#( ▌░ — ✗ // MY STORY HAS JUST BEGUN ; CLEO

[newmusickarl]

Top 50 Albums of 2022

Back in 2019, I had the first ever dual winner of my Album of the Year title, with both part one and part two of Foals' sprawling Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost project reigning supreme that year. This year it's a similar story with two albums taking the top spot, however this time around it's the first time that two different artists have shared my annual year-end summit.

That said, although they come from two different artists, there are still plenty of similarities between the two records. Both are highly ambitious fifth albums from two era-defining artists. Thematically, they both touch on the pressures of fame, generational trauma and the taboo subject of mental health in the black community. Both albums come from rappers that have now transcended their hip-hop roots to achieve a greater level of artistry that few of their peers can reach. Finally, both artists had my runner-up Album of the Year with their previous effort and have gone one better this time around. Have I made it too obvious?

The second album will be revealed later today but for now, here's my first Album of the Year for 2022.

1(a). NO THANK YOU by Little Simz

Surprise! What is it they say about best laid plans?

Since at least the end of November, my final Albums of the Year list for 2022 was locked, with a strict promise to myself to not tinker any further with the albums included, or indeed the order in which they would appear. Then a week into December and after my countdown had already begun, Little Simz announces she's releasing a new album. I foolishly assumed it would just be a companion piece of Sometimes I Might Be Introvert offcuts rather than a full new project, so I added an honourable mention into one of the blogs and thought to myself that would be sufficient. Lesson learnt – when it comes to Simz, never assume anything less than top tier greatness.

So here we are then – around a year since Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (SIMBI) topped everyone's Album of the Year polls for 2021 (including runner-up in my own) and just a couple of months since she claimed the prestigious Mercury Prize for that same album, Simz has returned with another sure fire, instant classic. Every bit the masterpiece that its predecessor was, NO THANK YOU sees Simz once again team up with producer extraordinaire Inflo and soul singer Cleo Sol for a mind-blowing project that strikes the perfect balance between the beauty and the fury of her music.

Whilst on the surface it may look like Simz has had the best year of her career so far in 2022, NO THANK YOU reveals that between all the critical acclaim and awards success, it hasn't always been smooth sailing. From cancelled US tours to management issues through to personal struggles, Simz uncovers all and takes no prisoners on this no holds barred, tour de force. Sonically the record pretty much picks up where her and Inflo left off on SIMBI, with moments of stirring orchestration in amongst the gorgeous gospel and soul influenced R&B beats. That said, the theatrical element has been noticeably toned back with the dramatic interludes of SIMBI nowhere to be found this time, as it would appear Simz would rather get straight to the point.

Get straight to the point she does too, as the biggest takeaway from this record and the reason to keep returning to it is the outstanding lyricism that is on display. We should hopefully all know by now that Simz is the single best rapper on the planet at this moment in time, but if there were any doubters still left out there, she makes sure that isn't the case by the time you reach Track 10. From intricately woven bar after bar, Simz's penmanship and vocal delivery reaches levels she didn’t even hit on SIMBI last year.

This is evident from the get-go, as the album opens with dazzling scene-setter, Angel. For six minutes, Simz airs her frustrations over a chilled-out beat and some gorgeous guest vocals from Cleo Sol, eventually culminating in the razor-sharp final verse:

“Flo and I comin' like DeNiro and Scorsese, Stop tryin' to box me in, there's no way you can place me, Hit 'em with a classic then I got a little lazy, Had to get a pen when I remembered that I'm JAY-Z”

With her business-head back on, the triumphant horns and swaggering Jurassic 5 sampling bassline introduce Gorilla where Simz continues to drop jaws with her emphatically delivered bars that touch on her evolution as an artist and her own greatness. Silhouette is then a big album highlight, showcasing everything that makes this creative partnership between Simz, Inflo and Cleo Sol so entrancing. Across the song's near seven minutes, Simz once again emphatically tears into her label management as the orchestra swells around her and Cleo Sol delivers the defiant chorus: “I'm protected by the light, realise you can't crush my soul.” It's utterly magical, with every element of the song just completely flawless.

Spiritual title track No Merci (utilising the French language for a clever double entendre) is probably the track where Simz is the most specific about her current label situation, stating “You ain't in the studio with me, but want commission, and if I wanna release my art, I need permission.” She also draws heavy shades to Kendrick earlier this year with the reflectively sung outro, “they do not deserve you, you can't be their saviour, you're only human too” suggesting some inspiration from one of her contemporaries.

The next two tracks are then the peak of NO THANK YOU, starting off with X which is without a doubt one of Simz's finest songs to date. Starting with the sound of African drums and a military-like stomp, Simz comes firing out the gates with “The mercenary don't fight the war for free, they fight the war for a currency, not unity, not peace”, before continuing to touch on one of the record's wider themes of generational trauma via her pinpoint verbal onslaught.The production and arrangement on this track is absolutely sumptuous too, with soaring strings and rising horns leading into a goosebump-inducing gospel-led chorus.

Heart on Fire is then just as brilliant, with a Jesus Walks-like beat as Simz even directly mentions Kanye's early work with the line “Dropped out of college, still, I made it through the wire.” Again, it is the mix of her incisive but heartfelt lyrics combined with the orchestral majesty and gospel chorus that really helps this song to hit home like nothing else this year. Importantly too, although she may be talking about her own celebrity pressures at times here, there is still a relatability and resonance to her words.

Narratively, it also leads perfectly into the album's longest track, Broken, where she moves from her own personal struggles to those that people in the wider black community face every single day. Again, the writing is just exceptional as Simz shows empathy and an astute understanding of the problem, whilst also offering a message of hope and perseverance at the end of it all.

After short, sharp track Sideways, penultimate moment Who Even Cares is a gorgeous, chilled R&B number. It sees Cleo Sol's soft harmonies interspersed with Simz's own distorted vocal passages, which continue the dissection of modern life's struggles that she started on Broken. Finally, the album is brought to a stunning close with Control, a soulful piano ballad that will leave the hairs on your neck standing on end.

It's incredible to think that Simz had to pull an Album of the Year out of her hat for me to even consider adjusting my year-end list this late in the day – anything less than perfection and I would have simply kept it as just an honourable mention. I should never have doubted her though, as NO THANK YOU successfully builds on last year's masterpiece to solidify Simz as one of the best artists from any genre actively making music right now. Lyrically flawless and sonically outstanding, this is another timeless effort that I imagine I will still be returning to in years to come. Also if I was Emily Eavis, I would be striking whilst the iron is hot and booking her to headline Glastonbury in 2023.

So, to quote a certain someone who may have made my other Album of the Year for 2022, Little Simz “dropped one classic, came right back.” See you back here later today to find out who that person is that joins Simz in the top spot!

Best tracks: X, Heart on Fire, Silhouette (…and the rest)

Listen here

[carter-carpet-writes]

Coffee On The Horizon World Building Pt. 2: Customers

Okies!! We're back with some more world building!!

The entirety of this story started because, if you read this Info post you'd already know, of a FF (Frantic Fanfic) round in which I wrote the beginning bit of Cat meeting their favorite Hermit, Cubfan135. Then with the bit that my other friends added, and of course this taking play in a coffee shop. I had the brilliant idea of: What if we were the ones that were running the shop? So I started writing out notes and notes for different things about this shop. Wrote out all of the workers, the regular customers, and the less frequent customers. Then I began consulting with my friends with the pages of notes that I had written. They proceeded to help me come up with themes, the main one, and then others that we can have throughout the years that this takes place.

From there, we decided we wanted this start around the end of HC-8. And writing had already begun. Anyway, a lot of this has already been said, as for what this part is actually about. In the process of writing this post, more world building and lore has been brought into the works. Guess I'll get into that for another post! (Guys, there's gonna be angst.)

For frequent customers, I've got listed:

Luka - member of the discord

Nellie (who ends up working and is Quill's little sister, she's not on payroll XD)

Viktor - member of the discord

Sun - member of the discord

Gem - goes with life series peoples (eventually), and with Soup Group (eventually), and also may show up with GIGGS every once in a while

Cub - Usually goes to pick up others' orders, or order for them, Convex/Con Corp.

Impulse - There with Boatem, Soup Group, GIGGS, ZITS (mostly open mic night), JITS, Life Series, Stabby Stabby crew(?) etc.

Scar - Mostly goes for the pastries, Boatem, Buttercups, Life Series, Convex/Con Corp., PoePoe etc.

Skizz - Goes for coffee as well as open mic night GIGGS, Solo, ZITS, JITS, Life Series, PoePoe, Stabby Stabby crew(?), etc.

Scott - Drags Jimmy along with him, Empires members, Life Series, solo, friends

Lizzie - Always brings Joel along, joins Scott, other Empires members, Life Series

Jimmy/Timmy - Goes with Evo, Empires, Life Series, many other people

Joel - He pretends to hate it, but everyone knows he likes going

Sausage - Empires, friends, and etc. (doesn't know much about him)

Shelby/Shubble - Probably same as Sausage (doesn't know much about her)

Joey - Either goes solo or with Sausage or other Empires members

Katherine - Same as Shelby and Sausage (doesn't know much about her)

Pixlriffs - Could see solo, but also with Empires crew, and HC Recap (doesn't know much about him)

Grian - Usually goes with friends, hardly solo, Evo, Life Series, Boatem, Buttercups, GIGGS etc.

Less frequent Customers:

Tango - Life Series, occasional JITS, Stabby Stabby Crew (?), Jimmy etc.

Ren - Doc during HC-9, False

False - Ren

Xisuma - Solo usually, occasionally with Ex

Bdubs - Mostly open mic nights

Etho - Makes sure Bdubs is behaving and stuff (as well as enjoying the time himself)

Pearl - Evo, Life Series, Soup Group, etc.

Cleo - Pastries (doesn't know much about them), and with Joehills usually

Fwhip - Empires folks, etc. (Doesn't know much about him)

Joehills - Solo or with Cleo, usually just for the pastries

Martyn - Goes with Evo, Life Series, maybe with Netty, but otherwise not sure (Don't know enough about him)

BigB - Similar to Martyn except, just Evo and Life Series

Mumbo - Buttercups, Life Series, but probably not often other than that

Stress - I really don't know her at all, but I figured she'd show up once an' awhile

xB - Once a month or something like that

Zedaph - ZITS, maybe HC memebers, not sure (doesn't know him all that well, at all)

Mochi - Member of the discord

MisterJoker - JITS, Stabby Stabby crew (?), (Doesn't know enough about him)

I will tell you now, I don't know hardly anything about a LOT of these people, so if anyone has any tips or notes that you don't mind sharing with me, please feel free to message me privately here, Discord (if you have me friended), in replies, or reblogs. There will be other people included, not many, most probably are just friends that make random appearances or something like that!

Okay, probably last bit for this post, I might do another one with running bits, or something, I dunno. But here are our favorite Hermits/Non-Hermits!

Carter/Carpet: Grian, Impulse, Scar, Scott.

Quill: Xisuma (ft. Evil X), Joel

Cat: Cub, Mumbo, Scar

Fox: Etho, Pearl, PeteZahHut, Grian, Hbomb94, False, Ren

Melon: Mogswamp, ZombieCleo, Joehills, Grian

Nine: Scar, Grian

Nyx: Cub, Wels

Viole: Grian

Nellie: Lizzie

Micah: Grian, Gem, Pearl

Enen: Skizzleman, Charlie Slimecicle

Bri: Xisuma

Arc: Impulse

The reason for this, I don't need to explain, but I wanna. Hehehehe. This is because 1) I was curious. 2) May explain certain behaviors that might change around them (not everyone tho). 3) Because I have plans for birthday presents for my friends (mostly in the story but honestly.... You guys didn't see this).

[queenclom-blog]

( - @thelixira liked for a starter ! )

Exhaustion wasn’t a strong enough word for the way that Cleo was feeling right now. It was a mix of so many things - anger, fatigue, but also, pure, fiery, unadulterated passion. Her work always managed to fill her with feelings that made her feel... human, when human was the furthest thing from her mind. The emptiness she’d felt only a few hours before was gone, however fleeting that might prove to be. 

When she felt good, she wanted to celebrate. And Cleo didn’t do anything halfway. She threw a grand party in her massive Seoul home, complete with wine tasting, cheese plates, and finger foods of all sorts. Her guest lists were always massive, and many a time, she didn’t know everyone who came by. But that was alright with her. The English woman thrived on the company of others. 

She approached a person that she was fairly sure that she hadn’t met before, glass of red wine in hand. They were standing alone, seeming almost pensive. ‘ Can I get you anything, my sweet? ‘ she asked, smiling a wine-stained smile.

[giu-world]

[SPOILER]

If the Duskwood characters had spent a day at the beach

Lilly | Dan | Cleo | Jake

- Jake

Ok, I don't know how safe this thing I'm doing is. Lilly recommend me start this "diary", but it didn't seem like a very smart move, considering they're following me. MC, however, told me to use Nym-Os for protecting my data. So here I am.

Chat with MC

Jake: MC, what should I do now?

MC: ?

Jake: I used Nym-Os how you tell me. What do I do now?

MC: You should start writing something.

Jake: For example?

MC: Well, your days, how you feel, your reflection. Whatever you want.

Jake: Got it, thanks! :)

Connection to Diary...

Today I went to the beach with MC. I had so much fun. She was beautiful.

Chat with MC

Jake: sending data

Jake: How does it look to you?

MC: No, Jake! You have to write what you did, how you felt as if you were telling a story.

Jake: What's the point? Nobody has to read it.

MC: That's how it works!

Connection to Diary...

Dear Diary,

Today I went to the beach with MC and the others. It was unusual. At first, I didn't want to participate. I was afraid the FBI was on my trail and I didn't want MC and the others to get in trouble because of me.

Then, for my sisters' insistence, I let myself be convinced (and absolutely NOT for the desire to meet MC in person and see her in bikini!)

I had to travel with Hannah and Thomas, so I waited for those two in front of the motel. When a car came up to me, I realized that only Hannah was there. I asked where Thomas was and she said that he would join us after.

She seemed agitated and was always looking around. She constantly bites her lips. I asked her if she was okay. Hannah turned to me and started telling me about when I contacted her, about the days spent mailing together. At that point, I interrupted her. I apologized for not telling her immediately who I really was, but I was afraid that once she knew the truth, she wouldn't want to know anything about me.

She looked down and told me that she couldn't believe we were really brothers, that was impossible. She told me that during our messages she had begun to feel something about me. I replied that I knew it, I had noticed it so I decided to stop writing to her.

She took her head in her hands, then sighed. When Hannah returned to look at me, she asked me about MC and my feelings for her. I told her clearly that I was in love with MC...and she was with me.

Hannah started to say something, but then her phone rang. It was Thomas. Hannah sighed loudly and answered. When she hung up, she said Thomas was waiting for us near the flower shop. We went together to where was Thomas without saying a word.

This silence lasted throughout the journey, so much so that poor Thomas felt uncomfortable in our company. When he asked if anything had to happen, Hannah replied that nothing had happened. I added that it was just "sibling stuff". At that point, Hannah sighed loudly " Yeah".

When we reached the beach parking lot, we found 2 other cars: in one there were Lilly, Cleo, and Dan. In the other, there were MC, Richy, and Jessica.

When I got out of the car, MC rushed over to me and hugged me. I have never felt as hot as I felt at that time. MC whispered in my ear that she loved making me blush and I was really tempted to turn around and walk away. MC and Hannah took me by arms and forced me to went to the beach.

I spread my towel next to MC's while Thomas and Cleo opened the umbrella. I sat on MC's towel and placed her shoulders and upper back on my chest. Then I hugged her. She leaned back on me, raised her head, and smiled at me.

When Cleo sat down next to us, MC told us that she had prepared a surprise. Both Cleo and I looked at her curiously. Cleo tried to ask her what was this surprise, but MC smiled slyly and said we'll see it soon. Then, she helped me up and invited me to run after her.

I started running, but I have to admit: I thought she was much slower. Now, I don't know if it was because of the sand or the fact that I had spent most of my time sitting in front of a computer lately, but I thought I was faster.

I focused on chasing her and I barely hear Lilly's scream of anger, but I looked perfectly sunglasses and with an adrenaline rush, I threw myself at MC and hugged her, as if I wanted to protect her from that "danger". We blushed together. ;)

I took her hand and we slowly walked back to our towels. We had just sat down when we heard a very unpleasant voice behind us. Phil has suddenly appeared as one of the worst misfortunes. :(

That guy wasted no time and smiled at MC who greeted him back. I looked at MC with an angry expression, because she greeted him, and then I glared at that cucumber who had dared to set his sights on her. >:(

I didn't know what was going on. I didn't expect to see Phil there. I thought it would take him a few more weeks before his official release. Instead, he was there, embalmed with his usual stupid face looking at what did not belong to him. It was a situation that I didn't like at all. I hugged MC to me as if to remind him that if he wanted to have a beautiful girl beside him, he would have to look around, because MC was already taken.

Suddenly, Jessy ran to meet him and hugged him, happy. But Phil was too focused on admiring MC's bikini. I clenched my jaw. At that moment, I wanted to throw my usual sweatshirt on MC to hide her from Phil's gaze and then smash his face.

When I decided to take action, Alan appeared right next to Phil and I changed my mind. MC greeted Alan cheerfully, saying that she couldn't wait for them to come. I looked down at her face and stared at her: was that the surprise? Free that idiot earlier than expected?

But Alan seemed to read my thoughts because he explained that he had managed to convince the judge to grant him special permission for that day at the beach. "But what luck!!" I rolled my eyes annoyed.

"Great idea..." I whispered to her. She replied that she did it for Jessica. After those bad events, she wanted her to be happy without having to feel guilty about Phil being in prison.

At that explanation, I found myself forced to accept that Phil, for that day, was officially one of us. MC also invited Alan to stay, who evidently had only come to accompany Phil. The police officer accepted and sat under the umbrella, right next to that useless idiot.

For a good half hour, MC spent the time staring at me, I stared at Phil, and Phil stared at MC's body. Meanwhile, I thought to hack the prison security systems and extend Phil's penalty for a few more years. Just long enough to marry MC, have 10 kids with her, and move as far away from Phil and his bar.

At one point, we saw Richy get up, get dressed, and announced that he had an important appointment with a customer. I sighed. Damn that boy! He had lied for years, had even faked his death, and now when he was supposed to lie again, he said bullshit. I knew what Richy was going to do. I had been spying on his chats.

When I rescued Richy from the burning mine before it all collapsed, Richy revealed who he was and what he had done. He also told me that if we ever managed to get out of that hell alive, he would become a better person. I knew I could trust him.

When Cleo asked, Richy said he had something to do with Alfie, because his toy had broken again. He also told Jessica that she could stay, as she could be with Phil today after a long time.

He looked briefly in my and Alan's directions, then he walked away, leaving everyone else perplexed.

I hugged MC again and tried to forget the annoying presence next to me.

Until, suddenly, Jessica's voice caught our attention. She was convinced she had seen someone slip behind her like a shadow. "No, not again," I thought, and from the expression on MC's face, I deduced that she had the same thought I did.

Alan and Thomas jumped up and ran in the direction of Jessica's indicated. For a moment, I thought about getting up and following them, but I didn't trust leaving MC alone with that bar cucumber.

Then, I felt a strange sensation over me, as if someone was staring at me. I turned to understand what was happening and noticed Dan's two little eyes annoyingly staring at me. "No, definitely not again 😑"

It didn't matter if Thomas and Alan came back and found nothing. Dan kept staring at me and I began to feel more and more uncomfortable. I thought I'd find a way to distract him. So I concluded that maybe Jessica had figured it all out. Hannah and MC agreed with me. And in the end all the others.

The day was over and we had to go back to our cars. Hannah called me, saying she needed to talk to me. We stood back, then she, slightly embarrassed, smiled at me. She told me that being brothers wasn't that bad and neither was MC after all. If I was going to be with someone, Hannah was happy that someone was MC. She gave me her blessing and, together as good brothers, we went back to the others.

I ended the day by punching Phil in the nose for trying to kiss MC in my absence.

Chat with MC

Jake: sending data

Jake: Okay now?

MC:...

Jake: MC?

MC: faint with happiness

Jake: MC?!

MC: I'm so luuuuckyyy~

[pixelfun20]

Flower Fields, Ch 1

Summary: Season 7 of Hermitcraft has begun, and their newest and youngest member, Tubbo, is more than ready to prove himself in the eyes of his friends. New memories are made and friendships are forged, but old ghosts from the past still linger, and Tubbo will soon discover that fate has a way of letting things come full circle.

Notes: This an fic idea I legitimately came up with yesterday, based off of @give-grian-rights ‘s Watcher!Tubbo and Watcher!Tommy AU (I hope you don’t mind! I just loved this idea). I wrote this a single evening, let it sit for the night, and decided to publish it today. I hope you guys like it! Just to note, I haven’t finalized a title (or plot, besides some major points) yet, so if y’all have any ideas, let me know!

Chapter 1:

I'm not yours, and you're not mine

But we can sit and pass the time

For a moment, he floated in darkness.

Then in the next, he was falling through the air.

He didn’t fall far, thankfully, and his impact was cushioned by another body right underneath him.

Tubbo groaned, blinking against the bright rays of the sun as he tried to adjust from the darkness that had just encompassed him. He shifted, feeling rough cloth underneath him, and realized he was lying on someone.

“Oh! Sorry!” He exclaimed, swiftly moving off the other. He looked down as he saw a man with dark brown hair, a beard, and a leather jacket sit up, rolling his shoulders with a wince. “I think I spawned right on top of you, xB.”

xBCrafted just chuckled, pulling himself up to his feet. Tubbo followed him, cracking his back as he went, and looked around, trying to discern where he was.

Ah, man. It seemed like they had spawned on a small, sandy island, that was, worst of all, completely devoid of trees. Already it was crowding with the arrival of the other Hermits, with a few more pairs repeating the same situation as he and xB, spawning one on top of the other in the enclosed space. In the distance, he could see a large mooshroom island looming above the waves, but besides that there was nothing in sight.

“Looks like we’ll be going for a swim today!” xB chirped as Iskall spawned a foot or so away from them, landing face-first in the sand. “X wasn’t lying when he said we’d have a tricky time starting the Season.”

“And here I was hoping to stay dry,” Tubbo sighed as Iskall shot up, spluttering sand in the air. The two of them laughed at his sorry state.

“Very funny, you two,” the elder man grumbled. Iskall85, or Iskall as he was commonly known, looked considerably older than the two friends, perhaps in his early thirties. He had semi-long, scraggly brown hair and a cybernetic eye, as well as a green sweatshirt and brown vest.

“Oho, is that Scar?” xB exclaimed. Tubbo followed his gaze, and sure enough, a man in a purple bathrobe and dyed-white hair had just spawned, half in the water. Ah, GoodTimesWithScar was an odd one, alright, he thought with a laugh.

“What did he do?” Tubbo giggled. Scar turned towards them, seeming to hear his comment, and put his hands on his hips.

“I’m sorry, Tubbo,” he announced semi-solemnly. “The wizard life has chosen me.”

Iskall nearly cackled at that, throwing his head back, and xB and Tubbo joined him. Trust Scar to find new and creative ways to start the season! Tubbo made a mental note to drop by in a few weeks and see where this new bit got him.

“Looking good, Scar!” Stress said, coming up behind him. The shortest of the Hermits, she wore a pink jacket and kept her straight brown hair short and to the chin. “How’re you doing, Tub?”

“Great!” Tubbo chirped back. “Excited to start the Season right.”

“Let me know if you need anything, love,” she added, clapping her hands together. “That goes for all of you! I’d chat for longer, but Mumbo and I have some plans we need to discuss. See you all in a bit!” And with that she was gone, hopping over to the other side of the island. Scar went right on her heels, jogging over to Cubfan135 (a balding man in a lab coat around Iskall’s age), who was standing next to Mumbo Jumbo.

Tubbo scanned over the rapidly growing group of people, grinning once he caught sight of a flash of black-striped yellow armor in the crowd. 

“Hey! X!” He called out, waving. A man fully covered in armor, painted to resemble a bee, looked over to them. Through his vizor, Tubbo could see the corners of his brown eyes crinkle in the tell-tale sign of a smile, and he approached the trio. “Love the outfit!”

“Thank you, Tubbo,” XisumaVoid replied, patting him on the shoulder. “I’m quite liking your new design, too.”

Tubbo fought back a blush, looking down at himself. Like the elder man, he’d changed up his usual outfit to celebrate the newest mob addition to Season 6, the bees. He’d changed into a yellow jacket with black stripes on the sleeves over a gray shirt, as well as black pants with a yellow stripe down the sides. 

“Alrighty, I’ll be leaving you two to your father-son bonding,” Iskall cut in, waving a hand as he walked off. “I’m going to go catch up with Keralis.”

“Oh, will you stop with that!” Xisuma said good-naturedly as Tubbo really did his best not to blush. xB laughed again. Iskall just whistled, walking over to where Keralis, a man in his late thirties in a blue shirt and jeans, had just spawned. The server’s admin turned back to Tubbo. “Sorry about that. You know how he can be.”

Tubbo just shook his head a bit, trying to suppress a smile. Ah, it’d been far too long since the Hermits had all been in one place like this. He’d missed the action of it all.

He, Xisuma, and xB chatted together for a few minutes as everyone spawned in and caught their bearings. It seemed everyone had big plans for the Season. While he and Xisuma had gone with a bee theme, xB was apparently planning to really Hermit out the season, far away from spawn. Scar was certainly embracing the wizard part of himself, and rumor had it BDubs and Doc were going to be neighbors, which was a recipe for disaster and, more importantly, funny stories. 

“Okay, everyone!” It was Keralis’ shout that drew the twenty-some players out of their respective conversations. Almost unconsciously, they’d formed an oval around the perimeter of their tiny spawn island. “Intro time! Let’s go, X!”

“What? Why me?” Xisuma protested, but Keralis just laughed and took his place back in the circle.

“C’mon, admin,” Tubbo teased him with an elbow to the side. Xisuma sighed, rolling his shoulders, then stepped out into the center of the island.

“Alright everyone. Welcome to Hermitcraft Season 7! Go!” He clapped his hands together and dashed back towards the shore, the circle immediately breaking up as the Hermits split into their groups and dove into the ocean. Tubbo laughed as he waved goodbye to xB, who took off in a different direction as he went to follow X.

The water was nice and lukewarm, and soon enough Tubbo was backstroking over the ocean. He looked up at the bright blue sky, and smiled.

~~~~~~~~~

They spent most of the first day collecting supplies. 

As it turned out, both FalseSymmetry, Hypnotizd, and ZombieCleo had decided to go in the same direction as he and Xisuma, so they ended up gathering their first bits of wood and stone together. Then there was some issue with the server that caused Xisuma to have to dive deep into the server code, in the open, at midnight, so their first night went without much sleep and with a lot of mob fighting instead.

“Well,” Cleo said the next morning, twirling her axe as Tubbo set to cooking some meat for breakfast. “That could have gone better.”

“I think the first night went just fine, thank you very much,” False shot back, sharpening her newly-minted stone sword. “I’m going to be honest, though, I’m not used to going out at night without an elytra. Or armor. Or a decent sword.”

“Hey, but did you see how many mobs I killed?” Tubbo put in, pulling out some pork chops and tossing one to Cleo. “I’m a god, I tell you.”

“Yes,” Xisuma replied. He was still sitting on one of the beds they’d made, and was double checking some of the code. “God of giving me heart attacks.”

“Not my fault you messed up part of the code! I saved your life!”

“I’d suggest you remember who bandaged that arrow wound, kid.”

Tubbo’s hand flew to his shoulder, where his jacket was torn slightly, and he blushed. “I’m not a kid!”

Everyone turned and gave him a flat look, and Tubbo blushed harder, looking down. It was no secret that he was, by far, the youngest person on the server. Most players were in their late twenties, like False and Impulse, to their late thirties, like Scar and Doc. Even the youngest before he’d arrived had been Mumbo and xB, at 24 and 19 respectively. At just barely 16, Tubbo was, well, a child compared to them.

Loathe as he was to admit it. It had been hard enough in the beginning, when he’d arrived unexpectedly at the beginning of Season 6. No one had been expecting any new players to join that Season, much less a mentally scarred 14-year-old, and he’d ended up being coddled for the first six months or so. Heck, he’d lived with Xisuma until he’d grown so tired of it he’d had to run off and make his own base without asking him, because the answer would have been no.

He was perfectly capable of living on his own! It was just… well, Tubbo knew he wasn’t as good as the others. He couldn’t make the huge, rolling complexes or over complicated redstone machines that did everything for you like the other hermits did. Of course, it made sense; he had a lot less experience and was still learning these things. But it didn’t help the fact that the others, well, they didn’t look down on him, per se, but they were always a little too willing to help, a little too protective. 

“Sure,” Cleo was drawling teasingly, drawing him out of his thoughts. Tubbo snorted and looked down at his breakfast with a shake of his head, starting to eat. 

“Oh, let him be,” Hypno put in, grabbing some food for himself. “I remember being that age. Young and ready to take on the world. At least he doesn't have any creaky old bones. I’m already feeling my back in the mornings.”

“Alrighty then!” Xisuma announced after a moment of silence, rising from his bed and closing the admin screens. “Looks like all the post-spawn bugs have been taken care of. I’m ready to head out for the day.”

“I guess this is where we all say goodbye, then,” False replied, twirling her sword. “I have the best idea for my base this season, but I gotta go north from here.”

“Tubbo and I are heading east.”

“West for me,” Cleo put in.

Hypno just shrugged. “I figured I’d wander for a bit before settling down.”

“No planning?” Tubbo asked, then grinned, glad for the change of subject. “I like your style, Hypno.”

The bandana-ed man inclined his head at him with a smile. He wasn’t a new player to the server, not at all, but from what Tubbo knew he hadn’t been around for a few years. Prior to the last few days as they’d prepared to jump Seasons, he’d hardly even heard of the man before, and thus didn’t know him too well.

Xisuma clapped Tubbo’s shoulder, eyes crinkling from that helmet-obscured smile of his. 

“Ready to go?” he asked.

Tubbo whooped. “Bees, here we come!”

~~~~~~~~~

Perfect.

That was the only way Tubbo could describe the place he’d come across. He sat in the branches of one of the tallest trees in the area, looking out to where the forest he’d been traversing ended and the plains biome, scattered with flowers in small patches around, with gentle hills rolling even further in the distance.

It was an idyllic location, and perfect for his plans for the Season.

Another day had passed, marking it Day 3 of Season 7. After that first somewhat disastrous night, he and Xisuma had separated from their initial group and travelled to find a base together. Xisuma had decided, for some reason, that he was going to build his base in the middle of the jungle, so they had set up camp there for the night. Come dawn, however, Tubbo was ready to go and scout for a place of his own, and with a promise to check in with Xisuma every day or so, he’d set off that morning.

It was early afternoon, now, and honestly, Tubbo was pleased with how quickly he’d found his spot. It was only a half-day’s journey, while walking, from Xisuma, so once he’d gotten elytra he’d be able to visit whenever he wanted. Besides that, news had it that Keralis and Beef were only a little ways out, which would be fun since Tubbo didn’t know them too well.

Humming quietly, Tubbo reached into his inventory and took out the only belonging he’d taken with him from Season 6－a medium-sized notebook, filled with sketches and notes on what he wanted to build and how to do it. Last Season he hadn’t been ambitious enough; Tubbo had started late thanks to living with Xisuma and then had focused on just having a base of his own that by the end of the season it had looked puny compared to the many buildings his friends/guardians had made.

He wasn’t making that mistake again. Tubbo had grand plans for this Season’s megabase, and he was going to make sure it blew everyone else out of the water.

Okay, maybe that was an over exaggeration. But Tommy had always said to aim high.

His heart twisted a bit, as it always did when he thought of his old friends. Back then, he’d known people his own age, and Wilbur and Techno had rarely held back against him when they’d interacted with him, whether through words or PvP.

He wondered how they were doing; it’d been almost two years since he’d last seen or heard from them. He wondered if they’d moved on.

He wondered if they knew he was still alive.

Tubbo shook his head, chasing the depressing thoughts out of his mind. He’d found himself thinking of his old friends less and less over the last year and half, as he’d settled into life in Hermitcraft and begun to heal from what had happened to him. Not to say he didn’t miss them, that he wasn’t missing something in his life, but, well. Even though he thought of them every once in a while, the numerous letters he’d written to Tommy, unable to be sent, had been left behind with Season 6, in a way of really starting anew.

Doc had explained it best. Life moved on, and sometimes it was best to just hold onto the old memories and work on making new ones.

He’d taken that advice to heart. Tubbo flipped open his notebook to one of the middle pages, holding it out and comparing his sketch to the open plains before him.

Yes. This biome would do quite nicely.

Season 7 was going to be something great.

[selfcareparker]

yesss the letter format 💝💓💘💖💞💕💖💞💓 (lovely anon)

my dearest aria (a hamilton reference lmao),

i’m home alone (bc i wanted the house alone to get my head together after my brothers were mean to me 🙃) and i’m so hype LMAO but i’m watching chloe x halle’s tiny desk concert and honestly just vibing. (this is so random) besides zendaya like they are my badass black women role models. my one accomplishment would be to learn to body roll like them LMAO

oh nevermind i can’t have anything nice, my dad just came home 🙃 WHAT A WAY TO START OFF THIS ASK WTFFF

i’m liking tfatws, the second episode was veryyy intense imo but WANDAVISION IS SO GOOD😭 i knew it was going to be my favorite from the really old trailer but it’s really good and i promise it’s not just sitcoms, girl especially cuz you’ll have all the episodes already out- we were having to wait every week😭 BUT ITS SO GOOD I PROMISE HDJSHDJSH lmao reading this i was like “i- the episodes aren’t an hour long” but i feel that, it’s hard for me to watch tfatws bc they are an hour long and i’m like 😐 but wandavision episodes are less than 30mins bc I KID YOU NOT they have the damn 10 MINUTE CREDITS DHDJSJ no i don’t think we’ve talked about this b4 lol but it all depends on the series for me. i binged love island uk in less than a week bc i was so invested and LITERALLY LOVE IT but uh those episodes are like an hour and a half, but say i was binging tfatws (it’s so hard to type that ohmigosh) i honestly would not be able to do it bc of the intensity (you may be like what intensity but if you’ve seen episode 2 by the time you’re reading this.......... isaiah and the scene afterwards is all i have to say, esp me being black it was so tough :/)

girl you’re fine, as long as you’ve experienced it once hahaha i think the reason why it’s so important to my family (this letter feels so personal and extreme HSJSJA IM SORRY) is bc my grandmother loved it and in my family i guess it’s just important to us lol like my mom and dad love it too and we have the literal VHS tapes LMAO, but it only came up recently cuz my youngest brother was watching lion guard HAHA and he wanted to see the originals :) and fun fact (unless you already know) but there’s a lion king part 2 and 1 1/2 and i have all three ON VHS HAHAHA but i love lion king 1 duh (the og) but part two’s music and love story..... is so good. anyway. 🦁

I WAS THINKING THE SAME THING DURING THE WHOLE MOVIE THEATER ENCOUNTER THING HAHAHA AND WHEN SHE WAS SAYING AWKWARD I WAS LIKE WTF THE NOISE LMAOOOO i don’t think there’s a better way to describe that whole situation than ZKDHDJSHAJAJSHDJSNAHA. yeah. yeaaaa at the cinemas (i like the word cinema more than movies 🥰) here they have chips (fries), some have ice cream, nachos, drinks, hot dogs, the cinema we were at had pretzels and like BURGERS I WAS LIKE HUH OKAY and ya know obviously popcorn but i don’t know why the theaters (or cinemas) here do that, it started a long time ago though like yearsssss

PLEASE i have the longest movie watchlist and uhh haven’t seen any of them JDJSKA (istg i use HSJSSKSH as a period - like . ) i’m still hype for cherry but very hesitant (idk if i can handle it) but i’m thinking about watching it in the next couple of weeks? i know it’ll take me forever bc i’m gonna have to keep pausing and shit but idk. i’ve asked around for very specific trigger warnings and time stamps so i REALLY know what’s coming (even if it spoiled the film a bit for me) but i do really wanna see it (i think? writing this now i’m not so sure lol) so whooooooo really knows lol, but chaos walking YES i was really excited about it :))) and about my friend uhh dude you don’t sound mean at all i was literally thinking the same thing but worse HAAKL idk what she was there for???? she bought my ticket tho so 💁🏾‍♀️ whatever

“SIMS ahh, BUNK BEDS ahh” had me cracking up lmao and you know my sims status JAJAHHAJ but i’m gonna become like you, saving every 5 minutes 😭 but that’s exactly what happened to me, i really didn’t know whether to shut it off or not but after 2 hours i was heartbroken lol i’m literally making a list of things i need to redo that wasn’t saved lmao

CAN I JUST SAY UR A MASTERMIND THOUGH??? UR SIMS GAME SOUNDS SO *chefs kiss* IM CRINE university is PAINFULLY long and LITERALLY I FEEEL THAT like you can’t do anything else without failing, i had my sim go to a party once for like a few hours and i felt so dumb afterwards like urgh he should’ve been studying LMAOO just cracking down on work honestly. UR NEIGHBOR!AU IN THE SIMS PLEASEEE i am very much in love with it, yes. (pouring rain has just suddenly begun where i am rn wow ok) i love that you put them on the same lot, that was really really smart and i love that ur living out your sexuality in the sims😭 i was abt to say “now you can say you’ve got experience bc of the sims” but ANYWAY IGNORE ME fhdhs THE ALIEN BABY DHSJSK i hope it’s not a dealbreaker for enisa. that’d be tragic. IM BACK IN UPPERCASE THO BC YES MAKING OUT IN THE SIMS IS SO HOT TO ME??? I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE STFU OH MY GOSH- all the stuff, whispering sweet nothings, and the making out, and JUST ALL OF IT!!! AM I TOUCH STARVED????? there was this time i made my sim just continue to woohoo bc it was turning me on big time. ANYWAY

half way through that i had to go to my grandmothers house (not the one that likes lion king, but uh hmm idk if you remember but i was talking abt my shit family so yeah that grandmother lol) so now i’m finishing this 🥴 and instead of chloe x halle i’m watching a tom interview lmao & if this takes me longer than 30 minutes.... imma cry

I REALLY WANNA ASK- IS IT BC UR GERMAN LIKE YOU CAN JUST WRITE OUT THAT LONG ASS WORD???? i mean i can’t write out supercalafrag- anyway, but that word is a bit nonsense, UR WORD IS A REAL WORD DUDE HDJSHS i love how ur like “maybe i mixed up these words” YEA OK.

lol i had to google what are waveformers lol (lol makes a comeback) and they look like curlers that you would sleep in (here we would call them curlers or uhm i forgot uhhhhhhh rollers i think) but ur fine when am i ever making sense?? i think the best part about these is the chaos yet we understand what the other means 😌

H20 H20 H20 OH MY GOODNESS SHE BROUGHT UP H20 OK MY LIFE WAS H20🥲 I HAVE THEIR LOCKET NECKLACE AND (short storytime) when i was younger i thought they were american despite their accents (idk i was dumb) but then i figured they weren’t when lewis went to go study in america HAHAH ALSO FAVORITE COUPLE CLEO AND LEWIS UGH WATCH ME REWATCH THE SHOW NOW THANKS (also i hated elizabeth so much) but anyway back on topic, when lewis went to go study in the US i looked up where the show took place and all that good stuff and i found out they were australian HAHAH and that started my obsession with accents LMAO the uk :’)) (i’m proofreading AND AUSTRALIA IS NOT A PART OF THE UK LMAOO IM SOO DHSJSSHS) also it is now one of my many goals (besides the body roll HAHAH) to go to mako island (that’s what it’s called right??)

about music, i googled stormzy and i might listen to a song of his.. LOL I WANNA GIVE IT A TRY IMMA DO IT FOR YOU NFDVSFSG lmaoo the german rapper had me cackling (autocorrect once again being helpful and said raper and i’m like nOO) i mean we all have that one person. can’t lie, won’t lie. my one (IM SORRY BUT AUTOCORRECT HAD “MY ONE TRUE ACCOMPLISHMENT” SITTING AND READY HDJSJA I DONT EVEN TYPE THAT wHAT) person out of my white soft boy with brown hair and brown eyes type would beeeee pete davidson. love me some petey. i was gonna say rex orange county as well lmao but i don’t really loveeee him i’m just in love with his music... and wanna be friends with him..... so 👉🏾👈🏾 (i never do that fdshsh)

oh my goodness, i love tattoos too- GASP what are you thinking of getting 🥺 i want tattoos too but i’m too indecisive to figure out what to have & where. especially in my family... idk they aren’t frowned upon but my mom’s not applauding the thought lol, if i got one it would have to be meaningful but i am absolutely in love with (for example) ariana grande’s finger tattoos !! they’re so cute and simple :’) i don’t even know if i can get tattoos? my skin is... interesting. not in a bad way!! just like.... idk how to explain it??? keyloids run in the family & i got a piercing once and it got infected soo :/ the doctor also confirmed that if i wanted tattoos they couldn’t be in color so LMAO

ONCE AGAIN THIS WHOLE THING FEELS SO TMI DHSHSSJ IM LIKE OHMIGOSH SHUT UP SHE DOESNT CARE JESJSKS

in regards to you not sleeping, i wanted to mention that dumb bird, what was the reason it was up so early aT 4AM???? SIR WHO YOU CALLING TO??? also it’s 11:30pm and idk why i’m tired???

yeah i was never SUPER into justin so i don’t know exactly what albums you’re talking about lol, i do know yummy though.. but everyone did hahaha also i listen to so much pop 🙈 i mean maybe... idk what would count as pop and what wouldn’t. that new person feeling though.. i get that. it’s like who is this new person..? i kinda feel like that with taylor swift (i was never THAT into her either though so it’s like oh wait i didn’t know you from the beginning instead of hello old friend but you’re different lol)

about the concerts, thanks 🥰🥰 that’s so sweet what you did for your mom too, it’s nice seeing them so happy like 🥲 awh AND GLEE IS AND WAS MY LIFE FOR A V V LONG TIME, i’ve been meaning to rewatch it for the longest time lmaooo but i’m just so lazy and it’s such a commitment... i’ll have to get emotionally involved again and idk if i want that rn. but i have a friend on instagram and she runs a glee fan account and it’s such a big part of her life i really don’t think i could ever be THAT obsessed with something. like another one of my friends loves tom holland so much that she changed her mom’s name in her phone to what tom’s mom’s name is in his phone (that was confusing lol) and obviously i’m not judging them AT ALL, it just couldn’t be me lol

CONCERTS LOOK LIKE SO MUCH FUN 😩😩 LIKE THE EXPERIENCE AND THE FEELINGGG URGHSJS i wanna see a few people live like ari and chloe x halle and- hmm.... idk who else FJDSJ rex orange county i guess huh anyway, the experience just sounds so amazing and the atmosphere is just ✨✨✨ yeah

aria do it do it do it do it do it- watch hamilton!! but with subtitles bc you won’t catch half of the things they’re saying without them LMAO (me and my family watched it and they all didn’t like it bc they didn’t know what was happening lol) BUT DONT WATCH IT AT 4AM LMAO ITS LITERALLY 3 HOURS LONG

yes!! superior peter fics 🥺🥺🥺🥺 and it just shows how much of an incredible writer AND PERSON you are through your fics that you can turn a blurb into 2k....... like what.

LMAO the annoying thing, sometimes i feel like i’m bothering people (like right now HAHAH) but i think it’s my antisocial side being like yeaa no one wants to talk to you like you wanna talk to them :’) idk it’s strange!! sometimes i get really ✨insecure✨ and overthink everything LOL like is this too long, im talking too much, i’m swearing too much, oh lord i’m a pain, all that good shit lmao so that’s fun:))

ALSO YOUR BLOG IS SO FUN TO ME HAHAK LIKE ITS JUST YOUR OWN AND I LOVE THAT!!! like you talk about everything and anything on here lol,, and i say that bc what you said lmao how if i was someone else i would want to fuck me so bad😭 i honestly don’t understand how i don’t have people lining up though..... but if no one’s gonna tell you... then you tell yourself, period (and sometimes telling yourself is fucking yourself HSHAJKS OK NEXT)

ohmigosh the realization you had that you graduated last year and are going to uni this year🤧 but the fact that you had a teacher who LEFT THE GROUP CHAT bc she was mad at y’all i- 😭 but yeah about your maths (i always wondered why you guys call it maths and the US calls it math. like i know so many people out of the states, not just in the uk that say maths) teacher- i saw this post that said online school is looking a lot like dora the explorer😭😭 “you have any questions?” 🦗 “okay bye then” lmao and please i love when tests have nothing to do with what you studied like ??? thanks? sometimes i get scared that my teacher will somehow find out that i googled everything? or like my answer is too close to the answer sheet or something. i get sooo nervous lol but i’m already past that point of not being able to do anything myself DHJS i mean i’m still learning like i said!! read the question, read the answer. boom. now i know the answer to the question and i learned!

THANKS 🙈🥰🤧 idk how else to explain my feelings LMAO i feel it’s cool that you find my dance lessons and voice lessons cool so thanks :’)

oh god not headache season 😭😭 allergies are the worst like it’s not even funny. is headache season just when the seasons are changing or is it like... all throughout the summer? cuz i love the summer lmaoo i love the winter too but i just love wearing as little clothes as possible LMAO

GIRL IF THAT BIRD DONT STOP CHIRPING- i am 100% convinced that it is the same bird trying to give you headaches and no sleep and it needs to stfu 😤 and pLEASE ur theme is adorable and pretty and cute but also it just feels like you? idk if i’m explaining this right or if it’s bc i’ve been talking to you for a bit but it’s cute but not innocent in a way that i’m surprised that you write smut and- yeah, that didn’t make sense!! but ur new theme is gonna look pretty too and as long as you like it, it’ll be amazing🥰

yessssss the fact that megan is gonna be ur pfp YES JUST YES

edit: ok i just need to 🥺😭 sometimes u make me wanna cry cuz i feel like you’re just a kind person. i truly mean this, the fact that you celebrate yours & others stretch marks makes me so 🥺🥺🥺 i honestly don’t know anyone who has said they want need more stretch marks and it’s just all very lovely to me :’)) OKAY IMMA STOP BEING SAPPY

#yes my fake tags are back #by popular demand #aka me #and look i have actual tags this time! #i’m seriously craving water ice rn....... huh #but it’s past midnight and i fr fr want a snack #aw man #i wrote that last paragraph while doing my tags yes #and i hope you become responsible for that anon’s orgasm #assuming they had one #and i saw your response to the tom thing and yeaa when they only look like that for something and it’s like aw bae be yourself #i’m gonna shut up now and find a snack but goodnight!! morning?? IDK #IF THESE TAGS END UP AS ACTUAL TAGS I AM SO SORRY HAHAHA #alright proofreading done and i’m gonna go eat cereal

okay i‘m on my way to a driving lesson rn and afterwards i have a zoom uni thing, and then another uni thing lmao. but hopefully i can reply to this in between because i‘ve been dying to talk to you since i got this ask dldjds💘💘💘 (i really like this heart. i had a 💖 phase for a while and now it‘s 💘 (seems like a very romantic heart but.... it is what it is idk dkddj)

^okay that was literally all i wrote before my lesson lmfao. just had the worst driving lesson ever dbdvsnylkxsksj i think i‘ve gotten too used to being good at driving and now i‘ve gotten too cocky with it 🥴 anyway i‘ve had such a stressful day and overall week but tbh i‘m already feeling better bc i can (indirectly) talk to you <333

omg i went to chloe or halle (i don‘t remember who out of the two)‘s instagram the other day and found out that they are not twins alejeleksjsksj but yes oh my god their voices are literally angelic and i can‘t wait to see Halle as Ariel (Arielle??)🥰 and omg it‘s literally 2021 and we‘ve only had......... one(?) black Disney Princess like it‘s about fucking time (I might be forgetting someone, I‘m not too familiar with the new Disney films, but as far as I remember there‘s only Tiana right? (who is literally a frog for 3/4 of the film 😭😭) so yes i‘m here for it too😌😌😌 (obviously she‘s not a cartoon like tiana ekdlek but she‘s a disney princess you know what i mean ddkjdh)

pfkejdj i‘m already overwhelmed with my parents i can‘t imagine having siblings too 😭😭 (sometimes i wish i had siblings but then other times (like after reading what you wrote dksjj) i‘m glad that i‘m an only child lmao like your brothers being mean to you and i remember when you cried and he was just like 👁👄👁 ok. like i’m totally okay being an only child sksjsj———and he doesn‘t listen to music 🤧🤧🤧 (although i guess that‘s good for you because at least he can‘t annoy you by listening to loud music that you hate dmdn)

okay okay i might watch wandavision then??? I‘ll definitely let you know!!! and yes omg i‘m loving tfatws (that really is so fucking hard to type omg) but same i totally get what you mean, i‘m not used to watching action series at all and every episode so far has been like a little movie so i‘m glad that i didn‘t wait until it was all out cause there’s no way i could binge watch that lol) and yes last episode was really intense. i‘m glad that marvel are talking about racism because (from what i‘ve seen) they haven‘t been the best in that department, and i‘m really curious to see what they‘ll do in the next episodes (curious isn‘t the right word but excited isn‘t the right wort either, like i‘m excited but in a neutral way ? i‘ll shut up dslsksj i hate that german has so many words that you cant translate because theres a really good german word that describes how i’m feeling but i cant think of a good translation ugh)

okay i absolutely need to watch lion king (and part 2 and 1/ 1/2 dksksj) AND hamilton, i might even do it soon 👀

BURGERS AT THE CINEMA? EBEEISNDBEKSK i‘ll come to the US just to go and watch a movie lmaooo, i think all the popcorn sizes and drinks are bigger as well, i‘ll come and watch chaos walking with you 😌😌 does next week work?

and yeah i‘ve seen posts with specific time stamps and trigger warning for cherry too so if you haven’t looked on tumblr yet i’ve def seen some! (but ive also seen some on twitter and yeah- i mean idk youve probably looked on tumblr but yeah- then there’s also imdb which doesn’t have time stamps i believe but quite specific warnings, mostly without spoilers!)

Tbh i don‘t think i would have even considered watching cherry if tom wasn‘t in it... (i’m personally fine with most of the triggering topics/things like for some reason i’m just stoic when i’m watching the most tragic films ever dldldldlbut the plot just... idk if it‘s for me you know? just entertainment wise?).... and even with tom in it i‘m unsure skeldls, i‘d totally get if you decide not to watch it but let me know if you do i‘d want to hear your thoughts! <3

SKSLSJJ my sims both finally graduated!! i think i played sometime last week, and i literally got the achievement/notification that i‘d been playing with this household for 24hours.... and that was BEFORE they graduated dldjdldkdksjjs

oh no my tumblr broke and three paragraphs of me talking about sims were deleted 😭😭😭

WAIT NO I TOOK SCREENSHOTSSKSK because i couldn’t press save so i knew they might be gone okay okay okay i‘m a genius

*move out

oh no idk if the quality is too bad to read... idk how good your eyes are dkdkdjjd (also sometimes it will be really bad quality for some but not for others so i hope that the you can see the pics in a normal/good quality)

Okay let me continue

OMG THE ROMANTIC AND SEXUAL STUFF IS THE BEST PART ABOUT THE SIMS DIDLDKJIkdkj i kind of miss how in the sims 3 they would be making out basically lying on top of each other if they were on a bed— but in sims 4 when they‘re sitting next to each other and everything that‘s definitely hot too 😌😭 or with hot tubs dkdkdk how one sim climbs on the other sim‘s lap before they woohoo (i used to make them skinny dip in the hot tub and then make out and woohoo so they’re like naked on top of each other even if you can‘t see anything- en e waysss)

Dkdkdkdj so @ Rindfleischet.. blah bla. so it‘s basically just loads of individual words put together/connected and that‘s a really big part of german. so yesterday i had an online Einführungsveranstaltung for uni (like it was a zoom meeting where they just talked about general stuff about the uni and i was really anxious before, idk why, but it turned out absolutely fine so) and that words consists of the two words Einführung (introduction) and Veranstaltung (event) which are also two individual words but you can make a new word (Einführungsveranstaltung, so in english that‘s basically “introduction event“ lmao) by combining those two words. there are obviously some rules like you can‘t just combine random words in a random order but you can basically make infinite words (technically). for example (i feel like i‘m teaching a class just skip this if you don’t care 🙃🙃🙃djdjdkdlns)

for example i could say Einführungsveranstaltungsteilnehmer (which is not underlined with red by tumblr because it is a grammatically correct compound word (i think that‘s what they‘re called?)) which is the words introduction + event + participant, so that word just means “participant of an introductory event“ but instead it‘s one word? i hope that makes sense? dkdkkdksks i mean it makes sense in german but idk if it makes sense to you cause idk if i‘m explaining it very well lmao,

(I just deleted a really really long paragraph that i wrote about gender in the german language and grammar, you‘re welcome slsksksj)

my capacity to think has now been used up for the week 🥴🥴🥴 i absolutely do not blame you if you just skipped over that part or can‘t be bothered to (re)read my awful explanation edkflsksjdjdj (again, i had double the amount of words but i just deleted it dkdkdlslsl but what‘s left lf my german lesson is probably confusing enough already😭i‘m sorry🥴)

so to answer your question LEJDKSKJ: it‘s really common to have long words in german, words that are just word+ word+ word + word made into one long word. obv rindfleischetikettierung..... is a very extreme example and it‘s normally just 2-4 words made into one! So yup i think that comes mostly from german and talking german and growing up here and going to school here and everything dmdfnsksx

i think the best part about these is the chaos yet we understand what the other means 😌— YES. YES. Yes. I love that about us 😌😌🥰🥰/ I love us. Yes.

okay but your friend changing her mom‘s name into tom‘s mum‘s name (was that right? Dkdkdjh)—— so Justin Bieber once posted something where you could see that his Dad‘s number was saved as „Daddy Cakes“ (which, thinking back, sounds very weird ekejjej) and till this day I have my Dad’s contact name as Tata (which is serbian for Dad lmao), “Tata🍰“ in my phone because of it 😭😭😭😭🙃🙃🙃 it‘s not because of justin anymore like i‘ve just gotten used to it by now but at first i did it because of justin lol........ but nowadays i don‘t think i‘m THAT type of fan of anyone- like you know how people have fandom names (Justin‘s fans are the Beliebers, One Direction fans are Directioners (writing that hurt my soul💔💔💔)) and I wouldn‘t consider myself a fan of anyone like that. like even with tom i wouldn‘t call myself........ does tom even have a name for his fans??? Well if he does, I wouldn‘t call myself that. Like i used to be such a hardcore stan for any celebrity that i liked and now it‘s just... okay, i like em. (She says on her blog where she writes fan fiction about Tom Holland — WJDJEJDKELSKSKKSNSNDXB🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃)

Omg rex orange county!!!!!! I don‘t know that many songs like I‘ve only listened to the album pony, but i love it 💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘

thanks again for what you said about my fics/writing I‘m🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

Pete Davidson Pete Davidson Pete Davidson I‘m-🥰🥰🥰🥰 and I can‘t explain why. But as blissfulparker said the other day (i don‘t want to tag her and make her read through all of this lolll) “I like my men when they look like they are on the brink of death 😍“ (or something along the lines of that) eskkejs okay pete isn‘t that bad, he looks quite good on some days but other days you‘re like... is this man alive? Like i don‘t want to be mean I love Pete so much The King of Staten Island is literally my favourite film ever (although it‘s not my #1 because of how he looks, but i mean he does look good) VUT ALSO

(Okay i was gonna look for a terrible picture of him but he really doesn‘t look as bad as people say??? like. i think he‘s hot. can‘t necessarily explain why. so that‘s that on that.)

i‘m not going chronologically right now (i just keep scrolling up to your ask and replying to whatever i see first sksksksh) so i might miss a thing or two that you said

Okay Stormzy, you really really don‘t have to dkdkdjd like i think you said you don‘t really listen to rap, and uk rap is a whole nother thing from us rap because of the accent i feel like??? (That sentence did not make sense) BUT if you‘re looking for a few songs that aren‘t like RAP rap, then I‘d recommend One Second (feat HER), Superheroes, Own it (which you might know?), ummm maybe the song Lessons?, he has a ton of Lion King references by the way dkdjdj for example in Rachael‘s Little Brother but that‘s like more RAP again if you know what I mean?😭 and it‘s also like 5 Minutes long and tbh i only started liking that song a year after that album came out lmao but Rachael‘s Little Brother is possibly my fav Stormzy song, then there is Shut Up which you absolutely need to listen to just for fun dldjdjd like it‘s just pure fun and also a little funny lmao, especially if you‘re not British (i imagine so at least) cause he‘s like shuTTTT up idk dldkdjdldkjdhdhfjfbfldlsksksks

Vossi Bop is one of his classics, and then maybeee - ok so there‘s Blinded By Your Grace Pt. 2 lmaoobdjsj it‘s very (Christian/) religious but i like it a lot even though i‘m not really Christian (at least not practicing or anything) so idk about your views on religion but i do like the song a lot just by like the sound lmao

Okay so again you absolutely DO NOT have to listen to any, especially not for me dlskdj but I really do recommend the songs Superheroes, One Second and Rachael‘s Little Brother (and all the other ones i mentioned but if you don‘t listen to a lot of his songs you should at least give these three a try <3333) also let me know some of your songs? 🥺 like i dont care who they‘re by but i‘d love to listen to some that you like and Recommend 🥰🥰🥰

Okay so skdjdjdjddhhddhdhjsk... I used to watch all of my series in German (like H2O) bc obviously they were on german tv so they were german- and i knew that most of these actors i saw on tv were american and i was always SO fascinated that they all learned german for this show??? Like I actually thought they were the people‘s real voices and that these English and American actors were learning german so they could re-record the whole ass show and do everything in german dkdkdldjdjjd... i swear I thought that until I was like 14 omg. And then the first time that I watched H2O in the original version i was sooo confused about their accents because to me all actors who spoke english were American?? I mean MOST of those shows are American so I wasn‘t completely off but yeah i was definitely caught off guard when I heard all of their Australian accents for the first time 💀💀😭😭😭

@ math vs maths, math actually makes more sense in my opinion. like you have the word mathematics, then the abbreviation would obviously be math... why would English people randomly add the s from the end??? Or maybe it makes more sense after all because it‘s like plural??? Now I‘m unsure dkdkdkdj but i do say maths because that‘s how i was taught to say it and i hear the word maths more than math but yeah dldkdjs i think math might even make more sense (okay i just tried saying math and maths is easier to pronounce but again tjat might just be me, oh god i‘ll stop talking about that disgusting thing (mathematics).)

not the crickets and dora LMAOOOSNSNSMDNBS yeah that teacher was... a lot. a lot a lot a lot didjjd but she kinda liked me so she always gave me good grades/marks but the people she didn‘t like..... ooft. OOF.

Fksksjsj idek about headache season like i just know that i get headaches from the sun and i‘m allergic to only one.. type of...pollen??? (I don’t understand the science of that whole pollen thing and idek if it’s called pollen in english i just know sex pollen from fan fics😔)and yeah we have this weird wind that makes a lot of people get headaches yeahd dkdkdj. i loved the i just love wearing as little clothes as possible LMAO lllioool i love that i really do. i always struggle so much in the summer cause i never have anything to wear. i feel like i buy so many new summer clothes every year but when i end up looking for an outfit i don‘t ever find anything 😭 (so i just go naked— lmao jk jk) but i‘m generally not the biggest fan of summer so-

OMG THIS FUCKING BIRD ISTG, okay the first time i heard it i went to sleep at like 5 am, so the next day i was like let me go to bed earlier so the bird doesn‘t keep me up, so i went to bed at 4 am (🥲) and THE BIRD JUST STARTED FUCKING CHIRPING SO LOUDLY, so the next day i went to bed at 3 am AND IT FUCKING STARTED AT 3 AM and it‘s still there 😁 every. night.

and since you said you‘ve gotten used to my theme and everything (idk where this transition came from😭) so tomorrow (2nd april) we have our... wait what‘s an anniversary but for a month.? I think month is like mensus in latin OK NO THATS DEF WRONG DKDKDJ wait

So Tomorrow is our... mensiversary💘💘💘💘💘💘 or at least from the first time you sent an ask. i couldn‘t find it on my tumblr anymore because tumblr is a bit of a bitch but i remember the first thing you ever sent (in an ask) was something lovely about my writing and i always take screenshots of stuff like that, and i found it in my gallery. and i took that screenshot of your ask on the 2nd of march so i‘m assuming that‘s when you sent it 🥰🥰 i feel like i‘ve known you for a week not a month like how is it a month already????? (i mean this in a good way lmao but i really can’t believe that its been a month wtf)

omg no you make me want to cry because i just love you so much 😭😭🥺 but about the stretch mark thing it‘s just.. it‘s not even me trying to empower other women (or anyone else who has stretch marks) to shake off these dumb insecurities that the patriarchy and capitalism have instilled in us— ok no it‘s definitely that too lmao. But i mean I‘ve always loved stretch marks, i‘ve just always loved loved loved them so much so it makes me genuinely sad that people don‘t like them. so yeah. i dont really know how to explain it lol, like i‘m not (only) hoping that people realise that hating your stretch marks is giving the men and the patriarchy what they want per se- (that made no sense) it‘s just because i love stretch marks and think they‘re beautiful and also sexy. idk dldkdjls and omg the fact that you called me kind 🥺🥺🥺 like i don‘t really have a goal in life or anything, but if i had to choose a ‘goal‘ in life it would just be to be kind. (i‘ll end this here otherwise i‘m gonna talk about being kind for 30 more lines—)

And please. Do not ever feel like you‘re annoying me or sending too much. never ever ever. I get so happy when i see that you‘ve sent me an ask. No matter if it‘s a long one like this or just a short one where you‘re saying something about a post that i reblogged or something. I love hearing from/about you and talking to you 💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘

P.S: i‘m so sorry for the tags you‘re about to read they make even less sense than this post, also i reached the tag limit dkdkdj but i said some butterfly tattoos look tacky... and the next thing i said was since we‘re already speaking about Ariana- I DID NOT MEAN THAT SHE WAS TACKY dldkdjsj, i meant since you already mentioned some of her tattoos lmao

[friendofspidermannedleeds]

Fictober - Day 16

Prompt #16: “I never wanted anything else”  Fandom: Spider-Man (MCU) Rating: G Warnings: None Characters: Ben & Peter Parker, May Parker/Ben Parker, OCs Cleo and Mark Hudson.  Words: 2805 Summary: Raising Peter has brought some financial strain into Ben and May’s lives, but they wouldn’t have it any other way.  Author’s Note: This fic is to blame for my inability to catch up on these prompts. It was supposed to be nice and short, but ended up being quite the one-shot in length. Whoops.  Also, Peter going for a sleepover at a science museum was 100% inspired by my favorite field trip from elementary school. We really did get to camp out in the exhibits, and it was as amazing as it sounds. 

---

Incalculable Worth  

Cleo and Mark are coming over for the weekend, and Ben’s not looking forward to it.

“It’ll go by fast,” May insists the Monday before, “It’s not even three full days. Besides, it’ll be good for them to see Peter again—it’s been years, he’s probably unrecognizable to them at this point.”

Ben knows she’s right, and it will be good to see Cleo and Mark again, the couple who served as the Maid of Honor and Best Man at their wedding. They were best friends with the pair before moving to New York, and staying in touch has been difficult ever since. So when Cleo and Mark announced they were planning a visit to the city, May enthusiastically offered to let them stay at the apartment.

But if Ben’s honest, he just doesn’t feel much of a connection with the couple anymore. When the two of them were in his and May’s wedding, they had so much in common. They all loved traveling, trying foods from various cultures, and seeking out new experiences on weekend trips. Then there was the shared life plans that truly brought them together in the first place—neither couple had a desire to be parents one day.

Ben knew it wasn’t fair to Cleo and Mark to resent them for doing what they’d always said they’d do—living a carefree, kid-less life—but the fact that they were living out their plan while May and Ben had Peter made it harder to relate to the couple.

“I just feel bad that we don’t even have a room for them,” Ben says. “That’s my main concern.”

“Yeah, well, it’s only for a few days.” May says. “And they knew they were signing up for a futon when they asked to visit.”

Ben glances at upcoming dates on the kitchen wall calendar.

“The science museum sleepover next Saturday—you get that worked out?”

“Oh, yes! Yes, they were so understanding.” May smiles. “They waived the deposit and said we could just bring it all at once when we go to drop Peter off.”

“Thank goodness.” Ben breathes. “I know how much he’s looking forward to it. He talked my ear off last night about how he and Ned already have a game plan to make sure they get to camp out in the astronomy exhibit.”

It had been a difficult month financially. May’s car had broken down, and the repairs depleted their emergency fund completely. Peter’s overnight field trip was momentarily forgotten as they paid other bills, so Ben was relieved the school had made an exception to their rule that kids couldn’t sign up without paying the $50 deposit two weeks before. Peter didn’t deserve to miss out just because of a broken-down vehicle.

“I better go pick him up from Ned’s.” He leans over to give May a goodbye kiss. “Be back soon.”

---

Cleo and Mark arrive Friday after Peter’s bedtime and have breakfast with Ben and May Saturday morning. Peter’s taken to sleeping late on the weekends, and they decide to let him rest.

“So, how was your summer?” Cleo asks after finishing one of Ben’s famous waffles. “Did you guys go on a trip for your anniversary?”

“Not this year,” May answers, “It wasn’t in the budget. But we had a lovely dinner and Peter made us the sweetest card—it’s there, on the fridge.”

The couples turn to look at the masterpiece, and Ben’s heart still swells at the sight of it. Peter had obviously put so much time and effort into the card, writing “Happy Anniversary” in painstakingly careful cursive and drawing an adorable couple in a white dress and tux that bore a slight resemblance to May and Ben. It isn’t perfect—their kid’s a genius, but not an artistic one—but it isn’t a throwaway project that was patched together in the nick of time, either.

“So cute.” Cleo says, turning back to the table with a smile. “He must be so big now. What grade will he be going into?”

“Fourth,” Ben says proudly, “And he’s at the top of his class.”

“Good for him,” Mark nods. “And good for you guys for doing such a great job with him.”

“Thanks,” May replies brightly, “We do try. But he’s just always been such a wonderful kid, we can’t really take credit for him.”

Mark helps himself to another waffle. “So no anniversary trip this year—when’s the last time you guys traveled? Any good stories to share?”

Ben suppresses a grimace, not prepared to relay that their financial situation afforded no opportunity for such luxuries.

May takes on the question. “We haven’t been much of anywhere in recent years, actually. We’ve been busy here, with—” with Peter, Ben thinks “—with work, and school stuff, and everything. You know.”

“Yeah, of course. Totally understand that.” Mark grabs the maple syrup. “I mean, I guess we don’t really understand—not like you guys do, at least. Cause of the whole, ‘no kids’ thing.”

Cleo jumps in. “Yeah, I’m sure it’s hard to think about taking trips with a kid tagging along.” She’s speaking earnestly, not unkindly, but Ben’s still a little on edge. “Kids can tie you down.”

“It’s not that we can’t travel with Peter,” Ben says quickly, “that’s not it at all. He’d travel fine, it’s just…financial stuff. Can’t quite make it work.”

“I get that.” Mark nods. “My brother and his wife, they talk about it all the time. He wanted a boat, she wanted a trip to Italy, but now they have babies, and well—kids are expensive.” He catches himself as he sees Cleo’s mortified expression—it’s as if they’ve both noticed at once the insensitivity in their words.

“Oh, May, Ben,” Cleo says, “we didn’t mean to say you’re missing anything, or—or that you’re—”

“It’s fine, Cleo, don’t worry.” May smiles. “We totally understand. But the thing is, we’re just so happy. We haven’t been anywhere special in a while, and I miss it, sure, but Peter is worth it.” She looks at Ben, her eyes shining with sincerity. “Right, Ben?”

God, he loves her.

“Absolutely, May.”

“Speaking of Peter,” Cleo starts, clearly relieved to be moving forward from her gaffs, “where is that little guy? We need to see him before we go out into the city today!”

May looks at the time. “Oh wow, it is getting pretty late. I’m surprised he’s not up by now. Ben, do you want to wake him?”

“Yeah, I’ll go see if he’s up.”

Ben’s glad of an excuse to leave the table. The conversation had begun to sound too much like the ones he and May first had when Richard and Mary passed—could they take on Peter when they had so many other plans? Should they take on Peter when they’d never felt cut out to raise kids of their own?

It makes him feel incredibly guilty to look back on those uncertainties now that Peter is firmly a part of their family, and the central focus of their lives.

He knocks gently on the door of Peters’ room.

“Peter? Are you up?”

Hearing no response, he gently pushes his way inside. Peter’s lying face down on his bed, on top of the covers, with his pillow over his head.

Ben sits and pulls the pillow off.

“Hey, sleepyhead, wake up.”

Peter turns over, squinting almost a little too much, like he’s doing it for comedic effect.

“Morning, Uncle Ben.”

“Good morning, buddy. Why the pillow over the head? Could you even breathe under there?”

Peter sits up and rubs his eyes. “Yeah, I could. I just wanted to sleep more and the sirens were loud.”

Ben grins. “Ah, yes. I heard those.” He stands up. “Well we’ve got waffles for breakfast, and Cleo and Mark are here and would love to meet you, so get up and get dressed, okay?”

Peter nods, and Ben heads back out to sit with the company.

The truth is, Cleo and Mark were right. The unexpected nature of raising Peter has made finances tight. And Ben would be lying if he said he’d never thought about how their lives would be different if they hadn’t made the choice to adopt Peter after they lost Richard and Mary. Choosing Peter had meant sacrificing some of their previous life plans and goals, and it wasn’t always easy.

But waking up his kid with the ridiculously ruffled, messy hair and bright brown eyes solidified what he always knew—though they’d never planned to raise a kid, Peter was an absolute gift. Ben wouldn’t have it any other way.

---

A week later, Ben knocks on Peter’s door again.

“Peter? You finished packing for the museum sleepover yet, bud? We’re leaving in an hour.”

“Um, no. I’m not ready.”

“Need some help?”

“No.” Peter’s voice sounds tight. “I’m good.”

Ben frowns. “Can I come in?”

“Yeah.” He says after a pause.

Ben opens the door to find an empty overnight bag on the floor, an unrolled sleeping bag, and no other evidence to suggest Peter’s been packing.

“Peter, what’s up? You really should be ready by now, let’s get a move on.” He kneels down and starts to roll up the sleeping bag. “I’ll do this while you grab the clothes you want to bring, let’s go.”

“I don’t want to go anymore.”

Ben stops what he’s doing and looks up at his nephew. He’s sitting on the edge of his bed, feet barely touching the floor, avoiding eye contact.

“Why not?”

Peter shrugs. “I just changed my mind. I don’t think it’ll be fun.”

Ben knows there’s no way Peter’s suddenly lost interest in science of all things, so he presses further.

“Are you feeling okay?” He lays the back of his hand against Peter’s forehead, and, feeling no heat, switches to his palm so he can brush the boy’s curls back. “Did something happen to make you nervous?”

“No.” Peter says, turning to look in Ben’s eyes for a brief moment. “I just don’t want to go, okay?”

Ben sighs and sits on the bed. “Peter, please. You were so excited about this, I know you wanted to sleep next to Jupiter. Talk to me, I want to help.”

His plea is met with silence, making him uneasy. It’s not like Peter to be so closed-off.

Ben’s about to speak again when Peter beats him to it.

“I’m expensive.” He says quietly, eyes glued to his lap.

Ben’s confused. “What do you mean, buddy?”

“Kids cost a lot of money, and then grownups can’t go on trips or have nice things or…or do what they want. Kids tie them down.”

The phraseology sounds all-too-familiar to Ben, but he asks for more context all the same.

“Who told you that?”

“Nobody,” Peter mumbles, “I just know.”

Ben brushes a hand across his mouth. Guilt sets in as he realizes why Peter’s sleeping stance had been so strange when he “woke him up” last Saturday. He hadn’t been asleep.  

“Did you…did you maybe overhear us talking with our friends last weekend?”

Peter shakes his head, but Ben can tell it’s a bluff. He waits, knowing his nephew’s inherent honesty will kick in any moment.

“Maybe—maybe I did,” Peter admits shortly, “But I already knew I cost money, I just didn’t think about how…how much.” His eyes remain focused downward, and Ben moves closer to put a careful arm around his shoulders.

“Peter, bud—”

The boy jumps up from Ben’s embrace and heads to his desk. Ben lets him go, watching with concern as Peter logs on to an old laptop they’d salvaged and repurposed together. He returns as soon as the screen has loaded, sitting back down, but noticeably further away from Ben.

He flips the screen around, revealing an Excel spreadsheet.

“I calculated the numbers. I know money is tight, and now I know why. It’s me. I cost more than $100,000 total to raise.”

Ben wishes momentarily that his kid wasn’t top of his class. No nine-year-old should know how to calculate their financial expenses on a spreadsheet.

“Peter, how did you come up with that number—”

“The internet.” He’s still not looking at Ben, just staring at the laptop as he points to the screen. “And that’s way more than you and May make in a year, so—”

“Whoa, whoa.” Ben interrupts. He sees a decent estimation of his and May’s salaries listed under an “income” column. Peter’s right, but he doesn’t know how. “Where did you get that information—”

“The internet.” Peter says impatiently. Ben’s stunned, unable to form a coherent reply to all of this, so Peter continues.

“May also lets me look at grocery receipts cause I like the math, so I know how much food costs us. And I looked everything else up and plugged it in here—”

“Peter, Peter stop, we don’t—”

“—and I know that it was really expensive when I went to the doctor so much last year, and I know special school trips are expensive,” Peter’s voice begins to waver, “and I just don’t want to go because you and May should get to go somewhere. You should get to go on a vacation like Ned’s mom and dad but you never have. And I know it’s because—it’s because of me.” He chokes out the last few words as tears come to his eyes. He quickly wipes at them with the back of his sleeve, and Ben’s heart breaks in two.

Slowly, gently, he takes the laptop from Peter’s hands and closes it. Peter doesn’t try to hold onto the device, his shoulders only slumping further. Ben moves off the bed and kneels in front of him.

“Peter, listen to me. I know how smart you are, so I’m not going to lie to you.” He sighs. “You’re right about a few things. Kids do cost money to raise. And maybe your spreadsheet math is right, buddy, I don’t know. You’re probably better at calculating all of that than I am.”

Peter’s still brushing away tears, and Ben wishes his kid would meet his eyes, but he isn’t going to force it.

“But here’s the most important thing, Peter. I need you to listen to me closely, okay?”

He’s still looking down, but nods with a sniffle.

“These numbers do not matter. Your worth, Peter?” He takes his thumb and softly wipes away some of the tears on his nephew’s cheek. “Your worth is incalculable.”

He exhales. “The thing is, buddy, it doesn’t matter how much it costs us to feed you, or to take you to the doctor, or to buy you new clothes, or let you go on a school trip. You’re worth all of it and more. We love you more than anything, and we are so lucky to have you. I’d trade every trip or fancy car or boat—every nice thing in the world—everything I own, all the time I have left, so you could be ours.”

Peter finally looks up at him, lip trembling.

“But I shouldn’t even be here. You and May didn’t want a kid. You didn’t choose me.”

The words catch Ben off-guard, but he’s not entirely surprised. He’s wondered if, or when, Peter would make that connection and bring it to light.

“But we did, Peter. We did.” He smiles, desperate to soften his boy’s broken expression. “You could have gone with Grandma Lorraine, or to another family. But we wanted you. We chose you, and we will keep choosing you, because you are worth it, Peter. We love you.”

“But you’re not sad you can’t go on trips?” Peter asks. “You don’t wish you had more money?”

Ben takes his hands. “I have you, and I have May. I never wanted anything else.”

Peter truly breaks at that moment, launching himself off the bed and into Ben’s waiting arms. He rubs Peter’s back as tears puddle onto his shoulder, and they trade “I love yous” unsparingly.

After they finally break away, Ben looks at the clock and startles a bit. He grabs for the sleeping bag.

“Come on, buddy, we don’t wanna be late! Grab your PJs, some clothes for tomorrow and your toothbrush, let’s move!”

Peter doesn’t hesitate for even a second, scrambling to do as he’s told and pack the overnight bag. Everything’s set in five minutes.

As they’re heading out the door, Peter grabs Ben’s arm.

“Wait—you’re sure we can afford this?” He asks earnestly.

“Yes, we absolutely can. But you don’t have to worry about that, okay? You’re worth it.” Ben kisses his forehead.

Peter relaxes. “Uncle Ben?”

“Yeah bud?”

“You’re worth all my money and all my time, too.”

[beccas-books]

Rebel Spring

Things I liked:

-  Classic sequel in a fantasy, had all the elements a sequel usually has.  Great continuation of the story.  Also loved that the author decided to have the character who will be narrating the chapter in the beginning.  I love when books do that! It's a great way to keep the story going for each character and connect it back to the story as a whole.  

- Great continuation of each characters story.  And I like all the new characters that the author has introduced.

-   I still love Cleo, she's a great heroin for the story.  I like that she has a plan for revenge in her mind but that's not all that she cares about all the time.  She keeps her focus on each thing that she has to do.  

- Magnus had begun to become a character that I like.  He's still a little too moody for my taste, but as we start to learn more about him as a character he is starting to grow on me.  I think he will become someone that I will really like.  

Things I didn't like:

- Again I feel that she introduced some characters and then killed them off way too quickly.  It feels like these characters are only being used to add a little drama to the story and not actually be a part of anything.  And I feel like some of these deaths would have benefitted the story if they happened later on in the series. 

- I hope that representation of queer characters in this book are not just a way to drag viewers into the story.  I love a story that is diverse and has multiple different kinds of people, but only if those people are being resented that way that they deserve to be.  That is with respect and not just as a token character to the story.  

Overall:

- I think it was a classic sequel to any fantasy novel.  Not much action and a lot of world and story building.  Defiantly found this book to be more boring than the first, but once again I think that it is very common for many sequels in long series.  But other than that it is a good continuation of the story.  I still want to keep reading cause I like most of the characters and I can’t wait to see where the story goes! 

- Rating: 4/5

[side-effect-of-the-meds]

Is there a fem!Jean Moreau? (Jeanne Moreau, perhaps?) Can she be friends with Erin? Does she perhaps have a chance to become a Fox?

Okay so this took a long time bc I kept getting distracted. I think I covered most of Jeanie in the long ass Riko post. 

So y'all are up to date on Jeanie' s flight from Evermore with Ania and Cleo. 

The boys return to Palmetto two days after Jeanie and Ania 

Kevin goes ballistic when he sees Cleo bc he thinks he's hers. 

Jeanie just shakes her head and Kevin just kinda frowns. When he pieces it together he shrieks 

He takes baby Cleo into his arms really carefully and curls up in a corner, cradling her in his arms, rocking softly as he bawls his eyes out. 

"Oh, Cleo-" he bursts out in tears over and over again. 

Everyone just kinda stares at him for a while. Ania is the first to go to him, followed by Jeanie. All the Ex-Ravens are curled up in the corner trying to hold Kevin together. 

They won't say anything until all the Foxes are back together. They doubt they'll be able to tell them everything more than once. It's too painful. 

So Ania takes Kevin and the cousins to pick up Erin. They bring Cleo with them. 

Erin walks out to the waiting room with her empty facade up until he sees Cleo. 

"What the fuck have you done, Josten?" She half whispered in awe of the child. Ania offers her the child and Erin takes it. Nicky and Aaron are screaming internally. 

Cleo is literally 6 months old at this point. 

Erin is a monster who's absolutely melted at the sight of this baby. 

She just keeps the baby real close to her chest and lets Ania drive them back. She's just staring at Cleo the whole time. 

They file into the foxhole court where the upperclassmen are already waiting. 

They all surge to their feet when they see Cleo. Erin looks ready to fight anyone who tries to take Cleo from her. 

"I've only had Cleo for an hour but if anything happens to her, I'll kill everyone in this room and then myself." 

Jeanie, Ania, and Kevin stand in front of them. It takes some coaxing from Ania but Erin gives up Cleo. The Ex-Ravens tell them their story. They explain the truth about Kevin and Riko's relationship, the extent of The Master's abuse, and the truth about Cleo's father. 

The Foxes are all horrified but Wymack and Erin look fully prepared to drive out and kill Tetsuji themselves

Erin's barely able to hold her facade together. She's pissed that Riko faced what she did but she also ordered Proust to do the things he did. As a person who knows what it's like to face rape, Erin is struggling to understand how Riko could have done something like that. 

Back in Cali, Erin had nearly been forced to bear Drake' s child. She and her cellmate in juvie had managed some really shitty in-house abortion.

Later on the roof, when Ania tells her what happened to her specifically at Evermore. All of Erin's empathy is gone. Fuck Riko for touching her Ania. Erin is fully prepared to go to war with this thot. Ania stops her. If Erin wants to destroy Riko they have to take Exy from her first. 

Erin doesn't need any other form of motivation for the rest of the year. Anytime she sees Cleo and Ania, she remembers what she's fighting for. 

They're girls worth fighting for :')))

Anyway, because Jeanie isn't enrolled in school, she's now devoting full time to caring for Cleo. These days, Abby and Wymack and even the team are helping her. 

She goes to therapy sessions with Bee once a week. It's hard for her. She isn't ready to go see Bee and she has to leave Cleo to go see her. 

Erin is the one that convinced Jeanie to go. She offers to watch Cleo for Jeanie while she's gone. Jeanie begrudgingly agrees, knowing that Erin would never hurt the baby. 

It takes a few weeks before Jeanie actually opens up to Bee. It's a slow road to recovery but Jeanie' s begun it and that's what's important. 

Kevin wants Jeanie to stay with the Foxes but he also wants Jeanie to be able to come out and live her life as a woman the way she deserves to. South Carolina just isn't progressive enough for her to live there safely. She'll have a hard time making court when she comes out but Kevin just wants her to be happy. 

So that's why he pulls Jeremy aside. He needs a place where he knows Jeanie will be safe and the Trojans are definitely the best choice for her. 

Jeremy is a trans man so Kevin knows that Jeanie will have the support she needs.

Before Jeanie leaves tho, Allison takes her to the mall and gives her a makeover. They buy Jeanie dresses and skirts and make up. Allison teaches her makeup. All the girls are very supportive of her. 

Jeanie ends up being closest to Erin. Erin absolutely adores Cleo and Jeanie sees Cleo as her own child at this point. 

Look, Erin is just hella soft for Cleo okay. Fight me

Jeanie has caught Erin singing softly to Cleo. Sometimes Cleo will babble at her and Erin will sit and nod her head thoughtfully. She'll have full on conversations with her. 

Jeanie has heard Erin laugh one (1) time and it's when she blows bubbles on Cleo' s stomach to make her laugh. Cleo, in turn, tried to do it to Erin on her cheek. Erin has a really soft gravelly laugh and Jeanie is so shook. She doesn't tell anyone tho. It's far too private. 

Bc Erin was in foster care, she knows a thing or two about raising small children so she teaches Jeanie a thing or two on the matter. 

Cleo stays at the Foxhole Court with Wymack and Abby during the day and then goes home with Abby and Jeanie at night. As a result, Erin starts spending a lot of her free time at the court. Which is how she and Jeanie end up being so close. 

When it's time for Jeanie to leave for Cali, she decides that it's probably best that Cleo stay with Erin. It's a teary goodbye bc Jeanie has just made her first set if real friends and now she's leaving them and Cleo. Erin promises to Skype Jeanie once a week so she can see the baby. 

Jeanie arrives in Cali to meet the most beautiful man she's ever met. Looking at Jeremy Knox is like looking directly at the sun. Jeanie doesn't care tho. If she has to burn herself up to stand next to this man, so be it. 

Jeremy is a ball of energy and Jeanie is kind of the silent stoic type. This doesn't change a whole lot once she starts at USC. 

Being quiet is not a character flaw

Being quiet is NOT a character flaw

BEING QUIET IS NOT A CHARACTER FLAW

But Jeanie does smile a lot more. She isn't as tense as she used to be. She gets to go out with the rest of her team and have fun. 

Jeremy loves to skateboard so he tries teaching Jeanie. She falls on her ass all the time. He always laughs at her but it isn't mean so she ends up laughing too. 

He always patches up the little nicks and scratches she gets when skateboarding. One day she gets one on her face. 

Pressing a kiss to the nick, he whispers, "To help it heal faster." 

"I think I've got one on my mouth too." The words are out of Jeanie' s mouth before she processes them. When she does, she goes beet red. Jeremy laughs and presses a soft kiss to her lips. Jeanie is on cloud 9. 

Since they live in SoCal they go to the beach on long weekends. 

The Knoxs have a beach house so they usually head out there. 

CHRISTMAS AT THE BEACH WITH JEREMY, ALVAREZ AND HER GF (I can't remember her name for the life of me) 

There's mistletoe on the door :)))) 

That's how Jeanie ends up kissing Jeremy in front of the girls. 

They come back from break as a couple. 

They dominate the board until they hit Palmetto at finals. 

The Trojans go all out this year but they're no match for the Foxes. 

They have an after party where the Trojans get invited. Jeanie is so happy to have her old and new friends all together

And CLEO 

CLEO IS RUNNING AROUND ANd PLAYING AND TALKING BUT IT MAKES NO SENSE AT ALL BC SHES ONLY A YEAR AND A HALF OLD!!!!!!!!

Jeanie is carrying her when Cleo sees someone and screams, "Mama!!!!" 

Jeanie turns to see where Cleo is pointing. 

It's Erin

Cleo calls Erin mama 

Jeanie hands Cleo over to a blank faced Erin. Her apathy doesn't last tho. When Cleo presses a kiss to Erin's cheek she melts. Jeanie laughs. 

"Shut it, Moreau." 

"Yes, Mama." Jeanie barely dodges the hand Erin swats at her. 

Ania jogs in and Cleo calls her Mommy! 

Ania winds an arm around Erin's waist while pressing a kiss to Cleo's head. 

Jeanie smiles at them. She's glad Cleo has her two moms but she's a little bit sad too.

"We can have a baby too, if you want," Jeremy offers while they're standing alone on the balcony. "I mean, not now but… eventually." 

"You have to marry me first," Jeanie said with a smile. 

"No problem, love," he replied slipping a little box out of his pocket. 

Jeanie cries. It's a bit fast and they both know it but Jeanie knows she doesn't want to spend her life with anyone else. 

They get married on a beach in SoCal and Ania and Erin are there. They hate beaches but Jeanie thinks that it's time they made new memories anyway. 

Cleo is their flowergirl. She's terrible at her job but no one really minds. 

Laying in bed beside her new husband, Jeanie is happier than she's ever thought she'd be

[argentvive]

Jamie and Brienne Fight; Jamie Loses a Hand

Jamie is one of my least favorite characters, but as one of only two people to suffer a major dismemberment and survive, we have to look at him.

The second Jamie chapter in A Storm of Swords starts with a skirmish that kills Jamie’s cousin Cleos.  Jamie manages to draw Cleos’ longsword and he attacks Brienne, meaning to kill her and escape. 

In the show the fight takes place mostly on a bridge over a stream.  In the book it takes place amid trees and in a shallow brook.  They both end up in the brook, providing the “solve” needed for a “solve et coagula” moment.  Each of them draws blood with their swords from the other, providing the “coagula.”  But the fight is more than just an example of dissolution and coagulation.  This is Jamie and Brienne’s first Chemical Wedding.

The fight goes on for more than two pages and is full of sexual imagery.  It is also violent, as is often the case with an early Chemical Wedding:

<He sprang to his feet and drove at her, the longsword alive in his hands.  Brienne jumped back, parrying, but he followed, pressing the attack....The swords kissed and sprang apart and kissed again. This was what he was meant for; he never felt so alive as when he was fighting, with death balanced on every stroke.>

At this point Jamie is full of pride in his fighting prowess.  His very identity is bound up in it.  But eventually he tires, and Brienne cuts him above his right eye.  He has a stunning realization:

<His skills had gone to rust and rot in that bloody dungeon, and the chains were no great help either.  His eye closed, his shoulders were going numb from the jarring they’d taken, and his wrists ached from the weight of chains, manacles, and sword.....

She is stronger than I am.

The realization chilled him.>

The destruction of Jamie’s pride and ego has begun.

Brienne forces him back into the brook, but a lucky thrust 

“bit into her upper thigh. A red flower blossomed, and Jaime had an instant to savor the sight of her blood before his knee slammed into a rock.”

We’re a long way away from the Rubedo, so I don’t take this as a symbol for the red rose of the Red Stone, but rather of a virgin being deflowered and bleeding on her wedding night.  The next paragraph reinforces that symbolism.  No need to boldface lol.  (They are both in the brook at this point.)

<Jaime drove his shoulder into her legs, bringing her down on top of him.  They rolled, kicking and punching until finally she was sitting astride him.  He managed to jerk her dagger from its sheath, but before he could plunge it into her belly she caught his wrist and slammed his hands back on a rock so hard he thought she’d wrenched an arm from its socket.>

Brienne pushes his head under the water and holds it down, demanding that he yield:  “Yield, or I’ll drown you!”

And then the Brave Companions interrupt them.  This is the scene:

<Brienne lurched to her feet.  She was all mud and blood below the waist, her clothing askew, her face red.  She looks as if they caught us fucking instead of fighting....”Well met, friends,” he called to them amiably. “My pardons if I disturbed you.  You caught me chastising my wife.”

GRRM has put key alchemical words into Jamie’s mouth before and here we have it again, with Jaime referring to Brienne as his wife--ironically, of course, but GRRM found a way for Jamie to say it that worked naturally in the text.  

You go to the trouble of creating a Chemical Wedding because it marks a change, some kind of progress, in the character.  Luckily we are privy to Jamie’s thoughts:

<Ugly and stubborn though she might be, the wench deserved better than to be gang raped by such refuse as these.>

And again:

<There’s a pig-stubborn bitch, he thought.  But brave, yes. He could not take that from her.>

The gang tie them together back to back and put them on Brienne’s horse.  I bet there’s an alchemical image of something like this somewhere, but I haven’t found one yet.  In the meantime the most famous riders who travelled two to a horse are the Crusading order of the Templars.

Some of you may have seen the statue outside the Temple Church in London.

The two-to-a-horse custom was a way the militant monastic order showed its commitment to its vow of poverty.  I’m not sure what GRRM means by it here, if anything at all, but Freemasons claim descent from the Templars, so perhaps it’s a nod to Freemasonry.  (Freemasonry incorporated the philosophical side of alchemy.)

In any case, Jamie has made a bit of moral progress.  He goes from trying to kill Brienne to trying to find a way to prevent her from being raped.  He appeals to Urswyck’s greed by making up a story that the Sapphire Isle is rich in sapphires.  But Jamie suffers another indignity when Urswyck slaps him across the face. 

<He does not fear me, Jamie realized, with a chill.>

Finally the band catches up with Vargo Hoat.  Urswyck helpfully conveys the message that Brienne is “worth her weight in sapphires.” She is spared thanks to Jamie’s lie.  Jamie is not so lucky.  As Vargo puts it in his heavy lisp:

<”Half the gold in Cathterly Rock, I thall have.  But firth I mutht thend him a methage.”>

So a fat Dothraki unsheathes his weapon:  we’re in the Nigredo here, so of course it’s a scythe, a “wickedly sharp scythe.”  Here again is the emblem with the skeleton holding a scythe.  

Jamie’s pride and courage and tested again--and he fails.

<They mean to scare me....The goat wants me to piss my breeches and beg his mercy, but he’ll never have that pleasure.  He was a Lannister of Casterly Rock, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard; no sellsword would make him scream.

Sunlight ran silver along the edge of the arakh as it came shivering down, almost too fast to see.  And Jaime screamed.>

The chapter ends there.  Now it’s not just Jamie’s pride and courage and identity that have been shattered.  His body has been maimed as well.

Dismemberment is a common feature of the initial, Black (Nigredo) phase of alchemy, as this Splendor Solis image illustrates:

More specifically though, according to Lyndy Abraham,  a lion with its paws cut off is a symbol for the Nigredo. Lannisters are lions, as the text reminds us many times.   I’ve looked for Abraham’s source for a while without success, but finally I found this image from de Verville’s 17th century French treatise.  Note the lion on the left, with its paws cut off.  The four amputated paws are just below it.  

So what does this chapter tell us?  It shows that Jamie IS redeemable, that he can show empathy.  Brienne will in some way be his moral guide, his partner, as he starts the painful journey of his redemption.  We will see the next step already in the next Jaime chapter, when he and Brienne take their Chemical Wedding bath together at Harrenhall.  (See my earlier post.)

[superior-in-every-way]

This is for the mun of the blog! I would like to that love your blog and the interview you posted! :) Will do you a part 2?

OOC:

Thanks so much! 🤗🤗🤗

Here’s a second part:

Hostess: Hello, guys! Welcome to your favorite show, Creep Talk!

Audience: *cheers*

Hostess: Let’s not waste any time: I am here to interview the famous de Nile family for you today! And here they come!

Ramses, Dedyet, Nefera and Cleo: *walk in, wave, sit down on the couch next to the hostess*

Hostess: Hello and welcome! How are you guys today?

Ramses: What a petty question.

Dedyet: We’re fine and well, thank you for asking! *smiles*

Hostess: Have you come to terms with living in a completely different era, Dedyet?

Dedyet: Mostly, yes. Many things are different, but my family has done a lot to include me and introduce new things to me.

Hostess: Like English, for example.

Dedyet: That’s right! I’m glad everyone’s so patient.

Hostess: Many people have commented on the similarity of your appearance to Cleo’s. Also, the fact that your name sounds exactly like ‘Dead yet’.

Dedyet: *grins* Is that so?

Cleo: I love looking similar to Mother! I’m her mini-me! *laughs*

Dedyet: *laughs*

Nefera: *rolls eyes*

Dedyet: About the name, well yes, I have noticed, too. It’s a funny coincidence, hm? Back in Egypt, that name was pretty rare. That’s a reason my parents chose it. I didn’t like it that much when I was younger, but I have started accepting it as part of who I am.

Hostess: You like it now?

Dedyet: Definitely. *smiles*

Hostess: Ramses, would you tell us the story of Dedyet’s disappearance?

Ramses: …Fine. I was ruling over a nearly perfect dynasty-

Nefera: Nearly?!

Ramses: -when some jealous imbeciles decided to ruin it. They broke through the palace gates with weapons at night. I could not reach Dedyet as she was at the other side of the palace.

Hostess: And then?

Ramses: Well, we left the city without her. My people assured me she was safe and… That’s everything that counted in that moment.

Dedyet: *smiles*

Hostess: What were you doing in the moment the people broke in, Dedyet?

Dedyet: I was in the garden which was at the other side of the palace. That’s why Ramses couldn’t reach me.

Hostess: In the garden? At night?

Dedyet: Taking a last walk before bed and breathing in some night air.

Hostess: Honestly, do you think Ramses should have tried to reach you anyway? This way, all of you could have made it, maybe.

Ramses: *groans*

Dedyet: I thank the gods he didn’t. What if he would have gotten hurt? What would the girls have done without him? *eyes get wet*

Hostess: Were you scared, Nefera?

Nefera: Me? Scared? Are you joking?

Cleo: Pff, she cried.

Nefera: Argh! I did not!

Dedyet: That’s okay. Crying is just natural. I’m glad you let out your emotions, dear. I just wish I would have been there to comfort you.

Hostess: Do you have a family, too, Dedyet?

Dedyet: Besides Ramses’ side? No.

Hostess: Why not?

Dedyet: They have long ago attended their journey to the afterlife.

Hostess: So… Basically, they’re dead?

Dedyet: While you would say they’re dead, I would say their real lives have just begun.

Hostess: O…kay. We have, as usually, set up a few games. I’d like to start with the first one now, if that’s okay.

Cleo: Sure.

Men: *approach the de Niles and give them paper and pens before leaving again*

Hostess: The rules are pretty simple. I will say three words and you write down the first word that you think of when hearing them, okay?

Nefera: And how do I win?

Hostess: Well, there is no-

Nefera: Ah! By being me! *poses*

Audience: *cheers*

Hostess: Ahem. Word number one: Love.

Dedyet: *shows paper that says ‘Family’*

Cleo: *shows paper that says ‘Deuce’*

Nefera: *shows paper that says ‘ME’* *fake smiles*

Audience: *cheers*

Hostess: *rolls eyes* …Ramses? Your paper?

Ramses: *shows paper that says nothing* *leans back and crosses legs* This game is absolutely pointless.

Nefera: I know, right? Unless we end up celebrating my talents, I have no intention to keep playing this.

Hostess: The second word is: Deuce.

Ramses: *shows paper that says ‘slacker’*

Nefera: *shows paper that says ‘What Daddy said’*

Cleo: *shows paper that says ‘Love’*

Dedyet: *shows paper that says ‘friendly’*

Hostess: The last word is: Sex. *smirks*

Nefera: Ew!

Dedyet: *shows paper that says ‘beautiful’*

Ramses: *groans* *rolls eyes* I knew this game was pointless.

Nefera: *shows paper that says ‘What Daddy said’*

Cleo: *blushes* *smiles* *shows paper that says ‘What Mother said’*

Audience: *cheers*

Dedyet: Awww!

Nefera: Ew!

Ramses: *rolls eyes* Is this over?

Hostess: *smirks* Not until Cleo has revealed some naughty secrets for us.

Ramses: *freaks out* There’s nothing to reveal!

Hostess: Pff, fine. But at least, there’s a second game to play!

Men: *approach Ramses and Dedyet and give each two heart-shaped signs that say ‘He’ and ‘She’ before leaving again*

Hostess: So, you guys have signs that say ‘She’ and ‘He’. I will ask you a question and each of you needs to answer with one of the signs without looking at the other person first, okay?

Ramses: And then?

Hostess: Then we can talk about it your answers.

Ramses: *rolls eyes*

Cleo: And us?

Hostess: *grins* Be sure your parents don’t cheat. So, first question: Who needs longer in the bathroom?

Dedyet: I think it depends on-

Nefera: Mom! You’re supposed to show a sign!

Deydet: Oh! *shows sign that says ‘He’*

Ramses: *shows sign that says ‘She’*

Hostess: *laughs* How come you both disagree?

Dedyet: *looks at his sign* I think Ramses needs longer to prepare than me.

Ramses: That’s absolutely untrue.

Dedyet: But for ceremonies?

Ramses: Not even for ceremonies.

Hostess: What do the girls say?

Nefera: Father is right. As always. *fake smiles*

Hostess: Fine. Second question: Who’s better with children?

Ramses: *shows sign that says ‘She’*

Dedyet: …I’m unsure, sorry.

Audience: *laughs*

Dedyet: *eyes widen* What’s so funny?

Hostess: I think the situation speaks for itself. *smirks*

Audience: *laughs*

Hostess: Next question: Who’s more likely to oversleep an important appointment?

Ramses: *shows sign that says ‘She’*

Dedyet: *shows sign that says ‘She’*

Hostess: Did that ever happen?

Dedyet: Hm, well, when I was pregnant I had problems with sleeping. I would try and try, but not fall asleep, so I was very tired during the day. Sometimes Ramses allowed me to sleep, when I was so tired I could barely sit, instead of attend ceremonies.

Hostess: Hm… And you think that’s generous?

Dedyet: Very. Most ceremonies were nothing a queen should miss. But Ramses cared so much about me that my well-being was more important to him than what the people thought of us. That means so, so much to me.

Ramses: *shows a tiny smile*

Hostess: Next one: Who’s more likely to be seen naked in public?

Ramses and Dedyet: *show signs that say ‘She’*

Audience: *cheers*

Hostess: *smirks* Ever been?

Dedyet: *laughs* Naked? Sure.

Hostess: In public?

Dedyet: Depends what you think of as ‘in public’.

Hostess: A group of at least ten people?

Dedyet: Hmm… Not as far as I remember. Maybe as a baby.

Hostess: Fine. Last question: One of you eats a huge pot of ice cream without feeling sick. Who is it?

Ramses: *shows sign that says ‘She’*

Dedyet: *shows sign that says ‘He’*

Hostess: Another disagreement!

Ramses and Dedyet: *look at each other’s sign*

Dedyet: I would get sick from eating that much, honey.

Ramses: Well, I wouldn’t eat that unhealthy junk food in the first place.

Audience: *laughs*

Ramses: What?! I’m not joking!

Hostess: Before I end today’s show, is there something you ghouls want to add?

Nefera: Yeah. There was too much ‘Mother and Father’ and too less ‘Nefera and her greatness’ in this show. I expected more of you, Carmen.

Hostess: *turns to camera* Thank you guys for watching and goodbye!

[queenclom-blog]

bluescleos: this old man just told me i needed to smile more bluescleos: im tryna practice looking pissed off

( @lilvcsxngs )

[hopeishappinessff]

Chapter 23

“Girl… this nigga sounds like fucking walking sex!” Destani exclaimed just before ramming a spoonful of fruit loops into her mouth. As usual on the weekends, she’d made her way over early for breakfast and we sat together in the kitchen discussing my date the previous night. I couldn’t help but laugh at her declaration as I chewed down a mouthful of captain crunch.

“And this restaurant he took you to,” She rolled her eyes up toward the ceiling exaggeratingly with a sigh, “I mean, what nigga would ever think to take a female somewhere that damn classy? I’m proud of you boo… you got you a good one!” I nodded with a smirk as I absorbed her every word, but almost as quick as the smile crept upon my lips… it was instantly replaced by a deep scowl at the sudden thought of the route I knew this conversation was soon to take.

“So um… what about your boy though?” She mumbled as she placed her bowl down on the counter that she sat on. “Who?” I asked, attempting to act as though I didn’t know who she was referring to. “Chris.” I shrugged my shoulders and stared down at the bowl in front of me “I don’t know Dez. I mean, he’s just so… he’s so confusing to me. One minute he’s telling me how much he wants to break it off with Gabby and the next minute he’s saying stuff about not leaving her for the sake of that baby,” I explained with a frustrated sigh, “And to top it off, as much as his actions may oddly show it… he’s never actually once said that if he does leave Gabby, he’ll be interested in being with me.”

Destani shook her head rapidly as she hopped down off of the counter and swiftly made her way to the kitchen table to face me “What do you mean he’s never once said it? He doesn’t have to say it Sy’Diyah… it’s damn near a known fact that Christopher Maurice Brown wants you! Why do you think that nigga busts his ass to protect you and keep other guys from talking to you?” She peered at the uncertain expression on my face and shook her head with furrowed brows, “Yes Sy… you know it, I know it, hell even Aunt Maddie, my mama, and his mama knows it! Chris may be a dumbass when it comes to vocalizing the shit to you, but earth to Sy’Diyah… you are the only person that keeps that boy sane. I mean, it’s like you’re all of his happiness or something.”

My gaze bore into the surface of the table and I mentally reiterated every word she’d just spewed my way as she turned and marched toward the sink to clean her bowl “I’ll give you a few perfect examples… first off, I know you remember that night we went to the party at Mike’s house. Why is it that he wanted you and no one else to go with him after he found out his hoe ass girlfriend was fucking that dude in the bathroom? Or after he found out that tramp was pregnant, why is it that he showed up at your house and told you first. Or how about that time when…”

“Okay Dez, okay,” I said with a soft giggle, “I get it. But I mean like right now… I haven’t spoken to him in almost three weeks and if he really liked me the way you believe he does, do you really think he would have gone this long without speaking to me? And what about the way he talks to me sometimes? He talks to me like I’m his freaking slave or something. I mean, I don’t know about you but I really don’t enjoy having someone who supposedly likes me cursing at me all the time!”

“Um Sy’Diyah… did you know that Chris has a temper problem or is that like, brand new to you? You know that’s just how that nigga is! I mean I know that’s not a valid excuse or anything, but you’re the one who stay telling me about all the times his crazy ass be cursing niggas out for even breathing on you. And yeah he may cuss at you sometimes, but eventually he calms all that shit down and it’s like reality always hits him that it’s not Gabby that he’s talking to… its Sy, his dream girl.” She explained with a smirk.

I fought to maintain a straight face, but we were both doubled over with laughter within seconds “Shut up Dez, I am not his dream girl!” “Alright then, I fucking bet you that sooner than later Chris is going to get tired of Gabby’s bullshit and he’s gonna be like ‘I want me some of that fresh, never been touched or seen by the light of day Sy pussy’ then he’ll leave her ass and come pouring all his deepest, most intimate feelings out to you… watch, I’m like fuckin Cleo I swear, I know this shit is about to happen any day now!”

“Oh my goodness Destani, you’re too much.” I exclaimed through heavy laughter as I stood from my seat and joined her at the kitchen sink. She continued to ramble on about more of her intuitions about Chris and I, but my mind had already drifted back to what I’d discovered at the restaurant the night before “Hey Dez, um… I didn’t get to finish telling you all of what happened last night...”

--

I sat on the floor across from Destani as she sat slouched at the edge of my bed, clutching a pillow and gazing down at the floor. She’d been stuck in that position for the past few minutes and surprisingly, she had yet to open her mouth to speak a single word. I’d just clued her in to the discovery I’d made at the restaurant the night before while I was out with Trey and the moment I wrapped up the story, the room instantly washed over in silence.

Slowly tearing her gaze away from the plush carpet beneath her left foot, she locked her saddened orbs on me with a sigh “Are you serious Sy?” I nodded as I raised a hand and raked it through my loose mane “I watched them the whole night just to be sure it was him and not Chris and as soon as I saw the tattoo on his neck, I knew it couldn’t be Chris.” “Well… are you sure it wasn’t his stars? Maybe it was his star tat and you mistook it for letters.” She blurted with a tinge of hope in her tone.

I quickly shook my head as I stared up at her “No Dez… it said Jayveon so I knew it had to be Jordayn. Why would Chris have a tattoo of Jordayn’s son’s name on his neck?” “Dammit JJ! Why the fuck would this nigga do some shit like that? UGH, I swear I’m gonna kick his ass for this Sy, I swear.” She fumed as she fell back against the mattress. “Well I mean, it’s not that bad though right? All he was doing was having dinner with her.” I said.

“No Sy, do you know what the fuck this means? This nigga could have been with her longer than we’ve known. Now he got me looking fucking stupid because now the child that we’re all starting to believe could possibly be Chris’s could damn well be my brothers!” She nearly yelled. I released a deep sigh and shut my eyes for a second in an attempt to get my jumbled thoughts together “Dez look, don’t jump to conclusions okay. And please, please, PLEASE don’t say anything to Chris about this. You know as well as I do that the first thing he’ll want to do is go after your brother and you know he’ll hurt him… that’s not what any of us needs right now.”

“Oh fuck that Sy’Diyah… fuck that! Jordayn needs his ass beat and Chris would be the perfect fucking person to do it. Knock his ass into oblivion for a little while… he’ll be alright.” She tried to reason. With a defeated sigh, I pressed my head back against the hard wall and stared up at the ceiling. I had no clue she would react the way she just did and if I would have known, I would have simply kept my discovery to myself and never even thought twice about mentioning it to her.

“Fuck, I’m thinking about this shit too hard and it’s really pissing me off!” She bellowed as she reached in her pocket and yanked out her phone. “Dez, what are you doing?” I asked as I pushed my head away from the wall to get a good look at her. Twisting her lips to one side, she shook her head as she continued to unlock her phone and she began to furiously search through the device at an almost lightning speed. I bolted from my spot on the floor and nearly tackled her as I lunged my hands forward to retrieve her phone.

“Quit Sy, give me my phone back!.” She shouted as she squirmed beneath me. “No Destani, I told you not to tell Chris and I wasn’t joking. Do not tell him, I’m serious!” I fussed as I pressed the pad of my thumb flat against the screen to delete the message she’d begun to type. As I lifted myself and climbed off of her, she crossed her arms tight over her chest and stuck her bottom lip out, greatly resembling a pouting child.

“I will tell him… watch. That shit pisses me the fuck off.” She muttered. I rolled my eyes at her pitiful attempt to sulk and moved to exit my room completely, with her phone still cupped in my hand. Deciding to give Destani time to cool down, I ambled on down the stairs toward the den with hopes that I could figure out a way to get the girl to keep her mouth shut. There was history behind Chris and Jordayn that, to this day, I had yet to understand. They’d never cared much for one another and if anything, I knew that Chris particularly couldn’t stand the very ground that Jordayn walked on. If word got back to Chris that Gabby was seeing him of all people behind his back, the consequences would be grave.

I sat comfortably in the den for a while and managed to tear my thoughts away from the newfound drama between Destani and her brother. My tranquility was short lived as I tuned in to the sound of Destani trotting down the stairs and into the den where she plopped down beside me on the couch. From the corner of my eye, I could see her shaking her head and I sighed, preparing myself for an onslaught of her complaints.

“Can I have my phone back please?” She grumbled with her arms crossed as she wedged herself further into the cushions of the couch. I stared at her momentarily, then hesitantly reached for the device situated on the couch beside me. I glared at her long and hard, with a look that warned her once more not to go running her mouth to Chris. She plucked it from my hand and stuck it down in her pocket, rolling her eyes theatrically before turning her attention toward the television.

--

The holidays were upon us and the atmosphere in Richmond reflected it charmingly. Traveling through neighborhoods throughout the city, one would instantly be reminded of the fall season with the array of brilliantly colored leaves cascading from every tree on every corner. I’d even seen several manicured lawns decorated with turkeys and pilgrims to represent the Thanksgiving holiday, which was quickly creeping upon us.

It’d been nearly a month since the whole Jordayn and Gabby incident and remarkably, Destani hadn’t leaked a word to Chris who, for whatever reason, had been keeping his distance from me. The two of us had barely shared as much as a few sentences here and there, but he sure did go out of his way to limit his communication with me. I figured he was in yet another stint of wanting to do right by the mother of his child, so I chose to let him be.

Enjoying a weekend off from school, I’d agreed to make a run to the grocery store for my aunt who’d been called in to work earlier in the morning. Although she left behind a list of exactly what to pick up in the store, I found myself standing in one of my favorite isles… the candy isle, which certainly did not contain anything written on her list. I stared down at a bright red bag of skittles that I held in one hand and a bag of rolos in the other when the shrilling sound of a feminine laugh quickly swept me away from my candy euphoria and back to reality. Glancing to my left toward the end of the isle, I couldn’t contain my frown at the sight of Gabby rounding the corner… with Chris trailing closely behind.

I quickly directed my attention back down to the two bags of candy in my hands and focused on ignoring the rising tone of Gabby’s voice as she neared me in the isle. “Papi, I’ve been craving those.” She whined as she turned to Chris, who lazily reached around her to the top shelf to grab a bag of sour skittles. As she stood only a few feet away from me, I couldn’t help but glance over at her protruding belly and I nearly gasped at the sight of the thing sitting up on her petite frame like an inflated basketball.

I’d become so engulfed in her morphing figure, I failed to notice that she’d turned to face me with a devious smirk “Hi Sy’Diyah.” “Oh, hi.” I blurted as I swiftly raised my gaze to meet her smiling eyes. “How are you?” She asked. “I’m… fine. How are you?” I asked with yet another quick glance down at her stomach. “Oh I’m just fine,” Her voice was filled with humor as she whipped her head around to face Chris, “Babe, I’m gonna go get one of those little hand carts. Can you get some kit-kat’s and snickers please?”

He responded with a simple nod as he continued to stand still behind her with his hands tucked away in his pockets. She turned to fully face him and flattened her hands against the front of his shoulders, then pressed herself against his frame and stretched up to press her lips against his. Turning back to face me with a soft giggle, she roved her eyes from my shoes up to my face before titling her head slowly and licking her lips “I wish we could stay and chat, but we can’t. So, I guess we’ll see you later.”

I eyed her blankly as she stepped away from Chris, who remained in place with an indescribable expression on his face. I glimpsed in his direction, no longer than about a second, before placing my focus back on the bags of candy I held. I’d decided on the skittles and made a move to return the rolos back to the shelf when I noticed that he, again, had yet to move. “Hey Sy.” He muttered. “Chris…” I responded, surprised that he decided to acknowledge me at all.

From the corner of my eye I could see him release a deep sigh and reach up to run a hand over the back of his neck. He remained silent, however, so I took that as my cue to walk away. Just as I turned to move away from him, he leaned forward suddenly and gently wrapped a hand around my forearm. “Wait Sy,” He paused, waiting for me to swing back around to face him. I noted the desperation plaguing his nearly perfect features and almost felt a twinge of sympathy for his obvious sorrow. I maintained the sternness of my demeanor though and stared into those glossed over pools of copper with a straight face.

“I’m sorry, I…” He dropped his gaze to the hand that continued to clinch urgently at my arm then finally loosened his grasp and gradually removed it from my arm altogether, “I’d really like to come over and talk to you later… if you don’t mind.” Never breaking my stare, I thought about what he said and couldn’t deny the genuineness in his tone. As annoyed as I was by the entire situation, I’d never been one to turn Chris down. It didn’t take long for me to deliberate the matter and without second thought, I sighed and cracked a small smile… “No, I don’t mind…”

[mrmichaelchadler]

Shakespeare for Feminists: An Oral History of 10 Things I Hate About You

20 years ago in the shadow of Y2K anxiety, an unassuming movie set at a high school in Tacoma, Washington opened the same day as “The Matrix.” This was an era before e-mail, when alt-rock was a thing, riot grrls haunted record stores and, pace John Hughes, getting into college was more important than getting a prom date. The film’s rookie screenwriters—one in Los Angeles, the other in Denver—collaborated via snail mail on a feminist refresh of a Shakespeare play considered problematic for its misogyny.

Inspired by The Taming of the Shrew, “10 Things I Hate About You” featured an ensemble of mostly teen-age actors. It was the big-screen breakthrough for TV stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik, and Gabrielle Union, not to mention relative newcomer Julia Stiles and relative unknown Australian TV actor Heath Ledger. The dialogue was fresh as their faces, likewise the soundtrack featuring Semisonic, Letters to Cleo and Ledger’s rendition of Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” backed by a high-school marching band. The film had edge, but also heart.

This story about two sisters (Stiles, Oleynik) and two transfer students (Ledger, Gordon-Levitt), boasted fully realized conformist and nonconformist characters rather than the preppy versus punk archetypes then in currency. Given its gender balance and story, the film couldn’t be pigeonholed as a chick flick or bro-pic. It struck a nerve and the funnybone of a broad spectrum of moviegoers, from 13-year-old teens to tenured literature professors to theater parodists currently performing an unauthorized tribute in LA.

Beginner’s luck

Kirsten Smith, screenwriter: In 1996 I was in Los Angeles working at CineTel, reading scripts and query letters. I answered a query from Karen McCullah, requesting sample scripts.

Karen McCullah, screenwriter: I was in Denver, writing scripts and working as a freelance publicist for an environmental nonprofit. I came out to LA and had drinks with Kirsten. We started writing an unproduced screenplay on cocktail napkins. We were both fans of Amy Heckerling’s "Clueless," based on Jane Austen’s Emma.

Smith: We wanted to find a fairytale or fable or novel on which we could base a modern story. Someone suggested The Taming of the Shrew. In our version, of course, the shrew wouldn’t be tamed, she was too shrewd.

McCullah: We considered a gender-reversal, making the male lead the shrew before we concluded that all high school guys are shrews. We sent each other drafts by mail. It took about a year. We wrote Kat as the kind of character we wanted to see, an indie rock riot grrl. I was into that at the time.

Smith: We went to Sundance in 1997 and circulated the script, but it didn’t take flight. 

McCullah: It landed at Disney, which wanted to make one teen movie that year. Its choice was between "10 Things" and a script called "School Slut." We did another rewrite, then they greenlit the movie. Still, Disney asked why Kat was so angry.

Smith: All teenagers are angry.

Julia Stiles and Larisa Oleynik

Aligning the stars

Gil Junger Emmy-nominated TV director who made his feature debut with "10 Things": I was very much taken with the script. Its tone was smart, uniquely intelligent and funny. Casting wasn’t an easy process.

Disney executives “gently” encouraged Junger to cast "Dawson's Creek" stars James Van Der Beek and Katie Holmes in the roles of Patrick and Kat that eventually went to Ledger and Stiles.

Smith: The casting people sent us audition tapes. I remember Josh Hartnett and Ashton Kutcher read for Patrick and Katie Holmes, Kate Hudson and Rachael Leigh Cook for Kat.

Andrew Keegan, star of "Camp Nowhere" and TV’s "Party of Five," cast as Joey: As a young actor, I was so thrilled by the prospect of playing Shakespeare! I remember Joseph Gordon-Levitt (star of NBC’s "Third Rock from the Sun") and I were among the first people cast.

Julia Stiles, Kat: I had been reading The Taming of the Shrew in exactly that year. So, yes, the adaptation really appealed to me. "10 Things" was my first big role. After a few years of auditioning but always being told I was too serious, getting hired to play Kat was a thrilling affirmation that maybe my seriousness was okay.

Larisa Oleynik, Bianca: There were many rounds of auditioning. I really wanted the part of Kat. Then I was asked to do a “chemistry” audition as Bianca opposite Julia Stiles’ Kat. Something felt right about it.

Junger: Most of the girls came in to audition wearing sexy clothes. Julia came in wearing baggy pants and a t-shirt, hair up in a bun. She wasn’t working the ‘look-how-pretty-I-am’ angle. When she shook my hand and looked into my eyes, I was struck by a depth and maturity. This, combined with her poise, was formidable.

Stiles: Kat was the first role I had read for a young woman that was so refreshingly feisty. I loved the script, especially because it had a healthy bite to it. For a romantic comedy to have a cynical sense of humor, but also be truly romantic, stood out at the time. 

The director was close to the start of shoot and still didn’t have a male lead.

Junger: Marcia Ross, our casting guru, and her associates looked at about a thousand candidates. But I wasn’t going to cast the guy until I saw the guy. There were five casting women and me in the room when the next one walked in. It was Heath Ledger [then 18], and I felt as soon as he walked in, ‘If this guy can speak English I’ll cast him.’ Already he had the energy and that soulful sexuality of a movie star. I wanted to see how nimble he could be if I asked him to change tone with a few lines from the script. He was great. When he walked out the instant the door closed, we all knew. 

Heath Ledger and Andrew Keegan

Ready, set, go

By the time the magnificent seven arrived in Seattle in the summer of 1998, Gabrielle Union and David Krumholtz, respectively 25 and 20, eased into the roles of big sister and brother of the group; Ledger and Keegan were 19; Gordon-Levitt, Oleynik and Stiles were all 17, between their high school junior and senior years. 

Junger: My mantra was, I’m not gonna to shoot a high school movie. I’m gonna shoot a movie about people in relationships who happen to be in high school.

Smith: Heath arrived a little later than the rest of the principal cast. When he did, he instantly became the group’s galvanizing leader.

Keegan: When Keith arrived at the hotel he was carrying a didgeridoo. Classic Australian.

Oleynik: The group had begun to gel by the time Heath came and became our ringleader. We didn’t want to be apart. It was like art camp. We were together both as a group and one-on-one. Julia was so cool and confident. David and Joey (Gordon-Levitt) got close right away. Joey, Julia and I talked about college. On lazy Saturdays I would go to Gabrielle’s room and we’d watch music videos. Andrew and I knew each other from the teen actor beat.

Keegan: It’s interesting to look back on this time before social media. We just hung out together. What happened on "10 Things" set, carried over to our off-screen relationships. You could talk to Heath about anything: He was wise beyond his years. David, Joey and Julia were all crazy Beastie Boys fans. Gabrielle was just the coolest. David and Joseph supplied the comic relief. Larisa was a delight. It sounds corny, but it was a magical experience.

Stiles: It was such a special summer and we were all so open-hearted. Each actor was excited to be there and not jaded or closed-off yet.

Smith: Andrew Keegan had all these eight-year olds who knew him from TV, begging for his autograph.

Junger: When I shot the scene with David and Heath in the cafeteria, Heath fluffed a line. I took him aside and asked him if he was getting wasted. He replied, 'No. It’s just that they come knocking at the door at two in the morning." "Who?," I asked. “You know. Girls.” I’m telling you, there was a magnet in that kid. Another time, I said to him, you don’t know what’s going to hit you when this is released. He said, "Let’s not talk about that. Let’s talk about how I could be my best self today."

While many moviegoers might point to the moment at the prom when Bianca protects her date, Cameron (Gordon-Levitt), decking the conceited Joey with a wicked right hook before kneeing him in the crotch as a high point, the actress who played Bianca begs to disagree.

Oleynik: The best day on set had to be Heath singing “I Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” while dancing in the stadium bleachers. It could have been so cheesy, but it was sincere. I think all of us knew then that we had something special.

Junger: A high point was Julia’s recitation of the “10 Things” sonnet in front of her English class. She delivered it with such depth and pain—in just one take.

Coda

There are many reasons that "10 Things" enjoys such a robust afterlife. One is that it’s a coming-of-age movie in which not only the characters but also the actors playing them seem to be coming of age before our eyes. Another is that many high school and college professors use the film as a tool to better understand the Bard. Some say the movie eliminates the misogyny of the play.

Junger: It has aged well, largely because the script hits the truth of human emotions. Like Shakespeare.

Oleynik: These Shakespeare updates give students a way into the story.

Rebecca Munson, Shakespeare scholar, Project Manager for Princeton Center for Digital Humanities: The underlying question—can an independent-minded woman still pursue her own path if she’s romantically engaged—remains vital to today’s students. The tension between ambition and assertiveness, on the one hand, and the compromises required by romantic engagement, on the other, still apply, regardless of gender.

Katherine’s speech closing the Shakespeare play advocates, often with a wink, that wives obey husbands. Kat’s sonnet in the movie says, “I like you in spite of myself,” which isn’t incompatible with her pursuing her own goals and desires.

from All Content http://bit.ly/2Igs0gr

[lydiaadkins-blog]

Choose Your Own Adventure: Instagram Top 10

Instagram was my first social media platform. When it first came out, my parents didn’t know about it and therefore were unable to stop me from creating an account. It is because of this that my relationship with Instagram is stronger than my relationship with any other social media. Since I first logged on to the site, I have come into contact with hundreds of accounts that I love to follow. Here are my personal top ten Instagram accounts of 2018. Note: I have not included any people I know personally or big-name celebrities.

10. @/wmag

The Instagram account of the American fashion magazine W, is nothing less than breathtaking. The amazing photography is accompanied by the latest and most gorgeous fashion. The account is filled with pictures of models and celebrities, such as Adriana Lima and Cardi B, posted up in various style niches. I love looking at fashion and can definitely appreciate good camera work, so the W’s account is very aesthetically pleasing to me.

photo via @/wmag on Instagram

photo via @/wmag on Instagram

photo via @/wmag on Instagram

photo via @/wmag on Instagram

9. @/chalametinart

Each award season has it’s golden boy and at the past year’s Oscars, that boy was Timothée Chalamet. The Call Me By Your Name star was nominated for an Oscar for his performance and all though he did not win, this Instagram account that stars him definitely is. The account features famous paintings and other works of art that Chalamet has been photoshopped into. However, this is not your average photoshopping. In fact, if you didn’t know who the actor was, you probably would not know the difference. The images are very well done and guarantee a surprised reaction from the viewer.

photo via @/chalametinart on Instagram

photo via @/chalametinart on Instagram

photo via @/chalametinart on Instagram

photo via @/chalametinart on Instagram

8. @/bretmanrock

Bretman Rock is a 20-year-old makeup guru and social media personality. He is just the kind of guy that everyone wants to be friends with. His daily Instagram stories are hilarious as he narrates his daily life and his feed is filled with previews of YouTube videos, makeup tutorials, and pictures of his adorable niece Cleo. Recently he released a makeup collection that was done in collaboration with the cosmetics company ColourPop.

photo via @/bretmanrock on Instagram

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bretman (Da Baddest) Rock (@bretmanrock) on Oct 30, 2018 at 8:25pm PDT

video via @/bretmanrock on Instagram

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bretman (Da Baddest) Rock (@bretmanrock) on Sep 14, 2018 at 2:35pm PDT

video via @/bretmanrock on Instagram

photo via @/bretmanrock on Instagram

7. @/lauraiz

Laura Izumikawa is a wife, author, and mother of two daughters, Joey and Casey. Since having her oldest Joey, she has gone viral with her extravagant outfits and costumes she puts her firstborn in while she is napping. From Bob Ross to Buddy the Elf, the amount of adorableness is overwhelming. Izumikawa even compiled her photographs into a book called “Naptime With Joey” and recently gave birth to daughter Casey, who has already begun to make a name for herself on the account. The whole family got in on the fun at Halloween when they dressed up as the cast of Crazy Rich Asians. I am personally a sucker for a cute baby, especially in a costume and one that reminds me of my little sister when she was a baby.

photo via @/lauraiz on Instagram

photo via @/lauraiz on Instagram

photo via @/lauraiz on Instagram

photo via @/lauraiz on Instagram

6. @/garyjanetti

Do not be fooled by the username on this one because this writer’s account is unexpectedly delightful. While probably the most vulgar of the accounts on the list, Gary Janetti’s Instagram has nothing to do with himself. Instead, it is an account that one can only presume to be run by the very sassy and third in line for the British throne, 5-year-old Prince George of Cambridge. Each post is an image of or an article having to do with the young royal, accompanied by a hilarious, yet crass caption. I myself am a huge Royal Family nerd and I love the humor and persona of this account. The actual Royal Family would probably disagree, but nonetheless, it is a hoot.

photo via @/garyjanetti on Instagram

photo via @/garyjanetti on Instagram

photo via @/garyjanetti on Instagram

photo via @/garyjanetti on Instagram

5. @/everyoutfitonsatc

Sex and the City is one of my favorite shows of all time. My friends and I will watch it for hours and each of us identifies with one of the lead women. The “Every Outfit on Sex & the City” Instagram account is a fan account at first glance, but it is so much more. The account is the birthplace of the #WokeCharlotte trend, where different Charlotte featured scenes from the show were edited to be politically correct for today’s world. It was also where the t-shirt, famously worn by Kendall Jenner, that said: “We Should All Be Mirandas” (parodying the viral “We Should All Be Feminist” tees) was created. Miranda is arguably the most politically correct of the quartet of women and the account did a lot of online campaigning for the actress who plays her, Cynthia Nixon, who ran for Governor of New York this year.

photo via @/everyoutfitonsatc on Instagram

photo via @/everyoutfitonsatc on Instagram

photo via @/everyoutfitonsatc on Instagram

photo via @/everyoutfitonsatc on Instagram

5. @/celebsonsandwiches

“Celebs On Sandwiches,” is an art account that specializes in drawings of a variety of celebrities and characters each sitting on a sandwich that relates to them in some way. There is Oprah Winfrey on a grilled cheese with havarti, heirloom tomatoes, and basil on whole wheat. The tomatoes and basil are probably from her garden and the whole wheat is a healthy alternative for the face of Weight Watchers who LOVES BREAD. Lin-Manuel Miranda, producer and star of Hamilton, sits on top of a jibarito, a fried plantain sandwich with steak, lettuce, tomato, and red onion which originated in Puerto Rico, just like the Miranda. The prints are for sale as well and are the perfect gift for a pop culture loving foodie like myself.

photo via @/celebsonsandwiches on Instagram

photo via @/celebsonsandwiches on Instagram

photo via @/celebsonsandwiches on Instagram

photo via @/celebsonsandwiches on Instagram

3. @/thecut

The Cut is a subset of New York Magazine, that gears more towards younger women. The Instagram account is full of celebrity photoshoots, memes, fashion, politics, and witty quotes and exerts from full-length articles. Although, my favorite part of the account has to be the t-shirts. Each of them has a clever blurb taken from the magazine such as “My Bedtime Is 8:45″ and “Rihanna Is My Pope.” My ex-boyfriend ordered one that said “Mystery Blonde” on it for me, but the material was horrible and it was way too tight to be large. I know for a fact it was not from the original shop though, because it shipped from an undisclosed location and the ones on the Instagram look much more well made.

photo via @/thecut on Instagram

photo via @/thecut on Instagram

photo via @/thecut on Instagram

photo via @/thecut on Instagram

2. @/cleowade

Cleo Wade is a very successful “Instagram Poet.” She writes her poems and blurbs down in her own unique way, takes pictures of them, and then posts them to her account. She uses her writing to express her feelings and beliefs, as well as advocate for issues that are important for her. The poet is the ex-girlfriend of Senator Cory Booker and is currently on tour. This week she will be in DC and speaking on a panel with Senator Booker and Black Lives Matter advocate Deray Mckesson. I love that she uses her platform to stand up for others and be a voice for the voiceless.

via @/cleowade on Instagram

via @/cleowade on Instagram

via @/cleowade on Instagram

via @/cleowade on Instagram

1. @/bykellymalka

Kelly Malka is an artist who also sells some of her work seen on Instagram in an Etsy shop. Malka’s work is very positive and uplifting. It highlights women and feminism, politics, and self-care to name a few subjects. Each piece is diverse and inclusive, made up of women of all race, sizes, and sexualities. Like Cleo Wade, Kelly Malka is using her talents and platform to advocate change and that is something I really admire.

via  @/bykellymalka on Instagram

via  @/bykellymalka on Instagram

via  @/bykellymalka on Instagram

via  @/bykellymalka on Instagram

[fashiontrendin-blog]

Menocore is the New Normcore, and It’s a Lot More Comfortable

http://fashion-trendin.com/menocore-is-the-new-normcore-and-its-a-lot-more-comfortable/

Menocore is the New Normcore, and It’s a Lot More Comfortable

The other day I found myself fantasizing about moving into a lighthouse. In this not uncommon fantasy of mine, I am rocking a breezy yet put-together white outfit, the perfect menocore ensemble. Early summer is the perfect time to get into your 2000-present day Diane Keaton inspired looks, so I figured this post deserved to fill your feeds once again. Originally published in July of 2017 it is a timeless beauty, much like a good pair of linen pants. – Nora 

All I want is to dress like Diane Keaton in Something’s Gotta Give right now.

The realization dawned on me as I surveyed my closet at the beginning of summer. After a few weeks of mulling it over, I decided to pitch it as a style story.

“I want to style three looks inspired by the aesthetic of a middle-aged woman on a low-key beach vacation,” I said. “You know: lots of linen, tiny spectacle sunglasses, maybe a bucket hat, cozy knits, everything super flowy…” My voice trailed off as I searched my coworkers’ faces for a flicker of recognition.

24 PHOTOS click for more

“So many people are getting into that Eileen Fisher aesthetic lately,” said Amelia.

“Yes!” I said. “Exactly! It’s kind of a thing right now, right?”

“Maybe that’s why I keep dressing like a retired masseuse,” said Leandra. “Drawstring linen pants, open button-downs…”

“Yeah, very relaxed,” I said. “Unselfconscious-cool. Picture a 50-something-year-old woman who doesn’t care what other people think and just wants to be supremely comfortable.”

“Is this the new normcore?” Haley asked.

“Maybe,” I said. “I’m trying to think of how to describe it in that same vein. Middle-aged…menopausal…Menocore??”

The name stuck. Every time one of us walked into the office wearing an outfit resembling that of a mom in a Nancy Meyers movie or an eccentric ceramicist exiting her beach house studio or Blythe Danner on a solo bird-watching expedition in 1997, someone would inevitably say, “Well, well, well. Aren’t you looking menocore today?”

Sup

A post shared by Anna Z Gray (@annazgray) on May 2, 2017 at 9:38am PDT

I started seeing menocore everywhere. I became obsessed with documenting it. My bookmarks folder on Instagram overflowed with evidence: billowy pants sporting elasticized waist bands, head-to-toe ecru, well-loved market bags, loose tops with bold prints, exposed bras, clunky sandals or sneakers, loose ponytails secured with scrunchies, a porcelain bowl of freshly-cut pineapple sitting on rumpled white bedsheets, jewelry that looked like something a kid might make in art class, unapologetic sun protection for unapologetic sun protection’s sake, tarnished gold barrettes and sequins just for the fun of it.

Like normcore, menocore isn’t tied to a particular designer or brand, but unlike normore, it doesn’t have an obvious uniform — no boxy jeans + turtleneck + clogs formula. Yet under the umbrella of menocore exists two archetypes: On one side of the spectrum, there’s the very neutral, head-to-toe white linen, rolled-up khaki pant cuffs, life-on-the-beach vibe propagated by middle-aged style icons like Diane Keaton, Whoopi Goldberg and Lauren Hutton. On the other side of the spectrum, there’s the tropical print, silk cargo pocket, plastic bead jewelry, clashing print, cerulean satin jogger pant, waistless kaftan-wearing vibe espoused by the likes of Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele, Miuccia Prada and Lucinda Chambers. Current pre-menopausal aficionados of the first look include Lucia Zolea, Nella Beljan, Subrina Heyink and Virginia Calderón; of the second: Frewa Wewer and Laurel Pantin.

“For me, the look is a sort of shapeless dress that shows my décolletage (I will always love a little cleavage), my massive jumble of gold and sentimental necklaces, flat strappy sandals and semi-frizzy hair,” said Pantin, Editorial & Fashion Director at The Coveteur. “I like the term menocore. When I’m shopping, I definitely have a mental image of an older Italian woman who wears a lot of Marni, Dries, classic shirts unbuttoned low, LOTS of old, gold jewelry and a big, overgrown garden.”

Menocore is by no means limited to these stylistic personas, though. I see plenty of outfits that combine them, and that’s what I tried to do while styling the shoot inside this feature. I think of them more as the minimalist and maximalist points on either end of menocore’s all-encompassing rainbow, with lots of variation and individual interpretation happening in between.

What I love most about the movement is how it pays long-overdue homage to an age bracket that is often ignored by the fashion industry. Our attention to youth has always been very much intact, and the octogenarian subset joined the zeitgeist awhile ago thanks to icons like Iris Apfel and blogs like Advanced Style, leaving women in the middle relatively invisible. Menocore is finally giving them the spotlight they deserve.

“Growing up, my mom was always my barometer of taste, always focusing on great pieces rather than trends,” said stylist Danielle Nachmani, who frequently incorporates what I would call signature menocore items into her shoots — bucket hats, thick gold hoops, khaki pants, linen blazers, etc. If the normcore-fueled proliferation of mom jeans was an ode to the clothes our mothers wore in their 20s, menocore is a tribute to the clothes they wear now. And it’s not just a fashion statement — it’s a mood. Or, at the very least, a projection of one.

“Menocore is such a great term for this,” designer Lucy Akin said when I reached out to her over email. Akin is the creator of Ciao Lucia, a brand new, California-based label I flagged during my research. “Fashion is reflecting our need for an escape from our current reality,” she said. “When the state of the world, or the political climate, feels uncertain, it’s only logical that we would want our clothing reflect ease, maturity and confidence. I turn 30 next year, and with Ciao Lucia, I was channeling an older version of myself who has life a little more figured out. My goal was to make a collection that felt happy and calm, with classic silhouettes and flowy fabrics. The overall look is timeless, comforting and comfortable.”

I agree that this movement goes beyond clothing, which is why I mentioned that photo of freshly-cut pineapple sitting on rumpled white bedsheets in my aforementioned list of examples — not because of what it was (chopped pineapple is not particularly remarkable), but rather, because of what is was not. It was not some trendy frozen cauliflower smoothie, or chia parfait dusted with ashwaganda powder. It wasn’t something that took hours to make, or something that ascribes to “shoulds.” It was something a mom might prepare as a snack for her kid or for herself, and therein lies the sweetness – literal and figurative.

Like the bowl of pineapple, the style element of menocore is also defined by what it is not: trendy, prescribed, price-dependent, impersonal. It started off the runway, propagated by regular people just living their lives and dressing in clothes that made them feel like the best versions of themselves (regardless of trend or designer name). Now that its begun to proliferate across industry darlings, indie designers and social media “inspo” accounts, I wouldn’t be surprised to find traces of menocore finding its way onto the runway, ever-so-subtly, come September fashion week.

“People are gravitating toward a simpler way of life in general,” Marie Dewet told me. She and her mother are the co-founders of Maison Cleo, one of the small, fledgling labels that, like Ciao Lucia, I consider representative of the menocore movement (and also a product of it, to some extent). “Not just with the clothes we wear, but also with the food we eat, the way we decorate our homes, the way we live our lives. “The thing about simplicity is that it doesn’t have to be boring, or even minimalist. It’s more about stripping away the noise.”

New York Magazine called normcore, “The aesthetic return to styles [we] would’ve worn as kids reads like a reset button—going back to a time before adolescence, before we learned to differentiate identity through dress.” In fascinating contrast, menocore is the aesthetic leap to styles we would embrace as middle-aged women, taking us forward in time to a more marinated version of our selves, our mothers and our world.

Or, I don’t know…maybe we all just wanted to start wearing comfier pants.

Photos by Edith Young. Modeled by Hema Barbosa of MSA Models; follow Hema and MSA Models on Instagram @gemzb_ and @msamodels.