#jean: azaleas

[likeafantasy]

[womenofwrestlingfashion]

NXT 12/12/23

Cora wore the Biker Baddie Zip Front Bodysuit (sold out) and Get Real Faux Leather Denim High Rise Straight Leg Jeans in Medium Blue Wash (on sale $27.99) from Fashion Nova. Along with the Vienna - Black Chelsea Boot from Azalea Wang

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

TRANS DAY OF REMEMBRANCE 2024 - November 20

Say their names:

NOVEMBER 2023

Savannah Williams

Bernardo Panteleon

Pepper Mychel Peterson

Mariah Ruby Rachel Williams

F. L. “Bubba” Copeland

Lola Laperla Ebony McDaniels

Shandon Floyd

Tiesha McFarland

Kejuan Richardson

Amiri Jean Reid

Mya Finch

Travis Stimeling

DECEMBER 2023

Demita Jo Armstrong

Onteris Owens-Campbell

Jesse Viviano White

Star Possum

Jermaine Golden

Meghan Riley Lewis

Zoey Flye

Madison Montana

Care Hansen

Amber Minor

Ashlei Jasmine Colgate-Edwards

Fleetwood Mars Mozee

Shelby “Lexus” Riddick-Walker

Kimbella Blackshear

Easley Jeffcoat

Tripp Schultz

JANUARY 2024

Lady Fabian Sanchez

James Moen

Dana Randolph “Desiree A. DeMornay”

Quin Joy

Sasha Williams

Jennell Jaquays

Sarina Mihailoff

Sasha Washington-Cohen “Sasha Fierce”

Guelila “Gigi” Iyob

Videl Lombardo

Savannah Rose Rivers Amore

Kathy “Otter” Ottersten

Robin Valentina

Forrest Douglas Buckley

Giselle Stone

Tristan Michael Bustos “Tristyn St. Clair”

Kitty Monroe

FEBRUARY 2024

Natalia Skye

Teddy Reese Curran

Erick Krouse

Noah Jackson Chase

Ellie Walsh

Nex Benedict

Emma “África” Parrilla García

Blakely Hanson

Righteous TK “Chevy” Hill

Ashton Myles Clatterbuck

Madison Nicole Spann “Madison St. Claire”

Cecilia Gentili

MARCH 2024

Diamond Cherish Brigman

Elliot Ganiel

Fae Morganna Barbone

Aurelia A. Legassey

Alex Franco

Meraxes Medina

Ty Geissinger “Ty Holiday”

APRIL 2024

Andrea Doria Dos Passos “Maggie”

Yella Clark

Allister Matthews

Tiffany Azalea Monceaux

Tara Fable

Randy Dudley

River Neveah Goddard

Tee “Ace” Arnold

George A. Schappell

Starr Brown

Robbi Mecus

Basil Brown

MAY 2024

Tayy Dior Thomas

Kita Bee

Kamryn “Cantrell” Smith

Jazlynn Johnson

Daelicious O’hare Mizani

Darri C. Moore

Niomi Jenkins

Michelle Henry

Saanti Bonét Valentino

JUNE 2024

Pauly Likens

M. Tapia

Lynn Conway

Liara Kaylee Tsai

JULY 2024

Dylan Gurley

Griffin Shaun Sivret

Kenji Zemonta Spurgeon

Ev Smith

Shannon Boswell

Levi Castillo

Lily Autumn Rose

Monique Brooks

AUGUST 2024

Noelle Woolley

Indiana Grayson

Vanity Williams

Tai’Vion Lathan

Jhzara “Femmie” Williams

Baxter Zachary Hawk

SEPTEMBER 2024

Kassim Omar

Liam Johns

Mahdia Lynn

Cass Trystero

Chilli Pepper

Barbie Iceland “Redd China”

OCTOBER 2024

Honee Daniels

Serenity Birdsong

Adela Vázquez

San Coleman

Zeta Muirgen Seraph Haber

Despite our best efforts, the names on our list are only those who had the privilege of recognition, the fortune of discovery, or the extraordinary courage to leave indelible proof of their true selves for us to mourn. So many unknown and uncounted people remain that even years from now we will learn the names of people in our community who died this year without the recognition they deserved.

https://www.transremembrance.org/domestic-list

[kestrelteens]

Finally got around to finishing some male clothes I've been working on! Some of these pieces by @sforzcc (I think I'm pretty close to having converted their entire page lmao) have caught my eye a long time ago and I've wanted them in my game ever since. ♥

Sooo, you get three pairs of pants and two tops, the top on the right is base game because those pants with the shirt around the waist cause clipping with most tops, but I thought they were pretty cool despite that. 🦕

This set consists of:

matinée 2.0: jeans remake (regular jeans, version 4) for AM paired with rock point boots by @sforzcc (2,130 polys, 8 swatches, both morhps);

birdie shirt by @sforzcc for both AM + TM (repo'd to the adult version, 1,830 polys, 8 swatches, both morphs). This is actually a re-texture done on this mesh originally converted by @mdpthatsme and @deedee-sims has added morphs here. The shirt caught my eye and when I saw that the textures matched perfectly I was thrilled!

azalea parka by @sforzcc for AM (2,915 polys, 7 swatches, both morphs); the turtleneck part might cause some clipping, sorry!

azalea corduroys paired with rock point boots (as well) by @sforzcc for AM (2,280 polys, 11 swatches, both morphs);

jule jeans paired with slasher sneakers by @sforzcc for AM (2,510 polys, 8 swatches, both morphs);

Everything's compressed, hope you guys like it, enjoy! ♥

download (sfs) // alt download (mediafire)

[candysims4]

FALLING IN SPRING SET | PART 2

New 14 CAS items for female frame Sims: 3 dresses, 4 tops, 2 pants, and 4 wrists.

Now the full set has 27 items in total. You can find the first part of the set here.

THE DESCRIPTION OF EACH ITEM IS BELOW THE CUT.

ALL ITEMS ARE:

TEEN TO ELDER

BASE GAME COMPATIBLE

MADE FOR FEMALE FRAME

DISALLOWED FOR RANDOM

THUMBNAILS (HOSTED IN IMGUR)

MY SITE (NO AD.FLY): 

AMARANTH DRESS (THREE VERSIONS)

AMARYLLIS DRESS (THREE VERSIONS)

AZALEA DRESS

ORCHID LONG DRESS

CALENDULA TOP

DAHLIA TOP (TWO VERSIONS)

IRIS TOP (TWO VERSIONS)

MIMOSA TOP

CALLA JEANS (TWO VERSIONS)

LINNEA PANTS (TWO VERSIONS)

COSMOS WRIST (R)

HIBISCUS WRIST (L) (TWO VERSIONS)

JASMINE WRIST (L)

ZINNIA WRIST (R) Free release on 5th August 2024 in my site.

PATREON EARLY ACCESS + MERGED OPTIONS

TERMS OF USE | SEND YOUR FEEDBACK | REPORT AN ISSUE

Thanks to all the cc creators that I used in the pic. And thanks to @maxismatchccworld, @simblrcollective, @s4library​, @wewantmods​, and everybody who reblog this post!

If you’re a cc finds and want to be tagged when I post, please, let me know. You can send me an ask or in DM.

With your help, more people can know about my work! 💖 Love you all, XOXO 💖

DESCRIPTION OF EACH ITEMS:

AMARANTH DRESS (THREE VERSIONS)    Same colors and description for all versions.

VERSION 1: 4.292 POLYGONS | VERSION 2: 4.470 POLYGONS | VERSION 3: 4.196 POLYGONS

55 SWATCH COLORS - All plain colors

YOU WILL FIND IN FULL BODY/SHORT DRESS OR/AND LONG DRESS

AMARYLLIS DRESS (THREE VERSIONS)    Same colors and description for all versions.

VERSION 1: 4.248 POLYGONS | VERSION 2: 4.426 POLYGONS | VERSION 3: 4.152 POLYGONS

55 SWATCH COLORS - All plain colors

YOU WILL FIND IN FULL BODY/SHORT DRESS OR/AND LONG DRESS

 AZALEA DRESS 

4.586 POLYGONS

55 SWATCH COLORS - All plain colors

YOU WILL FIND IN FULL BODY/SHORT DRESS

ORCHID LONG DRESS 

4.152 POLYGONS

55 SWATCH COLORS - All plain colors

YOU WILL FIND IN FULL BODY/LONG DRESS

CALENDULA TOP

3.482 POLYGONS

55 SWATCH COLORS - All plain colors

YOU WILL FIND IN TOP/SWEATER

 DAHLIA TOP (TWO VERSIONS)    Same colors and description for both versions.

3.234 POLYGONS

55 SWATCH COLORS - All plain colors

YOU WILL FIND IN TOP/TANK TOP OR/AND BRASSIERE

 IRIS TOP (TWO VERSIONS)    Same colors and description for both versions.

3.232 POLYGONS

55 SWATCH COLORS - All plain colors

YOU WILL FIND IN TOP/TANK TOP

 MIMOSA TOP

3.796 POLYGONS

55 SWATCH COLORS - All plain colors

YOU WILL FIND IN TOP/TANK TOP OR/AND BLOUSE

 CALLA JEANS (TWO VERSIONS)    Same colors and description for both versions.

VERSION 1: 1.178 POLYGONS | VERSION 2: 1.110 POLYGONS

44 SWATCH COLORS - All plain colors

YOU WILL FIND IN BOTTOM/JEANS OR/AND CROPPED

 LINNEA PANTS (TWO VERSIONS)    Same colors and description for both versions.

VERSION 1: 1.102 POLYGONS | VERSION 2: 1.030 POLYGONS

55 SWATCH COLORS - All plain colors

YOU WILL FIND IN BOTTOM/PANTS OR/AND LEGGINGS

 COSMOS WRIST (R)

1.996 POLYGONS

55 SWATCH COLORS

YOU WILL FIND IN ACCESSORIES/WRIST (RIGHT)

 HIBISCUS WRIST (L) (TWO VERSIONS)    Same colors and description for both versions.

480 POLYGONS

10 SWATCH COLORS

YOU WILL FIND IN ACCESSORIES/WRIST (LEFT)

 JASMINE WRIST (L)

312 POLYGONS

10 SWATCH COLORS

YOU WILL FIND IN ACCESSORIES/WRIST (LEFT)

 ZINNIA WRIST (R)

128 POLYGONS

10 SWATCH COLORS

YOU WILL FIND IN ACCESSORIES/WRIST (RIGHT)

[gloomyclauds]

If Dina was a non berry Sim...

This was honestly so much fun 😊 It brought me back to the Berry Reverse series that I used to do on my channel.

Nandina is from my Not So Berry Pastel Rainbowcy gameplay, which mixes both the NSB and the BPR challenges. It brings in so much color, compared to your typical berry challenge. The challenge was created by @sweetlysimss and I can't recommend it enough! Since I'm almost done with the first generation, I'll be sharing the tray files for Dina 💗 And a big thank you to everyone that has been following the challenge!

I might make a lookbook for the boys as well, but no promises 😅

Keep Reading for the FULL CC LIST and the TRAY FILES ⬇️

GENERAL Skin Color | Skinblend | Skintone Set | Skin Detail Blush | Misc. Details | Eye Bags | Cleavage | Teeth | Chubby Cheeks + Lashes V1 + Freckles Dew Drops + Dimple Left Mayumi | Lip Mask | Freckles (Azalea) | Body Freckles | Moles | Tattoo | Nose Stud | Rings | Hairline | Eyebrows (V1)

DEFAULT Eyes | Teeth | Feet | No EA Lashes

SLIDERS Eyebrows (1) (2)

MAKEUP Eyelashes (N1 & N2) | Eyelids | Eyeliner | Blush | Soft Lips | Gloss | Nails

EVERYDAY Hat | Hair | Necklace | Top | Bottom | Socks | Boots

FORMAL Hair | Earrings | Necklace | Dress | Sandals

ATHLETIC Hair | Top | Sweats | Sneakers

SLEEP Hair | Dress // Slippers from the Base Game

PARTY Hair | Earrings | Necklace | Dress | Heels

SWIMWEAR Hair | Swimwear

HOT WEATHER Hair | Earrings | Necklace | Outfit | Lace Up Sandals

COLD WEATHER Hat | Hair | Sweater | Jeans | Ankle Boots

POSES 1st Image | 2nd and 3rd Image (x) (x)

TRAY FILES ✿ SIMFILESHARE ✿ No ads or paywall!

A huge thanks to the cc creators!

@northernsiberiawinds @mousysims @vibrantpixels @glitchsyndrome @okruee

@starshipcap @sims3melancholic @yooniesim @faaeish @sammi-xox

@thepeachyfaerie @polygondolls @c-cerberus-sims-s @pinkishwrld @arethabee

@ceeproductions @rheallsim @twisted-cat @ice-creamforbreakfast @magic-bot

@kijiko-sims @miikocc @obscurus-sims @poyopoyosim @crypticsim

@breezytrait @xurbansimsx @solistair @simstrouble @joliebean

@aharris00britney @jius-sims @aladdin-the-simmer @oakiyo @sentate

@dogsill @tunayegit @clumsyalienn @serenity-cc @caio-cc

@catsblob @ratboysims @loulicorn

[notthesomefather]

Goddess Hel, divine hostess whose arms lovingly embrace all guests, Watch over those who have crossed your gates against their will. Care for those taken from us and bless them with tranquil rest.

Godx Loki, story-teller and guardian of outcasts, Give words to our sorrow so that we may honor their memories. Breathe air into our lungs so we may bellow our love over hatred.

Goddess Hel, cherisher of life and daughter of metamorphosis, Bestow in their loved ones moments of laughter, healing, and peace. May their names echo not just in sorrow but in smiling remembrance.

Godx Loki, change-bringer and waker of revolution, Spark the flames of unrelenting authenticity within us. Stoke the ember of truth until the hateful are blinded by its light.

Under the cut are the siblings, youth, and elders whose lives were taken due to hatred, bigotry, and fear. I understand it is incredibly triggering, but I believe we owe it to them to read their names.

We love you. We are unendingly sorry and we will never stop fighting until the hatred that stole you from this life has been extinguished. We love you so much.

(December 2023 - November 2024) Savannah Williams Bernardo Panteleon Pepper Mychel Peterson Mariah Ruby Rachel Williams F. L. “Bubba” Copeland Lola Laperla Ebony McDaniels Shandon Floyd Tiesha McFarland Kejuan Richardson Amiri Jean Reid Mya Finch Travis Stimeling Demita Jo Armstrong Onteris Owens-Campbell Jesse Viviano White Star Possum Jermaine Golden Meghan Riley Lewis Zoey Flye Madison Montana Care Hansen Amber Minor Ashlei Jasmine Colgate-Edwards Fleetwood Mars Mozee Shelby “Lexus” Riddick-Walker Kimbella Blackshear Easley Jeffcoat Tripp Schultz Lady Fabian Sanchez James Moen Dana Randolph “Desiree A. DeMornay” Quin Joy Sasha Williams Jennell Jaquays Sarina Mihailoff Sasha Washington-Cohen “Sasha Fierce” Guelila “Gigi” Iyob Videl Lombardo Savannah Rose Rivers Amore Kathy “Otter” Ottersten Robin Valentina Forrest Douglas Buckley Giselle Stone Tristan Michael Bustos “Tristyn St. Clair” Kitty Monroe Natalia Skye Teddy Reese Curran Erick Krouse Noah Jackson Chase Ellie Walsh Nex Benedict Emma “África” Parrilla García Blakely Hanson Righteous TK “Chevy” Hill Ashton Myles Clatterbuck Madison Nicole Spann “Madison St. Claire” Cecilia Gentili Diamond Cherish Brigman Elliot Ganiel Fae Morganna Barbone Aurelia A. Legassey Alex Franco Meraxes Medina Ty Geissinger “Ty Holiday” Andrea Doria Dos Passos “Maggie” Yella Clark Allister Matthews Tiffany Azalea Monceaux Tara Fable Randy Dudley River Neveah Goddard Tee “Ace” Arnold George A. Schappell Starr Brown Robbi Mecus Basil Brown Tayy Dior Thomas Kita Bee Kamryn “Cantrell” Smith Jazlynn Johnson Daelicious O’hare Mizani Darri C. Moore Niomi Jenkins Michelle Henry Saanti Bonét Valentino Pauly Likens M. Tapia Lynn Conway Liara Kaylee Tsai Dylan Gurley Griffin Shaun Sivret Kenji Zemonta Spurgeon Ev Smith Shannon Boswell Levi Castillo Lily Autumn Rose Monique Brooks Noelle Woolley Indiana Grayson Vanity Williams Tai’Vion Lathan Jhzara “Femmie” Williams Baxter Zachary Hawk Kassim Omar Liam Johns Mahdia Lynn Cass Trystero Chilli Pepper Barbie Iceland “Redd China” Honee Daniels Serenity Birdsong Adela Vázquez San Coleman Zeta Muirgen Seraph Haber

[tlou-reid]

Cruel Summer ❆ JJ Maybank

☃︎ SUMMARY: jj is love sick for a kook, much to his friends' dismay

☃︎ WARNINGS: fluff, cussing, that's it really

☃︎ NOTE: welcome to swiftmas 2023! we're happy to have you here!

swiftmas masterlist

.｡❅⋆⍋∞｡∞⍋⋆❅｡.

And I snuck through the garden gate, every night that summer just to seal my fate.

JJ knew John B would tease the shit out of him if he knew what was going on. He could hear the way Kiara would yell at him as he pulled himself up to the top of the fence. JJ!, she would say, for a fucking kook! He couldn’t bring himself to be embarrassed or ashamed about his current situation. Not when you were on the other side.

He could see the subtle glow of your fairy lights from where his feet dropped into your family’s garden. He walked a few paces, stopping at the pink azaleas he had seen your mom caring for a few weeks back. He was almost caught that night. Had it not been for the fact that he dropped his hat and had to circle back for it, your mom definitely would’ve noticed the tall blonde creeping around her backyard.

In a way, he thinks it was fate. He wasn’t meant to be caught because he needed to make it to you. But, seeing your mom had him longing to be able to come in through the front door. He wanted to come in and say hello to your parents and pet the over-excitedly family dog. He wanted them to ask him how he was and listen to them talk about their days at work. He wanted to be a part of your family.

He shakes his head to remove any of these longing thoughts. He knew if he wanted it, he had to do something about it. That was the plan for tonight.

He bent down to pick two or three of the pink flowers, neatly tucking them in the back pocket of his jean shorts. He made his way to the trellis that led right up to your bedroom window. He used to hate the way kooks decorated the outside of their houses with stupid shit like this, but it has proven to be incredibly useful. 

The gentle knocks on your window pulled your attention away from the book that was open in your lap. Your tummy erupted into butterflies, knowing JJ was on the other side. Your cheeks were starting to hurt from the amount of smiling you were doing as you opened the window for him.

He crawled into the room quickly, much smoother than he did when your arrangement first started. At first, he would come over to hook up. You’d met at a party and instantly made a connection, or you thought you did. When he walked away from where you stood and talked, returning to the pogues. Even with the lack of light at the party, you could see the dirty looks JJ’s group of friends sent your way.

And I scream, “For whatever it’s worth, I love you. Ain’t that the worst thing you ever heard?”

“Hi, JJ!” You excitedly greet him, pulling him in for a hug. Your undefined relationship had grown past just friends with benefits but was still up in the air. “Hey, princess,” he smiled, pulling you flush against him. “How’s your day been?” You smiled at his question, retreating to sit crisscross at the edge of your bed.

JJ looked very out of place as he took the spot next to you. He looked dirty, worn, compared to the bright, beautiful colors of your room. Even compared to you and your glowing skin and bright smile. Maybe that’s why he felt so light when he was in your room.

You began telling him about your day, using your hands to animate the very mundane stories from your day at the private school you attend. Usually, rich people droning on and on about the minor inconveniences they faced throughout their day would be enough to set JJ off. However, the way you lit up as you told your stories and emphasized different parts with your hands and facial expressions made it intriguing.

JJ laughed at your jokes and looked sad when you told him about your struggles. What always made him feel the best, however, was when you finished your stories and turned to him. You always asked the same question, “And what went down in JJ’s world today?” It was silly and some would even call it cringey, but he loved it.

He tells you about his time mowing a few of your neighbor’s yards, and how one of the older ladies had given him a free lunch. He watched your facial expressions as he talked, knowing you couldn’t hide your emotions if you wanted to. He saw your “aww” at the mention of the old lady, knowing who he was talking about.

He also saw the way your face twisted up as he started telling you about the dirtbike races the pogues had gone on today and how John B. scrapped the shit out of his knees. JJ stopped talking once he noticed how unhappy you looked, turning away from you and tensing up.

“Why do you always have to do that?” He said with an attitude. You were learning how easily he could get upset, but you couldn’t really blame him due to how his family life is. Still, you rolled your eyes at his words, “Do what, JJ?” You mirrored his tone, the joyful air that had surrounded you when he first arrived quickly dissipated.

“Get upset when I mention my friends. Sorry they’re not kooky bitches who cry when they get a bad grade.” You rolled your eyes again at his words, shifting your body away from him. “You know I don’t care what or who your friends are.”

“Then what’s your issue then?” He turned back to face you, raising his voice as he spoke, “I listen to you talk about your rich friends and I can’t even tell you one fucking story?” You were getting quickly annoyed as he was making assumptions about your intentions. “JJ, that’s not-” He cut you off, “What is it then?” He was almost yelling now, not caring that your family was still in the house.

“I fucking love you, JJ! I love you and your fucking friends are gonna ruin it! It’s the worst fucking thing that could’ve happened to you, to us! But I fucking love you!” It was your turn to raise your voice. You were ranting, almost, just trying to get your feelings out there. You loved him, but the pogues would never let that happen. You’re not Sarah Cameron, queen of the kooks. You’re just you, and they won’t like that.

You think you’re about to lose your mind when JJ’s smile spreads across his face. He’s grinning like a Cheshire cat, and it’s pissing you off. You open your mouth to speak, but he stops you by pulling you in for a kiss. The most passionate one you two had shared up until this point.

Once he pulls away, he holds your hands in his lap as he speaks, “When have I ever given a shit about what they think?” In his own, messed up kind of way, this is JJ’s way of telling you he loved you too. This was confirmed when he stood up and retrieved the crushed flowers from his back pocket. He handed them to you and you both erupted into laughter at the state of them.

[pearlprincess02]

playlist for: TAURUS EDITION

part 1 for more artist

BY TAURUS MOON

"touch" - nct 127 / “warrior” - demi lovato / “dark side” - kelly clarkson / "impossible" - christina aguilera / "terrified" - childish gambino / “wait a minute” - the pussycat dolls / “confident” - demi lovato / "from home" - nct u / “pity party” - melanie martinez / "stand tall" - childish gambino / "find you" - nick jonas / “my life would suck without you” - kelly clarkson / "beautiful" - christina aguilera / “soap” - melanie martinez / "3005" - childish gambino / “give your heart a break” - demi lovato / "remember i told you" - nick jonas (feat. anne-marie, mike posner) / "walk away" - christina aguilera / “because of you” - kelly clarkson / “moonlight mile” - the rolling stones / “stone cold” - demi lovato / "bacon" - nick jonas (feat. ty dolla $ign) / "feels like summer" - childish gambino / "underappreciated" - christina aguilera / “dollhouse” - melanie martinez / “beep” - the pussycat dolls / “angie”- the rolling stones / "summertime magic" - childish gambino / “carousel” - melanie martinez / "teacher" - nick jonas / “i don’t need a man” - the pussycat dolls / “brown sugar” - the rolling stones / "numb" - nick jonas (feat. angel haze)

MORE SONGS (JUST VIBES)

"adorn" - miguel / "golden" - harry styles / "harvest moon" - neil young / "latch" - disclosure (feat. sam smith) / "stay" - rihanna (feat. mikky ekko) / "best part" - daniel caesar (feat. h.e.r.) / "the weekend" - sza / "electric feel" - mgmt / "sedona" - houndmouth / "crave you" - flight facilities (feat. giselle)

BY 2ND HOUSE MOONS

“i will” - mitski / “as if it’s your last” - blackpink / “salute” - little mix / “be the one” - dua lipa / “no excuses” - meghan trainor / “drunk dialing…lodt” - summer walker / “the good side” - troye sivan / “first love / late spring” - mitski / “love me like you” - little mix / “dear future husband” - meghan trainor / “physical” - dua lipa / “playing games” - summer walker / “love to hate me” - blackpink / “sweet leaf” - black sabbath / “me too” - meghan trainor / “drunk walk home” - mitski / “levitating” - dua lipa feat. dababy / “i’ll kill you” - summer walker (feat. jhené aiko) / “move” - little mix / “lost boy” - jaden / “planet caravan” - black sabbath / "reflection" - christina aguilera / “a pearl” - mitski / “hopeless romantic” - meghan trainor / “girls need love” - summer walker / “new rules” - dua lipa / “i” - jaden / “secret love song” - little mix (feat. jason derulo) / “wild” - troye sivan / “fluff” - black sabbath / “better when i’m dancin’” - meghan trainor / “happy” - mitski / “thinking ’bout you” - dua lipa / "hurt" - christina aguilera

MORE SONGS (JUST VIBES)

"ridin' solo" - jason derulo / "fancy" - iggy azalea (feat. charli xcx) / "royals" - lorde / "money" - pink floyd / "material girl" - madonna / "rich girl" - hall & oates / "billionaire" - travie mccoy (feat. bruno mars) / "gold digger" - kanye west (feat. jamie foxx) / "luxurious" - gwen stefani / "uptown funk" - mark ronson (feat. bruno mars)

taurus moon playlist (honorable mention : moon - venus aspects)

BY TAURUS VENUS

“and i love her” - the beatles / “breathin” - ariana grande / “change of heart” - cyndi lauper / “moonlight” - exo-k / “sativa” - jhené aiko (feat. swae lee) / "a&w" - lana del ray / “let it be” - the beatles / "purple rain" - prince / "panorama" - iz*one / “god is a woman” - ariana grande / “what is love” - exo-k / “love” - lana del rey / “when you were mine” - cyndi lauper / “comfort inn ending (freestyle)” - jhené aiko / “in my life” - the beatles / “love me harder” - ariana grande (feat. the weeknd) / “xoxo” - exo-k / “ride” - lana del rey / “i drove all night” - cyndi lauper / "l.a.love (la la)" - fergie (feat. yg) / "thats what i want" - lil nas x / "let's go crazy" - prince / “here, there and everywhere” - the beatles / “my turn to cry” - exo-k / “needy” - ariana grande / “true colors” - cyndi lauper / “blue jeans” - lana del rey / "clumsy" - fergie / "rodeo" - lil nas x (feat. cardi b) / “love me right” - exo-k / “positions” - ariana grande / “time after time” - cyndi lauper / "glamorous" - fergie (feat. ludacris) / “national anthem” - lana del rey / “i want to hold your hand” - the beatles / cream - prince / holiday - lil nas x / “money changes everything” - cyndi lauper / “born to die” - lana del rey / "big girls don't cry (personal)" - fergie /

MORE SONGS (JUST VIBES)

"from the dining table" - harry styles / "make you feel my love" - adele / “sweetest thing” - lauryn hill / “so into you” - tamia / “love on top” - beyoncé / “crush” - yuna (feat. usher) / "liability" - lorde / "1965" - zella day / "lover" - taylor swift /

BY 2ND HOUSE VENUSES

“no surprises” - radiohead / "otherside" - red hot chili peppers / “good old days” - macklemore (feat. kesha) / “neon lights” - demi lovato / “don’t know what to do” - blackpink / “all i need”- radiohead / "dani california" - red hot chili peppers / “hymn” - kesha / “blessings” - big sean (feat. drake, kanye west) / “cool for the summer” - demi lovato / “reckoner” - radiohead / "by the way" - red hot chili peppers / “forever young” - blackpink / “your song” - elton john / “woman” - kesha (feat. the dap-kings horns) / “savage mode” - 21 savage & metro boomin / “i don’t fuck with you” - big sean (feat. e-40) / “videotape” - radiohead / "californication" - red hot chili peppers / “don’t go breaking my heart” - elton john & kiki dee / “you never know” - blackpink / “bank account” - 21 savage / “boots” - kesha / “lotus flower” - radiohead / “skyscraper” - demi lovato / my last - big sean / “crazy over you” - blackpink / “out for the night” - 21 savage / “someone saved my life tonight” - elton john / “guap” - big sean / “sorry not sorry” - demi lovato / “whistle” - blackpink / “monster” - 21 savage & metro boomin / “single again” - big sean

MORE SONGS (JUST VIBES)

“thinking out loud” - ed sheeran / “earned it” - the weeknd / “stay with me” - sam smith / “let’s stay together” - al green / “you are the best thing” - ray lamontagne / “lovely day” - bill withers / “i will always love you” - whitney houston

taurus venus playlist

OTHER TAURUS PLAYLIST

taurus sun playlist (honorable mention : sun in 2nd house, sun - venus aspects)

taurus rising playlist (honorable mention : venus in 1st house, venus - asc aspects , venus dominants)

main masterlist

©pearlprincess0

[heygerald]

Falling Without A Harness - Chapter 5

AU where Tom Ryder is still an asshole, just not a psychotic one. When he has good news, but no one to share it with, Parker invites him along to her brother's birthday party. A moment of weakness, or a moment for him to prove he's more than just his Hollywood ego?

read the story here: prev / next

"—and Jody said she was going to wear something simple, maybe jeans and a t-shirt, but I'm not really sure I want to match that vibe or go for something a little more, you know, fun. Maybe I could finally break out the bucket hat tonight," Colt's voice droned on from the phone tucked indelicately into the crevice of her neck and shoulder. Parker was only half listening, as was the usual when it came to her brother's incessant rambling about anything related to the pretty blonde camerawoman, and while he talked, she made work of slowly peeling strips of painters tape from the freshly painted wall. The ball in her hand was nicely sized by this point of the conversation. "So, anyway... uh, wait, what was the point?"

"Was there a point?" she mused aloud. "I stopped listening when you started talking about some pony she rode once at her twelfth birthday party."

She heard him snap his fingers. "Right—the birthday party."

"Hers or yours?"

"Mine! Listen, I know that you all put a lot of work into planning this shindig—"

"Shindig? God, you're old!"

"—but I would really appreciate if you told me what to expect tonight. Just a hint will do. I'm not trying to show up wearing dress shoes to a disco if you know what I mean."

Parker stuck another piece of tape onto the ever-growing ball with a blithe snort. "I never know what you mean."

"Park," he whined, much like a child, and not the thirty-something year old man that he was. Was this year number thirty-seven or thirty-eight? She should probably figure that out before putting candles on his cake. "Come onnnnnn. Just tell me. Just a hint!"

"And ruin the surprise? No way, Jose."

"But it's my birthday surprise! You can spoil it for me. I mean, realistically, no one would blame you if, maybe, you accidentally let the surprise slip. It'd be expected coming from you, actually."

She frowned. "What do you mean it would be expected coming from me?"

"Well, you know, you can't keep a secret to save your life."

Parker tossed the ball of tape into the trash and picked up the broom with an indignant scoff. "Excuse me, I am a very good secret keeper."

A long winded and high-pitched whine followed, and she winced at the volume of it. Parker switched the phone to her other ear, certain that between her brother and Melissa she had permanent hearing damage.

"Oh, so now all of the sudden you're a locked vault!" he blathered on. "Where was this dedication to silence when I got sick at Macy Lindwigs wedding and you spent the entire evening telling everyone you could find?"

An image of Macy Lindwig, dressed to the nines in a beautiful handmade wedding dress, staring in horror as her brother puked in an azalea bush three minutes before the ceremony started came to mind.

"Oh, I totally forgot about that," she snickered, the memory almost too sweet to ignore now that it had been brought back up. "You ruined her heels that night, you know. What was I supposed to do? Not tell everyone?"

"For starters. Or, at the very least, you could have refrained from blabbing about it at Christmas," he muttered petulantly. "Grandma never looked at me the same way again. She still won't let me near her rose garden."

"Cause and effect," Parker chirped. "You drank one too many tequila shots the night before, and thus, you have to suffer the fate of Grandma judging you every Christmas Eve."

"Miami Vice premiered the night before!" he argued, shouting, in what she suspected was a deranged manner. Parker hoped he was somewhere public; perhaps a grocery store or laundromat. "Just another example of how you can't keep a secret for the life of you, not even when your brother's good name is at stake. Your only true sibling, might I add."

"And here I thought I was an orphan found in a box."

She could hear Colt kicking something, palm clasped over the speaker as he whined, before he was back. "You're worse than Judas, you know. You ruin lives just for the fun of it, no silver needed."

"Are you offering silver?"

A cough. "Uh, I mean, I'm a little tight on silver at the moment. I think I have a free sub from Publix somewhere around here."

"A coupon. Wow. So generous."

"It's a punch card, and those aren't easy to fill out, you know," he huffed indignantly, obviously put out that Parker wasn't going to accept his lackluster offer. "What if I say pretty please?"

"Ha! Nice try. I happen to like Jody, so even if I wanted to tell you what we're doing tonight—which I don't—I'm not going to. She was really excited to help me plan this year."

Some spluttering followed her resolution, before he was kicking something again. Apparently, whatever he kicked was harder than he thought, however, and the next moment her brother was wheezing in pain.

"Jesus, take it easy, alright? You're going to need your toes for tonight."

In a breathless voice, he weaseled, "tonight at...?"

But Parker was no novice when it came to keeping secrets from her brother, and so she didn't fall for the trick. "Ha, nice try," she snorted while stooping to sweep her pile of dust and paint chips off the ground. Shades of green and white stained her hands, but she didn't bother to clean them off. It would be a pointless endeavor, after all, considering what they had planned for Colt's birthday party later that evening. "I'm trying to stay on Jody's good side."

"Both of her sides are good sides," was his immediate response, something wistful coloring his tone. "She's gorgeous. If you haven't noticed."

"Trust me," Parker deadpanned with a blithe glance at her own disheveled appearance, "I've noticed."

"Do you think I should bring her flowers?"

"To your birthday party?"

"Girls like flowers. Plus, she's planning the whole thing."

"I helped!"

"I'm not bringing you flowers to my birthday party, Park. It's not about you, you know."

"Right, of course, how could I have forgotten?" she deadpanned. However, despite his disinterest in showing her any gratitude, Parker smiled at the concept that there was a man out in this world so infatuated by a woman, that he not only spent all his time talking about her, but he also wanted to bring her flowers for no good reason. If only she could find someone like that who wasn't her brother. Wishes and wants, she supposed. "As nice of a thought as that is, don't bring her flowers tonight. They'll end up wilted by the time she gets back home from the party. If they aren't totally trashed first, that is."

His tone pitched higher, eagerly. "Trashed? Why would they be trashed? Are we doing some floral vandalism tonight? Oh!" Colt cried, hands clapping together. "Are we going to a wreck-it room? I've always wanted to do something like that. You know, somewhere that wasn't on a set, anyway, where I'm being beat up for a living with props."

Parker covered the speaker of her phone to curse at herself. While she hadn't ruined the surprise, Colt was like a dog with a hambone, and was not likely to let it go anytime soon.

She cleared her throat and attempted indifference. "Not even close," she said, but it didn't sound super convincing, and with an exasperated huff, she threw her hands up. "Jesus, Colt, you're going to get me into trouble! Just chill out. Jody should be picking you up soon, anyway."

"Picking me up soon for...?"

Colt's whining was interrupted by the tinkle of the front bell, and as she switched her phone back to her right ear, Parker took a moment to scoop up the paint-splattered tarp sprawled across the floor.

Melissa had been on to something with her suggestion to repaint the store, and while they had only gotten the walls finished over the past two and a half weeks, the mossy green color with gold accented picture frames really gave some life back to her shop. It still had that musty smell, as well as a pair of flickering lightbulbs from the janky electrical sockets, but they were definitely taking a step in the right direction. The color made everything feel cozier, and once they coated the bookshelves with shades of blue and yellow and replaced the overhead fluorescents with something warmer, she thought it might look like an entirely new store for the price of a few gallons of paint.

Not to mention the color stood out from the recent tan and brown trend that had swept across Hollywood hills. Win, win.

"Ugh! Stop trying to spoil your own surprise and let it happen, alright? You're going to love it," she pacified half-heartedly while booting a stool out of the way. Too deep of a breath had the smell of laquear and paint fumes killing off some braincells, and Parker dropped the tarp along with the rest of the paint materials with a cross-eyed huff. "Plus, it was all Jody's idea, so if you hate it, I would keep that to your..."

Parker paused halfway up the aisle.

On the far end of it, a brown and black colored dog sat patiently wagging its tail at her. Its tongue was sticking out of the side of its mouth, but despite Elon Musk's predictions about the existence of intelligent life in the galaxy, she was pretty sure that the local population of Hollywood mutts had yet to grow opposable thumbs capable of opening a door.

She blinked at it.

"Er, listen," she muttered into the phone, gaze darting past the dog, but not seeing its owner. "I have to go. There's a dog situation that I need to take care of."

"A dog? I've been asking you for years to get a dog, and now you finally decide to get one on my birthday! That's so totally fu—"

Parker hung up before he could complain any further, and slowly tucked her phone into the back pocket of her jeans. The dog barked at her, as if excited to finally have her attention.

"Er—hi. Did you—how did you get in here?" she asked.

It responded by tilting its head to a ninety-degree angle. She stared, waiting, as if the language barrier would suddenly disappear.

Unsurprisingly, it didn't. The dog barked a second time.

"I don't have any treats on me," she said again, not sure else what to say, but certainly feeling like she should say something. It trotted towards her, and though it seemed friendly at first, when it stuck its head into her crotch to take too deep a sniff for comfort, Parker jumped backwards. "Ah—fuck! Buy a girl dinner first, huh?"

She sidestepped the dog, hands splayed out in front of her like she was a robbery victim, and did her best to avoid being felt up as the dog followed her towards the storefront. It nosed her rear end, and Parker let out an undignified squeak.

"Jesus! I know the humane society is underfunded and all, but this is a little ridiculous, don't you think?" she asked it.

The dog darted in front of her, nose going right back for the crotch, and Parker just barely managed to leap onto Melissa's sunken reading chair when an increasingly familiar head of blonde hair stepped out from behind one of the bookshelves.

"Talon, Jean Claude," he said, and as though the dog hadn't just been harassing her, it plopped down onto the floor right beside him. Dog and owner blinked at her in bemusement. "Don't seriously tell me that you're afraid of dogs."

Parker shot him a disgruntled glare in response, but Tom didn't seem to mind the heat packed behind it. Instead, he smirked at her, crossed one arm over the other, and languidly leaned back against the front counter.

It was obvious he was laughing at her, and not with her, and Parker added it to the list of all the things she couldn't stand about Tom Ryder. Worse though, she couldn't help but subconsciously smooth a hand over her hair, because where Jody was effortlessly gorgeous, Parker required quite a bit of effort not to look awful. And right now, with paint-stained pants, a half-assed pair of dutch braids, and miscolored converse, she was certainly not showing him her good side.

If she even had one, that is.

"I should have known you would have a pervy dog," she said while looking down her nose at him. Literally, too, considering she was still standing on the chair. Parker flushed a bright red at the realization and none-too-glamorously clambered down onto her feet. "And French, too. I think that's stereotyping, Ryder."

Despite the distrustful look she shot the dog, he seemed a whole lot less pervy and rabid now that she knew he had an owner, and when she approached it, its tail flapped back and forth excitedly.

"Insulting an entire country?" Tom harrumphed as she started to scratch the dog between its ears. "Maybe you should sit through PR training with me next time Gail hosts a session."

She blew a bland raspberry as she read the dog's name tag.

Jean Claude. Huh. Cute.

He let out a low whine when she hit a particularly sensitive spot, and in delight, he rolled onto his back with half-lidded eyes.

"Is this the one you were talking to the other day, or do you have any other expat mutts that I should know about? I can only be felt up so many times before I file a harassment complaint."

"Jean Claude isn't a mutt," he corrected her, disdain at the very idea of owning a mutt. Parker supposed adopting a kennel-dog was likely below him, being a superstar and what not. "He's an Australian Kelpie, pure-bred, and he certainly wasn't fucking cheap. His parents are award winning cattle dogs in the Australian circuit."

"That's an award category?"

"Hmph. Laugh all you want, but I'd bet he's better trained than you are. He's even trained to attack someone in the balls on command."

"So am I," she sassed while making kissy faces at Jean Claude. "Oh, he's cute. Yes, you are. Yes, you are," she cooed.

He ate it right up, tail flapping in every direction, and when she spared Tom a glance, she could feel the jealousy rolling off him that someone else was getting more attention. Dog or not. Parker snickered.

"Sorry you're stuck with this one," she added, jerking a thumb over her shoulder to gesture in Tom's general area. "But trust me, you're way cuter, and probably lower maintenance than he is."

Tom cleared his throat. "Are you done?"

"Jealous?"

"Of a dog?" he deadpanned, rolling his eyes beneath a pair of expensive Ray Bans—not at all disproving the theory—and Parker smiled at her private joke. "Hardly."

She leaned closer to Jean Claude, and spoke in a stage whisper, "I think he's jealous."

And—yup—that seemed to do it.

Tom pushed off the counter with a sharp huff, unamused by her teasing, and make a command in French. Jean Claude bounded onto his feet, trotted to where Tom was, and curled up between his legs.

Parker stood and planted her hands onto her hips. "Real mature."

"I can always show you his attack command," Tom threatened. "I doubt you'll find him as adorable when he attacks you. It's always a hit at parties, watching someone get their balls bitten off."

"I think I'm missing a critical component for that trick to work," she pointed out with a dry smile. "But, anyway, what are you doing here? If you came to return my books, they're yours, considering how much you paid for them the other day."

He shrugged. "Maybe I want my change."

"You came all the way here, through traffic, to get your change?" she echoed, clearly disbelieving his piss poor excuse. Under her stare, Tom shuffled uncomfortably on his feet. "Hm. I thought I was supposed to be the penny pincher between the two of us."

"Maybe it's not the money I care about. It's the principle of the whole thing."

"Ha! You expect me to believe that you have principles?"

Tom huffed, but she caught the crooked upturn of his mouth. Still, he played the victim—always acting, this one. "You're right. I don't just deserve change. I should get a full refund, considering how awful your book recommendations were. Not to mention the books practically fell apart when I touched them. Clearly, you sell cheap products."

"Clearly," she muttered, while flipping the sign on the front door from OPEN to CLOSED. There wasn't much going on outside, anyway, and she doubted she would be missing any customers by taking the day off early.

"You want to tell me what you're really doing here? Because we both know you liked my recommendations," she said matter-of-factly, moving to the cash register now. She had made a few sales throughout the day, more than a typical Friday, and so she carefully began stacking her receipts. "I mean, who wouldn't? Those are good books I gave you. Contact is in my top ten."

Tom leaned on the counter. "Books I bought."

She waved him off, stack of receipts in hand, as she locked the lower cabinet. Tom could complain all he wanted, but she did know that he liked her book recommendations. He had finished them all within a week, when he likely should have been spending more attention devoted to practicing for his audition. Granted, it was a sci-fi movie he was auditioning for, but—

She startled.

"Oh, duh!" Parker sprung to her full height with a curious look. "Did you get the part?"

Tom smirked.

It wasn't bashful or pleasant or soft like authors typically described their tall, dark, and handsome characters, but it was so very him that she hardly minded it. In fact, Parker sort of liked it. It crinkled the soft lines by his eyes, loosened the tension in his shoulders, and made him look younger. Nicer. Cuter.

"Of course I did," he sassed. "I told you I was going to get it."

She ignored his blatant peacocking to punch him in the shoulder. The action seemed to shock him, and Tom clutched the spot with his other hand—as if she had done some real damage—while Parker grinned. "Holy shit, that's great! I mean, sure, you were a shoo-in or whatever, but this is a big deal. Right? It's a big deal? You must be jumping off the walls right now!"

Tom gave a bemused huff, eyes darting over the length of her face, and nodded. "Biggest movie I've gotten yet," he said. "My first sci-fi film too, so, that's going to get my name out there even more than it was. I mean, if I thought I was well known before... after this, everyone will know who Tom Ryder is."

"That's awesome!"

Tom rolled his eyes at her enthusiasm, clearly not buying into it, and though Parker was so excited on his behalf, Tom seemed like he was fighting off indifference to the news. "Yeah, well, a role's a role, you know."

"Well, yeah," she hedged, waving a hand at him, "but this is your first sci-fi role, and it was one that you even told me you wanted to get. You must be at least a little excited for it. Sci-fi is so interesting, I bet filming it is gonna be a ton of fun."

"Sure," he echoed dryly. His smirk had returned, and though she wouldn't necessarily classify what his face was doing now as a smile, it was certainly close. "Fun. That's what I'm aiming for in my career: fun."

"Oh, please," she clucked her tongue at him, receipts shoved hastily into their folder. "You can be a huge movie star and still have fun doing it. I mean, isn't that the point? Doing something you love and all that. I'd imagine it's going to be a whole new experience for you, stepping into a sci-fi set."

He hemmed, mouth twisting between a smile and a frown. "I guess."

He didn't sound all that convinced. In fact, when Parker thought about it, she seemed to be far more excited about the role than he did. She tilted her head at him suspiciously. "Alright, well... what are you doing to celebrate?" she asked. "A vacation? Buying yourself a new car? Oooh—Legoland?"

He furrowed his brows at her in surprised. "Legoland?"

"It's what I would do," she shrugged. "Probably, anyway. I've never been because the tickets just don't seem worth the price, but if I had just landed a giant role in a giant blockbuster, I think buying a ticket would be the least of my worries. You could probably even write it off on your taxes."

He blinked at her. "Poor people are so sad to me."

She stuck her tongue out at him, and took delight in the way that he huffed in amusement. "Well? Come on—make me jealous—what are you doing?"

Tom shrugged. "Gail's throwing a big party next week to announce the role. She always does that. Invites her producer friends and talent agents and that sort of stuff. There'll probably be some sort of attraction, singers or a zebra or something."

"Casual," she snorted.

"She has a weird thing for exotic animals, I don't know."

"Seems like it. But that's what she's doing, what are you doing?" she needled further. "I mean, I assumed you would do a big party with your friends before then. You know—cops get called, party crashers—the whole scene."

Tom hesitated to answer, and when he did, he didn't sound all that much like himself. "Well, I can't really do that—she controls when I make go public with the news—has the whole timeline figured out, and manages all the press for it. She doesn't let me tell people ahead of time."

"I'm people."

He rolled his eyes. "You're a nobody," he said. Not to be mean; no, Tom was very clear in his words when he intended to be mean. Instead, he had said it nonchalantly, as if it was a universal truth that everyone understood. And, in all honesty, Parker got it. "I mean, who are you going to tell that would care, you know?"

"Okay, ouch," she muttered still, before barreling on. "Don't you have any non-work friends that you can go get drinks with?"

"All my friends are work friends."

"What about people that don't know Gail?"

Tom huffed and waved a hand at her. "That's the same thing, you know. She introduced me to everyone I know in the industry. Other than some set hands, we have the same circle."

Parker sank onto her heels, feeling slighted on his behalf, but knowing that she didn't really have a right to. Surely, Tom Ryder would have stood up to Gail if he didn't like her hands-on, helicopter parent approach to managing his life. And clearly their work relationship was beneficial to them both. He certainly didn't need a nobody like her feeling sorry for him.

And yet, she did.

Because, as she listened to him talk, it felt like he had to give up everything just to be a somebody in Hollywood. And while it might have been the norm for him, it was absolutely not the norm for everybody.

Did he even realize that?

"Fuck that," Parker said before she could think better of it, emotions getting the better of her. Colt always joked that she had a bleeding heart, but she had never thought there was anything wrong with that. "Come hang out with me, then."

Tom arched a brow at her, mouth parted dumbly. "...what?"

She shrugged, feeling a little like a specimen beneath a microscope, and struggled to explain herself. "I mean, you just said that Gail doesn't want you telling anybody that matters, and I only hang out with people that don't matter in the grand scheme of Hollywood politics. I'm getting ready to head to Colt's birthday party after this, and if you're not doing anything else, you may as well come with me. It won't be a celebration for you, obviously, but... it'll be fun."

He blinked at her slowly, surprise written in the fine lines of his face.

"We're not going to murder you," she huffed indignantly.

"I—I never hang out with Colt or those guys."

"Yeah, for good reason. They all sort of hate you for being an asshole on set to them. Like, all the time. I wouldn't want to hang out with you outside of work either, if I was them."

He scowled. "Oh, well, when you put it like that," he huffed. "Obviously, they're not going to want me to come. And, I may be an asshole, but I try not to gatecrash birthday parties."

She waved his concern away with a paint-stained hand. "First off, you won't be gatecrashing, I'm literally extending an invite. And secondly, they only hate you because you're a prick on set. What better way to prove that you're not a prick, by coming to Colt's birthday party, and—you know—actually being nice for once. Just don't be a dickwad. Or an asshole. Or any sort of thing that you usually are on a normal day."

"I think the saying is 'always be yourself'," he deadpanned.

"That absolutely doesn't apply here."

"Smartass."

Parker nudged him in the shoulder with an exasperated look. "Come on! What else are you going to do? Do some irresponsible spending and buy everyone a round of drinks. I bet they'll think differently of you after everybody is a few beers in."

Tom didn't seem too convinced with her logic. "Crashing his birthday party doesn't seem the best way to get on Colt's good side. I didn't even know it was his birthday."

"Now you do," she shrugged, as if it wasn't a big deal. And—well—her brother was probably going to bitch about Tom's presence at the party, but Parker also believed that after a few shots of liquor, everyone would get over the issue fairly quick. Not to mention the party itself was designed for stress relief. Bringing Tom may actually make the night. With a conniving wiggle of her brows, Parker tried again. "I know for a fact that there's room for one more. Jody and I planned the whole thing together, and if she's allowed a plus-one, so am I. Jean Claude can even come. Colt loves dogs."

Tom seemed to sway a little further with her reasoning, and with a slow nod, he finally agreed. He certainly didn't look happy about it though.

Parker punched the air. Oh, Colt is going to love this.

"Awesome! Give me a minute to lock up, and then we can go."

"Fine," he huffed, not too unlike that of a sulky toddler. "But I'm driving."

Parker smiled. Her car was a piece of shit that barely worked on a good day. She was going to insist he drive in the first place. Plus, now, she could get really drunk.

"Fine by me," was all she said, not eager to give away that piece of information just yet. "Just promise me you won't be an asshole. I won't be able to keep my reputation of favorite sister if you ruin the night."

"I'm not going to ruin the night," he snarked with a petulant glare. Parker shrugged, grabbing her things, as he asked, "...wait, I thought you were his only sister?"

"Exactly. Now, come on, I want to get there before they start assigning teams."

The bell rang as she stepped outside, Jean Claude trotting with her, and Tom hesitated for a brief moment before what she said caught up to him.

"Wait," he called, jogging after her. "What do you mean teams?"

---

Tom's presence did not go unnoticed. In fact, it had taken a mere three minutes before Jody was elbowing her to the side, a stern, disbelieving look furrowing her brows. She had let it go in a huff, however, when Parker pointed out that Tom had promised to be on his best behavior, as well as promised to buy the first round of drinks once the game was over.

That had been a lie, of course, but she supposed she could deal with that tantrum later.

Colt, on the other hand, hadn't been so easily placated, and as the twenty odd players stood in a circle, listening to the instructor drone on about safety, he weaseled next to her with a glare.

"I can't believe you brought Ryder," he hissed for the third time that night, hot breath on her face. She would have shoved him away if the instructor hadn't already reprimanded then twice for being distracting. "I mean, seriously Park, I can't stand the guy."

"Oh, really? I couldn't tell."

"Really!"

"Well, I'm sorry," she shrugged, although the apology was half-hearted at best, and Colt seemed to know this as he narrowed his eyes at her irritably. She huffed. "What was I supposed to do? Leave him behind?"

"Yes," Colt whisper-yelled. Dan glanced over his shoulder at the pair, and in perfect Seavers' sibling unison, they plastered fake smiles onto their faces with a friendly wave. He shook his head at them, but likely didn't think they were worth whatever trouble they caused, and faced forward once more. "That's exactly what you should have done!"

"It's not that easy," she argued, hissing as well. "He looked so sad! Like a little abandoned puppy dog that had just been kicked. It was a moment of weakness!"

"Oh, really?" Colt drawled. Together, they glanced over at Tom to find him ignoring everyone in the group with his head stuck in his phone. When a fly buzzed too close, he swatted at it with an icy glare. "That? You couldn't say no to that?"

"I said I was sorry!"

Parker's voice hitched higher than she intended, and the instructor paused in his speech to glare at the duo. She gave him a weak smile in return, mouthing, a guilty, sorry!

The man only got two words back into his speech, however, before Colt started whining again.

"Look, I'm totally stoked about the surprise party, okay? You did a stand-up job on it and the guest list. So how could you fuck it all up so close to the finish line?"

"What the hell does that even mean?" she asked in bewilderment. Parker shook her head. "Seriously, you need to update your sayings."

"Update my—?" Colt bit off a groan, pinching the bridge of his nose to take a long, overdrawn breath. "Why was he even at your bookstore? Since when did you two become friends? What happened to the whole—asshole, asshole, asshole—bit you had going on?"

"I still think he's an asshole," she shot back. But, well, when she caught Tom's gaze across the grass, she faltered. Did she think he was an asshole at his core? Or had he simply become someone she was beginning to understand—a dog that lashed out when someone got too close? Parker rubbed circles into her temple. "And we're not friends. And, even if we were, you have no one to blame but yourself."

"Myself?" he echoed in disbelief. "What do I have to do with this?"

"You're the one that gave him my phone number."

Colt snorted, shaking his head at her. "Fat chance of that," he said. Parker, thinking he was joking at first, fell silent when he caught the look in his eye. But, if Colt hadn't given Tom her phone number, then who had? she wondered, mentally counting down the list of people it could have possibly been.

Bigger fish to fry, she reminded herself when the list made her go cross-eyed.

"Whatever. We're not friends or buddies or whatever you think we are, so you can stop worrying about that."

Colt snorted. "Oh, sure you're not. He just happens to hang out around your bookshop and you share recommendations and, oh yeah! You bring him as a plus-one to my birthday party!"

Parker scowled. "I made the guest list, I think I have a right to bring someone along with."

"Sure, someone. Not Jaws over there."

She frowned at him, thrown off by the random insult. "Jaws?" she echoed, crinkling her nose distastefully. "What does a shark have to do with this?"

Colt sighed. "No, not the shark, the James Bond villain."

"That's a stupid name for a villain."

"I didn't write the damn thing."

"Okay, well, maybe he has the arrogance of a James Bond villain, but at least pick one from this century."

"Silva?"

"Nah. Whose the the one with the weird eye?"

Colt hummed thoughtfully, gaze darting over towards Tom. "Le Chiffre?"

Parker snapped her fingers and pointed at him. "That one!"

"Yeah, alright, I'll give you that," he conceded, nodding. "He does give off Bond villain vibes with the sunglasses and hair-do."

"Right? Oh you should have seen these glasses he was wearing last time. They were huge, and yellow tinted; like Tony Stark would wear. They were so ridiculous."

Colt snickered for a moment, enjoying mocking Tom with his sister, before realizing that he was currently mad at her. He threw his head back with a subtle groan. "Stop doing that! I'm still mad at you!"

Parker gave her brother a blithe look. "I think you're looking at this all wrong."

"Wrong? What other way should I look at it?" he snarked. "With my eyes closed?"

Resisting the urge to smack him, Parker instead gestured to their instructor, the paintball gun in his hand, and then towards Tom. "You literally get the chance to chase down and shoot, Tom Ryder, bane of your existence or whatever. Shoot him. Think about all the welts and whining and, maybe, if you're lucky, the tears you can get out of this experience. Legally. Without getting fired or arrested. What's better than that, huh? It's your very own personal rage room."

Colt considered all of that silently. He swept his gaze from the large pile of paintball guns set off to the side, to the acres of arena in front of them with inflatable obstacles, and then to his blonde alter-ego sulking at the edge of the group.

He slung an arm around Parker's shoulder with the boyish grin. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

Parker snorted, amused by his mood swings. "Not nearly enough. It's all Jody this, and Jody that anymore."

Jody, having finished listening to the instructor's demonstration, peered around Colt's shoulder to blink at the siblings. "What about me?"

Colt and Parker shared a silent look.

"Nothing," she said, whilst he cooed, "just talking about how pretty you are."

Jody blushed a bright rouge instantly, and Colt obviously took pleasure in that when he slung his other arm around her shoulder. Taking a deep breath, he let out a happy sigh. "My two ladies. Paintball. The smell of tears and blood on the horizon. What better way to spend a birthday?"

Parker glanced at Jody, expecting her to roll her eyes, but the camerawoman instead just smiled with something soft in her eyes.

Parker responded by wiggling out of Colt's reach. "Ew, blegh, that's disgusting. They say cooties are contagious you know."

"What on Earth are cooties?" Jody asked.

"An STD," Colt replied, only half joking, and though Jody appeared mildly disturbed by his joke, Parker had known her brother long enough to appreciate his odd ball sense of humor. "And they're not contagious if you have a shot."

Jody, not wanting to know if he was serious or not, let it go as the group slowly filed forward to get their guns, face masks, and coveralls. They followed shortly after, snickering like kids the entire way through.

In the end, Colt and Jody both got white, while Parker and Tom were given black ones.

Karma, she supposed, is that she wouldn't be able to shoot the asshole after all.

"Somehow, this is a step up for your usual clothes," said asshole chirped, pinching the baggy material hanging at her waist between his forefinger and thumb. Parker swatted him away, only for Jean Claude to bark at her. "Easy, you want to get taken down before the game even starts?"

"Please, you're lucky we're on the same team," Parker teased. He didn't seem to buy it if the blithe look he shot her was anything to go by, and she huffed at him. "I bet I could have gotten the first hit on you if we weren't on the same team. I have mad skills at paintball, Ryder. Seal Team Six type stuff., you don't even know."

Tom rolled his eyes at the same time that Colt reappeared, face mask propped on the top of his head, looking just a tad too comfortable in his onesie. Jody and Dan flanked him, and Parker didn't like their smiles one bit.

"What?" she asked.

"You suck at paintball," Colt egged. "Remember Tallahassee? You were covered in welts for weeks!"

Tom snorted, and Parker considered him the greater threat considering the fact he was standing closer to her than Colt was. She glared at him to state, "I'm not joking. I could literally take you out. Any of you," she added with a stern point of the finger sweeping through the group. "All of you!"

Not a single person believed her.

Tom went so far as to snicker at her. "I don't buy that. for a second. You're a total klutz."

She gasped. "Am not!"

Colt raised a hand. "Are too. Remember when you broke your ankle trying to play hopscotch?"

"Just—stay out of this!"

He did not, in fact, stay out of it. "What was it you said, Park? Cause and effect? You suck at sports, and the effect of that, is you're about to go down on the course."

She blew a rather wet raspberry at her brother. "Please, if you and Tom were on the same team, I would smoke both of you."

They bickered for a moment, amusing some, but boring Tom, and the A-lister broke up their argument with a long-weary sigh. "Oi! Whose to say either of you could get a shot on me?" he taunted.

The siblings turned to face him.

"Is that a challenge?" Parker asked, hands planted on her hips, whilst Colt raised his brows.

Tom shrugged, unconcerned.

"In fact, I bet I'll make it a whole round without getting shot once," Tom tacked on, ego puffing his chest out as he smirked at the group standing around. Dan rolled his eyes, while Jody coughed into her hand to hide an obvious laugh at his showboating. "I'm serious. First one to hit me gets five hundred dollars—"

Thwack! Thwack!

Tom gaped at his chest, now dotted with one yellow and one blue splatter. Parker and Colt stood in front of him, guns still smoking, and while his eyes widened in anger, the pair of siblings were more concerned with claiming the prize to notice.

"First!" Colt cried.

"What? No fucking way," Parker argued. She waved at the yellow paint splatter haphazardly, almost taking out Jody as she did so. "I was so first. Tom! Tell him!"

Tom, now even more unamused by their bickering, blinked in wide-eyed disbelief at them both. "Are you fucking serious?" he shouted. "The game didn't even start yet!"

"But you just said—"

"I meant during a match. Christ, Parker, we're on the same team," he blustered, attempting to wipe off the paint, but only managing to smear it further down his chest like a bad Jackson Pollock painting. "Fuck!"

Colt, sensing a blow-out was coming, swung his gun behind his back with a wide eyed, innocent look. "Hey man, it was all her," he started. "Totally uncool. And immature. And, really, if you need me to smack her around a little after this I totally can."

Tom glared at Colt, effectively shutting him up in seconds, before turning to Parker. Everyone watched in baited breath, nervous what he might do, and while Parker hadn't been on set long enough to know what his meltdowns looked like, the ones most familiar with Tom were left stunned by his reaction.

Or, really, how utterly tame this one was to the hundred others they had seen.

"Are you happy now?" he asked.

Parker hemmed and hawed for a moment before deciding that honesty was the best policy. "I mean, I'd be happier if you gave me my five hundred dollars."

"I'm not paying you shit."

"Oh, come on," she rolled her eyes, popping a hip as she did so. "It's not like you're cash poor or anything. You're just upset that I shot you."

Tom gaped at her in disbelief. "No shit!"

Parker, shifting her gun over her shoulder, waved the other at him blithely. "You'll get over it once the game starts. It's—heh—surprisingly therapeutic."

"Shooting me is therapeutic?"

She paused, caught up in her own statement. "Er, well, not you exactly. Just someone, in general, you know." Parker swallowed when Tom continued to stare at her. Awkwardly, she laughed. "Just... wait till you get out there, and you'll see."

Tom remained silent, blinking at her for a long, tense, moment before he rolled his eyes with a heavy sigh. And—

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

His gun went off before anyone could stop him, and Parker gaped at the trio of yellow paint that was now splattered across her chest. "Fucking ow!"

Tom smirked at her, blowing the muzzle of his gun for extra flare, before swinging it over his shoulder. "Huh. I guess you're right. I do feel better."

"Asshole!"

"Yeah, well, takes one to know one, right?" he snarked.

And—oh.

She could kill him. Really, seriously kill him.

But, well, the longer she stared at him and he stared at her, eyebrow cocked and a daring smirk in place, Parker realized above the hatred simmering in her chest, she felt something kindred and wanting flutter like butterflies. Something amused by the curve of his smirk, flushed by the scorching burn of his gaze, and—dare she think—understanding at the retaliatory strike. She had, afterall, shot first.

He had only lowered himself to her level; played by her rules.

And with a strong suspicion that Tom Ryder wasn't so much an asshole as he was just looking for someone to understand him, Parker's only response to that was to throw her head back and howl in laughter.

Despite this, no one else moved for a long moment, too busy darting their gazes between Parker and Tom in case they needed to intervene, but in an even more surprising turn of events, he laughed as well. Not so outright, and not nearly as loud, but he did. Prompted by his positive reaction, it wasn't long before Colt started to laugh, and then Jody, and then suddenly everyone was knelt at the waist in laughter.

It wasn't until their instructor honked a blow horn at them, none too amused with the pre-game warfare, that they calmed down. He honked the horn a second time at Parker and Tom, threatening to kick them out if they kept breaking the rules, and while they managed to stay straight-faced, the moment he turned his back on the group, they shared matching grins.

Maybe, she thought as they got into place, it hadn't been such a bad idea to bring him along.

And maybe, her brother thought at the exact same time, Parker and Tom being friends wasn't the end of the world.

[kittyball23]

What cover songs do you hope Brozone and/or the Royal Sisters do in the future? Both as individuals, duos or as a group?

Ooo! I got a few I think could work (though for some the lyrics will have to be slightly adjusted of course)

Time to Change originally from the Brady Bunch, it’s about growing up n stuff, plus its supposed to be a six-parter (easily can be made to a 7-parter for BroZone and the Pop Sisters), plus Trolls has featured Brady Bunch music before (Sunshine Day)

Hips Don’t Lie originally by Shakira and Wyclef Jean by Cliva, as it’s about dancing (and per my headcanon Clay’s the best BroZone dancer) plus it’s a duet

Home originally sang by the chipmunks in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip, a six-parter that can also be made into a 7-parter and has a portion of the song sung by just the boys, one by just the girls, and then both together

We Are Family sang by Keke Palmer and the cast of Ice Age: Continental Drift, which had a variety of lyrics that were sang by different characters

Pretty Girls originally by Britney Spears and Iggy Azalea by the Pop Sisters (bonus if its sung at Branch and Clay lol)

Eleanor Rigby originally by the Beatles by Floyd (because this is the song I thought he was going to sing in the movie since it has "Lonely People" lyrics in it too. Fr though, I think an acoustic cover by Troye Sivan would sound beautiful)

Dynamite originally by BTS by BroZone (I was holding onto a thread of hope months ago that this song would be in the movie, it’s one of my favorites from BTS)

ABC originally by the Jackson Five by BroZone (I was also holding out for this song in the movie)

Surfin’ USA originally by the Beach Boys by BroZone (for when they’re having fun on Vacay Island)

Feels Like Love originally by the Cheetah Girls in their third movie One World, and since it’s about couples it could probably be Broppy, Cliva, and probably even Sprandy

Macarena originally by Los Del Rio by BroZone and the Pop Sisters (I know it’s overused in media, but I picture it going like the Animaniacs version😂)

These are the ones I could think of off the top of my head, not sure for what situations they would apply though, but I'm sure it can be figured out 😌 If I think of more, I'll definitely add onto this ^_^

[cemeterygrace]

remembering my trans ancestors and those we’ve lost on this trans day of remembrance. they are all so loved by us, and unique in their own ways. fly high and know that you are beloved. for those not on this list, you are known and remembered.

rest in peace and in freedom.

🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️

NOVEMBER 2023

Savannah Williams

Bernardo Panteleon

Pepper Mychel Peterson

Mariah Ruby Rachel Williams

F. L. “Bubba” Copeland

Lola Laperla Ebony McDaniels

Shandon Floyd

Tiesha McFarland

Kejuan Richardson

Amiri Jean Reid

Mya Finch

Travis Stimeling

DECEMBER 2023

Demita Jo Armstrong

Onteris Owens-Campbell

Jesse Viviano White

Star Possum

Jermaine Golden

Meghan Riley Lewis

Zoey Flye

Madison Montana

Care Hansen

Amber Minor

Ashlei Jasmine Colgate-Edwards

Fleetwood Mars Mozee

Shelby “Lexus” Riddick-Walker

Kimbella Blackshear

Easley Jeffcoat

Tripp Schultz

JANUARY 2024

Lady Fabian Sanchez

James Moen

Dana Randolph “Desiree A. DeMornay”

Quin Joy

Sasha Williams

Jennell Jaquays

Sarina Mihailoff

Sasha Washington-Cohen “Sasha Fierce”

Guelila “Gigi” Iyob

Videl Lombardo

Savannah Rose Rivers Amore

Kathy “Otter” Ottersten

Robin Valentina

Forrest Douglas Buckley

Giselle Stone

Tristan Michael Bustos “Tristyn St. Clair”

Kitty Monroe

FEBRUARY 2024

Natalia Skye

Teddy Reese Curran

Erick Krouse

Noah Jackson Chase

Ellie Walsh

Nex Benedict

Emma “África” Parrilla García

Blakely Hanson

Righteous TK “Chevy” Hill

Ashton Myles Clatterbuck

Madison Nicole Spann “Madison St. Claire”

Cecilia Gentili

MARCH 2024

Diamond Cherish Brigman

Elliot Ganiel

Fae Morganna Barbone

Aurelia A. Legassey

Alex Franco

Meraxes Medina

Ty Geissinger “Ty Holiday”

APRIL 2024

Andrea Doria Dos Passos “Maggie”

Yella Clark

Allister Matthews

Tiffany Azalea Monceaux

Tara Fable

Randy Dudley

River Neveah Goddard

Tee “Ace” Arnold

George A. Schappell

Starr Brown

Robbi Mecus

Basil Brown

MAY 2024

Tayy Dior Thomas

Kita Bee

Kamryn “Cantrell” Smith

Jazlynn Johnson

Daelicious O’hare Mizani

Darri C. Moore

Niomi Jenkins

Michelle Henry

Saanti Bonét Valentino

JUNE 2024

Pauly Likens

M. Tapia

Lynn Conway

Liara Kaylee Tsai

JULY 2024

Dylan Gurley

Griffin Shaun Sivret

Kenji Zemonta Spurgeon

Ev Smith

Shannon Boswell

Levi Castillo

Lily Autumn Rose

Monique Brooks

AUGUST 2024

Noelle Woolley

Indiana Grayson

Vanity Williams

Tai’Vion Lathan

Jhzara “Femmie” Williams

Baxter Zachary Hawk

SEPTEMBER 2024

Kassim Omar

Liam Johns

Mahdia Lynn

Cass Trystero

Chilli Pepper

Barbie Iceland “Redd China”

OCTOBER 2024

Honee Daniels

Serenity Birdsong

Adela Vázquez

San Coleman

Zeta Muirgen Seraph Haber

[leviscxmkitten]

⋆⭒˚.⋆ SANDBOX LOVE [CHAPTER 2] ⋆⭒˚.⋆

Summary:

“I’ll come back for you.” Levi had promised, with a pinky wrapped around her own, and then his lips pressed against hers in a hasty kiss. It wasn’t their first but it was different, this time felt real.

His uncle pulled him away, and he was gone. The air was thick and heavy without him but his last words left her with a sliver of comfort, the feeling of his lips lingered like a second skin. The seemingly unfriendly little boy she had met and grown with, the first boy she loved - she watched him peddle away with misty eyes. That was her first heartbreak, the one she never saw coming.

He didn’t keep his promise.

It’s been 11 years since childhood best friends Levi and Azalea last saw each other. Now college students, what were the odds of them reuniting? Will old feelings bring them closer than before, or will it create a greater distance between them?

Cover art by Sumiensp on Twitter! 🤍

Azalea's not quite sure how much time has passed after her friends leave when she hears a knock; being too preoccupied with unpacking, and occasional coffee breaks. She rushes toward her door, standing on her toes as she peeks through the peephole when she recognizes Ilyana, and swings the door open.

"Oh, hey!" 

"Hey girl," Ilyana says, and Azalea catches sight of a bottle of wine being cradled in her arms. "I thought I'd bring by a welcome gift, and offer some help unpacking as a thank you for last night." 

Azalea smiles gratefully. "Thank you, yeah, that would actually be really great, come on in." She says, and steps aside to let Ilyana stride inside. 

"Looks cute in here already," She says as she walks in and sets the bottle onto the counter. "What can I help with?"

"Well you're just in time to help hang up some lights," Azalea says playfully as she pulls out an unkept mess of Christmas lights. "Or at least be here to dial 911 if I bust my ass doing it."

"Two short girls hanging up lights? Sounds totally doable," Ilyana laughs, helping to untangle the wires. "So, what're you coming to Paradis for?" 

"Oh, I'm majoring in psychology. I figured why not get extra credits for graduation here at one of the best universities in the country." 

"No fuckin' way." 

Azalea peaks over at Ilyana, her jaw dropped with an astonished look on her face. "Uhh -"

"I'm a psychology major too!" 

"You're lying." 

"I'm so serious!" She laughs and they both work on hanging up the lights around the balcony door. "That's perfect though, now I'll have back up when giving my friends unsolicited advice about all their behavioral problems." 

"Oh, I've absolutely got your back. That is one of my favorite activities, Isabel and Furlan always hated when I'd go brutally honest therapist mode on them." Azalea laughs, kneeling down to open up another box.

"Oh my god, same! Just wait until you meet the squad, they're absolutely crazy. There's Jean and he's a complete ...." Ilyana's voice fades out and Azalea's heart nearly drops into her stomach as she pries open this box. Sitting right on top is an old kids shoe box covered in stickers and sharpie drawings. 

She didn't remember packing this up, thinking back it must have been one of her friends who did. In a way she's thankful — but it also reminds her of the little piece missing in her heart. As she opened it, that little yarn bracelet and pendant engraved with the letter "L" was right where she left it.

"Hey, everything okay?" She hears Ilyana say, her friend now sitting across from her.

"Oh yeah, sorry. I just —" She pauses for a moment before holding up the bracelet. "I didn't realize this was packed up."

Ilyana takes it in her hand, carefully studying the pendant. "L... is this from an ex friend? An old lover?!"

Azalea looks back in the box, seeing old candy wrappers and dried flowers, all tucked on top of his old sweatshirt; little things she had saved that reminded her of him. 

"It's just a bracelet from an old friend, his name is Levi. We were really close when we were kids but he moved away. I haven't seen him since I was... twelve I think?" She says with a shrug.

"But... you kept all this stuff for this long." Ilyana says, a hint of curiosity and implication in her tone. "He must've been special."

Azalea looks at her with a soft smile. "He was." She sighs. "You know, first kiss and all that."

"Oh my god, I'm so invested now." Ilyana says excitedly, handing back the bracelet. "So what happened? You never found a way to contact him again after he moved?" 

"Pretty much. We were so young we didn't have cell phones or any way to keep in touch, I don't think he even really knew where he was moving to, and well now we're adults so it is what it is. He'll always be special to me though." She smiles back at the pendant, tucking it back into the box. 

"Whoa. Your life could literally be a Taylor swift song, all you need is to find him again and boom, her next top chart song." Ilyana says lightheartedly.

Azalea laughs, "We'd better get some of the royalties then if that ever happened."

The apartment was a mess of half-opened boxes and scattered belongings, but Azalea learns a lot about Ilyana as they work. Talking about anything and everything, as if they had known each other for years; touching on their favorite movies and books, shows and music. They joked about their friendship being fated, that being neighbors and meeting last night was meant to be. 

Hours slipped by unnoticed; the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the room. Suddenly, Ilyana's phone buzzed incessantly, interrupting their flow. She sighed, rolling her eyes as she swiped through a barrage of messages.

"Jean is blowing up my phone," she says, exasperated. "He's at the bar down the road with Connie and Sasha, they're apparently having a wing eating contest and he's bored of them. Would you want to go meet them and get some food?"

Suddenly aware of just how hungry she is, Azalea nods. "God, yes. Let me just change and fix myself up."

"I'll apologize in advanced for the heavy flirting Jean will do with you, if you're not interested just let me know and I'll tell him you're off limits." Ilyana pauses, "or if you're looking for an easy hook up, more power to you." 

"I'm not really looking for anything honestly, but also not opposed to anything either?" She feels her face warm up, realizing how unsure of herself she sounds. 

"Well I got your back either way, I'll be your wing woman or bodyguard, just say the word." Ilyana winks.

They're ready and headed out before long; Azalea feels her anxiousness about being introduced to an already close-knit friend group, though she doesn't admit it. She only hopes she clicks with the rest of them as easily as she had with Ilyana.

The bar is only a ten minute walk from their apartments, the streets lit up, bustling with college students reuniting after the summer break. It's all so different from her hometown, she tries to hide her awe as she takes it all in.

The bar is packed from the first step in the door. Azalea's nerves intensified, but Ilyana grabs her hand, guiding her through the groups of people until they reach a booth in the back. There, Azalea sees a brunette girl with a ponytail at the edge of the booth, her mouth covered in sauce as she devoured wings like her life depended on it. Next to her is a man with short gray hair and a pierced eyebrow, struggling to keep up with her pace. They must be Sasha and Connie. At the inside of the booth is another man with a brown mullet and light facial hair, scrolling through his phone, evidently not paying any mind to the two next to him. So that's Jean; Ilyana was right about him being attractive, that's for sure.

As they approach the table, Jean looks up and quickly nudges Connie's arm muttering, "Be cool." He glances up, hastily wiping wing sauce from his mouth.

"Hey guys, this is Azalea." Ilyana says. "Azalea this is Sasha, Connie and —"

Jean quickly stands up, bumping the table in the process as he extends his hand out. Azalea shakes his hand, before she can pull away his lips are pressed to the top of it with a small smirk. "I'm Jean. Ilyana didn't mention she was going to bring a beautiful woman such as yourself." 

Azalea giggles nervously, feeling herself blush under his hazel gaze. Ten seconds in and she's already questioning her ability to handle this level of flirting, especially with how attractive he actually is.

"Jesus calm down beanstalk, she just got here." Connie mutters, jabbing Jean in the side.

"Shut up Caillou." Jean retorts, punching him in arm as he sits back down.

Connie's eyes widen, "That joke is ten years old, get some new ones dickwad." He mumbles before his attention turns to Ilyana, smiling at her. "Hey Ilyana."

"Hey Connie," Ilyana says quietly as she slides into the booth next to Azalea. 

"Done!" Sasha shouts suddenly, slamming her fists onto the table then sticking a sauce covered finger in Connie's face. "Suck it, loser!" 

"Yeah, yeah. Were you even paying attention?" Connie shoves her hand away. "Ilyana and Azalea are here." 

"Oh." Sasha looks up and waves. "Hey, I'm Sasha!" 

"It's nice to meet you." Azalea smiles and waves back.

"Well that was an amazing introduction, I told you they were crazy." Ilyana says, wrapping an arm around Azaleas' shoulder. "But now you'll be part of the craziness too, you can thank me later." 

Jean orders drinks and food for the table; and while everyone talks amongst each other Azalea catches his gaze rarely shifting off of her. It's been a while since she's had attention like this, she does her best to smile softly at him each time their eyes meet. 

"So how did you two meet?" 

"Oh we're neighbors, I moved into the apartment last night and bumped into Ilyana, we just hit it off." 

"Nice, well hopefully we'll have some classes together so we can see more of each other." Jean smiles cheekily. "You'll be coming to our house show on Friday, right?"

"House show?" Azalea raises an eyebrow. 

"After the game we have a house party and we preform; our band." Connie chimes in. 

"He's the drummer, and the singer is yours truly." Jean winks. "Then there's Eren and Ymir too, I'm sure you'll meet them sometime. So you'll come Friday, right?"

"Yeah, I'd love to." Azalea smiles. "What game plays?"

"The college soccer team." Ilyana says. "They're a big deal here, and the first game of the year is against the rival school so it's going to be huge."

"I heard Zeke is coming back this season. Has Eren confirmed?" Sasha asks.

"Yeah he is, he's going to be coming in hot for the captain after last years game." Connie grins. "I still can't believe such a short guy has so much power, how he managed to twist Zekes leg on the field was awesome." 

"I've never heard of soccer being the college sport, isn't it usually football or something?" 

"You'll just have to wait and see the game. I'll get your ticket, we can go together." Jean smiles, hopeful but confident. Azalea's heart beats a little faster. 

"We're all going to the game Mr. Lover boy." Connie states, making Ilyana giggle softly.

"Dude shut the fuck up." 

"I'd like that." Azalea laughs, smiling at how flustered Jean is. "It'll be fun."

It's nearly midnight by the time they leave the bar, getting too caught up in conversation to notice how much time passed. In the time they were there, everyone coordinated class schedules and planned to meet up during free period at the cafe for lunch, Jean took a picture of her and Ilyana to be virtually introduced to Eren, Mikasa, Ymir and Historia in their group chat; and Sasha, in her wing induced coma, was practically carried out by Jean and Connie. 

Finally in bed, Azalea settles down. Her mind at ease about starting classes, at least she knows she isn't going into her first day alone. She sends the picture Jean took to Furlan and Isabel, just to let them know she's doing okay. 

Suddenly her phone vibrates — expecting it to be their reply, she's surprised to see it's Jean. 

Goodnight gorgeous, it was nice meeting you tonight. I hope I'm lucky enough to see you in my dreams.

Azalea can't help but laugh at the text, her chest getting tight and face warm. This fresh start is looking better already.

[ripempezardexerox]

Dices Merzbow, yo digo Justin Beiber

Dices Boredoms, yo digo Katy Perry

Dices Gerogerigegege, yo digo Skrillex

Dices Coil, yo digo Lady Gaga

Dices Throbbing Gristle, yo digo Black Eyed Peas

Dices Whitehouse, yo digo Taylor Swift

Dices Nurse With Wound, yo digo Bruno Mars

Dices Einstürzende Neubauten, yo digo Maroon 5

Dices Brainbombs, yo digo Drake

Dices Egor Letov, yo digo One Direction

Dices Death in June, yo digo LMFAO

Dices Current 93, yo digo Beyonce

Dices La Monte Young, yo digo Carly Rae Jepsen

Dices Moondog, yo digo Kelly Clarkson

Dices Lou Harrison, yo digo Coldplay

Dices Henry Cowell, yo digo PSY

Dices Luigi Russolo, yo digo Imagine Dragons

Dices Popol Vuh, yo digo Lana Del Ray

Dices Fishmans, yo digo Ellie Goulding

Dices Jean Jacques Perrey, yo digo P!nk

Dices Les Rallizes Dénudés, yo digo Owl City

Dices Rainbow Caroliner, yo digo Carrie Underwood

Dices Taj Mahal Travellers, yo digo Christina Aguilera

Dices Fushitsusha, yo digo Ariana Grande

Dices Peter Brötzmann, yo digo Rihanna

Dices John Cage, yo digo Jennifer Lopez

Dices Scott Walker, yo digo Ed Sheeran

Dices Unwound, yo digo Mumford & Sons

Dices Dead, yo digo Tyga

Dices Frank Zappa, yo digo Shakira

Dices Morton Feldman, yo digo Macklemore

Dices Captain Beefheart, yo digo Big Time Rush

Dices Pharoah Sanders, yo digo Akon

Dices Albert Ayler, yo digo Foster the People

Dices Ornette Coleman, yo digo The Weeknd

Dices Alice Coltrane, yo digo Panic! at the Disco

Dices Arnold Schoenberg, yo digo Florida Georgia Line

Dices Pierre Boulez, yo digo Big Sean

Dices György Ligeti, yo digo Gym Class Heroes

Dices Karlheinz Stockhausen, yo digo Miley Cyrus

Dices Nang Nang, yo digo The Lumineers

Dices Thinking Fellers Union Local 282, yo digo Jay-Z

Dices Nara Leão, yo digoCharlie Puth

Dices Basic Channel, yo digo Mac Miller

Dices Raymond Scott, yo digo Twenty One Pilots

Dices Delia Derbyshire, yo digo Harry Styles

Dices Daphne Oram, yo digo Charli XCX

Dices Noah Howard, yo digoBTS

Dices Terry Riley, yo digo Iggy Azalea

Dices Peter Sotos, yo digo John Legend

Dices Lula Côrtes e Zé Ramalho, yo digo OneRepublic

Dices Boyd Rice, yo digo Migos

Dices Mahmoud Ahmed, yo digo Logic

Dices Henry Flynt, yo digo Bastille

Dices Kazumoto Endo, yo digo Five Seconds of Summer

Dices David Tudor, yo digo Pentatonix

Dices Aporea, yo digo The Chainsmokers

Dices Half Japanese, yo digo Fall Out Boy

Dices Mega Banton, yo digo David Guetta

Dices Secret Chiefs 3, yo digo Greta Van Fleet

Dices Keiji Haino, yo digo Alicia Keys

Dices Ramleh, yo digo Kanye West

Dices Otomo Yoshihide, yo digo T-Pain

Dices John Zorn, yo digo Lizzo

Dices Joe Meek, yo digo WALK THE MOON

Dices Robbie Basho, yo digo Cardi B

Dices Phil Spector, yo digo EXO

Dices Faxed Head, yo digo Solange

Dices Harry Partch, yo digo Lil Nas X

Dices Wesley Willis, yo digo Disclosure

Dices Fred Frith, yo digo Sam Smith

Dices The Residents, yo digo Michael Buble

Dices Sun Ra, yo digo Paramore

Dices Sun City Girls, yo digo Linkin Park

Dices Hans Krüsi, yo digo Florence + The Machine

Dices Royal Trux, yo digo Rascal Flatts

Dices Jandek, yo digo Eminem

Dices Yat-Kha, yo digo Chance the Rapper

Dices Loren Mazzacane Connors, yo digo Mariah Carey

Dices Pärson Sound, yo digo Snoop Dogg

Dices The Dead C, yo digo Adele

Dices Comus, yo digo Shawn Mendes

Dices Cromagnon, yo digo Chris Brown

Dices Eliane Radigue, yo digo Camilla Cabello

Dices Arthur Doyle, yo digo Halsey

Dices Shizuka, yo digo The 1975

Dices The Red Krayola, yo digo Billie Eilish

Dices Henry Cow, yo digo A$AP Rocky

Dices Magma, yo digo Dua Lipa

Dices Opus Avantra, yo digo Kendrick Lamar

Dices Pan.Thy.Monium., yo digo Nicki Minaj

Dices Murmuüre, yo digo Madonna

Dices Ksiezyc, yo digo Britney Spears

Dices Gong, yo digo Post Malone

Dices Cukor Bila Smert', yo digo Jonas Brothers

Dices cLOUDDEAD, yo opino que te calles

Dices Muslimgauze, ¡¡ YO GRITO POP!!

Dices Kaoru Abe, y te parto la madre

El 92% de la juventud está escuchando Avant Garde Noise. Si eres parte de ese 8% que aun escucha música de verdad, comparte este post a tus contactos de facebook.

¡¡¡¡ No dejes que el espíritu del POP muera !!!!

[devilat-thedoor]

Wildflowers and Wine

A/N: i was yearning for soft!Sammy. i just really needed this, so it’s completely self indulgent. but maybe you guys will enjoy it too? So, here’s a fluffy lil Sam drabble💖

🌲🌲🌲

A weekend getaway was exactly what you needed to escape the stresses that life had been throwing at you. When Sam surprised you with a trip to a cabin deep in the woods, you were more than excited to have the alone time with him. You spent the night packing everything up and left first thing in the morning, “You’re gonna love it up in the Smokies, babe.” He lifted his hand from the wheel to grab yours in your lap, “There’s a really nice waterfall off of this one trail… It’ll be too cold to swim, but it’ll still be cool to see.”

Leaning over the center console, you placed a tiny peck on his jaw, “Thank you, Sammy. I really needed this.” His smile grew as he squeezed your hand. You reached over to turn the music up a bit and settled back into your seat, eventually falling asleep.

“Hey…We’re here, babe. Wake up.” His voice was a mere whisper as his fingertips brushed over your cheeks. It was almost as though he didn’t actually want to wake you up, but his whispers persisted, “Babe, come on.” He tugged at your arm and your eyes finally opened, blinking a few times, and settled on his face. Sam was standing outside of the passenger door, waiting for you to step out.

Once you exited the car, you got a full view of the cabin, “Oh. This is beautiful.” You spun in a circle, taking in the looming mix of trees. Maples and Pines. Oaks and Hickorys. You wanted to run straight into the woods to explore and he could sense it.

He grasped your waist, pulling you against him, “Let’s get you changed first, then we can go on a hike.” He had your hand, guiding you up the few steps to the front door.

You stopped, looking back to the car, “We have to unload the car, hun.” You tugged on him, but he kept walking, dragging you with him.

“I already carried everything in while you slept, c’mon.” He opened the door and allowed you to step inside. It was rustic and cozy, a small living space with the kitchen attached. Sam came up behind you, wrapping his arms around your shoulders and resting his chin on your head, “I can’t wait to get you in front of the firplace tonight, babe.” He kissed the top of your head before releasing you and pointing to the short hallway with two doors, “Bedroom is left, bathroom is right. Go put some jeans on and grab a sweatshirt. I’m gonna put a pack together to for our hike.”

Wandering into the bedroom, you found the bags laid neatly on the bed and smiled to yourself as you dug through yours to find a pair of jeans. After lacing your sneakers up, you emerged from the bedroom, hoodie in your hand, and met Sam in the kitchen, “Ready, baby?”

He was tucking a few water bottles into the backpack and stalking over to you as he zipped it up, “Yep. Let’s go, pretty girl.” He grabbed your hand, twirling you under his arm twice, and pulled you out the front door, closing it behind him.

🌲🌲🌲

“Sammy, what is this?” You leaned down, examining the peachy-orange flower clusters, surrounded by long, thick leaves.

He sidled up to the shrub, plucking one of the flowers, “Rhododendron.” He turned you to face him, pushing your hair aside to slip the flower behind your ear, “They call these ones Flame Azaleas. They can range in color from white to yellow, even red… But the orange ones are my favorite.”

“They’re so pretty.” You picked your own bloom, carefully placing it in the breast pocket of his flannel.

“Come on, babe. The sun is starting to set, we should get back.” He was smiling wide as he turned around to walk back up the trail.

You fell into step behind him until something caught your eye, “Baby, wait!” You took off through the trees, “What is that?” You were ducking through leaves and branches, pushing through a dense thicket, as he chased after you.

“Y/N, slow down!” He finally caught up, breathing heavy as he began to scold you, “Babe, there’s bears and shit, you can’t just- Woah…” You’re sure his face had to of matched the incredulous expression of your own.

You stood in a clearing, staring out over a varying array of colorful wildflowers and tall, flowing grass, “Sammy, this is- Look at the sunset!” You pointed out to the horizon, forcing his attention to the dipping, golden sun as it cast an orange hue over the earth before you, “Baby, did you bring your camera? You have to get pictures of these.” You sunk to your knees into the grass, running your fingers over the various flower petals.

When you turned to look at up at Sam, his eyes were already on you, the brown of them turning to a fiery amber in the sunlight, “I left it at the cabin, we’ll have to come back tomorrow.” His lips lifted into a warm smile as he held his hand out to pull you from the ground, “Let’s head back before it gets dark.” He weaved his fingers with yours and led you back to the trail.

🌲🌲🌲

The walk back to the back the cabin was short and dusk was falling fast. As you walked through the front door, Sam broke away from you and rushed to the bedroom. You didn’t question it, just slipped out of your shoes and pulled your hoodie off to hang on a hook. Padding into the small kitchen, you opened the cabinets one by one until you found the cups before calling out to him, “Baby, do you want some wine? I’m gonna start dinner.” He called back a “sure, babe.” and you filled two mugs with the red. You sipped yours with a soft hum and began chopping veggies on the large cutting block.

Sam appeared seemingly out of nowhere, wearing a sweater and carrying a flashlight, “I’m gonna grab some firewood outside. I’ll be back, okay?” He pulled you against him, pressing a lingering kiss to your lips.

You pulled back with a smile, “Hurry up, dinner won’t be long and I already poured your wine, hun.”

“I’ll be quick, promise.” He pecked your lips one more time and slipped away.

Your attention went back to the pot in front of you as you stirred the vegetable soup, bringing the spoon up to your mouth to taste it. Going to bedroom to retrieve your phone, you came back into the kitchen, clicking a random playlist on, and finished up the food. Song after song played, but it wasn’t until the soup was finished that you realized Sam wasn’t back yet. You cut the flame on the stove off and went to grab your hoodie to go find him but he was coming in the door before you stepped out of the kitchen, “Sammy, I was starting to get worried! What took so long?”

He was holding his hands behind his back with a beaming grin on his face, “I had a little side quest…” He pulled his hands around revealing what he was hiding.

“Oh my god, baby…” Your mouth hung open as you stared at the makeshift bouquet. A bundle of the all the diverse wildflowers you’d seen in the field on your hike, tied together at the stems with a few long pieces of the grass that surrounded them. He had to of gotten at least two of every species of flower there was, “Sammy, you went back in the dark and got these for me?” You took the bouquet from his hands and held it to your nose.

“Of course I did. I saw the way your face lit up when you saw them and knew I had to get them.” He watched you turn around and walk back to the kitchen, “Pretty flowers for the prettiest girl.”

“Thank you, honey, I love them.” You laid them across the countertop and went to the sink to fill a cup with water. When you turned back to him, He was standing in the middle of the room, drinking his wine, eyes locked on you, “Why are you looking at me like that?” You couldn’t hide the shy smile that ghosted over your mouth.

Sam set his cup down and stepped towards you, snaking his arms around your waist, “I love you…” He swayed you through the kitchen, holding you close while the music flowed from your phone, “I’ll pick all the flowers in the world if it means your eyes will light up like that.” He brushed the stray hairs from your forehead and began peppering your face with soft kisses.

You giggled through his attack, trying to shield your face, until he stopped and caught your lips with his, “I love you too, Sammy.” You wrapped your arms around his torso and held him tight as you laid your head on his chest, “I don’t need all the flowers… You make my eyes and my heart light up without even trying.”

He rested his cheek on the top of your head, humming along to whatever song played while he rocked you back and forth, “I’m still gonna pick you all those flowers tomorrow…”

[iwtvfanevents]

Rewind the Tape —Episode 3

Art of the episode

Just like we did for the pilot and for episode two, we took note of the art shown and mentioned in the third episode while we rewatched it. Did we miss any? Can you help us put a name to the unidentified ones? Do you have any thoughts about how these references could be interpreted?

On the Origin of Species*

Charles Darwin, 1859

* Not exactly art... ...and not exactly confirmed, but given the time, the subject of their conversation, and Lestat's "...this naturalist that fogs your mind" remark, this seems the most likely attribution for the book Louis is reading during the opening scene.

Darktown Strutters' Ball

Shelton Brooks, 1917

The song Antoinette is first singing was published that same year, and you can hear it performed by The Platters here.

Minuet in G

Christian Petzold, circa 1725

As pointed by @cardassiangoodreads in this post, the song Lestat first plays before he starts improvising is Petzold's Minuet in G, often falsely attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach.

Wolverine Blues

Jelly Roll Morton, 1923

While the scene in which Lestat improvises the melody happens in 1917, Morton would go on to record and release the song in Indiana in 1923.

Slave Auction

Jean-Michael Basquiat, 1982

Our very first look at Basquiat's Slave Auction comes in the third episode, though it will be the backdrop of most of the sixth. While some elements, like the crown of thorns, lend themselves to varied interpretations, it's clear this collage shows a boat (golden for money, perhaps) crossing a blue expanse, and the faces of the slaves being transported.

Mother Daughter and Twins 1

Rahmon Olugunna, undated

Rahmon Olugunna, born in Osogbo in 1975, is a member of the Oshogbo school of artists in Nigeria. His work represents Yoruban mythology as well as modern Nigerian life. He is represented by New Orleans curator Katie Koch. [Identified by @vfevermillion.]

Untitled ceramic totems

Julie Silvers, undated

Each unique totem is made by New Orleans native Julie Silvers, and they are distributed by New Orleans store Villa Vici. Two can be seen in the sitting room. [Identified by @vfevermillion.]

Javelina

Bryan Cunningham, undated

By "Junkyard Alchemist" Bryan Cunningham, who posted about it here. [Found by @iwtvdramacd18.]

In the same shot we can see an unidentified painting, maybe of a man's profile. Perhaps you can place it?

Untitled photo of loading docks in St. Paul, Minnesota

Bradley Olson, 2015 (Alamy Stock Photo)

Forty-two Kids and Cliff Dwellers

George Bellows, 1907 and 1913 respectively

Several Bellows pieces have been featured around Rue Royale already, in episodes one and two. [Identified by @nicodelenfent, here.]

Am I Blue?

Harry Akst and Grant Clarke, 1929 [Identified by @ouizaya.]

The song that Antoinette sings when Jonah first walks into the Azalea is actually an anachronism. Maybe a bit of commentary from Louis, as this post suggests.

Nocturnes, Op. 55: No. 1 in F minor. Andante

Frederic Chopin, 1842-1844

This is the song that plays during Jonah and Louis's escapade to the Bayou.

Roman Bacchanal

Vasily (Wilhelm) Alexandrovich Kotarbiński, 1898

Kotarbiński was a Polish artist and painter of historical and fantastical subjects, and co-founder of the Society of Kyiv Painters. [Identified by @nicodelenfent.]

Weeping Nude

Edvard Munch, 1913

Young Man kneeling before God the Father

Egon Schiele, 1909

Two more artists we've seen already, in episodes one and two.

Self-Portrait

Edvard Munch, 1881-1882

Bouquet in a theater box

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1871

While we have seen Munch's work already, this is the first Renoir featured. He was a French artist and a leading figure in the development of the Impressionist style. [Identified by @nicodelenfent.]

Church in Stein on the Danube

Egon Schiele, 1913 [Identified by @nicodelenfent, here.]

Ship in the Night

James Gale Tyler, c. 1870 [Identified by @vfevermillion.]

Tyler was a New York born marine painter, considered a self-taught artist.

If you spot or put a name to any other references, let us know if you'd like us to add them with credit to the post!

This week, we are rewatching and discussing Episode 4, …The Ruthless Pursuit of Blood with All a Child's Demanding. We can't wait to hear your thoughts!

And, if you're just getting caught up, learn all about our group rewatch here ►