#this is in honor of the sunflower episode

[dedlit]

[bettyfrommars]

The Monsters on Maple Street A What We Do in the Shadows AU

18+Only for mature subject matter, vampire!eddie, vampire!steve, vampire!robin, familiar!dustin, satire, dark humor, use of the term Master, but really no other warnings that I can think of.

Word count: 994

In honor of the new WWDITS season coming out this month, I wanted to a little something silly. The title is a play on one of my favorite Twilight Zone episodes ❤️

--------

The windows in the house on Maple Street are dark during the day, until the sun goes down, and the coffins open.

Inside, we are greeted by Dustin, the house familiar, who puts a finger to his lips to let us know to keep it to a whisper.  “My Master isn’t awake yet,” he turns on his heel.  “But, any minute now.”

We follow him down the hall where he pauses at one of the many doors, his hand on the knob.

Directly behind us, there is a stern voice. “Who the hell are these people?”

We turn to find one of the other vampire roommates there standing by the staircase wearing jeans, white shirt unbuttoned to expose a wash of chest hair, hands on hips, fangs out.  

Dustin comes between us and the vampire, who looks a tad on the grumpy side.  “Everybody, this is Steve,” and then Dustin looks directly at us, whispering, “I told him you were coming, he’s just…oh forget it.”

Steve pushes by us gruffly, on his way down the hall, voice bellowing.  “Where the hell is Robin? Did you wake her up, or do I have to do it?”

Steve has already disappeared down the end of the hall and into another room, not waiting for Dustin’s answer.  “I’m sure she can wake herself up, King Steve,” Dustin responds with a strained smile, blinking a few times.  “I changed all of the batteries in the alarm clocks last week.”

Something thuds overhead, on the floor above us, and we all look up.  

“See,” Dustin nods, and then he starts mumbling to himself.  “They need to get their own familiar because this is getting ridiculous.”

“Okay,” Dustin recovers, fingers wrapping around the doorknob again.  “Where were we? So, after we wake up my Master I’ll take you over to show you the—”

“Dustin,” another male voice calls out to your guide, and you turn to see a different roommate appear at the top of the basement stairs.  He is wearing gray sweats and a tie-dye t-shirt, his blonde hair in disarray.  The smell of marijuana smoke fills the hall.

“Yes, Jonathan?” Dustin tries to keep his jovial disposition, but his smile does not reach his eyes.

Jonathan is holding a bag of unopened sunflower seeds.  “Do you know how much salt is in these? I don’t think it says on here.”

“It’s called sodium,” Dustin chuckles just before letting out a hard sigh.  “What does it matter anyway? You can’t eat them.”

“Yeah, I know,” Jonathan grins.  “Doesn’t mean I can’t think about it.”

“Great, well, as you can see, I’m right in the middle of something,” Dustin turns his back on us to hiss through gritted teeth at Jonathan.  “And you can’t get high anymore, so just give it a rest, will you?”

Jonathan goes back down the stairs and Dustin fixes a look of excitement on his face, freezing it there.  “Okay,” he turns the knob.  “I think the coast is clear now.”

We enter behind him into a room with a raised casket horizontal in the middle, surrounded by instruments, metal posters, and a banner along the wall that says Corroded Coffin in red letters.

“Masterrrrrr,” Dustin creeps in, making his way around to the side of the matte black casket with the opening latch.  “It’s time to wake up, Master.  Some nice people are here to meet you.”

From inside the casket, a deep voice says Dustin’s name, and Dustin throws us a smile before doing the work of prying the lid open a sliver so he can peep in.  

“Yes, Master?”

There is whispering between them that we can’t hear, but then Dustin raises his voice, “I told you about this.  Yes I did.  Several times.  I put it on your calendar.”

The lid shuts with a bang.  Dustin looks over at us and cocks his head, winking, giving us a thumbs up.  “He’s coming out, he just needs a minute.”

It isn’t long before the lid creaks all the way open, catching at the hinge, exposing the red velvet interior.  The hand that pushed it open is adorned in chunky, metal rings.

The vampire in question ejects to his feet as if on a spring, standing tall before us now, long, dark wavy hair hanging down, clad in a Hellfire tee and black jeans, exposed arms sprinkled in tattoos. 

He holds the tip of his tongue to one of his pointed fangs, greedy eyes sweeping over our bodies.  “Is this my breakfast?”

“No, master,” Dustin says hurriedly, coming to stand in front of us.  “We went over this a billion times.  You will not drain the guests.”

Dustin introduces this vampire as Eddie.

Eddie jumps from his casket to land on his feet with ease and saunters over.  He moves to grab something off of the coat hook in the corner, but only catches air.

“My battle jacket,” he frowns.  “Where is it?”

“It’s at the cleaners,” Dustin answers.

Eddie narrows his eyes.  “How dare you?”

“It stunk, Master,” Dustin stood his ground under the searing hot gaze of the vampire, unphased by his vitriol.  “You’ll have it back tomorrow.”

“I can’t wait that long,” Eddie mumbles, pushing by us to head down the hall and to the foyer.  We all watch as he opens the front door to reveal the night sky and yells, “bat!”

He turns into a bat right before our eyes and flaps away.

Our attention returns to Dustin who is pressing his lips together in a tight grin, fingers laced behind his back.  “We all care a lot about each other.  It’s like a family here.”

[ghosts-and-blue-sweaters]

5, 12, 13, 21, 28, 42, and 46! :D <3

Do you sleep with a stuffed animal? 

Indeed I do! I’ve had her ever since I was five :) She’s pretty worn down now, but still very special. I honestly struggle to fall asleep when I don’t have her in the bed with me!

Who are five (or more) people you want to hug right now? 

In no particular order:

my dear friend Pinestripe :) I want to hug you and close my eyes and bask in the happiness of being with you okay

Ghostbur!! It actually pains me that I will never be able to hug him. Like. Pains me. I want to hug him so freaking bad

a good irl friend <3 I haven’t seen him in months and I miss him badly

another good irl friend! I’ve known her the longest out of my friendgroup and I just. want to hug her again :’)

yet another friend! Online this time! It’d be so exciting to meet her in-person & hug her tightly oughhh

Fears? 

Two words: automatic toilets. They are DISTURBING. I have been deathly frightened of those things ever since I was six years old, and the fear really hasn’t lessened over time. I cannot explain this fear because it really doesn’t make any sense ajsgajgsjsgsjsg but I Do Not like them and I am Quite afraid of them.

How was your day today? 

Pretty good! I ate so many muffins at church :) And I had chicken nuggets for dinner yay!! I also drove for a bit and that was (surprisingly!) nice :0 Before that, I finished watching a Dream SMP stream that included Ghostbur, and it was so… 😭 Gahhhhhhh ordinarily Ghostbur is so sweet & caring & kind, but in this stream he was honestly pretty selfish :( It was sad to watch!!

But also really interesting! Ghostbur is a very sweet character, but he’s also… human. He still messes up a whole bunch and hurts peoples feelings. It’s super interesting to see all the complexities of his character, even if he isn’t acting in a very honorable way :’0

How are you, really?

Not bad, but… tired. I feel like I’ve been tired for months and I really don’t know why :/ I wish I could feel energized again.

But I have been writing more! Writers block seems to be fading away, and I’m very grateful. I’ve also decided that I want to track down & watch every single Ghostbur stream, which has been quite fun >:D It’s something I look forward to doing!

OH OH episodes of season two of The Wingfeather Saga are releasing every Friday :D That’s fun!

Mentally, I definitely haven’t been in a bad place, but I also haven’t really been in a super good place? Kinda neutral. Not exactly fun, but y’know. Could be worse.

I’m looking forward to seeing all my irl friends soon :) I seriously haven’t seen them in months and I miss them. They’re gonna stop by my house in a few weeks!

Tag 5 of your favorite blogs

:0 :D

@thatfriendlyanon

@rozugold

@ghostbur-archive

@sunflower-chai

@kanerallels

(I know I’m not mutuals with all of you guys, so let me know if you would like me to not tag you here! I just wanted to let y’all know that your blogs are lovely <3)

What do you need when you’re sad? 

Depends on what I’m sad about!

If I’m sad over a fandom/media thing, then I need to be able to sit with my sadness alone. Being able to work through my thoughts by myself is really helpful, and I honestly enjoy it whenever it happens!

If I’m sad over real life stuff, I need to talk to people. Mostly I need to know that I’m not alone—that other people have experienced what I’ve experienced, that I’m human, etc. I tend to self-isolate whenever I’m depressed/anxious, so hearing someone tell me that they can relate to my struggles is really really important.

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (21-27 Apr 2024)

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

😊 rounding third, sliding home. (througheden) - 68K, enjoyable steddie AU with pro baseball player Steven & massage therapist Eddie

🥰 Daddy Issues (His Boy Next Door #39) (RJ Moray) - reread; just a big fan of Jack & Channon & their ongoing story!

🥰 Common Ground (His Boy Next Door #40) (RJ Moray) - LOVE that Jack & Ewan are finding some common ground - really love that this series is showing how two people who don't particularly care for each other can work to find connection for the sake of the people they DO love

😍 ACT-verse series (ann_anotherthing) - truly outstanding series about middle-aged Steddie getting a 2nd chance romance after their first one flamed out 25 yrs earlier. Full series is 117K but it starts with A Certain Type (54K), which is a fully complete story with satisfying HEA - the rest are flashback fics or wonderfully indulgent epilogue/vignettes, full of fluffy and delicious porn. The author confesses to basically turning them into her middle-aged OCs but 1) I think her projections of their characters in middle-age with these particular life experiences seem reasonably plausible and more importantly 2) I don't fucking care because this story and these characters (main & supporting) are AMAZING.

💖💖 +227K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

When you stop being a ghost in a shell (Bittersweet_in_Boston) - MCU: Stucky, 12K - Hydra finds Steve in 1952 & then they have The Asset and The Captain. Except they really should have known better than to ever let them see one another.

Where the Sunflowers Grow (AidaRonan) - Stranger Things: Buckingham, 30K - incredible Chrissy recovery fic with bonus Buckingham. Just. So Fucking Good.

Early Returns (rageprufrock) - Inception: Arthur/Eames, 15K - fabulous AU where Arthur's an editor who has everything on lock, dammit & Eames is a reporter who wants to mess him up. Also the newsroom is nothing but a high-pressure high school when it comes to gossip.

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Murdoch Mysteries - s16, e14-20

Um, Actually - s9, e5; s1, e3, 4, 6-20

Game Changer - s6, e6

Smartypants - s1, e1

Ghosts (US) - s3, e9

D20: Fantasy High: Junior Year - "Untapped Rage" (s21, e16)

D20: Adventuring Party - "Honor the Cock" (s16, e16)

Dead Boy Detectives - s1, e1-3

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

Worlds Beyond Number - WWW #13: Of the Gentle Sea

Worlds Beyond Number: Fireside - Fireside Chat for WWW ep13 "Of the Gentle Sea"

Worlds Beyond Number - WWW #14: There is an Ocean Vaster Than This One

Worlds Beyond Number: Fireside - Fireside Chat for WWW ep14 "There is an Ocean Vaster Than This One"

99% Invisible - The Power Broker #04: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

What Next: TBD - The Internet Archive Endangered

⭐ The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Tree Week: A Tasty Tale about Meyer Lemons

⭐ The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Tree Week: Love Letters

The Sporkful - Priya Krishna Writes The Kids Cookbook She Wished She'd Had

The Allusionist - 193. Word Play 3: Lemon Demon

WikiHole - Cicadas…LIVE (with Matt Rogers, Carl Tart and Claudia O'Doherty)

In Defense of Fandom - Season 2 Episode 3: Fanfiction fixit data

Vibe Check - Her Mediocrity Cannot Touch Me

Code Switch - How Jewish Communities Are Divided Over Support of Israel

Short Wave - Beavers Can Help With Climate Change. So How Do We Get Along?

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Tree Week: Oh, the places you will go …. to see these notable trees

⭐ Decoder Ring - Making Real Music for a Fake Band

Ologies with Alie Ward - Columbidology (PIGEONS? YES) Part 2 with Rosemary Mosco

All Songs Considered - Cruel songs for the cruelest month

Pop Culture Happy Hour - What Makes A Good Sex Scene?

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Tree Week: Killer Trees with Mary Roach

Shedunnit - Agatha Christie's Many Houses

⭐ 99% Invisible #579 - Towers of Silence

Worlds Beyond Number: Fireside - Fireside Chat: Sound and Music Talkback Extravaganza: The Sound and the Fury: Music is All Around Us Volume 1

Dear Prudence - My love language with friends is touch, but it makes my partner jealous. Help!

Worlds Beyond Number - Fireside Chat for Chapter 1 of The Wizard the Witch and the Wild One

⭐ Endless Thread - The Jackie Show

Worlds Beyond Number: Fireside - Fireside Chat for LEVELING UP (1 to 2)

Today, Explained - Honey, We Saved the Bees

Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me! - Renée Elise Goldsberry

⭐ Hit Parade - The Bridge: What Made Them Beautiful

History Is Sexy - Episode #86 - Napoleon III

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

'80s Pop Party

Village People radio

[fanficfanattic]

What’re your top 3:

• Secondary team members

• Cheeses

• Places you’ve visited

• Episodes of Ted Lasso

I love you so much!

Second Team:

Declan Cockburn is my number 1 forever. Followed by Sasha Kukoč because he is so expressive in the background of scenes. Plus rocks a suit. 3rd place would have to be Tom O’Brien because he is such a freak.

Cheeses:

1) goats milk brie

2) muenster

3) mozzarella pearls

Places:

1) Balboa Park in San Diego (honorable mention to a small beach in Oceanside that I had to semi rock climb to get in/out of.)

2) Amsterdam j/k, I have only been to Canada and France outside of the US. Wait. And the Bahamas. That’s actually the one (1) cruise I went on that we talked about before. It was a Disney cruise that my grandma took my dad’s side of the family on. I got to watch The Sixth Sense every night for nearly a week. That wasn’t my real favorite though. Victorian Tea Regina - Government House Historical Society is my actual answer. It was so, so good.

3) The castle in France my friend got married in. Trying to find a link to it but I cannot remember the name off the top of my head. And French is not a language that I have any skill in lololol.

Ted Lasso Episodes:

1) Sunflowers

2) Mom City

3) The Signal

Sleepover Saturday Asks

[lunar-years]

*Episode 3x05 was voted off this 10-option limit poll by virtue of it having the lowest IMBD rating of the bunch. If it was your favorite episode, please drop that in the tags!

[carefulfears]

so saw your tweet about space. i mostly just think it's boring but i would love to see what you have to say about it !!

it is boring lmao. but i always really enjoy watching it. i have no deeper reason honestly i just like it. this is one that's very subjective i suppose, but i don't think it deserves to be disliked as much as it is, it's a good time!

it's very classic season one, opening on mulder and scully sitting on the steps outside eating sunflower seeds (being best friends) before they meet up with michelle generoo, mission control communications commander for NASA.

michelle believes that the space shuttle preparing to launch, on which her fiancé is shuttle commander, has been tampered with. she suspects that someone inside the space program might be sabotaging it, and has come to mulder and scully for help.

upon arriving in houston, mulder and scully cuddle up on this transpo to chat terrorism, the fall of the soviet union, and alien civilizations (best friend things)

when they make their way down the hall, mulder points out the posters that they're passing, recognizing the specific missions and telling her about them.

when they go to meet colonel belt, the man in charge of the launch, mulder giddily shakes his hand, grinning and stuttering as he introduces himself as a "big fan," tells belt that he was "a big hero" to him as a kid, and that he had stayed up all night when he was 14 to watch belt's space walk.

y'all!!!! this shit is so cute!!!!!

i love how much mulder just loves space, that this is something that's just for him, not about his family or rooted in anything traumatic. it's not even about the x-files or aliens, it pre-dates his interest in anything paranormal. it's just something that he loved as a kid.

when they go to leave, mulder says "it was an honor, sir," and scully quips "did you wanna get his autograph?" (best friends)

YOU GUYSSSSS i give up on the plot!! there is nothing to the plot of this episode!!! it's just mulder getting to go on a little field trip and i LOVE it!!!!

scully is so unbothered and unimpressed. mulder is giving michelle a thumbs up as though he is central to this space mission.

they watch the launch, and everything seems to go alright, as colonel belt is insistent that there is no issue with the shuttle. mulder doesn't believe that the colonel could possibly endanger the lives of his own men, and is inclined to agree that the report of sabotage is likely baseless.

mulder and scully head back to the hotel, goofing around the whole way. she starts off sarcastic and dismissive, though she can't help but break a smile at how gleeful he is as he talks her ear off about how "exciting" the launch was.

there is no other season where they could do this, just have fun and enjoy being together and what they're working on. they really are two kids on a field trip.

michelle chases them down at the hotel and tells them that there's a problem with the shuttle and they need to go back, but as they're following her back to NASA her car is run off the road by a figure she sees in the windshield.

i love this shot here of her holding onto mulder and him helping her out. one thing about women who need help, they instantly know they can trust him.

they make it back to NASA and a bunch of ghost alien shit happens, i suppose...they've lost contact with the shuttle and are unable to maneuver them into a safe position.

the next few scenes are fairly intense, as they are unsure of the fate of the astronauts and colonel belt continues to insist that the payload must be delivered, possibly jeopardizing the lives of the men in favor of appearances and money.

a moment for this episode's squad...mulder's goofy tie, scully's red pantsuit, michelle's cute sweater

he's sooo sad that his childhood hero is doing government cover-ups literally god forbid he have anything

when it's time for the shuttle to attempt reentry, michelle doubts that colonel belt has the best interest of the astronauts (including her fiancé) at heart, as the shuttle loses oxygen and they cannot find belt, the only person with the experience to know what to do.

meanwhile, belt has been having flashbacks to his own mission, where ghost alien shit happened, i suppose.

mulder and scully locate belt and bring him to mission control, as mulder continues to defend him throughout the ordeal, contending that as an astronaut himself he would never risk his own men. that he's the one who put them up there, he doesn't want them to die.

scully searches files at NASA and finds evidence that colonel belt knew about the shuttle's faulty valve, and went forward with the launch anyway, as belt continues to struggle with ghost alien possession things and collapses in his office.

while EMTs arrive, mulder pushes belt for information, telling him that he is going to save those men, and belt says that they need to change the shuttle's trajectory if it is going to survive reentry.

despite communication issues, they relay this message to the astronauts, who by the skin their teeth successfully land the shuttle at the last moment. mulder is the first to start clapping, and even scully has the biggest grin when news comes that they made it home.

mulder is a vital part of this space mission, actually!!

michelle is a sweet side character, i love these little friends they meet along the way.

his tie 😭❤😭❤😭

on my first watch, this scene offered so much insight into mulder for me. i still think of it often.

in the end, colonel belt has passed away, and mulder tells scully that something had possessed him in space. that he didn't really want to hurt those men or sabotage that launch, and that he thinks it was actually belt that warned michelle.

now, belt did effectively nothing but prioritize the payload and block their investigation. they found evidence that he was the one who sabotaged not just this shuttle, but others. mulder had to practically drag the information that ends up saving the astronauts out of him.

even if he wasn't sabotaging the launch out of his own volition, mulder still doesn't really have any reason to believe that he had benevolent intent, or that he secretly did want to save those men.

but as he later says in quagmire, he just sees hope in things like that.

[flowerfan2]

Episode codas making up a continuous Ted/Trent story for Season 3.

Why did we see so little of Trent in 3.11 - and why wasn’t he at the Manchester game?  Chapter 11 addresses those questions and more...

Read on A03 here; read all of the episode codas for Season 3 starting here.

Chapter 11

The fact that Trent can’t be at the Manchester match is just one of the many things frustrating him today, coming in a close second to his daughter’s best friend’s mother’s penchant for requiring every single event her children participate in to be photographed from start to finish.  For once he’d like to show up with Darla to a school play or field trip without having to cajole his sweet but unruly child into posing with Murgatroyd approximately one thousand times before the day’s activities can begin.

“Her name isn’t Murgatroyd,” Darla says, smiling and biting her lip in that adorable way that makes Trent’s insides bubble.  

“Maybelline, perhaps,” Trent says, straightening a crooked barrette that is struggling to contain Darla’s wavy dark locks.  She’s got the Crimm hair, lucky thing.

“No, Daddy,” Darla laughs endearingly at their game.  “It’s not Maybelline either.  Don’t you know anything?”

“Mackenzie with three k’s?”

“No, you’re still wrong!”  Darla throws her head back and cackles, and Trent grabs her up and spins her around, her skinny legs flying.  The best friend in question, Maribelle, runs up and begs for a turn, and Trent obliges.  He adores Darla, and loves spending time with her in her element, joyful and silly as she plays with her gaggle of classmates.  

This is, Trent knows, at the heart of Ted’s pain.  His distance from his son is killing him, and Trent is fully aware.  He’s pretty sure that Ted knows it too.  He’s also pretty sure that it’s what has kept Ted from committing to their relationship, and Trent can’t even fault him for it.  

If Trent had to choose Darla or the possibility of a new relationship, he’d choose Darla.  Hands down, every time.

Trent and the other parents are invited into the classroom where they all take seats on too-small plastic chairs.  Soon the children come to the front of the room in groups of two or three and present their science projects, each having something to do with nature.  Darla and Marlene had chosen to study sunflowers, a choice that Darla claims has nothing to do with the fact that Ted told her it was his favorite flower.  They hold up a poster on which they have (with much adult assistance) drawn pictures that show what a seed looks like and how the flower looked when it first started growing, and then they proudly reveal the live sunflower that they actually grew, standing tall in a heavy flowerpot that Trent, of course, had the honor of carrying to school today.

The presentations continue, but Trent is for obvious reasons less interested in the other children’s projects.  He pulls his phone out of his trouser pocket and sends a quick text to Ted.  <i>Good luck today.  Hope your mum enjoys the game.</i>

<i>Thanks.  But Dottie didn’t come, guess she wanted to relax.</i>

This strikes Trent as odd, but he doesn’t say anything.  He’s beyond glad that he had a chance to meet Dottie yesterday.  It’s tantalizing, getting a little glimpse into what made Ted into the charmingly unusual person he is today.  Trent doesn’t pretend, however, to know what’s actually going on between Ted and Dottie.  He has an idea, but any real conversation about it is not suited for text, especially not mere hours before one of the most important games in Richmond’s season.

Ted has told him a bit about his father, mostly the crucial part about his death.  Ted’s also told him that he’s only recently been able to confront his feelings about their relationship, and how his father’s suicide affected him.  It’s a hurt that Ted carries with him every day, barely hidden beneath the surface of his affable persona.  Trent thinks it carries over into Ted’s relationship with Henry as well, infusing Ted’s insecurities about parenting with an additional weight of grief, but that’s a difficult subject to broach with your sort-of boyfriend who has one foot out the door anyway.

Last weekend when Trent dropped Darla off at Lisa’s, his ex-wife had pulled him inside and plied him with merlot and manchego until Trent finally relented and gave her the update on the situation with Ted.  Lisa looked at him pityingly when he admitted that things were far from solid, and no, they haven’t <i>talked</i> about it like the adults they supposedly are.  He then reminded Lisa that they had hardly ever talked about the state of their relationship either, despite also being adults, at which point Lisa pointed out that they were now divorced, which Trent had to admit wasn’t a point in favor of the non-talking strategy.

After all of Darla’s classmates have finished their presentations, Trent takes Darla home, gives her a snack, and lets her flop on the couch with an iPad while he watches Richmond play Manchester on his laptop.  He can hardly breathe through it, the tension mounting even higher when Jamie gets hurt.  He watches Ted’s decision to continue with just ten players on the field, and marvels over the team’s resilience as they persist in defending their goal while waiting to see if Jamie can return.  Van Damme is remarkable.

When Jamie gets up and limps back on to the pitch, Trent can almost feel his own ankle throb in sympathy. But then it’s as if nothing is wrong at all – in fact, everything is more right than it’s ever been, and Jamie scores a goal just moments before the game ends.  It’s utterly fantastic.  The stuff that Richmond fans only dream of.  Mae and the lads down at the pub must be going wild.

Trent sends off a quick congratulatory text to Ted and then goes back to madly typing notes about the game. He’s so excited he keeps spelling things wrong and he can’t even bring himself to care.  His publisher is going to love this – the book about Richmond was bound to have an audience regardless of how the season ended, but the fact that Ted Lasso’s team could now win the whole thing makes the story that much more enticing.  And marketable.

Trent reminds himself to use this as leverage when he meets with his agent tomorrow.  He’s floated a few ideas for what comes next after the Richmond book, and now is an excellent time to get buy-in.

Ted replies to Trent’s text a little while later, asking if he can stop by Trent’s place when they get back to town.  <i>Can’t stay long,</i> Ted says, <i>but it don’t seem right not celebrating this with you.</i>

Trent tells him he doesn’t have to, to go spend time with his mother, but Ted insists.  And Trent really isn’t that strong.  

It is indeed a whirlwind visit, Ted barely through the door before he does a quick 360 look around to see where Darla is (asleep, Trent informs him) and then kisses Trent soundly, his hands on Trent’s cheeks and his hips slanted against Trent’s own.

“You are a marvel,” Trent breathes out when Ted gives him a chance, and Ted just grins, loose and happy.

“I didn’t do anything, I just sat on the sidelines on my butt.”

“You gave your team the permission and the space to grow, and supported them all along the way.”

“The Lasso way,” Ted says cheekily, and Trent gives him a smacking kiss for it.

“Indeed.”

“No, really, I just stood there and watched.  But boy howdy, am I proud of those men.”

“As well you should be.”  Trent tugs Ted into the living room and sits him down on the couch.  “How’s Jamie doing?  That was quite a recovery.”

“Roy and Keeley are looking after him.  Last I saw, the three of them were drinking champagne together while Jamie iced his foot.  Looking rather cozy, actually.”

“You must believe me now, don’t you, about Roy and Jamie being friends?”  Even as Trent says it, he runs Ted’s words over in his head.  “Or, possibly… more than friends?”

Ted shakes his head and throws up his hands.  “Maybe?” he says, his voice going high.  “Things are so far past what I ever expected, I have no idea anymore.”  He collapses in a slump against Trent’s chest.  “Can you please tell me I have to stay here tonight?  Make up some excuse, you’re creative.  You’ll come up with something.”

Trent strokes Ted’s back.  “Not looking forward to the evening with your mother?”

“In a word?”  Ted looks up at Trent.  “No, nope, nada.”

“That’s three words.”

“But they mean the same thing.”  Ted sighs.  “She clearly has something to say to me.  I wish she’d just spit it out.”

“She probably thinks the same about you.”

Ted starts to protest, and then gives up.  “How do you know me so well?”

<i>I pay attention to everything about you,</I>  Trent wants to say, <i>because I’m in love with you,</i> but he manages to keep that little confession to himself and focus on Ted’s concerns about his mother.  “Maybe it’s time for both of you to say whatever it is you’ve been wanting to say.”

“I just can’t picture the words coming out of my mouth.  Gee, mom, you weren’t there for me when dad died, and I’ve never gotten over it.  Pretty awful thing to say to the woman who raised you, don’t you think?”

“More awful than letting it poison your relationship with her for all these years?”

“Ouch.”  Ted snorts.  “Did you get free sessions with Dr. Sharon too?  Because I don’t remember seeing the bill for that.”

“As if you ever see any bills.”

“Touché.”  Ted glances down at his watch and groans.  “I really do have to go.  At least I’ll get dinner out of it.”

“Are you implying that I don’t feed you properly?”

“Since my culinary skills revolve around frozen pizza and chicken fingers, that would be mighty hypocritical of me.”  Ted sighs and stands up, slapping his hands on his thighs.  “Time to face the music.”

Trent accompanies Ted to the door, where he pulls him close.  Ted returns the hug, tightening his hold and digging his chin into Trent’s neck.  After a long moment spent breathing each other in, Ted pulls back to give Trent a sweet kiss.  

“Enjoy your time with your mother as best you can, Ted,” Trent says.  “But do what you need to do to take care of yourself, too.”

“Ain’t that the challenge, though?  Doin’ what I should to keep her happy, without sacrificing…” He trails off, pressing a hand to his chest.  “It’s hard to see where what I need fits into all of it.  I’ve never been good at that.”

“It’s never to late to start, sweetheart,” Trent says softly.  “You deserve it.”

[kawaiilizzie]

Happy Birthday Shion!

I’ve been discussing birthdays for my characters with Tale of @tokuteasings​ and settled on today being Shion’s birthday. So, in honor of her, have some short and sweet fluff centering on her celebrating with Kaede and everyone else.

Warnings: None really aside from implied spoilers for Saber up to episode 35.

Mother’s Day didn’t seem like a big deal to Shion. Except for helping her friends at college pick out gifts for their own moms. She knew she would really feel the love when she becomes a mother herself, so she wasn’t really bothered by it.

However, the day to celebrate mothers also meant that her birthday, just three days after Mother’s Day, was around the corner. Shion considered herself lucky it was only one week after the birthday of her beloved princess Kaede on the ninth of May.

The last few days have been insane. She thought. I wonder if Kae-chan and the others had time to prepare for my birthday after what the Sword of Logos’ deluded leader tried to pull off if at all.

Luckily for her, any concerns she had disappeared when she entered the Northern Base and was greeted with party poppers going off around her, covering her in confetti and streamers.

“Happy birthday Shion!” Everyone shouted together, clapping their hands and cheering.

“Y-You guys remembered!” She laughed, removing confetti and streamers off herself.

“Of course we did, Shion-chan.” Kaede said with a smile, putting a silver tiara on her head. “We would never forget.”

“Here you go Shion! I had it made special just for you~” Mei said, holding out a delicious looking cake, a single candle glowing on top of it, and decorated with large pink roses made of icing and a chocolate plague reading Happy birthday Shion!

“Now, blow out your candle and make a wish!” Touma told her, holding out his phone along with Kaede to take a picture of the moment. Shion nodded, and blew out the candle, Homura and Naoto cheering and everyone else clapping when she did.

“Congratulations, Espada.” Sophia said with a gentle smile.

Shion returned the smile. “Thank you, Sophia.”

“Here, let me take this before something happens to it and we can’t eat any of it.” Tetsuo offered, taking the cake away with Naoto following him cheerfully.

Kaede walked up to Shion, holding out a bouquet of flowers consisting of red and pink roses, white lilies, and sunflowers. “Here, I picked out the flowers myself.”

“Thanks, Kae-chan.” Shion said, taking the bouquet from her. “The Shindais are on Rider duty to keep an eye on Master Logos, right?”

“Yeah. Should he make a move, they’ll let us know.” Kaede confirmed. “For now, your happiness is essential.”

Shion blushed pink at being acknowledged as important by her roommate. This felt a lot like the fairytales she loved as a child. She imagined Kaede looking at her lovingly, dressed in a beautiful white and pink dress fit for a princess, herself in a similar fairytale dress. She has been planning to confess her feelings for a while now, and she intends to tell Kaede soon.

“Kaede, everyone is waiting for you and the birthday girl.” Yukina called out, snapping Shion out of her thoughts.

“We’ll share the photos with Kento and Yamina later.” Raito added. “Hopefully seeing you guys happy will convince them that there is hope.”

“Alright, come on Shion-chan, time to cut your cake!” Kaede told her, holding out a hand to Shion.

Shion accepted her hand and held it tightly as the two went to join the others for a celebratory toast and food.

[captainaikus]

Ohhh okay that’s a relief. No worries I’m not going anywhere!!! 😊😊 Just don’t forget to take breaks between all the hectic and busy stuff too okay?? I’m sure you’ll do great on your test 😤😤. AND YES YOURE TAKING BREAKS THATS AWESOME YOU ABSOLUTELY DESERVE THEM!!!! Ooooo which psychological horror movies if I may ask? Oh? 👀 Yandere Nagi you say?? 👀👀👀

I’ve been working on that surprise for you!!! I wanna edit it a bunch and make sure it’s as perfect as I can get it to be. Because half the time I either post my works at 4 am in the morning after speed writing after inspiration hit me or I look over it once and get tired halfway through the second time and just hit post adhjgfjjhhgfgghh 💀💀.

Thank youuuuu!!!! I was debating on which to pick of the thousand screenshots from my camera roll 😭😭. Very hard decision he looks gorgeous in literally every angle and lighting and scene like SIR??? I also changed the theme of my blog in honor of the first episode of the second season finally being released!! Tell me what you think 🥰. Surprisingly I haven’t made a single post abt the first episode yet because I’ve just been on a rebloging spree since it first came out. LET ME TELL YOU RN BELLE THE ROLLERCOASTER OF EMOTIONS I WENT THROUGH YESTERDAY AND LAST WEEK IT FELT LIKE MY BRAIN WAS ETERNALLY VIBRATING WITH EXCITEMENT ADHJHFGJHVCKK. Anyways ✨. I’m gonna be making sooooo many TR posts soon just you wait as soon as my energy goes down a bit enough for me to type abt it my entire page is gonna be full of TR ashkjfgkkfffjkgf you’ve been warned 😭😭💀. Remember to take breaks and drink water and eat snacks love!!! *sends many virtual*

- ✨ anon

*sigh of relief* my test was alright T.T Its news to everyone that I'm taking a break — and its also giving off the impression that i am a workaholic which isn't wrong... So i watched psycho and vertigo by alfred hitchcock... yes. i am THAT old (the shower scene in psycho is so iconic not to mention everyone was on a bates motel high) And yes. Yandere Nagi — based on another movie I watched (this one is pretty old too) but. the more i think about it... the more hotter the story is getting in my head. This might be a mini series tho — cause the storyline is damn complicated and i wanna take my time with it, write it well and then post it on my ao3. Ooohh I know that feeling !! Half the time I'm looking like a maniac typing away at 3 in the morning cause that's when my inspo kicks in and then i land up with less sleep. smh— You have me on the edge of my seat *wipes of sweat* but please take your time and don't rush !! And honestly? same with me too. I write things, don't feel like beta reading it. *reads it later* How do people even like this? o.o AND. I. ADORE. YOUR BLOG THEME!! Ahh !! Sunflowers!! And i lowkey think that everyone is starting to like kazutora but at the same time with the kind of character development he has? 100% deserves the thirst and I think i just got struck with an idea for him... *notes down*

Look at me creating work for myself — *sending hugs back*

[nancypullen]

Moon Dance

Last night was a marvelous night for a moon dance (I love that song!) and because our house is situated in a way that doesn't allow for my favorite past time of moongazing (it breaks my heart) we took a little drive. Winding up, down, and around on narrow country roads, we arrived at the Choptank Marina to watch the Strawberry Moon come up over the water. Lest you think that this was in any way a romantic outing, think again.

I sat on a bench while the mister snapped away. Someday I'll bury him with that camera. I think he'd rather lose a leg than his trusty Sony. My little phone camera could not do justice to that big, beautiful moon, so I'm sharing Mickey's photo.

After plenty of time admiring bella luna, we decided to head home. Since the moon didn't really rise until after 9, it was pushing 10 o'clock when we started the car. The older I get the later that feels. Taking the same winding roads on the way back, Mickey asked if I wanted to stop at a farm stand full of summer squash that I'd noticed on the way in...when there was daylight. I scoffed and said that it was too dark and I'd probably get shot. He assured me that he'd just point the headlights at the stand and I'd be fine. I've seen enough Dateline episodes to know a set up when I see one. Still, the lure of a big bag of yellow squash was too tempting. The stand is on the honor system, so you just put your cash in a metal lock box. Mickey lit me up with the headlights and I got busy stuffing a bag with pretty crooknecks. Our car radio filled the night with 80's tunes and the price list made me feel like it really was the 80's again. Cheap!

With the moon on one side and Mickey on the other, I was center stage. I snapped that pic after hopping back in the car. Beyond the veggie stand there's a field of u-pick flowers, mostly zinnias and sunflowers. You could grab dinner and a centerpiece here! Anywho, this morning after breakfast I cooked up about half the squash.

This is just good ol' southern stewed yellow squash and I love it. All you do is dice up a sweet onion, throw a 1/4 cup of butter into a deep skillet, and sauté the onion with plenty of salt and pepper. When the onion is tender just toss in your squash, clap the lid on, and let it simmer for about twenty minutes. No water necessary, squash is one of those veggies that is mostly water anyway. I had a bowl for lunch and it was delicious. Since the squash is so healthy ( vitamins A, B6, C, as well as potassium, fiber, magnesium, folate, riboflavin, phosphorus, and manganese) we'll just pretend that the butter doesn't count.

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

2 cups chopped sweet onion

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 lb. yellow squash, sliced 1/4-in. thick (about 7 small) So simple!

My mother-in-law makes really good stewed squash because she takes the time to brown her squash a bit in a skillet first. I'm too lazy for that, though - and my method works just fine. That's what's shaking here on this steamy Saturday night. Mickey is watching the Braves lose to the Yankees and I'm tapping away on my laptop, talking to you. Life in the fast lane. It's not particularly glamorous or romantic, but he's willing to shine his headlights on me while I stuff squash into a bag on a lonely country road - if that's not love I don't know what is. I'm positive that if a shot rang out or if Bigfoot grabbed me he would have immediately floored it to get help. He'd probably write a lovely obituary for me too. No one would be surprised that I died while gathering food. Well, it's that time of night where I can't stand having this bra on for one more minute - so I'll head upstairs for a bath and a book. I'll meet you back here tomorrow to talk more nonsense. Thanks for listening. Sending out plenty of love, hope you feel it. Stay safe, stay well. XOXO, Nancy

[krispyweiss]

“Dark Star” is There in Spirit in “Darkstarathon” Episode 3

Spoiler alert - there’s no “Dark Star” in episode 3 of “Darkstarathon.”

Phil Lesh & Friends - the former Grateful Dead bassist; guitarists Grahame Lesh and Stu Allen; keyboardist Jason Crosby; drummer John Molo; and singer Elliott Peck - hint at the elusive song a few times. But despite “Dark Star” being the only entry on the setlist (there’s a photo) there’s no “Dark Star” in the 45-minute, in-studio performance.

In its place are Grateful Dead songs and pieces of Grateful Dead songs in a continuous improvisation that contains the spirit of the titular song. One highlight among many: Grahame Lesh doesn’t sing lead on one number, ceding that duty to Allen, Peck and Lesh the elder. The latter leads “Mountains of the Moon,” appearing at the 15-minute mark and squeezed between bits of “Spanish Jam” and the “Star.”

Other songs that peek out but don’t materialize include “Let it Grow,” “The Other One” and “Here Comes Sunshine,” the latter leading to a quiet, quite pretty, bit of delicate improv that ends the video when the band’s leader exhales with satisfaction after coming down from this long strange trip.

While Allen sings “Loser” and “China Cat Sunflower,” Peck is the brightest light at the mic. She honors Pigen’s legacy on a bouncy “Mr. Charlie” and sings “New Speedway Boogie” - which the band imbues with jazzy, between-verse interludes - with righteous anger that seems to indicate she witnessed the atrocities at Altamont.

Peck was not yet born when Altamont happened. Perhaps the senior Lesh, the only one of these musicians who was there, told her about it.

Read Sound Bites’ previous “Darkstarathon” coverage here.

6/17/24

[meanwhileinstasiville]

Silver cooper at soroptimist, and since my friend who died was English; let's go over this.

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/TheLastAmericanVirgin (Janneke is in here, and that's not the point but a movie that matters)

A cooper there means

• A food pantry that's empty but for yellow stuff

• A soundtrack indicative of musical theater, in Market of Choice *right time wrong me chorus* in exact synch with my coming through the checkout, complete with *won't stop raining* *soul so in despair, woman stalker from lithia park standing behind me in yellow* *empty pleas for contact, lyrics about crying*

And phil would have had better luck with "The second flavor of this occurs in the Cowboy Bebop episode "The Real Folk Blues (Part 1)", when Vicious kills the leaders of the Red Dragon and takes over the syndicate, executing one of them by slashing him across the eyes and making him "shed tears of scarlet".

Although, his sf MO was in all probability closer to "While the team celebrates Helen Morton's promotion to DCI, Annie meets someone in a restaurant, calls Banks from an alley nearby, and she is stabbed after telling him where she is. Banks and the team begin the painful job of finding out exactly who was responsible for Annie's death."

(London kings road skinheads *love those chef's knives*, and wouldn't you know it, it's where skinheads are from) But I digress.

A soundtrack at *MoC* like that means

•Something in the vicinity of the palm inn, a sweeper with a blower blowing crap into my eyes, as I reached the span of the turn in, see crying above

•A car stalker, notable for not being one, but several short distance to mountain avenue *where a yellow honda* was waiting to turn down mountain, AND a yellow motorcycle but not before *BOTH* 211-gah AND 122668

A palm inn experience like that one forecasts,

•A soundtrack at Safeway, and boy is there, Lionel Richie "you need to forget about me" in musical theater synch as I go through with *one item* "Does the music ever make you crazy?" I ask the *Filipino* cashier who's open

(Safeway had Don't You Forget About Me the last time I was in there, I think)

Safeway like that can only mean,

•A set of people who are supposed to look like me, either in dress or nose (a broken nose of ten or more times; always the stuff you're sensitive about) Ashland library staged and ready to go combatively when I walk in the door

(A ryan as reference girl is wearing stripes but the *shelver spy* ryan got a job here, hasn't tried to crowd me, yet. "You would die" she said when I offered that this was a way (her behavior) that ryan could get killed and that was *a very long time ago*)

And yes, would ryan have gone after Janneke in highschool or whatever, he would've been the idiot at the pawn shop from that movie. Sex makes men dumb, but *only the heterosexual ones* would agree Chris Horton.

And yes, this shit is *every day*, as the food pantry downstairs was empty and "hunger is the best spice" was the top promoted Google result when I searched the Real Folk Blues quote. So ***what*** exactly *is* ms13??? Is it Chicago's CIA or something?

Afterword, a sunflower girl I *randomly* encounter around a park often (read always) contain one of the following,

•"You should steal things and then sell them" entrapment

•"You're saying you're a murderer??" implication and in response to *any reference to violence past present news future*

•"You're a robot" discredit-ish

*fat librarian flashes "heart" "honor the wild" book covers in rapid succession* how's your health, ryan?

• "I'm a wood rabbit" saloon girl reference to "being chased around a track" diminutive

• "It's a pimp" in reference to a mark on her face

(Her attempts at giving me the "Gang Leader for a Day" experience that Indian guy wrote a book about, and that I read in one sitting at the talent library years ago)

It's not getting the hell killed out of myself by a street gang, so I can complain but it doesn't mean anything until I'm dead.

•She "likes to lay in the grass", prostitution costs money that she thinks I have and that would snk attract the attention of the fbi or something, story of my life; people *only ever* interact with me because they want something.

It's going to turn out to israel or something, isn't it, ms13? Escobar was based on england's opium trade in China and was reputed to be semitic himself; hope you guys know what you're doing, Charlton Heston caused a lot of mass shootings with one NRA speech.

All those cars piss me off because an empire of atrocities has finally taken over Ashland, I guess. My late friend thought the Chinese were going to save the world.

[ccult-of-personality]

love is very adorable, isn't it? we tend to pick something we didn't remember choosing before. like when we ordered "black forest, please" to the cashier, due to our subconscious already noted that they love black forest. or when we listened and actually enjoyed some pop punk songs when we are actually into jazz. or when we chose longe route just to see their fifty-seconds-passing-by. or when we found ourselves already watched 50 episodes of freaky looking animation when we actually hated indescribable creatures saying indescribable things. or when we planted sunflower when yellow is actually too bright for us to see. adorable, isn't it? some logical people called it stupid, i choose to call it adorable. the only act of being stupid is to be constantly in denial for all the joy you are honored to feel when you are in love.

[beauty-and-passion]

Time to talk about the flower shirt

You read the title. Time to talk about this.

This is the infamous flower shirt Thomas put on in his store and, since the fandom is the fandom, everyone started to speculate about those flowers.

At first, I didn’t want to do it. They’re just flowers and other people already talked about them, so what could I possibly add to the conversation?

But while I was writing about Orange, I had to talk a moment about the orange flower. It was supposed to be a small parenthesis, just a couple of words about that.

But then I looked at the other flowers and what other people told/not told about them and how some didn’t find Patton’s flower... so here I am, adding my two cents to this theme.

You needed it? Probably not. Well, I’m writing it anyway.

So let’s take a closer look at those flowers and see each one in detail:

__________________________________

Roman: Red rose

Should I really explain why it’s perfect for Roman? Red roses are the universal symbol of love. Basically in all cultures red roses symbolize passion, true love, romance and desire. Also, according to this website, even the shade has a meaning! In fact, the deeper the red shade is, the stronger is the passion.

And even the number of red roses has a meaning! In this case, we have only one single red rose and that "represents love at first sight, or if it’s coming from a long-term partner, they are saying “you are still the one”.”

You know what that made me think? About Thomas telling Roman “You’re my hero”. A perfect symbol that he was “still the one” for Thomas.

__________________________________

Orange: Lantana camara

This is an incredibly peculiar flower.

Lantana Camara symbolizes severity and rigour. And this alone can be analyzed in all possible ways, but there are other interesting details about this plant I think it's worth mentioning.

Lantana is toxic for livestock, such as cattle, sheep, horses, dogs and goats. According to Wikipedia, previous studies suggested it could be toxic for humans too, especially the green unripe berries. However "other studies have found evidence which suggests that its fruit poses no risk to humans".

Lantana is a freaking invasive plant. In some areas, it's so predominant, to reduce biodiversity, because its presence "can significantly slow down the regeneration of forests, by preventing the growth of new trees". Also, as if this isn't enough, this plant can also produce toxic chemicals which inhibit other plant species.

Lantana has also a great adaptability, that helped it to be so invasive: it can live in a wide range of different environmental conditions, it can survive long periods without water, heck it's even resistant to fire. It's not a plant you can underestimate. Like Orange, I assume.

But Lantana isn't just an invasive plant. Lantana has always been used for medical purposes, because it showed good antimicrobial, fungicidal and insecticidal properties and its extract helps against respiratory infections and ulcers.

Also, since it doesn't have many pests or diseases, lantana became a common ornamental plant. It even attracts butterflies!

In other words: isn't that the perfect plant to symbolize the double nature of a dark side? It can be a threat, change the environment, destroy and even kill. But it can also be a medicine, something useful, something beautiful.

Whoever Orange is, Lantana camara tells us that, whithout a doubt, he’s a dark side.

__________________________________

Janus: Sunflower

Do you think Janus isn't perfect enough as he is? Do you think there's not enough husband material in the snek?

Well, you’re wrong and the sunflower is here to prove it.

Sunflower symbolizes loyalty, adoration, longevity, vitality, worship. Now add this up to the sunflower’s behaviour and how it follows the sun... and you’ll get Janus. Janus literally acts like a sunflower: Thomas is his sun and everything Janus does is for him. His whole existence is centered around Thomas.

But we already knew that, because it's the same message that shone through his playlist. Everything about Janus tells us how much he adores Thomas, from his canonical behavior in the series, to his playlist, to this flower.

Oh, do you need another proof that this is flower is perfect for Janus? Some societies use sunflowers as religious symbols. Ah, some good ol' reference to religion: it’s like being in his playlist all over again.

And, of course, sunflowers are used for a variety of reasons, like cooking oils, skin care and so on. Even the flower says self care.

This man is perfect.

__________________________________

Remus: Green chrysanthemum

Here's another interesting flower.

Chrysanthemum symbolizes death and it’s the typical flower used for funerals. And I thought this was its universal meaning. It was perfect for Remus just like that.

But then I found out that Europeans use chrysanthemums for funerals and to honor the dead. This flower actually has a whole lot of meanings, some completely different from this.

In China, for example, chrysanthemums are associated with wealth, prosperity and long life. Also they're symbols of new life and reincarnations, so they're the perfect gift for old people or newborns.

While in Japan chrysanthemums are symbols of power and royalty. And that's even more fitting for Remus, because he's a Duke, so he is royalty.

But chrysanthemum also symbolizes friendship - and not just "a friendship", but a meaningful one. It's a symbol of loyalty, devotion, romantic/platonic love and, in general, positive energy. It's a flower with an incredibly strong meaning, so it can't be given too lightly.

And this makes it even more perfect for Remus. It's a flower with a huge plurality of meanings, it's both associated with life and death, it's powerful and it's royalty.

Also, you can eat it. Isn't that the perfect Remus flower?

(On a side note: please notice how chrysanthemums and sunflowers are both associated with joy, loyalty and devotion. I would have never considered "joy" a common trait between Janus and Remus while loyalty and devotion... well, they both care about Thomas and his career and they both work for him despite not being accepted, so I can see why those are common traits.)

__________________________________

Patton: Nemophila

Surprise surprise, this flower wasn't easy to find. I’ve never heard of it, so I had to search among endless lists of blue flowers, hoping to find one that would perfectly match the one on the shirt.

And that’s how I found nemophila.

First of all: nemophila is also known as "Baby Blue Eyes" and it's an extremely rare color to find in nature. It’s very famous in Japan, thanks to the Hitachi Seaside Park. Open this link: it’s a literal sea of blue and it’s absolutely gorgeous. Of course, it attracts people every year.

Nemophila represents prosperity, congratulations on success and victory. Not the first things you would associate with Patton, right?

Well, while I was searching more informations about this flower, I found out this website about the essence of Baby Blue Eyes and the passage I quoted down below has the exact same words you can find on that link:

With its pronounced affinity for water, the Baby Blue Eyes flower essences addresses qualities of tender sensitivity, innocence and trust associated one’s early childhood relationship to the father, or other significant masculine figures that are in some way disturbed.

Very often the father was absent, or there was a lack of support or genuine presence. The Baby Blue Eyes type attempts over time to cover this wound of vulnerability with a false “hardening,” such as emotional distancing, mistrust, cynicism or spiritual alienation. It is a flower that can be equally helpful for men or women, although it is especially needed for many men who struggle to become strong, by disowning their pain.

So nemophilia’s essence has qualities associated with childhood, to the father figure and attempts to “repress” and hide emotions.

That’s Patton. That’s him, period. The childhood-related emotions, that are linked to Patton’s longing for “a simpler time”. The mentions of a father figure - who migh be absent or showing lack of support (like, idk, suggesting you should die so your friends live?). And the attempt to “cover the vulnerability” doesn’t remind you anything? Like the Nostalgia episodes?

This flower is Patton.

__________________________________

Logan: Blue petunia

I would like to say, from the bottom of my heart, a huge "FUCK YOU" to this flower, because I spent TWO DAYS searching all the blue flowers in the world and all possible variants, asking myself why this goddamn flower looked so familiar and why it was so hard to find. Blue isn't even a common color in nature, so why couldn't I find it?

I've learned more about blue flowers in these two days than in my entire life. I've searched among flowers I never saw before, like glandora diffusa, leschenaultia and omphalodes verna. I was so desperate to consider this flower a new species, with the petals of a bellflower and the corolla of a morning glory. I even found a goddamn chinese variant of the morning glory that was somehow similar but not that much and why, WHY this was so hard to find?!

And then, after two days and a lot more desperation, I remembered: my dear friend @reptilianwithscallions​ told me about a post they made, regarding this shirt and the flowers. Maybe they had some idea about Logan's flower?

Well, let's all thank my saviour and this post, because otherwise I would've kept searching until the end of my days.

Long story short, Logan's flower is a fucking blue petunia.

And it's a very peculiar choice, because petunias have multiple meanings, several of which can be contradictory.

In general, petunia symbolizes anger and resentment. It reminds someone that you're still angry or disappointed by their actions and you haven’t gotten over the things that caused these feelings.

Oh my, I didn't know we were back in Logan's playlist. It's basically what he kept expressing towards Thomas with his songs: that he was angry at Thomas for his decision, that he doesn't approve that Thomas hasn't "a real job" and so on. Petunia is a flower that screams passive-aggressive, so it's perfect for Logan.

But petunia's meaning deeply changes, depending on the color of the flower. And while petunia in general symbolizes anger, a blue petunia is a symbol of peacefulness, intimacy and deep trust, shared between two or more people. It's so wholesome, because the deep trust reminds me - again - of Logan's playlist and how it ended: no matter what, he and Thomas are always best friends.

Also, petunia flowers have even a secret meaning behind. Since they’re also gifted to new neighbors or to people who have just moved into a new home, they represent a perfect welcome and a way to express affection and kindness to others.

You’re lucky to be so wholesome, you tricky flower.

__________________________________

Virgil: Perennial Geranium

Geranium is a confused flower.

Some of the other flowers have conflicted meanings, but not as much as this flower. These are the most common meanings I found:

Folly or Stupidity

Gentility and kind nature

Clever minds

Ingenuity

Melancholy

Perfect gift for a bride

You can gift it to someone with whom you have planned a meeting 

You can gift it to someone with whom you haven't planned a meeting, just to make them feel welcomed

True Friendship

See? It’s confused.

Aside from jokes, this variety of meanings is due to its great diffusion: since geraniums grow everywhere, every culture gave them a different meaning. And sometimes these meanings depend on the situation too.

Awww, isn't it perfect for Virgil? He can be good and bad at the same time. Anxiety can be bad for Thomas and detrimental for his life, but it can also be the alarm Thomas needs. It depends on the situation.

And, just like geraniums in general symbolize positive emotions, happiness and friendship, so Virgil is in general a good guy. All he does is for Thomas' wellbeing, not against him.

And this is confirmed by the vast use of geranium's essential oil. It's one of the most popular and it has a ton of properties: anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-depressant, decongestant, relaxing and so on. Just like our Virge boy can be incredibly useful under the right circumstances. (Did someone say "Flirting with social Anxiety"?)

Also, geraniums are simple, humble flowers that usually grow outside, but then we take them and make them part of our homes. Once again, it’s Virgil: he's an outsider, he's humble, he talks bad about himself - but Thomas and the others took him and made him part of the famILY anyway.

__________________________________

Thomas: Cherry blossom

I searched this flower everywhere and the only one that looks like the one on the shirt is the cherry blossom. Why did Thomas make a cherry blossom with eight petals, when they all have five? I have no idea. Is this a different flower, maybe? Maybe, but I’m done: I've looked at enough flowers and I don’t have any strength left.

As you probably already know, cherry blossoms are extremely important in Japan. They're beautiful, they're everywhere and they're meaningful.

Why? Because cherry blossoms are considered the perfect metaphor for human existence. When they blossom it's a pink ocean, a party, people go to admire them - but they’re short lived, because in two weeks, the blossoms start to fall. It's just like human life: a small, rich, glorious parenthesis in the void. Something little and precious that ends soon.

But cherry blossoms also symbolize rebirth, optimism, hopes and dreams. When they bloom, it means springtime is coming and spring has always been associated with renewal.

That’s a very good choice for character Thomas. He’s basically a cherry blossom, the whole series is: something that reminds us how beautiful life is, how multi-faceted, how important. Just like Thomas' single being encompasses seven different sides of himself, so life presents a wide range of choices, of aspects, of flavours. All beautiful, all worthy of appreciation, no matter how different they can be from you and your experience.

And this becomes even more important, in relation to the passage of time and the transience of life. Because life is short and, after that, there won't be any more time to appreciate anything.

In addition to that, I would like to point out how the theme of passage of time is something we already saw in the series. And not just one time, but several. Since the first season, we have episodes all around the concept of growing up, growing old, not being a child anymore, becoming an adult. And the last Aside keeps going in this direction. It's clear this is a big theme and its connection with the cherry blossoms proves it.

But why is the flower so different on the shirt? Because Thomas wanted to mess up with us? Probably. Almost certainly. Once again, thank you Mr. Sanders for making me question everything.

The floor is (figuratively) yours now: if you have any other information, thoughts or opinions, feel free to share them.

_______________________________

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[mielesis]

Hiya! Uhm so I believe Apollo is reaching out to me however he is the first ever deity to really reach out with me and I’m not sure where I should start or do and I was wondering if you had any tips or ideas?

[English is not my first language, I am a self-taught person, please understand this goes with my greatest effort from the bottom of my heart and will probably spend hours writing this very carefully for you, thank you <3]

Hi dear, of course, I will be pleased to help you

“I believe Apollo is reaching out to me”

I am deeply happy to hear that, I bet he is -for sure- trying to reach out to you and -I must say- it is truly wonderful to start recieving signs from deities, specially from Apollo as the first deity since he’s really sweet and caring for his children. 

“I’m not sure where I should start or do and I was wondering if you had any tips or ideas?” Of course, it is always a pleasure to help. 

So let’s start with the basics: 

Research ! I recommend you to research about him as much as you can (e.g stories, domains, symbols, offerings, etc.) with that done, it will be easier for you to spot more signs. Research sometimes is the best way to connect with a deity and also that allows you to let them know you are interested in them as well. 

Whenever you feel ready for the next step, I suggest you to tell him properly that you accept him in your life, this can be done by making a playlist, writing, playing an instrument, drawing, etc in his honor (e.g if you chose a playlist, set the intention that the playlist itself is going to be in Apollo’s honor, made with particular songs that reminded you of him or his energy only), I consider that it is important to present yourself as well ! he presented himself to you but you haven´t yet so you can talk to him mentally or out loud (or even when doing something in his honor) and tell him your name and about what you like to do, how you felt with the signs, etc. In my opinion that is a wonderful activity to do. 

Again, only when you feel ready and sure about it, you can begin to create his altar (it can be physical or digital, don´t worry) and it is not necessary to be aesthetically pleasing or buy super expensive things because your altar will be the place where you will leave offerings to Apollo, sincere offerings coming from the bottom of your heart (e.g play a song from spotify that reminded you of him, a flower you picked up from the park, a drawing you made thinking of him, etc.) Therefore every altar is unique, we all make the devotional acts we feel good with and we know that will connect us with Apollo in some way or another. In the case you don’t know where to start with the physical altar, I suggest you to choose a place you feel good with and clean it physically and spiritually, I always tend to choose the north but you can choose any other direction. After you have that done, you can place a table or use a desk, a box, whatever you want or already have that you can use. Choose the things you would like to fill your altar with, (e.g a yellow candle, statue/pictures of Apollo, an offering bowl or anything that could complete the same function, sun/lyre/sunflower imagery, etc.) and then you will be filling it with more offerings such as poetry, drawings, music pieces, medicinal plants, etc. because Apollo usually make his children re-connect with art, joy and self-care, medicine principally. 

About the devotional acts you can do for him, I will leave you a list:

- Say goodmorning/goodnight to him

- Sunflowers

- Bay leaves

- Humming/ singing a song you like (it doesn´t matter if you don´t sing on tune, he will be happy with you performing in his honor)

- Writing poetry or spoken word 

- Playing an instrument 

- Reading his myths to him

- Take care of yourself !! he loves when his children take their medicines or care about their health in general

- Take a walk under the sun

- Talk about him

- Make him a playlist

- Bake some lemon/orange/honey cookies

- Apples

- Honey

- Sun water

- Olive oil

- Lyre/archery imagery

- A swan decoration

- Donate to local artists

- Take a mini first aid kit with you

- Listen music you love next to his altar

- Dance in his honor !! (again, it doesn´t matter if you don´t know how to dance, just move, jump, move your hands, whatever you feel comfortable with but - feel the music, free your body- he will love that !!

- Leave him some sunstones and crystals related to him

- Read about him, research about him, talk about him, he loves when his children give him attention hehe

- Give him chocolate (other devotees agree he likes it)

- Hydratate yourself !!

- Always treat yourself with kindness

Now it´s time to list the ways deities can use to communicate with us:

- Thoughts, sometimes deities will reply to you through your own mind as crazy as it sounds !! you only have to trust your intuition as well

- Dreams, if you dream about Apollo or any symbol related to him, a message or something you feel it was from him, believe in it !!

- Meditations, some deities use meditation to communicate with us, as well as in dreams, they send us images, symbols, words, etc.

- Pendulum (I personally don´t practice it yet) but you can search here on tumblr

- Tarot, same as the pendulum, sorry I can´t provide you properly information about this one

- Candles flames, this was the second connection I had with him and how he told me to take care about my lungs, it is really easy to learn but also have to believe in your own intuition !!

- Animals/symbols/songs/etc, sometimes Apollo connects with his children through animals or songs, he usually sends crows

- Emotions, in my personal experience I had something called “emotional numbness”, I couldn´t feel any joy nor sadness, I was like a robot but since I connected with Apollo (and also did my shadow work !!) I feel happiness in everything, I go out and feel deeply happy under the sun, I re-connected with art and even overcomed my major depressive episode, so yes, Apollo is really caring and sweet with his children

- People, sometimes deities connect with us through other people, specially healing people, happy people, etc or even a stranger who feels the necessity to give or tell us something that can be considered as a message from Apollo

I think I wrote everything I wanted you to know !!

I hope this was helpful to you and as a final advice: do as you feel like it, everyone is unique and will recieve unique signs, at unique times. I wish you the best in this new journey !! and I’d for sure love to have an update from you ! 

With lots of love,

Miel <3