#muse: plum blossoms

[toomanydamnmuses]

I’m throwing Byakuya at everyone today. What are some of your muses reactions to Byakuya Kuchiki hugging your muse? You can provide context if you’d like!

((No context, only icons LOL))

[nothing-like-the-sun-jgr]

Camille Pissarro - Springtime, Plum Trees in Blossoms, 1877 at Musée d'Orsay Paris France by mbell1975 Via Flickr: Camille Pissarro - Springtime, Plum Trees in Blossoms, 1877 at Musée d'Orsay Paris France

[maudlxne]

Heartbreak is one thing. My egos another. I beg you don't embarrass me mother fucker.

[breakqueen]

tag dump .

[jadkyll]

jade leech -

-likes to think he’s found a kindred spirit.

you both playing this little, game every time you grace the monstro lounge with your presence.

the tea game, he muses to himself one day.

sitting you down in a cicular booth facing the giant aquarium, jade would hand you a small, black leather menu and the monstro’s signature plum leather menu. both having gold dipped edged you’d use to peel them open and look at their insides.

the smaller menu, the one you would only get and your friends would crowd around you once it was in your hands, trying to peer inside at it’s secrets- was a special menu.

a secret one.

only jade and azul had the authority to give out these menus- floyd showing time and time again that he’d hand them out just to screw with the two, had his privileges revoked.

it always made jade smile when he’d set down your special meal, your friends eyes lighting up the cool, dim lighting of the resturant. their eyes hubgrily eating up every detail of the dish.

honeyed ham

seasoned sea food boil

shrimp ala- whatever.

while your two friends from heartslabyul were stuck with the ‘surf ‘n turf,’ you were out here eating like a king.

jade’s quick, gloved hands ready to slap away any sticky fingers- paws that tried eating from your plate. his plate.

jade could care less about the roasted lamb, or the fish heads packed with flavors.

your relationship blossomed from tea. the leaves that jade would expertly mix and seep into a perfect blend for each customer. his own inventions being placed on the secret menu, or promotions for a monstro event that had the customers vying for more.

jade would watch with a baited breath as you took a sip, lashes fluttering closed so you could focus on your taste buds.

a scrunched face meant you didn’t like it, lifted brows meant you were pleasantly surprised, and when you would swoosh it around your mouth like mouth wash? well, that meant jade had won.

the first few tomes you were at the lounge you would order a different tea and a light snack- sometimes a salad and other times 3 whole crabs for you and grim. jade remembers that day, when it was you 5 in a booth, very clearly.

have you heard about the joke where you, grim, and 3 crabs walked into a bar?

besides the point-

jade was watching you scan the menu, a stink on your face as you were stuck on the teas.

he remembers floyd calling you ‘weird’ when jade brought the order to the kitchen. ‘who orders tea with crab?’ his face contorted in disgust as a minnow swims around floyd. he always had a way of bending his environments to his will.

but jade just stares at the ticket, “yes,” he says, “how weird indeed”

“oi get that creepy smile off yer face. yer creep’n me out”

as usual jade seeps your tea and you drink it. he knows you. your tea.

there’s something so intimate about knowing exactly how someone likes their tea that gives jade satisfaction.

you put your trust in his hands. his cynical, conniving hands.

he could spit in your tea ya know. he’s done it before to especially annoying customers. who think they’re in control because he’s serving them. mix up with a pinch of salt, or a dash of sriracha sauce and he’s grinning ear to ear as they down it.

oh lovely.

—

but he’d never do that to you.. he hopes he doesn’t have to.

it takes you 3 visits and a menu change to finally convince azul to let you in on the monstro’s little secret.

jade, as he brags, harassed azul to put more teas on the menu. when he did add 2 more jade deemed it, ‘not good enough.’ azul buying into it (for profit) added teas to the daily specials.

“not good enough. i have an audience to apease and you are stifling my creative endeavors. i will not tolerate such a-“

“just give her the menu jade! sevens above!-“

if jade leech ever did skip, he’d be on his way with a heel click.

so you can obviously imagine his grin as he places the leather book in your mitts, your friends asking where theirs is- only to get ignored.

“please do not share the contents inside with other parties. this is strictly for our monstro vip’s and will be confiscated if you cannot follow our rules.” he bows in thanks as you voice your agreement.

turning his heel he can practically hear the chaos ensuing as your friends try reaching and peeking.

“tropical darljeeng, wonder how’ll it’ll work” you grin as jade jots down your order. you had told him to give you whatever he wanted to give you. ‘dealers choice’ to be more specific.

…what jade won’t ever tell anyone is that he made that tea thinking of you.

it was a black tea, infused with an opposing flavor. tropical against woody, you and him. a child of the sea and child of the land. never meant to work and mix yet has a unique addicting flavor to it.

non tea enjoyers would know that darjeeling is more… robust.

it can turn off people just from the description- tropical tea with a black tea?? are you nuts?!

yes. yes he is.

so jade is pleasantly surprised when you ask him for another cup the moment you took a sip…

he leaves his number under the tea mug, and gets a text an hour later.

[trippingthemoonlightfantastic]

Quiet Musings

Watercolor On Black Cotton Paper

2023, 8"x 10"

White Plum Blossoms

Private Collection

[lichenes]

Just here to comment that all your works are so, so good! If possible can we get another law school Vincent and reader piece! Or something on Pierre <3

Thank you for the ask gepardings and thank you for the compliment!! I got so excited to see you request something<33 I'm only just learning writing so I'm hoping to perfect my craft soon enough :D This is a sort of sequel-prequel to this. Also the person who guesses what I'm referencing in the second paragraph gets a cookie :D CW: swearing (once), SFW wc: 414

_____✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ … ✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ … ✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ … ✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿_____

During your law school days Vincent was smitten by you. Whenever you would have your little study sessions together he wouldn't be able to focus and would keep distracting you with his antics. To say he wasn't an ideal study partner would be an understatement. Solo, he would study nearly for all the hours of the day, not taking breaks even to sleep, but the second you stepped into his radar he would change dramatically.

"Don't you want to do something fun maître?" He said with a slight smirk. "Fuck you, calling me maître like it doesn't turn you on just to say it." He chuckled, putting his head on yours. "Come oooon..." You sighed and turned around. "You've been at it for hours, you deserve a break ma chérie."

"I don't need anything exuberant. I just want to get out of this placeee." "Hey, you're the one who is overstaying his welcome. This is my room." You said feigning annoyance. He put a hand on his forehead theatrically. "Ah my hubris has been uncovered once more, what shall I do now?" You got up defeated and gestured for him to follow you. "I'm choosing what we're doing though."

You were sitting in a park nearby your dorms enjoying a cone of your favourite ice cream, the birds just recently having returned to start chirping as if just for you. Vincent was sitting next to you entranced with the way the sun was hitting your beautiful features. It was the spring term which meant only the first buds were opening up. The plum blossoms were beginning to bloom, shyly poking their heads out of their hiding.

You were appreciating these small ways of nature showing it was coming to life after the winter. A chill ran through you. "Are you cold?" He asked concerned. Without hearing an answer from you he started removing his coat and put it over you assuring you he was gonna be fine. "Vincent you'll get sick if you keep giving me your jacket." You mused and he got a bit red in the cheeks.

"Keep not bringing your own jacket and maybe I won't stay in good health." He jested earning a laugh from you. "I'm starting to think you're doing this on purpose." He said, his voice laced with hope. It was your turn to blush. A comfortable silence fell between the both of you.

The birds kept chirping and life, even if for a moment, was serene. _____✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ … ✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ … ✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ … ✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿_____ masterlist

[elsaspants]

here are the Fang Vote options for Jinafire Long, ripped from Mattel Creations’ forums. they’re just screenshots, so bear with me. the design notes are below, from right to left.

Hairstyles:

Mythical Muse

Strewn with plum blossoms and dangling pearls, this dreamy, braided look is a modern interpretation of traditional head wear, infusing dragon elements and modern chain drapery.

Eternal Icon

The high ponytail gets a historic inspired makeover with a twin dragon caged headpiece, decorated with ornate pearls and floral detailing.

Makeup:

Ember Empress

Talk about a smoldering gaze!

With crimson eyeshadow and bold lips, this regal, pearl-draped lurk is so blazingly bold, it's on fire.

Imperial Gardens

With a huadian on her forehead and lotus petals blooming across her cheeks, this makeup takes "natural beauty" to a whole new level.

Jewelry and Nails:

Floral Opulence Collection

An elegant, cloud-inspired arm cuff lends an ethereal touch to gold floral earrings and jade nails.

Fiery Splendor Collection

Scarlet nails and an arm cuff of dancing flames complement tasseled earrings adorned by a jade dragon amulet.

[wintermelonbear]

Just Another Picture to Burn

Summary: Just a cute little friendship between Jon, Damian, and Marinette. Can be read platonically or with some romantic inclination. Just two friends who want the best for each other and will celebrate each other’s milestones 

Sidenote: I haven’t written anything in years, but dragged my butt to write this for the MGI civil war so proceed with caution.

Sharp green eyes open up to the world moments before the buzz of a phone alarm signals the need to get up. Out of an abundance of caution stemming from his tumultuous upbringing the young teen scans the room for any signs of an intruder, most days this is a fruitless endeavor, but Damian could never find himself to drop this habit. He notes an envelope on his desk and reaches for the compressed bo staff under his pillow. As he approached the desk the only sound that could be heard was the light creak of the manor’s floorboards and low mumblings coming from the kitchen. A sigh of relief breaks this silence as Damian recognizes the gentle script sprawled across the front of the pale pink envelope spelling out “To Dami”. 

Cautiously he flips the envelope checking for signs of tampering. While the sentiment is nice, the choice to send a handwritten letter rather than a text was out of left field from his companion. He notes with a slight grin that she had used the wax seal he gifted her after the defeat of Hawkmoth. Sliding a batarang out from the underside of his desk he slices open the top of the envelope to reveal a piece of thick cardstock. At this Damian’s brow moves into a sharp arch, what could have been so important, yet so minimal that she had to portal over to his place in the middle of the night. Pulling out a piece of pristine white paper, he reads, "You, me & Jon. 7 pm CET. I already checked with your dad, so no excuses. Love, Mari”

Picking up his phone –the latest from Wayne Tech– he taps out a message to his top contact, “Spotted Menace”. A bright blue message populates the screen reading out, “An invite? To what exactly?” For emphasis, he adds in a raised eyebrow emoji then after some contemplation adds in a thinking emoji. Following that text, he quickly snaps a picture of the note to Marinette to confirm he received her letter before preparing for the day. 

Before leaving his room he picks up the envelope again, this time to admire her handiwork instead of ascertaining its threat level. Turning to the back of the envelope his chest puffs out a bit as he dons a victorious smile he takes in his handiwork. She had used the wax seal stamp he had gifted her on her 16th birthday. He hand-carved the image of a ladybug resting on a branch of plum blossoms, to signify her new beginning as a hero by choice and not by necessity after the defeat of Hawkmoth.

As Damian slipped into the driver’s seat of his sleek sedan he mused that 12-year-old Damian would be utterly baffled by the person he is today –apart from being the stronger member of the new generation of heroes, that has always been a given (Somewhere Jon is rolling his eyes). Honestly, when Damian first met Marinette he found her pathetic. She was just a worthless little girl who was gifted powers beyond her capability to wield, and he never hid his disdain for her. Thus, to young pre-teen Marinette the youngest Robin was just a massive dickhead who had no feelings apart from his superiority complex. He was an embodiment of torment; the worst parts of Felix and Chloe combined. Not to say that Damian is perfect now, but at the time he lacked the perspective he gained from his travels to and return from Lazarus Island. Now he has spent more time learning from others’ experiences, has gone through his first heartbreak after Flatline decided that time spent with him was distracting her from her personal goals, and all of that has taught him to care and have some level of empathy. He may not be like Marinette and Jon, ready to do what is right solely because they blindly believe in the goodness of others, but he understands that even if he may not find value in someone, that does not mean their life is worthless. 

The first time Robin acknowledged that despite Ladybug’s lack of technical combat skills, she had plenty of other skills that other heroes would be envious of, Nightwing attempted to give him a “bear hug” and Superboy nearly fell from the sky. What Robin to this day doesn’t know about that night is that his comm was connected to Ladybug’s and the reason she fell off the roof was not the attacker’s sharp jab to her ribs, but rather the shock of Robin giving her any form of praise. From then on Marinette decided maybe Robin was capable of growing a heart, and while it may have started as one-sided conversations with her rambling on about herself and basic topics of conversation – how’s the weather in the Gotham? It’s been warm in Paris! Did you see the new Mecha Strike game launch? What’s your favorite dessert? –  eventually, Damian started warming up to her. 

By the time the youngest Wayne snaps out of his reverie, the bell has rung signaling the dismissal of his second-period and the start of the school’s 20-minute break. Fishing through his pockets, and quickly unlocking his phone he finds several missed messages from Marinette, Jon, and their group chat “Talk Shit Get Hit”. After skimming through their private messages, Damian bites the bullet and opens up “Talk Shit Get Hit” to begin tackling the growing number of messages. Scrolling to the top of the chain of unread messages he sends Jon spamming the chat with unintelligible keyboard smashes followed by “MARI HOW DID YOU GET US OUT OF LIZZIE-SITTING DUTIES???”, Damian swears that the capslock on Jon’s keyboards must be worn down with his overusage. He reacts to the message with a set of eye emojis because there are very few people Diana trusts with her fussy toddler and he knows for a fact that she’s in the midst of an investigation into a rapidly expanding crime syndicate. As he scrolls further he is dismayed to find out Marinette cashed in this free day in exchange for a date night babysitting gig in addition to normal babysitting duties. Damian loves Lizzie like a younger sister and of course, wants her to be in the care of someone befitting of her status. Still, he has been yelled at one too many times for taking her on patrol with him, and sometimes bringing a 3-foot-tall sidekick with a tutu (courtesy of Marinette) kills his intimidation factor. Once he makes it past a wall of crying emojis and gifs of betrayal from Jon, the chat goes back to its normal contents, filled with reels shared between Jon and Mari, and complaints about their teachers. Jon eventually asks Marinette what she has planned for tonight that is worth the extra babysitting duties, but Marinette declines to answer and instead tells him to be patient.

After school Damian carefully considers his outfit but sticks with his classic black turtleneck and a pair of khakis, Marinette will call him boring but what does she know? She used to have a crush on a guy who exclusively wore a striped shirt with an open button-up and bright orange Converses. Once they became comfortable with one another Marinette made it VERY well-known that while she wished his civilian wear had more diversity and color, she found his original Robin suit to be a “crime against fashion and most people’s eyeballs”. Stating that only traffic lights would appreciate sharing a color palette with him. Damian argued that it’s tradition, while Marinette replied with “It’s fugly and you know it. Y o u! ditched the design in the first place”. Rolling his eyes, he heads to the window and yells out “Jon! I am ready!” and with a flash of blue and red Jon shows up at his window clad in a red hoodie and blue jeans. The Super family really needs to consider their civilian “disguises”. 

Swooping Damian up into his arm Jon bolts out the window and into the sky towards Paris until they reach a familiar flowered rooftop. After two taps to the trap door beneath them, the door abruptly gave way and Damian was met with a loud POP and confetti raining down onto him. Quickly Marinette busted out the door cake in hand and in unison started singing with Jon. While it was not a rare occurrence for Marinette to provide them with sweets at her residence, what was on the cake was the strange part. It was a picture of one of his earlier Robin outfits? One that after many earfuls from Marinette knew to be her least favorite, why would she put it on a cake?? 

“Happy outfit death to you! Happy outfit death to you! You no longer look like a traffic light! Happy outfit death to you!” Out of seemingly thin air, Marinette pulled out a lighter and lit the top layer on fire revealing a picture of his new outfit underneath. “You do not know how relieved I am that I do not have to be with someone whose color palette matches a kindergarten classroom rug, and not a cute one”.

Damian with a puzzled expression questions her, “Is this something to be celebrated? Besides that I changed outfits months ago”. Marinette looked at him mouth agape. “Close your mouth you will catch flies at this rate”.

Almost as if rehearsed Jon and Marinette reply in unison “What are you my maman/ma”?

After clearing her throat Marinette went to explain, “There are plenty of things to celebrate for your outfit change! You’re finding out the type of Robin you’re going to be, and I personally believe that is a worthy cause for celebration. Besides, after Monarch’s downfall, I was really struggling to figure out what to do myself. My whole world felt like it splintered into pieces, but you and Jon were there to help me figure things out when the consequences of my actions™ struck. I want you to feel empowered too, even if you don’t need it the same way I did”. With a smile Marinette brought out some forks, “Now let’s dig in”! If it made him uncomfortable how quickly his friends stabbed his frosting face with their forks, he didn’t let it show.

[cardiac-agreste]

Ch. 16 - Cataclysm

Whew, this chapter was a lot of work. @uptoolateart and @raspberrycatapult saved me from a big mistake that I really wanted to make, haha. Thanks to @sing-in-me-oh-muse for some middle-of-the-night, last-minute feedback about something in the story.

This is my story about Sabine & Marinette for the @mlbigbang. The story is from Sabine's POV as she tries to figure out what has been traumatizing her little girl (who, by the way, will not tell her anything). And then what does she do when she figures it out?

Synopsis

Sabine and Marinette's relationship changes.

Extract

Tom had joked that she was neglectful. Now Chat Noir was calling her abusive. She had few of her mother’s facial features, so she’d never had to stare in the face of her abuser when she looked in the mirror. And Sabine had always thought she was the hero of her own story…

Am I the villain in Marinette’s?

Her daughter had fallen silent, appearing to consider her words carefully before finally speaking with a voice trembling like a plum blossom in the breeze. “I can’t trust you with that power again, and I don’t know how I can trust him around you, either. I’m the Guardian; I need to know my Holders well enough to decide who gets to be active. And…I think Chat Noir can protect me better than you.”

[royal-ruin]

other genshin fic recs here genshin fic recs by pairing here personal favorites are starred, by the way. everything is complete unless stated otherwise.

misc. genshin romantic fics

kujou sara / yoimiya

daylight star by Anonymous (~5k)

a hand around her vision / a hand around her throat

Yoimiya breaks into a prison. It begins there.

hu tao / yanfei

*plum blossoms in winter by arsonide (~15k)

“I just think she’s beautiful,” Hu Tao stated certainly.

“The most alluring flowers tend to have the deepest thorns, Hu Tao,” Zhongli warned, though his voice was still light.

Hu Tao wasn’t listening to him. She waved at him lightly, dispelling whatever lecture he had for her on his tongue. Yanfei was stunning, that much was true, and her grandfather had always told her to appreciate anything she found half as beautiful.

Or, Hu Tao thought that the flowers she threw up paled in comparison to the way Yanfei made her feel.

hanahaki au. one of the best genshin fics i’ve read

kojou sara / kokomi

*kin-mokusei (where it is sweeter) by daiicraaa (~10k)

In battle, you cannot hesitate. Sara knows this as well as she knows her own name, engrained into the fibers of her soul. But then, when the time is finally right to strike down her enemy, she hesitates, and Sangonomiya Kokomi smiles back at her.

She is beautiful.

Do not tell the Shogun; I am a traitor.

it’s so good. enemies to lovers.

amber / eula

but i can’t help, falling in love with you by doriangraysbitch (~5k)

“What do you mean?” Lisa asks, spinning around, face bewildered. “You and Amber aren’t dating?”

Eula clears her throat, feeling heat on her cheeks. She lowers her eyes to the floor so her blush won’t be so noticeable. “No,” she says. “We aren’t.”

There is such a long stretch of silence that Eula looks back up at Lisa in confusion and a little bit of challenge. “…Oh,” Lisa says finally. “I’m sorry, dear, I just assumed.”

And Eula would gladly leave that topic alone forever, but there’s something bothering her about how Lisa says it, how certain she was that she was right.

“Does everyone think that?” she asks, fighting to keep her voice level, even though her heart is racing and she feels slightly faint.

Lisa hesitates just long enough to confirm Eula’s fears.

“Oh, archons,” she says, absolutely horrified. “Oh, no.”

or, everyone thinks eula and amber are dating. gay panic ensues.

kamisato ayaka / kujou sara

*colour me by sambharsobs (~8k)

[It is symbolic. From the nine sips of sake to the political weight of their alliance, all of it is symbolic. And, perhaps most important of all, is the meaning behind Ayaka’s white wedding kimono.

She is a blank canvas, chaste and pure, for her future spouse to colour as she deems fit.

But Sara has not looked at her once since the ceremony began.]

OR: The Kujou Clan’s adopted daughter and Kamisato Clan’s second sibling are wed in a desperate attempt to salvage political images, and Ayaka does not know how to reach for Sara.

wow, just wow. i absolutely loved this fic.

albedo / venti

Of Wind and Chalk by sparklinglabyrinth (~15k)

Albedo suspects a certain bard is more than meets the eye. Numerous developments occur that only continue to fuel his suspicion until the truth is inevitably disclosed. (Or Albedo musing on multiple in game events related to Venti, Mondstadt and Durin)

arataki itto / gorou

bringing a bouquet to battle by wormkinnie (~7k)

Arataki Itto is a lot of things: Very strong, very fast, very handsome, cunning, charming, talented, good at fighting— hey, you’re getting all this, right?

He is not, however, that good with dogs (or guys who have the features of dogs. or guys at all).

[Excerpt from That’s Life Issue #107 (Note: For the anonymity of the asker and Ms. Hina, personal details may be removed or edited.)

Ms. Hina! How do I block my mind from someone?! When I talk to this person they seem to be finding my weaknesses! It makes my head feel very strange. This is bad! I can’t let my focus fail me, because then I will be bested in competition, and this is unthinkable. Reply soon. Your biggest fan.]

something a bit more lighthearted for a change.

Commission: Who Is Ms. Hina Dating? by underthethousandstars (~3k)

[“You want us to find out who Ms. Hina is dating?” Paimon cried, bringing Lumine back to reality.

“Why is this a commission?” Lumine asked, raising a brow in suspicion.

“Her fans have noticed a change in quality concerning her love advice and have come to the conclusion that she must be dating someone.”]

Lumine is commissioned to find out who Ms. Hina is dating.

diluc ragnvindr / zhongli | morax

*what cannot be said (will be wept) by muichirou (~15k; Warning: MCD)

[When he spotted red hair — much like flames, blaring and vibrant — amidst grassland, only punctuated by the lone glaze lilies, he felt intrigued. The human’s red locks were falling out of his dark hood, barely hidden, like a tempered storm.

It was bewitching.

Rex Lapis wondered what someone like him was doing in Liyue— someone as entrancing as him.]

(or: zhongli and diluc have met before, many moons ago.)

zhongli | morax / venti | barbatos

the anemo archon is dead (long live the anemo archon) by heavymoons (~6k)

The Tyrant of the Winds, Decarabian is no more. As the newly minted Anemo Archon, Barbatos wishes he had read the fine print before crossing paths with the implacable God of Contracts.

(In which, Venti accidentally trespasses, gets arrested, and tries to broker the grandest alliance in all of Teyvat, in that order.)

[“I owe you an apology,” is what Morax says, unexpectedly.

“An apology?” Venti parrots, his gaze unconsciously drifting down to his shackled hands and then to the thick bars on his cell. He wonders if the people of Liyue just have very strange ways of apologizing.]

*such impossible bliss by nyabatos (~2.5k)

[there’s a breath of warm air against his cheek, a huff of laughter, “you know, you don’t have to look at me like that.”

morax blinks. “like what?”

“like you’ve never seen a winged god before.”]

takes place when the original seven were alive.

diluc ragnvindr / venti | barbatos

pointing at the moon by ohwickedsoul (~2.5k)

[“Do you still love the crystalflies?” Venti asks, runs a finger around edge of his wine.

Diluc goes very still. “What?”

“They haunt your vines,” Venti says, smiles into his glass, soft and a little melancholic. “I thought you liked them?]

ganyu / keqing

*heartbeat of the world by Sephirron (~7k)

To Ganyu, a thousand years isn’t very long at all. She watches Liyue rise and fall, build and rebuild. But never in all her years has she met anyone like Keqing, the single mortal that didn’t believe in gods.

But Keqing cares about others, that much is clear. They stand worlds apart and Keqing barely looks her way. Ganyu is convinced she is the one human that Keqing didn’t care about. Her fingers brush against her horns. Or maybe, she is convinced that Keqing could never care for a god, even if it was human.

[thebowerypresents]

MXMTOON Comes Home to End Tour with Sold-Out Show in Brooklyn

MXTMTOON – Roulette – December 15, 2023

A native of Oakland, Calif., transplanted to Brooklyn, Maia (who keeps her surname private) is best known by the moniker MXMTOON (pronounced: em-ex-em-toon). The singer-songwriter earned online recognition when she began uploading songs filled with ukulele compositions and earnest lyrics to her YouTube channel a decade ago. After releasing her second full-length album, Rising, last year, Maia returns to the original bedroom recordings of her debut EP, Plum Blossom, on her current tour, working up reimagined takes of the 2018 material. She has a history of releasing multiple renditions of her music, offering studio-produced and stripped-down, acoustic versions of her first LP, Masquerade. On Friday, MXMTOON concluded her tour for Plum Blossom (Revisited) with a sold-out homecoming at Brooklyn’s Roulette.  Despite admitted nerves, Maia happily took the stage to open with the fitting lyrics “I walked into the room” for “Cliché.” With her performing acoustic, everyone in the room was singing along from the jump and continued throughout the show. The East Coast transplant shared that revisiting her past material was quite the welcomed reflection on the teenager she was then to the 23-year-old she is now. “The Idea of You” expressed the overwhelming build of a high school crush, but since its writing, the more-confident-with-age singer admitted that her younger self was overdramatic. MXMTOON’s natural ability to be vulnerable translates to her fans not only knowing all the background vocal queues for her songs but also various vlog references like a Josh Hutcherson “Whistle” edit and the “yipppeee” calls. As an outsider to the fandom, I was repeatedly astonished by her followers’ antics, especially on “Stuck” when about a third of the people in the room lifted signs that had Maia happily in tears. The song is an expression of feeling in between identities, which she shares being mixed-race and bisexual. Her musing deeply connected the collective space and culminated with a boisterous cover of Vance Joy’s “Riptide.” —Sharlene Chiu | @Shar0ck

[magaprima]

THE  LITTLE  THINGS  MUSE  QUESTIONNAIRE

favorite tea: Black, with a fragrant witch brew as a close second.

favorite coffee: Black. Perhaps with a little honey.

favorite sweet snack: Anything with jam or dark chocolate is a winner. She also likes the shakes from Dr Cee's.

favorite savory snack: Toast. The thick kind, slathered with melted, salted butter.

favorite flower(s): Lily

favorite color(s): Red, black, and green is also a liked colour too.

favorite fruit: Plum

favorite vegetable: She wouldn't say she has one. But if she was forced to pick, it would probably be rhubarb.

favorite season: Autumn

favorite time of day: Night

favorite kind of weather(s): Windy. The kind that whips the hair dramatically and bends trees and hails blossoms.

love language(s) to give: Help and support. She may roll her eyes and complain and throw looks, but she only legitimately helps those she loves and cares about. So if she genuinely helps you-- when it makes no difference to her, when the situation doesn't impact on her at all-- you're part of that very small group.

love language(s) to receive: Kindness. Just showing you think about her and consider her feelings, whether that's through gifts or asking her opinions or listening to her.

specific niche love language: Equality. Is that a love language? But basically treat her like an exact equal, with no judgement or expectation, no looking down on her or being dismissive, being side-by-side.

favorite hobbies: I think if she was allowed to have hobbies, or rather allowed the time for the time and not filled with fixing things and helping with things and ruling things, I feel like she'd discover she has a talent and enjoyment from baking (I mean, did you see the gingerbread house?)

favorite book(s): Anything that involves righteous vengeance, especially when it's achieved by the underdog.

favorite movie(s): She doesn't have one. She was already thousands of years old by the time the movie industry even began, and fully living in Pandemonium, so she's not really seen any, or enough variety, to make that choice, or be interested in that choice.

favorite song(s): She's lived too long to either have favourites or be consciously aware of what's recent

favorite musician: Ditto the above answer

favorite animal(s): Owls, cats, corvids.

favorite insect: If you think Lilith has ever thought about this, then you don't know the Queen of Hell very well, haha

favorite terrain: Hyper specific, but Mary's cottage. She can't explain it but she felt comfortable, at ease, safe, overseer of her own domain, there. It was a little haven. In general it's the woods, or any place that has an element of wilderness to it.

TAGGED: @spirit-x-ing

TAGGING: whoever wants to.

[sansloii]

MUSE LIKES / PREFERENCES

favorite fruit(s) :  cranberries and cherries

favorite activity(ies) :  koko likes to swim quite a bit. it's leagues easier for her men to manage, given that she owns a sizable pool for her to swim in and it's very much private. the other one is biking. koko grew up around a lot of dirt roads and the like so her dirt bike ( will baby koko saved up a pretty penny for ) was her favorite thing. it graduated into a passion for offroading and motorcycle riding but she can't do the latter without stressing joey out a lil.

favorite flower(s) :  plum blossoms, a flower that blooms in the face of adversity.

favorite season(s) :  summer! because swimming.

favorite insect(s) :  surprisingly enough, she likes cicadas. reminds her of when she and her baby sister used to sit outside on the porch under their awning, eating out of a small bag of cut up apples. helping cassie with any summer work she got from school.

favorite animal(s) : dogs are her go to and she also likes rabbits/bunnies + other small animals that she can pick up.

favorite gem(s) :  garnets because they're very versatile and there are countless colors the come in.

favorite time of day :  dusk. she loves the sky just after sunset, when the when it's more red than orange and the purple is giving way to more of a deep blue of the night.

tagged by: @s-talking ( thank you! ) tagging: @royaletiquette @soulsxng @fatestouch @feraecor @desiderium-eden @soraeia @distopea @villain-he @hembralfa + you

[shining-gem34]

🌸 Put a flower in my muse’s hair / From Bai Heng to Yinyue. <3

Nonverbal RP Starters || Accepted @memovia

Opening one eye, Yinyue Jun catches a pair Foxian ears twitching and the curved smile blooming on Bai Heng face. The twinkle in her white eyes reminds him of the shooting stars they witnessed together. She did something. The High Elder felt it when her fingers carefully touched his head just now.

He raises his hand to his head, surprised to feel the softness of flower petals. His fingertips traces the outlines of his friend mysterious gift; a peony. It has yet to fully bloom with it's shape still round.

Amused, the High Elder crosses his arms and meets her eyes, "Bai Heng, what mischief are you up to this time? Shall I take a guess?"

"Perhaps you relish the chaos that'll follow me? The entire Luofu staring at me, the High Elder with flower accessories? Or at the very least, give the Preceptors a heart attack?" He teases, pondering over the reactions of the people around him. It will certainly make his day better if one of the Elders actually end up passing out.

After all, Yinyue Jun stopped wearing his eyeliner and his accessories a couple centuries ago. This was done partially to spite the Preceptors who continously emphasized traditions of the High Elder.

"I jest, Bai Heng. I'm aware it is a small, impulsive yet sweet gift between friends." Yinyue Jun chuckles, reaching out to pluck a tiny branch of plum blossoms. He pulls out a comb from underneath his sleeves and gestures to her hair, "May I have the honor, my starlight?"

[iignatz]

any perfume recs?

in terms of price/quality ratio mugler was the BEST but they started discontinuing a lot of their unique fragrances 😞 angel muse, aura, a-men flankers, you can still get some on decant sites but the bottles are getting more expensive.

of niche perfumers i like almost everything by serge lutens and frederic malle, of the former i would recommend chergui, la fille de berlin, fumerie turque, douce amere, vitriol d'oeillet; of the latter musc ravageur, music for a while, portrait of a lady, lipstick rose, monsieur. not only nice to smell but really educational for learning notes.

but! if i had to rec just one it would be zoologist nightingale, its like a funky fruity old lady chypre perfume with very tart sweet powdery plum blossom and animalic musty bitter oakmoss. def one to find a sample first but ive never smelled anything like it.