#its mostly just lone piano

[tearwolfe]

my torpe is the best torpe he is sooo cute.

tsukasa is a ghost that's been haunting a theater venue for 20-30 years, since he died from a falling piano. due to the haunting, the theater has been left mostly empty. people occasionally will buy the venue for cheap, but quickly sell it due to the fear tsukasa accidentally causes by well.. being a ghost. he's incredibly lonely.

rui's parents die in a sudden freak accident and he is given a Lot of money. he uses this to buy the old theater to use it for his shows. before this, he'd been a traveling director, mostly unknown. but now.. rui has the funds to be able to do more.

because of previous experiences with owners, tsukasa is very shy at first.. he doesn't do much to let rui know he's there. he mostly just watches him. rui is aware of the haunting rumors, but he mostly disregards it because he got the building for a decent price. he only discovers tsukasa when he hears the piano playing ... seemingly on its own.

[bouncybongfairy]

Caught Dead

The Creature x Fem Reader

Summary: Your homecoming date leaves you for another girl. On your sad and drunk walk home, you come across a memorial service for a Victorian man. Honoring his music, you wander in and play a score he wrote. The creature is so moved by your playing, he comes back from the dead and witnesses your talent first hand.

Word Count: 1.0k+

TW: Tooth Rotting Fluff

Not Proof Read

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

Usually homecoming is a night that everyone raves about. Prom is always so pretentious and stressful. Whereas homecoming was more carefree; at least that’s how it’s depicted in romance novels and fanfiction. The guy you were originally going with ended up ditching you for another girl. Your best friend was with her boyfriend and third wheeling wasn’t something you're interested in. The best course of action was to walk home, stopping at a liquor store on the way. The old woman behind the counter looked you up and down, this didn’t offend you though. Mascara stained tears left streaks of gray lined down your face. Wearing a big pink dress that you used to feel really good in. Now it felt more like a cone of shame, drawing attention to what a hot mess you were. 

“Can I please get a dutch honey and small bottle of Skol,” you ask, setting a twenty dollar bill on the counter. 

“Normally I would laugh and send you away. You’re lucky I only have fifteen minutes until I clock out and how pathetic you look right now,” she said, taking your money and bagging the items. 

Even though it was a little back handed, you were grateful for her kindness. Chasing the vodka down with cigarettes as you walked. Humming tunes to yourself, enjoying the crisp night air. The sound of classical music caught your attention, a funeral home. It was one of the only places that had its doors open still. You sit outside on the steps, gutting your wrap before rolling the blunt. 

“Were you coming in?” a voice came from the doorway. 

“Oh um, yeah just give me a second,” you say.

“Take your time,” the older gentleman gave you a warm smile before heading back inside. 

You tucked the blunt behind your ear, shoving the half empty bottle into your purse before walking in. It wasn’t an open casket funeral but more of a memorial service. There was a piano in the corner of the room, a vase of red roses sitting on top of the beautiful wood. The funeral director explained that a bunch of this young man’s music was recently discovered. A museum recently bought the music and discovered he was never given a proper funeral so they wandered to give him a proper memorial. 

To honor him and the beautiful scores that were never showcased the way they deserved. Apparently the party from the museum didn’t stay for long, the director said they mostly took pictures for their website. After reading more about his story, you felt more connected to him. Apparently his girl left him for another man. Similar to what happened at the dance tonight. Grabbing one of the scores and sitting at the piano. It could be because you were drunk but as the sorrowful melody filled the room tears pricked into your eyes again. Imagining how his feelings of betrayal and grief probably poured through his pen while writing this song. 

Not being able to shake the fact that you just learned first hand how being left can feel. Bitter because deep down your biggest fear for the night came true; lonely from being too embarrassed to admit you were someone's second choice. Tears rolling down your face as you let yourself drown in sorrow. Unbenounced to you, The Creature not only heard his music so beautifully remastered but your cries. So moved by feeling and hearing your broken heart crying from your chest, he begins to stir. Pushing himself out of the ground and making his way towards the music. 

Lighting your blunt inside the room, you were tipsy and didn’t care if there were repercussions. Letting it hang off your lips and you played, trying not to let the smoke in your eyes. Meanwhile the creature was getting hung up on the mechanics of his body. Slowly stumbling towards the illuminated building, stopping dead in his tracks once seeing you. The light above the ceiling was casting down on you. Highlighting your eyelashes and flyaways, he couldn’t take his eyes off you. How expressive your face was while playing the notes, looking up every once to let tears run down your face. Showing how the mascara ran down your neck.  His daze was broken once he saw the worker coming back in the room, pointing his finger and yelling. This enraged him; stomping over there to stop the man from approaching you. Having some trouble with the stairs but after finally made his way in. 

Grabbing the sides of his old man's head and snapping his neck. You gasp, the blunt dropping out of your mouth and onto the floor. Going to pick it up but being taken back but The Creature. He stepped over the body and slowly inched towards you. You pull your knees up to your chest and press your back against the wall. He was now hovering over you, staring at you before leaning down. Getting on one knee and picking up the blunt, standing back up. 

Now closer, his lower stomach pressed against your knees. Putting the dutch between your lips with one hand and brushing the hair out of your eyes with the other. You put your knees down and pulled him onto the bench. Starting to play his score, focusing on keys and not his… appearance. As you played he grunted at a specific measure every time which led you to investigate why, 

“What? This part?” you replayed it a couple times. He pointed out a certain note and then to another, shifting his finger back and forth. In your interpretation, he was prompting you to switch the notes. Him humming in satisfaction at the change. 

“Yeah that does sound a lot smoother,” you point out. 

Remembering the body, you both leave in order to avoid responsibility. Walking home together, playing your music out loud for him to enjoy. Before the dark felt scary and daunting but now you were enjoying the night air. Completely ignorant to reality but never feeling better. 

[fandomkingdom18]

seven curtis brothers au but it's their family dynamics hcs

for @wannabe-goth-babe who commented and i just couldn't resist making another list of hcs

since two bit is all goofy, friendly as a kid growing up to present day, he's always been close with his siblings but ever since their parents passed, he had to slow some of his bad habits to help provide for his brothers as the only other newly legal adult in his family

so while he helps (or at least tries to) darry manage all the stuff he's responsible for, he also spends his time keeping morale up while darry is busy

but steve and soda would usually already be doing something cause they're nerds (probably a whole ahhh championship for arm wrestling)

and johnny would usually be with pony since dally is often out

but when he wasn't he would sometimes be in the middle of losing to johnny in some card game

so pony would just sit somewhere and read or be at the piano, playing around with some melodies and two-bit couldnt tell if pony was lonely or just in the zone

but two still would walk over and look at his sheet music and ask him what he was playing because he would usually recognize it because a lot of the sheet music was put together by their mother who would always play it to them

and while everyone else is minding their own business, two would sit down at the piano next to pony

and pony would teach him the things their mother taught him, since two had never wanted to learn, something he he regretted after losing their parents. passing up on chances to spend time together

and two didn't wanna make that mistake again

he learned how to identify the keys and play a few chords

and two played the lower harmonies with those chords while pony played the higher melody

(guys im picturing the scene from the princess switch if you know what i mean except platonic)

(therefore lets pretend its christmas time or smth for a moment and they're playing carol of the bells :D)

and their brothers would hear and turn around and look on in amazement because respectfully, its hard to get two-bit to sit down for extended periods of time. especially at the piano.

and after they finished the song, two would ruffle at pony's hair, pull him close into a side hug and thank him for being so patient with him

and pony feels all happy since no one really had time for something like that because no one else likes music as much except darry and he always has something to do

but two-bit was always good at making him feel seen

like two bit has common sense but he's still techncially a teen so sometimes he and pony would sneak out and do silly dumb things and go to the playground and joke around before sneaking back home as if nothing happened

mostly cause two knows that pony hasn't had as many opportunities to be a real teen since he was freshly a teenager when their parents passed so two just wants to make it feel real for him

and while two is technically still enrolled in school, he doesn't have to go. so when ponyboy or someone else is sick or smth he stays home to take care of them and cheer them up so darry doesn't have to miss work

and like brother, like brother, two and pony are both insanely stubborn when they're sick and stubborn in trying to help each other so it's chaos but they make it work in the end

unlike steve and pony when they were home alone together after catching the same cold

if they weren't so fatigued and sick they would've really went at each others throats

instead it's steve laying on the couch and pony across darry's arm chair trying to figure out how the other is responsible for the cold going through their family

(they've always had a rocky relationship)

if you were to ask steve why he "hates" ponyboy

he would say it's because the kid is a brat who has it better than the rest of them since he doesn't need to get a job and get in the stuff that mostly dally gets into

but if you were to ask him on a deeper level

he would say he's jealous. because for a while he and soda were closer than pages in a book and of course after johnny was born, they were all fussing over him, but with pony it was even more since he was the littlest of the littles

and pony always had to be included and as time went on, steve not only lost attention from his brothers, but also his parents

(and steve isn't the only one who feels like this)

(cough cough two bit cough cough dally)

dally practically got over it when he got older and two bit just ignored it for so long that he just doesn't think about it.

(it was real hard for two because he and darry had been so close but he knows that everyone else is more important)

if you were to ask ponyboy why he thinks steve hates him

he would say its because steves a dumbass who focuses all his willpower into making his life too difficult.

but if you were to ask him on a deeper level

he would say it's because he thinks hes annoying and holding everyone down

that he's too sentimental and stupid for wanting something beyond a greaser in tulsa

pony genuinely thinks that darry, steve, and dally only put up with him since johnny, soda, and two-bit do

they're working on it

or at least they're going to

youngest bro of seven on the east side of tulsa vibes

like they do NOT let him do anything out of the ordinary or potentially risky

enter ponyboy's rebellious era

(this will be dived deeper into in the fic)

darry is the same except for being more cautious and protective over his brothers

soda's the same mostly with extra love warming his heart and everyone else around him

johnny still is more of a listener than a talker but he's more confident and like soda and darry when it comes to being a curtis bro

dally still has that tough exterior from his time participating in rough gangs but it's the mildest it's been in tulsa

(the curtises have lived in other places, i'll write ab more of this in a post soon)

keith daniel curtis is still a doofus

pony is mostly the same with the trials and tribulations with darry but multiplied by 6

steve is pretty chill. no daddy issues. except for the fact he's dead. just ponyboy issues. everyone else is alright tho.

back when it was only darry, two, and dally, two was playing major middle child because hes always been an outgoing kid, but dally used to be really shy so darry would always cheer him up and two would just sit there like o_o

so basically darry would always make sure dally was alright

but growing up, it became the opposite

dally usually checks in on him and stuff to make sure stuff is going well, offers to take stuff off of him like taking up more shifts at bucks so darry doesnt have to do an overwhelming amount of work

even tho darry was older by a few years, he was always more optimistic and dally hated that their parents just had to die and all of the pieces had to be picked up by darry. he was too young to have all of that on him.

so dally takes matters into his own hands sometimes just so darry gets some rest.

just to return the favor of darry always taking care of them.

[d-criss-news]

Darren Criss Says Maybe Happy Ending Is a ‘Phantom-Level’ Spectacle

If you'd asked Darren Criss years ago what his dream stage role was, “Hedwig was it,” says the Golden Globe winner. Well, Criss did perform the title role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch on Broadway in 2015. So in the decade since, what is his new dream? Answers Criss: “If I'm being really honest, it's being able to originate something that hasn't been done on Broadway yet.” So, you can say his newest Broadway project, the new musical Maybe Happy Ending, is another check off the bucket list.

When speaking to Criss about this show in July, he hadn’t yet started rehearsals. But he spoke about the musical with a palpable excitement—after all, it is the first original musical he’s done since his days with the musical theatre company he co-founded, Team Starkid. In recent years, the Emmy winner (who rose to mainstream fame after starring in Glee and The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story) has done mostly revivals on the stage, such as Little Shop of Horrors and American Buffalo.

----------

But to Criss, the particular pleasure of doing something like Maybe Happy Ending is the opportunity to utterly surprise the audience. “​​Being part of something this original is always a bit of an exponential curve,” admits Criss. “It's always a tough climb at the beginning, because people might not have an instant familiarity with it. But I think that it pays its dividends real soon, once they see what they're in for.”

For Shen, though Maybe Happy Ending follows robots, it touches on deeply human questions—both Helperbots are nearing the end of their lifespan and so they must decide if they want to take that emotional leap to make a connection, even if it means they might lose each other. “It feels like there's a ticking clock at the end of it,” she says. “And so, they're a little bit forced to live life to the fullest while they have this opportunity to do so.”

It’s not just the show that’s new. This is Shen’s Broadway debut. While Criss has over 15 years worth of experience under his belt, Shen is a relative newcomer. She was born and raised in New Jersey; her parents immigrated from Shanghai to America. They both play the violin, passing down their musical aptitude to their daughter, who grew up playing piano. She graduated from the University of Michigan (Criss’ alma mater) in 2022. Though she is still green, Shen’s credits are impressive: This year alone, she starred in the Off-Broadway musicals The Lonely Few and Teeth—both of which were favorably received. “I suppose, in a way, it feels like arriving,” Shen says with hesitancy, as if she doesn’t want to spoil this lucky year. “I think it's a cautious arrival. It's so wonderful and such a blessing and gift to be working with this particular team.”

Criss met Shen during her final callback for the show, which was a chemistry read with Criss where they sang a song together (though years earlier, Shen had attended a master class Criss held at the University of Michigan). More recently, the two have quickly bonded over being trained musicians who eventually became actors (Criss plays guitar, violin, and a bevy of other instruments). 

When it’s pointed out that he’s now effectively a Broadway veteran, Criss exclaims (to the giggling Shen), “I cannot fucking believe it. That sounds so twisted, like so Twilight Zone. To me, I've always been the youngest, like, I was always the kid.” But then, he brings it back to his co-star, which he does multiple times during the interview saying, “She'll kick so much fucking ass. That's one of my favorite parts about being in this, I get to forever now be part of the inevitable rise of a young star.”

It’s not just talk. Criss recently had Shen perform multiple songs at his music festival Elsie Fest. When asked what they’re excited for in Maybe Happy Ending, Shen’s answer was getting to sing the score. “The uniqueness of the sonic world—the music is so ethereal, and it's so gorgeous,” she enthuses. “The music feels so beautifully understated, but also, it's orchestral and sweeping. And not to mention, the people who are already attached to the project are people that I look up to in my own career so much.”

There is the assumption that because the show has a chamber musical sound, and it has four cast members, that it’s a small show. Think again, teases Criss: “It's four people, and the story is a ‘smaller’ story, but it has really, really big ideas.” So much so that in July, Maybe Happy Ending announced it would be delaying the start of previews by a month, citing supply chain issues that prevented crucial components of the set from getting to the theatre in time.

Though, Criss admits, “it sounds like we're covering up some nefarious reason.”

Laughs Shen: “We had to clear our beef.”

“Yeah, our beef,” smiles Criss. “Supply chain delay sounds like, kind of made up, but it's literally that.” Though he can’t say much more about what this intricate set design entails, other than it will utilize “cutting edge technology” to match its robot protagonists. As he excitedly puts it: “We're talking [Phantom of the Opera] level of production. This is a spectacle…I can categorically say that this will be something that you have never seen the likes of before on a Broadway stage.”

[himluv]

DA:tV Main Theme Analysis

First, I just want to say that I have no formal training in music theory. I’m just a literature nerd who played various instruments all through school and loves soundtracks and interpreting the various motifs and themes I find in them. With that said, here are my thoughts after listening to Veilguard’s Main Theme for two hours.

****MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD****

 We start off with a few faint, frenetic bars. This is the threat, but we don’t have a good sense of it yet. We know there’s trouble, but we have no real idea of the size and scope of it. Then we get the main melody. It’s subdued, a little reserved, and mostly a single instrument. We quickly get a second instrument, and I think of this as “Rook/The Veilguard”. This is the main motif for the protagonists, which, at the beginning of the game, don’t have a whole lot to work with. It’s like, a guy. 

Then comes this counter melody. It almost competes for the ear, drawing my attention away from the main motif. It has an interesting tone, almost deceptive? It travels around in unexpected ways, and keeps me guessing. It sounds a little devious, but also offers a sense of rhythm to the “Rook” motif, tangling up with it only to return to its own melody. This one sounds like Solas to me – Solas as the Veilguard thinks of him. Someone who maybe isn’t to be trusted. Whose motives aren’t clear. 

As these two themes continue they start to blend more, each relying on the other to build into something more, until it sounds like they’ve truly come together. Neither competes for the listener’s attention any more as they crescendo as one. And then we’re dropped into this soft moment. All prior themes fall away into an almost still segment. It sort of shimmers with a note of awe, and my foolish Solavellan heart hopes that this is the moment of reunion. (It could just as easily be Rook's romance/friendships, but let me have this, okay?!)

But if so, it doesn’t last long, because just behind it is a delicate little layer of something high-pitched. Fear? Yes. It sharpens, solidifies into a shrill note of terror, shattering the calm to make way for our villains. Those frenetic bars from the very beginning are back, but they are no longer faint. They are full-throated, backed with powerful percussion and surely this segment must represent Ghilan’nain and Elgar’nan. 

This “Evanuris” theme goes on for a raucous moment, sweeping us up in fright (it made me feel like I was back in the Nightmare realm of the Fade in Inquisition, actually) before our main theme returns. And this time “Rook/the Veilguard” isn’t meek. It definitely isn't reserved. This is a strong, brassy rendition, with a full orchestra behind it. This is our protagonist at the height of their strength, with all of their allies with them. Well, all except one…

We do not hear that devious counter-motif again. The last time we hear it is just before the soft moment near the middle. If this is Solas’s theme, then either he drops his own theme, his own schemes, to add his voice to Rook’s, or… he is no longer around by the moment of Rook’s return/victory. 

Finally, after the triumphant crescendo of Rook’s theme, we get an echo of the Evanuris theme, but this time in a cascading solo piano. A hint that all is not won? That some shred of a threat yet remains? A lone Evanuris, turning the theme almost beautiful instead of outright frightful. And just who could that be, I wonder? *cough* Mythal *cough*

And that’s it for my wild conjecture. I’ve spent a lot of time with the Inquisition soundtrack, and have analyzed both the Lost Elf theme and the Dark Solas theme in the past (no links because I don’t remember how to find them lolsob). I’m looking forward to being totally normal about Veilguard’s soundtrack this holiday season :). 

[dappersautismcreature]

maybe Soulfire Daycare

hhsshvchsb

yessss

Bad and Tubbo come to eachother at the same time, with the same idea, they want to start a school, a daycare together. Some place where the eggs can learn, but also where they can be comfortable, safe, and be taken care of.

Bad covers History, Writing(basically like, grammar and essays n stuff, its called English in the US but like,,, yeah) and Dapper co-teaches Science,, which is just Dapper talking about animals and ecosystems n stuff.

Tubbo covers Music time(sometimes a dance party, but also sometimes they break out the flutes and Tubbo plays the piano), PE (he's the coach lmao), and Create Class, in which he teaches the basics, with Sunny as his apprentice.

The eggs every week have an hour where they get to teach their own 'classes' and they get to help the others learn something! its optional, but Sunny and Dapper fill their slots every time they can. Pomme teaches self defense. Ramon teaches advanced Create, and Explosive Chem. Chayanne has a Culinary class and all the eggs make a snack like muffins or sun oven pizza(collab with science). Tallulah teaches music. Sunny teaches Econ LMAO. Pepito talks about Spiderman mostly. Richas varies, but he'll usually teach Pranks, which the teachers are oddly fine with, but he also teaches Languages in which he helps the eggs learn new words. Em teaches baking. Leo teaches Marine Biology and Building.

Fieldtrips, to the library, the dragon (Bad likes to cover foolish in rabid eggs and then conveniently disappear), the olders get to go to dungeons. Nap time, even for the olders is also important, mandatory. Bad sings a lullaby to the eggs that have trouble falling asleep while Tubbo attempts to whisper a story but just riles them up more. Movie days, swimming days, anything the eggs want, they can do.

They serve breakfast and lunch from a little kitchenette, and snacks of course, fresh fruit and toast and crackers. Popsicles on hot days, cocoa and cookies on cold ones.

There's a little nook for kids to hang up their jackets and backpacks and it always has extra ponchos and little booties and rain hats.

Tubbo has a little fanny pack on him at all times that has a bluetooth speaker and a mini first aid kit. Bad is always somehow bringing a kid a blanket, draped over his arm.

The building itself has a small reading corner, quiet and dark. Any egg that gets overwhelmed can rest there, but if they're really overwhelmed they can stay in the office, which is seperated by a door, and has a big couch, several stuffies, and some fidget toys. No chairs or desks, only a big soft rug that kids can lay, sit, stand on, whatever is comfortable.

Any eggs can come there at any time, get dropped off by a parent, or warp when lonely or sad. One of the teachers is usually there, and ready to have fun whenever.

[kristsune]

So if anyone remembers awhile ago I made a little post about @stellarfirmatim music, well I decided I would make one for the new album Paler under Tim's new band name Everywhere Fires... It can be found on bandcamp, and I highly recommend giving it a listen. I am going to put the little review under a read more, or you can read the gdoc.

One of the things that I always enjoy about Tim’s music is how he uses vocals as part of the soundscape, his harmonies in particular to create such depth to his music. 

And I just have to say it was really lovely getting a full album all at once, a set piece to be enjoyed together. I will of course vastly enjoy mixing the new songs into the rest of Tim’s catalog when throwing my playlist on random, but it’s so nice to just have this little set on its own as well. 

Note: I’m not great with terminology, if I’ve gotten things wrong, I apologize. Also there is very little/no talk about lyrics because they generally aren’t my focus while listening to music, vocals mostly being a (beautiful) part of the soundscape. 

Hold On

This is such a strong start to the album. It pulls you in with jagged, erratic tones, which really nicely opposes the soothing vocals. Then there is a beat drop you don’t see coming that really slaps you in the face in the best way possible, with a fast asynchronous drum beat that is reminiscent of Radiohead. The high bells that come in creating a wonderful alternating beat, that along with the low harmonies, really creates a lovely combination. Vibes are impeccable. 

Defib

First single released, and where it is very good on its own, it really fits so perfectly nestled into the second slot on the album. I listened to a lot of Grails earlier this summer (thanks to Tim’s rec during a stream) and this song has some of those vibes with the synths and slow plodding baseline that feels like it could go on forever. I really love the sound that cuts across the song, a nice sharp sound to balance the rounded edges of the rest of the song.

A Killing Kind

Third on the album is an understated song that seems to elude me in finding ways to describe. The transition from Defib was smooth and it pulls you in with some bright synths. I really enjoy the way the vocals overlap during the chorus, feels like it’s bouncing through my head. Then of course there are the lovely strings that come in and bring it to a whole new level.

Thy Will

The fourth track starts off strong with organs that really set the mood for the whole song. It’s brooding and dark, feeling like dark storm clouds overhead. I really enjoy the melody that the vocals follow, interesting and lilting. Truly a great song to walk to, sets a strong confident pace. Ending with the same gorgeous organ works as an excellent transition into the next song.

Working on my Hands

I hesitate to choose a favorite with an album so full of bangers, but I do really enjoy this one an awful lot. This song starts off eerie and unsettling. It calms down, but that sense of foreboding never really leaves, and when the big siren sound comes in, you feel it pull you by your chest and leaves you hanging, almost like a sense of vertigo, with the deep bass rumbling through your bones. All just ends up being very spooky and atmospheric. Another great transition into the next song, one of my favorites I think.

Paler 

The title track of the album has a beautiful drone like quality to it, with horns that pierce through, pulling you through the song. It’s gentle and repetitive and soothing like a rainstorm. I specifically had foggy days on the ocean imagery in my head, but that may have been influenced by the horns and the lovely deep vocals, but either way it creates a lonely, isolated vibe that fits the song very well. It fades gently into the next song perfectly. 

Your Arms, Boys

A real highlight to the album, starting off minimal with just vocals and a lovely little xylophone/piano, feeling like it's just taking place in a small room. Initially thinking it was going to be a simple ballad, I had not expected it to suddenly build in such a grandiose way, filling your ears with a larger than life feeling. It’s a very cinematic song, I can easily picture groups of sailors on a ship, singing this together to keep time as they work, the layers of beautiful harmonies laying the groundwork for that image. 

Evelyn

The final song on the album feels both very different from the rest of the tracks, and also like the perfect ending, wrapping the album up with a beautiful little waltz that instantly makes me want to dance around the room. It has such a lovely melody which the deep vocals work so well for. The strings that slide in really bring it to another level, and what sounds like bubbles popping give it such a whimsical feeling. 

[ddeonghwa-s]

abandoned mall piano

✧ mingyu x reader

✧ summary: after a shift at the movie theater in the nearly-abandoned mall, you decide to play the piano that randomly appeared by the instrument store.

✧ genre: romance, first meetings, meet-cute. awkward mingyu ft his lisp.

✧ wc is approx 2.3

✧ note: warning for a piano bench that creaks a lot. this is mostly just a meet-cute between an awkward and enthusiastic mingyu and a pianist reader. if there's interest i'm def down for a sequel

Waving goodbye at Hansol and hoping he would have a better day than you, you left the movie theater. You tore off your cap and shoved it deep into your tote bag, wishing that your bag was infinite and the cap would disappear inside. Your nametag went next, because honestly why the hell did these random people who you, quite frankly, didn’t know and didn’t want to know, need to know your name?

The mall was nearly empty, as it tended to be. Even Saturday evenings couldn’t really save the mall from the desertion of its once-regular customers. Your mom would shake her head and sigh whenever she showed up at your work, handing you a box of supper. “It’s a shame. This place used to be so popular when I was a kid.”

You always held your tongue at this, wanting to remark on how your mother and the mall predated online shopping. 

Even as a kid, you remembered the mall being busier. You remembered photo shops and bookstores, ice cream stands and a Hot Topic. Now the only places that remained in popularity were the movie theater and the instrument store, with other shops and chains constantly rotating stores in and out. 

You walked past the fountain, which was kept turned off more than it was on. The instrument shop was on the other side of the fountain, and, peculiarly, a piano was in the normally empty space that lay between the shop and fountain. 

Slowing to a stop, you glanced around. The Old Navy, which had appeared suddenly a month ago and you and Jeonghan bet would last two more months at most, had a few mothers milling about in front of it. But no one was around the piano. 

You went to it, as if there was an invisible string tying you to it and tugging you forward. It wasn’t anything spectacular, made largely out of wood and painted a horrible neon green that reminded you of Post-Its. It reminded you of the piano kept in your high school choir room, the one wheeled about for concerts. 

Still, you set your tote on the bench and slid into place. The bench creaked beneath you. You glanced up and down the keys. They were plastic, further testament to the cheapness of the piano, but when you placed your fingers down in position on Middle D, the sweet ting elicited, no matter how cheap, made you grin. 

You shifted again; the bench creaked again. 

Adjusting your fingers, you slowly began a simple melody. You weren’t so much of a master as to promptly begin playing without practice, and the plainness of the song wasn’t anything to marvel at. Still, softly, you sang along with the warm-up. 

“Puff the Magic Dra-gon lived by the sea,” your voice was low, not daring to go any higher and rise above the piano. You knew your limits. “And fro-licked in the au-tumn mist in a land called Honah Lee.”

The piano was cheap, and nothing like the Petite Grand that had lived in your piano teacher’s den (“parlor,” she had corrected you with a stern look. “it’s a parlor.”). But you were satisfied nonetheless, and shifted your hands again. 

You began your next song, more sure than when you had played the child’s song, your fingers going to the E in the third octave. Unable to help yourself, you sang along, head bent and blind to the mall around you. 

“Why do birds suddenly appear everytime you are near?

“Just like me, they long to be close to you.

“Why do stars fall down from the sky every time you walk by?”

Though you were no Karen Carpenter, and you were a lone pianist playing in an abandoned mall, in your ears you were joined by a chorus and trumpet and strings. You were lost to it, swept away by the memories the song brought to you, somehow existing both in the mall during the age of online shopping and overnight deliver, but also existing decades back, 

“What song is that you’re playing?”

Looking back, you must have jumped about a foot in the air. Your hands plopped down on the keys, a painful dang emitting from the piano. The smile that must have appeared on your face at some point during your little song, quickly disappeared as you looked up at the man standing next to you and the piano. 

The grin on his face quickly dropped at your visible fright, his eyes widening and mouth gaping. He then sputtered for a moment before reaching his hands out in a placating gesture, as if he was trying to calm you. “Shit -- I’m so sorry, I wasn’t trying to scare you! I just work at the instrument store and no one except for kids has played on the piano all day so I was curious when someone played an actual song and I just wanted to see who you were and then I wanted to know what song you were playing, and you looked so cute I couldn’t help but come up to you and ask and I’m so sorry for scaring you.”

He spoke a mile a minute, spewing out words as if he were to slow down, someone would interrupt and he’d never get the chance to talk again. You wondered if he took a breath at all during his little speech, but then your mind lingered on one phrase in particular. 

You looked so cute. 

You wondered if you looked as flustered as you felt. 

“Sorry,” he said again. He had a sheepish look on his face, and wow. You wondered how he managed to look like a kicked puppy when he was so obviously over six foot and broad-shouldered, and his uniform polo stretched across his chest and hid nothing. His dark hair was long, bangs brushing against his cheeks and making him look like a heart-throb from the 90s. He was a daydream, with his tan skin and biceps. He looked like a CEO, not a mere employee for an instrument store in an abandoned mall. 

Then his sheepish look was melting into a shy smile, his canines long and looking more like fangs. 

You licked your lips, diverting your eyes from the man. You cleared your throat, bringing your hands away from the keys and setting them on your lap. “It’s uh. It’s okay. You didn’t mean to.”

“I didn’t!” He agreed, eyes wide and earnest. 

If he was a dog, he’d be a golden retriever, you thought. 

There was a pause. 

“They long to be close to you.”

His brows furrowed, the sweet look on his face being overtaken by confusion. He cocked his head a little to the side, bangs falling to obscure his eyes. “What?”

You licked your lips again. Why were they so dry all of a sudden? “The song. It’s called ‘(They Long To Be) Close To You’, with little parentheses around the first part. Like. Parenthesis, then ‘they long to be’, parenthesis, then the rest. It’s by this old duo called the Carpenters. They were popular until the 80s.”

Neither of you spoke for a moment. Then, looking at your hands, you said, “I first heard it on the Muppets. The original show. Not the new movies.”

Another moment of silence, and then the man was talking. “Oh! That’s cool. I love old songs. My friend, Jihoon -- he works at the instrument store too -- he loves all kinds of music. I’m sure he’s heard of your song before, too!”

“What’s your favorite?”

He blinked, looking taken back. “What?”

“What’s your favorite old song?” You asked, clenching your fingers in your lap. This was the part you hated about meeting new people: the initial conversation. The only reason you got along so well with Hansol was because he was just as socially awkward, and you got along with Jeonghan because he watched you trip and drop an extra-large bucket of popcorn and decided you were pitiful enough for him to “adopt”. 

Despite how suave the man looked, he wasn’t unable to hide the panic your question sent him into. You felt as if you were watching him mentally go through all the filing cabinets of songs in his head, trying to find one suitable enough. “Uh. ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’?”

Your brow furrowed for a moment, before realization hit you. Then you felt your eyes widen and mouth open, and laughter erupted from you. You threw your head back from the force of your laughter, it loud and echoing around the open space. 

The man was beaming, clearly happy that he managed to pass your question. “Yeah, you know. The lyrics really get me. Especially the part where he talks about communism.”

You were giggling again, thoroughly charmed. Setting your hands on the piano, you shot him a smile. “Oh, you’re talking about this?”

Like a horse at the races, you were off. The staccato beats sent your fingers dancing, and you felt wild. You felt as if there was something in your heart, as if there really was a horse running a race inside there, making your neutrons and electrons come alive as you played for this man who worked at the instrument store. 

He was clearly having just as much fun. When you glanced at him he was smiling so wide, you swore you could see all of his teeth. Then he began singing, bopping his head along and wiggling his long limbs to the beat. 

You picked up the pace and so did he, and the two of you worked in perfect tandem to create an absolute mess out of the song. Your fingers were stiff and beginning to ache, having not played this much and this frantically in a long while. But there was something between you and the man, and you couldn’t help but think back to all the romances that called attraction ‘electricity’ and think they were right. 

Then your forefinger slipped, and you played a wrong note. You let out a groan, pushing your lips out in a pout as you gave up. 

The man followed your lead. His smile was like a mad man’s, but when he reached up and smoothed his hair out of his face you were once again struck with how handsome he was. 

“You never told me your name,” you said, turning towards him. The bench creaked, but you didn’t pay it any attention. “You came out of nowhere and scared the hell out of me and then came and invited yourself to my jam session. You owe me a name.”

“I didn’t come from nowhere,” he said, but his face was still lit with amusement. “I came from the instrument shop.”

“Oh, my bad,” you apologized. 

He neared, extending his hand. It was large, you noticed, and just as golden as the rest of him. “I’m Mingyu.” You introduced yourself, placing your hand in his. “I work at the movie theater.”

“The movie theater? With your talent?” The man shook his head. He slid onto the bench next to you, and you moved over. It creaked under your combined weight. He smelled good. His thighs pressed against yours due to how small the bench was, and they were just as warm as his hand. 

You wondered if he would let you hold his hand again. 

“You should be working as a professional piano-ist,” Mingyu said, voice confident. He placed his fingers on the keys, playing no tune in particular. 

“Pianist,” you corrected gently. Your hands joined his on the keys, your right thumb resting on the C in the fifth octave. You looked at his hands, and Mingyu took the cue to put his right hand on the C on his end. Then you were playing, slow enough so he could copy you. 

“Hey,” he said, brow furrowing as he glanced from watching your right hand to his own, ensuring he was playing the right notes. “Isn’t this from that movie? The Sound of Music?”

It was then you noticed the lisp. Enthralled and already hooked, you smiled at him. His jawline was sharp, and you knew that if he lived during the time of the Ancient Greeks he surely would have been a model for the sculptors. Feeling rather impish, you decided to tease. “What movie was it?”

“Oh, you know, the one with Julie Andrews.”

He still wasn’t watching you and couldn’t see the mischievous look on your face. “Julie Andrews was in a lot of movies.” “It was the Sound of Music --”

Mingyu glanced at you, and upon seeing your face he let out a groan. He pouted, and you wondered how a grown man could pull off such a face and still look cute. “Are you making fun of my lisp?”

You laughed. “It’s cute, don’t worry.”

His pout melted for a moment, his dark eyes twinkling. Then Mingyu pouted again, crossing his arms over his chest. “Oh, it’s cute is it?”

“It is.”

He hummed, the playful look in his eyes persisting. “Cute enough for me to ask you out on a date and succeed?”

Your eyes widened for a second, caught off-guard. You were still in your black uniform from work and you were sure you had acne on your forehead from working with the popcorn and wearing a cap. You probably smelled like popcorn. 

“Please?” Mingyu asked, somehow looking unashamed of how his voice took on a whining tone. “You’re so cute and you looked so pretty playing the piano, and I want to hear more about your favorite old songs and I want to make you laugh again.”

You glanced down at your hands. You clenched your fingers for a moment, licking your lips. 

Mingyu’s eyes were still on you when you chanced a look at him. You settled your hands on the keys. “Okay. Okay. Tell me the name of this song, and if you can I’ll go out on a date with you.”

And then you played. 

[rukimakino-heirofheart]

ZUN's Music Collection vol. 10: Mugen Noh of Tanabatazaka ~ Taboo Japan Disentanglement.

Getting a new Hifuu CD after so long is extremely exciting, especially when the cover looks like this (Maribel's design getting ever so slightly closer to her completed Yukari appearance) and especially when one of the arranged tracks is fucking AoCF Necrofantasia. The CD was fully uploaded and translated within 24 hours of the Reitaisai release — never change, RenMerry shippers — so I immediately went to check it out.

Track 1: Dawn Breaks on Tanabatazaka (Original)

Not very much to say about this one other than that it's nice and the soft instrumentation lends it an interesting tone.

Track 2: Tinkerbell of Inequality (Original)

Surprisingly heavy percussion and bass here. Unlike the minimalist Fires of Hokkai, though, this track has a complex "mechanical"-sounding drumline that feels more like something you'd hear out of Len'en. I like this a lot.

Track 3: Does the Forbidden Door Lead to This World, or the World Beyond? (HSiFS)

A hard downgrade over the original. I get what ZUN was going for — stage-1-ifying the song makes it more of a tonal fit with the album — but making it less punchy and softening the drums in the mix makes it sound kind of generic.

Track 4: Smoking Dragon (UM)

Mostly the same as the original but with a key change and a more complicated piano harmony. Not much to write home about.

Track 5: Mugen Noh ~ Taboo Marionette (Original)

ZUN rarely writes in 3/4, so this was pretty surprising. I like this a lot; the mood is tranquil but with plenty of drive at the core, and its instrumentation gives it DiPP/PCB-era vibes while still being unmistakably modern Touhou.

Track 6: Crazy Backup Dancers (HSiFS)

Woah. I like this a lot better than the original from HSiFS, the updated arrangement does a great deal here and the new section in the second half makes the track as a whole a hell of a lot less annoying.

Track 7: Yorimashi Between Dreams and Reality ~ Necro-Fantasia (AoCF)

Opening right off the bat with an original intro (is that 12-string guitar(?) patch a new instrument???), the long-awaited AoCF cover sounds fucking awesome in the newer style! Cutting down the mix to just the ZUNpet and one or two other patches for percussion texture is a fun technique and it's cool to see it deployed so well here. My only real complaint is that it feels like it should be longer.

Track 8: The Lonely Road of Hitachi (Original)

3/4 swing melody over an unswung 3/4 beat (with occasional 4-tuplets?), neat. The heavy arpeggio delay on the piano gives the track an "asynchronized" feeling that I like a lot.

Track 9: The Lamentations Known Only by Jizo (WBaWC)

The addition of the choir layer is a good choice imo, and the tone overall is more melancholic which fits its context in this album. Feels a bit space-filler-y but it's still solid.

Track 10: The Concealed Four Seasons (HSiFS)

This sounds pretty much the same as the original. Don't get me wrong, the original was a good song (if atypical for a stage 6 boss), but it's kind of disappointing that the arrange isn't very distinctive.

Track 11: Ghosts Exist Even When It's Not Night (Original)

A slowly-building staff roll-ish track that works nicely to cap off the album. I like it.

Overall thoughts & story

Eight years since the last Hifuu CD, ZUN still has it. The worst it ever gets is "well that was disappointing" and the best it gets is fresh and exciting. The story is an interesting development while leaving plenty of room for future exploration — it explicitly connects the shared features of Okina and Yukari's abilities to Merry's use of time travel in CoSD, for one thing — and the choice to include Okina's narration stands out and has me curious what volume 11 is going to be like.

9/10 definitely worth it.

[sullustangin]

Fluffy February Day 3: Entertain

SWTOR

Rating: T (slightly spicy toward the end)

Pairing: Theron Shan/Eva Corolastor

~~

Effortlessly, his hands rolled right up the piano’s keys.  They stopped at the perfect place and struck, and the song continued on.

Theron Shan, in his cover as a casino piano player, was technically perfect.  Just as he was with dancing, singing, juggling, dealing cards, braiding hair, women’s fashion styling, magic tricks, speaking Huttese and Gamorrean, and whistling. 

Eva Corolastor, in her far less sneaky cover of a pazaak player known to the universe as EC, watched him from her seat at the bar.  She was in between tournament rounds.  The Nikto pitboss watched her, carefully, as did the other security team members with each of their charges; this was an organized drink break, to limit the potential of external comms, signals, or other advantageous contact to the players.  Every casino had its quirks.  Katalla had been different.  The casinos that dotted Nar Shaddaa varied, depending on which Hutt was the proprietor. 

What mattered was a good, entertaining game for both spectators and participants. (And Eva and Theron doing an intel collection and drop to save the galaxy.)  Eva was drinking for free, and she got to see Theron and one of his innumerable secret talents. 

“Secret,” mostly because SIS taught him and paid for it. 

Eva took a sip of her drink and let the ice rattle as she set it down.  “Secret,” because Theron didn’t value the talent enough to take pride in it.  To him, it was a tool, like a slice kit.  He never would get up on the Odessen stage and play the piano she’d hauled in one week, after winning it in a pazaak game on Ord Mantell (that, and three grazers who now lived happily on the Odessen back forty).   It got the job done.  Eva wondered if it was the professionalism or the Jedi training that refused to have an ego about it.

It was something other people couldn’t do, and Theron just… hid it away.  Only brought it out on special, necessary occasions.  He never did it for himself.  …maybe his brain classified it as ‘work,’ not ‘rec.’

A chime sounded in the casino.  Back to the tables.

~~

“You plan on staying here for the night?”  The pitboss peered down at her, with no small amount of concern.  Eva had won the first-place purse, and he had security concerns.

“Yeah, always make a habit of it,” Eva reassured him.  “I know the Hutts don’t take kindly to their winners ending up dead.”

“Puts a chill on business,” he confirmed.

Eva lifted her chin in the direction of the piano player, who was still playing as the remaining players filed out.  “How long has he been playing at this tourney?  Haven’t been here in … years,” she admitted.  That was the truth, as complicated as it was.

The Nikto gave Theron a glance.  “Him?  Five, maybe six years?”

Interesting.  Eva had wondered how he’d made arrangements so quickly for this particular drop; normally that took weeks, if not months of prep. 

The Nikto misinterpreted her expression.  “He’s a pro.  None of the lady players have had luck with him.  Granted, they normally approach him during the game, which is suspicious, from our perspective.” 

“But after I’ve already won – that’s a me problem, not a you problem?”

Wordlessly, the Nikto held up his hands and backed away from the situation –whatever that was going to be.

Eva had a pretty good idea.  She sauntered over to the increasingly lonely stage, in black shimmersilk. 

Theron played on, aware, but indifferent to her, even as she sat on the empty edge of the bench, her back to the piano.  “Come here often?” he asked, pretending to care about the answer.

“You do.  Every year for the last six.” 

That made him sit up straight, and Eva saw the vacant, bored expression of the piano player flee away. 

Eva slid down the bench, balancing on the edge so that her back went right up against his.  She knew he wouldn’t answer if she could see him.  “Why?” 

The piano kept playing for a few more lines, right through the bridge to final refrain.   “Might have been hoping … that some lady gambler would show up.  By some miracle.”

“Even with … information otherwise?”

“Especially in despite of that.” 

“And you didn’t think she’d come to you?”

“I thought the game would give us adequate cover, regardless of the circumstances.”

If he hadn’t left SIS, if she had not gotten iced, if she had escaped, if she had been in hiding, if he was loose, if there was no Alliance –

Maybe he was right that he was more likely to find her at a card table than trying to sneak into SIS.  Or the apartment he never willingly spent time in. 

“Besides, music makes things more… intriguing.” 

“Secret,” because he still wanted to surprise her and lure her right here to this bench.

Eva arched her back in way that made the silk rise up to the nape of his neck, just for a split second.  “You know, using your talents for good doesn’t mean you can only use them on the job.  You could… use them to your own benefit.  For your own enjoyment.”

Because Eva knew Theron still didn’t have a favorite song.  He didn’t dance unless asked to –

And then he abruptly shifted to the side, and she almost fell backward onto the keys, only saved by his right arm around her back.  “I’d rather show off the things that are just me, not the guise.”  No more piano player.

Just Theron and the way his eyes burned bright for her.

She grasped at his shoulder, stabilizing herself just long enough to whisper.  “Ok, then, hot shot.  Your place or mine?”

In other news, the intel drop was successful.

~~

@fluffyfebruary

[trigunwritings]

So I have some THOUGHTS about episode 9 now that I finally was able to watch it, so I’m gonna ramble on about them below the readmore

- The brief flashback to Knives and Vash playing the piano together was interesting, not only in that it means both of them are fairly talented on the instrument, but also because it means the song that Knives has been playing in the times we’ve seen him has been only one-half of the full thing perhaps? I’m sure there’s something quite symbolic about it and how it pertains to the brothers being so interconnected, so I wonder how that might show up later 🤔

- Though I would have preferred to get some more depth to Knives via the scenes with Tesla (since that both showcases the stark difference between their viewpoints and establishes a really good reason for Knives to fear/hate humans so much) I did like that we got to see a direct act that shows the audience just how little the common population thinks of plants as anything more than tools

- “We’ve hit the production limit. They put too great a load on the plants, it cut them off from the higher dimension. They can’t maintain their bodies.” <- I have no clue what the hell that’s supposed to mean but, as the person becoming known in this fandom as the feral plant headcanon-er, I am VERY interested to see if they’ll ever elaborate on that since the manga/first anime never did. *shakes the Stampede series* LET ME KNOW THE SECRETS OF THE INTER-DIMENSIONAL ALIENS

- The ‘Last Run’ scene in general was fairly disturbing, but I know that was the point in order to hit home how Knives so far has interacted with humans (the mental pain had to be horrible, given how bad the distress of a single plant had affected Vash)—but who was the man he was with? Was that supposed to be Conrad? Has Knives already started up his cult?

- Even though Knives totally murdered some dudes, he sure did look cool while doing it

- “Outside of human control, plants use up all their energy in one burst and die.” / “So you bought into that nonsense… No matter how comfortable, chains are still chains.” 🫣

- WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING ON WITH VASH’S ARM

- “Is that… a gate?” WILL SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN THAT AT SOME POINT THANK YOU

- I find it interesting how Vash losing his arm was not from the direct influence of Knives—either his Angel Arm doesn’t exist, or its a wildly different kind of power. Either way, Knives having to make a split-second decision to remove his brother’s arm in order to keep that ‘gate’ (looks like a black hole to me tbh) from swallowing up everything is a really neat twist on intention.

- I saw a post recently joking about Knives being utterly obsessed with his brother and I thought it was hyperbole. I SEE THAT IT IN FACT ISNT. Knives you are a lonely fucker I swear to god.

- Last episode I was so confused on the timeline and was worried that they had shortened the time between the flashbacks to the present day—and I’m super happy to be wrong! Putting Luida and Bradley in cryosleep in order to prolonged their lives was a very creative way to keep those characters interacting with Vash.

- Meryl being SO surprised and impressed by flowers really hit home that they straight up DON’T exist on Noman’s Land…. which, jesus, that was a surprise. I assumed at best sickly little potted plants might have existed, but none? Very interesting…

- Roberto being pessimistic is really hitting home that I know he’s going to die soon and will likely be replaced with Milly in the following seasons. I really enjoy the way his character pairs with Meryl’s energy and positive realism 😭

- Ngl Zazie the Beast is lightly growing on me, mostly as a neat antagonist since they represent the native species on Noman’s Land before anyone else arrived. Wonder if their alliance will alter at any point…

- “Outside of human control, plants use up all their energy in one burst and die.” / “So you bought into that nonsense… No matter how comfortable, chains are still chains.” 🫣

- Totally thought Luida was going to die either by Vash (accidentally) or Knives (purposefully).

[fullgrownpalace]

Hi! I just wanted to say I adore the way you draw Ma'am! She's really pretty in your style ^^

Question wise though, do you have any headcanons or anything like that for her or any of the other characters?

I wish I hadn’t accidentally privately responded to a previous question about my headcanons for her, because it was a LONG LIST, but I’ll try and list a few!

This’ll be long so it’s all shoved under the cut, minus some more private HC’s-

Full Grown/Ma’am

• She’s a huge sweets fan, and once Big Deal gets better at cooking and baking, she has a habit of stealing away muffins or cookies, much to the exasperation and chitterings of him.

• I give her battle scars beneath her suit!

• She has some sort of connection to Reggie which royally pisses her off for A WHILE, especially as Endless tries to push for their friendship. In comes my mentor!AU where a greater looming evil forces them to call a truce and they eventually become like family.

• She’s the original leader/Queen of Endless before Bad Things happened and shunted her into the volcanic stasis until Reggie revives her.

• She’s the original creation of Endless. She was made by a very, very lonely little girl who desperately needed a friend and was scared of growing up, who got whisked away to Endless at its most baby state. Full Grown bloomed into life just about the same age as the girl who created her, and she ages alongside her until the girl grows away from Endless and finally stops coming to Endless. Ma’am stops aging from there.

• She likes wrestling, obviously, but she also likes hockey. She likes the fighting lol

• Big Deal’s affections scare her and make her anxious, she’s scared of niceness and affection in *general*, so she acts up, acts out, lashing out and thrashing and acting petulant in her denial to try and create distance. It doesn’t work.

• She can play a few musical instruments! Namely the piano and guitar, but a few others too.

• She can speak a few different languages, mostly because one of my favorite Matt Berry songs has French in it and I said she can.

• Her music tastes are very wide and varying but she favors acid jazz, psychedelic rock, and hypno-pop.

• Ma’am is OLD, lmao. She clearly is themed around astro-retro futurism of the 50s and 60s, between her house, her theme song, her aesthetic, so I like to put the height of her leadership around those eras.

• She /likes/ entertaining guests. Beneath all her bristle and coldness and axe-crazy mania, when she’s not putting out her icy, angry exterior, she *likes* having guests and being able to entertain. We see her even say that she likes having guests when Brown Roger comes around (poor Brown Roger lol)

• She likes roller skating

• She’s got a closet full of unique clothes, but after Bad Things and her stasis in the volcano, she sticks to wearing her Endless suit because her clothes feel too personal and vulnerable for a long time.

• She’s a hopeless romantic at heart, though terribly scorned, so she hides it beneath briars and thorns and chaos. She loves chick flicks and romance novels and she values loyalty and respect.

• Her and modern technology are Not Friends. Her range in technology goes up until the late 80s/early 90s, and I KNOW the show is technically supposed to take place in that era but that completely bypassed me back in 2019 when I started making my AUs, which take place 2015 and above, so modern technology makes her curse and sneer and growl in frustration.

• She just really likes food. Big Deal has to learn fast how to cook and bake properly for her because she gets very cranky when she’s hungry and she eats A Lot.

• She’s like a giant lizard cat. She’s very bendy and flexible, likes climbing trees and crawling around searching for shiny things, and she likes basking under the sun, even if she complains about being around others the whole time (she’ll also grab Big Deal and curl around him because he’s a little furnace, much to his flustered-ness)

• She’s genderfluid and queer. She doesn’t care about earth terms, she’s a shapeshifting alien queen in a different dimension, human customs and opinions don’t really matter when it comes to who *she* is.

• She and Big Deal manage to cross over onto earth at some point and she creates earth human forms for them.

• I technically have a full name for her but thatsss a bit private and will only be revealed if I talk to you for a while hdhfjd

I have a lot more but for the sake of saving time, I just have those for now for her.

Reggie

• CHAOS GIRL- she maintains her chaotic, bright, colorful nature even into adulthood. I really like focusing on her and her friends growing up into young adults because like.. self projection and also because this show is *about* growing up, and it’s SO interesting exploring that facet and seeing how their personalities, ESPECIALLY Reggie’s, grow and flux, yet how they still stay true to themselves.

• She /can/ sing a lil bit but it’s one of the few things she’s very shy about, between bullying and befriending people like Todd and Esther, and eventually Gwen, who are all so musically oriented, so she kinda just.. hides that she can kinda sing by being so overly dramatic about *badly* singing.

• She grows a steady mentorship/apprentice dynamic with Full Grown (though it depends on AU for how old she is when that mentorship starts, for my main one, she’s almost 13, for a few of my others, she’s older teens) who eventually becomes a like a very dear family member to her

• She’s a sporty girl when she hits her teens. She’s got a LOT of energy and frustration to expel and she winds up enrolling in volleyball, hockey, and rollerderby throughout her teen years to help her adrenaline junkie life and it helps with the frustrations of Having To Grow Up.

• She keeps her tooth gap, she never gets it corrected, and she’s got a very crooked and mischievous smile that lasts her whole life.

• She’s COVERED in freckles.

• She’s very shy around Conelly for a WHILE, they don’t even start dating til Reggie’s like 16.

• She’s actually very good with science, it just takes Ma’am’s mentorship to help her realize that ‘hey she actually sometimes likes learning’ and she likes astronomy, astro-physics, physics, and chemistry (she finds interest when she’s being taught magic and finds out there’s a lot of science behind potions and magic)

• She’s forever a foodie, always munching and eating SOMETHING. She’s a frequent food thief and steals snacks from Mack and Beefhouse, from Full Grown and Big Deal, and from her friends.

• She’s the championed Knight of Endless, in all essential aspects. She undergoes weapons training from Full Grown when she hits adulthood due to other threats on Endless.

• She LIKES dressing up, she LIKES dresses sometimes, she just doesn’t like dressing up the way Judy wants her to, and she doesn’t like feeling clumsy and doesn’t like feeling like she’s just playing dress up to be someone she’s not (unless it’s cosplay, she gets her friends into cosplaying with her).

• Most of her wardrobe I draw her in comes directly from my closet or from my style.

• She gets rebellious with her friends when they’re 16/17 and Todd’s older brother takes them to get ear piercings together, so she’s got two lobe piercings and industrial piercings on both ears. When she’s older, she also has a tongue piercing, because she thought it was Cool™️ and she likes to stim with it.

• In my main mentor!AU, she chops all her hair off to her shoulders directly after her 18th birthday in a fit of frustration and rage and panic. Mood.

• She also puts colored streaks in her choppy hair when she’s older, regardless of shortness or longness, she’s got green, pink, and blue streaks randomly smattered through her hair.

• She’s got severe ADHD and is possibly autistic

• She ALSO likes wrestling, so her and Full Grown cheer and snicker and snort over wrestling.

• She maintains her artistry as she grows and is quite successful with her art on the occasion. She’s the designer for Dustin’s podcast’s merch, Space Draculas. His podcast focuses on mythological legends, paranormal encounters, and supernatural beings with Todd’s older brother a few friends. Any pics of Reggie I draw wearing an alien with fangs is for this podcast of his.

• She and Judy mend their bonds over the years, and Judy is definitely the Team Mom for all her friends.

• Reggie’s first car is a Volkswagen Beetle that’s got a yellow body, but the hood, front two doors, and trunk are all different colors. The car is littered with car stickers and it has pins all in the roof from the inside, and she’s got worm on the strings tied to the rear view mirror.

• She ends up being a very good babysitter, it’s her job as a teenager, so she winds up being very good with kids.

• She curbs her dirty, messy habits as she grows older, but sometimessss she still gets down and dirty on Endless, she’s got no problems with getting muddy and dirty, covered in paint, sticky with sweat and sand, and she has to be reminded that showers are REQUIRED /more/ than twice a week.

• Full Grown regularly chews her out because she tries to enter the witch’s home with her sandy boots on. That’s like.. a YEARS long habit.

• She winds up being a rather well skilled magic user

Big Deal

• Learns much of his cooking skills from infomercials after Ma’am falls asleep, alongside with tentatively befriending Mack and Beefhouse and learning from them. They reach out to him first, with much grace and forgiveness, one day when he’s searching for recipe ingredients and they end up being well friends to him, and eventually, Ma’am as well. (She’s much more resilient and hesitant to befriend the others after everything and many of them are just as hesitant of her but Reggie growing under her mentorship helps)

• He whacks Reggie in exasperation when she tries to steal food.

• He was made by Endless to protect his Ma’am and be a tiny little plush dragon to her.

• He purrs when he’s comfortable and happy, and so does Full Grown (though she represses it for a very long time). He also trills and chitters and chirps in feral little noises to her and she’ll make noises back.

• he looks smooth and round but he’s made up of really smooth feathers and he’ll puff up and flair out in high emotions or shock.

• He’s SO little and she’s SO big. My Ma’am is around 7’0” and he’s like.. thigh/butt level to her.

• He’s the first being to see her cry after her revival from the volcano, regardless of my AU and how long it takes for her to finally cry, he’s always the first one to see her cry.

• He’s a very enthusiastic learner and absorbs knowledge like a sponge, and he loves listening to his Ma’am talk so he’s willing to sit and listen and learn until he’s falling asleep.

• He does NOT like horror movies. He does not care for wrestling, or hockey, it all makes him cringe and fret so much, but he LOVES fantasy, adventure, romance, and music, so Full Grown introduces him to musicals and romcoms.

• he LOVES entwining his tail with his Ma’am’s tail, which, for a long time, is a very rare thing, but it grows more constant as time passes.

• he’s got little padded pawed hands! Tiny hands with little heart shaped paw pads!

______________

Okay these are all I can think of tonight but I WILL update this as I think of more, or feel free to message again with individual characters!

[sillyname30]

Darren Criss Says Maybe Happy Ending Is a ‘Phantom-Level’ Spectacle

The Golden Globe winner plays a robot alongside newcomer Helen J Shen in the new sci-fi musical.

If you'd asked Darren Criss years ago what his dream stage role was, “Hedwig was it,” says the Golden Globe winner. Well, Criss did perform the title role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch on Broadway in 2015. So in the decade since, what is his new dream? Answers Criss: “If I'm being really honest, it's being able to originate something that hasn't been done on Broadway yet.” So, you can say his newest Broadway project, the new musical Maybe Happy Ending, is another check off the bucket list.

Maybe Happy Ending, from Will Aronson and Hue Park, takes place in 2060, where humanoid-looking Helperbots assist humans with our daily tasks. Maybe Happy Ending follows two of those Helperbots, played by Criss and Helen J Shen, who have been abandoned after their owners have traded them in for newer models. With no one but each other to occupy their time, the bots form a friendship, and then fall in love. The show was first performed in South Korea in 2016 and has been revived there five times since. It has also been performed in Japan and China.

The English-language, American premiere of the show first ran in 2020 at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, directed by Tony winner Michael Arden. This new Broadway version, also directed by Arden, is an opportunity for a wider American audience to experience a musical that is entirely unique, not based on any preexisting story, with an original score. Maybe Happy Ending begins performances at the Belasco Theatre October 16 with a November 12 opening.

When speaking to Criss about this show in July, he hadn’t yet started rehearsals. But he spoke about the musical with a palpable excitement—after all, it is the first original musical he’s done since his days with the musical theatre company he co-founded, Team Starkid. In recent years, the Emmy winner (who rose to mainstream fame after starring in Glee and The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story) has done mostly revivals on the stage, such as Little Shop of Horrors and American Buffalo.

But to Criss, the particular pleasure of doing something like Maybe Happy Ending is the opportunity to utterly surprise the audience. “​​Being part of something this original is always a bit of an exponential curve,” admits Criss. “It's always a tough climb at the beginning, because people might not have an instant familiarity with it. But I think that it pays its dividends real soon, once they see what they're in for.”

For Shen, though Maybe Happy Ending follows robots, it touches on deeply human questions—both Helperbots are nearing the end of their lifespan and so they must decide if they want to take that emotional leap to make a connection, even if it means they might lose each other. “It feels like there's a ticking clock at the end of it,” she says. “And so, they're a little bit forced to live life to the fullest while they have this opportunity to do so.”

It’s not just the show that’s new. This is Shen’s Broadway debut. While Criss has over 15 years worth of experience under his belt, Shen is a relative newcomer. She was born and raised in New Jersey; her parents immigrated from Shanghai to America. They both play the violin, passing down their musical aptitude to their daughter, who grew up playing piano. She graduated from the University of Michigan (Criss’ alma mater) in 2022. Though she is still green, Shen’s credits are impressive: This year alone, she starred in the Off-Broadway musicals The Lonely Few and Teeth—both of which were favorably received. “I suppose, in a way, it feels like arriving,” Shen says with hesitancy, as if she doesn’t want to spoil this lucky year. “I think it's a cautious arrival. It's so wonderful and such a blessing and gift to be working with this particular team.”

Criss met Shen during her final callback for the show, which was a chemistry read with Criss where they sang a song together (though years earlier, Shen had attended a master class Criss held at the University of Michigan). More recently, the two have quickly bonded over being trained musicians who eventually became actors (Criss plays guitar, violin, and a bevy of other instruments). 

When it’s pointed out that he’s now effectively a Broadway veteran, Criss exclaims (to the giggling Shen), “I cannot fucking believe it. That sounds so twisted, like so Twilight Zone. To me, I've always been the youngest, like, I was always the kid.” But then, he brings it back to his co-star, which he does multiple times during the interview saying, “She'll kick so much fucking ass. That's one of my favorite parts about being in this, I get to forever now be part of the inevitable rise of a young star.”

It’s not just talk. Criss recently had Shen perform multiple songs at his music festival Elsie Fest. When asked what they’re excited for in Maybe Happy Ending, Shen’s answer was getting to sing the score. “The uniqueness of the sonic world—the music is so ethereal, and it's so gorgeous,” she enthuses. “The music feels so beautifully understated, but also, it's orchestral and sweeping. And not to mention, the people who are already attached to the project are people that I look up to in my own career so much.”

There is the assumption that because the show has a chamber musical sound, and it has four cast members, that it’s a small show. Think again, teases Criss: “It's four people, and the story is a ‘smaller’ story, but it has really, really big ideas.” So much so that in July, Maybe Happy Ending announced it would be delaying the start of previews by a month, citing supply chain issues that prevented crucial components of the set from getting to the theatre in time.

Though, Criss admits, “it sounds like we're covering up some nefarious reason.”

Laughs Shen: “We had to clear our beef.”

“Yeah, our beef,” smiles Criss. “Supply chain delay sounds like, kind of made up, but it's literally that.” Though he can’t say much more about what this intricate set design entails, other than it will utilize “cutting edge technology” to match its robot protagonists. As he excitedly puts it: “We're talking [Phantom of the Opera] level of production. This is a spectacle…I can categorically say that this will be something that you have never seen the likes of before on a Broadway stage.”

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

Soulfood 1999 Future Jazz / Downtempo

Fuck, this thing was spectacular, you guys 🤩. Back in '97, the king of atmospheric drum n bass himself, LTJ Bukem, soft-launched a downtempo and future jazz sublabel of his own Good Looking Records called Cookin' Records, marking its debut with a little promotional split-12-inch 45 that was also co-released on another Good Lookin' offshoot called Earth Records.

And then in '99, Cookin''s first *official* release finally came: a 73-minute compilation called Soulfood, which presented a full slate of pleasurably rich and loungey future jazz and downtempo fare, all seemingly recorded in a pristine quality, like that of any other top-flight contemporary jazz label at the time. Trust me, when you hear the playing of piano keys on this album, you'll understand just what I'm talking about—few, if any, electronic comps that I've listened to over the years have managed to capture them as well as they're captured here.

So, pretty much, what you end up getting with this release is a terrifically consistent experience that legitimately feels like you've stepped into a jazz lounge in the late 90s. There's just really not a single blemish on it, and as such, I struggle mightily to pick an absolute favorite.

But one thing worth pointing out here is just who was enlisted to make this album in the first place. See, you'd think that one of the greatest future jazz and lounge comps that I've ever heard in my life would consist of tracks that were primarily done by people whose careers had been dedicated to that exact craft—like Berlin's Jazzanova or somesuch—but the fact of the matter is that the vast majority of these 13 songs were actually made by musicians who are primarily known for their drum n bass exploits instead. And knowing that, it's pretty cool to see them all excelling in this other realm so well too.

But someone who I don't think was really a dnb artist and who's definitely worth highlighting here is a pretty obscure guy who went by the name of Longers. Longers was never able to put out a release of his own, and he tragically passed in 2002, but on this comp, he supplied as its closing, lone trip hop track, a totally serene groove called "The Brain." This one comes with a simple boom-bap backbeat, chilly pads and keys, a softly bonging bassline reminiscent of KRS-One's "MCs Act Like They Don't Know," and a looped-up bit of beautifully melty and tender horn that's bound to get stuck in your head. It's just one of those great, turn-of-the-millennium pieces of blissful summer chillout that was made to be enjoyed while being either in, on, or by the water. Similar palette to Groove Armada's "At the River" too, which happens to be maybe my favorite downtempo track of all time.

So a full album of must-listen, jazzed-up, late 90s electronic relaxation here, if that's your thing. Might not expect this type of stuff to mostly come courtesy of a bunch of dnb specialists like Blu Mar Ten and Blame, but it does here, and it's absolutely fantastic 😌. Never doubt the prowess of LTJ Bukem, because the guy definitely always seems to know what he's doing, drum n bass or otherwise.

Highlights:

Intersperse - "Du Bi True" Blame - "Fifth Sun" Artemis - "Second Sight" Vincent - "Golden Gate" Blame & Odyssey - "Twin Moon" Blu Mar Ten - "Special Thermometer" Odyssey - "Solstice" Flying Fish - "Lucy's Song" K-Scope - "Sonic Street" K-Scope - "Orientations" Architex feat. DJ Ink - "Give Me Some Time" Bjorn - "New Form of Life" Longers - "The Brain"

[superfallingstars]

for the playlist prompts how about songs you think remus would play in his classroom during his time as a dada professor? he feels like the type of teacher who would let soft music play while the students did their work or as he graded papers imo

send me playlist prompts!

Ha this one is fun! I like the idea of Lupin playing music during class - he’s already the “cool” professor, so this seems like a no-brainer! It was hard not to be influenced by the PoA movie, what with its lovely little Boggart montage set to jazz music, but I decided to roll with it and make Professor Lupin’s curiously curated lo-fi beats to relax and study to. My jazz knowledge is pretty limited (compared to my knowledge of, say, shitty 90s alternative rock bands), and I also felt like this playlist should be mostly instrumental, so I initially felt a little constrained with these selections. I ended up choosing a few lyrically topical songs, while the rest are just my personal instrumental jazz faves that I thought were fitting. Overall I’m quite pleased with how this came out – so I hope you enjoy!

Track list:

Sun Ra - I Could Have Danced All Night: I adore this entire album, it’s just so beautiful and wistful. I also find that I’m quite productive while listening to it, so I feel like it would work in a classroom setting…

Chet Baker - But Not For Me - Vocal Version: This is suuuuch a perfect Remus song to me omg. Everyone is in love except for ME and it’ll never happen for me (because I’m fundamentally unlovable because I’m a werewolf!!!)

Shira Small - Lights Gleam Lonely: Jazzy 70s pop. I love this song, I think it's sooo Lupin, and Icouldn’t resist putting it on here (also if you've seen the other playlist asks you know how obsessed I am with this album)

Dorothy Ashby - By The Time I Get to Phoenix: gorgeous 70s jazz harp (yes, harp!)

Ella Fitzgerald - No Moon At All: when I was making this playlist I was searching for jazz songs about the moon, only to find this one about how romantic it is when there is no moon, which is honestly a thousand times better than anything I could have imagined. 10/10 Remus moment

Thelonious Monk & John Coltrane - Ruby, My Dear: Gorgeous relaxing piano/saxophone song. I only know this song because Dave Malloy plays it in Ghost Quartet and if that sentence means anything to you then PLEASE TALK TO ME

Sun Ra - You Never Told Me That You Cared: from that same album as other Sun Ra one (I seriously can’t recommend it enough!). It's so crazy to feel heartbroken from an instrumental song like. This is literally just Notes and now I’m gonna start crying

Stanton Moore - Magnolia Triangle: another of my personal jazz instrumental faves. I’m just so impressed that something in 5/4 can sound this smooth and catchy

John Coltrane - My Favorite Things: this song is one of MY favorite things. The first time I heard it was because one of my teachers played it during a work period, so... rather fitting, right? Also it's SO long sorry about that

Miles Davis Quartet - That Old Devil Moon: there are plenty of vocal versions of this song, but I wasn't really feeling them... Sorry Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis is my best friend now

Thank you for the ask, this one was really fun! I hope you enjoy the playlist!

[mossymultiverse]

It's nice to see you back! Any particularly interesting places you saw during your wandering?

@humming-pokemon-helpers

holy smokes ive been noticed

uhh. well lets see.. there was that one place. with the weird.... rather, with the odd, like, not-quite-real mini-worlds inside. i think that they needed a hug. or two. or none. the lonely prince is to be loved, but not trusted. i hope he finds himself. i hope they get to play the piano.

....anyway ive never been great at navigating cities, but somehow, it was.... manageable. perhaps because everything was more.... idk, there was just.. it fit in my brain better. amd even though it went mostly left to right, it didnt.... like, it still made sense. the directions changed and it didnt fit illogically within its outer mirror.

was that cryptic enough or too cryptic?