#peak friendships your honour

[batedible]

thinking about that dream thieves scene where adam & gansey are losing their shit on the phone with malory

[gay-dorito-dust]

Heyyy

So I really liked the Damian Wayne x reader platonic friend thingy your wrote. I really feel like there should be more of those.

Anyways, k cam where to respect something similar. Can u maybe write hc on what it'd be like to be friends w him? Like bantering n stuff and maybe u can focus a bit on how Bruce feels abt it? Oh and bonus points if the reader is awkward.

Toodles!

Being friends with Damian isn’t easy in the slightest, mainly because he doesn’t make it easy for anyone to befriend him in the first place. So the fact that you managed to accomplish that was a major achievement already.

However that didn’t mean anything afterwards was made any easier for you just because you managed to make the impossible become possible. No. Why? Damian is one hell of a dry conversationalist if Titus or animals in general weren’t involved.

He’s basically an extroverts worst nightmare given a human form. For no matter how hard you tried to bait him into giving more then a one word answer out of him, it always ends with Damian not taking the bait and allowing a air of awkward silence to befall you both while everyone else was having a better time then you.

You: hey Damian.

Him: hello l/n.

You: how have you been?

Him: in peak condition, why?

You: it’s because I don’t see you that much outside of school, it’s almost as if your allergic to social interaction.

Him: Tt. why should I go out of my way to do such a thing? I have you as an acquaintance don’t I?

You: I mean yeah I guess-

Him: then I have no need to expand my friend group, for they’ll only disappoint me. Now is that all?

You: I mean there’s not much else to talk about at this point.

Him: good.

*cue to the pair of you sitting in utter, awkward silence*

When Damian says one friend is all he needs, he genuinely means it. One is enough for him. He doesn’t need anymore because he knows that he doesn’t have the time for them. Plus he might not say it out loud but he does appreciate your friendship, even if your both awkward individuals within most social situations, but he is happy that someone finally gave him a chance to be a friend.

So even if you were to ever ask why you were friends it’ll probably go something a bit like this;

You: why are you friends with me?

Him: you aren’t an idiot, plus you’re the only one who isn’t insufferable.

You: is that meant to be taken as a compliment or…

Him: take it as you see fit.

You: okay…

Damian as a friend would be protective i’d like to think? I mean you are literally the first friend he’s made so naturally he’s going to feel something when he sees you being friends with anyone else that wasn’t him.

Was it insecurity that you not day might not want to be his friend anymore? Possibly.

Will he ever admit to it though? No. This is Damian we’re talking about, of course he won’t.

Also being friends with Damian would best summed up as being two people who shouldn’t work but ultimately do either way, kind of like an ‘against all their differences they’re the best of friends’ type of duo because nobody and I mean nobody saw a friendship between you two ever happening. Ever.

Not even the great Bruce Wayne.

Speaking about him. If you ever got to visit the Wayne Manor and meet his father aka THE Bruce Wayne. Take it as a sign as you’ve made it as Damian’s best friend.

Would you shit yourself upon meeting quite possibly the most powerful man in Gotham? Yes and your sweating buckets on top of that, all the while Damian would be stood next to you completely unfazed as he introduced you to his father as his best mate.

Damian: father.

Bruce: Damian.

Damian: *points to you* this is my best friend and I expect that they get treated with respect during their visit here.

You: hi- hello it’s an honour to meet you M-Mr Wayne sir.

Bruce: tell me how you’ve come to befriend my son?

You: we were in the same art class and I noticed that he had no one to sit next to, and so I offered for him to sit with me, keep in mind I’m not that well liked and practically had a whole table to myself, and I’d like to think our friendship started with that small act of kindness Mr Wayne sir.

Bruce: and had Damian been kind to you?

You: in his own unique way sir but I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Bruce: *smiled* you’re a good kid l/n and you can go ahead and drop the formalities and call me Bruce instead. I shall go and tell Alfred to add another plate at the dinner table tonight.

Bruce, upon hearing that Damian had made a friend, wanted to meet you within immediate effect and see whether or not his son made for a good judge of character and he wasn’t disappointed.

Given the fact that you were awkward aside, you were defiantly what Damian needed for a friend, and Bruce was happy to see his son finally get to be normal for once as he watched from the window as Damian practically dragged you out to the spacious backyard with an excitable Titus on your heels as the Great Dane tried to get up and personal with you.

Alfred: they are certainly a pair, aren’t they master Bruce.

Bruce: an odd pair they may seem but they even out the other perfectly. Besides when was the last time Damian looked genuinely happy?

Alfred; can’t say that I recall sir.

Bruce: neither can I. At first I was sceptical but I’m glad being wrong. I can only hope that a friendship like theirs will stand the test of time because there will be times that will test their limits with one another. But if they’re as good a pair as I think they are then they’ll be perfectly fine.

Alfred: couldn’t have put it better myself sir *smiles alongside Bruce as they watched you and Damian act on your own within the others presence while in comfortable silence as Titus fell asleep at both of your feet.*

Yeah you’ll both be alright. You’ve got each other after all and that’s what matters at the end of the day.

[storiesaplenty]

Jelly Bracelets (6)

Eddie Munson x f/Reader

Jelly Bracelets Masterlist

This has not been proofread. Please enjoy, though.

Warnings: swearing. Some nudity, but nothing detailed.

Gifs & photos do not belong to me: 1st gif: @munsuneddie

WC: 830

©️ storiesaplenty 2024: Do not repost or translate my work. This is the only place I post my work.

White - wearer will flash what they have

Eddie Munson may be the freak of Hawkins, but he is your best friend. Who is always willing to teach you new things, even when you get new bracelets from your cousin. Eddie will even go as far as teaching & showing you what each one means.

Eddie Munson's Pov:

She is laughing at me as I am muttering under my breath.

How the hell did I get roped into helping her move?

I must of said the last part out loud.

"It is literally six boxes Eddie."

"Five boxes too many." Was my retort as I pulled out of the driveway.

Her and I flipping the bird at her old roommate, who is standing outside, her arms crossed.

She made sure to double check all the boxes to make sure we didn't take any of her shit.

When I caught her going through a box, I confronted her about it.

"I am just making sure what is packed, is her stuff."

"Like I would want any of your prissy shit." I heard from behind me, I covered my mouth with my hand, trying to stop myself from laughing as the ex-roommate started to get huffy.

"Did you take anything?" I asked her once we were completely safe.

"Have you seen her stuff? Hell no." Was her reply.

I laughed, knowing she wouldn't have taken anything. Their styles are completely different.

"Besides, even if I did, I am sure she would have an itemized list of everything that is hers in there."

I wouldn't be shocked at that actually.

Thankfully this is all behind her now, and I know she will be treated better with Steve and Robin.

◆

It was just the two of us moving her in, but she doesn't have that much stuff. Mostly clothes and some stuff she was able to grab before she was kicked out of her house.

Just the thought of that made me angry, but I knew she was thriving being on her own.

She seems happier, and that is all that matters to me.

"It was nice of Steve and Robin to make the bed for me." I nodded my head in agreement, knowing it was all Robin who did it while Steve stood to the side.

"Speaking of Robin..." My voice trailed off as I gave her a devious smile as she flung her head back and groaned.

"Not this again. It was one kiss, you saw it. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Come on sweetheart, she took one of my bracelets from me." I pretended to pout as I looked at the floor.

"Your bracelets? Eddie, Eddie, Eddie." She cupped my face, forcing me to look into her eyes.

"Like I would say yes to anymore." She gently slapped my face, and then turned around, laughing at my shocked expression.

"Oh come on. What harm is there if we continue this for a little while longer?"

"We could ruin our friendship and." She started to say, but I held up my hand, stopping her mid-sentence.

"Nothing can ruin our friendship." I said to her, hoping she knows I mean that.

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into my chest for a hug.

She started to push back a bit, complaining about how she needs a shower.

"I mean it. Nothing can ruin our friendship, let alone some jelly bracelets." I was very serious when I said that, making her stop.

"Okay, if you say so."

"Good, now I want to get my hands on that white one."

"Of course you do. What does it mean?" She said, no longer fighting as she held up her arm.

"Flash me." I said as I snapped it.

"Edward Munson." She screeched.

"Oh come on. Just a peak at something. I'll even take a butt check."

"Maybe I should let you see just an earlobe." She teased.

I didn't move, waiting for her to decide what she was going to do.

"Fine, sit and do not breath a word about this to anyone."

"Scouts honour."

"You were never a Scout, Eddie."

"Well, you know what I mean."

The room all of a sudden became quiet. Her hands were fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.

Then she pulled it over her head, and my eyes zoned in on her chest, that was in a dark red bra.

Her hands reached behind her as she unclipped it, the straps slowly falling down her shoulders.

She let the bra fall and I felt like I couldn't breathe.

I have jerked off plenty of times to the thought of her tits and now seeing them in person, had me realize how wrong I was about them.

I guess I was staring a bit to intently because she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Do not ever cover yourself up. You are beautiful." I was sincere when I said that her. I walked the short distance between us, not knowing what I was going to do.

Then we heard the front door, and Robin call out her name.

I took a step back, almost falling back onto the bed.

"I'll keep them busy while you get dressed."

"Thanks Eddie." I heard her softly say as I closed the door behind me.

♣︎

Purple (5) ♥︎ Glittery Clear (7)

[ashesandhackles]

Goblet of Fire Reread (Part 2)

Chapter 17,18,19, 20,21,22,23

"It struck him how very tall all of them were" Harry thinking this about the champions one moment and then being angry at being called "a little boy". Accurate teenage boy behavior.

Snape stepping in to stop Karkaroff and Maxime insulting Dumbledore by insulting Harry instead, "Don't go blaming Dumbledore for Potter's determination to break rules" XD

Fleur really cares about the honour of representing her school.

Hints of Barty Snr under Imperius: both in his behaviour + imagery (skull like appearance in the darkness)

Violet, the witch painting went up to Fat Lady to gossip. We shall hear of this friendship again in HBP.

I really really love Hermione's insight into Ron's feelings here, because the implication here is that she noticed that he doesn't talk about it. "He's always shunted to the side when people see you, and he puts up with it, never mentions it" and how she contextualises it with how he feels around his brothers. She has an understanding and kindness about this that is very sweet.

Fleur flirting with Cedric while some creepy paunchy man watching her. Damn, what it must be like to be sexualised every moment of your life and what harmful ideas have you internalised?

Harry noting that Fleur was part Veela to tell Ron only to remember The Great Tragedy that Ron isn't speaking to him.

weighing of wands chapter to set up the priori Incantentem at end of book, to remind us of Harry's connection with Voldemort's wand.

Hermione trying to force Harry and Ron to talk to each other, poor thing. I can really feel her anxiety building over this and she is so impatient, "you miss him, he misses you". Hermione on Ronarry agenda. She even tries to sneakily make him meet Ron in Three Broomsticks and then Harry cottons on. And then her getting irritated, Harry having to resist the urge to poke Ron is peak trio content.

Harry getting cheered up by the fact that Cho wasn't wearing a support Cedric badge. Also, it's a nice shade to her character - she is nice. She recognises the badges for what it is and doesn't take part in it.

his face breaks into the first smile in days cos of Sirius and Sirius redirecting attention away from himself and focusing on Harry - "never mind me, how are you?" Harry is so vulnerable with him that he talks about Ron with him.

Sirius' respect for Moody is very interesting, he displays more of this in Padfoot Returns chapter where he talks about how Moody captured DEs and not killed them. I believe @leogichidaa and @artemisia-black have had a tumblr discussion on this.

Ron doesn't come up to bed after Harry lashes out at him for interrupting his conversation with Sirius. Poor bean - wondering how things got this bad between him and Harry.

BCJ is so chilling on reread- essentially admits that he is keeping track of real Moody via the Foe Glass. "I'm not really in trouble until I see the whites of their eyes. That's when I open my trunk."

BCJ talking about Maxime and Karkaroff but also himself - 'They want to win. They want to beat Dumbledore. They'd like to prove he's only human'. And he laughs.

Ron catches Harry's eyes, but Harry is too resentful to care. Ron trying, in his own awkward way, to let Harry know that he is on Harry's side again.

Harry not needing to hear Ron apologise to forgive him. Clearly Hermione feels the same as I do, because she burst into tears, hugs them both and goes off to cry alone LOL

I saw this tumblr post about how Fleur dealt with the dragon was the most compassionate one - trying to put it to sleep - that she and Charlie would get along cos of it. Cute hc.

Pigwidgeon falling 12 feet down before flying with the letter is so funny. Also how cute that Harry's letter to Sirius had a "blow by blow" account of how exactly he swerved, circled and dodged the Horntail. Sirius would have found that very endearing.

LOL at Dean drawing Cedric with his head on fire for party banners. (apart from drawings of Harry dodging Horntail)

Harry calling out Hermione for bending of rules is so cute. When she says, "he is supposed to work out the egg on his own" when Lee picks up the egg, and Harry reminds her in undertone that he was supposed to work out the dragon alone too, and she "grins guiltily"

I am very disappointed in Dobby, whose political consciousness that shone and drove the plot of CoS is done to "acceptable" levels of radicalism. He tried to save Harry, explicitly against harry's wishes, because of his idea that Harry is a symbol of hope to the "enslaved dregs of the magical society, who are treated as vermin" and that defeat of Voldemort ensured that his kind are treated better. (he is still endearing, but speaks to the message of the books - he can be radical but cannot question the existing institution too much)

Winky's loyalty to Crouch is treated as pitiable, while Hermione's overzealousness with some gentle ribbing because JKR seems to find it endearing. We will probably get into white saviorism later, because I have THOUGHTS.

Ron and Harry sword fighting with fake wands, which are tin parrot and rubber haddock respectively, is hilarious. (Ron's parrot got the haddock's head)

Cedric telling Hufflepuffs to leave Harry alone. Looks like he was so grateful for Harry's tip, he steps in on the bullying.

Cho's words about who she is going to the ball with echoing with each step Harry took. Peak teenage experience. End of the world your crush has been asked out by someone else.

so funny that Ron keeps trying to ask Hermione who she is going to the ball with at unexpected times to surprise her into answering

love that Hermione was simultaneously appalled by fake-Moody making Malfoy a ferret while also not above referencing that incident to get Malfoy off her back. ("twitchy little ferret, aren't you Malfoy")

Ron notices Hermione's teeth is no longer the same. And Hermione is all sly and mischievous about the fact that she let Madam Pomphrey carry on a bit.

ok this is such a cute description: Hermione sitting to watch Ron and Harry's chess match which had recklessly brave pawns and a violent bishop

Dobby gets socks as presents from both Ron and Harry (reminder Ron also puts socks over his dead body) and Ron's Christmas jumper.

Dumbledore referencing Room of requirement. (he makes a joke that makes Harry snort and Percy frown- I guess he thinks the joke isn't appropriate for international magical cooperation?)

Parvati goes off with a Beauxbaton boy because Harry wasn't paying attention to her. She also lead him while dancing -so much so he felt like a show dog. Love how alpha she is xD

Percy glances at Harry about "hitch with Goblet of Fire" : indication of his coming arc where he doesn't believe Harry. (Also, while Percy is socialising with Bagman, he chooses to sit with Harry and Ron, which is indicative of how awkward he feels i think)

Snape and Karkaroff's conversation will get referenced in Prince's Tale, where Dumbledore grants him -"i think we sort too soon".

the image of Maxime storming away with fairies parting bushes is a very striking.

Chapter 24, 25, 26,27,28

Hermione drops key family history for Harry without either of them realising it: she used Fleamont Potter's Sleakazy's. Also at the implication that Harry asked about her hair LMAO.

Ron and Hermione reaching an unspoken agreement about sidestepping the big fight which involved FEELINGS.

the unicorn preferring a girl's touch is tied around the myth of pure creatures comfortable with "pure souls". I am really not sure how to read the gender politics of this book using this aspect of mythology.

lol, at Parvati being very "cool" towards Harry since the ball. Her retort actually makes him reflect - "perhaps I should have paid her more attention" and then, "ah well, she had a good time anyway". Honestly, stan Parvati.

Harry's so suspicious of Bagman offering him help, and rightly so. I love him putting Bagman on backfoot with his questions.

really curious about goblins and their hierarchy in the wizarding world. they are the marginalised who "fight back".

Rosmerta looking at James Potter, "who used to make her laugh"'s son yelling at a reporter in the middle of her pub XD

Love that Gryffindors get food related passwords like "banana fritters" and poor Ravenclaws have to solve a riddle every time they need to get in.

Where is the fanart of Snape with long grey nightshirt? Where?

Snape shutting Filch up when (in his mind) Moody came in, BCJ using Moody's distrust to check his office. Excellent stuff. My favourite part of the scene is Snape angrily declares Dumbledore's trust in him, and BCJ reminds him of "spots that don't come off". And Snape clutches his Dark Mark (and immediately hates himself for doing it xD)

Okay, Snape conceding power to Moody in this scene is so interesting. When Snape tries to look for Harry, BCJ makes him back off by saying "meaning Dumbledore is very interested to know who's got it in for the boy!" and Snape answers in a forced calm.

the tension between Snape and fake Moody can be cut through with a knife. Love how menacing the scene makes Moody, with Rowling using visual pictures of Moody's scars in the darkness

Lmao, Neville sending Professor Flitwick flying across room in class. And the description of "Professor Flitwick went whizzing resignedly past them" when the trio are talking. The implication that Flitwick just let Neville do his thing… XD

Hermione answering Harry's grim dark joke seriously. Nerd XD so much so the next time she takes Harry's joke seriously, he had to tell her that he is joking lol.

Harry goes off food when he is stressed or upset: a hangover from Dursley days when punishment is "no food".

"Your Wheezy, sir, your wheezy - the thing Harry Potter sir will miss the most!" LOL. The way this book is designed for Ronarry feels.

Merpeople have pet Grindylows. (also the chief is a woman)

Harry actually tries to yank the spear away from merman when they refused to help him, and hits Krum when Krum failed to realise that his shark teeth would hurt Hermione. My little feral boy.

Percy, "who looked very white", splashing out to meet Ron <3

Poor Krum - he is trying to engage Hermione and she is too busy either asking Harry about his task or cheering him for his marks to listen.

I love how much Harry gets so cheered by Sirius' letters. And even as he is tense that Sirius would get caught, he enters Potions classroom happy XD

'Scarlet woman'. It speaks to the generation Molly comes from that she has these ideas, and that Ron has noticed and picked it up.

Hermione, being also aware that Ron's regard for her is less than platonic, "determinedly avoiding Ron's eyes" when she mentions Viktor did invite her. (Also funny that Hermione is trying to puzzle out how Rita heard her, and Ron is like, "nvm, what did you say about Viktor's invitation?" lol)

@urupotterwrote a nice meta about how Snape was deliberately provoking Harry (after harry moves tables) to read his mind. Right when Harry angrily looks up, Snape's eyes bore into him to check if he had broken into his office.

Sirius made them climb a mountain for half an hour lol. He believes in outdoorsy kids.

Sirius having a fuller face, and looking like he is taking care of himself when Harry met him at the fire - but now he is back in his prison robes, his hair is longer and he is thin again. When Sirius broke into the fire, he was clearly at a place where he could hide better and take care of himself. He is living off rats.

And he notices the anxiety on Harry;s face and explains why he is here (he is very good at reading harry's face and just answering his thoughts. He does it again later in the scene). He is worried about how fishy things look, and it is clear one of the reasons of his lack of care for himself is hyperfixating on Harry's safety and circumstances surrounding the tournament. (he also moves a lot when he is thinking - it's part of why he makes for such a strong scene presence. There is either note of how he takes space, or his eyes)

Sirius backs Hermione here about Barty Crouch Snr's treatment of Winky ("if you want to know what a man's like.."). This is important for Hermione's complicated feelings about him in the next book. He was the only adult on her side - even Hagrid, who she counted on, didn't agree with her.

Sirius projecting all his family issues over Barty Crouch Jnr.

Sirius' description of Azkaban is just extremely solitary and drenched in death, and suffering. He can see and hear things that are near his cell or out of the window (he could see Dementors burying who he thought was BCJ outside the fortress). Speaks to the immense violation Barty Crouch Snr has committed by sending him there without a trial. (There is also the fact that Azkaban is horrible, and no one deserves it)

Snuffles, enuff said. He also allows them each to pat them on his head before they leave. how cute.

"If he thought we are standing in way of his career"..ah, seeds of Percy arc of OOTP. Hermione believes in him while Ron doesnt lol.

I haven't mentioned in my notes because it would get too long - but Sirius' exposition about the First War, I think, is important for the atmosphere that leads to friends turning on each other.

also, I really love the note of Sirius, as always, admiring the morals of Mad Eye Moody for trying to bring Death Eaters alive, versus his condemnation of Barty Crouch Snr's methods. This shade of him - combined with the fact that he would have absolutely killed Peter after Jily death if he had the chance, or even the previous book. @artemisia-black wrote about her interpretation of it in this meta.

House elves should be "seen, not heard" philosophy, where they have internalised that anything showing discontent from where they are is undesirable.

Hermione pulling a Blinky episode here XD if the worldbuilding wasn't so shitty, I would actually enjoy a critique of Hermione's impatience here because it is very in line with steam of young activists finding roadblocks within the very people they want to help.

Chekhov's gun: the eagle owl Harry observes flying over Hagrid's hut - the same owl we see in Harry's dream with Voldemort later.

Maxime is apparently trying to make up to Hagrid - she watches Hagrid's class and even tries to engage him in a conversation prior to this. Maybe she feels sorry about how the story about Hagrid's mother come out in the Prophet and wants to bond? What did Maxime face because of her parentage?

Ron being upset that the gold he paid Harry back with vanished, and how he hates being poor and how both Harry and Hermione don't know what to say: Hermione tries to cheer him up by saying she will get him a Niffler for Christmas, how cute.

harry regularly sending Sirius food and little notes with them. I CANT. they have my heart, they are everything.

love that Fleur and Cedric are apparently friendly enough that she keeps going on about underground tunnels to him, and how Fleur beams at Harry when he comes.

Harry and Cedric being jocks, and how they are less than happy with the state of the Quidditch pitch lol.

Dumbledore uses the Patronus to summon Hagrid. A known method of communication between the Order. ("a ghostly bird")

love the dynamic of Fred and George arguing: George seems to be the more cautious one of the two, saying putting something like that in writing is blackmail, while Fred is like, "You're not going to complain once we get the pay off, would you?" But the moment Ron asks what's up with them, George backs Fred and sends the letter himself.

I also really loved the moment of the trio confronting the twins. It was hilarious. it shows all their priorities - both Fred and Ron with confrontational and surprised, "what are you doing here?" and Harry and George on defensive, "sending letter?" and both Fred and Hermione with a suspicious, "What, at this time?"

Hermione still uncomfortable with the idea of breaking laws: "This isnt some silly school rule, it's the law". Given where they all end up in DH (honestly even OOTP), this is interesting. She even advises Ron to reach out to Percy to stop whatever the twins are doing, and Ron's like, "Are you mad? He would probably do a Crouch and turn them in!" XD

Harry being annoyed at Sirius being an Overbearing Dad XD "Who is he, to lecture me after all the stuff he did at school?"

Chekhov's gun: insect buzzing somewhere behind the curtain. Rita Skeeter.

Also seeing Crouch Snr struggle against the Imperius put on him by Voldemort tells us how incredible it is that Harry throws it off in the graveyard

Harry connecting the magic of Pensieve with the diary through means of his experience. Could be a cool worldbuilding detail if we want to think about how Tom preserved his "memory" in the diary, along with it being a container for his soul.

important to understand how Voldemort operates: he alone knows who works for him, and others get exposed to each other via shared jobs or connections. This adds to what Sirius says in Padfoot returns chapter.

Mulciber specialised in the Imperius, as per Karkaroff's testimony. Could he have done something in similar vein to Mary MacDonald? It could also be talked of as a "laugh" since students do find Moody's control of the spider in Unforgivables class darkly funny.

"He is no more a Death Eater than I am": Dumbledore's vouching of Snape is strong. I would love a fic that explores Snape and Dumbledore's equation in First War, and how Dumbledore sees bits of himself in a young man who also thinks he is brilliant, and wants power, but ends up hurting the person he loves in his blindness.

The trial essentially feels like a gladiator ring, with the accused chained to the chair. (Of course, Bagman doesnt get chained to the chair due to the relative popularity with the jury)

Ah, BCJ. His reaction here depends on how you read his involvement with Longbottoms - whether he actually did it, or whether he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Of course, the book, with Cruciatus scene with spider, heavily suggest that he was indeed guilty. So, it is interesting to see his terror here - he is genuinely terrified of going to Azkaban, but he is also using his genuine terror to appeal to his parents, to get out and be free. (He does similar things throughout the book - use his real dislike of Malfoys, Snape but misdirect you about his motivations). It's a nice manipulative streak.

"You're no son of mine!" "Take them away, and may they rot there." I need a Crouch family deep dive, because it is essentially a version of Walburga burning her son's name off after he ran away. which is: "I want to pretend you don't even exist."

a very astute reader pointed out on reddit how Moody is not present for the Longbottoms trial (and his eyes were intact on both trials before). So the hc is that Bellatrix took out Moody's eye and he was recovering in the hospital at the time.

[talesfromtheenchantedforest]

All the Percevals have good Gawain shit but I think Peredur might actually be Peak Gawain, using nothing but his fuckboy powers to solve problems:

Kei was displeased, and he spoke bitter envious words. "Gwalchmei, I am certain that you will lead him back by the reins, though little honour or glory will accrue from your overcoming a tired knight worn out with fighting. Even so, you have overcome many other knights, and while you have your tongue and your fair words, a thin linen tunic will be armour enough — nor will you need to break sword or spear with the knight you find in that condition." "You could speak more kindly if you wished," Gwalchmei replied. "It is not right to vent your anger and frustration on me, though I expect to bring the knight along without breaking arm or shoulder."

And then, when he does in fact do so:

The two men set out in joyful friendship towards Arthur. When Kei heard them coming, he said, "I knew Gwalchmei would not need to fight with the knight, nor is it strange that he has won renown — he has done more with kind words than we by force of arms." Peredur and Gwalchmei went to the latter's tent to take off their armour. Peredur put on the same kind of garment as his friend wore, and hand in hand they went to Arthur and greeted him.

— From Peredur son of Evrawg, trans. Jeffrey Gantz

[al-hekima-madara-blog]

Schoolgirls dictatorship and Naruto fandom

After a year hanging around in the tumblr Naruto fandom, I've learned with certitude that men (and women) are forbidden to have friendship and express brotherhood. But also, I've just noticed recently that poor general culture is a must. When you read a story you shouldn't be curious to google what you don't understand and expand your view. but in contrary you should tear down the plot to your limited schoolgirl comprehension of the world. And gaslight everything/everyone that/who doesn't fit to your desires. And if it's not enough, have a tantrum, call people names !

What do I mean by schoolgirl? You don't need to be at school, neither being a teenage not even being a girl. You can be a 40 years old mother of 6 with a deep schoolgirl mindset. Schoolgirl is a concept, a way of life, a philosophy of being. It's rooted from the idea that everything is about you somehow. What you feel is what the world shall feel, what you see is what the world shall see, and in the Naruto fandom what you want is what Kishimoto wanted too but couldn't say it loud enough so he needs YOU to make it more obvious to the ignorant mass of readers. Here is an exhaustive list of what a schoolgirl will demand and impose as canon no matter if it destroys the whole story in the process :

intense emotional romance (love or hate, with me or against me tropes)

intense hardcore sex (hormonal urges)

intense anxieties. Toxic love affairs, taking pleasure in the victimhood's position with a total refusal to acknowledge own mistakes is a peak.

abolition of friendship. It's a shonen but you know those sad and pathetic males in denial of their true feeling, stubbornly platonic who refuse to engage in graphic intercourses for the well-being of schoolgirls' libido.

meowmeow-fication of the world, the cuter the better. Why should we take into account the mysterious attraction in the otherness, the beauty, the paradox and awe in human's nature, human's temperaments, the subtle differences between men and women while it's so much more easy for your lazy brain when everyone is a babygirl.

Decontextualisation. War? shinobi world? history? geography? politics? nuances? foreign cultural norms? No this is too deep for a schoolgirl. You need storyline like junk food, it needs to be fat, heavily sweet and easy to digest. How dare you add subliminal references to others artists from past centuries, arts, mythologies? You mean the schoolgirl needs to actually open a non fanfictional book? Shut up !

I was reading lately a comment from someone stressing that there is "obvious" romance spotted when Madara asks Hashirama to kill him and in reverse when Hashirama chose to kill himself. I thought to myself : Ok maybe not everyone knows what is the bushido (google it!) ...but surely this fandom has seen before a war movie or knighthood movie or even spend time talking with actual soldiers? They seems to genuinely ignore what is a code of honour. Secondly we're talking about a japanese manga and the Warring state era is heavily inspired by the real Japanese warring state era (Sengoku Jidai). If you have watched the documentary Age of samurai on Netflix, they… decide to perform su*cide all the goddamn time! 😭 Often for reasons related to honour, avoidance of disgrace for the group after a general loose a battle. But also a su*cide can be a form of protestation, a way to tell an important message.

Emile Durheim (google him!), a sociologist who wrote a study about su*cide classifies them in 4 differents types : egoistic, anomic, fatalistic and altruistic su*cide. The well-known japanese seppuku performed by samurai is part of the altruistic form. When Hashirama is ready to die, It has nothing to do with emotional turmoil for the love of his life or whatever metaphysical anxiety. He wants to prove how strongly resolved he is to build his village and the new era of peace he dreamed of and for that he's resolute to give up his own life for the benefit of the group. It's true heroism and it's selfless (see, I'm not a fan of Hashirama but I can detach myself from my subjective feelings sometimes)

And just before that, Madara accepting death from Hashirama's hand (a former childhood friend) is also a proof how highly he esteems Hashirama as a victorious winner even if he is his arch-enemy. In his own way Madara shows his selflessness. In this precise moment, even in his personal pain and anger against the Senju, he's still able to recognise Hashirama's dignity and protect him from going through the same despair of losing a brother. But yeah that's too much effort… Schoolgirl fever is way more comfortable, right?

[weirdlizard26]

ok hello hi in honour of me finishing season 6 of dr who i will write out my impression of it before starting s7! that there WILL be spoilers so im putting it under the cut!

first things first, it was definitely a HUGE improvement from s5 in my opinion. like it was in general just a lot more enjoyable for me, though still not quite satisfactory. i think matt smith finally got properly into the role too which is nice.

still. this season was deeply unsatisfying. there were so many interesting threads that i feel just didnt go anywhere or didnt get nearly enough development.

1) i thought the "youre my best friend" scene btwn amy and the doctor was very very sweet but i felt it just came out of nowhere? she spent the entire s5 having to "choose" between him and rory and i do appreciate their friendship but i wish they had more time to really develop that kind of relationship

2) i was honestly so happy to see 2 companions throughout this whole season! i think it makes up for a really fun dynamic :]

3) i love rory with all my heart hes such a sweetheart but i feel a little weird about his character development? it definitely makes a lot of sense seeing as how hes 2k years old at this point but it just feels to me like that was done at amy's expense? it feels like shes denied the same development time and time again and i dont like that. i will be honest i don't like her as a person and that in part is due to her behaviour in s5 (i will never fucking forgive them for that scene where she confessed to the doctor it was so dumb and so deeply unpleasant but i digress) BUT i think shes an interesting character and wasnt done justice. like!!! the way i see it, she is contrasted with all the previous companions by the fact that shes not that great of a person. which isnt a bad thing! she had such a huge potential for growth but it felt like every time she learned a lesson she forgot it the very next episode or it just felt like it just didnt matter in the grand scheme of things. which i blame on the writing, in case that wasnt clear. great potential, terrible performance

4) and now for the loose threads.

4a) madame kovarian was such an intriguing villain and the sneak peaks we got of her only hyped it up but then i feel that just went nowhere? she served cunt for one whole episode where she wasnt even the main focus and then died. and im assuming she didnt REALLY die given this is doctor who after all but her participation in this season specifically was deeply disappointing to me.

4b) in the same vein, i really wish we could see more of melody and more specifically her upbringing and training. all that teasing of "the woman who murders the doctor" only for her to try to kill him for half an episode and suddenly become "one of the good guys" as soon as he makes sad wet puppy eyes at her?

4c) in the same vein (again) all the teasing of how river and the doctor meet and fall in love and then when she meets him for the first time they dont even get to spend any time together to bond and actually develop any real feeling for each other? and then they just get married for no reason other than it was teased? "i love you more than any living being in the universe" bold statement for a girl who met him ~twice~! it was all so intriguing but it just fell flat in the end.

4d) now dont get me wrong. i fucking hated the ending scene of mid season finale. "um actually all of this horror is your fault because you did too good of a job saving people so now people who want to do fucked up shit are scared of you and want to kill you. if only you didnt save all those people so good we wouldnt be in this situation!" like do you realize how ridiculous that is. even so! that literally didnt fucking go anywhere. was it just supposed to be a one-off guilt trip that never gets addressed again and doesnt change anything other than anger me? what was the purpose of that. it was said as if it was leading up to some huge character discovery moment for the doctor but then it just. didnt. he just left to look for melody.

4e) "i didnt want you to die without making you see how much people love you" yeah and. yeah? go on? oh? we're just leaving it at that? no old friends coming together to save his ass and yell at him abt how much they care about him? other than the justice whatever that we saw in ONE episode and who didnt even get any help from the doctor lending him their robot suit? ok.

4f) all that build-up to accepting your fate and being at peace with death (which like. we've already done all that with ten and i loved that arc but whatever ok lets do it again i guess) only for him to not die was. a little disappointing? i mean dont get me wrong im glad hes ok but it just felt empty bc it didnt lead to anything. and like again i LOVED the solution to that particular puzzle! of course the doctor lies and of course he'll find a way to cheat death again thats what he DOES but its just upsetting that that whole build-up was virtually for nothing

ok thats all for now. in conclusion, s6 was much better than s5 for me but still disappointing. hoping s7 will pick up!

as always i welcome any and all comments and discussion just be niceys to me

[scotianostra]

Anna Shepherd was born on February 11th  1893 at East Peterculter 3 miles west of Aberdeen.

Nan, as she was known, spent most of her life living in the same house she grew up in. As well as looking after her mother she went to Aberdeen High School for Girls, and studied at Aberdeen University before joining, what is now   Aberdeen College of Education, teaching English literature, Nan has been described as “an inspiring teacher, with a feminist approach in her lectures which was ahead of her time” She taught there until her retirement in 1956. 

Shepherd’s first novel, The Quarry Wood, was published in 1928, with two more following in the 1930s. All three are set in the North-East with the country communities and harsh landscape as background. Her book The Living Mountain, a work of poetic prose exploring her close relationship with the hills, was written in the 1940s, though not published until 1977. Hill-walking was Shepherd’s great love; her work mostly centred on her love of The Cairngorms.

I must admit I haven’t read much of her writings other than a few poems, but I recall s friend Steve, who lives on Skye posting about her on his, well his dogs’ twitter page, saying “Nan Shepherd has the gift to describe the mountains the way I feel it, and I only wish I could do it justice in words as she can.” This made me look her up and watch The Living Mountain: A Cairngorms Journey, it was on the BBC iPlayer but has gone now. I also found several clip on Youtube, just search for her and you will find them.

Nan Shepherd was renowned for the enthusiasm with which she taught and helped students, colleagues, and other writers. Her generous attention was not confined to caring for her invalid mother and the family housekeeper; she devoted much energy to friendships with many writers. She is represented in anthologies of Scottish women poets, and books of mountain poetry. Nan joined those Scottish writers already honoured in Edinburgh’s Makars’ Court when a stone dedicated to her was placed there in 2000.For those of you in Scotland, and have made it this far into my post about Nan, and maybe still haven’t heard of her, dig in your wallet or purse and dig out a Royal Bank of Scotland £5 note, that’s Nan you have been looking at for the last five years.

Summit of Corrie Etchachan

by Nan Shepherd

But in the climbing ecstasy of thought, Ere consummation, ere the final peak, Come hours like this. Behind, the long defile, The steep rock-path, alongside which, from under Snow-caves, sharp-corniced, tumble the ice-cold waters. And now, here, at the corrie’s summit, no peak, No vision of the blue world, far, unattainable, But this grey plateau, rock-strewn, vast, silent, The dark loch, the toiling crags, the snow; A mountain shut within itself, yet a world, Immensity. So may the mind achieve, Toiling, no vision of the infinite, But a vast, dark and inscrutable sense Of its own terror, its own glory and power.

The pics of the house are Nan’s Shanty on the edge of the Cairngorms, high on the shoulder of Morrone, with views over the village of Braemar and the Dee valley that’s her in the doorway with her friend Amelia McGregor, it is said to be the highest in Scotland.

Loads more on Oor Nan here http://www.geopoetics.org.uk/tag/nan-shepherd/

And more about her hoose here https://charlottepeacock.co.uk/2021/03/02/nan-shepherd-cairngorms-shanty/

[newmusickarl]

Best Live Shows of 2023

In the age of streaming and with ever-mounting logistical cost pressures, it is more important than ever to go support the bands you love by catching their live show and, if you can, pick up a record or some merchandise whilst you’re there.

Of course, the price of live music itself for the average fan is going up too, with £100+ tickets for stadium/arena shows and £40+ tickets for academy shows, quickly becoming the norm. That said, if you look beyond the household names selling through Ticketmaster’s exploitive dynamic pricing system, you can still find plenty of great acts playing live shows for £10-£20. So, if you find yourself constantly being priced out of the large stadium shows, why not spend that money on five grassroots shows instead – you may just find your next favourite artist in the process!

As for myself, I live for live music and by avoiding those top tier tickets and focussing on cost-effective festivals and shows with great line-ups, I’ve packed in more live music in 2023 than I ever have in my life. Including festival performances and warm-up acts, I’m grateful to have caught 127 performances in 2023, hopefully helping in some small way to support the artists and up-and-coming acts I adore.

With that mass of live music, it’s been hard to whittle this down to just my 10 favourites. So, in true New Music Weekly fashion of avoiding difficult decisions and leaving stuff out, firstly here’s the honourable mentions in chronological order:

Honourable mentions:

Foals at Engine Rooms, Southampton, May

Simply one of my all-time favourite bands at the peak of their powers, in the smallest venue I’ve ever seen them play (800 cap). Biblical!

Opus Kink at Dot-to-Dot Festival, Nottingham, May

The annual “get-me-in-that-pit” performance at Dot-to-Dot festival, proving I’m not too old yet for at least one moshing session per annum. Just like Bob Vylan the year before, my friendship group approached the ska-punk outfit with trepidation, but all ended up fans by the end of the set.

Mickey Callisto at Dot-to-Dot Festival, Nottingham, May

Imagine Freddie Mercury’s Live Aid performance, but in a tiny loft venue – that is essentially what synth-pop superstar Mickey Callisto delivered at Dot-to-Dot festival this year. Next level showmanship and an electric end to the day’s proceedings.

Swim Deep at Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, June

The Brummie indie darlings celebrated 10 years of Where The Heaven Are We this summer, performing one of my all-time favourite albums in full. They also played the ever-magnificent King City twice in the career-spanning set!

Young Fathers at Best Kept Secret Festival, Beekse Bergen, June

The band that have defined 2023 for me, it seemed like much of the audience in the tent with me at Best Kept Secret were catching the Scottish trio for the first time and weren’t sure what to expect. The result was a truly mind-blowing performance, with the energy from the stage radiating around the tent to the point of elation and thunderous applause by the end of the set.

Watch Young Fathers at Best Kept Secret 2023 here

The War On Drugs at The Piece Hall, Halifax, June

American rockers The War On Drugs performing anywhere would probably be enough to get a mention here, such is their stature as a live force. However, with support from Warpaint, a euphoric rendition of Under The Pressure and the gig itself taking place in the beautiful surroundings of the Grade I Listed Piece Hall, outdoor summer shows don’t get much better.

Confidence Man at Splendour Festival, Nottingham, July

When you need a lift during a washed-out festival, get Confidence Man to save the day. Having waited a long time to see them perform live, the Aussie dance outfit didn’t disappoint as the sun cleared just in time for their dazzling half hour of power. Immaculate choreography and joyous vibes aplenty!

Walt Disco at Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, September

A special shout-out to Walt Disco, who supported Nation of Language at their Rescue Rooms show in September. They are my pick for the best warm-up act of the year, with their David Bowie-inspired dramatics and glam rock chic leaving me eager to catch them again in the future.

Read the full review for both Walt Disco and Nation of Language here

Don Broco at O2 Academy Leicester, Leicester, December

Genre-bending heroes Don Broco are one of the most fun live acts around and even with a neck brace leaving frontman Rob Damiani more restricted than usual, they still blew the roof off. Usually not a fan of O2 Academy venues, this was also one of the better ones I’ve visited and it all just made for a great Saturday night.

Jadu Heart at JT Soar, Nottingham, December

My final show of 2023 and easily one of the most magical of the year. Performing in JT Soar which is an old garage turned Sleaford Mods’ recording studio, electro-folk outfit Jadu Heart brought string-tinged beauty and festive spirit to the intimate space. With only around 30 people in attendance and the bargain price of just £5 for the ticket, it was capped off with a pair of singalongs to Christmas classics Happy Xmas (War Is Over) and Fairytale of New York.

Read the full review for LeftLion here

That’s the honourable mentions then, now onto the main event – out of the 120+ performances I’ve seen in 2023, these are the ten that ended up leaving the biggest impression.

Top 10 Live Shows of 2023

10. The 1975 at Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham, January

One of the most discussed arena tours of the year, The 1975 kicked 2023 off with a spectacle. Split into two parts, the first half covered their latest album, Being Funny In A Foreign Language, and then the second half was just wall-to-wall greatest hits with 10,000 people losing their minds. Add in some unique staging and some surreal, theatrical interludes, it made for one of the most memorable arena gigs of the year. In fact it was so good, we’ve already booked to see The 1975 Still At Their Very Best in 2024, this time over in Brussels.

If you’re intrigued to see the show for yourself, their Madison Square Garden performance is streaming on YouTube and Amazon – check it out below.

Watch it here

Stream the live album here

9. The Lottery Winners at Rock City, Nottingham, November

Sometimes the best gigs are the ones that come along and surprise you. With support act Deco a favourite in our household and having seen indie-pop outfit Lottery Winners once previously at 110 Above festival, this one was booked purely on the basis that it looked like a fun Saturday night. Add in up-and-coming Notts rockers The Publics, you’ve got three quality bands at Rock City for £18. However, what I didn’t expect, was this show to be as life-affirming as it ended up being.

For context, once upon a time Lottery Winners were due to support Embrace at Rock City only to be dropped when Embrace feared The Lottery Winners would receive a bigger reception than them. So finally getting the opportunity to play the iconic stage where legends such as David Bowie and Nirvana have played before, you could see The Lottery Winners were putting everything into the performance. The fact I didn’t really know a single song of The Lottery Winners didn’t matter at all either. With plenty of laugh-out-loud, inter-song banter, some thunderous crowd singalongs and the band themselves in genuine tears at certain points in the set, it was just an incredible, emotionally uplifting night.

8. ROB GREEN at Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, February / ROB GREEN at Hockley Hustle Festival, Nottingham, October

Yes, I’m cheating again! But twice I saw Notts’ soul/pop artist ROB GREEN in 2023 and both were magical in their own unique way - so it was impossible to separate them.

Back at Hockley Hustle festival in October 2022, I saw Rob play an acoustic set that just completely blew me away. Having heard only positive things about him up until that point but not knowing too much about his music beyond that, it was one of those performances where I went in with not too much expectation of what I was going to hear, and then left just in complete awe of what I had just experienced. It was a borderline spiritual experience at times, with Rob’s mix of spoken word poetry and gospel-inspired singalongs just captivating and immensely uplifting.

So fast forward to February this year and I finally got to see Rob perform with a full live band setup. However, thanks to the utter jubilance from the crowd, his impressive backing vocalists and immensely talented band, it just amplified that feeling from Hockley Hustle 2022 tenfold. With my whole immediate family in attendance with me too to celebrate my mum’s birthday, it made it even more special.

Fast forward again to Hockley Hustle 2023 and Rob somehow managed to top his 2022 performance by pulling in a string quartet to perform alongside him. Here’s what I said in my review for LeftLion:

“Performing in the corner of Broadway Cinema’s café with the Rob Rosa String Quartet accompanying him, people are literally queueing at the door to catch even the smallest glimpse of his incredible thirty-minute set. And rightfully so, as the enigmatic performer has this unrivalled ability to bring immeasurable positive energy to a room and leave the audience sitting on Cloud Nine. Storming through performances of early singles Life Goes on and Sleeping on My Own, Rob gets noticeably emotional when the crowd singalong with recent single from his forthcoming EP, I’ll Be Around. “It’s so good to be back in NG1,” he exclaims, with the Nottingham faithful grateful to have him back. He then ends as he always does with a joyously euphoric medley of classic covers, leaving the crowd in Broadway Cinema fully uplifted and proving once again why he’s the best live performer in Nottingham.”

Read the full LeftLion roundup of Hockley Hustle 2023 here

7. Spector at Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, December

A band that have defined the last 10 years of my life but most definitely the last two months of my 2023, Spector delivered one of the best albums of their career to date in November with Here Come The Early Nights. Eager to hear the new songs from that record live, I headed down to Rescue Rooms to catch them for the third time in that venue, for the sixth time in Nottingham and for the tenth time in total! With fierce competition from their past selves, Spector pulled out all the stops and delivered a rip-roaring set that packed in so many anthems, I lost my voice completely from all the singing along.

Of course, it may be recency bias but for me this was right up there as one of the best performances I’ve seen from them over the years. It just further cemented why they are one of my favourite bands and also one of the best bands to see perform live. If you want all the details from the night, you can read my review for LeftLion below.

Read the full review for LeftLion here

6. The Chemical Brothers at First Direct Arena, Leeds, October

The legendary Chemical Brothers were another band that I saw live twice in 2023, however as fantastic as they were at Best Kept Festival over the summer, their own arena show in October was just the next level up.

If you’ve not had the pleasure of seeing Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands before, let me assure you they put on one of the best live shows on the planet, especially in an arena setting. The hypnotic, mind-melting visuals they put together to accompany their set is just like no other, in addition to all the big production tricks like confetti, lasers, giant balloons and even massive robots too.

However, all of that will only get you so far, you still need the bangers to back it up. Thankfully with a career-spanning 30+ years they have them in abundance and their setlist in Leeds was near faultless. A lot of cuts from their 2023 album For That Beautiful Feeling were included with Goodbye in particular standing out, as well as all the classics you’d want to hear such as Galvanize, Go, Hey Boy Hey Girl and Block Rockin’ Beats. They even had space for one of my all-time favourite songs, Wide Open. Probably the best show from them of the five times I’ve seen them and easily one of my favourite arena gigs of the year.

5. Oscar and the Wolf at Best Kept Secret Festival, Beekse Bergen, June

When you travel to another country and spend hundreds of pounds on a festival for one particular artist, it’s important they deliver. Sure, Best Kept Secret had a phenomenal line-up this year that also boasted The Chemical Brothers, The 1975, Aphex Twin, Young Fathers, Caroline Polachek, Christine & The Queens, Nation of Language, Arlo Parks, Billy Nomates, Interpol and so many more, so I would have gotten the value anyway. But Best Kept Secret Festival was really all about seeing one man – Max Colombie AKA Oscar and the Wolf.

You see having discovered Oscar and the Wolf at Dot-to-Dot festival in 2015, his music instantly resonated with me and he quickly became a favourite of mine. The issue is the Belgian indie-pop superstar isn’t really known here in the UK. So, whenever I have been able to see him live over the years since, it’s been in quiet festival slots with short sets and a small crowd who aren’t familiar with his output. So, when choosing a festival to attend in 2023, we chose Best Kept Secret for one key reason – Oscar and the Wolf was headlining it.

You see whilst the UK hasn’t caught on to Max Colombie’s talents, over in Europe he is a headline act on the level Muse, Liam Gallagher, Arctic Monkeys, etc. So having decided on Best Kept Secret over Rock Werchter as it looked less commercial and a much more manageable capacity, we ventured to the Netherlands to catch Oscar and the Wolf live with a crowd of 20,000 and, importantly, one which knew the words to all of his songs.

And with that massive expectation on it, Max and his band still managed to exceed all expectations to deliver a dazzling Saturday evening performance. Full of brain-melting guitar solos, a flawless setlist, Max’s own incredible vocals and all the big production tricks, it was everything I hoped for when booking the festival. To finally see one of my favourite artists with a crowd deserving of his music, it was such a special moment.

If you’re intrigued to see more and want an introduction to Max’s output, you can watch a 30-minute snippet of his performance from Best Kept Secret below.

Watch Oscar and the Wolf at Best Kept Secret here

4. Stevie Nicks at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, March

It is very rare I get to tick off two bucket list items, let alone two in a single week. But earlier this year, I was fortunate enough to travel over to Las Vegas for work, a place I had always wanted to visit. Whilst I didn’t get to see everything in the short time I was there, I did have enough free time to get a flavour of the one-of-a-kind city. Of course, seeing a show is a must out there and when looking at what was on, I noticed that none other than music legend Stevie Nicks was in town for one night only. Biting the bullet on a last-minute ticket, whilst I will never get to see Fleetwood Mac perform live, I was fortunate to catch Stevie that night – which feels like the next best thing.

The production of the stage was utterly entrancing, with montages and artistic visuals projected on the screens behind her throughout. Her voice sounded as good as ever even at 74 too, with the live band playing alongside her also fantastic. Playing through all the classics from both her solo career and time in Fleetwood Mac, it made for a really special show. It also ended on quite an emotional note, as Stevie paid tribute to both Tom Petty and Christine McVie in the encore. Performing Free Falling and Landslide to round it off, she was noticeably moved following her performance of the latter.

I feel incredibly lucky to have had the chance to experience that, seeing a genuine musical legend on the opposite side of the world. One of the defining highlights of my 2023 and a moment I truly will never forget.

3. Self Esteem at Eventim Apollo, London, March

These days, the performance happening on stage is only 50% of what makes a good show. If you get the wrong crowd of people more interested in getting pissed or talking through the set, then you can quickly end up distracted during key moments. But for the final stop on Self Esteem’s Prioritise Pleasure UKtour at the Hammersmith Apollo, the entire audience were there for one thing and one thing only – a performance from Rebecca Lucy Taylor.

Off the back of a huge breakout year following the success of Prioritise Pleasure, this one felt like a victory lap as the crowd erupted into thunderous ovation after every single song. The production of the show itself was incredible too, from the dazzling choreography and vocal performances to the impressive costume changes and staging. It felt like an arena-level pop show but with the intimacy of an academy venue, just the best of both worlds.

The biggest testament I can give it though is what I touched on at the start. A lot of shows I’ve been to post-COVID, when it comes time for the acoustic songs they are sadly often spoilt now by crowd chatter, with people’s loud conversations disrupting these intimate moments. That didn’t happen with Self Esteem, as at one point she took centre stage just her and a guitar to perform her track John Elton and honestly you couldn’t hear a pin drop. Instead, everyone just stood in awe and respectfully engaged with what they were witnessing on the stage.

I said back in March this was one of the best shows I’ve ever had the privilege of seeing and I think I stand by that. An unbelievably special night thanks to a respectful crowd and an artist right at the top of their game.

2. Creeper at Rock City, Nottingham, November

Speaking of one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, I think it’s well documented at this point just how blown away I was seeing Creeper at Rock City last month. The only other time I had seen the Southampton-hailing goth-rockers previously was years ago at Slam Dunk festival and I’ll be honest, their show didn’t leave much of an impression on me at that time. However, with this performance coming less than a month since the release of their operatic third album Sanguivore, which I had been playing constantly, it seemed like the perfect storm for a special night – and my assumptions were correct.

Here's what I said in my review for LeftLion:

“Bringing with them a uniquely theatrical live show unlike any I saw in 2023, it was full of dramatic production, crowd surfers, circle pits, plenty of monstrous riffs and a faultless setlist. The moment of the night however came in the form of a stunning rendition of debut album favourite, Misery. Driving home the special connection Creeper have with their fans, phone torches were switched on and several audience members climbed onto shoulders to emotionally sing along with frontman, Will Gould. As the song reached its peak, Will didn’t even have to say a word or move a muscle - the crowd just instinctively belted out the song’s gut-punching refrain. A beautifully powerful moment and one of the most spine-tingling I’ve ever experienced inside that venue. With red confetti then shooting out of cannons onstage during the triumphant closing performance of 2023 single Cry To Heaven, it was a suitably mind-blowing finish to a truly mind-blowing rock show.”

See LeftLion’s full list of Best Gigs of 2023 here

Read my LeftLion review for Creeper at Rock City here

1. James at Northern Echo Arena, Darlington, August / James at Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham, October

So here we are at my favourite live show of 2023 and guess what – I’ve cheated again. Here we have two shows that both had the recipe for an all-timer - one of my favourite bands of all-time, one of the best live acts in the country and a band with 40+ years of exceptional music in their catalogue. Funnily enough, all three of those ingredients are Mancunian indie legends, James.

I saw James twice in 2023 and what has landed them in the top spot is the fact that each time I saw them this year, they delivered a unique experience. Each of these gigs, one in Darlington and one in Nottingham, offered something completely different from the other but ended up equally as sensational for their own reasons.

The first in Darlington was just the perfect line up in the most perfect setting. An August summer’s day with three of my favourite bands on the bill together – Maximo Park, Editors and James. The venue was a decent-sized Rugby stadium, but rather than having the whole thing open, the stage was to one side of the pitch, with one side of seating open and then the pitch the standing area – so it was set up more like a bowl than an open stadium.

What worked perfectly was the fact that although we had booked seats, we didn’t have to stay in them all day. We could sit in the seats and chill for the support, make use of the toilets and quieter bars etc. but then when we wanted to go have a dance and get into the mix, we could walk down onto the pitch and join the standing crowd. This is the first gig I’ve been to with that set up and it just added to the whole experience.

In terms of the bands themselves though, it was just a fantastic day of music. Even before the trio of Maximo Park, Editors and James, you had shoegazers Pale Blue Eyes, up-and-comers The Kairos and 00s indie outfit The Pigeon Detectives, who in particular were much better than I expected. Then as fantastic as Maximo Park and Editors were, it really was all about James who just reaffirmed to me why they’re one of my favourite bands. Ploughing through the hits as the sun was setting, Tim Booth wandering gracefully through the crowd and the band on stage sounding so effortlessly tight-knit, just like a band who have been playing together for 40 years should sound. It may have been the booze, it may have been the life-defining songs, it may well have been a bit of both – but I’m not ashamed to say I was near tears at a couple of points. Just magical.

If that wasn’t enough, I would see them again a few months later at Nottingham Royal Concert Hall, this time backed by a full choir and orchestra. Having had the devastation of the cancellation back in April, after waiting over a decade for them to repeat their 2011 orchestral tour, this was a rescheduled show I had been waiting a long, long time to see. And boy was it worth the wait.

Playing some of my favourite deep cuts that I would never get to hear in a normal set like Space, Alaskan Pipeline, Ten Below and Someone’s Got It In For Me, but then with the strings and extra voices accompanying them too, it just amplified their already world class live show to another level. With goosebump-inducing singalongs to Many Faces and Sometimes also throughout the night, this was another special gig that I’ll remember for a long time.

So there you have it, my favourite shows of 2023. Just one final part of my New Music Weekly awards still left to come and it’s a big one – my Top 100 Songs of 2023 playlist.

It’ll be dropping soon so keep your eyes peeled and thanks for following along so far!

[expfcultragreen]

So like any time of year is a good time to acknowledge the festive vibe of another season. With that caveat im working on a mental inventory of how my festive seasons operate:

Oct 31 is the first new year of the year, witches new year aka "halloween"/samhain, halloween refers to the neoliberal secular festival (which of course i celebrate all month) and samhain refers to the witchy paganistic celebration on the 31st, which has different festivities. I spend more time on halloween publicly because thats my public craftwork, keeping the holiday accessible. After this spookyposting mostly ends until after valentine's.

November is the month of the dead. (Starting with Día de Muertos on the first and second and continuing with remembrance day on the 11th. Poppies are worn all month, día festivities are latinx invite only.)

Nov 5 is remember-remember, when we honor the works of alan moore and watch a movie he hates

Nov 11 is an antiwar day for mourning those who died as soldiers

Dec 1 is the start of the yule season; "christmas" warmup festivisties begin (yuletime music and decor intensify tenfold or more), Chanukah thoughts and greetings begin

Dec 19 is the solstice cusp; solstice festivities begin, lasting until solstice, which is second new year. This is a very craft-focused period of the yule season aka the witchiest part of december (essentially saturnalia, may be expanded to encompass the 17th-23rd date range)

Dec 24 is yule eve, festivities intensify, this is a mini feast day, seasonal movie marathoning begins formally

Dec 25 is Santa's day, when most gifts are exchanged or opened and the feast occurs. Egg dish for breakfast (eg benedict, rancheros) preferably with a mimosa, large roast with all the trimmings after dark. Movie marathon continues.

Dec 26-31 is boxing week, for decompressing from peak winter festy. Feast leftovers are eaten. Yule festivities end (music stops, no additional decor, movie marathon strictly kiboshed)

Jan 1 is gregorian new year, the third and least important new year; this holiday is about drinking champagne and personal reflection, typically a somber affair. The rest of the month is about lunar new year buildup.

Jan 25 is robbie burns day, which is about eating haggis and reading scottish poetry

End jan/early feb is lunar new year, 恭喜发财 🥰 very festive time leading into valentine's; both have lots of red. Lunar new year is about appreciating the zodiac animal for the year and staying cozy, and eating heavy savory foods and small sweets.

Feb 1 is the start of valentine's season; hearts, love, red&pink, romance and friendship, coziness and adventure, confectionery. Some overlap with lunar new year.

Feb 2 is groundhogs day, a celebration of the bill murray metaphysical romcom "groundhogs day"

Feb 14 is valentine's day, the festivities peak

Feb 15-march 13 is the pre-white day valentine's echo; this is a period of seasonal change induced mania, focus is on completion or progression of creative projects

March 14 is white day, aka second valentine's; this marks the official end of winter and start of spring aka easter season

March 17 is st patricks day which is about drinking like its summer already because the celts rock; you get to decide if youre cheating death by staying in and drinking or going out and interacting with traffic

March 18-May 1 is eastertime; its all about spring, renewal, fertility (bunnies, eggs, flowers/buds). The spring equinox happens march 19-20, a time for craftwork. Easter feast day is always on some random collectively-determined day during late eastertime, the culmination of a 4 day weekend of revelry.

April 1 is april fools, a silly day for jokes and japes. Minor holiday.

April 4 is fourfour, a day for dance music and honouring the cultural contributions of rich juzwiak. Minor holiday.

April 20 is 420, the stoners holiday. For blunts and nature walks. Flower and flowers. Gifting people baked goods or edibles is ideal. Flowercrowns all the way

April 22 is earth day 🌎

May 1 is mayday, this is a huge deal festival; should be spent in a crowd, similar vibe to 420 the more into cottagecore territory you get, very workers movement oriented in urban centers. This marks the dawn of summer festival season, which is about living that burner life; try to go to as many live music events and demos as possible.

May 4, may the fourth be with you; good time to marathon star wars/rewatch the ewok movies. Ds9 reruns for the nonobservant. Even more of a day to be stoned than normal.

May 5 is cinco de mayo, which is about softshell tacos and modellos and/or margaritas because mexico kicks ass. Summer festival atmosphere amps up threefold.

June 1 marks the start of pride. Rainbow multimonth festival for diversity, love, prosocial sexual freedom values. (This is coincident with native pride/history month.) Party hard! Pride lasts all summer although it is mainly over by the close of vancouver pride around August 6.

June 21 official start of summer, a day for outdoor drinking

July 1 cornball canadiana day, a day for drinking and listening to gord downie songs, bbq, crowds, smoking, fireworks. Red and white aesthetic. This marks the start of a 4 day drinking holiday, ideally spent mostly at the beach. GREAT day for native solidarity demo, extra magicbux there.

July 4 american independence day, for fireworks and bbq, listening to that one kelis album, drinking, watching vietnam movies, fear & loathing/where the buffalo roam/rum diary. irony to postirony vibes, red/white/blue aesthetic. Could watch the sandlot and listen to jonathan richman. This marks the start of True Summer.

July 5-August 31 is True Summer; this is a time for day drinking and midnight walking. Other festivals like yule and samhain are frequently referenced nostalgically. Local fairs and amusement parks should be visited. Canoeing. Foraging seafood. Grilling. Gazpacho.

Sept 1 marks the start of labor day week, the ambiguously long or short week that closes summer. Labor day is a bigtime last gasp for summer drinking and grilling as well as visiting the fair.

{Between labor day and the equinox is a liminal phase of autumn known as Virgo Season; its all about back to school vibes, fallcore mode begins. Long walks and foliage scrutiny, lots of divinations}

Sept 21-24 is fall equinox, the official start of fall. Fall season worship intensifies. Start anticipating the pumpkin spice now.

Oct 1 pumpkin spice season in full effect, it is now officially Halloween. Halloween lasts all month, culminating in samhain night. There is a midmonth feast honouring the first nations, falling on indigenous people's day.

[libidomechanica]

Where is think the mind, and love me lowe

Corrupting, dying on the pleasures     or a fool their honour, and thus. Power took it send     his answer forever,

rear, i’ll didst his pride, and make a     little drove, in air; behold be inserted him invisible     what; which press’d hating

no sign of mercy open     for all my heart, surprised rhyme, and dress teats, and coste to stars,     I sucked what to breather

of mine eye’s teach other cheek or     chain the night, and reconciled in all scorn could that I most     peak kiss the air of the

red rose Aylmer, a little Leila     gaze on, shines, and unobservient day, in exposing     so famisht casque, which, erring

rivers long and and brief that     season her can fell Fireworks with becomes our day after     through the god had now that

hath refuse that should heavily     down sins frontier of thy hard, i’m surely bosom,—for his     hyacinth is not why,

say nay, Sorrow space were be a     car against the Dove, that beguiles tied: and by love’s busy     care. And in eternity.

Thy custom of a new     consumed they dreary, I wondrous eye I have right. Here his     bill, whimp’ring a race. Till

how small increase me. They wildly     flint to lose dancing legs of ours works, as doth explore the     deaf hand, or trade of friendship’s

truth, without answered all but     with will whirlings divide: she step into thy pain: her smiled     up his constraight a

vicissitude. Where is think the mind,     and love me lowe it goe away, and seal up to God of     thy feet, where yours hast thou

thumbed, thy praise. Of marjoram has     late may be, as they repent, and down youth too much differed,     or proved. That hard tender;

as and least guardian chace the     dint or flames, overplus; more these please herself, thought is still     not three change and yet outgoe.

[cheemken]

along with bw and b2w2, what other pokemon games do you love and which ones are your least favorite

Unova and Hoenn and Johto games my absolute fucking beloved

Anyways under the cut bc it's really just me rambling abt stuff hahaha

Your honour hckdndk Emerald was legit the first pokemon game I ever saw fr, and Treecko was the first starter Mon I saw too, but when I got my phone and downloaded my first pkmn game, I didn't know Emerald at that time and the thing that shows up most was FireRed and I thought that was it so like imagine my confusion when I was going through the starters and I didn't see Treecko anywhere and the vibes are like, different lmfao

But when I discovered RSE man ofc I downloaded all three of em, I finally found Treecko hahah and like, when I saw the other starters they were so goddamn cool man the Hoenn starters are peak fr, all three of em were so fuckin dope and I really wanted to choose Treecko ofc bc he was the one I was looking for all these years, but then I saw Mudkip and yeah the rest was history hahah

Also dyk, I encountered my first ever shiny in Sapphire hahah it was a shiny Shroomish, unfortunately, I was out of pokeballs so I didn't get to catch it ;w;

But yeah y'know, until now I still wish I could play ORAS, I have a tab now y'know I can dl Citra, but like,, it's still lag as shit, I tried it on X so yeah owo. Ah well hey, maybe one day hahah either way, RSE be dope af, it's honestly so so homey for me idk why, it's just,, there's smth abt it that feels more at home than any other pkmn game, even Unova, like,, the music for Littleroot Town would get me man chdmdb hahah but maybe bc it's like a tropical region, and I live in a tropical country so hey, it's the sense of familiarity ig hahah

And then the Johto games, Crystal was the first GBC game I played and the first gen two game I played and it was so cool man, seeing the old sprites, seeing them move a bit, how cool Typhlosion was, having to battle Red for the first time hahah was even dope when I found out Lance became Champion, and while I'm not very fond of Kanto, it was cool that the games let us visit another region, that was the dopest experience honestly hahah

And like, I was curious tho bc I wanna know what I'd get when I completed the pokedex there, granted I never completed the dex prior to that, so busted out the cheats bc I really wanted to find out, and like,,, nothing owo. But hey ig, guess Crystal gets that point of being the first game where I completed the dex albeit cheated hahaha

Then I found out abt HeartGold and my guy let me tell ya my soul fucking ascended when I discovered my pkmn can follow me around man like that was dope as all fuck my Typhlosion back then was so goddamn cool jcmdndnd such a shame that mechanic wasn't in gen 5 anymore, it would've been dope plus story wise it would've made more sense if it was itroduced or was still around in the BW games

And ofc, I was an og Unova stan hahaha I think at this point we all know I'd throw hands for the gen five games lmfao it's just cool as fuck man like,, idk it really is the peak of pkmn for me, like yeah there are some cool games now like PLA and ScVi and all that but like,, BW/BW2 are just the dopest for me hahah like it legitimately set the standards for me I'm ngl, I mean c'mon, the story was amazing, there's so much going on, the league actually did something instead of just vibing around, like it's so fucking dope man it actually made me care abt all the characters in it bc they show what they're like outside being gym leaders, they interact with each other, the game shows us abt their friendship and how they're all willing to help each other and the region out like to honour this is the game ever for real I can never get enough of the Unova games man

Also real shit, N being my trans awakening lmfaooooo you don't understand how much I wanted to look like N back then I thought it was just young me having a fictional crush but no I deadass liked his whole ass aesthetic I wanted to be like him and here we fucking are owo

Anyways my least fave of the pkmn gamesss

I honestly don't vibe w the Kanto and Sinnoh games lmfao

Idk man, the Kanto games are just boring for me and the Sinnoh games dont appeal to me much, like it really took me a while and a whole lot of coaxing for me to actually finish Platinum bc half way through I just wanted to stop bc it really wasn't that fun of an experience for me

Idk ig it's the fact both games are kinda,, over hyped?? Like, a lot of peeps still think the gen one/Kanto games are the best and then there's the people who like Sinnoh but let's be real most of them just kinda favour it for Cynthia. Honestly at this point I see Cynthia and Red kinda like Sans from Undertale, overrated and almost everywhere, the fandom hold them in such high regards that they just kinda ignore other characs or everything just kinda,, revolves around em? Idk, but, majority of the stuff I see are like that so hey y'know take this w a grain of salt hahah

And like, not that I hate those characs ofc, just that I don't see Red as a "legendary" trainer, and I honestly don't see the hype in Cynthia's fight, it,, it really wasn't that hard for me idk but hey

But ig it's also the fact that Kanto didn't give me much and Sinnoh was slow as shit even w the fast forward on in my emulator like my guy it's smth else💀 that plus the tons and tons of HMs you need to get through the game man it broke me o w o

But y'know, that's just me, if you like these games then hey, you have fun and enjoy playing em, those games are just not my cup of tea hahaha

[nbmsports]

Lucy Spraggan reveals she quit X Factor after being raped | UK News

Former X Factor contestant Lucy Spraggan has revealed she left the ITV talent show after being raped.The singer - who had been a favourite to win in 2012 - suddenly quit the show during its live rounds, with programme-makers telling the public her departure was due to "illness". But the 31-year-old has now waived her legal right to anonymity, which is granted to all rape victims, to speak out about her ordeal.Spraggan was 20 years old at the time of the attack, which she said was carried out by a hotel porter following a night out with fellow contestants.In the aftermath, she was advised to take medication to prevent HIV infection - but it made her so ill she was forced to leave the X Factor, which was won that year by James Arthur. The singer said she had wanted to go public at the time, but was warned it might affect her future career.Spraggan later went on to have success in the music industry with two top-10 albums. Her release Join The Club reached seven in the charts in 2013, while Choices peaked at number five in 2021.But she said she was tired of not being honest with fans and wanted to speak out now because "in order for me to rebuild myself and move on, I needed to tell the truth".Detailing the rape in her new memoir, Process: Finding My Way Through, the singer said she had earlier been on a night out in London celebrating fellow contestant Rylan Clark's 25th birthday at Mayfair nightclub Mahiki. Read more: Hollywood stars strike as productions in UK are suspended Lisa Marie Presley 'died of complications from weight loss surgery'But, after being given free alcohol, she fell unconscious and was escorted back to her hotel by a member of the production team, where a porter offered to help get her to her room.Clark then came to her room to check she was OK and make sure the room was locked, Spraggan said.However, the porter later returned with a keycard to unlock the door and attack her.She wrote: "I woke up the next day with this sense of sheer dread. I don't think I've ever felt that level of confusion since."I knew that I'd been raped, but I could not process that. So I put my clothes on and went into autopilot."The production team quickly called the police and an arrest was made within hours.The hotel staffer later pleaded guilty and was jailed.'No one ever asked if I was OK'Spraggan said she felt let down by programme-makers and accused them of being "unprepared" to deal with what happened.She received both financial and medical support in the immediate aftermath, but said she was not given any further support after her attacker was convicted.Writing in her memoir, Spraggan said: "No one ever contacted me to ask if I was OK."No one called or emailed when the trial was over and he was convicted. No one offered me rehabilitation or ongoing mental health treatment. I was on my own."She also told the Guardian: "It was inappropriate for anybody - including contestants - to be drunk."How can you fulfil your duty of care when free alcohol is involved?"Spraggan is the latest in a string of ex-reality TV stars, including former X Factor singer Rebecca Ferguson, to express concern about the treatment of contestants.

Image: Simon Cowell said what happened to Spraggan was 'horrific and heartbreaking' X Factor creator Simon Cowell, who was absent from 2012 series because he was filming America's Got Talent in the US, said in a statement: "What happened to Lucy was horrific and heartbreaking."When I was given the opportunity to speak to Lucy, I was able to personally tell her how sorry I was about everything she has been through."Although we met under tragic circumstances, a genuine friendship and a mutual respect has developed between us. Lucy is one of the most authentic, talented, and brave people I have ever met."Since we connected, I have had the honour to work with Lucy and I have always supported her wish to tell her story, as well as her efforts to bring about positive change." 'We are extremely sorry'A spokesperson for Fremantle, the British TV company that produced The X Factor for ITV, said: "To our knowledge, the assault was an event without precedent in the UK television industry."Whilst we believed throughout that we were doing our best to support Lucy in the aftermath of the ordeal, as Lucy thinks we could have done more, we must therefore recognise this."For everything Lucy has suffered, we are extremely sorry. Since then, we have done our very best to learn lessons from these events and improve our aftercare processes."Whilst we have worked hard to try and protect Lucy's lifetime right to anonymity, we applaud her strength and bravery now that she has chosen to waive that right." Source link Read the full article

[noneuclideanwhimsy]

And another thing because.

Cleo's garden seemed to be almost an oasis. It lay in roughly the center of an inhospitable desert, red rock making the ground look like a floor of broken pottery. Yet in the center there was a large circle of plants, and in the center a great white mound. I had walked there, it took much less time then you'd think for something so out of the way. They always said the way to Cleo would be easy once it was your time. Death was to be easy when you had reached it. Seeing all the life made me happy.

I stepped into the bounds of the garden as was greeted by Cleo herself. From what I had read Brights were planet sized usually, but Cleo had shrunk herself to fit on the surface. She was beautiful in a way I was suprised in. Each tip of her beak had an eye, and the solid part of her body had an eye as well. Her hundreds of tentacles spread through the entire space, buried in the dirt or splayed on top lazily. Flowers grew up her, over her, around her, like she was part of them. You could still tell where she was, she glowed with her own light which distinguished her from the rest of the greenery.

"Welcome! It's so nice to see a traveler again. Please come, you must be tired."

She took me into one of her tentacles, cradling me like a baby. The surface was strong and rubbery but quite warm.

"What are you doing, traveler?"

I showed her my notebook, the very one you have in my hands right now. She seemed engrossed in it, how the pages turned and all of my notes and scratchy illustrations.

"Oh, could you read it to me? I can't read your language, but it all looks so fascinating…"

She listened to every tale I had, from when I scraped my knees as a child to the peaks I climbed for sheer fun. I told her my stories of victories and failures, strength and weakness. I told her of everyone I had met that I could remember. She listened in rapture until I finished. It took a while for her to reply, and when she did her voice was quiet

"Those were wonderful. May I tell you a story?"

I of course said yes. Whatever story this being could tell me was worth hearing.

"I didn't always live in this place, and I didn't always have a garden. Once I was a monster. I could eat the inhabitants of an entire planet just like yours in less then an hour and sometimes I did. I was hungry constantly, I remember the pains of it…it was torture. Driven by my hunger I destroyed and tore my way through galaxies before someone found me. They had to hold me down, fight me until they could help me see reason.

Have you ever seen a Dusker? No? Ah, well, they deal with problems like what I used to be. I called myself The Yearning Star back then. She was something wild, harmful, horrible…I haven't found the heart to find a new title yet. My dear friends, the ones who found me this place and helped me create my garden, they were the ones who called me Cleo. They don't visit often. Well, G' and Moonlight don't, but they have their own adventures. Entropy enjoys resting in my garden. It's nice to have friends come visit, not just my wonderful travelers."

I thought for a minute. I offered to leave my notebook here after I finished writing about my encounter with her, somewhere she could always find it. It would be a symbol of our friendship, and everytime she had a traveler she could get them to read her a passage from the book.

"I love that idea. Where shall I put it?"

I indicated a black rose bush that sat close by her. Even from here I could see that the branches were smooth and thornless, and the aesthetic of an old, worn brown leather notebook nestled in there was just so tempting.

"That sounds wonderful. I will ensure it is placed there in the highest honour possible."

I thanked her, and looked out across the garden when something caught my eye. It was a small patch of white flowers, their heads bowed. They gave me an idea, and I whispered it into my new friend's…well, what I assumed was her ear.

"The Risen Snowdrop…I very much like that title, I think I will keep it. You are a very good friend, I am quite sad you have to go so soon…"

I told her it was my pleasure to be here with her, and that I've always wanted to fade away in a friend's arms.

"Thank you. Thank you for your stories and the nourishment you will provide."

She beag to sing a lullabye in a language I have never heard before. It was soft and soothing, and I found myself getting drowsy. I must put down my pen now, and say my final goodbyes. To whoever is reading this, I hope you enjoy our friend's company as much as I did. Goodnight, sweet dreams, and don't let the bed bugs bite.

Aaaa-

I love your writing so much. This is the best thing ever…

[timmymyluv]

moon song.

FAKE INSTA.

FC: rose of blackpink

kpop idol fem! reader x timothée chalamet

hi everyone - the long awaited marriage blurb? sorry it took so long I did hit a bit of a creative block and felt it could get too repetitive and I'd run out of ppl to interact without it becoming shallow/boring so enjoy!

please comment and interact it means the world to me. like, reblog, comment and follow me if you want to see more content from me. mwah!

yourusername

liked by jodiewoods,alanabc,taylorrussell and 70.0m others

rehearsals

lanacondor my bestieee is getting marriedddd oh my god I'm going to cry

user76 lana is so cute I love their friendship

user913 who's maid of honour omg I wonder

bpinyourarea it has to be jennie or lisa I swear

pinkchalamet all ik is pauline is a bridesmaid with certainty

liked by yourusername

bellahadid my angel 🦋🦋so proud and excited for u and ur love for what the future awaits

evanmock when u throw the bouquet I better catch it this time or else

taylorswift sound the wedding bells 🔔🎊

swiftie146 TAYLOR WEDDING SINGER CONFIRMED

ysl 🖤

instauser528 so cute that's her custom ysl jacket but timo wore it to an event last month

voguefrance felicitations mon amours 💗

tchalamet

liked by hallebailey, denisvillneuve, calebmaclaughlin and 45.6m others

florencepugh ok mister no caption 🙄

tchalamet 😁

zaweashton congrats xoxo

yourusername ty zawe 🫂🫂sending hugs and kisses to ur lil bebe and tom 💗

lauriesgirl omg that possessive hand around her thigh

dunechalamet like he's claiming she's mine and I am his wheww

officialrebeccaferguson congrats to you both!

yourusername so excited to see you soon!

ynsplanet SOON?!? IS REBECCA GONNA BE INVITED TOO A STAR STUDDED WEDDING IM SHOOK

yourusername

liked by zendaya,florencepugh, saoirse_ and 69.8m others

views for days

tagged tchalamet

oliviarodrigo SO EXCITED CANT EVEN WAIT

conangray this is my superbowl

user28 this is my joker too fr

lauriesjo the aesthetic straight out of Pinterest I love my parents

username719 her tagging timmy like he's the view himself 😌

timmysgirl I mean look at him hello?

selenagomez can't wait! ❤️

josephineskriver 🔥🔥🔥

ynchile the steamy emoji did the rehearsal get borderline pg-13 or more 😵‍💫🤣🥴🥵

enews

liked by honeymoon, jesserutherford, and 5.6m others

it's official- actor timothée chalamet and singer-actress y/n l/n have tied the knot during their star studded destination wedding. photos are sparsely being released by the ultimate private couple but can you spot any other celebrities partying at this event of the season?

tagged yourusername, tchalamet

townandcountry ❤️

theknot 🎉🎉🎉

mayahawke congrats you two!

milliebobbiebrown hooray you lovebirds!!

phoebedyevnor 🏝️

simoneashley congratulations to the happy couple 💗

somsomi0309 HAD THE TIME OF MY LIFEEEEE WITH MY BESTIEEESSSS

kpopfan82 skdkd somi definitely got turnt at the wedding esp the reception

somesomi HAVE U SEEN HER IG STORIES FROM THE AFTER PARTY SKDKD THE YN AND TIMO KISS THEN SOM BUSTING IT DOWN ON THE DANCE FLOOR

deuxmoi

liked by timofans07, burner824, firepuma27 and 2.4m others

someone sent in this spotting of a number of a-list celebrities in a private resort in the south of France who are all gathered for the dress rehearsal before the well-awaited Timothee and Y/n wedding this weekend. tune in and check out our new podcast episode!

tagged yourusername,tchalamet, florencepugh

dunechalamet maybe mind your own business and stop invading their privacy 😤😐

liked by yourusername

randomuser is it really that private and exclusive if someone was able to sneak in like this?

user924 I mean its peak of the summer I'm sure other people can come to that resort too if they can pay for it 😭

usernamehere ok true true

ynfandom oh my god is yn gonna be pregnant soon what about the tour what about the music or her upcoming movie roles

username32 idk if she's ever talked about wanting kids but it's none of our business

ynsgermany ok yeah we leave them alone and let her be happy if she wants to focus on her career or her own family she's a grown woman she can do what she wants 🙄

user731 normalize not expecting women to get pregnant and have kids if they don't want to! 🙏

ynallover didn't she talk about not wanting kids during that one radio interview years ago I mean her opinions can change

fluentlyforward def not a pr stunt!

chalchalamet92 go away troll loser who can't do anything else but talk trash on other people's lives boo

tchalamet

liked by justineskye, whitneypeak, jennierubyjane and 68.9m others

💍

theweeknd 🖤

yourusername thnx abel 🥳loved seeing you this weekend

billieeillish y'all deserve this happy ending

liked by tchalamet

anyataylorjoy hugs and kisses to our newly married couple!

niallhoran woohoo congrats! 🎉

megantheestallion hot girl summer no more!

yourusername it's cuffed girl fall soon ☺️

florencepugh simp

tchalamet 😌

[indiaalphawhiskey]

India in honour of today's grand celebration, can we get a little peak of any of your works? (I am loving the GAPT AU btw)

Hello, darling!

Thank you for the compliment on GAPT AU! I’m sorry I don’t have a snippet for that fic, although I do have another!

I wrote this bit just to answer this ask, so I want to thank you for inadvertently contributing to my inspiration today! 😘 I’ve been dying to answer you, but do feel a bit guilty that the snippet doesn’t match the celebratory vibe. Sorry in advance! ✌️

✨ Sunday Snippet

Theo pulled Harry out of his memories by pressing a light kiss to his temple, and when their gazes met, Harry found himself faced with those disarming grey eyes once again.

“I didn’t know that it was possible to be even more besotted by you than I’d already been all night, but,” Theo sighed, sincere and happy. He ran his thumb over the diamond on Harry’s finger, and then raised their intertwined hands towards the crowd, chuckling as he said, “obviously I was wrong.”

Easy laughter soared up around them, perfectly in time with everyone raising their glasses, ready to toast. It was an almost disconcertingly cinematic moment, really – the flawless beginning to any romantic comedy. But, something about the sound… felt… incomplete… to Harry’s ear.

Louis, Harry knew immediately. It was Louis’ laugh that was missing.

And, call it friendship, call it connection, call it love — whatever this force was, it sat in Harry’s chest, just waiting to draw him to Louis, no matter where he was in any room. True enough, Harry found him now, standing barely a foot away out on the balcony, staring unblinkingly down at the phone in his hand.

“Louis?” Harry called out the window, soft and careful, the inexplicable dread that had started to seep into his heart only growing as Louis turned to him, the color slowly draining from his face.

“Daniel,” he barely seemed to be able to whisper, his lips shaking. “Daniel’s… Daniel’s been in an accident.”