#melody does polls

[melodygatesauthor]

I can't make this shit up lol YOU GUYS TIED IT AGAIN...

[best-fnaf-song-competition]

Mechanisms fans!!!! Thats at least 3 here now :]!!! Hellfire is great and my personal favorite album is Once Upon A Time In Space (its the first one I heard) - [|87

HOLY SHIT

Allowing myself one (1) ask to just go fucking feral YOOOOO HOLY SHIT DUDE. THE MECHANISMS FUCK AND YOU ARE SO CORRECT ABOUT HELLFIRE I literally can't pick a favorite from high noon over camelot it changes every single time I listen to the album they all SLAP

Once Upon A Time In Space is SO fun but my favorite without a SHADOW of a doubt is The Bifrost Incident. It makes me go feral in ways no other albums have achieved before or since I get so excited I have to remind myself to breathe and it FUCKS LIKE HELL. Also lyfrassir edda my beloved I would do anything for this pathetic little detective

[sugarakispolls]

Checking in on the Artemis Tribe,

The dogs of the group got distracted looking for firewood and it looks like it may rain tonight.

[dilf-lover99]

And I Love Her | J.P.

Pairing: James Potter x Female Reader

Summary: The 3 times James tries to get the girl and the 1 time he finally does. Or In which James Potter is hopelessly in love with his best friend.

Warnings: so. much. pining., idiots to lovers, miscommunication(s), a dash of angst, some heavy kissing, james potter being the literal definition of boyfriendism

Word Count: 4.8k

a/n: hi ! james potter won the poll and i am so completely okay with it. i really intended for this to be angst but he's just SO boyfriend. this may be my favorite thing i've ever written and i really hope you enjoy it too ! p.s. i missed u guys lots and i'm so grateful you've stuck around after months of crickets from me. love u love u love u<3

(y/n).

Depending on who you asked, it was only a name. The name of a classmate, or a friend, or yourself, but only a name nonetheless.

Unless you asked James Potter.

It wasn’t only a name. Not to him. To James, it was everything.

Because it was your name.

Your name that hastened his heartbeat with every mention.

Your name that sent a salient stream of blood rushing to his cheeks, tinting them a lucent shade of scarlet.

Your name that, once mentioned, seemed to follow him everywhere, as though the wind itself would begin whispering it, rustling alongside the branches of the whomping willow tree before floating its way over to his ears, sounding sweeter than any melody he’d ever heard before.

To state it simply, James Potter was irrevocably, inconceivably, in love with you.

But saying it that way didn’t seem like enough.

He didn’t just love you with his heart, for his heart could stop beating. And he didn’t only love you with his mind, for his memories could fail him one day. James Potter loved you with the entirety of his soul, with every fibre making up his being. Of that, he was certain.

What he wasn’t certain of however, was how to bare his infatuated soul to you.

After all, how exactly does one tell his best friend he’s besotted with her?

He tried the gentle approach first. 

The train back to Hogwarts was filling up quickly. Stories of his peers’ summer holidays flow obstreperously through the air as James’ eyes remain glued to the door of him and his friends’ usual compartment.

“Ease off it with the evil eye, Prongs. She’ll be here.” Sirius’ teasing voice breaks James away from his thoughts, which were unsurprisingly fixated on you.

He doesn’t bother denying it, well aware he’s been staring daggers at the door since he stepped foot off platform 9 ¾, anxiously awaiting your appearance after spending the entire summer holiday apart from you.

“Leave him be, Pads. He misses her.” Remus interjects kindly, not lifting his eyes from the well-worn pages of whichever book he’s decided to burrow his attention into for the ride back to Hogwarts.

“Well he can join the bloody club then, can’t he?” Sirius starts, intent on ignoring Remus’ suggestion, “I’ve just about fallen for her myself after spending my entire holiday listening to this git recite his bloody sonnets for her,” he continues with a not-so flattering mimicry of a lovesick James, “It is the east! And (y/n) is the sun. O Romeo!” He throws himself dramatically to the floor on his knees, clasping his hands above his heart.

Peter watches the spectacle with a grin, covering up his chuckle with a cough after James sends him a look of warning. Before James can defend himself against Sirius’ melodrama, the door to their compartment slides open, revealing a beautiful and slightly out of breath you.

And suddenly you’re not the only one who’s out of breath.

You’ve gotten even prettier over the summer, somehow. If somebody had asked James before, if he thought you could possibly have gotten any more beautiful, he’d’ve laughed in their face, telling them tales of how your beauty could put Aphrodite to shame. But now? Now his heart was beating so violently in his chest he was almost certain it was attempting to escape, trying to take its rightful place upon your sleeve.

“Sorry I’m late, I nearly broke my neck out there!” You stop briefly to catch your breath, the jog on your way over winding you more than you’d care to admit. “Someone ought to tell those first-years there’s enough seats on here for the lot of us. I’ve just been walloped by a bloody eleven year old! Cheeky little-” You cease your rambling amidst your confusion at the sight before you, Sirius on his knees at James’ feet.

“Have I interrupted something? Perhaps a proposal of sorts?” You jest, your amusement growing at the wide eyed look on James’ face as he scrambles to stand, coming to greet you properly with a hug that doesn’t last nearly as long as you wish it would.

“No!” He protests instantly, amidst wrapping you in the soft embrace.

“Cor, I’ve missed you.” He mumbles after pulling away, leaving a hand on your back as he gently guides you to your seat beside him, hesitant to do so, as once you’re sat he’ll no longer have an excuse to touch you.

“I missed you more!” Your enthusiasm brings him optimism, there’s a chance she means it the way you do, he thinks, there’s a chance-

“And what of me?” Sirius and his bloody interjections. James has half a mind to lock him out of the ruddy compartment and leave him to fend for himself amongst the overzealous first-years.

“I’m sorry, have we met?” You feign confusion, though not very well, James can see the brilliant smile forming leisurely upon your lips. What I would do to those lips, his thoughts are running rampant after a summer spent away from your presence, too caught up to hear the jokes you and Sirius are trading back and forth, and that laugh! His internal monologue continues, ’s like a proper bloody song. Just ask her, right now. If she says no you can play it off as a joke. It might sting a bit, but surely it’d be better than keeping it all locked away.

“Will you go to Hogsmeade with me? Just us two? We’ll have a lovely time, I swear it.”

He knows what he was hoping you’d say, something along the lines of ‘Yes, James, I’d love to!’ but he wasn’t expecting it.

He also wasn’t expecting your given response.

“That’s a wonderful idea, Jamie, thank you! D’you see that, Sirius? A helpful suggestion. You ought to try one of those sometime.” You’re back to chatting with Sirius and Remus as Peter leans over to James, whispering an explanation to his visibly confused friend.

James had caught you mid-complaint about how you’d forgotten to bring the dittany leaves you need to make the special healing chocolates you gift Remus after a particularly bad full moon. After Sirius’ not-so-helpful suggestion to try substituting them with pot leaves, you gladly welcomed the chance to pop over to Hogsmeade with James and buy some more.

You’d mistaken his date proposal for a shopping trip.

Marvellous.

This is going to be the year that James tells you how he feels. He’ll make sure of it.

If for no other reason than this was your seventh and final year at Hogwarts together. His stomach churned at the mere idea of allowing you to slip through his fingers for good; you acting as the coarse sand to his adamant hourglass. He wouldn’t have it.

So he’d try again.

In the few weeks since you’ve returned to Hogwarts, your time’s been consumed by studying for your N.E.W.T.s. You’re also determined to acquire a spot in the internship programme at St. Mungo’s. The sheer amount of time you’ve spent there with your boys over the last few years has more than prepared you for a future as a healer if you end up enjoying the work.

“Alright, who was the first witch to extract floo powder?” James has spent the last hour and a half quizzing you on all matters Herbology, if it were anyone else he’d’ve been bored to slumber by now. But it wasn’t anyone else, it was you.

The two of you were sat outside together on a blanket, taking full advantage of the uncharacteristically sunny day. James is leaned comfortably back against a tree as you sit across from him, simultaneously taking notes and answering each of his questions without pause.

“Ignatia Wildsmith. Ravenclaw. Come ‘ead James, I’ve told you to stop going easy on me! Every seventh-year applying will know all of these.” Bloody lucky I love her so much, James thinks to himself, I thought that was a hard one.

He’d like to laugh your nerves away, crack a few jokes and tell you that you may be going a bit overboard. You’re going to get the internship, and not just because you’re brilliant and perfectly qualified, but also because your Herbology professor had written a glowing recommendation letter singing your praises.

But he can’t find it in himself to mess around when you’ve got that adorable little wrinkle between your eyebrows displaying your worry, and your lips have turned down into a delectably kissable pout. It takes nearly everything in him not to brush it away with his own lips. 

“(y/n),” He starts, wetting his lips with his tongue as he desperately attempts to keep his thoughts from overtaking his voice, “It’s going to be alright, I promise. You’re more than ready for this. Why don’t we try taking a little break?” His heart feels as though it’s leapt into his throat when you glance at him and send a delicate smile of gratitude.

“I’m sorry, Jamie. We’ve been at this for hours, you must be exhausted of me by now.” You smile, more cheerful this time as you realize a break is precisely what you need.

James can’t contain the laugh that escapes him.

Exhausted? Of you? 

The absurdity of thinking he could ever grow tired of you was an inherently laughable concept to him.

He’s nearly clutching his stomach when he finally manages to compose himself, making heart-stopping eye contact with his equally amused and puzzled best friend.

“Are you mad?” James’ dimpled smile sets a kaleidoscope of butterflies aflutter in your stomach, “I’d spend all my hours with you if I could.” He means it with every atom that makes up his being, he’s meant it for years but now he’s actually saying it to you.

Your smile grows wider with each word he speaks, your own thoughts matching the underlying sentiment of his articulation more than he could ever know.

“I-” He pauses, inhaling deeply and squeezing his eyes shut tightly in an effort to maintain his courage, “I love you.” You did it, he thinks to himself proudly, you actually bloody did it, Prongs! He exhales shakily, reinitiating eye contact with you as a small smile begins to blossom on his tender lips.

“James,” Your voice holds an underlying tone of sadness that causes an adorable crinkle of confusion to settle between James’ eyebrows, “I love you too.” You smile tightly, almost as though it’s causing you discomfort to do so.

“You do?” James is more perplexed now than he had been when you’d explained to him in painstaking detail the intricate relationships between each member of Fleetwood Mac the first time the two of you listened to Rumours together.

“Of course I do,” Your smile stretches intimately, the somber quality of your voice never wavering, “You’re my best mate, after all.”

Best mate? James thinks, is that really all she sees?

Had he not been so caught up in his own racing thoughts, he may have picked up on yours. He may have realized that his situation was holding a gargantuan mirror up to your own, casting a perfect reflection of the feelings within.

Best mates, you internally chastise yourself, that’s all he sees.

A proper bloody mirror.

“It was completely humiliating, Pads. She might as well’ve called me her bloody brother.” James has been yammering on about what happened that day for the past three weeks. Three weeks. Sirius is going positively mad, somehow having become James’ sounding board to rehash his complaints every time he remembers the encounter.

“I mean, how am I supposed to tell the girl I’d like to spend the rest of my life with her now?” James is pacing back and forth agitatedly at the foot of Sirius’ bed, as the aforementioned boy lays back uninterestedly, wishing his duvet would come to life and swallow him whole in an effort to escape the worlds most redundant conversation.

“She’d probably tell you that sounds lovely. Make you her future child’s godparent.” Sirius jokes dryly.

James abandons his invisible footpath, a wave of panic comically widening his warm hazel eyes substantially.

“She what?”

“For Merlin’s sake, Prongs! I can’t take any more of this,” Sirius sits up agitatedly, now far beyond his capacity for James’ lovesick commentaries, “Just go tell her. Right now.”

“Are you mad? Have you not just heard everything I’ve said?” James would normally find humour in Sirius’ lackadaisical attitude, but confessing his feelings for you was an entirely serious matter with no margin for error.

“Oh I’ve heard it, Prongs. For the past three weeks. And the entire bloody summer. And every single year before that.” He moves to stand in front of James, his agitation fading into sincerity, “I know how you feel, Prongs. But does she?” James swallows thickly as Sirius continues, “I don’t mean just telling her you love her, I mean telling her how you love her. As more than a friend. Maybe she feels the same way.”

James takes his time considering Sirius’ words. He’s tried to tell you, clearly, but he assumed that you’d only seen him as a friend. But what if you hadn’t? What if Sirius is right, and you told him you loved him as a friend because you’d assumed that’s what he’d meant when he said it?

“I’m a proper git, aren’t I?” James concludes aloud.

“Most certainly, Prongsy. It’s why I keep you around,” Sirius’ playful mood returns swiftly, “Makes me feel better about myself.” 

You’re talking softly with Remus in the library, voices low enough not to disrupt your peers but just detectable enough for James to catch your words when he finds you, internally preparing his declaration of unwavering devotion for you.

“You’re not going out with him, are you?” Remus’ hushed voice holds a curious tone.

“Of course not, Rem.” You smile softly, “Could you honestly imagine that? Him and I dating?”

James’ eyebrows furrow together in confusion, he presses himself slightly against a nearby bookshelf in an attempt to hear your conversation more clearly.

“No, I guess not,” Remus chuckles faintly, “It would certainly make things awkward if they didn’t work out. Being friends and all.” 

“No kidding.” You chuckle good-naturedly. 

James feels like a bag of cement has been poured down his throat, constricting his lungs and settling into a block of concrete in the pit of his stomach.

Sirius had been wrong. You didn’t love James as more than a friend, in fact, you’d practically laughed at the thought of it. In his hasty escape from the scene of the melancholic crime, James neglected to hear the rest of your conversation with Remus.

“He’s a lovely lad, truly,” You smile genuinely, “Any girl would be lucky to call Amos Diggory her boyfriend. We’re just better as friends is all.” You trail off, leaving out the part where your heart already belongs to another shared friend of yours and Remus’.

It’s not like it was ever going to happen anyway. Your love for James Potter was entirely unreciprocated.

Wasn’t it?

James is avoiding you.

As painful as it is to spend each never-ending moment of spare time away from you, James can only think of how much more agonizing it would be to spend those moments with you.

To fix his loving gaze on your sparkling eyes, only to find them filled with affections one would hold only for a friend.

To accomplish the feat of bringing a luminous smile to your delicate lips, only to remember those lips would never brush tenderly against his own.

To be so close to the girl he loves, only to be denied her heart in equal measure.

It’s easier, in a sense, to push you away.

It’s only temporary, just until he can stomach the thought of spending the rest of his life as your best mate and nothing more.

But it’s been weeks, and the idea still makes his head feel like it’s underwater, like he’s fighting to reach the surface but his leg’s been caught on a viciously determined blade of seaweed.

Still, he’s convinced himself that this is his best course of action.

Unbeknownst to James, however, you’ve been going stark raving mad.

You’ve hardly spoken to him in weeks. When you think about it, you’ve barely even seen him, save for a few quick glimpses in your classes and across the dining tables in the Great Hall.

You’ve tried to talk to him, clearly something is bothering him. Maybe you’ve said or done something to upset him without realizing it. But he’d brushed you off before you could even get out the words ‘are you alright?’

You’d asked Remus, Sirius, and Peter about it, each of them giving you vague semblances of justification that fell entirely flat, a few “He’s just busy with quidditch”s and a couple of “Must be studying today”s. You’ve grown tired of the excuses and you’re determined to get to the bottom of it yourself.

You’re leaning picturesquely against the wall outside of the lad’s changing room when James finally sees you again. His curly hair is spilling droplets of water from the shower he’s just taken, successfully washing away the evidence of his quidditch practice.

You’re beautiful. That’s all he can think as he finally allows himself to take you in fully for the first time in weeks. He feels like he’s been holding his breath since he saw you last and now he can finally exhale, a sense of euphoria filling his chest as his lungs deflate mercifully.

“Hi.” You state gently, a delicate smile painted daintily across your lips.

“Hi.” James echoes once he’s relearned the inhale-exhale repetition of breathing again.

“I waited for you,” You start after a brief silence, “Which- You can see that, obviously.” You chuckle a ebullient breath that causes a small smile to form on James’ face, Merlin, I’ve missed that, he thinks as you continue. “I just, um- I thought maybe we could talk?” You’re fiddling with your fingers, a nervous habit of yours that James has long since memorized by now.

He instantly reaches for your hands, tenderly taking one in his own and carefully intertwining your fingers together with his. The action is like second nature, he hardly thinks twice about it.

You smile visibly at the act of comfort, if he’s upset with you and that’s the reason he’s been avoiding you, it makes your heart skip a beat that he’s putting it all aside to calm you down when you’re anxious.

“About what?” He tries, though you both know that’s not going to work.

“Nice,” You smile teasingly, “Want to give it a real go this time?”

James swallows something akin to a lump in his throat, averting his resplendent hazel gaze from your eyes to land somewhere along the floor as he overthinks which approach he should take.

He could try honesty. Yes, he thinks, because that would go over proper well. I’m avoiding you cause I’ve been gutted since I heard you’re not in love with me. Surely she’ll find that real mature, Prongs.

He could also try lying his arse off. And that would work, he sarcastically chastises silently, Me? Oh nothing’s wrong at all. Just tired, y’know? Practice and homework and the like. As if she’s ever believed a lie you’ve told her before.

He finally chances resuming eye contact with you, heartbeat hastening expeditiously as his hazel orbs lock onto your patently awaiting eyes. You should be looking far more frustrated, James wouldn’t blame you if you were. You have every right to be upset, and yet you’re not.

Instead, you’re you. 

You, who’s calmly awaiting a response, fingers still gently intertwined with James’. 

You, who’s looking at him with soft, sparkling eyes, eyes that are silently promising him no matter what he says, everything is going to be alright.

You, the girl he loves more than anything in the world.

“You.” He states after an implicit eternity.

“Me?” Your features mix together to create a perfectly darling display of confusion that, even despite the circumstances, causes a modest smile to tug upwards at the corners of James’ mouth.

“I’ve been avoiding you.” He conveys, sounding as though he’s just revealed to you a hidden secret you’d’ve never otherwise been able to uncover.

You can’t contain the short laugh that escapes you, a smile taking its rightful place on your face. “Yeah, ‘m not exactly Sherlock Holmes, but I managed to put that one together.”

James can’t subdue the traces of guilt that seep onto his face.

“I was hoping maybe we could talk about why. If I’ve done something to upset you-”

“No!” James cuts you off, “No, love, you haven’t done anything. Nothing you could control anyway.” His voice is less than half of its usual volume at the last sentence he utters.

Your face is back to holding that adorably confused expression that James so desperately yearns to kiss away.

“I have to admit, Jamie, I’ve got no idea what you’re on about.”

James sighs, finally releasing the hand that’s been holding comfortably on to your own and running it through his leisurely drying hair. He releases a sigh of distress and squeezes his eyes shut firmly in an attempt to figure out the best way to explain himself.

“If you’re not upset with me, then why have you been avoiding me?” You’re trying to put it together on your own as James is proving to be no help, “Wait a mo! Is this some kind of prank or something?” You smile, though you’re not entirely certain you’re correct yet, “Are you trying to get back at me for dying your knickers pink? Because that was an accident!” 

James can’t help but smile at your incorrect deduction. Merlin she’s adorable he thinks, how am I supposed to tell her now?

“Yes!” James concludes untruthfully, “You got me. Just a prank. Might’ve gone a bit too far with it though. Sorry ‘bout that, love.”

He brings you into a hug and, after going weeks without it, it feels like home.

You feel like home.

You’re hugging James, after having just gone weeks without it. And you just know. 

You have to tell him.

You have to tell him, right now, that you’re in love with him.

And so you do.

“I love you.” You state breathlessly, pulling away from the warm solace of his embrace and looking bravely into his glimmering hazel eyes.

James nods his head mechanically, as if he’s agreeing to your suggestion on what to have for dinner and not taking in the confession of eternal love you’ve just spouted.

“Yes, I love you too,” He smiles a tight, strained smile, “Mate.” He punctuates his final word by bumping his fist gently into your shoulder.

Oh, you think, I’m going to have to spell it out for him, aren’t I?

“No, James. I love you,” You take a step closer to him, not breaking eye contact despite the nerves that are jostling around your insides like a violent sea in a raging storm, taking a deep breath before exhaling somewhat expeditiously, you continue, “Like- Like, I’m in love with you.”

The first thing James feels in that moment are his eyes widening emphatically behind his round-rimmed glasses, his dark lashes making direct contact with the top of his eyelids. He’s certain he must have heard you wrong, that or he’s understood you wrong.

The second thing he feels is hope. What if he hadn’t understood you wrong?

The third thing he feels is his heart, beating faster than it ever has before, so fast he thinks it might be ready to do him in for good. Surely a heart shouldn’t be beating that fast.

“You’re in love? With me?” James speaks disbelievingly, though he’s unable to hide the traces of optimism he’s feeling as a modest smile begins to form on his face.

You nod your head assuredly, a genial smile of your own starting at the sight of his, “Yes, I’m in love with you. Madly, in fact.”

You’ve spent months, years even, deliberating on how you would tell James, if you would tell James. You’d spent countless hours wondering how he would react and what would happen after all was said and done.

You’d planned to tell him all about that. About how long you’ve felt this way, when it started and why it’s taken you so long to tell him, how you were too afraid of risking your best friend should anything have gone wrong.

What you hadn’t planned on was what happened the second you got the last word out.

James eagerly presses his plush lips onto your own, savouring the long overdue sensation of your mouth against his. He tenderly brushes your bottom lip with his tongue once he feels you respond to the kiss with equal fervour. Enthusiastically, you grant his tongue access into your mouth, pulling him closer to you by the roots of his damp hair.

James lets out a low groan at the contact, pulling you flush against his body by your waist, his hands hungrily gripping onto you for dear life as, somehow, the kiss deepens even further.

When the need for oxygen outweighs your mutual need for each others lips, you reluctantly part the slightest of distances, foreheads resting tenderly against one another.

“I’m in love you too. So bloody madly.” James whispers contentedly with a lovesick grin. 

You’re each donning smiles brighter than you can ever recall before.

The moment you’ve caught your breath you’re back at it again in full force, gripping at each others clothes and tangling nimble fingers through the other’s hair. James pulls back when your beaming smile makes it a little harder for him to kiss you, returning a smile just as wide that compels you to pull him back in for another kiss, or two, or three.

When the two of you finally feel satiated enough, James pulls back again, a noticeably farther distance. He’s still smiling but it isn’t quite as bright as it was a moment ago.

“What was all that about in the library, then? With Moony?” He asks you the question that’s been clawing at his insides for the last few weeks.

You pause, visibly confused as you shuffle through the files of your memories until you land on one a few weeks ago with Remus in the library. The two of you were discussing a friend who’d asked you on a date. You’d declined as politely as you could, valuing his friendship but knowing your heart had long since been beating for James.

“What about it?” You smile confusedly.

“Well, you were talking about me, weren’t you?” James looks down to the floor, expression now almost devoid of the happiness that had previously overtaken every inch of his face.

“What?” You laugh briefly before it registers, not just his words, but the reason he’s been avoiding you for the last few weeks.

“Wait- James!” You tilt your head into his line of vision, gently cradling his face with your hand as you turn his head to face you fully, “Is that why you’ve been avoiding me? You thought.. Oh, Merlin.”

You pull him into a hug, holding him tight enough to convey just how wrong he’s been.

“I was talking about Amos Diggory.” You state with a gentle exhale, something between a laugh and a sigh, pulling back you rest your arms at your sides. “He asked me to dinner.”

James doesn’t hide the relief that courses through his body, despite the slight scoff of jealousy he lets out at your final sentence.

“But,” You wrap your arms back around him in reassurance, looking up into his eyes that are once again sparkling with happiness, “I’ve been a tad busy, being in love with my best friend and all. So I told him no. Obviously.”

“Right, obviously.” James replies with a cheeky smile that makes your heart skip a beat.

“You’re a git, you know.” You roll your eyes, the action a mixture of lovesickness and frustration. “You could’ve just asked me then. Instead of hiding in the books like a proper stalker. And then avoiding me. For weeks,” You’re smiling, but you know you’re still getting your point across, “You git.” You punctuate your final word with a gentle swat to James’ chest, smiling adoringly when he grabs that hand and brings it up to his lips, placing a tender kiss to it before dropping your intertwined hands back at your side.

“I know,” He admits apologetically, “I’m sorry.” He’s smiling breathtakingly, “Still love me?”

You can’t find it in yourself to be upset with him, because in some roundabout way, it’s what led you to this moment right now, where you can reach over and kiss him if you want to.

And you want to. 

Pulling him into you by the fabric of his shirt, you plant another kiss upon James’ lips. The passion and tenderness in the kiss meld together just as perfectly as your lips do.

“Yes.” You mumble happily when your mouths finally break apart. “Always.”

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Eleanor Powell (Born to Dance, Broadway Melody of 1940)— shes in here right

Ruan Lingyu (The Goddess, New Women, Love and Duty)—Ruan Lingyu had an eight year movie career, starting at 16 and ending with her suicide at only 24. Despite this, she made some of the most widely acclaimed films of early Chinese cinema and the BBC called her "China's Greta Garbo." In "Love and Duty," she plays her character as a teen, a young mother, and an older woman beaten down by life AND her teen daughter in an early application of split-screen technology. Lingyu is absolutely unrecognizable as the older woman, yet emotionally the transition is seamless because she does such a good job. Lingyu had a hard life and killed herself after ination [sic] of media scorn and private problems. Her funeral was three days long, the procession was allegedly four miles long, and three women killed themselves during her funeral. The New York Times called it "the most spectacular funeral of the century." I'm adding this to show what kind of hold she had over the public at the time, much like Rudolph Valentino's raucous funeral. I would rather she had lived.

This is round 1 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut]

Ruan Lingyu:

silent era chinese actress who had a subtlety in her acting ability that was way ahead of her time. huge star but her career and life was sadly cut short by damaging publicity

Widely considered one of the best actresses of Chinese silent film

icon of chinese silent cinema known for her luminous beauty, her exceptional acting talent, and her tragic life story

Ruan Lingyu is a movie queen of China’s pre-war era, she mysteriously poisoned herself at age 24, leaving behind a note with the words "gossip is a fearful thing". Her funeral procession was reportedly 3 miles long, with three women committing suicide during the event. The New York Times called it "the most spectacular funeral of the century". It's hard not to believe how iconic and influencial she was after watching her movies, her acting was so nuanced and magnetic, i personally have never seen anything like it before.

Eleanor Powell:

[editor's note: this is unusual, but I feel so terrifically bad about the lack of propaganda for Eleanor Powell, who was known as one of the best dancers on the lot at MGM in the 30s and 40s, that I am making a rare exception to my "I don't post propaganda" rule to include one dance number of hers. It feels unjust to post a dancer and not even let you see them dance.]

[mistystarshine]

Alright gang! Help me choose which fic idea I'm going to be writing once I finish one of my many, many current projects.

Road Trip AU: In the aftermath of the hotel battle, an unknown force drops Charlie, Vaggie, Lucifer, Lilith, Adam, Lute, and Alastor in Texas, powerless and in human form. There, they discover that they must make their way up to rural Canada if they hope to return to their respective places. During their quest, they face complications in the form of their interpersonal relationships, their true forms slowly bleeding through (without the accompanying powers), and a veritable web of secrets.

Note: This is the least plot-heavy option of the three. It is primarily slice of life, comedy, and character development. Crack treated seriously, basically. Ships are Chaggie, Guitarspear, and Lucilith, except the last two are both experiencing unspeakable drama.

Time Loop AU: One week after the hotel battle, Lute comes down and slaughters everyone in a vengeful rampage before dying herslef. In her final moments, Charlie wishes to save her friends. And then she wakes up in the middle of the hotel battle. Caught in a week long time loop, she sets out on a quest to get all of her friends. However, her plan goes awry Adam is also stuck in the loop and believes that it will break when he successfully destroys the hotel and returns to Heaven as an angel, defying the damnation he faced the first go around. Both are made to face a brutal reality; the only person that the loop cares about is Lute, and it will not stop until she is saved in both meanings of the word.

Note: This fic would have background Guitarspear and Chaggie, but a primary focus on a slow-burn friendship between Charlie and Adam and Lute character study. It would be built around the five stages of grief, with bargaining being from Adam's PoV and the other four being from Charlie's.

Hadestown AU: Charlie turns to magic in a desperate attempt to find out what happened to her mother. When her spell goes awry, she and her friends find themselves transported to a very different version of Hell. Suddenly, they are all indentured workers in a massive mining town ruled by Lucifer while Lilith spends half her time in Heaven and half with him. As their relationship falls apart, so the does balance of the world around them. Charlie quickly recognizes this as the story of Hadestown and discovers that unless she and her friends can fix her parent's relationship and win a happy ending for Orpheous and Euridyce before the story runs out, they will lose their memories and be trapped in the story forever. However, not only do the people they must save believe this world to be real, but fixing one of the world's oldest tragedies becomes significantly harder when instead of getting Cherri and Pentious like they were expecting, they end up with Lute as their murderous Orpheous and Adam as a wretched Eurydice.

Note: I would write this story in such a way that it can be read with absolutely no prior knowledge of Hadestown. It would not be a direct copy of Hadestown, but rather a mix of the story and a mirror of actual events as they were occurring prior to Charlie's spell. Charlie would hear the melodies from the musical in the background at various intervals, effectively serving as a countdown until time runs out. This fic would be posted anonymously so that people who haven't seen this poll can't look at my other fics and immediately know that Orpheous and Euridyce are going to be Lute and Adam.

[silentmagi]

Rising Star

Main Page

I’m hoping that you are all still enjoying the tales. We’re moving along at a good pace, and I hope that you all are ready or what’s to come.

The winner of this poll was:

The druid’s history of magic

The chief stared at the stars with unfocused eyes before speaking. “Our history of magic?” he asked, catching Star’s attention. Focusing on the two guests, he motioned towards the sitting area around the fire, where food was being prepared. “Come, let us talk about our history, I believe that you will find it interesting.”

As they settled in, he cleared his throat and began. “Many ages ago, when man was young, and the gods had not left this world. There were friends that walked different paths… and yet wove together a harmony.”

Ivy the dryad watched the human girl curiously. They were often in her glade, and always fun to watch. She would sign, juggle, or dance to pass the time. It was always a joy to watch her celebrate being in nature.

Then one day the human woman came to the glade crying under the very tree that Ivy was inside. Finding her long time source of joy, suffering, Ivy emerged from her tree and drifted closer, reaching out with her thin branches that were mimicking the human fingers. “Why does water leak from you?” she asked quietly as her hand contacted the crying woman.

The woman leaped at the contact and voice, whirling and eyes going wide. “Oh… uh… hello? I’m Belle, I didn’t know I was intruding…” she answered while bowing. “I apologize for coming unbidden.”

“Belle… what makes the water fall from your eyes, and the light fade from your face?”

Belle looked at the strange creature before telling her tale. Her father had pulled her aside, and told her that they were going to lose the land if their crops failed again. The lands had been blighted for crops, and the farms were failing. She didn’t know what to do.

“Let Ivy help! You sing for Ivy, many times. Now Ivy makes land sing for you, take Ivy there!” the dryad had stated eagerly to repay the girl that had filled her days with such warmth and joy. “The Belle will sign again, yes?”

And so the girl took her fan to the edge of the farmland, and showed the sick plants. With the dryad looking over the land, she reached out and touched the dying leaves. “Sing for Ivy, sing for plants.”

At that command, Ivy touched Belle’s hand and a warmth washed over her. Her song rang out, a soft and gentle melody beseeching the plants to grow. From the high sun to the setting she sang her songs, and under the moon, the field was lively and growing. Ivy smiled and patted Belle on the handle before fading into a nearby tree.

Belle returned to the glade and sang again, this time Ivy emerged and watched from a branch, listening to the grateful song. Then they talked for a time, and the Belle mentioned that there was no rain, and that was hurting the plants. Ivy paused for a moment before nodding. “Come, Ivy take you to Eddy.”

Eddy was a water spirit that Ivy had spoken with before living in a spring nearby, and after the dryad had told the tale of what Belle had done for her, and the boon, Eddy asked for her to sing for her, and took her hand. By the end of the song, a storm had started, the steady driving rain covering the lands in water that soaked into the ground.

Long was the friendship of the three, with much singing and joy. The lands rejoiced around them, with Ivy and Eddy letting Belle use their control over the worlds. Eventually, Belle found herself able to do little things without her friends, and was overjoyed to show them.

Then a danger came to the glade and the pond. A beast that hunted Ivy and Belle hungry and snarling. They wanted to warn Belle, to keep her away, however they could not without being harmed. So Belle came, singing and dancing with a basket. The beast heard her approach, and sat down tilting its head this way and that at the singing. Coming into the glade she had always found safe, Belle continued singing, and the beast listened.

She set out food and settled on the root she always sat, singing happily about the farms and fields, and skies above. The beast moved closer, settling before her and then laid its head in her lap. She fed it food, and soon the beast faded, and her eyes took on the yellow color and slitted pupils of the beast.

From that, she was able to talk to the birds and creatures of the forest.

The gifts of magic, bought with joy and song lead to many more, and Belle taught those that found the way to the glade, sharing the gifts with them. It is said that Belle never aged, remaining with Ivy and Eddy long past normal human life, happy and singing.

“Sometimes late at night, you can hear her voice in the wind, guiding druids to where they are needed,” the chief concluded with a smile. “Come now, time to eat!”

The two travelers were provided plates of food, mainly vegetables and simple grains, with preserved and cooked meats. “Excuse me, how did you know I was curious about the history of magic?” Star asked between bites.

“Oh, there are many who speak to us, if we but know how to listen. While our magic is gone, we still remember our lessons, and embrace nature with a song. After you sleep, one of our numbers will take you through the shortcut. I hope this helps you with your mission.”

“Thank you?” Star asked, sharing a look with Luna as the chief gives a knowing wink towards thin air.

[stellar-constellations]

Star Patient's Official Playlists!

Hello, my stars! My previous poll has shown positive feedback for adding playlists to my Amnesiac! Obsessive! Patient! Andrew Graves x Yandere! Nurse! Reader—Star Patient series. so here's the announcement!

I have six playlists for my stars to listen to while reading my yandere series. Each playlist is unique with their own meanings. This post is the explanation and introductory of these playlists and what they offer to your ears and reading experience. Links are provided!

The playlists:

Playlist 1 - (Y/N)'s Mixtape

A playlist of many different genres all brought together by the emotions of (Y/N)! Throughout the series, we see many different sides of our reader, so it only makes sense for our playlist to have many different genres too! From punk, to old love songs, to alt rock, and of course it wouldn't be (Y/N) without depression and lovesickness!

Some of these songs may even give hints about (Y/N) and future characters and plots too...

Soundcloud link: (https://soundcloud.com/stellar-constellations/sets/star-patient-y-n?si=24e8c3f8eaa4478b9a34d348d71a062e&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing)

Spotify link: (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6kPtVJvCbki4fcnmK5GZT4?si=cc841fae0bcc4682)

Playlist 2 - Andrew's Mix

What I believe Andrew would personally listen and what songs he would like, so basically the playlist is my music headcannons for him. These are simple head cannons that are just harmless opinions, harmless opinions that people shouldn't take seriously nor should they act like freaks about (y'all know the type of people I'm talking about, they're unfortunately very common in the TCOAAL fandom).

These songs also correlate to his past (we all know it, being starved and abandoned with Ashley), along with the development of his feelings to (Y/N).

Soundcloud link: (https://soundcloud.com/stellar-constellations/sets/star-patient-andrews-mix?si=719861d03c2649e0a23ae69ccbc826a9&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing)

Spotify link: (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4xnGLNokCmIk8tajzKzKED?si=88f08a43050744f7)

Playlist 3 - Oldies Playlist

A playlist for all our old souls. I feel like Tumblr playlists are so boring because they don't have much playlists that really connect with the readers. All of my readers have different tastes in music and I wish to accommodate them. Of course, I unfortunately can't do all the genres I wish (metal, rock, country) due to the fact that they wouldn't quite match Star Patient's themes nor would there be much songs that resonate with the series; however, old love songs music is fortunately a genre that can be interpreted with Star Patient!

This playlist is a of old love songs, a genre I would die for!

Soundcloud link (https://soundcloud.com/stellar-constellations/sets/star-patient-oldies-playlist?si=b7f1d157b16d45079d83c9a8c4d6d3ee&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing)

Spotify link:(https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0Y20wh1ahOq3D7zJMWchH5?si=9676e70feb7a46ec)

Playlist 4 - Calming Playlist

A place to de-stress and read some yandere fan fiction. This playlist has many calming melodies and lyrics verging from nostalgia, sadness, and love. Not everyone likes listening to loud pop or screaming lyrics, so this playlist is for those who enjoy the peaceful voices and sounds of violins and pianos.

While this playlist is similar to instrumental, it's still has its own place.

Soundcloud link (https://soundcloud.com/stellar-constellations/sets/star-patient-calming-playlist?si=85d0b7e90b0a4992a49d552319b1069e&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing)

Spotify link: (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1GZSLwRTSgly9iTuw6minI?si=c0f5569290ec41f1)

Playlist 5 - Instrumental Playlist

While this playlist is similar to the calming playlist, this one has practically no lyrics. It does have some lo-fi, classical, and instrumental soundtracks all spread throughout the playlist.

I understand some people can't focus on reading if there's any voices as it serves as a distraction for those who have a harder time focusing on tasks, so hopefully this playlist will help making it easier for those who want to read and listen at the same time!

Soundcloud link (https://soundcloud.com/stellar-constellations/sets/star-patient-y-n-1?si=05a1e6c6de5e47f1930af5f5cc1c925f&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing)

Spotify link:(https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7msbvdBueJCKmcGrA7mwvX?si=c05c10f2d6724ad4)

Playlist 6 - Obsessive Playlist

And finally, we have the obsessive playlist aka the yandere playlist. It would be wrong not to have a playlist full of devotion and lovesickness for a series that features just that!

This playlist features tons of different genres and lyrics all relating to yandere. It has some of the classic yandere songs, but honestly I've gotten bored listening to the same songs in every yandere playlist so I've expanded beyond just those. Let's be honest, we all know "Suki Suki Daisuki" and "An Unhealthy Obsession" is in every yandere playlist, it's time for some new songs.

Soundcloud link (https://soundcloud.com/stellar-constellations/sets/star-patient-obsessive?si=77c70d1f293e47199829fe51c4b07255&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing)

Spotify link: (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2W82XwZate1IAfGPOeWIF3?si=6c0e40160fdb4984)

[enchantedchocolatebars]

A Winsome Witch And A Happy Human Chapter 3 : Bardie Girl

Written by 💕 enchantedchocolatebars 🍫 (me, lol).

Ao3 version.

Previous Chapter 3.

Commission cover art.

Cover art poll.

Chapter titles.

Fic playlist 🎵 💕 🎶 ✨️ <3

Cover redraw.

Enjoy!

Once upon a time, in a fantastical fantasy realm that was akin to a small girl's dream, there lived a princess.

One glorious afternoon, as the gentle glow of the sun shone brightly in the mesmerizing blue sky, a single cottage castle could be seen standing tall in the center of the forest.

A pair of bluebirds then fly upward into view from below, holding a white banner between their beaks that reads 'Princess Clara's Castle' for a moment before taking off, a trail of clear magic dust fluttering behind them.

The castle resembled a standard cottage home, with white and grey stones used for its exterior construction, but what differentiated it from others was its royal structure.

Inside, Princess Clara slept soundly beneath the comfort of her soft and woolly comforter, dreaming a lovely dream as a cozy smile rested upon her soft and tender face.

While the princess continues to sleep, her bedroom door creaks open as a small group of critters from the forest enter inside.

These cute critters consisted of birds, rabbits, deer, chipmunks, squirrels, and raccoons.

The fauna were her companions and inhabited the castle with her.

As the diverse group of animals crowd together closely around Princess Clara's bedside, a doe lightly nuzzles her cheek with her nose in an attempt to gently wake her.

As the princess slowly opens her eyes, she gets a glimpse of her friends surrounding her bed and lets out the gentlest of laughs.

"Good morning, everyone," she softly greets with a yawn and stretches as she turns to look at the time on her handmade wooden wall clock.

"Well, afternoon," Princess Clara corrects herself with a sheepish smile on her face, rubbing the back of her head with one hand.

Although the princess didn't mean to be such a sleepyhead, she could never resist the temptations of her warm bed.

"Who's hungry?" she asked her animal friends, putting aside her embarrassment for now.

"I'll make up for sleeping in so late with some brunch. How does that sound?"

The offer caused the eyes of the critters to light up with joy as they accepted with nods, causing Princess Clara to giggle in her hand as she sat up.

 

"Then it's settled," she said, stepping out of bed and dancing across her floorboards on her tippy toes toward her closet while she hummed a merry tune.

Princess Clara's feathery companions tweeted the catchy melody of the song with her, their voices harmonizing beautifully.

Two of them flew over to open her closet door for her, helping the princess slip into one of her favorite house dresses while tossing her nightgown into the hamper.

Now dressed for the day, Princess Clara dips and twirls out of her room and into the kitchen, her forest friends happily following behind her.

…

"Hmm," Princess Clara hummed to herself in thought, tapping her chin with her index finger as she stood in front of her dainty stove, a frying pan sitting on top, as fresh veggies and oil sat on her counter.

Her animal friends, also in the kitchen, were eating their feed of mixed berries that she had prepared for them and placed in pretty porcelain bowls.

"What goes good with fresh veggies?" she whispered.

Tweet, tweet!

Shifting her sights to her open window sill, Princess Clara spots the pair of bluebirds who were holding her banner in the beginning, fluttering over with eggs well wrapped in silk.

The eggs are gently placed on the counter alongside the veggies and oil as the birds took their place on her window sill.

"Oh, eggs! Of course!" Princess Clara exclaims excitedly, finding the answer to her question as she cracks a smile, just like she was planning on cracking those eggs.

"Thank you," the princess told the two birds, who both received gentle rubs to the skin behind their beaks from her as they happily chirped.

With a gentle clearing of her throat, Princess Clara gracefully twirls in place, placing a hand on her chest, and begins to sing lyrics to a theme.

While singing, the princess twirls for a second time, holding out her index finger for one of the bluebirds.

One decides to flap over and step onto it, joining Princess Clara for a lovely duet.

As the caroling continues, the two take turns.

When Princess Clara hits a high note, she allows the bluebird to do the same.

The princess keeps hitting higher and higher notes, and the bluebird struggles to keep up with her.

As the theme comes to a close, Princess Clara hits an ear-piercing high note that causes the bluebird to gradually bloat up and explode.

The princess's eyes widen in shock at this as her animal companions who had witnessed the small explosion gasp.

The room was filled with frightened faces while a deep silence lingered in the air.

…

"… And there!" Princess Clara said, carefully slipping the small sweater she had knitted with the assistance of her animal friends onto the bluebird who had previously exploded and was now featherless.

The sweater fit like a glove and had a few of his feathers nicely glued on to it.

When the bluebird gazed down at his new outfit, he instantly let out a chirp in delight, hopping in place.

"Yay! He likes it!" Princess Clara cheered brightly, her animal friends joining her.

Placing her index finger under the bluebird's foot, the princess lifts gently as the bird steps onto her finger and proceeds to perch.

She starts to rub her cheek against the side of his face, causing him to chirp softly at the affection.

"I'm so sorry about that," Princess Clara whispered, soft sincerity weaving through her voice.

She believed that his feathers would eventually return over time.

...

Late afternoon, Princess Clara contentedly dusted her wooden organ.

As her flightless animal friends swept the floors with their tails, her winged ones collected flowers in a vase, some of them having to be propped up.

A hummingbird hovered over the pot with a watering can that matched its size between its beak and gently poured a pocket-sized amount of water into the pot.

Upon hearing a brief knock at the door, all those in the cottage stopped their work and gazed forward at the front entrance.

"Oh!" Princess Clara gently went as she set her feather duster down and walked toward the door.

"I wonder who that could be."

Upon opening it, she discovered that no one was present.

"That's strange...," she whispered.

It could have simply been the wind, but Princess Clara saw no signs of it being a windy day.

Setting her sights on the ground, the princess let out a small gasp, bringing a hand to her mouth in sheer wonder.

While gazing downward, her light green eyes glowed with twinkles.

In front of the princess's feet, beautifully bestowed on the ground, was a tiara that was comprised of lightly-colored wood.

The coronet was meticulously carved with so much solicitude and had a heart adorned in the center of it.

Laying alongside the tiara was a bouquet of beautiful flowers that looked to have been hand-picked and a heart-sealed envelope.

After obtaining all three items, Princess Clara returned inside and closed the door.

The flowers were safely placed in the ventilated space of the vase, joining the flowers that were already there, as Princess Clara set the rectangular paper down on the console table and slowly placed the treen tiara on her head.

 

Her animal friends watched her do so, curiosity shining in their eyes.

"Oh, it fits beautifully!" Princess Clara softly exclaimed, her bright voice bursting with excitement as she clapped her hands and gently jumped in place.

The critters in the cottage cheered in delight at this revelation.

Next, the princess took the envelope, carefully removed the pink wax heart stamp from it, and revealed a letter written on a very silky piece of paper inside.

Princess Clara was completely taken aback by the beautiful text that was perfectly written across the page.

A closer examination from the princess indicated that this was indeed a handwritten letter due to the sheening of the ink.

Princess Clara sat down in a chair and began reading the letter to herself while still making sure her animal friends could hear her, her heart fluttering at every sentence.

Dearest Princess Clara,

Today, I contemplated the magnitude of my love for you and how I've never expressed those passionate feelings that swell inside my soul before.

Thus, I aim to convey my genuine affection for you in this letter.

I vividly remember the day I spotted you wandering around town.

You greeted everyone you encountered with the most endearing smile.

I knew right away that I had to meet you.

I attempted to find the courage to have a conversation with you, but I felt like it wouldn't work out because of my lack of confidence and difference in appearance from everyone else.

I hope to one day be brave enough to meet you in person and properly converse with you.

Eternally, yours,

A secret admirer

The princess's smile remained unwavering after the letter was read.

It warmed her heart greatly to see that someone cared about her so much that they arranged a letter along with florals and a tiara and delivered them to her door.

"Chirp, chirp, twee, twee?" asked one of her birds.

Princess Clara shifted her gaze to the birdie.

"How am I going to meet them?" she repeated the bird's question, an idea forming inside her mind.

"I think I know how."

...

Carpenters from the town lined up from Princess Clara's cottage castle to the forest end, excited by the news that she wanted an exact replica carving of a tiara she had received from a stranger.

They all had crafted tiaras for her to try on in their hands, believing that theirs were identical to hers.

The princess was aware through the details of her diadem that the admirer was proficient in carpentry.

Despite offering a generous currency reward for the replica, her primary goal was to locate her devotee through the long line.

Several tiaras were tried on by her, but none were suitable due to being too big, too small, or incorrectly colored.

Finally, a young man wearing a green cloak and suspenders over his outfit, who was the final contender waiting in line, approached her.

Princess Clara's eyes lit up immediately upon seeing the tiara that he held flat in his hands.

It appeared to be the exact one she had on!

After that, she fixed her gaze on the man's eyes.

His warm chestnut-colored eyes were accompanied by a bright, friendly face, guarded by shy excitement.

"It's you," Princess Clara whispered in amazement, taking the offered tiara and examining it with a keen smile.

She took her tiara off her head and compared the two.

The details matched to a T.

She finally found her admirer.

Setting the handed tiara down and placing hers back on, she asked the man, "Did you really mean what you said in that letter you left at my door?"

The man nodded, a small laugh of delight escaping him as he pulled his hood down, revealing his long golden hair tied perfectly in a ponytail and a set of strangely rounded ears that looked otherworldly.

"Oh, my!" The princess squeaked, causing the man to flush by her surprised reaction and quickly cover his ears with both hands.

"I-I'm sorry!" she quickly apologized.

Now it was her turn to blush as the two both shared red faces.

He was human.

She could have sworn that they only existed in fairy tales.

Regardless, she felt as though her unkind response was highly unnecessary.

"I truly do apologize for my impolite reaction. I've just never seen ears like those before. Are... my ears strange to you?" she asked, cupping both her pointed ears.

The man, gazing at the princess's ears, slowly lowers his hands.

He gives a small nod, hoping not to have offended her with his honesty.

 Now stuck in a state of bemusement, they both end up letting out a laugh after seconds of silence.

They then exchange shy smiles as the magic of love leads them to hold each other's left and right hands, interlocking their fingers together.

...

After a time skip, this song begins to play.

Inside Princess Clara's cottage castle, her organ is being cheerfully played by the young man who is now her friend.

She happily claps along to the tune while her animal companions are dancing and do-si-do-ing with each other.

In the evening, the two engage in a slow waltz together by a small lake, gentle smiles on their faces as they step and spin.

Upon nightfall, the pair sit side by side with their legs criss-crossed in front of the same lake under a flowering tree while peacefully observing the fishes inside the water who spurt water trickles from their lips.

 

Love was literally present in the air as those trickles took on the shape of hearts.

When the princess lets out a sigh, she slowly leans her head against the man's shoulder as he looks down at her with a soft smile.

Leaning down, he presses a kiss on her forehead, and a light show of fireflies appear around the couple, forming a massive heart around them.

A swarm of fireflies then fly by, and the scene transitions to a snowy winter wedding taking place in a meadow as Princess Clara and the man, now her husband, are joined in matrimony.

After the groom and bride's lips meet, the wedding guests, Princess Clara's animal companions, cheer as flower petals and confetti are merrily whisked into the air.

After taking their first steps together into a new life down a small staircase, the newlyweds began their walk down the aisle, approaching their awaiting carriage, which was entirely made of gingerbread and decorated with frosting and various colorful candies.

Princess Clara's husband opens the carriage door for her with a gentlemanly bow, and she curtsies to him to show her appreciation before entering.

...

After both partners are aboard the cookie-candy carriage, it begins riding off into the woods as the animals wave them goodbye with hankerchiefs.

The carriage arrives at a large gingerbread house.

Being the first to step out of the carriage, Princess Clara's husband helps his new bride out bridal style.

Trying to enter the open entrance of the house with his wife, the husband bumps into its sides.

It seems that he and the princess are too big to fit through the small entrance.

He makes another attempt to get in, but the outcome remains the same.

However, an idea comes to the husband's mind as he positions himself sideways.

Gently lowering his beloved down, the two are about to lean in for a kiss when suddenly a mistletoe on a string comes between them from the ceiling, making the romantic moment even better.

The initial plan was to go inside that way, but he ended up simply walking forward with great force, causing minor damage to the sides of the cookie house when he finally managed to get inside.

This causes the couple to giggle as they continue leaning forward. Just as they are about to kiss, the solid chocolate bar door of the house shuts on its own.

The words "The End" are displayed on the door in pink frosting with a heart around it as the medieval melody comes to an end.

Their honeymoon was going to be wonderful as well as the rest of their days together. 

[lookninjas]

Pick a (probably not actually) Ambient Song From a Bad Description

To be honest, this isn't even really André 3000's fault; I've been trying to build a playlist around one of these songs for a long time, and this just gave me the impetus.

Pick a song, any song! But you only have my bad descriptions to go off. If you're genuinely curious about a song, please shoot me an ask and I will answer you. If you have guesses, I always enjoy those. (If you actually recognize the violent YouTube catharsis song, please let me know -- judging by the video comments it's a surprisingly common experience?)

Poll runs for a week. At the end of the poll, I will make a playlist out of all songs, in order from least votes to most votes. If you would like to hear that playlist, leave a comment or put it in the tags, and I will tag you when the playlist goes up.

And in the meantime, I will be streaming as much ambient as possible to infuse my Black Friday with some kind of sense of calm. And maybe just a little industrial. For the catharsis.

[melodygatesauthor]

Guys I need help making a decision. I have 4 one-shots that are in the editing stages and I need your help deciding which one to post first.

They're all for my @moonknight-events bingo board!!

(I know I have some chaptered fics I haven't updated in a while. I'm going through a funk rn I need you to just bear with me please <3)

There's some good shit in there, I just wanna know what everyone wants to see first.

[curiositysavesthecat]

*This poll was submitted to us and we simply posted it so people could vote and discuss their opinions on the matter. If you’d like for us to ask the internet a question for you, feel free to drop the poll of your choice in our inbox and we’ll post them anonymously (for more info, please check our pinned post).

[shrimp-buffet]

MELODIE HEADCANONS!!

she's the queen who won the poll so it's her turn!! (headcanons after the cut)

Not much to really ramble about this time but I still want to thank everyone for their support even when I straight up disappear for a month- It does really mean a lot!

(also I am so in love with Melodie I swear can she be my wife???/hj)

• She's bi! (haha same)

• She would say "That's so fetch!" ironically a lot, but it started to stick and now she slips up and says it seriously.

• She makes "Get Ready With Me" videos

• She's the one who organizes karaoke Nights! She tries to be sure everyone gets a chance to sing, but she takes up a LOT of spots on the list every time.

• She treats her little music notes like spoiled puppies, constantly pampering them and spending so much money on them. They even have cute little outfits for every day of the week EACH.

• Her little notes are downright feral and she just ignores it. They could be straight-up mauling people for no reason, and she's just saying "Awww aren't they just the sweetest little baby wabies?? That means they like you!" No, it does not mean that.

• Her hair is naturally pink, but she likes to change it up constantly with different shades of pink or gradients and gets pissed when no one notices the difference.

• People assume that she's the pettiest person in the park but she's not all that vengeful, she just holds intense grudges. She's more likely to shit talk and be rude to a person she'd mad at than to go out of her way to harm someone.

• She's the "You're not invited to my birthday party!" type, which actually does suck because she's known for throwing the best parties.

• She doesn't hate Janet at all, but she considers Janet her rival and constantly tries to outshine her. (Janet's not really aware of her rival status and just thinks that Melodie straight up doesn't like her)

• Her truly unfriendly rivalry is between her and Charlie, as their egos constantly clash. Also, Charlie keeps stealing her expensive jewelry.

• She thinks Larry is cute! She wouldn't say she's in love with him or anything, but she does admit that could change if she had more chances to spend time with him. (I saw one cute fanart of them and now I love it-)

• She is a bit of a foodie and likes to post aesthetic food images to her socials.

That's all I got for now! As always thank you so much for reading!! hoping to get back on my schedule!

[vgtrackbracket]

Video Game Track Bracket Round 2

Lifelight from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

vs.

you from Higurashi When They Cry Kai

Propaganda under the cut. If you want your propaganda reblogged and added to future polls, please tag it as propaganda or otherwise indicate this!

Lifelight:

This song bookended the prerelease Smash news cycle perfectly. Hearing the new main theme for the first time while learning every character was returning was absolutely spectacular. During the final trailer, a new story mode was cool enough, but introducing lyrics was the cherry on top.

you:

I am not crying, you are! This is one of the most emotional track of the game. The ending of the saddest arc of the game. You may think like: "but this song is so simple, what does make it awesome?" The genius is that the 5-note melody has been played several times, once in a happy context at the beginning, once in a neutral context (in a menu), once in a sad contest. This melody is so versatile that it can be happy or sad. When it is played at the ending, it carries all of the tragedy of the arc. The impact is incredible.

[wosomarvel]

communication - 06

a/n: i'm pretending there are no more injuries! manifesting i guess. i'm so sorry this took so long. the end of the semester was really tough for me but i have the next three weeks off, so i will try my best to get a few more updates out. i'm thinking two or three more parts until this series is over.

warnings: this episode talks (briefly and not in detail) about depression, anxiety, and shitty parents. it's not too bad, though. more hurt/comfort than angst. even then, bordering more on the comfort side.

i am going to once again reiterate that the schedule of games does not follow real life. i'm going based on vibes and vibes alone.

-----

"sim, we need you to settle something for us."

sim's heart dropped at the sight in front of her: mary and millie, both in their training kits, arms crossed with no hints of a smile on either of their faces.

"whatever it is, i'm sure someone else could-"

"it has to be you, because you're the most impartial person here right now," millie cut sim off.

"and we trust you to be honest," mary added.

sim's face contorted with confusion.

"who would win in a fight? me," mary gestured with her hands towards her own body, "or millie?"

"nope!" sim replied to the question. "i refuse to get involved."

sim knew better than to definitively answer any sort of question like that. no matter who she picked, she would pay for it in the form of relentless teasing or tickling.

her eyes darted around the meal room, looking for a savior to come to her rescue. she gulped almost comically when she saw there the few people around were otherwise occupied.

"it's alright, darling, you can admit that i would absolutely wreck mearps here. as vice-captain, i'll make sure she can't attack you for it."

as tempting as millie's offer was, sim was almost certain that millie could only protect her for so long.

"how about i ask the fans?" sim prompted.

now it was their turn to look confused.

"i'll put a poll up on the instagram or something," sim added, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

"see, this is why it was a genius move to hire you. smart, she is," millie praised.

a blush took over sim's face as she fiddled with the phone she'd just pulled out of her pocket.

across the meal room, leah watched on fondly as georgia and keira conversed around her. it was nice to see sim come out of her shell a bit more around the team. though leah still had the distinct feeling that it would be a while before the younger girl felt comfortable being vulnerable around them, it still brought her a sense of relief that sim was no longer so painfully shy. she actively participated in the conversations and shenanigans typical of the team.

the team had taken well to sim's steady presence, adopting her as though she was a playing member of the lionesses.

it had only been a few months since their conversation on those bleachers, but leah could already see the difference it was making. sim looked... lighter, in a sense. like the weight on her shoulders had eased. leah was starting to to see a light in sim's eyes that hadn't been there when they had first met.

"what are you lookin at?" georgia asked.

leah's lips turned up in a slight smile as she nodded her head in sim's direction. "remember how closed off she was when she first got here?"

keira shifted her gaze, smiling when her eyes settled on sim's figure filming mary and millie.

"she's fit in quite well," keira agreed.

"she's cool. she said she'd let me tattoo her once i've properly learned how," georgia added, nodding her head.

"she what?"

-----

sim sighed, settling into soft sheets. sarina had permitted her to room with alessia at st. george's park and sim had never been more grateful.

she closed her eyes, the melody of alessia's singing wafting in from the bathroom, its door left ajar. she let it ease the tiredness that had settled into her bones.

this particular camp was exhausting. she knew it wasn't her job that was draining her energy at this point. the federation had recently hired a few other people to help out in the social media department so sim was now only in charge of the instagram, twitter, and tiktok. the longer form content and brainstorming was no longer under her purview.

sim suspected leah and sarina had something to do with that. she'd been annoyed at first, but was now incredibly thankful for their interference.

despite that, sim was still feeling drained and on edge. it frustrated her that she couldn't put a reason to the way she was feeling.

the past few months had been good to her. her relationship with alessia was blooming into something beautiful. there was no pressure when alessia around, and sim was starting to become accustomed to the light and airy feeling that came with her presence.

sim had fallen into a steady routine. now that her workload with the lionesses had significantly decreased, she had a lot more time on her hands. though her pay from the lionesses hadn't gone down, sim had still taken up a casual job at arsenal as a photographer. though she'd majored in communications in uni, she had minored in visual media.

working with the lionesses was fulfilling, no doubt, but sim missed the more creative aspects of her visual media minor. alessia had proposed the idea of working with arsenal one day during an impromptu photoshoot, sim taking random photos of alessia as they spent an off day lounging at home.

jonas was used to seeing sim's face and after a quick conversation with the higher ups, sim had secured a press pass.

in the mornings, sim and alessia would meet up with beth, viv, and leah for a quick coffee before training. she'd spend the day at colney with the team, taking pictures. she had befriended laura and teyah, the two remaining members of the ACL squad. after training was done for the day, alessia would drive her home, the two spending the rest of the day together.

sim hadn't moved in with alessia, but she spent more nights at the blonde's place than her own.

once or twice a week, sim would accompany alessia to team bonding. she stayed in contact with ella.

sim was content with her life. happy, even.

the way she was feeling now, however, had her scared. scared that the feeling would linger and turn into something heavier. scared that she would slip back into old ways, having to push herself just to get out of bed in the mornings, to eat something, to want to exist.

sim didn't want to go back there. she didn't want anyone to see her like that. more importantly, she didn't want alessia or leah to see her like that. she didn't want to be a burden. the two gunners deserved better than that.

"hey, baby."

sim was broken out of her thought process by alessia's voice, followed by a quick peck to her forehead.

sim hummed in response, moving over to make space for her girlfriend on the bed. alessia set her kit and toiletries off to the side before sliding in beside sim, pulling the comforter over the two of them as the younger girl turned her back to assume the little spoon position.

sim breathed a sigh of relief as alessia's arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her close, almost cradling sim to her front. she felt some of the tension leave her body as alessia pressed a gentle kiss to her neck.

"are you alright, love?"

sim contemplated telling the truth for a moment, ultimately deciding against it. it's not even that bad. i just need to grow up, she reasoned with herself.

"yeah, just tired," sim replied.

"can you turn around for me?"

of course alessia would see right through her. it was honestly frustrating at times.

sim had always been good at lying, something she'd had to learn to survive her parents when she was younger. however, alessia could always tell when sim was lying.

not that sim made a habit of lying to her girlfriend. she just wanted to shield alessia from the darker parts of herself for as long as possible.

"love?" alessia prompted.

sim turned with a sigh, keeping her eyes closed. she would crack as soon as she made eye contact with alessia's baby blue eyes.

alessia's hand came up to sim's face, pointer finger tracing the subtle crease between her eyebrows.

"can you open those pretty eyes for me, baby?"

sim relented, never having been able to refuse a request from alessia. leah never let her forget it.

sim's eyes fluttered open, causing alessia to frown at the clear exhaustion evident in the set of her eyes. "what's wrong?"

again, sim debated whether or not to tell the truth. she had almost settled on trying to lie, but her resolve crumbled at the look of concern painted on alessia's face.

how could anyone ever lie to a face like that?

"everything just feels... heavy. it's hard to explain. it's like my entire being is just exhausted. especially my mind. there's just this weight over everything."

it was silent for a few beats. alessia's hand came to rest on the side of sim's face, her fingers gently scratching at sim's hair.

alessia considered her next words carefully. she was thankful that sim was starting to open up to her and all she wanted to do was help. to alessia, what sim was describing sounded a lot like depression, but she didn't have nearly enough information or qualifications to come to that conclusion. she also didn't want to push too far with her questions and cause sim to shut down again.

alessia settled on a question that would allow sim decide how much or how little to reveal.

"do you feel like that very often?"

"not anymore," sim whispered out, averting her eyes. "it's not that bad right now. i actually feel good most days. i still feel better than i did before the FA hired me. i'm just tired the last few days. don't know why."

though it concerned alessia that this feeling seemed to be somewhat familiar to sim, she was also happy to hear that things were okay at the moment.

"that's alright. everyone has bad days. what do you need from me right now, my love?" alessia asked, pulling sim closer, the hand that was on sim's head pulling the girl's head to her chest.

sim's eyes teared up slightly at alessia's actions. she had never felt so loved and cared for. it quieted the insecurities that plagued her mind, that constantly told her she was too much but at the same time never enough for alessia.

"i just want to be with you right now."

despite the waver in sim's voice, alessia's heart melted.

"alright, love, i've got you," alessia replied, pressing a quick kiss to sim's temple before shifting so she was on her back, sim automatically placing her head on alessia's chest, curling into her side.

sim let the warmth wash over her, grabbing a fistful of alessia's sleep shirt as she tried to snuggle closer.

"thank you," sim breathed, drowsiness starting to take over.

"you don't have to thank me. i'll always be here."

"i love you," sim said without thinking.

there was a moment of silence and sim's heart dropped.

of course, she just had to go and fuck this up too. they hadn't said it yet. why did you have to go and ruin the moment? she thought to herself.

her muscles tensed before she moved to pull away, but she was stopped by alessia's arms squeezing her tighter.

"i love you too," alessia said back. sim could almost hear the smile in her voice.

-----

the lionesses' next game was against spain, a world cup rematch. it went without saying that the girls were a mix of excitement and nerves. everyone dealt with it in their own way.

leah was immersed in film of barca and spain in the days leading up to the match. she remembered how helpless she had felt watching the world cup final and was determined to lead the team to a win this time around. it didn't matter to her that this was a friendly, that great britain had already qualified for the olympics.

millie could often be found beside leah, the two huddled over a tablet.

esme had created so many friendship bracelets that she had to order more thread.

katie had taken a bunch of the girls around town shopping, going to different coffee shops and trying to stay distracted.

ella had organized a mariokart tournament in one of the conference rooms for the girls that had stayed behind.

alessia was beside herself with nerves and had opted to waste away in her room under the guise of resting. sim had tried her best to assure her girlfriend, but her duties as social media admin made it difficult to get time alone with her.

sim was relieved when her latest round of meetings with the other media staff was over. she wanted nothing more than to care for alessia.

sim quietly eased the door open in case alessia actually was sleeping. when she turned after closing the door, it was to the sight of alessia sat on the bed, staring into the space above the television as it played old episodes of friends. her heart panged a little at the sight.

sim walked over to the bed, making a quick plan in her head. she knew that nothing she said was likely to make alessia feel better, so she settled on physical comfort.

alessia was shaken from her trance by the soft kiss sim placed on her temple.

"today's a hair wash day, right?" sim mumbled against alessia's skin, getting straight to the point.

"yeah, why?"

-----

twenty minutes later, sim was sat on the couch with alessia sat on the floor between her legs, the pair watching old episodes of superstore, sim's hands massaging coconut oil into the blonde's scalp.

"how did you even think to do this?" alessia mumbled.

"oiling hair is just a thing desi people do. i don't remember the exact origin. different people use different types of oil for different reasons. my maasi* used to do coconut oil before a wash once a week. in the winter, when our hair was dry and frizzy, she would rub baby oil just into the ends every now and then." (*maasi is mother's sister or cousin sister)

"yeah, but why are you doing this now?" alessia prodded. considering this was the first time she had heard sim voluntarily speak about her family, alessia didn't want to push too hard, but she was curious.

not that she was complaining. the massage was doing wonders for her headache and she was more relaxed than she had felt in weeks.

"just noticed you were stressed. obviously, i've never been in the same situation as you so i can't do much in the way of words. but i remember how relaxing this was for me so i figured i would share," sim replied somewhat sheepishly, hands stilling.

alessia was overwhelmed with affection for the younger girl. it was almost offputting how easily sim could read her, how she could anticipate what alessia needed before she herself knew what that was.

alessia reached a hand up to squeeze sim's arm, unable to vocalize how she felt in the moment.

"the massage part is almost done. then we need to let the oil sit for at least a half hour, and i'll wash it out for you."

the pair fell silent, no words needed between them. when it was time for a rinse, alessia sat on the ledge of the tub, leaning gently on sim's body behind her.

"as much as i am loving this right now, i'm going to have to ask you to hurry it up before i fall asleep here," alessia said, breaking the silence.

sim chuckled softly before turning on the water, using the handheld shower to rinse alessia's hair.

"thank you for this," alessia spoke, grabbing a soft towel to dry her hair off.

"you don't have to thank me," sim said shyly, a blush creeping on to her face.

alessia turned to look at sim, and the younger girl almost melted under the tenderness of alessia's gaze.

alessia knew that it was hard for sim to accept any gratitude, so settled for rushing forward and wrapping the girl up in a tight embrace, arms settling around sim's shoulders as hers wrapped around alessia's waist.

sim rested her forehead against alessia's sternum. sim's family never showed any physical affection, so it had taken her a while to get used to just how touchy her girlfriend could be, but sim would be lying if she said she didn't come to love it.

"let's head to bed, yeah? i'm going to fall asleep standing up and take you down with me. then you'll have two bad knees," alessia giggled.

"and then you'd have to carry me everywhere and we can't have that, can we? because then you'd have bad knees and leah would have my head!" sim replied with a chuckle, turning alessia's giggles into full-blown laughs.

-----

the cloud that seemed to be following sim around refused to fully recede, always lingering around the edges of sim's consciousness.

she had done a well enough job of hiding it from everyone. she'd made the effort not to push people away, but that didn't mean that she was asking for help either.

a part of her still felt ashamed and annoyed at how she was feeling. her life was the best it had ever been, so why was it so difficult for sim to just suck it up and enjoy it?

it was currently match day -1, and the lionesses were doing some light training on the pitch before they would head inside for a film session and tactics meeting.

sim was bundled up against the cold on the sidelines, filming when she needed but mostly just watching her girls work. the jealousy she felt while looking at them hadn't abated completely, but she could mostly shove it down and not let it become a problem.

"how's it going?" ella nudged sim, having made her way over after sarina concluded the training session.

"yeah, i'm alright, you?"

ella wrapped an arm around sim's shoulder, starting the walk back to the locker rooms as she chatted about something joe had said to her a few weeks ago.

alessia stole sim back from ella as the team filed into the locker room.

"hey! you get to see her everyday!" ella whined, making grabby hands as alessia steered sim towards her own cubby.

alessia simply stuck her tongue out at ella before gathering the things she needed for a shower and stepping out.

"oh! my family is all coming out for the game tomorrow, so don't run off with alessia so quick because i want you to meet them," ella said, grabbing sim's arm and setting her down on the bench in front of her own locker.

a nervous smile took over sim's face. "really?"

though the idea of meeting ella's parents was admittedly nice, it make sim more anxious than anything else.

"oh, yeah, they'll probably end up liking you more than me," ella responded jovially, trying to pull sim out of her head.

"speaking of," leah interjected, "sim, do you need tickets for any guests of yours? i can probably get them into the friends and family section."

sim immediately stiffened. she couldn't have this conversation with the team. not today, when she was already feeling so on edge.

"oh. no, i don't have anyone i'm bringing to the match," sim said, trying to make it clear with her tone that this wasn't a topic she was willing to elaborate on.

unfortunately, it seemed no one got the hint.

"what, parents couldn't make it?" millie chimed in.

"nah, they're not around anymore," sim said with a sigh, trying to brush it off with a wave of her hand.

however, it seemed to have the opposite effect. there were a few silent moments of tension before rachel's voice cut through.

"i'm really sorry to hear that."

sim's brow furrowed in confusion before she realized how her statement sounded.

"oh! no, don't be. i'm pretty sure they're still alive, we just don't... we're estranged. we don't talk anymore," sim rushed to clarify. the last thing she wanted at the moment was sympathy. especially when it came to her parents because the truth was, she was much, much better off without them in her life.

there was still a lingering tension in the locker room, though the air had lightened considerably. this was the most the lionesses had heard sim say about her family. even leah didn't quite know what to say. she settled for taking a seat beside sim, whose face still donned the same look of confusion.

she didn't understand why this seemed such a big deal.

"you don't want to reach out? mend things?" rachel continued quietly.

"trust me, it's better for everyone if we stay very far away from each other," sim said with a chuckle.

she cut herself off when she realized no one was laughing with her.

"you can't know that for sure. you should consider extending an olive branch, while you still can." rachel had turned to face sim properly now, almost a pleading note in her voice.

sim's back straightened, hands clenched into fists in her lap.

she took a deep, grounding breath before speaking. "look, i'm telling you, my parents and i do not talk anymore and it's for good reason. i don't owe anyone an explanation. please, drop it."

leah didn't think she had ever heard that level of iciness in sim's tone. she looked at sim, biting her lip as she did. it was like looking at the face of a different person. sim's face was completely blank, not a trace of emotion to be seen.

leah didn't say anything, figuring that rachel would respect the younger girl's wishes and stop pushing.

that didn't seem to be the case.

"i just don't see what could have happened that you're okay with never speaking to your parents again." rachel's voice had taken on an accusatory tone.

millie placed a hand on rachel's shoulder, trying to signal to her best friend that she should stop before things got too heated.

before leah could say something herself to defuse the tension, sim stood abruptly.

"rachel, i respect where you're coming from. really, i do. but i'm starting to get very frustrated with this conversation, so i'm going to leave before i say something i regret."

with that, sim left the locker room, the rest of the girls stunned into silence, only the sounds of sim's cane hitting the floor being heard.

"well, i think that is the politest way i've ever heard someone say 'fuck off,'" said millie.

leah stood to go after sim, but beth beat her to it. "i'll go," she whispered. leah nodded before rounding on rachel.

rachel looked like a fish out of water with the way her mouth opened and closed, searching for words.

"i know your heart was in the right place, but you pushed too hard. just be gentler next time, yeah?" leah asserted, her voice stern but not unkind.

"i'm sorry, i just-"

"it's okay. it's not me that you should apologize to. and don't take her reaction personally, alright? i don't even think alessia knows the full story about her parents."

-----

alessia walked back to her cubby, running a hand through the tangles in her damp hair. by the time she was pulling on a hoodie, she noticed a few things.

for one, her girlfriend was not where she had left her.

secondly, the few stragglers still in the locker room had their eyes trained on her, but averted them when she returned their gazes.

tooney was also stood awkwardly in the space around alessia's cubby, as though waiting for her.

"what?" alessia spoke with a frown, looking to ella when everyone else refused to meet her eyes.

"well..." ella's voice trailed off. she wasn't quite sure how to explain the situation without framing it like an argument and blowing it out of proportion. she did not want to be caught up in the middle of the awkward tension that now permeated the space.

"what?" alessia repeated, her voice now stern.

"look," ella said, holding a placating hand up to alessia, "it's not bad. there was just a conversation about sim inviting her parents and things got a little... tense? but everyone is fine, and beth went to look for sim."

confusion was replaced with concern and a little bit of anger.

"a conversation with who? where is she? is she alright?" alessia rushed out.

"you should hear it from her. i don't know where she is, but beth went to look for her, so it's okay. don't worry. it wasn't a big deal."

that was the thing, though. alessia wasn't sure that it wasn't a big deal.

sim's parents had come up in conversation a few times, but the most sim had ever let on was that they were no longer in contact.

it wasn't for lack of trying. however, the few times alessia had tried to venture further and pushed, sim had shut down, going almost completely silent and stony-faced. each time, it took hours to bring the girl back out of her shell.

the fact that sim wasn't feeling herself recently didn't do anything to ease the concern she was feeling.

with those memories in mind, alessia rushed out of the locker room to find sim and beth herself.

-----

beth looked everywhere for sim. she checked back on the training pitch, in the bathroom, the meal room, the media office, before finding her figure sat in a corner of one of the physio rooms.

beth's heart melted at the expression on sim's face. it was clear from the tightness in sim's jaw and shoulders that she was trying hard to keep her emotions in check.

sim was so caught up in whatever was going on in her head that she didn't notice beth's presence until she felt a hand settle on her clenched fist, forcing it open.

beth frowned at the indents in sim's palm from where her nails had dug into the skin.

"i'm sorry," sim rasped.

"what for? you didn't do anything wrong. i actually think you handled that in a very mature way."

beth's words seemed to fall on deaf ears as sim continued rambling.

"i'm not angry with rachel. i promise, i'm not."

beth shook sim's hand, prompting her to look up. "even if you were angry, you're allowed to feel that way. clearly, she pushed you on a topic that was sensitive for you," beth said gently, almost as though she was explaining something to a child.

"but she didn't know she was pushing. rachel didn't do anything wrong either. i can see where her reaction came from. she lost her father, and i know that he meant a lot to her. she would probably do anything for a little more time with him. i just-" sim ran her free hand through her already messy hair.

beth stayed silent, prodding sim to go on with a nod of her head.

"it's just that not all of us got lucky with our parents. i'm happy she has a great relationship with hers, trust me, i am. but some people have shit parents, and don't want to be pushed into mending bridges that were burned for good reason."

beth noted sim's reluctance to use the word "i" instead of "us" but chose not to say anything. as far as she knew, this was the most anyone had gotten out of sim about her parents.

"her heart was in the right place, but she was still insensitive. she could have been a bit kinder to you. i lost my mum too, so i know where she's coming from, but i also know that not everyone has nice parents like mine or hers. you don't have to defend rachel to me, alright?"

sim nodded, resting her head on beth's shoulder.

"you don't have to talk about what happened with your parents, but i'm here to listen if you decide you want to. i'm sure the same goes for the rest of the girls as well," beth continued.

a comfortable silence fell over the pair. in that moment, sim was overcome with affection. she felt so seen by this new family she had found in the lionesses. unable to voice how much it meant to her, sim tried to put all that emotion into a squeeze of beth's hand.

when beth squeezed back, sim knew her message had been received.

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Anita Page (Our Dancing Daughters, The Broadway Melody, Our Modern Maidens)— She's as stunning as you'd expect someone once dubbed "The Girl With The Most Beautiful Face In Hollywood" to be, but what makes her stand out for me is the sweetness of her features. She comes across as very genuine.

Jean Arthur (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Easy Living, The Talk of the Town)—Always found the best facial expression and the perfect line delivery, so nailed the transition from silent film to talkies (her voice is CRAZY btw- high and overly sweet but also so gravelly she's like a breakfast parfait), then went on to dominate roles in multiple genres well into her 50s. Such a great personality both onscreen and off, and to our end pulls off 'gorgeous,' 'sexy,' and 'cute' all at once (in a word: hot!)

This is round 1 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut]

Anita Page:

Linked gif: https://www.tumblr.com/mtonino/705233953976713216/sidewalks-of-new-york-1931-zion-myers-jules?source=share

Linked gif 2: https://www.tumblr.com/mydailyvintagephotos/691699343097511936/remembering-anita-page-on-her-birthday?source=share

Jean Arthur:

i had to submit every movie of hers ive seen so far because 1) shes GORGEOUS. 2) extremely gifted with comic timing and delivery and whats better than a confident beautiful woman that makes you laugh. and 3) seems to effortlessly blend wit emotion and logic in her performances in a way that sometimes is just so... it tells you as much about the other characters shes interacting with as it does her own (see this clip from mr smith)

Adorable and sultry with a voice that went from urban smartass to sounding, as director Frank Capra described it, more like tinkling bells than a voice has a right to sound

jean arthur wearing bucksin trousers and a little hat in the plainsman was fully my queer awakening. i love that woman so much. she has defined calamity jane for me. also she is adorable and heartbreaking and SMOKING HOT in deeds like everyone needs to experience her, she's everything to me

She's a chameleon, rocking any hair colour and any style, any mood and any genre. And she's got such a fine, captivating smile!

Truly amazing talking voice, like eating pop candy. Played wise cracking gals with hearts of gold. Once got arrested for trespassing because she went to console a dog that was being mistreated. Angel. Star. Baby. Winner!