#the magpie salute

[balladofsallyrose]

Rich Robinson and Marc Ford during a rehearsal for the Woodstock Sessions, New York, 2016, photographed by Scott Fitzgerald

[tobacconist]

also magpies are dead soldiers and seabirds are dead sailors. in case you didnt know

[violant-apologia]

i can't believe i hadn't noticed the names before; they're adorable!

[sammyloomis]

of all the things ive inherited from my parents, being superstitious has to be one of the WORST!!! things i swear to GOD. ITS EXHAUSTING.

[afieldinengland]

well

[selfconsumerofmywoes]

been seeing a lot of magpies in front gardens recently - wonder if people chilling in their living rooms are confused as to why a stranger has supposedly saluted at them as they walked past their windows

[thedogsleg]

There was a magpie sat on the window sill today and i tried to take a pic but she flew off she was sat squawking (or cooing?) And pecking at the window <3

[gogoghostie]

Im just saluting any bird i see at this point.

[incapacitated-till-caffeinated]

Why are magpies so bloody noisy.

They have just had babies in my garden.

Every five minutes there is a commotion with the blackbirds, or the chickens.

[ifindus]

Culture - for the second day of @hetalia-rarepairweek ✨

I have recently been told about the British superstition of magpies and how of saluting magpies will ward off bad luck. The saluting is to show respect to the bird often connected with bad omens so that nothing bad will happen to you 🍂

[scenetocause]

💘 mando, pretty pls?

(omg so hard to decide on a heart, i wish i could send all of them!)

🫡 this is loosely set on that night when lando had everyone round to max's parents' lounge for a slumber party DJ set but i forgot it was martin not oli and whatever factual inaccuracy is actually ethical in rpf in this essay i will-

"Max." Lando says it casually, confidently, like he's not just tilted Max's world on it's axis.

He can't help spluttering. "You'd what, Bob?"

Lando's entirely unapologetic. "If I had to snog someone here, it'd be you, wouldn't it?"

That does sort of make sense, when Lando's slurping his can of White Claw and using the sensible, adult voice he did when he offered Max the Quadrant contract.

Except that. "We can't make out, mate."

Lando shrugs and Max is dimly aware there are other people here, that someone (Tom) is hollering at them to stop being fucking losers and get on with the game of truth or dare but that can wait, for now.

"Why not? Conor's got a girlfriend, I'm not snogging Tom and Oli's my brother. So, it just makes sense, doesn't it?"

Someone, Max suspects himself, whimpers quite pathetically.

"S'only a theoretic-whatever, innit. Just saying."

"Ok Bob." He sounds very weak. Feels very weak. Like he needs a cup of tea. Or perhaps he's become one, too dilute and half-cold and much too milky.

"What if it wasn't?" He's not sure that makes any sense, blurted out between sips of wine.

Lando catches up quickly, though. Always has. Looks at Max way too shrewdly for someone who's been drinking, like he's somehow got the focus to bore through Max's soul still.

"Go on, then."

He's never been very good at holding his breath. It makes him panic a bit, like he's drowning. 10 seconds is a long time to wait to exhale, staring at Lando to check he heard him right, through the blood thundering in Max's ears.

"Right, ok."

"Not here," Lando unfolds from the floor, offers Max a hand up. "Don't wanna do it in front of Oli, it's weird."

"Yeah, wouldn't want it to be weird," Max can't help the sarcasm. What the fuck's happening?

"Why would it be, mate?" Lando's got him backed up against the corridor wall and Max is forced to remember, for the millionth time, that he's the shorter one, now.

"Dunno." Max tilts his chin up, defiant now. If Lando's going to fucking snog him then like, just get on with it, yeah? They've nearly got here so many times, waking up tangled together in the Woking house and maybe if they had-

No. Max is done thinking about the past like superstitions, as though he could've saluted a few more magpies and made things different.

"Well don't be weird." Like it's that simple. It might be?

Lando leans in and Max has to scrabble a bit, to get a hold on him. Has to push his fingers into the muscle on Lando's shoulders, haul himself up a bit.

Annoyingly, Lando's good at kissing. Teases, with his tongue, before he nips at Max's lower lip to let him in. He's not as over-eager as Max thought he'd be, the times he's let himself think about them kissing. Has a sense of control, restraint that he knows the bloke must have a lot of but sometimes seems completely absent.

He's tender, too, holding Max around his waist like he's precious. Like this is romantic. Not like snogging one of your mates when you're both a bit tipsy. It's like an... old couple or something, still in love. Maybe that's what they are, still together after all this time and distance.

When Lando pulls back, squeezes Max around his middle, leans back in for another little kiss, Max has to stop himself saying anything stupid. No need to make it weird, is there?

[balladofsallyrose]

Marc Ford of The Magpie Salute play Stamford Bridge' Under The Bridge on 13th April 2017. {x}

[sosuperawesome]

Saluting Solo Magpies on Etsy

[ewanmitchellcrumbs]

Hi again! I am the anon with the Ewanverse characters quirks question! I was thinking more of your headcanons about them, like what do you headcanon their quirks to be. :)

Oooh, okay!

Abraham - carries a comb everywhere with him, in case he needs to fix his hair, and does so frequently.

Aemond - licks his fingers when turning the pages of a book

Billy Taylor - afraid of dogs

Billy Washington - squeezes the tea bag with his fingers because he likes the way it feels

Ettore - cracks his neck

Genyen - won't step on a series of three drains, as he thinks it's bad luck

Michael - volume on his TV needs to be a square number

Osferth - would rather eat from a bowl than off of a plate

Tom Bennett - salutes magpies

[brood-mother]

was standing at my kitchen window when i saw a magpie and saluted it and the guy across the street playing with his kids in his garden looked up at the wrong time and thought i was saluting him (for being a good dad or something i guess???) and sort of hesitantly waved back in that very 'oh im interacting with an insane person' kinda way and i guess i have to move now or something

[takami-takami]

WHAT IS THE VENMO. PAYPAL. GOFUNDME.

WHERE CAN I DONATE TO THE CAUSE (DOGBOY KEIGO) V I BEG

- magpie anon ✦

I CANT DO IT MAGPIE I CANT I typed the words "Dogboy!Keigo who has had his eyes set and tongue salivating for another omega—" then cringed so bad I slammed my phone down got up and made something to eat instead.

Sorry the horrors aren't letting me write sub x sub, omega x omega, misbehaving dogboy!Keigo having curious-grinding-turned-nasty-sex with another mutt where there's no alpha to stop them, today. Everyone salute a fallen soldier.

It'll just have to live in my head. Just visualize it in my stead. I can't do it. I just can't. Cringe culture got to me, today. 🏳