#i literally only went to trending to see about strike updates | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

courage-a-word-of-justice · 4 years

Text

Moriarty 8 - 11 (FINAL) | HypMic 12 - 13 (FINAL) | Taiso Samurai 7 - 9 | Akudama 9 - 12 (FINAL)

Hopefully I’ll be able to get on to all that backlog soon, because...I don’t want it to keep accumulating and Skate-Leading Stars (first winter 2021 anime) already has an advance 1st ep. up...

Moriarty 8

(Moriarty 8 notes deleted accidentally…)

Moriarty 9

If you want a modern equivalent to the Baker Street Irregulars, then I’d suggest you look this way *jabs finger at Odd Jobs Yamada (from HypMic)*.

These CGI background horse and carriages are…kind of distracting…

I’m guessing back in those days, the Irregulars were better than Google at finding info…because Google didn’t exist until the internet did.

Moriarty 10

Just this ep and one more until the end…at least, until spring 2021.

Wow, the use of colour here is really striking!

White lilies mean…purity/chastity…?

I’ve never heard of “bending someone’s ear” until now. It means to talk to someone, especially to ask a favour or to talk at length.

Probatio diabolica: the devil’s proof. I didn’t even know that was a concept until now…(I never once studied law, as you can tell.)

“William” isn’t normally shortened to “Liam”…It’s normally “Will”…also, notice all the footprints on the floor…

Moriarty 11 (FINAL)

Last ep. before spring 2021.

LOL, kabedon.

The fishy thing about Brits is that they’ve named things across the world names from Britain. I know there’s a Doncaster which isn’t anywhere near Britain, for one thing…

Observe the weird finger-like marking made by one of the bloodstains and the scratches on the suitcase. The latter was probably forced open.

Considering the number of signs the killer left, he was clearly in a hurry…

Well, based on that shoeprint we can find the killer if we can find traces of blood on his shoe.

“Duram” (sic).

Ah! If it was raining in Durham, then there would be traces of mud on the killer’s shoes. I remember early on in Detective Conan Shinichi, then newly shrunk, deduced Agasa was running in the rain based on the mud on his pants…this is similar.

Chloral (hydrate…?).

The “washroom” (apparently a Canadian term, the British term is “water closet”) has privacy and a place to get rid of the evidence, to some extent.

What about the rest of Eddie’s clothes?

Considering there are still 5 minutes of the ep. left…there’s going to be some kind of stinger for the next season. I can feel it.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaait…Director Holmes??? Y’mean, Mycroft?! That is a good stinger! See you next time.

HypMic 12

“Ever since I was born, there was never a time I’d felt I’d accomplished something.” – Aw, Doppo, sweetpea (<- this blogger calls people “sweetpea” when they’re feeling lots of moe feels for them). Please don’t say that. You’ve accomplished more than enough in your life!

…Oh, almost didn’t notice it until Hifumi hid behind Doppo and the angle changed to confirm the jacket was on the bed, but Hifumi doesn’t have his jacket on.

I think I saw a tweet that said something about a wall being wrecked (specifically “Wall: Ow…”) but I wasn’t sure of the context, so I saved it in my bookmarks…LOL, so that’s what it means?

Samatoki, I know you don’t like Ichiro…but please stop trying to preach what his 2nd character song says in the title…(i.e. Break the Wall, LOL)

Jyuto’s very much a “I’ll leave this problem to the other guy” guy.

When the Funi subs say “dame”, I think Samatoki is just referring to an “onna” (woman). It’s a bit of an odd choice, really…although I can’t go and interrogate whoever was responsible for it. I don’t have the authority or the contacts that will allow me to.

This is not the time for fighting one another!!!

Notably, in the manga, Jakurai was going to chaffeur Hifumi and Doppo to their place, but then he had to go to work and so they rode the train with their prize money. This “run from Special Forces” ending is better, I think, since people got grumpy at Jakurai for having to abandon them with the money.

“…permission to cover a story.” - Permission from…who?

*screams* I was thinking Tom, Rex and Iris worked for a foreign government! They work for Ichijiku – why didn’t I think of that?!

LOL, I couldn’t even tell what Tom was saying until I played it back…it’s English, just…said in a spot where you don’t expect it.

“…that scares me.” – This may be nitpicky of me, but osoreru is actually a derivative of osore (fear), so “it strikes fear in me”…? “It strikes fear in my heart”? What would sound right…?

Go, host mode Hifumi! (...but does that imply host mode Hifumi is the only “version” of Hifumi able to rap? Certainly, he was able to do Wrap and Rap without his jacket, right…?)

You can tell Tom still respects Jakurai after all this time because he (the former) calls him (the latter) “Sensei”. Also, this’ll be interesting, we haven’t seen many mics and speakers beyond the standard bad guy ones (depicted in both the anime and the manga).

My gosh! All I knew of this song was that m-flo, also responsible for Human Lost’s theme song (and notably they’re a hip hop group with techno influences), was responsible for this song. Man, this s*** slaps! It’s great! (Sorry, I’ve just never really had the chance to capitalise on all the info I gathered on EDM DJs when talking in terms of things from Japan…m-flo is basically the only act I know which does that, so I’m really excited…can’t you tell from how verbose I’m getting in this note?)

That’s interesting that Matenrou won and Tom still took the gold chair symbolism to represent him and the Secret Aliens as the victor instead.

Iris’s parts are awesome. M-flo has a female vocalist and so I’d assume Iris takes on Lisa’s (m-flo’s vocalist’s) parts.

…Hmm, Gentaro’s made a reference to the track “Me Against the World”, has he?...Maybe.

I’m not quite sure, but I think Ramuda said “majo” (witch) when he was referring to Beauty and the Beast in the English subs.

…gosh, what is up with that airhorn…? Still, next time is the last time. See you on Christmas…no, Boxing Day.

HypMic 13 (FINAL)

This is the beginning of the end and the end of the beginning…y’know, considering how stuff trended on Twitter, I’d say this anime’s gonna get a 2nd season, but you can’t really say that until it actually happens. I mean, Boueibu is much less popular than HypMic and that got a 2nd season…

This is the 1st episode where I woke up early enough to watch without spoilers and had no obligations to place over it, so…this is exciting, in its own sense, but in a sense, it could also be called “profoundly disappointing” because this experience is only available to me as of the final episode.

One of the tweets I saw a few weeks back came to mind – someone became interested in sakuga houkai (terrible animation, literally “animation collapse”) because of HypMic…I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing…

…Dude, you probably shouldn’t answer a call from someone who just revealed themselves to be a traitor last episode…*sweatdrops*

(Spoiler for rest of franchise) Hmm…Dice’s face is pretty straight. Assuming at this point we knew Dice was Otome’s son, this is a good poker face from him…!

This thing about gangs was mentioned in their profiles (although the words used implies they “went delinquent”), so it actually doesn’t surprise me.

I wonder if this subway exists in the mainline story…?

According to the next ep. preview I saw on Twitter, TDD will reform to take down the Secret Aliens. I’m not sure if that was a guess or whether that’s true, so I’m waiting for the shoe to drop on it.

Samatoki-san, not -sama. Hmm…

There was definitely the word “team” in Dice’s line, so it’s “what the legendary team was made of”.

…oh gosh…they’re still using that airhorn…?

Again with the play on “lonely thunder”. It’s a really fun pun, but one I’d like to see in the rest of the series more.

Notably, Iris’s rap in English missed the word “charisma” where it could have fit (unless I missed reading it the first time).

Note Samatoki does actually use the word “shinsensa” (freshness), so there’s no lie there.

I still love how much they went in on Rex’s theme, even in his raps.

Huh, that’s new. Never seen a tag team like this before.

It seems Tom’s signature is using a lot of English, which makes it easy for us English/Japanese pair translators.

Saburo didn’t actually say “Ichi-nii”, did he…?

…based on the rock intro, this is Rhyme Anima, the OP, or something that sounds similar. What I’d need to confirm this is the “nautilus” line and the “ends corruption” line, which are the OP’s two biggest tells for AMQ.

“rainmaking” – Hmm, another link from Gentaro to Rei. This might be a different part of Rhyme Anima (OP) that wasn’t used as the OP proper.

“this white light invites and heals” (<- paraphrased) – Sounds like Sensei, alright!

…now that (rainbow bit). That’s sakuga!

*a silhouette appears* - Oh nooooooooooooooo! Now they‘ve done it! They’ve included Rei! That’s more than enough spoilers to last a lifetime for y’all anime-onlys!

I wish someone would work on this collaboration between Saburo and Riou…

Hmm…what is the series endgame? Putting in Dice as the new ruler??? I mean, Dice is the worst possible politician ever. He’s far too lax about things.

*Nemu enters* - No! Nemu!

Not only is Iris a “ramen shop owner”, it’s Tom’s favourite food…No wonder ramen has significance to her.

…ooh! A new song! Update: I don’t know what this song’s name is, although it probably will become clear what its name is on the 13th. I’ll keep my eye on Twitter in case the answer is there.

…I knew it was far too early to say if there was an s2 – the DVD’s live events go until September 5th and the 2nd DRB finishes in March. That almost felt like a stinger right there. Oh well, I’m more than happy to call this anime a success, even if I would call it the worst of the arms of the franchise. All HypMic’s anime had to do was deliver fun, before anything else, and it delivered on that front. See you around!

Taiso Samurai 7

Anime burnout means I’m coming back to the anime after the day it finishes.

This dancing scene is kind of like the one at the start of ep. 2 of IWGP, except it has the owl to represent the setting as well as the dance stage.

Leo doesn’t seem to know kanji or katakana, only hiragana.

Even though this part of the anime is set in London, the characters are still speaking Japanese (lel…?).

LOL, Edward Scissorhands much?

LOL, these background gossips are like the Plastics from Mean Girls…haha.

…LOL, that’s not one of those dismounting moves, is it? It’s just kind of…jumping off the bar.

Lookit how Leo’s sticker is 90 deg. sideways from what it should be, haha.

I don’t think it’s true that Olympic gymnasts have never failed. Like other people at the top of their game, they’re probably failed millions of times, but only outside the view of most of the world. Persistence and passion are what’s key to becoming the best at what you are, no matter what field you’re in.

Now Aragaki’s what I call a “determinator” (see TV Tropes on what that is).

Taiso Samurai 8

Notably, the word used for “clothes” is specifically for Western clothing, like dresses.

Well, now we know why Leo can do those stretches…

They’ve clearly sped up the dance here, but…it’s basically the same sort of movements Yuri on Ice used to suck me in. I’m here for it!

Leo seems to be the type who tries to push away his worries by distracting people (including himself) with other things…I see. I didn’t have much of a grasp of his character beforehand.

Britney! F*** you, Britney!

Ah, that must be the (a?) fabled owl of Ikebukuro. I’ve never actually been to Ikebukuro…the closest I got was Akihabara (to memory) and even then, that was for electronics, not anime…so I’ve never seen the owl statue I’ve been talking about close up.

Rei does kind of look like her mother like this.

Ah! Rei and Kitty have a pair look now! “Twinsies”, they call it.

Amakusa’s head is located right next to Leo’s butt, so I end up staring at it…LOL.

The Hoover mission.

“I <3 Ninja”, LOL.

LOL, “Nyapoo!”

*sighs* The problem with being multi-talented is that you’re going to be told to one day put one passion above the others, even if you don’t want that.

LOL, you can be a ninja with this WikiHow article. (I was looking for Kitty’s quote, but found that instead. It seems to be a quote from one of Tomoyo’s movies.) Update: I was right.

There’s a movie in the back where the title is “Black Rainmaker”. (Tomoyo, I presume) Mifune is the 1st person credited.

Considering this is 2003…you won’t be on Mars in 2013, Kitty.

Wow, a tape! That brings me back to 2003, indeed.

Charlie’s Angels…so that’s what the tape was.

LOL, a shoebill.

“blade in your heart” – That would refer to the character for “ninja”, which has a blade over a heart. Y’know Kiss Shot Acerola Heart-Under-Blade (from Monogatari), yeah? Like that.

…you might think emails were out of place in 2003, but a virus from an email caused me to be an avid reader and that virus was unleashed around the late 90s – early 2000s.

LOL, Kitty’s cat belt buckle.

You said it, Rei. You said it.

Taiso Samurai 9

Lausanne, Switzerland.

I noticed one of the boxes at the start of the OP says “Horizontal Bars”, rather than some random name to make the boxes look like they were discarded.

Someone encoded the video funny…

LOL, BB’s getting possessive of his territory.

Fuku-chan the fukurou (owl) in Ikebukuro…LOL.

LOL, randomly there’s a skeleton with a hat in the background of Britney’s clinic.

Notably, one of the wall hangings says “heart” on it – alternatively, “soul”.

Notably, Atlanta was the 1996 Summer Olympics…there is no 1997 Lausanne Olympics, as far as I know.

Akudama 9

I watched the part where it glitches twice and I can’t quite figure out what that circular symbol is…maybe it’s Hacker’s symbol…?

Ah! Only now they properly confirm Swindler used to work in the Seal centre.

“Life that never dies is defective.” – Doctor

Does that mean Doctor is actually older than she looks, due to plastic surgery…?

Marker? What marker?

Apparently that flower is a cherry blossom…according to Detective Conan.

…I know this anime wasn’t made in America (it wouldn’t be “anime” otherwise), but Anime Feminist is going to have a field day with this one…if they haven’t abandoned it already due to their idea of morals.

…now I can even see parallels between HypMic’s authorities and Akudama’s. Not sure if that’s a good thing or not.

“Why did this have to happen when I’m chief?” – Sounds like…basically every authority during COVID and BLM, to be honest.

See? Akudama likes the S word. I told you.

I haven’t watched The Shining, but reading the synopsis, you can figure out why Cutthroat is the way he is…sort of.

How does the iconic quote go? “Heeeeeeeeeeeere’s Danny!” (or something…?)

They even copied the iconic eye shot! There you go!

Way to take a guy out (with the door, LOL).

…with all this killing, I can see why Akudama Drive was only in one magazine now. (Then again, HypMic was in basically all of them and that also has a tonne of problems…)

Akudama 10

万死 literally means “10000 deaths”.

Babel.

That police chief is such a mood, LOL.

I can see why people didn’t recognise Swindler, but Courier never changes his look, so…uh…

You can’t become a police chief without a sense of justice, no?

“Since when did you know that I’m not-“ - *facepalms*

Is this what they call an “ass-kickin’ Christmas”? (LOL)

Y’know, Sister, you could just do the whole “wherever you are, I’m also seeing the same sky as you” thing some other anime do.

Notably, there are shide (the paper strips) and a rope over the vault…they really do treat the shinkansen and its immortal children as a single god, huh?

Hmm? They don’t care about Sister anymore? Just Brother? (Somewhere along the way, the priorities must have shifted.)

In the end, the best ship is Brawler and Hoodlum (lel).

Akudama 11

One more ep after this. I’m gonna miss this anime, even if it was crazy over-the-top and I didn’t finish it until after the day it ended.

I think the scariest scene in all of Akudama Drive is the one where the “cleaner” tosses the girl aside.

“This nowhere place!” – Around this time, the bunny and shark’s shirts say “morning”/”afternoon” (shark) and “evening” (bunny).

The blue bird of happiness…literally. That character on the birds is the one for “happy”.

…LOL, that one glitched Courier looks more like Cutthroat.

Hacker’s drone matches Courier’s head angles, LOL.

I guess if you think you’re falling in Kanto, you’re falling in Kanto and if you think you’re floating (like Courier did), you float. I always liked that concept.

War Games. Now the title makes sense!

…but they can be together if they stay here in Kanto as vessels for the citizens? (That sounds mighty antagonistic of me, but…that logic does compute.)

Maybe swindlers play games with the truth…? (What an interesting concept.)

“Just fine.” – I think Hacker needs a “This is fine” meme.

“We can hear your heart talking.” – It means something like “We can hear you spouting your true intentions.”

“…worth every last penny…” – That’s a weird thing to say for someone whose life got changed by 500 yen…Just goes to tell you how American the subbers can be sometimes.

Swindler’s smug face is so good, LOL.

Akudama 12 (FINAL)

This episode isn’t named after a movie. It’s named after the anime itself.

The TV says “Please watch away from the TV”, i.e. stand back from the TV while you watch.

“They came and stole the offerings…” – At this point, bunny’s shirt says “freedom” and shark’s says honpou, meaning “wild, uninhibited, rampant, extravagant”.

…where did Shikoku come from? Is that where Swindler and Sister landed after they tried going to the moon?

Ohh! That Christian imagery! That’s scary!

Is Akudama Drive a tragedy? No, I think…on the contrary, it’s a story of hope.

LOL, “s*** guy”.

I thought the girl had a bomb. Turns out she has a gun, which is…far worse, come to think of it.

Instead of red characters which say things about the situation, now Shark and Bunny have Hacker’s symbol on them.

There’s no way anyone who wasn’t immortal would survive the attack Courier took…

…why is it that falling over represents vulnerability in children in all of these stores where a war has happened and/or there’s a chase? Hmm?

Wow, Sister did everything with heels on…?!

Anyways, that was a fun time. See you next time!

#simulcast commentary #akudama drive #Chesarka watches Akudama Drive #taiso samurai #Gymnastics Samurai #HypMic #Hypnosis Mic #Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle - Rhyme Anima #moriarty the patriot #yuukoku no moriarty #Chesarka watches Yuukoku no Moriarty #Chesarka watches HypMic #Chesarka watches Taiso Samurai

11 notes · View notes

alecmagnuslwb · 5 years

Text

New Year’s Eve: Chapter One

Read on AO3

One magical night, five intertwining love stories, all culminating at midnight with just maybe some confessions and kisses as the clock strikes.

So, you know those cheesy rom-coms about holidays, that’s exactly what this is. Over the next six days, six chapters each focusing on a duo of some sort will culminate on New Year’s Eve with the midnight chapter were it all comes together and there might be a few smooches :)

This chapter: Magnus & Alec, and here’s the thing Magnus loves Alec, Alec loves Magnus, but they’re currently broken up and being a little stubborn about those very blatant two facts.

***

11 a.m. New Year’s Eve

“Fine! I’ll do it!” Alec shouts into the phone as Aline rattles on to her literal forty-fifth reason why he should cater this event so last minute on New Year’s Eve. He’s already looking at the designated menu set up by the previous chef that Aline had emailed him around reason twenty-two and planning what changes he wants to make.

“There’s no need to shout,” she teases on the other end of the line. Alec hears the sounds of taxis and eager tourists around his friend, no doubt on her way to one of the at least ten events her family’s company is in charge of this evening.

“Pretty sure it’s the only way you’d stop talking,” Alec grins as he shuts his laptop forwarding the menu changes to his temporary staff for the evening. He moves from his kitchen to his bedroom to get dressed.

He had planned on doing absolutely nothing tonight, his restaurant is closed until the third so the staff can enjoy their holiday, which will allow him to let the New Year pass him by and the hellish past year he’s had get left in the dust, but now evidently he’ll be the head chef for Edom Records most exclusive party of the year. It’s a party he would usually avoid like the damn plague, but he knows for a fact a certain someone he used to date won’t be there. Last he checked he who shall not be named was in Ibiza for the New Year partying away a three month-long gap before his tour starts again. Not that Alec checks his ex’s Instagram every single morning or anything.

Aline huffs a laugh, “You’re a saint, Alec. An absolute saint to Sebastian Morgenstern’s devil.”

Alec scoffs, “His food sucks anyways and you know it.” Sebastian Morgenstern has been a thorn in Alec’s side since culinary school, his talent is subpar at best but daddy’s money and name in the entertainment industry has kept him working.

“Yeah, but people act like they love it cause it’s on trend,” Aline says the sound of a door slamming coming from her end as she seemingly slips into a cab. “Now that won’t matter cause the food will be genuinely good.”

Alec’s about to respond with a thanks, still in disbelief that people think he’s actually good at his job when another ringing comes from Aline’s end of the phone.

“Damn,” she says no doubt one of her five other phones ringing. “I’ve gotta go, I owe you big for this, be at the hotel within the hour and I’ll drop by this afternoon to check in before I have to be at Times Square.”

“See you,” he starts, but she’s already hung up on him. He shrugs completely unoffended by the act as he pulls his chef whites from the closet.

***

Catarina chuckles as she looks down at her phone from her seat beside Magnus in the limousine.

“What’s so amusing?” he asks idly and somewhat nervously twisting the silver arrow ring on his right ring finger that was a gift from the man he never should have let go. He still wears it every single day, even if it breaks his heart a little bit every time he slips it on.

“I just figured out why you insisted I accept the abysmal paycheck you’re getting for tonight’s performance twenty minutes after landing back in the city,” his manager and best friend smirks. Magnus feigns disinterest. He knew she’d figure him out, but he doesn’t have to acknowledge it just yet.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, it’s something fun to do,” he shrugs. “It’s not all about money.”

“Oh, that second thing is true, but you don’t give a damn about the fun of this performance and we both know it,” she says tilting her phone in his direction. On the screen is a mass email from Aline about the change in chef for the event tonight. He’s only received one text from Aline in the last nine months, her camp firmly on his ex’s side in the breakup. That text had been about twenty minutes ago.

Magnus huffs as he glances at the screen, “So, I don’t make all my decisions based around him.”

“No, you don’t,” she says kindly. “But, you’ve been a pining mess every moment you’re not on stage the last nine months regretting how you walked away the last time you saw him. So, this decision is decidedly based entirely around him.”

She’s right. Magnus can’t keep up a façade and act like she isn’t right. When Gretel, the original headliner for the party, came down with the flu he was ready to turn it down without question when Catarina got the call not even twenty minutes after he’d landed back in the city from what had been a decidedly unfun trip to Ibiza he’d chosen to cut short. But then a simple text from Aline came through.

Chef backed out last minute too, Alec’s his replacement. Try not to fuck it up this time.

His answer shifted immediately. Losing Alec, letting him go was the worst decision of his life. The tour hadn’t allowed him any opportunity to reach out face to face and this, this had to be his moment. Even if it all went up in flames.

“I have to try,” he replies practically whispering it scared if he says it too loud he’ll become too hopeful. The truth is he doesn’t know what Alec’s been up to the last nine months, he’s never been one for social media, only ever posting about his restaurant and aside from friendly contact with Alec’s mother and sister who never really talk about Alec he’s been all but marooned away from that once prominent portion of his life. For all he knows Alec’s moved on, has some new boyfriend that doesn’t cut and run when things get too serious. He’s terrified he well and truly blew it.

Catarina turns, grabbing his fidgety hands between hers, “I know you do, sweetheart. I know you do.” She says it in her most motherly voice, the one she always uses when Madzie needs to be uplifted. It makes him feel both seven years old and extremely comforted.

Magnus smiles squeezing her hands in thanks and changes the subject not wanting to dwell and just wanting to get on with it, heartbreak or heart healed.

“Did we sort out the band?”

“All your usual’s,” Catarina replies releasing his hands. “Except we’re short a backup singer, evidently Maureen dumped her latest boyfriend and has run away to California, possibly permanently.”

Magnus rolls his eyes, of course she has. “Call Isabelle,” he says without question.

Catarina lifts a brow, “You sure? If you’re attempts to woo her brother go amiss that might not go your way.”

Magnus shakes his head, “Whatever happens between me and Alec, she and I will still be on good terms professionally. She’s got a hell of a voice, call her.”

Catarina nods reaching for her phone distracted with scrolling through her contacts to find Isabelle as the limo driver knocks on the window signaling they’re about to arrive at their destination. It gives Magnus a moment to breathe a deep collecting breath and give himself a mini internal pep talk as they pull up outside of the hotel.

***

The kitchen is moving shockingly quite smoothly for having a different chef in charge of it not even three full hours ago. Alec knows a few of the cooks hired on for the night, so the shift to his new updated menu hasn’t been the tough transition he expected it to be. It’s already nearing two o’clock and the party will start to have guests arriving as early as 6:30. Things are on an easy track that means dinner will began at exactly 7:30. An hour and a half before the headliner takes the stage.

He rattles off a few instructions to the line with a smile before turning to see Aline standing just inside the kitchen door head tilted with a smile of her own.

“I knew you’d enjoy doing this,” she says all too smug. “No matter how much you complained this morning, I knew you’d enjoy it.”

“Shut up,” he says wiping his hands down on a towel before moving towards her.

“All going well?” she asks as Alec reaches out a hand pushing the door open behind her and sliding past her to walk out into the main hall where it’s quieter and they can talk. He nods opening his mouth to tell her everything is running smoothly when he stops dead in his tracks, Aline bumping into his back.

Across the room he sees him just walking in, Catarina right beside him. He hasn’t seen Magnus, the real Magnus not the one his social media team presents to the world, in nine months. He looks a little tired, a little bit like the light he always had in him has dimmed but no less handsome than he always had been.

Alec shakes his head of the thoughts. He shouldn’t care what Magnus looks like, shouldn’t be worried that he looks tired. Magnus left him. He should hate him. He wishes he could hate him.

“Ow,” Aline says rubbing her forehead that had likely bounced into his shoulder blade at his abrupt stop.

“Sorry,” he says a little distracted his eyes still trained on Magnus. Magnus hasn’t noticed him yet, if he turns around right now he can avoid this altogether. He turns to do just that when Magnus finally looks up and spots him, his eyes going soft and completely unreadable. Alec hates that, he used to always be able to read Magnus’ expressions.

“Nu, uh,” Aline says gripping his forearm tight as he tries to make his exit. “Talk to him.” She says it soft and encouraging and all too knowing.

“You knew?” he asks even though he’s fairly certain he already knows the answer. “When you asked me to fill in this morning, you already knew?”

Aline gives him a look that decidedly means she thinks he’s stupid.

“Of course I knew, dipshit,” she says as she loosens her grip, eyes moving over briefly to where Magnus is no doubt nearing closer to them. “You weren’t the only last-minute headliner replacement today.”

“Why would you, “Alec starts a gaze steely and probably harsher than deserved trained on Aline.

“Because you’ve been miserable, Alec,” she cuts him off. “And even without confirmation about it from Cat, it’s clear from the PR smoke show his team puts up on social media he has been too.”

Alec pauses turning his tough gaze away from his friend. Aline wouldn’t lie to him, and he begrudgingly admits she’s never wrong. But Magnus left, not Alec, if he has been so damn miserable these past nine months he’s the one who could have fixed it.

“Give him a chance, I know I was full team you in the breakup, but I think he just got scared and I think if you hear him out maybe there’s a chance to fix this,” Aline continues as if she can read his thoughts. “He wouldn’t have taken the job tonight if he didn’t want to try and fix this. He would have run away the second he saw your name like you’re trying to do right now.”

Alec lets her words sink in, a bit of the tension releasing from his shoulders. He has to concede that maybe she has point.

“Alexander,” an achingly familiar voice says from behind him. The tension he’d just released seeps right back in. Fuck, he can’t do this. Can’t hear his name said like that.

Aline jumps in first greeting Magnus and Catarina both with a hug as he finally turns to face his ex head on. Seeing Magnus up close makes this worse. Because if he looked beautiful and tired from across the room it’s like staring into the sun or being right beside a patch of brightly lit stars seeing him up close.

“Magnus,” he says no preamble being sure to keep any sort of emotion out of his voice. They just stare at one another only a few feet of distance between them that feels like miles from the physical and emotional gap that’s formed between them over the last nine months.

Catarina and Aline look between them and share a raised eyebrow before Cat jumps in the middle.

“Hey, Alec,” she says fondly reaching up to hug him. His tension falls a bit again, happily hugging her back.

“Hey, Cat. How are Madzie and Dot?” he asks. Because he can do this. He can have friendly conversation with Cat about her daughter and her wife and ignore the piercing gaze of Magnus’ deep brown eyes.

“They’re good,” she smiles fondly as she pulls back from his embrace. “Madzie’s growing like a damn tree every time I turn around. She misses you.”

And damn if that isn’t a punch to the gut. That’s the thing about breakups, you don’t just lose one person you lose a galaxy of people you’ve come to care about.

“I miss her too,” he says with a sad smile. “You all should come by the restaurant some night when I’m actually there, it’d be great to see her and Dot.”

He spends more of his time managing his restaurant than running its kitchen these days. It’s a nice way to figure out what he wants to do next, but he still loves getting in the kitchen when he can. And he’d be more than happy to do so if it meant making a meal for three people who he always had affection for and doesn’t get to see anymore.

She nods turning to Aline to talk a few party logistics that Alec decides to act like he cares about to ignore Magnus’ not so subtle attempts to get him to look his way.

“Well I should get going,” Aline says looking at Alec with a frustrated nudge of her elbow into his side. Alec just glares. She loops her arms through Cat’s pulling her along with her.

“We can talk and walk,” she says stepping away. “Good to see you Magnus!” She tosses a wave and another pointed look at Alec over her shoulder as she goes.

Alec turns to Magnus finally and really looks at him. His hair’s a little disheveled like he’s been running his hands through it nervously, his makeup is a little smudged. He’s beautiful and Alec wishes he wasn’t so damn affected by the fact. His arms are crossed protectively across his middle which Alec could almost laugh at; shouldn’t he be the one protecting himself from Magnus?

“I should get back to the kitchen,” he nods moving to do just that.

“Wait, Alexander,” Magnus says unfolding his arms reaching out to grab Alec but stopping at the last second. Alec takes a deep breath and stops, trying to do exactly what Aline said he should do.

“We should talk about what happened, that fight we had the last time we saw each other,” Magnus continues. Alec can’t help but let out a rough laugh at his words.

“That fight?”

He can’t do this. He can’t talk about this if Magnus really is just going to call it a fight. Like they argued about who’s turn it was to do the dishes, not the absolute shattering of their relationship when Magnus told him he couldn’t do this anymore. That what they had couldn’t survive his lifestyle.

Something shudders in Magnus at Alec’s harsh tone. This time he can read him, there’s a look in his eyes that says he knows that that choice of words wasn’t right.

“I’d call the complete shattering of our relationship when you left me and broke my damn heart a little more than a fight,” Alec says harshly letting his thoughts out in a short clipped tone.

Magnus squeezes his eyes shut and for a second Alec thinks there might be tears.

“That was the wrong choice of words, I know, I keep messing this up,” he starts he looks ready to keep going when a young woman with a few garment bags comes over and interrupts.

“We’re ready for you, Mr. Bane,” she says then looks at Alec.

“Yeah,” Magnus nods to her never breaking his eyes away from Alec. “Just give us a minute.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” she says sheepishly.

“You didn’t interrupt anything,” Alec responds quickly. Feeling a little bad he’s just put this girl in between them. Magnus looks ready to protest, but Alec marches on. “Go ahead, we’re both here to do a job that’s it. I mean we never could survive your lifestyle, right?”

Magnus looks genuinely sorry for a moment, before he puts on the Magnus Bane pop star mask for the girl beside him who’s looking increasingly uncomfortable. Alec shuts off turning before Magnus can say anything else. He knows that throwing Magnus’ own words back in his face is a little petty and a lot angry, but he hasn’t gotten to be either of those things at Magnus. He’s felt them, like when he sold the leather jacket Magnus left behind that he knows is worth thousands of dollars to the most asinine waiter he’s ever hired for only eight bucks, but he’s never gotten to really express them towards Magnus. One day they were in love, the object of his tour looming over them, but a seeming non-issue and the next Magnus was gone.

Maybe it’s unfair, maybe it’s going exactly against the advice Aline tried to give him, but he needs to get it out. Because after months of silence and heartbreak maybe being angry at Magnus face to face has to come before he can even entertain the idea of hearing him out.

***

Alec barely even looks at him during the few minutes of their encounter and when he does he shuts off completely. It’s not the hazel gaze of love he grew so accustomed to seeing, it’s a stone-cold empty look purposefully shown to make him seem unaffected.

Magnus hates it.

Alec looks as gorgeous as ever in his chef whites. He still wears that damn silver band on his right pointer finger that Magnus fully believes serves no purpose other than to drive him crazy with how sexy the simple accessory always is and that cute eyebrow scar of his still stands out strikingly. His hairs a little longer than it had been curling at the edges and the beard Magnus had grown very fond of has been shaved. But he’s still beautiful even when he looks like he’d rather any other person on the planet was in the room with him than Magnus.

He tries his damndest to get Alec to stay to talk now instead of later, but he uses the interruption of wardrobe as an out, throwing some of the last words Magnus had ever said to him right back at him. It stings, but it’s nothing he doesn’t deserve. He is the one who called it quits with no warning, Alec has every right to be angry with him.

He glazes through the wardrobe talks. Catarina comes back in eventually and eyes him warily. She can clearly see things didn’t go well after she and Aline conspiratorially sauntered off. He picks an outfit that very purposefully will expose his collarbone and the tattoo that still rests there and makes a game plan with his hair and makeup team all the while thinking about how in one fumbled word choice he may have fucked up any chance of Alec hearing him out.

***

Alec aggressively cuts carrots on the counter to attempt to avoid thinking about Magnus, the entire staff wisely avoiding him as he does it. He’s so distracted he doesn’t even notice he’s cut every damn carrot in the kitchen while thinking about Magnus the entire time and tosses his knife down heavily. He silenced his phone as soon as he stepped back into the kitchen assuming every buzz was from Aline, Catarina or his sister who are no doubt in cahoots with this whole plan encouraging him.

He rubs absently at his collarbone where a tattoo reading ‘Aku Cinta Kamu,’ Indonesian for I love you, rests in simple script. He and Magnus had gotten them on a whim one night after a few too many shots of tequila as a reminder of their undying love. Some undying love he huffs to himself moving his hand away from the spot.

He never got it removed as a reminder that one should never get a matching tattoo with a boyfriend no matter how in love they may be. Or at least that’s what he tells himself. The reality is he’s both terrified of the concept of lasering it away and a deeper part of him is terrified of moving on. He’s pretty sure that Magnus is the love of his life and lasering away that tattoo would mean even the love of his life hadn’t lasted. He doesn’t want to move on, it’s why he’s been on exactly one tragic date in nine months, but it’s also why he doesn’t want to hear Magnus out right now, because he’s still so damn mad.

He knows that doesn’t add up logically, but logic isn’t really at the forefront for him right now.

He can’t focus on it all right now. On how, despite it being completely in his head, he feels a throbbing current under the tattoo all because of Magnus’ proximity. Can’t focus on wondering not nearly as absently as he’d like to if Magnus still has his in the same exact spot. He has a kitchen to run, a dinner to serve, that has to be his focus right now.

Aline said he should give Magnus a chance. And maybe she’s right, but he just can’t right now. He can’t get his heartbroken tonight, when he just barely survived it the last time.

***

Hours pass, literal painstaking hours and not once does Alec step out of the kitchen. Every time the door swing open he hopes to see an angry 6’3 chef who currently probably hates him, but he doesn’t. Waiters, other chefs and a million other people he doesn’t recognize come barreling out, but never the one person he wants to see.

Guests will be arriving soon, with dinner not even an hour away. He’s dressed and made up and rehearsing with his band, knowing his brain should be on the songs and the set list, but instead all he’s thinking about is a damn kitchen door.

“Alright, let’s take five,” Cat announces hopping on the stage and making a b-line for Magnus.

“Give him time,” she says pulling the mic to the side so it doesn’t pick up either of their voices.

Magnus shifts his gaze from the kitchen door to her.

“It’s been almost five hours,” Magnus says dejectedly.

Catarina huffs, “You know you could just go back there, right? Instead of staring at a door and missing lines of songs you’ve been singing for years when it so much as cracks opens.”

Magnus rolls his eyes at his best friend, “Yeah, not gonna happen. You didn’t stick around for the first conversation we’ve had in months, but if you had you’d know he very much does not want me going back in there to talk to him.”

“Magnus, I love you,” Cat says putting her hands on his shoulders.

“I love you too,” he says on instinct even though he knows from her posture he’s about to get an absolute talking to.

“And because I love you,” she says with a smile. “It is my job to tell you you’re being a complete dumbass.”

“Harsh.”

She gives him a pointed look, “Maybe, but it’s true. So, he doesn’t want to talk. Fine. Then find another way to communicate with him. You came here tonight to try and fix this, to make it right and stop moping around about losing the love of your life. So, don’t just stare at a door. The Magnus Bane I know is not a door starer he’s a doer. So, do something, if he’s not ready to hear you out on the big stuff yet, then find a way to start with the small stuff. He’s the only person you’ve ever been with that appreciated your cheesy, dorky ass side. So use that. Or hell spell out ‘I’m sorry’ in shrimp cocktails if that’s what it takes.”

Magnus laughs at that. The first genuine laughs he’s let out all day.

Catarina smiles squeezing his shoulders fondly before dropping her hands.

“Just don’t take all damn night to get there, because if you don’t do this tonight you might never get another chance to. Also, if you don’t do this by a reasonable hour I might never get to leave this damn venue and go home to my wife and daughter for the night, so get your shit together and sort it out so I can leave after dinner, please.”

Magnus rolls his eyes, “Ah, so this all about you getting to go home then?”

Catarina punches him in the shoulder, fondly, but a little harder than necessary.

“No, it’s about my best friend being happy again,” she says seriously before continuing on with a smirk. “And it’s about me getting to go home.”

“You’re the worst,” Magnus says with a smile feeling more confident than he had a moment ago. Cat’s pep talks aren’t always the most eloquent and definitely would be taken as abrasive by people who don’t know her, but they always do the trick.

“I’m the best and you know it,” she says turning and hopping off the stage. “He’s single by the way, I asked Aline earlier since I knew it would probably be a fear you had.” She says it knowingly relieving a little of the pressure in Magnus’ chest. “Evidently you’re not the only one who tried to go on a single disastrous date and realized it was all fruitless. Now figure out a plan that better start and have some modicum of success during dinner that allows me to feel comfortable enough to leave you here alone and go watch my seven-year-old fail miserably at staying awake until midnight.”

The band slowly makes their way back onstage to continue a few more songs for rehearsal. There’s one song he won’t be rehearsing that he decides in that moment can be a part of the plan Cat wants him to devise, his latest track which is a stripped-down acoustic number that he has never actually played for a crowd. It’s about Alec. It’s for Alec. It’s an apology and love song all wrapped into one and he knows for a fact Alec has never heard it.

It’s one of the few small tidbits of his life that Isabelle has allowed him to know about in recent months. Which reminds him.

“Hey, any word from Iz?” he asks pulling the mic back over to get Cat’s attention where she’s moved across the room. Despite her quick acceptance of the last-minute job word from Isabelle has been nothing but radio silent since which is a bit worrisome. In all the time he’s known her she’s never been late for a rehearsal. Alec may run like clockwork, but Isabelle is an actual clock, constantly punctual. She shakes her head looking down at her phone.

For a moment he considers saying fuck all to his plan and just busting into the kitchen to ask Alec if he’s heard from his sister when his phone buzzes in his back pocket three times in quick succession.

[6:39 p.m. -- from: Raphael]

Your backup singer is stuck in our elevator. She’s fine.

Meliorn’s working on getting her out in time for your performance.

God knows you don’t have the talent to carry it all by yourself :)

Magnus huffs at the last text. Glad Isabelle is safe and hopefully on her way, but constantly annoyed by his friend. He texts back a quick affirmative as he relays the information to Cat, assuring Raphael tells Isabelle they won’t start without her and reminding Raphael that that last text is why Cat is his best friend and not him.

Raphael responds with a completely mature middle finger emoji.

Magnus just laughs gesturing to his band and counting them in for one more run through confident Isabelle has sang with him enough times to be able to pick it up easily once she arrives. They run through a few of his poppy upbeat tracks and he feels himself enjoying this more than he thought he would. He hits every beat and every word all while planning how exactly he intends to get Alec’s attention during dinner.

***

Alec can’t hear Magnus’ voice as the band rehearses in the main room and he’s never been more grateful for something in his life. Magnus’ voice is gorgeous and his songs are incredible, but Alec hasn’t even dared to listen to a single one since their break up. Everything comes flooding back in high def when he does, so he’d just quit, saving himself the pain.

Magnus has released a brand new single since they last saw each other, Alec doesn’t even know the title. Doesn’t care. Or more so doesn’t want to find out if it’s a break up song he wrote about him. He really doesn’t need to know if he’s become yet another man on a list with every one of Taylor Swift’s exes.

He focuses on prep and every time he’s needed outside of the kitchen he insists someone comes to him and everything that needs to be signed for that requires him passing through the main room he pettily sends his line chef Underhill to do so allowing him to avoid Magnus at all cost.

That is until the President of the Record company asks to see him in the hotel bar on the lower level to personally thank him for his last-minute fill in.

“You sure you can’t just do it?” Alec asks feebly.

“I’m 100% sure he’ll notice that I’m not you,” Underhill replies with a dumbfounded look. Alec is desperate here can’t his sort of friend respect that.

“Fine,” Alec huffs pushing off of the counter where’s he’s leaning and heads towards the door. He opens it a crack halting when he hears a note of Magnus’ voice. “Ear plugs?” he says turning to look at Underhill. “You got any?”

“Do I have ear plugs in an active busy kitchen that requires a wealth of communication and listening skills to function properly?” Underhill responds clearly questioning his boss’s sanity.

Alec nods.

“I don’t,” he says hesitating for a moment. “I know it’s not really my place, but you could just talk to him.”

Alec rolls his eyes. He’s known Underhill a while now, worked with him a handful of times over the years and they’re sort of friends. To enough of an extent that he knows he and Magnus used to date, but not to enough of an extent to know what exactly went down between them.

Not that Alec has all that clear of a picture either.

“Or I could get some ear plugs,” he says stubborn as ever. “Anybody got some ear plugs I could borrow?” he yells across the bustling kitchen.

A spectacled waitress shoots her hand up from where she stands with a few other servers and bounds his way handing Alec a pair of glowing green ear plugs.

“I always bring a few pairs to events with music, just in case it gets too loud,” she says with a shrug. Alec thinks that it’s probably deeply inefficient for a server to wear ear plugs, but he’s not going to question it in the moment.

He nods to her in thanks shoving them in his ears with a very deliberate look in Underhill’s direction. Underhill just shrugs clearly not invested enough to interfere any further.

***

Magnus rests his voice not belting the closing lines of the track on stage when the kitchen door swings open and finally Alec is the one to step through. Magnus doesn’t freeze when they make eye contact for a brief second, just watches as Alec quickly turns away and walks through the room at a rapid pace.

For a second he debates jumping completely off key and right into the song he wrote about Alec when something catches Magnus’ attention when Alec’s head turns, a bright green something.

He wishes it was a ridiculous earring or something of the like, but he knows for a fact Alec let his once pierced ears with the small silver hoops he used to sport close up after an incident with one falling into a soufflé he’d made for them one evening. Magnus had found the incident hilarious; Alec had been distressed to such a level that he threw out every earring he owned.

No, that’s not an earring. It’s an ear plug. This stubborn pain in the ass has somehow found earplugs so he doesn’t have to hear Magnus sing.

It’s a completely Alec style petty type of thing to do. A thing that were it used to avoid anyone else Magnus would find endearing. He always loved Alec’s ability to petty someone to death when they deserved it, and while he understands the reasoning he doesn’t like being on the receiving end of it.

The realization puts a decidedly large wrench in part of Magnus’ plan. He idly wonders if there’s someone here he could hire to pickpocket those damn ear plugs away from Alec.

***

Alec passes through with his ear plugs one more time and it takes everything in Magnus to not just chase after him and knock the things out of his ears. He composes himself enough however to make it dinner where he enacts phase one of his get Alec’s attention plan.

While Catarina’s shrimp cocktail idea was a little outlandish, she had made a good point about Alec always appreciating his more ridiculous side. It’s a thing he intends to use to his favor tonight.

The first course comes out to their table. A delicious little appetizer that’s perfectly done just like everything Alec cooks. When their server returns to take their finished plates Magnus lays a gentle hand on his arm holding him there for a second.

“Give my compliments to the chef,” he says with a smile and the server nods ready to take his leave. “Hold on, it’s a specific compliment, you may want to write this down.”

“Sir?” the server questions not getting out a pad to write on.

“Alright,” Magnus says turning in his seat to look at the very confused dark-haired server. “But be sure to tell him verbatim, okay?”

“Okay?” the server says with a blatant question mark at the end that Magnus happily ignores.

“Perfect,” he says clapping his hands together. “My compliments to the chef are that the appetizer was to die for and so are those hazel eyes that one could get lost in if they stare for any longer than one breath.”

Magnus beams at the waiter who looks continually confused.

“Got it?” Magnus asks.

“I think so.”

“Fantastic!” Magnus says. “I’ll write the next one down for you ahead of time just in case. What’s your name? we’re probably going to talk to each other a lot over these next few courses so we should be on the first name basis, I’m Magnus,” He says holding out a hand.

“Raj,” the waiter says shaking his hand with his free one before turning back towards the kitchen. Magnus watches as the still very confused server leaves the table.

“Really, Magnus?” Cat asks from beside him. He turns in his seat to face her.

“I’m just taking your advice,” he says with a smile taking a sip of his drink.

“And you really think having our waiter give very specific compliments to Alec is going to work?”

Magnus shrugs, “You said it yourself, he always did appreciate my more ridiculous side. I’m not saying this will definitively win him back, that’s going to take a very important song and a real difficult conversation no doubt, but hopefully this will chisel away at the angry completely avoiding me exterior and give me an in.”

Catarina nods pursing her lips in thought.

“You two always were pretty dorky about your love, this does fall in line with that.”

Magnus chuckles, “Exactly.”

***

When the server comes back from the first course and tells Alec that Magnus Bane wanted to give his compliments to the chef. He assumed that was that. Compliment received; it was just Magnus’ way of reminding Alec he’s here. Not like Alec could exactly forget, but then the server had gotten more specific relaying a compliment specifically connected less to Alec’s food and more to Alec himself.

“He said that?” Alec asks squinting an eye as he dodges another server passing by him to get the soup course out.

“He did, or something to that affect. He did ask me if I wanted to write it down and I probably should have in hindsight, sorry about that,” the server says worried.

“It’s fine,” Alec says not really sure of what to make of whatever it is Magnus is trying to accomplish here. “Tell him I said thanks.” He guesses. He really doesn’t know how to respond. When they were together Magnus was constantly showering him in compliments about anything and everything, Alec did the same to Magnus to the point that prior to their breakup the biggest fight they’d ever had was more a compliment war.

It was a charming aspect of Magnus and of their relationship. The way they both made each other feel special with the silliest and simplest of words.

After the soup course the server brings another compliment this time written on the back of a blank meal ticket.

“While soup was never my thing you always made the kind that warmed me to my core this one is no different. Also, you’ve got killer hair, which I was glad to find no strands of in my bowl.”

Alec lets out a laugh asking the server his name and then sending him on his way with another thanks.

The salad course is simple and quick and yet somehow a compliment comes his way.

Raj just hands Alec the blank ticket, blushing brightly as he exits the kitchen.

‘You can toss me anytime.’ It reads and Alec’s just shakes his head, given no more time to process the ridiculousness of it as he’s called away.

During the course of the entrée, between drink refills and varying other requests Magnus manages to send Raj back with five very different ranging compliments.

“Send my compliments to the chef, he can have anything else he’d like while we’re at it.”

“Is that tarragon I taste in the sauce? Cause I’m sure tarra-gone for you.”

“Using such a bold parmesan was a risky choice that paid off, not a surprising bit of bravery from a man who has an unexpectedly attractive tramp stamp tattoo of a fork that he lets other people see.”

Alec’s eyes go wide at that one. His deeply questionable, and very small, barely noticeable unless you’re up close with his lower back, tattoo that’d he’d gotten on drunken college night with his brother Jace as a dare isn’t something his waitstaff for the evening needs to know about. He swears Raj to secrecy on it, ensuring he never utters what he’s been told to anyone.

“Chicky, chicky parm, you’ve got nice arms,” the server read this time from scribbled pen on his forearm.

Alec guffaws at the rhyme, incapable of holding back his laughter.

“Tell him he’s insane and ridiculously corny,” Alec says shooing the server out of the kitchen.

He assumes that ridiculous rhyme is the last. Outside he can already here people moving about and there’s a guitar tuning in the distant background. He sees Raj come through the door a few plates in hand and expects him to walk over and read some ridiculous thing except this time he holds the door open Catarina trailing in behind him.

“I’m afraid our complimentary portion of the evening has come to a close,” she reads from her phone in hand. “I’ve got plenty more where those came from if you’d like to hear them sometime. XO Magnus.”

She looks up smiling at Alec. “I added the xo for the record, he thought it would seem too forward. Hilarious considering the way more sexual innuendos I had to talk him out of writing down for that poor waiter of ours to give to you.”

Alec rolls his eyes, mentally making a note to send Raj a voucher for a free dinner for two at his restaurant for putting up with the nonsense tonight.

“Did he send you back here to convince me to talk to him?” he asks busying himself with wiping down a counter that doesn’t need it. His chefs are starting to disperse and breakdown the kitchen. Dishwashers are in the back and the servers on drink duty until dessert arrives in a little while.

“He did not, I was merely sent to pass along this last message and save poor Raj the effort,” she says moving closer to lean against the counter beside where he stands. “But, I mostly came back here to see if you had any extra of that lovely appetizer that you’d be willing to share with an old friend though.”

Alec smiles moving over to another table where a few extra made dishes sit under a heat lamp. He hands her the plate and fork.

“Should still be warm,” he says as she happily takes the dish and thanks him.

“For the record though, I do think you should talk to him,” she says staying in place as Alec moves back beside her. “I know it hurt you when he left, but I also know him and I know what he wants and that he knows when he’s screwed up. And while I’m not going to tell you anything that he has to say to you himself, I do know that you’ve been miserable.”

Alec gestures ready to defend to the contrary.

“Your sister, Aline and I talk far more often than either of you are aware don’t try to deny it,” she says shutting him down. “He’s been pretty damn miserable too, and I’m the one who has to put up with it all the time so, just listen to him tonight.”

She brushes a hand down his arm comfortingly in such a motherly way that it should be patronizing, but only feels reassuring before walking away and heading back out into party.

“I was listening,” Alec says before she gets out the door completely. “To the cheesy compliments at least.”

She smiles waving her fork in his direction, “That’s a good start.” And then she’s gone the door swinging closed as Alec twists around and falls back onto the counter.

Magnus’ compliments have softened his anger a bit. He’s a bit more clear headed now to know that Aline wouldn’t set him up for heartbreak and that Catarina would never send Magnus in to something she didn’t think was right. He wants to heed their advice and listen, but there’s this part of him that’s still a little scared of what he’ll hear.

***

While the simple thanks in return from his compliments weren’t much each one gave Magnus a little more hope. Especially the one where he was specifically called insane and corny. Which is why he had to send Cat back there, just to investigate if he was making any headway.

“What did he say?” Magnus asks eagerly as soon as Cat returns a second serving of the appetizer in her hands.

“Well nothing really, I did most of the talking,” she says taking a bite of the dish.

“Cat.”

She rolls her eyes at him, “Well he did say that he’s listening at least to the compliments and got a particularly bright blush on his cheeks when I told him about the very specifically sexual compliments I had to nearly pay you not to make that poor waiter reiterate.” Now, that’s not much Magnus can admit, but it is progress. “Now, this feels like a good spot to leave you to fend for your own.” Cat says finishing off the dish of food at an alarming rate. “I’m going home to my wife and child. Good luck, have a good performance, Happy New Year and please for the love of all things if you and Alec have sex somewhere in this building tonight don’t get caught on camera, I do not want to have to deal with damage control on New Year’s Day.”

“No promises,” Magnus beams turning to his band to get ready for their set as Catarina rolls her eyes sauntering away.

***

Isabelle rushes backstage just as they’re about to start their set immediately stepping beside Magnus.

“Cutting it a little close, my dear,” Magnus says stepping over to her. “Everything okay?”

Isabelle simply nods. She looks a little frazzled, her red lipstick a little smudged, a thing Magnus has never really seen from her. He worries for a moment, but shakes the feeling assuming being trapped in an elevator for hours is bound to leave one frazzled.

“Everything okay with you?” she says leadingly. She’s no fool, it’s no doubt that much in the same way it took Cat one mention of Alec’s name to know his real reason for being here tonight, Isabelle had pieced it together the second Cat called her. Hell, it’s possible they gossiped about it while Magnus was trying to work up the nerve to walk into the building earlier in the day. Of everyone Isabelle and Maryse had remained the most neutral in the breakup both unwilling to believe Magnus just wanted to walk away. While they don’t talk about Alec and tend to keep it professional, Isabelle has definitely nudged him to take action a time or two over the past nine months.

“I’m working on it,” he says with surety.

She nods, “Good. Don’t break his heart this time.”

Magnus goes to respond. To promise that if Alec gives him the chance he can swear he won’t but the music roars and the president of the companies’ voice rings out announcing Magnus and his band as they’re ushered onto the stage.

The performance feels good. It’s always a blast having Isabelle on stage with him and his band knows every beat. The audience is lively and excited, despite being roughly half filled with record executives. They all seem to be getting a little looser on the dance floor with every glass of champagne.

The entire time Magnus watches the kitchen door closely; every single chef pours out. Changed and ready to join the party or heading straight for the exit. Every single chef but Alec.

“We’ll close out with ‘It’s Always You’,” he says turning to his band who are switching up instruments for their next song. He usually tries to close out on something more upbeat, but tonight it has to be his slowest, most honest track.

“You sure, boss?” Bat asks pausing in pulling his guitar over his head. Magnus meets eyes with Isabelle who just smiles knowingly.

“Positive,” Magnus says turning back to the awaiting crowd. They perform a few more upbeat tracks, the kind that get people dancing and drinking. The kitchen door stays firmly closed so much so that Magnus starts to think Alec escaped out through a fire exit to avoid him.

He poses the concept to Isabelle during a quick change up between songs pulling her away from her mic for a second.

“He didn’t, he’s just hiding back there,” she leans over grabbing her phone off of the drum stand and shaking it. “I discreetly texted him during your solo bit on the last number and told him to get his ass out here.”

“And?”

Isabelle just shrugs. She’s clearly uncertain of what her brother may or may not do in this situation. Magnus wants him to hear the song. He knows Alec well enough to know he never listened to it, probably never even looked up the title of it, but he needs him to hear it. It’s not the only song he’s written about Alec, but it’s the only one he’s written that’s been polished and produced. He has notebooks full of one’s he’d written when they were together that maybe one day he can make into a whole album, but not unless he gets this right.

He’s wooed Alec all night with cheesy compliments, but there’s no way that’s enough. This song is his last-ditch effort at winning Alec back or at least winning the chance to explain himself to Alec. He needs him to hear it almost as much as he just plain needs Alec.

***

“Seelie Queen’s guy is here and refuses to sign over the boxes to anyone but you, said his boss insisted,” Underhill says coming in to let Alec know about his lack of success with Alec’s final gopher run request of the night as he hides out in the back hoping to wait out Magnus’ performance and possibly Magnus in general. He’s not really sure about the second one yet, especially after the compliments throughout dinner that definitely succeeded in charming him and after finally checking his phone to find Isabelle’s text a few songs ago basically threatening him with bodily harm if he didn’t stop hiding out in the kitchen.

Seelie Queen is the strangest woman Alec has ever met and he’s 100% certain that’s not her real name, but she makes the best cupcakes in the city and Alec has never been a master of desserts. So, there’s no one else in the city he’d hire to help him cater such an event and provide the pre-midnight dessert option. The fact she did it on such short notice is a miracle, luckily she quote on quote ‘doesn’t live by the mortal calendar of new years and passages of time,’ whatever that means.

“Dammit,” he says jumping down off the counter and patting his pockets. Somewhere over the course of the night he’s lost the ear plugs. Likely thrown into the trash by mistake with a wad of dinner tickets that had accumulated in his pockets. “Dammit,” he says again. “I’ll handle it.”

He gestures for Underhill to head back out into the party. The door opening and closing exposing him to the music for a bright second. He waits until the muffled music ends. A clear break in the songs to make his way out of the kitchen and cut through the crowd quickly and unnoticed.

Magnus has been sending him sweet compliments all night and it’s definitely softening him to the idea of hearing him out, but he’s still not ready to hear him sing again. Magnus’ voice is adored by millions, but by none more than Alec. He worries hearing one note will break any resolve he has left.

***

Magnus spots him as he takes a sip of water between songs. He’s certain at the pace he’s moving Alec didn’t want to be spotted, but Magnus sees him anyways, still attuned to looking for Alec in a crowded room. He spots the lack of bright green near his ears now, thanking whatever incident led to those ridiculous ear plugs being banished. The fact that Alec clearly waited until a break in between songs is still endlessly frustrating, but now when he comes back he’ll have to listen.

There are only two songs left on their set, a short track they can probably wrap up before Alec returns, at least Magnus hopes he’s returning and he hadn’t just witnessed his great escape.

If he times this right Alec will be forced to listen to the only song Magnus has really wanted him to hear all night. His hail Mary attempt at getting Alec to listen to him.

***

Seelie Queen’s guy takes forever confirming his identity and by the time he’s wheeling the many boxes of baked goods into the building he can hear the notes of music. Breaks over. There’s no avoiding hearing Magnus now.

Outside of the main room the music is even clearer. A line of servers waits for him ready to set out the cupcakes. He instructs them on what to do and begrudgingly opens the door holding it for them all to pass through with their trays of cupcakes.

The music has settled now just lone guitar strings.

“I’m gonna end on a slow note tonight, a rarity for me,” Magnus chuckles from the stage the audience laughing along with him. Alec keeps his eyes fixed on the door nodding his head at every server that passes through. “I dropped this song about seven months ago and I haven’t performed it live yet, mostly because I knew the person I most needed to hear it hadn’t. Maybe tonight he finally will.”

Alec looks up at that and finds Magnus already looking his way, the only one left on stage. Now not just looking in a passing glance like before Alec notices the stark tattoo that stands out where his shirt, most likely purposefully, exposes his collar bone and his breath betrays him and hitches just a bit.

There’s no double meaning in Magnus’ words or gestures. No façade. Those aren’t the words of Magnus Bane pop star, that’s not the voice he uses when meeting his fans and pleasing a crowd. It’s the soft voice he always used when he spoke to Alec, the soft voice that had sounded so exhausted and nearly cracked this morning when Alec had shot down his attempt to talk to him.

It's a voice meant for Alec. A voice that says, please hear me out.

The last server passes through the door and Alec lets it swing closed behind him. He doesn’t retreat to the kitchen he stays put and he finally decides to listen.

It’s probably the simplest song he’s ever heard Magnus sing in a professional setting. Sure, he’s heard him idly hum and sing dumb songs about doing the laundry while Alec fell in love with his voice and laughed at his quirkiness, but he’s never heard such a stripped-down track performed anywhere. It’s not that Magnus is dishonest in his music, but he’s guarded. He sings about the fun times, not the hard times. There are parts of him that aren’t for public consumption and he likes to keep it that way.

This song is the exact opposite of all that.

It’s a love song for all intents and purposes, but it’s tinged with regret and apologies. There’s mentions of hazel eyes, tattoos and arrow rings and a few dozen other little things that make it unbearably clear this song is about Alec, is about them. Casually, but with all the heart he can put into the lyrics Magnus calls Alec the love of his life without even saying his name.

Every line floors Alec a little more. In some ways he wishes he had listened to the song when it dropped, understands now why Isabelle had been so damned adamant that he had to hear it. But in other ways he’s glad he’s hearing it for the first time now, not online or on the radio but here and now live with Magnus looking right at him.

The notes fade and the light on Magnus dims. The audience erupts in quick cheers as Magnus thanks them bringing his band back out to receive their praise. The lights go back up to the party atmosphere a DJ in the far corner taking over likely until Magnus is expected to sing Auld Lang Syne at midnight and Alec finally drops his gaze from the stage.

He reaches up brushing a hand across his face to compose himself and feels a dampness under his eyes not knowing when the hell he started crying. He rubs at his eyes quickly. Grabbing a glass of champagne from a passing server and downing it before turning back to the door and into the hall needing a moment to breathe.

***

He doesn’t start talking until he sees Alec, ever the gentleman, holding open the door for all the servers to pass through with dessert trays. He never stops looking in Alec’s direction, relieved when Alec finally looks up at him. He sings every note, every line with everything he’s got hoping that Alec hears every word.

When the song ends he can’t be certain, but he thinks he sees a tear falling from Alec’s eye. He wants nothing more than to run to him instantly, but he has to give his thanks and bring out his band for their deserved praise as well. By the time he’s done that though he looks up and Alec’s gone again the door he’d been standing near still swinging open and closed like he’d rushed out abruptly. Magnus’ heart sinks.

“Go after him,” Isabelle says nudging his shoulder as they all step down from the back of the small stage. “You know how he likes to find his little pockets of quiet when he needs to think. He heard you, so, go after him.”

She smiles encouragingly nudging him again. He nods, smiling gratefully and turning away in search of Alec. He stops however, for a brief second turning back to Isabelle and pulling her into a tight hug.

“Thank you,” he says holding her tight.

“You can thank me by making my brother and yourself happy again,” she says with a laugh pushing Magnus back playfully and in the opposite direction. “Now, go.”

***

Alec sits on the softly lit stairs between the main room and the now closed down hotel bar twirling the ring on his pointer finger in thought.

He hadn’t expected to see Magnus tonight and he sure as hell hadn’t expected that song.

Mere minutes ago he’d been only warming up to the idea of maybe hearing Magnus out in the near future. Now, even though he still absolutely needs to hear an explanation from Magnus not in musical form, he’s halfway to forgiving him and a quarter of the way to walking back upstairs to that stage right now and kissing the beautiful, infuriating man senseless.

***

Magnus finds him in a stairwell. The fact doesn’t surprise him in the least. They met in a stairwell. Isabelle dragging her brother along to the first show she’d sung backup for him at a small venue he always loved to play in the city. Alec had clearly been a little overwhelmed by the crowded space at the after party and had slipped away. Magnus finding him nursing a half drank beer on the stairs near the back exit. It’s a lovely sort of déjà vu.

“I was worried you’d left,” Magnus says quietly as to not startle him.

Alec lets out a long breath as Magnus approaches moving to sit beside Alec near the bottom of the steps that lead into the hotel bar keeping a distant space between them on the step.

“I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it numerous times today,” Alec laughs a little embarrassed. Magnus can’t blame him for that, Magnus had somewhat ambushed him. He’s about to say just that, but Alec beats him to the draw. “But not after that, I couldn’t just leave after that.” He says finally turning his head to look at Magnus, the dim light from the bar and the lamps along the stairwell catching in his hazel eyes.

“I meant every word,” Magnus says with as much heart and truth as he can.

Alec nods still holding his eyes. “I know. I know the difference between stage Magnus and the Magnus I got to know, the Magnus who speaks a little softer and makes food puns that somehow turn out complimentary and sexual simultaneously. That was definitely the latter up there tonight.”

Magnus allows himself a small smile, comforted by the fact Alec still understands him so well.

“I want to hear you out,” Alec says a few moments of quiet later. “I do. These last few months have been,” he pauses looking away seemingly trying to pluck the proper word from thin air. “Hell.” He settles on eyes fixed in front of him now. “But we were good one day, nearly on our one-year anniversary and the next day you just left, Magnus.”

He did. And now he has the chance to fix this. To get this right.

“I know,” he starts bracing and turning towards Alec as best he can. Alec looks up clearly giving him his full attention, giving the floor to him. “And not a day has gone by since that I haven’t regretted it. Calling these last few months hell might be an understatement darling.”

He takes a deep breath, already feeling like he’s going to cry and really wanting to hold it together at least long enough to air it all out.

“I never wanted to leave you, but I guess I just always assumed one day you’d leave me.”

Alec’s eyes go wide, mouth open to speak.

“I know you wouldn’t,” Magnus says before Alec can speak. “Or at least I know that now. I don’t think I totally did back then and it wasn’t because I didn’t trust you. It was because I didn’t trust myself.” He says spilling every truth he can in this stairwell. “We worked so well together from the very start and every single day we just got better and somewhere along the line I let every fucked-up relationship I’d had in the past get in my head and tell me that sooner or later the other shoe was going to drop.”

Somewhere around month nine when planning the tour had gotten underway, he’d started getting into his own head that sooner or later, even if Alec felt different, things would implode. That the tour, the distance, the life he lived that had been fairly quiet while strictly in studio working on a new album the entirety of their relationship would rear its ugly head and ruin them just like it had ruined every other relationship he’d ever had. He says all that.

“And it’s a shitty excuse, I know that, to say that I thought we couldn’t survive it all just because nothing ever had in the past,” he says. “I was so scared of losing you that I left you which is incredibly stupid when you really think about. And I’ve thought about it, a lot.”

“You could’ve told me all that, Magnus,” Alec says hand lifting like he’s considering reaching out but then pulling back at the last minute. “I knew you’d had some bad exes and you never really wanted to talk about it and I respected that, but you could have told me. I can promise you I wasn’t going anywhere.”

And there it is. The thing Magnus realized not but an hour after he’d left Alec. Alec wasn’t going anywhere, he’d never said it out loud in those exact words, but it was the case. And there Magnus was running away just in case he was wrong.

“I realized that, but it was too late, I was already on tour and suddenly everything just hit me,” Magnus says brushing away a tear he definitely didn’t give permission to fall. “I realized I let the love of my life go because I got scared and I was a million miles away and I figured you hated me so I wrote a song.” He shrugs at the time it had seemed like the only way he could possibly get a message out to Alec.

He takes a deep breath turning his eyes back up to Alec’s.

“So, here I am nine months later, telling you face to face that I’m sorry, that I never should have let you go, that I should have talked to you and not just ran because I was scared of losing you. To hope by some miracle you’ll give me another chance at this, because I’m going to be in love with you forever, but also I understand if this is all just too little too late and you hate me too much to ever trust me again.”

Alec takes a deep breath letting it out so heavily that his bangs blow up. It makes Magnus smile a small smile.

“I was really, really angry at you,” he starts and it’s nothing Magnus hadn’t expected to hear. “But the thing is I couldn’t hate you. I should have, but I couldn’t. Which was infuriating because you broke my heart and I was still in love you. Still wanted you to be okay and got annoyed with Aline when she took her damning the day you were born best friend support too far.” He huffs out a small laugh and Magnus does the same.

“I was never going to leave you,” he says quiet eyes locked on Magnus’ like he’s trying to sear the words into his brain. “I knew what I was signing up for when I first asked you out. I knew it wouldn’t always be easy and sooner or later we’d be cities apart for months at a time, but I knew we could survive it. Or at least I thought I did until the day you told me otherwise.”

He reaches out tangling his fingers with Magnus’ and his breath hitches. Magnus could never forget what Alec’s skin felt like against his, but after nine months of being touch-starved completely of the intimacy he’d only ever found truly peacefully in Alec’s hands he feels like this is the first time they’ve ever collided.

“I won’t act like I didn’t shatter when you left, but I do forgive you,” he says rubbing his thumb across Magnus’ knuckles soothingly. “You’re the love of my life too. Obviously, there’s gonna be some very much needed conversations in our future and we’re gonna have to work on communicating when things scary, but I’d be a fool to not give us another chance.”

Magnus could cry and judging from the way Alec reaches out his free hand and delicately wipes his thumb under his eye he actually is.

“Yeah?” Magnus says completely terrified, but filled with hope.

“Yeah,” Alec smiles dropping his hand. “I’m not going anywhere, hell, Magnus I want to marry you one day.”

Magnus doesn’t say a word just scoots a little closer to Alec so their knees can brush. Doesn’t point out the present tense use of ‘want’ in Alec’s words as he tilts his forehead to Alec’s.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers into the space between.

“I know, you don’t have to keep saying it,” Alec says and Magnus shrugs. Maybe he doesn’t but he knows he’ll do it a few more times anyways. “I do trust you; I always did, it just got a little bumpy there for a while, but now that I know everything I know I can trust you again when you say it.”

“A little bumpy?” Magnus says incredulously pulling back from Alec.

Alec shrugs, “Okay, maybe a lot. The point is we’re here now and we’re gonna keep talking and we’re not gonna fall apart this time. Bumps averted, promise.”

“Promise,” Magnus says.

“I owe you an apology too,” Alec says and Magnus is about to shut that down, but Alec soldiers on. “Don’t say I don’t because I do, I was an ass tonight when you first showed up and way harsher than I needed to be when all you wanted was to talk. It wasn’t fair and I am sorry about that.”

“You’re forgiven,” Magnus says, meaning it.

“Look at us already communicating properly on both ends,” Alec smiles after a few beats and Magnus chuckles. Progress march on it seems.

He’s looking into Alec’s eyes now with a soft genuine smile and god he wants to kiss him. He’s about to do just that when an alarm blares in his pocket. Damn, his thirty minutes to midnight alert.

“I’m supposed to sing Auld Lang Syne after the balls drops,” he says pulling his phone from his pocket and silencing the alarm.

“Right,” Alec says pulling back. “It’s okay we’ve got time now.”

They do. Logically Magnus knows that, but that doesn’t change the fact that here and now he doesn’t want to leave Alec’s side. He wants to hold his hand and kiss him at midnight and tell him that he’s pretty damn keen on the idea of taking Alec home and doing so every night for the rest of their lives.

Alec jumps up from the step moving down to where the closed bar is clearly giving Magnus his out. Magnus stands, joining Alec putting them face to face with one another.

Alec raises an eyebrow in question at Magnus as he gets out his phone shooting a quick text off to Isabelle.

“Now we have even more time,” he smiles looking up at Alec as he pockets his phone.

“Magnus.”

He shrugs, “They’ll sort it out. I have full confidence in Isabelle’s ability to take my place and full confidence in myself knowing that I very much don’t want to be anywhere that’s not with you right now.”

He steps closer to Alec breaching most of the distance, but not touching. Leaving the next move completely up to Alec.

“So what now?” Alec asks as he steps a little closer to Magnus. His voice doesn’t sound desperate or pleading, but there’s an edge to it that screams ‘don’t break my heart this time.’ Even after all that’s just been laid out on the table he’s still a little scared it’ll be the same thing all over again. Magnus takes a deep breath and resolves to never, ever hurt or let this man’s heart go again.

#malec #malec fic #shadowhunters #magnus bane #alec lightwood #claia lukemaryse and heline coming your way soon :)#the first chapter got out of hand y'all #posting a little earlier than planned think of it as a christmas gift!#i'm not good at figuring out how to post/promote multi-chapters on here lol #shadowhunters fic

19 notes · View notes

storm-driver · 7 years

Text

Lauriam.... yes, I’m finally talking about him

Yada yada, time paradox, yada yada, killed an innocent child, pbbt. Done, in the past. Nothing to care about.

Theories floating all over Tumblr for the past 2 weeks consisting of mostly insane time traveler Marluxia exfuckflower have definitely caught my attention. Don’t worry, people in my ask box. I’ve been crafting this theory for a while. And it’s fucking pissing me off where I ended up. ‘Cause no, it’s not satisfying. And yes, IT MAKES SENSE. I’m so mad where I ended up after pouring so much time into this. I was expecting something incredible and... to be honest, touching? But, no. Tetsuya Nomura stomped on my heart. Again.

I’d recommend cranking up some tunes ‘cause this is gonna be a doozy. Might I recommend this? Personal favourite ;)

Let me introduce you with a question... Can just one essay make you feel respect for character development and feel righteous anger with an overwhelming need for justice? Hopefully by the end of this, your answer will be yes.

I know what you’re thinking. Am I talking about how Lauriam ended the existence of a young girl who had an exciting life and lots of adventures ahead of her? ‘Cause you probably already feel some anger and resent the actions he took. But it will only get stronger.

So, who is Lauriam?

Lauriam is a “new” character recently introduced in the JP. version of Kingdom Hearts Union Cross. I bet you can already see who else he resembles, and that is, of course, Marluxia.

“WE FINALLY GET STUFF ON THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS OF ORG. XIII??!?! HECK YEAH!”

YEAH, IT’S COOL. Except, time travel, which isn’t.

With Lauriam, AKA, pre-Marluxia, being in Union Cross, and now taking on a HUGE role as a Union Leader alongside our cast of The Cool One With The White Hair, Hot Topic, Fedora Boy, and the Cinnamon Roll, this only proceeds to screw with the plot in a manner that fans really don’t appreciate.

As if it was bad enough having Sora and Riku time travel in an official console installment. Now Ventus is located in past, present, future, closet, attic, etc. AND Marluxia is in the past WITH HIM??? Where in the world is Nomura going?

straight into the depths of hell tbh

And here’s where you go, “We already KNOW how ridiculous this is! Prove that it’s all going to be okay, Storm! Please, I’m gonna cry!”

I already did cry, don’t even worry. I got tissues. But you want this to make sense? To be logical? You want me to prove that everything in Marluxia’s character arcs from CoM to 358/2 Days to Union Cross was intentional? That Nomura managed to plan this all out and has been leading us on for how long?

Let’s start right in Chain of Memories. There’s not a whole lot to go off of here, since nothing is hidden behind any pillars. Marluxia straight up tells the viewer what he’s after: the power of the Keyblade.

He commanded Naminé to shackle Sora’s memories so that he may control Sora through his stubborn will to protect Naminé. In a way, it let him gain control over the Keyblade.

Alright, so we know Marluxia is after the Keyblade itself and will go through VERY harsh means to get one.

This trend only continues in 358/2 Days.

Forgive the cruddy quality, but of course notice how Marluxia is continuing to pursue the Keyblade. Not only does he want to have someone with one, but he wishes to wield one himself.

Marluxia goes through any means to obtain a wielder for a Keyblade, but longs for one of his own.

And here’s where things get really interesting...

We are given quite... shocking information in the newest update of Union Cross: Lauriam, Marluxia’s original human form, was from the Keyblade War era.

Not only that... He’s a UNION LEADER!

Not officially, of course. This is where your heart swells and tears pour from your eyes because the only reason Lauriam is a Union Leader is the misfortunate “death” of our former Strelitzia.

How she died? It’s not exact. But I’ll elaborate as best I can. After analyzing the video and dialogue a few times over, I’ve come to the terms that Strelitzia died in the same terms Eraqus had died: a direct Keyblade strike to the body that in turn, destroyed the body and released the heart. Where her heart went? No definite evidence.

But I’m not here to elaborate on Strelitzia. Let’s get back to the flower boy.

Evidently, he’s MUCH younger than we see him in future games. So it’s safe to say he won’t be turned into a Nobody for quite some time. He offers the same hair color and style and even talks in a similar way: a very controlled dialect where his sentences are carefully structured so as not to give away a true motive. This is Marluxia, alright.

So this is where things get touchy. How is it that Lauriam is a Keyblade Wielder and Marluxia isn’t? The answer is simple: Marluxia knows he is capable, but doesn’t have the means to summon his Keyblade.

This is NOT the first time this sort of problem has occurred in the games. When I say that he can’t summon the blade, I really do mean that his heart is incapable of summoning it. First and foremost example is Sora.

He is not a true Keyblade Wielder. The blade he wields was intended for Riku and was only given to Sora because he was he next closest person to a heart of Light. And it shows. In Hollow Bastion, Sora loses the Keyblade to Riku. Albeit momentarily, it was simple proof that Riku’s heart was stronger than Sora’s. Sora was not able to wield it.

This next one you’ll probably try to counter through use of, “HE’S A NOBODY, HE LITERALLY CAN’T-” But I raise you a Roxas being able to use a Keyblade despite not being Sora at the time.

deal with my bullshit

I’m talking about Xemnas and Ansem.

For the same reasons as Sora. They both had experience wielding Keyblades in the past, but they both lacked the strength of heart to wield one. Hell, they even called this out in Dream Drop Distance. Riku told Ansem that the reason he lost control of the Keyblade was becaue he gave into Darkness and his heart became weak.

Marluxia knows what he’s capable of and longs for the return of his power, but can only make do with what’s in front of him. His heart is not in the right place and so he has no blade.

He hungers for power. It’s just a part of his character. Hell, he was a traitor to the Organization, threatening to overthrow Xemnas and be the new leader. And it’s what leads to his downfall.

But not only was he a traitor to the Organization.... He betrayed the Dandelions.

Think about it: lusting for strength, attempting to overthrow the superior, literally tormenting a small child to manipulate another child into becoming a puppet. And don’t even get me started on what would’ve happened with Roxas if Marluxia had gotten to spend more time with him.

Every single one of these details is power-hunger! Marluxia goes through ANY MEANS NECESSARY to get into a position of leadership, or at least gain more strength. It’s not surprising to me that he killed off possibly the most frail of the Union Leaders and took her place.

And it doesn’t stop there. Oh, no. Remember Back Cover?

YEAH, SORRY, I’M BRINGING IT UP. DEAL WITH IT.

In Back Cover, it’s revealed that a traitor was supposed to spark the end of the world through the use of Darkness. This traitor is completely unknown besides assumption and suspicion. A few people have managed to fit the role, but no one fit quite right. Each of the Union Leaders, that is, Ira, Invi, Aced, Gula and Ava, have tried to stay pure and keep to their Master’s assignments.

Who, of all people, steps HEAVILY out of line to not only MURDER SOMEONE, but simultaneously screw up the fates of hundreds of young wielders because they wanted to get into a position of power?

LAURIAM! Lauriam is the traitor that the Master of Masters wrote about!

“Uh, Storm. That’s actually not too convincing.”

Alright, kiddo. Let’s get real deep here. I’m bringing up a cutscene from Back Cover.

Remember the one where Ava was taking care of an injured Gula? And he came to her and told her about what was written on the Lost Page? What was it he said again?

“The one who bears the sigil.”

“THE ONE WHO BEARS THE SIGIL.”

IT’S RIGHT IN FRONT OF US!

NOMURA SPELLED IT OUT FOR US! LAURIAM IS THE TRAITOR!

And you know what?! IT ONLY ADDS UP EVEN MORE! He’s so desperate for power that he becomes a Union Leader by force. BUT IT’S NOT ENOUGH. What else is their to conquer?! KINGDOM HEARTS!

What let’s him utilize the access to Kingdom Hearts? THE X-BLADE!

The ancient weapon that, if destroyed, would plunge the World into Darkness! And then there’s the Traitor, WHO PLUNGES THE WORLD INTO DARKNESS!

IN SUMMARY:

Marluxia wants the power of the Keyblade and he wants it for himself.

He once wielded a Keyblade but is unable to because of his weak heart.

Lauriam bears the sigil and betrayed the Dandelions.

Lauriam attempted to conquer Kingdom Hearts through use of the X-Blade, but it was ultimately destroyed and the World was cast into Darkness.

401 notes · View notes

ghosty-schnibibit · 7 years

Text

taz liveshow liveblog :D

i cannot believe i downloaded an rss feed reader specifically for the purpose of knowing when taz updates only for it to not work, smh. at least i didn't see any spoilers lol. here we go! :D

i still really need to listen to commitment...

hells yeah, another liveshow on the 28th :D

HYPE HYPE HYPE

"don't naruto shame them" pfff

"i am prepared and a good good dnd boy!" ilu travis

this is just the "and ___ walks over to ___" scene from the finale all over again, poor griffin lol

the story hasn’t even started and already i’m feeling super nostalgic... i wanna do a fourth re-listen so bad, fuuuck

"the THREE OF YoOoU" griffin is so salty already this is gonna be good

i like crush already

fantasy burt bacharach lol

"sleeveless tuxedo" MAGGIE

"tuxedo sleeves!" M E R L E

merle the beach dwarf in his swimmy trunks :')

he sounds like gundren omfg

LUP LUP LUP :D

THE BREAK IN MUSIC YEEEAH

HOLY SHIT THIS IS SO GOOD AAAAAAAAAA

"played by al pachino" B)

"it's a little assertive" pfff

i love the idea of lup and taako both studying transmutation together as lil kids and lup just being like "nah, this can be your thing koko i'll be over here blowing shit up"

"greg FUCKIN grimauldes" ilu lup

"my moral guide, merle highchurch" merle continuing to be the dad of ipre

"maybe?" IT'S YOUR HOME PLANE, YES IT PROBABLY COUNTS

FUCKIN CHARACTER VOICES

so we're looking at a null suit situation here, cool, cool

this raises so many questions though, like... could they visit other planes that got fucked over by the hunger? like the animal kingdom? taz knights? legato? would those planes have heard the story and song broadcast since they were inside the hunger at the time, or no? are they still super fucked up or are they just plugging along like they would have been otherwise? because the set up for this show implies time has passed in their home planar system after the hunger disappeared and jeffandrew put everything back in order, and that lup somehow knows that this has happened in their absence... has she used the belt before, and that’s how she knows? are the planes where they escaped with the light (fungsten, the beach, tessaralia, etc.) accessible too, or did they just get left behind in the multiverse after the hunger passed over them? i'm assuming lucas made the belts (or probably a combo of lucas and barry? planar studies nerd buddies), so how do they work? magic? bonds? what would happen if they broke mid-use? would they be stuck in their old plane with no way to get back? this is such a weird but good setup and it makes for a shit ton of fic possibilities

i have no idea what that means but it sounds bad

oh nooo, maggie, oh nooooo

"well... slam" griffin what is it with these names

aww, crush :(

i ship crush and slam

magnus what the fuck

i can't wait to see how that table flip works later lol

TAAKO ILU

"NINETEEN!" aww travis i love you

ewwwww, this is worse than the beach episode :(((

TAAKO WHAT THE LITERAL FUCK

"old blue eyes...?" griffin said that with that 'are you sure?’ dm voice and that makes me super nervous

"i don't know 'cause i wasn't expecting him this early" i'm calling it know, griffin's either gonna do his super gruff gundren voice or his bad new jersey accent marvey voice

IT'S THE MARVEY VOICE, I CALLED IT

AND NOW IT'S JUSTIN DOING GRIFFIN'S MARVEY VOICE

NAT 20!!! :D

"THE REAL NICE CHOICE MOPS" I’M DEAD

they never would have thought to do that on their own lol, lup playing the part of competent woman this adventure

continuing the trend of magnus being mr. fanservice lol

"lots of beautiful scars" nice

okay i have to know tho... was the tattoo pre or post stolen century??? because i love the idea of it being something he got in his youth without realizing he'd be stuck with it for 100+ years, but i also love the idea of him and julia getting matching tattoos together at some point

MERLE WHAT THE FUCK

"I CAST PUNCH DAD"

"WheEeEREe?"

lup and taako just chilling in the corner playing pokemon go

magnus turns himself in samus lol

clint continuing to be the worst at rolling, aww

"i had no muber prepared for... this" poor griffin lol

"it... worked?" pfff

IS THAT CATWALK BOY JERALD

okay, it's not catwalk boy jerald then :T

good to see griffin's not defaulting straight to jerry like he always does lol

wait shit, if they're in their original plane... is terry gonna recognize them from the IPRE mission???

"GEORGE CLUVEY"

TAAKO WHAT THE FUCK

"THE THIEVERY KID" T A A K O

this is just like jenkins with the voice lol

merle doing his accidentally insincere voice again

"oh shit we did do this in the mining one” did griffin forget his own puzzle?

oh no... this can't be good

#I'mWithTerry

are you really casting arcane eye for this taako?

T U R K E Y B O Y

clint the pun master strikes again

i take it griffin’s been playing evil within 2 with the whole chip mechanic

"i could kill him" MERLE WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS

welp, they're all dead :T

BARRY WITH FUCKIN HOT CHOCOLATE, I’M D Y I N G

LUP I FUCKIN LOVE YOU HOLY SHIT

"THAT'S MY SISTER!" TAAKO ILU

"my words are my pictures!" griffin you are precious

this is the tomb of horrors all over again with the puzzles

justin's killing it today witht the nat 20s damn

"rouge perversions" pfff

all i can imagine is magnus telling carey about his sweet chest trap diffusal later and her being proud of her bff

travis the music boy strikes again!

oh jesus this is going to take a million years

"it's not the letters" then what is it?

i’m a dipshit too than lol because i have zero idea what this is

so it's just like the scene form the bank in refuge

GO MERLE! :D

"yeah, elevators, fuck yeah" nice

so now magnus just has a workshop full of gold :/

GLASS SHARK, GLASS SHARK

“NOT SOMETHING MY DAD SHOULD KNOW ABOUT” PFFFFF

"oh fuck" my thoughts exactly travis

OH SHIT

OH CHIRST IT'S LIKE UPSY MECH

LUUUUUP FUCK YEAH, THERE'S MY GIRL :D

i missed the ad break music :')

i can't fuckin wait til the candlenights show omg

yay, initiative time!

DELLA!!!!! :D

what would that even look like holy fuck

yikes holy shit, can't wait to see how lup reacts to her brother getting dunked on so badly 0 _ 0

MAGGIE YOU CANNOT RAILSPLITER THIS SHIT IT’S NOT AN ACTUAL TREE, THIS HAS BEEN FIRMLY ESTABLISHED

apparently he CAN railspliter that shit, nevermind :o

awww, this is so freakin cute omg ^u^

"that's taako's fire" maggie plz :T

i thought his ac went up after story and song though?

taako's gonna fucking die holy shit

YES YOU CAN TAAKO YOU DUMBASS

"but he WAS at magnus's bedside" FUCK NOW I'M SAD :’(

"WHO, LUP?" STOP ZAGGING ON PLANT DAD

"as a sentient being who want's to preserve it's own life" pfff

griffin always forgets to make enemies beefy enough for magnus and/or taako to not kill instantly lmao

everyone loves lup so much lol

SAME HAT? SAME HAT! SAME HAT...

"awww... no, no... do i have to specify?" i love the idea that merle would be tempted to heal the monster, he’s such a sweety

OH SHIT

OH FUCK MAGNUS’S IS TOAST

I T ' S T H E S E X N U M B E R ! ! !

"what? chicken butt" griffin ilu

yikes trav holy fuck

YAY WORD PICTURE TIME

YEEEAH THAT'S SO FUCKIN GOOD, THAT'S SOME GOOD SHIT

"COTTON!" omg you silly boy

what are you about to do merle

ZONE OF TRUTH YEEEEEAH

clint is crushing it on the merle voice today

"i liked the ending of lost" pfff

WHAT THE FUCK MAGNUS, WHAT THE FUCK

WAIT WHAT

TERRY HOLY SHIT

OH MY GOD WHAT THE FUCK

GRIFFIN WHAT THE FUCK OH MY GOD

that was super feckin good omg, i loved every minute of that. that was exactly what i needed to de-stress before my world history final tomorrow, gods bless

#taz #the adventure zone #taz liveblog #taz spoilers #god that rocked

6 notes · View notes

shorthaircutsmodels · 4 years

Link

Kristen Stewart's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts - 30+ - https://shorthaircutsmodels.com/kristen-stewarts-short-hairstyles-and-haircuts/ - Kristen Stewart's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts, From celebrities like Kristen Stewart's enduring commitment to the trend for genderless haircuts (but blonde.), the stars are ready to let their hair speak in 2020 and we're ready to listen. Kristen Stewart appeared at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival to encourage her new firm, Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy, to wear something unexpected - an angled fairy cut. Kristen Stewart's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts Kristen Stewart's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts, Best known for her brunette tresses, the 28-year-old also debuted a bleached blonde colour elevating her entire beauty game with a look we haven't seen her in before. With her brushed bob hair style, Kristen Stewart attends a photo call for 'equals' during the 72nd Venice Film Festival 2020 have you Seen The Twilight Saga? Then you will surely remember this actress with beautiful and attractive eyes. This film gave him tremendous fame. Kristen Stewart's Short Hairstyles Kristen Stewart's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts, She has a lot of fans who constantly follow her looks and hair. Many young women try to follow fashion trends. As for hair, it refuses to experiment at all. Her acting career began at just 11 years old. That's when he cut bob's hair in the center. Gradually with his age he began to grow his hair long. Kristen Stewart's Short Haircuts Kristen Stewart's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts, She was seen with straight dark hair at the premiere of Cold Creek Manor in 2020. She experimented with loose curls with blonde shades at a film festival in 2020. Her role in the women's film has bleary blonde waves. Check Kristen Stewart's hair for years to come. Kristen Stewart's red carpet appearances have been marked by frequent and dramatic hair changes. Kristen Stewart's Short Hair Kristen Stewart's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts, The actress, a fresh-faced child star played by Jodie Foster in Panic room (2020 - 2021), opted for a honey blonde, which she maintained until her late teens when she changed her hair into long brunette locks (see chart). 2021 biography into the wild). The twilight years took a dark and mysterious twist, with waves of mahogany forming part of Bella Swan's hair repertoire. Kristen Stewart's Hairstyles In contrast to his on-screen persona, Stewart opted to wear his hair, rather than down, on the red carpet. The first drastic change came in 2020 - 2021 when she was cast as rock icon Joan Jett in the Runaways and went out with a fake mullet. Fiery orange hair - a hangover from her role as Phoebe Larson in American Ultra in 2021-has only been magnified by grungier styles such as tousled, textured, slicked or. Kristen Stewart's Haircuts Kristen Stewart's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts, Braided bobs created by London-based hair stylist Ken O'rourke. Since 2020, the Chanel brand ambassador has opted for peroxide locks, bleached the brightest white to the root, cut in various lengths of buzz, including the closest shave. Kristen Stewart's Hair Kristen Stewart's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts, It's not a deft look to many, but Stewart's carefree attitude and elegant bone structure make it a winning combination. True, another celebrity has crossed over to the short side (we have one of those messages at least once a week, don't we?). Why did Kristen Stewart cut her hair? This time, it's Kristen Stewart who arrives at today's Chanel show with this brand new long top crop. Kristen dyed her hair orange back in April, for her role in American Ultra. No word yet on what inspired this latest dramatic hair change, but in the meantime we. Kristen stewart hair color twilight breaking dawn Can't wait to hear what you think of Kristen's hairstyle. UPDATE: hairstylist Kevin O'rourke says on Instagram that it was an impromptu cut he gave to Kristen in the bathroom just before the Chanel show and she didn't even use hair products. What color is Kristen Stewart's hair? What do you think of Kristen Stewart's new haircut? True, another celebrity has crossed over to the short side (we have one of those messages at least once a week, don't we?). This time, it's Kristen Stewart who arrives at today's Chanel show with this brand new long top crop. View yourself with Kristen Stewart hair. Kristen Stewart hair short We also provide easy "how to style" by reporting tips on which hair can match face shape, hair texture and hair density. Kristen Stewart is best known for her role as Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga. Kristen got the role she played on screen when she was very young. Kristen Stewart Hairstyles, Hair Cuts and Colors So she's one of the child stars. We love the romantic story as well as the actress, Kristen Stewart in The Twilight films. Here you get some of his hair looks for you. Now check them out. Kristen Stewart long hair style: 2020 braided hairstyle. Every hairstyle Kristen Stewart has ever had Kristen Stewart wears a super chic hairstyle for her look. She combines flowing locks with knots of braided hair. It takes a few steps to finish the hair. First, you must sweep a jagged side part and create a deep side part to hide the face. Kristen Stewart hair charlie's angels Kristen Stewart's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts, Second, you can put braided knots aside. Finally, remember to apply some hair Productions. Kristen Stewart styles her long hair to make it elegantly curly. She pushes her Amber hair to one side covering part of her face to create a more female look. Does short hair make you look thinner? It's his color even in the 90s / early 2020. Platinum blonde against dark roots means the trends of that era are going nowhere. Stewart's new cut is courtesy of longtime stylist Adir Abergel, who is responsible for many of the star's hair changes. Kristen Stewart's Best Short Hair Looks I couldn't look at Billie Eilish's villain while cutting Stewart's hair on her Instagram story last night. Not that I'm nervous. Abergel always does it right by Stewart and last night was no different. Edgy, cool, very Kristen Stewart. Kristen Stewart hair in charlie's angels From adorable child star to beauty icon, see all Kristen Stewart's hair and make-up hits here. When you're done, check out the latest news, updates and ticket information for the Glamour Beauty Festival. When I think of celebrities who aren't afraid to defy. Kristen Stewart short hair tutorial Beauty norms and shake their own personal style to the end, Kristen Stewart is one of the names that always comes to mind. An androgynous ensemble is a sporting editorial make-up look, not one to wear the same look twice. Kristen Stewart hair 2020 - 2021 Many with a hair or daring, and every time out-of-the-box glamour makes me one of the few celebrities to leave her fascinated by her commitment. If Kristen Stewart has a new short haircut, I haven't seen her last in a string of unexpected style moments, then take a moment to appreciate about her wild-boy, darn time. Kristen Stewart natural hair Rockstar strands so far. When I first saw Kristen Stewart in the movie Twilight in 2020 (I read all the books and the team was Edward, not in a big way, you asked, I felt her very close to myself, mostly because she was beautiful. Kristen Stewart haircut charlie's angels She played a pale brunette named Bella, and I was a pale brunette named Bella. I felt so seen. However, when I started seeing pictures of her in footage outside the film, I noticed that Stewart had a much sharper sense of style. Kristen Stewart Hairstyle, Hair & Colour Pictures Than her twilight to Bella and her safe, semi-drab brown strands. Stewart's own personal brand had a much more rock-and-roll vibe, and he retained that punk talent even as his style evolved over the years. Dyeing your own hair at home is a self-isolation activity. Kristen Stewart charlie's angels haircut While many celebrities have turned DIY Pink, fashion icon Kristen Stewart made her way to neon orange with the help of a professional. Last month, hairstylist Romero dyed K-Stew's hair a bright, bespoke orange shade he poetically dubbed “Cosmic Rust. How to Style Short Hair: Kristen Stewart A beautiful call to the neon orange-red shade that Stewart dyed her hair for last year's camp-themed met Gala (a look she accentuated with bleached eyebrows.) This 2020 - 2021 shade matched a Chanel nail polish, and this 2020 shade is a dead ringer for another inanimate object; it's this enticing pool table where Stewart's hand rests on it. Kristen Stewart hair color twilight Here we talk about the new hair color details of Kristen Stewart's short hairstyles 2020. One of the surprising tasks after cutting hairs into short haircuts is how to shape those short haircuts. We often see my favorite leading ladies working as actresses. Kristen Stewart hair products Singers, songwriters and many more. These leading ladies went to great lengths to perfect her in any promotion or red carpet show. Yesterday, the elusive Kristen Stewart appeared at the Chanel Haute Couture show in Paris (one of the few places you can count on her to make a public appearance) with an entirely new 'do. Kristen Stewart hair color in twilight We got used to the striking orange colour-he painted it for his role in American Ultra a few months ago-but one part rocker, one part soccer mom haircut was new enough to be literally cut two hours earlier.show. What haircut makes you look younger? Fortunately, O'rourke was able to take some time off from the whirlwind Paris program to give us some insight into his perspective. "Yeah right, I cut her hair two hours before the show in the hotel bathroom," she said when I questioned her hashtag. Kristen Stewart hair color natural We had fun doing it and at the end the bathroom floor was covered in red hair."Then, Stewart let his hair dry while he was doing his make-up and getting dressed. He then ran a drop of wax though his hair and sprayed it with a quick spritz of dry shampoo. Kristen Stewart hair 2020 - 2021 And that was it: for the no-fuss style, the no-fuss kind of girl. Because it requires little maintenance, O'rourke thinks this look, which he called a cross between coupe savage and River Pheonix in the 1970s, is perfect for the girl with a busy schedule. Kristen Stewart haircut chanel He said: "he has versatility and can transform from washing and Into Night chic - it's not a personality thief, it's a reassuring thing."As for colour, O'rourke went for a haircut that worked in harmony with his fiery tone and made him look even more interesting. Kristen Stewart hairstyle 2020 - 2021 K Stew has always been a bit difficult to put your finger on. Sometimes she comes across seemingly ' I don't want to be the attitude here, and other times she's like the most down-to-earth girl in the room. Of course, we'll never really know, but the thought of him. Kristen Stewart hair twilight Cutting his hair in a hotel bathroom two hours before hanging out with Karl Lagerfeld at one of the biggest fashion events of the year makes me think he's pretty cool. Those with long hair ask themselves the same question at least once in their lives. Kristen Stewart hair and makeup Should I cut it all off?"Hell, I think about it a few times a year. Like me, you can turn off the idea of a short haircut every time because of this thought process: short hair will look wrong to me. It takes longer to grow. Kristen Stewart new haircut Kristen Stewart is one of those elusive beauty chameleons who can really do no wrong. Whether her hair is cut short, grown long, or swept aside in a combination that should be awkward (but not in a way), she looks cool and effortless. Joan jett Kristen Stewart hair Over the years, she has tried it all, brunette on a whirlwind beauty roller-coaster that refuses to return to her punky roots and a ethereal white-blonde. Here are his best hair looks. As her short platinum hair has grown out in the past few months. Kristen Stewart haircut in twilight Kristen Stewart styled her pixie with dark roots and Pomad on the tip. In June, Stewart wore her cut super short with slightly longer sideburns. Here, he designed his signature kohl-striped eyes for the Brady Center's bear Awards Gala. Kirsten Stewart's Best Hair Looks Fans won't be surprised to hear Kristen Stewart short with her hair, but they may be surprised to see how good the short edges, bleached hints of meticulous styles and Devil-grooming attitude can look.they're all packed. How to get Kristen Stewart hair Stewart debuted a new look that hairstylist Adir Abergel posted to Instagram while promoting his new film Seberg at the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada. The new look has a messy top and shorter edges, but the look does not. Kristen Stewart blonde hair Have a buzzed underside. The platinum blonde tips that come and go depending on Stewart's ever-changing looks are longer and more messy. He's also not afraid to play with all the new tissues. Abergel Instagram Stories show. Kristen Stewart hair tutorial Stewart wearing his new style unkempt and carefree rather than slipping back as he has done in the past. All these details may sound extreme, but it's clear they're coming together for Stewart. Abergel's action style has had a few. Kristen Stewart hair in twilight Snapshots, and whatever the case, the relaxed, fun style seems to work well. While most actresses have a signature beauty look, Kristen Stewart is always experimenting with bold hair and makeup. The actress worked her deep brunette tresses in every shade. Kristen Stewart hair extensions Of auburn red. Recently, Stewart debuted his most daring style yet: a stylish buzz cut. Now, she is growing out of fashion, and has added hints of an icy platinum blonde. In honor of her recent appearance sporting a press tour for. Kristen Stewart hair style Charlie's Angels, here are Stewart's most adventurous moments of beauty on the red carpet. Last night was the Los Angeles premiere of underwater, a film starring Kristen Stewart that honestly looks terrible. Kristen Stewart haircut What wasn't scary? Stewart's new pixie cut is a shorter style than we've seen from the longtime star. The ' 90s supermodel added her style to her comeback look of the night by wearing a black skirt suit and a white crop top. Kristen Stewart hairstyle name Kristen Stewart is an American actress and director who has provided great inspiration for short hairs and how to wear this short haircut. Following through Kristen Stewart can then have huge exposure on how to wear a single haircut in a different way for a different look. Kristen Stewart haircut short The underwater scientific fiction horror film and the moment our Twilight actress learned she would get plenty of wet times while filming scenes of the film, she decided it was better to cut her locks than to dry them every now and then. Kristen Stewart hairstyle When interviewing she alluded to this by stating that having large locks would add to her bulkiness. He, too, tried to show how serious his problem was by stating that he already had to invest a lot of time with the suit and that it would be a gruelling. Kristen Stewart new hairstyle Process that didn't end with the hair. As a result, he decided to let the barber do magic with his scissors. To add, she noted that this buzz cut actually adds more value to her on-screen role and helps her portray her character more safely. Kristen Stewart hair colour Stay tuned and stay updated with the latest hip and entertainment industry events and the buzz going on around you to keep picky the following morning. Kristen Stewart can probably make a paper bag look cool if she wears it as a hat, and her new lousy. Kristen Stewart red hair Blonde hair color is all the proof we need to know that she can turn any hairstyle into a true rockstar look. Stewart's hair (previously ombré brown-blond) is streaked with a rough blonde color that, after a long week, seems to have done itself on a. Kristen Stewart hair color Whim and quickly mixed with a drawer of unused hair products but that's the point. "It's for a role; Kristen had to look like herself," Stewart's colorist Amber Maynard Bolt said. "As a perfectionist, it was hard to take myself out of that mindset to create something. Kristen Stewart hair eclipse That wasn't as clean as I normally do. I even had a messy workout. If I take my own hair and burn it, I'll put myself there. Except for what I normally do, but I loved it."The look is pretty oddly great, so maybe he should want the messy look more often. Kristen Stewart hair loss Although it looks terrible, we love the unconventional style and the next time we go to the salon we might have to ask for the K Stew Grunge Look(TM). Admire Stewart's silencing, but somehow it's still incredibly stylish, it's New going on. Kristen Stewart black hair If it was short, it wouldn't be as fun as styling my hair. That last thing, I assure you, is not true. Take a look at Kristen Stewart, for example. In 2020 - 2021, the actress swapped her long, wavy hair for a chin-length product that we found shocking at the time. Kristen Stewart brown hair Since then, he has been experimenting with shorter styles with the help of hairstylist Adir Abergel, who has been with him for 14 years. If there's only one short hairstyle you can think of, Stewart has worn it a dozen times. Kristen Stewart new hair Short hair is incredibly versatile; is a great example," Abergel says of Allure. The key to keeping it is an "individual, alternative, fearless" look, she says, " all about playing with shapes, textures and color changes. Kristen Stewart hair care While the Charlie's Angels star continues to experiment with length, texture, shape and colour, we've rounded up 16 of our favourite over the past few years to prove just how versatile a few inches of hair can be. Kristen Stewart hair now Sorry, Not Sorry if you end up calling your hairdresser for a desk mid-scroll. From blonde to brunette to red to buzz cut, there's no hair colour and cut that Kristen Stewart hasn't tried. The actress is known for her experimental approach and the many hairstyles she has on Arcade charts here. Of course, it's not just the hair, it's also the way it expresses itself. Kristen Stewart natural hair color Many of us look at photos of our younger selves and cringe for a reason. It brings us back to that time when we felt a certain way, and that's probably very different from today. Now imagine doing all this in the public eye. What is Kristen Stewart's face shape? Thankfully, Stewart has always had a great glam team and there's nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to her beauty look. Even in her twilight days, she looked relaxed in her appearance-and looked as stylish as hell as she did so. Can I pull off short hair? Kristen Stewart's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts, But we saw the real Kristen Stewart show up when she cut her hair. The teenager had been waiting to make the big chops until the franchise was over and now it seemed he could play with the pixies, rock-and-roll blast, mullet and even shaved head.

0 notes

cadpadawan · 5 years

Text

What a time to be alive!

On March 11 2020 the World Health Organization declared that the outbreak of a viral disease, with a name similar to a certain brand of light beer, had reached the level of a global pandemic. In the panic reaction, that ensued the reports about the number of the infected, the mass demand on toilet paper and instant noodles skyrocketed on an intergalactic scale. As I let this sink in, it becomes increasingly clear that not even the best of stand-up comedians could have made this shit up!

A great deal of the recent public narrative has focused on the importance of social distancing, and something as surreal as the correct hand washing technique. It turns out, that an acute and extremely violent diarrhea is not a typical symptom of this disease. So, even in the most unfortunate case, that I would become infected with this novel coronavirus-thingy, it wouldn't be exactly the most rational manouver to stockpile 500 rolls of toilet paper, in preparation for a two-week isolation period. Unless, of course, I happened to have some weird pre-existing medical condition that would force me to poop runny and fluid shit non-stop in this doomsday bunker of mine. So far, I haven't been diagnosed with such a syndrome, not that I know of, anyway.

Of course...

There is always the chance, that the universe had a special treat preserved just for me, for a special occassion, like this:

SURPRISE, MOTHERFUCKER!

As for the counter-measures...I have actually practiced the noble art of social distancing and personal hygiene long before it started trending. You see, I'm not exactly a people's person. I'm more like one of those ”mind your own business and fuck off!”-persons. And coming to think of it... What kind of person does NOT wash hands after taking a shit, anyways?!?

Seriously, though...Now the University of Applied Sciences, where I am currently studying mechanical engineering, has also closed doors. The University administration had the forethought to do so in advance, a week before the Finnish government ordered all schools to go online. The ongoing product development school project is pretty easy to execute online, luckily. So, in this respect, this global panic should not compromise my studies that much. I'm quite self-disciplined, so this sudden change of plans did not exactly freak me out. I think I have the emotional strenght to focus on this school project, despite the fact that it would be much more pleasant to binge on alcoholic beverages and PS4 for the next couple of weeks. On a side note, I've been playing the novelty PS4 game Death Stranding for a few months now. Suddenly, the dystopian atmosphere of the game does not seem that far-fetched. We are turning into something similar to the game's isolated prepper characters. (Or, to be more to-the-point, I doubt there ever was a time when humanity was truly connected – when there was no physical barriers, we built the barriers in our minds, that's for sure...)

While conducting an in-depth online research into the topic of the school project, I also went through the trouble of getting the facts straight about the coronavirus via some quality sources of information. Let's face it: social media does not qualify as such. If I was dumb enough to take the corona-garbage in my Facebook newsfeed seriously, it would mean that this COVID-19 outbreak was either:

1) a punishment from a narcissistic god, on the grounds that humanity is a bunch of ungrateful little shits, wallowing in a cesspool of sin – homosexuality, gender equality and veganism, in particular.

2) a pre-emptive strike in the forth-coming WW3, conducted by a biological weapon that was engineered in some top-secret level-5 security military lab in Wuhan, China.

3) A dick move played on the Jumanji-board, that some douchebag accidentally came across in the estate of his deceased grandmother.

4) A Black Death reconstruction executed by the aliens responsible for this shit show simulation.

So, what the actual fuck is this coronavirus, then?

We are witnessing the triumph of an infectious disease, that is caused by a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV2). The COVID-19 monicker seems to stand for a novel CO-rona-VI-rus D-isease that emerged in 2019.

Coronaviruses are fairly common in the animal kingdom, although, this novel coronavirus seems to be one of a kind, that has not been previously detected. If I asked my internet friends here, they would probably say something along the lines of ”I'm not saying it was aliens...but it was aliens!”

Either that, or Mother Nature just wants to kill us all?

The source of the virus is not yet fully known. The latest findings suggest all kinds of bat-related stuff. So, I guess it would be fairly safe to assume, that the world has now officially gone bat shit crazy? The year 2020 will be forever remembered as the Great Pandemic of toilet paper hoarding. Officially, the common symptoms of COVID-19 include high fever, dry coughing, shortness of breath, fatigue paired with muscle and joint pain. No mention of convulsive diarrhea anywhere. Are the government officials withholding some crucial information, in the best dystopian fashion? I guess it would prove pretty hard to maintain morale, if the public was told that we are going to dive in some deep shit, in the most literal meaning of the expression.

Well, I didn't stock up on emergency supplies.

I'm a student with no budget, for fuck's sake. I live from one government hand-me-down to the next, or as we say in Finnish: ”kädestä suuhun”. It literally means ”from hand to mouth”. I could not possibly afford to stockpile shitload of TP or anything else, for that matter. Not that I even wanted to. I find it extremely hard to believe, that the world is going to run out of toilet paper any time soon...or...if a single drop of bat guano is going to collapse all civilization as we know it, then...maybe all this so-called ”civilization” is not so civilized to begin with... From a bystander's view, this onslaught of basic human stupidity, that this pandemic seems to have released upon us, makes it fairly easy to relate to the idea, that Mother Nature really wants us all dead. Maybe...just maybe...the real virus that is threatening all lifeforms on this blue planet is human, not some small agent that replicates inside the cell of an organism. After millennias of gang-bang-thank-you-Ma’m it's payback time?

Whatever the case, it's peculiar that, at this point, the virus seems to have entered Europe via Italy. Well, it still remains to be confirmed, but...if this actually proves to be the case, it would bear an uncanny resemblance to another historical pandemic from way back – the Black Death, that swepth across Europe in the 14th century. Well, y'know...history on repeat etc...

The Black Death, a.k.a. The Great Bubonic Plague, was the first major outbreak of a pandemic on the European continent. It probably originated somewhere along the Mongol conquest of China, due to a pathogen spillover event. Such an event most likely took place somewhere in the Hubei province in China in late 2019. A reservoir population with a high pathogen prevalence, like maybe some killer bats from outer space, or a secret military lab, came into contact with a novel and unsuspecting host population – the ordinary chinese folks doing some grocery shopping at the local market.

Back in the day, the war-mongering Mongols obviously had no clue about the correct hand washing technique, or cough etiquette. The plague spread like wildfire among the troops. It was caused by a bitchy pathogen, a bacterium called Yersinia Pestis. Eventually, the pathogen traveled down the Silk Road to the seaports of Europe, among the Mongol army. To be precise, the pathogen was actually carried by fleas that black rats were infested with. When the Mongol armies arrived at Europe, things got a bit gruesome. Djanibek Khan was the commander of a massive Crimean tatar force, that sieged the port city of Kaffa in 1348. By conducting a somewhat brutal manouver in biological warfare, Djanibek Khan's troops catapulted infected corpses over the city walls. A few infected Genoese traders managed to escape – and introduced the Black Death onto Italian soil. The rest is history.

Ok, let's assume the internet scholars, religious freaks and conspiracy theorists were right for once. Why does the entry point always have to be Italy?

It's almost as if the history of mankind wanted to suggest, that God had some serious bone to pick with the Italians. What have the Italians done in the past, that seems to have compromised the cosmic balance so seriously?

Luigi, you did not by any chance place a slice of pineapple on the pizza, did you?!?

Ever since the Dark Ages, politically motivated monoteistic religions have always blamed normal people for any kind of disasters. The concept of God's mercy is convenient in such a way, that premature death in the hands of any natural disaster would automatically grant an instant VIP-entrance to the delights of afterlife paradise, for a beliver, whereas for a non-believer it most certainly would mean a severe charcoal-grilled punishment in the never-ending flames of hell. In this respect, these so-called Abrahamic religions have not really changed in the last 4000 years. If history can teach us only one thing, it would be: the vast majority of mankind is actually dumb as shit.

So, what can I do?

Not much, except keep avoiding stupid people, as usual, and keep washing my hands as if I had a severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. Yeah, I'll just keep focus on my studies. Whenever I need a break from the depths of mechanical engineering, I'll just check on the news to see the most recent updates in this global shit show. It's funny, when I read about the history of mankind, I can't help but think, that my ancestors must have been of a special kind of stupid in many ways, indulging in a behaviour that was harmful to themselves in the long term. As I watch the stupidity of mankind unfolding right before my very eyes, I feel the occassional urge to book the next flight to Northern Italy and start licking doorknobs in the local supermarkets, relentlessly. Maybe I could wash the sour taste from my mouth with an ice-cold Corona beer, with a slice of lime in it. The path of glory has been well-defined, like aeons ago. The issue has always been how to bring everyone along for the ride. With the general attitude being ”Me first & The Gimmie Gimmies” (the best band name ever, by the way!), we're heading towards the biggest butt-fuck in the history of humanity. Maybe we'd be better off hoarding lubricant, instead of toilet paper?

0 notes

myongfisher · 6 years

Text

10 famous logos and what you can learn from them

A logo is like the front door of a business. It’s a first impression. It’s a greeting. It’s got an energy. The world’s most famous logos have this down. But, what makes a logo a smash hit?

Markets and trends are always evolving, but certain characteristics like typography, layout, patterns and color have a huge impact on how people perceive a logo. Knowing how the big brands do it right will help you refine your own brand and connect with your audience.

Let’s dive in and take a look at a few companies who have really raised the bar with their logo design, why they have been so successful, and what we can learn from their design.

10 legendary famous logos —

Target

The history

Target created their unique and synonymous logo in 1962. Originally, it had three white and three red rings with the company name boldly displayed across it. Just seven years later, the company launched a famous ad that featured a woman wearing the Target logo as an earring—the earliest use of Target’s branding becoming “unexpected.”

In 1989, the company temporarily removed the image from its logo, and it became a text-only wordmark with “TARGET” in bold lettering. But in 2006, the iconic, standalone bullseye returned with the text removed.

The design

What better way to represent the name “Target” than by using an actual target. Makes sense, right? Simple, yes. But the passion behind the design goes deeper.

Target’s logo stands out due to its strong use of the color red and striking simplicity. Many of the logos we will visit in this piece have stood the test of time due to their impressive minimalist design, and the Target logo is the most prominent in this regard.

The circle-within-a-circle logo design communicates universally. The use of negative space beyond the outer red ring carefully creates an image of strength and trust. Circles convey friendship, community, and endurance—traits which are all important to the Target brand.

In business, the color red denotes passion, importance. and attention. White represents cleanliness, virtue and health. When we explore the philosophy of the company, the colors used in their logo design match perfectly with the vision and purpose of the corporation.

It’s incredible how much thought and effort went into such a simple logo.

The lesson

Depending on your industry, you’ll need to identify certain traits in your logo design. Shapes are a great way to do that. Like Target, if you want to demonstrate trust and community, circles can convey that to your consumers.

Use negative space to avoid clogging up your design with elements that will prevent your consumers from knowing the most important things about your brand.

Apple

The history

Apple’s first logo in 1976 looked nothing like the logo we know today. The original featured Isaac Newton sitting beneath a tree with the apple hanging from it, poised to drop. While it was creative, Apple quickly simplified their logo to a literal apple.

Between 1977-1998, Apple often used a rainbow-colored logo design to coincide with their first color display computer. But this grandiose use of color eventually evolved into shiny chrome and then flat color—the version the world sees today.

The design

As with the Target logo, it’s easy to point out the simplicity of Apple’s current logo design. So, why the shift from its original rainbow to chrome to flat color?

Apple strives to make stylish products that are as accessible as possible, so even the most technologically-challenged individuals can use them. The chrome and then flat-color logos demonstrate sleekness and sophistication; the curved apple denotes style. All three traits are synonymous with the Apple brand.

What about the bite?

Some people say the “bite” out of the apple is a pun on the word “byte” (as in gigabyte, or megabyte for us rookies). Others call it a metaphor for the bite of knowledge consumers get from using Apple’s products. Either way, we think it’s a pretty awesome way to add interest to a minimalistic logo.

The lesson

So what can we learn from Apple’s rad logo design? It’s important to notice how the Apple logo displays the traits of its products in its design. Their logo completely matches the personality of their brand. When we think of Apple’s products, we think of words like accessible, sleek, and intelligent. The logo conveys just that.

The simplicity of their logo goes a long way in sticking in the mind of the consumer—too many things going on in a logo, and we will most likely forget about it easily. The stark and striking simplicity of the Apple logo means it’s universally recognized and easily remembered.

Google

The history

Google created its original logo in 1998 using a standard font to display the company name. The logo remained practically unchanged until 2009 when the company altered the coloring and shading of the lettering. In 2014, Google made a few minor changes to letter spacing.

In 2015, Google relaunched their logo with a new, modernized custom typeface and similar colors that were more vibrant and saturated. This is predominantly the logo we know today.

The design

Once again, the simplicity of Google’s logo is clearly evident in its design (starting to see a trend here yet?). As with Apple, Google likes to boast how accessible it is to the masses, which is a huge part of what people know and love about the company.

Since Google chose a wordmark for its logo design, their use of color is very important. Google aimed to use primary colors to give its design a look that pops. However, notice the “l” in the logo. Green is a secondary color, and Google included this in its logo to say “We don’t have to follow the rules,” a choice that arguably makes the company look more innovative.

The wordmark’s letter spacing flows seamlessly to represent how Google moves users through its interface. The use of negative space also provides a stark contrast to the primary colors used, signifying the way the company stands out over the competition.

On a final note, Google often uses quirky versions of its logo to reflect world events, a great way for the company to stand in community with a worldwide audience.

The lesson

Just like Google, consider updating your logo to reflect local or world events. While you might not want to go changing your logo every week, an innovative touch like this is a great way to stay relevant with your consumers.

Think carefully about the use of color and lettering in your logo design. Do bright colors represent your brand? How much space do you want to include between your letters? The Google logo gives us some great insight into how this can make a difference.

FedEx

The history

The original FedEx logo was born in 1973, a plain blue wordmark on a patterned blue background. While the colors have changed, the typeface—with a white arrow visible between the second E and the X—has been there since the beginning. The logo we know today was introduced in 1994. Pretty cool to be able to keep the same font across a generation!

The design

I have given the game away already… FedEx has hidden a white arrow inside the last E and X, a subliminal symbol of speed, movement and precision—some very important traits of a delivery and logistics brand.

FedEx also represents multiple arms of their company through a clever use of color. While maintaining the purple color of the “Fed” in the logo design, the “Ex” portion changes based on the product. The most common color combination we see is purple and orange for FedEx Express, the service used for the bulk of packages.

Pretty cool, right? We think so.

By changing one of their logo colors, the company can symbolize each aspect of their company in a different way. Because color psychology is so important in business, each color can intentionally reflect a specific aspect of your brand.

The lesson

Hidden meanings within a logo might just be the creative edge you have been searching for in your logo design. Why not try something like this? Give your consumers that “a-ha” moment and up the clever-factor of your design to appeal to your audience in a really cool way.

Changing font color is another thing we can learn from the FedEx logo. Do you have different areas of your business where you could do something similar? Look at color psychology and see how you can weave multiple colors for multiple products into your logo design.

The history

Founded in 1958 as Goldstar Electronics, the LG we all know rebranded in 1995 with an original logo and the slogan “Life’s Good” curving around the left side of the design. In 2011, the logo received a glossy, 3D effect, which the company uses today.

The design

When you first look at the logo, what do you see? Hello, winking happy face!

Although more obvious than the hidden arrow in the FedEx design, the emoji face hidden in the LG logo is undeniably clever. The letters “LG” match up with the company slogan “Life’s Good,” and what better way to bring those words to life than a happy face? Additionally, the G is shaped like an on-button, which is very fitting for an electronics company. Told you it was clever.

Like the Target logo, LG uses a red circle in its design to signify friendship, community and endurance. (When you’re buying a new electronic product, doesn’t it sound even better coming from a company that values endurance?) This particular shade of red officially is “the unique LG red color.” It’s not a particularly glamorous way of describing the color, but it does highlight how important red and its color attributes are to their brand.

On its storefronts, the company gives their logo a 3D transformation. This gives it a futuristic appeal which according to LG, helps to “strengthen the visual impact of their symbol mark and helps communicate their attributes.”

The lesson

Again, simplicity in your logo is key. The LG logo design finds ways to convey all of their brand attributes with one color, two letters and simple shapes. A great logo can establish brand identity with just a few elements. Don’t go overboard!

LG also provides us with another example of a hidden image in their logo design. If you can unlock your creative side and do something similar, this is a highly innovative way to represent your brand attributes.

Toyota

The history

Toyota actually began its history as “Toyoda,” named after its company founder. In 1936, the company ran a public competition to design a new logo, and rebranded as “Toyota,” a word that is visually simpler (and luckier!) in Japanese. In 1989, the company launched its current oval logo.

The design

Like LG and Target, Toyota uses red as its primary brand color. When selling vehicles to the masses, a sense of community, friendship and endurance are all vital traits. But what about that silver or gray? It represents conventionality, dependability, professionalism and safety, while the metallic shine adds a feeling of high value and quality.

The curved edges of the logo convey sophistication and sleekness, while the typeface is bold and striking, implying strength and dependability.

So, what do all those fancy looking ovals in the logo mean? According to Toyota, the two perpendicular ovals inside the larger oval represent both the heart of the customer and the heart of the company. They overlap to model the mutually beneficial relationship between both. Together they form a “T,” the first letter of the company that also resembles a steering wheel shape.

While being one of the more complex logos out there, the thought and creativity behind the design definitely goes a long way in displaying the care and sophistication Toyota puts into its products.

Pretty awesome, right?

The lesson

While still staying simple, Toyota packs in a lot of hidden meanings into its logo design. You can do this too, which is a huge stride toward demonstrating the care you put into your business and building better relationships with your customers.

The Toyota logo is also a great example of contrast. The curved edges of the design combine well with the striking boldness of the font. Think about including a similar contrast in your own design. Do you want to imply strength as well as sophistication? Or maybe sleekness and endurance? Too much contrast can lead to confusion, but when used well, it’s a great way to present multiple attributes to your consumers.

Mercedes-Benz

The history

Most car companies change their logos over time to evolve with design trends. But a logo that’s managed to stay original and significant for over a century is the Mercedes-Benz star. The company introduced the star in 1909, and it’s still the central element of their logo to this day.

The design

Mercedes displays its logo on many of its vehicles and advertising without any lettering. With decades of brand awareness, the company can easily tap into consumers’ universal knowledge. But the star itself is packed with meaning: the three prongs represent the air, land and sea—each a segment of the automotive industry.

Like Toyota, the logo’s silver color evokes dependability, security, professionalism, and conventionality along with value and quality. Notice an industry trend?

Compared to other brands, the Mercedes typeface is thin and curved, which gives it a touch of elegance—exactly the image the company wants to create.

The lesson

Fonts matter. Compare the Mercedes typefaces to the one in the Toyota logo, and you can clearly see the difference. The curved edges allow the company to evoke luxury—all with just letters. Imagine if that font was thick, bold and blocky. Not quite so elegant, right?

If you plan to use text in your logo, remember that every typeface has its own personality. Find one that fits your brand, and run with it.

Shell

The history

You might know Shell as a gasoline and oil company. But wayyyy back in 1891, Shell began as a trading company that specialized in bringing sea shells to Western nations. That was quite the pivot.

In 1900, Shell introduced its first logo, a black-and-white drawing of a seashell. Since then, the image of a shell has never disappeared from the company logo, though its various facelifts include a color makeover in 1948. The current logo appeared in 1995, the company now uses it as a standalone mark without any text.

The design

Shell’s bright red and yellow brand colors are iconic. But rather than color psychology, these choices play up a cultural significance. When Shell first appeared in California, the company wanted to match the colors of the Spanish flag—where many early California settlers were born—to try and form an emotional bond with their customers. Looking at how the company has fared over time, that bond’s become pretty strong.

The shell represents a mollusk, which points back to the company’s trading roots, but is also part of the eco-cycle of oil exploration. A bold font and strong lines reflect a bold company with a strong standing in the business world. Can you imagine how people might view the logo if it was curvy and soft?

The lesson

Could you reflect your company history in your logo? Or even make a strong cultural connection? Shell’s colors remind us of the company’s heritage, and you could use this technique to forge an even stronger bond with your consumers.

Coca-Cola

The history

Coca-Cola introduced their first black-and-white logo (that’s how most things were back then) in 1886. Over time, the logo has evolved, but that classic, script lettering has largely remained the same. By 1958, the brand’s famous red and white colors officially became part of the logo.

Across dozens of iconic marketing campaigns (we all remember the “Enjoy a Coke with [insert name here] bottles), the logo hasn’t changed dramatically, aside from the addition of the “white wave” we commonly see underneath the text.

The design

You’d be hard pressed to find a logo that has been more resilient than Coca-Cola’s. So what is it about the logo design that makes it undoubtedly one of the most impressive in the world today?

Originality and class.

The Coca-Cola logo design reflects classic Americana; the two are synonymous with each other. The cursive and fashionable lettering is truly unique and absolutely personifies the fashionable class of its brand. When we think of classic America we simultaneously see the Coca-Cola logo, which gives the company both a nostalgic and cross-generational appeal.

The modern Coca-Cola logo is recognized and loved around the world because of its famous red and white colors. So, why red?

Red is a very powerful color. It evokes excitement, energy and passion. Don’t these traits seem reflective of the classic America already mentioned? Red also stimulates the appetite, which undoubtedly works in a soft-drink company’s favor!

The lesson

What lessons can’t we take from Coca-Cola’s original, innovative and simplistic design? Seriously, if you ever need inspiration for your logo, you can surely find it here.

Lead with color. Coca-Cola and red are synonymous. The company goes all-in when it comes to pushing its brand colors into its products and marketing—and it works. Use color psychology to find a primary color that fits your brand to “stimulate the appetite” of your own consumers.

Consider custom fonts. The Coca-Cola logo is particularly impressive because of the way the font clearly matches the personality and identity of its brand. That’s because it’s completely custom. As you develop at your brand, get creative with how you can use or reimagine fonts, letters and shapes that aren’t off-the-shelf to make your brand truly unique.

Nike

The history

We all know the Nike “Swoosh,” but the story behind its design is not one many would guess. In 1971, graphic design student Carolyn Davidson designed the logo and sold it to Nike co-founder Phil Knight for a mere $35.

Yes, you read that right, $35!! Not a bad investment. Knight forged Nike with the power of the swoosh, and the rest is history.

The design

The swoosh began with text that accompanied it. But now it doesn’t even need it. Like Shell, Apple, Mercedes and Target, few companies can boast that their logo is universally recognized.

Well played Nike, well played.

In Greek mythology, Nike is the goddess of victory, and the meaning behind the name inspired the logo. The swoosh mimics the wing of the goddess combined with Nike’s own brand traits.

What do you feel or see when you look at the Nike logo? Speed? Acceleration? Power? That’s exactly what the company wants you to feel, and this innovative design represents all of these traits in a simple and creative way.

The swoosh also resembles a check mark, which signifies “yes”, a symbol of reinforcement and positivity.

The lesson

One of the most prominent lessons we can take from the Nike logo is how to convey attributes through shape. The swoosh evokes motion and speed. What shapes tell the story of your product, brand and mission?

Also consider how you can display your logo with and without text. Few logos can stand alone, but when its done right, they’re just as powerful.

How famous logos do design right —

These famous logos belong to companies that people all over the world admire because of their success, philosophy, identity, or customer satisfaction. Each logo captures the brand perfectly to forge an identity that everyone can relate to.

What do they have in common? Perfect use of colors, shape and lettering—all while keeping it simple. Use these techniques to create a stellar logo design that tells your customers everything they need to know about you, your products and your values. And don’t forget to pay attention to not only what you want to know, but also feel, when they look at your logo.

A great logo isn’t the sole indicator of a successful business, but a thoughtful, eye-catching logo design will help you establish yourself as a reputable brand in a competitive space. And you’ll look super awesome, too!

Want a logo that’s just as awesome?

Let our brilliant designer community create a unique brand mark for you.

Yes please!

The post 10 famous logos and what you can learn from them appeared first on 99designs.

10 famous logos and what you can learn from them published first on https://www.lilpackaging.com/

0 notes

epchapman89 · 7 years

Text

The Dark Truth About Goth Lattes

A few short weeks ago we reported on the emergence of a new beverage trend: the Goth Latte, a latte made using activated charcoal. The results are visually stunning, but it turns out enjoying these drinks—or any of today’s multitude of ice creams and lemonades spiked with charcoal—could pose serious health risks for those on certain kinds of medications.

They were whipping up all manner of activated charcoal drinks out in Venice Beach at Menotti’s Coffee Stop, one of LA’s best cafes, when I visited a few weeks ago. Founder Christopher “Nicely” Abel Alameda is not shy about his enthusiasm for activated charcoal beverages, and his shop’s signature drink menu features riffs like the “Darth Mocha,” featuring Valrhona chocolate, Maldon salt, and activated charcoal, and the “Charcoalate Milk,” made with charcoal (natch), hemp milk, and house ganache.

The drinks are delicious and striking, drawing oohs and ahhs from the perpetual motion machine of customers coursing in and out of the tiny cafe, just a block from the Venice Beach boardwalk. “What is that?” a patron asks. “That’s a #2 Pencil,” Nicely replies. Folks start ordering the drinks in place of their usual iced lattes, and before we know it there’s a crowd gathered as the next drink lands on the bar.

Each activated charcoal drink at Menotti’s contains just a gram of activated charcoal, and that dosage is typical across other foodstuff applications of AC—like, say, the Charcoal Lemonade you might find for sale a few blocks away on Abbot Kinney. Nicely’s use of charcoal on the menu is about more than visual appeal and fad chasing—he’s used the ingredient in his own holistic health regimen for several years, to help combat problems related to stomach acidity. “Once I started integrating charcoal into my diet,” Nicely tells Sprudge, “I saw the benefits of it right away. That’s what compelled me to want to share it with people.”

But there is a darker side to the Goth Latte. Rumors abound around these drinks, and a growing chorus of voices are speaking out warning about the potential dangers they pose.

Most of the information on this topic is pretty scattered, ranging from poppy doctor chats to wacky trend pieces to glorified reblogs. Sprudge wanted to know some facts about the supposed charcoal risks, starting with a practical first question: what was the dosage necessary to interrupt the absorption of medication? I reached out to a doctor friend of mine—Dr. Ross Martini of the Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) in Portland, Oregon. (Dr. Martini, it should be disclosed, is the partner of Sprudge co-founder Zachary Carlsen.) Dr. Martini told me that a wide variety of factors influenced whether or not a drug could be disrupted by charcoal: pH of the stomach, where in your GI tract the pill breaks down for absorption, and the drug molecule itself—how big it is, what charge it has, and so on.

Okay, so no magic bullet. But in overdose situations—when charcoal is used for emergencies in hospitals—how much is typically administered? Dr. Martini checked with his toxicology colleagues at OHSU and determined that 50 grams of activated charcoal would be typically administered to combat toxins and prevent absorption.

50 grams! Well if my Goth Latte has just one gram, it’s probably fine, right? That’s 1/50th of the medical dose used to disrupt absorption. And according to the available medical scholarship, the introduction of something like milk—say, in a Goth Latte—could further diminish the effectiveness of activated charcoal:

The addition of some flavoring agents (e.g., milk, ice cream, sherbet, marmalade) are known to reduce the adsorptive capacity, and therefore the efficacy, of activated charcoal and should be avoided in preference to activated charcoal-water slurries; nevertheless, these flavoring agents do not completely compromise the effectiveness of activated charcoal and may be necessary in some circumstances (e.g., administration in pediatric patients) to enhance compliance (Cooney 1995; Dagnone 2002).

So maybe Goth Lattes—not unlike my own experience during my The Cure phase in high school—are just misunderstood. At such a small dose, mixed with milk, what could possibly be the harm? Turns out the bigger issue relates back to what sorts of medications you’re taking, specifically medications made of very small molecules such as birth control.

When we ran our own admittedly poppy trend piece back in June, a few folks with deeper knowledge of the risks posed by charcoal in drinks reached out in response. One of them is a practicing hospitalist in the Seattle area, Dr. Matthew Powell, who goes by @cocktailmd on Instagram. Dr. Powell helped clear up some of the misconceptions I had about grams and dosage amounts when administering AC in a hospital setting. “The OHSU folks are correct that [doctors] use activated charcoal (AC) in certain types of overdose by administering a 50g dose,” he says. “That megadose is meant to prevent absorption of a megadose of a toxin or medication. It turns out that with all of the microscopic pores in AC there is an extraordinarily high surface area in even just one gram of it—about the same as three or four tennis courts. That surface area is where other substances stick (“adsorption”) to prevent them getting into the system (“absorption”).”

“Not everything sticks,” Dr. Powell says, “but everything that does stick passes through the system and out the other end without adversely affecting the person.” Dr. Powell continued (bold emphasis from Sprudge):

“What does stick well? Lots of different medications. The ratios matter, so one gram of AC wouldn’t have as much effect on half a gram of medication, but that same dose of AC is 10,000 times the weight of a common dose of birth control (100mcg) and could potentially adsorb that medication in its entirety,” Powell says. “Many studies have looked at the reduction in medication effectiveness, and this effect is far from theoretical. For example, 1g of AC taken within five minutes of 500mg of Ciprofloxacin reduces that antibiotic’s effectiveness by about 10%. However, a different antibiotic that was only a 100mg dose was reduced by about 90%. Imagine the effect on birth control pills that are 1/1000th that dose!”

Imagine, indeed! This has been a hot topic of conversation in the cocktail world for years, prompting one doctor to quip to Imbibe, “I’m going to make a cocktail called the See Ya in Nine Months.” And it’s not just The Pill—many medications, including those for issues with depression, anxiety, and thyroid imbalance are made up of lightweight molecules and are especially susceptible to being absorbed by charcoal.

The doctors had spun my head around. I went from thinking that the Goth Latte was a bit of moody, synth-drenched fun, like the A-side of “The Head on the Door” to a realization that the drink was far more frightening and consequential than I could even fathom, like the B-side of “Seventeen Seconds.” But it’s not all tears dripping through dark eyeliner: Dr. Powell notes that activated charcoal can only disrupt medications it’s in direct contact with. “Medication taken four hours before or after AC wouldn’t be likely to come in contact with it,” he told me, “but the closer they are taken together, the stronger the interaction. Just think how many people take their medication in the morning before heading out the door to grab a coffee before work and you can imagine that many people will fall well within that four-hour window.”

Egads, this sounds like a public health risk! Surely this stuff must be regulated? Surely doctors are warning their patients not to ingest activated charcoal when prescribing medications that might be impacted by it? I asked Dr. Martini, is charcoal something doctors are starting to discuss with their patients? “Never,” he tells me. (Actually, it was in all-caps via text: “NEVER”.) “It would have to be a blanket statement given for all drugs, and since charcoal is unregulated, it’s impossible to tell what you’re really ingesting.”

But surely the FDA must be involved and have some oversight? “Even for herbal medications, the FDA just needs to know that what you are putting in it is literally not poison,” says Dr. Martini. “It’s about as regulated as McDonald’s.”

Unregulated, potentially harmful to a wide variety of medications, with no warning by the modern medical community. So what’s the moral of this story? Charcoal in foodstuffs are undeniably cool-looking, and the Goth Latte speaks for a forgotten generation of emotional outcasts—this much we know. But if you take certain medications, you should really, really be careful about consuming this stuff, whether it’s in your coffee drink, curated artisanal pre-squozen lemonade, Instagram ice cream cone, suspender-y urban apothecary cocktail parlo(u)r, Eater Steam List neo-artisan pizza pop-up, or what-have-you.

Meanwhile back at Menotti’s, Nicely is still offering charcoal drinks to curious customers—including enthusiastic nutritionists who champion the health benefits of charcoal—albeit with an updated caveat, and a new warning. “I think we need to appreciate why [charcoal] is used for medical purposes, and that’s why I’ve been using it myself,” he tells me. “When people order these drinks, I can tell them how it’s helped me—it comes from a true place of inspiration—but I’ve also put an asterisk on the menu to warn people to be careful if they’re taking medication.”

If you’re one of the millions of perfectly normal people who take medication regularly, for any reason, you should talk to your doctor about the risks of consuming activated charcoal, because there definitely are some. The truth is out there.

Jordan Michelman is a co-founder and editor at Sprudge Media Network. Read more Jordan Michelman on Sprudge.

Photos by Jordan Michelman for Sprudge Media Network.

The post The Dark Truth About Goth Lattes appeared first on Sprudge.

seen 1st on http://sprudge.com

0 notes

symbianosgames · 8 years

Link

The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.

[Video Game Deep Cuts is a weekly newsletter from curator/video game industry veteran Simon Carless, rounding up the best longread & standout articles & videos about games, every weekend. This week's highlights include CIA board games, the art of escape rooms and The Oregon Trail's genesis.

Huzzah - have managed to get the newsletter out extra early this weekend - wonder if it helps with open rate? There's over 400 of you on this list currently, by the way, plus I tend to get 700-1,000 page views on the Gamasutra crossposted version. I'd call that a good result in today's micro-attention intellectual economy. (But I want more, of course.)

Anyhow, quite a bit happening this week - and in addition to the YouTube GDC talks I posted below, the GDC Vault is up, with 170+ free videos from the 2017 show, hundred of free slide decks - and 500+ videos in total if you were a select GDC passholder. Not linking individual lectures from there because I'll be adding the YouTube versions as they gradually get xposted over the next few months, but there's some amazing talks out there - thanks again to all our speakers.

- Simon, curator.]

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

Escape to another world (Ryan Avent / The Economist 1843 Magazine) "Like millions of people of a certain age, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) had occupied a crucial place in Mullings’s childhood. It introduced him to video gaming, gave him a taste for it, made him aware of the fact that he was good at it: a “born gamer”, in his words. Yet the pixelated worlds of the Mario brothers, for all their delights, were nothing like the experiences available to gamers today."

'Witcher' Studio Boss Marcin Iwinski: 'We Had No Clue How To Make Games' (Chris Suellentrop / Glixel) ""We were small, unknown guys from Poland," Marcin Iwiński, the co-founder of CD Projekt Red, said last year when The Witcher 3 beat out games like Fallout 4, Metal Gear Solid V, and Bloodborne for the Game of the Year award at the Game Developers Choice Awards in San Francisco."

The Shrouded Isle and embracing darkness in games (Katherine Cross / Gamasutra) "PAX East’s indie offerings sometimes have unexpected themes emerge from the potpourri; a couple of years ago it was young women as detectives. This year, a subtle current among the games on offer was exploring life in cults from the inside."

Why math is strangling videogame morality (Jody Macgregor / PC Gamer) "What's disappointing is that in the 22 years since Ultima IV, the math governing most morality systems in games has gotten more complicated, but it's still math. And it's still there. When our behavior is tied to an equation we've been trained to understand over the past two decades of gaming, the exciting nuance that should lie at the heart of moral decisions tends to disappear."

The CIA uses board games to train officers—and I got to play them (Sam Machkovech / Ars Technica) "The two groups of South By Southwest attendees split up in this conference room hesitate to get up. They were testing out the weirdest training exercise the CIA has ever publicly revealed: board games. These aren't off-the-shelf games; instead, CIA officers designed and assembled these elaborate tabletop games to reflect the realities of the CIA's day-to-day operations."

Balancing survival gameplay and RPG progression in Conan Exiles (Alan Bradley / Gamasutra) "Funcom's Conan Exiles, one of the latest challengers to the throne that Minecraft built, pushes this kind of progression to the logical extreme, not only tying player’s stats -- things like strength and stamina -- to its leveling, but also locking the majority of its buildings and tools behind it."

What it’s like making games in Pakistan (Basim Usmani / Polygon) "Chappal Strike, a play on shooter Counter-Strike, is a student-made game in which the player launches chappals — Pakistani sandals — to take down army helicopters. The game is rooted in one of Pakistan's darkest moments of 2016."

Are Teenagers Replacing Drugs With Smartphones? (Matt Richtel / New York Times) "With experts in the field exploring reasons for what they describe as a clear trend, the novel notion that ever-growing phone use may be more than coincidental is gaining some traction. Dr. Volkow described interactive media as “an alternative reinforcer” to drugs, adding that “teens can get literally high when playing these games.” [SIMON'S NOTE: not really sure where this theory fits into app refreshing, games and endorphins, but flagging it as intriguing.]"

Arcade Photographs, Arcade Comics, Arcade Tales – A Social History of the British Amusement Arcade (Alan Meades / mediaXstanford / YouTube) "Alan Meades, Senior Lecturer in New Media Theory in Canterbury Christ Church University’s Department of Media, Art and Design presents his arcade culture research project, Arcade Tales, which uses comic books as a way of communicating and capturing oral histories from British arcades, and also a selection of rare and previously unseen arcade photographs from Canterbury Christ Church University’s George Wilson Archive."

The story of Crash magazine (Graeme Mason / Eurogamer) "If, like me, you were a ZX Spectrum fan growing up in the 80s, one of its trio of passionately assembled and dedicated magazines was an indispensable read... Sinclair User was the longest serving, and had a drier tone; Your Sinclair (formerly Your Spectrum) gleefully brandished its off-the-wall humour in each issue, and is especially revered today. But for me, and many others, our magazine of choice was the appropriately-titled Crash, published by Ludlow-based Newsfield."

Choices, Episode (Emily Short / Emily Short's Interactive Storytelling) "There are several thriving brands of interactive fiction on mobile that tend not to get a huge amount of coverage in the traditional IF community, despite their large player base. They’re placing well on the app store, though, and GDC talks increasingly cover them — so I went and had a look at a couple of the main contenders. [SIMON'S NOTE: Also see How Episode became the world's biggest interactive fiction platform.]"

Board Game Design Day: The Making Of 'Pandemic Legacy' (Matt Leacock & Rob Daviau / GDC / YouTube) "In this GDC 2017 talk, 'Pandemic Legacy' creators Matt Leacock and Rob Daviau walk through the thought process of creating the popular board game, looking at the design challenges (and solutions), where the team behind Pandemic went right, and where they went wrong."

How to Make an Escape Room (Laura Hudson / Feminist Frequency) "Laura E. Hall wants you to get out; she really does. As an escape room designer, she’s created numerous live-action mysteries where teams of intrepid players sealed in a real-life room must rifle through clues and solve puzzles in hopes of getting out before time runs out."

Meet the Swedish Politician Who Streams 'Hearthstone' (Luke Winkie / Glixel) "There is a unique tranquility in watching a man calmly break down Scandinavian political policy while piloting a Beast Druid deck. So if you're like me and you're in need of a reminder that government isn't always stupid and evil, I highly recommend the Hearthstone Twitch stream of Rickard Nordin."

LawBreakers isn't trying to be an Overwatch killer (Tom Marks, Mark Paget / PC Gamer) "First-person shooters had a big year in 2016, something that wasn't necessarily expected when Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski and Boss Key Productions revealed LawBreakers in 2014. Since then, Overwatch has sort of become the de facto leader of the character-based shooter movement, but when we met up with Bleszinski at PAX East 2017, he told us that he isn't trying to make an Overwatch killer."

Prompto's Facebook: How a Buddy-AI Auto-Snapshots Your Adventure in FFXV (Prasert Prasertvithyakarn / GDC / YouTube) "In this 2017 GDC session, Square Enix designer Prasert Prasertvithyakarn describes the creation of Final Fantasy XV's photo system that allows Prompto to document your epic road trip on a quest to save the world."

Classic Game Postmortem: Oregon Trail (Don Rawitsch / GDC / YouTube) "In this GDC 2017 postmortem, Oregon Trail creator Don Rawitsch sets off on a journey to explore the development of this classic educational game that took the world by storm."

How Osiris: New Dawn calculates monster crab scuttling (Philippa Warr / RockPaperShotgun) "So I’ve played enough of Osiris to know that you’ll be minding your own business, looking at a tree, and then a crab will come and try to cave your skull in. It’s not a proper crab in the sense of earth taxonomy because it has four legs, but it has a carapace and a set of angular legs that have a very crab-ish/lobster-y aesthetic."

Dwarf Fortress creator Tarn Adams talks about simulating the most complex magic system ever (Wes Fenlon / PC Gamer) "Forget what you thought you knew about the infamous complexity of Dwarf Fortress. We haven't seen anything yet. Dwarf Fortress hasn't been updated for a year, because developers Tarn and Zach Adams have been preparing it for the most ambitious magic system ever implemented in a videogame."

'Nier: Automata' Director Taro Yoko Doesn't Envision a Happy Ending for Humanity (Matthew Walden / Glixel) "Nier: Automata has finally thrust the reclusive Yoko into the spotlight, with its impeccably polished action offering a more accessible entry point to his fascinating universe filled with heartbreak and introspection. Recently, Yoko has become equally recognized for the grinning, skeletal mask he dons in public, as well as his cryptic and playful answers to interview questions. So it's a particular treat to have a candid conversation with him about his career and legacy so far."

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

[REMINDER: you can sign up to receive this newsletter every weekend at http://ift.tt/2dUXrva we crosspost to Gamasutra later on Sunday, but get it first via newsletter! Story tips and comments can be emailed to [email protected]. MINI-DISCLOSURE: Simon is one of the organizers of GDC and Gamasutra, so you may sometimes see links from those entities in his picks. Or not!]

#IFTTT #Blogger

0 notes

shorthaircutsmodels · 4 years

Link

0 notes