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slavghoul · 2 years ago

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Interview from Upset Magazine 6/2023

Words: Steven Loftin

Like an apparition manifesting within a dense fog, it was through radio static that Swedish rockers Ghost were formed. In the kindergarten he attended as a young boy, Tobias Forge found himself enamoured with the music crackling through the little toy speakers. From this point forward, he began picking apart the notes and melodies - his journey toward the lore and canon coming into focus as he sat, trying to figure out how this black magic could be summoned.

While it would be many years before he would don his garb as Papa Emeritus, the essence of what his future would sound like was being set through his exposure to a wide variety of music. If any proof were needed, just look to the impressive list of covers Ghost have put their ghastly mark upon, including 2016's 'Popestar' EP, which included the band's takes on Echo & The Bunnymen ('Nocturnal Me') and Simian Mobile Disco ('I Believe').

Ghost's latest EP is another covers bonanza. A five-piece offering of Tobias's backstory, 'Phantomime' plays out like a Greatest Hits radio playlist - a fitting throwback to Tobias' first dalliances with music. Of course, when a group more aligned to the metal/hard rock community bust out covers, including Genesis and Tina Turner, eyebrows are raised. To this reaction, Tobias scoffs. "In 1991, Genesis was one of the biggest bands on the planet! That was a huge hit. In the mid-80s, when I had an older teenage brother who rented every VHS movie that came out, of course, we saw the fucking Thunderdome, and that was a huge hit, and it's still being played on Swedish radio. It's an evergreen; it's not an eclectic choice at all," he declares. "I grew up listening to Stranglers because my brother liked them. What else do we have, Iron Maiden - I mean, are you kidding? I'm a metalhead!"

Originally conceived during the sessions for their fifth album, last year's 'Impera', there were two folders on his computer's desktop: one named 'Impera', the other simply 'Covers'. As the ideas for 'Impera' grew, Tobias would enter his usual routine of working on a cover or two. "At any point, when you lose a little wind in writing your own things, it's quite nice to say, 'Today let's go in and work on the covers'; you can choose anything you want, you can work on absolutely anything you want. And you don't have to finish it, you don't have to release it, you don't have to do anything, but just continue working."

He likens it to the freedom of being a theatre owner who, instead of trying to pen the next greatest Broadway phenomenon, opts to have a go at something already timeless and perfected.

"Maybe you're like, 'Okay, so this fall we're just going to do a reinterpretation of Hamlet instead, that's going to be fine, and that keeps everyone working, and that keeps a project moving along! And I find a similar thing with working on covers. So as I was writing "Impera', the covers folder was also growing exponentially and at a point. I had this idea that was going to be a full-length album."

With COVID restrictions meaning the original producer for 'Impera' was stuck in the US, Tobias had to source a replacement. It would be Klas Åhlund who stepped up to the plate. But, on one condition. "He was pretty upfront. He was like. Yeah, I only want to make the record; I don't want to work on covers," Tobias remembers "Fine, fine, fine, that's fine." he shrugs. "So, after the 'Impera' recording was done, I felt as if making a completely different, whole record again: I didn't have time for that. I didn't have the energy for that. But once I trimmed down the number of songs to only these five to make a very rocky record, it loosened up the screws a little bit for me in terms of like, "Okay, so now I know what the EP is going to be - it's going to be a full, full-throttle rock one."

Ditching some rumoured softer covers, including U2, Misfits, and Motörhead. 'Phantomime is instead a delectable slice of Ghost doing what Ghost do best: creating theatrically big rock. It's Tobias's mark upon some bonafide classics, including Iron Maiden's 'Phantom of the Opera' which feels as befitting to Ghost as it does seeing Papa Emeritus kick the bucket ready for his next iteration. While the focus was on creating this small dose of Tobias's musical DNA, it also served another purpose; to simply be "not very complicated." The project began with the mindset of "we can make this recording loosely - quick but stress-free - as opposed to making a record which is your hard fifth record that needs to live up to certain standards. So it was just a very inspired, very simple recording, actually."

After the complexities of 'Impera' which wound up requiring two studios simultaneously running in parallel "to be able to work efficiently" - Ghost was morphing into a taxing experience for the band leader, "It was just a bigger thing [and] way more stressful."

Deciding to strip that covers folder down to the five tracks, by all accounts, 'Phantomime was a measured and reserved effort. "It ended up being me, an engineer, and an occasional musician coming in and doing something. It was so much looser, so much more mentally Feng Shui," he smiles, relief glowing in his voice. "And I think that that reflected a little bit on the two different records. They're meant to be related - they are definitely related - they were made roughly in the same time, but they're completely different things."

'Phantomime' plays out like a ghoulish social commentary. Starting with a searing rendition of Televison's 'See No Evil, the journey traverses the scourge of Televangelism (Genesis' Jesus He Knows Me') with a delightfully-fitting NSFW video, the instant gratification humans require to feel (The Stranglers' Hanging Around"); the pull back into cruel reality (Phantom Of The Opera"), and the resulting undying hope from a degraded society (Tina Turner's 'We Don't Need Another Hero"). Each offering is bolstered with Ghost's dramatic, theatric rock licks and Tobias's powerhouse vocals.

With 'Phantomime' in the bag and the European leg of the 'Impera' tour imminent (Tobias is currently holed up in preparation), the idea of reflecting on how he came to go from a young boy listening to the static sounds of pop hits on the radio to orchestrating not only a feverishly adored band and its lore but finding the capacity to embrace his inner music nerd, couldn't be more timely. Tobias's relationship with music has always been one of intrigue. He's a pop songwriter with the ambition and ideas of a stadium rock band, which, in essence, explains perfectly why Ghost can sit in a unique, exponentially growing and expanding space.

"My earliest inclination of wanting to transform into something else was definitely Twisted Sister," he recalls. "You know, "I Want To Rock' and 'We're Not Going To Take It' - that was a huge record in 1984, and in 1984, I was three years old," he says. "My brother was 16, so everything that was going on pop-culturally amongst teenagers was happening in my home."

It was thanks to his brother that much of Tobias's relationship with music was formed. He's introduced him to various giants of the time, like tectonic plates being pushed around, impacting and shaping his musical landscape. Translating for young Tobias the attitude of punk at the time, as well as everything else that was 'in', he remembers, "When I was a kid, and he was supposed to babysit me, as a pacifier he would put me in front of [Sex Pistols mockumentary film] 'The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle"," he laughs. "And then when that was over, he would just switch to [X-rated cartoon] Fritz the Cat. And I loved that stuff, of course. That was as much [about] the expression and the attitude. Of course, I loved the songs, but it was also filtered or combined with big songs for me." Those big songs ("Men At Work 'Down Under'," he initially cites, "those sort of songs still have a unique place in my in my writing") would eventually entwine with his darker side that he'd explore as he grew older. "Whilst my whole adolescence was completely in the name of extreme metal, I always had a very soft spot for Top 40 rock and pop radio always," Tobias explains. "And I've listened to that all my life. So it's almost equal portions of Venom as it is anything. that was on the radio."

Also, witnessing shock and glam-rock bands explode intrigued Tobias. He became swept away in the idea that not only could you push a boundary to its absolute limits with convictions and over-the-top grandiosity, but you could do so with songs that quantifiably bop. But, as time has gone onto prove, it wasn't pop music that enamoured Tobias enough that he wanted to become a pop star. It's the mythology and mystery that has become his calling card.

Tobias remained an enigma under the disguise of an evolving form of the iconic Papa Emeritus (now in his fourth incarnation) until 2017, after a lawsuit from a previous iteration of his backing band's rotating cast, the Nameless Ghouls. Visual and video components to releases are often hoovered up by the fandom, stripped apart for meaning and potential. Instagram posts are referred to as a '[Message From The Clergy]" (a phrase later claimed for 2022's Best Of playlist), and lest it is forgotten, the Ghost 'Grucifix' - the prominent crucifix deconstructed into Tobias's gothic 'G' logo - which ties together the vision, religious imagery and satire that would become a core part of the Ghost experience.

His musical ambition and education colliding in the middle of his Venn diagram between dark metal and pop magic is thanks to the likes of the aforementioned Twisted Sister and W.A.S.P., as well as his teen years in the black metal community. "Their first record was also a huge impact in Swedish media," Tobias remembers. "There was this big sort of Satanic panic thing going on at the time in the fall of 1984. Where you had essentially all those things happening. You had Mötley Crüe 'Shout At The Devil', which came out a year earlier, and they were there because they toured with Iron Maiden in 1984, so there was a lot of focus on these shock-rock bands. I saw that as a kid, and I was immediately blown away - it was the coolest thing I've ever seen. And I think that that was the trigger that made me identify as that is how I want to express myself."

Decoding the songs he'd hear also became an integral part of that expression. "That was the only thing I did for years before I started writing my own songs." Recalling his time in kindergarten, they had a piano and guitar, which Tobias became infatuated with. Instead of playing with the other children, he would find himself enraptured, listening to the radio or flipping over whichever cassette happened to be loaded at the time. He would then imitate the sounds he was soaking up. "A lot of those early beginnings of how to learn and how I've learned how to understand music filters through everything I do now," he explains.

The early records he'd find himself trying to unpack included KISS 'Alive' and Pink Floyd's 'Piper At The Gates Of Dawn' - disparate matches, but undoubtedly Ghost fuel with hard rock melodies and psychedelic tendencies. "I had the first and the second Pink Floyd on a double LP that was called 'A Nice Pair'. And that's the shit that I sat and listened to and played guitar to," he says proudly. "That's weird music, that's really weird chord sequences and melodies that sort of went nowhere. And, that coloured me a lot in my vision of this is how you write a pop song. Of course, I knew more conventional writing as well. But I figured that this resonates with me, and I want to write more like that."

Tobias is the first to admit that the influence his musical exposure has had on him isn't the most straightforward. "For all the years that I was in bands, up until Ghost, basically when I was in bands not doing well, I got a lot of, I wouldn't say stick, but it was always like, 'You write weird songs, there's something weird about them, and it will never really become anything because it has that sort of weirdness to it".

As he grew, the songs he'd heard reflected this inherent strangeness he'd constructed. Before the days of mass formulaic pop factories, the music emanating from the radio abided by the strictest rule of needing to at least be approachable, but within these confines, artists of the 70s and 80s would push the envelope as far as they could. Citing Nik Kershaw's 'The Riddle' as one example, "Holy shit, if you would have taken that song and taken it to a chord structure masterclass amongst pop writers now who want to write songs for Miley Cyrus or The Weeknd or any of that sort of level they would say, no, no, no, no, that this will never work. It's too strange. It's too weird. You can't do that; it doesn't have the normal chord progression.

"There are a lot of songs from the 80s that are like that," he reckons, "compared to the now, more informative way of writing, the 80s was braver actually, and it worked well. And those songs are evergreens in a way that a lot of the top radio shit from seven years ago is forgotten, and that's the stuff that I grew up with when I started playing the guitar."

Having made that inner sanctum, he would enter kindergarten a reality, one where he can explore those recesses of his mind shaken by the musical earthquakes he experienced; now, he's matured and deeply entrenched in the reality. "Throughout the modern day of pop writing, I know a few professional pop songwriters, and we continue having these conversations because in pop," he says, "where some of them work prolifically on really high releases, they're like, it's strange how the business wants everything to be so informative. Everybody wants a weird song, but still, all the big songs are usually very, very formatted [and] very, very simple."

While unpacking the songs he'd heard back in the 80s offered Tobias a chance to comprehend what makes a good song, it, more importantly, helped him to set out doing it on his own. When digging into crafting a new Ghost number, Tobias explains that "each new song is a little bit like virgin territory with its own riddle to be solved, and is always a combination of the horror of maybe not solving the puzzle, with the thrill when you do. And it's never easy because each new song needs something new. And so you constantly need to feed your ability with knowledge about how other things are."

Breaking it down into a figurative example, he likens it to being like a detective. "I'm assuming that part of being a great detective is to constantly have an open mind, but also constantly learning about human behaviour and wha people do. If you just had 100 forensic classes, but you know nothing about people and how they live their lives, it's gonna be hard to solve crimes." The same rings true for writers who have to read to improve and further understand language, while comedians pull from real-life experiences - music is no different. Tobias's early days of stripping down songs to their basic parts and then rebuilding them have remained a constant endeavour. "But that's how you write songs as well; you go and absorb new things."

The covers process, as mentioned, is a release for Tobias. When things are stuck when trying to piece together a new chapter for the Ghost bible, a cover offers up a chance for something lighter. "Working on covers can be equally euphoric," he confirms, "because it's fun to understand a song whereas, on the other hand, it can be almost demoralising because you're like, I can't believe that this song is so much better than anything that I've written! And it's so much easier. It's so simple."

"I find myself overcomplicating things often, but you might not hear the complicated detour that I took to end up at the more understandable, straighter version that ended up being the actual recording," he continues. "That's a never-ending struggle because that's how it's supposed to be. It's not like you write the one song. I don't think I know anyone or know of anyone who's content with the idea of having written one huge song. And then you know, okay, that's nirvana for you. You don't write the one song the same way that if you're a comedian, it's not like, 'Oh, I just told the funniest joke. So now I'm done".

While Tobias is one for wanting to keep the ball rolling and on a constant endeavour to continue his musical evolution, he knows there's a limit. Every release of Ghost must have a purpose. Nodding to the 60s method of firing singles out on all fronts, eventually compiling them for a full-length release, Tobias acknowledges his relationship with his fans is based on a more long-term understanding. "That's not how we do things; we make an album, and off of that album, there are singles - it's a 70s/80s thinking. And I don't want to refrain from that - I don't want too many singles to be these autonomous little creatures."

But the world is different now. It's a Wild West where being in the masses' consciousness is key, so things may have to change for him. Admitting that right now, he knows he's post-release of Ghost's last canon entry, 'Impera', which arrived back in 2022, and while 'Phantomime' is a reasonable enough bridge, sooner or later, he's going to have to play the game of ensuring Ghost ramp up. Earlier this year, Ghost collaborated with Def Leppard's Joe Elliott on a re-release of 'Impera' cut 'Spillways' which, while a fantastic addition to their arsenal, adds to the same notion Tobias is fearful of. "I'm slowly preparing for making a new record that's going to come out in 2024, which is way too long for the current contemporary music climate; you need to be ever-present," the last phrase hanging in the air ominously.

That doesn't mean he has to lower his standards, however. No Ghost release will exist just for content's sake. Everything must have its place. He even reckons a 14-track album is "a lot of music", and he still sees an album as being "22 minutes of music per side" - true to form, currently, no standard issue of any Ghost album breaches 12 tracks. He's even ready to aim for the likes of The Rolling Stones and The Beatles by swiftly lobbing a couple of spicy takes out. "Look, man, I don't even think that 'Exile on Main Street' is that good. Not even the fucking White album is that great - break it up! Both of those records would have been better if they were trimmed down to singular records."

That pop mind breaking through; Tobias is someone who knows that music is entertainment. Certainly, a medium which often leads to more bulky connotations, but it must entertain. It's why he doesn't pay any mind to those naysayers that yearn for Ghost to be more metal or to follow a different path. This is Tobias's game; we're just privy to the sermon. These days the floodgates are open and, when compared to previous decades, as Tobias remembers it, "you had to buy your own records. Whatever additional music you got, that wasn't maybe heard on the TV or the radio, when you took something from someone else, was usually a choice, so music styles could in some way be a little bit more insular back then just because you weren't subjected to as much." He mentions his beloved death metal as being a signifier of the changes happening. "Back in the day, when I was starting listening to extreme metal, that was completely embraced by a certain little subculture or group of mostly teenagers and 20-somethings. Whereas in the 2000s, when Vice started doing black metal reporting, all of a sudden you have indie personalities who were fans of Darkthrone, and so, obviously, what ended up that turned into this fusion, which was a positive and very natural thing."

This cultural shift is another reason Ghost's space is widening and its success growing. "Nowadays, people are a little bit more open," he admits. But, with this comes issues. "As time has progressed, metal and hard rock, as well as most genres that have been around for a while, [they've] gone from this youth culture to a conservative institution because so many of the fans are now aged." The passage of time waits for no one. But, more presciently for culture, it also means our understanding of what is 'good' and what should be where is moulded differently to when we were younger. "Unfortunately, that happens to most people regardless of who you were when you were 20," Tobias reckons, "or your ideals when you're like 40/50/60 years old. Your brain starts morphing into a slightly more conservative, slightly more nostalgic... You don't want things to change."

Tobias is the first to hold his hands up and admit the same has happened to him. He yearns for 1984 and even 1990-94. He would even be happy with 1987, back to those days with the crackling radio and a childlike spirit. "That would be so much cooler. I loved that way more than in this day and age. But I can't sit around and mope about that because it's not a problem that it's not 1987."

'Phantomime' is proof nostalgia can be a useful tool. It fuels with passion, and Ghost is Tobias's Neverland. "There's such a debate about what we are and why that is." Ghost are a band that, thanks to Tobias's musical education, transcend time. They exist on their own plain and with the evergreen, timeless sounds of yesteryear echoing around Tobias's head, long may Papa reign with his gloved melodic iron fist.

#the band ghost #tobias forge #interview #really good one 👍

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bellagothgf · 6 months ago

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melody and her week of wonders

details on these seven fun looks below <3

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ty to all cc creators! <33 @wingssims @seoulsoul-sims @babyetears @simstefani @magic-bot @caio-cc @yuyulie @uh0htaj @helgatisha @nickname-sims4 @gigglecoffin @joliebean @nell-le @sunberry-sims4 @cocogamess @tina-sims @themintsimmer @serenity-cc @charonlee and deliciousthings on patreon!

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charlierosewriting · 1 year ago

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This viewing of Stop Making Sense, in a cinema I went to alone, did two things: it ruined every other time I'll ever try to watch this film again in my life, and revealed itself to be what it has been this whole time. Anti-performance anxiety propaganda. It also cracked me wide open.

I've always seen Stop Making Sense in one of two modes - communally on a TV through it's built-in speakers, or on my phone alone with my big chunky noise-cancelling headphones. I pick whether I want to hear it with others but sacrifice the sound quality, or to hear it at its most beautiful but by myself. In a mostly empty cinema, Stop Making Sense becomes both at once. I can't be sure if it's the A24 remaster or just hearing it on a capital everything SOUND SYSTEM, but the entire experience feels warmer and human this way. Tina Weymouth's bass playing is clearer than ever before, the synths taking a bit more of a backseat to its rumble, and the percussion of both Chris Frantz's drums, David Byrne's boombox and (most transformatively) Steve Scale's set-up hit almost with the force of actual, unshielded, live drumming. After each song, the couple behind me cheered and whooped (half-ironically), and after the midway point I joined in (completely earnestly). It's still not perfectly analogous to a live concert, even then. The audience noise is near immersive in surround sound, but it still feels as distant as the band does all the way over up on that stage. When the songs end and the crowd noise begins, the cinema experience feels strange and hollow and disconnected. I love this way more than a perfect Disneyland imagineered recreation of a Talking Heads concert.

That last point is actually where the most magic is found in seeing Stop Making Sense in a cinema, and what really started to pierce into me; the craftsmanship is more visible. These are small chips in the paintwork you can't see until you get your nose right up to the masterpiece, and every one of them adds more texture and beauty to the whole.

It's easy to be swept away by the sheer magic of Stop Making Sense in any of my usual viewings, because it's already perfect. In Crosseyed and Painless, the camera pans between Alex and David as they trade absolutely cracked guitar solos, and it is a frontrunner for my favourite shot in any film. The whole thing feels effortless and fluid from beginning to end, a document of a band in their peak, beautiful moments of improvisation and genius popping up from both the performers and the cameramen, something divinely ordained.

But when Tina Weymouth is 20ft tall, you notice her lips don't quite match the audio track on Genius of Love, and remember that the film was shot over four nights, not one continuous concert. It isn't a gift from the goddess of music, it's a team of creatives sweating in a studio with probably not great A/C to make something that feels cohesive. When David dances with Ednah and Lynn on Burning Down The House, they perfectly match his strange movements and mimic the guitar playing, and when they're 20ft tall you remember that there must-have been a rehearsal. You remember that the physical CD of Stop Making Sense you own includes a booklet, in which every movement and stage direction is documented, and you wonder if that was written before or after the performance.

One I noticed long before I saw it in the cinema was during the objective pick for best Talking Heads song, This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody), when David enjoys watching the lamp he dances with wobble back into place for just long enough that he misses his cue to sing, and is back at the microphone just half a beat AFTER he starts singing on the audio track.

This is not nitpicking. This is revelatory, this is beautiful, this is the best the film has ever been. This is the autism of Stop Making Sense.

Like Stop Making Sense, I am profoundly autistic. I have been autistic all my life, and I will continue to be autistic. If you asked me if I'm proud to be autistic, I'd say yes, but at the same time I'm sadly not sure if that's true. I have masked so thoroughly and for so long that removing the veneer isn't freeing. Taking it off doesn't let my skin breathe, it exposes raw flesh so tender that it is stung by the air. Some people never have experience with air, tell you not to worry about it, but I think that David Byrne has.

He writes more songs about buildings and food, he dances either like a marionette or like a panic attack, he sings like he is bearing his soul or like he's having a panic attack, the polyrhythms the band finds are joyous grooves or they are panic attacks. Talking Heads is sensory overload about sensory overload, confusing music about being confused, failing radio transmissions about badly communicated emotions.

The difference is, Talking Heads will express that feeling, that disconnect, that hellish radio static in the back of my mind, and make it listenable and funky and fun. When I'm overwhelmed, I'll storm out and cry alone, when David Byrne is overwhelmed, he writes Born Under Punches. When I'm happy, I smile and, if around no-one but my girlfriend, maybe giggle and flap like I wish I could more often - before regaining control and putting the mask back on. When David Byrne is happy, he releases Don't Worry About The Government and the world listens to it.

I want to write songs about buildings and food! I want to write songs about Garak and Power! About the career of Ahmed Johnson! Let me! But I won't, and I don't. I don't think I can right now. But then there's Stop Making Sense.

Stop Making Sense takes every complicated, negative emotion in the discography of Talking Heads, and does something amazing with it; it makes it a party. In its original studio form, Life During Wartime is midtempo and reverby and distressing. The groove is there, but feels intentionally shot in the shin, only allowed to lope in a way that brings out the tension and danger of the lyricism. Then it Stop Making Sense it SKYROCKETS!!! The panic is still there, that essential tender skin of autism, but it is transformed into one of the most bracing and captivating performances of the whole film. Rather than monotonal, almost krautrocky guitar solos, it is given ecstatic synths and almost double the tempo. The studio version of David feels cramped in his situation, the film David runs in place! He wriggles! He sprints laps around the entire stage! The crowd claps and screams! I clap and scream!

This is Stop Making Sense in minutia. The tension and overload of autism is constant, it is pervasive, but what is present is the joy and not the pain. When I stim around my girlfriend I feel completely free momentarily, Talking Heads in Stop Making Sense feel completely free for eighty-eight minutes, and it's infectious.

Masking, at least for me, is performance anxiety. I have an ideal self in my head and, despite my constant trying to change this, she doesn't openly present as autistic yet. I want to perform my best, ideal self, and I need my autism to be part of that, but revealing myself that much to the world is terrifying.

But, once again, here's Stop Making Sense, and its perfect flaws.

The version of Tina we see sing Genius of Love isn't the version we're hearing, but she is beautiful, and I love her. David misses the cue to go back to the microphone, but I still hear his wolf howls and I smile. Chris beams like a headlight at all times, he's having the time of his life. Ednah and Lynn are always so ON that they feel more like Energizer Bunnies than people sometimes, and I wish I could be more like either of them. Jerry is consistently serious looking and kinda wooden, and he's doing so damn well up there. Alex seems to only know one dance move, it's to kick about as high as his chest and look to the right, and it's the coolest thing I've ever seen every time. Bernie looks so self serious at all times, which makes his basic ass solos on Making Flippy Floppy so much funnier and better. Steve Scales, on top of having the best name ever, keeps looking at the crowd like a kid whose parents have come to see him in the school play, and I love him. I love them all.

They are and were real people with interiority and darkness that I'll never know or comprehend, they all did bad things to good people at some point in their lives, and the version of themselves that was captured across these four nights and painted into this eighty-eight minute gasp of euphoria are my family and they are my friends.

David gets to the microphone too late and I hear the wolf howl and I smile, they all continue the song together and I clap, and then I squeal and then I shake and I flap my hands and the mask falls to the ground, and there are two people behind me who can definitely see me right now and they can definitely tell, they can so definitely tell, but this must be the place (naive melody) is the best song ever so I dont really care and the song ends and i find there are tears in my eyes and they dont fall, and before i can reach to pick up what i dropped the synth arpeggios of once in a lifetime start and i no longer have time so i sit theere and i watch and i listen and david dances and now hes wearing glasses and I'm just an animal looking for a home and, share the space for a minute or two! And I'll love you 'til my heart stops! Love you until I'm dead. Eyes that light up, eyes that look through you. Cover up my blind spots, hit me on the head! Awoo!

Postscript:

I tried writing this once on my phone, but the app crashed and deleted my progress and I almost had a panic attack lol. Glad I rewrote it, I want to put this somewhere, but it is somewhat more masked and less raw than the original version. Oh well, it's probably better written.

The one concert movie I've seen that REALLY goes into exposing how it's a construction over different nights is Beyoncé's Homecoming which is a masterpiece in its own right. The way it blatantly shifts outfits and colour schemes across shots is wonderful, people need to talk about that more. Probably shouldn't be me though lol.

#stop making sense #Talking Heads #Autism #Tina Weymouth my beloved

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emilija04acer · 6 months ago

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Cartoons and Anime from My Childhood (part 1)

Born in 2004 in Serbia, I cherish the memories of a time when cable TV was a luxury that only became available to us when I was about 12 years old. Most of my cherished shows were watched at my grandma’s place. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane with this list!

This is part one; I'm not certain how many I will create, but I'll begin with some that have significantly influenced me. They are listed alphabetically, and most are anime.

(I included a short description of each show)

Of course please share your favorite cartoons!

>>>

“Angel Friends”: Angels-in-training, Guardian Angels and Demons. First Angel x Demon ship that I sailed.

“Angelina Ballerina”: A dancing mouse with big dreams and a passion for ballet.

“Atomic Betty”: Intergalactic adventures with Betty, the space-faring superhero.

“Avatar: The Last Airbender”: “Water. Earth. Fire. Air.” A beautifully crafted world, elemental bending, and Aang’s quest to restore balance—this 2D gem blended adventure, humor, and wisdom.

“Barbie Movies”: Every Barbie movie—magical adventures from princesses to explorers.

“The Secret World of Benjamin Bear" Heartwarming adventures with this lovable stuffed bear.

“Bibi Blocksberg”: A young witch named Bibi and her magical escapades. Also Bibi and Tina.

“Bratz Movies”: Fashion-forward Bratz dolls navigating high school and friendship. That one with Paris traumatised me. ( the bone ageing thing)

“Captain Keroro” (Sgt. Frog): Frog-like alien invaders attempting to conquer Earth.

“Code Lyoko”: Virtual reality, secret codes, and a group of students fighting digital threats.

“DelTora Quest”: Lief, Barda, and Jasmine’s quest to restore the seven gems of the Belt of Deltora. (Barda was one of my first fictional crushes guys… 😭 don’t ask)

“Digimon”: Digital monsters, DigiDestined, and epic battles in the Digital World.

“Dragon Ball Z”: “Kamehameha!” The battles between Goku and his formidable foes kept us on the edge of our seats. The iconic transformations, energy blasts, and the quest for Dragon Balls fueled our imaginations.

“Galactic Football”: Futuristic football matches in outer space—goals, teamwork, and cosmic challenges!

“Holly Hobbie and friends”: The adventures of Holly Hobbie, a creative and kind-hearted girl.

“Mermaid Melody”: The enchanting story of mermaid princesses who use their voices to save the ocean. (Other first crush…)

“Mia and Me”: A girl named Mia discovering a magical world with unicorns and elves.

“My Little Pony (MLP)”: Friendship is magic in Equestria with Twilight Sparkle and her pony pals.

“Naruto”: Believe it! Naruto’s ninja journey, friendships, and determination. Who didn’t watch this?

“Nodi”: The little blue train Noddy and his friends in Toyland. (This and Strawberry Shortcake where my everything at like 6)

“Pokémon”: “Gotta catch 'em all!” Ash Ketchum’s Pokémon journey, Pikachu’s thunderbolts, and Team Rocket’s antics—this show captured our hearts. The Pokémon theme song is forever etched in our minds.

“Postman Pat” (Postman Pete): Delivering mail in the charming village of Greendale.

“Sailor Moon” (Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon): “Moon Prism Power, Make Up!” Magical girls, cosmic battles, and the power of friendship—And of course censorship!

“Strawberry Shortcake (2003)”: The sweet adventures of Strawberry Shortcake and her berry friends in the magical land of Strawberryland. (Logorovanje/ camping episode was my fav

“Tokyo Mew Mew”: Magical girls with animal DNA fighting to protect Earth from alien invaders. (Ren can get it)

And of course as I lived in Vojvodina, “Hungarian Folktales”

Here are some links... Sadly I couldn't include the images that I wanted...

Strawberry Shortcake (2004): Wikipedia, IMDb, MoviefoneWonderful Galaxy of Oz: Wikipedia, IMDb, Oz Wiki

Mermaid Melody: Wikipedia, IMDb, Trakt

Tokyo Mew Mew: IMDb, Wikipedia, IMDb for New Series

Galactic Football: IMDb, Wikipedia, SideReel

Sailor Moon: Wikipedia, IMDb, JustWatch

Winx Club: IMDb, Wikipedia, Netflix

W.I.T.C.H.: Wikipedia

As you see I had great taste! Please share yours!

If you are from Serbia... Do you remember ULTRA?! Half of my nostalgia comes from the ads that were on that channel!

youtube

Do you remember this people!?

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numberonenat · 1 year ago

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i asked chat gpt to make a playlist based on my candy love characters...

here's part 1 and 3: dateables hsl / dateables ul + chani

>> PART 2 <<

rosalya:

"just like heaven" by the watson twins

"crazy little thing called love" by queen

"dreams" by the cranberries

"it's my life" by bon jovi

"cosmic love" by florence + the machine

"everywhere" by fleetwood mac

"magic" by olivia newton-john

"we belong" by pat benatar

"what's love got to do with it" by tina turner

"heart of glass" by blondie

"you make loving fun" by fleetwood mac

"time after time" by cyndi lauper

"total eclipse of the heart" by bonnie tyler

"dancing in the moonlight" by toploader

"here with me" by dido

alexy:

"born this way" by lady gaga

"like a prayer" by madonna

"i will survive" by gloria gaynor

"express yourself" by madonna

"vogue" by madonna

"dancing queen" by ABBA

"it's raining men" by the weather girls

"i want to break free" by queen

"girls just want to have fun" by cyndi lauper

"believer" by imagine dragons

"i wanna dance with somebody" by whitney houston

"man! i feel like a woman!" by shania twain

"respect" by aretha franklin

"super trouper" by abba

"hit the road jack" by ray charles

ambre:

"bad guy" by billie eilish

"sugar" by maroon 5

"you should see me in a crown" by billie eilish

"toxic" by britney spears

"god is a woman" by ariana grande

"green light" by lorde

"break up with your girlfriend, i'm bored" by ariana grande

"meant to be" by bebe rexha

"no tears left to cry" by ariana grande

"shallow" by lady gaga, bradley cooper

"thank u, next" by ariana grande

"new rules" by dua lipa

"heartless" by the weeknd

"dancing with a stranger" by sam smith, normani

"watermelon sugar" by harry styles

melody:

"wonderwall" by oasis

"stand by me" by ben e. king

"imagine" by john lennon

"don't look back in anger" by oasis

"let it be" by the beatles

"yellow" by coldplay

"with or without you" by U2

"here comes the sun" by the beatles

"all you need is love" by the beatles

"blackbird" by the beatles

"you've got a friend" by james taylor

"lean on me" by bill withers

"somewhere over the rainbow" by israel kamakawiwo'ole

"hallelujah" by leonard cohen

"yesterday" by the beatles

i'm laughing so much with alexy and ambre

yes, there will be part 3.

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goldsteinheads · 3 months ago

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Things about me

Name: Aubrey

Zodiacal sign: cancer ascendent Leo

Birthdhay and age: 3rd july 2007 (17 y.o.)

From: Italy

MBTI/Enneagram/Socionic: ENFJ/8w7/837/IEE

Sexual orientation: hetero

Things I like: make up, beauty, read, write, draw, colors, classical/pop/melody/romantic ballands music, arts, movie, tv series, food, interior design&fashion design, coquette etc...

Favourite color: fucsia

Hogwarts house: Ravenclaw testurbant Slytherin and Huffleppuf

Livermorny house:Horned Serpent Wampus Indecisive

Favourites Singers/musicians: Mew, Angelina Mango, Emanuele Aloia, Lindsey Stirling and Ludovico Einaudi

Favourite actress: Katherine Waterston (DON'T TOUCH HER}

People I like: Katherine Waterston (obv), Eddie Redmayne (celebrity crush), Lindsey Stirling, Mew and Angelina Mango

Favourites movie: The Fantastics Beasts Saga, Murder on the Orient Express, Carla and The theory of everything

Series tv I like: Just Add Magic, Wednesday, Bridgerton, La legge di Lidia Poet, AGGGTM

Favourites Characters: Tina Goldstein, Eloise Bridgerton, Severus Snape, Enid Sinclair, Luna Lovegood ( DON'T TOUCH THEM)

Favourite song: Try

DNI: Racists, Habilists, Anti femminism

I'm pro LGBTQ+🌈

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Ship: Eddrine, Newtina, Snily, Dramione, Polin, Theloise, Wolfstar, Weyler

Family: Snape-Evans

Patronus: horse

I'm NOT proshipper

#ravenclaw #katherine waterston #eddrine #newtina #fantastic beasts #bridgerton #harry potter #polin #hogwarts #pro snily #snily #snape #enfj #8w7 #837

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shinyhuntingtwins · 7 months ago

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NEW PINNED!!

(thank god im finally making a new pinned for them.)

Key:

Pink = Esther

Blue = Eddie

Purple = Both

Hello!! Welcome to our blog!! We're the shiny hunting twins! We live on Pasio and we looooove to shiny hunt! Feel free to ask us anything about Shiny Pokémon, we know a lot!

Trainer Info

Name: Esther Smith

Age: 13

Gender: Female (she/her)

D.o.B: 17th February

An energetic bundle of sunshine, Esther is always happy to make new friends. Her smile is infectious and she loves interacting with others. She is the event surveyer of Pasio. She is a chosen to Phii, her Phione, and Blobby, her Arceus.

Other Pokémon:

Phii (Phione)

Melody (Meloetta✨)

Pon-Pon (Ogerpon♀️✨)

Blobby (Arceus✨, usually in "Ball Form")

Noteable relations:

Eddie (Twin brother)

Clementine (Younger sister)

Collin (Younger half brother)

Vivian (Older half sister)

Lear (Brother figure)

Silver (Boyfriend)

Barry (Best friend)

Sawyer (Adoptive father)

Rachel (Adoptive mother)

Colress (Biological father)

-----------------------------------

Name: Edward Smith (AKA Eddie)

Age: 13

Gender: Male (he/him)

D.o.B: 17th February

A bit more calm and mature than his sister, Eddie is brave, loyal and kind. He cares about his sister deeply and would do anything for her if it meant protecting her and keeping her happy. He is a chosen to his Mesprit, Mespi, and his Keldeo, Kel.

Other Pokémon:

Mespi (Mesprit)

Gean (Genesect✨)

Terance (Terapagos♂️✨)

Noteable relations:

Esther (Twin sister)

Clementine (Younger sister)

Collin (Younger half brother)

Vivian (Older half sister)

Lear (Brother figure)

Paulo (Boyfriend)

Tina (Best friend)

Sawyer (Adoptive father)

Rachel (Adoptive mother)

Colress (Biological father)

Both Muses are 13, Mod is 16

Pelliper Mail and Magic Anons are on!

(chat what do they do)

Related blogs:

Silver Blog: @rainbowwingedrival

Kai (OC) Blog: @theghostlyartist

Elemental Triplets (Luke, Luca and Lucy) Blog: @theelementaltriplets

Main Blog: @ginhaku125

#pokemon #pokemon rp #pokemon ask blog #pokemon masters #ask blog #pokemon masters ex #original characters #ocs #Pokeblr #rotomblr #irl pokemon #Pinned post

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love-bokumono-fics · 1 year ago

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Fresh Crops! November 20 - November 26, 2023

This week's newest fics and chapter updates for Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons on AO3!

The Princess and the Carpenter - by SymphonicFantasia; WIP, 10/50, 1.4k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: Magical Melody, Save the Homeland, Hero of Leaf Valley Relationship: Dia/Kurt | Hayato; Characters: Dia, Kurt Summary: They weren't so different from one another although others may not think so. Just because she was a "princess" didn't mean that the carpenter didn't belong with her. It just took a bit of chiseling to see who they really were deep down. And even then, they would only show those halves to one another.

Star Spangled Bandanna - by SymphonicFantasia; WIP, 35/100, 3.5k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Categories: F/M, Gen Fandoms: Save the Homeland, Hero of Leaf Valley, Magical Melody Relationships: Katie/Joe | Shin, Amanda | Tina/Joe | Shin; Characters: Joe, Tina, Katie, Kurt Additional Tags: Character Study, Minor Character Death, Found Family Summary: He was the more outgoing brother. He made a statement that way. Even if the statement was simply saying he liked to fish.

Vol.1: The Egg Thief - by dicelady20; WIP, 19/20, 75k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence; Category: F/M Fandoms: Dragon Ball GT/Z, Friends of Mineral Town Characters: Trunks Briefs, Claire the Farmer Additional Tags: Harvest Moon, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Romance, Slow Burn, Martial Arts, Cussing, Crossover, Healing, city vibes, dark scenes, POV Multiple, POV Third Person Limited, Mild Gore, Supernatural Elements, First Meetings, story of seasons, Alternative Perspective, Don't copy to another website, Don't Have to Know Canon, To Be Continued Summary: Claire and Trunks are from two different worlds, both literally and metaphorically. Dragons, fairies, and nightmares (oh my!)? As their two worlds collide, what could possibly go wrong?

The Scientist and his Farmer - by Daryls_Favourite; WIP, 9/?, 9.7k

Rating: Not Rated; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Category: F/M Fandoms: A Wonderful Life Relationship: Daryl/reader; Characters: Daryl, Rock, Muffy | Molly, Marlin | Matthew, Forgotten valley villagers, Reader Summary: You have been living in forgotten valley for a little under a year. Winter is underway and you need to keep your farm afloat whilst also trying to court a suitable spouse.

Only In My Imagination - by Perversions; Complete, 1/1, 2.4k

Rating: Explicit; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: M/M Fandoms: Pioneers of Olive Town Relationships: Clemens/Eiji; Characters: Clemens, Male Farmer Additional Tags: **NOTE: Some tags have been removed to remain Safe For Tumblr. Please see AO3 for full tag list** Imagination, Fantasy Sex, Unrequited Love, Unrequited Crush, Sex Toys, Eiji's got it bad, there's not enough fics for this fandom is there, Overstimulation, Dirty Talk, Clothed Sex, Naked Male Clothed Male, Making Love

Here You Come Again - by SeasonSuite; WIP, 17/?, 67k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: Trio of Towns Relationships: Female Farmer/Wayne, Minor or Background Relationship(s); Characters: Farmer, Wayne, Frank, Lisette, Ford, Ludus, Trio of Towns ensemble Additional Tags: Crushes, Falling In Love, Love, farming, Fluff, dolly parton references, Friends to Lovers, cowboy aesthetic, idiots to lovers, Day At The Beach, Flowers, Romance, My First Fanfic, Bonding, Feelings, Humor, Slow Build, Did I Mention Fluff, Angst Summary: On the first day of her new life, June meets a handsome, smooth-talking postman. Caught between his seemingly earnest words and his philandering reputation, she writes him off as bad news. Over the year, as June struggles to build her new farm, Wayne proves her wrong—then right—then wrong again. or, Westown's charming postman is known for being perfect, and he's usually happy to play the part. But when a new farmer tries to get to know the real him, Wayne learns that to be loved, he has to submit to the mortifying ordeal of being known.

Muffy’s Cucumber time - by Thefallen1986; Complete, 1/1, <1k

Rating: Explicit; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Fandoms: A Wonderful Life, HM DS Character: Muffy | Molly Additional Tags: **NOTE: Some tags have been removed to remain Safe for Tumblr. Please see AO3 for full tag list.** Food Kink, Food Sex, Improvised Sex Toys, Sexual Fantasy Summary: Muffy has some fun with the farmers latest crop.

#fresh crop monday #harvest moon #story of seasons #a wonderful life #trio of towns #pioneers of olive town #friends of mineral town #save the homeland #hero of leaf valley #magical melody

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uefb · 2 years ago

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Chapter 8/9 of With Its Head Under One Wing is up today

The one where Newt and Tina are in a pub in Wales and Adolf Hitler is appointed Chancellor.😬

gif by @magicalhideoutengineer

Excerpt:

They were presently a quarter hour into a heated debate over Mexican beast trafficking law when Tina suddenly pressed a hand to his mouth and hissed at him to hush.

“Excuse me?”

But then he blinked and turned to look at where she pointed, for the large radio behind the bar had begun flashing a deep scarlet.

Wizarding Wireless Network special announcement!

Flicking his wand to remove the muffling charm, he turned halfway away from the bar to better hear the broadcast, for the last time he’d been in a public setting when programming had been cut off it was 1926 and the wizarding world was finding out Grindelwald had just killed twenty members of a Muggle government in Switzerland...

We interrupt ‘Maxie’s Marvellous Magic Hour’ with a live broadcast and breaking news from our partner agency in Germany, Die Goldene Melodie!

At the name of Germany’s radio network, an old wizard in the middle of the bar began shushing the surrounding pub-goers, after which the half-giant at the far end slammed his hand onto the age-old polished oak, which sent glasses clattering and heads turning from all corners of the establishment. His goblin companion gestured at the flashing radio and the place fell utterly silent.

The evening before last—Monday—Germany appointed a new Muggle Chancellor—

The tension in the pub broke somewhat at the utterance of ‘muggle’, yet still no one moved, memories of Germany’s assaults on the Eastern coast—and the relief they’d felt that they’d never made it as far as Wales—clearly at the fore of everyone’s minds.

—the man who led a 1923 coup and most recently came in second behind now president Paul von Hindenburg in the country’s March elections—

Tina had turned to put one ear toward the radio’s sound, too, and her knees bumped up against Newt’s as she leaned forward.

#mind the content warning #my stuff #fantastic beasts and where to find them #fantastic beasts fanfic #newt scamander #autistic newt scamander #tina goldstein #jewish tina goldstein #interwar period #wizarding world #fic: with its head under one wing

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zephyr-bazaar · 4 months ago

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Intro??

Hi! My name is Draconia and this is my BokuMono Blog (TM) I like and follow from @octahyde!!

Bokumono is my all time, number one favorite series with absolutely zero exceptions. It always has been and always will be the one single most important media to me in my entire life. I got into the series in 2007 and have played almost every game since. This series is such a comfort that when I’m struggling my therapist literally prescribes me to play one of these games.

The only games I haven’t played are the GBC games (I own one of them though), 64, Back To Nature (played every ver of the mineral town games besides it), Save the Homeland/Hero of Leaf Valley (I have the latter but don’t have a good psp. Tfw. I know this makes my pfp very ironic but listen what me and Dia have is So Real.) and Sunshine Islands because I was less than fond of IoH.

I have played every other game in the series besides that! Of those, the only games I actively dislike are Pioneers of Olive Town and Island of Happiness (besides Pierre). I’m good to talk about literally any other game in the series though!!

This series is what got me to draw, write, make plushies, AND cosplay. Igusa Matsuyama to this day is my biggest artistic inspiration.

As for some more info:

My favorite games are Magical Melody, Grand Bazaar, and Trio of Towns.

Of those three, Magical Melody is my favorite. It was the first game in the series I ever played, and will always be the most special to me. No matter what. Thanks to a very cherished person in my life, I even have a disc signed by Yasuhiro Wada himself framed in my apartment. It’s probably my most prized personal, non heirloom possession.

My favorite bachelorettes are Dia, Vivi, and Agate.

My favorite bachelors are Ivan, Nadi, and Chase.

My favorite ship in the series is Jamie/Tina. Babby’s first queer ship…

My favorite crop is tea leaves. Idk if that one is random but my farms are like 95% crops and like a sheep or two so I feel like I should say it becausef I go all fucking in on crops. It’s insane how hard I go on crops dude. I like minmax crops.

I also have a beloved OC X Canon ship The YuzuWren. They have over 100 hours in my copy of 3oT. I’ll link to a post infodumping all about them when I write it!!

I also have an OC x Canon ship in SoS1 (The MistLand), but that one isn’t as special even if it’s just as developed (also they haven’t gotten married yet when The YuzuWren have. Roland’s taking it slow.) I’m also considering making an OC x Canon file in ANB for Felicia just to round out the 3DS games.

My only real DNI is please, for the love of god, do NOT bring up Stardew Valley to me or on my posts. I never have, and never will have any desire to ever play it, and I am exhausted for it being brought up every time someone discusses a series 20 years older than it. Also while minors are fine to follow here, please do not follow my main account. It’s nothing personal, I just don’t want minors on that account. Tumblr is the only social media I talk to people under 21-22 to begin with.

Other farm sims besides Stardew are okay, though! I will likely also discuss Fields of Mistria and Snacko on here! I’m also in desperate need to play Cult of the Lamb, but that’s more fitting for my main blog than here, lol.

I think that covers everything!!!!

#intro #bokumono #harvest moon #story of seasons #looking for moots or whatever it is kids say these days

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topoeiaz · 1 month ago

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Chapter 2: A Sanctuary in Making I'd Love to See Me From Your Point of View (HP) Tom Riddle x OC

18+ blog • minors dni

word count: 2.8k

hp masterlist • pov masterlist • ao3

Through the weaving vines and the rough branches, a quaint cottage stood proud in a small clearing within the dense forest. The slight buzzing of something in the surrounding air, noticeable only to the highly magically-sensitive beings, formed a muggle-repelling ward intertwined with a series of protective charms that remained strong despite its years of age. The magical energy didn’t end there, for it extended all the way to the interiors of the home. From the wooden floors to the ceiling beams, the nature of their magic matched the wards. It didn’t need to be said, just how powerful a single house elf was to build an entire home from the ground up.

A roar of flames cut through the air, finding a place amongst the gentle rustling of the leaves and the melodious chirping of the birds. Just as quickly as it had come, the fiery green disappeared back into the fireplace and ashes flew about as a figure stepped out of the hearth into the living room.

“I’m home!”

A feminine voice rang out cheerily, immediately followed by a cacophony of coughs as the new arrival tried to get rid of the dust caught in her throat. Footsteps sounded from the kitchen and, soon, appeared the house elf behind the creation of the cottage herself. A frown decorated her lips as she walked towards the fireplace, clearing the mess of ashes and floo powder with a flick of her hand. “Miss Tina must remember! Do not speak until-”

“-the air is clear, right.” Thea managed to rasp out verbatim to the elf’s previous warnings, sending the latter a sheepish grin as she apologised, ��sorry, Tally. Still riding off the high of a mission success; Riddle didn’t kill me! Well- we knew he wouldn’t, not in public like that, but- point is, he got my present!”

Tally let out a relieved sigh at the verbal confirmation of Thea’s safety and quirked her lips up at Thea’s infectious joy. “Tally is glad Miss Tina is alright. Tally is sure Mr. Riddle will enjoy Miss Tina’s gift.”

Thea snorted out a laughter, “if anything, he probably thinks I’m loony.”

“Well…”

“Wha- hey!”

The exaggerated offended expression didn’t even last two seconds on Thea’s face and a grin made its way to her lips as Tally laughed in bright humour. Only once her laughter had died down did Tally speak again. “Anyways, Tally has cleaned up the house and Miss Tina’s trunk is in her bedroom.”

“Thanks, Tally! Have I told you recently just how wonderful you are? Absolutely marvellous, the best of the best, utterly magnificent-” Being in close distance with Tally, Thea couldn’t dodge the tickle hex aimed at her and only made an “oof” sound in surprise, having felt nothing but a tingle of magic on her arm where it should have tickled. She gave a breath of laughter and yielded anyway. “Alright, alright! I’ll stop.”

Tally huffed in feigned indignation and nodded approvingly. Though, the sharp upright of her ears told of her fluster at Thea’s dramatic but genuine compliments, and that didn’t go unnoticed by the girl. Grinning, Thea leaned down to give Tally an overdue hug of greeting which went reciprocated and she planted a chaste peck to Tally’s cheek before parting.

“I’ll go and wash up now. Be right back to help with dinner.” Thea received a hum of acknowledgement in response as she headed towards her room to grab her clothes. Just before she exited the living room, she called out cheekily a final time, “thanks again for taking care of the house, mum!”

She somehow managed to dodge the hex this time despite knowing its lack of effectiveness on her; it was in the nature of every human-to-house-elf bond that each party could not harm each other with their own magic. Additionally, Thea and Tally had, in boredom, tried to test the limits of hexes at one point and, true to Magic, none of their spells felt anything more than a gentle touch to their skin. That had been fun!

Thea was only eight years old when the pair had met. She had been out in the park with the other kids when the orphanage matron had allowed them to leave the confines of the dreary place to bask in the sun for a few hours. While exploring the area that she had been all too familiar with, she had come across a huddled figure in a tight alley, shivering violently even under the summer heat. The hooded figure had taken notice of her presence immediately and they met eyes before Thea could leave in apprehension. Her jaw had dropped upon the sight of features resembling E.T. and it took a moment for her to register the familiarity of the wide eyes and flappy ears. That was when it had clicked in her mind that the wizarding world was real.

A brief glance around herself told Thea that no one was nearby besides the supervising matrons who were busy with the kids, who were in turn occupied with each other’s imaginary world, and she took the chance to step into the alley, slowly so as to not alarm the elf. “Are you alright,” she had asked, and the elf weakly shook her head before explaining her circumstances through gritted teeth. Thea listened sympathetically as Tally – as she had introduced herself – told her that her own magic had been gradually corrupting her vitality ever since she had been kicked out by her previous master without any support that would ensure she remained bonded to someone; to a house elf, a bond was a sure way to keep their magic in check. Unhesitatingly, Thea had volunteered to bond with Tally and was quickly disheartened when she was told that she had to be magical to do so. Touched by Thea’s compassion, Tally had shared her hopes that Thea could turn out to be a witch after all.

And so, Thea absorbed Tally’s instruction attentively and memorised the words that could potentially bound them together with ease. Once the words could flow out of her fluently, Thea took Tally’s offered hand – for any sort of physical contact had to be established for it to succeed – and recited the sentences with determination. When the first rope of icy blue light appeared out of thin air to wrap and twist around their clasped hands, Thea learned that she was magical. A few more sentences later, as the final words rolled off Thea’s tongue, the magical light enclosing their hands split off to travel down their respective arms and into their chest. Warmth proceeded to engulf them and instantly, Tally felt her pain ease away with the light. Thea gave Tally a worried once-over when the light had faded away and mirrored her relieved smile upon noticing that the tremors and twitches of pain had stopped and that life had returned to her eyes. An almost never-ending round of gratitude left Tally in tearful waves and Thea gave her what was to be their first embrace of many more in that dimly-lit alleyway one fated day.

Aware of the fact that Tally could not just show up in the orphanage to take care of Thea as the elf had silently vowed to do, Tally offered to set up a place of lodging in the forest a good distance away from the mansion of her previous master. She had roamed the expansive woods before and knew without a doubt that it could provide sustenance for the growing girl. Moreover, Tally was exceptional in her magical abilities and, even in her weakened state, could provide a temporary shelter until she felt better enough to house them in a more stable home.

As an orphan who got through each day with passive dread and a lifetime of memories to haunt her – however short that ‘lifetime’ was – and with a newfound sense of belonging in the magical realm, Thea had nothing to lose if she chose to tag along. Hence, she did so willingly. Since then, Theana Cora Grace had been filed as an unfortunate missing child in the muggle world, much to her humour.

Thea took the chance of living with Tally to learn the intriguing art of Magic. Having yet to be bestowed with a wand, the magic that she could learn were limited to simple wandless charms which they eventually found out was right up her alley. The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced that her seventeen years’ worth of experiences as a ‘genius and promising’ talent well-versed in the Arts had a hand in helping her control her magic to make it dance alongside her intent and focus. One perk of not having a wand, she had yet to be placed under the Trace.

When Thea received her Hogwarts’ letter, they both made arrangements with the headmaster for Tally to work in Hogwarts during the school years until Thea graduated as per the elf’s wish to not be shackled to isolation for most of the year with no one else she could turn to. Thus, Thea had previously alighted the train without any luggage in sight as Tally had taken it with her when she had left Hogwarts for home for the summer.

That night, the first of that summer after Thea’s fifth year, Tally and Thea sat in the living-dining room, nursing themselves to oranges, which Thea had learned early on were Tally’s favourites, as they chatted peacefully.

Or, at least, as peacefully as Thea could as she racked her brain to fill in the void of her uncertainty.

“I don’t know, I just- I’m positively certain my guts aren’t in shambles right now for no reason- and it’s not the food! The food was amazing as usual, Tally, thank you – I meant my guts in a metaphorical sense. I’m definitely forgetting something vital and important about Riddle and I just don’t know what!”

Tally graced Thea with her sympathies and patted the woman’s arm in a show of understanding. “It will come to Miss Tina eventually. Miss Tina should not turn her head over about it. Here-” She picked off a slice of orange and held it in front of Thea’s lips, “eat an orange.”

A warm smile lifted the corner of Thea’s lips and she let Tally feed her the slice, her fingers resuming their work in peeling the orange’s skin. As she chewed, other uncertainties began ravaging her mind.

“You know, there’s no guarantee he’ll even give my book recommendations a fleeting thought.”

Another orange slice found its way against her lips and she obediently ate it with fond amusement, familiar with Tally’s way of showing her love and care. There wasn’t much the elf could do to ease the woman’s worry about a potentially budding dark lord and Thea had understandably rejected Tally’s offer to spike Tom’s meal with poison – though, she did say it could be a last resort. So, Tally settled on consoling words and oranges.

As it turns out, Thea had no reason to doubt Tom’s interest in her sudden insertion into his life.

It was the morning after Tom had gotten back from King’s Cross and he inevitably returned to staring at the pieces of heavily-creased square papers laying neatly on his table. True to Thea’s words, her gift consisted of book titles that he had divided into the ‘muggle’ and ‘magical’ category. What had perplexed him, amongst everything else that her existence had brought with her, was the fact that she had taken the time to fold each small paper into paper cranes, just as she had done with the first title she had given him back at the bathroom. This time, however, as if she was insisting that it really was a ‘gift’ and not a taunt, each crane had a light blue ribbon wrapped around its neck, each with its own unique ‘imperfections’ that had solidified his guess that she had done every one of them manually. Why go to such lengths, he wondered.

The void echoed his question without an answer in sight.

His sharp eyes scanned the words in front of him again. He had, at this point, memorised each title and had no need of the papers anymore. Intrigue overcame practicality, and he, nonetheless, kept the papers just as he had done with the first one.

There were seven titles that came with the paper bag; seven paper cranes with its personal ribbon which colour reminded him of her mighty panther.

The muggle category included the titles:

Leadership 101; How to Lead to Success

Study of the Brain, chapter 8: Maturity

History and the Madness Within: Consequences of Inbreeding

While the magical ones:

Body of the Soul? Or Soul of the Body?, chapter 6: Growth

Responsibilities of a Lordship

Why do Muggleborns Exist?, (especially) chapter 3 & 4

Amortentia: True Love Born into a Loveless Marriage?

He was – thank the Magic – allowed to venture out of the orphanage so long as he returned in time for curfew so he had decided to spend the entirety of the summer either with a job in Diagon Alley or taking refuge in the city library. He would be off to Diagon after breakfast that day which would allow him to seek out the titles that had been specially curated for him.

Once again, he was struck with the implication that Thea knew of his interest in soul-splitting because for what other reason would she recommend he seek out a book on souls? He could technically choose to turn a blind eye to all of this without a care, but if he was right about Thea knowing what role he had played in all those petrification at school just weeks ago, then what would stop her from telling anyone else about it if he decided to ignore her? The possible fact that she knew meant that he was already balancing on a tightrope and he could only heed her silent words at this stage in time.

Tom rolled back his shoulders in an attempt to ease his tension off and leaned back into his chair as his gaze wandered off to stare at the wall in front of him. He began compiling every instance Thea had appeared in his memories and tried to make sense of her character with only a single one-minute-long exchange spearheading his search for understanding.

She had been bright when she had approached him on the train platform. Memories of her smiles flickering by of every time she had cordially greeted him in passing suggested that her cheeriness was simply in her nature. It stood strong even against the sympathetic eyes thrown her way when others were quick to judge her intent and Tom felt justified enough to characterise her as a self-assured woman capable of withstanding unwanted criticisms.

Then there was the fact that she seemed to be incredibly talented in magic. Her capability to summon a patronus aside – which, itself, was enough evidence to hint at her prowess – he had heard his fair share of admiration of her skills from Professor Horace Slughorn during Slug Club meetings. The potions professor had, more than once, expressed his disappointment over Thea’s rejection of the Slug Club throughout their years in Hogwarts. “It just isn’t my scene”, Slughorn had quoted her before breaking off into songs of praises of her potion-making skills that had achieved “high-grade potions, much like yours, Tom!”

Following that, Tom had spent a week with mild interest in the girl but she would always keep to herself in class and out, never voluntarily speaking in class nor taking part in any social clubs in her leisure times. There was almost nothing of note and her presence almost blended into the sea of students in his mind.

A frown crept onto his lips when he realised an anomaly: she was, more often than not, alone. Surely someone as good-natured and brilliant as her wouldn’t find themselves short of friends? But no, in every glimpse of her in his mind that he turned to – which was plenty, due to that one week of curiosity – she only had herself for company and perhaps a book in hand. She was amicable with everyone she had interacted with, however, and there was no lingering tension nor a spark of discord amongst the badgers.

An oddity, that was for sure. And someone he would have to keep a close eye on come the next school year.

All things considered, he would have to find a way to get to know her, to unravel her truths and learn of her secrets no matter what. She was a formidable foe, he decided, and she would not catch him off-guard anymore.

Oh, how he would look back to this day with fond humour and disbelief.

ao3 🌱 topaz 🌱 masterlist

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#harry potter #harry potter fanfiction #hp #hp fanfic #tom riddle #tom riddle fluff #tom riddle x oc #tom marvolo riddle #tom marvolo riddle fluff #tom marvolo riddle x oc

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