#Song of Autumn in Springtime

[love-and-deepspace-wiki]

Random Facts: Sylus

Antonio Vivaldi:

At the start of chapter 2 of Sylus' "Twilight Chronicles" event story, Sylus briefly hums a melody.

This melody is from "The Four Seasons", a group of four violin concerti by Antonio Vivaldi - each themed for the four seasons of the year (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter). The specific melody he hums is from the first movement of "Spring" (aka Allegro: Concerto No. 1 in E Major, "Spring")

Interesting Facts:

Each movement of each concerto is actually accompanied by a sonnet. Though it is not known for sure who wrote them, it is widely theorized that the sonnets were also written by Antonio Vivaldi. Below is the English translation of the sonnet corresponding with the first movement of "Spring".

Allegro

"Springtime is upon us.

The birds celebrate her return with festive song,

and murmuring streams are

softly caressed by the breezes.

Thunderstorms, those heralds of Spring, roar,

casting their dark mantle over heaven,

Then they die away to silence,

and the birds take up their charming songs once more."

[boraluv]

picnic in the rain

𐙚 𐙚 𐙚 not totally uninspired by Seokjin's "lovely runner" moment in "Run Jin ep 2" 𐙚 𐙚 𐙚

warnings: none I think!

genre: 1.6k words of silly fluffy musings (banter is not my strong suit, but I'm working at it....)

________________________________________________

It’s hard for you to choose a favorite season. If held at knifepoint, you suppose you’d say summer. The long days, more sunshine than winter, with so many outdoor activities to pick from, tend to win points in the scorecard of your heart. But even so, you admire the variety of springtime flowers, the crisp colors of autumn, and the cozy brilliance of wintertime.

Today is of those late May days - low humidity, a kiss of a breeze, with intermittent clouds that freckle the cobalt sky- late spring, with the perks of summertime. After working overtime last weekend, you have a rare Monday afternoon with no schedules. Feeling untouchable, you packed up a few homemade cookies, your favorite spicy tuna kimbap, and even splurged on some grapes! A picnic in your favorite park overlooking the city is just what you desire today.

Romantising your life may not be practical most of the time, with how busy work and adulting tends to keep you. The spring weather wont last much longer, and you know the humidity will roll in like spring high tides, overwhelming and damp.

More than occasionally, living in such a vast metropolis brings you to tears of loneliness and futility. The anonymity gifts you certain freedoms, but it some days it feels burdensome. The human desire to connect has always been strong in you, and passing so many individuals daily draws out your loneliness. Today, however, the sunshine fills you up with unmatched positivity - and wearing your favorite sundress & flower-embroidered cardigan & cute white tennies, you don't mind being alone. It’s the kind of day where the birds sing songs just to you, the flowers wave like old friends, and cute babies in prams giggle at your silly faces while you wait to cross street corners.

Jazzy music floats on the breeze from a cafe across the street. Sunlight pokes your eyes. The cute straw sunhat you pulled off the top shelf of your closet has more tiny holes than you’d realized, and you wish you’d grabbed a pair of sunglasses to wear under it. Oh well! At least it’s cute and still keeps most of the rays out of your eyes.

Even on a Monday afternoon, the park is speckled with other visitors. Mostly you see parents with children, uncles napping on benches or aunties power walking & gossiping.

You spot a clearing on a slight hill; a large tree provides dappled shade, with a nice patch of sunlight on the edge of the shadows, perfect if you decide you want to warm up in the sunshine. Shaking out the wrinkles (and maybe a stray spider), you flatten out the colorful blue and white striped blanket. You’d thrifted it in college, and over time it’s become too worn to use on your bed or couch— but you can’t possibly bear to get rid of it, sentimental of all the buckets of popcorn and movies watched on this piece of fabric during university years.

Blanket settled and smoothed out (not perfectly, you don’t care that much- it’s not like anyone is going to take photos of you out here!), you set your tote bag down. In a perfect world, you’d be sporting a cute wicker basket. Alas, this is not a Pinterest board, and you don’t have room in your studio apartment for extra items. Instead, you pull your dishes from the Trader Joe’s bag (a gift from your sister, the last time she visited from the States). It’s multipurpose, cute, and ever so sturdy! Pretty cute, too, actually.

Tummy content after finishing up your kimbap, you pop a tart grape in your mouth. The little oblong green fruits aren’t your top choice, but fruit in Korea costs premium, and now anytime you get to eat fresh fruit, you whisper a prayer of gratitude. The firm fruit, popping with tart juice, refreshes you as you lay on the soft blanket.

The best part of a picnic is, of course, the food. But the second best part is always, always getting to enjoy the sunshine and a book! Pulling a worn copy of your favorite classic, paperback cover a bit scratched and the pages dogeared, you flip to the bookmarked section. A pair of light pink headphones have replaced your sunhat, lo-fi beats humming as you immerse yourself in the story.

After a while, you flip onto your stomach, white tennis shoes crossed at your ankles and kicking back & forth ever so often. Immersed in the familiar story, you relax as the sunshine continues to warm up the ground underneath you and the air around you.

An odd sensation, like little ..wet?!… pinpricks, pulls you from sleep. Blinking, you conclude that you must have dozed off!

Head jolting up, you grab your headphones and pull them down to your neck, disoriented. The sound of rain drops on the leaves above turns your face towards the sky, and you realize that the sun, who had earlier so kindly warmed and energized you, has hidden herself like a shy child behind clouds, now threatening to unleash a springtime storm.

“Oh!!” you squeal, quickly marking your book where you’d stopped reading when sleep overtook you. Shoving the book and food containers into your tote, you stand up, careful to not trip over your blanket- the park has mostly emptied out, but you’d still be embarrassed if you tripped and rolled down the hill in your groggy state.

Blanket folded into a manageable size, you lift it overhead. The raindrops fall harder, pelting the ground with juicy thwacks.

“Should I run for it?” you wonder softly to yourself. Grinning, the idea of running through the rain sounds a bit like a scene from a movie. “Why not!?”

With a shriek, you bolt. Puddles have already begun forming on the path, and you weave around them as best you can, avoiding as much mud as you can manage.

Damp hairs kiss your neck and cheeks. Breathlessly, you keep on, even though the skirt of your dress has also begun to cling to your legs as raindrops soak into the hem.

Eyes low and just on the concrete ahead, you realize almost too late the form of another human before you. Black adidas shoes and jeans, also wet for at least a couple inches of hem, stand before you.

Halted, you gaze up, underneath the shelter of your blanket, trying not to pant. A tall, slender guy stares at you, looking a bit amused. His giant umbrella, a cheery yellow, secures a dry perimeter around him. Dark eyes twinkle, and noticing your embarrassment creeping up your cheeks in a rosy blush, his face cracks into a smile. Plump lips show off a stunning set of teeth- you didn’t know it was possible for a human to have such a smile!

“I’m sorry!” you say, “I was running too fast, I’d dint’ splash you at all, did I?”

“No …no, not at all,” he replies. He runs his left hand through his long straight hairs, laughing lightly. “I think you could have really knocked me over if you didn’t see me, though. You looked as fast as a bullet train.”

“Oh, well, the rain caught me out on a picnic… and actually I fell asleep…and woke up to the storm…and decided to make a run for it towards shelter. I must still be waking up, I don’t typically run people down in public parks.”

His hazelnut eyebrows raise in surprise. “A picnic? That sounds fun. I’m sorry it got cut short.”

Motioning to his oversized umbrella, he continues. “I can share, if you’d like? I’m happy to walk you to a convenience store or bus stop. My umbrella is more than large enough for even these broad shoulders.”

You brighten. “My arms would love a break from this blanket, and it’s definitely not waterproofed.” Giggling, you tuck it under your arm and move under the cheery plastic canopy. “Actually, I have an extra cookie!! I’d be happy to trade it for your services.”

“I’m quite good at eating cookies, and would be very interested in this trade,” the man remarks. “But I shouldn’t take food from strangers - my Eomma wouldn’t like that. What’s your name? Mine’s Seokjin.”

You nod. “That’s wise advice. Nice to meet you, Seokjin, I’m Y/N.”

He laughs, the sound pinballing off the interior of the umbrella pleasantly. “Wonderful. Now that we’ve got that settled, what kind of cookie do you have?”

You pull out the silicone stashed from your tote, handing it to him. “Homemade chocolate chip. They remind me of summers growing up, so I made a batch recently. It’s our family recipe.”

His face remains stoic as he bits into the cookie, softened from your afternoon in the sun and warm air. Biting you lip, you watch and wait for the verdict.

“Very good, at least so far.” He comments. A sly look waves over his face. “I need to finish the whole thing before I can fully give you a review.”

“By all means, keep going then,” you respond. “I can’t promise that cookie is the best one of the batch, but it should be satisfactory.”

“You know what would make this really the perfect moment?” Seokjin mumbles, mouth still full of cookie pieces.

“A pair of dry socks?” you respond, laughing and kicking up your very soaked feet.

“Well, that wasn’t what I had in mind, but yes, that definitely wouldn’t hurt,” he says. “But also, some banana milk would just hit the spot. Do you mind a detour to that confidence store?”

He gestures, long fingers sprinkled with crumbs, across the road from the park entrance. The rain has slowed, but not stopped completely, and drops of water cling to the rails on the fence separating the space from the busy street and pedestrians.

“That sounds perfect. Let’s go for it!” In a moment of boldness, you reach up to hold the umbrella over his hand. Blinking slowly, you hold your breath.

“Great. It’s a date,” he smiles back, and pulls you forward to begin crossing the road.

[battybabyz]

Teddy Ruxpin Stories Masterpost

I think Teddy Ruxpin is perfect for littles who like to be read to. The production and writing quality is high, the world is big and detailed, and the songs are nice, too. Here's links to all of the stories (Except for the safety series)! I'll include the book if I can. Feel free to message if you find a broken link!

The Airship - Introduces the characters as they meet each other for the first time! Book and audio here.

The Missing Princess - Teddy and friends are captured by Mudblups and meet a prince trapped in their dungeon. They escape and go on an adventure with him to save his younger sister in The Hard to Find City. There is a very long child safety PSA at the end of this one. Book and audio here.

The Story of the Faded Fobs - The normally colorful Fobs begin to turn grey, and it's up to Teddy and Grubby to figure out why. Book and audio here. (Some of the page scans are not very good, sorry.)

Tweeg and the Bounders - Tweeg tries to cheat his way to riches by making gold out of buttermilk. Audio here.

All About Bears - Teddy sings about different kinds of bears. The teddy bear song in this one is the sweetest thing ever! Audio here. Book here.

Take A Good Look - Teddy and friends accidentally shrink themselves, and learn to appreciate little things in a new way. Audio here.

Teddy Ruxpin's Birthday - It's Teddy's birthday, and his friends are throwing him a surprise party! Audio Here.

Grubby's Romance - Grubby falls in love with a caterpillar at a ball, and learns to let go when she turns into a butterfly. Audio Here.

Teddy and the Mudblups - Teddy and friends land in Mudblup territory overnight, and are captured. They find a creative way to escape, and learn a lesson about helping each other keep the house clean. Audio Here.

Teddy's Winter Adventure - Teddy and Grubby find the perfect gifts for all of their friends. Audio here.

Teddy Ruxpin Lullabies - Teddy sings the listener to sleep. Book and audio here.

Double Grubby - Grubby accidentally clones himself with one of the crystals, and his friends have to put him back together before the copies cause too much trouble! Audio here.

The Day Teddy Met Grubby - Teddy tells a story about how he met his best friend- he wouldn't stop stealing from his garden! Audio here.

The Wooly What's-It - When Wooly saves the woodsprites' school from a windstorm, they let him attend. He finds out that learning can be fun! Book and audio here.

Grunge Music - Teddy and friends join the music-loving Grunges for a party. Audio here.

The Medicine Wagon - Tweeg tricks Teddy and friends into buying fake 'remedies' from him, and they learn to accept themselves as they are. Book and audio here.

Grundo Springtime Singtime - Teddy throws a party every year to celebrate the arrival of spring. Audio here.

One More Spot - Teddy and friends meet a ladybug named Amanda. They learn they have to earn their spots by doing good deeds, so they try to help her get a new one. Book and audio here.

Autumn Adventure - Teddy shares his autumn traditions with his friends, and helps them make costumes to go to a Grunge party. Book and audio here.

Uncle Grubby - Grubby learns to be patient when he hatches three Fob eggs while their parents are away. Audio here.

The Mushroom Forest - Teddy and friends meet shapeshifting creatures called Nothings in the mushroom forest, and help them learn not to be so shy. Audio here. Book here.

The Sign of a Friend - When Grubby accidentally eats Shush Bush, the Woodsprites teach him sign language. Audio here.

The Do-Along Songbook - A set of songs to move or sing along with! Great if you're an active kiddo. Audio here.

Lost in Boggley Woods - Teddy and friends get lost in a forest where the trees change color, and meet creatures called Wogglies who help them find their way out. Audio here.

Grundo Beach Party - The Surf Grunges throw a beach party, and you're invited! Audio here.

The Third Crystal - Things in Gimmick's house keep disappearing, and when his pet fob, Fuzz, disappears too, it's up to our heroes to figure out why. My personal favorite tape. Book and audio here.

Wooly and the Giant Snowzos - Everyone claims to see monsters in the snow, and Gimmick doesn't believe them until he meets one. Everyone learns they aren't so scary, because they've been friends with one the whole time! Audio here.

Tweeg Gets the Tweezles - Tweeg gets sick (or so he thinks!), and our heroes help him recover and learn that having a good attitude helps you feel better faster. Book and audio here.

Quiet Please - Teddy sings about all the things you can do when you're home by yourself. Book and audio here.

Anything in the Soup - The Anythings turn into vegetables to hide, until the Grunges pick them for soup! They learn the importance of speaking up when you might be in danger. Book and audio here.

Gizmos and Gadgets - Gimmick is invited to an inventions fair at the castle and learns that the most important person to count on is yourself. Audio here.

Teddy Ruxpin's Christmas - All of Teddy's friends come together for Christmas to sing and celebrate. Book and audio here.

Teddy Ruxpin Sings Love Songs - Teddy sings love songs from our world! Audio here. Book here.

Teddy Ruxpin Summertime - Teddy and friends have some summer fun. Book and audio here.

Lullabies II - A second tape full of lullabies! Audio here. (Finding this one in full and good quality is hard. This recording is only in one ear, I'm afraid.)

Enjoy!

[sanseterrer]

The movement of headlights of cars scurrying back and forth. New old memories. The intense glow of the sunset dissolving in front of eyes left the last traces on face. Meanwhile, the spring song of a small bird was heard. It was somewhere in the field. She sang loudly, beautifully, brightly, cheerfully, as if springtime was really coming.

End of September; The magic of autumn twilight is a lost spring bird

[oneforthemunny]

A song that reminds you of each of your Eddie's + reader- and GO!

ooh wait this is a fun one. ok i had to think about this one but i think i've found them:

boxer!eddie and reader remind me of somethin' stupid by frank sinatra and nancy sinatra. two little black cats in love, and the chorus "and have a drink or two, and then i go and spoil it all by saying somethin' stupid like, "i love you". i can see it in your eyes that you despise the same old lies you heard the night before. and though it's just a line to you, for me it's true and never seemed so right before."

rockstar!eddie and nepobaby!reader will forever remind me of faithfully by journey. i mean, "and lovin' a music man ain't always what it's supposed to be. oh, girl, you stand by me. circus life under the big-top world. we all need the clowns to make us smile. through space and time, always another show. wonderin' where I am lost without you. i'm forever yours, faithfully."

this one is going to be so fucking corny and idgaf!!! but for modern!eddie and mean girl, idk why true love by p!nk always comes to mind. "at the same time, i wanna hug you, i wanna wrap my hands around your neck. you're the only love i've ever known. but i hate you, i really hate you, so much i think it must be true love. just once try to wrap your little brain around my feelings, just once please try no to be so mean."

cowboy!eddie and sweet girl have always and will forever remind me of love is like a butterfly by the one and mother fucking only dolly parton our lord and savior. "love makes your heart feel strange inside, it flutters like soft wings in flight. love is like a butterfly, a rare and gentle thing. i feel it when you kiss me, it happens when you're with me, that rare and gentle feelin' that i feel inside. everyday is springtime, and i am only happy when you are by my side." tbh i could quote the whole goddam song.

bouncer!eddie and bartender!reader this is another corny as fuck on so hold on, but it's you shook me all night long by acdc lmaooo. sexual chemistry through the roof, so much that it's shocking and appalling?? "she was a fast machine, she kept her motor clean. she was the best damn woman that I ever seen. she's one of a kind, she's just mine, all mine." idk it's silly and slutty and fun just like them!

for janitor!eddie and teacher!reader i've always felt like forever by the beach boys is their song. super sappy and romantic and devoted and that's how they are to each other <3 "if every word i said could make you laugh, i'd talk forever. i asked the sky just what we had, it shone forever. let the love i have for you, live in your heart and be forever. forever, i've been so happy loving you."

older!eddie and reader, this one was hard bc i felt like there was so many to chose from, but ultimately i went with the one song that always takes me back to them and that's chemtrails over the country club by lana. the more i listen, the more it's their song bc "go to the market, the kids' swimming pools. me and my sister just playing it cool, under the chemtrails over the country club. meet you for coffee at the elementary schools. we laugh about nothing as the summer gets cool. it's beautiful how this deep normality settles down over me. i'm not bored or unhappy, i'm still so strange and wild. washing my hair, doing the laundry. late-night tv, i want you only. it's never too late, baby, so don't give up."domestic and sweet.

this is also so silly and sweet and the best thing ever but for hockey!eddie and reader i fucking love the song hello, hello by elton john (yes from gnomeo and juliet lmaoooo). "never gonna find anything to change my mind, famous last lines of a fool. hello, hello. my, my, my, what have we here? sniffing all the flowers, running through an autumn shower, compare it to someone else like me." so fucking silly and so romantic like it's them. happy and silly and in love.

and i know you guys are making fun of me and i don't give one fuck bc i know you're about to do it again with this one bc it's coming completely out of left fucking field for these two!! for mafia!eddie and reader... babe i'm saying it, it's i see the light from tangled yes it fucking is. "all that time never even knowing, just how blind i've been. now i'm here, blinking in the starlight. and it's warm and real and bright, and the world has somehow shifted. all at once everything looks different, now that i see you. all those years living in a blur. if she's here, it's crystal clear, i'm where i'm meant to go." and listen, i could write a goddam essay on how this is them, both of them. living their lives before, thinking they're content, until they met the other and now they're confused how they were ever without the other. real ride or die shit.

for dom!eddie and sub!reader, i always think of i don't want to miss a thing by aerosmith lol. really bc they're a little chaotic but they really do love each other sm. true soulmate shit. "i could spend my life in this sweet surrender, where a moment with you is a moment i treasure. i don't wanna miss one smile, i don't wanna miss one kiss. i just wanna be with you, right her with you, just like this. and i just wanna hold you close, feel your heart so close to mine, and just stay here in this moment for all the rest of time." overly passionate and lovey and dramatic which is just their style.

[aahsokaatano]

"Once Upon A Witchlight" character toys from the intro rhyme!

+ closeups

In springtime wreathed in parenthood, The prince first found a toy of wood. A doll set; beasts and wild things, But listen close and each one sings. A song of child, owl and bear; A song that calls the spirits there; A song for monsters with much hair!

When summer heat steamed like a kettle, The prince then found a toy of metal. A rocking horse, with ashen mane; Around its neck was draped a chain. It's horn and eyes and nose shoot flame! With mighty hooves, and sturdy frame, No better steed one could proclaim.

He searched from autumn’s harvest throne, The prince then found a toy of bone. Letter blocks, stacked to the sky; When turned to words, could only lie. Deceit known to the hounds of hell Makes for a potent hex or spell; Of souls, of sin, of Shadowfell!

Through winter’s chill, from peak to pass, The prince then found a toy of glass. Marbles spun in measured motion; Like careful thought, or certain notion. Each glinting cat’s eye seeing all, From stars beyond the cosmic sprawl, To inner strength, and mind’s recall!

When season’s stopped, the final day, At last, the prince found halves of clay. He shed a tear; this would not do, His favorite toy was split in two. It stank, and had a horrid face! But in his heart, held special place, Through toil, this crack, he would erase.

[areyoudreaminof]

Did you all really think I wouldn't make a playlist for @jassaweek? Of course I did. I've had this in the pipe for months! It's Day 6:Lovers!

A match made in cursed human heaven. The challenge they bring to one another brings out the best in them. Vassa clocking Jurian's game immediately, Jurian rallying a human army forthe cursed queen. I love their fire and passion and I can't wait for their story.

Listen here and take a deep dive under the cut!

Initiation-The Weeknd

Don't mind, all my writings on the wall I thought I passed my peak, and I'm experiencing fall And all I wanna do is leave 'cause I've been zoning for a week And I ain't left this little room, tryna concentrate to breathe

Love Lies-Khalid & Normani

Tell me where your love lies Waste the day and spend the night Underneath the sunrise Show me where your love lie I've been so into your mystery Is it because of our history?

I Wish I Was the Moon-Neko Case

Last night I dreamt I'd forgotten my name 'Cause I had sold my soul But I woke just the same I'm so lonely I wish I was the moon tonight God blessed me, I'm a free man With no place free to go

Hallucinations -dvsn I live with hallucinations (Fall asleep and dream of you, you) They're just hallucinations (Late at night I scream for you, you) I'll just hallucinate (Waiting on a déjà-vu)

Snooze-SZA

I'll touch that fire for you I do that three, four times again, I testify for you I told that lie, I'd kill that bitch I do what all of them around you scared to do, I'm not Long as you juggin' out here for me, I got it Mobbin', schemin', lootin', hide your bodies Long as you dreamin' 'bout me, ain't no problem I don't got nobody, just with you right now Tell the truth, I look better under you

Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect- The Deceberists

And I am nothing of a builder But here I dreamt I was an architect And I built this balustrade To keep you home, to keep you safe From the outside world But the angles and the corners Even though my work is unparalleled They never seemed to meet This structure fell about our feet And we were free to go

Her-Majid Jordan

I got her in the palm of my hand She knows I love her I got her, thought I lost her again, ooh

I'm glad we made it this far Sometimes you just don't know So many days spent apart but now I'm finally yours (So won't you)

the birds-Elbow

The birds are the keepers of our secret As they saw us where we lay In the deepest grass of springtime In a reckless guilty haze

And they wove a sweet indifference And it settled on our skin Till the eyes that I remembered For the last time drew me in

Did they sing a million blessings As they watched us slowly part? Do they keep those final kisses In their tiny racing hearts?

10,000 Feet-Foals

Ooh, when I fall through the air, flew too close to the sun With my wings all bound and twisted into one When I fall like a diamond, I'm coal again Drip through the sky into the infrared When I fall like a leaf from an autumn tree Dancing at 10,000 feet, come and catch me When I fall through the fire, into the void again Ooh, I'll burn all the liars, burn all the liars

Samson-Regina Spektor

Samson came to my bed Told me that my hair was red Told me I was beautiful And came into my bed Oh, I cut his hair myself one night A pair of dull scissors in the yellow light And he told me that I'd done alright And kissed me 'til the morning light, the morning light And he kissed me 'til the morning light

triassic love song-Paris Paloma

What a lovely hiding place that you have made to delay our parting! What a world outside to keep each other safe from! That's all that I want, darling That's all that I want, darling

Pink + White-Frank Ocean

If you could die and come back to life Up for air from the swimming pool You'd kneel down to the dry land Kiss the earth that birthed you Gave you tools just to stay alive And make it out when the sun is ruined

Two Weeks-Grizzly Bear Think of all the ways Momentary phase Just like yesterday I told you I would stay

Every time you try Quarter half a mile Just like yesterday I told you I would stay 

First Day of My Life-Bright Eyes

This is the first day of my life Swear I was born right in the doorway I went out in the rain, suddenly everything changed They're spreading blankets on the beach Yours is the first face that I saw I think I was blind before I met you Now I don't know where I am, I don't know where I've been But I know where I want to go

Love in the Sky-The Weeknd

There's no need to hide Don't overreact You said you've been to the sky We'll go beyond that You've been here before, girl Remember these sheets This world's not for us It's not what it seems

We'll find our love in the sky

[womblegrinch]

George Henry (1858-1943) - On the Banks of Allan Water : Winter

Oil on canvas. Painted in 1888.

43.75 x 87 inches, 111 x 221 cm. Estimate: £15,000-25,000.

Sold Lyon & Turnbull, Edinburgh, 26 Sept 2024.

Third part of a triptych to illustrate On the Banks of Allan Water, a popular song, the three works were installed in a mansion house and have not been seen in public before.

The triptych was sold privately prior to the sale for £237,650 incl B.P.

On the Banks of Allan Water When the sweet springtime did fall Was the miller’s lovely daughter, Fairest of them all, For his bride a soldier sought her, And a winning tongue had he! On the Banks of Allan Water, None so gay as she.

On the Banks of Allan Water, When brown Autumn spreads its store There I saw the Miller’s daughter, But she smiled no more. For the summer grief had brought her And her soldier, false was he; On the Banks of Allan Water, None so sad as she.

On the Banks of Allan Water, When the winter snow fell fast, There I saw the Miller’s daughter; Chilling blew the blast, But the miller’s lovely daughter, Both from care and cold was free; On the Banks of Allan Water, There a corpse lay she.

I've posted the other two paintings that were also in the sale.

[dontforgetukraine]

Thoughts away, you heavy clouds of autumn! For now springtime comes, agleam with gold! Shall thus in grief and wailing for ill-fortune All the tale of my young years be told?   No, I want to smile through tears and weeping., Sing my songs where evil holds its sway, Hopeless, a steadfast hope forever keeping, I want to live! You thoughts of grief, away!   On poor sad fallow land unused to tilling I'll sow blossoms, brilliant in hue, I'll sow blossoms where the frost lies, chilling, I'll pour bitter tears on them as due.   And those burning tears shall melt, dissolving All that mighty crust of ice away. Maybe blossoms will come up, unfolding Singing springtime too for me, some day.   Up the flinty steep and craggy mountain A weighty ponderous boulder I shall raise, And bearing this dread burden, a resounding Song I'll sing, a song of joyous praise.   In the long dark ever-viewless night-time Not one instant shall I close my eyes, I'll seek ever for the star to guide me, She that reigns bright mistress of dark skies.   Yes, I'll smile, indeed, through tears and weeping Sing my songs where evil holds its sway, Hopeless, a steadfast hope forever keeping, I shall live! You thoughts of grief, away!

—“Contra Spem Spero” by Lesya Ukrainka

[parchmentk]

My attempt at Cici

Shoutout to a Discord user who showed this pic which is probably our only reference of Cici

So anyway, I styled her

Items used

Hair - Daydream Sails (SR) [dye: solid purple] Hair Ornament - Fluttering Fantasy (SR) Earrings - Golden Butterflies (SR) Dress - Doggy Party (SR) Hosiery - Cloudy Dreams (SR) Shoes - Crafty Girl (SR)

Eyebrows - Smitten Daydreams (SSR) Contact Lens - Crimson Maple (SSR) Lipstick - Ukiyoe - Illusion (SR) Nail Set - Autumn Breeze Songs (SR)

First pose - Spring Ripples, BG Empty Dance Floor Second pose - Charming and Cool, Springtime Encounter, BG Third pose - Genki Outing, BG Sunbathing Heaven

Hope she gets a sprite because this is getting ridiculous, Paper Games, she's designed so many items we can use in game

[incorrectskzquotes]

General Music Asks:

A song you like with a colour in the title

A song you like with a number in the title

A song that reminds you of summertime

A song that reminds you of someone you would rather forget about

A song that needs to be played LOUD

A song that makes you wanna dance

A song to drive to

A song about drugs or alcohol

A song that makes you happy

A song that makes you sad

A song you never get tired of

A song from your preteen years

One of your favourite 80’s songs

A song that reminds you of autumn/fall

A song that is a cover by another artist

One of your favourite songs right now

A song that you would sing a duet with at karaoke

A song from the year you were born

A song that makes you think about life

A song that has many meanings to you

A favourite song with a persons name in the title

A song that moves you forward

A song that you think everyone should listen to

A song by a band you wish were still together

A song that reminds you of springtime

A song that reminds you of wintertime

A song that breaks your heart

A song by an artist with a voice you love

A song that you remember from your childhood

A song that reminds you of yourself

A song that is bittersweet

A song that no one thinks you would like but you do

Wildcard! A song recommendation!

[that-rackin-frackin-varmint]

Niche thoughts: Daffy Miranda's Song

Hello tune squad! Instead of posting about the movie of all time, or queueing up my rambles, I wanted to post abt the song Daffy sings as he performs a tribute to Carmen Miranda from 1943's Yankee Doodle Daffy!

It's been a little obsession with the server, but we never did find if it was meant to be taken from a specific Carmen Miranda song or not. Didn't find any official lyrics of what he said, nor a transcript. Here are the compiled lyrics youtube comments think he said:

Boom chicka boom chicka boom. Whoo hoo! Boom chicka boom chicka boom.

When a sweetie down in Rio de Janeiro She makes up to Cavalheiro with something he can’t resist

When she kisses him he’s just like enchiladas with a dish of capastrano and a punch from fighter’s fist

When she loves him, [‘neath the moon above]

A-she is one hot tamale who can love him good — by golly — in September and November — not to mention cold December!

In the springtime, in the summer, or when autumn leaves are falling — She’ll love-a him!

A-boom chicka boom chicka boom chicka boom La la! Lalalala! Whoo hoo!

I'm content with the lyrics even if it's not confirmed, and whenever I listen to this song I just hear that now, so hope to curse more people with fanon lyrics as well!

[same-skies]

Dance of the seasons

Spring arrives with gentle grace,

Awakening life in every place.

Buds and blossoms, fresh and new,

A canvas painted in a vibrant hue.

Birds return with songs so sweet,

Nature's symphony, a rhythmic beat.

The world renews, a hopeful start,

Springtime whispers to the heart.

Summer follows with blazing sun,

Days of laughter, endless fun.

Fields of green and skies of blue,

A perfect warmth in every view.

Children play in golden light,

Stars adorn the quiet night.

The earth is rich, the harvest near,

Summer's bounty, full and clear.

Autumn steps in with regal air,

Leaves of amber, gold, and rare.

A tapestry of colours bright,

A fleeting beauty, pure delight.

The air grows crisp, the days grow short,

Nature's final, grand report.

Harvest moons and fireside tales,

Autumn's magic never fails.

Winter's breath is cold and still,

A quiet hush upon the hill.

Snowflakes dance in moonlit skies,

A world transformed before our eyes.

Frosty mornings, evenings long,

A time for rest, a time for song.

By the hearth, we find our peace,

Winter's calm, a sweet release.

Each season turns, a wheel of time,

A cycle endless, so sublime.

Spring to summer, fall to snow,

A dance of life, a constant flow.

Embrace the change, for it is true,

Each season brings a gift to you.

In every leaf, in every breeze,

The eternal cycle, nature's ease.

[immoralimmortals]

A Song With Ten Names

Chapter 31: Sally's Song

Chapter 1 ☆ Next chapter ☆ AO3 ☆ Featured song playlist

Summary of chapter: What’s so wrong with Kakuzu playing around? It’s not like her affection will last. Nothing ever does.

Author's Note: I have a very strong attachment to this song. I try not to be *super* 1-1 with my personal experiences to what the reader analog "Takara" is supposed to be, but this one can't be helped. I love this song, it's the first song outside of church that I memorized, first song I sang for the purpose of wanting it to sound good. If Sally's Song has no fans, that means I am dead.

I really, really admire the Fiona Apple cover of this song especially, but for whatever reason it was removed from Spotify, apparently a couple of years ago. The rendition added to the fic playlist will be a music box instrumental by Music Box Rockstar. (Forgive me if I change my mind later).

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

And does he notice my feelings for him?

And will he see how much he means to me?

I think it's not to be

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Dappling light is a lot more awe-striking when you’re relearning how to see the world, the way it blots over each thing like flecks on a watercolor painting and makes you reevaluate its shape. The sun isn’t visible right now where the performer is, instead diffusing its rays through the fading foliage in this magical way. It’s fascinating, really, how in autumn so many plants seem to give one last hurrah by bleeding out all their bright colors before it’s time to die. There’s a similar reason why the performer is now stuck with her once favorite dress and sweater.

She wears both now, of course, as there is nothing else in her wardrobe. In the springtime with Hidan and Kakuzu’s initial company, it was quite fitting! White with pink and blue detailings, sort of like flowers fresh from the melting snow. Summer managed to fit still, sweater removable and sunhat appropriate. But now in fall, the warming hues of crimson, orange, gold, and brown make her miss a scarf she used to have with matching colors. The fiery rainbow refracts in her eyes until a cool-toned finger gently brushes up and down her arm. Kisame always oozes with a strange, contagious sort of vibrancy even though he doesn’t bounce off the walls like Tobi nor raise his voice like Hidan. It’s subtle, and though his color is blue, it’s an attitude that suits red maple leaves and yellowing morning glory vines that climb up old, moss-sodden lattice.

“Told you it’d be nice to get out of the place,” he asserts, having figuratively dragged her from bed for this. And she beams up at him, as though the woman is bone-tired, he is still right.

“Hey!" 

…Someone shouts to get their attention. A head of spiked hair perks up with double the attentiveness for his ward who can hardly blink, shifting his shoulders to turn them both around. Once it's had, Hidan purses his lips and gives the fish a judging look; he lets it sink in before putting in his two cents. "You shouldn't be carrying her everywhere.”

The privacy is quickly shattered, the interrupting voice reminding the performer of how, exactly, she even managed to go outside: that Kisame only got her here by picking her up and taking the lady himself. He’s so strong that it became second nature for a few minutes, and the silly thing entirely forgot that she is a grown-ass woman that can suddenly be held like a toddler. Mute, she instantly shrinks closer to his cloak— which he now dons over his indigo tank top with the chiller weather— a redness on her cheeks. The taller man blinks with a frown at his sudden opponent with gray hair and righteous attitude. "It's better than her staying in one spot for too long, isn’t it?”

Hidan effectively scrunches one half of his face, corner of his mouth pulling up and the right eye squinting. He’s seen her move on her own; why not just let her? It doesn’t make sense! Will she forget how?! “Then have her walk!”

A whimper is all she’s got, hiding more into the dark cloth at the shark’s neck. Kisame defends, a snarl curling his upper lip: "She's enjoying it."

The shirtless grim reaper stares long and hard to verify this to no avail, rolling his eyes back up to the fellow Akatsuki. "She looks unhappy, asshole."

"Yeah, now that you're scolding her,” the swordsman parries, holding her just a little bit closer as if the arm of his cloak can shield the poor woman from misunderstanding cruelty. “Can you either get with the program or shut up?"

"What?!” Hidan, of course takes offense, redirecting his attention to the one he’s actually worried for. “Girlie, hey! Look over here!" To Kisame’s dismay, ever so slowly…she abides, and he notes the anxiety in her eyes. "You enjoying that?" A flush in her cheeks...but she nods. There is no way to deny that this is oh so very wonderful. The priest blinks twice in disbelief. “W—... really?”  

Hidan’s double down is about to knock her off her feet (metaphorically, too): 

"Then— then let me carry you, too!"

Kisame’s response is immediate: "...What the hell?" he blinks back with his own shock. His shaming doesn’t work on a man who has no shame to speak of.

"If you get to, so do I,” Hidan argues, folding his arms matter-of-fact. “Simple as that!"

...By technicality, that is true. The kiri-nin looks to her attached to his side for approval or lack thereof once more. "You don't have to say yes...” he reminds under his breath.

But the consideration is heavy, her soft eyes glancing over to the silver-haired man standing on this path outside their house. Is Hidan only asking because he's jealous? Does he even want to? They haven't really talked since they…you know. But the firmness there... Regardless of motive, it does seem to be a sincere want. But she has her own, in spite of how she misses him: "I don't...want to be a bother..."

To that he frowns, and his hands lower onto his waist in a sure, somewhat annoyed stance. "Yer not." His half-lidded stare alone dares anyone to ask why he wants this, including her.

Unable to formulate an acceptance as an apology...she just nods up to the shark to abide by the other man’s wishes. Kisame reluctantly, awkwardly passes her to him, muttering something about not fucking dropping her, and she’s unsure what to do with her own arms in this exchange—

"Come ‘ere."

So Hidan does the actions for her, careful fingers with a ring like dusty dry blood adjusting her hands to loop around his neck and the back of her knees to go over his cloaked arm. The way he looks at her...hooded eyes so close to her own... Geez, it's a bit more believable Kisame is so strong, being so very tall and less human looking. Hidan is just... a guy. But she gives him no problem whatsoever...!

She remembers abruptly how heavy his scythe was. Oh.

…

...

"Okay..." Hidan asks the swordsman after glancing her up and down, "Now what?"

It's Kisame's turn to raise an eyebrow this time. "...What do you mean,” he asks flatly.

"The fuck do you do next?"

Kisame squints so much harder that his actual eyes aren't visible, merely small black gills over a widening grimace. He is starting to regret this pass-off. "You...hold her...?"

"I'll do it, un."

Before Hidan can argue his place, a blonde takes her into his own sure, smooth grasp. Oh dear. He's even smaller than Hidan but picks her up like she's lighter than a kitten...! It shuts her up into pure, unadulterated silence with a stare as big as two dinner plates. "Hey, darling." The artist blinks, smiling still but brow curling, shy girl saying nothing to help alleviate tension. "...What are we carrying you for...?" Deidara inquires.

"That’s what I was asking! Now let her down, okay?"

"Why?” Deidara scoffs at Hidan, backing half a step away as the latter ninja approaches to grab her back. “You were the one holding her, un."

"You didn't ask!"

"...Did I need to?"

"Yes," both fish and Jashinist confirm in aggravated unison.

Ohhh my gosh. Her face hurts from blushing so much, eyes from being so wide. Kisame takes it as his cue and he tentatively steps up, reaching out to take her back from this problem he incidentally started. "Let me...just—...” he stammers, ready to rescue from a social faux pas. “Come here, Takara-hime—"

"Swoop!"

With a flash of black and orange, an unexpected fourth man slips between them and flees, pastel-dressed prize in his arms. He trots away with the speed of a child stealing from a candy store, reaction stagnated by shock just until his long, trailing scarf is out of sight:

“TOBI!”

“TOBI?!”

“TOBI, YOU GODDAMN COCKSUCKER!!!”

The chase begins, a whine at the back of the kidnappee’s throat that wavers with each bounce of his feet. “Heehee!” he laughs, “Takara-chan is mine, mine mine mine!” the jester teases, shit-eating grin surely behind the spiral he wears as he revels in the tight grip lovely fingers make into his clothes. The swift shinobi weaves around one corner of the house, speeding through a pile of leaves which scatter about like Tobi had stepped on coals of a fire, flying sparks and embers that crunch instead of crackle. “If—” he huffs an exaggerated breath, “—They can’t decide who has you—” Breath. Another corner of the house is rounded. “—Then—” Breath. He stomps through a couple-days-old puddle, water droplets splashing cold against her legs. “It’s gonna— be me!”

The thief twists around one more side of the ancient home lined in dead vines like a gold trim only to be caught by surprise. Abrutptly, he stops to a halt, seeing something before his dear Takara-chan can register the new danger.

“Oh?” One...Two...Three. Surrounded!

Kisame is grinning to the left, Hidan is frowning to the right, and a fuming Deidara is directly behind, sliding open the back door with Tobi’s name cursing from the back of the tongue within his head. She’s not even the one running and this is all making the traveler lose her breath. How the hell did they move so fast...?! It’s only been all of, what, ten fucking seconds?!

"Oh— guess you got me!” He's playing, the fellow performer can still tell. Something's up his sleeve. Okay...so what does that mean—? “Catch!"

It means she's not ready for what's next, not all.

“AAAAAAH-!”

The woman screams as she’s tossed unceremoniously up to the clouds, feeling the force of gravity first in the way that her body attempts to break it, climbing up and up and up with the power of his throw. A couple of times on roller coasters have prepared her instincts well: her stomach sinks in anticipation for the rest of her, just as the acceleration slows and the drop is about to begin.

“AAA—” … And she waits for a fall that does not come. “...Oh…?” The first thing in her vision is the bright blue sky in contrast to the vast forest. Wow...what a view. It’s open like she’s high above—

—Oh. Oh Jesus. Is she really two stories up in the air? TOBI?!

A heavy, heavy sigh is heard from an open window nearby, practically behind her ear. It wakes her up to look down, first at the guys staring up at her from the ground, then a bit closer to her own self. Black threads wrap around her body, around from her back and then loop over and over around her legs; it feels as secure as, well, if you somehow warped metal straight out of the flame to a custom fit just for you. The sight of herself is enough to swallow further shrieks, much to the relief of he who has rescued her from such reckless affairs.

Kakuzu leans down, open fist outside the threshold of the window pane with threads weaving out of rips in his skin that keep her in place. Menacingly, his glower rolls down to the ants below. "You...stupid motherfuckers."

"IT WAS TOBI, JACKASS!" Hidan quickly accuses, pointing to the culprit. A growl and a death glare is all it takes for the masked man to whine like a scared puppy. That’s good enough to appease Kakuzu. For now.

Ironically enough, it's his turn in this ridiculous game: "Come on, then..."

The three watch as the woman flies back into the house, a small eek on the back of her tongue and window promptly shut behind her with a slam. A moment of silence, all four men staring up to where she was spirited away.

…

…

“He’s going to kill you, you know,” Hidan states without any urgency, glancing over to the orange spiral. “He’s kind of famous for that.” And though Tobi fakes shaking in his boots very, very convincingly, everyone else still thinks he’d deserve it.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

What will become of my dear friend?

Where will his actions lead us then?

Although I'd like to join the crowd

In their enthusiastic cloud

Try as I may, it doesn't last

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

What a mess, Kakuzu thinks. He exhales, fully undressed besides a pair of pants, no face covering nor shirt to cover his unnerving stitches. Thanks, Tobi. A small “oof” is muttered as the woman is set down on his bed without a second glance, man himself turning around to retain what little respect he has left. It's an opportunity for the performer to briefly gain her bearings. Kakuzu’s room, she vaguely recalls. Really has been inside it only once— no, not even inside . She’s only seen into it less than a handful of times. Frankly, it’s pretty...ordinary. It’s clean. It at first seems to lack hobbies. No piles of clay, no sword to polish (re-wrap??? Samehada is a stick of bandages, after all), no circle to pray in. But it becomes apparent that what he has instead of things to humor him is...finances. Receipts and bills are nicely organized or are in a pile waiting to be, a bingo book of wanted criminals open that perhaps may promise enough funds to keep this makeshift horrid fucking family alive another day. A couple of briefcases are neatly lined next to his desk, metal and heavy looking as if to transport valuables.

Her head shifts side to side. Grumbling, taking no heed, the treasurer has walked over to his closet in search of attire to make him better suited to be around a lady. He forgets so easily that the strangest thing about him isn't just the stitches but what they lead to on his backside…

"What...?"

Thinking this is about the metal threads, he looks over his shoulder as she finally looks to him and speaks. “They—” he begins. But, oh. Oh, no, it isn’t those her eyes are locked on; the threads have slunk back into his hollowed body already. What he sees, instead, is her pointing squarely at the masks. There's four of them, different animals and colors.

"Are those...attached to you?"

Ah. Right. Damn . He exhales yet again, not moving so she gets a good long look, ogles to her heart's content at the freak he is, get it out of the way. Guess it was inevitable she find out. "Yes." Then he reaches forward, a tank top chosen off the shelf with an open back for these creatures. It’s more comfortable, for one, and for another makes it easier to fight if they don’t have to pop through and ruin a perfectly good shirt. Never can be too prepared. Not too fast as to not scare, he turns his front back around despite his bare chest facing her. She looks so small, somehow, head hunched down and eyes angled up as she sits upon the edge of his own bed. How do they always get off the wrong foot when they don't even try?

"I'm sorry." Because of course she is. There’s footsteps coming up the stairs.

One thing is sure: "Don't be."

A thread drifts away from his bicep like an autonomous, thin tentacle, locking the door just in time to hear the nob shift futility and Hidan knock ever so impatiently to be let in. His head turns sharply, a snarl on his face. She notes how the way his eyes scrunch up is such a common expression above his usual mask; does he always frown like that when they do? "Give the girl ten damn minutes without your nonsense!"

Vague but clearly angry response muddles through the closed door, but Kakuzu's expression stays and so does his order. A moment of silence and gradually the arguing fades, something about promising to be back later. The hunter’s tense brow relaxes and so do the corners of his lips, and red and green eyes stop bulging. In. Out. He catches his breath and turns boiling rage to a simmer. For her sake. Calm down, for her sake.

The stitches on his face move with his cheeks, she can tell from where she grips the edge of the bed; they are, most certainly, not just burns or scars or face paint. His eyes catch hers, a challenge in them that regains a sliver of the anger he managed to beat back, daring her to call him a monster. Unnatural. Hideous. It’s all true, just get it over with. A flash of something else was before that, though, on his face. It's an emotion that feels familiar in her own chest.

Despite his expectations, she reaches out to him, slowly raising her wrist with a begging, upward-facing palm. He doesn't flinch, eyes starting at the woman’s fingertips, trailing up her arm and to her face.

"...What?"

How can she say it? Both palms, now, come back, gesturing together for him to come here. Out of pure confusion and desire to know what the hell she means, Kakuzu simply obeys.

Shaky hands go to the brown arm as he grunts with the unexpected contact, even as her touch is more gentle than he could have imagined. Maybe even especially so. As she sits on his bed, one hand goes under his palm to steady it in place while the other wanders up to explore, both visually and tactilly...

The bounty hunter…has two tattooed bands on his forearm. At first she assumed that's where they come from, but no, the actual stitches are higher up, unmistakable as the source of his eldritch-seeming threads. She traces up to the shoulder, then under his chin. There's even more of these lines on his torso, seen far, far too easily as he hasn’t yet slipped on his top in this unexpected intermission, and she can tell they all lead like train tracks to the masks embedded into his latissimus dorsi. Her eyes consume him, taste him, know him. She's far from the first to witness him like this, in battle or otherwise, and so he ignores the sense of novelty that washes over him and behaves with expectations that are tried and true. Something Kakuzu and his musician have in common is how they’ll insult themselves with the truth before you can turn it against them first.

"...I know. I know what I look like." But she acts like she hasn't . She's seen him before, though, the times she barged in at the peak of midnight...why is it different now?

Sometimes trauma heightens the senses, lets you take in things better than before. The quivering touch of the performer moves to reach further upon his skin, still. In awe, fingertips barely brush against his chest and most unbelievably, he doesn't stop her.

Tears well up on her eyes, which to his surprise turn up to his own instead of staying locked lower down on his ugly, deformed self.

"Does it hurt?"

...That’s not something he's been asked before. IF it hurt, yes, when “it” happened decades ago. If it does when hearts pump out of his back to attack and spew the elements at his enemies. Yes and yes, answers to both as well as if others have been so brave as to inquire directly to the bastard himself. But does he hurt now , merely existing with this curse? It's been so long with the aches stitched into him that he's forgotten, so he searches the numbness under his skin for what the answer may be.

"...Yes," he discovers, despite how it might make her cry. He knows she likes the truth. "...But it's better than before,” Kakuzu softens. In several ways. Better off with than without them. Better off than being fully human. Better off than being dead.

He sits down next to her and unbelievably, after rubbing the saltwater from her face, this woman shifts. Yes, yes, he is not mistaken; this woman now crawls onto his lap.

And he lets her. 

All hearts pounding in discordant, unmatched pulses, he lets her. Legs wrap around his side, thighs seated atop his own. She trusts him. Even after everything, even seeing him like this...—? Oh so delicately, with a hesitance that draws her away before curiosity pulls her back in, this soothing lady traces the metal woven into him. The way he is… It reminds her of something. Something distinct. A visceral sort of memory, one from long, long ago…

…Kakuzu notices before she does that his performer is humming.

It's a tune both sweet and melancholy, befitting a creature like her and somehow, too, the way she approaches a beast like him. His gaze softens, lips no longer a stern, stretched line, and he drinks her wonder in. Kakuzu missed the songs that used to always tinge her voice, and this is the first it’s come back since she has come back home to him, even if so, very small.

“...Oh…!” The woman pulls back, somehow both after too long and far too soon, and she...smiles up at him. This…who he is…makes her happy? “...You remind me of...a rag doll.”

…

Dark brown hair drifts past his face as he savors that nickname, elaborates to himself on the implications. He’s been called it before, yeah...usually just before deciding to detach the person by their arteries. How can it seem so... kind from those lips? So adoring…? She has an answer, and it’s silly just like her.

“When I was little…” the performer tries to explain with stilted words, as plainly as she can so as to not confuse, “...I loved a story. It had a rag doll...who...stuffed herself with leaves.”

The Frankenstein's Monster stays silent, does so regardless of if there’s more for her to add. The slightest, softest inhale and the humming begins again...this time closer to the singing the Akatsuki miss, just without words. Down, up, and up...down… Down, up, and up...down… Lovely indeed, whatever it is, even if simple and bouncy. It was, after all, one of the first melodies she memorized on her own volition. Idly, she traces him again, finding a spot just at his collarbone and right at her line of sight. The threads are stiffer than they look, less like woven fabric and more like surgical staples. How do they move with such lithe grace, so little effort?

As she ponderers this question, one of his own springs off Kakuzu's tongue like a diving board.

“...You never sang when you were alive?” To his relief, the humming doesn’t stop; it’s such a piece of her, this melody that she can do it without thinking. A free hand wipes her eye again, and despite the nature of everything, her tiny smile does not waver nor flinch away as she answers.

“...I wanted to,” she murmurs after a moment, voice light and wispy much the same way as she seems next to someone rough like himself. “I wanted to be a singer...a musician…” A guitarist, a keyboard player, a...star. A performer. “I...learned...to stop doing it...just because I felt I had to, and started doing it...for fun by myself.”

Eyes close, and she tries to identify these marks on him with touch alone, tries to narrow down exactly what he feels like skin on skin. Kakuzu wonders if she can feel how his pulse is stronger than one any normal person should have.

“You could have been.” And she is now, he reminds himself. Or at least she will be once this nonsense is said and done and she can get back to a nondescript civilian life. But...she shakes her head.

“Too scared,” the woman says, “Too shy.”

“How do you know that? Did you try?” Perhaps foolish to challenge; the thing she is surest in besides the persistent strength of humanity is the failures of her own making.

“I had the chance...I was offered...to be in a play…” The smile widens, showing teeth and hiding a grimace. “...I was too little and too scared. And I never…”

…

She doesn’t continue that thought.

“Why didn't you try again? You were just a child, right? Children are allowed to be wrong.” But as soon as he says it, he knows this isn’t true. He knows from experience. So does she. A long, painful silence...and then her eyes open. The humming continues, sweet and sad. She reaches up into his hair, delicately, to see if it feels as smooth as it looks.

"She falls in love with someone...who can't see his demise coming,” the woman explains of the rag doll with leaves. His brown hair is silky and soft. “She tries to help. In the end...it gets her in trouble. He realizes she's in danger and saves her." Kakuzu raises a brow, stitches at his mouth exaggerating a purse of his lips.

"What monster pairs with a living rag doll?" And to his surprise, she beams once more:

"A skeleton!"

...Oh. He grunts, his way of chuckling without being so vulnerable as to give off actual mirth, eyes hooding and smirk forming. "I know what you're going to say, Takara...that that’s like us."

The combing stops, big eyes blinking their befuddlement as the curled fingers pull away. "Excuse me?"

...Oh, dammit. She has never even seen Hidan's ritual form, and so Kakuzu feels his face flush at making the connection himself. Goddammit… As if Hidan could ever save him. It's always the other way around...

"Am...am I...a...a skeleton?" she stutters, not getting it.

"No,” he cuts in sharply. Too sharp, in fact— “I mean— ...never mind."

…

…

The now free hands of the woman fidget index fingers, pressing tip against tip. "There's another character...that's filled with bugs," she adds, as if this is helpful in any way whatsoever.

"…" Kakuzu answers, gaze narrowed and mouth in a straight line.

"I like bugs."

And so he exhales yet-fucking-again. "Takara, you're very fortunate I happen to be tolerant of the dumb shit you say." Hidan owes him for that, too, really.

"Oh." The woman on his lap doesn't need to say: she's sorry. She gets shy and withdrawn and her hands drift even further away. Exasperated, Kakuzu takes them into his own grasp.

"...But it's better than you never talking again."

He can't touch her with his own hands; surely he's too rough, both literally and figuratively. The threads come instead, strange and cold and inhuman. It only makes her remember what it was like to hold him by the fingers, though, as she did once when Kakuzu taught her how to read the stars.

"...Can I ask you something rude?"

What a weird thing to ask. He shrugs, just barely so not to shake her too much up and down as she sits on him. Is this fine? Is she safe so close to him? Is it proper for a man to let her do it? And yet he can’t bring himself to pull them apart. "Alright."

"Why is your skin... so...?"

It isn’t a sigh this time as he releases air from heavy lungs, but a chuckle. You can tell it comes from deep in his chest, even if quiet. "It'd be rude if you ignored it. That's just how I am now."

She blinks again, lashes fluttering. "You weren't... always...?"

"No. I was someone else a long time ago."

"Like me?"

…

He thinks about this, long and hard. This girl does, after all, remind him of who he used to be. So what does that mean of her before? He recalls her mentions of a life before a death, an existence riddled with agony, debt, and servitude. A broken loyalty to a system that felt nothing for her, and waking up to abandon it by any means necessary. …So, perhaps, they have switched lives. Silly boy to serious man. Serious woman to silly girl. Funny how life works out. They both had a death of sorts in between to make it happen, and here they are.

"Sure. Like you, I guess."

"Thank you," she responds inexplicably, despite the implications he sees, an emotion so bright dripping from her mouth like honey from a hive. There isn’t even a blush on her face; with the next action, it’s all whimsy and instinct and no thought whatsoever. It has to be, to be so silly.

The woman leans up and presses a kiss on his forehead, for once bare of the headband marked with his betrayal. A sensation tingles down his own cheeks, down his neck, into the depths of five dark hearts. Despite it all...he feels joy. It makes him tense up. Alas, this is so easy to pick up on with how close they are, and she jerks back immediately, crawling off his lap just as quickly as she got on. Now her face is red.

"Sorry…! I—... Sorry."

Sorry... That’s the right word for giving a guy like him the time of day, the warmth from a sixth blood-pumping organ somehow tied inseparably to his quintet. "It's fine,” he responds in calculation, choosing not to tell her how much he enjoyed it. “Just...be careful who you do that to. Alright?"

Instead of asking why, she simply says, unable to look him in the face: "I'm bad…" And calmly— oh so calmly compared to a moment ago— he retorts, his own voice murmured and already longing for her song.

"I didn't say that."

...

"I meant it,” the taki-nin elaborates, both as a comfort and an admonition. “We're all like this, Takara. ...If not outside like me then on the inside. Keep your wits about you. Save your affection for those who are deserving. It isn’t you that’s wrong, here. If someone has to be called 'bad'…" Childish worldview as it is, to be so black and white, the answer is undeniable. “...It’s us. They threw you, for god’s sake.”

"But...I...—"

"And if you can't," he adds selfishly, and the next is a whisper. "At least be tactful about it." The scariest part about what happens next is that he does, indeed, mull it over before it’s done. The outcomes are considered, the details poured over, and the fool still does exactly as he's warned her of.

A press of his world-weary lips comes from out of nowhere yet arrives so, so gently, just as soon pulling back before she can even tell what's happened. And though he isn’t brimming with sunshine like Takara can, this old man still can’t hide he’s making a silly, silly choice. "...Duckling."

And that’s it. There’s the slightest smirk on his face as he slinks backwards off the bed, visible until Kakuzu turns around and throws the signature cloak of his ilk over leathery-textured shoulders. The traveler gapes, what she thought as her mistake now his confirmation—

“Oi!” another guilty pleasure beckons impatiently behind Kakuzu’s locks. The bounty hunter huffs, allowing the woman one last opportunity to see a widening grin before the mask slips back on.

“Perfect timing.”

Before she knows it, another, paler set of arms come around the performer, Hidan complaining with his chin upon her head of her terrible, unforgivable absence for all of ten minutes. It really is over so very, very quickly. It has to be, lest the choices grow poorer and poorer between a half-naked man and a lady not even back to herself.

But he hums the lonely rag doll’s song back to himself all the same in private the rest of this day, up through dinner, in the bath, hell— maybe even in his sleep. It somehow sounds just fine on his old, gravely tongue as a mind re-walks the life it’s led just to work up to something as stupid and risky as this. Dead leaves fall down past the window where the zombie scooped her into his waiting lap, and he wonders what it would be like to stuff them underneath his patchwork skin.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

And will we ever end up together?

No, I think not, it's never to become

For I am not the one

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

[lilcupio]

AroAce Playlist of songs in Spanish

Clarification: I know that these songs were not created to be aroace, but this is MY OWN PERSONAL INTERPRETATION, MINE, FROM ME AND ONLY ME.

And yes, I am a hopeless romantic (and cupioromantic), so my AroAce experience is somewhat pessimistic??? ig

Let's go with the playlist:

The arromantic song par excellence. Simple and direct.

1.- Abducida por formar una pareja | TRONCO.

"When I think of the way you talk

Of Menorca, of the weather and of your cat,

I imagine I make you a proposal

And I ask you if you'd like to be my boyfriend.

But no, because I don't want boyfriends

Or girlfriends or anything else susceptible.

To be lied to, to be convinced.

To be abducted to form a couple"

2.- Enamorado tuyo | El Cuarteto de Nos.

Ah~ the endless debate about what the true meaning of this song is. Some say it's a love song, others say it's about denial. The good thing about ambiguous meaning is that you can play with the words as you wish, and for me, this song is lit me.

"If you think that I feel love

Please don't make regret

Don't comment with your people

About our affair.

Hardly anyone ever says

That I'm in love with you"

3.- Desechable | Mon Laferte.

The lyrics of this song reflect an internal struggle. When I first discovered my arromanticism, it was hard for me to accept it. I wanted so badly to experience falling in love and being loved differently, I wanted to be and have that special person in my life. If I can't be special to someone else, then I will always be one of the crowd.

"I'm just one more, just a maybe

Something disposable, expendable.

I'm just another number, just another piece.

I am irremediable, invisible.

Behind my shield there is skin.

Behind the bitter there is honey.

You will see that there is light behind the black shadow"

4.- Primavera | El Cuarteto de Nos.

An Aro Allosexual song, LET'S GOOOOO

The story is simple, a man thinks he's in love, but realizes he's just horny. I especially love the spring metaphor; I like how it tries to hide the horniness under a layer of romanticism and fake poetry.

"It's summer and I'm hot, but I thought it was

Because of my sudden outbreak of love, in the middle of spring.

Your laughter, in my distraction, made me think it was spring.

Your laughter, in my distraction, made me think it was spring.

It's autumn but deep inside, I still think it was

For the fact that I'm horny, full springtime.

Your laughter, in my distraction, make me think it's spring.

Your laughter, in my distraction, made me think it was spring"

5.- Bailando solo | Los Bunkers.

Yep, a song that talks about loneliness, I have nothing more to say.

"Dancing alone in the dark

You'll get used to it

To watching all of life go by.

Like a promise at dusk,

You can dissolve

On the edge of a crystal glass.

Now that you're here

And the future hides from you

You've already scratched the floor

And the walls of your room"

6.- Paramar | Los Prisioneros.

The lyrics suggest that to love requires a series of sacrifices that distort the essence of the person. There is nothing more arromantic than feeling uncomfortable in a relationship, that you are not really being yourself, you are only forcing to act as society says you should.

"Love, love, where did I hear that word before?

I redid my schedule for you

And buy more calendars.

Passed me a 3 dimensional video,

With a happy ending.

I tried to inject myself with my old optimism,

But that one that turned out

Was still me, ready to love.

I never thought that just this winter, Would be the coldest I've ever seen.

I'm no good for love"

7.- Sexo | Los Prisioneros.

This song is a critique of the hypersexualization of society and the use of sex to get the attention of the masses. It also talks about the pressure to be sexually active and how sex is needed in order to be an “adult”. Pretty ace to me.

"There's nothing to blush about,

It's everywhere, you see.

Now virginity

Is a medieval thing.

It's your maturity card,

Your passport to adulthood.

She is not a woman to love

But an enemy to be subdued"

8.- Estar solo | Los Prisioneros.

Can you tell I love Los Prisioneros? They are one of the most important Latin rock bands for a reason.

I remember being 17 years old, going to school and seeing my friends with their boyfriends, coming home and watching my parents kissing, turning on the TV and find a romantic movie. In those days, when I was not in my best mood, all I could do was lock myself in my room and listen to this song with swollen eyes. This song represents the ultimate expression of my internalized aphobia. Although I have now accepted my identity and sexuality, this remains one of the songs I have identified with the most in my life.

"Something that is always there.

Something that is neither lie nor truth.

Bad habits, bad destiny.

A single path

That I can never deny.

There's something wrong inside of me

A kind of program with an error,

A tendency, a demand.

Many differences

That I can never deny.

To be alone.

To be alone.

The months go by, the years come together

And everything doesn't matter.

The fantasies, the movie scenes,

Have a bad ending.

I'm fine I feel fine

But this is too big a planet to be alone.

To be alone.

To be alone.

I'm fine I feel fine

But it's too big a planet to be alone.

To be alone... there's something wrong inside of me.

To be alone... something that's neither true nor false.

To be alone... bad habits, bad destiny."

PD: I'm sorry if there is a bad translation or some parts are difficult to understand :c

[autumnfrolic]

‎‏‏⸻‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎𝐅𝐎𝐑‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‎; ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎@wornlilac

Tonight was perfect for dancing ! ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎The full moon hung across a draping sheet of darkness speckled with tiny twinkling stars. ‏‏‎ Without care or concern,‏‏‎ ‎ a young doe frolicked across the soft knolls and cool meadows, ‏‏‎ the wind pushing her forward with every step, ‏‏‎ ‎rousing the grasses and making them sway along to the midnight song. ‏‏‎ ‎She had been overcome with a childlike playfulness that swept her away like a leaf in the breeze. ‏‏‎ ‎Autumn had finally arrived, ‏‏‎ ‎and with this season brought the doe great happiness. ‏‏‎ ‎Completely charmed by the beauty of nature and all of its spectacles, ‏‏‎ ‎it was she that understood life needed levity in a world full of fear. . . Crimson leaves flew into the air as her delicate hooves sprung from the ground. ‏‏‎ ‎Icy cold night air filled her lungs, ‏‏‎ ‎tasting ‎crisp like a fresh green apple, ‏‏‎ while large ‎breaths of vapor escaped her nostrils, ‏‏‎ ‎reeling into the air as she exhaled. ‏‏‎ ‎As she spirited through the valley and into the thicket, ‏‏‎ ‎the trees slowly parted to reveal a beautiful glade. ‏‏‎ ‎Stopping dead in her tracks, ‏‏‎ ‎the doe scanned the area curiously.

This place was different than the rest of the forest. . . ‏‏‎ ‎It certainly felt different. ‏‏‎ ‎Gentle,‏‏‎ ‎ serene, ‏‏‎ warm air seemed wrapped up in this place. ‏‏‎ ‎But how could this be ?‏‏‎ ‎Green burst from everything ‎like it was still springtime. . . ‏‏‎ ‎‎Mystified and confused by this earthly wonder,‎‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‎‎‎‎the young doe took in every detail her eyes would allow her to.

‎‏‏⸻‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‎; ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎@autumnfrolic