#more song lines left to reference in the future I guess

[mishalikessoundsandcolours]

Syd Barrett my love, finally got around to draw him💖 I'm not sure I got his face right, but I drew this without a reference so it's good enough, I just gotta draw him more I guess.

#syd barrett #pink floyd #my art #fanart #can you find all the song references in the background? #okay there aren't that many lol #more song lines left to reference in the future I guess #I love the fact that Syd's songs have such detailed imagery #I mean other people who have worked with him already said this but his songs are very painterly #I like to write songs and poetry kinda like that too #well I did that even before I started to listen to pink floyd #guess that's what happens when you draw/paint and make music at the same time haha

[babyhatesreality]

The Sinner and The Saint Ch 5

Pairings: Slow Burn Mob!Boss Bucky x f!reader

Warnings: NSFW, f!reader, language, fake names (for now), reader is referred to by her stage name, reader still thinks Bucky’s name is Nick, everybody has secrets, reader says unkind things about herself/is insecure, reader is an exotic and extremely flexible dancer, explicit NSFW thoughts/language/conversations, subtle D/S moments, slow burn relationship. There will be many, many more warnings for future chapters including mafia and all the stuff that comes with that, kinks, and smut.

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN MEDIA CONSUMPTION. MINORS DNI. THIS IS AN 18+ STORY ONLY AND IS NSFW. I DO NOT CONSENT FOR ANY OF MY WORKS TO BE COPIED, REPRINTED, OR TRANSLATED ONTO ANY PLATFORM EXCEPT MY OWN. Likes, comments and reblogs deeply appreciated. 

Previous- Chapter 4

Chapter 5

The music started. You looked up slowly. Right into those blue eyes. Your lips twisted into a devilish smile. 

Sympathy for the Duke from Moulin Rouge the B’way Musical

The music started with just a simple drum beat. You were pretty sure your heart was beating the same rhythm. 

Please allow me to introduce myself, I’m a man of wealth and taste....

You took slow, calculated steps forward in time. You let your mind flood with images of the man of wealth and taste that you had just been introduced to yesterday. You brought your right hand up towards the black silk top hat you were wearing. You pinched the brim with your thumb and first finger, spreading the others so wide and strong you were pretty sure you made Fosse nod in approval from beyond. You slinkily stepped down the runway, as if you had all the time in the world, making sure to toss your impish smile out at just the right moments. Then you stopped in your tracks and looked right back into those gorgeous blue eyes. 

Pleased to meet you; hope you guess my name...

You extended your left hand in his direction as if you were presenting it for a kiss. On the word ‘name’ though, you flicked the brim of your top hat with a sassy smile. You watched as a grin cracked across his face at the irony of the song lyrics and maybe your sass.

But what’s puzzling you is the nature of my game...

You crossed your right foot over your left, slowly twisting away from the crowd as if you weren’t quite ready to give up the secrets to the game just yet. 

The song continued, morphing into a verse from You Can’t Always Get What You Want. As the orchestra grew underneath the vocals, you began to glide a bit more over the stage, back up the runway and along the mylar curtain line, just really feeling the fun and attitude of the moment. 

You can’t always get what you want; you can’t always get what you want; you can’t always get what you want....

With your back to the audience, you seductively lowered the shoulder of the silky mesh cover you were wearing, raising it back prudishly on the lyrics ‘what you want’. Then you turned to the other side of the audience and repeated the gesture. The crowd started getting more rowdy the more you teased them. 

But if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need.

You looked over your shoulder, right at Nick, shot him your sassiest grin, and on the word ‘need’, you pulled the top apart. The hidden break away seams along the back and the front made it look as if the clothes were exploding off of you. The crowd lost their damn minds and were eating out of the palm of your hand. Just the way you liked it. 

And that’s when the beat dropped in the song. And you went for broke. 

You pranced around the stage boldly, owning the moment and absolutely everything about every note. It was like putting on music and just dancing around your place just for the fun of it- you lost yourself in the joy of the rhythm. Your hips rolled deliciously on the trumpet riffs as your hands trailed seductively down your form. You tore off the wrap sequined skirt in time to the music. You felt like a goddamn rockstar; that didn’t always happen so you reveled in the moment right now. You made sure to flick your eyes up to Nick’s every now and then, just to watch his reactions. A couple lines apparently intrigued him...

I’ll lay traps for troubadours who’ll get killed if they come your way....

Use all your well-earned politesse, or I’ll lay your soul to waste....

He seemed to find something to smirk or chuckle about on each of those lines. Hmm. What was intriguing about them? Maybe he was the possessive type? Or he just found them funny? You didn’t really have time to think about that now- you surrendered to the moment, grinding your heart out and just having a fucking blast in a thong, pasties, fuck me heels, and a black silk top hat. 

Love, sister, it’s just a kiss away....

Pleased to meet you....

It’s just a kiss away....

As much as you didn’t want them to, the negative thoughts started flooding your brain. You were crazy. You had no right to think these things about a man you just met, let alone a client....but the lingering feel of his finger brushing your cheek and the nearness of those lips would not leave the forefront of your mind. It was a heady mix of wanting to back down versus willing to fight for what you wanted. Which way were you supposed to go? 

In response, and partially to reclaim your power, you had to throw your infamous leg move in the mix, making the crowd scream. Right before the last lyric, you positioned yourself in the dead center of the runway, flung your hat offstage, and looked boldly and deliberately right into Nick’s eyes, the devilish grin returning. 

Baby, what’s my name?

And you finished with a jump split, throwing your hand up in the air on the button. The crowd went absolutely berserk, but you only had eyes for one. Everyone around him was hooting and hollering, but he took a deep breath, returned the devilish smile, brought his fingers to his lips to give you a chef’s kiss, and tossed the rest of his drink into his mouth. His deep blue eyes never left yours. 

“That was our own darling Angel! And I’ll have Sympathy for any Devil that tries to take her out of Heaven,” Rhodey announced playfully over the PA system, making you giggle as you stood up, flicking your fingers goodbye, and exited. To your surprise, most of the other girls were backstage- apparently they’d come out to watch. They hadn’t done that since you very first started. 

“BABE that was FIRE!!!” Gamora moaned, snatching your robe and holding it out for you as Sprite hustled onstage to gather your things. “Shit, you’re gonna make ‘em run outta money before we even get out there,” she giggled, teasing you, as the other girls cheered and congratulated you in turn. You were even feeling a little proud of yourself- until you saw Nebula’s haughty, unimpressed face. 

“I don’t know,” she said nonchalantly to the crowd around you all. “I think it’s just because she’s new blood.” Nebula turned and smiled nastily at you. “Some people have a tendency to lose interest quickly once that ‘new car smell’ wears off.” You felt the color drain from your face as you suddenly felt like a worthless cast-off. 

Gamora, however, wasn’t having it. She turned and slugged Nebula on the arm as hard as she could. “Jesus Christ, why are you such a bitch?” she snarled as Nebula yelled in pain. “How the hell could I have turned out so fabulous when my own damn sister is such a raging cu-”

“Okay, that’s enough ladies,” Natasha interrupted suddenly, appearing out of nowhere. “Nebula, lose the attitude, watch your mouth, and get on deck. Gamora, quit punching your way into- and out- of arguments,” she commanded both of them. “Angel,” she said, turning to you with a much kinder tone. “Nice job tonight, sweetheart. Go back to the dressing room and get ready. I’ll have Sprite bring your stuff to you in a moment.” You nodded, still a little embarrassed, and turned to obey. You mouthed ‘thank you’ at Gamora, who gave you a saucy grin. You saw her glare at her sister again, but didn’t stick around to see the aftermath. You didn’t have time- you had to get ready. You were going to see him. 

27 deep breaths later, you were outside the Champagne Room, freshened up and in the outfit you’d obsessed over all day. Your insides buzzed with nerves, excitement, and adrenaline. You took your 28th deep breath and opened the door. And there he was, waiting for you. 

Nick was sitting in the same location you had first seen him last night- only this time he was holding a glass of champagne instead of a tumbler of bourbon. His black-on-black ensemble made your mouth water for some reason; he was too handsome for his own good. You watched with secret delight as he desperately tried not to let his eyes rake up and down your body; it was obvious he really wanted to. You tried to keep that compliment close in your mind and not let it twist into another self-insult. He spoke first. 

“Bravo on a fantastic performance, Miss Angel,” Nick said, standing up and waltzing over to the bar, his eyes never leaving yours. He began pouring you a flute as he continued speaking. “Gotta say, I think that’s the first time I’ve seen someone strip to the Rolling Stones.” You giggled at that, blushing and ducking your head at his compliment. He strode back to you, his very steps echoing the power you felt him emitting. He gave you the glass, then clinked his own against yours. “Cheers,” he said. 

“Cheers,” you replied, biting your lip and looking down, trying to contain your stupid wide grin. 

“Uh uh,” he said sternly, shaking his head. He put a finger under your chin and raised your eyes to his. “Look me in the eye when you say ‘cheers’,” he said firmly but not unkindly. 

Something in your very soul instantly responded to him, drawing you like a moth to a flame. You wanted to do whatever he told you to. Almost before you realized it, your eyes had locked back onto his. “That’s better,” he almost purred. He clinked your glasses again. “NOW cheers,” he said, with that mischievous grin. 

“Now cheers,” you agreed, your heart rapidly beating its new rhythm, trying to make up for the beats it had just lost. You hastily took a huge swallow just as he finished his. 

“You have to look people in the eyes when you cheers,” Nick explained, a hint of the devil in his smile. “Otherwise it’s seven years’ bad sex.”

You choked on your champagne. 

Nick carefully patted you on the back as you spluttered, not even trying to hide his puckish grin. Once you could breath again without fear of champagne splurting out of your nose, you glared at him. He just chuckled evilly before returning to the couch and sitting down. 

“I’ve never heard that medley of Stones’ songs before,” he said, back to his charming self. He seemed to hide a bit of a smile as you sat down next to him- no hesitation this time like yesterday. “Where’s it from?”

“It’s from the same musical as the song that I...” you suddenly stuttered a bit. The idea of saying ‘danced to for you’ last night seemed indecently intimate for some reason (which was ridiculous as you WORKED IN A STRIP CLUB, you internally yelled at yourself), and you just couldn’t make those words come out of your mouth. “...performed last night in here,” you cobbled out lamely ugh loser. 

Nick nodded, choosing not to comment on the moment. “You like that musical,” he said as if he were observing something about you. “You a theater fan?”

“Big time. You?”

“I might have to become one, if those are the kind of songs they’re doing nowadays.”

The next two hours flew by as the two of you talked and talked and talked. You were only supposed to spend one hour with him, but when Fury poked his head in to tell you time was up, Nick just waved a hand at him. Normally, that would have made Fury toss any other patron out on his ear, but this time he just nodded back and carefully shut the door. Who was this guy, to hold that kind of power over Fury?

Thinking quickly, you tilted your head to the now-closed door. “You paying for the second hour, then?” you asked boldly, feeling a lot more loose after the fantastic conversation you’d been having. 

“Something like that.”

“You must be running up quite a tab here.”

“Don’t worry. Natasha will track me down when the check comes.”

“Do you...often run up a tab here?” you asked, your steel persona slipping a bit, afraid of the answer. Nick seemed to understand that. He leaned forward, tilting his head at you and letting those blue eyes twinkle. 

“Not like this,” he said softly. “Never like this.”

You were so delighted at that you couldn’t speak for a moment. He seemed to enjoy you getting flustered, but took pity on you and changed the subject. In fact, he seemed to do that a lot. Any time you tried to steer the conversation towards his job or why he was such a high-roller at the club, or even his name, he masterfully swung back around to something that would distract you just enough to get off the subject. You knew better than to push in a direction he didn’t want to go...but you definitely noticed he was doing it. And it made you curious. Very curious. Two could play at that game. 

Despite his best teasing efforts, you refused to give up your real name until he did- which he was not about to do in the slightest. It often resulted in a spirited and creative verbal battle that, more often than not, left you both in tears of laughter. 

Finally, when it was getting clear that the night had to come to an end, he stood up and offered you his hand. You took it, feeling like a rockstar again. This man made you feel like a rockstar. That had never happened...in this way...before....

He escorted you to the door, then kissed your hand reverently. You wished with all your might he’d take off those gloves and touch your skin again, or even more you wished he’d just lean forward and kiss you. It’s just a kiss away...But he straightened up, smiling handsomely at you. 

“Bravo again on your performance tonight. I look forward to tomorrow’s,” he said chivalrously. 

“‘Pleased to meet you’,” you quoted to him sassily, with a grin. He responded with his own. “‘Hope you guess my name’,” you teased with the lyrics that you had known would capture his attention.

His grin morphed in that heady combination of sex appeal and power, making you instantly melt. And he noticed it, closing the already-small gap between the two of you. 

“‘But what’s puzzling YOU is the nature of MY game’,” he whispered wickedly in your ear. “Until tomorrow, Miss Angel.”

Chapter 6

#mafia!bucky #mafia bucky #mafia bucky x reader #mafia!bucky x reader #mob bucky barnes x reader #mob bucky #mob bucky barnes #MOB BOSS BUCKY #mob boss bucky barnes #mob boss bucky x reader #mob!boss bucky #mob!boss bucky x reader

[demigods-posts]

Reasons why The Last Day of Summer from The Lightning Thief musical is an amazing song:

1.) “What do you do when it’s up to you to choose: has something ended or begun?”  It’s the end of the book, the musical, but Percy has to decide if this is the end of his story. This line does an amazing job at explaining Percy’s dilemma.

2.) “Do I stay because it’s safer? Back to the home I left behind. I could stay and train for a peace of the action, but what about peace of mind?” In Good Kid, Percy complains that no has ever asked him if he’d like to come around and stay, but in The Last Day of Summer, the camp directors are asking him exactly that - and he doesn’t have answer. Being a year-round camper allows Percy to strengthen his skillset as a demigod so he can better prepare for a world of monsters, but it requires him to sacrifice the chance to lead a somewhat normal life. I find it admirable that even though he has begun to embrace his godly side, he still has a grasp on his humanity. 

3.) “Perry Johannsson, this means you.” I love this gag that Mr. D deliberately choose to say Percy’s name wrong the entire musical, and also the entire five book series. 

4.) “Sometimes, family is worth the trouble. Believe me.” “I guess we both have a choice to make, Seaweed Brain.” I love the contrast between that moment in Killer Quest when Annabeth calls Percy Seaweed Brain in an attempt to insult him versus in The Last Day of Summer when it becomes almost a mockery of their initial rivalry. Here, Annabeth acknowledges their rocky start, but chooses to not let it define the future of their friendship, and I love that for them. Additionally, Annabeth lets her guard down and briefly confides in Percy, which goes to show that she has begun to trust him and, more so, heed his advice. Their friendship is portrayed so beautifully. 

5.) “Tough last day?” I’m really enjoy all of these callbacks we are getting in this song. When Luke ask Percy ‘Tough first day?’ in Their Sign, Luke has yet to decide if Percy will be a threat to his plan to overthrow the gods. Here, Luke knows Percy is a threat and intends on eliminating him.

6.) “You’re the lightning thief.” “The oracle warned you. ‘Betrayed by a friend.’” Percy saying the title of the show, and Luke quoting the line referring to his betrayal >>>>

7.) “I’ll do anything. I don’t care if I hurt anyone. It doesn’t pay to be a good kid, a good kid, a good son.” This line right here forces the listener to empathize with Luke. While we may not agree with the decision he makes, we understand why he makes them: because he was once was where Percy is. 

8.) “Soon, you’ll see what I did.” Throughout the PJO series, we see Percy have resentment toward Luke for good reasons, but when Percy denies the gods offer in 'The Last Olympian', he, in a round-about way, defends Luke. Even as Percy grows older, he understands Luke’s stance toward the gods and the shitty system they created of sending their kids off to do their bidding. Luke was right. In time, Percy would soon see what he did and why he did it.

The Last Day of Summer is such a beautiful song. The callback to previous songs in the musical, Annabeth and Percy becoming good friends, Luke’s reprise of Good Kid, the foreshadowing that Percy will grow up to understand why Luke is doing what he’s doing. Just, everything about it is so amazing!

#percy jackon and the olympians #pjo #pjo text post #the lightning theif #the lightning theif musical #tlt musical #tlt commentary #tlt musical commentary #tlt shitposting #tlt musical adaptation #percy jackson #annabeth chase #luke castellan #dyonisus #the last day of summer #has something ended or begun?

[pillow-anime-talk]

3. “Are we gonna fight? Like fist to fist or rather... lips to lips?”- samatoki🍭

# tags: scenario; enemies/?; light romance; a bit of comedy, i guess; maybe fluff; rapper!reader; rap battle; girls power; i love girls; teasing; gender discrimination, difficult childhood, superiority over others (in the lyrics); sfw

includes: female reader ft. samatoki aohitsugi {hypmic}

3. “Are we gonna fight? Like fist to fist or rather... lips to lips?”

You, Nikki and Yume ran onto the stage with white microphones in your hands. Your serious expressions described your immense confidence and sense of victory. You were ready for anything, but definitely not for failure that evening. Several groups have already performed before you, including i.a. Buster Bros!!! and MAD TRIGGER CREW. Their performances were good, full of emotions and at a high level. Still, it wasn’t what the audience expected. Surely three brothers and three friends raised the level of today’s performances, the fans wanted even more. Everyone needed a fire on stage.

The song was started by the youngest of you – Yume – who immediately started a personal attack towards all the rappers gathered inside the building. She touched on the sexualization of women in rap tracks, as well as injustice in modern times. Her lines have always been the most moving and always loved by female audiences (Yume was generally very popular with girls and women). You moved your head slightly at the sound of her words hitting the beat perfectly; blonde girl almost blew up the stage. Nikki was next.

She was your younger cousin on your father’s side. She was passionate not only in music, but above all in dancing, which is why she rocked slightly during rap, moving her hips and hands. While her body expressed pure playfulness, her voice seemed genuinely sweet. But don’t let that cute tone of voice fool you. Her rap parts were always the most aggressive and full of references to the past, to the injustice of the world, to hatred towards others and the government’s decisions on teenagers’ lives. Everything based on her own experiences surrounded by a sense of fear and uncertainty about the slowly coming future.

And then it’s time for you; leader, composer, the greatest mental support of the trio. Your parts have never been marked by emotions or sad memories. You focused more on yourself and your girls; praise, boasting, showing your dominance on stage was your most important goal and your best weapon. Offending people? Yeah, why not. Talking negatively about everything? Sure, you don’t care about other people’s feelings. Supporting your own group and showing the three of you as the best crew? Of course, that’s what you’re for. It was your role, your way of expressing yourself. People loved your confidence, your determination and superiority over others. No woman ever thought of gossiping about you, and no man has been able to speak negatively or about you and your girls – people respected you and sometimes feared you.

Your performance ended with the loudest applause and cheers. And it couldn’t be otherwise, and everyone knew it… Even if their fists were clenched as tightly as possible.

{ ･ﾟ✧ }

With sunglasses on, you left the dressing room with your friends and rolled your eyes at the sight of one of your opponents.

“... Aohitsugi, long time no see. How do you feel after losing?” You giggled, nodding to Nikki and Yume. Two girls smirked and then left the huge hall. You were planning to go to the grill bar and drink something.

“You were good, but you can do it better next time.” He replied in a low tone, his tiger eyes looking at your figure.

“If I showed more you would get depressed. I prefer to spare your fragile psyche.”

“Shut up, Y/N.”

Your relation was… quite specific. You’ve known each other for years and even grew up in the same neighborhood. You were also in the same class in elementary and high school, but then your paths parted. For several years you have been meeting during street performances or rap battles organized in the city. You liked him, but nothing else. He was, after all, another pawn to knock down.

“Ouu, so scary, Mr. Hardcore.” You bit your lip between your teeth, then rested one hand on your hip. “Are we gonna fight? Like fist to fist or rather… lips to lips?” Samatoki sighed, crossing his arms. “Of course, I mean our microphones.” You liked teasing him and you knew perfectly well that he had a soft spot for you. After all, everyone in this world had a soft spot for your person.

So why not have more fun? Especially if we’re talking about Samatoki?

#—🎉 #quote prompts #prompts challenge #4k followers #4k special #prompt 3 #hypnosis mic #hypnosis mic scenarios #hypnosis mic scenario #hypnosis mic imagines #hypnosis mic imagine #hypnosis mic x reader #hypnosis mic x you #hypnosis mic x y/n #hypmic #hypmic scenarios #hypmic imagines #hypmic x reader #hypmic x you #samatoki aohitsugi #samatoki aohitsugi scenarios #samatoki aohitsugi imagines #samatoki aohitsugi x reader

[yridenergyridenergy]

Phalaris Vol.II - Zepp Nagoya day 2 [2023/05/13] live report

SETLIST

Schadenfreude

13

Uroko

Mouai ni Shosu

Ningen wo Kaburu

Devote My Life

Hibiki

Utsutsu, Bouga o Kurau

Eddie

GRIEF

Gaika, Chinmoku ga Nemuru Koro

Otogi

The Perfume of Sins

ENCORE

Dozing Green (acoustic)

un deux

T.D.F.F.

Sustain the Untruth

Revelation of mankind

Today had a much better mood! Thankfully, I had chosen a regular ticket to experience the show from a bit farther this time, and Zepp Nagoya's barriers efficiently prevent the semi-moshpits that can occur in other venues such as feu-Studio Coast, KBS Hall last weekend, etc. Therefore, we each had plenty of personal space. On top of that, it felt like the floor was dipping toward the stage, so everybody has a fair chance to see the members. I'll try to remember that for future tours.

To be honest, being in shimote around the centre of the venue's length, I thought Kyo would still be disappointed because I could hear /nobody/ around me shouting the lyrics when Kyo asked us to. My voice doesn't carry, and yet it was the only one that could be heard in my whole section. I guess that the crowd at least moved more today though, because despite my witnessing that it wasn't lively, Kyo felt like it was much greater than yesterday - that's all that matters!

(Seriously, you have GOT to read after the break!)

The band members were wearing basically the same clothes as for the a knot 25th anniversary live show last weekend in Kyoto, namely Toshiya's white lace veil and Kaoru's leopard pants, hive-patterned suit jacket. And yeah, his hair is definitely brown, not sure how I hadn't noticed yet. His makeup below his cheekbones seemed heavier today.

Schadenfreude seemed more emotional today. And we knew that more of us had to give it our all today, so we got really into it. Kyo did the first few: "Ikedomo jigoku ka", once clenching his shirt like he meant it more today than ever before, making another reference to yesterday's disappointment. One thing about the images shown in the backdrop that I hadn't noticed is that the rainbow part of the lyrics may correspond more to the aftermath of the huge forest fire, and there is a horned Devil shown at some point. Near the end, we see a skull carved in a gigantic rock in a sort of jungle too.

After that first song, Toshiya unlaced his long white tie and demanded our cheers. 13 started and I got so into that song, but at the same time, I feared a repeat of yesterday. I think it was either then or during the first song that Kyo did turn around briefly, for a few seconds while he was singing, but maybe those occasions really were to show us the kind of anarchist symbol on the back of his shirt, which was apparently from G.I.S.M. again. Anyway, that song rocks so hard, especially the part about: "You change, to whose intention?" Kyo required us to sing the backup vocals that Die is supposed to take care of in response to his own lines: "Never die - in the dark, Never die - in the heart of, Koko ga subete - here is everything, Never die - never die". He didn't do much in reference to being hanged this time, but he did come up on his crate slowly.

I think it was then during Uroko, again my cue being that the lighting was flashing white, that Kyo came left and right on the stage as if to make sure that we were being active. He didn't seem pissed, more encouraging and optimistic. He was determined today to have us sing the: "Anata shidai de", after having asked us if we could become one.

Ningen wo Kaburu followed that energy, as Kyo had us sing a lot of the lines. The band had a strong presence for that song too.

During Mouai ni Shosu, the people near me didn't seem to really know the song. It wasn't too clear, but Kyo wanted us to sing: "The pride and prejudice" but I couldn't hear anybody else but my voice. He pointed from side to side so swiftly whenever singing: "Docchi ga? Docchi ga ii?", as well as in the lyrics about not knowing the name, like it referred directly about us fans. In the background video, there were glasses being filled with wine rotated at three different angles, followed by a flow of rose petals.

Devote My Life may have also been one of the songs during which Kyo did check-ups on each side of the crowd to make sure everyone was alert.

Hibiki was very heartfelt, but there isn't much of a highlight that comes to my memory. People only put their hands up a couple of seconds after they realise that the chorus of the song, the climax, has arrived. Oh, maybe that was the song in which Kyo started by hitting his chest repeatedly with the mic, then again a bit later, kind of off-beat with the drums.

For today's Utsutsu, Bouga o Kurau, Kyo was energetic. Even if he didn't seem awfully pleased witn the intensity of our "Nanananana naze nanda?", he didn't let it upset him.

Same thing with Eddie, people were barely singing the "kusomamire" as prompted, but the band was energetic. I can't remember what song it was, but Kyo did two wide stomp moves with his left leg during today's show. I'm quite sure one was in Eddie, asking us to destroy our necks and all.

GRIEF didn't see Kyo mock our clapping this time, but he did go onto his crate and hyped us up. We moved in a really synchronized mass. Always nice to take a peek at Kyo's mic cord whipping in between some headbanging.

Gaika, Chinmoku ga Nemuru Koro seemed to be a fan favourite. Kyo ended on whistle screams and growls. For this and at the end of several songs, I was the one to initiate cheers with my: "Ouais!!", otherwise there would have at best been a few awkward seconds of silence before somebody else dared to break the mold, or at worst, an entire awkward silence after a lot of the songs until the band moved on to the next song. So keep that in mind: don't be afraid to be the outlier in the crowd. The uniformity in Japan is very strong and nobody wants to stand out. As soon as the song ends and that you're not disturbing the performance, it's free for all - whether cheering or clapping. They'll let a silence go by just because nobody dares to be the one to do the first move.

The atmosphere then changed drastically for Otogi, as it got more serious. I couldn't help myself and swung to that beat. Did I ever mention that Otogi's background video illustrates a lot of sand, desert, the moon, but also a DNA helix that is kind of frozen, and eventually breaks from one end to the other.

For The Perfume of Sins, Kyo did use his mic stand today! God, it's always nice to hear him growl: "Nose, Eyes, Ears". Today, he decided to sing: "The sound of the brain dying" much more high-pitched, kind of in a deranged voice, compared to the usual growling or low singing.

The song ended and it was mainly the rest of the band who returned their instrument to their technicians and headed out. Kyo stayed a bit and I think he called out to Nyagoya, mic-less, before leaving for the break.

We called for the encore for what seemed like a long time. Shinya finally came out, as usual wearing tight black jeans and a black tour T-shirt. Die had some black top that I think had some long layers, with short black shorts and the leather interlacing tights that he posted on Instagram at the beginning of the tour. Toshiya kept his dress and shorts as usual and changed for a black sleeveless dress shirt. Kaoru kept his leopard print pants and had a classy black dress shirt. Kyo simply changed his shirt for the tour merch, The Sound of the Brain Dying one, but he still had the spiky choker.

Then, the techs brought out the chairs and we knew we would be getting acoustic Dozing Green. You can feel the drums so heavily especially in that song, it's like a gust of wind and a small earthquake at the same time. Kyo had his eyes mostly shut for the entire song.

Un deux felt like it was half sung by us, half by Kyo hahah. Sometimes in unison.

T.D.F.F. was so fun, with a majority of the fans jumping, shouting "hey" and "fucker" when needed. However, the biggest highlight was Kyo doing the finger guns toward Toshiya as he got on the ledge and played his bass solo in that song. Like: "Wow check this guy out now!"

I can't remember the song, but it was definitely in the encore that I noticed what has been described as Kaoru making love to his guitar. I just turned my head and there he was, holding his guitar diagonally with its head upward, the base held close to his crotch, and he had his head a bit tilted, eyes slightly shut and with his mouth agap, from what I remember. All that in the leopard pants and clean black dress shirt. Gosh, was it T.D.F.F. or Sustain the Untruth?

Sustain the Untruth was way more fun and special today. Kyo almost immediately went right, then left, even basically preventing Toshiya from taking position where he had meant to be, in front of his amassed fans, which briefly seemed to tick Toshiya off but he moved on elsewhere. Kyo was busy asking every portion of the crowd to shout: "the inside mind", which again I could barely hear from others around me, but Kyo did shoot two ripped fox kisses from his mouth steadfastly toward shimote after our performance, barely looking anymore as he turned sideways to head back to the centre, so I guess it was satisfactory. He also got us to sing a lot of the song with him too.

The last song came and we were cheering so much for the whole band, but Kyo the most. He started with: "Nyagoyaa!" and we replied with even higher shouts. Then he went: "Nyagoyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" prolonging that a on and on until he ran out of breath and we tried to keep cheering for as long as he did too. He asked if we could keep going, if we were still alive. We were all jumping with our hands raised but apparently something was up with a group in shimote near the front because Kyo kind of blinked when he peered there and said: "Oops, they're already dead". Apparently he also said something about us going home wet and asking if we understood then, but it seemed to me that I was the only one who was sweating huge drops. In any case, he kept asking if we could go on, called the Last Song with his finger raised as high as possible, then closed with something like: "Now die!" As Revelation of mankind started, he wished our heads goodbye and slashed his throat before a headbanging section during the song too.

As the song ended, Kyo stood on his crate looking at us with satisfaction. I clapped and we all cheered, then he eventually nodded and clapped slowly with us too. Shinya drummed the last epic beats of the night and the band concluded with a bang. Kyo stayed there and began doing finger hooks or just pointing all over the place, starting with the balcony of exclusive ticket holders, poking his chest with his thumb over his heart. He did that left and right, from back to front, until he reached the section right in front of him, which he just emotionlessly stared at for a couple of seconds, causing that part of the crowd to erupt in cheers even more. At that, Kyo eventually erupted wide-eyed and shot them a hooked finger and shouted tauntingly without the mic as if the longer he did it, the more he was outlining the link with that section. With everyone saluted, he clapped his final goodbyes and left the stage.

Shinya came up to throw his drum sticks, sending one quite far but another seemed like it must have hit a couple of fans dead in the face because it was sent rather horizontally.

Toshiya threw picks left and right, all smiles once again. He also threw water, the bottle, and a towel very farm. He seemed really apologetic thar his towel did not reach the designated pointed location in the crowd, which honestly appeared unrealistic, probably the second floor balcony. He left with a bow while Kaoru and Die were still swirling picks into the crowd, alternating at the sides of the stage. Kaoru did his trick again of keeping the last pick in his palm while everybody looked around frantically to see where it went. He came back a second time with a bottle of water to spray as many people with it, as well as a towel. Die stood to his right at some point while he did that, looking at us sideways with a foot on the ledge, staring at us with a smile that was incontestably lusty. Then he returned to the right side, kamite, to continue distributing stuff, like a towel too. We cheered "DieDieDieDieDieDie" again to his modest joy. Kaoru meanwhile kept his cool of course and was waving his last goodbye, taking his time to look at us and bask in the cheers. This made Die come his way at the same time to exit the stage, which is in the opposite order as they usually do, or at least never simultaneous like that. So Kaoru acted surprised, very positively surprised, opening his arms wide to welcome Die and invite him away on the left side of the stage to exit. As Die neared him, he placed his arm on Die's shoulders and they left with bright smiles on both of their faces, to everybody's excitement!!

#Dir en grey #live report #tour23 Phalaris vol II #Kyo #Kaoru #Die #Toshiya #Phalaris #Nagoya #Nyagoya #totally part of the realm of possibilities that Kyo had a better time simply because I wasn't in front #At least that's stuck in my mind hah...

[pinkandpurple360]

if I can 'devil's advocate' (heh) for ParanoidDJ for a sec, I just wanna put the song in context

so it originally dropped shortly after s1e6 came out, & you can probably still see some of that by the comments where fans joke that he 'saw the future' or 'was ahead of the curve' because a good number of fans didn't think Stolas had any romantic feelings for Blitzo at all before ep7 & that it was just lust (in hindsight that was another soft retcon that Stolas was suddenly in love w/Blitzo - that 'development' really ought to have been onscreen and then the audience might have bought into his sudden change of heart).

he mentions in the description that Stolas 'realizes his own actions have caused the problem' and I think that's what PDJ was trying to do - his songs tend to try and flesh out characters or fill in bits the canon hadn't yet. I can definitely see why people say it seems like Stolas apologia but it did come out back when the show was in s1 and it hadn't started playing the Stolas Did Nothing Wrong card as hard as it did in s2 (plus Loo Loo Land Stolas at least seemed aware that the divorce was affecting Via, even if he totally failed to articulate what was going on with him when she was upset), so it feels more like an attempt at a potential direction Stolas could have gone with the setup ep1-6 had provided.

I can't say for sure of course, but I think PDJ was aware that Stolas is the problem (or at least part of the problem, idk if he's ever spoken about stol/tz publically) and was just following what arc the show seemed to be setting up with him (and then it promptly didn't in s2, since nothing is ever Stolas' fault now apparently)

it's why it's so annoying to see the lyrics changed - PDJ's Stolas actually gave a darn about Via and seemed to realize at least part of what he'd done wrong, while keeping him mostly in character by preserving his classist attitudes that he needs to work through (the repeat of the impish plaything line)

official video Stolas is whitewashed and whiny. personally I think it's a small miracle Viv even kept the line 'I will try to make amends/for making you means to an end' since it directly refers to what actually happened - Stolas used Blitzo for sex.

but I assume Viv left that line in because she wants it to mean 'Blitzo seduced Stolas so Stolas used him right back' instead of what actually happened: 'Stolas used the threat of losing his job and the pressure of being shot at to coerce Blitzo into monthly sex'

this is all how I remember it from back when the song came out, though - I could be totally wrong, but as far as I know Paranoid has never said he likes stol/tz or thinks it's 'mututally toxic' or anything like what stans usually say

Oof I guess I was too hard on him. I do appreciate you typing this out and adding some context. But then again before episode seven…stolas was an absolute monster towards Blitzø and the rest of imp. He was only kind to Octavia, the same species as him. But to everyone else he was and honestly still is, just purely awful.

I definitely feel like him and all of us, if we are honest, saw a lot more kindness and good traits in stolas than are actually there. I still hold that stolas at the end of ep 6 and the stolas at the start of episode 7 are not the same character at all. Plus, having us see Blitz be enslaved by him, and then tongue kiss him after, all that said to me was that he’s allowing himself to be sexually objectified because he thinks it’s all he deserves. I was actually really shocked that he kissed him, it was such a bizarre contradiction to the intimidation, abuse, and a mutual hatred, we had just seen. Then he asked for a reward…? So strange.

And season 2 stolas is yet again another character. When he wears his hat he’s his usual gross self then the hat comes off and he’s a wimp. If what I’ve heard is true he gets even more soft and pathetic and sopping wet cat-like. I just have no idea what he adds to the story other than taking us on a self pitying emotional detour we didn’t ask for. With none of the introspection paranoid DJ thought he would show. I’m sorry but Stella was kindve right, it is annoying.

Taking out the Octavia lyrics is unbelievable!!! It makes him look so so bad but this is supposed to be his woobie arc, so what gives?

Also I wont stop reiterating that stolas led Blitzø to his bedroom by force and locked him in there. Blitzø thought he was going to kill him, he was scared, creeped out, and actually did try to negotiate out of it but was told not to bother with excuses. I honestly don’t care that he tried to survive by faking seduction. Don’t forget he said “ew” at the idea, and then “alright fine” which is just so gross…

This is all speculation because I’ve heard nothing about what happens in Full Moon—but-I don’t really believe he’ll try and make “amends” the next episode is going to be stolas emotionally manipulating him into “choosing” the book (him, having free sex and a fan to praise and coddle him) or the crystal (a life on his own) it’s going to be really hard to watch. And Viv despite what she’s written of him being creeped out terrified and grossed out by stolas will try sell us that the sex with stolas was great. Even though everything he says and does points to the opposite.

I mean it is pretty clearly a pro stolitz song and that’s what it was used for

#helluva boss critical #stolitz critical

[catastrophicgay]

Dorothea x Augustine Theory!!!

Something has been bugging me about the resolution to the folklore love triangle.

We know that Augustine doesn't end up with James, but that Taylor does think she deserves to find love in the end. What if she does?

We also don't know who Dorothea's narrator/lover is, and it seems strange to me that Taylor would leave this character completely unnamed, a complete mystery.

But who is the only other character implied to have a happy ending but who's future is left mysteriously open-ended? Augustine.

Disclaimer, I'm aware that evermore is a collection of stories independent from folklore. However, since Taylor has confirmed Dorothea and Augustine attend the same school, I'm assuming they must have known each other somehow. I'll also be explaining how Dorothea's songs from evermore and the love triangle songs from folklore are intertwined.

Buckle up because this is a long one. But it is color coded! And gay! So there's that.

Here's the evidence I've compiled for each song:

Dorothea

damn, Dorothea They all wanna be ya But are you still the same soul I met under the bleachers?

We know that this song is about a high school relationship (and likely ongoing after graduation), meaning it's fully possible for it to be from Augustine's perspective, as her fling with James only lasted for one summer.

Skipping the prom Just to piss off your mom And her pageant schemes

This line implies some sort of disapproval from Dorothea's mom of their relationship, as well as the fact that they couldn't or didn't want to go to prom together. These lines along with the meeting "under the bleachers" adds to the forbidden romance themes that definitely have queer undertones to me. This is also one of the only described relationships that walks the line between romance and friendship, adding to the queercoding.

The 1

Roaring 20s, tossing pennies in the pool And if my wishes came true It would've been you

I feel that the general consensus is that this song is about James. However, couldn't be about Betty and James, since Taylor has explained that they do stay together.

What's more, the "roaring 20's" seems incredibly inconsistent with this theory. It could mean time period, but the phrase refers to the 1920s, which doesn't make sense considering lyrics like "meet some woman on the internet." If it refers to age, it has to be about Dorothea and Augustine, since James and Augustine got together and broke up as teenagers.

Since the tone perfectly matches the mournful longing tone of the previously mentioned song, dorothea; the 1 could be a role reversal. A perspective switch of a jaded Dorothea singing about Augustine after having to leave. Here are some lyrical parallels that drive me insane:

The 1: I guess you never know, you never know

Dorothea: Oh, I guess I'll never know

The 1: I have this dream you're doing cool shit Having adventures on your own

Dorothea: You got shiny friends since you left town A tiny screen's the only place I see you now

'Tis the Damn Season

We could call it even You could call me babe for the weekend

There's so much gay in this song I'm not even sure where to start.

First off, he idea of calling their friend "babe" for the weekend has undeniably sapphic undertones to me. I mean, think about it. Straight crushes doing something like that would be seen as undeniably romantic, with none of the ambiguity and tension from the first Dorothea song. Girl friends calling each other by pet names is something that has probably been the bane of every sapphic's existence at some point. Myself included, obviously.

'Tis the damn season Write this down I'm stayin' at my parents' house

Something about taking very traditional values like the holidays, and cursing them, keeps so well with the theme of small town gays.

As for the following two lines, I don't see these being relevant to the song if not as a warning. We've already unpacked how it's very likely Dorothea's parents don't approve of her close relationship with Augustine. Later in the song, these lines add to that theme:

The holidays linger like bad perfume You can run, but only so far I escaped it too, remember how you watched me leave

Back to the chrous, this interpretation is only exacerbated with the next line:

And the road not taken looks real good now

This is line of the biggest clues to me, and for a couple of reasons. I think it's fairly apparent that the road not taken is an analogy used to describe unconventionality, and it is very often used to reference queerness in that sense. This coincides perfectly with Augustine and Dorothea's secret relationship and how others disapprove.

But this line also serves as more evidence that Augustine and Dorotheas songs are intrinsically linked. This song is very clearly sung from Dorothea's perspective. And in a song very clearly sung from Augustine's perspective, this line shows up.

Illicit Affairs: Take the road less traveled by

To me, this shows the contrast between Augustine leaving her relationship with James to entering (and re-entering) her relationship with Dorothea. James casts Augustine off to take the road by herself, to hide from society's disapproving glare. But Dorothea chooses takes that road with Augustine. Their relationship has Augustine hiding her love once again, but this time she's not alone.

There's an ache in you put there by the ache in me

The central theme in their relationship I've just explained is also very present in this line, as it is in the following song.

Exile

You're not my homeland anymore So what am I defending now? You were my town Now I'm in exile, seein' you out

This song is about Dorothea and Augustine's relationship coming to an end when Dorothea has to leave their town to pursue her dreams. While this song is sung from the perspective of two characters, assumedly representing Dorothea and Augustine, I'll focus mainly on one. From Augustine's perspective, we see her suffer through the same heartbreak that she did when her secret relationship with James came to an end, hence the lines:

I think I've seen this film before And I didn't like the ending

This song proves to me that Dorothea and the folklore love triangle must be connected, there's no denying that the lyrical parallels between Dorothea's songs and exile are unmistakable.

Exile: To pack us up and leave me with it

'Tis the Damn Season: To leave the warmest bed I've ever known

Exile: You're not my homeland anymore / You were my town

'Tis the Damn Season: It always leads to you in my hometown

Exile: Like he's just your understudy

Dorothea: And you'll go on with the show

Exile: Second, third, and hundredth chances

Dorothea: It's never too late to come back to my side

Exile: Those eyes add insult to injury

Dorothea: The stars in your eyes shined brighter in Tupelo

Exile: You didn't even hear me out

'Tis the Damn Season: Now I'm missing your smile, hear me out

Since dorothea and 'tis the damn season take place after exile, this song is here to establish the cracks that broke down their relationship in the past and how they are mended in later songs.

Gold Rush

What must it be like to grow up that beautiful? With your hair falling into place like dominoes My mind turns your life into folklore I can't dare to dream about you anymore

I'll say it, this might be the most queercoded song on the album. The theme of envious attraction, being unable to tell if you want someone or want to be them, and having to hide from your feelings all the while because you know you can never truly have a future with them... I cannot be the only one who sees it.

To me, this is about when Augustine first starts developing feelings for Dorothea. I've seen people argue that if this is connected to the folklore love triangle, that it must be Augustine singing about James. However, the only connection the evermore songs have to folklore Taylor has specified is the character of Dorothea, so it doesn't make sense for there to be an evermore track about two characters from folklore.

I don't like anticipating my face in a red flush I don't like that anyone would die to feel your touch Everybody wants you Everybody wonders what it would be like to love you

The love interest being this attractive character that everyone is drawn to makes perfect sense for Dorothea, as we know she eventually moves to Los Angeles and becomes a star.

Not only must this song be about Dorothea, but being the only song that directly references folklore heavily implies that is must be connected to one of its characters in some way, namely Augustine.

I see me padding 'cross your wooden floors With my Eagles t-shirt hanging from the door At dinner parties I call you out on your contrarian shit And the coastal town we wandered 'round had never seen a love as pure as it And then it fades into the gray of my day old tea 'Cause you know it could never be

The most curious part of the song is that when the narrator finally allows herself to imagine a future with the person she loves, she quickly remind herself that "it could never be," and that the object of her affections knows this as well.

All that the narrator, Augustine, wants is to have a comfortable and happy future with Dorothea, but she cannot bring herself to imagine the two of them ever finding this coastal town that sees their love as "pure." This hopeless and resigned tone about her assumedly unrequited love and unattainable dreams is exacerbated in the final chorus when the lyrics change to "the coastal town we never found will never see a love as pure as it."

Also, I feel the need to point out a few lyrical parallels because:

Gold Rush: Walk past, quick brush

'Tis the Damn Season: It's the kind of cold, fogs up windshield glass But I felt it when I passed you

Gold Rush: My mind turns your life into folklore I can't dare to dream about you anymore

Dorothea: I have this dream you're doing cool shit Having adventures on your own

Gold Rush: And the coastal town we wandered 'round 

'Tis the Damn Season: And it always leads to you in my hometown

Invisible String

Green was the color of the grass Where I used to read at Centennial Park I used to think I would meet somebody there

Anddd we're at the final song! Fittingly, I believe this song is from the perspective of Dorothea after she and Augustine reunite, wrapping up their story with a happy ending.

And in true full-circle Taylor Swift fashion, their story ends the same way it starts, with Centennial Park. If you don't recall, dorothea starts with these lines:

Dorothea: Hey Dorothea, do you ever stop and think about me? When we were younger, down in the park

And this isn't the only recall to Dorothea's evermore songs. Almost every line in this song references a line in one of the previous songs that I've analyzed!

Teal was the color of your shirt When you were sixteen at the yogurt shop

Remember the "eagles t-shirt" from gold rush? Taylor confirmed this was a deliberate reference to the Philadelphia eagles, who's team color is teal. Again, this song could only be about dorothea's narrator, Augustine, as gold rush is from evermore while invisible string is from folklore, and Dorothea is the sole connection between the two albums.

Gave me no compasses, gave me no signs Were there clues I didn't see?

This is a direct parallel to exile, where Dorothea laments over how Augustine "never gave a warning sign." But now the tone has shifted, and she readily admits that maybe she had missed the signs all along, and looks back on the nature of their relationship as fateful rather than chaotic.

All along there was some Invisible string Tying you to me

Sound familiar? Even though Dorothea has tried to leave in the past, time and time again, it always leads back to Augustine and their hometown.

On your first trip to LA You ate at my favorite spot for dinner

In the end, it seems like Dorothea does end up leaving back to LA, like she says at the end of 'tis the damn season. But this line implies that the leaving wasn't necessarily marking a bad ending to their relationship. It implies that Augustine comes with her, and they finally get that coastal town they had always wanted but never thought they could have. Outside of the pressure of their small town, they can finally host their dinner parties and voice their contrarian bullshit.

Bold was the waitress on our three year trip Getting lunch down by the lakes She said I looked like an American singer

To me, this line solidifies the idea that this folklore song is about Dorothea. No other character in either of the albums is implied to be famous and have a performance career, which narrows the possibilities to just about one person. And this "three year trip" makes perfect sense for Dorothea, who Augustine says never liked the stuffiness of their hometown.

Chains around my demons, wool to brave the seasons One single thread of gold tied me to you

"Wool to brave the seasons" seems to me like a reference to not only 'tis the damn season, but the album cover of evermore as well.

The color of the invisible string that ties the two together being gold also seems to be a reference to gold rush. The East Asian folk myth the song is based off of describes a red string, not a gold one. So if the color were to be changed, it would have to have been very deliberate. And this theory is only reinforced with the next line:

Gold was the color of the leaves When I showed you around Centennial Park Hell was the journey but it brought me heaven

Another reference to gold, and another reference to Centennial Park. The description paints a picture of the so called gold rush that Augustine had been trying to avoid, being finally embraced by the two of them.

The song offers one final parallel to close this analysis off:

'Tis the Damn Season: But if it's okay with you, it's okay with me

Invisible String: And it's cool, baby, with me

Thank you so much for sticking with me for this whole analysis! I would love to hear what theories or criticisms you guys have as well.

I did make the songs out of chronological order for a smoother analysis, but if you're confused about the timeline, here's a playlist I made of all the songs I find to be part of their story, including some that I have not analyzed here. It starts with James and Augustine's relationship in mirrorball, and continues from there in chronological order.

#taylor swift #folklore #folklore love triangle #evermore #lyrics #music #dorothea #augustine #augustea #analysis #parallels #taylor swift theories #swifties #please interact with this or i will be so sad #mine #evil theories

[vocaliveparty]

Night Sky Patrol of Tomorrow - Design, Effects, and Extra Notes.

Design

Designed and Modeled by Maydayfireball, with some touch ups from jjinomu ! I distinctly remember sending him to her and going "yeah i dunno what to do for his shoes" and her sending him back with "no shoes." so free feet pics i guess.

ANYWAY.. Some people caught it, but he was loosely inspired by the vocaloids in the "Empty" sekai of project sekai. He's intentionally fairly monochrome, so that the wings towards the end seem even more vivid. He's meant to appear a bit hopeless and messy, like he's really down on his luck. I imagine a Piko like this would be gentle, but a little sad most of the time.

Effects

There's two Big effect points for this one, so I'll go into both.

The first is the night sky. It has an intentionally painted, flat look. It's suppose to feel like the backdrop of a stage, not like a real night sky. Like he's performing, but his heart isn't in it quite yet. I added a light dust particle effect in as well to make a contrast between it and the still background to really hammer in it's falseness.

And then of course, the climax.

Using a flat black plane behind him, i abused mmd's transparency bug to display the artwork behind him through the wings.

The wings are also directly shaped from the wings shown in the MV.

This moment wasn't just a climax for this song, but a climax for the concert as a whole. Like Piko gaining hope and a better outlook for the future thanks to those who reached out to him honestly.

Extra Notes

BOY. I apologize in advance, i have SO MANY THOUGHTS about these lyrics. If you're an english speaker, I highly recommend watching it with the closed captions on. They're a bit on the nose, even without me digging into them.

「I'm a boy who picks his battles depending on whatever suits his mood」 「No hopes for the future, I wanted to be drawn in a dream.」 「and yet I fear the future- hating tomorrow, wishing for the past.」

These are the opening lines for the song. Coming off the back of our angry streaming heart piko who longed for the past, this version of him has given up. Like there is nothing left for him to do.

「Leaving the old me behind,」 「but that night was different from all the others.」 「You took my hand...」

I like to believe, in a way, Piko would be referring to the first Piko Live Party here. Like a moment of light in a dark future, You reached out your hand and supported him.

「If this is to end as a dream, at least allow me to change yesterday...」 「I won't say anything like that, so let me keep smiling together with you, tomorrow as well.」

I've said it before, but we made the first Piko Live Party assuming it wouldn't get attention. We worked hard, but with the expectation that it wouldn't be seen by many. That's why, during this chorus, the backdrop is flat. Like a kid's play. Or, like not-quite-discovered potential.

「Even if I think that the world truly changed,」 「and even if I tried to hope or change, the future was cruel.」

The screen goes darker, and the colors become fully monochrome. It's a bit like a reality check - We're supporting Piko, but aside from us, there's not much he can do to change his fate as a discontinued vocaloid.

「Even so, the world I always watched with you was truly beautiful.」 「I still haven't forgotten that, I've placed it in my heart so I can remember.」

This is a Piko who's speaking to us from the present. I interoperate it as if he's referring to the rush of support he got, and how he'll always cherish it even if his future is bleak.

Of course, this is followed by what feelings and emotions you've given him. The colors burst forward, creating wings like the summer sky. They're a physical representation of your support and the future it's given him.

「I want to be together with you in the future, however short our time may be」 「so I'll shout "Remember this day someday in the future, whoever we are then..."」

Again, I highly recommend watching this song in particular with the closed captions turned on. It really adds to it.

I was extremely happy when Mio picked this song to cover, because I knew immediately what direction I should take this concert in at that point. I knew what I wanted to do with it from the very beginning, and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out.

#design references #song breakdown #plp2023 #piko live party #WOW this one got super wordy #sorry about that #i tend to go overboard when it comes to concert narrative / stage design stuff

[ciaossu-imagines]

Yeah. The moment I realised how many voice Japanese actors that I liked were in it, I just had to go for it. I’ve finished the first season now btw and will probably watch the movie later today. I’ll give you my person opinions in the DMs because imo it’s easier like that. Especially since I put some references to certain episodes in there and even use a quote at some point. And I totally understand your feelings towards Mahiru and even though I don’t have those, I do have some protective feelings towards him and some other characters. I like how it was even obvious to you and I’ll tell you that even by the end he’s still one of my faves but in a ‘wants to be there for him’ kind of way. Like I’d want to create a friend for him more above anything else. Yeah. I discovered two in different ways. Mikuni has me intrigued and I want to see more of him and he’s just so fun to watch. Then we have Hyde / Lawless who just… *holds hedgehog gently*. I was looking forward to seeing him because he’s voiced by one of my favourite Japanese voice actors (who is also in Haikyuu!! and makes his first appearance in the second season) and also because of his little dance in the end credits and he gives me so many feelings, none romantic but still all the feelings. I presume the fave that your talking about here is the character you mentioned in our DMs. I like him and understand him and hope that if he appears in the future, under better circumstances. I like how you love both. The opening song is a bit too intense for me so I always skipped it, but I would always listen to the ending song whenever I could.

Also, there’s something I want to ask. I do plan on reading the manga at some point, once I’ve done the first reread of that story I plan on posting later this year, and I was wondering how accurate of an adaptation the anime is. Like can I just start where the anime left off on or should I start earlier somewhere? Also, a few days ago you mentioned in a post that you would like to hear about our favourite friendships and I have to say that Mahiru and Sakuya are now def a favourite of mine. It’s just such a good friendship with interesting layers to it.

That’s all from me for now. Hope you have / had a wonderful day.

C

I'm just so glad you ended up going for it and Jesus, compared to me, you watch so quickly! I'll admit that I didn't watch the movie myself. In an odd turn from how I usually do things, I had watched the first couple episodes of the anime first but knew within the first three episodes that I loved it and really wanted to give the manga a shot too and while I finished the twelve episodes of the anime, I just stayed manga only after that. I might give the movie a shot when I do my reread and catch up of the manga in March and rewatch of the anime. I'll probably talk more about Servamp to you in our dm's, just because, like you said, it's probably easier that way, though as usual, I'm terrible at responding to those quickly and probably will need a couple more days before I respond, especially since (though I adore how much we talk, please don't think I don't) we talk a lot and have so much to say to each other that it normally takes me an hour or three to properly write out my messages to you.

I will say, I was surprised by Lawless so much! I had figured you'd like Mikuni…I love him, I honestly do, he's a fantastic character, especially in the later manga chapters and just I am always so curious about him and every time I think I have him figured out, I second guess myself. But Lawless surprised me. He's truly fantastic too, but I would have guessed you would have loved Licht the more out of the two of them. But that is very cool to learn about Lawless' voice actor! I know how much a good voice actor can mean to you. And see, in a surprising twist here, among my many eclectic music tastes, your girl here absolutely loves metal music or anything along those lines, so the opening really hits me right and it's actually on my hiking playlist because it makes me wanna get up and move and push hard.

As for the adaption of manga to anime, I haven't rewatched the anime fully in a bit, but I think it was a fairly decent adaption, but the ending of the anime was different from manga continuity. I think, but feel free to correct me if it turns out that I am wrong, that it was a case of the anime getting ahead of the manga? I know I personally noticed enough little differences in the manga when I started right from the beginning that I wasn't bored, even covering some of the same territory the anime did, and the art is just a joy in the manga, but I'd love to hear from other Servamp fans. What would you guys say in terms of where to start in the manga??

AND YES TO MAHIRU AND SAKUYA. I love their friendship, I love their bond and connection and how difficult it is for these friends to really have to be on opposite sides of what really is a war. Thank you so much for weighing in and all your wonderful opinions and I hope you're having an amazing day too, my lovely!

#admin chatter #servamp #any servamp fans out there wanna give an opinion on where to start in the manga? #or chime in on your favourite characters or anything

[popbloganddropit]

Bleachers - Bleachers

Initial Thoughts: The album feels deeply introspective. I need to sit with lyrics and vibe to fully form an opinion. No immediate standouts.

1. I Am Right On Time- a solid opening thesis statement. This a Bleachers album, there will be nostalgic references and it will be vaguely (or as of late, more and more overtly) New Jersian. “My mind is mirrors, don’t know what is and what’s reflection. The future’s past and I am right on time,” left an imprint on me. I like the evolution of the band becoming more and more involved in the records. This is a standard Bleachers track, not lacking, but nothing exceptional. 3.5/5

2. Modern Girl- I’m a such a sucker for a saxophone, and it’s responsible for the energy in this song along with the We Didn’t Start the Fire-esque shouty list verses. Would shake my ass to it a bit, guess I’m a Modem Girl. 4/5

3. Jesus Is Dead- The cadence this song is chanted in is not pleasing to my ears. This and the lyrics give off the air of a bad Weezer impression (a poor impression of Weezer or an impression of Weezer when they make bad music? You decide). There’s tiny glimmers of good (“Jesus is dead and so’s New York, I built a place right down the shore. It’s nice”.) and I would bet this song is fun live, but it’s a skip for me. 1.5/5

4. Me Before You- the songwriting reminds me of a classic Bleachers hit even though it’s slower and quieter. Antonoff sings in a breathless manner that fits the yearning lyrics. And I enjoyed the jaunty little outro to take us out. 4.5/5

5. Alma Mater- This was my favorite of the songs released before the album. Love the surprise Lana vocals and there are points that flirt with being Bon Iver falsetto-esque. I don’t really get why we’re screaming “fuck Balenciaga”. It takes me out of the mood of the rest of the song and doesn’t fit. 4/5

6. Tiny Moves - Jack enters his“I Love My Wife” era with this cute little number. It’s not generic, but is missing a really hard hitting lyric or something else to really take it over the top for me. 4/5

7. Isimo - I’m also a sucker for a good “shalala,” which is tastefully tucked in to the sentimental (boulder) lyrics that sound like Jack is rooting just for you. 4.5/5

8. Woke Up Today- A simple love song with some real humdinger lyrics. “Woke up today and I was right, my winning ticket in her eyes”. “But if faith is a chance, then I can believe I would deserve every breath I see you breathe”. Oof, the man is in love. Missing something to really take it over the top for me, but a beautiful little romance. 4/5

9. Self Respect- a sad boy anthem for the ages, with an assist from the always welcome Florence Welch. A boy boygenius-esque depressed wallower. And sometimes I am tired of having self respect. I don’t know if I love the Kobe/Kendall lines but I’ve certainly heard worse things. The random modern references just really snap me out of the mostly nostalgic vibes Jack likes to invoke. 4/5

10. Hey Joe- An Aaron Dessner collab, with Claud vocal! I like this upbeat, but contemplative song. 4/5

11. Call Me After Midnight- I don’t get anything out of this song. It sounds a bit like a The 1975 reject that didn’t need to be on their record or this one. It’s fine enough, it just doesn’t have a moment that hits hard enough to justify its existence. 2.5/5

12. We’re Gonna Know Each Other Forever- this track has a beautiful, captivating instrumental and pleading, pensive words. The narrator feels frozen and helpless and the screams at the end really punctuate the conversation. 4/5

13. Ordinary Heaven- This sounds like a closing track to me, but there’s still one more song left. The vocal layering is well done, but the song is a bit repetitive and long for me and the spoken sample doesn’t add what it needs to add. 2.5/5

14. The Waiter- I find the autotune effect too grating to enjoy anything else about this track. Going to be a skip for me every time, and an unfortunate way to end an album I would overall say I enjoyed. 1/5

Final Thoughts:

I think one of the album’s biggest flaws is that it lacks energy, an abnormal complaint for a Bleachers record. Some artists kill a slow, sentimental ballad (and there are several Antonoff-produced simple piano ballads I’d list as favorites of all time), but Bleachers’ strength for me has always been scream in your car with the windows down anthems (“Don’t Take the Money” isn’t even particularly fast, but I feel it in my soul more than this collection of songs). Releasing both“Tiny Moves” and “Modern Girl” before album release was a misstep when those are the highest the energy reaches on the album and neither of those. There was such a nice run of songs I enjoyed in the last half of the record that was really brought back down by the ending few. There are some songs I will return to, but probably not this record as a whole. The average score was 3.32 and I will keep it there rather than round up or down because I think rounding down is too harsh, but there’s not enough for me to round up. 3.3/5

Top 3:

Me Before You, Isimo, Woke Up Today

What’s Next?

I’m definitely interested in the bonus tracks from this album once they are released on streaming. Hoping to get Deeper Well out quickly so we can fully enter our Cowboy Carter era 🤠. There are a couple deluxe/EP’s that got released last week (Olivia Rodrigo, Hozier, possibly Tyla’s album?👀) that I’d like to get to as well. Next Friday, Orville Peck will be releasing an album as well, so please keep your cowboy hats and fringe securely fastened.

Let me know your thoughts about Bleachers and what upcoming releases you’re excited for!

#music review #pop music #alt music #bleachers #jack antonoff

[fangsup-cobrastyle]

Songs on my burnout playlist and why I added them

for reference I've struggled for like a year with knowing I have to leave this place cause I love my coworkers and the animals I work with and care about them probably too much

Pierce the Veil - "Emergency Contact" "There's no greater vengeance than learning to enjoy again / Hope you get the message, nobody's shatter-resistant" "Leave me something / Or let me out, I'm starving" "Waiting for the start of / Things that I want, this happily-ever-after / You choke on your words, but you swallow them faster"

My Chemical Romance - "This Is the Best Day Ever" Literally every line of the entire song but especially... "They stared us down when we met in the emergency room" "Every hour / On the hour / They drew blood" "Well, I felt I couldn't take / Another day inside this place / From silent dreams we never wake" "Well, I thought I heard you say 'I like you / We can get out / We don't have to stay / Stay inside this place'" "You left my heart an open wound / And I love you for..."

Fall Out Boy - "Heartbreak Feels So Good" "Is there a word for bad miracle?" "Nobody said the road was endless / Nobody said the climb was friendless / But could we please pretend this won't end?" "We could cry a little, cry a lot... We'll cry later or cry now, but baby / Heartbreak feels so good"

Fall Out Boy - "Fake Out" "Remember us just like this forever / But this can't last, won't last / So make no plans, and none can be broken" "Do you laugh about me whenever I leave? / Or do I just need more therapy?" "Love is in the air / I just gotta figure out a window to break out / Buried alive inside my dreams / But it was all a fake out" "My mood board is just pictures of you / But I'm not sad anymore" "We all started off as shiny dimes / But we all got flipped too many times / We did it for futures that never came / And for pasts that we're never gonna change"

Fall Out Boy - "So Much (For) Stardust" "I feel like something that's been stretched out over and over again / Until I'm creased, and I'm about to break down the middle" "The stars are the same as ever / But I don't have the guts to keep it together / Stuck in the permafrost" "Ache it till you make it" "I think I've been going through it / I've been putting your name to it" "In another life / You were the sunshine of my lifetime / What would you trade the pain for? / I'm not sure" "I used to be a real go-getter / I used to think it'd all get better"

Cavetown - "This Is Home" "Are you tired of me yet? / I'm a little sick right now, but I swear / When I'm ready, I will fly us out of here" "I'll figure out a way to get us out of here" "Turn off your porcelain face / I can't really think right now in this place" "Are you dead? / Sometimes I think I'm dead" "Time is / Slowly / Tracing his face / But strangely, he feels at home in this place"

ILLENIUM & Jon Bellion - "Good Things Fall Apart" "Is it you? Is it me? / Did you find somebody better / Someone who isn't me / 'Cause I know that I was never your type" "Tell me what you hate about me / Whatever it is, I'm sorry / I know I can be dramatic / But everybody said we had it" "Coming to terms with a broken heart / I guess that sometimes, good things fall apart"

My Chemical Romance - "Fake Your Death" "But even lights can fade away" "'Cause even heroes get the blues / Or any misery you choose / You like to watch, we like to use / And we were born to lose" "I choose defeat, I walk away / And leave this place the same today" "Just look at all that pain" "You want the heart or to be saved / But even good guys still get paid" "So fake your death, erase your blame / And leave the lights on when you stay" "Come on and feel that shame"

#lyrics #lyric analysis

[masonsystem]

too sick to draw or do anything else which means its the perfect time to watch mca and be a little autistic nitpicky bitch about it. planning to do a post like this per episode, this one's for episode One. well episode one part one bc nothing in my life is easy and i keep forgetting theres a fucking image limit for posts 🙄

- I HATE THIS FUCKING ANIME ok i needed to get that off my chest...... groaned so loudly at the first four seconds fucking... Church Bells and POLES?!?!? POLES?!?!!! i hate shaft's enviromental choices ok moving on

- how the fuck did i not realize that ayano's VA is rena ryuugu lmfao its all i can hear nowadays

- right theyre on a fucking clock... for some reason.... also honestly i dont like ayano's voice that much. like the voice is fine but i dont think it fits ayano's character

- also this clock sucks i wish it was like more More you know more gears more machinery like ep12 insanity ok wait. are shinaya 3d models here lmfao.. maybe?

- i like this line. saur mysterious

- hahaha.... the Kaien Panzermast

now that i think abt it i have no idea why its called kaien panzermast. like i what its referring to (the song siren thing thats telling kids to go tf home) but what the hell is a Kaien Panzermast?

- this scenery is near meaningless to kagepro literally just a whole bunch of nothing when i say i hate shaft's choices for this anime..... like what is any of this shit. also orange??!? orange of all colors..... god damn man

like yes ok its the evening BUT THIS IS KAGEROU PROJECT. GIVE ME MY RED AND BLUE!

-- this part is cool tho. a bit too heavy handed in the symbolism but i appreciate the gesture

- lol at this:

BECAUSE SHE DIDNT! not until 2017 lmfao. this makes me suspect that the revelations from mr2 were initially supposed to be in the anime. but in the end for whatever reason it couldnt fit itself there, so the only revelation we got was The First Tragedy Exists. and no elaboration.... now that i think of it, iirc me and many fans were pretty thrown off from this opening back when it first aired cuz this was like, the first time we've seen ayano act like this. wait. let me check my timeline

ok nvm lol. second time. first time shes ever like this is in the manga:

but anyways back in 2013/2014 before the LTM episode, there was like no context whatsoever for Why Is Ayano Like That. so that was a doozy

- damn can u imagine working on some songs writing a novel and getting these amazing voice actors to voice ur characters... ohhh i wouldnt know how to act

-HJEKHJSKDFHASJKDFH THIS LOOKS CHEAP AS HELL HELP ME

i mean thats um. one way to show a timeline getting thrown away... I Guess. ignoring the fact that Mary Has Long Hair (which she shouldnt), its a cool visual idea but the execution is um... hfjkssjk

- hehe

headphone actor mv on the left and mca countdown thingy on the right. holy shit they are near identical damn, i just thought they were similar but no, its practically identical. thats so cool T_T if only the rest of this anime was this cool.... whatever onwards i go

- shintaro's stupid futuristic high-rise apartment... i loathe thee

- the fuck is this

- first instance of shaft's trademark of putting random shit on the screen and im already annoyed its gonna be bad for me for the rest of this rewatch if i can even last that long. i know i will at least til ep 10 (11???) cuz i need to see baby mekatrio

- no aku benci lmfao shaft hates to animate so much they threw this story into the future so they could just conveniently project things onto shintaro's cyberwall hahaha..... i fucking hate this anime

- looks like shintaro was drawn by 4 different artists in these various shots that only span like 5 seconds

- damn in the anime its not even ene's fault that shintaro spilled the soda lmfao. thats all on him this time

- also shinene's voices are srsly perfect

- XX you say...... 🤨

- storyboarding sucks shit they went from flashback to not a flashback to flashback again my fucking god dude. the only reason i can make sense of any of it is cuz im rewinding every little thing

- literally no reason to add 'roomie' to this translation but it made me laugh so I GUESS

maybe i should hunt for the official crunchyroll subs. but im too lazy

- lmfao

text from Mekakucity Talkers 24, translated by x0401x. only difference from tht and the screenshot is that shintaro still has hair lol

- hm. i wish it made a bigger deal of shintaro leaving the house. yeah he threw a fit but i wish the actual stepping outside aspect was more dramatic yknow. like how Children Record emphasized it

- WHY IS THIS CITY SO EMPTY

- also curiously this episode is missing this sentence from shintaro abt someone rebuilding the city bit by bit which is in the novels and the manga, which is meant to foreshadow saeru's influence. but then again the first 17 manga chapters are taken nearly word-by-word from the novels so maybe thats all it is 🤷

- also it took like 6 minutes for shintaro to leave the house... theres other things being done ofc, establishing shinene's dynamics, quick exposition of how ene ended up with shintaro to begin with, and spilling soda onto the computer and leaving the house. but i feel like it wouldve been better if the anime stuck to what the novels + mr1 does, where ene blares a loud fucking alarm. that quickly establishes shinene's dynamic and easily leads to a So You Must Be Wondering How I Got Here type of thing, and then knock over the soda leave the house bam easy. instead the anime really took its time with like..... idk making shinaro look ikemen. yeahhh not the best choice, especially considered how rushed the last few episodes are gonna be. ok back to watching the anime

- also aku benci x2 like its only futuristic when its convenient which is soo fucking Lazy. theres literally no reason for this story to be set in the future. like all this city scenery is based off actual modern day Kashiwa its just... ugh. barely any care put into this anime at all

- this anime is cool sometimes

- reused this pencil texture from the start of the episode... wonder how many times ill be seeing that

- the fucking comedic timing of these terrorists lmfao. and right theyre clowns... for some reason....

- also dude ill still never understand why only their thumbs are the only parts ziplocked like what. also isnt that harder to animate... THIS STUPID ANIME

- this is a completely fair reaction to having kano shuuya speak to you for the first time

- no the fuck he isnt he hasnt thought of shit my god.

that comic person on here was not lying shaft really fucked up the order of events here bigtime. kano only speaks to shintaro after shintaro's done brooding.... also seto doing fuckall lol. ik he'll say smth in like 2 seconds but i do find it funny that we've seen him for like the past minute and he hasnt said shit

- ok but its cool that kano's hand just doesnt obey the ziplock.... very clever of the artists to just make him put his hands behind his head and other gestures to indicate that theres something up with him

- why are his eyes red.

#kgprambling

[eanul-rmbl]

about Murr Hart and Murr the tomcat - timeline 1/2

Since Murr Hart is inspired a lot from the tomcat Murr in "The Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr", I'm going to do a timeline of what happens in the book and compare it to what happens to Murr in Mahoyaku!!!

To make it make sense (ahaha), I'll refer to the tomcat Murr as, the Tomcat, and Murr Hart as Murr.

This is Part 1, where we talk about Murr as a wizard scholar and the Tomcat's life inside his owner's attic. The fun stuff where we get to theorize about Murr's future will happen in part 2.

---

1 - the Tomcat's birth and early years, Murr's early years

The Tomcat was born with his dad trying to eat him, his mom was forced to leave him somewhere. a little while after, a man named Abraham meets him somewhere and takes him in. this Abrahram soonly becomes the Tomcat's owner. to my memory, the Tomcat was a pretty normal cat in youth/very youngness.

We don't know much on Murr's early years. We do know that he dug up jewels for his family, who were jewlers (rich traveling merchants at that, apparently). His Magical Tool was cut and shaped himself in childhood (it's red beryl)

No known similarities here, Murr was born into a succesful human family while the Tomcat was adopted into (and I'm not sure if he's successful or not) a magician/soothsayer with ties to the royal family.

---

2 - the Tomcat's turning point, Murr's life as a lunatic genius

The Tomcat, at some point, learns to read german inside his owner's study. Abraham (the owner) doesnt really mind at first, since the Tomcat's a cat and how does an animal learn to read. Eventually, the Tomcat becomes fluent enough to read and write german, and even understand his german-speaking owner Master Abraham. He writes several books and poems during his time as a tomcat scholar. Also he befriends a dog and I think that's cute since he's a cat and all. Murr doesnt leave the house.

Murr's life as a scholar was very successful. He had created a number of inventions for the Western Country to grow and thrive. He was a very successful scholar. Very famous and very feared. Known as the genius of the ages.

---

3 - Falling in love

One night, someone was singing loud enough for the Tomcat to hear while he was trying to write something. He goes to investigate it and finds a wonderful cat named Kitty. They sing (but he sucks since he doesn't do much of anything) and this later becomes the Tomcat's love. Somewhere along the line, the Tomcat and Kitty start singing with another cat, M (his named starts with an M but I can't remember it). Kitty and the Tomcat later get married.

I don't know how Murr figured out he longed for the Moon, but that's his love as a wizard. It's his biggest subject of study.

I guess they both fell in love with something at night?

---

4 - the pains with love

Shortly after getting married, Kitty starts growing more and more sad. The songs they sing together are lacking something. the Tomcat still loves Kitty and she accepts whatever he's doing, but he notices there's something wrong. the Tomcat eventually asks Kitty and she then reveals that she's been in love with another a while after their cat marriage. the Tomcat is hurt and proceeds to challenge said cat to a duel. Obviously, because the Tomcat hardly ever left the house, he lost the cat duel. his owner, Abraham patches him up and lets him know he should get out of the house and be an actual cat for once, not thinking the Tomcat can understand him.

Murr's main subject of study was the moon, who he longed for. When he got too close to learning her secrets, his soul shattered and was scattered across the 5 countries. His body remained, but his mind was similar to that of an animal's (in mannerisms, I assume). Shylock finds him as raises him.

They both have troubles with love, and are left shattered (physically or in the heart) because of it.

---

5 - patching up

the Tomcat was very depressed for a very long time. he wouldn't really want to keep himself tidy (something he once prided himself on a lot), and didn't feel like doing much of anything. eventually, Abraham loses patience in him for a bit. his friend M (who he sang songs with kitty with) takes him to a cat fraternity.

We don't know how long it took for Murr to rehabilitate into someone who'd act half like a sensible person/ how long it took for Shylock to raise him.

The transition between completely shattered Murr and the catboy Murr we know and love. The transition between the very sad Tomcat scholar with a shattered heart and the actually-a-cat Tomcat he later becomes.

---

basically, here are their similarities.

No known similarities in childhood, Murr was born into a succesful human family while the Tomcat was adopted into (and I'm not sure if he's successful or not) a magician/soothsayer with ties to the royal family. both rather disliked when they were scholars by people because of the way they acted above everyone else. both fell in love with something at night. left shattered after a rejection. It took a bit of time for both of them to start going out again.

#mahoyaku #promise of wizard #mhyk idea #murr #i like murr so much guys #i read the book hes based off for him #eta hoffmann #mhyk #mhyk western country #relating classic literature to my favourite characters again hehe

[amethystina]

First Lines Meme

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favourite opening line. Then tag 10 of your favourite authors!

@miss-ingno did this (a VERY long time ago) and tagged anyone who wanted to do it, so here I am! It sounded like a fun way to look at how I start my fanfics. I will be skipping over ficlet collections and sequels in a series, since I want the FIRST first line of the fanfic. A different POV for the same story will be seen as its own fic. I won't limit it to any specific fandom, though (honestly, there's only one I've even written more than 20 fics for x'D ) and they will be listed newest to oldest.

It’s long, though, so I’ll put the actual results under the cut! :D

1. Until Death Do Us Unite, Strangers From Hell The day after Jong Woo was released from the hospital, the dead rose from their graves.

2. Who Holds the Devil, The Devil Judge Ga On was tired.

3. Gravitational Pull, The Devil Judge Ga On's heart wouldn't stop racing.

4. Talk to Me, The Losers Jensen had always known that he was, on average, more talkative than most people.

5. Twice Is Enough, The Avengers The first time Bucky saw Anthony Stark, the man's brilliance left him breathless.

6. Say You Love Me, Teen Wolf The thing Stiles probably hated the most about Derek was his ability to leave him speechless.

7. Siren Song, The Losers Carlos stepped inside the dimly lit pub and tried not to wrinkle his nose in distaste.

8. And Time Again, The Avengers On average, Tony would consider himself a pretty observant person.

9. Jigsaw, The Losers It might sound like a terrible cliché, but Jess knew long before Jake, himself, figured it out.

10. Trust Is Earned (And Sometimes Given), The Losers Cougar knew he only had himself to blame.

11. Plus One, The Avengers Bucky took a deep breath and pushed open the door to his favorite bar, instinctively relaxing when the familiar smells and sounds washed over him.

12. Nethermost, The Avengers "If you're going to be blowing bubbles for the rest of the night, can I at least get a gum too?"

13. Five Times Cougar Thought Jensen Was Bad at Flirting and One Time He Didn't, The Losers "Oh no, here we go again." Pooch shook his head and, with a grimace, looked away in secondhand embarrassment.

14. Let's Build a Happy Ending (For You and Me), The Avengers Bucky would be lying if he said that he wasn't worried when Steve brought him to the Tower to meet the rest of the Avengers.

15. Let It Grow, The Avengers Tony stepped inside the flower shop on pure impulse.

16. Where You Belong, The Losers Jensen knew from experience that being transferred to a new team could be jarring at best and traumatic at worst.

17. A Future With You (Is My Happy Ending), The Losers "You look really tired."

18. Tech Support, The Avengers "Sir, another call on line eight," JARVIS announced.

19. There Be Dragons, The Losers Cougar, like every other living human being, was aware of the existence of dragons.

20. Losing You (Is My Supervillain Origin Story), The Avengers Of all the terrible things Bucky had done, this might actually be the worst. _____

As for my reflections, I'd say that I usually try to keep my first lines relatively short and to the point. Often a statement or action of some kind that can usually be followed up with a question of "why?" or at least spark a desire for some further explaining. I try my best to hook a reader from the first line, I guess? And give them a reason to keep reading because they want to find out what that first line was referring to.

Since these fics span five years (the newest a WIP I started in 2022, the last written back in 2017) you can also see that I don't use dialogue as the first line all that much anymore. To be honest, I think that's mainly because of the length of the fics, though. It's an easy way to start the shorter ones and I was a lot more prolific back in the day, though most fics were also a bit shorter.

I also have a tendency (with some exceptions) to mention the POV character in the first line, since it's a good way to establish who we're following.

My favourite first line out of these is probably:

Cougar, like every other living human being, was aware of the existence of dragons.

Because it establishes:

A) The POV character

B) Dragons exist in this world

C) Humanity is aware of them existing

D) And Cougar appears to be rather blasé about the whole thing

This one is a very close second, though:

The day after Jong Woo was released from the hospital, the dead rose from their graves.

Because it establishes:

A) The POV character

B) The specific time it's set in relation to the canon timeline (if you know, you know)

C) Oh fuck, there are zombies

D) Yoon Jong Woo just cannot catch a fucking break

I very much enjoy the challenge of forming a first line that conveys as much as possible, though it obviously depends on the story if that's possible or not. Still, it's very fun to try and come up with one :D

And, finally: if you want to do this, consider yourself tagged!

#Amethystina Does Memes #First Lines Meme #Amethystina Writes #It was fun! #Though I admit I was already kind of aware of these habits of mine #Because I've been paying attention to my first lines for roughly the last five years or so #First lines are important!

[imagineyouandharry]

Gypsophila (H.S)

Summary: Prince Harry has been under great pressure to find a wife, and he finds his Queen in a way far more unconventional than he could’ve imagined. 

Words: 5,730

Warnings: It’s a bit strange I guess? Idk lol.

A/N: Someone requested a Prince!Harry au forever ago, and then I didn’t really have an opportunity to write for a while, and then this idea sprung up on me and I’ve been lost in this little au for the past few days. It’s like a little twisted fairytale, taking inspiration from Snow White and Sleeping Beauty mostly. Part two is already a work in progress. If people are interested I’ll even put out a little sort of world building lore post with a map of the kingdom etc (I’ve been in DEEP). This part is a bit choppy and barely edited because I was just so eager to write it and get something out, but I would really appreciate any constructive criticism and editing notes! TYSM!! Long story short, enjoy!!!

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Harry Edward Styles did not believe in true love, in fact, he thought it was the most ridiculous idea ever. Harry’s certain he’s laid eyes upon every eligible young lady, from his kingdom and the ones surrounding, and he hadn’t felt a single thing when looking at any of them. He prayed every night that he would find his love the next day, and finally be able to put his parents out of their misery and ascend to the throne. At the age of 27, Harry’s the oldest person in his family to not be married, no one every waited this long in the royal family. He would’ve had an arranged marriage at 21, though when his parents suggested that he ran away on a sailing ship for two months. One thing was clear to him: though he may not have experienced love yet, he wasn’t going to ruin his chances at true by being forced into a loveless marriage. It wasn’t only Harry’s parents, but the entire kingdom that woke each day hoping to hear that their Prince had found his Queen. They referred to Harry as the Good Prince, his subjects adored him, and lived for his acts of charity and selflessness, and they only hoped he would find a Queen that would treat them the same.

Harry’s outlook on love changed however, after his most recent hunting trip. Sundays are for family and hunting, that’s what Harry was always told. No day was for Harry, he’d come to learn that. Living under a microscope meant for very little alone time, and almost no guilt-free alone time. He and his hunting party rode across the fields and out to the dense forest surrounding the kingdom, and over the two hour journey Harry found himself agitated with the topics of conversation going on around him. He wanted a break, tired of everyone only ever speaking about royal duties or politics. Harry had discovered a fresh water lake if he went off the trail, and when he realised they were edging closer to his favourite place he decided to excuse himself with the excuse of needing to fill his canteen.

The natural spring was a hidden treasure indeed. Harry’s entire kingdom was cut off from the rest of the world due to the thick forestland surrounding it. There was only one trail in, and one trail out, and even then only experienced riders were able to make the journey. The end of the trail, in the deep of the forest, was also often lined with thieves and outcasts making it not the safest journey. This spring wasn’t necessarily hard to find, however thick trees that lined the main trail hid the spring, the gorgeous wild flowers, and clearing of soft grass either side. Harry tied his horse to his usual tree, softly parting the bushes careful to not cause any permanent damage, and stepped his way through. His kingdom was full of hidden treasures like this, tucked away in places only to be found by those adventurous enough.

The sound of the running water was most prominent, however the closer he walked to the spring, the more he could hear a faint, delicate singing voice. Harry couldn’t recognise the song, but it was one he’d never forget now. It felt as though his heart dropped in his stomach, and he had to lightly scratch his arm on a branch to double check he hasn’t died and was hearing an angel of heaven sing to him. He walked closer, with quiet footsteps so not to disturb the singing. He knelt down to the edge of the spring and began to fill his canteen, looking around his eyes eventually focused on the source of his siren, standing in the clearing over the other side of the spring as she picked a bouquet of dainty flowers. Lavender, daisies, bellflowers, poppies. Her body was dressed in sage green, the simple dress showed she definitely was not from a wealthy family, but it was simple and beautiful in its own way. Perhaps she sewed it herself, it did look as if it were made for her. He could see her hair shine from here, and the features of her side profile were striking him even from a distance. She didn’t look real. The strange girl across the spring looked ethereal, like her beauty was too surreal for this planet. Had he hit his head? Was he seeing a forest fairy? He hadn’t even realised the staggering increase in his heart rate as he watched the girl, and listened.

He lost track of how long he had been watching her for, snapped out of his daydream when he heard a “Your Royal Highness! We must be getting on!” Harry heard shouting at him from a distance, most likely back where he had tied his horse. The girl had heard the faint noise and her eyes shot in Harry’s direction. His cheeks flushed with heat as their eyes met only for a brief second, before she ran away. The eye contact brought a slight curve to his lips, although she was leaving, at least he got another good look at her.

“Wait!” He called as he stood up, his hand and canteen dripping wet. His eyes softened as she simply left, looking back briefly in her stride, but he’d blown it. “God fucking damn it.” He cursed under his breath as he began to trudge back to his horse, his feet weighing heavy on the ground.

That was the most he’d ever felt, looking at the stranger across the lake singing as if it were for him, and he couldn’t help but feel like he’d just lost his future Queen. Half of him wanted to wade through the water and run after her, but Harry wasn’t a often disobedient Prince, when one of his parents or advisors told him to jump, his usual response would be “how high?” It’s ironic how for someone who’s whole life depends on finding his future Queen is given so little time to actually explore a social life, or love life himself. He was always set up with suitors who his parents found best. In the rare times he’s able to sneak away he’d gotten around, and most definitely wasn’t a virgin, but he’d never found a girl who had made him feel the way he wanted to feel about his future queen. He only wanted to please his family, and his realm, but this was the one thing where he refused to compromise.

Y/N was as far away from a future queen as it could come, or at least that’s what her step-mother wanted everyone to think. The entire town hoped to marry their daughters off to the elusive Good Prince Harry, however her step-mother only wanted her biological daughters to have that chance. When Y/N’s father passed away her step-mother sent her out to live as a recluse in a tiny cottage in the woods, she had always feared that her beauty would distract future husbands away from her actual daughters, and didn’t want to ruin their chance of being married. Each Sunday she drops Y/N off the supplies she needs, but that was the only human contact she was given. It wasn’t too bad, she managed to keep herself busy with sewing, baking, or whatever other art or craft she could think of and had the materials for. It was lonely though, and she was ultimately alone.

Well, if you don’t count forest fairies. Y/N hated being outcast into the forest, and spent most of her early months in the cottage crying to whatever wild animal she could find that day that would stick around long enough. Eventually, these wild animals started bringing their fairy friends along with them. They would spend their days with Y/N tending to fruit and vegetable gardens, watering plants, having picnics, and making daisy chains. Her life was simple, and although not one she asked, it was one she was growing fond of. Male company was something she could only imagine and long for, or read about in story books. There were dozens of fairies living in the forest, but she’d become particularly close to a group of some of the female fairies.

Each Sunday before her step mother visits, Y/N will pick her step mother a bouquet of flowers in attempt to win her over, in hopes maybe one day her sweetness will earn her way back into town. Y/N had total obliviousness towards her step mother’s plan, and towards what was going on in the city. This year, any woman over the age of 21 was to present herself to the Prince. Y/N’s 21st birthday fell on the day she was scheduled to be presented to the Prince. The letter had been delivered shortly before she was sent away to the forest, Y/N never laid her eyes upon it though. The letter outlined the royal guard would be coming to collect anyone who failed to present themselves on the day, and to Y/N’s step mother that meant the only option was to make it so Y/N never turned 21, or made it to her birthday for that matter.

Seeing the Prince most definitely did spook Y/N during that day in the field, if her step mother ever found out she’d had contact with a male there was no chance she’d ever be allowed to move back home. She did all she could think to do. She ran. She ran so fast that the petals of the flowers she had picked were ruined in her haste, quickly shutting herself inside the cottage to gather herself before her routine afternoon visit from her step mother. Sure she knew of men to be dangerous and terrible, but she feared her step-mother’s wrath more than anything any man could put her through.

Like any other Sunday, she scrubbed the house and dressed herself in whatever new garment she had stitched herself this week. The fairies had been busy this week and she’d had a great deal of time to herself, embroidering colourful flowers into the soft white linen of the new dress she had made. Her step-mother would bring her fabric and thread to sew dresses for her step sisters. It was something to be proud of, but most likely would be over looked. Little was said upon her step-mother’s arrival, but her character seemed off. Her step-mother’s eyes darted around, checking windows as she insisted on making the two of them tea. Y/N sat down at the small dining table, recounting tales of her week, ensuring to leave out anything about fairies or a boy. She watched a small bunny outside the window, forgetting to speak as awe overwhelmed her whilst she watched its tiny nose twitch. Her daydream came to an end when the sound of the ceramic mug hit the hard wood of the coffee table. “Drink while it’s warm, my love.” Her step-mother told her, sitting down in the seat at the head of the table beside Y/N. It wasn’t long after that that Y/N hit the floor, and her step-mother was shrouding herself in a hooded coat and sneaking out of the tiny cabin.

Elsie, a fairy most close to Y/N, who specialises in healing, came to the conclusion that she was only out for about six hours before the fairies found her. They did all they could over the following weeks to bring her back to life, trying as many possible rituals, potions, and spells to give life to her body once more. Nothing was of use though, and instead they decided to preserve her in a glass case in the clearing amongst the wildflowers. She had professed to them that the clearing by the spring had been her favourite place, so they saw this fit. Preserving her in the glass case was simply because the idea of her beauty decaying away made any of the fairies shriek. Fairies never communicated with humans, however Y/N was different. Elsie had always theorised that Y/N had magic in her blood. Amongst the many spells and rituals they tried to bring Y/N back, they threw in a spell that would hopefully bring her back with true love’s kiss. It was like a safety net, or a ‘what if?’ But they eventually tired and wore out, preserving her was well enough for now. They kept her dressed in the new dress she had crafted for herself, it was so beautiful after all. They had placed tiny baby’s breath flowers throughout her hair, and made sure everything was perfect. They even went as far to adorn her in delicate gold jewellery, with beautiful crystals of all colours. Her body rested upon a large rectangular slab of rose quartz.

****

Harry was dreading sitting in the throne room, while all the eligible females from the town were presented to him like livestock. It made him sick, and left a terrible taste in his mouth. All he could think of was the girl from the clearing. Is she a sign? Is he his ticket out of here? Was seeing her fate? Questions like that simmered over his mind and kept him awake at night, he had been sleeping little and finding it hard to focus on his duties. His best friend Niall was he closest confidant, the only one he had told about the beautiful girl in the clearing that day. Niall cared more for Harry than anyone, really. He didn’t just care about his fame or power or wealth, Harry was his best friend and he hated seeing his best mate so down about his love life and the pressure to marry a woman he doesn’t love. He made it his mission to find the woman, and his detective work lead him down a path he didn’t expect at all. First he went to the clearing where Harry filled his water in the spring, that was where he first noticed something over the other side of the spring that he couldn’t quite make out. He followed the spring and found an area narrow enough to cross, making his way to the structure he’d seen earlier. He didn’t know what to make of this discover, a dead girl in a glass coffin. ‘Forever at rest, only to be woken by true love’s kiss’ read an inscription on a gold plaque. He really didn’t know what to make of this. He didn’t know what to tell Harry.

Sweat lingered Niall’s brow as he made his way back to the castle to find Harry, to tell him of his discovery. “Look… I just need you to come with me and tell me what you think when we’re there.” Niall tells him, his voice somewhat breathless. Niall himself was still in disbelief, shock, his eyes wide as he shook his head. “I just- I don’t know what to tell you. You need to see it for yourself.” He adds.

Harry nods. “I’ll come immediately.” Harry tells him, his trust for Niall outweighing anything else going on in his head. Together they rode to the forest, crossed the narrow part of the spring, and towards where Niall had discovered Y/N.

“Is this the girl you were talking about?” Niall asks, however when he looks from the girl to Harry, he knows the answer. Harry couldn’t help but fall to his knees, pressing his palms against the glass as he looked inside. He noticed how long her eyelashes looked, and the freckles on her nose. His nose was almost touching the glass as he leant here on his knees at the side of her, taking her in up close.

“What happened to you?” He whispers, his eyebrows knitting together. Niall gives him a moment before he decides to mention the plaque at the foot of the structure.

“It uh, says something weird about being awoken by true love’s kiss. I don’t know if it’s true, and it’s revolting to think you would kiss a dead body for nothing, but someone has put her here. Someone made this. My grandmother in her old age would mutter stories about forest fairies and their magic… It just makes you wonder, you know?” He ponders, his eyes wandering away. It felt silly to bring up magic, it was something very commonly dismissed.

“Help me get this off.” Harry said as he brought himself from the ground, the soft grass had left green stains on his tan riding pants. He pushed the sleeves of his white linen button down up past his elbows, and the two men carefully lift the heavy glass case up off of the rose quartz Y/N had been resting on. It wasn’t easy, and the glass at the bottom dug into Harry’s fingers before they set the glass piece of the structure down on to the grass. “Alright. Here we go.” Harry said, in attempt to psych himself up for kissing a dead girl. She didn’t look dead though, just sleeping, you could only tell she was dead due to the missing rising and fall in her chest with her breath. “I might start walking back to the horses, give you some privacy.” Niall said, giving him a slight smile. He also didn’t really want to witness someone kiss a dead person, if she didn’t end up waking up.

“Good luck. Take your time.” He adds, part of him had no doubt it was going to work though. The stories his grandmother would tell him of the forest fairies were something he’d always held on to, those stories were amongst his most treasured memories. He’d always had some hope.

Harry waited until he could no longer hear Niall’s footsteps before he leant down close to Y/N, brushing a strand of hair back behind her ear. He took a moment, if this never worked it was going to be the last time he’d ever see her. He couldn’t fathom coming back to this spot if this didn’t work. His heart began to ache at the thought, it made his chest feel tight, and gave him the urge to rub at the spot.

“I really hope you’re who I think you are.” He whispers as he looks down at her. “This might seem like absolute madness. I don’t even know your name, but if you wake up for me, I swear to you I will be yours forever.” He began, to Harry this almost did feel like a ritual, it felt special, and the words he was speaking were amongst the most genuine he’d ever given life to. “I promise, I will protect you. I will provide for you. I will love you. I will never, ever harm you. I will love you until my very last breath, I just need you to do this one thing for me.” His voice was barely a whisper now, and breaking as hot tears welled in his eyes. He very carefully leant down, pressing his warm, puffy lips against her cold, smooth ones. He didn’t know how long to wait, but it didn’t feel wrong. It was a sweet, tender kiss. His eyes closed, and he felt at peace. It felt more than at peace. The long grass, wildflowers, and tree branches that surrounded them began to stir with wind, petals floating up into the gusts that took them. This girl had a tendency to make him feel like he’s dead and in heaven. Her lips slowly began to warm, and skin began to glow with heat. It felt like they were floating, as if the universe was made up of just the two of them. The flowers beneath him began to grow taller and more dense, and it began to feel like his heart was pulling towards hers. It felt like a tether had been formed, connecting their energy, he could feel as her heart began to pump blood again, and her energy radiate from her skin. It felt too surreal.

Slowly, Harry removed his lips to allow Y/N to breathe. He let a hand lay gently resting on her cheek as he watched her gasp for her first new breath, eyes shooting open as she looked up at him. It wasn’t shock she was met with when her eyes met Harry’s, but peace. The luminous green eyes that were gazing down upon her were like lighthouses, guiding her towards safety. So many questions began to race her mind as she came to reality, unable to decide which one to ask first. As if based on intuition, Harry decided to speak. “I uh- I’m not too sure what happened to you but my friend found you here today and brought me to you. I believe I saw you a few weeks ago, in the same spot. I’m not sure how long you’ve been out here, but there was this little plaque at the end of this thing here, that said something about a kiss to wake you up… I’m sorry for kissing you without your consent, but I couldn’t risk not taking this chance.” He didn’t mean to ramble or to overwhelm her with his spiel, but he was overwhelmed himself with everything that had just gone on. True love’s kiss. His queen. His true love. The other half of his soul, in human form. Y/N’s lips parted as if to speak, but nothing came out. She closed them once more as she sat up and looked around, swinging her legs off the side of the marble before looking back up to Harry. Her movement had disconnected his hand from her face, and they both longed for each other’s touch once more already. Her eyes began to well with tears as she began to think about how she got here, her last memories.

“I can only assume how overwhelming this must all be for you… We can stay here as long as you need, it’s just us. When you feel ready for it, I can take you back to my home and we can get you showered and fed. I don’t mean you any harm.” Harry doesn’t even need to add that last sentence though, because she can feel it. She can feel his love for her, she could almost hear it if she listened closely enough, as if his heart was now beating a song for her.

Harry stood back, as if to give the doe eyed girl some space. She looked at him as if he was the most precious treasure on Earth, he’d never felt so overwhelmed with love. This was followed by her delicate hands reaching out, taking ahold of his as she brought herself to stand in front of him. “Is it alright if you hold me for a second?” She asked softly, needing time to process things.

It had been so long since she had been touched affectionately, she couldn’t really remember it. Her father was never affectionate, nor her step mother or step sisters or anyone else she’d met. She felt comfortable with the stranger in front of her though, and didn’t have the energy to resist the magnet like force pulling her towards him.

“Of course.” He responds, his voice soft as he wraps his arms gently around her frame, pulling her into his warm figure. Harry was like the perfect, giant teddy bear… but he wasn’t really that soft. Pressed against him she could feel how chiseled his features are. Her arms wrapped around his waist as she relaxed into him, cheek against the skin of his chest kindly revealed by the first few buttons of his shirt being undone. “What’s your name?” He asks, tangling his fingers in her hair to lightly rub his fingertips against the tender skin at the back of her neck.

“Y/N Y/L/N. Yours?” She asks, looking up to the tall, broad man.

“Harry.” He decides on leaving out his royal title or last name.

“Just Harry?” She asks, her eyebrows raising.

“For now. We have plenty of time to talk about me later.” He notes, removing the same rogue strand of hair as before from her cheek, tucking it behind her ear. It was almost as if her hair had a life of its own, breathing, like the other flora growing in the forest. He had noticed the baby’s breath in her hair, though her hair moved, they remained in the same places, as if growing out of their place on the strand of hair. “What do you last remember?” He asks, needing to know if whatever put her in eternal sleep had been by accident, or as an act of malice. She looks back away from his face, resting her cheek once more against his chest.

“My step-mother, Styephania came over, she made me tea. That’s all I can really remember.” She said, unable to stop the disappointed sigh from escaping her lips. Maybe she’d had a freak health accident, like a stroke. Just because she’d been mistreated by her step mother her whole life, didn’t mean she was capable of murder. She knew her step mother didn’t put her out here though, this was the work of fairies. They were looking on, hiding in the bushes as they stood witness to young love blossom in front of them, not wanting to disturb the two of them. “I look crazy, and it sounds crazier saying this, but I’m certain the forest fairies are responsible for looking after me and putting me here. The day she came over was the day I think you saw me here, and I’m not sure how I’m meant to feel but I don’t feel like I’ve been a dead body since then. I feel like no time has passed at all.” Harry avidly listened to her speak, her voice like caramel, seeping in his ears and warming his whole body. Harry wasn’t phased by her mentioning fairies, Niall had suspecting this being their work earlier. It was the only explanation Harry could think of. He couldn’t understand why her step mother would leave her here, why she wouldn’t find her help.

He didn’t want to worry his sweet girl now, he wanted to make sure she felt alright, safe, and cared for. His grip on her wasn’t too tight, but firm in a comforting way. “The plaque… It mentioned how you’d only be woken by true love’s kiss.” He figured the longer he waited to tell her the stranger it would be. His cheeks were red, as if embarrassed or ashamed to tell her about the plaque, how strange it all was. Her eyes met his, and the connection gave him whiplash. He couldn’t peel his eyes away, getting lost in the little pools. He wanted to know everything about her, what she liked, disliked, what she ate for breakfast, her favourite songs, flowers, secrets. Everything.

“I don’t know if I know what love feels like. The only men I’ve spoken to are all twice my age. I wasn’t really allowed to see boys. You’re definitely much, much more beautiful than I would’ve imagined a man to be, and I’m certain that my heart is literally beating for you now, since you woke me.” She tells him, the descriptions of heroes in stories she would read, or how she would imagine the older men to look when they were younger, were incomparable to Harry. The compliment made his cheeks flush. With each beat of her heart, it was as if it was pulling her closer to Harry, calling out for him, begging for him to love on her and soothe the ache in her chest.

“How has God made something so sweet?” He mumbles, he hadn’t even realised he’d said it out loud at first. “You’re breath taking. The most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid my eyes upon, and trust me when I say I’ve seen a lot of them. Even from far away, the first time I saw you… You make me nervous. You make my heart race, and my palms sweat, and I get butterflies in my stomach and nervous when I think about saying the wrong thing or not having you like me. It’s as if you’ve been carved by God himself, like he was showing off when he made you so beautiful. I wish I’d met you sooner.” Those last words burn his throat, how easier the last few years would have been if he had just been able to find her sooner.

*****

Harry sent Niall back to the castle first, having him instruct everyone to clear out the path that the Prince and his soon to be queen would take to his suite, he didn’t want to spook her with people around. The guards had to stay though, non-negotiable. He also had Niall ensure the doctor was on standby, just to check on Y/N and stay in the castle over the upcoming weeks in case anything else happened. Security was going to be increased, and tightened, and a warrant put out for her step mother.

The two hour horseback ride to the castle would give them well enough time to get to know each other, Harry and Niall had also switched horses, Niall’s being the slower of the two. “I don’t want to startle you when we get there. I also don’t know how to really tell you this. I’m in the royal family, so the guards and whatnot are something to just be ignored. They’re for your protection. I don’t know if you heard much of what I was telling Niall earlier, but you’re going to be very safe here, and we’ll find out what happened. I’ll look after you, I promise.” His eyes are ahead as he speaks, looking over the vast green fields ahead of them once they eventually emerged from the forest.

“Still just Harry, to me.” She reassured, sensing his nerves about revealing this information to her. His shoulders relaxed at her reaction, and a smile formed on his lips when his mind began to wander into what their future may be like. His queen.

“Hey, one day that’ll be King Harry to you.” He joked, thankful that it was received with a laugh. Her laughter was almost as sweet as her songs, and for the rest of the journey he made it his mission to mine as many possible laughs out of her as he could, like little nuggets of treasure. After making their way through the fields that lined the forest, they went down a long road that served as a divide between two of the castle’s towns, and at the end of that road just past a small valley of mountains was a sight far more glorious than Y/N had imagined. Her village was a small village that contained mostly candlemakers and dressmakers, and it sat further to the east, people only ever going out there to purchase fine candles and clothing. It was niche though, and not many could afford the fineries the master crafters in her village would create. Y/N hadn’t even really seen a home larger than a cottage, Harry’s castle looked large enough as if it could contain its own little world, a complete wilderness of towers surrounded by fine gardens, protected by a large moat with a standalone drawbridge. Harry didn’t even need to announce himself, the drawbridge was already in the process of being lowered for him.

“I had Niall clear our path, I don’t want to overwhelm you. I’ll introduce you to everyone when you’re ready.” Harry reassures her, she hadn’t even thought of anyone else though, too in awe of the sights around her. Flowers she’d never seen before laced these gardens, with fine marble sculptures and fountains protruding from them.

“I can’t believe this is your home.” Y/N whispers, unable to think of anything else to say.

“Your home too, if you’d like.” Harry replies, though his words immediately shrouded him with nerves about rushing Y/N into anything. It was stupid, they were each other’s true love’s, but it felt wrong being strangers, so Harry tried his best to conceal things. He’d never been in a conventional relationship before, never mind whatever this arrangement is or was going to be. He just knew he wasn’t meant to rush things, so he tried to refrain from expressing his feelings as best as he could. Her arms around his waist tightened, Y/N needing to feel as close to Harry as possible. He held the reins in one hand, the other arm resting over hers around his stomach, holding on to her arm to make sure she couldn’t let go.

“I’d like that.” Y/N reassures, gently rubbing his side to soothe him. Harry was too caught up in his own feelings to pay attention to how calm Y/N was. She could feel his anxiety though, and continued to try to soothe him as best she could. Y/N knew very little about Harry so far, but what she did know was that he was kind, caring, and had a lot of worries. She’d never been a worrisome person, and if anything would even refer to herself as naive, it was something she’d always been almost ashamed of but in this moment felt like maybe she’d been made to be by Harry’s side. Y/N liked the idea of spending her days being Harry’s rock, a voice of reason. She’d rather a man like this than one who had no emotions, that was for sure. It could’ve been whatever was now eternally bonding them, but she swears she was feeling his emotions, able to see his aura if she really studied hard enough. She sunk into him some more, her arms around his waist, cheek resting against his back. Harry made sure to take it extra slow, giving his love enough time to appreciate the flowers. She seemed to like flowers, and his mother took pride in this being the most beautiful garden amongst all of the kingdoms. He couldn’t wait to show her all the fineries that came with his life.

#harry styles fanfiction #harry styles x reader #Harry Styles #harry styles one shot #harry styles imagine #harry styles imagines #Prince!Harry #harry styles au #harry styles fic #harry styles fluff #new writter #writeblr #fanfic #fantasy #high fantasy #prince

[egcdeath]

welcome! before we begin, i want you to know some things about me:

my requests are currently open

i will write anything EXCEPT smut

you can join my taglist here!

now what you’re actually here for:

soccer parent AU masterlist

one word prompt drabble masterlist

someone in the crowd - you and joel found your start as local musicians thirteen years ago, but ultimately drifted apart. after seeing him again, the two of you embark on a night of questionable decisions.

how the cookie crumbles - when you come back home to austin to help your sister with her bakery, you end up in an arrangement with your high school crush that ends up being far more than you bargained for.

coming soon…

coming soon…

father-daughter dance - frankie has some concerns before his first father-daughter dance.

spontaneous proposal - after years of being together, frankie is finally ready to propose to you… except his proposal doesn’t exactly go as planned.

love in bloom - every saturday morning jake brings you to the farmer’s market, and every saturday morning, you leave him a flower.

sunday kind of love - a glimpse into the best and most domestic day of the week for jake and the reader.

devil’s advocate - life isn’t all that bad for a former black widow turned hit woman. that is, until you meet a certain pain in the ass vigilante.

drabble masterlist

dad!steve masterlist

MULTI CHAPTERED

a blip in the reader-verse - a minor mistake causes a shift in the multiverse that only you have the capacity to fix. (mainly steve x reader, but future minor pairings will be added)

ONE SHOTS

unwinding - on valentine’s day, you receive a bit of a surprise. (tooth rotting fluff)

aunt flo - your monthly friend decides to visit you while staying over at steve’s. (fluff, many references to periods)

camper’s quarrel -  who would’ve guessed that a camping trip with your team and a man you couldn’t stand would go south so quickly? (that’s a rhetorical question.) (fluff, a little angst if you squint, enemies to lovers)

strangers again - [request] “hiiii sweetie!! can i request a steve x reader where he left yn for peggy. but he always felt guilty and missed yn. he would always stare at her pic. when he came back he bumped into yn while she was dropping a kid to daycare. and steve realized it was his son. kinda sad but fluff at the end pls!!!! and oh i super love your works!!! tysm 🌼🥺💕”

opposites attract - a villain!reader x steve rogers fic based off the song ‘ferrari’ by the neighborhood (fluff, angst, hurt/comfort)

likes repel - you finally find steve again, but things don’t go exactly how you expected them to. (part two to opposites attract)

act natural - sometimes, you just have to share the bed. (tooth rotting fluff, mutual pining)

tell your baby that i’m your baby - nothing good lasts forever, and your relationship with steve is no exception. (unrequited love, angst)

finders keepers - did captain america just steal your cat? (tooth rotting fluff)

second chances - you wake up on the side of the road with no memories, no posessions, and no place to go. luckily, an attractive stranger arrives just in time to help you out. (softdark)

in plain sight - steve makes your mission to pose as a married couple in the suburbs much easier than you expected. (tooth rotting fluff)

for old times’ sake - steve stands trial in the TVA. you are not pleased. (angst)

ways to say i love you without saying “i love you” - you and steve explore love languages. (fluff, a hint of angst)

hook, line, and sinker - steve was never meant to be anything more to you than a check, a basic mission. but somewhere along the way, things had veered from that. (angst, unhappy ending)

green eyed monster - a run in with your ex at a gala encourages everyone's green eyed monster to make an appearance. (minor angst, happy ending)

HEADCANONS

steve as a dad

ONE SHOTS

secret santa -  (coffee shop au, enemies to lovers)

a date with destiny - fate brings you to a... questionable man more than a few times. (fluff, strangers to lovers)

cabin fever - when a nasty snow storm ruins your girls trip to a ski lodge, you have to... adapt to your interesting new roommate. (strangers to lovers, fluff)

DIY - if there’s one thing life has taught you. it’s that if you want something done right, you’ll do it yourself. (warning: dark!reader)

first impressions - [request] “hmm prompts… Ransom introducing you (a total opposite of him) to his family for the first time, or a Thrombey wedding! if you feel like it” 

an apple a day - it seems like an apple a day couldn’t keep the doctor or ransom away. (fluff, hurt/comfort)

checkmate - you’ve always refused to lose, and love was no exception. (gone girl au)

ONE SHOTS

wrong place, wrong time - a drunken mishap leads you to reconcile with someone from your past. [based off this prompt]

your birthday with multiple characters

#my masterlist