#they literally all encapsulated all feelings you experience in a moment like that at the same time | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

babygirlhaljordan · 8 months ago

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quotes that remind me of dungeon meshi characters (a thread—or tumblr equivalent)

senshi

“for every life i can’t save during my shift, one more drop of blood becomes a part of me.”

if you saw the episode regarding senshi’s backstory… you’ll understand why this quote fits. at a young age, he watched his entire party die from starvation. consequently, he studies cooking (with monsters) with a crazy intensity to starve off hunger. to never have more drops of blood join him again—especially with his suspicion that he ate his own party members. so in the case of senshi, others blood is genuinely (or believed to be) Apart Of Him

(tldr senshi’s survivors guilt goes CRAZY)

chilchuck

“his mouth may be full of acid, but gentleness oozes from his actions like chocolate syrup dripping down whipped cream.”

we all know that despite chilchuck’s professionalism (emotional distance) he isn’t as hardened off as he wants us to believe but i feel the episode that encapsulates that is when that one ogre confronts him like. “you’re worried your friends will die aren’t you” while he’s sobbing his eyes out. THAT sticks out to me.

if you ignore that episode, there’s still tons of moments from the season alone that showcases how much he cares. chilchuck trying to wake up marcille from her nightmares. deciding between following senshi or laois to protect them from other people’s wraths. facing the red dragon HEAD ON despite him Not Being A Fighter. he cares about people DAMMIT but he’s the last person to let others know, covering any harsh actions with his words—be it teasing marcille, snarking at laois, or more. yet his actions say more than what he could & that is enough

itzusumi

maybe this is what being a mortal is about. kindnesses that aren’t deserved

this resonates as itzusumi because of her inherent selfishness. even though she’s only appeared at the latter half, throughout the series, she’s been shown to prioritize herself above all. and that isn’t to say she isn’t deserving of kindness as one of her rights as a Basic Human Being but. people tend to follow the golden rule from my experience—ESPECIALLY when the other party has been rude (which itzusumi has been)

so to have laois’ party treat her with kindness (with chilchuck literally APOLOGIZING for his comments) is really heartwarming. most people would have given up or left her by now. yet his crew treats her with kindness even if she hasn’t been the best. that’s why i feel the kindness is undeserved

as for what a mortal is… that’s a question all the characters are finding out, but itzusumi (& falin) are finding out above all. as beastmen, they aren’t seen (or even seen THEMSELVES) as human. yet they are both being treated with kindness despite their actions. and i think that sticks out to me above all

marcille

“If it’s heaven’s will for us to part, I will rip heaven into pieces with my own two hands to be with you.”

falin’s transformation to a literal chimera is kickstarted all because marcille refused to let the dead rest. although the dungeon can easily allow for the revival of humans… bringing back people when they’re too far gone, when they’re already devoured.. it crosses the life between life and death, the natural order of existence. yet marcille crosses that line, of what’s considered natural or “fate” (aka what is determined by the higher order—heaven) of them parting and ripped it apart

she brought her best friend back to life.

because much like senshi, marcille is someone characterized by her losses & what she will continue to lose due to her being a long-lived species. she knows this and has been continued haunted by her past losses: her bird, her father, and i have no doubt there’s more. it’s why she studied forbidden magic: to no longer lose the people she loves. and she doesn’t care what boundaries or rules she breaks because she loves them That Much (sounds like another magic aligned user eh?)

falin

how do you separate a tiger’s beauty from its ferocity? or a cheetah’s elegance from the speed of its attack? achilles was like that—the beauty and the terror were two sides of a single coin

we all know this is referring to falin in her chimera form because while i do love her prechimera the series mainly focuses on her in that form than without. although she is dangerous, she is powerful. and in the same way, so much as she’s powerful, she’s dangerous. her existence is beautiful but it’s an example of hostility. of the potential of forbidden magic as well as the drawbacks. she’s truly two sides of the same coins

laois

“i think we sometimes make the mistake of thinking monsters are abhorrent aberrations, lurking in the darkest recesses, when the truth is far more distributing. the most monstrous of men are those who sit in plain sight, daring you to challenge them.”

this goes into manga spoilers so. if you’re not okay with that… skip this section

i wholeheartedly believe this quote fits laois due to his own negative experiences with humans. for YEARS the villagers of his home casted out falin (and him, to some degree? could be wrong) treating her poorly for who her ghost abilities. similarly, his parents struggled to stand up for them, leading lapis to have a strained relationship current day. and when he left to join the army, he struggled to fit in.

as a result, laois would dream of being a monster (and also developing a monster interest in general) for their power—especially when they could crush all the people that bullied them. his love for monsters represent laois disconnect to humans—especially with the way they treated the ones he loves. because despite the monsters being seen as the scary ones, he experiences more anxiety around humans than he ever does with beasts.

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ag-updates-and-archives · 17 days ago

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“There Are No Rules” L.S. Dunes Interviewed

The post-hardcore group on their seismic new album...

There’s a certain mystical nature to frontman Anthony Green as he expresses the feeling of magic he experiences in Ireland, as guitarist Frank Iero watches one of his closest friends with a bemused fondness, popping in with observations of his own. But, Iero laughs quietly, in a knowing way, as Green’s mind begins to wander, “Ireland has a magical, mystical thing going on. There are fairies here. There’s fucking legit magical shit. Traditional Irish music has some of the craziest storytelling, craziest melodies and songs like he said, there’s songs where the story is linear, you know, and the music here is rich with majesty,” despite warnings to not “talk about ghosts in these old Irish buildings, [because he] might summon something.”

Green’s eloquence and ability to convey his fascination with the magic that lies not only within Ireland, but within music, stretches far beyond what is presented on L.S. Dunes�� newest record, ‘Violet’. And with five of the most powerful minds in post-hardcore at the helm of this newest record – Frank Iero and Travis Stever on guitar, Tim Payne on bass, Tucker Rule on drums and Anthony Green fronting the band – the band’s exploration of genres, sounds and structures pushes the very boundaries their other projects have started, as pioneers of post-hardcore. Honed in on a fine line of post-rock and post-punk, tracks feel environmental and all-encompassing, a swirl of technique that only some of the most innovative minds in the alternative scene can create.

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Eccentric, indomitable, insightful, L.S. Dunes newest venture with ‘Violet’ can be perceived as a vastly different record to their first, ‘Past Lives’, but in truth, contains the same sentiments the band founded themselves on. An exploration of the human consciousness and its relationship with creativity in all of its forms, they push music to its limits, even though to L.S. Dunes, there are none; “There are no rules. Like the fact that there is no right, there is no wrong, it’s just what makes you feel something. Or what sounds good to you. And it’s very subjective, you know?  The thing that I dig will not be the thing that you dig all this time. And the reason I do it, and the reason that I want to continue to make stuff is because I need to for my own soul and it’s for nothing else. It’s not a tangible thing,” Iero begins. Whether that creativity springs from something tangible or just sensational, it creates a kind of magic, “It’s like you breathe, you walk, you make things, you make songs,” Green hums in agreement.

Sitting in a dimly lit room at the top of the 3Olympia in Ireland’s capital, Anthony Green and Frank Iero huddle closely, starting off quickly with proclamations of adoration for the country sprinkled amidst the buzz of their first night on tour. Opening for Rise Against on their UK and EU tour, the tour kicked off in Ireland, allowing for Green and Iero to explore the day before, Green’s mind was occupied by the sorcerous atmosphere of the country. And the fact that Green was able to tap into a part of Ireland many people fail to acknowledge, it’s easy to see how ‘Violet’ formed in the way it did, “There’s so much magic in music when it comes to connecting, what draws you out of your comfort zone, and what happens when you’re in a moment in the flow state.”

Through a flow-state that allows for the sorcery spilling out and morphing into the shape of what is now, ‘Violet’, there are specks of mystery, skepticism, query, and hope perceived throughout the entirety of the record. Fascinating in the way that the instrumentals quite literally convey and encapsulate the essence of how the lyrics make one feel, Green can only describe the experience of writing the record as “touchdown after touchdown – I don’t know sports – but from the very first second I started working on the record… It’s like a joy every time. It’s like when you write something and you’re like, ‘I fucking nailed it, I fucking nailed it! I can’t wait for my parents to read this! I want everybody I went to school with to see this!’ That’s how I felt literally every day leaving the studio, even when something wasn’t hundred percent there, I knew that this group was going to make it better than it could ever have been if I didn’t have this.”

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Green elaborates, “As an artist, as somebody who loves making stuff, there’s only so much I can do when I’m like in my own head, and I can make a cool, whatever, but when you get somebody around you who’s really good and they’re playing, you’re inspired to do more than what you would do on your own… You have four people around you who are inspiring you, who are great, who you admire – so, your output is going to match differently than you just sitting in your room imagining things. And for me, I’ve been searching my whole life for different people to make music with.  And I’ve had the opportunity to make music with so many great artists, but this situation was one of those fall in love at first sight types.”

With the band originating from their respective, but separate, states of the US amongst the pandemic, the band found a rhythm with starting ideas alone for ‘Past Lives’. But now, with the new record, new paths were foraged both physically and sonically. They “lived in a house down the street from the studio and did the record that way,” Iero explains. Far from what would be considered normal for L.S. Dunes due to “everybody [having] families and other obligations,” and previously made obligations to bands like Thursday, Coheed & Cambria, My Chemical Romance alongside previous excursions with Saosin and Circa Survive. Considering L.S. Dunes only to be a labour of love and dedication is disservice to the mountains they must move in order to find each other in the valley – “And at some point, you’ve got to see a doctor, too.” Forget the dentist, “You got a branch in Vienna?” Iero jests.

“There’s shit that is happening right now ‘cause I don’t got the fucking time!” Iero exclaims.

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In all seriousness, it “certainly makes this cool thing though – when we do get together, it is kind of like seeing that friend that you don’t get to see very much, but you only have a good time with.” While their friendship is first and foremost, and without it, the band would have never formed, or been as internally successful as it is, they collectively understood that making their first record and doing their first shows was them testing the waters of being a band. “Not just can [we] hang together and make each other comfortable and all that stuff, but like can [we] work out a creative difference? Can [we] compromise on a creative difference so that [we] make it even better than the desired effect from either party?  Can you live with each other, in close quarters, making music together? All that stuff is the stuff that will make a band like able to make good music.”

Falling in love with the inner workings of the band and the environment it gives each artist in the group – and having it work as harmoniously as it has – allows for the band to blossom and bloom in a way that may not have been possible if pursued any sooner than it had been. When considering the formation of the band its occurrence, Iero wondered aloud whether or not the group could be what it is, had it formed 10, 15 years ago, “I think everything happens for a reason in a certain part of life. I truly feel like the universe kind of tells you where you need to be if you listen to the signs.” And when the signs arrived in the form of voice memos and texts being exchanged in group chats during COVID, they jumped on it. However, it wasn’t without consideration of who they were as individuals and artists, “I know for myself that I could not have handled this type of relationship with people, I don’t think I was ready to be as open as I needed to be in my life until the moment that it made itself available to me. The version of myself that I’m able to move into now at this stage of my life, is because of this band. I don’t know if I could have handled the type of internal pressure,” Green admits.

Screaming about that pressure on ‘I Can See It Now…’ on the newest instalment of L.S. Dunes’ discography, the new album’s ten tracks push and pull, break and crash, sprawling over different sounds and techniques as questions as to our role as people in our environment, the inner workings of human, and questioning the nature of hope, and the magic that lies within freeing yourself from something that doesn’t necessarily serve you swirl in the air: “The idea of being let down by hope, that’s really your preconception and what your expectations are of that. That’s like having a conversation with yourself before you have it. It’s a dangerous game.” Yet Green coincides with Iero that he believes he “found a sense of hope” while “working with the band on Past Lives. Ultimately, the lingering themes of hope that thread through the record showcase a natural occurrence for Green, “I think that just naturally came out because this band makes me feel hopeful.”

Despite the “inevitable” stress that comes along “when trying to make anything,” which Green considers to be a good kind of stress and pressure – because it means that you see it as “important, and that it means something to you” – the band’s ability to turn inward and reflect was because they were in an environment that made them feel safe. “We put each other first and I think that that helps create an atmosphere where we feel safe, like we’re not gonna work ourselves into the ground for, you know, what? A chance at the big time?” Green jokes.

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While some may – somewhat dismissively – call it a passion project due to its members’ notoriety, it’s more than that. Passion project implies that it’s to the side, only really worked on when convenient. However, nothing about L.S. Dunes and their lives are convenient. That drive, that desire to create a project that is more than just something they work on occasion. No, this project is each member at their most authentic, at their truest ‘creative spirit’: “Much to other people’s chagrin, like labels and managements and all that stuff, like – if it doesn’t feel natural to us, we don’t fucking do it,” Iero shrugs with a bit of a chuckle. “It’s sort of like you have to be selfish so that you can be selfless, you know?” Green adds.

The authenticity found within L.S. Dunes is evident as members look both to their foundations and what that can be transformed into, pushing themselves beyond who they are at their roots. “I think it’s hard sometimes to get away from the things that are innate to you as an artist, you know? There’re certain places where you will naturally go to or things that you shine within. Whether it’s a riff here, or a melody shift or even like a mannerism within your vocals. We’re all an amalgamation of different ticks that we’ve picked up along away from different people, right?” Iero explains. “You’re gonna have a word that you like to use or a chord change that you like to use. So that stuff, I think keeps you grounded to where you came from, but I think the progression forward is to be aware of that stuff and also try to push yourself outside of those boundaries and push yourself into a place that you don’t feel as comfortable.”

And when you challenge yourself and push your boundaries successfully, it can transform you as an artist. Anthony Green is a glowing example of that, “I don’t know if I’ve ever felt further away from where my roots are than anything ever, and I don’t think it’s a bad thing. I never want to go back to that… I didn’t have a really good relationship with the creative spirit, and it felt like everything I made was almost in spite of my shitty relationship with my creative spirit and with my own self and my body and my ability to connect with my band. So, I feel like this is all new for me.”

A new start, questioning all that has been and all that is, turning pages on times they no longer felt connected to, ‘Violet’ bleeds with deep internal reflections and explorations as they change and morph as a sunrise would, turning the sky violet. And the success of this record to them won’t come from how the record is received by critics, but rather from themselves: “Our victory and our trophy comes when we like the record. Whatever happens after it comes out, kind of just happens – it has nothing to do with us. Like we can make a good record that we like and then be happy to put that out there and that’s where we end,” Green elaborates. Because at the end of the day, Iero acknowledges the “weird connotation with the way that certain people interpret [success].” And he’s right – success has been quantified instead of qualitative. Instead of a release being successful because it was an objectively good record, the quantity in which the record is awarded and perceived by others determines its success.

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Instead, the core of why ‘Violet’ is objectively successful in their terms is because of who the group are at their core, and the creative environment that manifests from their personal identities and reflections: “Our victory and our trophy comes when we like the record. Whatever happens after it comes out, kind of just happens – it has nothing to do with us. Like we can make a good record that we like and then be happy to put that out there and that’s where we end,” Green elaborates.

And the fact that the project is able to be created without restraints, the art truly the only focus, Green and Iero acknowledge their position in the creativity community, “It’s not often that people get the luxury of being able to make something with people who aren’t sweating on you to pay their bills. Like, even if it’s just the tiniest bit of quantum level sweat. When somebody just is like, ‘hey, you do your thing so good. I just love you and I want you to do your best and it’s always you’re happy, we’re gonna be happy, and we’re gonna make a steam roller out of this.’ This is an art project, like that’s such a gift. As an artist it’s made me better, and it’s made me able to work with people better and I think it makes my mission of just wanting to make good music with my friends stronger.”

“To be in a situation where that’s not why we do this – like we would actually probably make more money if we didn’t do this band,” Iero all but shouts in amusement.

A situation so untainted gave way to an objectively good record that tests the boundaries L.S. Dunes view as nonexistent – ‘Violet’ is a testament to the strength and courage of the human spirit in pursuit of creativity and connection, and the magic that is inherently created from such a love for what they do. Indeed, with combined experience of decades in the industry, one would expect a polished piece of work from five post-hardcore pioneers. However, no one can expect the band to reveal themselves and expose their minds and souls to the level of humanity and authenticity this record encapsulates. Untarnished of any restrictions, ‘Violet’ is L.S. Dunes at their most curious, genuine selves.

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‘Violet’ is out now. For all L.S. Dunes live information visit their site.

Words: Isabella Ambrosio Photography: Shervin Laine

#anthony green #ls dunes #frank iero #interview alert #isabella ambrosio #Youtube

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jeanie-g · 2 months ago

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you said to send you any two players with a pulse so I'm here to be annoying about my sharks babies willmack with song #71 ❤

BABY SHARKS!! we literally just yapped about them a few hours ago, but wow they are the cutest!!! I've read, uh, 0 willmack...but i DID do some research. so, hopefully it's good.

it's basically a full fic tbh. and same as before, yadda yadda my actual #72 is irrelevant, so here's 71+2.

[#73] Jackie and Wilson (Hozier)

Lord, it'd be great to find a place we could escape sometime / Me and my Isis growing black irises in the sunshine / Every version of me dead and buried in the yard outside / Sit back and watch the world go by

It's weird being back in Boston. From the moment they'd touched down at Logan, Will could feel it in his bones—this weird unrest. And sure, he was born in Lexington, grew up right outside the city, but it was different actually living in it. Getting his first taste of a professional career in hockey in a city made for it.

And now he's back, eight months since he packed up his dorm and went west. Since he left his family and his teammates to go follow his outrageous dream while they stayed behind.

Mack doesn't feel the dissonance like Will does. He was excited to come back to his old stomping ground. As they filed off the plane, he kept giving the other guys tips on restaurants and bars that don't card—all with this haughty air about him, like he lived here for longer than the nine months he did.

Will envies his nonchalance, wishes he could feel just as normal about all this. Because Boston treated him well, even if it was technically Newton. He loved his team and he liked his classes and he had a blast getting drunk and losing his shoes at frat parties on campus. He even liked the chilly falls and biting winters—often misses them when he's feeling strung out on the palm trees and unrelenting heat of San Jose.

But he can't help the queasiness that creeps in as they get closer and closer to TD Garden, because for the first time in his life, he'll step onto that ice in teal and white instead of maroon and gold.

Here's the thing: hockey players need to separate their lives in two. Before getting signed to the NHL, and after. They just need to, or all the stress of comparison will eat them alive. Guys can break records and win trophies in Juniors or at college, but the second they step foot on that league ice, none of it really means anything.

Commentators and journalists and fans expect there to be a difference in their playing—growing pains—but not much. Not if they're actually good. But it's scary how much of a difference there is. For Will, at least, it was terrifying. Still is, on bad nights when he can't catch a pass to save his life and the Sharks continue their deep dive down the division rankings.

Because you can't just make it to the NHL; you have to sustain yourself in it. You have to fight and claw to stay afloat before you find yourself on the fourth line and then the AHL affiliate, and then behind the bench coaching pee-wees at 32.

Mack, of course, doesn't feel any of this—at least, not like Will does. He got three points in his debut. He was sidelined with a hip injury for a month and bounced back like it was nothing. And yes, he goes on to the media to tout how "different and difficult it is here," and Will goes on to say that even if they don't score any points, "experience is progress," but he calls bullshit—on Mack and himself.

Whatever. He's getting sidetracked. He does that a lot—gets stuck in his own head, this endless rat race going round and round and round until someone—usually Mack or Tyler—snaps him out of it.

Anyways. He's back in Boston and everything's changed and nothing's changed at all.

He's fine.

***

The game is awful. There's no other word for it, really, no word so simple yet piercing that it encapsulates all that went wrong out there.

It's just awful.

Sloppy passes, incomplete plays, half-assed defense. The Bruins are a formidable team, but they aren't unbeatable. Some of the guys seemed like they'd already given up before the first face-off even took place.

Will tries his best to get shit going, but there came a point (probably 14 minutes into the third, when the score is 5-zip), where he has to admit defeat.

He listens to Warsofsky ream them out with half a mind, knowing exactly what he's going to say before he says it. When he looks up at Mack across the locker room, he has his head under a towel. He assumes this means he's just as miserable as Will is, but when they walk out of TD and board the bus back to their hotel, he's back to his jaunty self.

"Do you wanna watch Yellowjackets when we get back? It's finally on Netflix."

Will gives him what he hopes looks like an indignant stare. "No, I don't."

"New Girl?"

"No. I just wanna go to bed, Mack. Don't you?"

He plops down into his seat and Mack follows suit.

"Not really. I kinda wanna go out."

That makes Will twist his body until his right knee is practically in Mack's lap.

"Are you not embarrassed? I mean, how many BU fans came, you think, just to watch you? And that's the fucking game we play."

Will drops his gaze to the floor. Mack's silent for a moment, and Will thinks he's finally struck a chord. But then:

"More than you can say about BC."

Will turns his head and blinks at him. "Seriously?"

Mack just shrugs, and Will scoffs. He takes out his AirPods and pops them in, done with whatever this conversation is.

They don't talk until they enter their room, but Will's not mad at Mack. He just doesn't understand how he's not upset.

"You're pissed," Mack says, clairvoyant as ever, as he drops his bag onto his bed.

"Yeah, no shit, Sherlock." Will drops his own bag by the foot of his bed, already kicking off his shoes.

"Isn't it nice, though? Being back home?"

Will chortles meanly. "You lived here for nine months, Mack. That's hardly home."

"I meant for you."

That feels like a blow to the stomach. He sits on his bed and stares at the TV. His reflection looks back at him in the semi-reflection, shrouded in darkness.

It's part of why he signed with BC in the first place, to be closer to home. It all worked out so well, he thought—he was so lucky. He got to be close to his friends and family for a year, maybe longer, until he signed with the Sharks and shipped off to California.

But now, he's starting to wonder if it would've been better if he went to Michigan instead. Maybe if he ripped off that bandaid earlier—got used to being away—coming back wouldn't be so hard.

"I think I know where to go," Mack says suddenly.

Will closes his eyes. "For what?"

"To make you feel better."

Will chortles again, but doesn't say anything else. When he cracks an eye open, Mack's looking at him expectantly. He never did know how to leave well enough alone. It's not like Will particularly enjoys wallowing in self-pity, though, so he acquiesces. Mack hasn't ever steered him wrong, if he's being honest.

"Fine. Where?"

Mack smiles. "It's a surprise."

The 'surprise' ends up being the Common, Mack asking the driver ahead of time to stop at the entrance on the corner of Beacon and Charles. Once Will realizes the destination is outdoors, he starts to protest—it's fucking January in Massachusetts—but Mack just says to trust him.

It's nearly midnight when they get there, the streetlights guiding their steps as they exit the Uber. Mack takes extra care to tip the driver $5, 'cause he's good like that.

Mack's carrying a bag, but he won't tell Will what's in it. Will's not in the mood to argue, so he just follows him wordlessly, ambivalent to wherever he's leading him.

The Common's pretty at night. Snow dusts the ground and bushes, and the waxing moon casts light through the barren tree branches. The noisemakers of the surrounding city haven't completely gone to bed yet, but the area around them is pretty sparse. Muddy footprints going in every direction remind Will how populated this place usually is. He takes a deep breath, watching his exhale puff out in front of him.

They finally come to a stop at the edge of Frog Pond. It's completely frozen over, probably has been for days now considering the impressions and swirls in the ice from skates.

Will doesn't know exactly what Mack had planned—he half-predicted they were gonna 'talk it out' on the Good Will Hunting bench—but it still comes as a surprise when Mack sets down his bag, crouches, and takes out two pairs of skates.

Will laughs hollowly. "Macky, no."

"Macky, yes," he replies, standing and handing a pair to Will.

"We can't skate here in the middle of the night!"

Mack shrugs. "Why not?" His nose is turning red from the cold and Will has to suppress the urge to reach out and cup it with his hands.

"I..." Will crosses his arms. "Because I don't want to."

Mack laughs, seemingly having no regard for the sleeping animals, or whatever. "Never have I known you to not skate when an opportunity presents itself."

Will rolls his eyes. "Why do you even want to? Sixty minutes of making ourselves look like Bambis on ice wasn't enough?"

Mack tilts his head and gives him a look. "I think this ice is a bit different than the rink at TD."

Will opens his mouth to argue that, actually, all ice is the same because it's just frozen water—but something in Mack's expression makes him think better of it. His eyebrows are pushed up, his mouth twisted in that hopeful smirk that either leads to triumph or mischief. Mack's trying to cheer him up, in his own weird way, and Will's kind of being a dick about it.

Will sighs. "15 minutes. Any longer and I think we'd be at serious risk of hypothermia."

Mack smiles that big, toothy grin that emblazoned itself into Will's consciousness the first time he saw it, and every time after. There's some addicting chemical laced in it; there's gotta be.

They find a bench to sit on while they put up their skates. Will didn't even think about how Mack obtained them until he sees the Bauer label.

"Mack, did you swipe these?"

Mack, again, shrugs. "They have our names on them."

Will smiles. "Can't argue with that."

The first step onto the pond is like any other, but as he sets his other skate down and pushes off—as he gets into a stride—he can feel the difference immensely. It's rough, and snowy—difficult to maneuver at first. He catches his pick on a bump at one point and nearly wipes out, causing Mack to stop and laugh.

He didn't realize it's been so long since he skated on ice like this—not manicured and smoothed, but natural—real. It brings him back to when he was just learning how to skate as a kid, uncoordinated but doe-eyed, eager to learn.

Mack lets him be for a few minutes, content to stroll on his own, but eventually he skates up and taps Will on the shoulder. "Race you to the bridge?"

"Oh, you're on, bud."

Mack giggles gleefully as he sets off, Will rushing to catch up before he can even complain that they didn't count down.

Mack's faster than him—always has been, even though Will won't admit it—but the uneven terrain makes him wobble. Will's able to catch up to him and nearly sidle by, grabbing his arm to try and throw him off balance.

"Hey! Cheater!" Mack cries, but it doesn't sound as accusatory when it's punctuated by laughter.

Will laughs, too, his eyes crinkling with it, which is what he blames when his blade catches a crack, causing him to lose his footing. Before he knows it, he's spun around and falling backwards, taking Mack with him.

He lands on his tailbone, the force of it pushing an "Oof" out of him, with Mack sprawled out on top of him.

"Oh, shit," Mack says, scrambling to sit up. His eyes are saucers. "Are you okay?"

Will is slow to sit up, hand moving to rub his lower back. "Yeah," he says, wincing. "Not broken or anything. Just gonna be wicked sore tomorrow."

Mack must be really distressed because he doesn't even comment on Will's use of 'wicked' like he usually would. He just roams his eyes up and down Will's figure like he has X-ray vision and can discern any other bodily injuries.

Will reaches out and places his hand on Mack's arm. "Mack, I'm fine, really."

That doesn't do anything, to calm him. So, he—well, he does it without really thinking. He takes Mack's hand. That snaps Mack out of it, his eyes flicking back to Will's.

"We're hockey players. We literally fall on our asses for a living. I think I can deal with a sore tailbone for a few days."

That gets a chuckle out of Mack. He doesn't remove his hand from Will's, so Will doesn't move an inch.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought you out here to begin with. It was stupid."

Will shakes his head. "No, it wasn't stupid." He's not magically all better, but he finds himself feeling significantly lightened. "I was in my head. I needed a reminder—why we do this, I guess. It was good."

Mack smiles, no teeth this time, and Will thinks that maybe he likes this one better. It's more intimate—just for him.

"I wanted you to feel better," Mack says. "I know coming back was gonna be hard for you, and the game was...well, it was shit, so that didn't help things."

Will chuckles mirthlessly. Mack shrugs, continuing. "I guess I wanted to remind you that being back here isn't so bad."

"It's not bad. You're right. It's just..."

He looks off for an answer, and when he can't find one he comes back. Mack's eyes greet him, warm and understanding. And he gets it, Will knows. Underneath the accolades and the point streaks and the headlines, Mack knows exactly how Will is feeling. Perhaps, sometimes, he feels it more, that label of the 'No. 1 draft pick' weighing on him in a way Will can never know.

It's not about the game, not really, and Will only sort of admitted it to himself before now. It's about being back in the city he really made a name for himself in, before he lost that big-eyed, eager innocence he thinks is so foolish now. He wouldn't trade being in the NHL for the world; he's not that stupid. It just—it kind of sucks right now, and he thinks he's allowed that.

Mack smiles weakly, and he looks so young. Not like Will's that much older, but... it's crazy, how they're both just kids in the end. Kids destined for greatness.

"We should probably stand up now," Mack says. "My jeans are soggy as hell."

Will laughs and they let go of each other's hands to get up. When they do, though—Will spinning around to head back to their shoes—he nearly bumps into Mack's chest.

Mack laughs, and then Will laughs and makes to back up, but Mack gently grabs his arm. Will snaps his eyes up to his, and something in Mack's gaze pins him there. He's utterly incapable of moving, but he realizes he doesn't want to, not when Mack slowly leans in and connects their lips.

And, oh. Oh oh oh.

Mack's lips are cold, but his mouth is warm, Will parting his lips to get a better taste of it. Mack makes some sort of pleasured noise and allows it, taking hold of Will's cheeks and propping his chin up to kiss him deeper.

Will realizes, dizzyingly, that their noses are touching. He wonders if Mack's is still red.

Eventually, Mack pulls back and leans his forehead against Will's. "How's that for a homecoming, eh?"

Will laughs, his voice going high with it. Maybe the cold is getting to him; maybe it's the way Mack is still holding onto his cheeks, so gently.

"You fucking Canadian," Will huffs out, and Mack tips his head back to laugh.

That won't do, though. Will loops an arm around Mack's neck and pulls him back in, swallowing the sound and kissing that smile right off his handsome face.

He feels that unrest from earlier—when they touched down on the tarmac—finally fade away, replaced by something else entirely.

And maybe Boston isn't so bad, or the NHL for that matter. They can't be, not when they gave him Mack, like this, perfect in his arms.

Maybe everything worked out just right.

#baby sharks are baby sharking #obligatory boston mention #fic request

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glocksglory · 4 months ago

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she’s my fantasy

* you give off angel energy. you have an angelic personality, presence, and aura. the entirety of your existence is rooted in angelic tendencies. you're an angel in the flesh that walks on earth leaving a trail that encapsulates onlookers into your pulchritudinous allure. “are you an angel in disguise?” is what people ponder, an angel whose halo and wings are intangible. rooms illuminate with a heavenly glow when you step foot into them, bringing a sense of serenity to those around you. you have a vibrant aura, an aura so bright, brighter than the luminous moonlight beautifully illuminating the sky on a dark, stormy night. it’s almost as if you carry a fragment of the moon’s light with you. your existence is seen as an ethereal blessing straight from heaven. heaven itself lies within your caress. you were created in heaven. you’re in this world but not of it. your existence and presence makes people think of the many beauties and mysteries the universe holds, those that we can see and those that are blind to the human eye.

* your presence is an extreme wave of dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, endorphins, & euphoria. your presence is like an escape from life, heaven on earth, a presence both soothing & otherworldly. you’re an experience that is out-of-this-world. being around you is like a cosmic, ethereal, trippy, out-of-body experience. people feel like they’re astroplaning when around you. people feel like they're fever, or lucid dreaming when around you. dreamy, enchanting, exuberant, & magnetic are all adjectives that can be used to describe your aura, with an aftertaste that leaves them all wanting more.

* people literally get high off your energy alone. you just make everyone so happy and high, feeling like they’re on cloud 9. you never blow other’s high, in fact you're the high that everyone craves to feel. you’re a high that people can’t seem to come down from. you are ecstasy, you are the happy drug. you’re always vibrating on high frequencies. people literally want to inject your energy into their veins. your presence is like a harmless, but very potent drug that everything & everyone you come in contact with is influenced by.

* you make people feel an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia; every moment with you feels like a core memory. you're like a good memory people think of ever so often & wish they could go back to that era of life. like thinking of how festive the holidays were as a child or waking up for school in the early 2000s and hearing the sweet melody of the birds. but then again, you're a distant memory people can’t quite put their finger on; a contrasting duality.

* for some strange reason, people can’t stop thinking about you. you live on people’s minds rent-free. literally the first thing people think about when they wake up and when they fall asleep. people get butterflies, goosebumps, and chills just thinking about you. you’re a never ending thought. people fantasize about you. people crave for you every hour of the day. you’re the girl of everyone’s dreams. when people are around you or come in contact with you, they seem immediately infatuated with your mind, body, and soul. everyone is attracted to you like a magnet. people want to bathe in your intoxicating energy. you give people the exhilarating feeling of falling in love for the first time.

* your presence is the best present. your presence is present enough. it’s a blessing just being in your presence. your presence makes everyone’s day a million times better, even if you occupy a mere portion of it. people cherish every moment with you. people feel like there’s nothing better than being in your presence. people rather spend time with you than doing anything else. people feel so fortunate to know you. people feel like it's a privilege speaking to you.

* there’s so much depth to you and people feen to learn more and more about you. you’re an interesting individual with a spirited personality. people find you interesting and unique and this is why people stay wanting to know more about you and your lore. what made you the person you are today, your past, your walk of life… literally everything. people genuinely want to know more about you beyond your favorite color. even those who you’ve never uttered a word to in your life approach you because they just find you so interesting.

* you possess a down-to-earth, emotionally relieving aura. when people come across you, it’s like a fresh breath of air. you’re nothing they’ve ever seen or experienced before. the way you make people feel doesn’t compare to anyone else they’ve interacted with. you give people a feeling they’ve never felt before, not even from their family or close-friends; it’s just something about you. they may have had other experiences, but experiences with you top it. being with you is different. your vibe is different. you don’t blend in with the crowd in the best way possible. it’s so rare to be in the midst of beautiful souls like you in this generation, so you’re desired by all. you’re a rare gem.

* you possess a heart of gold, so naturally, everything you touch turns into gold. you better everyone you come in contact with on a physical, mental, emotional, & spiritual level. you change people’s view of life into a new & better perspective, when you come into someone’s life, it’s like the start of a new era. people’s lives feel better with you in it and there’s never a dull moment with you. you inspire others to be the best versions of themselves. you’re a positive metanoia to people; you bring out the best in people. you can actually change people. you’re a lucky charm; you bring something positive into people’s lives. you're the girl that came along & fixed everything.

* you embody the vibes and lyrics of the song “meet me in amsterdam” by rini, “best part” by daniel caesar, “love is only a feeling” by joey badass, and “kiss of life” by sade. people always say that you remind them of partynextdoor, bryson tiller, frank ocean, daniel caesar, tyus, aaliyah, sade, rihanna, summer walker, jhene aiko, tems, old playboi carti, sza, kali uchis, and brent faiyaz songs. it’s almost as if all the emotional love songs in the world were sincerely written just for you. you’re the girl rappers cry about in their songs. people make songs, albums, and playlists dedicated to you. people literally describe you in the way one would describe their lover in wattpad stories. deep, love quotes were written about you, you’re the girl levi carter describes in his tweets.

* people feel homesick without you. people feel a sense of hiraeth and saudade for you when you’re not there or when you leave their presence. you’re like a walking lantern, the whole atmosphere changes when you enter the room. everything lights up, but as soon as you leave, everything goes dim, your absence leaves people reminiscing about every moment they had with you, hoping and wishing for a chance to encounter and experience you again. your presence is one to be missed, and so it is, incredibly. you leave a gaping hole in others lives when you leave, your uniqueness and individuality cannot be replicated, so when and if you exit people’s lives, the difference is obvious and fails to go unnoticed.

* people feel a natural connection with you because of how authentic and real you are. you know how to hit it off with literally anyone you talk to. you instantly connect and click with everyone so easily and effortlessly, even with random people you just met a second ago. you vibe so well with everyone. you could turn up with anyone and everyone. you possess the ability to mirror others personality and vibe. you match everyone's humor. you have an eye for social cues and keep conversations flowing, it just feels wrong or weird if you’re not invited or brought along somewhere, or if you’re not there for a hangout session. people want you around all the time, things are just better when you’re there.

* your aura is so healing. your aura gives off an analgesic effect that has people overcoming physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual traumas, hatred, or pain within themselves or others. people feel finally free when around you, letting go of feelings of worry and resentment. you possess a unique ability to calm troubled souls, on some personal therapist shit, you free people’s mind. you’re the human personification of a bandaged heart emoji.

* everything about you is real, raw, genuine, authentic, deep, down-to-earth, and wise. you’re not afraid to be your authentic self in the most unapologetic form. you stay true to yourself no matter the situation. you’re the type of person people want to gatekeep, the type of person people like having deep conversations with till 3 a.m. you’re able to have and hold deep conversations with anyone. it’s easy talking to you. it’s easy being with you.

* people find themselves randomly opening up to you because of the highly trustworthy energy you emit. people feel comfortable fully opening up to you. you come across as a caring, empathetic, and trustworthy person because you are. people are drawn to these qualities and feel comfortable confiding in you. people feel like they could tell you anything. people feel comfortable venting or ranting to you about their days as you always offer a good ear, vice versa. you’re full of wisdom and great advice. you’re genuine, patient, kind, loving, wise, and emotionally intelligent.

* people's love for you isn’t just sweet words of sweet love, it’s sacred and genuine. people authentically love, adore, and appreciate you so much. there’s not a single person you know that isn’t madly in love with you, and it doesn’t even have to be in a romantic way. no matter the amount of time spent apart or with no contact, people have love and will always have love for you. people only have positive things to say and think about you. you’re always talked about positively. you always have people that’ll come to your defense if someone ever tries to hate on you or speak negatively about you ‘cause it’s literally impossible to dislike you. you are the most lovable person in the world.

* you're like the sunshine after rain, a ray of sunshine lighting up the whole world, the source of light penetrating even the darkest of times. you're the relief after crying, a promise of a new day, and the refreshment of one’s soul and mind. you’re a walking light of hope. the world loves taking care of you. you smile at the world and the world smiles back at you.

* the same tremendous amount of kindness you give others is immediately given back to you tenfold. people would do anything to express their love and adoration for you. you’re safe, healthy, and full of divine energy. your energy is so pretty and clean. you only attract people with positive intentions into your life. everyone you know is just as loving and kind as you. you have loads of social connections, bonds, and relations. you develop and maintain genuine connections with your friends and family. you have unlimited, unconditional, unwavering love for everyone and everything. you have a positive mind and a positive outlook on life. negative environments, situations, or people do not faze you.

* you always move with love in your heart and that’s why you’re constantly being blessed with everything you desire. because of your beautiful and genuine heart, soul, and mind, you’re constantly receiving everything that you’ve ever dreamed of and more. you move with pure love and pure intentions. you’re beautiful inside and out.

& moree!

benefits inspired by my favs: @unawarecolor, @angelinyourmidst, @temptation__, @mbarb, @24kglocks, @pr1sm, @glogirl, @trapanesebarbie, & @dezzidior.

glo.

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jxsterr · 2 years ago

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In that Depths post, you mentioned Link taking Zelda to Cotera to max out her gear. I feel like the Great Fairies are a little mini adventure for Zelink. Zelda's curiosity, Link's protective instincts and war flashbacks, plus my theory about how their magic works (acts of affection only) and I can't help but wonder how Zelink's initial and subsequent interactions with Great Fairies go. Do you have enough thoughts on that to put into a post?

WAIT UR SO RIGHT i hadnt even thought that much about how the great fairies worked until you mentioned it omgg

see the one thing thats up for debate is if zelda had ever interacted with the great fairies between botw and totk, i’d probably say she hasnt?? cuz it seems like the number of monsters we see in the games is Unusual so technically there wouldn’t be much need for her stuff to be upgraded, plus she literally has a guard dog LMAO

but i could imagine it being SUCH an emotional rollercoaster for zelda, we all know damn well she’s been starved of affection. i hope ive done this thought justice HAHA

- zelda is 100% spending the first 5 minutes there taking photos from every angle and link just has to stand there and wait while she’s like “i just need one more!!” (she’s said that 5 times now)

- i like to think that they’d be able to find things like fairies and blupees near the great fairies

- a further 10 minutes is spent with zelda on her hands and knees, purah pad in hands, trying to sneak close enough to a blupee to get a clear photo

- same thing with the fairies. she tries to catch one for science but fails miserably

- link catches one for her and she spends another minute just turning the jar in her hands. he can quite literally see the stars in her eyes

- “do you suppose we have a jar big enough to make a terrarium?” “i think so.” “hmm.. although, that may raise some concerns over fairy ethics..”

- totk has already shown us zelda has a thirst for keeping any funky creature she finds

- link waves and greets cotera nonchalantly. zelda can’t help but stare, wide-eyed and absolutely encapsulated by her beauty

- “my, and who’s this little wildflower you’ve brought along with you?”

- she’s surprised at how easily cotera’s flirty remarks wash over link. the most he ever does is smile

- it’s zelda’s turn to endure the incessant cooing of the great fairies. she’s bright red and struggles to reply without stammering

- link watches her with a grin and even laughs when she stutters enough that she’s incomprehensible

- she swats at his arm, it only makes him giggle more

- link explains what happens at each upgrade to save throwing her in blindly. zelda’s a little hesitant but he reassures her and the encouragement from him fills her with courage

- she handles the first upgrade easily. she’s grinning and relishes in the sparkles that linger around her

- link’s too busy admiring how pretty she looks when she’s given a confidence boost

- cotera’s looking at him knowingly but keeps her words to herself

- the second upgrade flusters her but she’s giggling

- “not to brag, princess, but my magic has worked wonders on you. you look wonderful!” “oh! you needn’t say such lovely things, cotera, really..”

- link’s already grinning before the third upgrade. zelda somehow doesn’t feel comforted

- cotera decides to show a little bit of mercy given how obvious it is that zelda has very little experience w affection so she kisses her head instead. it still stuns her

- link’s stepping back before the final upgrade. zelda has enough time to make a noise of surprise before she’s been scooped up and dragged to the very depths of the fountain

- link’s laughing when he helps steady her once she’s put back down. she feels positively ready to burst from all this affection. she’s still speechless

- he spends time talking to cotera about their plans to traverse the depths while zelda recovers

- link finds himself asking if cotera’s sure being fully upgraded will keep her safe and for a moment a look of understanding washes over her

- she’s seen firsthand the stages of grief trying to find the princess again put him through. she’d seen the exhaustion in his eyes, repairing some of his clothes as she upgraded them from all the battles he’d endured in his search for her

- zelda’s touched by his worry, but also equally worried about his own wellbeing. being so anxious about her couldnt be good for him. she felt guilty sometimes

- “thank you so much for your blessings, cotera. you have been very kind.” “with a face like yours, princess, i should be thanking you.” “oh..!”

- cotera asks to speak with link alone for a bit and zelda obliges, busying herself with making notes on the whole experience

- “link, please tell me you’ve been looking after yourself?” “it’s.. a work in progress.” “please, find time for yourself to heal. even if that time is while you’re next to her, don’t lose yourself to what plagues you.” “mm..”

- zelda leaves feeling like it’s not only her clothes that have been upgraded but her confidence too. link wishes he had the courage to continue where cotera left off

- both of them feel as though theyve just witnessed some personal growth from zelda, link makes sure to tell her that confidence is a good look on her

- his compliment has by far the biggest impact on her

#rambled with this one oops #the zelda brainrot goes insane #zelink #zelda botw #zelda x link #loz zelda #legend of zelda #zelda and link #zelda breath of the wild #princess zelda #zelda totk #zelda tears of the kingdom #zelda #loz link #totk link #totk #loz totk #tears of the kingdom

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markantonys · 1 year ago

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parsing through my thoughts on the TOM gawene conflicts as i've been rereading some of their scenes while working on my fic! as always, my interpretations are colored by my role as gawyn's defense attorney lmao

the core of these conflicts really is so good to me. because we have egwene, who has a complex about needing to do everything herself and thinking she can't rely on other people to do things on her behalf (due to her experiences of needing to strong-arm into supporting her aes sedai who only raised her because they wanted to use her as a puppet). and we have gawyn, who has a complex about needing to be useful to a more important person at all times (due to his upbringing as "a living sword for elayne's/andor's use"). and so OF COURSE they run into a problem of gawyn trying too hard to be useful to egwene, egwene getting mad that he's interfering and presuming she needs his help, and then gawyn getting upset that egwene is rejecting his help and not letting him be useful. tasty, delicious, organic, and in character if you ask me! and throughout, we see that they both care about each other and both ultimately want the same thing (gawyn becoming egwene's warder), but just can't quite understand each other well enough to get onto the same page about making that happen.

now, sanderson's spin on it of "oh, gawyn's too used to being a prince so he struggles to follow orders and play second fiddle" isn't the correct read to me. imo it's based on real-world, patriarchy-rooted assumptions of what being raised as a prince would be like, but in andor's matriarchal monarchy, gawyn has always been raised to play second fiddle rather than hold the spotlight himself and he never had a problem with it prior to TOM (in fact, he was actively miserable being a large-scale military leader), so transitioning from being elayne's first prince to egwene's warder shouldn't be too big a shock to his system. and he's usually shown to be pretty willing to follow orders - UNLESS those orders are to do nothing, which most (all?) of egwene's orders to him in TOM are. because he Needs To Be Useful and can't accept that sometimes he can help somebody best by Not Doing Anything (encapsulated perfectly by the "gawyn i need you to do something for me" "yes anything" "stop guarding my door" "what no!" exchange). so in that sense i think gawyn behaves pretty in-character in TOM, but sanderson just picked out the wrong reason for what's making him behave that way.

thus, the resolution of the conflict does stumble a bit. egwene being put in a situation where she would've died if gawyn hadn't helped her works for her end of it (learning to lean on others), but on gawyn's end it's kinda clunky. the lesson he Truly needed to learn is that sometimes the best thing he can do is nothing, but sanderson was under the impression that the lesson he needed to learn was that his place is in egwene's shadow and he must come to her as a warder rather than as a prince. hence, the resolution on his end is him accepting his own death as the price to pay to keep egwene alive. which is........kinda the opposite of what he needed to learn and basically contributes to his actual death in AMOL.........wait a minute, WAS this a mishandling by sanderson or was he deliberately making gawyn learn the wrong lesson to set up his death? lmao

anyway, at the end of the day the whole bloodknife sequence is SO goddamn romantic that i don't even care about some of the details of gawyn's motivations feeling off to me. literally a top 5 most romantic WOT moment from which i will never recover!!!!

#wot #wot book spoilers #gawene #gawyn trakand #egwene al'vere

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therealslimshakespeare · 6 months ago

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I was thinking about how each of your OCs represents something unique about womanhood and it got me wondering how Tilly fits into that. Like we know that Sanchez and Ida both find weakness in seeming “womanly” and therefore try to squash that part of themselves down. But while it makes Sanchez more resentful and drawn to isolating herself, Ida steps more into that leadership role (and she obviously always has). And then they both still have their moments of raw, beautiful kindness, specifically with Lu, by helping her with life experiences and problems that literally encapsulate being a young girl. Cause Lu is still so young and just learning how being a woman can make you victim to so much horrible violence, but on the flip side, she also has those sweet moments with Ida and perhaps Sanchez (helping her with pads, I think u said??) that frame all that stuff in a more positive light. Anyways, I spend a lot of time thinking about those topics with those 3 and am curious re. Tilly. I almost feel like she could be very healing for Lu and Ida post-war because she strikes me as the type who enjoys doing feminine and “girly” things? Even little stuff, I feel like I could see her insisting to Ida that she let her do her hair or complaining to Lu about her period and opening up dialogue for those sorts of things. Idk. Just thoughts!!!! I love these 4 more than anything and love thinking about their dynamics post war (or I suppose, only those 3 regarding the post war dynamics but I do adore Sanchez)

This is so deep and lovely 😭

Fully, fully agree with all this. And what a cool question about Tilly, I wish I had a better answer but I love to think of how utterly compassionate her life has been. And yet, she’s had to fight for the right to serve her country due only to the fact she’s black. Which could sour anyone but instead she’s just all the more feisty -but what she wants is a chance to distribute mercy. (Red Cross work) and she’s fighting for that. How utterly admirable.

When she married Brady she has a very traumatized if reticent man to repair. And her very marriage to him is so sacrificial in plenty of ways -yet it’s also subversive as an interracial marriage based solely off of love for each other from letters. I think she’s got a massive amount of faith in people and she’s a crusader. But she likes the home fires, that’s where she does a lot of her work. And I think it ennobles some of those more “typically” feminine roles the army girls might initially balk at. It’s healing. I imagine her as a teacher or something even after marriage, but very community involved.

Just thoughts. I really love her so

#Tilly Brady #those who can

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theromanticrationalist · 9 months ago

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Young Sheldon Series Finale: 7x13 Funeral

So, I was delayed in watching the finale because I actually wanted to watch it with my own Dad, but AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

😭

Damn, damn, damn, DAMN DAAAAAAAAMN!! So, that Funeral episode hit and it hit hard. (Did they really HAVE TO HAVE AN OPEN CASKET FOR THE LOVE OF GOD...ughughughughugh) The writing for that episode was the crème de la crème, and I think is the cathartic thematic climax of this series. The final episode was necessary for transitioning between YS and TBBT, which brings both stories together, but as far as the story YS was telling, Funeral was the show's end. It isn't a perfect ending and it wasn't a pretty ending, and in fact is quite devastating in so many ways, but it is truthful to Sheldon's journey, and to the human experience.

When Sheldon got up in front of the church to say a few words, playing out the scenario as he wished he had done it, that was the moment. The whole episode is Sheldon processing his grief - imperfect and messy as he has literally no tools or precedent to fall back on - as he replays his father leaving that fateful day over and over, tweaking it each time to make it "better". With a young man with an eidetic memory and a compulsive need for his reality to be orderly (and the fact that he believes in the Many-Worlds Interpretation), this would make sense. He begins be utilizing Star Trek (Spock's death) to filter it and provide context, but that no longer proves sufficient to the crushing and terrible emotions of what he is experiencing. That was a tool he used for when he was a boy, but now he has been thrust into the world of manhood in absolutely the worst way possible. What is it that will speak truest to what he is going through than the bare naked truth?

"I've been thinking a lot about the last moments I had with my Dad. It was morning and he was leaving for work. He said "See y'all later." And I said nothing. I regret that. I could have said bye. Or asked him for a ride. Or told him that I loved him, but I didn't. I barely noticed that he left. So many times that I didn't notice my father, I hope he knew how much I loved him."

From the audience's perspective we have been watching Sheldon play the scenario many times through his mind, and to have the rug pulled out from under us at this moment of all moments, to see that this too was only just a scenario (played out by Sheldon Prime), is exactly what it is like living in this world, enduring this life - not just for Sheldon but for all of us. In one of my previous posts I mentioned how I loved Sheldon Cooper's story because of what he could teach us. This episode encapsulates it in total. He can teach us that you cannot quantify life, you can't organize it so that everything makes sense and plays out in a well-structured narrative and format, where every feeling is named and every event categorized. Life is myriad, so much richer and so much fuller and so much wilder than anything we can imagine or think up on our own. It is what makes it utterly terrifying and wretched, but it is also part of its beauty and purpose. Sheldon Cooper comes to realize this, but he is only able to have this deeper understanding after first living it. Sheldon Prime's concluding narration at the end of Funeral is Sheldon Cooper's story taken as a whole - past, present, future - the life in movement. Of course young Sheldon would not experience his father's death in its completeness. He is the midst of it. He is trying to survive it. So I love the realness of Sheldon's "imperfect" response to his father's death in the fact that he didn't respond to it. He quite literally did not process it, and instead ran away from it. It is painful, brutal, but truthful. Yet that was not the end of Sheldon Cooper's story, as we know, and I think that leaves us with hope, but it is a kind of hope that must be waited for with profound patience.

Although I myself have not gone through the loss of a parent like Sheldon has, I still have gone through devastating and traumatic life events, so I am very familiar with the inexplicable and violating nature of grief and loss. I am still processing that grief and loss, so these thoughts I am sharing with you all right now are pretty recent revelations, and quite literally me living them out in real time, so it might be a little messy...hehe.

However, I will end this by saying that none of these truths mean that life is arbitrary. It doesn't mean it makes life meaningless. Just because human endeavors cannot place life within a context that he himself can first create and then comprehend, doesn't mean that life doesn't have a context and that that context can't be understood. It just means that that context comes from a different Source, an external and eternal one (and I will say, by necessity, a paternal one, but that is a thought for another day!)

Fitting then that the episode, and Young Sheldon, should end with the recitation of the Lord's prayer:

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." | Matthew 6:9-10

#welp I think this show has officially traumatized me for life #me utterly shocked right now at the level of artistry of this episode #it kind of just elevates the entire show to a whole other level #I was seriously watching this episode with tears streaming down my face #DUDE #young sheldon #sheldon cooper #I just love Sheldon Cooper so much #my poor precious baby string bean baby bean #😭😭😭#iain armitage #iain was phenomenal these last episodes #dang son #my thoughts #my sheldon cooper thoughts #young sheldon season 7 #7x13 #funeral #saving my shamy thoughts for a separate post!!!

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igbylicious · 9 months ago

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YOUR MIND 👨‍🍳💋👌 I love this update a lot!! The way it kinda has been leading up to this and we all knew it was gonna be wooyoung who pushes first djjaak I love you boo but it tracks XD the readers pov was so well written it just feels like you were expressing some of my own thoughts and feelings that made me go like YES THAT'S THE THING WITH WORDS!! the very unique frustrations of being aro around a world so persistent on prioritising romantic relationships first and foremost ugh you did SO WELL I'm honestly so so proud ahhh I'd print out this chapter and plaster it all over my walls if I could 🖤 also have I mentioned how grateful I am for your san he's SO PRECIOUS!! The way he handles conflict is so soothing bless him. He is truly just the best boy *gives all the head pats to him*. I hope you're feeling better in general and about this chapter, too, because you truly did wonderfully with it. I know it also hits close to home for you and honestly it shouldn't matter if your representation of an aro character isn't relatable to every aro person because it will be to someone and they should feel seen too! So I hope you stop worrying about that even if it feels silly to tell you to stop worrying because that's definitely not how it works, but sometimes hearing it from someone else helps 🖤🖤 thank you for another great chapter and all your hard work!!

lol ofc it had be Wooyoung! he never meant any harm but he just got carried away in the moment ♡ asdjkasdjk San deserves ALL the head pats after that! he was STRESSED!!! like what’s he supposed to do if Woo and reader had a falling out?? ;;

gOD i feel you on the prioritisation! T_T to get personal for just a minute, i already knew abt aromanticism for a while before, youknow, it clicked for me; and i had that ‘click’ moment when i realised that no, i don’t want to be in a romantic relationship, i’m just scared of being left behind alone as i grow older, and my friends’ attention shifts to other things.

a romantic relationship often felt like the only way to guarantee that i’d stay important in the life of at least one person that i also care abt, bc it is treated as such a normal thing that friendships fade when ppl get into romantic relationships, move in together, get kids, that whole deal — all things that i don’t want ^^;; (i do feel more secure with some of the friends i have now, but obv whichever way is a huge wish-fulfillment thing heh!)

asdkjadskj ok now i got all that out; i am so happy the story is connecting with you! even if it is for reasons i wish we didn’t have to deal with lol!!! and it does help to hear ♡ an external reminder is good every now and then, and i needed one (≧◡≦) ♡

like there is such wide spectrum of experiences, needs and wants within the aromantic community, and i really shouldn’t even be trying to encapsulate all of that in one story, one character. some aros are good with being in romantic relationships, others don’t want to be in a QPR; i literally can’t represent us all here lol ^^;;

really, thankyou for the reminder ( ´ ▿ ` )♡

#igby’s inbox #whiway #theoreticallymad #heck i’m not even fully representing myself lol! i’d let Woo and San lay all the platonic smooches on me that they want uwu

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orangepeel98 · 15 days ago

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I'm Gonna Win by Rob Cantor gives me serious Jotaro vs DIO vibes, so l'm going to ramble about it

(Major Spoilers for Parts 3-6 of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)

Verse 1:

"My life is a constant entrapment of tunnels/Which tangle and wind and beguile" - Ever since obtaining his "evil spirit" in that jail cell, Jotaro's life has been nothing less than a chaotic mess. His mom's dying, he learns he and his entire family have superpowers vampires are real. What the fuck is going on This even applies to his character beyond part 3, due to Morioh, the secret diary, and looking for the Stand arrows, all while trying not to let his daughter get involved.

"Sometimes it can feel like a merciless dream/And l'm falling with nothing to hold" - Reinforcing the last point, emphasizing just how shitty of a situation he's in.

"Sometimes I get flustered and beaten and blistered" - This one is pretty self explanitory. He's literally beaten up many times throughout Stardust Crusaders

Verse 2:

"It's hard to be charming and smart and disarming/It's hard to pretend you're the best" - This is what DIO relies on for power DIO's charming, he's strong. After being pulled out of the ocean, not a single person was capable of stopping him, and he believed that would apply to Jotaro, too. He realized he was wrong.

"It's hard to fulfill everyone's expectations/It's hard to keep up with the rest" - For the first time in a century, someone had power over him. Back then, it was Dario. Now, it's Jotaro. When Dario was still alive, he lacked money and the respect of others. Since his father's death, he's either had an equal or been superior, mainly the latter. But now, in this fight against someone he viewed to be a minor obstacle in his path to total domination, he's finding it hard to keep up again.

Chorus:

"But I'm gonna win, l'm gonna try/I'll never lose, I'll never die" - Jotaro puts every effort into winning. He doesn't know if he'll make it out alive. In fact, he's pretty sure he won't when he stops his own heart. DIO, on the other hand, is confident he'll win. He is, quiteliterally, certain he'll never die, especially with his vampirism and The World.

"You've seen me before, you'll see me again" - This line represents the century-long feud between the Joestars and DIO. DIO killed Jonathan and -- for right now -- Joseph. DIO's influence lasts into every part after SDC, even when DIO is dead. They have seen each other before and will see each other again.

Bridge and Outro:

"How do you feel?/You've been concealing your worries from the world/But you can reveal them to me" - This encapsulates the scene when Jotaro finally masters timestop DIO is in disbelief that someone defeated him. He was certain he was unstoppable with The World. Jotaro even asks him how it feels to experience the effects of timestop. But the moment DIO sees the opportunity to gain the upper hand again, he becomes overconfident. Even during his last words, he's in disbelief. He's concealing the worries he has about his own weakness.

"I wouldn't know/I go on even though I'll be bloody and bruised/l'Il be breaking my bones" - Jotaro continues his life after the fight and -- as mentioned during verse 1 -- it's still bad. Jotaro is in several more fights. He nearly dies to Kira. He nearly dies to a rat. He ends up eventually succumbing to Made in Heaven.

"I'll be paying my dues" - Jotaro does not believe he is a good person. He believes he is a bad person with a basic moral compass and says this outright to Kakyoin at the start of Stardust Crusaders. He implies this through his confession of caring about Jolyne during Stone Ocean.

"I'll be laughing alone" - After part 3, only two crusaders survived other than Jotaro Even then, he had limited contact with both of them. He wasn't even able to be with his family, since he was balancing getting a doctorate with protecting his wife and Jolyne from getting involved in the Joestars' problems.

I may add more later but for now that is all

Thank you for coming to my Ted talk, I now have the urge to make an AMV surrounding this

#rambles #jotaro kujo #dio brando #jjba

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theygotlost · 1 year ago

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Annotations for le Vimes playlist

hi. read this if you care

YOUTUBE VERSION if you want to listen without spotify

1. The Fool / Neutral Milk Hotel

A little instrumental preamble before the playlist proper. musically, I think it captures the state of Vimes at the beginning of Guards! Guards!. It sounds like a processional fanfare fit for a guard, but cacophonous and lilting, as if the band were stumbling drunk.

2. Wasted on the Senate Floor / Emperor X

Another Guards! Song, though the frantic energy reflects the chaotic excitement of the watch series and Discworld as a whole (and the excitement I get from reading it heehee). The title/refrain is pretty straightforward, just replace “senate floor” with “oblong office”.

Some other pertinent lyrics:

That feels million to one [a million to one chance??? perhaps???]

Republican watchman from Virginia wraps his fist in a flag To punch our lights out

We've got bloody eyes but we're feeling good Causing confusion in the neighborhood

3. We Live in a Dump / They Might be Giants

I have to put a TMBG song in my discworld playlist, I simply must! Pretty much all the lyrics to this one are relevant, but the pre-chorus specifically fits well with the rank trying to get Vimes out of his drunken stupor and Vimes being dismissed from the watch, both of which happen in Guards! And Men at Arms.

Why be realistic? Don't wake me from my dream I was individualistic They kicked me off the team

4. Grace Cathedral Hill / The Decemberists

How Vimes experiences Ankh-Morpork. There’s a tenderness and melancholy to this song, since Vimes does have a sort of affection for the city despite how terrible it is.

All dust and stone and moribund

The air, it stunk of fish and beer

The suggestion of CMOT dibbler:

We were both a little hungry So we went to get a hot dog

The pilgrims, pills, and tourists here Will sink fifty-three bucks to buy A brand new halo

This could be Sibyl, who knows!!

Sweet on a green-eyed girl All fiery Irish clip and curl All brine and piss and vinegar

I know “piss and vinegar” is an expression describing her personality (Vimes is really more the one full of piss and vinegar), but taken literally it would also accurately describe the smell of the city.

5. Dirty Old Town / Ewan Maccoll

A continuation of the themes from the previous song. I originally had the cover by the Pogues in here for the longest time, but I decided to replace it with the original from 1949 because it brings a more interesting color (the clarinet!!).

6. Precinct 41 Major Crime Unit / Sea Power

Another instrumental interlude, this time from the Disco Elysium soundtrack. Discworld and Disco Elysium are so closely linked in my mind, Vimes absolutely has Harry’s skillset inside his brain and you CANNOT convince me otherwise. As the title suggests this song is the theme for Harry’s police precinct, and I totally imagine it playing during an intense moment with the Watch.

7. Hurricane Drunk / Florence + the Machine

Yeah yeah I know it’s sooo easy to fill my playlist with songs about alcoholism. Well if the boot fits! Plus:

No walls can keep me protected No sleep, nothing in between me and the rain

Pretty good imagery here of Vimes’ night patrols and/or passing out in the gutter.

8. Down by the Water / The Decemberists

The river Ankh, if we’re using a generous definition of the term “water”.

9. Cap in Hand / The Proclaimers

FUUUCK the nobility!!!

10. Average Working Man / Panicland

FUCK the nobility… 2!!! He's God's message to the high class folk!!!! This is a perfect song for encapsulating Vimes’ RAGEEE

11. This Night / Black Lab

This one’s about the Summoning Dark/”The Beast”:

There are things, I have done There's a place, I have gone There's a beast and I let it run Now it's running my way

And then there’s this:

So take this night And wrap it around me like a sheet I know I'm not forgiven But I need a place to sleep So take this night And lay me down on the street I know I'm not forgiven but I hope That I'll be given some peace

From Jingo:

He was, temporarily, a happy man. He was cold, wet and alone, trying to keep out of the worst of the weather at three o’clock on a ferocious morning. He’d spent some of the best nights of his life like this. At such times you could just…sort of hunch your shoulders like this and let your head pull in like this and you became a little hutch of warmth and peace, the rain banging on your helmet, the mind just ticking over, sorting out the world…

12. Get Better / Frank Turner

Vimes’ character is all about learning from mistakes and making an effort to become a better person. All the lyrics are relevant, but here’s the chorus:

I'm trying to get better 'cause I haven't been my best She took a plain black marker, started writing on my chest She drew a line across the middle of my broken heart And said "Come on now, let's fix this mess" We could get better because we're not dead yet

ILY SYBIL!!!!!

13. Damn These Vampires / The Mountain Goats

In terms of the song order of this playlist, this is the calm before the storm, the darkness before the dawn; Just one last quick interlude before the main event.

Crawl 'til dawn On my hands and knees Goddamn these vampires For what they've done to me

I admit this whole song is a little bit of a stretch, but the refrain is a nod to Vimes’ attitude toward vampires that’s addressed in Thud!. He spends some time crawling around like a beast in that book too.

14. Blossoms / The Amazing Devil

The crown jewel, the piece de resistance of this playlist! The Night Watch song of all time!!! I don’t feel like I need to break down the lyrics here since I already made this piece illustrating all the relevant lyrics. ✌ Ugh the emotional intensity of this one is really the important part. Leave it to the amazing devil to write Epic Music.

15. Caesar / The Oh Hellos

This song also has a very Epic feeling to it so I have it riding on the high of Blossoms, but it’s less energetic so I think of it as a cooldown. I always thought the title referred to Julius Caesar, but Genius lyrics is telling me it’s actually about Jesus. whatevarrrr. Because I thought it was about the assassination of a monarch, I connected it with Old Stoneface. Compare:

Hear on the wind how the pendulum swings Feel how the winter succumbs to the spring Over the palisade morning will break Rise up to meet it, oh sleeper awake

With Jingo:

He had always wondered how Old Stoneface had felt, that frosty morning when he picked up the axe that had no legal blessing because the King wouldn’t recognize a court even if a jury could be found, that frosty morning when he prepared to sever what people thought was a link between men and deity

16. Untitled / The Long Winters

Just a lil silly one to take us out on a cheerful note! I admit this one doesn’t make much sense because it’s about living in a rural area and not an urban center like Ankh-Morpork but… I gotta get back to my shanty town!! And I’ve put a lot of folk music on this playlist bc even though he’s not a country boy VImes has some very folksy salt-of-the-earth sensibilities. Just let me have this one

#mine #discworld #sam vimes

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geehosaphat · 4 months ago

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SwynWrimo: Needledrops

Or: Sammy writes a playlist for the Vixal of it all!

@alzcomicbarn @vixey-chakraborty Insert obligatory "oh my god I don't know music so forgive me if this SUCKS" message here]

Speak Now by Taylor Swift: I mean, how was I not going to put this song on the playlist?? Vixey literally stood up at Al's wedding without even knowing if they had/would call for objections and made her case known! It was the Speak Now moment! While reading that I couldn't stop placing Vixey in the very spot of Miss Taylor Swift was in for the music video! Iconic! I couldn't pick anything better than that!

If My Heart Was A House by Owl City: Reading the description of Al processing Vixey's objection really was one of the most tender pieces of writing that I've read. Really, though, it felt like stepping back into a warm house on a snowy day, a fire roaring and the scent of something like home wafting through the air. I mean COME ON????? The way your heart becomes that space for another person is just one of the most perfect ways to express that feeling in my experience.

Breaking Free from High School Musical: This feels like such a good song to flee town to when you realize you've been in love with your best friend and one of you just almost married the wrong person. Just the weight lifted off both of your shoulders and the freedom of flying down the wide open road being a metaphor for your future.

Marry You by Bruno Mars: Again, how could I not? They got married all at once and not a part of them regretted it. Al still got his wedding day but with the right person. It was fun, it was light, and that was perfect. I think that they both rushed into it in a fun/adventurous way which this song encapsulates! I just think this is so fun and I love this for them.

You Just Didn't Like Me That Much by Leanne Firestone: EPILOGUE SONG! This is one of those moments in a movie where you see the newly married couple drive off in their convertible with tin cans tied to the back and it pans out to the almost-wife, the bride left at the alter. It might be years later but hopefully Nora would not become completely embittered and nasty toward them.

#swynwrimo #swynwrimosammy #[ music ]

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glasyasbutch · 8 months ago

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playlist: daykez (good ending)

please god please ms narrative let this be the canon one

link to playlist on spotify

explanations below the cut

1. In the Middle by Dodie

You said you’re into closure, shake hands like you’re supposed to / I’ll be in the middle while you two get along / You’ve got so much in common, talk about your taste in women / I’ll be in the middle while you two get along

PALADIN 👏 SANDWICH👏

Very first song that got added to the playlist. It's also the opener on sloppy seconds. Because for a brief moment in time (the like 4 days between Kez asking Daybreak if they wanted a third and Day deciding who he was gonna sleep with first) they were one and the same universe. And no matter whether you're here or in the sloppy seconds au. Know that Day and Break and Kez were all doing it together freak style. amen.

2. After Midnight by Chappell Roan

'Cause after midnight / I'm feeling kinda freaky, maybe it's the club lights / I kinda wanna kiss your girlfriend if you don't mind / I love a little drama, let's start a bar fight / 'Cause everything good happens after midnight

Very last song that got added to the playlist. This is much more a Kez song than it is a Day song. Like, first of all, if you really wanna get into this go on Morgan's blog for the full Kez playlist and explanations post, but Kez grew up with a lot of Good Child Expectations that they (pretty literally) ran away from. So the underlying theme of "fuck you mom I'm so much happier this way" is. It's potent. It's rich.

But also, and this is going to be a theme for the entire first half of the playlist, something about Kez's love being carefree and reckless and impulsive was what made it so special! And this song really encapsulates that.

Plus, you know, "I kinda wanna kiss your girlfriend if you don't mind" canonical nod to Break, and "let's start a bar fight" canonical nod to Day and Kez's second trip to the club (the first one was incredibly uneventful and boring because Day had never been to the club before and so he spent the night full bodyguard mode and it was awkward and tense and NO fun despite Kez's best efforts. And then the second one, uh. Go check the next song.) It's simply them!! IDK!!!!

3. For My Eyes Only by NEW CITY

I can't share you with nobody else, nobody else / I can't watch you love somebody else / Girl, just lock it up for me / Everywhere she goes / I'm watching everywhere she goes / I want her for my eyes only

Just because Day and Kez weren't exclusive doesn't mean they weren't possessive. That second trip to the club I mentioned in the last song? Aha.

Day was being stoic and focused like a good paladin, making sure Kez didn't get into any sort of harmful trouble, and some?? random stranger????? Decided that Day needed to loosen up. Started flirting with her in FRONT OF KEZ??????? Which simply couldn't stand. Kez requested for them, SO politely, to "back the fuck off. She's mine." To which they responded, "Seems like you weren't doing that good a job of keeping her."

So a punch got thrown. And Day's warning voice was kind of hot, which this other person decided to comment on, so a second punch got thrown, and then No More, because Day was grabbing Kez by the hips (nothing else to grab, backless shirt you see) and hoisting them over their shoulder and carrying them out before they could get kicked out.

They only barely made it through the back door before Day was adjusting his hold on Kez to press her up against the wall and -

4. Holliday by The Weekend Run Club

I'm not stubborn and there's nothing you can do to change my mind / I'm not special I just like to get attention all the time / My heart is my sleeve, do you like what you see? / My heart is my sleeve will you know me?

This entire song is so lovely to me. It's the silly, impulsive type of love thing again, running outside just to hold your lover in the rain because no one else is and its a brand new experience you can share together, just the two of you. It's so. Augh.

But then the CHORUS!!!!! Absolutely, Day is a stubborn little shit, and absolutely, Kez is an attention whore, and absolutely, they are baring their entire fucking souls to each other and begging the other person to really, truly see them past their fronts and flaws, and to love that version of them, and then actually getting that. It's like nothing else.

5. Wine Song by Nicole Amine

The way you grip my tongue / Pour you down a little more, and my lips go numb / I, I, I never wanna run dry, dry, dry of you my love

i think morgan sent me this one. cannot truly remember. (went back and checked, yes she did).

I originally had "Champagne" by Cassadee Pope on here and then had to take it off bc even 5 years later it's still branded Tovra to me. But this song serves a similar niche of alcohol metaphor for love, used to represent being silly and stupid and reckless and tripped up and a little in over your head in love. And also getting drunk in the club together tb so h.

This song is ALSO the sister song to Joni Mitchell's "Case of You" on the in-progress bad ending playlist. This one's about being so in love it takes you over, gets you drunk. "Case of You" is about having fallen out enough that even when you're trying to get drunk, it stops affecting you the same way. I love being evil.

6. Because The Night by The Midnight

Come on now try and understand the way I feel under your command / Take my hand as the sun descends, they can't touch you now / Because the night belongs to lovers, because the night belongs to lust / Because the night belongs to lovers, because the night belongs to us

Yes, yes, they were at the club together, and doing all that self indulgent shit, and they happened to fall in love. We know this. I like this song because it feels almost defiant about it. It's not like, oh, we happened to fall in love despite all the silliness we were getting up to. That is the love, and no one can take that away or undermine or overwrite it.

One of the verses has the line "love is an angel disguised as lust" and that's also sums it up very well I think. Day and Kez (and Break) first got together bc Kez wanted to get railed by two giant hunks of guy, dykestyle, and then they kept following that, because why the fuck not, it's fun and it feels good. Then somewhere in there, a switch flipped and they realized they weren't doing it just to have a good time anymore, but because they were deeply in love, and they wanted to embrace that and each other.

7. How Good it Is by Morningsiders

I never knew / How good it is to be young and admired / How good it is to feel your fire / How good it is to be your lover today

Morgan said it very succinctly when she said that the core of daykez was them being young, dumb, and full of you know. Together.

Day had been in love before. Day had been in love with Break for hundreds of years. Love was not new to them. But Day knew love as something that was patient and measured and slow and old, and Kez showed them a way for it to be frantic and fresh and young and, god, it was so different, and it was so good. Day never knew childhood, but Kez gave them youth. They were young together. They were young together.

(And also, bonus item, the way this singer accentuates the word "To-Day" really makes me bite and chew and chew and bite.)

(Second bonus item, this song also has a sister song off the same album on the Bad Ending playlist. Probably. I might take it off so I'm not gonna get too into it rn.)

8. NFWMB by Hozier

Nothing fucks with my baby / Nothing can get a look in on my baby / Nothing fucks with my baby / Nothing, nothing, nothing

Oath of the Shield Paladin vs. Abjuration Wizard, whose subclass can be more protective, FIGHT!

And! and!!!!!! Yes, most of this playlist so far has been about them being silly and stupid together in their down time but let us not fucking forget!!! A good portion of their love was forged in adventures, in fights to the death and quests that shot them up to folk hero status, which really fits the biblical, mythical imagery of this song.

Like .... "When I first saw you, the end was soon" Day and Kez literally met each other when they both showed up to save a town from being wiped off the face of the earth by a titan. LIKE!!!!!!!!

9. The End of All Things by Panic! at the Disco

Whether near or far I am always yours / Any change in time, we are young again / Lay us down, we're love / In the coming years many things will change / But the way I feel will remain the same / Lay us down, we're in love

Holding hands as you stare at the shattered remains of the woman you both fell desperately in love with and promising that you still have each other, we haven't lost each other, and one of us is going to have to go away for a while, but we'll get her back, and she might be a little different, but she'll be alive and ours again, and it will be okay, and hey, by the way, don't know if you noticed, but we did it, we saved the world and we're heroes now, and everyone knows, so that'll be new, and strange, but we'll face it together, like we faced everything else together, we haven't lost each other yet.

10. radio friendly by molly ofgeography

Burnt autumn lеaves and a week fall away / Oh love dear not grief, nothing good ever stays / You know I believe I can keep you today / Hum this summertime tune, baby press play

So I'm going to shamelessly cherry pick a few lines from the artists explanation of what this song is about to start us off: "it's about how everything ends, but that's ok. ... good stuff has to end, too ... sometimes the best thing to do is say hello, i love you, goodbye. tralalalala."

This song, to me, is about something that we haven't really touched on Much but sticks out SO much to me in the Daykez timeline. Namely, that while Day was gone for that year sculpting Astral, Kez kept moving. Kez kept moving, and doing, and living, and growing, and Day didn't, because his entire job with Astral was to live in the past. Day came back to a Call that was entirely different than when he left it, and he was clearly the odd one out, and he didn't know what to do with that besides … float.

This is for those first few years of retirement when the visits were infrequent and short, and everything felt like it was slipping away, but neither of them wanted to say it. For Day's internal conflict, choosing between hoping this was just a temporary thing and it would all settle down and go back to the way things were, once Kez was done worrying about other stuff; and accepting that he chose to go with Astral instead of Kez, and because of that, it was actually already done for.

11. Are You With Me? by Air Traffic Controller

No one can imagine something bad is gonna happen / It just wakes us from our most delightful dreams / Yeah, everything was fine until you stopped to look behind you / Now you're wishin' you could build a time machine, you're wrong / I just decided to be happy / Are you with me?

Spoiler alert: Day wasn't.

Okay, so, yes, of course, it's very Kez to laugh and drink and drug trip their way through things in the name of pleasure above all else, and on a surface level, that can be what this song's about. But more than that, Morgan and her scholars have talked about Kez in the aftermath of Break's death like ... actively choosing not to grieve because they couldn't afford to grieve.

Callie and Arthur were new parents, with a son to take care of, they needed her. Thorn had half her face ripped off by the planar rift and was recovering, she needed her. The reporters and the brand managers and the biographers and the politicians and the HOA in the area they were building their new tower were hounding everyone at every turn, and they had made themself the face of the Call, even these strangers needed her. And, on top of all that, Day was basically unreachable in the Aegis demiplane, and it was going to take a year no matter what, so what would be the point in thinking about them just to get sad. He had so much to do! He wasn't going to grieve! He just decided to be happy!

And then Day came back to that choice and had to face someone who, to him, felt like they had already forgotten what they were and what they had lost and it just became ... incompatible.

12. Creatures in Heaven by Glass Animals

I don't think I realize just how much I miss you sometimes / We were so young and in love / We were just creatures in Heaven

A rare Kate find, and a late addition to the playlist bc I needed this one to also be 20 songs to match bad end and sloppy seconds. This song makes me want to eat my own shirt.

There's just . There's SO much. It didn't make it into the selected lyrics but the repetition of that "here in the moment, free in the moment" after describing the most desperate clinging romance ... It perfectly sums up the feeling of the first half of this playlist (young and dumb in love together) and then says "and it might be gone, and I regret none of it, because it was exactly what I needed when it happened, even though it hurts now to remember. Also. "You held me like my mother made me just for you, you held me so close that I broke in two". Don't even get me started on the fucking sculpting implications here.

13. Lovesong by Adele

However far away, I will always love you / However long I stay, I will always love you / Whatever words I say, I will always love you / I will always love you

2 years in love without a second apart, 2 years barely seeing each other, each having bigger priorities and swearing they'd get back to each other in time, 22 years without a word, and still neither of them fell out.

I'd had the original version by the Cure on here for a long time, and then at the very last minute swapped it out for the Adele cover. Something about the slower guitar and vocals without anything else feels more ... intimate. And also mature. I think it works particularly well for the absolute expanse of time that Day and Kez spent apart, growing older without each other, while still loving each other fiercely.

14. Beam Me Up by P!nk

Give me a minute, I don't know what I'd say in it / I'd probably just stare, happy just to be there, holding your face / Would you beam me up?

Courtesy of Morgan. Sort of a flipside to "Lovesong", which is about that promise that their separation isn't forever, this one's about the possibility that maybe it is. It's asking for that moment to reconnect, sure, but it's almost afraid of it. It speaks about it like it's a dream, a dream they're never going to stop having, but that will only ever be a dream.

It's easily the saddest song on this playlist (this statement is now false after the addition of the next song), and the one that could most easily be swapped to the bad ending one, but I stand by my decision to put it here. The uncertainty if it will work out again and the willingness to face it anyways is what makes their potential (🙏) reunion so sweet.

Also. "I'm tired of being a fighter, I think" for them in retirement from adventuring is SO!!!!!!

15. All We Have Is Now by The Modern Electric

Every beat, every beat of your heart, is one less I've got / Honey you should be here, but you're not, oh / There'll come a day when it's all over, baby all we have is now, now

Bekah delivery!!!! I was gonna wait to add this to the playlist until we'd done the Day + Callie lifespan conversation in game but I got impatient.

One of the main things that, ironically, made Day pull away from Kez was the knowledge that Kez was going to die and Day wasn't. Day couldn't bear to see Kez grow old without her, so she left entirely.

But the longer they were away, the more they were aware that they wouldn't ever get that time back, and it ate and ate and ate away at them until they went crawling back to Kez to face all the discomfort and anger and grief, because they realized they were going to feel it no matter what, and better to feel it warm in Kez's arms instead of touching the cold marble of their headstone.

16. maybe, i'm afraid by lovelytheband

Maybe all we are is fools with hearts who try too hard / And maybe that's just fine as long as you're here in my arms / Dancing in your party dress / You were singing me some Frank Sinatra as you wept / Maybe you're just too good, maybe I'll run away / Maybe I'm over you, maybe I shouldn't stay / Maybe I just don't care, maybe I talk too much / But baby, I'll be there, yeah, baby, I'll be there

courtesy of bekah, it actually makes me want to throw up on the floor! it fucks me up so bad!!!!!!!

This is the song for their in-game fights and whatever this reunion apology ends up being, and where it could go if they're willing to be terrifyingly, horribly, vulnerable. They've both made mistakes, and there's a lot of "maybe"s to be said about who did what, and when, and to who - and they're going to get said, don't get me wrong - but in the end, does any of that really matter? Really all it is, is that they're both just afraid of losing each other. The only thing that really needs to be said is "I'll be there".

15. All Over Again by Zolita

So break my heart, rip it out / We'll have better luck the second time around / There's no doubt that I'll fall for you / Again, again, again

SECOND CHANCES SOMETIMES WORK BABY SOMETIMES THEY FUCKING WORK!

This is the point at which we slip into speculation. This is where it really becomes "the good ending", rather than just, Daykez as it has been. Maybe whatever the hell is happening now is the breakup, maybe it's gonna get worse from here, but the hope is that at the end of it all, they come out of it more in love than they have ever been, because (Rallie take notes) they're going to start over, dump the memories and the ghosts, and get to know the new person that each of them has become and fall in love with THAT version this time.

16. Yes, And - by molly ofgeography

Forgive me, are you trying to forgive me? / Are you trying to forgive me? / Are you trying to? / Are you sorry? Do you love me? / Can we try again?

Yes, Molly gets two songs. I like her. Is that a fucking crime. Plus this one's a duet. So I literally had to.

Mostly this one is here because it's about making and following through on a choice. Day and Kez hurt each other, more than anything, through their passiveness. Through waiting and assuming it was on the other person to do something first and then making up reasons in their head why the other person didn't. And so there's something really really powerful in saying, no, this time, they're actively choosing to be in love again. They're choosing each other. It's going to hurt and it's going to be hard but they both want it and so they're going to choose it and work for it and. Yeah.

17. Always Starting Over by Idina Menzel (If/Then OST)

You promised to love me, a promise you have kept / And I won't be sorry that you said to leap and I leapt / I won't regret what I did then / Though it hurts more than I could imagine back when / All the same even so, I would love you all over again

From Morgan, this is a very happy song, along similar lines as the last one. They know they fucked it up, they know they made mistakes, but as long as there's even a sliver of hope that it's going to work out, they will throw out their hangups and their mistakes and their anger and start over so they can get back the good thing again. It's all worth it for the chance to start over with each other.

This is a very happy song, ignore the next three paragraphs.

"Fuck you for making me think that this life would be fair" - That particular line REALLY sticks out to me, as the sort of representation of the "it's Kez's fault" monologue (which certainly won't come up in game and cause huge problems). This monologue, for the uninitiated, essentially revolves around the idea that losing Astral, and also leaving the Aegis, is really mostly Kez's fault. Day had been through death and re-sculptings with Break/Astral so many times before, and they were never like this. Because before they had only had each other, and this time, they also had Kez. There was a new piece; a new, lovely, optimistic, mortal piece, that they had both decided was worth their heart, and who now couldn't be there when it all started over, and it really mucked the whole thing up in an irreparable way. Fuck you for making them fall for you, Kez.

"I'm through with fighting, what the gods have to give I'll take and I'll live and be bold" - This line is making me feel some kind of WAY knowing Day and Kez are quite literally retired god hunters, and that trying to hunt god is what caused all their pain to begin with. Is it maybe so bad to just (sorry Theo) live quiet and take what they're given. Maybe it's not worth it to go against fate anymore. I mean, the narrative wrote them a real good love story the first time. Let her write them another.

"My love, our life is over, but I'll make you one last vow to start over, and over, and over somehow" - Also feeling super normal about this one, knowing full well Day gave UP his ability to start over infinitely to love Kez. Just. So normal. Btw.

^^^ Don't worry about all that THIS IS A HAPPY SONG ON THE GOOD ENDING PLAYLIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!

18. Valerie by Amy Winehouse

Since I've come on home, well, my body's been a mess/ And I've missed your ginger hair and the way you like to dress / Won't you come on over? Stop makin' a fool out of me / Why don't you come on over, Valerie?

One of the first songs, got added at the same time as "In the Middle", and it's closing out the playlist because it's really very quintessentially Daykez to me.

Like, initially, I added it at a point in time where they had had their first fight (in the spell set-up room) and then made up, but hadn't yet delivered my nuclear bomb evil monologue. And yes, obviously, this works for that, of Day admitting that it's been too damn long he's missed Kez and he just wants her back.

But more than that it's so. There's no animosity in the lyrics. So many of the songs on here are about "oh, we're mad and we fought and we did shitty stuff and we made mistakes, but we're moving past it" and they're good! They're good, and they're accurate.

But this one doesn't do that. The entire thing is just one great big "I knew you once, and now I'm just missing you, I want to know you again." It feels to me like the thing Morgan said in the explanations for "Landslide" that made me scream and cry and kick a hole in the wall about how Kez got the evil monologue. Other people might talk how mean it was, but we don't need to think about that here, that's not the important part. The love is.

Come with me, take my hand, listen to this song. We're going to think about the love that stretches across the distance and lasts and lasts and lasts until you can get back to the source. It doesn't matter how long it's been. It doesn't matter what happened in the space in between. We don't need to talk about it anymore. Just come over here and be mine again.

#playlists #day #narrative campaign #daykez

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battyaboutbooksreviews · 11 months ago

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🦇 The Last Love Song Book Review 🦇

❓ #QOTD What's your favorite love song?❓ 🦇 After graduating, Mia Peters is given a letter from her late mother, country music star Tori Rose — the woman who left the small town of Sunset Cove to pursue her dream. That first letter sends her on a scavenger hunt across town to find more, each one like a puzzle piece, adding to the hazy image Mia has of the woman behind hit albums and fame. Each letter brings Mia closer to her mother, but further away from her best friend and sort-of-girlfriend Britt, who is leaving in a few days to pursue the same dream. Can Mia unravel her mother's past, face her present, and decide on a future outside of Sunset Cove? Or will the truth leave her disappointed and trapped in the small town her mother left behind?

💜 Kalie Holford does a stunning job at sparking vivacious life into Tori Rose through letters and journal entries. You experience the magnetism everyone in Sunset Cove once did, and understand why the entire town reveres her. Readers are bound to connect and empathize with both Tori and her daughter Mia in this dual POV/dual timeline story. Reading it, I was instantly tugged back to 2005, at the memory of reading Maureen Johnson's 13 Little Blue Envelopes. There's such exquisite balance between the past and present in this story, Tori's puzzle-pieced past simultaneously soothing Mia's concerns about leaving Sunset Cove while adding to them — a reminder that your choices and mistakes MUST be your own.

💜 That beautiful balance creates parallels between Mia's story and her mother's. We even see parallels between Mia and her unknown father. Both run away, fear being brave or taking a risk, and it holds them back from their true potential. Mia is so eager NOT to repeat her mother's history that she second-guesses herself constantly, afraid to make her own mistakes. Mia not only learns from her mother's journal entries, but also the lives she touched — proving the domino effect we can have on another person's lives. At the end, though...it's also a story about regret. We aren't our mistakes, but what we learn from them. It's a story about growth after the fact.

💜 "I will never regret chasing my dream. I regret the people I hurt. I regret the bridges I burned. I regret losing who I was in an attempt to find someone else in everyone else and within me."

💜 The lyrics from Mia's music AND her mothers add an extra layer to this story. For the record, I did cry (reading the story's literal Last Long Song), so if you're sappy like me, have tissues at the ready.

💙 Holford beautifully encapsulates that pivitol "coming-of-age" moment that empowers any YA story. The best friends to lovers aspect is messy, realistic, and pure; a series of stolen, secret kisses, failed relationships with others in between, the fear of either ruining or losing an unspoken love story. You'll root for Mia and Britt, cry at Mia's side, and feel full of hope by the end of it all. Also, Mia's grandmothers? They are everything.

🦇 This is a powerful, atmospheric debut that's bursting with heart and soul. Recommended for fans of Sadie, 13 Little Blue Envelopes, and Mama Mia. And, beyond a doubt, all you Swifties.

✨ The Vibes ✨ 🎵 Bisexual FMC 🎶 Sapphic Romance / Best Friends to Lovers 🎵 Lyrics 🎶 Mother/Daughter 🎵 Dual POV 🎶 Dual Timeline 🎵 Grief & Self-Discovery 🎶 Contemporary YA 🎵 Debut

🦇 Major thanks to the author @kalieholford and publisher @blackstonepublishing for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

💬 Quotes ❝ All my life I’ve collected pieces of Tori Rose like breadcrumbs, lyrics like talismans, stories like safety nets. ❞ ❝ "Really think about it without the fear and the lies and the telling yourself you can’t have it.” ❞ ❝ “You’re going to be a star, you know that, right?” She shakes her head. “Stars burn out. I want to be my own goddamn galaxy.” ❞ ❝ She’s the personification of a love song, and I can’t get her out of my head. ❞ ❝ The world raises girls to be competitors not constellations. ❞ ❝ We burst and we break. We are dichotomies and paradoxes and lies and happily never afters. We are an ending that wants to be a beginning and a beginning that never got to start quite right. We are everything and she is everything and only I know that I truly wish I could go with her. ❞

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