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rpmemesbyarat · 4 years ago

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RP meme from Werewolf: The Apocalypse "Kinfolk: Unsung Heroes" Introduction & Ch.1

"I have normal human fears and frailties, despite my faith."

"I’m terrified I won’t be there when they need me, that I won’t be able to give fully of myself to save them when the time comes. And the price of my failure, for them, would be too high."

"It was like nothing else mattered, nothing else could fill my eyes like the sight of him."

"Now, of course, I realize I was in shock at the time clammy skin, disorientation, that sort of thing."

"That night misted over my senses; even now, it seems more like a vivid dream than anything else."

"I had to watch. I couldn’t turn away."

"That night, I saw I had to protect him. He needed me, and it’s just as simple as that."

"Let’s just say what I know has come in handy."

"The best folks give the most of whatever they can."

"Think about it — would you like to go through childbirth every nine months from age 14 to 50?"

"We’re human beings, dammit!"

"I’ll always do anything I can to help, even if I’m royally pissed; I don’t expect thanks or money, either. But it would be nice to get some respect."

"I'm not alone in saying that I hate being patronized."

"Give an inch, they’ll take a mile" is what some of them think about us."

"The rhetoric a lot of them use sounds like the same crap bigots give when trying to “justify” why women and minorities shouldn’t have equal rights."

"Just once, I’d like to feel like an equal, a partner in all this."

"Ever think about how hard things would be without us?"

"I see by your scowl that doesn’t satisfy you."

"Think of it as normal family responsibilities, magnified a thousand times."

"It’s practically medieval!"

"I mean, it looks like such fun to turn into a wolf."

"There are connections like you wouldn’t believe. Completely outside the law, these people can get dirt on the opposition, perform b&e without leaving a trace and provide muscle no other boss can beat. All they ask is some capital, some boltholes and a little legal cover. Sweetest deal in the world!"

"What do I think about it? Imagine what it’d be like for someone to call you and say you’d missed out on a million dollars because you got one wrong number on the lottery ticket."

"Some are too caught up in the things of humans —chasing after money to have what advertisers insist they can’t do without, living their soap-opera lives and not seeing what the world is really all about. I pity them."

"There is sweeter revenge than death."

"I laugh with joy thinking how your heart will burst should you ever have to face him in battle."

"It’s a great honor to be who I am, who we are. But it’s scary, too."

"Families can quarrel, snarl and cut one another to the quick, but in times of trouble, they’ll stick together."

"God, Allah, Gaia, the Great Spirit or whoever gave us this job, so we have to do the best we can with it."

"Blood also fetters our lives in hatred as well as love, I’m afraid to say."

"I’m not saying this is a fact, but if she was abused, it might explain some things."

"I’m sorry, I can’t quite imagine a moment of sensual passion with someone I don’t love, much less hardly know!"

"In other words, it’s the connections that’re vital, not the money or the mileage."

"Many have wealth, but not all; lineage, not money, is most important."

"That’s a heavy price to pay in a harsh world."

"Self-sacrifice is also important."

"Sacrifice comes in terms of emotional costs, too."

"It’d be pretty stupid for me to become a gun-toting mercenary, for example."

"To put a positive spin on all this, I guess I’d say it’s nice to be needed."

"I admit I don’t really understand what it is or when it’ll be, but many’s the Irish tale where a small oversight wreaked terrible disaster."

"So I got online and made a few phone calls and tried to get the “truth” in as many forms as I could."

"The word “family” has come to mean a lot more things than the 1950s concept of mommy, daddy and two perfect children."

"Raising children is no bed of roses, either."

"Kids love to test their parents and see just how far they can push and still get away with it."

"There’s no way this could be easy."

"Some days, I have to bite my tongue, and that does get old."

"I was just too stupid and blind to see it."

"I always felt like I was split, alone, part of something I couldn’t name."

"Listen, you have no idea what it’s like to watch someone you love slowly lose her mind."

"There are some, well, bimbos."

"You know, the ones that like to control CEOs and topple careers."

"Here, try a piece of this chicken gizzard. I get ’em real cheap down at the butcher shop. No one else seems to want these extra parts. I grill ’em with a little barbecue sauce and honey mustard. Delicious! Thanksgiving’s always the best time, though. Then there’s turkey necks for the takin’!"

"Our families are pretty big, and we figure even the most distant cousin or friend of a friend’s part of the group."

"I’m sure you know, working with people all the time, how far thanks and a friendly smile go when you’re dead on your feet. It’s like the sun’s come out on a cloudy day."

"I mean, some of that stuff is long outdated!"

"It’s more a matter of belief and pureness of spirit, if you ask me."

"The Network also has a lot of splinter groups that organize among youth, educators, environmentalists and so on."

"We’re steadfast and steady, yet vibrant and alive, warriors, artists, writers, musicians beyond compare."

"I don’t know if we can save them, but we won’t give up."

"To be tested and accepted by the greatest warriors in the world — no greater honor can we ask for."

"Think of us as the tiny little parts that hold a machine together. Maybe it could function without us, but not without a lot of wear and tear on the system. You get my drift."

"If leader seems weak, I test him. He shows strength, I stop."

"They’re the ones who are causing all the problems by rebelling against the people in charge. They need to settle down and just be content with what they’ve got, if you want my opinion."

"Why should I worry? It’s a clear day. Traffic’s light, but walking’s fine. You get to see where you’re going. I’ll hit a little town ’fore dark and trade a song or story for some food and a piece of floor."

"Revolutions are intolerable and inexcusable."

"The aristocracy attained their positions for a reason, for only the most worthy were chosen to lead, after all. If the

lower classes overthrow the aristocrats, anarchy is the sure result. One need only look at history; Can the Russians truly say their lot improved after they murdered the Romanovs?"

"History has always been a beloved subject to me."

"I pity those souls, displaced by fortune, who are ignorant of their heritage. How can one know who he is without knowing where he comes from? A man — or woman — is the sum of all who came before."

"Money is not the issue; many great families lost their fortunes, yet retain their nobility."

"It’s a poor teacher who doesn’t learn from her student; in this way, the knowledge of both increases."

"Dreams, of course, are the pathways of our souls; here rest our secret desires, fears and hopes."

"You doubt me. You don’t speak against me, but I can see your heart is dubious."

"There’s no greater glory than to serve the destiny of the universe."

"The lacerations looked exactly like the work of sharp teeth, deep into his flesh."

"I won’t go s’far as to say there’s undying loyalty, but we do have a lot of respect for each other."

"Were I as capable as my ancestors, I’d kill you now and never spare a second thought."

"No atonement can replace those lost children."

"Thus far, we have been lucky, but it’s just a matter of time before someone we don’t want sneaks in. It’s not that I want to close ranks by any means; I just wish we paid a little closer attention to who came in from the cold."

"Yeah, yeah, I know you think we’re a dime a dozen. I’d like to believe we’re a little more special than most."

"We’ve built too much for a rotten apple to spoil it all."

"I don’t believe this guy; it seems almost too perfect to be true!"

#rp meme #rp memes #rp starters #roleplay meme #roleplay starters #roleplay memes #Werewolf the Apocalypse #wta #World Of Darkness #owod #kinfolk

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kingstylesdaily · 4 years ago

Text

Stevie Nicks Answers All Our Questions About Harry Styles

Of all the disciples to worship at the altar of Stevie Nicks, none have managed to capture the attention of rock’s reigning priestess quite like Harry Styles.

The 26-year-old rocker (who this week received three Grammy nominations) is the Gucci-clad poster boy carrying the torch for a bygone era of music history that the Fleetwood Mac frontwoman helped crystallize. Styles recently cited the group’s 1977 (and still charting) classic “Dreams” as one of the first songs he learned the words to growing up. Their friendship began in 2015 after the former One Direction member presented his idol with a hand-piped birthday cake after a Fleetwood Mac gig in London. (“Glad she liked carrot cake,” he later said.) The years since have seen the duo’s mutual affection blossom into one of pop culture’s most cherished bondings.

Last year, when Styles inducted Nicks into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, he proclaimed the 72-year-old “everything you’ve ever wanted in a lady, a lover, in a friend.” Nicks has gushed about him in interviews as everything from “the son she never had” to her “love child” with bandmate Mick Fleetwood. Styles earned her official seal of approval after covering “The Chain” every night of his first solo tour in support of a record that sounds closer to Crosby, Stills & Nash than anything he released under his prior band.

“Harry could’ve lost a lot of fans, but he didn’t,” Nicks recently told Vogue over the phone. “I’m so proud of him because he took a risk and didn’t go the One Direction route. He loves One Direction, I love One Direction, and a gazillion other people do too, but Harry didn’t wanna go the pop route. He wanted straight-up rock and roll circa 1975.”

Nicks has been embracing some of the busiest years of her dual careers as both Fleetwood Mac frontwoman and solo sorceress—and doing so amid a global pandemic. Since she last performed with Styles at the Forum for his Fine Line release show in December, she’s released a 24 Karat Gold concert film and “Show Them the Way,” her politically minded single and first piece of original music in six years. After Miley Cyrus asked for Nicks’s blessing before releasing her “Edge of Seventeen”–tinged “Midnight Sky,” the two joined forces for an exhilarating new mash-up titled “Edge of Midnight.”

In honor of Styles making history as the magazine’s first solo cover boy, Nicks caught up with Vogue to answer all our questions about their cosmic connection. Currently beachside with her quarantine bubble in Hawaii, she’s been doing what one would expect Stevie Nicks to be up to during a pandemic: writing new music, dancing around her house to “Watermelon Sugar,” and “casting little spells.” As befitting rock’s foremost storyteller, our intended 30-minute chat turned into a two-hour confessional about her love of Styles, working with Cyrus for the first time, joining Fleetwood Mac, the president-elect Joe Biden, the Met Gala, betta fish funerals, and much more.

ksd note: edited to only include Q&A about Stevie and Harry!

Did you get a chance to look through Harry’s cover story yet?

Right before I called you, I sat here and looked at all the pictures on my new iPad. What can I say? That’s my Harry. I think the thing that’s most wonderful about him—and I’ve told him this, and sometimes I think he takes it the wrong way—is that he’s such a kooky guy. He’s the type of person you’d wanna live next door to. He’d look out the window, see you having a hard time planting flowers, and rush out asking, “Can I help you with those roses?” “Sure, but you are Harry Styles, right?” That’s who he is.

I really only know him to a certain extent, but I have gotten to experience some big moments in his life, like when he released his first solo record at the Troubadour. I always think of Tom Petty saying, “So, you wanna be a rock star or you wanna be a pop star?” It’s two completely different things, and he really could have gone pop like his friend Zayn [Malik]. I was sorry that Zayn didn’t keep going more because I thought he was really good. But he took the pop route, which I think was right for him. Harry could’ve lost a lot of fans doing rock and roll, but he didn’t. Harry did a long tour with that first record and said, “I’m a different person now. I have a full-on rock band, and this is what I’m gonna do.” With many of my records, I’ll stuff down peoples’ throats until they like it, and that’s exactly what he did. Then he went away and wrote Fine Line, one of my favorite records.

What were your immediate thoughts listening to Fine Line for the first time?

Me and four of my friends sat with Harry in his living room in London and listened to it a few times before it came out. But it wasn’t really Fine Line yet. The first time we listened to it, nobody really said anything. The second time everyone started to go, “I think this song is great, but it should be second in the sequence.” By the third listen, it was five girls screaming, “Well, Harry really now, I think you need to take these four that are called Harry Songs and do this and that—” while he’s sinking in his reclining chair thinking, Are these women ever gonna leave? Thanks for your opinions, but oh, my God, stop already.

What changed when you heard the record in it’s finished form?

This record means a lot to me. When it was all put together, I listened and said, “Oh, my god, the Beatles live.” A whole lot of people live in these songs. Fleetwood Mac lives there. I live there. When I listen to “Fine Line,” I hear melodies that would’ve worked on “A Day in the Life. “It has that same kind of complexity. I think the Beatles would’ve thought, Here we’ve influenced a young man who took some incredible things from us and made them his own years and years later.

Earlier this year you posted a message saying that Fine Line is Harry’s Rumours. Can you elaborate on what you meant by that?

When Harry asked me to do “Landslide” with him at the Forum, I asked why, and he said, “Because I want you to be there. You were there for my first night at the Troubadour for the first record.” That night I wrote him a letter that said, “This is your Rumours so you have to really respect it and adore it because these kinds of records sometimes don’t ever come again.” Fleetwood Mac went on to make many great records, but people would bet their life on the fact that Rumours was the one. And this might just be the one for Harry. We were all kind of the same age when we made Rumours. I was 28, and Lindsey [Buckingham] was 27. I actually don’t even know how old Harry is—he’s that timeless to me.

Do you have a personal favorite of his songs?

Every one represents a different thing to me. “Sunflower” is such a great little song. He loves to do crazy videos, and one time I called him and said, “I have an idea. You’re gonna be a bee, and the sunflower would be your girlfriend, and you guys would get married and live in a beehive with your little bee children. You’d sing the lyrics ‘kiss in the kitchen like it’s a dance floor duh duh duh’ and show this entire bee relationship.”

What did he think of that pitch?

When I finished, the other end of the phone was silent. I said, “No, really, think about it. It’ll be fantastical like a Francis Ford Coppola movie.” He’s like, “Yeah, okay...” [laughs]. I also love the “Adore You” video with the little fish because I have my own special relationships with fish.

In what sense?

I always have two beta fish, but they have to be separated otherwise they’ll kill each other. I stick my finger into their aquarium, and the blue one will swim around my hand like a little dolphin. When my fish get old and suddenly die, I have funerals for them in my backyard where I play Celine Dion. I have them filmed, and everything [laughs]. It’s too much, but I thankfully haven’t had any recent fish deaths. I haven’t even been able to sit down and show Harry the videos of my little fish, so when I saw the “Adore You” video, I couldn’t believe it.

Why is it important for you to foster these relationships with younger artists like Harry who’ve been so openly influenced by you?

I’m inspired by them. I’m inspired that Miley wants to make music with me. I’m inspired that the Haim girls are my biggest fans—and I theirs. A lot of these kids are making the amazing records I’ve been waiting for them to make. I’m not like other 72-year-olds. I listen to current music because I want to be current. When people find out how old I am versus the music I’m listening to, they think it doesn’t gel at all. I’ve been collecting musical knowledge since I was in the fourth grade listening to the singles my grandfather used to bring home. I listened to Buddy Holly and the Everly Brothers until the sixth grade when R&B radio became Top 40. I said goodbye country and hello R&B, so it’s not like I’m ever stuck on one thing. What I love about Harry is that he’s very old school but still modern. And that’s kinda like me.

You both also transitioned from massive groups to equally massive solo careers rather seamlessly.

When I decided I wanted to be a solo artist, I’d only been in Fleetwood Mac for a few years. I tried to figure out a way to do it gracefully because I didn’t wanna break up the band. I just wanted to sit at my piano and write poetry. After we did a record and a really long tour, the band scurried off to different parts of the world while I’d just be home writing songs for a year and a half. What did they care what I did while they were all on vacation? I’ve always said all the way through these two careers I’ve had: If you’re in a band first, never break it up.

Do you think One Direction would ever reunite?

I think it’s a good idea. For all we know, One Direction is completely broken up forever. But I think those guys are friends, and five or ten years down the road, they could all go, “You know what, wouldn’t it be really fun to do a One Direction tour?” Because that’s what people do. I wouldn’t be surprised if they did reunite at some point just because they can. And because it would just be fun. Harry is the kind of person who would never stomp on that idea. He would never say, [imitates posh English accent] “Never! I would never do that again!” Because why not just keep the door open?

Was there any particular detail or passage in Harry’s cover story that stuck out to you?

According to this article, he can get in a car with his friend to drive all over Europe then drive back by himself. I stopped driving in 1978 because my driver’s license expired and I’d already made a lot of money. I very smartly thought, “You know what, if someone even hits you and it’s not even your fault but you’re a little drunk, you are done. You’re finished, and the fortune that you’ve made is gone, so why should you drive anyway?” By then me and Christine were very cloistered, but Harry’s able to live a freer life because he’s a guy. He’s like Mick. He has a free life.

Would you say that you don’t?

I’m only comparing us in the way that Harry goes off to the Bahamas to work on songs, then flies back to L.A., then London, then Italy—I can’t do that. I can’t do that by myself. He’s able to do whatever he wants by himself, and it’s a whole different way of life. Being that Harry is a guy, he’s able to be a loner more than I am. As a woman, I’m not free to do all that. Even when I was his age, I couldn’t just get off anywhere I wanted. When we were on the road, Christine and I didn’t have a clue in the world what the boys did. We went to our rooms with security guys standing outside. It’s not like we ever escaped to go club-hopping in downtown Manhattan. We never got to live that life, so freedom as Harry knows it is very different than it’s been for me.

Did you ever have any figure in your life who provided some sense of mentorship the way you have to artists like Harry?

I didn’t really have anyone. If I had any guiding force at all, it probably would’ve been Christine McVie because she was five years older than me. And five years is five years, you know? Chris was friends with Eric Clapton and knew all the famous musicians in London. She’d married John [McVie] and done a bunch of records with Fleetwood Mac before I came along, so she’d been in the music business for a long time. I was breaking up with Lindsey when she was breaking up with John. She was my therapist and my go-to person for just about everything. We had each other to get through that really difficult situation where no one was gonna quit the band. Christine and I kept the whole thing together by telling the three men, “You quit because we’re not stopping” Thank God I had her, but on the other side of that, thank God she had me. We really were a force of nature.

** I’m curious to what extent fashion plays a role in your and Harry’s relationship. Have you** gifted him any accessories that were significant to you?

I actually gave him a ring at the Forum thing. It’s very masculine and has a pink stone in it. I told him it was a pink diamond, but it really isn’t. It would’ve cost $5 million. It was mine, and I really loved it, but I thought, This should be for Harry. You can see it on his hands in the “Falling” video where he’s playing the piano. If Harry and I were in a band together, we’d be trading all kinds of crazy stuff.

What are your thoughts on him being the first solo male cover in Vogue’s history?

It makes me feel so inspired. I’m extremely jealous he’s on the cover of Vogue because I’m 72 years old and have wanted to be on the cover my whole life. I’m such a magazine hag, so I’m incredibly jealous of Harry, but I’ll get over it. As far as all the crazy things he’s wearing, you do whatever you have to do to be on the cover of Vogue. I’m very proud of him, and I think it’s great that there’s a man on the cover…but I should’ve been in the corner off in the distance [laughs]. Did you know I’ve never been to the Met Gala?

We would be honored to have you at the next gala and every one after that. I’m putting this in the article to make sure it’s in the public record.

As Mick Jagger says, “We still have our freedom, but we don’t have much time.” I would like to be not much older than I am now so I can wear a fantastic outfit and entertain everybody. It’s a dream of mine, and most of my dreams have come true, but I need to not be 90 when it happens.

Harry and you could perform together.

We wouldn’t even have to rehearse. We’ve got a couple of duets that are really great. We do “Landslide” and “Two Ghosts” together really well. We actually have five or six terrific acoustic numbers that we could do at the drop of a hat.

You hinted earlier this year that there might be a role for Harry in the miniseries based on the stories of Rhiannon. Is there any update there?

This is probably the third-biggest thing I’ve ever done in my life after Fleetwood Mac and my solo career. There’s a lot to be done in the movie business before I can start riding my horses across the mountains of Wales. I’ve signed with a movie company—I’m not gonna tell you who—and we just signed a writer. I’m not gonna tell you who that is either, but there’s an amazing part for Harry. My favorite character in the series is the only man who goes through all four books. He’s a magician who doesn’t wanna be king, and I think Harry would just be so perfect.

Have you and Harry discussed collaborating on any future music together?

We’re open to making music together because we’ve been very successful when we go onstage just to do one song. I would love to be in a band with Harry, but even if I never saw him in person again, he’s made a record that breaks my heart in a million places like Fine Line. As far as music goes, there’s plenty of fun things that he and I could do. We can just reach out to each other and do it. I’m always ready to slip back into those high-heel black suede boots and become my alter ego.

via Vogue.com

#kingstylesdaily #Harry Styles #hs: mention #Stevie Nicks #november 2020

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hlupdate · 4 years ago

Link

Of all the disciples to worship at the altar of Stevie Nicks, none have managed to capture the attention of rock's reigning priestess quite like Harry Styles.

The 26-year old rocker (who this week received three Grammy nominations) is the Gucci-clad poster-boy carrying the torch for a bygone era of music history that the Fleetwood Mac front-woman helped crystallize. Styles recently cited the group's 1977 (and still charting) classic “Dreams” as one of the first songs he learned the words to growing up. Their friendship began in 2015 after the former One Direction member presented his idol with a hand-piped birthday cake after a Fleetwood Mac gig in London. (“Glad she liked carrot cake,” he later said.) The years since have seen the duo's mutual affection blossom into one of pop culture‘s most cherished bondings.

Last year, when Styles inducted Nicks into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he proclaimed the 72-year old “everything you’ve ever wanted in a lady, a lover, in a friend.” Nicks has gushed about him in interviews as everything from “the son she never had” to the “love child” of her and bandmate Mick Fleetwood. Styles earned her official seal of approval after covering “The Chain” every night of his first solo tour in support of a record that sounds closer to Crosby, Stills & Nash than anything he released under his prior band.

“Harry could've lost a lot of fans but he didn't. I’m so proud of him because he took a risk and didn’t go the One Direction route," Nicks recently told Vogue over the phone. "He loves One Direction, I love One Direction, and a gazillion other people do too, but Harry didn't wanna go the pop route. He wanted straight-up rock-and-roll circa 1975.”

Nicks has been embracing some of the busiest years of her dual careers as both Fleetwood Mac front-woman and solo sorceress—and doing so in the midst of a global pandemic. Since she last performed with Styles at the Forum for his Fine Line release show in December, she’s released a 24 Karat Gold concert film and “Show Them the Way,” her politically-minded single and first piece of original music in six years. After Miley Cyrus asked for Nicks's blessing before releasing her “Edge of Seventeen”-tinged “Midnight Sky,” the two joined forces for an exhilarating new mash-up titled “Edge of Midnight."

In honor of Styles making history as the magazine’s first solo cover-boy, Nicks caught up with Vogue to answer all our questions about their cosmic connection. Currently beachside with her quarantine bubble in Hawaii, she’s been doing what one would expect Stevie Nicks to be up to during a pandemic: writing new music, dancing around her house to “Watermelon Sugar“ and “casting little spells.” As befitting rock’s foremost storyteller, our intended 30-minute chat turned into a two-hour confessional about her love of Styles, working with Cyrus for the first time, joining Fleetwood Mac, the president-elect Joe Biden, the Met Gala, betta fish funerals, and much more.

Did you get a chance to look through Harry's cover story yet?

Right before I called you I sat here and looked at all the pictures on my new iPad. What can I say? That's my Harry. I think the thing that’s most wonderful about him—and I've told him this and sometimes I think he takes it the wrong way—is that he’s such a kooky guy. He’s the type of person you'd wanna live next door to. He’d look out the window, see you having a hard time planting flowers and rush out asking "Can I help you with those roses?" "Sure but you are Harry Styles, right?" That's who he is.

I really only know him to a certain extent but I have gotten to experience some big moments in his life like when he released his first solo record at the Troubadour. I always think of Tom Petty saying "So you wanna be a rock star or you wanna be a pop star?" It's two completely different things and he really could have gone pop like his friend Zayn [Malik]. I was sorry that Zayn didn't keep going more because I thought he was really good. But he took the pop route, which I think was right for him. Harry could've lost a lot of fans doing rock-and-roll but he didn't. Harry did a long tour with that first record and said “I'm a different person now. I have a full-on rock band and this is what I'm gonna do.” With many of my records I’ll stuff down peoples' throats until they like it and that's exactly what he did. Then he went away and wrote Fine Line, one of my favorite records.

What were your immediate thoughts listening to Fine Line for the first time?

Me and four of my friends sat with Harry in his living room in London and listened to it a few times before it came out. But it wasn't really Fine Line yet. The first time we listened to it nobody really said anything. The second time everyone started to go "I think this song is great but it should be second in the sequence." By the third listen it was five girls screaming "Well Harry really now, I think you need to take these four that are called "Harry Songs" and do this and that—” while he’s sinking in his reclining chair thinking "Are these women ever gonna leave? Thanks for your opinions but oh my god stop already."

What changed when you heard the record in it’s finished form?

This record means a lot to me. When it was all put together I listened and said "Oh my god, The Beatles live." A whole lot of people live in these songs. Fleetwood Mac lives there. I live there. When I listen to "Fine Line” I hear melodies that would've worked on “A Day in the Life.“ It has that same kind of complexity. I think the Beatles would've thought “Here we’ve influenced a young man who took some incredible things from us and made them his own years and years later.”

Earlier this year you posted a message saying that Fine Line is Harry’s Rumours. Can you elaborate on what you meant by that?

When Harry asked me to do "Landslide" with him at the Forum I asked why and he said "Because I want you to be there. You were there for my first night at the Troubadour for the first record.” That night I wrote him a letter that said “This is your Rumours so you have to really respect it and adore it because these kinds of records sometimes don't ever come again.” Fleetwood Mac went on to make many great records but people would bet their life on the fact that Rumours was the one. And this might just be the one for Harry. We were all kind of the same age when we made Rumours. I was 28 and Lindsey was 27. I actually don't even know how old Harry is—he's that timeless to me.

Do you have a personal favorite of his songs?

Every one represents a different thing to me. “Sunflower” is such a great little song. He loves to do crazy videos and one time I called him and said “I have an idea. You're gonna be a bee and the sunflower would be your girlfriend, and you guys would get married and live in a beehive with your little bee children. You’d sing the lyrics “kiss in the kitchen like it's a dance floor duh duh duh” and show this entire bee relationship.”

What did he think of that pitch?

When I finished the other end of the phone was silent. I said "No really, think about it. It’ll be fantastical like a Francis Ford Coppola movie.” He’s like “Yeah, okay...” (laughs). I also love the "Adore You” video with the little fish because I have my own special relationships with fish.

In what sense?

I always have two betta fish but they have to be separated otherwise they'll kill each other. I stick my finger into their aquarium and the blue one will swim around my hand like a little dolphin. When my fish get old and suddenly die I have funerals for them in my backyard where I play Celine Dion. I have them filmed and everything (laughs). It’s too much but I thankfully haven’t had any recent fish deaths. I haven't even been able to sit down and show Harry the videos of my little fish so when I saw the “Adore You” video I couldn’t believe it.

Why is it important for you to foster these relationships with younger artists like Harry who’ve been so openly influenced by you?

I'm inspired by them. I'm inspired that Miley wants to make music with me. I’m inspired that the Haim girls are my biggest fans—and I theirs. A lot of these kids are making the amazing records I’ve been waiting for them to make. I’m not like other 72-year olds. I listen to current music because I want to be current. When people find out how old I am versus the music I'm listening to they think it doesn't gel at all. I’ve been collecting musical knowledge since I was in the fourth grade listening to the singles my grandfather used to bring home. I listened to Buddy Holly and the Everly Brothers until the sixth grade when R&B radio became Top 40. I said goodbye country and hello R&B, so it’s not like I'm ever stuck on one thing. What I love about Harry is that he's very old-school but still modern. And that's kinda like me.

You both also transitioned from massive groups to equally massive solo careers rather seamlessly.

When I decided I wanted to be a solo artist I'd only been in Fleetwood Mac for a few years. I tried to figure out a way to do it gracefully because I didn’t wanna break up the band. I just wanted to sit at my piano and write poetry. After we did a record and a really long tour the band scurried off to different parts of the world while I’d just be home writing songs for a year and a half. What did they care what I did while they were all on vacation? I’ve always said all the way through these two careers I've had: if you're in a band first, never break it up.

I know Beyoncé because I spent a day with Destiny’s Child making the “Bootylicious” video. I owe them a debt of gratitude because that’s the one time I ever got to pretend I played rock-and-roll guitar! But when Beyoncé made the decision to be a solo artist she did not see herself going back to Destiny's Child every couple of years. And that's a perfectly acceptable decision because sometimes that's what people wanna do. I, on the other hand, said why not have the ability to go back to Fleetwood Mac whenever I want? Being a Gemini I get bored really easily, so being able to have those two careers was great.

Do you think One Direction would ever reunite?

I think it's a good idea. For all we know, One Direction is completely broken up forever. But I think those guys are friends and five or ten years down the road they could all go "You know what, wouldn't it be really fun to do a One Direction tour?" Because that's what people do. I wouldn't be surprised if they did reunite at some point just because they can. And because it would just be fun. Harry is the kind of person who would never stomp on that idea. He would never say (imitates posh English accent) "Never! I would never do that again!" Because why not just keep the door open?

Was there any particular detail or passage in Harry’s cover story that stuck out to you?

According to this article he can get in a car with his friend to drive all over Europe then drive back by himself. I stopped driving in 1978 because my driver's license expired and I'd already made a lot of money. I very smartly thought "You know what, if someone even hits you and it's not even your fault but you're a little drunk, you are done. You're finished and the fortune that you've made is gone, so why should you drive anyway?” By then me and Christine were very cloistered, but Harry's able to live a freer life because he's a guy. He's like Mick. He has a free life.

Would you say that you don’t?

I'm only comparing us in the way that Harry goes off to the Bahamas to work on songs then flies back to LA then London then Italy—I can't do that. I can't do that by myself. He's able to do whatever he wants by himself and it's a whole different way of life. Being that Harry is a guy, he's able to be a loner more than I am. As a woman I'm not free to do all that. Even when I was his age I couldn't just get off anywhere I wanted. When we were on the road Christine and I didn't have a clue in the world what the boys did. We went to our rooms with security guys standing outside. It's not like we ever escaped to go club-hopping in downtown Manhattan. We never got to live that life so freedom as Harry knows it is very different than it’s been for me.

Did you ever have any figure in your life who provided some sense of mentorship the way you have to artists like Harry?

I didn't really have anyone. If I had any guiding force at all it probably would've been Christine McVie because she was five years older than me. And five years is five years, you know? Chris was friends with Eric Clapton and knew all the famous musicians in London. She’d married John [McVie] and done a bunch of records with Fleetwood Mac before I came along so she'd been in the music business for a long time. I was breaking up with Lindsey when she was breaking up with John. She was my therapist and my go-to person for just about everything. We had each other to get through that really difficult situation where no one was gonna quit the band. Christine and I kept the whole thing together by telling the three men "You quit because we're not stopping” Thank god I had her, but I think on the other side of that thank god she had me. We really were a force of nature.

I’m curious to what extent fashion plays a role in your and Harry’s relationship. Have you gifted him any accessories that were significant to you?

I actually gave him a ring at the Forum thing. It’s very masculine and has a pink stone in it. I told him it was a pink diamond but it really isn't, it would've cost $5 million. It was mine and I really loved it but I thought "This should be for Harry.” You can see it on his hands in the "Falling" video where he’s playing the piano. If Harry and I were in a band together we’d be trading all kinds of crazy stuff.

How did you come to decide on your all-black stage uniform?

I started getting paid when I joined Fleetwood Mac but up until then I didn't have any money to buy food. All of a sudden we were going on tour so I just packed up my normal clothes. We started eating because there was room service and there I was gaining ten pounds in the middle of the tour. I didn't fit in any of the clothes and I didn't have time to shop so when I got home I said “I can never do this again.” I knew a friend who knew a designer and I told her I needed a uniform because I can't be thinking about what I wanna wear every night. It makes it so much easier since everybody that's in Pittsburgh isn't necessarily gonna be in Philadelphia. Harry's done the same thing with his white pants and pink shirt.

What are your thoughts on him being the first solo male cover in Vogue’s history?

It makes me feel so inspired. I'm extremely jealous he's on the cover of Vogue because I'm seventy-two years old and have wanted to be on the cover my whole life. I’m such a magazine hag, so I’m incredibly jealous of Harry but I'll get over it. As far as all the crazy things he's wearing, you do whatever you have to do to be on the cover of Vogue. I'm very proud of him and I think it's great that there's a man on the cover… but I should've been in the corner off in the distance (laughs). Did you know I've never been to the Met Gala?

We would be honored to have you at the next gala and every one after that. I’m putting this in the article to make sure it’s in the public record.

As Mick Jagger says, "We still have our freedom, but we don't have much time." I would like to be not much older than I am now so I can wear a fantastic outfit and entertain everybody. It's a dream of mine and most of my dreams have come true, but I need to not be ninety when it happens.

Harry and you could perform together.

We wouldn't even have to rehearse. We've got a couple of duets that are really great. We do "Landslide" and “Two Ghosts” together really well. We actually have five or six terrific acoustic numbers that we could do at the drop of a hat.

You hinted earlier this year that there might be a role for Harry in the miniseries based on the stories of Rhiannon. Is there any update there?

This is probably the third-biggest thing I've ever done in my life after Fleetwood Mac and my solo career. There’s a lot to be done in the movie business before I can start riding my horses across the mountains of Wales. I've signed with a movie company—I'm not gonna tell you who—and we just signed a writer. I'm not gonna tell you who that is either but there’s an amazing part for Harry. My favorite character in the series is the only man who goes through all four books. He's a magician who doesn't wanna be king and I think Harry would just be so perfect.

Have you and Harry discussed collaborating on any future music together?

We're open to making music together because we've been very successful when we go onstage just to do one song. I would love to be in a band with Harry but even if I never saw him in person again he’s made a record that breaks my heart in a million places like Fine Line. As far as music goes there's plenty of fun things that he and I could do. We can just reach out to each other and do it. I’m always ready to slip back into those high-heel black suede boots and become my alter ego.

This interview has been edited for clarity and space.

#harry styles #stevie nicks #vogue magazine #251120

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rieson · 4 years ago

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@sanjis-simp submitted; Hi! Can I get a matchup for One Piece if you’re still open for them? Please and thank you! I’m 5’5 and am a plus size girl. Super pale with dyed black hair with straight bangs and hair to my shoulders. Personality wise I’m an infp or 6w5. I I’ve been told I’m kind but I’m also very opinionated especially about civil rights, politics, and how people are treated so I can come off bitchy to some people. I do curse a lot and will absolutely obsess over something until I learn all I can or until I get bored of it. I’m a big homebody never really go to parties or anything like that. I’d rather stay home and watch tv or read. Thanks again!

hello ! thank you so much for requesting love, i match you up with . . .

word count; 1,440

Donquixote Rosinante / Corazon !

Now, let me start with the usual height difference between you both; I'm sorry but you look like a dwarf standing next to your 293 cm boyfriend.

Like, an absolute DWARF. (Why is he so tall god dammit)

It's embarrassing but, he first met you when he stumbled down the stairs trying to deliver paperwork to Sengoku's office ─ you were coincidentally trying to go up the stairs so Rosinante ended up kissing your shoes.

If one were to ask 10 year old Rosinante where he would see himself 10 years in the future, the answer was probably going to be something he always wanted to do; "helping people" and NOT tripping down the stairs ─ face planting and possibly kissing someone's shoes right now.

"A-Am i dead..? Am i in heaven?" He mumbled groggily, looking up to see a blurry pale figure with dark hair, "Are you an angel...? P-Pretty ...Pretty angel" The words seemed to slip out of his mouth unconsciously, but it still made you blush.

You cleared your throat, blush still visibly apparent in your cheeks, and you handed out a hand for the stranger to take, "Are you okay? Here get up"

The stranger seemed to snap out of whatever daze they were in, finally processing what just happened.

His lips pursing, he stared at your hand ─ and stared at you ─ and back at your hand ─ and then back at you; you stare at him back.

His face visibly flushed, he opened and closed his mouth repeatedly; before deciding to close it and avert his gaze to the floor that seems oh so interesting now.

"I..Uh....Are you gonna get up? You looked like you were in a hurry" You spoke out; voice so gentle yet it was clear that you held alot of confidence.

The stranger finally deciding that the floor wasn't interesting after all, looked up at you with soft hazel brown eyes, and accepted your hand.

You pulled him up; startling him as if he didn't expect to get pulled up, and he stumbled yet again ─ but this time, he was stumbling forward.

Towards you.

You immediately wrapped your arms around his torso, stopping him from falling down again and possibly bringing you down with him.

To others, it looked like sexual harassment but honestly, the stranger just seems to be really clumsy.

Your whole body was dwarfed by his unusually tall, freaky height, making it a challenge to keep him stable but you did it anyways.

"Whoa! You okay?" A chuckle escapes your lips, "You're really clumsy"

The man flushes at your comment and nods hastily, and stands up as you unwrap your arms in his torso.

You got a good look at the man, he was tall. Like TALL tall, perhaps even more than 250 cm? You couldn't tell.

The man wore a white, short-sleeved shirt emblazoned with the Marine emblem; a simplified gull with the word "MARINE" underneath it, on the back; a blue neckerchief; dark blue trousers and above his shoulders wore a coat, "Justice" on the back. He wore the coat like it tends to be worn like a cape, draped over the shoulders with the arms not in the sleeves; indicating that he was indeed, an ensign.

His unruly blond hair seemed to go towards every direction, making it (if not) tangled.

The man finally spoke out, "Y-Yeah sorry about that.." his voice was a bit deep and husky.

"It's fine, you looked like you were in a rush" You answered kindly, crouching to gather his scattered papers he dropped.

He seemed to notice this and started to panick; arms flailing around.

"W-Wait! It's okay I can pick it up!" He sheepishly spoke out, finally taking a look at you and panicking more as he saw that you were a Rear-Admiral.

"No, No it's fine." As he was about to stop you, you were already done gathering the scattered papers, handing it to him with a smile.

"You're in a rush, aren't you? I understand, i also tend to get a bit clumsy and panicky when i wasnt in time." You chuckled.

"Y-Yeah! Thank you ...once again" He took the papers from you, and bowed.

"It's no problem! Please don't bow to me it's a bit awkward haha.." You nervously trail off.

"I- IM very sorry! I didn't mean to- I mean- I-"

"It's fine, it's fine ! You're going to Sengoku's office right ? Better be fast then" You gave him a wink.

The man blushes, "R-Right! My name's Rosinante ma'am" He gives you a shy smile.

You gave a smile back, "Chanae."

And that's practically how you two met; cliche yikes but it's fine !!!1!#!

You both kept accidentally crossing each-others paths and decided to atleast be friends because it was starting to get awkward with the short "hi's" and "how are you's"

As you got closer to Rosi, you found out that he was indeed, an extremely clumsy dork.

Its pretty comical actually, despite you hating the amount of bruises he gets from his clumsiness.

Rosinante grew up and up the ranks; finally reaching the marine commander rank.

While you, only going up to Vice-admiral, just like garp.

You've been offered the title 'Admiral' quite often but you declined, not wanting such a heavy title to be put on your shoulder.

Rosinante was disappointed to say the least but he was supportive with your decision.

Over the past few years of doing missions with you, Rosinante gained a not so small crush on you.

Scratch that, he mf loved you.

He wanted to confess how he felt to you; even if you dont return the feeling back ─ he can relax knowing he's confessed already.

Hence, that's why he's outside of your office, bouquet in hand, as he thinks of a thousand scenarios that would happen when he knocked the door to your office.

Taking a deep breath, Rosi finally gathers enough courage to knock on your door.

And so he did.

Knock.

A door creaking could be heard, your head peeked out of the door, face visibly displaying confusion.

"Uh- Hello Chan!"

"Rosi..? What are you doing?" You narrowed your eyes at the suspiciously acting 9 foot tall man.

"Uh..I....I wanted to tell you that I like you!- I-Uh- M-More as a friend..And i was hoping if I could take you out on a d-date...?" He trails off softly, his gaze glued on the floor, face flushed.

Your eyebrows raised in surprise, flushing lightly before shrugging, your mouth forming a smile unsconiously "Sure!"

You both took the relationship slowly; not wanting to rush and make one another uncomfortable.

You and Rosi has alot of things in common; including civil rights.

Rosinante was raised to not be like other celestial dragons; he was truly kind.

And you wanted to make sure people were treated how you think is right.

You both hate celestial dragons; you more than Rosi.

Often, when someone gets offended by you cursing your mouth off, Rosi will usually be the one who will apologize profusely while you continue throwing profanities at the celestials.

Rosi also admired your hunger in knowledge; he knows a bit but he isn't as extreme as you.

Rosi HAS to drags you to sleep sometimes otherwise, you'll loose your sleep because you were focusing on learning too much.

Rosi doesn't like to go on alot of parties either, he instead just likes to be alone with you; either cuddling you or watching you read with a lovestruck gaze.

He absolutely loves the fact that you're plus size! He doesn't care what other people thinks, it makes you supper huggable and Rosi loves it.

Likes to shower you with kisses everywhere. Literally, everywhere !!

He can and will send death glares at disrespectful men that keeps checking you out; you don't need to worry about creepy men from now on. (Rosi drinks his respect women juice !! )

Both marines, you don't have much freetime so Rosi usually buys a dozen of books to give you whenever he sees one that he thinks you'll like; it's his way to remind you that he loves you and also because he loves the way your eyes shine everytime you learn something new.

If you're both not busy though, he'll take you out on nice picnic dates !!

You tried doing a pottery date but that ended up horribly as he kept accidentally smashing his creations and kept slipping on the clay.

Rosinante absolutely adores you and your flaws; he forever will and no one could ever replace you ─ same goes to you for him.

[ Runups : Sabo )If Rosinante doesn't pair well with you.) ]

i...i think i went too far ?? i'm sorry i just love this dork alot.

sorry if Rosinante isn't the most compatible with you, although this is only my take on who would balance well with you.

note; not proofread ! sorry for any grammatical errors.

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boogiewrites · 5 years ago

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Choking On Sapphires 91

Characters: Alfie Solomons x Genevieve (OFC)

Title & Song: Golden Hour

Summary: Alfie and Genevieve head home together after her bat mitvah and his marriage proposal. The past isn't the only thing they put to bed that night. - Song is Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves

Warnings/Tags: FLUFF. Sexual Content.

Click on my icon then go to my Mobile Masterlist in my bio for my other works and chapters. (Had to do this since Tumblr killed links, sorry.) Please like, comment and reblog if you enjoyed it! It helps out us writers A LOT!

Genevieve stood in the room full of flowers that Alfie had given a new reason to love, for the remainder of the night. The staff broke down the rest of her bat mitzvah behind her but she paid them no mind. Now alone, she drank deeply of the scene before her to carry the portrait in her mind long after she had to leave. With everything but her lovely sanctuary now tidied, she had to say goodbye but held onto all the inspiration she needed to paint it later with the aid of the soft-focus memory and romanticizing lent.

“Perhaps I should’ve brought you your own canvas.” Alfie muses as he approaches with warm hands to her shoulders.

“I’ll never forget this. Even if I tried. No need to worry, the lense of remembrance compared to reality always makes for an interesting interpretation.” Her eyes finally tear away from the view to meet the eyes of her fiancé.

“With a mind that forms opinions like that and a mouth as lovely to speak em, how did I go so long without askin’ you to be my wife?” He gives her a well-intentioned smirk and raises her chin for a brief kiss. One with a glad proudness to it for his good fortune and decision to seal the contract of a lifetime.

“Because we’re both stubborn as mules.” She arches one brow high in an honest and only slightly sarcastic response. “Overachievers who want the best and yet are smart enough to know that perfection, an ideal, isn’t realistic, yet we chase it.”

“Keep talkin' like ya and we’ll be given ‘ese lads a show right here in the floor, love.” He whispers with the same playfulness her smirk lends him, giving her a cheeky wink that causes his favorite laughter to erupt from her painted lips.

“I’d much prefer the comfort of our bed and so would your knees.” A pleased smile graves her mouth that smiles at him softly with no judgment, only an intimate knowledge of the things he preferred to whine about come morning. “Shall we go home, Alfie darling?” A sweet suggestion laid upon him just like her hands to his chest.

“Whatever it is Mrs. Solomons wants, she gets, innit?” He plants a whiskered kiss on her confident smile, a pleased hum emanating from her throat.

“It’s been that way for some time now, Mr. Solomons. Have you not been paying attention?” She asks playfully as she pulls away and turns, looking back at him over her shoulder.

“Ya little minx. Callin’ me ‘ats gonna make an old man feel some things.” He gives a stern brow with his tone, but it covered giving eyes and amused lips she could read better than anyone else.

“You are my old man now.” She reaches back for his hand. “You may not be young, but the night is, there’s plenty left for both of us to feel lots of things.”

———————

He spoke softly in her ear, lips pressed to the soft skin by her sentimental teardrop sapphire earrings that swayed as they pulled into the long drive up to their home. In the darkness, they said very little with words, a closeness that hasn’t required them for some time swells and encapsulates them both in the passing moonbeams as they study one another like new lovers. They arrive home late, after their friends and family but they are all smart enough to leave them be after a night like this one. His hands never leave her body, gentle and strong to assist her out of the car, up the stairs and through doors as he acts like a gent and clears a path for her the way to their bedroom.

The newly proclaimed future Mrs. Solomons walked aimlessly as her betrothed started removing layers to achieve the level of comfort he preferred to have in his own quarters. She watches him, a case study of masculine self-assurance with his lean, functional muscles that were never showy and made for and from hard work. With no one to witness, she sips her champagne flute of water and swoons to herself as his face shows an Alfie Solomons only she gets to know. A lack of fine lines of intimidation and anger, a soft fullness to a relaxed mouth that felt no need to mumble and mutter for the sake of making those around him wonder if the visible signs of anger would be lashed out at them next. He was tired, bless him, she knew him well enough to know one eye would close more than the other when he was feeling sleepy. A tell that she believed only she knew of him. Just as she knew he had the tendency to stare over his glasses at her when he thought she wasn’t paying attention, a look very similar to sleep but not so, in his blue eyes that she recalled with fondness and no real anxiety now. His eyes give him away every time for her, and it was suited as they were windows to his soul, and they would share one very soon.

It was an intimacy she no longer feared, this side of her incident fear had no real place in her life any longer. She’d seen death and faced it, beat it into submission and said not today. She knew herself, her strengths, her weaknesses and how to play them and those around her. She would never again let a man scare her, for any reason. She would never bend to them with a seductress approach. There would be no more sexualization of herself for work, she didn’t need it now. That was child’s play and she was a woman. She would be a wife, she would be a mother, God granting, and there was a power in that no one could take away. Alfie had seen that in her, and thus he was the only one who would see that side of her again.

“Alfie darling,” She asks with an inquisitive exhale.

“Yeah, love?” He says as he looks across the room to see her fingers toying with the jewelry she wore. Her newest gift caught the light like a vision, the sound of precious jewels and metals clinking and sliding across her olive skin, once again warm and tan from the sun of summertime.

“Would you like to assist me in readying for bed?” Her eyes were soft but dark, her sultry tone sent warmth into his belly as he sat up at attention and watched her with her hand wrapped around the large sapphire pendant, moving her chest much to the delight of his more unevolved needs. The full swell of her hips, a newly rounded and soft body from age, injury and indulgence in her love of cooking are prominent as her hand rests on her hip. A touch of attitude as she welcomes him to touch her.

There had been a clear line between them. One he did not mind now and respected, despite his own body growing restless some nights as he watched her disrobe. His twitching fingers always warned him of the incoming swell of his cock. His hands missed touching her, feeling her soft under them as he removed her armor of stones and sequins to reveal the pink and imperfect woman beneath. It was a process he found so erotic, so intimate he’d never indulged in it before he was with her. He’d paid plenty of girls for plenty of things but never the intimate act of undressing a woman, of caring for her to relax and ease her at the end of a long day. He saw her opening up to him, offering that sanctity of the near-religious ritual for them both again. He’d not wanted to insult her, to suggest she couldn’t do anything on her own so he had stopped initiating the process. But he saw his respect had earned him a place in her heart and in her bed once again.

“Oh pet,” his voice soothing and deep as he rose in his silken pajamas, the top still unbuttoned as his hand rubbed the fluff that covered his chest in a gesture to show his thanks. He watches the smile bloom across her face, a softness to the round cheeks and dark lashes only he could create with his words and he relishes in it as he approaches. Her body language opens, arms to her sides as his hand slides to the small of her back.

“I know you’ve missed it.” She only has to speak softly for him to hear so close as his height makes her fall into his shadow.

“I have. I have.” He nods with a masculine tone from his chest that warms her.

“Would you like to start with the jewels? Or leave them for last?” The tease in her smile makes him hum happily and lean down to kiss her. “Or perhaps not remove them at all?” Her nose wrinkles as a quiet, brief laugh erupts and his smile turns gentle, eyes crinkled at the edges with amusement for her.

“Cheeky bugger.” He scolds playfully. “Where’s this woman been, eh? She has been reborn from the ashes of her former self? A fuckin’ Phoenix that is. I’ve seen this strong, resilient and powerful one with her dagger eyes and stone face now for so long in the place of the former. But I’d be fuckin lyin’ if I claimed to not be enamored by her as well.”

“This woman is only for you now. No one else deserves her… this side of me now. Only you.” The vulnerability in her voice was clear, and soft exhale as she savors the feeling of his skin against hers in such a way again. A burn and chill deep in her body as the flames inside died and a new woman was born for the purpose of their physical affections. One with a still raw sensitivity to touch, ones whose wounds were closed but still pink and tender just like her body was for him.

“Few things could make me as happy, love.” He whispers as he presses a kiss to her cheek and lingers. “Shall I?” He offers with a mood-setting drag of his strong nose against her jaw that sent a quivering jolt down her neck and veining out into her extremities.

“You shall.” She nods slowly. “Ready your little wife for bed.” She suggests breathily, quickly answered with a deep territorial grunt from him she sighs wistfully and smiles. The heat between them no longer from their spatial relations but from a reigniting of a long-dormant ember that had refused to die they both shared.

“Fuck me, it sounds even better when you say it, love.” His coarse voice drags across her skin as he keeps close, her deep perfume with hints of lavender that was so distinctly her fills his nostrils as he kisses his way across the crown of her head to stand behind her. “I’ve thought of you as mine for so long. Seems like it’s been this way for years now, yeah?”

“It’s hardly been years we’ve known each other.” She remarks with raised brows, watching their reflection in the mirror in front of her.

“We’ve been through enough for two lifetimes already.” His brows match hers in their expressiveness. A silent confession that it had all felt too much for a time.

“Perhaps we had it easy in a past life. And perhaps this trip will assure our next one together will once again be simpler than we are now.”

“It’s a lovely sentiment.” He says with a clear tone of disbelief.

“But not very likely yes?” She gives him a light-hearted smile that told him she was still firmly Grounded.

“Not fuckin’ likely.” He nods as he continues gathering her hair after removing the combs. His hands were far gentler than any time before with her. No rush to his movements or words, only a sense of duty and patience for his other half he was displaying fully. “Ya know...before ya were sick,” He begins delicately. “You would’ve insisted on your correctness and that I was a stubborn arse who had no imagination.” A smile crosses his face and a laugh he doesn’t expect bubbles up from her chest as he works on taking off her jewelry.

“It was another time. I was different. Now we’re both jaded.” She shrugs. “Both stubborn, hateful things now.” she frowns and he reads the clear playful nature of her honest observations.

“Always been stubborn love.”

“We BOTH have always been and always will be.” She corrects with a pointed finger. “But now we are both on the same page.” She exhales with a pleasant expression. “All my whimsy is tied to you now, my love.” She gives a single nod to him in punctuation as he meets her eyes in the mirror. “Although I could never rightly claim you have no imagination. After tonight in the museum I would especially be eating my words.”

“What a giving observation.” He thanks her with a kiss to her shoulder as he unpins her earrings, Everything being gently laid in the gilded tray on her vanity. “But it was you what gave me the idea, right?”

Her head tilts in question at his words.

“Ya might not recall, but when I brought you back home and you were on your medicine,” the ease with which they spoke of it now was a blessing. With the air clear between them on the events that followed her abduction and her strong arming herself to overcome her own anxieties, not left with a choice but to be successful as a woman in the world she lived in, their communication was more transparent than ever. “You would stay up in your studio and paint. I’d leave ya with a canvas on the wall and I’d come back to retrieve you and the paintings would be all over the wall around the little square.”

“I only recall staring at lillies.” She answers quietly, a hint of shame still when she spoke of it.

“You were paintin’ your little hiding place at that time, yeah? You would talk to ya self when I didn’t announce myself. And you’d say things… very similar to your musing tonight actually, about the barrier not being real and that. The hindrance of artistic freedom you would say. Your water Lilies would cover those walls. And they were lovely. Soft and fuzzy, much like you at the time.” He adds with another affectionate kiss to her hand and forearm, stroking it gently and looking at the sapphires that weighed down her delicate wrists.

He recalls those wrists being injured and bruised and useless. Now only pink scars as reminders, her fingers healed and now a tiny bit crooked looking in the absence of her rings. They’d healed and he found the comparison of his memory of her injuries to be a perfect match for how their relationship had evolved.

“It was unconventional but I did like the avant-garde approach. The dreamy state of you spilling out into reality what where it was only in Ya head before.” His brows knit and he very slowly and hesitantly removes the heavy bracelet. “I wanted that for you tonight, love. I wanted to show you in my way that anything in that enthralling mind of yours is possible.”

“Even a beautiful proposal from the man I love.” She takes a deep breath and shuts her eyes as he kisses up her arm. “After all the ugliness we’ve endured. The parts of me I’ve had to let go of to survive,” She speaks calmly but as always, her self reflection is something he greatly admires. “Once again you’ve changed my view on love and what it truly is.” She keeps her eyes closed as his kisses land on her cheek.

“Ya fuckin brilliant Chanah.” He whispers “I can only agree and say the same of you. Didn’t think women like you fuckin’ existed. Certainly didn’t fink I’d even love someone as I do you, neshama sheli.”

“Ani ohev otkha.” She replies softly as he exhales onto the bend of her neck.

“Ani ohev otkha.” He wraps his arms around her and holds her tightly. Maybe it was that she was speaking Hebrew with a tongue that sounded like it was born to do so. A woman worthy of being held higher than others. It could be the emotions wrapped up in the long overdue events of the night that led him to have such feelings. “Chanah…” He begins with a kind tone, his cheek pressed against her hair. She hums quietly in response, hands gently rubbing over his forearms. “We don’t have to do this.” He says with a less amorous tone.

Her eyes flutter open in surprise. “Do what? Get married?” She asks with an offended tone as she turned quickly in his arms.

“Fuck no love! This the…” He motions with his hand between their bodies. “We don’t have to be physical like this. This feels like its leading to bed and I don’t want you feelin' like you have to just cause-“

She puts her fingers over his plush lips and chuckles. “Oh, Ari.” She sighs, shaking her head at him as if he were a child. “To be so intelligent you certainly can be a fool.” She moves to hold his cheeks.

“What the fuck ya on about?” He gruffs out.

“I want you to listen carefully. Because I mean what I am about to say.” She gives a nod of her chin his way. “I will never again do something for a man that I don’t want to. And that includes you.” She adds with a gentle pat of his face. “That includes any wifely duties.” She kisses his lips as she watches his face turn into a look of understanding. “Although it is you who has the obligation to me.” She grins and bops his nose before pushing his hair back affectionately.

“I just know it’s… delicate for ya pet.” He adds softly with a tone that only makes her more sure of her want of him.

“It is. Was.” She waves her hands dismissively. “But I will not let that fear rule me or my actions. I love you, and I love expressing that affection physically. Tonight has made me feel warm and safe and full in a way that astounds me. I know you would never hurt me in this way. I know you are a wealth of understanding for me and I’m not afraid of it anymore. Not when it’s with you.”

“Ya sure? Is there no part that wants to wait? Until the wedding? Keep these acts of tradition going?”

“Is it something you want?” Her eyes narrow as she studies him.

“Don’t make a fuckin difference to me, love. You’ve been me wife in my mind for a while now. Nothin done between us can be seen as wrong as I see it.”

“You have, have you?”

“From ages ago.” He answers dramatically. From that night you came over to me house after Paris, yeah? And you forgave my sorry arse for up 'n leavin'. For being such a bellend and thinkin' you weren’t the best fing to happen to a bastard like me. But I knew ya were then. And the night you were taken…” his voice slows and moves to a deeper, less showy inflection. He pulls her against him, kissing her for a long moment to make up for lost time like he’d wanted to for months now and all those nights she’d been missing. "That gift I gave you tonight had been gatherin' dust for months now. Had it polished to where you could see your reflection in it that night, I did. Had flowers, a plan…”

“Then I had to go and fuck it all up.”

The humor behind her words surprises him but makes him smile at the dark honesty of it. “Yeah, ya did.” He caresses his nose against hers and they both share a laugh for a brief moment.

“I had no idea that night. Or this. Always full of surprises, you are.” She wrinkles her nose at him affectionately.

“Just have to get ya distracted is all.” He mutters to make it sound less impressive than it was.

“And modest.”

“Only when it comes to you. I fuckin know betta. You’ll put me in my place.”

“And so perceptive.” She kisses him softly. “I would’ve said yes then, same as now. We are only stronger now, more resilient than before yes? Had to earn it. We can’t take each other for granted. We won’t now.”

“Never. Every day I have you I am acutely aware that it could be the last. I’ll promise it now to ya, yeah. For granted is somethin' I’ll never take ya. Even if I’m not around, or I’m being a right cunt. Know that I know, right”

“You are somehow more charming to me now than ever.” She snickers.

“Thank fuck for at because if not I’d have nothin goin' for me.” He remarks loudly and they fall into a breathy laugh that turns into a kiss.

“I am so looking forward to being your wife.” She admits openly after a moment of resting their heads together. “In the meantime how’s about we pretend hmmm? Finish readying me for bed and join me. I want to be yours tonight.”

“Whatever you want my lovely, missus.” He coos with less cheeky boy and more experienced man to his body language as his hands moved to unbutton each silken circle down her back with patience.

The soft curve of her nape is revealed, a kiss to the rounded bone visible there. She allows herself to melt when his lips touch her. Each button was undone, another kiss down her back between her shoulder blades. His hands are rough on the peaks of his palms and fingertips, but soft to the touch on her buttery skin as the shoulders of the gown fall easily and he wraps his hands around her to untie the waist.

It didn’t take long for it to occur to him as he watched her in the mirror that she wasn’t wearing a bra. “What sort of good little Jewish girl goes without her pants at her own bat mitzvah?” He teases.

“I do have knickers on.” She defends herself. “The dress was so tight I didn’t need one.” She explains.

“Fuckin' ell ya ain’t lyin', love.” He dotes as his hand rub the pink marks around her waist from the tight dress, falling to the floor and proving her statement about her pants true. “Why ya wear it if it hurts you? Leavin' ya with marks.”

“I hardly notice anymore.” She shrugs.

“Let your husband take care of these. Can’t have a wife go to bed like this. What sort of man would I be?”

“The sort I wouldn’t marry.” She teases as he grins against her skin, whiskers twitching and tickling.

“And you are mine. So I betta take care of this. Here. Step out of these, let me free you up. Certainly not an excuse to see this heavenly vessel move about.” He kisses her bare shoulder as his hands ran over her hips and her silk lingerie joins the dress where they’ll stay until morning. “Fuckin hell you are gorgeous.” He groans into her collar bones as his hand wanders freely. “This is alright, yeah?” He questions with concern in her ear.

“Perfectly so.” She strokes the side of his face for his consideration. “If it’s not, I will tell you. Promise. I want you, without editing, give me my Ari back tonight and let me be his.” Her poetic words still make him feel warm from the inside out. A suspended reality when they were together where he was a man who deserved such things. The air hit his skin as they kissed and moved together in a lover's dance toward the bed, her pushing his loose shirt off on the way.

A long, naked snog under the covers takes away everything else that could be holding them back from one another. There was no past in this moment that she surrendered to. There was nothing to remind her of her time in that dark room there. There was never love, security, Respect or passion like this. This wasn’t what had happened to her she realized. She’d been connecting the wrong ideas. What had happened to her wasn’t sex. But neither was this. This was making love and between two consenting adults who were committed to one another and bound by something fierce that neither could rationally explain. They let go of their hardened and logistic minds together, neither wanting to explain what they felt with words any longer. They only wanted to lose themselves in whatever seemingly unexplained connection they felt after feeling so separate for so long.

He touched her as if she might break, but not out of fear of doing so, but from adoration. His patience coming through with his mouth at worship of every part of her. She was soft and full like a goddess in a renaissance painting. She was built for love and life he thought, feeling her full thighs around his head. He buried himself in the lavender-scented garden between her legs and ate and drank the nectar of her. This would be the first time she let go for him that night.

The next was sudden, distracted by the bunching of sheets around them, her limbs wrapped around the strong body of the man she took her power back with. She had only requested his mouth to never leave her when he asked what she needed of him. Nothing else mattered. She craved the closeness, the intimacy of skin to skin and the smells and tactile sensations of their joining. His muscles moved with years of knowledge behind them as her hands grasped at them. The sweat from the act itself, their bodies so immersed and exhausted their skin wept, the smells of masculine and feminine mixing into something that could never be replicated by anyone else.

He had slowly and without remark opened her and pleased her to allow him inside without pain. Keeping his promise to never hurt her. The longest lovemaking session they’d ever had led her to be so aroused her skin flushed at its surface and glistened with beads of sweat as they moved. Her nipples hard and aching, same as her clit that felt the rush of blood from her racing heart. He used every bit of himself to soothe her as he brought out the side of herself she’d been suppressing in fear. He stroked and pet every piece to make her mind quiet and her body softens, he reminded her why she loved this before, and why she would once again.

She would never silence herself for any man in or out of bed and she practices this vow in full. Her cries up at the canopy, into his fussed hair or muffled by his shoulder as she sucked away at him, they always reached his ears and made him ache for the time they’d lost. He had missed her. The sex had always been great between them, but now it was about more than that. A way for two people who made their living with words and violence to leave it behind as if who they were outside of each other was shed like a snakes skin before they joined in bed. Both leaving their hard selves outside the bedroom door and letting the real raw versions come out only for one another. There were no words needed, those cried out were their given names and called out in pleasure and praise.

There was no parting as they finished, a way to keep it holy by not wasting a drop as he stayed inside her and kissed every bead of sweat from her face, tasting her salty sweetness. As his arms shake she directs him to her chest, ordering him to rest. There was nothing amiss with him shielding her from the outside world like this, connected as one even as they slept. It almost felt like the closing of a chapter for them, a period to end the long winter they’d faced together. But it couldn’t be truly so, as their stories had only merged. Becoming a single tale to recall in legend years after they were gone. Yes, it was only the beginning for them, for as joyous as it was for them, some would be against the pairing in a way just as impassioned as they were.

Please like, comment and reblog if you enjoyed it! It helps out us writers A LOT!

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ashflynns · 5 years ago

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☄〔 HUNTER SCHAFER, TWENTY ONE, TRANS FEMALE, DREAM TRAVEL 〕╰ ASHLEY FLYNN just came over half - blood hill . you know , the child of HYPNOS who was claimed two months ago ? i’ve heard chiron say that she is PLAYFUL & EMPATHETIC , but if you ask the aphrodite kids , they’d say she’s LAZY & TACTLESS . i’d say they remind me of sleepy smiles and under-eye bags, messy buns and an unmade bed, running from your problems with bare feet & trying to hard to keep your friends but losing them anyway, especially since she’s FOR THE NEW CABINS . ( ✎ joey , 24 , she/her , bst . )

*insert nice graphic here aka for the love of god someone find me a photoshop link*

hi! its your resident sea witch joey here ready to bombard you with an encyclopedic knowledge of the greek pantheon and uk criminal law?? i guess??? if u dont already know, i’m the one with six (6) cats. i combined my task and intro because im LAZY and bad at intros so i’ll use paige’s stats as a crutch whoops. ash is the lazy laid-back stoner friend everyone needs. she has no trauma because she DOESN’t DESERVE IT so maybe the real trauma will be the friends we make along the way.

��𝕒𝕤𝕚𝕔𝕤 .

name : ashley finn

nicknames : ash, whatever cute names u wanna give her

birth date : 4th february (aquarius squad speak up!)

gender : trans female

pronouns : she/her

ethnicity : white

nationality : irish american

hometown : ?? idk american towns SUE ME but she’s from SOMEWHERE in oregon

demigod abilities : sleep manipulation, dream manipulation, dream travel

cabin number & godly parent : cabin fifteen, hypnos

how did their godly parent meet their mortal parent? : hlhglkhg so i thought it’d be funny if they met when ash’s mum participated in a sleep research study. i think i’m hilarious.

𝕞𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖 .

faceclaim : hunter schafer

height : 5′11″

hair colour : blonde

eye colour : blue/green.

dominant hand : leftie!

distinguishing features : her hair’s actually super curly she just straightens it a lot bc curly bedhead is a bitch to brush through in the mornings.

dress style : ugh this is gonna be hard to explain but like. you know those alt hippy stoner girls?? like that. likes baggy clothes and neutral colours. a lot of quote unquote ugly clothes with clashing prints. band t-shirts and whatnot.

𝕔𝕒𝕞𝕡-𝕣𝕖𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕕 .

go - to weapon : HAH implying she willingly participates in capture the flag. she’d go for a xiphos because it’s the most basic dfkjg

ambrosia : garlic bread. yeah she’s that kind of bitch

favourite camp location : zephyros creek!

their opinion of their godly parent : really unbothered tbqh. but she’s a very laid-back person to begin with. a ton of her school friends had absent dads. if she hadn’t come to chb so early then maybe the whole ‘i have powers with no explanation’ would’ve caused some resentment but hey, he’s a god. he’s a busy man. and being raised by a single mum made up most of who ash is, so it’s not like she’d change anything.

age they were claimed : this year baby!

how they were claimed : look dad’s timing was off but as far as he was concerned he claimed ash when percy made the deal. ash kinda always knew it was gonna be him so it was no surprise.

stance on the new cabins : for the new cabins.

their opinion on lyssa pentelute : as far as ash is concerned, lyssa’s whole shtick is just an excuse to shit on the kids who don’t have to suffer the same way she did. so, uh, she’s kind of a bitch? i have this in a bit more detail down below.

quests : i’m gonna tentatively put no for now (unless anyone else on quests decides they’d like to have dragged ash along!)

𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪 .

positive traits : playful, empathetic, laid-back, friendly but not a pushover, patient

negative traits : lazy, tactless, aloof, spacey, struggles to express said empathy, lack of focus

mbti : Iinfp-t, the mediator

alignment : neutral good

hogwarts house : hufflepuff

kinsey scale : JUST ASK IF SHES A LESBIAN OKAY?? THE ANSWER IS YES.

archetype : somehow she matched equally with the innocent child and the wise old man *insert so what is the truth meme*

what candle scent are they : vanilla

goals & desires : well this one was tricky bc ash is a simple girl with simple needs and really just doesn’t want anything to change. she wants a life without the pressures of work and commitment, but that’s just not gonna happen, is it? her short-term goals are to practice fighting that urge to stay in bed all day and try to be a bit more productive. it’s not going well.

fears : explained more below but basically she has a fear of destroying all her relationships due to a lack of connect with the world

hobbies : when she’s not napping? probably gaming, going on nature walks, baking treats.

habits : biting nails is the worst one. spacing out. you know that thing where you just?? stop focusing your eyes?? but you’re still tuned in to the conversation? that.

𝕙𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕪 .

so hear’s the short version kfjglkdfgjd ( for NOW ):

ashley’s mum, niamh, is third-gen irish immigrant. ash didn’t have a luxurious life or anything. they mostly lived off benefits or whatever niamh could pick up from her extremely lucrative dog-walking business. how she met hypnos was a literal joke. they met when she participated in a fucking sleep study and i guess they hit it off. typical story of dad fucks off/single parent yadda yadda. there’s no real ~~trauma~~ to ash. yeah, transphobia sucks and high school really sucked all but her mum’s been super supportive since she first came out and no one at chb has given her shit yet. niamh’s still around and ash goes back home every couple of months to visit her. they have a pretty good relationship. it’s all cool.

i feel cliche saying she was a ‘dreamy’ girl but dreamy or spacey really is the best word for it. mixed with your typical demigod adhd you get a kid who really struggled with school. well, it’s not like she struggled - ashley’s a smart gal - but the teacher’s struggled with her. i guess it was hard for them to understand that ash actually does her best thinking when she’s asleep.

struggles to keep friends - maintains a persona of aloofness and apathy but actually cares way too much. the narcolepsy hinders her ability to form proper connections ( although she’ll argue the sCiEnTiFiCaLlY pRoVeN fAcT that napping with someone for half an hour does more to build trust than anything else ). and no one’s really that fond of ash popping into their dreams. maybe they shouldnt have so much to hide, huh?

her biggest ‘’’ inner struggle ’’’ shall we say is the pressure to be productive. let’s face it, she IS a lazy bitch, and that’s pretty much an inherited nature. getting a job sounds like hell, she sucks at combat training, she really could NOT be bothered with camp politics and god wars and whatever else. why can’t she just sleep and dream walk all day? monster’s are out there man, she’s gonna die some point soon anyway. but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t feel guilty about it all. it’s kinda hard not to.

so, moving on to the ISSUE AT HAND. so when you walk through dreams and you sleep for 20 hours of the day, it’s not hard to figure out who your dad is, even if he never turns up. like, seriously, who else would it be? so yeah, sure. she was only claimed a couple of months ago. but she wasn’t completely in the dark like some of her other campers, and she respects that, truly. she got the luckier end of the stick and its not hard to understand the resentment among the minor demigods and the unclaimed.

HOWEVER, she’s very much FOR the new cabins. as explained above, lyssa’s a bitch whose taking her mummy issues out on others. ash loves bunking with the hermes kids but she’d like a space of her own and at the end of the day who the fuck is lyssa to make that decision?

𝕖𝕩𝕥𝕣𝕒 .

pinterest! (its a wip there’s not much IM SORRY)

spotify (now this is the one thing i will never let u down on)

wanted connections coming soon!

#ambrosia:intro #ambrosia:task #*will smith presenting wife pose*

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redfoxwritesstuff · 5 years ago

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Coffee and A Wedding? Chapter 1

Ello! This week’s Tuesday update is the start of a very long and very late birthday gift to @winterisakiller and @alexakeyloveloki. Ever wonder how many tropes Kit can fit in one series? Better get counting. Ever wonder what Kit uses her extensive coffee knowledge for? This.

We’re looking at weekly updates on most Tuesdays unless I fill the slot with a one shot. Please do enjoy.

This has made me nostalgic for a man I used to know. He was much older than Clint is in this series but he reminds me a lot about Clint. I think Clint would run a cafe the same way this man ran his. This man taught me everything I know about coffee and is the reason I can’t drink Starbucks and examine the machine before ordering a espresso drink. This man almost gave me his cafe when he retired. Here’s to you, Mr. Green.

Warnings: Fucking trope-tastic. Eventual smut. Some light angst toward the end.

Rating: M for eventual smut

Pairing: Clint x ofc, written first person.

Summary: Look, it’s perfectly normal to have a crush on your boss at some point in your life. You can’t tell me you hadn’t had it happen to you, can you? And Don’t tell me you haven’t made up an imaginary boyfriend to tell your family you had while you were away at college so they would stop nagging you, right? Perfectly normal. And surly you’ve based that imaginary boyfriend off your boss/crush, yeah? It’s normal, we’ve all done it once or twice. How was I to know that my sister would show up at the Arrowpoint Coffee to hand deliver our invitations to her wedding with our names printed in pretty swirly golden lettering right into the hand of my ‘boyfriend’. “Oh, I’m so pleased to meet the man treating my little sister so well.” Yeah, I bet you are. “I loved that date you took her on to a movie in the park! So thoughtful!” Yeah, I know you did. Thanks Sarah for letting the cat out of the bag but thank god Clint can roll with the punches. Now, we’ve got to go to a wedding together and pretend to be a couple and he won’t. Stop. Flirting. With. Me. Is this all a joke to you? I KNOW you just see me as a kid who works for you!

Tropes I’m hitting so far: Fake dating, weddings, age difference and so much more. Have a trope you want to see me try to work into this series? Let me know! Seriously, Let Me Know- I’m trying to hit as many as I can and sorry, the are not roommates.

Coffee and a Wedding

I thought of myself as forgettable and that was just all right by me. Even my name was forgettable, at least in my own opinion. It was easier to focus on your schoolwork when everyone sort of just forgot about you. I was lucky to get into a prestigious University and while uprooting my life was a logistic challenge, it didn’t feel like I was leaving a whole lot behind in order to chase the opportunity provided by a full Stark Scholarship.

The money covered all of my school expenses so long as I managed to keep my grades up so in the end, I did a lot of studying. School was expensive for anyone and this school- it was expensive no matter who you were. If Tony Stark and his company want to pay for me to go, I was going to keep it that way. When I wasn’t studying- I was working. The scholarship paid a portion of my rent after school expenses but that was it.

My family didn’t approve of my choice to study biology over medicine and so there was no help from them. It was the need for social interaction from someone not studying all the time like my classmates that drove me to choose a job working in a cafe. Well, that and the oddly decent pay. What can I say? I had quickly grown tired of eating cardboard noodles and beef flavored salt packets.

From where I stood behind the counter while working, I could see the rise of Stark Tower in the distance. It made me smile, seeing it. The Tower was a marvel of technology and Eco-efficiency, having been off the electric grid for over a month now and showing no signs of failure in it’s power system. While I had no passion for engineering- Biology was where my heart was, I still was fascinated by it.

While the socialization I got working at the cafe was enough to keep me happy, my family was still prone to worrying. They were old fashioned at best, viewing a woman as incomplete without a romantic attachment and I had none. It wasn’t that I wasn’t interested in anyone, just that I was forgettable and he was both older than me and far too handsome for me to catch his eye. He probably just saw me as one of the kids he hired anyway.

It seemed harmless enough when it first started. Mom would ask me if there was anyone and I’d talk about a man who had his shit together, who treated me right. He had bright blue eyes and soft brown hair that bleached in the sun, giving it a warm golden glow. At first he was just a guy I liked but my family pushed for more.

Ask him out. Are you flirting with him? Make sure you do your hair up nice. Don’t go to class frumpy. Have you kept with your diet? Have you been flaunting your assets? They would remind me again and again that you had to hook a man if you wanted him. Such was not my way, however. I was far too timid to make the first move. And while my family thought he was a classmate though he was older than me, in truth he was my boss.

It seemed harmless enough as I modeled this man who went from crush to camera shy boyfriend after the owner of the cafe I had been working at. It’s not as if anyone would ever find out. My family would never come out to the city to check up on me and he could be busy when I came home to visit. They could break up and I would be allowed peace while heartbroken. They never had to know and there was no way he would find out. My crush would stay private and they would be off my back for a while. Plus, I could live in the fantastic fantasy of being his girlfriend for a bit.

No one had to know it wasn’t real.

While I sat by the window in the cafe, sipping at a mocha with the phone pressed to my ear, I listened to mom as she went on and on. In truth, I was only paying partial attention to the words being spoken from halfway across the country.

He was in today, as he was every Saturday. He said he worked them because he had nothing better to do and wanted to allow the kids who worked for him to take turns enjoying their weekends. It was because he worked every weekend that I made a point to offer to work them as well.

“You’ll come to the wedding, won’t you?” My mother asked.

“Mhm” I really didn’t want to go, truth be told. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see Sarah get married, it was just that I really didn’t want to go back home. Small town gossip would surely claim me as it’s victim yet again.

“You’ll bring that boy you’re seeing, won’t you? What was his name?”

“Clint Barton.” Instantly, I realized my mistake. I hadn’t been thinking. I couldn’t help it, I was too busy looking at him and just blurted out his name. That was how my family got the last name of the man I was secretly in love with.

Still, it was a big city. It’s not like my sister Sarah would hunt down the cafe I worked at by piecing together clues from what little she was able to see about where I worked from the few pictures she had access to in the next week, right?

I was tired. Somehow I thought it was a good idea to stay up all night studying and truth be told, I was pretty sure I had forgotten to eat all of the day before. I was so damn tired but it was Saturday and I wouldn’t be calling out though Clint wouldn’t have minded.

He had always made a point to tell all the students working for him that our health came first. Our grades came first. We were all trying to make something of ourselves and he respected that. He would say that we didn’t want to end up working in cafes all of our lives like him. He would say as if his cafe wasn’t successful enough to provide a decent enough life for him.

“Good Morning.” I was surprised to turn and see him jogging up behind me as I made my way toward the cafe. Normally he would have already been in the shop by four in the morning to open at five.

“Good Morning, Mr. Barton.” He rolled his eyes at me.

All of his employees called him ‘Mr. Barton’ regardless of his protests. We called him so out of respect for him and all the support he offered us. Many of his employees lacked support from their families for whatever reasons and so he took them in, called them his family. Some were turned out for their sexuality, others for how they wished to identify themselves. There was a girl who’s parents thought her too dumb to be a doctor yet she was starting medical school in the fall and Clint was eager to enrage her each step of the way.

“Clint. My name is Clint.” With a shake of his head, he tried to hide the smile on his face.

“You’re running late?”

“I can’t be late.” He protested, strong hand dramatically held to his chest. The flair for dramatics he often showed always made my heart flutter, though I’d never tell him that. “I own the place.”

“Right.” He smiled down at me as I laughed. The way he looked at me, if I indulged in just a moment of daydreaming while we walked, I could pretend we were on our way to an early morning coffee date.

The weight of his hand settled on my shoulder as we stopped in front of the cafe. He looked at me, studied me and for a moment I feared my crush was written on my face. “Alexis? You look...” Beautiful? Radiant? Like a fire pixie? A dream come true? His soulmate? A girl could hope. “Exhausted. Do you want the day off?”

That wasn’t what I wanted to hear but I wasn’t surprised at all.

“I’m fine, really.” I may just be an employee to him, too young for him to even notice I was sure but still, I didn’t want to miss out on a Saturday morning with him.

“Have you eaten?” As much as I wanted to believe it, I just knew he was asking as a boss, a big brother figure to all his employees and not because I was any more special than any other employee. I didn’t want him to see me as just another employee, a little sibling like he calls all of his employees.

Clint opened the door for me, keyed off the alarm and flipped the lights. “I’m fine. I was just going to grab something on my break.”

“What if…?” He hummed.

“What if what?” I set about taking the chairs off the tables, trying to pretend that I couldn’t feel his eyes on me.

“What if we call in a breakfast order at the diner?” He offered from where he was checking the display case’s temperature readings. “My treat.”

He was always doing things like this for his employees. While we had packaged sandwiches and snacks, he rarely let his employees eat the cafe’s food. I knew better than to try and argue out of it. Still, I didn’t want to leave him to open by himself when he had gotten in late. He wouldn’t hear any of it though and before I knew it, I was set off with a few twenties while Clint opened the cafe on his own.

Saturday mornings tended to be slow until around seven. The diner was open 24 hours and the early morning breakfast pick up orders were nothing new to them. I often wondered if Clint ever made his own food. He would have food delivered to the back door, if not for the whole staff, at least for himself.

I expected to come back to the cafe with a bag containing the two takeout containers like it was nothing. Admittedly, I was a bit excited about the prospect of maybe getting to sit down with Clint and eat. We’d likely have to take turns getting up and helping customers but it was something. Sure, still not a breakfast date but it was as close as I’d ever get.

The fall air was crisp and the leafs crunched under my feet. It was a good morning, really. The door was cool under my fingers. It opened smoothly, as it did any other time. Clint maintained every inch of the cafe almost obsessively. His employees would joke when he wasn’t around that he was single because of his love of coffee and his love of the cafe. It wasn’t anything he would argue. Clint himself had often said he was married to his shop and that he needed nothing but coffee to survive.

“Babe, you didn’t tell me your sister was going to be in town.” Clint’s voice called out as soon as I stepped through the door. “If I’d known, I would have ordered breakfast for three.”

Turning, I looked around the cafe. Surely I had stepped into some alternate reality. “Mr. Barton?” It took a moment longer for me to realize that Sarah was standing at the counter.

“Come on now, Babe- no one else is in yet.” The smile on his face was memorizing. He was giddy almost as he made his way around the counter. My heart stopped as I realized, Clint Barton called me ‘babe’ twice now. He was making a point. He knew my secrete, at least part of it.

“Sarah, I didn’t know you were coming…” It was a surprise to say the least. “Why didn’t you call? I could have taken the day off.”

“She brought us an invite to her wedding.” Clint held up the ivory colored paper, our names neatly printed in looping gold ink as if it were a prize.

“Of course she did.” I tried not to groan.

“I should let you two get to work. Seeing your boss, so sneaky! No wonder you didn’t want to tell mom more about him.” Sarah wiggled her fingers at us as I joined Clint behind the counter, setting the bag of takeout containers between us. I thought about breaking her fingers for a moment. I loved my sister but she had an amazing talent to grate on my nerves. “I look forward to seeing you at the wedding, Clint.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” With a wiggle of his fingers and a wide grin splitting his handsome face, Clint waved bye and Sarah turned and started walking out.

We stood in silence as we both watched Sarah walk away through the window. I wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and die. This was every one of my worst nightmares come true. It is time to wake up now. Any second now. Yeah no, sadly this was reality.

“Sooo…” Clint let the word hang for a moment. “Want to explain or should I start guessing why your sister thinks we’re dating?”

“I can explain.”

“Good,” He shrugs and I try to read him. Is he mad? Offended? Disgusted? Fucked if I could tell. “Then I can eat while you tell me why I’m going as your date to your sister’s wedding.”

“I swear, I didn’t mean for you to find out.” I sat down as he set our food out. He was acting as if it was nothing. This wasn’t nothing. This was an earth shattering secrete out in the open. Act like it, won’t you?

“Should I be offended by that or not?” Clint poured himself a cup of black coffee and put a steaming mocha down in front of me. He always knew everyone’s preferred drink and while we all knew how to make our own drinks, it seemed to bring him joy to be make them for us. It was just one of the ways he was too damn perfect.

“I mean- When I made up this fake relationship I didn’t think anyone would find out.” I shrugged, not really ready to meet his eyes yet. I prayed for customers to come in to save me.

“And how were you going to handle the wedding?” It may have been easier if he was angry with me.

“I…”

“You?” He taunted, though his voice lacked any real malice.

“I was going to say you were busy. That you couldn’t make it. I figured I’d say we got into a fight after and broke up.”

“Mhm.”

“You know, since you- fake you couldn’t put me first.”

“I guess you only gave them my name then. I thought maybe I was your dream man but I would never do that to you.” It sounded almost like he was dancing around saying something. Surely I was just reading too much into it.

“No, I didn’t- I don’t think you’d do that. I just- It’s hard to keep up the lie and if they think I’m heartbroken I’ve got peace for a bit.”

“Why did you do it?”

“What?” It took a moment for me to realize what he asked.

“It’s not like you can’t get a real boyfriend.” He shrugged, shoveling the rest of his food into his face.

“I just- It got them off my back.” He was just saying that, surely. I’ve had plenty of dating woes and had yet to find a decent man that wasn’t him.

I explained my family, their old fashioned ideas and constant pressure to find a man. That was the whole point of University to them. It was a place for young women to find men with promise to become their husbands. When I tried to play it off as my lack of creativity that resulted in my imaginary boyfriend having the same name as him, he almost deflated.

There wasn’t time for me to dwell on it however. People began to filter into the shop, keeping first him busy while I finished eating and then both of us. The incident was nearly forgotten by the time I had to grab milk and cream from the back cooler to restock the bar after the lunch rush.

“What are you doing after work?” I about jumped out of my skin when Clint’s voice filled the chilled air.

“Studying. Why? Do you need me to work late, Mr Barton?”

“If I’m your boyfriend, shouldn’t you start calling me ‘Clint’?” I cringed as he laughed.

It was as if he didn’t care if anyone overhead him. Spinning on my heel, gallons of milk in each hand I tried to hush him as threateningly as possible. All it really did was cause my hair to fall in my face from the force of my spin. With no hand free I had no choice but to try to blow the hair out of my eyes. It worked about as well as you can imagine until Clint’s warm fingers brushed the hair to the side, letting me see just how close he was.

“I figured we can plan our trip for Sarah’s wedding.”

“Excuse me?” I stuttered out the words. “Our trip?”

“Yeah. To the lovely Sarah’s wedding. I did tell her I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Now that they have a face and cafe to go with the name, I can’t let you paint me as the selfish boyfriend who can’t take time off for his girl’s sister’s wedding.”

“Can you even take time off for it? Hell, can I?” I motioned toward him halfheartedly with the three gallons of milk gripped in one hand that was starting to cramp up while he portioned out the coffee grounds for the first of the drip coffee machines, seemingly uncaring that he was blocking the way out of the cooler with a task that normally was done outside the chill room.

“I’ve trained y’all well enough to take off for a bit. I just don’t because I have no life.” Finally, he moved and we both made our way to the counter. In the back, Matt was washing dishes. The sound of metal clanking together and water sloshing around drowned out our conversation. Clint shrugged, slipping the filters into place and starting the coffee machine.

“And me?” I ask, slipping the jugs into the small refrigerator under the counter. “You can’t go to the wedding without me.”

“Duh. You’ve got PTO. Consider your request approved.”

“I didn’t request it yet.”

“But you were going to.” He countered and I hated that he was right.

The grinder kicked on as I rolled my eyes while pulling out pitchers and two small mugs. With lunch rush over and Matt having done most of the clean up, all I had left to do was watch Clint as he worked. It was one of my favorite things, though I would rather die than admit it to him.

He switched off the grinder, he flipped open the catcher and let grounds fall into the espresso pod before scraping it level with the flat end of the tamper, letting the excess fall back into the grounds container. I watched while he used the tamper to compact the grounds within the pod with a twist of his wrist only to pull the tamper out and knock the side of the pod, knocking grounds off the rim and press again.

It was a science, making coffee. One that he was proud of and had spent time teaching every one of his employees. Each knew how the grind should look, how to adjust the grind, how much force the grounds needed to be packed right, how long it should take for the water to pour through the pod and how the shot should look as it’s pouring. Pouring a bad shot of Arrow coffee simply wasn’t acceptable.

Clint clicked the pod into place in the machine, an old semi automatic that regulated the water temperature and how much water was forced through the pod and nothing more. If asked, Clint would lament endlessly about the death of the manual machine and how all the coffee from the large chains always ended up burnt because they simply trusted their machines and didn’t know what espresso should look like and the grind on those fully automated machines couldn’t be adjusted even if someone knew it was off.

He flipped the switch and set the timer. While the numbers ticked down, he leaned back against the counter and set his blue eyes on me. I hated how damned good he looked, bar rag hanging from his back pocket and sleeves pushed up just over his elbows.

“Pick the dates and I’ll arrange everything.”

“What?” I wasn’t sure I heard him right.

“Pick the dates and I’ll book shit.”

“you’ll book shit?”

“Are you a goddamn parrot?” He laughed and I snapped my mouth shut before stammering some sort of response that he simply talked over. “I’m not going to make you buy my plane ticket. Or my hotel room. And it’s cheaper if we book together so, I’ll book shit.”

“I’ll pay you back for-”

“No you won’t.” The timer beeped just as the machine switched off. “Perfect.”

“What?”

“The shot- it poured perfectly.” Clint poured it into the small ceramic cup I had set out for him and grabbed the cinnamon, adding a sprinkle to the top. “You may have gotten yourself into this mess with a dumb lie but I assure you babe, I’ve done dumber shit.”

I blushed and he gave a cocky smile as he raised his cup at me in toast before downing it as the first customer of evening came into the shop with a sprinkling of more hot on their heels. It was time for that weird midday afternoon rush that happened when it was too late to be called ‘lunch’ anymore. For a solid two hours the only time either of them had to chat was with customers while taking their orders. Still the rest of my shift passed with warm smiles and easy jokes passing between us as if he hadn’t just found out he was my imaginary boyfriend a few hours ago.

Tag List: @0-0-0-0-0-0-0-7, @theoneanna, @alexakeyloveloki, @winterisakiller, @toozmanykids, @j-u-s-t-4, @missaphrodite23, @nonsensicalobsessions, @bambamwolf87, @tinchentitri, @michelegurl

#clint x reader #clint x oc #clint x ofc #clint barton x oc #clint barton x reader #Clint Barton x Female Reader

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meanwhileinthebroomcloset · 5 years ago

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Mhm... This post was meant to be much shorter, honestly. Not to mention it got super personal, which was not my intention. It actually made me a bit teary-eyed and I’m usually an emotional constipated dumbass.

Am I ready for the potential backlash this is going to cause? Eh, probably not. Am I going to engage in the discourse this can cause? Ah, you wished. I have more to waste my energy on. I didn’t write this post to argument with anyone, anyway.

Gonna risk it, still.

-----------------------------------------

Isn’t it kind of ironic that it was witchcraft that made me fully return to Catholicism?

I mean, I kind of never left, hence the ‘’fully’’ in that sentence. But now I really know who I am. Although I don’t think Catholicism is the most accurate label (Christo-pagan, perhaps?) it’s the one I grew up with, and the one that comes more naturally to me.

Studying the beginning of it all, the commentaries of Pagans and Jewish writers at the time are just so fascinating and honestly beautiful.

Then everybody started chasing and killing each order, and it sure wasn’t fascinating anymore.... ‘’Stop being murderous revenge-driven assholes’’ I angrily mutter into my book, while frying my brains for High Middle Ages exams.

And then it split into Catholicism and Arianism (not that Arianism! The no-holy-trinity-on-my-watch one), and that was a totally different can of worms. Then Rome got pissy and the Orthodox Church officially became a thing that existed.

Man, why is religion so messy?

Faith is such a strange thing. So much power, so much potential for good and evil and everything in between. I started losing mine some years ago.

Contrary to some horror stories you may hear, especially from people who are now no longer Christian, I was raised in a pretty open environment.

‘’Don’t be mean, have faith, give second chances... Here are the commandments. They’re perfectly acceptable, see?’’

‘’Yes, there are different religions, but you should always respect them and the people that believe in them. Remember, Jesus was Jewish. Here’s some historical context... ‘’

‘’What the hell kid, nobody here is going to hell. Also, you’re five, there are no children in hell. No, the cops also won’t... Lord give me patience... Are you sorry? Did you apologize? Are you going to try to not repeat it? Great! Then it’s all fine and dandy!’’

‘‘Man, we are definitely all going to hell... At least since we’re all gonna be there, we could form a basketball team. The devil can be the referee. He will be an awful one, but hey, we’re in hell’‘

‘’I know the bible says the earth was created in seven days, but when that story was written, people didn’t know dinosaurs were a thing. Science is cool, and we are not in the middle ages. ‘’

‘’Blind faith is dangerous, kid.’’

‘’Thinking thoughts and acting upon them are two very different things.’’

‘’Yes, the second mom in that Solomon story was willing to see another kid die for the sake of an argument... sometimes people are that bad.’’

‘’God is perfect. People aren’t. That’s the world we live in and it’s okay.’’

‘’There are people who do terrible things in name of religion or say they’re doing it because the bible says so. Don’t believe them. There’s no excuse for murder and abuse.’’

‘’Yeah, Portugal is very enthusiastic when it comes to Catholicism... ’’

Pretty good summary of religion in my childhood.

Still, I found my faith waning. I didn’t really know why and I’m still a bit iffy talking about that.

‘’What did witchcraft do, then?’’

Well for once, it reinforced my ideas on how faith worked, and how strangely powerful it can be. Being skeptical is healthy but completely closing yourself off because something isn’t completely clear is too radical and you're just doing the equivalent of closing your eyes to the less brighter lights.

My god, I can hear the hardcore atheists coming...

Can I remind you there are more things in life that will not provide the proof you want, but that won’t mean they aren’t there? Relationships. Relationships are too complicated to have straight answers, a lot of the times. People hide their feelings, they fake them, express them and react to them differently. There are so many things we don’t understand or know about yet, like space and organisms that live on this Earth.

Sometimes what you need is a different approach to see they exist! It’s one of the things I learned with witchcraft.

There was also the religion itself. As I worked on my magic, I started seeing magic around me again. Not just with gods I had never considered and the one I was leaving behind, but with the faith I had always known.

The affection when someone says ‘’Our Lady’’ when talking about the Virgin Mary, my family calling upon Saint Barbara when thunder comes, children screeching excitedly because the Compasso has arrived to give us the news that Jesus has come to life again in Easter, the marble cemeteries, the comforting prayers, the masses I couldn’t ear because the local church’s echo is terrible, those boring long-ass weddings (oh my god, how many blessings do two people need?!), the loving dedication I see in every saint carved, my church's priest’s good humor... I never owned a rosary, but I always like the ones my aunts and grandparents keep.

I found Christian and Catholic witches on this site and I finally got to my conclusion. It’s really there. I just needed a different approach to it!

These things made me believe again, but also in new things.

‘‘But you can’t do that! You can’t combine magic and christianity’‘

Oh, watch me. And also watch the centuries of cunning women and witches in European history and those still alive today. The women that make ‘’mezinhas’’ and other types of favors in Portugal sure as hell are doing witchcraft, but you can bet your ass they don’t think they’re any less Catholic than anyone else. They don’t care about your opinions and I will hopefully do the same.

Relationships with deities are personal, and my relationship with God, Jesus and all of them is no different in that regard. I am a witch, I am human, I am catholic. I’m a follower, not a fucking mindless sheep.

You know what? I always compared God to Aslan. The lion wasn’t always there for Narnia, he wanted his people to solve their problems on their own. Get their independence, as a good parent does. They both don’t come up all mighty, that’s a posture reserved for evil and people who need a good slap in the face. They come to your level. God may come through one of the less eldritch abomination looking angels, though...

‘‘Well, if you have god, you shouldn’t need anything more. He's everthing. Why are you also a witch?’‘

Excuse me, do I look like a goddamned saint to you?! What part of human did you not understand?

And before you bitterly start quoting the Old Testament, let me remind you that it’s Old for a reason. Christ came to this earth to give us new rules since he technically saved us and things became different. That’s why Jewish people follow the Old Testament, for them, the messiah hasn’t arrived yet. Not to mention that to them that testament is not Old, it’s just the Torah.

You can keep quoting the bible to me all you want. But in my short twenty years of life, I was thankfully able to learn a few things. One of them is that the world isn’t black and white. Yes, I know this sounds obvious but there are some really dumb people out there. Also, this is the hellscape that we call tumblr.

Anyway, as I have mentioned several times before, I’m a never-ending knowledge seeker I found the world beneath my feet is not pure myth and I want to explore it. Look at me go.

I keep a critical mind with everything. Faith and religion are not an exception. I’m not overly skeptic about faith itself, but I am of its writings, interpretations, translations and etc... I study history, it’s a skill you naturally develop.

And there’s quite a few plot-holes, characterization differences and much more. It was written by humans that couldn’t do a cohesive collaboration even if their lives depended on it. Godphones sometimes don’t get a good reception. There’s a ton of cultural context to unpack. I hear people saying all the time that taking the bible’s words literally is one of the most stupid things you can do.

And when I say people, I mean priests, clergy, theology students, etc... I didn’t hear this from my drug dealer in the street corner..

...... I don’t have a drug dealer.....

Anyway...

There are many problems with the catholic church. There are many problems with a ton of catholic and christians out there. I will never deny that. Shit needs to get fixed and maybe even chucked into the trash.

But I still believe in God, I still believe in the saints but I also still believe there are more gods and spirits out there. And those things are separate.

I have no interest in converting you. I’m just yelling into the void.

If you are one of those that no longer is a christian, or catholic because some dipshits banged self-hate onto your head, I’m really sorry. I hope you heal well and get the help you need in your new faith or lack of it. Banging the ten commandments back onto their heads repetiedly and tell them to actually read the damn book is optional, though.

In the end, if you are (or are trying) to be good, you deserve respect and freedom to worship whoever or whatever you want. You don’t need to be perfect, you can just strive to be the best you can be in your situation.

--------------------------------------------

And now back to our schedueled programing.

#well #that was a thing #rant #christian witch #catholic witch

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coelenterata · 6 years ago

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BrickClub 3.4.1

What was Marius to do, all alone and very stupid! Hugo asks, and then immediately he goes, hey look at this group of friend-shaped young men with good political opinions!!

Anyway: you may THINK this was a time in which politics were not happening much, but actually revolution is alive and well and right here, and I’m emotional about it and Hugo is emotional about it and so should you. Also puns are good, that’s very important.

(I don’t know if I noticed this on previous reads, but it’s specifically mentioned that meetings usually happen in the place nearer to the students.....?? Hmm.)

To be honest, this is just going to be a post of me crying and yelling. I was already nearly crying, in fact, when I got to “they talked very loud about everything, and in whispers about something else”, and about how they are all family, and also Hugo tells us here already that there will be no happy ending for them. Thanks Hugo.

And then we get into individual descriptions, On A Scale From Enjolras To Grantaire, where I have just noticed that every time I expect it to go Joly, Lesgle but it goes Lesgle, Joly? Joly is less Enjolras than Bossuet is, which makes me love Joly and Bossuet both even more, somehow, but I’m getting ahead of myself. I’m going to put all my individual amis yelling under a cut. (I knew this was going to be long but jesus it got so long I’m so sorry you don’t have to read this.)

There’s a lot of yelling I don’t have to do because we all know anyway, especially about Enjolras, I feel like? But I love him so much. Hugo makes a fool of himself describing what Enjolras looks like, see a) the Forehead and b) the entirety of his looks described as “all this dawn” which actually made me emotional so I guess I’m the fool here, but also Enjolras just IS perfect, that’s just a fact. I love him. I care about him so much. “His speech was roughly inspired and had the tremor of a hymn.” is the line that hit me particularly hard this time. I want to lie down and wail about this. I’m not sure how to put into words what Enjolras is, but. Wow. He isn’t the Enjolras yet who we see later, not quite, because he WILL soften a little, but he IS already perfect, and for the softness he has... well.

(They Are In Love. I will have shipping opinions in this post, noone can stop me.)

Sometimes I want to say Combeferre is my favourite, but so many of them are my favourites, but also Combeferre is my favourite. This wonderful horrible nerd, and I started crying properly somewhere in the middle of his introduction. (I’m so glad he gets such a long introduction.) The focus on education always gets me, and that careful balance of, he would rather not have violence, but he will take violence over no progress, if he must. There is a line where Hugo describes the kind of progress Combeferre prefers in adjectives that seem like they are also about Combeferre? I’m emotional about every line in his description, but the one I copied into my notes was specifically, “but why not wait for the break of day.” (He KNOWS that that won’t be the solution, but god does he wish it were, and still he will do what he must...?)

I also love Prouvaire, unsurprisingly. (Also I’m very amused that Hugo informs us that it was NECESSARY to have this movement study the middle ages, or whatever. Hugo, standing on a chair: Romanticism Is The Best Thing To Ever Happen, Actually!) There’s a lot about his political opinions here, which I feel gets lost sometimes in the Badly Dressed Poet thing? He “paid almost as much attention to the clouds as to passing events” but only ALMOST. And hey: is this another bit of Bishop parallels?? Much contemplating, much flowers, much gazing at stars?

Aaand then I started crying about Feuilly too. Most of his introduction is about Poland really - it’s his whole spiel about Poland built into his introduction because he will bring it up whenever it is relevant and also when it’s not! I would die for him! His whole deal is that if you don’t have a family, your country should be there to be your family, and he works towards that every day! He is so determined and so... there is so much kindness in him, and all other good things.

The Courfeyrac and Tholomyes comparison is jarring, yes, except most of his introduction following that is distancing him from Tholomyes very specifically. The point here is that he is not at first glance Special in a way that seems suited for revolution, he is at first glance someone who has social skills and that’s it, but Hugo SAYS, the man inside is very different from Tholomyes. “[...] and in Courfeyrac a knight-errant.” is the line that hit me, would’ve gotten distractec by the kitten line maybe but we all know the kitten line too well at this point. A knight-errant. A knight of the round table was lost in Courfeyrac, a knight errant, medieval literary trope of someone setting out to do what is right, I have to lie down. The word in French is “paladin” GOD. I looked this up while writing this post up properly and now I’m completely sidetracked and also I guess Courfeyrac is even more a favourite now.

Where were we. Bahorel. I am very fond of him, not my favourite except he feels like he would be my best friend’s favourite so he’s still my favourite somehow? How old is he? We just don’t know! What is his goal in life? To never be boring enough to have one, presumably. He “takes hygienic precautions when passing the law school”, what’s not to love. He knows everyone, he has no respect for anything, he will fight you because you’re wrong AND because it’s fun. EXTREMELY friend-shaped, actually.

And oh Lesgle your name has been a mess even before your time, huh. The pun is really just the cherry on top. ALSO never a lawyer, love these dumbasses one and all. And as mentioned above, he is a little closer to the Ideal side of the scale than Joly, apparently. “He had considerable knowledge and wit, but he always miscarried.” The things this man could achieve if he could achieve anything ever,,, I’m SO fond of him, and how he is not surprised by misfortune anymore but still stays happy and optimistic? And his introduction overlaps with Joly’s because they love each other!!! And Joly is “an eccentric agreeable person” and also he is perfect and like Bossuet, he is cheerful despite misfortune. Granted, his misfortune is just imaginary illness, but.... there’s a thing that I have emotions about. Nothing ever seems to go right for these two, but they love life and they love each other and there’s puns everywhere too.

Hugo makes as if to stop, at that point, and tells us that all of them “had the same religion: Progress.” I LOVE THEM ALL DID YOU KNOW. And then only AFTER that line we get to Grantaire.

Sighs deeply. I don’t wanna. I feel like a lot of Les Mis fandom, somewhere out there, expects me to like Grantaire like, as a person??? And I don’t! Because he sucks! He’s a good character, but as a person I don’t like him!

Here’s an increasingly incoherent attempt to figure out this introduction?? Please skip this, dear god. Anyway. Others’ nicknames shift them into the first half of the alphabet where everyone else is; Grantaire’s takes him OUT of the first half of the alphabet. And he is kind of doing this on purpose? Dude literally you could be one of them and here you are sad in a corner taking “great care not to believe in anything.” (I know it’s not that easy, I know.) He knows a lot about Paris, is a fun enough person to hang out with for other men I guess, “trying to make his comrades believe that he was in general demand” hi yeah I do not like this man actually, and “he annoyed these young thinkers.” POINTS LOUDLY. Except he doesn’t actually want to just be there to annoy them? And that’s the thing that makes me actually like Grantaire, as a character not touched by fandom. “What we lack attracts us.” And that’s a whole big Thing. Look I love a gay crush as much as the next lesbian, what I don’t love is when people ignore that this is about wAY MORE than that. “Grantaire, crawling with doubt, loved to see faith soaring in Enjolras.” POINTS LOUDLY. He a) does not know what is happening to him and b) does NOT set himself opposite Enjolras, but attaches himself to him, leans on him, revolves around him. Hhh I have not a single coherent opinion about Grantaire. He is shitty but loves his friends, and Enjolras makes him less shitty, kind of?? Which is to say, there is love there, and if there is love there could be belief, and also because there is love he WANTS to be able to believe, and Enjolras is so much belief that he can make others believe, that’s the whole point of Enjolras. Though Grantaire seems to feel this way about the others also, if less strongly? And the others like him for being a good friend, just Enjolras does not like him, and I guess if you only read that last bit you would think Enjolras IS unnecessarily rude to Grantaire, but..... Grantaire sucks. YES, he is sad. ALSO, he sucks. (Except above all he wants to be near this light, because he isn’t completely lost, he isn’t all indifference, and he is waiting to be pulled out of that indifference? And I don’t like him as a person, and I don’t like what a lot of fandom makes of him, but OOF.)

#brickclub

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bidrums · 6 years ago

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Religious Imagery in AHS Apocalypse from someone with a weird sense of humor that involves grape soda for some reason

BIG DISCLAIMER: Any and all views expressed here are my opinion and do not reflect the actual beliefs and operations of religions and their subsets. If I ever say anything incorrect, then please let me know and I will correct myself. This is not meant to be used as concrete evidence of any religion’s workings and should be used as the opinions of bidrums dot tumblr dot com. Also, the views of this blogger are entirely their own and should not be used to attack said blogger for using their First Amendment right of expressing their opinion. This is not an attack on AHS, Ryan Murphy, or any real persons or beliefs. Frustration does not equal open hate.

This has been a PSA because some people apparently can’t take an opinion without an essay before said opinion covering every base on how it’s potentially problematic instead of just leaving people the fuck alone.

Okay, so I would like to say something right off the bat that many people don’t know and that inadvertently caused my 10th grade chemistry class to think I was a Satanist for a few months (I’ll tell that story another time):

AN UPSIDE DOWN CROSS IS NOT A FUCKING SATANIC CROSS IT IS A CHRISTIAN CROSS THAT IN NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM LOOKS LIKE THE LEVIATHAN CROSS- THE ACTUAL SATANIC CROSS ACCORDING TO A QUICK GOOGLE SEARCH (Tumblr won’t let me post pictures of the two but look them up sorry for the lack of pictures)

One looks way more like a dick

If you need a quick way to distinguish the two, remember that the Satanic cross is the fancy one that looks like a dick okay I’ll stop with that

Why does this bother me so much? Well, I am a Christian, and I was taught from a young age (and when I say young, I mean 5) that crosses look different and some of them represent people other than Jesus.

So Peter- one of the most famous of the Twelve- was sentenced to be crucified like Jesus. Which he was surprisingly chill with, apart from the detail of the cross itself. He said that he was not worthy to be crucified in the same way Jesus was, so put tin a different position. The Romans obliged and put him upside down, which is arguably a much worse position to be crucified in (look up what being crucified will do to your body to understand how sick it actually is- part of what hurt so much was that they put the nails right next to the funny boy so the slightest movement would hit it).

Peter had some serious balls.

I fully understand why people would think an upside down cross would be more Satanic than Saint-like. It makes perfect sense, actually. If a regular cross represents Jesus, then wouldn’t flipping it upside down be a way of disrespecting God, and by extension be more Satanic? It’s actually pretty sound logic. That’s another part of why it’s annoying to see it aligned with Satan, since to me it’s really awesome how something that’s seemingly disrespectful actually came out of a deep, passionate, respect and admiration.

Now, because the fact that Satanic crosses are super phallic fancy isn’t exactly common knowledge, I won’t be openly annoyed at Ryan and crew for going with it.

Or, at least, I wouldn’t.

Because they obviously understand some religious imagery and what it actually means.

Another common misbelief is that 666 is the number of the Devil.

Again, it comes from. a logical place. 7 is the Biblical number of Perfection, and 6 by extension is less than perfection. That paired with the fact that in the book of Revelation, 666 is associated with the Apocalypse will lead to the conclusion that it’s the number of the Devil.

But it isn’t!

And Ryan acknowledges that multiple times!

Revelation 13:16-18– “He required everyone- small and great, rich and poor, free and slave- to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name. Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man (in some versions, “of humanity”). His number is 666 (or in some versions, “616″).”

This is referring to the Beast from the Earth, commonly believed to be the Antichrist. Funnily enough, in Episode 6, Vivien quotes a passage about a beast, but it’s the Beast from the Sea:

“Then I saw a beast rising up out of the sea. It had seven heads and ten horns, with ten crowns on its horns. And written on each head were the names that blasphemed God. This beast looked like a leopard, but it had the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion! And the dragon gave the beast his own power and throw and great authority.”- Revelation 13:1-2, Vivien’s quote.

“Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth. He had two horns like those of a lamb, but he spoke with the voice of a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first beast. And he required all the earth and its people to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed.”- Revelation 13:11-12, the one with 666.

Yeah, it’s a bit confusing and honestly I’m making a bit of a big deal of this seeing as almost everyone I’ve known has mixed up the two but in this case it’s not being overdramatic so much as being annoyed.

Why?

Because Ryan did enough research to know that 666 is more commonly associated with the Antichrist and not Satan, and that it’s called the number/mark of the Beast, and even got a Bible passage to quote but used one referring to the wrong Beast and still uses upside down crosses to represent Satan!

Okay, in this episode I honestly wondered if he was using it to show how clueless the Satanists are but nope, it’s Satan. And my headache grew because he obviously does his research, but he relies on lazy cliches to drive some of the plot forward, and that just devalues the genuinely clever religious references. And it’s disappointing because there’s some genuinely clever parts that are great, but the way they’re written and presented and paired with the misinformation devalues everything and lessens their impact and also confuses everyone!

Wow that was a really bad way to segway into the last point sorry guys

So the scene in the forest is actually really clever and here’s why:

I’m not the first person to make this comparison, but the forest scene heavily invokes a parallel to Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness.

I haven’t seen the Exorcist, so don’t expect me to even come close to whatever that was. I also burst out laughing when he said, “Are you my father?” to the goat because 1) Black Phillip from the VVitch anyone? and 2) it sounded like the Dr. Seuss book “Are you my Mother?” and I couldn’t.

But the temptation part was really interesting and clever, I think.

Just a quick recap of the story in case anyone isn’t familiar with it: Jesus goes out into the desert for 40 days and 40 nights and doesn’t eat or drink anything for that duration (fun fact: that’s what Lent represents and why we give something(s) up). After the 40 days and nights, Old Scratch shows up and is like, “Yo, I got bread that you need to live.” and Jesus says, “Remember where it’s written that man doesn’t live by just great but also the word of God? I’m good.” Then Lucy takes him to a high point in the world and goes, “You worship me and it’s yours” and Jesus goes, “No thanks.” Then they go to a super high point right next to a populated city and Satan says, “If you jump, God has promised that his Son will have the protection of Angels and will not be hurt. Prove that’s legit.” and at this point Jesus gets fed up and says, “Yeah, but Dad also said that he won’t be tested for some vanity project, so get lost!” Satan leaves, then some Angels come and give Jesus food and refreshments and help him recover from the self-imposed starvation.

I think that scene in the forest was Michael being tempted by God, as a parallel to this.

It’s weirdly edited and confusing and not that great, but that’s what I think it was and thought it was while watching it.

Let’s break it down: Michael is in the woods for 4 days without food or water. He is then tempted with grape soda and an apple- food needed to live that he hasn’t had for a time period that’s a multiple of 4. Then he has people who admired him talking to him/confronting him/expressing their admiration for him because of who he is- the adoration and attention received by his powerful nature. An Angel-like figure approaches and expresses Heavenly affections- God sending his Angel to the one being tempted, as was promised. Finally, animals associated with the Devil show up- the temptation is over, and the spiritual guardians show up.

It’s a subtle callback to it, but it does check out. Writing like this is what annoys me when lazy writing happens because Ryan and crew obviously know what they’re doing and referencing, but they can’t be bothered to even find new ways to subvert the cliches while keeping the gross sacrifice parts.

Anyways, that’s my rant on this. Thanks for reading!

#ahs apocalypse #ahs spoilers #ahs #ryan murphy #michael langdon #disappointed but not surprised #religious imagery #religious symbolism

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konvenient-pop · 6 years ago

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Okay, so, here comes an annoying post about me being annoyed

With the topic of Jenny and Kai

To start this off right, I want to begin with by saying this is not a hate post at all. In actuality I am an EXO-L, and particularly a huge fan of Kai/Nini despite this blog not representing that. I have a lot of respect for him as a person first and foremost, as well as in his career as an idol. Although my respect isn't reflected with Jennie personally, as I deliberately refused to hop on the Blackpink bandwagon for the sake of preserving an original opinion after a few years of watching over their comebacks to make the decision of draining my life energy for another group, I still have respect for her as an idol. No matter what I will have at least a basic respect for the people choosing to enter this career, since we all know what that means longterm. Or at least most of us who have made the mistake(?) of spiraling into the darker side of this industry.

But at the risk of sounding pretentious or scaring people for no reason, returning to my original point, I don't know jack shit about Jennie. Well, beside basic surface level information or personality overviews from Weekly Idol or what have you. Again, all surface level. For now I am fine with that, she seems cool and honestly like a genuinely straightforward person in terms of setting up her goals. Or at least that's the picture I've crafted in my head after having listened to her on old G-Draon's tracks, as she was probably offered the oppertunity and had enough sense/drive to take it. So, okay, cool. She's cool, Jongin is Jongin and as a couple they are whatever.

Whatever being cool, cool being something I can go 'Oh?' at with raised eyebrows and move on with my damn life. Or as I failed to name it, basically sonething of minimal interest. Now, let's pause. So, I have no problem with this couple, so why the hell am I even bothering with this post? Well, that's because it's goddamn annoying to see all the 'I came here for JenKai' or otherwise judgmental comments on YouTube. To vent, why the hell can't people just be indifferent to things they have no knowledge over? Like, sure, you know one of the two and can say 'Well he/she is such and such trait, but I don't know about him/her', but why badmouth? This is my problem. This is what annoys me.

As far as I'm concerned at this point there's no point in judging these couples anymore, because again for the nth fucking time we do not actually know these people we dedicate our lives to. Sure, you can claim otherwise since we get years of interviews and yeaes of reality shows and years of behind the scenes videos and what the fuck ever, but let's be serious here. We aren't their friends, we aren't their family. What we get is what they chose to show. Of course most idols tend be genuine in terms of trying to show their honest personality or giving factual information, but at the end of the day it's just a video. One video, one clip, one moment in time that does not dictate their entire personality, struggle, interests, or life. That's something I often see people in this fandom forgetting and honestly at this stage of stanning cancel my subscription if we can't be logical about relationship reveals.

That's not to say most fans haven't been. In fact so far I've seen quite the opposite with mostly support, which is cool and something that I'm not use to but thank the gods for it. But there are still some you know what's here and there. They're really not that bothersome in terms of overall big picture whatever, since they are just words on my computer or phone I can click off of and will likely drown in a sea of support. Still, I just want to vent and ramble and maybe point out something that we all already knew for the sake of a friendly(-ish?) reminder. And for that to happen, I too will attempt honesty.

Being real, my first reaction was mostly worry and (negitively concentrated) confusion. Worry for fan reaction over actual puppy Nini. Confusion because how the hell did that happen and why would they get together? It took about half the day, but then I finally used my good sense to reroute my thoughts back to that very important fact. I don't know them. As people, or as a couple. I don't know their everday lives. I, nor you reading, have any right to judge if they are good for one another or not. No matter if opposites actually attract or similar people enter similar love, it is not up to me to decide for them based off what I think I know even if I do want them to be together. I have no right, nor actual authority to do so especially being just a fan. All in all, I am not in this relationship. Neither are you and this applies to you and every other fan out there.

So, basically that's just to say people enter relationships at their own will, as their own people most of the time with knowledge of who their partner is as a person, and it's never any of our business beyond the basic level of having an objevtive opinion that shouldn't affect them (*COUGH COUGH* sending hate messages or death threats *COUGH COUGH*) because we are lucky they even decide to share any of this shit with us. Does that make any sense? Don't know, don't care, I refuse to go reread and edit this just to sound nice. Why? Because I'm probably deleting this, as long as I don't forget. Why? Because I honestly just wanted to talk about how annoying it's going to be reading those 'Jennie get your man'/'Jennie's boyfriend this'/'Kai and Jenny that' and etc type comments over the next few months, but this ended up turning into a whole thing.

But yeah, I find that shit annoying. Mostly because it almost belittles idols, degrading them to only face value in a way because they are 'only' recognized for who they date. It is annoying with them and it was annoying with Bora and Feeldog. And I love these people too much to watch that. Though, of course, I know it is not done in offense. People just like couples and are excited love still exists in the world for their precious idols, I know. I get it. I just hate having to look at an idol and think of their current or past significant other. Feels like I'm doing them a disservice, espscially when they started out as just their original selves that I spent YEARS getting to know but suddently I don't feel like I know them anymore as just that. Their pure, individual selves.

I don't know. My bitch ass is dramatic like this and usually I would never speak on this because I want K-pop to just be good fun despite its dark secrets, questionable concepts, and unfavorable features, but sometimes certain shit just gets annoying. And then I feel the need to rant for months before ranting to non K-pop friends or making a whole post no one asked for. In any case, since we're enjoying a rare rant post specifically centered around couples in the industry, might as well give my opinion on the few funny thing that came out of this.

With the outing of Kai's newest relationship, I can finally say seeing my idols date doesn't feel weird anymore. Usually I would get weeks of a weird mourning type feeling, despite knowing and accepting I won't be with my idols romantically. Which, by the way, I actually prefer since I am gross thank you very much. But like, its just a feeling I usually have. Kind of mourning what can't be, kind of fearing how someone knows a part of them I don't. Yeah, I know it is gross and weird, but again to remibd you I spent years draining life energy just to feel like I 'know' and to feel 'close' to these people so logically its the emotional connection (and lowkey emotional dependence), which is why I always feel I can understand when fans say they get sad or cry once idols start marrying or whatever. But, thank the gods, lately said feelings have been coming and going quicker. I assume its due to most of my idols getting older now and my actually wanting them to find love and create their happy ever afters if possible, especially with most of them wanting to get married and actually wanting kids unlike myself.

Like recently, recently for me being years ago sorry, with both UKISS's Dongwo and Eli having to marry in secret and revealing their sons to the world helped really set those new type of support feels in place for me. Going back and knowing who wants what, I now want themselve to achieve these things. Be it love, a family, or simply something new and/or outside of their idol career (quick cringey magical support hwaiting to my not actual husband Bang Yongguk), I want for them to want these things and to continue wanting normal things. Why? Because they are, hopefully you guessed it, normal human beings. Outside of all the glits and glamour of being an idol, representing their home, and trying too damn hard for fans, they are just people.

As it always goes and as cheesy as it probably sounds by now, just people like you and me. People who want things and feel they need to achieve or have certain things to live a fulfilled life or feel accomplished in life before they die. So, yeah, there ya go. My support got some type of Pokemon upgrade ('Idol's Dreams' I chose you?) and I am annoyed because I can't stop my brain from being reminded of other people in the face of my idols. Rip individuality I guess, until that dies down. Anyway, back to your scrolling. I don't know why this ended being so long.

P.S.: As for the rest of those few funny things (1) I am still salty over the treatment and reaction of Baekhyun/Taehyeon and Kai/Krystal by fans (also dramatic and emotionally leave Krystal alone), (2) Hyuna/E'Dawn, despite being great and hopefully a love revolution that will be real I do think they also handled that situation poorly as far as business goes but I do love and support both in case anyone cared, (3) quick claps for the recent emotional growth of K-pop fans tbh as far as relstionships so far, and (4) for whatevet reason I wasn't expecting people to drag my girl Krystal into this. Usually I'm on top of my game with guessing and predicting, but bless her for the next few (hopefully just) weeks. Being the ex is always annoying as fuck.

#i swear i am actually done now #thanks for coming to my ted talk #(ffs i have been waiting to finally have a reason to use that i am lame bye)#normal tags time warning - aka feel free to move on its just the basic tags from here on #friendly reminder #partially important #kai #kim jongin #exo #jenny #(wtf i had to google for her full name sorry reminder i am casual fan but is it not jenny?)#jennie #jennie kim #(do i also type kim jennie...?)#kim jennie #blackpink #(do i add yongguk even tho this isnt at all about him?)

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dpargyle · 7 years ago

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Thoughts on the Last Jedi

OMGs so many spoilers!!!!! Also it gets a lil NSFW and super dweeby at the end…. (proceed at your own risk)

So I just got back from The Last Jedi and -

I have so many EMOTIONS!!!

Lemme at least attempt to go through this chronologically…

“The First Order reigns.” I got goosebumps from that opening sentence of the opening crawl. It was like, yup – pretty much the feeling in the real world rn too hahahaha *sobs*

That whole opening space battle scene – ahhhh!!!! I loved so much about it – I especially loved how quickly Rian Johnson (the writer/director) was able to establish Paige Tico’s character – make the audience care about her and then boom she’s gone and I knew she was a goner as soon as they introduced her at Celebration but still it hit me right in the feels – like damn the sacrifices the Resistance is forced to make

At long last we got back to Rey and Luke on Ahch-To and I love how he doesn’t even say anything – he just flips the lightsaber over his shoulder like “thanks, I hate this!”

And then Rey follows him around like an adorable lost puppy for days and days and days and I was like awwww!

Speaking of which – I really liked how Daisy Ridley played Rey this time around – not so naïve (although I loved happy go-lucky, plucky Rey from the Force Awakens) – but she’s grown now – she’s seen some shit – and so as a result her character is a little more galaxy-wise and wary – which I think fits – though we see some of that lighter Rey sprinkled throughout the narrative – the “reach out” moment which I thought was pretty damn hilarious…

As for the new characters – oh my – how I love Rose. She’s this fan girl who’s suddenly grieving and then one of her heroes shows up and she’s all ready to fangirl but then he severely disappoints her but she doesn’t even hesitate – she stuns him – like yeah, she’s excitable and incredibly sad but she’s still gonna do her damn job and I loved it. And we see her grow and mature throughout the film and learn to trust Finn again – and the end where she saves him and then she says “we can’t fight what we hate – we have to save what we love” and then she snogs him and I was like HELLLS YES! What a bad. Ass. Character.. I love her. #protec I already liked the sorts of things Kelly Marie Tran was saying from the press tour – but she brought this character to life and now I have EMOTIONS.

So yeah, I’m totally on the FinnRose ship now since Disney are cowards and Stormpilot is never gonna be a thing ☹ (though I did appreciate when Finn and Poe finally meet up again Finn literally squirts on Finn lmao (I’m sorry I have a dirty mind!) so I think that’s the closest we’re ever gonna get hahaha)

I loved how Canto Bight really illustrated this incredible gap between rich and poor – so similar in our own world right now – and Rose’s rage at this injustice – “I just wanna punch straight through this beautiful, ugly terrible town.” (First off – what a line. Second off that sounds like something Leslie Knope might say hahahaha) Rose was given some of the best and most poignant lines.

Also – the focus on the little children slaves – fuck, that was crushing. And the Fathiers – how their coats were bleeding from the whips and the lashes – damn all so heartbreaking. I’ll get back to the little slave boy at the end – as I think there’s so much going on in that final scene.

Back to the Force montage on Ahch-To with Luke & Rey – damn I love how Johnson elaborated on the Force – showing us what Rey was seeing – such beauty. Such resonance. Kinda reminded me of those BBC nature documentaries (The Planet, etc…) – the beauty and savagery of nature – personified in the Force – ughh so frikken powerful.

As for Luke – his scene with Artoo was the best. Artoo shows him young Leia pleading for Obi-Wan and Luke’s all like “you’re not playing fair” and Artoo basically gives him this shit eating grin and oh gods so good – this is why Artoo continues to be my fave. Character. He is the best. Doesn’t even have to say anything. Like yes! Damn! Ughhh!

Then Luke’s scene with Yoda’s force ghost!!! As soon as you saw that little profile and the ears I was internally going like !@@!#$%&^%!@#$%%@$ and then he just blows up the tree like HaShem in Exodus and you’re like lmao – and he literally tells Luke “Rey has all the knowledge from the Jedi Texts with her already” – then if you fast forward all the way to the very end of the movie when everyone is on the Falcon – Finn is rummaging through a bunch of drawers and if you blinked you missed them – but the texts were in there! Rey up and stole them hahaha – amazing! And Yoda knew too! Ugghhhhhhh I love these characters!

Alright. Now on to the really big stuff.

Holy crap. Snoke is dead. HAHAHAHA! Ren turned out to be the BIG BAD of this trilogy. I guess I shoulda seen that coming, but tbh I was absolutely gut-wrenched. I thought he and Rey would join forces and become gray force users and have babies and it would be beautiful, but it was not to be. When they were fighting Snoke’s red guards I thought that would happen but then Ren is so full of hate and greed he can’t see anything else – he’s dead inside. He can’t see a path to redemption. He doesn’t even ask for forgiveness.

Yes, I know – for the last several months I have been a Reylo. I really wanted them to get together. And when they were force-touching hands I really thought they would – but then this asshole goes and

Decides to tell Rey she’s nothing???? Like what? No. No, no, no. You don’t tell someone they’re trash but they mean everything to you. Like I sorta get what he’s trying to say but he’s being super manipulative. Is that what gaslighting is?

Like fine you murdered Han Solo. You blew up Akbar. AKBAR! But you will not insult Rey. No. That is crossing a line. Maybe he wasn’t even consciously doing it – maybe he thought he was praising her – but really he was just trying to convince her she’s nothing without him. He allowed his rage to rule him.

I’m sorry people who still might see them together – but I no longer do. Rey doesn’t need Kylo’s bullshit. She gave him a chance at redemption and he denied her. She realized she can’t save him – and I think that’s an incredibly valuable lesson to teach young girls.

I’m sorry if that offends some people on the Tumblrs – and you’re totally entitled to your opinion – I’m not gonna be a dick about it (it’s not my way) – but respect that I’ve changed my mind.

As a side note – I think it’s kind of hilarious how whoever the hell Snoke was and who Rey’s parents were don’t even matter! All those theories! All the mental anguish we put into discovering how everything connects to older characters! But it doesn’t. Ha! We deserve it!

Luke made a mistake trying to take out Kylo, no doubt, but Kylo has to be responsible for his own actions. I think that’s what Johnson was trying to say – sure he might have been neglected, abused, and then manipulated by Snoke – but ultimately he had the power to choose – and like so many young men in this day and age – Ben has chosen hate. Rey has chosen hope.

And I choose Rey’s path.

The darkness might reign right now. But the light is strong. And it can burn in us all, if only we allow it to ignite within us.

Sure, the Jedi have a legacy of failure. But as Yoda said, “Failure is the best teacher.” Don’t I know it. Failure is painful. Failure sucks. But that doesn’t mean we burn it all down. We can rebuild. We can grow. We can make new the old.

The Jedi can live again.

And that gives me great hope, kids.

Great Hope.

And now, Luke and Leia.

I….

I can’t even…

This woulda been emotional enough with Carrie Fisher still with us – but now that she’s gone…

“Nobody’s really gone.” – Luke. That last conversation – just the two of them – Oh man, I’m not a crier but sometimes I wish I was. So powerful. So important. So cathartic. Funny. Sad. Bittersweet reconciliation. Imperfect people, imperfect goodbye – but a perfect scene.

I feel like we all needed that. Or I did anyway.

And then….Luke dies.

Luke dies?

Luke Skywalker. Is gone.

What? No! How?

Feels like I’ve known him my whole life – cuz I have. Like he’s a real person and the myth he became all at once. Who was one of the ones who taught us the power of forgiveness. To let go of hate.

And now he’s gone?

I know, I know, I sound ridiculous – he’s not a real person and it’s just a movie and you’re probably all rolling your eyes and saying “bundles you’re being such a dweeb rn” but damn it! stories matter. Characters matter. Words matter. Words have power.

Star Wars is a great myth of our time. The saga of the Skywalkers is our Arthuriana. From Anakin to Rey – this is our Trojan War. Luke is our Achilles.

And now he’s gone? When he disappeared watching those two setting suns (gods what great cinematography) it was like a gut punch. Like fuuuuuuuuuuuuck what now?

How do we go on?

I think Johnson gives us an answer – look to the past – look to the future – to the balance – to the cycle –

Which brings me to that final poignant scene -

The slave boy on Canto Bight. As with Anakin Skywalker all those years ago – he’s a force user (pulling that broom to his hand ala Mickey Mouse in Fantasia) and he’s staring up at the stars and dreaming….he embodies, with his phoenix-inspired Rebel insignia ring – the rebirth of hope – of the rebellion – of the resistance – of the beautiful broken dream that were the Jedi – he is Johnson. He is all of us. From Anakin all the way to this slave boy. And the story repeats. The cycle continues.

The myth lives on. Hope lives on. And if the myth lives on, well then so does Luke – “nobody’s really gone…”

I love Star Wars.

I love stories.

#star wars #sw #the last jedi #tlj #last jedi #rey #luke #luke skywalker #leia #carrie fisher #anakin #myths #mythology #rian johnson #luminous beings & bad feelings

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gleam-blog · 5 years ago

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“Taming of The Alpha”

A 10-Minute play

By:

J.T. Espino

T.M. Kabiling

K.S. Ocampo

F.M. Sales

J. Simon

CHARACTERS

Simon Adler – 20 years old. President of Alpha Beta Max.

Fiona Boyle – 19 years old. President of MARIA

Julian Sprouse – 19 years old. Vice President of Alpha Beta Max. Best friend of Simon. Has a fling with Reese.

Reese Gogh – 20 years old. Vice President of MARIA. Best friend of Fiona. Has a fling with Julian

TIME

This time is in year 2019

PLACE

Maxwell University in Padua

SCENE 1

Morning. Boulevard of Maxwell University. There are booths set up for the club fair. The organizations Alpha Beta Max and MARIA’s booths are facing each other. MARIA giving out flyers. Boys enter

ALPHA BETA MAX

(chanting very loud)

Alpha Beta Max, Alpha Beta Max, Alpha Beta Max!

At this moment, JULIAN arrives, followed immediately by SIMON. JULIAN conducts the lead cheering.

JULIAN

Be cool, be a beta brother and strengthen each other.

SIMON

(nonchalantly)

Relax, guys. let them come to us.

FIONA

Tch, men. They’re just noisy good-for-nothings. Hi, join MARIA and end patriarchy together. Beware of those low college men.

Boys found their way roaming around the boulevard. SIMON overheard MARIA’s President, FIONA. He goes near MARIA’s booth with a loathsome grin

SIMON

(smirks)

Do I really affect you that much? Try focusing on your “organization” instead of swooning over us.

He backs up pretending to drop a mic. He forgets that his boys already left

FIONA

(exasperates)

Excuse me, how can anyone like such cocky guys like you?

From the other booth, college girls spotted SIMON. FIONA turns to the squealing girls

COLLEGE GIRLS

Oh. My. God! It’s Simon Adler! I’d totally hit that.

SIMON

You were saying?

FIONA hesitant to turn back to SIMON, starts clenching fists. REESE approaches and grabs FIONA’S arm away

REESE

(calmly)

Fiona, let him be. C’mon, let’s go

JULIAN comes from the nearby booth. He approaches SIMON

JULIAN

(kinky)

Hey, bro! Whatchu doin’ out here? What’s up with these la…dies.

JULIAN and REESE make eye contact. REESE tilts her head and widens her eyes.

REESE

Why don’t you go and take some rest? I’ll take care of this.

Everyone exits. REESE and JULIAN meet at the alley far from the booths.

REESE

What was that all about? Why are you with Simon?

JULIAN

What about you? Why are you with Fiona? Don’t tell me that you’re part of MARIA?

REESE

(fiercely)

What about it? At least, I’m not in a stupid group like Alpha Beta Max!

JULIAN

(offended)

What do you mean stupid? It’s my group!

REESE

Then, why didn’t I hear about this last summer?

JULIAN

(replies softly)

So, what do we do now? What about us?

REESE

I don’t know, Julian. I don’t think it’s possible with our situation right now.

REESE steps back and leaves JULIAN alone. REESE exits

JULIAN

(Obnoxiously nodding whilst talking to himself)

I need to do something about this. I have to make this work.

SCENE 2

Evening. Alpha Beta Max fraternity house. JULIAN and SIMON drinking their usual away from the other boys who were playing on their XBOX

JULIAN

(befuddles)

Fuck, bro. Who were you with a while ago? Damn, they’re gor-hor-geous, man! Isn’t she a catch? But she’s from MARIA.

SIMON

(baffles)

Yeah, bro. But that girl, you’re talking about is hell of a shrew.

JULIAN

Well yeah? You’ll have to find out yourself if you shoot your shot, ain’t it? But bro, you’re a ladies’ man, would you let her ruin your reputation?

SIMON

What’s the point? It’s a waste of my time. Ugh, I don’t have to prove anything to her and you.

JULIAN

Oh man, ya’ just gonna let them define us – just boys?! You should show them that we are more than “just boys”. We are Alpha Beta Max. Are you just gonna settle for words?

SIMON

Okay fine! I’ll do it. I am doing this for my Alpha Beta Max brothers. Nothing more, nothing less.

JULIAN

(mirthfully)

Yes! That’s my man. We are rooting for you!

Boys wooed even if they didn’t know what was it about. Everyone exits.

SCENE 3

Morning. Library. FIONA is reading a book. SIMON approaches her.

SIMON

(flirty)

The Feminine Mystique. It suits you, strong and opinionated.

FIONA

(disrupted, annoyed)

What are you doing here? Are you here to yet again feed your male ego?

SIMON

Why do I need to feed my ego when girls do it for me?

FIONA

(exasperated then angrily replies)

Ugh! The audacity! You men are so full of yourselves like you think that women live for your needs and women can’t live without you. You think you can play with wo-

SIMON

Relax! Okay? Why do you hate men so much huh?

FIONA

For your information, it’s not that I hate men. We’re merely asking for equal opportunities. This fight is not about our pride, it’s about helping our fellow women fight for themselves. We seek nothing but mutual respect.

SIMON

(softly)

Well, that made me feel bad. I know I haven’t been really nice to you. It’s just that I didn’t realize the depth of your cause. To make it up to you, how about we grab some ice cream?

FIONA

(hesitant)

Hm, okay? But make sure that this isn’t just one of your schemes.

SIMON

Of course! See you tomorrow?

SCENE 4

Morning. Hallway of Maxwell University. JULIAN and SIMON already settled in Hallways, talks whilst fixing stuff inside their lockers.

JULIAN

Hey, bro! I heard you went out with the shrew last night. So, how was it?

SIMON

(nonchalantly)

Yeah, it turned out really well and by the way don’t call her a shrew, she’s not like that.

JULIAN

(confounded)

What do you mean?

SIMON

(dreamy)

She’s actually really nice… and really smart.

FIONA enters without the knowledge of the boys and she listens

JULIAN

(giddy)

So, don’t tell me you like Fiona, already.

SIMON

(laughs)

No, bro.

JULIAN

(unamused)

The way I see it, you still need to work on the bet. She needs to fall head over heels for you.

Fiona is shocked with what she heard. She tries to run away and Simon sees her and grabs her in the arm.

SIMON

(shocked)

Fiona, wait, it’s not what you think it is.

FIONA

Then what is it Simon? I thought you were different and you actually understood me.

SIMON

Don’t get mad.

FIONA

(aggravated)

I’m not mad at you. I’m just disappointed because I thought that this was finally the start of a good relationship between us.

FIONA walks away but SIMON did not try to chase her. FIONA then entered the organization room with disappointment on her face. She heavily puts her things down and REESE enters and notices her immediately

SCENE 5

REESE

Hey, is everything alright? Seems like you had a rough day.

FIONA

(furious and disappointed)

Guess what? Those boys from Alpha Beta Max? They bet on me. Men really think they have the right to objectify women and treat us as toys. And I'm actually disappointed with myself for thinking they were changing.

REESE

(befuddles)

What? Bet on you? Is it Simon and Julian?

FIONA

(confounded)

Yes, how’d you know?

REESE storms out immediately to the corridor and Julian approaches her.

REESE

(angrily)

So, this was the thing you planned on doing and you thought it was a good plan, huh?

JULIAN

I just thought that if our leaders are in good terms, then we could be together.

REESE

(furious)

But Fiona had nothing to do with this and you treated her as something you can play with. What you did was wrong no matter how you look at it.

JULIAN

I know it was a bad idea. I'm sorry, Reese. What can I do to make it up to you?

REESE leaves JULIAN alone in the hallway. Everyone exits. Enter JULIAN who calls SIMON and tells him to meet him at the fraternity house.

SCENE 6

SIMON

(anxiously pacing)

Shit man! We are so screwed up. Fiona’s mad at me and I don’t know what to do because I actually started to have feelings for her. What a stupid bet.

JULIAN

I know. I screwed up too. I schemed this whole thing for Reese and I to be together. I met her this summer and things have been going great until we realized we were in opposing groups. Now she’s mad at me too. This whole thing’s a mess.

SIMON

What? This basically means that we’re in the same situation. What do we even do now?

JULIAN

I don’t know, try and win their hearts back? Just trust me on this. This whole thing’s my fault and I’m gonna try and fix it myself.

SCENE 7

Morning. Hallway of Maxwell University. JULIAN approaches REESE’s locker and leaves flowers and chocolates inside. REESE reaches her locker and sees Julian.

REESE

(baffles)

What do you think you’re doing here? Why are you leaving your trash in my locker?

JULIAN

(confused)

What do you mean trash? Don’t you like flowers and chocolates? Come on. I got these for you.

REESE

(fiercely)

Do you really think I’m that shallow? Flowers and chocolates aren’t gonna cut it, Julian.

SIMON

Hey, Fiona. You saw what I got for you?

FIONA

Yes. Don’t ever give me those trash again. You can’t even sincerely apologize.

Eveyone exits. Bleachers of the school’s soccer field. SIMON and JULIAN enters

SCENE 8

SIMON

(unhappily reports)

What a plan, Julian. It failed again.

JULIAN

(abrasively replies)

Well, I don’t know what else to do! I thought they were gonna appreciate it!

SIMON

(alacritous)

You know what, after spending some time with Fiona, I actually now understand them. We need to apologize. Let’s do this for real.

SCENE 9

Morning. Auditorium of Maxwell University, filled with the entire student body, graduation stuff everywhere. JULIAN enters and walks towards SIMON

JULIAN

(nonchalantly asks)

Hey, man. You ready? It’s gonna be a long ass speech.

SIMON

(nervously replies)

I’m not, but here goes nothing.

SIMON, JULIAN, FIONA, and REESE together with the other seniors of Maxwell University march on the red carpet as a part of the graduation rites. The principal calls SIMON to deliver his speech as the president of Alpha Beta Max.

SIMON

(holds the microphone with confidence and pride)

To end my speech, as the president of Alpha Beta Max, I would like to formally apologize to the members of MARIA for ignoring their causes as an organization. This school year, I have had the opportunity to know the president of MARIA. After spending sometime with her, I finally realized the importance of their organization. It promotes equality and helps many women around the world. MARIA truly makes a difference. Alpha Beta Max supports MARIA and their endeavors.

JULIAN gets close and sits beside REESE. Turns to REESE

JULIAN

Heard the speech? I took part in writing that.

REESE

(laughs)

Oh, really? Quite good then. I guess you’re sorry?

JULIAN

(smiles slyly)

I was about to apologize! I’m sorry, Reese.

SIMON descends from the stage. FIONA goes to the backstage and approaches SIMON.

FIONA

Nice speech you got there.

SIMON

(scratches the back of his head)

Really? Is it alright?

FIONA

(nods and smiles)

SIMON

(nervously clears his throat and gently holds Fiona’s hand)

Look, Fiona. I’m really sorry for what happened. What I did is inexcusable. But despite that, I’d like you to know that what you saw in me was real. This time, if you give me the chance, I want to get to know you more.

FIONA

(looks at Simon’s eyes)

No secrets this time?

SIMON

(smiles with certainty)

No secrets this time.

THE END

Photo Credit: Touchstone Pictures.

#CreWrite #GroupScript10MinPlay

0 notes

dotshiiki · 7 years ago

Text

CoL, chpt 6

VI: ANNABETH

Annabeth turned the page of the book in front of her. The first sentence on the new page didn't make any sense. A few seconds later, she turned back to the previous page, realising that she hadn't really taken any of it in. If only the book was in Greek. It would have made reading so much easier. Then again, at least Latin was better than English.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been in the library already; long enough that the words were beginning to blur before her eyes.

She'd begged Reyna to get her a pass to the senate library—the greatest treasure trove of knowledge that New Rome had to offer—and since receiving it, she'd spent practically every waking hour here, waiting by the entrance at opening time and leaving only when the custodian chased her out at night. She'd cut classes and even missed an assignment deadline, but she didn't care. She could catch up on stuff she missed at school, retake the module next semester if need be.

But if she didn't find a solution to help Percy…

Everyone had a different opinion about it. Jason's advice was to give him space, that telling Percy too much would just overwhelm him. He'd told Annabeth about the confusion he'd felt when he'd awoken on the Wilderness School bus with everyone having Mist-induced false memories about him.

'Everyone was trying to push these memories on me and I knew it didn't feel right. It was especially hard with Piper expecting something from me. Even though I liked her, I just couldn't let myself get close to her.'

It was sensible advice and Annabeth was trying to follow it, trying not to push too much on Percy too soon. It wasn't easy, though, when everything she said or did was so entwined with him. She hadn't even realised how automatically she filled in his sentences, or referenced things they'd done together. Not until he winced or pulled away every time she did it.

Frank thought showing Percy places that had been important to him would make an impact, but so far none of their regular haunts in New Rome had jogged Percy's memory. Hazel felt he needed to get back into a routine and she'd gotten him back at the university, except he'd completely overhauled his course load. Piper thought they should just have faith that Percy's memories would eventually return on their own, but the thought of waiting, doing nothing, was simply untenable. Annabeth had even contacted Chiron, who had warned her that it was possible Percy would never remember the past.

'Maybe it would be better to forge a new future,' her old mentor told her gently.

But Annabeth couldn't let it be. Beyond how badly it hurt when Percy looked at her like she was a stranger, the clincher was the Iris-message conversation they'd had with his family a few days ago. The way he'd recoiled when Tyson had appeared in the rainbow, making the big guy's eye well up with tears; the brave look on Sally's face that barely masked the pain when her son didn't recognise her.

Annabeth had promised Sally she would fix it, and she was determined to do so.

After all, it had been her fault: Percy had gotten in the way of an attack on her. And it was her nepenthe recipe that had gotten him lost and captured by that damn empousa.

Annabeth fingered the bronze pendant in her pocket, a spoil of war she'd ended up with after she'd stabbed the empousa in Phoenix. She had no logical use for it, but she'd kept it for some reason. She kept carrying it with her like it might point her to an answer.

So far, it hadn't.

A shadow fell over her, blocking the light. Annabeth looked up to see Reyna standing before her, concern stamped across her face.

'Annabeth, you need a break.'

'I need to find an answer,' Annabeth insisted.

Reyna shook her head and put her hands on the book, covering the page Annabeth was trying to read. 'I bet you aren't even absorbing whatever you're reading any more.'

Annabeth wanted to protest, but Reyna was right. She'd read the paragraph on the page at least three times and she still couldn't say what it was about.

'Lay off the research for the afternoon,' Reyna said. 'Come have coffee with me.' When Annabeth didn't agree right away, Reyna raised her eyebrows. 'Don't forget who got you your library pass.'

Annabeth raised her hands in surrender and let Reyna march her out into the bright sunshine.

OoOoO

If there was one thing cafés in New Rome did well, it was coffee. But Annabeth barely tasted hers that afternoon.

'Earth to Annabeth,' Reyna said, waving a hand in front of her.

'Huh?' Annabeth sat her cup down in its saucer.

'You're still thinking about Percy, aren't you? You seriously need to get your mind off him. I know what it's like to get too focused on a problem. You'll just end up going in circles around it.'

'I can't help it,' Annabeth said. 'You don't know how awful it is. It's like, when we pass each other in the apartment, he can't even look at me. And I know he wants his memories back, but he needs it to come from himself, not from us. He doesn't even trust me any more.' Her voice cracked on the last sentence. This was it, the real reason she couldn't just let things be and start again from scratch with Percy.

He wasn't starting from a clean slate. That damn empousa had fed him a pack of lies and now the sum of his experience was being lied to and tricked. It was no wonder he was suspicious of everything anyone said to him. She would have been, in his position. But it also meant that one of his most endearing qualities, the one that annoyed her no end sometimes, but which she still loved so much about him, had been lost.

Percy was the kid who had trusted Tyson and Bob the Titan and seen the best in them. The man who was willing to give people the benefit of the doubt, a chance to prove themselves. Seeing him look at everyone now like they were his enemy unless proven otherwise—it broke her heart.

'I worry that if we don't fix this, he won't be Percy any more. He'll be…I don't know. Perseus. This bitter guy who thinks the world is out to get him.' Her breath hitched as she said it, remembering another friend whom she had lost that way.

Would Percy become like Luke—cold, bitter, and angry? She knew Percy held the same potential for darkness inside of him. She'd seen glimpses of it before. But his faith in others had always overpowered his dark side.

'He's in one of my classes, you know,' Reyna said. 'Greek mythology.'

'Seriously?'

'Yeah. It's a rubbish class—I took it thinking it'd be good to know more, what with the exchange programme and stuff, but the lecturer's crap. I was going to drop it, but now that Percy's in it, maybe I'll stick around and keep an eye on him.'

'Would you?'

'Sure. Though I don't think he trusts me any more than you. The first day he came to class, he saw me but he went straight to the other side of the room. I guess he thought I was trouble.' Reyna's mouth twisted in a wry smile. 'He still has good instincts.'

Annabeth managed a short laugh. 'Still, at least you can see how he's doing. it's hard for me to keep tabs on him while trying to give him space at the same time. I really want to know how he's coping with everything, but I'm starting to feel like a stalker every time I check up on him.'

They finished their coffee and Annabeth noticed for the first time that hers tasted off. 'There was milk in this,' she said, frowning.

Reyna laughed. 'You took my latte by accident and you didn't even realise.'

'Oh my gods, I'm sorry!'

'It's fine. Looks like you need more than just a coffee break. I was thinking of going to the sword-fighting arena for some practice. You should come. I could do with a decent sparring partner.'

Annabeth traced the rim of her coffee cup. 'I don't know. I should get back to the—'

'If you say library, I'm going to deck you. When was the last time you got some practice in?'

'Well, I didn't have any phys ed credits this term because I couldn't squeeze them in with all my electives, so Percy and I were just keeping up practice on our own. Except the last two weeks, he's been…'

Reyna nodded. 'You're definitely coming with me, then.'

OoOoO

There was a class going on that afternoon so the sword-fighting arena was crowded with students doing practice rounds with wooden swords, but there was one field free. Annabeth and Reyna claimed it and started with a warm-up round, sparring lightly with no serious attempt at attack, just getting into the rhythm of things. Annabeth's drakon-bone sword met Reyna's Imperial gold blade with a satisfying clang. Her focus narrowed to her footwork, her thrusts, and the movements of her opponent. She let her instincts take over, pushing her worries and stress out of her mind.

Reyna was right. She needed this release.

'Ready to go?' Reyna asked.

Annabeth nodded, looking forward to the match now. Sparring with Reyna was always a challenge since they were usually quite well-matched, having both been one of the best their respective camps had to offer.

Just as they took their positions, Annabeth happened to glance over at the other students. The instructor had evidently directed their attention towards Annabeth and Reyna, probably using them as a handy demonstration. Annabeth's eyes travelled over the gathered students and her gaze fell on a thin face framed with the shock of black hair that she would know anywhere.

Percy was here.

Reyna's blow almost caught her unawares. Annabeth parried at the last minute and nearly stumbled, her footwork clumsy in her distraction. She heard gasps from the watching students and gritted her teeth, angry at her own lapse in concentration. She threw herself back into the fight, but Reyna was too skilled for her to overcome such an egregious early error. She went down embarrassingly quickly.

To her credit, Reyna didn't talk down to her with a 'good one!' or any display of sympathy. 'Come on, Chase,' she said, 'that was rubbish.'

'Sorry,' Annabeth said. 'Again?'

They exchanged positions and bowed. This time, Annabeth threw herself into the match, pushing Percy out of her mind completely. She used every battle reflex she possessed, cataloguing Reyna's approach and strike style, matching every blow with her own thrusts and parries. Her footwork was quick and steady. About a minute in, she found her opening and struck at the base of Reyna's sword, using a twist that Luke had taught her a long time ago.

The Imperial gold weapon clattered out of Reyna's hand. Annabeth lunged forward and pressed the point of her sword to Reyna's chest.

'Yield!'

Reyna raised her hands in surrender. Annabeth withdrew her sword. She was breathing hard and sweating, but her head no longer felt tight and tense.

There was a smattering of applause from the watching students and their instructor. They dispersed to the other fields to practice, but Percy hung back. He had a speculative look on his face, his eyes scrunched up as they always did when he was contemplating something. She thought for a second—hoped, maybe—that he might come forward to speak to them, but then he retreated and re-joined his group.

It stung, but there was something else about it. Something in the way he looked at her jogged a distant memory—thirteen-year-old Percy scrunching up his face in concentration as he tried to learn something she was teaching him. Constellations, maybe? No, planets—she'd been teaching him a mnemonic to put them in order: My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas.

'I can definitely remember that one,' Percy had said. 'I just have to remember that there's nine of them.'

'Well, think of it this way: it's a mnemonic, and Mnemosyne gave birth to the nine Muses,' she'd told him.

One of the passages she'd read in the library earlier drifted into her mind: Asclepius and Mnemosyne were often linked in prayer, invoking the process of memory in healing.

Mnemosyne, the Titaness of memory. Wasn't there a myth about her pool in Hades? Something about drinking from two springs at the same time…

'Oh my gods,' Annabeth said.

'What?' Reyna asked.

'I know where to look. The answer was at home all along.'

'What are you talking about?'

'The nepenthe—the potion we made for Percy. There must have been a missing ingredient, but I didn't realise, because it was from a different source! Reyna—thank you. You were right, this helped. But I need to go now.'

She had to find Nico di Angelo.

OoOoO

Annabeth pulled on her jacket. It was a warm night, especially for October, but she expected the Underworld might be chilly. Maybe. It had been a long time since she'd been there.

Unless you counted Tartarus, which she didn't. Anyone who'd been there could testify that it was a whole different realm from Hades's kingdom.

Hope had been fluttering like a wild bird in her chest since Nico had agreed to take her. She'd pulled out every source she could find on the Mnemosyne—some said it was a pool; others a spring, or a river—and there was even an entire religion based upon it. Although she hadn't managed to connect it definitively to the nepenthe, that recipe had been a closely guarded secret. It made sense that Helen of Troy hadn't penned all the ingredients—maybe she'd even left out the key one to mislead others.

She wondered if she should tell Percy what she was doing. She didn't want to get his hopes up, though. Maybe after they visited Mnemosyne, if they got their answers, if it really worked…well, they'd have to get him to drink it, ultimately. Would he trust them enough to try?

But she'd worry about that later, after they succeeded.

Just as she was about to leave the apartment, Percy emerged from his room.

'Annabeth?'

She blinked in surprise. It was the last thing she'd expected. Percy hadn't initiated a conversation with her since they'd brought him back from Arizona.

'Um,' she said stupidly. 'Yeah?'

'I was, er…' His face scrunched up again, making a familiar crease in his forehead. Annabeth resisted the urge to reach out and smooth it with her thumb. 'I saw you fighting today.'

'Oh.' Annabeth wasn't sure how to respond. Should she mention that she had noticed him?

'You're really good.'

'Thanks. You're actually not bad yourself.' The words came out before she could bite them back. She winced. Once again, she'd dropped more information about him—information he'd been solidly rejecting when it came from her.

Percy ignored her slip, though. 'Um, I have a favour to ask.' He reached into his pocket and brought out a pen she knew well.

Riptide. She hadn't seen it since the fight with Hipponoe.

Percy fiddled with the cap, but didn't flick it off. Probably a good thing. Terminus had long since given up on making Percy deposit it at the city boundaries—nothing really stopped it from reforming in his pocket—but he'd come down harder than Zeus's master bolt if he caught Percy uncapping it inside the Pomerian line. 'I thought maybe you could teach me how to use a sword.'

'Oh,' Annabeth said again. Her heart, already aflutter with hope at finding a cure for Percy's memory loss, went completely insane.

'Look, you don't have to if you don't want to,' Percy said quickly. 'It's just that, I wasn't really getting much from my class today, and I thought I might as well make the most of living with a real sword-fighting pro.'

'No, I mean, yes, I can teach you.' She tried not to sound too eager. 'Tomorrow?'

'Cool,' he said. 'Um. Later, then.'

Annabeth smiled. 'See you later, Percy.'

It wasn't until she got to the barracks to meet Nico that she realised it was the first time he hadn't corrected her for calling him Percy instead of Perseus.

Warmth spread from her heart throughout her chest. It was a step.

OoOoO

'I hope this works,' said Nico, squinting at the cave system on the western edge of the Underworld. 'Percy's weird as Perseus.'

'I hope so, too.'

'I think that's the one,' he said, pointing. Annabeth couldn't see how this particular cave was different from the others, but Nico probably knew best. They approached the entrance, carved into the dark volcanic rock. The temperature dipped ten degrees when they crossed the threshold. Annabeth shivered, glad she'd thought to bring her jacket.

The pool lay in a round depression at the centre of the cave. At its edge was a series of altars, ten in total, all made of pure white marble and each bearing a flame. Their flickering light danced over the surface of the pool, creating shadows that shifted continuously in its depths. The middle altar was the highest, shaped like a jagged mountaintop. The others each bore a different carved symbol: a writing tablet, a flute, a lyre, a wreath of myrtle. At the second-last altar, represented by a bugle, a girl wearing a Greek chiton, laced boots, and an ivy wreath in her wispy hair was tending the fire.

'Mnemosyne?' Annabeth asked.

'Great Olympus, no!' said the girl, shuddering. 'Please don't mistake me for my mom. That's like, gross.'

'Sorry. You must be—'

She turned to them with an impish look on her round face. 'Thalia. Muse of comedy, at your service. Are either of you looking for a good laugh?'

'Not particularly,' Nico said. 'We're looking for your mother.'

'What do you want with her? Seriously, she's boring. And old.'

'Aren't you like three thousand years old?' Annabeth pointed out.

'Yeah, but mom's three thousand and thirty.'

'Thalia!' Mnemosyne emerged, sliding out of a crevice in the cave wall that Annabeth hadn't even noticed. 'I should snip off your disrespectful tongue.'

Thalia poked the offending appendage at her mother. Mnemosyne crossed her arms and stared at Annabeth and Nico. Unlike her plump daughter, she was tall and thin, with thick bronze hair. Her expression was the very definition of resting bitch face: grumpy pursed lips and bored-looking eyes.

'Son of Hades,' she noted, 'and a daughter of Athena. Well, what do you need to remember?'

'How did you know—'

Mnemosyne rolled her eyes. 'Everyone who comes here wants to remember something. That's all anyone prays to me for now. Time was, I'd get sacrifices for poetry and healing and clarity of vision, but noooo, now it's just "Mnemosyne, I need to remember where I put my keys," or "Mnemosyne, can you come up with a good way to memorise the periodic table?"'

'Well, you did let Calliope and Erato handle the poets,' Thalia said.

'I know that!' Mnemosyne snapped. 'I remember.'

'We're here for healing,' Annabeth said quickly. 'I know about your collaboration with Asclepius. The ancient Greeks prayed to both of you together.'

'Those were the days,' Mnemosyne agreed. 'What is it you need, then?'

'Your pool—we were hoping it would bring back lost memories.'

'Lost memories, huh?' Mnemosyne glided over to the edge of her pool. She put one finger in it and stirred the waters. The surface rippled and Annabeth saw, to her surprise, her father peering down at a baby in a golden basket. Mnemosyne stirred again and the image changed to a young Nico running hand-in-hand across a cobblestone path with an olive-skinned girl—his sister, Bianca. Nico paled and swallowed hard.

'Which one of you is searching, then?' Mnemosyne asked.

'Neither,' Annabeth said. She explained about Percy and his predicament. Mnemosyne's expression didn't change, but her eyes seemed slightly sadder.

'And you heard about the pool's power to recover memories,' Mnemosyne said. 'It's not untrue, but there's a procedure to follow.'

'Well, whatever it is, we can do it!'

Mnemosyne shook her head. 'You don't understand. This is a pool, not a river. It does not mingle with the waters of the Lethe. The only way to use my pool to retrieve memories that the Lethe has taken is to drink from it before you drink from the Lethe.'

Annabeth's heart plummeted to her knees. 'Surely there's something you can do?'

Thalia clasped her hands together. 'Come on, Mom, her story's so tragic. Let's make it happier.'

'He drank Lethe mixed with nectar,' Nico added. 'Would that change anything?'

Mnemosyne considered this for a moment. It would be better if he had drank Lethe mixed with water from the spring of memory. But perhaps…' She crossed to the centre altar and placed her hand over the burning flame. After a few seconds, a small vial materialised in it. Mnemosyne plucked it out of the fire and brought it over to Annabeth and Nico.

'This is the most purified of my pool's waters,' she said. 'Mix two parts with one part nectar and let it steep for three days. That's the most potent cure I can offer. Perhaps if your friend's memories have not yet flowed all the way to Chaos, it may work.'

Annabeth clasped the vial to her heart. 'Thank you,' she said fervently.

'Yes, well, it's nice to be asked for something more meaningful these days. One does get sick of all the prayers about rote memorisation…' She shuddered. 'Thalia, did you remember to clean your altar?'

With the abrupt change in subject, Annabeth guessed she and Nico were dismissed. As they left the cave, she heard Thalia complaining, 'Yes, mom, stop nagging.'

'Well, remember that century you neglected it?'

'Mom, that was millennia ago! And besides, Melpomene said she'd cover for me.'

'And you saw what happened—all the Greeks ever wrote from that era was tragedy.'

'I'm going to take it as a good sign that we ran into the Muse of comedy instead of the Muse of tragedy,' Nico commented.

Annabeth laughed. 'Thanks, Nico. Let's hope this works.'

OoOoO

Even without Mnemosyne's potion, things were already looking up. Percy seemed to take their agreement to practise sword-fighting as a peace offering, and their interactions at home were less stilted. He wasn't exactly opening up to Annabeth yet, but he did appear in the common areas more often, helping himself to the big pot of coffee she made in the morning and even popping into the living room for a short chat one evening when she was eating pizza and catching up on the assignments she'd neglected. They didn't speak of anything significant, just inane small talk about his day, but the fact that he'd sought her out and started the conversation…

She started to realise that the less she offered him, the more willing he was to approach her instead.

Their lessons began the day after her return from Mnemosyne's pool. Annabeth quickly realised that while Percy's memory of using Riptide was gone, his skill with the sword remained. And his natural fighting style was Greek. No wonder he hadn't felt comfortable with the Roman instructor's teaching.

By their second day of training, Annabeth was already starting to feel challenged sparring with Percy. Every move she'd shown him, he'd picked up with ease. It didn't take an afternoon for him to move past competency to proficiency.

On the third day, Mnemosyne's potion was ready.

They both had class in the afternoon, so they'd agreed to have their lesson in the morning. Percy came down to the kitchen looking a little bleary-eyed and poured himself a mug of coffee. He took a gulp and made a face.

'Out of milk today?'

'Oh, sorry,' she said. 'I did it the usual way.'

'The usual way?'

'I like my coffee black,' she explained.

'But you've been making it with milk…' His face closed off, and Annabeth realised her mistake. She'd been making him coffee the way he liked it—the way she knew he liked it.

It didn't seem to matter how many concessions she consciously made—removing her stuff from his room, letting him make the first move, even taking off her camp necklace so he wouldn't see something they shared—she'd more easily cut off her own arm than succeed at cutting Percy out of her soul.

'Perseus,' she said, hoping the use of the name he favoured now would signal a compromise. 'Before we go for training, I need to tell you something.'

His expression was guarded. 'What is it?'

Annabeth explained about her and Nico's visit to Mnemosyne and the potion they'd made from the pool.

'It might be what you need to bring your memories back. Your memories, not something we've told you or what the empousa planted in your head.'

'A drink,' he said. And then, more wistfully, 'My memories.'

'It might not work,' Annabeth warned him, although she was banking everything on its success. 'Mnemosyne said that if your memories have gone out to Chaos, they're really gone. But this was the most potent memory cure she could give us. I—I hope you'll try it.'

A deep crease appeared between Percy's eyebrows. 'You're not gonna make me drink it?'

'They're your memories, aren't they?' Annabeth said in surprise. 'It's your decision.'

Percy looked her in the eye, a long searching gaze. Finally, he said, 'Okay, what the heck. Let's try this thing.'

Annabeth's heart pounded as she passed him the flask where they'd mixed Mnemosyne's potion. After taking a deep breath, Percy downed it in one gulp.

They waited thirty seconds, a minute, two. The air hung heavy in the room, weighted with expectation. Annabeth's hope was like a balloon, rising slowly through its density. Any moment now…

Then Percy said, 'I don't feel any different.'

'Do you remember—?'

'No,' he said bitterly. 'Nothing.'

Annabeth's balloon of hope exploded into hot, stinging disappointment that coursed miserably through her veins. Tears pricked at her eyes, but she made herself hold them back. If Percy was still Perseus—and it seemed like he would be from now on—the worst thing she could do was show how much it affected her.

'I'm sorry,' she said. 'I really hoped it would help.'

In the silence, Annabeth wondered what he was thinking. If it had been her Percy, she would have guessed that he was worrying about how she felt about it. But Perseus was different—and he didn't care about her.

At last he said, 'It was worth a shot.' He gave her a tentative smile. 'Thanks for trying.'

Annabeth nodded. 'Well,' she said, casting about for a change of subject, 'I can still teach you swordplay.'

Percy seemed to throw everything he had into the lesson that day. He mastered each move nearly as quickly as she could demonstrate it. When they got to their end-of-session match, it was like fighting Reyna, except harder. With Reyna, if Annabeth could recognise the pattern and style she was using, she could anticipate her opponent's moves and counter them. Percy fought the way he always had: with a wild unpredictability that took all of Annabeth's best reflexes to meet.

It thrilled her. This was the way they had always sparred, a dance that kept her continually on her toes. It was the duel they'd repeated time and again since they were kids at Camp Half-Blood, a familiar tango that, truth be hold, was a huge turn-on for her. Percy's green eyes were alert and bright, his face so alive as he slashed and struck and countered and parried. He wasn't even fighting using her instructions any more, but with his own instincts.

It ended when she attempted a tricky move and messed it up. She fell back as he knocked her sword out of her hand. Her feet caught Percy's as she went down. He landed on top of her, pinning her to the ground in an unorthodox victory.

'I think I win,' Percy said.

His hair was completely mussed up, his bangs plastered across his sweaty forehead. His eyes sparkled with exhilaration. His face was flushed and he was breathing heavily, but his mouth quirked in a familiar sardonic smile, with that one lopsided dimple denting his right cheek.

This was her Percy. Memory or no memory, he was still in there.

Annabeth couldn't help herself. She reached up and kissed him.

Yes, a cliffy. Yes, I'm evil. But next update is coming this evening ... so maybe not that evil? :)

In the mean time, check out @preciouschildrenofolympus’s illustration of The Kiss! <3

A few more notes:

So Reyna basically walked straight into this chapter and wrote herself in. With that coffee scene (and the one with Percy later), I totally have a coffee backstory for all the demigods. I know, I'm nuts.

I'll also have you know that the bit about Mnemosyne was written before TDP came out. I only went back to make some small edits it to make it more compatible. And yes, she does have a daughter named Thalia.

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