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cheri-translates · 4 years

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[CN] Victor’s Remembrance Date (Eng Translation)

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for a date which has not been released in English servers! 🍒

Note: A bullet-point summary, but important scenes have detailed translations!

This format will be used in subsequent translations because pausing at every frame takes too much time (I’ll still do it for Gavin’s dates because I’m biased) :>

Doing this will also retain some novelty for you when the date comes to EN! :)

In his birthday event, Victor is eight years old and takes a plane alone to visit his mother in France

His birthday wish: I wish for my mother to be healthy, for my father’s work to go smoothly, and that my family can be together more often.

His mother plays “Serenade” (by Franz Schubert) on the piano. She tells him that it’s a song to be played to someone you like (this piece of information will be important in the date)

The actual date begins on 12 January, the evening before Victor’s birthday

MC is in Souvenir to ensure that her preparation for Victor’s surprise party is complete - both the cake and gift are done

Victor suddenly calls and tells her to pack her luggage so he can whisk her off to Paris to settle some issues with a program

Several hours later, they reach Paris

MC can’t help feeling downcast because her efforts to prepare the surprise party went to waste

Even though she’s used to having their private time taken over by work, she still wants to help him celebrate since it’s a special day

He happens to be free that evening, so she hopes to give him a surprise

But Victor suggests that he brings her to meet someone

Along the way, he purchases flowers, and MC’s mind wanders for a while

Afterwards, she realises that Victor is bringing her to his mother’s former residence, which is near a university

IT’S SO PRETTY

He starts talking how his mother allowed students to stay here whenever they wanted to, so it’s kept in good condition

And that she used to be a student in the university as well

MC starts feeling very anxious because it’s as though she’s here to meet the parents

In her fluster, she accidentally presses on the piano keys, and Victor asks if she’s preparing for an impromptu performance

MC starts playing "Serenade” on the piano because she heard him listening to it in the car before

She doesn’t know what it means to Victor

Victor is stunned for a while but recovers

Victor: MC.

Victor rarely calls my name in such a serious manner. It takes me a long while to react, and I nod numbly.

His low voice seems to have a deliberate warmth in it, and it softly encases me within.

Victor: I’ve never cared about a “sense of ceremony”. A lot of ceremonies are meant for others to see. My life does not require the participation and approval of many people. A certain dummy seems keen on this though, and is always thinking of holding parties, giving gifts, preparing surprises…

Victor’s frown disappears. His dark eyes are dyed with a faint smile.

Victor: So… it’s not a bad thing to switch the roles sometimes. MC, this is my “sense of ceremony”.

MC gets flustered and accidentally reveals that she prepared a cake as a birthday surprise

They leave the residence, heading towards the café where the cake is at

Just as we reach the opposite end, a small souvenir stall catches my attention.

In the midst of various souvenirs, one particular item takes up half the space. With a closer look, I realise that those are locks.

MC: Eh? Did we walk past the Love Lock Bridge just now?

I can’t remember when I first came across the story related to this bridge.

Legend says that if two people who are mutually in love hang the lock on the bridge, they will be together forever, until death.

I hurriedly turn around, but only see glass railings, and the slow-moving water under the bridge. There is no place to hang the lock.

Victor: Due to safety concerns, this bridge underwent a rectification a few years ago, and the railings are completely made of glass now.

I look towards Victor in shock.

MC: How did you know that I was thinking about this?!

Victor: A dummy’s thoughts are written all over her face. There’s no need to guess. For example, it’s clear from your face that you want to buy the lock as a souvenir.

Not wanting to be seen through once again, I retort in a soft voice.

MC: …I wasn’t planning to buy it at first, but since you put it that way, I have no choice but to buy one.

While saying this, I pull a resigned Victor to the small stall, and carefully select a lock.

Among the various fancy designs, a relatively simple red coloured heart lock catches my eyes.

MC: I’ll have this one!

After paying, I stuff the lock and its golden coloured key into Victor’s hand.

Victor: What are you doing?

Looking at his hesitant expression, I smile and blink at him.

MC: This is your birthday present. A heart lock – there’s only one in the world! You didn’t guess it this time round, right?

Victor’s expression freezes for a moment, but it quickly returns to its usual state. He purses his lips into a line.

Victor: You’re right. Even after a year, your taste has not improved. However…

“Kacha”

Victor raises his hand and locks the heart lock.

After that, he places the golden coloured key into my palm.

The cold key and the warm fingertips – these two feelings mingle on my skin.

Along with his voice, they take over my senses.

Victor: Take it.

MC: For me…?

The white breath from my words spin in the air, and finally condense into a smile, appearing on his lips.

Victor: This is a key – there’s only one in the world. Now, I’m giving it to you.

The sun has completely set, encasing the world in a cloak of fiery red.

In the distance, the Eiffel Tower lies in the sunset. Sentences strung with beautiful French words drift into our ears. The occasional noise from pedestrians passes us by.

Everything is quiet and tranquil. Only my heart is beating wildly.

I curl my finger, holding the key tightly, as though I’m grasping a switch to the future.

MC: You… why are you suddenly saying such childish things…

In contrast to my wavering voice, the sound of Victor’s laugh is clear as it lands on my ears.

Victor: I said it before. It’s not bad to be like this sometimes.

His voice and the music of a cello from a café somewhere are both low and long drawn.

A bird flies over the Seine River, and the streetlights flicker for a moment before they light up.

The bell tower rings five times in the distance, and the lingering sound in the air reminds me of the time, and also tugs at my heart.

It is 5pm in Paris, which is also… 1am in Loveland City.

After a second of hesitation, I make a decision.

I suddenly lift my head, directly meeting Victor’s gaze. I stare at the reflection of myself in his eyes.

I stand on my tiptoes and pull on his tie, secretly retrieving the present I prepared since this morning from my pocket.

I can see a flash of astonishment in Victor’s eyes, but that emotion is soon concealed and becomes even more profound and tender.

Cooperating with my movements, he leans down, and his hair sweeps across my cheek.

Like the evening light in the sky, and the streetlamps that were just lit, the gentle and soft sensation lingers where we touch.

In the midst of my rapidly beating heart, I release my hold. I take out the present, both cheeks red.

MC: I was lying just now… this is my real present. Victor, happy birthday.

Before I finish speaking, Victor reaches out to hold onto my waist, pulling me over.

The sudden closing of distance leaves me unable to react. I can only look dumbfoundedly at the person before me, and stare into his deep eyes.

Victor: Don’t move.

This is a very light and shallow kiss.

Like a feather, gently brushing across my lips. Like gentle waves on shallow water.

Yet, utterly special under the encasement of the sunset, the music and chiming of the clock mingling together.

It leaves an indelible mark in the deepest parts of my memory, and the most tender parts of my heart.

Phone call: here

Video call: here

#mlqc #mlqc cn #mlqc spoilers #mlqc victor

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sagesilentfire · 4 years

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I'm looking for a trans sensitivity reader (for Marcie) and possibly a poc sensitivity reader (for the monsters vs mewmans plot), so if you're available, please tell me, and we'll figure something out.

Forgive my inability to draw humans, please.

I know this is a big departure from my usual content, so I'd like to make sure you know that watching SVTFOE is not necessary to enjoy this AU, as everything needed to understand the plot is explained in-story. In fact, I'd love to have someone who's never even heard of a svftoe to read it so I can make sure it makes its own logical sense.

Anyways...

(putting this under a read more for your scrolling purposes)

Hi. I'm Sage, and I would like to talk about a show I really liked. The past tense being the operative, as it used to be good, but...

I started watching SVTFOE after watching the great Steven Universe, which meant I had high expectations for it. And it met those expectations! From the beginning I was hooked. It was a good show. But as the seasons went on, it started to... rot.

Now, something to know about me is that I do not invest myself wisely. I love the things I love deeply and with passion. I get attached easily, and I love to theorize about the things I love. So I was heartbroken when SVTFOE ended the way it did, with none of my questions answered.

And when my theories were better than canon, well, that meant I had a new project: a complete rewrite of Star vs. the Forces of Evil. This AU will start similar to canon, but gradually diverge from it until it's something completely new. It will also have five separate "seasons".

So here's my AU: Star and Marcie and The Forces Of Evil (aka samatfoe). This AU will tear apart the scraps of lore that we got from SVTFOE and expand on it and make new lore, all narrated by my lovely OC, Sílthéy. And I promise I will get to as much as possible. If you're worried, check the titles of all of the chapters, which will hopefully reassure you that, yes, I will get to everything (or at least everything I've thought of ;)).

Dramatis Personae:

Star: Star will mostly stay the same in the first few seasons, but I'll try to have her actually grow and mature while staying a good person in the later seasons. She'll also be a bit more fire-aligned, because I wanted to be able to tell my Star and the canon Star apart easily. (She also doesn't get those wings until Mewberty.)

Marcie: is a trans girl. The entire second "episode" will be about her being trans. And I will, again, try to not have her act like a jerk in later seasons. She also won't be an adult trapped in a teenager's body, as that was waaay too weird for me. Instead she won't age in the Neverzone, period, and there will be an episode dedicated to her re-adjusting to Earth and discussing what the whole "spent a decade and a half in eight minutes" thing means for her. And, of course, she'll be more involved with the Mewni plot, as she will be interested in learning the lore behind Mewni from the beginning and push Star to find out more about Mewni.

Ludo: Ludo's story will not effectively end with the Battle for Mewni. He will get a redemption arc, with all the pitfalls and trip-ups that come with that. And all of his flaws and issues will be brought up, now just forgiving him for everything he did because he had bad parents. And Dennis will continue to be a cinnamon roll. Some things never change.

Buff Frog/Yvgeny: will not change. He is good lad.

Toffee: This is the big one. Where to start, and how to start it without spoiling everything I have planned? Well, let me tell you this: Toffee is getting a complete overhaul. For one thing, I now made them agender for various complicated reasons that will be revealed in-story, eventually. And for another thing, they will get an actual backstory and personality! Isn't that a novel idea! And they will not die abruptly and nonsensically in Battle for Mewni, so don't worry about that.

Jackie: Oh, Jackie. You poor dear. Jackie will not be delegated to the role of "one-time love interest who just skateboards out of the plot". First of all, Marcie will only have a squish (a platonic crush) on her, because I don't trust my aro/ace self with the weird things people in romantic love do to get together, but I do know what it's like to desperately want to be friends with someone. Secondly, while she will be out of the spotlight in later seasons, it'll be because she's on an exchange trip to France, not because we're abandoning her character and her world for no good reason.

Janna: never changes. Pretty sure she's the one constant of the multiverse.

Tom: will have his redemption arc earlier in the story so I can use him for things, but other than that will not change much.

Moon: First of all, she will not betray everything her daughter stands for by siding with Mina this time. There are plenty of other ways Mina could rise to power, so there's no need to ruin her character by making her do a stupid, illogical thing that even a five-year-old would see was stupid. I mean, she's still going to be kind of racist, but she's well-established to be level-headed and even a little clever, so she will not do something that would so obviously blow up in her face. Secondly, she will be a bad ruler, hence why Mewni is a total mess, but she will learn and become better and help Star's efforts to improve Mewni.

Glossaryck: is... changing. He won't "lose" his sanity for season three, but he will also not be in a totally heroic role. It's a complicated thing and a bit of a spoiler, so I'll leave it at that. Also, he's a dragon now Because Reasons (no, seriously, I have a reason for it. It's also a spoiler).

River: River will be goofy, like usual, but he won't be plot-destroyingly stupid. I'll try my best to not make you question why he's even king while still making him a foil to Moon. It's the tightrope I must walk.

Angie and Raphael: Will not completely disappear from the plot in later seasons, but will instead be like a second family to Star and will be a refuge when her overbearing Butterfly side gets too much.

Kelly: Will not be involved in a stupid romantic subplot with Marcie. Sorry. Other than that, Kelly will remain pretty much the same, aside from now being tiny, because that's just how she came out in my art. She's pretty cool.

Miss Heinous: Will not be Meteora this time around. I disliked how Heinous hurt so many people and was a horrible person, but as soon as her Tragic Backstory™ was revealed, all that pain and suffering she caused was ignored in favor of making her Super Duper Tragic™. So I'm separating the characters. Don't worry, though, she'll get the backstory and character arc she deserves.

Saint Olga: Saint Olga will be the main motivator for Miss Heinous's actions, as she is desperate to please the robot. Other than that, Saint Olga won't actually get much character. She's a bad guy, pure and simple.

Meteora: will not turn into a baby. She will deal with the consequences of her actions like a mature, responsible sixteen-year-old. But because she's sixteen, things won't be too harsh when she does snap. She'll still have her mother and father to help her and guide her.

Eclipsa: Regarding Eclipsa's design, I tried to make her fat, but... I don't know if it translates well in my art. I'm just not that good at art yet. But aside from that, making her cheekmarks dark gray (spades are a black card, not a red card! That bugged me so unreasonably much), and giving her as much of a connection to Toffee as the show implied, I'm not changing much about her. She was one of the good characters.

Globgor: Will have fought against mewmans in the past, but not have eaten them (what were the writers thinking?! Making your metaphorical poc eat people is... not good). And it will be more of a case of Star and Eclipsa knowing he is good and should be released from the crystal, but the general mewman populace not accepting it, until Cornonation, where he proves he's a good guy.

Shinjai: Is a new character I am thrilled to introduce to you all! She came from me thinking that for someone who supposedly wants to end mewman-monster racism, Star sure doesn't have any monster friends (Buff Frog doesn't count. He's an adult, and they don't really hang out so much). So here's Shinjai! She's a septarian, and is introduced instead of Princess Smooshy in Sleep Spells. She's a very minor minor monster noble, and her family has about as much political power as your average worm on a sidewalk after it rains, but all noble monsters must go to Saint Olga's Reform School for Wayward Royalty, so she runs away and gets help from Star and Marcie. She's mostly made to replace Pony Head: she's spunky and... uh, actually she's nothing like Pony Head. She's also unafraid of asking difficult questions and knows more about the plot than she lets on.

Rasticore: is very different from his canon counterpart: he only allies with Heinous and Saint Olga to keep an eye on them for ~someone~, and thoroughly dislikes them, despite agreeing to their mission. He also can regenerate as quickly as Toffee, he just chooses not to for ~reasons~. He also has a mysterious partner, but we all know it's – *gets clubbed over the head by Síthéy*

Mina: Making fun of mental illnesses isn't funny kids. Therefore, Mina is the only neurotypical member of the cast. She does boring neurotypical things like... I dunno, cleaning? And she's still a threat: bigotry and hatred are not exclusive to people with mental illnesses, after all.

Lilacia: Now, Lilacia Pegasus, the horse formerly known as Pony Head, will... exist. She won't be as overwhelmingly annoying, hopefully, as she is in canon. And to make sure she feels consequences for her actions, there will be a subplot in season two about her and Star growing apart as Star grows and leaves Lilacia's annoying party girl antics behind. Lilacia will have to realize that her immature actions are making Star leave her behind, and she'll have to grow as a person because of it.

Then there's a mysterious character who is very mysterious and does mysterious things and has a mysterious personality and is generally mysterious... mysterious. She'll be introduced in the second season and will be as mysterious as promised, I swear.

And finally, of course, it will be narrated by Sílthéy. She will tell this story, and her part in it, for all to hear. Or read? It's a bit of a strange medium, storytelling on paper. Or on a screen, whatever.

Now, of course, by now you must be wondering: What about the shipping? The shipping's the most important part, right? Well, here is my answer: There will be no ship wars. There will be no love dodecahedrons. There will be no cheating, no lies, no throwing other characters under the bus for stupid romantic drama. Why? BECAUSE STAR AND MARCIE ARE BOTH ARO/ACE. Suck on that, Starco! I am the last person to trust romantic drama with, so all of the romantic relationships in this bandwagon will be established, healthy relationships that have decades of chosen love and appreciation for one another behind them. And past!Tomstar and brief, schoolchild-crush-esque Star/Oskar but that doesn't count.

So, I believe that about wraps things up for this post. I'll start posting chapters soon, and will post two chapters every other week, and I'll release the descriptions of them two weeks before I post them. If you have any questions, please ask them! I want to work on my drawing skills, so I might even draw something for them!

Description for next episodes:

Star's Birthday: Star is a young, wild princess who is about to receive her family's most precious heirlooms.

Trouble in Diazland: Star is put under the care of the Diaz family, but can't quite seem to connect with their son, Marco.

And, finally, I have thank yous! These are mostly people I watched but haven't really interacted with yet, so if you get tagged know that you don't know me, I just followed you for svtfoe content. And for, you know, your personality.

Thanks to ankle-beez for being hilarious and reminding me why I made this AU when you relentlessly drag svtfoe. Thank you to @full-moon-phoenix, @dappercritter, and the lizard squad for my regular dose of Toffee. Thank you morningmark and @jess-the-vampire for keeping me invested in svtfoe as a whole. Thanks to svtfoe-critical and @twinklecupcake for good ideas. Thank you to TBlofeld on AO3 for your amazing AU, Monsters, Mewmans, Magic, that, while we took things and ran in completely opposite directions, still inspired me to complete mine. And thank you to Blue Order, whose deeply hilarious and deeply accurate video "How Star Vs the Forces of Evil Fell From Grace" inspired me to create this story in the first place. And, of course, thank you to whoever on the svtfoe wiki writes down the transcripts to every episode. You've helped me so much. I admit that I didn't follow all of your guys' advice, but you did help me get here, every one of you. So thank you.

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ghostlyhamburger · 4 years

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Under Agreste: The Show: Chapter 4

Rating: T

Ship: Adrienette, Adrigami

Read from the beginning

Read Chapter 4 on Ao3

“Good morning!” Marinette called cheerfully as she walked into Adrien’s trailer. He smiled at her as she gave Plagg a small scratch under his chin.

“Hey,” Adrien greeted, looking up from his phone. He’d been up for a while already, just waiting. “What do you need from me today?”

“Your job is actually super easy this time,” she said. “Today, you’re going to eat pastries.”

He grinned. “I can get behind that.”

“And I’m here to keep you company till the girls come back,” she said. “They’re split into teams working at local bakeries. I’m not supposed to go because I’m supposedly biased.”

“How so?”

She glanced around the trailer conspiratorially, and then leaned close to murmur, “My parents run one of the bakeries.”

“That’s so cool,” he said with a grin. “Which one?”

“I really can’t tell you that. But I was actually the one who suggested the challenge, help with their publicity.” She took a seat on his bed, right beside him. “I can’t work at the bakery for free like I used to, so I do what I can to help them out now.”

“That’s really awesome of you.” Had her eyes always been so blue, or had he just never been so close to her?

“Thanks,” she said, a light blush crossing her cheeks. She stayed close to him, just for another moment longer, her eyes just watching him, an ocean he could drown in…she pulled back quickly. “Anyway! Want to go get some breakfast so you’re not judging on an empty stomach? I know when you’re hungry enough, anything tastes good, and you should be fair.”

“Sounds good,” he replied, standing up. “What’s at craft today?”

“Some eggs, I think,” she said, following him out of the trailer.

The two talked as they ate, exchanging stories about what it was like working as a model or a baker as a child. Adrien learned that Marinette’s favorite thing to cook was macarons, and she promised to make a batch of passionfruit ones for him once he mentioned that was his favorite flavor.

Long after their breakfasts were gone, they stayed talking, winding up comparing strategies for Ultimate Mecha Strike, when Marinette’s phone suddenly went off.

“Oh, they’re back,” she said, glancing at the message. “You should head over to the mansion, the girls will meet you in the kitchen.”

“You’re not coming?” he asked, surprised.

“Biased, remember?” she replied, grinning. “Nino’s got this. Alya’s supervising your private date tonight, so I’ll see you for the second date tomorrow. Have fun!”

Adrien was presented with two identical plates of eclairs. The hopeful girls watched as he ate from one, then the other.

“I think I like this one better,” he said, pointing to the second plate. Half the girls cheered.

“The winner is the Dupain-Cheng bakery!” Nino cried. “Losing team, please leave, Adrien, choose two girls from the winning team for private dates.” He leaned close to the model and muttered, “Please choose Lila and Kagami, makes my job so much easier.”

“Um, I pick Lila and Kagami,” Adrien said.

“Great!” Nino said. “Kagami gets the dinner date, Lila gets tomorrow. Adrien, Kagami, dress up nice, the car will be ready for you in an hour.”

Adrien didn’t have to think too hard about his date. The restaurant and his outfit were chosen for him, so all he needed to do was get ready to spend some time with a pretty girl.

When he saw Kagami, though, he actually felt his heart skip a beat. She was heading down the main foyer stairs of the mansion, a dramatic entrance that was clearly planned for the cameras. But she was beautiful despite the trite scene, and he found himself looking forward to spending time with her.

He offered her his arm as she reached the bottom of the stairs, and she took it with a grateful smile.

“Where are we going?” she asked curiously.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” he replied, laughing softly at himself. “But I’m sure it’ll be nice. After all, I get to spend this time with you.”

Her cheeks pinked softly as she smiled. “Are they feeding you lines? That was…cheesy.”

“This cheese is all me,” he said with a grin and a wink. “You ready to go?”

“So, you’re from Japan,” Adrien said, spearing a bit of asparagus on his plate. “Did you grow up there, or in France?”

“Japan,” Kagami replied. She took a sip of wine and continued, “We had a housekeeper who spoke French, so I was fortunate enough to grow up speaking the language. Moved to the country when I was a teenager, so by now…it’s been about half my life, I guess.”

“Do you like France?”

“Well, it’s home,” she said with a soft smile. “I still love returning to Japan for holidays, though.”

“I’ve always wanted to visit there,” Adrien said. “I don’t really have a lot of free time, though, with modeling, and my father…”

She held up her glass. “To overbearing rich parents?”

“To turning out amazing despite them,” he replied, clinking his glass against hers.

The conversation between them flowed easily as they found they had much in common—an interest in fencing, woes of being homeschooled, an addiction to American potato chips. By the end of the dinner, they were laughing together like they’d known each other for years.

They returned to the mansion together, walking to the door hand in hand.

“I suppose this is it, until the next crazy date they send us on,” Kagami said, her fingertips lingering against his palm.

“This is it,” he said, distracted by her smile, the way she seemed truly happy around him. He couldn’t resist leaning close and kissing her, a brief brush of lips to lips.

She just smiled widely at him as he pulled away. “Good night.”

The next day, Adrien had a good amount of time to himself in the morning. He watched mindless videos on his phone while petting Plagg, the kitten content to curl up in his lap and sleep the whole time.

It was one of the best mornings in recent memory.

A knock came at his trailer door. “It’s me!” Marinette called, her voice bright and chirpy as always.

“Come in!” he called back.

She opened the door and smiled at him, though her eyes seemed to be laughing at him. “Are you ready for your date with Lila?”

He sighed, gently lifting Plagg and setting him aside. “No.”

“Too bad,” she replied, her smile growing wider. “Get yourself to wardrobe, and then you’re going to have a wonderful stroll by the Seine and share Andre’s ice cream with her.”

“The sweetheart’s ice cream?” he asked. He idly picked some fur off his pants.

“Yep, that,” Marinette said. “I wonder what ice cream will represent her? Do you think Andre has a rotten apple flavor?”

Adrien laughed. “Well, if he does, I’ll smile and pretend it’s delicious right until the cameras shut off.”

She joined in the laughter. “You. You’re my favorite. Be at wardrobe in five, okay?”

Andre sighed beatifically as he gazed at the two people before him. “Ah, young love! Let me see what I can come up with for you!”

Lila held onto Adrien’s hand too tightly as the ice cream vendor bustled around his cart, scooping ice cream into a cone before handing it to her.

“Durian and raspberry pepper,” he announced. “Sweet with a firey kick!”

Lila struggled to hold her smile as she accepted the ice cream. She took a bite and immediately winced at the unusual flavors.

Marinette was at her side before Adrien could blink. “I’ll take that,” she said, gently pulling the cone from Lila’s hands. “You’ll get it back, don’t worry, but—Andre, can you make up something for both of them?”

Andre’s smile didn’t falter as he replied, “I do not have any flavors that can harmonize these two.”

“Can you make one for him and pretend it’s for them both?” she asked, smiling though her eyes were hard and determined.

“I suppose I can…”

“Great,” she replied, turning and walking out of the view of the camera. “And, go!”

“For you,” Andre said, scooping up more ice cream, “Peach, blueberry, and strawberry, a sweetness that can’t be matched.”

Adrien smiled and thanked him as he took the ice cream.

“All right, let’s have the lovebirds take a bite!” Marinette called.

Lila wrinkled her nose as she looked at the cone in Adrien’s hand. “Uh, I’m allergic to strawberry.”

Marinette glanced up at the sky as she willed the universe to smite her where she stood. Or Lila. She wasn’t picky in that moment. “Can you just pretend?”

Adrien took a bite of the ice cream while Lila pretended to chew on something.

“It’s ice cream, Lila, you don’t chew--you know what, this is good enough, we’ll make it look good in editing. Just—enjoy your ice cream, guys, hang out while we get some more footage.” She handed Lila’s cone back to her before slumping onto a bench next to the river.

A few moments later, Adrien sat down next to her. “Did you want any ice cream?”

“Sure,” she replied, leaning over to take a bite. She smiled as the fruity flavors spread over her tongue. “Wow, I forgot how good Andre’s ice cream is.”

“It’s really great,” he said, smiling at her. “So do you believe the whole magic ice cream thing?”

“Nah.” She shrugged. “I just think it tastes good. So, do you know who you’re getting rid of this week?”

“Oh yeah, I have to figure that out,” he said with a groan. “I don’t know. I know there’s the girls you want me to keep, and I do want Kagami to stay, so maybe I’ll just…wing it on the rest?”

Marinette smiled and nudged him with her shoulder. “So, do you think Kagami’s the one?”

“I don’t know. Maybe? She’s different from the other girls, and I want to get to know her more,” he said. “What do you think of her?”

“I think you should pick one of my girls so I get the bonus,” she teased. “But if you walk away from this show happy and in love, then hey, that’s all I can really ask for.”

“Well, I’ll at least walk away with a new friend, right?”

“Oh yeah, best friends,” she agreed. “Even if your work and my work mean we’ll never actually talk again, I think you’re awesome. And I’m not just saying that because it’s my job to make you happy.”

Adrien smiled and offered her more ice cream.

At the ceremony that afternoon, Adrien chose to send home Mylene, Suzanne, and Roxanne.

He barely remembered who any of them were, so he figured that was the best option. He wished them the best before heading back to his trailer for some quality time with Plagg.

But as he approached his trailer, he saw someone he probably should have expected sooner or later.

“Hello, Father.”

“Next time: How will the girls fit in Adrien’s fast-paced world of fashion? Will their style stand up to the scrutiny of notable designer Gabriel Agreste? Find out!”

Buy me a coffee?

#ghostly writes #ml fanfiction #ml fanfic #miraculous ladybug

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everymovie2020 · 5 years

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Final Destination (2000)

Date watched: 17 November 2019

I watched all five of these movies in one day, and let me tell you something – I was fucking PARANOID about my household appliances/general safety in my house afterwards. When I was cooking dinner, I was genuinely concerned about accidentally killing myself.

Fuck you, Final Destination movies.

I had only ever seen the first two and not the last three, but as I've now seen all five, I'm going to do my ultimate ranking of all the movies in this post for your ease of convenience. From best to worst:

Final Destination

Final Destination 2

Final Destination 5

Final Destination 3

Final Destination 4

I would actually say that I enjoyed Final Destination 5 more than FD2, but I think FD2 is the better movie. FD5 introduces a weird plot twist that I'll get into in my review of that film. FD2 is certainly the most memorable one of the franchise, I think, if only for the horrifying car crash sequence at the start. But I'll get into that later.

This isn't going to be very coherent because having watched all five movies in one day, I am having trouble recalling what happened in which movie, though I did write out a list of wtf moments and all of the deaths. Perhaps I could do a death ranking per film as well? Why not? Let's do that. Let's go all in on this thing. I wrote copious notes. May as well put them to use.

And another thing, pre-FD1 discussion – I used to think Devon Sawa was super hot but I don't think that anymore. My tastes have changed. Although, Kerr Smith in this movie? 10/10 would bang. What a babe – he's a total silver fox now as well. Aged like fine wine, that one.

ALSO – Ali Larter's name, in this movie, is CLEAR RIVERS. AMAZING. AND NO ONE THINKS IT'S WEIRD.

Alright, FD1, here we go, and I'm going to keep this abridged because every single one of these movies – bar the 5th – have exactly the same plot:

Devon Sawa is going on a high school trip to France with 40 of his high school friends. He has a vision of the plane exploding and everyone dying, so he freaks out and gets kicked off the plane with like, six other people, and then the plane explodes.

The authorities are baffled. Devon Sawa is baffled. Everyone is baffled.

So then they all start dying one by one – one dude is strangled by the clothesline in his bathtub (question – he lives in a house, do they not have an outside clothesline/dryer, why are they relying on hanging their knickers in the bathroom, it's weird to me), then the hot blonde is smushed by a speeding bus in front of everyone (there's so much smushing in these movies, my god) and the nice teacher lady is just completely fucked over by her whole entire house. I often think about this sequence and how horrifying I find her death. Poor nice teacher lady. Seann William Scott is decapitated when a speeding train dislodges a piece of metal, and Kerr Smith finally cops it in the end when he takes the full force of a billboard to the face.

It's funny how death always waits until they know something is coming before striking. I mean, six months pass between Devon Sawa and Ali Larter thwarting death and nothing happens to any of them, but as soon as they're in Paris, death is like "now it's time to fuck shit up".

And now for the plot of every single Final Destination movie (except for the last, which is ever so slightly different):

Vision of major disaster in which every character dies one by one

Survival of major disaster ensured by main character

Every survivor starts dying one by one in horrible ways

Main character and girlfriend/boyfriend/friend try to figure out wtf is going on

They finally figure out they're on death's list and they need to save people in order to survive

They narrowly avoid death in the end

But it turns out they haven't avoided death and in movies 3, 4 and 5 they die regardless

In 1 and 2 the main characters survive

The first one is boosted by its cast, which is a solid late 90s/early 2000s teen movies cast – Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Kerr Smith, Seann William Scott (as the nerd of all things). Both Ali Larter and Devon Sawa survive but both later die (I'm sure she refers to him dying in FD2, and then she herself dies). The only movie in which the two main characters definitely don't die (onscreen) is FD2.

Here are some other random thoughts:

There's a recurring them in these movies to make the bedrooms of the main characters as creepy as possible but then they gave up on that in FD3.

There's another recurring theme of people in these movies being absolutely obliterated by buses speeding through residential/business areas at 100 miles an hour.

THAT BUS IS GOING SO FAST. What is it, the bus from Speed?!

Ali Larter's parents in this movie are just randomly MIA and nobody says anything about it.

Not only are there speeding buses in America, but when they're on the narrow streets of Paris, there's yet another speeding bus.

Things always seem sped up between the initial vision of the disaster and the actual disaster happening – I mean they were on the plane for a good five minutes before the explosion in the vision, and yet it's like a minute when it happens "in real life".

Disaster ranking:

As disasters go, the plane crash was pretty horrifying. In terms of the other disasters in the movies, honestly, they're much more spectacular. I will give this a 9 for realism, but overall a 5 because I wasn't dazzled.

Death ranking, from worst death to best:

Death by speeding bus – so contrived. We've seen it before guys, let's get more creative with this bitch;

Decapitated by piece of metal that flew up from under a train – I mean, yeah, but like, let's go bigger;

Strangled by inexplicable clothesline in a bathtub from which you are unable to get up because the tub is slippery and you cannot get any traction so you just hang there with a cord around your neck like a damn fool;

Smashed by a sign that came out of fuckin' nowhere on a quiet street in Paris – it was certainly unexpected, RIP Kerr Smith; and

Stabbed in the chest, after the following sequence of events occur – pouring boiling water into a mug then getting spooked and throwing the boiling water at the thing that spooked you (nothing, it was nothing), then pouring freezing cold vodka into said hot mug causing it to crack, dripping vodka on the wooden floor as you walk across the room, then dripping vodka down into the back of your computer, which, even though it's turned off, begins to spark and smoke and causes a fire, then the computer monitor explodes sending a chunk of glass into your throat, and then you slip on the vodka on the floor and crash into the kitchen island, and reaching up to get a tea towel to stem the flow of blood you knock over your knife rack and a butcher knife embeds in your chest, and then when someone is trying to help you they accidentally push it all the way in. And then the entire house explodes. That's a convoluted death and it earns best death of the movie for this movie.

Famous last words, Kerr Smith!

#final destination #2000 #movies #movie review #devon sawa #kerr smith #ali larter #seann william scott #kristen cloke #chad donella #amanda detmer #brendan fehr #I THOUGHT THAT WAS BRENDAN FEHR AT THE START

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frcscrs · 5 years

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“fraser, my boy.” he heard the whispers from his grandfather from across the room.

fraser moved slowly, the weight of all his medals, the hat adorning his head, seeming to make each step more challenging than the last. it hadn’t helped much that it made him feel suffocated as well. he was counting down the minutes until he could take it off.

his grandfather, who wasn’t nearly as wizened as some of the old hands fraser had shaken in his times touring, but he wasn’t well. father blamed the cigarettes he smoked in the 60s that likely will end up killing him before anything else does. because of it, his voice was raspy, caged like aluminum rattling against metal. but even with a harsh voice, his eyes were always kind.

“you were spectacular today, son.” he reaches, taking fraser’s hand from where he sat in his chair.

“grandfather, that’s quite kind of you, but---.”

“nonsense.” his grandfather cut him off. “you mustn't reject my compliments, boy. i mean them.” he gives fraser’s hand a squeeze. “i quite liked the part where you went off of your notecard. i heard a few chuckles from below. i believe they like your charm.” he says carefully, looking up at fraser, who looked down with what could only be described as a horrified expression.

he had a hard time hearing, considering when the moment he had gotten away from the thing, his mother had come, cursing him for the way he had chosen to reflect himself, and while he knew she wanted to smack him, and it wasn’t uncommon, her eyes shooting into his skull was enough to send him out with his tale between his legs.

“mother hated it.” he said quietly.

“your mother hates everything.” he shoots back. “i never liked that woman.” he grumbles. “your grandmother didn’t either. she wanted your father to marry the princess of france. unfortunately, your father wasn’t smart enough, or handsome enough for her.” he sighs. “so he got stuck with a cold rotting slab of liver meat which you call mummy.”

fraser snorts, though he quickly pulls it back in, hands growing a bit sweaty.

his grandfather drops his hand, only to point to a chair beside him. “sit, boy. keep me company.”

“yes sir.” he nods, taking the seat beside his grandfather.

he’d only been home for a few days since travel. coming close to his twenty-first birthday, the responsibilities were growing. not to mention one of the maids found cocaine in his sock drawer, and mother had nearly torn his room apart. his leg was a bit jittery, not having had his fill in about a week.

“father and mummy hate me.” fraser blurts. if there was anyone he felt maybe he could seek refuge in, it would be his grandfather.

“what makes you say that?”

“i can feel it.” he presses his lips together. “the way i stand in a room makes them irate. they hate the way i talk to women, they hate the way i chat with men. they can’t comprehend that all i’d like is to live before i become king. every idea i have is treated with a fit of laughter only to get a sneer with their reply. their hands always feel cold when they touch me, and of course they only do when it’s out of obligation. i overheard them one night saying how my brother was destined to be king. he was born with the better mind than i was.” he licks his lips. “i feel as though they wish they hadn’t carried me as their child. that they would have been better off leaving me at a commoner’s doorstep.” fraser’s fingers drum against his thigh. “then i consider that maybe that’s how i feel. that i would have much rather preferred growing up considerably more normal than this.”

there’s a hang in the air, his grandfather looking across the room rather than at his grandson. he wondered maybe if he spoke out of turn. that his grandfather would turn to him and tell him that it wasn’t his place to be feeling such unraveling emotions. he needed to get a grip.

instead, his grandfather took a deep breath before speaking. “i never had the misfortune of having to live in your’s or your father’s shoes. truth be told, i was quite happy marrying your mother and leaving the royal duties to her. it left me the opportunity to sneak by the pond and light up… oh, what do you young folks call it… a fat doobie.”

fraser can’t help the short cackle, earning a glance from a few people in the room. he bows his head in apology, turning back to his grandfather. “i had no idea.”

“of course not.” his grandfather shakes his head. “but what you have that none of us ever had, is a bleeding heart, my boy. all of us here are far too good at hiding. even our flaws and our feelings and those vices we can’t help but indulge in, we keep it all swept under the rug. for centuries, it’s been sought after that we keep those things away as well. i say to hell with it. you becoming king, fraser, and you letting the people glimpse at your feeling, at your flaws, that you indulge in the commonplace vice from time to time, it will let people into your homes, and in turn, into their hearts. you could be the greatest king scotland has ever known because of what your parents find to be so damning.”

fraser takes a deep breath, and for a moment, he considers that maybe his grandfather was right. maybe it was fully within his grasp to turn things around. but he knew a monarchy couldn’t be shifted with one man in the span of one lifetime. “grandfather,” he says quietly, leaning closer. “i don’t think i want to be king.”

his grandfather winces, processing the words that were given to him. he shakes his head, leaning back from him. “no one who becomes king, wants to be king. it’s the number one trait of the job.” he shrugs. “saying you don’t want it only means you understand the scale of it, and will, undoubtedly, treat it right.” his grandfather places a hand on fraser’s once more, “no matter how your parents treat you, and train you to fill it, you are a good man fraser. and when they make you want to go out there and drown yourself in the river, you come see me. it’s what i’m here for.

/--/

everything was cold and still and it felt like life had been breathed out from his body. the air from outside was crisp and nipped at his skin in a way that wasn’t at all intimate.

he tugged at the cuffs of his suit, waiting for one of the wait staff to join him. they did, and greeted him with a smile of pity. “your highness.” he bowed his head.

“cut the shit.” he waved his hand, stepping forward. “give me it.”

the waiter fishes in his pocket and slides out a glistening clear packet. fraser had already taken an adderall the night before and could still feel his heart racing from it. but he snatched the packet, peeling it open and digging his finger inside. he looks at it for a close moment before sighing. “looks like shit but it’ll have to do.”

“i don’t have your income to afford high enough grade cocain, sir.” the man replied with an attitude.

“what the fuck is wrong with you?” fraser sneered at him, rubbing the fine powder on his gums. “i’m literally on my way to my grandfather’s funeral and you address me with that tone?”

the man instantly washed over with guilt and he bowed his head. “sorry, sir.”

“get out of here.” he huffed, taking a quick sniff from the bit he gathered on his picky, tucking the bag into the inside of his pocket.

he walked back around to the front, getting into the car which waited to take him to the service. he was by himself in the car. his parents rode separately, and his siblings in another car. fraser was certain he wouldn’t be able to handle riding with anyone else, anyways. so he just kept his gaze out the window, feeling his heart pick back up again and his mind reeling. it was better than the bottomless pit he had felt himself falling into the night prior. which his grandfather on his deathbed, coughing up a storm, voice even more detrimental than it normally had been. he said all his farewells. clutched everyone’s hands and wept. fraser heard he told his mother to go fuck herself, which gave him a pleased thought.

but fraser… he hadn’t made it in time.

the party hosted by one of his university mates was in london and by the time he’d heard, he was already drunk, and considerably high from passing around blunts. he was in the middle of finding himself pleasure from a woman when someone burst through the door, telling him his grandfather wouldn’t make it through the night.

it was what caused for adderall, and him drunkenly rushing to his jet to get him back soon enough to hear his grandfather’s scratchy voice again.

by the time he stumbled through the door, he was already gone. his father was already making preparations for the funeral, and fraser didn’t even get to see the body. his mother could see how absolutely plastered he was, and had sent him to his room. she still had the power to do that to him, even at twenty.

when he got to the service, most everyone was standing around the grave, the scottish flag draped over the casket, the arms ready to fire in his name. fraser climbed out of the car, moving to not make a noise. instead, he stayed in the back. he hoped no one would notice him. no one would address him. he slid his sunglasses onto his nose so they couldn’t see the bags under his eyes starting to form from not sleeping. or maybe how his pupils were the size of saucers from the round he just did. all he did was listen. he listened to the wind blow, he listened to the birds chirping. he could hear the river bank flowing just so faintly. it reminded him of when his grandfather liked to walk him down alongside the edge. they would rest boats atop the water and follow with them as long as they could before the water melted the paper and they soaked into the bank.

then they’d sit at the bridge. his grandfather would tell tales of ruling with his grandmother, who died a few years before he was born. she was beautiful and strong and empowering and fraser always wanted to be her. he never met her, never saw what her being queen was like, but he knew if his grandfather spoke of her with such love, then she must have been the most amazing queen the country had ever seen.

then he’d tell him how fraser reminded him of his grandmother. how she would have loved him. how she’d spoil the ground he walked on and made him feel like the proper prince he was.

he’d fill fraser up with the kind of love he dreamed of. when he came to the palace, it was like having his chest filled with daisies and warmth and playfulness. they were all the things that were forbidden.

now those things were being buried with him. and fraser wanted to ask if they could put him down there as well.

the world was beautiful to his grandfather. fraser liked living in his world. the one where people loved and laughed and lived and maybe fraser took that a little too hard but he never hurt anyone. never on purpose.

now, the only world he was left with was the one his parents had created. where things rot and mold and cold winds cut at dry skin. it was a world fraser feared. a world that stuffed itself down his throat and begged him to inhale it. it snuffed him out as his flame began to ignite. and he knew his only way of keeping his flame alive was to validate everything they felt and then some.

the gun set him off from his trail of thought. considering the things flowing through his bloodstream, the shots made his skin leap from his body every time, making him take the smallest step back.

the next thing he knew, the grave was being lowered and people were dispersing. he stayed where he stood for a while, just watching and ignoring the passing bodies. not even his siblings or parents could stop him. so he stepped up to the edge, looking down and hoping that maybe his grandfather was playing an elaborate prank, and the casket would open and out he’d come. he’d shout, “i got you, dear boy! ah, the look on your face is simply priceless!”

but there was no one around to even give a whisper. not really.

it was just fraser. standing above his grandfather’s grave. his heart shooting out of his chest and his head getting dizzy. his neck got itchy and he felt his throat close up. it was a nasty feeling, one that he wanted to reject. one that could be buried with him. instead, he made himself leave. he cut himself short from any moment he was having, and went back to the car. there, he found true silence.

fraser knew there would be a gathering at the palace to celebrate his grandfather. however, the last thing he wanted was to be surrounded by people who pretended to know a thing or two about his grandfather. instead, he just wanted to cocoon himself. to hibernate and hope that maybe when he woke up, someone better would come out. that fraser mccormack would be a better man. a more fit king.

but he was just left with the hollowing pain in his chest of being without one of the only people who made him feel like he had his own place in this world.

he considered taking the jet back to london and going over the deep end completely. just burying himself in other people. people who didn’t really care. people who never asked. they just wanted to take from him and he didn’t particularly care. they offered him something without even knowing. by simply not being his family.

“fraser!” his mother called from behind him as he began to climb the stairs to his chambers.

“mother,” he sighs, turning around. “i would just like to go rest now.”

“what is wrong with you.” she hisses, grabbing his arm. “you smell terrible, you look like you’ve gone through a meat grinder, and--...” she gets a better look at his face. “god, you’re high out of your mind.”

“it’s almost life i suffered a great lost, mummy.”

she takes a step back, a swift clap against his cheek and he’s left searing. his inside wilt and that feeling from the grave comes back up. it comes and he can’t stop it until it’s leaking from his eyes and he’s sobbing right before his mother. body terrible and absolutely hysterics from his lips. the first time he’s allowed himself anything. in years.

“oh for christ sake, fraser. stop the water works.” she clicks her tongue. “you will go down there, treat the guests with respect. shake every damn hand in the room and be thankful that there are still people who want to pay your degenerate grandfather any respects.”

his lip quivers but he knows the spite and the anger and resentment is coming over the top, too. “he was a better man than you can ever imagine.”

she digs her nails into his arm, yanking him closer, their noses nearly touching. “your grandfather was a pitiful man who knew not how to control himself or behave himself in a cordial way. your grandmother only enabled his treacherous behavior and we were lucky he was not king otherwise this country would have become a disgrace.” she let’s go, and he steps back. “clearly, you have far too much of him in you, and i can tell we are destined for the horrors i feared.

“why must you always belittle me? does it make you feel so much better to make me feel weak and small?”

“you are weak and small, fraser!” she snaps. “you are a terrible, immature brat. you have never taken ownership for anything you have ever done and i refuse to coddle you like your grandfather did. you want me to hold your hand because you’re crying? what about the children who lose their parents every day and live in poverty? they don’t get their hands held. they get the hold harsh reality of this world and so should you, fraser. instead you lock yourself in a dream land where you are king of everything nice and fun and sinful. you refuse to see the world from any other side and it’s pitiful. i wish i had gotten a son who was clean and pure and strong. instead i got some junkie.”

fraser remained in his spot, and couldn’t help being stunned at the words she spat at him. the rage, the spite, the anger and resentment she had, it was all laid there on the floor in front of him. his humiliation climbed up his neck like a spider and wrapped it grotesque legs around his neck, choking him until his toes went numb and the sobs kept coming.

“jesus.” she rolled her eyes. “get out. you clearly cannot stand to be here, so get out and don’t come back until you’re actually needed.”

she didn’t move. she just waited. waited for fraser’s shame to send him forward. it did. eventually, it got one food over the other, and then down each stair. it got him out the door into the crisp air where he wished he’d just freeze. he climbed into the car, closing the door and laying across the back seat, asking the driver to take him to the jet. he couldn’t unhear her words. it wouldn’t grow weaker. it only got louder until it rattled his brain and his heart beat out of his chest. he never wanted to go back. he never wanted to see any of them again. and he wondered, maybe, if he didn’t come back, he’d be a happier man.

but he’d never come to find out.

#✶ — › 𝖋𝖗𝖆𝖘𝖊𝖗 — ⌜ self para ⌟#⊹ · 　pts.#20.#//#get sad lads

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jancmalandra · 5 years

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On learning to dance

After spending the first half of January wandering the countryside of France just South of Paris, Moomintroll and Snufkin started heading North again in order to make it back to Moominvalley in time for the first day of Spring in late March. When they crossed the border of Belgium, Snufkin began to introduce Moomintroll to an entirely different kind of foraging from the scouring of the woods and fishing in the rivers that they had done on their way South.

"We have to stick to the coast so that we can still fish in the ocean.", Snufkin said, "As you know from our encounter with Rudolpho, the wealthy love taking up land for their mansions near the ocean. Fortunately, truly unpleasant people like Rudolpho really are rare, even among the wealthy. But even the kindest of them are too blinded by how much money they have to know how much more good they could do and how much happier they could be if they let go of it and released it back into the world. So much of what they try to hold onto inevitably slips through their fingers every day without them even noticing that we can take advantage of it as we move North. You already have experience in seeing the holes in the security of these estates, but that doesn't mean we can take them lightly. It is riskier to sneak on their estates to steal suplemental food, but the forests will not have enough to offer us until well into late Spring. One thing that will work in our favor, though, is that even the wealthy love having the kind of joy we experience with your family and all your friends in Moominvalley all the time. We need to keep our eyes and ears open for any parties that might be in the works in one of the mansions we pass. As much as I dislike crowds and noise, parties leave their kitchens and storerooms a lot more open to.....creative borrowers like us."

Moomintroll couldn't help noticing that Snufkin still didn't include himself in with his family or the Moominvalley community, as much as he had always loved being there, and despite his parents' unparalleled hospitality. He had to force himself to simply listen to Snufkin instead of jumping in immediately with words that might miss the mark due to his eagerness. Moomintroll would have a precious opportunity to offer Snufkin deep, loving comfort in his tent, under his covers every night, which would be much more effective than any words he could say. Learning patience had never been easy for him, but he was getting better at excersizing it little by little.

Snufkin's experience and advice proved invaluable as they moved North. Raiding oceanside estates definitely involved real danger, but they always came away with enough produce from each raid to supplement their diet of fish for several days. By the time they were halfway up the coast of Sweden, the two of them had become a well-oiled team of trespassers, which eased their trip up the coast of the Baltic Sea. But even their charmed luck and earned skill was bound to fail them at some point.

They came to a very charming fishing town in the North of Sweden near the border of Moominland. It would be their last stop before returning to Moominvalley. Their destination was only three days away, and they only needed one more haul of vegetables to see them through. The town had the same kind of warm, friendly, open atmosphere as the tiny village Moomintroll came from, only with many times more people. Even Snufkin found himself disarmed by the welcoming townspeople, despite the crowds, as they scouted the expansive townhouse of the founding family of the town, which stood right in the harbor area. They were a family of Fuzzies who were genuinely a part of the community their ancestors had built. Snufkin and Moomintroll caught sight of them when the pair arrived in town; they were simply strolling the streets to announce their annual Coming Of Spring Fancy Dress Ball and inviting all the shop owners to join them for it that very night.

It would be fair to say that Snufkin and Moomintroll dropped their guards as they crept into the townhouse through the doors to the dry storage area attached to the kitchen. They were completely unaware of the Hemulen who ran the household as Head Butler. He was very serious in the execution of his duties, and once the master and mistress returned with their children and the confirmed guest list, he locked the townhouse down by sending an under-butler to every door. Snufkin and Moomintroll were trapped in the vast dry storage area off of the kitchen. It was only a matter of time before they were discovered. Snufkin immediately began muttering about needing his space and he turned to Moomintroll, looking just a little desperate.

"I hope you've got a really good idea for escaping this place, because I'm drawing a blank, here!", said Snufkin.

"Actually, I think I do!", said Moomintroll, "This is a Fancy Dress Ball: all we have to do is join in like we belong when the guests are really starting to have fun. Even the staff will have stopped keeping count of everyone when the party kicks into high gear. We need to get me a quick costume: your traveling clothes will do the job for you perfectly! There's bound to be alcohol ready to serve to the guests: we need to make sure everyone gets drunk whether they planned to or not: that will really speed things up! What's the strongest alcohol you know of?"

"Vodka.", said Snufkin. "It's thoroughly nasty stuff; no odor, no taste, and it's WAY too strong to drink without mixing it with something else."

"Vodka. Vodka. Vodka.", Moomintroll repeated to himself, forcing the name into his memory. "Lastly; we won't be able to carry this off if you're this nervous. You'll give us away if you're not completely at your ease. I need you to look into my eyes as much as possible, and think of our love for each other. Picture it like an endless field of Spring flowers where there's only the two of us. Our love has all the space we'll ever need! Just focus on that, and that will drive out all your fear!"

Snufkin did as Moomintroll asked, and it truly was like magic. He could actually see that infinite field in Moomintroll's eyes and the two of them walking together in it without any fear! Suddenly, he was totally calm. "I'm alright now, Moomintroll! Go ahead and find yourself a costume, scope out the ballroom and find a way to make all the drinks alcoholic! I'll be fine here until you get back, I swear!"

Moomintroll peered into kitchen cautiously, but it was deserted. All the tables and equipment showed signs of the preparations for the party, but all of the food and drinks must have been moved to the ballroom very recently. He saw a spare cook's uniform hanging on a nearby hook in a line of similar hooks and a cook's hat on a long shelf above them and decided they would make a really good costume! The coat came down to his knees, but it would have to do. He looked out of the main kitchen door and heard a large bustle and hubbub coming from the ballroom just down the hall. He walked into the ballroom as casually as he could, and looked around very carefully. To his immediate right there were two long tables, one with four punch bowls filled with various luxurious juice mixes and punch cups, the other with a full wet bar set-up. Moomintroll inched his way over to the wet bar. Fortunately, all the activity of the staff in the ballroom was focused on the other side of the room, where everyone was still setting up all of the snacks on a set of tables that ran the full length of the room. Moomintroll peered under the tablecloth of the wet bar and saw a row of cases of high-quality alcohol. The Vodka was easy to find, and Moomintroll carefully took four bottles and poured one into each of the punch bowls. He then snuck back out and made his way back to Snufkin. All they had to do now was wait in the kitchen for the sound of the party starting to get out of hand.

The guests arrived in glamorous costumes and the big band at the top of the ballroom started playing highly energetic Swing music. It took only an hour for the sound of unrestrained hooting and hollering to come down the hallway. Moomintroll and Snufkin walked into the ballroom and joined the crowd of drunk dancers. The main doors to the townhouse were on the other side of the room from the bandstand. The thick crowd of guests formed an unavoidable barrier between them and the doors. The pair of them would have to dance their way into the crowd's hearts to escape without being discovered as frauds.

"I still don't have the slightest idea how to dance, Moomintroll.", said Snufkin, keeping his eyes firmly on Moomintroll's. He was completely at peace because of this. He was almost supernaturally sure that everything would be alright because of their love for each other.

"Just stay where you are, hold my paw, and move so you can keep your eyes on me. I'll take care of the rest!", said Moomintroll. Moomintroll had the best possible personality for dancing: he had very few inhibitions and no self-consciousness. He just let the music flow through him and moved completely freely under it's command. He swung and shimmied around Snufkin with total abandon! Snufkin found watching him move as intoxicating as the Vodka that was now fueling the party, and he was able to respond in kind just by holding his attention on Moomintroll! They were so wrapped up in their own world, they failed to notice that the rest of the partiers had gradually stopped dancing and were watching them in amazement and cheering them on drunkenly! Their host suddenly stopped the band after three songs of this.

"Alright, everybody!", he said enthusiastically, "We clearly have the winner of the prize for Best Couple!" He came over to Snufkin and Moomintroll and put a gold ring on a silk ribbon around Moomintroll's neck!

The crowd broke out in uproariously loud applause, and Snufkin and Moomintroll used the crowd's celebration of them as a perfect opportunity to make their exit out of the townhouse in style. The pair made their way back to their campsites outside of town without further incident. They immediately packed up their tents and their gear and left town just to be on the safe side.

"So, who are you going to give the ring to?", asked Snufkin, grinning at Moomintroll knowingly.

"Snork Maiden, obviously!", said Moomintroll with conviction.

"Do you think that's going to work out as you hope?", asked Snufkin tenderly.

"I have a really good feeling that we aren't the only ones who've gone through a lot since you fell in love with me. Regardless, I'm going for all my dreams now without hesitating. I've spent too long undermining my own hopes with doubt and fear. With you by my side, I can dare to do anything!", Moomintroll said, kissing Snufkin deeply.

The End

#fanfic #moominvalley #moomin #snufkin #moomintroll #snufmin #moomin fanfiction

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sweetdreamsjeff · 5 years

Text

Obituary: Jeff Buckley

Pierre Perrone

Friday 6 June 1997 00:02 The Independent

Second-generation pop stars hardly ever live up to their illustrious parents. Jeff Buckley was the exception to that rule.

His considerable talent and distinctive soprano voice eerily echoed those of his father, the singer Tim Buckley, who died of a drug overdose in 1975. And, in the space of three years and one album, Jeff Buckley attained the cult status his troubled father had taken eight years and as many records to achieve. Yet, though they hardly had a chance to bond (Tim was estranged from Jeff's mother and died at the age of 28, when his son was seven), their tragic destinies mirrored each other.

Born in 1966, Jeffrey Scott Buckley was the result of a short-lived liaison between Tim Buckley and Mary Gulbert. In one of the few interviews Jeff Buckley later gave, he recalled that the couple:

broke up in the early Seventies. I was only about four when my dad left. I was really brought up by my mother and my stepfather. I owe them my most pregnant musical memories. They were together for about four years and the house was full of music. My mum would play piano and cello all the time and my stepdad had great musical taste. I would listen to anything: the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, Judy Garland, Robert Johnson, Thelonious Monk, Bartk, Mahler. And I asked a lot of questions. Learning about music seemed effortless. I guess I must have had natural abilities. Looking back, it felt like instinct.

Indeed, at five, the young Buckley had picked up his grandmother's guitar and taught himself to play. In Southern California, he might have felt rootless and restless, but music already seemed to drive him on. Aged 13, Jeff even wrote his first song, "about a break-up with a girlfriend. It was awful."

Having graduated from high school, the teenage Buckley left home, studied at the Los Angeles Musicians' Institute and played in a few rock and reggae bands (including Shinehead). In 1990, he moved to New York and started hanging out on the Lower East Side, forming Gods and Monsters, a short- lived group. He also guested at a Tim Buckley tribute concert where he attracted the attention of the producer Hal Willner.

Buckley only found his forte two years later when he started to perform solo with his electric guitar at coffee houses such as the Fez, Bang On and the Sin-e Cafe, in Greenwich Village. By the time the "Live at Sin- e" EP came out in late 1993, Buckley had evolved an amazing style, blending jazz, folk, rock, classical music, unusual covers (an epic version of Van Morrison's "The Way Young Lovers Do") and French chanson (Edith Piaf's "Je N'en Connais Pas La Fin) to create a fluid hybrid in which both listener and performer could lose themselves. He soon signed to Columbia Records and, fittingly for an exponent of the neo-hippie tendency, set about recording his debut album proper at Bearsville studios, near Woodstock.

Buckley left nothing to chance. Since he'd only been playing with the bassist Mick Grondahl and drummer Matt Johnson for a month, he called upon guests such as the ex- Captain Beefheart guitarist Gary Lucas (who'd already helped him shape some of the compositions like "Mojo Fin") and the avant-garde composer Karl Berger who provided unusual, flowing string arrangements. Andy Wallace's production did the rest and, by the end of 1994, rock critics the world over were praising Grace to the heavens.

The soaring, yearning vocals drew comparisons with Robert Plant, Jim Morrison and, predictably, Buckley's father. The puzzling, wide-ranging choice of cover versions (Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah", Benjamin Britten's "Corpus Christi Carol", "Lilac Wine", a standard covered by everyone from Nina Simone to Elkie Brooks) was discussed in hushed tones. Having added guitarist Michael Tighe, Buckley toured like there was no tomorrow, appearing at Reading and Glastonbury festivals and winning fans wherever he went. His vulnerable stage presence made girls swoon and he became an unlikely sex-symbol of the alternative music scene.

In 1995, Rolling Stone magazine named him Best New Artist and "Last Goodbye" became an alternative hit on US college radio. Yet, though Grace sold very well in Britain and France, Buckley never really appealed to the MTV generation. This suited him fine as he was keen to explore new musical horizons.

However, following up Grace's early promise proved difficult and Buckley marked time with various limited- edition releases ("Peyote Radio Theatre", among others). Last year, he guested with Jazz Passengers and appeared on Patti Smith's comeback album Gone Again. More recently, he paid tribute to the beat poet Jack Kerouac on Kicks Joy Darkness, a collection of readings which also features REM's Michael Stipe, the Clash's Joe Strummer, the actors Matt Dillon and Johnny Depp and the writer William Burroughs. Last December, internet fans could read a worrying message Buckley had posted on his website. It read: "I'm in the middle of some wild shit now. Please be patient."

Earlier this year, Buckley finally set about recording new songs in Memphis with former Television guitarist Tom Verlaine. But the resulting sessions had left Buckley somewhat frustrated and, having scrapped those and sent his backing musicians home, he was trying new material on his own while considering using the producer Andy Wallace again. There was already talk of a European tour to coincide with the album release in the autumn and Buckley obviously felt under pressure.

On 29 May, Buckley and a friend, Keith Foti, went to downtown Memphis and hung out at the Mud Island Marina with an acoustic guitar and a ghettoblaster. Having played some songs, Buckley decided to go for a swim in the Mississippi. His friend tried to stop him but Buckley jumped in fully clothed and still singing. As a boat passed by and created a large wave, Foti moved the ghettoblaster out of range of the water. When he turned round, Buckley had disappeared from view, probably caught by the undertow in the treacherous river.

Listening to Buckley's recordings again ("Eternal Life", dedicated to a long-lost lover, "Dream Brother", written about the father he didn't know), the sense of foreboding present in the lyrics proves overwhelming, never more so than in "So Real" during which the singer wails, "the nightmare. It sucked me in and pulled me under".

Jeff Buckley was fond of describing his wonderful songs as "dreamlike, coming from your subconscious. You have to let yourself go and it can scar you or destroy you. It's a bit like dying."

Jeffrey Scott Buckley, singer, songwriter, guitarist, organist: born Orange County, California 17 November 1966; died Memphis, Tennessee 29 May 1997.

#Jeff Buckley #Jeff Buckley Obituary #The Independent #Friday June 6 197

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freedom-shamrock · 6 years

Text

The Ladybug Special

Also over on AO3 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Inspired by @lnc2's Tumblr post

Thanks also go to @whatarubberchicken because I was stuck on a title!

Adrien walked swiftly toward Esplanade des Invalides. It was warm and sunny, a beautiful day. And for the first time in what felt like months, possibly because it might have actually been months, he was finally able to meet up with his friends outside of school for something other than a project. He'd missed so many of their planned get-togethers, including a few that he'd set up, thanks to his father's capriciousness and a million and one photoshoots.

But not today.

He took a deep breath, allowing the energy and scents of the city fill him. Nearly four blocks away from the river, he could still smell it. He'd found his senses heightened as Chat Noir, of course, but apparently long-term use of the miraculous had impacted him out of the suit as well. He was glad it had been a gradual change, so he could adapt as it grew. Things that would have once been repulsive had gained layers of texture and interest. He still found stinky cheeses unpleasant, though.

He paused at a stoplight and pulled out his phone while he waited to cross. Sending a quick text to Nino, he let his best friend know he was only a couple blocks away. They were meeting up at André's cart, and because the glacier moved around so much, they'd planned to decide the rest of their afternoon from wherever that happened to be.

Turning the corner, André's iconic cart came into view on the curved sidewalk bordering the bleuet de France roundabout. Nino and Alya were already there, holding hands, their heads tipped toward each other as they waited. Marinette was nowhere to be seen, but that was hardly unusual. While she'd gotten better about getting to school on time in the last year, she still had a tendency to go missing during akuma attacks. If she wasn't actively helping evacuate their class, she was nowhere to be found. Alya mentioned that she suspected their friend had an anxiety disorder; until she wanted to share it, they would just support her as best they could.

Adrien broke into a jog, eager to get to his friends. "Hey Nino, Alya. What a perfect day."

Alya laughed. "Look, the sunshine came out," she said, gesturing to his face. "I'd almost forgotten what it looked like."

"Pfft," Nino snorted. "It's nice to see you so happy, dude. I think I finally understand what radiant truly means, looking at you in the sunshine, away from photographers and fans."

Adrien rolled his eyes. "You two are ridiculous. Where's Marinette? She never picks on me."

Alya coughed, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like, "She wants to pick you up." But that didn't seem right.

"Alas, my dude," Nino said with mock sadness and a slow shake of the head. "Your staunch protector is stuck at home, running the bakery counter while her parents prepare a huge order for some shindig at the Grand Palais. I guess it came in late, but with a bonus Tom and Sabine couldn't turn down."

"Awww." Adrien felt his joy droop a bit. He'd really hoped to hang out with all three of them, not just because he'd heard Marinette's tales of woe at being a third wheel with the other two. But he was determined to not let this setback bring him down. "Well, maybe we'll have to swing by the bakery later, see if she's up for a movie or something."

Alya grinned, looking positively predatory. "Yes. Let's definitely do that." She looked over at André's cart, where the line had dwindled to the last couple. "But until then, how about we get our ice cream."

"Yes!" Adrien agreed. "I love this stuff. André's the best."

Adrien stood behind his friends as they ordered. The André experience was half food service, half performance art, and he loved it. There was something sweet and, dare he say, magical about it. As his friends stepped to the side, beaming at each other over their matched couple ice creams, he met the man's eyes.

"Ah! Adrien, so good to see you." André held his outstretched hands to his sides. "Still coming to see me without your sweetheart, I see. Perhaps this one will draw her out, yes?"

Trying not to blush, Adrien shrugged. "I can hope."

Making a show out of waving his ice cream scoop about, before digging in and assembling Adrien's treat with a pronouncement that sounded suspiciously like a spell. "Strawberry with black chocolate chip! Blackberries for her hair, and blueberry ice-cream just like her sky blue stare!"

"Purrfect as always," Adrien said, thinking of his Lady as he reached for the treat. "How do you always know?"

"Ah, ah, ah." André grinned and wagged a finger at him. "Trade secrets. Not to be shared."

Adrien understood all about keeping secrets, and honestly, given his work with the miraculous and Master Fu over the last two years, he was inclined to believe in magic. "Have a great day, André." He walked over to where his friends waited.

"What did you get?" Alya asked, eyeing up Adrien's ice cream.

"My usual." Adrien held it out for them to see before he scooped up a bit with the tiny spoon. He closed his eyes and savored the first taste.

Nino took a step closer, going so far as to catch Adrien's wrist and hold it steady as he stared at it. "Dude," he said gently.

"Yes?" He felt unaccountably nervous all of a sudden.

"Dude." The word was elongated and a sly grin spread over his face. "Marinette, eh?"

Adrien glanced around, wondering if she'd been able to show after all. "Marinette?" he asked, uncertainly. Alya's eyes had gone much wider than usual, and she'd slapped a hand over her mouth. He realized his friends were staring at his ice cream. What did Marinette have to do with his ice cream. "Oh! You think my ice cream is Marinette themed," he said, understanding. "I guess I can see that, but no, it's…" He froze. In the middle of preparing to reveal what they would see as an embarrassing fanboy crush, realization hit him like last week's akuma.

Blackberries for her midnight hair, worn in twin tails since they'd met. Blueberries for her piercing blue eyes. Eyes he'd seen in the face of two amazing girls… one. He corrected himself. Just one girl had those amazing eyes, even if she had two forms. The strawberry chocolate chip wasn't just her super suit. It symbolized that she had the heart of a hero, that she was truly Ladybug, whether she was transformed or not.

He stared at his friends in shock. "Oh my god," he whispered. "It is

@lnc2 - thanks for letting me play with this. I hope it fills your need for an ice cream reveal.

#Miraculous Ladybug #fanfic #My Writing #Fluff #mlfluffiction #reveal #Adrien #Nino #Alya #LNC2 #whatarubberchicken #The Ladybug Special

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bethhxrmon · 5 years

Note

All the ones that would be even 💖 Love youuu!

Love you too, mom!!!! 😘

lavender; soundcloud or vinyls? Ummmm neither, I kinda just use spotify and youtube whoops!

lunar mist; do you like wearing other people’s shirts/jackets? Heck fricking yes!!!! I love it!

gardenia; what’s a promise you’ve recently made to yourself? Ooof idk that I’m not gonna beat myself up for getting a B in AP Stats.

whirling butterflies; would you kiss the last person you kissed again? It genuinely depends, most likely not tho. I’d probably slap him first for being a douchecanoe.

apricot drift; how do you feel right now? Pretty alright, still sick but not too terrible!

queen’s cup; what are you craving right now? Fruit. Just, give me all the fruit please and thanks.

water lilly; when was the last time you cried? why? Literally today bc I was listening to the Legally Blonde soundtrack and one of the songs got me too hard today.

winterberry; do you bite or lick your ice cream? Normally I just lick, but if I’m in a rush, you gotta do what you gotta do even if it hurts the teeth.

desert rose; do you like yourself? For the most part, yeah!

night owl; how many countries have you visited? Only the US, but I’ll get to go to France, the UK, and Spain soon so there’s that!

creams and sky; what’s the craziest/bravest thing you’ve done? Idk, there was this one time last year when it was the last orchestra concert of the year. And I was playing while people were coming in. And I deadass played the Mii Channel music for a whole ten minutes. That was pretty wild for me.

pumpkin patch; what’s your zodiac sign? Scorpio!

daphne; do you believe in karma? Hmmm I think so.

wisteria; whom do you admire and why? If we’re talking people I know, then definitely my orchestra teacher bc she just does so much and works so hard. She deserves the freaking world.

remember me; did you make someone laugh today? I don’t think so, depends on if my chronic dumbassery entertained my friends today.

lilac; if you could go back in time which time period would you visit? I think it’d be fun to hang out in the 20s. Not for too long bc human rights, but I’d love to check it out.

primula; what makes you sad? Climate change lmao

queen anne’s lace; who do you trust the most? Almost definitely my all time best friend @gaypanda

forget me not; do you have any regrets looking back in your life? Not really, I’ve just been doing what I can.

violet; favorite tv show? I really love The Good Place

snowdrop; what does your ideal day look like? Waking up without an alarm, getting to be around people I enjoy, having coffee or tea with them, and just chilling.

peony; share a small random book passage that means something to you. I can’t find it verbatim, but that part in War and Peace when Sonya is hated on even though she’s done nothing wrong means a lot. Mostly because it pisses me off. Tolstoy is truly a little bitch.

honeysuckle; do you usually date people your age or older/younger? Usually older bc I’m the youngest in my grade.

love in the mist; best books you’ve ever read? In no particular order: Phantom of the Opera, The Body Project, The Color Purple, the entire Harry Potter series, and Turtles All the Way Down

magnolia; coffee or tea? Why not both???

snowflake; are you a dog or a cat person? Cats. I just really love them, dogs are okay tho.

cosmos; do you ever think about the galaxy? All the time!

freesia; do you have a good relationship with your parents and siblings? why/why not? My parents, yeah, I don’t have any siblings.

poppy; have you ever dealt with a mental illness? Hell yeah boi, got that good ol’ depression and anxiety that my parents don’t think I have oof.

dandelion; do you consider yourself and extrovert or an introvert? I think I’m both

anemone; describe yourself in 3 words. I am baby ( @spellboundcities will understand)

angelonia; what is your eye and hair color? Green eyes and blonde hair

buttercup; if you could change one thing in the world, what would it be? The establishment, fam. Gotta stop that poverty and that climate change.

calendula; biggest pet peeve? When people say they “don’t believe” in something that literally exists?????? Like, how dumb can ya get tbh

blazing star; share a secret. Idk if this counts, but I totally threw my stand partner under the bus so I could be stand partners with one of my close friends bc he can actually play.

petunia; who’s story is your biggest inspiration in life? why? Right now, probably Elle Woods’, I know she’s fictional but she’s freaking great and it’s an inspiration when I gotta go to college all by myself and stuff.

nymphea; forest or river? Forest

pansy; do you like poetry? Yeah, it’s cool!

#steph answers stuff #hi mom

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cromulentbookreview · 6 years

Text

Quoth the Raven

Hee.

Uh, and by that I mean: The Ravens Tale by Cat Winters! ‘

Can you imagine how awful it’d be if your creative muse took the form of an actual human who followed you around, that other people could see? If that were the case, two of my muses would probably take the forms of Malcolm Tucker and Kimmy Schmidt. They’d be constantly fighting one another while the third muse, Mr. Spock, stands by with a raised eyebrow, just saying “fascinating” over and over again.

The others, of course, would be a badass gospel choir singing about Hercules.

I promise my ramblings about personified muses will become relevant at some point.

I’m a bit of a Poe freak. A Poevian? Poe-head? Do Poe fans have a fan cult nickname? (I’ll have to ask the Poe museum...). Anyway, Poe was, and is, my favorite American writer. Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau and Herman Melville can eat dicks, because Poe is the best. Though I do like some of Hawthorne’s stuff. Melville was OK, too. Thoreau can go eat dicks and pay his fucking taxes.

Goddamn Frogpondians...

(The Gif above is an accurate representation of how Poe treated the transcendentalists in his criticisms. Also a reason why you should watch Altered Carbon. Season 2 better have more Poe, damn it!)

Anyway, I’d always had a love for Poe and his works ever since I was very young, the reason being the first ever Treehouse of Horror. I was just a wee little beeb when that episode premiered, but I was raised on The Simpsons and on Simpsons reruns. Their 1990 adaptation of The Raven, narrated by none other than the amazing James Earl Jones (!!!!), stuck with me throughout my childhood. In fact, I’ve got the whole of The Raven memorized probably because I’ve seen that Treehouse of Horror so many times. Also I read The Raven a bunch, too.

Also, I, too, hated the transcendentalists. Transcendentalism = the worst.

Plus, there’s just something so very relatable to me about the author who writes things that people enjoy but is unfairly maligned by the literary establishment and who has vicious, untrue rumors spread about him that people actually believed. I mean, that never happened to me or anything…

Anyway - for some reason, people still believe a lot of the bullshit spread about Poe both during his lifetime and after his death. (Word of advice, don’t let your bitter enemy be your literary executor). Poe was not an opium addict or a drug addict of any kind, or a crazy-ass drunk. Though he did drink a bit. He did marry his 13-year-old first cousin when he was 26, but no one knows the exact details of the nature of that relationship. He was kind of a dick, though, that much is definitely true. I mean, once you’ve read one, or two, or eight different Poe biographies, you start to figure that yeah, he could be a bit of an asshole. I can be a bit of an asshole, too, so I figure when I die, Poe and I can hang out and be assholes together. Also, lob insults at Thoreau.

Basically, fuck yeah Edgar Allan Poe. God, I spent so many hours of my college life picking The Masque of the Red Death apart instead of, you know, having friends. Or a life. Also, Poe invented the whole detective genre. Seriously, we wouldn’t have Sherlock Holmes and all the great detectives who came after without the stories of Auguste Dupin.

Just don’t mention the orangutan.

Anyway! The Raven’s Tale!

Since he’s such a huge figure in American literature, there’s plenty of fiction about Poe. But pretty much all fictional portrayals of Poe depict him as an adult. There’s virtually nothing about his youth - and Poe’s youth was absolutely fascinating. His parents were actors: his father ran off, then his mom died, leaving Edgar, his older brother Henry and younger sister Rosalie, orphans. The three were split up: Henry went to his grandparents, Rosalie was taken in by the Mackenzie family, while Edgar went to live with the wealthy Allan family of Richmond, Virginia. The Allans never formally adopted him, but he got their name anyway. The Allans took Edgar along with them to England, where he went to boarding school for a while before they went back to Richmond. Poe was very much a poor kid among the superrich - there was no forgetting that he wasn’t an Allan, but the child of, euch, actors. In the 19th century, you have to spit the word “actor.” Everybody loved seeing plays, but actors were massive slutwhores not worthy of being around decent people. In his youth, Poe was quite the athlete (he swam six miles in the James River without stopping once. I, meanwhile, don’t believe in swimming, because if humans were meant to swim, we would have been born with gills and an ability to breathe water). In October of 1824, Poe even got to meet the Marquis de Lafayette during Lafayette’s Grand Tour of the US. Also, he hated John Allan, who was the worst.

All of that is primo YA Fic material. So how come nobody's used it? I’ve read plenty of not-so-great novels about Poe as an adult, where’s the fun YA origin story? So, needless to say, I was so very, very, very pumped when I learned of the existence of The Raven’s Tale. A novel about young Poe? By a fellow Oregonian? Oh hell yes.

Cat Winters seriously did her research, and as a future librarian/someone with a MLIS, I 1000% appreciate anyone who does their research. In the world of The Raven’s Tale, an artist’s muse can take a visible form (I promised it’d be relevant, didn’t I?!), but Poe’s muse, when she appears, isn’t exactly normal: she’s dressed in mourning, looks like a victim of the 1811 Richmond Theater Fire and wears a necklace made of teeth. Not the best muse for a kid who is just trying to survive one last week under his awful foster father’s roof before he can escape to the University of Virginia. John Allan, who is seriously the worst, has demanded that Poe suppress his urge to write poetry, because art = bad, money = good. If Allan catches Edgar writing, Allan will yank him out of the University of Virginia and force him to work for the family tobacco company. As much as Poe hates John Allan, he loves his foster mother, Frances, currently super sick and frail. Frances just wants Edgar and John Allan to get along, so, as you can imagine, the teenage Poe is currently stuck between forcing himself to be civil to his shitty foster father for his foster mom’s sake, and his desire to write. So when Poe’s macabre muse - who he, of course, names Lenore - appears in his room in human form and demands that Poe let people see her, he has to choose - embrace his muse and sacrifice his future, or abandon his muse and obey John Allan.

I was so hyped by the mere thought of The Raven’s Tale that I was afraid I’d end up in one of those situations where your expectations for something were so high that, no matter how good the final product is, you’re still disappointed. Yeah, that didn’t happen here. With her eerie, surreal writing style combined with meticulous research, Winters has created a story that is both a captivating Gothic tale and a fantastic tribute to a great American author. Winters perfectly captured Poe’s teenage angst and anxiety in a way that felt both accurate and real. Anyone who has ever been a poor kid among the rich, or who has ever struggled to pay for college will find Poe’s struggles at the University of Virginia all too real. His struggles with his school fees in 1826 will make anyone in 2018 who has gone to college cringe.

To make a very, very long story short: The Raven’s Tale was everything the Poe nerd in me wanted. I cannot wait for this book to come out - hopefully it will inspire more people, especially young people, to study Poe.

Hopefully today’s young people won’t have to threaten to complain to the department head to get their American Lit professor to include Poe in the curriculum the way I did. It worked and I have no regrets.

Thank you, and bravo, Ms. Winters, fellow Oregonian and Poe Nerd (Poevian? Poe-head? The Poe museum never responded to my tweet). This book made the lit geek in me very, very happy.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Anyone who has ever enjoyed anything by Edgar Allan Poe

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR: Frogpondians

RATING: 5/5

TOTALLY UNBIASED POE FANGIRL RATING: 5,000,000,000,000,000/5

RAVEN RATING

SOMEONE ON THE SIMPSONS STAFF IS A POE FAN:

#the raven's tale #cat winters #edgar allan poe #the raven #lost lenore #muses #gothic #young adult historical fiction #young adult fantasy #young adult gothic #book review #best books 2019 #lenore #poe #the simpsons #treehouse of horror #masque of the red death #transcendentalism #transcendentalism is the worst

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ekel-a · 3 years

Text

What is 'Enough'

When It was time for me to go to high school, My parents spent an awful lot of time looking for good schools for me …we drove from Arusha to Moshi, Kibaha to Morogoro, Tanga to Bagamoyo. I did an awful lot of interviews. But I never got into any one of those ‘good gifted schools’ In my parents eyes I was smart and they, like every other African Parent, wanted their child in one of those ‘special’ schools one of those schools where kids speak in mathematics and dream in psychics.The schools my parents went to, They, unlike me, refused to admit that I was average and ordinary. Oh Mom and Dad. We went from school to school…but the answer was always the same, she’s not tall enough, she’s too young, she’s not quick enough, she’s not fast enough, she’s not smart enough, she does not know enough mathematics, she doesn’t know enough Kiswahili, she’s just not enough! She’s not good enough for commerce, she’s not good enough for science, I heard it over and over…and those words can break you as a child, because…what was ‘enough’ Of course they never said it to my face, they would say it in whispers in the school corridors as they walked my parents around. And I was too curious to sit around and wait so I would follow them, and I would hear over and over those words ‘not enough’. And I always wondered ‘What is enough?’ I honestly don’t like special schools, they made the rest of us feel like we were some sort of idiots.. my life goal was to make special schools for average kids, like us. Kids who who got 3 in the first try when they did 1 + 1, yes we’re special too. And no not 'crazy' kinda special (Geeees relax a lil bit) I remember I went to a certain school in Arusha and did an interview, I was with my Mother only this time. And I thought I did pretty well, I did science subjects and the headmaster, pretty nice tall slim guy. He offered me juice after the interview and talked to me a little, unlike all the other schools I was interviewed in. I really thought I was in, the kids there were lovely and I loved it, in fact I had already made friends and picked a dorm room, chose a spot to hang out and made peace with the school cooks. yes I was fast like that…all that in 3 hours only, if they gave me 2 more days I swear I would’ve been president…, you betcha I know how to mingle. Until well, I overheard the conversation he had with my mother ‘She cant get in, she’s way too behind in her syllabus she wont be able catch up’ Its like heaven was falling over me.I could see the devastation on my mothers face, the look in her eyes, her face dropped, I could see she was tired and it just broke me, I was tired of seeing her tired. So when he came to me to tell me how smart I was but there was no space I walked upto to him as he was leaving and pulled his coat. Pupils dilated you could almost pull a tear from my left eye. The words were sour in my chest and I felt a little pain in my chest as I uttered them…‘ I’ll catch up, I will work really hard, I will show you, I learn fast if you can teach me, please let me in, I promise you I will pass well, you will see I promise’ I remember saying words close to those, practically begging him. My heart was beating so fast vultures could hear it from ten miles away. This was my only shot. This man, in my eyes, held my destiny, I felt like I was letting my parents down one more time and I wanted to fix it.The smile on his face was gone and he was more serious now, He bent on one knee ( I was very short) to reach to my height and said right to my face, and I remember the sentence word by word….because they played in my head all through high school, all through university.‘ I cannot teach you what you don’t already Know’I stood there, I might have been young but I was not totally blank, what a way to tell a child that she was an idiot, I wasn’t gonna let him get away with it… ‘But I know more about Biology, Mathematics, Physics than I did in the test, I know more I can learn more’He said the last words in a whisper almost had me in tears ‘ My Child, You don’t know enough’Those words rang in my head throughout my whole childhood. Before every exam I ever did throughout my whole life, and I promised myself I will never use that word on a child, and If you’re a parent, please do not.I stood there my eyes glared as my mother walked in, never lost her composure, bless her heart, smiled and talked a little with the headmaster and we left, off to board a bus and walk on home. I could tell she was sad, But she never uttered a word of it, ever. We stayed for a while before she announced we had to do another interview, I was devastated, Do I really need to go to those special schools, I always asked them, Cant I just go to an ordinary school, But they would always remind me that those schools had better teachers and better classes and better education. Better education. So weeks before I went to interview at this new school, I studied every book there was and did all past papers this country ever had, I wanted to know enough and because It was catholic school I read the bible too, page to page From the apple in garden of Eden to how we will burn in a certain river for our sins ..., you never know what enough meant down there. As soon as I arrived I was received by a nun who was the headmistress at the school, she was kind and patient with me she showed me the waiting room as she talked to my mother, and to my surprise, there was no interview test, there was no entrance exam. They just examine your old school’s results and you’re in, and my old school results were okay so I got in.I had so many questions for the headmistress.‘Aren’t you scared of children who don’t know enough messing up your perfect pass rate?’ I asked her as she held my hand to show me to the gate. She looked at me almost in disbelief that this question was coming from a child‘What you know is an outcome of how much you’re willing to know’ The woman never spoke much. She said goodbye and I waved. I was just happy I finally got a school.When I finally went to that school, it wasn’t fancy, but the plus side was they had so much books and I was so glad, I read every single book there was, from history of roman empires to engineering books that were way beyond me. I read readers digests from 1930s and magazines from the 60s, all for my need to know ‘enough’. But that my friends is a quick history in my thirst and search for the feeling of ‘enough’… I kept reading, indulging obsessing over everything and anything but never quite got the hang of the real meaning of knowing enough.Fast forward my first year in college, I was sitting around with my 5 10 page assignments gazing outside into the trees daydreaming of getting married to a rich man with a house in 10 countries with butlers and maids delivering my breakfast from our other house in France because I like ‘french toast’ (don’t judge me like that, every girl has had this dream at some point of difficulty in her life, every girl!) The professor said something that woke me, in Economics, She said a quote from Thomas Sowell she said "The first lesson of economics is scarcity: there is never enough of anything to fully satisfy all those who want it" But What is enough? Enough for who? Last week I went to a graduation ceremony and met some wonderful children. They were pre form kids,. they acted out a beautiful play and kept making errors in the dialogue I could tell their teacher was furious but the kids were so jolly …and it was so hard not to laugh at their errors they were laughing tooo..we all laughed, and one of the kids was so nervous she ran outside and hid. I asked their headmaster what criteria they use to advance them to Form 1 and he said none. We teach them all they need to know and advance them when we see they have passed well.‘What happens if they don’t pass,?’‘They keep studying until they do, eventually they do, we are patient’I nodded. Glad they never got turned down. There was no pressure, to be Enough. I met that ol headmaster last month he was older, white hair not young and built like the last time I saw him, we were undergoing training for a project we were doing and he was one of the trainers, he didn’t remember me, not that I expected him to, I Imagine he must have met at least a million children or more in his lifetime. In my heart I had hoped he would remember and see how I had progressed and see who I grew into and became, but something told me it would not make a difference. So I just passed him by like I didn’t know him. When it was time for one on One training he came to me and went through my work and was rather pleased. He called all the other trainers and it became a long pleasant conversation, from history to science to community to economics to everything you could think of and I could not stop myself from talking on and on…my mind was saying stop but every thing the old man would say I would jump in with a word or two. It was a very bad habit, and I was ashamed later on. And as I was leaving he said in a whisper, almost in the same voice I had heard years ago. ‘ My child, you know a little too much for your age, where did you go to school? Did you study abroad?’‘In a little catholic school In some village you probably never heard of’‘You should’ve gone to our school’ he said as he looked around to his fellows ‘ we schooled professors, engineers, businessmen, in our time, perfect grades’‘ I would’ve, but back then I didn’t know enough….but thank you,’ I said, yes I was bitter and it was petty. It was 10 years ago maybe 12 and bringing it up wouldn’t make any difference but just a smirk of satisfaction as he looked somewhat puzzled. He probably never knew what I meant and will never understand what I meant, But it was better that way. So I kept it that way. Am I angry, That I got turned down so many times. Bloody yeah!! But I'm also happy because we have to realize we dont always need what we think we need to excel...we only need ourselves and our hunger to learn. We are enough for ourselves.

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n0resistance · 3 years

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Rome

What was interesting with where we were in Rome was that a lot of locals spoke English. Most cities are like this. We had a Counselor that said all major cities usually speak English, and the authentic places are in the villages. She was right. I tried to speak Italian after all my lessons to our waiter, and he felt uncomfortable that I wasn't very fluent and asked me to speak English! They also get offended when you ask for extra salt, or ketchup, anything that changes the dish. They think you're insulting their food.

The food is amazing. Veal, rabbit, pasta, melon con prosciutto, and bruschetta. The wine is excellent. Anything sweet is excellent. I found my favorite wine was from Piedmonti called Gavi di Gavi. Which is in the North. My favorite restaurant in Campo De Fiori is a chain! This wine and cheese bar called Obica. Which is in New York and LA. Our apartment was walking distance from the Colosseum. It was far from school. I always had to take the bus. Which was honesty policy when it came to payment. So people didn't really pay. When the cops came to check we would just jump off. That's why there were transportation strikes in Rome all the time. The honesty policy system did not work.

It took me forever to get to know my area where my apartment was because I always stayed with my friend who lived near Piazza Navona. Which had this amazing fountain of the four major rivers and their Gods. A Brazilian consulate, the best gelato, and our school. My friend and I would go running. One time, since we don't really have phones, and you have to pay per call, we ran to each other's houses without knowing it. I got lost and I finally got to her house and her roommate said she was running to see me.

We connected with people through facebook and if we set a time we would meet there. If we weren't there we would wait. It was awesome not having a phone. I had my camera, my journal, and some food vouchers. Our program was awesome because rent was paid for as well as food vouchers to restaurants and the only thing I had to worry about was travel. My dad sent me $150 a week from what I saved over the summer, and that's how I lived.

In Rome, I felt like I didn't really have any money, and I felt like I had too much free time. So I had journals and photos and eventually started taking videos. I set intentions. I wanted a tattoo of my mother's signature. It was a card she gave to my father "Happy 3 month anniversary" in 1985. Finding that was really special to me and I brought it with me to Italy to get the tattoo. I wanted to learn Italian, speak to people. Make friends. I decided to do a video project. For Italy, and film everything I was experiencing.

I focused and did really well in school. Watch Italian films and got a real Italian education, or as close as you can going to an American school in Rome. My last intention was to see all that Italy has to offer. People in my program went all over Europe. Spain, Morocco, France, and Croatia. I couldn't afford trips like that, so I backpacked every weekend with my friend from New York and my other friend from LA, and went to the beaches or villages and saw Italy.

My classes included Italian, Philosophy, Art History, and my favorite History of Italian Cinema. Art History was amazing because every class was at the actual site. It was included in the program so we learned about Michel Angelo and then went to the Vatican to see the Sistine Chapel. Dates were the hardest to remember. We also saw this amazing Duomo and the art in Orvietto. We learned about Luca Signorelli and his painting called The Last Judgement. When hell comes on earth and takes everyone who was a sinner. Basically the end of the world. It's graphic and disturbing. I carved my initials with a permanent marker at the bottom of one of the paintings. Orvietto was my favorite because it was a place I could speak to people in Italian, since people didn't know English.

One time we brought our friends' parents and we were famished for lunch during Siesta. All the restaurants were closed but this little old lady went inside and cooked us a meal from scratch. I had pasta fagioli, which is my absolute favorite. My friend’s parents asked for ice for their white wine, which is uncommon in Italy. She had to make it from scratch and by the time it was ready, we finished all the wine.

We had amazing day trips. Our trip to Napoli we saw Pompeii, Mt Vesuvius, and the Island of Capri. They make the best limoncello in Capri. You see all the people who were preserved from the volcano eruption in Pompeii. As well as the brothels there. We did a day trip on our own when everyone went to Oktober fest to Sperlonga. We rented a pedal boat with a slide. Went swimming topless. Had a freak out because we realized we left our passports and all our money at the beach and nobody was watching it. We had fresh fish. Felt like we got robbed because they didn't tell us how much the fish was until we left.

For our film class we had a field trip to CInecitta studios. We saw the original set for Gangs of New York. The set for this one film called Roman Empire. I loved that class. I learned a lot about fascism, neorealism, and realism, and discovered my favorite director Fellini, as well as actress Sophia Loren. Who was the first sex icon in Italy and was one of the first to make it to Hollywood. Italians impress me with the food, culture, and art. Living there made me want to become a filmmaker.

My Italy video project consumed me. I would film and edit it everyday after school. I was obsessed. I wanted to include everything. My friend was so supportive of that. I was upset about this new realization because I already spent 3 years studying business, hotel management, and had this epiphany that I should be an artist. I knew I had to go home and finish my degree. I knew I needed to make money. I knew I wanted to be an artist and express myself through storytelling because most of our entertainment during dinner was my crazy stories from college or my suburban town in New Jersey.

So I used Italy as my outlet, I never knew when I was going to come back, or have an opportunity to not work, and be this inspired. That I just ran with it with my camera and my journal. I filmed everything. Car rides, night life, the beach, cinecitta studios, Pompeii, and all of Rome. It was my first movie. I got terribly homesick and my friends missed me too. I especially missed my dog. He ate brownie batter and had to get his stomach pumped which was $500.00. I felt like I missed out a lot of the sorority events, I just joined. I wrote out a speech to be pledge mom and sent the video to them in a beautiful place in Rome. It was so loud because in the middle of my speech an ambulance came. My sister came to Rome. I got to show her the new life I was living and my apartment. We had aperitivo and wine. It was special to show her.

I became close with my roommate, and got close with the barista Luca who made my coffee every morning. I got into cappuccinos because I had to go to the coffee shop to get wifi. I would write all day. He was a ballerina. I also made friends with one of our professors. He would come out with my friend and I, he was always talking philosophy. A friend of mine from Pace was studying in Barcelona and came to Rome. We went to the Jewish area where the holocaust happened. It was pretty sad. Any piece of home was nice. We went to a soccer game and soccer is like religion in Italy. My favorite player was Totti, they call him Il Capitano. We were the only people that drank at the soccer stadium. Everything is closed for soccer. People are very focused and into the game. I got a jersey I wore all the time.

My favorite area was Trastevere. They call it the Brooklyn of Italy. Not too busy, a lot of creatives, I even prefer the bars and food there. There was a University in New York stationed there called St. John's. When you cross the Tiber River, you end up there. Also, my area was really awesome. I didn't realize it til the end of our study abroad. Since I spent most of my time near the center. I remember hearing Vampire Weekend for the first time at a bar there. I also remember all the live music, burlesque shows, and piazzas near me were amazing.

Our school was sweet. They even hosted a Thanksgiving for us and celebrated Halloween, so we wouldn't feel homesick. There's a lot of Irish pubs in Rome where American students hang out. Scholars, The Abbey, The Drunken ship was where you went to turn up. We even went on a pub crawl with wrist bands. You have to stay close to your friends the entire time. Rule#1 never get in a car with strangers.

I learned a lot about myself in Italy. I found freedom, community, and a desire to be an artist there. I found independence. I learned to cook. A lot better than I've ever cooked before. A different part of my brain would work when I spoke Italian. I developed this big dream to be in an Italian movie. The movies I watched demonstrated the hardships Italy overcame. I spent time on myself and even though I loved New York I didn't have time to breathe. Italy will always be a second home to me. I thank that experience and that calling to go there because it made me who I am.

#alltheplaces howtolove

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animationpp · 4 years

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I rewrote the character Arc for Remi and the homeless man which works better, leans towards maturation plot more than redemption plot, which i actually prefur, it feels more complete and links together better, instead of focusing on the scenes I had and the meteor shower (which I loved but wasn't needed) I abandoned any ideas I felt was unnecessary and wrote it again. The redemption plot is included for both the father/homeless mans character and Remi's the maturation plot is Remi focused.

basic plot, quickly jotting down initial ideas (will need to rephrase it better) :

Remi really enjoyed working at the flower shop, she was good at her florist roles but she also had a talent of painting and she wanted to go study at a prestige university, but as it’s a family run business she stayed working at the flower shop this resulted in some resentment towards the shop after some time passes as she can’t go fulfill her dream.

She used to help out her parents as a kid, father had to leave because he had to close some trade deals with different countries to do with flowers. He promised her he would come back, she then looks after the shop with her mum, as she grows she takes on more responsibility and while taking care of the shop she also paints and becomes very good at it, she gets a shot at going to a university/famous school to study for it, she discovers she doesn’t want to take over the flower shop and wants to go be a painter, but her mother tells her she needs her until the father is back to help as she can’t run the shop by herself. time goes by and remi finishes school, unfortunately her mother passes away and she now has to run the shop all by herself and can’t even dream of doing her passion. The shop becomes tainted, her resentment grows, she becomes arrogant and looks down on others to make herself feel better. A homeless man watches her from outside the shop and one day tries to approach only to be ignored. Remi one evening ends up locking herself out of the shop and while waiting for help to arrive the homeless man approaches this time offering her a blanket in the cold and remi discovers the man is her father and was too guilt ridden from his failures to face her again, he blamed himself for the loss of her mother, and approaching her was incredibly difficult. 1 year later the shop is blooming and there are paintings hanging on the wall, remi enters the shop with a envelope in hand and rushes to hug her father, she pulls out a diploma and her father pinches her cheek and tells her he’s proud.

Writing out the 10 sentances(again) realy detailed but I feel like all the information is necessary and links to one another. It’s written sort of like a mini novel, so it’s rather detailed. *Dialog would need to change* once I learn more about dialog.

1. In an old fashioned town in France, a small quaint flower shop sits with other small shops next to a quiet river, a young girl with a backpack walks along the pavement by the river and heads into the flower shop.

2. The young girl is greeting with a welcome home from her mother behind the till, the young girl tells her excitedly that she was ‘praised for her painting today’ while she takes off her shoes at the foot of the stairs and runs upstairs quickly, few minutes pass and she runs back down this time without her backpack and in the process of tieing on a blue apron. Her mother tells her the plants on the front-of-shop racking need watering, the young girl happily grabs a watering can and proceeds.

3. The bell on the door rings as someone enters, a tall man with a friendly smile appears, he says "im back, Guess who’s the most awesome dad ever, and picked up chocolate soufflé as a treat for tonight", while playfully pinching the young girls cheek, the girl looks up and grins excitedly, she then proceeds to tell him about the teachers praise for her painting, he tells her "well done Mini Monet, I’m proud of you" and ruffles her short red hair. The mother says "Remi, if your done watering, could you come and help with the tagging for bouquets please?" Remi wonders over and asks if after she can go upstairs and finish one of her paintings, her mother smiles gently, and tells her she can do whatever she wants as long as she helps out first.

4. The next day the father tells Remi that he is going away for a bit to deal with some shop business and he will be back in 3 days, she looks sad and he pinches her checks plafully until a little smile forms, he tells her to help mum as much as possible while he’s away. She smiles and gives a little salut as confirmation and the father leaves. The mother is dealing with customers behind the till and quickly calls Remi for help, 2 days pass and Remi helps out with her mother happily, the 3rd day comes around and there is no sign of the father, Remi waters the plants while looking out the rainy shop window for any signs of her father, the mother walks over to Remi, tells her not to worry it’s probably his train being delayed, and then tells her with a warm smile to go have fun painting. remi smiles passionately and runs upstairs, her mother continues to look out the window, and then pulls out a flip phone and it shows 0 missed calls.

5. Time skip! 2 years have passed Remi and her mother work hard to keep the shop afloat by themselves, it’s the evening and Remi rushes through watering the flowers and then rushes to head upstairs, when her mother calls her for help with tagging the bouquets, she halts on the first step and sighs... and then heads over to help her mother. "I’m sorry Remi, I know you want to paint, but I’ve got 20 bouquets to tag for a VIP customer and I can’t do it by myself" Remi tells her mother it’s ok and it’s not her fault dad just up and left. They both fall silent and the mother tells her "you shouldn’t say that, we don’t know where he is or what happened..." the mother coughs hoarsely and Remi pats her back and passes her a glass of water, she takes a quick sip before continuing to work. Her mother starts saying "There’s a very important thing I need to talk to you about-" "oh!" remi exclaims, "I need to show you! I got a letter from a really good Art college telling me they love my work and they would offer me a place for free, completely free mum!" Her eyes are lit up with excitement. The mother smiles sadly and tells her " you know, I really need your help around here, Remi, i know how much this means to you, I do, but maybe if you could hold of for just until we make enough to hire help?" The mother coughs again, and remi rubs her back "ok mum...um let’s hurry up so we can rest".

6. The next morning Remi runs down stair ready to go to school, she looks around for her mother, who is no where to be seen and shouts "mum! Where are you? You need to open up shop in 10 minutes!" She paces the shop and when she finds no sight of her mum she runs back upstairs. Silence... next scene she is at a funeral...placing a lily bouquet on a grave, the air is heavy and her sillouete quivers from behind.

7. A year passes and Remi is serving customers with a awkward smile on her face, a customer tips her and leaves the shop, she looks into the jar at the 1 euro she placed and looks at it in dissatisfaction. She the proceeds to grab the watering can and waters the plants in the shop front window, outside she can see a homeless man with hair covering his face sat on a bench staring towards the shop, she looks at him and frowns, then continues watering the plants. Later that day she sweeps the leaves outside, she puts them into a pile and mutters under her breath "that would make a pretty paining..." she is woken out of her daze when the homeless man from earlier approaches with an excuse me. Remi interupts him sarcastically with "no! I don’t have any change, do you have any? For me? No? I didn’t thinks so, don’t ask me again!" she storms back inside the shop slamming the door after her.

8. Later that evening Remi leave the shop with a shopping list and a bag in hand, she locks the door and shoves her key into her pocket, then she rushes off but halts when she hears a splash coming from the drain she just passed. She backtracks and looks in and in the drain is her keys. She curses loudly and then tries to reach the keys but to no avail, she then slumps down on a bench with her head in hands about to explode, when the homeless man comes over and says "excuse me-". "what!?" Remi shout angrily and looks up. The homeless man is holding a warm blanket and offering it to her "it’s cold, you can use this" Remi declines and says "unless you have a long hook that I can fish out my keys with, I don’t want anything from you" the homeless man then sits next to her on the bench and quietly mumbles "I’m so sorry" the florist looks up with a confused look and the homeless man says again louder and clearer "I’m sorry everything is my fault".

9. The florist looks at the man, she can now see his face clearer, to her shock it’s her father. She looks shocked and then her expression turns to anger, then to tears and she cries out "where did you go!?" The father is hunched over but straightens his back and faces her "I’m sorry Remi, I lost a lot of our money with the investors and I couldn’t face you or your mother, I couldn’t come back, I was a coward but I didn’t want to leave you or your mother, I love you both dearly" Remi is now sobbing and the homeless man places the blanket around her and kneels in front of her. "I didn’t know about what happened to your mother, I’m sorry... I’m here now though and I’ll make it up to you" he pauses and then pinches her cheeks and says "are you still my mini Monet? Remi cries louder this time and hugs her dad tight and the loudly exclaims "I’m going to art school then!", the dad chuckles and the camera pans to the stars.

10. A year passes and Remi is walking along the pavement by the river and enters the flower shop, the bell on the door chimes, the shop looks the same as before but this time there are lots of paintings on the walls, Remi calls for her dad, he peeks out from behind a rack of plants and rushes over to hug his daughter, she opens a letter and inside is a diploma of fine art and a excellence award for €2000.

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stellalights · 7 years

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Miraculous Ladybug: Trip to Disney World AU

i’ve seen this AU a ton but I wanna put my own Disney World experiences into this AU. Also I know it’s more logical for this to take place in Disneyland Paris but i don’t know anything about it so they’re going to Disney World let’s do this

*disclaimer: this is extremely long

So Marinette is a total Disney fanatic.

She has all the movies from Snow White all the way to the end of the Disney renaissance period on VHS and the rest on DVD.

Her family goes to Disney World every three years and they go all out.

I’m talking Disney bounding. i’m talking enormous collections of hats, Mickey ears, and pins. 5 filled autograph books. scrapbooks of pictures of Marinette meeting the characters. they are experts when it comes to planning a trip to Disney World.

So one year her parents suggest that she invites her whole class to go with them.

Marinette’s like “hell yeah” and the class is like “hell yeah” which means Marinette gets to be in her favorite place in the world with her friends and ADRIEN. so now Marinette is panicking because this trip needs to be absolutely perfect.

Marinette plans the entire trip from the resort to the dining reservations to the fast passes. She is completely on top of everything, making a schedule around the dining, fast passes, and park events. It all must be perfect.

Trip day arrives, and after they’ve landed and settled in the hotel (the Contemporary), the class takes a bus to Disney Springs to do a little shopping before they go to the parks in the upcoming days.

Everyone goes off to find some sweet apparel and other merch.

Adrien is like a kid in a candy shop since he’s never been to Disney World, but he adores all the merchandise, and Marinette is just so happy because he’s so happy??

Marinette helps everyone pick out their headgear.

Juleka gets Maleficent ears, Rose gets Sleeping Beauty ones #girlfriends

Max, Kim, and Nino get Star Wars ones.

Ivan and Mylene get matching Minnie and Mickey ears

Chloe refuses to listen to Marinette’s suggestions and instead buys Rapunzel’s tiara

Alya gets the rose gold Minnie Mouse ears cause they are fabulous

Alix buys the Pluto cap

Adrien gets a simple Mickey hat with his name embroidered on it. Alya “Wingman” Cesaire tries to convince Marinette to get a Minnie hat with her name embroidered on it

Marinette freaks out and says no

Alya buys it for her (for the sake of love)

Marinette gives Alya the death stare as Alya places the hat on her head

Adrien is so happy to match Marinette

Next, they visit the art gallery which Marinette loves

Nathaniel admires every painting and even thinks of spending $600 on one of The Little Mermaid

Yes, it is that beautiful

They grab some dinner at The Boathouse which is amazing

Max suggests they all go to Disney Quest.

Marinette reluctantly tells him that it just closed down. They share a moment of silence

Next day is the first park day: Animal Kingdom.

Marinette does not fuck around.

She wakes everyone up at 6 am sharp because they need to get to Animal Kingdom before the park opens at 8 am so they can get to Pandora.

Marinette physically breaking into everyone’s room and ripping off their blankets

Even Chloe isn’t willing to test Marinette right now that’s how serious she is.

They take the bus to the park and head over to Flight of Passage (Best. Ride. Ever.).

Tom and Sabine go off and do their own thing (and do so the rest of the park days)

They hang around Pandora for a while, trying the food and watching the drum ceremony until their fast pass for the Na'vi River Journey is ready.

Alya strategically sits Adrien next to Marinette.

Adrien is in awe because he loves Avatar and he remembers every detail

Marinette continues to be so happy for him.

They ride the other rides

Adrien crying a little on Dinosaur as he flashes back to when Ladybug was almost eaten by Animan

Nino: “Adrien, dude, you know that ride was all animatronics, right?”

Adrien, traumatized: “Y-yeah I know.”

Rose holding onto Juleka during Expedition Everest

Kim holding onto Max during Expedition Everest

They do a little shopping, Marinette buying an Animal Kingdom pin just like every trip

Alix insisting they ride Flight of Passage one more time

Checking the wait time for it

It’s 225 minutes

Cue disappointed classmates

They watch the Rivers of Light show together, and head back to the resort

Next day: Epcot

Because the fast pass system sucks for Epcot, the class SPRINTS to Test Track before it gets crowded (or breaks down) because they had to choose between getting a fast pass for that, Soarin, or Frozen Ever After (and Marinette did NOT wanna wait on line for that so thus chooses Frozen Ever After for the fast pass slot)

Alya and Marinette bet Nino and Adrien that their car design will beat theirs and Nino and Adrien are all about it.

Alya and Marinette's car exceeds in all the tests and they brag about it for the rest of the day cause power girlfriends™

Next is Soarin which is Marinette's favorite ride in the park.

She literally cries from how beautiful it is

Adrien is kind of taken by how much she loves the ride and Disney World in general

He finds her passion inspiring

Time for world showcase!

Marinette's favorite pavilion is Italy because the food is delicious and the Venetian Carnival Masks in the store are her favorite

She traditionally buys a new one every trip

When Adrien visits the store in Japan, he is in literal tears

Anime products everywhere.

He spends $200 there on merch include a Sailor Moon keychain, a giant Pikachu plushie, and a Goku onesie

He also gets 6 different flavors of Pocky

Nino loves the Morocco pavilion (for obvious reasons) and he insists on snacking on the Moroccan food which turns out to be soo good.

Frozen Ever After time!

Adrien sings “Let It Go” with Elsa and everyone giggles but it's honestly adorable and he's pretty good at singing too??

They visit the other pavilions, including France where they all have a mini photo shoot together

Cue the class posing like Ladybug and Chat Noir in front of a fountain

Marinette and Alya posing as Ladybug and Chat Noir respectively

Adrien, seeing them pose, and asking Marinette to take pics with him in LB and CN poses

Why are these kids so clueless: a novel by me

They also meet Belle and Adrien cries a little because she’s such a believable Belle and he feels unworthy to be in the presence of a real Disney Princess

Marinette buys her Epcot pin, following tradition

They finish the night watching Illuminations in the Canada pavilion

Adrien lowkey watching Marinette watch the show because wow she loves it so much?

Marinette glancing at Adrien

Adrien quickly looking away and blushing (these kids I can’t with them)

NEXT: Hollywood Studios

Nino is SO HYPE. A park about film. It's everything he could want

Chloe insists on taking solo pics in front of Hollywood Boulevard

Everyone actually agrees

Adrien being the diva he is and Marinette close to fainting

First stop: Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster

Quick photoshoot in front of the guitar, posing like Jagged Stone

Second stop: Toy Story Mania

Marinette and Max going all out

Max surprisingly winning the game

Marinette claims her cannon was broken and therefore was the leading cause of her loss

Third stop: Tower of Terror

Everyone is lowkey scared to ride, even Marinette who has ridden it hundreds of times

Alix suggests that they all dab when the photo is taken

No one knows when the photo is taken on the ride, so they all dab like 5 times

The picture actually turns out super funny, and they buy it

Fourth stop: Star Tours

Nino, Max, and Kim fangirl so hard

Kim tries to join the Jedi Training show, but is #rejected for being too old

Alix steals a pair of 3D glasses from the ride

Fifth stop: The Great Movie Ride

Marinette ADORES this ride because it’s a tribute to classic movies

She loves everything about it from the cheesy tour guide to the montage of movies at the end

She ends up crying after the ride is over because she remembers that it’s closing in the upcoming weeks

Classmates comfort Marinette

Marinette buys a Hollywood Studios pin

They watch the Star Wars firework show and head home

Time for the most important park day of all: Magic Kingdom

Marinette does not hesitate, bitch

She needs this day to be the best of the best

Marinette wears her Minnie Mouse Disney bound which makes all the classmates’ hearts skip a beat

like she is so pretty in her red dress with white polka dots, yellow converse, block stockings, space buns, and bow in her hair

They get to the park and Alya insists on taking pics of Marinette in front of the castle

Marinette is a little embarrassed but she does it anyway

Adrien can not get over how cute she is like wow???

Alya catches Adrien staring at Marinette

Alya: “hey Mickey Mouse, why don’t you take a few pictures with Minnie?”

Adrien, caught off guard: “Wh-huh yeah sure!”

Marinette, using telepathy: “Alya, I will get you back for this.”

The pictures actually turning out amazing and Adrien makes one his phone wallpaper

Marinette once again almost passing out

They head to Space Mountain aka the best ride (before Flight of Passage was built that is)

Adrien loves it sooooo much he wants to ride it all day

but alas, the line is 110 minutes long after they exit the ride

They spend about an hour and a half in Tomorrowland

Next stop: Fantasyland, Marinette’s favorite area

Adrien finds the Princess Fairytale Hall and demands they get on line to meet Rapunzel, his favorite princess.

the line is 45 minutes, a bit much, but they let him

Adrien running up to Rapunzel and hugging her like a 5 year old child

He tells her how much he loved Tangled and that she is his idol

Rapunzel kisses his cheek and Adrien almost dies right there

Marinette gets a little jealous

Because it’s Florida, there’s a thunderstorm

The class quickly finding a place to take cover

Adrien trying to block the rain from Marinette so her outfit doesn’t get ruined

Marinette slipping on the wet ground and Adrien catching her

Cue insane blushing

They take this opportunity to see Philharmagic

Alix steals 3 pairs of the 3D glasses

Rose tells her to return them

Alix gives her a pair to keep her quiet

The storm clears out

3:00 pm: time for the Festival of Fantasy Parade!

Marinette singing the parade music because she knows it by heart

Flynn Rider winks at Sabrina

Sabrina actually fainting due to a mixture of heat, dehydration, and Eugene Fitzherbert

The paramedics come to take Sabrina to the infirmary

Sabine offers to stay with her

The whole class in awe when Dragon!Maleficent breathes fire

After the parade, the class proceeds to go on the rest of the rides

They dab during the Splash Mountain photo

Ivan comforts Mylene during the Haunted Mansion

Everyone sings “Heigh-Ho” on the Dwarf Mine Coaster

Also singing during Pirates of the Caribbean

Snack Break!

Marinette buys everyone Dole Whips because they are amazing

More rides, more photos, more fun

8:00 pm: 1 hour until the fireworks

Marinette insists that they must get their spot now

They play Heads-Up on Alya’s phone to help pass the time

Sabrina and Sabine rejoin the group

9:00 pm: time for Happily Ever After

Marinette has never actually seen this show because it’s fairly new

The whole class is in awe

Halfway through the show, Marinette bursts out into tears because the show is just so well done

The music, the fireworks, the projections on the castle, it just brings back all her memories watching Disney movies

Adrien sees this and puts his hand on her shoulder

Marinette panics, but Adrien gives her a soft smile and she’s smiles back

The show ends, being the perfect finale to a perfect trip

On their way out of the park, Adrien realizes that Marinette never bought her pin from Magic Kingdom yet and decides to buy one for her on Main Street

They head back to their hotel and begin packing for their departure in the morning

Adrien knocks on the door to Marinette and Alya’s room

He thanks her for making the trip so amazing and magical

He then pulls out the Magic Kingdom pin from his pocket and gives it to her as a thank you

Marinette, face as red as a tomato, freezes for a moment

Alya is eating this up

Marinette takes a breath and hugs Adrien, thanking him for also making this trip amazing for her

I definitely would like to go into more detail about each individual day, but here’s a summary of basically all the points I wanted to hit! If you have any ideas/headcanons please send them my way I’d love to hear them :D

#miraculous ladybug #disney au #ml disney au #adrienette #stella writes #jsdknkd i love disney trip aus save me #this is so long wow i'm sorry

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