all throughout high school and college. I consider that my main sport.

13. How tall are you?: 5′7″

14. Favorite subject in school?: History!!! I loved that subject so much I took two history classes at once in senior year and then went on to get two degrees in it.

15. Dream job?: I'm gonna be really borng here for a second but I don't think I have a dream job anymore. Mainly cause I really don't want to work. I want to have enough money in my life to never have to work at all. But since that's not the case, my dream job is something related to history. Something where I can sit all day surrounded by historical objects. Spending the day by myself, only having to talk to someone on occasion, where I just get to sit at a desk and look at historical stuff. My dream job is quiet and peaceful but has fun times with a few coworkers. I get to do something that gives me a sense of purpose and fulfillment. And pays really well so I can afford to travel and buy all the stuff I don't need but so desperately want.

tagging: Anyone who wants to do it!!!!

[fcsttimes]

[ katherine mcnamara, cisfemale, she/her ] oh, them? that’s victoria 'vickie' lane, they are twenty-two years old. they are currently a student studying photography at hawkins community college. i hear people say they are charismatic, witty, and artistic, but also timid, spiteful, and secretive. i always think of nose scrunches when laughing, picnics with peanut butter sandwiches, rented movies one too many times and mixtapes with little hearts drawn on the front. i wonder what their favorite scary movie is?

  𝐢. general.  

𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 ─ victoria anne lane 𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 (𝘴)   ─ vickie, vic 𝘢𝘨𝘦   ─ twenty-two 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘥𝘢𝘺  ─ february 12th 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘴   ─ she/her 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳   ─ cis female 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯   ─ closeted bisexual straight 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴   ─ single, broken up with dan 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘳   ─ student at hawkins community college

  𝐢𝐢. appearance.  

𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 ─ katherine mcnamara 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳 ─ auburn 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 ─ hazel 𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 ─ 5′4″ 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘴 ─ covered in freckles, small dimples on both cheeks when she smiles 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 ─ both ears

  𝐢𝐢𝐢. connections.  

𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 ─ rosemary schuyler-lane (mother) & benjamin lane (father) 𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 (𝘴) ─ angeline 'angie' lane (older sister) & connor lane (older brother)

  𝐢𝐯. personality.  

𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘴 ─ charismatic, witty, artistic 𝘯𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘴 ─ timid, spiteful, secretive 𝘢𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴 ─ nose scrunches when laughing, picnics with peanut butter sandwiches, rented movies one too many times and mixtapes with little hearts drawn on the front

  𝐯. hobbies.  

𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 ─ music (both playing and listening), photography, painting, volunteer work, comic books, movie watching and reviewing

  𝐯𝐢. background.  

TW: homophobia, verbal abuse

victoria grew up the youngest of the lane children. her mother comes from old money, a polite and wealthy family while her father is an investment banker which made her childhood filled with prim and proper dinner parties and stuck up families looking for their next big social investment.

as she grew into her own skin, vickie was never swayed by the glitz and glamor that her family flaunted. in fact, she despised every banquet and company party that her parents forced her to go to. she would primarily sit with her elder brother connor while they poked fun at the snobs that tried to talk up their parents left and right. angeline on the other hand basked in the recognition of their family's status and often stuck her nose in the air just as far as the rest of them in the room. since they were younger, angie was praised as the golden child of the lane siblings and their mother frequently compared the two girls to which vickie always felt inadequate next to her older sister. 'angie was co-captain of the cheer team in high school. ange won prom queen twice when she was at hawkins. angie got into yale in a straight shot. why can't you be more like angie, victoria?' her mother was relentless in wanting vickie to become a carbon copy of her sister. she wasn't.

her brother connor was her greatest defender growing up. he often involved vickie in things that he found interest in, music being one of them. piano lessons were how it all started out but eventually it grew into the love of all instruments. the one she was most impressive at being the trumpet. though her mother had a strong distaste for her trying out for band and pursuing music instead of cheerleading like her sister, her brother defended it as looking good on her college applications. she tried out in her freshman year and had been in band all throughout her four years at hawkins high. as she found her way through high school, band became a clutch to her and majority of her friends had came from band class.

one summer in middle school, the lanes took a trip to new york city for a 'bonding experience' before angie was off to college. she had passed by a photo gallery and begged her parents to allow her to go inside. connor obligated her. it was then that her eye for photography grew into what it was, finding inspiration in the way of the world through a lens. she wanted to capture moments like that, longing to travel outside the close minded town of hawkins and see the world and all that she could be in it. for her birthday that year, her father surprised her in buying her first present in all her life that wasn't a frilly dress or an obnoxiously uncomfortable pair of closed toe heels. a camera. from then on, her love for photography grew into a hobby that turned into a passion. her dream is open her own gallery like the one she found in new york all those years ago. the idea behind it is showcasing the good that the world has. the timeless moments captured behind a lens.

her friendly demeanor always made it easy for her to make friends. primarily, vickie stuck to the crowd of her bandmates since it was comfort to her to have friends with similar interests. she has one two girls that she considers to be her close friends, however, they were never approved of by her parents. they were edgy, nerdy in some ways but vickie was no different from them in personality. vickie often found herself longing to be with them more than she was at home. it was constant sleep overs, afterschool hangouts, band practices that ran into the evenings because none of them knew how to stop talking. she found her place in the nerds of hawkins high. there was one girl in particular that vickie stuck to like glue. bonnie was a senior when she was a sophomore and in every way, vickie longed to be just like the girl. she was confident, hilarious, brilliant. she didn't have a care in the world what people thought about her. maybe that was why vickie felt comfort every time that bonnie reached for her hand, swinging it like they had been friends since kindergarten. maybe that comfort grew into vickie wondering what it would be like to linger a little closer every time that she pulled her in for a random hug after second period. sometimes she even wondered what things would be like if she followed bonnie off to college when she graduated. wondered if she would allow her to lean in for a kiss that she was so longing to steal from her lips. vickie wondered and her mother suspected.

that's when the comments began. her mother began the comments that never sat well in her stomach. comments of her inability to be like her sister had always dwelled in the corners of her mind but these were more targeted. aimed at something she couldn't wrap her mind around why it struck a nerve inside her. they would stem from a stroll through the supermarket when a boy would pass her by and she wouldn't take notice. when her mother would nudge her saying that his eyes were on her and she should smile back but vickie would cringe the moment she glanced their way. they came when she would wear a pair of overalls with an over sized sweater, masking the curves along her body. and the worst came when her mother's book club would be over for their usual meeting every other week and they would ask what boy in town she was seeing. every time she would answer that she wasn't interested in hawkins boys was enough to start the gossip. though her mother quickly tried to gloss over her poorly chosen words, it would only be the beginning of what she'd hear in private.

when dan entered the picture, it was her mother's use of her book club member's son and the push for vickie to do something that angie would do. he was older, two years older in fact. he had been in band and she casually hung out with him for band activities after school. it was up vickie's alley or so her mom thought. it started awkwardly as dan being far too confident and forward for vickie's taste and being that it was her first boyfriend, she went through the motions of dating. he would pick her up on time, open the door for her without asking. he would pay with the money he earned working with his dad in town at the used car dealership. she was safe. safe in making her mother happy for the time being and safe from the scrutiny that would come if people knew the truth about her. after he went to college, vickie occupied her time with band and focusing on her photography anything to take her mind off the confusion and shame she felt for feeling what she did. they had dated for a little over a year before the distance of him being in college and vickie's unhappiness boiled over. when he came home from spring break was when he broke it off with vickie, claiming that she was too closed off and that it wasn't going to work out. she had never been more relieved.

despite the lack of support her parents have for her future in photography, they had agree for her to go to school as long as it was close by. she suspects that would be so they could convince her to change her major but the hope of getting to do what she loves was enough for vickie to agree. most days she finds herself out and about to avoid the atmosphere of her home. she's often found with her camera in her bag around campus or downtown, music blasting in her ears. she also spends a great deal of time near the arcade or checking out a movie from family video. fast times as ridgemont high is her all time favorite.

[muff1nqwq]

sorry i havent been around in a while, things have gotten crazy, im sure you get it. my first day of being a sophmore (10th grader) starts tomorrow and while im not extremely nervous it is also 11:50 at night and i have to wake up at 6:15, ignore the specific time as it is never specific, its an estimate at best.

i have this thing called band camp that has been going on for the last couple of days. basically i play my trumpet (her name is Margaret) for 4 hours in preparation for football season (im in the band, we have to play at football games) idk where you are ofc, so to clarify, this is american football. the concussion sport.

i picked up tarot reading and it's super silly, i would recommend. its funny to think that the cards are supposed to have their own personality. id say that i dont see it, but they told me to shut up once, sassy ass cards...

i havent been hurting myself as much because of how busy i am + how cold it is. a thing about me is that i cannot ever cvt when its cold. maximum discomfort. 0/10 stars. not funky fresh.

my ex and i started talking less often and im kinda glad it happened, which might be mean to say, considering were friends still, but theres so much to do, to worry about that i can barely keep up with things.

anyways, i think thats most of it. btw if you ever dont know how to respond to one of my rambles, id love it if you might just add your own story? about anything!!!! i like hearing from you!

— rin

hiya Rin :DDD I missed u!!

GL in school!! I'm gonna b a Freshman this year and I'm excited-nervous abt it... At least its gonna b the same ppl ( even though the principal warned us abt a rush of new students, but its better than going 2 a brand new school ) I gotta fix my sleep schedule so bad, I stay up till 3am and wake up at noon :'3

:0000 IM IN BAND TOO :DD I play clarinet :3 ( btw I love how u called football the "concussion sport" XDDDD )

Tarot reading sounds so cool :000 i rlly like astrology and numerology ( I'm an Aquarius :3 )

4 me it's still hot af here, even though snow melted like 3 weeks b4 summer break :> but yesterday I went 2 go walk my doggo and right as we were turning back, it started raining, and my dumbass didn't bring a jacket and I was wearing an oversized T-shirt and shorts, so I was running ( in flip-flops ) 4 ten mins in the rain tryna get back 2 my house lolol X'3

That sounded like a line from a book I read a few yrs ago XD ( but I hope ur still finding time 4 urself :) )

A few nights ago I was rlly, RLLY hyped up 4 highschool... Same school, few new kids, new teachers, maybe a new rep... Then I thought abt what my rep would b like. I mean tbh I don't mind if I'm known as a weirdo furry theatre kid, but last yr my ex-bestie spread nasty rumours bout me, manipulate me and my friend group, and overall make everyone avoid me. At least my friends knew what she's all abt and stuck w me 4 the whole yr, but like... What if the rumours spread 2 the new kids and bad stuff happen?? So then I stayed up thinking bout that and at 2am I multiswiped 10 times and I named the cvt Jeffo :3 ( I haven't cvt in weeks cuz I didn't have many Band-Aids left )

Have a good day Rin :DDD

-Muffin

[ihavetoomuchhomeworkforthis]

Okay so I have a small collection of out-of-context quotes that I decided I should share with you guys haha :)

(Most of them are from AP World History last year. There are like 4 different people for "J," but otherwise most of the same initials are the same person)

Alright, in chronological order and without further ado:

"Math's not even real. Like birds." ~Mr. M Things that aren't real -- * math * birds * wyoming (however, E states he can prove that wyoming is in fact real)

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"don't get distracted by boobies" ~dad "THEY'RE BIRDS!!" ~dad "they're BIRDS, [sibling]. They're birds." ~dad

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"...be in someone's shoes, but... they have no feet" ~J

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"RING RING RING RING RING ...BANANA PHONE!!!" (repeated) ~G's ringtone in class

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"I was the healthiest meal at McDonalds" ~J²

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"I'm a reasonable ass" ~Mr. M "I am an ass, but I'm not THAT much of an ass. I'm a reasonable ass"

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"The Middle/Dark Ages in Europe were the dumbest place on Earth." *southern country voice* "Oh, I have a headache, I'm gonna throw a leech on my arm! Oh look, my headache is gone!" ... "I don't know why I went all hillbilly there, you guys are probably smart. If you're a hillbilly, I'm sorry." ~Mr. M

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"Wow it just got really silent in here, do you want me to play you guys songs from my childhood?" (YEs) "Okay, I'll play you guys songs from my childhood." *starts playing "Wheels on the bus" from his computer* "I didn't say WHEN in my childhood!" "I was going to do baby shark but that wouldn't have been in my childhood." ~Mr. M

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"Oh my god, brownies come in the same way they go out" ~Mr. M "I think you should leave" ~S

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"Greg! Greg! Greg! Greg!" ~Greg

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Why are you drawing on his nose?" ~Mr. M "He took my glasses" ~S "Rudolph, give her back her glasses" ~Mr. M

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"when I hit puberty my eyes were cured, I... looked into the sun and then I had perfect vision." ~G "I don't think that's how it works." ~S

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"I think I'm blinder than you" "No, we're about the same level of blindness"

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"She gave up everything, she doesn't kill herself like she was supposed to" ~Mr. M

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*in a seductive voice??* "Jesus." ~G

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"Jesus has faces on his shoes"

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"I know more than the history teacher" ~G

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"There's bird babies down here, this one's dabbing" ~Mr. M

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"When you make Mary or any woman into a mountain region, they don't really like that." ~Mr M

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"I only called my pregnant wife the Buddha ONCE." "Because she's ENLIGHTENED!" ~Mr. M

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santa's killing everyone" ~Mr. M

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*angrily speaks vaguely German-sounding gibberish* ~Mr. M

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"...Hockey-- where everyone's going like 20 miles an hour on knife shoes" ~G²

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"That's a pretty big suitcase" (random teacher in the hallway referring to my french horn) "Thank you" ~me, not knowing how to respond

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"I gOtTa gO PEE PeE" ~Mr. M *sarcastically (mocking E)*

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"As someone who doesn't have feet, I approve this message." ~Alexa (the device) (ask her "do you have a favorite artist" (not who's your favorite artist))

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"Look at the theft! I'm a three biological dart!" ~[my sibling] ???

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"Trumpets, hit me." ~Mr. T

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"I want [J²], [J²]'s pretty" ~W

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"I am Europe. I am- I am all of Europe. Every country." ~W

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"We need more bottom" [band]

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[emphatically] "Your boyfriend is awesome" ~G (to K)

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[nonchalantly] "I had four lunches today." ~G like 2 minutes after he told K her boyfriend was awesome

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"will there be, like ... two males" *struggling* "two... men together" ~G "all my friends are girls" ~G "yes, rooms will be based on sex. Like, gender, not-" ~Mr. M (many people were hysterically giggling at this point, Mr. M gave up)

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"I don't have DNA" ~G "I am very... patriotic" ~G

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"Is my butt tie-dye?" ~[G³]

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"I do adore you, [J³]" ~F yes they're both guys, no I don't remember the context. I'm not sure there was any in the first place

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"¿dónde está tu CABEZA?" ~T translation--"where is your head?"

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"Next time, use the *potty* at a better moment." ~J³(?) "potty" being emphasized derisively

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"Are you my pupil? Because you're the middle of my eye. ...Pretty good, right?" ~B [in calculus] ("the middle?") "it's 'the APPLE of my eye'" "you know what I mean" ~B "that's how you know it was a good pickup line, when you have to say 'you know what I mean' after it"

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"I want the cake COOKED, and on a PLATE" ~mom I think it was a metaphor for, like, homework or something??

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"if we take this [the seating arrangement] as a spectrum, with [K]'s peak femininity on one side and [M]'s peak masculinity..." ~J4 ("yeah that's... not bad, that's pretty accurate actually") "Does that make [T²] a femboy?" ~J4 (I forget about everyone else but I was trying really hard (and failing) not to laugh, and T² was embarrassed/laughing/ blushing kinda) "[K, his girlfriend] are you alright with that?" (yes) *whispering* "[J4] knows what a femboy is?" ~T² "apparently" ~K

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"Eventually we'll learn taxes, and that's all that matters" ~J4

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*all doing/teaching each other cursive* "No, before the t. Yeah. Faaaaart" ~J5

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"the united states would become the great arse- -nal of democracy" ~history textbook (yes, the line cut off there)

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"Nay! I am not Stephen Hawking, bro"~T

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"I want to taste defeat!" ~B ("You want to taste the feet??" ~A)

[xoamandafrances]

S4 Ep:08 Financial OVERFLOW: Four Principles to Unlock Massive Abundance

Hello hello! And welcome to the And She Rises — the F*ck Up — the podcast! We are so over-the-moon that you are here.

We have something special for you today.

As you may know, my signature program, Money Mentality Makeover, comes with over sixteen hours of bonus content.

Many people’s favorite bonus is the five-part Elevate into Overflow videos.

Enrollment opens to the public for MMM very, very soon.

If you are on the MMM waitlist, be sure to check your email as I’ve already written you with the details for the presale.

If you are not on my email list, but want to know the moment MMM opens, I’d encourage you to get on my email list. (The easiest way to do that is to grab the free Wealthy Woman Meditation Series)

To learn more about MMM + check out raving reviews from those who have worked the course and had it work for them: amandafrances.com/money

Financial OVERFLOW: Four Principles to Unlock Massive Abundance

1. Choose new beliefs. Manifesting money can feel really hard when we are holding beliefs that are not in support of us having abundance. Experiences we’ve had, things we’ve been taught, beliefs that run the show in our families — can all be in opposition of us creating abundance. Examples: You are bad with money. Money is the root of all evil. You are not worthy. These ideas are not the ultimate truth for you. You can shift them. Try on these beliefs instead: Money comes naturally and easily to me. My work is of high service and worthy of massive compensation. Spending money is safe. Don’t those feel better? It’s time to align our feelings, thoughts, and beliefs with abundance.

2. Money is responding to you. Money doesn’t have an opinion about you. Money is not approving or disapproving of you. Money is simply responding to you and your energetic state regarding money. So, if money is responding to our thoughts, feelings, emotions, and beliefs then you, my friend, have more power than you thought you did. Think of it this way: Everything that occurs is just feedback. Everything that occurs lets you know the thoughts, feelings and energy you’ve been playing in in regards to money. When you find yourself in a less than idea situation regarding money — take it as feedback. Ask yourself: Where in me was I not comfortable receiving money? Where in me was I afraid of letting things be this good? As a business owner, what in me was I not confident about my services?

3. You can’t f* it up. Many years ago I acted as though trumpets were supposed to sound, or God was supposed to get out a microphone, and tell me what I was supposed to do. This made making decisions feel… scary. Every decision felt like a big, complicated thing that I could majorly f* up. My friend once said to me: God’s Will is not so fragile that you can drop it and break it. Meaning, it’s safe to try things out. It’s safe to make mistakes. It’s safe to live. The pressure is largely self imposed. The pressure is simply our doubt and our fear holding us back and making us feel stuck and paralyzed by decisions. When we believe that one wrong decision could cause some sort of massive chaos upon us, it makes it impossible to follow our hearts and to do the d*mn thing, right? Remember: You. Cannot. F*. It. Up.

4. The energy of more than enough. How would you feel if you fully and completely had more than enough? Feel into the feelings of: There is so much, I can buy all the things. There is so much, I have everything I need all the time. There is so much, I have to give some away. Feel it: MORE THAN ENOUGH. When it comes to calling more money, I know this: We can manifest anything we can get behind, anything we believe is possible — or better yet, inevitable — for us. Play with the numbers. What amount can you truly and fully get behind? Don’t worry about the specifics or the “how” — just know that it’s yours. Like a cup that overflows: You believe, and you know, and you hold the feeling, and every moment of faith, belief, and expectation adds up — and eventually you see the overflow in your physical reality. Amen? Amen.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a review and share it on your favorite social media outlet.

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The best way to contact us: support@amandafrances.com.

All the love,

Amanda + Team AF

Check out this episode!

[griseldabanks]

OC Mundane Tag Game

Tagged by @rainintheevening

Rules: Pick an oc you'd like to talk about and answer the questions for them! Then tag ten people, or as many as you can. 'Underdeveloped character I adopted' is fine, too! Absolutely no pressure to play, though.

Also, if some of it can't apply to your ocs, just answer what would be the answer - like if they're in a historical setting, they likely can't watch movies, but what is a movie they'd like?

(Also, most people have many ocs, so feel free to retag people and answer as many times as you get tagged! Or get really wild and just answer for as many ocs as you'd like! :D)

For this one, I think I'll do Leyla Tailor from my Captain America WIP Take Me In.

1. What is their favorite movie?

I think her guilty pleasure movie would be some kind of high school movie like Mean Girls or Freaky Friday or even The Princess Diaries. Something silly with lots of highly quotable lines (which she quotes all the time in everyday conversation).

2. What is their favorite season?

Summer. She likes swimming and being able to walk around in shorts and flip-flops, and she likes to say that summer is when her bones finally thaw out.

3. What do they find annoying?

People who can't take a joke, people keeping secrets from her, the faintest whiff of entitlement, someone not apologizing as soon as they're confronted with what they did wrong.

4. How would they like to spend their Christmas or equivalent holiday?

Leyla usually spends Christmas with her mom and her various extended family. She's too embarrassed to admit it out loud, but she's always wanted to do all the cheesy, romantic things couples do at Christmas in the movies, like go on a horse-drawn carriage ride or go ice skating at the Rockefeller Center. Also, she never got to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what she wanted for Christmas, and she kind of still wants to do it, if it wouldn't be far too weird since she's an adult now.

5. Do they play an instrument? If so, what? How good are they at it?

Leyla has picked up multiple instruments, learned how to play a few tunes on them, and then dropped them again when she got distracted by something else. The longest she stuck with an instrument was when she played the trumpet in marching band for all four years at her high school.

6. What's their favorite meal to eat?

Nothing can beat her grandma's fried chicken and potatoes. Her mom also makes really good sweet potato pie. Leyla isn't a bad cook; she's just too impatient to give her food the time it needs (or she forgets about it and burns it), so anytime she can go back home, she looks forward to the food most of all.

7. Do they have a favorite video game or board game?

Leyla's best friend is Sharon Carter, and they bonded over (among other things) an arcade game called Extreme Gunslinger: Zombie Apocalypse. Leyla prefers card games to board games, particularly fast-paced games where everyone's playing at the same time - like Dutch Blitz, Pit, or Spoons.

8. Do they celebrate their birthday?

The older Leyla gets, the less she does to celebrate her birthday, but she still likes to treat herself on the day. If friends or family are available, she'll drag them out to some kind of activity - whatever whim strikes her at the time, especially if it's something she hasn't tried before.

9. What's their bedtime routine?

Because Leyla works from home, she tends to stay up till all hours of the night, so her bedtime routine usually consists of little more than changing into pajamas, washing her face and brushing her teeth, and then collapsing into bed once she can hardly keep her eyes open anymore.

10. What's an oc (or canon character) that they like to spend time around? What do they tend to do together?

Well, I've already mentioned that she's Sharon Carter's best friend! They met when they first joined S.H.I.E.L.D., and have gone on missions together as well as worked alongside each other in the office. In their free time, they spend endless hours talking about anything and everything. They're the kind of friends who are complete opposites in almost every way, but that ends up complementing each other rather than getting on each other's nerves. Leyla is dramatic and lively, always coming up with something new and off the wall, while Sharon is steady and calm. They balance each other out very well, I think ^_^

Tagging anyone with an OC you'd want to be friends with in real life.

[flirting-with-psychology]

What have you been up to today? Anything interesting?

Just work

What was the last thing you ate?

Chocolate

Do you know how to knit? Who taught you?

No

What state or territory were you born in?

Colorado

Are you the type of person to dwell on the past?

Yeah a bit

Are there many traffic incidents in your area?

Probably

What’s your favorite genre of music?

Broadway

Have you ever been for a ride in the back of a truck?

No

Are you currently downloading anything?

No

Have you seen any good movies lately? Tell me about them.

The DnD movie

Does your father have any facial hair?

No

What’s your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?

Eggs with toast

Did your grandparents teach you anything?

Trumpet and square dancing a little

Do you want/have a Bachelor’s degree?

I have one

Have you ever written a song for or about somebody?

When I was younger I think I did, and I’ve written poems

What are the longest and shortest romantic relationships you’ve been in?

Longest - 4 years. Shortest - like a week

Would you go on one of those galactic space flights if you had the chance?

If it’s safe

Do you like your license photo?

Actually yes

Are you into superheroes? Who’s your favorite?

Eh

Spotify, Pandora or something else entirely?

Spotify and Itunes

What colors do you wear the most?

Not sure

What was the last alcoholic beverage you had?

Mead

How many televisions do you have in your house? How big is the biggest?

One, not sure how big it is

Have you ever been to Arizona? Did you like it?

Yes but it was a long time ago. I think it was hot

Do you have any exercise equipment in your home?

A couple weights and a mat

Are you a gossip-loving sort of person?

I like hearing it

What brand of laptop or computer do you own or use most often?

Macbook Pro

What did you have for dinner last night?

Eggs

How old were you when you learned to tie your own shoelaces?

Like 6 or so?

Have you ever felt like you were making a mistake when dating someone?

Yeah maybe

^ Did you continue the relationship or end it when you realized?

I continued

When was the last time it rained where you live?

Today

Have you ever bought one of those ‘As Seen on TV’ products?

Maybe once or twice

What brand are the shoes you last wore?

Can’t remember. Something from amazon

Do you think you look similar to your siblings?

I don’t have siblings

Have you started watching any new TV shows recently?

Shadow and Bone

When was the last time you sat in the back seat of a car?

A few months ago?

Are you good at answering random general knowledge trivia questions?

Not really

Have you ever been obsessive over calories, exercise etc.?

Not really

What is your favorite shape of pasta?

It changes. lately it’s elbows

Have you ever played Cards Against Humanity? Did you like it?

Yes, I love it

Are you going to work or school tomorrow?

No, it’ll be Saturday

When did you wake up today?

7:30

What is the time right now?

5:02

[moremusic]

I started this website to promote the Adelaide scene and the bands that make it great. But every now and then I hear a song that I can’t stop listening to, and even if the band isn’t from Adelaide I interview them. That current song is “Dive In” by this weeks guest, Gone Fishin’. They hail from Wagga Wagga. Here is their interview.

Tell us a little bit about Gone Fishin’? Members, how did you get together etc?

Gone fishin’ came about I think mostly through mutual friends. We didn’t all know each other super well but Joey Skewes our guitarist knew that we were all into the same sort of stuff. We started jamming on some originals straight away and got really close pretty quickly.

Bass and trumpet - Mitch Davoren

Electric guitar - Austin Bellany

Guitar - Joey Skewes

Drums and backing vocals - Lachlan Coe

Lead vocals and synth - Anna Skewes

What are you short and long terms goals?

In terms of this year we would love to have a show in a city, maybe Canberra or Melbourne would be amazing. We’d also love to have an EP out before the end of the year

Some long term goals we’re aiming for include some bigger headlining shows and mostly just growing our following as much as possible. A tour is something we all dream of, it’d be incredible to play overseas and grow our monthly listeners to the thousands.

How was it dealing with the Covid Pandemic? Is everything back to normal?

We managed to form just after things started to settle down in terms of COVID (start of 2022). We haven’t really struggled in that area of things which we are very grateful for.

What is your career highlight so far?

Definitely the release of our single ‘Dive In’. It was possibly a year in the making, just with things going wrong with recording and sending it off. Thankfully Austin did amazing engineering and managed to get it across to Caleb Skewes who did an incredible job for us on the production. We’ve been so happy that so many people have been enjoying it.

Your song “ Dive in” is beautiful. I listen to it a lot. What is it about and how did you come up with?

The song sort of speaks to a girl who has rushed into a bunch of different relationships and has been constantly hurt over very small and short romances. And something that we’ve seen through school in particular is that potential friendships are often ruined by this unnecessary pain, and people feel like they have to avoid each other. Hence the line ‘no need to try and hide from your boyfriend’. I think overall we are trying to encourage younger people to slow down and think about who they chose to become romantic with to avoid pain and heartbreak.

Have you got any new music coming out? Or are you still recording?

We’re currently in the decision phase where we love all our songs and can’t choose which ones to release. We’re hoping to get in contact with some professional producers and studios to get at least a couple more songs going. Our good friend Josh Barr has been a huge help in linking us up with some big names.

Who are the greatest influences on you? Individually and as a band?

Joey Skewes - Alvvays

Mitch Davoren - Coldplay

Lachlan Coe - Spacey Jane

Austin Bellany - Snarky Puppy

Anna Skewes - The 1975

As a band I think someone we all take influence from would be The Strokes. Especially there debut album ‘Is This it’. We’ve written a few tunes that take from the choppy and tight movement particularly in the guitar and bass lines.

If you could invite 4 musicians to dinner dead or alive) who would you invite?

It’d have to be Paul McCartney, Lauren Hill, Phil Collins, and Chris Martin

Any gigs coming up you want to promote?

We’ll be playing at the Jungle Duke in Wagga Wagga along side The Radicals and Social Afterparty on the 17th of June! Starting at 8pm

And again in Wagga at the Festival of W on the 1st of July which will be awesome:)

If you were given the chance to support one artist in the world, who would you pick?

We’d all agree on Gang of Youths for sure. A few of us saw them live with Greta Ray opening who did such a great job, it’d be a dream to be up there with them

If you were stuck on a deserted island with only one record, what would it be?

We think something pretty influential, like

In Rainbows by Radiohead, incredible album

Where can people find out more about you?

Check out our Insta and Facebook for more info

https://instagram.com/gone_fishinofficial?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

[nedlittle]

for the color asks: gray and claret <3

grey: how many languages do you speak? do you want to learn any more?

alas i am monolingual. i took french from grades 4-10 (granted 6 of those years were mandatory) and yet i am hopeless at it. depending on the context i could maybe read a webpage or a children's book and understand the gist but i have a bit of a speech impediment which gets even worse with french bc of the pronounciation (and lack thereof). any word over 3 syllables i really have trouble with. tried relearning it last summer with duolingo for work and oh boy i was not good :( would love to be able to speak any other language. also pls note that i do not wish i could speak french out of choice it's so that i can be employable and whenever french speakers come into the lighthouse i feel bad i cannot properly communicate with them

claret: do you play an instrument? do you want to learn to play any?

again i'm really showing my ass here by being a talentless hack but i swear to god i'm like. musically illiterate. if you put any instrument in front of me i will create the worst sound you will ever heard. one time i was at a music store with friends and there was this instrument that was apparently impossible to play wrong (before you ask i do not remember what it was) and guess what i found a way to play it wrong!

my aunt has a piano so when i was a kid i would go over all the time and futz around on it but nobody ever thought about teaching me even though it was RIGHT THERE so i can't even really do a scale + could only play with my right hand because i have no coordination and my left hand is functionally useless in everything anyway + sheet music is like hieroglyphics to me so if i wanted to play maybe three bars of edelweiss i'd have to have my aunt write out the letters for the notes which were also labelled on a piece of slidy cardboard above the keys and even then i was bad. it didn't help that two or three of the keys were broken and it was probably out of tune when i was a child so the sound was weird. i have a vivid memory of being a kid and getting a black eye from a stocking holder falling on my face and then blacking the other eye literally the next day because i went over to my aunt's and the piano lid fell on my face somehow.

i tried to learn flute in grade 7 because we were required to choose from flute, trumpet, clarinet, and trombone and i had to stay inside for recess because i was SOOOO bad at even making sound let alone trying to read the music. most stressful experience of my life. wish my parents had decided i needed to learn an instrument to build character because i think if i learned young enough when my brain was still elastic i'd actually be able to do something but alas :/ my favourite instrument is the cello so in an ideal world i would play the cello but i think if i had to actually choose an instrument i would choose violin because dude my fucked up back could not handle hunching over a cello all day and my arms are too weak to carry one.