#playing ane what joy

[party-in-eldarya]

PLAYING ANE what a joy

Where were we? Ah, at vampires' city in the desert. We are talking with Nevra's mum, the situation is dire: vampires lost their blood supplies. Erika and Mathieu suddenly realize that what Nevra is drinking is not a cranberry juice and they forget Wise HH's words "it's not our place to judge them". Writer forgets that in TO Nevra has been drinking from other faeries and Erika, so let's stop pretending that only Bad Vampires do it, shall we?

Why Erika acts this way? She was shocked in TO when she learns about Nevra's vampirism, but there were no repulsion back then. She is a strange creature, on the one hand she is sooo repulsed by mere prospect of hurting/eating someone because you have to survive (vampires), but on the other hand she is pretty violent, ready to kill without asking questions (human soldiers near portal). Theory that those who wrote the script has never shared their papers intensifies.

Mathieu is sooo angry, he almost attack vampiric mum. Surely, he must have known that faeries are not peaceful, no? Or was he lied about it, and thinks that he is now living in a LALALAND? His hero is a war criminal, ffs! Nevra is a vampire, who merely 7 years ago was feeding on others. Plp around him has killed, a lot, and we know it, it's a canon. It's only in ANE when they decided to rewrite it and make those seasoned soldiers be afraid of "hurting familiars" which are attaking them on boat.

Anyways, after some time, for reason unknown to clan (do we get why at the end of ANE?) the Order stopped trading slaves, and when they came back, they came to fight vampires. Again, AFAIK we never get a reason why they decided to break such long agreement.

I think it was to collect more maana, but why the Order didn't ask vampires to exchange slaves, surely that would be beneficial for all of them?

Too soon, Mathieu. Too soon.

"He was a part of similar organisation that kidnapped and murder, just like you- only difference is that technically you did it because you needed to survive, and because you did this your whole life. He joined because he is a braindead folk who follows those who shout louder. See mom, he has perfect reasons to be angry and vent his anger on the easiest target around".

Maora is so racist that it is not even funny to read, it is just a very very bad writing which really forshadows well for NG- same writer, you know? But I wanted to add this lil thing here: those words 'the beast' were used to describe US, Erika in TO. And who said those words? Zifu. He apologized only when HH told him to do it. Ezarel wasn't very welcoming, HH read a very very racist book to little children when Erika was sitting next to her... See, it could be a good opening to nice arc, when Rica and Mathieu learn that racism sadly exists even on good side and perhaps that they shouldn't judge their own race too harshly, but no. We got that abomination that is called ANE.

Also, Maora is not v racist when talking about the Order, so not all humans are mere beast in her eyes, no?

Eh, I should have finished ANE before Beemoov was done with it.

[jaynovz]

According to my mood tracking app, the longest I have gone without writing since I started up again in Jan 2021 was ten days in a row, which was when I was in GA for xmas during the last two weeks of Dec 2021...

The overall effect on my mood when including the writing activity is pretty high, in a positive way, based on the data.

All of that to say that my current depressive slump as a result of facing the fact that I may have finally hit a hard wall of burn out, after two years of intense output?

...well, it makes sense lol.

[wilcze-kudly]

Give me more Beifong family angst over Kuvira and Baatar Jr's betrayal. And with them living in the estate again.

Give me Huan locking himself in his room, sculpting countless jagged statues as he tries to somehow express the frustration he feels like he can't express otherwise. Give me Huan forcing himself out of his comfort zone to spend time with his younger siblings, because he feels like he needs to step up as an older brother.

Give me Huan feeling guilty and useless because all he had been able to do while his siblings were fighting for their lives was evacuate. Give me Huan getting between Baatar Jr and the rest of his siblings and feeling like now he has to be the older sibling they deserve. Give me Huan being overprotective of Opal and the twins, because he hadn't been able to protect them when it really mattered.

Give me Opal staying away from Zaofu for longer and longer periods of time. Give me Opal feeling more at home in the Air Temples because Zaofu no longer feels like the place she'd known when growing up. Give me the guilt associated with that.

Give me Opal having a mini panic attack everytime she calls home and someone doesn't pick up right away because anything could be going on there, because she fully beileves Kuvira as capable to harm the family. Give me Opal waking up in a cold sweat after a nightmare where her family dies in captivity.

Give me Opal feeling like she has to forgive Bolin because he helped rescue her family despite how hurt ans upset she still is with him.

Give me the twins being disillusioned by metalbending and their family's legacy after seeing how destructive it can be. Give me the twins not being able to find joy in playing Power Disc anymore, because it all feels so hollow after almost dying and so childish and wrong when people have suffered. Give me the twins feeling unsafe living with people who almost killed them. Give me the twins wondering what would've happened if Lin hadn't been fast enough when she saved them. Give me the twins developing trust issues after their closest family betrayed them. Give me the twins feeling safe only in one another's company.

Give me Baatar Sr wracked with guilt over not noticing Baatar Jr's woes earlier. Give me Baatar Sr feeling directly responsible for his oldest sons actions. Give me Baatar Sr throwing himself into work trying to personally rebuild all that his son has destroyed. Give me Baatar Sr feeling like he failed as a father because his children were but in danger time and time again. Give me Baatar Sr trying to support his wife despite feeling like her efforts to fix their family are hurting their younger children.

Give me Suyin walking on eggshells around her children, feeling like the slightest slip up could have tragic consequences. Give me Suyin trying desperately to keep the family she'd worked so hard to build together, to the point where she's forcing them together. Give me Suyin so distraught that she abandons common sense, trying to pretend everything is fine, not noticing how it's hurting her other children. Give me guilt, the mild insanity, the delusion, the hypocrisy.

Give me Kuvira and Baatar Jr realising that they've destroyed the home they used to have. Give me Kuvira and Baatar Jr realising that, because of their actions, none of them can ever truly come home, because what they did has shaken the very core of their family.

Give me Lin watching this shitshow from the sidelines. Give me Lin, who'd just recently become part of this family again, not knowing how she fits into this. Give me Lin worrying over her niece and nephews, seeing their discomfort and understanding how it feels to be hurt by your own family. Give me Lin quietly offering Huan and the twins that they can stay with her if they ever feel unsafe in their home.

Give me Lin finally snapping and calling Su out on all this. Give me Su breaking down.

Give me- *gets shot*

[unholywriters]

Idea Posting again

I have several ideas and If I don’t write them down somewhere and get reminded that they’re here I’m gonna cry because I want to remember.

Mafia’s Distraction -

How do we always managed to attract the attention of those who are dangerous? Do they just enjoy seeing others be confident when you decide to put your foot down whenever they cross a line? Take your/n for example, working one of the local pups always having to argue with someone who thinks they own the bar when in reality they don’t own anything but their fragile little ego but even then there’s nothing wrong with kicking them to a curb right? But what if you’re being watched all the time by not just one of them, but two of them with a status so powerful it could make everyone in that pub keep their tails between their legs just so they can survive another day. One day y/n is simply jus trying to handle some more of the loud crowd that didn’t want to listen, some were still sober and the rest were getting tipsy before they decided to cross you, by grabbing a bottle and pouring it all out in front of you while you were serving one of the bosses. Not only that, but this tipsy male had poured it on the bosses lap. Trying to start something since he was the self proclaimed life of the party before everyone turned to look at them. Y/N was about to try and ban him since this was against the rules before everyone saw their tattoos, after all each group has a tattoo to show who they belong to and what rank they have, and these two were the only two who had the black crown with a Y and a M for each person.

Needless to say, the person was bragged away begging for his life, while everyone else was told to leave expect for y/n, who had to sit and agree to talk to them, well more like it was them coming up with a compromise, and don’t we just love those?

———

Demon’s ring

imagine this and I'm gonna try and do this the best way i can without skipping over or amkinf this sound like something else.

Imagine that you're forced to live in sectors based on your race, like fairy's go to one, elves the other, foxes, sirens you name it. But the demons are considered the highest one, no one can touch them after they managed to beat the heavens in a war and have since claimed a large chunck of the earth, bur each year there's a selection of those "fortunate" to go since the demkn sector is considered one of thr richest and most loveable ace to live with "letters: being sent every two days of the person being happy to be chosen but missing home. Till you're choosen instead this time since your friends highly voted for you since every year there's a voting process to see who's the best at what for that sector and you go.

When you get there at first you see all of the glam, the joy you never got to feel and the best cooked food you ever could've imagined onto of thay sprinkled in gold dust. But then you meet the rulers kf this sector, [the ones in the video] but you don't meet them at the palace, you were walking with your friend (who's been there for what felt like ages and doesn't remember any torment) ans one by one they meet you, or see you from afar and grow interested so they play the nice card since you're from the outside and can't let you run just yet. But as it's getting more and more obvious thay they like you, you jabw these visions of them in your dreams and you can't seem to shake them off since almost no matter where you go there right there, and in one dream you're seen giving birth tk children, with a mark on your stomach tbag was never there before but when you woke it was there. And so you slowly kept trying to plan a route to leave or by trying to trap them into something, anything that woukd get you free and away from that vision becoming true And you know me this is gonna be gay because I can't ever seem to write a straight story for my life

BUT they can't seem to touch you without feeling a burn something they've never felt before after the war because after all, the angles were kept in their sector and weren't allowed to get out yet somehow, *you* were able to hurt them if you were scared and wanted to ger away. One pair was angry, the other pair was intrigued but they knew this meant you'd be able to escape so they pulled almost all the stops they could, not like flirting wise but stopped you ar every exit you coild run to and slowly get closer, talking to you either like a bride, or something else but it didn't work, since the last time you tried to run you seriously injured them and there was nothing they could do, let alone let others find out. So you were out in the water fighting off the sirens who were told to bring you back till you reached the angels, who were looking at you in aspiration. And besides the angels are the good guys, they want to bring back peace, right?

But when you started to watch them get stronger, you noticed that you were in pain, as if they were taking your energy and making it not power for power so they coukd escape but there was nothing you could do. When one day you woke up tied tk a Pole pointing exactly where the sun would shine and you were onto of a empty ball, panic settling in you tried to beg them for helo but they only started to cut you ans watch your essence and how you were getting weaker and almost like you were dying. They told you how they planned to wipe out the demons, making sure no evil could throw off the balance of the garden of eternal and how they needed to go. But of course you manged to break free, more like you had a freak out and released something thay caused thr angels to be weakened more, some were even fading away into nothingness while those let out pained cries.

Now being free you ran to the water where the sirens were swimming and knew they has to take you back home to the demons. Whike the angels started to get free from their barrier the sirens took uou as closet as they could. You ran to the demon sector and saw one of the boys, who looked amused that you were back but also terrified at the swarm of white behind you and soon manages to take you behind the walls while trying to keep you and the others demons age (because who says demons don't have a heart) But they haven't recovered from thr attacked even with jt being arojnd... almost a month that you've left and they almost manages to win before kf course you and one of them (I forgot who's the oldest in that video) manages to pull a something before sealed the angels back away With you rebuilding thr sector that was destroyed and reassuring everyone who heard about a fight and some deaths. Helping rebuild it and stopping the yearly choosing and stayed Still continuing to drive them crazy while they continue to tease you

[stuck-in-the-ghost-zone]

HIII THABK U FOR THE TRIVIA AND ASHE SONG before i take forever 2 answer those or forget here is a blank ticket to please please talk about prime defenders and their AWFUL emotional literacy and processing skills i would literally love to read that essay so much ive also been thinking about it incessantly. big eyes staring up at u.png. ok ok peace out GOODNIGHT !!!! <33

i lied actually im not going to bed im judt thinking about this ans listening to St. John on a loop now. hello catkiss.gif i forgot how youve filled me with so much joy. that cat is so fuckign cute

anyway. hi :) prime defenders huh. this is gonna be less of an essay and more of a sleepy ramble but ohhh i have so many thoughts. they all process things so differently and none of them are good at it they all need therapy so bad. ms.g where is the hero therapy why didnt you build that into w.a.t.c.h ma'am

vyncent is probably the best at actually processing things out of all of them, he just internalizes everything to the point where he wont talk about it unless hes pushed past the breaking point. vyncent is actually very.. emotionally intelligent? i want to say mature but that feels like im singling him out because hes the oldest. i just feel like because he grew up on Fauna and had to be in basically survival mode in a world full of monsters trying to kill you.. that makes a person grow up quicker than they should. i think vyncent had a good childhood and for the most part his parents took good care of him but just.. living in that world doesnt seem like it leaves room for a whole lot of expressing emotions. vyncent is good at quick analysis of a situation, but unless a problem directly interferes with the current goal he doesnt externalize it to everyone else. but bottling up his feelings and emotions just builds up pressure over time until something like the lich makes him blow up and let it all out at once, usually in a dramatic monologue format bc condi is really good at those god damn it. also they played off the fact that vyncent said all of that to the lich and then missed his attack as a funny thing but i like to think of it as. he got too overwhelmed w his emotions and lashed out too soon it made his fighting messy. vyncent is so angry and honestly after what hes been through he deserves to be !!!!

william wisp. my boy. god hes just like me fr so much so that it physically hurts sometimes. anyway. i always think back to the scene where theyre all in the cabin talking about themselves/sharing backstories and william keeps desperately trying not to talk about himself. the fact that hes so ashamed of his powers he hides wisp form every time. two of his powers are LITERALLY a) turning invisible and b) turning intangible, usually as an excuse to leave whatever situation hes in ("accidentally" falling through the floor at opportune moments in season 1) . theres. a thing that happens at the end of episode 13/beginning of epidode 14 that youre really close to and i wont spoil yet but god it has to do with this so extremely much please come back to my inbox when you get there. youll know what it is trust me. um. yeah. so anyway. i think a lot of this comes from a place of. he doesnt want anyone to be scared of him. williams not stupid hes incredibly smart and insightful he knows his powers are objectively SCARY. hes scared of himself constantly, he doesnt want anyone else to feel that way about him, so he shifts focus whenever those aspects of himself are brought up because if someone were to think about it for any amount of time theyd realize the truth that hes scary and dangerous to be around (<< william logic. hey remember how one of the reasons he originally left deadwood was because the monsters there were attracted to the wisps and therefore Him so he left to keep his friends/family out of danger)

i think a lot about williams death and the immediate aftermath, i dont know how much you actually know and how much of this comes later but . how does he go home after waking up from that. his parents know about his powers, so they MUST know what happened. what do you think he told them when he god home muddy and dirty and broken and probably bloody after being missing for. god knows how long. how does he look his mother in the eyes and tell her her little boy is dead. but hes also not because hes standing right in front of her. how the fuck do you think he felt the first time he went into wisp form and saw his body laying there !!! of course he wouldnt want to talk about that!!!! youre gonna have to pry william wisps emotions from his cold dead hands !!!!!!!

dakota's response to the ashe situation was to run away in the woods and do nothing but train for 10 months. he didnt think about it for 10 months. i dont even have a whole lot to say about dakota other than like. stunned silence whenever his inability to process trauma is brought up because grizzly does such an incredible job at being like "you ask dakota how hes doing and his face is just blank" << paraphrased actual quote from an episode i cannot remember which one. either 11 or 12 ?

also because im thinking about him im including ashe in this. we didnt get to see a whole lot of his canon reactions to extreme emotional situations so a lot of this is just coming from My Mind but ashe seems like hed be the type to repress a lot of his emotions too. being alone in your house/in your room for extended periods of time will do that to a guy. i think he feels a lot of things and will probably very openly cry/scream/get angry when hes alone but as soon as he knows another person is there he can immediately flip the switch to turn it all off like nothing happened. very much a deadpan "im fine." if someone asks how hes doing, even if hes got like. the remainder of tear tracks down his face. cannot physically express his emotions in the presence of someone else

[shadowxamyweek]

I think a nice date in with cake ans movies and cuddling would be good for him.

... Hey Shadow, ever built a blanket fort?

Amy: Eeeehehehehe [Shadow turns their head just enough to see Amy from their vantage point on the couch.] Amy: So I have been experimenting~! Shadow: (ᓀ ᓀ)? [Amy fusses in the kitchen.] Amy: I know you're not super fond of sweets, but I had been wanting to try to make this really fun cake for a while. It's not what I normally go for, but I played around with the recipe a bit aaaaand. [Amy comes into the living room, cake in hand. It's a small, square, purple thing. There is a little powdered sugar on top in a pattern that looks like a daisy. From between the cake layers ooze bright yellow.] Amy: TADAAAAAA! Shadow:Σ(O_O) Amy: It's a blue peaflower cake! Well, okay, it's a lemon poppy peaflower cake- say that ten times fast, wow- with extra lemon and extra poppy seeds, and- [She swipes some of the yellow filling from the plate and pops the finger in her mouth, smiling.] Amy- lemon curd. For extra zest. Shadow: (•ิ.•ิ)! Amy: Do you want to try it now or-? Shadow: Yes. Amy: Haha! (๑⁀ᗢ⁀๑) Okay! Let me just get you a plate and some utensils. Shadow: ... Aren't you having some as well? [Amy waves a hand in reply to his expression as she moves back toward the kitchen.] Amy: That's for you, not me! [Amy hears shuffling. When she turns around, knife, plate, and fork in hand, she finds Shadow fully turned towards her, arm braced over the edge of the couch. Their brow is furrowed in confusion. She laughs, shrugging. She cannot make eye contact.] Amy: I... don't like the way it tastes. And- and that's not saying I made it wrong! I didn't! I just didn't make it for me, you know? I made it for you! Shadow: (¬ ¬) Amy: It's- you know! It's like how Cream loves pineapple, but I don't. It gives me such a stomach ache, ugh. But I still make her pineapple upside-down cake for her birthday! I'm not gonna *not* make something just because I don't want to eat it! [Amy hands Shadow the plate and utensils over the back of the couch.] Amy: If I get myself a small bowl of ice cream, will you stop making faces at me. Shadow:(¬‿¬) Amy: Ugh, fiiiiiine! But only because I can't stand that look, mister! And you better tell me honestly what you think of that cake! Shadow:(´֊`)

[Amy smiles, then as she turns to go back into the kitchen, she looks outside to the cold, grey sky. She pauses.] Amy: Hey... quick question, have you ever made a pillow fort? [Shadow pauses, then shakes their head.] Amy: Well, I guess I know what we're doing after this then! Because if I'm having icecream, then I'm going to be cold, and if I'm cold... I'm going to want snuggles (๑￢ᴗ￢๑) Shadow: Σ(O_O) Amy: Hehehe, (๑>◡<๑) welcome to the joys of dating Amy Rose, Mr. Ultimate Lifeform! I'm a classy lady who likes baking, long walks, shopping sprees, and spending the entire day cuddling! Once you're in my arms, you're going nowhere! [Her smile falters, a nervous glaze settling over her features. Shadow notices. They give Amy a long, hard look. Then, with a huff, they cut a slice of cake for themselves and settle back into the couch.] Shadow: Get your desert, then explain to me what a pillow fort is. [Amy beams, unable to hold back a small sound of joy as she darts back into the kitchen. Once she's out of view, Shadow runs a shaking hand over their mouth as they take a deep breath.]

[picklewednesday]

HIIIII @maxphilippa IM RLLY SUPER DUPER SORRY I ACCIDENTALLY DELETED UR ASK. anywho super duper happy abt u coming to me abt pickle

so I'm gonna sort this by things that are like. in general abt him and things that might be useful for whatever ur writing.

general

Pickle (despite being labelled "The Idiot") is actually pretty resourceful, and very similair to Lightbulb in the sense that they both 'stumble' into solutions. For Pickle it's best seen in "Seas The Day", where he makes up a stupid plan in a second, however when he takes more than 10 seconds to think, he ends up with a plan that makes Paper really happy.

On that note, contrary to popular belief, he's very social! He can be seen numerous times hanging out with Soap and Cheesy, aside from the s1 contestants (tbf he's not been seen since Seas The Day. so.)

Even so, after S2, Pickle is honestly pretty reserved. He's seen having to build up the courage to talk about what's bothering him, and he's seen by himself throughout s2e7.

Because of this, when people actually take the time to talk or listen to him, he holds on tightly to it and listens to their advice.

He doesn't actually mind thinking about Taco when he decides to think or reminisce about her on his OWN. When it's brought up by someone else, he gets frustrated and upset about having to see or hear about her.

He gets excited very easily, but that's something very obvious about him. Its another thing that can actually be compared to Lightbulb

He seems to have issues trusting others after s1. This is also linked back to why he has so much trouble opening up, even to his closest friends.

He's also depressed!!!!! ougghagghhh my best friend ever :c

He does seem to like spending time with people. Eg. Seas The Day, The Complaint Desk comic, and the episode where he sends OJ, Bomb ans Salt off to get the tree for the team while he ans Taco hangout, when he plans picnics for both Taco and his girlfriend.

He is a SUCKERRRR for big romantic gestures. Big flirt apparently. Loves romantic things.

Applicable stuff

(stuff that MIGHT be useful but idk)

He loves water and swimming :3

He plays the saxophone!!!!! so either he knows music theory or he likes jazz and music theory can fuck off

he has a rubber duck, a book, and a seemingly unlit orange candle in this trash box so. maybe tjay could be useful idk.

he mostly plays multiplayer games, ans when hes playing alone he plays against bots :3

he draws himself as. a little blob.

if theres anything I didnt mention that you think could be helpful pls let me know!!! I'm sure I left a lot out bc I started thinking abt this on the bus like 3 hrs ago lol. a lot of this is me using his crumbs of screentime to explode with joy. if anything else comes to mind I'll immediately tell u

either way have fun!!! write him however u want he's barely ever seen anyway

[vole-mon-amour]

3x09, part 2.

As you should!! Queen!! Whip his ass!!!

Strings that bind us? That one definitely hurt.

Jamie and Sam being besties. <3

That's what you chose to focus on? Really? :D For real though, I still don't understand where the show is going with Roy. One step forward, three steps back. If this is the last season, it's weird.

Rebecca is theeee queen. <3

They're not messing around with that password. Also, theft in the locker room? Interesting.

How to deal with 'friendly' teasing? Like this :D King :D

I LOVE this moment. I love that Trent is casually drinking tea and eating his orange, and Colin went straight up to him with 'Isaac knows" with no prelude. I LOVE that in Amsterdam it was Trent that asked Colin, "How do you do it?" as in asking for knowledge, and in here it's reversed. It's Colin coming to Trent. I love this bonding soooo much. It's so important. An older queer with a younger queer.

I love him, you honor. Imagine having Trent Crimm, Ted Lasso, and Jamie Tartt as your good friends that you can go to ans talk. Goals.

Queen!! Also, I love how Rebecca is often working with tea and/or biscuits on her desk. A foodie that isn't afraid to show it. She's come so far since s1, but then again, it's been said multiple times that real Rebecca is silly and wonderful, so I love seeing real Rebecca <3

She talks like Ted. :) More straightforward, but yeah. With Ted, Roy opened up on his own.

"But I guess I'm not that person." "Not yet."

In here, he feels threatened, vulnerable, so he shoots that "I just wanna be left alone" and hopes she lets it go. I see you, protective layers. I see you. I wonder if it's some kind of trauma/issue from childhood that he's so repressed. Bc I've been there & sometimes I still fight that or feel ashamed to talk about some things so I keep quiet or don't explain properly, but it's sooo much better to talk it through. And I guess Roy won't go to therapy, so Rebecca being like This is his way of therapy. She just doesn't want to deal with that bullshit.

I love her. She's great.

I need Nate to get his big boy trousers on and stop sucking up to Rupert. I hate Rupert so. fucking. much. Is there a thing as an anti fanclub? Because I feel like I'm in it during moments like this. Rupert's ego is already higher than the sky, but Nate is making it even worse. Ew.

When will Nate finally leave Rupert and gets back to Ted? Huh? Or stays with Rupert but actually fights him on that and say that Ted is actually great and should be allowed to go to their matches if he wants to. Like, ughhhh. It's so frustrating.

That's the worst idea EVER. He'll ruin you, Nathan. On the other hand, maybe you'll finally understand how evil he is.

It's been 16 minutes in this episode & so many things happened already? I'm surrprised. It feels like 30 at least.

Mae <3 The joy of having an older lady on the show that knows what she's worth.

I'll just leave it here. The way Rebecca doesn't hesitate to physically comfort Keeley. It was in s1? When she said she's not a hug person. She totally is. The real her. She's like female Roy Kent that is less repressed and will do anything for her people. Seriously, as soon as things shifted for her in the show, she had my heart. I saw her potential before things shifted & I loved that for her. She's amazing.

I feel like Jamie is best friends with the entire team. Look at them. They love him. They were playing before Ted interrupted them. No idea how it's called in English, only in my native language, but that's so sweet.

[writerwithbrainrot]

Playground Sweethearts

Linked Universe modern au! Inspired by @treasure-goblin 's LU elementary school au!

Legend x Marin

｡☆✼★━━━━━━━━━━━━★✼☆｡

The playground was loud, full of kids running around and yelling. It was a public park, so many kids of all ages came around with parents to play.

But one child didn't like playing with the other kids. He didn't like being pushed and shoved and cramped between people. It made him feel icky.

Legend sat near the edge of the playground, grumpy, and poking at the ground with a long stick. He didn't like people, he had always been the angi-social child in daycare. Yet he yearned to make friends, but he found it hard when they only ever fought and 'rough housed' as his mother put it.

He heard footsteps stop next to him and he looked up. A girl his age in a cute blue sun dress with orange hair stood, smiling at him. "Hello! Why are you on the ground?" she asked

He looked down, poking at an ant hill. "I want to be."

She frowned and tilted her head, confused. "Huh? Why? The playground is more fun than the dirt!"

Legend made a face, and the girl only watched before sitting next to him. "That's okay! My papa always tells me that people can like what they want as long as it doesn't break the rules!"

She smiled at Legend. "I'm Marin! I like seeing things, and seaguls!" Legend didn't speak, yet Marin sat, waiting for him to answer patiently.

"I'm Legend. . . " he said, voice quiet. "I like. . . shiny things and collecting toys." he said, looking at his feet, his shoes covered in dirt.

"Well, I dont have a toy-" Marin started, putting her hand in her dress pocket and pulling out a green rupee, "But I found this! It's shiny!" she held it out to him, and he looked at it with a blank expression. Marin's face fell, "Oh. . . do you not like it?"

Legend slowly took it, looking at it in the sun. Marin stood, positively beaming. "Yay! This makes us friends now!"

"What?" Legend asked, nervous. "Friends?"

Marin hummed and nodded, "Come on! Let go play on the swingset!" she said, running off. Legend stayed sat, looking out nervously. Marin soon returned, looking sad. "Hey. . . why didn't you come with me?"

"I. . . don't like them." he said, pointing at the other kids "They're loud and. . . gross."

Marin paused and then sat next to Legend. Silence continued, the sounds of children yelling behind them blocking out the sounds of the forest infront of them. Legend felt nervous. he really didn't want to be here anymore.

"I spy, with my little eye. . ." Marin started. "Something. . .Green!"

"Green?" Legend asked, looking at where Marin was looking. He saw leaves, grass, vines. . . "Um. . . that?" he asked, pointing to one of the tree tops. Marin giggled.

"Nope!" she said, popping the 'p'. "It was the berry bush! Your turn!" she said.

Legend thought. It wouldn't hurt to play. . . he didn't have to go to the monkey bars, or get pushed and shoved. . . and Marin was nice and giving him space.

"I spy. . . with my little eye. . ." he started, eyes gazing everywhere. "Something. . . red."

"Oh! oh!" She exclaimed, pointing at a wild poppy growing in the tree line. "That flower!" she said with pride. Legend nodded, ans she kicked her feet in joy, dirt getting on her dress.

The two played for what felt like minutes, when Legend's Mother came over. "Legend, are you ready to go?" She asked, her bag by her side on her shoulder. Legend looked up with a frown.

"Can I stay a little longer?" he asked quietly. "I wanna play with my new friend more."

His mother looked shocked, looking over and seeing Marin who waved, before smiling and nodding. "Okay. Five more minutes but then we need to go. I need to make dinner."

Legend smiled and grinned at Marin, who grinned back.

When her dad come over to get her, she pleaded with him to stay. "Oh papa! Please, just a little longer!"

"I'm sorry, sweetie." he said, "But we gotta get you home. You're covered in dirt."

"I made a new friend!" she said, pointing to Legend. "Can he come?!"

"Uuh. . ." her father shook his head. "We can't. We would need to ask his parents."

Marin looked at the point if tears when Legend stood. "We can play again tomorrow." he said "I can bring my ring collection to show you."

Marin lit up, just as Legend's mom walked over "Legend, we have to go now." she said. Legend turned to her.

"Can we come back tomorrow?" he asked her, "I wanna play with Marin and show her all my shiny rings!"

Legend's mom and Marin's dad looked at eachother, and both smiled at the two's enthusiasm. "Well, I suppose."

Legend smiled at Marin, picking a clever flower off the ground and giving it to Marin, "Here. I'll get you a new one tomorrow." he said as Marin took it.

And with that, a beautiful friendship had blossomed. . .

»»————-　★　————-««

Weeks passed, and the two payed whenever they could, even having playdates at one another's homes. They would always meet at the playground, and Marin even got him to get on the slide a few times, when there wasn't that many other kids, that was.

And everytime they would part, Legend would give Marin a new flower, and Marin would give Legend a new drawing of them on their imaginary adventures, from climbing magic mountains to exploring an island witha. giant Whale, there was always a new adventure to be had. Legend's crayon drawer had never been so stuffed with papers.

But Legend had been feeling funny around Marin, feeling fuzzy and extra happy around her. He went to his mom to ask about it.

"Aww." he said, looking at Legend. "You like her. How sweet."

"I know I like her." he said "She is my best friend."

"You like like her." she said and Legend let out an audible gasp.

"I'll get cooties! I don't wanna kiss her!" he exclaimed, and his mother laughed.

"Oh I promise you won't kiss." she said, easing Legends nerves.

"But how do I tell her I like like her?" he asked. His mother hummed, thinking.

"What does she like?" his mother asked and he stuck out his tounge, thinking.

"Flowers." he said "She likes flowers! She really really likes the flowers from ha. . Ha. . . Hawaii." he said. His mother grabbed her purse, and stood.

"Then let's go buy her some." she said, and Legend smiled, nodding, rushing to get his shoes.

»»————-　★　————-««

Legend held the box of hibiscus flowers in his lap as he sat in the back of the car, kicking his feet, unable to wait to give Marin his gift.

His mother chuckled as they pulled in, watching Legend look and see Marin sitting on the steps, waiting. They parked and his mother got out and helped Legend out. He looked at Marin and gulped, walking to her. Marin jumped up and rushed over. She stopped as Legend held the box out.

"Marin! I really really really really really REALLY REALLY-" he took in a deep breath "Like you! Like. .. like like you. . ."

she looked in the box and gasped, seeing the flowers and called for her dad. "Papa! Legend got me hibisususes!"

He chuckled, watching out the window as she lifted them for him to see. "How nice of him."

Legend stood, nervous and shy. Marin took the box and put it down. Without warning, she kissed his cheek. "I really really REALLY like like you too!"

Legend froze. He started to sniffle, tears in hsi eyes as he started to cry. "COOTIES!"

His mother and Marins father began to laugh as he ran from Marin, who began to chase him around the yard.

A friendship that blossomed indeed.

｡☆✼★━━━━━━━━━━━━★✼☆｡

Was in a fluff writing mood. tell me what you think! have a good day/night!

[maiackmn]

Valorant Chamber x Reader

Chamber and Reader met in a Bar

Requests are open btw! 🕊

(My Instagram : maiackmn , have fun! <3)

More than just a summer fling

Chamber's POV

It was late at night, I was having a drink at a bar trying to forget all stressful things from my private life. I was only interested in drinking drink after drink, I just wanted to get drunk ans forget everything else, but that changed when I spotted a beautiful young woman sitting down besides me at the bar.

I could tell that she was enjoying my company, and I couldn't help but feel a rush as I realized I had a chance with her. We laughed and flirted for hours, she told me that she loved my french accent, and told me that she thinks I'm very handsome and attractive. I was charmed and happy to know that we both felt the same.

,,Can I take you home? Its already late and I don't want to worry about you getting kidnapped Mon chéri" She laughed and said that it was no Problem and that she would love to use the time that we had on her way home to talk more. So she let me take her back home. As we walked up the stairs, our hands casually brushed against each other, and the electric connection between us was undeniable.

When we entered her apartment, the tension was palpable. I took off her coat slowly, her eyes never leaving mine, I was looking deep into her eyes. My face approached her more and more.

,,Can I, Chérie?" She didnt hesitate and came closer to me so that our lips met. The moment our lips met, I could feel my soul ignite with love and desire.

The night went on, and our passion only grew. Every moment together was like a dream, and the hours slipped away in an instant. The tension was building to a breaking point, and the only thing we wanted was to be close together.

In one bold move, I took her by the hand and led her to her bed. We kissed passionately, our hearts beating as one. As our bodies intertwined, we forgot about everything and everyone else. All that mattered was here and now, and the overwhelming sense of love and connection.

The morning light slowly poured into the room, and the reality of our night together sank in. We got up, and she walked towards the window.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she said, gazing out at the day.

"It is," I replied, walking up behind her. "But nowhere near as beautiful as you."

She turned around slowly, a blushing smile on her face. "Thank you," she whispered.

We shared a kiss before she turned to face the morning sky once more, her eyes full of a joy and love.

As I embraced her again, I looked into her eyes and felt my heart race. Her warm touch, her soothing presence, they made me feel like there was nothing else in the world that mattered.

In that moment, I realized that thise was'nt only a one time thing, I wanted to know her better, to see her again and I knew I would do anything to make that happen.

"Can I see you again?" I asked, my voice shaking with emotion.

She looked back at me and smiled. "I want to," she answered. That was all I needed to hear.

Over the next few weeks, we spent every spare moment together. We would meet after our work shifts, go on walks through the park, played games together and more. She even met my Co workers. Jett treated her like her own sister, and the others liked her. Others like Phoenix thought Y/N and me were dating.

,,Daamn thats your girl? She's adorable"

You don't have to tell me, I already knew it when I saw her for the first time.

The more time we spent together, the more connected we felt. I don't wanted to imagine my future without her.

One day, as we were taking a break from a long walk, she turned to me with a cute little smile on her face and said, "You know, I was thinking something..."

"What's that?" I asked, my curiosity peaked.

"You told me you have a really nice kitchen at your place. Why don't we go back to your place and cook something together?"

"Of course," I smiled. "Sounds like a great idea." With that, we started walking back to my place. I couldn't wait to show her how much fun I could be in the kitchen.We walked back to my place, my mind racing with the possibilities of what might happen. As we walked through the door, she looked around the apartment with curiosity and admiration.

"It's beautiful in here," she said, as she took in the artwork on the walls, the cozy furniture, and the warm, inviting atmosphere.

"Thanks," I replied, smiling at her reaction. "You ready for that home-cooked meal?"

"I'm always ready for a good meal," she playfully answered. "But I have a feeling that's not all you have in mind tonight."

She walked over to me and put her arms around my neck. "You're right," she whispered. "I want more tonight.

My heart started beating faster as I looked into her eyes, her gorgeous lips so close to mine.

"I want you," she continued. "I want you more than anything."

Before I could react, she pulled me in for a passionate and deep kiss, her body pressing against mine. I was so caught up in the moment that I lost myself in her touch and her smell.

As we continued kissing, our passion only continued to grow. We moved to the living room and laid down on the couch, our bodies tangled together.

She was so beautiful, her cheeks flushed with desire, her lips so tempting. I kissed her again and again, her body responding more and more. I couldn't believe how lucky I was to be here, with her in my arms. After a while, she pulled away from me and looked into my eyes with a playful smile. "What if I told you I have a surprise for you?"

"What surprise?" She asked.

"Close your eyes," I said and grabbed a little box from my bag.

She closed her eyes and took the little box from my hands. "Can I open my eyes now?" She asked calmly, feeling the excitement and curiosity build up.

"Yes, of course," I said with a smile. As she opened her eyes she saw a beautiful jewelry box.

"What's this?" She asked, feeling my heart race even more.

"Open it,"

She opened the box and saw a stunning necklace with a heart-shaped pendant. "Is this for me?" She asked, surprised. I nodded, her eyes filled with love and happiness. "But... this is so expensive," She protested, her face turning red.

"Nothing is too expensive for me when it comes to you Mon amour. It's my way of showing you how much I care," I replied, reaching out for her hand. "I know we've only known each other for a few weeks, but I feel like there's something special between us. And I wanted to surprise you with a gift that shows how special you are to me."

I put the necklace around her neck and I softly kissed her cheek. "Thank you," she said, I looked at her lovingly. "You can thank me later," I said playfully.

Before I knew it, her lips were on mine again, her hands exploring my body. I felt her warmth, her touch, and my desire for her was only growing stronger.

She gently pushed me back onto the couch, pressing her body against mine. My breath was getting deeper, my heart beating faster. I wanted to hold her in my arms, to love her and protect her and give her everything she wanted. As we laid there, our bodies pressed against each other, I felt a rush of euphoria and passion. My mind was spinning as our fingers interlocked, our tongues meeting, our breathing getting heavier.

I looked into her eyes, feeling my soul entangled with hers. She was so beautiful, so perfect. I wanted this moment to last forever, to freeze time and live in this moment for the rest of eternity.

She looked back at me, her eyes shining bright with love. "I love you," she whispered, her voice so sweet and full of emotion. We kissed passionately, our lips pressed together, our hearts beating as one. The world around us seemed to melt away, and there was only her in my mind and my heart.

I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close. She was my everything, and she made me feel alive like never before. In that moment, I wanted nothing else but to be with her, to hold and cherish her forever.

She pulled away from the kiss, her soft lips still on mine. "I love you too, Chérie" I whispered, her eyes shimmering with Love.

It was more than just a summer fling, we both we're filled with love for each other.

[party-in-eldarya]

Playing ANE what a joy, ep whatever who cares, not me

I don't know guys, but TO Leiftan hated HH, and he was never one to blindly follow instructions just because. If I were a writer of ANE I would pick something among "I was given a chance to redeem myself, and Mathieu's faults are much lesser than mine. He deserves a second chance". OR "Well, we are Eel guard, so we should accept this decision... for now..." Anything but "HH is good let's never question her decisions". It's just not in character.

Nevra is not so forgiving this episode, as he has has every right to question and dislike HH's decision. He sees the Guard, HIS responsibility repeating the same mistake over and over. Mathieu's punishment is nonexistent. He stays in the same room, keeps his weapon, he goes for a mission with his shining knight, Lance. They even let him skip classes leave Absinth. A wonderful life, indeed! No wonder that Nevra IS frustrated.

Let me tell you: characters in ANE suck. But female characters suck spectacularly. HH? Stubborn, conceited, scheming leader. Koori? Shallow, egotistical bimbo. Erika? Self-important, naive lazy idiot. Evelein? Withdrawn dainty person, idolizing her lover. But boooy, Karenn surely takes the crown here.

The scene is about vampires sensing human blood (Mathieu's and possibly Erika's- if Beemoov remembers here she is still only part-aengel). Our lil group is surrounded by HUNGRY, violent enemies. They were told minuted ago that those vampires killed one of their kind in a fight. Mathieu asks whether the fake blood will be delivered soon enough, showing some worry. And this is Karenn's reaction^^^

And I am to believe that she is badass? No Beemoov. She is just a bitch. See, this is why I fear of you writing strong woman. Priya after HSL became a very... strange, men-hating person. Rosalya also had her problems, in fact- tons of them. The only "strong woman" you wrote without making her a walking caricature was Kim, and she thankfully was a v v v v "third-row character".

[chocomd]

ATLA rewatch thoughts, Book 3 (ep 2)

We go from The Awakening right into The Headband...a totally different vibe, but still SO GOOD!

2) The Headband

I’ll talk about Zuko first, since he only has a few short scenes. He keeps visiting Iroh in prison and he’s clearly in conflict with himself. Iroh is the conscience in Zuko’s internal struggle, but he’s still human, too. Iroh so disappointed and hurt by Zuko’s actions, and it hurts him to see Zuko losing his way after showing so much promise, that he can’t bring himself to face his nephew. Zuko is very angry in this episode, and we’ll see this anger come to a boil in The Beach. He’s having a very hard time living with himself, and he can’t figure out why - he thinks it’s because the Avatar still being alive mean that he could lose everything he has regained. But Zuko is at least a little aware of why he’s having so much angst: “I have everything I always wanted, but it's not at all how I thought it would be.”

Azula breaks up Zuko and Mai’s little picnic, and Mai plays along - but the cracks in her relationship with Azula are getting wider.

I really do think that Azula cares about Zuko...they have a (sometimes vicious) sibling rivalry, but they’re also family and...yeah it gets complicated in the way that only family can get complicated 🥲

This ep is best known for the Kataango, but it’s really an Aang-centric episode more than anything. It’s all about Aang learning how much the Fire Nation he once knew has changed--from the “flameo” and “hotman” jokes to the propaganda against ANs in the FN school to the rigid control that the FN seeks to maintain over its citizens. Aang sees all this from the POV of kids growing up in the FN, and he’s the one to bring joy and fun and freedom to his classmates, the same way he does with the Gaang. He knows what the FN used to be like before the war, and he knows that winning over the hearts of the FN kids is how real change begins.

I will always adore Aang’s “fight” with Hide...well really, only one of them is fighting and the other is avoiding and evading 😂 Aang is such a little sh!t here and I LOVE IT!!!

The way Aang keeps pushing to stay at the FN school for a few more days because he wants to feel like a normal kid for a short while, because nothing has been normal for him ever since the monks revealed that he is the Avatar...ugh I really feel for him 😭

And of course, how can I not talk about the Kataango??? THE KATAANGO!!! Aang so confident in asking Katara to dance, Katara all flustered (and jealous earlier) and not knowing how to answer and making excuses, Aang saying “Take my hand” 😍 Watching them dance made my Kataang heart go all pitter patter 😍😍😍 Ugh I’ve been thinking about writing a canon divergent fic where they get together after the Kataango, ever since I saw @pottyospanna‘s Valentine’s Day Kataang art...idk, this rewatch might just push me to do it...

[thequeenofswordstarot]

🎴✨ A study of the tarot cards: The Fool

✨ The structure of the deck:

A Tarot Deck is composed by 78 cards. And they are divided into “Major Arcana” and “Minor Arcana”.

The “Major Arcana” are composed by 22 cards and each of them represents the most important lessons about our lives. They are a journey that The Fool goes through in its way to self discovery and illumination. During its journey, The Fool meets people and situations that teaches him about power and how you can benefit from it; It also learns about transformation and spirituality.

The “Minor Arcana” are composed by the other 56 cards. Their influence is temporary and they show us the energy of the current moment in our lives. They are just like the playing cards suits: Pentacles/Diamonds ♦️, Swords ♠️, Cups ♥️ and Wands ♣️, plus the Page, the Knight, the Queen and the King.

The Fool is the card number 0.

Element: Air

Astrological sign: Aquarius ♒️

✨ Visual description of the card:

• A young man at the top of a cliff, ready for whatever is coming ahead;

• The dog means loyalty and companionship;

• Inside his bag there's everything he needs;

• The Sun is illuminating his journey;

• The flower in his hand represents freedom;

• The mountains in the back represent challenges and unlimited potentials.

🎴 The Fool - Upright

✨ General meaning:

The Fool means "something unexpected and new". At the end of his journey, his award is his illumination. The Fool has an optimistic view of life ans he says that we need to receive things in our life with joy. His advice is to always believe in yourself and listen to your heart. When talking about personality, it is about a curious person who is never afraid if trying new adventures. Fun and extroverted people, who live the present moment, not worrying about the next day or about the risks.

✨ Love and Relationship

In a Love and Relationship reading, The Fool means "spontaneity". A light, joyful and fun romance. If the consultant is committed, this card means going back to the excitement of the beginning of the relationship. But it also can indicate the lack if commitment.

✨ Money and Career

New opportunities and adventures. New experiences. The Fool indicates that the consultant is is feeling productive and creative. It's good sign of opportunities to go ahead. It's also a good card for the ones who want to start their own business.

✨ Health and Spirituality

The Fool is a card that indicates "energies renewed" and "good health". An energetic impulse to help the consultant to deal with whatever they need. It supports you to go ahead and try new things.

🎴 The Fool - Reversed

When we have the card reversed, it represents the version super confident and reckless of The Fool. He has no discipline for new beginnings. But this card reversed advises that it not time for impulsive decisions.

✨ Love and Relationship - Reversed

Reckless behavior. One person (or both) in the relationship may not be taking things seriously. It can lead the relationship to fail in the future. If the consultant is single, they can be not seeing the good opportunities that is presenting right in front of them, missing the chance to meet someone.

✨ Money and Career - Reversed

It means good financial opportunities coming in the way, but it demands special attention because the consultant can take unwise decisions. It can also mean lack of confidence, which may lead the consultant to express their ideas. But the card suggests that they believe in themselves.

✨ Health and Spirituality - Reversed

The Fool reversed for health suggests avoiding radical sports, those extreme ones, for example. Related to spirituality, the card reversed shows that the consultant is opened to new paths and spiritual experiences. Think wisely about what you think its best for you.

The Fool for "Yes or No Questions": Yes.

[blackrosecapri]

Nicholas The Punisher.

associated so closely with the weapon he uses that him and its names are practically the same. given to him by a false god and a shitty doctor when he didnt fucking want it. youd think he wouldnt keep it around. youd think the second he gets hed trash it and start again, i mean, he knows how to use other guns, so why keep it around?

you Have to assume its bc he humanized it, to some extent. he didn't have any humanity. at least that's what hes told, what he believes, and he wasnt allowed a sense of identity outside of it. outside of or away from "the punisher," so he Had to make it what made him a person. he HAD to embody it, he wasnt given any choice, really. he only chose to embrace it.

he hated everything else around him. of Fucking course he did, but he couldn't afford to hate the punisher. that's All He Was. if he hated the punisher, he hated himself, and he'd Never get out. never fully. so the punisher had to become something he enjoyed, and looked forward to, and valued. that's why i think he keeps it. he had to learn to love it so any semblance of identity or joy.

in order to make it through the eom he Had to learn to love it, even if he didn't want it, it was him now. weather he liked it or not, hed never escape it. but now? now he Genuinely dose. he doesn't like how it's from the eom, he doesnt like how it was forced upon him, But. he does like it. hes bonded with it, basically. if he can vaule his weapon then he can vaule himself. if he takes care of the punisher, to Love the punisher, it's catharsis. because That is Him.

and now he goes everywhere with it. is he still Nicholas The Punisher? maybe. ans maybe he hates that. but at least he can love the punisher itself. who that is isnt clear to him, not anymore, but it got him here. it got him out. it let him be happy. if he cant pity, or love, or process it all himself, he Can pity, ans love, and empathize with the punisher. whether he knows it or not, thats him.

and he can love at least that. even if he plays it off as a bit

(yes he calls it his baby girl, its funny, alright?)

[evil-feather]

I have loved you for a thousand years, I'll love you for a thousand more

Pairing: MissPeregrineXMissCuckoo

Warnings: none

Word count: 2321

People who might like this?: @sam1kath @vswife2 @vykanya

(I never know who to tag, sorryyy. Maybe I should do a tag-list?)

Notes at the end :)

---

"200-what?!"

"About 210 years, deux cent dix ans", laughed Miss Cuckoo.

Enoch looked at her in disbelief. "There's no way. I knew the bird was old but not that old. And how old are you even??"

"Enoch, rude! You can't ask a woman how old she is", Bronwyn exclaimed from the couch.

He rolled his eyes dramatically. "Whyy excuuuse moi", he said in a mocking tone and the best (worst) French accent he could do.

Isabel was just about to make a remark when Alma appeared in the door frame of the living room.

"And what is this here about? One might think that you guys are up to something.It is far past bedtime for all of you."

Miss Cuckoo shifted in her seat ever so slightly that one might not have noticed it but Emma whose gaze was jumping from one Ymbryne to the other did indeed notice it.

She bit back a comment and turned her head to Miss Peregrine instead.

"Miss Cuckoo was just telling us that you two have known each other for 210 years already", she explained ,"deux..dix…what was it again?"

A little smile formed on Miss Peregrine's lips while she replied,"Deux cent dix, even though I have to say that it's not quite correct."

Her gaze wandered to the older woman sitting in her rocking chair.

"We've known each other for 209 years, 364 days, 22 hours 1 minute and 30 seconds….if we would have met at midnight, that is but I'll let that count."

"Oh yes, you could show off your knowledge all day," sighed Miss Cuckoo while dramatically falling back into the chair.

Then she turned to the kids and said," but she's right it's bedtime for all of you!"

The kids groaned but eventually made their way upstairs to get ready for bed.

After tugging them all into their beds and saying goodnight to everyone, the two Ymbrynes had settled down into the living room again with a cup of tea and a book each.

Isabel for her part couldn't help but get distracted by the small woman sitting on the other side of the sofa.

Why couldn't she have fallen for someone else instead? Why did it have to be her dearest friend?

But then again how could she have not fallen for her?

From academy times on Alma had always been by her side, going through the most difficult times with her and never being anything but supportive.

The admiration for her had started from this wonderful friendship and before she could have even tried to stop it, she had already fallen head over heels for her.

But Isabel had kept her secret, way too scared that she'd ruin the friendship between them that was so important to her. And she'd gladly pay the price of keeping her little secret until the end of times if it only meant that she got to keep Alma near, to maintain their friendship and to see her happy.

Oh how she loved to see these emerald eyes shine with joy and the purest love when she watched their kids play in the garden. Or that smile that could lighten up every darkness Isabel ever had to fight. She was sure that she'd trade the entire world just to see Alma happy, just to see that pretty smile of hers again.

And even the smallest things that the small woman did, seemed to knock Isabel completely over and make her fall even more (even if she never thought that could be possible).

Like right now where she was sitting on the other side of the sofa, wrapped in a lavender coloured blanket, some of her hairs strands falling out of her usually tight bun. Occasionally she was narrowing her eyes or scrunching her nose as she read page for page of the book in her lap.

Her gaze dropped to the book in Alma's hands. Given the fact that they were in a loop, she had probably read it a thousand times already but it didn't seem to bother her in the slightest.

Isabel watched as she turned the page and she couldn't help but wonder how it must felt like to-

"You know Izzy, it's quite impolite to stare."

Isabel's head snapped up but Alma's eyes were still fixed on the page of her book.

"I- I didn't stare," she said while cursing herself that she didn't sound more convinced.

Alma slightly raised her eyebrow and slowly lifted her head to look at the older woman with a skeptical look on her face.

She however only returned her look, a small smile playing at her lips.

"I was just lost in my thoughts, that's all," Isabel added after a short pause.

She watched how the emerald eyes narrowed slightly and was that a hint of worry in her eyes?

With a short sigh the other woman asked:

"What is wrong, Isabel?"

"Wrong? What should be wrong? Everything's bien…fine."

Clearly Alma didn't believe her so she tried again.

"Well, something is clearly going on in that pretty head of yours."

Isabel's breath stuttered for only a second before she caught herself.

"How can it be that we already know each other for so long?"

The question had slipped out before she could even think about it.

The ravenette's face softened and the worry in her eyes were replaced by warmth and adoration, as a small smile appeared on her lips.

There it was again. That smile Isabel would die for. It was dragging her so close to just screw every rule and just tell her-

"Well I believe that time tends to pass faster if we spend it with the people we love."

Her eyes met the brown ones but she couldn't quite read what was really bothering the French woman.

"It wasn't the answer you wanted, huh?"

Miss Cuckoo's eyes widened and she shook her head slightly.

"No, on the contrary. I think you phrased it very beautifully," Isabel finally said, her smile returning to her face.

With a sigh Alma closed her book, laid it on the coffee table and scooped closer to Isabel laying the thick blanket around the older woman's shoulders.

"It's alright, I won't push you into talking, if you don't want to," she whispered, leaning her head against the other woman's shoulder.

It was one thing that Isabel appreciated more than anything about their friendship. They would always give each other time and space.

She knew that Alma wasn't the best at voicing her worries as well but that didn't matter. No one was pushing the other to talk about anything, if they didn't feel like it so sometimes they'd just enjoy eachothers company for that very moment.

They'd find each other eventually, to talk about whatever was worrying them.

She leaned her head against Alma's.

"Thank you."

Miss Peregrine hummed softly, her gaze wandering to the clock on the wall. Isabel followed her eyes not even a second later.

The clock said 01:17 am.

“Oh.”

There was a light chuckle from Alma as she said:

”Seems like I was right about my theory. Time does pass faster if we are with the people that we love.”

Isabel raised an eyebrow, a big grin on her face.

“So you love me?”,she laughed before she could stop the words.

There was a short moment of silence and Isabel wondered if she might have overstepped the line. Then Alma began to laugh and Isabel could feel her chest lighten again.

“You are a darling, of course I love you!” Alma said finally, turning her head so she could look into Isabel's brown eyes.

Then she quietly added:

“I actually thought you’d know that.”

Isabel sucked in a breath as she stared into Alma's eyes, suddenly being terribly aware of how close their faces were.

Her heart was beating uncontrollably and she couldn’t help it when her gaze fell on Alma’s lips. It was only for a few seconds but of course the other woman did notice as she licked her lips nervously.

Miss Cuckoo drew in a deep breath while trying to collect her thoughts.

Then she whispered quietly:

“Please don’t hate me for this but…can I kiss you?”

She regretted it as soon as she had asked.

Over 200 years she had kept her little secret so well and now she had thrown it all away. She had ruined their friendship with just that simple step.

She felt the panic build up inside her when she suddenly felt a hand on her chin. Slowly Alma turned her head so she had to face the small woman again.

Isabel's heart was beating so loudly that she nearly missed the answer.

“Please do.”

Isabel’s eyes widened as she stared at the woman in front of her, convinced she just hadn’t heard her correctly or maybe she had just imagined her saying this. But Alma simply wrapped her tender arms around the taller woman's neck and gave her an encouraging smile.

And with that Isabel’s brain shut down and her instincts overtook her.

She leaned forward carefully, still giving Alma enough time to back up if she changed her mind…but she didn’t.

Their lips met in a light kiss and Isabel could swear that her heart might burst the next second.

This had to be a dream, there wasn’t another explanation for this. Yes, that had to be it. She will wake up soon, and everything will be like it was before. And this, this will only be a wish-

Her mind started to panic again, that much that she hadn’t even noticed that she had gone stiff as a plank.

Alma pulled away, her face bright red.

She lowered her head as she quietly whispered:

“I’m sorry, I’m a terrible kisser.”

That did the trick. Isabel's brain snapped back into action and her eyes widened in shock.

“No, bird no, you are not! It’s just- I just-”, she began, her hands carefully cupping Alma’s cheeks.

She took in a shaky breath and then continued:

“I’m-, I was just thinking….panicking actually. You have no idea how long I have wished for this to happen and I just panicked because I was scared that I would ruin our friendship and I guess I just made it worse with that-. I—, I’m sorry if I made you feel like you are a terrible kisser because you are not!”

She could see Alma’s expression soften as her arms found their way back around Isabel's neck and she leaned forward so their foreheads touched.

“It’s okay”, Alma said softly, tangling one of her hands in short silver hair.

“Do you want to try again? And then we can just pretend that the first one never happend?”

A smile formed on Isabel's face as she looked into these beautiful green eyes and nodded.

Alma only nodded and sat back again, waiting for Isabel to make the first move.

This time the kiss was more passionate but still soft. Alma’s eyes had fallen shut as soon as Isabel’s lips had touched hers and Isabel gave into the feeling as well, closed her eyes and just let herself drown in the feeling of soft lips on hers.

She carefully wrapped her arms around Alma's waist to pull her closer. The blanket that had still laid on their shoulders, slowly fell down onto the floor but none of them cared. The only thing that got them to finally break apart was the lack of oxygen.

Isabel pulled back slowly, chuckling at Alma chasing her lips for a second. She opened her eyes again only to find Alma’s still closed. She leaned her head against the other woman's head again and breathed slowly.

“Never ever dare to say again that you are a terrible kisser,” she chuckled after a quick moment of silence of both Ymbrynes trying to catch their breath.

At that Alma’s eyes opened slowly and she smiled as she lovingly looked into the brown eyes, next to her.

“I guess I’m a quick learner.”

Isabel’s eyes widened as she laughed in disbelief.

“You-you’ve never kissed anyone before?”

Alma blushed prettily as she shook her head.

“Not really, no.”

For a moment Isabel just looked at her as if she was debating whether she was joking or not. Then she quickly shook her head.

“Then it seems like you are a natural”, she whispered, giving her a quick peek at the cheek,

”and I’m honored that you trust me enough for that.”

Alma beamed as her gaze fell on the small clock behind Isabel. It showed 03:00 am.

She turned her attention back to the taller woman, whose arms were still holding her close. She never thought that she’d admit it but she enjoyed the closeness and warmth of the other woman, maybe even a little more than she should.

“As much as I am enjoying this, dear, we should probably go to sleep as well,” she said after a moment of collecting herself again.

Isabel sighed dramatically but gave in after she saw the time.

They decided to clean up later and only put the tea cups (with the tea that had long gone cold) in the kitchen sink.

Then Isabel took Alma's hand and led her upstairs.

“We definitely should repeat this,” Isabel chuckled quietly, not wanting to wake any of the children.

Alma bit down her laugh and only smiled brightly.

"Definitely."

Then she stepped on her tiptoes to give Isabel a quick peek on the lips.

“Good night, Izzy.”

They both went to their bedrooms but not before turning around again when they had reached the door.

Isabel had to bite down a giggle as she waved lightly.

“Bonne nuit”

"Good night…oh and Izzy? Happy 210th anniversary.”

---

Notes:

It was time that someone wrote a confession story so now you have clumsy gay panicking Isabel🤭

Also I just threw a whole bunch of my head canons in this like Alma's first kiss. Cause I don't think she has ever loved someone that much that she'd even think about kissing them before (her kids don't count okay? Cause that's something different)

Anyways I was debating for the longest time ever if I should end the story on them falling asleep on the couch or make them kiss and here we are. It took my last nerve because I SUCK at writing kiss scenes. And I also feel like I made it very awkward and out of character but huh.

[jpbjazz]

LÉGENDES DU JAZZ

MARCUS BELGRAVE, LE CATALYSEUR

"If I had Marcus Belgrave, I'd have the greatest band going."

- Charles Mingus

Né le 12 juin 1936 à Chester, en Pennsylvanie, Marcus Belgrave était issu d’une famille de douze enfants où la musique occupait la place d’honneur. Ses frères et soeurs jouaient tous d’un instrument. Sa mère chantait et son père jouait du saxophone baryton. La famille Belgrave avait même formé son propre groupe et se produisait à l’église et dans le cadre de certaines activités sociales.

Belgrave avait commencé à jouer du bugle (flugelhorn) à l’âge de quatre ans. Fils d’un travailleur de l’industrie sidérurgique, Belgrave était passé à la trompette deux ans plus tard. C’est son père qui avait enseigné à Belgrave à jouer de la trompette. Chaque semaine, afin de lui faire comprendre le fonctionnement d’un orchestre, le père de Belgrave l’emmenait assister aux répétitions de son groupe. Il expliquait: "Each week he would sit me in a different section of the band—the french horns, the trombones, the trumpets, whatever, and he'd tell me to see if I could hear what all these different sections were doing. So I got a good amalgamation of what was going on in an orchestra,"

Belgrave était également le cousin du saxophoniste baryton Cecil Payne. C’est d’ailleurs Payne, qui avait joué avec le big band de Dizzy Gillespie, qui avait enseigné à Belgrave comment jouer les pièces de Charlie Parker. Il l’avait aussi initié à la musique de Miles Davis.

À l’âge de douze ans, Belgrave avait rencontré Dizzy Gillespie et avait commencé à étudier la trompette classique avec un professeur local. Il avait également été soliste avec le groupe de son high school. À l’âge de douze ans, Belgrave avait aussi joué en concert dans la ville voisine de Wilmington, au Delaware, avec un groupe qui comprenait le légendaire Clifford Brown, qui était de six ans son aîné et qui était sur le point de venir une sommité du jazz. Brown avait même appris Belgrave à improviser en lui écrivant un solo sur le standard "How High the Moon." 

DÉBUTS DE CARRIÈRE

Après avoir décroché son diplôme du high school, Belgrave s’était joint à l’U.S. Air Force et avait joué avec un groupe basé à Wichita Falls, au Texas. Il s’était même produit un soir avec le groupe de Ray Charles. Après être retourné à Chester en 1958, Charles lui avait proposé un poste de deuxième trompette avec son groupe. Il avait seulement vingt et un ans.

À l’époque, le groupe de Charles jouait une combinaison de rhythm & blues, de jazz et de gospel. Pour Belgrave, son séjour dans le groupe de Charles avait été une véritable école. Il expliquait: "That was a school in itself. He had such ears and such soul that it was like dealing with God." Au cours d’une autre entrevue, Belgrave avait ajouté: "I had to learn patience. I wanted to play bebop, but I had to learn to play the blues. I played too many notes. And Ray would play such slow ballads that I'd be through eight bars before he got through one. But eventually he let me play obbligatos behind him on a ballad." Belgrave avait enregistré plusieurs albums avec Charles, dont ‘’Ray Charles at Newport’’ (1958) et “The Genius of Ray Charles” (1959).

Belgrave avait fait partie du groupe de Charles jusqu’en 1963, à l’exception d’une période d’une durée d’un an et ami pendant laquelle il avait vécu à New York. Durant son séjour dans le Big Apple, Belgrave avait fait une tournée de deux mois avec le batteur Max Roach. Il avait aussi enregistré l’album "Pre-Bird" avec Charles Mingus en 1960. Très fier d’avoir pu jouer avec Belgrave, Mingus avait expliqué au cours d’une entrevue qu’il avait accordée au magazine Down Beat en 1975: "If I had Marcus Belgrave, I'd have the greatest band going." Belgrave avait aussi joué avec Eric Dolphy et Max Roach.

Durant cette période, Belgrave avait également travaillé avec le batteur Charlie Persip et le saxophoniste Yusef Lateef. Belgrave serait sûrement devenu célèbre s’il n’avait pas rejeté des offres de se joindre au big band de Duke Ellington et au quintet d’Horace Silver. Belgrave avait justifié plus tard son refus car il ne désirait pas retourner à la vie épuisante de musicien de tournée.

Attiré par la réputation de Detroit comme nouvelle capitale du jazz et par son admiration pour le trompettiste Thad Jones, Belgrave s’était installé au Michigan en 1963. La perspective de devenir musicien de studio pour les disques Motown avait également été un important motif d’attraction. Belgrave avait d’ailleurs enregistré avec Motown en 1963-64, contribuant notamment à des grands succès comme ‘’My Girl’’, “The Way You Do the Things You Do” et ‘’Dancing in the Street.’’

Décrivant son arrivée à Detroit, Belgrave avait précisé: “This was just a natural place for me to come. This was probably the only place in the country where music was No. 1.” Commentant sa collaboration avec Motown, Belgrave avait ajouté: "[Motown founder] Berry [Gordy] drew the greatest people in the industry, the greatest black people. This became the mecca of the music world as far as I was concerned." Mais Belgrave était rapidement retourné à Chester, car son père était tombé malade. Retourné dans l’est, Belgrave avait accompagné le chanteur Lloyd Price, les trompettistes John Hunt et Jimmy Owens, et le vibraphoniste Lionel Hampton. Belgrave s’était joint par la suite au saxophoniste Hank Crawford, un ancien du groupe de Ray Charles, ce qui lui avait permis de collaborer avec le saxophoniste et clarinettiste Wendell Harrison, avant de travailler avec le chanteur de blues Bobby "Blue" Bland et de devenir le directeur musical du chanteur de R & B Jerry Butler.

Belgrave était retourné à Detroit en 1967 après la mort de son père, mais à l’époque, les disques Motown avaient changé. Il expliquait: "We didn't even know who we recorded for, a production line, you know… They really built an empire out of doing that kind of stuff." En revanche, Belgrave avait trouvé la scène du jazz beaucoup plus stimulante. Il précisait:

"Detroit has a wide diversity of peoples, from all over the country, because of the factories. So the factories drew people not only from all over the country, but all over the world, so you have the diversity of music there… cultures, you know what I'm saying. And they find their places, they turn up somewhere. So the music… there are all kinds of bands: society the [pianist Duke] Ellington thing, everything. You might have to go far and wide to find it, but there were little sections, pockets of the city where you could hear certain kinds of music."

Très apprécié à Detroit, Belgrave avait même obtenu le soutien financier des musiciens de jazz locaux lorsqu’il avait été hospitalisé à Montréal en 1970 à la suite d’un problème de thyroïde.

Au début des années 1970, Belgrave avait quitté Detroit pour Los Angeles, où il avait été impliqué dans des programmes anti-pauvreté institués par le président Lyndon B. Johnson.

En 1970, Belgrave s’était également tourné vers l’enseignement. Belgrave avait été recruté par son ami le pianiste Harold McKinney pour travailler avec le Metropolitan Arts Complex, un programme de villes modèles. Belgrave, qui était un communicateur naturel, avait été enthousiasmé par l’énergie et l’excitation résultant du contact avec les étudiants. Au début des années 1970, Belgrave avait fondé le Jazz Development Workshop. Il avait aussi créé le programme de jazz de l’Université d’Oakland. Il avait également enseigné à Michigan State University, Stanford University, l’University of California, l’Oberlin College et dans d’autres institutions scolaires. En 2009-2010, Belgrave avait été artiste en résidence au Virgil H. Carr Cultural Arts Center. Fasciné par son travail de professeur, Belgrave avait commenté: ‘’I feel a responsability to help keep this music alive and vital and pass on my passion to others.’’

Belgrave avait aussi été impliqué dans Tribe, une coopérative qui faisait la promotion du jazz d’improvisation. Très influencée par le mouvement de la Conscience noire, la coopérative exploitait aussi une maison de disques et un magazine et produisait des concerts.

Le premier album de Belgrave comme leader, "Gemini II", un disque de jazz fusion, avait d’ailleurs été publié par Tribe en 1974, même s’il avait été très peu connu avant d’être réédité sur CD trente ans plus tard. Belgrave avait enregistré par la suite de nombreux albums avec une compagnie qu’il avait lui-même fondée, la Detroit Jazz Musicians Co-Op. Parmi ces albums, on remarquait deux CD publiés dans les années 1990 et intitulés "Live at the Kerrytown Concert House" (avec les pianistes de Detroit Tommy Flanagan, Geri Allen et Gary Schunk) et "Working Together" (1992), qui documentait sa collaboration avec le batteur et compositeur Lawrence Williams. Malheureusement, ces albums avaient été peu diffusés en raison d’une distribution souvent inégale.

Préoccupé par la formation de la relève, Belgrave avait joué un peu le rôle d’un griot africain et avait partagé sa passion du blues et du swing avec plusieurs générations de musiciens, dont la pianiste Geri Allen, le guitariste Ray Parker Jr., les contrebassistes Rodney Whitaker et Robert Hurst, les saxophonistes Kenny Garrett et James Carter, la violiniste Regina Carter et les batteurs Karriem Riggins, Ali Jackson et Gerald Cleaver. 

Saluant la contribution de Belgrave au développement de la relève, le saxophoniste Charlie Gabriel avait précisé: ‘’Marcus has a lot of genius. He can bring out the best in young musicians, because he is an educator who can get into the depth of the music in its full form.”

Décrivant le rôle de mentor joué par Belgrave au cours des années, Whitaker avait commenté: "He became a mentor to entire generations of musicians, and a lot of us would not have found the music without him. He brought us together. I have not met one musician from the last 50 years in Detroit that Marcus has not had some sort of impact on." Qualifiant Belgrave de musicien sous-estimé, Whitaker avait ajouté: ‘’He was probably the most imaginative rhythmic player to ever live... one of the greatest players of his generation and one of the most underrated musicians, probably because he never left Detroit.’’

Soulignant la contribution de Belgrave dans la promotion du jazz de Detroit, la pianiste Geri Allen avait précisé: "With Marcus there was a pipeline from high school right into a safety zone in the scene. We saw the passion and the professionalism up close. What Marcus has done for Detroit and what he's done for all of us — he truly is a national treasure. How much we all love him can't be expressed in words." Une autre étudiante de Belgrave, la contrebassiste Marion Hayden, était elle-même devenue un pilier du jazz de Detroit à la fois comme musicienne et enseignante. Résumant la contribution de Belgrave au développement du jazz, Whitaker avait ajouté: "If you factor in those of us who also became mentors because of his example, Marcus has changed the lives of thousands of students.’’ Loin de s’enfler la tête avec sa carrière de professeur, Belgrave avait précisé: “I was trained in classical music and was always first chair or soloist in the band and orchestra at Chester High School. Taking private lessons and playing in different ensembles also helped me. This is what I try to do for the youngsters I see here in the city of Detroit. I’m not so much a teacher as I am a motivator.”

DERNIÈRES ANNÉES

Dans les années 1990, Belgrave s’était produit avec Wynton Marsalis et le Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Marsalis, qui avait adoré jouer avec Belgrave, avait déclaré à son sujet: ‘’He's the epitome of soul and taste. His sound is just so evocative, and he's a master of swing and blues. When he walks into a room, he brings a good time with him." Durant la même décennie, Belgrave avait enregistré trois albums comme leader: ‘’Working Together’’ (1992), ‘’Live at Kerrytown Concert House, Vol. 1’’ (1993) et ‘’Urban Griots’’ (1998).

En 1999, Belgrave avait également rendu hommage à Louis Armstrong dans le cadre de l’album Tradition.

À la fin de sa carrière, Belgrave avait également fait des apparitions sur des albums de Geri Allen, Kirk Lightsey, McCoy Tyner, Horace Tapscott, Junko Onishi, Robert Hurst et David Murray. De 2001 à 2010, Belgrave avait obtenu une certaine sécurité financière en devenant professeur au Oberlin Conservatory.

En 2006, Belgrave avait enregistré l’album “You Don’t Know Me”, qui comprenait des classiques du jazz ainsi que des chansons tirées du répertoire de Ray Charles. L’album avait été enregistré avec son épouse Joan.

En 2007, Belgrave s’était marié avec la chanteuse Joan Belgrave. Joan, qui avait souvent chanté avec Belgrave sur scène, lui avait apporté beaucoup de stabilité émotive. Tout en aidant Belgrave à gérer les aspects commerciaux de sa carrière, Joan, qui était sa troisième épouse, avait également pris soin de sa santé.

Victime de problèmes respiratoires depuis des années, une maladie qui l’obligeait à être branché à un réservoir à oxygène vingt-quatre heures par jour, Marcus Belgrave est mort d’une crise cardiaque dans son sommeil le 23 mai 2015 à Glacier Hills, un centre de soins et de réhabilitation situé à Ann Arbor, au Michigan. Il était âgé de soixante-dix-huit ans. Belgrave avait été hospitalisé à la fin d’avril à l’Université du Michigan à la suite d’une pneumonie. Décrivant les derniers moments de Belgrave, son épouse Joan avait commenté: “He was okay yesterday. He played his horn, some music from the Ray Charles book that we were planning to use. He talked about how he was going to get out of rehab and not do much of anything {…}. He was playing his intro to “You Don’t Know Me” and having some trouble with it. I told him that was OK because he had a long time to practice.”

Ont survécu à Belgrave son épouse Joan, ses filles Akua Belgrave et Marcia Monroe, ses fils Marcus Jr. Belgrave et Kasan Belgrave (un saxophoniste qui se produisait dans la région de Detroit), sa belle-fille Alia McCants, ses gendres Kenan et Landon Smith, sa soeur Eudora Muhammad, ses frères Lemmuel, Darnley et Louie, six petits-enfants et un arrière-petit-enfant. Au moment de sa mort, Belgrave était le dernier survivant de la section de trompettes du groupe de Ray Charles. Les funérailles de Belgrave avaient eu lieu au Greater Grace Temple de Detroit. Le trompettiste Wynton Marsalis avait interprété la pièce "Tenderly" au cours de la cérémonie. La veuve de Belgrave, Joan, avait chanté pour sa part le classique "Crazy He Calls Me."

Belgrave, qui possédait des résidences à Detroit et Ann Arbor, avait fait sa dernière apparition publique le 17 avril à Durham, en Caroline du Nord, dans le cadre d’une réunion avec les trompettistes Russell Gunn et Rayse Biggs. Malgré sa maladie, Belgrave avait continué de pratiquer deux heures par jour et de participer à des jam sessions avec d’autres musiciens. Peu avant sa mort, Belgrave se préparait à faire un retour sur scène à l’Orchestra Hall de Detroit. Le concert était prévu pour le 12 juillet.

Après avoir appris la mort de Belgrave, le trompettiste Theo Croker avait commenté sur sa page Facebook:

“You taught me more than anyone about life, music, and humanity, and I will miss your mentorship and guidance. You never left me hanging with any obstacle I faced. You treated me like a son when you saw me begin to lose my way. You taught me how to seriously deal with harmony and rhythm with your free-flowing, acrobatic-like approach to improvisation. It was a mere reflection of your high-flying, free-spirited approach to life itself. I love you dearly, Marcus, and will miss you eternally.”

Pour sa part, Bobby Ferrazza, le président du programme de jazz du Conservatoire d’Oberlin, avait déclaré: “Marcus was a world-class musician with a big heart. He was also a world-class mentor. Many of our greatest jazz musicians today know him not only through his work as a great trumpet player, but also because he took so many musicians under his wing and contributed to making them great.”

Belgrave, qui avait toujours tenté de réconcilier le passé, le présent et l’avenir, avait déclaré au cours d’entrevue accordée au journal Free Press: "In order to get to the future, you have to go to the past. I try to instill that you learn from the masters in your presence and go back and forward from there. In order to find yourself, you have to be cognizant of what went down before you. That's always been my philosophy." Lors d’une performance au Dizzy's Club de New York en juillet, Belgrave avait été particulièrement fier de pouvoir se produire avec un groupe de jeune musiciens de Detroit qu’il avait personnellement formés. Le critique Ben Ratliff du New York Times avait commenté le concert en ces termes: "Jazz played with a beautiful sense of proportion, modesty, refinement; using the full range of his instrument but free of aggression, anxiety, overplaying. {Belgrave} let the essence of the songs manifest themselves. It's the result, maybe, of understanding something and then rendering it so that it coheres and can be passed on intact."

Véritable géant du jazz même s’il mesurait seulement cinq pieds et quatre pouces, Belgrave avait joué avec de nombreux artistes au cours de son carrière, dont Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Gunther Schuller, Carl Craig, Max Roach, Ella Fitzgerald, Charles Mingus, Eric Dolphy, Yuself Lateef, Ray Charles, McCoy Tyner, Aretha Franklin, Tony Bennett, Liza Minelli, La Palabra, Sammy Davis Jr., Hank Crawford, Joe Cocker, David ‘’Fathead’’ Newman, Lionel Hampton, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Hodes, Charlie Gabriel, B.B. King, Doc Cheatham, Odessa Harris, Horace Tapscott, Sarah Vaughan et John Sinclair. Belgrave avait aussi joué au Tonight Show dans le cadre du groupe dirigé par le saxophoniste Branford Marsalis.

Même s’il était très connu comme trompettiste, la célébrité et la richesse n’avaient jamais fait partie du plan de carrière de Belgrave. Il expliquait: "Actually, I feel famous, because I've been able to survive playing music in Detroit. Major musicians would say, 'What is Marcus doing in Detroit?' But I had to find a place where I belonged, and where I could have an impact. Being around all of this young talent gave me a sense of community and a purpose. I became a catalyst." Très fier d’avoir contribué au développement du jazz à Detroit, Belgrave avait commenté: “I think I helped to re-establish the cause of music in the city and to continue the quality of music Detroit has had in the past. In the late 1950s, music became segmented, but Motown took the jazz musicians who remained and molded them into an entirely different industry in the 1960s. I kept the grassroots aspect of music together by working with youths in the schools and helped to rebuild Detroit’s music culture.”

Également très reconnu sur la scène internationale, Belgrave s’était produit tant en Amérique latine qu’en Europe, en Asie, en Afrique qu’au Moyen-Orient. En 1997, Belgrave avait fait une tournée avec cinq autres musiciens originaires du Michigan qui l’avait conduit en Égypte, en Côte d’Ivoire, au Sénégal, en Syrie, en Tunisie et en Turquie. La tournée faisait partie d’un échange culturel financé par l’Agence américaine pour le Développement international. Belgrave expliquait: “The people had already heard the jazz music before, so they were elated to see us in person. Through the exchange, I gained a lot of knowledge about sound and rhythm from them.”

Récipiendaire de nombreux prix, Belgrave avait été admis au Detroit Jazz Hall of Fame en 1987. Cinq ans plus tard, il avait remporté le Louis Armstrong Award for Jazz Excellence décerné par le Detroit Institute of Arts. Nommé ‘’Jazz Master’’ par la ville de Detroit en 2008, Belgrave s’était mérité le Jazz Guardian Award for Artistry dans le cadre de la 30e édition du festival de jazz de Detroit l’année suivante. La même année, Belgrave avait décroché le prestigieux Kresge Eminent Artist prize. Honorant des artistes reconnus sur la scène nationale qui avaient amorcé leur carrière à Detroit, le prix était accompagné d’une bourse de 50 000$. Belgrave avait reçu son prix en lisant la déclaration suivante: “Sometimes I thought my work was going unrecognized. But this award shows me that what I’ve been doing has been appreciated.” Décrivant la contribution de Belgrave au monde du jazz, le président de Kresge, Rip Rapson avait commenté: “Marcus has inspired our city, our nation, and our world through his music. It is only fitting that we recognize his talent and dedication by presenting him with this year’s Kresge Eminent Artist Award.” La ville de Detroit avait aussi décerné à Belgrave le titre de ‘’Jazz Master.’’ Belgrave était également récipiendaire du Arts Midwest Jazz Master Award (1991), du Louis Armstrong Award (1995), du Michigan Governor's Arts Award (1994) et du Benny Golson Jazz Master Award décerné par l’Université Howard en 2002.

Décrivant son rôle d’improvisateur, Belgrave avait commenté: "I'm trying to hear the whole picture of the piece. The improvisation comes in as a part of being able to feel the whole framework of a song and then you work your way into the flow. I want to play like a singer and feel the rapture of the song." 

Se produisant dans plusieurs contextes musicaux, Belgrave avait joué autant du bebop que du blues, du dixieland, du swing, des ballades, du funk et du jazz fusion. Décrivant les goûts pour le moins éclectiques de Belgrave, le guitariste Hugh Leal avait précisé: “I think he always had bigger ears and interest for all sorts of music. Rhythm and blues, gospel. Country and western, Dixieland tunes. He had a real eclectic outlook.” Commentant le style unique de Belgrave, Leal avait ajouté: “He had a very individual, beautiful tone. I used to call it ‘smoky-sounding.’ It wasn’t the dry type of sound that Miles (Davis) got. It wasn’t as edgy as Dizzy (Gillespie)’s sound. Marcus had this fantastic tonal quality that was his own.” Saluant la grande discipline et le professionalisme de Belgrave, Leal avait déclaré: “He kept bouncing back. He was very resilient because of his attitude. And he played great. He was an absolute master of lung control.”

Belgrave, qui était un membre original du Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra fondé en 1988 (?), avait interprété la musique de son idole Louis Armstrong dans le cadre d’une tournée qui avait été présentée dans cinquante villes des États-Unis de 2000 à 2007. Commentant le succès de la tournée, Belgrave avait précisé: “The response was tremendous. Most people thought they were seeing and hearing Louis Armstrong again.”

Belgrave avait également été soliste invité dans le cadre des concerts du Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra au Frederick Rose Hall in New York, qui mettaient aussi en vedette d’autres musiciens de Detroit comme Yusef Lateef, Ron Carter, Curtis Fuller, Charles McPherson et Geri Allen. En 2006, Belgrave avait également participé au concert du Lincoln Center intitulé ‘’Detroit: Motor City Jazz.’’ Également très lié à la ville de Windsor au Michigan, Belgrave s’était produit pour la première fois dans la localité en 1987. Au cours des années, Belgrave avait présenté plusieurs concerts dans les salles de la ville, dont le Mackenzie Hall, the Capitol Theatre, the Cleary Auditorium, the Art Gallery of Windsor, Casino Windsor et l’Université de Windsor. En 2001, Belgrave s’était également joint au Windsor Symphony Orchestra dans le cadre d’un hommage à Louis Armstrong.

Décrivant Belgrave comme un très bel homme qui avait un magnifique sens de l’humour, Beverly Williams l’avait vu jouer pour la première fois dans un petit club de Detroit quinze ans avant sa mort. Elle expliquait: "I asked him to play "Round Midnight. He said he didn't know how to play it but said, 'I'm gonna try.' I have been following him ever since." Reconnaissant l’habilité de Belgrave à lire la musique, la violoniste Carolee Malitz avait précisé: "What I remember most was his phenomenal ability to sight-read anything. He could take the most complicated rhythms and make them sound so easy. He was so special. There was only one guy like him in the whole entire world." Soulignant les qualités humaines de Belgrave, le guitariste Hugh Leal, qui avait travaillé et enregistré avec le trompettiste durant trois décennies, avait ajouté: “It wouldn’t be hyperbole to say he was an icon of Detroit jazz. He was just a great player, and a great teacher, too … He was a wonderful, wonderful person. Forthcoming, generous, fantastically warm and supportive. He found as much value in people singing in an amateur choir as he did in the greatest stars on the stage of the Lincoln Center. He valued music, and music-making, and what it could bring to people.” Leal prépare actuellement un album intitulé Vintage Marcus, qui comprend des extraits des performances de Belgrave dans la ville de Windsor.

Convaincu qu’il était destiné à devenir musicien, Belgrave avait déclaré à la fin de sa carrière: “Music was all around me. I heard music and grew up in it. I was designed to be a musician. I can see no other way.” Confiant en l’avenir du jazz, Belgrave avait précisé: “I want to see the music of America continue. We have so much to give. Our music keeps coming, bubbling up from a reservoir. I’m happy to have been a vital part of an era, and I want to see it endure.”

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