#so often they're melancholy and regretful

[scrawnytreedemon]

You know what, have these traditional Millicent & Malenia doodles from awhile ago.

Forgive the lighting and any slight blurring, haha. Not easy to get a good shot in this house; and with the weather getting darker, I think these initial pics shall suffice.

[pareidolla]

Saw your recent broken post - please I would love to hear more about the "anger and resentment" category!!

MY BROKEN COMRADE IN ARMS! YES, ANYTHING FOR YOU!

although i am wringing my hands in embarassment because the topic of broken's characterization is something i'm very passionate about, but i've complained about it before, and i don't want to come across as too whiny. i don't believe any one person should be seen as an authority on a character's portrayal, and i don't want to cause anyone undue stress. he's a video game character, it's not that serious.

that being said ⸻ broken is a very angry and bitter voice and i wish that was acknowledged more often!!!

you're the one making things difficult, you're the one making us hurt.

even outside of the tower's pet line, the voice of the broken reminds me of an abused dog. a dog will fight you, naturally, but you are stronger, and if it is wise, it will realize resistance is pointless. you can harm a dog as much as you'd like until it learns to do whatever it takes to satisfy and stay your hand. only then will you reward it, and only then will the dog merely flinch between caresses.

but submission isn't love, and a dog still has it's teeth.

as a hardcore simp, i've read as many broken opinions and writing i can get my paws on, and i've noticed a tendency to depict him as someone who holds no animosity unless directly influenced by tower. in their eyes, he pathetically loathes himself and believes that the other voices are superior in every way.

i disagree with this because, to put it bluntly, broken literally hates everyone. canonically! he may be a sad little shelterdog deserving of many head pats but he's not soft with anyone. his sadness shouldn't distract from the fact he firmly believes the other voices are delusional in a hopeless situation. broken never shows admiration for anyone other than the princess, but he's obviously not always thrilled with her either.

who cares if you (narrator) think we're special? as far as i can tell, the only thing special about us is that we get to experience painfully dying all over again.

[we] can't even surrender right

he's (cold) even worse than her (nightmare).

i think the best demonstration of this is how people approach broken's regret over his actions during the tower route. he's usually portrayed as overly regretful and melancholy for stabbing the long quiet, which makes sense, but i'd like to remind everyone that we have his canonical reaction, and he doesn't care lmao.

(literally my favorite broken line i must shamefully confess he sounds soooo hot here.)

which makes sense! broken is sorrowful, yes, but his more violent actions and words are motivated by an innocent desire to be safe. when he remains silent after being insulted or avoids conflict, it's not because he's afraid of the others, but because he believes it is safest for him to accept the hurt now rather than being inflicted with additional harm later. he's not going to apologize for attempting to save everyone when their futile efforts have now locked them into a cycle of being slain over and over by the princess's hands. like, literally the one thing he wanted to avoid.

it's also why his relationship with tower makes me want to gnash my teeth against the bars of my enclosure. they aren't good for eachother but they're so beautifully entwined and and their dynamic is so...?

broken's soulmate isn't physically incapable of hurting him like damsel, but she isn't determined to hurt him like razor or nightmare. for the price of his everything belong to her, she's able to save him, melting his anger into adoration, and he's even willing to hurt himself endlessly for her. i'm gonna 'hrow up.

[azure-cherie]

Some astrology observations part 5 💗

Helloooo the year is about to be over I've been so absent since some time how are you doing, hope the season has been giving you a good time , please note that I'm not an astrologer and all of these are observation based and for fun, some of the stuff could be wrong please take into account what you can relate to . My observations are based on sidereal measurements :)

Base your skincare routine on the basis of your mercury and Venus placements.

Though mula is supposed to be very agressive they are are actually quite feminine, they usually forgive people very easily but don't fall into their bad books or else you're done i swear 🤡.

Uttara Phalguni's are literally those women who hype other women up so much in ngos and for women empowerment they are always down for helping us lift up.

Chitra women have so perfect lips and jawlines omg 😭.

Shravanas love to talk , at times they talk too much and regret it , get ready for long rants if they feel comfortable around you .

Moon or Jupiter dominance might give you a romantic or a theatrical romantic body type. (Kibbe). where's Saturn or sun will give you a dramatic one .

Shatabhishas are usually the classic or gamine .

Angelic essence can be found in gemini , saggitarius women.

Sun sextile moon : cooperation towards fulfillment of dreams , balance between mind and soul , this will make you a very nurturing human and very intuitive, will make you kind and very giving to the people around you.

Jupiter square Saturn : since jup is about expansion and is in square with Saturn the planet of restrictions . This could give one old Hollywood type of melancholy, as well as beauty, although I'm not sure about this but , this aspect is shared by : Marilyn Monroe, Lana del rey , Cindy Crawford, Janet Jackson, also to point out the tragic trajectories of their life , sensuality that arrives with placement.

Venus trine saturn : it can give one broad shoulders, A line body too , it is a very it girl placement , bad bitch placement , could also cause karmic relationships and transformation and learning through relationships.

Node conjunct moon : it can give you wide eyes , you will be intuitive as well , with this placement you can easily see through anyone , their darkest desires , however if you aren't stable enough this might make you conscious paranoid etc.

Sun conjunct Venus : Happy go lucky people, often others fall in love with them because of their friendliness, they are the personification of a sunshine , it makes one very known among the peers too . It could also indicate having a warm skin tone , high cheek bones.

Neptune trine mercury: i have a friend with this aspect she said when she studies too much during exams , she recalls stuff in her dreams . This could also be a placement for creativity, you could be into surrealism, dream interpretation as a hobby .

Pluto trine moon : often have an isolated childhood, although some people love them , they love them with conditions and due to them being so intuitive they get to know it , which makes them feel lonely, however as they grow they get used to it , or find friends like them , they're very good at comforting sad and traumatized people , could go into field like therapy.

Rohini women really don't give a fuck i swear they have this thing of their thinking being higher than their feelings, they definitely do have feelings but they dont let it over power them being in control keeps them above . They believe in home made remedies for skin and healthy life , very much into self care .

You are going to attract the sign in your 7H a lot but i don't necessarily think that is the sign you are going to marry so don't mistake it , sometimes it could be karmic as well your spouse is kind of a mix of your darakaraka , 7H lord placement and your D9 7H lord placement, that doesn't mean that you should avoid people with sign in your 7H but it means that see for yourself for me personally it doesn't work . But i do have a lot of people in my life with my 7H sign as their moon sign in my life .

It you're feeling creatively blocked you could share or tell about it to the someone with the sign of your 5th H as your moon sign or the sign of your 12th H as your moon sign ( 12 as it's an indicator of our subconscious and your daimon aka creative genius ) it may help you , if you're feeling spiritually blocked someone with your 8th H placement or 12 H placement as their moon placement could help you , your Jupiter sign could also help you in some way or other now it doesn't mean they would come and heal things for you , but the healthy act of sharing concerns and seeking help and genuine communication also works wonders.

Mercury dom people i met say they feel guilty it they don't study 😭 damn can't relate 😂i can go on for days without studying academically.

Not people with Rahu placements telling everyone they are selfish like 💀.

Libra moons love buying stuff like stationary and makeup but they know how to carefully buy without wasting their money , they invest in the right places.

Jupiter retrograde in 5H can teach people creative arts for remedy , oftentimes they might feel delayed in love and they feel people don't love them or 😭 they are undeserving of love , please it's not like that , give this some time .

Krittikas are some crazy people , very poised but very crazy it's like they have barriers you need to cross but once you do omg it's a rave party going on in their mind .

Oftentimes the women with moon Nakshatras in their big three feel they're not pretty like I've seen their faces look different at different times , a camera can't really capture the beauty of a moon placement person , the same can be considered with a sun nak person . They will compliment everyone but not take their own compliments 🤡 .

Once you have fallen in the eyes of a Purva Bhadrapada you're done expect nothing, you did what you did now they will either ignore or use sarcasm to end you . Jupiterians don't really seek revenge .

Hecate(100) is the Greek goddess of wealth , daily life blessings , magic , witchcraft , mediumship , divination , she's capable of both good and evil and your placements may show where you can accept the evil side of yours and develop it with correlation to your light side of yours to tap into your gifts and take their help as you March forward in life.

Sun in your hecate persona chart relates to your gifts you acquire as you clear up your karma , as you connect more to your soul purpose the more you realise that you have these issues and you have to deal with them , as you do more shadow work , if you have this asteroid aspecting your sun in your natal chart the placement in your persona chart could show how you develop/ embody the gifts , for example mine falls in Saggitarius 2nd H it means i should share my gifts while i travel , gain more wisdom , teach others to connect more to my gifts , it could also mean i could connect easily to the elemental power of the sign , i always loved fire so much (⁠｡⁠♡⁠‿⁠♡⁠｡⁠) . Likewise in Taurus it could mean you can develop your abilities by connecting more to your feminine essence , skincare , being in your receptive energy etc , in gemini engaging in valuable discussions with people , communicating your feelings, connecting to your throat chakra , heal it you have underactive or overactive chakra energy points . Moon in your hecate persona chart reveals about the gift you already have , what is the type of intuition you have , how you feel about your gifts, the basic things you can acquire through your, gifts , how you can achive daily emotional balanve with it , like someone with moon in 1H may be good at spells related to appearance change and manifestation, 2H /4H protection , nurturing healing, 6H reiki , 8H sex , revenge, 12 H could relate to transcendence and connecting more to spirits.Mercury in your hecate persona chart represents your approach to your craft in terms of initiation, it could relate to your items that you use , your affirmations that you say , the text that you write down , someone mercury in gemini or 3 H might place a sigil in their hands for better and faster protection or other purposes, similarly 8H might be helpful with affirmations that are related to sex and magic .

If you're pursuing photography asteroid 443 photographica might be something you should look for , go for micro photography if aspecting mercury or pluto, for professional high definition photography look for aspects with sun and Saturn , blue Aesthetic photography would be good with moon or Jupiter , etc .

Thank you so much for reading 💟 have a great day ahead ✨.

[cboffshore]

Hi, I was listening to the skybound playlist you made (honestly helped inspire me to write my own essay), and I was just wondering why you added sleep by MCR, I see the vision, but I would love to hear a, like, lyrical analysis or explanation on it. And maybe another song of your choosing if you wish to share another one too, thanks.

Hello!!! Glad to hear the playlist is still getting some use - it's a good one, but I don't use it myself as often these days. I had a lot of fun making it, though, and I am prepared to YAP. So: under the cut we go!

"Sleep" is on this playlist for a few different reasons that I'll break down in a bit, but the most important one comes from how I built the playlist to begin with. I don't know if you've been listening to this on shuffle or in order, but I designed it to be listened to in order as a rough map of the season (specifically as an emotional map of where Jay, Nya, and Nadakhan are as the big three of Skybound). Because of this, songs tend to fall into blocks for bigger character moments and arcs. "The Last Resort," for instance, is a VERY important episode for all three of them; those events are represented by the run of songs from "S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W" to "Mx. Sinister." (To be fair, you can listen to it in any order as a mood playlist, too! I actually have a few songs I need to find proper places for that are hanging out at the end of the playlist, so don't worry too much about keeping everything straight.)

"Sleep" kicks off a Nadakhan-centric block of songs that runs all the way through "27" (with the exception of "Trade Mistakes," which acts as a brief Jay interlude). This run represents his infamously onscreen origin story and descent into deception and malice.

And that's where the real analytical fun begins!!

In terms of general sound, "Sleep" marks the start of this segment by being by FAR the most grating, desperate, horrifying song on the list. Although "Bleed to Love Her," the song immediately before it, isn't meant as a lyrical fit for the pirate crew, it does work sonically to represent that reunion sequence in the general structure of the playlist. It's melancholy, but hopeful, and a little mysterious in tone; it's a good time. "Sleep" is none of that. It's meant to evoke the shock of Nadakhan arriving to find his home realm collapsing, and the dread palpable onscreen as Djinjago crumbles. We start with that distorted spoken word and piano - calm enough, but something's off - and then the screaming vocals and shrieking guitars kick off as Nadakhan learns the truth about what's happening and the destruction is finalized.

Lyrically, "Sleep" definitely isn't a one hundred percent fit for Nadakhan - but the themes are on point. There's a curious running contrast in the song where the singer directly insists they're not sorry for what they've done (most directly, the lines "and through it all/how could you cry for me?/'cause I don't feel bad about it") but they can't stop dwelling on it (as in the looped spoken word and how often the "no, I don't regret it, so stop asking" sentiment repeats), which ties in nicely with Nadakhan's extremely contradictory characterization. He ran away either because he couldn't live up to the expectations of home, or because he wouldn't - it's never explicitly clear what caused it beyond his selfishness - but then he returned home and seemed genuinely sad about it. Is that because he truly loved his home and didn't realize it til right then, or because it was his backup plan for if piracy didn't work out? I haven't been able to decide, but either way, that colored the rest of the season and the path to revenge he chose to take (blending the useful traditions of home, as in the wedding infinite wish loophole, with whatever he could scrape together that suited his tastes). It doesn't ever seem like he's sorry he left in the first place - after all, he got out with the sword and the knowledge he needed to enact his plan - but we know the loss upsets him throughout the season (particularly in the mutiny scene where he screams at his crew that what they've done as a group "will never be enough," and I assume the rest of that sentence would refer to the destruction of his home if he didn't immediately call his crew ungrateful ingrates.)

Even though this song is meant to represent the moments immediately surrounding the collapse and discovery, it applies to other moments later on, too. (For instance: the aforementioned mutiny scene.) It sort of acts as a preview of how he behaves for everything after this. He becomes secretive, insistent that everything is fine and going to plan, but all the while he's got his own fears and plans waiting in the wings. Once again, I cite the inserted looping audio of Gerard Way speaking about his experience with sleep paralysis while recording this album; that dwelling and repetition feels very Nadakhanish to me, and in fact that audio is one of the most recognizable, influential bits of that song. "Sleep" wouldn't be "Sleep" without it; Nadakhan would not develop into the seasonal villain without that collapse.

If you really want to make this into a preview of the long game, here's another fun fact. I included this song to reference the way that he gets his enemies out of the way... by, well, sending them to sleep. Whether that's by sending them into the sword or just straight up knocking them out (as in how he incapacitates Nya in the finale), Nadakhan never actually kills his opponents. The song ends with a trailing pattern of Gerard screaming "sleep!" over and over again, then followed by a chunk of "wake up!" that's barely discernible - which I think is a nice representation of his snap into actual unbridled regret at the end of the season, when his world once again begins to crumble.

My analysis got a little messy at the end there, but I hope that all makes sense! As you can probably tell, I LOVE explaining this stuff, so if you have any other questions, feel free to shoot me another ask! Thank you so much!

[barfok]

I'm so glad you're talking about how trauma shapes characters bc I think it's such an important thing that is often overlooked despite how big of an impact it has on the whole story.

Like sotha sil's whole "ohh everything is destined to happen and we've got no choice and are all just victims of fate and we can't do anything to change our nature" seemed kinna out of character until I realised that, combined with his melancholy and withdrawal from everyone around him, are manifestations of his trauma and his way of coping after his whole family were slaughtered.

And Vivec and Almalexia are also equally shaped by their past experiences, which is why the tribunal is so interesting as a whole like yes let's throw 3 super traumatised people together who never really healed or learned healthy coping mechanisms and give them godly powers then make them lead a war torn nation, I'm sure nothing will go wrong at all whatsoever. (I also don't think any of them felt straight up guilt/regret regarding nerevars death and becoming gods but that's a whole other can of worms)

YEAH. yeah. it's very hard to define the tribunal outside of the events that shaped them-- even in the games, where their backstory is barely touched on, they are still all defined by the events that shaped them. vivec without hir orphanhood and "marriage" would not be vivec, almalexia without the nordic invasion and marriage would not be almalexia, sotha sil without the destruction of ald sotha would not be sotha sil. so many of their strongest personality traits are responses to trauma

also funny you bring up nerevar's death bc i think that event too is something they all see through the lens of their personal traumas. none of them feel bad about his death bc they're all projecting what hurt them onto him. and sometimes it's even a valid projection

great group of friends here

[daggerzine]

Mainland Break – One Way Ticket to Midnight (self-released)

The title track to One Way Ticket to Midnight references early 80s heavy metal with a line nodding to Ozzy Osbourne and another mentioning an unnamed song by Dio after a quip about having hair swept back. The title is also a reference to the Sammy Hagar song “Heavy Metal” and let's hope the better version from the soundtrack to Heavy Metal: The Motion Picture and not that included on Hagar's 1982 album Standing Hampton. But you're not going to hear heavy metal on this album full of bright and upbeat power pop. What you will hear is a poetic and insightful evoking of memories that reignite one's emotions and often that can be triggered by feelings of nostalgia or romanticizing a time or place you may not have experienced because of its appeal and how it is anchored in your imagination. Drawing on a specific set of cultural references that have stuck with people who experienced that glorious time of the popularity of heavy metal before it got a bit tarnished later in the decade was especially deft.

The sparkling guitar work of “Portland” serves as vivid contrast with lyrics that seem to be about going to a city about which one has heard so many wonderful things and it stands as almost legendary in your mind until you get there and no place could really ever live up to expectations. Throughout the album Mainland Break reveals a consistently surprising knack for crafting melodies and moods unique to each song even given a consistent style. The layered guitars grounded by rhythms that are almost as atmospheric and textural as they are at guiding a pace. One gets the sense that at least one person in the band has “tried out” cities other than home only to find that you can't escape your own mind and that a social support system you took for granted isn't exactly transplanted or immediately at your fingertips in a place you haven't set down any roots. The title track brings to mind the headspace you can talk yourself into when you put all your hopes on one shot thinking that might be it but along the way ignoring other actual opportunities that would serve your life and personal aspirations better. The record hits like an adult coming of age story cycle and coming to terms with the way you've lived your life and trying to get crushed under by your regrets and bitterness at all the times you took a wrong turn on your life's journey. In the end, nostalgia and fond and not so fond experiences are memories and one thing is true as you age, indeed, “Memory Fades.” Fans of The Feelies, Let's Active and the perhaps slightly more obscure indiepop group Desolation Wilderness will appreciate the ways in which Mainland Break expresses the depths of melancholy and the will to use the power of creativity through music to give those feelings a form that will resonate with listeners who may not share anything like the specific biographical details but will recognize those feelings articulated so vividly and know they're not alone in their grappling with complex feelings. (REVIEW BY TOM MURPHY)

[adrasian]

Adrasia leaned back with his arms crossed over his chest as he listened to Holland speak, all too easy to pick up on the shifter's lingering suspicions, the old hurt that seemed to cling to him in more ways than one. He couldn't help but think that the other seemed so young. Looks weren't always reliable in a place like Krovs, but Holland still had that air around him of someone punished far too soon in their life: calloused, but still obviously longing to hear that the world could be kinder, even if they hadn't realized that longing or even denied that it existed. Adrasia watched the shifter, fidgety and uncertain, the nervous dart of his eyes. He might blossom under a bit of genuine kindness.

"Take your time, then," Adrasia advised gently, giving Holland an encouraging smile when he next caught his eye, "Find out what you have left to give. No need to rush to hand it out. The right people have a way of revealing themselves, if you're willing to accept them. There are a few here I've considered worthy of my trust, I can share them with you and you can decide for yourself if they're worthy of yours." Masters, Adrasia never felt comfortable 'recommending', even though he would if pressed. But among the slaves and even a few staff, some had shown enough of their true colors to warrant his respect in that manner.

Adrasia tucked his legs up unto the bench, posed almost as if he was going to meditate, trying not to show how strange it was for him to speak of divine matters so openly. The celestial rarely did and often regretted it after the fact. As he said, it was difficult to describe and seemed only to leave the mortals who questioned him unsatisfied and Adrasia himself frustrated and sorry. He wondered, at times, if he was even worthy of trying to speak of it any longer. Had he not given up his place there for this one? All this to not even approach the aspects of the heavens the celestial dared not speak of to anyone -- even his kin. The ones that had only revealed themselves from the outside.

"It is like a dream," Adrasia said finally, unable to avoid the melancholy that snuck into his voice, "Like a song in a dream, even." The song was what he remembered most. "But you and your kind have this realm for your home, with more than enough of its own beauty and mysteries." The celestial gestured with a hand towards the craggy shadow of the mountains far beyond the castle's grounds, a note of intensity stealing back into his tone. "This earth belongs to you and you to it -- no matter those that try to assert their dominion over you both. I have faith that such wrongs will be righted someday. I cannot force anyone to share that faith with me but I..." Adrasia trailed off, nearly sheepish, finding Holland's gaze again, "I will at least keep it for you, until those better days are here."

Holland's ears perked at Adrasia's words, his body stiffening slightly as he absorbed the celestial's musings. He shifted on the bench, the joints in his legs popping, yet his gaze was drawn to Adrasia's face as he spoke. There was something about the celestial’s words that gnawed at him—loneliness, yes, but also the idea of safety, something foreign in his world. "Lonely… yeah," he muttered, more to himself than to Adrasia. His voice was soft, but there was a distant edge to it. "I guess I just… I don't know, assumed it would be." His fingers fidgeted with the edge of his sleeve, his eyes following the movement of the petals as they scattered on the ground. "Even when you're surrounded by people, it can feel… lonely." He shifted again, glancing at the slaves in the distance as Adrasia had done, surely they had their own stories about them.

Adrasia's words about cruelty and trust made Holland shift uncomfortably. The idea that cruelty shouldn't be expected, that it wasn't normal—Holland wanted to believe that. He did. But experience had taught him otherwise. "A gift..." His eyes flicked to Adrasia again, catching the celestial's gaze for a fleeting moment before darting away. His gaze lingered on the petals, their fragility a stark contrast to the weight of the words they shared. "I guess… I can't imagine a life where things aren't cruel," he admitted, though the words came out without bitterness. There was a raw honesty in his tone, as though cruelty was simply an accepted fact for him, not a point of contention. His nose twitched, his mind momentarily drifting back to the farm, the lab—places that had long stripped him of the ability to see the world through a kinder lens.

“Expecting less… I don’t know if I’m built for that,” The shifter admitted, meeting Adrasia’s gaze with a faint, pained smile. “But it sounds nice. I think I’d like to meet people like you’ve met.” He looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers as if testing the reality of them. "Trust, though…" He trailed off, voice quieter. "That's hard." A bitter laugh escaped him. "I'm still trying to figure out how much of it I've got left to give." He hummed looking at the petals that scattered around their feet, silently thinking back to the last time he had seen snow. It was cold... tasteless. Not what he thought it was, but, things rarely were just that. Or so he was starting to find.

Adrasia’s description of Heaven made Holland's brow furrow in thought. He tried to imagine it, but it felt too far out of reach, too abstract for his mind to grasp. "I don’t think I’d even know what to do in a place like that. Sounds too… perfect." There was a pause, a heaviness to his words. "But I get what you’re saying. It’s hard to put certain things into words. Some things are just… too big for them." His shoulders slumped slightly, the weariness in him showing.

There was a silence as Holland considered the celestial’s words about Heaven, he watched the way Adrasia’s face shifted, how the frustration slipped through his serene demeanor. “It sounds like a dream,” Holland murmured, a hint of wistfulness in his voice. “Maybe I’d have liked it better… if I wasn’t always running.” He looked down, biting his lip gently in thought. "But maybe it’s just too far from what I know to ever really understand." The corners of his mouth twitched upward as he gave a small, wry laugh. “I’m not sure words would ever be enough to describe a place like that… but it’s good to know it’s not scary. I’ve had enough of scary.”

[redorich]

Okay, first, what kind of stuff do Ghostbur and Wels get up to while making new memories? Anything stupid?

By the time they find a woodsy place relatively untouched by hermit hands, far away from the civil war battlefield, the sun is already setting. Rather than setting out the checkered red-and-white blanket that no picnic would be complete without, Wels sets up a campfire next to a log for them both to sit on and pulls out a handful of skewers.

While Wels works on the fire, Ghostbur takes his guitar out of his inventory and strums it idly. There's nothing he really feels like playing, but the meandering melody he makes is enough.

“Do you know The Wellerman?” Wels asks, sitting down heavily on the log. Little flecks of sweat dot his forehead and neck, reflecting light from the fire like tiny prisms.

“No,” Ghostbur says.

Wels doesn't seem put out. “Mind if I..?”

“Hm? Oh, go ahead!”

Wels takes the guitar from Ghostbur gingerly, giving it an experimental strum. It's just a bit higher pitched than his own, but that's mostly because he doesn't tune his often enough. He begins his song, tapping his foot on the ground as he breaks into a sea shanty.

“There once was a ship that put to sea

And the name of the ship was the Billy o’ Tea

The wind blew up, her bow dipped down

Blow, my bully boys, blow!”

Ghostbur claps along in delight, enjoying the beat and the simple one strum per measure. Wels flushes a little at the attention, but he smiles. As he sings, the light from the fire glints off his teeth.

“Soon may the Wellerman come

To bring us sugar and tea and rum

One day when the tonguin’ is done

We'll take our leave and go!”

Wels weaves a tale of a captain and a whale, eternally locked in stalemate, and the crew whose morale depends on their little supply ship, the Wellerman of the title. Each time he sings the chorus, Ghostbur joins in as they sing about taking their leave once the whale is defeated. By the end, Wels lets Ghostbur carry the song and carves out a harmony.

The song ends breathlessly, flushed cheeks and excitement bubbling in their chests. Wels hands the guitar back to Ghostbur, palms sweaty and eyes jubilant.

Ghostbur's white eyes light up orange from the fire. He plays song after song, well into the night. Some of them are his own creations, some funny, many sad. His fingers hesitate on the strings, flubbing chords while he plays Jubilee Line. (Wels gives him a hug after that song, and while neither of them say anything about it, Ghostbur's arms cling tight.)

Wels roasts meat and marshmallows over the fire, which they share. Ghostbur puts marshmallows on a raw hot dog and eats it. Together, the two men look up at the stars, calling out constellations as they see them, and even making up new ones when their knowledge fails them. The moon is high in the sky when Wels sets out sleeping bags; the night is so beautiful, and they're tired, and really, is it so bad to fall asleep by the fire?

“One more song?” Wels asks wearily, seated on top of his sleeping bag with his legs crossed.

“What do you want to hear?”

“Do you know Danny Boy? It's not--”

“Yeah, I think I do!” Ghostbur says. “It goes, C C major seventh, C seventh, F, F minor, right?”

Wels nods. “That's the one-- the shapes anyway, I find it sounds better with a capo on the first fret..?”

Ghostbur plays a quick run-through of the chords, then puts a small black metal device-- the capo-- on the strings of his guitar. “Ready when you are.”

Wels shoots a bright grin Ghostbur's way, then taps out a rhythm for Ghostbur to follow as Wels sings.

“Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling

From glen to glen and down the mountainside

The summer's gone, and all the roses dying

‘Tis you, tis you must go and I must bide…”

As he sings, Wels slightly regrets picking this song. He's never paid very close attention to the lyrics before, but the melancholy loneliness in the composer’s words hits him a little too hard right now. He tries not to think about the empty world that, from his perspective, was full of life and friends so recently.

Ghostbur's eyes are half-shut, looking down at the frets of his guitar and the strings beneath his fingers. He doesn't see Wels's sorrow, being too absorbed in the music, but Wels's voice has a tinge of emotion which brings the song to life.

“But come ye back when summer's in the meadow

Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow

And I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow

Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so!”

The last notes ring out in the quiet ambience of the forest, and the fire’s dim remaining light casts shadows on the trees. Ghostbur puts his guitar back in his inventory, and they both crawl into their sleeping bags with little ado.

The stars twinkle overhead while the quiet of night sets in. Every little toss and turn seems amplified amid the cricket chirps, and it's apparent that both of them are awake.

“Can't sleep, huh?” Ghostbur whispers.

“Neither can you,” Wels returns.

“...Can I tell you a secret?”

“Go for it.”

Ghostbur turns his head, still laying in his sleeping bag, so that he can see Wels. Wels looks back at him with tired eyes.

“I'm afraid that when I wake up, this will all have been a dream,” Ghostbur says. “I'm scared that I'll wake up back at the-- at the train station and you won't be real.”

Wels's lips twist in an unidentifiable negative emotion. “I'm afraid too,” he says. “I'm afraid that I won't wake up at all.”

Terse silence falls upon the two of them as they digest the heavy fears in the air. Ghostbur chews his lip for a moment, then unzips his sleeping bag partially and sticks his arm out of it, reaching out to Wels. The knight stares at his friend's outstretched arm, confused.

“Hold my hand,” Ghostbur says, “and I'll keep you grounded.”

“And when you wake up, I'll still be here,” mutters Wels. He reaches out to Ghostbur, surprisingly hesitant. Their fingertips brush, and Wels flinches back for a moment, but he returns to grasp Ghostbur's hand. The ghost’s hand is chilled compared to his own warm, living hand, but solid nonetheless.

Suddenly, sleep comes a lot easier.

[alastorseye]

About Remadora

When I say I really hate the HP fandom, I'm talking about the "fans" that hate everything about the saga, but still having Harry Potter accounts. They change the original story, claim that fanonical facts are canon, and launch hatred and death threats at those who simply like HARRY POTTER JUST THE WAY IT IS. Yes, I'm mostly talking about Marauders fans, which I joined after reading the books because I thought it would be interesting and funny. I suddenly realized how toxic and hateful that fandom was, it's like a cult dedicated to deifying Remus, Sirius, James and Regulus, and it seems that hating Snape, Dumbledore, and Remadora is a requirement to be a part of it.

At the beginning I used to consider Wolfstar as something funny, a bromance, it never bothered me, I mean... every fandom has fanon ships and I respect that, but the way they always hate Remadora and their shippers is something that MUST stop.

"You see!" said a strained voice. Tonks was glaring at Lupin. "She still wants to marry him, even though he's been bitten! She doesn't care!"

"It's different," said Lupin, barely moving his lips and looking suddenly tense. "Bill will not be a full werewolf. The cases are completely -"

"But I don't care either, I don't care!" said Tonks, seizing the front ofLupin's robes and shaking them. "I've told you a million times. . . ." And the meaning of Tonks's Patronus and her mouse-colored hair, and the reason she had come running to find Dumbledore when she had heard a rumor someone had been attacked by Greyback, all suddenly became clear to Harry; it had not been Sirius that Tonks had fallen in love with after all."

"And I've told you a million times," said Lupin, refusing to meet her eyes,staring at the floor, "that I am too old for you, too poor . . . too dangerous. . ."

When I read this part of the HBP I realized that Remadora was my favorite Harry Potter ship. Of course I wasn't aware of the death threats I'd receive later. I've read some "reasons" why some fans hate Remadora.

"Tonks forced him!"

We all know how insecure Remus was. I don't have to explain what's written in Wizarding World (Pottermore). This is the Remus bio:

Well, we can read that Remus was really attracted to Dora.

"Remus, so often melancholy and lonely, was first amused, then impressed, then seriously smitten by the young witch. He had never fallen in love before. If it had happened in peacetime, Remus would have simply taken himself off to a new place and a new job, so that he did not have to endure the pain of watching Tonks fall in love with a handsome, young wizard in the Auror office, which was what he expected to happen. However, this was war; they were both needed in the Order of the Phoenix, and nobody knew what the next day would bring. Remus felt justified in remaining exactly where he was, keeping his feelings to himself but secretly rejoicing every time somebody paired him with Tonks on some overnight mission".

This is so sad and cute, and that's undeniable. I cried when I read it. If someone still thinking that Dora forced Remus to marry her after reading this paragraph... I mean... they're probably talking about another book series.

"The age gap!"

I'm so satisfied to know that some Remadora shippers have explained this. When it's about a kid and an adult... OF COURSE IS HORRENDOUS! Because children are not physically and mentally prepared to have romantic relationships. Wizards are legally adults at 17, REMUS MET TONKS WHEN SHE WAS 21!

I mean, many old people abuses of young people innocence, or something. But we all know that Remus wasn't one of those! He really loved Tonks, and that's canon. I don't know what's doing in the fandom people who denies canon facts.

Remus and Tonks were two physically, mentally, and legally adults loving each other.

"Remus didn't love her!"

He was an introvert, Tonks was an extrovert, she made his life better. And of course, I loved the way he introduced himself when he was trying to prove he wasn't a Death Eater:

"I am Remus John Lupin, werewolf, sometimes known as Moony, one of the four creators of the Marauder's Map, married to Nymphadora, usually known as Tonks, and I taught you how to produce a Patronus, Harry, which takes the form of a stag." (Remus Lupin, DH)

Maybe I'm not the only one who perceive he was proud to be Nymphadora Tonks husband.

"I.. I made a grave mistake in marrying Tonks. I did it against my better judgment and have regretted it very much every since". (Remus Lupin, DH)

This phrase makes more sense after reading Remus bio. He used to think that he was "too poor, too dangerous" for her. He thought he wasn't enough for her. He never imagined that she would love him back. He was a werewolf, and of course he knew he was dangerous, you only need to be emphatic to realize he tried to get away from Tonks because he loved her, he didn't want to hurt his beloved woman!

If you don't believe me, read this again. It's in the chapter 11 of Deathly Hallows:

"Don't you understand what I've done to my wife and my unborn child? I should never have married her, I've made her an outcast!"

So, if Remus was trying to escape it's because he loved them, he thought he spoiled their lives. And of course, no one likes to feel that their influence is bad for someone they love!

"Their relationship came from nowhere! They don't have a development"

Well, the saga's name is HARRY POTTER, not The Love Life of Remus Lupin. The story is about the tragic life of this kid and everything he went through to save the world of a cruel and dark villain. I know many readers are young people in love, and they only want to ship everything, but that's not the main topic here, maybe mother's love would be the topic. Of course Ron and Hermione had a development because they were HARRY'S BEST FRIENDS, and they were always with him, from Philosopher's Stone to Cursed Child. Remus and Tonks are minor characters, and it's funny the fact that this usually comes from Wolfstar shippers, so... is Wolfstar more developed than Remadora?! I mean... they can ship whatever they want, Snape and the Sorting Hat, Dobby and Voldemort, anything, but that does not give them the right to disrespect such a cute, tragic and beautiful canon ship as Remadora.

"They are queercoded! Their relationship is homophobic!"

It's surprising to hear this. It's like... people gets angry just because the author doesn't make queer their favourite characters? I will explain why I don't think Remus and Tonks are "queercoded":

Whether through their dress, their behavior, their language, or other subtle forms of implication, queer characters were written or designed to communicate their unstated queerness to those who were searching for representation.

And this is the definition on the website Pride.com:

"Using LGBTQIA tropes and stereotypes to allude to a character's sexuality without explicitly confirming it in the text."

We all know that Disney used queercoding on characters like Ursula, Scar, Jaffar. And why do we know that? Because DISNEY WANTED TO PORTRAY THEM LIKE THAT, get it? Disney, THE CREATORS MADE THESE CHARACTERS INTENTIONALLY QUEER. How? BASED ON STEREOTYPES.

And going back to Remadora, I was really happy to see by first time a bada*ass woman, with short hair who wasn't portrayed as a lesbian just because the way she looks. This character didn't follow the: "Straight women have long hair and are girly", and "short dyied hair is for lesbians". I'm very very very surprised the fandom follows these stereotypes.

About Remus: I don't know how the phrase "being a werewolf is a metaphor about people with HIV AIDS" means "he's gay". Fenrir Greyback bit him when he was a kid. Many people interpret this as "r4pe". Okay, even thinking that it is the meaning of the "bite", I still cannot understand how being "r4ped" and "infected" makes him queer. Is this (again) a stereotype about people with AIDS and gay?

"JK Rowling created Remadora because she didn't like people shipping Wolfstar!"

It is true that fans love shipping everything, they queerbait and queercode everything. That's great, that's not the problem. The problem is when people starts bashing fans who ship canon straight couples. A very good example is the polemic on Falcon and Bucky relationship, some fans wanted them to be a gay couple, Anthony Mackie said that two men can only be friends, and there is no need to always give them a romantic connotation. People cancelled him, they called him homophobic. Yes, just because a person with authority (on the story they're following") didn't like the fact of queercoding their favourite characters. It's the same about Remadora.

Grindeldore is a very interesting and underrated couple by the way. You can love or hate JK Rowling, but the truth is that Harry Potter story is hers, and even if Remadora was "because she didn't like Wolfstar", she is the author, it was her mind where these characters first appeared, as a big Harry Potter fan I respect and like the original story, that's not a sin. An author has the right to make some changes if some characters were misunderstood by the readers.

(Yes, I wrote this a bit angrily since I've seen too much hate towards Remadora shippers)

[autisticlalna]

do you like siblings who were made as a pair and yet are often separated, either by fate or by tragedy? do you like the inherent melancholy of "in every universe we've found each other so far, it's been either short-lived or something horrible has happened to one or both of us and it's driving us apart"? do you like blorbos that are pawns of cosmic forces neither of them can comprehend, and those cosmic forces are also themselves? may i introduce you to: spacetime siblings

these artworks are for Twitch SMP, but throughout the multiverse these two are connected. Ruby is the incarnation of time, and Viking is the incarnation of space-- they're a pair from the very start.

and yet, despite that, neither of them have had a happy ending so far. any time they cross paths, one of them is doomed.

i love these two so, so much. they're very underappreciated and i will gladly take any opportunity to talk about them to people. even if you don't vote for them, please at least check out Viking and Ruby's Skyblock Kingdoms series, you won't regret it. <3

*my bad, I forgot to mark Rubyco and VikingPilot with (Spacetime Siblings), so I'm adding this a moment late! I'll try to remember next round ^^

[chariaki]

"Bittersweet B. I."

This fic is non haikyuu related like my other posts. But, please enjoy!

*Ring, Ring, Ring*

The school bell commences the end of the school day,

As everyone gathers their things, two girls steal glances at each other and sneakily make past their way out of the dreaded university.

Outside of the University, holds two lovely and deeply in love college girls holding hands, side by side.

Needless to say, they were frazzled from school, but somehow, by the mysterious spell, casted by love...

They feel energized when they're together.

They've been through each other's bitter and sweet moments, failures and success, glooms and joys.

They know each other. The way you can imagine how soulmates would naturally do.

Often times, peiple would see them, and think,

"Aweeee, how caring friends they are."

But in a society populated by veterans with close minded thinking, naive youth and try-hard wannabes,

People never think and want to say,

"Aweeee, What a beautiful couple they are."

In view of the obvious fact that some people hate and are scared of gay love.

Like, why though?

🙄

Anywayyy, the self-styled love that mentally ill and insecure people have come up with, never fails to cause a stir to society.

Please lmao.

The two sweethearts don't beg to differ, for they agree with author (hehe) that people can be too much.

So much, that they cant come out of the dark closet, and dress up for who they really are.

BUT (🍑), Today!! IT FEELS GREAT TO BE REAL <333

So they have to test the waters! They just have to!!

But as expected, the wayer are fraught, and even worse, they are hanging on solely on a tottering log, feeling lost and stuck in the middle of the waters they have decided to test.

But fear not! The two of them can and will make it, 'cause this is love, right?

Anyway, to get a move on, they made a move. Duhh, hahaha

Ashlyn, accompanied by her girlfriend Amara, went to Ashlyn's house, to release the scared cat out of the bag.

As they seat confrontly inside the living room, silence appears to be the first to reply to Ashlyn's sudden confession.

To everyone's suprise, a loud *bam* resonated accross the room, with 2 shocked faces (Amara and the mother), 1 father whose face fumed hot enough to burn an apple, and Ashlyn, who stood there dissapointed. In a melancholy state, you can tell she's not suprised, she knew what was coming from her father, yet too stubborn to admit, deep in her heart, Ashlyn felt a painful pang of hurt and betrayal wound her heart.

She regrets bringing Amara into this broken family.

"Get out of my house you disgusting sht, i dont have a child like you."

It's always been like that, a bitter and short tempered father, and a sweet darling mother.

From there, a bittersweet B.I. was birthed.

So, Ashlyn wasn't suprised, didnt even give a second thought and pulled Amara out of the house and away from Ashlyn's father.

As the two torned apart lovers walk the streets filled with gloom, in a chilly thursday afternoon,

Hey can't help but feel distant, because of the overwhelming feelings and thoughts flooding their minds.

Such thoughts make their hearts and bodies feel heavier than a vending machine.

And so, Amara thought of a perfect date plan with Ashlyn, to bring light to the mood.

A trip to a cute pizza place!!!

Or maybe a jazzy cat café!!!

Both things they love.

Because of course, nothing better than to fill our tummies up, before solving and thinking hard about their problems.

#foodfirst.

---not the end.- - - -

Inspired by my annoying gay bestfriend. Ily you idiot 😒💕💕💕

Ashlyn 😉🤭🤭🤭

Thank you for reading folks!!!

Stay blessed and hopefully happy<333

With love and care,

Chariaki🌼💕

[tandaforever]

Some personal shit that I need to get out, don't mind me.

I had a pretty rough night, freaked out over something stupid as usual, and the article added to my overall dark mood. But I kept on keeping on, reblogging posts, supporting them the way I can. Reminding myself really, why I'm here.

Didn't sleep well though.

This morning, woke up to a msg from my sister who lives halfway across the world, asking What do you think about the Armie Hammer situ?

Now, when she was here, I mentioned cmbyn a couple times, how it's my favourite movie on one of our road trips. But other than that, she doesn't know who Armie Hammer is.

All I could reply back though, is he hasn't been charged and I believe he's innocent until proven guilty. I felt like a robot saying it, but I couldn't go beyond that. Because I know her, she means well, but it takes too much to convince her of anything different once she's made her mind up.

Her reply?

So you just want to keep watching “Call me by your name”

With a clear mind...got it! 😜

That was hard to swallow. I wanted to say no, that's not it at all. In fact, I haven't seen the movie in a while, but even looking at gifs all day for the movie makes me both nostalgic and melancholy. It won't ever be like the first time I watched it in theatre, because for me, it will always link with Armie and Timmy. The movie means way more to me as a result. A clear mind isn't possible.

But it's still my favourite and I don't see that changing. As Armie said, love is a great motivater, and the story of Elio and Oliver, has often reminded me that love can be pure, beautiful, messy and heartbreaking. And we're lesser people without it. I fell in love with their story first. But what motivates me as I write this is the real life love of two people I adore, two very good people, and no matter what happens or what anyone says, I will never regret supporting them, even for a second.

Then she called me as she walked home, slightly drunk, so that I can keep her company. I stayed on the line so she can feel safe.

Apparently she was at a bar with her buddy, who she felt the need to say is gay, and he loves the movie but told her about the scandal.

She went on to describe Armie as an entitled, rapist cannibal. Now her and my other sister, swallow every PR shit out there, but this.. was from word of mouth. And I swear I felt like she punched me in the stomach. But I couldn't hang up. She reminded me that a good majority of ppl out there, believe every lie they're sold. Her buddy believed it and so does she.

I wish I was the sort of person to defend Armie irl, but I tend to compartmentalize. Only two ppl know of my fandom, my former roommate and best friend, my other sister.

My best friend used to check up on me, asked if I wanted to talk, but he doesn't anymore because I'm extremely private when it comes to this.

Only among you do I feel safe enough to share. We've been through it together, we have the same shared experience. And you have no idea how appreciative I am that you're still here. I may not talk to you, but I hear you, and your voice gives me strength.

And if you read thru this, I want to say thank you. Thank you for reblogging, for the manips, for the jokes, for the art, for looking at all the facts and picking apart the lies, for all the words of hope and support. Keep doing what you're doing until you can't. It's that simple. But if anything were to change, your time here wasn't wasted. I'm sure of that. When I'm here on this app, I'm not alone. And it's because of you.

I believe in them, I believe in him and I believe in us. EGBA.

[starsuh]

do re mi | myg

featuring. min yoongi x reader | 3.2k

summary. while teaching you how to play piano, min yoongi realizes that his dumbass might have feelings for you after all.

genre. fluff | f2l | roommate!au | mutual pining

warnings. a quarter-life crisis and a soft make-out scene at the end

Amongst Min Yoongi's many talents, his sixth sense of knowing when something was bothering you was the one that most oft caught you off guard. Whether it was the intensity in which you slammed a door shut, or the way in which you didn't choose to annoy the fuck out him like you did every other day of the week; he would notice each time. It was only clockwork that he tentatively wrapped his arm around your shoulders when you had collapsed against the couch with perceptible chagrin.

"What's up?" he asked, a simple question that often entailed a more than complicated answer. Peering down at your tightened features, he awkwardly patted your shoulder as if to make known that silence would be just as valid of a reply.

You ran your hands through your face. "I don't know,” you said. If you did, you would've told him, just as you told him everything. Though the pair of you had began as merely two people who happened to be roommates because there were no other affordable options, spending months watching Netflix with another person tends to lead to friendship — even best-friendship, though neither of you had established such a title. It was the kind of friendship that needn't clarification, rather it was just another unequivocal fact amongst many.

After kicking off your shoes (Yoongi would scold you for that in a less emotionally-turbulent time), you pulled your knees up to your chest and wrapped your arms around them in a ball-like manner. "It's really fucking lame but I’m just realizing some things,” he nodded, prompting you to continue. "I'm scared of the future, I think. I mean, everyone is, but when our prof was talking about internships and shit earlier I kind of freaked out then decided that hiding in the bathroom was the best option.”

In his gaze was a reassurance so intent that you had to look away lest you become ensnared in it. He oft had that effect, increasingly so throughout the past few weeks. "What about it?"

Your eyes fluttered closed as you took a deep breath. “I think I know what I want to do, but then I see other people, people like you, who are so passionate about their place on Earth that to not do that thing would be a fate worse than death. Like, I love the path that I’m on but there’s always a voice that’s telling me I’m gonna fuck something up and regret everything.” You played with the loose threads of your top, pulling at the offending stitching. You laughed. “This is so stupid. I guess I’m just realizing that I might not be cut out for it.”

His sudden silence filled the room so heavily that you began to wonder if you shouldn’t have said anything at all. Gears turned behind the messy black mop atop his head that hung over his eyes; a face similar to the one he makes when contemplating a new track he had produced, seeking for each of its flaws and corresponding solutions.

It was so sudden when he reached down to grab your hand that you almost jumped. An inch away from falling onto his chest with the sudden upwards tug, you steeled yourself. "I'll show you something," he said to which you replied with a questioning stare. "It'll just be a sec, c'mon."

You allowed him to drag you to his bedroom, though not without glaring at the back of his head and whining. "Your room smells like Cheetos and day-old boxers."

He rolled his eyes. "I cleaned it this morning, so shut up."

He pushed the door closed with his hip, never once letting go of your hand until he unceremoniously shoved you towards the left end of the keyboard bench. You wiped the accumulated hand sweat against the rough fabric of your jeans, both thankful yet forlorn that he had let go. His was a comfort rarely given and you craved his affection the way one did with a cat that ignored those around it.

He reached down to plug the extension into the socket. "Can I play you something?"

You blinked, unsure if the nervous tone laced in the question was figment or reality. “What?”

He gave you a blank stare though it didn’t distract you from the way his hands fidgeted in his lap. “I said, can I play you something? Something I wrote?”

Impatient, he didn’t give you a second glance or a moment to reply before his hands flew across the board, pulling melodies out of the nooks and crannies of its black and white keys. Through every note, he told you of emotion, of love, of heartbreak and melancholy. You don't think you had ever understood what music was until then. It was more than his expertise, though he was quite the expert; it was the way his eyes closed at certain shrills and the way his shoulders hunched at others, the way he slammed harder into the keys and at other parts softer. He played like a poet. A writer. And you refused to be someone who didn't appreciate it for what it was: a story told to you.

The slight smirk gracing his soft features told you that he found amusing the way your mouth gaped open in shock. You’d only ever heard the distant echoes of his sound from behind closed doors as you walked past.

Yoongi had never played for you before, was even shocked that he was able to now, knowing that your mere presence in close proximity provided quite the distraction.

When he stopped, the air almost rang in its silence, as if you had forgotten what the world sounded like without his music in it. The hush blanket laid across the room felt bare and vulnerable. You understood now more than ever why he locked himself within the confines of his space in all hours of the day. If you could live in his symphonies, you would.

"Wow.” Because what else could be said? "That was... Yoongi, you're amazing."

His smirk remained, though as more of a mask to hide softer feelings behind. "Must've been if you're complimenting me for once.”

"Because you already have a ginormous ego."

He began playing once more. This time, a slow and deceptively simple melody. The chords were arrows tightly strung that flew through the air in wisps of smoke. To you, its warmth was paralleled to the feeling of his own beside you, his arm occasionally brushing yours as he reached to play a few lower keys.

"I think you're taking it too seriously," he said. "The future, I mean."

Your brows furrowed. "I kind of have to, dude."

He rolled his eyes but kept playing, occasionally glancing at you as he did so. "What I mean is," he pressed softly against the keys in the left end of the piano, their tenor notes filling your ears. "You need to calm down. Like this," the already soft melody slowed. "You know what you want, don't you? Why are you hesitating?"

You stilled, the feeling of being both caught and scolded grounding you in time. Your eyes focused on his hands to avoid the feeling of his analyzing gaze on the side of your face. “There are things I want to accomplish but there’s also things I want to have,” you groaned in exasperation. “I don’t know if I should choose the former or the latter but they’re so entangled that I can’t even tell which is which anymore.”

"Some things are only difficult if you think they're difficult." He looked down at the keys. "Like playing the piano, everyone knows that learning it is hard but something like this-" he played three chords in succession. "-sounds simple, right?" He continued to play those same chords until they blended together in a single melodious breeze. "But when I was a kid, learning piano was the bane of my twelve year old existence. I hated it so much because my impatient ass wanted to be good without trying. So, in true dumbass fashion, I quit taking lessons after two weeks."

You tilted your head towards him. “How did you learn then?"

“Well, I realized I was being a huge pussy and went back." Shaking his head before the glaze of the memory could wash over, he nodded towards you. Grabbing your hand, he placed them over the keys. “Can I teach you a chord?”

Your heart spiked in one fell swoop. “What? And embarrass myself in front of the music god himself?"

He laughed and it lit up his eyes brighter than the screen of his laptop that he had forgotten to shut off, still on the League of Legends home screen. “I told you, it's only hard if you think it is."

Too flustered to argue, you could only watch as he directed your fingers towards the correct keys until three were stretched towards their respective positions. C Major. You wondered if he could hear the rapid pace of your heart through the vibrations on your skin from where his larger hand rested atop your own. You could only pray to any god who would listen that he didn’t.

Among the numerous feelings that bubbled beneath your chest, the sudden pinch of ice that struck your nerves as he lifted his palm away from yours was one that you were the most unsure of. Filing that thought away for later, you focused on the most important task at hand: avoiding looking like an idiot in front of Min Yoongi.

Before you could retreat, your hands pressed down.

A sudden burst of sound filled the silence that you hadn't realized had grown so deafening. Your eyes widened as if you hadn't expected the chord to occur despite Yoongi's administrations, like trying to guess a passcode and getting it correct in a miraculous feat of luck. The now fading sound was not like anything you were expecting, though you knew even monkeys could do what you had just done. It was an actual piece of the puzzle that was music rather than the CD case or paper bag that had come with it.

Likened to an excited pup, you looked towards him for praise or assurance that you had done it right only to catch his already grinning countenance at your widened eyes.

For the next half hour he taught you two other basic chords, never failing to correct you in such a patient manner that your heart rose and fell with each glance and soft appraisal.

"But sometimes," he grinned. "Sometimes you need to stop thinking."

Your brows furrowed, though you didn’t need more than a few seconds to understand his cryptic wording before you yelped, almost flying off your seat at the abrupt disruption of the peace.

He began smashing his hands against the piano, creating the worst orchestra your ears had ever had the pleasure to hear. Overcoming the shock, both of yours laughs bubbled out, drowned by the keyboard speakers. Without a second thought, you joined, key smashing against the lower end. Together, you created an ear-grating masterpiece of cacophonous noise and piercing melody, yet it was still one of the most beautiful things you’d ever heard.

Yoongi began cheering your name like the greatest hypeman in existence as you gave the most effortful performance of your life, hands pressing against the first keys you saw to the last. You didn't know what you were doing but it didn't matter, not when he was smiling with his gums on full display as you went with your gut for the first time in years. Yoongi, the boy whose hands crafted magic, whose words changed you, whose music moved you. Yoongi, who looked at you and saw past your forced pretensions and society-enforced perceptions.

You laughed until your lungs ached for air, having not even realized that your whole body leant against his as you tried to catch your breath.

"Oh my god, I think my ears are broken," you covered them, finally dragging your hands away from the keys.

His grin widened. “You're a quick learner."

“Is this the part where I say that it's because you're a good teacher?"

“Only if you're polite, which we know you aren't." He hadn't stopped smiling and you had never felt prouder of any accomplishment in your entire life. “Was I able to distract you?"

You laughed, bringing your hands back to your lap to fiddle with them. He's seen you wear the same ramen-stained hoodie three days in a row with hair just as ratty yet you had never more felt exposed. “I’d say yes but I think I’ve exceeded my Yoongi compliment limit for the day."

"And here I was thinking that that compliment limit was zero."

"Hey," you playfully knocked against his shoulder. "I always say your breakfast is good."

He knocked against you back, his eyes turnt to half-moons. "That's because you want to brainwash me into cooking for you everyday with half-assed compliments."

"Or maybe," you lightly leaned against his hoodie-covered shoulder. "It's because I like eating breakfast with you."

He paused, and a grin that could only be described as shy graced his features. He tapped against the keyboard but didn't press hard enough to allow a sound to be let out.

"I trust you," he said in the silence. "That you can follow your heart. Even if that sounds corny as fuck, I really believe it."

You smiled, something you've been doing more and more often with him around. "I'll try," you said, watching as he contemplated his next words with a bite of his bottom lip. Giving him time, you glanced back at the piano. "Is it really that simple?" You pressed on a key.

He finally looked up. "I think so," he played the key beside the one you had just pressed, the side of it touching yours. "Even if it doesn't sound right to other people, who's to say that random key smashing isn't music? When you think you're supposed to play a certain way, that's when you hesitate. Even when you fuck up a piece," he pressed another key. "Regretting it doesn't stop the echo."

He began to play another soft melody, leaving you just as entranced as you were the first time he did.

“I’m a hypocrite, though,” he closed his eyes, lightly scoffing. “Giving you advice that I can’t even take.”

Your voice came out in a whisper. “Why?”

“Because...” He took a deep breath, hands leaving the keyboard as he fully turned to you. “I like you," he said it like it were a fact you should've already known. “I... I like you. A lot. I can't remember when you stopped being my annoying roommate who'd hog the fridge space and became the annoying roommate who I couldn't stop writing songs about. Before I could even realize and stop myself, today’s me kept looking forward to tomorrow’s you. I’d be a hypocrite to tell you to stop hesitating about the things in your life while I spent every second of every day wondering whether I should tell you my feelings and ruin our friendship.”

For if there was anything Yoongi knew more than most was that love was fucking stupid. It caused people to be irrational, selfless, and weak-hearted, yet why did he want to forget the stupidity that came with it whenever you walked into the kitchen for breakfast, hair messy and shirt tousled?

Love was fucking stupid. But maybe he could be an idiot if it meant that you'd be stupid for him too.

“I know you don't feel the same way but I just needed to tell-" you kissed him before he could finish what was sure to be a sentence so ridiculous that even the most astute of linguists would be left baffled. He was Min Yoongi. The boy who spent all day locked in his room making music and playing games with his friends. The roommate who'd wake up early just to cook you breakfast. The friend who knew you better than you knew yourself. The man who you'd found yourself falling for with every gummy smile. Yoongi. It had always been Yoongi.

And he was kissing you back.

His lips were as warm as the hands that carefully wrapped around your hips, gently pulling you closer to him. He kissed the way he played, soft and thoughtful.

Pulling away, he whispered your name slowly, prolonging each letter as if to savor them. Never before had your name ever felt so wonderful a one. His forehead pressed against yours, eyes flickering between yours in disbelief. The hand around your waist tightened as if in fear that at any moment you might say that you hadn't meant to give him what had to be the best moment of his life -- that you had actually accidentally fallen on him and he had simply been mistaken.

"You're an idiot," you laughed. "I've liked you since the first time you've cooked me breakfast if the heart eyes I gave you each time weren't already a dead giveaway."

He shuffled in his seat. "You have low standards then," he said. "Or are in desperate search for a house-husband."

You smiled, your nose brushing against his. "Maybe, a bit of both."

He leaned away from you, eyes lit up in a euphoria that didn't hinder from his nervous cadence. "Actually, that song I played for you? Earlier?” You’d never seen him blush before. “I, maybe, composed it thinking of you.”

"A personal chef, jester, and composer? I think I'm winning."

His nose crinkled. "You know you can still back out, right?"

"You're acting as if I'd even want to."

"Stupid songs like that... I suck at love yet I still want to give you everything," he whispered, voice hoarse. "But my everything will still only amount to that."

"If that's your everything,” your hands interlocked with his. “Then your everything is more than enough."

"I like you," he murmured the confession between your lips as if it were clandestine, the urge to say it a million times more bubbling up from his chest. Though stronger than his urge to say it was his urge to hear you say it back.

Your lips met his completely. Perfectly. "I like you, too."

Pulling away once more you couldn't help but laugh at the reddened color of his cheeks and ears. Cutting away at the awkward and still unsure tension, he inched backwards with a startlingly loud clap of his hands. "Now that that's settled, can we go back to making out? This corny shit is so awkward."

"I can't believe I like you," you groaned but kissed him back anyway.

While there was nothing in your life that you could be sure of, you knew that the man whose smile could light up the entire city of Seoul would be there for you for every step, and you wouldn’t have had it any other way.

[fantasy-anatomy-analyst]

If you like my worldbuilding posts, come check out the side blog for the story they're part of! It is still in the very early super rough draft stages, so all my excerpts are very messy and often peppered with notes for future revisions, but I hope people will still enjoy reading about the characters and the world I've built around them.

This is a fantasy slice of life story, but I wouldn't really classify it as fluff! There is a lot of melancholy here, a lot of exploration on themes of grief and death and regret. There is no grand adventure, and very little action to speak of. But it dives into the deeper emotions and personal struggles of the characters and their society.

The main PoV characters are Evarin and Morianon, a married couple. Evarin is a gnomish trans woman with an orcish grandmother, still dealing with the ongoing troubles of trying to define her personal relationship with womanhood and her mixed species heritage. Morianon is half elf and half quetzalin, raised by an adoptive family of elves, struggling with his childhood trauma and all the consequences of it, as well as the disconnect he feels from the society he lives in now and the people he should have been able to call his own.

It is a story of identity, love, trauma, and grief. I hope someday I will have a finished manuscript to publish and that people will love it!

story excerpt masterpost

book 1 rough draft:

ch 1, ch 2, ch 3, ch 4, ch5, ch6, ch7,

book 2 rough draft:

communal preening

other related writing:

Primal Forces

pre-story Mori/Evarin honeymoon (very nsfw)

[two-wrongs-make-a-write-83]

A Halcyon Nightscape

Hallie yawns and stretches once again. It feels nice to spend a night out. Far away from the busy hectic city life. No horns, no crowd, no pollution, just peace. And bliss.

She should go out for late night walks more often, Hallie makes a mental note. The two hours long stroll along the logs in the midst of greenery was worth every bit.

The entire area is strangely quiet. People aren't around at this side of the tarn. But at least there is supposed to be sounds made by birds, crickets, squirrels, chipmunks, rats or any other animals likewise. As far as she knows, Jordan Pond doesn't have any presence of carnivorous beasts. So she shouldn't be afraid, right? Well, a black bear might be a rare sight. But still not impossible.

She again checks the Glock 21 in her pocket, just in case. Her dad was the one to teach her marksmanship. Hallie remembers how her dad used to train her every single day from dawn to dusk, not that she ever regretted. Besides the boring homeschooling sessions and day-and-night training, the dynamic father daughter duo also had occasional camping schedules just for fun. Here in this very Acadia National Park. This place was their sanctuary.

She misses him. She misses the times when the two used to come here at the campgrounds and enjoyed fishing and swimming all day in the ocean, having barbeque under the starry night summer sky and munching s'mores in front of the crackling fire. Also, stargazing. Not with open eyes, with necessary equipment, telescope and everything.

Her dad was the one to teach her all about the constellation. He was a walking encyclopedia when it came to guns and stars. Quite contradictory, isn't it?

Hallie and her father considered themselves lucky. Especially after that narrow escape from death, only minutes away from a rockfall accident. But even that luck was not enough to make her dad live longer. Coronary artery complications made him suffer an early death.

Hallie sighs. She feels sad because she misses him, nostalgic because the place reminds her of all those sweet memories.

Conquer your fears, Hale. Don't let them stop you from anything. Listen to your heart.

Those were his last words to her. She still can remember that day so vividly, as if it were yesterday. A sunny, bright and white yet mundane room that smelled sterile and disinfectant. His father, fragile on a cot, yet acting like he's the strongest man on earth. The hero Hallie always saw in him, the hero he felt he needed to pretend.

She wanted to tell her dad to stop trying. It's okay to let go. It's okay to show weaknesses. Her throat tightened, and in the end, no words came out. Only silent tears.

Focus on your target, Halcyon. Tighten your grip. Don't hesitate.

To her dad, she was either Hale or Halcyon. After his departure, she didn't hear either of the two names anymore. She became Hallie, just Hallie. Not so lucky any longer.

She walks up to the lakeshore as she reminisces about the good old halcyon days. It's the first time she came to visit the park after that tragic loss.

Silence seems more prominent around the shoreline. It's a bit chilly here as well. Foggy breeze is blowing gently above the water surface. The air is crisp, cold and earthy. It smells of leaves, bark and grass - somewhat tinged with a bit of melancholy and nostalgia.

Sad or not, the night sure is beautiful. Especially now during the fall, the whole park is covered in vermillion foliage.

Something seems enchanting about the entire atmosphere. And unearthly. Is it because she came here after so long or...

What can it be? It's just another ordinary night.

Nothing is ordinary. Nothing is coincidental.

Her father used to say. She concentrates on warming her hands, rubbing them together continuously.

First the silence and now this outlandish steamy breeze. No, it's nothing unusual. Hallie crouches down near the shore and looks at her own reflection in the water. Under the midnight blue sky, she can see her faint reflection moving in a slow rhythm along with the gentle flow of the lake-water.

The color in the water surface starts to change ever so slowly. Then the pace fastens exponentially. The midnight blue turns into hazy dark mauve, then magenta and then into coral, to the faintest of crimson aiming for a brighter scarlet. It's not even dawn yet. The silence seems to be ceasing as well. At first, the sound was distant. The faint sound is now getting louder and clearer.

Alert, she stands up looking at the sky. No sign of the sun. Instead she catches a shooting star crossing the sky. But... The direction...

Why is it coming down? Is it gonna fall down here? It can't just land here. Or it can...

And once she thought she was lucky to be saved by minutes from a common rockfall. This huge chunk is freaking falling from the sky. Maybe she was destined to die this way. The rockfall accident in the past was only a reminder.

Now, the gun inside her hoodie pocket seems useless. She's surrounded by dark woods, stark mountains and a motionless tarn. Even in this vast space, she's feeling claustrophobic. Perhaps, that's how deaths are - sudden, unpredictable, unapologetic. Will anybody know if she dies here? There are definitely people around a few miles away, probably enjoying dinners in the nearby inns. Closing her eyes, she braces herself and gathers the guts to face her departure.

One second, two seconds, three seconds. Like this another twenty seconds have passed. Nothing happens. Tentatively, she opens her eyes.

Nothing has changed. The reflection on water now dull, the sound no longer audible. Just like before. Of course, the sky is back to its former self, cloudless indigo filled with twinkling stars. No sign of the shooting star or whatever it was. It must've aimed for another galaxy.

All of a sudden, there's this tiniest speck of light just above the centre of the lake. It stayed only for a moment.

"What's going on here?" She says to herself. Her voice echoes in the mountains.

Hallie feels lightheaded. But at the same time, excitement begins to build up inside her. She stands still, waiting for the speck to reappear.

And her wish comes true. The light came back, only wider this time, just a little bit. It's coming closer towards her. One might think of the source to be a firefly but the color is so different. It's not golden, it's more than that. It's all the colors she has witnessed a few moments ago reflected on the lake surface and beyond.

Hallie is so mesmerized by it that she has forgotten to move away. The idea of it being something threatening does not occur to her.

The little circle of brightness begins to dance around her. As if Hallie became its new buddy. Everytime she tries to catch it, it slips away from her. Such a tease. After several attempts, she gives up, tired.

As she's busy panting, the sphere approaches her gingerly, like a child. She understands the ball-like particle is telling her to touch it. Hallie gives it a wry look.

"Now you're telling me? After all the chasing?" She complains, crossing her arms.

The two have been communicating as if both the parties were human beings, not just one. Hallie seems to have forgotten it as well.

She feels curious, but the next moment she's hesitant. Should she touch the ring of light? Won't she get burnt?

Conquer your fears.

Don't hesitate.

Listen to your heart.

The voice in her head is telling her to take a leap of faith. Thus she shakes off her doubts and fears and at last comes to contact with the mysterious luminous little sphere.

At her touch, the sphere acts like it's going to burst. Hallie, long forgotten about the danger, stands there holding her breath. Ready to see what it turns out to be. What it has to offer.

It's like fireworks. Unearthly, eccentric, ethereal fireworks. Shimmery golden hued spots have started to swirl, twirl and waltz around her. It's like the little speck got multiplied into millions. As if the little specks have taken the form of the starlight of the galaxy.

Hallie is gaping at this whimsical but spectacular performance, both marveled and dumbfounded. Is she dreaming?

The colors have started to take a different shade. Now they're no longer golden. It has been divided into shades of blue and red. Just like how the sky was previously. The tiny little particles of light fly altogether up in the sky and accumulate. The colors, the shape, they seem so familiar.

Halcyon.

Just like the bird.

It's her favorite bird. Well, aside from songbirds and kookaburras.

Are they really doing it for her?

"That's impossible," her voice was barely above a whisper.

After the almost shape of a mythical bird has been formed, the cluster flies higher and higher until it disperses and transforms falling down as rain. Rain of stardust.

Hallie has been showered by it. She tries to catch some of the specks. Too bad, she doesn't have a jar with her to contain these. So she rubs her hands inside her pockets hoping the memories would stay there. After she returns home, maybe she might be able to collect them in a container. If she's lucky enough.

She pulls her hands out to inspect them again. Some of the dust is still on her palm. But another peculiar thing occurs, as if the night couldn't get any stranger. Her palms begin absorbing the dust.

There's the earth, the stars and the planets. And there's the human race made from clotted coagulated blood which is actually earth! Honestly Hale, everything is more connected than we can ever imagine.

If only her father was with her tonight. Maybe he is with her. Not in person, but the memories of him are alive in her mind, warm and fresh. Hallie buries her hands around hugging herself, full of gratitude. She hasn't realized it until now, that she's crying.

Rubbing her eyes with her sleeves, she views her surroundings in a new light. As if she's a new person. Different not altogether, the core is still the same. But she's been awakened and enlightened.

The lakeshore looks tranquil and serene. The waves are calm. The sky is clear. The stars are bright, like glittering jewels.

Halcyon.

Placid. Joyful, peaceful, blissful.

She doesn't realize she's been standing in one place all this time. She drops on the ground and stares up at the sky smiling. Inhaling the fresh salty air, appreciating the breathtaking nightscape.

There are sounds of people around. Realizing, she gets up to find the source. She doesn't have to walk very further because people are coming in her direction. Many of them are carrying tripods with cameras, some are holding their phones, some are just chatting.

"Is something about to happen?" She asks one of them. In her mind, she thinks something has happened already. What else could there be?

"Haven't you heard of the news?" The nearby person asks back. When Hallie shakes her head slowly he says, "There's news about the arrival of the Northern Lights. Within a few minutes."

Hallie stares at the dude, brows knitted in concentration. "But I thought if the Northern Lights would be displayed… Shouldn't everyone be here way earlier?"

The guy nods repeatedly, "That's the thing. Nobody knew about it. It's unexpected. We all were in the camp houses when we heard of the news. We got notified half an hour ago. See?" He gestures around. "Everyone came here running."

Hallie acknowledges nodding. She takes in the information.

Within a few minutes, it happens as the news predicted, Aurora Borealis. At first the sky turns gray, there are barely some distinct lines of hazy gray. Then there's a little bit of movement followed by striking green, red, blue, pink and purple layers vibrating beneath one another. They're like rippling curtains. The colorful columns make rhythmic waves. The sky is a literal disco ball. The cloudless sky has turned technicolor, with an eerie glow. The overall feeling is full of magic and charisma.

Everyone is awed. Some may probably have seen it thousands of times but each time the beauty mystifies them. Hallie is no exception. Some are shouting, some are capturing the moments on their cameras. Some are running, trying to follow where the hazy band of light is going towards.

Hallie remembers her father once told her that the excited oxygen atoms are responsible for the green shades while the nitrogen atoms are responsible for the blue and deep red hues.

Just think about it, Halcyon! If the magnetic fields weren't there to deflect the solar storm, we would've been dead!

Magnetosphere saved us from such a catastrophe! And not just that. It tamed the plasma and turned it into this spectacular display! Aren't we so lucky?

"Yes Dad, we're very lucky. You were right, the universe is remarkable indeed." Hallie mutters under her breath. She glances at her side, everyone is busy cherishing mother nature. Her eyes fall on Jordan Pond again. The water is reflecting the colorful carnival. But it's ever calm. Just…

Halcyon.

Hallie is glad once again that she came here tonight. She shoves her hands into the pockets to check the stardusts. They're there. She smiles broadly. It feels like a little secret between nature and her.

Who knew, this fated night would be full of so much serendipity?