#Blue Monday (12" Version)

[letstrip-teamblue]

Treat you like a lady

• Your boyfriend doesn’t pay enough attention to you. Chris doesn’t like that.

• This is extremely cheesy!! That’s just how I am. Contains smut.

• Word count: 2,031

Sunday

Today is a weekend like any other; you’re lounging on the triplets’ couch.

The tv is playing as background noise. Chris is on his laptop working on new Fresh Love designs while you lay next to him scrolling pinterest. You've known each other long enough that you can enjoy each other's company without forcing conversation. Simply being around him allows you to relax, and vice versa. You can’t find that with many people.

A sex scene causes the pair of you to look up. You exchange looks and chuckle like teenagers at it.

Chris breaks the awkward silence.

“Is it actually that good or is she playing it up?”

“Don’t know.” I shrug and go back to my phone.

I can see Chris’s brows furrow from my peripheral vision.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I’ve never had a guy go down on me before.”

“What?”

You look up from your phone.

“…What.” You echo.

“No, what do you mean you’ve never had head before? You have a boyfriend. You’ve had a boyfriend for 3 months.”

Your cheeks get warm.

Think of a way to brush this off.

“It’s not a big deal. Not everyone’s into that.”

He seems stunned, gaze focused on his sneakers.

“... Do you do it for him?”

A sigh leaves your lips, “Chris-”

“No, listen to me. If he’s not reciprocating then the problem clearly isn't that he's uncomfortable. It's that he's selfish.”

Who does Chris think he is that he can judge your love life?

“This is none of your business.” You scoff.

“I think I should go.” You stand up and grab your bag.

Chris doesn’t give up yet.

“Okay, forget about that part for a second. When’s the last time he took you out? When's the last time he surprised you?”

You're struggling to swallow down a still-beating heart. You're avoiding eye contact with an angry version of one of your closest friends, and you’re trying to block out the possibility that what he's saying could be true.

“I’ll see you later, Chris.”

7:00 pm

Chris: I'm sorry. I overstepped earlier. just think you deserve better.

You read and reread the message. Typing out a reply and deleting it. Maybe what you need is space. You put your phone on do not disturb and crawl under the covers.

Trying to distance yourself from Chris would prove to be a waste of time because you end up having a dream about him.

“Hey gorgeous” a voice whispers in your ear.

It sounds familiar but there’s no one else with you in this room, so you can’t match the voice with a face. Whoever it’s coming from, their voice sounds like silk.

You're twisting your head around to try and find the source. Whoever’s in here with you finds that amusing because laughter follows.

“I'm over here, goof.”

It’s him. He walks over to you with a smile on his face and those big blue eyes.

“What are you doing here?” you asked

“I just missed you.” he says as he grabs your hand and twirls you around.

1:12 am

Well, that’s a first.

Monday

Chris opened the front door.

“Hey, I’m so glad you wanted to come over.” He said smiling.

Your face however wasn’t as cheerful.

“Yeah about that,”

You cleared your throat and walked inside.

“I think we should spend a little time apart. Like a refresh.”

His expression dropped instantly. You can’t keep eye contact. It’s too hard.

“What?”

“It’s not personal, it’s-”

“Did he put you up to this?”

“Chris , this is my relationship, stay out of it.” You say sternly.

“How can I when you’re all I think about?”

The air in the room gets thick.

“What?”

“I mean,” He scrunched his eyes and rubs his forehead. Flipping through the pages of his brain for the right words.

“I could treat you better than him.”

You laugh, “What are you talking about?”

He slowly brings his hand up and tucks a stray piece of hair behind your ear.

“You know it’s true.”

He takes a step toward me, his breath on my cheeks.

“I can make you feel good.”

You involuntarily gulped, which caused him to smirk. He tries to hide it.

Your mouth moves but no sound emits from it. You feel paralyzed.

He must be bluffing… right?

“Let me show you.” he whispered, pulling you out of your thoughts.

You don’t know exactly when he stepped closer but your noses are now touching.

I need to stop this.

“I have a boyfriend.” You say in a meek voice.

Chris very lightly put his right hand on your stomach. You can feel the warmth of his large hand through your shirt.

“Does he make you nervous like I do?”

Chris' eyes fall to your lips.

“If you want me to stop, I will. Just say the word.”

Shit.

Soft, pink lips touch yours. You don’t kiss back but don’t run away either. Just wanting to take in the dimensions and texture of his lips. He starts to pull back.

Wait, don’t go anywhere.

You press your lips forward, chasing him.

It makes him smile into the kiss, which in turn makes you smile. The weird sensation causes you both to start laughing.

He straightens up.

“I wanna be with you too. Wo don’t know why I was ever with him in the first place.”

Chris can’t contain his smile. He covers his mouth.

“Sorry. I know I should be more… apologetic? I guess? But I’m not. I want you all to myself.”

“Yes, you've made that quite clear.”

You pull Chris back in for a kiss by his hoodie, it makes his insides stir. He places both his hands on the sides of your face, deepening the kiss.

You pull back for air.

“I should go tell him it’s over before things go any further.”

“Ok.”

But Chris goes right back to kissing you. Sliding his thumb across your cheek.

It’s so dreamy. You have to will yourself to stop.

“Ok I’m serious this time!” You chuckle. “Can I come back tonight?”

“I’d really like that.”

4:15 pm

Me: just left his house. whew.

Chris: im proud of u and so grateful.

6:00pm

“How long have you liked me?”

“Almost our entire friendship. I don’t think I realize it until you started dating Andrew.”

Laying on Chris’s chest is the happiest you’ve felt in months. You two have been talking about all the things that made you fall for each other. He’s been rubbing your back for the past 20 minutes but decides to put his hand under your shirt to enhance the feeling.

You sighed and relaxed even more on top of him, closing your eyes.

“Damn, you have some knots right here.”

“Ugh, yeah. That’s where I carry stress.”

“Here, lay on your stomach. I bet I can relieve it.”

Chris moves so you can lay flat. Once you’re comfortable he straddles your hips and brings his hand to the hem of your shirt.

“Is it ok if I bring this up?”

“Mhm.”

He lifts your shirt to where your bra starts ,then gets to work.

Maybe it’s the skin to skin contact, or the fact that your muscles were tense, but his hands feel heavenly. You can’t help but let out a string of sighs.

“That feeling good?”

“Yes, oh my god. Thank you so much.”

He chuckles. “Anything for my girl.”

After a few minutes of the same motions he decides to explore new territory.

He rubs his hands over your hips, your ribs, and now your thighs.

“Seems like there’s a lot of heat coming from your legs, baby.”

“You’re such a good massager it’s hardly my fault.” You tease back.

You try to close your legs together but he doesn’t like that. Keeping a hand right between them.

He brings his mouth right next to your ear. Lowering his voice.

“Do you need relief somewhere else, baby?”

While he talks he maneuvers his hand so it’s nearly flat against your clothed center.

You try to keep it together. You can’t already be at a loss for words.

You nod into his pillow.

“Turn over for me. Let me see that pretty face.”

Your cheeks heat up immediately as you position yourself on your back. The two of you make eye contact and any anxiety you had about intimacy with Chris is gone.

“We can stop whenever you want.” He says before kissing you.

“Let me show you how a real man behaves.”

He smirks and lowers himself to your stomach. Kissing your happy trail. Leaving tiny bites.

Since you’re wearing sweats he slides them off in seconds, taking your underwear with them. He tosses them over his shoulder and they hit some things in his dresser, causing them to fall. It makes you giggle but Chris is entranced by the sight before him.

“Jesus Christ.” He says to himself.

He runs his nose where your leg meets your hip. Kissing further and further. Creating a puddle before he even touches you. He licks your inner thighs. Painting them with purple marks.

Finally, his mouth is where you crave it. He’s apprehensive at first but once you let out your first moan it’s all over for him.

Chris sucks your clit and your mind goes blank. Nothing ever felt like this before.

“I can’t believe you’ve been hiding this from me.”

When he goes back down he licks a stripe from the bottom of your pussy to your clit.

Your back arches off the bed.

“That’s it.” he says into my skin.

He’s lapping at your folds like it’s water and he’s been in a drought. Grabbing onto your thighs to make sure you don’t go anywhere. Not that you'd want to, but his actions do cause quite a bit of squirming.

“God, you’re everything.”

It almost seemed like he was saying it to himself. Like he couldn’t believe youre real.

“Next time you want something done right, come to me.”

“Fuck yes.” You moan.

When he lifts his face up again, your juices are dripping down to his neck. You’re so mesmerized by the sight you don’t register what he's saying. It just sounds like white noise.

Chris tsks.

“Looks like I fucked you dumb, huh? Poor thing.”

“Shut up.”

You push his face back down. He starts fucking you with his tongue.

“Yes ma’am.”

Jesus

Your thighs tighten around his neck, he squeezes them back as a response.

“You taste so sweet, baby. Like syrup.”

You can’t do anything more than whimper and grind into his face.

Chris grabbed the hand that was clenching the bedsheets and guided it to his hair. You happily thread your fingers through.

He touches you like you're all he asked god for. The sounds coming from you are his favorite song. This is the alchemy he does.

“Oh god,” your voice goes up an octave.

“Are you gonna cum for me, pretty girl?”

“Please, so close.”

“Cmon, be a good girl and cum on my face.”

He made you a whimpering mess. Arousal dripping down your legs, down his lips, on the sheets. Chris continues to reach his tongue deep inside you while drawing figure eights on your clit.

In an instant your vision goes black.

The next minute was spent shaking and catching your breath. Goosebumps littered all over my body.

You don’t know when but at some point Chris must’ve turned you so you were laying on your side. He pulled a lightweight blanket over you and was now playing with your hair.

“Hey pretty girl.” He said softly as you opened your eyes.

“Hi”

“You did so well for me.” He kisses your forehead. “I’m so proud of you. Don’t move.”

He quickly wet a washcloth and grabbed a water bottle.

You could drift off to sleep at any moment, but Chris made sure to clean you up first.

It felt nice to be taken care of for once. He made sure you were warm enough. every few minutes he laid kisses on your face. You were too tired to say anything but he could see how happy you were. That was enough for him

[levon]

[electiveaffinities]

Robert Crumb: A Short History of America

Crumb originally drew the 12 panels of A Short History of America in 1979. He created 3 additional panels of three different future scenarios for the Kitchen Sink serigraph in 1994. This version, with the three additional panels, became known as the 15 panel edition. Crumbproducts.com (or rcrumb.com, same site) created a 500 print unsigned giclée edition based upon that 15 panel serigraph edition (with some color changes) in 2018, and it sold out several years later. But we’re constantly besieged by requests for this image by many Crumb fans almost on a daily basis.

Robert and Alex came up with the idea to modify the art slightly by adding clouds thereby creating a different sky in each panel, instead of the blue sky which remains constant throughout all the previous editions. So Alex enlarged each panel, printed them and sent them to Robert in France. Crumb used gouache and water colors to paint over the sky and sent them back to Alex who then placed the new artwork behind the existing landscapes using Photoshop. The result is this new and very beautiful 15 panel giclée edition of one of Crumb’s most famous pieces – A Short History of America (15 panel Cloud version).

The white Somerset archival paper is 24 by 21.5 inches. The image size is 19 by 17 inches. There are 600 unsigned, hand-numbered prints in this edition, with 40 signed artist proofs and 3 signed printer proofs. We do NOT have any of Robert’s artist proofs to sell! The printer proofs are also not available because they’re not signed yet. Prints will be mailed in a 4 inch tube via USPS around the world. Release date is Monday, June 30th (https://crumbproducts.com/.../short-history-of-america-15...)

Robert estimated the time each panel depicts: Panel #1–Before Whitey; Panel #2–1860's; Panel #3–1870's; Panel #4–1880's; Panel #5–1890's; Panel #6–1900's; Panel #7–1910's; Panel #8–1920's; Panel #9–early 1930's; Panel #10-1940's; Panel #11–1950's; Panel #12-late 1970's. Source: Facebook

[cosmickid-inmotion]

Get to know me tag game

Thank you for the tags @not-a-unique-snowflake-blog

1. Were you named after anyone? Rebecca from the bible for my legal name. Named myself after Romana from doctor who bc I wanted to be a time lord in high school lol

2. When was the last time you cried? Today, Heroe by Enrique Iglasias came on (spanish version of Hero) and i cried i wanna be loved

3. Do you have kids? Not unless you count my daycare children I adore.

4. What sports do you/have you played? Like kate ive done tea kwon do, made it to high red! and i did bike races in elementary school through middle and was pretty good. One of the few good memroies with my dad was doing that on monday nights in the summer. Now all i do is chase after children.

5. Do you use sarcasm? Noooooo neverrrrrr

6. First thing you notice about people? Im too busy wondering how im percived XD

7. What's your eye color? blue but like a boring blue

8. Scary movies or happy endings? HAPPY unless im like, at a theater or doing a sleep over.

9. Any talents? Im a great writer <3

10. Where were you born? Kenosha, WI (yes, of kyle rittenhouse fame BUT HE DOESNT REPORESENT US)

11. What are your hobbies? Reading and writing fanfic, crying

12. Do you have any pets? No but im taking care of my roommate/landlords cat while shes out in north dakota with her oil rig boyfriend XD i dont like animals though.

13. How tall are you? 5'9 (im willing to be taller than oscar)

14. Favorite subject in high school? English

15. Dream job? Dream job is a rich husband and I take care of our children and spend several hours a week volunteering at soe women's shelter or childrens center

NP tags @whatthefishh @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction @ivystoryweaver @campingwiththecharmings

[thecrownbaltimore]

With a heavy heart, today we announce that The Crown will be ceasing operations as of August 12th, 2024 (a week AFTER artscape / subscape!). Shows and business will be going on as planned through the August 11th weekend, and we will be hosting some very special farewell events and specials throughout our remaining time!

~

Due to circumstances beyond our control, the business has made the difficult decision to close after 11 years of service in the Station North Arts District.

~

We want to thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts for supporting the Crown and collaborating with us through the years. From when we first opened as a hole in the wall speakeasy, to the Red & Blue Room era, to the epic remodel into the Pink Room and Back Bar Spaces -- throughout the years we have FELT THE LOVE of our community and experienced the joy of bringing independent music and arts culture to Baltimore.

~

We could have done it without you, and we thank you so much for your time with us. It has been a hell of a ride, and has meant the world to us.

~

We Will also be sharing a Go Fund Me for some of the workers, so stay tuned!

~

AS FOR SHOWS!

We will be proceeding as normal through our calendar until Monday, 8/12 and will be open for food, bev and private karaoke our normal hours tuesday-sunday, 4pm - til late! Some final exciting programming includes VERSION! this Saturday July 27th - this is not the FINAL Version, but will be their last party at the Crown! ~ And also, we'll be co-hosting the epic ALL AGES & FREE SubScape '24 - Underground Music Festival, August 2-4!

~

In the coming weeks, we will be announcing additional farewell programming for the august 9th-11th weekend, including a "Farewell to The Crown" send off party on the 10th & 11th. We will also update with information about where shows post-8/12 are moving to!

~

thank you for the wonderful memories, & please stop in to say farewell!

All the love in the world,

The Crown Baltimore

[52drabbles]

Welcome to the 52drabbles prompt list for 2024 —which, amusingly, has 53 prompts! (Thank you Leap Year!)

The goal behind this year-long opt-in challenge is to post a drabble every week. To be actively writing, and actively posting, all year.

To that end we've built a list of prompts for each week in 2024 —plus a handful of alternative prompts that can be subbed in for any week (or used as prompts for bonus drabbles, because MOAR drabbles is always good!) The prompts include images, songs, random words or phrases, tropes, and in April, for poetry month - poems.

If the prompt is in double quotes, the prompt must appear in the drabble, otherwise it's meant as inspiration. During April you can choose to write a poem of the type specified as your prompt, or write *about* that type of poem. For song prompts, pick out a lyric if you like, or be inspired by the vibe of the song. Whatever works!

Also included is a list of lengths - you may choose any length from the list to pair with any of the weekly prompts.

Although the challenge is to write a drabble a week, it's a completely voluntary, opt-in sort of challenge. No hard and fast deadlines, no turning them in - just write and post. If you're posting on tumblr, please tag them with @52drabbles so we can find them for monthly roundup posts!

All versions of Bond and all ships are welcome. And if you're not in the Bond fandom? Yeah, you can play, too :)

Pick one of the following lengths each week for your drabbles:

100 words exactly 150 words exactly 200 words exactly up to 300 words 300 words exactly 400 words exactly

For the month of January, the week starting Monday,

Jan 1 - Word: "bare" Jan 8 - Image:

Jan 15 - Phrase: Cut to the chase Jan 22 - Song: Snake Eyes by Mumford & Sons Jan 29 - Trope: Shifter AU

Putting the rest of the year under a cut because the pics make it LONG -

Feb 5 - Word: "fence" Feb 12 - Image:

Feb 19 - Phrase: Meanwhile, back at the ranch Feb 26 - Song: Behind Blue Eyes by The Who

Mar 4 - Trope: Dialogue only Mar 11 - Word: "lemon" Mar 18 - Image:

Mar 25 - Word: "shoots"

Apr 1 - Poem type: haiku! Apr 8 - Poem type: limerick! Apr 15 - Poem type: bredlik! Apr 22 - Poem type: acrostic - "relish" Apr 29 - Poem type: remix! - turn any fic whose author agrees into a poem

May 6 - Phrase: Back to square one May 13 - Song: Rainbow Connection by Kermit the Frog May 20 - Trope: Historical figure May 27 - Word: "gimlet"

Jun 3 - Image:

Jun 10 - Phrase: Take this job and … Jun 17 - Song: Fifth Symphony by Beethoven Jun 24 - Word: "heat"

Jul 1 - Trope: Wingfic Jul 8 - Word: "sculpture" Jul 15 - Image:

Jul 22 - Phrase: Long in the tooth Jul 29 - Song: Something to Talk About by Bonnie Raitt

Aug 5 - Trope: Magical AU Aug 12 - Word: "flustered" Aug 19 - Image:

Aug 26 - Phrase: On cloud nine

Sep 2 - Song: I Will Always Love You by Dolly Parton (or the Whitney Houston version, if you prefer) Sep 9 - Trope: Fix-it Sep 16 - Word: "kindling" Sep 23 - Image:

Sep 30 - Phrase: Wild goose chase

Oct 7 - Song: Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffet Oct 14 - Trope: Forced proximity Oct 21 - Word: "leaves" Oct 28 - Image:

Nov 4 - Phrase: Under your nose Nov 11 - Song: Let's Get It On by Marvin Gaye Nov 18 - Trope: Outsider Perspective Nov 25 - Word: "thread"

Dec 2 - Image:

Dec 9 - Phrase: Gone but not forgotten Dec 16 - Song: School Days by Chuck Berry Dec 23 - Trope: Desert island Dec 30 - Word: "jet lag"

[xarrixii]

flash/burn chapter 42, translated several times

i couldn't make a monday chapter update for today so you get this instead

english -> portuguese (brazil) -> hungarian -> french -> german -> italian -> finnish -> chinese (traditional) -> norwegian -> vietnamese -> russian -> swedish -> english

/ / / / / |

link to pure format google doc (where i didn't edit for clarity)

Chapter 42: Moving Forward 2023-12-17

So why can't you teleport somewhere? Harlow said, making a vague gesture with his other hand.

Liam tilted his head to the side. I can't teleport to a place I've never been. If you want to go to Yugenzia's bakery, you should find out what it looks like in advance. Because it's a technical prohibition. The same goes for teleportation. It also requires a lot of mental calculations. Stable.

Harlow snorted softly, stopped looking for the unconscious guard, and walked past Storm's blue smartwatch. Liam had just explained that it was essentially Storm's version of Cinder's arm. They entered Storm's house. How's Haydn? Bank? How many times have you teleported in two minutes?

I checked the driver's destination first, Liam admitted. I trained for weeks to be able to teleport to this place from anywhere in this area. I know where it is and that memory is always with me.

They also moved into the truck. When it moves in an unpredictable way.

But that doesn't mean I like it. The truck's GPS system was a big help. When they found Raiden, they were no less concerned. Liam tied the last guard's hands and waited for Harlow to put away his watch. "Can you always use fire, like a lightning bolt?"

“What do you mean what?” Harlow closed Storm’s hunting bag.

"Stand up. Walk faster. Imagine you're launching a rocket into space."

Harlow took a deep breath. He doesn't remember anything like that. Especially when they're running away from someone. I think. He shook his head. ninth NO.

Trilla walked through the building and Liam raised an eyebrow. Liam cursed. "Damn it. We still have to check if Raiden is here. Sure. You guard the entrance, and I'll guard the camera..."

Harlow suppressed the thought and nodded, watching Liam run out the door and head towards the cell.

He pulled a lighter out of his pocket and struck it, letting the small flame spread through the air, across the table, and straight to the middle of the door behind the locker. Inside the cell, I heard Liam run towards the metal wall. A few people were thrown to the ground.

Harlow slowly removed the flame from the lighter and ran his finger up and down the metal part of the lighter. Heat slowly.

The lighter appeared to be empty.

He lunged at the first man who entered, gently touched his temple with one finger, grabbed him with his other hand, knocked him to the ground, and threw him into the street.

Rinse and repeat this procedure each time with a different finger.

“Toilet paper for three!” Liam called after him. Three seconds later, someone put a hand on his shoulder and he found himself in a garage, a few blocks from a converted prison cell.

Harlow turned to Liam. The ignition clicked again and went out again. Suddenly his hands lost the heat that had burned since early December.

"You..." Liam's gaze moved from Harlow to something brighter, something hard to describe in the cold, heavy air. "...Ainsley excels at everything she does. Keep up the good work, son."

Liam's hand released Harlow's and stopped just above her shoulder before pulling away. Really weak, no, not through the tunnel of thought.

"Let's go."

Harlow got into the driver's seat of the truck they were driving and placed the bag full of the recently stolen watches in the back seat. Even though Liam's hand hadn't yet touched his shoulder, it was already a wonderful graft from someone else. He was quickly becoming a fool.

Like the trip to Longport.

Liam looked at him, pointed to the left, about a third of the way, and said, "Did you know that the original tower wasn't just the foundation of Amaterasu?"

"What are you trying to cut in half?"

"Correct."

Harlow felt that she had no feelings at all. "No, I haven't heard of that."

“Yes,” Liam continued, “this has been her home since she gave birth to Raiden. After participating in its construction, he realized that everything was starting to take on a reality and began to answer the question Where? my character behind the plot."

“Why Longport?” Harlow asked. Liam heard the confusion and surprise in his voice. “I mean, why did you choose Longport to build this tower? There are many other crime-ridden towns nearby."

"Oh," Liam said, pulling a bagel out of the glove compartment. "Thunder."

He watched as Liam continued to eat his half bagel in silence, his vision blurred and his eyes focused on the road. Harlow smiled softly. "You... realize how little that explains, don't you?"

"You'll find out if you promise not to tell him."

"Even if they tear him to pieces."

"I am sick."

"explain."

Liam smiled and placed the remaining bread on the dashboard. "He may not act like it, but he really wanted to take care of Raiden before he joined Cinder. He wanted to be with his son for as long as he needed him and then return to his family. the family he left behind. But Chen found out about him, she realized that Ye was not a person who could be ignored. He scolded Raiden's father."

Harlow's first reaction was to wonder if Raiden would do the same to Storm. Lives closer to Longport. Ask Harlow if he would like to participate in your new project. I think.

weakened This is really a way to gradually wear him down.

"Okay," Liam sighed as Harlow tightened the grip on the steering wheel. "Take it off."

"Just because of this?"

"I'm an idiot."

Harlow frowned, but stopped the car at the first spot on the side of the road and turned to look at Liam, who refused to get out of the car. Instead, Liam crossed his arms.

"I said I wanted to pee."

"Yes, I'm a liar." Liam looked Harlow up and down. "I told Jack Starr he was impulsive and emotional. But I also told him I trusted him. I was starting to feel like he was trying to trick me and that I shouldn't have told him."

"The Electric Man Was he the one who made me unable to move for days?"

"Yes, that's exactly it. This is good for identifying talents. The ones you're throwing away now. I'm losing my authority." Liam laughed and turned on the radio.

Harlow took a deep breath.

"I'm here to play your stupid game, pretending we still have Raiden in some cell and Amaterasu is trying to trick you into being A-4. Do you know how long it takes a normal dick to get to A-4? He's only been at A-5 for about three months, but he's still finishing up his paperwork."

"I'm not pretending..."

"So tell me what I remember."

Harlow's hands turned pale as she grabbed the steering wheel. "Forget it. Okay, Raiden is free, okay? You did it."

"Free Raiden," Liam continued to shout, "but why did you deliberately choose to withhold information about your current mission and your personal differences with Cynder? Some say it was you who sent this message, Raiden, and today you have shown me that you are willing to lie to me to keep a secret and prevent someone from committing tyrannical murders.!"

Oh my God… Harlow took a deep breath, took his hands off the wheel, and covered his face with his hands. Liam turned the radio off again and looked at the sidewalk before walking over to Harlow.

“Listen my son, I know it’s hard. But we have to start thinking about this truth. This is a matter of national survival. The Thunderers are on the move now. They’re farmers. Night Prankster, so what? Now we’re on the plains."

I'm trying to understand, thought Harlow, but I can't.

Nothing, Liam thought, placing his hand on Harlow's forearm. But I need to know if I can trust you when the time comes. Amat can trust you. You're on an inclined plane.

Harlow suddenly burst out laughing.

You remind me of thunder, don't you?

Liam smiled. "Here it is. Well, I missed R&S Jambalaya."

"Teleportation machine. And before you start the truck again, how do you know I asked why you chose Longport?"

"I don't think so, I tried to explain, but you explained it first. Damn, I can't teleport that far."

"Keep walking quietly."

"Donkey, Urbain, the correct word is donkey."

taglist (ask to go on or off): @lychhiker-writes, @madeoforgansandtissues, @fins0up, @kadjakat

and, just for you, @afyerarchive,

The first 1 Ye

[deuterium51614]

Boueibu Rewatch Part 12

Episode Seven

This episode's title is wrong on Crunchyroll. They added some of the blue bar text. (Title is "HAPPY Flutter Kicks," but they put "Let's happy kiss our way to HAPPY Flutter Kicks.")

Since this council doesn't care about the Pretty Boy Contests, who do you think is in the top 3 each month?

I like the way the heat waves were animated.

This is another monster with an incorrect name. Should be Natsukawa Atezane, but the subtitles say Natsukawa Jujitsu. (I forgot to mention, but in the first episode they put Koshigawa Wataru when it should've been Koekawa Osamu.)

Also, he says he was teased for not being able to swim...but does that ever happen on screen?

How is that guy a student?? (hairy guy in the green swimsuit)

Where is Karurusu floating? Is that like a foot wash area or something before entering the pool?

You think Tawarayama's gonna have a role in the movie?

So what would the loincloth relay entail? Like capture the flag or something?

Taishi imitating Ryouma fjdjdjshs

The council song (not while transforming, but before that), saying this again, is a bop, and I wish we had a version without everyone talking over it.

Also like how the council got a custom transformation with their swimsuits at the start (also the Defense Club).

I wonder if Karurusu didn't immediately react to the monster because he couldn't smell the sadness over the chlorine.

Also you ever think about how in Love, the monsters were really just students chosen to be turned based off of what would be good for ratings on CIDER and with VEPPer's show (like Zundar definitely sniffed at some point, but he probably had communications with the alien recording the student-to-be-turned, forget about Dadacha), whereas here Karurusu and Furanui are capable of smelling/sensing unhappiness? And they genuinely have something to prove, as opposed to just getting higher ratings?

Karurusu bonked his head on the bath wall lol

Episode Eight

So this guy has failed to graduate almost ten times. Why didn't Yumoto do anything. (Imagine the pitfall was from the OG Defense Club lol)

August 31 is a Friday according to the stamp card (they show a few different ones, but that's what it says on the one he's holding, along with a calendar shown in a different part of the episode), which lines up with my theory that HK is in 2007, so I'm gonna be really salty if the "aimed for 2015, landed in 2025" line in the trailer wasn't just dubbed over and they're saying that's the timeline. (For the record, the last time it was a Friday was 2018.)

The plane has gold sparkles... Could Kinshirou own the airline?

I love Martha's purple outfit, I'd wear it. (And custom transformations again!)

Should make a comparison of the Defense Clubs in the changing room and other locations, cause I'm pretty sure Ichiro's posed with the hair dryer just like Ryuu has been in the past.

Gotta make an AMV someday of Hot To Go and utilize the radio calisthenics for the chorus lol

Is the beach they go to Danran Beach? Gotta look at the store in the background again...

Forget if I ever did radio calisthenics in Japanese school... I've done it in Animal Crossing: New Horizons lol

Okay, so. Since Kyoutarou's wish was just an extra day of summer vacation...that just means they'd go back to school one day later... And it's been established August 31 is a Friday... That means that unless the school is in session on Saturday, they were going to have the weekend off anyway, meaning Karurusu's magic is just going to close the school on Monday lol

Episode Nine

Ichiro saying the council's gonna get on their asses sounds so out of character lol (Probably would've been better for Taishi to say that!)

This is the first instance I remember hearing of Kyoutarou referring to Karurusu as "Karu."

Has anyone ever kept track of and translated the visible sides of the dice? Like they read some of them off, but it'd be cool if we could figure out what the full set would be.

I like how Nanao says his shampoo is champagne rose scented. I feel like my mom gave Akoya a similar scent in her fics before this episode aired?

It'd be fun to put DM audio over Sai Goro's scenes. Like Brennan's Dom/Sub DM bits from Make Some Noise or something similar. Oh, Tom Cardy's song Perception Check, also! (I've had that idea for a while, with Nanao being the one messing with the campaign, and Martha being the child.)

I think everyone rolls the dice except for Nanao and Ichiro? (And Karurusu!) But it's funny that Nanao and Ichiro still ended up having to participate, with the latter having to twice.

Karurusu is so smoll next to Kyoutarou. Wish we got official heights. (And his little song is cute!)

I like how we keep seeing the monster in the background behind cosplaying students lol (Like the Waluigi ripoff alkdfjs)

Forgot how wild Ichiro and Taishi's reactions were aldksfjasd

[laromp3]

hiya everyone! it's spotify wrapped day and ofc little old me cannot shut up about it, so i'm gonna make something i call "laro charts", which is just my top 100 songs playlist of this year compared to the last year.

songs marked with + or - went up or down the list compared to last year. the numbers represent how many positions have changed. songs marked with (new) were not on last year's list. songs marked with * are in my favorites playlist (at least until today).

here's the top 10! (the rest will be under the cut)

Vicious Sensitive Robot by The Marías* (new)

Strict Machine by Goldfrapp* (new)

Who? by Rina Sawayama* (new)

Pale Shelter by Tears for Fears* (new)

Playground Love by Air* (new)

Aqua Regia by Sleep Token* (new)

Reading In Bed by Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton (new)

Business by Dystinct and Naza* (new)

Pearl Diver by Mitski* (new)

Useless by Omar Apolo* (new)

11. Spin Me Around by The Marías* (new) 12. Sunlight by Hozier* (new) 13. Shut Me Up by Mindless Self Indulgence (new) 14. Take A Slice by Glass Animals* (new) 15. Make You Mine by Madison Beer (new) 16. Desperado by Rihanna* (new) 17. Lose You by Bully and Soccer Mommy* (new) 18. Ostavi trag by September* (new) 19. Chokehold by Sleep Token* (new) 20. Prom? by Kid Bloom* -15

21. Ich tu dir weh by Rammstein* (new) 22. You've Seen The Butcher by Deftones* (new) 23. The Summoning by Sleep Token (new) 24. Blue Monday '88 by New Order* -12 25. Écoute Chérie by Vendredi sur Mer* (new) 26. Pork Soda by Glass Animals (new) 27. Sacrifice by The Weeknd* -19 28. Without Me by Hello Yello* -26 29. Mountains At Midnight by Royal Blood* (new) 30. Hands up! by 6arelyhuman, kets4eki and Pixel Hood (new)

31. 80 by Son Feci Bisiklet* (new) 32. Lujon by Henry Mancini (new) 33. Francesca by Hozier* (new) 34. Reptilia by The Strokes* (new) 35. Body Favors by Jae Stephens (new) 36. Is Everybody Going Crazy? by Nothing But Thieves* (new) 37. Real Life by The Marías* (new) 38. Deceptacon by Le Tigre* (new) 39. What Went Down by Foals* (new) 40. Bécane by Yamê (the colors version)* (new)

41. First Light by Hozier* (new) 42. Rapture by Declan McKenna* (new) 43. Love Me More by Mitski (new) 44. Sweet About Me by Gabriela Climi* -34 45. Care For You by The Marías (new) 46. Shut up My Moms Calling by Hotel Ugly (new) 47. So Anxious by Ginuwine (new) 48. Bleed It Out by Linkin Park (new) 49. Home To Another One by Madison Beer +11 50. Taker by DIIV (new)

51. 1 Thing by Amerie* (new) 52. Miss Murder by AFI (new) 53. Heads Will Roll by Yeah Yeah Yeahs* +1 54. Codinome Exagerado by Hodari and Urias* (new) 55. Let Me Think About It by Ida Corr and Fedde Le Grand (new) 56. Revival by Deerhunter* -24 57. Inhaler by Foals* (new) 58. Dr. Feelgood by Motley Crue (new) 59. bitches by Tove Lo* -29 60. I Want Your Video by Djo (new)

61. Judith by A Perfect Circle (new) 62. Killshot by Magdalena Bay* (new) 63. Destiny by Neovaii (new) 64. Voracity by Myth & Roid* -49 65. Blome Swete Lilie Flour by Daniel Hart (new) 66. Tanto Faz by Urias (new) 67. Bling-Bang-Bang-Born by Creepy Nuts (new) 68. Absolution by The Pretty Reckless* (new) 69. Hold It Together by The Marías (new) 70. Belgium To Bordeaux by Canteen* -32

71. Lost In Space by Foster the People (new) 72. Meet Me in the Hallway by Harry Styles* -46 73. Vertigo by Alice Merton* -30 74. My Love by maye* +1 75. Smile by Wolf Alice* -47 76. Empire Now by Hozier* (new) 77. Choose Your Fighter by Ava Max (new) 78. Barracuda by Heart (new) 79. Trash by Suede* (new) 80. Little Dark Age by MGMT* -55

81. Dynasty by MIIA (new) 82. Hung Up by The Mysterines (new) 83. Hymn for a Droid by Psychedelic Porn Crumpets* -26 84. Eclipse (All Yours) by Metric (new) 85. Oh Dove by Men I Trust (new) 86. Creature by Bones UK (new) 87. I'll Keep Coming by Low Roar* (new) 88. Black Roses by Blutengel (new) 89. West Coast by Lana Del Rey* (new) 90. Rose by A Perfect Circle (new)

91. Norton Commander (All We Need) by Men I Trust* -80 92. Violet Stars Happy Hunting!!! by Janelle Monae and The Skunks (new) 93. Kediler Ve Şarkılar by Yaşlı Amca* -84 94. Separate Ways by Eyedress and The Marías (new) 95. Would? by Alice in Chains* -60 96. Show Me How by Men I Trust* -6 97. Panic Station by Muse* (new) 98. Feel That Again by Hello Yello (new) 99. Them Bones by Alice In Chains (new) 100. Çakıl Taşları by Şebnem Ferah* (new)

aditional trivia: songs that made their comeback from the 2022 list

25. Ècoute Chérie by Vendredi sur Mer +53 52. Killshot by Magdalena Bay -15 89. West Coast by Lana Del Rey -70

(i would make one for the songs that vanished from the 2023 list but there are too many...........)

[thatshorrorific]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐋𝐘 𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐒

PRIDE

a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired.

The demon we associate with pride, is Lucifer, but why do we associate this particular demon, and what is known about him?

According to christian belief, Lucifer was an angel, one of God's most beautiful creations infact, however, he was filled with pride. He wasn't happy with worshipping God, and he wanted to be worshipped instead.

He rebelled against God's plan and proposed an alternative plan that would destroy human agency, which is the independent choice that God gives to people.

He also wanted to make his own government and overthrow God's. He planned to do so by:

Making God's laws invalid

Establishing his own government with his own laws

Replacing God's seal with a man-made Sabbath

His fall was due to his pride, thus him being the personified sin of pride.

Isaiah 14:12: "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!"

Enough storytelling though, lets move on to more about Lucifer himself, not just his story.

The following information can also be found here and here, they include more information than i have provided in this blog. This is a more shortened version of these, but it is better to head over to those websites for more, detailed information. Some sections (offerings section mainly), is taken from a variety of posts from all over the web, of people who work with Lucifer.

Direction: East (place your alter facing this direction when doing rituals/spell casting) Planet: Venus  Metal: Gold Element: Air Color: Blue, Teal, White, Yellow, Gold, Silver, Black and Grey Incense and Scents:  Sandalwood, Lavender, Cedar, Lemon Day of week: Monday Rank: Dark Lord, High Prince Species: Fallen Angel Realm: Various Realms of the Outer Spiritual World Numbers: 13, 666, 4

Demonic Mantra:  Lord Lucifer, guide us through the dark, reveal to us the nature of the shadow, reveal to us the secrets of the forgotten flame and the light within our hearts.  Let us awaken our power, let us awaken our purpose.  We call to you Great Lord of Darkness, Great Lord of the Inner Light.  

Demonic Affirmation:  To Lucifer we call, from the shadows of our soul, from the darkness in our minds.  Reveal to us the truth of the self.  Reveal to us the nature of the soul.  Inspire and evoke the passion and desire from the depth of our soul and show us how to awaken the light from within.  We have aligned with the power of our core, we have aligned with the power of ourself and through this we rise, through this we awaken.  Lord Lucifer, Lord of the Inner Shadow, Lord of the Inner Light, let us step into our soul, show us how to walk with the shadow.

Demonic Hymn:  Oh Lord Lucifer who unlocks the gates of the Eternal Black, we seek entrance, we seek the journey that you offer, we seek the wisdom that you grant, open the gates, open the black gates for we are ready, we are ready to leave safety and security and enter the world of the shadow.  We walk with you Lord Lucifer, we walk with you to learn your wisdom, we rise and become our truth, because of your guidance and power.  

Sacred Chant of Lucifer: Ney tar emosh, Ney tun vey, Lucifer rah saekon, Lucifer rah uymein, Lucifer Ney tar emosh, Lucifer neu tun vey.  

Lucifer Demonic Enn – “Renich Tasa Uberaca Biasa Icar Lucifer”

Offerings:  Sunflower Seeds, Honey, Pomengranate, Apples (Red), Blackberries, Anything from self-baked to self-cooked, Liquor (Red Wine, Whiskey), blackberry juice, blueberry juice, pomengranate juice, blood orange, cranberry, anything red & tasty, Gold Jewelry, Ruby, Clear Quartz, Goldstone, Orange Calcite, Carnelian, Dentrites, Moldavite

Candles: White, Red, Gold, Black

Things you can do: Write or Read Poetry, Write a Letter, Offer something artistic to him, Educate yourself, study & research, read books, Dedicate a prayer to him, Involve him into Spell work & Ritual work, Involve him into Divination sessions, Fight for the rights & freedom of yourself & others, Love yourself & care for yourself, Think for yourself, ask questions & be sceptical, Do not be ignorant to truth, even if it doesn't please you

Associated animals: Peacocks, Crows/Ravens, Goats, Serpents/Snakes/Vipers, Owls, Deer/Stags, Black Cats, Toads/Frogs

Plants: Mandrake, Belladonna, Roses, Wild Roses, Lily

Can be helpful with: Protection, Shadow Work, Divination, Dreams & Meditation, Revenge & Vengeance, Matters of Justice, Matters of Violence & Wrath, New beginnings & cycles, Helping yourself to free yourself of tyranny, Subconscious work of any kind, Manipulation of situations, Self-reflection & Insight (Wisdom), Matters of Truth/Exposing Liars, Self-confidence & Pride, Growing a thicker skin, Self discipline

[kokiafans]

KOKIA updates - new releases (November 2024)

KOKIA has updated her official web page with new information about her recent single and upcoming new album. Here are the updates to keep you in the loop.

Arigatou... (KOKIA's version)

(October 1 blog entry & October 3 news)

KOKIA recorded her song Arigatou... ('Thank you...') again for a digital single, this time labeling the version 'KOKIA's version'. The single was available starting midnight from the night rolling into October 2.

The single is available via various online sources here. She also produced a music video to go along with the single, which can be found on her official YouTube channel.

Essence -25th Anniversary All Time Best-

(October 3 news & October 3 blog entry)

On November 20, 2024, KOKIA's best album Essence -25th Anniversary All Time Best- will be released. Unlike many of her most recent releases, this album will be available in general music stores and not her official web shop. The full tracklist is also available (I'll include it at the end of this entry).

Several websites have also posted about the album, some including extras:

The HMV website offers a special first come, first served postcard if y you pre-order the album via their shop.

Tower Records has a special in-store event on November 27, 2024 at their Umeda NU Chayamachi store in Osaka, Japan. If you purchase your copy of the album there, you will receive a ticket for event admission and for an autograph session (both first come, first serve, with the former given out once per order, and the latter for every album purchased). The event will open at 19:00 and start at 19:30. Purchasers will also get a postcard as long as supplies last.

Additional events

General ticket sales for her November 2 strings concert SHI-NA-RU at Suntory Blue Rose have started, so the release month of her new album. The concert features KOKIA with just piano, violin and cello, themed around Arigatou... (her gratitude). The concert is being prepared as a replacement for her big hall concerts in spring, which she didn't get to do this year.

KOKIA's album shares its name with KOKIA's new radio show, KOKIA's the Essence of Music, which started airing Sunday, October 6, 2024 from 1:30 to 2:00 AM (technically early Monday morning), and is a weekly radio show.

Tracklist

Below follows the tracklist for KOKIA's album Essence -25th Anniversary All Time Best-. It will also be featured on the discography page.

Disc 1: YELL

1. Shiroi Notebook ('White notebook') (2023 digital single) 2. The Power of Smile (2003 single) 3. Say Hi!! (2003 single) 4. Ningen tte sonna mono ne ('that’s how people are’) (2002 single) 5. Kawaranai koto - since 1976 - ('things that won’t change’) (2003 single) 6. So much love for you (2004 single) 7. Yume ga chikara ('dreams are strength’) (2004 single) 8. Dandelion (2005 single) 9. Ai no melody ('melody of love') (2006 single) 10. Watashi ni dekiru koto ('The things I can do') (2007 single) 11. Inori ni mo nita utsukushii sekai (Music, like a prayer) (2007 album aigakikoeru) 12. Kodoku na ikimono ('Lonely beings') (2010 single) 13. moment ~ima o ikiru~ ('live in the now') (2011 album moment) 14. Yume no tochuu ('on my way to my dream') (2013 album Where to go my love?) 15. INFINITY (2009 album KOKIA∞AKIKO ～balance～)

Disc 2: HEAL

1. Arigatou... (KOKIA's version) ('Thank you...') (New recording) 2. Fukurou ('Owl') (2017 digital single) 3. Chouwa oto ~with reflection~ ('Sound of harmony') (2006 single B-side) 4. tomoni ('together') (2001 single) 5. Tenshi ('Angel') (2001 single) 6. Remember the kiss (2003 single B-side) 7. Time to say goodbye (2005 single) 8. Ooki na senaka ('Broad back') (2009 album AKIKO∞KOKIA ～balance～) 9. Kimi o sagashite ('Searching for you') (2009 digital single) 10. Hontou no oto ('Real sound') (2011 album moment) 11. Where to go my love (Piano ver.) (2013 album Where to go my love?) 12. Kotou (’isolated island’) (2020 digital single) 13. Kisetsu hazure no sakura ('Late blooming cherry blossoms') (2022 digital single) 14. a gift (2002 album trip trip) 15. Obake ga kowai nante (’what is it with ghosts being scary’) (2018 album Tokyo Mermaid)

Limited first edition Blu-ray:

Music video collection of the following:

Arigatou... (KOKIA's version) ('Thank you...')

tomoni ('together')

Say Hi!!

Tenshi ('Angel')

Ningen tte sonna mono ne ('that’s how people are’)

(TV spot) Kawaranai koto - since 1976 - ('things that won’t change’)

Kawaranai koto - since 1976 -

(TV spot) Remember me (album)

The Power of Smile

Remember the kiss (duet "KOKIA & piano")

(TV spot) so much love for you

so much love for you

(TV spot) Yume ga chikara, uta ga chikara ('dreams are strength', 'songs are strength') (album)

Yume ga chikara

(TV spot) dandelion

dandelion

(TV spot) time to say goodbye

time to say goodbye (duet "KOKIA & piano")

(TV spot) Ai no melody ('melody of love')

Ai no melody

moment ~ima o ikiru~ ('live in the now') (Stage recording)

Bonus video:

Arigatou... (KOKIA's version) (making of)

[amazinggraciegurl]

Expect the Unexpected (Chapter 34: I'll Have a Blue Christmas Without You)

Present Time (Thursday December 24, 2020) 10:12 am

“I’m so glad we got this Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer wrapping paper!” Apple exclaims.

She and Darling are standing at the kitchen table, wrapping presents as quickly as they can. The Christmas Eve party at Ashlynn and Briar’s house is in less than six hours, and they still have loads of presents to wrap. To make matters even more difficult, Raven is having a bad day. She’s currently curled on the couch, staring blankly into the distance. Apple has tried to talk to her, but Raven won’t respond and she resisted her comfort. So, Apple has resigned herself to the fact that she can’t do anything for Raven right now. She just hopes the girl will be more chipper by the time of the party.

Darling grins. “Willow will love it! I don’t know if I’ve ever seen an obsession greater than hers with Rudolph. I don’t think my Legos obsession was even as intense come to think of it.”

Apple giggles. Christmas music is playing merrily in the background. Apple’s favorite song, the Eartha Kitt version of “Santa Baby” is currently on.

“Oh kingdoms, I remember that! When we were in kindergarten that’s all you would play with!”

Darling chuckles. “Except for swordfighting. But that’s only on the rare occasion that I could, to be fair.”

As usual, when Apple is reminded of Darling’s treatment by her mother, she clenches her teeth and resists the urge to blurt out a string of obscenities. She reminds herself that that’s not what Darling needs, especially not today. Today is supposed to be a day filled with nothing but joy. And Apple will do whatever she has to to keep it that way.

XXX Monday December 24, 2018 (first year of college) 11:07 am

“Phew!” Apple exclaims, wiping the sweat off her forehead. “That was a lot of dust!”

“Thanks so much for dusting, love,” Darling says, coming over to plant a kiss on her cheek. “I would’ve, but you know how sensitive I am to dust. I’d be a sneezing mess.”

Apple’s nose starts to tickle like she’s going to sneeze herself. When it fades a second later though, she gives Darling a quick kiss on the lips.

“It’s no problem, baby. You vacuumed. We’re sharing the workload, just like we should be!”

Darling gives her a soft smile before pulling her in for yet another kiss. They linger this time, basking in the sweetness of each other’s lips, of the warmth and security they find in each other’s arms.

When they draw away from each other a few moments later, Apple wishes they could’ve stayed that way much, much longer, but she knows they have to get back to work. This Christmas party tonight is the first event she and Darling have ever hosted at their new house. Both of them being the perfectionists they are, they want it to go flawlessly. Darling sighs softly, licking her lips. The action sends a wave of pleasure coursing through Apple, increasing the urge to kiss her girlfriend on those perfect lips again. She’s shaken from her stupor by Darling’s melodic laugh. She blinks.

“What?” she asks, confused. “What’d I do?”

Darling giggles. “Just the way you’re looking at me. I can tell…you want me bad.” Her voice grows more seductive as she speaks, becoming low and husky.

Burning heat floods Apple’s cheeks. She looks down, trying to hide her intense blush.

“But you want to know something good?” Darling asks, a sultry lilt to her voice.

The sound sends heat pumping through every inch of Apple’s body. She looks up, still confused.

“What’s good?” Her voice is breathless, scarcely above a whisper.

The ravishing expression on Darling’s face nearly brings Apple to her knees. Clearly Darling is enjoying this immensely, the arousal in her ice blue eyes growing in intensity. Apple’s enjoying it too, if the pulsing heat within her is any indication. Darling steps closer, softly placing her hand on Apple’s cheek.

She lightly traces the contours of her face for a moment before leaning in and whispering in her ear, “I want you too…bad.”

The words elicit a loud gasp of pleasure from Apple. Her legs grow even weaker. That doesn’t matter though, as the next thing she knows she’s being scooped up into Darling’s arms. She shrieks in surprise, but it’s quickly cut short by Darling’s lips on hers. She quickly reciprocates, hands tangling in Darling’s hair as she kisses her back with a passion so fervent, the air around them feels like it has an electric charge. It isn’t long before Darling carries Apple off to the bedroom.

XXX 11:18 am

Now Apple and Darling are rushing to get ready for the party. People are coming over at 5:00 and though they technically have enough time to prepare, they both are feeling a rush of panic that keeps them on their toes. They’re exhausted from the sex and beating themselves up for doing it at a time like this, but there’s no way to go back and make a wiser decision. They just have to get through this day. They’re in the kitchen now, preparing the dishes. Apple is working on the greenbean casserole (her mother’s special recipe), while Darling is working on the mashed potatoes. They’re silent, putting all their focus into making these dishes perfect. “Blue Christmas” by Elvis Presley is playing in the background, his resonant voice sending shivers down Apple’s spine. A distinct sensation of melancholy has overcome her in the past few minutes. It feels like a fist is squeezing her heart. She figures it’s from the hormones that sex activates, as this does happen to her after sex occasionally. But as she looks down at her mother’s perfect handwriting in the cookbook and the lyric “I’ll have a blue Christmas without you” begins playing through her head on a loop, she realizes the meaning behind her sudden sadness.

XXX Wednesday August 1, 2018

“Hi, Mom. So…I don’t know if you’re even listening to these messages or just deleting them.” Apple laughs, albeit a bit shakily. Her eyes are already beginning to sting, but she forces the tears back. She’s not going to give her mother the satisfaction of hearing her cry. She clears her throat. “So…I just wanted to tell you that, um…” She pauses for a moment, gathering her courage. “So…Darling and I have moved into our new house. It’s…it’s really cute. It has four bedrooms and two bathrooms, so not as big as you’d like, but we’re happy with it. We’ve…We’ve lived in luxury all our lives and we’re ready to…to…try something new.”

The only thing keeping Apple going at this point is the knowledge that Snow probably isn’t even listening to these messages. She hopes the audio isn’t too bad anyways though, as there’s a significant amount of clamor coming from the master bedroom down the hall. Darling is unpacking boxes in there. Apple has been helping, but after lunch she had the sudden urge to call her mother and leave another one of the dozen voicemails she’s left since Snow stopped talking to her. Darling, being the caring and respectful girlfriend she is, is giving her privacy.

“We…We love it, and…you know…I hope you can come see it someday.”

Tears are pooling in her eyes now and she can’t stop her voice from wobbling as she begins to talk again.

“I know you’re disappointed in me for being, you know…a person who likes girls…but no matter how badly you treat me…I-I still love you and…and I hope you have it in your heart to still love me.”

There’s no stopping the onslaught of tears now, so before the sob building in her throat comes out, she hangs up.

XXX Monday December 24, 2018

“Are you okay, love?”

Apple is pulled from her daze by the gentle lilt of Darling’s voice.

“Huh?” she mumbles.

As she realizes she’d stopped preparing the dish and is just standing there, she quickly gets back to work, picking the measuring spoons back up.

“Oh, I’m fine. Just zoned out there for a moment. You know how I get like that sometimes.”

She puts on the most cheerful voice she can. Now is not the time to worry Darling. Darling clearly isn't fully convinced, as she gazes at Apple with furrowed brows. But she quickly drops it, turning back around to continue her dish. She evidently knows it's not the right time to pry, and Apple appreciates this. While she hates worrying Darling, now isn't the time to open up. They have a party to throw.

As Apple shoves the tray of greenbean casserole into the oven, a memory from this morning plays unbidden in her head. Apple, knowing it's against her best interests, had called her mother. She hasn't called her since Thanksgiving, as Darling helped her realize how bad it is for her mental health to keep doing it, but Christmas has always been such a special occasion in the White household and she couldn't resist.

She'd held the phone to her ear, hand trembling.

“H-Hi, Mom. I, um, just wanted to wish you a merry Christmas. I know we haven't talked in months, but Christmas has always been…you know…a very important holiday to our family and I just…” She racks her brain for how to word this properly. She plows ahead a moment later, knowing she has to continue. “I-I just wanted you to know that I remember all those…those traditions.” She swallows, her throat suddenly feeling thick. “I-I remember them and I just want you to know that I'm…you know…that I'm thinking about you.” Tears prick her eyes. She clears her throat. “Well, merry Christmas and I hope you have a good day. Goodbye.”

As she hung up, she'd cringed, remembering she'd already wished her mother a merry Christmas at the beginning of the message. Oh well. It's not like her mother would listen anyways. She sighed, sitting down on the couch, slumping back into the cushions. She looked up at the ceiling, eyes brimming with tears. But she didn't let them fall. It's Christmas for goodness sake. It's not a day to mourn her family estrangement. It's a day to be happy and celebrate. And that's what she decided then that she's going to do.

So, that's what she tries to do now. After she closes the oven and sets the timer, she turns to Darling, forcing a wide smile onto her face.

“This is going to be an amazing night!” she exclaims. “I just know it!”

Thankfully, Darling buys her enthusiasm, as a bright grin also overtakes her face.

“It will be,” she agrees. “We're going to pull this off. I know we will.”

XXX 4:48 pm

Apple and Darling, decked in elegant dresses, walk to the door together as the doorbell rings. Hand on the doorknob, Apple turns to her girlfriend.

“You ready, baby?”

Darling gives her a grin. “I was born ready.”

Apple giggles before throwing the door open. It's Briar and Ashlynn, arms full of presents.

“Merry Christmas!” they exclaim in unison, bright smiles on their faces.

“Merry Christmas!” Apple and Darling cheerfully reply.

Apple shuts the door as the girls walk in.

“Here, we’ll take those presents,” says Darling, taking the stack of presents Ashlynn is carrying from her. “You can just hang your coats and stuff on that rack and go make yourselves at home in the living room.”

Apple takes Briar’s presents from her then. Ashlynn and Briar both thank them before taking off their coats and hanging them on the rack. Apple and Darling take the presents into the living room, setting them down by the glowing Christmas tree. Apple’s eyes skim over the ornaments and as always her gaze lingers on her Baby’s First Christmas ornament, which features a photo of her mother holding her on the day she was born. Her mother is looking down at her with eyes so full of adoration, it makes Apple’s heart ache looking at it now.

“You okay?” Darling whispers.

Apple, pulled again from her daze by her girlfriend’s gentle voice, takes a second to get her bearings before giving her a small smile and nodding. Just like earlier, Darling’s brow is creased and this time her slightly concerned expression doesn’t fade after Apple’s assurance that she’s fine. But once again, Darling drops it, knowing it’s not the time to check in with Apple.

Apple and Darling sit down next to Briar and Ashlynn on the couch.

“I’m so glad you guys were able to make it!” Apple exclaims.

Ashlynn smiles, though it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Thank you for having us. Sorry we’re a little early. I’m just grateful Hunter actually took Willow tonight, so we were able to come. Hopefully he doesn’t drop her on her head or something.” She scoffs.

The other girls wince, but Briar quickly changes the subject.

“I know we’ve been to your house a ton already, but every time, I fall in love again with just how cute it is! These Christmas decorations are sooo cute! I love all the Frosties by the fireplace!”

Apple and Darling grin, loving the feeling of having their house complimented. They’ve put a lot of work into making it a beautiful and cozy place that reflects both of their personalities. They both thank Briar.

“We thought it would be a cute idea to feature all the Frosties together,” Darling explains. “A little excessive maybe, but we like it.”

“It’s super cute,” Briar assures them.

As her sentence comes to an end, the doorbell rings again.

“Ooh, more guests!” Apple exclaims. “I’ll get that! Do you think we should bring out the hot chocolate now, Darling?”

Darling nods. “Good idea! I’ll bring out the hot chocolate bar!”

Briar grins. “Ooh! Hot chocolate bar?! Now that sounds exciting!”

Darling chuckles. “Oh it is, Briar. It is.”

XXX

Once all the guests have arrived, which in addition to Briar and Ashlynn include Raven, Dexter, Daring, Rosabella, Blondie, Cupid, and Maddie, the group is sitting together in the living room, drinking hot cocoa and playing charades. It’s currently Raven’s turn and her team (her, Dexter, Maddie, Blondie, and Cupid) are struggling to say the least in guessing what she’s acting out. The girl is flailing her hands wildly, stomping her foot, face scrunched up. Apple certainly doesn’t know what she’s acting out and she doubts anybody in the room does either.

As the sand in the hourglass runs out, Darling exclaims, “Okay, time’s up!”

“Ugh!” Raven exclaims. “Guysss, I was playing a guitar! How could you not tell what I was doing?!”

The confusion is evident on everybody’s faces. The silence is broken by the most talkative one in the room.

“Raven, I love you,” Blondie says, “but maybe you should stick to playing an actual guitar. You looked like you’d just eaten something that tasted not so just right and were having a freak out.”

Everybody, including Raven, bursts into laughter.

“Oh kingdoms, she really did look like that!” Briar exclaims, winded from laughing so hard. “I actually thought something was wrong with her for a second!”

As everyone’s laughter begins to peter out, Maddie speaks.

“This hot cocoa is tea-riffic, guys! Or is it hot cocoa-riffic?” She furrows her brow, tapping her chin in thought. “Eh, I’ll stick with tea-riffic. It sounds better.”

Everybody giggles.

“Thank you!” Apple exclaims. “I’m glad you guys like the toppings we included so much. We’ll definitely be doing a hot chocolate bar again next time we host!” Dexter nods emphatically. “Please do! This peppermint bark adds so much flavor to the hot cocoa!”

Raven giggles, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. “You really love your peppermint, don’t you, baby?”

A lovestruck grin forms on Dexter’s face, as it always does when Raven shows him affection. He shrugs.

“I admit I’m a peppermint addict. Can you blame me? It’s objectively what Christmas is the best at.”

The group laughs again. Apple and Darling share a smile. Everything is going perfectly so far.

XXX 6:42 pm

As soon as Apple bites into the turkey, the turkey that she’d painstakingly prepared, a wave of disappointment washes over her. It’s too dry. Kingdoms, it’s too freaking dry! She bites down hard on her lip, resisting the urge to growl in frustration. Heart pounding in anxious anticipation, she looks around for any signs of discontent from her friends. But everybody just keeps casually chatting and laughing as they eat their meal.

“This is dee-licious, guys!” Briar exclaims, turning to Apple and Darling, a bright grin on her face.

Apple forces a smile onto her face, hopefully matching the entirely genuine one on Darling’s. They both thank her.

After Briar goes back to eating, Apple sighs softly. Darling who’s sitting next to her, so close that their shoulders are touching, frowns slightly. But she clearly knows better than to question Apple right now because just as quickly as the expression of concern came on, it’s gone. Apple tries to distract her attention from her cooking failure by focusing intently on the conversations. She steers clear of the turkey on her plate, eating the sides instead, which thankfully all taste good. She has her greenbean casserole and sweet potato casserole to be proud of at least.

As dinner continues, she starts to feel lighter, the issue with the turkey moving to the back of her mind as she listens to her friends talk. Raven is currently telling a story about her and Dexter’s cookie baking shenanigans.

“Okay, so Dexter and I were making cookies this morning, and oh my God, the amount of cookie dough this boy ate!” She shakes her head, violet eyes bright, face flushed from laughing. “It was insane! I’m surprised he’s not in the hospital with salmonella right now!”

Dexter scoffs lightly. “Cookie dough won’t give a person salmonella.”

“It happens,” Apple chimes in. “It’s rare but certainly possible!”

Raven turns to Dexter, a satisfied smirk on her face. “See, Dexter? The trivia genius has spoken, and too much cookie dough can in fact give you salmonella!”

Dexter rolls his eyes, but can’t hide the amusement on his face. “Who made her the trivia expert?”

Rosabella scoffs. “Like everybody! She objectively is amazing at trivia! You’ve been to trivia nights with her, dude!”

Dexter sighs. “Okay okay okay, I relent. Apple is right.”

“And a trivia master?” Darling questions, a smirk on her face.

Dexter rolls his eyes again. “Anddd a trivia master.”

Apple giggles. “He admits it!”

Everybody claps and whoops. Apple laughs along with her friends, all thoughts of the dry turkey gone from her mind.

XXX 8:13 pm

The group is settled in the living room again. They’re taking turns opening presents from each other. Some of the highlights have been a book Dexter put together for Raven of all of her original songs, a gorgeous and very expensive-looking snowglobe adorned with roses that Daring got for Rosabella, and an extremely fancy, colorful tea set Raven gifted Maddie. Now Ashlynn is opening her present from Briar, and all eyes are on them. Briar is sitting next to Ashlynn, knee bouncing in anticipation as Ashlynn carefully takes off the festive Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer wrapping paper. When Ashlynn’s eyes land on the present, a teacup in a beautiful shade of mint green with “Best Mom Ever” printed on in delicate gold script, her eyes immediately fill with tears. She puts her hand over her mouth.

“Briar.” Her choked voice is barely above a whisper. “I-I love it so much. Thank you!”

She pulls Briar into a crushing embrace, burying her face in her shoulder. Apple can hear her sniffling. The stunned expression on Briar’s face morphs into a soft smile. She hugs Ashlynn back, running her hand through the girl's hair. Everybody watches the exchange with soft smiles on their faces. Ever since becoming pregnant with Willow and especially since having her, Ashlynn has been going through a major rough patch. Throughout all the hardships, Apple has noticed that nobody makes the girl smile quite like Briar does.

Next it’s Darling’s turn to unwrap a present and she chooses Apple’s. Apple's heart pounds as she watches Darling carefully unwrap it. She knows her girlfriend will love it, but that doesn't stop the anxiety humming in her chest. As the wrapping paper falls to the ground and Darling's eyes land on the ornately decorated sword, she shrieks with delight. She turns to Apple, eyes shining.

“Oh my godmother Apple, this is amazing!”

Nervousness turns to relief and happiness as Apple sees the pure joy on her girlfriend’s face. Everybody stares in awe as Darling carefully pulls the sword from its sheath. The blade is golden and the hilt is encrusted with ruby and sapphire, shining like fire in the lamplight.

“Damn, that is one lit sword, Darling!” Daring exclaims. “Good choice, Apple!”

He gives her a wink. Apple giggles.

“I know you’ve been saying since we moved in that you want a display sword, so I figured, what better time to get it for you than Christmas?”

Darling’s eyes are suddenly watery. She sniffs. Her voice is hushed as she speaks. “Oh Apple, what did I ever do to deserve you?”

A million different feelings erupt in Apple’s chest at those words-love, delight, gratitude, fear, inadequacy-but their friends are watching, so she just smiles and whispers, “Everything.”

Darling sheathes the sword before grabbing Apple by the shoulders and pulling her into a deep kiss, filled with all the things they don’t know how to say. Apple is aware that this is the most passionately they’ve ever kissed in front of other people before, but Darling’s lips are soft and warm and filled with beautiful promises that she knows the girl will keep, so she doesn’t stop.

When they pull apart a moment later, their friends applaud and cheer. Apple’s and Darling’s faces flush bright red, but the goofy grins on their faces show just how happy they really are. After the cheering dies down, Darling faces Apple, a smirk on her face.

“Now let’s see what I’ve got in store for you.” She gives her a wink.

Apple giggles, heart fluttering. Darling unearths a small pink heart-patterned box from her pocket. She gently places it in Apple’s hands. Apple’s heart pounds in anticipation as she carefully unwraps the magenta ribbon and lifts the lid. Nestled inside is the most gorgeous necklace she’s ever seen. It’s pure white crystal shaped like a heart. It glows like stars in the lamplight. Apple, breathless with joy and surprise, gently lifts it. Her eyes fill with tears as she sees the small letters engraved on the back: A + D.

“Oh my God, Darling!” she exclaims. “Thank you so much!”

She bursts into tears, throwing her arms around her girlfriend, burying her face in her shoulder. Darling gasps softly in shock before hugging her back.

“Of course, my love,” she murmurs. “Anything for my princess.”

She gently kisses the top of Apple’s head. Apple chokes out a sob before lifting her face and pulling Darling into another kiss, even fiercer this time. Their friends cheer again, and Apple isn’t even embarrassed now. Darling is her girlfriend. Her True Love. And she will kiss her anywhere anytime and not be ashamed.

XXX 9:47 pm

Now that everybody has opened their presents, the group has decided to break out the champagne. As Apple gets up from the couch, she notices Ashlynn and Briar are still sitting. Ashlynn is turning the mug Briar gifted her around in her hands, looking down at it, eyes wide with admiration.

“I just love it, Briar,” she murmurs. “And I-I just love Willow so much. I can’t wait until she’s old enough to really have a proper Christmas. To bake cookies and sing carols and get excited about Santa Claus.” She lets out a watery chuckle as she gazes up at Briar, eyes filled with adoration.

Briar smiles warmly. “I can’t wait to do all those things with her too.”

Apple, realizing how rude she’s being eavesdropping like this, turns and follows the group toward the kitchen. As she walks, a memory, the kind she’s been trying to suppress the past month, infiltrates her mind.

XXX

“Mommy, look!” Apple, no older than five, exclaims. “I made a gingerbread man one! And I put it on the tray all by myself!”

As she sets down the cookie cutter, her mother walks over, a wide smile on her fair face as she sees the cookie dough gingerbread man lying on the tray, relatively intact.

“That you did, Applepie!” Snow exclaims cheerfully. “Good job, baby!”

She gives Apple a kiss on the cheek. Apple giggles with delight as Snow blows a raspberry on her face. As she pulls away, Apple bursts into laughter.

“Mommy!” she exclaims. “You have flour on your cheek!”

Snow raises an eyebrow. “I do, do I? Well, I guess I’ll just have to…” She pauses for dramatic effect. “Get some on your cheek! Mwuhaha!”

Wiping the flour from her cheek onto her finger, she quickly wipes it on Apple’s rosy face. Apple shrieks.

“Mommy!” she exclaims in indignation. “Now I’m a flour monster too!”

Snow laughs. “Well, does this flour monster accept cuddles?”

Apple crosses her arms. “Well…”

After thinking for a second, she smiles widely.

“Yes!” she exclaims, before jumping off the stool and into her mother’s arms.

Snow holds her close, peppering her curls with kisses. “Oh, my sweet little flour monster. I love you.”

XXX

Apple’s pulled from her stupor by an exclamation right next to her ear.

“No, let Apple uncork it!”

Apple blinks a few times before registering what’s happening. Darling and Daring are fighting over the bottle of champagne. It only takes a moment for Darling to best him, snatching the bottle from his hand.

“She never has before!” she exclaims. “She was telling me this morning that she wants to uncork the bottle for us tonight!”

Daring rolls his eyes.

Apple forces out a giggle as she watches the siblings’ antics. Ever since the memory invaded her mind, a wave of grief has descended over her. She doesn’t feel like uncorking the bottle. She doesn’t feel like partying at all. She just wants to go cry under her covers. But she’s made it this far. The night is almost over.

“Daring, let her do it!” Rosabella laughs, playfully shoving her boyfriend to the side as he tries to grab the bottle from Darling again.

“Okay, fineee,” he relents.

He grins at Rosabella, giving her a quick kiss on the lips. As they pull back, she’s beaming, eyes bright.

“Okay, here we go!” Darling exclaims, coming over to Apple. “I already got the cork out. You just have to put it in, twist counterclockwise and then pull, okay?”

Apple nods. “Alright.”

She tries to sound cheerful, giving Darling the best smile she can manage.

Moving over to the counter where the bottle is sitting, Apple follows Darling’s directions. When she gets to the pulling part though, no matter how hard she tugs, it won’t come loose.

“Come on, Apple!” Briar exclaims. “You can do it!”

Apple grits her teeth in determination before giving it the most powerful pull she can muster. She gasps as it comes undone with a pop and a hiss. She watches in horror as liquid sprays out. Somehow it avoids Apple completely, sailing past her and hitting Raven who’s standing to her left instead. Raven shrieks.

“Oh my God, Raven! I’m so sorry!” Apple exclaims.

Humiliation burns her cheeks and tightens her stomach as she takes in the sight of a drenched Raven. It takes Raven a moment to recover, as some of the champagne sprayed her in the face, but after she wipes her face with a rag Dexter handed her, she gives Apple a reassuring smile.

“It’s fine!” she assures her. “I can just change into one of Darling’s outfits! It’s really no big deal! It’s not like it’s your fault. The bottle must’ve gotten shaken at some point.”

Apple twists her fingers together, looking down at the floor. The tile begins to blur as her eyes pool with tears. Shit. She can’t do this anymore. She hurries out of the room and down the hall. Reaching her bedroom, she shuts and locks the door behind her. Walking on trembling legs to the bed, she sits down on the edge, buries her face in her hands, and finally lets the tears that have wanted release all day fall. Memories flood her mind. She and her mother baking cookies, singing carols by the Christmas tree, building a snowman. She remembers all this and more, and remembering when she can’t have it anymore hurts with a searing pain unlike any she’s ever felt.

She doesn’t know how long it’s been before there’s a gentle knock on the door.

“Apple, sweetie?” Darling’s voice is soft, but tight with concern. “Are you okay?”

Apple just keeps crying, unable to stop.

“Oh, baby,” Darling murmurs. “Can I come in please?”

Apple tries to take deep breaths, but every attempt fails, only more choked sobs coming out. She can’t believe she let this happen. Tonight was supposed to be a perfect night. A night of joy and celebration and togetherness. And now she’s ruined it.

Outside the door, Darling continues to plead with her.

“Baby, please…let me in.”

Not able to bear hearing the heartbreak in Darling’s voice, Apple stands on shaky legs, slowly making her way to the door. She opens it with a trembling hand. As soon as it opens and Darling’s worried eyes land on her, a soft, sympathetic expression forms on her face.

“Oh, sweetie,” she whispers. “Come here.”

She shuts the door before pulling Apple into her arms. Apple hugs her back tightly, burying her face in her shoulder.

“Baby, what’s going on?” Darling murmurs. “Raven isn’t mad at you. It was an honest mistake. And it wasn’t even your fault.”

Apple shakes her head. She wants to tell Darling that that’s not really the reason she’s upset, but with how hard she’s crying, there’s no way she’ll be able to get the words out.

“I’m sorry, baby,” Darling whispers. She smooths a hand over her back, gently threading her fingers through her hair with the other. “I’m sorry you’re feeling so bad.”

The empathy in Darling’s voice only makes Apple cry harder.

When Apple is finally able to get herself mostly under control and only sniffles and hiccups remain, she suddenly remembers something. She pulls back from Darling, her swollen eyes wide.

“The clothes!” she exclaims. She winces at the hoarseness of her voice. “The clothes are in here! Raven needs to change!”

Darling gives her a soft, sympathetic smile, eyes still filled with concern. She reaches out, gently wiping Apple’s tears with her thumbs.

“It’s okay, baby,” she murmurs. “Briar had a change of clothes in her purse. It’s all okay, alright?”

Apple sighs in relief, but only a small load is taken off her shoulders. They’re still heavy with the hundreds of other burdens that haunt her daily. She lets out another sigh, shakier this time, before resting her head on Darling’s shoulder. Darling wraps her in her arms again, slowly swaying side to side. A moment later, she softly speaks.

“Do you want to tell me what’s going on, baby?”

Immediately, Apple’s eyes burn with fresh tears. She buries her face in Darling’s shoulder, shaking her head. But the words come out anyways, brittle as glass.

“She didn’t call.”

The situation with her mother is one that Apple tries not to discuss with Darling much. Darling’s mother rejected her even more vehemently when she found out about their relationship, officially disowning her and saying horrible insults that Darling still cries out in her sleep most nights. Snow just isn’t talking to Apple. She never disowned her. At least not officially. But damn it, it still hurts. When Apple really thinks about it, when she’s not busy with a million other things, the pain is so intense, it takes her breath away. She can’t even imagine the pain Darling is feeling if this is how much she’s hurting. So, this is why she tries not to talk about her own problems with her mother. Darling has it worse, so she should be the one who gets to cry and vent. It’s not Apple’s place to do so. But on a day like Christmas, where the memories just won’t halt their endless cycle through her head, it’s just too much to keep inside.

There’s a long moment of silence, nothing but Apple’s shaking breaths and the distant sound of their friends talking, filling the quiet air. Then a gentle kiss is being placed on the top of her head.

“I'm so sorry.” Darling's choked voice trembles. “I'm so sorry, sweetie.”

She stifles a sob. She tightens the embrace and Apple squeezes her back even tighter, trying to return some of the comfort she's being given. They're both hurting after all. At least throughout all this pain, they still have each other. Apple consoles herself with this thought as they continue to embrace, their friends’ voices nothing but a hum in the background as they find everything they need and more in each other's arms.

XXX Present Time (Thursday December 24, 2020) 11:57 am

Now finally finished with wrapping presents, Apple and Darling are snuggled together on the couch, sipping hot cocoa. Apple sighs contentedly. The warmth of the fire crackling in the fireplace, the delicious taste of the hot cocoa, the security of Darling's arms around her–in this moment, nothing could be more perfect. Apple doesn't know what tonight has in store, what Raven's mental state is going to be, if they're even going to be able to make it through the party. What she does know though is that this is right. Her and Darling together, loving each other more and more every day. No matter what grief their bigoted parents still to this day put them through, she knows one thing for certain: something as beautiful as her and Darling's relationship could never be wrong.

[levon]

[itsmarjudgeloveclassicrock59]

JOHNNY WINTER at Woodstock 1969

Inevitably, given the late start to the Sunday, August 17, 1969 festivities, the clock now ticked its way into Monday morning as Johnny Winter made his way onto the Woodstock stage. He had recently released his self-titled second album and was carving out a name for himself as one of the hottest guitarists around. Wasting no time, Johnny took to center-stage and opened with a powerhouse take on J.B. Lenoir’s blues classic “Mama, Talk To Your Daughter,” effortlessly peeling off some mind-bending licks.

The stomping original “Leland Mississippi Blues” followed, and an early high point of the set came with a scorching version of “Mean Town Blues,” another Winter original from his first album. This featured a lengthy breakdown section in the middle of the song, with Johnny showcasing his inimitable slide guitar chops played on a 12-string Fender fitted with only six strings (for maximum string separation, thus making it easier to play slide).

The set settled into its midway point with a lengthy cover of B.B. King’s “You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now,” which drifted into James Gordon’s “Mean Mistreater,” the latter of which had also been included on Johnny Winter. At this point, Johnny brought out an equally brilliant musician, his brother Edgar, to join him on keyboards and saxophone for the remainder of the set. The brothers began with a fun version of Bo Diddley’s “I Can’t Stand It” before Edgar virtually tore his voice apart with an impassioned rendering of John D. Loudermilk’s classic “Tobacco Road.”

The main set ended with another up-tempo cover, a version of Ray Charles’ “Tell The Truth.” For the encore, Johnny pulled out a crazed version of Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” which (as he informed the crowd) had recently been recorded by his band and would be released two months later on the Second Winter album.

[dorothygale]

I was inspired by @silkchifffon to post my vinyl collection 😛 click for full quality! (not included: my preorders of 1989 TV and The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess by Chappell Roan)

also here is my discogs lol

list ⬇️

Aly & AJ - Ten Years, Joan of Arc on the Dance Floor / Attack of Panic (single), Potential Breakup Song (single), a touch of the beat gets you up on your feet gets you out and then into the sun

The Beatles - Abbey Road, Hey Jude, Let It Be

Big Red Machine - How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?

Billy Joel - Streetlife Serenade, The Stranger, 52nd Street, Glass Houses, The Bridge, A Matter of Trust / Getting Closer (single), An Innocent Man

Carly Rae Jepsen - Tug of War, Kiss (picture disc), Kiss (anniversary white vinyl), Call Me Maybe Remixes, Emotion, Emotion (anniversary blue vinyl), Emotion Side B, Dedicated, Dedicated Side B, The Loneliest Time

Carole King - Tapestry

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits

Dean Martin - The Dean Martin Christmas Album

Eagles - Hotel California

Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac, The Farmer’s Daughter / Monday Morning (single), Rumours, Dreams / Songbird (single)

Frank Sinatra - Merry Christmas to You

HAIM - Days Are Gone, Something to Tell You, Women in Music Pt. III

Halsey - BADLANDS

Harry Styles - Harry Styles, Fine Linen, Harry’s House

The Head and the Heart - The Head and the Heart, Let’s Be Still

Hootie and the Blowfish - Cracked Rear View

Hozier - Hozier, Wasteland, Baby!, Unreal Unearth (signed)

Huey Lewis and the News - Sports

Jackson Browne - Running On Empty

James Taylor - Greatest Hits

Jonas Brothers - Happiness Begins

Judy Garland - The Very Best of Judy Garland

Julie Andrews - Your Favorite Christmas Carols Vol. 5

Leonard Nimoy - The Touch of Leonard Nimoy

Lorde - Pure Heroine, Melodrama

mxmtoon - the masquerade, dawn / dusk (double EP), in the darkness (Flexi single)

Olivia Rodrigo - SOUR, singles 4 you (12” single, sealed)

One Direction - Up All Night, Take Me Home, FOUR, Made in the A.M.

Paul Simon - Greatest Hits Etc.

Sammy Rae & The Friends - Chapter One

Simon & Garfunkel - Greatest Hits

Taylor Swift - Taylor Swift, Picture to Burn (single), Fearless (Platinum Edition), Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Speak Now, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), Red, Red (Taylor’s Version), 1989, reputation (picture disc), Lover, ME! (single), ME! BBMA rehearsal audio (single), Lover (Live From Paris), Christmas Tree Farm (12” single), folklore (stolen lullabies edition), cardigan / cardigan voice memo (single), cardigan (cabin in candlelight version) (single), evermore, Midnights (Lavender Edition)

Various/Misc - Camelot OBCR, Casablanca: Classic Film Scores For Humphrey Bogart, A Christmas Album, Christmas America, A Christmas Gift, Christmas Number 1’s, Cinderella (1965 OST), The Magical Music of Walt Disney, Free to Be… You and Me, Grease OST, My Fair Lady OBCR, The Sound of Music OBCR, The Sound of Music OST, Star Trek Stories, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock OST, West Side Story OST, The Wizard of Oz OST, The Wizard of Oz OST (Mondo)

[disneyswiftpolls]

Vote for Kida here (closes Friday, 12/1)

Vote for Giselle here (closes Monday, 11/27)

Submit Song Suggestions for Rapunzel, Merida, or Elsa

Info Post with Winners

"The Best Day" from Fearless (Taylor's Version)

And now I know why the all the trees change in the fall I know you were on my side Even when I was wrong And I love you for giving me your eyes Staying back and watching me shine and I didn't know if you knew So I'm taking this chance to say That I had the best day with you today

"Change" from Fearless (Taylor's Version)

Tonight we'll stand, get off our knees Fight for what we've worked for all these years And the battle was long, it's the fight of our lives But we'll stand up champions tonight It was the night things changed Can you see it now? These walls that they put up to hold us back fell down It's a revolution, throw your hands up 'Cause we never gave in And we'll sing hallelujah

"Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince" from Lover

My team is losing, battered and bruising I see the high fives between the bad guys Leave with my head hung, you are the only one Who seems to care American stories burning before me I'm feeling helpless, the damsels are depressed Boys will be boys then, where are the wise men?

"Paper Rings" from Lover

In the winter, in the icy outdoor pool When you jumped in first, I went in too I'm with you even if it makes me blue Which takes me back To the color that we painted your brother's wall Honey, without all the exes, fights, and flaws We wouldn't be standing here so tall, so Kiss you once 'cause I know you had a long night (Oh) Kiss you twice 'cause it's gonna be alright Three times 'cause you waited your whole life

"Starlight" from Red (Taylor's Version)

And I said, "Oh my, what a marvelous tune" It was the best night, never would forget how we moved The whole place Was dressed to the nines And we were dancing, dancing Like we're made of starlight, starlight He said, "Look at you, worrying so much about things you can't change You'll spend your whole life singing the blues If you keep thinking that way" He was tryna to skip rocks on the ocean saying to me "Don't you see the starlight, starlight Don't you dream impossible things"