#but one of them we call maestro [last name] and the other is maestro [first name]. why do we do this

[supercantaloupe]

after the recital today maestro asked me how it was going w grad finance stuff and i told him the honors program was gonna offer me a fellowship and he was so excited he like immediately put his arms out to hug me and then awkwardly hesitated cause i was holding my giant bag of music stuff and my concert shoes and had no space for hugging available between us

[peachesyeo]

The Maestro The Others

word count - 3k words pairings - seventeen ot13 x fem!oc genre - mature, dark romance, cultish/yandere, mystery , crack chapter warnings - none

author's notes - this is also posted on ao3! lalali m/v killed lots of people, (esp. mingyu's jacuzzi(?) part, boy know what he's doing) and i simply adore vernon's outfit!

thank you @sousydive for beta reading!

series taglist — @seungkwanschicken pernament taglist — @sousydive @yeodeulz @oddracha @jaerisdiction @yukichan67 @evidive @onysmamas

back to masterlist?

Dear Mr. [REDACTED],

We have received news of your newborn child. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to you and your wife for her safe delivery. Please be reminded of your promise with us, and we trust that you will fulfill it.

Sincerely,

The Residents of the Maestro

When I finished packing, it was already seven. I decided to change into a pair of casual outfits - a simple white tee with black jeans. As I tied my hair up into a neat ponytail, I couldn’t help but feel nervous about the dinner later. Would it be rude of me to show up empty-handed? It is my first time visiting; I want to leave a good impression.

I glanced around the apartment, searching for something I could bring. Spotting a vase on the counter, I quickly grabbed it and rushed to the balcony, plucking a few fresh flowers from the potted plants. I made a simple bouquet, placing them on the coffee table.

I hope they don’t mind flowers, the owner of 301.

The doorbell rang again, and I hurriedly checked my outfit in the mirror one last time before rushing to the door. “Coming!” I called, opening it to find Soonyoung standing there, a familiar bright grin on his face.

“Hi! Shua hyung told me to come and pick you up. Oh, and to pass you this…” Soonyoung grinned.

“Hi, Hoshi, thank you,” I said, taking the file. “Are we going to 301?”

“Yeah, to Mingyu’s.” Soonyoung's grin widened. His gaze lingered on my outfit. “Nice fashion sense, you dress like Kwannie. He lives in 401, by the way,” he added, his voice light and casual.

Jeonghan, Chan, Mingyu, Kwannie... How many people live in this strange apartment complex? “I see… I'll put this down,” I said, rushing to put the document on the coffee table. Taking the bouquet, I went back to Soonyoung. “Let's go…”

“Hang on, let's go with Hoonie and Dokyeom,” Soonyoung said, noticing the bouquet in my hands. “That’s a nice bouquet.”

Hoonie and Dokyeom, that’s two more names. Adding the three men and the four names earlier, there must be more than ten residents here. “Thank you… I didn’t want to show up empty-handed…”

“I’m sure Mingyu would appreciate it,” Soonyoung said kindly. I walked alongside him to the corridor on the other side of the elevator. The both of us stopped in front of the apartment door labelled 203.

Something about the atmosphere felt off, as if there was an underlying current of secrecy that I couldn't quite put my finger on. Soonyoung knocked on the door, shouting. “Hoon? Are you done?” he called out.

Silence followed, broken only by the sound of approaching footsteps. Soon, a pale figure wearing a grey hoodie and sweatpants opened the door. He shared the same almond eyes as Hoshi, framed by long lashes. Despite the gentle flush to his cheeks, there was a coldness in his gaze, as if he were distant, detached. It gave him the appearance of a strawberry mochi with a frosty exterior.

He eyed me silently, before casting a questioning glance at Soonyoung, silently demanding an explanation. Soonyoung pulled him out in front of him, turning to me. “This is Lee Jihoon. Hoonie, this is Raeyang, the new resident in 201.”

“Are we doing introductions now?” A sudden voice joined from behind me. I jumped again, turning to see a tall blonde man shutting the door of 204. His eyes were round and lively, sparkling with a mischievous glint. 

Beneath his straight and well-defined nose, his lips were full and curved into a wide, charming smile, revealing a set of perfectly aligned teeth. “Oh, you must be the new neighbour, Kang Raeyang, right?” he exclaimed warmly. I nodded, and he shot me a cheeky wink. “Hi, I’m Lee Seokmin, you can call me Dokyeom. Don’t worry about Jihoon, he looks distant but he’s a huge softie-”

“Kyeom, shut up,” Jihoon muttered, scowling at Seokmin. I looked to Soonyoung for help, but he seemed entertained by the turns of events. “Now, don’t fight, you know Cheol hyung would be annoyed…”

“Not fighting,” Jihoon avoided my eyes. “Hi, welcome to the family,” he murmured, closing his door and heading towards the elevator. Soonyoung nudged me with a grin, gesturing me to follow after Jihoon. Seokmin caught up to me, sending me a friendly smile.

“I heard about your parents,” he started, his tone friendly yet with a hint of something peculiar. “I’m sorry about them. They were nice.”

“You know my parents? Oh, right. They owned this building.” The bitterness from earlier seemed to creep back into my heart. As we waited for the elevator, Seokmin patted my shoulder, his smile unwaveringly warm but his touch lingering a bit longer than usual. “Well, Raeyang. We don’t keep secrets here, so I can assure you that Shua really told you everything he knows.”

“Dokyeom’s right,” Soonyoung agreed, his cheerful demeanour not faltering, but there was something in his eyes that seemed to hint at a deeper understanding. Seokmin retrieved his hand while Jihoon leaned on the wall with his arms crossed, his expression unreadable.

“Over here, everyone knows everything about everyone. No one has a secret. We’re a big family. Right, Hoonie?” Soonyoung nudged Jihoon, who was still avoiding my gaze. He nodded silently at Soonyoung's cue.

Just as I opened my mouth to speak, the elevator arrived with a ‘ding’. The doors opened, revealing a young man standing inside. He looked like he stepped out of a painting; his eyes were like pools of liquid silver, framed by long lashes that gave him a dreamy, otherworldly gaze. His nose was straight and slender, leading down to lips that were soft and inviting. His hair was tied up into a short ponytail, and when he spoke, his voice was soft and angelic.

“Oh? What a coincidence.” His lips curled. Jihoon inclined his head at him, while Seokmin and Soonyoung greeted him loudly. “Jeonghan hyung!” 

So this is the Jeonghan that was supposed to show me around earlier. Jeonghan stepped aside, allowing the four of us to enter the elevator. “Hello, Raeyang, I am Yoon Jeonghan,” he introduced himself with a slight tilt of his head, his voice soft. “I apologise for not being able to show you around earlier, I was busy. Nice bouquet you have there, by the way.”

As the elevator door closed, his eyes seemed to glint with a hidden emotion. I could feel the heat rising to my face as I shook my head. “Thank you.. And no, it’s okay. Seungcheol showed me around,” I said, hoping that Jeonghan wouldn’t notice the blush on my face.

But Jeonghan laughed lightly, “I know he didn’t, Raeyang. You don’t even know where the letterbox is,” he said casually, his tone lying with a hint of… anger? “But maybe I can show you around tomorrow, Raeyang. How does that sound to you?”

“Sure…” I replied, feeling a chill run down my spine as the air in the lift turned colder than usual. Suddenly, it felt suffocating to be standing right next to Jeonghan. The elevator stopped, saving me from the silent tension. I quickly exited, eager to escape his unsettling presence.

There were two unfamiliar faces standing in the middle of the lobby. One of them was a tall, thin man with a black mullet. He wore a thin brown button-up with black pants, and his feet were clad in comfortable sandals. The other man had silver hair and was dressed in a simple hoodie, paired with grey sweatpants and running shoes.

Once again, why are they all so good-looking?

“Minghao! Hansollie! What are the two of you doing outside?” Seokmin called out loudly, gaining their attention.

I silently switched my position to stand beside Jihoon instead, feeling safer with him than with Jeonghan. Jihoon gave me a weird look, and I returned a smile back to him. He paused, his eyes widening a little before turning away from me. 

“Ah, hyungs.” The man with the silver hair spoke. He looks mixed, with fair skin and a pair of light, hazel eyes. “We were just waiting for Kwan and Jun hyung.” His brows raised when he saw me. “Is this the new neighbour?”

“Yeah. Raeyang, this is Vernon, or Hansol, his Korean name. That’s Minghao,” the thin man with the mullet tilted his head at me. It was then I realised that his eyes were actually electrifying blue. “Hello.”

“Hello, Miss Raeyang.” Minghao’s voice is surprisingly soft. Vernon, on the other hand, nodded at me. “What’s up?” He said coolly. I gave him an awkward smile, the goosebumps once again rising up my arm. “Erm, I’m all good?”

“That’s nice to know.” Vernon’s features crinkled into a smile as he raised a thumbs up at me. Seokmin clapped him on his back, while Soonyoung hung an arm over Minghao’s shoulder. “Should we go in first? I wanna introduce Raeyang.” Soonyoung grinned, while Vernon seemed unfazed. “You guys can go in first. Jeonghan hyung, Kwan asked for you too.” He said, before his gaze fell on me again. “I believe Mingyu hyung would be very happy to see a new face.” 

Minghao cleared his throat, and for a moment he seemed to be struggling to speak. “Is… Is that bouquet of flowers for Mingyu?” Minghao pressed his lips together, after he had spoken. I nodded in response, and he quickly looked away, not speaking another word. I blinked, not understanding his reaction. 

“Alright then, let’s go, Raeyang!” Seokmin, seemingly noticing the rising awkwardness, let go of Vernon, beckoning me. Jihoon muttered something under his breath as he quickly walked past me to the corridor. I quickly followed in his footsteps, while Seokmin and Soonyoung trailed behind me. Feeling a nod on my shoulder, I turned my head around. Seokmin gave me an apologetic grin. “Sorry about Minghao, he’s not really good at socialising.” 

“Ah, no, I wasn’t offended or anything.” I said quickly, waving my hands in front of my chest. Seokmin patted his own. “Thank goodness, a lot of people thought Hao had an attitude. He’s nice, he’s just a little introverted-”

“We’re here.” Jihoon’s voice cut Seokmin’s words off again. Apartment 301 was just right at the corner. The door was left open, and Jihoon went straight in. I held the bouquet of flowers tightly in my hand, entering the apartment. 

A large, spacious living room greeted me as I entered. In it, I could see a kitchen. A tall figure was busing behind the stove, talking animatedly as another worked quietly next to him. A huge dinner table was placed in the middle of the living room, and Seokmin headed straight towards a black-haired man in a black hoodie sitting by the couch. Once he noticed us, he quickly stood up.

The man’s eyes were bright and expressive, and they seemed to hold a sense of mischief. His nose was small and slightly upturned, giving him a boyish charm. His lips were curled into a mischievous grin as he spoke. “Is this who I think she is?”

“Bingo!” Soonyoung clapped loudly, followed by Seokmin. The man held out his hand to me. “Hi, I’m Lee Chan. You can call me by my stage name Dino, or just Chan.” 

A stage name, just like Soonyoung. They must be some kind of performers. I reached out to shake his hand. “My name is Kang Raeyang, nice to meet you, Chan.” I said, as the two people working in the kitchen walked out. “Ah! New neighbour!” The taller one said loudly, taking off his apron while the other beside him adjusted his glasses. “Hi, I’m Kim Mingyu, this is Jeon Wonwoo.” 

Mingyu's appearance could be described as strikingly sinful; his face is strong, with a square jawline that gives him a ruggedly handsome look. His eyes, a deep shade of brown, hold a mixture of warmth and intensity, like smouldering embers. His eyebrows are thick and well-defined, adding to the intensity of his gaze. I was reminded of the sexy models I’ve seen in magazines - well, that could be Mingyu, only if he wasn’t smiling so brightly. 

Beside him, Wonwoo's face had a different aura. His eyes, dark and deep, and beneath his sharply defined eyebrows, his gaze held a quiet intensity. His sharp jawline gave his face a certain ruggedness, contrasting with the softness of his lips, which are now curved into a subtle smile. 

Noticing that I have been staring at Mingyu for quite a while, I quickly handed out the bouquet of flowers, hoping that no one noticed my flustered state. “I’m Kang Raeyang, sorry for coming at such short notice… I should have brought something better…”

Mingyu blinked, and then tears welled up in his eyes. I stood in shock as he sniffed, taking the flowers from me. “Oh, that’s s-so sweet of you, Raeyang… These jerks here didn’t even get me anything when I have been working my ass off, cooking them food…”

“I helped you prepare them,” Wonwoo's voice was low, sounding tired. Chan rolled his eyes in response, while Seokmin clapped his hands together, checking the time. “It’s almost seven fifteen, is dinner ready yet?”

Mingyu recovered almost immediately. “I’ll go find a vase for these flowers. Chan, set the table. The rest of you, bring out the dishes.” As the others moved to obey his command, he turned to me, grinning. I noticed that his incisors are quite pointy, like a vampire. “Meanwhile, Raeyang, do you mind helping me supervise them? Especially Chan.” 

“Yah! Kim Mingyu, you dramatic puppy!” Chan scowled and Mingyu stuck his tongue out at him. Soonyoung quickly ushered me to the kitchen. “Ignore the both of them, they are very childish…” 

“Says the person who believes that he’s a tiger!” Chan yelled from behind, and Soonyoung's eyes turned wide with disbelief. He turned back, hands on his hips. “What are you talking about? I am a tiger-”

A pair of pale hands suddenly pulled me into the kitchen. I yelped in surprise as Jihoon swiftly moved in front of me. He scowled at the noise outside, slamming the kitchen door shut after Wonwoo and Seokmin entered.

"They are so noisy," he muttered, his tone exasperated as he leaned against the door, letting go of my wrist as he folded his arms. Wonwoo snorted and went back to the pots and plates, filling them up with the delicious-smelling food while Seokmin helped him.

I stepped forward to lend a hand, but I felt Jihoon grab my wrist again. I looked back at him, not understanding. “I want to help…” I started, but Jihoon shook his head. “You can help Chan take out the plates, he’ll come in after they stop yelling.” He pointed to two cabinets opposite Wonwoo and Seokmin. “There’s fourteen of us including you.”

“Alright…” I quickly took out the utensils. Jihoon opened the drawer beside me, carefully taking out the cutlery. The shouts outside died out, followed by a loud cackling of laughter and a roar of anger by someone unseen. I looked up in fear at the roar, but the other three in the kitchen didn't seem to be affected by it.

Soon, the kitchen door slid open, and Chan marched in, looking furious. His eyes blazed as he stormed past us, muttering curses under his breath.

"Stupid Seungkwan hyung," Chan complained to Wonwoo while walking past him, taking a tray from the shelves above and starting to load the cutlery Jihoon had placed on the counter. "I’ll bite his head off one day, acting like he owns the place again… And Cheol hyung always sides with him…"

Seungkwan. Soonyoung and Vernon had both mentioned his name. “Kwan’s here?” Seokmin asked interestedly, while Chan gave him a side eye, exiting the kitchen. Wonwoo sighed, giving me an embarrassed smile. “Sorry, they are like Tom and Jerry-”

“I heard that the new neighbour is here!” A head peeked out from behind the kitchen door. He has a slightly rounded face with soft, chubby cheeks, his eyes bright with light. He has a slightly pointed nose and a prominent chin, and his hair was dyed to a soft brown, falling short from his eyes. “Oh, hello! Jun hyung! Come say hi!”

A second head peeked into the kitchen. He has high cheekbones and a defined jawline, his nose is straight and well-proportioned, adding to the symmetry of his face. Unlike Seungkwan, who seemed friendly and excited, he seemed a little tired and disinterested. “Hi.”

I placed my hands in front of me politely. “Hello, I’m Kang Raeyang.”

Seungkwan waved his hand dismissively. "Don’t need to be so informal. I’m Boo Seungkwan, and this is Wen Junhui.”

“And can you not block the door?” Chan’s irritated voice came from behind them, and Seungkwan quickly turned around, scowling. “Is that how you talk to your elders, you rascal?”

“The both of you, enough!” A familiar deep voice boomed from the living room, instantly quieting the both of them. Junhui disappeared, while Seungkwan pouted. “Okay, okay, hyung. Keep your hair on.”

“He’s even more naggy than Kim Mingyu.” Chan muttered as Seungkwan stepped aside for him to go into the kitchen. Meanwhile, Seokmin had loaded the dishes onto another tray. “Hey, Raeyang, do you mind helping me with these?”

“Sure,” I nodded and walked over to him. Wonwoo passed me a second tray, “careful.” He warned. I followed Seokmin to the living room, where a big dining table is set up. Most of the seats are filled with the people I’ve seen. Joshua sent a gentle smile my way. “Hello, Raeyang.”

“Hi, Joshua.” I replied, standing beside him and putting down the tray. Opposite him, Seungcheol frowned. “Why are you loading the dishes?” He snapped, looking frustrated. 

“Oh,” I was a little taken aback by his reaction. “I said I wanted to help…”

A pair of slender hands appeared on Seungcheol’s shoulder. I see Jeonghan shaking his head at Seungcheol, before turning to me with a smile.

“Thank you for helping, Raeyang,” he started. “But I think you should just sit down, Vernon will take it from here,” as if on cue, Vernon stood up, giving me a lazy smile. “You can sit there.” He pointed to an empty seat next to Junhui, and the mentioned man waved at me. “Dinner will start soon.”

previous // next

©peachesyeo, 2024

i do not own the dividers nor pictures used in banner. all credit goes to their original owners. owner of animated / 18+ banner ; owner of rose banner

[celestiall0tus]

Siren's Song Master Post

Alright, here we are as I promised last night. So, let's crack into this.

Acknowledgements:

Siren's Song Acknowledgements

Other Important Shit:

Friendships

First Changes

Second Changes

Third Changes

Fourth Changes

Synopsis:

Kagami is a 17-year-old and daughter to technology tycoon, Tomoe Tsurugi. This world is drawn between the old and new, the need to evolve and progress that clashes with the desperate desire to cling to the past. This worldview and mindset are challenged when a villain by the name of Grandeur challenges the old and ushers in the new at the cost of destroying the old.

Cast:

Ladybug - Kagami/Lady Beetle -

Black Cat - Ivan /Razor - A dark, broody teen, Ivan is a loner and outcast often dragged along with the main group of friends much to his dismay. He is rough around the edges with a heart that melts only for Kagami. As Razor, he is arrogant and hot-headed, letting his more volatile traits show through.

Peacock - Ondine/Siren - A budding singing prodigy and hopeful professional swimmer. She gives her all for her parents that push her to perfection and aim for Ondine to be an Olympian champion, allowing her to indulge in song so long as her swimming performance doesn't suffer. Her head is turned by Kagami, seeing the same soul and life, seeing a person that can understand her. As Siren, Ondine is free from those expectations. She fully indulges in song as she hopes her songs and heroics can win Kagami over with her true self.

Bee - Mylene/Honey Bee - A sweet, fiery young teen. She is there to support her friends and fight for a world that she believes in.

Fox - Luka/Maestro - Music is his soul and heart. Luka's entire life has revolved around music as he longs to share his songs with the world, telling stories and invoking emotions with simple instrumental pieces. Both Luka and Maestro are gentle, empathic and endearing gentlemen.

Butterfly - Marinette/Iridescent - A baker girl that caught the attention of the Agreste brand and brought in as the new face of the Agreste brand, replacing Adrien. Marinette is a sweet, considerate heart, though a touch ignorant of others at times. This carries over to Iridescent.

Raven - Adrien/Scourge - The Agreste heir and former face of the brand. Adrien desperately wants to gain his father, Gabriel's, approval, but is looked over, especially when Marinette is around. Honestly, y'all will see some Reverse!Adrien and Claw Noir in this Adrien, just a touch.

Dragon - Zoe/ Wyvern - An adventurous hellion that seeks danger and thrill in the great unknown. Though her escapades frighten her sister, she cannot deny the draw to nature after her encounter with a dragon when she was younger.

Bat - Juleka/Banshee - A shy, unsure wicca teen with a crush on Marinette. Outside her social life, she spends most her time practicing and learning her art. As Banshee, she is a creature of terror, reveling in the fear she strikes in the hearts of others as she toys with them.

Swan - Rose/Venus - A graceful and gentle soul. Rose is an aspiring ballerina whose been training her whole life to be a professional. Fiercely loyal, energetic, friendly and bubbly, she is welcoming to all, but one should be careful of her terrifying keen eye. One look into the eyes and she knows everything about a person.

Turtle - Chloe/Marina - A high-strung girl, who is always checking on what her friends are doing. She always makes to know what they're planning and going to do, always being sure to send texts (and calls when they don't respond to texts) to check them and see if they're ok and what's up. This might make her seem controlling, but the truth is she's just very overprotective. This overprotective nature stems from an incident in her childhood. When she was younger and was paying more attention to playing with her friend Adrien at a playground, she ended up not paying enough attention to her little sister Zoe. Zoe ended up wandering off into her nearby woods where she went missing for 3 days straight, until she mysteriously reappeared back at her dad's hotel. This event led to Chloe feeling immense guilt over the situation, blaming herself for it, and developing major anxiety over something horribly potentially happening to her friends, leading to her overprotective nature. This anxiety is not helped by the fact that ever since the event, Zoe has developed an obsession with those woods, claiming she met a dragon lady in them.

Pig - Felix/Aetolian - A budding theater kid with aspirations of being an actor. Felix has a close relationship with Amelie, but has an estranged, distant relationship with Colt. He attempts to win his father's approval, but is unable to. He fully indulges in the theater, using it as an escape and the only place he feels he is himself, to turn a blind eye to the pain he can't otherwise escape from.

Mouse - Nino - A bright teen with a natural call to leadership that aspires to be a film director. Nino is most comfortable taking a leadership role and directing whatever team he's part of, though it does cause friction when faced with another leader who takes control instead of him.

Owl - Sabrina/Seeker - Smart, sassy, though can unintentionally come off as a little mean, Sabrina is the level-headed, voice of reason with the inflated ego at times.

Robin - Lila/Pettirosso - A primadonna theater teen with a natural curiosity and craftiness. Though she can come off as self-absorbed and attention seeking, at the end of the day, she is a true ride or die friend.

Shark - Alix/Megalodon - A young, rebellious teen, living her best life with her friends. She also won't doesn't hesitate to jump into the fray, always ready to take names and kick ass. Legend speaks of a secret vigilante and has become something of an urban legend in Paris.

Seal - Alya/Oblivion - Adventurous, calm, and so at peace that she can often forget the task at hand, leading her to be pretty forgetful. She often has to rely on Aurore to help her with reminders. She is still a big superhero and comic book nerd.

Dog - Marc/Eros - A budding writer and hopeless romantic. Marc is a quiet lad that adores all things romance (including a touch of erotic so long as there's plot) and gushes over cheesy romantic stuff. This carries over into his hero self.

Dolphin - Aurore/Sea Breeze - A bright, friendly girl. When she was young, her grandmother gave an impactful piece of advice: "The experiences we go through will always teach us something, even the painful ones. That's why it is important to remember instead of forgetting. By remembering, we can learn, and by learning, we can know how to process and move forward." This was the last thing her grandmother told her before she passed away from old age. Aurore took this advice to heart and does her best to remember all the important things she can, which has led to her finding creative ways to do it, like making scrapbooks, writing in diaries, and taking dozens of photos. She also never forgets important upcoming events and appointments, both for her and her friends, leading her to be the one her friends ask about what they learned in class or when the next test is. Aurore is also a budding reporter, which leads her to become friends with fellow budding reporter Alya. Both are in charge of the school newspaper, and Aurore even helps Ayla with her blog, often being the one to do interviews.

Koala - Nathaniel - A dreamer in both a figurative and literal sense. An artist that can often become lost in his ideas, most of which come from his own dreams. He keeps a dream journal and even a dream sketchbook. He can spend hours focused on either his dreams or his artwork. This has led to him developing a reputation of being lazy, which isn't entirely untrue due to his decently sized disdain for stressor physical activity (this boy hates gym class). He's also a big homebody who prefers staying home over going out.

Lynx - Colt/Lyncus - A successful Amercian businessman that is married to Amelie and father to Felix. He and Amelie didn't approve of their arranged marriage, but managed to make it work through the years. However, he is distant with Felix, unable to properly show the level of affection and love expected of a father, leaving him distant and aloof to Felix's wants and needs. He takes up a hero role to save his business and family from Grandeur's takeover.

Rabbit - Amelie/Artemis - A caring and nurturing woman that is mother to Felix. She lives in Paris with her sister, Emilie, after hearing about the marriable troubles Emilie was facing and the lack of interest Gabriel had in being a parent. She assisted Emilie in raising Adrien while also taking on a motherly role for Chloe and Zoe as well.

Horse - Emilie/Eleutheria - A carefree spirit trapped in an unhappy marriage. Emilie was a bright woman that fell for a lowly fashion designer. Though they had their struggles, they never lost that spark until they wanted a child. No matter the treatments they used, she couldn't conceive and was losing Gabriel. She turned to magic to create a child, hoping it'd keep their spark, but it was gone. She has resigned herself to raising Adrien with a nonexistent husband whose head was turned elsewhere. She longs for freedom, but doesn't break free out of fear of her parents and her unwillingness to air her dirty laundry and shortcomings.

Ant - Max /Formica - An intelligent teen that remains in the background for a lot of things, just there for the ride. He observes the drama and pushes things forward, tired of the nonsense he witnesses from his peers.

Chameleon - Tomoe/Grandeur - An incredible businesswoman that wishes to usher in a new age. To long Tomoe has endured her mundane, wayward world and seeks to give it proper direction to make her dreams a reality: To create an advanced technological world for herself and for her daughter, offering her a bright, secure future.

Cow - Gabriel - The largest name in fashion next to Audrey. He has long thrown himself to his work, recently replacing Adrien for Marinette, much to Emilie and Adrien's dismay. Gabriel pushes them away, keeping them at a distance when the attacks begin, blackmailed by Grandeur to do their bidding.

Spider - Nathalie/Neith - A deceptive lounge singer that has her hooks in every big name politician, CEO, crime boss, and everything in between, holding their deepest secrets close to her that she steals as Neith, her femme fatale persona, earning her a comfy life and the attention of Grandeur.

Dove - Sabine - A loving and sweet wife to the top baker in the city. Despite what her facade would tell you, she harbors a dark secret that pushes her to side with Grandeur of her own volition.

Media:

This will be written like everything else that I do.

Collab of Fans:

Alright, the important part, an invitation and transparency. Siren's Song was not my initial idea at first. Rather, it spawned from an anon liking an Ivangami piece and requesting more, throwing in Ondine for good measure. Same came with Lady Beetle, Razor, Honey Bee and Maestro. So, I extend this invitation to y'all.

For those that may be fans, individuals with ideas that want to see them to fruition, and everything else in between, let's have fun. Anyone interested in partaking in this rollercoaster of crack ideas, rare pairs, and overindulgence of fanfiction goodness, I invite y'all. I will acknowledge those that wish to have their name on this as well as anonymous people (I do recognize some people prefer this and offer it as well).

If you have ideas for characters, plot points, etc, hit me up through DMs and/or the ask box. I will credit you as a creator in this descent into pure, unfiltered chaos.

Now, do this? Why not just write what you want? Why ask for help? Again, this concept originated with the fans, not me. It's only fair y'all have a voice (at least imo). Furthermore, I just want to fucking let loose and be crazy. And not completely in a dark, angst way like I usually have. Like an anon literally commented, it's crack taken seriously. And you know what? Let's go. Let's get fucking wild up in this bitch!

[sushigal007]

New Doccy Who!

The new episodes were very fun, Space Babies was very silly and I loved it, The Devil's Chord was also very silly and I loved it, the awful Beatle's dog song plays on a loop in my head and I desperately hope we see Maestro again.

But now I wanna talk Theories.

So there's an actress who's made an appearance in four of the last five episodes. Now that's not unusual, several actors have played multiple characters on the show. Some of them went on to play companions or even Doctors. But it's unusual for it to happen in such a short timespan. And what's especially interesting is that the actress is named Susan Twist.

OK, coincidence. That does genuinely seem to be her real name; she's got an IMDB page with appearances in other shows. But this actress has played four different characters (so far) in a show where one of the original characters is named Susan, where people have been asking for years "where's Susan?" The latest episode had the Doctor explain that he and Susan were right at that moment living in the junkyard and that he didn't know what had happened to her. And then he ended the episode by outright saying "there's always a twist at the end." OK, so then it turned into a dance number, but I'm just saying, it would a hell of a missed opportunity to have an actress named Susan Twist in an episode where you mention Susan and a twist, and then not have her be related to Susan in some way.

Also. There's a song trapped inside Ruby. That song? Carol Of The Bells. The actress who originally played Susan? Carol Ann Ford. Coincidence!? Well, yes, possibly, but of all the Christmas carols they could've chosen, they picked one that specifically had Carol in the name, and in an episode that made a big deal about the power of coincidences, that screams intentional to me.

TL;DR, I think we're getting Susan back. She might be good, she might be evil, she might be splintered across time like Clara and all the Susan Twists are echoes - I mean, the one in the Christmas episode asked Ruby's band to play a 16th century song, and her first appearance was as Isaac Newton's assistant back in 1666 - but I think we're getting her. They've been dropping hints about something called The One Who Waits, and Susan has been waiting decades for her grandfather to give her back her shoe.

[formulapookie]

OK SO

Bezz (or Bez, Marco Bezzecchi to be understood) is one of the kids raised and trained by Valentino Rossi himself in his riders Academy (VR46 Riders Academy)

He's a MotoGP rider since 2022 (he won rookie of the year) and in 2023 he ended up third in the standings (whilist currently he's 11th)

He was raised by Vale in a climate where the words "Marc Marquez" were to be spoken only if attached to insults or suspect towards his actions

Last year (I speak about that because it's when I've truly began actively watching MotoGP and inform myself about it) at the last race, Gran Premio de la Comunidad Valenciana, in Valencia, he had a harsh contact during the race with Marquez and he immediately blamed Marc for it.

was it too much from MArc? maybe, he's an aggressive rider, there's no doubting that, it was a move on the edge, but Bezz went on HOURS about it (not joking) and he stole the skysport microphone to do a 10 minutes interview to his buddy Pecco (Francesco BAgnaia) and said like three times "Marquez made me crash"

He has never ever been kind towards the spaniard UNTIL apparently this season, he's began to be more moderate

and finally in the Jerez GP this year, where Pecco won after an exciting battle with Marc (who also battled Bezz) Bezz came third and Marc second, so they shared the cool down room and Bezz saw that Marc had tyre marks on his right arm where he had a minor collision with Pecco earlier in the race and you can SEE Bezz's eyes practically sparkling, while Marc seems really unwilling at the touch, probably he's not used to it coming from someone he doesn't closely know like his brother Alex or his friend Fabio Quartararo

since then Bezz has said I think ZERO negative things about Marc, the race after actually he fell both during the sprint race and the long race and admitted he fell (at least for what concerns the sprint race) because "I got anxious because Marc was coming for me and I fell" (minutes 00:25-00:35)

He also later called Marc a "maestro" (teacher) to him and to the academy in general, saying they talk about him irl and share this opinion, because he's a strong rider and they can learn from him.

Q: In the VR chat do you talk about other Ducatisti? A random one: Marc Marquez? A: We talk about it more in real life than on the phone. We give the right attention to everything, to eery detail, as Valentino taught us. Marc is very strong and we try to learn from him Q: Is he a bench-marc? A: He's a teacher, to us is like being in a lesson

Notice how Marquez became MARC, first name, no little jokes.

The shift between the almost blid hate/despise he had towards Marc during the 2023 season and the admiration he clearly shows now is astounding to me, like how can you change your opinion like that so quickly?

And now onto another few things Bezz has been wearing hoodies that literally state "Ama chi ti pare" which means "Love whoever you want" and he calls his (male) friends and bike "amo" which is like "luv" in english but it's majorly used by girls in Italy so I personally wouldn't be surprised if he was to actually come out as bi (he had a girlfriend up until a year and a half ago) He has a pitbull named Rubik (yes after the cube cause he loves it and there's a few videos of him solving it that make me go FERAL) and he loves that dog to death He called his bike Marianna cause the first two were called Maria and Anna and given that he (admitted by himself) sees the bike as a girlfriend you can't have two girlfriends so he made up a name using the first two

I WENT OFF RAILS TALKING ABOUT MY BOY BEZZ BUT YOU GET IT

he switched from hating the guy to looking up at him (obv there's fics about it) @anitalianfrie @yeastinfectionvale @yamahussy and @hotmessmaxpress for sure wrote fics about them, @boxboxluckybird wrote a beautiful fic about a headcanon (bezz acting a bit like a crow and gifting little trinkets to people he loves I'm sure wrote something) my personal favourite @vanillow turbulent is amazingggggggggg (it's a bit angsty tho, just warning you) AND ALSO THE TWO PART FIC SHE UPLOADED RECENTLY @montemei wrote a fic too (or more Idk sorry I read one) and @bezzplaining too I also wrote something but it's still in the works and for now it's paused due to uni study

If I forgot someone sorry sorry but I don't remember everyone😭

you want to know about the psychosexual relationship Bezz has with Marc?

is that even a question.

[weirdthoughtsandideas]

Random stuff in every Violetta episode that not necessarily is important to the plot (Season 1)

Also I don't have the energy to rewatch every ep so some are just from memory. Others I have simply rewatched as I skim through them and look for the first random scene I see.

1x01: Angie and Pablo go for a jog and they never do this again.

1x02: A scene of the Castillo pool that we never see them use

1x03: Introduction of Dolores, who everyone calls Dolo and seems to be a good friend of theirs. We never see her again and her boyfriend is not named Mariano

1x04: PUNK NOT DEAD

1x05: Gregorio is punkophobic

1x06: Violetta crashes into Fran and Camila :D

1x07: JUNTOS SOMOS MAS PERFORMANCE MY BELOVED

1x08: Maxi serenades a girl with a mariachi hat

1x09: Angels vs Devils

1x10: Franletta become friends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1x11: Too many people are interested in Tomas's audition

1x12: Maxi in a boxing match

1x13: Violetta has never had a friend over and Fran's gonna change that

1x14: Jade thinks she is the champion of the universe

1x15: Helping someone play guitar is apparently romantic

1x16: Dance audition babey

1x17: Germán buys Angie a new ring instead of getting out her old one from the sink

1x18: Violetta has a green locker and i'm pretty sure she didn't later on

1x19: Apparently as a baby, Violetta poured a fucking bowl of chocolate over Germán

1x20: Francesca sings Tienes Todo and I wish she sang that more

1x21: TOMAS WHACKS GREGORIO'S CHIN WITH A VIOLIN

1x22: Oink oink

1x23: Leon is ALLERGIC TO STRAWBERRIES!!!!!!!

1x24: Tomas tries to kiss Violetta against her consent

1x25: Leon asked if Violetta had a bomb in her closet

1x26: Date planning gone wrong

1x27: Maestro is just a regular boy! But he's also still a superstar!

1x28: Maxi and Braco are randomly out in some outdoor café drinking juice

1x29: Camila's aunt is a psychologist

1x30: DON'T YOU GET THAT YOU MAKE VIOLETTA UPSET WHEN YOU KEEP HER LOCKED INSIDE, GERMÁN?!?!?!

1x31: Did you know the spaceship trip got cancelled?

1x32: Leon is just gonna sit there during Veo Veo

1x33: Ludmila and Naty in a renaissance painting with Pablo

1x34: Literally the only thing I think about with this ep is Leonetta's first kiss, but I know like... Rock Bones is here and stuff?

1x35: Germán gets a seizure

1x36: This is the reason my respect to Tomas disappeared

1x37: Naty crawled between Gregorio's legs to get past him and he made a cartwheel over it

1x38: The iconic Naty-lifts-up-Ludmila scene

1x39: PABLANGIE KISS!!!!!!!!!!!! *screams*

1x40: Violetta runs away on a boat this is so dramatic

1x41: Angie says to Germán she Violetta’s aunt but OF COURSE HE DOESN’T HEAR

1x42: Due to the awful dancing standards, here is Broduey to fix that

1x43: Ah yes, Pablo’s waitress arc

1x44: Tomletta stuck in a closet, of course Tomas can't keep it in his pants

1x45: Ludmila thinks Leon has some ugly, ugly, wrinkles and they are not pretty

1x46: TOMAS'S FAMILY TALKS ABOUT THEIR FEELINGS AT THE DINNER TABLE It'S So hORrIbLe

1x47: Fran's birthday with the strangest costumes! :D

1x48: Gregorio puts students in two groups

1x49: ACAPELLA VEO VEO MY BELOVED

1x50: Gregorio is racist to spanish accents

1x51: Ludletta Te Creo duet

1x52: TOBY FUNERAL

1x53: VIOLETTA SOMEHOW BROKE INTO A CLASSROOM AND IT ALL HAPPENED OFF SCREEN

1x54: Fran coming over to say (1) thing to Vilu and then kiss her on the cheek and then leave is something that can be so personal-

1x55: People thinks Tomas and Violetta hooked up in a closet

1x56: Federico joins the chaos (think he was in the last ep but now he's introduced properly)

1x57: Naty thinks she has feelings for Maxi after Francesca confronted her in a park

1x58: Maxi randomly gets attacked by a kid with a water gun

1x59: Camila practises so hard she forgets to audition properly

1x60: Jazz veo veo my beloved

1x61: Gregorio hides Broduey in a small locker somehow

1x62: Camera recordings ruins everything

1x63: Violetta gets cancelled online

1x64: Why does Jacinto Lafontaine have a portfolio filled with sandwhiches?

1x65: Leon quits the competition!

1x66: Francesca performs a wrestling attack on Tomas

1x67: Violetta fell asleep after Ludmila's song

1x68: Junto a ti music video my beloved

1x69: Tomas gaslights Francesca, his girlfriend, that it's her fault that Violetta is mad at her

1x70: THE AUNT REVEAL

1x71: Aunt and Niece bonding <3

1x72: Maxi and Andres go on a date

1x73: PODEMOS SHARED DREAM

1x74: A hint of Leonetta definitely becoming canon

1x75: Jade causing chaos like the queen she is

1x76: Franletta sleepover CAN BE SO PERSONAL-

1x77: Olga and Ramallo randomly moves in to Angie

1x78: Wedding gone wrong

1x79: Violetta spitting FACTS to Germán

1x80: HDMXCJF I CAN'T PICK ONE MOMENT FROM HERE OK?? THIS EPISODE HAS SO MANY MOMENTS I.... AAAH.

[sayitaliano]

How do you call/address to your teachers in Italian?

What is the Italian word for "teacher"?

There are a few ways in which you can refer to a teacher.

1- Generally speaking, especially when we talk about the job, we use the word "insegnante" which is basically the literal translation of teacher= the one who teach (the noun "l'insegnante" has no clear genre as it's written is the same way both at the masculine and at the feminine: beware of the adjectives/pronouns/ etc you connect to it though).

Insegnante is, grammatically speaking, the participio presente of the verbo "insegnare". So it more accurately means "the one who is teaching/doing the teacher job now".

2- Another word we use is il/la docente = academic, instructor, teacher, lecturer. This one comes directly from Latin (docēre = insegnare = to teach). Docente too is, grammatically speaking, the participio presente of the Latin verb "docēre" (i.e.: docens, docentis) that we kept and adapted in Italian.

I feel that commonly, we may be unaware but use insegnante more often with teachers of mandatory school (i.e. from early stages to high school) while use a slightly more formal "docente" for University's teachers? Idk, honestly it doesn't have to be cause they're basically synonyms:

For example we say "il collegio docenti" = teaching body (basically when teachers meet to make a point about your class/give you grades at the end of the year), but also "il corpo insegnanti" which has the same meaning. Same as "personale docente" = teachers of a school = "personale insegnante" (but this last one is probably a little more uncommon). I'd say probably things that are school related, as in these last two examples, are a little more often defined with the word "docente".

3- A third noun is now used especially for kids' teachers (kindergarten and elementary school) but also for people who are having a hard time outside school (e.g. people with disabilities, detained, elders, people suffering from the abuse of drugs/alcohol...-but I'm gonna stick to the school enviroment): educatore/educatrice = educator (as they're the first ones educating kids outside family).

How students call their teachers:

Now, going more into detail, let's see how students generally call their teachers in school.

Il maestro/la maestra (male/female, and ofc there are the plurals too), is how a teacher of the kindergarten/elementary school is called. Kids call them as "Maestro!" "Maestra!" and, being little ones, they don't always use the polite/formal verbs (3rd singular person), but go with a more informal speech, especially in the first years of the kindergarten. A sentence as "Maestra, mi aiuti?" is accepted (it should be "Maestra, mi aiuta/mi può aiutare?" = Teacher can you help me?).

Teachers don't have to be too specialized or have a very high university degree* to teach in such schools (many times an high school degree in a teaching school was enough) hence the different name - also cause it's the first one teacing something important to kids and being their guide.

(*at least, in the past it was so: now you still need a full 5 years university degree and do some courses and exams too, as to teach in the other schools. Unless we talk about private schools but I have been mentioning this in my videos on youtube)

When we pass to middle school, we are more used to formal speech. Teachers take the name "professor" (il professore, la professoressa - and all the plurals), that comes from the past: they had to be graduated to teach. In fact, also those highly erudites in a specific field are called "professors", and they all teach in the higher levels of schools (esp. university but also many professional/high schools).

Anyway, back to the point: how students call these teachers?

It could be with the entire word "Professore!" or "Professoressa", but TBH in schools, especially, middle and high school, we just go with the shorten version "Prof" which works both for masculine and feminine. e.g. "Prof mi scusi, può ripetere?" ("Professor I'm sorry, can you say it again?") this is exactly how we talk in classrooms during lessons. We're polite, using the 3rd singular person and a kind of honorific speech, but we have to be fast (we're Italians) and so we shorten the name (and also, especially after a while, we create some kind of a familiar feeling with our professors so "prof" becomes also a kinda "affectionated" word? Not for everyone though, keep in mind).

I heard this shorten version in university as well, but it depends on the professor: some don't want to hear that, and you better call them "professore" / "professoressa" at least (some may like if you add their surname after it, so to be even more formal).

Now let's suppose we had to call a very erudite doctor (Medicine's graduated) giving a lecture somewhere: we'd be polite and address to them with the word "professore/essa" (and occasionally add their surname too), not with "prof" (unless they're a fun person and would accept that, especially from youngers who are there to listen to them speak).

"Prof." is also the abbreviation used on business card of such important people, js.

[popculturebuffet]

Monthly Muppets: The Muppets Take Manhattan: Meh In Mahattan (Comissioned by Emma Fici

Hello all you happy people and welcome back to Monthly Muppets, your slice of monthly muppety madness funded by readers like you.. you specifically Emma Fici, my friend who funds these and picks out each months selection.

Today we look at the iconically titled Muppets Take Manhattan. While they weren't the first to take the big apple, their the ones who popularized it with everyone from jason to ghostface having taken it ever since. I mean I assume that'll be Scream 6's title , why else set it in new york. C'mon paramount, cm'on radio silence, let it be Ghostface Takes Manhattan. Me's in the area concur it's a great title. Their your target demographic: Aging orangutans who watch a lot of dead meat and children's cartoons!

Yeah! I feel good about this. So on that high Muppets Take Manhattan is notable for a lot of reasons: It's the last film in what i'm now calling "The Henson Trilogy", the three films starring Kermit and Co done while Jim was still alive, the ones most people think of when they think Muppets movie (along with Christmas Carol and Treasure Island), and some of the works that helped define the troupe outside of the muppet show.

This film is also notable for being the solo directing debut of Muppet maestro and mean green mother from outer space Frank Oz, who co-directed Dark Crystal with Henson. With a massive workload and pure exaustion from directing two films back to back, and that's on top of launching Fraggle Rock around the same time. He needed a second to catch his breath so he put the operation in Frank's first class hands.

This film also had a notable absence: Jerry Juhl, long time muppets writer and the man who wrote the previous and next two films. He was a supervisor down at Fraggle Rock (Clap clap) Down at Fraggle Rock, so it fell on his other Great Muppet Caper Co-Writers, Jay Tarses and Tom Patchett to pick up the pace. Problem was they went in the same direction as caper and while I would've loved that, Frank wanted something more grounded, especially after Caper didn't do great at the box office. So he went in and rewrote himself, and the resulting film was a more grounded take. So what was it all about?

Taking Manhattan

MTM follows our heroes. LIke Caper it recasts them this time as recent graduates of Danforth College, whose graduation show, Manhattan Melodies, was a massive hit. So with big starry dreams in their eyes they take it to broadway.. and instead of taking Manhattan more get taken to the curb BY Manhattan. After a few or so stoppings Kermit is at the end of his rope and snaps at everyone else, who decide the best thing to do is to scatter to the four winds while he writes it. I get their trying not to pressure him but like.. they don't have to leave New York. And it's REALLY dickish they all pressure PIggy into seemingly doing the same despite no reason to. She's Kermit's girlfriend here, not his stalker or some strange he falls in love with all over again. He doesn't HAVE to be cut off from everyone to get a needed break.

So they leave with a very sad, beautiful ballad i'll get to in a moment, and Kermit starts working with Jenny, a kind human played by Juliana Doland, who doesn't have a ton of credits to her name but does a pretty good job. She's thorughly upstaged by Pete, Jenny's dad and diner owner constantly fed up with everyone's nonsense whose hiring of Kermit and a bunch of rats recommended by Rizzo, in his first major role in a muppet production as Pete's waiter, with…

The Rats are a great addition though and the scnee with them cooking in the kitchen (People were uncomfortable with them as waiters) is a thing of beauty, creative, fun and clearly taking a lot of wizardry. It also turned out the simplest solution was the best a lot of the time: they found out just using actual butter for one of the rats to skate on worked best, and most amusingly , an attempt to make fake pancake batter ATE THROUGH THE BOWL and actual batter was fine just fine. If that isn't the most muppets thing I ever heard I don't know what is.

So Kermit tries to get the film made, gets hugs from Jenny and Piggy stalks them both from afar in a trenchcoat because apparently they needed to make her even creepier than she already was, while kermit ocasoinally gets a letter from anothe rmuppet elsehwere in the country. This pattern repeats for 40 minutes. I'm not kidding.

It's the film's main problem: Plot wise it just.. goes about nowhere for most of the film. The first 20 minutes have pretty brisk pacing: Our heroes perform their college thesis, try to get the show made nearly get conned by a BAD MAN BAD MAN BAD MAN, then decide to go their seperate ways so kermit can focus on the play without worrying about them. It's fairly dense, still has plenty of jokes (Again BAD MAN BAD MAN), and works.

But the middle is just.. nothing. Most comedy films have a somewhat loose plot, but said plots serve as the motor. Using some of my faviorite movies as an example first off we have Wayne's World. Wayne's World HAS a plot, our two heroes get picked up from Cable Access to regular TV and have to deal with the exec who picked up the shows ulterior motives. We also have Wayne's building relationship with Cassandra which dovetails into said Exec threatening it. A clear a and b plot with some other stuff mixed in. Is said plot what most people think about Wayne's World? No, they think of bohemian rhapsody, the bugs bunny gag, Wayne speaking Cantonese with Cassandra, the sponsorship scene, Alice Cooper, "it seemed superfluous at the time". Rob Lowe is great in that section, but it's at it's core just a way to get from one joke to the next and to give the plot a semblance of flow. There are plenty of scenes like our heroes playing hockey, going to see allice cooper and shopping for Wayne's Dream guitar while Garth does a sweet solo that have nothing to do with said plots, but are all memorable and charming. While there are comedies that are tightly plotted as heck, and that's fine, at the least you just need a plot to keep the momentum.

The purest example of this is True Stories, the David Byrne classic and his only directorial outing. It's mostly just vignettes of various things around the town of Virgil, Texas as they prepare for their celebration of specialness. But it still has connective tissue in the various characters, and the through line plots of David Byrne in a Cowboy Hat narrating to us and John Goodman's attempts to find a wife who loves his basic panda bear shape.

Here the plot doesn't really make things go and things just aren't zany or surreal enough, like true stories, to really make it work. It's too grounded for the plot to be this thin and even teh far less grounded caper and after it most wanted had far snappier plots to compensate for being batshit insane. It's just "Kermit tries zany scheme to get the play accepted" (and not nearly enough though him with an afro wig, gold tooth and pick velvet suit was a fucking riot, as was the whisper campagin0, "Piggy stalks him", "stuff happens" and then he just .. falls into getting the plan accepted by an up and coming producer. He works HARD sure but it dosen't feel like there was any real progress sin his attempts. One just works.

The plot just feels unengaging as a result: I DO want Kermit to succed and he is trying hard but there's no escalation to his work or real flow. And Piggy's jealousy is mostly resolved when they just.. talk and she realizes he wans't cheating on her which could've been resolved in five minutes. It feels like , in part thanks to Emma telling me this, Oz wanted to immitate the screwball comedis of hollywood, scaling things back to just our leading man and lady and a few characters. But that's just not what the muppets is. The muppets aren't scaled back they go all in. Even the more serious flims like Treasure Island, Christmas Carol and The Muppets still have plenty of chaos and character. This film just feels like Frank Oz trying to fit a muppet peg into a normal film hole. It's telling most of his films after this weren't all that fantastical and even his next, his masterwork and one of my faviorite films Little Shop of Horrrors, was still grounded in the humans and their actions and a morality tale. Frank OZ was great with playing muppets, Miss PIggy for all the faults I have with how she treats Kermit is still a fun character when used right and Yoda is yoda, but it's clear his heart wasn't in telling muppet stories by himself. And that's okay. It's better he played to his strengths than tried to be something he wasn't and let those who wanted to do it. It makes for a sloppily paced film, but it allowed him to learn the lesson early and get on to doing films he wanted.

That said there ARE a lot of great gags. While Frank is out of his element here, it dosen't mean he's not still part of the troupe. This isn't a TERRIBLE muppets film. Frank still gets enough for it to be enjoyable: Kermit with a gold tooth and afro, Piggy and Joan Rivers make up laughing fit, the penguins asking for a job.. this plot is still packed with good bits, it's just not as consitent tone wise is all

Even the eventual resolution to Miss PIggy stalking kermit because that's normal and not at all a red flag is a banger: While stalking Piggy gets caught on a poll and has her purse stolen. So we get the GOOD side of piggy as she borrows some skates from Gregory Hines, and CHASES THE FUCKER DOWN FOR A GOOD FEW MINUTES The guys other terror and surprise as she KEEPS FINDING HIM is fucking amazing. I love it. The best part though is after as Gregory tries to get his skates back while Piggy and Kermit fight "I'll just unlace these while you fight" getting overly involved in their argument before deciding they can just keep the skates "I just like to wear these shorts". Gregory Hines is this film's mvp. In fact that gives me an idea. You'll see

Kermit does eventually land a broadway gig

So with the muppets reassembling and bringing everyone they met along, they try and find him. This last third is the best part of the film as we get the whole gang back together while Kermit gets his legs stretched, wonders who he is and then wanders into getting an advertising gig. Seeing Kermit as a straight laced executive is hilarious. I don't know what voice Jim is doing here but i love it.

THe resolution is also great as our heroes end up finding him at the diner and having to straight up kidnaping him with Kermits new frog friends not really bothered ("If that's how they treat customers no wonder they don't get a lot of repeat buisness" ) though it takes Piggy saying they were in love to get him over it. oh no no the love part, Amnesia!Kermit laughs so hard and is such a delightful dick about it (Even going Sooeeeeee while the rest of the cast gape in horror) that Piggy understandably decides to murder him. Thankfulyl Kermit surivvies, is restored and we get two great numbers in a row as our heroes are married…. kinda. It's left vauge if the preist really is really real or not. The wedding is also wonderful with every other muppet showing up. And I mean EVERY ONE. Kermit's old Sesame street friends, every member of the troupe and even uncle traveling matt. It's a wonderful capper to a fairly.. eh film.

Yeah before we move onto the music as you can see Muppets Take Manhattan is.. okay. The plot is very stalled and way too grounded, but it has enough truly all timer muppet jokes and songs to make it watchable. It's a decent watch but not one i'd really come back to. Speaking of songs

Manhattan Melodies

The songs for Take Manhttan are the other pillar that makes up for the pacing. Every song is a classic and every musical number great. Admitely it's part of act 2's major problems, as the songs are mostly in act's 1 and 3, with only one number in act 2, but when we get a song their great. Sadly they havne't been released, likely due to rights issues, but the original album did get a grammy nomination so . t.her'es that. Hopefully we can get one eventually for now though let's break down these classics

We start with an all time classic, Together Again, the final number of manhattan melodies in it's orignial starkid-esque form. Together Again is truly amazing, a wonderful song about reconnectiong, reunion and hapiness.

You Can't Take No For an Answer is a fun electric mayhem number with a slightly melancholy beat underscoring our heroes failed attempts to make it on broadway. EM always tends to have some of the best songs , with Can You PIcture That probably being my faviorite from The Muppet Movie, so its no suprise they slap here.

Saying Goodbye fucking broke me. A truly sad number as our heroes all seperate, it really gets the feeling of parting with someone down pat and hurts even more knowing we'd loose Jim Henson and Richard Hunt all too soon after this. Hauntingly beautiful.

Rat Scat slaps, some fun as the rats cook int he kitchen which should be gross but it's charming. Wonder if Rattouie was at all inspired by this. Food for thought. Pun welcomed.

I"m Always Gonna Love You is a fun rocking ditty. I consider it the weakest of the film's tracks.. but it's no chilly down in terms of a quality drop. I just like it SLIGHTLY less than the others because it goes on a bit longer than necessary. That's all. This is also for some reason a sequence starring the Muppet Babies, who would be so popular they'd get their own show

We then get Right Where I Belong, which embarasingly I first remember hearing in a commercial even though i'd seen this movie before (and mostly forgot it apart from Mad Men!Kermit) , but is probably my faviorite, it's snappy, happy and really fits Kermit coming back and finally having everyone else. It's got that good old fashioned broadway style that really fits the films tone. I love it.

Finally we have Somebody's Getting Married/Waiting For The Wedding/ He'll Make Me Happy, a lovely ballad and show stoppin number as our heroes gather for the wedding of Kermit and Piggy. Which again she might of tricked him into which is..

But hey the music is nice. And with that we have two final pieces of

Film Ranking

As i've done since the last review, it's time to see where the film ranks compared to the other muppet films and specials i've covered so far and well.. this one's probably going to piss a LOT of people off

(ranking)

Keep in mind the gap is WIDEEEE between those last two. But despite expecting some backlash, I stand by this. The other films sans Trashfire of Oz are all paced MUCH better and while from Space is mostly just okay, it has more heart to it and better jokes. This one ALMOST inches it out for the songs, but in the end I just in good concious can't put it above the more solid film.

Muppet MVPS:

I've decided after Gregory Hines outstanding performance to start giving out awards, dead meat stylez please don't sue james I love you man, for the best human and muppet performance. This section will be longer than most as to head off Kevin asking me what the others would've been, because I know my friend and I know like me he's a very through dork, and to keep this feature introduced a ways in consitent, i'm going to give out the ones for previous films and episodes too. I also thought of the idea to award best cameo just as I was almost done soooo

Take Manhattan: Muppet MVP: Kermit gets our first as his various shenanigans and seeing him more as hustler than his normal put upon everyfrog is just fantastic. Hines-Grodin Award For Best Human: Gregory not only gets the first award but gets it partly named after him, as he's the one who inspired me to do this. He just perfectly fits in and his bit will live in my head rent free form now on.

From Space: Muppet MVP: Bobo. I mean i'ts hard not to give it to him every time as Bobo just slaps, but he works here as Jeffrey Tambour's foil and gets a great payoff sabotaging the guy's gun. Hines-Grodin Award: This is a hard one. Do I give it to David Arqutte, the most dangerous man alive or Ray Liotta? In the end Liotta gets it for his great brain dead performance post memory wipe. David is good as always but his roll really goes nowhere. Best Cameo: HINES. Joan Rivers comes close but come on.

Wizard of Oz: Muppet MVP: Kermit. Not throughout the main part of the film, but for the Quinten Tarintnio Sequence. He looks so afraid for his life it's awesome. Hines-Grodin Award: Again Quinten Tarintino. In a film that nearly killed my soul his sudden cameo brought life and muppet energy back into it. God bless you you very weird very terrifying man. Best Cameo: Once again, mr. tarintino.

Muppet Caper: Muppet MVP: Going to have to go with Beau for the cart stunt. Chefs kiss that was awesome. Hines Grodin Award: The man who named the award himself Charles Grodin. I feel he deserves this both for his untimely passing and for setting the standard for Human performers in the films. WHile he wasn't the FIRST , he certainly madea lasting impression. I mean what other actor would be so game as to sing an opera to Miss Piggy? Cameo Award: the guy who played columbo, both for his increasingly insane guess and Kermit's iconic response "Amazing what you said was 100% wrong. Nothing you've said has been right"

Muppets Tonight: Muppet MVP: Gonzo for the Dancing With Myself number. All time great in muppets history there. Hines Grodin Award: Obviously the reason I watched the ep and reviewed it, the late, great Gilbert Gottfried as Kermit's date/creepy fan, though Dennis Quaid was REALLY good. But Gilbert was born for this.

Muppet Show Star Wars: Muppet MVP: Angus Macgonagle, the Gargoyle Who Gargles Gershwin Gorgeously. Human MVP: Kinda obvious but Mark Hamill. He's terrific both as luke and as himself. I"d expect no less.

Labyrinth: Muppet MVP: This is a close race between Ludo and Sir Didymus but in the end his good sirship pulls out just ahead. He's just so fun and i'm amazed they got the puppet so tiny yet detailed and movement oriented. Nicely done. Human MVP: David. Fucking. Bowie. Need I say more? Need I REALLY say more or justify this one? Cameo Award: Uh jim I guess for appearing in the opening scene. Otherwise i'm saving these most for the muppet movies

Most Wanted: Muppet MVP: Constantine. Steve Whitmire doing a weird as hell kermit voice and the scene with the jaws kill me. Human MVP: This is a REALLY hard one. Ty Burrel, Ricky Gervais and Tina Fey ALL fucking bring it to grodin levels. So picking one is hard. But I have to go with Ty. His deliberatley over the top french accent, great chemistry with same and antics are just all so damn hilarous, though Ricky Gervais wearing a lemur suit and Tina Fey always knwoing hwere you are do come up close, I gotta give it to Ty. Cameo Award: A decent suply of candiates, including Stanley Tuci as the cheerful watchtower guy, but the winner is Usher as an Usher. IT's a stupidly obvious and stupidly brilliant gag.

Treasure Island: Muppet MVP: Dead Tom. He's dead! Human MVP: TIM CURRY. NEED. I. SAY. MORE. Cameo Award: Dawn French as the landlady "How does she do that? So with that the takes manhattan review is on the books. Thanks for reading and if you enjoy the film feel free to do so. This is one orangutan shaped man's opinon.

Next Time: We're dancing in the moonlight for spooky season as we review last year's Muppet's Haunted Mansion. OOOOOOOOO

[stephspurs]

A Family Affair | Euro 2020 Football Fanfiction

hi guys and gals! Part 7 sees friendship strengthened, decisions being made and love ultimately hurting. As always, please enjoy the next part and let me know what you think is going to happen in part eight! I actually love hearing from you all so please don't be too shy to reach out and message me - I love a good chat LOL Love always, Steph xx

Part 7 | settima parte

warnings; love sucks man. word count;  1850 writing tools; third person until dashed line, first person thereafter. next update; Monday 09/08 5pm AEST. Updates are three times/week (Monday, Wednesday & Friday)! Tags (as requested by users); @footballffbarbiex @obsesseds-world @abysshaven link to fic masterlist here

“bella amelia, cosa ho fatto per meritarmi questa telefonata?” (beautiful amelia, what did i do to deserve this phone call?) Jorginho spoke his second-native tongue down the line to the British girl, calling him way past her self-appointed bedtime of 9pm.

“Jorgi, ho bisogno del consiglio di un amico” (Jorgi, i need the advice of a friend). Amelia, almost desperately, pleaded down the line to the boy who became her therapist.

It had been a few days since Amelia & Jack’s facetime where they sat and listened to the countless offers the successful girl had waiting in her voice message inbox. Being the person that she is, Amelia needed to distract herself from obsessing over the messages so she threw herself into her job. Spending too many hours over her paid allocation at Juventus training ground, getting administrative work done for the season ahead.

Was this her way of nesting? Or empty-nesting? Was she subconsciously preparing the club and her boys for life without her? Getting them ready with a season's worth of set pieces and tactical plays that would secure them an outstanding 37th victory? On the flip side, was she preparing for her new role in England which she had yet to accept. There was no harm in her taking her intellectual property back over to the motherland. The two clubs did not compete in the same tournaments, perhaps only the Champions league - but who's to say that whatever club she does pick will make the Champions League? There was no doubt Juve would be there - all of her preparation would ensure they would be. Whoever took over her role simply just had to show up and keep the boys in line.

“ok tesoro, parlami.” (Ok darling, speak to me). The Italian settled onto his couch, espresso in hand, waiting to hear the younger girl's problem.

“So I've spoken with Kyle & Jack now, and have told them of my predicament. They both are very heavily favouring one side - but I need a voice of reason. If you happen to express the same sentiments that they both did, then maybe that's all of the reassurance I need to make this final decision.” Amelia switched back to her native tongue.

After spending the better part of an hour discussing in great depth the offers that she was receiving from the 5 english clubs, Amelia felt just as confused as she did before calling the Chelsea boy. No surprise that Jorgi was team Come to the Prem & Join Chelsea, but the italian midfield maestro had also brought her back down to earth from cloud nine and reminded her of what, or who, she was leaving behind.

“Now I don't like telling you what to do, but you need to discuss this with Fede, Amelia. He doesn’t deserve a lot of things, but this is something he does.”

So that's where Amelia found herself the next morning. Sunday’s in Italy were reserved for espresso and long walks in the sun. This particular Sunday must have been reflective of the internal turmoil she was facing, uncommon for the season, the sky above her was overcast and a light drizzle had started to set in on her walk to the charming Italian’s townhouse.

______________________________________________________________

“pensavo fosse un mito che gli inglesi portino con sé il tempo the” (i thought it was a myth that british people bring the weather with them) Fede said as he opened the door, and his arms, while looking down the two steps at me.

“Very funny” I said as I gave him a hug. He always was so good at hugs. I’m going to miss them. Snap out of it Amelia - you don’t even know if you’re going to go yet. Oh she knows she's going. She also knows what club she's going to. No she doesn't, you be quiet. I’m here rooting for her Italian romance. If I had an angel and devil on each shoulder, their conversation would speak my internal monologue as such.

Walking through to his kitchen, putting on a coffee and saying hello to his dogs, Fede stood in the doorway and watched me move around his kitchen as though it was my own.

“I’m convinced you got British bulldogs because you just can’t help but love the English” I cheekily smiled up at him from my crouched position in the middle of his kitchen, giving the two bullys the best head rubs.

“Sure, you keep thinking that Amelia” Oh, the way he says your name Amelia, so foreign, so romantic. He says it the same way any other Italian would say it, he’s nothing special. Be quiet, let them have their moment.

“Lets go and enjoy these out in the courtyard, is your sun shade still up? It should hold out the rain right?” Amelia spoke rushedly as she poured two espresso cups and walked towards his back door.

“Tesoro, why are you so unsteady today? Is something troubling you?” Fede spoke worriedly, noticing my little nervous habits coming out to play and speaking faster than my mind could comprehend. Better to just get this over with i think, for once we agree on something.

“Ok i need to tell you something, and i need you to let me get it all out before interrupting me. Can you do that? This is something i’ve been working up the courage to speak out loud, let alone speak it to you”

Fede took a sip of his espresso, holding my eye contact, before putting his cup back on its saucer and leaning forward, elbows on his knees. He thought he was ready for what i was about to say, expecting it to be yet another long winded speech as to why i want to put a label on our situationship. Oh boy, how wrong he was.

“After the success of the european tournament, i have received a lot of praise and recognition for my skills”

“And you deserve every bit of it amore, every bit and even more” Oh dear, could my heart hurt anymore?

“Fede, I asked you not to interrupt me…”

“Ok ok, sorry, continue”

“So, I have received a lot of recognition both here in Italy as well as from my home country of England. In saying that, I have received a few offers from clubs in the premier league that want me to bring my approach, the italian approach, to the english game. It's a real step up in my career and it's something I am seriously considering. I’ve spoken with some of the boys back home and also Jorgi, they all think that this is the next step for me. I’m far too comfortable here, I can't grow in my comfort zone. I think I'm ready for a new challenge.”

I held eye contact with the 27 year old, I wasn’t about to let him know just how vulnerable I was feeling here in front of him. Something Fede could always do was read me, and read my emotions. If he knew how exposed I felt, how easily I could be swayed over this decision, then he would make it his life's mission to do so. I had made my mind up that I was going, but there was also a part of me that decided if he was to give me what I was after I would be open to the possibility of staying.

“So it seems that you have asked for the opinion of everyone else in your life, and made your decision, before even considering mine.” He slumped back in his chair, and rubbed two fingers over his lips while looking off into the small courtyard garden.

“Fede, I have made my decision. But I wanted to talk to you about it, I owe that to you. You have made my time here so memorable, so fantastic, so filled with love that I wouldn't even consider not including you in this.”

“Is there anything I can do to make you stay? Do you want me to ask you to be my girlfriend? To tell you I love you? To move in with me? Let me know what you need from me to reconsider this decision” He began to get frustrated with me, pulling the cap off of his head and running his fingers through his hair.

“That’s exactly it Fede! I don’t want to ask you to do that, you should ask me to be your girlfriend on your own! I don't want you to tell me you love me if you think that's what I want to hear - I want you to feel like you love me! I don’t need anyone to tell me what I want to hear, what I want to hear is what you truly feel. And if there is something i have learnt about you in the last few years is that you can’t hold back your feelings with anything! If you were in love with me it would have burst from you a long time ago. I think that you do love me Fede, but as someone to come home to instead of no one at all.”

“You know Fede, i don’t have any regrets over this. You mean just as much to me now as you did the very first time we crossed that boundary and blurred the lines. You’re just my type, you only call me late at night, you can’t decide if you’ll be your own man or mine. I hate to say it, but you really are just my type. This decision has nothing to do with you, it’s something i have come to make all on my own.”

I had stood up now, looking down at the 27 year old. I needed him to understand exactly what I was saying, how serious I was. This was the moment I could get it all off my chest, instead of just letting the relationship play out on his terms.

“I leave on Friday, I let the club know this morning. There's nothing that can be done now Fede, this is my decision. Please respect it, and me”

He stood up, his almost 6’1” frame towering over me. Looking down, face of steel, I could see everything I needed behind his eyes.

“hai ragione ti amo Solo non nel modo in cui meriti di essere amato” (you're right, i do love you. Just not in the way you deserve to be loved). He pulled me into his chest, both arms wrapping around the back of my shoulders, left hand holding my head in the crook of his neck. My arms wrapped around his back from below his arms, holding him tight enough that they crossed over and I could grab the sides of his rib cage. This was the closure I needed.

“I’ll give Jorginho a call and make sure he looks out for you”

“How do you know what club I'm going to?”

“I saw the way your eyes sparkled when you mentioned its name, it was the same sparkle that used to come out when you said mine…”

Part 8. | parte otto

[samrosemodblog]

For the Equestria Girls prompt ideas: Some of the EG background characters joining a musical band or orchestra club and discover which instruments they love playing as well as make friends with others?

Some characters can include Octavia, Vinyl, Lyra, Bon Bon, Adagio, Aria, Sonata, Carrot Top, Derpy, and maybe a few of the main 6.

Not asking for every one of these characters, I'm just throwing out suggestions if they sound interesting.

She sat there, poised, ready, confident, fingers against the strings as she breathed in a slow, controlled breath. When it was let out slowly a change occurred, her eyes flashing with intensity as the bow began to dance.

Octavia's fingers danced along the strings as the music began to play, a fast yet elegant piece that took the breath away from anyone standing within radius of its sound. A flick of the wrist, a twitch of the fingers, and music danced in the room like it had never done before.

She had transformed into something entirely different. No longer was she a simple maestro of the cello, no, while she played she may as well have been a demon with an instrument, challenging and defying everyone around.

With a final pull of the bow the song came to and end and her elegant hair fluttered down to her back. There was audible silence before the sound of frantic, happy clapping came from Vinyl.

"Holy moley!" Bon Bon replied in surprise, quickly joining the clapping. "That was, like, so impressive!"

"I know right??" Lyra grinned brightly as she clapped too. "That was so awesome! You've gotten so much better since the Battle of the Bands!"

"I uh, ahem, may have gotten a tad competitive after losing like that." Octavia hummed quietly, placing her cello down calmly. "But more important right now is figuring out how you sound." She stood up from her stool and stepped over to Lyra and Bon Bon.

"We all know how Vinyl sounds, she can make a best that matches whatever we play." Octavia explained, which was then followed by the sounds of Vinyl playing a quick couple of bars on her keyboard. "Yes, quite." Octavia nodded.

"I've always wanted to try playing the harp!" Bon Bon said excitedly.

"Oh you absolutely should bestie!" Lyra clapped at the idea. "Go on go on I wanna hear it!!"

"Well don't hype me up too much bestie." Bon Bon giggled, slipping over to where the harp in the room sat. She sat on the seat and gave the strings a couple play tests, before trying to play for real.

The first few strings sounded fine, but it was clear she didn't truly know how to play the harp. The strings were plucked and it sounded fine, but it was missing something. That heart, that depth, that feeling!

"Here bestie!" Lyra saddled up behind Bon Bon, wrapping herself around her best friend to place her hands delicate on top of the others. "Try playing like this."

And suddenly the room was filled with beautiful, vibrant music as the two of them played together. The room was alight with their friendship, the two plating adoring, loving music that swept the emotions away of anyone who would hear them. Love truly was in the air~

"Oh my gosh!" Bon Bon gasped as their fingers strummed the last beat, "that was so exhilarating! I've never played anything so intimate!"

"You were amazing bestie! I'd love to play with you any time, any where!" Lyra giggled with a blush.

"Oh bestie! You name the time and the place!" Bon Bon giggled and blushed in return.

'Kiss already' Vinyl violently signed in the air.

"Vinyl!" Octavia chastised her mute friend.

"What'd she say?" Bon Bon asked curiously, oblivious to how obviously gay the pair were.

"Ignore her." Octavia said with a wave of her hand. "But if you two truly wish to play so beautifully together, then a band we have made." She said with a nod and a clap. "No longer will the Rainbooms reign Supreme as this schools musical mascots! We shall show them what it means to truly play music in harmony!"

"Aw yeah! Group five!" Lyra called out, raising her hand into the air as she was quickly met with three others.

[luke-patterson-owns-my-soul]

Kiss Me

Charlie Gillespie x Reader

Title: Kiss Me

Words: 1593

Summary: Charlie’s back from Hawaii and providing social media with all the content.

Requested: No. I had to write this after that video of Charlie singing in the bath tub…

TW: Implications of sexual intercourse, mostly the reader getting frustrated by Charlie being Charlie.

Author’s notes: I just wanted to write a bit of domesticity between Charlie and the reader, and thanks to all the content we got from him the other day, this kinda just fell into place. I hope you like it. - also, a little shout out to @dream-a-little-bigger-x​ because she’s been giving us some AMAZING fic content, and she isn’t feeling to great today. I hope this helps a little, Nele.

Three weeks without being able to see Charlie in the flesh had been hard. Yeah, he’d posted photos and videos while he’d been away in Hawaii with his castmates and Kenny, but it wasn’t the same. Neither were the intimate FaceTime calls the two of you shared pretty much daily. Nothing beat being able to wrap your arms around him, to feel the warmth of his skin against yours, to smell the scent that was intrinsically him. Yeah, you’d missed him like crazy.

Checking your watch, again, before checking the arrivals board you leaned up against the wall behind you waiting for his flight to disembark the plane and make their way through to the arrivals lounge. You scrolled through your Instagram feed, checking out what people had been tagging your boyfriend in, amazed by the talent of his fans. More than anything, you wanted to share them, but as no one knew about you, you couldn’t. It was a good thing you ran a semi-popular fan account that you could do it all from, and your story was full of amazing artwork and song covers. As far as your followers knew, you were just another fangirl.

You were so engrossed in the pictures on the screen in front of you, you didn’t hear Charlie approaching you, didn’t know he was right in front of you until grabbed you by the waist, making you squeal in shock and almost drop your phone.

“Oh my God, Charlie. You scared me.” You laughed, flinging your arms around his neck, breathing him in. 

“I would say I’m sorry, but my mom taught me that lying makes my nose grow and my tongue fall out. And I don’t think you’d want that.” He teased after placing a quick kiss on your lips.

“Well, no. But it would be quieter around the apartment.” Your response made him pull away and pout. “What? Am I lying?”

“I thought you loved me.” If he hadn’t been grinning like the loveable idiot he was, you would have believed his offended tone of voice was real.

“Oh, you know I adore you. Shall we go home?” as you slide your phone into your pocket, you take hold of his hand and lead him out to the parking lot where his car is parked. “Do you want to drive, or shall I?”

“You, please.” You know he’s not the most confident of flyers, so you understand his need to chill for a while before he’s at full Gillespie – a term you coined not long after the two of you met and he was his usual ‘constant overdrive’ self. He was always moving, doing something with his hands, or exploring. Charlie Gillespie didn’t do bored or sitting still very well.

Once you’re back at the apartment you share Charlie sets about unpacking his case, dumping his clothes in the washer straight away. It always strikes you how domestic he is. You’re not the best at remembering to do stuff, but he always manages to catch what you miss.

“Have you got to go to work?” he asks you as he leans up against the counter while you prepare some food for the two of you. You work at a TV studio, but the show you work on is on a break so your hours are more flexible than they would be normally.

“No, I’m all yours for a couple of days.” Your words make him grin before he wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you in for a kiss.

Your kiss had led to more of an intimate reunion which led you both to your bedroom for most of the day. By the time you emerged, it was almost dark outside and the food you’d been preparing needed to be tossed in the trash. You couldn’t complain though because you’d been able to show Charlie just how much you’d missed him.

___________________________

After the insanity that was Charlie’s delivery from and subsequent live with Madison’s dad, you now had a billboard poster partially unfolded in your bedroom. Naturally, because he was often a child in an adult’s body, Charlie had been like a kid at Christmas when he’d been allowed to open the box. Off camera, he’d been able to slide the parcel that had been included with your name on – Mr. Reyes had so kindly included a hoodie for you which you were now wearing while you stared at the space around you in horror.

“Charlie, babe. Did you have to open it in here? You heard what he said, it took up their entire back yard. Our bedroom is like a shoebox.”

“Yeah, I kinda got carried away. Sorry.” Leaning over, so he wouldn’t rip the poster, he planted a kiss on your lips.

“Well, don’t expect me to help you fold it back up.” With a grin, you turned on your heel and flounced out of the room to post screenshots from the live to your fan account. Only Charlie knew about it and had followed you early on. Eventually, after hearing him swearing and falling over, you went in and helped him fold the damn thing up. It took a ridiculous amount of time, but it was soon back in the box ready to be transported to Canada in Charlie’s car when the both of you went back for Christmas.

Exhausted, you flopped onto the couch and decided to order in some food rather than cook. But first, you took a sweaty selfie and sent it to Madison.

I love your dad, but please don’t let him send us anymore billboard posters. It took two hours to get it back in the damn box.

Her reply was instant.

Dad never expected him to unfold the thing. Love to you both. She wasn’t wrong. Only the man you adored would have ever done that, and live on the internet too. Shaking your head, you ordered pizza.

“Babe, I need a favor.” Charlie spoke as he tidied up the pizza boxes and soda cans from your dinner, making you groan. You were still exhausted, and now a little bloated. All you wanted to do was to slouch and watch a movie, curled up in Charlie’s arms.

“What?”

“Help me set up my phone in the bathroom.” That got your attention.

“Er… why?”

He scratched at the back of his head, a sheepish look on his beautiful face that was covered in the stubble you adored.

“I want to do a couple of videos.”

“And you have to do it now? Haven’t you done enough today?” you close your eyes as you lean your head on the back of the couch. You sense Charlie standing behind you, and when you open your eyes again, he’s looking down at you, the puppy dog eyes in force. Even upside down, he knows what they do to you. “I hate you, did you know that?�� you tell him affectionately. With a grin, he bends over and captures your lips in a searing kiss.

“I promise, I’ll make it up to you.” With a chuckle, he runs his jaw along yours, knowing the roughness of his stubble is a huge turn on for you.

“Yes, yes you will.” You pull away and stand up. The sooner you get this done, the sooner the two of you can snuggle, and the sooner you can claim your owed favor.

Grabbing the car keys from the sideboard, you head down to the car to get the phone holder. You figure the suction cup works on the car’s windscreen, so should work on the glass screen. When you get back into the apartment, Charlie’s changed clothes and has his guitar in his hand.

“Remind me why you can’t do this from the couch?” you ask, walking into the bathroom. It’s tiny and you know Charlie’s going to regret his decision, but when he mumbles about acoustics you keep your mouth shut. Trying to change his mind when it’s made up is nigh on impossible.

You manage to secure the phone holder to the shower screen you’d cleaned that morning, pull it across the tub, and leave the small space.

“All ready for you, maestro.” You call out as you enter the lounge. Charlie stands up, kisses you and disappears into the bathroom. You fully plan on putting the TV on, choosing a random Hallmark Christmas movie to watch, and wait for him to finish, but when you hear his clear voice singing what he knows is one of your favorite Ed Sheeran songs, you can help but go and stand at the end of the tub and watch him morph from Charlie your doofus boyfriend to Charlie the star.

You watch him, with a smile on your face, as he records a video for his Instagram reel, messing it up a couple of times and having to restart a few times, making you laugh.

“If you can’t be quiet, you’re gonna have to leave.” He scolds you without any anger in his voice.

“I’ll behave. For now.” You wink at him as he starts to record again. Once he’s done, he says he wants to do one more, slightly longer for his Tiktok account.

“Last try, because my leg’s falling asleep.” He speaks into the camera once it’s recording.

I’m in love now

Kiss me like you wanna be loved

Wanna be loved, wanna be loved,

Wanna be loved, yeah

As he sings, he looks up, catching your eye and smiling. In that moment, you fall in love with him all over again.

.

.

.

.

.

Taglist: - if you want to be added, please send me an ask, just in case I happen to miss any comments

@dream-a-little-bigger-x​​ @calamitykaty​​ @crybabyddl​​ @xplrreylo​​ @morganayennefertyrell​​ @lovesanimals​​ @sunsetcurvenotsunsetswerve​​ @echocharm17618​​ @kinda-really-lost​ @n0wornever​ @all-in-fangirl​ @5sosmukefan​

[lady-amethyst18]

(The four kids look around inside the theater. Haoyu drags his finger across the table that was coated with dust.) Haoyu: Man. When was the last time you cleaned this place? Balan: Forever, I guess. I tried to keep it tidy by myself, but then one thing became another, and soon I lost my touch. I don't have the funds to patch up the cracks or make repairs. And I haven't figured out how to do it myself. Cass: And what about those little guys? (points at the little bird creatures) What are those? Balan: I'm... Not sure. They just showed up one day after my theater closed. I don't know what they are, so I've decided to call them tims. They stuck by me when no one else would. Emma: (picks one up and pets it with two fingers) Well, they sure are cute. At least you have some form of company. Balan: Yeah...

(Balan smiles sadly when suddenly everyone hears a loud growl.)

Yuri: (startled) What was that? Balan: (holds his hand over his belly) Sorry, I'm hungry. I haven't eaten anything today. (looks at the tims) These little guys usually try to help me find some form of food. If any at all. Leo: (he thinks for a bit before heading towards the door) Balan: (worried) L-Leo? Where are you going? Leo: I'm going to get you something to eat. I promise I'll be back. You guys stay here with him. I shouldn't be gone long. Balan: ... Ok... Cass: (holds Balan's hand) Don't worry, Mr. Balan. We'll keep you company.

(Balan smiles at the girl while clasping his hand around hers. Almost tighter. Leo exits the alley until he turns to the donut shop. Luckily it was still open. Not the healthiest idea, but it would be some sort of food for the maestro. He walks inside and finds that the line is long.)

Leo: Ugh! Great... I'm going to be here forever.

(He stands there for a few minutes until he peers at two men sitting at a table playing chess. One had thick purple hair and was wearing what looked to be a business coat, while the other was sitting in a wheelchair. Curious and seeing that the line would take forever, he decided to take a closer look.) Leo: Hey guys, sorry to intrude, but would it be alright if I watch you play. The line's going to take its sweet time anyway. Cal: Sure thing, kiddo. You ever play chess? Leo: Not really. I mean, I know the basics, but I never really played it myself. Eis: Care to learn how to play? Leo: I would like to, but I'm kind of in a hurry. I have to gather food for my friends. Cal: (nods, but there's a hint of disappointment in his eyes) Alright, suit yourself.

(Leo watches the two play for a while. He notices Eis' face.)

Leo: Sorry, but... Have we met somewhere before? Eis: Uh... I don't believe so. What's your name, boy? Leo: Leo. Eis: (shrugs) Not a name I'm familiar with. But I'm Eis, and this is my buddy, Cal. We play chess here every now and then. Leo: (thinks) Eis... Oh! I remember now! You were on the news a couple weeks ago! Eis: Oh. So you've heard about that fire at that apartment building. Leo: Yeah! Man, what a rush! I heard you were a hero when you saved that kid. Eis: (looks sad) Yeah, well... I was a hero. Until the accident happened. Leo: What do you mean? Eis: It's true I saved that kid and the fire was put out. But it was at the cost of my legs. A piece of debris landed on me and crushed me from the bottom down. I couldn't walk, so now I'm bound to this wheelchair and I had to resign from my job. Leo: (shocked) Oh... Cal: I've been keeping in touch with him. Trying to keep his spirits up. Leo: Well... I'm sorry if it was a touchy subject. Eis: Naw, you're ok, Leo. I'll be fine.

(Leo sees that the line has finally passed. So he goes up to order his food. He askes for a dozen donuts, several kolaches, and bottles of water. When he paid for the food, Cal and Eis notice him struggling to carry it all.)

Cal: Um... Need some help, kiddo? Leo: (carries one of the bags in his teeth) No thanks. I got it. (drops one of the bottles) Cal: (picks it up) I think you do need some help, Leo. Where are you and your friends eating? Leo: Uh... Behind the alley. We like to picnic there sometimes. Eis: Why don't you set the box on my lap, Leo? I can carry it easily. Cal: And I'll be happy to hold one of the bags or water bottles for you. Leo: (sighs) Well... Ok. But don't question why we like to eat in the alley.

(The two nodded. Cal gathered his chess set and helped Eis out the door while carrying the bags and a bottle of water.)

So here's the context

Haoyu, Yuri, and Cass were getting to know Balan until he got hungry. Seeing as how he didn't eat anything today, Leo goes to the donut shop to get some food for him and the others. Though the place was busy, and Leo had to wait in line. Until he met Cal and Eis playing chess together in the dining room of the shop. Seeing as how the line was going to take forever, he decided to watch them play. Cal is actually a champion at chess, but it's a dying game. People were more interested in playing video games more than family games. Which breaks his heart a bit. As for Eis, he's a "retired" fireman after getting injured. The man was put on home health and is bound to a wheelchair. Can't walk worth squat. When the line shortened, he got his food, realizing it was a little too much to carry. So Cal and Eis help him bring his items back to the alley. Unknowing of who they were going to meet. This is my Lonesome Maestro AU. When Balan's first show was a disaster, and everyone left him. He's become very lonely and sad due to no one being around. Until Leo and Emma showed up and try to change his life for the better.

[studiesinconnoisseurship]

Sicily's Triumph of Death

Triumph of Death – Palazzo Abatellis, Palermo

Palazzo Sclafani, Palermo

The Triumph of Death – il Trionfo della Morte – is a huge fresco filling most of the end wall of a large and lofty hall in Palazzo Abbatellis, the National Gallery of Sicily in Palermo. It was not painted for that room, but for a wall of the courtyard of another palazzo in the city, Palazzo Sclafani, still standing  and still to be seen, though not visited, close to a public garden east of the Cathedral. That palazzo was built in 1330, originally for a Count, Matteo Sclafani, but exactly a hundred years later, in 1440, the City Administration (the Senate), wishing to rationalise its hospital provision and have one big hospital rather than seven small ones, requisitioned the palazzo, by then in a poor state, and set about converting it into the main hospital for the city. This development evidently included commissions for artists, and one of those was given to the painter of the Triumph. It is unfortunate that the commission document has never been found, but we can be thankful that aerial bombardment of Palazzo Sclafani in 1943 did not destroy, only damaged, the fresco, which was soon after removed, restored and displayed where it now is.

Details from Triumph of Death (clockwise from top): Death rides of a skeletal horse; The Fountain of Life; Death’s Victims; Lute Player

The painter’s choice of subject was a natural one for the courtyard of a hospital in those days. Sclafani’s palazzo dated from the time of the Black Death, but in Sicily, as in mainland Italy and the rest of Europe, Death in the form of plague had galloped back into people’s lives unpredictably and most often fatally ever since. Skeletal Death rides his skeletal horse full tilt across the fresco; his victims lie in a heap at the bottom of the picture. There is, however, Life, a Fountain of Life, beside which a harpist plays his silent music. Elegant ladies converse with animated gestures of shared alarm; there are men to the left, young and old, but, one observes, no children. Above the men a menacing wolfhound and another dog strain at the leash. Death, in short, threatens Life, for the mitred as for the unmitred, but Life is there. Memento  Mori, you who enter this place and may not leave it alive; but remember, too, that you have lived, and life, with all its music and conversation, will continue after you.

Such is the general message. I have chosen this work as the focus of my latest Studies in Connoisseurship partly because we are living through a global pandemic. The hospitals of Palermo, as of many other cities in Italy and beyond, have once more been filled with very ill people dying, or threatened with dying, as life outside them struggles to continue.

As a connoisseur my motive is different. The fresco, unsurprisingly, has captivated many visitors and inspired some writers, but the fact that without a surviving contract or other document from the early 1440s we still do not know who painted this work surely plays its part in our fascination: we see it as a unique phenomenon, sui generis. This of course is unreal: someone painted it. Sicilians wonder if he was Sicilian. The last owner of Palazzo Sclafani lived in Spain; could he have proposed a Spanish artist? Some, bizarrely, have suggested that the painter may have come from the Netherlands. If he was Sicilian, did he afterwards leave the island to seek his fortune, like Antonello da Messina, on the mainland? Or did he come from the mainland, invited by the hospital’s rector, Pietro Speciale, or someone else who was commissioning works of art for it? A work like the Triumph of Death does not appear from nowhere; what other works by its creator preceded it?

I cannot answer these questions, but privately I have shared the quest for answers over many years, and I think I can at least contribute to our understanding of this anonymous artist by adding other works that may reasonably be attributed to him. As with all exercises in connoisseurship, what is ‘reasonable’ is what can be argued visually through juxtaposition of  images.

First, a general observation should be made about the work from an aesthetic point of view. Iconographically, the Triumph of Death is well known and quite a lot has been written about antecedent examples of the theme, at the Campo Santo at Pisa, in the work of Orcagna, and elsewhere. In this case, however, the horse and the rider are not enough to pull the composition together, because all around them are disparate groups of figures and animals and objects that relate awkwardly to each other and fail to bond into a coherent whole. Whatever else he was, this artist cannot be said to be a great composer. Seen from a distance – as the fresco can be – it reminds one of some large and similarly incoherent tapestries. This is a serious defect which no doubt excludes it, as a whole, from the very highest rank of artistic achievement.

Details from Triumph of Death (clockwise from top left) – Death’s Horse; The King; a Survivor of Death; Death’s Victims

The words ‘as a whole’ are to be emphasised, though, because as soon as we draw close and our eyes take in the details (as would those of anyone standing or walking under the arcade of that hospital courtyard in 1442), they are everywhere amazed by what they discover in the sphere of draughtsmanship. There the artist excels, both in ‘disegno’, his brilliant invention of representational forms, and in the extraordinary refinement and elegance of his line, whether in the tail of the hound, the head of the horse (like something out of Guernica), in the aristocratic ladies or, most originally of all, in the heads of the dead tumbled together at the bottom. It is the quality of this artist’s drawing, rather than his colour or composition, that makes it less important that all the colour reproductions offered here are of questionable fidelity.

Comparing drawings at the Louvre (top left and top centre) with details of the noble women from Triumph of Death

Comparing the similar hand gesture of the drawing of a Lady (left) and a Survivor of Death (right)

To pick out the draughtsmanship is, I believe, to pick up the key that can unlock the mystery of what else this artist did. Over many years of intermittent study I have kept a look-out for any drawings that might be associated with him by virtue of their extreme linear elegance combined with a certain oddity. Among the drawings in the Vallardi Album at the Louvre are a few that are not by Pisanello, and among these is a pair of profiles, one of a mature Lady, the other of an older Man. The one of the Lady is the more developed and the more remarkable, for the fine lines of the hair and the purity of contour in her profile. Compare this drawing with the depiction of the aristocratic ladies in the Trionfo, especially the one seen in profile who likewise wears an eardrop, and I think a definite similarity is observable. It is confirmed when we turn to the raised left hand of the Lady in the drawing. Artists describe hands and their gestures in such interestingly different ways: this one favours two fingers (first and second) straight, two fingers (third and fourth) bent. Anyone who tries to put their own fingers into the same position will soon realise that it is not natural and not sustainable; but there it is, not only in the drawing but in the Trionfo, exactly in one instance, and to varying degrees of bentness in many more. To anyone acquainted with the history of connoisseurship this could be a textbook illustration of Giovanni Morelli’s ‘method’.

Drawing of a Man with a Fur Collar (Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München) 

Comparing the Louvre Drawing (left) and Munich drawing (right) with faces from Triumph

At the Print Room at Munich (Staatliche Graphische Sammlung) there is another drawing, this time of a Man with a Fur Collar seen close-up, his head turned to our left, his neck emerging from a fur collar encircling it. this is not finished, but those fine lines drawn in long parallel strokes that distinguished the tresses of the Lady in the Vallardi Album are also here, along with a very particular shape given to the eye (upper lid and corner nearest to the nose) and to the ear, philtrum> and lips. These features are most clearly matched in the face of the young man on the extreme left of the Trionfo, and that of his companion.

Portrait of a Lady – Johnson Collection, Philadelphia

Comparing the Drawings from the Louvre (Top Left and Bottom Right) and Munich (Bottom Left) with the Painting of the Lady at Washington

At this point in my quest for drawings by the Trionfo Master the trail goes cold. There is, however, a painting in the Johnson Collection at Philadelphia, attributed, unconvincingly in my view, to Ercole de Roberti, which exhibits exactly the eye-shape, ear-shape, lips and philtrum of the Munich drawing, as well as the sharp, rounded eyebrows of the Vallardi Lady and the ear of the Vallardi Man.The Johnson painting has morphological similarities with the Trionfo, but it seems to belong to a later period, and there is reason for thinking that it does. It may indeed be the link between the Trionfo and a whole body of much later work by this artist, not in Sicily but in Ferrara.

Comparing faces with fresco in Palazzo di Schifanoia of Virgo recumbant with her Decani (bottom panels)

In the Salone dei Mesi of the Palazzo di Schifanoia in Ferrara  it is possible to distinguish fairly clearly the work of Francesco del Cossa, but there is another artist, credited with many of the Months whose identity has always puzzled art historians. He has been called the ‘Maestro di Ercole’ or the ‘Maestro degli Occhi Spalancati’, but these names have not led to much development of an oeuvre for an artist of such weird imagination and invention, a man capable, as Cossa was not, of creating extraordinary images like the figure of Virgo, for August, the giant lobster, for June, or the sign of Libra, for September.

Scenes from the Fresco at Palazzo Schifanoia: Virgo in the Allegory of August (top); The Lobster from the Allegory of June (centre); Libra from the Allegory of September (bottom)

From Palazzo Sclafani to Palazzo Schifanoia is not only a leap of geography; there must also be a gap of many years, perhaps a quarter of a century. It is frustrating and unsatisfactory that there is, as yet, so little to fill that gap. I do believe, nevertheless, that Palermo and Ferrara are connected in the career of this painter. The argument depends as always on a juxtaposition such as this one: the Munich drawing, the Johnson portrait, the heads of Virgo.

Detail of Virgo (top left) to compare with the Lady in Philadelphia (top centre) and the Man in Munich (top right), and comparisons of the horse from Triumph of Death (bottom left) and horses from the Allegory of March (bottom right)

From August we can move to other Months in the astrological zodiac, and discover that the eccentricity manifest at Palermo has not deserted this artist, but it has changed. In the many years that have elapsed he has developed, for example, a bizarre way of representing drapery – like sharply creased paper folded one way and then another – and rocks – like laminated tombstones. Despite the lapse of years there is a horse’s head whose structure can still remind us of the one at Palermo.

The Allegory of August, Triumph of Ceres and representation of Virgo – Palazzo Schifanoia

The Allegory of September (top) and detail of Mars in bed with a Nymph (bottom) – Palazzo Schifanoia

There is also a change of theme. The work at Palermo is dominated, very obviously, by Death, his work at Ferrara quite largely by Sex, especially so in August. The bare-breasted figure of Ceres brandishes the reaped corn and then, recumbent, sprawls luxuriously across three divisions while looking out seductively at the spectator. In September Mars is in bed with a nymph, Ylia, and the figure of Libra is set between two figures of a physique reminiscent of male ballet dancers, their calves developed like athletes on Greek pots. Sex, yes, but also, to complete the trinity, War. There is now a definite martial streak to the artist’s imagination, no doubt fuelled by the idea of ‘triumph’ and expressed in images of Mars, Vulcan’s Forge, armour.

Detail of Vulcan’s Forge from The Allegory of September

His contributions to the Triumph scenes are at least as ill-composed as the Triumph at Palermo, but under them, in the Months, he wisely sets his figures and creatures against plain dark backdrops. We remember them all the better for their standing out pale, even white, against the deep blues and browns. At Palermo this had only begun to happen in the upper left quadrant and behind the horse.

Clearly I and others must look diligently for other works by this artist that will allow us to see how he developed between the two periods of activity and what he was doing before the first one. The drawings that I have proposed as his must belong to the earlier, Palermitan  phase of his career, but how did he draw in later years? His name is more likely to be discovered by historians and archivists. I would like him to be a Sicilian – the island has too few major artists besides Antonello da Messina – but I must declare a doubt that he was. We need the evidence in any case to tell us whether he was brought to Palermo from the mainland or was native to the island at the time of the Sclafani commission. Without the facts we are left in ignorance. If the thesis presented here, of a connection between Palermo and Ferrara, should find acceptance, I hope that it will have armed us with a little more understanding of his character as an artist. He has an abundance of character. As painter, as draughtsman, as inventor of images, he appears to be one of the great eccentrics of European art, and one that can speak to us, of life and death and love, in another dark time.

[eternalstann]

The Lucky One

Tom Holland X Reader

You go on a date, Tom and the boys try to play a game of 21 questions about your mystery man...all in all the night goes no where near how you expected.

“Hey, I’ll see you guys later!” You call out to the boys lounging on the couch. You try to make your way past them as quickly as possible.

The click of your heels echoed through the room and you wished you’d of waited to put them on in the car.

You walk behind the couch, and you really thought you were gonna make it...until Harrison’s hand reaches out to grab your arm. You sigh obnoxiously, knowing the interrogation was about to begin.

“Where are you going?!” Harry asks incredulously as all four boys stared at you now. Your face twists up and you debate whether you should tell them the truth or make something up.

“Heels?” Toms eyebrow goes up and Tuwaine joins in,

“A dress?”

You roll your eyes, “Yes guys I own real girl clothes. Are you done, can I leave now?” You say, pulling your arm from Harrisons grasp and crossing it over your chest.

“Um, no. Where the hell are you going?” Harrison presses and you throw up your hands at your over protective friends.

“If you nosey lot must know I’m going on date...” you shrug.

“A date?!” All of them exclaim in unison.

You put a hand over your heart, pretending to be hurt at their combined shock. You couldn’t really blame them though, you didn’t even remember the last time you’d been on a proper date.

“Yes you guys! Now seriously I have to go, he’s outside..” you whine, and they all start talking at once.

“What’s his name?” “Turn on your location okay? “Where’s he taking you?” “When did you meet?” “What time will you be back” “What’s his Instagram?”

You wait for the assault of questions to finish before you speak.

“His name is Carter, we met at the mall. I don’t know when I’ll be back, Harry I’m sharing my location with you.” You call, doing your best run in the strappy heels on your feet.

“Bye!” You yell, stepping out the door and you shake your head when you hear Tuwaine shout;

“Don’t get pregnant!”

Once you’re gone Tom tries his best to focus on the movie he and the boys were watching but his mind won’t let him. Were you okay? Tom has no idea who the fuck this Carter guy was, why hadn’t you mentioned him before..the two of you were best friends.

“Harry can you check Y/N’s location?” Tom asks the red head and Harry noticed the way his brothers leg was bouncing up and down.

“Tom she’s not even been gone 20 minutes!” Tuwaine scolds him and Tom runs a hand through his hair.

“Aren’t you guys worried, nearly 1/5 women will be assaulted in their lifetime! Anything could happen to her” Tom rattled on and the boys all look at each other.

“Mate, you need to tell her how you feel. This is getting ridiculous...” Harrison chuckles.

“I will....eventually. Harry can you see where she is?” Tom inquires again and Harry groans. “It looks like they’re at Maestros over on Main Street” he finally answers and Tom nods.

He feels better knowing you’re in a public place, but he still can’t get rid of the jealously bubbling in his stomach. And the fear that he might never get his chance with the girl he loved now.

It’s going on five hours later, and all the boys had gone to bed. Except Tom. He knew there was no use in even trying to go to sleep before you were home.

The brunette was staring at the four text messages he’d sent you, left on delivered. He was about to send a fifth when he heard keys jingling in the door.

He felt his body relax for the first time since you’d left. But he freezes when he hears you giggle.

“Shhhh! You have to be quiet, I have roommates”

His heart sinks. Tom didn’t even need to see you to know you were drunk. He could hear it in the slur of your voice and extra clicks of your shoes against the hard floors of the front hallway.

“Careful, careful. I’ve got you babe” he hears a deep voice whisper to you. Then a wet smacking sound that he knew was kiss. Tom felt like he was going to be physically sick, and he was going to walk away until he heard you stumbling again.

“Where’s your room babe? I’ve been thinking about this all night” Carter asks, voice getting closer to where Tom was standing. You hum thoughtfully. “Next to Tomsssss, he’s my best friend” you fumble over your words a bit.

Normally Tom would’ve smiled at the sentiment, but now he was concerned. You were shitfaced.

Tom had his fair share of drunken hookups, but never when he was this far gone. He was battling with himself on whether he should intervene or not. He didn’t want to upset you or make you feel like you couldn’t handle yourself, you were grown.

But he was your friend. He knew you, and this wasn’t you.

Then, in the blink of an eye you were in front of him. And so was your date.

Toms eyes scanned over you, the red tint to your face. Eyes barely open.

But you still saw him.

“Carter, this is my best friend Tom!” You exclaimed you moved to hug Tom but tripped over your feet for the millionth time that night. Tom was ready though, steadying you before you even knew you were falling.

“Nice to meet you man, I’ll get her upstairs and out of your way” Carter smiles but Tom doesn’t smile back.

“Actually it’s okay, I got her. Thanks for getting her home.” He responds dryly, tightening his grip around your waist.

“Seriously, it’s no problem. I want to”

And the way Carter said those words made Toms skin crawl.

“It’s time for you to go” Tom said sternly and Carter rolled his eyes; “Oh fuck off!”

That made you sober up a little and you noticed the way Tom clenched his jaw. “You’ve got 10 seconds to get the fuck out of my house” Tom threatened but Carter didn’t back down.

“Or what?” He countered, stepping up so he and Tom were chest to chest.

“Stop!” You yelled, feeling dizzy and overwhelmed. The two stayed in their standoff and you turned to the sound of footsteps descending the stairs.

“What the fuck is going on?” Tuwaine asks groggily, eyeing the situation. You walk wobbly over to Tuwaine and look up at him. “Make them stop, please” you motion to Tom and Carter.

Tuwaine stands up straight, “It’s time for you to go Carter”.

Carter puts his hands up in surrender, shaking his head as he leaves.

“Call me Y/N”

Once the door shuts you burst into tears.

“I’m so sorry you guys, I can’t believe I let myself get this drunk...on a fucking first date at that” you cry, and Tom pulls you into his lap. He mouths to Tuwaine that he’s got you and your other friend goes back upstairs.

“Y/N, you have nothing to be sorry for. It doesn’t matter how much you drink you shouldn’t have to worry about dickheads like him taking advantage of you.” Tom turns your head to look him.

His face is blurry through your tears but you hear his words loud and clear. “It’s just so embarrassing” you half laugh; “I’m so lucky to have someone like you Tom” you admit and Tom smiles,

“Trust me Y/N; I’m the lucky one. Now let’s go get some sleep”

——————————————————-

Just some cute, jealous bestfriend!tom for your TL featuring the boys!❤️ I always write smut so just wanted to switch it up. Enjoyyy, ily babes.

[r6shippingdelivery]

headcannons for hobbies? Like what they do on their off time?

Hi nonnie! I actually did a Hobbies HC for “all” ops a long time ago. But seeing that was before the expanded bios, and it only reached up to Gridlock and Mozzie, I’d say it’s time for an updated version, don’t you say? 

Some of the answers are unchanged from the old post, because I already nailed it or the new info didn’t disprove my ideas. But I had to revise a lot of the answers I gave the first time around! In order to find their hobbies and/or get a glimpse of their lives beyond Rainbow and what they might like, I read all the bios, and looked up concept art, and elites, and past battlepass content, etc. And when none of that was enough, I just went with my gut instinct 😂 Thank you to @grain-crain-drain, @dagoth-menthol & @todragonsart for bouncing ideas with me when I was stuck! 💕

Hobbies Headcanons for ALL ops (up to Neon Dawn)

FBI

- Ash: According to her savta, shooting things is not a hobby, but Ash disagrees. And since according to her expanded bio she knows Hebrew, Arabic, English, French and Greek, I’m willing to bet she enjoys learning languages as well. - Thermite: He grew up on a ranch and loves riding. He’s also taken an interest in improving gadgets it seems, so my old proposal that he dabbles in forging/smithing stuff seems plausible. And based on this concept art, demolition derbies attending and maybe even competing himself too? - Pulse: He’s interested in a variety of topics and goes through phases of intense, nearly obsessive focus, until something else captures his attention. He still has a lingering fondness for building muscle cars, since it was something he used to do with his father. And like Thermite and Hibana, it seems he might enjoy demolition derbies. - Castle: He’s a language nerd, studying/reading/practicing new languages is his hobby for sure. Since the expanded bio says he rescues abused dogs, I don’t think it would be far fetched he volunteered at animal shelters too.

SAS

- Thatcher: Aside from repairing his boat, The Iron Maggie, he also enjoys fishing. He used to do that with his dad & brothers, and tried to take the rest of the SAS fishing as a bonding experience. It didn’t go very well - Sledge: He plays rugby, and has an inexplicable fondness of trying the wildest ideas that tend to end with something broken, be it one of his bones or a structure or wall (just read his extended psychological profile and you’ll see, lmao) - Smoke: Boxing, it helps him focus all his chaotic energy. And chemistry in general, it’s not just a hobby but a passion of his. - Mute: he enjoys tinkering with stuff, taking it apart and then putting it back together in a different way, just to see if he can improve it or make it work in his own way. Flying drones plays perfectly into that, with the added bonus of being able to do the flying part just for fun too.

GIGN

- Montagne: His main passion is working with people, teaching and mentoring others, and therefore when he’s not on duty, his main passtime still is mingling with people and getting to know them. I could see him making overtures with Castle, interested in the American and fascinated by his knowledge of various languages, an area Monty feels insecure about due to only knowing French and English.  - Twitch: Engineering, robotics and developing an empathic AI is her life.Twitch is a workaholic passionate about those topics. She also greatly enjoys traveling and, according to her expanded bio, people watching.  - Doc: He surely had some hobby at one point, but he can’t remember it, or the last time he had free time for it. Doc is also a workaholic, although one that loves to complain about it.  - Rook: Apparently he’s passionate about cycling, auto racing, and rock concerts. Mainly cycling though, since he dropped out of university to cycle around France.

Spetsnaz

- Tachanka: He collects and repairs old weapons. Mostly soviet, but he has some interesting pieces from other countries too. And he dances surprisingly well.  - Kapkan: Aside from a certain interest in psychology, his main hobby is hunting, of course. But he also whittles and carves wooden figurines.  - Glaz: Quite obviously, painting. He’s an artist, and quite a good one. He also likes playing cards, especially poker. - Fuze: He builds new weapon prototypes for fun. And tests them, if he can convince Six of it. He also likes to bake from time to time, a skill he learnt thanks to his grandma - and because he has a sweet tooth.

GSG9

- Jäger: Planes. Model planes, repairing old WWI & II planes, you name it. And watching copious amounts of documentaries.  - Bandit: His bike is his main hobby, both taking care of it and riding it. He also likes playing pool; and, if pranking people counts as a hobby, that’s his oldest one, dating from when he was a kid. - Blitz: He was and still is an athlete at heart, and Blitz loves running. - IQ: In order to disconnect from engineering pursuits, she indulges in rock climbing, spelunking, and writing science fiction stories.

JTF2

- Buck: He crafts mechanical puzzles, and enjoys all kinds of physical activity that can take place outdoors. - Frost: She just loves being surrounded by nature, and often goes mountain climbing or diving.

SEAL

- Valkyrie: Swimming and diving, of course! She wanted to be a professional swimmer, but now it’s just a hobby. And apparently she enrolled for a helicopter pilot license, and language classes. - Blackbeard: According to the expanded bios, he likes sailing and even participated in a championship. And since he climbed Mount Everest, it’s safe to say he also likes mountain climbing.

BOPE

- Capitao: He loves football, playing or watching it, doesn’t matter, he’s all for it. - Caveira: Spends a lot of time practicing Jiu Jitsu, in the gym and also on unofficial tournaments.

SAT

- Hibana: For her it’s traditional Japanese archery (Kyūdō). And probably demolition derbies too accounting that concept art from before with Thermite and Pulse. - Echo: According to the expanded bio, he has few interests outside work, but I always imagined he’d be into gaming and e-sports. Hacking too, and that’s a direct influence from Dokkaebi.

GEO

- Jackal: He plays the acoustic guitar/spanish guitar, and sings too. And now we also know he volunteers with at-risk youth. - Mira: Fixing cars is second nature to her, and thanks to her expanded bio we know she also does metal sculptures that incorporate used mechanical parts.

SDU

- Ying: Extreme driving, which can sometimes trigger her PTSD, and traveling. Especially exploring cities by randomly jumping in public transport and just going anywhere. - Lesion: He is also one to volunteer in underprivileged areas (like Junk Bay, where he grew up), and clearing mines and other unexploded devices. I also imagine him with a certain gusto for playing blackjack.

GROM

- Zofia: If obsessing about her father’s supposed suicide and the oddities surrounding it, and desperately trying to reconnect with her sister count as hobbies, sure, she has those. - Ela: She’s also an artist, one with a very particular vision that some have called narcissistic. Apparently she also does some “freelance” volunteer work, roaming the streets at night and offering help/comfort, or a willing ear to the people she meets.

707SMB

- Vigil: He likes to take walks around the forest, just aimless exploring and marvelling at nature and any animals he might come across. Often listens to relaxing music while doing so, and he might pick a pretty rock here and there to bring home. - Dokkaebi: Hacking is her hobby, of course. She also has several social media profiles and is an active member in a couple of hacking forums. As per a previous battlepass, I believe she enjoys mountain trekking too. And dancing to electro beat, due to her elite.

CBRN

- Lion: His rebel years left him with an appreciation for rock music and a dream to be in a group. Lion still plays the electric guitar, when he’s not off volunteering at the local church. - Finka: Pushed by her parents from a young age to try different sports, just like her siblings, she eventually discovered a strong love for fencing and ice-skating.

GIS

- Maestro: Cooking, and boxing, an interest he shares with Smoke. But mostly cooking. - Alibi: She’s also a marksman, engages Ash in friendly shooting competitions.

GSUTR

- Clash: She’s very involved in different activist causes, mostly surrounding racial issues and inequality. - Maverick: Photography, mostly nature or candid shots of his fellow operators. I also think he likes horses and riding. And Buzkashi of course, but he hasn’t played since he left Kabul.

GIGR

- Kaid: Playing chess, he’s a good strategist and it shows. And  while dozing off with a cat on his lap is not a hobby, he also loves that. - Nomad: Traveling to all sorts of remote locations, she’s an explorer with a thirst to prove herself. She also keeps a travel journal, which includes maps and some drawings of the places she’s seen.

SASR

- Mozzie: Dirt biking, of course. The more dangerous the jumps and stunts are, the more he likes it. He knows his limits and works to surpass them. - Gridlock: Robotics. She still wants to compete again in robot championships, just like she and Mozzie did so many years ago. She would consider that fixing cars and vehicles has become more part of her job than a hobby, but still loves it too.

Phantom Sight

- Nokk: Fencing, as evidenced by some of her concept art, she participated in fencing tournaments. - Warden: He knows appearances are important, and he cultivated a very specific image, so he likes to take care of that, be it by buying luxury or antique cars, or designer suits, etc.

Ember Rise

- Amaru: Archeology and exploring the Amazon jungle is her passion. It used to be her whole life and job, but since she joined Rainbow, she’s been busy with training and missions, yet she never lost her love for adventure, history and protecting her country’s cultural artifacts. - Goyo: He’s a really good chess player, and enjoys other games where he either has to think, or his usual poker face and calm demeanor can throw his opponents off.

Shifting Tides

- Kali: When she’s not writing reports about her underlings progress, or making lists about who should be ascended/rewarded, who needs to be punished or chastised, etc, she’ll be doing yoga, since it helps her focus. Or hardcore pilates when she needs to burn away some frustration first. - Wamai: Diving and being underwater in general, be it on his special immersion tanks or on the actual sea, it doesn’t matter. He finds it calming (and he’s addicted to the anoxia sensation)

Void Edge

- Iana: Space exploration fascinates her, and she’s always trying to learn everything she can about the cosmos, watching documentaries and conducting her own in-depth research. - Oryx: Wrestling helps him hone his physical prowess, and it’s also a measured outlet for his deep seated rage. He also greatly enjoys reading poetry.

Steel Wave

- Melusi: She’s committed to the conservation cause, which stems from both her love of wildlife and nature, and her protective instincts. She likes to explore too, although she’s not driven by a will to prove herself or reach certain goals, but simply for the joy of seeing natural spaces. - Ace: Social Media. He’s obsessed with his public image and popularity. While he travels quite a bit, it seems he does it more to share new and exciting selfies on Instagram than for the pleasure of visiting new places.

Shadow Legacy

- Zero: He knits and crochets, it’s an engaging hobby that helps him clear his mind, plus he enjoys making stuff too. Not many people know about this side of him though. 

Neon Dawn

- Aruni: She and Hero, her giant pouched rat, volunteer on landmine detection and removal efforts. She also likes to travel extensively, and has done so in the company of Twitch and Nomad.

[smol-and-trashy]

Botched Rescue (BnHA vore fic) 5/5

A/N: Honestly, I only posted this because I hate leaving fics unfinished, so now I can finally say, I finished a fic! I’ll probably work on the prey!Dimi fic in the next couple of weeks, so be on the look-out for that! (and then I gotta finish my remaining WIPs... this is why i don’t do multi-chapter stuff, I lose interest way too fast ~sobs~) tw for vomit. 

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Shit shit shit. Hawks' brain immediately went to worst-case scenario. He shoved his fingers back in his throat, gagging and dry heaving, but this time nothing came out. Brown flecked eyes shot open; this couldn't be happening. Okay, calm down, gotta go to plan B: find an emetic. He straightened up and ran to the bathroom. Rummaging through his cabinets, sharp eyes scanning various medications and bottles until he finally laid eyes on what he was looking for, bingo! 

He unscrewed the cap and didn't even bother to correctly measure the medication as he gulped down the syrup until his stomach began to toss and turn. Grabbing hold of the bowl once again, his stomach twisted, and almost automatically, he thew up. Hawks scanned the vomit-covered bowl for any signs of anything living and finally made contact with three multi-color heads of hair. Letting out a sigh he didn't know he was holding, he fishes them out of the bowl, one-by-one. They're limp and barely unconscious, but he can feel their breaths to know that they're alive. Coughing, the green-haired boy, Midoriya, Hawks reminds himself, stumbles a bit before gazing up at the blond and freezes. Never had he seen someone's life deflate from their body so quickly, and if he weren't the one causing the distress, he'd find it a touch amusing. The kids were staring wide-eyed at him as if he were some kind of monster; he didn't care. Right now, relief swept over him, they were alive, and that was the only thing that mattered right now. "Let's get you guys cleaned up." he murmurs, throat raw and scratchy as he gets up to run a clean bowl under water. The students in his free hand stay dead-still; even the loud one wasn't making a single move. Had he scarred them this much? If he was honest with himself, this wasn't the most preferable of outcomes, but he could work with it. He had to. He brings the water-filled bowl back into the bathroom and brings the kids to the lukewarm water. The water was relatively shallow, and he trusted them enough to bathe themselves without drowning. The boys stayed limp in the bowl for a solid minute, shell-shocked over what they just went through, before slowly scrubbing the gunk off their clothes and hair. They looked so stiff, only going through the motions of what was necessary before finally stopping once they deemed themselves 'clean.' Hawks felt a pang of guilt in his chest as he watched, knowing that he'd fucked up. Even though all of this was for the greater good, he had just traumatized three teenagers for the betterment of hero society. Was all of this really worth it? xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Izuku stared way up at the giant, fear overwhelming him. Why would Hawks let them out? To toy with them further? His heart thumped heavily in his chest while the winged man loomed over them. To put it simply, the hero looked terrible. Strands of blond hair clung to Hawks' sweaty forehead while he had heavy bags under his triangular ducts. A hand hovered over them before trunk-sized fingers seemed to pause before wrapping themselves around Bakugou; the fiery teen squirmed in Hawks' grasp, yelling obscurities at the man holding him while being moved away from the bowl. Hawks slumped down on the wall, pushing his hair back, and gazed up at the blank ceiling. "Haah, thank god you guys are alive. Thought I miscalculated or something!" he tiredly laughed. "Put me down! You reek!" Bakugou wriggled in the man's grasp, biting and kicking at the fingers enclosed on him. The winged pro hero looked down, yet Bakugou remained undaunted by those sharp eyes, he had no idea what the hero was thinking, but if he was planning on eating them again, he's got another thing coming. Instead of raising him back into the damp maw, nimble fingers worked at the quirk suppressor bracelet on his leg, prying it open with just his thumb and index finger, until a small pop was heard, and they snapped off. "There ya go!" Bakugou stared at the man, for the first time since this ordeal, he was entirely dumbstruck. The birdbrain actually helped him? He couldn't believe it. Before he knew it, he was carefully dropped down into the bowl, and Hawks did the same to Deku and Icy-Hot, their bracelets snapping off with relative ease. Bakugou silently watched from afar, confident that the same thought was nesting in the other students' heads: What the hell? xxxxxxxxxxx There wasn't much discourse between Hawks and the students. Guilt gnawed in his gut; he knew that he did the right thing, but was that really enough? Going by the Midoriya's instinctive shudders with each inflicting touch, he had his answer. No, this is what I trained to do, what I'm supposed to do. Keep civilians and provisional heroes safe, I did my job, completed the mission—yet why do I feel so… hollow? Hawks swallowed down these feelings and moved on, scooping the students and softly pocketing them in the largest bag he could find. He had to focus on getting them back to regular size; that was his primary goal, that had been his goal from the first time he saw them in the Liberation Front's base. Pushing his thoughts to the back of his mind, he left his apartment and took off to the Commission's headquarters, taking in warm breeze rafting through messy blond tufts, trying to fly as smoothly as possible, careful not to jostle the U.A. students too much inside the bag. He made a landing in front of the main building, and after punching in his security card, he barged into the President of Public Safety Commission's office, "Got the students. Do you have the re-sizing villain?" The President narrowed her eyes, "Next time knock, Hawks," she said cooly, before sighing, "Of course, he's in the detainment room. Come with me." Hawks whistled, "Yes, ma'am!" and held the bag a bit closer; he wasn't sure what kind of man the self-proclaimed 'Size Maestro' was, but going by his villain name, his expectations were already low. He was promptly lead into an elevator and then down a long hallway, finally stopping at a room with a brick-headed man staring dully at his cuffs. There he was. The Commission President shoots Hawks a pointed look that easily told him, you're just here to interrogate him and get the kids back to normal, you got that? Hawks shot her an easygoing grin back and turned his attention back to the man; this was going to be a cinch. He opened the door and swiftly brought the students out of the satchel. The slight widening of the man's eyes in alarm was all he needed to know, but still, he persevered with the questioning. "Do you recognize these kids?" he asked, pulling up a chair, so he can be at eye-level with the man. "'Course not. Never seen them kids before in my life." Hawks quirked a brow, "Really? Well, let me just run a lil confirmation with them," he looked down at the students. "Was this the guy who shrunk you?" As expected, Midoriya and Shoto both nodded while he had to shield Bakugou with a free hand so that he wouldn't end up lunging his tiny body at the man. "Seems they recognize you, so how about we try this again," his eyes pierced into the man, pupils narrowing into slits, "do you recognize these kids?" After what felt like minutes of sitting in pure silence, the man swallowed, and finally broke. "Fine! I was the one who shrunk the brats! But only under the orders of the Liberation, they tells me that I had to, that it brought us a step closer to the Liberation of quirks," his eyes widened at this slip, and he quickly put a hand over his mouth before squinting at Hawks. "Wait, aren't ya…" Seeing the gears turn in the other man's head, the hero wasted no time; with a key in one hand, he unlocked the villain's handcuffs before pressing a sharp feather under the man's chin. "Turn them back, and then you and I will talk." Nodding, the Size Maestro prodded the students, and one-by-one, they quickly grew back to their original sizes. He looked up at Hawks, expectingly, "So you are a dirty spy that thinks he can—-" he wasn't able to finish his sentence before Hawks knocked him out with a feather blade and locked his cuffs back on. "There we go," he states, satisfied as he turns his attention back to the heroes-in-training, they were unconscious in the interrogation room, exhausted from the re-growth process, but with the aid of a few Commission employees, he brought them back into the Commission President's office. "So, what do you wanna tell their teacher and Endeavor?" The President's lips straightened in a pale line, "Must they know the truth, Hawks?" The hero shrugged, "Could just say they got captured by the League?" Her grim expression softened, pleased with his response, "Good. It would put hero society in turmoil if they were to find out about your mission and more about the Liberation Front than what has already been disclosed. For now, this ordeal will be between us." He smirked, about to retort back, but a buzzing on his headset shifted his attention, pausing for a second, he listened. Armed robbery in Kurume, some kind of electrical quirk. He chewed on the inside of his cheek, not really wanting to leave the kids until they were fully conscious so he could have more time to explain himself properly, but from the frantic squawks of his sidekick, it seemed urgent. His expression shifted, and he turned his attention back to the President. "Duty calls, tell the kids I'm really sorry about everything." She nodded, and giving one last look a the students, he closed the door. His expression darkening slightly as he left the building, he was going to have to cook up an alibi on his way back to Fukuoka for the Liberation Front. xxxxxxxx Deku shifted in his sleep, finding himself in an awful nightmare of being captured by the League and ending up getting eaten and digested by Hawks. His eyes fly open, and he finds himself in a too-bright room, with Bakugou and Todoroki still passed out. Memories flood his head, that awful dream was his reality, yet--why was he alive? He vaguely remembered Hawks releasing them, his words remained fuzzy in the green haired teen’s mind as he tried shifting through recent memories. Sighing, Deku shifts his head to the side, finally noticing the Head of Safety Commission standing over him with her hands behind her back, but that wasn't what surprised him the most, no, it was that he was back to normal again. He… he really did save us. "H-Hawks!" he turns to thank the winged pro, but he was nowhere to be found. Deku sighed; the man really was too fast for his own good.