#literally big full moon festival

[foodweate]

@인왕별장

[helluva-headache]

I try usually to not get into discourse about the shows because it's exhausting but I'm just throwing this out there because it's bouncing around in my brain.

It's kinda wild to me how many Stolas haters there are that genuinely don't believe Stolas is going to have any sort of reckoning when it comes to his class/racial bias.

I've even seen people go as far as say the writers of the show are "just going to let it slide" and Stolas "won't face any consequences".

Like... the writers are the ones who wrote in Stolas' class/racial bias to begin with.

During Harvest Moon Festival, they purposefully show a shot of the crowd looking angry as Stolas addresses them as "tiny wrath ring imps".

The writers wrote Striker's dialogue in Harvest Moon Festival and Western Energy, clearly showing his distaste for royals and the disparity between classes. They wouldn't do this, especially in the scenes where Striker is talking directly about/to Stolas, if this wasn't going to be an important issue that will be addressed down the line.

It's even brought up in Full Moon and Apology Tour. In Full Moon, Blitzø's anger towards Stolas' attitude regarding imps is the climax of their argument at the end of the episode. He may not have expressed it in a way that Stolas would be entirely receptive to in that moment, but it's a huge first step as this is the first time Blitzø is directly expressing his frustration to Stolas' face.

And then in Apology Tour we have Stolas saying to Blitzø "I don't look down on you!" and "When have I ever?-" and then goes on to compare Blitzø's attitude to Striker's. This conversation is derailed when Stolas finds out about the first assassination attempt, but their conversation here is another big step in the right direction. This conversation shows Blitzø, and us in the audience, that Stolas doesn't actively believe he's better than imps, but passively without realizing it treats imps as if they are lesser.

This is important because it distinguishes Stolas' behavior from that of someone with malicious intent, perhaps like how Andrealphus did when referring to Striker as a "mangy stray". This distinction shows us that Stolas is capable of change. He's never had a reason to examine his class/racial bias, until he met Blitzø.

All this to say there are too many breadcrumbs intentionally left by the writers for this topic to not be addressed at some point. I understand some people who are especially fans of Blitzø may be upset because of a literal "anti-Blitzø party" in Apology Tour, and might feel like the show is unfairly digging at Blitzø without addressing Stolas' wrongs. However, I feel like it's reasonable for Blitzø's issues to be addressed first as he is the main character. And based on the season 2 trailer, I don't doubt that in one of the next few episodes the show will be digging into Stolas as well.

The show isn't over yet. If a major character flaw that has been referred to in multiple episodes throughout the entire series hasn't been formally addressed yet, trust the writers to address it before the show is completed.

[xuchiya]

"Dance with me" || park seonghwa || one-shot

| genre: non!idol ateez. fluff. slice of life | mentions: teasing. fainting. jewelry gift. | This is literally my high school delusions. My old school is literally an 'old school' school like no phones and computers, being in a relationship is not allowed, and big ass windows as our source of fans--- i mean we do have electric fans and ceiling fans but with the weather and a very old, close to dying, e-fans? We really have to depend on the wind from our windows. Anyways, this list is basically a true experience. My personal favorite? Song Mingi's.

To visualize the story, here: How I imagine

The festival had ended with a loud bang. It is a celebration of the schools’ founding anniversary. Old students came and celebrated—even shared some advice in looking for a university and how to pass their entrance exam or stories about how they made the head school minister angry because of them not attending the last day of practice in graduation. 

“Hey! Ms. Naduranta asks for you to be part of the cotillion, have you given them the permission slip?” You snapped out of your thoughts when Seonghwa spoke, not even looking up from his work, he was facing your desk instead of his. He was jotting down notes that he missed last monday and is in a hurry to finish it before the practice for the promenade happens and he doesn’t need to overwork himself to comply with his missing requirements.

You shake your head, sighing. You were over the moon to be part of the dance but you have no confidence at all. Placing your pen beside your notebook as Seonghwa continues to write down his notes, looking at him. “I’m a bad dancer and besides, my absence could be a chance for the others to join.”

This time, Seonghwa looks up from his work, scoffing, playfully tapping the pen on your forehead. You mouth a small ‘ow’ before rubbing it off, “You are one of the good dancers here. Ms. Naduranta is the one asking for you; it means she has a feeling that you will win the crown for the night.”

You scoff this time, leaning back on your chair. “I’m bad and there’s nothing stopping me.” Seonghwa eyes you in judgement before shrugging, continuing his work, “Whatever.”

Prom. It was the event every senior anticipated, and Park Seonghwa, being in charge of the sound system, was busier than ever. He darted in and out of the classroom, monitoring the songs and equipment, leaving you alone to complete your notes and requirements, which he would later borrow to catch up.

Despite the demands of the upcoming event, Seonghwa remained by your side. He knew about your social butterfly still inside its cocoon, no anytime of the day will it try to come out of it. Though, there were times you spoke about you not including his obligation in his daily life but he debunked your words and chose to stay with you. No matter what, he speaks highly of you, he mentions things about ‘that’s her favorite’ or ‘she does not like that’.

Everyone thought you were his girlfriend; well, you are his childhood friend. Don’t get yourself wrong on this because he is popular as the school’s heartthrob and you feared he might drift away into the spotlight, surrounded by admirers, but like mention he stayed with you. Still, the envious glares of others sometimes made you question how long it would last.

You walk inside the room, already expecting the class to be half full since all morning classes were cancelled to prepare for the prom, and you were selected to participate in the dance. 

Seonghwa saw you, sliding the door close of your classroom, before walking towards the direction of the auditorium. He smiles, his heart speeding at the sight of you, holding the box of chords and extensions for the sound system, “Goodmorning, where are you going?”

You look up, rubbing your arm, as the chilly morning nips on your skin, “Good morning Seonghwa, I’m on my way to the auditorium.” 

Nodding his head, hiding his excitement because Seonghwa knew you accepted the offer after 4 days of considering joining. He heard from Ms. Naduranta about your acceptance and now every day, if he only knew this is what he has to see every day, Seonghwa watched you practice with your partner, his jaw tightening with an unfamiliar feeling that gnawed at him. He couldn't shake the discomfort—the way your partner held your hand, how you smiled during the routine—it stirred something deep inside him. 

His heart pounded harder each time, the jealousy creeping up uninvited. It wasn’t just about the dance. Seonghwa felt a possessive pull, an intense need to keep you close, fearing that someone else might steal you away, even though he never doubted your loyalty as a friend.

He wouldn't have let you join but he re-considers it after seeing you all smiley and interactive with other students.

Finally, on the day when you were alone in the auditorium, waiting for the others to join practice, a quiet settled over the room. You wandered over to the table where the sound system was set up, but there was no sign of Seonghwa. Curiosity getting the better of you, you sat down on the table and picked up his MP3 player. As you scrolled through his playlist, you found several old songs—tracks you both used to listen to when you were younger. Nostalgia washed over you as you stopped at one song and pressed play. The soft melody echoed throughout the auditorium, filling the empty space.

‘You’re just too good to be true …’ Your ears were satisfied with the soft music. These past days you were having a headache and earache as the loud music blares, almost to the point you have to yell to the others.

“Feeling a bit nostalgic eh?” Seonghwa's voice interrupted your thoughts. He emerged from the sound system room. You looked up, giggling, "I thought you deleted this one!"

He scoffs, placing his hand inside his blazer, "Why would I delete that?"

You rose an eyebrow, "Because you said it's not your type of music?" But truth to be told, all your favorite music were inside the MP3 as well, he hears you playing them every weekend. Including the one playing currently. His hand extended toward you, "May I?"

You meet his gaze, and without hesitation, you placed your hand in his. He guided you into a dance, your hands gliding above your heads, arms brushing against one another before he took your hand and spun you around. The dance was graceful, almost effortless, as if you had rehearsed it a thousand times. With every step, your heartbeat quickened, but not from the dance—it was from being so close to him. The warmth of his hand in yours, the way his eyes never left your face, made you realize that your feelings for him had grown deeper than just childhood friendship. You had always known he was special to you.

As the song drew to a close, Seonghwa led you into the final move of the dance. With a smooth dip, he cradled you gently in his arms, your faces inches apart. His eyes searched yours, and in that moment, you saw the same affection reflected back at you.

“I like you; you know?” he whispered, his voice steady, filled with sincerity. Seeing you in the arms of your partner, just a minute, he might not like the words will come out and guarantee himself inside the principal's office. So, with a small courage, he had spoken those words that he hid for a long time.

Before you could respond, he pressed a soft kiss to your forehead, sealing the confession with a tender gesture.

The dance ended, but the moment lingered in the air, and you knew that despite everything—his popularity, the attention from others—his heart belonged to you, just as yours did to him.

Smiling softly, running your fingers on his jaw, tapping his forehead with your forefinger, "Took you long enough, Seonghwa."

[syrusinthedust]

Au where all of the characters played by Kim Whalen in the Hatchetfield Series are all supernatural and connected.

Like, Holloway we know is a witch and yeah some of them already have some supernatural connection, but like, I want more.

Becky Barnes is absolutely some kind of guardian Angel given she’s a warrior of light. She, along with Holloway, is the person who the others go to for help relating to supernatural stuff and injuries.

Girl Jeri gave birth to a hairy creature that lives in the woods, she’s a werewolf. The lumber-axe man has just lost his mind fully into the wolf, even when in human form, and now Jeri goes wolf to try to protect the kids at camp.

Stacy is that one friend who has like a sixth sense for people but it’s literally a sixth sense. She somehow hasn’t realized she’s psychic despite multiple other people directly telling her.

Karen Chasity is Also a werewolf and is related to Girl Jeri (And has a bad track record with controlling herself on the full moon, thus the cannibalism claim in hatchet town).

Miss Mullberry is theater teacher who goes “caw-caw” at some point. Make her into a half bird. Like a crow person, but nighthawk. She’s been banned from running the lost and found because she keeps on just taking the shiny stuff in it.

Liz Cunnigham we don’t know too much about other than helping charities and that she was once from clivesdale. So, since she was once a chemist, let’s make her into an actual Chemist who sells her products as a small company and that’s why they’re big enough to help charities and be in the honey festival.

Now I just need to figure out Sylvia, Jenny, Reese, and Miss Tessburger.

[the-starry-seas]

Hey there dear !

It's a tusken day apparently today (the best kind of days) so now I have a headcanon question and I love your hcs and worldbuilding. So what do you think the Tuskens relationship with the sky and stars would be ? Especially since you know, Tatooine has two Suns and I'm sure the most beautiful night skies too.

Oh! Yes! I have headcanons indeed 😂

Astronavigation is pretty much the only system the Tuskens use. Because like, Tatooine used to be an ocean planet, got glassed by an orbital bombardment, and then that glass dissolved into sand. I can't imagine there's many landmarks left after that level of destruction. But while the planet's surface was getting completely fucked over, the stars in the system stayed the same! So it was pretty much the only reliable way to navigate Tatooine while the planet underwent its apocalyptic reshuffling.

Eventually, the geography of the planet settled down. They figured out which mountains disappeared, and where there's big new pillars of glass and slag, and navigating via landmark is now something that can be reliably done...

When there's landmarks in the first place. Book of Boba Fett showed what was pretty much a featureless desert wasteland. Sand dunes move over time. Even at the rate of moving ten feet a year, that's gonna be thirty or forty miles for a single dune. Very hard to have geographical landmarks or manmade markers in that kind of terrain.

Tatooine's night skies are stunning. Check out this pic by the National Park Service. 95% of Tatooine counts as an excellent dark sky site. The names and legends behind constellations have been perfectly preserved since Tatooine's pre-desert time. It was the only thing that could stay exactly the same when quite literally the rest of the world was being destroyed. Very little of their culture could be retained so exactly, so star lore is extremely important to Tuskens! The suns, moons, and stars feature heavily in mythology, fiction, and art.

Constellations are also used to illustrate relationships and navigate grief. For example, a family with three kids will find a constellation of five stars, one to represent each member of their immediate family. Even when a family member dies, the star that represents them is never separated from the others, which is particularly helpful for young Tuskens facing their first loss.

This is also a great way to illustrate how, just like each constellation is connected to the rest of the sky, each family is connected to the rest of their clan, and each clan is connected to Tuskens as a whole. A star is never alone. Neither is a Tusken!

The three moons are named after the Kumumgah brothers who led the army that repelled the Rakata. Tatooine keeps a lunar calendar of 304 days, with ten months making up a year. The months vary in length by up to a week, based on the phases of the moons. Festivals fall on a full, half, or new moon. The last day of the year is marked by the only day on which all three are a new moon at the same time. Historically, this has also unofficially been a lover's festival, as the darkness is a great cover for couples to sneak off together without anyone seeing.

Unlike the moons, the suns have never had any specific names. Since pre-Tusken times, however, they've been referred to as a male-female couple in mythology, songs, and everything in between. The two sun symbolism features heavily in wedding ceremonies' spoken rites and visual decorations.

As a result, both the two suns and the colour yellow have come to represent loyalty and love in all relationship types. Pairs of round yellow 'sun beads' are exchanged as promises of lifelong fidelity between siblings, friends, and spouses. Often a proposal is done by gifting a bracelet woven from yellow fabric or embroidered with yellow beads. Clothes worn by couples at their wedding ceremony have two suns prominently featured in some way - to not have them is bad luck!

Polycules typically use the same symbolism since it's so culturally ingrained. However, some will pick out constellations with the proper number of stars, just like families do. In four-person polycules, it's common to double existing two-sun patterns.

Wearing clothing with only one sun is used to indicate that a person is in mourning for someone they loved deeply. The mourning period lasts until this piece of clothing is burned.

[chaifootsteps]

I have previously also made my own post about it, but I wanna point out that Vivziepop has claimed Stolas will get his comeuppance, but there is no way a genuine callout is happening soon, and all previous ones seem to have been deemed invalid by the narrative Octavia (Loo Loo Land / Seeing Stars) - If comforted by another character saying that Stolas means well and that he won't leave her, Not Valid Striker - (Harvest Moon Festival / Western Energy) Is deemed as antagonist and constantly villainized and called a hypocrite for working for a royal, Not Valid Blitz (Full moon) - Almost immediately apologizes after Stolas begins to 'cry', just framed as lashing out by the narrative, Not Valid Blitz (Apology tour) - Framed as Blitz being salty after Stolas rejects his advances (side note that scene felt incredibly OOC for Blitz), Not Valid Octavia (Future episode) - If the leaks are to be believed, she demonized the anti-depressants, so if this will be valid, Vivse would be ableist against depression, plus is likely considered her mother and uncle's manipulation, so most likely not valid So if Stolas will be called out, then when, and how will it be different?! Just really upset Stolas hasn't been called out validly at all once despite them both being in the wrong according to Vivziepop and Blitz having been called out, twice-ish (I don't know feels weird to rewatch episodes so I don't remember)

Well put. The fandom's acting like this big, serious callout is waiting right around the corner, that Stolas is definitely going to undergo what Blitzo went through in Apology Tour. I guess it's technically possible, anything is, but every single time the narrative looks like it's about to go in that direction, there's a hard pivot backwards. Literally every person who's ever criticized Stolas in-universe has been portrayed as unambiguously in the wrong.

If Viv wanted to call out Stolas's behavior and actually have it stick, she would have by now. But she hasn't, because in her mind, he's done very little, if anything, wrong.

[polyshipweek]

Polyship Week '24 - Day Six Prompts

We are (less than) four weeks away from #PolyshipWeek24, and it’s time to take a closer look at the prompts!

Day Six

Queer Disabled Polyam For this prompt, we're spotlighting polyships with queer and disabled characters! Write about a character adapting to a new disability, or one for whom disability is an old familiar companion. Show us those little everyday annoyances, the big frustrations, the adaptive tech and accommodations, and most of all, the way the members of your ship make space for and support one another.

Parties Time to celebrate! Birthdays, holidays, victory celebrations, class reunions, play parties, house parties, afternoon tea parties, or all-night raves — whatever the occasion, show us your polycule at their most festive! Who's the wallflower of the group? Who's made three new friends in the first five minutes? Who brings the best dessert to the potluck? Who should never be allowed to control the aux? Let the good times roll!

Kink Discovery The path from "oh, that better not awaken anything..." to "new kink unlocked" is often a short one, and this prompt is all about those moments of kinky enlightenment. Shows us those first times trying something new, those vulnerable fantasy reveals, and those times your blorbos trip and fall into something that makes their brains go brrrr. Sexual and non-sexual kinks are both welcome for this prompt!

Tight Squeeze Throw your ship into an awkward situation — literally! Redraw a frame from this iconic Sailor Moon scene or explore a time your polyship got stuck in close quarters. Are they hiding from bad guys? Breaking and entering? Stuck in a trash compactor? Maybe the proximity helps them finally confess their feelings, or just ratchets the tension through the roof — or maybe they're an established ship and happy to take advantage of the snug conditions.

As a reminder, feel free to make any kind of fanwork for any of the prompts, mash them up, or do your own thing entirely. Check out the 2024 Masterpost for the full prompt list!

[mono-blogs-art]

Revue Starlight Sports Festival Draft!

As you know, the big Stage Girl Sports Festival Revival will take place in February - literally just a full day event of the various cast members of Revue Starlight (from anime, game, and stage plays) will participate in a funky pretend-highschool sports festival. Today the full teams were decided via draft stream!

The team leaders had previously been announced:

Koyama Momoyo (Aijo Karen, Seisho) - Yellow Team "ZERO" Tomita Maho (Tendo Maya, Seisho) - Blue Team "This is..." Nomoto Hotaru (Yukishiro Akira, Siegfeld) - Red Team "HOT" Nanaki Kanon (Yanagi Koharu, Seiran) - Green Team "shuThuarunomi" (集中あるのみ; "sTay focused")

Also quite funny to me that 3 of the team leaders (all but Maho) are former Sera Myu performers... the Sailor Moon squad has taken over

As is tradition at this point, ensemble member Jinko Moe is the MC for this stream and explains the rules. In the first two rounds, all leaders are free to pick 1 stage girl of their chosing per round from the roster as their top picks. If any chose the same person, they will have to decide by draft - the loser can then choose freely again. After round 2, all other rounds are chosen by draft completely by luck. We already knew not all cast members are going to be there so not every stage girl is available for chosing. Suzuko Mimori (Hikari), Emiri Kato (Tsukasa) and Shiina Hekiru (Souda-sensei) are going to be the MCs at the event, so they won't be participating as athletes either. Also, Tsukui Minami (Suzu) and Kobayashi Yuka (Yakumo-sensei) are a "2 for 1" deal, as they won't be able to make the whole event (iirc).

Team Zero's name is the most easily explained. Moyo gets a lot of praise from her colleagues and chat for her genius team logo design. The E is a crown with tomato jewels... I'm in awe

Maho explains the pronunciation of her team: The "..." is performed dramatically with the eyes, like the above. Lol

Nossan's design of course features Hot-kun, Akira's favourite food & beloved plushie. The Hot-kun icon is actually the inside of a chili, not a sun. Apparently.

Kanon struggled quite a bit with finding a team name, and after consulting with the other leaders in their Line chat group, she wanted a good Koharu line as the team name. Koharu's "うるさい." ("Shut up.") came to mind, but she thought that was too rude for a team name, so shuchuarunomi it became. She placed a big T (position zero!) for the "ch" sound. Complicated, but clever.

Time for drawing the teams! In round 1, everyone is asked to present their top picks for their team.

Moyo's is: MATSUZAWA! Aka Matsuzawa Kanon, who plays Shiro from Siegfeld Middle School!

Maho's is the one and only Sato Hinata - student council president of Seisho herself, Hoshimi Junna.

Nossan's top pick is: Ikuta Teru of Futaba fame!! And funnily enough...

Kanon's pick is also Teru!!! She even drew a tiny Ponzu (Teru's dog) to sway the public. The crowd goes wild. They have to let fate decide who wins over Teru for their team, and Nossan comes out on top. So Kanon gets to choose again, and her next free pick is Haruchan! Aka her fellow Photon Maiden bestie, Iwata Haruki of Mahiru fame.

Time for round 2, and last round of free picks! Again, Moyo goes first.

Moyo's second pick is Saeki Iori, who plays Rinmeikan's Yuyuko!

Maho's second pick is Sasaki Mikoi aka Mikoron, Shizuha of Frontier!

Nossan's next pick is Koizumi Moeka aka Moepii, who plays the one and only Banana! Complaints from the other leaders are heard for her making her team too strong. Lol. We'll see about that.

Kanon's pick is Kuge Kokoro of the Siegfeld Middle Schoolers, who plays Minku! No overlaps this time, so everyone gets their first pick!

The next picks are all made by random draft, so it's really just up to luck. Kanon is praying to get at least one other Seiran member for her heart. Everyone is praying not to get Aiai (lmao). Kanon manages to draw Tsumutsumu, another Photon Maiden member, making it a 3/4 for her team (with the fourth PM member, Hinata, sitting in Maho's team). For Nossan, she manages to draw two people very close to her - Ozaki Yuka (Michiru) and Kadoyama Yoko (Hisame), two of Akira's girlfriends. Moyo gets both of the Yumeoji siblings. Maho gets to draw her bestie's wife, KDHR. Kanon's wish is fulfilled by drawing the 2for1 duo of Minami&Kobayashi, her fellow Seirans. The crowd goes wild when Nossan draws Aiai, her team being declared the noisiest for sure (they're not wrong, this will be utter chaos).

Final distribution:

Yellow Team "Zero": Koyama Momoyo (leader; Karen), Matsuzawa Kanon (Shiro), Saeki Iori (Yuyuko), Tono Hikaru (Shiori), Fukagawa Ruka (Ryoko), Kurachi Reo (Fumi)

Blue Team "This is...": Tomita Maho (leader; Maya), Sato Hinata (Junna), Sasaki Mikoi (Shizuha), Ito Ayasa (Kaoruko), Kudo Haruka (Yachiyo), Takeuchi Yume (Mei Fan)

Red Team "HOT": Nomoto Hotaru (leader; Akira), Ikuta Teru (Futaba), Koizumi Moeka (Nana), Ozaki Yuka (Michiru), Kadoyama Yoko (Hisame), Aiba Aina (Claudine)

Green Team "shuThuarunomi": Nanaki Kanon (leader; Koharu), Iwata Haruki (Mahiru), Kuge Kokoro (Minku), Tsumugi Risa (Rui), Sato Yuria (Kuina), Tsukui Minami (Suzu) & Kobayashi Yuka (Yakumo-sensei)

Info & Graphics can be found on the official Revstar twt , the stream was archived so you can watch the shenanigans yourself here!

[bless-311]

FACE IN THE CROWD | J.CM

ji changmin x gn!reader

synopsis. as you prepare for your group's biggest performance yet, doubts surface. a flashback to a moment with your high school best friend reminds you of an old promise he made you.

▸genre, warnings. best friends to strangers to the possibility of becoming lovers, kinda idol au u'll see, lwk y2k fic?, flashback scene, one (1) singular barely-a-kiss kiss, pining kinda, fluff!, lowercase on purpose, q bc hes just like that

▸word count. 2.3k

▸life's too short - tinashe

click here for ao3

you hiss out through your teeth, a singing technique to help smooth out tremors in your voice and, in this case, your nerves. you can hear the drumbeat of your pulse behind your in-ears. hissss. this is a milestone for your freshly debuted group of course, but it was a little more personal than just a fresh audience for you. one of the most reputable schools in seoul had asked you guys to perform at their annual school festival, you can feel the tension in the room as everyone prepares to face the largest crowd you all had had yet. you sit on the dingy little black couch and watch as in the 4 walls made of bluish-grey tarp sheets around you everyone is languidly warming up, stretching or singing staccato up and down the scales, running through the choreo with constricted movements. despite the energy all around you feel alone with your doubts, doubts that maybe you shouldn't be here and its all some big mistake…

suddenly in a flash, you're back again, that bitterly cold winter night sitting on a bench at the park alone with your doubts. sipping a box of melon-flavored milk, under the ambiance of the dirty low light of the streetlamp, you were trying to count the dim, barely visible stars in the city sky to settle your mind, the chemical scent of the playground’s run-down plastic felt comforting and familiar as you took slow breaths. your unoccupied hand was in your puffer's pocket to save your fingertips from the chill that was biting your nose and cheeks. seemingly out of nowhere a high-school-best-friend-shaped figure suddenly plopped down next to you, making you jump almost a mile high.

"hello stranger!" he greeted you, grinning ear to ear.

"geez, ji!" you yelp, startled by changmin's stealthy entrance.

he pulled the other box from the plastic bag on the ground and smiled at you cheekily his eyes forming crescent moons under his mussed and slightly knotted black hair, stuffing the dirtied bag into his puffer pocket, his body only half angled at you. he had one arm extended behind you so you could rest your head on his shoulder like you always did.

"i quite literally almost tripped getting here and you didn't laugh, so we're thinking about really serious tonight i assume?" he asked, sipping on his milk too and watching you intently. he tapped under his ear, that was his way of letting you know you had his full attention, and you were grateful. 

you sigh, how did even you begin to explain how you felt? when there's music playing and you're performing the world shifts into colored light like the sky is stained glass. your dulled in comparison world revolves around the few minutes you touch this other world, this almost heavenly plane. but, you're just human and that's terrifying. you had planned since middle school to start being a trainee once you had graduated high school, your parents had even sent you for dance and singing lessons for which you were eternally grateful, seeing as that's where you met changmin. but you were second-guessing everything now, you had hit a lull in your lessons and your exams grew closer and closer serving you a hard reality.

"what if i don't make it min? i just, i don't know if i'm real 'star material', you know? i mean sure i can sing and dance but so can a million other people! what if i don't get to become a trainee? what if it doesn't work out?" suddenly the words fell out of your mouth uncontrollably, like the boy next to you had compelled you to start purging every doubt you'd had for the past week. all the while changmin listened with full attention, almost enraptured.

you had enrolled in the dance academy he attended in freshman year, you weren't a true beginner so you progressed rather quickly through the difficulty groups till you eventually landed in changmin's. neither of you could remember how you became friends, it just came natural. watching you had come equally as naturally to him, often simply enjoying your technique filled style and where it aligned and separated from his own. even though he didn't have any of the technical knowledge behind singing you practically had the voice of an angel, he had tried to convince you a million times. 

"okay, woah," he gave out a little huff of shock that made a condensation puff in the air, "you will become a trainee and an idol, and it will work out." you wanted to continue, but the chipmunk-cheeked boy beat you to it "even if you don't, and you will, it'll be okay! because you're you and you're amazing and could totally beat out a million and one randos!"

you smiled at him as a thanks for his kind words, more assured... kinda. but a little was better than nothing.

"that means a lot ji, seriously," you told him, genuinely. your breathing feeling fuller, even if slightly stung from the air.

he grinned back and quirked an eyebrow "..you know.. my brother told babyvox performed at his school's fancy festival," he knew you'd perk up at the mention of that name, like a mention of god to your weird vaguely religious one member cult.

"i heard," you groaned, "im so jealous, they were probably everything!" you sighed dramatically, staring up at the sky, wiping away a fake tear with your free hand. satire as the act was, you were truly inspired by the group and this olive branch definitely served to temporarily pull you out of your own head. 

you shook your empty milk box, and looked over at changmin who did the same, you held out your hand to go throw them away, he complied easily and you walked over to the trash bin your shoes crunching the small gritty stones on the path below you.

"you know, you could perform those someday," he said thoughtfully, lost in his imagination. 

"what? big uni festivals? obviously i could!" you called out from over your shoulder, laughing at your feigned bravado. 

"well when you do," he said as you sat walked back towards him. he patted your spot, silently asking you to sit back down, "i'll be there to watch!" he promised, holding his pinky out for you. you hooked yours over it and beamed at him.

"ah i wish i could've been there!" you lamented dramatically, falling into his ready shoulder moping.

"well you can! ... kinda," he told you victoriously. you whipped your head around in half shock half confusion to see him holding a state-of-the-art, aka not so shitty, camcorder up in one hand, "i asked him to tape it."

"OH MY GOD! NO, YOU DIDN'T CHANGMIN! WHAT DO YOU MEAN!?" you screamed loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear you, thrill completely overriding whatever somber mood was still left over from earlier.

"chill!" he laughed and pretended to check his ear for blood, "do you want the whole town to have it out for us?"

you pushed him slightly and demanded to see the precious videos, he happily obliged and fiddled away with the camera.

'do you have to go?~' the somewhat shitty speaker crooned out, but you swore it was the most beautiful thing you ever heard. you stared intensely at the little screen's shaky view of the stylishly clad figures, even mouthing the words of the song. changmin watched you fondly as you unknowingly squeezed his arm, he didn't even mind the tourniquet grip when your favorite part rolled around, how someone taking such little mouse breaths could have that much strength was beyond him.

"your brother's a shitty cameraman," you said barely above a whisper when the video ended. changmin giggled slightly but just continued to look at you till you finally met his eyes.

"what?"

"nothing."

for a moment, you both just stared at each other and felt the cold nipping at your faces. seeing his flushed cheeks and smelling the wood and lemony disinfectant from the dance studio on him you felt a sudden rush of love and appreciation for him and you couldn't imagine the rest of your life without him. he had to be there for your graduation, your wedding, maybe even your debut, you wouldn't have it any other way. so you grabbed his face and kissed him. well, kiss might be an overstatement, pecked him is more accurate. you pecked him.

"you're up next guys!" your manager calls out, jolting you back into the present and ruining all the progress you'd made with stabilizing your breathing. the energy suddenly became even more electric, the noises of the crowd being pumped up for your performance became especially loud. 

you get up with a small groan and stretch out your whole body one last time, thinking as you do. after that you two remained good friends, completing your college entrance exams together, he had even accompanied you to all your company auditions. unfortunately, you'd drifted apart since then, a natural thing since you couldn't talk amidst your busy trainee life. even after your debut, the hectic rise to fame your group experienced from your debut single had you barely finding time to call your mom! much less anyone else. you did miss him though, every so often when someone with his name would pop up in the news, like some boy group member that debuted a while back, you would reminisce about your high school life together and resolve to find his number and call. you keep finding ways to stall.

"OK! get ready to go up!" your manager calls once again, clapping his hands. trying his best to simultaneously soothe and enliven his idol group.

your leader calls out and you all shuffle into a circle, clutching your group mates' hands and closing your eyes as the leader of the group chants a little good luck prayer. for a second longer you keep them closed before cheering as loud as you can and putting on your most dazzling performance smile before you ascend the stairs to the stage.

suddenly blinded by the stage lights that provided some warmth through the chilling air hitting your skin through your flimsy stage costume. you can hear the dulled roaring of the crowd through your in-ears as you stand facing them, eyes fixed on a spot trying to calm down and slowly breathe in the fresh winter air while still smiling brightly. you hear the leader say the opening line and you do the group greeting, waiting for the little intro shpiel to be over. you breathe in and out smelling the faded paint scent of the stage below you till you feel a little tug at your arm and hearing the speech end, you fall into your kneeling position. the anticipation buzzing in the air like a sparks ready to fly as you face the stage floor, the real performance about to start. you hear your in-ears mark out your orders. 'verse. 1, 2, 3' and there go the opening lines of your debut song flowing purposefully from you member's lips, knocking you something akin to breathless as you begin dancing. there it is, multicolored, suddenly the whole world is in your kaleidoscope, fragments of light sparkling against the bright hues and you can't even feel your heartbeat it's just your desperate joyful breaths and the music. you weave through the formations like wading through honey with muscle memory, flashing stunning smiles to the crowd and ecstatic looks to your members who beam back. not a doubt enters your mind as you dance feeling the crazed thrill from the moving figures around you. 

your movements reach a lull as you make your way to the back of the formation once again in a kneeling position, your solo approaches and you can feel the buzz in your skin and the jelly in your knees. you breathe the wonderful paint smell in and out once again looking at the floor and feeling its rough surface beneath your knee, and a thought crosses your mind, 'do you think min kept his promise?'. as you take center stage, a head of hair with an unreal cloudy white hue and a beat up camcorder catches your eye. he pulls his mask of letting it hang from one ear to reveal a face at one point you could've never lived without. he's here! he's really here! your heart almost gives out before coming back with a tempo louder than a temple drum. the blood rushing in your ears sang melodically with the music as you practically flew across the stage with overflowing pride in yourself, you could feel your wings large and golden. you don't even have to think of performing the best you ever have, you just give it your whole love and passion filled heart. you couldn't breath from how happy you were. you could hear the sudden roar of the crowd where your in-ear had fallen out, they all wanted the kiss you just blew. risking another glance, you watch him feign a catch into his heart causing his already precarious mask position to slip off entirely and almost drop the camera. 'what a shitty cameraman!' you give a small giggle that your fans would coo over for weeks to come just as you did with the videos of your own idols on this same stage. you slip away through the formations once more, you dance your way through the small remainder of the song with a lightness in your chest and ease of breathing you'd never felt before. when it all came to an end you landed in a kneeling position one final time, and looked out into the crowd to see changmin waving, face hidden by the screen of the camera. half panting heavily, half laughing, you throw your hair back from your face and shoot him a sunrise-wattage smile and wave back, audience members vying for your attention all around him.

you descend the same stairs backstage still breathing heavily from exertion with only one sudden thought in mind 'when did he dye his hair white?'.

▸note. BABYVOX MENTION! ILY BABYVOX!! they disbanded in 2006 and idk if they ever did school festivals but suspend your disbelief for me pls🫶 i think yn and changmin are like 20 post time skip? idk, but i hope you enjoy their vibes, their dynamic really have my heart. finally finally tysm for reading and especially for reading after my long ass unannounced writing hiatus💀 this is special to me as my first fic back so i really hope y'all love it! i tentatively plan to be back w more writing (maybe even a continuation of ynmin lore..? maybe q pov...?) soon so stay tuned and have happy spooky season!!(⁠*⁠＾⁠3⁠＾⁠)⁠/⁠～⁠♡

©bless-311 | do not translate, copy, or rework any fics or repost fics on any other social media platforms

posted: 031023

[matsumaedo-oshu]

Crescent Moon (Matsue in Izumo)

The Crescent moon has been used by humanity since the beginning of civilization. There's no culture that doesn't touch the concept of the moon and/or Crescent moon.

In Japan, the moon is, first and foremost, related to a God, Tsukiyiomi, and a harvest festival, Tsukimi, also moon observance has always been a big point in Japanese society (Otsukimi), especially the beautiful "blue moon" of Autumn.

"Up until the year 1873, Japan used the lunar calendar based on ancient knowledge about the movement of the moon in the sky. By tracking the phases of the moon and observing natural phenomena, people have come to the conclusion that the rhythms of the surrounding world are consistent with the change of lunar phases, and harmony in nature is connected with the energy of the moon. Later, those ancient conclusions were proven by science. The moon does affect the Earth's nature, and since we are part of this nature, the moon's energy affects us as well. Japan has some unique traditions and legends about the moon. Since time immemorial there was a custom of admiring the full moon, called otsukimi. Japanese considered the autumn moon to be the most beautiful, and with the onset of autumn, festivals were held throughout the country to express gratitude for a good harvest. Traditionally, houses were decorated with silvergrass and special ritual treats were made from rice known as tsukimi-dango. According to the old calendar, the full moon came on the fifteenth of each month, and it is especially beautiful in September. Feasting one's eyes on the moon on that day was called jugoya-no-tsukimi."

Even in architecture the moon is represented:

"A moon bridge (月桥), also known as “sori-bashi" (反り橋) in Japanese, or as a drum bridge (“taiko-bashi” 太鼓橋), is a highly arched pedestrian bridge. The moon bridge originated in China and was later introduced to Japan, where it became synonymous with Japanese landscape architecture. However, the general shape of this bridge can be seen throughout East Asian cultures."

And such concepts as Umika (海花) – “Sea flower,” symbolizing the beauty of the moon reflecting on the sea surface.

But speaking of the crescent moon...

"mikazuki – 三日月 (みかづき) : a noun meaning ‘crescent moon’ in Japanese.

Japanese people often differentiate a crescent moon from the other phases of the moon. So, they say “mikazuki” to refer to the specific phase. Depending on the context and situation, however, it can also refer to other similar phases."

"The kanji expression of “mikazuki” consists of the following three characters:

三 : a kanji character widely used as a numeral meaning ‘three’ in Japanese.

日 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘day’ in Japanese.

月 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘(the) moon’ in Japanese."

"These three kanji characters tell us that “mikazuki” literally means ‘three day moon’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meaning, but still very understandable. “Mikazuki” is widely considered as the three-day-old moon in Japan. This idea is strongly related to a lunar calendar which Japanese people used in the past."

In Noh theathre:

"Mikazuki means Crescent and representing a vigorous god, such as the energetic guardian of the seas, Sumiyoshi Myoujin Shrine. Mikazuki is used as the god Sumiyoshi Myoujin in TAKASAGO, the god Kawaranokami in YUMIHACHIMAN, and the mountain god in YOUROU. In certain instances it can substitute for a mask like ayakashi and be used, for example, for the spirit of a departed soul in MATSUMUSHI. Various legends account for the name, including a Houshou school explanation that the 'three moons' stand for three shinto guardian gods and the Kanze school having a Muromachi period mask with a crescent-shaped gauge in the forehead."

And lastly what I also found out is that the Crescent moon can be related to the beautiful concept of Wasi-basi:

"Pared down to its barest essence, wabi-sabi is the Japanese art of finding beauty in imperfection and profundity in nature, of accepting the natural cycle of growth, decay, and death. It's simple, slow, and uncluttered-and it reveres authenticity above all. Wabi-sabi is flea markets, not warehouse stores; aged wood, not Pergo; rice paper, not glass. It celebrates cracks and crevices and all the other marks that time, weather, and loving use leave behind. It reminds us that we are all but transient beings on this planet-that our bodies as well as the material world around us are in the process of returning to the dust from which we came. Through wabi-sabi, we learn to embrace liver spots, rust, and frayed edges, and the march of time they represent.(...)Wabi-sabi is underplayed and modest, the kind of quiet, undeclared beauty that waits patiently to be discovered. It's a fragmentary glimpse: the branch representing the entire tree, shoji screens filtering the sun, the moon 90 percent obscured behind a ribbon of cloud. It's a richly mellow beauty that's striking but not obvious, that you can imagine having around you for a long, long time(...)For the Japanese, it's the difference between kirei-merely "pretty"-and omoshiroi, the interestingness that kicks something into the realm of beautiful. (Omoshiroi literally means "white faced," but its meanings range from fascinating to fantastic.) It's the peace found in a moss garden, the musty smell of geraniums, the astringent taste of powdered green tea.(...)"

I'm not 100% sure what is the meaning of the Crescent moon in japanese culture. I'm more used to it in other cultures where it's more obvious its use and meaning. But all over japanese art, especially at later phases, we can see it everywhere.

But a good way of understanding the moon and its meaning on a culture is by looking at the word and the way of writing, I'll leave this website that simplifies such a concept:

[fizziepopangel]

Fizzie’s Top 10: Top 10 Favorite Helluva Boss Scenes & Why

Blitz blending his phone after Stolas starts talking dirty to him (pilot)

With Blitz being someone who often times is vulgar and always seems to have a dirty joke or one-liner for every situation, I love the idea of him being made that uncomfortable with something being said, especially something said by Stolas since the demon prince is usually written to be quite the opposite of Blitz, usually being quite eloquent and regal in the way he talks.I also think the look on the imp’s face during this scene was fucking priceless.

Blitz & Moxxie’s fight with Striker (The Harvest Moon Festival)

I think the fight scenes in Helluva Boss are usually really good in general, but I personally love this scene because I think the entire setup for Striker’s true intentions was really good and I loved seeing the more badass side of Moxxie for once.

Millie ‘pulling a shrek’ in her own way (Exes And Oohs)

I love watching people go feral for the ones they love, and Millie went absolutely fucking insane for that man. Like I love how hard she went for her man, especially because I love seeing strong female characters this way, especially when they’re not just strong, but strong too.

The I.M.P gangs fight & Stolas’ rescue scene (Truth Seekers)

This fight scene was literally one of my favorite scenes in so far in the series. Like literally *chef’s kiss*, love it. I love seeing each character being do their own thing and do it well, and I also love seeing Blitz just being his usual ‘I love my work family’ self + I loved seeing Stolas go feral for his man (much like I loved Millie doing it for Moxxie), especially since this is the only time we see him in this light, even going into his full demon form.

Loona putting Blitz to bed (Queen bee)

This scene is so important to Loona and Blitz’s father-daughter relationship! Like it truly showed a softer side of Loona, which we almost never get to see, and we got to see a more vulnerable side of their relationship.

Stella admitting that she just likes being an abusive person & Stolas standing up for himself (The Circus)

This is one of the best Stella scenes in my opinion because I love that she openly admits she just likes being an evil bitch. She really just likes being the cause of her husband’s suffering. Like there’s no big backstory that builds up to why she is the way she is, she was that way prior to him cheating on her, and now she just uses the cheating as a way to add to her tormenting of the man. I love when villains are written that way. And a female villain like that, to me is even better. I also really like that it pushes the narrative that the abuse was worse when the two were alone (as abusive relationships tend to be), because while we see Stella put her husband down, throw things at him, wish death upon him, publicly humiliate him, and even hire an assassin to off him, this is the only time we actually see her raise her hand to him herself; something that she was far too comfortable doing for it to have been the first time. I also love how shocked she seems to be when Stolas finally decides that he won't be made into her personal punching bag because not only is it a big moment character-wise for him, but it really solidifies Stella's hatred since you can see on her face that this is the first time that he's truly stood up to her and something about that does not sit well with her.

Blitz’s flashback to when he adopted Loona (Seeing Stars)

Despite it being Blitz’s flashback, me liking this scene had so much more to do with it furthering Loona’s backstory than anything it had to do with Blitz. I love how it explained her current attitude and behavior and showed more genuine emotional responses for the hellhound outside of just pure rage. It also shows just how far Loona has come when you compare where she seemed to be when Blitz took her in vs where she is now in the series.

Moxxie’s gas station fight (Western Energy)

Moxie’s badassery genuinely showed here. No help needed, and I love that for him.

M&M & Striker’s fight (Western Energy)

I loved seeing M&M work together for this fight, rather than Millie just playing the part of her husband’s savior as she normally does. And I like that they were fairly evenly matched for the most part….. And I’m not gonna lie, Striker’s face when Moxxie made things a little *cough cough* harder during the fight lives rent free in my mind. I even got a sticker of his face at that moment because of how much I loved that.

Blitz seeing that Stolas had gotten hurt (Western Energy)

I love, love, LOVE  this scene because i love those little moments when we see Blitz truly care about someone in his life. And we see that in this scene because this is the first time we see him genuinely see Stolas even near his level, seeing him as someone who he can and may lose at some point in time. It’s the first time we see a glimpse of how much Blitz cares about the prince…. And I think it’s the first time it really hits the imp too.

Bonus:

House of Asmodeus song (Ozzie’s)

The entire I.M.P jingle and video (pilot)

Striker’s theme song & his outburst at the tiny imps (Western Energy)

Truth gas hallucinations (Truth Seekers)

The songs in this series just hit different if I’m being honest. House of Asmodeus is playing on loop as I write this because it’s just that good. So these are my favorite song scenes in the series so far.

[melodygatesauthor]

Holiday SAS Headcanons

You guys seem to enjoy these, and I'm enjoying writing them! These are gifts that I think the members of SAS would get their SO and how they would treat their SO in cold weather (warming them up, what food they'd make them, e.t.c.)

Mute - Mute would surprise you with a thoughtful gift...days before Christmas. He wouldn't admit it was because he was impatient and excited to see what you thought of it. He would also be the last one to want to help decorate. He enjoys the holidays, but doesn't really have the ambition to spend time hanging lights and whatnot. He might help you put ornaments on the tree if you give him the puppy dog look that melts his heart every time. If you begged him, he would be inclined to go to your best friend's ugly Christmas sweater party. As long as he puts a smile on your face, he's down for anything at the end of the day.

When it's cold out, Mute will love spending time curled up watching TV with you. As a bit of a history buff, he would enjoy seeing some of the local sights while covered in snow. Surprisingly he is oddly really good at making snowpeople, and you don't judge him for the five he built in the yard after a big snow storm. He even puts little scarves and hats on them.

Smoke - He is always going to make sure you are spoiled. He's the kind of guy to give you love coupons for Christmas and actually follow through with the items on said coupons, particularly the ones that are hands on. He would love to see you and his daughter getting along on Christmas morning, and the look on both of your faces when he surprises you both with your very thoughtful gifts. He also has a cookie recipe that honestly yields the best cookies you've ever tasted, and would love nothing more than for you to decorate them with him.

He really likes going to do things as a family with the two of you. It doesn't matter if it's ice skating, sledding, or just walking downtown and sipping hot cocoa. Of course he would be down for some really cozy cuddling on the couch. His favorite pass time would be silently laying on the couch with your head on his chest while you admire the tree you decorated all together. He wouldn't even complain in the morning when he woke up and his back hurt because you both fell asleep on the couch.

Sledge - Sledge is going to lose his mind trying to figure out what to get you. He would be stressing last minute because his mother will have him second guessing every gift he bought you, despite deep down him knowing that he got you something you will probably like. He prefers Christmas morning to be just the two of you, but will be happy to visit respective families after your personal festivities are done. He's also the type to propose on Christmas morning. You could literally buy him anything and he would be thrilled.

Sledge really likes shoveling, for no good reason other than it's good exercise, and he loves his shovel. He refuses to buy a snowblower even when you tell him he should. He made his own shovel, it looks oddly familiar...Caber 2.0? He will also insist on snowball fighting with you outside after every snow storm, and then he will make it a full time job to warm you up when you lose and your body is nearly frozen and drowned under snowballs that he pelted you with.

Thatcher - He knows how to spoil his SO to the moon and back. Whatever you like, there will be lots of it under the tree. He will also remember one jewelry store you said you liked four years ago and he will continue buying you a new piece of jewelry from that store for every occasion, even if you don't care for the store anymore. You just don' t have the heart to tell him to stop when you see how happy he is to give you the gift. He actually, surprisingly, has a thing for Christmas crafts. He will enjoy working on them together and using them to decorate rather than going to the store to buy decorations.

Thatcher won't admit it, but he loves peppermint hot cocoa and you smirk when you see empty cups in the trash can from his little secret. He will make sure your car is always cleaned off and that there's always a fire in the fireplace on exceptionally cold evenings. While not particularly fond of tech, he secretly appreciates the smart home thermostat so that he doesn't have to get off the couch and stop cuddling with you in order to turn up the heat. Really big fan of classic Christmas movies.

Who should I do next? Christmas is right around the corner and I may not have time to do more beforehand, so maybe we can look at New Year's, or who cares, Christmas headcanons are fine with me any time of year honestly.

[quitealotofsodapop]

Oh yeah, me and my classmates watched Mech Cadets before I rewatched it at home and now I owe my bbf 10 pesos. My savings are DYING rn

[Zhenni'er's powers include: unexpected rizz. ]

She got that Alexander Hamilton kinda rizz, and great vocals too!

[Macaque in the TMKATI au ends up having really long/thick fur with big streaks of white in his hair and tail that intensify in the winter months. Wukong will spend literal hours helping his moonlight groom his fur, no complaints.]

I think Jiyu likes to have fun with Macaque's seasonally changes.

"yo, Mac! Is it that time of the year again when you look like a grandmother?"

"Jiyu, you shouldn't be talking. Your hair is full-on white."

"yeah, but I'm albino, PLUS I don't have great-great-grandchildren."

The Thanksgiving clapbacks Jiyu and Macaque have against each other is WILD. Sibling rivalry kinda stuff.

Akino def is excited for Thanksgiving every year because of the violating clapbacks. She doesn't even dare to speak cuz she's scared she gon' be the turkey instead of eating it.

previous Zhenni'er post + Macaque having seasonal fur changes.

any amount of money owed feels like a lot

China doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving (unless you count american expats), but I've heard that the Moon Festival acts very similarly. Family members forced to interact over dinner is bound to lead to some in-fighting.

In the regular TMKATI au; Mac is only a parent (grandparent later), but you know friends and family are gonna make fun of his "skunk stripes". XD

Nezha, mad at being kept at the Kids Table: "Bride of Frankenstein-looking ass..." Macaque, not even looking: *shadow portals a sandal straight at him* Wukong: "Great shot, plums."

[missyourflight]

some stuff i read and watched in june:

taskmaster (s1-5): haven't done an early seasons rewatch in so long, s4 and 5 are basically perfect 2 me. incredible that mark watson manages to be both my favourite type of taskmaster guy (hopelessly despairing) and also nearly won the thing lol. nish forever obviously

silo: got well into this! probably at some point apple will stop throwing millions at sci-fi shows but i'm going to enjoy their folly in the meantime

mission: impossible ii: hadn't seen this one! the weakest of the lot but the john woo of it all is undeniable

mission: impossible iii: PSH outrageously good as the villain, hi keri russell

mission: impossible - ghost protocol: so much fun, especially the sequences where you can see brad bird's animation brain going

mission: impossible - rogue nation: ILSA my beloved, the opera sequence is so gorgeous, no notes!

mission: impossible - fallout: it's good when henry cavill reloads his arms, it's better when tom cruise is sprinting around london rooftops and breaking his ankle etc, my most basic trait is that i Love when they're in london like oooh tate modern. anyway i'm very ready for dead reckoning

asteroid city: the bits about making art really got to me! the vending machines were cool!

joint security area: crash landing on you prepared me for this, blank check weren't lying when they said it was homoerotic, song kang-ho forever etc

dodie smith, the town in bloom: the most delightful narrative voice i've read in Ages and v funny. easy to sell me on 1920s theatrical shenanigans

k patrick, mrs s: So hot and butch, i liked the butch friendship stuff almost more than the sex stuff. more sexy lesbian novels Please

kj charles, the secret lives of country gentlemen: another winner from KJC, my most reliable romantic comfort reads. this time it's smugglers!

alice slater, death of a bookseller: sticky little thriller about being poisoned by true crime, great sense of place, So many pints of dark fruits

laura kay, wild things: bisexual disaster in love with her best friend, tragically very me- and also george russell-coded, god i want to swim in a pond again

SOME STUFF I SAW AT ROCK WERCHTER

the dj on the first nigt who played a mash up of i'm gonna be (500 miles) into temperature and then the 1d cover of one way or another into little lion man (deeply cursed fandom flashbacks etc)

weyes blood with candelabras and glowing hearts and amazing adam curtis projections on the big screen behind her

king princess sending the gay girls of belgium absolutely wild - "you wanna hear a sad lesbian song?"

matty healy is a dickhead but he's very good at being the frontman of the 1975. like if ben whishaw was straight and kind of disgusting

stormzy!!! literally the rain was pouring during blinded by your grace pt 2

mumford and sons - this whole festival was like being borne back ceaseless into the past but the cave still fucks me up, marcus really in his ken marino era, face-wise

PUP - i do believe if this tour doesn't kill you, i will to be a wholly perfect song, they had a trans flag on stage, best vibes of the festival

sigur ros - sometimes you just want to be in a massive barn with thousands of people with your faces turned up in the dark feeling like you're inside the sound somehow

muse - fucking incredible live band still!! every time i'm see them i'm floored by how hot chris the bassist is and then i forget about it and then i see them again and i'm poleaxed etc. they had a tech meltdown during knights of cydonia at the encore so we got showbiz instead!!

christine and the queens - beautiful and terrible as the dawn

jacob collier - asked if we wanted to get funky then put on a special hat, bit george russell-coded in the face

arctic monkeys - sometimes you just want to be in a field with one of your oldest friends singing the songs of your youth!! i love the 70s act actually! there are so many sexy songs on AM!! the skies finally cleared for the beautiful full moon, thank you belgium, good night

[youraverageaemondsimp]

Heellooo. I have a thought and I want to speak out.

Do you remember the Disney movie about Maleficent? So...

You live in the dark wilds of the old forests, together with your people. You have a wonderful, kind, friendly society, that protects each other and the whole world around you. All of you, this is one big family. A big family, that loves and cherishes each other. And the most beautiful thing, is that you don't need to communicate with words. You all understand each other without words. Gestures, looks, facial expressions. Your people literally feel each other in their gut. You are all connected from birth and even after death. Of course, you have claws, horns, fangs to defend yourself. But you have no one to defend yourself from. The whole world is around you, it's your home. Your huge forest, swamps, rivers, mountains, seas, sky, it's all your home and everyone who lives there, your friends and family. And also, of course, you don't want to brag, but your best friend is the chosen one. In ancient legends it was said about her. She will bring even greater benefits to your society. And you're thrilled about it. Her initiation ceremony, one of the most exciting days of your life. You're so proud of her. And her fiance. You've already been appointed their children's godmother. By the Gods, you're the happiest monster in the whole world.

Yes, you're a monster. And you know about it. Humans, creatures, who came to this world much later, than your kind, appointed you terrible monsters and fought against you. But, personally, you're not angry. You don't care about humans.

From today, the time of celebration in the name of the chosen one begins. It's a wonderful time. You're so glad.

You've decided, you want to dress up. But not to be brighter, than the chosen one. Now is her time, and you want her to enjoy it to the fullest. You are actively participating in the preparation for the ceremony. You even agreed with her, that your outfits would be combined.

You decided, that you want to wear festive clothes all the days of the holiday. And so, jingling your jewelry, you flew to your favorite lake, to soak up the moonlight.

Once again, you're not bragging, but you like your huge and strong wings, you like your big, sharp and shiny horns. Especially decorated with jewels. And your claws are very beautiful. It cannot be said, that you are the most beautiful among your sisters, you even rather consider yourself the least attractive among them, because you admire your sisters, but, on the whole, you are pleased with yourself.

Unlike humans, you don't have the concept: "she's ugly!" You don't understand what "ugliness" means, you don't understand what "not beautiful" means. Everything in this world is beautiful. Even the disease is good, because it can be cured. Even death has its own charm, because it is a door, that opens the way to a new world, to new opportunities. You still feel everyone, who has left this world inside of you, in your heart. After all, you are all connected.

And so. You are lying on the soft, cool grass, stretched out to your full height and stretching out your wings. You feel good and calm. The light of the moon and the cool water of the lake, into which you dipped your fingers, filled you with pleasant, soothing sensations. You almost dozed off.

Now you hear the crackling of branches. You're looking towards the source of the noise. This is a human. A human male, with beautiful, long silver hair and... An eye patch? Well, okay. His presence does not bother you at all. After all, you know, that he will see you and run away. Humans are afraid of you. And even if he tries to get into a fight with you, you can either fly away or pierce him with claws, fangs or horns.

But he doesn't run away. He clearly sees you, but he doesn't run away in terror. You said, you can see him. In response, he just: "oh... My apologize." You shrugged and continued to enjoy your rest. This human male slowly approached you, as if you were ready to escape at any second, if he wasn't careful enough. He sat down next to the very tip of your flight feathers. He asked, if you'd mind talking to him. You sat down, gathered the wings behind your back and asked, what he wanted. The human male introduced himself, as Aemond Targaryen, crown Prince of the Seven Kingdoms. "But, as I understand it, you are not interested in such titles," - he chuckled softly. In response, you nodded approvingly. He asked what your name was. You answered him, by telling him your name. Your dialogue has begun. Aemond turned out to be very nice and sweet to talk to. It was pleasant and interesting to listen to him. Although his excessive wariness with you, as if you were some kind of wild animal, annoyed you a little. But, you understand, he's struggling with his fear of your kind, it's fine.

Your communication has been going on for quite a long time. Aemond Targaryen, crown Prince of the Seven Kingdoms, has become very dear to you. Now, you are very close, and you know a lot about each other. You were filled with warmth and tenderness for him. Although there was something dark and doubtful in him, but you decided, not to attach such a strong meaning to it. Maybe, you'll talk to him about it later.

You both often exchanged various gifts. He gave you books, that he loves, brought you flowers, from the royal gardens, treats, but he most of all, he liked to give you jewelry. And several times, he brought you dresses, such as the women of his world wear. It was a little strange feeling for you, to wear such a dress, but the way his eyes, oh... His eye, lit up, when he saw you in these dresses and jewelry, made you smile and sacrifice a piece of your comfort.

-You look like a true Princess... The most beautiful Princess, this world has ever seen. You could become a beautiful and unique, a true Queen...

One day, Aemond kissed you. He kissed you the same way, like the finance of the chosen one kisses her. Do you want to meet his parents? Aemond is in love with you. And he would be incredibly happy if his feelings are mutual. He's ready to marry you right now. If you want it, you could get married according to his traditions and according to your traditions.

Oh... A little unexpected...

You asked, if he was sure, that his kind, his world would take it well?

-They have no choice, my love. - Said the crown Prince, kissing the very tip of your flight feather. In response to your uncertainty, he he hugged you tightly, telling you, that his love for you, is stronger, than any silly fears and doubts.

Well, you like him too, so, maybe getting to know his parents should be postponed a little, but you let him love you tonight.

Later, you accept the ring from him. A small symbol of your love.

Aemond introduced you to his dragon. She seemed very nice, though a little grumpy. You obviously liked each other. Aemond is very happy with this. Everything works out in the best way.

Today, Aemond brought wine and various delicious treats. It's been three months of your special relationship, and he wants to celebrate it. How nice of him... Your lover has always been very attentive and sensitive to you, your feelings and desires. And you have already managed to think, that you are the only one, who has prepared a gift for this day... Aemond was too impatient today. But you thought it was funny and charming.

You woke up from the fact, that a strong current of air hits you in the face. You are wrapped in something, the wind is roaring in your ears, and your back is pressed against your flat chest. Aemond, noticing your awakening, kissed you on the top of the head and said, that you can sleep a little more, you will be home soon. Your eyes are heavy, your head is buzzing, your back and head and hands hurt. You forget yourself in an anxious dream again.

You're waking up again. What is this place? Where are you? Your heart is beating, like crazy. You jump to your feet, you want to rush to the balcony and fly home, but a wild pain pierces your back. You howl and fall to the floor. You hurt your head, which already hurts. And you see your hands. You're screaming in terror. Your claws are torn out! You somehow got up and saw your reflection in the glass of the balcony. Where are your horns?! Where are your wings?! They are torn out! Why?! What happened?!

A human woman, with red hair enters the room. And then Aemond. Aemond... Did he do this to you? Gods, it hurts!

Aemond comes up to you, wraps you in a blanket, because a Princess should not stand in front of a Queen in a nightgown. He takes you to the bed and sits you down. Calm down, dear, he will explain everything to you.

You look at a red-haired woman, and you see a painful mixture of emotions in her eyes and face. She is terrified, disgusted, confused. You look at her for support, but with her lips she says: "I'm so sorry..."

Aemond loves you so much... He's been watching you, since he was a little boy. He fell in love with you at first sight. And for so many years, was afraid to approach you. But his patience ran out. He needs you. He was so careful with you at first, because he was afraid, that he wouldn't hold back and would take you ahead of time. He's happy, that you reciprocated, but it's been more, than three months, and you haven't given him your consent to the wedding. It's so hard for him to wait! He loves you so much, that it hurts him! Yes, it's true, he tore out your claws, horns and wings. No, he adores them, they are beautiful, but thanks to them, you can escape from him. And he can't let that happen. He will die if you leave him! Yes, he had to cut down your fangs, because they are also dangerous. He can't allow you to be far away from him.

You ran your tongue over your teeth. They are really cut down. They are the same, as his...

He understands, how much it hurts you, darling, he's very sorry, but it's necessary! He loves you so much. He is very sorry, that he had to put sleeping powder in wine and treats, and put you to sleep. He apologizes, that he had to deprive you of wings, horns, claws and fangs, but it's all for the sake of your happy future!

You looked again at the red-haired woman, standing near the balcony. You can see, how her lower lip was trembling a little. You're assuming, it's his mother, Alicent. How did she let this happen? Why is she just standing there!

-My love, please, don't turn away from me. I love you, Y/n, I love you so much, that it hurts me. But this pain is beautiful. And your pain, - he gently runs his fingertips over what's left of your horns. - As beautiful, as mine... I love you. Too much time has passed. I can't wait any longer, my dear. I need you. I'm dying without you. I hope, you don't resent me for that. But I had to do it. Otherwise, you could have left me. And I won't let you do that. If I die. Without you, then so do you. I love you so much... We will always be together. My Princess. - Aemond kissed your mutilated fingers. - If there is a war between our kinds, then so be it. I won't let you go back there. This is your home. I'm your family. I won't give you to them. You're mine. My wife. Don't cry, my love, we will be very happy together. Don't cry, don't cry, my love. My sweet. My darling. My Princess.

WHAT THE FUCK AEMOND??? 😭😭😭😭 BRO THIS GUY IS INSANE TF, THIS IS WHAT THE READER GETS FOR LOVING HIM 😭

I'm gonna beat the shit out of him, I FELT SO BAD, THIS ASSHOLE.

SHE WASN'T GOING TO LEAVE YOU IDIOT, NOW IT WILL MAKE HER LEAVE BECAUSE YOU'RE STUPID OH MY GODDD

this was literally so good and i literally did not expect that ending, I NEED MORE!!

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Re todays' full supermoon. (Per Moongiant.)

September Harvest Full Moon

September’s full moon is known as the Full Harvest Moon, as it is the full moon that is closest to the fall equinox. In the northern hemisphere, the Full Harvest Moon rises very soon after sunset, providing plenty of bright light for farmers harvesting their summer crops. September’s full moon is so well-known for its luminosity and brilliance that certain Native American tribes even named it the Big Moon. The Full Harvest Moon holds major cultural significance in many different communities, who spend this full moon not just celebrating the fall harvest, but also the moon itself.

The most widely known tradition associated with the Full Harvest Moon is the Mid-Autumn Festival, celebrated by Chinese communities all around the world. It is also known as the Mooncake Festival. On the full moon night of the eighth lunar month, people gather with friends and family to admire the brilliant full moon while eating mooncakes and drinking tea. Mooncakes are a rich pastry traditionally filled with sweet bean paste or lotus seed paste, and sometimes even include salted egg yolks. The sweet osmanthus flower also blooms during this time, and is often used in teas and the reunion wine drunk when visiting with family. It is a common tradition to celebrate by carrying brightly colored lanterns, so you can often enjoy the beautiful sight of lanterns hanging in front of buildings or in parks, or sky lanterns floating towards the full moon.

There are many other variations on the Mid-Autumn Festival throughout Asia, including Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries. The Japanese celebrate this full moon with the Tsukimi tradition (which literally means moon-viewing in Japanese), where people prepare offerings to the moon and eat round tsukimi dango, or rice dumplings. In Korea, this full moon is celebrated as Chuseok, which is one of Korea’s most major holidays, similar to Thanksgiving. People travel back to their hometowns for reunions with their family and tend to their ancestors’ graves. Traditional activities include exchanging gifts, playing folk games, drinking rice wine, and eating songpyeon, which is a rice cake shaped like a half-moon.

For most of the cultures that celebrate variants of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the desserts eaten during this festival are made using fruits, nuts, and grains harvested during this season. Similarly, the Full Harvest Moon is called the Nut Moon by the Cherokee tribes, who gather all sorts of nuts to make nut bread, which is eaten during harvest festivals such as the Ripe Corn Festival. During this moon, Native American tribes pay respects to Mother Earth for her generosity in providing food for her children, including corn and other staple foods.

Chinese communities, on the other hand, spend the Mid-Autumn Festival worshipping the Moon Goddess, Chang’e. According to legends about Chang’e, there used to be ten suns in the sky, which caused drought and suffering throughout the land. Houyi, a talented archer, shot down nine of the suns to save the world, and was rewarded with the position of emperor. Unfortuantely, he later became a malevolent tyrant, obsessed with the search for an immortality pill. In order to protect the common folk from being ruled over forever by a cruel emperor, his wife Chang’e stole the elixir of immortality from him during the full moon of the eighth lunar month. Enraged, Houyi chased after Chang’e, who swallowed the elixir to prevent Houyi from taking it. As a result, Chang’e became a deity herself and flew away to the moon, where she lives in a Moon Palace with her companion the Jade Rabbit, who pounds herbs in a pestle to help her create the elixir of immortality. Appropriately, the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program is named after Chang’e.

[thanks Ian Sanders]