#I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WITH LILY AND KATH

[verashalurks]

10 minutes without last night at the telegraph club

[richincolor]

Review: A Scatter of Light by Malinda Lo Dutton Books

**Summary: **Aria Tang West was looking forward to a summer on Martha's Vineyard with her best friends--one last round of sand and sun before college. But after a graduation party goes wrong, Aria's parents exile her to California to stay with her grandmother, artist Joan West. Aria expects boredom, but what she finds is Steph Nichols, her grandmother's gardener. Soon, Aria is second-guessing who she is and what she wants to be, and a summer that once seemed lost becomes unforgettable--for Aria, her family, and the working-class queer community Steph introduces her to. It's the kind of summer that changes a life forever.

**My Thoughts: **This is a book that I could not put down. Steph and her story have a lot of layers and it was intriguing to see them slowly emerge. And there were also many bits of connection that were not clear initially and watching those revelations was a little like finding clues in a mystery. Seeing those strands come together was quite satisfying.

As the summary indicates, Steph's summer is not what she had expected, but her alternate plans are life changing in ways she never expected. There is a lot happening internally with Steph as she discovers new things about herself. With her new friends and even with her grandmother, she begins to see herself and her relationships with a new perspective.

I appreciated the interactions Steph has with her grandmother about art, life, family and, and time. I think readers will find a lot to relate to and think about there. It sure made me want to play with art and think about things.

The title and cover art allude to the astronomy that is woven throughout the book. That adds another dimension to the book. What we think we are seeing, is not always what is there. Steph shares an interest in astronomy with her grandfather and that science and the art with her grandmother blend in interesting ways.

Steph is a high school graduate and her new friends are a few years older so this is on the older side of YA. She is definitely navigating some complicated situations, but is learning so much about herself and what she actually wants and needs.

Recommendation: Get it now--especially if you have enjoyed Malinda Lo's previous work. The book is full of life with all of its messiness. And, though it isn't a large part of the story, there is mention of Lily and Kath from Last Night at the Telegraph Club for those who want to know more about how their story progressed.

Extras: 

Malinda Lo Reads from A Scatter of Light

Malinda Lo & Ellen Oh Discussing A Scatter of Light

Pages: 324 

Availability: On shelves now (and Malinda Lo has posted links to bookstores with signed copies here) 

Review copy: Purchased at Eastwind Books so it's signed ;)

[hellsprite]

hi, I’ve had some wine, it’s 2am and I’m rewatching Phil’s Moving Out - Keep it or Yeet It video. Is this my favorite Phil video ever? Maybe! I laughed throughout this vid in a real way - not just like a hehe funnie :p but real, serious laughter. Here’s some notes.  

WE’re MOVING

Phil ‘discovering’ the basket of seemingly random but perfect for a video items is so dumb but at least he’s like “I knew it was there!!!!!!” love this growth

Like a shameful…………  lover

god i love phil

Vibrating Sloth, Put It On Your Back Like A Sloth Friend

Naked Man Apron — countdown to Phil saying 9-pack oh he said it

Koala souvenir pic, historic!

Spon Break

Okay we’re back, what’s next? OH. It’s THESE. It’s….. Like……. A Million….. photo booth photos……………………………………………. of me and Dan :)

Okay so this part where Phil acknowledges Dan’s sexiness is so cathartic like… YEAH!!! We know! You Know! Phil, you really know. And a line was crossed and we’re here now. Phil casually and jokingly mentioning that his bf is hot is something we have not seen outside of dailybooths and formsprings so uhhh yeah, I guess you could say I’m pretty happy.

god phil is also hot, btw

mad at these pajamas very mad, ew

Phil and Katya interact tiny hands challenge — i’m manifesting

Mysterious Hard Drive - Love this, can’t wait to see more

2 videos 1 picture

Okay

He’s concerned

OKAY

Okay listen, Phil really seems confused about what this video is, even after he sees Dan in the mirror, his face is still like scrunchy and puzzled but he also keeps filming and keeps talking like he absolutely knows there is nothing shady happening, because please. But I think he’s also like ‘but where am I if Dan’s there?’

And then he sees himself and he figures it out and hey, remember how Phil is really not a good actor? This ain’t acting. But it is very cute, A+ narrating and mystery solving.

I laughed so hard at that fucking styrofoam chair because i KNOW this is something they have mentioned in passing but like it’s not something that I think about on the regular so I can’t tell you when or where I heard them talk about it but anyway. When I saw it I was like, “OH THAT CHAIR HAAHAHAHA” like I was in on the joke. Love this.

omfg

person juice

FUCK that’s so god damn funny and dark person juice are you kiddin me

p.s. did I just google the word juice to make sure i was spelling it correctly because i looked at it too long? yes!

Chopsticks from the CHOPstick Challenge, another favorite video of mine.

Fan Edition CAH: oh we’re starting out with a gaping something ;). Pete Wentz and Harry Styles. Meaty Legs. The End!

I am dying over that crystal looking exactly like a lil chicken breast. I never noticed in videos and never read comments so this was news to me and the reports were TRUE AND WELL-RESEARCHED.

Okay. First of all, I need to know how old Phil was when he bought this gelly foot bath for his own MOTHER. Because I think it was probably only a year ago. Second of all, Queen Kath was like ‘...uhhhhhhhhh yeah no, thanks though’ which is absolutely correct.

I am laughing so hard at this foot bath, how silly!

Remember going on holiday????

Dan and Phil play suck and blow

Dan acting like there’s anyone else on earth in normal times, let alone during a pandemic.

“If you’re using the spa with a friend, why not ask them to pamper…..” Dan’s not having it, and I get that

Pause for maybe the only real ASMR moment Phil or Dan has ever inserted into their videos - not my thing particularly, but I appreciate the focus on the squishy sounds without the added and overdone harsh whisper mocking ASMR — hi, I’m hellsprite and I’m here to talk to you today about the dangers of ridiculing healthy and harmless coping mechanisms. In this essay I will —

Phil is having so much fun

Dan saying this is the most upsetting thing he has done or seen this year is a lie because he did see Phil in those fake beards and I for one have not forgiven that.

Blurred feet, unblurred feet — blurred feet sexier hehehehehe

Phil found his groove, and also just figured out what toenail clipper looks like????? WAIT

Does Phil not automatically know what a toenail clipper looks like? WHY Would he say, “I thought it was a hair clipper tee hee *giggle*” WHATTTT I am very confused by this. I could blindfold myself, touch a pair of shears in one hand an a toenail clipper in the other and know exactly which was which without hesitation. I’m mad again.

“WHY DID YOU BUY IT!!!!” — Dan, asking the real questions. Kath co-signs.

Okay we’re going around the apartment now and keeping or yeeting……… plants, basically.

Oh wait it’s not just plants, I’m so cynical!!!  Bye & Sign! Bye red puzzle (?) mirror! Bye Hulk! Bye Iron Man!  

Their peace lily does look glossy and perky and lovely.

Bye yoga ball!

Bye Entire Room of Boxes??? Do you know how much money I would pay to see inside of those boxes??????????????????? Like 10 bucks max!!! ugh

Quick reminder in the outro that Phil is very cute!!

[katsumi-sensei-of-iga]

Shigezane birthday fanfic

This will be an AU of sort in which Katsumi ended serving Kojuro under the guise of a page and helps the Date. Only Kojuro, Masa, Genya and Shige know she is a kunoichi. I love Shige, so I wanted him to be happy.

Most will be under the cut to save boards because I had too much fun writing this and got carried away! Enjoy! If you guys want I can try and continue this with some smut for the birthday boy.

Tagging the Shige lovers I’ve seen so far(if you don’t want to be tagged feel free to tell me): @julias1993 @coffee-kath @nefernankh @apfleur @dany-ryujin @pcyoshgurl @daeva-agas

The castle was abuzz with preparations for the young lord Date’s birthday. The maids were carrying flowers, vases, scrolls, tea sets and what could only be described as a feast for wolves. They were like butterflies, moving so fast, their fluttering sleeves made them look like dancers on stage. 

The retainers were just as busy, after all it was their duty to arrange all the things the maids brought back and fort and dust off the places the butterflies couldn’t reach. There were quite a few fights, but some were prevented as well:

In Masamune’s chamber:

 - Katsumi? - Yes, sweetheart? - Can you go and check how the Main hall is coming along? Shigezane will be here in few hours. - For Shige? Always.

Only as she was leaving did Masamune sneak a glance at her silently retreating form. He was glad she cared for his cousin almost as much as him and Kojuro, at times she would argue she loved him more than the two of them combined. Now the Dragon of Oshu had The Dragon’s Shadow and knew that she would never let anything happened to any of them, and if something did happened she would be there for those left.

-Let’s just hope she can subdue the rowdy retainers who get way too much into flower arranging every year...

Masamune allowed himself a laugh remembering the disaster last year, when the hall was so colorful and random that Kojuro had steam coming out of his ears and almost fainted and Shigezane bruised a rib from laughing so hard but appreciated it all non the less.

At the Hall:

- That flower should go there! - Are you insane!? This is not some peasants’ house, that Lilly shouldn’t be there it makes the whole vase look out of place!

- Guys! A little bit of help here!? - the poor retainer that was hanging lanterns and weaving  pieces of cloth around the beams was now left hanging from the ceiling after loosing his footing and slipping from the ladder under him. But his friends were too busy arguing, getting ready to draw their swords, about the vases in the hall to notice him.

- Excuse me, does anyone know where all the lilies wen- Ahhhh! - the poor maid that came in was no expecting the ladder that found it self in her path and conflicted whether to brace herself for the fall or hold on to the family heirloom vase in her hands, she brought the vase close to her chest and prepared for the nasty bruise that was bound to appear in a few hours. And just as the retainers scrambled to their feet to catch, some the vase, others the maid...

BAAM!

The door flew open, almost falling from it’s hinges, only for the retainers to be met with the furious glare of Lord Kojuro’s page who stalked towards them, but not before catching the poor thing that was by now scared out of her mind and kicking the ladder back under the feet of the retainer who by now had accepted his fate and was just about ready to let go and deal with having a bruised bottom for the next month.

- Give me the vase and go help the other butterflies in the garden with getting more flowers and bring me some camellias, please. - the sweet smile and secure grip on her waist was all the maid needed to gladly hand over, what could have been her death sentence had Yoshihime found out she had broken it, and leave but not before giving a chaste bow to the woman who just saved her.

- Now. I want every single on of you out of this hall by the time I return with flowers and cloth to fix this horrendous, tasteless throw up of colors you call decoration. Anyone I catch here after that I will personally deal with later.

The retainers didn’t need another warning and fled before they could find out what “deal with you later” meant.

-This will be hard... Well, anything for Shige... - Katsumi rolled up and tied her sleeves and started re-arranging all the vases, throwing the bright flowers that she deemed an eye sore in a basket near by and inspecting the pieces of white and red cloth hanging from the beams, that were actually very good looking and perfectly woven through one another. - At least one of them knew what he was doing, or in the very least wasn’t color blind. I will have to ask Masamune to reward that retainer...But that’s a job for another time.

A few hours later:

- Wow! This is beautiful! - Amazing! - Who decorated!? This is like the Hall of Amaterasu herself! - I want my wedding decorated like that! - Are we sure we are not dead and this is what the afterlife looks like...

All the retainers and maids that came in hall right before Shigezane was about to arrive were stunned. Their Lord and Kojuro soon joined the lines of gaping staff with just as stunned expressions.

The hall was a mix of red, white, orange and gold, a bright contrast to the darkness outside. The lanterns and only source of light were hanging from the ceiling making the dais and seats around it glow like a bunch of deities had come down from Heaven and were looking down upon them, giving them a divine blessing. The vases and flowers - mainly camellias, white and red tiger lilies were arranged on the tables, some flowers were tied with string and hanged up instead of scrolls on some of the walls and around the spot their Lord was soon to take up on the dais was a half circle of green, blue and orange tulips, symbolism only Masamune and Kojuro understood, woven into a braid. 

- What do you think? I personally think this is some of my best work yet. I hope the young Lord likes it. - The last person everybody expected to appear from behind the folding screen on the dais with an armful of lanterns and flowers sticking out of her sleeves and a camellia behind her ear was Kojuro’s page, the scariest woman the staff have ever seen. And yet, here she was, fretting like a mother on her daughter’s wedding day, making last minute fixes. More lanterns, less lanterns, less flowers, more flowers...

- You did this? - Kojuro was the first to find his voice, knowing she had an advantage with her...training... But this was still something he had never seen.

- You see anyone else? Originally I wasn’t supposed to have anything to do with this, but after I saw the way the hall looked earlier I couldn’t leave it like that. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go change. - As she passed them Kojuro could swear he could smell camellias and lilies with every flick of her hair.

Just as the door behind her closed, another opened.

- Wow! This is all for me? Guys, you didn’t have to! - Shigezane! How could we not hear him come in!?

- Happy birthday, Lord Shigezane! - all the servants said in unison as they had trained for the past week. - Thank you all!

After everybody took their seats and the feast began it was time for the most special presents.

-Happy birthday, Shigezane. I wish you all the best in this life and the next. - Kojuro patted his head as he gave him his present, making sure no-one else saw what he gave the young man- The Lover’s Guide: Deluxe Edition.

- Happy birthday, Shigezane. This is a present from Katsumi and I. And you are no longer disowned until you do something stupid again. - Masamune’s soft eyes betrayed his cold tone. His presents was simple but from the heart, both their hearts - a new cream-colored haori with the Date sigil on the neck and sleeves, the colors fading from orange to green, and a protection charm he sewed himself, with Katsumi’s help of course, huh, who knew the rules to sewing wounds are the same as sewing fabric.

Speak of the Devil.

- And this is something special from me personally. - The last thing Shigezane expected was a kiss on the back of the neck that made his skin crawl, at which he turned around and got another kiss, this time on the forehead. - Happy birthday, darling. - Shigezane was stunned. She was beautiful. Wearing a dark purple kimono with a silver water and mountains and the green obi with the image of a dragon coiling around her waist with two different eyes, something she made for Masamune’s birthday. And she was wearing the silver hairpin he bought for her on her own birthday mere 10 days ago. She was the personification of everything great about the Date - strength, intelligence, kindness shown only to those who deserve it, protection to the innocent and love to those most precious.

Surrounded by his family and loved ones, Shigezane suddenly understood he wasn’t alone and instead of the usual wish every year to find someone and never be alone, this year he wished for health and happiness for those around him.