#crazy to think that both Lover and Midnights have vaults

[kingofmyborrowedheart]

I wonder if there are vaults for folklore and evermore.

[likeadevils]

which albums do you think took the shortest amount of time to put together? i think that evermore was very quick (only two or three months?), am i right in thinking that lover and folklore were pretty quick too?

evermore was super quick! there were about five songs written from october-december, but about 12 songs were written in about a month, between mid august and mid september. which is just crazy. like that’s more songs than the standard edition of debut like that’s insane

the bulk of folklore was written in two months, between may and june, though the jack songs were mostly written between march and april, with some pre pandemic songs (my tears in dec 2019 and trying in jan/feb 2020)

midnights was a bit more spread out— high infidelity and would’ve could’ve should’ve were written in march 2021, i believe bigger than the whole sky and snow on the beach were in early 2022– but still the bulk of it came together in november/december 2021, making it a year in total but mostly done in two months.

rep took almost exactly a year— she starts writing it in september 2016 and finishes in september 2017. the bulk of the album was likely finished by july 2017 though, so it goes was just a super last minute addition.

lover was recorded in about four months— the bulk of the album was between november 2018 and february 2019. there are some exceptions, like death by a thousand cuts in late april and likely london boy in early june, and maybe a few jack songs throughout 2018, but we don’t know for sure which. she was also probably stockpiling songs a bit before jumping into the studio, but we don’t know for sure.

1989 was another stockpiling album— she did this love in 2012, a couple songs jan 2013, and then that aforementioned stockpiling period while she’s on tour, and then a big rush in oct/nov 2013, and then another rush in jan/feb 2014. it sounds like now that we don’t talk came fairly late in the process though, possibly as late as fall 2014, which would make it a two year long writing period, but as far as the original album goes, about a year and a half.

red was also about a year and a half— we have all too well being finalized in march 2011 (after being started in dec 2010), and then 22 and i knew you were trouble in june 2012. there are probably some outliers— stay stay stay might’ve been as early as summer 2010, some stuff on the vault might’ve gone up until september 2012– but that’s at most about two years of consistent writing and recording.

if we’re counting sparks fly (halloween 2006) then it took four years to write speak now, but excluding sparks fly georg the earliest song we know for sure was if this was a movie in april 2009, and then it ended with the story of us in june 2010, which is a little over a year. she was likely writing songs for speak now earlier in 2009 though, making it her standard year and a half, but we just don’t know for sure. the recording process was also spread out throughout both years— the first session for the album was in march 2009, and the orchestra sections were the last thing recorded, in july 2010.

fearless had two big recording sessions, in december 2007 and march 2008, so recording wise the album came together super quickly. that being said, if we just take the first and last songs written for the album, fearless has a pretty big stretch— she had stuff from the vault from like 2005, and then come in with the rain in september 2006, and white horse in december 2006. and then the last song is similarly up for interpretation, with forever and always in late september 2008, and mr perfectly fine in march 2009. so even though it came together very quickly once she got in the studio, counting the vault it was four years to write it, making it one of the longest timeframes, but standard edition is still a fairly long two years.

and then debut! i’m a bit more hazy on debut’s timeline, but a perfectly good heart was written sometime in 2003, and should’ve said no was the last thing written and recorded, on august 10, 2006, making it about three years.

so it’s pretty much an exercise in counting— the earlier and album came in her career, the longer it took her to make it, until we get to post pandemic where she’s busting out almost complete albums in two month periods (ts11 looks like it’s bucking that trend though, so let’s see!!)

[harryissuchalittleshit]

In honor of you going to see TSwift in a few weeks, I’m begging (read: demanding) to know which TS album each Weasley couple is. 😘

Molly & Arthur:

Debut - the OGs, they have lived through two wars, raised seven kids, lost one child, seen their family be killed off, lost friends that were like family, and yet can still open their hearts to love.

Favorite song from the album: I’m Only Me When I’m With You

Bill & Fleur:

Fearless TV- these two keep their hearts on their sleeves and try to live a life of adventure! They are brave and open people, and nothing can stop them, even dancing in the rain in their best dress.

Favorite song from the album: Fearless

Victoire & SJ:

Speak Now - all they ever want to be is heard! So an album written by one and only one person sticks out to them. They ran away to start a life together, and yet resettled close to their siblings to keep the family together.

Favorite song from the album: Speak Now or Long Live

Dominique & Lorcan:

Lover - they got together in the middle of tragedy, they spent their nights thinking of each other and also what was coming next. They spent so much time fighting opposing forces, only for the same outcome to happen. At some point, they asked the traffic lights if everything was going to be okay, only to hear…‘I don’t know’.

Favorite song from the album: Paper Rings

Louis & Anamika:

Red TV - passionate, beautiful, colorful. Louis loves Anamika in red and she’ll sit for him for hours with the album playing. Sure it’s all about a relationship ending, but it just makes them feel more secure in their own.

Favorite song from the album: Safe & Sound (from the vault)

Charlie:

1989 - it’s fun, it’s adventurous, it’s addictive, it’s 1989. It’s an album he can hum under his breath around the dragons that won’t cause them to go crazy and he can listen to it with his nieces and nephews with no complaints, it’s a little dated, but so is he and no one can revoke his “cool uncle” title anyways.

Favorite song from the album: Shake It Off

Percy & Audrey:

1989 - for all of its highs, this album also has its lows. While they hated it when it was the only album the girls played on loop for about a year, they grew to love the music and messages of love behind the lyrics. Don’t tell anyone but they are the secret Swifties of the family.

Favorite song from the album: This Love

Molly & Artie:

Red TV - it took them a few tries, but they finally nailed it down. They took all of their anger, all of their love, all of their unyielding passion, and they came together and found love and can’t let that love go.

Favorite song from the album: Come Back…Be Here

Lucy & Devon:

Evermore - she’s the sister album to Folklore, but the cousin to Red, which is enough for Lucy. Her story with Devon is spent so much in secrets and quiet moments, that Evermore resonates with them. Often they also feel like the forgotten couple because they keep their issues to themselves instead of bringing the whole family in too.

Favorite song from the album: gold rush

George & Angelina:

Speak Now - I don’t think I could pick anything else for them. After the war, after all of their losses, they both turned inward, losing their voices until they found each other again.

Favorite song from the album: Last Kiss

Freddie & LeeAnne:

Midnights - they keep a time stamp on their relationship because time spent together is their love language. Time together whether in the middle of the night or not, is important to them, intrusive thoughts and all.

Favorite song from the album: Sweet Nothing

Roxanne & Sean/Sasha:

Lover - with Sean it’s all about young love, sweet and innocent, while Sasha it’s about growth and change and acceptance. Both sides are seen in this album.

Favorite song from the album: Sean is Lover, Sasha is Daylight

Ron & Hermione:

1989 - bright, hypnotic, new. Their relationship thrives on challenging each other and making each other grow, finding adventure even while standing close. Also they love to dance.

Favorite song from the album: Wildest Dreams

Rose & Scorpius:

Red - they are passionate and loud and young and they feel it as they laugh and dance and sing together. They fall in love at the wrong time for all the right reasons and together they lift each other up. Also they are hopelessly romantic, and nothing is more romantic than a break up album.

Favorite song from the album: Red

Hugo & Lyla:

Folklore - she’s anxious and he can’t stand still, but together they’re calm, cool, and collected. They find the summer to be their best season and time seems to slow down just for them and their love for one another.

Favorite song from the album: Invisible String

Ginny & Harry:

Reputation - because isn’t that what they’ve always been fighting for?

Favorite song from the album: Call It What You Want

James & Katie/Marci:

Reputation - with Katie, James is trying to protect his reputation for her, and it still makes her cheat on him and leave him at his lowest.

Lover - with Marci, James is trying to recover from Katie and the damage she caused him while also falling in love. She makes him let go of his reputation and just start thinking about love.

Favorite song from the album: Look What You Made Me Do / Afterglow

Al & Maggie:

Evermore - dark and heavy full of failed love stories and also stories full of love and wanting, it reflects both halves of their relationship. The anger of not wanting to be in love at seventeen and the hopelessness of being in love at twenty-two.

Favorite song from the album: champagne problems

Lily & Ryan:

Midnights - the beginning of their relationship is spent hiding away from the world in their own quiet space, in the hours between midnight and 3am. Lots of stories and thoughts and adventures are shared that maybe shouldn’t have been, but that’s the beauty of the nighttime hours, the sun is coming soon.

Favorite song from the album: Lavender Haze

Teddy & Annabelle:

Speak Now - this album is what made them Swifties, and in many ways made them realize that they’re not just friends. Playing music and writing songs together is how they became friends and fell in love, so they see the strength in doing it all alone.

Favorite song from the album: Mine

If anyone wants me to explain the song selection, just send another ask, but for right now I’m going back to bed.

[swiftly-sophie]

me again :)

hey y’all!! i think i’m gonna start posting everyday, and i’m gonna share bits about myself because i want you guys to get to know me and also Taylor stalks Swifties on Tumblr, so yeah. first, i’m gonna tell y’all about how i became a Swiftie. i’ve been listening to Taylor since i was about 3, because my mom would always play 1989 in the car. i have a crazy memory, so even at that age i knew all the words. i only knew 1989 though because it was the only album my mom knew, so i kinda just associated Taylor with 1989. that is, until i went to my friend’s sleepover birthday party when i was 6 or 7. we were doing karaoke, and my friend put on You Belong With Me. i fell COMPLETELY in love with the song; i really related to it at the time (yes, i was 7; don’t mention it), and still have related to it on several occasions. after that, i listened to Fearless, which i loved so much that i listened to Speak Now and Red, which both helped me get through bullies and friend drama. i sorta ignored Reputation except for a few songs (this changes later, don’t worry). a few years later, Lover came out, and then folklore and evermore. i only listened to a few songs from each, so by this point, i was like a beginner Swiftie. it actually wasn’t until recently that i started listening to all of Rep, and all of Lover, folklore, evermore, and then Midnights, and the vault tracks on both TV albums. i started watching interviews and Miss Americana and really started to know Taylor outside of her music, which only made me love her more. to this day, people make fun of my constantly for liking her, and purposely pick on me for it, but i just blast Mean and i shake it off (lol)!!

thanks for reading!! see y’all tomorrow, love y’all!!!!!!!!

@taylorswift @taylornation @tickpick-blog

[sweet-sappphic]

Ghost Quartet synopsis and essay

Ghost Quartet is a song cycle about “Love, death and whiskey” written by Dave Malloy in 2013. It is unique in a number of ways, one of which being that there are only four cast members, Brittain Ashford, Gelsey Bell, Brent Arnold and Dave Malloy himself. Each cast member plays an instrument (Dave on the piano, ukulele and percussion; Brittain on the Autoharp keyboard and percussion; Gelsey on the Celtic harp, accordion, percussion and metallophone and Brent on the guitar, cello, dulcimer, percussion and erhu) and a group of linked characters. It consists of five interweaving storylines.

The main storyline is that of the original Pearl and Rose. We are not given a date for this storyline which, I think, is supposed to add to the mystery and surreal atmosphere. In this storyline, Rose falls in love with the Astronomer so she writes him a poem. The Astronomer, envious of the beauty that Rose sees in the world, steals her work and publishes it as his own. This makes Rose extremely angry and she refuses to have anything to do with him. However, she is still in love with him and flies into a rage after discovering that he is in love with her sister, Pearl. She asks if she wasn't smart enough for him and when he says that they were never involved she runs to a bear and asks him to maul the Astronomer and turn her sister into a crow and put them in a cave until the crow starts to starve and would have to choice but to peck out the eyes of her lover and eat them. The bear agrees on the condition that she brings him one pot of honey, one piece of stardust, one secret baptism and a photo of a ghost and gives Rose the ability to possess her incarnations, past and present, in order to do so. This is why this storyline affects all of the others. After returning with all of these things, she goes to the bear again and learns that he will not do what she asked as he is not "a murderer or a crazy person" and he just wanted the honey. Rose is so upset that she gets drunk and drowns her sister in the Miller's pond who fished her out and made a fiddle out of her bones. It can be inferred that Rose later married him as the fiddle is present in the camera shop belonging to one of her descendants. After this, in Hero, she realises how wrong she was and that she is really no different to anyone else and, therefore, should not have the power to decide anyone’s fate.

Stardust: In 14th century Persia, Sheherazade (A version of Pearl) is using stardust to create stories for her sister (A version of Rose) and Shah Zaman in an attempt to appease him so he will not have her killed. These stories are about Rose and Pearl. We later discover this is because, due to the fact that she is an “Ancient”, she remembers all of her incarnations, past and present and is trying to get her sister to remember too. In side three, in the song Tango Dancer, Dunyazad is dead and Rose uses this to convince Sheherazade to give her the remaining stardust by showing false sympathies, leaving her even more empty than before.

Baptism: The Usher storyline is set in the 1870s and is loosely based on Edgar Alan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher.” In this storyline, the youngest child of the Usher family, Roxie, grew up with an imaginary friend who is the ghost of Rose. Rose tries to get her to cross over but it does not happen. Later, when she is still quite young, Roxie has a child that she calls Starchild (Both she and the child are versions of Rose). Rose steals the child from her in order to perform the secret baptism, sending Roxie into a deep depression, which results in her death. She is buried in the family vaults but returns from the dead and attacks her mother (A version of Pearl), killing her.

Honey: In 1990s Sarajevo, Soldier (A version of pearl) has been given the task of guarding a pot of honey. She is depressed and no longer wishes to live. Rose seduces her in order to get the honey and Soldier gives it to her on the condition that Rose takes her into the alley and shoots her. Rose does so and leaves with the honey.

Ghost: This storyline is set in modern-day New York. Rose is waiting on the subway platform when Pearl is pushed onto the track and can not climb out. Instead of helping, Rose takes a photo of the “Ghost.” The guilt haunts her so she smashes her camera and goes to a camera shop, which is run by a woman who is both a descendant of Rose and an incarnation of Pearl, to get a new one. Here the woman shows her a fiddle made of bones and tells her the story behind it (The story of the original Rose). 

There are a few songs that take place out of these storylines such as; I Don't Know, Any Kind Of Dead Person, Four Friends, Prayer and Midnight. Some serve a specific purpose. For example, I Don't Know gives us an overview of the themes covered within the song cycle, Prayer serves as a reminder of where everything went wrong and Midnight provides closure to the Stardust storyline. However, others are simply fun filler songs, such as Any Kind of Dead Person and Four Friends.

On the Genius website, Dave Malloy wrote that he created Ghost Quartet as the simplest answer he could possibly give to the question: Do you believe in ghosts? There is a lot of confusion amongst the fans of Ghost Quartet concerning what exactly his answer to the question is but I have a theory. I think he believes in ghosts in the sense of holding on to the past but not literal spirits. My evidence for this is that, throughout the song cycle, whenever a ghost is present, it is usually due to some underlying reason. For example, when Rose is haunted by the ghost of Pearl, it is likely due to the guilt she feels for not helping her and using her death for her own selfish gain. When Brent and Dave ask if the ghost haunts her, Gelsey simply replies with "She sees her when she closes her eyes… She is always screaming" implying that it is not a physical ghost that haunts her, only the thought of her.

More evidence to support this is the man who can talk to ghosts, mentioned in The Astronomer. He can be inferred to be Shah Zaman due to the fact that he "hasn't spoken to anyone alive in forty-two years" and Shah Zaman says that, after killing Sheherazade,  he will "keep drinking for forty-two years" due to his immense regret about killing the woman he loved. The relationship between Shah Zaman and Sheherazad is likely abusive especially due to the reason for her execution being that she lost her temper with him.

This idea is further shown in the song Monk when the character David spends his days playing the music of Thelonious Monk, even though it causes him excruciating pain, in the hope that his ghost will wake and give him a reason for his suffering. This could be a representative of the fact that he can not remember his past and is desperately searching for any hint of who he was before he came to this inverse reality. This becomes even more clear in the fact that, in Midnight, the moment he remembers who he was, he walks away from the piano and simply talks with Brittain about their future together, signifying that he no longer is focused on the past and is hopeful for the future. 

An opposite which contributes to this theory is the lack of ghosts in the song “Soldier and Rose.” In fact, the only time that Ghosts are mentioned is in the opening where Soldier states that Ghosts don’t bother her anymore as she is used to death. This is an interesting contrast to the rest of the characters, especially as Soldier is the only character in the song cycle, other than David, who has no explained backstory and, unlike him, is not trying to find it. Her sole want is to end her life and when she finally gets this, she promises that she will not come back to haunt her killer. This is likely as there is nothing left for her in life, so none of the reasons for coming back listed in “Midnight” apply to her. 

This symbolism makes for a complex, thought-provoking musical, unlike any I have seen before, which is likely what adds to its appeal. Many of the themes and emotions explored in this song cycle are relatable to the audience, however unorthodox the presentation may be and, even though the audience is small, attracts a diverse and creative group as its fans.

[star-villager]

Ezra: Month 1 of Animal Crossing New Horizons!

Hello all! I’m here to tell my journey of the first month of New Horizons on Cillia Island!

There’ll be lots of pictures! I hope you enjoy! Future updates will probably be daily because this is... long at first... but I promise it slows down!

This post covers 32 days (skipping a few). It is indented to be a fun, long, read! I’ll say it’s a 10-15 minute read just to be on the longer side!

-Ezra; Island Resident Representative; Local Island Decorator; Mayor of Cillia (if it had a mayor hehe!)

Thursday, March 19th, 4pm -7GMT. The virus is present, but just starting. I have been home for not even 24 hours of my job that was supposed to keep me out of town all March. I make a phone call to a local Gamestop, asking if they’re still open, and how the midnight release of Animal Crossing is going to work. The worker tells me I can go pick it up right then, because they’re going to be closing early and had JUST gotten a phone call from corporate that they could give it out early - you can assume what I did /immediately/ after lol.

~~~

Starting was incredibly easy! I’ve had my dead name as my New Leaf Mayor forever, and I loved that city name so Ezra and Cillia it was! And we began! My starting villagers were Cherry and Roald with Cherry Trees (fitting!), and I said I wasn’t gonna restart no matter what... so here we go!

I picked a town that had a West Beach River Mouth as well as a South River Mouth - which matched my town in New Leaf! (The south exit, and the flow of the river - but the west exit would be where my original upper waterfall was so the shape was the same). Picked northern hemisphere (where I am). And placed my house right in a river bend (with the initial plan to section me off into my own island within an island!). Cherry and Roald’s homes were placed along the west-running river right at the top, with not much effort or forethought. Not that it was a bad thing! I knew they wouldn’t be permanent villagers, but wanted to give them some beautiful scenery while they were here.

I can definitely tell that I’m still acting and thinking like a mayor even thought I’m only an island rep. ... this doesn’t change bwahaha!

Day 1 March 19th, was all setup and prep for our REAL day 1! Blathers already was about to have a decent encyclopedia, and I was getting nook miles left and right - already expecting a house instead of a tent the next day. I wasn’t too surprised, I’ve done this song and dance before, and I’m just here to have a great time in my island paradise! Getting Blathers was definitely my highest priority!

Day 2 March 20th, was... difficult... giving 15 things to Blathers one at a time and finding 30 iron for the Nooklings was excruciating lol - but getting fossils and a pole vault to absolutely DECIMATE the weed ecosystem filled me with a glee that I’m sure you can understand. I managed to upgrade my house, get Blathers and Nooks Cranny all in one day *whew*. Now, time to have some fun!

I build my first QR code which was a cool outfit I called PRIDE Coat! It is a black coat with drawstrings and pockets on the front - a lil’ trans flag on the left arm, a bi flag on the right arm, and my (pretty decent!) attempt at a rainbow of paint (in the gay flag colors) falling down my back! And I made an Iwatobi Swim Club Beanie to match the one I wear every day!!

I then played with my Passport a bit to have my title be “Future Fish” which is Free! Eternal Summer (the second season’s) Ending Song!!!! Which I thought was SUPER cute and VERY me. (It’s my second fave anime. I plan on making a Reigisa outfit in the future!!).

Already by the end of Day 2 I had my hair customization options, the tool wheel, and the DIY that I needed to buy. Everything Nook was offering I managed to get my grubby little day 2 hands on! So you KNOW my hair went to pink pigtails IMMEDIATELY. And took /many/ photos. But since my outfits are all the same just imagine the ones you just saw but with pink instead of blonde!

With that it was time to get my 3 villagers that would accompany Cherry and Roald (This correlates to getting the iron for Nooklings!) I wanted to grab the first 3 villagers that I saw just to try some new friends this go around - as I had already planned on making my New Leaf family my permies! So my first three were Ketchup (nice!), Hornsby (Aww!!), and... GALA!?!?

Well how convenient! That was one permie immediately out of the way!! Welcome back, Gala!!! So excited to have you on the island!

Then I caught an Oarfish and saw *GASP* WISP!!!! To which, I immediately ran up to him and demanded he bring my girlfriend, Cece the Squirrel, to the island. He, instead, got spooked, had me collect his spirit, and offered me items. *sigh* Ok - can’t get Cece that way - so I decided to sleep!

How naive I was...

Day 3 March 21st, was both good and bad! I had access to Nooklings, but that was about it. Blathers was getting a crowded amount of critters outside his roped off building, but it would be all worth it, tomorrow. But!! I found my first spider island! Which I sold off to Nooklings and happily went to sleep!

Day 4 March 22nd, had SO MUCH to offer! Blathers, Daisy Mae, Harvy, WHEW. Pretty sure I had a visit from Gulliver either today or yesterday, too! Nothing could POSSIBLY ruin this day!!

Oh how wrong.

How so terribly wrong I was.

Animal Crossing New Horizons is an incredible game that lets you invite so many villagers to your island!

All of them. But 14.  

14 Villagers from New Leaf are not available. The Sanrio Characters. And the Amiibo Characters.

No Felyne. No Ganon, Epona, Medli, or W. Link. No Viche or Inkwell. No Rilla, Chai, Morty, or Etoille.

No Toby.

No Chelsea.

...

No Cece.

...

To say that I was devastated would be an understatement. I was absolutely crushed. Not only were 3 of my permies out, but the one villager I couldn’t live without, wasn’t allowed in the game. She didn’t even get a poster.

So I did what any crushed lover would do, and made a memoir to her.

And it started raining. Poetic. (I was only cheered up slightly when I got to catch a Coelacanth!) I didn’t do this until much later (April 4th) but for the sake of not talking about her too much, I would open New Leaf and wrote her a goodbye love letter, which, honestly, makes me tear up whenever I read it.

And I went to sleep.

I have nothing for Day 5 other than scanning all my amiibo cards for the POSTERS which are UNDOUBTEDLY my FAVORITE new feature in the game!!

Day 6, March 24th, GALA MOVED IN! I was so excited, and it was definitely needed. My best friend also came over and we goofed off and we met each other’s villagers! Then I went to an island tour and got A PANSY HYBRID ISLAND!!!! OOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I went crazy. Absolutely destroyed that ecosystem. I went full feral. MINE. ALL MINE!!!

And I caught my first Sturgeon!! Which was awesome because I only had the rare fish left in my March collection! Trying to get a Golden Trout, I made many many fish bait, and got the 200 clam achievement! Which was exciting because that unlocked “Mermaid” for titles!! I doubt I’ll change from Future Fish, but Mermaid would be a second pick!

For Day 7 I went to a good friend’s village and desperately tried to make Chiyuki Fujito’s blue dress from Runway de Waratte... it didn’t work... but I like the attempt! (Will send pics in messenger if you’re curious!).

Day 8, March 26th, was the day ISABELLE WAS HERE!!! Welcome to your island paradise, QUEEN. I definitely dressed for the part ;)

This, of course, opened up tunes and flag options! Flag was incredibly easy. It’s going to stay my picture of Cece until she’s added back into the game (which will probably be never, so...)

The tunes was much harder for me. But since I couldn’t think of anything else I made it “SO. NO. CHI. NO. SA. DA. ME.” from the first Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Opening (which is, ironically, what is playing as I type this... SO NO CHI NO SA DA ME <- was written in time with the music playing. Incredible.) It’s definitely not going to be that forever, but for now it makes me giggle!

Nothing for Day 9 except for a SICK tarantula island :) love those furry babes! I also built my campsite! Tomorrow was going to be big!! Who on Earth was going to move in!?

Day 10, March 28th, now, I have what I like to call “chaotic luck”. I’ll catch the bus, but my gosh did I almost miss it. I was absolutely positive I failed that test, and I did, but the question I messed up doesn’t count and I passed! Cece isn’t in the game but do you know who’s at my campsite??

OFFICE

HETEROCHROMIA

TSUNDERE

TRANS

CAT

EXTRAORDINAIRE

RAAAAAAAAAAAYMOND!!!!

Can you even imagine my face??? Can you IMAGINE the jaw drop??  I moved him next to me IMMEDIATELY.

Day 12, March 30th, I saw kicks for the first time!!! Love that funky newsie skunk!

Day 13, March 31st, I saw Flick for the first time!!! Went on a mad tarantula hunt and made BANK. Fun story, I thought both Flick and C.J. were girls, so when I learned Flick was a boy I was really upset because I thought a canon gay ship was now straight, but WHOOPS they’re BOTH boys! 😎 Nice.

I also saw Celeste for the first time!!! Gosh how I missed her!! I actually sat and got all 200 stars in one night, just because of how much I like wishing on falling stars!!!

Day 14, April 1st, The Nightmare Begins. Love him or Hate him, Zipper was here. I won’t go on about the eggs. Everyone talks about the eggs. They sucked, fishing was a nightmare, not a big fan. I would end up not getting all the sakura DIYs which was very upsetting (but I’ll just get them next year). In INCREDIBLE news I got a golden trout!!! Which was the last thing I needed in my March encyclopedia - and it was on to April hunting! Every night thing I could get, I did! So I decided to set up my last 4 houses, and focus on getting K.K. Slider finally to my island!

The first house sold naturally to Pecan! NICE! I love squirrels so much! She was very welcome!

Day 15, April 2nd, in the interest in getting new villagers, I went on a tour and there she was: MERENGUE! She’s, truthfully, not a favorite of mine. She’s SO cute, but not someone I wanted permanently. However, she’s my other best friend’s FAVORITE and she doesn’t have a switch. So, there was NO WAY I wasn’t taking Merengue onto my island. I haven’t sent my friend pics, yet, but I hope I can soon!! She’s gonna be so happy!

Today was the first day I met C.J. which... stunning. Absolutely jaw dropping. I’m SMITTEN with a TAKEN BEAVER. He calls me fashionista. Asks about my anglersona. Takes selfies of/with me. He’s truly the ideal. I’d invite him back any day!

Over the next 3 days, Freya and Bruce move in as my last 2 villagers giving us a grand starting total of: Cherry, Roald, Ketchup, Hornsby, Gala, Raymond, Pecan, Merengue, Freya, and Bruce! Not bad not bad!

Day 19, April 6th, THE BEST GIRL IS HEEERE. LABEL CAME TO MY TOWN FOR THE FIRST TIME. I might have cried, honestly. I cannot believe someone that incredible would want to come to my island. She asked for me to give her an official look. Are you kidding me? Easy breezy. For my perfect outfit she rewarded me a Label Hat. Oh? DESIGNER? I was awestruck. The design was IMPECCABLE. The flavor was IMMACULATE.

One of my villagers also happened to gift me a Pink SPRITE COSTUME??? I, honestly, have never been more in love with an outfit in my entire life??? A pink Peter Pan outfit??? LEGENDARY.

Day 20, April 7th, I don’t quite remember what day K.K. Slider visited the island when I hit my 3 star rating - so we’ll say it was today lol. That meant ISLAND EDITING, but I didn’t know what to do, yet, so I didn’t worry too much about it!

Label’s hat came in MORE COLORS in the store today. YOU BET I bought all of them. The talent. But this meant that I had a pink hat to match my pink sprite costume and you bet I was LIVING my best life. I had also finished the Anklyosaurus which is my FAVORITE dinosaur so I was LIVING it up.

Later, Ketchup would approach me and ask to move. I was happy for her to explore new lands and bid her farewell, and gave her a sweet goodbye. With that, it was hunting time, and I found the perfect villager that would set everything in motion.

Day 22, April 9th, Label VISITS AGAIN!!!!!! Unfortunately, she asked for a sporty look, which I couldn’t pull off perfectly :/ So no new item from her... but my OUTFIT WAS FIRE AND WE WERE MAD CUTE TOGETHER.

Day 23, April 10th, the villager has moved in, the cryptid gyroid herself, COCO!!!

And her moving in gave me a BRILLIANT idea. I’d like to keep it under wraps for now, but I’m so, so, SO happy she’s here!

Day 24, April 11th, The Fishing Tourney. The Summer tourney will be significantly easier for me, now that I know you can double your points by fishing with someone else, but it took me HOURS to collect all the clams and get to 300 points. It wasn’t really worth it, but I love fish so much so I wasn’t going to miss a SINGLE thing. I got that gold trophy and I’m SO proud of myself.

Also my fishing outfit could slay for MILES

Straight Fire.

Day 25, April 12th, With a golden trophy in hand and the last day of eggies, I was feeling really confident. I had the means and the idea to change cliffs + water for a couple days and just... made what my brain came up with! I’ll keep this vague for now, because I’m really excited about the final results! Just know that everyday I edit a little bit more and come up with more ideas!

Day 26, April 13th, Happy Homestuck, Neil Bangs out the Tunes, and Thomas Sanders goes to the Wedding Day!! And it did NOT disappoint. Label for A 3RD TIME!!! She must like me as much as I like her >w<!! Today she gave out her cap!!! It’s, honestly, not my thing, I’d rather stick with the brim hats, but I do think they’re cute!! So I would buy them all the next day! The Able Sister’s haul on Day 27 was oh my gosh amazing!!! They had the cap, of course, but they also had THE OTHER SPRITE COSTUMES!! Which I bought all of them. And now I wear, near exclusively, this outfit in 5 different colors bwahaha!

Day 30, April 17th, I got my first golden item!!! The slingshot! Nice! Over the past few days, I’ve just been designing, moving houses, and building ramps! Learning new myth debunks, stuff like that!

I was also blessed with 3 encounters :OOOO I didn’t know this was even POSSIBLE!?

Day 31, April 18th, Disaster Strikes. I’ve been moving so many homes that I didn’t consider that a villager couldn’t move in because you were already doing a home thing for the day. So when I went to invite camper Gonzo to my town he declined!? I was devastated. He was SO cute and I thought he could move into Bruce’s house to keep the peace of personalities! I think he’s someone in the future who I’ll ask for a poster of or ask for an amiibo card of! I know I’m going to check the campsite first before moving any buildings from here on out! D’:

And that brings us to today,

Day 32, April 19th, one month from the day I started. I’ve been having the TIME of my life! There’s definitely been some ups and downs, but I have a goal in mind and it’s keeping me so focused! I organized an entire flower field today!! Due to a turnip mishap, I happen to be 2 days ahead of everyone, but I have been good about time traveling other than that. This means that I am fortunate enough to get my Nooklings upgrade 2 days early and they’ll be open tomorrow!!! I’m... I’m so excited!!! I NEED more flower seeds!!!!!!!

The future looks incredibly bright on Cillia island, and I cannot wait to hear about everyone else’s month!!

Thank you for your time. Please enjoy these random favorite photos of mine!

[another-insanewriter]

Partners in Crime (Bakugo Katsuki x Eijirou Kirishima)

“You never took us alive. We swore that death would do us part, so now we haunt you in the dark.”

Summary: Katsuki and Eijirou are villains plotting their next heist. What happens if everything doesn't go according to plan?

Genre: ANGST

Warning(s): Major Character Death

Author’s Note: Uhm... OOf? Sorry I know its angsty but like I had this idea and I just had to write it. Sorry its kinda OOC but... yeah okay I'm gonna stop apologizing now. I hope you enjoy this, thanks for reading.

Word Count: 1,146

Eijirou fiddles with his fingers as Katsuki drives them down the road in the direction of their next heist location. Katsuki seems to notice his fidgeting and reaches over, pressing a hand into Kirishima’s. “Ei, relax we’ve go this it’ll be fine,” Katsuki says quietly squeezing his hand gently.

Eijirou glances over at him and nods quickly before tapping his toe slightly. “What if the same thing happens as last time?” He asks gulping, his lips pursing.

Katsuki screams in anger as he blasts an AP Shot at the store owner before she could hit the button to call emergency service. Eijirou can hardly do anything other than stare in horror as the owner’s shirt catches on fire, squeals of pain erupting from her lips and her hand hits the button before anything else can happen. “Kacchan! We have to get out of here!” A voice calls from behind them. Midoriya, Eijirou’s mind supplies, although he can hardly even think properly, his head spinning.

Only when Izuku lets out a screech and Eijirou looks back to see a hero pinning him down to the ground does he fully grasp the situation. ‘This is a set-up… They knew we were coming,’ he tells himself looking desperately around for Katsuki. Izuku just yells at them to go, but Eijirou can’t, he can’t move not until he finds Bakugo. He can’t leave without Bakugo, he won’t leave without him. There’s screaming, so much screaming. It drives him crazy.

He clocks out almost completely until Katsuki is yelling in his ear. They’d made it back home, how and when, Eijirou couldn’t say, he didn’t know. But Katsuki was there with him and that’s all he could ask for. It’s all he could ask for to be safe with Katsuki, wrapped up in his arms, holding him close.

Kirishima shakes his head, trying to clear his brain. Of course the same thing wouldn’t happen. He wouldn’t lose Katsuki. He couldn’t lose Katsuki. He wouldn’t be able to live if he lost Katsuki. Eijirou glances up, looking over at Katsuki, a slight frown on his features as he watches him driving. He squeezes his hand a bit tighter, not wanting him to let go.

“Ei, everything we’ll be fine, we’re prepared for this, stop stressing so much,” Bakugo brings Eijirou’s hand up to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of his hand, still keeping his eyes on the road in front of them.

“We lost Deku last time, Katsuki,” he says quietly, frowning. “I can’t lose you too,” he adds, barely above a whisper. Katsuki’s face softens at his statement.

“You’re not going to lose me, Ei,” he responds softly, smiling gently at Eijirou before turning his gaze back to the road. “I don’t plan on letting them take me, or you, easily.” Kirishima only nods slightly in response, not saying anything else, pursing his lips slightly. He still was worried about what would happen, but he wouldn’t speak out about it again. Bakugo already knows that he was paranoid. Although he had good reason to be, even if he didn’t know that he should be.

Unbeknownst to either Kirishima or Bakugo, there were multiple pro-heros waiting for them, having expected their next heist location. They were blissfully unaware, but in the end it would ruin everything for them. All Might, Eraserhead, Present Mic, Midnight and Thirteen all laid in wait for the two villains, making their way towards them. Once the two reach their location they park a-ways down the street just as planned. They walk around the back of the bank, working their way into the building silently through the back employee entrance. They make their way in to the vaults relatively easily, finding one lone employee who stares at them appalled.

“Empty out the vault, and me and my doll will be on our way,” Katsuki smirks threateningly at them as Eijirou holds open a bag, a similar smirk on his lips. So far, the plan was running through rather smoothly as the employee begins passing the cash towards them, hardly even putting up a fight. That is until, the alarms start blaring in their ears when they only had the vault about a quarter of the way emptied. Eijirou’s eyes go wide at the sudden sound.

“Musutafu Police Department! Come out with your hands up, we have the place surrounded,” Hizashi’s booming voice fills the building causing a groan to escape Eijirou’s lips at the frequency, holding his head.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Katsuki swears, quickly tying up the bag with what they’ve got. “We need to get out of here, we’ve got more than enough, there’s got to be at least 12 million yen in here,” he says, reaching over to grab Kirishima’s hand, yanking him back in the direction them came but when they open the door All Might is standing there in front of them.

“You’ll never take us alive!” Eijirou screams at him slamming the door, dragging Katsuki along with him this time. “Katsuki, we need to get out of here,” he says worriedly. He could practically hear every footstep as the pro hero’s zero them in at the center of the building. “We need to get out. We can’t get caught. We can’t let them catch us.”

“I swear… only death will do us part, Eijirou,” Katsuki whispers, hardly paying attention to the surroundings and the nearing heros as he pulls Eijirou in for a searing kiss. Kirishima feels his knees go weak as he practically melts into Bakugo’s kiss, arms wrapping tight around his neck.

“Come out with your hands up!” Hizashi’s voice supplies even louder and closer than before, causing the two to break apart to cover their ears, the shrillness of his voice causing them to bleed. Eijirou looks up to meet Katsuki’s gaze, eyes widened in fear. It was a matter of moments before they were surrounded. There were the five pro-heros as well as multiple soldiers with them. There was no way that the two of them could escape, it was impossible. They were stuck in a very very bad situation and they both knew that would be no way to get out.

“You are surrounded. There is no escaping this, villains. You’re trapped,” Toshinori states with confidence, a smile plastered over his face. “Why? Because I am here.” Bakugo looks into Kirishima’s eyes.

“I’ll repeat… You’ll never take us alive,” Katsuki says, not moving his gaze from Eijirou’s as he leans into Eijirou.

“I love you,” Kirishima whispers, already knowing what Bakugo was planning. While he was scared, he would accept what was to come. He couldn’t let them seperate them. It just couldn’t happen.

“I love you, too,” Katsuki whispers before pressing their lips together, a short moment before the explosion happens and the two villainous lovers fall under the rubble, caught at the center.

[chatuoir]

catastrophic affairs, truly (chap 5)

chaps 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / on ao3

hello it has been 500 years since i last updated but the lovely AmelineAmira on ao3 wrote a fic inspired by this one? omg? and that reminded me that i needed to update (i had the chapter ready i was just being lazy)(thank u <3) so yall should definitely check that fic out but in the meantime here is another chapter lets get LIT (its like midnight goodnight)

Marinette is smothered in hugs as soon as she steps into the bakery. Her parents apologize to the customers before pulling her into the living room, clearly scared about her well-being. They'd heard about the attack on the news and keep inspecting her to check for injuries; she assures them that she's fine.

“Really, Maman, I'm okay. The broken glass didn't even cut me. I promise.” She says. Her parents exchange a glance before turning back to her.

“We’re glad you're okay,” Her father starts, “But what about the stuff we’ve heard about this Chat Noir business?” Marinette silently curses. Shit. The attack had distracted her from thinking of a good way to bring it up.

She takes a deep breath. Well. “I know this is going to sound really weird, but I can explain. The truth is... Chat Noir is my fake boyfriend.”

Her parents stare at her for a few moments, eerily quiet. Marinette stands there waiting for a reaction, but there isn't one. Finally, she starts again.

“So... Chat asked me to fake date him so Ladybug wouldn't think he was lying to her about him having a girlfriend; I felt bad for him, but I also thought it was really funny, so I agreed. We set up some conditions so this doesn't go too far, and I can opt out whenever I want.” Marinette sees her parents visibly relax a little, but they're still confused. At last, Tom speaks up.

“I think the only question I can really ask is... can I meet this Chat?” Marinette hesitates in answering. Fortunately, she's saved by a bell ringing from inside the store. Sabine goes to check and brings back a plate of cookies and friend- in fact, she brings back a plate of chocolate chip cookies and a superhero friend.

“Hi Mr and Mrs Dupain-Cheng,” Chat greets after inhaling a couple cookies, “I'm Chat Noir, but I think you knew that. I just wanted to say that everything that's happened to your daughter today with the akuma was my fault and I apologize. Did she tell you exactly what's going on?” He says in one spurt. Marinette gestures for him to calm down and breathe.

“It's fine, I told them.” She says. He looks noticeably relieved.

“I didn't want you two to stress out or anything, I mean, Marinette was safe during the attack, if you count being trapped inside a glass cat head safe. Which, by the way, I'm really sorry for-- I didn't think people would overreact to something like who I'm dating. Or, you know, in this case, fake dating.” Honestly, this boy doesn't know when to stop talking; Marinette’s almost embarrassed for him. Luckily, her parents smile at him warmly.

“Thanks for letting us know, Chat.” Tom says. “We trust that you and Marinette can handle this, but if anything starts to trouble you, don't be afraid to come to us. Both of you.” Okay, dad. We can't just adopt every guy I (fake) date. Marinette thinks.

Chat grins, nods, and takes a few more cookies. “Thank you for everything. Can I speak to Marinette for a couple minutes?”

“I'm really sorry about everything that happened today. If you want to call it quits right now, that's fine with me. I can ask Alya to take all the pictures off her blog.” Chat says.

“No, no, really, it's fine! You wouldn't believe how many times I've been in serious situations like today’s, especially with the amount of attacks that happen in my school. Seriously. I forgive you. And if it had really bothered me that much I’m sure I would’ve asked Alya myself. Really, I’m okay.”

“So... we’re still fake dating?”

“Duh. You literally just met my parents. I'm not gonna break up with you right now.” Chat breathes out a sigh of relief. Then he rubs his temples before speaking up.

“You know what I just realized? I don't have any way to contact you besides like this, face to face. Can I have your phone number or something? Wait, no, you might know the civilian me. What about IM? I'll make a new one just for you. Maybe something like, small x - big x - Mari’s - underscore - true - underscore - love  - big x - small x’, just to keep everything fresh.”

Marinette jokes. “Who are you, a scene kid from 2009?” They both snort at that.

“Like you have any better ideas.”

“Yeah, I don’t. Mine’s just my name.” Chat makes a big show of committing that to memory, as if he’s going to mix it up and find a different Marinette Dupain-Cheng somewhere on the internet. Marinette has to admit that he’s a pretty funny guy, even if he tries too hard to be cool sometimes.

A few minutes later she's shooing him out the bakery door while he salutes and blows a kiss. A couple customers smile; Marinette catches a few of them sneaking glances and laughs to herself. The fun has only just begun, she thinks.

It's past midnight, and Marinette knows she’s supposed to be on her rounds right now, except she isn’t really sure what to say to Chat as Ladybug after the day’s events. Technically, there was no way she could’ve helped him during the attack since she was quite literally trapped, but she still feels kind of bad. They’re supposed to be a team.

Marinette lays in bed for a while and listens as the city settles. There’s usually a couple cars left at this hour, and of course Paris is still ablaze- they don’t call it the City of Lights for no reason- but it feels eerily quiet and dark. I’m probably sleep-deprived, she thinks. Suddenly, her phone lights up and nearly blinds her. She fumbles for it and reads the notification.

New IM chat request from xXmaris_true_loveXx

Marinette has to smother herself with her blanket before she laughs too hard and wakes the entire city. She accepts the request and sees that Chat’s already sent a couple messages.

xXmaris_true_loveXx: hello my false lover (i hope)

i have a question

do you happen to be friends with lb or can you contact her

if so where tf is she?

oh shoot it's like 12:17 im sorry if i woke you up

She frantically types a message back, whispering for Tikki to get ready to transform her.

Marinettedcheng: hi chat no u didnt wake me i do in fact have a way to contact her i will tell her ur waiting & congrats on finding the right mari

xXmaris_true_loveXx: ok good i was just worried cus she wasn’t answering. get some rest you need your beauty sleep

Marinettedcheng: cant tell if thats an insult or compliment but thx i will see u 2mo

xXmaris_true_loveXx: wow i would never slander my fake gf </3... goodnight

“He certainly is a character, isn’t he?” Tikki says. Marinette rolls her eyes, her face shining from the glow of the city.

“Sure. Let’s get going. Tikki, spots on!” Marinette transforms at 12:20 and heads out to the Eiffel Tower.

-

It’s quite relaxing to be above the city in the dead hours of the night, with everything sparkling and the cool breeze rustling through the air. Ladybug finds her partner sitting on a ledge, lost in thought. She settles down next to him and they silently greet each other. It's awkward for a while before she speaks up.

“Hey.. so. I just wanted to say I'm sorry. Again. For not showing up earlier today? But I was in a sticky situation.” He smiles softly and Ladybug catches it, his face lit up by the moonlight.

“I forgive you. Again. It's okay, my Lady. I promise.” It's still a little awkward.

“Okay. I just feel guilty. Like, all these people were looking up to me to help them and be their hero, but I wasn't even there.”

“But your trusty sidekick was there,” Chat says with a grin.

She gently shoves him. “Chat, we talked about this. You're my partner, not my sidekick. We're equal. We balance each other out, that’s kinda the point. Duh.” He lets out a short laugh.

“Yeah, yeah, you're right. Team Miraculous, am I right?” She nods, glad that the slight tension in the air is gone. The two fist bump before settling back into the silence of the night.

A few more moments pass.

“We should... uh... patrol now?” Ladybug whispers. Chat’s eyes widen.

“Yeah, yep, you're right, I’ll do the north side of the city,” He raises his baton and helps Ladybug to her feet, “See you in 30.” Then he does an Olympics-worthy dive off the side of the tower, extending the pole to vault to the next building. Ladybug snorts as he leaves. Show-off. Again, she thinks.

--

Ladybug catches a couple thieves before finishing her patrol; they’re some sneaky tourists who wanted free souvenirs, but they at least have the dignity to look guilty when she turns them in.

Chat is sitting on the building across from the Dupain-Cheng bakery. Ladybug wants to laugh; he probably thinks his fake girlfriend is in there, asleep, not at all thinking about the crazy day they just had like he definitely is. She suddenly realizes he’s speaking to her and snaps out of her trance.

“So... did you hear about what happened to me and Marinette?” Ladybug snorts. She’d read his mind.

“Yeah, someone told me to check the Ladyblog, like, a half hour after you confessed to me.”

“Hmm. Seems awfully suspicious. You sure you didn’t expose me?” Chat interrogates, but he’s smirking. Ladybug rolls her eyes.

“Pssh. You probably submitted that post yourself, because you thought I didn’t believe you or something,” She jokes. He freezes for a moment, but she doesn’t notice. Biting her tongue to keep from laughing, she grins and adds, “But you do like Marinette, I can tell. I mean, why else would you be dating her?”

He nervously laughs but tries to play it off. “Yeah, she’s great. It’s going well. But hey, that’s enough about my love life. What are your plans for tomorrow? I never got to ask.” Shit. Uh, I’m going on a fake date with you in civilian form, while trying to keep it realistic enough so other people think we’re actually dating- but only until your plan of making me, as Ladybug, jealous finally works- which probably won’t ever happen, so, honestly, you tell me.

Later, she would wonder if it was the sheer amount of exhaustion from the day, the huge billboard right in front of her, or the curiosity of the cat (especially a certain Chat) which made her difficult situation a whole lot worse. But at the time, all she could think was to say something as ridiculous as possible so he wouldn’t ask any questions.

“I’m, uh, also going on a date. With.. um, the one and only, uh...” Ladybug drops her gaze from Chat’s eyes (which turns out to be an accident) and says with confidence, “Adrien Agreste.”