#lazy saturday for creativity

[norabrice1701]

So, I guess this is what happens when I ignore a crush for ~12 years...

5 completed fics posted

1 in-process posting fic

1 fic wrapped & ready for Christmas Eve

4 fic WIPs

And, apparently, my brain likes Zemo in niche sport AUs (which is so unlike me, I'm not very sporty). But I'm playing around with an enemies-to-lovers idea, and I made a thing for the working summary:

Working Title: High Octane

Working Summary: When legendary offshore powerboat racer Tony Stark rolled his ‘Iron Man’ boat at the Key West World Championships and retired two weeks later, the offshore racing world upended. When he announced you as his successor, not even you could have predicted that you'd win two world championships within the next four years. But ever since Zemo Racing burst onto the offshore scene, you've been frustrated in more ways than you're willing to admit. Since Zemo's debut, it's been two long years of second places, narrow misses, and drowning in his sea spray. It all comes to a head at this year's Key West World Championships.

(This WIP is already 45+ pages long, and may be a thing in Jan/Feb '22...? Either way, I'm enjoying writing a snarky, cocky Stephen Strange as the reader's co-pilot)

The day may come when this blog won't be so Brühl-centric, but it is not this day...(especially not when those GIFs of Father Antonio are also simmering in the back of my brain...)

[sacerdotessa]

Days of the week and astrological influences:

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If you’re an IG page and want to repost this, don’t forget to tag the creator: @sacerdotess4 on IG

Don’t plagiarize, you were born original, don’t die a copy.

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Do you know that every day of the week is connected to a specific planet? For example, if you were born on Friday it means that Venus is a significant planet in your birth chart, you're deeply connected with this planet.

If the placement connected with your day of birth is afflicted, the description might not suit you.

Monday is connected with the Moon:

Those who are born on this day are emotional, sensitive, moody and intuitive. The Moon is such an important planet in your birth chart. You need deep emotions and intimacy, those around you might perceive you as someone who is intense and melancholic. You might feel attracted by the occult, mysteries and magic. You might feel connected with the phrase “those who don't believe in magic will never find it”. You need actions and changes, like the Moon, you're someone who moves fast and needs to explore every single shade of emotions. Practice magic on this day for prophetic dreams, divination, discovering secrets, everything connected with emotions and feminine energy.

Tuesday is connected with Mars:

Those who are born on this day are active, energetic, strong, determinate, passionate, competitive and aggressive. Mars is such an important planet in your birth chart. You always need a goal, something to achieve, a new challenge, without these kind of stimuli you feel annoyed and lost. You might be interested in sport or physical activities in general, you might like to walk, run or dance, it's dangerous for you to stay inactive for too long. You might be perceived as dominant and in charge. Practice magic on this day if you want to achieve something, for sexuality or if you want to speed things up.

Wednesday is connected with Mercury:

Those who are born on this day are curious, smart and talkative. Mercury is such an important planet in your birth chart. You're extremely curious and you like to discover new things, you might be the first person that check out that new tv program or that listen to that new album, new things in general makes you feel excited. You're talkative and expressive, you always have an opinion about everything, you might also be informed about a lot of different themes. You might like to travel and learn new languages. Practice magic on this day for a good result in a test and memory.

Thursday is connected with Jupiter:

Those who are born on this day are lucky, spontaneous, charming, generous, confident and optimistic. Jupiter is suck an important planet in your birth chart. You're optimistic, it's easy for you to feel happy and enjoy the little things in life. You might like to travel, to learn new things and to explore the world. Sometimes you might be kinda lazy. You're easygoing, extroverted and open minded. Practice magic on this day for good luck, travel, happiness, success, new opportunities and money.

Friday is connected with Venus:

Those who are born on this day are kind, charming, attractive and creative. Venus is an important planet in your birth chart. You're attracted to beautiful things, everything connected with beauty and aesthetic appeals you. You have a nice taste in music, art and fashion. You might be an artist or someone who is very creative. You're optimistic and confident, it's easy for you to enjoy the little things in life. You appreciate those who are polite and well educated. You might be extremely romantic. Practice magic on this day for everything connected with love, sex, partnership, friendships, beauty, creativity and self-love.

Saturday is connected with Saturn:

Those who are born on this day are perfectionist, ambitious, stoic, rigid and introverted. Saturn is an important planet in your birth chart. You're organized, methodical and efficient. It's important for you to learn every lesson that the life has to offer. You're not afraid to work hard, obstacles doesn't scare you. Even if you're extremely polite, those around you might perceive you as someone who is intimidating. You're strong, smart, logical and driven. Practice magic on this day for everything connected with the authorities, for setting boundaries and karma.

Sunday is connected with the Sun:

Those who are born on this day are optimistic, strong, charming and inspiring. The Sun is extremely important in your birth chart. You're a natural born leader, those around you feel inspired by the way you talk. You're might be self-centered and kinda selfish, you're your top priority. You're full of hope and trust. It's easy for you to feel lucky, you tend to enjoy the little things in life. Practice magic on this day for money, success, happiness, purpose, inspiration.

ko-fi ☕️: sacerdotessa

[jgoddesstarot]

Pick-A-Pile: What will Saturday mornings be like with your Future Spouse? 💋(18+ only!)

🚨🚨Minors (anyone under 18) DO NOT INTERACT WITH THIS POST - KEEP SCROLLING🚨🚨

👑Check out my masterlist to see all of my pick-a-card readings😊

🔮Disclaimer: This reading is for entertainment purposes only. Tarot readings are based upon my intuitive interpretation of the cards and about possibilities based on your current energy. Energy is forever changing and nothing is set in stone. Always remember, you have your own free will to make whatever decision you feel is best.

🔮How I read: I use a mix of tarot cards, oracle cards, along with my intuitive abilities of claircognizance, clairaudience, and clairsentience.

🔮How this works: Close your eyes and take 3 deep breaths, pick the pile you are most drawn to. If you aren’t drawn to any pile then that’s okay, these messages aren’t for you. Also, it's ok if you're drawn to more than one pile! There might be messages in there that resonate with you as well.

Pile 1:

Tarot Cards: 8 of Pentacles, 5 of Pentacles, 2 of Swords, 4 of Wands,

Oracle Cards: Bride, Recurring Thoughts, Forgiveness & Healing, Communication

Angel Numbers: 11 (I Am Intuitive), 111 (I Am Creative), 16 (I Am Perceptive)

Pile 1, Saturday mornings with your future spouse will be amazingly nourishing to your soul. Your fs is a strong emotional support for you (in a healthy not codependent way) and will talk you through your insecurities, fears, self-doubts, and indecisions on any matters you're dealing with at work, with friends, with family, etc. They CARE and they want to see you happy. You will be happy with them overall because on top of the physical attraction, I feel there's alot of emotional attraction and nurturing in this connection as well.

I'm also getting that your future spouse will be a bit older and more emotionally mature than you are. They can intuitively sense when something isn't right with your mood or demeanor though you try hard to keep things to yourself to not feel like a burden. They are perceptive about your moods and will address things even if you don't share them...and they do it in such a loving and supportive way! Not intrusive or judgmental at all! Saturday mornings is a special time of healing for you two to talk and communicate privately. Oh, and this definitely is a future spouse with the bride oracle card coming out.

Random words: lazy and warm, comfortable, soft cashmere, morning light, lattes and laughter, a happy family, thoughts and journaling

Pile 2:

Tarot Cards: King of Wands, Justice, The Star, 9 of Pentacles

Angel Numbers: 15 (I Am Wise), 77 (I Am Brave), 1212 (I Am Focused)

Oracle Cards: Wisdom, Endings & Beginnings, Embrace, Pleasure

Saturday mornings are going to be all about strategy and "a meeting of the minds" my Pile 2! Your future spouse is extremely financially successful (I'm getting hedge fund manager, portfolio manager on Wall Street, etc.) and they are very good at making money. Not just that, but they truly understand how money works and are in love with the art of making it (this isn't a greedy energy, this is more about they understand the energy of money and how to play with it, attract it, etc.). You my Pile 2's do not have to work but you're very smart about money and/or very highly educated so Saturday mornings are like a power meeting between you and your fs!

And you two discussing things about the stock market, crypto, socio economic impacts on the world economy, etc. actually gets you both in the mood for sex! It's not that money turns you two on per se, it's the intelligence and spirited conversations and/or debate (you two know how to disagree in the most healthy and respectful way...other couples envy this about you!) that makes you attracted to one another all over again!

Oh, I'm getting that you and your future spouse are both health-conscious and are SUPER HOT! (If you're not the most health-conscious person now, you are currently doing shadow work and through this work are coming to a very healthy & balanced place in your relationship with food, exercise, your body, etc.)

So these Saturday morning discussions about money get you two all hot and bothered and lead to mind blowing sex!

Pile 2, I'm getting that your future spouse travels alot for work but your Saturday morning sessions are something that they can't wait to get home to tell you about their trip and have very stimulating conversation and hot sweaty sex afterwards.

Pile 3:

Random words: scotch and whiskey, coffee...black, Italian espresso, city nights, Tribeca loft, Upper East/West Side, all black everything, Gucci bags and Hermes rags

Oracle Cards: Twin Flame, Confusion, Stability, Fertility

Tarot Cards: The Empress, The Hierophant, Queen of Pentacles, Knight of Cups

Angel Numbers: 1 (I Am Innovative), 10 (I Am Ingenious), 222 (I Am Balanced)

Pile 3 you are my spiritual pile! I see you and your future spouse spending time meditating together, then transitioning to naked yoga then Tantric sex!

For some of you, this is a twin flame connection, but I see it as a soul connection either way of two evolved individuals. This means by the time you're with your future spouse, Pile 3, you will have done the shadow work, self-work, etc. to be a health and balanced individual in and of yourself and so will your future spouse.

There's a lot of passion but coolness here (balance). This connection has a lot of stability to it and I can see that one of your Saturday morning "spiritual workout" sessions will likely (and fairly easily) result in pregnancy with the Fertility oracle card coming out. So if that's not what you want, wrap it up!

The feelings of emotional, material, financial, and romantic/love abundance is what I keep getting but they are all coming through in an equal measure which is making me feel, once again, that this relationship with your future spouse is very balanced. You two are very aligned spiritually and work with your own individual spirit guides, higher selves, etc.

I see one of you actually having a job or business in something spiritual, like a yoga or meditation teacher, and are very successful at it. Whomever this person is is very innovative and highly respected by their students or clients.

I'm also sensing that you two take time to give one another adequate space. The coolness that I'm feeling in this connection is not something negative or bad. It's something quite healthy and restorative to keep your connection strong and healthy.

Random words: iced coffee, breath in and exhale, mint herbal relief, breath of fresh air, snuggle but snow, cool eucalyptus

🌟 I hope this reading resonated with you! Please reblog & let me (and others know) what pile or piles resonated with you!🌟

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[garbagewitchcraft]

Chakras Correspondences

~*1ST - BASE/ROOT CHAKRA*~

I AM // I HAVE

Location: Base of Spine. Sanskrit: Maladhara (root, base, support). Color: Red. Mantra: Lam. Petals: 4. Element: Earth. Shadow Element: Greediness, Jealousy. Sense: Smell. Energy: Male. Planet: Saturn. Day: Saturday.

SYMBOL:

Crystals: red, black, brown -  Hematite, Obsidian, Garnet, Ruby, Tourmaline, Red Jasper, Smoky Quartz. Body Correspondences: lower digestive tract, urinary tract, lower limbs, joints, bones, spine, gland - adrenal, nerve plexus - coccygeal. Other Correspondences: ages 1-7, Kundalini, spicy/red/greasy food, physical exercise, the volcano, grounding, nature, spending time outside, cooking, gardening. Keywords: security, safety, basic survival, needs, sense of belonging, balance, habits, routine, community, physical body, foundation, money, wealth.

~*2ND - SACRAL CHAKRA*~

I FEEL // I WANT

Location: Genitals/Groin. Sanskrit: Svadhisthana (established self). Color: Orange. Mantra: Vam. Petals: 6. Element: Water. Shadow Element: Shame, Repression. Sense: Taste. Energy: Female. Planet: Moon. Day: Monday.

SYMBOL:

Crystals: orange - Carnelian, Amber, Tiger Eye, Orange Calcite, Sunstone, Citrine, Snowflake Obsidian. Body Correspondences: reproductive system, sexual organs, gland - gonads, nerve plexus - sacral, body’s fluids. Other Correspondences: ages 8-14, flowers, crescent moon, orange food, aphrodisiac food (chocolate, figs, strawberries, oysters), group activities. Keywords: sexuality, adventure, joy, creativity, feelings, passion, pleasure, relationships, sense of abundance, well-being, fantasies.

~*3RD - SOLAR PLEXUS CHAKRA*~

I CAN // I WILL // I DO

Location: Center of the Stomach Sanskrit: Manipura (city of jewels, lustrous gem).  Color: Yellow. Mantra: Ram. Petals: 100. Element: Fire. Shadow Element: Laziness, Recklessness. Sense: Sight. Energy: Male. Planet: Mars. Day: Tuesday.

SYMBOL:

Crystals: yellow, gold - Citrine, Golden Tiger Eye, Yellow Calcite, Golden Rutile in Quartz, Peach Moonstone, Pyrite, Golden Mookite. Body Correspondences: upper digestive system, upper limbs, fingers,  nerve nlexus - plexus, gland - pancreas, metabolism. Other Correspondences: ages 15-21, Sun, citrus, sour food, manifestation, yellow food, make a first move, food rich in carbohydrates. Keywords: willpower, ego, motivation, confidence, purpose, identity, taking control, self-worth, self-esteem, personality, choice, freedom, authenticity.

~*4TH - HEART CHAKRA*~

I FORGIVE // I ACCEPT

Location: Middle of the Chest. Sanskrit: Anahata (unstruck, unhurt, unbeaten). Color: Green and Pink (high frequency). Mantra: Yam. Petals: 12. Element: Air. Shadow Element: Grief, Resentment. Sense: Touch. Energy: Female. Planet: Venus. Day: Friday.

SYMBOL:

Crystals: green, pink - Rhodonite, Rose Quartz, Emerald, Malachite, Green Fluorite, Green Aventurine, Green Jade. Body Correspondences: heart, blood and lymph system, liver, lungs, spleen, immune system, gland - thymus, nerve plexus - cardiac plexus. Other Correspondences: ages 21-28, the bridge between earthly and spiritual matters, volunteering, charity, vegetables, green foods, healthy foods. Keywords: empathy, love, compassion, forgiveness, boundaries, trust, peace, gratitude, acceptance, transformation.

~*5TH - THROAT CHAKRA*~

I SPEAK // I EXPRESS

Location: Throat. Sanskrit: Vishuddha (purification) Color: Light Blue, Turquoise Blue. Mantra: Ham. Petals: 16. Element: Ether/Sound. Shadow Element: Lies, Manipulation. Sense: Hearing. Energy: Male. Planet: Mercury. Day: Wednesday.

SYMBOL:

Crystals: light blue stones - Agate, Blue Lace, Amazonite, Lapis Lazuli, Larimar, Turquoise, Sodalite, Apatite, Azurite. Body Correspondences: hormones, teeth, upper respiratory system, ears, lower sinuses, jaw, neck, throat, muscles, shoulders, nerve plexus - pharyngeal, gland - thyroid. Other Correspondences: ages 29-35, etheric body, soothing foods and liquids, blue foods, singing, acting, painting. Keywords: communication, truth, self-expression, listening, speaking, internal dialogue, creation, connection to spirit.

~*6TH - THIRD EYE CHAKRA*~

I PERCEIVE // I THINK

Location: Between Eyebrows. Sanskrit: Ajna (beyond wisdom, perceive, command). Color: Dark Blue, Purplish Blue, Indigo. Mantra: Om. Petals: 2. Element: Light. Shadow Element: Arrogance, Ignorance. Sense: Intuition. Energy: Female. Planet: Jupiter. Day: Thursday.

SYMBOL:

Crystals: blue crystals - Sodalite, Purple Fluorite, Dumortierite, Kyanite, Lapis Lazuli, Angelite. Body Correspondences: eyes, sinuses, ears, sleeping, nerve plexus - carotid, gland - pineal.  Other Correspondences: ages 36-42, midnight sun, arctic cycle, visualization, daydream, realm of spirits, archetypal dimensions. Keywords: wisdom, clarity, self-awareness, reflection, intuition, thinking, spiritual communication, eye of consciousness, knowledge, psychic abilities.

~*7TH - CROWN CHAKRA*~

I CONNECT // I UNDERSTAND

Location: Top of the Head. Sanskrit: Sahawara ( the bridge to the cosmos). Color: Purple, White. Mantra: Aum. Petals: 1000. Element: Thought. Shadow Element: No Connection to External World. Sense: Reflect. Energy: Male. Planet: Sun. Day: Sunday.

SYMBOL:

Crystals: white and purple - Amethyst, Purple Fluorite, Clear Quartz, Selenite, Moonstone. Body Correspondences: nervous system, hair, nerve plexus - plexus, gland - pituitary. Other Correspondences: ages 43-49, purple/white food, lotus flower, fasting. Keywords: enlightenment, divine, higher power, higher guidance, cosmic energy, unity, clarity, universal consciousness, what’s sacred, awakening.

~*EXTRA CHAKRAS*~

0TH - EARTH STAR/SUPER ROOT CHAKRA

I AM GROUNDED

Location: Below the soles of your feet. Sanskrit: Vasundhara (Daughter of the Earth). Color: Black, Dark Red, Dark Brown. Crystals: Red Jasper, Fire Agate, Smokey Quartz, Black Tourmaline, Black Obsidian, Black Onyx, BLACK KYANITE. Function: being connected with the power of Mother Earth, origin of your DNA, knows the karmic patterns linked to your soul, foundation that connects you to past lives and to all of humanity, oldest spiritual home,  dispelling negative energy and channeling positive energy from the earth,  being rooted in something greater than oneself

8TH - SOUL STAR CHAKRA

I TRANSCEND

Location: Above the Crown Chakra. Sanskrit: Sahasrara (thousand petaled). Color:  White, Translucent, Golden. Crystals: Blue Kyanite, Spirit Quartz, Clear Quartz  Function:  Akashic records,  access to forgotten information about your past lives and soul purpose, seat of your soul, regression, shamanic healing, psychic trance, and mediumship, our connection or gateway to the broader universe, the cosmos, or “all that there is.”

[linda-en-mark]

#popdollsofthenightmay20 #librarymafia @libraryofthenight @foreverinastory . 🌺 . #popdollsoftheoutside 😅 so I took some of my gorgeous pops for a stroll in my garden 🤗🦋🐝 I thought I will some photo’s outside... Azriel thought it funny to lay between some flowers.. After that he took Feyre to and bird platform .. And Aelin was admiring the new roses 🌹.. . 🌺 . How was your day? . 🌺 . #outside #saturday #funkopop #dragondress #roses #flowers #birdhouse #creative #photochallenge #photography #fandoms #wingspan #lazy #crazy #fun #bookstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CAi1GiYl6pU/?igshid=1ub3ld8ez287b

[userwasredacted]

A bunch of hairstyles Plasmius can and cannot pull off

I.. do not get this hair at all TwT Vladdie I love you but what the hell is that? Why? Why the not horns? If you can buff yourself up as plasmius I know you have control over your ghost form so whatttt is thattt????? still its the cannon and we must have respect for this. 5/10 baseline

Okay okay. Not my taste but I can see you rocking this look. You did use it in your college years. Sure its old fashion but its fine, youre old anyway XD 7/10 wear what you like! Even if people make fun of you for this. Also I can see you still doing an evil speech with this hair.

Ah yes. the classic evergreen low pony tail. you look good in this. its nice. Simple and yet effective. Plus it wont get everywhere when you're in a battle. Elegant. But on the other hand, it's just the same hairstyle so no points for creativity or effort. 4/10

High ponytail. looking good. a bit different from the low ponytail but still a pretty classic hairstyle. still feels lazy but at least theres some variety. 6/10

Something more modern yes yes. Looks pretty decent. But totally takes away any threatening vibes tho. doesn't really complete the whole saturday morning cartoon villian. 4/10

Fantasy elf. an easy hairstyle that only needs 2 rubber bands. Looks nice, but more pretty than threatening. Something to wear when you wanna put on the charm and flattery. Also I do see this on a vampire but the sexy kind so i'll take it. 9/10

hmmm edgelording it a bit. How will you fly with that hair flapping all over your face? I like the slick back and the undercut though. 3/10

hmmm... yeah nah. 3/10

HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA 2/10

10/10 and I hate myself.

[you-are-so-much-better-than-that]

I haven’t done a joy list in too long, so thank you Macy my love for starting this!! I love you and your joy! You come pop in here and you spread it all over. It’s infectious! 

I was tagged by @celestialmickey​ @xninetiestrendx @squidyyy23 @energievie @metalheadmickey @rereadanon to share some of my joy. Here’s my list:

Spending time with family. I spent Friday and Saturday with my sister and her family, and even though her in-laws aren’t technically my family, they treat me like one of the siblings

My sister’s nephew’s birthday was yesterday and my brother in law surprised him by dressing up as Elmo

Medical technology! Guys, there’s a machine I use every day that uses ultrasound waves to encourage blood to my bones so they can heal and I just find that absolutely wild what science can do!

Charlie and Leah who ruin my furniture but are my besties

Watching TV with Julissa every night. I’m gonna make dinner and watch tv anyway, but it’s infinitely better with a friend!

When a tv show I’ve watched for a while ends well and doesn’t make me wanna shake the writers

Mild late August days where the weather during in the day is sunny and breezy and warm but not super hot and the nights are kinda cool and lovely

Lazy Sundays where I just watch cooking shows all day.

@galladrabbles! You guys are amazing and I love scrolling down my feed and seeing your creativity

@gallacrafts! See above!! Participating in that zine was one of the greatest joys of my life!

I’ve been going to the pool every week to do my physical therapy there and it’s less torturous and kinda fun, And I’m able to exercise my whole body without putting too much stress on it. And I made friends with an old woman named Margaret who’s getting her knee replaced soon and comes to the pool to exercise before her surgery. So we commiserate.

Hanging out with my niece and nephew. Watching them grow is such a pleasure! They’re my favourite people in the world.

Babies!! People close to me are having babies and I get to go hang with them and hold them and read to them and when they poop I just give them back!

All of you! Your words your art your ideas your love your joy! This community and all the friends I’ve made are a constant source of joy and I am so grateful to have found you all and to be here.

Let’s spread more joy! I’m not sure who’s already done this, but even if you have and wanna share more joy, please do!! I’m gonna tag @thisdivorce @gardenerian @whatthebodygraspsnot @whaticameherefor @whatwouldmickeydo @heymrspatel @howlinchickhowl @tidalrace @smokey-mickey @creepkinginc @gallawitchxx @milkovichy @sickness-health-all-that-shit @y0itsbri @mrsinistertype @mikhailoisbaby @iansfreckles @ianstummy​ 

[moodymelanist]

Gwynriel trolling Nessian in some way (pretending there's nothing going on between them, making lewd noises then acting normal when Nessian walks in the room, etc) Let your creativity run wild!

P.S. Love you babe! 💜💜💜

heheh I’m gonna have fun with this. thank you for the prompt babe, love you!! 💕💕

context: Nessian is staying at Azriel and Rhys’ home, they’ve been ~loud~ and Gwynriel exacts revenge. modern au.

When Azriel agreed to let Nesta and Cassian stay with him and Rhys, he hadn’t quite anticipated just how loud they would be.

He didn’t mean loud in the normal sense - he didn’t mind Cassian stomping up and down the stairs, or the booming sound of his brother’s laugh. He definitely didn’t mind Nesta finding increasingly random reading spots in the house, since she read silently other than the occasional gasp or chuckle.

No, Azriel’s problem came between the hours of one and three in the morning.

The first night hadn’t been so bad, since they’d at least tried to be quiet. His room was across the hall from the guest room Nesta and Cassian were staying in, and he could hear the occasional bump or hushed giggle. He’d just sighed, pressed a pillow around his ears, and managed to drown them out enough to go to sleep.

The second night had been much worse. Since neither Azriel nor Rhys had complained about the noise, Nesta and Cassian must have figured they either didn’t care about the noise or were being quiet enough. So when Azriel eventually got tired enough to go bed, it was just his luck that he closed his eyes at the precise moment a headboard slammed against the wall.

His eyes snapped open as he prayed that it was a fluke, but he got his answer when he heard the same sound again. And again. And again. And again. He prayed again that hopefully they’d finish quickly, but of course they couldn’t do that, and he didn’t get to go to bed until almost two hours later.

The next morning Azriel was silently seething as he showered and got ready for the day. It was a Saturday, so he didn’t have to go to work, but he still liked to be presentable. As he pulled a sweater over his head, he debated what he was going to say to Cassian - not Nesta, he didn’t want to be murdered - when an idea popped into his head. An idea involving revenge and a certain redhead who he was sure would love to be involved.

Rhys was already out running errands, so Azriel didn’t have to worry about pissing off his other brother as he texted Gwyn and asked her to come over. She appeared within half an hour and as he explained his plan to her, a devious smile began spreading across her lovely face.

“So you want me to help you get your revenge on Nesta and Cassian?” she asked. He nodded and she clapped her hands together rather gleefully. “I am so in.”

“I thought you’d need more convincing,” he replied, leading the way upstairs to his bedroom. Cassian and Nesta’s door was still closed as they passed it, which was exactly what they needed for this plan to work.

Gwyn just laughed at him while closing the door behind her. “Are you kidding me? I lived with Nesta for a year back in college. My earplugs were very well-loved.”

“Some things really never change,” Azriel muttered. He made sure they both took their shoes off before they got onto his bed and he did an experimental hop, satisfied with the sound it made.

She gave him a mischievous smile and did her own test bounce. She was lighter than him so the effect wasn’t as big, but it would do. Besides, he could move the bed plenty on his own - he just needed her to yell at the top of her lungs.

“Ready?” Azriel whispered. Gwyn nodded and he counted down before aggressively jumping up and down on his bed. She started making the most obscene noises, from loud moans to curses to even his name, while he focused on making the headboard slam against the wall.

Within a few minutes Cassian was banging on his door. Azriel grinned at Gwyn, both of them out of breath and holding back laughter, before walking over to answer it.

“Can I help you?” Azriel asked. Cassian had clearly just woken up and hadn’t even put a shirt on before coming over, and had hickeys in so many places that Azriel didn’t even want to think about how long it had taken Nesta to put them there.

“Yeah,” Cassian replied. “Stop being so loud.”

“Only if you do,” Azriel retorted. “You two are like rabbits, and while I’m happy for you, I need you to be quieter rabbits.”

His brother huffed a laugh in a way that had Nesta written all over it, but he agreed. He gave Azriel a lazy salute and walked back to his own bedroom.

When Azriel turned back around, Gwyn was swinging her legs while sitting on his bed. She looked up and gave him a high five once he got close enough and her smaller hands were much smoother than his own.

“Mission accomplished?” she asked.

“Mission accomplished,” he confirmed.

[agent-bash]

Do you think the uproar and petitions will actually do anything

So I’ve gotten a few asks like this, I’m just too lazy this early on a Saturday to screen shot the rest, so. Blanket answer for all of y’all.

Potentially. Not in a they’re going to go back and rewrite a bunch of shit, today kind of way. But things like this have brought cast members back to set in the past. I’ve cited it before but AJ Cook and Paget Brewster. The uproar was very similar when these two were let go from Criminal Minds. People protested, people made petitions similar to what we’re seeing with Jesse. They felt the love from a lot of fans, from their fellow cast members, members of their crew (the executive producer even left production and claimed this was a factor in his leaving) and both were asked back to the show in season 7. Now there is still a lot more unknown about Jesse’s departure compared to these two back in the day(creative and budget cuts were given as reasons PDQ). Then there’s always the factor of ‘Will he want to come back?’ He might not. And that’s okay too, but trying doesn’t hurt.

[argylemnwrites]

Sunday Morning

Pairing: Drake Walker x MC (Riley Liu)

Book: The Royal Romance (It Couldn’t Wait Another Moment universe, about seven years after Why Are We Still Waiting?)

Word Count: ~1750

Rating: PG-13 (language)

Summary: “I’ve had this dream of mine since I was like 21… about Sunday morning. Waking up Sunday mornings early, my wife is there. She’s asleep. And then you can hear these little feet coming up the stairs… She’s like, ‘Daddy, I’m hungry.’”

“‘Okay, alright.’ I go down to the kitchen; I take her. And you know she wants the one thing Momma says you can’t have. She wants cookies for breakfast… I’m trying to be... “Daddy’s girl,” you know, all that type of stuff. So I sneak her a little cookie and we go play, and that’s it. We chill, and then eventually Momma wakes up, she comes down, and she plays with us.

“And, you know, for me, it’s just quality time. It’s just quality time with family. I don’t need anything more than that. I don’t want anything more than that in life. When I see you... I see Sunday morning.” ~ Riley Christian

Author’s Note: Breaking my hiatus just a little bit early. This is definitely an unplanned one shot, set long after WAWSW?. I was getting caught up on some TV now that my exam is (thankfully) behind me, and I watched the Bachelor in Paradise finale, because I clearly have no taste. The quote above came from one of the contestants, Riley, as he told Maurissa, the woman he proposed to later that episode, how he felt about her. It was one of the most touching moments I’ve ever seen on a reality dating show and it actually made me feel genuine emotion - at least enough to get the creative juice flowing. So congrats to Maurissa and Riley, a couple I think has an actual shot at lasting in the real world! And don’t mind me as I use this reality TV moment as fanfic inspiration, hahaha!

The sun was just peeking between the slats of the blinds as Drake blinked, slowly transitioning from asleep to awake. He rolled over, checking the time on his phone that was charging on the nightstand. 6:14. Well, Riley wouldn’t be up for a while. He let out a sigh, rolling to his other side and taking her in, passed out on her stomach. Her hair was getting longer, back like it was before Jackie was born, and it fanned out over the pillow, a sea of black, her face barely visible. He’d never understood how she could breathe through that thick mass, but she’d always claimed that it was less bothersome than him trying to keep it off her face, so he just let it be.

He knew he probably wasn’t going to fall back asleep, but there was something just so damn nice about being able to take a lazy morning, lounging in bed with his wife. Sundays were just like that. Riley sometimes had to work either Friday or Saturday night, but that was rare on Sundays. Sundays were usually just the three of them, bumming around. Sometimes, they’d head to Prospect Park, or they’d go out for lunch, but other times they literally didn’t leave their unit. It was always relaxing and just enjoyable.

Drake shifted slightly, moving to grab his book off his nightstand when he heard a floorboard creaking through the bedroom wall. He paused, and sure enough, the squeak of the hinges of Jackie’s door followed just a few moments later. He kept quiet, trying to determine if he was going to need to get out of bed and intercept whatever mischief she would undoubtedly get into if she was left unwatched. During the day, she could usually be trusted to play quietly by herself, but she’d recently decided she would make herself breakfast in the mornings. It had usually just meant some spills and sticky messes in the kitchen, but last Sunday was Mother’s Day, and Jackie had attempted to make pancakes for Riley as a surprise. It was a sweet thought, but the end result had been spending the entire morning in urgent care. Drake supposed it was a blessing she shattered the mixing bowl early in her effort. Getting some glass shards removed from her foot and a handful of stitches in her palm and sole was probably better than if she’d gotten as far as turning on the stove and burned her hands. But after that, she was officially banned from cooking without one of them in the kitchen. Drake was just curious to see whether or not she followed the new rule.

A couple of seconds later, Drake was able to let out a sigh of relief as their bedroom door swung open. Jackie made a beeline around the bed to Drake’s side, knowing exactly who would be up at this hour. He was impressed how quiet she kept, not making nearly any noise until she stood right next to his nightstand.

“Daddy,” she hissed out in a whisper, “I’m hungry. And you and Mommy said I’m not allowed to make breakfast alone anymore and-”

Drake nodded, sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. “Yeah, that’s right. Thanks for getting me.”

He stretched slightly, watching his daughter bounce on her bare feet that stuck out from the bottom of her shooting star pyjamas as she tried to patiently wait for him to fully get out of bed. As soon as he pushed himself to standing, she bounded out the door, around the corner and into the galley kitchen. Jackie did, at least, wait for him to join her before she pulled out her step stool.

“Alright, Jackie. What are we making?”

“Can we make pancakes?”

Drake raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t exactly surprised, because pancakes were her favorite, but part of him had thought she might be a little less sold on them after her experiences last weekend. But in a lot of ways, she was just like Riley, and her boldness and fearlessness was only one example. “Sure thing, kiddo.”

So they got to work, washing their hands, pulling out the ingredients and supplies. Eventually, Drake cracked the eggs into the bowl before placing it in front of Jackie, letting her stir everything together.

“Daddy?”

“Yeah?”

“Maybe we should add some chocolate chips?”

Drake glanced over at his daughter, her dark eyes wide as she held the spoon over the bowl. “Jackie, you know you aren’t supposed to have chocolate for breakfast.” They’d been trying to teach Jackie about healthy foods versus treat foods, and adding a definite treat food to breakfast was not exactly sticking with that effort. Plus, Drake knew she was figuring out that she just had to give him that look, and he was likely to cave. Again, not great behavior to enforce.

But it was just hard to tell her “no” when she kept looking at him like that. All the shit that Riley gave him about Jackie having him wrapped around her little finger was definitely true. She was his kid, though, and he just struggled to be tough with her, particularly over something so minor. Especially when she’d been good and listened to them and had come to grab him before she went into the kitchen. So, he stepped over to her other side, opened the pantry cupboard, and pulled out the container of chocolate chips, tossing a few handfuls of them into the bowl. The smile Jackie gave him was more than worth it.

As Drake cooked the pancakes, Jackie set the table. Drake did stop her from pulling out the whipped cream from the fridge; he wasn’t that much of a softie. But soon, they were sitting down to eat, a large stack of chocolate chip pancakes between them. 

“Can we go to the park today?” Jackie asked between bites, reaching up to brush her hair back.

Drake nodded. “I think that can be arranged.”

“And can we get ice cream there?”

“What, the chocolate chips not sweet enough for you?”

“Dad-dy, it’s not the same. Ice cream will be later.”

“No way, kiddo. You are only talking me into one treat today. Hit up Mommy for the next one.”

“Hit me up for what?” Riley’s voice caused him to twist around in his chair, taking her in as she entered the dining space, wrapping her robe around her as she shuffled over to the table.

“Mommy, can we get ice cream at the park later?”

Riley pushed her glasses up her nose as she sat down at her spot, grabbing the plate with the pancakes that Drake passed her. “Are those chocolate chips I spy in the pancakes?”

“Daddy added them.”

“Is that so?” Riley spun to face Drake, a smirk playing across her face.

“It’s probably more fair to call it a joint effort,” he said with a little shrug.

“Marshmallow,” she mouthed at him before turning back towards Jackie. “Well, since Daddy already got you one treat, I think Mommy should get to get you one too, right?”

Jackie frowned, trying to work through Riley’s statement. “Does that mean we’re getting ice cream?” she finally asked, a hopeful look in her eyes.

“It means we’re getting ice cream,” Riley said, shaking her head, “but only if you help clean up breakfast and put away all your toys where they belong.”

Jackie was out of her seat in a flash, dashing into the living room to start cleaning up her toys before her good luck ran out.

“God, she’s going to have so many cavities,” Riley said before taking her first bite.

“Sorry, she gave me that look, and she’d been so good. You know, she came to get me before she went in the kitchen, and I wanted to reinforce that, and-.”

Riley leaned over the table and kissed him, effectively cutting him off. “You are so soft,” she said as she pulled back, tracing her fingers across his cheek.

“Hey, I drew the line at the whipped cream she tried to place on the table!”

Riley chuckled as Jackie walked back past the table into her room, a pile of stuffed animals loaded in her arms. “Oh, my mistake, you clearly are such a hard ass with her.”

“You don’t have a leg to stand on, Liu. You caved just as quickly with her ice cream ask,” Drake said, raising an eyebrow.

Riley smirked before taking another bite. “I am not gonna let you be the favorite parent here just because you get up early and can spoil her first. We’re gonna have to come up with a better strategy, though, because she’s definitely realizing she can play us against each other.”

“It only works because you are so competitive.”

“Me? Who was the one who got mad over losing Candyland last night?”

Drake let out a sigh. “That game is garbage and you know it, Liu.”

She laughed again as Jackie passed back through on her way to collect more toys. “You are only saying that because you lo-oo-ooo-st,” she responded in a sing-song voice.

“Bullshit,” said Drake, quiet enough that his voice wouldn’t carry over to Jackie’s ears. “It’s completely random and it takes way too long and if you had got sent back to the start when you were three squares away from winning, you’d be just as-”

Riley cut him off with another kiss. “Like I said, I am not the competitive one here.”

All Drake could do was roll his eyes. He knew he had a competitive streak, but Riley’s was definitely worse. It was just his luck that he had such a recent example that she could toss out there. “Yeah, yeah. You just keep that sentiment in mind next game night. You want some coffee?”

Riley nodded. “Don’t do all the dishes while you’re in there. She needs to help.”

“I know. I’ll just start things soaking.” Drake couldn’t help but smile as he watched Jackie dart through again, this time carrying her crayons and some coloring books. She was cleaning up her stuff readily, which meant that the ice cream at least motivated some good behavior. She was a good kid, and she was clearly willing to work for a little extra treat. That had to count for something.

Besides, it was a Sunday. And if any day deserved chocolate chip pancakes and ice cream, it was Sunday.

Perma: @mom2000aggie @octobereighth @kingliam2019 @lovingchoices14

TRR/TRH: @iplaydrake @princessleac1 @twinkleallnight @gkittylove99 @ladyangel70 @marshmallowsandfire @axwalker @sirbeepsalot @iaminlovewithtrr @forallthatitsworth @marshmallowsaremyfavorite @hedgehogs-dilemmas

Drake x MC: @petiteboheme @mskaneko

ICWAM: @sunnyxdazed @thequeenofpixels​

[just-call-me-the-intrusive-thot]

Sometimes You Have No Option

Pairings: Romantic Prinxiety

TWs: scar mentions, mostly just vague nothing too graphic at all, very quick mention of the ‘heat death of the universe‘, it’s one throwaway line but just to be safe!

Summary: Virgil wonders what Roman gets up to on his adventures that leaves him battered and bruised. What he finds isn’t what he expected....

---------

There was always this unpleasant feeling that followed Virgil whenever Roman came back from traversing the mindscape on an ‘adventure’; sometimes he’d come back bruised and bashed, other times he’d sport a limp, but nearly every time, Roman would come home with new scars.

Virgil couldn’t understand the appeal of it, though far be it for him to say anything about it. Sure, maybe it did hurt a little seeing someone he cared about come back each time more banged up than before. 

But that's none of his business, right?

Virgil wondered just what Roman got up to each time he went out. He’d never seen the things Roman could conjure outside of the main mindscape; some called it the ‘imagination’ but they were already within the imagination technically. No, what Roman would conjure was more like a simulation within the mindscape, as far as Virgil understood it. Like adding an extension onto a home…. Only to tear it down once you were done with it in the end. 

Perhaps calling them ‘daydreams’ was a more accurate comparison.

There were many times Virgil would let his own imagination run wild with the kind of journeys Roman must have gone on. Forests and kingdoms, perhaps a seafaring adventure if Remus agreed to not set the kraken on him. Or maybe he branched out even more. Something like the spaceports of Treasure Planet, or something more akin to a spiritual journey you’d find in a Ghibli movie. Who knew what Roman was up to most days, honestly.

It was a lazy Saturday in the mindscape when Virgil finally decided to ask Roman about it.

He hadn’t necessarily planned to do so, but Logan and Patton were both busy elsewhere, and all Virgil had to do was watch TV and contemplate the inevitable heat death of the universe when Roman had returned. Mismatched eyes latched onto the creative side as the prince made his way to the kitchen. He winced as he watched Roman root around for frozen peas and press the bag to his left cheek.

The injury was just out of Virgil’s sight, but as Roman turned and made eye contact, he could see the beginnings of a bruise forming. Despite the way the sight made Virgil’s lips pinch into a frown, Roman met him with a smile that made his stomach do flips as he made his way over to the sofa,

“What’s that look for, Woe Troham?”

Virgil snorted, “Wow, we’re getting obscure with the nicknames now? You’re really earning that extra credit in Emo Studies, Princey.”

Roman rolled his eyes fondly and sat down next to Virgil, careful of the anxious side’s bunched up legs, “You do realise we ALL went through Thomas’ emo phase, right?”.

Virgil rolled his eyes, “Whatever...”, he was about to leave the conversation there when he remembered the matter at hand, “Hey, uh, Roman?”

“That’s what they call me, yes.”, the creative side smirked playfully, “Typically preceded by ‘Prince’ but I’ll cut you some slack this once.”. Virgil wanted to slap that smirk away. Or maybe smooch it. The jury was still out on that one.

He sighed in mock annoyance, “Can we cut out the nonsense for once, Romano?”

He bit his lip to stifle a chuckle at the insulted huff Roman let out. 

“Okay, seriously, I was gonna ask what happened,”, Virgil continued when Roman fixed him with a perplexed frown, “Y’know, to cause that.” .

He freed one hand from his hoodie paws to gesture to the bruise under the frozen peas in Roman’s hand. Said creative side shrugged, “It’s nothing to worry about, Virge. I’ve had far worse before.”.

Oh great, because that’s what Virgil was absolutely dying to hear. 

The words left his mouth before the anxious side could stop them, “.. Can I see?”

Okay, that had to have crossed a line, surely. Those scars were probably super traumatic or heavy with meaning, or perhaps they were-

“Okay.”, Roman shrugged. He was already hauling his shirt off by the time Virgil had registered how casual Roman was about this whole thing. He was about to voice his confusion when Roman’s shirt fluttered to the floor; leaving Virgil with a moment of gay crisis, but even more so a feeling of unease in the pit of his stomach.

Roman’s entire torso was covered in scars. Some were fresh, likely only days old, while others were already paling with time. The anxious side had no idea where his hands obtained the audacity to trail themselves along Roman’s skin without permission, but the creative side seemed content to let him continue.

Surprisingly confident fingertips traced valleys and trenches of healed and healing skin, only ever stopping on each route if Roman protested. Virgil had no idea why Roman let him even do something that felt this intimate in the first place, but the question that bubbled out of his throat instead was, “What…. Happened to you?”

He expected Roman to turn away, to dramatically cover himself once more, perhaps muttering a barely audible “some things are left unsaid” or “it’s…. Personal”, and then he’d retire to his room while Virgil did the same and let his mind swim in it’s usual cloud of anxious self depreciation. 

What Virgil did not expect was for Roman to immediately start pointing them out and listing every single cause like it was his grocery list.

“Well!”, Roman began, pointing to a scar on his left hip, “This is one I got from accidentally laying down on a light bulb.”

The prince pointed to more scars as he went, all too oblivious of Virgil’s stunned silence, “This one here is from running through corn stalks with my shirt off, and that one was a mosquito bite I scratched, which yes I know you shouldn’t do that, but you know how dreadfully those itch.This one here is from the time I tried to fight a goose- Oh! And this one I procured from falling out of a window during an impromptu tickle fight with Remus-” 

“Why does anyone try to fight a goose?!”, Virgil blurted out. Of all the rapidfire information his brain just tried to absorb, he wasn’t sure why that was what his brain latched onto, but he couldn’t exactly take back the question now.

The anxious side watched Roman’s expression take on a distant, stoic edge, but having known him so well by now Virgil knew the prince’s fake dramatic long distance stare a mile away. “Sometimes,”, Roman began, and Virgil did his best not to give a fond huff of annoyed laughter at the creative side’s faux drama tone, “The goose leaves you no option-”

Virgil couldn’t stifle the peal of laughter that slipped through his teeth and betrayed his irritated facade. The whole conversation had been an emotional rollercoaster but Virgil was mostly just happy that even if Roman was constantly getting into scrapes, at least it was nothing overly serious. By the time Virgil had stopped laughing, he realised Roman had also fallen victim to the case of the giggles.

“You’re ridiculous, goddamit, Roman!”, Virgil snarked weakly, the gentle smile he wore betraying any attempt at true irritation. Roman simply continued to beam at Virgil, brilliant and bright, a beacon of pure adoration. 

“That’s a rather funny way to pronounce ‘handsome and dashing’, but I’ll take it!”

It’s unfair that Roman got to be so well put together while Virgil was just standing there, hands still resting on Roman’s bare chest, blushing up an absolute storm. Something about the way Roman smiled at him - so gentle and adoring - made Virgil want to do something crazy. 

Like kissing him.

Yeah.

He should kiss him.

No, wait, he absolutely should NOT do that.

In fact, Virgil caught himself just as he was leaning towards Roman, intending to turn away. However, Roman’s arms snaked their way smoothly around his waist, keeping him close but still remaining loose enough that Virgil could break away if he wanted. 

“.... Virgil, can I ask you something?”

Roman’s voice was hesitant, a little less sure of himself than his expression implied. To save himself from embarrassment by not subjecting Roman to any barely passable attempts at a verbal affirmation, Virgil nodded bashfully. 

Roman’s gaze landed on Virgil’s lips then settled back into half lidded eye contact, a small quirk of laughter dancing across the prince’s features.

“Am I the only one who’s been subtly flirting this entire time? Because if so, I am going to be utterly scandalized.”

Even Virgil was surprised by the relieved laughter he let out; it was the ugly kind that gave away just how smitten he was with Roman. He tapped his fingers against Roman’s chest, humming playfully.

“Hmmm, looks like you’ll just have to be scandalized, pretty boy.”, he teased.

Roman’s shocked expression was too cute, how could Virgil resist? The anxious side sighed out a low chuckle, rolled his eyes, and lent forward to reward him with a much earned kiss.

-----------

We love us a couple of pining dorks

Based on this post and so I tag @count-woe-laf as promised!

[quarantineroulette]

The Glamour of the Ordinary: Jane Savidge’s Here They Come With Their Make-Up On and Warren Ellis’ Nina Simone’s Gum

In the early days of the pandemic, a Facebook page appeared that consisted entirely of people around the world dressing in costumes and finery to take out their trash. The page was called Bin Isolation Outing and, at its close in December 2020, it had over 900,000 members. What began as a joke among a few Australian friends quickly spread into a worldwide phenomenon, a way of injecting some frivolity and flash into a very scary, often mundane period in time. 

During those early stages of the pandemic, I thought a lot about Suede’s 1996 full-length, Coming Up (this was partially because the band were intending on performing the album in full throughout the UK that fall and I kept trying to believe the pandemic would be over by then so I could fly to one, but let’s pretend I was really just tapped into this “glamour of the everyday” strand this whole time). One of the reasons I love the band so much is because of its ability to imbue the ordinary and everyday with a sense of glamour. More simply if paradoxically put, and to echo a 1993 Vox headline, “They’re ordinary, that makes them glam.” 

Sometimes concurrent with this glamour of the ordinary, is an equally compelling glamorization of escape from the drudgery of the everyday. As Jane Savidge states in Here They Come With Their Make-Up On, her 2022 book on the making of Coming Up, “...(Suede) are my best means of escape from the humdrum of the everyday, even if they do write songs about the humdrum and the everyday as if our lives depended on it.” In a time when one of the few ways of dealing with the fear and uncertainty of the pandemic was trying to approach the monotony of lockdown with a little frivolity or finding escape through other mediums, Suede provided the perfect soundtrack. 

Jane Savidge served as Suede’s PR Agent throughout the band’s ‘90s heyday, and is arguably the best person to write a 33 1/3-style book on a Suede album, which Here They Come... essentially is, save with a lot of insider perspective and a droller tone. In other words, it’s the perfect music book. 

I know I just stated a paragraph ago that I spent a lot of the early months of the pandemic thinking about Coming Up. Now I must confess that it’s not a favorite Suede record of mine. In spite of that, it includes the first Suede song I’d ever heard (”Beautiful Ones”), the Suede song that has empowered me the most, personally (”By the Sea”), one of the band’s most definitive songs (”Trash”) and two songs that are no brainers for my “Top 10 favorite Suede songs - these are the ones - no questions asked” list (”Picnic by the Motorway” and “The Chemistry Between Us”). But the rest of the record is either “great songs but not SUEDE GREAT” (”She”) or just OK (looking at you “Filmstar” and “Saturday Night” and begrudgingly “Lazy” although I do honestly love it. No comment on “Starcrazy”). It’s a general fan sentiment, but I genuinely prefer a lot of the b-sides and kind of view the whole thing as a great pop record but also something you can put on in the background and go about your business to. For someone who loves Suede for their high drama, there’s no falling to your knees and wailing “Have you ever tried it that way?” to the point of hoarseness -- i.e. I would never scrub the kitchen sink while listening to the debut album or Dog Man Star or Night Thoughts.

And so, like all great books about music, Savidge chronicles Coming Up in such a charming and insightful way that I couldn’t help but reevaluate the record and appreciate it anew. This is in no small part to the band and producer Ed Buller as well, who offer a lot in the way of songwriting and creativity. Several times, these insights touch on the classic pop sensibilities which buoy these songs. A quote from a Guardian interview with frontman Brett Anderson which opens the chapter on “Trash” asserts, “It’s about believing in the romance of the everyday. I really wanted to make a straight-up pop record. We were listening to a lot of ‘60s pop at the time and were very much inspired by the classic three and a half minute single.” 

Elsewhere, keyboardist Neil Codling mentions, in reference to “Lazy,” mentions listening to The Beatles’ “I Feel Fine” in an effort to achieve a Beatles guitar tone and says, “It had an indie sensibility and a classic ‘60s feel as well as sounding ‘90s.” He also talks about the Suede signature being “a bit of grit in the oyster, a twist in the chords or the melodies...” and it’s perhaps one of the most concise statements on one of the reasons these songs endure. 

Similarly enduring and endearing is Savidge, who -- despite the aforementioned input from all members of Suede -- comes across as the biggest star, presiding over everything with wit and insight. If you’ve read either of Anderson’s two memoirs, you might notice he can get a bit florid with his words, and Savidge lovingly diffuses any threats of overseriousness here. Whether observing the “bad, bored bony” protagonist of “She” doesn’t sound very happy or reminiscing about incidents involving Elton John and a champagne cork (not as dirty as that sounds), her prose are a consistent delight. She’s also unafraid of cunningly deriding these songs that fans sometimes are a bit too precious over. In discussing “Trash,” Savidge writes that it “very much knows what it is doing -- preaching to the converted, perhaps -- but doing it with such style and grace that you couldn’t help loving it all the more.” In a way this sums up Here They Come With Their Make-Up On and Coming Up perfectly, it knows what its doing and I already love everyone involved, but its style and grace have me adoring it anew. 

Perhaps nothing can be thought of as so instantly disposable as a wad of chewed gum. It’s an object that is hard to muster one thought about, but in Nina Simone’s Gum, Warren Ellis manages to rhapsodize on a piece of chewed gum for over 100 pages. Granted, this is not any old wad of gum, it once belonged to the great singer and songwriter Nina Simone, who stuck it to her piano when taking the stage at the Nick Cave-curated edition of the Meltdown Festival, which was held in London in 1999. 

Ellis has a rich musical history, most famously as frontman for the Dirty Three and the most prominent Bad Seed of the 21st century, but this is his first foray into writing and hopefully not the last because his prose is eloquent and enchanting. Although a short read, I really stretched out my time with the book because I was so entranced by Ellis’ writing and, by extension, the man himself. His fascinations, his reminiscences and the occasional glimpses of his friendship with Nick Cave all made me wish that everyone had a Warren Ellis of their own.

“It’s always been other people who have brought that potential out of me. I’m the inverse of the gum somehow. It’s about connection. People who have encouraged me to be the best I can, allow me to go unrestrained. Letting ideas take flight. Letting me take flight. The wonder of playing in a band. Making music with people. I was watching something unfold in a visual way, that I sensed often as an abstract or internalised concept.” 

The reverence Ellis has for those who inspired him is, well, inspiring in itself. When recounting seeing another hero, Alice Coltrane, several years after the Nina Simone gig, he writes, “Every recording I have gone into I have in my own way tried to honor her,” and “It was that moment again. Those times you think are never going to happen in your life,” and I’m sure every music lover seeing their heroes performing in the flesh can relate. I also love that, in recalling the Nina Simone Meltdown set, Ellis admits “I can’t recall much of what she played.” It’s a passing sentence but it really speaks to something about transcendence over memory, how some performances are so powerful, it’s not about what was played but rather something beyond the experience itself. In Ellis’ words, a communion. 

But mostly, Nina Simone’s Gum is about collecting and the perception of objects, how something easily disposable can be charged with spiritual significance. Ellis remarks several times that, as the gum makes the rounds from a jeweler to a museum exhibition, he “became aware that the gum was bringing out the best in people.” The gum eventually finds itself on a plinth in the Hallway of Gratitude portion of Nick Cave’s “Stranger Than Kindness” exhibit at the Royal Danish Library, presented as the religious artifact it is in Ellis’ eyes. The process of managing the gum from a curatorial perspective -- from temperature control to assessing the gum’s value for insurance purposes -- is fascinating, and provokes a lot of thoughts about how settings themselves can change an object’s significance (this, paired with the overall theme of the book, reminded me many times of the New Museum’s excellent “The Keeper” exhibition from 2016). 

In discussing the gum’s inclusion in the “Stranger Than Kindness” exhibition, Nick Cave writes in the book’s forward that exhibition goers will “marvel at the significance of this most ordinary and disposable of things...” Just as taking out the trash became an occasion for frivolity for some, so too can a song about the everyday become a pop anthem, and a piece of chewing gum a sacred object. The pandemic and lockdowns may have forced a lot of us to come to terms with the drudgery of the everyday, but with luck they also afforded us a few flashes of beauty amidst the mundane. 

[stuckygiftexchange]

- Part 1 -

The first unofficial Stucky Gift Exchange is now over, and we would like to thank everyone involved! Thank you for sharing your creativity and excitement with us. It's been a joy to see all of your creations. We also want to thank people who participated in other ways by sharing, cheerleading, leaving comments, and generally just having fun with us. We hope you had a great time!

In case you missed the wonderful creations our participants came up with, here is a master post in two parts: Part 2 >>>

👻 Married With Errands by @buckybarnesdeservestobehappy for @christywantspizza on tumblr and ao3

Summary: Bucky and Steve, childhood best friends turned spouses, enjoy a lazy Saturday waking up together, running errands, and rediscovering their love for each other. Or the smutty slice of life story about two idiots who are deeply in love.

👻 Don't Let The Past Haunt You, My Dear by @between-a-ship-and-a-hard-place for @nivellesart on tumblr and ao3

Summary: The sight of the castle with its towers and turrets shifted him into a state of surreality; like they'd somehow stepped onto the pages of a novel, Arthurian knights or undead Romanian nobility waiting behind those walls.

Dernier was the first to open his mouth, letting out a string of rapid French interspersed with curses. He switched the grip on his gun to his left hand and crossed himself.

"He's sayin' it's haunted," Gabe translated helpfully.

Or, finding quiet moments in the dark.

👻 A Soft Morning In (NSFW) by @stucky-bbys for @marvelousescapism on tumblr

Summary: Handjobs, cooking, silly Halloween costumes, a cat, 'I love you's… what more could you want in a 2k fic? Endgame never happened? Yep! Endgame was trash anyway. You want softness and insecurity? You got it! Or rather, I got it... in this fic! Oh, and did I mention that there's an art piece of Bucky with Alpine? Well, there is! So what are you waiting for? (Oh, for me to stop writing this summary? Oops, my bad).

👻 A wonderful piece of art from @stevebuckydogtags for @clarkestetler on tumblr and twitter

👻 Boycott Vampires! by LunerSoul997 for @gotlostonmywayhome on ao3

Summary: Bucky tests the knob, the door swings open with an ominous crrreak.

Because of course it does.

Bucky's eyebrows jump and he looks at Steve, his entire demeanour betraying just how unimpressed he is by the cliché they've just stumbled into.

Or: Steve and Bucky go costume shopping.

👻 The Way That You Love Me by @mygutsforgarters for @moonagedaydreamohyeah on tumblr and ao3

Summary: Steve tucks a lock of Bucky’s hair behind his ear and cups his cheek, thumb grazing his lower lip. “You took real good care of us, Buck. I’m glad you were there.”

Just like that, Bucky’s not tired anymore. The fatigue weighing him down, all his little aches and pains—it all dissolves like salt in water under Steve’s touch, his praise. It’s like Steve sank his fingers into Bucky’s hair and scratched, Jesus, Bucky’s actually tingling from head to foot.

Guess you're never too old to learn something new about yourself.

👻 Under Your Light by @aquatigermice for @mygutsforgarters on ao3

Summary: Steve should have known that Bucky would make plans for Halloween. He just didn't think it would go beyond their home. But with Bucky's track record when he does something he plans it all out. Steve just wishes Bucky would let him sleep in. Though Bucky has plans to make up for that too.

👻 The Responsibility Of A Cat by @clarkestetler and @goosenik for @buckybarnesdeservestobehappy on tumblr and ao3

Summary: Alpine has lived with Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes for a year now, and overall, being their cat is pretty good. She gets compliments a lot, gets tuna on Special Occasions, and there’s always pets to be given whenever she wants them.

But she’s getting real tired of this whole slow-burn, constant-pining nonsense, and it’s going to end soon even if she has to take matters into her own paws.

Ie: Alpine decides to Parent Trap her parents until they give in and just get a room already.

👻 Once In A Blue Moon by @trappingsofzed for @downwarddnaspiral on tumblr and ao3

Summary: The worst part about being a werewolf in Brooklyn, reflected Bucky Barnes, wasn't making sure your pack registration was up-to-date or trying to find a landlord that wouldn't gouge you on the security deposit just because you turned into a wolf once a month. No, it was waking up the morning after a full moon, with your bones and tendons aching from the shift, and not knowing if your dumbass wolf self had sliced your palm open on a sharp rock in Prospect Park or a rusty nail in a building site.

Bucky Barnes is a werewolf in need of stitches. Steve Rogers is a nurse working the tail end of a night shift in a Brooklyn E.R.

Some things are inevitable.

👻 Like The Movies by @alaskan-outsider for @wolfnprey on ao3

Summary: Steve meets the Omega of his dreams in a bookstore. Like an idiot, he forgets to get his number, but they keep meeting. It's like some cheesy rom-com movie.

👻 Be Still My Beating Heart by @marvelousescapism for @shinynewpenny on tumblr and ao3

Summary: “I know you're out there, Hunter... You're late. I was beginning to worry you were gonna make me go hungry this month.”

Steve felt giddy – as giddy as he always did ever since their dance began – as the Hunter stepped out from the alleyway. He was a towering Hercules of a man. From his belt, he unsheathed a long, sharp knife and pointed it right at Steve.

“Tonight you die, Vampire.”

👻 Steve Rogers Is Too Stubborn To Die by @winterdrag0n for @trappingsofzed on tumblr and ao3

Summary: There wasn’t a light bulb moment nor fireworks, it wasn’t an epiphany really. I guess I just finally accepted the fact that I fell in love with my best friend. And I will be forever cursed.

OR

How Bucky and Steve lived their lives after What If...? Episode 1. This is Canon, y'all!

👻 Another amazing piece of art from @moonykat on tumblr

👻 A Halloween Miracle by @oh-i-swear-writes for @alaskan-outsider on tumblr and ao3

Summary: As he stands on the doorstep of his sister’s house, Bucky sighs. It’s Hallowe’en night and he could be anywhere right now… but ideally he’d be inside of his tiny apartment ordering a pizza, watching horror movies and ignoring the world. He wouldn’t be standing here in a Captain America costume waiting to take his niece and nephew trick or treating.

👻 Baby You Get Better And Better by @iamthe-wo-manwhocan for @wisegirlknowsall on tumblr and ao3

Summary: These parties are important to Bucky, so they are to him, too. If Halloween wishes were a thing, Steve would ask for a smile on Bucky’s face every year for the rest of his life.

As Steve and Bucky prepare for their annual Halloween bash, they look back on fourteen years spent building a life together—and if they’re lucky, countless more ahead.

👻 Wild West Yearly by @otp-holic on tumblr and ao3

Summary: Five Halloweens when Bucky worked their situation into an excerpt of a Dime Novel, and the one Halloween he didn’t feel like he needed to.

or

The Western AU with less action and more “slice of life” and fluff known to fandom.

👻 A World Without Heroes by @gfawkesphoenixchokingonashes for @bartbarthelme on tumblr and ao3

Summary: “Oh, hell!”

“What’s the matter?”

Bucky held the wig in front of his dick. “I’ve got a boner already, and all you did was walk in front of the fucking car.”

Bucky got out and slammed the door, readjusting himself, wishing the day were over. Steve was positively giddy with excitement.

“Look at it this way; if everyone is staring at your dick, there is no way they will recognize your face.”

In which Bucky and Steve in KISS costumes agree to take care of a haunted house and end up bringing home more than just treats.

👻 After All This Time by @wintersilencewriter for @kalika999 on tumblr and ao3

Summary: At first, he’s not really sure why he does it. Kids pick on other kids all the time and it’s never bothered Bucky before.

Maybe it’s because the kid’s so small. He’d probably come up to Bucky’s chest if they were standing side by side, and all the kids wailing on him are as big as Bucky. There are three boys and they’re tossing punches and jeers, telling the kid he should mind his own business and stop trying to protect people when he can’t even protect himself. There’s something noble in that, Bucky knows it.

Maybe it’s because the stupid punk just won’t stay down. He gets pushed to the ground three times before Bucky finally jumps in to end the fight. Every time it looks a little bit harder, but the kid drags himself to his feet and gets into a wobbly, pathetic, fighting stance.

Later, much later, Bucky wonders if the real reason he stopped that day was because he could tell, even from a distance, that the scrawny kid with milk white skin and hair flashing gold in the sun was just about the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

A story of growing up, falling in love, and quietly pining... that is, until Bucky comes home to find that Steve's picked a new apartment with only one bed.

👻 Like To Sleep In Til Two On A Sunday by @wolfnprey for @oh-i-swear-writes on tumblr and ao3

Summary: There's nothing like a casual morning where Bucky wakes up feeling good and plays the part of House Husband before Steve gets home. Featuring a demanding cat child.

👻 Spanks A Bunch Series by @stevieschrodinger for @aileysue on tumblr and ao3

Summary: Bucky's maybe not been keeping on top of everything, but that's okay, Steve's there to help. / Bucky's always been a little shy around what he likes in the bedroom. Doesn't matter though - Steve's always there for him. / Bucky's free from Hydra now - but it's still a long road to recovery. Steve's there to help him take back control. / Bucky likes to dress up for Halloween. Steve really likes his costumes.

👻 October Country by @dreamsinthewitchouse for @nonbinarybuckybarnes on tumblr and ao3

Summary: Steve’s brain comes back online to the sound of Bucky closing the book, his cheek smushed against their ribs.

Bucky hums in the back of their throat, noses against his hairline. ”You still with me, pal?”

”Hmh.”

Bucky laughs, the timbre of it warm inside Steve’s bones. ”Figures you’d fall asleep to a sci-fi classic.”

👻 Meteorite And Opal by @misspluckyplum for @between-a-ship-and-a-hard-place on tumblr and ao3

Summary: Shared time in Steve's studio leads Bucky to finally put his plan into action. Of paintbrushes and wedding rings.

👻 Into The Depths by @thiccbuckybarnesfic for @aquatigermice on tumblr and ao3

Summary: “What have we here?” a low but playful voice questions. The gentle rumble of it makes him nearly shiver, tickling up his spine like a warm blow of breath.

He comes to a standstill, and realizes it’s not just kelp wrapped around him, but tentacles as well. Black tentacles wrap around his wrists, trailing up his forearms. He gasps, turning to find an octopus behind him, nearly shrouded in the tall stalks of kelp, but his face is visible enough.

👻 You Don’t Have To Put On The Red Light by @downwarddnaspiral for @emmalostinwonderland on tumblr and ao3

Summary: Bucky could tolerate the Beetlejuice inflatables on the lawn, and the striped black and white candy chutes anchored to the upstairs windows, but the projector was the last straw. How the hell did Rogers expect him to sleep?

👻 And You've Got Me Wanting You. by @bartbarthelme for @chubbychaser384 on tumblr and ao3

Summary: If Steve had been able to leave without getting his mouth on Bucky, he might have made it to the store before they were out of everything except Tootsie Rolls, but instead he walked into Target at almost noon, scraping at what he hoped was toothpaste on the collar of his shirt and not dried--

“You know, maybe you should be in charge of candy next year, then,” Steve says, defensive.

Bucky raises his eyebrows at Steve and opens his mouth, and before Bucky can even ask if Steve really thinks that’s a good idea, Steve says, “Or I’ll just get better at hiding it next year.”

“Or, set out Tootsie Rolls as a decoy,” Bucky suggests.

“You like Tootsie Rolls, though.”

“They might slow me down,” Bucky agrees as Steve opens another bag and pours it into the bowl.

[maykiszka]

Kiss ~ JMK

Prompt: “Kiss me again.”

Pairing: OFC Tasha x Josh Kiszka 

As her eyes crack open, Tasha feels the effects of the night before come crashing down like weights all over. Her head feels heavy and her lungs are pleading for fresh air after what she assumes was a night of chain smoking cigarettes. Somehow she always ends up bumming at least half a pack off of Josh when they drink tequila. Speaking of her best friend, as her eyes adjust to her surroundings, she realizes she's in his room, the blankets pulled up under her nose giving off his familiar scent; and he's no where in sight.

Checking the ancient alarm clock on the nightstand, she learns that it's almost half past noon. Early for a Saturday. Stumbling out of bed and to the bathroom down the hall, she rifles through the drawers to find her toothbrush that she'd bought especially for the Kiszka residence. After staying here as many times as she has, it was a necessary purchase. She glides her fingers through her hair, taking out a few knots and then uses a wash cloth to clear the remnants of mascara from underneath her eyes before making her way down stairs. There she finds Jake, leant against the refrigerator, jeans on with no shirt, sunglasses covering his tired eyes and the orange juice carton turned up. Sam is perched atop of the island, in pajamas that Karen definitely bought for him, eating from a takeout container. And there's still no Josh.

"Hey there sunshine. You look like I feel right now." Jake states as he looks over his shades towards her.

Cracking a lazy grin she responds, "You must feel like shit then." Walking over to Sam she slides the food away from him and snags the fork from his hand, taking a bite for herself. He gives a grumble but says nothing. "Whare's JOwsh?" She asks with a mouthful of cold noodles.

Noticing the way Sam glances to his older brother and then furrows his eyebrows, she gives them an odd look. What's going on?

Letting out a sigh, Sam answers her, "Said he was going to the lake. He's been gone for a while now, though."

"Oh." Tasha acknowledges. The lake is Josh's favorite place to go when he has the urge to get creative, whether that be to paint, write songs or jot down ideas for a new film. Most of the time he asks her to join. She always sits quietly and reads or finds something to do while he works.

"Do you remember anything from last night?" Jake inquires.

She hadn't really thought back to the night before yet, but no she didn't really remember much at all. That's usually how it was, though. Eventually pieces would come together throughout the day. "Not a thing after we played that ridiculous drinking game you boys came up with." She returns.

They're quiet for a spell. Too quiet. "All right, just give it to me straight, what the hell did I do?" She groans as she pinches the bridge of her nose between her eyes.

Sam hesitates, "Well... You started getting a little handsy with Josh, which, you know, is normal for the two of you, but then..." He trailed off and Tasha's heart began to sink. Oh no. Oh no, no, no. This can't be good. Did she tell him she's been in love with him for, well, forever? Kiss him? Sleep with him?! Shit.

"Josh kissed you." Jake blurts out.

Wait, what? Josh kissed her? Not the other way around? But then, why was he not here now? Why had he gone to the lake all alone? So many questions start bouncing around her mind until Jake finally adds even more news.

"And you pushed him away and took off upstairs. I guess you passed out, and I assume Josh slept on the couch." He finishes, looking at the floor and biting the inside of his cheek out of habit.

Without saying anything else, Tasha grabs her car keys from the counter next to Sam and heads out of the door. Holy shit. Why would she have pushed him away? Josh is all she's ever wanted. The lake isn't too far, it only takes her about fifteen minutes to get there. Parking next to Josh's vehicle, she takes a second to take a few deep breathes, this was going to be interesting.

She makes the trek down the trail towards the lake, where she finds Josh sat next to a large pine tree, notebook in hand and his pencil working away. He has yet to notice her presence.

"Hey." She breathes out, almost to quiet for him to hear. But he does hear and his tensed jaw falls slack just slightly as the pencil comes to an abrupt halt.

She can see the way he swallows hard when he looks up at her. She can see the pain flooding those brown eyes she loves so much. It makes her heart ache slightly. Josh scoots himself over just a bit and pats the spot beside himself, closing his book and setting it to the side. He looks towards the water while she makes herself comfortable on the cool ground beside him. They're quiet for a moment. Her picking at her nails and both of them overthinking everything.

"Josh-"

"Look-"

They both start at the same time, making them stop and stare at one another. Josh looks away first but then continues speaking. "I'm so sorry Tash, I shouldn't have kissed you, I just- I ruined everything."

"No Josh, I did. I don't know why I pushed you away, honestly, I don't. I've wanted to kiss you for so long and I just-" She cuts herself off and begins to chew at her lip. Maybe he's apologizing because he really didn't mean it. Maybe it was just the tequila. Maybe... maybe she really did just ruin everything with her admission.

But then Josh is looking at her, eyebrows raised and a hopeful look in his eyes. She feels the tension building as they're eyes stay fixed on each other, it builds until she finds herself murmuring out a small request.

"Kiss me again."

Josh doesn't even need time to think about it, he's leant over and pressing his lips to hers in seconds. In that moment, the memories come flooding back from the night before.

'They had already played some stupid drinking game that they had made up on the spot, basically just their excuse to get even more tanked than they already were. Now, Sam, Danny and Kenzi were dancing around the living room singing Old Time Rock and Roll by Bob Seger. Tasha was sat in Josh's lap as they laughed at the others, one of his arms was wrapped around her waist as she played with his fingers on the other hand. They were always very touchy when drinking and sometimes even when they weren't.

Out of nowhere, when the chorus hit once again, Jake slid into the room with the help of the socks on his feet. He had his sunshades on and a gray fedora on his head as he animatedly began belting out the lyrics. Sam came over and pulled Tasha out of Josh's embrace and began spinning her around. She was laughing and having a great time with her friends when she was hauled back into someone and their lips pressed against hers. All she could see was the gray fedora and she quickly realized it was Jake. Jake has a girlfriend. Jake is Josh's brother. She's in love with Josh. Next, she was pushing away from him and running up the stairs with her head spinning wildly.'

"I thought it was Jake." She mumbles as Josh pulls away slightly. His brows furrow and he gives her a 'what the hell' look. "I remember now. Last night, when you kissed me, I thought it was Jake. The hat, I seen the hat and Jake had been wearing it, you, oh my God."

A laugh bubbles up from his chest and it makes her smile. "Well, I'm very happy to know that if my brother were to ever kiss you, you would shove him and make a break for it."

Tasha giggles and grabs his face, bringing his lips to hers once again. After a lot more kisses and and a few caresses, she finally pulls back and asks if he's ready to head home.

"Actually, I'm feeling incredibly inspired right now." He replies with a large grin.

Picking up the notebook once again, he turns to a clean page. Tasha pecks his cheek and rests her head against his shoulder as the pencil goes to work once again.

[jrdizon]

I went to the Distant Worlds, Final Fantasy 35th Anniversary concert in Fort Worth last Saturday.

Of course, I had to rep my boy Jack Garland, ‘cause there definitely wasn’t going to be any Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origins (aka, SOPFFO) content at the concert, despite it being a game that actually does a decent job of celebrating 35 years of Final Fantasy on its own!

Regardless, the concert was cool. This was like my fourth Distant Worlds show, I think? This time it had a lot of new music arrangements from the pre-FF6 era, which was appreciated, even if I didn’t play those games. The concert was actually a pretty good advertisement for the Pixel Remasters.

I remember that earlier this year, playing thorough SOPFFO really rekindled my love of the Final Fantasy series, and I was actually toying with the idea of playing through the whole series. I kinda wish I had, as that would’ve made the concert so much more effective and emotional. I only cried twice at this concert, and I usually cry more, lol.

I could go on about how weird and cramped the venue was or how the presentation, despite being a huge step up from previous Distant Worlds shows (there was actually game footage in English this time!), seemed kinda lazy when it came to the 3D/FMV era games. The footage used for the Pixel Remaster games was actually pretty creative and inspired for the most part, likely out of necessity.

One funny anecdote was how the conductor mentioned the name “Final Fantasy XIV” to boisterous cheers and thunderous applause. It was in stark contrast to the first time I heard XIV music performed at Distant Worlds, which was right when the game first came out and everyone hated it. At that time, that very same conductor actually called out the game’s issues before starting the piece. Amazing how far XIV has come. Maybe I should try playing that game again, lol

But seriously, okay, play SOPFFO. Believe it or not, it’s not just a bunch of memes. There’s a lot of heart to that game. It’s a classic. Everyone knows it.

[tartagilicious]

[CN] Flower Language (Victor)

yall that have been waiting for this date may not find this as funny as I do but 😭 I went to finish what I thought was this translation and the video i had been using somehow closed, but when i found what i assumed was the same one again, i was confused because the content was different 😀 i translated most of a completely random date and i have no idea which it was LMAO

It would be great if Victor were here. I was standing in the garden where the warm wind was lingering, and I suddenly thought so.

A week ago, I came to this small European city in order to get material for a show, and participate in their traditional festival, a “carnival”. Although the celebration is coming to an end, the enthusiasm of the people and the festive atmosphere are not diminished.

I looked at the people gathered under the tree and heard their laughter. Somehow, I suddenly wanted to share everything in front of me with Victor. So, I took out my phone and subconsciously dialed his number.

MC: Hello, Victor, are you busy?

Victor: No. Is something happening?

MC: Nothing. I just wanted to tell you that I’m standing in a very beautiful garden right now. Probably because of the festival, the surroundings are crowded with people, and there are others singing -- can you hear it?

I took the phone and circled it in the air, and when i put it back to my ear, there was not a sound in the receiver.

Victor: I can hear.

MC: Did you know that there is a very special wooden sign hanging on the tree in this garden? It has something to do with “flower language”.

I looked up at the wooden signs swaying on the branches, they made a clear and pleasant sound in the wind.

MC: People can choose the wooden sign painted with the flower language they want, remove it from the branch, and write their name to save it. There are many kinds of flower languages, from wealth, love, to health, career, and so on.

I was babbling, listening to the even breathing in my ears. Victor didn’t speak until I finished speaking, and there was a slight smile peeking out of his lazy voice.

Victor: You hung one up?

MC: Not yet.

Even though I knew he couldn’t see me on the other side of the phone, I shook my head.

MC: There are many things I want, and I haven’t been able to make up my mind for a while.

Victor: Such as?

MC: Such as…

If only you could stand here with me now. I said this silently in my heart.

There was silence in the earpiece for a few seconds, and we seem to have not spoken tacitly, just quietly listening to each other’s breathing. After a long while, I wanted to relax the atmosphere, so I just smiled.

MC: I can’t remember it right now, but my party has to-- actually, rather than using this method, it might be better to tell the omnipotent “Victor Li” directly what I want.

Victor: I will be there on saturday.

MC: Eh?

Victor: Recently, LFG accepted a multinational cooperation project, and I will be coming to Europe tomorrow.

I was stunned. I reacted slowly, my heartbeat speeding up a few beats rapidly.

MC: And so…?

On the other end of the phone, Victor seems to smile slowly.

Victor: And so, what you want, you can think about it before saturday.

On saturday, I arrived at the place scheduled by Victor on time. As soon as I walked up to the street, I saw a familiar figure. I took out the funny mask that I had prepared, and crept close to him from behind, intending to give him a “surprise” after having not seen him for so long.

Victor: I haven’t seen you in a while, but your way of greeting hasn’t improved.

MC: !

The mask on my face was taken off without hesitation or fear. I was stunned and met Victor’s teasing gaze.

MC: ...How can you tell so easily every time?!

Victor: Someone who tries to be sneaky every time is too eye-catching.

Victor walked to my side and took my hand naturally. After sweeping around his eyes, his brows furrowed slightly.

Victor: Are there any events here?

I followed his sight and found that the streets were full of ribbons and balloons, and many people in strange costumes walked slowly through the streets with the parades of floats. The carnival atmosphere permeates the whole city, and my vision is full of bright and gorgeous colours.

MC: Well, today is the last day of the carnival, so it is extremely lively. Many locals and tourists will dress up specially to participate in the celebrations to be held next.

Victor: It turned out to be so.

He nodded thoughtfully.

MC: what’s wrong?

Victor: It’s nothing. It’s just that I passed by a store where there are many clothes to buy and more… it was strange.

MC: What, are you talking about props such as an inflatable dinosaur costume and retro tricycle?

Seeing a stunned look flash across Victor’s face, I couldn’t help but laugh.

MC: Haha, don’t you think this event is particularly creative?~

He let go of my hand, bending his finger and tapped my forehead.

Victor: I just think that this kind of activity will indeed be a subject of interest to dummies.

The familiar and long-lost action made my heart jump. I looked at Victor’s face close at hand and suddenly broke.

MC: Victor, do you remember that on the phone before, you asked me to tell you what I wanted?

He stood in a daze, but seemed to remember it.

Victor: What do you think?

I shook my head and gave him a quick smile.

MC: I have nothing I want, except… do you remember the garden I mentioned to you on the phone? I would love to take a look at the scenery with you.

After getting Victor’s consent, I looked at him and walked to the main road of the small town. As the crowd gradually increased, I saw wide streets slowly appearing in front of me, but before we passed by, I stopped at the stagnant crowd.

MC: What happened?

Victor: Let me ask.

After exchanging a few words with a staff member, Victor walked back.

Victor: They said that it’s for traffic safety, and only people participating in the event can pass through here.

MC: Only people in the event…

The original joyful mood was instantly wiped out like being doused by cold water. Probably because I was too obvious, Victor raised his eyebrows slightly.

Victor: Disappointed?

I nodded honestly, but after half a second, I shook my head again.

MC: Although the place i want to go is on the main road, since we can’t get there, let’s forget it.

Seeing my forced smile, Victor’s face tensed.

Victor: Your frown is almost drooping to the ground.

He looked at me for a moment and just sighed helplessly.

Victor: Wait for me here. Don’t run around.

After speaking, before I could react, he walked away and passed through the crowds. The number of people stuck in the street gradually increased, and many people who had chosen to participate in the celebrations flocked to the main street.

Although I wanted to stay where I was, I was squeezed to the edge of the road and drowned in the endless sea of people. I looked at the surging crowd, and I was a little worried that when Victor came back, he wouldn’t be able to find me so easily.

Just at that moment, a sound of horseshoes suddenly came from the side, so I turned my head to look-- The first thing that catches my eye is a gorgeously dressed dark horse, sporting an arrogant posture and dark eyes.

Gradually looking upward, the man on horseback was dressed equally as gorgeously, with an extraordinary presence, most of which was bathed in golden light.

The man’s eyes drooped slightly and his gaze was casted towards me. I tried to slightly bloc the dazzling light with my hand, and gradually, the face in front of my eyes also became clearer.

MC: …! Victor?

There was also a hit of surprise in Victor’s eyes when he looked at me. The daylight broke free of the dense leaves and fell on the tips of his hair, giving off a faint flowery scent and softening the look of his visage. Against the backdrop of the surrounding background, he looks like a gentleman and aristocrat from a television drama.

Just when I was about to pass by, Victor pulled the reins abruptly and stopped. I stared at him in a daze, and for a while I couldn’t tell if this was reality or an illusion.

Victor: Why are you here?

With a “click” i accidentally pressed my phone to take a photo.

MC: Me... I was pushed over here by the crowd. There are more and more people, I was worried you wouldn’t find me, so I planned to take a photo to get your attention.

I put the phone back into my pocket as I said this, worried that he would make me hand over the photo I just captured. However, Victor just looked at me for a long while, showing a helpless expression.

Victor: Dummy.

The horse took a few steps to my spot, and he leaned down slightly to reach out his hand towards me.

Victor: Come up.

I looked at Victor, and being beyond my usual cognition, I didn’t react for a while.

MC: Victor… why are you dressed like this?

Seeing my stunned gaze, Victor turned his face away unnaturally.

Victor: I borrowed it from the shop I just passed by. If it seems like i’m attending the celebration, we can easily follow the main street.

MC: I thought you would feel naive doing this…

Victor: well...

He replied very quickly, subsequently, he slighted slightly.

Victor: But since I have promised you that we’ll go out o the garden, I will not feel naive. Besides, are the naive things I’ve done with you far and few?

The horseshoe stepped on the stone road with a clattering sound. The calm wood scent wrapped me and I leaned my back against a generous and warm chest. Although I rarely ride horses, I feel very at ease at this moment.

A beautiful garden appeared in front of us, and I happily said to Victor,

MC: We’ve arrived!

Victor: Slow down.

With the help of Victor, I got off the horse. Maybe it’s because most people have gone to the celebration, but there are not many people here. Sunlight sprinkled from gaps between branches and fell onto a sea of flowers. The wooden sign hanging on the branch made a pleasant sound in the breeze.

Victor walked behind me with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

MC: Isn’t it beautiful?

I put my hands behind my back and looked at him with a smile.

MC: When I came here for the first time, I don’t know why, but I thought of the “sky garden”. So i have this inexplicable sense of intimacy with this place, and I wanted you to see the scenery here.

Victor quietly looked at the scenery in front of him, and after a short while, a faint smile appeared in his eyes.

Victor: Well, it is beautiful. In contrast, there’s a bit more natural beauty.

He looked up again at the wooden sign dancing in the wind on the branch.

Victor: This is the “flower language” you mentioned to me on the phone that day?

MC: Yes, there are some unique types of flower language here, which is quite interesting.

As I said this, I reached out and touched the pattern on the board.

MC: For example, the flower language of Paphiopedilum is “thrifty and frugal” and the flower language of asparagus flowers is “I want to win”...

Victor listened with good interest and teased me as if in a good mood.

Victor: So, you can’t make up your mind between these two things?

MC: Certainly not! Although I really want these things… But this is my final decision!

As soon as I finished speaking, I handed a wooden sign without a name and a pen to Victor.

Victor: What kind of flower is this?

MC: This is a red geranium. Just write your name on it!

Victor: ...It seems that you arranged this for me a long time ago.

He took the wooden sign and asked faintly,

Victor: What is its meaning in the flower language?

MC: This one, haha… I’ll wait for you to find out by yourself.

Victor glanced at me.

Victor: Dummy.

Even so, he still picked up the pen and wrote his name on the wooden sign stroke by stroke. Seeing Victor’s serious expression, a trace of warmth ran across my heart.

I suddenly thought of the meaning behind red geraniums that I found with my mobile phone in this same place a few days ago. At this moment, I seem to understand the meaning better --

“My happiness exists because of you”.

The sunset quietly dyed the sky red. When we were about to walk out of the garden, I suddenly saw a staff member not far away waving colorful flags at us, and I couldn’t help but look towards them.

MC: Are we so lucky that we won big prizes?

Victor: In terms of probability, it is unlikely.

MC: People should always be optimistic!

Victor: Let’s go and have a look.

Victor chuckled lightly, took my hand, and walked forward with me. When we talked to the staff member, we found that we didn’t win any prizes, he just wanted to help us take a photo together. Although it was not the expected outcome, when taking a photo with Victor, my face burst into a smile involuntarily.

Victor: Why are you smiling? It’s not like it’s a grand prize. Are you happy about the reward?

MC: For me, it’s like winning the jackpot!

I looked at us closely in the photo -- Although Victor’s expression is the same as usual, only a slight smile can be seen at the corner of his mouth, but his hand that hangs beside him is firmly gripping mine.

Behind us is the same beautiful sea of flowers.

Victor: You said that your wish is to let me come here with you. Why?

Victor looked at the photo and suddenly after he said this, he pondered for a moment.

MC: Well... It’s because it’s very beautiful here, and I wanted you to see it too.

Victor: Is it just that?

When I met Victor’s deep eyes, I suddenly felt as if all my careful thoughts had nowhere t hide in front of him. Seeing that I didn’t have a way to get around this, I had to decide to confess.

MC: I was standing here, thinking about you for a little bit.

I lifted my eyes secretly and peeked at Victor, wanting to look carefully at his expression. There was no emotion on his face, only those dark eyes watching me seriously.

MC: Although I only miss you a little bit, this kind of little thought often comes up.

It seems that the more this lively and joyous atmosphere grew, the more people can’t help but miss a certain someone. For a moment, I even wanted to go home and return to the place where I knew he was.

MC: Even though I’d already seen the scenery, with you, it somehow seems to be different. It becomes--

Victor: It becomes special.

Victor whispers. He puts a hand on my waist, and soft emotion flows from his dark eyes.

Victor: Isn’t that right?

Looking at my slightly widened eyes, a faint smile crossed the corner of his mouth.

Victor: When did you get such a bad habit of saying half of what you mean and keeping the rest to yourself? If you want to see me, you can speak directly.

I realised that he was talking about when I called him the other day, and I bit my lip.

MC: These words, you know even if I don’t voice them.

Victor: I know, but this is not enough.

I looked at his defatigable eyes and couldn’t help but sigh lightly.

MC: I’m (not) worried that this will interfere with you. Moreover, I also want to establish the image of a “strong and independent woman” in front of you.

I was speaking from the heart, but Victor was amused by my serious expression.

Victor: You actually set such a goal?

The breath that was close at hand intertwined with mine, and I quietly looked at his hanging gaze.

Victor: In contrast, I have no such ambitions.

He stretched his hands over my shoulders, and as he approached slowly, the familiar scent surrounded me. Just when the atmosphere was right, a “pop” sounded untimely something falling from my pocket and onto the ground.

I reacted immediately.

MC: It’s my flower sign!

I was about to pick it up, but Victor was one step ahead of me and picked it up. He looked at the red geranium pattern on the sign and there was a slight curve to his lips.

MC: Uh, this is a flower card I took before, because I thought it looked good…

With some guilty conscience, I wanted to avoid Victor’s gaze. He spread out my hand and placed the wooden sign in my palm.

Victor: It seems that you already have what you want.

He covered my hand with his palm and slowly closed it so I could feel the weight of the wooden sign in my palm.

MC: …!

I looked at Victor’s face in surprise, reminding me of the scene when he was asked to write on the wooden sign just now. A faint colour couldn't help but climb up on my cheeks -- this person really knows everything!

Victor looked at me with interest, and there was a faint smile on his face.

Victor: Why is your face red?

MC:...It’s just the setting sun!

Victor smiled, but didn’t break contact with me, just holding my hand tighter.

Victor: Well, today’s sunset is very nice.

The sun dyed his eyes, but reflected in the depths was me alone. Someone not far away happily sang a local ballad. Although I don’t understand the meaning, I no longer feel the loneliness of being in a foreign land.

Because the person I cherish the most is by my side right now.