#fay talks about art

[faytalepsy]

10, 11, 12 for the artist asks! 💜💜

10. are you right or left-handed?

Right handed!

11. warm or cool colours?

Warm! although I do like cool tones too

12. draw one of your favourite characters in 15 seconds.

okay, this escalated a bit

I filmed my first try at 15-second Farah and yeah... it's something (I don't know why I thought full body was the way to go...)

But then I got competitive and tried to do better so here is a page full of 15-second Farahs. pick your favorite

Then I thought I could try 10-second Farah

aaaand 5-second Farah but I needed almost ten seconds, it was just more stressed so this was a fail

and then in the end I decided to try 1-minute Farah

I am now ready to make this my new art style

send more asks!

[takingasterix]

Merlin AU with morgana and Gawain

I'm sorry, this is definitely not an AU, but you didn't specify anything and I tried a few ideas but couldn't get into any of them! I figured the Morgana-Gwaine dynamic was probably what you most wanted, so I just did a sketch of one of their torture scenes... hope that turned out okay!!

[completeoveranalysis]

[3]

OOH YES Fai and Kurogane are on edge now! While it was fun before and they were happy to flirt in the face of it all, now Lava Lamp is in extreme danger and They’re Not Enjoying That. Fai is now visibly (stressed? Upset? furious?) while he fights, and Kurogane is actually calling out his attack names again. And from that first panel we can see that they’re trying to get to him. They’re trying to save him from Syaoran now, so the endless clones are much more of a problem than they were even before. 

OOP!

HAVE YOU SEEN THAT EXPRESSION ON KUROGANE BEFORE?

THE FUN LEVELS ARE PLUMMETING EVEN FURTHER

I UH

A STAB?

Clamp really said You’re going to get stabbed in the chest and it’s going to be gorgeous.

[cesarescabinet]

🏵️Anti-Queen Morgan Le Fay🏵️

“From the cradle bars Comes a beckoning voice It sends you spinning You have no choice” (Spellbound- Siouxie and the Banshees)

Another submission for @queer-ragnelle's May Day Parade! Honestly, Morgan's really interesting in terms of her role in Arthuriana--occupying both roles as hero and villain even centuries after the original stories were penned down. The true embodiment of the trickster archetype!

[ehlnofay]

A Study in Self-Immolation

In which an eager young student learns the arts of spellcraft and staying (and almost all of that is a lie.)

posted another longer-than-usual story! this is a project that has been on the backburner for a good long while; I'm glad to finally finish it up. this piece explores my character arabella's foray into academia and the reasons why it goes the way it does. should you feel so inclined, please check it out - I would be absolutely bloody delighted :)

[sysig]

What are some rare characters you love that you think people don’t draw or write about enough

Do Max and Dex count I love them and I feel like I'm approximately 80% of the Helix fandom rn lol

Doug Peterson and Russ Frushtick from Law Abiding Citizen - the fandom has gotten real quiet over time but I still love them so much ♥ There's a lot you can read into or leave silly with their dynamic, I still wholeheartedly recommend the emerge, transformed series as one of my favourite interpretations of Russ especially 💕

The Editor from Jazzpunk - he's just a silly little guy! It's honestly such a shame that he's only really in the last chapter, I would love to see him explored more, he's the worst ♪

Tatsumi Souichi from Koisuru Boukun - genuinely one of my all-time favourite characters, and The Only Good Tsundere as far as I'm concerned lol. I'm gonna write about him! I've got my fanfic and video essay sitting in my drafts, but like agh!! He's so interesting!!! So beautifully flawed - he's internally consistent which is my Favourite - and watching him grow and change while still being himself over literal years has been a truly unparalleled experience as a reader 💖

Luke Wigglebig and Florette from Pajama Sam: You Are What You Eat From Your Head To Your Feet - I joked before about being the only person on the internet who ships them but like, I'm pretty sure that's actually true lol. Even just more fanart of them by themselves would make me happy, they're so cute!! Especially Luke, his design is adorable

And then probably a more well-known one but I haven't been following his fandom popularity lately haha, Fai D. Flowrite from Tsubasa - him, Nova, and Watanuki move in and out of being my CLAMP faves, though Fai is probably the most complex of the three of them. And he's a trash man! A garbage fire of a wizard ♥ I love him

[bruciemilf]

As a reward for helping with a problem, John Constantine wants to give Bruce a chance to talk to his parents. “I can only do one at a time, thought, so, who’s first?”

Bruce sweats, “That won’t be necessary.”

The batkids watch like ??? they’ve seen Bruce in every state a man could succumb and raise, but they’ve never seen him scared. Alfred calmly steps forward, “Please do.”

“No. Don’t.”

John “I don’t want peace, I want trouble, always” Constantine smells some opportunity for chaos and grabs it.

The result of that is the very angry spirit of Thomas Wayne fixing Bruce with the glare of the year, “You dropped oUT OF MED SCHOOL?!” The entire mansion seems to tremble.

Bruce yelps like a scolded cat and runs around the dining table, “I was busy with BATMAN—“

“ Che cazzo è un Batman, — Get back here! You were there a year, — Che cazzo fai, CHE CAZZO FAI?! Pack your bags, you’re going back.”

To the batkids’ absolute horror Bruce starts to cry, face watery and bright, and they finally understand what Alfred meant by tantrums. “Non voglio tornare indietro, papà!”

“Non mi interessa, cazzo, — wait till your mother hears about this, Harley graduated with HONORS. What exemple are you giving to my grandkids? Don’t — Don’t run, GET BACK HERE!”

Tim sweats in high school dropout, Dick sweats in cop, Jason sweats in drug lord, Damian sweats in art kid, and Stephanie just sweats in general.

“Should, uh… Should we help?”

“Are you kidding? I haven’t seen Jason this happy since the Queen died.”

[your-mommy-ems]

Hiii im Emma the amount of fandoms I'm in is concerning. The amount of books i'm writing at once is also concerning. Point is you should just be concerned, enjoy your stay at my blog - here is a piece of cake 🍰

-> Im Emma/Ems or whatever nickname u want to give me I love giving people nicknames and petnames. Basic info -> She/her, minor, capricorn, intj, australian, ferrari girl, i will defend my babies warnette and evajacks until i die, a believer in sarcasm, i post about my writing sometimes, sometimes - cause im too lazy to write, im an ambivert and a joey lynch and damon torrance defender

Books -> [series] The inheritance games, acotar, shatter me, the folk of the air, pjo [im new to the fandom] the prison healer, caraval, ouabh, dance of theives, divine rivals, boys of tommen, the lunar chronicles, the red queen, the naturals, six of crows, devils night, boys of tommen [standalone] Better than the movies, the do over, betting on you (basically anything by lynn painter), the cheat sheet, powerless, the summer of broken rules and A LOT more. 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 Music -> taylor swift, gracie abrams, [recently getting into] maisie peters, tate mcrea, sadie jean, a little of lana del rey, chase atlantic, artic monkeys, guns and roses, conan gray. my music is all over the place lmao. 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 Movies/tv shows -> friends, b99, babysitters club, alexa and katie, fuller house, now you see me 1&2, oceans 11,12&13, knives out 1&2, mamma mia, adam project, red notice, enola holmes, and pretty much most chick flicks 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 Other -> rain <3, christmas, baking/cooking, art -> I paint, sketch, and draw, whenever I feel like it. I mostly draw though. 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 Moodboards -> I love making moodboards here is the masterlist 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝Writing -> i have a few side blogs but my public writing blog is @the-ballad-of-us and i also have a secret one see if you can find it ;)

Misc -> my dream life is to runaway to paris or new york and open up a bookstore/cafe/flower shop. (and to be the rich hot aunt the everyone loves), I want to travel when I'm older! [places] -> London, Paris, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Sweden, Germany, New York, Bahamas, Japan, Korea, and a bunch more!, I spend an unhealthy amount of time on Pinterest and Tumblr, 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 -> If we're moots, we're best friends, no takes backs. -> I over use lmao, lol, <3, :), and 😭 too much. im trying not to come on too strong and be rude lol (right there see? perfect example) -> My Wattpad -> My Pinterest -> I love talking to new people, and asks and dms (only for minors unless i agree to it :)) are always open <3 -> i most likely won't follow you back if you don't have an intro post, but if you want to get to know me just send me an ask :) 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝

Special people ->@skeelly - kris, @percabeths-blue-cookies - har, @a-beautiful-fool - lou lou, @moonlightt444 - mare bear, @nqds - nadsies, @mqstermindswift - nicky, @lost-in-reveriie - addy, @art-of-fools - mr o'hare, @reminiscentreader - jas, @myster3y - my wifey kiara, @sophiesonlinediary - soph, @deprivedofbraincellsandsleep - zia, @runwiththerain - ives, @doyoujustnotwantto - mihane, @that-multi-fandom-hijabi - nova my world manipulation partner, @hijabi-desi-bookworm - esme, @gergthecat - scout, @baboland - aria, @missedyour21st - fay, @daydream-of-a-wallflower - kat + all my other moots that i didn't tag but rlly wanted too [if you want to be added or removed just let me know!! <333

𓆝 this is a safe space for everyone!! ↳ Dni - if you're a racist, homophobe, sexist, pedos, ect..

love ya all <3

Emma

[hpowellsmith]

Happy fourth birthday, Crème de la Crème!

I’ve been writing in this setting for five and a half years now and as the years have gone by, I’ve found I have more and more ideas to explore.

When I first pitched Crème de la Crème - more about that process here, from CdlC’s third birthday last year - it felt risky. I’d made romance-focused games before, but they were short, and focused on one character per game. My first CoG game, Blood Money, along with a lot of my other early games, is fantastical, violent, and moody, where CdlC is generally much lighter - in overall tone, if not in all the events that happen. But I’d been yearning to write a school game for a long time - I was idly thinking about it sometime during Blood Money - and this was my opportunity to do it.

And I’m really glad I did! Crème de la Crème has reached a larger audience than I ever thought possible, it won XYZZY awards that I was absolutely stunned to receive (Best Writing, and tying for Best Story and Best Game in 2019), and it continues to bring people enjoyment even after all these years. It feels really magical that people who don’t even know me have enjoyed this story, characters, and world.

I learned a huge amount from making it and it’s been a jumping-off point for future games in the same setting - so even though it came out four years ago, it’s still very much part of my life which is really lovely.

To think I was initially worried that people wouldn’t enjoy a game with so little combat in it!

Thank you to everyone who's played, gave feedback while it was being made, who's talked about it, who's made art about it, and who's supported it in any manner of ways. I really appreciate it. And particular thanks to Abigail C Trevor for the editing, Kris Lorischild for copyediting, Paula Tuazon for the beautiful art, and my wife Fay Ikin for helping me at every step of the way.

[endless-summer-soldier]

dr. feelgood - chapter nine

pairing: Surgeon!Bucky x SurgicalIntern!Reader

summary: Y/N has a one night stand with a handsome stranger the night before starting her new job as a surgical intern. Little does she know, the handsome stranger also happens to be her new boss

warnings: must be 18+, drinking, some surgery descriptions, smut, self-pleasure, praise kink, oral sex, unprotected sex, rough sex, PTSD, choking

word count: 2.8k

series playlist

taglist sign up (for the people I'm currently tagging - please fill this out if you want me to continue tagging you!)

taglist: @tellmealovestory @mrs-bucky-barnes106 @charmedbysarge @theroyalmanatee @ozwriterchick @aya-fay @differenttyphoonwerewolf @sebsgirl71479 @notmeddy @drewsuncrustables @lokidokieokie @hextech-bros @nats-whore @m4nulup1n @arcanebabe @tanyaspartak @jackiehollanderr @princezzjasmine @pono-pura-vida @mavrellover91 @helluvapimp @almosttoopizza @esposadomd @zannemes​​

series masterlist

After checking on my patients and changing out of my scrubs, I walked into the parking lot to find Bucky leaning against the side of a shiny black jeep.

“There she is!” he announced, straightening his posture to greet me. “I was starting to wonder if you were standing me up.”

“I would never,” I feigned offense.

“I have a hard time believing that.”

I considered my dating history, “Sure, I’ve ghosted guys before. But I’ve never actually stood someone up. That’s just cruel.”

“Fair enough, but don’t even think about ghosting me.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I winked at him. He opened the passenger side door for me, like a true gentleman, and I climbed into the car. 

The drive to his place was short and we made easy small talk on the way. I was expecting to feel nervous in the lead up to our arrival at his place, but I wasn’t. He pulled into the driveway of a brick row home, with navy shutters and white accents along the windows. I let myself out of the car before he could open the door for me and he led me up the couple stairs to the front door. There was a welcome mat on the front porch that read The Neighbors Have Better Stuff and couldn’t help but laugh.

“Is this your version of home security?” I asked, pointing to the mat with my toe.

He chuckled, “My sister got that for me when I bought the house. And I have to say no burglaries yet so it must be working.”

When he opened the front door, I was surprised to find that his house felt very homely. I was expecting a bachelor pad, with hard edges and several shades of grey. Instead, I was met with neutral colors, tasteful art, and warm lighting. Bucky placed his keys on a hook by the front door and told me to make myself at home. I shrugged my jacket off and before I could find a spot for it, Bucky took it from my hands and put it on a hanger in the hall closet. I slid off my ankle boots and found a seat on the very comfortable sectional, as Bucky flipped a switch that started a flame in the fireplace. 

“Here’s the remote, you can find something to put on the TV while I grab us a few drinks.”

I clicked on the TV and was met with a wide selection of programs. “You have all the streaming services…” I spoke in disbelief.

“And cable,” he added.

“Sheesh, living the dream over here.”

“You know what’s embarrassing about that? I almost never watch TV,” he admitted.

I gaped at him, thinking about the intricate network of log-ins I’d collected and bartered for over the years.

He sat next to me on the couch with a decanter of red wine and two crystal glasses.

“Let me guess, this is a vintage sangiovese from a little village in the south of Italy?”

He poured a sample into a glass and handed it for me to try before adding, “Don’t give me too much credit, it’s a midrange bottle. A Spanish tempranillo.”

“Mmm,” I replied, before imitating a sommelier, swirling the wine around before taking a big whiff. I took a sip and contemplated before making my assessment, “I’m getting strong notes of grape.”

Bucky let out a chuckle before topping off my glass and filling his own. He leaned deeper into the couch and I did the same, keeping about a foot of distance between us.

“You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re trying to impress me, Barnes,” I declared.

He shrugged, “Is it working?”

“Maybe a little.”

He pulled his phone out and tapped a few buttons, before smooth jazz started playing over the speaker system in the house.

“How about now?” 

“Why have we been spending all this time at my place when you live in this literal smart home?” 

“I had to make sure you weren’t after me for my money,” he joked.

“Oh, is that not clear? I’m definitely only interested in you as a sugar daddy.” He gave me a look and I was pleased to have grated on his nerves just a bit. “But seriously, your house is incredible.”

“You haven’t even seen the whole thing.”

“Are you going to give me the tour?” I smiled.

He nodded, “I can give you a tour.” He stood up and held his hand out for me. We started on our current floor, where he showed me his incredibly clean kitchen and back deck, overlooking the water. Then he took me into the basement, where he had a room that could only be described as a mancave, with a big screen TV, comfortable seating, and a small stocked bar. There was also a small room in the back that had a home gym, full of free weights, a treadmill, and a Peloton. 

Next we headed toward the second floor, which contained the laundry room, home office, and the master bedroom. We paused when we reached the master bedroom, as I entered the room and decided to look around.

“Does this meet your standards?” he joked. I smiled at him as I walked around the bed and peeked into the bathroom. It was immaculate. Perfectly clean and tidy, well decorated, and aesthetically pleasing. I was impressed.

“Are you always this clean?” I asked, still in disbelief.

“Ever since the military. They ingrained cleanliness into me, despite my protests.”

“Remind me to thank them. Most guys I know live in their own filth.”

“Well I’m not most guys,” he said, stepping a foot closer to me. “You want to know the best part about this room?”

“Does music magically play in here too?” I asked.

“It does, but that’s not the best part.” I tilted my head, waiting for him to explain further. He didn’t speak more, but ushered me to come to him. I complied, standing about a foot in front of him, dying in anticipation. He placed both hands on my shoulders and gently guided me backwards, until the back of my legs hit the mattress. Then he pushed me down so my knees buckled and I was sitting on the bed. As I sunk into the soft mattress, I felt like I was sitting on a cloud. I instinctively leaned back so that my torso was on the bed and let out an unconscious sigh.

“This is amazing.”

I heard Bucky chuckle as he watched me, “After I got back from my deployment, all I wanted was a soft bed. I didn’t want any reminders of lumpy cots or sleeping in the desert.”

“I don’t think I can go back to my bed after feeling this one.”

“Well it’s a good thing you don’t have to,” Bucky flirted. He slowly crawled on top of me and my hands instinctively found their way around him. I gently scratched the hair at the back of his neck and studied his face, trying to read his expression. His pupils were wide and were focused on my eyes, flashing briefly to look at my lips. I could sense his heart beating out of his chest, matching my rhythm, and he let out a deep exhale that barely reached my mouth. We were in a stare off, taking each other in and waiting on edge to see who would make the first move. The edges of his mouth slowly turned upward into an amused grin and that was it for me. I pulled him towards me, desperate to feel the caress of his soft lips. His touch did not disappoint. As soon as we connected, I probed my tongue into his mouth, deepening the kiss. He placed his strong hand on my jaw and entwined his fingers into my hair.

We moved together slowly, savoring the moment instead of rushing to the finish line. Bucky had moved from my lips to my neck, planting wet kisses down to my collar bone, where he lingered, doing things that would surely leave a mark. I ran my hands up the back of his shirt, needing more skin to skin contact. I scratched small circles around his back before I whispered, “Can I take this off?”

He pulled away to catch his breath and grabbed the collar of his shirt from the back and easily pulled it over his head.

“Your turn,” he said smugly. I rose to his challenge, propping myself on my elbows to pull off my top. While I wish I’d been wearing some lacy lingerie, I was clad in a ribbed bralette in heather grey. 

“I’m sorry I’m not in lingerie, but I didn’t expect-”

He cut off my defense with a kiss, massaging my lips with his and sending his tongue in to explore my mouth.

“You are so fucking sexy,” he breathed in between kisses. “Don’t ever apologize for how you look.”

That statement turned me on even more, if that was possible. I pushed him off of me and directed him to lay next to me on the bed. I unzipped my jeans and shimmied out of them, then climbed on top of Bucky so I was straddling him.

“Please don’t make me wait any longer,” he begged. I wanted to tease him more but I wasn’t sure I could hold it together much longer either. I hovered over him, planting a few kisses on his lips before making my way down his body to his pelvis. I playfully nipped at his hip bones before unbuttoning his jeans and pulling them down his muscular legs. I could see his erection through his boxer briefs and wasted no time massaging his bulge.

His head dipped back into the mattress in pleasure, and I had barely even started. I pulled down the waistband of his boxers, freeing his erection from its confinement. I gripped him firmly, sliding up past the tip and back down in a fluid motion. Bucky let out a contented sigh, giving me the confidence I needed to continue. I leaned forward to take his shaft in my mouth, bobbing my head up and down as I massaged his member with my tongue. He reached down and tangled his hand in my hair, gently massaging my scalp.

“I’m not gonna last much longer,” he breathed. I continued blowing him, paying special attention to the tip and fondling his balls. I heard him grunt and tasted the slightly salty taste of his semen. I eased working his shaft with my mouth, opting to clasp him with my hand, as I swallowed down his load. He guided my head up off of his penis and pulled me up towards him, squeezing me into a tight bearhug.

“You are amazing,” he gushed, kissing my cheek and neck repeatedly. I wiggled out of his tight grasp to reposition myself so that I could see him better. I placed a hand on his jaw and pulled him toward me, kissing him with vigor yet again. He placed a hand on my hip, gently running his thumb over my pelvic bone. He pulled away sooner than I wanted, and I tried to pull him back to me. He recognized the look in my eyes, and gave me a soft smile as he brushed a few loose strands of hair behind my ears. 

“Don’t worry, love. I’ll make it up to you.” He gently laid me down on the mattress as he shifted his weight on top of me. He started with my lips, exploring my mouth with a slow, lingering kiss. Then he peppered kisses along my jaw, up to my ear. He tugged my earlobe with his teeth and then planted soft kisses behind my ear. He moved down my neck, applying pressure with his tongue. As he continued south, briefly teething on my clavicle before journeying down to my sternum. He slid his hands up my sides and under my bralette. He looked up at me and raised an eyebrow, as if asking for my permission to proceed. I gave him a quick nod and he peeled the bralette up, freeing my breasts. I pulled the bralette over my head and shivered slightly at the cold air caressing my nipples. Bucky picked up on my momentary discomfort and acted quickly, bringing his mouth to my left nipple as his hand massaged my right breast. I let out an unconscious moan and noticed a smirk on Bucky’s lips before he switched sides to the other breast. Things started to get fuzzy as I was entering a natural high.

Bucky moved down lower, teasing my abdomen, pelvis, and inner thighs along the way. He pulled my thong off slowly, teasing me, but then his tongue found my clitoris and I was sent into orbit. He managed to circulate the use of his fingers, lips, and tongue to all my sensitive areas. My fingers were digging into the bed sheets, looking for something to grasp as I teetered on the edge of my orgasm.

Bucky took me by surprise when he inserted a second finger and I let out a heavy breath. I shifted my gaze down toward Bucky and was met with his ocean blue eyes looking up at me. I could’ve sworn he was smiling too, even though his mouth was focused on pleasuring me. And that was all it took. I succumbed to my orgasm, shuddering and releasing all the tension in my body as Bucky lapped up my juices, savoring every drop. I felt light headed from the intense orgasm that came quickly. I’d never finished like that from oral stimulation alone. I blinked rapidly up at the ceiling, trying to refocus my eyes and sighed, “Oh Buck.”

I felt his weight shift up as he crawled up beside me, “How was that, my little sex goddess?”

I turned toward him and couldn’t hide the smile from my face. He knew exactly what he was doing to me. I nuzzled into him and said, “I don’t ever want to leave this bed.”

“Me neither.”

I was startled awake by my own gasping. My eyes bugged and I struggled to breathe as the pressure increased to my throat. Bucky was on top of me, his legs straddling my waist, but not in a fun way. He had me pinned down to the mattress and his forearm was pressed into my windpipe. His eyes were glazed over, almost like he was possessed.

I tried to call his name but it came out as more of a gasp. Then I made the mistake of trying to push him off me. I should’ve realized fighting back would just make him push harder, but I wasn’t thinking, I was reacting. 

His hands were now enclosed around my neck as he started to squeeze harder. My first instinct was to panic, but I knew that wouldn’t help break him from his trauma-induced haze. If I could just talk to him, maybe it would wake him up. Maybe my voice could break into the nightmare he was having, even just to serve as a distraction. I tried to speak again, but all that came out was a squeak.

I needed to pull him back to reality, so I tried something unexpected. If he thought I was a dangerous enemy, the last thing he would expect would be affection. I gently placed my hands on his jaw. His expression shifted slightly and his grip on my neck loosened a bit. I took the opening and carefully pulled his face closer to mine, rubbing little circles behind his earlobes with my finger tips. As his face drew nearer, his forehead and nose connected with mine and his hands released my neck. I barely brushed my lips against his mouth and felt all the tension in his body melt away. I took in a few deep breaths, relieved to have de-escalated the situation. Bucky rolled back to his side of the bed, but curled into me. I directed his head to my chest and ran my fingers through his hair, giving him a scalp massage. He fell back asleep with ease, his breaths and body weighing heavy on me.

Despite the soothing sounds of his breathing, I was wide awake. Adrenaline was still coursing through my veins from the attempted strangulation. The strangest thing was, I wasn’t upset with Bucky. That wasn’t the Bucky I knew, it was just a PTSD flare up. I should’ve been scared of him, of another attack. Yet, I couldn’t imagine leaving him. He talked a little about his time in the military but he never got into any of the specifics. PTSD never even crossed my mind, Bucky always seemed so put together. And now that I saw the darker side of him, all I wanted was to help him and protect him from his haunting thoughts.

[stormyoceans]

(i'm afraid it's me again, the au genre anon. i loved your answer abt the regency we are au so much i had to write a little something based on what you said. it's nothing worth posting on ao3 and i don't think i can write further, but i had to share it since you were so inspiring!! i hope it's not annoying of me.)

//FIRST IMPRESSIONS//

After dodging several eager Mamas throwing their eligible offspring at him, Phum found Fang hiding in the back, pretending to examine some unremarkable painting as if it contained the secrets of the universe.

“Will you tell me finally what is the matter with you?” Phum demanded, doing his best to keep his voice from floating over the happy crowd of assembly-goers. But after watching his brother mingle with the noble and common families, all with a false smile and a tightness around his eyes, Phum had neared the end of his patience. Fang might be able to fool most people with his charm and good looks, but Phum knew something had deeply upset his brother since almost the moment they’d stepped foot in the assembly hall.

“Nothing’s wrong,” said Fang through a smile arranged as perfectly as his cravat. “Aside from me feeling somewhat over-warm. I didn’t expect it to be so crowded in here. Why are you wasting your time here with me? Go, dance! Try to have fun – though I know how loathe you are to do so.”

Phum rolled his eyes. As if this blatant attempt at distraction could work on him so easily! Fang pointedly turned away, going back to the painting he’d been using as a cover for his brooding. Apparently, the assembly hall patrons had had the idea to display artwork throughout the rooms to liven the evening, which Phum thought was an immensely silly contrivance. People didn’t come to these balls and assemblies and gatherings to enjoy art. They came to hunt for spouses, to brag about their houses or carriages or fashionable coats and dresses, and to get away from their families for a night. It was all part of an elaborate game that everyone had been playing for years and where Phum had, as always, stood on the outside looking in.

It was why he felt almost sorry for the artists themselves, who'd been invited to attend tonight's assembly. Almost being key. They were a small group, floating around the assembly, looking uncomfortable and keeping to themselves. Poor fools must be intimidated by the vicious Marriage Mart. Lady Fai, Fang’s fiancee, clearly felt sorry for them. Phum had spotted her chatting with a few of the painters earlier, her bright cheer putting everyone around her at ease. He wished she’d forget about them and pay more attention to Fang, who needed her more right now.

A nudge at his elbow startled Phum, and he realized he’d been glaring at the painting before him. It was Fang, staring at him curiously.

“Rather remarkable piece of art, don’t you think?” Fang asked.

“I don’t want to talk about the damn art,” Phum said crossly. “I’m here to find out why you’ve been upset this whole evening. Did somebody say anything to you? Do I need to second you in another duel at dawn?”

Fang smiled beatifically. “Beautiful brushwork.”

Phum made a harsh noise of frustration. He glanced once again at the painting, which he didn’t think he’d seen properly the whole time he’d been looking at it. It was just a seascape, nothing special, and he refused to examine it further. “Why you waste your time in front of this particular painting, I can’t understand. Do you really expect me to believe you’re so enamored of this trite, dull piece of art that you’ll stay here the whole time? As if anybody put any sort of real thought into this aside from ‘la, I suppose I’ll draw a pretty little sea and get to go to the ball!’ Please, brother!”

Fang’s unimpressed stare changed into a look of utter horror so sharply that Phum became uneasy. When the voice cut in behind him, the shock felt like he’d plunged into the cold waters of the painting.

“I assure you, I didn’t drag your brother in front of my painting.”

Phum whirled around – and came face-to-face with the most handsome man he’d seen in his life. Feline dark eyes set in a fine-boned face glared at him, then cut away. Phum was forced to step aside as the stranger walked past him to address Fang, ignoring Phum with the grace of a knife.

“Ah, it’s Peem, yes?” Fang said hastily, summoning his smoothest smile. “You seem to have come upon me teasing my brother most frightfully. The fault is entirely mine, I’m afraid. Is this your painting? I had heard from… from others that you were most talented. You must tell me more about this particular piece.”

Oh. Oh, no. Phum inhaled sharply and audibly. The strange man – Peem – shot him a disdainful glance, then turned back to Fang with a jagged smile.

“I wouldn’t dream of wasting your time further, my lord, with my meager thoughts,” said Peem. “You must have heard of me from my friend, Tan. He mentioned to me that you both had a prior acquaintance from town. I must say, from what I heard tell, I believed you to keep more gentlemanly company than present.”

His words dripped like honeyed poison. Without another look in Phum’s direction, as if he’d already gained an estimate of Phum and found him unworthy of further consideration, Peem bowed and marched off.

Fang had gone pale and his hands were trembling slightly. But Phum couldn’t focus on anything besides his own nausea and racing heart. What had he just done?

‘I must go after him and apologize,’ said a small voice inside Phum’s head, quiet and ashamed. Then he felt a rush of anger, the anger of being humiliated, of being so thoroughly misunderstood and cast aside. Cast aside if Phum was nothing.

“Well,” said Phum coldly, hearing himself as if from a distance. “It appears my small misstep has offended that young man. He could have waited for my apology instead of trying to humiliate me in front of this crowd. Don’t be too furious with him, brother. I hope it doesn’t get back to your friend. Who is Tan, anyway? You’ve never mentioned him before.”

There was a beat of silence. And then:

“No one,” said Fang softly. “He’s no one at all.”

SCREAMING AND HOWLING AND YELLING AND SHOUTING AND SHRIEKING AND SCREECHING AND RUNNING LAPS ON THE CEILING WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY SPINNING COUNTERCLOCKWISE ON THE FLOOR FOAMING AT THE MOUTH AND ENGAGING IN FITS OF FEMALE HYSTERIA

I RESPECTFULLY BUT FIRMLY VERY MUCH DISAGREE ON THIS NOT BEING WORTH OF BEING POSTED ON AO3 ANON THIS IS SOSOSOS OSOSSO SOOOOOOOOOOOOO PERFECT OH MY GODDDDDDDSDSJKGSF

im not good with coherent comments and there are SO MANY GOOD PARTS in this that im not quite sure where to start but i love love LOVE your phum's voice, you were able to capture him so well!!!!!! his thoughts about the ball!!!!!! the way he knows that something's off with fang!!!!!! how he ends up being so harsh with his words about peem's painting partly because of the frustration he feels at fang avoiding his questions!!!!!! his first instinct being to apologize to peem right away but then getting angry at being so unfairly treated!!!!!! and then there's peem with his cutting politeness and graceful disapproval!!!!!! and fang with his quiet yearning and pain and regret still trying to shield phum from reproach!!!!!!

Lady Fai, Fang’s fiancee, clearly felt sorry for them. Phum had spotted her chatting with a few of the painters earlier, her bright cheer putting everyone around her at ease. <<< I LOVE THIS DETAIL OF FAI TALKING WITH PEEM AND THE OTHERS!!!!!!!! they're gonna be friends!!!!!!!!!

“Did somebody say anything to you? Do I need to second you in another duel at dawn?” <<< PHUM HAVING TO BE FANG'S SECOND IN A DUEL LITERALLY THE MOST IN-CHARACTER THING EVER

“Is this your painting? I had heard from… from others that you were most talented.” <<< fang not wanting to give away the fact that he knows tan but also FANG NOT BEING ABLE TO EVEN SPEAK TAN'S NAME OUT LOUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“No one,” said Fang softly. “He’s no one at all.” <<< WHAT IF I WALKED INTO TRAFFIC

........anyway. sorry i kinda got carried away with this ;;;;;;; i know you said you probably can't write further anon, but if you ever feel inspired to do so JUST PLEASE KNOW I WOULD ABSOLUTELY LOVE TO GET MORE OF IT!!!!!!!!! AND IN THE MEAN TIME THANK YOU SOSOSOSO MUCH FOR SHARING THIS!!!!!!!!!!

[sebastiancats]

Probably a clue to the cult that kidnapped the twins

Ok, this is my first post here and I don't know much about English so I'll use the translator.I hope that a part of kurofandom can see this and tell me what they think.

A few days ago I started rereading the twin reveal arc manga, and since lately I've been doing research on gothic/medieval architecture, I saw this panel from chapter 135 and thought "this castle seems to be medieval".

then the idea of looking for information on satanic sects during the Victorian era occurred to me, and although in reality there was very little information about it, after searching for a while I finally found a page that told me about what I was looking for.

Well this information is about a man named Sir Francis Dashwood, like many of the young people of Victorian England who prided themselves on being part of blue blood families, he was an inexhaustible traveler. He toured almost all of Europe as part of his training, but he always expressed a very marked passion for Italy. Dashwood was a man of the world, surrounded by powerful friends in politics, banking and the art world. He held important positions in the civil service of England. He was also a notable lover of parties, music, food, drink and women in large quantities, in addition to art and Greco-Roman cultures. Quite a character with notable influences that he had access to practically what he wanted. He lived near the River Thames, in Buckinghamshire, in a huge mansion in West Wycombe, surrounded by luxuries and servants who fulfilled any mandate 24 hours a day. In it he held meetings with notable friends of his and members of Masonic lodges in which his vices surfaced permanently.

However, he had in mind the creation of a select secret group in which he could discuss freely about political and philosophical issues exclusively, made up of elegant and influential gentlemen from English high society. This is how he found the ideal place to carry out these meetings: Medmenham Abbey, whose owners were members of the Duffield family, and which was about five kilometers away from his mansion. The Duffields agreed to rent the property, erected around 1200 by a congregation of Cistercian monks. The place was perfect in every way: away from prying eyes and with an atmosphere of mysticism, thanks to its medieval air that enchanted Sir Francis.

He had a good number of statues of pagan gods moved to the property and decorated the walls with mocking phrases such as: Peni tento, non penitenti ("a stiff penis, no penance"). On the reception door he had the following legend engraved: Fay ce que voudras (<< Do what you want »), which would later be adopted by the magician Aleister Crowley as his personal phrase. The place was ready to receive Dashwood's guests and start the meetings of the new Hell-Fire Club. From this moment is where the myths and legends are born around the dark activities of this sinister cult where its members arrive at the abbey aboard small boats, dressed as monks, carrying candles in their hands and singing Gregorian chants.

It should be clarified that in reality the cult called themselves "The Monks of Medmenham". The name "Hell-Fire" club was more of a derogatory nickname.

So reading all this information I realized something, the phrase that this cult used was "fray ce que voudras" which means "Do what you want" or "Do your will" and this same phrase is used by the members of the cult that kidnapped to the twins.

In this part of chapter 135.

here I realized that when they arrive at that castle the receptionist asks "are you a monk?" To which the other responds with "Fay ce que voudras" (Do what you want). The same phrase used by members of the cult The Monks of Medmenham.

So I would assume that this is a hint that Yana left us and I don't see anyone else talking about it. I don't know if so many people from kurofandom follow me but tell me what you think about this, we should investigate further but I think this is a very obvious clue.

[f1ghtsoftly]

All The Women’s News You Missed Last Week:

10/28/24-11/4/24

Last week, a courageous woman protested modesty laws in Iran, Kamala went on SNL, and Kemi Badenoch took over the UK’s conservative party. The world continues to hold its breath for the results of the 2024 American presidential election. 

On Thursday, November 6th I will release a special edition of thoughtful feminist opinion pieces and analysis of the results of the 2024 election, both nationally and in state elections. A reminder that abortion is on the ballot this Tuesday in 10 U.S. states. 

I also officially endorse Proposition 1 in New York. Read about what the amendment will and will not do here, and check out a more in-depth nonpartisan article about the proposition (the one that convinced me to vote YES) here.

Want this in your inbox instead? Subscribe here

U.S Election and Reproductive Rights:

A Pregnant Teenager Died After Trying to Get Care in Three Visits to Texas Emergency Rooms

Abortion rights at forefront of Women's March rallies in runup to Election Day

We Heart: Feminist Art on Display in Texas Declares, ‘Be Afraid. We Are Coming for You.’

In a historic election, no one’s talking about feminism

Kamala Harris makes surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live

'A lot of women are rising up': Harris hopes hinge on female vote

Male Violence:

UK prosecutors are mulling whether to charge Russell Brand over sex assault allegations

British businessman to remain in custody on charge of killing Indonesian woman in Hong Kong

Women In The News:

Iran urged to release woman detained after undressing at university

Victorian feminist Fay Marles dies aged 98, leaving legacy for women's rights and social justice

Who is Kemi Badenoch, the first Black woman to lead Britain’s Conservative Party?

Refugee runner is Afghan women's 'voice for change'

Why female entrepreneurs are key to getting more women to work

Pro-EU leader wins Moldova election despite alleged Russian meddling

Secret WW2 bravery of Welsh mum who survived Nazi Germany and saved a historic church

Argentina's Milei fires foreign minister for opposing US embargo on Cuba

What happened to the young girl captured in a photograph of Gaza detainees

US woman in 1990 'killer clown' case released from prison

Arts and Culture:

Strictly's Tasha Ghouri in tears over online hate

Jodi Picoult’s ‘Nineteen Minutes’ tops PEN America of books banned in schools

Tina Knowles to tell her story in ‘Matriarch,’ a memoir scheduled for next year

As always, this is global and domestic news from a US perspective covering feminist issues and women in the news more generally. As of right now, I do not cover Women’s Sports. Published each Monday afternoon.

[aprilblossomgirl]

We Are - a mid-term break.

(written just right before episode 9)

We Are, to me, is such a nice depiction of a university slice-of-life romcoms that actually live up to the very core of university life, a quite fluffy one, but still. Sixteen episodes? That's a sixteen-week semester for you. Well, to be precise, fourteen weeks courses, one week of midterm, and one week of finals. I'm sure the actual episodes didn't really go by the actual semester weeks (episode 7 shown that they were just transitioned into a new semester, but still on the same academic year). Anyway. You get the concept.

Note: If this show is not up to your alley, please just scroll through, I'm not putting this under a 'read more' :)

The first thing that I love is that the show took its portrayal of university life pretty seriously. Note that, I mean seriously by heart. You may want to question the accuracy of some elements and that's fair enough, but may I say they didn't deter my enjoyment of the show. Any elements they thought of adding, they did it right, so far at least.

Like, I know it's the right slice-of-life drama with university setting with all those assignments, deadlines (with actual deadline talks and stress), pin-up sessions (if you went to art/architecture school, you'll get it), grading, consulting with the professors, painting studio, clay workshop, architecture model making, art exhibition setup, group works, volunteer camp, cross-faculty activity, football, drinking nights, group lunch or lunch date at faculty's canteen, 'hanging out' on campus or nearby cafe or bar, and some more other things that I might miss.

Second: I really ADORE the friend groups and their friendship dynamics!!! I feel like this is the actual heart and soul of the show. Sure, honestly, I might have decided to start this show mostly because of Winny Satang (well, you know me), yet here I am, falling in love with the whole gang and by extension, the whole cast. It really surprised me how well they worked with the friendship side of this show. Everything just falls and blends naturally with the story. Understandably, with such big cast with numbers of main, side and supporting characters, I should expect there would be some proportion on their highlight. But (and I hope I am not too biased here) so far, I can say that the highlights are still within the range of proportional to the story.

And... I guess this is attributed to the line of actors, which you cannot say they're new to the field, that the chemistry among the characters just happened so organically, which is such a pleasant to see. I'm still amazed that I could see the Peem-Q-Tan-Chain-Pun's group (with special bond between Q-Peem) happens alongside Phum-Beer-Mick-Tan's group. (Bless you Tan for bridging the two. And later, Pun-Mick instant bonding.) And then insert Toey-Matt duo, and now we have a complete chaotic mix. Oh, but also remember we have Tan-Fang-Phum, Phum-Peem-Toey, and Q-Peem-Fai among them. Well, not all are exactly friendship links, but, talking about groups dynamics, we just cannot ignore the trios. Okay now, don't make me write my (love) notes for each individual character.

And finally: the love lines! I cannot and do not plan to write a lengthy description on how I love having all the four (going five?) different pairs. But I will just say I adore how each of their love lines intertwined very well with the friendship dynamics that happened along the way. The story of each pairs doesn't feel forced blending with how each group, to which they are bonded with, creates their stories. The friendship and the romance here are not two sides of the same coin, but rather are two layers of pictures, each with certain opacity that allows them to overlay perfectly creating a whole new complete picture. Not that anything others haven't said but I just need to say it in my own way, nonetheless.

That said, in short: long live slice-of-life romcoms!

We Are, by this mid-term, is truly a work of hearts (I still wanna cry if I think about the refilming part) and I cannot wait for the finals (please don't come too fast, though). As much as I need the show to finish strong, I need it more to finish warmly.

Second half of the show, I am ready! <3 <3 <3

*Note: Taking the academic terms more seriously, I knew by both logic and heart the second half of the 'semester' could either go better or go wrong and in no way I could predict which will happen but I do wish with my whole heart for the first. However, regardless of how it eventually goes, it won't erase the wonderful first half that I've had this far.

[fuck-i-like-too-much-stuff]

PART THREE TO MY NOT-SO-SMALL-ANYORE ADDITION TO THE PROFESSOR PEEM AND PROFESSOR Q TAG

Part one and two:

Ao3:

.

.

.

The airport is three hours away from the university, the flight is one hour away from the airport and Peem is about to bring earthquakes with how much his knees are bouncing up and down under the table.

“Hia, are you okay?” 

“What?” Peem, having grown too accustomed to only being called Professor Peem these days, startles on catching sight of Toey in the staffroom.

“I asked if you're okay.”

Before he could answer, a group of his students accumulated at the door, seeking permission to enter.

“Come in, you guys. Are you here for submissions?” 

They don't answer, feet dug into the floor and eyes trained onto Toey. 

“Guys, I get that you're all fine arts students and must observe the world and what not. But the staring is getting out of hand these days with you lot.”

Again, no answer. This time, however their feet move backwards and take them on the same path they had arrived from. 

“What was that all about?” Toey's eyebrows move towards each other and Peem almost laughs at the proof that he is not the only one who sees his students acting weird. 

“Hell if I know. They've been this way for four weeks now and I still can not fathom why.”

“And what's going on with you? Jae Fai and Hia Fang told me you haven't been taking care of yourself.”

“I'm fine, Toey. He's coming back today. And I'm fine.”

“Alright. Then I'll go prepare for my lecture.”

.

.

.

Peem had been grateful to not have any lectures today. Peem had been grateful to be in the staffroom and do personal consultings for an hour and then proceed to do the gradings Q unloaded on him, after complaining about how not a single one of them was in sequence. Till an hour back, that was.

Peem was now contemplating his life choices of putting the gallery on autopilot to become a professor. A professor, who is either being pitied or hated by the first years, because if Q hadn't asked him to rearrange the assignments, he wouldn't have had anything to do. Hell, even Toey has more work to do than him and he gives two guest lectures a year which are both just additional guides.

He can't be hated, right? He did pretty well the first two years. This is actually just Phum's business trips taking a toll on him. Yes, that's it. He will be back to his normal, not nauseated and not puffy eyed self in just a couple more hours.

Couple more hours, that's doable.

“Professor Peem?” He realizes his eyes have been shut closed for the past ten minutes. 

“Yeah?” He looks up to find the teacher's aid peeking through the door.

“Professor Q is asking for you. Could you please go to lecture hall C.”

The hallways he walks through fall into a gradient of heavier and heavier silence as he nears lecture hall C. 

“Prof Q?” he asks, leaning into the deadly silent class. 

“Professor Peem. Yes, please come in.” While Peem can't ever digest his best friend of twenty years talking to him with this much respect, in their professional environment he has learned not to trip over his feet because of it.

“You mentioned that our students have been behaving somewhat weird these past weeks, right?”

“Yeah… what's going on?”

“Let's hear what one of them has just said. Right, Wai?”

Peem turns to find Wai amongst the students, everyone does the same and eyes converge on the boy sitting with a look that could compete with ghosts and win.

“Professor, I'm- we are so sorry. We didn't know- we didn't understand, or actually even try to understand anything. We're so sorry.”

“Okay I'm fed up of asking what's going on, it's the only question I've been asking for four weeks now. So will someone please tell me what on earth is going on?” The irritation in Peem's voice cracks through his throat and for the first time in four weeks, he is not getting a single eye contact from his audience.

“Remember the theme sequence they all messed up and I asked you to help with correcting it? I mentioned it in class today and it turns out it wasn't a mistake or a misread instruction.” Q's voice feels as if it was dipped in melted metal.

“They've been convinced that you and I were dating, that I cheated on you with Toey and left you to go with him to Europe.”

If Peem was nauseated before, he does not know how to describe the current pit in his stomach. “Is this what- is this what the looks, all those pity filled looks, were about? You all thought, not that it was any of your business, that Q cheated on me.”

“Who cheated on who now?” A voice pierces through the suspended tension of the room and Peem truly does not believe in the ground anymore. There standing in the doorway is his boyfriend, who did not cheat on him in the very least, with a bouquet of roses. His boyfriend, for who's presence his entire being had been aching for two whole months now. His boyfriend, who looks much more confused than Peem is himself.

.

.

.

 “How was this any of their business in the first place? We were never once interested  in Prof Po's love life.” Q has been fuming for the course of the past forty five minutes in which they have managed to cancel class for the rest of the day, and leave.

“And to be honest, we didn't even care about it. It's a professional relationship.”  

Q and Toey's apartment is just a seven minute drive from the Uni, making it extremely convenient for Peem to crash on a comfortable sofa right after a long day Although right now, its a comfortable sofa in addition to his boyfriend's side, and arm and hands and scent and existence.

He knows and agrees with Q with his whole heart, and he knows so do Toey and Phum. However there is only so much agreement one can do in his state. He nods off to sleep, the first deep sleep after weeks.

The next thing he recalls is waking up the door closing on the opposite side of the car, watching Phum make his way to his side and open the door for him.

“I told you, I can open the door for myself.”

“I know you can. I, as a gentleman, just don't feel like letting you.”

“And you do, as a gentleman, feel like letting me walk all the way to the front door and then through the hall and to the bedroom-” assuming his mumbles aren't coherent enough to make it to Phum's ears, he tries to climb out of the car. 

His feet don't touch the ground, Phum is carrying him up to the front door and through the hallways and to the bedroom and not once did Peem's feet come near touching the ground.

“You didn't have to do that. I was only joking.”

“I don't mind an excuse to carry my boyfriend around- just as I don't need an excuse to sit on his lap.”

Maybe there is more agreement Peem can do in his state.

[penniesforthestorm]

*

I've been a fan of David Lynch for more or less my whole life. My dad was a huge fan of Frank Herbert's Dune, and Lynch's 1984 version was a frequent watch in our household-- I couldn't even tell you how old I was the first time I saw it. I loved it then and I love it now-- there's nothing else like it, nor will there ever be. The Villeneuve versions are fine, and we're fond of them too, but I particularly like the Lynch Dune because it feels genuinely not of this Earth.

When I was a senior in high school, my mom showed me Blue Velvet for the first time, and told me her theory about it. You see, in our hometown of Missoula, Montana, where David Lynch lived as a very young boy, there is a theater downtown called the Wilma. It was built in 1921, and as a girl, I thought it was the strangest, ghostliest, loveliest place in the whole world. The springs in the lipstick-red auditorium seats were terribly lumpy, the gold and red fleur-de-lys wallpaper was mildewed and peeling, and the dressing rooms downstairs were covered in decades of graffiti from all the performances that had taken place there. But the key thing about it was the stage curtains. We're familiar with stages having red velvet curtains-- it's so conventional there's even an emoji of it. But the Wilma Theater's curtains? They were a deep midnight blue. The top floors of the building had been converted into low-cost apartments, and my mother had known people who lived there. Without elaboration, she said simply, "This movie is about people who live at the Wilma." It made about as much sense as anything else.

I've written elsewhere on this blog about Twin Peaks (here and here, plus the rewatch project I abandoned partway through The Return... will this be the year I finally finish?); I can think of very few other pieces of art that have so captivated me. In college, I used to go to a fancy little deli/grocery on the Upper East Side for treats, and one night as I was coming out, David Duchovny held the door for me. I hadn't watched the series then; how I wish I could've said, "Thank you, Denise!" In 2019, I dressed as the Log Lady for Halloween-- I had short hair at the time, and plenty of flannel shirts and woolly cardigans to choose from. That night, with some friends, I sang The Band's "I Shall Be Released" as part of a Woodstock cover set; somehow, it felt right to be standing up there with the Log in my arms. ("Any day now, any day now...")

I've always loved listening to David Lynch talk, because his voice sounded like home. He sounded like my mother's side of the family-- Norwegian and Irish immigrants who have lived in and around Great Falls and Teton County since the 1890s. Those blue eyes, as clear as Montana's famous Big Sky-- my Great-Uncle Harold, who wore a pearl-grey Stetson and taught me how to dance the mazurka at a wedding, had eyes like that. There was (oh, it hurts to write that!) also something familiar in the contrast that people made such a fuss over-- how he could be so straight-arrow seeming, and yet such a student of the grotesque. I'll say this-- if you'd heard the stories they all used to tell in my Great-Aunt Fay's kitchen, late at night when they thought the kids were asleep, it wouldn't seem so outlandish.

Lastly, I have him to thank for introducing me to one of my favorite bands: The Cactus Blossoms, who appear at The Roadhouse in Ep. 3 of The Return. (Frustratingly enough, the full video of their performance, which was kicking around for years, seems to have been taken off YouTube, but here's a live recording I really like, from KEXP radio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Dgy9ZO_ad4) They're honestly one of the best live bands I've ever seen-- the atmosphere they create when they perform is just... beyond. I saw the two frontmen (brothers Jack Torrey and Page Burkum) perform an acoustic set at the Brooklyn Folk Festival at St. Ann's church back in November, and hearing the blend of their voices in the chapel just gave me chills. (They're also incredibly nice dudes; I managed to corner them for a chat at the afterparty. Actually it was so packed, we were all standing more or less shoulder-to-shoulder; at that point it would have been weird of me not to say hi...)

Anywho, vale, Mr. Lynch. Send my love to Harry Dean when you see him. Maybe I'll make a cherry pie this weekend...