#post the red army choir thing

[1984-daily]

The story really began in the middle Sixties, the period of the great purges in which the original leaders of the Revolution were wiped out once and for all. By 1970 none of them was left, except Big Brother himself.

All the rest had by that time been exposed as traitors and counterrevolutionaries. Goldstein had fled and was hiding, no one knew where, and of the others, a few had simply disappeared, while the majority had been executed after spectacular public trials at which they made confession of their crimes.

Among the last survivors were three men named Jones, Aaronson, and Rutherford.

[prettyinlimegreenboots]

I posted 703 times in 2022

30 posts created (4%)

673 posts reblogged (96%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@prettyinlimegreenboots

@theshelbyclan

@thesoldiersminute

@lovingtheroyals

I tagged 676 of my posts in 2022

Only 4% of my posts had no tags

#newsies - 152 posts

#peaky blinders - 130 posts

#tommy shelby - 73 posts

#racetrack higgins - 72 posts

#jack kelly - 69 posts

#incorrect newsies quotes - 56 posts

#cillian murphy - 55 posts

#writing - 49 posts

#spot conlon - 47 posts

#thomas shelby - 47 posts

Longest Tag: 114 characters

#my first ramadan away from home is kind of scary but i will prevail somehow without delicious homecooked iftar....

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Hi hello me again with another potential happy thought! Another night another sober Blink with a bus filled with his friends, a rather quiet night he'd thought, Mike and Ike nearly asleep on either side of Sniper, Mush beside Jack who'd been chatting quietly and Crutchy who'd been sat beside Blink commenting here and there about the streets they'd passed, David and Sarah having just been dropped off, the end of their night approaching steadily. But as a familiar song had started up on the radio, a quiet hum slowly grew louder, that quiet hum turning into solid and loud lyrics at the chorus', "So Sally can wait! She knows it's too late as we're walking on by", Blink even joining in with the choir of friends.

Awww I love this! The boisterous singalong would be an amazing thing to witness. I could see Jack and Crutchie trying to out sing one another while Race and Mush do the same. Much love to you for making my day!!!

8 notes - Posted January 8, 2022

#4

Racetrack Higgins and his harmonica to Brooks and Dunns boot scoot n boogie! Crutchy's got his guitar going and they're back to back singing. That one line "I want a shot o that red head yonder lookin at me" showing off Crutchy's vocals nicely as he winks at Al who's smiling but shakes his head, Jack pulling him up for a twirl to their friends singing ♡

This is so wholesome and I fully approve of Chrutchie’s guitar and Race’s harmonica!!!! When the Newsies find out that Race and Crutchie were performing, they all made plans to be at the bar to witness their musical talents. The entire bar gets into it as Crutchie and Race groove to the music. They play One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful” and the Newsies go nuts when Crutchie starts crooning “You're insecure, don't know what for”. They both know what they’re doing as they play that song.

Thank you for sending this in! I’m stuck at an airport awaiting a flight so this lifted my spirits!!!! You’re amazing friend!

9 notes - Posted January 9, 2022

#3

For your consideration: One Mush Meyers working at build-a-bear and whenever there's faulty bears or damages bears they can't sell at the shop, he comes home with them. He doesn't yet know how to sew or to patch a bear up but he's trying to learn, slowly but surely. So for now, Blink going through boxes in the spare room looking for a vase he borrowed from Denton back before they'd moved. Coming across this box of deflated bears that are all a little off, "hey Mush" he hollers, lifting the box, "what's w'the dead teddy bear army?" and here's Mush with this sheepish smile, "I don't know how to patch them up yet but i'll get there one day", Blink's adoration showing in the smile he gives the lad, "could always give Buttons a phone?"

I absolutely love this and when Mush eventually calls Buttons, his response is “why didn’t you ask sooner?” They would have an afternoon of patching up all the stuffies. Mush would take them back to Build a Bear, fill them up and donate them to the children’s hospital or an orphanage.

13 notes - Posted January 2, 2022

#2

I just learned something so I’m sharing it with you all. If you read fan fics and track books on Goodreads, you can track fan fiction through Goodreads and they’ll show up on your Yearly Reading Challenge. There are a ton of fan fics that have been added to Goodreads (most Harry Potter) but you can add any that haven’t been already added by this link.

15 notes - Posted January 30, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Hi hello hope you're doing well, if you were to write something titled 'Dear Jack', what would it be about? I've been thinking a lot about titles lately ♡

I love this idea!!!

I think it would be Race sitting down and writing a letter to Jack. Race and Spot moved to Chicago for college and he writes a weekly letters to Jack letting him know what he and Spot have gotten up to in that week. Like clockwork, the letter to Jack arrives on Wednesday while the letter to Race arrives on Saturday. Race always starts off the letter with a joke he heard that week (the answer is on the backside of the letter) before diving into how college/work was and anything he learned. He’d write about Spot but before Race posted the letter, Spot would always scrawl lines between Race’s telling Jack “what really happened” and calling Race out on his “bullshit”. He would promise Jack they’d come back to visit “when it gets warmer” and would always tell Jack that Chicago is way colder than NYC ever was.

Meanwhile, Jack would pen his own letter to Race, including little drawings and jokes of his own (which all of their friends would cringe at). He would catch them up on their little family, little antidotes of affection for something stupid Albert or Mush did that week. Blink would include a new recipe he had tried that week for Spot to then try. Medda would include her own note, telling her babies to hurry back. Davey would make sure Race was following the study guide he made him but also told him to make sure he was taking plenty of breaks and drinking water.

And when Race and Spot ended back in the city for their vacation, Race brought home a letter he penned on the ride over. After a very manly hug between him and Jack was exchanged, he handed the envelope to Jack, putting his hands in his pockets, shrugging, “I figured I’d save the postage this time”.

This was fun to write up! Might have to write a letter induced fic at some point. Thanks for sending this in friend!!! ❤️

20 notes - Posted January 29, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[thecreaturecodex]

You mention on your Ulgurstasta post that you had an Age of Worms soundtrack when you ran the AP in High School. Any other tracks for other encounters/areas?

I actually still have the whole playlist put together! I'll stash it under a cut in the interest of saving space, but some highlights:

The Hellboy soundtrack by Marco Beltrami was sort of the backbone of the piece. The Main Theme was what I used as the main theme for the campaign as a whole, and the themes used for the Nazis in that movie were the cues for the Ebon Triad.

The Full Metal Alchemist soundtrack was also a major role (the original 2004 anime, not Brotherhood). The Homunculus theme was used as Lashonna's theme, in many variations.

Lots of Nobou Uematsu, particularly FFVI and FFVII. I used OC Remix versions of many of those tracks for fights.

The Hall of Harsh Reflections, appropriately, used music from The Thing by Ennio Morricone

Balabar Smenk's theme was the Jabba the Hutt music from Return of the Jedi

The music used for the Kyuss Knights was Spiders and Vinegaroons by Queens of the Stone Age (who were formed from a band named Kyuss)

Musically, Alhaster was Russia. Lots of Russian folk songs for its characters.

The Library of Last Resort was themed around Philip Glass music

Every time they found an artifact, I used The Ecstasy of Gold from the soundtrack to The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

Kyuss himself got One Winged Angel for his fight music, so I gave the JENOVA theme to the Harbinger of Worms, who created him.

The full list (all six discs worth, including bonus tracks!) is below the cut.

Age of Worms OST

Disc 1

1. Main Title – Hellboy Main Title (Marco Beltrami)

2. Sasha –Time’s Scar (Yasunori Mitsuda)

3. Trinton – Gilderoy Lockhart (John Williams)

4. The Whispering Cairn – Winds of Neo-Tokyo (Genioh Yamashirogumi)

5. Vincent – Nonki (Michiru Ooshima)

6. Dinner with Balabar Smenk – Jabba the Hutt (John Williams)

7. Filge the Necromancer – In the Theatre (Philip Glass and the Kronos Quartet)

8. Relics of a Lost Time – El Amor Brujo (Manuel de Falla)

9. Battle with the Wind Warriors – Battle with the Four Fiends (Nobou Uematsu and the Black Mages)

10. Into Dourstone Mine – Overture of Destiny (Michiru Ooshima)

11. Three Faces of Evil 1: The Temple of Theldrick – Evil-Doers (Marco Beltrami)

12. Three Faces of Evil 2: Maze of the Faceless One – Soul Sucker (Marco Beltrami)

13. Three Faces of Evil 3: The Eyes of Grallak Kur – Alley Fight (Marco Beltrami)

14. Diana – Dark Eyes (Moondog)

15. Escape from Dourstone Mine and The Thing from the Pool – Juurin (Michiru Ooshima)

16. Allustan – Avenue (Michiru Ooshima)

17. Clyde – Mystic Mysidia (Nobou Uematsu)

18. An Encounter at Blackwall Keep – Opening/Bombing Run (Nobou Uematsu)

19. Damon – Greed (Michiru Ooshima)

20. Into the Lizard’s Lair – River Cruise (Danny Elfman)

21. Battle with the Turtle Rider – High Above Chaos (Nobou Uematsu, remixed by OverCoat)

22. The Shaman’s Sad Tale – Land Governed by Beasts (Nobou Uematsu, remixed by OverCoat)

23. The Dragon’s Egg – Brett’s Demise (Jerry Goldsmith)

24. Blessings of the Shaman – River Cruise 2 (Danny Elfman)

25. Another Encounter at Blackwall Keep – Element’s (Yoko Kanno)

26. Those Who Have Fallen – Sad Resolution (Michiru Ooshima)

27. End Title – End Credits (Nicholas Pavkovic)

28. Bonus Track – Worms (The Pogues)

Disc 2

1. An Ominous Beginning – Beyond the Wasteland (Nobou Uematsu)

2. The Prophet – The Fall of Neo-Kuja (Nobou Uematsu)

3. Meeting Dr. Thanatos – Revelation of Fire (Claado Shou)

4. The Crooked House – Music TCC (Michael Hoenig)

5. Doppelganger Chase – Spider Dib (Kevin Manthei)

6. Mimics! – Contamination (Ennio Morricone)

7. The Hall of Harsh Reflections – Eternity (Ennio Morricone)

8. Cathar – Rider’s March (Russian folksong, performed by the Red Army Choir)

9. Zyrxog the Illithid / The Death of Damon – Mutation (Geinoh Yamashirogumi)

10. Kysom – Heavenly Spirit (Michiru Ooshima)

11. Puli – The Dragon’s Eye (Jeremy Soule)

12. Battle with the Kenku – Russian Sailor’s Dance (Reinhold Gliere)

13. Filge Unveils His Undead Army – Carriage Without a Driver (Philip Glass)

14. The Weavers – Shelob’s Lair (Howard Shore)

15. The Painter’s Madness – The Belgian Circus Episode (John Morris)

16. Maskarovka! / The Champion’s Dinner – The Kitchen, The Orgy (Basil Poledouris)

17. The Champion’s Games – Wheel of Fortune (Hans Zimmer)

18. The Shrine of Kyuss – Dog’s Attack (Jerry Goldsmith)

19. Zahol, the Cleric – Davy Jones (Hans Zimmer)

20. The Final Battle – Algiers, November 1, 1954 (Ennio Morricone)

21. The Apostle of Kyuss – The Kraken (Hans Zimmer)

22. Victory! – L’Arena (Ennio Morricone)

Disc 3

1. The Dragon Ilthane – Riddle of Steel, Riders of Doom (Basil Poledouris)

2. Falth – Jungle Dance (Max Steiner)

3. Cosgrak the Lewd – Castle Damcyan (Nobou Uematsu)

4. A Gathering of Winds – The Promised Land (Nobou Uematsu)

5. Riverof Blood – The Decisive Battle (Nobou Uematsu)

6. Rescuing Allustan – Illusory World (Nobou Uematsu)

7. Moreto – Space Station of the Ancients (Nobou Uematsu, remixed by Mazedude)

8. Battle with the Ten Thousand Year Old Demon – Fire Cross (Nobou Uematsu, remixed by Luiza)

9. Gifts of the Wind Dukes – The Ecstasy of Gold (Ennio Morricone)

10. Return to Diamond Lake– Death Rides a Horse (Ennio Morricone)

11. Ambushed by Devils – Pandemonium (Hector Berlioz)

12. Magepoint – Misha (Yoko Kanno)

13. Tenser Manzorian – Averro Reinhold (Yoko Kanno)

14. The Spire of Long Shadows – Seven Notes in Black (Vince Tempera)

15. A Dragon took the Spire! – Minas Morgul (Howard Shore)

16. Fallen Angels – Anakin’s Dark Deeds (John Williams)

17. Visions of the Past – Summer Overture (Clint Mansell)

18. Serai Keeneye – Saber Dance (Gayane)

19. Knights and Swords of Kyuss – Spiders and Vinegaroons (Queens of the Stone Age and Kyuss)

20. Ascension Interrupted – Monolith (Immediate Music)

21. The Harbinger of Worms – JENOVA for Classical Piano (Nobou Uematsu, arranged by Eric Barker)

22. Battle with the Harbinger – Piano Quartet Boss Battle Medley (Nobou Uematsu, arranged by Reu)

23. The Final Vision – Father’s Funeral (Marco Beltrami)

Disc 4

1. Heroes – Space Marines’ Theme (artist unknown)

2. Journey to Alhaster – Song of the Plains (Red Army Chorus)

3. Ilthane’s Brood – Godzilla Comes to Tokyo Bay(Akira Ifukube)

4. The Acidwraith – Ghidorah’s Theme (Akira Ifukube)

5. The Deluxury – Theology, Civilization (Basil Poledouris)

6. Adalbert Childermass – Castaniets (Yoko Kanno)

7. Blessed Angels of Hextor – Yuukoku (Michiru Ooshima)

8. The Ebon Overgod – Aw, Crap (Marco Beltrami)

9. Twenty Years of Joy – Song of the Volga Boatman (Leningrad Cowboys)

10. Macabre Feast – Smoldering Corpse Bar (Mark Morgan)

11. A Dance of the Dead – Butou (Michiru Ooshima)

12. The Prince of Redhand – The Infernal Dance of King Kaschei (Igor Stravinsky)

13. Lashonna – Homonculus (Michiru Ooshima)

14. Disciples of Darkness – Grievous Speaks to Lord Sidious (John Williams)

15. The Library of Last Resort – Facades (Philip Glass)

16. The Wild Watchers – Koyaanisqatsi (Philip Glass)

17. Trials – November 25: Morning (Philip Glass)

18. Battlewith Curwen – Black History (Yoko Kanno)

19. Heroes of Time – Symphony 8, Movement 1 (Philip Glass)

Disc 5

1. Battle with Warduke – Position X (Yoko Kanno)

2. Lashonna’s Tragic Tale – Meimyaku (Michiru Ooshima)

3. Kings of the Rift – King Kong (James Howard)

4. A Flight of Dragons – Ride of the Valkyries (Wagner)

5. Gazzilfek, the Ominous Fabler – Cefca (Nobou Uematsu)

6. Citadel of Weeping Dragons – Last Blank Spot on the Map (James Howard)

7. Dragotha’s Phylactery/ Brazzemal the Burning – Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II Opening (Akira Ifukube)

8. When Three Spirits Become One – The Bad Color (James Howard)

9. Into the Wormcrawl Fissure – Circle of Hell (Brian Tyler and Klaus Badlet)

10. The Mighty Undone – Those We Don’t Speak Of (James Howard)

11. Thesselar, the Lich – October is Eternal (Of Montreal)

12. Zulshyn, the Angel – Dancing Calcobrena (Nobou Uematsu)

13. Cults of the Wormgod – Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec (Nobou Uematsu)

14. Kyuss’ Divine Blood – Full Tense (Clint Mansell)

15. Dragotha’s Revelation – Secrets of Shizuma Drive (Masamichi Amano)

16. Battle with Dragotha the Dracolich – I Don’t Think Now is the Best Time (Hans Zimmer)

17. A Treasure Unseen in this Age – Ecstacy of Gold (Ennio Morricone, performed by Yo-Yo Ma)

18. The Age of Worms Has Begun – Blasphemy 2.0 (Immediate Music)

Disc 6

1. Tenser’s Desperate Plan – Sign (Nobou Uematsu)

2. Saviors – Church Windows: Saint Michael (Respighi)

3. Alhaster in Ruins – Tragedy Occurs Again (Masamichi Amano)

4. The Traitor’s Graves Rise – Black Water (Nobou Uematsu)

5. Filge Betrayed – Dr. Van Helsing and Dracula (Philip Glass)

6. Riggby the Patriarch – Forward to Time Past (John Williams)

7. Lashonna’s Sanctum – Kaichou (Michiru Ooshima)

8. Vampire Attack – Shingun (Michiru Ooshima)

9. Accountant of Mephistopheles – All Hell Breaks Loose (Immediate Music)

10. Broodfiends – Tadarida (Hans Zimmer and James Howard)

11. Lashonna Triumphant – Keiji (Michiru Ooshima)

12. Battle with Lashonna – Symphonie Fantastique: Dreams of a Witches’ Sabbath (Hector Berlioz)

13. Ascending the Spire – Divinity I (Nobou Uematsu)

14. Kyuss – Advent One Winged Angel (Nobou Uematsu)

15. The Wormgod Defeated – Divinity II (Nobou Uematsu)

16. The New Prince of Redhand – Guardian of the Motherland (Michiru Ooshima)

17. A Happy Ending – B. P. R. D. Suite (Marco Beltrami)

18. Bonus Track 1 – Icarus (Jason Webley)

19. Bonus Track 2 – Swelling Itching Brain (DEVO)

20. Bonus Track 3 – Dance While the Sky Crashes Down (Jason Webley)

21. Bonus Track 4 – Dragon Attack (Queen)

[cmtcahrule]

Armie Hammer song pics from 2019

Below are Armie’s 39 song pics from 2019. Here are highlights from 2019:  

·        Armie’s only song pic in Jan was Kendrick Lamar’s DNA; the song posting coincides with Tim being in LA for BB award/press obligations. Think sequined sex dungeon harness!

·        Armie was off Twitter from Jan 9-June 28 or 6 months. Things in the marriage were not well. Tim films French Dispatch from Feb-Mar in France and films Dune from Mar to end of July in Jordan/Budapest.  

·        Armie pops up twice during his 6 month Twitter sabbatical to post these songs: 1) April 17 -- Open Mike Eagle-Relatable (after wrapping Dreamland in Montreal); and 2) May 2-10 -- Canned Heat-On The Road Again + Tom Waits-Going Out West + Nine Inch Nails-Vessel + Nine Inch Nails-Survivalism.  

Based on the Vessel lyrics, it appears Armie was a bit lonely/desperate for Tim:

I let you put it in my mouth I let it get under my skin I let you pump it through my ... veins I let you take me from within They tell us what we can and can not do Same thing we've heard a hundred times before The way I put you inside of me None of that matters anymore

My god can we go any faster Oh my god I don't think I can last here My god can we go any faster Oh my god I don't think I can last here

I am you and you are me You will never be alone I have finally found my place in everything I have finally found my home I can leave all the best behind I can see right through the whole facade I am becoming something else I am turning into god

·        Armie is in London May 19-Aug 10 shooting Rebecca. On June 28 he comes off sabbatical and posts the song Never Die Alone by Rasheed Jamal after seeing Tim pop up in NYC on a break from filming Dune.

·        In July 2019, someone crosses out Liz’s name as spouse on his Wiki bio and writes in Tim’s name and Armie says “That is about right”. He posts 4 songs one of which is Lurkin by Waka Flocka Flame.

·        In Aug 2019, a magazine hints at the Hammer divorce, Armie is likely with Tim in Norway and the infamous birthday party takes place at the San Vicente Inn. Song pics this month include: Gesaffelstein-Destinations (posted during Norway) + Lorde, Run The Jewels-Supercut + Lil Kim-The Jump Off + Denzel Curry-Ricky.  

·        Right before Tim attends The King premiere at the Venice Film Festival and the infamous Capri boat scandal occurs, Armie posts Maps by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs reaching out to get Tim’s attention.

Wait, they don't love you like I love you Wait, they don't love you like I love you Maps Wait, they don't love you like I love you

·        During Armie’s guys only birthday trip in London from Sept 5-15, he posts Cab Calloway-St James Infirmary Blues + Ibenji-Boom (the day after Capri) + Hobo Johnson-Romeo and Juliet (an ode to divorce) + Saul Williams-Break.

·        Armie stops wearing his wedding ring in Oct at the same time he films DOTN in London. He and Tim are together after The King premier in London. Song pics in Oct include ASAP Ferg-WAM + CocoRosie-Werewolf + MXMS-Gravedigger (he posts this song the day TC and LRD are spotted walking in LA together - ouch).

·        Armie is filming DOTN in London until Nov 13 and Tim’s whereabouts are unknown. On Nov 8, Liz posts about winning an outstanding alumni award from UT Austin; Tim posts and deletes an IG story that includes a picture of a menu with the words “very serious shit” written on it; and Armie posts High Roller by Crystal Method.

·        On Nov 18, Tim posts a pic of himself in the Busan outfit (red striped pants, backside) and another of him laying on a bed. Armie posts the song Undefeated by OG Maco. Those guys just feed off each other.

·        As 2019 comes to a close, including the LRD sham, Armie posts 5 songs: Pastor TL Barrett and the Youth for Christ Choir-Just Like A Ship (coincides with NYC LW premier) + Love-Everbody’s Gotta Live (coincides with Tim on Jimmy Fallon) + Glass Animals-Cocoa Hooves Part 2 + Royksopp-Royksopp Forever (coincides with Paris LW interview with Tim in red letter jacket) and System of a Down-Forest (coincides with London LW premiere).  

1.      KENDRICK LAMAR - DNA

2.      OPEN MIKE EAGLE - RELATABLE

3.      CANNED HEAT - ON THE ROAD AGAIN

4.      TOM WAITS - GOING OUT WEST

5.      NINE INCH NAILS - VESSEL

6.      NINE INCH NAILS - SURVIVALISM

7.      RASHEED JAMAL - NEVER DIE ALONE

8.      MOSES SUMNEY - RANK AND FILE

9.      HELMS ALEE - PRETTY AS PIE

10.   AUTHOR AND PUNISHER - TERRORBIRD

11.   BISHOP BRIGGS - THE WAY I DO

12.   WAKA FLOCKA FLAME - LURKIN

13.   PEEKABOO - BABATUNDE

14.   GESAFFELSTEIN - DESTINATIONS

15.   LORDE, RUN THE JEWELS, EL-P - SUPERCUT

16.   LIL KIM - THE JUMP OFF

17.   YEAH YEAH YEAHS - MAPS

18.   DENZEL CURRY - RICKY

19.   MISSY ELLIOT - SLIDE

20.   THE BAND - THE WEIGHT

21.   CAB CALLOWAY - ST JAMES INFIRMARY BLUES

22.   IBENJI - BOOM

23.   HOBO JOHNSON - ROMEO AND JULIET

24.   SAUL WILLIAMS - BREAK

25.   HO99O9 - BONE COLLECTOR

26.   ZACK HEMSEY - DON'T GET IN MY WAY

27.   DJ SHADOW - BUILDING STEAM WITH A GRAIN OF SALT

28.   ASAP FERG - WAM

29.   COCOROSIE - WEREWOLVES

30.   MXMS - GRAVEDIGGER

31.   CRYSTAL METHOD - HIGH ROLLER

32.   OG MACO - UNDEFEATED

33.   THE BOOKS - THREE DAY NIGHT

34.   LOTUS EATER - FREAKS

35.   PASTOR TL BARRETT AND THE YOUTH FOR CHRIST CHOIR - JUST LIKE A SHIP

36.   LOVE - EVERYBODY'S GOTTA LIVE

37.   GLASS ANIMALS - COCOA HOOVES PART 2

38.   ROYKSOPP - ROYKSOPP FOREVER

39.   SYSTEM OF A DOWN - FOREST

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qqYKDgeq5Jw

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[acepalindrome]

I feel that I need to post a disclaimer after all the Red Army Choir music: Stalin was one of the worst monsters in human history, Lenin was also a terrible human being, the Russian Revolution was tragic because a people who had been suffering for a thousand years just traded one tyrant for another, the Soviet Union was responsible for many horrific crimes and oppressions against its own people and others around the world. I once read the USSR described as a tragicomedy and that’s pretty spot on with the combination of absurdity and genuine awful. THAT SAID, some baller music and other cool art was produced in the Soviet Union. I can enjoy the art side of things while still condemning all the bad things that happened in that country.

Like have you ever seen Soviet animation? It’s some GORGEOUS shit.

[chilling-seavey]

OH MY GOSH OKAY SINCE WE'RE DOING THE CHRISTMAS WRITING PARTY CAN U WRITE ONE FOR PASSCHENDAELE WHERE IT'S THE FIRST CHRISTMAS AFTER THE WAR OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? OR OR OR THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE

Love the idea of the Christmas Truce and I forgot I actually had this one planned since the beginning! For those of you who don’t know, The Christmas Truce of 1914 was a true event that happened, where British and German soldiers left their trenches on Christmas Day and celebrated together in peace. 

Get your tissues ready.

Also thank you to @janav21 for helping me with some German translations xx

T/W Mentions of war violence, death, the honest truth the deep down all humans are good, and the first seeds of what would later stem into PTSD

December 24, 1914

“Post for you, Lance Corporal Seavey.”

Through the darkness of the night, Christian raised his head from the side of the trench to look up at the man standing in front of him and holding out a brown paper wrapped package. With shivering hands in gloves that didn’t do much to keep in the heat, Christian reached up to take it from him, the men sharing stiff nods as thanks and acknowledgment before the man continued down the lines.

It was a particularly cold night and the ground was frozen with fresh fallen snow, stained red in places from battles and brown in places from upturned soil made from shells but the light flurries that fell through the silent night made it feel somewhat peaceful. Christian pulled at the string and opened his package, the first thing on the top being an old family photograph of his parents and his younger brother and younger sister and him from years earlier when they were small. He smiled warmly at the memory, missing them more than ever on Christmas Eve. Normally they would be sitting by their Christmas tree and singing carols and drinking warm mugs of tea around the fire but instead, he was sat all alone in frozen stiff soil trenches in the middle of Belgium. The next item was a letter tucked on top of a small bar of chocolate. Christian smiled at the gift and unwrapped the corner of it to take a bite.

The crack of the cold coca from his teeth seemed to nearly echo through the barren wasteland the British army found themselves in, but Christian smiled bashfully to himself as he let the sweet flavour melt in his mouth. As he ate his treat, he unfolded his letter from his mother to read her near weekly correspondence.

My Darling Christian,

Christmas is not the same without you. Anna and Daniel and I decorated the tree together last week and there was no one to put the star on top. Daniel took your job instead but he had to stand on a chair and nearly toppled right off! You would have had such a laugh with us. I couldn’t resist a year without at least giving you something small so I hope this chocolate bar suffices – we are not allowed to send anything larger. I hope next Christmas I will see you home again as I miss you terribly. The world over here seems so much darker without you around, my sunshine, but I am sure you are bringing your bright spirits wherever you go. Please write me and let me know how Christmas is celebrated in Belgium (although I know you are most likely already writing an essay for me!). Your weekly letters make me miss you more but they let me know that you are well and safe.

I love you, my sweet angel. Happy Christmas.

Mum xx

Christian sniffled and folded the letter to tuck it back into his inside breast pocket along with the photograph of his family. With one more bite of chocolate, he folded it back up and tucked it in his pack before letting his eyes close and his head rest back against the wall of the trench, light snowflakes falling against his face that took a while to melt with the chill that coated his pale skin. He would reply to his mother later as it was getting late, and the usual waiting game was sending Christian into a restful state.

It wasn’t long before a noise could be heard in the distance and a few of the British men quickly snapped to attention to see what was happening out in the darkness of No Mans Land. Christian sat up too, locking in on the soft tune that was drifting through the nighttime air. The words were incomprehensible but the tune was more than familiar.

“What the bloody hell is that?” one of the men whispered.

“It…It’s Silent Night, sir.” Christian answered quietly.

The higher ups turned to the Lance Corporal as if forgetting the young man could even speak. A small group had gathered in their section of the trenches, all the men bundled up in their jackets and gloves as they listened to the German soldiers singing Christmas carols from a few many yards away.

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht!

Alles schläft, einsam wacht

Nur das traute, hochheilige Paar.

Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar,

Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh,

Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh.

The British soldiers stood in silence as they listened, a few humming quietly to themselves as if afraid to make their presence aware to the enemy. Finally, one of the newer men sang first, his curly hair falling from under his cap and his glasses slightly fogged up from his warm breath through the cold night, joining right in along side the Germans,

Silent night, holy night!

Shepherds quake at the sight!

A few more men joined in, Christian included,

Glories stream from heaven afar;

Heavenly hosts sing Al-le-lu-ia!

And soon everyone was singing together in harmony,

Christ the Savior is born! / Christ, der Retter ist da!

Christ the Savior is born! / Christ, der Retter ist da!

By the final verse, both sides of the front lines were singing loudly together, their voices carrying across the vast expanse of fields and raising high into the night sky. Half in English and half in German, they sang in one choir,

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht! / Silent night, holy night

Gottes Sohn, o wie lacht / Son of God, oh, love's pure light

Lieb aus deinem göttlichen Mund, / Radiant beams from Thy holy face

Da uns schlägt die rettende Stund, / With the dawn of redeeming grace

Christ, in deiner Geburt, / Jesus, Lord at Thy birth

Christ, in deiner Geburt. / Jesus, Lord at Thy birth

When the song concluded, silence fell once again over the battlefields, the snow falling steadily around them. Christian smiled a little to himself at the momentary peace and tucked in for the night with his family photograph held right against his heart.

December 25, 1914

As the sun rose on Christmas morning, the British soldiers wished each other ‘Happy Christmas’ as they started their usual breakfasts or morning duties. It wasn’t long before one of the higher ups was ordering a rise to arms and Christian snatched up his rifle with the rest of the men to get into position.

“There’s a man over there.” the soldier said, peering through the viewfinder out across No Mans Land. “He’s holding his hands up in their trenches.”

The British cocked their rifles.

“Don’t fire!”

“He’s unarmed.”

Christian peeked up over the edge of the parapet and someone grabbed his shoulder to pull him back down to safety. He shrugged him off and leaned back up again, watching the German man walk shakily and slowly out of his trench and onto the fresh fallen snow of the battlefield, hands raised and any weaponry missing.

Christian was a man who had too much trust in people – at least up to the end of 1914 – and he didn’t think twice before dropping his rifle to the floor of the trench as well as his pack of grenades and bullets and stood up on the fire step with his own hands raised.

“Lace Corporal Seavey, what the hell are you doing?” his Lieutenant snapped.

“Must be a trap! You’re gonna get bloody well blown up!” another added from farther down.

But Christian climbed carefully out of the safety of the trench, his heart hammering in his chest as he touched the crisp white snow of the Belgian field and shakily got to his feet to face the enemy. A few more German men climbed out of their trenches followed by a few British and soon the two sides were meeting in the middle. It was silent except for the chilly winter wind that whistled across the land and the crunching of snow under military boots. Christian fell to a stop in front of the young man opposite him, the German’s face looking just as hesitant as Christian’s himself. He had the nicest grey eyes Christian had ever seen and he offered out his hand with a nervous smile tugging at his lips. Christian looked down at his outstretched hand before taking his handshake.

“My name is Christian.” he spoke slowly.

“My…name…is Heinrich.” the man replied.

“Pleased to meet you, Heinrich.” Christian said.

“Freut mich, dich kennenzulernen.”

The enemies seemed to group up and well wishes of Merry Christmas is English and German moulded as one and chatter rose across the Belgian fields. Handshakes were shared and photographs were taken and tensions felt like they had vanished. Christian pulled out his unfinished chocolate bar and offered a piece to his new friend.

Heinrich grinned and nodded, taking a small square with icy hands and a warm, “Danke.”

They ate together for a moment in calm silence, both a little shy but their bashful smiles were mirrored with near relief.

“Wie alt bist du??”

“Sorry?” Christian looked over at him.

“Uhm…” Heinrich thought for a moment before pointing to his watch and then gesturing up. “Years? You?”

“Oh. I am twenty-four.” Christian answered, showing the numbers with his fingers. “You?”

“Dreiundzwanzig.” Heinrich did the same, showing a two and then a three with his hand.

They shared smiles, cheeks a rosy red in the winter air and the tip of Christian’s nose was turning pink too. He offered Heinrich another piece of chocolate before taking out his photograph from his pocket and stepping closer to show him.

“This is my family.” Christian told him with pride and he pointed to each of his family members, “Father-”

“Vater.”

Christian glanced up at his new friend and nodded in agreement, “Yes. My Vater.” He continued on, “My Mother-”

“Mutter.”

“Sister and brother.”

“Schwester und bruder.”

“Yes. Anna and Daniel.”

“Anna?” Heinrich questioned, looking at Christian with wide shining eyes.

“Yes. My sister.”

Heinrich reached into his own jacket pocket and rummaged around a moment before pulling out his own photograph and held it out to show Christian, the blonde woman sitting graciously in the frame.

“Anneliese. Meine frau.”

“Frau? Wife.” Christian said. “Anna.”

“Yes, my…Anna.”

The young men shared excited grins and another piece of chocolate as a few men around them started singing more carols. Food rations were shared and a few drinks were poured and German and British men were arm in arm and singing loudly together. Heinrich and Christian stuck together, joining in for a few photographs taken by their officers and the group shared a good laugh when one of the German generals slipped on a path of ice and fell on his behind.

Soon, with the heat of the excitement and festivities, jackets were being tossed back into designated trenches and someone brought out a soccer ball, earning cheers from both sides. Small teams were divided up – British against Germans of course – and they played together most of the day, using jackets and canteens as makeshift goal posts as the watching soldiers stood in lines around their little made field. Christian pulled an impressive dive to catch the ball before he was scored on and loud excited cheers erupted from both sides at the move. Heinrich pulled him up from the snowy ground with an offered hand and Christian thanked him with a smile as he brushed himself off.

By the time the sun was starting to set, everyone was taken by surprise; the day had gone by so fast. Newly formed friendship groups said their goodbyes and Christian and Heinrich shared a friendly embrace as well.

“Happy Christmas.”

“Fröhe Weihnachten.” Heinrich held out a ration of cigarettes towards him with a friendly smile. “For…the schokolade.”

Christian didn’t smoke but the gesture was beautiful and he took the small pack within their final handshake, “Thank you.”

“Hope…you see…your Anna soon.” Heinrich spoke slowly through his broken English.

“You too.” Christian said as they dropped hands.

They shared one final nod, as if trying to piece together the incredible goings on of that day and the fact that they had just wholeheartedly trusted the enemy. Both sides were bordering on treason after spending such a day together but they returned to their trenches without another word or a single shot fired. Christian got himself settled with the sun setting and leaving the trenches in darkness, feeling more at peace than he had in a while. He was too tired to write to his mother that night, fading into a sleep stemmed from exhaustion from the day’s unique festivities. Even still, everyone was wondering what the next day would hold and if the truce was a turning point for the beginning of the end of the war.

With daybreak came another attempt of peace, and Christian found himself beaming with excitement as Heinrich and a few German men were making their way over the battlefield again after breakfast. Christian was stood beside the British Lieutenant-Colonel as they had their rifles at the ready out of habit but Christian didn’t even have his finger on the trigger.

One of the German officers who was walking over spoke first from the halfway mark between their front lines, “You still got the armistice?”

Christian started to stand up to join them but the ringing of a single shot rang through the barren fields before he could move. He watched as Heinrich fell backwards, shot right through the head until his blood was staining the fresh white snow and his grey eyes staring lifeless into the sky. The cold face of the British Lieutenant-Colonel was unphased as they were propelled into another battle by that single shot.

Another battle where they were forced to kill those they just celebrated with a mere day before, with whom each side shared stories and photographs and treats. Now, both sides were forced back into the usual way of the war under orders of their stern officers who claimed the only way to win was to gain their ground. Christian sat alone that night, a blank parchment on one knee, the pack of German cigarettes on his other, and the vision of Heinrich’s lifeless eyes in his mind. He sat there for nearly an hour trying to figure out what to say to his mother, only getting as far as her name scribbled shakily in the top left corner.

Christian didn’t smoke but that night he pulled one of the cigarettes from the German ration and borrowed a light from another soldier and he let himself sit against the side of the trench and mourn the loss of a friend. He felt guilty and shameful and disgusted with himself and with the war and with the concept of even being there at all, how each time he pulled the trigger he was killing one of his momentary friends. Good men who were friends and brothers and sons and husbands.

Christian couldn’t get himself to return a letter to his mother. He no longer felt like his mother’s angel that she called him so often. And he never would be again.

[erisbaek]

Stucky Fic Rec [Part Two]

Here is part two of the fic rec, as promised by today! I don’t know how many parts this will be since I am constantly reading new fics, and adding them. Every fic added to this rec I have read, and would recommend, therefore they are my personal preference (meaning typically longer than 10k, and very few - if any - shrinkyclinks and ABO) Same as last time, I will provide the Google Doc link where I update the rec regularly, but if you’d prefer it formatted here, it is under the cut!

Google Doc Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10wqr5s-CzkFzLidQgt-y4-cjudHWwVeVPWCedMjK7t0/edit

If you want to recommend fics, you can do that as well! I only add fics that I’ve read. 

Watch Them Rolling Back

         Word Count: 16.9k          Rating: Teen and Up          Notable Tags: Post Infinity War, Canon Divergence          Warnings: Temporary Character Death          Synopsis: Bucky was just here, he was right here. This can’t be all that’s left. Well, it’s not all that’s left, not quite. There, in the pile of ash that used to be Bucky Barnes, already drifting to scatter across the soil of Wakanda, to dissipate in the air, to be nothing but dust on Steve’s hands and in his gasping mouth and in his lungs—left there, in that ash and dirt, are his gun, and his left arm, gleaming dully in the sunshine.

Hey Bartender, Pour ‘Em Hot Tonight

           Word Count: 22.9k            Rating: Mature            Notable Tags: Bartender!Bucky, Patron!Steve           Warnings: Smut           Synopsis: Steve looks down and catches sight of a bright pink drink in a hurricane glass. Moisture is beaded on the outside, and the cool feel of it is nice on Steve’s sweaty hand as he picks up the monstrosity Sam has ordered for him.

“What the hell is this?” Steve asks, a disbelieving smile on his face. “You couldn’t just order me a beer?” “You said to surprise you,” Sam smirks. “And you made me wait.” “But what is it?” Steve repeats, and is answered by a deep, unfamiliar voice. “It’s a Singapore Sling,” the man behind the bar is smiling. “Not what you were expecting?” In which Bucky is a bartender and Steve is immediately smitten. He's not the only one.

Roommate Wanted 

            Word Count: 61.7k             Rating: Teen and Up             Notable Tags: Roomate!AU, Secret Identity             Warnings: None             Synopsis: As Captain America, he’s one of New York’s finest heroes. But as regular old Steve Rogers? Nothing more than a struggling graphic designer who can't quite pay rent anymore. The solution? Get a roommate. Enter Bucky Barnes, aka the Winter Soldier, ex-brainwashed assassin turned hero trying to make up for his violent past. He needs a place to stay - preferably with a roommate who wouldn't mind his weird hours. Seems like the perfect match. Only problem? Neither knows the other is a hero.

These Streets

          Word Count: 5.4k                        Rating: Mature           Notable Tags: Cop!Steve            Warnings: Smut           Synopsis: The life and times of Police Officer Steve Rogers and his dealings with the not so classy residents of his local precinct, including Bucky Barnes, the rough muscle with the dreamy blue eyes.

(A Silent Prayer) Like Dreamers Do

             Word Count: 12.5k             Rating: Mature             Notable Tags: Soulmate!AU, Shrunkyclunks              Warnings: None             Synopsis: Everyone has a soulmate. Everyone. Since the counsel has been keeping records, there has been one exception to that rule, and considering the man, no one was very surprised. After all, Captain America, ne Steve Rogers, was the exception to all the rules. So when he plunged into the Atlantic in a plane loaded with enough explosives to take out the entire Eastern Seaboard, the nation mourned him, but the counsel breathed a sigh of relief. Their perfect record - a soulmate for everyone - was intact. When Bucky is five or six or seven, he has his first bonding dream.

The Tipping Point

             Word Count: 16.8k              Rating: Teen and Up              Notable Tags: Not CACW Compliant, Touch Starved              Warnings: None              Synopsis: Bucky shows up at Steve's door a week after he pulled him out of the Potomac. He brings his cat with him. Eventually, they stay.

Victims and Victories

             Word Count: 14.7k              Rating: Explicit             Notable Tags: Army!Steve,, Mechanic!Bucky             Warnings: Past Abusive Relationship, Mentions of R*pe/Non-Con, Assault              Synopsis: Steve Rogers is an Army Special Forces Captain. Bucky Barnes, former marine sniper, restores and sells old cars in his spare time. They meet one day when Steve is on a run and Bucky is running from his abusive ex. Steve turns out to be exactly what Bucky needs.

Strange Visitor (From Another Time)

             Word Count: 51.1k              Rating: Explicit               Notable Tags: Shrunkyclunks, Hidden Identity, Reporter!Bucky, Slow Burn, Enemies to Friends to Lovers              Warnings: Slight Smut             Synopsis: James Barnes, rising star reporter of the New York Bulletin, has a plan. One, find out all there is to know about New York's newest vigilante Nomad, starting with his true identity. Two, write a masterful piece about it. Three, win a Pulitzer and become the envy of all his peers. Four, enjoy. Or, you know, something like that. One thing's for certain, though: he sure as hell isn't going to let that fucking asshole newbie Grant O'Connor steal his spotlight.

I Will Remember You

          Word Count: 15.4k           Rating: Teen and Up           Notable Tags: Temporary Amnesia           Warnings: None           Synopsis: Bucky is James now, and it takes Steve losing his memory to bring them back together He stares at the man, curious and wondering. “Who are you?”  “James Barnes.”  The man’s voice, and the way he shapes his consonants—soft and smooth and just a touch foreign—is almost, but not quite, familiar.  “Are we friends too?” he asks. “Yeah.” Huh. The way his body’s responding to James doesn’t seem very friend-like.

Travelling Light 

           Word Count: 56.8k            Notable Tags: Angel!Bucky, Dark Fantasy, Bonding            Warnings: Canonical Character Death, Smut            Synopsis: When Steve wakes up, it is a surprise. The last thing he remembers is the bottom of the lake, sharp teeth and yellow eyes, and the cold pressure of not being able to breathe. But he isn’t dead. He didn’t drown. He is not in the water anymore. Instead, he is warm, very much alive, and wrapped in a cocoon of feathers. He’s also naked. And with a man lying right next to him.

La Belle et la Bête

             Word Count: 66.7k              Rating: Explicit               Notable Tags: Beauty and the Beast!AU, Forced Marriage, Veteran!Bucky              Warnings: Body Horror, Smut              Synopsis: Steven Rogers was born in 18th century Ireland to a mother who knew herbs and the old ways. After she passes, Steve asks for aid and gets more than he bargained for. He’s cursed into the form of a beast by day and given 300 years to prove to the fae enchantress that such a thing as true love exists. If he can’t prove it, he’ll be whisked back to her realm and be forced to marry her. He can try to find love with whomever he wants, but they have to fall in love with him without seeing his human face for a year and a day. He spends hundreds of years searching, but so far, no one seems worth the risk. Bucky Barnes is a grumpy war vet whose sister is dying. Desperate, he goes in search of a flower that can save her, but the cost is higher than he anticipated: His sister’s life in exchange for his. When he returns to keep his side of the bargain, nothing in the mansion is what it seems.

Captain America and the Great Pygmalion Debacle

             Word Count: 31.7k              Rating: Explicit               Notable Tags: Friends to Lovers, Slow Build              Warnings: Smut              Synopsis: Bucky absolutely refuses to cut his hair and for the life of him Steve can't understand why. The reason? There's nothing in this world Bucky loves more than having Steve brush it...

Breath I’ll Take, and Breath I’ll Give

              Word Count: 17.1k               Rating: Mature               Notable Tags: Post CATWS               Warnings: PTSD, Suicidal Thoughts               Synopsis: It's starting to get harder for Steve to find reasons to get out of bed in the morning.

Lucky Seven

              Word Count: 94.3k               Rating: Explicit               Notable Tags:  Shrunkyclunks, Mechanic!Bucky, Russian!Bucky, Slow Burn                Warnings: Smut               Synopsis: Captain America trashes his motorcycle a lot. Tony says he'll fix it, then never gets around to it and just buys him a new one. Steve, the Depression-era kid, can't stand the waste and goes looking for somewhere near him in Brooklyn where he can get his bike fixed. That's how he finds Red Star Bike Repair, and the hot Russian-immigrant bike racer who runs it: all long hair and muscles and tattoos. And for the first time since he woke from the ice, Steve feels a connection to someone; a comfort in the other man's silences and his space, an attraction in his sheer skill at racing. But James Barnes isn't exactly who he seems…

The Arsonist’s Choir

            Word Count: 11.9k             Rating: Explicit             Notable Tags: Post CACW, (Kind of) Fake Marriage             Warnings: Smut             Synopsis: "It's Bucky," Steve added, helplessly. The buyer was now sitting at Mikhailov's table, but the mission seemed unimportant. "He's been arrested. In Texas. And, uh, apparently, we're married." "Congratulations," Natasha replied, with a small grin. "Are you registered anywhere?"

What a Dizzy Dance

          Word Count: 30.7k           Rating: Explicit           Notable Tags: Shrunkyclunks, Model!Bucky, Neighbours!AU           Warnings: Smut           Synopsis: An AU where Bucky is a model but Steve is still Steve. They live next to each other and Bucky keeps accidentally stealing Steve's cat.

Separating Me From You

         Word Count: 14.8k          Rating: Mature          Notable Tags: Post CATWS          Warnings: None          Synopsis: After Bucky's recovery, in the face of SHIELD's rebirth, and as all the Avengers have found themselves at a comfortable place with themselves and each other, it should have occurred to Steve that something would go wrong. However, he could have never guessed that trouble would come in the form of the US Army deciding that, because Steve had signed himself over for Project Rebirth, he was technically still the property of the US Government. Property that they wanted to claim.

The Sweetest Spark

         Word Count: 73.1k          Rating: Explicit          Notable Tags: Modern!AU, Age Difference, No Powers          Warnings: Smut          Synopsis: Steve Rogers runs a successful business. He has great friends and a great life. It seems like he has it all. So why is he sitting in a diner on a Friday night alone? Maybe he's just a little lonely. Maybe Bucky Barnes can help with that. ----- It wasn’t just how he looked. Of course, the fact that he was ridiculously stunning was what Steve had noticed first when he’d spotted him across the diner and had left him staring with his mouth open before he’d realised what he was doing, but how could he not?...

A Memory Like a Haunting

           Word Count: 28.6k            Rating: Explicit            Notable Tags: Time Travel            Warnings: Smut            Synopsis: “Why is Bucky’s line disconnected?” Steve asks. “Steve, who are you talking about?” Clint asks. Steve glares at him. “Bucky. You know. The Winter Soldier. My boyfriend. Long hair, metal arm. Come on, guys, this isn’t funny.” “No one is laughing,” Natasha replies. “There is no one called the ‘Winter Soldier,’ and if you have a boyfriend, you certainly haven’t introduced him to us.” “JARVIS, can you tell me if Bucky is in the building?” he asks instead of responding to Nat. There is a long pause and then JARVIS’ clear voice comes down from the ceiling. “I have no records of anyone who goes by the name ‘Bucky’ entering the building.” Or: Steve wakes from a nightmare only to find that Bucky no longer exists.

Honeymoon Cabin

          Word Count: 16.8k           Rating: Explicit           Notable Tags: Shrunkyclunks, Post Avengers, Veteran!Bucky           Warnings: Smut            Synopsis: After a misunderstanding about the rental availability of the famed Honeymoon Cabin, two lonely men end up falling in love during a winter snowstorm that strands them in the same place.

[notalwaysthevillian]

Shattering Stereotypes

Warnings: Slight bullying, friendly teasing, kissing, mention of illness

Pairings: Romantic Mox and Remile established, Romantic Logince to come

Word Count: ~2.1k

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Read from the beginning

Chapter 14

Once Roman had told his parents about the tryout, their relationship seemed to improve. At least as far as Logan could tell.

“Hey, I know we normally work over at your place, but my parents wanted me to tell you that we could go over there too.” Roman told Logan a few days later. “My mom thinks I’m avoiding them, which I’m not and I haven’t been -”

“Ro...man.” Logan corrected himself. If he gave Roman a nickname, he’d never hear the end of it from Patton. Or Virgil. Or any of his friends. “I don’t mind if we work at your place. It’d be a nice change of pace from my own parents.”

“Oh, come on, your parents awesome!”

Logan raised an eyebrow. “They tease me at every given opportunity. Your parents don’t do that.”

“They might, given the chance.”

“Roman.”

Roman let out a laugh, reminding Logan how far gone he was for this boy. “Alright, well how about we head over to my place tonight?”

“Got a date with your boyfriend, Prince?” Toby called out from across the hall.

Roman spun on one heel. “Better than a date with detention, that’s for sure.”

Anger flashed in Toby’s eyes, but there was nothing he could do. If he acted, someone would report him to a teacher and he’d be suspended from school. Instead he flipped Roman off and continued down the hall with some of the other baseball players.

“I can’t wait to hear how bad the team is going to do this year.” Roman said as he glared at Toby’s back. “Not to be cocky, but I pretty much carried the team.”

There was dead silence on Logan’s end. His head was reeling from that interaction. Roman hadn’t denied anything, hadn’t said that they weren’t dating. When Remy got wind of this, he wouldn’t spread the rumor, but he certainly would confront Logan about it.

“...ay, Logan?”

Blinking back into reality, Logan realized that Roman had still been talking to him. Concerned eyes stared at him. “What?”

“Are you okay? You zoned out there for a sec.”

Blood raced to Logan’s cheeks. He ducked his head into his locker, pretending to look for something. “I’m fine.”

“...okay.” It was clear that Roman didn’t believe Logan, but he merely changed the subject. “So are we good for going to my house then?”

“Yeah, just let me text my dads.”

Logan opened up the group chat he had with his parents.

Logan: I’m going to Roman’s today after school instead.

Better Dad: Is he feeding you?

“Roman, um...are we eating over at your place, or?” Logan asked, cursing his easy blushing cheeks.

Roman gave him a nod. “Yeah, my mom cooks enough for an army anyway. Whatever we don’t eat she takes down to the shelter.”

“That’s nice of her.”

Logan: Yes

Awesome Dad: Be home by 10!

Better Dad: Thomas let the kid have some fun

Better Dad: Just not too much fun ;)

Rolling his eyes, Logan locked his phone. “I’m good.”

“Let me guess, they’re teasing you about coming over?”

Logan lightly shoved Roman before the two of them headed for Roman’s house. He lived a bit farther from the school, but it wasn’t as though Florida got cold often.

When they reached Roman’s house, Roman grabbed their jackets and hung them up in the closet. “Could you take your shoes off?”

Logan did as he was asked. Just as he finished toeing off his shoes, he was nearly knocked over by Dahlia, who came flying around the corner.

“Hi Logan! Can I hug you?”

“Sure.”

Dahlia wrapped her arms around his legs and squeezed, nearly knocking Logan over. Roman caught him before he fell, settling him on his feet and turning to his sister. “How dare you knock over the new royal advisor!”

She shrieked with giggles and darted off into the house.

“Royal advisor?” Logan teased as he followed Roman up the stairs.

“She likes to play princess.”

Too late, Logan realized that Roman was leading them to his room. The last time he’d been here, he’d been deterred from exploring upstairs, and Roman had been in the home theater anyway.

“Voila!” Roman let the door swing open, pulling Logan inside. “Casa de Roman.”

“Casa means home.”

“You know what I meant.” Roman laughed, tossing his backpack on the bed.

As he pulled out their homework, Logan took the opportunity to look around the room. He’d expected Roman to have much more sports memorabilia on the walls, but then again that had been a stereotype.

There were a few shelves hung up around the room, holding a trophy here and there for baseball, as well as a few medals. But for the most part, Roman didn’t have too much covering the plain white walls.

His bedspread was a deep red with flecks of gold that caught the light. The pillowcases looked like they were a gold satin, which made Logan laugh a little.

“You don’t have a lot of...you in your room.” He sat on the floor, pulling out what he had for their project. A small note fell out and Logan stuffed it into his purple folder before Roman could notice.

“Yeah.” Roman looked around his room. “Good thing, I wasn’t the real me until recently.”

The fond look he gave Logan had the latter blushing a deep red. “We should get to work.”

Over the course of an hour and a half, they’d both moved to get more comfortable on Roman’s bed.The two of them worked with no interruptions before Margo knocked on the doorframe. 

Seeing Roman’s mother in the doorway, Logan nearly fell off the bed.

“Dinner time!”

When dinner was over, Logan texted Thomas and gathered up his homework. “Tryouts are tomorrow, right?”

“Yep, right after school so we won’t be able to work on our project.”

Logan gave him a smile. “See you at tryouts.”

“You’re going?!”

“Of course, why wouldn’t I go support a friend?”

There had been very few times Logan had gotten Roman to blush, but this was one of those times. He relished in the way that the heated cheeks just seemed to make Roman glow.

“Thanks. Um, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bye.”

The next day went by agonizingly slow. Roman had been bouncing in his seat during most of English, mumbling his monologue under his breath.

Lunch had been Logan trying to stomach his food while Remy and Emile pretended that they totally weren’t making out when the lunch monitor looked away.

And Virgil had teased him throughout study hall, making sure that he didn’t take it too far.

Needless to say, Logan was relieved when the final bell rang.

“Hey, care if the rest of us join you?” Virgil asked as they headed towards the lockers.

Logan shrugged. “I don’t mind at all.”

The five of them met up in the lobby, flowing into the auditorium together and finding seats. Emile and Patton talked about a new episode of Carmen Sandiego. Virgil listened in, rubbing circles on the back of Patton’s hand with his thumb.

“You helped him with his monologue, right?” Remy asked, his arm snaked around Emile’s waist. How it wasn’t uncomfortable for him due to the auditorium chairs, Logan would never know.

“Yeah.”

“So when he’s saying it, he’ll be thinking about you?”

Logan elbowed Remy hard. “Shut up.”

Mrs. Torres, the choir teacher, walked onstage, followed by Jamahl, the band teacher. “Alright, we’re pulling names out of a hat for the order. First up is Marisha Johnson.”

The five friends sat through everyone’s auditions, clapping when they were finished.

“Do we clap even if they’re terrible?” Remy mumbled, earning a quiet scolding from Emile.

Finally, it was Roman’s turn. He cleared his throat, turning to face the teachers. “Hi, I’m Roman Prince. I’ll be doing a more modern version of Romeo’s monologue.”

He took a deep breath before diving into it.

“But...wait. What’s that light in the window over there? It is the east, and Juliet - she is the sun. Rise, beautiful sun, and kill the jealous moon. She is already sick and pale with grief because you - you Juliet, her maid, are far more beautiful than she. Don’t be her maid, because she is jealous. Virginity makes her look sick and green. Only fools hold on to their virginity. Let it go. Oh, there’s my lady. My love.”

At this point, Roman’s eyes landed on Logan. He could feel the others looking at him, but he couldn’t tear his eyes from Roman’s.

“How I wish she knew how much I love her. She’s talking, but she’s not saying anything. Who cares? It’s her eyes that speak, her eyes that say something. I will answer them. I am too bold. She’s not talking to me. Two of the brightest stars in the sky went away on business, and they ask her eyes to twinkle in their place until their return. What if her eyes were in the sky and the stars in her head? The brightness of her cheeks would outshine the stars the way the sun outshines a lamp. If her eyes were in the night sky, they would shine so brightly through space that birds would sing! Look, how she leans her hand upon her cheek. Oh, how I wish I was the glove on that hand, so that I could touch that cheek.”

As soon as Roman finished, there was a beat of silence and then an uproarious applause.

“Thank you Roman.” Mrs. Torres did her best to not play favorites, but everyone could see the twinkle in her eye. “Next up is Artie Zenith.”

When auditions were over, Roman darted over to them. “How did I do?”

“You were amazing!” Patton squealed.

Emile nodded. “I’ve never seen someone deliver lines so flawlessly.”

“Good job, Roman.”

“Yeah, you were way better than -” Remy was cut off as Emile kissed him to stop his sentence.

Turning, Roman looked at Logan. “You’ve heard it a million times. Was this time any better?”

“Way better.” Logan could feel his blush deepening. “You nailed it.”

“Cast list will be posted on Monday!”

The weekend was fairly uneventful. Logan was just as excited as Roman to see the cast list. Roman had worked so hard, and he was so talented. There was no way he wasn’t going to land a part.

Monday morning, Logan found himself standing in the lobby with his friends, waiting for Mrs. Torres to come by and pin up the list.

It was swarmed as soon as she did so. The five of them stayed back, waiting for Roman to tell them the news.

He launched himself out of the crowd, a huge grin on his face. “I got the lead!”

A cheer went up from all of them, echoed by the crowd of theater kids.

Logan held back, waiting until they were headed off to English class. “Congratulations. You deserved it.”

“Thanks, Lo. I couldn’t have -”

Logan erupted into a coughing fit. Reaching around him, Roman grabbed Logan’s water bottle from the side pocket of his backpack and held it out.

Flipping the top open, Logan guzzled everything inside, his breathing returning to normal. “Thanks.”

“You okay?”

“For now.”

Those words couldn’t have been more wrong. Over the course of the rest of the day, Logan felt worse and worse. He didn’t eat anything during lunch, ending up running for a trash can just before the bell rang.

It felt as though he blinked and he was at home.

“Shh, Lo, just lay down.” Thomas said, pulling back his covers. He helped Logan into bed, placing a cool washcloth over his forehead. “I’ll be back with some water and some crackers.”

Nodding, Logan slipped into unconsciousness.

He woke to voices outside his room. After a moment, the door opened and Roman walked in.

“I heard you went home sick.” He said as he walked in. “Is it okay if I grab the project folder from you?”

Logan flailed a hand, gesturing toward his backpack. “Purple folder.”

“Thanks, Lo.” Roman hovered in the doorway for a moment. “I hope you feel better.”

As he left the room, Logan fell asleep once more.

[malglories]

@sinaesthete​ tagged me to post ten songs i’m currently obsessed with!!! i’m really feeling more electronic, upbeat things lately, with one exception...

safety net by ariana grande (sorry)

the light by metronome

alla turca by mr jazzek

fire for you by cannons

my country by the red army choir

tokyo drifting by glass animals ft denzel curry

bitches by tove lo

no limit by chloe flower

come alive by madonna

crazy over you by blackpink

tagging anyone who wants to do it! i’d love to see your music

[stone-man-warrior]

June 24, 2020: 8:41 pm: A generalized look at what is happening, and what took place to get us into this predicament.

I want to try to put things into a basic nutshell with information that just only touches the turning points with regard to where the terror coup Global Domination take-over began, how it grew, and how I see the history of what I have been calling #SAGcoup, from just after it's beginnings in World War Two, to where we are today. I'll start with the Diary of Ann Frank.

The Diary of Ann Frank is an important document with regard to the US involvement in World War Two. 1970's US Public School education taught students that the Diary was used, considered, and then acted upon, by the president of USA, Theodore Roosevelt. US School students were taught the the Diary was the single most important contributing factor for US involvement in World War Two. After consideration, I feel the document is false. I see that it is more likely to have been a lure, to get USA involved in a war far from home. A Humanitarian effort, and effort to keep that kind of Nazi oppression from gaining momentum in the world.

I am not a historian, and don't know much about that war, I only start there, because it makes sense to start there with explaining where we are today. It might be beneficial to leave that out of an explanation of circumstance, for fear of having the explaining that I do, viewed as false. I am only trying to get some help, no help comes, the things I explain are things that happen, are as true as my eyes and ears will allow me to understand them, and the time it has taken to learn what I explain in order to get help, has included much eye-witness of mass murder, and thousands of attempts to kill me, because of the information presented here. With that, I maintain that the Diary of Ann Frank is an important place for more qualified historians to reconsider with regard to it's intended purpose. So the next place I want to skip forward to, is the attack at Pearl Harbor Hawaii. That is where things may be easier to see truth. Since I am not a historian or war expert, I don't have much to say about that attack. What I do have to say, is I also believe what we are told, is false. You will need photographic reference materials that were published from as close to the time of the attack at Pearl Harbor as is possible, to see the truth. The Japanese Zero's, were fitted with Mercedes Benz engines. They were not Japanese airplanes. They were other, European manufacture aircraft, and were modeled after the Japanese Zero.

I propose that the reason none of the US Navy boats made it out of the harbor, is because all indications were that the only vessels in range of radio communications, patrols, and radar, were “friendly” vessels. I propose that the “friendly” vessels is where the “Zero's” came from. I further propose that the US Navy was in contact with the “friendly” vessels, and there was no apparent threat from them. The attack came from European “friendly's”. The Zero's were powered by Mercedes Benz engines, and that much can be seen in old photographic evidence of the attack. There are a number of photographs of crashed “Zero's”, and their engines contained in US Public School books that were in circulation in the 1970's. I have seen them, and they are clearly Mercedes Benz engines. After the attack, the retaliation on Japan from USA was in the form of basically one bomb, that Hiroshima Hydrogen bomb. USA stopped short of annihilating Japan. Why was the USA response limited to one bomb? The attack, if from Japan, should have warranted a more comprehensive response in my opinion. Nothing less than complete elimination of all of the controlling government, and it's military forces is what should have occurred if USA truly believed that it indeed was an attack at Pearl Harbor from Japan. I say, the truth about the Zero's being fake was known by US Military command, just at the point of the detonation of that hydrogen bomb, and USA stopped short of destroying Japan completely because of knowing the truth, at least in part. Who made the fake Zero's, and who specifically was responsible for the Pearl Harbor attack, was still an unanswered question. So far, I told about a false document that was designed intentionally as a lure to get USA into a European war, on their turf. I have told you about fakery, by Europeans, to blame Japan, for an attack on a US Navy base on Hawaii. Now, I want to fast forward to 1962. John F. Kennedy is shot to death on live television during a parade, while riding in a convertible Lincoln Continental. The Lincoln Continental Convertible is more important then anyone has ever publicly considered. I will just remind you of the importance of symbolism, and move on with the generalization of circumstances of Global Domination efforts of European origin. There was a parade, a US President. There were television cameras everywhere, the news networks knew of the route ahead of time. There was a shooter. The US Presidents head was rolling around on the trunk of a Lincoln Continental Convertible on live television during a parade. There was a magic bullet, a warehouse, and a grassy knoll.

There was another shooter, that shot the shooter, that shot John.

Symbolism on television news:

Warehouse = Coup

Grassy Knoll = Grass

“Coup de Gras”

From Google: Coup de grâce. A French phrase meaning blow of mercy, that is, a final killing blow that puts a fatally wounded person out of his misery; used to mean the action or event that finally destroys or ends something.

Now, with the murder of John F. Kennedy, on television and live on a parade, I offer this to sum up how it fits into the other parts of this generalization, where the Diary of Ann Frank is false, is a lure into a European war on their turf, and an attack on a US Navy base, when the Navy was never able to get into a defensive position, because there was no perceived enemy anywhere to be found, and the response to the attack, was far less then what it should have been if Japan indeed was the offensive party. Enter Britain, at some point after the attack at Pearl Harbor, and before the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

Make some assumptions here. Do a “Quantum Leap” to find truth. Historians may be able to find further, more compelling and evident history to support a notion that Britain is behind the fakery, has always been behind it, and Britain still feels that USA belongs to Britain, discounting anything that occurred post Boston Tea Party. “The Brit's feel that they are the rightful owners of USA”, is the kind of Quantum Leap that is necessary to get at truth.

So, with that, and at some point after Peal Harbor attack and before the JFK parade spectacle, make an assumption that the Brit's made an alliance with the US News Media Networks. The Brit's shared their plans of Global Domination with US News Media executives, and made an offer. “Prove that you are able to handle the task, and we will grant you equal controlling share in the resulting domination efforts” Something like that was offered to US Network News Media. US News Media Networks were not amused by this speech:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-AZV3qnwkA They agreed to prove themselves to Britain in exchange for equal share in the controlling parties of “Global Domination Under the Cross”, which is the direction the advance of Global take-over efforts were drawn from, same as they ever have been, a Christian Crusade of “global cleansing”. US News Media Networks arranged the Jacqueline Onassis would murder John F. Kennedy during a parade on live television, and they used Marilyn Monroe as the catalyst in order to convince Jacqueline that John was cheating on her, with Marilyn. “US News Media US President Live Television Murder on a Parade w/Lincoln Continental Convertible”, was a success. US News Media, proved their worth, to Britain. So, now Britain, had gained the strength of the backbone of every US household's main source of information, and entertainment, the television. Britain shared the secret weapon with the entire US News Media, and the whole Screen Actor Guild Union, and all of its sub unions was at the command of Britain, with the secret weapon, Nitrous Oxide. Britain, with full blown global take-over and domination in mind, and with a thousand years of knowledge about the power of music, enlisted the Vatican Choir, in the form of “Rock & Roll Music”. The Brits invented Rock & Roll, and used it as a means to enter the US entertainment arena. The British Invasion of 1964 was more than a musical one. It was the beginnings of a command language, and served as an excuse to travel across the Atlantic, for business in the entertainment industries, for the purpose of planting British and Vatican operatives throughout USA into positions in the entertainment industries.

New York, where the transatlantic flights need to land first, provided that Broadway was established as a base of operations. Midway, Nashville Tennessee became a command center. In Hollywood, the brass of the offensive British/Vatican war machine was installed. It was 1964.

Plans, language, and agreements were made.

Britain began to secretly train Canadians for a terror attack on USA, and by 1970, the Canadian terror army was ready.

With the help from US News media, the attacking army began to decent from the skies, in the San Fernando Valley California.

They came by parachute, one adult, and one child per parachute, thousands of them, armed with nitrous oxide, and swords. They hit the ground in metropolitan parts of the San Fernando Valley, waited at the traffic lights, and when the traffic stopped for the red light, the terror soldiers murdered the drivers, at the stop lights, and disappeared into the San Fernando Valley with the vehicles that belonged to the people they killed at the traffic lights. The terror soldiers simply took the victims cars, to the addresses listed on the victims drivers licenses, and went to those addresses with the cars that belong there.

They killed as they needed for cover at the address where the vehicle owner lived. Many thousands of tandem paratropping terror soldiers from Canada descended, armed,  trained to kill, to find a vehicle, find a home, and blend in to the population of San Fernando Valley California.

The air-raid sirens howled for two weeks. No help ever came. Then, there were no more air-raid sirens. The terror soldiers turned them off. It was 1971.

News media in Hollywood covered the advance of the terror soldiers with silence and confusion tactics to fool public safety personnel, and aided the terror soldiers to take over West Valley Police Precinct right away.

Police station take-over was the immediate goal of the terror army, and US News Media helped them achieve that goal in the greater Los Angeles area. The schools were immediate targets, all of the students were killed and replaced with the children of the trained, Canadian terror army. There were no police to stop them, and US Military was fooled by SAG. That provided the seeds of the take-over of USA, in the form of a trained army from Canada that looks exactly the same as the people who lived in the area. The Los Angeles area taken over by the terror army, helped to allow that the US Media in Hollywood, could command them. The army protected the media, and the media protected the army, while provididung their marching orders on the evening news, and eventually, as parts of the script and screenplay of our favorite sit-coms, movies, plays, news programs, and the commercials in between. The advertising agencies were consumed and made part of the command chain.

SAG gained a terror army to command, compliments of Britian, and the terror army was trained and eager to take their commands, from SAG, over the airwaves on television news, in the music of the 1970's, and in newspapers and magazines.

Today, in 2020, we have the culmination on the cusp of the beginnings of a new Kingdom that will be replacing Canada, USA, and Mexico, by this time next year.

The end of USA, is upon us now.

No one has answered the calls for help, no one is willing to defend the USA, and there are no US Military or National Guard left alive anywhere to stop the new Kingdom, and the extreme communism and slavery it will bring with it from becoming a reality etched forever in the blood of many millions of USA Citizens, stained on the hands of our favorite entertainers. SAG's equal share of control of the global domination, is that Screen Actor Guild members, and it's sub-union members, are to be the “Master Race” in the future of that new Kingdom. Public education will include that the students, are taught that they are a human sub-species, and taught that they are put on Earth, to serve the needs of the “Master Race”, SAG. That, is why the forced amputation victims that are called “Partners, Side-Kicks. Companions” and other terms to describe them, are being experimentally crafted, so the the surgical advance will create a situation where humans are born in captivity, surgically altered with amputation and plastic surgery, such that the people do not resemble human beings anymore. They will be taught from birth onward that they are not human, and are there to serve the Screen Actor Guild, “Master Race”. Since the surgical interventions are applied from birth onward in parallel tandem with the “British Still” education, the subjects will not recognize themselves as ever having been a human being. They will be crafted with surgically specific goals in mind to perform specific tasks, while machinery is matched to the standardized varieties of human, custom made, slave labor, to serve the Screen Actor Guild. Custom made people that ergonomically fit into custom made machinery for the purpose of performing tasks to serve the “Master Race” that SAG will have become, by order of the Queen of Britain.

======================================

That is a generalization of what is going on in USA and around the world, and what took place to get us into this predicament, and is what the future holds for human beings all over the world, in the event that there is no army available and willing to fight against the advance of Global Domination Under the Cross. There is much information here about more specific details. I have seeking some help for a long time, and am held captive in my home, by aggressive, and offensive terror soldiers from Canada. There are no police to call, all of the police in Oregon have been killed and replaced with impostors.

[laserdog10]

Toss a Coin

*Team RWBY and co. had arrived in Vacuo weeks ago, got settled in and begun making plans on their next move in bringing down Salem. But first, it was time to rest and relax, for at the battle of Atlas, they had just barely pushed back Salem’s Grimm army thanks to Ruby and her Silver Eyes. Afterwards they and Ironwood made amends, cleared them of their wanted posters, and got them a ride all the way to Vacuo. Right after they landed and reunited with Team SSSN, the first thing they needed was a place to stay...and some (or a lot) of money. So who other than to take a job of ridding Sand Striders of a nearby oasis? Jaune and Sun, both of whom where halfway out in the desert, striking up conversation.*

Sun: So you literally brought back this Clover guy from the brink of death!?

Jaune: Just in time, poor guy was close to flat-lining, if it wasn’t for me giving him some of my Aura, he would’ve died then and there.

Sun: You, my dude, are a damn hero...

Jaune: Yeah, I got that a lot after he woke up. The other Ace Ops were in near hysterics when he came to. *”Elm almost broke my back she was hugging me so hard...” he thought to himself”*

Sun: I guess all’s well that ends w-get down! *ducks behind a dune*

Jaune: What? Oh crap! *ducks behind another*

*There they saw the oasis, as well as the Sand Striders that claimed it. The Grimm in question were tall, their legs long and spear-like, jabbing the water for fish to eat. Their equally as long necks surveying the area for any trespassers on their territory*

Jaune: Are those the Sand Striders? *he whispered*

Sun: Yup, freaky aren’t they?

Jaune: They look like...giraffe’s with way too much nightmare fuel put in them.

Sun: Ha! Not a bad description, man! Now...*readies his nunchucks*...ready to kick some ass?

Jaune: *activating his broadsword* Let’s do this.

*The blonde duo lept from their hiding places and charged the four beasts*

-One badass and epic fight later-

Sun: HELL YEAH! That’ll teach ‘em to mess with the finest Hunters on Remnant! Hahaha!

Jaune, out of breath but smiling: How do you manage to always stay so upbeat, man?

Sun: The rest of my team wonder the same thing, helps keep morale up, Scarlet always says I’m like Jaskier from The Witcher.

Jaune: Uhhh...who from the what???

Sun, jaw going slack and eyes bulging: You don’t know about The Witcher?!

Jaune: *nervous chuckling* Noooo?

Sun: *throws an arm around Jaune’s shoulder* Well my fellow blonde amigo, you, are in for a treat!

Jaune: Heh, alright!

*Sun clears his throat, then hops away from the knight with giddyness in his step. He faced the setting sun, kneeling*

S: When a humble bard, graced a ride along, with Geralt of Rivia, along came this song~...*stands up*

S: From when the White Wolf fought, a silver-tongued devil, his army of elves, at his hooves did they revel~...*turns to Jaune*

S: They came after me, with masterful deceit, broke down my lute and, they kicked in my teeth~...*begins slowly snapping to a beat*

S: While the devil’s horns, minced out tender meat, and so cried the Witcher, he can’t bleat~! *claps, resumes snapping*

S: Toss a coin to you Witcher, o’ Valley of Plenty, o’ Valley of Plenty, ohhh~! Toss a coin to your Witcher, o’ Valley of Plenty~!

Jaune: O_O

Sun: Well???

Jaune: That...was...AWESOME!!!

Sun: I know right!?

Jaune: I don’t how it managed to be so catchy but god bless the person who came up with it!

Sun: Jaskier.

Jaune: Right, right. Awwww now I feel bad because I just bought a loot from the nearby market in the city and left it with the gang!

Sun: It’s all good, man! Song’s so good we hardly need instruments!

Jaune: Fair enough then. Was that the whole song or what?

Sun: Nope, figured I save it on the way back.

Jaune: Well then what are we waiting for!

Sun: Nothing! Follow my lead. *gets next to the knight wrapping his arm around his shoulder again*

S: At the edge of the world, fight the mighty horde, that bashes and breaks you, and leaves you to mourn~!

J: *remembering he’s partially heard the rest of the song before* He thrust every elf, far back on the shelf, high up on the mountain, from whence it came~.

S: Now you’re gettin’ it! He wiped out your pest, got kicked in his chest, he’s a friend of humanity, so give him the rest~!

J: That’s my epic tail, a champion prevailed~.

S: Defeated the villain, now pour him some ale~!!!

*And so the boys joyfully and boastfully sung their way back to town, heads held high and voices loud enough for all of Remnant to hear*

-Back in town, outside the hotel-

Ruby: They should be back by now. You think they got hurt?

Blake: Doubt it, knowing them Sun must’ve came up with something to get it done quickly, but also decided to give them some down time before they left. Vacuo is pretty...as much as barren sand dunes can get.

Ruby: *chuckles* Yeah you’re right.

Blake, ears twitching: Wait, do you hear that???

Ruby: Hear what?

*Through the throngs of people going to and fro, Blake’s sensitive hearing managed to pick up two familiar voices far to the right of them, who appeared to be singing in tandem with each other, to a rather merry tune*

“Toss a coin to your Witcher, o’ Valley of Plenty, o’ Valley of Plenty, ohhh~! Toss a coin to your Witcher, a friend of humanity~!!!”

Blake: That way, it’s them!

Ruby: I hear it now, I know that song! *she sped off like a rocket taking her teammate with her in a flurry of red and black petals. The reaper and Faunus stopped just short of barreling over their friends, looking at them with excited faces*

Ruby/Blake: HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT SONG!?!?

Sun: I know about it! Watched the show with the guys before you came here!

Jaune: I just sang along because it was catchy and I somewhat heard of it, how do you know about it?

*Ruby and Blake almost looked offended at the statement*

Ruby/Blake: We LOVE The Witcher!!!

Ruby, proudly: Played all three games and completed them all one hundred percent!

Blake, blushing and twiddling her fingers: I’ve read all the books, they were amazing. And I’ve...reread them several times now, haha.

*Sun and Jaune looked amongst themselves, eyes wide with realization*

Sun/Jaune: We have found our people....

-Later that night in a tavern-

*The place was a harmonious choir a Hunstmen and civilians alike, singing along as the four teens sang and dance with each other to the jovial song*

RJBS: Toss a coin to your Witcher, o’ Valley of Plenty, o’ Valley of Plenty, ohhh~! Toss a coin to your Witcher, a friend of humanity~!!! Toss a coin to your Witcher, o’ Valley of Plenty, o’ Valley of Plenty, ohhh~! Toss a coin to your Witcher, a friend of humanity~!!!!!

*They reached its end, the whole tavern exploding in cries of gleeful enjoyment, some demanding for an encore, raising their glasses and mugs in their stupor*

Yang: I gotta hand it to ‘em, they sure do know how to please a crowd.

Weiss: Think they would’ve cheered louder if I sang too?

Ren: Do you know the lyrics?

Weiss: N-no...?

_SSN: Then no.

Weiss: Hey!!!

Scarlet: Well it takes a while to get the song down pat, dear.

Sage: We stumbled and mixed a few words up when we first heard it.

Neptune: I would’ve cheered you on just for trying, Snow Angel.

Weiss, ignoring her creeping blush: Thank you! At least someone recognizes true talent.

Nora: Eh, I think they still had you beat.

Weiss: *growls*

*The group all laughed, meanwhile Ruby, Jaune, Blake, and Sun were actually being handed a few Lien just for singing the song from a few patrons. Truly, the song was a thing to behold.*

(A/N: This whole post was based around a headcanon my good man @darksaiyangoku came up with a while back, gave it a little twist of mine and added some slight Lancaster, Black Sun, and Iceberg (cuz why not). Go check him out, he makes good stuff, also watch The Witcher on Netflix if you haven’t, IT’S SO FUCKING GOOD!!!)

[eturni]

Day 15 - Laughter

It’s day 15 of @drawlight‘s holiday-themed calendar challenge . https://drawlight.tumblr.com/post/189391982184/drawlight-drawlight-aziraphale-crowley-for  and today is Laughter.

Today is also the day that I saw the Tumblr post about a somewhat unsettling, if very positive, Welsh Christmas tradition. What unfolded is effectively a holiday creepypasta that is a little on the long side for my offerings to the calendar. hopefully it hits right still.

There was a small rental cottage in a charming area of Newport that currently served as both meeting place and occasional (nightly) sleep-over spot for a certain angel and demon as they negotiated the terms of a non-involvement policy over recent orders in the area.

The city was more than growing and would continue to do so with all the veracity that humans put into these things but for the moment there were just enough people to hide the fact that an angel and demon were too close to one another without being enough that they would struggle to spot their own bosses.

It made for a surprisingly low anxiety Christmas time for the pair of them despite the closeness that broke a lot of their less-spoken rules. Head office barely bothered with them around this time of year anyway.

Crowley was just getting truly settled in with his third glass of wine, watching Aziraphale put up festive candles around the home. He put his glass down just long enough to listlessly throw another log onto the fire and bask into the warmth it gave to Aziraphale’s naturally curved edges.

He was just getting settled into this when the sound of soft laughter echoed up the street from them. There was singing and high laughter and it was coming closer. Crowley rolled his eyes. Carollers, already.

Still, Aziraphale was positively vibrating as the sound moved closer and was already at the door when the laughter, low now and deep, sounded at their own little temporary home.

Aziraphale threw the door open and Crowley dropped his glass, the shatter of it and blood red stain across the floorboards left unremarked as Aziraphale took in what was looming in their doorway. Figures shrouded in darkness, moving wrong and bubbling with a laughter that was, in fact, both low and high at the same time. And completely inhuman.

Continue reading on AO3 https://archiveofourown.org/works/21638803/chapters/52049386 or:

Crowley vaulted himself over the back of the little couch to get himself to the door, taking in the figure at the front. A horse’s skull attached onto a pole like a hobby horse. It was surrounded by three figures that stood further in the darkness and could barely be made out even with Crowley’s inhuman sight. It raised the hairs at the back of his neck.

The head tilted a little, the movement just a little too fast for comfort. Then it turned and looked at Crowley with dead, glassy eyes. It was a mask or a puppet or a something not real. It looked real enough, a real skull. Crowley told himself it was not. Still, he felt seen; a type of sharpness to the dark blank of the otherwise dead eyes that seemed to somehow land squarely on Crowley and see him.

It couldn’t be a skull, there was no bone behind, only darkness. It must be something with black fabric or paper or anything behind the sockets. Must be someone wearing it to look unerringly at Crowley in the way only a demon could know they were being watched.

There was a hobby horse stick. Bedsheets draped over of an impossible age. Threadbare but with the pattern new and in bright warm colours. It draped straight down, no room for the bulk of what would be tall enough to fill the head. Not without there being legs.

Crowley did not look down. There would be no legs and he did not want to confirm this.

Voices rose from behind the Mari Lwyd, the very human figures behind dressed in a riot of colours.  They were men (they were supposed to be men) dressed as a Punch and Judy, with a fire poker and a broom respectively, and a ringleader with a large hat that cast his face all in shadow and a whipping stick at his hand.

They sang and it was not human. They sang and it was not the echoing of angelic choirs or even the painful grating cries of the Fallen those first few tries after the war. They sang and Crowley’s head flinched away automatically to deny it but the discordance was inside of his skull, scratching at the bone from the inside.

Gentle friends, we have come to ask we may have leave to come in. If we may not have leave laughter rose from one of them in the back, a rolling bubble too deep and sinister but trying to be child-like then listen to the song that tells of our leaving tonight.

Aziraphale smiled warmly but with that feeling around the edges of it that was old and dangerous. Crowley loved him for it and wanted to protect him at the same time. This thing was newer than them, so much so. But it was strange and halting and not of them.

Aziraphale stepped in front regardless, likely seeing the faint tremble in Crowley’s hand, and smiled wider still. “Then sing your tale, dear acquaintances, for I have no room in here to provide leave for one and all and this creature will be my foe.” The song was deep and holy and yet, placed behind Aziraphale Crowley found himself comforted rather than burned by it. The power went outwards, the command to leave woven into each note.

Even demons were of God, somewhere at the beginning of things. This was no demon, not a thing that could be smote and cast out.

They barely faltered before starting up again, though this time the punch raised his iron poker and began knocking at the wood of the door frame in a slow, insistent rhythm. The Judy raked her harsh bristle-broom over the window ledge and pane. The fine twigs please let them be only twigs, don’t look too close scratching at different pitches and in harmony with the scratch that still sang and clawed at the inside of Crowley’s skull

The demon took Aziraphale’s arm and squeezed urgently, looking ahead only at those knowing dead eyes on him again. The implements remained part of the figures as they moved, the angle never changing. They were as much a part of them as hand or head or torso. All that and the sharp iron of a poker part of one terrible form that moved and sang around the Mari Lwyd.

We have cut a shin to come here tonight over the stiles. If there are those here who could compose Englyn let us hear them. Now. Tonight.

Aziraphale took in a deep breath and wiggled up to hid full height; evidently somewhat offended by this creature even questioning if the angel could form poetry. He was practically made of it, after all. “You shall not enter this home, You are not one of our own, I do not know what you plot, And entreat: leave us alone.”

Something did falter in the beast then, it’s strange head twitching to the side whippet fast and taking in Aziraphale now. Crowley made an attempt to step in front of his angel but was stopped by a firm, warm arm.

The shadows grew in the doorway and something like a wail but almost a whinny rose up from the centre of the village. Crowley instinctively knew that it was the spot he had seen a patch of upturned, disturbed earth in the village green that morning.

The skull clattered a little as the glow around Aziraphale only seemed to get brighter under the press of shadows that made the wood groan and the stones tremble. The jaw snapped closed for just a moment, the teeth grinding in a screech that skittered down the demon’s spine before it’s mouth opened once again and the discordance began anew.

The large sweet cake with all kinds of spices, cut generous slices this Christmas-tide. Tap the barrel and let it flow freely, don’t share it meanly this Christmas-tide

Aziraphale paused and looked closely at the creature before them and it’s many puppets. “You mean to tell me that it’s cake you want? And our ale to partake, No armies of ours to wake, heaven and hell have no stake?” This time the press of the angel song held commands for truth.

Where Crowley expected a fight, expected more groaning and warping of the world, the Mari Lwyd nodded it’s great head in a juddering motion and the thump of the poker stopped, thought the scratching continued.

The large, sweet cake and mortal cheer. We chase the dark from homes, tonight

Crowley’s heart almost stopped as Aziraphale stepped back from the doorway and he beckoned the amalgamation of creatures in. “Well why didn’t you say to begin with? More than enough Christmas cheer here. Just don’t cause any mess as I’m afraid it’s a short holiday stay you see.”

Crowley turned his head to argue with Aziraphale and in the next moment the Mari Lwyd was inside of the home. It had never moved, he was certain. The doorway wasn’t large enough and it hadn’t stooped but now there were shadows in the cottage and the strange man-like figures that moved around it like puppets on caught strings were filing in. In the light their faces were drawn too tight across whatever was behind them and their smiles were too bright and infinitely cold.

He fled to the kitchen and found Aziraphale pulling out a tin with some fortified Christmas cake in and grabbing a bottle of wine from their stores. “Aziraphale what the heaven do you think you’re doing?!”

“Providing simple hospitality my dear. Whatever Mari Lwyd is, it can’t be cast out and that means they must belong in the village. If all they want is some Christmas spirit then-”

There was a burst of laughter that skittered up Crowley’s spine the wrong way right before a crash from the other room. Aziraphale pursed his lips and blinked slowly and deliberately in the way he had of gathering strength. “What did I just say?” Azirapahle demanded, striding out with the tin as though he hadn’t been expecting to be torn apart or worse moments earlier too.

The figure of the leader was chasing the horse with rider’s crop held high and Crowley did not look at the floor. Did not see whether legs chasing the horse moved as human legs should. Did not see if anything at all lay beneath the oddly-draped sheet.

“Now, you must behave or there’ll be no cheese to go with the cake.” Aziraphale ordered quite firmly, placing the tin down on the coffee table.

The Mari Lwyd opened it’s mouth again and a rattling laughter rose up and around from a point that Crowley did not want to pinpoint but it settled finally; the dark pits settling on the tin. They were shadow and void still, even with the light of the fire pressing in where bone should be. It was bone. Crowley could see that clearly enough. A real skull pulled from the earth and sent to the homes round about for Christmas.

Cannot frighten the bad spirits otherwise.

The voice ached at the back of Crowley’s teeth and made his fangs want to slip from their place in the ether. He miracled his glass back together and started pouring for the beast and their ‘companions’ anyway because he hoped Aziraphale knew something that he did not.

When the angel returned, with cheese, it was also with promises that they would deal with anything negative in the home and that the Mary Lwyd could “Just relax, dear, it must be a long night for you.”

Crowley watched this all happen in complete bafflement and promptly finished off three bottles in the hope that the lack of clarity would make things easier. He lost track of the conversation as Aziraphale and the Mara Lwyd started to chat about benevolent and mischievous local spirits in all the areas they’d been in before. Made Crowley wonder about the nature of it but no fae or spirit or cryptid had set him this on edge before and even Aziraphale’s warmth and the familiar old ornaments that decorated their tree couldn’t put that to rest until the angel was good-naturedly showing the being and it’s puppets out of the door.

Once they were alone and the shadows receded it took some of the cold away that had settled on Crowley’s heart. Aziraphale gathered him up in his arms, uncharacteristic to say the least, and started to talk. Something about books, or fairy tales. How he had done well to stand up that way. How the beast had seemed to know he was no threat, at least by the end.

Something shifted finally. Settled in the right places. He was a demon and whatever the Mara Lwyd was it thought he was the threat to Aziraphale just as much as he had thought it of the thing. Aziraphale had announced him an enemy in case they were sent from one of their head offices.

He let out a slow, shuddering breath and nodded, reaching blindly for a slice of cake to give him some sort of sugar rush enough to get through his world being tilted on it’s axis “Well merry Christmas I guess.” He muttered, voice as vague and disjointed as his thoughts felt.

Aziraphale laughed and it was bright and warm and everything the Mara Lwyd had not been as they angel leaned down and brushed a gentle kiss to the top of Crowley’s head. “Merry Christmas indeed.”

[flockofdoves]

i’m in a big mood recently for political music (whether that be the coup or rage against the machine or like . paul robeson or pete seeger or the red army choir or something dfgddfg) and also i’m getting more intensely back into listening to a lot of songs and artists i was super into during my emo phase all of a sudden (a wide variety of sounds within that but including screamo and nu-metal and post-hardcore and whiny acoustic stuff and whatever the hell msi is etc)  this month and then at the border between those those two things even though liek. punk isn’t Good musically i recognize i’m reverting and i’m just having a lot of fun listening to lots of queercore recently and even finding more i didnt even used to be into

so basically this is a month of me just listening to all of these things on shuffle guaranteeing that i’m gonna grate on the majority of people who overhear me i guess

[outhereontheprairie]

Streeter SDA Church

I’ve waited a very long time to write this post. Mainly because the first time I wrote it, when I was almost finished, tumblr malfunctioned and I lost all the writing. So today I’m going to try and recreate everything I wrote. This place is precious to me, and I want to do it justice. This place is the Streeter SDA church in North Dakota. And it’s empty now. But when I was a child it was home to one of my favorite summer activities - Vacation Bible School. The old fashioned way. 

In my wanderings, I’ve often wondered what it would be like to come upon an abandoned place that I once knew when it was not abandoned. And when I saw the Streeter church for the first time in many, many years back in May of 2018 I suddenly knew that feeling. It’s not a joyful feeling. It’s melancholy and nostalgia and sadness. But I’m so glad I got to capture it before it fell apart. 

When I was a child in the 90s, this church had a big VBS program. Even though it was way out in the country, kids who didn’t even belong to the church attended. And my mom drove brother and me all the way from Garrison ND each summer to take part. We stayed with our old family friends on their farm which was near to the church, and our moms both helped with the program. 

I got to explore the old church, now closed for years, with my friend Bethany who also attended VBS with me when we were kids. Her dad helped us get in, and my dad came along too. I can’t thank them all enough for giving me this opportunity to photograph and remember.

It was startling to see the amount of decay on the building right off the bat. This little country church was always kept immaculate when I attended. There was so much pride in this little house of worship. 

How many times did I skip through this door? Coming from playing red rover or the craft tent or going to the sanctuary or one of the classrooms...countless. But that day in 2018 I saw the toll time takes on empty buildings. It was sad.

First thing each morning we would arrive early to VBS because our moms were part of the program, lunch pails in hand. We took our lunches in old ice cream buckets. And we waited for VBS to start. 

Our lunch pails went on the shelving below, and if it was a chilly prairie morning our jackets were hung on hangers on the bar below. The classrooms were to the right, tiny half bath straight ahead. Sanctuary to the left. 

Through the door below was the sanctuary - which we will get to. 

Here is one of the classrooms. Nice high ceilings. There were tables here and we worked on Bible workbooks and such. 

Looking into the other classroom - there used to be a partition that could be pulled to separate the two rooms. Generally the younger kids went in one room and older kids in another. 

I can’t believe the piano and nice large cupboards are still here. The nice old piano sits silent now, but I remember when it was used.

Looking back into the first classroom. you can see some of the ceiling has fallen onto the carpet. There’s a hole in the wall. Nature is making its way in. 

Below is the tiny bathroom where we would line up to wash our hands before eating lunch out of our little ice cream lunch buckets. It was always very clean, kept so by ladies from the congregation. None that I knew were too proud for this job. And as VBS students we were taught to be respectful of everything and not dirty any room up too much. 

Out this door we would go for lunch and sit on the front steps or in the grass to eat our lunches, carefully packed by our moms. There were always good sandwiches and veggies and if we were really lucky an oreo or two, or a small baggie of cheetos. For some reason eating out of those old ice cream buckets out in the fresh summer grass and sun made everything taste better. Lunch was hard won after a long morning doing VBS activities. 

On a brief side note: our moms knew each other for ages and were room mates back in high school. So, while my dad always had to stay back in Garrison to work, my friend’s dad of course had to run the farm we stayed on so he was around. He also had known both of my parents and his wife since high school. They were all old friends. And his wife and my mom loved to play pranks on him. One day, they packed him a lunch because he would be out in the fields while we were at VBS. Instead of cheetos, they packed him packing peanuts that they colored with an orange marker. Which he ate. And then told them they must have expired! One of many pranks I remember the adults playing on each other. It was a fun environment to be in as a kid. And it made for some of the sweetest memories I have of childhood. Anyway, back to the church we go...

After lunch we would line up and go into the sanctuary. Older kids sat with older kids and younger with younger. I was startled to see, exploring it after it was empty, that the sanctuary had no more pews. 

The pastor or another church volunteer would lead us in all kinds of fun kids songs. A favorite was “I just wanna be a sheep, ba ba ba ba...” until the older kids got carried away with the “I don’t wanna be a hypocrite” where you were supposed to lightly bump hips...they full on hip checked! Which of course I found hilarious but the adults, not so much. 

Of course what I remember most is the music, and virtually none of the speaking. It’s just how my brain works. Other notable favorite songs (that I can remember) are “Do Lord”, “Deep and Wide”, “Zacchaeus”, “Give Me Oil in My Lamp”, “Father Abraham”, “This Little Light of Mine”, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”, “I’ve Got the Joy”, “The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock”, “My God is So Big”, “I’m in the Lord’s Army” - and many more my brain has long ago archived. I just remember we loved the upbeat songs and didn’t like the slower more reverent songs. Actually, it’s not that I didn’t like them but I more appreciated them in a formal, normal, church service instead of VBS which was for kids. 

At the end of the week of VBS we would always have a big final program for everyone’s parents to attend and usually my dad drove down from Garrison to attend so it felt like a big deal. It was the same feeling I would later get being in a play and arriving at the first performance or practicing in a choir and the time for the concert being eminent. A great feeling, to me. Our craft projects would be displayed in the craft tent. Our workbooks and such would be displayed in the classrooms, and we would put on a final program in the sanctuary with all the songs, lessons, and verses we learned. 

We would line up on this stage (and there were so many some of us would be off the stage) by age/class and sing our songs and recite our Bible verses. It was a thrilling feeling. Somewhere I’m sure our friends that live on the farm have a VHS tape of it. Maybe I can get my hands on it someday. 

All of this came flooding back into my brain when I stepped in that quiet, empty sanctuary. Bittersweet. So bittersweet. Because if I ever have children, they will never know the joy of an old fashioned VBS. There is just nothing like it. 

I also recall racing out of the sanctuary and out the front doors for recess time! That was a big deal, especially for a kid like me that had ADD. I loved to get out of the classroom and into the sunshine! 

And most always it was a beautiful prairie summer outside! (I can only remember a few instances of cold and rain.)

This empty space in front of the church always had rows and rows of cars parked. Now it’s so quiet. 

Around this side of the church is where we played our games! And the most memorable was Red Rover! We loved Red Rover. “Red rover, red rover send *NAME HERE* right over!” But the adults weren’t thrilled at how forcefully the older kids were playing the game when some of the little ones were involved so we couldn’t play Red Rover anymore. Which was a bummer. But we had all kinds of other fun games, some as simple as tag which was always a good time.

I could almost hear the children’s voices calling and laughing on that quiet spring day. I wondered if Bethany could feel it too. The memories were so close yet so far in the past at the same time. 

Below, in the distance, was the church graveyard. When I had extra time at recess or lunch I would wander over there and look at the graves and names and wonder about the people. It’s something I still do - I’m drawn to graveyards and always wonder about the people buried there. 

Below: this side of the church shows which way the weather comes from. The siding is slowly losing the white paint. You can see the roof isn’t in great shape either, anymore. 

The fields were always close at hand to this little country church. They surrounded it on its little plot of prairie. 

Below we have the space where the big old sturdy craft tent would go. Back then it felt like a big space. It’s where our moms worked most of the years, thinking up and executing crafts for the kids to do. And you know what? They were never the typical “let’s throw this away later” kid crafts either! They were always pretty or useful. We hot glued dried flowers to little colored glass vases and once we made a gingerbread man cork board with little tacks. All the crafts were always good and fun. I enjoyed craft time. 

The craft tent is also where I remember huddling in front of a very old and questionable heater on the few occasions it was cold and rainy. 

When we walked around this side of the church in 2018 we found pieces of the heavy old carpet they put down on the bottom of the craft tent. It was moldering away in the grass.

Below was a door we weren’t really allowed near because it lead to rooms behind the pulpit/stage that the pastor used. It’s funny what you remember. 

I was surprised to find that the old church sign was still up, and readable, out in the prairie grass. 

Perhaps someone should note that it’s closed now...

Thanks to Bethany’s mom, I have this old photo of what the church looked like back in its heyday, which was before even my time. It was such a modern little church, and clearly the partitioners were very proud of it. And look at those old cars and the fashions! 

It was a bit painful to leave the old church. I do wonder if I’ll ever see it again. But I’m so thankful I got one last tour and one last chance to photograph it. I know it doesn’t look like some of the older little country churches with steeples and such, but it is beautiful to me and dear to my heart. 

Long after the building is gone I’ll still have the memories of an old fashioned, country church VBS. They’re getting a little fuzzier as I get older, but these pictures and the old songs I can recall help me remember it all, at least a bit. 

Thank you so much to Bethany and family for taking me through the church, to dad for coming along, and to our dear old friends the Millers for hosting us each summer when I was little and helping make the VBS program what it was just so one last generation of kids could experience VBS as it should be. 

[kolbisneat]

MONTHLY MEDIA: November 2018

The penultimate media post of the year! There was lots of spooky runoff from the end of October and not much wintery stuff just yet.

……….FILM……….

Halloween (1978) So teeeeechnically I saw this on Oct. 31 but hey, still sharing it. For a first time view, it was super interesting to watch. Most of the theatre audience was lovingly laughing at parts that didn’t age as well, but I still found it tense and atmospheric. It’s interesting that this genre has evolved so much while The Thing (another Carpenter film I only watched as an adult) seems to be a little more evergreen. Anyway, it was a good time at the movies.

Halloween (2018) And then we watched the new Halloween! Totally great. It captured the same insane logic of some of the characters, it hit a few nostalgic beats that weren’t out of place if you hadn’t seen the original, and it had a story worth telling. As much as the Hollywood remake machine has its misses, this one was a solid hit.

……….TELEVISION……….

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Episode 1.01 to 1.10) It may have a thick layer of moody and spooky on top, but this is still the wonderfully campy series from the nineties. I generally liked it, but found the season finale to contradict everything built up in the first 4 or 5 episodes. Maybe they’ll deal with it in the second half of this season. But (spoilers) setting Sabrina up as “I want both worlds” and making most of the season about how she deals with that, then to say “on nevermind she chooses being a witch” seems contradictory. Again, I’m still on board for the next chapter but felt cheated during episode 10.

The Good Place (Episode 3.01 to 3.08) It’s good to be back! And I can’t remember the last time when I could so succinctly recall what happens in each season. The characters are rich, the plot consistently veers into unexpected territory, and the humour is still strong. 

……….READING……….

Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein (Complete) So I really dragged my feet on this one. I didn’t do enough research into the book and was expecting something similar in tone to the campy, over-the-top action of the movie; I was wrong. The film acts as a counterpoint to the ultra conservative/military is number one outlook of the novel. It essentially acts as novelized recruitment video. I’m keen to finish this to see what the author’s perspective is, but it’s certainly out of research now and no longer for enjoyment (there’s very little action or adventure, the main character is bland, and most of the plot follows how basic training goes).

Maze of the Blue Medusa by Zak Smith and Patrick Stuart (Complete) So this is an adventure book for role playing games (it can fit any system) and I’m preparing to run it for a group using Dungeons & Dragons. It’s one big giant dungeon with a whole ecosystem of danger and intrigue and part of my prep is to read the entire thing before the adventurers start out.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection Volume 6 by by Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman, Paul Allor, Mateus Santolouco, Cory Smith, and so many more! (Complete) So I love the ninja turtles. They got me right in my formative years and this comic delivers on all that nostalgia, while also telling some great stories. This volume really focused on families and the shapes they take and it’s taken me this long to realize that this is what the ninja turtles are all about. The turtles, the Foot, the Mutanimals, they’re all different types of families (with their own quirks and problems) and that’s what I love it. Go back to volume 1 and check it out.

……….AUDIO……….

Violator by Depeche Mode (1990) Still coming off of those Halloween vibes.

Innocence and Despair by The Langley Schools Music Project (1991) Actually this might be the more Halloween-appropriate of the albums. There’s something about children’s choirs that just sounds so great to me. I love it on the Dead Man’s Bones album and I love it here.

……….GAMING……….

Dungeons & Dragons Hexcrawl Campaign (Wizards of the Coast) It’s all coming down to this! The Warlock’s Patron has been freed and appears to have made a deal with a devil! The party is hurriedly fighting in amongst a raging battle between summoned demons and winged elves. It’s all very dramatic.

A Red & Pleasant Land (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) The adventures in “Wonderland” continue! The party has met the violent Heart Queen and instead of upsetting her have been enlisted into her army! They’re now en route to a party between the Kings (as hosted by a Hatter) and it’s all very silly and dangerous and wonderful. If you want to dig deeper into this campaign then I keep a diary over on Reddit!

And that’s it! As always, feel free to share you recommendations or comments on stuff to check out or avoid or what have you and see you in December!

[joonbird]

Wings Tour Final in Seoul ♡

An extremely long, detailed account of my experience attending the Wings Tour Final in Seoul Day 1!

PRE-CONCERT: I got to the venue at around midday mainly to suss out the merch situation, (quickly realized merch wasn’t going to happen because there were queues wrapping the block, it was mind-boggling how many people were in line!) but it was a blessing in disguise, because I ended up with a tonne of super cute fansite merchandise, and I ended up meeting a lot of really great people! 

CONCERT: I was seated in Section B at the front section of the floor, near the centre stage and the left wing. I was very close to the front stage, even closer to the left wing stage, and a fairly unobstructed (but not close at all) view of the extended stage. They were very, very strict on photography during the concert (until the end). The concert kicked off with a VCR, playing some BTS highlights and also their BBMAs acceptance speech. Mic Drop: When the speech finished playing, the lights came onto the stage to reveal the guys in their Mic Drop costumes. I just about screamed my head off because I was expecting Not Today, and instead I was greeted with the beautiful sight of my Seven Guys in their Mic Drop outfits (and no bucket hats!) They were on fire, Mic Drop choreography is insane live. I was blown away by the energy, and the attitude, and then they did the dance break from Mama and their body rolls were rude and wonderful all at once.

Medley: This medley was the peak of my non-stop screaming because quite honestly, it was sensory overload. They started with We Are Bulletproof Pt. 1 & 2 and that in itself was a shock to my system, because I never, ever thought I would get to see those songs being performed live. They were having so much fun with the medley, and then they started taking turns going down the left and right wings. When the members were on the left side, they were SO CLOSE and it was a shock. I don’t really remember much about the music, or the stage, or anything (sigh) because my attention was solely on the member standing right there in front of me. (I’ll go into more detail at the end of this post re: My Reactions to their visuals bc... i need a separate paragraph for that lmao.) They then did Cypher pt. 1, 2, 3 and 4, and I swear to you my soul left my body. The Cypher series, ESPECIALLY part 3, has always been a dream and tonight that dream was realized. The best part was that Namjoon was standing right in front of me in the left wing while rapping his verse of Cypher Pt 3. He is an unbelievable rapper, charismatic and fierce and intense all at once. Also Yoongi’s verse in Cypher pt. 3 (the crazy fast one) was iNSANE live and I feel highly blessed to have witnessed that irl. He is ridiculously talented. Cypher pt. 4 (on the extended stage) they got us to stand up, and Hoseok owned it - he became Jay Dope and the energy in the crowd was great, we were all cheering and Yoongi threw water into the crowd!

Begin & Lie: Jungkook blew me away with Begin. His vocals were so stable, that if you were listening to him with your eyes closed, you would not have been able to guess just how hard he was dancing. Also, he is an unbelievable performer - he was surrounded by backup dancers and my eyes were drawn to him. He has a really intense way to staring at the audience, and he connects with the music and the crowd so well. Jimin performed Lie on the extended stage so I didn’t get the full effect, but even so, watching it mainly from the screen was incredible. His face when he dances to Lie is so beautiful, and he dances with his entire soul, seriously. The stadium was spectacular too, the Army bombs are synced to the beat of the song/specific colours, and the entire dome was slowly pulsing a dark crimson red and it was like something out of a film. 

First Love: First Love gets it’s own paragraph because out of all the performances tonight, the most memorable one for me personally, was First Love. I can’t even explain Yoongi... he just rapped with so much intensity, and passion, and he just has It. It’s everything- the delivery, the way he stares into the audience, the nuances of his face expressions... he is a performer who makes you feel things. I could not keep my eyes off of him, I cried, and at the end he got really emotional too (which just made me cry harder). 

So Far Away, Lost, Save Me, I Need U: So after First Love, was Seokjin singing ‘So far away’, and it felt like the entire dome was shaking from how loud everyone was screaming. They arranged it so well, the four vocal line members were standing on the extended stage, no choreo, just singing- and it never felt like one was overpowering the other, instead, they all blended together so beautifully? It was really moving. I felt so lucky to be able to watch them perform that song live. After that, was Lost, Save Me, I Need U which are all classic, so enjoyable, and they were dressed in these blue grey silk shirts... some of which were low V neck cuts and I seriously nutted off the face of the earth, they looked so good.

Reflection: I loved every second of Reflection. When I’ve watched fancams of Reflection from other concerts, I’ve gotten emotional because I (personally) sensed Namjoon performing it with a melancholic tone. Tonight though, I don’t know, he just seemed happy? He was smiling a lot, and during the instrumental bit he said, “I believe.” And he looked up and smiled, and said, (something along the lines of) “I believe we are all whales. We are alone, but we are swimming together,” in English. And he was smiling and swaying and then he asked a question, I can’t remember what, but it was a question he wanted us to say ‘yes’ to. Buuuut, because he spoke in English, the audience just chanted back “Kim Namjoon” and Namjoon laughed. It was really cute. He looked really happy, and he was wearing a sparkly black blazer and looked like a Visual Masterpiece.

Stigma: Stigma was another performance that blew my socks off. Taehyung hit every single note, and the tone of his voice in real life is so soulful. He was in his element, he was staring into the audience with this piercing gaze... he was basically eyefucking us and it was incredible. His facial expressions are NO JOKE. He kept smirking, and then staring, and then licking his lips and the entire dome was hooked. Every time he did a certain face expression you could hear people going “ohhhhh”. He absolutely knows how to perform, he’s mesmerizing. And at the end, he ad-libbed a few high notes in Stigma and his voice sounded amazing.

Mama & Awake: Mama was the one song I was the most excited to see prior to the concert! It exceeded all my expectations. Hoseok was in the best mood, he was beaming from ear to ear and being really playful - making love hearts and dancing with a huge grin. It was so heartwarming. He was born to perform, when he’s up there doing his thing EVERYONE is in love, seriously. He is such a good dancer, he engages with the crowd so well... and the end of Mama with the gospel-esque choir and Hoseok singing had my body shivering! He is an INCREDIBLE singer (a true Vocalist) and at the end he gave us the world’s biggest smile and my heart melted in to the floor. Awake was immediately after, and hello, I love Seokjin. I will fight everyone who doubts his vocal ability because his voice was so strong and stable tonight, and those high notes had my soul ascending. He sang with so much emotion, and his voice just filled the arena so beautifully and it never felt strained, it was effortless. I teared up, and the entire dome went quiet and after her finished, they clapped. It was a really beautiful moment.

DNA & Go Go: Before DNA, they played a VCR they recorded (speaking of? how do they have the TIME i can’t deal with them) and the crowd started to go nuts. When we heard Jungkook’s whistle, and the beat kicked in, the roar from Army was deafening. The fanchants were insane, the loudest fanchants of the night, and the guys were loving it. It felt like they were vibing off of us, and they were smiling and enjoying DNA so much. Go Go was so much fun! They were having a good time, and being so so so cute with the aegyo. 

Medley 2: The medley started off with N.O., No More Dream, Boy in Love and Danger. They did the same thing as before, all taking turns to go to the two wings of the stage. I feel like I have no clear memories of the medleys, because I wasn’t paying attention to the screen at all when the members were right there ahhhh. I remember Jimin was in front of us and he did the body rolls from No More Dream (I was yodeling), and Jungkook was with us during either Danger or Boy In Luv and he stayed for ages, interacting with us and dancing around. The second half of the medley they returned to the extended stage, for Fire. They started from the 3:33 dance break and it was fucking crazy. These fireworks popped out of nowhere and they just BROKE into that dance and my eyes fell out of my head. Their dancing was so sharp and so strong (especially Jimin holy mole). After Fire they told us all to stand up, and they started to sing Run. It was an orchestra version, so kind of upbeat, and they were running around and EVERYONE was dancing/jumping up and down. It was the most energetic the crowd was all night, the boys seemed so happy, and then at the climax of the song these gold streamers popped over us on ground floor and it was so beautiful I can’t.

BST, You Never Walk Alone & Best of Me: Blood Sweat & Tears was one of my favourite performances of the night. The dance was AMAZING, they gave it their all and seeing them do that choreography irl was so memorable. Afterwards they said it was their last song, and Army were chanting for about 5 minutes straight refusing to accept that reality... and of course, they came out in these truck things. On my side, I had Taehyung, Hoseok and Seokjin. (from memory). We were waving at them, and they were SO BEAUTIFUL, because they all came out wearing Wings tour merch. When I saw Tae in the beret my jaw dropped and I whipped my head around to look at the screen to see NAMJOON IN THE BERET and I distinctly remember screaming out “THANK YOU” lmfao. YNWA was so cute, and then they did Best of Me which was SO ADORABLE. They were so happy, bouncing around in their trucks with their selfie sticks waving to us and singing. 

Ment 1: (I can’t remember in between the ments because there were so many, but this is a vague memory of ment 1) Jimin said he missed us a lot, Seokjin did his heart event (punching through a sheet of white paper to reveal a red love heart), and Jimin said he really loves performing Best of Me :) Seokjin wanted to mess around with the army bombs and do a wave of colour, and then Yoongi made us all clap ‘once’. Jimin asked us to sing the melody of Best of Me and we couldn’t (it sounded so bad) and they kind of went “oh..” and everyone laughed. It was really nice, and intimate almost, they were mucking around and having fun and I was the softest bitch in the room. They also all went around talking about this year, and thanking us for the success of LY:Her. Then they said that this was going to be their last song for the night.

Road/Path & Born Singer: I can’t explain to you my reaction when I realized they were singing Road/Path. I was facing the extended stage, and I turned to see on the screen, their faces next to different clips of their debut/early era selves. It was so, so emotional. People around me (and me) were crying, seeing for example, Jungkook now singing next to debut Jungkook. (Also, unrelated, but because I was at the front of the section right by the massive screen, I could see every detail of the member’s faces it was kinda intense... e.g. I could see the texture of their skin and the fact that Yoongi had a tiny lil pimple). After Road/Path, they stood in a circle and Jungkook sang “I’m a born singer” and the entire stadium exploded. I was in shock, and I started to cry because WHAT THE HECKIN HELL! It was the same as in the original performance, them in a circle on a rotating platform. I can’t even explain the feeling. They sang/rapped with so much emotion, and behind them was a sea of glittering army bombs. It was really beautiful. The lyrics of Born Singer are so intense and you could hear it in their voices. I was an emotional wreck and it was at that moment I told myself that I will support these guys til my old age, they deserve the world. They’re so talented and humble and they put their 100% into their music, you could feel it in that performance and I think everyone was crying.

Ment 2 & Spring Day: Namjoon was crying, and they all went in turns to say their final words. This time, it was really emotional (as opposed to all the others during the night were they were joking around, teasing us, etc). most of them were crying/teary, and so grateful. They kept thanking us. The most emotional one for me (aside from Namjoon) was Jungkook. He was speaking in this really thick, quiet voice, like he was on the verge of tears, and he told us that he wants to perform well for us, and that tonight he felt like he hadn’t done that. He said his condition wasn’t good and Army all cheered, “it’s okay” (idk how to translate the korean word exactly? but kind of yeah, ‘you did okay/it’s okay’), and Jungkook teared up and said, “Thank you, I love you”. They then performed Spring Day, which was so beautiful live, and they disappeared. A video played on the screen of them writing letters, and a lot of Army left because they thought it was over (fools!!! hehe), because after the video we looked up to see them in those hot air balloons!

ENDING: OKAY SO!!!! Because of where I was sitting, the Hot Air Balloon above me would dip inwards like close to the ground and then back up, if that makes sense (basically I was really close to the balloons). Everyone stood up and was taking photos, and I spotted Namjoon in his beret and I kid you not I dropped my army bomb, my phone, everything, and grabbed my slogan. I had this huge slogan, white fabric with black Korean letters that said “WE LOVE KIM NAMJOON” and I held it up. I didn’t mention this earlier but my section seemed to be full of Yoongi/Jimin/JK stans and every time Namjoon was around there weren’t THAT many cheers for him, also everyone had their phones out, but i was like WAVING my giant slogan from side to side. Namjoon spotted it and I let go of it with one hand and pointed at him like saying “you, you, you” and he smiled and pointed BACK and did the ‘you you you’ and I did a thumbs up (lmfao I didn’t know what else to do) and he laUGHED (and then turned around) but i seriously think my ass was trembling the entire time. They got off the balloons and spent time going to both wings again to say individual goodbyes. Hobi came around and I did a big heart on my head with my arms and wiggled from side to side and he did a head heart back and wiggled I FUCKING SCREAMED, it was a fleeting moment but iconic nonetheless. Namjoon came to the left wing second to last, and I held up the slogan again and yelled “NAMJOON THANK YOU” (in Korean) and no one else was yelling and he saw me and HE POINTED AT ME and I pOINTED BACK AND HE SMILED AGAIN AND THE GIRL NEXT TO ME GRABBED MY ARM AND WENT “AHHHH”....... anyway after this, they all went back to the centre stage. As the big screens were closing they were being cute, Jin asked us to give him flying hand kisses, etc etc, and doing individual dances (Yoongi did a break dance thing) and saying “Bye” until the very last moment.

MEMBERS VISUALS/MY IMPRESSIONS Jungkook: He is so, so handsome. SO HANDSOME. His face is so chiselled irl ugh he’s grown up so much I can’t deal. He has a really nice body and the thighs are NO JOKE. He’s such a good dancer and he exudes so much confidence on stage, he’s so attractive it hurts me Taehyung: I am convinced that he is one of the most devastatingly beautiful people in the entire world. He’s very sharp and intense and beautiful, honestly. His features are unreal - his eyes!!! And at the end he was wearing the beret and his eyebrows and smile had me so weak. Jimin: Also so, so handsome. He has a really nice facial structure, a really nice jaw. And he’s beautiful in a soft, almost delicate way. On stage (after Namjoon because im biased af) I found him the most captivating to watch. Also I know everyone rags on him about his height but he really didn’t seem that way to me! Hoseok: Okay Hoseok is a visual masterpiece? Photos do not do him justice, he was the nicest facial structure and such a handsome face. He’s softer in real life too, and so, so charming. His smile is ridiculous, and when he has that intense stare........ no one is safe Yoongi: Also a visual masterpiece? He has a smaller frame but the way he moves his body is so attractive. He has a really pretty face too. he just has this charisma about him, he’s undoubtedly the sexiest person alive. Seokjin: My jaw dropped when I saw him. He is IT. The best looking man alive, no joke. Like fucking hell, I honestly gasped. His body is f*cked, his shoulders, his torso, his legs, and his FACE. HIS FUCKING FACE. his hair was styled so well and they put him in a lot of plunging shirts, fuck. He wasn’t as fanservicey at the start of tonight as the others and I found it so attractive, he was just STARING at the audience ahhhhh. And during one of the medleys while he was on my side of the stage in the wings, he picked up a bottle of water, drank it, and tossed it over his shoulder with an idgaf expression on his face. It was the hottest thing I’ve seen lmfao Namjoon: I have No Words to describe him.... other than.... truly........ the Visual to end all Visuals. He’s SO ATTRACTIVE. SO. SO. ATTRACTIVE. He has SO MUCH stage presence and he smiles and has these lil face expressions all the time that you don’t usually see in videos, but holy mole. Whenever he was on stage I was staring straight at him. He’s tall, and he has a really nice body, and his FACE!!!! He has a really dainty face and he’s honestly 128293898210x better looking in person which i didn’t even know was possible. HIS SMILE, THE DIMPLES, EVERYTHING, wowowowow

OK SO (wtf this is so long I commend you if you are still reading this), in conclusion, this was an emotional, amazing concert and I am at a loss still! They are all INCREDIBLE performers, and you can really tell that they love what they do. I will never get over this! i feel blessed and lucky. and i love these guys so much.