#well if I was being nostalgic with music it was only a matter of time until it happened with books

[louisloulouie]

Oh noooo…… I’m in danger of wanting to read and collect all the Warriors cats books that I never bought after I stopped reading the series

There’s 80+ books in this damn series….

[naboman]

Ma Chérie Synopsis: There's something about the memories I ramble that makes my heart ache. Ma chérie, are you missing me? pairing: Chrollo Lucilfer + Fem!Reader. Genres: Angst, memories of the past, drabbles.

There is some beauty in the act of "losing what is essentially important", something tragic, worthy of being portrayed on a movie screen and transposed into soft, nostalgic melodies, films he would watch and music he would allow himself to enjoy. Although Chrollo found it a captivating subject, he never liked to imagine losing what was important to him. He had never had anything, his life had never had any purpose or meaning to adhere to. Always so much less than the others, always an inconvenience, that is, until the Troupe was formed. So why would he want to lose the only things that make him who he is?

Well, he lost someone important, someone whose existential value could never be measured in words. Someone who was… Everything.

Sweet memories are the only thing he has left, memories of a sugary tone, accompanied by a bad scenario and inhuman situations, but he had her. So none of that mattered.

No matter how many times he faced death, whether from hunger or illness after so long inhaling the infectious air of the dump, he knew that he would never receive a "goodbye", but a warm squeeze of the hands.

Her hands were not soft, on the contrary, they were calloused and rough, like sandpaper, her touch was rough, but he would never refuse, because it was affectionate. Affection he would never deny, not hers. This led him to wonder at the time, if he hadn't been in such a despicable situation, what would the real texture of her hands have been? Oh Lord, he would give the world to her if he could.

He regrets questioning it so much, regrets being so ungrateful, because soon, the thing that once stroked his face and rubbed his fingers with affection, the warmth of a sincere caress, was gone. As quickly as it came. The precious priceless thing talked about in movies and songs had been forcibly taken from him.

It was unfair. And to Chrollo's displeasure, there was no one to blame. He knew that she was sick and fragile, he knew the risks of exposing her to danger, to the petty crimes she committed for the sake of survival, he knew that he had something to lose if he decided to risk her health in order to have something to eat for one more day. He was already familiar with contempt, but the pain of loss was as acute as the pain of hunger. Even if he had eaten an entire can of canned peaches, the sharp pain that vibrated in his core would not go away.

He was cold, so cold that his bones ached. And unfortunately, she wasn't there to rub his cold hands.

In the cold early hours, he found himself filtering the information, digesting the facts and staring at them. He'd seen people die before, he'd seen the worst of humanity in such a short space of time that it didn't even make him frown, because disgust had already seeped into his daily life. He just wanted to know why it didn't let him rest when he lay on the moldy mattresses.

It was driving him crazy, and he must have been 14? Or 15? Going mad at 15 wasn't the best strategy someone like him could have.

Like Prometheus, Chrollo was having his wounds reopened on a daily basis, from the moment he went to sleep until the hour of sun began to show its first signs in the Meteor City.

So, in order to obscure these memories, for the sake of his newly formed troupe of thieves, he decided to infuse them into the back of his mind, for as long as it took, until the memories became nothing more than a small fragment, of something that Chrollo Lucilfer believes to be nothing more than a bad dream.

An unreal delusion.

The night in York seemed turbulent, hectic and with a touch of danger in the air, not the frightening kind, but the kind that gets your blood pumping, makes a delicious adrenaline rush through your veins, as if even the most ordinary of girls could experience a mind-blowing adventure. But Chrollo's blood wasn't pumping wildly, and he certainly wasn't a girl looking for an exciting, euphoric adventure. He was quite sober, in fact.

Chrollo put his hands in the pockets of his coat, it was a bit different from the long coat he wore, this one was brown and rather ordinary, but still a good coat. He stabilized his posture, there was something in his thoughts that trapped him in the subconscious of ideas, a trance of nostalgia, something he didn't like, but found difficult to disengage from at this point.

He should just stick to the original plan and rent a small cubicle to hide out in with the rest of the troupe, he thought as he eyed the hotel's battered sign, a clear blur between the words in large cursive letters, the coloring was faded and yellowish, but if he had to guess, he would guess that it was something like 'Hotel of Sleeping Beauties!' with several exclamations in a row.

He entered the hotel without any expectations, he didn't need to be smart to understand that the outside was just a glimpse of the inside. His pre-judgments weren't wrong, it wasn't a good dump, but it would do for now. The corners of the walls were moldy and the air was rather damp, and he could feel it when the dust unceremoniously entered his nostrils.

A receptionist, maybe 22 years old at the most, stood on the other side of the counter, he had a bunch of cigarette butts in an ashtray, and one more between his lips, the slow passage to death on the lips of a young man, who stared at him with nothing but boredom. The kind of employee who doesn't receive commissions and neglects his clientele. But to be fair, Chrollo had to admit that his uniform was rather pompous for such a shabby place; red with silver details on his hat.

"[Name], we have a gentleman waiting at reception to be attended to… I suggest you hasten your steps," he said rather loudly into the intercom, almost like a threat, followed by an exhausted sigh.

Chrollo approached the counter with an unreadable expression, and could tell that neither of them would make any further moves unless necessary.

"I'm sorry for the delay, Eddy"

Chrollo raised his eyes to look at the newcomer and, for a moment, he thought he had gone back in time.

His face, his voice, his rigid mannerisms. The perfectly sculpted creature, identical even down to the smallest details of his face. It was perfect. So perfectly the same that it was frightening. Just like the sight of a zombie preserved only to haunt he.

"We still have a few rooms available, sir, I think you'll want to take a look." She sounded professional, neutral and infused, as if Chrollo were just another face among the many she must have seen that evening. Just someone else to serve. A stranger.

Her tone was unapproachable; on the contrary, it was distant, disguised by a cordial kindness.

"Sir?" The woman in question approached with her eyes flashing in curiosity, an essential customer care.

"Forgive me, I'm getting distracted," Chrollo approached, making her step back.

She was so close, so close that he feared he would be blown away with the dust if he tried to touch her.

"It's okay, don't worry," [Name] nodded in agreement, as resigned as a doll kept in the darkest corner of the closet, but still smiling with disdain. That smile that didn't reach her eyes to express anything, only carved to be etched into her flesh and her manners. His gracious appreciation was a sham. "Shall we go ahead? I'll show you the way."

"I appreciate that" Chrollo just nodded, unable to formulate a flattering response, following her as she took the bunch of keys out of one of her pockets.

You should be dead.

You should be dead…

That's what was going through his mind as he stared into her doll-like eyes.

Inspiration from the tale Ma chérie . Thank you for read <3

[smokersbaby]

Request text: Hi! Can I ask for prompt n.4 (sfw) Sanji and AFAB!reader please? Can this be after Whole Cake Island on the Sunny and the reader is secretly a Princess and while dancing with Sanji, she confesses to him or something like that? Sorry I have a lot of weird ideas. But if you don’t like that and want to go a different direction, that is fine. Whatever you write will be great like all of your other work! Thank you! 💙 Written for: anon Character: Sanji Reader: AFAB!reader Prompts:  SFW: #4 - slow dancing Total word count: +800 Author's note: I loved writing this. I have to warn you though, it's a bit cheesy! Just kidding, it has the right amount of fluff in it! I hope you like it, enjoy! 💕 -Every reblog is highly appreciated!-

It was a clear, moonlit night on the Thousand Sunny. The crew of the Straw Hat Pirates was celebrating the end of their latest adventure, being able to escape from Whole Cake Island and Big Mom's clutches without a scratch was something unimaginable but here they were: the full crew and Sanji with them too, managing to run away from that forced marriage.

You have never been so happy, since you secretly left your island deciding to abandon the boring royal life to follow this unusual crew of pirates and sail with them, facing both funny and scary adventures on the sea, not knowing what was about to come next. Somehow you decided to lie about your previous life and status to your crewmates, fearing to be considered one of those "crybaby princesses", so you didn't tell them who you was as they took you with them.

As the Straw Hat Pirates began to consider you as a member of their family, the bond with one of them became stronger day by day. Even though Sanji was notorious for being a bit of a womanizer, the way he looked and behaved towards you made your heart skip a beat every single time. He wasn't just a nakama for you, he was so much more.

The music echoed across the ship, Brook playing his violin and making the Strawhats sing and dance to the notes of their favourite song, Binks' Sake. You stood a bit apart, sitting by the mast of the Thousand Sunny, enjoying less the party as you were lost in your thoughts, your eyes constantly following Sanji dancing between the crewmates.

Before you could notice, he spotted you there, sitting alone with the look lost in the void. "Y/N, what are you doing here?" Sanji asked, you snapped back to reality, your heartbeat accelerating as he approached you. "Just getting some fresh air," you replied, looking up at the stars. How handsome he was, all you could think about was him and him only.

Sanji offered his hand, inviting you to dance, a smile on his face. Before you knew it, he had taken your hand and you two were dancing together on the deck. The music Brook was playing now was much more slow, nostalgic and with a sparkle of romanticism in it.

You smiled at him as you two danced together, but something was wandering in your head. You wanted to confide yourself with him, to tell Sanji everything about your past and who you were before joining the crew. Not that it was something that mattered really, just a little secret of yours that was about to be revealed to the person you cared about the most.

As the dance continued, you felt a weight lifting from her chest. After years of keeping that secret, you knew it was time to reveal it to Sanji. "Sanji, there's something I need to tell you," you said in a whisper, the music covering your voice and Sanji being the only one able to hear you because of his closeness.

"That may sound weird but uhm… do you remember the island where you picked me up? Well, I was the princess of that island." a chuckle escaped your mouth, it didn't seem to have much importance at last, so it sounded so silly saying that out loud.

Sanji's eyes widened in surprise as he listened to your confession. Just like you, he didn't care about your title or her position, all he cared about was you as a person. Sanji pulled you into a sudden hug. You swear he could have heard your heart beating hard as a drum at that moment. "Y/N, now I understand where all these good manners of yours come from, not like these bunch of messy pirates" he laughed pointing at the other Strawhats.

You laughed with him, a faint blush could be seen on his cheeks. Sanji continued. "And now I also know why I am dragged to you this much, how can I resist a gorgeous and sweet princess like you are?". Now you were the one blushing, he was flirty like always, but this time it was somehow different: the way he held you by your waist, the slow music and his eyes locked in yours. The magical atmosphere was making it happen.

So it did. Sanji leaned closer and his lips met yours in a chaste, light kiss. Enough for you to make your heart shambles and your legs tremble, butterflies making a mess in your stomach.

Neither of you said a word after that brief moment. The slow dance continued as he held you in his arms to the sound of Brook's violin and the Strawhats celebrating happily, without even noticing the romance between you two. Everything was perfect, and you knew that was just the beginning of something special with your prince Sanji.

[asordinaryppl]

A3! Backstage Story Translation - Chikage Utsuki SSR - Today's Star: Toujou - Part 3

!! toujou is from harugaoka quartet; you can find a translation of its event story on yaycupcake! (+ page for the play itself); unless otherwise specified, the music that plays in the background of the play is odeur du printemps (the ost for the play itself)

this is a request by taruchikas, who also provided a video of the story! tysm!

[Buzzer sounds, the curtain lifts]

Izumi: (In a classroom in Private Harugaoka Music School, while the cherry blossoms are still in bloom…)

Toujou (Chikage): “Looks like he’s not here yet–”

Toujou: “... Good grief, did someone leave their scores behind? I sure hope it’s not one of my students.”

Izumi: (The scores on the desk were Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No.5 and Mendelssohn’s Spring Song…)

Izumi: (Vivaldi’s Violin Concerto No.1 from “The Four Seasons”... Feeling nostalgic, Toujou closes his eyes–)

Toujou: “…”

Izumi: (Chikage-san is laughing…? I don’t think that was in the script…)

Toujou: “... “Because I dream, life is bright”, huh.” (1)

Izumi: (... This is one of the scribbles Itaru-san left on the scores. I didn’t think Chikage-san would use it as improv, but it makes for a good transition.)

-

Izumi: (The scene changes back to Toujou’s school days…)

Toujou: “My sound is lonely, huh…”

[Violin playing Mozart’s Spring in G major, Allegro vivace asai]

Toujou: “Just my luck to have this song playing at a time like this.”

-

Toujou: “Room E-LR301… Ah, over there.”

Izumi: (Once he finds the temporary practice room, he hears a violin playing from the other side of the door…)

[Violin playing briefly]

Toujou: “...”

Izumi: (As he was listening, the music stopped, and he entered the room–)

[Door clicking open]

Machida (Itaru): …?

Toujou: “... You forgot to close the soundproof door. You are?”

Machida:  “I’m Machida, a third year. I major in— conducting.”

Toujou: “I’m–”

Machida: “Hibiki Toujou. Third Year. You’re a violin major, right? Ah, congratulations on winning last month’s competition.”

Toujou: “... Thanks.”

Machida: “There’s no one in this school who doesn’t know about the genius that entered the school at the top of his class and has always been on top in grades and competitions.”

Toujou: “... I see.”

Toujou: “By the way, I’m scheduled to use this room for a while starting today.”

Izumi: (They find out the school made a mistake and double-booked the room. Machida tries to give in and leave, claiming he’s not a musician, but…)

Toujou: “… Wait. If you don’t mind, how about we use it together?”

Machida: “I’m saying I don’t mind giving it to you–”

Toujou: “I want to play with you.”

Izumi: (And so, Machida begins accompanying Toujou in his practice.)

-

Machida: “Are these the songs you want to play next? Woah, it’s full of songs that have to do with spring… You’ve got a surprisingly common music taste..”

Toujou: “Then I’ll let you pick, Kanato. I think they’re all good–”

Machida: “... Mozart’s Spring?  If we go with that, we’ll have to get a viola and a cello from somewhere.”

Toujou: “No… This just got mixed with the other scores. If anything, I’m not that good at it.”

Machida: “What do you mean?”

Toujou: “... Right after I joined the school, I heard there was a vacancy in the quartet for a concert, so I applied out of curiosity.”

Toujou: “But no matter what I did, it seemed like my sound was the only one that stood out, and it wouldn’t mesh with the others’... It didn’t go well.”

Toujou: “The members tried to tell me that wasn’t the case—”

Toujou: “That I’m a genius, so it couldn’t be helped.”

Toujou: “... They might have meant it as a joke, but it felt like it was their true feelings.”

Toujou: “Genius… Being called that has always made me feel lonely.  Even if I’m a genius, I’m in no way a wise man.”

Toujou: “After that, I started finding it difficult to play with other people. Especially this song that I played back then.”

Toujou: “But the other day, one of the professors that’s been evaluating me told me, “Your sound is” –”

Machida: “... Lonely?”

Toujou: “——”

Machida: “Whenever I heard your performances as the freshmen’s representative at things like the entrance ceremony, monthly performances or competitions–”

Machida: “I felt like your music could make you, and me as a listener, feel lonely.”

Machida: “Well, I don’t think so anymore.”

Toujou: “... Sorry I made you feel that way.”

Toujou: “I also felt something like that when I heard your violin the day we met.”

Machida: “——”

Toujou: “I wondered what would happen if we played together. I thought that maybe if we added two lonely people together, then just like 1+1, we wouldn’t be lonely anymore.”

Toujou: “That’s why I wanted to play with you.”

Machida: …

Toujou: “After a long time, playing with you made me feel that playing the violin with someone else is fun.”

Toujou: “Kanato, you’re good at conducting and piano accompaniment. But to me, what suits you best is the violin.”

Machida: “... Sorry to disappoint, but I’ve quit the violin.”

Toujou: “What?”

Machida: “I changed majors. From violin to conducting.”

Machida: “I was only doing what my parents had forced me to do, so I couldn’t match everyone else’s enthusiasm or abilities.”

Machida: “So I changed my major to conducting as soon as the second year started.”

Toujou: “Sorry, I didn’t know…”

Machida: “With this many people majoring in string instruments, it couldn’t be helped.”

Toujou: “Then, if you become an orchestra’s conductor one day–”

Machida: “... Sorry to disappoint again. I’ll quit music once I’m done with high school.”

Machida: ““Kanato”... I didn’t like my name, because it felt like a curse that would force me to keep playing music forever.”

Machida: “Despite that, on that day, I suddenly felt like playing. I was in the practice room for the first time in a while when you barged in and caught me—”

Machida: “And so, I kept playing, only in this room.”

Toujou: “... And yet, you’re going to quit?”

Machida: “Unfortunately, my feelings haven’t changed.”

Toujou: “I see…”

Toujou: “In that case, I want you to keep playing in this room until we graduate. You don’t have to force yourself to play if you don’t want to.”

Machida: “... Got it.”

-

[Canon by John Campbell in D major]

Izumi: (The day before the graduation ceremony– Their usual practice room is closed, so the pair decide to play in the classroom instead…)

Machida: “The cherry blossoms are beautiful. Perfectly fitting for a new beginning.”

Toujou: “That’s right.”

Machida: “I wonder if there are cherry blossoms in Germany.”

Toujou: “Well, I wonder…”

Machida: “You said you’re going to a music academy in Germany, but you haven’t even looked that up?”

Toujou: “I’ll look it up later.”

Toujou: “... This will be the last time I ask, but have you really not changed your mind?”

Machida: “... I haven’t. I’m aiming to become a teacher.”

Toujou: “That’s… a pity.”

Machida: “So, what’s our last song going to be?”

Toujou: “Let’s play–”

Izumi: (And so the seasons pass…)

-

Machida: “... Toujou-sensei?”

Toujou: “——”

Machida: “Are you asleep?”

Toujou: “No, I was just reminiscing.”

Machida: “Ahh… This score, eh.”

Machida: “The teacher who is scheduled to perform at the next monthly performance suddenly can’t make it.”

Machida: “The other teachers asked me to talk you into doing it.”

Toujou: “So that’s why you called me here. Is this score part of the negotiations?”

Machida: “I’m just trying to help with the song selection.”

Toujou: “Is that why it’s full of songs that have to do with spring?”

Toujou: “... Alright.”

Machida: “Really?”

Toujou: “But under one condition. I want the song to be Mozart’s Spring.”

Machida: “Heeh, that sounds good. Maybe you can become a wise man the way you are now.”

Toujou: “Then, Machida, I’d like to scout you to become the wise man by my side.”

Machida: “... I am not a wise man, I am a simple teacher.”

Toujou: “... Then, this will have to stay as my dream for now. I read somewhere that life is brighter when you have a dream?”

Machida: “...”

Machida: “... Do your best. I won’t lend you any more help.”

Toujou: “That’s a pity.”

-

Citron: You both did great~!

Chikage: Thanks. You came to watch.

Citron: You said… You were worried about whether you’d be able to sparkle. But your youth came across!

Citron: Also, the violin imitations were perfect. Itaru, you’ve improved at loving~

Itaru: Hate to correct you on this, but you probably mean lying. I did the best I could as a beginner.

Citron: … You two practiced in secret, yes?

Chikage: …

Citron: My eyes can’t be fooled. I can tell just by watching your movements.

Chikage: … I suppose there’s no point in hiding around here.

part 1 | part 2 | part 3

NOTES:

(1) this is a japanese proverb often credited to mozart, but there's no actual english equivalent for it, so i took a try at translating it in a way that fits with the callback later

[mirror-to-the-past]

So, I stopped liveblogging after a bit, because I just got absolutely lost in the EVERYTHING that was the OMORI Concert, but holy SHIT. What did everyone think of it? Any favorite pieces???

As I previously mentioned, "Trouble NEVER/ALWAYS" leading into "You Were Wrong. Go Back." was NUTS. The way that the orchestra made it so hype, you'd really think it was the introduction of an evil galactic overlord, rather than some guy throwing a tantrum after his girlfriend broke up with him, haha!

I can not emphasize enough how their rendition of "Trees..." tremendously altered my perception of the song. I liked it a lot before, really, but it wasn't particularly moving to me- just peaceful. This version of the song was so. wow. I struggle to find words for it. Same with "Sugar Star Planetarium" right afterwards. Fucking. Gorgeous.

Also putting "Just Leave Me Alone" and the rest of which I shall now call the Hooligans Suite, as they meshed it together in such an epic and cohesive way, after "Where We Used to Play" was just diabolical. I FELL OUT OF MY SEAT I WAS SO SURPRISED BY THE LOUDNESS, LOL. Speaking of the "Hooligans Suite" the guitarists just. URGH I LOVE THEM. This concert was way more metal than I expected, and I LOVED IT. The entire "Just Leave Me Alone"-"Cram It Wad"-"It Means Everything" was insanely epic, I felt like my heart stopped. Just like Space Boyfriend's theme, using the other Hooligans pieces as buildup to the main boss theme was so, so good. Did Aubrey and her gang such justice, like. I just felt so happy for my girl.

And then they put "Home for Flowers (Empty)" right afterwards, lol. If anyone's curious about how I looked after that sudden mood shift:

I'm now thoroughly on board of loving World's End Valentine now, because the instrumentation hurts my head less now, with this version, haha.

I am ADMITTEDLY a bit bummed that they didn't perform "Poems in the Fog" and "Forest Frenzy," as I can visualize Music Engine's style for those pieces so well, and I know it would be soooo beautifulll... but oh well...

I'm plesantly surprised that "Swirly 1000x" made the cut!! Very underrated piece, only used for one fight but godDAMN does it hit hard. The guitar 🎸🎸oncccee agaiiin. Crazy.

Also I knowwww it's not the most amazing piece in the world, but the jazz section of The Last Resort could have opened so cool with "Hanging With the Boys" right before that, but it's alright, I'm not gonna lose sleep over it.

The way I laughed when they jumpscared us with the organ for the first time because GoldenVengence was important enough as to demand the need for such a stately instrument, lol!

Can we talk about the clarinet in "Underwater Highway" because oooooghhh bleeeeh dead upon impact. It was so wonderful.... I love that piece already, but they made the descending notes so magical, and tranisitioned into "Squall" so beautifully.

You know what I AM gonna lose sleep over? THEY DIDN'T INCLUDE "H20:HCL" in the underwater section!! That piece is so beautiful... 😭😭

I think I blacked out and entered a trance-like state with everything from "See You Tomorrow" to "Truth." Somewhere within that period, wine and a tissue box appeared magically at my side, lmfao. Small comment in the midst of everything else that was That Section of the concert, but I'm so glad they kept "Gone," because that piece is so necessary for me, within that whole climactic sequence. It just oozes catharsis, it HAS to be included, no matter what.

But yeah anyway, "See You Tomorrow" and "Crossroads" just emanates the warmth of evening in summer. Those songs are laced with something magical, because I can see the orange of sunset so palpably in my mind's eye whenever I hear those pieces. Sweat on my skin, old t-shirts with fruit juice stains on them, other kids shrieking in the streets, being afraid of my neighbor's loud dog, getting pricked by thorns after walking into the forest- that's what those songs sound like to me. I don't get too nostalgic for the past much, but those songs make me feel like I'm a kid again. This rendition captured them perfectly.

Also wow, Basil, I see you and "A Home for Flowers (Daisy)" in the orchestral version, sounding like you jumped directly out of a Ghibli movie. I see you. T_T

Ha-ha-ha when the lights dimmed during "You Must Carry On" I didn't start freaking out at all..ha-ha-ha. What? I would never break out into goosepimples and jitters. Ha-ha-ha. Full body shakes who? I don't know her.

When "OMORI" started playing, a few others in the house who had never played the game and knew little to nothing about it stopped talking amongst themselves and came to watch the TV. It's THAT POIGNANT. I'll be honest, I love love love "DUET" as much as the next OMORI fan, but the song that makes me cry upon hearing it every time was never DUET, it was this one. DUET is a warm resurgance and appreciation for the things left behind, with a slight twinge of regret. "OMORI" is just pure, raw pain. And the string section didn't let me forget ittt hahahaha.

Tears were shed, people (me) were shaking, etc. etc. THANK YOU KAWAI KOTA for your amazing work in acting as Sunny's role amonst the violinists and concertmaster, your solo violin work and passion fully recaptured my feeling of playing the game for the first time, biting my nails with anticipation and heartache at whatever was happening next. Same goes to Kawamura Noriko for her work on piano, just... aaaaaaa!

Also bo en jumpscare!!! I love and respect that one individual in the audience who yelled "hands...!" during "My Time." It's honestly cruel for live orchestra to have the rule of "be silent during the performance!" because I would've had a vein popping if I was there from wanting to sing along so bad. I MEAN. IT'S *THE* SONG. YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO SING ALONG TO IT. Lucky for me, I was at home, and got to tipsily sing along to the lyrics from muscle memory, lmao.

I was expecting the choir that I saw filing into view to be for "My Time" that ended up playing later anyway- "Tee-hee Time" was a welcome surprise and amazingly epic!

Anyway that's about it from the top of mt head at the moment!! Please yell at me about what you thought of the concert- I stayed up late, went to sleep, got up again, and am still vibrating about it, lol! This has been the best part of my year so far- no joke.

ALSO WOOO OMORI MANGA. Can't wait for ENG translations- if this adaptation gives Sunny more explicit character voice, I'm not going to shut up about it ever. I won't shut up about it anyway, but I'll be not-shut-upping about it even more.

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Is It Really That Bad?

Disney and Dreamworks have been locked in combat since day one, and honestly, can you blame them? The Katzenberg/Eisner feud is pretty legendary, with both men taking potshots at each other in films, and the drama behind stuff like A Bug’s Life and Antz has been done to death. The thing is, in the early years of Dreamworks, it was pretty clear that no matter how hard they tried, Disney was the one who was taking the Ws when it came to the cinemas. Stuff like Sinbad and The Road to El Dorado were flopping pretty hard, and while The Prince of Egypt was a success, the failure of the former two ended Dreamoworks’s hopes of ever competing with Disney in the 2D animated market. What’s a studio to do in a situation like that? Well, someBODY ONCE TOLD ME...

Shrek didn’t just solidify Dreamworks as a contender, that movie changed the course of animation in the 2000s all on its own. With its snarky humor, pop culture references, awesome pop soundtrack as opposed to musical numbers, and celebrity cast, Shrek codified many trends for animation going forward—for better and for worse. But whatever impact the film had pales in comparison to one simple, unignorable fact: This movie came out on top over Disney. It won the first ever Academy Award for Best Animated Picture, and considering how long Disney was in that game that must have really fucking stung. While Disney spent the early 2000s floundering and releasing flops that would only become cult classics later, Dreamworks was riding that green wave Shrek produced all the way to the bank. What’s a studio to do in a situation like that? Well, someBODY ONCE…

Oh no.

Chicken Little was Disney’s blatant attempt at making their own Shrek (with blackjack! And hookers!), but to say that things didn’t pan out well for Disney there is a vast understatement. Michael Eisner made sure to meddle as much as possible, turning a more straightforward adaptation of the fairy tale into a snarky, self-deprecating comedy about baseball and aliens, which certainly is a choice. This choice had some dire consequences; while not a bomb by any means, the film ruined the already-struggling career of The Emperor’s New Groove director Mark Dindal, producer Randy Fullmer left Disney with Dindal and went into making guitars, and ultimately Eisner himself became a victim of the film as well, with it being the final blow to his tenure at Disney after a decade of failed investments. Eisner ended up passing the torch to Bob Iger, who turned out to be a better leader than Eisner who never did or said anything quite as stupid!

Audience reaction to the movie has always been pretty mixed, to say the least. Reviewers on YouTube such as Schafrillas, Doug Walker, and Mr. Enter have used the film as their punching bag at various points, with the latter in particular helping shape the image of Buck Cluck as Disney’s most vile father figure. Audiences these days aren’t particularly receptive to it either, with most people considering it Disney’s absolute worst film, though there are nostalgic viewers with a soft spot for it. I first watched the film myself a few years back, and I was thoroughly disgusted and unimpressed by what I saw; for the longest time, I had it higher than Doogal on my list of the worst films ever. Fucking Doogal! Can a film really be that bad?!

Well, I decided to give it a second chance and find out if maybe my perception was just colored by all the negative reviews. Is Chicken Little really that bad, or is this just a so-so Shrek ripoff that people overreacted to?

THE GOOD

Most of the characters in this movie are actually decent, even if they’re a little cringe. Chicken Little himself is a likable dork, which only makes all the suffering and setbacks he goes through that much harder to watch; I think they made him too likable, y’know? His friend group is pretty solid as well, with Abby being an okay love interest, Runt being a nice guy (or maybe I should say Nice Guy considering what he does with a bimbofied Foxy Loxy at the end), and Fish Out of Water being a cute “lol so random XD” character. They aren’t the best thing ever, but they’re all pretty decent. I can see why Zach Braff likes voicing the title character so much, and it is cool he got to be in the best Kingdom Hearts game, so that’s something!

Though of, course none of them hold a candle to the absolute Chad that is Morkubine Porcupine, a character so fucking cool that he refuses to give this movie the dignity of more than three single words out of his mouth. If he had more dialogue, the whole movie might collapse under the sheer power of his voice. He’s like Black Bolt, except a porcupine, and in a marginally better piece of Disney media.

There’s a great sequence at the end of the movie that has a Pee-wee’s Big Adventure-esque film within the film about Chicken Little’s exploits… except he’s a ridiculously buff rooster voiced by Adam West in a film that looks like an insane version of Star Fox from the brief clips we see of it. Runt is in there as a hardcore, ugly warthog and Abby is an overly-sexualized space bimbo, but I’m not even particularly bothered by the fact they gave the girl chicken breasts because Adam West’s chicken breasts are so much more massive. 

The entire scene, as brief as it is, is delightful thanks to West being West, and it honestly makes you wish that the whole movie was just a ridiculous space battle adventure… And everyone’s wish was granted when they released a pretty good video game based on this silly concept!

Of course, as is typical of any Disney movie, the best part is without a doubt the villain: Buck Cluck, Chicken Little’s own father.

 In his youth, he was a strapping sports star, and because of this he feels a deep sense of shame at his son’s wild antics and is completely unable to relate to him. He constantly puts him down in front of others to try and salvage his own reputation, throwing him under the bus at every opportunity and refusing to support him. And even after Chicken Little pushes himself to the limit and becomes a baseball star all so he can earn even the slightest smidgen of his father’s respect, Buck is quick to cast him aside once more all so that he can try and keep the dignity among the townsfolk he mooched off of his son’s victory. Buck Cluck is the proto-Mother Gothel, a distant and absent parent for the ages, and one of the most despicable foes the studio has ever produced. Hell, I might even go as far as to say he’s one of the greatest villains of all ti-

Wait, hold on. I’m being informed that Buck… isn’t intentionally a villain? He’s supposed to be… sympathetic…?

THE BAD

I’VE COME TO MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT! BUCK “THE CUCK” CLUCK’S A BITCH-ASS MOTHERFUCKER!

Ok, ok, let’s be serious for a second. I’m gonna get a bit controversial here, but Buck Cluck isn’t nearly as evil as people make him out to be.

Let me explain: While the film’s narrative completely and utterly fails to make his redemption feel earned at all, it’s not like he was ever really intentionally or even physically abusive like Frollo, Gothel, or Lady Tremaine were. Buck Cluck has a very real problem a parent can have, in that he has a hard time relating to his son while being a single parent that is likely still dealing with the loss of his wife. The issue is the movie doesn’t bother trying to flesh him or his feelings out and tries its damndest to make him look like a good guy all while he emotionally neglects his child.

All this being said, his vocal performance from The Princess Diaries director Garry Marshall is actually pretty great, he gets a few good jokes here and there, and it’s actually really endearingly goofy when he overcompensates with loving his son in the third act. While I’m never going to stop treating the character like he’s Chicken Hitler, I want it to be clear that my jabs at him are very much in the same vein as someone like Huey Emmerich. The difference, of course, is that Huey is an intentional case of making a character you love to hate, while Buck is accidental. And that’s why this segment is here, in “The Bad” part of the review: The movie failed this man so bad that he is put alongside characters like Shou Tucker, Ragyo Kiryuin, and Fire Lord Ozai in animated parent rankings. How do you fuck up that badly? Mainly by deleting the scenes where he actually gets development or characterization beyond being a lousy parent, that’s how!

These writing issues don’t just affect Buck, though; literally the entire movie is as messy as that Kentucky fried bastard’s characterization. The main issue is with the story itself. Now, when you have a movie called Chicken Little, you kind of expect an adaptation of the fable of the same name. And since this is Disney, you wouldn’t be stupid to assume that’s what they’d do, considering adapting fables, myths, and fairy tales is basically their bread and butter. But that is decidedly not what they did here; instead, they decided to make Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius by way of Shrek, because movies like that were popular at the time, and what we’re left with is a film populated by mean-spirited jerkasses who do nothing but dump on our likable main character as he takes part in a story to win the love of his dad via baseball that suddenly, out of completely nowhere, turns into an alien invasion movie about halfway through. Absolutely none of these elements work well together, and the film comes off felling like it was stitched together from unrelated scripts and turned into an unholy Frankenstein of bad ideas.

Not helping helping the disjointed story are the desperate attempts to seem cool. I like Morkubine Porcupine, he’s one of the better gags in the film, but he is so plainly a desperate attempt at creating an ensemble darkhorse that it hurts (the fact it actually worked in spite of this is nothing short of miraculous). The humor is very much aping Shrek, with lots of snarky humor and mean-spirited characters which ends up not working because it’s too cruel, and even ignoring that the pop culture references (a staple of Dreamworks at the time) just all come out of nowhere. Why is the fish reenacting King Kong? Why are these animals watching Raiders of the Lost Ark, and why is Indy still a human? Why did Disney think referencing the lemming suicide myth was a good idea when they literally perpetuated that myth by driving lemmings off a cliff for a movie?

Then there’s the animation. It is so blatantly obvious that this is Disney’s first time making a fully computer animated movie without Pixar’s help. A lot of characters look really unpolished, and even worse is that a lot of the characters are extremely overanimated. If you wanna see what I mean, watch Abby at the end of the dodgeball scene when she’s talking to Chicken Little. She just never fucking stops moving! Once you notice it, it becomes really distracting.

But by far the worst thing this movie does is the constant needle drops. This movie would make The Super Mario Bros. Movie blush with its overuse of licensed music, and it sure feels like Suicide Squad took notes from this because they cram so many tracks in here it’s not even funny. Sometimes they even just have thew characters sing them because… who fucking knows. Barenaked Ladies gets a pretty fat W with their song “One Little Slip” playing over our introduction to Chicken Little, but after that we either get the most obvious songs possible for any given seen (“It’s the End of the World as We Know It” plays over the alien invasion at the end, because of course it does) to “what the actual fuck is this doing here in the movie” (“Wannabe” by the Spice Girls is sung by Runt and Abby during a karaoke session, proving that canceling the Spice World review was not enough to save me from this band).

IS IT REALLY THAT BAD?

Alright guys, here comes my hottest take ever: Chicken Little… isn’t that bad.

Now, don’t get me wrong! This movie is still not really good at all. It’s disjointed, mean-spirited, confused, and stuffed to the brim with the tropes and trappings of every bad animated movie of the 2000s. But all of that is also what helps make this so genuinely fascinating! When Dreamworks did stuff like this, it was whatever, that studio is a rising contender in the animation game… but this is Disney! This is THE animation studio, the biggest around, and they’re making every single mistake possible because they want to try and beat Dreamworks at their own game, and they are failing at it! It’s honestly so funny that they tried to make their own version of Shrek without any sort of understanding of what made Shrek work.

But even beyond that, even though this movie is bad, it’s not really worse than Shark Tale is, and that is a premier so bad it’s good film. Really, this movie is the opposite of that film in many ways. Where that film had a world that was too overly nice and propped up the shittiest main character animated at the time, this movie has an insanely cruel world where the sweet, charming, heavily traumatized child is incessantly beaten down and belittled to the point you half expect him to try and dive headfirst into a deep fryer; where that film had a single generic plot that was at least remarkably consistent, this film has two separate plots that don’t go together at all and just end up making both halves of the film feel stupid and pointless; and where in that film Oscar is desperately seeking love from his peers due to his sheer selfishness, Chicken Little just wants the love and respect of his father. Pile on that the mountain of similarities, from the overuse of lame pop culture references for the sake of pop culture references gags to the bland love interests, and you have the Awesomely Bad Animation Double Feature of your dreams.

So yeah, I think the rating it has is about what it deserves. This is easily one of Disney’s weakest entries for sure, but it’s not without its moments and it has some amusing jokes, charming characters, and Adam West as a buff space chicken. If you go in with lowered expectations, you might be amused, but honestly I get why this film is so absolutely despised. It really isn’t great at all, and is firmly in the “so bad it’s good” category. You can’t really expect much more from a movie that presents a character whose biggest crime was just being an asshole getting their personality overwritten with a girly-girl one that the comic relief fat guy insists is perfect as a hilarious joke and then leads into a dance party ending where the whole cast sings Elton John.

...Or you could expect more if it weren’t for that son of a bitch Buck Cluck. Fuck that guy.

[dandunn]

No worries, i was worried the prompt would be too much, but thanks for the response!! The only other prompt i can think of is: lupin and jigen, fav/nostalgic dish? Hopefully that sparks some idea but if not, it's ok.

Cw: food, anxiety around eating, alcohol

They're at dinner, at a place so high class the serving staff look at Jigen funnily, like he's not supposed to be there. Three Michelin stars, and that's about three too many as far as Jigen is concerned.

Lupin glides in, allowing the staff to take his coat and orders so naturally, he's definitely meant to be here. Conversely, Jigen feels like more and more of a bum the longer the night goes on.

He orders a steak, the safe option in a sea of unpronounceable dish names, delicate seafood, various things drowned in truffle oil. Lupin orders something that looks like a modern art installation on a plate and tucks in.

It's true that he's earned this, or at least thinks he has, Jigen thinks as he stares at his food. He's put up with Lupin's eccentricities long enough to reap the rewards and fool people into thinking he's part of the upper crust, but he's definitely not used to eating food like this.

"Something wrong?" Lupin says. The restaurant is so politely quiet that he has to lower his voice to avoid it ringing out over the quiet piano music.

"N-no, it's fine." Jigen says, finally summoning the courage to break the perfect presentation of foodstuff-turned-canvas painting on his plate. He takes a bite of his steak and it's… fine. "Why do they bother dressing it up for fancy if it's just gonna end up in your mouth?" Jigen grumbles around his mouthful of steak as he chews.

"The first bite is with the eye." Lupin winks as he takes another elegant bite. "You're a puzzle, I've been trying to figure out what you like to eat and I still haven't figured it out."

"Food is food."

"Yeah but everyone has a preference."

"Meat."

Lupin just looks at him with his eyes sparkling in the low light, swirling his wine glass. "C'mon Jigs, entertain me."

"Kid doesn't have any table manners! Look at the way he holds his knife an' fork!"

Jigen had chuckled it off while the men around him brayed with laughter, only then had he really paid attention to how he held his fork; forcefully holding down his meat with his fork like a dog might hold down a rabbit, then sawing a chunk off before stabbing the bite and transferring it to his mouth.

He could see why the others laughed, it was a cumbersome way to eat. At school the teachers would demand to know if he was right or left handed before forcefully switching his knife and fork around accordingly.

Why the fuck did it matter? Who the hell cared about table manners as long as the grub made it into your mouth? 

Well. The mob cared. From that point on Jigen paid careful attention to table manners, to the point where he was more concerned about how he held his cutlery than what he was eating.

After a certain point in time, he lost most of his taste for food, burning his taste buds with cigarettes and whiskey instead. Eating light kept him alert on long stakeouts and kept him trim. He couldn't stand the thought of ballooning up like the boss and his close circle. They always gorged themselves on fine food; caviar and steak and foie gras. So much so that they resembled the geese that were force fed to make that stuff.

All Jigen had to do to suppress his appetite was to think back to that moment when every eye turned to him and laughed at the clearly lower class way he held his knife and fork. 

Sometimes, like now, Jigen is reminded of how much he hates being stared at while he eats. He had been braced to cut into his food again before he noticed that he was once again clasping the silverware like a gorilla. He puts his cutlery down. "What's yours?"

Lupin takes a sip of wine, he's a glass or two ahead of Jigen and his inner lip is stained red. "Raclette."

"Bless you?"

A dazzling grin, "Melted cheese, put on top of boiled potatoes, charcuterie, anything you like really."

"Ain't that just fondue?"

"Better." Wine swirls around again, Lupin's lips taking their time meeting the edge of the glass, "You'd enjoy it. Everyone sits around the grill, no one cares if you eat it a little messy. It's fun."

Crap, he noticed.

Jigen's food is getting colder on his plate by the moment. When Lupin puts his glass down to cut into his food, his table manners are impeccable of course. Knife and fork held daintily but firmly in his hands, not grasping or stabbing. He even dabs his mouth with his napkin instead of swiping it over his face.

"Thought yours would be a little more-" Jigen says, trying to get the focus off of himself again "-classy?"

"No one is too classy for melted cheese." Lupin rests his chin on his folded hands for a moment, giving him a grin as cheesy as the subject matter.

Jigen smiles despite himself. "You want the truth?"

"Yeah I want the truth."

"The burgers and milkshakes from a place back home. I went with my dad as a kid, he used to put bourbon in his and gave me a sip." Jigen prods his expensive ribeye, avoiding looking Lupin in the eye.

"Let's go." Lupin says suddenly.

"Huh?"

"Let's go get a burger and a milkshake!"

"You're ridiculous. Who the hell leaves a ritzy place like this to go eat greasy crap?"

"I do, if it would make you feel better. I haven't seen you eat much since we started working together."

Jigen shakes his head, cutting into his raw bloody steak again and trying to enjoy it. "The place probably doesn't even exist anymore."

"Only one way to find out."

The steak tastes like iron on his tongue, the fat sticking to his palate like glue. Lupin watches him expectantly - eyes shining and his own food abandoned. Lupin would probably drop it if he said no again, but he seems genuinely excited about learning such a mundane thing about Jigen's past. Part of him would hate to let him down.

"Alright." Jigen drops his knife and fork, spitting a bit of fat onto a napkin. "If you insist."

Lupin grins and jumps to his feet, slapping down the bill and a generous tip onto the table.

A few hours later they're sitting in the crummy old haunt of Jigen's youth, unwrapping burgers from greasy paper and sipping milkshakes out of tall glasses.

"I'll be damned." Jigen mutters. 

"Is it as good as you remember?"

The paper crinkles as Jigen takes a bite. "Mm, yeah. Just as crappy."

One of Lupin's eyebrows samples his own food. "Oh. Oh- that's awful!" He looks like he's about to spit it out before he bravely swallows.

"Hey, I said I used to like 'em, I didn't say anything about it being good."

Lupin looks surprised for a moment, then bursts out laughing.

"We only ever came here because the food was cheap and the milkshakes were good." Jigen continues with a grin, "I guess they've survived on the same business model for this long."

"That's fantastic, good for them!" Lupin takes a sip of his milkshake to wash the taste away. "Ooh, that is good! You got any bourbon on you?"

Jigen puts a finger over his lips, making sure that the guy at the counter doesn't see before pouring a finger each into their glasses out of a flask.

They snicker together under their breath, eating their shitty burgers and sipping whiskey-milkshakes. It's like a huge weight is off Jigen's shoulders as he watches Lupin - Mr Fancypants himself - get ketchup on his nose and a blob on his tie.

"So, you want to try Raclette next?" Lupin says, as he polishes off his burger and wipes his hands on a paper napkin. "I won't make fun of you for using a knife and fork wrong - promise."

"Hey, fuck you." Jigen says, without any real bite behind it. "Melted cheese sounds fine to me."

By the time he's finished talking, Lupin has stolen Jigen's flask out of the inner pocket of his jacket and is stealing what's left of his bourbon.

"Hey!" Jigen laughs, grabbing it back and emptying the last few drops into his milkshake. 

"Thanks for treating me!" Lupin says, sticking out his tongue.

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

Hard Rock Essentials 2000 Hard Rock / Blues-Rock / Arena Rock / Hair Metal / Pop-Metal / Heavy Metal / Adult-Oriented Rock / Progressive Rock / Pop-Rock

God, classic rock really has to be the most over-entitled and over-represented type of music in America, man. I mean, can you think of any other non-contemporary stuff that has a radio station solely dedicated to it in virtually every nook and cranny of this country? It's pretty obvious why it's managed to own so much radio real estate over the years, though—because it's pure catnip for nostalgic white boomers—but if you zoom all the way out and think about all of the music that's come and gone since the 50s, there's really no justifiable reason for this stuff to get so much more airtime than any other type of music from the past. I mean, classic rock is fine for what it is, but it's definitely not leaps and bounds better than everything else.

Take a song like Foreigner's "Hot Blooded," for instance, which is just one of multiple tracks to appear on this triple-disc compilation of so-called Hard Rock Essentials here that happens to deal with the complex subject matter of, *checks notes*, being extremely horny. "Hot Blooded" was a hit in its day, sure, but so were literally tens of thousands of other songs too. And I guess, at the end of the day, I just don't really understand why this song, and so many other ones that are featured on this comp as well, has earned its keep as a fixture of constant classic rock radio rotation. I mean, in the grand scheme of things, is "Hot Blooded" really all that remarkable of a song, so much so, that we need to keep continuously hearing it on our radios year after year? No way!

But, folks, I have to admit that it is actually far too late for me on this front. I am by no means a boomer, but I was, at one point, part of another segment that, like clockwork, fell prey to classic rock radio too: the insufferable tweenage boy subset who grew exasperated with the mindlessness of his own generation's contemporary top 40 fare and decided that "Smoke On the Water" and other songs of its ilk were actually the best shit in the world. Little did we know at the time, and some of us still refuse to see it, that a lot of this shit was actually every bit just as dumb as the stuff that we were trying to so actively avoid. God, how embarrassing.

But I really just cannot help it at this point. As much sense as I've tried to make at the top of this post, I really did have a substantial classic rock phase, and now that shit is just hard-coded into my own DNA. Quiet Riot's "Cum On the Feel the Noize" is not a song that deserves to ever be heard by anyone ever again—it's so fucking bad!—but God damnit, I can't stifle the smile that starts to plant itself on my face whenever that stupid thing comes on. And it's much the same for the vast majority of the other tracks that are on this comp too.

So, while Hard Rock Essentials might be revered as a biblical classic rock sampling for both a certain type of tweenage boy and white boomer alike, for me, personally, it's nothing but security blanket rock. This is music that served me well years ago, and I've clearly outgrown it too, but there are also times when I just love to go back and swaddle myself in it as well 😊. And if I'm with someone who swears by this kinda stuff, I'm obviously gonna fully rock out to it with them too, but then maybe, afterwards, I can make their heads explode with a piece of Philadelphia shoegaze from 1996 that only has 26 YouTube views 🤯.

And I'm not gonna really get too much into it here, but we also really need to have some kind of deep reckoning with this whole propped-up and closed-looped classic rock industry that serves itself with all these nearly identical radio station playlists, cheaply produced TV countdown shows, and countless 'greatest of all time' lists on tons of different websites. I'm not trying to do conspiratorial tin foil hattery, but this whole apparatus really needs to have a stick thrown into its spokes, because it's been dominant as an unchallenged authority on classic rock for far too long. Rather than yet another spin of "Rock You Like a Hurricane," a much more thorough exploration of this vast expanse is indeed possible; I can promise you that.

Highlights:

CD1:

Ted Nugent - "Cat Scratch Fever" Great White - "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" Kansas - "Carry On Wayward Son" Quiet Riot - "Cum On Feel the Noise" Warrant - "Heaven" Judas Priest - "You've Got Another Thing Coming" Loverboy - "Lovin' Every Minute of It" Blue Öyster Cult - "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" Scandal - "The Warrior" Living Colour - "Cult of Personality" Mountain - "Mississippi Queen" Argent - "Hold Your Head Up"

CD2:

Foreigner - "Hot Blooded" Bad Company - "Feel Like Makin' Love" INXS - "Need You Tonight" Damn Yankees - "High Enough" Ratt - "Round and Round" Skid Row - "I Remember You" Black Sabbath - "Heaven and Hell" The Doobie Brothers - "China Grove" White Lion - "Wait" April Wine - "Just Between You and Me" Twisted Sister - "We're Not Gonna Take It"

CD3:

Whitesnake - "Is This Love" Golden Earring - "Radar Love" Joe Walsh - "Rocky Mountain Way" Scorpions - "Rock You Like a Hurricane" The Allman Brothers Band - "Whipping Post" Uriah Heep - "Easy Livin'"

[austinsmutler]

Everyday (Austin Butler x Reader)

Summary:  After a long day of office work for reader and auditions for Austin, they let music bring them together while they think about the success the future may bring.

What you’ll like: Domestic bliss, dancing in the kitchen, tooth aching fluff, Austin being obsessed with you

Warnings: None, this is written for stress relief  :)

Word Count: 1,511

Requests are currently open (Please tell me everything you want!)

This whole day was a write-off. Not only had work given you five (thousand) tasks too many, but Anna got the promotion you’d been working your ass off for for months. And you were disappointed that you were disappointed, because you didn’t even want the promotion. Fuck this job.

Riding the subway home, you stepped in some purple mystery fluid that made your feet stick to the floor with every step. Stifling a sigh, you sat and took out your notebook- a well-worn blue number by Moleskine with unlined paper, and a matching pen your boyfriend, Austin, had bought for you back in college.

Those days seemed so far away. He was going to be a famous actor, you were going to be a successful writer. You tried not to get nostalgic as you continued on from where you’d left off writing your novel. You had ten stops to write as much as you could, then you’d be home and the rest of the day would be spent with Austin, trying to de-stress from the horrific day your manager had heaped on you.

You had to work through your lunch break, for christ’s sake. You half-hoped all the clients left and the company went under, because at this rate that was the only way you’d ever get off work at 5PM again.

It was approaching 6:30 by the time you got home and collapsed onto the sofa next to Austin, with an audible huff.

He chuckled. “How was work?”

“They gave Anna the promotion. After I helped her so much on that last project. Stupid Anna with her stupid laugh and stupid posturepedic office chair.”

 “That sucks.” Austin frowned. The TV had been switched on to an old Buddy Holly concert, but he turned the sound down before facing you.

You grunted. “How about you? How were the auditions?”

His face turned sour. “They said they’d call me, but I don’t think it’s gonna happen.”

“How come?” You lay back on the couch with your legs on his lap. He rubbed your calves in gentle circles, avoiding eye contact.

“You know the script they sent me? The one I spent all night rehearsing? They scrapped it and gave me a completely new one. I got so nervous I completely messed it up. The character is supposed to be this super confident, hunky guy and I just stammered my way through his big speech.”

You leaned over to peck him on the cheek. He turned and caught your lips with his. 

“At least we both had a crappy day, then.” You sighed. He hummed in agreement, blue eyes searching yours for… something. After so many years together, you usually knew what he was thinking before he even said it. 

“You’re hungry, aren’t you?” 

He laughed. “I knew you were gonna ask.”

“I know I’m right.”

“You are. What’s for dinner?”

It was Wednesday- your night to cook. Usually you’d take it in turns- whoever cooked didn’t have to wash the dishes in your nasty, forever-clogged (no matter how many times you plunged it) sink, and vice versa. 

You gave Austin what was supposed to be a quick peck, but he reached up and gently took your chin in his hand, holding you there for a longer, deeper kiss. You reached for his lap and entwined your fingers with his. 

This was something you had in common: after a long day when you were both too tired to deal with anything, you craved long, soft touches. It wasn’t always followed by sex, sometimes it was just nice to touch and be touched without the need for second-guessing. 

Other times, it made you late to dinner.

“Austin-” You were interrupted by another kiss “I need to-” kiss “check the fridge!”

“We could always order something.” He murmured against your lips, not wanting to pull away.

“We’ve already had takeout this week.” You tried not to roll your eyes as he smirked into another kiss. You pushed back on his shoulders until he released you. “Besides, if we spend more money on takeout I won’t be able to realistically fantasize about quitting my job. You know I need that in my life.”

He grinned and let you stand up. 

The fridge was practically empty. Austin had done a few commercials a month or so ago, but the money from those soon dried up, so it was up to your office job to keep enough money coming in for New York rent, heating, and food. On paper it was a good job and you managed just fine, but seeing just how little you could actually afford was always draining.

“How about everything-in-fridge soup?” You called. Austin got up and looked into the fridge, his hand brushing your back to grasp your hip.

“Mmm, my favorite.”

“Perfect.” You pulled out the well-worn (and only) chopping board you owned, and a knife you’d found secondhand online (that may or may not have started life as a murder weapon before turning to the culinary arts.)

Two carrots, half a potato (who ate the other half on its own?) and an onion later, and you were spooning marmite into the pot of boiling water to make a broth.

Austin gave you a funny look. 

“What? We’re out of stock. And Marmite makes it taste beefy, my grandma said so.”

“The one who lived through the Great Depression?”

“Hey, you love her pancakes.”

He wrapped his arms around your waist and moved with you around the kitchen as you chopped, diced, and set everything to boil together. 

He kissed your neck as you stirred the pot. “I don’t get how you can make whatever we have in the fridge taste so good.”

“Years of practice.” You grinned and turned your head to kiss him on the lips, stepping away from the stove to turn around and embrace him properly.

It was a tight hug, but not so tight that it made you breathless. Austin smelled of the second-cheapest cologne from the department store: sandalwood and vanilla. It made everything around him smell comforting, from his side of the bed to the shirts you constantly stole to wear around the house in winter. 

He hummed against your neck, a little tune you recognised as one of his favorites. You got the hint. 

Everyone thought Austin was the performer out of you two, and for the most part that was true. He could remember lines from any script and deliver them perfectly. He’d studied Shakespeare as part of his degree, and it was a party trick for you two to play Romeo and Juliet- you being a Juliet who said things like ‘What are you even saying?’ and ‘Start talking normal, I swear to god.’

But there was one thing Austin loved for you to do, and that was sing.

“Aus, is that Buddy Holly?”

“Mmm-hmm.” He pulled back and made puppy dog eyes at you. “Please?”

You smirked and turned back to stirring the pot, taking a deep breath. The words were simple, but clear and easy.

“Everyday, it's a-gettin' closer

Goin' faster than a roller coaster

Love like yours will surely come my way

A-hey, a-hey hey”

Austin pulled away to lean against the counter with his eyes closed, smiling softly. He looked so much more relaxed than before, so you continued.

“Everyday, it's a-gettin' faster

Everyone said, "Go ahead and ask her"

Love like yours will surely come my way”

You pulled out your phone and found the song, playing it at a lower volume just to complement your quiet tones.

“Everyday seems a little longer

Every way, love's a little stronger

Come what may, do you ever long for

True love from me?”

The song kept going, but you paused when Austin reached for your phone and turned the volume up, taking both of your hands in his and gently moving back and forth to the music.

You sang the last verse together, his deeper voice leaning towards a Southern drawl for some of the lyrics. He loved to sing a little deeper, balancing out the lightness of your melody.

“It’ll happen for us one day, you know.” He pulled you close to his chest. “I’ll get a good part and you can quit that stupid place. I’ll be in something big, like a show, or a movie, or maybe Broadway, and you can just quit and write all day. Whatever you want to do.”

The song ended, but you reached over to play it again.

“I can’t wait to see you on all the billboards in Times Square.”

“We’ll get there.” He pulled back to look at you. “I’ll find a way to thank you for supporting me while we wait.”

You smiled and shook your head. No thanks was necessary- even the most stressful days were worth it, when you could come home and be this close to someone. You almost said as much, but bit your tongue.

Then your arms were around his neck, pulling his head down for the best kiss of the night.

[mamamittens]

Coming Home for Christmas (+18)

This is part 2/12 of the 2023 December Event

(finally)

Law X OC(Kirin)

I am so sorry for the delay, @cebwrites! Hope it was well worth the wait!

Warnings: Religious/familial trauma, toxic relationships (past), Catholicism, Ex-Catholic Law, deep misunderstanding of Christmas and Santa, oral sex, unprotected sex, overstimulation, they/them Law, clothed sex, kitchen counter sex, implied but not confirmed marathon sex, and cockwarming.

They really go at it but no one is keeping track or score here, so if you'd rather imagine it was one really satisfying orgasm, feel free to lol.

Word Count: 5,443

This time of year was always a mixed bag for Law. Had been ever since they were young.

Usually, they squirreled themselves away in their lab until the unmistakable Christmas music stopped playing in their ears. Ducking out only to give a terse phone call to Lami, dear sweet Lami who never wanted to rock the boat because she never understood why not everyone fit in the boat to begin with. She had no problem being the good, catholic schoolgirl.

So why did Law have such a problem with it?

Didn’t ‘he’ see how loving their parents were? How they tried so very hard to open their hearts to this lost, confused, wayward soul that was their son?

Even when Law was too young to understand their discomfort, they never felt at home in the church. Aside from the sermons lasting hours long every week, the judgmental look every time they asked questions despite asking for questions, and the condescending choir teachers that harped on about purity of the voice and soul. It just… never felt like the home their parents claimed it to be.

Law didn’t feel relaxed in the house of God. Law didn’t even really feel tolerated unless they folded themselves into a tidy little boy-shaped box to sit quietly with all the other little boys and girls unless spoken to. Which was always a trap because it never seemed like the adults back then actually wanted to hear anything but ‘yes, ma’am, God is ever so good to ungrateful wretches like me’ and ‘no sir, I’d never make God cry by being a heathen sinner, no sir’!

Sometimes… sometimes Law would hear the strong, dignified speech of a preacher playing on the radio or television and get… well, not quite nostalgic. The emotions squirmed unpleasantly in their throat, too sour to be bittersweet but so achingly familiar it almost seemed to be like longing. The closest they felt to peace in those walls. Alone in a congregation of nearly two hundred maybe more.

A heavy gaze weighing down on their shoulders from the eyes of a God that seemed only half of what they’d been told. Or maybe that was just Law wanting that accepting embrace they never got from the arms of their family. Still… they supposed that it made sense their feelings were so convoluted. Such was often the case for places and people that so much time is given to when it felt like there’d never be an end.

That place and time still haunted Law in unexpected ways. In all of it’s beauty and twisted love.

The heat of dim candles. Stained glass casting light across dust particles high over his head. This hushed feeling of reverence and promise of something bigger if they just believed.

Cheated.

Law felt cheated. That’s really what it boiled down to.

Law was promised from a very early age that the church is where, above all else, they could belong and feel safe in. When the world was a raging storm, God’s house was a blessed port from the brutal waves of life. But even little perfect, folded-box boy Law didn’t fit right. Didn’t feel safe and loved.

Unless he was quiet.

Unless he was obedient.

Unless they was everything he was told to be.

Maybe it did come from a place of love. Some deep, prickly, twisted love that would rip everything about Law to shreds until they could fold neatly into the perfect catholic son. But it would kill them.

In every way that mattered.

Their—motherfatherFathersisterGod it didn’t matter—love was never enough to keep Law together if they had stayed. Was never meant to. Not really.

So… Law left.

And they made their own family of the weird and strange and everything their parents would have clutched their pearls at.

Even the love of their life was probably the biggest afront to their beliefs Law could have managed to find short of a straight up atheist. Kirin, in all his sweet but bizarre glory, would likely send Law’s parents to an early grave.

And Law was pretty sure they’d never willingly resurrect their parents—however the hell they managed to bring Kirin back, they could not imagine how insufferable their parents would be after that!

So, when Law first heard the achingly familiar Christmas melodies start playing, he quietly resolved to not let Kirin get involved in the holiday that held a key feature of being all about family.

Nope.

Not happening. Even if Lammy would love anyone that Law loved, she’d insist that he met their parents and that would be a fucking disaster.

They couldn’t imagine a worse way to spend an already difficult holiday than trying to explain Kirin in a way that wouldn’t give their estranged family a heart attack. And the discomfort Law felt in their chest did not bode well to the straight up nasty argument that would ensue. Even ignoring Kirin’s backstory, the fact Law was dating a man—totally ignoring the unique sexual characteristics Kirin sported on a whim—was enough to scandalize the whole church.

Law grimaced into their coffee as they realized that alone would warrant a ‘very concerned’ visit from the deacon that baptized them despite never seeing that old man after they left home.

Absolutely not.

Never shall the twain meet and never will Law need to tell a very frail old man to go biblically fuck himself.

Although the look of pure scandal would almost certainly bring an addictive level of satisfaction if they did.

No! Nope! Not happening!

Not even if it would almost be worth the headache that would follow.

--*--

Kirin glanced at Law over his book, brow twitching up in amusement.

Something was making them twitchy. Incredibly twitchy. Every time something started playing music, they rushed to turn off the offending electronic or jumped to start an inane conversation. And now Law looked like they stuck a whole lemon in their coffee. Nose wrinkling in disgust and something bordering on wistfulness in their eyes. It wasn’t always the same tune. Sometimes it was light chanting and other times tinkling bells. A group of people showed up at the front door with booklets and Law quickly slammed the door shut in panic.

Now, Law was perfectly capable of being persnickety and rude. Kirin had no illusions about his lover’s typical attitude. But this was very new. If Kirin didn’t know any better he’d think Law was losing their mind. Or failed to sleep for almost a week again. But Kirin’s new system worked wonders for that problem, so that couldn’t be it.

It took an unexpected glimpse of one of the neighbors to get a hint. A bright display of colorful lights draped over their trees, eaves, and bushes. On the front lawn in bold, bubbly letters, was the phrase ‘merry x-mas’. Kirin’s eyes narrowed as they resolved to look that up. Clearly it was a big deal if it was worth putting on such a gaudy display on usually pristine lawns.

The display looked infinitely better at night. And the late research was equally illuminating, if a little chaotic. Every time Kirin started to follow a thread he found a new piece of information that begged to be investigated further. So, in effect, he got a very broad but scattered view of ‘Christmas’. Not to be confused with ‘Hannuka’, which didn’t seem to be the source of all this paranoid-Law inducing music.

For some reason, Law had neglected to tell Kirin about this holiday. And he could almost understand why. The idea that they needed to buy massive boxes with ribbons, cars with bows, trees, lights, and rings so ‘Kay’ can make out with… someone? Some’s wife from what Kirin gathers. All this to keep some other guy from breaking into their house and eating their food in exchange for gifts, which was frankly weird as fuck. How did that even happen and did Kirin need to worry about Law being haunted for not participating in the holiday?

Kirin… didn’t think ghosts were real. But he’d also been multiple corpses at some point so who was he to argue about the dead? He wasn’t sure, there was a whole book about it deemed so important that they made movie adaptations. Once even with ‘Muppets’, which Kirin assumed were like puppets but not.

At the very least, everyone looks like they’re having fun when they aren’t paranoid over this Nick guy coming down the chimney, kissing moms, or watching them sleep—seriously what the hell is wrong with this creep and why is there a holiday for him???

The psychopath even has a list! A list! That he checks twice, the thorough bastard. Honestly, the more Kirin hears about him, the less he likes.

And don’t get him started on the reindeer and elves! What is Santa paying these elves? Who is paying Santa to pay these elves? Why do the reindeer fly?

Kirin felt like he was really starting to understand why the government tracked this psycho every year. He’d want to know where ‘Nick’ was going too!

There was one good thing about Christmas though.

The stores sold super cute clothes for the season. May as well look the part while reassuring Law that he would help make sure ‘Nick’ didn’t break into their house for food or presents.

--*--

Law had been on edge for weeks now as the ‘Christmas cheer’ intensified. So far, they’d been successful in keeping Kirin from discovering anything about the holiday. But it was growing more difficult by the way as every commercial had a rip off of some Christmas classic and the neighbors started stringing lights up. Someone even put ‘Merry X-Mas’ on their lawn and Law ordered curtains for the kitchen.

To be fair, they should have done that sooner. They’d been getting frisky in there often enough that someone probably got an eyeful by now.

But it was worth it to maintain the new peace and warmth in their home. Law couldn’t dream of risking it after their… misunderstanding before. And their parents had a way of uniquely setting every happy moment on fire so Law could only remain vigilant and wait for this damn oversaturated, commercialized holiday season to end. They’d like to do New Years though.

That sounded nice, actually. Starting a whole new year with Kirin’s lips on theirs. Alone or at a party where the whole world would fall away like it tended to when Kirin cupped their face and melted into a kiss. Law really couldn’t wait.

Law shuffled into the kitchen, brand new curtains over the kitchen window pulled tight, and made a bee line towards the coffee maker. A hot cup waiting for them next to the pot.

They froze.

There was a candy cane in the mug, steam curling around the red and white stripes.

The mug was wrapped with a bow.

For one fleeting moment, Law wondered if someone broke in because there was no way in hell Law owned either item before this.

There was a quiet sip to their left and Law’s head whipped over to see Kirin reclined against the counter with a small smile. His eyes cutting through the steam of his own coffee cup. Law felt their heart stutter as they took in the sight.

Though the house was reasonably warm, Kirin wore a sweater. Not just any sweater, but a white turtleneck sweater dress that stretched over his bare hips just enough to cover his ass and a section cut over his chest, exposing the tops. Around his waist was a red belt with a bow, the color vibrant and emphasizing his figure shamelessly. Almost as shameless as the knee high boots with stockings clipped up with small bows and elastic trailing up under the dress. Kirin’s hair was tied neatly with a red bow, trailing over his shoulder.

Law had never been so horrified and aroused at the same time.

There was no way in hell Kirin bought all that and missed the Christmas time propaganda all over the place.

Did he get lingerie to wear underneath—

Didn’t matter. No matter what their dick thought, that didn’t matter! Damage control time!

“… so.” Law trailed off, ripping their gaze from the reflection off the leather boots and nearly succeeded in not trailing up Kirin’s toned thighs to where the dress ended. “You went shopping, huh?”

Kirin grinned.

“Yes. I did! Glad you noticed.” Kirin laughed. “You didn’t need to hide it from me, you know.”

Law could feel a cold sweat break out.

“Oh yeah?” They said faintly, pushing around the melting candy cane before taking a sip of their coffee. It tasted mildly like peppermint, the cool burn helping keep them distracted enough to not panic outright.

“Of course, Law! I know it’s gotta be stressful this time of year keeping an eye out for that psycho, but we’re a team, you know? Whatever you need, I can help.” Kirin pleaded softly.

Psycho?

That pyscho? As in, a specific one???

For a brief, hysterical moment, Law thought Kirin had somehow met their father or the elderly deacon. But that wasn’t possible. Lammy would have called half a dozen times if that was the case.

No. Certainly not. Something definitely went haywire and now Law has a much different kind of damage control to do.

“Kirin… who the fuck are you talking about?” Law asked curiously, mentally preparing for some crazed Christmas stalker or something.

“Nick? The saint guy? You know, the dude watching people sleep, breaking into houses, and trying to have affairs with people. Honestly, I get why you’d be so stressed if this maniac is at it every year if half of the stories I heard are accurate!”

Law felt like they were having a brief but intense out of body experience. Static in their head as the taste of peppermint faded to a vague sense of sweetener and menthol.

Shachi and Penguin would come around the corner with cameras at any moment. Perhaps with party poppers and dumb grins as they loudly laughed at his confusion.

“…Saint Nicholas? Santa Clause?” Law asked faintly. “Why would…”

It occurred to Law then that with the fervor around the holiday and intense work everyone put into making it believable, there was every chance that Kirin genuinely thought Santa Clause was real. And not just the historical figure.

Law never thought they’d be put in the moral quandary of whether or not to disillusion their lover of the existence of Santa Clause. But since whatever image Kirin had of the mythical man was clearly very warped compared to the typical child, they should probably be honest. In hindsight, people say a lot of weird shit about the man, so it’s no wonder Kirin heard all that and thought the jolly old man was a creep.

“Kirin. Santa Clause isn’t real. Well, he was like… a few centuries ago. Gave toys to kids and shit so they gave him sainthood but otherwise he’s a fairytale. Marketing to get people to buy shit at this time of year. There is no fat man breaking into our house.” Kirin looked at Law with wide, confused eyes.

“Then why have you been so paranoid around Christmas stuff?”

Law began to sweat again. Maybe they should have gone along with it. Installed a new security system with Kirin and everything. Make it a tradition to upgrade their security against a mythical old man with mild omniscience.

It did not escape Law’s notice the irony of pretending to guard their house against an all-knowing man to get away with not talking about the other all knowing one. And their family. Because the two had always been inextricably linked for all the harm it caused them growing up.

Desperate for something to distract Kirin, Laws eyes caught on the slit of fabric exposing Kirin’s chest. The shine of dark stockings stretched over his toned thighs with tiny bows. Seemed a shame for Kirin to get all dressed up as a show of support and not show their own appreciation.

Law chuckled, setting down the mug and striding up to Kirin. Their hands settling on the silk belt as they kissed Kirin’s knuckle, the scent of coffee strong.

“You got all dressed up to tell me you wanted to help keep out an old man.” Law laughed. “It’d be rude to ignore your efforts.” Law gripped his waist and lifted, settling Kirin on the counter as he scrambled to put down his own mug of coffee. Hands brushing over Law’s shirt as he laughed.

Law brushed their hands down to the thick hem of Kirin’s dress where barely half an inch of skin was exposed before nylon stockings were secured in place. Teasing their fingers underneath the stockings and snapping them against Kirin’s hot thighs. Leather boots crossed behind Law’s ass and pulled them in closer but they resisted. Wanting to take a closer look at what else Kirin was wearing.

Law made the mistake of looking into Kirin’s eyes and froze.

There was heat in his gaze. Interest unmistakable. But underneath the easy lust was understanding. Kirin knew damn well what Law was doing and accepted it. Was willing to wait for as long as Law needed to say what had really been bothering them about Christmas. Law saw how much Kirin loved them, enough to set aside their concern until Law was ready.

That look, specifically that knowing, loving look, was achingly familiar. Not in the painful way church bells ringing cracked their ribcage open. But deeper and all the sweeter for it. Soft hands cradling his heart, mindful as they brushed across the raw surface and thundering vessels.

I’m here. I’ll be here waiting until you’re ready, Law. I won’t go anywhere.

“Law?—”

“They’d hate you almost as much as they hate me.” Law heard but it took a moment to realize that they’re the ones that said it. Their next words tumbling in a fit of panic. “Cora would love you though—I mean—I-I…” Law’s tongue fumbled around their words, throat squeezing as a different panic settled in.

The panic to explain away the very out of pocket response. The panicked realization that they’d have to explain everything about their family. All the complicated, raw emotions Law still felt to this day. The perfect choir boy their parents wanted on the mantle and the real adult they spat at every time it came up. Ruin what could have been a sweet moment.

What if Kirin agreed?

No. No, he’d never, Law knew that—but?

Law hated this doubt they felt in their heart. Pure understanding of their love warring with the wounded child who tried everything to cut away the parts their parents hated and drowned in the bleeding wounds. Kirin would never just as their parents could never.

Warm hands gently brushed up their neck, teasing over their skin and yanking them free of their frantic thoughts. Palms settling over scruffy jawline so his thumbs could brush over Law’s damp cheeks. Kirin’s face inches from theirs with an expression of soft surprise lined with worry. Law didn’t even realize they’d been crying.

“I’m right here.”

I won’t go anywhere.

Law’s lungs seized and shuddered with a ragged breath.

“It’s… complicated.” Law whispered as Kirin pressed his lips between their eyes. “I-I don’t know where to start.” Law admitted.

“Wherever you want. Whenever is the easiest.” Kirin encouraged gently, his lips brushing over Law’s skin as he stayed in place. Law squeezed Kirin’s thighs and swallowed hard.

“…I talk to Lammy maybe once a year. She’s my sister but she doesn’t get it.” Law breathed out. “She thinks we can all make up one day. Our parents and I. B-But I don’t think we ever could. They want their son—this perfect catholic boy who works in a secular hospital and marries a good catholic girl and gives them grandkids—” Law sighed, squeezing his eyes shut. “I was never good enough. Good enough to be a leading researcher but that wasn’t enough. Wasn’t right. B-Because I wasn’t right. Never had the right words or interests. Never smiled right for pictures or dressed right for the occasion. They want someone who’s not me and hate that I won’t even try.”

Kirin hummed, rubbing his nose into Law’s hair as they pulled Law in closer. Encouraging them to bury their head into his sweater.

“I-I ran out of that house as soon as I realized I’d die if I stayed there. One way or the other. M-Made friends somehow with Shachi and Penguin. M-Met Cora. H-He kept me off the street and out of trouble. Didn’t care how much I snapped at him, he just wanted me safe and happy.” Law sucked in a sharp breath. “They’re family. I-I was afraid that if you knew about Christmas you’d want to meet my parents and I… I couldn’t do that to you. To us. Not after fucking it up all my life and then that thing with Shachi and Penguin—”

“We can do Christmas with your real family. If you want. Shachi, Penguin, and Cora. I’m sure they’d love to celebrate with you.” Kirin mused. “I don’t want anything to do with someone who would hurt you like that for so long and not beg on their knees for forgiveness. Maybe not even then, really. You didn’t deserve to feel like that and I’m sorry you thought I’d ever want to put you in that position again.” Kirin squeezed Law close.

“Really?” Law asked softly, throat tight and strangely vulnerable. “You want to meet my dad?” their breath hitched.

“I’d love to meet your dad. He took you in. That’s all the reason I need to want to meet him and thank him for raising you well.” Kirin reassured.

Law cried. Shuddering tears and lungs aching as they cried into Kirin’s shoulder, squeezing him tightly. Fighting to not openly sob.

It hurt. But in a good way. Like cutting open an abscess that had festered for years. Because Kirin got it. Understood what Law meant and what they said. Didn’t argue about intentions and blood. Didn’t even try. Kirin only cared about what Law felt. Nothing else mattered.

For once, Law’s feelings mattered more than anything else. Anyone else. Something they’d only felt with three people in their life. And none of them shared blood.

“I love you.” Law gasped, turning their head to press their lips to Kirin’s ear. “I love you so much. A-And that’s all Cora needs to know to love you too—not that he wouldn’t anyway.” Law reassured Kirin with a wet laugh before pulling away to wipe their face. Kirin rubbing their arms with a fond smile.

“I can’t wait to meet him then.” Kirin breathed, tears clinging to his lashes. He looked beautiful under the admittedly sterile kitchen light. Just like he did everywhere else he went.

“Later… first, I want…” Law struggled to find the words they needed to convey the want that swelled in their lungs. The kind of want that can only be satisfied with taking in every inch of Kirin’s body.

Instead of trying further to find the right words, Law pressed a kiss to Kirin’s lips. Chaste until they nipped at his lips and slipped in their tongue. Tasting sweet peppermint coffee and soft moans. Their fingertips brushing over stockings and leather to push open his thighs. Law pulled away but didn’t go far. Kissing down Kirin’s throat where they could and then to the window of his sweater.

Kirin moaned hoarsely when Law nosed down the fabric to lap at Kirin’s nipple. Teasing him with their teeth and tongue as Kirin’s hands carded through their hair with increasing desperation. Thighs clenching against Law’s hands to close in and pin them in place. But Law had plans that required Kirin open and exposed.

When Law started to feel the familiar quivers in Kirin’s body, they stopped. Spit clinging to their lips and Kirin’s stiff nipple. Smiling at the cry of denial and sharp tug on their hair before nipping at the other one. Quickly driving Kirin to the brink of ecstasy only to yank away.

“A-Aaaahh--~! N-Nooooo~ L-Law, babe, please~!” Law chuckled at the petulant whine as they sank to their knees between Kirin’s thighs, lifting them up onto their shoulders. Law’s hands grazing along the outside of Kirin’s stockings. They didn’t bother pushing up the scant few inches of fabric to expose Kirin. Merely pressed into the heated space, their nose brushing the distinct feeling of lace.

“I want to show my appreciation, Kiri—how much I love you~” Law purred into the shadow of Kirin’s thighs.

Soaked and unbearably hot, the fabric scratched under their tongue as they lapped at the moisture. Pressing into the folds of Kirin’s pussy through the fabric where his entrance throbbed. Sucking up the familiar flavor of his arousal as Law opened his lips to take in their lover’s whole pussy. Kirin’s voice quivered and shook as they moaned, thighs pressing into Law’s head as they ground the slick fabric into his clit.

Law’s cock strained against their pants but went ignored in favor of Kirin drunkenly squirming, rubbing his pussy against Law’s face. Arousal flooding the skimpy underwear and smearing along their cheeks and thighs. Law pulled away just enough to blindly run their tongue up Kirin’s soaked thigh, pressing the tip of their tongue into the crease where skin met fabric. Pulling it away to slip into wet folds as Kirin moaned sharply.

“Y-Yes! O-Ohhhh right there, La-aw~!” Kirin begged as Law’s tongue found the throbbing entrance. Teased along the inner folds in increasingly right circles as they slipped in a hand to keep the fabric out of the way. Just before their tongue made contact, Law flicked it up and to Kirin’s clit. Attacking the throbbing area with a gentle nip as Kirin cried out.

“Are you going to cum? Give me all of it, I need to know how much you love me~” Law gasped in the damp, hot space. Nearly drowning in Kirin’s arousal.

“S-Soo—ooooh much! So much, L-Law~! I love youuuu~ I love you—A-Ah! Hnmmm~! A-hn~!” Kirin panting, one hand on Law’s head pushing them closer and the other likely pinching his nipples. Law’s tongue slipped into Kirin suddenly, pussy throbbing around the muscle in tight seizing motions as Kirin crested noisily, speech slurred as he chanted drunkenly. “Il-lovey-ooooh~Ilo-aah-veyou~LawlawlawL—A-AAahhhn~!” Soaking Law’s face as he squirted on their tongue. Law slipped in their other hand and teased Kirin’s clit, drawing out his orgasm as Law fucked him with their tongue.

Law’s cock was smearing pre into their thigh now, but Law ignored it. Just like they ignored Kirin shuddering, stuttering cry as Law pushed them over the edge again.

And again.

Utterly lost in the slick mess they made of Kirin’s pussy, eagerly lapping up his cum. The smell and taste thick all around Law. Elated at how well they could please their lover and intent on going until their jaw ached.

There was a sharp yank on Law’s hair as Kirin pulled them away. Law’s lungs ached as they blinked at the bright kitchen lights.

Kirin’s face was red, tears smeared over his cheeks as he panted.

“I wasn’t done.” Law licked their lips with a needy grin, jerking against the shaky hold on their hair to dive back in.

“L-Law, please fuck me.” Kirin cried softly. “I need you inside me.”

Law didn’t make Kirin beg any further, smoothly shifting out from under Kirin’s thighs to give him a messy kiss. Kirin hungrily lapping up Law’s hard work as Law shoved free their cock. Moaning as the pressure eased on their length. Kirin squirmed closer as Law blindly nudged their cock against soaked underwear. Smearing the tip along the itchy fabric.

With one hand, Kirin desperately reached between his thighs to push aside the lacy fabric. Grabbing Law’s cock to guide it where he needed it. Law didn’t argue, too busy chasing the faint taste of peppermint mixing with arousal.

Law rocked their cock between slick thighs, gathering up enough arousal to make a smooth motion. Fucking slowly into Kirin as he gripped Law’s ass, desperately trying to force Law to hilt.

“Easy, Kiri~ Let me love you right~” Law purred against his lips. Kirin’s eyes heavy with lust as he reluctantly relaxed. Allowed Law to go slow despite his pussy throbbing around every inch he could.

Kirin whined every time Law pulled their cock free only to gasp as it returned with aching slowness. Inch by inch, Law’s cock throbbed between Kirin’s walls until there was nowhere else to go. Hilted and soaking their balls with dripping arousal that slipped further down their thighs.

Before, Law didn’t have the patience to wait. But now it seemed insulting to fuck Kirin on the counter after how understanding he’d been. How sweet and loving. Eating him out on the counter was fine at the moment. But making love to Kirin?

That deserved a bed.

Law kicked away their pants and Kirin helped tear off their shirt. But Law stopped him from trying to remove anything of his own.

“No. Keep it on.” Law panted, slipping their hands under Kirin’s ass to pick him up. Kirin’s legs wound around Law’s waist as his pussy throbbed at the unexpected display. “Let’s take this to the bedroom.” Kirin sighed in agreement as he held onto Law with a weak moan, rolling his hips to the best of his ability. Grinding his clit into Law.

Law nearly stumbled a few times but managed well enough, pinning Kirin to the bedroom door to free their hand long enough to force it open. Kicking it closed behind them as they fell onto the bed. Kirin whined as Law accidentally fucked into him attempting to move further up. Leather sticking to Law’s sweaty back as they rocked their hips into Kirin sensually.

In the dark, they were both blind. Only able to hear the wet slap of their thighs together, Law’s balls smacking into Kirin’s ass with every slow thrust. Pants and unsteady moans as they couldn’t get enough of each other. The room growing hot with sex and the faint burn of peppermint. Law held themselves up with their hands clenched in the sheets by Kirin’s head. Their bodies pressed together and lips rarely further apart than a hairsbreadth.

Kirin keeping them close with a hand on their ass and the back of their neck. Grip slipping from sweat or arousal, it was impossible to tell at this point.

Kirin’s voice echoed in their ears as they whined and moaned, the sound increasing in volume along with Law’s groans. Balls throbbing as their cock struggled to slip free of Kirin’s tight pussy despite how wet he was. Electricity sparked along their spine as they both slowly began to crest over the edge.

There was no rush despite Kirin’s desperation. Just a slow, inevitably crash as they both came undone in each other’s arms.

“I love you.” Someone said as they came again. And again. And again? Time dripping away from them like their cum soaked the sheets.

Law couldn’t say if it lasted hours or minutes. If they both only came once or so many times their orgasms smeared together until their bodies shook. Lost in each other again and again until Law collapsed into Kirin. The both of them trembling and gasping for air but refusing to keep their lips to themselves.

Kirin rolled them to the side and threw his leg over Law’s waist. Distinctly free of any leather despite the other boot clearly being on still. Just ripped nylon tickling their skin. Their cock still throbbing in Kirin’s walls, cumming weakly in thin spurts. Obviously, they couldn’t go again, Law’s cock growing reluctantly soft despite the tempting squeeze from Kirin’s pussy. But they both lingered as they were.

Wet lips pressed together in slow kisses. Exhaustion clear in every soft sigh.

Kirin chuckled, his eyes just barely visible in the dark as he smiled.

“I love you, too.”

Law drifted off, already looking forward to the holiday they once dreaded. And every other one after that. Fully planning on ensuring Kirin knew just how much he was loved. On their knees, in bed, in the lab, the kitchen…

Law loved Kirin no matter where it was and had no intention of letting that go unnoticed ever again.

[yoshifruit]

i respect your mario opinions very much and i repsect your music opinions even more. I know you just made a post decrying the tendency of people to commodify music as an art form through the lens of fandom brain however i was wondering what do you think luigi would listen to

Viewing music through the lens of other fandom (because to be fair, people enjoying music can also be a form of fandom) mostly only annoys me when it's mostly the only thing talked about in a YouTube comments section for a song, cause I feel like it steers a conversation into talking about some show or game rather than the song itself. If it's on people's personal blogs though I don't mind, since this is something I myself do. But also I do realize this mindset makes a hypocrit. Anyways I ended up writing more than I thought I would, so I'm putting it under a read more. Thank you very much for sending this ask. 💚

Usually whenever I think of a video game character's taste in music, I tend to base it on what songs represent the character in the games, and what music genres the composer was most likely inspired by when composing those songs. With most Sonic characters this is easy because of Jun Senoue deciding to use different music genres for each character in games like Sonic Adventure and SA2. I think it's a bit harder for some Mario characters though, since most songs in many Mario games aren't use to represent Luigi himself, or Mario himself for that matter.

So for Mario, I tend to think of his taste in music in association with the music that Koji Kondo was inspired by when composing for the earlier games. And I think Mario and Luigi would have mostly similar music taste, considering they're close siblings who still live together, and thus probably listen to a lot of music together. I'm basing this on my own sibling experience though, since this was the case when I lived with my sister. But also whenever I hear music that reminds me of music in Mario games, I tend to think of many Mario characters rather than just one.

So because of that, I think both of them would be into jazz fusion, artists like T-SQUARE and Lee Ritenour and other 70s/80s jazz fusion artists. Like I think Mario would own multiple jazz fusion and smooth jazz albums in vinyl and would put them on to relax or to do chores around the house and Luigi would happily listen with him, sometimes putting on the albums himself. Thinking about artists like Al Jarreau, Spyro Gyra, Casiopea, George Benson, Bobbi Humphrey, etc.

I also think they would eventually find and enjoy 70s/80s J-pop (aka City Pop). Similar to a couple jazz fusion artists, some people have pointed out that Kondo might have taken inspiration from city pop artists like Piper and Tatsuro Yamashita (though I think these comparisons to Kondo's work are a bit debatable). I think Mario and Luigi would enjoy this style of music in a similar way. I think they would like artists like Masataka Matsutoya, Hiroshi Sato, Masaki Matsubara, etc. Though maybe I think this because many of these artists were inspired by jazz fusion, jazz funk, and disco.

Oh I also think Mario and Luigi would love disco. Not necessarily because of any of the music in the games. I imagine Mario and Luigi grew up and lived in a New Donk City similar look of New York City in the 70s and 80s, before they moved to the Mushroom Kingdom. Probably because of Native New Yorker by Odyssey, like I can imagine both of them listening to this song when living in New Donk while feeling a bit sad about their lives at that time, but then listening back to the song and feeling nostalgic about that time. I feel like Luigi would be way more into disco than Mario would be though. Like I can imagine him going to the disco clubs as a young adult. But maybe this is just because I read him as being gay lol. Oh, and I think Pauline would also listen to disco. I think Luigi would be into Italo-disco as well.

Oh, and I also think Luigi loves flamenco, though he's probably not listening to it with other people often. Like it's a music genre that other would be surprised he'd be into. Think this specifcally because of his theme in Mario Strikers Chraged which is really good. It makes me wanna listen to more flamenco styled music since I don't run into that style of music often, other than Blaze it Up by Mondo Grosso, not sure if Luigi would like that one though. If anyone has flamenco recs, please send them.

Thanks again for sending this ask, I'm suprised anyone cares about my opinion on these things since I rarely talk on this blog. I would've linked to more songs, but Tumblr is being weird about me adding links to this post. Sorry if this response is kinda boring. I put together a playlist that reminds me of Mario games and characters while some of these songs I've mentioned here on it, but never finished the playlist. Maybe I'll work on it again and think more of Luigi this time.

[struggle-but-its-all-ocean-floor]

Just watched Kookchwita on a train. I probably looked crazy laughing and smiling the whole time lmao. Jungkook truly is the biggest celebrity in BTS. V's always been known as the eccentric one but I wonder if Vchwita can beat this episode lmao.

Jungkook's not a very nostalgic person, which is funny to me because he's very sentimental and loves romantic songs and movies. At the same time, he doesn't always like to talk about sentimental stuff (unless he's in a particular mood, like in his lives) and has a very spontaneous and carefree attitude. Like, usually the members get emotional and enjoy reflecting on their past, but Jungkook shared his memories almost without any emotion and without commenting on how much he missed them (though we know he does, he just wasn't in a sentimental mood in this episode). When Jungkook says he doesn't think much this is what he means. He's very in the moment and does things according to what he feels (his instincts). Yet he has a certain idea of what he wants and how his plans fit into to that. He has a very unique way of being and thinking that is hard to grasp. I see a lot of Jin in him. Suga mentioned seeing RM and Jin in Jungkook and that was a spot on observation. The way he's kind of eccentric and spontaneous, and knows how to take it easy and go with the flow and enjoy himself - yet in a way that's purposeful and indicates he thought a lot about how he should live his life and made a choice to be that way - as well as his particular type of humor, are very Jin. But he's introspective and sentimental like RM, and is inspired by RM the most. And I'm not surprised Jungkook mentioned thinking like Suga, because he can be practical and matter of fact the way Suga is. (Also, Suga just saying how proud he was of Jungkook over and over again and babying him lmao. He fanboyed.)

So Jungkook wants his next single to be like Seven? Hmm... I wonder what that means. I think he wants another catchy, feel-good song that is a hit. Does he want another song with a more "mature" image? He also said he was looking for it, meaning he's not writing it. And it's likely another English single. I'm a bit surprised that he's only releasing a mini album. Is it because he wants to release less music or because it's trendy? Same with Seven being short - Jungkook mentioned that was the trend. Because I thought Jungkook would want a long album, but maybe he doesn't have enough material? I'm also not sure anymore if he's writing the album or if it will have a story or anything like that? Will it just be random songs thrown together?

Suga asked if he knew Suchwita's Time Machine segment and he didn't lmao. Of course not. The boy didn't even finish the Jiminchwita episode lmao. Jungkook said he would go back to elementary school and study. That's something he's said many times before so I wasn't surprised that was the reason why he wanted to go back to his elementary school days. But I was surprised when he initially answered he would travel to the past because I didn't think he would be the type to regret. It's not about regret though. He just trusts his future so he doesn't care to see it (and he believes in fate so there's no point in worrying about it?) - he wants to go back so he can improve in the present... He was the only member not to say that his dream was to be BTS for a long time (which is a given of course). Instead, he mentioned a more short term goal - becoming someone he can be proud of. Again, he wants to improve in the present so he can be his best self in the future, but he isn't thinking super far ahead. Jungkook is someone who does what he can to improve his present which is a pretty admirable attitude since we have the tendency to get stuck in the past or future and neglect the present. Jungkook doesn't have a lot of confidence in himself still. This was recorded before the Seven promotions though, which seem to have had a good effect on him and his self-esteem.

Jungkook was so at home he made Suchwita his. I love that he sang! And these were real covers too. Jungkook knew the songs and lyrics well, his vocals were on point and his mic was good. Suga really left him alone to sing, drink and eat. It's hilarious that he kept eating throughout the episode. Suga got all sentimental while Jungkook was just chilling and stuffing his mouth. It's so Jungkook lmao. It reminds me of the 2022 Festa dinner or the 2019 one.

Jungkook has such a good voice. I hope the staff enjoyed his performance because he literally did not let them go home lmao.

Edit: The episode had so many moments I wanted to talk about haha. I forgot to say that I loved how he said he can't separate Jeon Jungkook the person from Jungkook of BTS. If he separated them, Army wouldn't be a part of his "real" life, right? Which we know isn't true. And Jin says he misses performing! My baby! Bring him baaaack you assholes.

[starg1rlie]

hihi! hope youre doing well! ♡ ive never done one of these ask games before but they seem sups cute so i thought id give it a shot ! 💍 for scara please !!

im ambivert!! i really enjoy talking to people and love being around them! id describe myself as a rather calm and go with the flow. im a very patient person and like to see the brighter side of things. im a very physically affectionate person and generally just a pretty happy person 😭 i dont really like confrontation all too much but i will engage in some teasing if i know the other person is okay w it. unfortunately im also the victim of being a HUGE sappy hopeless romantic too 😔 i really enjoy writing :> music and nature are huge inspirations for me and are a big part of my life ! i also draw quite a lot too, it helps relax me and i love making things. i hope you have a great day and thank you for your time! <3 (apologies if this is too long! ^^;;)

(hello, my apologies for taking so long to get to your request, i hope that you haven't been waiting too long...i got a bit sick and i lost my motivation to write, since i dont feel like i'd be pushing out anything worthwhile for my readers at the time, but here i am <3 hope you enjoy)

biking around the city

its dangerous, he says, and yet, he still goes along with it. you first suggested it as a way to get some fresh air (as if the two of you couldn't receive fresh air from the front porch of your house), and he agreed, only because he knows how much you enjoy taking in the scenery of mother nature. of course he didn't expect for you to ask him to hold hands while doing so. if he had, he'd have refused to accompany you and would probably force you to do something else inside the house that wasn't quite so dangerous. he went along with it anyways, linking his fingers through yours as the two of you biked around the neighborhood for a bit. then scaramouche insisted the two of you head back, because it was getting late and your parents would probably murder him if he kept you out for too long.

he'll play the piano in the middle of the night

even though his mother had previously forced him to learn how to play the piano, he still secretly enjoyed it, despite all the smacks to the hand he received from his instructor. he hadn't played in a while and he felt a little nostalgic one night, so he plopped himself down in front of the grand piano, flipping the cover open and letting his fingers brush against the piano keys. slowly, he dipped into a simple melody he first learned, then ascended into a more complicated tune. all the while, he never looked up from his work, playing and playing until he played the last note. a clap startled him and he jumped up from his seat, whirling around to face you. you didn't tell me you played the piano, you'd say as he came over to wrap his arms around you. that's a one-time thing, he replied. only it wasn't; he started playing more and more every night, and you, upstairs in the bedroom, would listen contentedly under the covers, happy that he continues to play.

introduce him to romance

he legit hasn't had a single romancic occurence in his life (poor boy), and does not understand how you can be so sappy and romantic all of the time. so when you sat him down one night, scaramouche couldn't help but feel a little skeptical about the whole ordeal. romance wasn't his thing, not really, anyways. but you tossed a copy of "to all the boys i've loved before" and left him to "do his thing". a few hours later, you hear sobbing from downstairs and rush to see what's the matter. why are you crying? you asked him, rubbing a hand soothingly over his back. this book is so fucking sad, he'd say, wiping at his runny nose first and then his eyes. honey...it's a romance book...you replied, a little confused. i know. it's so fucking bad.

he'll teach you how to waltz

scaramouche isn't much of a dancer himself, but since there is a formal dance coming up at his school, and he wants to take you as his date, he practiced for weeks on end, ever since the school announced the dance. when he finally felt good about his performances, scaramouche invited you to his living room and placed a hand over your waist, the other gently clasping your hand in his. together the two of you swayed around the room until you collapsed into an exahusted heap, erupting into giggles. what's this for? you inquired, gesturing at his tuxedo and neatly combed hair the next day. what did you think i asked you to dance with me for last night? he shot back, re-adjusting his tie. we're going to the dance. with that, he promptly drags you out of the house to drive to the dance.

listens to your onslaught of playlists

it seems every day you manage to make a new playlist for him to listen to. him? he prefers indie pop and would rather slit his throat than listen to anything other than his chill music. however, since you put time and effort into the playlists, he'll scroll through it and play some of the songs in there. eventually, he'll find his head bobbing along to the songs and will scowl to himself, ripping his headphones off and glaring at his phone. your playlists...aren't as bad as i thought they'd be, scaramouche said the next day. his eyes narrowed just a bit. but we'll be talking more about your music taste in the future.

he'll organize a hike and picnic

since you seem to love nature so much, scaramouche mentally mapped out a plan for taking you out one weekend for a hike, and then a picnic at a pretty area, even going so far to take the scenic route instead of the shorter route. backpack and picnic basket in tow, he'll determindely hike up the hill with you, even though his feet are killing him and he'd much rather be relaxing back at home, watching riverdale. when the two of you finally reached the summit, he keeled over on his hands and knees, gasping and panting heavily. nope, this man is not in shape. want some water? you offer him, holding out a bottle of cold water for him. scaramouche accepted it gratefully and gulped half of it down before swiping at his chin. you're lucky that i decided to go through with this, otherwise we'd be rewatching riverdale again at home, he said pointedly, wiggling his index finger at you while he tried controlling his breathing.

[diodellet]

3 unfinished obm stories

here i am again back with my bs... (look this one paper is asking me to examine my writing while thinking speculatively towards a bigger project ill have to undertake in the future and i ended up getting a bit nostalgic so there, yeah). insert obligatory super long post++drafty and unebeta'd writing under the cut warning here.

satan x empath!reader

lmaooooo not me thinking of longfics with characters i barely know about (this is what happens when you fall for a hot guy without psychoanalyzing him first, dio u loSER!!!). i think i was inspired by grace mclean's in the green. i hate parsing the plot of musicals through lines and historical research but its all i can do being a non-US person.

The quiet celebration was cut short when the Madam dropped the letter she was reading. You stopped playing with the infant and turned your gaze to the older woman with concern. Cradling the baby with one arm, you made your way to her side. “Mi-Mother?” you asked, gentle in your tone. It was difficult to make the switch in title. But with her claiming you as one of her own, you would make sure not to misspeak in front of her as to lessen the chance of fumbling in front of guests and visitors. You laid your palm on top of her hand, acutely noticing that it was trembling.

She had gone pale, all the color drained from her face. Her other hand was pressed over her mouth.

“Shall I call the doctor?” you asked, hoping that you could cut through the haze of whatever was ailing her.

Mutely, she shook her head and closed her eyes. The child in your arm made a confused babble sound.

A choked out sob comes from the woman’s mouth. Seeing her in agony like this made a low thrum of pain well up in your chest. The joyful spark in her eyes that  glittered and gleamed with adoration and warmth was now clouded over with fear that wound itself tightly around the woman’s frame, rendering her speechless, no matter how much you tried to console her.

All because of a single sheet of paper. Your eyes catch a glimpse of the sender’s name.

The woman’s husband was hardly ever home. Spent more time at the office, with business associates, and even would leave the country for several weeks at a time. Hot flares of annoyance would clutch at your throat every time he was brought up. It hurt even more to see that the lady of the house still held nothing but kindness and consideration for him. She refused to talk about the pressing issue, that being, her emotional pain, instead choosing to change the topic to something mundane, acting as if there wasn’t anything burdening her.

You had no choice but to oblige her conversations and return to your day-to-day life reluctantly.

Until a certain visitor turned up late at night.

Rubbing the sleep from your eyes, you gazed at the clock, the pendulum swung back and forth in a hypnotizing rhythm. The short hand was pointed at the third hour. Who would have business with her at this time?

A sharp whistling sound broke through your stream of thoughts, you hurried to take the kettle off the stove and prepare tea for the guest.

Delicately balancing the teaware on the tray, you made your way to the Mistress’ room. Your feet have carried you there so many times, you’ve ended up in her room more than you’ve been in your own.

Especially since the birth of her new daughter.

Your mind drifted back to the omnipresent sadness shadowing your Mistress. Muffled sobs from her room, dark rings under her eyes, smiles that only made it up to her lips, a deep-seated weariness that made her look older than she actually was.

Stopping right outside her door, you raise your fist, about to knock when you hear snippets of a hushed conversation.

Sobbing. Gut-wrenching crying.

A cold, clinical voice mentioning a contract.

The wailing of the infant.

The tray fell from your hands, crashing into the floor. Ceramic fragments littered the ground, scalding hot tea seeped into the carpets and floorboards. But even with this mess, you felt the languid haze clear away from your mind.

Without caring for your proper decorum, you throw open the door, calling out for your mistress.

She was standing by the crib, clutching the child to her chest. Her grip was protective and tight, tears streamed down her cheeks in small rivulets.

By the foot of her bed stood a blond-haired man, dressed in a military-styled uniform. You couldn’t put your finger on it, but it didn’t seem like the design 

The occupants of the room turned to you.

Two sets of emotion struck you. First was the sinking despair of your mistress. Her pale face and red-rimmed eyes. You could see that she wanted to protect the child in her arms and you, the servant she had plucked from the streets and raised as her own. The second set of emotion was barely-concealed rage in the man’s expression, almost as if the slightest misstep or noise would snap the last remains of his patience.

Despite the fear coursing you, your feet planted themselves between the man and the woman.

His frown deepened. “Move out of the way, human. I have a contract to fulfill.”

Mutely, you shook your head, refusing to budge. Behind you, the mistress of the house gripped the back of your outfit with a trembling hand. “Please step aside. This is a personal matter.”

Her vice grip on you betrayed her words.

“Wh-what’s the contract about? My la-mother’s business is also mine.” You demand to know, voice wavering in fear.

He didn’t say anything, only surveying you with an annoyed gaze.

She repeated her words, more firmly this time. “He just wants to talk about business—”

The realization hits you quickly and your eyes widen in shock. “He’s going to take your child…” you uttered in a voice barely above a whisper.

Your words bring a new wave of tears to the older woman’s eyes. She didn’t try to deny it.

Tears spring to your own eyes.

It all made sense, how she would spend days with the child held close to her. How she would cry to herself as the baby slept against her chest. Her damned husband was selling their child to a stranger.

see the interesting thing abt the reader was that they were adopted or a surrogate child to the lady of the house, which shud? circumvent the contract that the husband made with satan? (tbh if the logic didn't add up i was just going to have reader go "um actually, blood is thicker than water" and hit him with some other emotion (of fierce protectiveness towards their family) that it would intrigue him to take them instead. i think what mainly made me discontinue this wip was that idk much about writing in a historical fiction-kinda setting. yeah its a bit of shoddy, scotch tape worldbuilding nd headcanoning, and yeahhh there were going to be romantic elements but it wasn't really the goal? i just knew that the reader would die, either by satan's hands or by society (ala witch hunt persecution or something similar). they would end up becoming an influential figure for satan, or smth along the lines of managing to convey emotions other than anger.++wouldn't it be funny if this would tie in to that one fairytale satan references in lesson 19?

obey me x puella magi madoka magica

where you are madoka, solomon is homura, the angels are kyubey, and the sinblings+dia and barb were supposed to be witches. Or well... magical girls who would become witches? I'm not sure, i just know that i wanted the angels to be the actual antagonists. Channeling "cold, unfeeling heaven" vibes. i was really fascinated with the idea that the entities ruling "heaven" were no different from rule-abiding machines, because a lot institutionalized religion valued adherence and submission over legit goodness, ykw? but the problems were: 1.) that i didn't care much for the sinblings, 2.) nor do i care much for solomon (i mean i get the appeal now, but this was during my early days of playing obm...where i only liked simeon...)

Eyes watering, you squinted through the dust.

You could make out wisps of silver. A person clothed in black, holding...

Help me!

The blood in your veins turned to ice. The voice that was calling out to you. It was in danger.

It called your name, more urgently this time, the sound making your ears ring. You winced, one of your hands came up to clap against the side of your head.

"No!" You called out to the figure. They turned to face you.

Pale silver hair seemingly casting a shadow over dark gray irises. You think you can spot a sense of recognition, of familiarity. But with the cold expression on his face...

The pit in your stomach widened to a chasm. Sweat gathered in your palms. Why was he here, doing this? Questions filled your mind. The person—he—looked familiar yet you couldn't place a name to his face, no matter how deep you dug through your memories.

In one of his hands, he held a bloodied child by the back of his collar. Red dripped from the side of his head, standing out against the soft yellow strands.

i love play rehearsal but in a minor key (ft. pugatory hall)

idk i missed being being part of theater rehearsals. and one of the last notable activities i remember being made to do was putting on a short musical abt a biblical love story.

“You’re getting the hang of it!” The meager compliment, while appreciated, only makes you sigh, frustration creeping into the released breath. You snatch your phone off the piano and stop recording.

Listening to it later was going to be a pain. But right now, the first thing you had noticed was that you kept messing up at the second verse. That was embarrassing. A part of you was grateful that you had someone to help you practice, but the harsher and more critical part of yourself was wringing you out for your performance.

Even if they were only practices, you couldn’t help but want it to be perfect.

“Are you okay?” Luke asked, his cheer giving way to worry as he stood from the piano.

“Yeah—Yeah, I’m okay. Do you want to practice your part?” You straighten up, pocketing your phone. Berate yourself later, practice right now.

You switch places with him and adjust the seat to be more comfortable.

A short and simple pay. That was all it was. A little extra-curricular activity to have some fun and let the exchange students work together with the other students.

Which backfired stupendously, since most of the demons steered clear from the Celestial students. You doubted that you were gonna work well with demons, especially since you were constantly being eyed with either predatory or unwelcome gazes.

So here you were, with the Purgatory Hall students for the nth time.

When did you start regretting being a part of this? Oh right, when you suggested offhandedly that the play could be a musical.

And your groupmates, darn them, supported the idea.

You weren’t a complete musical genius, didn’t have much experience. But back in the Human World, you’ve played around with a keyboard and guitar, picked up a How to: For Dummies book, took little bits and ideas from tutorial videos on the Internet. Sure you may have acted a bit for drama club, and maybe you’ve had that one phase in your life when you uploaded covers and you’ve had your fair share of one-person Broadway shows in the shower but—

You were not a professional.

So while the main goal of this activity was to have fun, there was the part of your validation-starved brain that convinced you that you needed this performance to measure up.

Starting with yours, at least.

“We’re back.” The door to the music room opened to reveal your other two group members coming back from their visit to the auditorium.

“Still hard at work, I see.”

It was agreed that the four of you would have some dialogue and acting to do. But each of you would handle certain parts of the production.

You weren’t able to use magic for special effects like Solomon could.

Simeon already took care of the writing and staging.

This left you and Luke to work together on the music. That turned out pretty well for the first part of it, until you had the then-brilliant-now-stupid idea to do this for your song. A solo song. It kind of made sense since you were one of the coc-leads, but you were starting to wonder what your brain was thinking when it decided to make the song a melancholic one.

The duet with your character’s and Luke’s was fun. Peppy. Happy. With cheeky back-and-forth lines. Practicing it would leave a smile on your lips as you sang together.

After the last chord rang out, you turn to Simeon and Solomon, “Wanna practice any of your songs next?” you ask.

[...]

You drum the pen against the surface of the table as you carefully went through the worksheet. Nestled in your ear, an earphone playing the recording from earlier.

As expected, practice was a success when it came to their parts. Sure, they were going to need to work on their expressions along with their singing, but you still had to iron out a few things in the songs. Change a lyric, adjust the melody a bit to make it easier to learn, things like that. Flipping to the back page of the sheet, you grimace at the essay questions and decide now would be an okay time to take a break. Heading to the kitchen, you pocket your phone and look through the cupboards.

While you wanted to enjoy a sweet snack, you needed to take care of your voice. Having it crack and not be consistent during rehearsals was going to make things ten times more embarrassing than they already were.

So tea became one of your best friends.

As you waited for the kettle to fill with water, you hum along to the song, tapping your foot slowly against the floor. Setting the kettle on the stove, you waited for the water to boil. The song picked up, flicking a switch in you. You throw yourself into it, closing your eyes and pressing a hand against your chest as if to draw the emotion from you while singing.

As the song reached its climax, your voice rose in pitch and volume, reaching the notes you struggled to hit during rehearsals.

Ah, if only you could do this every single practice.

Let go and just sing.

[...]

“Don’t you want to take a break?” Luke’s fingers come off the piano keys, stopping abruptly.

“After one more run-through, there’s this part I keep messing up—” You answer curtly, flipping through the sheet music. Were you going to have to make more adjustments to the melody?

Conflicted, Luke turned to Simeon for help. The older angel gave a reassuring pat on Luke’s head. “I’m with Luke on this, let’s take a short break, at least.”

You looked up from the music in your hands. “Oh…then I could practice my part on my own—”

Luke frowned. “You’ve been practicing non-stop since we got here.” “No, you see, I don’t practice enough.”

i stopped becs i started going to some dark places, yeah performing musicals is fun but oh my god the rehearsals are so bad for my mental health. esp when u have a highstrung director/adviser who would put their stress on all of u. but who knows im really fixated on writing stuff about play rehearsals, ahaha i might frankenstein together a bunch of lines from this wip into a different one

[evansfm]

𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐄 ( 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 )    ;       𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙘 𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙣𝙞𝙘       ››      𝐊𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐍  +  𝐄𝐕𝐀𝐍  .  

evan  had  long  since  abandoned  the  idea  that  HOME  was  one  place  .  when  she  was  traveling  and  longing  to  be  home  ,  it  wasn’t  a  particular  street  name  and  address  she  thought  about  .  it  was  the  feeling  of  a  warm  body  curled  up  next  to  her  ,  the  sound  of  a  steady  heartbeat  lulling  her  to  sleep  ,  waking  up  to  a  sleepy  smile  .  home  was  kieran  .  and  ziggy  ,  of  course  .  still  ,  it  was  good  to  be  back  on  irish  soil  .  it  was  good  to  be  back  in  the  house  with  the  pale  blue  door  where  her  mother  was  waiting  with  a  warm  mug  filled  to  the  brim  and  about  a  dozen  harmless  stories  that  were  ,  truthfully  ,  none  of  her  business  .  she  welcomed  each  of  the  boys  home  like  they  were  her  own  ––  because  at  this  point  ,  they  were  .  lorcain  seemed  brighter  this  time  around  ,  or  maybe  it  was  just  nora  .  seeing  her  with  mikey  never  ceased  to  bring  about  a  kind  of  joy  that  was  CONTAGIOUS  .  it  was  particularly  bright  when  they  were  all  together  .  evan  swore  she  had  never  heard  laughter  quite  as  infectious  as  when  eloise  and  nora  could  be  heard  laughing  together  in  the  spacious  kitchen  of  a  new  home  that  nora  had  made  entirely  her  own  .  when  they  were  all  together  like  that  ,  it  felt  like  a  glimpse  at  the  rest  of  their  lives  .  .  .  and  evan  was  perfectly  happy  with  the  life  they  were  living  .  the  boys  had  been  diligently  working  on  their  album  ,  with  plenty  of  long  days  in  the  studio  but  none  too  frequent  .  still  ,  evan  could  count  the  times  she’d  fallen  asleep  on  that  beat  up  leather  couch  waiting  for  them  to  finish  on  one  hand  .  it  was  both  nothing  and  everything  like  the  first  time  .  nostalgic  and  hopeful  for  the  future  all  at  once  .  they  worked  like  a  well  oiled  machine  ,  and  though  this  was  the  second  time  around  .  .  .  evan  didn’t  think  she’d  ever  tire  of  watching  them  work  .  it  was  something  she’d  never  be  able  to  do  :  put  words  down  on  paper  then  string  them  together  to  a  melody  that  had  been  dancing  around  in  one  of  their  heads  for  days  ,  weeks  ,  months  .  it  seemed  they  were  only  getting  better  ,  too  .  their  newest  single  had  done  just  as  well  as  that  debut  album  .  .  .  the  found’s  fanbase  was  growing  .  intimate  shows  played  around  europe  sold  out  in  minutes  ;  people  began  lining  up  as  the  sun  rose  on  the  morning  of  the  show  .  she’d  tried  her  best  to  go  with  them  when  she  could  .  why  wouldn’t  she  ? in  a  couple  months  ,  saint  valentine  would  make  the  trip  over  the  pond  ,  and  she’d  be  on  the  road  with  them  for  some  time  after  .  but  nothing  compared  to  the  found  .  nothing  compared  seeing  the  boys  she’d  watched  grow  up  through  the  lens  of  her  camera  .  NOTHING  compared  to  being  there  when  the  final  song  was  played  ,  when  the  encore  came  to  a  close  ,  when  kieran  came  off  stage  with  a  crooked  smile  and  damp  curls  ,  eyes  never  leaving  hers  no  matter  how  many  people  reached  to  pat  him  on  the  shoulder  or  shake  his  hand  .  next  time  ,  when  i  try  t’  be  selfish  wit’  you  ,  he’d  said  in  new  york  ,  DON’T  LET  ME  .  and  she  hadn’t  .  it’s  why  she’d  carved  out  so  much  time  for  a  trip  back  to  ireland  .  this  wasn’t  just  any  show  ,  after  all  .  this  one  would  be  played  on  a  festival  stage  .  .  .  in  front  of  a  crowd  that  may  or  may  not  have  come  with  seeing  the  found  in  mind  .  just  a  little  over  an  hour  outside  of  their  hometown  .  .  .  a  little  UNDER  an  hour  if  ruairi  was  driving  .  electric  picnic  was  always  one  last  goodbye  to  summer  .  most  of  her  memories  of  it  had  little  to  do  with  the  music  and  everything  to  do  with  fake  ids  ,  piggyback  rides  from  ruairi  ,  and  wishing  the  ride  home  was  longer  as  she  dozed  off  on  kieran’s  shoulder  .  it  wasn’t  just  any  festival  show  .  it  was  their  first  ,  and  it  was  one  that  hit  close  to  home  .  there  was  a  bit  of  added  pressure  ,  being  so  close  to  home  .  .  .  but  maybe  a  bit  of  comfort  ,  too  ,  in  the  fact  that  their  families  had  made  it  out  to  support  them  .  eloise  was  more  than  happy  to  take  off  work  ;  evan  couldn’t  remember  the  last  time  her  mother  had  managed  to  get  away  from  the  hospital  for  a  show  .  nora  was  there  ,  beaming  with  mikey  nearby  .  ruairi’s  parents  had  made  the  short  trip  ,  as  had  adam’s  brothers  and  the  oldest  of  conan’s  sisters  .  they  had  their  own  little  army  of  support  ,  ready  to  rally  around  them  .

despite  it  all  ,  evan  could  feel  the  nervous  energy  swarming  around  the  band  .  she  saw  it  in  the  way  ruairi’s  fingers  drummed  familiar  rhythms  against  his  thighs  and  the  way  adam  wouldn’t  stop  running  his  hands  through  his  hair  .  and  kieran  ,  well  .  .  .  they  were  LINKED  UP  ,  after  all  .  it  didn’t  take  much  for  her  to  realize  that  he  was  at  risk  of  slipping  too  deep  into  his  own  thoughts  .  as  minutes  passed  and  show  time  approached  ,  evan  watched  as  eloise  gently  patted  his  shoulder  as  she  said  :  ‘  you’re  going  to  be  great  ,  love  ’  .  .  .  before  addressing  all  four  boys  with  a  ‘  break  a  leg  ’  . quickly  followed  by  a  stern  finger  pointed  directly  at  ruairi  ‘  NOT  literally  ‘  .  she  watched  as  their  instruments  were  diligently  set  up  on  stage  .  from  her  spot  perched  on  an  equipment  box  ,  she  could  even  get  a  glimpse  at  the  crowd  as  it  became  sparse  for  just  a  few  minutes  before  filling  up  quickly  again  .  she  watched  as  pride  sparkled  in  nora’s  eyes  before  she  ,  too  ,  followed  down  a  small  set  of  stairs  and  out  to  get  a  better  view  of  the  show  that  would  take  place  in  just  ten  or  so  minutes  .  and  she  watched  as  all  four  boys  took  nervous  looks  out  at  a  crowd  that  wasn’t  necessarily  there  for  them  .  soon  enough  ,  adam  was  trying  to  neutralize  ruairi  and  conan  as  they  bickered  in  whispers  over  god  knows  what  .  .  .  and  it  gave  evan  the  perfect  opportunity  to  steal  a  second  with  the  frontman  of  the  band  .  it  seemed  rare  to  see  him  nervous  nowadays  ,  but  that  didn’t  mean  she  didn’t  recognize  the  moment  it  started  settling  in  .  he  was  older  now  .  .  .  more  experienced  .  .  .  more  confident  ,  for  sure  .  .  .  but  the  look  in  his  eye  was  strikingly  similar  to  the  one  she’d  seen  reflected  back  at  her  through  a  mirror  in  madrid  ,  TWO  years  ago  .that  european  tour  had  launched  them  towards  an  album  that  debuted  at  #1  ,  a  headlining  tour  in  north  america  ,  and  a  highly  anticipated  sophomore  album  .  things  had  only  gone  up  for  the  boy  who  worried  at  the  rings  encircling  his  fingers  ,  alone  in  his  dressing  room  .  .  .  and  yet  ,  here  he  was  –  home  in  ireland  and  STILL  lost  in  his  head  .  she  quietly  slid  down  from  where  she  sat  and  slipped  behind  him  .  “  hey  ,  you  ,  ”  she  uttered  a  soft  greeting  as  one  hand  slipped  into  his  ,  the  other  coming  to  rest  gently  on  his  forearm  .  in  the  pause  that  lingered  aftwards  ,  she  leaned  over  and  left  a  quick  kiss  against  his  shoulder  ,  and  then  she  gave  a  slight  tug  at  their  intertwined  hands  .  “  c’mere  a  second  ,  will  ya  ?  ”  taking  a  step  backwards  ,  she  lightly  pulled  him  along  ,  coaxing  him  further  away  from  the  crowd  and  the  boys  and  center  stage  where  he’d  be  in  no  time  .  EVAN  had  no  doubt  that  the  moment  that  guitar  was  in  his  hand  ,  things  would  fall  into  place  ,  but  whether  or  not  KIERAN  believed  that  was  an  entirely  different  question  .  he  could  get  so  caught  up  in  his  own  head  sometimes  .  but  she  couldn’t  blame  him  ,  really  .  this  show  in  particular  was  a  BIG  deal  .  she  might’ve  been  nervous  for  them  as  well  .  .  .  if  she  hadn’t  been  certain  they’d  end  up  on  a  stage  like  this  since  they  were  just  kids  sneaking  in  .  “  what  do  you  reckon  our  younger  selves  would  say  ,  ”  she  began  in  a  light  tone  ,  turning  to  face  him  once  they  were  far  enough  away  from  the  boys  ,  “  if  we  went  back  and  told  ‘em  t’at  SOMEDAY  .  .  .  eloise  connely  ‘nd  nora  walsh  would  be  wanderin’  around  fucking  electric  picnic  ?  ”  she  glanced  towards  the  steps  they’d  disappeared  down  as  her  grip  on  his  hand  relented  ,  leaving  only  loosely  intertwined  fingers  in  the  space  between  them  .  “  would’ve  shocked  t’e  hell  out  ‘f  me  ,  ”  she  shook  her  head  ,  turning  back  to  meet  his  eye  ,  “  not  you  boys  though  .  figured  you’d  wind  up  here  someday  .  ”  her  head  tilted  slightly  as  she  studied  him  .  it  was  hard  to  imagine  a  time  they’d  walked  these  very  festival  grounds  years  before  ,  with  so  many  unsaid  words  keeping  a  fair  distance  between  them  until  the  crowd  got  a  little  too  thick  and  he  reached  for  her  hand  .  now  ,  she  could’ve  pulled  him  closer  if  she  wanted  .  but  instead  of  wrapping  her  arms  around  him  and  pulling  him  in  ,  she  gave  him  a  little  breathing  room  .  though  it  didn’t  stop  her  free  hand  from  reaching  up  to  lightly  push  away  a  curl  that  threatened  to  fall  into  his  eyes  .  “  where’s  your  head  at  ,  hm  ?  ”  evan  asked  softly  ,  voice  lowering  as  her  gaze  flickered  over  his  features  ,  “  i  haven’t  seen  you  nervous  like  this  in  a  long  time  .  ”

[wiredalienvampire]

My Thoughts on Retinal Bloom!

I finally listened to Liz Lehmans new album after eagerly waiting for it for so long, I listened to it twice actually. And I'm gonna talk about what I thought about it because wow,I have a lot to say on this album.

To start off, I loved it,like I really really enjoyed listening to it. When Liz released magic hat early back in March (I think) I was immediately sold on their new project.

But what I noticed when listening to it and seeing what the album cover looked like,I knew this was going to be way more different from their past works, admittedly, I couldn't help but be conflicted about it after being so used to the synthpop/bedroom pop music they made, but I couldn't help but admire that they were going to be more aesthetically experimental with their music and I was on board none the less, also magic hat was a banger, and it was a new tsj album, you know I was gonna by hyped no matter what. I followed the release to retinal bloom so closely for a while, listening to the early releases of the songs of the album and reading the articles they premiered in.

And I honestly wished I pre-ordered the vinyl and cassette tapes,cause my excitement for the album was So worth it, hands down.

For starters, the world ethereal comes to mind when listening to this album, it has such a spacey and dreamy feel to it unlike any other tsj album which had a more child-like,nostalgic and zestful feel to it, Since Liz was going for a more psychedelic pop kind of direction with their album. And with this album also being said to be more personal, dealing with liz's struggles and their experiences with the real world, it also has a more darker and even dreadful tone, especially once you get to "forever in you" . I really like how the melodies are more mellow and melodic, like with how "riptide" has this fluid harmony to it that I can't properly describe. I also noticed that the lyrics are more poetic than their past works, usually they would be more of a combination of being metaphorical and literal, with Burn Pygmalion straight up having a narrative involving the relationship of Jeanie and Sylvia. It kinda makes alot of sense with the overall sound of retinal bloom being more abstract, and I really love that.

In terms of the songs,I have plenty of favorites, a few even stood out to me even.

Magic hat is just amazing, Uzumaki is really good, riptide is memorable, our murderous decent is a bop, forever in you is literally in my top 10 of favorite tsj songs of all time,liz has the voice of an angel, rage is weirdly comforting and retreat to celestial bodies... that.. that is the song that stood out to me most in RB, unlike every other song in the album, its only an instrumental, no lyrics, and it polarizes you and the song has a moody,noisy and even slightly depressing tone to it, and when combined with the rest of the album, it gives of this feeling of dread and lonliness, but in an oddly comforting way as the song slowly and quietly ends, its kind of my #1 favorite song in this album.

The few complaints I have (which are not much tbh) is that some songs feel like they go on for a little too long and while I do like pathogenesis, it is my least favorite, it's not a bad song by any means,it's a good song, but I feel like the melody can get a bit meandery in some parts.

But overall,i loved retinal bloom, its a genuinely great album and while I do perfer the older tsj albums,it's mainly due to preference and well I have listened to those albums so many times and got attached to them eeeeee. That aside, I'm would like to thank Liz lehman (and even Angel Marcloid)for making this lovely album, their work has meant so much to me and helped me go through the darkest moments of my life and if you haven't listened to retinal bloom yourself pls do.

TLDR: retinal bloom is a great album and I really wish I pre-ordered it and I'm upset at myself for not doing so sooner