#god I hope you feel some kind of joy today too my peeps <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[heartstringsduet]

I'm just so happy right now ✨

[scary-lasagna]

Slender-Sitter

An idea I got at 2am one night. 

A different take on the Slender Brothers (and Mama Slender!).I probably won’t follow up on it, but if you guys want one I’ll be happy to write it.

* * *

     You weren't quite sure what happened. One moment you were eating shitty off-brand cornflakes, and the next moment there was a machete to your throat.     "You're coming with me, and if I hear a peep outta ya, I'll slit your God Damn throat. Got it?"     What else could you have done besides nod?     To be fair, the walk through the forest with this masked man was awkward as all can be. You tried asking his name for small talk, to which he replied by throwing a rusty knife past your ear.     Maybe he was an introvert.     The sun was starting to rise now, and you realized you didn't want to die on a cold spring morning with your socks soaked through with dew.     But it as too late now, because the ivory and shadow colored manor slowly appeared into view. You didn't know where the Hell you were, and there was no way this was a half an hour walk from your house.     The masked man walked past you instead of following in your shadow, grabbing your arm and dragging you toward the mahogany double doors. He pulled the heavy knocker three times. It was so loud, that the sound disturbed a flock of birds resting in the circle of trees surrounding the building.     There were a few clicks and shutters behind the door before it peeled open, revealing a quite tall, pale woman. Her height wasn't even the intimidating part, it was the fact that she didn't even have a face.     "Hello, sweetheart. You can call me Mother." She outstretched a thin hand, which you hesitantly took to shake. "I hope Deliberate didn't cause you too much trouble." She nodded towards the masked man beside you. "I would've sent someone more qualified in choosing a baby sitter, but all of my other proxies were busy."     You shook your head to clear your thoughts when she turned to lead you into her home, "B-Babysitter?" You stuttered, being nudged in by the rude 'proxy'.     "Mhm! I'm heading out today for some errands, and I needed someone to look after my children." She bent down, extending her slender arms to pick up one of the said children. "Mostly this one." She planted what sounded like a kiss on his forehead before turning and outstretching the child to you.     The baby was fucking adorable, in honesty. With a wide grin and sparkling black eyes, it almost looked normal despite the black took over the whites of his eyes.     “Y-You want me," You pointed at yourself," A complete stranger to hold your pride and joy, none the less a living child?" It seemed kind of absurd.     "Honey, don't make me not like you." Her tone fell flat, causing you to remember your situation and quickly scooping the baby onto your hip. "Oh good! He already likes you!" Her hands clasped together, "I'll go get my other boys."     Oh, Christ, they're all boys.     You felt a little awkward waiting with this dude who looks like he wants to kill you at any second, and with this baby who won't stop staring.     You looked down, watching as his eyes lit up and that previous grin taking place on his chubby cheeks again following by a gurgling laugh. You couldn't help but return the smile. His pudgy hands reached up, one grasping at your shirt and the other pinching your cheek.     "The one in your arms is Splendor." The woman approached again, this time carrying another child. Two were following in her footsteps, obviously older than the infant and toddler.     "This one is Trender, and these two are my oldest, Slender and Offender." She nodded at each respectively. None of them really sported any facial features besides this Offender kid. He had a toothy grin that just made him look like he was up to something. You can already tell he'll cause some trouble.     She huffed and set the toddler down, who waddled over to his older siblings. "Now, I'm going to be gone until 10:30 tonight. Feel free to explore around the house, eat the food, honestly...I don't care what you do." She shrugged with a sigh. "Just keep them occupied, and if the house isn't burned down by the time I get back, I'll give you a pretty penny for your efforts."     There was a rustle behind you and Deliberate brushed the fur coat against you as he walked past to help Mother put it on. "If you need help Slender will know what to do." She glanced your way before walking towards her children, saying an individual goodbye to each one. She approached you, letting Splendor grasp onto her finger as she looked at you.     Her voice lowered out of earshot for the older boys. "If I come back and either a, you are not here, or b, any of my boys have as little as a scratch on them, I will find you, I will break all of your bones, rip them out of our body and use them for home decor." She paused, letting the emphasis sink in.                                        You nodded slowly as Slendor chimed in with a laugh. "Isn't that right baby boy!~" She cooed at the infant, kissing him on the cheek. He pressed saliva covered lips to her thin cheek in return. She straightened up to her full height, placing a hand on your shoulder. "10:30, 15 hours. Do not screw up." She struts past you, Deliberate sparing a glare as he followed her out. The door slammed behind them, leaving you alone with these little shits.

    Staring at the mahogany wood, you tried to think of a plan for the day. "So..." You turned away from the door, looking at the three- wait one was missing. Your eyes widened in panic as you glanced around.     "Offender went to raid the fridge." The tallest one said, despite not even having a mouth. Not that it surprised you, considering their mother is the most abnormal creature you've seen in your life. "Right." You nodded, glancing across the large lobby of the manor towards a set of doors with 'Kitchen' carved into a plaque above them.     "Slender, right?" You looked at the eldest, who responded with a nod. "Okay, you're going to have to help me, because I don't do children, and they don't like me either." You paused, looking down at Trender who has decided to latch on to your jeans. "Small ones, at least." You added as the kitchen door swung open, revealing a walking pile of ramen noodle boxes.     "Can you fix these Miss Human?" You could see a pair of legs poking out from under the boxes.     "Not all of them, and not now. You guys aren't having ramen for breakfast." You paced towards the second eldest, grasping a box from the top so the kid can see, "And I have a name, squirt." You said, pushing the door open to the kitchen with your shoulder. "Have you guys eaten?"     "No."     “Yes."     "Yes."     "Will you guys shut up? You want extra pancakes or not?" Offender set the boxes down by the large dining table with a grumble.     "Trender only knows the word 'yes', Offender."     Meanwhile, you struggled to get Spenldor in his high chair, who kept spreading his chubby legs so they wouldn't go through the leg holes. For a little baby, he was putting a hell of a strain on your arm. You had to quite literally peel Trender off and set him on your leg to see over the table you sat at.     "Aight, we're gonna have a talk to set a schedule for the day." You secured an arm around the toddler's torso.     "You should just let us watch t.v. all day, nothing can go wrong then." Offender shrugged.     "You're gonna be a shit eater aren't you?"     "Yeah, that's what mom says." He grinned.     "Try not to curse too much Trender is learning words." Slender chimed in.     "My name is [Y/n], by the way. You can call me that." You paused as they awkwardly just nodded in response. Splendor managed to learn how to eat his own foot for the time being. "How old are you guys?" You glanced between the four.     Offender opened his mouth as if to speak, but Slender beat him to it. "In Ender years, I'm 11, Offender is 7, Trender is 3, and Splendor is 1."     "Ender years..." You whispered. "Should I ask what that is for humans?"     "No."     "We're not allowed."     "Yes."     "Okay, whatever. You two watch t.v. or whatever, I'm gonna see what I can do with these two." You glanced between Splendor and Trender, who was neck grasping onto the chain of your necklace.     "There's a schedule mom made on the fridge for Sun."     You huffed and stood, struggling to hold Trender on your hip due to the contrast in size between him and Splendor. "Who's Sun?" You shifted your weight on one hip as you looked over the schedule.     "One of mom's proxies," Slender answered.     As you looked over the schedule, there were really some peculiar things that stood out to you.     "You guys have a library?" You glanced over your shoulder to find Offender was gone and Slender was picking up Splendor to accompany you by the fridge.     "Yeah, we go in there to do school work. We have lessons today." He mentioned., pacing over with a squirming piece of chub.     "Outdoor play, 1:00." You mumbled, running a finger down the list.     "Don't let Offender outside, he'll throw a ball through the window to get you in trouble. Mom's catching on though, so it's a 50-50 chance."     "...Thanks." You sighed, turning. "I take it you do most of the work with your brothers?" You lead him out of the kitchen and held the door for him.     "Yeah, mostly." He mumbled, shifting Splendor on his side.     You paused, seeing the sight of the lobby and wondering how in the hell Offender managed to make this much of a mess in the span of 3 minutes. Toys were scattered, the table in the middle was knocked over, the rug was twisted in all kinds of directions, not to mention the articles of clothing on top of the chandelier.     Trender gripped onto your shirt and neck, burying his head into your chest. Your brows furrowed as you rubbed his back.     "He gets upset when mom yells at Offender."     "Does she do it often?"     "Have you met him?"     "Right." You glanced around at the harsh sight. "Let's find your brother, then."

[beigebees]

I wanna ask,, all the things from the Hozier thing but that would be too long SO Foreigners God and Shrike

whelp seeing as self isolation has me mega bored I might as well answer them all !! I can’t find the original ask post though so I found a new one !! thank u for asking these r keeping me busy !!

I’m a thirsty bitch - what do you yearn for?

I yearn to spend my evenings sat on a quiet berlin underground train and wearing brown blazers and reading german glamour magazines

i will use these powers, for evil - if you could have any kind of superpower, what would your first action be?

invisibility and I’d get an mi6 spy job

suffer my carefree bops, planet earth - do you think there are more positive or more negative things in this world? Why?

I think everything in the world has positives and negatives, but more people choose to interpret things negatively, especially here in england where we’re kinda raised to look on the dark side lol

what dreams may come when we twerked off this mortal coil - what trend brings you joy and why?

I love blazers idk they’re kinda becoming trendy aren’t they ?!? also I’m sure if I had a switch then animal crossing would bring me a lot of joy

recognising them as the sovereign heralds they are, my dog rushes to me on hearing the words `nom nom` - what absurd nicknames (would or does) your pet(s) have?

my dogs called badger but I call him dog

phone is being real judgy today - do you like living in this generation? Why (not)? Which generation would you prefer?

not really I feel like this generation is far too technology driven and it feels like a lot of people are trying to grow up too fast - I would’ve liked to have turned 18 in the 80s I think that would be fun

perilous mistake - what is humankind’s greatest sin in you eyes? 

humankind doesn’t commit sins everyone’s an individual everyone has their individual faults there’s not one thing that humankind has collectively done that’s inherently bad or good

hurtling skinless into your dms - with who (dead or alive) would you like to spend an evening? What would you do?

my best friends I’m missing them in isolation :((

jump yourself. into that flipping sea. before summer leaves us - name something you like about each season and why

autumn - berlin season babyyyy also cinnamon

winter - ???? I don’t like her but christmas and my bday are good

spring - easter whoop whoop chocolate season

summer - warm :”””””)))))

World domination is bones - describe your day if you were to obtain world domination for 24 hours

oh lord I’d get rlly overwhelmed then like ,,, change the world national anthem to my favourite song??

toxic has always been (will always be) banger my friend. A banger. - if you could make one song nr 1 of the Charts right now, which one would you choose and why?

about love by marina give my gal some recognition pls

little Ho Peep - what would your drag name be?

elijah wood ;) (the winky face would b part of the name)

your hair would make my hair its bitch - name your most prominent feature and what you like about it

my hair is mega curly so that’s probs most prominent but also my teeth r cool bc they’re wonky

give me a chance to let you down - have you ever been let down by anyone/ anything? How did you overcome it?

course I have I just have dreams about getting in fights w them then I feel better in the morning

I am a panderer. an absolute pedlar of muck - what item in your life could you never sell? Why does it have so much emotional value?

piglet he’s my stuffed animal I got him at disneyland when I was 3 and he’s been my no1 ever since

I didn’t know what a man bun was until people started asking me about my man bun -  do you feel young or old?

so so young I’m 18 but I’m mentally like,,, 12 at a push

Hope some men show their boobies too - describe your go to fashion choice

depends how I’m feeling ,, day to day is brown dress trousers, floral shirt, brown docs ghibli socks ,, going out is a dress, chunky platform heels, big brown scarf, lots o makeup rlly loud eyeshadow

That was her best effort of drowning me - who do you describe as family? And what makes them so special?

my best friends I love them sm

I’d take that love harem. I’d be the bastard child of that strange sexual union - if you were to choose a celebrity as a parent, who would you choose?

hugh grant bc my mum wants to marry him

One of the few things that make life very worth living is loving somebody. Or being loved. coffee, chocolate and sex are also very, very enjoyable - what makes your life very worth living?

breakfast??? I get up in the morning for breakfast

just a for the fuck of it - give a ted talk on a topic of your choice

uhhhh ?? stop being mean to toads ?? they have good morals and they like to exist just as much as frogs do

[silver-lily-louise]

A Whole New World - a Shadowhunters fanfic

Chapter Five - Let Your Heart Decide

Summary: Alec doesn’t want to hold Magnus back. Magnus doesn’t want to throw Alec’s normal life up in the air. Alec makes his final wish. 

A/N: The final chapter!!! We made it, guys. Thank you so much to everyone who’s been leaving lovely comments/tags along the way, it’s been a joy! I hope you enjoy the wrap-up. <3 (As usual, the titles are from Aladdin.) 

Read it from the beginning on AO3 Chapter Five on AO3, or alternatively, keep reading!

~oOo~

Alec folds his arms over his chest, holding still; tossing and turning wasn’t helping him drift off any faster, so maybe this will work instead. But the gentle pressure just reminds him of earlier – of Magnus’ hands, arms, chest holding him upright but by no means steady. Of being so close, and wanting nothing more than to close the rest of the distance and kiss him. He shuts his eyes, but there’s barely any difference. There’s no pesky ray of moonlight peeping in, no noise besides the familiar hum of the city he can no longer sleep without. It’s his own thoughts, his own foolish wants, keeping him awake.

Tomorrow, he’s going to make his final wish. He’s going to let Magnus move on, and try to return to his own normal life. And hey, he’s got his work, he’s got his family nearby – there are plenty of things to distract and ground him, to help him pretend that these last few weeks have just been a strange dream; exhilarating, but fleeting, and not to be mourned for that.

He groans, giving up and turning onto his side again, feeling his face smoosh up against the thin pillow. The problem is, this time with Magnus hasn’t felt like a dream. It’s felt more real than anything Alec’s ever known. It’s never been perilous enough to be exhilarating, and he doesn’t want it to be fleeting – instead, it’s been comfortable, quietly and steadily joyous, and he thinks he might want it forever. 

That word snaps him out of his reverie, and he opens his eyes to the darkness in a kind of shock, before frowning at himself. Forever. For God’s sake, he’s known Magnus less than a month – it’s ridiculous to feel so attached already. Not to mention that Magnus is a genie, a fucking magical entity who’s lived for centuries, and so to him, forever means something entirely different. Alec’s never thought of himself as self-deprecating – though he knows Izzy disagrees with him on that – but he’s aware of his limits, and nothing makes him feel quite as limited as comparing himself to the kind of life that Magnus is used to. The kind that such a generous, brilliant man deserves.

So tomorrow, he’s going to make his third wish, and then say goodbye. Now, all he has to do is think of something else he wants, besides what he knows it would be too selfish of him to ask for.

It’s a while before he manages to fall asleep, and if he could muster the will to care about anything his head has to say, drowned out as it is by the petulant demands of his heart, he’d bemoan how tired he’s going to be at work tomorrow. He dreams of a magic carpet ride, of warm smiles and golden eyes and arms wrapped snugly around his waist, holding him safe. When he wakes up to a gently scathing alarm a few hours later, he’ll almost manage to convince himself that it doesn’t mean anything, simply because it can’t.

***

Magnus throws his head back against the chaise longue, staring up unseeingly at the highest shelves, barely noticing when the book tumbles from his fingers. He’s finished Les Mis, finally, but he’s barely seventy pages into Doctor Zhivago and he doesn’t know what he was thinking choosing it as his next literary conquest. Trying to keep track of such an infamously confusing story would be difficult at the best of times – let alone when he’s moping around like a lovesick teenager, lounging in his lamp’s library because it was too frustrating to lie in his opulent four-poster bed and gain no comfort, no rest from the perfectly temperate silk embrace.

He sighs, and if he wasn’t feeling so low he’d laugh at the dramatics of it all. He wants to go back and use only his magic to catch Alexander, to spare himself from the feeling of what he wanted being right there and yet so far out of reach. Better yet, he wants to go back thirty years, to when he misplaced the lid of his lamp for the seventeenth time that month, decided enough was enough, and sealed it in place; because if he could just change that decision, he wouldn’t have gotten stuck, wouldn’t have ended up offering a handsome, kind mortal three wishes and accidentally throwing in a piece of his heart as part of the deal.

He shuts his eyes, a little overwhelmed by the current toll on his willpower – because as much as he tells himself that he wishes he could change the past and avoid this situation, he knows it isn’t true. What he actually wants is to leave the lamp right this second, march over to Alexander’s bedroom, and declare that he’s never met anyone like him. That he’s never felt such connection to someone else, something that feels so immense even in its beginning – because he wants this to be a beginning, he wants to confess his feelings and trade silk sheets for soft-worn cotton, four posts for a pair of strong arms and gentle archer’s hands. He wants to conjure roses and day lilies and give them to Alexander as tokens of his affection, because Magnus has always been a hopeless romantic at his core and because Alexander is so beautiful when he’s flustered.

But although he’s a fool, Magnus is not an idiot, and calm resignation is stronger than his unattainable hopes. If his eight centuries have taught him anything, it’s that no matter how much of the world his powers can grant him, there will always be some things that he just can’t have.

***

Alec has decided on his final wish, and rationally, he knows it’s a good one. If Magnus can help sway his landlord’s opinion into something a little more pet-friendly, Alec can finally get the puppy he’s been dreaming of adopting ever since he was a kid. It’s something for him, like Magnus suggested, and it’s something he’d never be able to get without Magnus’ help, so it’s not like he’s wasting this once- (or, more accurately, thrice-) in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s a good wish. It’s also the complete opposite of what he wants, because making it means that Magnus will leave again.

He opens the door, false smile plastered on as he turns to the living room, where he usually finds Magnus at this time of the day. It’s empty.

The smile falls, and Alec curses the lump in his throat because this is ridiculous. He’s lived alone for a good few years now, and Magnus has only been here a matter of weeks. Coming home to an empty apartment is the norm, for God’s sake, and it’s one he’d better get used to again because he’s here to make his wish, and Magnus is going to leave.

Unless you ask him to stay, whispers a traitorous voice in his head, and he shuts his eyes because he can’t, he can’t make a request so selfish – Except… he can. Wasn’t this exactly what Magnus suggested for his final wish? To make it something Alec truly wanted for himself, as much as he wanted happiness for Izzy and his mom in the previous two wishes? Alec’s heart starts thundering in his chest, because suddenly, he knows – not only can he do this, he has to. He knows he can’t bear to let this – this something, whatever it is, just pass him by. If he doesn’t at least ask, he’ll never forgive himself.

He goes to his bedroom, making a plan in his head as he tries to find something nice to wear, something that says I made an effort for you because you mean something to me. Go big or go home, right? Granted, that’s usually Jace’s motto, not Alec’s – but considering that Jace is happily married and Alec’s currently pining after someone he may never see again, maybe he could use a little of that spirit tonight.

He ventures back out into the living room, running over what he’s going to say in his head. He can’t just ask outright, can’t just make this his third wish and be done with it – he has to know that Magnus wants to stay as much as Alec wants him to. So instead, he’s going to give him a choice, and pray that Magnus feels the same way. He clears his throat, faces the lamp, and speaks before he has a chance to chicken out. ‘Magnus, do you have a minute? I’m ready to make my last wish.’

***

Alexander's voice echoes in the high ceilings of his otherwise cozy study, and Magnus looks up from the list he was compiling. He needs options for where to go next, once he leaves New York; so far, he’s settled on Rome, Tokyo, and Lapland. All bright distraction, tourist traps and beautiful culture and ways to lose time. All thoroughly unappealing, now that they're suddenly imminent. He stands with a sigh, mustering a smile as he closes his eyes and allows himself to drift out of the lamp's spout.

When he rematerializes, he blinks in surprise. Alexander usually favours sweaters, polo shirts and jeans, both for relaxing at home and for working in his fairly casual office. This sharp, smart combination of a crisp button-down shirt and a blazer is new, and he looks - Magnus cuts himself off before he can follow that train of thought into dangerous territory. 'Some sort of special occasion today?' he asks, gesturing at the outfit. 'Did the Mayor stop by the office, perhaps?' Alexander's cheeks turn just the tiniest bit pink, and Magnus is really going to miss talking to someone who's so easily affected by simple conversation. 'Not quite,' he says. 'I just... had a meeting I wanted to make an effort for.'

'Ah, of course.' Magnus' good humour dissipates a little, though he tries to hide it, because there's nothing left to do but ask. 'So - your final wish. You've decided?' Alexander nods. He looks a little nervous, and Magnus braces himself for what may be a more difficult request than the previous two wishes.

What he isn't expecting is for Alexander to set his shoulders in determination, and say, 'For my third wish, you have a choice.'

Magnus stares at him for a moment. ‘I have a choice?' A small chuckle escapes him, and he hopes it doesn't sound too bittersweet. 'You continue to surprise me, Alexander. All right, then.' He puts on a mock-serious expression, letting pomp and circumstance infuse his tone. 'Tell me – what devious conundrum lies ahead of me, good sir?' Alexander gives a brief (and, if Magnus is honest with himself, not wholly deserved) smile at the moment of levity. 'Okay. For my last wish, I’d like one of the following, and it's completely up to you which one you grant. Option one is a jasmine plant that will never wither.' He hesitates a moment, before continuing resolutely. 'Or, option two… let me buy you dinner. Tonight.'

It's a few seconds before Magnus realises that his mouth is hanging open, and a good few more before he remembers how to use it. 'You mean...' Oh. He's an even bigger fool than he thought. Because suddenly, it all makes sense – the blushing, and the nice jacket, and the tension yesterday when they were standing so damn close -

Alexander's nervousness is starting to give way to a gentle panic, and Magnus realises that he hasn't actually given an answer yet. He raises a hand to forestall any babbling, because Alexander looks like he's on the verge of one of his (usually unnecessary, but also unfairly adorable) I'm sorry, it's stupid, forget it tirades. One particular thought from last night sparks in Magnus’ mind again, and he smiles slyly as his eyes catch on Alexander's top buttonhole. He gently twirls his wrist, and a short, delicate stem sprouts into existence, budding at the top and unfurling slightly into a small red rose. He steps forward, tucking it into the buttonhole, and his smile widens as he meets Alexander's gaze. 'Option two. Definitely option two.'

Alexander's eyes flick down to the rose briefly – or perhaps to where Magnus' hand is lightly but unabashedly lingering on his lapel – and he barks out a short, surprised laugh. 'Seriously?' he says, in response to Magnus' questioning look. 'I ask you for a date or a plant, and you say yes to the date by conjuring a plant?' He laughs again, shaking his head in apparent disbelief. 'I thought you were going to say no!' Magnus winces a little in amused embarrassment, but you don't live as long as he has without learning how to recover quickly from social slips. 'I'm sorry,' he says smoothly, one finger trailing over the silky rose petals. 'I'm not normally so distracted. It usually only happens right after I've been asked out by someone singularly attractive.' His eyes dart back up to meet Alexander's, and when he sees the flustered mirth reflected there, every reason he previously thought of to leave New York seems to evaporate into nothingness.

Alexander proffers his arm. 'Well,' he says, his voice low and soft. 'Shall we get going, then?' Magnus loops his own arm through Alexander’s, and flashes his most dazzling grin in sheer joy. 'Your wish is my command.'

***

Six months later, Alec finds himself at the Oddities display once more, while Pat’s bustling around with the clothing. ‘Hey, Underhill,’ he calls, ‘do we want the imitation Fabergés out yet, or do we wait another week?’ ‘I’d say go for it. The chocolate bunnies have been out in the grocery stores for nearly a month already.’

It’s fairly slow, especially for a Saturday afternoon just before closing time, and the three of them are taking the opportunity to reshuffle the stock. Alec’s been volunteering at the thrift shop since New Year’s – it’s a total change of pace from his nine-to-five, and it’s fast becoming a highlight of each week.

At the brief, informal interview – conducted by the cashier who sold him the lamp, who introduced himself as Andrew, but everyone just calls me Underhill – he’d been asked why he wanted to volunteer, and he’d smiled. ‘You remember that old lamp I bought? Well, it wasn’t exactly like Aladdin, but it definitely brought me some good fortune. I wanted to pay it back a little, like you said.’

And speaking of that good fortune – the bell on the door chimes merrily as Magnus waltzes into the shop, his disguised eyes meeting Alec’s with a surreptitious flash of gold. Alec smiles, walking over to plant a brief kiss on Magnus’ cheek. ‘Hey.’ ‘Hey. I know I’m a little early, but I thought I’d see how you were doing.’ He glances around the shop, raising an eyebrow. ‘Though if I’d known you were so swamped, I might have decided against it.’ Alec rolls his eyes fondly. ‘We’re nearly done for the day, then I’m all yours.’ Magnus smirks, and opens his mouth – likely to comment on the I’m all yours part of that sentence – but Underhill interrupts. ‘You guys can get out of here, if you want. Pat and I can finish up on our own.’ ‘Are you sure?’ Underhill gestures to the empty aisles. ‘He has a point. It’s totally dead, and I doubt we’ll be overrun in the last ten minutes of business.’ He nods towards the door, smiling. ‘Go enjoy your anniversary. See you next week.’

Alec barely has time to thank him before he’s being practically pulled out of the door, laughing. ‘Someone’s eager,’ he says, and Magnus turns to shoot him a grin. His silver tortoise pin – a Christmas present from Alec – glints against his burgundy cravat, the bright blue gemstones catching the late golden sunlight. ‘Where are we going?’ Alec asks, pulling his hand from Magnus’ to wrap his arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders instead.

Magnus meets his gaze, a hint of mischief in his expression. ‘Well, in honour of our first date, I thought I’d give you a choice.’ Alec chuckles. ‘Oh? And what would that choice be?’ ‘Well, option one is Tokyo. I thought we could revisit that sushi place…’

Alec listens contentedly as Magnus rambles on, extolling the many virtues (and some of the vices) that Tokyo and Rome each have to offer. There’s an early spring chill in the air, but Magnus is warm against his side as they walk in comfortable rhythm, and the low flurry of his excitement feels like sunlight on Alec’s skin.

He listens, but a part of his mind drifts back to six months ago – and he thanks his lucky stars that he took this chance, that he didn’t just let this go. Because now he gets to be in love with this amazing, kind, golden-eyed magician, and by some miracle, Magnus loves him back.

It’s even better than he could have wished for.

~oOo~

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 4th November 2018

New episode right on time for once, and it’s actually a pretty short week; there’s not much to really talk about here at all. In fact, there are only three new arrivals to review, and nothing all that important happened in between, so let’s just get straight into the top 10.

Top 10

At number-one for the second consecutive week is “Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper off the A Star is Born soundtrack.

At number-two, thanks to the video which I thought would make it zoom straight by “Shallow” and make an easy play to the top (not saying I like the song or video, either, but these girls are insanely popular over here), we have “Woman Like Me” by Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj, up four spots.

“Promises” by Calvin Harris and Sam Smith is down a space to number-four.

“Funky Friday” by Dave and Fredo is surprisingly holding on here, with only a one-position drop to number-four.

“Happier” by Marshmello and Bastille gets the same fate down to number-five.

At number-six, we have exactly the same drop for “Let You Love Me” by Rita Ora.

To my surprise and dismay, it seems that the top 5 will have a new entry soon, as “ZEZE” by Kodak Black, Travis Scott and Offset continues to rise a spot to number-seven.

And of course, just as I said it was on its way out last week, “On My Mind” by Dynoro and Gigi D’Agostino rebounds two positions up to number-eight. Joy.

Speaking of joy, I am very glad “Lost Without You” by Freya Ridings is returning to the top 10, up four spaces to numer-nine.

And finally, “Electricity” by Silk City and Dua Lipa is down only one spot to #10, rounding off the top 10 very nicely.

Climbers

This might be a short episode, most likely, because there isn’t much of anything, and the charts are showing it pretty evidently, actually, simply because of the lack of quality between all these songs in the top 40. A lot of it isn’t all that bad either, just not worth remembering. Might as well talk about the two new top 20 entries: “Thursday” by Jess Glynne is up five to #18, becoming her eleventh top 20 hit in the UK (it will boost again due to an acoustic rendition duet with Ed Sheeran), while “Taki Taki” by DJ Snake featuring Ozuna, Cardi B and Selena Gomez is up two spaces to #20 – this is DJ Snake’s fourth top 20 (and first since 2016), I believe Ozuna’s first ever (congratulations, even though judging on his awful performance on this song he probably doesn’t deserve it), Cardi B’s fourth and Selena Gomez’s ninth (eighth without the Scene).

Other big or notable climbers include: nothing. Oof.

Fallers

There were tons and I mean tons of fallers this week, but they were all so small, unimportant and easily ignorable, with only two really standing out. Those notable fallers were “High Hopes” by Panic! at the Disco falling five spaces to #24 (sadly, I really wanted this to break the top 10), and “Venom” by Eminem falling 10 spaces to #38, as the movie hype, and Eminem’s resurgence, steadily come to a halt.

Dropouts

“Thunderclouds” by LSD (Labrinth, Sia and Diplo) is out from #34 after a pretty dismissible run, “nASSty” by D-Block Europe and Lil Pino is out from its new arrival last week at #35 and “Falling Down” by the late Lil Peep and XXXTENTACION is finally out from #40.

Since there aren’t any returning entries, let’s discuss some promising or interesting happenings from outside the top 40 – “Lost in Japan” by Shawn Mendes is having some incredible boosts (currently at #45) due to a Zedd remix, so to see it coming back would be great – I love that song to death. Due to the film, Bohemian Rhapsody, the song it’s named after, “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, is back at #53. “1999” by Charli XCX and Troye Sivan is also gaining traction, as it’s currently at #59, and I’d love to see Charli come back to the top 40, same with Troye. “Thriller” by Michael Jackson has returned to #63 due to Halloween, yet surprisingly not “Somebody’s Watching Me”. Oh, and “Mo Bamba” by Sheck Wes has finally made it to the UK at #68, and I want to see this find its way to the top 40 fast. I’ll tell you why if it doesn’t in 2019, probably, as there’s no question it’s making my year-end list if it doesn’t make Billboard’s 2018 list.

NEW ARRIVALS

#36 – “Close to Me” – Ellie Goulding and Diplo featuring Swae Lee

Hey, Ellie Goulding, that’s a familiar face to the UK Top 40 I’ve never actually talked about before. Well, this is her comeback single with Diplo and Swae Lee, and, naturally, it’s hit the UK Top 40 because Goulding’s a superstar, but lower than I expected to be perfectly honest. Nevertheless, this is Goulding’s 21st UK Top 40 hit (which is insane), Diplo’s eleventh (fourth as a solo artist, but he’s had God knows how many frolicking in the production and writing credits) and Swae Lee’s fourth (third as a solo artist – and this won’t be the last we see of him today). Is it able to compare with the artists’ other work, which has been mostly, for the record, pretty great? Well, kind of. I do love that guitar riff that starts off the song, picking up the pace only to be kind of trapped by Ellie’s lack of real vocal presence that she usually has (seriously, she feels like she’s not really bothering here), as well as the drippy synth in the verse and trap percussion (of course) that doesn’t really add much to make the chorus any more interesting than it is (not at all). The melody is uninspired and repetitive, and Swae Lee is still struggling to straddle the line between popstar duet and guest rap verse. That synth added right before the basically non-existent bridge is also pretty ugly, actually. Yeah, there’s not much to be redeemed with this song, and is just kind of a waste of time, in my opinion. I can easily see someone else liking this a lot though.

#34 – “when the party’s over” – Billie Eilish

Well, Eilish, funny seeing you in the top 40. Took a while. She’s had songs bubbling beneath the top 40 in both the UK and US for a while after being a bit of a young indie darling for a year or so, and after that “lovely” song with Khalid from the 13 Reasons Why soundtrack, this new song, “when the party’s over”, seems to be set to blow up, giving her new peaks on charts in the US, Austria, Canada and especially New Zealand, where it hit a peak of #3! This is Eilish’s first ever UK Top 40 hit, and it’s no surprise that I’ve heard only good things before hearing a single song from hers. We start with an ominous, intriguing synth that is then drowned out by lighter cloudy synths following Eilish’s beautiful (at times multi-tracked) vocal melody, until the deep bass kicks in for the catchy hook, with extra additions of piano to make it sound even prettier. Oh, and there’s these pitched-down, feedback-ish backing vocals (assumingly from producer FINNEAS) which sound really great. Eilish’s vocals here are really delicate, working incredibly effectively with the song, which, yes, never actually has any percussion kick in, which is a risky move for a pop song (most likely because she never intended it to hit any charts in the first place). After this and “lovely”, I have my ears out for her next project because this is freaking fantastic.

Now let’s tune down our expectations accordingly.

#14 – “Arms Around You” – XXXTENTACION, Lil Pump, Maluma and Swae Lee, with an honourable credit to Rio Santana

Okay when I ramble on about how it sucks XXXTENTACION is being posthumously milked, I’m not defending the dude or his actions, I’m just saying it’s pretty crummy for a record label to be doing this type of stuff with someone who’s dead and can’t refuse this type of tampering with his unreleased content. This song was initially written and performed with Rio Santana, planned to be on either Rio’s EP or X’s album ?, before it was replaced with another song featuring Rio, “I don’t even speak spanish lol” (yes, that’s really what it’s called), that also had vocals from Judah and Carlos Andrez. After X’s death, Lil Pump reached out to his mother to ask if he could honour his death by being on the song (which is completely in the right intentions, I may add), and then Swae Lee hopped on the track after what is seemingly a label decision. I can realistically see Swae being a fan of X prior to his death, so I’m not going to whine about that, but bloody Maluma? The dude probably didn’t know he existed, for goodness’ sake. Oh, and we’re getting Skrillex on the beat? XXXTENTACION, Lil Pump, Swae Lee, Maluma and Skrillex; what a star-powered mess. Anyways, this is X’s fourth UK top 20 hit, Lil Pump’s second, what I believe to be Maluma’s first (congratulations, I guess), and Swae Lee’s fifth (fourth as a solo artist). Is the song worth all the controversy and all the label frickery? Yeah, probably not, because it’s trash. This bland, Latin-infected pathetic attempt at producing a 2018 pop song is pretty trite, with some ironic and nasally-performed lines from X about protecting his girl (ha) starting off the song, before developing into an admittedly pretty great verse from Lil Pump, demonstrating both a fast flow and some falsetto singing, although without much content to speak of but that’s expected. Not even Swae Lee’s badly-autotuned verse going in one ear and out the other. Maluma sucks too, what a surprise. I’d rather just not talk about this song and leave it here.

Conclusion

Worst of the Week goes to XXXTENTACION, Lil Pump, Maluma, Swae Lee, Rio Santana, Skrillex, Mally Mall and that tire fire of popular artists for “Arms Around You”, definitely, that’s worst-list material, whilst Best of the Week goes to Billie Eilish for “when the party’s over” – that’s a pretty great song. See ya next week!