#kind of thinking out loud

[charadriusnivosus]

Octave.

/

PART A: SOUND

'Pitch' in music refers to the highness or lowness of a sound, which is measured in hertz.

Pitches are named in music by using the first seven letters of the alphabet: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G.

If you arranged all the sound possible within the range of human hearing from low to high, it would be from around 20 to 20,000 Hz, give or take variations per individual.

To give an idea of what part of this range is used for music, see the following examples:

1. The piano has 88 keys which span the frequency range 27.5 Hz (at lowest key A0) to 4186 Hz (to highest key C8).

Pictured below shows every note on the piano within a range of 50 – 400 Hz, giving the associated frequency value for each musical note.

2. Voice. Almost all singing voices fall into one of six categories:

Soprano is the highest vocal type. They typically have a range from C3 (130.81 hz) to C6 (1046.502 Hz/High C), and some can go up to G6 or down to B3.

Mezzo- Soprano. This vocal type is the most common for females. They have a range from A3 (220 hz) to A5 (880 hz). Some mezzo-sopranos can reach as far down as G3 or up to C6.

Alto: Contralto or alto is usually the lowest female vocal type. They most often have a range from F3 (174.61 hz) to F5 (698.46 hz). Some contraltos can reach down to D3 or as high as A5. 

Tenor is usually the highest male vocal type. They most often have a range from C3 (130.81 hz) to C5 (523.25 hz), but some tenors can go as far down as B2 or up to F5. 

Baritone is typically the mid-range for males and their most common male voice classification. They generally range from G2 (98 hz) to G4 (392 hz), but some can dip to F2 or reach C5. 

Bass is the lowest vocal type, ranging from E2 (82.41 hz) to E4 (329.63 hz). Some bass voices can drop to C2 or stretch as far up as G4.

(Here's where you can test your own vocal range and here's where to find the hertz measurement thereof)

3. Violin. The violin's lowest note, G3, is 196 Hz while E7, the highest practical limit of the violin, is 2,637 Hz. A7, the highest actual note, is 3,520 Hz and D8 played using artificial harmonics is 4,698 Hz. The range for string family here slowly expands downwards moving to Viola (130 Hz – 1.8 kHz), Cello (65 Hz – 1.0 kHz), then Double Bass (range: 41 – 392 Hz).

[AUDIO HERE]

4. Erhu. “Full range: d1 to a3; practical range is d1 to d3; best sounding range is d1 to a2; From d#3 and above the instrument is very difficult to intone and has a weak dynamic. Useful only by virtuosi and in very transparent passages.”

5. Setar. “The setar is used mainly to play Persian classical music, called Dastgah. This instrument is played with the tip of the index fingernail, by strumming up and down. Its fingerboard usually has twenty-five adjustable gut frets, which provide the fundamental frequency range of 131 Hz to 831 Hz (two and a half octaves).”

6. Guitar. The range of frequencies across all types of acoustic guitars (small classicals to large-bodied steel strings), runs from roughly 80Hz to 300Hz.

/

Nowadays, the range of potential pitches in which we make music can now be marked out in hertz (of the pitch, skipping over harmonics and overtones which do come into what constitutes a note for some styles of music,) but how we determine what is a playable range of specific pitches as demarcated in modern musical notation is actually determined by the intervals between these pitches within an octave (even if the staff is visually arranged for the diatonic scale, why explained later.) A selection of these pitches are then made into scales, which can be described as the pallet of notes (scales are labelled for both a) the intervals between these notes or b) the number of notes in what would be considered a scale) that we make music for a song from. But before selecting what kind (and then perhaps key, if applicable) specific scale is used for a piece of music, how do we now determine the complete range of pitches a scale can be made from? Nowadays, the most common system used is: Equal Temperament. (Many arguments on the internet revolve around the concept of ET and the insufficient universality of the diatonic scale, which I think is sometimes interesting and sometimes not.) But the first thing to know about ET is that the reason behind why there are 12 semitones in an octave is because of Just Intonation.

/

PART B: JUST INTONATION

Currently- off of memory, (will edit later as I uncover more books from around the house,) our current system of measuring intervals within an octave (12TET) is in fact a system centered around the existence of the interval called the octave, (though not every music tradition uses or groups notes within octaves, it persistently exists as a matter of consonance. Some Greek sources measured a scale in a tetrachord, or to the P4 interval, but an octave is two identical tetrachords with a whole step in between them. Later notation in hexachords were suitable for 11th century monk music but were regularly extended into four chord intervals- which is essentially an octave.) The octave is a “natural phenomenon” even when it wasn’t a notated one. Today an octave is defined conveniently in hertz as: “the distance between one note and another note that’s double its frequency. For instance, the note A4 is the sound of a vibration at 440 Hz. The note A5 is the sound of a vibration at 880 Hz. Going in the other direction, the note A3 is the sound of a vibration at 220Hz.” Logarithmically, the frequency doubles per octave going up. A3 and A4 are different pitches, but considered the same “pitch class,” which would be all possible As whatever octave position. (The term pitch class is a part of music set theory, which is apparently related more to group theory and combinatorics but I need the term.)

The interval of an octave (first two notes):

[AUDIO HERE]

In terms of describing an octave before hertz: Two notes with the interval of an octave between them are two notes that are identical relative to themself - and any interval that is expressed within one octave can transposed to be repeated exactly the same type of interval in another octave.

Just Intonation, which came before hertz, is more or less an enduring ancient practice of tuning according to the ratio of a fundamental pitch within an octave. "Pythagorean tuning," (another type of just intonation dividing notes within an octave by focusing on how fifths and thirds produced resonance,) is based off of stacking notes within an octave according to ratios based exclusively on perfect fifths, (which sounds better to me and does pop up frequently across cultures, but is also taken advantage of as intentional disharmony as the scale cycles up in beatles songs, for example. [AUDIO HERE] (maybe expand this) but both of these styles of arranging notes within an octave result in slightly different and imperfect ratios between certain sets of intervals, but also use same amount of pitches within an octave (which is seven, not including the last note.) (This does not apply to some styles of music but afaik is used as common reference in notation.) (I’ll put in more specific examples later.)

This style of ratio-based intervals based off of fifths and octaves (researchers have determined by measuring ratios of length of strings in harp like instruments) seem more or less referenced across cultures, even if the 7 notes are not exactly in the same exact hertz per interval, or even are considered a range of notes in a scale, or with the same modern usage of key. The matter of the hertz measurement of Equal temperament not being exact for certain songs applies even within scales for any song in western canon, because Equal Temperament is meant to be used as an approximation for various common and shifting just tunings in the same way 365 days is technically an approximation for the exact length of a year.

The exact measurement of this “smallest interval” in Equal Temperament, based off of accommodating this reoccurring pattern with a mathematical compromise, divides the notes within an octave into twelve equally spaced intervals called "semitones," or "half-steps," measured by building up 12 notes from a single ratio, which is then further split by cents, which becomes relevant in more specific analysis of scale for more complicated music.

What this perfect division of 12 semitones within an octave means is that only the octave is "just," and the ratios for any other tuning within are no longer exact for any style of just tuning. (This has a history, I'll post about it later if time allows.) Though ET doesn't guarantee exact tuning, and isn't meant to, it does guarantee that all music can realistically be notated and read on a staff. It also ensures an instrument doesn't have to be completely retuned every time a song in a slightly different key is played.

It’s generally acknowledged that when people sing and/or play string instruments together, they tune to a subtle variation of Just Intonation, where not only strings but chords are unconsciously tuned according to a more pleasing harmony/ratios to eachother- which is just off of ET by a few hertz.

This might be most noticeable in barbershop quartets, where major (primary triad) chords tend to ring more than minor and tuning relies on harmony- which influences common song selection and sound of what you think of barbershop quartets and logically, monk choirs. (may conveniently explain why ionian is usually taught first.) (I should check this before saying it but it is really hard to harmonize songs in certain modes + keys and I don’t think it’s my imagination. Key seems to matter more.)

Between an octave on a piano, all 12 adjacent key (including the black keys) within are divided by the interval of a half step, and playing every half step in an octave is called the chromatic scale.

[AUDIO HERE]

(b is flat, which means down a semitone, and # is sharp, which means up a semitone. What this means is that C# and Db is the same note, which is what is referred to as an enharmonic. The reasons for these overlaps in naming conventions are both historical and sometimes useful (indicator of a type of resolution or sound or technique) but really don’t matter right this second.)

But in either method of measure, an octave is 12 semitones. So what is the interval of a fifth?

/

PART C: RATIO

If there are only 12 semitones (or their approximates) to start on within an octave before the frequency repeats and you are starting on functionally the same 12 semitones by this measure, there are a limited number of "consonant" or (especially when tuned ratio proper "just") pitches within this range. - and harmony is more than presumption, it reoccurs- especially in fifths.

In tonal music, some harmonic intervals are considered to be consonant, whereas others are considered to be dissonant. The terms consonant and dissonant can be defined roughly as meaning pleasing to the ear and not pleasing to the ear, respectively, but these are very dependent on context.... All major and minor thirds and sixths and perfect 5ths and 8ves are consonant. All other harmonic intervals, including all augmented and diminished intervals, are dissonant. An exception is the P4, which is considered dissonant in tonal music only when it occurs above the lowest voice (also called the bass, in both vocal and instrumental music.)

However, for the duration of this post, I am not referring to these definitions in the vertical harmony in a chord, which I’m not sure were visualized as such in cultures that developed scales, including Ancient Greece (famous for emphasizing harmonic intervals,) until Daseian notation, but how people across cultures also construct consistent scales for music that sounds consonant and consistent to them. (It’s more accurate to define "dissonant" as "full of tension," or "less settled," rather than saying "displeasing." historical renaissance definitions aside.) Anyway, for talking about Greek harmony “tradition” in scales, I only care about two intervals: the octave and the fifth; an interval consonant across cultures, that nobody needs a specific music theory background to gravitate to or include in melodic music. Formally, a fifth is 7 semitones up from it's root note (tonic/key is the first note of whatever octave being used, root note is the type of the chord, usually the bass/lowest note in a triad chord).

The interval of a fifth:

[AUDIO HERE]

/

PART D: TONE ROW/SCALE

Once you have 1) the interval of 12 semitones within an octave (even if the size of these “smallest” intervals were originally identified or recreated by ear or the mathematical length of a lyre when used consistently in a culture’s music) into 12 pitch classes, and 2) the interval of a “consonant” fifth- the rest of the “tone row” or “scale” writes itself.

In the history of Western notation, the now most commonly used scale, is the Diatonic scale, the pattern of 7 notes within an octave. But why these 7 pitches at what pattern of intervals chosen out of 12 possible pitches (that it created the intervals within an octave necessary to determine for in the first place?)

Historically, there are a few independent ways that this scale probably developed to it’s current understood state, but here's the most convenient one in terms of measuring pitch and interval. All 7 pitch classes of the diatonic scale can be reached by stacking a chain of six “fifths.” This means- starting from any pitch class- any frequency- moving up 7 semitones six times will land more or less on 7 different pitch classes before looping back to start again on the original starting pitch class and repeating.

For visual example- starting from F: (including the first letter as one count five letters up)

F-C-G-D-A-E-B (then a fifth up would loop back to F)

(you can also try any note the exact division in cents seems arbitrary and has an unclear history to me. In terms of pure ratio, the pythagorean tuning is: C - G - D - A - E - B - F#(Gb) - C#(Db) - G#(Ab) - D#(Eb) - A#(Bb) - F - C with the comment: Well, the top C is a little off, but we can just contract it (by 24 cents, called the Pythagorean comma) and it's pretty much perfect. The only problem with Pythagorean tuning is trying to move to different keys on the one instrument. If you change key without retuning your harpsichord, that Pythagorean comma is going to pop up in a different place of every scale. Not fun.)

Anyway, when simplifying the interval pattern on 12TET, and flattening F and C by a little, and putting the resulting pitch classes are put together within an octave, no matter which note is considered first- this forms what is called a “diatonic scale."

You may have heard the diatonic scale in it’s format presented most basic to kids as the Major scale (which is actually the Ionian mode (which means “interval pattern” of the 7 notes of the diatonic scale)) as Do Re Mi.

The interval pattern of the Ionian mode of the diatonic scale is: (W -W -H - W - W -W -H)

(a whole step/tone is two half steps/semitone intervals put together.)

[AUDIO HERE]

The diatonic scale, ionian mode pictured on a piano here starting on C:

And so- as the “diatonic scale” is a series of intervals between seven notes (a circle of fifths, even,) the “mode” or pattern of intervals on the scale change depending which of the seven positions, or “degrees,” that you start from.

If you use the mode/interval pattern that starts on the first degree- (afaik arbitrarily labelled as such, probably notable because it has the easiest and most likely to “ring” chords (M3 P5 interval from tonic) in harmony if this mode is used as home base for the song,) it is called Ionian mode, also known as the Major Scale.

Starting on the second degree of the pattern: Dorian Mode has the interval pattern (W -H - W - W -W -H -W)

Third Degree: Phrygian (H - W - W -W -H -W-W)

Fourth Degree: Lydian (W - W -W -H -W-W -H)

Fifth Degree: Mixolydian (W -W -H -W-W -H -W)

Sixth Degree: Aeolian (W -H -W-W -H -W -W) (natural minor scale)

Seventh Degree: Locrian (H -W-W -H -W -W -W)

(Note each interval pattern is just the first note of the pattern shifting one degree up) And that’s every diatonic scale. (Even if in practice some of them get fudged into each other and are less commonly used in full truth, likely because of something like tritone resolution to primary triads.) If the interval for any part of this pattern is changed, (such as the harmonic minor scale, which is aeolian with a 7 raised a half step, or melodic minor scale, which is aeolian with the 6 and 7 raised a half step (descent is natural minor)), then the scale is no longer “diatonic.”

This is clearly not how all cultures describe their tone row, even if the emphasis of consonant fifths in ionian and pure force of stylistic habit enforcing minor scale + variations (i'll glance again at jazz theory) means that large portions of scales will likely directly reproduce in any culture with the emphasis on vocal and string instruments, which harmonize among seconds, thirds, fifths, octaves- and various tension/active notes -> triad resolves, of which every part of can't all just be culturally ear trained, basic relations will show up in any music that tries to develop compositions based on sound and mood rather than planned randomness, or so my theory goes.

Koron means down a quarter step.

NEXT: CHORDS, MAQAM and...

Canmom wrote about this more thoughtfully, I also want to explore my own thoughts on various things I have read over the years.

[star-struck09]

Slowly, I will learn what it means to be kind to myself.

[crumb-crumblet-s-crumbington]

different POV of this comic

x

[snipdoodle]

bonus comic strip i made for class

[vaguely-concerned]

lucanis reading romance novels out loud to spite in the seventh attempt to explain to him what sex is and spite bemusedly being like 'wow you people really get up to that shit I thought that was just a bit mortals did or something'

[butchmammon]

obey me stoners who’s in your dream blunt rotation who’s in your nightmare blunt rotation I’ll go first

dream: mammon (says really stupid stuff that makes you laugh really hard, can keep up with insane and convoluted bits), beel (experienced stoner, keeps a cool head when everyone else is fried out of their minds, always has munchies), belphie (really good at finding the most comfortable spot to smoke, passes out early so you don’t feel bad about getting sleepy), asmo (will fill the silence with chatter when you’re too high to think anymore, looks really pretty with hooded eyelids <3)

nightmare: levi (the filter is always wet when he passes it back to you :/), solomon (he’s your dealer but the kind that it feels really weird to smoke with yet he insists on smoking with you every time you buy from him), lucifer (NEEDS to fucking relax, gets paranoid instead), barbatos (seems completely unaffected by the blunt and makes you feel stupid)

[headsplit2008]

something inside of me is trying to get out to you

[waitineedaname]

I've finally done what I inevitably do for nearly every fandom i get into: I've made a deranged spreadsheet tracking some linguistic element in a piece of media! this time it's tracking the usage of swears in Scum Villain. if you're curious, here's the full spreadsheet, but I'll write up my findings here

some notes on my methods!

I differentiated between internal and external use. external use is pretty straight forward, that's just dialogue said out loud. for internal use, that's when it's used in the narration. obviously, this is skewed towards Shen Qingqiu as our primary POV character, but occasionally the narration dips its toes into other characters' perspectives, so I kept that in mind and assigned the usage to whoever seemed most relevant in that snippet of narration. also, in the case of the transmigrators, I also counted speech directed at the System as internal because they're less likely to self-censor when talking to the System because no one else can hear them

this was done by searching for specific words and their variants in online copies of the official English translations of all four books. there are a bajillion different swears in the English language, but I tried to focus on the most common/most likely to be used. also, since I was searching for the words manually, there are going to be some that are missed because they're written out abnormally, like lengthening the word for emphasis (eg. fuuuuuuuuuck) or censoring it (eg. b- [BLEEP]). side note, i don't know why the hell SQQ ever censors anything since he seems pretty comfortable thinking some pretty foul things without censoring them, but whatever.

now for the results! data breakdown under the cut

in total, of the swears I searched for, there's 286 swears across all four books. book two is the most vulgar, with 82 swears, and book three is the least, with only 52. book two also has the most variety (14 different words) and book three has the least variety (only 10 different words)

perhaps unsurprisingly, out of these 286 swears, SQQ's internal narration is responsible for 200 of them. his most used swear is "fuck" which appears 106 times in total and 86 times from SQQ (internal) specifically

following SQQ (internal) in the rankings is Shang Qinghua (internal) at 30 in total. his most used swear is "fucking." after that is SQH's external dialogue (14 swears, most used is "fuck") and then SQQ's external dialogue (11 swears, tied between "fuck" and "fucking"). considering how much he swears in his head, I think SQQ is exhibiting a surprising amount of restraint when it comes to swearing out loud!

aside from the transmigrators, the most vulgar side character is, surprisingly, Shen Jiu! he gets two internal uses of "fuck" and two external swears ("shitty" and "damn"). these are all from when he was younger, so perhaps this is a habit he broke when he got older and had to present a particular image as peak lord

the only other side characters who swear are Sha Hualing (internal), Bingge (internal), Linguang-Jun (external), Qiu Jianluo (external), and Ming Fan. all of them only swear once except Ming Fan, who gets two (one internal and one external)

of the 18 swear words I tracked, SQQ used all of them except one. the only person to say "bitch" is Ming Fan, out loud. #MingFanMisogynyMoments

SQQ does, however, have a monopoly on motherfuck/motherfucker/motherfucking, goddammit, dumbass, dick, and pussy. damn dude, you kiss your disciple with that mouth?

pre-transmigration, Shen Yuan swore three times in one forum post, those being "fucking," "damn," and "ass."

most usages of "ass" are for emphatic purposes, like "Relax, my ass!" Both SQQ and SQH really enjoy this construction lol

despite volume two being the most vulgar, it has the least variety of speakers! SQQ is responsible for all but two of those swears, the other two belonging to Sha Hualing and Ming Fan. volume four has the most variety, likely because it just involves a wide variety of characters

and that's my data roundup! go forth and use this as a resource when choosing how to insert swearing into your SVSSS dialogue <3

[antiadvil]

Hey so I just watched PJ’s side channel video about how he and Sophie got stuck in traffic trying to deliver something to Dan and Phil. Great video, super funny. No one warned me that when PJ and Sophie realized they’d have to stay in London, Dan and Phil booked them a hotel?? There are at LEAST three bedrooms in their house what kind of rich person bullshit is that??

[star-struck09]

I hope life is kinder to you today than yesterday.

[a-scary-lack-of-common-sense]

You know what, fuck you, I'm not listening to your bullshit anymore *takes out my hearing aids*

[luxaofhesperides]

Ghostlights cuddling for comfort, but also they're oblivious idiots who are pining over each other but thinks its unrequited

“Ugh,” Duke says, dropping down onto the bench besides Danny.

Danny nudges him with his shoulder. “Rough night?”

“Slept for like an hour,” Duke mutters, “This sucks. My head’s going to burst like balloon and my eyes are about to fall out.”

“Yikes. You know, you could have just canceled for today. I wouldn’t have minded.”

Duke sighs and presses the heel of his palms against his eyes. “Maybe, but I would have minded. We barely see each other anymore, man. I’ve missed you.”

“Oh.” Danny bites his lip, trying and failing to stop from smiling. Something soft in his chest glows at the words, a growing spark of happiness in knowing that for this, at least, the feeling is requited. It’s nice to hear that he was missed, and it would be even nicer if Duke wasn’t in pain, pushing himself just because he didn’t want to cancel. Carefully, Danny reaches for him and pulls his hands away from his face. “Here,” he says, “Let me.”

His hands are always cold. Most of him is cold, really — side effect of having an ice core. Sam told him once that his hands were better than an ice pack, and he’s hoping she’s right or this is going to be weird. 

Danny gently presses his fingers against Duke’s temples, his hands cradling Duke’s face. Duke is tense for a few seconds, then abruptly relaxes, leaning into Danny’s hands. 

“Is this helping?” he asks, voice hushed to keep from aggravating Duke’s migraine.

“Mhm. Yeah, it feels great. Thanks, Danny.”

Duke goes completely limp, leaning against Danny. They sit there for a minute in silence, the rest of the world feeling far away. As nice as it is to just exist together, he knows what Duke needs most right now is quiet and stillness. Gotham is very much not that, and every honking car that passes by makes Duke wince, trying to turn away from the road even more.

“Hey, let’s head back to my place. It’s close by, and a lot quieter than out here.”

“Are you sure? I know we planned to go to the arcade today…”

“The arcade can wait. You’re more important.”

Duke blinks open his eyes and looks at Danny with something soft in his gaze. Being so close together, barely any space between them, with Duke looking at him like that makes Danny’s cheeks flush red, unable to think anything but please kiss me.

Which is never going to happen. Duke is his friend, and just his friend, no matter how much Danny wishes they could be something more. It’s a pipe dream, something so impossible it’s almost laughable. 

Duke likes being friends with normal human Danny. He doesn’t want to imagine how he would react if he found out about Danny being half ghost, assuming this imaginary reveal happens without Danny being hunted down and cut open by GIW agents. 

He’s still in hiding, always waiting for the worst as he stays in the apartment his friends (living and dead) had set up for him. The building is for ghosts so it technically doesn’t exists, which means it’s the safest place for Danny while he’s actively being hunted by the US government. 

He can’t be honest with Duke. Can’t be as close to him as he wants to be. Duke deserves more than to be dragged into Danny’s problems and put in danger.

Even so, Danny can’t help but want him around, pushing his luck each time they hang out.

“Come on,” Danny urges, standing up. He pulls his hands away and Duke’s brow immediately furrows, his pain returning. “It’s only a few streets away.”

Duke sighs, then visibly braces himself before he stands up. Danny tucks himself into Duke’s side, taking as much of his weight as he can as he walks them down the street. It’s times like these that he wishes he could reveal his powers safely and just fly them to his apartment. But even without the GIW gunning for his head, showing off powers in Gotham is a sure fire way to get a target painted on his back.

“Almost there,” he says as they turn a corner. 

His apartment doesn’t have a fixed address. It doesn’t have a fixed location at all, drifting around, but it likes this street the most, so this is where it usually is. Danny takes them halfway down the street, then turns into an alley, following his ghost sense. 

Where there’s usually a dead end is instead a building, looking as if it’s always been tucked away in this alley. Danny keeps a tight grip on Duke as they climb the front steps, silently asking for the building to let him stay while he’s with Danny. The door opens easily, which is as good as an agreement, and they’re inside without anything going wrong. The small entrance lobby is empty, with an area for packages filled with clearly magical artifacts carelessly wrapped in bubble wrap. 

Danny drags them past that quickly, hoping Duke doesn’t notice, and calls the elevator down. It arrives silently, the doors opening to let another tenant out. Carefully, Danny positions himself in front of Duke, making sure he doesn’t see how the tenant, who nods at Danny, has a still bleeding wound in his stomach that has him nearly split in half. 

“Alright,” he says, ushering Duke into the elevator, “Just a little ride up and then you can lay down.” He hits the button for the fourth floor and they ride up in silence, Duke dropping his head down to onto Danny’s shoulder again, wrapping his arms around his waist as he stands behind Danny. He’s glad Duke can’t see his face; there’s no doubt that he’s blushing like crazy and if that doesn’t give away his feelings, he doesn’t know what will.

Thankfully the elevator ride isn’t long. If Danny had to go for more than a minute with Duke breathing softly against his neck, his warm hands on his stomach, Danny would have collapsed into a pile of flustered goo.

He opens the door to his apartment and kicks his shoes off. Duke follows in suit, still plastered onto Danny’s back, refusing to let go. 

“Come on,” Danny says, leading him to the couch, “Sit down and I’ll grad you some water and painkillers.”

Duke nods against his shoulder, then slowly detaches himself from Danny and makes his way to the couch. He drops onto it gracelessly, pressing his face into a cushion. 

Danny winces. He must be feeling really bad. He knows how bad migraines can be with sleep deprivation, having suffered through high school with only a few hours of sleep at night, if he got to sleep at all. Frankly, it’s a testament to Duke’s strength that he lasted the entire walk to Danny’s apartment without complaint. 

He returns to the living room with a full glass of water and a bottle of Advil, setting them on the coffee table to crouch next to the couch and place a cold hand on Duke’s cheek. “Hey,” he says softly when Duke turns to look at him, “Is Advil alright? It’s all I had.”

“Yeah, that’s fine. Thanks, Danny.”

Duke sits up and shakes out three pills, then washes them down with water. He drains the rest of the cup quickly, then falls back against the couch with his eyes squeezed shut.

“Is there anything else I can do to make you feel better?”

Duke immediately reaches a hand out for him.

“Um?”

“Sit next to me. I feel better when I’m next to you.”

“Oh! Alright. Bet you’re only saying that because my hands are cold.”

“You caught me,” Duke laughs, pulling Danny onto the couch. He goes easily, tucking his legs beneath himself, and places his hands on Duke’s temples again. “Man, I owe you my life.”

“I don’t think my cold hands are worth quite that much.”

Duke hums, but doesn’t say anything else, so Danny settles in and focuses on keeping his hands a little colder than normal. 

The apartment is quiet. No sound from outside can reach them, one of the few ways the building looks after its tenants. Danny and Duke fall against each other, at ease with each other. There’s no need to fill in the silence, and with Duke’s eyes closed, Danny doesn’t have to carefully shove down his feelings and act normal. He indulges in the warmth of Duke’s body pressed against his, a hand on his knee and an arm around his waist. 

He keeps his hands as steady as possible as he looks over Duke, adoring all the little details he can see; a small scar on his chin, the fullness of his lips, the way his hair falls into his face now that it’s long enough to keep in braids.

“I can practically hear you thinking,” Duke murmurs, “What’s on your mind?”

You’re cute, he thinks, I feel safe with you. I want to kiss you. I wish I could be brave enough to be honest.

I wish I was brave. I wish I was brave. I wish I was brave.

“Nothing,” he says. “Feeling better?”

“Yeah. I might fall asleep though.”

“That’s fine. You know I would never say no to a nap.”

“Come here, then,” Duke says, and before Danny can do anything, Duke gets a stronger grip on his waist and pulls Danny down on top of him as he falls back towards the arm rest and gets his legs on the couch.

“Duke!”

Duke laughs underneath him, and Danny can feel it roll through him. Okay! This is definitely something he’s going to think about… forever. Wow, he can feel Duke’s abs tense up as he laughs, and has he always been ripped? Unfair. Also unfairly hot. 

“Is this alright?” Duke asks, voice soft and quiet. There’s a hesitancy around his words that Danny doesn’t like hearing, and he brings his hands down to sweep his thumbs soothingly over Duke’s cheeks.

“Of course it is, man. I’d never refuse cuddles.”

“Okay. I’m gonna pass out now. Wake me in an hour?”

Danny moves his hands back up to his temples and says, “Sure. Get some rest, Duke. You really need it.”

He feels Duke relax beneath him, breaths slowing down as he begins to fall asleep. It’s peaceful and quiet and Duke is warm in a way Danny never can be with his ice core. He doesn’t mean to fall asleep, but curled up on the couch with Duke in the safety of an apartment that only barely exists has him drifting off in no time at all.

. . .

(Duke wakes up before Danny. Their legs are tangled together and Duke has moved during his sleep, turning so Danny is held tightly to his chest, his back to the cushions, while Duke is balancing very carefully at the edge of the couch. 

It’s been hours, and he should be heading home soon, but he stays as he is, enjoying this quiet moment for as long as he can have it. Danny is in his arms, safe and content with him, his head no longer hurts beyond a residual ache he can easily ignore, and he can admire how pretty Danny is without being worried about Danny catching his lingering stares. 

These moments are precious to him, rare as they are, and he wants nothing more than to kiss Danny once he’s awake and let his feelings be known.

But the Signal has lots of dangerous people after him, and Gnomon has started causing problems in Gotham again. So he’ll bite his tongue and keep his less platonic feelings buried under lock and key until it’s safe enough for Danny to be around him more often.

And when that time comes, he can only hope that Danny will feel the same way.

That’s all far away from the stillness of Danny’s apartment. All that matters is that he has Danny in his arms. Everything else can wait. 

For now, this is more than enough.)

[noseysilverfox]

Favorite traditions, rules, moments and features of autumn:

1. The rustling of leaves underfoot and their bright iridescence over the head with fire and gold🍂🍁💛🧡❤️;

2. Cozy evenings under a blanket with a book in hand. Enjoying hot drinks while it's raining outside;

3. Harvesting, and then cooking compotes, jams, marmalade, salting and pickling. Winemaking. Pies😄;

4. For me, it's time for dates. I was born in September. It's my parents' wedding anniversary in October and this month I met my love 7 years ago. Besides my best friend's birthday in November🎂;

5. Long nights, it's time for candles and garlands;

6. The finest hour of accessories is coming: scarves, gloves, hats and caps, oh, and an umbrella (I love umbrellas☔️);

7. Every autumn we go out to some picturesque park, manor or city, catching the "golden autumn". This is the name of the period of maximum leaf staining in trees before falling off. It lasts 1-2 weeks🍁;

8. Fairs, festivals and exhibitions;

9. Seeing off the migratory birds and enjoying the sunsets, which have now become brighter and more contrasting;

10. Helping the plants in the garden overwinter;

11. Thick fog and the first frost on puddles and in the grass;

12. Halloween🎃 It's usually a horror night for us. We watch various horror movies in a row until morning, and then, of course, I'm afraid of any rustle😄;

13. At the same time, autumn brings changes and makes you think about the future;

14. First thoughts about Christmas gifts!🎄🎁;

15. Rapid heartbeat when you see the first snow❄️

And what are your traditions and favorite moments in autumn?❤️ I'll be very glad to read about them😉

Любимые традиции, правила, моменты и особенности осени:

1. Шуршание под ногами листьев и их яркие переливы над головой огнём и золотом🍂🍁💛🧡❤️;

2. Уютные вечера под пледом с книгой в руках. Наслаждение горячими напитками, пока за окном дождь;

3. Сборы урожая и осенних грибов, а затем варка компотов, джемов, варенья, засолка и маринование. Виноделие. Пироги😄;

4. Для меня это пора дат. В сентябре я родилась. В октябре годовщина свадьбы моих родителей и в этом месяце 7 лет назад я встретила свою любовь. В ноябре день рождения моей лучшей подруги🎂;

5. Длинные ночи, пора свечей и гирлянд;

6. Наступает звездный час аксессуаров: шарфы, перчатки, шляпы и шапки, ох, и зонтик (обожаю зонты☔️);

7. Каждую осень мы выбираемся в какой-нибудь живописный парк, усадьбу или город, ловя "золотую осень". Так называют период максимального окрашивания листьев у деревьев перед опаданием. Он длится 1-2 недели🍁;

8. Ярмарки, фестивали и выставки;

9. Провожание взглядом перелетных птиц и наслаждение закатами, которые сейчас стали ярче и контрастнее;

10. Помощь растениям в саду уйти на покой перед долгой зимой;

11. Густой туман и первый морозец на лужах и в траве;

12. Хэллоуин🎃 для нас это обычно хоррор ночь. Мы до утра смотрим подряд разные ужастики, а потом я, конечно, боюсь любого шороха😄;

13. В то же время осень дарит перемены и заставляет думать о будущем;

14. Первые мысли о подарках на Новый Год!🎄🎁;

15. Учащенное биение сердца, когда видишь первый снег❄️

А какие у вас традиции и любимые моменты осенью?❤️ буду очень рада почитать😉

[elvispresley]

The Beatles - New York press conference (1965)

[star-struck09]

I wish I was as kind to myself as I am to you.

[iktend]

At first, i believed that if i say as little as possible, people wouldnt dislike me. You can imagine my astoundment when i realized thats not how it works.