#made this in liiiiiiike. 2018

[gifsbysimplysonia]

Feliz cumpleaños to my favorite lead singer who for some reason is still wearing the American Eagle Dip Dye flannel I bought him in 2018 🥰 that Rafaela threw to Diony who has always been SO kind to me and my friends when it came to a7x. What a run on sentence 😄 And after the cut is way more nonsensical but intensely personal rambling about this dude. You've been warned.

I been a fan of this dude for coming up on 18 years now- wtaf!!!! And for a very nice stretch of time, I was extremely blessed to see him after shows to talk for a minute or three (though to be honest, i was tongue tied most of the time and just 👀 lol).

At that time in my life, people I admired didn't treat me that great. I was constantly looked at or treated in a way that made me extremely self conscious; I was constantly the oldest fan at shows without kids and I've always been fat and not too attractive in the face. Then I'd be meeting musicians or wrestlers I was so excited to be supporting only to have them act like it was a chore to take a photo with me or keep a distance when doing so...only to hug and smile and be super enthused when moving onto the skinny pretty fans next in line. My self esteem was non existent.

Then I met this dude for the first time, on a sunny warm day in April 2006, Houston Texas. He waved me and my friend across the street, signed our stuff, was fine to take photos with us, and when it was my turn he put his arm around me without hesitation. That one tiny gesture that I'm betting he didn't think about at all meant so much to me. All he did was treat me like he treated everyone else (which I saw that night after the show as he was the only one from the band to come to the group of fans waiting around, and he signed all the things and took so many photos), and something in my heart shifted a bit. Spesh after I looked down and realized he was barefoot? Dude stood there for 4 or 5 minutes, in bare feet, on warm concrete as he signed stuff and took pics before he went onto his bus. Liiiiiiike....

After that, every run in was the same or better as his behavior remained consistently kind and respectful. For me and my friends, Shadows became a kind of unofficial mascot cuz if we didn't see any of his band mates after a show, we seemed to always see him. He always was attentive to whomever was speaking to him, and even when it was the same question for the one millionth time (when are you gonna scream again?!?! 🙄), he would patiently answer. Dude constantly made time for fans, and even in the more recent years when the band wasn't touring, he has demonstrated that he cares A LOT about fans and wants to try and give them the best experience possible (even if they fight him tooth and nail).

I haven't had the pleasure of seeing him face-to-face since April 2011 and to be an absolute brat for a moment 😫😫😫 But my 2 besties got to meet the band when their last album, The Stage, was released. I think October 2016 but, like, don't quote me cuz I'm the worst with dates if they aren't on my list, ha. There were meet n greets in NY and LA; @psycholunatics went to NY and @jillybean1217 went to LA and both had wonderful experiences. I'm always grateful when my besties are treated like the Queens that they are🙏🏼🙏🏼

Back in January 2018, my friend at the time Rafaela went with me to a show in Green Bay Wisconsin despite not being a fan of the band (forever grateful to her for helping me drive AND for being the one to use her magic to make stuff happen, as she did for me CONSTANTLY in life). Thanks to her, the American Eagle Dip Dye flannel I bought him - cuz his other ones at the time looked wrecked:

Got into the hands of their tour manager. And IMAGINE MY ELATION AND DISBELIEF when HE WORE IT THE NEXT DANG NIGHT?!?!? From my IG post at the time it happened:

I'm cringe and I know that. But, like, joy? Is so difficult to find so when I find it, I have a habit of clinging to it like a crab. Cuz it often seems to come out of nowhere, so randomly, and for SO LONG I believed myself to be a person who wasn't WORTHY of good things happening to them, or who was conditioned by how I was treated to think I wasn't WORTHY of basic respect. And honestly, this dude is just someone who has been SO consistently kind and things he had NO CLUE would mean anything to me (like wearing this shirt) would happen & hit me at times in life I really needed a pick-me-up or reminder that there is good in the world.

Since January 2018, my friends and I have spotted the flannel out in the world 13 times, with the 13th being JUST LAST WEEK at a show in Canada. I will forever be impressed with Shadows actually keeping and wearing stuff til he can't wear it anymore (that white Metallica tee? Who knows which one I mean? 😄) AND I will forever shake my head in disbelief anytime I see him wearing this American Eagle Dip Dye flannel cuz like....🥰

Here's wishing him the happiest of birthdays, sending him gratitude for the person that he is and the extreme generosity he's shown myself and my friends repeatedly, and hopes for him receiving all of the good he sends to so many other people 🙏🏼💜

Happy Birthday and thank you for everything, M Shadows 🎊🎉🎂🥳

[greenishbucket]

💞🚢 A Ford/Lardo Manifesto! 💞🚢

It’s them :)

Plain text version below the cut!

Larissa “Lardo” P. Duan

From Boston, now lives in Cambridge, MA.

Art major (probably), did a semester in Kenya, class of 2016

SMH manager 2013ish - 2016

Acts chill, actually has significantly less chill

Still waters run deep

‘the bro-iest person at Samwell under 5'5"’

Likes sculpture/installation art/modernishy art, beer pong, ducks, eyeliner, hockey, smoking weed

Dislikes repetitive questions, thinking about the future, skating [but she does learn by the end of the comic!]

Denice “Foxtrot” Ford

From Buffalo, ‘currently’ lives in San Diego when not at Samwell [has two brothers who play American football]

Drama/theatre major, class of 2020

(A)SMing since middle school, SMH manager 2016 - 2020

Has got this and will yell really loud

‘She gets it’

Likes (musical) theatre, knitting and sewing, foxes, having a collection of headbands, emotional jocks. American Football? Hockey?

Dislikes the smell of used hockey gear, the thanklessness of stage managing, skating

Some handy word of god

The table, created by Ngozi, indicates characters’ Hogwarts house and element alignments. Both Ford and Lardo are categorised as Gryffindors (meaning ‘values bravado’). For the elements, Lardo is earth (meaning ‘stable but stubborn’) and Ford is water (meaning ‘graceful but pliant’).

My notes at the time:

Lardo: earth (‘stable but stubborn’) - someone that can be relied on and has it together(ish) through practice but sticks to that tried and tested routine/approach/etc to her own detriment?

Ford: water (‘graceful but pliant’) - someone that can adapt easily and elegantly to new situations and people but can sometimes be a little too amenable rather than sticking to her guns (if she knows what her guns are to start with)?

Both: Gryffindor (‘values bravado’) - presenting a lot more whatever-they-need-to-be than actual, confidence and boldness

Outcome: Lardo grounds Ford, Ford reminds Lardo that change/alternatives aren’t always a threat. Getting to see through each other’s bravados and support each other! With some banter.

Canonical interactions

Year 3, Comic 16 - Help Wanted and the associated notes/blog

They’re in the same frame in the first page of this manifesto!

Search here for ‘Ford’, ‘Lardo’ or ‘manager’

Bitty briefly talks to Ford about Lardo and Co. in Year 4, Comic 8 - Haus 2.0

Some things I filled in from a ship meme I saw going round

Favorite non-sexual activity: just getting to hang out and talk/share space, they’re always Doing so much and having to Be A Particular Kind of Person with the rest of the world. other than that, going to the park to feed the ducks.

Who uses all the hot water: Ford!!! she really doesn’t mean to but somehow always does :/

What has a season pass on their dvr/who controls the netflix queue: this is what they actually argue over most. Ford is a Theatre Kid (enough said) and Lardo likes some of that but sometimes she wants to get high and into her Angsty Art Kid Groove (which Ford can watch and appreciate but doesn’t enjoy) so they have separate accounts under the same payment, then they agree as and when to watch comedies/documentaries/more general stuff on either account bc they share taste there. it gets confusing because they watch series across their accounts so it’s always a struggle to figure out what ep they got up to

Who calls up the super/landlord when the heat’s not working: either of them can get their I’m the Manager Don’t Fuck Around voice on easy enough

Who leaves their stuff around: they’re both immensely guilty of this, though Ford doesn’t leave her shoes in the way of where people walk, Lardo

How often do they fight?: not often for real, but neither of them are that good at Bringing Actual Stuff Up so little things build up and then blow up when it’s been a bad day, then it’s all aired out until it’s building up again and the cycle continues. they’re working on it!

What do they do when they’re away from each other?: use things like snapchat/generally send small pics and snippets - if they’re away from each other either one or both of them is probs busy so there’s not much time to videocall, and Lardo loves things like snapchat bc you dont have to word [in hindsight, does this question mean what do they get up to? they do their lives as usual! but miss the other being around in the small moments]

Why They Are GOOD

The potential of their shared bravado vs graceful+pliant/stable+stubborn

Art kid and theatre kid both with some jock tendencies/sympathies is hilarious

Mentor/mentee. Not sure how into this I am but STILL.

Litcherally why not

ford and lardo: problematising the false binaries of 1) girls that say hiiii vs girls that say bruh 2) jock vs theatre/art kid 3) gender 4) hello they are in love 5) thanks for listening

🎺 the comic may be over, but the fun isn’t! all aboard the finest omgcp ship there is!! 🚢