#new york melody

[zegalba]

Tom Sachs: My Melody (2008) sculpture: Bronze - location: New York

[trucywright]

mhm the temptation to write a river fic about her growing up and becoming river song using my retcon where let’s kill hitler isn’t a single day and mels breaking from kovarian takes a longer time.

[godblooded]

instantly begins crying when billy asks the audience to do the chorus to piano man.

[dashingwishes]

God please let me bump into Mingyu.

[doctorjuvenile]

Things from WtA The Book of Hungry Names you should know pt. 2

pt. 1 here

I'm about to start my fourth playthrough lol

5. The coordinates Daphne sends you for investigating the Pattern Line are a real location in Northampton, Massachusetts.

> I’m willing to let you condescend to me if you’re willing to help me out CrestFolder180IQ Your terms are acceptable. CrestFolder180IQ Meet me at 42°25'50.3"N 72°40'49.3"W at 10:30 PM.

Right at the tip of this path. (sooo IRL Garou meetup when?)

6. By my best estimates, the game takes place over the course of 2022-2024.

Now, the game plays pretty loose with exact dates, and I'm sure the ambiguity is intended. What we know for sure though is that Book of Hungry Names takes place over two and a half years (from beginning to epilogue).

Nonetheless, because I'm obsessed, I'm basing my assumption off of some strong hints:

The game definitely takes place after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, since Stormcat literally refers to it once you're in the second half of the game (foreshadowing the Jigsaw Plague chapter)

Will Northampton be ground zero for the next pandemic? Even I do not know.

2) Honestly, my biggest clue here are the years Melodie and Harmonie graduated high school (2016 and 2013 respectively), and the fact that she is 23 when you retrieve her from Ashfield.

Harmonie Palys graduated Berkshire Regional High School in 2013. Her sister, Melodie, graduated in 2016.

Melodie, who is twenty-three, angrily sips her Kir Pamplemousse.

Going off of the North American education system (where I myself graduated high school in 2014, and am presently around 27 years old), and assuming no skipped or repeated years, Melodie should be about 25 by the game's epilogue, which must take place in 2024. Harmonie would be 28 if she were still alive today.

Working backwards, that means it's 2022 in the first half of the game (where Melodie is stated to be 23). The timeline just works perfectly.

3) In the second half of the game, Nin will "talk your ear off about the new Blood Ceremony album." The album (The Old Ways Remain) dropped in 2023, thus further perfectly fitting in with the 2022-2024 timeline.

7. Speaking of guessing character's ages, I have a good idea of the rest of them...

Elton: I tried guessing Elton's age and he's anywhere from 24-26 over the course of the game to 29-31. My clues here are how you can find a picture of him and Katherine in a newspaper after arriving in Northampton early on and researching in the library. The photo states he's 19, and the photo itself is "maybe five to ten years old."

...the picture is labeled "Linus Harrowman, 46, Elton Dey, 19, and Katherine Aslanian, 20, have opposed the Broad Brook expansion, which would--" Then it turns into a more randomized babble. The photo is in color, the newspaper maybe five or ten years old.

Player Character: I am certain your character starts the game at 20 years old. The ID Daphne gives you shows your real age, which is below the legal drinking age in the U.S. (i.e. 21), but by the time a year passes in-game, you are now able to drink legally.

[Early game:] To your considerable irritation, the birthdate on the ID is the same year as your real birthday, which means you can't get into most bars. [Second half of game, one year later:] Armed with your Massachusetts State ID that finally says you're 21...

You, Podge, and Nin: Regardless, the whole pack drinks together in the epilogue at the last Hog Throne show, implying your entire pack is now at least 21 (legal American drinking age). So by this point, I think PC is 22, and Podge and Nin are legally 21, meaning they would be about 19 or 20 at the start of the game.

8. Intelligence isn't just tied to your book-smarts or occult knowledge, it also influences whether you can catch pop cultural/musical references.

I mean, my first two characters (galliard/December and theurge/October) had good-to-excellent INT (3-5pts), so the text described Elton's Mezzanine shirt, Highlander halloween costume, Podge being dressed up as the girl from the "Everyday Is Like Sunday" music video, Nin's Sophie Scholl hoodie, etc all by name or direct reference.

But I noticed with my third ahroun (January) character, whom I deliberately kept at 1 INT the entire game, that she didn't catch ANY of that -- the Mezzanine t-shirt is a "white t-shirt with a black insect scrawled across half its surface," she thinks Elton is dressed as the Scarlet Pimpernel, that Nin is maybe wearing a hoodie with her own face on it, etc. (You can get some pretty funny extra dialogue out of being so clueless.)

This makes sense when you consider that your Academics and Intelligence tutor in this game is a badass art teacher who used to be in the '90s demoscene.

[senditcolton]

In A Week

a/n: i was about to say i’m going literal with this one but that is, thankfully, not true. (y’all do know this song is about a pair of corpses rotting in a field, right? but it is very romantic which is peak Hozier)  word count: 0.9k warnings: vague reference to past sexual activities. gender-neutral reader!

Our hungers appeased, our heartbeats becoming slow.

The gentle chirping of birds and the sound of their fluttering wings through the trees are what wake you from your slumber. A pleasant change from the noises that you often heard first thing in the morning; the sounds of traffic and shouts from the city that never sleeps.

Your eyelids flutter open and in the bleary haze of your eyes adjusting, you can only make out the green and brown of the world around you.

The unfamiliar scenery wakes you more, a jolt to your system. However, it only takes a few seconds for your mind to catch up, reminding you about the night before.

Mat and you dragging the air mattress out from the cabin closet. Carrying it down to the clearing by the lakeshore, along with every blanket you could find. The sound of the crackling fire, it’s heat warming you in the night.

The feeling of Mat’s body above yours, his lips on your skin, the stars your only witness.

Last night… it was perfect.

Your body twists, rustling the soft blankets that were piled on top of you, gently stretching as the sky grew brighter. After chasing the lingering fatigue from your body, you turn to look up at Mat, still sleeping peacefully.

He looked beautiful. He always did. But when he was sleeping, it was a different kind of beauty. The beauty of existing. The troublesome wrinkle between his brow that appeared when he was stressed didn’t materialize. His eyes never drifted off into his worries about performance or standings. He never ran a hand though his dark hair with anxiety, tousling the strands.

Here, he just lived.

Every off-season, you never wanted him to go back to New York. Perhaps it was selfish. But it wasn’t just for your benefit. It was for his too. He would be away from the never-ending pressure, the failures, the struggles through injury, through doubt. He would never have to go through trades, or scoring droughts, or any of it.

Here, in Vancouver, in his lake house, it could be just you and him. It could be perfect.

It was a silly fantasy though. One you often relinquished. Because that wasn’t who Mat was. Even if he did agree to never go back, it would be a lie. He loved the game too much to abandon it. And you loved him too much to ever ask him to.

So, you took these moments where it felt like the world couldn’t touch either of you, and held them close to your heart.

You might have to share him with his teammates, his coaches, and hundreds of fans. But you didn’t have to give them all of him. There were some parts that were solely yours.

Your hand moves without really thinking, brushing some of the strands of hair away from his forehead, a small huff of laughter falling from you as his nose crinkles, the motion waking him.

He stretches with a gentle groan before rubbing his eyes, blearily opening them. You can see he has a similar reaction to his unfamiliar surroundings, not remembering the events of last night for a moment before his gaze catches yours. The smile that appears on his lips warms you from the inside and you welcome the feeling of his arm coming to wrap around you, pulling you closer.

“Mornin’,” he mumbles, his lips coming to press a small kiss onto your forehead.

“Good morning,” you whisper back, eyes remaining on his before you lean in to properly kiss him. His lips are soft against yours and it doesn’t take much for you to deepen this kiss, sighing into him as your body rolls on top of him. His hands help guide you before lifting to cup your jaw.

The two of you continue like that for a little while, lazily swapping kisses, only occasionally breaking apart. Finally, you pull away, your eyelids fluttering open to look down at him, that gentle smile playing on your lips. An expression which is mirrored on his.

The cold morning air could be blamed for the shiver that was sent down your spine. But that would be a lie. It was the way Mat’s thumbs caressed your cheek, his movements never failing to draw a reaction from you. You press on last kiss on his lips before collapsing back to his side, nestling closer as your eyes turn to the sky.

You feel his hand come to grab yours underneath the blankets and you gladly intertwine your fingers, a sigh falling from your chest.

The two of you lay there in silence; listening to the birds and the gentle lapping of the water against the shore, watching as the sky turned from its grey to orange to pastel yellow and blue, the wispy clouds disappearing in the heat of the sun. It isn’t long until Mat’s voice sounds, breaking through the early morning silence.

“I love you.”

You sneak a glance up towards him and find him already looking down at you, his words clearly reflected in his eyes. The smile that tugs at your mouth is instinctive, one he was able to bring forth so easily. You relax back against his side, your grip around his hand tightening.

“I love you too.”

There is nothing else you could say. There is nothing else you want to say.

That was the truth in its entirety – as sure and constant as the rising sun.

[necroticboop]

✦ Lady M My Melody Lunar New Year Gift Set [x]

[the-physicality]

Sorry did I say Boston is going to 3 pride nights? I meant 4

[unfabulous-logo-art-tv-design]

[lilyroseeedepp]

One of my fav street fits

[specific90saesthetics]

Michael K. Williams in Madonna’s video for “Secret,” directed by Melodie McDaniel.

[picturethisshow]

#BROOKLYN SATURDAY 2/10 7:30pm -  Come fall in love with live animated comedy 💞 Save $5 on early tickets now: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/picture-this-live-animated-comedy-tickets-799148062367

Flier of course by @newyorkcartoons!

[darkredlightyears]

Beach House ad in Times Square

[courseyoulovemeyoudontknowme]

The Search of Santa Paws (2010, Robert Vince)

04/01/2024

The Search of Santa Paws is a 2010 film, directed by director Robert Vince. It is part of the series of films that began with Air Bud in 1997, and is a prequel to the ninth chapter Santa Buddies. The film marked the debut of Kaitlyn Maher.

At the North Pole, while celebrating his birthday, Santa Claus receives a letter and a gift from New York City, informing him of the passing of old friend and toy store owner Mr. Hucklebuckle, who was Santa's helper, ambassador for "The Santa Cause", an organization delegates who embrace and encourage the Christmas spirit around the world. To cheer up Santa Claus, his elf leader Eli uses the power of the great Christmas icicle to bring the gift, a stuffed dog, to life.

Meanwhile, Mr. Hucklebuckle's nephew, James, a CPA from Los Angeles, and his wife Kate arrive at his toy store and are informed by their case worker, Mr. Stewart, that they must operate the store profitably for a period Christmas to acquire ownership.

[satoi]

                       ‘     eh  —    ?            this is the right way...    isn’t it   ?    ‘            open.

[senditcolton]

It Will Come Back

a/n: well, my beautiful friend Em (who requested this blurb) did say to hurt her feelings so... here we are! i apologize for nothing. word count: 1.7k warnings: a little bit spicy! does not get all the way to smut, just a very heavy make-out session. gender-neutral!

I know who I am when I’m alone - I’m something else when I see you.

Those ice blue eyes were going to be the death of you. That much you were sure of.

The way they tracked you through the crowd gathering in the living room of Anders house. The depths of them hiding those emotions that you knew only came out in private. Their ability to pin you in place, even if his hands, his body, was no where near you.

If Casey kept looking at you, you knew you weren’t going to make it to the new year.

He was going to be the death of you.

And the worst part… the worse part was that he had already killed a part of you. The part that thought you loved him.

“Hey, are you alright?”

It’s Grace’s voice that pulls you back and you turn to see the concern etched on her face.

“I’m fine.” Your reply is quick, mechanical, the practiced words falling from your lips with ease.

“If you want to leave, no one would blame you,” Grace explains, her hand delicately rubbing your upper arm in comfort. That might have been the worse part of your break-up with Casey. It rough and messy so, of course, everyone knew about it. Dealing with the aftermath alone was difficult enough. Having to face everyone’s sympathy made it that much harder.

“It’s fine, Grace. I knew he was going to be here. If I didn’t think I could handle it, I wouldn’t have come.”

Thankfully, this time Grace accepts your words, shooting you a gentle smile before turning away from you, focusing back on her hosting duties. You heave a sigh, wandering through the crowd of the Lee’s New Year’s Eve party, not entirely sure where you are going but simply wanting an escape.

You locate the staircase that leads to the upper floors, the darkness and quiet from the second floor beckoning you, promising a welcomed reprieve. One which you gladly take.

As you were climbing the stairs, the sounds of the party growing distant and fainter with each step, your mind starts to wonder why you needed this silence, this haven. The answer came as quickly as the question did.

It was because of him. Because of Casey.

You didn’t lie when you said you wouldn’t have come if you didn’t think you could handle it. It was easy to say that when you were in the comfort of your own apartment, alone. You didn’t think about how different it would be when you were around him. The pull he had over you. A part of you swore that you could recognize the sound of his breathing, that you could hear it in your dreams. That you could even hear it now.

It's the brush of fingertips across your shoulder that has you jumping away and spinning. And you realize that you weren’t imagining it. Because Casey was standing in front of you, in the dimly lit hallway, his eyes connected to yours.

“Fuck, Casey, you scared me half to death,” you exclaim, hand raising to your chest to comfort your leaping heart. It doesn’t work because although the fright has subsided, your heart was now doing somersaults at the presence of Casey. The smell of his cologne. The weight of his energy. The sound of his voice.

“You shouldn’t be wandering dark hallways then,” he replies, that casual matter-of-fact tone causing a scoff to fall from you.

“You’re the one sneaking up on someone when their back is turn and I’m at fault here?”

Casey responds to your question with nothing more than a shrug before those eyes are back on you.

“What are you doing up here?”

“I just needed to breathe. Why are you here?”

Casey doesn’t answer immediately, his eyes still locked on you, his gaze moving down your frame and back up, those blue irises connecting with yours once again.

“Seemed like a nice place to relax.”

“My presence was just a happy coincidence then?”

“You really think you’re the reason for my every move?”

“Based on how you have been – are – looking at me, I’d say it’s a pretty good guess.”

There is a small huff of laughter that falls from Casey and you can’t stop the shiver that runs down your spine as you watch that intoxicating smile tug at his lips.

“Always so confident.”

It was dangerous, falling back into this game with him. You should stop feeding it, whatever this animalistic desire was that lingering in between you. That was the smart thing to do. The right thing.

But was there really anyone who always did the ‘right’ thing? And so, you speak again, your voice dipping lower, that sultry tone dripping off the edges of every word.

“You used to like seeing me like this.” The smile on Casey’s face grows and you can see his body language shift, shoulders pulling back and a step taken towards you. Preparing for the dance.

“I did. But I especially loved when you gave all that power to me.”

“That’s never going to happen again.”

“Never is a big word.”

“Look who’s confident now,” you tease. “Well, if you’re so sure you can make me relinquish control…”

You pause, taking those few miniscule steps toward him, closing the gap between the two of you until you are almost flush against his chest. And when you look up to connect your eyes to his, you are so close that you can feel the warmth of his breath on your face. You raise yourself up a little more, leaning in closer until your lips are just barely brushing the shell of his ear.

“…prove it.”

You can sense Casey’s body tense underneath you, a response to your whispered words. You slowly lower yourself down to look at him again, your gaze running over the sharp edge of his now clenched jawline.

The silence that stretches between you is a dare, heavy with the question of who will break first. It stretches on for what feels like a lifetime, although it could’ve easily been only a few seconds. But it was long enough for you to claim the upper hand.

You smirk, your eyebrow raising in triumph and you spin, preparing yourself to wander back down to the party. You should’ve known better. Because before you even take that first step forward, you feel the strong hand and whisper of a gasp escapes as the fingers wrap around your throat. Casey tugs you back to him and you can’t even get a singular syllable out before he crashes his lips on yours.

Whatever words you were about to say dissolve into a moan as you willingly melt into him, accepting his lips and tongue as he deepens the kiss, his own body moving until you find your back pressed against the nearest wall.

As soon as your body makes contact with the solid drywall behind you, another gasp escapes your chest. The noise is what pulls Casey away although he doesn’t go far. The hand that was wrapped around your throat remains as those fucking blue eyes stare down at you.

You know he can feel the thundering of your pulse underneath his hand as the thumb that rested against your jawline begins to move. It follows the edge of your jaw to your chin until the pad of his thumb is pressing against your plush bottom lip. You watch his gaze melt down to your lips and it comes again; that smirk.

The breath that falls is shaky, unsteady and the sound of it shuddering only makes that grin widen. You feel his thumb turn until the dull edge of his fingernail presses into your ski. You feel it drag down; down your lips, your chin, the middle of neck until pausing in the hollow center of your collarbone.

“You could never fool me, sweetheart,” he whispers, the growl in his voice igniting that fire deep within you.

You don’t even attempt to hide your desire, surging up to mee his lips in a passionate kiss again, one which he gladly reciprocates. There is no rational thought in your mind as you feel Casey’s hand pull you off the wall and blindly push you back. You have no idea where he is leading you but you don’t care because you missed this. You missed the feeling of him pressed against you.

It isn’t long until you feel yourself fall back, your body connecting with the soft sheets of a bed and you rip your lips away for a brief moment to register the room around you. Thankfully, Casey wasn’t so desperate to get you alone that you ended up somewhere you shouldn’t be. The room looked to be one of the guest rooms in Grace and Anders house but that was all the information you could gather before Casey is pulling your lips to his again.

The kisses do not cease. Instead, they get deeper and heavier, your bodies rolling against each other, your hands starting to wander. Casey’s hands wander too and you are so lost in the feeling of his weight above you that everything in the world disappears.

Until you feel his fingers brush against the waistband of your jeans. That is when reality snaps back to you and you pull away.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” you breathlessly, lips only centimeters away from his. Your eyes flutter open and find Casey’s. Once your eyes connect, you can see that he understands the deeper meaning behind your words.

It wasn’t that you shouldn’t be doing this; heavily making out in a random room in Anders home. It was that you shouldn’t be doing any of this. You shouldn’t be entertaining the idea of Casey and you together; physically, emotionally. It was a dangerous desperate wild animal, one that should be cast away and left out in the cold.

But here you were, finding warmth in the fire you lit in each other.

“You’re right, we shouldn’t,” Casey replies.

“Then why do we always find ourselves here?”

Casey’s lips twist again but this time it’s not that smirk that makes you weak in the knees. No, it’s that smile that makes your heart ache – one that makes you wish it could all be simpler. The silence continues to stretch until Casey moves again, one hand coming up to brush a singular strand of hair away from your forehead before he speaks again.

“Because you’re just too easy to need.”