#it's supposed to be a paso doble

[georgekirrin]

These two would have the weirdest friendship, of course they would make their dance snake cult-themed

[alphabetboyluvr]

sundae (kinda love) | kth

pairing: non-idol!taehyung x female reader - childhood friends, unrequited pining, missed connection

premise: you always thought kim taehyung's lips would taste like chocolate sundaes, but when you learn -through a friend- that he tastes like watermelon chewing gum, the illusion shatters. so does your heart. in time, so will his.

warnings: a lil angsty, big question mark on a happy ending? (it's an ending! i'll give it that much!), short n sweet, mentions of alcohol, clubbing, tae is stupid!, but also not to be blamed (or at least not until the end), insinuation of emotional affair, big regrets, ballroom dancing, no smut and no fluff

wordcount: 1.1k

note from holly: originally written as a submission for my old writing groups monthly prompt - "I wanted it to be you. God damn, I really did." This is ooooooold, but it just felt apt with love me again and rainy days. i also believe it's the oneshot that someone on wattpad commented 'why are the tae ones always so shit' so MAKE OF THAT WHAT YOU WILL! lmaooo.

minors dni // cross posted to wattpad

"Quick, quick, slow. Quick, quick, slow," repeats the familiar shrill of your dance instructor. "Nina, back straight! Namjoon, footwork!"

The village hall you're in is musty, dust particles imitating you as they dance in the sunlight that beams through the wide windows. It's a Saturday morning, and there's no place you'd rather be less. You're dancing with your best friend, Nina, because there are only three boys in your class of twelve.

There's Jimin, the star student; Namjoon, whose mother forced him to attend because she thought it would be good for him; And then there's Taehyung, their best friend.

He's only there because he has nothing better to do when his only buddies are too busy learning the paso-bloody-doble to hang out with him.

It's spring, and school is in full swing. They're growing, and as time lurches forward, they find themselves with less and less chances to enjoy one another's company.

And so Taehyung's shoes tap along the varnished parquet all rather naturally, much to the dismay of Namjoon, who really is trying his very hardest.

"Now! Turn!" Your instructor commands. "And switch!"

You throw Nina a look -one that she gives you right back- which you both understand to mean 'ugh'. Stupid switch you always think, and refrain from rhyming it with how you feel about your instructor.

There's no part of you that wants to hold hands with other random kids from your village as you Cha Cha Cha across the dance floor. You just want to spend time with your best friend.

The same can be said for Taehyung, but when the switch happens, he finds himself dancing with yet another random girl - Nina.

He glances over -checking who he stole her from- and when your eyes meet, he stumbles on his footwork. Nina giggles, and he looks down all bashfully; pink in the cheeks.

When he looks up, he's looking at Nina. She giggles again, and he gets a little shy, but he starts dancing with her like a duck to water. Something about them just seems to... work.

You suppose you should have seen it coming when the next week he asks to dance with Nina again.

At least, that's what you assume he's doing when he approaches the pair of you. She kind of just hops up and drags him away before he even gets a chance to ask.

When they reach an empty spot on the dance floor, Taehyung glances back over to you and purses his lips. His eyes are soft, and so wonderfully brown that you think he must taste like chocolate sundaes on a hot summer's afternoon.

You're fifteen when you watch from the sidelines as rosettes are pinned to their clothes.

Taehyung's in a suit - dark, a little too big for him. His bowtie is green; a congratulations gift from you, given on the night they smashed through regionals.

Nina is in a matching green dress. Pretty, hair pinned back, perfect. Just like always.

The village hall has been swapped for a convention centre in the heart of the big city. They've just won third place. Jimin and his partner snagged first. Namjoon didn't make the top twelve. He tried, though.

You're beaming, outrageously proud of their achievement - but when Taehyung's eyes find yours in the crowd, his smile falters. It softens after a moment, and he nods. You nod back. Smile. Whisper 'well done'. He grins, now, and Nina notices his line of sight on you, so she waves. You wave, too, but you'll tell her well done later.

When you're eighteen, in a bar in the heart of town, Nina tells you that Taehyung tastes like vodka lemonade and watermelon chewing gum. You don't see him that evening. He sends you a text as the sun begins to rise:

'Didn't see you tonight. Missed you tearing up the dancefloor.'

There's a smile on your lips, though you really wish there wasn't. You both know you've got two left feet. It was always Nina's thing.

You send him back a picture of the chocolate sundae you're nursing, and tell him that you hate watermelon.

He doesn't understand, and assumes you're drunk. You kind of are, legs slung over the side of a sitting room chair in your family home.

You mean what you say. Detest watermelon. Loathe it. Had been eating it the day before without a care in the world, but feel sick just thinking about it now.

You've loved the idea of Taehyung tasting like chocolate sundaes since you were a kid - but now you know otherwise.

It's ruined your perception of him.

Although it hasn't really.

Not in the slightest.

For when he shows up at your twenty-first birthday party without a gift, but a bottle of chocolate liqueur instead, you have to fight yet another smile.

"For all those sundaes," he says.

See, it's become a bit of a ritual.

Every time those pretty lips of his end up on Nina's -and he pretends to care about the fact you aren't around- a picture of a chocolate sundae lands in your message thread to him.

He still doesn't understand it.

Though he does smile when he sees them on menus, and he thinks about how much he'd love one whenever summer comes around. He never indulges, mind you.

Never.

Not until a few years later, when it's the only option for dessert in a gilded reception room, back in your hometown.

He doesn't think it's apt. It's autumn, not summer. Far too chilly.

It's been close to two decades since he first saw you dance - and you're still just as shit - but there's something beautiful about it, now. Maybe it's the flowers in your hair. Maybe it's the way you're looking at your groom, pink sunset pouring through the windows, fairy lights glittering above you. Maybe it's your dress.

Or maybe it's the way your eyes catch the light as you glance over towards him. He's holding your bouquet -Nina had palmed it off on him- and he nods. Smiles. The taste of chocolate is bitter in his mouth.

And only now does he really understand.

Because truthfully, he had wanted it to be you in that dreary village hall all those years ago, too.

God damn it, he really had.

Taehyung knows he shouldn't, but when he's had a few too many drinks, and your groom is off entertaining his friends, he sits beside you. You're watching your wedding party from the back of the room with a smile on your face.

When you look at him, you know -finally- he tastes like a chocolate sundae, now. Your smile falters. It's bitter. The sundaes are sweet, you assume. Haven't had one. Won't have one.

"Should've been you," he says so quietly it's almost a whisper.

You hate that you understand what he means. Hate that you nod. Hate that you're thinking about the way he tastes. Hate that your heart beats faster now than it did when you said 'I do.'

Hate that you say:

"Should've been us."

[it-happened-one-fic]

Dancing With Visions - Your Shared Victory - Paso Doble - The Wanderer

Author Notes: This is the sixth fic for my "Dancing with Visions" series. I'm not gonna lie, this one ended up way longer than I initially intended. Describing the motions of a paso doble is really quite hard though. The performance in this fic was heavily inspired by the Paso Doble performed by Molly Rainford & Carlos Gu to the “Survivor” cover by 2WEI on series 20, week 12: semifinals of Strictly Come Dancing. Just like the rest of this series, reader is female. I hope you enjoy!

If you would like to read more of this series, the fics can be found here: Dancing with Visions Masterlist.

Type: Female Reader/ Dance/ Fluff/ pseudo-romantic/ academic foes to potential lovers/ sfw

Word Count: 2813

Honestly, you could understand why Sumeru’s archon had chosen to sign up your most annoying classmate, the same fellow who wouldn’t give his name and stubbornly kept going by ‘The Wanderer’ like some sort of emo boy idol, for dance classes.

You may not know why he was in Lesser-Lord Kusanali’s care, but you could respect her attempts to make him get along with his classmates.

You also respected her decision to sign him up for the Paso Doble as his first dance class. It was an aggressive dance, so it made sense for that to be his first try since, if nothing else, the ‘Wanderer’ was an aggressive guy.

All of that you could understand and respect. The only thing you didn’t like about this entire situation was that you were the unlucky sap who was going to be his partner.

Well, you said unlucky, and that was honestly how you felt about the whole situation. But you couldn’t say that all of your classmates agreed with you. After all, there were quite a few who bought his whole emo boy idol act and couldn’t stop whispering frenziedly over what an attractive young man he was.

They would have doubtlessly been utterly thrilled to have been informed that they would be his partner, but the same couldn’t be said for you.

Because the very second the teacher had called your name to his partner, you’d felt some small, bright part of you die as you looked towards the perpetually smug young man. 

What was worse was that there was no changing or swapping of partners. With dance being the newest part of the Akademiya’s curriculum in an attempt to right the past wrongs of outlawing dancing, these classes were uniquely strict.

So you’d walked by all of your fellow female classmates who squealed at the sight of the delicate-looking young man and eyed you with poorly disguised jealousy. And it really was a shame, because you would have loved to switch with one of them if such a thing were allowed.

After all, unlike them, you did not like the Wanderer. In fact, you rather disliked Vahuman’s current star student.

He was arrogant, abrasive, terminally smug, and generally unreasonable. Furthermore, he seemed to view you as some sort of rival, even though you weren’t even in his Darshan. But, at the very least, you could hope your shared distaste for one another would serve to help make this a decent performance and thus grant a good grade in this class. After all, the Paso Doble was supposed to be a dance that told the story of a bullfight. 

The lead dancer played the part of the matador, or bullfighter, while the follower, with a large flipping skirt, was the cape that is used to distract the bull and ended up discarded on the ground. 

It was inevitable that, at the end of this dance, it would appear like your partner came out as the winner. Which was no doubt why he was currently smirking at you with his slender arms crossed in front of him as he eyed you from underneath his ridiculously sized hat.

You wouldn’t make it easy for him, though, and at the very least, you’d do your very best to keep up with him throughout the dance. Because, unfortunately, he always moved with a certain grace that indicated he’d probably be very good at dancing on top of everything else he’d proved to be good at.

And so you danced with him. Practicing near relentlessly, as you’d both agree that neither of you were going to do this by halves. 

Apparently he had to pass this class to get the young archon to quit bugging him. You, on the other hand, simply wanted to learn how to dance out of curiosity, and this was the first class that had been open when you’d had time.

It seemed as if time had flown by with you two snipping incessantly with one another, even as you both discovered that you were a surprisingly good match for one another when it came to dancing. 

Despite all the odds, you matched him perfectly and all but forced him to push himself just as he made you push yourself.

 It was by no means the romantic dance one might dream of having with someone, even if his face perfectly fit the image of a male lead. Instead, it was like a dance of adversaries where you matched one another beat for beat and constantly forced the other one to reach new heights.

And before long, it had reached time for the performance, and you almost found yourself almost saddened that it had come so quickly. Not that you would ever tell him that.

It was nice, though. You had finally reached the point where your partner was no longer sneering at you and seemed to regard you as more of an equal. And it felt like an achievement that couldn’t have been reached any other way.

It wasn’t like you’d gained a uniquely deep understanding of the young man, but you had gained respect for him. Even if he were frustrating, he backed up his ego by actually being competent. If nothing else, you could rely on him to do his part, and he could rely on you to do your part.

But you ignored all of those thoughts as you rolled your shoulders and stepped out onto the darkened ballroom floor alongside him. 

Both of you slipped into your starting poses as he knelt in front of you, and you stood behind him. Both of you hung your heads just before a light cut on, briefly blinding you as you were spotlighted for the judges, who included the archon herself, to see.

A tiny part of you wanted to smile at the sight before you, though. After all, you doubted you’d be seeing much of your partner without his hat after this performance was done. It was a shame, though. His hair looked oddly soft.

Of course, you might not be seeing much of him period after this dance anyway. After all, you weren’t part of his Darshan, and there was nothing saying he was going to take any other dance classes after this one unless the archon made him.

You shifted, swallowing slightly as you heard his murmur that ruined the moment and washed any soft-hearted or saddened thoughts you had away as soon as he spoke, “Don’t mess up this time. This is our ‘exam’ after all.”

His smug tone almost made you scowl, but you forced yourself to concentrate as the music started and your spotlight began to flicker in a blinding fashion as you both snapped into motion.  Both of you looked up so suddenly that you all but startled the judges, whom you could barely see as you raised one hand and he straightened, his arms snapping down to his side to the loud pound of a drum.

But you couldn’t worry about them as you let the strings of the music guide you around the Wanderer as he reached out with one hand. His delicate fingers curling into the fabrics of your impressive skirt as he looked up at you. Both of you bracing for the next beat of the music to hit. 

And as soon as you heard it, you let yourself practically fall forward and into his waiting arms. Letting him catch you where he knelt on the ground as you relaxed. Forcing yourself to drape against him as you looked towards the ground, and he curled around where you lay on his lap.

You literally heard a gasp from one of the judges just before the Wanderer let you sit back up. Swirling into a standing position close to where you’d started this entire performance as he pivoted on his knees so he was facing you with his hands still on your hips as he looked up at you. 

The lights continued to flash as you raised your arms like you were a flamenco dancer as he leaned back, pulling you with him so that you were leaning forward and wholly relying on his slim but surprisingly strong arms to keep you up as you held your carefully posed position.

It was a relief when you were allowed to straighten once more, stepping back and away from the Wanderer as your eyes held his violet gaze that had hardly ever flickered away from your face since you’d shifted into a position where he could see you. 

You gripped the edges of your skirt as you continued to back up, giving him room as he reached out towards you with one arm and rose so that he was only kneeling on one knee. Somehow still commanding in his motions despite the fact he was kneeling on the ground.

But then the drums came in, and he slowly stood in a somehow insolent manner, immediately taking a stance like he was challenging you. And you could tell he was, just like he always did.

For some unknown reason, it was always a competition with this man. But that was fine. You could give as good as you got even as you entered a closed hold and let him lead you through your marching steps across the now brightly lit floor.

You forced yourself to ignore the bright-eyed archon who was leaning forward in her seat, the picture of an excited child, as you marched past her. Making yourself keep your focus on the young man, who was obviously treating this like a contest. 

You paused to each beat of the song, your gazes colliding each time with unspoken words flying between at a speed that matched the racing beat of your music. 

Vying challenge paired with a strange pride was in his gaze each time your eyes found his. And that, paired with the intensity of your dance, made it almost relieving each time you were able to look away from him. 

You didn’t want to think about where that pride was coming from when it no longer seemed to be directed towards only his own skills, but towards yours as well.

Because it made no sense for him to feel pride for you, even if you were his partner, when it felt like the two of you had been competing this entire time.

So instead, you just let him lead you along until you were released. 

He all but threw you away from him, sending you stumbling backwards as shot him a look over the vehemence of his shove but nonetheless froze and struck another pose. Entering some sort of preordained stance as you stared at him from across the ballroom area.

You weren’t about to let whatever playful, aggressive, or weird mood he was in throw you off. He’d told you not to mess up, and you weren’t about to give him an opening to gloat over you slipping up during the performance.

He marched over to where you’d stopped, almost as if he were approaching an opponent and only stopping in front of you with his arms spread, as if ready for an attack, only for you to rest one hand on his shoulder.

You held one another’s gaze, not even blinking, as you both slowly raised your arms once more and reentered a closed hold. Only then did you turn your head with an almost painful degree of slowness as you leaned back. Attempting to widen the space between the two of you only for him to pull you closer and then spin you across the floor in front of him. Pivoting with you and raising your arm as you snapped into yet another pose again.

Your eyes met his once more, and you swallowed slightly before glancing away and rotating with him once more. This time letting go of his hand after a full circuit and reaching past him, as if trying to grasp something beyond him, as you both entered another set of rotations that got progressively faster the longer they went on.

You reached the center of the floor, and he let go of you, letting you spin away as he held a pose, watching you the entire time you spun away from him until you came to a stop facing a different direction than him.

And then a beat hit, and you spun as he stepped to the side, only slightly closing the distance between you as you both faced the judges. And in that instant, you could tell all of the judges were wholly engrossed in your performance. Their eyes were wide as they leaned forward in their seats. Waiting for yours and the Wanderer’s next motions.

The next beat hit, and you spun, facing the Wanderer and mirroring his careful, marching steps perfectly. Your feet hitting the stage and the exact same instant as you held his proud gaze. 

He finished closing the space between you as you swished your skirts with every motion until you reached out. Flattening your hand on his chest and pushing him away from you with a special degree of venom before you started circling each other. Just like a bull in a ring, waiting to attack as it sized up its opponent. 

Unlike in a fight, though, the two of you gradually spiraled closer to one another until both of you reached out with one hand to grasp the other’s neck, with him pulling you still closer until your foreheads were just about to touch. And then you spun away again. Almost as if you were unwilling to allow him to even touch you. 

You didn’t get very far though before his hand was grasping yours and whipping you back around towards him so that you spun across the floor into his arms, where he caught you tightly with your back to his chest with your arms crossed over your chest, and hands locked into his like puzzle pieces that were finally fitting together after a long search.

And then, with an almost painful slowness, he lowered you into a forward dip as you twisted to look back at him. Still ensnared in his arms until he used the one hand of yours, tugging it up so that your arm stretched over your head, causing your arms to uncross in front of you, and send you whipping you around so that you plummeted towards the ground. 

You stopped mere inches from the floor with your hands still in his, your extended arms holding you attached to him as he looked staunchly upwards and at the judges, like he was challenging them now rather than looking at you.

But then he yanked you up, swinging you away from him so that you landed on your feet, hands fisted in your dress as you faced each other. Opponents once more as the lights flashed dramatically.

The strings slipped back into the music, sending you marching forwards. Chasing the Wanderer backwards and across the dance floor before he suddenly slowed. His hand reached out and grasped your shoulder, and he pushed his forehead against yours.

His eyes were practically aglow now, but with what you didn’t know. Perhaps the thrill of the dance or something else, but you persisted in your performance. Reaching out with your own hand, to grasp his arm as he spun you around so that you were beside him with one arm wrapped around his outstretched one as your other arm extended out so that you could grasp his shoulder.

You exchanged places, almost as if you were battling for dominance, before he clasped your extended arm with finality. 

His eyes met yours as you braced yourself just before he shifted to the side, swinging you forward as you let yourself drift in a controlled fall to the floor as he swung you.

The momentum of your motions sent you spiraling across the waxed floor until you stopped, fully collapsed, and draped over your lap with one arm outstretched on the floor in a spotlight of your own as he stood behind you. Posed like the victor of a bullfight that he was supposed to be as he looked towards you.

You could hear applause from those who came to watch as well as from the judges, and, through your peripheral vision, you could see the archon standing and applauding. Her eyes were bright and shining as ever as you exhaled slowly before sitting up and looking towards my partner.

Your gaze collided with his as he abandoned his pose and, to your surprise, reached out towards you.

His motions were still commanding, but you found yourself standing and walking over towards him. 

Your spotlights merged into one as you met in the middle of the dance floor, and the applause continued around you. Signaling your shared victory.

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[niuxita21]

The way the entire "Previously on The Mallorca Files..." segment is literally just... Max and Miranda's entire personal relationship progression, from reluctant work partners/compañeros to Max having to correct people that Miranda is not his girlfriend to almost kissing while dancing the paso doble to Carmen rejecting Max's proposal like plot? What plot? You mean this show is supposed to be about solving crimes?? I am LIVING!!!

[cross-swivels]

Lesson notes 9/25/23

I got a surprise lesson today! It was supposed to be Thursday but they asked if I wanted to move it up to tonight. Made my night honestly

Since I'm not prepping for any particular event currently, my instructor went for some oddball choices - we did lindy hop, peabody, quickstep, and a little bit of paso doble. Out of that list peabody, was the only one I had worked on in a private lesson before, so it was a ton of fun to try some new things.

Having never done quickstep I sort of assimilated it to foxtrot on fast-forward in my head... that's not correct. There are lots of lock steps, even in the basic! It's a real challenge at such a fast pace.

I really enjoyed paso doble, even though we only played with it for a couple minutes. I wish it had been longer. For how harsh and dramatic the music is, it has a surprising amount of flow.

Lindy hop is one I've tried socially and really struggled with, but it clicked once I got weight distribution explained. (It's not actually about jumping and is a lot more grounded than it looks.)

After the lesson I voiced to my instructor how frustrating it is to see people who started at the studio after me leveling up way ahead, and constantly have to remind myself that it's only because I can't afford as frequent lessons and not because I'm just plain worse than they are. He validated that I'm not worse and predicted that I'm going to have a very fast rise once I hit the point where my resources allow for it. So that's cool.

[allinmycorner]

I think Halloween is probably the most popular theme week after Disney Night for DWTS. And this year's Halloween night did not disappoint. Monsters of all kinds descended on the ballroom floor for individual dances and then returned for the dance-a-thon. The nine couples took to the floor to dance both the hustle and then the Charleston for some extra points. It's always fun to watch and this time was no different.

Of course Sasha was in his glory and we got the traditional package about him scaring everyone. Most of the dancers knew it was him and they would yell his name. But he then sat down on a couch and got scared by Alyson. So someone finally got Sasha.

There was also a guest judge for this show. Former contestant Niecy Nash joined Carrie Ann, Derek and Bruno to help judge our stars' Halloween routines. It was pretty fun to have her back.

So who was the star of this monster's ball and who got chased off by the villagers? Let's take a look!

Mauricio and Emma: This was a bit surprising. Mauricio has been an apparent crowd favorite and his scores have also been on the rise. I was starting to suspect he could be the dark horse but I guess the audience had other plans. While his matador-inspired Argentine tango wasn't as smooth as other stars who have performed this dance, it was still fun to watch. He and Emma had good chemistry and it really helped elevate this routine. I'm going to miss him in the upcoming weeks but I think he should be proud for making it this far.

Xochitl and Val: Xochitl and Val topped the leaderboard again with a powerful contemporary dance. Val's superhero resurrected Xochitl with his powers and throughout the dance she grew more and more powerful, realizing she was alive again. They performed some amazing tricks, including one where it looked like Xochitl was flying. At some point, it seems she got hurt as Val was carrying her around for the rest of the show but she didn't seem interested in talking about it. And it didn't stop her from winning the dance-a-thon either. Hopefully she recovers and comes back next week to wow us again.

Ariana and Pasha: I'm not sure what exactly Ariana was supposed to be other than some mythological creature but honestly, it doesn't matter. Her Argentine tango was flawless. I know Carrie Ann said that Charity's contemporary last week would be the most memorable dance this season but I honestly believe it will be this Argentine tango. It was like watching two pros and I was mesmerized. Ariana handled every move perfectly. I encourage everyone to watch it if you haven't yet. And she also made it to second place in the dance-a-thon, which is just as impressive.

Jason and Daniella: Jason and Daniella also danced a contemporary routine where they were zombies fighting with each other. It was probably the most serious Jason has been throughout the competition and he rose to the challenge. His dance was appropriately spooky and he executed the moves without breaking character. He continues to prove why he is the best male star this season. And he even made it to the Charleston portion of the dance-a-thon to finish in fourth place. Not bad at all.

Charity and Artem: I'd say the dance-a-thon hurt Charity and Artem but it didn't really. All it did was solidify their finish in 4th place for this week. What hurt them was that Niecy gave their skeleton jive an 8. While still a high score, it still likely stung as both Xochitl and Ariana had 10s in their scores and Jason had earned all 9s. Their jive was fun and Charity still handled it well but I think it's subject hurt her forward momentum after last week's emotional breakthrough. Maybe she can regain it again next week.

Lele and Brandon: Lele was a black widow spider luring Brandon into her web as they danced the paso doble. I don't know why her scores aren't higher. She's fun to watch and is just as good as Charity or Jason. Something is holding her back and I hope she figures it out because I certainly can't. I just know I don't want her to be the next surprise elimination.

Barry and Peta: Barry is so fun to watch. Is he the best dancer out there? No, not really. But he's giving it his all and he's really charismatic, which is why I think people are still voting for him. Watching him be the Big Bad Wolf to Peta's Red Riding Hood was more entertaining than their Viennese waltz but he still managed to pull off most of the choreography. So that's certainly impressive. I still don't think he'll win but I'll enjoy watching him while he's still around.

Alyson and Sasha: Unsurprisingly, Alyson was assigned to be a vampire. I wonder why? Anyway, I think the teeth threw off her face a bit because she looked more awkward. And she was a bit awkward moving from the cape action on the top of the stairs to the main part of the paso doble on the dance floor. But once she and Sasha started dancing together, it looked very good. They were perfectly in sync and show that they are a great team. Alyson just needs to refine her movements more and she might be able to challenge Lele and get out of the bottom three.

Harry and Rylee: Harry is feeling disheartened due to online comments about him. Oh, Harry, never read the comments. That includes mine, though I try to be more positive than negative. Ultimately, the only comments you need to listen to are the judges'. They will help you improve. Because Harry has promise but he's just been a little too inconsistent this season. However, he did recover with his and Rylee's alien-inspired Argentine tango. It wasn't as smooth as it could've been but it had good content he was able to pull off after a little help from Lindsay. And while it must hurt to be in the bottom three two weeks in a row, it seems the audience likes him enough to keep him around. So he should take some comfort with that.

So that was Halloween night! We have about a month until a new winner is crowned and gets to hoist the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy and I'm happy it could be anyone's game. It could be Xochitl or Ariana. Jason could sneak past them to win it all in the end. Bachelor Nation could push Charity across the finish line or the audience could send Barry there instead. And Lele could be the surprise winner. Maybe Alyson or Harry will make it as well, though I doubt it at this time.

But only time will tell.

Next time, Paula Abdul will join the panel as a guest judge while the remaining stars pay tribute to some of the best music videos of all time. And we'll have the team dances! See you then!

[unwillingtoreachout]

Adding to this so I can explain my reasons behind international latin, and tbh my reasons are very straightforward: ✨paso doble✨

Firstly, it's a style that's more preoccupied with emotional expression and structure, so there's less focus on technical details, which is why I think Neil would probably take to it (personally I'm also of the idea that he would be into jive and he'd probably be good at it, especially bc jive is very bouncy style, for lack of a better word, and Neil canonically has a lot of stamina and endurance).

Secondly, (I'm gonna use quite binary terms to explain this next part, I'm sorry) paso doble is meant to evoke the imagery of a bullfight, so the man takes on the role of the bullfighter and the woman is his cape (I would like to add that bullfighter in spanish is "matador" which kinda has butcher vibes if you know what I mean). Because the man is acting as the bullfighter, he's supposed to be the focus of the dance and also display confidence, strength and even arrogance. You might have noticed that Neil is not about that vibe, he actively tries to go unnoticed and not draw attention so being confident and arrogant are things that his perception of "Neil Josten" should not be but, at the same time, dancing could be his one way to break this pattern and face the past he's running away from (Nathan).

This is where Aaron (or Aria) becomes important, because her acting as the cape means that she's actively giving him the ability to fight instead of running away, she's acting as a tool that lures the threat towards him which in turn forces him to face that threat head on (forces him to stay and stand his ground if you will). This is a contrast to andreil's dynamic since Andrew gets Neil to stay by offering him protection.

Also, let's talk about height differences because even though height isn't really that important when it comes to ballroom it is still considered something that can help the visual element of it. Anyway this is all to say that, considering the footwear, Neil and Aaron would basically be the same height and I just think that's so cool because it's almost like they're on the same level (and I'm a firm believer that Neil and Aaron are very similar and this would be a nice, subtle way to emphasise that conceptually). Plus, this whole dance concept is very metaphorical to me, so I think it would be interesting to blur the lines between who is actually leading the dance, in the sense that they are both empowering each other but also struggling for power at the same time.

So this is a very vibe motivated au that I came up with (as in there are too many aspects of the canon plot that would have to be re-examined but that's not a job for me) and it was mostly a hypothetical for "what if the twinyards were fraternal twins of opposite genders and had a way worse relationship than they do in canon?"

And the answer is a ballroom + fem Aaron au apparently. So basically all I have is the following:

Aaron (Aria in this au) breaks the deal with Andrew in highschool which prompts them to go their separate ways in college

Neil (trans) stays at millport for longer (he still plays exy but he's also introduced to ballroom) and he's again recruited by wymack

Not sure whether to have Aria study in PSU with a dance scholarship or not, but anyway the point is that she befriends Neil and convinces him to dance with her

I guess it would make the most sense for them to dance American rhythm but in my head they also dance international latin

Kateaaron endgame (they're roomates)

I would imagine that thanksgiving is the first time Andrew and Aria have been within close proximity to each other in a while (which makes what happens probably a lot more complicated bc yes, Aria does kill drake)

One of the main conflicts I originally thought of was based on Neil's love for exy vs his love for ballroom, and I think it would be interesting if he's forced to keep playing exy bc of his deal with ichirou but he didn't actually want to

[theflyingfeeling]

👻👨‍🏫💃🎷 Do you want a pairing as well? :P

You'll get dance teacher!Olli and rockstar!Joel 🥰

~

Joel looked at his teacher in disbelief.

“Olli, I’m not doing it.”

“Please? It’ll be PERFECT for the Halloween theme!”

You should participate in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing, Porko had said. It’ll be good for your image, he had said. Right now, Joel wasn’t sure how dancing paso doble wearing a ghost costume on national television was supposed to advance his career.

Well, at least his instructor was cute.

“Fine. But only if you’ll go on a date with me to that jazz club.”

Olli blinked, his cheeks turning red. Then he smiled shyly.

“Pick me up at seven.”

~

(author's note: I was given the pairing 💕)

[phrynewrites]

I’m loving the past life au so much!!! And like how I’m seeing is every week they unlock a new vision because of the different theme/dance (burlesque and tango unlocked sexy memories and the western unlocked some soft farm ones) curious to know if what other visions were unlocked 👀

Ok ok so the ask that makes me outline the au is finally upon us gjfdsjkg Thank you for forcing some organization upon my messed up semblance of a plan lol

Week 1: Charleston. First set of visions for both. Bosco has the visions first when Jasmine shoves them of when they say she's their last pick of dance partner. Bosco immediately travels back to Jasmine shoving them back against a wall, hands trailing down their waist, and now they're irritated and also a little turned on. Meanwhile, Jasmine has her first vision while performing, like she's taken back hundreds of years to like a courtly dance that her and Bosco are having privately, outside of the public eye, where she's twirling Bosco as they're asking to be put down. And Jasmine kind of loses it in the real world while lifting Bosco and nearly drops them before they wrap their legs around her and hold on as tight as they can tbh.

Week 2: Tango. Very sexy visions on Bosco's part, while Jasmine has these softer, more caring visions as they're trying to teach Bosco during all these extra rehearsals. The visions aren't as clear in time period for Bosco because they're happening so fast and they're immediately getting whiplash from Jasmine touching them like that. And Jasmine's visions are so much softer visions like she can picture her and Bosco holding hands before just casually once she takes Bosco's hand. She's back to their first kiss in the 50's when they accidentally bump noses during practice. Jasmine cradles Bosco's back as they swing their leg up and suddenly it's medieval and they're comforting an upset Bosco like it's wild. They're holding hands and window shopping during the holidays. Basically, Jasmine is having a soft lovely time and Bosco has taken like 18 smoke breaks just for the fresh air because they're going through it.

Week 3: Contemporary: Finally admitting to each other that they're having these visions. After performing the number and it goes really well, Bosco presses a quick kiss to Jasmine's cheek and immediately the two of them are back to a first date, when Bosco's walking Jasmine back to her apartment with the red door. And they stop there, just waiting, and past Bosco kind of chickens out on the kiss and goes for the cheek instead. And after the performance, after acknowledging that they're both seeing these visions and now they've experienced one together, they skip the after party and go back to Jasmine's to try and sort out what the heck is going on here.

Week 4: Jive: Sorting through how exactly all of this is supposed to work. Keeps trying to trigger these memories but it doesn't work. Bosco finally gets the stupid fast movements and grabs Jasmine and kisses her they're taken back to some sort of fight scene ages ago and Jasmine pulls them into a kiss and makes them promise to come home safe.

Week 5: Burlesque. U all already know. 1920's memory is unlocked.

Week 6: Samba. Big Fight/ Victorian times (with the green couch) but they're fighting because there's jealousy and they can't really express their true feelings. This one ends with the two never seeing each other, until one of them has passed and the other is left to reckon with how far icing the other out really got them.

Week 7: Quickstep / Broadway. Musical Week. Bosco's being a menace. Jasmine unlocks like the sexy side of all of her previously soft memories.

Week 8: Paso Doble. Western . The whole farm-hand memory is unlocked.

Week 9: Waltz. Full 1950's is unlocked. Let's say...they're disrupting the nuclear family for sure. Also some little flashes into closer to present day, like 1980s and 90s.

Week 10: The Finale. Freestyle.

[dragonmartellstark]

At the coronation of Rhaenyra as Regent Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, Jacaerys was chosen as his heir, but his figure was not well seen by others due to his supposed bastardy, his mother assured that he carried his blood, dragon blood and with that should be enough.

Jacaerys was engaged to her cousin, Baela Targaryen, but despite maintaining a good relationship, the two did not love each other and it is known that Baela did not like the idea of ​​being queen since she had to obey the protocol and rules that according to her, were absurd. In 132 a. C., Jacaerys made a long journey through the Seven Kingdoms settling in for a time in Winterfell where he met Sara Snow, the bastard sister of Cregan Stark and it is known that he fell madly in love with her. The prince extended his stay in the North for a few more months to meet that young woman who had amazed him and both became lovers during that time sharing time in hunting parties, card games and in the boy's bedroom.

Queen Rhaenyra demanded that her son return to court in order to officially marry his cousin Baela, but Jacaerys disobeyed his mother and secretly married Sara in the heart tree of Winterfell, where he gave himself to her under the testimony of the Old Gods. This marriage was something bittersweet for Cregan since he had four daughters with Alysanne Blackwood with whom the prince could marry, but in the end Cregan declared his sister as Rickon Stark's legitimate daughter.

Rhaenyra and Daemon were unhappy with the prince for having humiliated Princess Baela in this way and also displeased with Lord Cregan for accepting that marriage. Baela Targaryen did not show upset and accepted that her cousin was happy, in addition to revealing that she had a lover of hers, her cousin, Alyn Velaryon and she wanted to marry hers as she no longer had a fiancé. In the end Rhaenyra accepted this marriage and declared Sara legitimate to be able to have a formal wedding taking place in the year 133 a. C., being a double ceremony in which Jacaerys and Sara were married, in addition to Alyn and Baela.

Jacaerys and Sara soon consummated their union as a very passionate couple. In the year 135 a. C., was born the first daughter of the couple, Rhaenys named in honor of her grandmother Rhaenyra of her and Princess Rhaenys, the queen that she never was. Two years later Aerion was born, the future Aerion I Targaryen and he had the platinum hair and purple eyes of his maternal family proving that Jacaerys was of Valyrian blood.

The couple was happy and despite not having more children, they were very close and shared the same room. With the passage of time Sara gained the appreciation of hers-in-law of hers the princes Lucerys, Joffrey and Aegon, in addition to the sympathy of Helaena Targaryen and hers of her children who saw her as "a new queen." In 152 a. C., her son Aerion married one of Lucerys and Rhaena's daughters, Princess Laena Velaryon with whom he had a daughter, Rhaenyra.

In 157 a. C., Queen Rhaenyra I passed away and Jacaerys was crowned as Jacaerys I using the Targaryen surname instead of Velaryon. Sara could not be crowned due to the king's problems with faith refusing to declare a bastard queen, but Jacaerys chose to change to the Supreme Septon being supplanted by a man known as "Bar" who crowned Sara as Queen of the Seven Kingdoms in 159 a. C.

During the reign of her husband, Aenar Targaryen, Aegon's eldest son "the youngest" (Jacaerys' younger half-brother) rebelled against the king declaring himself the sole king after the death of his father in 160 a. C., this rebellion is known as "the war of Valyrian succession". This war put the royal family in great danger suffering an assassination attempt that was stopped by Joffrey Velaryon protecting the family from him until the end. This rebellion ended in 162 a. C., when Jacaerys convinced Aenar to marry his granddaughter, Rhaenyra who was Aerion's only heir when he ascended to the throne, in this way Aenar and Rhaenyra would reign in the Seven Kingdoms together. This deal was supported by the Velaryon, the Starks, and Aenar's younger sister, Jelaena, so the prince agreed to marry the little princess.

The following years were calm and peaceful for the kings enjoying a certain popularity for being conciliators, in addition to their works of charity to the convents, orphanages and schools of the Capital.

Sara did not separate from Jacaerys being her faithful and beloved companion, she was even with him when he was sick with smallpox in the year 179 a. C. The queen took care of her husband for four days, but during those days she was also infected and had to be in bed away from Jacaerys. That same year Jacaerys passed away at the age of 64, when Sara found out about her death and cried for her for a long time and her condition only worsened, dying two days after the king. Both were cremated and their ashes were buried together.

A la coronación de Rhaenyra como Reina regente de los Siete Reinos, Jacaerys fue elegido como su heredero, pero su figura no era bien vista por los demás debido a su supuesta bastardía, su madre aseguro que el llevaba su sangre, sangre del dragón y con eso debía ser suficiente.

Jacaerys estaba prometido con su prima, Baela Targaryen, pero pese a mantener una buena relación ambos no se amaban y se sabe que Baela no le agradaba la idea de ser reina puesto a que tenia que obedecer el protocolo y las reglas que según ella, eran absurdas. En el 132 d. C., Jacaerys hizo un largo viaje por los Siete Reinos instalándose en por un tiempo en Invernalia donde conoció a Sara Nieve, la hermana bastarda de Cregan Stark y se sabe que el quedo perdidamente enamorado de ella. El príncipe alargo su estancia en el Norte por unos meses mas para conocer aquella joven que lo tenia maravillado y ambos se convirtieron en amantes durante ese tiempo compartiendo el tiempo en partidas de caza, juegos de cartas y en la alcoba del chico.

La reina Rhaenyra exigió a su hijo volver a la corte para así casarse oficialmente con su prima Baela, pero Jacaerys desobedeció a su madre y se caso en secreto con Sara en el árbol corazón de Invernalia, donde se entregó a ella bajo el testimonio de los Antiguos Dioses. Este casamiento fue algo agridulce para Cregan ya que tenia cuatro hijas con Alysanne Blackwood con las que el príncipe podía casarse, pero al final Cregan declaro a su hermana como hija legitima de Rickon Stark.

Rhaenyra y Daemon estaban descontentos con el príncipe al haber humillado a la princesa Baela de esa forma y también disgustados con Lord Cregan por aceptar aquel casamiento. Baela Targaryen no se mostro disgustada y acepto que su primo fuera feliz, además de revelar que ella tenia un amante su primo, Alyn Velaryon y quería casarse con el al ya no tener ningún prometido. Al final Rhaenyra acepto este casamiento y declaro legitima a Sara para poder realizarse una boda formal celebrándose esta en el año 133 d. C., siendo una doble ceremonia en la cual se casaron Jacaerys y Sara, además de Alyn y Baela.

Jacaerys y Sara no tardaron en consumar su unión siendo una pareja bastante apasionada. En el año 135 d. C., nació la primera hija de la pareja, Rhaenys nombrada en honor a su abuela Rhaenyra y a la princesa Rhaenys, la reina que nunca fue. Dos años después nació Aerion, el futuro Aerion I Targaryen y este tenia el cabello platino y los ojos morados de su familia materna demostrando que Jacaerys era de sangre valyria.

La pareja fue feliz y pesé a no tener mas hijos fueron muy unidos y compartían la misma habitación. Con el paso del tiempo Sara se gano el aprecio de sus cuñados los príncipes Lucerys, Joffrey y Aegon, además de la simpatía de Helaena Targaryen y sus hijos que la veían como “una nueva reina”. En el 152 d. C., su hijo Aerion se caso con una de las hijas de Lucerys y Rhaena, la princesa Laena Velaryon con la cual tuvo una hija, Rhaenyra.

En el 157 d. C., falleció la reina Rhaenyra I y Jacaerys fue coronado como Jacaerys I usando el apellido Targaryen en vez del Velaryon. Sara no pudo ser coronada debido a los problemas que tuvo el rey con la fe negándose a declarar a una bastarda como reina, pero Jacaerys opto por cambiar al Septon Supremo siendo suplantado por un hombre conocido como “Bar” quien corono a Sara como Reina de los Siete Reinos en el 159 d. C.

Durante el reinado de su marido, Aenar Targaryen, el hijo mayor de Aegon “el menor” (medio hermano menor de Jacaerys) se rebelo contra el rey declarándose como único rey después de la muerte de su padre en el año 160 d. C., esta rebelión se conoce como “la guerra de sucesión valyria”. Esta guerra hizo peligrar mucho a la familia real sufriendo un intento de asesinato que fue detenido por Joffrey Velaryon protegiendo a su familia hasta el final. Esta rebelión acabo en el 162 d. C., cuando Jacaerys convenció a Aenar de casarse con su nieta, Rhaenyra quien era la única heredera de Aerion cuando este subiera al trono, de ese modo Aenar y Rhaenyra reinarían en juntos los SIete Reinos. Este trato fue apoyado por los Velaryon, los Stark y por la hermana menor de Aenar, Jelaena por lo que el principe acepto casarse con la pequeña princesa.

Los años siguientes fueron tranquilos y pacíficos para los reyes gozando de cierta popularidad por ser unos conciliadores, además de sus obras de caridad a los conventos, orfanatos y escuelas de la Capital. 

Sara no se separo de Jacaerys siendo su fiel y amada compañera, incluso estuvo con el cuando este enfermo de viruela en el año 179 d. C.. La reina cuido por cuatro días a su marido, pero durante esos días ella también se contagio y tuvo que estar en cama alejada de Jacaerys. Ese mismo año Jacaerys falleció a los 64 años de edad, cuando Sara se entero de su muerte lloro por un largo tiempo y su estado no hizo mas que empeorar falleciendo dos días después que el rey. Ambos fueron incinerados y sus cenizas fueron enterradas juntas.

[dwtsfun]

Dancing with the Stars Season 3 Rewatch: Week 4

Monique and Louis- Waltz (Judges' Score=24, My Score=9)- I actually cannot find the whole video that has the best quality, so I'm working with very little here. I'm actually not sure why they only got a 24 for this dance. From what I could see, everything was executed incredibly well. I guess maybe her frame could use more work and there seemed to be a small problem halfway through (it may have been a stumble). But otherwise, straight 8s was too low. Just another clear example of the women (especially Monique) getting judged on a harsher scale during this season.

Emmitt and Cheryl- Paso Doble (Judges' Score=24, My Score=8)- This was much better. Emmitt looked more confident this week. His shaping was really nice. I loved his posture. I did think his footwork got a little tangled up toward the end and his hands need work. They were an eyesore. But, I was happy with what they churned out.

Willa and Maks- Waltz (Judges' Score=28, My Score=10)- Finally! Willa finally delivered in a way that I knew she was capable of. This dance was gorgeous. Her frame was stunning. I loved the rise an fall. Her technique was really on point. It was polished. She was super elegant. I just loved it.

Sara and Tony- Paso Doble (Judges' Score=20, My Score=7)- Okay, so technically this dance was not bad. In fact, the technique was very very sound. But, the performance was lacking. She did not have the attitude or the attack that is necessary for a good to great paso. It was very pedestrian and considering how her dance was last week, that was very disappointing. And I have to blame Tony for this as well. His choreo is just so soft and a lot of times, comes off as pedestrian and weak. This is especially true when his partners aren't ringers (even if they are capable of doing way more).

Jerry and Kym- Waltz (Judges' Score=22, My Score=7)- I have to say that this was Jerry's best dance so far. Easily. You could tell how much this dance meant to him. You could see all the attention to detail. And of course, you could see all the emotions. 22 may have been too high. But considering the context of it all, I don't have any gripes with it.

Vivica and Nick- Paso Doble (Judges' Score=24, My Score=8)- I kind of went back and forth between an 8 and 9 for this dance. I ended up giving it an 8 because even though the performance was great, I think I felt the shaping and the technique got a little sloppy here and there. She needed just a bit more refinement for this dance to have been taken to the next level. I hate that this was her last dance though. She had so much more to give.

Joey and Edyta- Waltz (Judges' Score=27, My Score=8)- Joey has been scored extremely leniently during this competition. I don't think this was 27 worthy. I think 24/25 would be best. It wasn't very smooth. The rise and fall was lacking. And I think his arms went past the plane that they were suppose to be in.

Mario and Karina- Paso Doble (Judges' Score=29, My Score=9)- This was a great dance. Mario was super clean and sharp. He was in character. I saw the attack. But I actually completely agreed with Len here. It was a bit wild and he lacked posture.

My Rankings and Scores Out of 30:

1 Willa and Maks- 29 2 Mario and Karina- 27 3 Monique and Louis- 25 4 Emmitt and Cheryl- 24 =Vivica and Nick- 24 =Joey and Edyta- 24 7 Jerry and Kym- 21 8 Sara and Tony- 20

Unfortunately the bottom 2 this week was Monique and Vivica. I hate that either one had to go so soon. If I had to pick one person to leave, it would've been Sara. But Vivica left. And I hate that because she was improving so much and really embraced the competition. Again, we see the judges kind of overscore the men while underscoring the women. That theme is definitely going to go on for the entire season and we will probably see it the next few seasons tbh. Let me know you all's thoughts on this if you have any and I will talk to you all next week for sure.

[faolonfiendrender]

Paso Doble is one of the funniest dances in dancesport, it was invented in france and somehow gifted to spain, your hips go forward and your shoulders go back, leaving you standing like dr. eggman, alot of steps start with a fake stomp, there is one song that is used vastly more often than the others, the promenade involves your palm facing out while in frame, it switched places with international tango, and despite it literally being about bullfighting, the lead is not supposed to have a cape.

[syntaxeme]

Don’t talk to me about shadows right now okay because. I’m still working on figuring it out. Also the teeniet bit of cel shading you’ve ever seen in your life. I think the reason I didn’t like it last time was because I was doing it wrong...not sure if I was any more successful this time. Maybe a little. 

Anyway, here’s part one of my intended Tainted Waters series~. In which Lapis and Arsenic breach the subject that neither of them is really good with. But not all the way. Story stuff under the cut. 

pose reference 

background

            They sat in the barn’s loft near the windows, Lapis with her legs curled up to her chest, Arsenic leaning back on her hands. They both gazed silently out at the yard below, where the Crystal Gems (as Lapis still wasn’t comfortable calling herself one and, historically, Arsenic had once been just the opposite) were trying to devise a scientific solution to Peridot’s distinct combative deficiency. Lapis felt a bit guilty for not helping them brainstorm, but she didn’t expect she would be of much use, all things considered. Her eyes lingered on Garnet for a few seconds, watching her gesture to the others and display the gems in both her palms. As much as she tried not to, she was thinking about it again. And Arsenic noticed.

            “Hey,” she said, moving closer across the wood-planked floor to sit next to Lapis. When Arsenic’s hand met hers, she blinked out of her distraction and looked up. “There you are. What’s up?”

            “Um. Nothing,” Lapis said, working her fingers through her girlfriend’s to hold her hand.

            “Liar,” Arsenic laughed.  “Come on.”

            Lapis was quiet for a few seconds longer. “Do you ever think about”—she took a deep breath—“fusing?”

            Arsenic stiffened and pulled her hand back. A clear enough response. “You mean as a concept?” she asked, still trying to treat the matter casually.

            “I mean you and me,” Lapis clarified. Now that she’d started the conversation, she was compelled to see it through.

            She had been trying not to bring it up, no matter how many times she came back to it. Arsenic had never suggested it herself, and she admittedly had complicated feelings of her own about the idea. But now and again, she remembered the time she had seen Ruby and Sapphire together, how in love they were. And that was what had created Garnet, who was so self-assured, so grounded. It made her wonder: what if fusion with someone she cared about could be better? What if something beautiful could come of it with the right person? Someone she trusted. Someone she identified with. Someone she wasn’t afraid she would hurt…. Toxic as she was, Arsenic was the only one who fit all of those criteria.

            In answer to her question, Arsenic easily lied, “No.”

            Lapis frowned, skeptical. “Not ever?”

            “Nah. It’s never turned out well in the past,” she said. This was very true, though it might have been more accurate to say she was bad luck for her partners. Her nature had always made her difficult to even be around, to say nothing of fusing. “So I tend to avoid it. Better for everyone that way.”

            “…you’ve fused with Pyrite,” Lapis pointed out, and Arsenic blanched.

            “I guess,” she muttered. “A time or two. Pyrite is…sort of an exception. It doesn’t usually go that smoothly—and besides, even if we can hold it together for a while, it’s not like it’s easy for her.” Silence for a few moments.

            “You think I can’t handle it,” Lapis concluded eventually.

            “That’s not it.”

            “Don’t lie to me,” she snapped, hands clenching against the floor as she curled in on herself. “I get it. You think it’s too much. You think Malachite…broke me.”

            “That’s not it,” Arsenic repeated more firmly, sitting up to address her properly. “It’s me. You know what I’m like; I wasn’t made to mix. Fusing with me is hard, and it can be…traumatizing—”

            “Pyrite is the most fragile one here. She seems to handle it fine.”

            “It’s not the same for everyone. I don’t have to tell you that.” How else could she prove her point without giving a demonstration of how bad it could get? It wasn’t that she didn’t want the experience. Like she was trying to protect herself or wasn’t interested in seeing Lapis that closely. But she knew herself well enough to know that fusing, for her, was selfish, maybe even cruel. Having seen what could come of it and knowing about Lapis’s last experience with fusion—she couldn’t put her through that.

            She moved closer to push her long fingers through her girlfriend’s hair. “I don’t doubt that you could handle it. You’re the strongest Gem within a thousand parsecs of this planet. But I like how we fit together better like this.” She leaned down, offering a kiss, and after a few seconds of hesitation, Lapis accepted it.

            “Yeah,” she said softly when they parted. “This way’s good, too.” Maybe it was actually better for their relationship if they kept a little distance…but she couldn’t help thinking that didn’t sound right. 

...

A/N: Thank you for joining me for Distressed Gay Rock Theater. Tune in next time when we’ll see Arsenic’s taller but more fragile girlfriend have a somewhat different conversation with the more insistent blue one.

[umbrx]

@mediicusvitae​ continued from this

Every battle had casualties, that was a fact, that was reality. Those who believed they could save everyone were nothing but fools, weak were the ones to die first, while those who fought on the battlefield and survived would obtain what they desired. The weak didn’t choose how they die, it was a privilege of the strong. Mercy, punishment, glory, power, destruction, all of it. Doflamingo was loved by Nergal, he was one of those privileged, the master puppeteer on whose strings the others danced. However, not everyone was.

Lamy wasn’t.

Doflamingo saw the effort she put in, and were it not for Amber Lead, he was sure she would’ve been getting stronger by each passing day. Still, she was young, she was a child, she was limited with how much she could grow at the moment. The proof right in front of him, her wounds a testimony to his thoughts. A small pirate group which focused solely on robbing villages had decided to get in his way, and naturally Doflamingo wouldn’t stand for that. How dare a nobody even speak to him without his permission? 

Blows were exchanged, shots were fired, blood was spilt. Amidst the ruckus that ensued, she ended up hurt. That was an oversight on his part, he should’ve foresaw that would happen. However, while he didn’t like his Family being hurt, it was the only way to actually grow stronger. She was already dancing with death, a paso doble in which both took strong steps forward, sharp and quick. Her chest and head were supposed to be held high. Child or not, she had no choice in the matter. Life wouldn’t let her choose.

However, she didn’t need that kind of lecture in that moment.

Doflamingo grabbed the nearest chair, bringing it closer to the bed. He felt the rise and fall of waves as the ship moved, like a lullaby to set the atmosphere. Hand brushed against her forehead, checking if the fever was dropping. She didn’t seem too hot, only slightly above average. The medicine was working.

❝ Shhh... it’s alright. Focus on resting, Lamy. ❞ Empathy was rare from him, even when family was in question, and while he mastered the art of sounding awfully empathic, he was, in fact, not. Doflamingo found it hard to relate in such moments, yet he still bothered with it because he cared. In his own, twisted way, but he cared for all of them. And he could and would get worried when they got hurt. They were his responsibility, after all.

A tiny smile at expressed gratitude, and fingers stroked her hair the same way his mother’s once did his. He always found the feeling pleasant, and assumed she would as well. Supposedly, most children did. ❝ Mercy is a privilege I own, just as it is forgiveness. The day I deemed you and your brother worthy of my mercy was the day you joined this Family. I wouldn’t leave you. But, it’s unreasonable to expect success without failure, it’s all part of learning. ❞ He referred to all of it, both their joining, and the battle. If Lamy caught it or not didn’t matter, her recovery was more important.

❝ How are you feeling? ❞

[ravenclaw-reblogs]

Wait hold up- BALLROOM DANCING? I have so much respect for you rn, that ish is so hard

'international ballroom and latin' (DanceSport) come as a pair, which is 10 totally different dances (waltz, viennesse waltz, ballroom tango, quickstep, foxtrot, for ballroom; paso doble, jive, cha cha cha, ballroom samba, rumba for latin, if you're interested) and it's amazing cos they're all completely different lmao

I'm very mediocre and I promise I'm not just saying that, but it's literally the only thing in the world that makes me not want to die anymore so I maybe kinda am totally changing my A-level options to do dance and quite possibly dropping out altogether to learn properly because follow your dreams or whatever

this is like a super big deal because I'm not very good, I have no competiton titles or even an exam grade in it (thanks Miss Rona), but I'm so mf passionate that it just might happen aaaaaa

for reference I'm not known as the dance kid, I'm the smart one who's doing STEM and supposed to be applying to top universities next year, so my friends are going to be ✨shook✨ when I'm like okay byeeee 💀💀

[airyairyaucontraire]

I'm trying to figure out who thought of the dance for this couple. They're doing a Star Wars paso doble, which is a great idea right off the bat, but the pro dancer who's doing the choreography has not seen Star Wars. The "star," a former NFL player who's become a TV presenter in Britain and seems like a jolly good sport, is trying to give her a very quick explanation by showing her clips from A New Hope (and spoiling her on who Darth Vader is) but she then says they're supposed to be playing Finn and Rey, who are from a completely different movie in the series which she apparently also has not seen, so who picked this out for them? Also, does a paso doble actually make sense for Finn and Rey's relationship and personalities?

I mean I'll freely admit I'm just disappointed I'm not going to see an Obi-Wan Kenobi versus Darth Maul paso doble because that would be great.