#also these photos are not edited at all (except for me writing the lyrics lol)

[ourstaturestouchtheskies]

photos taken by me, circa summer 2019 // Third Eye – Florence + the Machine // Make You Proud – Jensen McRae

[1ddiscourseoftheday]

Wed 7 Apr ‘21

Louis left Tulum and went to Mexico City, and we got airport pics from both ends: the gathered fans were told by his bodyguard that they should keep their distance but that yes, pictures would be allowed. Thank you Louis! We got to see him a little for the first time in so long, in videos of him walking by (and getting ready to walk by) and blurry pics of him with his guitar, and Oli and Charlie- I’m excited to someday see the footage of whatever they’re working on. But for now, finally some proper pictures of the long long hair, or at least the below the hat part, all flippy and like...LONG! It’s on his SHOULDERS! Early pics had some interesting shadows around an elbow, prompting a flurry of NeW TaTtoO?? excitement, but when more pics were posted we could see that no, his elbow remains the same, false alarm. Once that tattoo kerfuffle died down the interest refocused on his shirt, which featured- a whole damn pile of skulls!

Louis went through a long phase of wearing skull shirts a while back, and the fact that it was during a period of a lot of very pointed t-shirt messages (and that he kept doing it more than ever despite knowing what we were reading into it) seemed to reinforce the theory that he did in fact mean things by it, and seeing him say yes to fan photos while wearing this shirt for the occasion… well! WELCOME BACK public Louis, we MISSED YOU! Yesterday’s shirt was for the band Obituary- is the band name a nod at the fact that Syco, generally considered to be the main target of previous skull shirts, is now dead and gone (rest in pieces assholes:))? Is Louis drawing attention to the livestream that band did a few days ago for their album ‘The End Complete’, and if so, is that also about Syco or about… something else? Inconclusive, but if we were meant to find their song “End It Now”, that can truly only be about one thing!! Am I to believe that SBB himself, Mr “I like to draw the fans’ attention to the lyrics of things” just, whoopsy, missed that! I mean, you would think every band on earth has lyrics about “ending it“ with the number of times he’s made that mistake, damn… he just never learns. Poor Louis, gosh how embarrassing! Lol. Anyway, I’ve seen people wondering lately what will happen when all the fans that have joined us in this time of lockdown and of no real contact with Louis will react when their version of Louis has to compete with the real one- and him barely being back at all but immediately reminding people that he is not a dad FFS feels like an excellent beginning, this should be good! BUCKLE IN friends! The real Louis is sooo much more fun than the boring made up one, just get ready to enjoy the chaotic energy and trying to keep up with him….

Oh also Louis liked a Snuts tweet about being underdogs as they fight to get the release week UK #1 for their new album, and a charity says they reached out to Louis AND LOTTIE to play in their celeb footie match PLEASE, HOW CUTE WOULD THAT BE? Come on Tomlinsons, say yes!

Liam has a big interview in Glamour to promote his BAFTAS performance! If *I* were doing the piece I would have really gone hard on the Two Liams angle of the performance (in which Liam will be accompanied by a hologram of himself) but alas they are boring and only interviewed one of him- maybe the part where he says “you're on stage, you're a certain type of person, and at home you're a certain type of person��� sort of counts? The “that's always something I've really struggled with” makes it not so fun though, but that’s a Liam interview for ya; worrisome and makes you want to hug him a lot. “I didn't actually realize this for a long time, but I often give a little bit too much away,“ he says, and today is no exception. We catch up on the time since last we heard from him, when he told us he was going to take some well-earned time off and try to focus on writing new music; he continues to have difficulty with downtime unfortunately. Oh Liam, I do wish it were easier for you to take a break! He says, “I stopped working and I had a full, proper month off [and that was] really hard. And it was all a bit dark for me for a little bit... not being able to go anywhere, not being able to do anything. It really, really hit home. And I just found myself sat in the same place day in, day out. And I was like, okay, I really do not know what to do with myself” and “for me, learning to relax has always been quite a hard thing to do because I feel like if I'm not moving forward, then I must be going backwards.” He goes on to say “so, in a way it's kind of a blessing in disguise, as this has all kind of taught me to relax a little bit more. And to not be so worried about that, like the world is not going to fall over if I don't do something today,” and I wish I believed him, but that’s Liam’s way, to be like oh I need to add something upbeat and end on a cheerful note! So IDK. He also talks about drinking too much, at the beginning of lockdown especially, and how he’s dealt with it by getting back to working out and dieting. There’s nothing there that he hasn’t talked about before (he’s publicly addressed both his struggles with alcohol dependency and has talked a lot about his disordered eating though he hasn’t himself named it that) but after publication Glamour edited the piece to omit the part about his drinking-- I’m guessing the augmented reality app people didn’t feel it fit their ideal image (sigh). What that leaves is him saying how nice it was to be able to eat what he wanted during lockdown but that having the boundaries and rules in place of restricting his food again has made him feel better about himself, which if you ask me is still plenty distressing. Oh Liam :( <I’ve never wanted to hug someone so bad/ Spongebob meme> On a slightly more cheerful note, he tells us he feels supported and heard by a manager that he’s close to, and by Louis, and that those relationships are good for him (the interviewer does ask about Bear, but financee Maya is not mentioned even once in this article). The piece ends with a startling response to a comment about his upcoming performance: “I'll see you wherever you want me in your house, I guess.”

Niall posted about his Masters (golf) fantasy league and he was seen out and about! He was photographed in London driving a car the size of a house and on the street carrying one of his dozens of different reusable water bottles, with his hair floppy and down- is it a new haircut or just unstyled??- and shorts and little roundish shades. Hello Neil! There was a rumored sighting of Harry in London as well but no pics and like we know he’s there anyway so… shrug. And iHeart award nominations are up, and they’re pitting louies against harries, ouch. Will it be nasty (well when isn’t it even without this voted category, sigh), or will the louies simply steamroller everyone as per usual? Only time will tell, but if so harries can console themselves with their likely wins in the Male Artist of the Year, Best Lyrics (Adore You), and Song of the Year (WS) categories.

[evermoreholland]

Paper Rings | Tom Holland

summary ❥ it’s your anniversary and you propose to tom with a song.

warnings ❥ fluff

word count ❥ 2,152

a/n ❥ you can listen to paper rings by taylor swift while reading this because this is obviously what it’s based off of lol. also, this was edited by my good friend @tefilovesreading! 

Today is your second anniversary with your boyfriend, Tom. The past two years have been the best of your life by far. You have had your fair share of relationships, but Tom took you by surprise in his love for you. You were a singer and it was difficult for you to pursue relationships, but Tom understood you because he has gone through similar. You would often write songs about your experiences in relationships. You have been writing a song for Tom for a while now and you thought that today would be a perfect day to show him.

Tom knows that he wants to marry you. He can’t imagine a life without you in it. He has been thinking of how he was going to go about a proposal for months now and he realized that your second anniversary would be the perfect time to confess his never-ending love for you and his commitment to be yours forever.

Tom picked out a ring for you many months before today, without your knowledge. The two of you had talked about marriage before, so a proposal wouldn’t be out of the ordinary. Tom called your mother, sisters, and even got his own mother’s opinion about an engagement ring for you. He finally found the perfect ring to propose with.

Tom made dinner reservations at your favorite restaurant tonight. He planned to spoil you the entire day, making sure that you knew that you were his queen.

Tom rises early. He lifts the blankets off of himself and steps out of bed. He tucks you back under the cover gently, not making a sound. He tiptoes to the kitchen to make you a cup of your favorite tea. He fills the kettle with water and then places it on the stove. He turns to the refrigerator to take out some of your favorite fresh fruits as a part of breakfast. He prepares toast as well and then he sets it all up on a tray to bring to your shared bedroom. He walks to the room and finds you still sleeping peacefully. He places the tray on the bedside table beside you and then leans to kiss your forehead. You were a light sleeper so the action woke you up almost instantly. Your eyes open and you see your boyfriend preparing something besides the bed.

“Morning,” you whisper. You toss and turn until you eventually sit up. “What are you up to?”

“Happy anniversary, my love,” Tom says and sits on the foot of the bed. “I made you breakfast.”

“Thank you, love. Happy anniversary.” Tom hands you your mug of tea and you take a sip. This was exactly what you need to start your day, which a warm cuppa. “This is probably the best cuppa I’ve ever had.”

Tom giggles at your compliment and he blushes. You just have that charming effect on him. “Well you are my best girl, aren’t you?”

You smile at your lovely boyfriend. “I guess I am.”

You and Tom eat the rest of your breakfast in bed together. Tom insists on feeding you to be romantic and you hesitantly accept. After, you put on a sundress that Tom purchased for you for today; a pink flowy sundress with strawberries on it. You match it with a pair of cream color wedges.

“You look beautiful, Y/N,” Tom compliments when he sees you walk out of the bedroom into the living room where he was sitting on the sofa waiting for you. He’s wearing navy slacks with a light blue short-sleeve button-down shirt. His hair is gelled back, which you hated because you couldn’t run your fingers in his beautiful chestnut-colored locks. “Absolutely stunning.”

“You look gorgeous too.” You walk towards your boyfriend and take a seat beside him on the sofa. You take his hand in yours and you can feel how sweaty his hand was, but you decide not to comment on it. To be honest, you didn’t think much of it anyway. “What are our plans for the day? I have something for you, but I want to give it to you later.”

You wrote Tom a song in an attempt to propose to him, and you were hopeful that he’d say yes. Although you did like tradition, you want to pop the question to your boyfriend, and what better way to do it than what you know best; music.

“Oh, you do? What is it, love?” Tom was not a fan of surprises and for almost every occasion he would try to pry his present out of you.

“You know that I’m not going to tell you,” you reply.

“It was worth a try. I was thinking that we can try strawberry picking,” Tom says and then kisses your cheek. “How does that sound, darling?”

“Sounds wonderful, Tommy,” you mumble. You kiss him and then get up from the sofa. You hold your hand out for him and say, “Let’s go, baby.”

“Let’s do it.”

The drive to the strawberry field was full of giggles, music, and love. You get to the field and Tom opens the car door for you, as per usual. He grabs the basket from the backseat and he guides you to the field. Tom takes photos of you dancing through the field and picking strawberries. He didn’t want to forget this moment, he couldn’t forget how beautiful and ethereal you look in this moment.

You get back home and wash the strawberries that you picked. You cut some up for you and Tom to eat. You gather by the sofa once again while Tom turns on your favorite film. You pull out your phone to text your best friend, Natalie, to set up the backyard for the proposal. Natalie and Harrison knew about your plan to propose to Tom and set up a stage for your small performance.

Tom cuddles beside you after he presses play on the television. “Who were you texting?”

“Just Natalie,” you answer vaguely. You didn’t want Tom to catch on or possibly find out about your plan. “Just chatting.”

“Ok,” Tom says, not buying it completely but he didn’t push. “After the movie, we’ll go to dinner, yeah?”

“Gotta show you something first, baby.”

“Tell me what it is,” Tom groans. He nuzzles his face into your neck and kisses it. “Please spill.”

“That’s not going to work with me, Holland. Now, let’s watch the film, silly.”

“Fine,” he says.

The film passes by fairly quickly. You clean up the living room with Tom, and then you tell him to wait in your bedroom until you text him to come outside. “Why must I wait in our bedroom, darling?”

“I just want to make sure that everything is perfect first,” you reply as if it were obvious. “Please don’t peak.”

“I promise that I won’t, angel,” Tom says and then kisses you. You cup his cheek and pull him closer. Your lips linger on his for a moment before you pull away. “What was that for?”

“I just love you, alright?” You choke up a bit. Thinking about what you were about to do made you emotional. You have never been in love with someone like you were with Tom. “You mean the world to me, Tommy.”

“I love you too, darling. You’re my entire world.” Tom always knew what to say and he gives you the reassurance you need. You pull away from him and walk towards the yard.

You finish setting up everything for the proposal and set up the projector for the slideshow. As the song plays, you planned on showing a slideshow of photos of you and Tom. You send a quick text to Tom telling him to come to the backyard. You hear him come outside and soon enough, he is standing in front of you.

He notices your display. He notices the decorated deck mimicking a stage with flowers surrounding it, white roses to be exact. He notices your microphone and speaker. “What’s all this, love?”

“I wrote a song for you,” you began, but you pause to rub your hands against your dress. Nerves were building up. “For our anniversary. It explains how I’m feeling.”

You see Tom smile at your explanation. “Let’s hear it then, baby. Whenever you’re ready.”

You prerecorded the acoustics and harmonies, so you would simply just turn on the speaker to play the music. “The song is called Paper Rings. I hope you like it.”

You turn on the speaker a pop upbeat sound fills the air and you immediately feel at ease.

The moon is high Like your friends were the night that we first met Went home and tried to stalk you on the internet Now I've read all of the books beside your bed

As you were singing, you think about the memories that you and Tom share. You remember meeting him at an outdoor pub. You were first introduced to Harrison, Tom’s best mate. They were stoned, to say the least, but it was still probably one of the best nights of your life.

The wine is cold Like the shoulder that I gave you in the street Cat and mouse for a month or two or three Now I wake up in the night and watch you breathe

Kiss me once 'cause you know I had a long night (Oh!) Kiss me twice 'cause it's gonna be alright Three times 'cause I've waited my whole life (One, two, one two three four!)

Tom looks at you like you’re the only woman in the world, yet he doesn’t know what your next lyrics would be. He didn’t know that you want to marry him as much as he did.

I like shiny things, but I'd marry you with paper rings Uh huh, that's right Darling, you're the one I want, and I hate accidents except when we went from friends to this Uh huh, that's right Darling, you're the one I want In paper rings, in picture frames, in dirty dreams Oh, you're the one I want

He begins to pick up on what you’re telling him, and it warms his heart. His eyes begin to water as he watches perform for him. You look very gorgeous too.

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 (One, two, one two three four!)

I like shiny things, but I'd marry you with paper rings Uh huh, that's right Darling, you're the one I want, and I hate accidents except when we went from friends to this Uh huh, that's right Darling, you're the one I want In paper rings, in picture frames, in dirty dreams Oh, you're the one I want

I want to drive away with you I want your complications too I want your dreary Mondays Wrap your arms around me, baby boy

You wrap your arms around yourself for emphasis and Tom giggles gently. He is crying at this point and you feel yourself tearing up too.

I want to drive away with you I want your complications too I want your dreary Mondays Wrap your arms around me, baby boy Uh huh

You sing the chorus once more, and you begin dancing along with the music and Tom couldn’t help but smile at you.

You're the one I want, one I want

You finish off the song and you do a little bow as Tom claps for you. You walk towards him and he wraps his arms around you. “I loved that, baby,” he whispers in your ear.

You look at him and notice the tears streaming down his face. You wipe them away and say, “So?”

“So?” He repeats, not fully understanding where you’re getting at it.

“Will you marry me, baby?” You ask.

Tom smiles and instead of answering, Tom reaches for something in his back pocket. He pulls out a velvet ring box and gets down on one knee. Tom opens the box to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. “Does this answer your question?”

“Yes it does,” you giggle. “I guess that we both had the same idea.”

“It’s not a paper ring, though,” Tom says, referring to your song.

“Well, I do like shiny things,” you joke. “I’d be honored to marry you, Tom.”

Tom slips the ring on your finger and stands up to kiss you. This moment couldn’t be more perfect.

“Can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you, lover.”

~

Tagging: @canwekissforever-hazzy @storybookholland​ @petesrparker​

[pufflyhallows]

Picks & Pens (I)

Hi! This is a brand new series for our boy Sirius Black. It’s a rockstar!au in modern days. I really hope you like it, I had the idea over a year ago and had a little something in my drafts but only now got to write it the way it deserves. Enjoy!

Chapter One: Press

Warnings: language

Word count: 1,7k

a/n: I know nothing about press or the music industry, so forgive me for any mistakes lol

Sirius Black. What a perfect name for the typical arrogant and condescending rockstar who had just been declared artist of the decade by the magazine you worked for. Unfortunately for you, he also happened to be your ex-boyfriend.

You two had met in high school, way before he got famous. He already wrote music back then, you being one of the very first people to ever listen to it. Some of those songs were quite big hits today and you genuinely liked them, but that didn’t mean you liked him. At least, not anymore. Your relationship had ceased to exist seven years ago. What is it that people say about fame? Oh yes, it changes you.

As you walked past the countless desks in that white-walled office with tall windows, the latest edition of the magazine in hands, you thought about your boss’ proposition. She wanted you to interview the “artist of the decade” for the February issue – it was coming out on Valentine’s Day and she wanted an article about Sirius Black’s muse and writing process. According to her, it was impossible that there wasn’t a girl behind the lyrics of his songs, even though the man had been single for years now. You had told her you’d think about it and answer the next day. Well, today was the next day.

Brenda, your boss’ assistant, was on the phone when you approached her desk. She raised a finger at you as if to say “hold on” and kept talking to the person at the other end of that call. You knew better than to interrupt her, so you patiently waited.

“No freaking way, Rebecca! I told you he was going to the party regardless of what Charlie said! Now, don’t get me wrong, I think you’re much smarter than Mackenzie, but she’s got a point.”

You inhaled deeply, fighting the urge to roll your eyes. Was it naive of you to assume that people only took business calls during business hours?

“I’m wheezing! Literally dying! Oh God...” Brenda giggled. “Well, I gotta go. I’m at work. What? Bitch, you called.”

You watched as she hung up the phone and gathered some loose sheets of paper from her desk, organizing them in a pile.

“Brenda?” you said, catching her attention. “I’m here to see Mrs. Lennox. Could you announce me?”

“She’s busy.”

“Uhh… She asked me to come by her office at ten and it’s… ten.”

Brenda sighed and picked up the phone again, pressing the interphone button. “Mrs. Lennox? Sorry to bother, but Y/N says she’s here to see you. Yes. Not a problem. Okay.”

She hung up and went back to putting her sheets into piles. You raised an eyebrow at her before she finally looked at you and spoke as if it was obvious. “Go in!”

Was it unprofessional to flip off a coworker?

You opened the door slowly and found Mrs. Lennox sitting by her desk with her eyes focused on her computer screen. She looked at you and smiled, gesturing for you to come see what she was working on.

“These photos just came in. Look at him! Isn’t he just so handsome?!”

And there he was. His signature guitar lazily laying between his legs as he had one hand resting on it and the other supporting his weight. He was sitting on a white… box-shaped stool? The background was also white, contrasting to his all-black outfit.

“I think I want these in black and white, what do you think?”

“There isn’t much color in them anyways,” you though out loud.

“Oh…” Mrs. Lennox eyed the entire picture. “You’re right. Black and white it is,” she wrote it down on her notepad.

You kept looking at the photo displayed across the large computer screen. The little shit was handsome, there was no denying that. The problem was what was behind that smirk – arrogance, selfishness and a big big sense of self-importance.

“So?!” your boss’ voice snapped you out of your memories. “Have you thought about our conversation yesterday?”

“I have,” you walked around the desk and sat in front of the older woman as she took off her red cat-eye glasses. “But I need to ask you something first.”

“Go ahead.”

“Will it bring attention to the fact that I am his ex-girlfriend?”

“What do you mean, sweetie? Everyone already knows.”

“I know, but… will it be focused on that? Yesterday you mentioned that it’d be great to have some sort of reunion and that the public would love it. Your idea is an intimate interview, just the two of us in the room and all.”

“Yes...”

“I understand it. I agree that the conversation flows better that way, because the interviewees usually feel more comfortable with less people around and no cameras. However, this is my job. Just my job. I don’t want it to be publicized as a reunion with my ex-boyfriend. This is me, a journalist, interviewing him, a musician.”

Mrs. Lennox looked at you for a while, as if she was trying to read your thoughts. She placed her hands together on the desk and took a deep breath.

“Listen, Y/N. I’ve got to be honest with you. The subject that will be discussed in this interview is interesting, yes. A lot of people are curious about his lyrics. Myself included. But frankly? Anyone can ask him questions about that and put it on a website or a magazine. Anyone. Would it sell? Of course! He’s the artist of the decade, everyone adores him. Now, imagine if the person interviewing him is actually a former girlfriend. And not any girlfriend, but his high school sweetheart. The girlfriend from the very beginning of his career. The person who was there when some of the biggest songs of this entire decade were being written. It will sell like water in the desert, Y/N! This is really good for press.”

“So this is why you picked me, of all people. Press,” you looked down and bit your inner cheek. “I’m a journalist, Mrs. Lennox.” You looked back at her, “I am part of the press. And I know how they will eat me alive after this interview. They will chase me around, paps will hunt me everywhere. The whole nightmare will start all over again. Even after seven years, I still get the occasional question about him. After this interview, though? There will be no peace. And, as a matter of fact, I’m not quite sure if I like the idea of having my personal life used as marketing. God, I’m not even sure if I do want to ‘reunite’ with him.”

“I see,” Mrs. Lennox leaned back on her chair. “What is your answer, then?”

You looked in her eyes, thinking about the last three years you worked for her magazine. She was by far the best boss you’ve ever had. She took you under her wing and gave you enough space to explore your full potential and truly shine. She bent backwards for you several times in the past, helping you build your name in journalism. There was nothing in this world that she could ask that would make you think twice before attending. Nothing, except this.

However, there was a side of you that wanted to see him again. To speak to him again. Hear him talk again. A very curious side of you, that needed to see how he would act around you after so many years of no contact. Would he treat you like every other interviewer? Would he be as self-absorbed and pompous? Would he answer to your questions truthfully? That side of you would die to find out.

And that side won. Along with all the respect you had for your boss and the extra payment she offered the day before, of course.

“My answer is yes. I will interview him.”

Mrs. Lennox smiled widely, but before she could say anything, you added. “Under one condition.”

“Oh, Y/N. What is it?”

“It won’t get publicized as a reunion. Please, Mrs. Lennox, don’t publish it with something like ‘Sirius Black interviewed by former girlfriend’. Just put my name in there and let the press do their thing around it. That’s all I ask. Please.”

Mrs. Lennox eyed you for a while, just like before. She always seemed to crave the power to read minds, maybe even control them. She bit her lower lip and adjusted her wedding ring, looking down at her notepad now.

“Well, it does look good to treat it like it’s so casual. Like you’re still friends and it’s no big deal. You did end things amicably, after all.”

Right…

“Okay, Y/N,” she nodded. “It will be just your name, no mentions of the relationship.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Lennox.”

“Right. Look, Y/N, this interview is very important for us. Please, keep that in mind. I expect a really good show of professionalism on your part. The subject might be delicate to deal with, given your past, but I trust that you won’t leave out any details pertinent to the writing of this article.”

“You have nothing to worry about. The subject won’t be delicate at all.”

You hoped you didn’t sound insulted, because you did feel your ears burn slightly with the insinuation that you might care if he wrote songs about some other girl. You absolutely did not. It’s been seven fucking years.

“Great. That settles it, then. I will look into scheduling this interview now,” she clicked on her mouse and put her red cat-eye glasses back on. “I am predicting it will take place within two weeks from now, so no trips out of town during this time!”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You can go back to work now, sweetie. If anything comes up, I’ll e-mail you.”

“Okay,” you stood up and grabbed your latest edition of the magazine, remembering why you had brought it in the first place. “Oh! By the way, there’s a typo on page forty-five of the January issue. Printing started this morning, so I think there’s still time to fix it before we lose too much material.”

“Y/N! What would I do without you?! Page forty-five, you say?” she immediately wrote it down on her notepad. “I knew I couldn’t trust Henry on this.”

“He’s a good kid,” you shrugged. “He’ll get the hang of it.”

“Right, right… Ask Brenda to call him on your way out, will you?”

“Of course,” you nodded, already feeling bad for Henry’s ears.

The next couple of weeks were going to be interesting, though.

********

[strangeland-jewel]

Q&A with Tom

SO, it all started with this

And here I gather all questions and answers from today with our favourite singer. Hope you enjoy!

*Note* Question with ‘ ******* ‘ in front is question that came with picture. If I have a permission from the owner, I’ll edit the post then. Now I’m just going to put *Note* behind it and describe what the photo is like.

**Do not repost any pictures here in this post (except the one with Tom’s dog which belongs to Tom). They are all from personal accounts on Twitter and I asked for a permission to post them only here. If you want to use the pictures in your post, contact the owners. I leave all the details for that below each pictures posted.** 

Q: Will “It’s Over” ever get released? Love that song

A: Must find a home for it. One of my absolute favourites. So yes, I hope so!

Q: Any reading recommendations? :)

A: Stoner. Fabulous, if depressing.

Q: What kind of in ears do you wear? They look amazing

A:  They’re made by ACS. Very good. I’d be more or less deaf by now if it wasn’t for in-ear technology!

Q: Thanks for your solo album! Great stuff. When do you think that the next Keane album will be released?

A:  Can’t really say yet but it’s coming.

Q:  Will there be any more solo stuff or will it be back to Keane?

A:  I’m writing all the time. But let’s see what happens.

Q:  What is your input on the new Keane album?

A: Singing as best I can.

Q:  Do you think you’d have any plans to do a 15 year anniversary tour of hopes and fears?

A:  Interesting idea but feels to soon for a retrospective move like that. Maybe the 25th anniversary. Or the 50th...if we’re not pushing up daisies by that point.

*******Q:  In honor of Somewhere Only We Know being our family’s song *Note* A picture of tattoo saying ‘simple thing’ on the side of a body.

A:  Nice! I reckon 90% of people think it’s “sympathy”. Well done for getting the lyric correct...cos I’m not paying for laser removal.

Q:  Absoluted loved "time" being played at Hastings last summer... have you been writing anything else along that style of music? Or was it a one off?

A:  Yep.

Q:  Does the new keane album include any songs written by you?

A:  Err no, I ran out the way of the Tim Rice-Oxley songwriting juggernaut.

Q:  Do you have a regular ritual before you go on stage ?

A:  Just pacing around feeling panicked.

Q:  Favorite place in the world?

A:  Family cuddle. (Sorry for the sentimentality there).

Q:  Any advice for new musicians?

A:  Write what you feel, don’t be afraid to enter the swamp of shame inside you and lay it all out there. That’s what people will connect with.

Q:  What do you miss most about being on tour with Keane?

A:  Banter that only we can understand with a darkness that should only be shared amongst friends.

Q:  What would you say to a bundle of 11/12 years old who ended up loving your music after singing Under A Million Lights? If you sent me a message, I could show them in class and I can tell they would collapse (in thankfulness and awe!) They love you.

A:  You are the greatest class of all time and you will save the world...

Q: Can you give me a birthday shout out?! It was yesterday!

A:  Happy Birthday legend.

Q:  Any plans on visiting Dublin for a concert soon

A:  Be feckin’ rude not to.

Q:  Are they any tickets left for your Harrogate show? #asktom

A:  Probably!

Q:  Do you feel as comfortable as usual working with keane? Has anything changed?

A: It’s like a mad old family which, as most of us know, brings its heady cocktail of love and pain.

A: For those of you asking about the dog. She’s a total pain in the arse...but very lovely too.

Q:  Did you see the Michael Jackson documentary and what was your conclusion?

A:  I can’t bear to watch it. It doesn’t sound so good for Jacko. Mind you, I’d say he’s got bigger problems right now.

Q:  Is it a hard task to write a song (music+words)? For instance... "Quicksand"?

A:  The hardest but most rewarding part. Lyrics are like a puzzle that has to be figured out.

Q: What would you say to the younger Tom Chaplin?

A:  Go and see a therapist Tom. It’s ok, you’re ok, it’s gonna be alright.

Q:  Best thing about Hastings /Battle?

A:  Battle is all sweet, nostalgic memories for me. Hastings Old Town is lovely. St Leonard’s is a funky place these days.

Q:  Which would you rather be attacked by? 1 horse sized duck or a dozen duck sized horses?

A:  Definitely the horse sized duck. I nearly wrote dick then. Thank you autocorrect...for once.

Q:  What do you feel when you listen "Fly to Me" by Keane?

A:  We played it at my Grandfather’s funeral, so I think of him.

Q:  What is "Closer Now" about?

A:  Unrequited love. Long time ago!

Q:  Would love to just get a hello!! I've been a longtime fan of yours, and listen to your music everyday. One of the people I support at work is 60 years old and completely blind. They love playing the Keane classics on the piano! They would love to know you said hello!

A:  Hello!!

Q:  In what way(s) has therapy helped you?

A: It’s helped in every corner of my life...particularly the corners I didn’t know about.

Q:  Do you get fed up with me taking your photo at gigs ?

A:  Most definitely not! You’re bloody wonderful Mark.

Q:  Are you watching any tv show or movie you can recommend?

A:  I’m just watching Fleabag series 2. Just got to the haircut scene...nearly spat my tea out!

Q:  Do you like my username? *Note* this guy’s username is @tomchaplin 

A:  Huh?? That’s both clever and a bit worrying....

Q:  Your opinion about LGBT community?

A:  We’re all on this journey together, let’s accept all of our fellow travellers!

Q:  What is Black Burning Heart about? One of my favourites

A:  God only knows...and Tim. Tim knows too.

Q:  Not a question more of a request. My son James has just started chemotherapy. He’s 16 and a big fan. Could you send a hello please

A:  Hello James. Whatever happens, keep wearing that mile wide smile.

Q:  My teacher just said if you reply to this tweet we wouldn’t have homework so if you have a soul please help us poor children out.

A:  Pens down. Also, don’t worry about school tomorrow, take a long weekend.

 Q: Do you like this photo I took of you

(Taken by Olivia from @xplodinglemon on Twitter. Here is the LINK direct to her tweet.)

A:  Anyone who says life is boring without drugs hasn’t seen this photo.

Q:  Matchy matchy. Mine are a pain in the area too. Must be a doodle thing...

(Taken by Lainey Farrant from @Lainey_Farrant on Twitter. Here is the LINK direct to her tweet.)

A:  oh my, that is quite the collection. 4 of them??? You must be utterly bonkers.

Q:  Last question, why Ipswich why not Man Utd???

A:  Clearly I’m not a glory seeker.

Q:  Can you remember how any of the old songs go? Asking for a friend. (*Note* Our drummer Richard came asking this himself lol)

A:  Great question Richard! I think nearly all of them have a beginning and an ending and maybe some stuff that happens in the middle. Hope that helps!

Q:  How does it feel knowing people feel so strongly about your music and have such close connections to moments of their own life? For me ‘Hardened Heart’, ‘Hamburg Song’ and ‘Eveybodys Changing’ have such close links to things that happened to me and always will #asktom

A:  We’re nothing if we’re not connected to each other in this life. I like to think that I would be ok stranded on a desert island...but two days in I’d be a quivering wreck.

And that’s it for today! Did you send him your questions? Got his answer? I send mind several times but they are just not so interesting haha. Let’s hope we’ll have some fun like this again and all of us will be a little luckier than today!

[sakurasakiyama]

Goodies I’ve Received During My Offline Period! ❤

Since it’s always been a tradition for me to share with all of you what I’ve received on arrival of some of the DVDs, CDs, Magazines and Good’s that I buy; I thought I would make a *little* post of some of the things that I have purchased and has arrived since being offline! :D This won’t be as long since I haven’t purchased much since I was away due to pre-ordering and a hectic December, but I try my best to keep up with what I can :) And a head’s up that some of the photos have the flash on since my room is at the back of the house and the light doesn’t come through my window xD

There’s a lot to get through, so all of it will be under the cut (especially things that could be spoilers) ♥

1. Di Kita Malimot Drama DVD & Magazines!

I pre-ordered the Di Kita Malimot DVD back in August last year. I was really excited to see the Drama for the first time, and I wanted to have a copy of the extras as well as the visual book that came as a bonus. Unfortunately since I don’t have a Blu-Ray player for my laptop (as it’s a laptop without a disc drive), I was only able to watch the extras once on the Blu-Ray player I have in the living room for the TV when no one was home xD The Drama itself is quite funny and good to watch! You’d see them act in ways that you never thought they would, which is a good pick-me-up on days when you’re sad and in need of a laugh xD Overall, the Drama was definitely worth the wait! :D And, the visual book has a text mistake in it as well that was pointed out to SLF, and they made a note on the item page for those who purchased it. But they didn’t request for people to send it back, only to just be aware of it and what the part was meant to say. 

The magazine contents for all of them are amazing (especially the photos ♥), and the magazine’s in that photo are:

CDJournal October 2018 Issue

B’s LOG November 2018 Issue

Stage Fan Vol. 3 Issue

Cast Size Summer Special 2018

JUNON September 2018 Issue

JUNON November 2018 Issue

2. Stage Stars & Sparkle Magazine’s (Present)

These were one’s that I didn’t buy myself, a friend ended up getting them for me as a present in November! :D This was actually a big surprise for me since I didn’t know that they were going to get them for me, it just arrived at my door xD So, at least this post allows me to say thank you to them for getting me these magazines and I love them very much! ♥ The magazines here are Stage Stars Vol.3 and Sparkle Vol. 35 :)

3. UTOPIA Albums & Sakiyama Tsubasa Birthday Event Goods

I’ll start with the Birthday Goods first xD I pre-ordered them the second pre-ordering started, which actually happened to be during my lunch break when I was doing my teaching placement LOL! But, there’s a long story with these and the UTOPIA albums. Due to December being a busy and a not very financial month for me (I went on a trip to the city, I had to pre-order the Toumyu nendo’s, and I had to pay for subscriptions, phone bill and Christmas presents), I had to put off getting these shipped out to me (along with the albums), until January this year. Luckily I got paid on the first of the month, so I was able to get them shipped out as fast as I could xD They arrived to my proxy around the end of November. The bromides are literally dangerous and cute, and the pamphlet photos are just as perfect, along with the interview being quite deep interesting! ❤ The contents in this photo are:

Birthday Event Pamphlet

Birthday Event Bromides A, B & C (there was no bonus for getting all 3 of them as that was only during the event run)

Birthday Event Ball-Pen (Pink) & Automatic Pencil (Blue) (it’s one of those pencils that you push on and the lead just comes out, so you don’t have to sharpen it, just buy lead refills xD)

Next is the UTOPIA Albums xD I pre-ordered these in November and they arrived the day before release day to my proxy xD I wanted to have them as a Christmas present, but because of the lack of funds was an issue for me in December, I had to wait >.< I got them online which included the online purchase bonus with 2 RAW photos per album (one as a bonus, one as an extra), and there’s 2 in each of those 4 holders. With the RAW photos and the Trading Cards, let’s just say that bad luck is still on my side, and you’ll know what I mean in a moment xD

After listening to all of the songs in full for the first time (excluding “Dancing☆Samurai” thanks to KENZO and TOMO from DA PUMP collaborating with Tsubasa to make a Music Video for the cover of the song by doing the choreography and producing the MV), I fell in love with all of them instantly! ❤ The lyrics for them all have a purpose behind them and you can really feel the emotion in his voice. For the songs Tsubasa wrote the lyrics for himself, “Re:quest” for Kurogarasu and “Snow Gift”, I was really proud and amazed by them! The lyrics for “Re:quest” gives that dark, powerful vibe, which i feel links perfectly with the theme of his main starring movie “Kurogarasu”. “Snow Gift” was a lot more softer and kind of brings out his loving side. But it could also be perceived as him and his passion and never wanting to let go of it. This is his first time writing lyrics, but I do hope in the future, he will be able to write more songs and let his feelings come through ♥

As for the MV, MV Making Video & Special Movie, the short MV of UTOPIA gave us a preview of most of it, so the last part was a total mystery, and it was really beautiful ♥ As for the other 3 MV’s that were on there, I STILL love them to this very day xD The MV Making Video was short but sweet :) They just showed some of the places he took photos at and a couple of other little things that I had a good laugh at, as I had my suspicion that the Special Movie would give the full making in Macao. And I was right xD But I still loved the Making Video since there was some good shots :D The Special Movie was really good! ♥ The way it started I had a bit of a laugh at, but it was really cute. It follows through the 2 days he was in Macao doing his MV shoot and the photos as well for the cover, trading cards, and etc. He really did seem to have a lot of fun and was grateful to be able to do it in Macao, and Tsubasa would still have his little antics here and there as well xD Overall, I loved all of it! ❤

These are the RAW photos I got: 

I got doubles AND triples LOL! As expected of me to end up with the random draw like that, but I still love all of the photos anyway! ♥ They’re all of Tsubasa’s good sides and he’s really attractive in them all ❤ And if anyone has any doubles that aren’t in this photo and I have one of the photos in the triple and double that you’d like to trade with, by all means don’t be afraid to ask! :D If not, I might sell them or do a giveaway xD

The Trading Card bad luck continues to play with me and get worse each time xD So, I’ll let the photo speak for itself:

THEY’RE BOTH DOUBLES LOL! So, I ended up with 2 out of the 5 this time. It’s the same with Crescent Moon, except I got 3 of the same in that one xD I got the two top ones in the MV and Special Movie editions, and the bottom two in the photobook and CD only editions xD The trading card photos are really cute (not to mention quite good looking ♥), and I was super anxious when opening them as well as the RAW photo bonus also. Again, if anyone has a double of the other trading cards and you don’t have one of the ones in this photo, I’d be glad to trade with you! :D If not, again I’ll either sell them or do a giveaway :)

4. Surprise Birthday Present

Since what I’ve purchased is a surprise birthday present for a friend, I’m not going to show or say what they are (hence I took a photo of what it looks like from behind, and put a line in it to keep it as a surprise as it had the name of it on the back xD) since their birthday is still a while away and I don’t want to ruin the surprise! xD I got these off Mercari for a reasonable price and brand new! Thank you to the lovely An, @beansproutsong, for helping me purchase these for me through her proxy! ❤ I have used her a few times and her service fees are very reasonable for second-hand goods and her service is literally 10/10 in every way possible! So don’t be afraid to message her here on Tumblr or on Twitter (@Angelic1408) if wanting any goods that you can’t get shipped overseas, or from second-hand sites! :D She’s one of the friendliest people (out of the many others who are friendly too) who is willing to do a personal proxy for everyone, so don’t be afraid to ask questions or get a inquiry on something :) More info about her proxy service can be found: HERE

[glambertmirleelau]

Getting to Meet George Salazar

So, like I debated really hard about posting this story or not on this, cause I’ve never shown my real face on this blog, but here we are so this also doubles as a face reveal lol. This happened back in February, and I posted pictures about my trip on my personal Facebook and my Instagram and twitter, however here I am just going to talk about the night I met George (copy and pasted from my Facebook for now anyways), and once I get my theater blog up and going I may remake this post in more detail over there. Anyways, without further ado, enjoy.

Before I start tho, that weekend was the best weekend of my life. I WILL NEVER FORGET IT. Is it strange to say it was life changing?! It was AMAZING. There’s so much I could say, but its so hard to find the words. And on the anniversary of me discovering Be More Chill and by extension George this year, I probably going to make a appreciation post for both.  

Anyways. Okay for serious now. Story time.

( From my Facebook with edits in [brackets] - all pictures added, not all on FB, in order as the story is being told)

So the day of the show (February 18th) we[my mom and I] left the hotel for the show early because of weather (and that the theater was further away then we thought. And some of the road conditions were kinda scary on the way there.) Anyways, eventually we got to the performing arts center over an hour early and really needed to use the bathroom so we went inside and someone showed is where it was. Then we went back out to the entrance area and we're waiting there because it was cold outside. 

[Sketchy and scary Road to PAC]

[This is the snow and entrance sign for the PAC] 

Then a gentleman in a suit came downstairs and asked if he could help us. We told him we where here for the show and were just super early. Then he introduced himself as John Zirkle, the Warren Miller PAC [which is where the show was] Director and one of the producers of the show. He said he was happy to see us since they had had a few people call and say they weren't coming because of the storm that had gone through earlier that day. Then my mom mentioned that we had driven from Nevada (where I live at the moment) and He goes, "Oh that's you?! Danielle and George said something about that. So you must be the one who has been posting about us on Facebook and stuff?" I said yes with a nervous laugh. And then he asked me if I was a theatre nerd (which I totally am and was wearing my theatre masks necklace so yeah what gave it away lol) and I said yeah kinda. He asked me where I heard about the show, to which I confessed that I followed George on social media and that where I had found out about it about three weeks ago and had been ask/talking back and forth with George. He was like "That’s really awesome. We'll have to make sure you get to meet him after the show." And like I could feel my excited nervous blush spread across my face as I agreed and said yeah I really wanted to because I really love George and his work. And Then he asked me about my tickets. So I get them out to show him and he takes them and says "Let's see what we can do about these seats. Let's get you moved right up front in the middle so you can have the best seats in the house!" He then took my tickets back upstairs to confer with the Danielle (the lady in charge of tickets and seating who's name I never fully got to catch to thank her properly). She was super nice when she had helped me on the phone earlier in the weeks leading up to this (and during the whole evening) so I had brought her a key chain from Nevada. She gave us upgraded seats, right up front in the middle, and when I say that I'm not kidding. I mean RIGHT UP FRONT. Like I could see the sweat from the stage lights. I've never been that close to a stage for a show in my entire life.

[Show Poster]

[Upgraded Tickets]

[View of stage before show began in upgraded seat, not the best picture lol]

Then we watched the show, which was amazing and hilarious and also filled with puns, and lots of theatre/musical jokes. It was definitely a show I'd see again. Like if you ever have a chance to see a production of it I highly recommend it, especially if you are a theatre nerd like me. It's a great show. Also I liked the fact in such a way that none of the actors had what society would consider “perfect” bodies. They were normal people like you and me. But there was a moment in the play in which the two main characters sat on the edge of the stage and then sang a song. They were literally close enough for me to reach out and touch them. The moment they sat down I swear my heart almost stopped. (There were a few moments that this happened actually lol Like the scene with the shirts being taken off, I could have died XD )

I just wanna say getting to see George perform in real life is a whole different experience compared to just listening or watching a video. He has a very powerful voice that's amazing to experience in real life. He also does in fact do the stomping thing with his feet whenever he hits a hard note with feeling. Again, honestly it's an amazing experience to see him perform in real life. And I hope I'm lucky enough to get to experience it again someday.

Anyways, after the show, I asked Danielle if I could have a poster that I could have the cast sign, which she was awesome and just went and took one off the wall for me to have. I wasn’t the only one who wanted to see or meet the cast so I waited my turn very patiently. I was lucky enough to get all the cast members [except George and one other cast member, Rachel]  to sign the poser and get a picture with all of them [before meeting George]. All of them were amazed that we had come from Nevada, come to find out they had been told both by Danielle, John and George that I was coming so far.

[Cast in order of me meeting them, excluding George (and Rachel, who I met later, alongside/after/with George), and (their character) ]

[Left: Me  Right: BB Arrington (Heidi) ]

[Left to Right: Ned Riseley (Jeff); Me; Sharon Kelly (Mary/Music Director)

[Completely Signed Show Poster (picture taken back at hotel) including George (who wrote my name in all caps lol) Rachel, and the producer who upgraded my seats, John (He and George where the ones to write a message on the poster for me.]

George was the last one I got meet. I was really, really nervous this whole time, so much to the fact I was shaking while I was getting to talk with the other members about stuff while I waited my turn. And then I finally got to walk up to him. 

He said hi and I said hi. Then he was like, “You were in the front row right?” And I said yeah, and then I said I was the girl who was coming from Nevada. And I swear his face lit up. He goes “Oh, Hi!!!” and gave me a hug and asked what my name was and I told him. He told me he liked my name and then I pulled out my key chain (it was a lizard key chain) that I had gotten for him for him being so nice and helpful and he took it and smiled and laughed and said “It’s George Salamander! I love it! I’m gonna keep it forever!” before he put it in him pocket. He signed my poster for me, then the program stuff [not pictured]. Then I asked him to sign my notebook I’m gonna use for signatures and he wrote a note in there with it as well. Then as he was giving it back to me I gave him the letter I had written for him. He said thank you and gave me another hug. Then John came up to the us smiling making sure I had gotten to meet George and seeing if I was having a great time. (Which I absolutely was) and then I asked George for a picture, to which he said Of Course. And then subconsciously I switched sides to get the picture and George laughed and was like “I love that you knew which side was your good side!” I was gonna take a selfie with him but then John offered to take the picture for us. Then John asked if he could get a copy of the picture because he was amazed with my traveling story and that he wanted to be able to share it with others in the future. So I let him give me his email. 

While this was going on, George saw my mom and was like “You must be mom!” and he went over and gave her a hug and thanked her for taking me all this way and that he hoped I knew how great of a mom I had. (and I do :) ) And then she was like “She has been so excited and nervous over getting to meet you. She makes me listen to Be More Chill and stuff a lot. I probably know all the lyrics too by now.” George laughed and said “First of all I apologize. But you amazing for doing this for her!”

[Keychain I got for George (location covered for my safety), George Slamader lol]

[George’s Signature and message in my signature notebook]

[FINALLY George Salazar (Hunter) and Me on the right]

I still had to get one of the girls [Rachel] from the show sign the poster so George went into the green room and got her. Then after she signed I asked for a picture and George offered to take it for me. But before he took the real picture, he totally did the photo bomb thing where you take a selfie instead of taking the actual picture. And the girl I was taking he picture with was laughing and like “I knew you were gonna do that!” and then he took the real picture. Then he gave my iPod back and gave one last hug before thanking me for coming.

[Photobomb Selfie George took on my camera on my iPod]

[Me; Rachel Wenitsky (Susan) (who also my have been my favorite character, beside George’s (Hunter)]

Then we were getting ready to leave, and I went to buy one of the theater’s winter season shirts [not pictured] and Danielle just gave me one for free, which was incredible. I wasn’t able to shut up the whole way back to hotel, or able to sleep that night either. Hell, I’m still not able to shut up about it!

[Temperature outside when we left the theater, from a separate post (but thought I’d include it so you guys could see how cold it really was) on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram the night of the show, since i made my complete post once I was home safely after the entire trip - with caption:

“ Driving in 1 degree weather in Montana to go see [title of show] and getting to meet George Salazar afterwards, was it worth it? ❄️😬 ABSOLUTELY FREAKING YES 😍 I'll try to post more about it tomorrow or once I'm safely at home. But I have so many pictures to post and stories to tell about tonight because it was amazing and one of the best nights of my life!! THANK YOU TO EVERYONE AT THE WARREN MILLER PAC 🎭 FOR BEING SO AMAZINGLY NICE AND FOR EVERYTHING THEY DID FOR ME TONIGHT IN GENERAL!!! TOTALLY MADE THE TRIP 1000% WORTH IT!!” 

George liked the post both on Twitter and IG.]

  Special Thanks:

Mom – THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for taking time to take me to this show. I know there were some scary moments on the drive. This trip, show and getting to meet George Salazar was life changing for me, you don’t even know how much this really meant to me. There aren’t enough words for me to say how thankful I am for you for giving me this opportunity and unforgettable weekend with a day that will be burned into my memory forever. Thank you so much! I love you!!

Warren Miller PAC - Thank you to everyone at the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center for making my experience the best experience possible! It was the most fun I’ve had in a long time. I hope to be able to come see another one of your productions again in the future at some point, purely because of how positive this experience was. Extra Special thanks to Danielle, for being so helpful on phone, giving me a free shirt and being so nice (and helpful) at the show, and John Zirkle, for making sure my experience was great, being really nice and for working with Danielle and giving me upgraded, amazing front row seats and making sure I got to meet George Salazar.

George Salazar - It almost seems silly that I’m thanking you as well, but thank you for being amazingly nice to me after the show. I was so nervous to meet you, let alone get be in the same building as you and see you perform live. (You have one one he most powerful voices I’ve ever heard!) I may not ever get the chance to do either again, but I hope that some day I will be lucky enough to get the chance again. This weekend was unforgettable for me. (I was finally able to give you a hug! By the way, you give AMAZING HUGS.) You are one of the only reasons I still want to do theatre after everything I’ve gone through and still believe in myself enough to do so. Whether I become an amazing actor like you, a behind the scenes techie or whether I just become a teacher who inspires other young people like me to love theatre. And I’m happy with that. Chances may be that you may forget having met me in 6 months or a year, but for now just know that I won’t forget how nice, awesome, and great you were to me. You have left an imprint on me, that will be stuck with me forever, no matter where life takes me. This last weekend, though short, will be in my memories forever. Thank you so much for everything.

(End Facebook Post)

I also made a very similar 3 part post of this on Instagram, tagging all the cast, whom all liked it, at the same time I put it on Facebook. George also liked it and commented this.

Bonus Story #1:  Fun little story I forgot to mention at first about what happened. During the show there was a scene in the show where all the characters were on their phones and they had just found out something life changing about their show and like at that exact moment George dropped his phone prop, but it was at such a good moment that I thought it was scripted, like maybe his character was so shocked he dropped his phone. So after the show you know I got to meet him and stuff, and I'm standing next to him while he's talking to one of his cast mates while waiting for John to give me his email so I could send him our picture and George goes , "I still can't believe I dropped that phone!" And I chimed in with like zero filter or stopping to think about it "If if makes you feel any better I thought it was part of the show, so it was a really nice recovery!" He looked at me with this smile and was like "Yes! Good!" And then everyone standing there kind of laughed about it. Moral of said story, nobody's perfect. :) (But George is apparently really good at improvising on stage when he messes up. Which is kind of awesome. Lol )

Bonus Story #2: So this has nothing really to do with the night I met George but I thought I’d add it in anyways, a few weeks after I got to, I was having a bad couple of days, struggling with my anxiety and shit and one night I couldn’t sleep because of it, so I took to twitter and Instagram to try to get the emotions off my chest, and I happened to talk about George in it, very positively, so I tagged him in it. Here is the FB post and also edited together picture of what ensued and what I had to say.

(FB post and Picture)

  So it finally happened. I cried because of George Salazar, and not because he was singing. And it was like ugly crying. See, on Sunday night I had a hard time falling asleep, so I made a stream of tweets over on Twitter. I was mostly just trying to get out how I was feeling so I could maybe fall asleep. And then I took that and put it over on Instagram too. I apologized in advance to anyone I had bothered since it was so late at night. I had mentioned George in it so over in Twitter yesterday morning he liked some of the tweets. Then I was gone for a large portion of the day, and I was not having a good day at all. Like I really wasn't feeling great. [I felt like shit. Like Garbage to be honest, emotionally and physically] But when I got home I got a notification from Instagram so I opened up Instagram and George had liked and commented on my Instagram post. And this is what George had said. 

And I was having such a messed up day but that really kinda just turned my day back up in its head so fast it had me in tears. I can't explain it but even everytime I read it back now it still makes me emotional. (Those cartoons I added to this are actually kind of accurate what happened). I can't believe/ handle how nice he is. He's such a positive force in my life. I don't know how I got lucky enough to be alive at the same time as George, let alone be lucky enough to have him like my things and talk to me on social media or having been able to have met him. I am grateful everyday for these things. I know I just sound like I'm Fangirling here but I'm not. I was gonna post this last night, but it was still super emotional about this and didn't want to get emotional here. So here it is. 

(End FB post)

One last statement: GEORGE SALAZAR IS LITERALLY THE NICEST MAN YOU WILL EVER MEET! HE IS SO FREAKING SWEET AND AMAZING THAT THERE ARE NOT PROPER WORDS TO MAKE YOU UNDERSTAND HOW AMAZING HE REALLY IS.

And that’s all I’ve got for you guys for now lol. 

That’s all folks! Thanks for reading!!

[coffeeandcalligraphy]

Not Vibing + Nostalgia | Doing the Write Thing #47

Dudes. My writing life has just been so weird lately.

I’m not really vibing with this book right now. I don't know why. Kind of a bummer, but it happens. That’s okay. The important part is, I’ve been writing. Though to put it out there, I’m in an editing + outlining mood. Not a drafting mood. Does anyone else feel that way too sometimes? I mean, editing and outlining are still SO important, but for some reason, my stubborn brain refuses to believe I’m being productive if I’m not writing. Even if I’m outlining a million chapters a day, I still can’t feel content with my productivity. It’s weird. But yeah, anyway. Not vibing with you, FOSTERED #5. Not vibing.

THAT’S OKAY THOUGH.

Don’t know if I’m going to have much time to vibe beyond today and tomorrow because GUESS WHO’S DRIVING FROM TORONTO TO PENNSYLVANIA THURSDAY TO SEE PRECIOUS KID.

(when ur brother took that photo cuz both ur brothers already met the band for u because ur brothers happened to be on tour in California cuz ur brothers happen to be in a band, and also didn't happen to have a show that day so they drove like 2 hours just to meet the band for u and ur sister cuz ur brothers are great even tho like don't tell ur brothers cuz ew brothers.)

(when u made that poster Justine [middle] is holding with ur sister [u did the lettering] and ur brothers got the band to sign copies for u ur sister and ur best friend and they do and r like the sweetest people ever)

(when u find out precious kid is having a show in Pennsylvania and even tho its a 7 hour drive ur brothers and mom decide to take u becuz u have the best family ever)

Also, going to Mexico from next Monday to Friday with the family. So my life looks like this:

Thursday: wake up really early and drive all the way to Pennsylvania. Watch Precious Kid show. Faint.

Also Thursday: drive to grandparents’ house and sleep there.

Friday: drive all the way back home.

Saturday: RELAXXXXX

Sunday: Pack. Also. Don’t panic. You’re going on a plane. But don’t panic.

(this is going to be really hard lol.)

(I’ll try)

(I’ve gone on a plane before no problem)

(Except now I’ve got anxiety (TM))

(rip)

Monday: Get up at like 2AM (so basically just don’t sleep the night before), go to airport, get on plane, go to Mexico.

Rest of the week: Enjoy Mexico fams.

Friday (or whenever we come back I don't know things I just go as things go): hello back home Toronto school starts soon BUT ALSO YOU’RE SEEING SURF CURSE IN LIKE 10 DAYS AND MAYBE GET TO MEET THEM AND ALSO DAUGHTER RELEASES A 13 SONG ALBUM TWO DAYS LATER.

HONESTLY JUST FREAKING LIVE YOUR LIFE BECAUSE LOOK AT ALL THE AWESOME SHIT THAT HAPPENS.

Anyway onto the update.

Daily word count goal: 250

Words written: 789

Total word count: 120 981

Total page count: 219

Songs played: SO I don't think I wrote with music, but I have a couple things to say in regards to music.

Like I mentioned one of my ALL TIME favourite bands (right behind The Strokes, like SO close behind The Strokes sort of) Daughter, is releasing a new album on September 1st. I about died. I talked to @sssoto​ about this after noticing they posted an ominous uncaptioned photo yesterday, and I can’t believe it actually happened.

It’s actually a score to the new Life Is Strange video game, but GUYS. Daughter just released their second album at the very start of 2016, and I don't think anyone was expecting them to release something so huge so soon. I’ve been screaming all day because of this news if you know what I mean. ;)

So punny.

They released one of the songs off the album today called Burn It Down, and I’m just going to leave it here because I'm afraid I’ll just type in all caps like OMG GUYZ ITS SO GOODZ so to avoid embarrassing myself:

The lyrics are absolutely amazing. I adore everything Daughter because Elena writes every lyric with such care and has such amazing word choice. Honestly look at me being a writer commenting on word choice in lyrics. ;) I can’t help it. She’s honestly an amazing lyricist.

Here’s some of my faves from the song:

Always said I was a good kid Always said I had a way with words Never knew I could be speechless Don't know how I'll ever break this

And there’s:

Now the world is only white noise Frequencies that I can't understand

NOW THE WORLD IS ONLY WHITE NOISE LIKE WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT.

(See what I mean. She writes with so much care but it doesn't seem forced. Writing goals. Also so sorry if Igor or Remi or someone else also penned these lyrics as well, lol. I love you too.)

I'll set fire to the whole place I don't even care about our house

!!!!!!!

So I got a little carried away there. Daughter is greatness.

Let’s just get carried away more, shall we?

So Surf Curse released their second album Nothing Yet this year. I’m a chronological music listener, so if I like a band, I have to like them A LOT because I buy every album and listen to them in order. I’m not a single song listener. Like, there are so many single songs I love from other bands but I’m such an awful music listener, I won’t listen to them until I fall in love. Basically, any band I listen to is a favourite band.

(I’m so sorry, I’d love music recs though if you have any. I genuinely do love when people do that. :) I apologize for my weird music habits though. Genuinely don't know what’s up with that, lol.)

My point was, I finally got Nothing Yet. My sister, best friend and I (with my brotherz cuz lol) are going to see them, and obviously they’re going to play songs from this album. I’ll admit, this album doesn't have the classic ‘Surf Curse’ sound, but I’m so down for Nothing Yet.

Nothing Yet is a lot more indie than punk but aaaaahahhahaha guess who’s living for it.

Favourite songs so far (I’ve only listened to it once full through since I just got it but): Falling Apart, All Is Lost, Nostalgia, Sleeping, and Christine F.

This isn’t related at all to my writing session tonight but.

Things to know: I’m not having as much fun as I should be? I’m writing a Lonan Clark Interrogation Scene (TM) [they’ve happened so many times because this boy is such a savage at this point they’re like recurring episodes looooool], but eh. Content is fine, but I’m not vibing. You catch my drift? Did I just say catch my drift.

How I felt: Is it terrible if I say bored. Sorry Lonan. dkm. (This is a me thing. It’s literally a great scene, and I’m just sitting there like yahhhhh no.)

Bad haiku to describe writing session: Boredom is not good / Especially when the scene / Is kinda good yeah

Rating of writing session out of 10 and why: 6.5 because of the above :(

On a scale from 1-10 my level of stoked-ness is: also a 6.5

Lyrics to describe writing session: He wants it easy; he want it relaxed / Said I can do a lot of things, but I can't do that / Two steps forward, then three steps back

--The End Has No End, The Strokes (Room On Fire)

I can promise you I’ve used these lyrics before but honestly me. I want it easyyyyyyyy I want it relaxed said I can do a lot of things but I can’t do thaaaaaaaat.

GIF to describe writing session:

*AND THAT OVER THERE IS RACHEL’S MOTIVATION FLOATING FAR, FAR AWAY!*

Thank you Julian. You always believe in me.

Excerpt:

How about some savage Lonan dialogue.

“I really have to tell you the truth?”

“Unless you want your brain matter to paint a Picasso on the wall behind you, I’d suggest so.”

(lonan is the second person)

(I should make that clear but I don't really need to cuz I have tags before this + context but)

“This could take as little as a half hour if you stick to the facts and stop with your bullshit, but seeming as though doing so is impossible for you, I’ll settle for two hours. Understood?”

honestly is he talking to me in this last one. because this scene could literally take me as little as a half hour if I stuck to the facts and stopped with my bullshit but it seems as though doing so is impossible for me so I’m settling for two.

(We all have off days. It’s okay.)

(It’s funny though because I don’t really have writer’s block. I know exactly what needs to happen but every time I try to write I'm like oh this is torture what are words.)

(This happened yesterday too. When I re-read what I wrote, it was fine, but it’s taking a long time to put together! Which is fine. Honestly, that happens sometimes. :))

So that’s it for the writing update! That’s actually not it though! So before I really started blogging, a few really special people in my life did some really amazingly sweet things for the FOSTERED books (+ I’M DISAPPOINTED), and I wanted to stroll down memory lane and talk about it.

EDIT: So I just took 3 hours to find all of these images. I had to scroll through my Instagram which has over 2000 photos on it... Like sometimes I wish I could go back and tell my 12 year old self that literally no one cares but alas. I’ve blurred all handles etc out because my (and everyone else mentioned here) Instagram is private, sooo that’s exclusive to friends and family.

Without further ado, I bring to you, NOSTALGIA. To preface, these were all from 2014/2015. So no judgements. lol. Excuse how lame I am in these captions. Honestly. Also: I hope this doesn't come across like I’m boasting about things people have done for me as that’s not what I’m intending at all. I just want to share the love and kind of thank the people who did all this stuff for me one more time because honestly, every single thing I received genuinely touched me, and everything I receive now continues to touch me. It makes me really happy thinking about all this stuff, so I thought I’d share the good vibes. :)

1. I’M DISAPPOINTED cast fanart

So @sarahkelsiwrites​ drew these guys for me in 2015. I mean let’s just give a shout out to Ben. (Her art doesn't look like this anymore lol. So sorry Sarah.)

2. My first Twitter banner

Do I need to explain this one.

Also, that ain’t my handle anymore wut kind of.

(i’m now @ rachellwrites)

(but I don't use my twitter for anything besides reblogging precious kid tweets so there’s a warning)

3. Ashley’s Foster comment legacy + Sarah and quinoa

I mean. Sarah’s profile picture was legit an avatar she made of Harrison through an app or something.

4. Fetus Loner angst tho I didn't know he was angsty

It’s almost three years later and The Emotional Loner Chronicles is now running its 12th million season ft melancholy and angst

5. Ashley’s Foster comment legacy lives on

6. Fosever foreverrrrr

Sarah made me this really awesome plastic thing with perler beads to commemorate Fosever (MC + love interest aka foster + reeve) and I can’t get over how cool this thing is... It’s been a while (like a year) since I’ve seen it, but it’s lying around somewhere, and it’s incredibly cool. It actually attaches together. Thanks @sarahkelsiwrites!​

7. @sarahkelsiwrites​‘ early Reeve fanart

sarah’s going to kill me for putting this on here lol. Honestly though at the time I literally freaked. She drew it for me when she was at home sick, and it’s just so thoughtful and adorable lol.

8. Ashley’s cliffolution

@imdisappointed​ (Ashley) is the best best friend I could ask for. Bah.

9. Making paper cranes with Ashley

Ashley was actually the one who helped me make all the paper cranes on the newer edition of the FOSTERED books. She posted this when we were done, and I still can’t stop laughing.

10. I’M DISAPPOINTED love

this is just so sweet, lol. bah.

11. Clifford fanart by Sarah + caption

Sarah drew this portrait of Clifford a very long time ago, but it still remains one of my favourite things ever.

12. Sarah and Lonan clash heads a lot 

Do I need to explain this one other than the fact that @sarahkelsiwrites​ literally calls the FOSTERED books Harrison Palooza.

13. The Harrison Chair

Here’s a really cringy old excerpt from book three that explains why Sarah posted about a chair in a hotel room ignore the literal terrible writing :

“She’s in Texas?” I blurt, turning around on the spinning chair. Harrison stares at me for another second like he’s contemplating some evil plan, walks up to me, lifts me out of the chair, sets me on the bed, then takes a seat in it himself. “Oh yeah…” he mumbles. “So much fucking better…” “Harrison!”   “Jesus, this is so much fucking better…” he moans, rubbing a hand over his face. “What the hell was that for?” I growl, crossing my arms over my chest, cocking an eyebrow up at him. He sighs before deflating completely in the chair, answering me with his eyes closed. “For sitting your fat ass in my chair.” He grumbles, soon demanding Foster go turn on the coffee machine.

I talked to her about this recently, and apparently she still gets mad over this. Oh boy.

14. Lonan and his Quest bars

This is actually my own comment but I’m sharing because this is just too good.

15. I don't even know what’s going on but Harrison.

@sarahkelsiwrites and her pro Harrison edits. I just love the font choice in this.

16. Sarah makes Reeve a birthday cake

This was so cute, and I actually forgot this happened until I found this post again super recently!

17. Cousin retrieves a cup with the word Foster just to show me

This was years ago, but I think it’s just really adorable? I think it’s so sweet that she went out of her way to get it. Honestly. I can’t gush because I’m just eklsblwkanelfkn feelings.

18. Ris cover from the trash

This picture was actually what pushed me to make this post because my cousin and I just talked about this a few days ago! She told me she looked through the trash for weeks to find this thing because it looked like it said RIS and lol honestly I just... That’s so funny and thoughtful and plain adorable cuz I know I wouldn’t search through the trash for Harrison (leave him where he belongssss), but she did and that’s just bahhhh. So thank you Becca. for literally going out of your way to retrieve two pieces of trash with my characters’ names on it because if that isn’t their aesthetic, I don’t know what is.

19. Sarah’s emojis

lol. I cri.

20. Greek god.

I can’t help but laugh so hard every time I see this. HAHAHAHAHA.

So that’s it! I talked about birthday cakes etc, before, so I didn’t include them in this round. But honestly, all of these things mean so much to me... I wish I could project my gratitude a little more eloquently, but I’m so happy these three wonderful people are in my life, and thought of my book and liked it enough to take their own time to make things for it.

Most of this was all a couple years ago, like I mentioned, but I still love all of these things now. Thanks so much for letting me share them with you! I hope you guys enjoyed this post. :) I’ll see you in the next one!

--Rachel

[fabbyale]

I was tagged by @a-deadly-serenade! 2 days ago, but I’m doing it now Thank you!!

1. What fandom(s) are you most into right now?

A little bit of everything, although recently I’ve gotten back into Yu-Gi-Oh my guilty pleasure and classic Disney cartoons (black and white Mickey Mouse and the such) aaaaand Animaniacs! 

2. Has said fandom(s) been involved in any drama lately?

I actually have no idea. I’m on tumblr occasionally throughout the day, but that’s all I’ve been doing. I am submerged in school and finishing up my applications for both graduate school and study abroad. I haven’t even been watching my usual shows either. I’ll catch up when it gets put on Netflix. 

3. Do you contribute to your various fandoms in any way? (fan-art, writing, videos, songs, photo edits)

I used to write fan fiction and have done some pieces of art, but yeah, that was yeeeaaaars ago. I’d love to get back into it WHEN I GET THE TIME. I sometimes make posts on this website, but it’s weird if it gets more than 10 notes haha

4. Has any show/book/movie had any sort of significant impact on your life?

Disney for sure. I was so into Disney that I was an art major during my first semester because I wanted to become an animator and then I realized that I’m an okay artist at best. Belle has always been my favorite princess and it got to the point that I wanted to be her. I used to hate reading. Belle loved it. I forced myself to read. Now I’m applying for a master’s in English and American literature lol

5. Which character do you feel as though you connect with the most? (from any of your fandoms!)

I can’t really think of a specific character in a fandom, so I’ll just say this one time I really connected with a book character. 

Eleanor Vance in Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House

6. Is there one aspect about your favorite book/show/movie that you would like to change? Why or why not?

That Sherlock was run by someone other than Stephen Moffat, because then I feel guilty for loving it so much.

7. Is there one character that you absolutely cannot stand, whereas most other fans really like them?

Kylo fucking Ren. But in like a good way. I mean, he’s a pretty good villain, but I hate how fans have romanticized the hell out of him. Give me a good redemption/death in episode 9/8! 

8. Is there one ship that you absolutely cannot stand, whereas most other fans really like it?

I know I’m not alone in this, but nonetheless, I still see it on my feed often. I hate Superman/Wonder Woman. I haaaate it. Also with the exception of DickBabs, any Bat family members with each other. It feels too incesty to me. 

9. Do you associate any songs with any of your favorite characters?

“The Last Amazing Grays” by Sonata Arctica. I somehow associated that with Dick Grayson, especially his origin and with his relationship with Batman. And because of the lyrics, there is this little story that goes through my head that maybe I’ll write down one day if I ever get back into writing fan fiction. And the song is about wolves. 

10. Which fandom have you been apart of the longest?

DISNEY. Probably my first fandom ever. There are pictures of me in my nursery and it’s decorated in Mickey and Friends stuff. 

11. Would you say that you’ve had mostly good experiences with other fans? If not, then why do you think that is?

Yeah! No one has been an asshole to me thus far :) I have yet to be criticized for being a female comic book geek, but I did step in one time to help out a fellow female geek who was being harassed on this website. 

Ok, the rules say that I gotta tag 11 people and write out 11 questions, but man, I am feeling super lazy after writing all this down. I tag whoever reads this and answer the questions I just answered! :) i’m a piece of shit