#wish me the best. send me luck. pray for me. etc etc

[ink-livi]

Drawing Cleo but my pen keeps dying plz send me the strength i need to finish this tonight 🙏

[nicromancytarot]

Thank you very much for opening up the games to us! This is from AK, Gemini, sun/Virgo moon

My assumptions are as follows – though you come from a spiritual family, you had to deal with a number of people who either didn’t understand or didn’t accept your gifts. You are a kind person with boundaries, but you had to learn how to create and assert your boundaries. How nice you are, some people still misunderstand you – but I’m guessing that’s due to the boundaries mention and their own issues.

My questions are as follows:

(1) are my protection efforts working at this time (I pray psalm 91, pray for protection/shielding/guarding in general, I use black and white candles to pray for protection over myself and to send the negative energy that those at work may try to send to me right back to them. I also wear tourmaline). Just want to make sure it’s working.

(2) will justice occur in relation to any of the ppl who have tried to severely harass/bully/throw me off (namely Beti, Jacqui, Kiaribel, Kiana, and anyone else who were aligned with them). HR, management, etc had to get involved too. I also kind of wonder if there r ppl at work (coworkers, managers, whoever) who REALLY see what is going on and beyond the BS the bullies are creating.

(3) Will I start to see things turn around for me, in general, this year in my life?

Thank you so much for your participation, angel.

1. No, If they are at all working, it’s more so the bare minimum, spirit recommends that you try to find other ways to protect yourself, something that you haven’t explored before. I was getting moon water, perhaps tapping that on your wrist before work, or even drinking some of it for extra protection, bathing it in it could also be a good idea, at least making sure that it gets on your head so it absorbs any negative energy.I was also hearing that when it comes to colleagues and work, you’re not the best protected, a union ship will help you protect yourself, so perhaps asking someone you really really trust for help. Another message I was given was that there are certain foods that you are eating, that aren’t good for your energy, and that you may be overeating which is causing negative outbursts in your life. (I’m not saying restrict your food intake, that would be absurd, however if you are stress eating, try your best to find another thing to help you combat that)

2. No, I see that you will have to leave this situation, unfortunately the people around you are staying ignorant to the situation, I do not see management protecting these people, however they don’t seem to understand the extent of it, therefore nothing seems to be coming to light (they will get their karma one day, don’t even worry about it)

3. No, not unless you really really commit to it, trying your best to make your life better, it won’t happen without you trying

I wish you the best of luck!!

[khaire-traveler]

Hi! I've recently felt very drawn to Hellenic polytheism and I was wondering how to know if I'm receiving signs, and generally how to communicate with the gods. I see posts where people say that a certain deity told them something, and I was wondering how that communication happens.

Also, this is kind of a weird question, but for the past couple of weeks (about the amount of time that I've been exploring Hellenic polytheism) my shoelaces have been coming untied multiple times a day. This might not seem weird, but I always double knot my shoelaces and have never had a problem with them coming untied before, and now it is happening every day no matter how tightly I tie them. I feel kind of stupid asking this, but could this be a sign?

Thanks!

Hey, Nonny, thanks for the ask!

First of all, I'm glad that you're feeling drawn to Hellenic Polytheism! I hope the absolute best for you on your journey, even if you decide that it's not for you. 🧡

Second, when it comes to receiving signs from deities, there isn't a specific way to interpret things. This religion doesn't come with a rulebook, and deity signs are VERY personal and vary for each person. For example, Hermes loves sending me birds of omen (hawks, blackbirds, etc.), but for another friend of mine, all he sends are mail trucks.

My general rule of thumb for deity signs is that if it feels like a sign - and I mean really feels like one - then it probably is a sign. This isn't always true, though, as sometimes our minds get the better of us, especially if we are feeling anxious or generally unwell at the time. If you're ever super unsure about signs, I'd recommend doing some form of divination with the deity to ensure that you've interpreted things correctly, or even praying and asking the deity for other, more specific signs.

When it comes to people posting about deities who tell them things, I genuinely cannot tell you what that means, since everyone's practice is different, and people communicate with the gods in very different ways. Some people claim to speak with the gods directly (it's up to you to use your discernment to determine if they are being truthful or not), while others, like myself, typically just use divination methods and prayers to communicate with the gods. You can also meditate to communicate with them, but that's honestly a bit difficult for me to explain without making a whole post about it. Personally, I recommend divination as a fairly simple way to communicate with deities, and prayers are definitely our most direct link with them (there is no right or wrong way to pray, btw; just do what is more comfortable to you, so long as you're being respectful ^^).

As for the shoelace thing, I cannot interpret a sign for you - no one can but you. If it feels like a sign, it is one, I'd say. To me, it seems like it could be a sign, especially if it was noticeable enough to catch your attention. Maybe Hermes is trying to communicate, since he is the god of travel? That's just a guess, though; my best advice here is to trust your gut.

I hope this helped! Thanks again for the ask, and take care! I wish you the best of luck in your journey. 🧡☺️

[velvetyshu]

it's no problem! i enjoy sending random asks to people + i know how lonely it can feel on here sometimes (which is ironic considering the fact that it's called social media). also don't feel bothered at all for sending me anything in my inbox!

if you know going to a hospital will help you with your mental health, then go for it tbh. whatever you decide to do, i'll support. <3

about the story: tbh i've been suffering with writer's block for the past few months, which is why i didn't start the story earlier 😭 but now i've come to a realization that i really want to write something, and i'll only feel more stuck if i don't write at all - so i started putting some words on a page and that was it! my writer's block was done for! i have a little sneak peak for you too!!

You walked out the room, shutting the door quietly behind you, only to meet a familiar pair of eyes at the far end of the hallway. Scaramouche... He was dressed in more casual garb than the day before, yet his wide hat still sat atop his head. Three soldiers knelt before him, the apparent victims of his anger that morning. His arms were folded across his chest menacingly, and his beautiful features were twisted into a tight frown. In the light, you could make out thin, purple strands that were nested among his deep blue hair, a detail you hadn't noticed during the inauguration ceremony.

it's not a lot, but i didn't want to spoil too much 😭 i'm thinking of just writing, and debuting the first few chapters on scara's important days! like the first chapter will be released on his character teaser, second for his demo, etc. lmk what you think about that!

OH im so glad you were lucky with childe and his weapon 😭😭 praying for both of us to have that luck with scara when he comes by! i have 128 wishes + 45 pity (it's crazy ik,,,i've been saving since the beginning of september for this man) and honestly i'm kinda hoping he comes home early so i can get his weapon! i believe his teaser/trailer is coming out this thursday? just a rough estimation,,,but i'm so excited!

also i had no idea you draw??? do you do digital or traditional art? i started digital early october and tbh it's going pretty okay 😭 do you have a side acct for art or anything?

+ i would love to give you my uid!! honestly i've been pretty bummed these past few days because i've met a couple interesting people who i wanted to play with, but they weren't on NA servers,,,but i'm so glad you are!! i'll dm you my uid tmrw, and when we both get scara, we can take lots of pictures 🙏😋

Of course! I’ll do my best to keep that in mind. I do agree though, most of the time it feels quite lonely in tumblr. I try to socialize with people once In a while but they never seem to get in touch. It’s understandable though, they have a life to live at the fullest!

But no rush when writing about the story! Take your time and even take breaks when you’re facing writers block. It’s a huge pain to deal with, I can relate to not gaining any motivation or feel like there’s a flaw in my writing. My ideas just…die out in the process of making them y’know? EITHER WAY YOUR STORY IS GOING GREAT! I’m really excited to see what’s in store for the future. Though, I can see where you’re coming from and I think it’s a good idea to release the first chapter and so on in days like those! Might make him feel special. 🤝

I’m really thankful to have Childe since he’s one of my favorite characters (comfort as well), and just having him by my side is enough. I only need to pair him up with scara as the harbinger team and hopefully I can collect more in the future! (Such as Sandrone, columbina..) I wish you luck on his banner, though I doubt I’ll get him quickly. I’m not even guaranteed and I’m so nervous about that 😞. I’ve started saving up since that Zhongli rerun, and I’m glad I had enough wishes to wait for when scaramouche finally releases! I promise to offer you all my prayers and luck to when his banner is available. 🙏

Yeah! I draw, however I only make sketches on my notebook since I don’t have enough money to purchase anything to draw digitally. More importantly I’d go insane if it were traditional art. There’s just too many hours to work on something and they get ruined by a margin. Not only that but I get art block 24/7. I used to have a side account for my art but I deleted it ever since, just felt like it wasn’t necessary or my drawings were plain and boring. But I’m glad you’re doing great drawing digitally! You should share some of your art with me sometime. <3

Aw, that’s a shame though. Many of my comrades/acquaintances either don’t play Genshin anymore, or just play in a different server. Most of the time I only co-op in bosses since I feel like it’s very interesting and fun to keep me occupied! But now that I know you’re in NA, I’m very excited. I wont let you down with those photo-shoots though, let’s give it everything we got to help each other and bring scaramouche home!

[hella1975]

hey idiots and hellions etc, i’m BACK on my bullshit <3 yes that’s right, this bastard little hiatus - which lasted a tad longer than i expected - is finally the fuck OVER. ‘jesus god please no’ i hear you cry, but i’m not listening because i am rejuvenated and self-cared to the nines and I HAVE FINISHED COLLEGE. LIKE. COMPLETELY FINISHED. i’m still getting my head around it because finishing school during a pandemic is literally just ‘wait did it just end? was that it? oh. sound okay’ and that’s that. a few updates because for some reason a good portion of you are ACTUALLY interested? and have been sending asks to keep up to date with me? and i’m hopelessly in love with you? anyway:

- no more exams!! so many wished me luck and i literally cannot express enough how much that actually made me feel better. i thought it’d be a fickle little thing, but the amount of times i was on The Verge Of An Education Induced Breakdown, remembering how many people were actually rooting for me was so comforting. and hey, i don’t think the exams even went too terribly! (touch wood)

- i now have like four months with zero (0) responsibilities and i fully intend to go off the rails in this time. i think i deserve it. i have a lot of plans with my mates so still should be pretty busy, but i’ll no longer be balancing fic-life with exam-life AND social-life, so it should all be smooth sailing from here <3

- chapter 34 is.... Going. i didn’t actually write nearly as much as i thought i would during this break (usually my body experiences one (1) bout of stress and immediately goes ‘oh? does this mean ‘write thousands of words feverishly without a break as a coping mechanism?’’ and doesn’t wait for a response) but that’s led to what i have so far of this chapter being very thought out and i’m v happy with the quality. but like i said, i’ve prioritised exams and friends and my mental health lately, so i’m still expecting another week or so before the chapter is finished. you’ll be getting the usual bullshit writing updates here though now i’m off hiatus. thank you again for being so patient with me

some smaller things that have happened that i’d usually have bitched about on here the moment they took place:

- everyone is having ‘college is finished’ parties and it’s forced me to actually spend money on clothes??? which is a big treat for me bc i’m so stingy when it comes to spending money on clothes. if ur reading this and you’re holding out on treating yourself because you think you don’t deserve it then this is your sign <3333 anyway the point here is that i look hot

- i also dyed my hair red (even though it sort of went pink? Idk? vibes and that cruise like a four wheel drive and that-)

- I’m currently 4 days into a 6 day bender, pray for my liver ❤️ (which means ironically I’m breaking hiatus at a time I might potentially be busy but it’s fine im here in spirit and physically I am slamming jagerbombs at the local bars)

- i emailed a parlour about getting a tattoo! i’m finally getting organised!

- I applied for my uni accommodation and that was the day, young children, that one hella1975 realised uni is actually very fucking close and not some faraway dream

- i am now self-banned from a bar in my town (self-banned = no one is actually stopping me from going back there except myself. it’s in everyone’s best interest...)

- i’ve started the Big Scary re-write of tales of the mirrored world!!!!!! i am so powerful omg

- anddddddddddddddd i hereby swear that if i have to look at an economic diagram ever again i will go fully sexily completely berserk <3 that’s right mr john maynard keynes and mr william phillips i am wishing violence upon your bloodline <3 

i’m back fuckers and i’m in a really happy place atm and I MISSED YOU ALL !! LIKE A LOT ACTUALLY I WAS NOT EXPECTING TO MISS YOU GUYS TO THE EXTENT THAT I DID !! PLEASE SHUT UP ABOUT IT !!

[amindofstone]

Match-up, No. 1

Anon asked:

"oh hi hello! i just saw the match up posts and i got super excited cause i love your writings and i never had to chance to send an ask like this lol! i'm 19 years old but i'll be 20 this year. i'm pretty tall for a girl (173 cms!) but still i'm on the chubbier side because i eat a lot and im proud of it lol. i have green eyes, and raven black hair, medium length with short bangs, because i dye it regularly, but normally i'm a blonde! also idk if this matters but i'm straight!

i really like cooking, it's a big passion of mine, i also love singing! music is a big part of my life, i cannot go a second without listening to something and i've always been like this. even though i'm not talented about it, i love to listen to it. i'm a big hopeless romantic so i'm a sucker for anything that's romantic, like movies, songs, books etc! i really wish nothing but for real and pure love! i also collect toys and figures cause i didn't had the chance to buy them when i was little.

i really dislike being left alone. i don't have many friends or loved ones, but whenever i have to leave them for something it hurt's me a lot. i don't like too much people around me but i really adore the ones who i care about. other than that, i hate the way i look most of the time. since i was a little girl i was never comfortable with my body and had lots of issues with it but im trying to do my best to love myself!

i know this was too long but i couldnt stop myself so i hope its okay! im so much lookinf forward to this match up thingy! thank u soooo much for the chance! take care ❤️"

a/n: First of all thank you so much. I'm so so glad to see that you like my work. This is a great motivation for me to keep writing. This really made my day. 💙 And I really hope that you'll be liking what will come next. I really hope that I didn't disappoint you my dear anon. This is my first time doing something like this and going honest I'm really insecure and anxious when it gets to my work. I'm never happy or satisfied by the outcome... But that's not the point. It's about you. So if there is something bothering you please don't hesitate and DM me or anything and tell me. Other than that happy reading! 🙈

Match up rules can be found HERE.

Warning(s): maybe some grammatical or spelling mistakes since English is my third language and I'm still improving in every aspect. (Please have mercy on that))

!!! Please do not steal my idea or work. Credit me if this is shared or published in any other platform or any other way. Please respect me as the writer and my work. Picture is not mine. Credits to: Lord know who. IF anyone knows who did it please tell me so I can give credits. Thank you. :) !!!

• I think that you and Sanji would give a great pair.

• There are a lot of traits of you that resemble that of Sanji in my opinion. And exactly this was the reason why Sanji started to spend more time with you and get to know you more than Nami or Robin.

• Whenever Luffy screams from the top of his lungs "SANJI! FOOD!!" you scream back from wherever you are right now "Gimme a minute and I'll get you something!", before Sanji can react to the food loving man.

• Sanji loves it when you join him cooking because you two seem to be able to work together without having to communicate. But even if Sanji would like to talk to the beauty that was next to him he wouldn't dare saying a word because as much as he loved talking to you he loved listening to you sing while you prepared anything you were on at the moment. Sometimes he would just stop in his tracks and just watch you dance around the kitchen whenever one of your favourite songs starts to play in the radio. He would watch every of your moves and smile like a idiot.

• After some time passing Sanji manned up and asked you out in the most romantic way. Sanji prepared a picnic with some snacks under that one tree with the wing (I hope you know what I mean 😂). Everything was set. You were in the girls cabin reading a novel when you heard a light knock. You didn't look up and just told whoever was there to come in but the person simply knocked another time what made you stand up with a scuff. You were ready to scold anyone that was there for ruining your peaceful reading session but there was no one except of a huge bouquet of red roses. It had a little note in it saying that someone is waiting for you down on deck. With a huge smile on your lips you stepped out of your room just ro realise that the way down to the deck was decorated by flower pedals. The sight in front of you made your heart race. You didn't wanted the feeling that grew with every second in you to stop. But you made it down and was greeted by the blond man you were always fond of. He took your hand in his and lead you to the swing and made you sit down.

• He took both of your hands in his and looked you in the eyes while giving the most sweetest confession ever made. And of course you said yes and wanted to date him

• dating him was the best thing that happened to you. He was sweet and caring. He spend every free second with you. If you were close to him he would always grab your hand and intertwine them. Sometimes he would appear out of nowhere and give you a kiss and compliment a different part of your body just to leave you dumbfounded and confused with a racing heart.

• There was this island the straw hats docked on and to their luck there was a festival planned for the night of the day they came. So Nami and Robin took you shopping and made Sanji go have fun on his own. Unlike these two you wanted something fancy that wasn't a dress but they still brought a few for you to put you in later on. And they managed to get you in a short sleeveless pretty blue-black dress. They did your make-up and theirs and ran out when Franky yelled that the fireworks were about to get blown what was the sign for the beginning of the festival. But you didn't came out because you felt uncomfortable in your current state.

• Sanji sensed that something was wrong and made his way to you only to find you standing in front of the mirror and looking at yourself with a tilted head and slight pout. Sanjis eyes widen at the sight of you. Because of 1. He couldn't believe how good that dress locked on you 2. He was shocked because he knew that you didn't like the way you looked.

• "How dare you!? How dare you not love this beautiful sight?! Baby! Darling! Love! Please don't. You look stunning. Simply gorgeous now please allow me to take you to the festival and brag with the fact that I can call the most beautiful woman mine."

• As you can see Sanji doesn't, can't and won't tolerate you being insecure so he took it upon himself to push your ego and make you love yourself as much as he loves and adores you.

• On the festival Sanji would never let go of you. He would constantly have you close to him so he could protect you no matter what happens. He makes sure to once in a while ask you if you're alright or if you want to go back to the sunny since he knew that you're not a fan of crowed places.

• Sanji left you alone for a few minutes but sat you down on a less crowded and also quieter place to get some drinks. You were happily looking at the ocean when a guy approached you and started a conversation with you. You were clear not liking it but still tried to talk nicely. But the guy seemed to understand your friendliness in a different way and got closer. You told him to keep a distance but he laughed it away and simply acted as if you said nothing. You felt uncomfortable and suffocated so you were about to stand up when Sanji came and kicked him out of the chair with a sweet smile upon his lips saying "Thank you for keeping my seat warm but now move your pathetic stupid ass away and leave me alone with my girl."

• When the guy left he took you in his arms and apologised while sitting you down on his lap while asking you probably a bunch of times of you're doing good or if he hurt you.

Bonus:

• While Sanji confessed his love to you Zoro was in the crows nest watching you two with a disgusted and confused look while silently praying for you to reject him but sadly you didn't. In fact you even kissed him. "TF is that stupid woman doing?!"

[troped-fanfic-challenge]

Chopped: Holiday Trope Exchange 2020 Masterlist!

A huge thanks to every person who signed up for our fic exchange, we got 21 really wonderful fics! We’re sorry it took us so long to get this out to you all! For anyone who isn’t sure what this was all about, this was a double blind gift exchange where each of our twenty-one (21!!!) writers were assigned four tropes from an anonymous recipient, and were tasked with writing a fic that fit our holiday theme, and included all the tropes. The only guidance from their recipient were a couple of brief notes they included during the sign up, and both the writer and recipient were revealed when we shared all the fics! A big thanks to the Tropesters who stepped up to write a second fic when we needed them! These fics, as with all our TROPED fics, were creative and unique, and found ways to utilise tropes that may seem so simple but were transformed in really spectacular ways! Please enjoy these wonderful holiday fics!

——————————————————————————

roots in my dreamland (my house of stone, your ivy grows) (Rated M) [Bellarke]

Written by @captaindaddykru for @thelittlefanpire. The four assigned tropes were 1) Doppelgängers, 2) one character is a dancer, 3) first snow, and 4) kissing to keep a cover/a secret.

Summary: Clarke really wants it to work out with Bellamy, but as an A-list Hollywood actress there’s a lot of contractual obligations she can hide behind instead of confronting her own insecurities and past mistakes. Luckily, this Christmas she’s lucked out, and her stand-in Josie is more than willing to (completely selflessly of course) take her place.

Now comes the hard part.

brighter than moonbeams (Rated T) [Memori]

Written by @the-most-beautiful-broom for @thedefinitionofendgame. The four assigned tropes were 1) The characters play a game,2) Secret Santa, 3) Exes to Lovers, and 4) Surprise kiss.

Summary: Murphy and Emori fall in love fast, and then talk themselves out of it. Years later, their paths will cross again, and they realize that their might be parts of their story that are yet to be written.

What a way to start the year (Rated T) [Bellarke]

Written by @bellarkeshoe for @bellamysgriffin. The four assigned tropes were 1) Law enforcement partners, 2) Character gets BADLY injured and they hide it somehow only to reveal later that they are mortally wounded, 3) Characters hugging after they’ve been through hell, and 4) Kissing in the snow.

Summary: It’s New Years Eve, and Bellamy and Clarke got stuck working.

It’s Alright, It’s Okay (Rated M) [Clurphy]

Written by @sailawaymayday for @wwjacksparrowd. The four assigned tropes were 1) Found Family, 2) Groundhog Day/timeloop, 3) Character gets shot/stabbed/BADLY injured and hides the wound somehow, only to accidentally (someone else touches them and their bleeding, they collapse, etc.) reveal later that they are mortally wounded, and 4) Hurt/Comfort.

Summary: Clarke makes it onto the Ring with the rest of Spacekru. What happens when New Years Eve keeps repeating itself? And what does Murphy have to do with it?

Dancing in Graveyards: An Arkadia Anthology (Rated T) [Gen Fic]

Written by @justbecauseyoubelievesomething for @kinetic-elaboration. The four assigned tropes were 1) Small town gothic, 2) Christmas Lights, 3) First snow, and 4) Sneaking someone in/out of your window.

Summary: Three small town gothic stories intertwine as old friends reunite and try to make the best out of their lives. Raven returns home after her foster father’s death and is pulled like a magnet to her enigmatic highschool sweetheart. Jasper seeks solace from a tragedy and desperately attempts to outrun the ghosts of the past. Bellamy battles his inner demons and prays not to tear himself and his loved ones apart in the process. And all of them come to realize that they belong together, even if the place they call home is shadowed by sorrow.

do or die, you’ll never make me (because the world will never take my heart) (Rated T) [Bellarke]

Written by @shen-gong-oops for @probably-voldemort. The four assigned tropes were 1) Fake dating, 2) Amnesia AU, 3) Enemies to Friends to Lovers, and 4) Superhero AU.

Summary: As the youngest member of the Guard and the daughter of the Guard former leader, there are high expectations set for Clarke. The Marketing and PR teams at Ark expecting her to be prim and proper during any conferences, while simultaneously performing their well-rehearsed fight choreography to a T.

But when four unknown supes challenge the juggernaut that is Ark Industries, Clarke wonders if herodom isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Merry Christmas, Lovebirds (Rated G) [Murven]

Written by @kinetic-elaboration for @shen-gong-oops. The four assigned tropes were 1) One character cautiously says “i’m going to kiss you now, okay?” or some variation of that, 2) Mutual pining, 3) A misunderstanding, and 4) Tattoos.

Summary: There’s never snow for Christmas on the beach, Murphy is a culinary genius, Raven has a boyfriend, and other presumed facts, too obvious to mention.

Once Upon Our Story (Rated G) [Bellarke]

Written by @andthelightbulbclicks for @bellamythology. The four assigned tropes were 1) break-up/make-up, 2) Did they or didn’t they, 3) Extremely biased flashbacks of the same event, and 4) Bookstore or library AU.

Summary: Bellamy returns with as much fanfare as one can imagine when driving a school bus decorated as Santa Claus through town, leaving Clarke shocked and all of their friends confused given he hasn’t been home in months.

(Or: Six months ago, Bellamy left Arkadia.

Six months ago, Clarke didn’t.

Six months ago, their friends knew the relationship ended, even came up with their own versions of what really happened. But the question that they all want to know for certain– is why?)

Dream A Little Dream of Me (Rated T) [Clurphy]

Written by @queenemori for @vmreed. The four assigned tropes were 1) One character has a child, 2) Protectiveness, 3) Only one bed, and 4) Soulmates.

Summary: It was just Murphy’s luck that right as he was starting to enjoy Earth, he had to leave. But he’d rather that than succumb to a fiery death wave. He and the other residents of the Ring remembered Clarke every year during their New Year’s Eve celebration. But even when they weren’t celebrating Clarke, Murphy couldn’t seem to get her off his mind. He wished his brain would stop playing tricks on him by making him think she was alive. Clarke was dead. Wasn’t she?

i don’t wanna burn out, so wont you please set me on fire again? (Rated M) [Murven]

Written by @kuklash for @sparklyfairymira. The four assigned tropes were 1) Protectiveness, 2) Exes and Lovers, 3) Small Town AU, and 4) Characters fall on each other and have a moment.

Summary: The wind nipped at Murphy’s nose as he stood in the doorway of the gas station on the edge of town. Work was slow, as it always was after sundown, especially in the mid-December cold, but someone had to make sure the good townsfolk of Arkadia could get their milk and gas after the small general store closed. All 800 of them. He watched the cars drive by throughout the day, recognizing each and everyone of them. Bellamy’s beat up truck he worked all highschool to afford, Clarke’s clean new sedan, even that jerk Finn’s loud ass motorcycle. He watched them all pass one by one, his old classmates returning home after another semester of college at the University of Polis. The only sign that time was passing at all.

The phone inside rang, breaking him out of his melancholy, at least for now.

“Great,” he thought, sarcastically. “A phone call 10 minutes before we close.”

He walked back inside and put on the most cheerful customer service voice he could muster.

“Dropship Gas, this is Murphy. How can I he-”

A familiar female voice cut him off, leaving him cold.

“Murphy? Thank god!”

It was his ex.

Everybody wonders what it would be like to love you (Rated M) [Bellarke]

Written by @sparklyfairymira for @captaindaddykru. The four assigned tropes were 1) Celebrity AU, 2) Meet Ugly, 3) Characters must share something, and 4) Characters aren’t together but are mistaken to be.

Summary: Bellamy Blake and Clarke Griffin are household names thanks to their music. They belong to the same label so they often work together on duets—even though they can’t stand one another. Their first meeting is disastrous and six years later they still can’t get along.

toward brighter days (Rated T) [Sea Mechanic]

Written by @reggieshamster for @/ashplana. The four assigned tropes were 1) Apocalyptic Log, 2) bed sharing, 3) road trip au, and 4) mythical creatures.

Summary: Dear Harper,

I am ridiculously out of it this morning. Last night, when we reached the campsite, Luna suggested we give Echo her own bedroll, since she gave hers up the night before.

Which meant Luna was sleeping with me.

Beside me.

Excerpts from Raven’s journal as she travels to Polis for the Winter Solstice Festival

three words, two hearts, one maybe (Rated G) [Bellarke]

Written by @bellamysgriffin for @bellarkeshoe. The four assigned tropes were 1) Youtuber AU, 2) best friend’s sibling, 3) frikdreina, and 4) miscommunication.

Summary: After an accident blinds Clarke, Octavia’s been encouraging her best friend to keep up with her artwork. In order to inspire her, she recruits the help of her older brother, Bellamy, who’s recently launched a new exhibition at his museum, to feature her work. Bellamy likes Clarke’s work, and he’s more than happy to help. But when she doesn’t show on the big day, he takes matters into his own hands. With an old video camera, he records people’s reactions to Clarke’s artwork so that she’ll know just how talented she is. But when he sends it to his sister, he doesn’t expect her to upload it to YouTube. And he definitely doesn’t expect to go viral.

Something Beautiful, Simple, and Bright (Rated T) [Clurphy]

Written by @wwjacksparrowd for @queenemori. The four assigned tropes were 1) Friends with Benefits AU, 2) Prank war, 3) characters are not together but are mistaken for a couple, and 4) Based on a Song.

Summary: Six months after Wonkru and Eligius manage to establish peace and divide Eden between themselves (with a little slice shaved off for Spacekru, of course), Clarke has a mission: plan a New Year’s Eve party for fifteen hundred people within three weeks.

Murphy’s mission? Stop her from burning out in the process. Oh, and if he could just get Monty to quit it with the freaking noisemakers, that would be great, too.

(…Okay, yeah, he’d also like to date Clarke for real instead of just sleeping with her. But that’s a pipe dream, right?)

put your faith in the devil and the deep blue sea (Rated M) [Clurphy]

Written by @probably-voldemort for @kuklash. The four assigned tropes were 1) Time Loop AU, 2) Characters fall on top of one another and have a “moment”, 3) Enemies to Lovers, and 4) Superhero AU.

Summary: Twenty years ago, when the clocks changed from 11:59pm on December 31st, 1999, to 12:00am on January 1st, 2000, the world ended, exactly as the doomsdayers had predicted. Now, there are only a few livable months left on Earth, and the privileged are evacuating for a life in space, abandoning the planet.

But not everyone has given up.

Clarke was only three when the world ended, and she’s spent most of her life in her mother’s lab. Now, as the last space ships are preparing to leave, her mother’s machine is finally ready, and Clarke and her mother are heading back in time to try to stop the apocalypse from happening in the first place.

An attack on the lab leads to Clarke heading back to 1995 on her own, and the past isn’t quite how Clarke’s vague memories from the beginning of her life paint it. Clarke soon discovers that not only did the machine do more than just send her back in time, but she wasn’t, in fact, sent back alone.

Will she be able to stop the apocalypse before the clock strikes midnight? Or are some parts of history unchangeable?

All I Want For Christmas (Rated T) [Memori]

Written by @thedefinitionofendgame for @the-most-beautiful-broom. The four assigned tropes were 1) Fake dating, 2) Joke kiss turned real kiss, 3) One character is sleeping and the other character is watching them totally in love, and 4) Blanket fort.

Summary: Tired of being single, Murphy decides to take matters into his own hands and get himself a girlfriend before the annual Christmas Day dinner with his friends. Having had bad luck in the past with girls - all twenty four of them - Murphy is determined to make the twenty-fifth, the “Christmas Day” number, his forever.

Of course, this is easier said than done. When his fellow coworker, Emori, seems to be having similar problems and suggests them being each other’s “fake dates” to their Christmas parties in December, Murphy jumps at the chance. Fake dating is better than being totally alone, right? It appears that way, at least until Murphy starts to catch feelings; the ones that make you question everything you think you know. As their “fake feelings” start to become more real, Murphy realizes that Emori’s the one he wants for Christmas. But she’s got walls up and even though his heart doesn’t stand a chance, Murphy’s determined to break them down and show her what falling in love really means, maybe with the help of a little December magic thrown in.

As long as we’re together, no I can’t get much higher (Rated T) [Murven]

Written by @dylanobrienisbatman for @andthelightbulbclicks. The four assigned tropes were 1) Zookeeper AU, 2) Treasure Hunt, 3) secret places, and 4) Secret Santa.

Summary: Murphy has only known Raven for a little while, but the longer he spends getting to know her, the more he realises that there’s no hope of him not falling in love with her.

So when he gets her for Secret Santa, he makes it his mission to nail it.

before i knew you (Rated G) [Clexa]

Written by @dylanobrienisbatman for @sailawaymayday. The four assigned tropes were: (1) Pen Pals, (2) 3+1, 4+1, 5+1, etc., (3) surprise kiss, and (4) character meets another characters ex.

Summary: What do you do when your penpal, the person you know the best in the world, who you love, turns out to be the rather rude (if also rather pretty) sales girl from downstairs? Lexa is about to find out. or - 3 times lexa and clarke meet without knowing they’ve been penpals since childhood, and the 1 time Lexa figures it out.

when life gives you shit, you make kool-aid (Rated M) [Becho]

Written by @reggieshamster for @dylanobrienisbatman. The four assigned tropes were: (1) Bodyguard AU, (2) Bed Sharing, (3) Kissing to Keep Cover/a Secret, and (4) a Character gets shot/stabbed/badly injured and they collapse, being caught by their loved one.

Summary: Bellamy used to have it all, and then one screw-up cost him his career and his fancy life. Now, working as a bodyguard for alcoholic businessmen and their families, he gets a call from his sister for a job… escorting a hitwoman to testify against a man convicted of crimes against humanity. What could possibly go wrong?

and left the secret at the grave (Rated T) [Clurphy]

Written by @probably-voldemort for @justbecauseyoubelievesomething. The four assigned tropes were: (1) Murder Mystery, (2) Partners in Crime, (3) Exes to Lovers, and (4) Snowed In.

Summary: At 8:57 on the morning of December 23rd, eight year old Jordan Green discovered the body of Skybox Inn owner Vera Kane on the floor of the lobby. His screams woke up the other guests of the inn, as well as the live-in butler.

The discovery of the body was followed shortly by two more discoveries. The first was that the storm the night before had knocked out the phones and the internet, and the second was that the inn was completely snowed in with no hopes of escape anytime soon.

Thirteen people trapped in an inn.

Uncountable secrets.

One murderer.

One question.

Who killed Vera Kane?

what a tangled string of Christmas lights we weave (Rated T) [Linctavia]

Written by @thelittlefanpire for @reggieshamster. The four assigned tropes were: (1) Royalty AU, (2) Cyrano AU, (3) Characters fall and end up landing on top of each other and have a “moment”, and (4) Hair brushing and/or braiding.

Summary: When the royal family loses their beloved Prince Wells, the future king of Arkadia, all eyes are on them. The Queen remains as stoic as ever, the Spare grapples with his new responsibilities, the Princess drowns in her grief, and the King is threatening to abolish the monarchy forever.

At Christmastime, as tensions in the palace rise with the vicious tabloids outside, the royal family makes an escape to a castle in the mountains, hoping to find solace and reconcile with their loss.

Princess Octavia will try to mend her broken heart back together as she becomes entranced with the letters sent back and forth between herself and another. But when it’s revealed who the true penman is, will she rise above her sorrow or sink further into it?

—————————————————————————

Take a read! Leave a kudos/comment! Our Tropesters worked so hard on creating some unique, festive fun fics from all the amazing tropes that were sent in. Thanks again!

[scorlettimagines]

Thoughts on Part 4

So last night I finished Part 4 and put out this post asking if you guys wanted to share your thoughts on the last season of our beloved show. I woke up this morning to quite a few responses so I decided to culminate all of the ones I could respond to onto this post and share my own opinions. 

If anyone has anything else they would like to share, please feel free to do so either by sending me an ask or reblogging this post (this is a side blog so replying to the post, as much as I appreciate it, doesn’t let me respond as @scorlettimagines​). Okay, here goes:

@fearisholdingmedown: lol the whole season didn't make any sense and the ending skdnmgh Sabrina and Nick?????? and Zelda questioning Hecate? and just. left me really underwhelmed

I agree with this. I was extremely underwhelmed with the season; don’t get me wrong, some parts were great and really made me smile, but other parts? To me, and to my Dad who watches it with me, it felt like the writers tried to cram too much into it. There were definitely plot lines that didn’t get wrapped up, and things that seemed out of character for some. 

Zelda questioning Hecate: I kind of understand, because wouldn’t you obviously question your Goddess after you prayed to her to save your niece/daughter and she didn’t? It is out of character for Zelda to question her faith, but I don’t blame her; she’s never lost Sabrina permanently before and I imagine it’s broken her a fair bit. 

Sabrina and Nick at the end: Okay, so when Nick showed up at the end, my first thought was that a lot of time had passed and Nick had had a sort of happy, but long, life. When he said he went swimming in the Sea of Sorrows, I was disappointed. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed with Nick’s character this whole season; it feels like the writers didn’t put enough effort into him and just reduced him to a love interest. (I felt that with another character too but we’ll get to that later). Yay they got reunited, but also not yay for the way it happened at the end. 

@screechingexpertpruneneck​: I loved the ending. I loved that Sabrina saved everyone but sucks she died. I think we can all agree that Ambrose is by far the smartest character on the show. Caliban obviously deserved better. Nick proved himself worthy of Sabrina this season and I’m glad there together now. I still can’t believe he killed himself just to be with her.

I did actually like the end; yes it was sad that Sabrina died, but it was a nice way to wrap up the show. I think her heroic qualities got detracted from in the last season with the whole Queen of Hell thing so it was nice to see her get those back. Kiernan smashed it with the death scene, and that whole montage of her birthdays had me in tears. 

Ambrose is 100% the smartest character on this show. To me, he was the best thing about this season, as he was one of the only ones who seemed not to have changed at least slightly. Ambrose has been my favourite character since the pilot. I don’t write about him because his character is so complex, so eccentric, so fully-fledged that I don’t think I could do that justice. It was nice to see that Ambrose remained that way until the end, and I’m not going to lie, I could watch a whole spin off show about him. This is me being calm before I get to the next point. Oh God, I’m running out of things to say here. Prepare yourselves guys, here goes. 

Can someone please explain to me how the fuck-fuck-fuckity-fuck-fuck Caliban went from Prince of Hell, main villain of last season to well, that? Like when he showed up dancing, I was so confused. Like, they missed out the whole section about what happened after Sabrina literally turned him to stone? The wedding was bizarre; I wanted Calbrina a few months ago, but I don’t anymore. Then in episode 3, when he was sitting on the throne and revealed his plan (you can bet your bottom dollar I’m going to be using that for imagines) hope was restored. He was still the crafty little shit that I fell in love with back in January. But then, it was never mentioned again? Like, he was just there. As Sabrina Morningstar’s husband? For me, it was cringy and I feel like the writers definitely didn’t put enough effort into him- it was like they didn’t know what to do with him. Although, his part in the AU episode made me laugh. Considering that I’ve been following Sam Corlett’s career over 2020 and I know how well he can act, I was disappointed to see him reduced to basically a prop for a bit of eye candy. His “death” was anti-climactic and a bit shit. Anyway, Caliban to me is always gonna remain the Caliban he was in Part 3 (and tiny little bits of Part 4) because there’s character development and then there’s just taking the mick. 

Nick, yeah. He did prove himself worthy of Sabrina, and I cried when they got back together, but as I mentioned before, I feel like that’s all he was used for this season. He didn’t really get a proper arc like previous seasons, and the fact that he killed himself just to be with her grated on me a bit, because that’s not what I would have expected from a character like him. 

@robinisthebestfellow​: Can we just talk about how random some of it was I mean like oh he’s good and honest annnnd then no

Assuming you mean Caliban? Just to add to the above rant, I didn’t want him to be nice. Yes, I write about him being nice in my imagines, but I always try to keep some of his actual character in my work (at least, I hope I do). But yeah, for my rant on Caliban see above. 

@eyebagsarebetterthanhandbags: Whoever was on costume design for prudence knocked it out of the park she was gorgeous every millisecond of screen time- wished her and Ambrose made up tho at the very least😔 they were my fave couple

Prudence was another favourite of mine this season; she didn’t change in her character and she was, of course, absolutely stunning. For her and Ambrose to make up would have been lovely, but I have a feeling from how close they were in the final episode that the writers were planning on it. 

@itscoldinwonderland​: Lilith, Zelda and Ambrose all deserve so much better.

Okay, starting with Lilith. I agree here. I feel like the whole Hell family (Lucifer, Caliban, Lilith etc) was just used and abused this season. I think she got better as the season went on, but for me, killing the baby was a bit extreme. Her last scene was mental; I don’t think she deserved to go as insane as she did, but well done to her for finally taking down Lucifer. Fuck the patriarchy. 

Zelda. Yes. Yes. Yes. She deserved to be happy. Miranda Otto killed it this season with the emotional side of things. The whole thing with Vinegar Tom made me sob harder than anything else this season; it was something I relate to and well done to Miranda for getting that across perfectly. 

Ambrose. I would have liked to have seen a more rounded ending for him rather than just standing at Sabrina’s graveside. But discussing seeing more of Ambrose’s character would open up a whole can of worms, for example, WHY did he try to blow up the Vatican?

@supportstudies: it was so weird?? I guess it’s because the writers had to rush the ending but now I have more questions- also sad bc I wanted more caliban

I was under the impression that this was written before the show got cancelled, but if they already knew then this makes more sense. For me, a lot was rushed and there were a lot of questions that were left unanswered. 

Caliban? You’ve seen the above rant, you know how I feel about that. 

@lizmny3: Mambo Marie really had me there

Same, lovely, same. More for Zelda than any other reason. 

Okay, so that’s it for now. Again, if anyone has anything else they would like to share please do. Requests are open again now and you should be getting another Caliban imagine next week (fingers crossed). I’m off to write two bibliographies now. Wish me luck!

[anittaumi]

GRADUATION: A GRATITUTE AND REFLECTION

I believe in love which should stay in our heart, forever. I fight to keep my promise to love all people who love me and I should not hate the ones who don’t like me or make me dislike them. I trust that time will show our honesty.

It takes time to be graduated. I don't know how to start this story, but I still remember how my grandpa, Icol called and asked me whether I really went back to our department for my next degree. He asked me to think it, but I told him at time time that I just wanted to get the title.

It is not all of my stories. I can’t mention all the names. It’s just a short part of the journey which I can share as my gratitude for all persons who had become a part of my life, especially throughout these 3 years.

Yogyakarta is a memorable city for people who ever went there. This Cultural City has romantic magnet for mostly persons who ever stayed there. They might miss the city, but I missed my friends. That’s why I made some of them who had moved, missing this Gudeg City by sending them some photos about the city, the foods, UGM and UNY. Although most of my friends had moved from this Student City, some of them with their own new business, like Kakak Fitriani were still here. Sometimes, we met, ate and shared many things. Anggun Intan, Anggita, Neng and Satriya also came and met me, but I ever thought that I had no one here.

I decided to join an English Course to get new friends. I called them “Teman Sembunyi dari Senja”. We spent 5 days in a week without enjoying sunset, because we had to join our class. Although something made me not finishing it flawlessly, it was a great chance to learn English with them. I met some new friends whom I called “Warga BA 104” and “Teman Skripsi” too. It was a great opportunity knowing, learning and sharing a lot of things with them.

There was a part of great suggestions from Mas Cigit and another friend. We should not ask people to stay when they had to go away from us. It’s true that some people might come and go, but I got that some others still stayed and took attention whether they were away.

I ever cried several times in my room alone, but I was not lonely. I ever cried when Anggita came to my room and a book which we bought in a book fair keeping the moment. I ever cried and said to Nurul in Palembang that I was dejected with my self. I ever cried, called & met Mas Tyo asking for an abstract design, after I asked Danny who still stayed in Pare translating and sending my abstract by an email with a nice title “IYIK”. I ever cried a half night, discussed with some friends asking for their best suggestions and told Mbak Elva accompanying me in a discussion with my advisor, because I might have to change my research topic.  

I ever asked a friend who made me reflecting whether I believed in God or not. It was an amazing answer which worked to me when I almost became crazy with all my papers. It happened when I really didn't know how I could finish all of my tasks in a week. I wanted to eat nothing, except Oreo and slept at about 2-3 hours a day on that week. I even felt like jumping from BB building and getting sick for a while, because I really wanted to take a rest. Those made me weight loss l, but I got the incredible power of a belief in God.

God had written what we will face in this world with its meanings. I get more than a title. I did the journey with full of experiences, suggestions and knowledge to be a better me. I met many kind people in Bulaksumur, Karangmalang, Sejati Desa, Demangan, Palar, Panggang, Bleberan, Pampang and Purwokerto who came as friends, lecturers, researchers, informants, respondents, neighbors, etc. Even I just met them at that time, some of them were so helpful. I felt like having new families, daughters and sisters.

It's not over. I am still alive. I have to steps more. I wish a better me. I ask your forgiveness for all mistakes which I made. I keep in my mind all of your kindness and send my gratitude for all things which you had done to me. I am nothing without you. I pray for the best luck for all of us. I wish that we can meet each other in a better condition and situation, soon.

I really love you, all ~

[likesomekindofcheese]

At the Opera (Part one)

Pairing: Brian May x F! Singer! Reader.

Fluff! Lot’s of fluff! A bit of angst!

Word Count: 2,000

Content warning: swearing, mentions of boners, Reader and Brian being twice shy, nervous little beans

Context: Brian see’s you make your first big opera debut at school. He falls immediately in love with you. He’s scared of seeming like a creeper, though, and hopes he doesn’t...Switches between his perspective and yours.

Note: I am so excited about this fic I can’t stand it!!!!

First off, I imagine this takes place in the early seventies after Queen I or Queen II and before A Night at the Opera (heh) is released. Secondly, though is written to identify as female, use she/her pronouns, an opera singer, a student, and a soprano, if requested, I can make and send a different version to you. Maybe a reader who is in a musical! Or a straight play! Or is singing a mezzo role! Or a male reader! (etc.). Message me ASAP and I will message a version to you! with your desired version! A second part will be up in time and will probably stop there unless another idea comes. Enjoy and please leave feedback!

Brian had absolutely nothing else to do on a Friday evening except go by himself to an opera by a local University. It was a night where nothing was happening. No work. No papers to grade. No rehearsal. Nothing planned between the band members or his friend. He had those nights before. He was unusually restless. Instead of dwelling in his loneliness he thought he might as well go out. Get his mind from any sadness. And something a little different then heavy drums would be appreciated.

He looked down at the program once he got his seat. “Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi.” According to the summary in his encyclopedia it was only an hour long. If he didn’t like it, it would be over in a wink. After all, when he visited Freddie’s place once he noticed a record of it standing on top of a pile. If it was good enough for Freddie, then it was worth the ticket.

 (You)

“Five minutes until the top!”

“Thank you, five!”

You stay still. You don’t really feel like talking to the other cast members. You smooth some of the white skirt and pray that the food crumble from the pre-performance snack doesn’t show. You were nervous. Tonight you were singing Lauretta in Schicchi for the first time- Lauretta! All of the sopranos in the school who it could have been and it was you! It didn’t matter that it was  not one of the mainstage operas put on with a budget of millions and the biggest stage offered. It was one of your first major roles and you were doing everything you could not to burst. You had barely slept last night from the anticipation and the toll of exhaustion mixed with excitement were bubbling. 

Any wishes of good luck from the cast and crew were forgotten.

“What if the high c’s at the end sound like crap because I was stupid enough not to be able to sleep last night and what…”

“Places for top!”

You took a deep breath, listened to the slow beginning of the overture, and did your best to focus on the story and telling it.

You could still smell the hairspray from your curled hair. The director asked for a more “natural” look to contrast Lauretta from the more exaggerated commedia-esque stock characters and yet it took you longer to do your hair and make-up because your hands were shaking so bad. You wanted to look like the flawless ingenue, but you felt briefly that you were just a toad in lipstick. How could anyone onstage believe you?

It was a while before you entered. Yet you stayed backstage, focusing on the meaning of every last note and word. The singer playing your onstage father, the titular Schicchi, walked up to prepare for your first entrance.  You both didn’t appear until twenty minutes in, but it was getting close.

He smiled and winked at you and then went into character with his smart, cynical frown. You took my place next to him, held the skirt of your white medieval gown as demurely as you could muster, and prepared for the sound cue to enter.

Once you entered, you carried on, just like in rehearsal. Reacting in the moment and singing with the clearest Italian you could and with as much focus on breath as possible. At one point, when Rinuccio, your onstage lover, held your hands, you both began to wail beautifully about how you both could not be married on May Day. You indulged a look away from the conductor to the audience. 

 It was a smaller theatre-actually the smallest theatre on the campus that could still allow a piano and a string quartet.  Plenty of old couples, college girls with long hair and red lips, and close to the middle, there was a very tall, thin, young man with a lion’s mane of curly, brown hair. Ironically, he seemed to be more into the opera than anyone else.

You were back in a second to the opera. You heard  Schicchi’s “Non! Non! Non!”

Naturally, you begin singing your aria, “O mio babbio caro...”

(Bri)

Though Brian was delighted by the opera by the first note and laughing at the onstage family’s antics and allowing the music to charm him.

Then you entered onstage.

“Her eyes are so pretty and expressive…and she’s so small, she’s like a baby bird, oh, if only she was a little bird or even a cat I could hold in my hands for just a minute and her hair seems so soft, and, oh…that smile, oh she’s smiling, that fucking smile, she’s so beautiful and adorable, oh hell, oh hell. Oh fuck, and that voice, oh fuck, that voice. It’s so gorgeous and warm and genuine, oh, I’m so sorry Fred, but oh fuck, that voice, if only she could look at me, please look at me, please look at me and sing for me, just one word, please”

You crossed to a man - who was supposed to be her lover. Brian suddenly felt his stomach drop and his face twist to a frown.

“You git, it’s make believe. They aren’t together in real life...I hope they aren’t

He tried to peel his eyes away to another cast member to see what else they would do onstage that would amuse him. But he kept finding he was stealing quick glances.

When you began your aria, he felt tears well up in his eyes. It was so sweet sounding. 

“O mio babbino caro! Mi piace, e bello, bello!”

He looked down at the translation program:

“Oh my dear papa! He pleases me, he is handsome!”

Brian had a sudden wish he was that boy. He felt the tears fall once he heard of Lauretta’s wish to die if she could not marry him.

“No , no, not you, the boy…”

(You)

You finished the aria. Looking into the audience, You were shocked to see a standing ovation.

Well, that is, one standing ovation. From the tall man with curly hair. And he was applauding like his life depended on it. A few others decided to follow suit and stood up to applaud and cheer. You did your best not to smile. Then once it had died down, Schicchi continued with his line- “Datemi il testamento!”

(Bri)

Brian sat down. He was flushed with embarrassment. How could he have been so…so much? But it was just so wonderful. 

He was sighing once Schicchi sent Lauretta away and you left the stage.

He kept staring at the space where she left. He liked the plot of the opera well enough, but he felt himself leaning forward in his seat with impatience.

Once you  appeared onstage for the last duet of triumph with Rinuccio, He was wondering if that man realized how lucky he was. 

 “I would wrap my arms around her l. I would hold her so tight that she would know she is safe, and everything is alright, now. I would look into those eyes looking up at me, I would pull her in, and then I would lean down so I can reach her lips and kiss…”

He pinched his own hand. “Focus, focus, the story is ending…wait…oh god, what if I have a stiffy! Shit! Shitshitshithshitshit!”

He looked down at his pants. Nothing was showing…that was obvious, at least. He had stopped himself before letting his fantasies go further. Still, he undid two buckles on his belt, just to be safe.

He looked down at the program, flipping to the cast list on the second page.

“Lauretta…(Y/F/N Y/L/N)”

(You)

The cast and crew gathered in the lobby for everyone to say their congratulations. You felt a ping of sadness that your family and friends could not make it. The most they could do was send some flowers, dangling in your arms.

You saw him stand a little in the corner, awkardly. He seemed very quiet. You glanced up at him and felt him glance up at you and your eyes shot back down. Then you looked back up and saw him look down. He was definitely close to your age. 

Finally, you locked eyes for a bit. He swiftly walked to you and the flowers trembled in your arms. You wanted to run behind the stage door and slam it shut, yet at the same time you didn’t.

He walked up and said “Hi, I’m Brian, Brian May.”

“Hi Brian, I’m Y/N.”

Is someone actually approaching me???? And starting the conversation?? 

“ I just wanted to let you know, you were astounding. Your song was my favorite part…and this was my first opera!” Brian said

“Oh wow! Schicchi’s a great first opera.” you say, swallowing. “It’s a comedy, after all, and most people don’t think of opera’ as funny.”

“I loved it! I laughed so much! How do you keep from laughing onstage?”

“I breathe really slowly and focus, Brian.” You dropped his name and froze.

Wow, I must seem forward. But I don’t want to forget it...

“That’s wonderful, and the music is just, just incredible! What is it like to sing it?” he asked.

Your brain began to spiral from your shyness and desperation to seem confident.

“It’s very…it’s, I don’t know, it’s intimidating. My voice is rather small for Puccini, he likes bigger voices, so I was really nervous doing this role. My legs were shaking all the time onstage.”

 It struck you how handsome Brian really was. His height and hair made him seem intimidating, but his smile and eyes were soft, nonthreatening. His hair framed his cheekbones in a way that made him beautiful, in his own way. And when he reached his hands out and stretched out his fingers, they moved as fluidly as a dancers. His speaking was gentle, almost quiet, but clear. Like a kindly fairy prince.

“I couldn’t tell!” he said. He added a smile that made you feel like you were hit by a train.

“It’s the dress! Really! Our costume people were geniuses” you say.

You began feeling self-conscious-didn’t want to appear weird or snobby or ugly to him.

“But you seemed so…so calm and confident. I’m a musician, but uhm…I’m not a classical musician, you could say. But my friend loves opera, so I decided to try it. So I know what it’s like to be nervous about how you do, you were incredible.” Brian adds, folding his arms.

“A musician! Do you play anything or sing!?” You say, it would be polite to steer the conversation towards him.

“Both…uhm…” he crawled in a little “I do sing, and there’s a lot I play, but the guitar is my favorite.”

Guitars, guitars, what can I say to him that would be interesting about guitars? 

“I…I like guitars. It’s such a soothing sound.”

Brilliant, you idiot girl 

“Do you play?” you add, hoping for a save.

He just said he played, crap,  he’s gonna laugh at me.

“Er, yes, yes I do!” He smiled genuinely  

“I play in a band, and I do lots but usually it’s electric guitar. Is there any instrument you play, Y/N?”

“I struggle with piano. I love the sound, but I don’t know how to really play it. Most of the time, I pluck out melodies. It’s partly how I learned this role.” you say. Your face got hot and you felt red as an apple.

“I could maybe…”

There were some clicks, the lights in the back were going out. People were clearing out of the lobby. 

“Well, it’s closing…we have another performance tomorrow.” you add on.

“Any others?” Brian asked. He began to stroke his chin in fascination.

“No, just two… You could tell your friends about it.” You said,

“I will” Brian said.

“Same time, same place.” You remind him, feeling a tiny, shy grin on your face.

There was a little pause.

“Thank you for talking with me, Brian, it means a lot, since it’s my first big role” you blurt quickly. You didn’t want to get locked out of the theater by accident.

“I enjoyed tonight a lot, Y/N...”

“Goodbye, Brian.”

Goodbye Y/N.”

You turned around and walked out.  You realized you were the last to turn in your costume, change, and leave the theater. You were happy with how you sang, but you felt sad. You wished you could see that kind, handsome man again...Maybe you never would. 

(Bri)

Brian couldn’t go to sleep and kept tossing and turning in his bed.

Just one more performance…

He had to go. But he was… was frightened. You were so beautiful and  caring that he didn’t know if he could survive a second meeting without exploding from nerves. You would think he was a creep and the thought of it made him nauseous. He couldn’t go.

At least, not alone.

There was rehearsal tomorrow. He could leave a little early and still arrive to the theater on time. There was enough time to talk one of them, at least, to go...

Deacy would shy away. He would be too worried and his worry would pile onto Brian’s worry until they were a mess.

Roger?

- rather be shot than go to an opera.

 Besides, Roger would guess the real reason Brian wanted to go. The thought of Roger wolf-whistling at you during your aria made him want to crawl under a rock.

That left only one member of the band, then. The one that could help him.

And naturally, the opera fan among them.

[teddystrap]

[神なる君と] 天津国星縁尊 (Mikoto) + Final thoughts

Finally!!!!!!! I sacrificed one night’s sleep to finish this route, but I did it! ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و

I had originally planned to spread it out over a couple of days, but there was a lot of recap of stuff we already know here, so I got kind of impatient and rushed through some of it. So apologies if some of the minor details are off. I got all the important bits I think.

- Amatsu-kunihoshi-en-no-Mikoto -

Is it just me or does his silhouette give off a HAIR METAL / 1970s Alice Cooper vibe???

Mikoto is the former God of Kunihoshi Shrine who gave his position over to Sakuya for some reason. He is kind of a comedic/jokester character, but occasionally reveals a deeper and more serious side, much like Yakumo-nii-san.

His route happens if Sakuya chooses to help him grant his wish instead of investigating the school haunting rumours. Her first task is to time-skip slightly into the future, on hoshimatsuri night, to take a message for future-Mikoto. 

After she arrives she sees her future self running along the river searching for Mikoto and crying. Yorihito stops her from talking to her future self, and tells her that Mikoto is under the tree in the shrine. She finds him and passes along the message, which is to ask him if his wish has been granted.

He replies yes, but he wishes he had done a better job and made ‘her’ understand his actions.

Back in the present, she asks Mikoto what that’s all about but he doesn’t want to tell her. The rest of the route is basically her process of figuring out his secrets.

The side arcs in the other routes are briefly recapped here, except each one now reveals something important about Mikoto’s worldview. Following the order that they appear in:

*

I. Yorihito/Nisei

This time Mikoto tells them straightaway that Nisei has travelled here from the past through a time warp, and has to return. Sakuya accepts his views, and he tells her that every beautiful meeting has to eventually end in parting, and that the memories not only tie us to the future, but they also drive us forward... It’s kind of like his ‘going away speech’ in a way, but Sakuya doesn’t know that at this point.

II. The Sanshin incident

‘YOU no DOGEZA = VERY BEAUTIFUL datta-ze!’ #yuri

The Sanshin tell Sakuya that they sympathise with Mikoto, because he has been on the receiving end of much hate and anger from people whose wishes he wasn’t able to grant. 

Later Sakuya asks him if he hates people, and he turns the question back to her. She replies that people come in many different personalities, and he agrees. He thinks that it’s his misdeed that he wasn’t able to save everyone. But Sakuya feels that he has done nothing wrong - to which he thanks her and says that her kindness has saved him time and again.

III. Aki/Kunugi arc

‘You...! Be my grrrl.’ #kunugi

This ends in pretty much the same way as in Yakumo’s route. Aki tells Sakuya that things worked out for the best, because love between a human and a supernatural being is bound to end in tragedy. Sakuya realises that there are other alternative endings besides ‘happily ever after’. She ofc thinks of Mikoto,... and so she goes and asks him if he has ever been in love. He tells her that gods have to love everyone and everything equally (including Yorihito and miscroscopic bacteria lol).

Then he tells her that she is very important to him, and that he prays for her happiness.

IV. Fuu-san

After hearing rumours about evil spirit moaning in the old school building, Sakuya wonders if Rei is having stomachaches XD.

Anyway, here Fuu-san again confides in Sakuya about his friend Yuuya, and she wonders if there’s a way to ease his pain. Mikoto says it’s possible to erase his memories, but Fuu-san would refuse to do so. He believes that there are some painful histories that one just has to live with - and surprisingly Sakuya accepts his view. I feel like she is accepting too much in this route XD.

*

.: Going back to Mikoto’s backstory, we already know about the 1000-year-old love story between the miko and the Great Demon from the other routes, but we missed a few key points which are revealed here:

1. The sesshouseki itself is not the Demon’s remains. It’s a fragment of a star that was used to absorb the Demon’s curse/evil energy. And Mikoto is the living embodiment of this stone. 

2. The Demon’s remains are actually buried under the *magical tree* in the yard of the shrine. And his spirit communicates to Sakuya and others through this tree.

3. The 1000-year promise: Before the Demon’s death, Mikoto promised to watch over his remains to prevent the curse from escaping. This would only work for 1000 years, so after that time, Mikoto promised to absorb all the curse energy himself and disappear from the face of the earth.

What actually happened is that 10 years ago on hoshimatsuri night, when Mikoto was supposed fulfil his promise and disappear, he hesitated and started crying under the tree, because he was afraid of death. Child Sakuya came over to comfort him, and ended up in the energy transfer danger zone.

So, to save her from dying from the curse, Mikoto decided to make her a Goddess 10 years later to build ‘immunity’, and then on hoshimatsuri night transfer all her curse energy back onto himself and disappear as promised. At first he didn’t want to tell her all this, but she’s super しつこい so eventually he told her everything.

Sakuya found herself falling for Mikoto and didn’t want him to disappear, so she asked Yorihito how to prevent his plan from working using her Goddess powers. On hoshimatsuri night, she successfully stops Mikoto from fulfilling his promise, and seals it with a kiss.

Because the curse energy remained in her body, she grew weaker and weaker and died three months later. THE END.

...

Lol j/k.

Good end: Mikoto can’t get over Sakuya’s death, so 1 year later on hoshimatsuri, he decides to use the same time-travel method (and the power of Sakuya’s amulet) to go back in time and stop her from thwarting his epic disappearance plan. Everyone supports him - except Yakumo, who thinks that Mikoto shouldn’t force his own plan against her will. He wants Mikoto to do what makes them both happy, even if it means defying Fate.

Sooo, Mikoto goes back in time... to 11 years ago, before hoshimatsuri night. He finds child Sakuya on the shrine grounds, and gives her an amulet and sends her away, telling her NOT TO COME HERE TONIGHT. 

...With that taken care of, nighttime comes and he proceeds to fulfil his promise. But to his surprise, Sakuya shows up again - to give him back his amulet and tell him to stop being an #emosadface. He is all like #headpalm #Orz #omgthismustbeFATE.

In that moment he decides that, instead of letting the curse transfer take place this time, he will try to fight it so that no-one has to die. Basically the same thing that Yuzuru did for Yakumo in all his routes = Zzzzzzz (fight the curse while sleeping). At the last moment, he tells Sakuya that he’s going away for a while, but promises to meet again someday.

...

Loop back to the beginning of the game, except in this new alternative future, 17-year-old Sakuya has a more enlightened view on religion and shittier luck in omikuji. In the shrine, she meets Mikoto once again - and this time she remembers him from her childhood meeting, and he is willing to tell her the whole Kami Naru Kimi to story, with no secrets.

*

[Thoughts] Let me first take a moment to marvel at the coherence of the whole story...... 

...Ok. Moving on.

Mikoto’s route wasn’t as much a tearjerker as I thought it would be. Or maybe I was just too tired/brain-dead to cry at 3am _(:3」∠)_. It also doesn’t feel much like a romance love story. I mean Mikoto was preparing for his *ultimate demise* and in no mood for a relationship for the most part lol. So a lot of Sakuya’s actions/thoughts felt very one-sided.  

It was nice that the recaps of the four side story-arcs were kept short (I guess for the benefit of those who didn’t see all of them? not sure if possible to get to the hidden route without unlocking all four events, but anyway).

Piecing together the info from the other routes, I had some guesses as to what the ‘full picture’ was... but this route totally took it in a different direction than what I was expecting. I kind of figured from Sakuya’s surname (「神」 and 「木」) that she’s the descendant/reincarnate of the spirit who lives in the tree, who must be Mikoto’s old lover from 1000 years ago. Lolol was I wrong about that XDDD - although I think my version would’ve made a more romantic story. ^_~

Overall, I like how the route challenged/changed Mikoto’s views about the impenetrability of Fate. You come away with the feeling of understanding a lot more: why gods exist, the true purpose of prayer, why individual wishes are/aren’t fulfilled, the role of free will, etc.

‘I have come to show you the Truth... with my really nice hair’ ;)

(It does make me sad that in the good ending version of events, some of the characters probably never got a chance to meet - e.g. Narumi & Mikoto, Yuzuru/Rei and everyone else.)

As I feared, there was no clear explanation for Rei’s existence. In the ending it’s revealed that he is/was a 生霊 (a soul that got separated from a living body), and that after Narumi failed to send him off to the other world during hoshimatsuri, he ended up in hospital and was able to recover his body (and some temporary memory loss) with Aki’s help.

...Which STILL doesn’t explain who he is, and how he landed in this condition, AND in his own ending why he disappeared for 10 years and came back as a living human... Unless I missed something in my haste, but I doubt it. Otomate was probably counting on the fact that nobody would fall in love with Rei so nobody cares. But I want some answers damnit!!

Also, Yorihito makes a brief appearance here in his human form. #wtf O_o

...This is probably where Yakumo’s catchphrase ‘細かいことは気にしなくていい’ comes in handy. スルーしようと思います...

IN SUMMARY, ranking of routes from favourite to ...less favourite (there were no bad routes, I honestly enjoyed all of them and I thought all the characters were awesome in their own way ¯\_(ツ)_/¯):

Yuzuru > Yakumo > Mikoto >/≃ Narumi ≃ Rei

Ranking of side arcs from fav to less fav.:

Fuu-san > Aki/Kunugi > Sanshin > Yorihito/Nisei

ハイ終わり― +(人*´∀`)+゜:。*゜+

*

[N.B.] I actually started KamiKimi as a break from Diabolik Lovers More Blood - I’m about 3/4 of the way through Mukami Ruki’s route, and can confirm that this guy has no redeeming features whatsoever. It’s doubtful whether I’ll be able to sit through the rest of his story to get to his (hopefully sweet) ending. At least KamiKimi was a nice world where Sakurai Takahiro’s character is actually ahem *NOT AN ASSHOLE*.

(Low bar, I know, but DLMB challenges my view of common decency every time I open it...)

(Also Mikoto cried/had many emotional outbursts towards the end of the route, which is a side of Sakurai-sensei that I have never heard before. Not sure how I feel tbh. Like Sakuya in the game, I actually prefer his funny/lighthearted persona more.)

Also I’ll probably be busy with exams + school stuff for most of this month, so it would be a good idea to go for more fun/relaxing games that are not so heavy and tragic. 

One recent discovery is an old game by Broccoli called 「恋戦隊 LOVE& PEACE the P.S.P」 , which is based on the Power Rangers concept (all my childhood dreams are coming true...! *≧ω≦*) ... I previewed a chapter or so and it seems absolutely hilarious, although it’s not fully voiced so the reading part will be a P in the A but HIT ME UP YO.

And ofc, there will always be drama CDs to save the day...

[aphrodicted]

Do you have any tips on moving on from an ex?

I don’t know if I’m the best person to give you advice on this subject, but I’ll try to help you. All I’m going to tell you are things that I’ve used after ending long relationships or sporadic relationships. Some points will be more important depending on the type of relationship you have left, but I think all of them can help you.

If you need any more specific advice: you can talk to me privately or send me another ask and I’ll answer you.

The most important thing is to accept what you feel. It doesn’t matter what kind of feelings you have, but you must embrace everything you are feeling right now. Are you sad and you need to cry? Do it, don’t be afraid to do it. Do you feel like playing music to the full and dancing until you forget the pain? Find your favorite song and dance to the exhaustion. Do you need to talk to someone and cry again? Find someone you trust and explain all your fears.

It’s essential to be wrapped up in these moments (if the break-up has been very traumatic, for example) and surround yourself with people with positive energy.

Next, I leave you a list of practices that you can carry out. They have served me and maybe you too, anon. Also, I’ll leave you some explanation with information and if I remember a spell (if you want to do spells) I’ll leave it here too. 

1. Accept your feelings.

As I told you: don’t block feelings. What do I mean by blocking? Well, to bury what has happened and make everyone see that you have never lived a relationship with that person or that them have hurt you. You can’t forget what happened from one day to the next as if nothing had happened, but you can do it little by little.

2. Live what you feel.

Live the feelings without fear. Suppressing pain and putting on a good face is not always the best option. Nor do I advise you to spend all day in bed, but it is important to let go slowly and live what you feel.

If you are a person who doesn’t like to cry in front of others: look for a place where you are comfortable and that nobody bothers. If you are a person who needs the support of others: look for someone you trust and share the pain or your fears with this friend.

Don’t hide your feelings and be honest with yourself always.

3. Break your bond (slowly).

You don’t have to drop everything at once. Besides being insane, you can’t forget your pain in a few minutes.

The bond will fade slowly and you will gradually get rid of the pain. Don’t worry: you will never forget the person in particular, nor your memories, but it would be important to end the relationship if it is already finished. It’s essential to end the relationship and release them when you are completely ready. And wish them the best. Even if they hurt you, please, wish them light and good luck so as not to contaminate you with the bad energies. 

4. Get rid of their gifts.

This is an option. I’ve done it in almost every relationship I’ve had. I don’t like to keep gifts when the person hasn’t behaved well with me and has cheated or treated me badly. It’s hard? Of course, since you’re getting rid of memories that once made you happy. However, for me it is very important to get rid of gifts to eliminate energy or memories that have no place in my present or future.

5. Talk to yourself.

It’s a stage to know yourself more: to know how you act in the face of pain, how to heal an emotional wound, how long it takes to get rid of pain or how you overcome it, etc. Try to find something to get out of this painful stage and find yourself. Talk to yourself and discover things you never thought you would be. And you must be honest with yourself: don’t kid yourself!

6. Forgive and learn from what has been lived.

One of the most important points (and almost mandatory) is to forgive yourself. Many times we blame ourselves for a relationship that has not ended well, but the fault isn’t only one of the two. If a relationship breaks down, it is because we have both failed at something. Therefore, it is very important that you forgive yourself and open yourself to new adventures that will bring you a lot of happiness.

Another important point is to forgive the other person. We all make mistakes and do harm (unconsciously or consciously), but we can’t be spiteful throughout our lives. It isn’t healthy at all and will not bring you anything good in your life. The best thing to do is to forgive them and make sure that what they has done to you don’t affect you.

I learned to forgive recently. One of my relationships (the longest) didn’t end well and I found out that I had been deceived. One of the things I hate the most is that people lie to me, and it cost me a lot to forgive him. However, to this day, I wish him the best and I hope that life will smile and give him what him deserve. 

7. Self-love every day.

As I said before, this stage is a very good time to know yourself. And it’s essential that you practice self-love every day! I had never done it before and I can tell you that it changes your life in a spectacular way.

Start with positive affirmations in the present: “I am loved”, “I deserve to be loved”, “Love is on my side”, “Luck is on my side”, “I deserve that love appears in my life”, “I’m pretty”, “I attract positive people”… 

This type of prayers can help you a lot. I practice them three times a day for about five minutes or when I think I have had enough: when I wake up, in the evening and before going to sleep I think them out loud or in my head and I visualize myself happy, surrounded by people positive and being happy, for example.

Visualizing is a complicated exercise for some people, but with practice you will master it. 

You can also practice spells that are easy to find on Tumblr. Why don’t you look for my “self love spell” tag (/tagged/self-love-spell)? 

Don’t let negative thoughts eat you. You aren’t negativity and you must eliminate them every time they appear in your head. When you think something negative, pray it: “I am light and I attract luck and happiness”. However, there are people who are very helpful in expressing negative thoughts on paper and then burning or breaking them into pieces and throwing them away. You can also call someone to vent on it.

If you can, anon, I recommend getting an onyx and a white quartz or a citrine. Carrying this pair of stones will help you a lot: the onyx will absorb all the negativity, while the white quartz or will give you a lot of positivity (I recommend you more the citrine to give you a lot of energy).

Surround yourself with people who give you positivity and a lot of love. Don’t surround yourself with people who don’t do you well, as they will not help you to get out of this situation.

8. Meditate.

At first it is difficult (you need a lot of concentration), but it will help you a lot to control your emotions and other things. Start by doing meditation for five minutes on waking or before going to sleep.

9. Cut off communication with your ex and block any way to see them on social networks.

10. Ask for help from your angels.

It may sound crazy, but they listen to you. I didn’t get the response from the angels in the first place, but from Aphrodite, but they came later.

The angels are there to guide you. When you are lost: speak loudly and ask for a signal. It will come in the form of a number (111, 333 or so), a prayer or an image that you see… the sign will come to you. Have faith and ask for help!

You can always try to contact your spiritual guides.

11. Seek to do new things.

Do you feel like starting to play sports? Do you think you should travel somewhere this holiday? Do you want to do some activity that you have wanted to do for a long time?

If you have always wanted to do something: now is the time to do it! Dare and look for fun.

I tell you as a personal experience! I started to practice witchcraft after leaving one of my ex, and now look how happy I am! Do what you have always wanted to do, worse you have never dared.

12. Don’t lock yourself up too much.

13. Animals and nature heal a lot at times like this.

I don’t know if you have a pet or you live near a forest, but try to surround yourself with animals and nature.

Playing with animals (dogs, cats or any other type of animal) will help you vibrate very loudly. In addition, it will help you forget the pain for a few hours and clear yourself of any negativity. The same walk in nature or lose a few hours in a forest. Sit and listen to the sound of the wind lift the vegetation and the birds sing. You will find an incredible peace there.

I’m sorry the post is so long! I hope these tips can help you in some way. 

See you, anon!

[reifuleafu]

☆MEET-UP II STORY☆

//it's about how me and my internet friend meet-up irl//

sHSHS ITS BEEN MORE THAN 3 MONTHS SINCE THE FIRST MEETUP TAKES PLACE AND I WOULD NEVER THOUGHT WERE ABLE TO MEETUP AGAIN ON APRIL 11. BEFORE THE MEETUP JUST HAPPENED. IT WAS STARTED WHEN I POST A PIC OF A PLACE ON MY 2ND ACC AND SHE TOLD ME THT SHE ACTUALLY LIVES NEAR THT PLACE AND I WAS SUPRISED AND SHOCKED. THEN WE WERE BEGIN TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE MISSED OUR CHANCE MEETING IRL. THEN DAYS GONE BY TILL THE DAY OF OUR PROM, I ASKED HER WHEN IS THE DAY ULL HAVE UR PROM STARTED? THEN SHE TOLD ME THE SAME DATE IS OURS AND I WAS GLAD BOUT IT THEN SHE TOLD ME WHERE THEY WILL DO THEIR PROM AND IT TURNS OUT ITS JUST 30 MINS AWAY FROM US HSHWYWBS I WAS PLANNING TO GO THERE BUT SINCE WE HAVE THE SAME EVENT AS US BUT DIFFERENT PLACE, I DIDNT HAVE THE TIME TO GO. THEN REALIZING HOW BIT NEAR WE ARE, WE ARE BOUT TO PLANNING FOR THE ACTUAL MEET-UP NOT BY COINCIDENCE. SO WE PLANNED THE PLACE WHERE WE WILL MEET WHICH IS GOOD AND ALSO WE PLANNED WHT DATE WE WILL GO. EVERYTHING WAS ALREADY GOOD UNTIL EXCEPT ONE THING. BOTH OF OUR PARENTS DONT FEEL LIKE BOUT MEETING UPS. BCOS THEYRE KEEP TALKING BOUT CRIME AND STUFF, SECURITY AND ETC. WHICH IS THEYRE NOT ACTUALLY WRONG BUT THEYRE LITERALLY GENERALIZING IN, WHICH MAKES IT WRONG. SO BCOS OF IT, WE TALKED BOUT OUR PARENTS AND TRYING TO CONVINCE THEM IT DOESNT HAPPEN ALL THE TIMES AND THTS THE POINT WHERE WE ALMOST LOST OUT HOPE. UNTIL FINALLY I BROKE MY PARENT'S IDEOLOGY AND THEY SOMEHOW FINALLY AGREES AT OUR MEETUP AND WERE BOTH GLAD MY PARENTS AGREED, HOWEVER AT HER CASE, SHE HAVENT TOLD IT YET AND SHE WAS SCARED BOUT IT SO WE LITERALLY WISH THE BEST LUCKS AND PRAYED FOR IT COS BOTH OF US SCARED OF WHT WILL BE HER PARENTS DECISION. IT WAS 4 DAYS LEFT TO OUR PLANNED MEETUP AND SHE WILL FINALLY TALK TO HER PARENTS BOUT IT AND SHE TOLD ME TO WAIT FOR HER AND DURING THT TIME I WAS SO NERVOUS AND SCARED HOW HER PARENTS DECISIONS WILL TURN OUT.

IT WAS 43 MINS LONG AND MY ANXIETY IS BUILDING UP RAPIDLY AND I DONT KNOW WHT WILL HAPPEN THEN SHE CAME BK AND BEFORE SHE WILL SAY SOMETHIN, SHE ASK ME ONE THING BEFORE PROCEEDING THEN AFTER THT WE FINALLY DID IT, HER PARENTS FINALLY SAYS YES. WE FRIGGIN CRIED THT FINALLY WE MADE IT THROUGH AND MAKING THE MEETUP SO POSSIBLE NOW. WE CANT BELIEVE WHT ACTUALLY JUST HAPPENED X'DD NOW WE WERE PLANNING STUFFS TO DO ON OUR MEETUP BCOS OUR PARENTS ONLY GIVE US 3 HOURS INSTEAD OF 4 LIKE WE PROPOSED SO IT FEELS LIKE A VERY SHORT TIME FOR US BUT STILL WE WERE GLAD THAT WE WILL FINALLY MEETUP. NOW ITS 15 MINS LEFT TO OUR MEETUP, I ARRIVE SO LATE AND NOW SHE KEPT ASKING WHERE AM I, SO I KEPT SENDING PIC OF THE PLACE WHILE IM APPROACHING TO THE PLACE WHERE WE SHOULD MET THEN MY DATA IS GETTING WEAKER AND I CANT SEND THOSE PIC ANYMORE SO SHES KINDA BIT WORRIED WHERE I AM. THEN I WAS CLOSE TO PLACE, I FINALLY SAW HER BUT SHE LOOKS LIKE CONCENTRATED LOOKING AT THE FRONT WHERE SHE EXPECT ME TO GO THERE THEN I POPPED OUT AT HER BACK AND SHE WAS SUPRISED XDD SHE CANT BELIEVE IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED AND KEPT TELLING ME DONT GO AT THE BACK AND SCARE ME AND I TOLD HER SORRYY BOUT IT X'DD AND OML WE FINALLY MEET UP AND SHE TOLD ME THT IT WAS HER FIRST TIME TO EXPERIENCE A MEETUP WITH AN INTERNET FRIEND AND I CONGRATULATED HER FOR FIRST TIME. WE FIRST WENT TO STARBUCKS TO GET SOME MATCHA AND WHEN SHE FINALLY RECIEVE HER ORDER, THEY GOT HER NAME CORRECT AND MEANWHILE I WAS LOOKING MINE AND BURST LAUGH COS OF IT, THEY TRIED :">. THEN WE WENT TO THE TIMEZONE AND WE MOSTLY PLAYED SHOOTER GAMES AND MOST OF THE TIME WE SCREAMED AND GOOD THING THE EMPLOYEES DONT MIND IT X'DD WE SPEND MOST OF OUR TIME AT TIMEZONE THT WE ALMOST THE THINGS WE WANT TO DO BCOS WE ENJOYED TOO MUCH OF IT X'DD THEN WE WENT TO ESCAPE ROOM TO CHECK IF WERE STILL AVAILABLE TO PLAY IT WHICH IS SADLY WE DONT HAVE ENOUGH TIME FOR IT X"D AND WE WENT TO THE ART BAR AND LOOKED UP TO SOME GREAT STUFFS INSIDE AND WE WERE LIKE "DAMN WERE BROKE FOR THIS XDD" AND WE WENT WHERE THEY TEST THE PENS AND STUFF AND I WAS LIKE ASK HER IF LETS TRY TO DO A LIL COLLAB THERE AND SHE SAID "SURE WHY NOT" AND I WAS KEPT LOOKING AT SOME CASHIER JUST TO MAKE SURE SHE WONT CAUGHT US WHILE WE WERE DRAWING XDD AND WE WENT TO THE BOOKS AND STUFF AND IT WAS LIKE MY FIRST TIME TO GO THERE INSIDE AND WE LOOKED FOR SOME DAMN MANGA XDD AND I NEVER SAW A PHYSICAL MANGA YET AND I WAS DAMN AMAZED AND WE FINALLY FOUND TPN MANGA WHICH IS SO AWESOMEE X'D AND I WAS LIKE "IF WE ONLY HAVE ENOUGH MONEY WE WOULD TAKE ALL THT SHIT OUT XDD" AND FINALLY WE WENT TO THE ICE CREAM AND STUFF WHERE SHE ORDERED SOME SMOOTHIES I THINK AND I GOT A DIABETIC ICE CREAMM X'D AND THEN I TOLD HER IF SHE REMEMBERED THE BET THT I TOLD IN OUR CHAT, THEN SHE WAS LIKE "OH I REMEMBERED" THEN I QUICKLY HUGGED HER BEFORE SHE CAN DO IT XDD THEN I TOLD HER, I WON THE BET AND WE ALMOST FORGOT TO TAKE MORE PIC BECAUSE THERE WAS 5 MINS LEFT FOR US AND WE WERE LIKE "TAKE MORE PHOTOS WHILE WE STILL CAN XDD" THEN AFTER THT, WE FELT BIT SAD THT SOMEHOW MEETUP NEEDS TO END AND WE ALREADY RAN OUT OF TIME SO WE HUGGED AGAIN AND WE WERE WISHING THT WE CAN STILL MEETUP SOONER IN THE FUTURE, AT LEAST. EVEN THO IT FEELS LIKE A CLIFFHANGER FOR US, WE WERE STILL VERY HAPPY THT WE FINALLY MET AND IT WAS SO MEMORABLE BCOS THESE MEETUPS AND MY INTERNET FRIENDS HAVE SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART :">💕💕💕💕

[jbeverywhere]

Polish Christmas

Exactly Christmas in my family, in my home. Because each polish family has some own traditions, each city, each region, etc. So I’ll try to explain what’s going on in my home during Christmas :D So what’s going on? A LOT! Christmas have a loooot of traditions. I tried to focus as much as possible to remember what I want to describe and I noticed that there are some small things which we do and I even didn’t think about them like a tradition. Strange, no? :D OK. Let me try to write it. It will be so long.

Before Christmas

We don’t start that early like the rest of the world. I mean, I just came to Spain (October), on my way to the beach I saw in the shops so many christmas decorations. NOPE. Come on. Of course there are some crazy people who want to follow “american” style and decorate everything asap (like shopping centres) but houses we decorate just few days before Christmas. Also we don’t sing carols before 24.12, you can hear on the radio songs, christmas songs, but not carols. I hope you know the difference.

So in my home we decorate the christmas tree one/two days before Christmas Eve or that day in the morning. Depends how much time do we have. Normally it was me decorating with my younger brother, this year I arrived home too late so my mum did it with him. For many years we have a true, real tree. It’s getting more and more popular, for me it looks much better and I hate plastic. What do we put on it? Of course christmas balls, tinsels, lights aaaaand SWEETS! My father brings from Austria so many christmas sweets. And because during communism time there weren't many options, it was famous to put “long sweets”, my father still, every year, buys pack of them to keep his “childhood” traditions. The thing is, that we can’t eat them before the priest visit (about it later). But yeah... nobody will notice that there is one sweet less.. (or more). Even Bruno likes to go to christmas tree and enjoy ;)

For last years, my mum has learnt how to do those decorations from floss and here you have new tradition.

My father is responsible for house decorations. He is crazy. Maybe you know that movie, where one man wanted to have so much lights on his house to make it visible from the cosmos. My father is going crazy in the same way... xD At least it looks nice, just look:

Of course you have so much time to buy gifts, but like always one week before everyone is going crazy. EVERY YEAR. ehh In my home christmas gifts are quite valuable. We don’t give gifts on 6th Dec, in other families they do 2 times. We prefer once but good XD

24th December 

With my father we use to go to the city to buy last things. One of them are those long sweets, another mistletoe (again, my father HAS TO have it during Christmas). I think you know the tradition - if you kiss under the mistletoe, it means love forever and more rainbow...

My father goes also to his brother house, where the aunt makes a homemade bread (traditional way in the masonry oven). It’s one of the thing on the christmas table. My mum cooks all day. It’s better to not try to help her, you know, she does it better, bla bla bla. With my brother we prepare the living room for the dinner. It’s like preparing for a biiiig party. Cleaning, cooking, decorating, taking showers like never, etc. 

Jaka Wigilia, taki cały rok One of the traditions says, what you do during that day, you will do the whole year. So it’s better not to stress, not to scream, not to be sad, etc. This year my father was cleaning all the time, and during sweeping he was “angry” that all 2019 he will have to do it. To be honest I don’t remember the next day what I was doing so if there is any true - no idea. 

Also strange superstition is that, the first guest on 24th Dec can’t be a woman. If the woman will pass your door first it means bad luck for the coming year for all people in the house. So in my village men are visiting each other to spread a good luck... ehh

And remember to give back all your debts before! Also means bad luck if you won’t do it. Don’t borrow things, don’t get sick, have your perfect life that one day because the coming year depends on that. 

Table The table should be prepared for 1 person more than you expect. It’s for a lost tramp - it’s to show how welcoming we are or it’s for a family member who we remember about, who we want to be with us.  Others say that is for Jesus Baby. Under the tablecloth we put hay. On the table we put some oats. It symbolizes poverty - you know, Jesus was born in the stable. Also on the table should be a wreath. With mum we used to create our own but now we like this one (or maybe we are too lazy xD )

The wreath is based on pine twigs. Then you should put a candle (which you can buy during the Advent in the church from Caritas) which means the giving life light (or the eternal life), the ribbons and the bows symbolize the bond in the family. This is basic, but you can make it as you want, there are many beautiful possibilities! This one is from my aunt:

You can notice there also oats and a lot of food (it’s the second day of Christmas).

Food The tradition say: 12 dishes! And I know families where they do it. In my home we have 6. I think that when are you going to spend that dinner with a big group, like more than 20, then 12 dishes is ok, everyone can prepare something and it’s easier to eat it. For 6 people in my home, 12 is too much, definitely. There is some superstition that we should eat 12 or at least odd number of dishes (like 9 or 7). But in my home we don’t care. You should try each of the dish. This is my nightmare because I don’t like most of the christmas dishes, they are based on sauerkraut which I hate. So for me it’s like enjoy one pea etc xD And when “normal” people are overfull after the dinner, I may be hungry xD

Step by step

The dinner we can start when we notice the first star on the sky. And because in Poland during the winter the sunset is really early (between 15-16:00) so the dinner is also early. In my home we start more or less around 17:00. In some families the time depends also on working hours of a family member (like policeman, nurse, doctor, etc). First we pray, there is like a list of prayers. In my home is: Our Father, The creed, The Angelus. Then one of us reads part about Jesus born from the Gospel according to Luke. Then is time for wishes. This tradition is very important. We do it also during christmas dinners with friends or following days with all people who we meet and we want to wish them something. In the past we used to send a lot of Christmas postcards with wishes to the families which are far away or friends. Now it’s time of online wishes. We send them from 24th till 26th Dec. I like wishes only when I say them to people who I know very well and I know what I want to wish them for the coming year. And yes, it’s time to hear “I wish you a boyfriend/fiance/husband”. KAWALER TIME. Ehhh. On youTube you can find many guides how to skip (or answer) those questions xD But let’s come back. So it’s wishes time, we use the Christmas wafer to share and wish. Also the next day you take it with you when you go to visit anyone. 

When this step is done we can eat! When you sit finally, you can’t leave the table till the end. Only person who brings dishes can leave the table. In my home we try to do it but also we help our mother with bringing new dish and cleaning previous one. In the past there was tradition that the all family ate from the same bowl. My fathers remembers that. We have never done it. Let’s write about those dishes finally. So we start with borscht with ravioli - barszcz z uszkami (beetroot soup). Symbolizes beauty and longevity.

Then is time for pea soup with dried plums. Luck, wealth and health.

Third soup is a mushroom soup. The same, wealth, health and luck.

Then is sauerkraut with pea or pea with sauerkraut. Meaning the same like above.

Then my favorite: pierogi! Normally should be with sauerkraut and mushrooms, for me and my brothers we have with apples xDDDD

And the main and last dish: fish! And again, in my family we have fish with chips xDD Just because us small children we didn’t like fish so at least we could eat chips. In “normal” families” they just have boiled potatoes - boring :P Fish - it should be carp. My parents prefer trout. For us, we have fillets, this year of a codfish. Why? Because I don’t like when food looks at me (that has eyes. That why I don’t eat sea food...).

And of course with sauerkraut. It’s very healthy, I know, my father loves to eat it a lot!  He is crazy with sauerkraut and always says that I get sick because I don’t eat it...

For drinking we have kompot. Because this dinner is a special one, also there is special kompot made from dried plums. There are 2 groups of people, who hate it or love it. Guess which group I’m in XD

Because for the dessert there is another “stomach”, you still can eat. Christmas sweets: poppy seed cake and gingerbread.

Of course the best after that heavy dinner is red WINE. This year we had a white one, because my parents got this bottle from us for their 25th wedding anniversary and we couldn’t drink it before because I’m in Valencia.

And now is the best time for all children. It’s presents time! In my home gifts bring Santa Claus. In the past in some regions it was Ded Moroz - Dziadek Mróz (russians...). The youngest goes to Christmas tree and take and share gift by gift with others. If you were naughty during the year you will get a rod - rózga. Bruno is always a good boy :D

After everything you can sing carols, lay down, visit others orrrrrrrrrrr watch Kevin! That’s also very polish tradition. Every year on the TV on 24th Dec there is Home Alone. Always. Once they didn’t want to play it, but people were going crazy and finally Kevin appeared. We know this movie by heart. I don’t remember Christmas without that movie xD

Also we say that after the dinner you should listen to animals, because they will speak that time with a human voice and they will tell you what they think. For girls, they should go outside and listen to the dogs barking. It’s important from which side they bark, because from there their future husband will come - kawaler xD

At midnight we should go to the church for a special mass. It’s called Midnight Mass - Pasterka. I’ve never been 🙈 I’m sleeping already xD It’s a mass where 80% of people in the church are drunk... after wine and classical polish alcohol - vodka. But my cousins and neighbors go every year, by foot, 2km, drinking % during the way to warm up xD It’s nice when is snowing, then we say that we have a true Christmas.

That’s all about first day. Let’s go on more! Are you still fascinated? ;)

25th December

We start a day with a mass, some people with hangover. Pasterka was a first mass with carols, this one is the second one. After the mass we usually go to the cemetery to visit our grandfather. Then at 12:00 we go to the sister of my mum to eat lunch together (2 families, ~12 people, depends on the year). Ester lunch we eat together too but in our house. The lunch is very typical polish, with chicken broth - rosół, and then some potatoes with what my aunt wanted to prepare but always there is a chicken chop to choose. And of course kompot and sauerkraut. After that, dessert - some special cake. Then we clean the table and we put another food, like salads, cakes, fruits, meats, etc. You know, eat eat eat repeat. And on the table appears of course polish treasure - vodka! :D I know, for you polish people may drink a lot, but it’s kind of roots, for us it’s nothing special, we just enjoy it in that way. This year we tasted a homemade vodka of my uncle based on quince. Tasty!

We can stay in that aunt house till night or change, visit others, wait for others, depends on the moods and it’s more spontaneous.

This day we start also caroling! It’s my favorite tradition! Mostly children are going from house to house, with some costumes, singing carols, doing some performance, people give them some sweets, cakes and money! You can be Maria, Joseph, shepherd, king, Death, etc, etc.

Long time ago my grandpa made a Nativity with some figures. My cousins (I was ~10) were doing the performance with some rhymes and carols, they could earn a lot of money because it was really well prepared.

Hahaha XD me on the right xD We still have that Nativity and I hope my brother with the youngest cousins will go next year, because it was really nice! 2 years ago, my cousins and friends (16-18 years old) decided to walk and sing. 1 year ago I joined them and we made some costumes, prepared some rhymes and carols. And we walked from house to house in our village and we performed. Of course in every house they give you money and they make you drink vodka... so imagine how we looked like at the end 🙈 Guess who I was XD Of course a devil XD

This year we went only to our families or people who told us to visit them, we spent more time in their house (yes, drinking) and we just were singing, without any rhymes and costumes. Just to keep the tradition but in a basic way.

I love it ! :D

26th December

Second day of celebration. Of course we start with a mass. This day you take to the church oats from the table, to make them saint and then you spread them in the house you visit. My father’s favorite tradition XD He always goes to my cousin Kinga and spread around her room, bed, kitchen, in her clothes, everywhere. For girls it’s kind of luck, but yeah... clean it later.

Then just lunch. and then we wait for guests. Because grandma lives with us, second day we spend at home because their children with families are visiting her and us. So party in our house. And oats spread in our house as a revenge. Clean it... Again eating and drinking, also singing carols. In my family we love to drink, sing and dance :D

You know what is also connected with Christmas? Oranges and mandarins! We eat tones of them during Christmas :D Of course they are not polish, I think it’s because in communism time it was a luxury and to make Christmas a special time.

We can also go second time for caroling to the house which we haven’t visited yet but this year we didn’t.

Young wild freeeeee :D

Uffff this is how we do it! It’s all about family, to spend time together, to be a little bit lazy, to enjoy, spread luck and many nice wishes around. I hope I didn’t forget about all suspicious in my family. And I hope you know better now polish Christmas and maybe one year you will have a chance to spend Christmas in snowy Poland :)

[room4creation]

I’ve always asked this to the tumblr stratosphere before every exam 😭 but please pray for me, send me your luck, your best wishes, your good vibes etc etc so that I pass my exam tomorrow thank you!

[synchronysymphony]

Okay but I want to know all the faerie asks so would I be pushing my luck if I said every one that begins with a consonant?

Oh heck yeah!! Thank you for asking omg !!!!!!

glamour: did you ever have an imaginary friend?I did, actually! I was a very lonely child, so I had a diary named Diana whom I pretended was a real girl, and I would write letters back and forth from her to me and vice versa. She was like me, except more sarcastic and confident, and I had a lot of fun with her!

crushed petals: if you could spend one day with any historical figure, whom would you choose? What sorts of things would you speak about?I would absolutely love to meet Simone de Beauvoir! I also want to meet Lucrezia Borgia, since Emily has told me lots about her :D

peri: you meet a beautiful faerie in the forest, and she grants you three selfish wishes. What do you wish for?This is an interesting question, because I’ve never actually considered having selfish wishes! But hmm, let’s see… I would love to be able to speak any language in the world, to use my brain to its fullest capacity, and (this is the most selfish of all) to be comfortable in my body. There are other things I would wish for, but those are three that first come to mind!

wand: what is your patronus?A fluffy white kitty!

trick: if you were on a picnic, what foods and drinks would you want?Lots of fresh fruit, wine, dainty little sandwiches, cheese and bread, olives and pickles and pate and all that, lemonade, water, and any other sort of light food or drink!

brake: have you ever been camping? if so, did you enjoy the experience?I’ve been on choir and orchestra retreats where we stayed in cabins, but there was electricity and running water, so it barely counts LOL. I could never go camping for real! How would I wash my hands? :O

revelry: would you much rather be barefoot or wear shoes?Shoes for sure! Although I like to be barefoot indoors!

candle wax: are you a spiritual person?Yes! I’m not sure how I would describe my beliefs– it’s Christian, but not in the traditional way. I believe that everyone’s spirituality looks different, but every single iteration of it is valid, and that we’ll all be together in the afterlife (I guess I’m a universalist?) and I think love is so much more important than doctrine! I’m the epitome of a Progressive haha

silk ribbon: what are your most treasured items?My jewelry, my phone, my computer, my violin, my letters, my plushies, my makeup and clothes (to some extent), and my small mementos (ticket stubs, photos, etc).

perfumed wrist: if you had a vast enchanted garden, what kinds of flora would you grow there?I’m not much of a botanist, but I would definitely have daisies, honeysuckle, violets, jasmine, roses, lots of herbs, and a big plot of vegetables!

cobwebs: childhood obsessions?X-Men comics! I was SO into them! 

canticle: song to play at your wedding or funeral?I have an entire setlist planned out for my wedding! A bit less for my funeral, but I do want to have the Funeral March of a Marionette by Gounod played, because I feel like that would be very me. But yeah, I’ll give a few for my wedding! I’m half-decided on Mendelssohn wedding march for my entrance music (yeah, cliche haha) and half on something Wagner-y. For the seating of the parents, I’d like Water Music, or something equivalent, and for the exit music, I’m absolutely set on Entrance of the Queen of Sheba by Handel! And for my first dance, I want Better Place by Rachel Platten!

spindle: what’s a skill/talent you wish you had?I wish I was better at learning languages! I’m not naturally skilled at it, and I want to be so badly! I also wish I could draw :D

looking glass: what are your strengths?I’m very resilient. I’m good at getting back up after disappointments and rallying on, even when things seem impossible. I’m also good at cooking, and I like the way I do my eyeliner!

moth wings: do you have any spooky personal stories to tell?I have a story that’s not exactly spooky, but it is supernatural. It’s a very precious story to me! So, we all know that I have OCD and anxiety and I’m afraid of the dark and all that, and we know that often I can’t sleep because I’m too scared and busy ritualizing. One night (during high school), I was petrified, trying to keep from screeching like a barn owl, and I was praying as hard as I could for God to send me at least a little comfort. And what do you know, this beautiful image of a rose garden came into my mind, accompanied by this strange sense of peace. I suddenly felt like all my fear and anxiety had been taken away. The dark wasn’t scary anymore, and I felt like I could stop ritualizing. I went to sleep shortly after that, and my dreams were nice for once. I firmly believe that this was a small miracle. It was so lovely, and I think of it whenever I get scared at night, because there’s someone up there looking out for me, and that helps me feel better. 

moniker: if your blog was a person, what would their name be?This is such an interesting question! I think for this blog, they would probably be named something really weird like Xylitol LOL

locket: have you a favored blog/mutual?I have so many, too many to tag, so let me just say @terpsichorean-princess (my sister), @amiedelabaisse (my girlfriend), and @pollypeaches (my best friend)!! I love you all :’)